The Golden Psalm

Q: What does Psalm 16 teach us about Jesus?

Psalm 16 reveals Jesus as our intercessor and mediator, emphasizing His divine nature and His glorious resurrection. Psalm 16, referred to as a 'Mictam of David,' reveals profound truths about Jesus Christ. It portrays Him as our intercessor, praying to the Father for preservation, exemplifying His role as the mediator of the new covenant. Throughout His life, Jesus was preserved by God, fulfilling the prophecies concerning Him, culminating in His glorious resurrection. The psalm accentuates the confidence and assurance that believers have in Christ, affirming His deity and benevolence toward His people, positioning Him as the precious jewel of salvation.

Q: How do we know that Jesus was preserved by God?

The life of Jesus demonstrates divine preservation through miraculous events, ultimately leading to His resurrection. The preservation of Jesus by God can be observed throughout His earthly ministry. From His infancy, when God instructed Joseph to flee to Egypt to escape Herod's decree, to His temptations in the wilderness where He was strengthened by angels, we see God’s hand protecting Him. Even at the zenith of His suffering in Gethsemane, He was sustained as He bore the weight of sin. The culmination of this preservation is His resurrection, where He emerged from the grave, free from corruption—proof that God upheld His promise to preserve the Holy One. This assurance extends to all believers, who are united with Christ in His preservation.

Q: Why is the resurrection of Jesus crucial for Christians?

The resurrection proves Jesus' victory over sin and death, providing assurance of eternal life for believers. The resurrection of Jesus Christ is pivotal for Christian faith as it confirms His identity as the Son of God and the fulfillment of scriptural prophecy. In Acts 2, Peter points to Psalm 16 to assert that Jesus was not abandoned to the grave, affirming that His resurrection is the guarantee for all who believe. It is through His victory over death that believers are justified and granted eternal life. The resurrection not only validates Jesus' claims but also assures believers that they, too, will be resurrected, fostering hope amidst trials and hardships. This pivotal event assures Christians of their future glory and everlasting communion with God.

Q: What role does faith play in the believer's assurance according to Psalm 16?

Faith in God as revealed in Psalm 16 provides believers with confidence and assurance of their salvation. In Psalm 16, faith underscores the relationship between believers and God, highlighting trust in His preservation and providence. The psalmist expresses both a heartfelt prayer and a declaration of confidence that God maintains His lot and heritage. Believers are reminded that their assurance is rooted in Christ’s completed work, as He is the one who mediates and pleads on their behalf before the Father. Faith fosters assurance by connecting believers with the righteousness of Christ, ensuring that what is true of Christ becomes true for them as well. This faith is not a mere intellectual assent but a profound trust that anchors them in the certainty of salvation.

