Would you turn to 1 Kings chapter
8. Remember my notes this time. Verse 44. Through verse 53. If thy people go out to battle against their
enemy, whithersoever thou shalt send them, and shalt pray unto
the Lord toward the city which thou hast chosen, and toward
the house that I have built for thy name. Then hear thou in heaven
their prayer and their supplication, and maintain their cause. And my marginal reading says
they're right. If they sin against thee, for
there's no man that sinneth not, and thou be angry with them and
deliver them to the enemy so that they carry them away captives
under the land of the enemy far or near. Yet, if they shall bethink
themselves in the land, whether they were carried captives and
repent, And make supplication unto thee in the land of them
that carried them captive, saying, we have sinned and have done
perversely. We have committed wickedness. And so return unto thee with
all their heart and with all their soul in the land of their
enemies, which led them away captive. And pray unto thee toward
their land which thou gavest unto their fathers, the city
which thou hast chosen, and the house which I have built for
thy name. Then hear their prayer and their
supplication in heaven, thy dwelling place, and maintain their cause. And forgive thy people that have
sinned against thee, and all their transgressions wherein
they have transgressed against thee. and give them compassion
before them who carried them away captive, that they may have
compassion on them, for they be thy people. Remember, he started out in verse
44, if thy people. For they be thy people and thine
inheritance, which thou broughtest forth out of Egypt from the midst
of the furnace of iron, that thine eyes may be open unto the
supplication of thy servant, and to the supplication of thy
people Israel. Oh, hearken unto them in all
that they call for unto thee, for thou did separate them from
among all the people of the earth to be thine inheritance. As thou spakest by the hand of
Moses, thy servant, when thou broughtest our fathers out of
Egypt, O Lord God. Let's pray. Lord, we ask in Christ's name
that we might look to Thy Son only, that You would give us
the grace to confess our sin before Thee and to look to Thy
Son only. Lord, teach us what it means
to do that. May Your Gospel be preached in
the power of Your Spirit. Would You be pleased to give
us hearing ears and receptive hearts and Lord deliver us from
our vain imagination and our foolish thoughts. Oh, enable us to look to thy
son. Be with all your people wherever
they meet together. In Christ's name we pray, amen. Verse 44. if thy people go out
to battle against the enemy. The scripture makes quite an
issue of not everybody being the Lord's people. It makes a
big issue. Who are the Lord's people? Not
everybody's the Lord's people. If thy people, Matthew 121, thou
shalt call his name Jesus, for he shall save his people. from
their sins. When we read scriptures like,
if God be for us, who can be against us? Who's the us? Who's
the us? This is a big issue in the scripture,
thy people. Not everybody's God's people.
And it would behoove us to understand who they are so I can know if
I'm one of them. I want to be one of his people, don't you?
Whatever it is to be his people, I want to be that person. And
this blessing is pronounced upon his people. Let me say, I'm going to say
this in the service too. His people are the elect. It's
that simple. His people are those he chose
before time began. His people is a number that cannot
be added to or subtracted from. It is the ones he chose before
time began. His sheep, his people. If thy
people go out to battle against their enemy, whether so ever
thou shalt sin them, who's your enemy? Who's your enemy? You know who
my greatest enemy is? You're looking at him. And every
believer feels that way. The enemy is my sin, my me. I'm the problem. If thy people
go out to battle against their enemy, whithersoever thou shalt
send them, and shalt pray unto the Lord toward the city which
thou hast chosen, Jerusalem, and toward the house that is
built for thy name." Now, when they were to pray, they were
to pray in the direction of Jerusalem. And they were to pray in the
direction of this temple that represented the Lord Jesus Christ. Now, what this means is we're
praying in Christ's name, looking only to him. Not Christ and. Those words should never be.
Not Christ and. Not Christ and my efforts to
do better. Not Christ and my repentance. Not Christ and my sincerity. Not Christ and anything. That
ought not be something we ever even think of. It's Christ alone. We look to Him alone. This represents faith in Christ
only. Now, when they look, when they're
battling their enemy, and they look only to Christ, claiming
no past, present, or future merit, looking only to Christ, then,
verse 43, hear thou in heaven their prayer and their supplication,
and maintain their cause. Now supplication is a request
for favor, hear their prayer, what they're asking for, the
favor they're, hear it. And this phrase is used three
times in this great chapter, maintain their cause, maintain
their cause. Now, what's that all about? Well,
the word maintain is the same word used in Genesis chapter
one with regard to God making the heavens and the earth. It
means to make. And the word cause like my marginal
reading says, right. Make them right. Make them righteous. Now, what this is a reference
to is justification. You know, it's in the Old Testament,
it's in the New Testament, it's always the only hope of every
believer to be justified, to stand before God without guilt,
to be perfectly righteous in his sight. That's what justification
is. If I'm justified, that means I didn't sin. I have no guilt
before God. I'm perfectly righteous before
God. Now, even at this time, he says,
maintain their right. Look in verse 49. Then hear their
prayer and their supplication in heaven and the dwelling place.
