And if you'd like to follow along,
I'll be in Psalms number 57. The 57th Psalm. I'm just gonna read the first two
verses. Psalms 57, verse one. Be merciful unto me, O God. Be merciful unto me. For my soul
trusteth in thee, yea, in the shadow of thy wings will I make
my refuge until these calamities be overpassed. I will cry unto
God most high, unto God that performeth all things for me. I'm just gonna stop right there. Now, this is a psalm. To the chief musician Alta chith
mctam of David when he fled from Saul in the cave There's a basic fact that a lot
of people don't want to appreciate because of what comes along with
it Troubled times make us call upon God When everything's going
nice and smooth, we have a tendency, and I said we because I'm including
me also, to just go on. Everything's going good. And sometimes some people wonder
why it says tribulation worketh patience. Can I get it some other
way? No, you can't. No, you can't. And the reason you can't is because
you won't. Troubled times make us lean upon
God, make us call upon him, and that's what happened here. Now
this is not a Psalm of David, it's a Psalm about David in the
cave, written by Mictim. But these are the words of David
that evidently he recorded in this Psalm. And it starts off
with this. Be merciful unto me, O God. Be merciful unto me. Now, what
can you glean from this? Very simply, the first thing
is, David knew he needed mercy. David cried out for mercy twice. Be merciful unto me, O God, be
merciful unto me. Troubled times make us call upon
God. He wasn't in that cave for his
health. He was in that cave because he was hiding from Saul. Saul
was after him, and David knew he needed mercy, but he also
knew he needed mercy from God. From God. Now I have a question. Do you know, do you know if you
need mercy? Now I'm not asking that question
lightly. I'm really not. Because of the world that surrounds
us. And we are influenced by the
world that surrounds us, whether we want to be or not. I don't
really want to be, but I am. And I blame you guys for being
that way too. Because it's the way we are.
It's nature. What is it? Evil communications
corrupt good manners. And they do. They do. You hang around bad people, you'll
do dumb things. Now that doesn't mean if you
hang around smart people, you do smart things. No, not necessarily. You can still do dumb things.
But this is a thing. You don't want to surround yourself
with evil companions. Now if evil companions wanna
come to you, and they wanna talk about Christ, and they wanna
ask you about Christ, that's wonderful. But it doesn't happen
very often. But do you know you need mercy?
And I still believe, right now, to this day, I need a better
grasp of God's mercy. And I believe most believers
do also. I need it, I know I need it.
But we believers who know somewhat of God's mercy, we also know
many, maybe many, many others who have no idea that they need
mercy. You understand? Some people,
they think they're good. I used to be that way. I used
to be, I thought I was in good shape, you know? God, I thought God would look
at me and say, well, he's not too bad. I don't wanna get the
big head. I didn't think I was good, but
I thought I was not too bad. There's a lot of people worse
than me, and there probably was. There was a lot of people better
than me, and there probably still is. But here's the thing, I know
people who have no idea they need mercy, they think they're
good. they have some kind of merit
in their heads, in their minds. Like I said, been there, done
that, still occasionally guilty of it. They're wrong, but that's the
way they think. They think they have, and maybe
they're going about, to establish some kind of righteousness with
God. and totally leaving out the righteousness
of God, which is in Christ. But they think they're good.
They think they have merit. They think they've done good
works. They think, and here's the thing, this is the way I've
heard it and was part of the way I thought it, they think
their good works outweigh their bad works. And so in that little
balance, okay, my good works are better, you know. And understand,
if you offend the law in one jot or one tittle, you're guilty
of all. And there's no man alive, save
one, who didn't offend in the law. And that was our Lord Jesus
Christ. And yes, I said alive, because
he still is. And he's still a man. But I'm not getting into that.
