Psalm 25 is our study this evening. And I do pray God's mercy upon
us as we look to his word and ask him to bless us through the
word. Now the title of the message
this evening is The Believer's Prayer. The Believer's Prayer. And I want you to make this personal
application to your own heart. Make this your prayer, your prayer
unto God. Well, we could say this is truly
the sinner's prayer. You see, every believer is a
sinner saved by God's glorious grace. And I'm still a sinner,
but I'm saved by his mercy in Christ Jesus. So the believer's
prayer. Verse 11, as I pointed out earlier,
I believe is the center and heart and core of this verse, of this,
excuse me, the center and core verse of this psalm. Our prayer
unto the Lord in verse 11, for it says, for thy name's sake,
O Lord, pardon mine iniquity. Pardon me. Have mercy on me for
my transgression, my sin, my iniquity, it is great. Why is it great? Why is sin,
my sin, so great? Because sin is against God. That's why it's great sin. Pardon
my sin, all my sin, for it is great, it is great. It takes
a great God and Savior to pardon great sinners, and it brings
Him great glory in doing so. He gets the glory for this. You
remember back in Psalm 21 verse 5, Psalm 21 verse 5, His glory
is great. in thy salvation. Aren't you
glad that salvation is of the Lord and that He gets all the
glory and savings such as we are? Wretched, miserable sinners
that we are. His glory is great in salvation,
honor and majesty have thou laid upon Him, upon Christ Jesus. Now, Psalm 25 verse 1, unto thee,
O Lord, Unto thee, O Lord, do I lift up my soul, my heart. I believe in verse 1 here we
have a good description of what true prayer is. Unto thee, O
Lord, do I lift up my soul. Now this is not like those pharisees
our Lord describes in Matthew chapter 5 who love to pray in
the street on the street corner to be seen of men. Our Lord said
they just do that to be seen of men. He said go in your closet
and cry out unto the Lord. Unto thee, O Lord, do I lift
up my heart, my soul. This is a good description. If
you'll find Colossians chapter 3, Colossians chapter 3, verse
1. I don't know how things are around
here, but where I live, they always have when this thing of
this National Day of Prayer comes along, all the Preachers in the
community get together and they go down to the community place. Sometimes they even meet at the
school and they gather around the flagpole and have a prayer.
Now, I don't believe prayer's organized like that. You can't
legislate prayer, nor can you outlaw it. God's people cry in
their heart unto the Lord. It's a cry of the heart. It's
not gathering at the courthouse, on the courtyard, around the
flagpole, holding hands and saying, well, look how pious we are.
That's an exercise in nonsense. God's people cry unto the Lord
in their heart at all times. When I'm driving down the road,
I'm crying unto the Lord. All the day long, you see, to
the believer, prayer is the very heart breath of his life. Colossians 3, look at verse 1,
Colossians 3 verse 1, If ye then be risen with Christ, Seek those
things which are above, where Christ sits on the right hand
of God. Set your heart, set your affection,
set your mind, your soul on things above, not on the things of this
earth, for you're dead. Died with Christ. Crucified with
Christ. And your life, now like this,
your life is hid with Christ in God. You talk about Now, if
my life is hid with Christ in God, I used to use this illustration
with my boys when they were little, when I'd read that verse. Here's
the believer. Use these keys as an illustration.
Our life is hid with Christ in God. Now, I'd challenge my little
boys, come up and get those keys out of Dad's hand. They couldn't
do it. They wouldn't even try to do
it. They were afraid to do it. Secure in His hand. The believer is absolutely secure
in Christ Jesus. He said, no man can pluck Him
out of my hand. So we look unto God who is God. I lift up my heart, my soul unto
Thee. Now, our soul here, back in Psalm
25 verse 1, our soul here is our heart, our heart, our affection,
our mind, the real you. Every renewed heart looks to
the Lord, our God and Savior, for help, for salvation, for
grace to help in time of need, in time of trouble. He said,
come boldly unto the throne of grace that you may obtain mercy,
find grace to help in our time of need. And I don't know about
you, but my time of need is all the time. I like what David says over here
in Psalm 31. You don't need to turn, but Psalm
31 15, he said, my times are in thy hand. And the old songwriter
said, my God, I want them there. My time's in His hand. In His
hand. In time of need, we look to the
Lord, and my time is all the time. My time of need is all
the time. Now, back at Psalm 25, verse
2 and 3, we see the true confidence, or confidence in true prayer. Now, we need to pray believing. Just not in an exercise of mouthing
words. You know, public prayer is one
of the hardest things I've ever attempted to do. Public prayer.
