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Eric Floyd

He Makes Me Dwell In Safety

Psalm 4:8
Eric Floyd • July, 8 2026 • Video & Audio
386 Sermons
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Eric Floyd
Eric Floyd • July, 8 2026
386 sermons

Sermon Transcript

Auto-generated transcript • May contain errors

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Turn back to Psalm chapter four. Psalm chapter four. While you're turning there, just a reminder, O.B. Williams will be here to preach for us this Sunday morning. Psalm four, look at verse eight. David writes, I will both lay me down in peace and sleep. For thou, Lord, only, makest me dwell in safety. David starts with two things here. He says, I'll lay down in peace. and I'll sleep. I'll sleep. Lord, only you, only you can make me to dwell in safety. Spurgeon rightly titled this the sweet evening hymn.

To not sit up in fear, but rather to lie down. to not lay awake listening to every rustling sound in the house, but to lie down in peace and to sleep, having nothing, nothing to fear. You know, when we lay down to sleep, if you think about this, we give up. the care or what we think is the care of ourselves. Maybe we're under the delusion of the daytime that somehow we're able to protect and keep ourselves, but when we close our eyes at night, that's taken away, isn't it? David's saying here, he said, I have no power to defend myself, yet I'm safe. I put my trust entirely in the Lord to keep me." Unwavering trust. Confidence in God. And this is good instruction for all of us.

You know, I wonder if Solomon, he must have given this thing of resting in peace some thought, but we read that armed men surrounded him as he laid in his bed. Scripture declares that he slept in a bed surrounded by 60, 60 valiant men. Experts in war surrounded him as he slept in his bed. But you know there's nothing in scripture that would lead us to believe that he slept more soundly than his father David. David, whose bed was the hard ground, a cave, and he slept all the while knowing that He was hunted by his foes.

David resigned himself to the hands of God. And he did so. He did so and he slept, trusting that the Lord would not only give him rest, but that he would keep him through the night Well, let's look just for a few minutes here this evening at this passage of scripture.

Again, Psalm 4, verse 8, I will both lay me down in peace and sleep, for thou, Lord, only makest me dwell in safety. Now first, I'd have us to look at this word only, only. Thou Lord only. He alone and no one else. God alone was David's keeper as he is the keeper of every one of his sheep. Alone. God alone without man's help, without David's help, David was in good keeping, wasn't he? Alone. But alone with God. Thou Lord only. Christ alone. This is the simplicity of the gospel that enables the believer to rest.

Turn with me to a a few scriptures, but turn to 1 Corinthians 2. 1 Corinthians 2. Follow along with me, beginning with verse one of 1 Corinthians 2. Now brethren, Paul says, I brethren, when I came to you, I came not with excellency of speech or wisdom, declaring unto you the testimony of God. For I determined not to know anything among you, save one thing, one thing, Jesus Christ and him crucified. And I was with you in weakness, and in fear, and in much trembling, and my speech and my preaching was not with the enticing words of man's wisdom, but in the demonstration of the spirit and the power that your faith should stand, not in the wisdom of men, but in the power of God.

Thou Lord only. Isn't that the gospel? Christ and Christ alone. The Lord Jesus Christ died for my sins. He redeemed me from the curse of the law being made a curse for me. Now that being true, God's word is true, isn't it? That being true, if he redeems me, how sure, how certain is my redemption? And it's in him, it's in Christ alone. He alone bore my sins. Scripture says he bore our sins in his body on the tree.

Who bore them? He did. I didn't bear them. I'm not capable of bearing them. But he bore the sins of his people. He died for our sins. I like to think it in this way. He died for my sins according to the scriptures. Turn to 1 Corinthians 15. 1 Corinthians 15. Follow along with me here, verse three. For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures. The wages of sin, the wages of sin is death. But if Christ died my death, and I read in scripture that he did, Christ alone died for our sins. If he died my death, there's no death for me to die.

He paid my debt. Jesus, Jesus paid it all. We sing that, all the debt I owe. There was nothing, there's no balance due left for any of his people. He paid the debt in full. In ancient times, men in debt could be, think about this, you know, we just get a late fee now, but there was a time when you didn't pay your debt, You could be arrested. You could be cast into prison and you would remain there until that debt was paid in full. Either by yourself or by some other person.

And that's what the Lord Jesus Christ alone has done for his elect. Isaiah 61, it says, the Spirit of the Lord is upon me because the Lord hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek. He hath sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty. Liberty to the captives. The opening of prison to them that are bound. to proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord and the day of vengeance of our God, to comfort all that mourn, to appoint them that mourn in Zion to give unto them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness, that they might be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the Lord. that he alone might be glorified. Our sin, that debt which we could never pay. You know, by nature, we would all be shut up in the debtor's prison with no hope of ever getting out.

