Turn with me to Psalms 83. Hold
one finger there and then the other finger in 2 Chronicles
20. First, I'm sorry, Psalms 83 and
2 Chronicles 20. Psalms 83 first, which will be
our main chapter or text. Obviously you can tell there's
some issues going on, some trials, tribulations, hardships, distress,
kind of like what we've got today. But this is the prayer of the
Church of God. This is a prayer, a song by a man named Asaph,
which is, you'll see him and he's in 2 Chronicles as well.
But this is the prayer of the whole church. Keep not thou silence,
O God. Hold not thy peace. Be not still,
O God. Why? For lo, thine enemies make
a tumult, and they that hate thee have lifted up the head.
They have taken crafty counsel against thy people, the church,
and consulted against thy hidden ones. They have said, come and
let us cut them off from being a nation, that the name of Israel
be no more in remembrance. For they have consulted together
with one consent. They are confederate against
thee. The tabernacles of Edom, the
Ishmaelites of Moab, the Hagarines, Gibel, Ammon, Amalek, with the
Philistines, with the inhabitants of Tyre. These are all these
that are gathered in confederate league against us. Assyrias joined
with them. They have hoped the children
of Lot. Due unto them, as unto the Midianites,
and as Sisera, Jabin, the brook of Kaysan, which perished at
Endor, they became as dung for the earth. Make their nobles
like Oreb and Zeb, yea, all their princes as Zeba and as Samuna,
who said, let us take to ourselves the houses of God in possession.
Oh my God, make them like a wheel, as the stubble before the wind.
As the fire burns the wood and as the flame setteth the mountains
on fire, so persecute them with thy tempest and make them afraid
with thy storm. Fill their faces with shame that
they may seek thy name, O Lord. Let them be confounded and troubled
forever, yea, let them be put to shame and perish. Why? Here you go. Why do we pray this? It's interesting
that we do pray in verse 16, even though there are enemies,
that they may seek thy name. That's the only way, that's the
only hope that's ever gonna accomplish anything is that the enemies
of our enemies would, or the enemies of us and our God would
seek the face of the Lord. That's what we pray for our neighbor,
our friends, et cetera. But this is why we pray such
things, that men may know that you, whose name alone is Jehovah,
are at the most high over all the earth. It doesn't make any
difference what situation is. I'll just throw one out there,
climate change. No, Lord, show them that you're
in control of all things. They're chasing rabbits. false
science, that they may know whose name
alone. He directs the whirlwind. He
sets the oceans that they will not go, that's not going to happen. He does these things that we,
that people may know that He alone is Jehovah, the Most High
over all the earth. He's got everything in this earth,
the temperatures, the viruses, cancers, respiratory issues. He's got
everything. He's got it all right here. Let's just historically see just
a few verses in 2 Chronicles chapter 20, what's going on here.
In verse 1, 2 Chronicles 20, it came to pass after this also
that the children of Moab, the children of Ammon, with them
other beside Ammonites, they came against Jehoshaphat to battle. So here's what this is, this
is context of what's being written. Verse 14, then Upon Jehazel,
the son of Zechariah, the son of Benaiah, the son of Jeal,
the son of Maniah, a Levite of the sons of Asaph, came the spirit
of the Lord in the midst of the congregation. Asaph. This is
a song of Asaph, is it not? Look at verse 17. This is God
speaking. You shall not need to fight in this battle. Set
yourselves stand still see the salvation of the lord with you
oh judah and jerusalem fear not nor be dismayed tomorrow go out
against them for the lord will be with you okay so he went out
jehoshaphat and the hosts verse 24 and when judah came toward
the watchtower in the wilderness they looked under the multitude
that is all these people that were against him and behold They
were dead bodies fallen to the earth and none escaped. Verse 25, then they spoiled them. They took their jewelry, they
took this, they took that, they took everything. Verse 27, then they returned
every man of Judah and Jerusalem and Jehoshaphat in the forefront
of them to go again to Jerusalem with joy for the Lord had made
them to rejoice over their enemies. Now back to our chapter, Psalms
83. And in the middle of this Psalm,
in the middle of this Tumult, we have a phrase used for every
elect of God. We have a phrase used for the
church of God that I've never seen before. And it is found
in verse three. They have taken crafty counsel
against thy people and consulted against thy hidden ones. Isn't that? I mean, we could
just stop right there, have Lord's supper, go get something to eat.
