Turn with me if you would to
Psalms 56. Psalms 56. We'll read the whole chapter.
We're going to look at one verse and one phrase that caught my
attention. Psalms 56, starting in verse
1. Be merciful unto me, O God, for
man would swallow me up. He fighting daily oppresses me.
Mine enemies would daily swallow me up, for they be many that
fight against me, O Thou Most High. What time I am afraid,
I will trust in Thee. In God will I praise his word. In God I have put my trust. I will not fear what flesh can
do unto me. Every day they rest my words. All their thoughts
are against me for evil. They gather themselves together.
They hide themselves. They mark my steps when they
wait for my soul. Shall they escape by iniquity?
In thine anger cast down the people, O God. Thou tellest my
wanderings, put thou my tears into thy bottle. Are they not
in thy book? When I cry unto thee, then shall
my enemies turn back. This I know, for God is for me. In God will I praise his word.
In the Lord will I praise his word. In God have I put my trust. I will not be afraid what man
can do unto me. Thy vows are upon me, O God,
I will render praises unto Thee. For Thou hast delivered my soul
from death. Wilt not Thou deliver my feet from falling, that I
may walk before God in the light of the living? Now, this is written
to the chief musicians. It was written by David when
David the philistines took him at gath the philistines took
him at gath and he makes his comment about uh... i will not fear what flesh can
do unto me and he says i will not fear i
will not be afraid what man can do unto me so he repeats this
he repeats this phrase here in this psalm David penned this
terrible situation in which he was taken by his enemies, the
Philistines at Gath. And you could read this in 1
Samuel 21. Basically what happened is he
fled King Saul, he was fleeing for his life, and he ended up
in Gath under King Achish. And once they realized who it
was, they said, is this not King David who has slain his 10,000? Then the mockings commenced. They begin to mock him. So David
went from one situation, one bad situation, into a worse situation. But, though the outside is all
fear and uncertainty, yet the inward, in his inward man, he
petitions his God. And he says this astonishing
phrase. Indeed, all of God's children,
every one of his elect, one by one, all who have tasted that
the Lord is true, right, and gracious, can say with David,
in verse 9, the last phrase, this I know, for God is for me. I want us to muse, I want us
to dwell upon such a wonderful truth and unerring comfort that's
found in this phrase. Now, if you want to turn with
me, we're going to be turning to quite a few scriptures. I'm
going to read them because in these phrases, it says God is
for us. So I opened it, looked up a concordance
and went through everywhere. that this phrase was used. God is for us. Specifically,
if you're a believer, God is for you, for me. Psalm 62, Psalm
62, verse 8. Trust in Him at all times, ye
people. Pour out your heart before Him.
God is a refuge for us. God is a refuge for us. That refuge is we are covered
by blood. It implies full protection. The refuge. God is a refuge for
us. So this is what we're looking
at this morning out of Psalms 59 and verse 6. I know this. This I know. God is for me. Or
God is for us. And so we're going to see how
is it said in this book that God is for His dear people. First
passage is found. Chapter 62 of Psalms, verse 8. Let's look at Isaiah 26. Isaiah
26. Isaiah 26 and verse 12, Lord,
thou wilt ordain peace for us. Thou also hast wrought all our
works in us. Our Lord God in the person of
the Lord Jesus Christ has ordained true peace That's what he's done
for us. This, David says, this I know.
In the middle of being mocked by King Achish, when the Philistines
had grabbed, got a hold of him and taken him there and began
mocking him, he's fleeing for his life, he goes from one end
of the frying pan, the fire, et cetera, however you phrase
that, and he says, this I know. This I know. God is for me. This is how he's for me. God
is ordained peace for us. Christ is said to be our true
peace. Luke chapter 1. Luke. Luke chapter 1. Verse 68 and
69. Luke chapter 1. be the Lord God of Israel, for
he hath visited and redeemed his people, and hath raised up
a horn of salvation for us." This he knew. This man knew. Zacharias. This he knew. God hath raised up a horn of
salvation for us in the house of his servant David. This word
horn is simply rendered power, spearhead. Our Savior is a horn indeed for
His people. He is full of power, the power
that He reveals Himself unto us at a certain time, at a certain
point, in a certain place in our own history, all according
to the good pleasure of His will because all power belongs to
Him. So He has raised a horn of salvation, not for everybody,
for us. That's what we're looking at.
