Okay, here in Psalm 25, let's
begin reading together at verse 1. Unto thee, O Lord, do I lift
up my soul. O my God, I trust in thee. Let me not be ashamed. Let not
mine enemies triumph over me. Yea, let none that wait on thee
be ashamed. Let them be ashamed which transgress
without cause. Show me thy ways, O Lord, teach
me thy paths. Lead me in thy truth and teach
me, for thou art the God of my salvation. On thee do I wait
all the day. Remember, O Lord, thy tender
mercies and thy loving kindnesses, for they have been ever of old. Remember not the sins of my youth. nor my transgressions. According
to thy mercy remember thou me, for thy goodness sake, O Lord.
Good and upright is the Lord, therefore will he teach sinners
in the way. The meek will he guide in judgment,
and the meek will he teach his way. All the paths of the Lord
are mercy and truth, unto such as keep his covenant and his
testimonies. For thy name's sake, O Lord,
pardon mine iniquity, for it is great. What man is he that
feareth the Lord? Him shall he teach in the way
that he shall choose. His soul shall dwell at ease.
Like that, don't you? His soul shall dwell at ease,
and his seed shall inherit the earth. The secret of the Lord
is with them that fear him, and he will show them his covenant.
Mine eyes are ever toward the Lord, for he shall pluck my feet
out of the net. Turn thee unto me and have mercy
upon me, for I am desolate and afflicted. The troubles of my
heart are enlarged, so bring thou me out of my distresses.
Look upon mine affliction and my pain and forgive all my sins. Consider mine enemies, for they
are many, and they hate me with cruel hatred. O keep my soul
and deliver me, let me not be ashamed, for I put my trust in
thee. Let integrity and uprightness
preserve me, for I wait on thee. Redeem Israel, O God, out of
all his troubles." The man, as David was described
by God himself, the man after God's own heart, cries unto the God, the God of his great salvation. David's sorrow reminds him of
his sin because the greatest reason for our sorrow is sin. And that sorrow drives him to
his God. Look at verse 1. Unto thee, O
Lord. He's looking in the right place,
isn't he? Looking in the right place. My,
what a lesson there is in that. Unto thee, O Lord, do I lift
up my soul. Considering what David's petition
was, Several times he mentions, it's great, my need is great. Where else would he look? Where
else would he begin? What other possible reason could
he have for an answer to his request other than unto thee,
O Lord? Because David is asking for mercy. David is seeking mercy. And he's
certainly looking in the right place. Look at verse 15 again. Mine eyes are ever toward the
Lord, for he shall pluck my feet out of the net. As long as I
keep my eyes on him, he'll take care of my walk. My business
is to behold him, and he'll direct my path, asks Peter. Ask any child of God. My greatest
troubles are when I take my eyes off Christ, and then my feet
wander in places that I have to pray for His grace as my great
shepherd to come rescue me. One hymn writer put it like this,
when all thy mercies, O my God, my rising soul surveys, transported
with the view I'm lost, in wonder, love, and praise. Old John Newton, one of my favorite
preachers. He was an able preacher as well
as a hymn writer. I have, I think all of his works,
six volumes, I think that's all of them. But anyway, he wrote
one of my favorite hymns, Amazing Grace. But his dying words were
these, his last words. I am still in the land of the
dying. I shall soon be in the land of
the living. And he has been since that day. But before that time came, Mr. Newton said this. It would not
be laid to my charge that I thought too highly of Jesus Christ or
expected too much from him, that will never be a problem. Don't
need to be concerned about that. Have you ever felt you thought
too highly of Jesus Christ, child of God? Have you ever even had a thought
even considered for a moment That you've trusted him too much?