But there are those who think they have some kind of merit,
some standing before God. There are others who don't think
they need mercy, and I'm gonna use the modern word, the entitled. Y'all heard about being entitled,
right? Well, I'm not gonna go into Democrats and Republicans
up here, but I can tell you this. Everybody, some way, somehow,
thinks they're entitled to something, some way, somehow. Trust me,
I deal with it every day at work. But what I'm talking about here,
there are those who think because their father was a preacher,
they're entitled. Their mother taught Sunday school
for decades, they're entitled. Or, I come from a long line of
church folk. Heredity, family. I attend church every Sunday,
Wednesday, and special service, I never miss. They think they're entitled to
mercy because of church attendance. Or I was baptized by a Baptist
preacher who was baptized by a Baptist preacher who was baptized
by a Baptist preacher who was ad nauseum, as they say. I mean,
ad infinitum. I like church history, maybe
better than some, but there's no hope in church history. There's
no salvation in Baptists. theology, or history. Matter of fact, but for whatever
reason, they think they're entitled to the mercy of God. Now granted,
just like the people who think they have merit, these people
who think they are entitled are actually missing the definition
of mercy. Mercy is something you don't
deserve. Mercy is something you're not entitled to. And finally,
in this time we live in, there are those who take the mercy
of God for granted. God is merciful, right? So he's
gotta be merciful to me. That's what they think. God is love, so he's gotta love
me. God loves everybody. No he doesn't, and no he doesn't. He doesn't have to be merciful
to everybody, and he doesn't love everybody. And if you got
a problem with that, look in the scriptures. Esau's not the
only person that God hated. Just deal with the fact. Just
deal with it. I know I didn't like it. I don't
suppose you did either. But you understand, this book
says it, it's so. Whether we like it or not, whether
we believe it or not, it's still so. God's merciful, so of course
he'll have mercy on me. He's got to, right? Well, yes
and no. Yes, he's merciful, but no, he
doesn't got to. God is the source of all mercy.
David knew that. That's why David cried out, be
merciful unto me, oh God, be merciful unto me. God is the
source of all mercy and yes, God is merciful. He is full of
mercy. And no, God does not have mercy
on everyone. Now, y'all might guess what scripture
I'm going to because I go there a lot. And I'm just gonna read
it. It's Exodus 33 and verse 19. And he said, I will make all my goodness pass
before thee, and I will proclaim the name of the Lord before thee,
and will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and will
show mercy on whom I will show mercy. Now I know I read this
a lot, and I quote this a lot, and I will continue to do so. because I really like this scripture. Why keep harping on this mercy
and this grace? Because some still don't get
it. And it's still there. It's still
true. It's still true. Now, the grace
and the mercy are glorious and wonderful and good, and the goodness of God It's
told us in here, in that one verse. And it's wonderful. It's
great. But I gotta point out something. The big picture in that verse
is not about goodness, it's not about mercy, it's not about grace,
although it is. The big point of that verse is
the will of God. You understand? Look very carefully,
in this one verse, goodness, the word goodness is used once.
The word gracious is used twice. And the word mercy is used twice. But if you also look at that
verse very carefully, six times you will see the word will. Six
times you'll see the word will. Now if you wanna know something
about the will of God, here's something right there in that
verse. God's goodness is only shown
by his will. By his will. And grace and mercy
are only given by God's will. Understand, David is said to
be a man after God's own heart. We're in Psalms 57, first couple
verses. David is said to be a man after
God's own heart, and David cried out to mercy from God. From God. Because he knew God
is the source of all mercy. I will be gracious to whom I
will be gracious, and I will show mercy to whom I will show
mercy. And that's the truth of God.
from the lips of God. The believer also knows what
David knows, what David knew, that mercy comes only by the
will of God. Mercy is not of works. It's not deserved. It's not merited. Mercy is not of entitlement. And mercy is certainly not because
God has to be merciful. The mercy of God is just that. It is God's. And he will show
it to whom he will. He will give it to whom he will. And David asks for it. and God's grace and mercy are
given to whom he will. I like saying that. I do, I like
saying that. And David says this, my soul
trusts in thee. When David speaks of mercy, and
he also in this verse speaks of trust, and his refuge, his
hiding place, He speaks of a person. He speaks of a person. Be merciful
unto me, O God. My soul trusts in thee. And what is the next one? In
the shadow of thy wings will I make my refuge. Oh, we say it here a lot, and
we mean it a lot. Our salvation, the salvation
of God's people is in a person. In a singular person. And I'll
just name it, Jesus Christ our Lord. As you understand that
verse in Exodus 33 and verse 19, who do you think was speaking
to Moses right there? I can tell you this, it was Christ. It was Christ. No man has seen
God at any time, but he said, I'm gonna make my, go past you
and you're gonna see my hinder parts. You're gonna see my back
parts. And no man's seen God at any
time. This is the pre-incarnate Christ. He is the voice of God,
speaking to Moses here, and this is who David is crying unto.
