Would you turn to the 94th Psalm? Oh, Lord God, to whom vengeance
belongeth. O God, to whom vengeance belongeth,
show thyself. Lift up thyself, thou judge of
the earth. Render a reward to the proud. Lord, how long shall the wicked? How long shall the wicked triumph?
How long shall they utter and speak hard things and all the
workers of iniquity boast themselves? They break in pieces thy people,
O Lord, and afflict thine heritage. They slay the widow, and the
stranger, and murder the fatherless. Yet they say, the Lord shall
not see, neither shall the God of Jacob regard it. Understand,
ye brutish among the people, and you fools, when will you
be wise? He that planted the ear shall
he not hear? He that formed the eye shall
he not see? He that chastiseth the heathen
shall not he correct? He that teacheth man knowledge
shall not he know? The Lord knoweth the thoughts
of man, that they are vanity. Blessed is the man whom thou
chastenest, O Lord, and teachest him out of thy law, that thou
mayest give him rest from the days of adversity, until the
pit be digged for the wicked. For the Lord will not cast off
his people, neither will he forsake his inheritance, but judgment
shall return unto righteousness. All the upright in heart shall
follow it. Who will rise up for me against
the evildoers? Or who will stand up for me against
the workers of iniquity? Unless the Lord had been my help,
my soul had almost dwelt in silence. When I said, my foot slippeth,
thy mercy, O Lord, help me up. In the multitude of my thoughts
within me, thy comforts delight my soul. Shall the throne of
iniquity have fellowship with thee, which frameth mischief
by law? They gather themselves together
against the soul of the righteous and condemn the innocent blood.
But the Lord is my defense and my God is the rock of my refuge. And he shall bring upon them
their own iniquity and shall cut them off in their own wickedness.
Yea, the Lord our God shall cut them off. Let's pray. Lord, how we Thank you that we
can come into your presence in the name of our blessed son and
be heard and be accepted for his sake. Lord, we ask for your
blessing on us this day. We pray that you would bless
your word. We pray that your gospel might be preached in the
power of your spirit and that you would give us hearing ears
and receptive hearts. May your son be exalted. May
we be privileged by your grace to be enabled to stand in awe
of him and trust him completely. Lord, we confess our sins. We
pray for forgiveness. We pray for cleansing. We pray
for grace to walk and talk and think in a way that glorifies
your gospel, your son. We pray for our friends that
are going through difficult times. Trials, we pray for your blessing
upon them. We pray for your blessing upon
all your people wherever they meet together. And Lord, bless
us for Christ's sake. In his name we pray, amen. Oh Lord God, to whom vengeance
belongeth. Now I want to think about that
statement. Oh Lord God, to whom vengeance belongeth. Now the vengeance spoken of is
what the Lord meets out as the judge of all the earth. I couldn't help but think about
Abraham's words when God said he was going to destroy Sodom.
And he said, can you find 50 people there? Will you destroy
it or 40 or 30 or 20? You remember the story. And his
saying was, shall not the judge of the earth do right? Yes, he will. Now, there are
some things that belong only to God. He doesn't share in these
things. He said, vengeance is mine. I
will repay, saith the Lord. In Psalm 3, 8, we read, salvation
belongeth unto God. It's his. He gives it to whomsoever
he will. And then we read in Psalm 62,
11, power belongeth unto the Lord. He's the only one who has
power. Do you believe that? He's the
only one who has power. Any power anybody else has has
only been given by him. I love what the Lord said when
Pilate said, don't you know that I have power to have you crucified,
or I have power to release you? And I love the way the Lord replied,
thou couldst have no power at all over me, except it be given
thee from above. We read also in Psalm 62 11 that
mercy belongeth to the Lord. He's merciful. It belongs to
him. He delights in mercy and he gives
it to whomsoever he will. Mercy belongeth. unto the Lord. And Daniel 9, 7 says, Righteousness
belongeth to the Lord. Do you know he's the only one
who has righteousness? He's the only one who is righteous. And
he gives his righteousness to whom he will. And here we read
that vengeance belongeth to the Lord. He will repay. Now, does that mean that our police officers and government
has no reason to render vengeance to crime because that's only
the Lord's? No. Turn with me to Romans 13
for just a moment. Romans 13. Let every soul be subject unto
the higher powers. Government. For there is no power
but of God. The powers that be are ordained
of God. Whosoever therefore resisteth
the power resisteth the ordinance of God. And they that resist
shall receive to themselves damnation. For rulers are not a terror to
good works, but to the evil. Will thou then not be afraid
