Now, it's always my prayer when
we come together with the Word of the Lord that God would be
pleased to bless us with His Word. I usually write me a note
on the top of my page when I sit down to do a final study of the
message that I want to bring this evening. And I wrote, Dear
Lord, bless us and cause Your face to shine upon us for the
Gospel's sake. And that's our prayer, isn't
it, when we come together, that God might be pleased to bless
us to worship Him. Now, I'm entitling the message
for us from the words found in verse 9. Verse 9. Help us, O God of our salvation,
for the glory of thy name, for the glory of thy name, and deliver
us, purge away our sins, and notice again, he says, for thy
name's sake, And he's talking about the Lord Jesus Christ,
for his name's sake. Isn't that our cry unto the Lord
in saving mercy? Lord, save us for the glory of
thy name. All of our salvation is designed
So, by God's eternal decree and purpose, unto the glory of His
name, everything He does, remember, of Him and through Him and to
Him are all things to whom be glory, both now and forever. Everything works to the glory
of our God. All that our great God does is
unto the glory of His name. You remember reading Ephesians
chapter one, where it talks about the Father blessing us, the Father
choosing us, and predestinating us to be conformed to the image
of Christ, that we might be accepted in the beloved. Then it says,
to the praise of the glory of His grace. Then when it talks
about the Son delivering us, redeeming us according to the
riches of His grace, it's always to the praise of the glory of
His grace, in whom we have redemption. through His blood, the forgiveness
of sin, according to the riches of His mercies in Christ Jesus. And then when, again, Ephesians
chapter 1, when it talks about the regenerating work of the
Holy Spirit, enlightening us, calling us, and quickening us.
It's all again to this bottom line. And everything God does,
He so fixed it to the praise of the glory of His grace. To the praise of His glory. where to forgive one another
and to love one another, even as God, for Christ's sake, hath
forgiven us, for thy name's sake. See that, the last part of verse
9? You can pencil in right there,
Ephesians 4, 32. For the glory of thy name, to
the praise of the glory, for Christ's sake. Now, as I said
earlier, in Psalm 78, looks back to the past mercies of the Lord,
how God delivered them from Egyptian bondage, how God kept them 40
years in the wilderness, and how they entered into the promised
land and obtained the victory according to God's purpose and
grace. Psalm 78 looks back to God's
mercies. Now in Psalm 79 looks forward
by way of holy inspiration to the future and sees great trouble
coming for Israel. Talking about national Israel.
But also we see great mercies from the Lord for he is a God
of all covenant mercies. As he says in verse 8, Let thy
tender mercy speedily prevent us. Aren't you glad that our
God is a God of mercy, the God of all grace, and the God of
covenant mercies unto us? Who is a God like unto thee,
Micah 718, that pardoneth iniquity, that passeth by the transgression
of the remnant of his heritage, he retaineth not his anger forever,
because he delights in mercy." Boy, that ought to encourage
us. Our God delights in mercy. He's a God of comfort. He's a God of all comfort. He's
a God of all grace. Blessed be the God and Father
of our Lord Jesus Christ, we studied in 2 Corinthians 1, verse
3, the Father of mercies and the God of all comfort. He's
the Father of mercies. Mercies start with Him. Now,
in verses 1 down to verse 4, as surely as the Lord has spoken,
it shall come to pass. O God, the heathen are come unto
thine inheritance, thy holy temple they have defiled. Look in future,
they have laid Jerusalem on heaps. Dead bodies of thy servants have
given to be meat unto the fowls of heaven, to flesh of thy saints
unto the beasts of the earth. Their blood have they shed like
water round about Jerusalem. There was none to even bury them.
When the enemies, Nebuchadnezzar and the armies of Babylon came
upon Jerusalem, Jeremiah warned over and over again, judgment's
coming, judgment's coming because of their continued rebellion
and sin against God. We're becoming reproached to
our neighbors, a scorn and a derision to them that are about us. Surely
as the Lord has spoken, judgment was coming on Jerusalem. It came
to pass, didn't it? We've seen that in our study
in 2 Kings. Asap by way of holy inspiration
like Jeremiah, like Micah, like Joel, and like Amos sees the
destruction of Jerusalem and it grieves his heart. You remember in Lamentations
chapter 1 where Jeremiah looks at the city destroyed And he
weeps, and he weeps, and he weeps for God's destruction upon Jerusalem. In the book of Micah, I read
this verse in my study. Micah 3 verse 12 also talks about
this day. Therefore shall Zion for your
sake be a plowed field, Jerusalem shall become heaps, and the mountain
of the house of the high places a forest." Desolation came. God said judgment was coming,
right? Jeremiah said it was coming.
