Okay, now this evening we're
going to take another look at Psalm 70. I'm entitling the message
from the words found in verse 4. Let those that seek Thee rejoice,
and be glad in Thee. We do seek the Lord. We are glad
in our blessed Savior. And let such as love Thy salvation,
say continually, let God be magnified. So believers do love God's salvation. Believers do love God's salvation. Another reference, turn one page
over to Psalm 71 verse 14, but I will hope continually and will
yet praise thee more and more. My mouth shall show forth thy
righteousness and thy salvation all the day, for I know not the
numbers thereof. I will go in the strength of
the Lord, I'll make mention of thy righteousness, even thy only."
And then I found another reference in Psalm, turn one more page,
Psalm 74 verse 10, excuse me, verse 12. Psalm 74 verse 12. My God, for
God is my King of old, working salvation in the midst of the
earth. He saves his people with an everlasting
salvation. That's the good news of the gospel.
We are, yes, we are great sinners. But as Newton said, I'm a great
sinner, but I have a great Savior. And that's what sinners need.
We need a Savior. Grace is for the guilty, mercy
is for the miserable, and salvation and redemption for those who
are ruined. Believers truly do love God's salvation because
they love who God's salvation is. We love who God's salvation
is. The Lord and Savior Jesus Christ
is God's Savior. He's God's Christ, He's God's
Savior, and He is all our salvation. I like the way Paul writes about
the Lord Jesus Christ. He calls him God our Savior.
God our Savior. Remember the words of Simeon
we read recently in Luke chapter 2. Lord, now let thy servant
depart in peace according to thy word, for mine eyes have
seen thy salvation. In that 40 day old baby, God
Almighty manifested in the flesh. He looked square in the face
of that babe and said, this is salvation. He is the Savior. The Lord revealed unto him that
that is salvation in a person. Surely there is salvation in
no other. As Peter declared, we just read
it a moment ago in Acts chapter 4, neither is there salvation
in any other, nor the name of the heaven. given among men,
whereby we must be saved. There's no salvation apart from
the Lord Jesus Christ. Now this psalm is called the
Psalm of David to bring to remembrance. A psalm of remembrance. Oftentimes,
I think you're just like I am, oftentimes we remember the things
we should forget, don't we? And we forget the things we should
remember, don't we? We remember the things we should
forget and forget those things we should remember. All scriptures
were given unto us to remind us that all that God has promised,
God is able to perform, will be done, will be accomplished. Saving faith is persuaded like
Abraham of all that God has promised. He's able to perform. I'm persuaded. I'm persuaded that God is able
to perform all things for us. All the promises of God in Him
are yes, and in Him, and amen, and to the glory of God. God
who hath begun a good work in you, He will perform it. Aren't you glad that salvation
is based upon His faithfulness, His performance, all things He's
accomplished for us? That's what we should always
remember. Because of our sinful infirmities and frailties, we
need to be reminded all the time from the Word of God, we need
to be reminded of who we are. Who we are, that is, he says,
I know, Paul says, that is in my flesh dwelleth no good thing. For the will is present with
me, but how to perform that which is good I cannot, I cannot. We
need to be reminded of who we are. There's none righteous,
no not one. As Paul said, oh wretched man that I am. We need
to be reminded not only of who we are, but who God is. God is
not who we think he is. God's who He is as He reveals
Himself in Holy Scripture. I've been reading through the
book of Habakkuk, and I found this scripture in Habakkuk chapter
1 and Habakkuk chapter 2. Let me just read it to you. Art
thou not from everlasting, O Lord my God, my Holy One? Thou art of pure eyes to behold
evil and cannot look on iniquity. That's Habakkuk 1, 12 and 13.
And then I found this. Verse, as I read through chapter
two, the Lord is in his holy temple, let all the earth keep
silence before him. So we need to be reminded of
who we are, sinners. sinners saved by God's grace,
sinners through and through, and then we need to be reminded
that God is holy. Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty. And we need to be reminded of
who the Lord Jesus Christ truly is and what He's done for us.
