Good morning. Open your Bibles with me to Psalm
116. Psalm 116. Let's read the first eight verses of Psalm 116. I love the Lord because he hath
heard my voice and my supplications, because he hath inclined his
ear unto me. Therefore will I call upon him
as long as I live. The sorrows of death compassed
me, and the pains of hell gathered upon me. I found trouble and
sorrow. Then called I upon the name of
the Lord. O Lord, I beseech thee, deliver
my soul. Gracious is the Lord and righteous. Yea, our God is merciful. The
Lord preserveth the simple. I was brought low and he helped
me. And our text will come from verse
seven. The title of the message comes
here from verse seven. Return unto thy rest, O my soul. For the Lord hath dealt bountifully
with thee. For thou hast delivered my soul
from death, mine eyes from tears, and my feet from falling. Return unto thy rest, O my soul. Let's look at these eight verses
together this morning. Again, beginning with verse one.
David says, I love the Lord because he had heard my voice and my
supplication. I love the Lord. May almighty God give us grace
to say this from the heart. Without any hesitation, I love
the Lord. We're commanded, we're commanded
to love the Lord. Is there any greater evidence
of salvation than love? In John 13, our Lord said this,
he said, by this shall all men know that you're my disciples,
that you love one another. What's the first command? Love
the Lord thy God with all thy heart with all thy soul, with
all thy mind, and with all thy strength. Turn with me to John
chapter eight. Look what our Lord said here
in John chapter, look at verse 42. Jesus said unto them, he said, if God were your father,
you would love me. For I proceeded forth and came
forth from God, neither came I of myself, but he that sent
me. Our Lord speaking to those religious
Jews, they were bragging about being Abraham's seed. They said,
we have one father. And our Lord spoke to him, he
said, if truly God were your father, you would love me. And over in the book of John,
our Lord said this, remember he asked Peter, what did he ask
him? He said, lovest thou me? He asked him that three times.
And Peter said this, Lord, you know all things. You know that
I love thee. Not because of a command, not
because of a law, but as a result of grace in the heart. We love him. Why? Because he
first loved us. Isn't that what the scriptures
declare? Isn't that what we read in God's word? Turn to Ephesians
chapter 5. Look at verse 25. We're instructed,
Ephesians 5, 25. Husbands, love your wives. How much? How much is a man to
love his wife? He said, even as Christ loved
the church and gave himself for it. Back to our text here in
Psalm 116. I love the Lord. I love the Lord because he hath
heard my voice and my supplications. You know, over and over in the
scriptures, we hear men cry unto the Lord. And what do we see? That he hears
our cry. That he hears the cry of his
people. I was thinking, I remember when
our boys, Abby and I's boys were young. And it always amazed me. I could always hear their cry.
I could always hear their cry. But boy, Abby knew what that
cry was. She literally, she truly heard
their cry. Sometimes it was a dirty diaper.
Sometimes it was they needed a bottle. Sometimes they just
needed to be held. But she truly heard their cry. Almighty God, we read, he hears
the cry of his people. He knows our needs before we
even ask. We read in God's word, I sought
the Lord and he heard me. In my distress, I called and
he heard me. I cried by reason of my affliction. and he heard me. David said, I love the Lord because
he hath heard my voice and he's heard my supplication. Verse
two, because he hath inclined his ear unto me, therefore will
I call unto him as long as I live. Spurgeon said this, he said he
bows down from his grandeur. to attend unto my prayer, to
hear the prayer of his people, like a loving friend leaning
over a sick man whose voice is faint and can be barely heard,
so as to catch every whisper. All he hears, he hears our prayer. He hath inclined his ear unto
me, therefore will I call upon him as long as I live, all the
days of my life. Turn with me over to 1 Thessalonians
chapter five. I'll cry continually unto him.
Look at verse 16 of 1 Thessalonians five. Rejoice evermore. Pray,
pray without ceasing. In everything give thanks for
this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you. We should
continually, continually be in prayer to our God. Now back to
our text, look at verse three. David said, the sorrows of death
encompass me. The pains of hell hold upon me. I found trouble and sorrow. This world we live in, isn't
it much trouble, much trouble and much sorrow? And this word
sorrow here, it has several different meanings. One is like a creditor
who ties down their debtor and binds them so that they can never
be free. Like those old company stores
where they would issue that script and those miners, they'd go down
to the store and they'd buy things and they'd pay for it and they
had plenty of money. But that debt, that debt was never paid,
wasn't it? It was never paid. Continually
worked, continually worked. And isn't that what sin does
to us? Isn't that what the law does
to us? We're continually bound by it.
There's no getting out of it. It's like a ship that's anchored
and tied down on all sides. That ship's not going anywhere.
