We're looking in Psalms, Psalms
80. And I was thinking there as Brother
Al was sharing with us about the Feast of Booths or the Feast
of Tabernacles, Feast of Tents. And, you know, a tabernacle is
a temporary dwelling place, a tent or a booth that was not considered
to be something that you would live in for a long period of
time. I don't know how many of y'all
have ever camped out in a tent, but it's not the most comfortable
of accommodations. And, you know, it's another kind
of a side light. You know, the sons of Esau, the
Lord, or the sons of Ishmael, The Lord said that Ishmael would
be a wild man in the earth. And isn't it telling that even
in the present time that one of the most preferred means of
dwelling among the wild men of the earth is to live in temporary
tents. And I don't know that there's
a lot of meaning in that, but maybe there is. But the Feast
of Tents and Tabernacles, Brother Al did a very good job of bringing
forth the truth of that and pointing to Christ and the fact that He
has gone to prepare a place for us that is not temporary, but
is lasting. But the Feast of Tabernacles
The rejoicing in the Israelites in those tabernacles was the
fact that this was a temporary That was where their rejoicing
was, because the Lord had promised them a land into which they were
going, and they could look back in times later when they, during
this Feast of Booths, they remembered where they came from, and the
fact that they were in a temporary situation, but they were now
in a place of more permanency. And so it is that the Lord has
caused us to dwell in a tabernacle. Scripture speaks about the tabernacle
of these tabernacles of flesh. This is a temporary dwelling
place in which we presently reside and there's a lot of joy that
the Lord has given us as we travel through this world in this temporary
dwelling place but it pales in comparison to the joy that shall
be ours when we put off these tabernacles. And so we're called
upon to rejoice in these tabernacles at the present time because this
is the place of our rejoicing in the Lord because we don't
have another one. I mean you can't rejoice in the glories
of heaven because you haven't got there yet. So you can't very
well enter into that. You know, some people like to
try to make out like they're just floating above the ground
here, somehow, in some ecstasy situation. But we're in the flesh,
and the Lord has given us tongues to praise Him. And that is the manner in which
we need to praise Him, with our whole heart, with our whole being.
Let everything that hath breath, the Scripture says, praise the
Lord. Now, everything will not always
have breath because the Lord will take the breath from us
one day. But while we have breath, let us praise him before we go
to our long home. As Solomon spoke in the book
of Ecclesiastes, we have a long home. This isn't it. This is
our temporary home. But that is that place to which
he's called us to go. And so we looked last week, I
believe it was, at this psalm. Let me begin reading here in
verse eight. I think we probably covered some
of this, but we're gonna begin reading in verse eight through
the end of the Psalm. Thou hast brought a vine out
of Egypt, thou hast cast out the heathen and planted it. Thou
preparest room before it and didst cause it to take deep root
and it filled the land. Now he's speaking about Israel
whom he has brought out of Egypt. rescued them out of it. Now he's
the one that put them there, but he's the one that rescued
them out. Just like the Lord said of that man that was born
blind, this wasn't the result of anything that anybody did,
that this man was born blind, but it was so that the work of
God might be made manifest. And so why did the Lord have
Israel sold into Egypt and become slaves? One reason. Why did he raise up Pharaoh?
One reason. Now, on another side note, you
know, men who are elected president and all these things, they think
that the Lord has made them to be president so they could show
how smart they are. But every president that's ever
been raised up in the earth has been raised up for one reason,
and that is that the Lord might make His glory known. Now He
might make His glory known in the causing of the man to do
great things as men see it, or He might cause that man to be
destroyed. but in any event the Lord is
going to be praised in the raising up or the putting down of the
kings and rulers of this earth and in the everything that he
did with the nation of Israel he did for the purpose of magnifying
the glory of his grace and so he says here thou preparest room
before it did cause it to take deep root, and it filled the
land. The hills were covered with the shadow of it, and the
boughs thereof were like the goodly cedars. She sent out her
boughs unto the sea, and her branches unto the river. Why hast thou then broken down
her hedges? So that all they which pass by
the way do pluck her. The boar out of the wood doth
waste it, the wild beast of the field doth devour it. Return,
we beseech thee, O God of hosts, look down from heaven and behold
and visit this vine and the vineyard which thy right hand hath planted
and the branch that thou made is strong for thyself. It is
burned with fire, it is cut down, they perish at the rebuke of
thy countenance. Let thy hand be upon the man
of thy right hand, upon the son of man whom thou made is strong
for thyself. So will not we go back from thee? Quicken us, and we will call
upon thy name. Turn us again, O Lord, God of
hosts, cause our face to shine, and we shall be saved. as we've gone through these songs
we uh... believe that uh... as we look
at them and as the lord gives us a mind to understand them
we see the prayers of christ set forth i believe this one
is no different and i believe that uh... as if we look at it
and with that understanding that it makes some of these things
plain to us now Of course, we know this is the Psalm of Asaph.
