And I have enjoyed so much also
the fellowship of brethren here and being at the conference,
but especially being with your pastor. And I want to take this
opportunity to once again thank you for your love and support
for us. And we pray for you, and I know
that you pray for us also. It's just words cannot express.
how thankful I am to God. That's why we'll spend all eternity
giving him thanks. I want us to look tonight at
Psalm chapter 40. While you're turning there, I want to say a few things. We who by the grace of God We who, by the grace of God,
believe God. We believe that it is by the
faith of our Lord Jesus Christ that we are saved. Hold your place there in Psalm 40,
but Galatians 2.16, I think, says it as clear as anybody can want
it. Knowing that a man is not justified
before God by the works of the law, but by the faith of Jesus
Christ. Even we have believed in Jesus
Christ. That's your faith in Him. But
that your faith in Him doesn't save you. It's His faith. That we might be justified by
the faith of Christ and not by the works of the law. For by
the works of the law shall no flesh be justified." The apostle
Paul said, I don't want to be found in my own righteousness.
I don't want to be found in my own righteousness, which is the
law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness
of God by faith. And tonight I want us to look,
and by the grace of God, see the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ.
So that's the title of the message, The Faith of Our Lord Jesus Christ,
Psalm 40. These are the words of the eternal
Son of God in flesh. And I know that it's also the
words of every believer. But once you see the words of
our Lord Jesus Christ, you won't want to see your words. See the
Lord Jesus Christ. These are the words of our Lord.
And Apostle Paul quotes this psalm in Hebrews 10. So we know
these are the words of our Lord. This says in verse 1, I waited
patiently. Oh, the faith of our Lord Jesus.
I waited patiently. Patiently for the Lord. And he
inclined unto me and heard my cry. He's speaking as a man now. What he did, he did trusting
God. Everything he did, he did not
do in the power of the flesh, though he was a perfect man.
He did by faith. By faith. He waited. Salvation is of the Lord. He waited on God. This is confident
expectation. And I just marveled to see the
waiting of the Lord. This is not reflecting doubt
or fears. You and I, we wait and we just
fidget, fret, doubt, have fears, unbelief. But that's just not
the waiting the Lord Jesus Christ did. He waited because he knew. He believed God. He believed
God that what he would deliver him. Patience. I patiently waited. You and I,
we're learning patience. We're learning patience. That's
why we get trials. Trials produce patience. But
the Lord Jesus Christ, He waited patiently. He waited patiently. No doubts, no fears, no murmurings,
no complainings. Always trusting in God His Father. You and I, we need, and the Lord
Jesus Christ, this is way too marvelous to me, but as a man,
the Lord Jesus Christ depended on God for wisdom. As man, he
depended on God for power. As man, he depended on God for
all his provisions. When he was tempted, for instance,
when he was tempted, he was taken away into the wilderness and
was tempted 40 days. He waited. After 40 days, he
hungered. And he waited patiently on the
Lord to provide him. So the angels came down and ministered
unto him. He waited patiently in the garden
when he prayed. Not my will, but thy will be
done. And sweat came out of his... blood came out of his pores.
He would have died. But he waited patiently. He never
did anything. He never did anything to succor
himself, to leave his sorrows and trouble in this world. You
and I, by our disobedience in Adam, we forfeited all, everything. And the Lord Jesus Christ came
to this world and he suffered, but he always trusted God. I
waited patiently. But he didn't make the bread.
You know, Satan knew that. He said, if you be the son of
God, command these stones to me and make bread. He waited
patiently. He waited. And when he was crucified,
when he was crucified, he waited patiently for the Lord to deliver
him from the dead. How wonderful. Though he slain
me, yet I'll trust him. He says, He inclined unto me
and heard my cry. He bent over and heard my cry.
