Turn to Psalm 118. This particular psalm is quoted,
some part of it, 13 times in the New Testament. And that may
give us some idea of the significance of this psalm. Psalm 118. Give thanks unto the Lord, for
he is good, because his mercy endureth forever. Let Israel now say that his mercy
endureth forever. Let the house of Aaron now say
that his mercy endureth forever. Let them now that fear the Lord
say that his mercy endureth forever. I called upon the Lord in distress.
The Lord answered me and set me in a large place. The Lord is on my side. I'll
not fear what man can do unto me. The Lord taketh my part with
him that help me. Therefore shall I see my desire
upon them that hate me It's better to trust in the Lord than to
put confidence in men. It's better to trust in the Lord
than to put confidence in princes. All nations compass me about,
but in the name of the Lord will I destroy them. They compass
me about. Yea, they compass me about, but
in the name of the Lord, I will destroy them. They compass me
about like bees. They're quenched as the fire
of thorns, for in the name of the Lord, I will destroy them. Thou hast thrust sore at me that
I might fall, but the Lord helped me. The Lord is my strength and
song, and has become my salvation. The voice of rejoicing and salvation
is in the tabernacles of the righteous. The right hand of
the Lord doeth valiantly. The right hand of the Lord is
exalted. The right hand of the Lord doeth
valiantly. I shall not die but live and
declare the works of the Lord. The Lord hath chastened me sore,
but he has not given me over unto death. Open to me the gates of righteousness.
I will go into them and I will praise the Lord. This gate of
the Lord into which the righteous shall enter, I'll praise thee
for thou hast heard of me and art become my salvation. The
stone which the builders refused." This is quoted six times in the
New Testament, just this scripture. The stone which the builders
refused has become the head of stone of the corner. This is
the Lord's doing. It's marvelous in our eyes. This
is the day which the Lord hath made. We will rejoice and be
glad in it. Save now, I beseech thee, O Lord,
O Lord, I beseech thee, send now prosperity. Blessed be he
that cometh in the name of the Lord. We have blessed you out
of the house of the Lord. God is the Lord, which hath showed
us light. Bind the sacrifice with cords,
even under the horns of the altar. Thou art my God, and I will praise
thee. Thou art my God, I will exalt
thee. Oh, give thanks unto the Lord,
for he is good. For his mercy endureth forever. Let's pray. Lord, how thankful we are that
you are good. There's no darkness in thee,
nothing but light. We thank you that every attribute
that declares your being is good. And how we thank you for the
salvation that's in your son. How we thank you that your mercy
endures forever. And Lord enable us to say it
as you called upon the psalmist to say
it. Let us all say from the depths of our hearts that the Lord is
good, that his mercy endures forever. Lord enable us to enter
into this psalm. We pray for your blessing on
this service. Bless us for Christ's sake. We
ask that you would accept our thanksgiving. We thank you for
the forgiveness of sins that is in your son. Lord, forgive
us of our sins. We pray that you would order
our steps in your word and let no iniquity have dominion over
us. Unite our hearts together to fear your name. In Christ's
name we pray. Amen. Oh, give thanks unto the Lord. And here's the reason he's good. He's good all the time. Every
attribute that would describe his character is good. His sovereignty
is good, isn't it? Don't you love his sovereignty,
the fact that he is in control of everything? His holiness is
good. His mercy is good. His wrath. You know, there isn't
anything that I have more difficulty thinking about than the wrath
of God. Just thinking about an eternal hell, because there is
one, but it's good because it is. Everything with regard to
him is good. You believe that? Everything. And his mercy endureth forever. Now that word mercy is the word
loving kindness. It's the word that's most often
used to describe the grace of God. His mercy is eternal. It never had a beginning. I want
you to think about this. You have been, if you're one
of his, you have been the object of his saving mercy eternally. There was never a time when you
began. You've always been in Christ. His mercy endures forever. It's eternal. It will never stop. Isn't that a reason to thank
the Lord? He's good. He's good. Whatever he does is
good. And his mercy endures forever.