Micah said it was coming. Joel and Amos prophesied it was
coming. And it came to pass. You know
why? God purposed it. God decreed
it. Now here's the point that I would have us to consider.
And this is vital to understanding how the Lord works His will and
His way. He works all things after the
counsel of His own will. What the Lord says is absolutely
true. He said, heaven and earth are
going to pass away, my word will not pass away. What he says is
absolutely true and what he does is absolutely right. Remember,
don't turn because you're familiar with this, but in Isaiah 46,
remember God said, I've spoken it. I've spoken it. I've purposed
it. I'll bring it to pass. He said,
I've spoken it. I'll also bring it to pass. I've
purposed it. I will also do it. We can be
sure everything that God has said, every warning, every promise
is certain and sure. I'll give you some examples of
that. And the point I'm trying to make is this. What God says
is true. What God has decreed is going
to come to pass. Nothing we do is going to alter
that. He says, I've spoken it, I'm going to bring it to pass.
Now let me give you some examples. In Noah's day, it had never rained. God said judgment was coming.
God said a flood was coming. And it came to pass. You remember,
Noah moved with fear in obeying God and built an ark to the saving
of his house. Noah entered into the ark before
it ever rained. He believed God. In Noah's day,
God said judgment was coming, the flood was coming, and it
came to pass. Did it not? God said it would,
and it did. Another example, Jeremiah and
other prophets said that judgment was coming by the Babylonians
and Nebuchadnezzar, and you know what? It came, didn't it? 700 years before the Lord Jesus
Christ came in Isaiah 53, Talking about the Lord coming and dying
for our sin, being wounded for our transgression, bruised for
our iniquity. Certainly as the Lord said it
and decreed it, so it came to pass. The Lord Jesus in the fullness
of time, He came and put away our sin by the sacrifice of Himself. Not only that, but I was reading
also in the book of Micah, I would maybe encourage you to. Go and
study that book this week. But Micah also talks about the
coming of the Lord Jesus Christ. But thou Bethlehem Ephratah,
though thou be little among the thousands of Judah, this is chapter
five, verse two, Micah. Yet out of thee shall come forth
unto me, that is to be ruler in Israel, whose going forth
hath been of old, from everlasting. Talking about the coming of the
Lord Jesus Christ. He is the everlasting God, manifest
in the flesh. So just as God said it would
come to pass, it came to pass. The apostles, he said in the
apostles' day, when the Lord walked upon the earth with his
apostles and he said judgment would come again upon Jerusalem
by the hand of the Romans and it came to pass. We read in Matthew
24 when the Lord was there in Jerusalem and walking about the
temple and the disciples were talking about all the great buildings
and everything and the Lord turned and said to them, there will
not be one stone left upon another when destruction come, and certainly
it did, didn't it? 70 AD, Jerusalem was destroyed
again. He said it would come to pass,
and it came to pass. You see the point the scripture
makes? What God says will come to pass, will. He works all things
after the counsel of His own will. The apostles in their writings
said the Lord Jesus Christ is coming back. the heavens and
the earth will be destroyed and judgment will take place. You
remember from reading our study from Acts chapter 1, this same
Jesus, the angel said, who has gone away will come again in
like manner. And when he comes again to take
us home to glory, there's going to be this that happens. In 2
Thessalonians chapter 1 verse 7, if you want to turn there
you can read it with me. And to you who are troubled rest
with us when the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with
his mighty angels and flaming fire taking vengeance on them
that know not God that obey not the Lord Jesus Christ who shall
be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence
of the Lord, and from the glory of His power, when He shall come
to be glorified in His saints, to be admired in all them that
believe, because our testimony among you would believe in that
day." It will come to pass. Why will it come to pass? Because
God said it will come to pass. Everybody in our day is all up
in arms about global warming. The Green New Deal and all that,
they're trying to save this planet. It's marked for destruction.
