We come this morning to the final
song of degrees, the final psalm of the songs of ascent of the
people of Israel as they came up unto Jerusalem and to Zion. We come to Psalm 134, to the
summit of our journey, which reads, Psalm 134, a song of degrees.
Behold, Bless ye the Lord, all ye servants
of the Lord, which by night stand in the house of the Lord. Lift
up your hands in the sanctuary and bless the Lord, the Lord
that made heaven and earth. Bless thee. Now to Zion. Behold, bless ye the Lord, all
ye servants of the Lord, which by night stand in the house of
the Lord. Lift up your hands in the sanctuary
and bless the Lord, the Lord that made heaven and earth, bless
thee out of Zion. This short psalm speaks of that
place to which the people of God are brought in the end. brought safely up into Zion,
into the house of the Lord, into the presence of God their Saviour,
gathered around His throne, gathered around the throne of the Lamb
of God. One company, one people, united
in Christ, washed in His blood, gathered around His throne, worshipping
and praising their Saviour, who gave His all for them, who loved
them and gave Himself for them. Behold, bless ye the Lord, all
ye servants of the Lord, which by night stand in the house of
the Lord. which by night stand in the house
of the Lord. What a place to have been brought,
led up from where we were in the darkness and depravity of
our sin, awakened, alarmed by the sound of the truth of the
gospel, which God sends to his people wherever they may be.
Come unto me all ye that labour and are heavy laden. He comes
unto us wherever we are. He sounds an alarm concerning
the darkness of the world in which we dwell, the night, the
depths of sin and depravity which are all around us and all within
us. He sounds an alarm of the judgment
and the wrath to come. outside of his Son. He calls
us by his Gospel unto a Saviour, unto a sacrifice, offered on
our behalf, offered in the place of sinners, and says, Behold
the Lamb of God, here is salvation. This is my beloved Son, in whom
I am well pleased. All the people of God that have
come on this journey have started in the darkness, started in the
depths, and heard the Word of God call unto them. And step
by step He's led them forth, led them up to this summit, to
this place Zion, to the house of the Lord, to the sacrifice
offered in their place. Here they come as one people
gathered around the throne of God to behold Christ, to behold
a lamb offered in their place, to behold Christ and Him crucified,
to behold the Lord working wondrously in the sacrifice. They behold
their Saviour bearing their sins, bearing their iniquity, made
sin in their place that they might be made the righteousness
of God. Here they are gathered as one
people, by one cause, God's grace and salvation. Christ's work
alone, and here they look on at Christ and him alone, his
sacrifice, his blood, his death, that made them to live. And they're all brought as one
people, as the servants of the Lord, into the house of the Lord,
where they stand, even though it be night outside. Behold, bless ye the Lord, all
ye servants of the Lord, which by night stand in the house of
the Lord. Now in heaven's glory to which
we will be brought, to which this is a picture, of the people
of God being gathered out of this world and led up by Christ
their Savior into glory to dwell with Him forevermore. In heaven
there is nothing but light. In heaven there is nothing but
day, because Christ is their sun, Christ is the light. There's
no moon there, there's no sun there, there's no stars there,
because Christ is the sun, he is the light, he brings forth
light in that place. There's no darkness, there's
no death, there's no night. But here the Lord is speaking
to a people gathered on the earth, led up out of this earth into
union with Christ above and union with a people who have gone before
them into heaven's glory. And here we dwell in this earth,
spiritually gathered into the house of the Lord whilst it's
night all around us here below. Here we gathered with those who
dwell in the light and the day above, but we stand here below
in this earth, in the night, in the darkness, looking upon
him who is our sun, our light, our righteousness, and our life. And the call in this psalm is
to stand. Behold, bless ye the Lord, all
ye servants of the Lord, which by night stand in the house of
the Lord. They stand in the house of the
Lord. Indeed they're not told to stand
in the house of the Lord, they are simply described as standing
in the house of the Lord. This is what they do. because
God has brought them there, and God has placed them there, and
God causes them to stand, and they will never fall. They will
stand, and they will look, and they will behold, and they will
worship, and they will praise, and they will never stumble.