And remember this about his mercy. When David prayed in Psalm 51,
1, he used the same word, hesed, as loving kindness. He said,
have mercy upon me, O God, according to thy loving kindness. That's the word. that which endures
forever. That's our plea. When we're asking
the Lord to do something for us, it's because of His mercy. Verse two, let Israel, God's
people, now say that His mercy endureth forever. This would
be the subject of our preaching, our public statements, our praise. Let Israel say this. Let the
redeemed of the Lord say so. We're not going to back down
on this. We're proud of this. The Lord's
eternal mercy, his goodness. Let Israel say so. Let this be
our public speech. Let this be what people hear
us say. His mercy endures forever. Verse three, let the house of
Aaron, the priests now say that his mercy Endureth forever. Let them now that fear the Lord
say. That describes every believer, doesn't it? The fear of God.
The fear that makes you afraid to look anywhere but Christ.
That's when you are afraid of God. I'm talking about the fear
that's the beginning of wisdom. I'm not talking about a slavish
fear, but that fear of reverence. The fear that's the beginning
of wisdom that looks to Christ only. Here's what we're to speak
of. His mercy enduring forever. Our God is eternal. His salvation
is eternal. His mercy endures forever. That is to be our public statement. Now let's go on reading. He said
in verse five, I called upon the Lord in distress, in trouble. These obviously can be the words
of the Lord. Every psalm is. I think it is
also the word of the psalmist. You're going to have a day of
trouble. You know, he said, call upon me in the day of trouble
and I'll answer thee. What a blessed promise. He said,
I called upon the Lord in distress and he answered me and he set
me in a large room, a spacious room. Now that word, A distress
is a straight place, a narrow place. And he put me in a wide
place, a place of liberty, a place of freedom. Verse six, the Lord
is on my side. I'm not fear what man can do
unto me. Isn't it a blessing when you
realize that the God of glory is for you for Christ's sake.
He's on your side. If God be for us, who can be
against us? I'm not fear what man can do
unto me. Oh, what a waste of time when you worry about what
men can do to you. Men are his pawns in his hands
and anything they do is his will being done for your good and
his glory. I love what David said when Abishai
said, you want me to take Shimei's head off for cursing you? He
said, no, the Lord said, curse David. The Lord is in control
of every event, every action. I'm not fear what man can do
to me. I love that when this is quoted
in Hebrews chapter 13, verse six, verse five, it says, let
your conversation be without covetousness and be content with such things
as you have. Well, I'm to be content materially,
I realize that, but that's not really what that's talking about.
What do you have in Christ? Eternal mercy, the forgiveness
of sins, the promise of eternal inheritance, justification before
God. Are you content with that? You
satisfied to be saved that way? Be content with such things.
For he has said, this is his promise to every believer, he
has said, I will never leave thee. nor forsake thee the promise
of his grace." Now he goes on to say in verse 7, the Lord taketh
my part with them that help me. Therefore shall I see my desire
upon them that hate me. Now it's almost saying I'm going
to get to see vengeance on everybody that's ever done me wrong. I'm
going to see my desire upon them. I'm going to Well, I can't wait,
it's gonna happen. What goes around comes around,
they're gonna get theirs. Is that what the psalmist is
saying? You know better than that. The Lord taketh my part with
him that help me. You see, everything the Lord
is using to help me. Everything. And you know who
my enemies are? My sins. Those are my deadly
enemies. And I'm gonna see my desire upon
them. They're gonna be blotted out of the universe. I'm gonna
stand before God as having never sinned. I'm gonna see my desire
upon my deadly enemies, my sins. I hate my sins. I hate them. And I'm gonna see my desire upon
them. Verse eight. It's better to trust
in the Lord than to put confidence in man. Man's a, You can't put your trust in man
as far as any of the things of salvation goes. That doesn't
mean you hope you trust your spouse. It's not saying don't
trust your spouse. It's just talking about men in
general. They're sinful, fallen creatures. Remember that. It's
better to trust the Lord than to put confidence in princes.
Thankful for the government and the Lord controlling the government
in whatever way he sees fit, but government doesn't protect
us. It's the Lord. It's the Lord. We're thankful that he's in control. Aren't you glad it's that way?
You don't have to trust in men. You don't have to trust in human
institutions. You don't have to trust in the government. We
trust in the Lord. Now, I can't see this as anything but the
next few verses, but the Lord speaking, and he says, all nations
encompass me about, but in the name of the Lord, I'll destroy
them. They encompass me about, yea, they encompass me about,
but in the name of the Lord, I will destroy them. They encompass
me about like beads. They're quenched as the fire
of thorns, for in the name of the Lord, I will destroy them. Now, one of the things that's
so remarkable to think about is the Lord Jesus Christ is the
most hated man to ever live. All nations. And what does he
say of his enemies? In the name of the Lord, I'll
destroy them. They compass me about as bees.
