OK, this evening now we're going
to look at Psalm 86. Notice it's called a prayer of
David, a prayer of David being a psalm, a psalm of David. Now we know all the scriptures
given of God, and David, this is his personal heart cry, but
yet HE WRITES AND PINS THIS AS HE'S INSPIRED OF GOD TO BREATHE
THIS PRAYER FOR US TO ENJOY THIS EVENING. MANY, MANY HUNDREDS
OF YEARS LATER WE HAVE THIS PSALM FOR US TO ENJOY. I'M ENTITLING
THE MESSAGE FROM THE WORDS FOUND IN VERSE 5 AND AGAIN IN VERSE
15 HE REPEATS IT. THY LORD ART GOOD AND READY TO
FORGIVE, PLENTEOUS IN MERCY. YOU SEE THAT? HE'S PLENTEOUS. You reckon there's some way of
exhausting the storehouse of his mercy, if he's plenteous
in mercy? And again, down in verse 15,
he repeats it. Thou, O Lord, art a God full
of compassion, gracious, long-suffering, PLENTEOUS IN MERCY. HE IS PLENTEOUS,
PLENTEOUS IN MERCY. NOW, WHAT A GREAT SUBJECT TO
THINK UPON. OUR LORD AND OUR GOD AND OUR
SAVIOR DELIGHTS TO SHOW MERCY. REMEMBER FROM READING MICAH 7,
VERSE 18, WHERE IT DECLARES THAT. GOD, WHO IS OUR GOD, NONE LIKE
HIM, HE DELIGHTS TO SHOW MERCY TO SUCH AS WE ARE. Oftentimes
we say that God is gracious unto his people and he is And God
is merciful unto his people and he is How would you define the
difference between grace and mercy? Grace and mercy. Well, someone said this and I
think it's right Grace is God giving us what we do not deserve
God graciously gives us WHAT WE DO NOT DESERVE. WE DO NOT
DESERVE ANY GRACE AT ALL. WE'RE JUSTIFIED FREELY BY HIS
GRACE. MERCY, THEN, IS GOD NOT GIVING
ME WHAT I DO DESERVE. WHAT DO I DESERVE? WELL, THE
WAGES OF SIN IS DEATH. but the gift of God is eternal
life. I don't want what I, I don't
want what I deserve. I want mercy. I want mercy. I want mercy. hard-headed, haughty,
proud sinner will say, all I want is what's coming to me. No, he
don't. He won't want because God is
consuming fire. God is merciful unto his people. Oh, it's sovereign mercy. HE
WILL HAVE MERCY UPON WHOM HE WILL. OVER THERE IN EXODUS 33,
WHEN MOSES ASKED THE LORD, SHOW ME YOUR GLORY, REMEMBER WHAT
HE SAID? I'LL BE MERCIFUL TO WHOM I WILL BE MERCIFUL. NOW, WE DON'T MERIT GRACE, DO
WE? WE DON'T EARN GRACE, AND WE DON'T
MERIT MERCY, NOR DO WE DESERVE ANY FAVOR OR ATTENTION FROM GOD,
BUT THE LORD WE SERVE IS BOTH MERCIFUL and gracious, ready
to pardon, ready to forgive, and he's plenteous in redemption. He says that over here, don't
turn, let me see if I can find it for you. Over here in one
of my favorite Psalms, Psalm 130, where he says, let Israel
hope in the Lord, for with the Lord there is mercy, and with
him is plenteous I like that plenteous term. Plenteous in
mercy, plenteous in redemption. Now this psalm is called the
prayer of David. And we see it's a heart cry of
David as a believer before the throne of grace. May the Lord
be pleased this evening to make this our prayer personally before
God and enter into this ourselves. Before our great and glorious
God, may we make this our cry, our hearts cry unto him. IN THAT
BOOK I'M READING BY ARTHUR W. PINK, THE SOVEREIGNTY OF GOD,
THERE'S A WHOLE CHAPTER ON SOVEREIGNTY AND PRAYER. SOVEREIGNTY AND PRAYER. AND HE MADE THIS STATEMENT, REAL
PRAYER IS AN ACT OF WORSHIP. IT IS. REAL PRAYER IS AN ACT
OF WORSHIP, AND PRAYER IS AN ATTITUDE OF SUBMISSION TO THE
SOVEREIGN WILL OF GOD. REMEMBER, NOT MY WILL, THY WILL
BE DONE. SO REAL PRAYER IS AN ACT OF WORSHIP.