In the Lord's own time, the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ was
tried, and when the trial was accomplished, His purpose was
accomplished, God heard my cry. God heard my cry. Listen to this. God doesn't need us. We need
Him. But what a miracle, what a wonder
that he would stoop down and hear our cry. That's mercy, that's
grace. It says here in verse 2, He brought
me up also out of a horrible pit. You and I cannot understand
the horror of what sin and our corruption, what is our sin and
our corruption. Yet the Lord Jesus Christ, He
who knew no sin, was made sin for us. What a horrible pit. A horrible pit with no deliverance. He waited. He brought me up out
of a horrible pit. None of us can possibly understand
the horrible pit that is the corruption of our sin. The sin
of His people. God says, Cursed is everyone
that not continueth not in all things written the law to do
them. And he is in that pit, cursed of God. Cursed! Cursed! He waited patiently. And the Lord inclined and brought
him up out of a horrible pit. Brought him up out of a horrible
pit. The eternal Son of God, according to his own will and
mercy and grace, came here. The eternal Son of God was made
flesh. Was made flesh. And paid our
debt. And on the third day, the Lord
delivered him out of that pit. What a wonder. What a wonder.
How wonderful and marvelous that is. And he set my feet, he says
here. He brought me up also out of
a horrow pit, out of a miry clay, and set my feet upon a rock. Where is the Lord Jesus Christ
right now? He is on that immovable throne of God. He is sitting. Hebrews 1 says, After that he
had purged our sin with his own blood, sat down at the right Verse 3 says, "...who being in
the brightness of his glory, and the expressed image of his
person, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when
he had by himself purged our sin, sat down on the right hand
of the majesty on high." He set him on a rock. It's unmovable. Now, you and I, we're on that
rock, too. The Lord Jesus Christ is that
rock. And we're sitting with Him in the heavenly places right
now. You know, I said I want to see
the Lord. But when I see the Lord and I
see the inseparable union of my Savior and my soul, I think
this is too wonderful. I'm sitting there. But we're
saved by His faithfulness. And this is what the Lord is
saying. He set my foot on a rock. And he established my goings. He was justified. Everything
he said, God justified him. He said, I and the Father are
one. He justified him in that. He
is God. Equal with God the Father. He
thought it not robbery to be equal with God, because he is
God. The eternal Son of God. He established my goings. Everything
that He did, God established it. Raised Him from the dead.
Set Him on the throne. How wonderful. How wonderful
that is. Hallelujah. He set Him on the
throne. Well, not only that, He put a
new song in my heart. Put a new song in my mouth. This
is a song of praise to God. This is most amazing to me. But in Zephaniah chapter 3 and
verse 16, it says, In that day it shall be said to Jerusalem,
Fear thou not, and let not thy hands be slack. The Lord thy
God in the midst of thee, that's the Lord Jesus Christ, in the
midst of thee is mighty, and he will save. He will rejoice
over thee with joy, and he will rest in his love, and he will
joy over thee with singing." With singing. And no one is singing
more loudly or more beautifully than the Lord Jesus Christ. He
sings a song of praise, a song of victory over all his enemies. That new song is a new song in
our hearts also. We sing a song of praise to Him.
That song is a song that is sung around the throne. It is a song
of redemption. You have washed us with your
blood and made us kings and priests of God. And that song can be
learned by no one except those that are redeemed. It is a song
that is put there. Let's put it there. Establish my goings. Put a new
song in my mouth. Even praise to our God. Many
shall see it. Many shall see the Lord Jesus
Christ in His person and Word. How many? Every one of God's elect. It's
a number which no man can number. Many shall see. This is the will
of the Father that sent me. I want to read that in John chapter
6. This is the will of the Father
that sent me, that everyone that seeth the Son, many shall see
this faithful one, the faith of the Lord Jesus Christ. In John chapter 6. is the Father's will, verse 39,
which hath sent me, that of all that she hath given me I should
lose nothing, but should raise it up again at the last day.