And there he goes again, maintain their cause. Now I hope justification
never becomes just doctrine to me. Something, well, I know that
I'm straight on that. I hope justification never becomes
that to me, but that I'm always thrilled at the thought of being
justified before God by what Christ did for me. He says, maintain
their cause. Now in verse 46, you know, the
only way I'm going to remain justified is by God remaining,
maintaining my cause and causing me to always be justified. Now,
verse 46, if they sin against thee, And then Solomon says,
for those, there is no man that sinneth not. First John, and
look at sinneth. That's a, what's going on right
now. And so I'm talking about if they
sinned against thee, but if they sinneth. And the point is, is
that, I mean, I hate saying this, but we're always sinning, aren't
we? Always. If we say we have no sin, we
deceive ourselves. And the truth is not in us. We've
lost all credibility. If we say we've not sinned with
regard to anything we do, we make him a liar because he says
we have. Now this is just the reality
and Solomon is dealing with this reality. He says in verse 46,
if they sin against thee, for there's no man that sinneth not,
and thou be angry with them. Now understand sin is displeasing
to the Lord. In a believer, yes. In a believer,
the thing that David did displeased the Lord. That's what the scripture
says. Well, wasn't David justified? Yes, he was. He was justified.
He didn't have any sin. But yet, if you're angry with
them because of their sin, and when I sin against the Lord,
the Lord is displeased. And he speaks of his chastening
hand then. And thou be angry with them and deliver them to
their enemy so that they carry them away captives unto the land
of the enemy. Far or near, and that happened
over and over again in the history of Israel, where they'd sin against
the Lord and he'd let their enemies take them captive and carry them
away. And this is the chastening hand
of the Lord, where you are, what God's chasing is, is when you
don't hear. You don't feel like you're in
his presence. You feel like you're far away. That's the chastening
hand of the Lord. And that's something that a believer
cannot bear. I have to have his presence.
I have to know of his acceptance. And this represents the chasing
hand of the Lord, being carried away captive into a land where
you don't feel his presence. You don't know his presence.
You feel like you're away from him. It's a feeling. It's the
chasing hand of the Lord. Yet, verse 47, if they shall
bethink themselves. Now that word, bethink, is the
word that's generally translated turn. If they, while they're
in the land of their captives, turn. If they bethink themselves
and turn. The New King James Version says,
if they come to themselves. Like the prodigal. You remember
the prodigal? He came to himself. He was in that far away land
working on a pig farm and all of a sudden he comes to himself
and he thinks of his father's house. He has a change of mind
about his father's house. The NIV says if they have a change
of heart in the land where they were carried captives, Look what
it says, verse 47. And yet, if they shall come to
themselves, if they have a change of heart, if they turn themselves
in the land, whether they were carried captives and repent and
change their mind and make supplication, ask for your favor unto the land,
into the land of them that carried them captive saying, now here's
what happens. This is so important. Here's
exactly what happens when somebody bethinks himself. Here's exactly
what happens when someone turns. Here's exactly what happens when
someone comes to themselves. Here's what happens. This is
so important. Say, we have sinned and have
done perversely and have committed wickedness. Now I want you to
think of the strength of that language. We've sinned. We've done perversely. What we've
done is perverse. We have committed wickedness. Now this is the confession of
sin. Look in Psalm 106. The Psalmist says the same thing.
Hold your finger there and turn to Psalm 106. When's the last time in my heart
I've confessed my sin before God like this? Psalm 106, verse
six. Notice the exact same language
is used. We have sinned with our fathers. We have committed iniquity. We have done wickedly. Our fathers
understood not thy wonders in Egypt. They were a spiritually
stupid people. They didn't know what was going
on. They remembered not the multitude of thy mercies. They were ungrateful.
but provoked him at the sea, even at the Red Sea, a provoking,
sinful, evil people, nevertheless. Now, salvation is found in this
word. Nevertheless. Nevertheless, he
saved them for his name's sake, that he might make his mighty
power known. Now, in turning, here's what
happens. In coming to yourself, here's
what happens. Every time, there is a genuine
confession of sin before God. This is not talking about confessing
to men. You don't need to confess your sin to men, but you need
to confess it and I need to confess it before God. And that's exactly
what is taking place. Verse 47, if they shall bethink
themselves in the land, whether they were carried captives and
repent and make supplication unto thee in the land that they
kept that carried them captive saying we've sinned, we've done
perversely. We have committed wickedness
and so return unto thee with all their heart and with all
their soul in the land of their enemies. Now the only time you
turn with all your heart and all your soul is when you make
this confession of sin before God. Anything else is insincere. It's not real. The only reality
before the Lord is a true confession of the wickedness of my own personal
sin. Oh, Lord, deliver me from a hard
heart and not making this confession before thee. It's turned from
the Lord that would cause somebody to not make this confession.
