Evening. Psalm 142. Psalm 142. I'm entitling the message from
what David, who was called a man after God's own heart, prayed
and cried unto the Lord. Recorded in verse 5, when he
was brought very low, I cried unto thee, O Lord, and I said,
Thou art my refuge. Thou art my portion. That's the
title of the message. The Lord is my refuge. I hope
you can say that in your heart before God. The Lord is my refuge. The Lord is my portion, my inheritance. And notice it says there, in
the land of the living, one old writer said this, There is no
living in the land of the living like living and looking upon
the true and living God. There's no living in the land
of the living like living upon and looking to the true and living
God. This is eternal life that they
might know thee the only true God, Jesus Christ our Lord. You remember from last week,
we read Psalm 45, where the Lord said, look unto me, and be ye
saved. All the ends of the earth, I
am God, and there is none other. We, by God's grace, have been
turned to God. He's turned us. We didn't turn
ourselves. We didn't stir up ourselves.
He turned us to Him. And in turning to Him, we've
turned from our idols. We've turned to the true and
living God, and we've been turned from our idols. I had a young
man in my study on Monday morning who came to service the telephone
service, brought it from the house, and fixed the line over
here to the building. So when they tear the house down,
we'll still have a phone line in the building. Well, this young
man had been attending, and still does, he's been attending the
services here for a good number of years. I guess maybe eight,
nine, ten years, something like that. And he told me he grew
up where the gospel was not preached, was not declared. And he said,
when I first started coming here, he said this place was most difficult
for me. He said the message and the method,
the method was so odd. Worship and then he said the
message was so radically different from what I've heard all my life
But he made this confession to me and it thrilled my heart He
said God has taught me the gospel of his grace And I rejoice I
rejoice what a miracle been turned from his idol to the true and
living God there's no living in the land of the living like
living in and looking and trusting, believing the gospel of God's
grace. The young man is a happy man.
I rejoice with him. And I know you rejoice with me
to hear about it. Now in this Psalm, again, it
says here in Psalm 142, a prayer, a prayer of David. when he was
in exile, when he was running from those who at one time were
his very dear friends. His own father-in-law hunted
him like a bird. He said, I feel like a partridge.
Bird, hunted, hunted. Again, we have another prayer
of David when he's on the run from those who at one time, even
his family, even his own son turned on him. What a blessing
the Lord has given to us to see and to read and to hear the words
of the heart cry and prayer of other believers. I love reading
the prayers of others who are believers who have had that work
of God's grace upon their heart, and have they cry unto the Lord."
I love reading the prayers of others that's recorded in the
Word of God of other believers. It's an encouragement unto me.
I believe it's an encouragement to all the people of God. These
who have cried unto the Lord have had the same problems and
same troubles that we have had. S-I-N. Sin. We and they all had and all believers
have just one solution to all problems, all troubles, all heartache. There's one solution. There's
one remedy. There's one refuge. And that
is the Lord Jesus Christ alone. Our Lord said in John 16, these
words have I spoken unto you that in me you might have peace,
in this world you shall have tribulation but but there's that
word again but be a good cheer I have overcome thanks be in
the God who's given us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ
now notice David says in verse 1 I cried I cried unto the Lord
in Psalm 18 verse 6 don't turn there let me just read it to
you But I want to make a point here. David said, in my distress
I called upon the Lord. I cried unto my God and he heard
my voice out of his temple. My cry came before him even unto
his ears. I called and he heard my voice. Does the Lord hear the cry of
His children? Does He hear the prayers of His
people? Absolutely. He ever lives to
intercede for us. He hears the cry and groans of
our heart, prayers that are not audibly... You know, most... our prayers, for the most part,
I know we pray publicly and they're heard audibly, but really aren't
majority of our prayers, the silent cry and meditation of
our heart. You see the Lord looks on the
heart, not the outward countenance. Now in verses 1 and 2, let's
read this, I cried unto the Lord with my voice, with my voice
unto the Lord did I make my supplication, my request, I asked the Lord. I poured out my heart, I poured
out my complaint Before him, I showed, before him, I emphasize
those two words, before him, before him, my trouble, my complaint. Now, one thing we have certainly
discovered about the prayers of David, that it was personal. I cried. I cried. He may have asked others to pray
for him. I'm sure that he did. And there's
nothing wrong with that. I've asked you on more than one
occasion to pray for me as your pastor. The Lord had given me
wisdom and strength and grace to continue preaching the gospel.