And this is the will of him that sent me, that every one which
seeth the Son, and believeth on him, may have everlasting
life, and I will raise him up at the last day. See, many shall
see. Many shall see the Lord Jesus
Christ and his faithfulness. See the beauty. You know, the
reason men trust in their own righteousness is they don't see
the beauty of the Lord Jesus Christ. Read in that Psalm 110, when it talks about thy people
shall be willing in the day of thy power. Usually a stop right
there. But what is it that makes God's
people willing in the day of his power? Psalm 110. Thy people
shall be willing in the day of thy power in the beauties of
holiness from the womb of the morning thou hast to do of thy
youth." In the beauty. People don't come to Christ because
He has not revealed Himself to them. But when the Lord Jesus
Christ reveals Himself in the beauty of His holiness, in the
beauty of His perfection, the beauty of His faithfulness, then
you come running. They come running. They come
willing. It's a revelation in the beauty
of His holiness. Many shall see it in fear and
shall trust in the Lord. Now, those I see are the words
of the Lord Jesus Christ. Now, here in verse 4, I see the
words, or I hear, as it were, the church interrupted, if you
will. The church, or maybe it would
be God the Father. Blessed is the man. And don't we say the same thing?
Blessed is that man, the Lord Jesus Christ. Blessed is that
man that maketh the Lord his trust. As singular as that man,
the Lord Jesus Christ. God says, blessed is that man.
That's the same as we read it there in Psalm chapter 1. Blessed
is the man In Psalm chapter 1, blessed is the man that walketh
not in the counsel of the ungodly. It's speaking of one. Nor standeth
in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful.
There's one that's blessed. God says, blessed is that man,
the Lord Jesus Christ. And we, the church, we're right
in there with him. Blessed is the Lord Jesus Christ.
Blessed is him forever. Blessed is the man that maketh
the Lord, Jehovah, his trust, and respecteth not the pride."
I was thinking about that a little bit. You know, our father Adam,
he was a man, the first man. And he had respect to the pride. He had respect to the pride.
Satan came to him. through Eve, came to Eve. And
he had respect. He believed the lie. He believed
the lie. That's the proud, the one that
said, I'll raise up and I'll sit on the hill. I'll be just
like the Most High. And men believe a lie. They'd
rather believe anything than believe God. But he says, has
no respect of the proud. Nor are such as turned to lie."
Turned to lie. His Word, the Word of the Father
is in his bosom. He doesn't turn from that. He
trusted God. He believed God. He said, the
words that I speak, I received from my Father. Okay, now look
here at verse 5. Many, O Lord, my God, the Lord
Jesus Christ, they're speaking again. Many, O Lord my God, are
thy wonderful works which thou hast done." Wonderful works. And anything God does is wonderful. But you can think of the works
of creation, the works of providence, but especially the work of salvation. Wonderful. Many. The work of
salvation. Oh, how wonderful. The work of
salvation. O God, are the wonderful works
which thou hast done, and thy thoughts which are to us. And
this, I couldn't get away from this. Thy thoughts which are
to us. How long has God had his thoughts
on his people? How long has God had his thoughts
on his people? Ever. Forever. How many are they then? How many
are they then? Everything. You know, this is
why all things work together for good. This is why all things
work together for good to them that love the Lord, to them that
are called according to His purpose. Because His thoughts are on His
people. His thoughts are on His people. You know, the Scriptures say
in Isaiah 53, By his knowledge shall my righteous servant justify
many. His knowledge. His knowledge
of all that you require. All that you need. All that he
requires. And his thoughts are always from
eternity on his people. To us. They cannot be reckoned
up in order to thee. If I would declare and speak
of them, they are more than can be numbered." More than can be
numbered. They cannot be reckoned up in
order. How mysterious is the providence of God in the life
of His people? God's purpose is always going
forward, but as we see it, we can't reckon it in order. Sometimes
it looks like we're going backwards. Sometimes it looks like we're
going sideways. But in God's purpose, it's always going forward.
