Okay, this evening we're going
to take a look at Psalm 100. Psalm 100. Notice it's called
a psalm, a psalm of thanksgiving or a psalm of praise. And then
he says, make a joyful noise. Now, it's just not the word to
make a noise, but make a joyful sound unto the Lord. Unto the
Lord, all ye lands or all the earth. HE'S WORTHY OF IT. WORTHY
IS THE LAMB THAT WAS SLAIN TO RECEIVE ALL HONOR, GLORY, AND
BLESSINGS. AND THEN LET'S READ VERSE 2.
SERVE THE LORD WITH GLADNESS. COME BEFORE HIS PRESENCE. HIS
PRESENCE. WE'RE SINGING. YOU KNOW WHAT
THE LORD SAID TO US WHERE TWO OR THREE ARE GATHERED TOGETHER
IN MY NAME? I AM IN YOUR MIST. NOW, I'M ENTITLING
THE MESSAGE the same as what this psalm is entitled, a psalm
of praise or a psalm of thanksgiving. It certainly is one of the 150
psalms that people often read, believers do, and find great
rejoicing. It's also called a psalm of thanksgiving. You see the marginal reference
there on the psalm of praise or the psalm of thanksgiving.
Now, this is the only psalm that contains this title, the only
psalm that contains the psalm of praise. This little psalm
is full of thanksgiving, full of adoration the believer has
toward his blessed Lord. I think of that, what David said
in Psalm 103, blessed the Lord, MY SOUL AND ALL THAT IS WITHIN
ME, BLESS HIS HOLY NAME." WE HAVE MUCH REASON TO BLESS THE
LORD, TO PRAISE THE LORD, AND THE ESSENCE OF THAT IS WORSHIP. THE ESSENCE OF THAT IS ADORATION
AND REVERENCE UNTO THE LORD. IF THERE'S ONE THING THAT SUMS
UP THE ATTITUDE OF THE BELIEVER, IT IS THIS, WE ARE INDEED GRATEFUL
THANKFUL UNTO OUR LORD. IT'S A GOOD THING TO GIVE THANKS
TO THE LORD. HOLD YOUR PLACE THERE AND TURN
BACK TO PSALM 92. LOOK AT VERSE 1. IT'S A GOOD THING TO GIVE THANKS
UNTO THE LORD. THAT'S A RIGHT, PROPER, GOOD
THING TO GIVE THANKS UNTO THE LORD AND TO SING PRAISES UNTO
THY NAME, O MOST HIGH. VERSE 2 OF PSALM 92, TO SHOW
FORTH THY LOVINGKINDNESS. IN THE MORNING, AND THY FAITHFULNESS
EVERY NIGHT TO SHOW FORTH HIS LOVINGKINDNESS." NOW, I THINK
WHAT PAUL WRITES IN I THESSALONIANS, CHAPTER 5, WHERE HE SAYS, TO
REJOICE EVERMORE, TO PRAY WITHOUT CEASING, AND THEN HE SAYS, IN
EVERYTHING GIVE THANKS. IN EVERYTHING GIVE THANKS. FOR THIS IS THE WILL OF GOD CONCERNING
YOU IN THE LORD JESUS CHRIST. IN EVERYTHING GIVE THANKS. THAT
SHOULD BE THE ATTITUDE OF THE BELIEVER. IN EVERYTHING WE GIVE
THANKS. EVERYTHING WE GO THROUGH, THE
STEPS OF A RIGHTEOUS MAN IS ORDERED OF THE LORD. THANKFULNESS, GRATEFULNESS, REJOICING
ALWAYS IN THE LORD. MANY REASONS WE CAN REJOICE IN
THE LORD AND FIND REASON TO GIVE THANKS. HE'S BLESSED US WITH
ALL SPIRITUAL BLESSINGS IN THE HEAVENLY IN THE LORD JESUS CHRIST. I MEAN THAT'S GOING TO TAKE ETERNITY
ITSELF. TO GIVE PROPER THANKS UNTO THE
LORD. YOU SEE, ALL WE ARE IS BY HIS
GRACE. ALL WE KNOW HE HAS TAUGHT US. ALL THAT WE EVER WILL BE IS BECAUSE
OF HIS LOVING, SOVEREIGN MERCY AND SOVEREIGN GRACE UNTO US.