There's nothing wrong with asking others to pray and I'm sure David
did that. But it's the cry of the heart
before God. David said, I cried unto the
Lord. You see, the prayer of a believer
unto his Lord is something very intimate and personal. You remember
from last week, I told you in verse 1, Psalm 141, I cried unto
thee, make haste unto me, thee and me. You see those two words
there, thee and me. I cried, David said. I cried
unto the Lord. You see, We don't pray unto angels. We don't pray unto men. What
a privilege God has given us to take every heartache and care
we have to Him in prayer. Every heartache? What a privilege
to carry every burden to the Lord. I cried unto Him. Me and thee. God of all the universe. Here's the cry of his child. Now true prayers may differ in
their expression and in their language, but not in their direction. Not in their direction. We look
unto the Lord. As we've read in Psalm 121, From
whence comest my help? Don't turn, let me just read
it to you. From whence cometh my help? My help cometh from
the Lord. I lift up my eyes unto the hills,
from whence cometh my help? My help cometh from the Lord,
which made heaven and earth, the sovereign Creator of all
things. I look unto Him. I look to Him. Verse 2 now, notice this, I poured
out, I poured out, I unbared my heart, I just poured out my heart, my complaint
before Him. I showed before Him my trouble."
Now this word here, complaint, can also be rendered meditation.
The meditation of my heart, I poured out my heart, my meditation of
my heart, my trouble before Him. Before Him. Turn back to Psalm
102. We've seen this many times, but
here's one reference. Psalm 102, verse 1. A prayer of the afflicted, it
says in the title, when he's overwhelmed and pours out his
complaint before the Lord. Hear my prayer, O Lord, and let
my cry come unto thee. Hide not thy face from me in
the day when I am troubled. Incline thy ear unto me in the
day when I call. Answer me speedily, for my days
are consumed like smoke. My bones are burned as a hearth. My heart is smitten and withered
like grass so that I forget to eat my bread. I cried unto the
Lord. I poured out my complaint before
Him in the day of trouble. We read in Philippians 4 verse
6, let your request be made known unto God. Cry unto Him and don't
be anxious. Wait upon the Lord. Cry unto
Him and wait upon the Lord and again I say wait. One old writer
said this, we may complain to God but not of Him. We may complain to God but not
of God. When we complain it should be,
it should, watch this, when we complain it should not be before
men but before God alone. Now, think about that a minute. And I thought about this. One
old writer said that. I can't remember who it was.
We may complain to God but not of Him. When we do complain it
should not be before men but unto God, unto the Lord, alone. Now, I wrote this. That is a
worthy goal. But what I find most difficult to attain unto, how many times
do we catch ourselves complaining to one another? I'm as guilty
as you. Yet we should strive, we should
strive after this to complain, think about this, complain to
none Pour out your heart to none, tell your troubles to none but
the Lord. I mean, I know that's a tall
order. And I'm not saying that's what
I want to do. It's not what I do. It's what
I want to do. Pour out your heart before Him.
Turn back to Psalm 62, just a minute. Psalm 62. Psalm 62, look at this. Psalm 62 verse 8 we've read this
verse Many many times I call this psalm 62 the only psalm
Trust in him at all times you people pour out your heart before
him pour it out Unbury your heart before him. He knows it anyway
Don't hold back let it out Pour out your heart before him God
is he is our refuge Pour out your complaint unto the Lord. Now look at verse 3. Psalm 142
verse 3. When my spirit, my spirit, my
heart, my mind, my affection was overwhelmed within me, then
the Lord knows my path." Now this is our
confession the Lord knows anyway. "...in the way wherein I walked
have they secretly, privileged, laid a snare for me." When David
was overwhelmed, and that word can be rendered faint, weak,
feeble, his comfort and hope was in the blessed fact that
the Lord knew all things. He knew the situation. He knew
what was going on. The Lord knew all about it. You
remember, turn back to Psalm 139, one page back. Psalm 139,
O Lord, verse 1, Thou hast searched me and known me. Thou hast searched
me and known me. Thou knowest my down sitting,
my up rising. Thou understandest my thoughts
afar off. Thou compass'd my path by lying
down, and are acquainted with all my ways. For there is not
a word in my tongue, but lo, O Lord, thou know'st it all together."
He knows the cry of our heart. He knows all things. You remember
back in Psalm 37, where we read these words, the steps
of a good man are ordained of God. Look what it says there,
in the way where I've walked? How did David walk this way? Walk in a spirit of being overwhelmed,
in trouble, and walking in this place, hiding from those who
are one time his friend. Did it? Yeah, he was just unlucky. I just had a bad day. No. The steps of a good man are ordained
of God. He's walking the exact path that
God ordained from all eternity and decreed for him to walk upon.