Without controversy, greatness, and mystery of godliness, God
was manifest in the flesh. He put away our sin by the sacrifice
of Himself. We need to be reminded of what
He did for us. He appeared once in the end of
the age and put away sin by the sacrifice of Himself. The Lord has given us an ordinance
to observe. We call it the Lord's Table.
He said, as often as you do this, do it in remembrance of Me, My
body broken for you, My blood shed for you. Psalm of Remembrance. We need to be reminded of the
Gospel all the time. Now, let's look at Psalm 70. I want to group together verses
1 and verse 5. Make haste, O God, to deliver
me. Make haste to help me, O Lord. O God, O Lord. He's my God and
He's my Lord. He's the only one that can help
me because I'm so desperately wicked. Look at verse 5. I'm
poor and needy. Verse 1 and verse 5. I'm poor
and needy. How many times have we seen that
in the book of Psalms? Poor and needy. I'm poor and
needy. I think I counted ten times at least. David said, I'm
poor and I'm needy. Make haste unto me, O God, right
now. Make haste. Thou art my help.
God is our help, refuge in time of trouble. Thou art my help.
Thou art my deliverer. O Lord, make no delay. I'm in
need right now. I need salvation right now. Today
is the day of salvation. O Lord God, make haste. That is, hurry to deliver me
without fail. Preserve me. Recover me. Rescue me. Save me. Isn't that
the sinner's cry? I had a dear friend one time
that asked me, he said, I'm having trouble praying unto the Lord. Can you give me some help? And
I said, yeah, I can give you seven words. God, be merciful
to me, thee sinner. That's my constant plea. God,
be merciful to me, thee sinner. Lord, make haste to help me.
Who else is able? Who else is able to help? He's
able to save them to the uttermost that come to God by Him. He's
able to save us and able to keep us from falling. Who else is
willing to save? He said, All that the Father
giveth to me, they will come to me, and those that come to
me I will no wise cast them out. Who else is pleased to do so?
He's hid these things from the wise and prudent, and revealed
them undebathed, even so, Father, for so it seemed good in Thy
sight." When Paul talks about God's mercy to him in Galatians
chapter 1, he says, "...it pleased the Lord to reveal His Son in
me." When will a sinner be saved? When it pleases the Lord. None
but our kinsman Redeemer. You remember our study through
the book of Ruth. Ruth needed a Redeemer, and she had one in
the kinsman Redeemer, Boaz. None but our kinsman Redeemer,
who was near kin to us, who has a right to redeem, who is able
to redeem and who is willing to redeem, and that is the Lord
Jesus Christ. Boaz is a picture in type, personal
type and picture of the Lord Jesus Christ. We also see the
reasons why we need salvation. Look at verse 5, Psalm 70 verse
5, I'm poor, bankrupt. Have nothing, know nothing, am
nothing. Man at his best state is altogether
a nothing. Vanity. I'm poor. I'm poor. The reason we need salvation
is because I'm poor and needy. We're spiritually bankrupt. We
have nothing, know nothing, and are nothing before God. Man at
his best state is altogether vanity. We are needy, sinful
creatures. What do we need? Cheaply and
mainly, and only, is the Lord Jesus Christ. Everything God
has for sinners is in Christ. Christ is all and in all. We're
going to take a good look, Lord willing, Sunday morning, in Colossians
chapter 2, where it says, In Him dwells all the fullness of
the Godhead bodily, and we are complete, we stand complete in
Him. Anything and every blessing that
God has for sinners is in the Lord Jesus Christ. He's blessed
us with all spiritual blessings in heaven. He's in Christ. I
like the prayer of Hannah, found in 1 Samuel 2, where she prayed,
the Lord raises the poor up out of the dust and lifts the beggar
from a dunghill that he may set him among the princes. And that's
exactly what God's done for us. What has the Lord delivered us
from? Make haste to help me, O God,
my Deliverer." He is the Deliverer. That's what the Redeemer does.
The Redeemer delivers His people from their S-I-N. Sin is our problem. Christ is
the remedy. His blood atonement. When He
by Himself purged our sin, He sat down on the right hand of
the throne of God. What has Christ delivered us
from? He's our deliverer. He delivered us from our sin.