God says so. They don't talk about, and I'm
not a global warming person, I'm all in on global burning. Because he said, the Lord is
not slack concerning his promise, as some man counts slackness,
but is long-suffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish,
that is, his elect, but that all should come to repentance,
and they will, God's elect. But the day of the Lord will
come, as the thief in the night, in which the heavens shall pass
away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with
a fervent heat, the earth also, and the works therein shall be
burned up. Count on it! You can't save this planet, it
is marked for destruction. Seeing then that all these things
shall be dissolved, what manner of person thought you to be in
all holy conversation? Godliness, looking for and hastening
unto the coming of the day of God wherein the heavens being
on fire, shall be dissolved and the elements shall melt with
a fervent heat. Nevertheless, we according to His promise,
We look for a new heaven and a new earth wherein dwelleth
righteousness. We're looking for a city whose
builder and maker is God, like Abraham of old. You see, the
point I'm making is this. Every promise God has made, you
remember the last word to Joshua, his testimony? Of all that God
has said, not one word will fall. Not one promise will fail. Everything
God speaks will be done. Now, look at verse 5 down to
verse 13 in Psalm 79. How long, O Lord, wilt thou be
angry forever? Shall thy jealousy burn like
fire? Pour out thy wrath upon the heathen. Judgment's coming. that have
not known thee, upon the kingdoms that have not called upon thy
name. For they have devoured Jacob,
and laid waste his dwelling place." How long, O Lord? Now, we've
seen this statement before. If you look back at Psalm 35,
verse 17. How long, O Lord? How long before
the Lord comes back in judgment? How long, O Lord? Well, we don't
know. He knows, but this question is
asked by David and others in Psalm 35, look at verse 15. Adversity, they rejoiced and
gathered themselves together. Yea, the abject gathered themselves
together against me, and I knew it not. They did tear me and
cease not. With hypocritical mockers and
feasts, they gnashed upon me with their teeth. How long, Lord,
how long wilt thou look on? Rescue my soul from their destruction,
my darling from the lions. How long, O Lord, before you
come back and take us home? I don't know. The Lord does know.
Another reference here, find Psalm 74, 10. I believe he asked that question
again when we consider the horrible things that are taking place
in our world. And it's nothing new. It's been
going on for a long time. It's always been rebellion and
sin against God. In Psalm 74, we see not, verse
9, our signs. Well, let's look at verse 8.
They said in their hearts, let us destroy them together. They
burned up all the synagogues of God, of God in the land. We see not our sign. There is
no more any prophet. Neither is there any among us
that knoweth how long. O God, verse 10, how long shall
the adversaries reproach? Shall they, shall the enemy blaspheme
thy name forever? How long, O Lord? How long? And then I found this reference
here today over in Revelation 6. How long, O Lord, is this
going to go on? There's going to be an end to
it. We know that. Look over here in Revelation
6. Verse 9, When he had opened the fifth seal, I saw under the
altar the souls of them that were slain for the word of God,
for the testimony which they held. And they cried with a loud
voice, saying, How long, O Lord? Holy, true, dost thou not judge
and avenge our blood on them that dwell on the earth? How
long, O Lord? Judgment's coming. Judgment's
coming. The vengeance of God will Now,
it's never right for us to question the Lord or to doubt His purpose,
being frail and sinful creatures that we are, but we cannot wonder,
Lord, how long until you come again? I think in my mind, when
I see things are going on today, I think the end is certainly
near. God has a just reason to be angry,
does He not? God is angry with the wicked
every day. God has a just reason to be jealous of His honor and
glory when the enemies blaspheme His name, deny His gospel, and
trample underfoot the blood of the covenant. He said, Vengeance
belongeth to me. I will recompense, saith the
Lord. He says that over here. Let me
just read it to you. In Hebrews 10, He that despised
Moses' law died without mercy under two or three witnesses.