They will never be plucked out of his hands. Christ says in
John, that all His sheep, all His people given to Him by the
Father, all those chosen of God the Father, all those who are
put into His hands will never be plucked out, they can never
be taken away. They're sure, they're certain,
they're steadfast, they're in Him, He has them in His hands
and they're in the house of God with Him, they stand. They stand. What is it to stand by night
in the house of the Lord? Well, firstly, it's to be brought
to stand still. The journey is at an end. We've
come to the summit of this ascent. We're brought to an end of all
journeying or walking or moving. God's brought us there. He's
plucked us out of the darkness, plucked us out of depravity,
plucked us out of our sin. He's plunged us into the blood
of his son. He's washed us from head to toe
and he places us in the house of the Lord around his throne
and causes us to stand. We're brought to stand still. There's no more working. There's
no more walking, there's no more of the effort of man, there's
no more trying to do anything in our strength, there's no more
trying to ascend unto God or climb up unto God by our efforts,
our will, our deeds. We're brought to an end of self,
an end of works, an end of our will, an end of anything of man. We come to see that we are dead,
lost sinners who can do nothing and are nothing, except God come
unto us in grace by his gospel, except God come unto us through
his Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, and pluck us out of the waters,
pluck us out of the depths in which we were drowning. and place
us upon dry land and cause us to stand. God came under his
people, Israel, in bondage in Egypt. A people who could not
escape. A people who were trapped under
the tyranny of Pharaoh and the Egyptians. They could not escape,
they were under hard labour. And God sent Moses. unto Pharaoh
and said, let my people go. And God cursed Egypt and Pharaoh
until Pharaoh at last relinquished his grip upon this people and
Moses led them forth, a picture of Christ coming unto Satan and
destroying him. With a perfect judgment, he destroyed
him and he led his people forth and brought them to freedom.
but that people come to the edge of the Red Sea. And having been
brought out of that place, here they are with sea ahead of them. And the Egyptians racing upon
them behind. And they think they're lost.
They couldn't go forwards and they couldn't go back. Death
awaits them ahead and death awaits them behind. And Moses stands
before them and says, stand still and see the salvation of the
Lord. And the Lord parted the waters and the people went forth
on dry ground. And the waters came back and
swallowed up the Egyptians whole. God saved his people with a mighty
outstretched hand, but he did it when they were brought experimentally
to stand still. And until you and I, in our experience
of the gospel, in our experience of Christ and the message of
God's grace until we're brought to that point of not being able
to go forward, not being able to go back, being at an end of
our own selves, an end of our strength, an end of our wisdom,
an end of our will, we can do nothing, we're lost, except God
have mercy upon us, except God brings us there and says unto
us, stand still. and we're brought to stand still
in the night, in the darkness when we can't see our way, we
can't see the way forward, we can't see the way back, we're
lost except God come unto us and light the way, except he
brings us there. We will perish like those Egyptians
under the waters of God's wrath. We will perish like all those
who mocked and jeered Noah when he built an ark. And then the
rains came, and God took Noah and put him in that ark, Noah
and his family, and brought him through unto deliverance, whilst
the rest perished in the waters. Except God brings us to stand
still, except he take us and place us in his ark, Christ,
and brings us through the judgment. then we too will perish. Where
are you? Has God brought you to this place
to stand, to stand still and behold the salvation of the Lord? Has he brought you there or are
you still wandering about in your wisdom, with your strength,
according to your will, going where you will go, worshipping
who you will worship, doing what you will do? Where are you? These people were brought to
stand still. In John's Gospel, as we've seen
before, John the Baptist was walking one day with two of his
disciples and they were brought to stand, to stand still. And John looked, and looking
upon Jesus as he walked, he saith, Behold the Lamb of God. And the two disciples who stood
with him heard him speak, and they followed Jesus. They stood when Christ came their
way. They heard John speak the gospel. Behold the Lamb of God. Look and see. Believe on the
Lord Jesus and be ye saved. And they heard him and they followed
Jesus. They were brought to stand. Likewise, later when Christ was
crucified, When they took Christ and nailed him to the tree, we read of those who beheld him. In Matthew's Gospel we read in
verse 34 that they gave Christ vinegar to drink, mingled with