But he says, They return unto thee with all their heart and
with all their soul in the land of their enemies, which led them
away captive and pray unto thee toward their land, which thou
gavest unto their fathers. This is once again, looking to
Christ alone. If they pray unto thee, looking
toward the land, which thou gavest unto their fathers, the city,
which thou hast chosen and the house, which I built for thy
name, they look only to Christ, only the temple. That's what
the temple, the house built for his name. means then hear thou
their prayer and their supplication in heaven, thy dwelling place,
and maintain their cause. There we have it again. And forgive
thy people that have sinned against thee and all their transgressions
where they've transgressed thee and give them compassion before
the enemy. Now I want us to notice the order of this. He says, In verse 49, hear their
prayer when they look to Christ only toward the temple, hear
their prayer and their supplication in heaven dwelling place and
maintain their cause and forgive thy people. Now, I don't know
if I've ever said it like this. Maybe I have or I've implied
it, but listen real carefully. Justification has to come before
forgiveness. This is very important. Justification
has to come before forgiveness. The first thing he asks is maintain
their cause. You see, God cannot ever look
at me or you as guilty and then forgive us. I must be justified. God's character must be vindicated. God must be honored. All of God's
attributes must be glorified. Now, God forgives sin. Thank
God for that. But as far as the order of salvation,
justification must come before forgiveness or God would lose
his honor. He would lose his glory if he just forgave sin
without his justice being satisfied, without his character being vindicated
and honored. So justification, logically and
scripturally, must come before forgiveness. Maintain their cause. And all
that's a reference to is justification. Make them righteous. Make them
righteous before God. Maintain their cause. Verse 50, and forgive them that
have sinned against thee. You know something that I find
that I need continually is forgiveness. You were taught to pray daily. forgiveness of our sins. And
I've had people say, why, if God has forgiven us, why do we
have to keep asking for forgiveness? Because you keep sinning. That's
why. That's a question we ought not
be asking. As long as we sin, we're to ask the Lord for forgiveness. And this starts back and look
in verse 30 of this same chapter. Hearken thou to the supplication
of thy servant and of thy people Israel, when they shall pray
toward this place, and hear thou in heaven thy dwelling place,
and when thou hearest, forgive." Doesn't the Lord have to do that
with me and you every time we pray, when He hears? Forgive. And so we ask Him to maintain
our cause, to cause us to be justified, to cause us to be
righteous. And you know, the only thing
that I have any rest in and peace in, is that God sees me as without
sin, perfectly righteous, just like Christ. And because of that,
it's easy for him to forgive my sin. You see, his character's
already been honored. His righteousness has been exalted.
His judge of the earth who must punish sin, it's been exalted. And now he can forgive in a way
that honors his character. back to verse 49, then hear the
prayer and their supplication in heaven, thy dwelling place,
maintain their cause and forgive thy people that have sinned against
thee and all their transgressions, wherever they have transgressed
against thee and give them compassion before them whom carried them
captive, that they may have compassion on them. Now that is seen throughout
the Old Testament, when they get carried away, the Lord would
move the king of that place. Remember Nebuchadnezzar had mercy
on them, or Dairos, or all these different kings, when they were
carried away captive in those 70 years, the Lord moved them
to have mercy on the children of Israel. He moved them to want
to bring them back into the land. You see, the king's heart is
in the hand of the Lord. As the rivers of water, he turneth
it whithersoever he will. And something that is Wonderful. Remember, not only is the King's
heart in the hand of the Lord, my heart is in the hand of the
Lord. As the rivers of water, he turneth
it with her. So ever he will. So I say, Lord,
turn me, turn me to yourself. Turn me away from myself. Turn
me to yourself. My heart's in your hand now. Give them compassion. And here's
why verse 51. Here's why for they be by people. and thine inheritance." Here's
Solomon's reason as to why the Lord should have mercy upon them.
He says, they're your people. They're your people. That's why.