Well, of course not. Not possible. It's what Mr. Newton
meant. It will not be laid to my charge
that I thought too highly of Jesus Christ or expected too
much from him, but on the contrary. On the contrary. And to that
obvious regard by old Newton, that high esteem in which he
held his Lord in Christ. I hope I can join, and I do join
him, and say amen. Amen. It'll never be laid to
this preacher's charge that he thought too highly of Jesus Christ
or recommended him to all that hear too much. That's not possible. Christ is
all and there could be no such thing as salvation without him. Is that not so? And that being
so, I remind you of this. I saw a word and I'm sure I'd
seen it before but I'd forgotten in an article in a bulletin I
read just the other day. Moose Parts, I think, is the
one who penned it. The article I read was by him,
but he described modern day, which I usually refer to as Christianity. But he referred to it as Churchianity. Churchianity. And the difference
between Churchianity and Christianity are two differently total things. Totally different things, rather. Turn, if you will, for a moment,
and we'll come back here to the psalm. Matthew chapter 24. Matthew chapter 24. I need reminded often, often,
on a regular basis of what our Lord said here in answer to the
apostle's question. Be reminded of the seriousness
of his great salvation, the seriousness of those who know him not. Here
in Matthew 24 verse 1, and Jesus went out and departed from the
temple. That shell, that remained is
simply a show of religion. Christ leaves it. And his disciples
came to him for to show him the meaning, the buildings of the
temple. And Jesus said unto them, See ye all these things, verily
I say unto you, there shall not be left here one stone upon another
that shall not be thrown down. And he continued to walk. And
as he said upon the Mount of Olives, the disciples came unto
him privately and saying, Tell us, when shall these things be? And what shall be the sign of
thy coming and of the end of the world? Three questions. And
our Lord answered those three questions. But notice, and this
would apply, this would be the answer to all three. This would
be appropriate as an answer to each question. And I think it's
important to notice how he answered first. What was most important?
Verse 4. And Jesus answered and said unto
them, Take heed that no man deceive you. He's talking to his disciples
in private. For many shall come in my name,
saying, I am Christ, and shall deceive many." Many. Not one or two, but they shall
deceive many. Be careful that you're not among
them, our Lord says. I was talking to Mike the other
day. He made mention of a preacher, an acquaintance of his. And I
said, well, Mike, does he preach the gospel? And these weren't
Mike's exact words, but I think they pretty well described his
answer. Mike told me, not enough so you can tell it, not enough
so you can really recognize it. And he had his reasons. And I
thought, man, I'd hate to stand in his shoes when he stands before
God. Listen to what the prophet said. I will stand upon my watch and
set me upon the tower and will watch to see what he shall say
unto me, that is God, and what I shall answer when I am reproved. And the Lord answered me and
said, Write the vision and make it plain upon the tables that
he that runneth, that he may run that readeth it plain, plain. Back in Matthew 24, are you still
there? Look down at verse 36. Our Lord
made that statement several times in this passage about deception,
several times. But in verse 36, But of that day and hour knoweth
no man. My soul, could words be plainer? If anybody comes along trying
to tell you the date that they figured out the day of the Lord's
return. Don't listen to them. Don't listen to them. They don't
know what they're talking about. But of that day and hour knoweth
no man, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only. But, but
know this, as the days of Noah were, so shall be the coming
of the Son of Man. For as in the days of Noah that
were before the flood, they were eating and drinking, marrying
and giving in marriage. Pretty common things. Pretty
common thing. Until the day that Noah entered
into the ark, just the same old, same old. As they said to Peter,
we've heard that all of our lives. Peter said, these scoffers and
mockers, they'll come around and say, we've heard that all
of our lives. He's coming back, he's coming back. Peter said,
don't pay any attention to them. God's word is sure. But notice
verse 39. And they knew not, until the
flood came and took them all away, so shall also the coming
of the Son of Man be." Brothers and sisters in Christ, that's
not a fable. That's not a fairy tale. That could very well happen today. That could very well happen today.