gall. And when he had tasted thereof,
he would not drink. And they crucified him and parted
his garments, casting lots that it might be fulfilled which was
spoken by the prophet. They parted my garments among
them, and upon my vesture did they cast lots. And sitting down,
they watched him there. and set over his head his accusation
written, this is Jesus, the king of the Jews. They sat down and
watched. Then were there two thieves crucified
with him, one on the right hand and another on the left. And
they that passed by reviled him, wagging their heads, and saying,
Thou that destroyest the temple and buildest it in three days,
save thyself. If thou be the Son of God, come
down from the cross. Likewise also the chief priests
mocking him with the scribes and elders said he saved others
himself he cannot save. If he be the king of Israel let
him come down from the cross and we will believe him. He trusted
in God let him deliver him now if he will have him for he said
I am the son of God. The thieves also which were crucified
with him cast the same in his teeth. Now from the 6th hour
there was darkness over all the land until the 9th hour. And
about the 9th hour Jesus cried with a loud voice saying, That is to say, My God, my God,
why hast thou forsaken me? Some of them that stood there,
when they heard that said, This man calleth for Elias. And straightway
one of them ran and took a sponge and filled it with vinegar and
put it on a reed and gave him to drink. The rest said, let
be. Let us see whether Elias will
come to save him. Jesus, when he had cried again
with a loud voice, yielded up the ghost. And behold, the veil
of the temple was rent in twain from the top to the bottom. And
the earth did quake, and the rocks rent. And the graves were
opened, and many bodies of the saints which slept arose, and
came out of the graves after his resurrection, and went into
the holy city, and appeared unto many. Now when the centurion,
and they that were with him, watching Jesus, saw the earthquake,
and those things that were done, they feared greatly, saying,
Truly this was the Son of God. those that stood, those that
watched, those whom God brought to an end of themselves, those whose hearts were opened,
beheld the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world. Truly, this was the Son of God. Others passed by, mocking, never
stopping, always moving in their own strength, always full of
their own ideas and their own wisdom. To them, Christ was nothing. I'm reminded of that verse in
Lamentations, where spiritually Christ cries out, is it nothing
to you, all ye that pass by? Whose sorrows are like unto my
sorrows? Do you stand and behold the Saviour,
your Saviour? Or is it nothing to you that
He died for sinners? Do you just pass by, shaking
your head and reviling? Or has God brought you by his
gospel to stand still. Behold, bless ye the Lord, all
ye servants of the Lord, which by night stand in the house of
the Lord. Those that stand, who brought
to stand, are brought to stand by faith in Christ alone. They've brought to cease from
all their works, all their wisdom, all their ways, all their will.
They're nothing and He is all to them. They're brought to stand
in Christ, stand by faith. stand in grace, stand in the
truth, stand in love, stand in the house of God, stand in union,
stand as one with Christ and one with their Brethren. They're
brought to stand fast in liberty, delivered from the law, delivered
from its condemnation, delivered from works, Saved by grace they're
brought out of the law to live under grace and to stand fast
in liberty as Paul says in Galatians 5. Stand fast therefore in the
liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free and be not entangled
again with the yoke of bondage. were brought to stand, to stand
in Christ alone, to stand in the liberty and love of the gospel
which is found in Christ alone. And to stand by night in the
house of the Lord in Christ alone. Because outside of him, and outside
of his house, and outside of his gospel, outside of his truth,
outside of his people, there's but darkness. It's night outside. There's nothing outside but darkness,
death, sin, and condemnation. Stand fast. Stand for the faith. Stand in the truth. Take a stand,
as they say. Stand fast. We can't do it by
ourselves. We have no strength to stand.
We have no ability to stand. When the opposition of Satan
and men come upon us, we'd be blown every which way if it was
left to us. Those men, those scribes and
priests came past Christ reviling him and wagging the finger at
him as he hung there upon the cross, oh come down, if you're
the son of God, send a legion of angels, come down, deliver
yourself. They mocked and they sneered,
Christ himself as he hung there saving his people. Then will
they not do the same to us? Do we not hear the roars of the
opposition from the darkness all around? Oh, come down. Come with us. Take a step this
way, take a step that way. Do this, do that. You think you're
the only one that's right? How can you just stand there?