How much sore punishment, suppose you, shall he thought worthy
who had trodden underfoot the Son of God and had counted the
blood of a covenant wherewith he was sanctified an unholy thing
and had done despite to the Spirit of grace. For we know him that
said, Vengeance belongeth unto me. I will recompense, saith
the Lord. And again, the Lord shall judge
His people. It is a fearful thing to fall
into the hands of the living God. Judgment's coming. Judgment
coming. But my friend, we also see God
is going to show mercy to His people. Judgment and mercy. Judgment outside of Christ. Mercy in the Lord Jesus Christ. Look at verse 6, Psalm 79. pour
out thy wrath upon the heathen that have not known thee, upon
the kingdoms that have not called upon thy name. For they have
devoured Jacob and laid waste his dwelling place." The enemies of God because they
can't assault the throne of God. What do they assault? They assault
the people of God, the saints of God. But here's our hope,
and here's where we want to cap on this thought here for a few
minutes. Oh, remember, not against us,
our former iniquities. Now, we're all sinners by birth. by nature and by practice. Oh, remember not against us our
former iniquity. If God be for us, and he is in
covenant mercy and covenant grace, who can be against us? Let thy
tender mercies speedily prevent us or come upon us, for we are
brought very, very, very low. Now, here's the heart of our
prayer, our hope, is it not? Lord, forgive my sins. Lord,
forgive my sins. How can the Lord not remember
sins, our sins, sin past, sin present, sin future, original
sin in Adam all died, actual sin that we've committed against
God. How can the Lord not remember our sins? Only because the Lord
Jesus Christ has fully put them away. Only by Christ putting
away our sin. That is how the only way that
God can say He will turn again and have compassion upon us,
He will subdue our iniquities, and Thou wilt cast them into
the depths of the sea. If we read again in the book
of Hebrews, it tells us so much about the atoning work of the
Lord Jesus Christ. Where it says in Hebrews 10 verse
14, For by one offering hath He perfected forever them that
are sanctified. He said their sin and their iniquities
will I remember no more. Verse 17. How can that be? Only
in the Lord Jesus Christ putting away our sin. That's our hope. That's our hope. Look at Hebrews
9 verse 26. It says in the last part of Hebrews
9, 26, But now once in the end of the age, end of the world,
hath he appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself. By whose sacrifice? How is sin
put away? Look at Hebrews chapter 1, verse
3, Who being the brightness of his glory, the expressed image
of his person, upholding all things by the word of his power,
when he by himself purged our sins, When He had by Himself
purged our sin, He sat down on the right hand of God. If you
look back at the text, Psalm 79 verse 9, Help us, O God of
our salvation, for the glory of Thy name. Deliver us and purge
away our sins. For thy name's sake, what we
read over here in verse 3 of Hebrews 1, who being in the brightness
of his glory, the express image of his person, and beholding
all things by the word of his power, when he by himself purged
our sins, he sat down on the right hand of the majesty on
high. So completely, so fully putting away our sin as far as
the east is from the west, he said their sin and their iniquity
will I remember no more. Find Psalm 103. You remember
what he says over here in Psalm 103? Look at Psalm 103, verse 8. The Lord is merciful and gracious,
slow to anger, plenteous in mercy. He will not always chide, neither
will He keep His anger forever. He has not dealt with us after
our sins, nor rewarded us according to our iniquities. For as the
heaven is high above the earth, so great is his mercy toward
them that fear him. As far as the east is from the
west, so far hath he removed our transgression from us. That's our hope. Look back to
the text. Oh, remember not against us our
sin. And then he says, let thy tender
mercies, tender mercies, speedily, prevent us, or precede us, for
we are brought into the dust. He knows our frame. He knows
that we are but dust. We are brought very low, so very
low. Purge away our sin. Sin is not
put away by what we do, but what Christ has done for us. We understand
that, don't we? We're not redeemed with corruptible
things, silver and gold. with the precious blood of the
Lord Jesus Christ. I love to talk about the mercies
of God. Let thy tender mercy speedily,
speedily precede us. That word prevent. Lord have
mercy upon me, the sinner. Isn't that what he's saying here?
How did the publican approach God? Not like the Pharisee. The Pharisee said, I thank God
I'm not like that guy over there. But the publicans smote upon
his breast and fell down before God and said, Lord, be merciful
to me, the sinner. We were brought very low. Have
mercy upon me, the sinner. You see, it is of the Lord's
mercies that we are not consumed. It's not by works of righteousness
which we have done, is it? But according to His mercy. He saved us. Our sins and our
iniquities lay the believer low in the dust. What brings us down
very low? What brings you down very low?
And you say with Isaiah, woe is me, I'm undone, I'm a man
of unclean lips. Say with Job, I've heard of thee,
my eye sees thee, now I hate myself, I repent in dust and
ashes. Whereas Paul, after he was converted,
Saul of Tarsus, one time he thought he was a pretty good fellow.
He said, touching the law, I'm blameless. But when God worked
on him, he said, oh, wretched man that I am, who can deliver
me from this body of death? You see, it's our sin that brings
us very low. And we only know that by the
convicting power of God. He's not of a broken heart. Your
problem is we think too highly of ourselves. Our problem is
we have low thoughts of God and high thoughts of self. God has
to bring us low in the dust. to make us cry out for mercy.