I BELIEVE IT IS. I BELIEVE BROTHER PINK IS RIGHT. WE'RE TOLD TO PRAY WITHOUT CEASING.
EVERYTHING GIVE THANKS, PRAY WITHOUT CEASING, AND REJOICE
EVERMORE IN THE LORD JESUS CHRIST. PRAY WITHOUT CEASING, AND IN
EVERYTHING GIVE THANKS, FOR THIS IS THE WILL OF GOD IN CHRIST
JESUS CONCERNING YOU. NOW THIS DOESN'T MEAN THAT WE
HAVE TO GO TO THE COURTHOUSE AND HOLD HANDS AROUND THE FLAGPOLE
ON A CERTAIN DAY AND SAY WE'RE PRAYING. OR THIS DOESN'T MEAN
THAT WE HAVE TO DO THIS OR GO HERE AT A CERTAIN TIME IN A CERTAIN
PLACE IN SOME COUNTRIES IN SOME RELIGION AT A CERTAIN TIME OF
DAY EVERYBODY BOWS. IT'S NOT TALKING ABOUT THAT TYPE
OF MECHANICAL INSTITUTIONAL PRAYER WHEN HE SAYS PRAY WITHOUT CEASING.
IT IS AN ATTITUDE IN A BELIEVER'S HEART OF SUBMITTING TO THE WILL
OF THE LORD. THAT'S WHAT PRAYER IS. IT'S SUBMITTING. IT'S FINDING THE WILL OF THE
LORD, AND HAVING THE WILL OF THE LORD REVEALED UNTO YOU, AND
THEN SUBMITTING UNTO IT. SUBMITTING TO THAT. NOW, LET'S
LOOK AT VERSE 1, VERSE 6, AND VERSE 7. BOW THOU THINE EAR,
O LORD, HEAR ME, FOR I AM POOR AND NEEDY." VERSE 6, GIVE EAR,
O LORD, UNTO MY PRAYER. ATTEND TO THE VOICE OF MY SUPPLICATION. IN THE DAY OF MY TROUBLE I WILL
CALL UPON THEE, FOR THOU WILL ANSWER ME. NOW, WHEN HE SAYS
THAT, THAT'S NOT PRESUMPTION THAT GOD WILL ANSWER. HE'S PROMISED
TO ANSWER US. So it's not presumption to say
the Lord will answer me, that's faith. That's faith, believing
him. Now, many times in the Psalms,
I was looking at one earlier, many times in the Psalms, David
begs to be heard of the Lord. I was looking at this earlier,
Psalm 143, hear my prayer, O Lord, give ear to my supplication,
and in my faithfulness, answer me. AND IN THY RIGHTEOUSNESS. AND THEN HE SAYS, ENTER NOT INTO
JUDGMENT WITH THY SERVANT, FOR WITH THY SIGHT SHALL NO MAN LIVING
BE JUSTIFIED. DAVID AGAIN IS PRAYING FOR MERCY.
DON'T DEAL WITH ME UPON THE BASIS OF STRICT JUSTICE, DEAL WITH
ME IN MERCY. IN MERCY. WHEN WE PRAY, WE DESIRE
THAT THE LORD WILL HEAR OUR CRY. I'LL HAVE YOU TURN WITH ME TO
THIS ONE, FIND PSALM 66. Psalm 66, look at verse 16. Come and hear all you
that fear God, and I will declare what he has done for my soul.
