Okay, this evening I'm trying
to look at Psalm 31 and I'm not going to try to deal with each
verse as we normally do, verse 1 through verse 24, but I want
to point out three main things that I see in this psalm that
I think will be a blessing to you. As I read over this psalm,
verse 15 caught my attention. This has been one of the verses
that's given me much comfort over the years of my life believing
the gospel now for over 40 years. And this verse has been a great
comfort to me. Verse 15, my times, Psalm 31,
verse 15, my times are in thy hand. Time of my birth, time of my
life, time of my death, my time is in his hand. deliver me from
the hand of my enemies and from them that persecute me." What
great comfort it is to know that our life is in the hand of Almighty
God. We're in good hands, good hands. Remember that slogan of that
car insurance, Allstate insurance. They say you're in good hands
with Allstate. Well, it's a good thing to have
your vehicle insured, but We're in the hand of Almighty God.
His hands are good hands. Strong hands. Sovereign hands. Loving hands. Caring hands. Providing hands. hand of the
Lord. My times are in thy hand. He
worketh all things after the counsel of his own will for his
glory and for our good." Now I'm not going to try to study
verse by verse as we normally do. This psalm's too long for
that type study, but rather I want to look at three outstanding
truths contained in this psalm. Let me give you those three things
that we see in this psalm. Trust in the Lord, Trust in the
Lord. We see that in several verses
I'll point out here in just a minute. Trust in the Lord. What is trust?
That's faith. That's faith in Him. Trust in
the Lord now. In the Lord. Faith. You know,
faith is called the precious gift of God. For by grace are
ye saved through faith. That not of yourself, it's the
gift of God. And Peter called it precious.
The second point is this. Let us never be ashamed. Let
us never be ashamed of him. We can be ashamed of ourselves,
for our sinful self, but let us never be ashamed of the gospel.
Let us never be ashamed of our Lord, of his sovereignty, of
his power, of his gospel. Let us never be ashamed and always
stand up and be steadfast in the gospel of Christ. And then
the third thing I want to look at is the hand of the Lord. the
hand of the Lord, or his hands, his hands. Now here's point number
one, trust in the Lord. Look at verse 1. In thee, O Lord,
thee, O Lord, do I put my trust. Let me never be ashamed. Deliver
me in thy righteousness." And then down at verse 6, I've hated
them that regard lying vanities, but I trust in the Lord. Again, verse 14, but I trusted
in thee, O Lord God. I said, thou art my God. Verse 19, oh how great is thy
goodness, oh how great is thy goodness. Indescribable, unspeakable. Which thou hast laid up for them
that fear thee, for them that trust thee, to worship thee,
which thou hast wrought for them that trust in thee before the
sons of men Down to verse 23 and verse 24. Oh, love the Lord,
all ye his saints. For the Lord preserveth the faithful,
plentifully rewardeth the proud doer. Be of good courage, be
of good cheer. That's what we studied Sunday.
Be of good cheer, for I believe God that it shall be even as
he said. Be of good courage, be of good
cheer. He shall strengthen your heart. Salvation is a matter
of the heart. The Lord looks on the heart.
All ye that hope in the Lord. That hope there is trust. Trust
in the Lord. Now this confidence, hope, and
assurance is found in no one else, nowhere else but in the
Lord, Jehovah, God who is God, who cannot fail. In the Lord
Jesus Christ is our trust. It's not trust in my trust, it's
not trust in my hope or faith in my faith, but rather it's
trust and hope and confidence in the Lord himself. He is our
hope. It's not trust in any creature
merit or creature righteousness or any religious experience or
work or ceremony or feeling, but rather it's total confidence
in the Lord. I'm confident he is able. I'm
confident he is able. We worship God in the spirit,
rejoice in Christ Jesus, and we have no confidence in the
flesh, but like Abraham, we're fully persuaded that he is able. And we trust him like Abraham
giving God all the glory, being persuaded all that God has promised
he's able to do. And notice this, it's not I have
trusted, nor I will trust, but I do trust in the Lord. I do trust in the Lord. I trust
him for all things. In providence and in salvation,
I look to Him. He's my trust. He's my hope.