From its penalty, death and guilt, Christ redeemed us from the curse
of the law, being made a curse for us. He has delivered us from
the power of sin's grip. There is therefore now no condemnation
to those who are in the Lord Jesus Christ. And one day soon,
we'll be delivered from the very presence of sin. When the Lord
will make a new heaven and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness. He delivered us from the penalty
of sin, from the power of sin, and one day right soon from the
very presence of sin. When we'll be just like Him,
predestinated to that end. Now look at verse 2 and 3. Psalm
70 verse 2 and 3. Notice, I underscored this in
my Bible here, let them be ashamed and confounded that seek after
my soul. David had many, many enemies,
including many of his own family. Let them be turned backward and
put to confusion that desire my hurt. Let them, I don't want
to be in that crowd, let them be turned backward for reward
of their shame. that say, aha, we got you now,
David. Who are these people? All those
who are enemies to the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ. All
those that oppose the way of sovereign grace through the Lord
Jesus Christ alone. Powerful and weighty judgments
are given to those who are enemies of the Lord Jesus Christ. He
said, let them be ashamed. Let them be ashamed. Now, if
you don't want to turn, I'll read it for you. But if you want
to find Isaiah 45, Isaiah 45. Surely God is in thee and there
is none else. There is no God beside thee.
Isaiah 45, 15. Verily thou art a God that hideth
thyself, O God of Israel. They shall be ashamed and also
confounded All of them that go to confusion together that are
makers of idols, but Israel shall be saved in the Lord with an
everlasting salvation. You shall not be ashamed or confounded,
world without end." Well, what a difference. They shall be ashamed. They shall be confounded. God's
people will never be confused, will never be confounded, not
at all. None whatsoever. Let me see if I can find another
reference for you. Let me just read it to you. You're
familiar with this. 1 Peter chapter 2. He said, If so, you've tasted,
verse 3, that the Lord is gracious to whom coming as into a living
stone, disallowed indeed of men, but chosen of God and precious.
You also as living stones are built up a spiritual house, a
holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable
to God by Jesus Christ. Wherefore, also is contained
in the scripture, Behold, I lay in Zion a chief cornerstone,
elect and precious, and he that believeth on him shall not be
confounded. What about those who do not believe
on him? They shall be ashamed and confounded. How confounded and ashamed and
confused will folks be when they stand before the throne of Almighty
God and hear him say, depart from me, I never knew you. What
a terrible day that will be. I don't want to be in that crowd.
Let them be turned backward for reward of their shame, their
evil. I don't want to be numbered or
found among that crowd. Do you? No. Let's say, aha! Those that would make fun and
ridicule and scorn the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ at the
power of God unto salvation. I don't want to be with that
crowd that said that day when Pilate said, shall I crucify
your king? And they said, we have no king
but Caesar. Away with him. Crucify him. I
don't want to be in that crowd. By God's grace, He had delivered
us from the power of darkness, translated us into the kingdom
of God's dear Son. Now, look at verse 4. In closing, verse 4. Let all
those that seek Thee, and we only seek Him by His grace, we
only seek the Lord by His grace, Whenever you find a sinner seeking
salvation in Christ, you find a Savior who's drawing him with
everlasting love. Let all those that seek thee
rejoice and be glad, be glad in thee, and that such as love
thy salvation. say continually, well, let God
be magnified. Praise the Lord. Those seeking
the Lord and those rejoicing in the Lord are those that love
God's salvation. Let Him get all the honor and
glory. Worthy is the land that was slain
to receive all honor, glory, blessing, and power both now
and forever, both now and forever and ever. Who are these people? poor and needy sinners who have
been delivered by His grace. Believers are seekers. They seek
to know the Lord Jesus Christ, don't they? Why are you here
this evening? I want to know more of Him, more
of His person, more about His work. Seek ye first the Kingdom
of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be
added unto you. Believers are seekers of the
Lord. seeking to know His will, seeking
to rest under His sovereign care. Believers do rejoice in Him,
don't they? They do rejoice in the Lord Jesus
Christ. Another reference I was reading
today in the book of Habakkuk. It's one of those little books
that's kind of hard to find because we don't refer to it very much,
but I had this in the bulletin a couple weeks ago. Believers