I cried unto him with my mouth, and he was extolled, and he was
extolled with my tongue. If I regard iniquity in my heart,
the Lord will not hear. VERSE 19, BUT VERILY GOD HATH
HEARD ME, HE HATH ATTENDED TO THE VOICE OF MY PRAYER, BLESSED
BE GOD WHICH HATH NOT TURNED AWAY MY PRAYER, NOR HIS MERCY
FROM ME." AGAIN, THAT'S CONFIDENCE IN FAITH, BELIEVING GOD WILL
HEAR. BECAUSE HE IS THE LIVING GOD,
HE CAN HEAR BECAUSE HE'S A COVENANT GOD, HE'S BOUND HIMSELF TO HEAR
HIS CRY FROM HIS COVENANT PEOPLE. WE CAN BE CONFIDENT THAT HE WILL
HEAR US WHEN WE CRY BECAUSE WE KNOW THE LORD JESUS CHRIST EVER
LIVES TO INTERCEDE FOR US. HE EVER LIVES TO INTERCEDE FOR
US. THE LORD DOES HEAR THE PRAYER
HIS SAINTS, AND HE WILL NOT TURN HIS EAR AWAY FROM US. YOU REMEMBER PAUL WRITING TO
THE PHILIPPIANS IN CHAPTER FOUR, HE SAID, MAKE YOUR REQUEST KNOWN
UNTO GOD, MAKE YOUR REQUEST KNOWN UNTO GOD. WELL, HE KNOWS OUR
HEART. WHY WOULD HE SAY, MAKE YOUR REQUEST
KNOWN UNTO THE LORD? BECAUSE HE WANTS TO HEAR THE
CRY OF HIS PEOPLE UNTO HIM. NOW, NOTICE WHY We need to pray
unto the Lord and ask the Lord to hear our cry. For David says
in verse one, I am poor and I'm needy. Now, does that say anything
about the way we are? Yes, I'm poor. I'm poor. A man may have mansions on a
hill. but that doesn't mean he's rich.
All of us by nature are absolutely bankrupt spiritually before God. Beggars on the dunghill. David
said, I'm poor. He was the king. He had kingly
riches. David's kingdom was vast. He
had great riches, but he says, I'm poor. I'm poor in spirit. I'm poor and I'm needy. Y'all
look that up. You know how many times that
statement is made in the book of Psalm? Poor and needy, poor
and needy, poor and needy, 20 times. 20 times he said, I'm
poor and needy. Let's look at a couple of them.
Turn over to Psalm 40 verse 17. Psalm 40 verse 17. But I am poor
and needy, yet the Lord thinketh upon me. Thou art my help, my
deliverer, make no tearing. Oh, oh my God. Let me just read this one to
you. I think I've got one down here. 138, Psalm 138. Verse six, said, though the Lord
be high, yet he hath respect unto the lowly, the proud he
knoweth afar off. Now, another reference, I think
this one's the right one. Find Psalm 70, verse five. Psalm 70, verse five. But we
could turn to many, many others. Let's read verse four, Psalm
70. This is another one of those good Psalms. Let such as love
thy salvation, say continually, let God be magnified. Psalm 70
verse 4. Let those that seek thee rejoice
and be glad in thee. Let such as love thy salvation,
say continually, let God be magnified. But I'm poor and needy. I'm poor
and needy. Make haste unto me, O God. Thou
art my help, my deliverer, O Lord. Don't tear it. I'm poor and needy. I need help right now. Because
of our spiritual poverty and our boundless need of mercy,
we call upon the Lord to have mercy upon us. Now remember in
that parable, the Lord said two men went to the temple to pray.
WELL, THAT PHARISEE NEVER DID PRAY AT ALL. HE JUST BRAGGED
ON HIMSELF, GOD, I THANK YOU, I'M NOT LIKE THAT OTHER MAN.
ONE MAN DID PRAY. YOU REMEMBER WHAT HE PRAYED?