HIS LOVE TOWARD US. IT'S HIS ELECTING LOVE, HIS SOVEREIGN
LOVE. ALL THAT WE ARE NOW, WE SAY WITH,
PAUL, I AM WHAT I AM. WHAT? BY THE GRACE OF GOD. I AM WHAT I AM BY THE GRACE OF
GOD. YOU REMEMBER THIS SCRIPTURE FROM
OUR STUDY, I CORINTHIANS CHAPTER 4, VERSE 7, WHO MAKETH THEE TO
DIFFER FROM ANOTHER? AND WHAT HAST THOU THAT THOU
DIDST NOT RECEIVE? NOW IF THOU DIDST RECEIVE IT,
WHY DOEST THOU GLORY AS IF THOU HAST NOT RECEIVED IT? EVERYTHING
WE HAVE, WE GLORY IN THE LORD. AS PAUL SAID, GOD FORBID GLORY,
SAVE, OR ACCEPT IN THE LORD JESUS CHRIST. WE ARE HIS BY HIS SOVEREIGN
CHOICE. WE NEVER WOULD HAVE BELIEVED
THE GOSPEL. WE NEVER WOULD HAVE BOWED IN SUBMISSION UNTO THE
LORD UNLESS HE BOWED US BY HIS GRACE AND CALLED US OUT OF DARKNESS
INTO HIS MARVELOUS LIGHT. HE MADE US, NOT WE OURSELVES.
WE'RE GOING TO SEE THAT IN A MINUTE. LOOK AT VERSE ONE AGAIN, MAKE
A JOYFUL NOISE UNTO THE LORD, ALL YE LANDS. NOW, THIS IS A
REPEATED PHRASE, TURN BACK TO PSALM 95, PSALM 95, MAKE A JOYFUL
NOISE UNTO THE LORD. NOW, IT'S JUST NOT MAKING A RACKET,
IT'S MAKING A SONG OF WORSHIP UNTO THE LORD. LOOK AT PSALM
95, VERSE 1, COME, LET US SING UNTO THE LORD,
LET US MAKE A JOYFUL NOISE TO THE ROCK OF OUR SALVATION." HE'S
THE ROCK OF AGES. AND THEN IN PSALM 98, VERSE 4,
TURN THERE, PSALM 98, VERSE 4, MAKE A JOYFUL NOISE UNTO THE
LORD, ALL THE EARTH. make a loud noise rejoice rejoice
in the lord and sing praise that is sing praise unto him worship
him this psalm like many other psalms breathes the same gladness
it's filled with hope GLADNESS AND THANKSGIVING AND WORSHIP,
WE HONOR THE TRUE AND LIVING GOD. MAKE A JOYFUL NOISE UNTO
THE LORD OUR JEHOVAH, WHO IS GOD OUR SAVIOR. SHOUT FOR JOY, SOUND THE ALARM,
BLOW THE TRUMPET, LET IT BE KNOWN AMONG MEN THAT THE LORD OUR GOD
REIGNETH, THAT OUR GOD IS GOD ALONE. OUR GOD IS GOD ALONE. WE HAD SUNDAY EVENING ON THE
TELEVISION BROADCAST THAT WE WERE PRODUCING WPRG AND TELECASTING
BROTHER HENRY'S SERMON, BUT HE HAD THAT MESSAGE TAKEN FROM PSALM
115 WHERE IT SAYS, THE HEATHEN SAID
TO DAVID, DAVID, WHERE IS YOUR GOD? and David said, our God
in the heavens, he hath done whatsoever he has pleased. The Lord reigneth, as it says
in Psalm 99, verse one, the Lord reigneth. God is God over all
the earth. I'm reading Arthur Pink's book
again on the sovereignty of God. And he made this statement. I
read it many years ago, several times, but it's such a refreshing
book. If you can get a copy of it,
The Sovereignty of God by A.W. Pink, Arthur W. Pink. You can
find a copy of it online. and or you can probably order
a copy from a bookstore. But he said this, God either
rules absolutely sovereign over all things or he is ruled. He