This very moment, wouldn't it be something? that in the midst
of this message, my Lord and Savior, the King of Kings and
Lord of Lords, the mighty God, should say, well, time shall
be no more. It's done. I've called my last
sheep. Now I'm coming back to gather
them all to be with me. Wouldn't that be something? Today. But God forbid that I be like
unbelievers in treating that as though it were a fable, as
though I didn't really believe that it was true. God forbid
it give me grace not to live my life in such a way as an unbeliever
could look at me and say, see, see, he really doesn't believe
what he preaches. He doesn't live and act like
he believes the Lord is coming back. Ezekiel, you're familiar with
it. God said, Ezekiel, I've set you
as a watchman. As a watchman. I've set you as a watchman upon
the walls. And if you see the enemy coming,
if you see the sword coming, and you don't warn the inhabitants
of the city that I've set you a watchman over, and that enemy
enters in and destroys them. Ezekiel, I'm gonna require their
blood at your hands. My soul, is it any wonder Paul
said, who is sufficient for these things? But God didn't stop there,
did he? He said, Ezekiel, if you see
the sword coming, And you warned them to turn. If you warned them,
this is in Ezekiel 33. Turn, turn, and they turn not,
and they're destroyed. Their blood will be upon their
own heads. You've delivered your soul. When I think of that, and I often
do, and along with what John saw in Revelation 20, All men
small and great standing before God and all that were not written
in the Lamb's book of life were cast into the lake of fire forever. Woe unto me if I preach not the
gospel. Paul said in Philippians 3, to
write the same things unto you to me is not grievous. It's not
a hardship. For you it's safe. It's safe. And I'm sure there were probably
those who heard Paul and those who hear me who say, man, there
he goes again. There he goes again. He's talking
about the same thing again. Paul said, for you, it is safe. Timothy, Timothy, Paul's last
word, preached the word. Timothy, I'm about ready to be
offered up in just a little while. But Timothy, when I'm gone, be
careful. Don't turn aside the fables like
you see the religious world doing, but preach the Word, Timothy. Look at what David said here,
what he prayed for in Psalm 25. His greatest need, and my greatest need, and your
greatest need, child of God, and you who are not, is God's
mercy. That's what David prayed for. And where did he look, as we
pointed out? Unto thee, O Lord. And what made David think that God would grant to him such
a petition. What was the grounds of David's
hope? Did you notice that in the reading
of the Psalm? We'll look at that in just a
moment. But look where David started. David speaks of his
own experience, that's true, but behold, behold, a greater
than David is here. One commentator said, Every time
you go to the Old Testament, Genesis, the Malachi, remember,
he who said, those testify of me. Christ said, look for me. Behold, you're greater than David
is here. David seeks for mercy from the
son of David. Look at what he says again. In
verse 7, remember not the sins of my youth nor my transgressions. Verse 11, pardon mine iniquity, pardon
mine iniquity for it is great. Verse 18 again, look up on mine
affliction and my pain and forgive all my sins. And for that mercy,
for that grace, he must look. He must look out of himself,
away from himself, everything he is, everything he's ever done,
he must look out of himself and look to his God. David's son and David's God. The Lord Jesus Christ. You see,
David needs a miracle. He needs a miracle, doesn't he?
That's what he's asking for. And he's not asking for riches. He had that. He wrote this. He's
already king, had been for some time. He's not asking for riches. He's
not asking for health and wealth. No, his greatest need is mercy. And for that, he looks to his
God. And so must I. And so must you. If you ever seek, ever experience
God's mercy, you must be brought to this place. You must cry out,
unto thee, O Lord, do I lift up my soul. I'm consumed with
this need. I must have your mercy. David just doesn't seem to me
that he would be satisfied if he were sitting where you are
this morning, and at the conclusion of this message, I would say,
well, come up here and shake my hand, David, and everything
will be all right. Come up here and repeat this
prayer or sign this decision card." David said, what? Man,