The Lord gave it to him. The Lord gave him a desire after
these things as a man. But as men, we look at things
and we're puzzled by them. We don't know the answers to
many of the things we face every day. But we know the one who
does, and we seek him that he would give us the answers, not
because we demand them of him, or we'll be mad with him if he
doesn't, but we desire to know. So that we might give him glory
and praise in a right way. And so, the psalmist says here,
Lord, you've brought this vine out of Egypt. You took Israel
down into Egypt, and now you've brought them up out of Egypt.
And he's speaking here in a long-term fashion as he looks at Israel
who was raised up out of slavery and then wandered in the wilderness
and then brought into their land but then oppressed and walked
contrary to the way of God. Why is that so? Lord, why? Here you are, you raised up this
vine out of Egypt, and now you've put it in this land, and he says
here, the hills were covered with the shadow of it. It was
like goodly cedars. This was a triumphant and wondrous
people that you brought out of Egypt and who triumphed over
her enemies when they just marched around the walls of Jericho and
the walls fell down. What a wondrous thing, all those
victories, but then, Israel rebelled. Now, the rebellion of Israel,
while it is Israel's rebellion, and Israel can't point to anything
other than their own wickedness in it, Yet we know for a fact
that even the rebellion of Israel was ordained of God for the purpose
of magnifying the glory of His grace in their ultimate deliverance. Because the Lord would teach
us what we are by nature, even though we be a people who are
blessed of God, who have received of God the grace and mercy of
God, yet we see ourselves daily to be what we really are, do
we not? As the Lord teaches us what we are by nature, and His
grace is magnified as He is pleased to show us Our weakness. And that's what the psalmist
is speaking about here. He said, She sent out her boughs
unto the sea and her branches to the river. Why hast thou then
broken down her hedges, so that all they which pass by the way
do pluck her? Why is she in such a state? Lord,
why are we so weak and beggarly? Why are we walking so much often
contrary to thy way? And it's for this reason that
he might be glorified. You see, the Lord will take away
all room for glorying in men. I mean, you know, if a people
rise up and they, by their own estimation, they become a people
that are just head and shoulders above everybody. I mean, you
know, they think in their own mind while we just, we've got
it made. I mean, we're a people that we
don't, we're just standing in the power of the Lord and strength
and we're going along here and pretty soon men forget when they're
in such a frame of mind that it is the power of God and not
of themselves. And so the Lord, he does indeed
break down our hedges from time to time. He blasts our gourds.
Remember there's a song we sing about old Jonah, how the Lord
blasted his gourds. I mean, you know, he caused that
vine to grow up over him and he was shaded and old Jonah was
thinking, man, this is great. But then the Lord sent a worm
and he ate all the leaves off the vine. And old Jonah was out
there in the wind and the sun beating down on his head. And so it is. The boar out of
the wood doth waste it. The wild beast of the field doth
devour it. That's the place we're at. We're
like those that an old hog just comes in and roots up and tears
up everything and leaves us wondering, well, what in the world's going
on? Return, we beseech thee. But you see, this is the place
that the Spirit of God brings God's people when he brings them
into such things as that. Why does he do that? He does
that for this very reason, because he would have us to cry out to
him, to call upon him in the day of trouble. Return, we beseech
thee, O God of hosts. Look down from heaven and behold
and visit this vine. And the vineyard which thy right
hand hath planted in the branch that thou made is strong for
thyself. Now the vineyard that he has
planted is indeed his people. He planted the vineyard. He didn't
go to a nursery somewhere and get some cuttings. He made the
vineyard. He made it just like he would
have it to be. He planted the vineyard. and the branch that
thou madest strong for thyself. Now the Lord said, I am the vine,
and ye are the branches. And that is true in the illustration
that he gives there, but this is actually the reverse of what
he's said there. Because here, this is speaking
of the vineyard, the vine, as being the people of God, but
Christ is the branch of which it's speaking here, because the
scripture plainly says he is the branch. And so he is that
one who is that branch which is the stock of Almighty God
from which the vineyard was made. What a wondrous thing when we
think that he said, I'm the vine and you're the branches, but
then he is the branch from which the vine got its start and brought
forth the branches from the vine, which he's the vine. So you can't
separate, you see, between the vine and the branches, or the
branch and the vine. That's a lovely thing. I mean,
you pause and think about that. It is from the branch that the
vine came, but the Lord said, I'm the vine and you're the branches,
because we're part and parcel of Him, as we're hidden in Him,
and we have our life and being in Him. What a glorious thing. The vineyard which thy right