HOW MANY WORDS HE PRAYED? SOMEONE ASKED ME ONE TIME, WELL,
PREACHER, I JUST DON'T KNOW WHAT TO PRAY. I SAID, HERE'S THE PRAYER. LORD, BE MERCIFUL TO ME, THE
SINNER. THAT'S OUR PRAYER. LORD, BE MERCIFUL
TO ME, A SINNER. THE SINNER. THE SINNER. And here's the blessedness of
the gospel. He will meet all our need, all
of our spiritual need. My God shall supply all your
need according to his riches in glory through the Lord Jesus
Christ. He said, come boldly unto the
throne of grace that you may obtain mercy and find grace to
help in time of need. We can't physically come to his
throne, can we? BUT WE CAN IN OUR HEART, EVERY
DAY, ALL THE TIME, WE LOOK UNTO THE LORD FOR EVERYTHING IN SALVATION
TO MEET ALL OUR NEED. AND HE DOES. HE'S OUR WISDOM,
OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS, OUR SANCTIFICATION, OUR REDEMPTION. EVERYTHING THIS
POOR AND NEEDY SINNER IS IN NEED OF IS FULLY, COMPLETELY PROVIDED
IN OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST. THERE'S NOT ONE NEED WE HAVE
THAT IS NOT MET IN THE BLESSED SAVIOR. OF HIS FULLNESS HAVE
WE ALL RECEIVED GRACE FOR GRACE. IN HIM WAS ALL THE FULLNESS OF
THE GODHEAD BODILY AND WE STAND COMPLETE IN HIM. AND THEN LET'S MOVE ON TO VERSE
2. PRESERVE MY SOUL. PRESERVE MY SOUL." NOW, IF GOD
DOESN'T KEEP US, WE'RE NOT GOING TO BE KEPT. PRONE TO WANDER,
LORD, I FEEL IT, PRONE TO LEAVE THE GOD I LOVE. YOU REMEMBER
THAT SONG? BUT THANK GOD WE'RE KEPT BY THE POWER OF GOD. PRESERVE
MY SOUL, FOR I AM, AND HE USES THE WORD HERE IN THE ORIGINAL,
ONE WHOM THOU HAS FAVORED. AND WHY THEY PUT THE WORD HOLY
THERE, I'M NOT SURE. David being in Christ and in
union with him he could say I am holy and every believer can say
that not not in a not in a way of bragging Because Christ is
our sanctification Christ is our holiness and certainly we
can say the Lord has preserved us Because he has shown favor
unto us. What is favor? Well, favors is
gracious. That's his grace. He's gracious
unto us. Oh, thou my God, save thy servant. He's going to save every lost
sheep. He's not going to lose one lost sheep. He came to seek
and to save the lost. You reckon he failed? No, fail
is not an option. He saves all his sheep because
he laid down his life for the sheep. PRESERVE ME, YOU HAVE
FAVORED ME, SAVE ME, I TRUST YOU. WHEN DO WE TRUST HIM? REMEMBER
PSALM 62? THE ONLY PSALM? TRUST ONLY IN
HIM. WHEN DO WE TRUST THE LORD? AT
ALL TIMES. POUR OUT YOUR HEART BEFORE HIM. GOD IS A REFUGE FOR
US. TRUST HIM AT ALL TIMES, YOU PEOPLE.
IN THE MORNING, AFTERNOON, EVENING, TRUST HIM AT ALL TIMES. Young
age, old age, when should we trust the Lord? All the time.