Romans chapter 8. Romans. Romans chapter 8 starting in
verse 31 this is kind of the conclusion if you want to look
at this way what shall we then say to these things if God be
for us Who can be against us? Verse 32. He that spared not
his own son, but delivered him up for us all. How shall he not
with him also freely give us all things? Verse 34. Who is
it that condemneth? It is Christ that died, yea rather
Christ is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God,
who also makes intercession for us. For us. What do we need to
say more? What, you know, What can we say
to these things if God be for us? And this David knew in the
middle of trying times, in the middle of hardship, in the middle
of, he perhaps was looking at death square in the face. This
I know, God is for me. 1 Corinthians chapter 5. 1 Corinthians chapter 5. Paul writing to the Corinthians,
1 Corinthians chapter 5 and verse 7, he says, Purge out therefore
the old leaven, that ye may be a new lump, as ye are unleavened. For even Christ our Passover
is sacrificed, slain, killed for us, for us. humiliation on the part of our
Redeemer for us, for His people. Christ, our Passover, is sacrificed
for us. 2 Corinthians chapter 5. 2 Corinthians chapter 5. 2 Corinthians chapter 5 and verse
21. For God hath made Christ to be
sin for us, who knew no sin that we might be made the righteousness
of God in Him. He was made sin for us legally,
truly, and as our substitute. God made Christ to be sin, to
be a sacrifice, to be a refuge, to be for us and not against
us. All these things, David knew. As Job, you know, Job, I know
my Redeemer living. This I know. God, whether it
looks like it on the outside, whether it looks like economically,
whether it looks like financially, whether it looks like on and on and on. or it looks
like our neighbors again, all these things. It's this we know. The believer has this assurance
out of God's Word. If you have tasted that He is
gracious, if you know Him, if He's shown you what you are,
what you are and you are not, you cannot do, you cannot come
to Him that you will have life. He's shown us that He is for
us in all these, all this capacity, every single one of them. Galatians
chapter 1. Galatians chapter 1. Grace verse 3. Galatians 1 verse
3. Grace be to you and peace from
God our Father and from our Lord Jesus Christ who gave himself
for our sins that he might deliver us from
this present evil world according to the will of God and our Father. He gave himself voluntarily and he despised the
shame. He detested the shame but he
had a people that he was going to redeem. Galatians chapter
3. Galatians chapter 3. Verse 13,
Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law being made
a curse for us. This is all part of God's eternal
covenantal plan of salvation of God being for his people that
he was going to have to send his beloved son to redeem these
from the curse of the law He Himself being made a curse for
us, as it is written, cursed is everyone that hangeth on a
tree. Cursed. Cursed. God was going to curse His own
Son for us. What does that mean? I don't
know the depth of what it means, but I know It must say something
about the love of Christ, the love of God, and the love of
the Holy Spirit for His people. It must say something about the
awful holiness and righteousness and purity of our God. It must
say a lot about our sin and our corruptions and our degradations
and our vileness, our leprosy, all these different things that
we are. But I also know it says, hath redeemed. It's all past
tense. It's all been done for us. Ephesians
chapter 5. Ephesians chapter 5. Verse 1 and 2. Be ye therefore
followers of God as dear children and walk in love as Christ also
hath loved us and hath given himself for us. and offering and a sacrifice
to God for a sweet smelling savor. Given freely, true love. Walk in love as Christ also hath
loved us and given himself for us. He offered himself up willingly
Voluntarily, nobody, as he said, nobody takes my life. I give
it. I lay it down. I'm able to take
it back up. That's how sovereign our God
is. And if he's sovereign in his substitutionary accomplishment,
he's sovereign in his reconciliatory work for us. It's got to be. He can't go come to earth, voluntarily
be humiliated, undergo what he went, and not successfully bring
home every elect son and daughter throughout all the ages. He can't stop in the middle of
His work. He's successful. He's completely successful. 1
Thessalonians chapter 5. 1 Thessalonians chapter 5. Verse
9 and 10, For God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation
by or through the person, the agency of our Lord Jesus Christ
who died for us that whether we wake or sleep we should live
together with Him. Christ died for us because the
psalmist knew in no uncertain terms that God was for him. He died, he was put to death,
for us, for his people. Titus chapter 2. Titus chapter
2. Verse 13 and 14, looking for
that blessed hope and the glorious appearing of the great God and
our Savior Jesus Christ who gave himself for us. that He might
redeem us from all iniquity and purify unto Himself a peculiar
people, zealous of good works. He did all this. He gave Himself,
there's that word gave again, free grace indeed. He did such
things. Not that it may be up to us,
He might, that word might does not indicate lack of ability,
that He would redeem us from all iniquity and purify unto
Himself. He has purified. He sanctified. He set us apart. A peculiar people,
zealous of good works. Good works, as James tells us,
goes with the believer like faith goes with the believer. You can't
separate them. We do these things because of
what He's done for us. Chapter 6, verse 19, the writer says, which
hope, in Hebrews 6, we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure
and steadfast, which endureth into that within the veil. Whether
the forerunner is for us, enter. Even Jesus, made a high priest
forever after the order of Melchizedek, he is our forerunner. in such
that He is for us. In other words, He's the first
begotten from the dead. He's the first begotten of every
creature. He has entered in, and we looked
at this when we were in Hebrews, He entered into the Holy of Holies. He made access possible. The
right of access is now, we have it, but He went first. He's not
going to ask of us, basically He's not, you know, when we say
a good boss is somebody who doesn't ask of an employer that which
he would do himself. Our Lord Jesus Christ has done
everything, but we couldn't do anything. That's the beauty.