To lead a congregation in prayer, it's a struggle, yeah. But I tell you, to believe, to
pray believing God hears us, And that he intercedes for us
in Christ Jesus. And the Lord intercedes for us.
Confidence in true prayer. Oh my God, I trust in thee. My soul looks to thee and I trust
him. I trust him. Now this is, you know, faith
is a gift of God. It's not something that blooms
in our heart naturally. Oh my God, I trust thee. True
prayer is the prayer of faith. The prayer of faith. Can you
believe? Our Lord said to that man, all
things are possible to those who believe. Faith being the
gift of God. True prayer is the prayer of
faith. I trust in thee. Who else could be trusted with
such important and vital issues as our soul salvation? Pardon
of sin. In Hebrews 11 it says, without
faith it is impossible to please God. He that cometh to God must
believe that He is, and that He's a rewarder of those who
diligently seek Him. I tell you, if God's ever invaded
your heart, that's why we don't browbeat people. buttonhole people,
corner people, badger people at the end of the service, coerce
people, make them come down front, make a decision. Salvation's
not in the decision. If God's ever invaded your heart
and invaded your life and enthroned the Lord Jesus Christ in your
heart, you will diligently seek the Lord. For thy people shall
be willing in the day of his power. Now, verse 2 and 3, I'm
working on verse 2 and 3. Oh my God, I trust in Thee. Now,
let me not be ashamed. Now, if we truly trust Him, we
have no reason to be ashamed. Let me not be ashamed. He uses
this several times here in verse 20. Turn over there, Psalm 25
verse 20. Oh, keep my soul, deliver me.
Let not, let me not, Be ashamed. Paul writes in Romans 1, for
I'm not ashamed of the gospel of Christ. It's the power of
God unto salvation to everyone that believeth. As we read earlier,
2 Timothy The first chapter, Paul said, I know whom I have
believed and I'm not ashamed. I'm not ashamed for I know whom
I have believed and I'm persuaded. He's able to keep that which
I've committed unto him against that day. I've committed everything
unto his keeping. You know what the glorious good
news of the gospel is? His people are not ashamed of
him. And you know what? He's not ashamed of them. In Hebrews chapter 2, I can make
good on that, in Hebrews chapter 2 he said, it says there when
it describes those for whom by the grace of God that he tasted
death for, the church, the sanctified, the brethren, and then he says,
he's not ashamed to call them His brethren. He's not ashamed
of us. And His people, by God's grace,
are not ashamed of Him. And then He says, let, let not,
let not my enemies triumph over me. Let not my enemies have the
victory. Again in verse 9, He repeats
this again. Consider my enemies, for they
are many. They hate me with a cruel, with cruel hatred, with a hatred
of violence. You know, we are more than conquerors
through Him that loved us. He's given us the victory over
all things in Christ Jesus. They may kill my body, they cannot
touch my redeemed soul. That's right. Let not my enemies
have the victory. And these also can be spiritual
enemies, for we wrestle not against flesh and blood, blood only,
but against principalities and powers and spiritual wickedness
in high places. Remember what the Lord said to
Peter, Satan had desired you that he might sift you like wheat,
but I prayed for you that your faith fail not. Let none that wait on thee Look,
verse 3, Psalm 25, Yea, let none that wait on thee be ashamed. Remember Simeon in the temple?