I'm looking, and that's what saving faith does. It's always
looking to the Lord Jesus Christ. It's trusting Him at all times,
you people. You remember Psalm 62, pour out
your heart before Him. God is a refuge for us. It's
trusting Him at all times. Blessed is that man, Jeremiah
17, that trusteth the Lord. And then in that same chapter,
Jeremiah 17, where it talks about those who trust the arm of the
flesh. You remember what he said there? It's not a blessing. He
said it's a curse. Those who trust the arm of the
flesh are cursed. Blessed is that man that trusteth
in the Lord. Now look at verse 6, Psalm 31
verse 6. I've hated them that regard lying
vanities. It wouldn't do you any good to
trust lying vanities, would it? but I trust in the Lord. His
word is truth. Because we believe and trust
His word, the word of truth, the God of truth, as it says
here in verse 6, but I trust in the Lord. And then right up
above that, the last part of verse 5, O Lord God of truth. He's a Lord God of truth. Let God be true and every man
a liar. It is impossible. There's some
things that God cannot do, that God cannot change, and it's impossible
for God to lie. Why? He's a God of truth, God
of truth. We hate that which is contrary
to the gospel of truth, lying vanities and lying lips. Look
at verse 18. Let the lying lips be put to
silence which speak grievous things proudly and contemptuously
against the righteous. We hate that which is contrary
to the gospel. Turn over here to Psalm 119.
I like what one old preacher used
to say. If you don't hate that which
is contrary to the gospel of God's grace, it's because you
have no love for the gospel truth. Look at Psalm 119, verse 103.
Psalm 119. 103, verse 103. How sweet are thy
word unto my taste, yea, sweeter than honey to my mouth. Through
thy precept I get understanding, therefore I hate every fault
way. Thy word is a lamp unto my feet
and a light unto my path. Because we love the truth, we
hate and despise lying vanities. Believers, by His grace, trust
the God of truth, who's a God of sovereignty, who cannot change,
who cannot lie. We trust the Lord who cannot
deceive, who cannot change, because God is God. He said, I am the
Lord, I change not. gifts and calling of God are
without change. I am the Lord I change not therefore
you sons of Jacob are not consumed. Our Lord is the same. Yesterday
he was a God of truth. Yesterday He's the same yesterday,
today, he's still the God of truth, and he always will be
the God of truth forever, oh Lord, thy word is settled in
heaven. Psalm 119 as well. He's the same yesterday, today,
and forever. Look at verse 13. Well, I've
heard the slander of many. Fear was on every side. Well,
they took counsel together against me. They devised to take away
my life, but I trusted in thee. O Lord, I said, thou art my God. Thou art my God. God who is God. I like the confession of Thomas,
the apostle. When he saw the risen Lord Jesus
Christ, the other apostles had told Thomas that the Lord is
risen. We've seen the Lord. And remember what he said? I
won't believe that until I see myself. And when the Lord appeared
to him, remember what he said, his confession, my Lord and my
God. He's my God and my Savior. We
trust him as our God and our Savior. What a privilege of grace
to declare that God who is God is God over all in the face of
all opposition, in the face of trial, he's still my God. As Job said, though he slay me,
yet I'll trust in the Lord. But I trust in Thee, O Lord. And I said, Thou art my God. God who is God, He's a just God
and Savior. Thou art my God. I trust in Thee." Look back at
Psalm 2 for just a moment. Psalm 2, verse 12. Kiss the Son, Let's read verse 11, Psalm 2
verse 11. "...served the Lord with fear, and rejoiced with
trembling, kissed the Son, lest he be angry, and he perish from
the way when his wrath is kindled. But a little blessed are all
they that put their trust in him." Let's go over to Psalm
7 verse 1. Oh Lord God, my God, in Thee
do I put my trust. save me from all them that persecute
me and deliver me. Thou art my trust. Thou art my hope. We trust in the Lord. Now look
at verse 19, still on this first point of the blessed privilege
it is to have faith given of God that we might trust him. Saving faith always looks to
the Lord Jesus Christ. Look at verse 19, oh how great
is thy goodness. How great is his goodness? The Lord is good, but how great
is his goodness? How great is his faithfulness?