do rejoice in the Lord. Habakkuk 3, verse 17. Although
the fig trees shall not blossom, neither shall the fruit be in
the vines, and the labor of the olive shall fail, and the field
shall yield no meat, and the flocks shall be cut off from
the fold, and there shall be no herd in the stalls." Boy,
that's bad news, bad news, bad news, bad news. Yet, I will rejoice
in the Lord. I will joy in the God of my salvation. So we can always rejoice in the
Lord. Believers are seekers. Seekers
to sit at his feet, to take his yoke upon us, and to learn of
him. Believers do rejoice in him. And then thirdly, believers
do love God's salvation. You see that? That such as love
thy salvation say all the time, morning, noon, and evening, every
day, 24-7, let God be magnified. Let God be magnified. Believers do love God's salvation. We love him because he first
loved us. That's the only reason. Now, let me give you five reasons
why believers love God's salvation. Believers love God's salvation
because we've experienced that salvation in our heart. Salvation
is a work that Christ has done for us, but salvation is also
a work that he does within our heart. God who has begun a good
work in you will perform it, will perfect it. It's a revelation
of the glory of God's grace in our soul. That's what it is. It's a revelation. You remember
when the Lord said to His disciples, whom do you say that I am? And
Peter said, Thou art to Christ, the Son of the living God. Blessed
art you, Simon Barjona. Flesh and blood did not reveal
that unto you, but my Father hath revealed that unto you.
You see, salvation is a revelation of God in our heart. Now, I can preach and preach
and preach, and by God's grace, I'm going to continue to preach
the Word, preach the Gospel, but I cannot reveal Christ to
your heart. That's not my business. That's
God's business. He'll take the things of Christ,
God the Holy Spirit, will take the things of Christ and reveal
them unto you. So believers love God's salvation
because it's a revelation of the glory of God. Remember God
who commands the light to shine out of darkness has shined in
our heart to give us the light of the knowledge of the glory
of God that shines in the face of the Lord Jesus Christ. Secondly,
believers love God's salvation because of the method of it,
because of the power of it. And we can say with Paul, I'm
not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, it's the power of God
and the salvation to everyone who believes it. Jew or Gentile,
there in that gospel is the very righteousness of God revealed
in that gospel. Believers love God's salvation
because of the method of it, the power of it. The power of
it and the method of it. What is the power of it? God
who saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according
to his works, but according to God's purpose and grace. God
saves every sinner whom he wisely saves on purpose. God never saved a sinner by accident. Always on purpose. Purpose. We
know that all things work together for good to them who love God,
to them who are the called according to his Purpose. Purpose. That's a special word. His purpose
and His grace. He worketh all things at the
counsel of His own will. Purpose and grace. And then we
love God's salvation because of the method of it. The method
of it. How do we receive this salvation?
Not by doing. by believing. Faith is a gift
of God. Faith comes by hearing, and hearing
by the word of God. For by grace are you saved through
faith, and that not of yourselves. It is a gift of God, not of work,
lest any man should boast. Boast. The method and means of
salvation which is devised, purposed by God from all eternity, and
accomplished in time when the Lord Jesus Christ came and fulfilled
all things for us. In the fullness of the time,
God sent forth his son, made of a woman, made under the law
to redeem them that were under the law. And because you are
sons of God by his grace, he called you out of darkness into
his marvelous light. We love the method of it. Faith,
substitution, satisfaction. Substitution, Christ our substitute,
wounded for us, bruised for us, who made complete satisfaction
to God's law and justice. I couldn't satisfy God, no sinner
can, but the Lord Jesus Christ did. We love God's salvation
because of the sureness of it, because of the experience of
it, because of the sureness of it, because of the method and
power of it, because of the sureness of it, and the certainty of it.
There's a certainty of salvation in Christ. All those who trust
the Lord Jesus Christ are S-A-V-E-D, saved by his grace. This covenant of salvation is
ordered in all things and is sure. We run no risk whatsoever
in trusting the Lord Jesus Christ for all of our salvation, all
of our righteousness. I venture everything I have on
Him, my soul, body, and spirit, I have committed all to Him in
the saving of my soul. We run no risk trusting the Lord
Jesus Christ. His covenant orders in all things
and is sure. Remember David's last words?