Thy hidden ones. If you are in Christ this morning,
you are hidden. We are in the cleft of the rock.
Are we not? Well, this prayer of the people
of God is historically depicted in 2 Chronicles 20. We look briefly
there. In that passage, as in our text,
Psalms 83, for this morning, we'll see the church of the living
God under great distress, open attack from the Lord's enemies.
But in the end, as we saw in second Chronicles and as the
prayer here in the last part of verse eight at last 18, that
men may know that his name is Jehovah, the most high that rules
over the whole earth. Well, we see the foes are set
aside and the elect of God are comforted and delivered once
again. But as I said, this glorious
prayer, this song of Asa we have a rather exciting term, thy hidden
ones. That's his dear people. And this
is our subject for today. We'll focus our remaining attention
on this particular phrase, and it's got two points. How is it
that we are called thy hidden ones? Well, turn to Colossians
chapter three. We are the hidden ones of God in Christ by grace. Colossians 3 in verse 3. For
you are dead and your life is hid with Christ in God. Your life is hid with Christ
in God. As to the Holy Spirit's work
of grace in the heart, we're hid to the world. The world knows
us not because they knew not our Lord. We don't know how the
Spirit moves, the song that we sing, Convincing Men of Sin,
it lists which way it goes. And we don't know, it's like
the wind. But we know that the gospel is
declared, at least here, in many other places in this world, in
this country, the gospel is declared, the spirit comes in and convinces
us of Christ's righteousness and our sin, creating or stirring
new life based upon the election of grace. But the world, you
talk about election, they don't want to hear it. You talk about
a new nature, they don't want to hear it. These truths are
foreign. They are hid from the wise and
prudent, says the scriptures, but revealed unto babes, Matthew
11. Turn to 1 Peter chapter three. 1 Peter chapter three. Now this is kind of similar to
that hidden wisdom that Matt just read about. We have this
hidden wisdom. The world doesn't know it. And
so it's, we're called hidden ones in respect of secrecy. The world should see a difference
in a child of God, but they don't understand it. They just think
they can walk forward, they can make a decision, they can exercise
their free will because it's hidden. This gospel is hidden. It's secrecy. In respect of secrecy,
we're called his hidden ones. In 1 Peter chapter 3, look at
verses 1 through 4. Likewise, ye wives or husbands,
be in subjection to your own husbands, and so on and so forth. We respect one another, we're
subjected to one another, that if any obey not the word, they
may with May without the word be won by the conversation of
the wives. While they behold your chaste
conversation, coupled with fear, whose adorning, let it not be
the outward adorning of plaiting of the hair, or wearing of gold,
or putting on of old apparel, but let it be the hidden man
of the heart. Why do you do what you do? Can't
help it. The believer can't help it. We
still get mad, we still get aggravated, we still have road rage, we have
all these things because the flesh is there. But if God has done a work in
us, we are not our own, we're bought with a price. But let
it be that hidden man of the heart in that which is not corruptible. Why? Because it's of grace. Anything
that we do, that we add to our supposedly salvation, our choice,
whatever, it's corruptible. That's the bottom line. Well,
I can make a decision. It's corruptible. I'm not even
going to argue that they have or don't have a free will. I
can do this. I can do that. Yeah, you can.
But it's corruptible. It's going to die. But with him,
he says, the hidden man of the heart, that which is not corruptible,
an ornament of a meek and quiet spirit, which is inside of God,
great price. Why? Because he put it in us.