The Lord our God is our great guardian. Unseen dangers. Notice it says there, my enemies,
they've secretly laid stares for me. The Lord our God is our
great guardian of unseen dangers and snares laid secretly for
us. He will keep us in the way. We're
kept by the power of God. Dangers that we're unaware of. Sometimes we're aware of dangers.
But I think for the most part, we're unaware of dangers that
lurk about and yet the Lord keeps us. I can look back over my life
before I knew Him. and believe the gospel, for I
heard the gospel, he knew me. He watched over me, the old timers
called that pervenient grace. Grace before grace, keeping his
eye upon me. Newton wrote through many dangers,
toils and snares, I have already come, his grace has brought me
thus, brought me safe thus far, and grace will lead me home. Look at verse 4. I looked on
my right hand, and some have said that it could
be from the original language, I looked right and I looked left,
and beheld no man, no help. But there was no man that would
know me, would care for me, Refuge from among men failed me. No man cared for my soul." Turn
back to Psalm 69-20. Psalm 69-20, that Messianic Psalm. Our Lord experienced this when
all of His disciples forsook Him and fled. Reproach, Psalm
69-20. This is another psalm of the
cross. Verse 20, "...reproach hath broken my heart, I am full
of heaviness. I looked for some to take pity,
but there was none. For comforters I found none. They gave me also gall for my
meat, and in my thirst they gave me vinegar to drink. No man, no man to help me." Strange
to say, all were strangers to David at this time. He had known
many, but none would know Him now. At one time, many sang His
praises. Saul has slain his thousands.
David has slain his ten thousands. Many at one time sang His praises
when He killed the Philistine giant Goliath. Now, all forsook Him. No one befriended Him. Another
old writer said, it's better to be opposed by foes than to
be forsaken by friends. Think about it. Better to be
opposed by those you know who are your enemies than to be forsaken
by those you thought were your friends. This is similar to what
the Lord Jesus Christ experienced. prophetically said over here
in Psalm 41, turn back there, Psalm 41 9, prophetically he speaks of the
Lord Jesus Christ here, even though this was the experience
of David, it also speaks of the greater David, the Lord Jesus
Christ. Psalm 41 verse 9, Yea, my own
familiar friend, in whom I trusted, which did eat my bread, hath
lifted up his heel against me. And here he's, excuse me, Here
he is referring to Judas, the betrayer. We studied in Mark
14.50 where it says, they all forsook him, they all forsook
him and fled. Remember what Peter said, Lord,
these other fellows, they may cut and run, not me. I give my
life. Peter is the first one out and
then sneaks back in. He said, I don't know the man. We can be assured of this, the Lord will never leave us.
David was forsaken by all of his friends, but he wasn't forsaken
of the Lord. We can be assured of this, the
Lord will never forsake us. He will never leave us, no, never. He has said that we may boldly
say, the Lord will never, never leave us. Matthew 28, he said,
I'm with you always, even to the end of the earth. Now look
at verse 5. I cried unto thee, O Lord, I
said, Now here's our confession of faith. Thou art my refuge. Thou art my refuge. Thou art
my portion in the land of the living. Now what a great confession. And it's a confession of faith.
Thou art my refuge. Now it's just not that we have
a refuge provided. That's true. But it's not just
that we have the refuge provided. The Lord Himself is our hiding
place. In Him we hide. A shelter in
the time of storm. He's our refuge. The Lord Himself
is our refuge. The Lord Himself is our portion.
He is a refuge for us. Now certainly this is true in
the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ, isn't it? He is our refuge. He is our shelter from the storm.
Let me turn and have you turn with me. Look at Psalm 46.1. The Lord is our refuge. The Lord
Himself is our refuge and strength. The Lord Himself is very present,
help in trouble. Psalm 46.1. God is our refuge. Psalm 46.1. And strength. of every present help in trouble. Now this particular verse has
particular meaning and comfort to me because back the last time
we were flooded and the floodwaters were rapidly rising in the house
as I said at the top of the stairs and and that water just kept
coming and kept coming and kept coming kept coming and this verse
was a verse that resounded and echoed in my heart. God is our
refuge and strength of every present help in trouble. That house wasn't a refuge. That
house was good. I thought it was going to float
away with me in it. But God's our refuge. God is
our strength in the time of trouble, in all times. In all times, God
is a refuge for us. Look over here at Psalm 91. Psalm 91, verse 1 and 2, "...He
that dwelleth in the secret place of the Most High shall abide
under the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the Lord, He is
my refuge and my fortress, my God, and in Him will I trust."