Now, Psalm 16, I'm calling this
message this evening, The Golden Psalm, The Golden Psalm. And
I take my title from what is said there in the title of this
psalm. It says, Mictam of David, Mictam
of David. Now, there are several psalms
that are named by that name, Mictam. And it actually actually
means a golden or precious psalm, a precious jewel, a precious
jewel. All these are fit and proper
descriptions of the Lord Jesus Christ and His gospel. He is
a precious jewel. He is golden. He is precious, as Peter said
to you who believe. Oh, He is precious. He is precious. I like the words recorded in
the Song of Solomon that says, He is altogether lovely. He's altogether lovely. He's
golden in His person, for He is God. He is God. He is the precious jewel sent
from heaven, sent from the throne of God to accomplish our very
salvation. Sent of God. as the mediator,
as the savior, as the sacrifice. God the Holy Spirit used both
Peter and Paul in preaching the gospel in the book of Acts. And
they used, both of them used this psalm and used it in a way
in reference to the Lord Jesus Christ and that glorious resurrection
when He had by Himself purged our sin, He sat down on the right
hand of the throne of God, ascended bodily, a bodily resurrection
of the Lord Jesus Christ. It is not something that is I'm trying to think of a word,
it's not something that, it is a great mystery, but it's not
something that's just a mere spiritual thing, it is a real,
actual, bodily, glorious resurrection. A body, a new body that God had
given to him, a resurrected body. Now we divide this psalm into
four parts. Let me give you the four divisions.
We see in verse 1, the Lord Jesus Christ praying unto the Father.
We see the prayer of faith, the prayer of faith. And then secondly,
in verses 2 through verse 5, we see the confidence of faith
in God alone. And then thirdly, we see the
contentment of faith in verse 6 and 7. And then lastly, in
verses 8 through 11, we see the assurance of faith in His glorious
bodily resurrection. Now, let's consider those things,
and I think we can work our way down through here in a reasonable
amount of time, not that I'm in a hurry. The first thing we
see is this, the Lord Jesus Christ praying unto the Father as our
intercessor, as our mediator. Here we see the prayer of faith.
Notice verse 1, he said, preserve me, preserve me, O God, for in
thee do I put my trust. This is Christ. If you can put
your imagination or just try to enter into what's being said
here, this is the Lord Jesus Christ as a representative man,
praying unto the Father on our behalf, acting on our behalf. Preserve me, O God. Here he prays
as the righteous servant of God, God the Father. One mightily
helped of the Father. as the God-man, as our representative. He's called in Isaiah 42, 1,
Behold my servant, my elect, in whom my soul delights. And
then God said, I've upheld him. I've upheld him. Father, preserve
me. Keep me as the apple of thine
eye. Guard and watch over me as the
surety of the covenant. as a mediator of the covenant.
You know, this was God's promise to him that he would do so. Let
me show you that. Find Isaiah 49. Isaiah 49. Isaiah 49, verse 8. Isaiah 49, verse 8. Thus saith
the Lord in an acceptable time, have I heard thee. In the day
of salvation have I helped thee, I will preserve thee, that was
God's promise to the Servitee, the Mediator, and give thee for
a covenant of the people to establish the earth, to cause to inherit
the desolate heritage that thou mayest say to the prisoners,
go forth, and to them that are in darkness, show thyself. They
shall feed in the ways, and their pastures shall be in the high
places. This is our Lord Jesus Christ
as the Good Shepherd. This promise was fulfilled to
the Lord Jesus Christ in the day of His earthly ministry in
the flesh. By God's sustaining power, He
carried out the will of God in redeeming us, in redeeming His
covenant people. Let me remind you of these things.
When the Lord Jesus Christ, God incarnate, God in person, God
manifest in the flesh, when he was just an infant of a few days
old, you remember Herod in his raid sought to kill all the infants
two years old and younger? You remember what the Lord did? He told Joseph of Mary to get
out of town, go down into Egypt. God preserved him even when he
was an infant. He was preserved not only then,
but preserved from Satan's rage and temptation in the wilderness.
Forty days he was tempted in the wilderness and was sustained
and preserved. It says there in Matthew 4.11
that the angels of God came and strengthened him. He was preserved. ministry, preserved in his temptation,
preserved in his earthly ministry from all harm. Many times they
sought to stone him before he said, my hour's not yet come. Many times they sought to end
his life before the determinate time that he did give his life
for his people. But they couldn't touch him.
They're in Luke chapter 4 when they would carry him about to
the hill of the city and throw him off. He just simply passed
through their midst. God preserved him. to the time
when he did lay down his life for his covenant people. He was
preserved and strengthened in Gethsemane. You remember he prayed
such that his sweat became great drops of blood as the agony of