are you nuts? I need God. Show me thy mercy. It took a miracle. God help us
to never forget it. Child of God. You're a standing
miracle. It took a miracle to hang the
world in place and it took a miracle to put the stars in space. But
when he saved my soul and cleansed and made me whole, it took a
miracle of love and grace. Unto thee, O Lord. Our Lord watched the crowd that
he had fed a few days before turned at his hard sayings and
walk away. And he looks at the 12, one of
them is a traitor. Do you want to go away? And you
know that scripture, you remember it so well in John 6. And Peter
said, to whom shall we go? To whom shall we go? To a preacher? A priest? A church? To whom should we go? And Peter said, Thou, Lord, the
same as David, has the words of eternal life, and we believe
that you're the Christ, the Son of God. Who else can we go to? Unto thee, O Lord, for mercy,
for grace, for salvation. Verse 2, oh my God, I trust in
thee. Let me not be ashamed. Let not
my enemies triumph over me. Don't allow me to stumble. Don't allow me to fall. Don't
allow me to be confounded. Don't allow me to ever be ashamed
of my hope before you. Don't allow that. Don't allow
that. And not just for those enemies
without, but David says, don't allow that enemy within. Help thou my unbelief. Don't allow me, as David says
throughout the Psalms, don't allow me to be ashamed of my
hope. My hope in thee. My trust of your everlasting
mercy. Look what he says in verse 3. David, as indicative of a man
with a new nature, he's not selfish. What he asked for himself, he
asked for all God's people. Lord, don't let me be ashamed,
but in verse 3, let none, let none that wait on thee be ashamed. Nobody. Nobody. That sounds so much like what
Peter wrote in 1 Peter 3, didn't it? Be ready always to give an
answer to anyone that asks you the reason of the hope that is
in you. Look what he says in the latter
part of the verse. Let them be ashamed who transgress
without a cause. Let them be ashamed. Let them
be ashamed. There's a distinction there,
isn't there? It's plain throughout the Word
of God. There's a difference in the believer
and the unbeliever. There's a difference. There's
a vital difference. Mike read it a moment ago in
Hebrews 8. I'll put my law in their hearts.
Not like that law on tables of stone, but I'm going to write
my law in the hearts of my children. I'm going to give them a new
nature. And they'll follow me and they'll love my law. They'll
love me. They'll bow to me willingly. They're not ashamed. The Lord told Moses just before
he brought the children of Israel out of Egypt that night, Pharaoh's
gonna know how God puts the difference between the Egyptians and the
children of Israel. God makes a difference. You say, well, Larry, everybody
knows that, do they? Do they? Really? God's people
are not just religious professors who claim to know God. Everybody
does, don't they, Luke? Just about everybody does. But
they know God. They know God. There's much they
don't know, but they know God. Our Lord said, this is life eternal,
that they might know thee the only true God and Jesus Christ
whom thou did sin. That's what Christianity is,
not churchianity, but Christianity. It's not a mere outward show
of acting religious. You ever seen people act religious?
Most of the folks I've known in my life, before I was ever
saved, and afterwards, that after religious, looked miserable. Just looked miserable. I mean,
their profession, their religion, their churchianity, said touch
not and taste not and wear not and go not and my soul, no joy,
just miserable. It's no wonder. Oh, but to know
God and his grace and to know Christ and real salvation, that's
joy, that's joy. And that doesn't change with
time or place or circumstances, does it? A true believer's confession
of faith is not, I don't smoke or cuss or chew and I don't run
with people who do. That's not it. That's not it. That won't solve my problem,
Mike. Doing those things won't reach
deeper than the stain has gone. And that's what needs to be done.
That's what needs to be done. God must reach deeper than the
stain has gone. He must do that. That's what
David prays for. God's mercy will do that. Christ
will do that. And David says, unto thee. You've done it. Do it again. Have mercy upon
me. Christ in you the hope of glory
will do that. A little girl heard her father
speaking about that one time. Christ in you the hope of glory. And she didn't understand that.