He's not part of our refuge. Some of our refuge. All of our
refuge. All of our hiding place. Christ
is all and in all. He's not only our refuge, look
at the verse again, back to the text, Psalm 142. Thou art my
refuge. And He's my portion. He's my
portion right now. Right now. Oh, we have a portion
and refuge someday. Right now. in the land of the
living right now he's our refuge right now he's our portion this
word portion can also be rendered inheritance he is our inheritance
now and forever he gives us all grace now and glory forever we
have a incorruptible eternal inheritance in Christ Jesus being
made heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ Look at Psalm 73,
26. Psalm 73, 26. My flesh and my hearts, Psalm
73, 26, faileth but God. There's those two words again,
but God. God is the strength of my heart
and my portion forever. Forever he's my portion forever. He's my inheritance forever.
He's my refuge Now look at verse 6 in our text I'm 142 verse 6
attending to my cry He keeps saying this over and over again
doesn't he I cried I cried unto the Lord I cry unto the Lord
Attending to my cry for I'm brought I'm brought to Who brought him
down? I'm brought very, very low. Now deliver me from my persecutors,
for they are stronger than I. I'm brought very low. You know,
that's a good thing. That's a good thing. Be whittled
down? Be put in the dust? As Brother
Scott Richardson used to say, make your headquarters in the
dust. That's a good thing to be brought
down. You know why? The Scriptures teach this. The Lord is nigh them of a broken
heart, save as such as be of a contrite spirit. Those whom
He whittles down in the dust, He brings up. He brings them
up. Who brought David to this place
of desolation? Who brought David to this place
in the cave where he cries out of the depths? Turn back to Psalm
130. You remember this? Psalm 130. Out of the depths. Psalm 130
verse 1. Out of the depths have I cried
unto thee, O Lord, hear my voice. Let thine ears be attended to
the voice of my supplication. If thou, Lord, shouldest mark
iniquities, who shall stand? But there is forgiveness with
thee that thou mayest be feared. I wait for the Lord, my soul
does wait. And in his word, that's my hope. That's my hope. Who brought David
to this place of desolation, to the depths, where he was overwhelmed
in his spirit and brought very low? David's Lord brought him
down. David's Lord who knows exactly
what David needed and when. He brings us down, convicts us
of our sin, shows us what we are and what we need in Christ
Jesus. Just across the page, you remember
in Psalm 141 from last week, verse 7, our bones are scattered
at the grave's mouth, as when one cutteth and cleaveth the
wood upon the earth, but mine eyes are unto thee. There again,
that's that whittling down and there's that lifting up. But
my eyes are unto Thee, O Lord God, and Thee is my trust. Leave
not my soul destitute. Don't leave me by myself. Don't
leave me to my own thoughts. The Lord knows how to strip and
how to close us, doesn't He? The Lord knows how to bring us
down and when to bring us up. When to empty us and went to
fill us by His grace." In verse 6, look at this again,
"...attended my cry, I'm brought very low, deliver me, deliver
me from my persecutors, they're stronger than I." Now, who's
the deliverer? You remember Psalm 140 verse
1? Deliver me, O Lord, from the evil man. Preserve me from the
violent man. Deliver me, O Lord." The Lord
is our Deliverer, isn't He? He's our refuge, not only our
refuge and our portion, but He's our... He's our Deliverer as
well. Romans 11 talks about the Deliverer. All Israel shall be saved, Romans
11, 26. As it is written, there shall come out of Zion thee deliverer,
and shall turn away ungodliness from Jacob." He is our deliverer. He does deliver us. That word
deliverer also can be rendered defend, preserve, recover, rescue,
and save. That's a whole sermon writing
that one word. He does defend us. He does preserve us. He does
recover us from Adam's sin, Adam's fall. He does rescue us. He does save us by His grace.
And He does so from these strong persecutors that are stronger
than I. Who are these strong persecutors
that are stronger than I? Well, spiritually, it's our sin. Who can deliver us from our sin?
Can you do anything about making atonement for your sin? Absolutely
not. I'm helpless. I can't put away
one sin. I can't stop from sinning. As
Brother Nyberd often says, I cannot not sin. Who can deliver us from our sin?
Only the Deliverer can, the Lord Jesus. He appeared once in the
end of the age to put away sin by the sacrifice of Himself.
These strong persecutors. How about the law of God that's
against us and contrary to us? Can you honor the law and precept
and penalties, satisfy God's law? Not in and of myself. But we do magnify and honor the
law in Christ Jesus. He redeemed us from the curse
of the law, being made a curse for us. For it was written, Cursed
is everyone that continueth not in all things which are written
in the book of law to do them. Cursed is everyone that hangeth
on the tree. The Lord Jesus redeemed us from the curse of the law.