our sin was revealed to him and the agony that he bare for our
sin there. He was preserved by God at that
time. Even preserved from the corruption
in the grave after having put away our sin. so fully putting
away our sin that his body saw no corruption. And after three
days was gloriously raised from the dead, delivered for our offenses,
raised again for our justification, raised again because he did justify
us. He did get the job done. He said it's finished. As one
with him, And God's people are, they're one with Him. The elect
of God are likewise preserved and blessed in Him. We're one
with Him. What's true of the head is true
of the body. What He did, we did. Where He went, we went.
Where He is, we are right now in Him as the representative
man. And by that, he preserves his
own. We're kept by the power of God. He's able to keep us from falling
and to present us before God's glorious throne. Preserve me,
O God. Save me for Christ's sake. Look
at the second thing he says there in verse 1. For in thee, for
in thee, This is the servant, the righteous servant, the son
of God, looking unto his holy father, as he says in John 17. For I put my trust in the true
and living God. For in thee do I put my trust.
I like what Job said, or it's recorded in the book of Job.
I believe it is Job that said this, though he slay me. Gotta
be careful how you quote Job. Because sometimes it's those
other Bildad and those others that are speaking there, but
Job did, I believe, say this, though he slay me, yet I'll trust
him. I'll trust him. And that's our
blessed Savior, trusting God in all aspects. When? At all
times. At all times. And that's our
hope, that's our confidence. This is God's Savior. This is the Mediator that we
have. This is God's Lamb as He represents
us. That's the prayer of faith. Now
look at the confidence of faith. The confidence of faith in God
the Father, verses 2 down to verse 5. Oh, my soul, thou hast
said, thou hast said unto the Lord, my soul, thou art my Lord,
My goodness extendeth not to thee. Now, this is, stay with
me here. But to the saints that are in
the earth and to the excellent in whom is all my delight. My soul has said, thou art my
Jehovah." The Lord Jesus Christ as a surety, as the advocate,
as a mediator of the covenant, the Lord Jesus Christ as the
man, the God-man, bowed himself to do service under the Father
on the behalf of his elect. Many times we read throughout
the gospel, he said, I must be about my Father's business. He
said, my meat is to do the will of him that sent me. And then
in his priestly prayer for us, he said, Father, I've glorified
thee on the earth. I have finished the work you
gave me to do. Obedient unto all things in the
garden, he prayed, Father, thy will be done. Thou art my Lord. Thou art my God. looking to God
Almighty for all things. Thou art my God, Thou art my
Lord. Now the second part of verse
two, my goodness doesn't extend. I know that word there is supplied,
but it helps us to understand, I believe, what's being said
here. My goodness doesn't extend to thee, or my goodness does
not add to thee. Maybe we can use that word as
well. Here's what he's saying. The righteousness of Christ as
our representative man as the federal head of the covenant.
His goodness, his obedience does not add to the glorious, perfect
character of God. It reveals a father's love, but
it doesn't add to it. It reveals his mercy, but it
doesn't add to it. Here's what old Spurgeon said,
God would have remained the same in his holy character if no atonement
were made for sin and we all perished. God would not change.
You see, the obedience of the Lord Doesn't add to the character
of God, it magnifies His mercy, it magnifies His love, but it
doesn't add to it. But here's the good news of the
gospel. But to the saints, to the saints, oh His goodness does
extend to us. That's the good news, is it not?
But to the saints that are in the earth, to the excellent of
God, to the elect of God, in whom is all my delight. His beauty, His glory does extend
unto us. But of Him are you in Christ
Jesus, who of God is made unto us. He's my wisdom. He is my
righteousness. He is my sanctification. He is
my holiness. He is my redemption. He is all
things to His covenant people. His beauty, His glory, His righteousness
does extend unto us. I need Him. to stand before God
Almighty. I need to stand in Him before
God Almighty. I can't stand in myself. Who shall stand? Who shall ascend
into the hill of the Lord? He that hath clean hands and
a pure heart, who has never lifted up his soul to vanity, who has
never sworn deceitfully. That's not a description of me
and my flesh, but that is a description of Him. he did ascend having
accomplished God's purpose. You see, he set his people apart
by divine election, by divine election. He made a righteous
atonement He set his people apart by divine election. He made a
glorious, righteous atonement for those covenant people. The Lord Jesus Christ did not
die for all of the sins of all men. I know that's what goes
around in religious circles, but that's not what this book
teaches. This book teaches, for the transgression
of my people was he stricken. Call his name Savior Jesus, he