either rules or he is ruled. He either governs over all, over
all things or he is governed by someone else. He's either
the absolute God or he's not. There's no in between. God is
sovereign in creation, providence. SALVATION AND IN REPROBATION
AS WELL. GOD IS SOVEREIGN OVER ALL THINGS. NO GREATER MESSAGE THE BELIEVER
DELIGHTS TO HEAR. GOD WORKETH ALL THINGS AFTER
THE COUNSEL OF HIS OWN WILL. TO GOD BE THE GLORY. GREAT THINGS
HE HATH DONE. THE GOSPEL OF THE LORD JESUS
CHRIST DECLARES A MESSAGE OF What? Salvation is of the Lord. Turn back here to Psalm 57. You remember this? I quote this
Psalm all the time, Psalm 57. Psalm 57, look at verse two. I will cry unto God most high,
unto God that performeth all things for me. Now, if you're like me, I like
to take a pencil and jot in references, but there's a reference here
to Job 23, verse 14. Let me just read it to you. Job 23, 14. I've been rereading
here in the last couple of weeks, I've been rereading the book
of Job, and I've really been blessed. But it says here in
Job 23, Verse 13, but he is of one mind who can turn him, and
what his soul desireth, even that he doeth. He performeth
the thing that's appointed for me, and many such things are
with him. GOD PERFORMS ALL THINGS FOR US. SALVATION IS A DECLARATION OF
WHAT GOD HAS DONE FOR US. IT'S NOT A DECLARATION THAT GOD'S
DONE ALL HE CAN DO. And now the rest is up to you.
That's not the declaration of the gospel. The gospel declaration
is God reigns. He'll have mercy upon whom he
will have mercy. It's not of him that will it,
nor of him that run it, but it's God that shows mercy. Salvation is what God has done
for us, and he's done all things. HE ESTABLISHED THE LAW, HE HONORED
THE LAW, PRECEPT AND PENALTY, HE DIED UNDER THE CURSE OF THAT
LAW TO REDEEM US WITH HIS OWN BLOOD. GOD MADE HIM SIN FOR US
WHO KNEW NO SIN THAT WE MIGHT BE MADE THE RIGHTEOUSNESS OF
GOD IN HIM. NOW THAT BEING SO, FOR THE BELIEVER,
WE JOY IN OUR HEART, WE SING UNTO THE LORD WHO IS GOD ABOVE
ALL, AND THEN LOOK AT VERSE 2. WE SERVE THE LORD. WE SERVE THE
LORD AND WE DO IT WITH GLADNESS, WITH GLADNESS IN OUR HEARTS. AND THEN WE COME BEFORE HIS PRESENCE. WE COME BEFORE HIS PRESENCE WITH
SINGING. NOW, SERVE THE LORD. I REMEMBER
BROTHER HENRY TELLING A STORY ABOUT RALPH BARNER. SOMEONE CAME
TO HIM AND SAID, BROTHER BARNER, HE SAID, I WANT TO SERVE THE
LORD. YOU KNOW WHAT HE SAID? Do it. You want to serve the
Lord? Well, do it. Do it. Serve the Lord with gladness. Now, no service can be real unto
the Lord that is not motivated out of genuine love and gratitude
unto the Lord. His people serve Him with gladness
of heart. What a blessing to be a servant