Trust the Lord all the time, all the time. Wish I could learn
that. I'm trying. Lord, teach me. Trust
in the Lord with all of thy heart. Lean not to thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him,
and he shall direct thy path. Lord, teach me. SAVE ME, PRESERVE
ME, WERE KEPT BY THE POWER OF GOD, SAVED BY THE GRACE OF GOD,
AND THE FRUIT OF ALL THAT IS, WELL, I TRUST HIM. I TRUST HIM. VERSE 3, HE SAID, BE MERCIFUL
UNTO ME, BE MERCIFUL UNTO ME, O LORD, FOR I CRY UNTO THEE DAILY,
OR I CRY UNTO THEE ALL THE DAY. You know, that is the life breath
of a believer, is crying unto the Lord. Lord, have mercy. Lord,
have mercy on me. Be merciful unto me, O Lord,
for I cry unto thee all the day long. Attend to the voice of
my supplication. Not that we need to remind the
Lord to be merciful unto us, because he is. But we need mercy every day,
and we cry unto the Lord every day, and believers gladly take
their place, for the throne of God's grace has mercy beggars. Mercy beggars. Can you find the
book of Lamentation? Isaiah, Jeremiah, and then Lamentation
chapter three. Be merciful unto me, Lord, I
cry daily. What's our daily cry? Lord, be
merciful. Lamentation three, page 1027,
if you have the Cambridge that I'm looking at. This is a scripture I often refer
to, Lamentation 3, 22. It is of the Lord's mercies that
were not consumed, because his compassions fail not. They're
new every morning, great is our faithfulness. The Lord is my
portion, saith my soul, therefore will I hope in him. The Lord
is good unto them that wait for him, to the soul that seeketh
him. It is good that a man should
both hope AND QUIETLY WAIT FOR THE SALVATION THAT IS OF THE
LORD. HIS MERCIES ARE NEW EVERY MORNING. GREAT IS HIS FAITHFULNESS. HE
HAS A STOREHOUSE FULL OF MERCY THAT WE CANNOT EXHAUST. AND WE COME BEFORE HIM ALL THE
TIME AND WE CRY FOR MERCY. NOW LOOK AT VERSE FOUR. REJOICE
THE SOUL OF For unto thee, O Lord, do I lift
up my soul. Praying and rejoicing go together. We are the true Israel, which
worship God in the spirit, that rejoice in Christ Jesus, and
we have no confidence in the Lord. You remember, all the way
through the book of Philippians, how many times he says, rejoice
in the Lord? And again, I say, rejoice in
the Lord. And remember, when Paul is writing that epistle
in Philippians, you know where he's at, don't you? HE'S IN PRISON. HE'S ON DEATH ROW. AND YET HE
SAYS, I'M REJOICING IN THE LORD. WELL, PAUL, DON'T YOU KNOW THAT
YOUR HEAD'S GOING TO BE REMOVED PRETTY SOON? YEAH, BUT I'M STILL
REJOICING IN THE LORD. WHEN WE LIFT OUR SOUL UP TO THE
LORD AND WHEN WE LOOK AT HIM AND TO HIM, ALL THAT HE IS, ALL
THAT HE HAS DONE, ALL THAT HE IS DOING, WHAT DOES IT CAUSE
US TO DO? Rejoice in the Lord Saving faith
is always looking to the Lord Jesus Christ Christ is all and
in all now Look at verse 8 for a moment among the gods and THERE
IS NONE LIKE THEE, O LORD, NEITHER ARE THERE ANY WORKS LIKE THE
WORKS OF THY HAND. LOOK AT VERSE 10. FOR THOU ART
GREAT, AND DOEST WONDROUS THINGS, THOU ART GOD ALONE. THERE IS NO GOD LIKE OUR GOD,
WHO INDEED IS GOD, AND THERE'S NO WORKS LIKE HIS WORKS. HIS
WORKS ARE CALLED WONDERFUL WORKS. Wonderful works, no works like
his works. You think of all that he's accomplished,
all of his works of creation. the vastness of creation. He
speaks and it is done. He commands and it stands fast.
All the vast, infinite decrees of God, all the works of his
decree known unto God are all of his works from the beginning.
Think how great and wondrous and marvelous are thy works,
which cannot be reckoned up in order unto thee. His great and
marvelous works of creation, provident and then YOU KNOW HIS
WORK OF SALVATION? THAT'S HIS WORK. HE SAID, I FINISHED,
YOU KNOW, IN A REALLY TRUE AND REAL SENSE, WE CAN SAY THAT SALVATION
IS BY WORKS. HIS, NOT OURS. YOU REMEMBER HE
PRAYED, LORD, I FINISHED THE WORK YOU GAVE ME TO DO. REMEMBER
HE SAID, I MUST BE ABOUT MY FATHER'S BUSINESS. AND BECAUSE HE FINISHED
THE WORK, That means salvation to us is the free gift of His
grace. We enjoy the benefit of everything,
all His obedience and faithfulness unto death. That makes salvation
to this poor and needy sinner. THE MERCY AND GRACE OF GOD ALONE.