These persecutors, they have a lot against us. The law has a right, the law
of God has a right to persecute us. We're guilty before God.
But the Lord Jesus Christ satisfied God's law. Satan? Boy, he's a
strong persecutor. The Lord took care of him. He
went forth conquering and to conquer. He defeated all of our
enemies. Sin, the law, Satan. How about death? Try to overcome
that one. Our Lord said, because I live,
you shall live. I'm he that liveth and was dead.
Behold, I'm alive forevermore. Boy, they're stronger than I.
I need this Deliverer, don't you? Do you see your need of
Christ our refuge, Christ our portion, Christ our deliverer? In closing look at verse 7. Bring
my soul out of prison. Back on that word deliver just
a minute. You know this word deliver is
found Thought we've read it several times, but I didn't know how
many times we've looked at this through our study in the book
of Psalms You know, it's found 44 times 44 times David talks
about this deliverance. He has in Christ Jesus This deliverance
we have in him For those who listen to this message later
by Way of CD or internet. Let me give you these references.
We won't turn and read them Psalm 71 verse 1 through 3, David says,
the Lord is my deliverer. Psalm 86, 13. Psalm 97, 10. Psalm 107, verse 6. Then the Lord delivered us out
of our trouble. He is our deliverer. What a blessing
we have. Now, verse 7 in closing. Bring
my soul out of prison. Boy, that's where we are by nature.
prison of sin, that I may praise thy name. The righteous shall compass me
about, for thou shalt deal bountifully with me. Bring my soul out of
prison." That's exactly what the Deliverer does. Stand fast
therefore in the liberty. Christ is our liberator. Stand
fast in the liberty wherewith Christ has set us free. He came
to set the captive free, we read a moment ago, Luke 4.18. We are in such a prison of sin,
in bondage to sin, guilt, judgment of God, only God Himself can
deliver us and make us Trophies of his grace and when he does
you know what he does Bring my soul out of prison out of the
prison house And I'll praise your name. I'll give you all
the honor and glory for everything that you have done You're my
portion. You're my song turn over here
to Psalm 34 Psalm 34 and look at this When he does bring me
out of the prison house I It's not, well, you know, I helped the Lord and, you know,
we had an agreement and, you know, He did His part and I did
my part and together we cooperated together and I had deliverance.
That's not the deliverance found in the Word of God. He does all
the delivering. He delivers us from sin, from
bondage and gives us salvation by His grace. And you know what
we do? Like that young man who walked in my study. He gave God
all the honor and glory for salvation. His salvation. Psalm 34, I will
bless the Lord at all times. His praise shall continually
be in my mouth. My soul shall make her boast
in the Lord. The humble shall hear thereof
and be glad. Let us exalt the name of the
Lord together. Let us exalt His name. Turn over here to Psalm 40. My soul shall make a boast in
the Lord. Oh, let us magnify the Lord together.
Psalm 40. I waited patiently, verse 1,
for the Lord, and He inclined unto me and heard my cry. He
brought me up also out of a horrible pit, out of the miry clay. He set the prisoner free, set
my feet upon a rock and established my going, and I put a new song
in my mouth. even praise unto our God, many
shall see it and fear and shall trust in the Lord. Blessed is
the man that maketh the Lord his trust, respecteth not the
proud, no such as turn aside to lies. Many, O Lord, my God,
are thy wonderful work which thou hast done, and thy thoughts
which are to usward that cannot be reckoned up in order, if I
would declare and speak of them, there more than can be numbered."
You see, he brought me up He set me up and He tuned me up. He put praise in my heart, even
unto our God. When we are delivered by His
sovereign grace, when He delivers us out of the kingdom of darkness
in the kingdom of His dear Son, we rightly and quickly give Him
all the honor and glory, don't we? And the righteous Lord, back
to the text, The righteous shall compass me about, the Lord our
righteousness shall surround us with his presence, swallow
us up in his love, deal graciously in love and mercy, and bountifully
bless us with all spiritual blessings in the heavenlies. Thou shalt
deal bountifully, not meagerly, but bountifully with me. You see, the message of this
psalm is a message of the gospel, isn't it? The Lord is our refuge,
the Lord is our portion, the Lord is our deliverer from the
prison house of sin, and the Lord is our righteousness. You
see that? The gospel, isn't it? It's in
every chapter of God's Word. We just don't have eyes to see
it until the Lord pleads to show it to us. But the gospel's there
all the way through. All the way through the Psalms,
all the way through God's Word. It's the gospel of God's grace.