He's the most hated man to ever live. And yet with all of the
elect, he is the most beloved of all. But this is him speaking
with regard to those who Wanted to destroy him. Verse 13, thou
hast thrust sore at me that I might fall, but the Lord helped me. Oh, how his enemies made fun
of him and sought for him to fall. But the Lord helped me. And you can say the same thing
of yourself. It's the Lord that helps you.
You're going to have people that are going to seek you to fall,
but it's the Lord who helps. Verse 14, the Lord is my strength
and song. Strength, the power to do. If you believe, it's because
he strengthened you to do it. If you love him, it's because
he strengthened you to do it. He's your strength. You don't
have to worry about failing in that sense. He's your strength
and he's your song. That's your rejoicing. You know
what makes me happy? that everything that God requires
of me, he looks to his blessed son for. That makes me happy.
That's my song. That's my rejoicing. That's the
ground of my hope. The Lord himself, our strength
is him. The Lord is my strength and song
and has become my salvation. He is my salvation. I love what Simeon said, Lord,
now let us serve and depart in peace for mine eyes have seen
thy salvation. I'm ready to go because all my
salvation is in him. Verse 15, the voice of rejoicing
and salvation is in the tabernacles of the righteous. Don't forget this. It's easy
to forget. But every believer is described
by this word, the righteous. I don't feel very righteous.
I understand that. But you have nothing less than
the very righteousness of Jesus Christ, his life as your life
before God. Every believer is righteous. May the Lord enable us to remember
that He is our righteousness. He's made into us righteous.
Bold shall I stand in that great day, for who ought to my charge
shall lay fully absolved from these I am, my sins, from sin's
tremendous curse and shame. The tabernacles of the righteous. The voice of rejoicing and salvation
is in the tabernacles of the righteousness, the right hand.
of the Lord, the Lord Jesus Christ, his strength doeth valiantly.
That's speaking of his strength. The right hand of the Lord is
exalted. The right hand of the Lord doeth
valiantly. And Christ is quite often in
the scriptures called the right hand of God, the power of God.
And this is how valiant, this is how strong he is. One of these days, I'm going
to stand before God. And this is going to be my experience.
Holy. Unblameable. And un-reprovable. Now that shows how strong he
is. That he can take a sinner and make that sinner holy and
unblameable and un-reprovable. in his sight. He says in verse
17, I shall not die, but live. And this, I think actually refers
more than anything else to the resurrection of Christ. He's
going to stay dead. He's going to live and declare
the works of the Lord. And isn't that our preaching? Declaring the works of the Lord.
Is there any other subject? The works of the Lord, his works
in creation, he created the universe. His works in providence, I'm
so thankful. He's the first cause of everything,
no matter what it is. He's the cause of it. Oh, we
declare his work in salvation. Salvation is of the Lord. That's
our preaching. He says in verse 18, the Lord
hath chastened me sore, but he's not given me over unto death.
Now that, um, Whom the Lord loveth, he chastened us, but none of
them are going to be destroyed. Open, verse 19, open to me the
gates of righteousness. I will go in unto them and I
will praise the Lord, the gate of the Lord into which the righteous
shall enter. Now, Christ said, I'm the door.
I'm the door. He is the gate of righteousness
that we're able to enter in. And I, I love the simplicity
of Christ telling us I am the door. He's the way of entrance
to the Father. He's the only way we get in,
but we get in. And he's the door that lets us
out into liberty and freedom and the large place he speaks
of. He's the door that keeps us in
and preserves us. He's the door that keeps out
anyone who comes on the footing of their own merit. He keeps
them out. He is the door. He's the gate of righteousness. Verse 21, I will praise thee
for thou hast heard me and art become my salvation. The stone which the builders
refused Rejected has become the head of the corner. Let's turn to one passage where
this is found and hold your finger there and turn to 1 Peter 2.