He's put that new nature in it. This hidden man of the heart
will show its nature outwardly, but it is unknowable, saved by
the sovereign grace of God. It's divinely revealed in God's
own time, as it pleases Him. This hidden man feeds upon the
hidden manna. Revelations chapter 2, that hidden
manna is Christ. It's the Word. We talked about
that a month ago. Let the Word of Christ dwell
in you richly. Why? Because we need to eat. We need
to feed. And the believer feeds on the
hidden manna. Christ Jesus, in this we joy
and we're full of gladness and we rejoice evermore, but the
world knows us not. They didn't know him. They didn't
understand him. Does that mean you get mad at
him? You get aggravated at him sometimes, but does that mean
you stop loving them, caring for them and tell them the truth?
Never. Never. Now there is in the scriptures,
if they don't receive what you say, you shake off the dust from
your shoes and you go. There's that, there is that aspect.
But I don't know, I don't know much about that. I know I'm pretty
quick to, I'm done with this person. No, we have a saying
here and we've had it forever. And I've, the more I've been
out amongst other brethren, they all seem to say the same thing.
As long as a person's alive, there's hope. There's hope. We're not the Savior. We are
the ambassadors for Christ as though God did beseech you by
us, through us. So this hidden man who's born
by hidden wisdom, born again from above, not below, feeds
on Christ. This world knows nothing of it.
Matter of fact, why? Because again, Matt read, it's
foolishness. The carnal mind cannot receive. And there's just, unbelievers
are hemmed in a corner. Everything they do is corruptible.
And they will not come, cannot come, because it's foolishness. It's foolishness. And I'd ask,
you could turn to Isaiah 32, who can tell out? Who can tell out all the hidden
blessings in heavenly places, in Christ Jesus, and in earthly
places? You know, we have to be honest.
I looked at that passage in Ephesians and somebody said, oh, it's spiritual
blessings. Yes, that's true, but we do have
earthly blessings. You know, sometimes we just want,
oh no, that's talking about spiritual blessings. No, we have earthly
blessings. Just open your eyes. Our problem
is New car, new truck, new tractor,
new golf clubs. It's mine. I was listening to
a message a year ago, Henry said, when we talk about our children,
my children, and this is what we do. My house, my pet, it's
mine, but it's not ours. And I know it's language. And
if I could instruct all of us to not use that word, I, my,
self, like I've, I think I've gotten through to you after 30
something years of using the word luck, you know, don't, don't
use that. That's not, that's not how a
believer talks, but you know, but it's, it's sometimes it's
habit and some of these things are hard to break, very hard
to break. And I'm not going to throw you
under the bus if you say something. If I look at you weird, then
remember, okay, it's not. But that's just, that's how we
talk. But how many blessings, heavenly and earthly blessings,
we have in Christ? Well, let's turn to Isaiah 32,
verses one and two. Behold, a king, this is Christ,
shall reign in righteousness, and princes shall rule in judgment.
And a man, or the man, shall be as a hiding place. Christ
is our only hiding place. If we're hiding in something
else, we're gonna be exposed. And a man shall be as a hiding
place from the wind, a culvert from the tempest, the rivers
of water in a dry place, and as the shadow of a great rock
in a weary land. That's us. We're in this man. We're in this man, Christ Jesus.
All these blessings, salvation, justification, sanctification,
righteousness, peace, hope, every single promise given to the church
collectively is in our hiding place. Secondly, I said, I just
have two points. We are called His hidden ones
were called so in respect of safety. And this in Psalms is
what this is about, safety. They're scared. They're outnumbered. They got all these nations against
them. They begin to pray. They pray
for their destruction and their salvation. I don't understand
that. It's what, I don't know. That's what the Word says, that
they may seek your name. But in all this, whether our
prayer is heard or whether it's not, whether he hears or forbears,
that his name would be glorified. And that's key. Who gets the glory? Who gets
the honor? Well, we are called his hidden ones in respect of
secrecy, that the world doesn't understand, but also in respect
of safety. And this is where this whole psalm is particularly
blessed. They're surrounded by confederate, confederate of enemies.