It's just, it's surrounded by water. And then listen, it's
like the pain of a woman at childbirth, a sorrow that cannot be escaped. The sorrows of death encompassed
me. They surrounded me. completely
surrounded by him, the pains of hell hold upon me, the grave. There's no escape in death. It's
appointed unto man, wants to die, and after that, the judgment. And David goes on in his text,
he says again, I found trouble and sorrow. The scriptures say
that the days of our years are threescore years and ten, and
if by reason of strength, they'd be fourscore years. Yet is there
strength, labor, and sorrow, for it is, we're soon cut off,
and we fly away. David says here, sorrow and death
encompass me. Everywhere I look, he said, it
surrounded me. What am I to do? That sounds
like a pretty hopeless situation, doesn't it? Look at verse four. He said, then called I upon the
name of the Lord. I called upon him. I called upon
the name of the Lord. Consider his name. Consider what
the scriptures declare. Consider what God's word says
about his name. His name is wonderful. His name is counselor. His name
is the mighty God. He's the Lord, our healer, the
Lord, our banner, our refuge, the Lord who is present, the
Lord, our righteousness, the Lord, our peace, Jehovah Jireh,
the Lord will provide. He's the Lord, my shepherd. Throughout
the scriptures, his name is declared. He said, I'll call upon the name
of the Lord. And he said, I beseech thee,
Deliver my soul. Oh, we need deliverance, don't
we? We need deliverance. Now listen, he's not calling
on some man named Jesus. He's not calling on a personal
savior. He said, I called upon the name
of the Lord. Master, the Lord, our savior. And this was his request. This
was his prayer. Deliver my soul. That can also be another way
of saying that is save me. Lord, save me. That was Peter's
cry, wasn't it? Remember when he was out there
trying to walk on the water and it began to sink and he cried
out, Lord, save me. And the Lord reached out his
hand, took him by the hand, Lord, save me. The scriptures declare
whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved. Turn to Job 33. Job 33. Job 33, look beginning with verse
13. Why dost thou strive against
him, for he giveth not account of any of his matters? God speaketh
once, yea, twice, yet man perceiveth it not. In a dream, in a vision
of the night, when deep sleep falleth upon men and slumberings
upon the bed, Then he openeth the ears of men, and sealeth
their instruction, that he may withdraw man from his purpose,
and hide pride from man. He keepeth back his soul from
the pit, his life from perishing by the sword. He's chastened
also with pain upon his bed, and the multitude of his bones
with strong pain, so that his life abhorreth bread, and his
soul dainty meat. His flesh is consumed away that
it cannot be seen, and his bones that were not seen stick out.
Yet his soul drawed near unto the grave, his life to the destroyers. If there be a messenger with
him, an interpreter, one among a thousand to show unto man his
uprightness, then he is gracious unto him, and he saith, deliver
him. Deliver him from going down to
the pit, I have found a ransom. I called on the name of the Lord. Oh Lord, I beseech thee, deliver
my soul, save me. And then back here in our text,
look at verse five. Gracious is the Lord. That's our hope. Gracious is
the Lord. Righteous. Yeah, our God is merciful. He's gracious. He's righteous. He's merciful. Gracious in his
hearing. Righteous in his judging. And
he's merciful in pardoning our sin. Over in the book of Micah,
we read this. Who is a God like unto thee that
pardoneth iniquity, passeth by the transgression of the remnant
of his heritage, he retaineth not his anger forever, because
he delighteth in mercy. God passed before Moses there
in Exodus 34. Turn there to Exodus 34, to the
book of Exodus. Look at verse six, beginning
with verse six. The Lord passed by before him
and proclaimed the Lord, the Lord God, merciful and gracious,
long suffering and abundant in goodness and truth. keeping mercy
for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, and
they will by no means clear the guilty, visiting the iniquity
of the fathers upon the children, upon the children's children
to the third and fourth generation. Oh, he's gracious. He's righteous. He's merciful. And listen to
verse six of our text. You're back again in Psalm 116.
The Lord, huh? The Lord that's gracious and
righteous and merciful. He preserveth the simple. Well, that describes us, doesn't
it? Huh? Isn't that a pretty good description
of us? Truth is, truth is we don't know
much, do we? Huh? He preserveth the simple. The simple, those that depend
completely upon him. Our Lord in Matthew 11, he said,
I thank thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because
you've hid these things. Who'd he hide them from? He said,
you've hid them from the wise and prudent, and you've revealed
them unto babes. He preserveth the simple. He
watches over us. He keeps us, keeps us from sin,
keeps us from falling away by his spirit, by his power, by
his grace. David said, I was brought low
and he helped me. Is there ever a time we need
more help than when we're brought low? When we're brought, he brings
us to the dust. He brings us low. We have to
be brought low. Over in Luke 10, there was a
certain man that had traveled down from Jerusalem to Jericho,
and he fell among thieves, and they stripped him of his raiment,
and they wounded him, and they departed him there, leaving him
half dead. Boy, that man was brought low,
wasn't he? And apart from that Samaritan
passing by, remember that, he came where he was. We read he
came where he was, he saw him. He had compassion on him. He
went to him and he bound up his wounds and he poured in wine
and oil. We've been brought low, haven't
we? God's people have been brought low. But listen, we're not half
dead. We're completely dead. Dead in
trespasses and sin. But listen, what do we read here?