shall save his people from their sin. He made a righteous atonement,
a righteous, satisfying atonement for the elect of God, were justified
by his blood. There's none in hell for whom
the Lord Jesus Christ died. Not at all. He said, of all you've
given me, I'll not lose one. You see, to the saints, His goodness
does extend to the saints. They're the excellent. How are
they excellent? In Christ. In Christ. In whom is all my
delight. You see, we're sanctified in
Him. He prayed that in John 17, and for their sake I sanctify
myself, that they also might be sanctified through the truth,
through Christ. Regenerated we are by his grace,
by his power, made new creatures in Christ. Believers stand complete
in Christ Jesus. Now look what he says also in
verse 3. To the excellent in whom is my
delight. You know God delights in his
people. in Christ Jesus. Although the saints themselves,
who are these saints? Believers. Every believer is
a saint. They're sanctified in Christ.
Although the saints have the weakest thoughts of themselves,
we can identify with Paul when he says, O wretched man that
I am. We can identify with Paul when he says, I'm less than the
least of all the saints. I'm the chief of sinners. But
the Lord Jesus Christ delights in his bride. His church, so
much so that He says, I love her and I give my life for her. He loved the church and gave
Himself for it. He loved us and washed us from
our sin in His own blood. I want to show you this scripture
I was looking at the other day, Isaiah 62, turn over there. talking
about His delight, His church, His bride, Isaiah 62, look at verse 3, Thou shalt also be a
crown of glory in the hand of the Lord, a royal diadem in the
hand of thy God. Thou shalt no more be termed
forsaken, neither shalt thy land any more be termed desolate,
but thou shalt be called Heb-saba. What is that? Look at the center
reference. If you don't have a center reference,
look the word up sometime. But it means, that is my delight
is in her. God delights in his people. And
the land shall be called Beulah, or married. You know who he married?
He married his delight. He loves her. He gave himself
for her. And she cannot perish. Beulah
for the land, for the Lord delighteth in thee, and thy land shall be
married." That's who His goodness does extend to. Oh, I'm so thankful
for Him, for His goodness, for His glory, for His righteousness
sake. Now, notice verse 4 carefully. He talks here about a multitude who have sorrow, in whom he does
not delight. Their sorrows shall be multiplied
that hasten, that hasten after another God. Those who hasten
after idols. Those who hasten after God who
wants to and can't. Those who hasten after a Savior
who, they say, tried and failed. He said, their sorrow shall be
multiplied that hasten after another spirit, after another
gospel. Their drink offerings of blood.
Oh, they have blood offerings. They have sacrifices. but not
God-given. Their drink offerings of blood
will I not offer, I will not receive, nor, now watch this,
nor take up their names into my lips. The same blessed Savior
that is quick to open up to His people is quick to close and
condemn the idolater. Their sorrows will be multiplied
against those, sorrows will be multiplied against those who
seek after another God, another gospel, another spirit. You remember the heathen said
to David one day, David where is your God? They knew where
their God was. Their God is where they left
Him, an idol, a stone. But David said, Our God's in
the heavens. He's everywhere. Our God's in
the heavens and He's done whatsoever He pleased. Whatsoever the Lord
pleased, that's what He does in heaven and earth, seas and
all deep places. The Lord Jesus told those religious
idolaters in his day, those who came before him and bragged about,
Lord, we have done this, and Lord, we have done that, and
Lord, we have cast out demons in your name, and Lord, we have
done many wonderful works. You remember what he said to
them? Depart from me. I never knew you. I never loved
you. I never died for you. Depart
from me. He doesn't even hear pray for
them. But what he says, I do not take
up their names into my lips. In John 17, you remember the
Lord in his prayer? He said, I pray not for the world,
but I pray for them which you've given unto me. Salvation, listen
to this. Salvation is just not a mere
changing of doctrine. It's the changing of gods. From
the idolatry, from a false god, an impotent god, to trusting
the true and living God. As Paul, when he writes to those
Thessalonians, he said, you turn to God, the true and living God,
you turn to God, and in turning to God, you turn your back on
your idols. Salvation is not just a mere
changing of doctrine. It's God being exalted in our
heart. The true and the living God. Now, notice verse 5. This is
still on that subject. The Lord's confidence in the
Lord's prayer, the confidence of faith. Look at verse 5. The
Lord is the portion of mine inheritance. The Lord, Jehovah, L-O-R-D, capital,
is the portion of mine inheritance and of my cup. Thou maintainest
my lot. The lines are falling out unto
me in pleasant places. Yea, I have a goodly heritage. The Lord Jehovah, he's saying
here is the portion of mine inheritance or my part or my all, my all