of the power, the authority? Do that which is good, and thou
shalt have praise of the same, for he is the minister of God
to thee for good. But if thou do that which is
evil, be afraid, for he beareth not the sword in vain, for he
is the minister of God, a revenger, to execute wrath upon him that
doeth evil. So this lets us know, obviously,
that this does not mean that government does not have the
right to avenge wrong. This is talking about personal
vengeance. Vengeance belongeth to the Lord. And you and I have no right for
personal vengeance. Lord's going to take care of
everything. Aren't you thankful? The Lord's going to take care
of everything. Now, the psalmist says, oh, Lord, to whom vengeance
belongeth. Oh, God, to whom vengeance belongeth. Show thyself. Lift up yourself, thou judge
of the earth. Render a reward. to the proud. Pride is behind all sin. Render a reward to the proud. How long, verse 3, how long shall
the wicked How long shall the wicked triumph? How long shall
they utter and speak hard things and all the workers of iniquity
boast themselves? Now, how long shall the wicked
seem to run things? How long shall they triumph?
How long shall it be for them to seemingly be in control of
everything. And you know, sometimes it does
appear that the wicked triumph, doesn't it? But I love that hymn we sing.
This is my father's world. And let me ne'er forget that
though the wrong seem oft so strong, he is the ruler yet. This is my father's world. The
battle is not done. Jesus who died shall be satisfied
and earth and heaven be one. Don't forget that when you're
seeing seemingly the wicked triumph. God reigns at all times. He's in control of everybody
and every event and everything that happens, happens according
to His wise, holy purpose and will. His will is being done,
but it still seems grievous. that the wicked seem to triumph,
that seems grievous the state of our world, the state of our
society, the state of religion. When I think of Christianity,
I'm embarrassed by it. I don't want to have anything
to do with what most people call Christianity. How long shall
the wicked triumph? How long shall they utter and
speak hard things against God, against his gospel? and the workers
of iniquity boast themselves. Verse five, they break in pieces,
thy people, O Lord, and afflict thine heritage. And here's what
they're doing. They hate and oppose your people,
not because of them, but because of they stand for who you are. They stand for your gospel. And
men, now listen to me, men hate God. That's the fact. And you and I were born into
this world hating God. Men, if it were in their power,
would pull God from his throne and take his place. Men hate God. And they're opposed to anything
that stands for who he is. And that's why they're opposed
to his people. They break in pieces thy people,
oh Lord. There is a people called his
people. Thou shalt call his name Jesus, for he shall save his
people from their sins. And these people are opposed
to his people. Now, verse six speaks of how
wicked they are. This talk about everybody by
nature. They slay the widow and the stranger
and murder the fatherless, the people that are most vulnerable. and most helpless, they prey
on, they slay, they murder. This isn't just talking about
people who are just outwardly wicked and will slay, murder
the fatherless and so on. I think as much as anything else,
it's talking about preachers. Preachers who prey on the vulnerable and
murder and so on, soul murder. Verse 7, Yet they say, The Lord
shall not see, neither shall the God of Jacob regard it. Understand ye brutish among the
people and you fools. When will you be wise? Now, he
says with regard to the natural man, he's a brute beast. a brute beast. Understand ye brutish. Remember
when Peter said these as brute beasts made to be taken and destroyed? Someone says, isn't that harsh
language? If anything, it's a compliment to man. If anything. Brutish
people, you fools, you fools. You know, somebody doesn't believe
the gospel is a fool. If you're an unbeliever, if you
don't look to Christ only, you're a fool. That's what he says. Understand ye brutish among the
people and you fools, when will you be wise? Now you say things
like the Lord shall not see, neither shall the God of Jacob
regard it. He that planted the ear, verse
nine, shall he not hear? He that formed the eye, shall
not he see? Of course. He that chastiseth
the heathen, shall he not correct? Is he going to let things go
on forever like this? He that teaches man knowledge,
shall he not know? Yes, he will. Yes, he will. The Lord regards and looks on
everything. I love that scripture where it
says, the Lord looked down from heaven upon the children of men. There's not one that escapes
his notice. You'll see. Verse 11, Paul quotes
this in first Corinthians chapter three, verse 20, the Lord knoweth
the thoughts of man. Now your thoughts are what you
really are. Your thoughts, the things that
go through your mind, the things that go through my mind, that's
what we really are. Everything else is a cover up.