How great is his mercy? Oh Lord, how great is thy goodness. The Lord is good. Which thou
has laid up for them that fear thee, that worship thee, which thou has wrought for them. He has worked out salvation for
us that trust in thee before the sons of men. He is all our
trust. This saving faith in the Lord
Jesus Christ, our trust and commitment unto the Lord and the gospel
is not to be hidden from those around you. As I said to you
many times over the years, the Lord has no secret disciples,
no secret disciples, but open confession before men publicly,
but rather believers make a public profession before all men, confessing
the Lord Jesus Christ as our only hope. Remember when the
Lord healed that wild man of the tombs that was running naked,
no one could tame him until he met the Lord Jesus Christ and
he was conquered by the Lord and the demon spirits were cast
out and he was clothed and sitting in his right mind at the feet
of the Lord and he said, Lord, let me follow you. And what the
Lord said to him, go home to your friends, your family, and
tell them how great things the Lord had done for thee, and how
the Lord had mercy upon thee. What great goodness and mercy
has been laid up for those that worship the Lord. Worship the
Lord. Worship the Lord. When you believe the Lord, you
fear him. That is, you reference his name
and you do desire in your heart to worship a true and living
God. Isn't that why we're here this
evening? To worship him around his word, around the gospel of
the Lord. What great things he has wrought
out for us. It says there in verse 19, which
thou has wrought for them that trust thee and those that worship
thee. What great things he has wrought
out for us. Look at the last part or the
middle part of verse five, thou has redeemed us. We are redeemed,
not with corruptible things, but with the precious blood of
Christ. He has wrought out all salvation
for us, in whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness
of sins, according to the riches of his grace. He has wrought
out for us all things. Deliver me, he says in the last
part of verse one, deliver me in thy righteousness. deliver
me in thy righteousness. He has wrought out for us redemption.
He has wrought out for us righteousness. He has wrought out for us salvation. Deliverance from our sin is salvation. The Lord is my light and my salvation. Whom shall I fear? Salvation
is of the Lord. Now look at verse 23 and verse
24. Still on this first point here, What a blessing and privilege
it is to trust the Lord. He's the Lord, our hope. Verse
23, oh, love the Lord, all ye his saints. All ye his saints. What are we by nature? Sinners. What are we by grace? I am what
I am by the grace of God. We are saints. We're sanctified
in Christ by the one offering. For the Lord preserveth the faithful. and plenteous rewardeth the proud
doer. The Lord is our hope. Christ in you is the hope of
glory. We can be of good cheer. We can
be of good courage. He'll strengthen thy heart. Hope
thou in the Lord. It always gets back to in the
Lord, doesn't it? In the Lord, I have salvation.
In the Lord, I have righteousness. In the Lord, I have redemption.
In the Lord, I have all spiritual blessings He's blessed us with
in the Lord Jesus Christ. It all gets back to Him, doesn't
it? Now, here's the second point. Believers are not ashamed of
the Lord, His Word, nor His Gospel. Look at verse 1 again. Let me
never Let me never be ashamed. Deliver me in thy righteousness.
Again, down in verse 17. Let me not be ashamed. Let's read verse 16. Make thy
face to shine upon my servant. Save me for thy mercy's sake.