The old man, probably your age, maybe older, the priest of God
waiting for the consolation of the Lord, and the Lord had promised
him that he wouldn't die until he saw God's salvation, and when
they brought the babe, God who inhabits eternity in the body
of a baby eight days old. They brought him in to circumcise
him according to the law on the eighth day, considered the most
valid circumcision under the law. And Simeon took him up in
his arms, waiting, and said, let me die now. I've seen the
Savior. I've seen the Lord Jesus. You
see what he was doing? He was waiting. And he wasn't
ashamed. He wasn't ashamed to confess
Christ publicly. God's people are not ashamed
to own him. Let none that wait on thee be ashamed. True faith
is patient faith. Waiting upon thee. We're going
to see this. Turn over to Psalm 27 verse 14. Psalm 27 verse 14. Wait on the Lord. Be of good
courage. He'll strengthen thy heart. Wait,
I say, on the Lord. Again, verse 5 in Psalm 25, For
thou art the God of my salvation, on thee I wait all the day. Well,
isn't he worth waiting on? If he's the God of my salvation,
isn't he worth waiting on? He's the God of my salvation.
And then again in verse 21, in Psalm 25, let integrity, completeness,
and uprightness, your completeness, your uprightness of the Lord
preserve me, kept by his power, for on thee, for I wait on thee. Waiting on the Lord. Let none
that wait on thee be ashamed. And then notice this in verse
three in our text. Yea, let none that wait on thee
be ashamed, let them be ashamed, which transgress without cause. Let them be ashamed that transgress
without cause. We have no valid reason not to
trust Christ for all of salvation. All them who refuse to look to
the Lord Jesus Christ for salvation, they have every reason to be
ashamed. Those who refuse to look. You
remember what our Lord said? Find Mark chapter 8. Mark chapter
8. Mark chapter 8, notice verse
34. Whosoever will come after me,
let him deny himself, let him take up his cross, let him follow
me. For whosoever will save his life
shall lose it, but whosoever will lose his life for my sake
and the gospel the same shall save it. Mark 8, 36, you with
me? For what shall it profit a man
if she'll gain the whole world and lose his own soul? Or what
shall a man give in exchange for his soul? Whosoever therefore
shall be ashamed of me and of my words in this adulterous and
sinful generation, of him also shall the Son of Man be ashamed
when he cometh in his glory, the glory of his Father with
his holy angel. Oh, I want to own him now. I
want to bow to Him now. I want to receive the Lord Jesus
Christ by God-given faith as all of my salvation. Let them
be ashamed who are rebels against God. They transgress without
any valid reason. Look at verse 4 now, verse 4
and 5. Here's a threefold request. Verses
4 and 5, a threefold request. First thing he says here is,
show me thy ways. Show me thy ways, Lord. There
is a way that seems right unto man, but the end of that way
is death. Lord, show me thy ways. And notice it's plural there.
We know that the Lord Jesus Christ is the way, but here he's talking
about Not only the way of salvation, but God's way of purpose and
grace and providence in Christ Jesus. Show me your ways. Show
me your ways. Oh, reveal thy ways. Moses asked
the Lord that, didn't he? Lord, show me your glory. Show
me your way, your way of mercy, your way of peace in Christ Jesus. I want to show you something
here over in Psalm 103. Thy ways. Show me your glory. Psalm 103. Have you ever noticed
this? Verse 7. This is our cry unto the Lord.
He made known his ways unto Moses, his acts unto the children of
Israel. He made known his ways. Show
me thy ways, O Lord. You think of everything that
Moses had seen. He made known his ways. He revealed
his ways unto Moses. The acts, judgment, wrath on
most of those rebels in the wilderness, that whole generation died out,
didn't they? Those who were over 21, 20, 21
years old. Every time I read verse 7, I
think of this story. When Pastor Henry Mahan was a
young man, probably still in his early thirties. He was holding
a meeting somewhere with old Ralph Barnard, the old rough
preacher from, grace preacher, but he's a rough preacher from
West Texas, oil country. And they were somewhere in a
meeting and someone got up and read this Psalm 103 and old Barnard
was sitting next to Brother Mahan on the front row and Barner started
poking him in the ribs. He said, he called him, he always
called him Mahan. He said, hey Mahan, did you ever
notice verse 7 there? He said, he made known his ways
unto Moses, his way of mercy, redemption through the blood,
the Passover lamb. acts of judgment unto the children
of Israel. You see, he reveals his ways
unto God's people. Brother Henry told me later,
after he told me that story, he said, I've never forgot that
verse. And every time I read that verse,
I remember that story. And that's what we ask the Lord. Lord, show me that way. Show
me that way. I don't want to go my way. My
way is a way of death. My way is a way of condemnation.