Our thoughts are what we really are. And the Lord knoweth the
thoughts of man that they are utter and complete vanity. Man at his best state is what? All together. Vanity. That describes me and you. What
we are by nature. What we are in and of ourselves.
Altogether, vanity. You know, in a way, it's kind
of a relief to know that. It puts things in the right perspective,
doesn't it? Man in his best state is altogether
vanity. Verse 12, blessed is the man
whom thou chasteneth, O Lord, and teacheth him out of thy law. Blessed, blessed by God. Blessed
by God is the man you chasten. What does the writer of the Hebrews
say in Hebrews 12? whom the Lord loveth, he chasteneth,
and scourges every son whom he receives. You know, you only
chasten your own children. You don't chasten other people's
children. Blessed, blessed by God is the man whom thou chasteneth. Blessed is he who does not walk
in the counsel of the ungodly. They're blessed of God. Blessed
are they that put their trust in him. That means you're blessed
of God. If you put your trust in the
Lord Jesus Christ, how God's blessed you. Blessed are they whose transgressions
are forgiven, whose sin covered. Blessed is the man to whom the
Lord will not impute iniquity and in whose spirit there is
no guile. Blessed is the man whose God
is the Lord. Blessed is he that considereth
the poor. Blessed is the man whom thou
choosest and causest to approach unto thee. Blessed is the man
whose strength is in thee. Are you conscious of the fact
that your only strength is in him? You're blessed by God. Blessed are they that know the
joyful sound. Blessed are they that fear the
Lord. Blessed are the undefiled in the way. Blessed are they
that keep his testimonies. Blessed is the man whom thou
chasteneth. You know, I, now I'm, I don't want to be chastened.
I don't want to not be chastened. Amen. I'm all for getting out
of any kind of trouble I can get out of, but I want to be
chastened if it's the Lord chasing me because he does it for my
good and his glory. And the psalmist says, blessed,
happy is the man whom thou chastens, O Lord, and teachest him out
of thy law, out of thy word. And here's his purpose in all
this. that thou mayest give us him rest from the days of adversity
until the pit be digged for the wicked. That's what they're waiting
on. But this man you chastened, you're going to give him rest
in the day of adversity. Verse 14, for the Lord will not
cast off his people, neither will he forsake his inheritance. Oh, to be the Lord's people. I want to be identified with
His people, don't you? I want to be one of His people.
And He's not going to forsake them. He said, I will never leave
thee, nor forsake thee. What a blessing it is to be the
Lord's people. Verse 15, but judgment shall
return unto righteousness. and all the upright in heart
shall follow it." Now here is the answer to the question, how
long, oh Lord, how long? Well, we have this assurance,
judgment shall return unto righteousness. It may seem long to us, but it'll
happen in due time. You know, that saying, what goes
around comes around, it does. It does. Now here is the blessing.
If I've been made righteous by Christ, what goes around comes
around to me. Perfection, righteousness, acceptance and judgment. But
with regard to everything done and everyone outside of Christ,
you can write this down. What goes around comes around.