Turn with me to Exodus 32. This was right after that, that
the children of Israel making the golden calf. And the Lord
says, he's not, he's going to disinherit them. make of Moses
a new nation and other people. Now look at Moses' prayer for
the people, beginning in verse 7, Exodus chapter 32. And the Lord said unto Moses,
get thee down for thy people, which thou broughtest out of
the land of Egypt, have corrupted themselves. I think it's interesting,
the Lord calls them to Moses, your people. They're not my people,
they're your people. They've turned aside quickly out of the
way which I've commanded them, that they've made them a molten
calf and have worshipped it and have sacrificed thereunto and
said, these be thy gods, O Israel, which have brought thee up out
of the land of Egypt. And the Lord said unto Moses, I've seen
this people, and behold, it's a stiff-necked people. Now therefore
let me alone that my wrath may wax hot against them, that I
may consume them, and I'll make of thee a great nation. And Moses
besought the Lord his God and said, Lord, why doth thy wrath
wax hot against thy people? which thou hast brought forth
out of the land of Egypt with great power and a mighty hand.
Wherefore should the Egyptians speak and say, for mischief did
he bring them out, to slay them in the mountains and to consume
them from the face of the earth. Turn from thy fierce wrath and
repent of the evil against thy people. Remember Abraham, Isaac,
and Israel, thy servants, to whom thou swearest by thine own
self and said, I'll multiply your seed as the stars of heaven
and all the land that I've spoken of. Well, I give and I cede and
they shall inherit forever. And the Lord repented of the
evil, which he thought to do unto his people. Now, Solomon's
argument is they're your people. If now. If I'm his people. If I end up being lost and going
to hell. I lose a lot. but he loses more. If Christ stood as my surety
and guaranteed my salvation, I lose a lot if I'm lost, but
he loses more. He loses his honor as my surety. If God gives me his grace and
I end up being lost, I lose a lot, but he loses more. The honor
of his grace. If Christ paid for my sins, and
I end up in hell, I'd lose a lot, wouldn't I? But God would lose
more. He would lose his justice. He
would be calling for payment for the same sin twice. While
we know that's wrong, God would lose more. Now, all of God's
honor and glory is engaged in saving His people from their
sins. Amen? God's honor and glory is
at stake. Now, if I'm one of His and He
loses me, I lose a lot, but He loses more. He loses his honor
as the great successful shepherd of the sheep. Now, Solomon's
argument, they're your people. You know, over in Deuteronomy,
not Deuteronomy, Numbers chapter 14, when The spies have said, we can't
take the land and the Lord's mad at him again. Moses uses
this argument. He says, if you don't save them,
if you go ahead and destroy them, the Egyptian will say, because
the Lord was not able to save them, he destroyed them in the
wilderness. And that is never, he is able. If I'm lost, his ability is no
longer ability. If I'm lost, his grace is no
longer saving grace. And that is his argument. They've sinned against you and
they think themselves, and that's of you. And they confess their
sins, then save them because they're your people. Verse 51, for they be thy people
and thine inheritance which thou broughtest forth out of Egypt
from the midst of the furnace of iron, they're your people
that you delivered, that thine eyes be open under the supplication
of thy servant and under the supplication of thy people Israel
to hearken unto them and all that they call for unto thee,
for thou didst separate them from among all the people of
the earth to be thine inheritance. As thou spakest by the hand of
Moses, thy servant, when thou broughtest our fathers out of
Egypt, O Lord God. Now here's why I want you to
do this for them. You separated them from all the
people of the earth. I love what Paul said to the
Corinthians, and I know he was thinking about what Moses said,
and this is what he's referring to, when Moses said in Exodus
11, seven, against the children of Israel, shall not a dog move
his tongue against man or beast, that you may know how that the
Lord doth put a difference between the Egyptians and Israel. Now,
if you're a believer, you know it's because the Lord made a
difference with you. Isn't that amazing? The Lord made a difference. He made you to differ. He made
you to differ in election. He chose you. He made you to
differ in redemption. He paid for your sins and made
them to not be. He made a difference for you
in regeneration when He gave you life from the dead. The Lord
made a difference. He separated you from all the
peoples of the world. Now, what's your response to
that? Well, here's mine. Why me? Why me? May the Lord never let
us leave that position of amazement while the world gets mad at sovereign
grace and distinguishing race. And they say, how could that
be fair? You're the only reason somebody would ask that question.
How can that be fair? It's because they don't really believe their
centers. That's it. That's the only reason. If you
really believe you're a sinner, you wouldn't be saying, how could
that be fair? Here's your response to the grace
of God. Why me? Amen.