We see that in verse five. Yes, it's true. Yes, we can see
oftentimes with their own eyes. This situation is gonna happen
and there's nothing I can do about it. This situation is gonna
take place. There's nothing I can do about
it. But by faith, the hidden man of the heart realizes he's
safe in the shepherd's fold. Noah, he'd never seen it rain
before. Never. When the tremendous trial
by water came to Noah, what did God have him? He tucked him or
hid him away in the ark. Now we know that the ark is a
picture of Christ. His life was hid with Christ
in God. That's the literal understanding
of that passage with Noah. And his family, They were hid
and awake. They were hid away in Christ
Jesus, safe in the everlasting arms, and the world couldn't
find them. Where's Noah? We're making fun
of him. We're laughing at him. Well, God silenced their cynicism.
And sometimes he does that. I've seen that in my life. Sometimes
he absolutely shuts the mouth of people who are talking against
you. Because the tongue, it's a little member, but it does,
it'll hurt and kill and quicken and cut worse than a sword. I want us to look at these three
passages and see how we are hid in with Christ in God safely. Psalms 31. These are all three
being Psalms. Psalms 31 verse 19 and 20. Psalms
31 verses 19 and 20. Oh, how great is thy goodness,
which thou has laid up for them that fear thee, which thou has
wrought for them that trust in thee before the sons of men.
Thou shalt hide them us in the secret of thy presence from the
pride of man. Thou shalt keep them secretly
in a pavilion from the strife of tongues. Psalms 32 next page,
verse seven. Psalms 32, verse 7, simply stated,
thou art my hiding place. Thou shalt preserve me from trouble. Thou shalt compass me about with
songs of deliverance. See, stop and think about that.
That's a promise. Well, what's the condition? I
don't see. Thou art my hiding place. Thou
shalt preserve me from trouble. What kind of trouble? Fill it
in. Fill it in. Fill it in. If I told you some of the things
that I believe the Lord has spoken to me personally, not with words,
you know, in the Bible, you would say, I don't know about that.
I do. This is what he says. In Psalms
27 verse 5, And there's a bunch more, but
these are the only three we're gonna look at. Psalms 27, verse five. For in the time of trouble, he
shall hide me in his pavilion. In the secret of his tabernacle
shall he hide me. He shall set me upon a rock. And we know that he's our rock.
He's that firm foundation, that solid foundation. Though the
enemies resolve to destroy, God resolves to deliver and preserve. He hides us in the cleft of the
rock, covers them there with his hands. We sing that song.
We daily are feeding. He's feeding us and caring for
us and upholding us by the word feasted upon. This is our manna,
this word. He feeds us by the gospel proclaimed. So we gather together. Fellowship
enjoined. We need one another. No man's
an island. No man's a rock. At all. Why? We make melody with psalms
and hymns and have all things Christ in common. Not necessarily
all these different things, but in Acts, they had all things
in common. They had the most important thing in common. Christ
and him crucified. Nor can the union, now listen
to this, nor can the union and communication with Christ be
ever terminated or cut off. Why? This union, or this hiding
in Christ with God, is so secure that the Father, the Son, and
the Holy Spirit would need to be dissolved. It's not going
to happen. It's not going to happen. I don't
care how many bombs, anything, it's not going to happen. This,
he is our cover, he is our refuge. The wise man sees it and flees
into him. Hide me, hide me. They may kill
the body, but never the soul. And I know it's easy to stand
up and talk about it, because everything, we're not, bombs
aren't, they're not, it's not like England in World War II,
the rubble and any of that stuff going on. We're safe. We're safe
in Christ. That's the first priority, that's
our main concern. Oh, happy children of the Most
High, if you're a child of God this morning, I say, your life
is hid with Christ in God. You are called, I just love this
phrase, I've never seen this before, thy hidden ones. Another name for the Church of
God, another name for each elect. I close and I ask you and I ask
myself, are we hid with Christ in God. If so, we are completely
and eternally safe. If not, we are completely vulnerable,
in danger, and most certainly in peril. Folks, do not meet
God outside of Christ. Do not meet Jehovah, the Most
High over all the earth. not with protection, not being
hid in the blessed hands of our Savior, the Lord Christ. Brian,
would you close us?