THOU ART GOD ALONE. OUR GOD IS GOD. BESIDE HIM THERE
IS NO OTHER. THAT'S WHY HE SAID, LOOK UNTO
ME. I'M THE ONLY JUST GOD AND SAVIOR. THOU, VERSE 10, THOU
ART GREAT AND DOEST WONDROUS THINGS. THOU ART GOD ALONE. GOD IS GOD. AGAIN, I REFER BACK
TO Arthur Pink in that book on sovereignty. God is either the
governor of all things, he governs all things, or he is governed.
He either rules all things or he is ruled. He rules everywhere,
in heaven, in earth, the seas, and all deep places. David, where
is your God? He's in the heavens. He's done
everything right. whatsoever the Lord please, that's
what he does in heaven, earth, and seas, and all deep places.
Now, in the remaining time I have, which is about 20 minutes, I
try to bring a message that is around 35 to 40 minutes, but
in the time that I have left, I want to look at eight EIGHT
THINGS THE LORD MENTIONS IN THIS PSALM THAT GIVES A DESCRIPTION
OF WHO GOD IS. THE GOD OF SCRIPTURE, THE GOD
OF THE BIBLE, THE GOD WHO IS GOD. THE FIRST ONE HE MENTIONS
THERE, LET'S LOOK AT VERSE 5. FOR THOU LORD ART GOOD. THE LORD IS GOOD, AND HIM IS
NO EVIL WHATSOEVER. THE LORD IS GOOD. NOW, WE KNOW
THAT IN OURSELVES WE HAVE NO GOODNESS, DO WE? GOD IS GOOD
BECAUSE GOD IS HOLY. HE CAN'T HAVE ANYTHING TO DO
WITH ANYTHING LESS THAN ABSOLUTE HOLINESS. GOD IS GOOD. is nothing but goodness. You remember the young man approached
the Lord and he said to the Lord, good master, what thing, good
thing must I do to inherit eternal life? And he said, there's none
good but, what do you call me good? There's none good but God.
And that's so, there's none good but God. And everything he does
for us and in us is good. Shall not the judge of all the
earth do right? The Lord is good. Everything he does is right.
He's too holy to do wrong. He's too wise to make a mistake. Now we can't say that. We make
mistakes all the time. I hope we can learn from our
mistakes. Everything our God does is good
because God is holy. He is the one that is nothing
but goodness. He's goodness personified. He's always been good because
God is holy. But notice this, second thing
is this, found again in verse five, he's good, his goodness
is forever, and he's ready to forgive. He's ready to forgive. That ought to encourage every
one of us who are sinners seeking mercy in Christ. You remember
from our study in the book of Nehemiah, Nehemiah in that prayer,
he said, Thou art a God ready to pardon. He's ready to pardon,
ready to justify sinners based upon the atoning blood, the redeeming
blood of the Lord Jesus Christ. His blood cleanses us from all
our sin. Believers have experienced this
forgiveness from all their sin and all their iniquity. The Lord
has put them away. The Lord has put away our sin,
our iniquity, and transgression, and He remembers them no more.
He's ready to forgive. You know what? Those who have
been forgiven of the Lord, they should be ready to forgive others
also. We're to love one another and
to forgive one another even as God hath forgiven us. GOD IS READY TO FORGIVE, BASED
UPON THE ATONEMENT, THE PAYMENT FOR SIN THAT THE LORD JESUS CHRIST
MADE FOR HIS PEOPLE. HERE'S THE THIRD THING, FOUND
AGAIN IN VERSE 5, THE LORD IS GOOD, READY TO FORGIVE, AND THEN
HE IS PLENTEOUS. He's plenteous in mercy. He says
that twice, down in verse 15. He's plenteous in mercy, plenteous
in mercy. The wonder David cries, have
mercy upon me, O God. According to thy loving kindness,
according to the multitude of thy tender mercy, blot out my
sin. He's plenteous in mercy. To save
all of his people, you cannot exhaust the storehouse of his
mercy. We read a moment ago in Lamentations
3, Remember, it's new every morning, great is our faithfulness. It
is of the Lord's mercies that we're not consumed, because it's
compassion, they fail not. It's not by works of righteousness
which we have done, but according to his mercy, he saved us. He saved us. Made us new creatures
in Christ. Here's the fourth thing, down
in verse 15. But thou, O Lord, art a God full
of compassion. What is compassion? It's love. Full of compassion, that's love. God, God is good. What scriptures
teach, scriptures also teach that God is love. Now, he's not a God of love,
God is love. How do we know that God is love?