It cannot be reckoned up in order. If I would declare or speak of
them, they are more than can be numbered. And the Lord says
in verse six, sacrifice an offering thou does not desire. Mine ear
hast thou opened, burnt offering and sin offering hast thou not
required. Then said I. Who says? I, the eternal I am. Then said I. Then said the eternal
Son of God, I come. You and I didn't come into this
world. We began, right? We had a beginning. But the Lord
Jesus Christ is from ever. He came into the world. Then
said I. Lo, I come, and the volume of
the book is written to me. Now, I want to stop here for
a moment and I want us to go back to Hebrews chapter 10 and
look at what the Lord, the Apostle Paul says here concerning. He's
quoting this Psalm. And chapter 10, verse one, for
the law, having a shadow of good things to come. And not the very
image of the things can never with those sacrifices which they
offered year by year, continually make the comers there into perfect.
For then would they not have ceased to be offered because
that the worshipers once purged should have had no more conscience
of sins. But in those sacrifices. There is a remembrance, again,
made of sins every year, for it is not possible that the blood
of bulls and goats should take away sin. Wherefore, it is not
possible that the blood of bulls and goats should take away sin.
The Lord Jesus Christ is faithful even to the death of the cross.
To put away the sins of his people, he must have blood. He must have
blood. Without the shedding of blood,
there is no remission of sin. Wherefore, when he cometh into
the world, he said, Sacrifice, and offering thou wouldst not,
but a body hast thou prepared me. I want us to stop there for
a second. It says here, my ear open, and right here it says,
a body hast thou prepared me. Well, what is the Lord saying
here? This is the faithful, Lord Jesus
Christ. He says, The sacrifice and offerings
that are offered under the law, they can never put away sins.
Thou dost not desire. That is, there is no pleasure
in them. They were never given to put away sin. They were only
types of that one true sacrifice. They were only types of the Lamb
of God that taketh away the sin of the world. Only types. But
it says here, mine ear hast thou opened. And in Hebrew it says,
A body hast thou prepared me. Mine ear hast thou opened. That
has reference to a willing, loving slave. In the law of God, when
a man got into trouble and he couldn't get out of debt, he
could go into servitude or slavery. And he must serve six years.
At the seventh year, he must go free. But the Lord said, If
he goes in by himself, he comes out by himself. But if his master
gives him a wife, and he has children by that wife, and he
comes out, he must come out by himself. The wife and the children
are the masters. But if that slave freely says,
I love my master, I love my wife, I love my children
and I won't go out free. The masters to say very well,
we're going to go before the judges. We're going to go before
the judges and he's to confess before everybody. I love my master. I love my wife. I love my children
and I won't go free. And masters to take a lesson
and bore his ear and iron. and bore his ear. He is to be
marked. And that mark was to witness
to everybody. From then on, this is not a forced
servitude. This is a loving, willing servant. And this is what our Lord Jesus
Christ did. He not only came into the world
and obeyed God's holy law to perfection, But having established
God's righteousness here on the earth, he's the only man that
could go into glory by himself. By himself. But he said, I love my master,
I love God. I love my wife. His chosen people,
I love my children and I will not go free. And God took him
out and hung him on the cross and pierced his hands and his
feet and his side. And he wears those marks for
all eternity. I'm convinced he's the only one
that has marks in glory. Let no one say. It was the love
for his God. It was a love for his people
that hung him on the cross, that kept him there. I love my master. A body has now prepared me. My
ear hast thou opened. God cannot die. And man, mere man, cannot satisfy. But the God-man, he both could
die and satisfy God. My ear hast thou opened. Burnt
offering and sin offering hast thou not required. Then said
I, lo, I come. In the volume of the book, it
is written of me. Now, the volume of the book,
as I understand it, is the beginning of the book. You go to a go to
a library and you want to find a subject on. I don't know, geometry
or something like that, they have a well, this one is a holy
Bible. And it would say who wrote it,
and this is the volume of the book. There's a book. that's written and has seven
seals, the purpose, the counsel of God, it's written. And it's
all of him from the very beginning. And you may also understand it
this volume when the volume of this book is written to from
the very beginning. This is a book of him. Book of
the Lord Jesus Christ is written that you might believe. He is
God. Then said I, Lo, I come in the
volume of the book that is written of me. I delight to do thy will,
O my God." It wasn't that he was just doing his will. He delighted
to do his will. Delighted to do his will. Servile service. Am I saying
that right? They're serviceable and they're
servile. Servile service is not accepted.