1 Peter 2. beginning in verse four. To whom coming. I don't believe there's a more
clear declaration and illustration of what a believer is in that
statement. To whom coming. always coming
to Christ for all things. To whom? Coming. As unto a living stone, and then
he quotes what the psalmist said, disallowed indeed of men rejected
by the builders, but chosen of God and precious You also, as
living stones, are built up a spiritual house and a holy priesthood to
offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God by Jesus Christ. Those sacrifices are all acceptable
because of Jesus Christ, by him. Wherefore also it's contained
in the scriptures, behold, I lay in Zion a chief cornerstone,
elect, precious, and he that believeth on him shall not be
confounded, and to you, therefore, which believe. He is precious. But unto them which be disobedient,
the stone which the builders disallowed, the same is made
the head of the corner, a stone of stumbling and a rock of offense,
even to them which stumble at the word, being disobedient,
whereunto also they were appointed. That's God's Word. Whereunto
also they were appointed, but ye are a chosen generation, a
royal priesthood, a holy nation, a peculiar or a purchased people
that you should show forth the praises of him who has called
you out of darkness into his marvelous light, which in times
past were not a people, but are now the people of God, which
had not obtained mercy, but now have obtained mercy. Dearly beloved,
I beseech you as strangers and pilgrims, abstain from fleshly
lusts which war against the soul. This is the way this scripture
is used in the New Testament. Go back to Psalm 118. The stone which the builders
refused has become the headstone of the corner. Verse 23. This is the Lord's doing. Don't you love that salvation
is the Lord's doing? And everything with regard to
salvation is the Lord's doing? The reason I have confidence
in my salvation is the Lord's doing. I've got confidence in
his doing. This is the Lord's doing, and
it's marvelous in our eyes. It's glorious in our eyes. Don't you love that salvation
is the Lord's doing, that he did it all, and you're complete
in him? That's marvelous in our eyes. Verse 24, this is the day which
the Lord hath made. We will rejoice and be glad in
it. This is the day right now and every day. And I love to
think of the day when the Lord became incarnate. And all of
a sudden, he was in Mary's womb. Isn't that incredible? This is
the day the Lord made. He did this. Think of the day
of his birth after spending nine months in his mother's womb. Oh, what a day. I think of every
day of his life. Perfection. That's my life. That's my obedience before God.
Every day is a good day, a perfect day, a righteous day. I think
of the day of his death when he put away my sin. I think of
the day of his resurrection when he was risen from the dead. Every
believer was justified. I love to think of the day of
his ascension when he went back to the father. I don't understand
this. He left heaven. And he was in
this place, this miserable place for 33 years. He accomplished
salvation. After he was risen from the dead,
he was here for 40 more days, giving his disciples instruction. Then think about him going back
into glory. What a day. I think of his disciples. The angel said, you men of Israel,
why are you staring at this? Well, I understand why they were
staring. I would have been too. Look at him going back up. And
what a day his return will be. This is the day which the Lord
hath made. We will rejoice and be glad in
it. And here's our continual prayer.
Save now. This isn't a one time prayer. This is an encouragement to me
and you right now. Save now. Not later, Lord. Save now. We're encouraged to
pray this. Save now. I beseech Thee, O Lord. O Lord, I beseech Thee. Send
now prosperity. And he's not talking about material
prosperity. He's talking about the prosperity
of grace. Send now prosperity. Blessed be he that cometh in
the name of the Lord. The Lord Jesus Christ, we have
blessed you out of the house of the Lord. God is the Lord,
which hath showed us light. Now, I think this is very interesting. When do you know you've been
given light by the Lord himself? What does he refer to? God is the Lord with his showed
us light, bind the sacrifice with cords even into the horns
of the altar. When the Lord gives you light,
Christ and him crucified, his sacrifice is all to you. Is this all to you? Christ Jesus
and his perfect sacrifice making you acceptable before God for
God's glory and your salvation. That light. That's the light
he gives. Thou art my God, I will praise
thee. Thou art my God, I will exalt
thee. Now look, look at verse one of
this psalm. O give thanks unto the Lord,
for he is good, because his mercy endureth forever. And look at
verse 29, a repetition exactly. O give thanks unto the Lord,
for he is good, for his mercy endureth forever. Now what I
love about this, where he began, he ends. And our salvation, where
it began, Christ is all. His mercy endureth forever. That's where it began. Even in
our experience, that's where it begins. It ends where it begins. Christ is all. He is good. His mercy endureth forever. What a wonderful psalm.