If you would turn with me in
your Bibles to Psalm 102. Psalm 102. I don't know personally of a
soul here this morning, within the sound of my voice anyway,
that is physically destitute. We live in tough times right
now. hard to find one who is destitute. But to the best of my knowledge,
all you this morning have been blessed. And I don't know of
anyone here that does not have a roof over their head. with the comforts that make us
safe and cool and comfortable from the outside elements of
the heat and the rain. And to the best of my knowledge,
there are none of you starving because of lack of food, for
God has graciously continued to provide. I don't think any
of you here this morning are walking because you don't have
transportation. Somehow or another God, by His
grace, always provides for us in these areas. And there's none
that I see here this morning wearing filthy, torn, and ragged
clothing. Actually, you all look quite
nice. And I will readily admit to you
that my parents weren't wealthy. I wasn't raised, as they say,
on the wealthy side of the tracks. But I never, ever can remember
doing without or being without whatever I needed. Both my parents
had jobs. And when I was old enough to
work, I got a job too. But even our jobs and our health
that allows us to work is a gift of God. and graciously provided
for us. Being destitute is something
most of us don't know a lot about from experience. Some of you
may have been raised poor and have seen some hard times, but
seriously, none here this morning that I'm aware of are now destitute
in any way physically. But I will tell you this, dear
friends. Everyone here that is without the knowledge of God,
without the Lord Jesus Christ in the gospel is destitute, spiritually
destitute. The Bible says that those who
don't know Christ are without God and without hope, being without
Christ in this world, Ephesians 2.12. To be without God, to be
without Christ, and to be without hope in this world is to be spiritually
destitute. spiritually destitute. Those
whom God has made to know the beauty of Christ by the sovereign
grace of God in Christ find salvation in Him and Him alone. And I've
said many times, lost sinners are spiritually bankrupt. But
the more I think about that terminology, the more I see that's incorrect. To say one is bankrupt implies
that they once had something that they lost. We have nothing
but sin. That's the only thing that we
can call our own. But we're spiritually destitute.
And that's what we are without God's grace and God's mercy in
Christ. I hope that you have seen that
you're destitute without Him. Now that word destitute, according
to Webster Dictionary and even the concordance of the Bible,
means without the necessities of life. without the necessities
of life. And here we're talking not about
physical destitution, but about spiritual. We're without the
necessities of life. And to be without Christ, dear
friends, that's what you are. You're without what you need
to live eternally. You don't, and I don't, possess
anything that would cause us to merit, earn, or deserve the
one thing necessary for life. Spiritual life. Eternal life.
Our Lord told His dear friend Martha, Oh, he loved that family,
Martha, Mary, and Lazarus. And one time we're told that
he was in their home and Martha began to complain and to be cumbered
about with much care and trouble because of the work and the chores
and while we're entertaining the Lord. And she went to the
Lord Jesus and she said, Mary is not doing anything to help
me, Lord. Would you make her help me? Now, I'm paraphrasing,
but that's pretty much what she said to him. And you know what
he said to her? I know you do. You're familiar with it. He said,
Martha, Martha, Mary has chosen the one thing needful. Only one
thing needful, friends. Only one thing needful. Her sister
Mary had chosen the one thing that she needed to be full of
life. What had she chosen? She had
chosen to sit at the Master's feet and to hear His Word. Oh my, can we but sit and listen
at the Master's feet. She chose what was needful. She
chose what caused her to no longer to be destitute. The words Christ
said to Martha, I think, pretty well describe the religion of
our day. They have a program for this.
They have a program for that. They have a ministry for this.
They have a ministry for that. And they're careful and cumbered
about with many things that have no eternal profit. not profitable to men's souls.
It will all be taken away. But the chosen child of God has
been made to choose the good part. That's the good part. They can never be taken away,
and it's the only needful thing for life eternal. All these things
our Lord was saying when He said, She's chosen that part that can't
be taken away. He's saying all these other things
which cumber us with care and great concern one day be taken
away because they're not needful. They don't amount to anything.
What women and men need, friends, is Christ. We must bow by grace
alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone. You can work yourself
right into hell, I'm telling you. Not by works of righteousness
that we've done, dear friends. It's by the grace of God in Christ
that any man is saved. Churches are everywhere. Busy,
entertaining. Being constantly cumbered with
care. Doing this and doing that. They're
constantly teaching men who are ever learning but never coming
to the knowledge of the truth. And I'll be brief on this. We've
all lost loved ones. I have. to that kind of religion. And it's a shame to say that
men and women by nature want something to do to obtain salvation,
to merit in it in some way. But there's only one thing seriously
missing. One thing seriously missing in this type of modern
religion, and that's the Gospel of Christ and hearing that He
He is salvation. We say this often. I hope I never
quit saying it. I hope I never quit believing.