But the Lord Jesus Christ came in the fullness of time, and he paid that debt. He alone paid that debt, and he sets his people free. John Gill wrote, he said, Christ, as he has engaged to pay the debts of his people, has paid them. He has cleared the whole score.

He has blotted out the handwriting that was against them. He's declared liberty to the captives. The opening of prison, just as we read there, the opening of prison to them that are bound. And in his effectual calling, he says to his people, to his prisoners, go forth. He opens the door. To them that sit in darkness in those gloomy cells of the prison, he says, show yourself.

The redemption price is paid in full. He alone. He alone paid my debt. The debt completely paid. The price of redemption paid. We don't owe it anymore. It's been taken away. He suffered. He suffered in our place. He once suffered for sin. And listen, when he suffered, he suffered alone.

Turn to Isaiah 63. Isaiah 63. Look with me beginning with verse three. I have treaden, trodden the winepress. What's he say there? Alone. Alone. And of the people, there was none with me. All those people gathered together at Calvary, he said there was none with me. I will tread them in my anger. I'll trample them in my fury. Their blood shall be sprinkled upon my garments, and I will stain all my raiment. For the day of vengeance is in my heart, and the year of my redeemed has come.

And I looked, and there was none to help. Not one. And I wondered that there was none to uphold, therefore, mine own arm brought salvation unto me, and my fury it upheld me. He alone. And listen, if Christ suffered in my place, and he did, then the justice of God and the righteousness of God is fully Satisfied.

There's no better way, is there? God says there is none other name under heaven given among men whereby we must be saved. There's not a more certain way. He that spared not his own son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him freely give us all things?

See that, thou alone, Christ alone. We'll turn back to Psalm chapter four. Look at verse eight. Here's the second point. First, thou alone, second, makest me, makest me. He makes me. And I'm so thankful that he does. We looked at this briefly Sunday, but think about that. He makes me. He makes me to lie down in green pastures. Wouldn't you think if there was anything we were capable of doing, it would be to lay down? And yet we read, he maketh me to lay down in green pastures.

You would think that would be true of sheep, wouldn't you? That if a sheep could do anything, it could lie down. Why is that? Why is that such a hard thing for God's sheep to do? To lay down? It is. Yet in his power, Christ comes forth and he makes our worrying, doubtful, fretful nature to lie down and rest. Our Lord is able to give perfect peace. And he'll do so. What are we to do? Trust him. Simply trust his care. You know, it's the shepherd's job. That's the whole purpose of the shepherd is to take care of the sheep. He's the good shepherd, isn't he? Why do we forget that? How is it that it's so easy to forget that the Great Shepherd cares for His sheep? He makes us lie down in green pastures.

We read that He made us willing. He made us willing in the day of His power. God doesn't force anyone to come to Christ against their will. He makes them willing. And He does it in the day of His power. If I believe, if you believe, if we believe, how's that possible? He gives us faith. If I'm willing to come to Christ, how's that possible? because He made me willing. If we continue to follow Christ, it's because He will not let us go.

You know, if God were to wait for a sinner to take the first step to Christ, None would ever come to Him. None would ever be saved. But when God draws a sinner to His Son, He'll come. No one will stop Him. And they'll keep coming. They'll continually come to Him. because of his grace, because of his mercy. And they'll come to him until that blessed day when they're all gathered together in Christ. Made willing in the day of his power.

God's word declares we're made righteous. We're made that which we could never be. made the very righteousness of God in Him. He was made sin. Made sin. He who knew no sin was made sin, that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him. He made us kings and priests. Never thought about that.

You come in, you're surrounded by kings and priests. He made us kings and priests. In Revelations 1, we read, from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness and the first begotten of the dead, the prince of the kings of the earth, unto him that loved us and washed us from our sin in his own blood, and hath made us. Who did that? He did. He made us kings and priests unto God and His Father to Him.

To Him be glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen. How are these things possible? How is it possible? He made us. That's the only way, isn't it? He made us. A third, turn again back to Psalm 4 if you're not there already. Here's the third point. Thou alone makest me to dwell, to dwell, to have one's abode. It means to cause someone to sit, to abide, to cause to dwell. I can't help but think of Mephibosheth.

There he is down there in Lodabar. He's not going to stay there, is he? He's not going to continue to dwell there. David sends his servant and he goes down and he fetches him and he brings him back. You know that story, don't you? And listen, here's the thing. He dwelled.