Servile service is not accepted. He delighted to do his will. I delight to do thy will. What
will is that? To come to this world and redeem
his people, to save his people from their sins. Yea, thy law
is written within my heart. It is his word. His word. Now look at here in verse 9.
I have preached righteousness in the great congregation. There's
several things that are mentioned here in these verses. And I want
us to consider this. Except the Lord Jesus Christ
reveal God to us, we cannot know God. John 1.18 says, No man has
seen God at any time. The only begotten which is in
the bosom of the Father, he hath declared him. He hath pulled
him out. And I have preached righteousness in the great congregation. Righteousness. Justice. What is it that we know about
God and His righteousness? Look at Romans chapter 10. Romans 10. God is holy. God is just. And He will punish sin wherever
sin is found. Wherever sin is found. And our
Lord Jesus Christ He was made sin for us and He bore the guilt. And He died on the cross. He took away our sin. But there
are people who believe that by their own doing, they can establish
a justice, a right standing or righteousness before God. And
the Apostle Paul is dealing with that here in Romans 10. Brethren,
my heart's desire and prayer to God for Israel is that they
might be saved. For I bear them record that they
have a zeal of God, but not according to knowledge. They don't know.
For being ignorant of God's righteousness. This is what the Lord Jesus Christ
declares. His righteousness. God's righteousness.
And going about to establish their own righteousness have
not submitted to themselves unto the righteousness of God. The
righteousness of God is the Lord Jesus Christ. It is in the preaching
of the gospel that the righteousness of God is revealed. It is in
the preaching of the gospel we see how God can be just and punish
sin to the utmost degree and at the same time be merciful.
God be just and be merciful at the same time. And it's in the
gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ. They're going about to establish
their own righteousness, but they have not submitted themselves
to the righteousness of God for Christ. The Lord Jesus Christ
is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone that believes. Everyone
that believes that he's the end of the law for righteousness. The person that believes in the
Lord Jesus Christ has the righteousness of God. The righteousness of
God. I've declared thy righteousness
in the great congregation. Everyone that is in this great
congregation, that innumerable company, says there in Hebrews
chapter 12. Everyone that is in this congregation
has that same righteousness. You know why? Because he's declared
that righteousness. He's revealed that righteousness.
Everyone in this congregation is dressed in the Lord, our righteousness. Jehovah at Zitkinim. I have not
refrained my lips, O Lord, thou knowest. I have not hid thy righteousness
within my heart. I have declared thy faithfulness
and thy salvation. He is faithful. He is faithful. The Lord is faithful to His Word,
to His promise, to His purpose. His purpose is to save a people.
He's declared His faithfulness. God gave the Son a people. God gave the Son a people before
the foundation of the world. And not one of them will be lost.
Is He faithful? Is he faithful to his word? Is
he faithful to the Lord Jesus Christ? Is he faithful? Is the Lord Jesus Christ faithful?
I've declared thy faithfulness. The faithfulness of God is the
faithfulness of the Lord Jesus Christ. He is the salvation. I've declared thy salvation.
Simeon said, Lord, thou lettest thy servant depart in peace.
I've seen thy salvation. I have not concealed thy loving
kindness and thy truth from the great congregation, thy mercy
and thy truth. Loving kindness, grace and truth. These are not opposite in God.