Salvation is in a person. And that person is Christ. He's the one thing that's needful.
Without Him, you're desperately destitute. Desperately destitute. You have nothing and you are
nothing in the eyes of a thrice holy God. That won't offend a
believer. That won't offend a child of
God. He'll shake his head every time and say, that's exactly
right. How did you know? I am nothing. I can do nothing. And I wholly lean on Christ the
solid rock. Well, we've been bitten by that
serpent of sin like the children of Israel were in the wilderness.
Serpents come up out of the ground, begin to bite them, and they
died instantly. But those who looked at that
pole that Moses lifted high above the crowd, looked. And live,
he cried, and they lived. Friends, I am endeavoring this
morning by the grace of God to lift Him high that you, by grace,
might see Him. He's the one thing needful. He's
the only thing that will keep you from being forever destitute. Look into the cross. Look into
the pole. It won't save you. It's looking
to the One who hangs on that pole, the One who hangs on that
cross that eternal life is found. Jesus Christ, the Son of God,
is salvation. Well, another long introduction.
Psalm 102, verse 17. He, speaking of God, will regard
the prayer of the destitute and not despise their prayer. Now
if you're destitute, spiritually destitute, that's good news. That's good news. I have four
quick points. First, we are beggars, destitute
of all wealth, merit, or possession of righteousness. Some of you
in your own minds may be rich. Increased in goods. Haven't eaten
nothing. But in God's eyes, you're wretched. You're miserable, poor and blind
and naked according to Revelation 3.17. This is the state of all
men spiritually. Born of woman. Born under the
curse of the law. Born condemned. Men aren't born
right with God and then do something to be alienated and condemned. They're born condemned. While
we were conceived in sin, we came forth from the womb speaking
lies. Unsaved men and women are in
their own esteem. As you listen to them talk, well,
they're as good as the average man. That's not good enough. You must be as holy and perfect
and righteous as God Himself. Now how are we going to do that?
Well, we can't. It has to be done for us. It
has to be done for us. Man has never been the plumb
line in which God judges by. You must be as good, perfect,
holy and righteous as God Himself. But you're destitute. Oh, may
God grab your desperately deceitful heart and cause you to see your
spiritual destitution. If He don't, friends, I'm afraid
you'll die in your destitution. You'll die in your sin if God
does not divinely intervene. Well, what can I do to be saved?
To even fathom that, the only thing I could come up with would
be to bow and to beg. Bow and beg. You see, our assessment
of ourself is wrong because it's spiritually discerned. We don't
see it correctly. 1 Corinthians 2.14 says, "...but
the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God."
Why not? They're foolishness unto him. He can't know them because they're
spiritually discerned. We see one color and one color
only, and unless God gives us eyes to see, that's all we'll
ever see. But when God reveals to a man
that he's a spiritual pauper, the poverty which is upon him
is one which he cannot endure. I tell you, when God reveals
to a man that he's destitute, a work of grace has already begun
in his heart. He can't rest for a moment under
its judgment. Oh, it's a heavy, heavy yoke.
And the sinner sighs, and he cries, and he begs to be delivered
from it. Is that not so with those of
you that know Christ? Oh, when God showed me my sin,
I, like Isaiah, said, Oh, it's me. I'm in big trouble. I'm an unclean man. And everywhere
I look, men are unclean. There's one that can make claims.
Only one, but there is one. All of a sudden, man begins to
hunger and thirst after righteousness. He's been shown by God's grace
that there's something better than the content state into which
he's fallen. He begs for it because he knows
if he does not escape from his present condition, he'll fall
into woes infinitely worse. It's divine grace alone that's
caused him to tremble at the thought of his destitution. Oh child of God, do you remember
when it was so with you? For if God shows you that you're
destitute, you'll most definitely cry. You'll most definitely beg
for God to have mercy on a poor, destitute creature like you.