of the Lord. THINK OF IT. YOU KNOW BEING A
SERVANT OF THE LORD IS A VERY HIGH TITLE. THE LORD JESUS CHRIST
IS CALLED THE RIGHTEOUS SERVANT OF THE LORD. WOULDN'T YOU LIKE
TO BE INCLUDED IN THAT NUMBER? A SERVANT OF THE LORD? SERVE
THE LORD WITH GRATITUDE. AND HIS PEOPLE DO. THEY SERVE
HIM WITH GLADNESS OF HEART, NOT OUT OF FEAR OF PUNISHMENT, NOR
DO WE SERVE THE LORD OUT OF PROMISE OF REWARD. WE SERVE HIM OUT OF
LOVE AND GRATITUDE. THE LOVE OF CHRIST CONSTRAINS
US. THE APOSTLE PAUL CALLED HIMSELF
WHAT? HOW MANY TIMES? HE CALLED HIMSELF
THE SERVANT OF THE LORD. before he called himself the
apostle of the Lord. A servant of the Lord is a willing,
loving bond servant, like that bond servant slave who served
seven years out of servitude, and then he was set free. If
he wanted to, or if he wanted to serve the Lord, serve his
master out of love, he could stay. AND SERVED HIS MASTER OUT
OF LOVE BECAUSE HE WANTED TO. AND BELIEVERS HAVE A WANT TO
AND A WILLINGNESS BECAUSE HE'S MADE US WILLING IN THE DAY OF
HIS POWER TO SERVE THE LORD, TO SERVE THE LORD. AND IN REALITY,
HOW DOES A BELIEVER SERVE THE LORD? HOW DO WE SERVE THE LORD? I'LL TELL YOU HOW. You remember
over there in Matthew 25 when he talks about those servants
who inherited the kingdom of God, prepared for them, and they
served the Lord by serving the Lord's people. He said, you fed
me when I was hungry. You clothed me when I was naked.
And they said, well, when did we do that? much as you've done
it to the least of these my little ones you've done it unto me."
That's how we serve the Lord, by serving one another, serving
his people. And then he says, come, come,
I love that word, come before his presence with singing. Don't
stay away, come to the Lord. COME TO THE LORD. NOW, THIS IS
NOT... THIS IS NOT AN ALTAR CALL WHERE THE PREACHER STANDS DOWN
FRONT AND SAYS, COME TO THE ALTAR. COME DOWN FRONT, MAKE YOUR DECISION.
THAT'S NOT WHAT HE'S SAYING HERE. THAT STUFF'S NOT EVEN TAUGHT
IN THE WORD OF GOD. HE SAID, COME BEFORE HIS PRESENCE. COME UNTO THE LORD. SEEK SALVATION
WHERE IT'S FOUND IN HIM AND COME BEFORE HIS PRESENCE WITH JOY
AND SINGING IN YOUR HEART. WHAT DO WE SING? WHAT IS THAT
NEW SONG OF REDEMPTION WE READ ABOUT IN THE REVELATION? THEY
SUNG A NEW SONG. WHAT IS IT? WORTHY IS THE LAMB
THAT WAS SLAIN TO RECEIVE ALL HONOR, GLORY, AND BLESSING. LOOK RIGHT ACROSS THE PAGE, PSALM
98, VERSE 1, SINGING TO THE LORD A NEW SONG, FOR HE HAD DONE MARVELOUS
THINGS. HIS RIGHT HAND AND HIS HOLY ARM
THE VICTORY. WE SING OF HIS VICTORIES. THANKS
BEING THE GOD WHO HAS GIVEN US THE VICTORY THROUGH OUR LORD
JESUS CHRIST. AND WE COME TO HIM AS WE ARE.
WE COME TO HIM AS WE ARE. HOW DO WE COME? AS MERCY BEGGARS.