God so loved that he gave his only begotten son. Here in his
love, not that we love God, but that he loved us. He sent his
son to be the sacrifice for our sin. His love is eternal. He's
loved us with an everlasting love. Therefore it's loving kindness
as he draw us to himself. His love is effectual. Having
loved his own, he loved him to the end. His love is sovereign. Jacob have I loved, Esau have
I hated. His love is manifested in the
Lord Jesus Christ. The love of God, nothing can
separate us from the love of God, which is in the Lord Jesus
Christ. HIS LOVE IS SHED ABROAD IN OUR
HEARTS BY THE HOLY SPIRIT. HE IS LOVED. HE IS FULL OF COMPASSION. GOD SO LOVED HE GAVE HIS ONLY
BEGOTTEN SON. HERE'S A FIFTH THING FOUND IN
VERSE 15 AS WELL. THE LORD OUR GOD IS GRACIOUS. YOU SEE THAT? He is gracious. That is, He's full of grace.
For our salvation is all of grace. Every aspect of our salvation
is by His sovereign, eternal, unchanging, immutable, holy,
saving grace, fetching grace, redeeming grace, electing grace,
calling grace. It's all of grace, is it not?
OF HIS FULLNESS, HAVE WE ALL RECEIVED GRACE FOR GRACE." GOD
IS GRACIOUS. HE ELECTED A PEOPLE IN ELECTING
GRACE. HE SAVES THEM BY HIS SAVING GRACE,
AND HE CALLS US. HOW DOES HE CALL US? YOU REMEMBER
THAT FETCHING GRACE? DAVID SAID ABOUT MY FATHERSHIP,
GO DOWN AND FETCH HIM AND BRING HIM. THAT'S FETCHING GRACE. THAT'S
CALLING GRACE. IT'S IRRESISTIBLE. THE SIXTH THING WE SEE IN VERSE
15 AS WELL, GOD IS LONG-SUFFERING. HE'S PATIENT. HE'S LONG-SUFFERING. THE LORD IS VERY PATIENT WITH
HIS PEOPLE. EVEN BEFORE WE KNEW HIM, HE KNEW
US AND HAD HIS EYE UPON US IN LONG-SUFFERING AND PATIENCE. THE FOUNDATION OF GOD, STAND
ASURED, HAVING THIS SEALED, THE LORD KNOWETH THEM THAT ARE HIS,
BEFORE YOU EVER KNEW THE LORD." FREDDY, WHEN HE WAS OVER IN VIETNAM,
BEFORE YOU EVER KNEW THE LORD, HE KNEW YOU. HE HAD HIS EYE ON
YOU. LONG SUFFERING. ONE DAY HE CROSSED
YOUR PATH WITH THE GOSPEL. THAT'S THE STORY OF EVERY BELIEVER.
THE LORD OVERLOOKED OUR YEARS OF UNBELIEF AND REBELLION UNTIL
HE CROSSED OUR PATH WITH THE GOSPEL AND REVEALED HIMSELF UNTO
US AND MADE US WILLING IN THE DAY OF HIS POWER. HE MAKES HIMSELF,
HOW DOES HE DRAW US IRRESISTIBLY? irresistibly to himself. He makes
himself altogether lovely. The Lord is long-suffering to
us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should
come to repentance and faith in him. He's long-suffering to
us-ward, his elect, his children. He's long-suffering. I wish some of that would rub
off on me. Long-suffering. PATIENT. WAIT UPON THE LORD. YOU REMEMBER PSALM 27? WAIT UPON
THE LORD. AND AGAIN I SAY, AGAIN I SAY,
WAIT UPON THE LORD. YOU SEE HOW HE DESCRIBES HIMSELF
IN THIS PSALM? WE'RE NOT LEFT IN THE DARK HERE.