And I don't understand a lot about that. Oh, but I thank God
for it. But afterwards, she asked her
father, Father, did you say Christ in you is our hope of heaven? And he said, yes, honey. She
said, Father, if Christ is in you, won't he stick out? Yes. Yes, he will. If any man's in
Christ, he's a new creature. Yes, we're saved by grace through
faith, not of works lest any man should boast, but we're created
in Christ Jesus on two good works as the fruit, the evidence, the
sure sign that we've been brought to him. Let them, verse 3 again, let
them be ashamed who transgress without a cause. That's who shall
be ashamed, should be ashamed. Someone told me the other night
speaking about just a matter of decency, morality. They said,
well, and someone that held to that, they said, they're of the
old school. And I said, well, so am I. So
am I. And so is God's word. If you
want to use that expression of the old school. I am God, I change
not. If it was a sin then, it's a
sin today. Let them be ashamed with transgress
without a cause. I am the Lord, I change not. Child of God. Me especially, especially me. I have to pray so much. God, keep me tender-hearted. Keep me in tune with yourself. With all the sin, immorality, and the neighbors
just living all around us. Every day it's thrown in our
face. And if you think it's wrong, then there's something wrong
with me, I'm told. God, don't let me be hardened
by that. Remember what our Lord said,
we didn't read it, but among what he told his disciples in
Matthew 24, and because iniquity shall abound, the love of many
shall wax cold. Oh God, don't let that happen
to me. Don't let that happen to me. Don't let me look at my
neighbor that might be in hell before the sun goes down today
and say, well, whatever will be, will be. I'm not, you know,
what's that to me? God, don't allow me to be like
that. I read a good, good article just recently. It's going to
be in our bulletin soon by Brother Maurice Montgomery from 2 Peter
2 where Peter speaks about Lot, remember? Lot in Sodom. It says
Lot was vexed. Yes, Lot was at fault. He should
have never went to Sodom, but he did, took his family, and
look what it cost him. Child of God, look what it cost
him. But we read, Lot was vexed with
the daily, filthy conversation of the wicked every day. That's all Lot saw and heard.
And he was vexed with it. And Maurice said, thank God he
was. He was vexed with it and the
title of the article was this, Vexed or Conditioned. Conditioned. We're either vexed
by all the stuff around us or we've become conditioned to it.
It's just an acceptable thing. If a believer is not vexed in
Sodom, USA, then we're being conditioned to accept and even
condone it. God, be careful. Help me to be
careful. Children of God, whether it's
the so-called modern family that says men can marry men and women
can marry women and some Deceiver can tell them, perform the ceremony
and say, it's all right. It's not all right. It's not
all right. God says it's a perversion. God
says it's sin. They need to be ashamed. That's
who needs to be ashamed. You read it there, didn't you?
Let them be ashamed. Is that just not right? And even
if it's our own children, That doesn't make the exception. It
hurts and it's painful, but I can't take sides with my daughter that
I would lay down my life for, or my sons. I can't take sides
with them against my God. I can't do it. I'd better not
do it. Living together may be acceptable
on every hand in our liberal day, but it's still a sin according
to God's Word. And he says, they shall not inherit
the kingdom of God. God help us not to tell them
they will. Give them a false hope. As much as we love our
children, brothers and sisters, we dare not tell them that while
they live without any regard to God, any regard to His Word,
in regard to his gospel, could care less about his people, living
every hour of their life in rebellion against God while claiming to
be saved, what an injustice we tell them if we go along with
it. Don't do that. Don't do that. Are you willing?
Am I willing to stand before God with them and hear them say,
well, they agreed with me. Before they hear him say, depart
from For me, I never knew you. Daddy said it was all right.
Daddy said everything was well. God forbid. And look at it in
this light, child of God. When we read these, this is a
part of David's prayer. When he says, let them be ashamed
with transgress without a cause. Oh yes, God. Make them ashamed. Make them ashamed. Remember,
I do. Oh man. It hurt even more in
a way, reached deeper than that belt my father would put across
my backside. But do something. He'd say, son,
I'm ashamed of you. I'm ashamed of you. Do parents
even do that much anymore? I'm ashamed of you. Man, that
hurt. David praised God. Let them be
ashamed. Let them be ashamed. Today, we're
told, well, we don't want to inhibit them. If we, you know,
set up any standards or morals while they're under our roof,
we might inhibit their growth. They might develop some kind
of phobia and end up on dark the field saying they hate their
mother and daddy. Well, risk it, risk it. If God Almighty
doesn't do this, if God doesn't make them ashamed, they'll end
up lost forever. And this is David's prayer. Look
at it in that light. Oh God, make my son ashamed. Convince him of his sin. Show
him that he's lost. If you don't, he'll never be
saved. He'll never be saved. Oh God,
show transgressors Your mercy. And then, then, then, like David. Like David, in every saved sinner,
they'll acknowledge their sin. And then, they'll seek mercy. And then, then, they'll find
mercy. They'll find mercy, won't they?