in all. Like the Old Testament priest,
All the other tribes, when they came into the land of Canaan,
you remember we read in Acts 13, he divided the land unto
them by lot, but you know who had no inheritance in that land?
Levi. The Lord said, I'm your inheritance,
I'm your all, all in all. Like the Old Testament priest,
he had no inheritance in the land, the Lord was his inheritance,
even so the great high priest, the Lord Jesus Christ, as our
mediator. even so the Lord Jesus Christ,
His total joy and complete pleasure is in the Lord His God His Father. Now I know it is a mysterious
thing to think about the workings of the Trinity, God the Father
and God the Son and God the Holy Spirit, but it's a glorious thing. They're one in essence, one in
purpose, one in nature, and yet they each have distinct offices
and distinct persons. Three in one and one in three. Can't explain it, I believe it.
Don't need to explain it. It's God's truth, God's word.
The Lord Jesus Christ as God the Son found His total delight
and pleasure in the Lord His God and Father. to please the
Father. Oh, that was his delight. Truly,
now think about this. I thought about this. We read
this in Acts 13. When it talked about David as
a man after God's own heart, and we often quote that in reference
to David, and that reference is made to David, but really
the real, you know where I'm going with this, don't you? Really
the real man after God's own heart is God the God-man, the
Lord Jesus Christ. He is truly the man after God's
own heart. Read the record of David. Oh,
it's a sordid story. But the Lord Jesus Christ is
truly the man after God's own heart who sought God with all
his heart. The greater David, I like to
say. the greater David, the Lord Jesus Christ. The Lord is my
portion. He's my inheritance. He's my
cup. Thou maintainest my lot. This
too can be said of every believer. This is true of every believer.
The Lord, the Lord Jehovah, He is our Father. Behold what manner
of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called
sons of God. The Lord is my inheritance. We've
been made heirs of God and joint heirs with the Lord Jesus Christ.
Peter's talked about our inheritance that's given to us. That's an
incorruptible inheritance that does not fade away. The Lord
is my inheritance. The Lord is my cup. He's the
cup of blessing. He's blessed us with all spiritual
blessings and heavenlies in Christ. And then where it says there,
the Lord maintainest my lock. Now, when you buy a house as
a young person or a middle-aged person, when you buy that lot,
who maintains it? You do. Here it says that the
Lord maintains our lot. He maintains us by His power,
by His grace, by His love. He does all things for us and
He does all things well. He said, I give unto them eternal
life, and they shall never perish. He maintains us. See what he's saying there? And then he says in verse 6,
the Lord praying unto his Father, the prayer of confidence, he
says the lines. the lines are falling out unto
me, not by lady luck, not by chance, not by mother nature,
the lines are falling out unto me in pleasant places, yea, I
have a goodly The lines of God's providence is what he's talking
about. The lines of God's providence, the Lord Jesus Christ said, it's
fallen out unto me just exactly as God decreed it, just exactly
as God has ordained it. It's not by accident. It's not by luck. It's by God's grace. the lines
of God's purpose fallen out unto the Lord Jesus Christ in pleasant
places. And then he says, I have a goodly,
I have a goodly heritage. Now here we see in verse 6 and
7 the contentment or satisfaction of faith. The contentment or
satisfaction of faith. The faith of the Lord Jesus Christ.
The lines of God's good providence, he says, have fallen out unto
me in pleasant places. I like what the Apostle wrote
in Philippians chapter 4, he said, I've learned in whatsoever
state I'm in, whether it's Kentucky or Tennessee, I've learned that
whatever state I'm in, up or down, happy or sad, whatever
state I'm in, I've learned to be content. The lines have fallen
out unto me in pleasant places. Although the Lord Jesus Christ
was a man of sorrows, acquainted with grief, much grief, he delighted
in accomplishing the will of God. He found a way of obedience
unto his Father to be a pleasant place. He delighted in that.
You remember Psalm 40? Turn over there. Psalm 40. Psalm 40, I want. He said, verse 7, then said I,
lo, I've come in the volume of the book, it's written of me,
it's written of me, the volume of the book is all about Christ.
I delight to do thy will, O my God, yea, thy law is within my
heart. Truly so. I like the words found in Hebrews
12, looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who
for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising
the shame, and is sat down at the right hand of the throne
of God. He could say, the lines of God's
providence have fallen out unto me in pleasant places. Calvary doesn't look like a very
pleasant place. just humanly speaking, but all
I tell you, the mighty, mighty work that God did accomplish
in the Lord Jesus Christ and Him crucified. And then the last
part of verse 6, he says, I have a goodly, I have a goodly heritage. The church, His bride, and innumerable