He says, Dave said, he helped me. Oh, he helped me. He didn't pass us by. Oh, he could have. Couldn't he? God's sovereign. It's his right
to do what he will, with whom he will. He could have just as
easily passed us by, and he'd been just in doing so. But he
didn't pass us by. He supplies every need, every
need, all to the praise and the glory of his grace. I was brought
low, and he helped me. He saved me. He delivered me. Look at verse 7 of Psalm 116.
Return unto thy rest, O my soul, for the Lord has dealt bountifully
with thee. In a time of trouble, in a time
of sorrow, in a time of pain, being reminded. Don't we constantly
need to be reminded? How quickly we forget of his
graciousness, of his righteousness, of his mercy, of his deliverance
to his people. And David said, I will return
unto thy rest. There's only one true resting
place. I won't have you turn there,
but Paul over in Acts, remember that perilous voyage he was on?
And he said this, he said, when neither sun nor star nor in many
days appeared and no small tempest lay among us, all hope that we
should be saved was taken away. Oh, he was, he was compassed
about, wasn't he? He was surrounded by that storm
and darkness. And he said that, he said, all
hope that we should be safe was taken away. But Paul stood before
them and he said, in the midst of that, in the midst of that
darkness, in the midst of that trouble, he said this, he said
that, he said, be of good cheer. Be of good cheer. There's gonna
be no loss of any man's life. on this ship. Paul, how can you say that? How
can you say that with such confidence? In the midst of the darkness,
in the midst of all this trouble and sorrow, he said, there stood
by me this night the angel of God, whose I am and whom I serve.
That can only be Christ. He said, whose I am and whom
I serve. And Paul has to be brought before Caesar. And he said this,
God hath given them all that sail with thee. Therefore, sirs, be of good cheer. Be of good cheer, because it's
going to be, he said, I believe God, it's going to be even as
it was told me. God's going to deliver those
men. And you know the rest of that
story. Every last one of them was delivered, safe to land. Oh, he helped me. He saved me. He delivered me. Over and over
we see that in the scripture. Return to thy rest. Where is
our resting place? It's Christ. We rest in him. Turn with me to the book of Genesis. Genesis chapter eight. Genesis eight, look beginning
with verse six. It came to pass at the end of
40 days that Noah opened the wind of the ark, which he had
made. And he sent forth a raven, which went forth to and fro until
the waters were dried up from the earth. Also, he sent forth
a dove from him to see if the waters were abated from off the
face of the ground. Look at verse nine. But the dove
found no rest, no rest for the sole of her foot. And she returned
unto him into the ark. For the waters were on the face
of the whole earth. And then he, he put forth his
hand and he took her and pulled her in unto him into the ark. The first thing I'd have us to
see here is this. That dove found no rest. The dove found no rest. On her
own, on our own, in this world, we'll find no rest, no true rest,
no lasting rest, no comfort. Adam, Adam departed from God. He sinned against God. And then
he ran and hid. He departed, didn't he? They
heard the voice of the Lord God walking in the garden in the
cool of the day, and Adam and his wife hid themselves from,
they tried to hide themselves, from the presence of God amongst
the trees in the garden. In Luke chapter 15, hold your
place there in Genesis, but turn to Luke 15. Luke 15, beginning with verse
11. Our Lord said, a certain man
had two sons. And the younger of them said
to his father, father, give me the portion of goods that follow
to me. And he divided unto them his
living. Not many days after the younger
son gathered all together, he took his journey into a far country.
and there wasted his substance with righteous living. And when
he had spent all, there arose a mighty famine in that land,
and he began to be in one. And he went and he joined himself
to a citizen of that country, and he sent him into the fields
to feed swine, and he would fain have filled his belly with the
husk that the swine did eat. And no man, no man gave to him. That young man, he took what
was his. He took what his father gave
him and he departed his father's house. He departed, he left. And what did he find? He found
no rest, did he? He found no rest. No rest in
this world, no rest in his work, no rest in that man he was working
for. Work, work, work, no rest. we find no rest in our works. Those that would be saved by
their works. I would ask this question, when's it enough? How about self-righteousness?
When are you righteous? We're never righteous enough.