You speak of Christ alone and grace alone, but surely that
you should be doing this. What about the law? What about
the exhortations? What about this? What about that?
Surely there's a responsibility. Oh, you speak of the sovereignty
of God, but what of the responsibility of man, brother? We know God's
sovereign, we know he saves, but we've a responsibility. We
must live a right, we must do this, we must walk this way.
So the voices come from the darkness all around, whispering to the
servants of the Lord. As they stand in the house of
the Lord, there's these voices constantly whispering, come this
way, go that way, surely you should. God would have you do
this. questioning doubts and fears
brought our way and accept God by his grace keep us how easily
we turn to the left and the right that was what happened at Galatia
yes we know that Christ has died but we must be circumcised yes
we know that Christ has died but we must keep the law for
our sanctification Yes, we know that Christ has justified us,
but we still need to honour the law, we still need to walk this
way. These things are of God. So the
temptation comes day after day. And the people of God, even at
Galatia, many were bewitched, many were entranced by this whispering
that came from the darkness, the night, around them. Stand fast, therefore, in the
liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, Paul exhorts. You're
Christ's. He's done it all. It's all of
grace. It's all of God. Stand fast in
the house of the Lord in the night. Bless ye the Lord, all
ye servants of the Lord, which by night stand in the house of
the Lord. By night, because outside it's
all darkness, cold, deathly. There's nothing outside of Christ
and his gospel. There is nothing outside of grace
but works. There is nothing outside of grace
but law and the works of the law. There is nothing outside
of Christ but death, darkness and the night. Those who were
chosen of God, redeemed by the Son of God, washed in His blood,
stand as a pool of light, eternal life, shining in the
darkness of a fallen world. They stand in the house of the
Lord, gathered around the Lamb's throne, looking and beholding
their Saviour crucified for them. We see this, John saw this, when
God opened his eyes by revelation to see into heaven's glory, to
see this scene of the people of God who've gone forth from
time into eternity, who've suffered in this world, who've endured
the temptations, who've had these hounds in the darkness howling
at them, saying, turn to the left and the right, who've been
sniped at every day and then they're taken. to be with Christ
forever. And there they are gathered around
his throne. John said, And I said unto him,
Sir, thou knowest. And he said to me, These are
they which came out of great tribulation and have washed their
robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. Therefore
are they before the throne of God, and serve him day and night
in his temple, and he that sitteth on the throne shall dwell among
them. Who are this great company? Who
is this great company I see? They are they which came out
of great tribulation. They've washed their robes, they're
made white in the blood of the Lamb, and they're before the
throne of God, serving him day and night in the temple, And
he that sitteth on the throne shall dwell among them. Now what is true of those who've
entered into glory, who've passed out of time, is true for those
who dwell here below. We're united with them, we're
one with them. Though we have the darkness all
around us, though it's night outside, though we heard the
howling sounds in the night, we heard the sounds of the wolves
in the distance howling at us, we heard the sounds of the predators
swirling around us in the night who would come and attack us
and take us away and lead us astray. Though there's this constant
sound, this constant temptation, this constant opposition from
the darkness around, God has us safe in His sanctuary. He's put us in His refuge. He's placed us in His house. We're here in the light of the
gospel, washed in the blood of the Lamb, one with those above,
standing in the house of the Lord by the grace of our Lord
Jesus Christ. The psalmist goes on to say,
lift up your hands in the sanctuary and bless the Lord. Lift up your
hands in the sanctuary and bless the Lord. Look up. Look up unto God your Saviour.