Thou art my rock, my defense, my fortress. For thy name's sake,
lead me and guide me, verse two and verse three. Let me not be
ashamed, O Lord, for I've called upon thee. Let the wicked be
ashamed, and let them be silent in the grave. Believers are not
ashamed to own the blessed Savior. Because we have been delivered
in the very righteousness that God has provided for us, we certainly
have nothing to be shamed about in the Lord Jesus Christ. For
he will certainly provide for us all things. Now, if you were
to stand naked in public, What would that be? You'd be
ashamed, wouldn't you? How about to stand naked before
God? That would be a terrible thing,
would it not? But in the Lord Jesus Christ, we have no need
to be ashamed because he's clothed us with the robe of salvation,
with the garment of righteousness. We're completely clothed in him. We have nothing to be ashamed
of in Christ. The Lord will provide for us.
We are accepted in the beloved. That's why the Apostle Paul on
more than one occasion said, I'm not ashamed of the gospel
of Christ. It's the power of God and the
salvation to everyone that believe us. And when he writes to young
Timothy from prison, he says, Timothy, don't be ashamed of
me. I'm the Lord's prisoner, and
don't be ashamed of God, who called us and saved us with a
holy calling, not according to our works, but according to God's
own purpose and grace. You see, the believers, we count
all else lost for Christ's sake, that we may win Christ and be
found in him. Let us not be ashamed, O Lord,
for I have called upon thee. One of the many amazing truths
of the gospel, his people are not ashamed of him, but the amazing
grace is he's not ashamed to call us brethren. Hebrews chapter
2 verse 11. Behold what manner of love the
Father hath bestowed upon us that we should be called sons
of God. He is able to keep us from falling
and to present us faultless, not ashamed of us. And his people
are not ashamed to own him before men and before others. I'm thinking
of another Psalm here. Let's see if we can find Psalm
138, 138. I will praise thee, verse 1,
Psalm 138. I will praise thee with my whole
heart before the gods, small g, will I praise thee. I will
worship toward thy holy temple and praise thy name for thy love
and kindness and for that truth for thou hast magnified thy word
above all thy Remember that scripture in Isaiah 28, 16, where it says,
Behold, God lays in Zion for foundation, a tritone, a precious
cornerstone. Those who believe on him will
never be forced out, will never be confounded or confused, or
as it says in 1 Peter 2, when he quotes that verse, never be
ashamed. Never be ashamed before God in Christ. were one with
him. When God speaks from heaven and
says, this is my beloved son in whom I'm well pleased, he's
well pleased with everyone in the Lord Jesus Christ. We don't
have to blush. We don't have to be ashamed.
Even before God, we are justified in Christ Jesus. Now here's a
third point. Verse 5, 8, and 15. The hand
of the Lord. Into thy hand I commit my spirit. Thou hast redeemed me, redeemed
with his precious blood, O Lord God of truth." Again down here
verse 8, "...and hath not shut me up into
the hand of my enemy. Not shut up to the hand of the
enemy, I'm shut up into the hand of the Lord. And then again in
verse 15, my times are in thy hand. Deliver me from the hand of my
enemies and from them that persecute me. Make thy face to shine upon
my servant. Save me, save me. Christ's sake. When it says for
mercy's sake, that's Christ's sake. For Christ's sake. Save
me for his sake. Whosoever shall call upon the
name of the Lord shall be saved. The hand of the Lord. We can
be sure, doubly sure, certain, beyond all doubt, that we're
in good hands in the Lord Jesus Christ seeing that none can pluck
them out of his hand remember John 10 my sheep hear my voice
I know them they follow me and I give unto them eternal life
and no man can pluck them out of my hand I my father we are
one and no man can pluck them out of his hand we're in good
hand my times are in thy hand Would you happen anywhere else?
Would you have your life in anyone else's hand? His hands, I know
this, are powerful hands. Wasn't that what Nebuchadnezzar
said? All the habitants of the earth are reputed as nothing,
and he doeth according to his will in the army of heaven and
among the habitants of this earth, and no one can stay his hand,
for saying to him, what doest thou? Damon, where is your God?