Lord, show me Thy way. Thy way, the way of mercy in
Christ Jesus. And then he says, secondly, teach
me Thy paths. Teach me Thy paths. Now, he mentions
this several times here to be taught of the Lord. Notice in
verse 5, he said, teach me. Again in verse 8, It says, good
and upright is the Lord, therefore will He teach sinners in a way.
And again in verse 9, the meek will He guide in judgment, and
the meek will He teach His way. Again in verse 10, all the paths, talking about
the paths of the Lord, show me the paths of the Lord. And again
in verse 12, what man is he that feareth the Lord? Him shall He
teach. in the way that he shall choose. Teach me thy paths. What paths are we talking about
here? We'll turn back to Psalm 23. Look at verse three. He restoreth my
soul, he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name's
sake. He leads me in the way of righteousness. That's not talking about being
a moral person. He's talking about righteousness
revealed in the gospel. Talking about the righteousness
of God in Christ Jesus. Teach me thy paths. Reveal thy
ways unto me. Teach me thy paths. How God can
be a just God and Savior. How He can be just and a justifier
in the salvation of sinners. And then the third thing He mentions
here, in verse 5, lead me. Now, show me, reveal your ways
unto me. Teach me thy paths. And then
lead me. Lead me. You know that actually
reads, cause me to walk. Lead me in thy truth. Cause me
to walk in thy truth. His truth. Christ who is the
truth. The truth of the Father choosing
us in electing grace. The truth of the Son redeeming
His covenant people by His blood. And the truth of the Holy Spirit
calling out and quickening whom He will. Lead me and cause me
to walk in thy truth. In thy truth. Now let me see
if I can get this here. Teach me, Lord teach me and lead
me to walk in thy truth. It says over here, for what the
law could not do and is weak through the flesh, God sending
his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned
sin in the flesh, that the righteousness of God, that the righteousness
of Allah might be fulfilled in us who walk not after the flesh,
after the Spirit. Lead me in that truth. Cause
me to walk in that way. Submission, bowing, receiving
Christ as all my salvation, for salvation is of the Lord. He
is the God of my salvation. It says that in verse 5, for
thou art the God of my salvation. Salvation is of the Lord and
I've given you this before, haven't I? That five-point outline that
Charles Spurgeon gave years ago, salvation is of the Lord in its
origination, salvation is of the Lord in its execution, salvation
is of the Lord in its application, salvation is of the Lord in its
sustaining power, salvation is of the Lord in its ultimate glory. to Him be the glory. He's the
God. He's the God of my salvation. He's a just God and Savior. Therefore I wait on Thee. Now look at verse 6 and 7 in
Psalm 25. Remember, O Lord thy tender mercies. I don't think he's going to forget. But we call upon the Lord Have
mercy upon me, O LORD, remember thy tender mercies, and thy lovingkindnesses,
though kindness, plural, for they have been ever of old. Remember
thy mercies and thy lovingkindness. His mercy and his kindness unto
his people are eternal. They have been ever of old. They're unchanging. They're everlasting. The everlasting mercy of the
Lord. It is of the Lord's mercies that
we are not consumed because His compassion fail not. Not by works
of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy,
He saved us. Malachi 3 said, I am the Lord,
I change not, therefore you sons of Jacob are not consumed. Remember thy mercy, thy loving
kindness. As Jeremiah records, he has loved
us with an everlasting love. Therefore, with loving kindness
does he draw us to himself. Look at verse 7. Remember not
my sins. Remember not my sins. My sins in my youth. Does that mean when you get old
you don't sin anymore? Let's just put it. Remember not
the sins of my youth, but my middle age and my old age and
all my life. Remember not my sin nor my transgression. And according to your mercy,
remember thou me for thy goodness sake. Remember not my sin. Now, how can we say that? Well,
it's only because he has put away our sin. Turn back to Psalm
103. He appeared once in the end of
the age to put away sin by the sacrifice of Himself. In Psalm
103, it talks about this. In verse 10, Psalm 103, He hath
not dealt with us after our sins, nor rewarded us according to
our iniquities. For as the heaven is high above
the earth, so great is His mercy toward them that fear Him. As
far as the east is from the west, so far hath He removed our transgression
from us. How far is the east from the
west? How far is that? That's a good
piece there. That's eternal separation. At
one time, my sin separated me from God. Now my sin's been separated
from me. He said in Hebrews 10, their
sin and their iniquity, I remember no more. So powerful and prevailing
is the blood atonement of Jesus Christ that God Almighty, who
knows all things, says their sin no longer exists. Therefore, he cannot remember
it. I tell you like as a thick cloud
he blotted out our transgression cast them behind his back wherever
that is Separate us as far as the east is from the west Separated
our sin from us. I tell you no wonder The apostle
said, there is therefore now no condemnation to those who
are in Christ Jesus. No condemnation to those who
are in Christ Jesus. Now, the last part of verse 7,
Psalm 25. According to thy mercy, remember
thou me for thy goodness sake. For Christ's sake. He is the
goodness of God. This is goodness personified.