multitude of sinners saved by His glorious grace. These are
partakers of the divine nature, filled with all the fullness
of God. These shall dwell with Him in glory forever. And there it says, and there
shall we ever be with the Lord. He has a goodly heritage, His
church. Verse 7, I will bless or praise
the Lord. Praise as well as prayer was
presented to the Father. I will bless the Lord at all
times. Who hath, look at verse 7, who
hath given me, now watch this. I'll praise the Lord, Jehovah,
all at all times. Who hath given me counsel. My reigns also, my heart also
instructs me in the night seasons. The Lord hath given me counsel.
Now He is, as God, the mighty counselor, but as a God-man mediator,
He's counseled of God. I want you to find Isaiah 11,
Isaiah chapter 11, look at verse 1. As the God-man mediator, he received
instruction from the Father. He said, my doctrine is not mine,
but it's my Father's who sent me. Notice Isaiah 11, verse 1. There shall come forth a rod
out of the stem of Jesse, and a branch shall grow out of his
roots. The Spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him, the Spirit
of wisdom and understanding, the Spirit of counsel and might. The spirit of knowledge and of
the fear of the Lord. He learned obedience in that
he feared the Lord. Oh, these are glorious things.
The Lord had given me counsel. My reigns also instruct me in
the night season. He was fully instructed by God
and carried out those instructions to the letter. every jot and
every tittle. He honored God's law, holy law
on every precept. Now, in closing, let me give
you the last part of this, the assurance of faith, the assurance
of faith in His resurrection glory. I've set the Lord, verse
8, I've set the Lord always before me. In Acts chapter 2, verse
25, Peter quotes it this way, I've set the Lord always before
my face. because He is at my right hand,
I shall not be moved. I shall not be moved. Here's
the assurance of faith in His resurrection glory. These verses
are quoted both by Peter and Paul in the book of Acts and
applied to the Lord Jesus Christ and His glorious resurrection.
For He is the first fruit from the dead with many more to come. He is the first fruit from the
dead and His resurrection is the guarantee The guarantee of
His whole elect, all of His people. The Lord was not moved. Look
where it says there, the Lord is always set before my face,
because He is at my right hand, I shall not be moved. The Lord
Jesus Christ was not moved from His purpose to lay down His life
for His people. He set His face, Isaiah says
in Isaiah 50, He set His face like a flint. No one could turn
Him from His purpose and His grand design to lay down His
life for His people. He said, No man takes it from
me. I lay it down. I have power to lay it down,
and I have power to take it again. This commandment have I received
from my Father. When He began to teach His disciples
how He must go to Jerusalem, how he must be betrayed, how
he must lay down his life, how he must be raised again from
the dead, and they tried to stop him. Peter said, no, Lord, be
it far from thee. Remember what the Lord said to
him? Get out of my way. You're lining yourself up with
Satan. Get out of my way. I must lay
down my life for the people, for his sheep. And that's what
he did. No one could move him. He said,
I shall not be moved. Look at verse 9. Therefore my heart is glad. My heart is glad. He told those
women that day as he walked along beaten, bloody, and they, understandingly,
wept, sore, and he said, women, woman, don't weep for me. Weep for yourselves. Weep for
your children. Don't weep for me. He said, my
heart is glad. My heart is glad. This is why
I came. I'm accomplishing God's purpose
from all eternity. This is why I'm here. My hour
has come. My heart is glad. Oh, my glory,
my soul, we can read it. My soul does rejoice. My flesh
shall also rest in hope. Hope. He knew what was going
to happen in three days. He knew he was going to lay down
his life, and he knew the third day, you know, they mocked him
there on the cross. If you're going to build that
temple again in three days, let's see it happen. Well, just stick
around. He walked out of that tomb the
third day by the power of God. The Redeemer has complete and
total confidence, complete and total confidence in the Father's
promise and the Father's power to do all that He promised. Like
Abraham of old, being fully persuaded that all that God has promised,
He's able to perform. Therefore, he said, my heart
is glad. There is gladness of heart believing
the Lord God, believing the Lord God in His never failing promises. Oh, there's gladness of heart
to believe God. Oh, I tell you, to have a heart
of faith to believe God. And like Joshua, in his dying
words, you remember what he says here? Let me read it to you,
Joshua 23. Behold, he said this day, I'm
going the way of all the earth. I'm going to die. And you know
in all your hearts and all your souls that not one thing hath
failed of all the good things which the Lord God spake concerning
you, all are come to pass. Not one thing hath failed. You see, Joshua believed the
Lord, and his heart was glad, and his soul did rejoice. He knew his flesh would rest