Our God's in the heavens and he has done whatsoever he has
pleased. None can pluck them out of his
hand. We're safe, we're secure in his
hand. His hands are powerful hands,
aren't they? Strong hands, strong hands. I remember when I was
a little boy and my dad used to walk to work and sometimes
I would like to walk along with him and he grabbed me with his
hand and I'd walk along with him and everything was okay when
I was holding on to daddy's hand and walking along. Didn't fear
any dogs, didn't fear any neighborhood kids. I was with my dad. You see, his hands are loving
hands, powerful hands. His hands are caring hands and
providing hands. One of the Psalms said, when
the Lord opens his hand, he satisfies the desire of every living creature. When he opens his hand, Can't think of where that's at,
but it's in one of the Psalms. I should have looked it up beforehand.
But when he opens his hands, he's not tight-fisted. His hands
are generous hands. He opens his hands and provides
all things for us. That's why the Apostle said,
my God shall supply all your need according to his riches
in glory through the Lord Jesus Christ. His hands are loving
hands. His hands are wounded for our
sins. Here in his love, not that we
love God, but he loved us. And he sent his son to be the
sacrifice for our sin. His hands are laboring hands.
He wrought out salvation for us with his hands. By his doing, he worked out our salvation for
us. We're in good hands. were in
His hands, the hands of Almighty God. Our Lord used these words
from the cross when the Lord Jesus Christ, as it says there
in verse five, into thy hand I commit my spirit. And we read
from Luke 23, when the Lord Jesus cried with a loud voice, said,
Father, into thy hand I commend my spirit. Having said thus,
he yielded up the spirit. One old writer said this, these
living words of David were the Lord's dying words and have been
frequently used by holy men in their hour of departure. That's
a good thing to say, is it not? In thy hand, Lord, I commend
my spirit. Be assured that they are good,
choice, wise, and solemn words, and we may use them now and in
that last tremendous hour. when we depart to be with the
Lord. I was out here working just a
little bit in the parking lot, shoveling out a little bit of
the flood mud over against some of those parking bumpers there. And a neighbor next door came
over and drove up in his truck, rolled down his window. The preacher
said, you better back off that shoveling that mud. You're gonna
drop dead of a heart attack. I said, well, it'll be okay.
It'll be okay. He said, no, no, it won't be
okay. I said, yeah, it'll be okay for me. Be okay for me. I can truly say that Lord into
thy, I commit my spirit into thy hands. He'll do right. The
judge of all the earth will do right. Never makes a mistake.
Never makes a mistake. We can rightly commit all unto
the Lord, not only our soul, our spirit, but our body as well,
for thou hast redeemed us, body, soul, and spirit, with his precious
blood. By time to rend thy hand, my dear friend, don't you want
all your life in his wise, holy, sovereign, powerful hands? He's
too wise to make a mistake. He's too holy to do wrong. The
judge of all the earth will do right. He leads us in the right
path. He's chosen for us. We studied in the Song of Solomon
in chapter two, verse six, his left hand is under my head and
his right hand does embrace me. He embraces us with his powerful,
strong, loving, caring, sacrificing hands for us. My pastor used
to quote this verse all the time. My times are in thy hand, verse
15. And then he would quote part
of a song. My times are in thy hand. And
the song goes this way. My God, I wish them there. And that's the only part he would
ever quote. I started thinking about that
song today, and I actually found the whole song written by William
Lloyd, who was born in 1791, who died in 1853. And let me
give you, read this to you in closing. My times are in thy
hand, my God, I wish them there. My life My friends, my soul,
I leave entirely to thy care. My time doth rend thy hand, whatever
they may be, pleasing or painful, dark or bright, as best may seem
to thee. My time doth rend thy hand, why
should I doubt or fear? My father's hand will never cause
his child a needless tear. My time doth rend thy hand, Jesus
the crucified, those hands my cruel sins have pierced, are
now my guard and guide. His loving hands. No one can
pluck them out of his hand. My times are in thy hand. My God, I wish them there. Don't you? I'm thankful for that.