hand hath planted, and the branch that thou madest strong, it is
burned with fire, it is cut down. They perish at the rebuke of
thy countenance. Now the Lord, being the Lord,
and being our Lord, and being that one who was ordained of
God to undertake, to take away our sin, He is that one who fills
our infirmity. Now, if he has borne our sins
and carried our sorrows, is it not so that he would be the one
who says, Lord, this vineyard is burned. I feel it. He felt
it, you see. He knew the heartache of the
people of God. And so he's that one who says,
Lord, here I am in the midst of this, the branch of thy choosing,
and yet I feel this. It's burned with fire, it's cut
down. They perish at the rebuke of thy countenance. Did he not
stand over Jerusalem? And he said, O Jerusalem, Jerusalem,
how oft would I have gathered thee as a hen doth gather her
chicks? Did he not see his people perishing
as a man? And did He not desire their deliverance? Do we not see in that the picture
of His love for His children, for those whom He loved with
an everlasting love? And does He not implore the Lord
in our behalf? Does He not call upon the name
of the Lord? Does He not say, O Lord, forgive
them, for they know not what they do? I mean, what a glorious
Lord we have. It is burned with fire, it is
cut down. They perish at the rebuke of
thy countenance. Let thy hand be upon the man
of thy right hand. Oh, who is the man of his right
hand? The Lord Jesus Christ is seated
at the right hand of the Father. He is the man of the Lord's right
hand. And what does he say? He says,
let thy hand be upon the man of thy right hand, the son of
man with whom thou madest strong for thyself. He said, I see the
troubles of my people. Thou hast rebuked them. Thou
hast brought them down to despair. But he said, Lord, don't let
your hand be upon them. Let your hand be upon me. Father, forgive them for they
know not what they do. You see, this is the cry of the
Lord Jesus Christ unto the Lord. Let your hand come upon me. Don't
let that hand which sweeps away men like a broom of destruction.
Don't let that hand fall upon them. They deserve it. No doubt
we do. Let thy hand be upon the man
of thy right hand, upon the son of man, whom thou madest strong
for thyself." See, the Lord has ordained all of the things that
have come upon the people of God that they might be born by
His Son. And the Lord made Him strong
for Himself because, you see, no man that you ever met or I
ever met in the flesh could have borne what the Lord Jesus Christ
did as that man made strong by the Lord. He was that one suited
for our redemption. Who else could have brought it
to pass? What other man do you know of that could have tread
the winepress of God's wrath and not only and bore it in its
fullness, and yet come forth triumphant over it, except that
man who was strong." What does he say? He said, who is this
that cometh for me to be? He says, I that speak in righteousness
mighty to save. He says, I that walk ago in my
own strength. He was that one made strong for
the purpose of bringing to pass our salvation. Let thy right
hand be upon the man of thy right hand. Let thy hand be upon the
man of thy right hand, the Son of man, upon the Son of man,
whom thou made is strong for thyself. Now, why did the Lord
Jesus Christ redeem his people? Now we reap the benefits of the
redemption which Jesus Christ has brought forth in the earth. But make no mistake about it,
the scripture indicates and teaches very plainly that the Lord brought
these things to pass that His name might be glorified. That's what the purpose of salvation
is. That's why the Lord saved His
people, that His name might be magnified. He said, here's my
people. I love them with an everlasting
love, and I will demonstrate my love to all the creatures under the
heavens, both the righteous and the unrighteous. I'll show them. You see, the Lord has demonstrated
the redemption of His people for the name, for His glory,
for His name's sake. He says, I didn't love you because
you were a greater people, but He says, I loved you because
I loved you. Because it pleased me. Because I would get glory
unto myself. He's a jealous God. He said,
I will have glory. And I'll share it with no man.
Now, you and I, if we look at such a thing as that, if I should
stand up and say that, you could bring an accusation against me
of pride, because I have no grounds to stand on it. But you see,
he who is eternal, who is the everlasting God, he can declare
the jealousy that he has for his own glory, and he is that
one who is to be worshipped as a result of it. And what can
men say? See, a lot of people get mad
when you say something like that. Well, who does God think He is?
Well, I'll tell you who He thinks He is. He knows who He is. He
says, I am. He's the great I am. And He doesn't
have to make an explanation to anybody. See, people think that
the Lord owes them an explanation. Well, why did God do this? Well,
you know, I don't know why God does some of the stuff that He
does. I know this, though. that he's
right in what he does and he's worthy to be praised and we'll
fall down and worship him as a result. I mean, a God that
has to tell you what he's doing, no God at all. If you think you can dictate
to God what he should or should not do, then he ain't much of
a God. But he's a God. He said, I do
according to my will. in the army of heaven. He said,
nobody can stay in my hand. He said, I'll do all my pleasure.