The Lord, who gives mercy to whom he will. And he is our refuge, he is our,
he is the one in whom my soul trusts. That's what David said.
My soul trusts in thee. My inner being, my person. Mercy comes from a person. The
Lord, God, be merciful to me. What? The sinner. Lord, be merciful to me, the
sinner. You understand, good people don't
cry out for mercy. You think about that. Righteous
people don't ask for mercy. They don't think they need it.
But sinners, sinners know. Sinners know. And I still remember
Henry used to say it, I always say it, a sinner is a sacred
thing. The Holy Ghost hath made him
so. I was a sinner for 23 years before
I ever knew it. I was a sinner for 23 years before
I even cared about it. It didn't bother me. Maybe occasionally
a little goofy thought, like man, I really shouldn't have
done that. But that's not knowing you're a sinner. Because a sinner
is a person who sins. That's the definition of a sinner.
Sin's what I do, a sinner's what I am. Oh, God be merciful to me, the
sinner, the sinner. Our refuge is a person. We sang that song, God has been
my refuge daily. God has been my hiding place. I'll throw it on the end of that
one too. Daily He will ever lead me onward He will take me home
at last Our refuge is a person our hiding
place is a person the believer trusts in a person God has promised Christ promised
himself He will never leave me. He will never forsake me. And yes, when I said that, I
meant me. Because he promised that to me
and he promised that to you. If you know him, he will never
leave you. He will never forsake you. Why? Because if you're one of his,
the father gave you to him. Now, the father also gave him
to us, but the father gave you to him. And the father's not
gonna lose anything that is his, and the son's not gonna lose
anything that the father gave to him. And God says, Christ
said, I will raise them up at the last day. Oh, I like that. The relationship with Christ,
the fellowship with Christ is extremely personal. I can't have your relationship
with Christ. And you can't have my relationship
with Christ. It's between you and God. And
that's just all there is to it. I can't save you. I've seen old
black and white movies where some goofy preacher would come
up or Lutheran priest, Episcopal priest, won't you let me save
your soul? No, I wouldn't. Not even back
then I wouldn't, but it's all right. I can't. God has to show you mercy just
like God showed me mercy. Jesus Christ is my Lord, my Savior,
and my refuge. Now I hope he is your Lord, your
Savior, and your refuge. And I want him to be. But the
question is, is he your Lord, your Savior, your refuge? And
then the last part of this verse, I love this. Be merciful unto
me, O God, be merciful unto me, for my soul trusteth in thee.
Yea, in the shadow of thy wings will I make my refuge until these
calamities be overpassed. Calamities, I like that word.
I like that word. David had more calamities in
his life than I will ever see, and I thank God for that. I don't
want to have the calamities of David, or Peter, or Paul, or
John, or none of the martyrs in the days. No, I don't want
those. I do not wish to be burned at
the stake. God took care of them. Read Foxe's
Book of Martyrs. Those horrible things happen.
But let's be clear. These were David's calamities. And I'm wondering here, well,
let me get to this. David didn't blame God for his
circumstances. David asked for mercy. David said, be merciful unto
me, oh God. Be merciful unto me. Pray for deliverance from circumstances. Yes, that's okay. Don't blame God for your circumstance. Trust me, it could be worse.
There's two things I want you to remember. Always try to remember
about circumstances. No matter what it is, no matter
how horrible it is, and I'm not trying to make light of anybody's
circumstances, but please understand this. One thing, I've got two
things. One thing, first thing, your circumstances could be worse. You understand what I'm saying?
You're not getting what you deserve. I'm not getting what I deserve,
because if I got what I deserve, I'd be dead and in hell right
now. And that's the God's honest truth about it, and that's the
God's honest truth about all of you, no matter who's watching
and where you are. We deserve death and hell, and
it's only by the grace and the mercy of Jesus Christ that we
are not. So that's one thing I want you
to remember about your circumstances. The second thing I have to say,
second thing to always remember about your circumstances is this.