in hope as well in the resurrection glory of the Lord Jesus Christ. His soul does rejoice. His soul does rejoice in the
Lord. I want you to turn and read this
with me. Find Luke 10. Luke 10. His heart was glad. He was obedient
unto death, even the death of the cross. In Luke chapter 10,
look at verse 17. Luke 10, 17. when he sent the
70 out, verse 17, Luke 10, 17. The 70 returned again with joy,
saying, Lord, even the devils are subject unto us through thy
name. And he said unto them, I beheld
Satan as lightning fall from heaven. Behold, I've given you
power to tread on serpents and scorpions over all power, over
all the power, over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall
by any means hurt you. Notwithstanding, in this, rejoice
not that the spirits are subject unto you, but rather rejoice
because your names are written in heaven." Now, read on, verse
21. In that hour, Jesus rejoiced
in spirit. He rejoiced in spirit, and said,
I thank thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that thou
hast hid these things from the wise and prudent, and hast revealed
them unto babes, even so, Father, for so it seemed good in thy
sight. All things are delivered to me of my Father, and no man
knoweth who the Son is but the Father, and who the Father is
but the Son, and he to whomsoever the Son will reveal him. His heart rejoiced. His heart
was glad, and then he says, ìMy flesh shall rest in hope, because
thou wilt not leave,î verse 10, ìThou wilt not leave my soul
in the grave, neither shall thy Holy One see corruption.î His
soul was separated from his body at death for three days. But
to be absent from the Lord is to be present with the Lord.
He told that dying thief, today you'll be with me in paradise.
But his fleshly body, as it lay in the grave, laid in the sepulcher,
saw no corruption, because he put away our sin by the sacrifice
of himself. You know, when this body dies,
I've got a friend that runs a mortuary, or used to, And he would often
tell us, as soon as a body dies, he would often tell us not to
touch a dead body without protection, because he said there is immediate
corruption. upon the body when it dies. But the Lord Jesus Christ, when
He died, He had no sin, having put away our sin. Although upon
Calvary's tree God made Him sin for us, but having put away that
sin, His body, His flesh saw no corruption. Tells us something
of the victorious atonement of the Lord Jesus Christ. delivered
for our offenses, yes, raised again because He justified us
by His blood. Thou wilt not leave my soul in
the grave, neither wilt thou suffer thy Holy One, He's the
Holy One of God, to see corruption. Verse 11, Thou wilt show me the
path of life, in Thy presence is fullness of joy, at thy right
hand are pleasures. Oh, the pleasures forevermore. This way of eternal life and
resurrection glory was first demonstrated by the Lord Jesus
Christ. He's the first begotten from the dead. He's the firstborn
of every believer, and He is the path of life. He is the resurrection
and the life, as He said to the Women, that day unto Martha I
am the resurrection and the life. He that believeth in me, though
he were dead, yet shall he live. He opened up the way for us through
his own flesh as the forerunner and has entered in. He's entered
into the Holy of Holies in the heavenlies and occupied the throne
of glory for us. The thought of being made the
path and pattern of life and resurrection glory for his people
rejoiced his heart. That will show me the path of
life in thy presence is fullness of joy, at thy right hand are
pleasures forevermore. In his presence is the fullness
of joy, Well, I reckon that the sufferings
of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the
glory which shall be revealed in us. 2 Corinthians 4 declares,
For our light affliction is witches, but for a moment worketh for
us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory. And that blessed
scripture that talks about those dying in Christ, blessed are
the dead which die in the Lord. Old Richard Baxter, preacher
of years ago. Some of you may have read some
things by him. Richard Baxter lay dying upon
his bed, on his deathbed. And his friends came to see him.
And they said, Brother Baxter, how are you doing? And here he's
laying in his last hours. And you know what he said? I'm
almost well. I'm almost well. He said, Heaven's
joys are without mixture, without measure, and without end. Eternal glory in Christ Jesus
forevermore at thy right hand. Who's at the right hand of God
Almighty? Who's on the right hand of His
throne? The Lord Jesus Christ. Oh, pleasures forevermore.

The Golden Psalm

What does Psalm 16 teach us about Jesus?

How do we know that Jesus was preserved by God?

Why is the resurrection of Jesus crucial for Christians?

What role does faith play in the believer's assurance according to Psalm 16?

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The Golden Psalm

What does Psalm 16 teach us about Jesus?

How do we know that Jesus was preserved by God?

Why is the resurrection of Jesus crucial for Christians?

What role does faith play in the believer's assurance according to Psalm 16?

Sermon Transcript

About Tom Harding

Comments

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