Look up unto He who delivered you. Look up unto he who is your
salvation. In 1 Kings chapter 8, when Solomon
came to the temple that had just been built, when he came with
the congregation of Israel, a great multitude gathered for this inauguration
of the temple, for the dedication of the temple. when they came
to see the priests offering up the sacrifice on their behalf,
when they came to worship their God in the temple. We read that
a company was gathered which could not be numbered, a huge
multitude. And when the priests went in
and made their offering, A great smoke engulfed the altar to show
the presence of the Lord upon it. And Solomon stood before
the altar of the Lord and in the presence of all the congregation
of Israel and he spread forth his hands towards heaven as he
praised God and led the people under him. What a picture of
the people of God. gathered together in Zion, in
the sanctuary, in Solomon, in Christ, as it were, lifting up
their hands unto heaven, praising their Saviour who gave His all
for them. What a picture of a people gathered
both above and below. Those who've gone into glory
ahead of us and those of us who journey here below, united together
with those above, a great multitude, one together in Christ our Saviour,
all chosen by God, all delivered by His grace. We read of this
in Hebrews chapter 12 as we read earlier. Where we read that we're
not come unto the mount that might be touched. We're not come
to Sinai, we're not come to the law. We're not come to the mount
that might be touched and that burned with fire. Not unto blackness
and darkness and tempest and the sound of a trumpet and the
voice of words. Which voice they that heard entreated
that the word should not be spoken to them anymore. For they could
not endure that which was commanded. And if so much as a beast touched
a mountain, it shall be stoned or thrust through with a dart.
And so terrible was the sight that Moses said, I exceedingly
fear and quake. We're not come to that mount.
We've been delivered from it. We did come there once. We tried
to get to heaven that way once. We came to the law and we tried
to keep it. We thought God would have us
keep it and we thought we should keep it and live this way. We
thought we could attain unto righteousness by our own works,
our own will. But we found it condemned us,
it slew us. We never began to keep the law. We couldn't keep it in one point. for one moment. Every day we
break it in every way. We always did and we always will.
If we ever turn ourselves by our own strength to that mount,
we find it condemns us, it slays us. Which is why at the time
that the law was given, it was surrounded by Darkness, it was
surrounded by thunder. It was surrounded by tempest
and fire and anyone that touched the mount would have died instantly.
God made it very clear that this is a mount from which comes down
your condemnation, because you're not righteous. You can't keep
this standard. This is how you should be, but
you're already dead. You're already full of sin. You've
already sinned. You can't attain unto righteousness
by anything that you do, anything you think, or anything you say.
You can't come unto God this way. You never could and you
never can. And everyone in religion who's
ever sought to get to God by their own works, or their own
righteousness, or their own will or decision, has come unto death. They've touched their mount and
have died. But we're not come to that mount.
We and all those who were brought through these songs of ascent,
Psalm 134, in spirit and in truth. All those who are brought by
God's grace and mercy to walk this journey, that they're brought
to an end of their works, they're brought to stand still, they're
brought to behold the Saviour, they're brought to behold the
Lamb of God, they're brought into one company with the saints
above, are brought here, ye are come unto Mount Zion. and unto the city of the living
God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to an innumerable company
of angels, to the general assembly and church of the firstborn,
which are written in heaven, and to God the judge of all,
and to the spirits of just men made perfect, and to Jesus, the
mediator of the new covenant, and to the blood of sprinkling,
that speaketh better things than that of Abel. See that ye refuse
not him that speaketh. For if they escaped not who refused
him that spake on earth, much more shall not we escape if we
turn away from him that speaketh from heaven, whose voice then
shook the earth. But now he hath promised, saying,
Yet once more I shake not the earth only, but also heaven. This God, we read, is a consuming
fire. If we hear this gospel and shut
our ears, if we refuse him that speaketh from heaven, there is
nothing but darkness, night, condemnation and death outside. But all those whose ears are
opened, all those whom Christ loved and loved to the end, all
those whom he set his grace upon, all those who are brought by
this gospel up these steps into Zion are gathered to Mount Zion,
the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem. They gathered
to the General Assembly, they gathered to the Church of the
Firstborn, they gathered with a multitude above. A multitude
gathered in a sanctuary with their hands lifted to heaven.