And I know it's hard, but it's true. All things work together
for good to them that love God, to them that are the called according
to his purpose. I understand, it's difficult
sometimes. And I am guilty of that fact
to where I don't recognize it for good until long after it's
gone. But I do recognize it. Sure,
I'm slow. But I reckon sometimes you guys
can be slow too. But I do recognize it, and I've
seen the good come out of bad circumstances. If you want to,
remember Joseph. Remember Joseph, remember his
brothers, but not them alone now. Remember the men who actually
sold Joseph into slavery. And remember Potiphar's wife. And remember what God said. They
all meant it for evil. And they did it for evil. I meant it, and here's the part.
I meant it for good. For good. Circumstances can haunt you.
Circumstances can bring you down. David's in that cave because
Saul was going to take his life. I mean, there was a reason he
was hiding in a cave. So he'd be there to call out
to God, be merciful unto me, oh God, be merciful unto me. Verse two says, I will cry unto
God, most high, most high. Unto God that performeth all
things for me. Now if you look at it, All things there is in italics. And I understand the thought,
and I believe it's true, that God performeth all things for
me. But here's the thing. I will cry unto God the most
high unto God that performeth for me. For me. Think about this now for a minute.
He didn't say, I will cry unto God who performs Now God does do things to the
child of God. He gives life, he gives love,
he gives health. But here's the thing. I will
cry unto the most high God, unto the God that performeth things
for me, for me. Oh, I like that. He for me. David knew the Messiah was coming.
And I'm gonna tell you something, all of the wonderful things that
God does to the child of God are only because of the gracious
thing that the son of God did for the child of God, for every
child of God. Without Jesus Christ dying for
me, there'd be no mercy to give me. Without Jesus Christ dying
on that cross, As my substitute with my sins in his body, there's
no way there'd be any grace for me. Because grace and truth came
by Jesus Christ. Oh, I will cry unto the most
high God that performs for me. And unless God performs for me,
unless God performs for you, we are goners. We were goners. And here's the thing about grace
and mercy. Grace and mercy never stop. I
need grace every day. I need mercy every day. I need
to trust him with all my soul every day. I need to shelter
under the wings as my refuge, my hiding place, every day. Every day. You understand? And
I like this where it talks about, it says, you know, in the shadow
of thy wings I will make my refuge until, and it says these calamities
be overpassed. That word these is in italics.
Until calamities be overpassed. Now listen folks, let me ask
you a question. When do you think your calamities are gonna be
gone? It's not gonna be in this lifetime. It's not gonna be while
you're in this world. I got a suspicion your calamities
are not gonna be over, overpassed, it says, until you awaken his
likeness. That's where we are. We are not
of the world, but we are definitely in this world. I need grace every day, I need
mercy every day, I need Jesus Christ every day. I need the
most high God to perform for me. Paul wrote this in Colossians,
you don't have to turn to it. Beware lest any men spoil you
through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after
the rudiments of this world, and not after Christ. Why? For in him dwelleth all,
all the fullness of the Godhead bodily. Bodily. And, didn't even
stop there. And ye are complete in him. In him. In him. I like that. Which is the head of all principality
and power. Believers are complete in him
every day, every day. By his grace and his mercy, we
trust in him and he is our refuge daily and he will be gracious
to whom he will be gracious and he will show mercy to whom he
will show mercy. I like that. Look down what happens
after this, verse seven. My heart is fixed, O God, my
heart is fixed. I will sing and give praise. Awake up, my glory. Awake, psaltery and harp. I myself
will awake early. I will praise Thee, O Lord, among
the people. I will sing unto Thee among the
nations. For thy mercy is great unto the
heavens, and thy truth unto the clouds. Be thou exalted, O God,
above the heavens. Let thy glory be above all the
earth. When God shows you grace and
mercy, when God gives you grace and mercy, you're gonna praise
him. Now, granted, we're not very
good at it, but I do like to sing the songs that have good
words in them. I do like to try to pray and praise God, as I
should. I don't do it very often. I should do it a lot more often
than I do. But, every day, be merciful unto
me, oh God. Be merciful unto me. Our heavenly
father, thank you for this time, this place. Thank you most of
all for our Lord, our savior, our redemption, our
salvation, your son, Jesus Christ. You have given us all things
in him. You have blessed us with all
spiritual blessings. Lord, continue, keep us. Keep us in thy way. Be with Paul
and Walter as they come to preach your gospel. Lord, bless us. We need your blessings every
day. In Christ's name we pray, amen.