There's never contentment. in this divinely revealed poverty,
this destitution. And there are some of you here
this morning that are still without Christ. You've heard His Word
many times and yet you remain indifferent. Let me ask, are
you content to trust in your own righteousness? Knowing that
this book declares you to be destitute? Oh, how I pray that
He might show you your destitute state today. Second thing, your
only hope, my only hope, our only hope is that He will regard
our prayer, our plea, and our cries. And I'm going to tell
you something, He will if you're destitute. Because He will regard,
our verse says, He will regard the prayer of the destitute.
If God brings you to the end of yourself and causes you to
pray as a destitute beggar, He will regard, He will hear. That's the Gospel. The Gospel
is not trying to tell people how to live. Not to try to teach
a man how to be a good husband, even though it does that. How
to be a good parent. The first thing the Gospel teaches
a man is that he's destitute. And he needs a Savior. You'll
never have a need of a Savior, friends, if you don't see your
sin. And God's got to reveal it to
you. God hears the prayers of beggars. There he is again, can
you see him? He's sitting by the wayside begging. Blind Bartimaeus is his name. And do you know what beggars
do? They beg and they cry for mercy. They told him to shut
up. They said, will you shut up? and the scripture said he cried
all the more Jesus thou son of David have mercy on me shut up
this is a big deal This is the Jesus that we've heard so much
about. And Bartimaeus said, I know.
And he cried all the more, Jesus, thou Son of David, have mercy
on me. You see, he cried the right way.
He cried saying, Jesus, you're the Son of David. You're the
everlasting covenant that God has promised us. You're God in
the flesh. And you and you alone can take
away my sin. Oh, he cried the right way, friends. And the Scriptures say Jesus
stood still. Do you want God's attention this
morning? You're crying to Him like a beggar cries. I'll tell
you what, a beggar that's destitute, will not settle for anything
less than what he must have and what he needs. He won't. God
hears the cries of the destitute. God has mercy on beggars. Well, some may say, well, I don't
know about you, but I'm not a beggar. Well, let me just say this. If
you're ever to receive mercy from God Almighty, you must see
that you're a destitute beggar. God always answers the prayer
of the destitute. And being sovereign and determined
to do us good, He always has mercy on those who beg at His
feet. I challenge you to find anywhere
in the four Gospel narratives where someone came to Christ,
bowing at His feet, begging for mercy that was ever turned down. I can't think of one time. He
delights to show mercy. It's His delight to show it,
to give it, to bestow it. God always answers the prayer
of the destitute. And being sovereign and determined
to do us good, as I said, He'll have mercy. During the American
Civil War, which was fought between the years of 1861 and 1865, over
600,000 soldiers from the South died, but there was a heartfelt
prayer that survived. It was called and still referred
to as the prayer of the unknown Confederate soldier. And it went
like this. I asked God for strength that
I might achieve. I was made weak that I might
learn humbly to obey. I asked for health that I might
do greater things, but I was given an infirmity that I might
do better things. I asked for riches that I might
be happy, but I was given poverty that I might be wise. I asked
for power that I might have the praise of men, but I was given
weakness that I might feel the need of God. I asked for all things that I
might enjoy life, and I was given life that I might enjoy all things. I got nothing that I asked for,
but everything I hoped for. For despite my destitution, my
prayers were answered." Isn't that beautiful? And friends,
isn't that the way our great and sovereign God works? He supplies
our needs, not our greeds. He alone knows what's best for
His people. Therefore, we rest in the fact
that He does all things well. We rest in the fact that since
He does all things well, then all things are for our good,
according to Romans 8, 28. We know that all things work
together for good to them that love God, who thee are called
according to His purpose. What are you saying? I'm saying
it's good to be spiritually destitute. All the fitness that God requires
is that You feel you're in need of Him. Do you feel you're in
need of Him? Then I'd say you're destitute,
spiritually destitute. Third thing, does God despise
the beggar's prayer? Read the verse with me again.