Oh, what a company! What a company that God has gathered,
who gather and praise His name. Not at Sinai, but in Zion. Not by their own works, but by
faith. Not through the law, but by the
grace of God in the gospel. Not of man, but of Christ alone. Oh, what a company he's gathered. The psalm concludes, the Lord
that made heaven and earth, bless thee out of Zion. The Lord that made heaven and
earth bless thee out of Zion. Stand in the house of God and
be blessed out of Zion. Here we have the beginning and
the end of all things. Who saves? Where is salvation? How can a sinner be just with
God? How might we escape the wrath
to come? How will we ever, with that company,
enter Zion's glory? The Lord that made heaven and
earth blessed the outer Zion. Salvation is of the Lord. He's the Creator. He made all
things in the beginning. He makes all things at the end.
Just as He brought this world into being, just as He created
man on the earth, so He creates, so He builds His church, so He
saves His people, so He gathers them into Zion, so He blesses
them out of Zion. The Creator, He that made heaven
and earth, is the One, the only One who can bless His people. He created them in the beginning
in Adam. He creates them anew in Christ
through His Gospel. He causes them to be born again
of God the Spirit, born again of the Word of God. He causes
them to hear the gospel. He brings them to hear the gospel.
He brings the gospel their way. Jesus passes by wherever they
may be, though they be sat by the wayside like a blind man,
or a deaf man, or a lame man, though they be lost, abandoned
by all. hopeless and helpless. One day
Christ will come with his gospel and he will pass their way. And they in desperation will
cry out, Lord have mercy upon me. And he will touch them. He will touch their blind eyes
and make them to see. He will touch their lame legs
and make them to walk. He will touch the dead heart
and make it to live. He will come unto the hard-hearted,
the unbelieving, the apathetic, the careless, the dead, and through
his gospel, he will say, look unto me, all ye ends of the earth,
and live. He will say, Lazarus, come forth
he will say believe on the son of god he will say behold the
lamb of god he will say this is my beloved son in whom i am
well pleased hear ye him and we will hear all his own will
hear, they'll be brought to life by the gospel, they'll be delivered
from their works, they'll be brought to stand still before
him, their eyes will be opened to see him, their ears will be
opened to hear him, their hearts will have faith put inside and
they will believe, and they will believe. because their Saviour
has come their way and touched them and healed them and given
life where there was death. He does it all. And He does it
all out of Zion. Salvation is of the Lord. We've been on a journey. We started
in Psalm 120. The psalmist came unto us wherever
we may be and God in his gospel will continue to come unto sinners
wherever they may be today. Where are you? Where are you
going? Are you still in the night? Are
you still in the darkness? Are you still going your way? or will God cause you to hear
and draw you and lead you every step up to Zion and say, you're
mine, follow me. Will you like those two disciples
with John, when John pointed to Jesus and said, behold, will
God open your eyes to see him and put faith in your heart to
believe him? Will he cause you to stand and
follow Jesus. Will he bring you into Zion and
place you there in a place from whence you can never be moved
and cause you to stand in the house of the Lord forever? Will
he bless you as you lift up your hands in praise under his name
forevermore? O may God send forth this gospel
powerfully this day and to the end of time, that sinners like
you and I, dead lost sinners, might hear and believe on the
name of the Lord Jesus Christ. For salvation is and ever shall
be of the Lord. Lord God and Grace Heavenly Father,
we pray that in the brevity of this world, in the brevity of
time, in the brevity of our lives in this world, that Thou wouldst
be pleased to come in the gospel and open our eyes to that which
is eternal. That Thou wouldst deliver us
from that eternal night, that eternal darkness, that eternal
death in hell to come. and bring us into that eternal
life, that eternal light, that eternal righteousness in Christ. O Lord, cause us to be gathered
around his throne forevermore. Cause us to behold the Lamb of
God, which was slain for sinners. Cause us to behold him who by
faith went into the darkness and took it away for his people.
He took their sins away. He took the judgment away. and
he brought in everlasting righteousness. So Lord, bring us to behold him
forevermore. May we be gathered amongst his
people to dwell around his throne eternally. Lord, we thank you
for his grace. We thank you for his mercy. And
we pray that thou would set it upon us in thy love forevermore.