This is the same prayer that the dying thief prayed. I heard some fool the other night.
I was flipping through the channels. I don't do this very often. I
can't stand to watch those guys. I won't do it. I just usually
push. I flip through just real quick,
but one preacher was talking about the two thieves dying and
said, One man, he just kind of perceived that there was something
special about that man. Oh, it just didn't kind of perceive.
He had a revelation of who the king is. You're coming into a
kingdom, Lord! Remember me when you come into
your kingdom. And the Lord said, this day you'll
be with me in glory. So that's a, if you want a picture,
a true picture of God's sovereign saving mercy, well right there
it is. He passed by one, at one time
they both cast the same energy, they both railed on him. If you
be the Christ, save us in yourself. They both did it one time. And
then this sinner, by God's grace is granted repentance, granted
faith, and given revelation of who Christ is. And he cries out
for mercy. Lord, remember me for your goodness
sake. Have mercy on me, the sinner. And the Lord took him to glory
that day. The meek, verse 9 in our text,
good and upright is the Lord, Now watch this, verse 8. Good
and upright is the Lord. Therefore will he teach sinners
in the way. Now it reminds me of the verse
found over in John 6. All those who have heard and
learned of the Father, they come to Christ. Oh, to be taught by
the Master. He is both teacher and lesson.
The lesson he teaches is himself, as the way, the truth, the life,
and salvation. Good and upright is the Lord,
therefore will he teach sinners in the way. Verse 9, the meek
will he guide. He's the good shepherd. The Lord
is our shepherd, I shall not want. The meek will he guide
in judgment. I believe he's saying here, the
meek will see our sin have been judged in Christ. The meek, will
he teach his way? You see, he's nigh them of a
broken heart. We're not meek or humbled by
the old rotten nature that we have as proud, as pride, full
of pride and arrogance and haughtiness. The meek will he guide those
who have been broken, those who have been stripped. You see,
grace When God clothes us, He first strips us. When God shows
mercy unto us, He first puts us in the dust before His sovereign
throne and makes us to cry for mercy. The meek will He guide
in judgment, and the meek will He teach His way. All the paths of the Lord are
mercy and truth, unto such as keep His covenant. covenant of grace, those who
are made to bow to the gospel and believe the gospel, those
who receive Christ by God-given faith, those who keep His covenant,
His testimony, covenant and testimony revealed in Christ. I want to
get to verse 11. Oh Lord, pardon my sin, pardon
my iniquity, for it is great, it is great. Here's the cry of
a true mercy beggar. Like the publican cried out,
God have mercy on me, thee sinner. Pardon my sin. Because the Lord
Jesus Christ paid my sin debt. For thy name's sake, O Lord,
pardon my sin. You see what he's saying there?
Pardon my sin. It takes a great God to pardon
great sinners, and it brings him great glory in doing so,
that the grand design of God's redemptive work is his glory. His glory. It takes a great God
to pardon great sin. It takes a great God to save
great sinners. And that's why He came. He came
to seek and to save that which is lost. This is a faithful saying
and worthy of all acceptation that the Lord Jesus Christ came
to save sinners. You know, they're hard to find.