Although it be not so with my house, God hath made with me
an everlasting covenant ordered in all things and is sure. This
is all my hope and all of my salvation. That's why the Lord
Jesus Christ is called the surety of the covenant. He's ordered
in all things and is sure. We have the word of God there
in our hand, which is called the sure word of prophecy. Not one promise of God's book
will fail. Everything he said will come
to pass. And his covenant mercies are
sure, his covenant word is sure, and his covenant work is sure. It is a faith that it might be
by grace that the promise might be sure to all the seed. That is Romans 4, 16. It is a
faith that it might be by grace that the promise might be sure
to all the covenant children. Fourthly, we love God's salvation
because of the completeness of it, the perfection of it. We're complete in Christ. The
salvation that's of the Lord is a finished work. Nothing needs
to be added. Nothing remains unfinished. The Lord Jesus Christ, upon Calvary's
tree, you remember what He said? He said, salvation is finished. He said, redemption is accomplished. He said, I glorified thee on
the earth. I finished the work. He prayed in John 17, I finished
the work you gave me to do. The blessed Savior did not die
to make salvation a possibility. He died to secure and finish
the salvation of God's covenant people. Redemption is accomplished
by what He did. His blood, not the blood of bulls
and goats. With His own blood, He entered
in once into the holy place. He obtained eternal redemption
for us. Redemption is accomplished. Righteousness
is established, right? not by the deeds of our hand,
but by the faithfulness of the Lord Jesus Christ. That's why
we say with Paul, we count everything else lost and ruined and dung
that we might win Christ and be found in Him. He is our righteousness. Blessed is that man to whom the
Lord would impute righteousness without works. It's not imputed
nonsense. I had one man tell me one time,
well, that's just imputed nonsense. No. Blessed is the man to whom
God would impute righteousness without works. That's covenant
language. That's Bible language. Reckoned
us, counted, imputed righteousness unto us. Christ is our righteousness. He's made unto us our righteousness.
Redemption is accomplished. Righteousness is established
by his faithfulness. Reconciliation is perfected.
God was in Christ reconciling us unto himself. Can it get any
better than that? Regeneration is final. How many
times has a sinner regenerated? One time. One time. You hath he quickened who were
dead. He gives his sheep eternal life and they'll never perish. I have five points. Here's the
last one. Best of all, we love God's salvation because of the
Redeemer and the Savior Himself. We're in love with Christ. He
is altogether lovely. To you who believe, we read a
moment ago, to you who believe, He is precious. Salvation, therefore,
is not in a profession, it's not in a pool, certainly not
in a place, not in a position. Salvation is in a person. My
eyes have seen thy salvation. Now, turn to 1 John. I do want
you to turn to this one. 1 John 5. I'll let you go. 1 John 5. Verse 10. He that believeth on the Son
hath a witness in himself. 1 John 5.10. He that believeth
not God hath made him a liar, because he believeth not the
record that God gave of his Son. And this is the record that God
hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son.
He that hath the Son hath life, he that hath not the Son of God
hath not life. These things have I written unto
you that believe on the name of the Son of God, that you may
know that you have eternal life, and that you may believe on the
name of the Son of God, Now look down to verse 20. 1 John 5, 20. And we know that the Son of God
has come, and has given us an understanding that we may know
Him that is true, and we are in Him that is true, even in
His Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God and eternal
life. Jesus Christ is the true God. And Jesus Christ is eternal life. He is eternal life. Now, Psalm
70. Look back there for a moment.
Look at verse 4 again. Psalm 70, verse 4. Let all those
that seek Thee rejoice and be glad in Thee. Let such as love
Thy salvation say continually, what do we say? To God be the
glory, great things he had done. God forbid us a glory save in
the cross of the Lord Jesus Christ. Let not the wise man glory in
his wisdom, let not the mighty man glory in his might, but let
him glory in this. that He knows me, that I am God,
and beside me there is no other. God forbid, we should glory save
in the cross of the Lord Jesus Christ. Let God be God. God is God, and we magnify Him
and we worship Him. We worship Him as He is, as God,
as God, God our Savior. We love God's salvation by His
grace.