He says, I make peace and create evil. I form the light and I
make the darkness. He says, I the Lord do all these
things. And what can man say about it?
Oh brother, if that doesn't cause you to tremble before Him, then
there's no fear of God before your eyes. What can we do? Rather than we shut up to the
mercy of God, we need Him. He doesn't need us. We need Him. What a glorious thing that He's
pleased to show mercy to sinners such as we are. So will not we go back from thee,
quicken us, and we will call upon thy name? Why will we not
turn again from Him? Because He's laid the wrath upon His Son for His namesake. He said, let thy hand be upon
the man of thy right hand, it is, the Son of Man, whom thou
madest strong, so will not we go back from thee. That's the
reason we won't go back, is because Christ has sent His Spirit who
works in us, both willing to do of His good pleasure and He
will bring us unto Himself. All that the Father giveth me
shall come to me, and him that cometh to me I will in no wise
cast out. He is that one. who will do according
to his will. Turn us again, O Lord, God of
hosts, cause our face to shine and we shall be saved. And that's the place we began
last week. But y'all want you to notice
something before we quit. This phrase, turn us again and
we shall be saved, shows up three times. in this psalm. But it's different each time
that it does in this way. In the first time he says, Turn
us again, O God, and cause thy face to shine, and we shall be
saved. And then in, let's see, where
else we got it here? Then in verse 7, he says, Turn
us again, O God of hosts. and cause thy face to shine,
and we shall be saved. But then, here at the end, he
says, turn us again, O Lord God of hosts, cause thy face to shine,
and we shall be saved. Now, he said, turn us again,
O God, then he said, turn us again, O God of hosts, and then
finally he says, turn us again, O Lord God of hosts. a little
more fully. You see, each time he brings
up the volume a little bit. And he identifies him here, O
Lord God of hosts. Now, the host, the host of heaven,
the scripture speaks about the host of heaven. What is the host
of heaven? The host of heaven is the created beings that you
don't know a thing in the world about. See, men get to thinking
that we're like the cream of the crop, you know, that we're
really something. Oh, you know, we're going to
be truly amazed to see the glory that surrounds the Almighty God
and the wonders of His creation, of which man is but a part. a
very important part in his design to magnify his name no doubt
a glorious thing what a privilege it is to be created as the sons
of God to walk among men and to be put on display as that
prize that possession the apple of his eye but he is the Lord
God of hosts He's the one who rules in the army of heaven and
among the inhabitants of the earth. He is that one who rules
over all things and nothing is outside of the realm of his power.
Cause thy face to shine. Who else can? See, men think oftentimes that
they can cause God to bless them. Well, brother, if you'll just
have faith. You can cause God to bless you.
If you pray enough, you can cause God to bless you. If you'll be
faithful, you can cause God to bless you. But I tell you, there's
only one source of blessing, and it comes from the hand of
the Lord. And it is in the face of Jesus Christ. Cause thy face
to shine upon us. How else could we have the blessing
of God if he didn't cause it to shine upon us? That's what Paul said. He hath
caused the light of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ
to shine upon us. We have seen his face and lived. He said, no man shall see me
and live. Think about that. Well, that's
what he told Moses, was it not? Moses said, Lord, let me see
thy glory. He said, Moses, you can't see
my glory. Because he says, there shall
no man see my face and live. David said, no man has seen God
at any time. Paul, or Peter I guess it was,
said, repeated the same thing. No man has seen God at any time. The only begotten Son, He hath
declared Him. Only manner in which you can
ever see God. is in Jesus Christ. He's been
pleased to hide us in the cleft of that rock. And we can behold
the face of God in Him. Philip, have I been so long time
with you and you have not known me? He that has seen me has seen
the Father. That's a glorious privilege.
It's only given to a few. And what can you do to cause
it? Not a thing in the world. Oh, you know, I found this to
be true, and that is that the Lord does awaken His people.
And that He causes them to want to know Him, to desire to see
His face, to desire to walk in His way, to desire to have an
understanding of the glory of God in Jesus Christ. cause thy
face to shine upon us and we shall be saved that's the only
way it'll happen is if he causes that light to shine upon us but
if he does and we pray and we implore him for mercy that he
might do so we shall be saved it's not a matter of maybe we
will be see a lot of people think that if you get up and you preach
the gospel and you're persuasive enough you may some people may
be saved well brother that's not the picture at all when god
sent forth his word his people shall be saved in the day of
his power and when the gentiles heard this they glorified god
the scripture says and as many as were ordained to eternal life
believed why do men believe? because the lord causes his face
to shine upon them and i don't know why it should be that i
would believe except for the mercy of god Oh, that He might
shine upon us today.