He dwelled the rest of his days, and he was, he would have never come back. He couldn't come back there on his own, could he? He was brought, and he was made to dwell as a king's son, to sit at his table and to eat continually. Surely, goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I will, what, dwell, where? In the house of the Lord forever.

He alone makest me, me. I skipped over that, but me. He saved a poor sinner like me. He alone makes me. That just amazes you. The Lord makes me to dwell, to sit, to bide, to dwell. Here's the fourth point. Where does he make us to dwell? In safety. in safety. That's a place of confidence. That's a place of hope. That is a refuge. You look at the root of that word, that's what it means. It means a refuge. We read of refuges throughout the word of God. A couple quickly come to mind. One is the ark. That ark. God had Noah build that ark, and it was big enough, it was sufficient enough to save every animal that the Lord was pleased to save, and to save all the people that God purposed to save.

Plus all the supplies, everything that was needed for that year-long journey that it floated on the water. A sufficient refuge, a hiding place, and it carried every last one that God in mercy was pleased to save. We read of the cities of refuge. Those cities of refuge, they were located Easy to be found, clearly marked. The path was kept clear. That manslayer just needed to be in the city of refuge. He was safe. He could dwell there safely. He could dwell there peacefully in that city of refuge.

And all these refuges in God's word, they point to one, they point to the Lord Jesus Christ. Psalm 46, one, God is our what? Refuge. A very present help in time of need. He protects from every storm. He's that rock on which we build. Listen, He's the source of every mercy. He's our only plea, isn't He? Turn there to Psalm 46. Psalm 46, verse 1. Just follow along with me.

God is our refuge. Who's our refuge? God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore, will not we fear, though the earth be removed, though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea, though the waters thereof roar and be troubled, though the mountains shake with the swelling thereof.

Oh, there's a river. The streams whereof shall make glad the city of God, the holy place of the tabernacle of the Most High. And God is in the midst of her. And she shall not be moved. God shall help her. And that right early, the heathen raged. The heathen continues to rage. The kingdoms were moved. He uttered his voice, and the earth melted. The Lord of Hosts is with us. The God of Jacob is our refuge. Come behold the works of the Lord. What desolations he's made in the earth. He maketh wars to cease unto the end of the earth. He breaketh the bow. He cutteth the spear and sundered. He burneth the chariot in the fire.

Be still. Be still and know that I am God. I'll be exalted among the heathen. I'll be exalted in the earth. The Lord of hosts is with us. And he repeats it again here. The God of Jacob is our refuge. That's a reason for rest, to rest from fear, to rest from doubt. David said, I will both lay me down in peace and sleep. For the Lord only makes me to dwell in safety.

And David spoke by experience here, didn't he? Again, he surrounded by his enemies. Everybody had it out for him, especially Saul. Saul was going to hunt him down like an animal and kill him. But David says, I'll lay down in peace, safe and sound, in peace.

That word peace, it means friendship. Not just with my neighbor, but with God. He whom I've offended. This peace, it's a result of a covenant relationship. I will both lay me down in peace and sleep. He makes me to sleep. We're not capable of doing that on our own, are we? You ever have one of those nights where you just cannot sleep? And no matter how hard you try, you can't. Look at the rest of this verse. The Lord only. He makes me dwell in safety. He makes me dwell in a refuge. It's only He can. I was... Maybe it's this newborn baby, I don't know, but I've been thinking about this thing of sleep, of rest. And I look this up. Going without sleep, I was surprised by this, for 10 or 11 days, just 10 or 11 days can be life threatening.

In other words, we don't have life If we don't have rest, if we don't have sleep, the natural man has to rest. The believer, we can't live without Christ who is our rest. Christ who makes us lie down in peace and sleep. Our Lord, speaking in Matthew 11, 28, he said, come unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. I think the older I get, the more I enjoy a good night's sleep. I pray the Lord would enable us to commit all our concern to Him, to our faithful Father, to His hand, knowing this, that He has wrought all things for us. And to not lose one night's rest, thinking about the evil of tomorrow, but to simply rest knowing that we're in his hands. And those hands, those hands powerful, those hands strong, those hands of which we can never be plucked out of, he alone makes us dwell in safety. All right, let's have a closing hymn. Let's stand and sing number 509.
Eric Floyd
About Eric Floyd
Eric Floyd is Pastor at Grace Fellowship Church 2536 Dogwood Ridge Road, Wheelersburg, OH.45694 He can be reached at 740-307-1592
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