He said, all you who are laboring and heavy laden, he said, come
to me. I'll give you rest. Oh, everyone that's thirsty,
he said, come, come. All you who are laboring, come,
come. He said, come boldly unto the
throne of grace that you may obtain mercy and find grace to
help in time of need. We sing oftentimes songs by Isaac
Watts. HE WROTE THESE WORDS, LET THOSE
REFUSE TO SING WHO NEVER KNEW OUR KING, BUT SERVANTS OF THE
HEAVENLY KING MUST SPEAK HIS PRAISE ABROAD. WE DELIGHT TO
HONOR AND WORSHIP AND SING PRAISES TO THE LORD. NOW, AND IT'S A
HEART MATTER, WORSHIP AND SINGING UNTO THE LORD AND BEING JOYFUL
AND REJOICING IN THE LORD IT'S NOT JUST AN OUTWARD SHOW. GOD
LOOKS ON THE HEART, NOT ON THE OUTWARD COUNTENANCE. HE LOOKS
ON THE HEART. NOW LOOK AT VERSE 3, AND THIS IS REALLY THE MEAT,
THE MEAT OF THIS PSALM, PSALM 100, VERSE 3. KNOW YE THAT THE
LORD, THAT HE IS GOD. NOW BY NATURE WE DON'T KNOW THAT.
We don't know that by nature. We don't know the true and living
God. Man's ignorant of God, dead in sin, having no right knowledge
of the true and living God. KNOW YE THAT THE LORD, HE IS
GOD. WE ONLY KNOW THAT BY WHAT? REVELATION. HE HAS TAUGHT US
FROM HIS WORD, BY HIS SPIRIT, THROUGH THE PREACHING OF THE
GOSPEL. WE KNOW THAT GOD IS GOD BECAUSE HE HAS REVEALED HIMSELF
UNTO, REVEALED HIMSELF IN OUR HEART. CHRIST IN YOU IS A HOPE
OF GLORY. KNOW YE THAT THE LORD, He is
God, God above. He said, you remember our studies
in the book of Isaiah, how many times he said, I'm the Lord,
there is none else. I'm the Lord, there's none beside
me. I'm the only just God and Savior. There's nowhere else
to go. Look unto me, he said, and be
ye saved. all the ends of the earth, I
am God, and there is none else. The Lord we serve, the Lord Jesus
Christ is God, our Savior. You remember what Thomas confessed
before the risen Lord? When the Lord came and showed
him his hand, you remember Thomas said, I won't believe until I
see the nail printed in his hand that he's risen from the dead.
And when the Lord appeared to Thomas, you remember what he
said? my Lord and my God." That's who the Lord Jesus Christ is,
and we worship Him as such, don't we? He's God over all, blessed
forever. We know that the Lord, He is
God and He is our God. WE KNOW HIM BECAUSE HE KNOWS
US. THE FOUNDATION OF GOD STANDING
SURE HAVING THIS SEAL. THE LORD KNOWETH THEM. HE KNOWETH
THEM THAT ARE HIS. ENTER INTO HIS GATES WITH THANKSGIVING. KNOW YE THAT THE LORD HE IS GOD.
BELIEVERS DO KNOW THE LORD. AND WE WORSHIP HIM NOT IN IGNORANCE,
BUT WE WORSHIP HIM WITH A KNOWLEDGE THAT'S GIVEN OF GOD THROUGH THE
WORD OF GOD. AS THE APOSTLE SAID, I KNOW WHOM
I HAVE BELIEVED, AND I'M PERSUADED THAT HE IS ABLE TO KEEP THAT
WHICH I'VE COMMITTED UNTO HIM AGAINST THAT DAY. HE'S GOD OVER
ALL, BLESSED FOREVER. NOW WATCH WHAT HE SAYS HERE.