We have to be made absolutely perfect in the eyes of God. There's only one way, and that's
to be found in Christ. No true rest in anything short
of Christ. Well, second, the dove departed,
but second, we read the dove returned. There in Genesis 8
verse 9, the dove returned. You know we're described in God's
word as sheep that have gone astray. We've departed, haven't
we? In 1 Peter 2, don't turn there,
you were a sheep going astray, but you're now returned unto
the shepherd and bishop of your souls." We've wandered far from
the fold, haven't we? What's the return to Christ? Return to him. The dove returned
to Noah when she seen there was no place to go. Don't we have
to be brought to that point? Don't we have to be brought low
to the point where there's no other refuge? The hymn writer
wrote that, other refuge have I none, hangs my helpless soul
on the Christ and Christ alone. That prodigal we read about earlier,
he said this, after he had wasted away all that he had, I don't
know if he was laying in the barn or out there in the field
or where he was, he's chewing on a corn husk, sitting there
eating a husk of corn. And he said this, he said, I'll
arise and I'll go to my father. I will return to him. And I'll say to him, father,
I've sinned against heaven and before thee, and I'm not worthy
to be called a son. Just make me a servant in your
house. He returned to his father. His father saw him a long way
off, didn't he? The Lord Jesus Christ, he asked
his disciples, he said, will you go away? Go only to him. Go only to him. Return to him. Return to the
shepherd and bishop of your souls. Let the wicked forsake his ways
and the unrighteous man his thoughts and let him return unto the Lord.
and he'll have mercy on him. And to our God, for he will abundantly
pardon. Third, Genesis 8 verse 9, Noah put forth
his hand and he took her and he pulled her in unto himself. We're bound up We're bound up
in the bundle of life. Remember, Abigail said this to
David. She said, a man is risen to pursue
thee and to seek thy soul, but the soul of my Lord, David, your
soul shall be bound up in the bundle of life with the Lord
thy God and the souls of thine enemies. He'll sling out like
the middle of a sling. We're bound up in him. Noah put
forth his hand and he brought her into himself. Our Lord said
this, he said, no man, we're bound up in his hand, no man
can pluck them out of my hand, eternally secure in him. Remember that prodigal son when
he returned, when his father was there waiting on him? His
father, he put a robe on him, clothed him, were clothed in
the righteousness of the Lord Jesus Christ. He put a ring on
his finger. He put shoes on his feet. He
slew a calf. He received him with gladness,
joy, unspeakable. Return to him. Aren't we thankful
in God's word? He says this, all that the Father
hath given me shall come to me. And him that cometh to me, I
will in no wise cast out. He receives us unto himself. But you still have Genesis 8,
verse 9. That dove departed, but found
no rest. The dove returned. Noah put forth
his hand, and he received it. He brought it into himself, close
to his side. And then, listen, he brought
it into the ark. You've heard this over and over
again, but let me ask you, in the days of Noah, where was the
one place of safety? Where was the one refuge? The only refuge, the only place
of rest, it was the ark, that ark that pictures the Lord Jesus
Christ. Outside that ark, all the waves,
the wind, the water, God's wrath beat against that ship. On the
outside, there was nothing to be found but death and destruction. God's wrath against man. God's
wrath against sin. Sin must be punished. But inside
the ark, oh, inside that ark was peace, rest, safety, joy,
and in Christ, In Christ we have deliverance, we have safety,
we have rest. Every need provided, safe and
secure in him. He that cannot fail. None for
whom he died will ever perish. Turn with me back to Psalm 116. Return unto thy rest, O my soul,
for the Lord hath dealt bountifully with thee. Verse eight, for thou. Who's he talking about? He's
talking about the Lord. Thou hast delivered. Thou hast delivered. It's done. It's finished. Thou hast delivered.
Thou hast, that means he saved me. That word delivered, it means
saved. It means rescued. Thou hast delivered
my soul from death. This body's gonna die, but he
said, you've delivered my soul from death. The wages of sin
is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus
Christ our Lord. He died in our place. He was
made sin. That's what the scriptures declare.
He was made sin that we might be made the righteousness of
God in him. Thou hast delivered my soul from
death. Thou hast delivered mine eyes
from tears. In the book of Revelation, John
said this. He said, I heard a voice from heaven saying, behold, the
tabernacle of God's with men, and he will dwell with them.
and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with
them and be their God. And God shall wipe away all tears
from their eyes, and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow
nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain for the former
things that passed away. He's delivered mine eyes from
tears, and then listen. He said, thou, the Lord has delivered
my feet from falling. Unto him, unto him that is able
to keep you from falling and present you faultless before
the presence of his glory with exceeding joy. He keeps us from
falling. Well, that's the rest in God's
word for the seeking soul. and Christ alone. We rest, listen,
in what he has done. Isn't that what thou hast delivered? Lindsay, you read that earlier.
Salvation is of the Lord. We rest in him and him alone. Come to him. Rest in him. He said, come unto me. All ye
that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Return, return unto thy rest,
O my soul. All right. Brother Lindsey.