There's not many folks that are sinners anymore. Everybody's
graduated. if i could ever find some lost
folks some folks that didn't know and have been taught of
god what they are salvations for sinners christ died for the
ungodly this is a faithful saying a worthy of all exceptation he
came to save sinners christ died for sinners he didn't come to
call the righteous but sinners sinners to repentance pardon my iniquity. There is
a prayer in Nehemiah 9.17, and Nehemiah cries out, but thou
art a God ready to pardon, gracious, merciful, slow to anger, and
of great kindness. He is a God ready to pardon.
He is ready to pardon based upon Christ putting away our sin.
Pardon for thy namesake. Oh, Lord, pardon my iniquity.
Now, I want you to find Ephesians chapter 3. Same thing is said right here. Ephesians chapter 4, verse 32. Ephesians 4, 32. Be ye kind one
toward another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as
God, for Christ's sake, hath forgiven you. for thy name's sake. Now here's a blessed and never failing plea
for thy name's sake. Not for our sake, not for our
righteousness' sake, not that we merit mercy, but to glorify
thy mercy and to show forth the glory of thy divine attributes. For thy name's sake, O Lord. You can't merit mercy. You can't merit mercy. Merited
mercy is no mercy at all. You can't merit grace. Deserved
grace is no grace at all. For Thy name's sake, O Lord,
pardon me, because You are gracious. What man is he that feareth the
Lord? There's no fear of God before
the eyes of the ungodly. What man is he that feareth the
Lord? Him shall he teach in the way of the Lord. Let's find one
reference on that. Psalm 111. Turn over there. Psalm
111. Verse 9. Psalm 111. He sent redemption unto his people.
He commanded his covenant forever. Holy and reverent is his name. We don't call any man Reverend
Jones, Reverend Smith, holding Reverend his name. My name's
Tom. Not Reverend. It's the old Tom. I like one old preacher. Was
it William Huntington that signed his name S.S.? ? sinner saved, or saved sinner. The fear of the Lord is beginning
of wisdom. A good understanding have all
they that do His commandments. His praise endureth forever. What is doing His commandment?
Believing the gospel, and that by His grace. Back to Psalm 25, and I've got
to wind this up. What man is he that fears the
Lord him shall he teach in the way that he shall choose. He
didn't choose me our Lord said I've chosen you. Teach in the
way that he shall choose. It's a way of grace, the way
of Christ. His soul shall dwell at ease. We're at peace with
God in Christ Jesus and his seed I believe that's the spiritual
seed. His seed shall inherit that new heaven and a new earth.
The secret of the Lord is with them that fear him, and he will
show them covenant mercies in Christ Jesus, ordered in all
things and assures. David said, this is my hope and
all my salvation. My eyes are ever toward the Lord,
the eye of faith. For he shall pluck my feet out
of the net. He delivered us from the kingdom
of darkness and translated us into the kingdom of God's dear
son. Turn thee unto me. Have mercy upon me. I'm desolate,
afflicted. Troubles of my heart are enlarged. Lord, bring me. Bring thou me
out of distresses. He suffered once the just for
the unjust that he might bring us to God. Bring thou me out
of my distresses. Look upon my affliction, my pain. Forgive all my sins. Consider my enemies. Now, verse
20. Keep my soul. We are kept by
the power of God through faith. Deliver me. He is the Deliverer. Again, let me not be ashamed.
I put my trust in Thee. Let integrity and uprightness
preserve me. We're sealed with the Holy Spirit
of promise under the praise of His glory. And then, redeem Israel. In closing, let's read this,
Psalm 130. Redeem Israel. redeemed by the blood of the
Lamb, in whom we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness
of sin, according to the riches of His grace. Psalm 130, verse
7 and 8, let Israel hope in the Lord, for with the Lord there
is mercy, and with Him is plenteous, plenteous, plenteous redemption. He shall redeem Israel. He has from all his iniquities. Particular redemption, Christ
dying for the sin of God the elect, and none for whom he died
can perish. Redeem Israel, oh God, the Israel
of God, out of all his troubles.