We couldn't do a single thing. Hebrews 9 and verse Hebrews 9
and verse 12, "...neither by the blood of goats and calves,
but by His own blood He entered in once into the holy place,
having obtained eternal redemption for us." This I know. God is for us. Why? Because He wouldn't accept blood
of goats and calves, so He thereby sent His only begotten Son suffered,
bled, and died, all voluntarily, once into the holy place, accomplishing
our eternal redemption, salvation, justification, sanctification,
glorification. He did it all. 9, in verse 24,
up a few, for Christ is not entered into the holy place made with
hands, which are the figures of the truth, but into heaven
itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us. Not only has he accomplished
salvation here on earth, but once that was done he still is
working on our behalf because he's for us, not against us.
He's in the presence of God right now for us. Interceding for us. We don't know how to pray as
we ought. We groan and we utter, but the Holy Spirit takes these
things and it's all washed by the blood of Christ and made
acceptable to the Father. Hebrews chapter 10 and verse 19 and 20, having therefore
brethren boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus
by a new and living way which he hath consecrated for us through
the veil, that is to say, his flesh. Consecrated. We looked at that made new. He
made that this way. He made it new for us. Consecrated
for us. Consecrated for us. 1 Peter chapter
2. 1 Peter chapter 2. Verse 20 and 21. For what glory is it if, when
you are buffeted for your faults, you take it patiently? But if,
when you do well and suffer for it, you take it patiently, this
is acceptable with God. For even here unto were you called,
because Christ also suffered for us." Leaving us an example
that you should follow his steps. Christ also suffered for us. So we are called to suffer for
Him. Those who are godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution,
the Philippians says. We're called to do that. All
because Christ is for us and not against us. And lastly, in
1 John chapter 3. 1 John chapter 3. Verse 16, verse John 3, 16, Hereby
perceive we the love of God. We're aware, we're cognizant
of the love of God because He laid down His life for us. And we ought to lay down our
lives for the brethren. He laid down His life, willingly
laid it down. Such total and amazing mercy,
love, and grace for worms like us. He laid down His life for
us. Now, who can lay a finger or
harm or threaten any of God's children unless He has ordained
it and allows it. And yet, with this permission,
will come grace in exact time of need. Because He's for us. He's for us. When I cry unto
thee, says back in Psalm 56, then shall mine enemies turn
back. This I know, for God is for me. This I know, for God is for us. It is impossible for any human
speech to express the full meaning of this delightful phrase, God
is for me. He was for us before the worlds
were made. He was for us or he would not
have given his well-beloved son. He was for us when he smoked
the only begotten and laid the full weight of his wrath upon
him. He was for us, though he was against him. He was for us
when we were ruined in the fall. He loved us notwithstanding all.
He was for us when we were rebels against him. With a high hand,
we're bidding him defiance. He was for us, or he would not
have brought us humbly to seek his face. He has been for us
in many struggles. We have been summoned to encounter
hosts of dangers. We have been assailed by temptations
from without and from within. How could we have remained unharmed
to this very hour if he had not been for us? He is for us with
all the infinity of his being, with all the omnipotence of his
love, and with all the infallibility of his wisdom, arrayed in all
his divine attributes He is for us, eternally and immutably for
us. For us, when ye blue skies shall
be rolled up like a worn out vesture. For us, throughout all
eternity. And because he is for us, the
voice of prayer will always ensure his help. David said, when I
cry unto thee, then shall my enemies be turned back. This
is no uncertain hope, but a well-grounded assurance, because he also says,
this I know. I will direct my prayer unto
thee, and will look up for the answer, assure that it will come,
and that my enemies shall be defeated. Why, why, and why? For God is for me. O believer,
how happy art thou with the king of kings on your side, how safe
was such a protector. How sure thy cause pleaded by
such an advocate. If God be for thee, who can be
against thee? And I close with that passage
in Romans chapter 8. What shall we then say to these
things? If God be for us, who can be
against us? God that spared not His own Son,
but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also
freely give us all things? Let us ask for much faith to
be settled, unmovable in His grace of the Lord Jesus Christ. Bruce, would you close us please?