It is He that made us. He made us. Now, we all issued
out of Adam's loins. God created that man. He made us in that original creation. He made us, he made man, but
this is in reference to the new creation, being made a new creature
in the Lord Jesus Christ. You remember that text of scripture
found in Ephesians chapter two, where it says, we are his workmanship. created in Christ Jesus unto
good work. He made us in that original creation
in Adam, and then he made us the new in the second Adam, the
Lord Jesus Christ. For if any man be in Christ,
he is a new creation. Old things are passed away. Behold,
all things have been made new. He lifted us from the dunghill
of sin, and he has made us unto our God, kings and priests. That's what we read a moment
ago. We sing unto him who loved us and washed us from our sin
in his own blood. TO HIM BE ALL THE HONOR AND GLORY,
BOTH NOW AND FOREVER." NOW NOTICE THIS, KNOW YE THAT THE LORD,
HE IS GOD? IT IS HE THAT MADE US. THAT'S
SAYING THAT OUR SALVATION IS OF THE LORD. AND IT SAYS HERE,
AND NOT WE OURSELVES. WE DIDN'T MAKE OURSELVES. IT'S
NOT WHAT YOU HAVE DONE. WE DIDN'T MAKE OURSELVES NEW
CREATURES IN CHRIST. WE DIDN'T RAISE OURSELVES FROM
THE DEADNESS OF OUR SIN. WE DIDN'T MAKE OURSELVES NEW
CREATURES IN CHRIST. THAT'S THE WORK OF GOD. GOD WHO
HAS BEGUN A GOOD WORK IN YOU, HE WILL FINISH IT. IT IS GOD
WHO WORKETH IN YOU, BOTH THE WILL AND THE DO OF HIS GOOD PLEASURE. No sinner makes himself a new
creature in Christ Jesus. That's impossible. Now with God,
all things are possible, but you making yourself a new creation
in Christ, doing that as an operation or a will of yourself, that's
impossible. Salvation is of the Lord. Some
men, they say this, don't they? Some men who are successful or
well-educated, they often would say, or they call themselves,
I'm a self-made man. I'm a self-made man. Who gave
you the ability? Who gave you the wisdom? Who
gave you the strength? Who gave you the education? These gifts are all of God, natural
gifts, AND SPIRITUAL GIFTS? THEY'RE ALL OF GOD. NO MAN IS
A SELF-MADE MAN. WE ARE WHAT WE ARE BY HIS GRACE. THEREFORE, BELIEVERS WHO WERE
TAUGHT OF THE LORD, WE DON'T WORSHIP SELF. WE WORSHIP THE
TRUE AND LIVING GOD. WE DON'T LOOK TO OURSELVES FOR
HOPE OR FORGIVENESS OR FOR SALVATION. WE LOOK UNTO THE LORD. Notice
the marginal reference on this, and not we ourselves. It says
here, we are his people. You see that marginal reference?
We are his people. We are called the sheep of his
hand, the sheep of his pasture. Look at Psalm 95 verse seven. Psalm 95 verse seven. For he
is our God, we are his people. AND WE ARE THE SHEEP OF HIS HAND.
DO YOU SEE THAT? TODAY NOW, HEAR HIS VOICE. DON'T
HARDEN YOUR HEART. HE IS OUR GOD, PSALM 95, 7. WE ARE HIS PEOPLE, THE PEOPLE
OF HIS PASTURE, AND WE ARE THE SHEEP OF HIS HAND. I WANT TO
BE IN HIS PASTURE. I WANT TO BE IN HIS HAND. AND
THAT BY THE GRACE OF GOD. WE ARE HIS PEOPLE, SHEEP UNDER
THE SHEPHERD'S CARE. THE LORD IS MY SHEPHERD, I SHALL
NOT WANT. IF THE LORD IS MY SHEPHERD, MY
SHEPHERD SHALL SUPPLY ALL YOUR NEED, YOU REMEMBER, ACCORDING
TO HIS RICHES IN THE LORD JESUS CHRIST. WE ARE HIS PEOPLE IN
WHAT WAYS? HOW ARE WE HIS PEOPLE? COVENANT
MERCIES. HE CHOSE US IN THAT ETERNAL COVENANT
OF GRACE. HE SAID, ALL THAT THE FATHER
GIVETH ME SHALL COME TO ME, AND THOSE THAT COME TO ME I WILL
IN NO WISE CAST OUT. WE ARE HIS BY COVENANT MERCIES. He's a good shepherd who laid
down his life for the sheep. We're his by covenant choice.