And that's what he does when he saves us. Before he lifts
us up, he brings us down. If you've never been brought
down in the dust, you've never been lifted up. If you've never
been lost, you've never been saved. If you've never been guilty,
you don't know anything of his redeeming mercy. Look at verse
nine, help us. Who would help us, those low,
life, dead, dog, sinners? We are brought very low. Help
us, O God of our salvation. Who else would? Who else could
help us but O God of our salvation? And do it, Lord, for Your glory.
For the glory of Thy Name. That's what the Gospel is all
about. It's the Gospel of His grace
and glory. in the Lord Jesus Christ. Help
us for the glory of thy name." And then he said, deliver us.
We have a deliverer. He's a kinsman redeemer, the
Lord Jesus Christ. He's called the deliverer. And
he delivers us by taking our sin to himself. and putting away
our sin and redeeming us with his blood. He's our deliverer.
He's the only one that can deliver us from our sin. Let me read
this to you over here in the book of Galatians chapter 1. Grace be to you and peace from
God the Father and from our Lord Jesus Christ who gave himself
for our sins that he might deliver us. from this present evil world,
Galatians 1 verse 4, according to the will of God our Father,
and look at this, to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen. You see, it's the same
message. Help us, O God of our salvation. He's a God of our
salvation, because salvation is of the Lord. And for the glory
of Your name, deliver us Purge away our sin. Put away our sin
for Thy name's sake. Deliver us. Redeem us. That word
purge there in the last part of verse 9 means to expiate. Expiate our sin or atone for
our sin, which is the work and business of the Lord Jesus Christ,
our great High Priest. He set forth as the propitiation
for our sin. Here in His love, not that we
loved God, but He loved us. And He sent His Son to be the
propitiation for our sin. Purge away our sin. Be our atonement
for our sin. And do it for your name's sake.
Do it for the Lord Jesus Christ, for the gospel's sake. Look at
verse 10. Let it be known that thou art
God alone, Wherefore should the heathen say, Where is now their
God? Let him be known among the heathen
in our sight by the revenging or the vengeance of the blood
of thy servants which is shed." Now, hold your place there and
find Psalm 115. Look at verse 1. Not unto us, O Lord, not unto
us, but unto thy name. Give glory for thy mercy and
for thy truth's sake. Wherefore should the heathen
say, where is now their God? David replies, Our God is in
the heavens, and He hath done whatsoever He hath pleased. Our
God is in the heavens. Things are not out of control.
God is still on the throne. God is still ruling and reigning
all things. Wherefore should the heathen
say, Where is their God? Let Him be known among the heathen
in our sight by vengeance for the blood of Thy servants which
is shed. Look at verse 11. Psalm 79, let the sighing of
the prisoner come before thee according to the greatness of
thy power. I like that statement. The greatness
of his power. Preserve us, those that are appointed
to die. Lord, preserve us. He has not
appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord
Jesus Christ. Verse 12, render unto our neighbors
sevenfold into their bosom, their reproach, wherewith they have
reproached Thee, O Lord. That's the problem, and that's
what makes sin so horrible. It's against God. They have reproached
Thee, O Lord. In closing, verse 13, So we Thy
people And the sheep of thy pastor will
give thee thanks forever. We will show forth thy praise
to all generations. You remember this statement over
here? Look at Psalm 95. There's a similar statement talking
about thy people, the sheep of thy pastor. Look at verse 6,
Psalm 95. O come, O come, let us worship
and bow down. Let us kneel before the Lord
our maker, for he is our God. We are the people of his pasture
and the sheep of his hand. Today, right now, hear his voice. Harden not your heart. Harden
not your heart. Hear his voice. Receive his word. Receive his truth. Bless his
name. So we thy people, who are these
people? The sheep of his pasture, chosen
by his grace, regained by his blood, called out of darkness
into his marvelous light. And we shall show forth thy praise."
Who do we praise? We praise him, don't we? And
this praise here is going to be a never-ending praise. Be
a never-ending praise. We praise him now, but that's
just the beginning. What's the occupation of eternal
glory? Worthy is the lamb that was slain
to receive all honor, glory, blessing, and power, both now
and forever. That's eternal praise. So we
will show forth our praise to all generations, from generation
to generation, in eternal worship. May eternal worship and eternal
glory in Christ Jesus.