Notice again what David says in verse 7. Remember not the
sins of my youth. Oh, the sins of my youth. Yes,
God's forgiven. God's covered them. Oh, how they
rise up. Wish they'd have never happened.
They weren't indiscretions. They weren't mistakes. They were
sins. Look what David says in verse
11. For thy name's sake, O Lord,
pardon my iniquity, for it is great. It's great. Now, the religious folk hear
that and they say, that sounds so strange. Because they say,
God, forgive my sin because it's not a big deal. Oh, Lord, forgive
my sin because it's just a small thing. It's not that bad. Oh,
but David, as the old writer said, brings a large petition
before his God. And he bases his hope of God
answering it not on the littleness of his sin, but the greatness
of it. God, do it for your glory. Do
it for your mercy and grace. Do it for that reason. If my
sin is small, I don't need a great God and Savior. And the truth
is, if you're sitting here this morning and you view your sin
as a small thing, you won't even seek God for mercy. You won't
even seek. You don't feel you need, you
won't even ask God for mercy. Oh, if I know that I'm the sinner,
the sinner, I need a great, great Savior. And David prays in that
way, doesn't he? Do it for your own glory. According to your mercy, according
to your everlasting mercies do this, Lord. That's a good argument
to bring before our God. Seek the Lord and be found, and
he will be found. Ask for mercy, and you'll find
mercy, because he delights to show mercy. Again, Ezekiel 33. Ezekiel, tell them, tell them,
if they pine away in their sins, tell them, Why will ye die, O
house of Israel? As I live, saith the Lord, I
have no pleasure in the death of the wicked. Turn ye, turn
ye, why will ye die? You say, Larry, well, I thought
you believed in election. I do. I thought you believed
that God saved sinners. Absolutely, I do. And if any
sinner goes to heaven, it's God's fault. But if you go to hell,
it's your own fault. It won't be anybody's, but your
own and your sins. That's exactly right. Oh, and
it need not be so. Oh God, pardon my iniquity, for
it is great, it is great. And when he does, when he does,
Joe, they'll join with us in singing, oh mercy there was great
and grace was free. Pardon there was multiplied to
me. There my burdened soul found liberty at Calvary. Let's wrap this up. We began
where David began. Let's end where David ends, verse
22. He concludes his petition to
his God, his prayer. Sounds sort of like the words
of Simeon, doesn't it? Lord, let your servant depart
in peace. Redeem Israel, O God, out of all of his troubles. He
has and he will. Oh, child of God, he has and
he will. You remember when Moses went
to Pharaoh again and again, God says, let my people go. And Pharaoh
says, well, go so far, then come back. No, no. Well, leave your
cattle, but go. No, no. Moses said, no compromise. There shall not a hoof be left
behind. Paul said, Oh, may your whole
soul and body and spirit be preserved blameless until the coming of
the day of Christ. And when Moses led them across
the Red Sea, He led them in that song of joyous celebration. Lord, thou and thy mercy has
led forth the people which thou hast redeemed. You've brought
them forth into your holy habitation. Oh, yes. God shall redeem his
Israel from all of their sins. There will not be a hoof left
behind. John was at Joe Terrell in his
message in Crossville. that mentioned how frustrated
the devil must be. What a frustrated being the devil
must be. He tries to prevent it, but our
great God and Savior just uses him to chase his children to
Christ. He's God's devil. And to him,
we say, not a hook shall be left behind. He shall see the reveal
of his soul and be satisfied. Turn to Philippians chapter 3
and we'll be done. This is exactly what Paul says.
This is what Paul says in Philippians 3, verse 20. For our conversation is in heaven,
for whence also we look for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ,
who shall change our vile body, that it might be fashioned like
unto his glorious body, according to the working whereby he is
able even to subdue all things unto himself, not a hoof shall
be left behind. Amen. Amen. God bless you. Brother
Joe.