He said, you didn't choose me, I've chosen you. We're bound
to give thanks to God for you, brethren, beloved of the Lord,
because God has from the beginning chosen you unto salvation, through
sanctification of the spirit and belief of the truth, were
unto he called you by our gospel. So we are his people by covenant
mercy. THE EVERLASTING COVENANT OF GRACE
WHERE GOD CHOSE A PEOPLE UNCONDITIONALLY IN CHRIST BEFORE THE FOUNDATION
OF THE WORLD MADE CHRIST OUR SHERIFF, OUR SHEPHERD, OUR PROPHET,
PRIEST, AND KING. WE'RE HIS BY COVENANT CHOICE.
WE'RE HIS BY COVENANT PURCHASE. HE BOUGHT US. WHAT WAS THE PRICE
ON OUR HEAD? IT WAS HIS DEATH. IT WAS HIS BLOOD. GOD BOUGHT
THE CHURCH WITH HIS OWN BLOOD. YOU REMEMBER WE STUDIED IN I
CORINTHIANS CHAPTER 6, WE ARE BOUGHT WITH A PRICE? WE ARE BOUGHT
WITH A PRICE. WHAT WAS THAT PRICE? NOT SILVER
AND GOLD. WE'RE NOT REDEEMED WITH SILVER
AND GOLD, BUT WITH THE PRECIOUS BLOOD, PRECIOUS BLOOD OF THE
LORD JESUS CHRIST, AND WE'RE HIS BY A COVENANT CALL. COVENANT. GOD'S A COVENANT GOD. 260 TIMES
THE WORD COVENANT'S USED IN THE WORD OF GOD. IF I REMEMBER RIGHT,
260 TIMES. COVENANT GOD. HE'S A COVENANT
GOD WHERE HIS BY COVENANT MERCY, HIS BY COVENANT CHOICE, HIS BY
COVENANT PURCHASE, HIS BY COVENANT CALL. GOD SAVED US AND CALLED
US WITH A HOLY CALLING. NOT ACCORDING TO OUR WORKS, BUT
ACCORDING TO GOD'S OWN PURPOSE AND GRACE, GIVING US IN CHRIST
before the foundation of the world. He saved us before he
called us. He chose us before he called
us. And by covenant sealing, we're sealed into the day of
redemption with his precious blood. That was David's hope
on his deathbed, wasn't it? God had made with me an everlasting
covenant, ordered in all things, and is sure this is all my hope,
all my desire, and all my salvation. Covenant mercies. Our God. There's a book back there on
the table. I call that the Lenz Library. You can take a book
and take it home and read it. But there's a book back there written by John Warburton. And
the title of the book is called The Covenant Mercies of God. The Covenant Mercies of God.
It's a very good book. It's an autobiography of John
Warburton's life. That's another one of those books
I need to sit down and read again, because it's been about 30 years
or longer since I've read it, but I remember it very well.