Shall not the judge of the earth do right? And all the upright
in heart shall pursue this. Who, verse 16, who will rise
up for me against the evildoers? Or who will stand up for me against
the workers of iniquity? And what came to my mind is what
Moses said after the children of Israel had made the golden
calf. He said, who's on the Lord's side? Who is on the Lord's side? Unless, verse 17, unless the
Lord had been my help, My soul had almost dwelt in silence,
but the fact of the matter is, he has been my help. Now look
at verse 18. When I said, my foot slippeth. When's the last time you fell
and you feel so totally vulnerable? I had it happen recently. I tripped
on a crack in the sidewalk while I was running. I could see myself
going to that sidewalk. Damn, I mean, it hurt. And I
was so, when I was falling, I could tell I didn't have the strength
to keep myself from falling. I couldn't catch myself. Now,
falling. That's not just talking about
a physical fall. Turn with me for a moment to Psalm, I mean,
Proverbs 24. Proverbs 24, verse 16. For a just man, justified, declared
righteous by God, made righteous through Christ, born of God,
born again, born of the Spirit, this just man, what's it say
of him? It's easy, he falleth seven times. Does that mean there's
not an eighth? No, seven means he falls all
the time. You know, when I hear people
say, well, they're living in sin, I think, and you're not? Is there ever a time when you're
not? Be honest. Is there ever a time
when you're not? A just man falleth seven times and riseth up again. All the time. But the wicked
shall fall into mischief. When I said my foot slippeth,
even when I was feeling myself falling, getting ready to crash,
thy mercy, O Lord, held me up. The whole time, even if I wasn't
conscious of it. His mercy held me up. Look at
this next verse. In the multitude of my thoughts. You know what that means? Anxiety.
Anxiety. In the multitude of my anxiety,
my troubled thoughts, in the multitude of my anxiety, thy
comforts delight my soul. The comforts of the gospel, even
in my anxiety. You know, somebody says we ought
not have anxiety. I know that, but you do. You
do. But what is more comforting,
even in the multitude of my anxiety, than his comforts? Comfort ye,
comfort ye, my people, saith your God. Speak ye comfortably
to Jerusalem and cry unto her that her warfare is accomplished. Her iniquity is pardoned, for
she hath received of the Lord's hand double for all her sins. Not only have you been forgiven,
you've been justified. Now that comforts me in the comforts
of my soul, in the midst of my anxiety. Now he says in verse
20, shall the throne of iniquity have fellowship with thee? which
frameth mischief by a law, and I think that's a beautiful, beautiful,
I don't know if that's the right word, an accurate description
of the natural man. He bows before the throne of
iniquity, and he frames mischief by a law. It's his law, it's
the law of his nature to be sinful. What a perfect description of
human nature. Can that have fellowship with
thee? The answer is no. They gather themselves together
against the soul of the righteous and condemn the innocent blood. Who had innocent blood? There's only one answer to that,
isn't there? Remember when Judah said I betrayed the innocent
blood? And because of his blood that
was shed, every believer is righteous, both righteous and innocent. But the Lord is my defense and
my God is the rock of my refuge. That defense is high place. High place. How high? Ephesians 2, 6 says we're seated
in the heavenlies. That's how high. Nobody can get
to me. I'm seated in the heavenlies
in Christ Jesus. He's my high place. And next,
he is my refuge. God is the rock of my refuge.
He's my hiding place. He's my hiding place. Don't you
love that? He's my high place. The name of the Lord is a high
tower. The righteous run into it and are safe. He's my hiding
place, my place of safety and refuge. Verse 23, and he shall
bring upon them their own iniquity and shall cut them off in their
own wickedness. Yea, the Lord our God shall cut
them off. Now, understand this. If I experience
judgment from God by way of punishment, I'm getting what I myself earned. I've always liked that saying
about, say, when somebody loses a job, if they get fired, you
didn't get fired, you fired yourself. That's why you lost your job.
Now, I'm sure there are cases where that's not the case, but
for the most part, when you get fired, you fired yourself. You lost your job through your
own misconduct, through your own, well, that's, if a man is
damned, it's all his fault. You can't blame God. Well, God
doesn't like me. Christ didn't die for me. No,
you're damned because of your sin. And if a man is saved, guess
what? It's all God's fault. You believe
that? It's all God's fault. He shall bring upon them their
own iniquity and shall cut them off in their own wickedness.
Yea, the Lord our God shall cut them off. Amen.