He will regard the prayer of the destitute and not despise
their prayer. And it's most natural now for
a beggar to be afraid that the great King will despise his prayer
and not regard it. You see, the beggar is often
afraid because of the greatness and the holiness of God Almighty
to whom he addresses his prayer, He's thrice holy. Will He regard
the cry of one who's a murderer? One who's a harlot? He says He
will. Oh, many are a long time in distress
of soul because they don't remember that there's a mediator between
God and man, the man Christ Jesus. God is glorious and He's not
far from any one of us. For there is one who is God,
and at the same time, a man like ourselves. And this man, Jesus
the Christ, who has compassion on the ignorant, and He has mercy
on those that are out of the way and destitute and lost, He
will not despise your prayer." You can cease from fear. The
mighty gulf between the holy God and the depraved sinners
has been bridged. Christ bridged it. We sing that
song at Calvary. Oh, the mighty gulf that God
did span at Calvary. The Lord Jesus Christ paved the
way. Trembling souls of destitute
men and women who are afraid that God would never look upon
them in love because their prayer itself is unworthy to notice. Now, I can give you an example
of that many times, even now. I despise my own prayer. Have
you ever despised your own prayer? We sit down consciously and we
pray and I think to myself when I'm done, how insincere that
was. How self-absorbed my prayer was. Oh my. But I'll tell you, there
are times When in deepest sorrow, greatest trial, realization of
my destitution, God causes me to sincerely pray. There are
times when God gives me a glimpse of my real destitution and a
sense of what I deserve because of my sin. Death and condemnation. That's what I deserve. That's
what you deserve. And friends, I'm going to tell
you something. Every now and then, God causes me to groan,
groan in despair before God because of my destitute standing. And you know what? That's praying.
Go break down and weep before Him, O wretched sinner. That's
praying. God doesn't look on the outward appearance of man.
God's not impressed with flowery words filled with men's wisdom
and understanding. God looks on the heart. Let me
tell you this, if God looks on the heart, there's no doubt in
my mind that God hears from the heart. I'm convinced you can
pray without saying a word. God knows your heart. Pour out
your heart to God Almighty. Oh, that was a fine, eloquent
prayer that the Pharisee made, but it fell on deaf ears because
he wasn't destitute. But that publican, he wouldn't
even lift his eyes. He'd beat upon his chest and
he stood afar off and he cried, God be merciful to me, a destitute
sinner. And the Scripture says he went
down to his house justified. That's the way to pray. That's
the way to pray. Destitute. Destitute. May God help us to pray out of
our very souls. Eloquent speech doesn't matter. True, humble, God-honoring prayer
comes from the heart of one who's destitute, dear friends. And
you know what? It's beautiful. It's beautiful
before the Most High God. Lord, be merciful to me, a sinner. Beautiful words in God Almighty's
ears. That brings me to the fourth
and the last thing. There is an assurance. This book
is full of assurance. There's an assurance in this
little verse that the prayer of the destitute will be answered. It says he will regard the prayer
of the destitute. Now you know what makes that
wonderful? It's what God says. If he says it, it's so. Others
may doubt the inspiration of Scripture not to save child of
God. If you believe the Scripture
to be inspired, and every child of God does, he'll believe this
passage. It says, He who will regard the
prayer of the destitute and he will not despise their prayer.
You ask God for mercy, He'll give you mercy. He's not a man
that he should lie. And here is the most beautiful
thing. I'll leave you with this. Notice that God in order that
destitute sinners should never doubt have assurance, to be assured
of something. Concerning His willingness to
hear their prayers, He left this on record with a very special
note attached to the promise. I'm going to read it to you.
Look at the 18th verse. This shall be written for the
generation to come. This shall be written for the
generation to come." You see, the Lord not only said that He
would regard the prayer of the destitute, but He added, this
shall be written, because when a poor soul is in doubt and fear,
there's nothing like having it written in black and white. Look
at it. There it stands before you. It's
written by the pen of God Himself. This shall be written for the
generation to come. That's you. That's me. God's
promised it. It wasn't merely true in David's
time and Hezekiah's time and Isaiah's time and Jeremiah's
time. It shall be written for the generation
to come. It's written for you and your
children that God will hear the prayer of the destitute. Now,
is that not good news? It is if you're destitute. I
recommend this to you and I'm done. The next time you kneel,
whether on your knees or in your heart to pray, you put your finger
on this verse and you say, Lord, I have your word. And I have
even more. I have your promise in writing. I have an everlasting covenant
with you. Behold, I will in mercy rejoice
because you said, this shall be written." Now I'm going to
tell you, when a man brings my own handwriting to me and he
says, you promised me, here's your signature. You promised
me that you would do this and you promised me in writing. I
can't deny it. if I signed it. Even if I don't
have the ability to do what I promised, I can't deny that I promised
it. How much more, I ask you, dear
friends, shall the Lord draw back from what He said? And He
is able. He's able to do that which He
promised. Be of good courage, oh poor seeking
sinner. God will hear you. For He promises
it and He puts it in writing for you. That is the Gospel. God promises it and He puts it
in writing. Written in the blood of the Lord
Jesus Christ.