God's covenant mercy. He brought again from the dead
the Lord Jesus Christ to the blood of the everlasting covenant. Covenant mercies. That's our
hope, isn't it? My beloved is mine and I am his. HE IS PRECIOUS TO US. HE IS ALL
TOGETHER LOVELY. NOW, VERSE 4, CLOSING, ENTER
INTO HIS GATES WITH THANKSGIVING, ENTER INTO HIS PRESENCE WITH
BOLDNESS, ENTER INTO HIS GATES WITH THANKSGIVING, ENTER INTO
HIS COURTS WITH PRAISE, WORSHIP, AND BE THANKFUL. BE THANKFUL. I THINK THAT SUMS UP THE BELIEVER'S
LIFE. Thank you, Lord, for saving my
soul. Thank you, Lord, for making me
whole. Thank you, Lord, for giving to
me thy great salvation, so rich and so free. That's the chorus
we used to sing once in a while. Thank you, Lord, and bless his
name. Bless his name. As David said,
bless the Lord, O my soul. Now, look at verse 5, enclosing
the Lord. The Lord is good. You know everything
about Him is good, holy, right. The Lord is, what is He? He's
good. The Lord is good. His mercy,
His mercy is everlasting, from everlasting to everlasting. HIS
MERCY ENDURETH FOREVER. PSALM 136 SAYS THAT ALMOST IN
EVERY VERSE. HIS MERCY ENDURETH FOREVER. HIS
MERCY ENDURETH FOREVER. THE LORD IS GOOD. HIS MERCY IS
EVERLASTING. HIS TRUTH, HIS TRUTH IS ENDURES
FOREVER. HE SAID HEAVEN AND EARTH GONNA
PASS AWAY. MY WORD WILL NEVER, NO, NEVER
PASS AWAY. THE LORD IS GOOD. NAOMAN CHAPTER 1 VERSE 7 REPEATS
THAT THE LORD IS GOOD, A STRONGHOLD IN A DAY OF TROUBLE. HE KNOWETH
THEM THAT TRUST IN HIM. IN FIRST JOHN 1-5 IT SAYS THE
LORD IS LIGHT. And in him is no darkness at
all. And then 1 John 4, 8 says, God is love. God is love. God is good. God is light. God is holy. Psalm 99. VERSE 9 EXALT THE LORD OUR GOD
AND WORSHIP AT HIS HOLY HILL FOR THE LORD OUR GOD IS HOLY. YOU SEE THAT? PSALM 99, VERSE
9. THE LORD IS GOOD. THE LORD IS
HOLY. THE LORD IS MERCIFUL. HIS MERCY
IS NOT TEMPORARY. IT'S EVERLASTING. AND HIS MERCY'S
BEEN OURS HOW LONG? HOW LONG HAS GOD BEEN MERCIFUL
TO HIS PEOPLE? He's loved us with everlasting love, and His
mercy's everlasting. It's been ours from all eternity,
and shall be ours world without end. You cannot exhaust the mercy
of the Lord. It's of the Lord's mercies that
we're not consumed. It's not by works of righteousness
which we have done, but according to His mercy, He saved us, and
then His truth, His gospel truth shall endure forever and ever.
The gospel of God is an eternal gospel. My pastor used to say
it's an ancient gospel. It's as old as God, however old
that is. It's an everlasting gospel. His word, his testimony, his
precepts, his decrees are from everlasting to everlasting. HIS
WORD IS QUICK AND POWERFUL AND IT'LL NEVER CHANGE. HE SAID,
I'VE SPOKEN IT. YOU REMEMBER THAT? ISAIAH 46. HE SAID, I'VE SPOKEN IT. I'LL
BRING IT TO PASS. I'VE PURPOSED IT. I WILL. I WILL
DO IT. I WILL DO IT. THIS ALSO REFERS
TO HIS FAITHFULNESS. THE LORD IS FAITHFUL TO ALL HIS
PROMISES. THAT'S OUR PERSUASION, IS IT
NOT? AREN'T YOU PERSUADED? SAVING FAITH HAS PERSUADED THAT
ALL THAT GOD HAS PROMISED, GOD IS ABLE TO PERFORM. YOU REMEMBER
THE WORDS OF JOSHUA, HIS LAST WORDS? YOU REMEMBER HE SAID,
ALL THAT GOD HAS PROMISED, NOT ONE WORD HAS FAILED. YOU CAN TAKE HIM AT HIS WORD. HIS WORD WILL NEVER FAIL. ALL THE PROMISES OF GOD IN HIM
ARE YES, and in him, amen, unto the glory of God by our Lord
Jesus Christ. Is that a good psalm? That's
Psalm 99. I posted that last Wednesday. If you can go back and listen
to Psalm 99, exalt you the Lord our God and worship at his footstool
for he is holy.