HE TELLS US WHO HE IS. A GOD FULL OF COMPASSION. full of grace, full of longsuffering,
plenteous in mercy. We talked about that. And then
the last thing he mentions there in verse 15, truth, truth, truth. No lie is truth. He's plenteous
in truth. When he speaks, he speaks the
absolute truth. FOR HE IS TRUTH. HE IS THE TRUE
GOD. HIS WORD IS ABSOLUTE TRUTH, THE
FINAL AUTHORITY ON EVERY ISSUE OF SALVATION. HE SPEAKS THE LAST,
FINAL WORD BY AUTHORITY, AND IT'S TRUE BECAUSE IT'S IMPOSSIBLE. YOU MEAN THERE'S SOMETHING GOD
CANNOT DO? HE CANNOT LIE. YOU KNOW WHY? BECAUSE HE IS TRUTH. THE LORD JESUS CHRIST DESCRIBES
HIMSELF AS THE TRUTH. WHEN THE LORD TEACHES US THE
TRUTH, WE DELIGHT IN HIS WAY. LOOK AT VERSE 11, TEACH ME THY
WAY, O LORD, AND I WILL WALK IN THY TRUTH. HE TEACHES ME IN THE WAY. YOU
REMEMBER HE SAID, NO MAN CAN COME TO ME EXCEPT THE FATHER
WHICH SENT ME. DRAW HIM, AND I'LL TEACH HIM
THE TRUTH, AND THEY'LL COME TO THE LORD JESUS CHRIST. TEACH
ME THY WAY, O LORD, AND I WILL WALK IN THY TRUTH. UNITE MY HEART
TO FEAR THY NAME." WELL, HOW DO WE FEAR HIS NAME? WE WORSHIP
HIM IN REVERENTIAL FEAR. NOW, HERE'S THE LAST ONE. HIS
WORK OF REDEMPTION IS GREAT. THE WORK OF REDEMPTION IS GREAT. Great, great works of redemption. He's plenteous in mercy. He's
plenteous in redemption. Among the gods, verse eight,
there is none like thee, O Lord, neither are there any works like
unto thy works. His works are wonderful works. And we could talk about the work
of creation, the work of providence, the work of salvation, the work
of redemption. Everything he does is right and
good. There are no works like his works. For all of our salvation is accomplished
by his works. There's no works like his works
at all. Verse eight, they're perfect,
they're eternal, they're everlasting. He obtained for us eternal redemption
with his own blood. He gives us eternal life. He
saves us with everlasting salvation. His work of redemption is perfect.
He put away our sin by the sacrifice of himself. The Lord Jesus Christ
established a perfect righteousness for us. WE'RE NOT GOING ABOUT TO ESTABLISH
ONE OF OUR OWN. HE IS THE LORD OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS.
HE IS MADE UNTO US RIGHTEOUSNESS. HIS WORK OF SALVATION IS PERFECT.
HE SAVES US WITH AN EVERLASTING, EVERLASTING SALVATION. THAT LEADS US TO THIS CONCLUSION,
VERSE 12 AND VERSE 13. I WILL PRAISE THEE. I WILL PRAISE
THEE. WHEN YOU UNDERSTAND WHO HE IS
AND WHAT HE'S DONE, HOW CAN YOU NOT PRAISE THE LORD? I WILL PRAISE
THEE, O LORD MY GOD, WITH ALL MY HEART. I WILL GLORIFY THY
NAME FOREVERMORE. FOR GREAT IS THY MERCY TOWARD
ME. THOU HAST DELIVERED MY SOUL FROM
THE LOWEST HELL. AND THAT WORD THERE CAN BE RENDERED
FROM THE GRAVE. THOU HAST DELIVERED ME. HE'S
OUR DELIVERER. Remember that one portion there
in the book of Job, deliver them from going down to the pit because
I found a ransom. Who is that ransom? The Lord
Jesus Christ. He's our ransom. He bought us
with his own blood.