They're not opposite. He is a loving, merciful and
faithful. He's a just God and a Savior. A just God and a Savior. Withhold
not thy tender mercies from me, O Lord, let lovingkindness and
thy true contentment be preserved." I see the Lord crying out, crying
out. Though He was made sin, though
He went to the cross and bare our sin in His own body, yet
He always trusted God. And we're about to see something
that we cannot understand. We cannot begin to understand.
It says here, For innumerable evils have compassed
me about. Innumerable evils. We can't even
begin to count our own sins. Each one personally. I read this
in a commentary and I thought it was real good. You know, James
says if you break the law of one, one commandment, you're
guilty of all 10. So whatever number you think
you might have, that's multiplied by 10. But we can't even count ours.
We can't even count our sins. Innumerable evils have compassed
me about. Mine iniquities, the Lord says. Mine iniquities. Corinthians says, He was made
sin for us who knew no sin. He was made sin for us. We don't understand that, but
we believe it. He was made sin. My iniquities, not the iniquities
of my people, my iniquities have taken hold upon me so that I
am not able to look up. They are more than the hairs
of my head. Therefore, my heart fails me." When the Lord was
in Gethsemane praying, the horror of being made sin
came upon Him. The horror. We cannot understand
that because we are born in this world in sin. In our nature. They tell me that there is one
atmosphere of pressure on my body right now. I've never felt
that. They tell me there is one atmosphere
of pressure on our body right now. What is that? Like fourteen
something? You can feel it a little bit
when you go on a plane or you go on a mountain or you go diving. You feel the pressure change.
But you and I, we cannot feel the horror. We see it a little
bit. We see it a little bit when we
see the Lord Jesus Christ made sin and on the cross and crying
out, My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? We see a little
bit. But we cannot feel it. No. The Lord Jesus Christ, He
said, My iniquities have taken hold upon me so that I am not
able to look up. They are more than the hairs
of my head, therefore my heart faileth me. But I want us to
look one more time to the faith of the Lord Jesus Christ. Be
pleased, O Lord. Be pleased, O Lord. To deliver me, O Lord, make haste
to help me. In other words, if it be possible, let this cup
pass for me. Nevertheless, not my will, but
Thy will be done. And that he drank the cup dry. But as soon Make haste. As soon as that payment is made
in full, make haste to help me. Make haste to help me. And then
the Lord says in verse 14, let them be ashamed and confounded
together that seek after my soul to destroy it. Let them be driven
backward and put to shame that wish me evil. All those that refuse, all those for whom the Lord never,
He said, I never knew you. That's why they don't love Him,
because He never loved them. And that's why people who die,
they die because they hate Him. They die in their sins, they
hate Him. But it says, let them be ashamed and confounded together
that seek after my soul to destroy it. Imagine how Satan is seeking
to destroy the Lord Jesus Christ. And the weakest point of our
Lord in his humanity on the cross, God said, you shall Bruce is
healed. And he's going to crush your
head. Think of the confoundment. The religious leaders. Do away
with him. We will not have this man reign
over us. And on that third day, him raised
again from the grave. Talking about being confounded. Let all those that seek thee
rejoice and be glad in thee. Let all those that seek thee.
Who are those that seek the Lord? Be glad in thee. Let such as love thy salvation.
Thy salvation is a person. Let those that love thy salvation.
And you know, the only way we love the Lord right now is because
He shed abroad His love in our hearts. If you love Him, it's
because He first loved you. And if you love Him, it's because
He shed abroad His love in your heart. And it says here, those that
love, love the Lord Jesus Christ. He is the salvation. And let
them say continually, the Lord be magnified. Blessed is that man. The Lord
be magnified. This is what we'll be saying
for all eternity. Let the Lord be magnified. But
I am poor and needy, yet the Lord thinketh upon me. Thou art
my help and my deliverer. Make no tearing, O my God. Well, I just read it. But the Lord could use it. It's too much. It's too much
for me. May the Lord bless you. Thank
you.