Okay, this evening now we're
looking at Psalm 3 and our study through the book of Psalms. The
title of the message for this evening is taken from verse 8.
And the title I've given to this message is very obvious. Found in verse 8, Salvation.
Salvation. Salvation is of the Lord. Salvation belongeth unto the
Lord, it's His. Salvation belongeth unto the
Lord. All of our salvation from first
to last, all of our salvation is entirely of the Lord. He is the author of eternal salvation. He is the author and finisher
of our faith. Our great God and Savior, He
planned it, this salvation that belonged unto Him, He planned
it. He purposed it. He purchased it with His own
blood. God bought the church with His
own blood. He planned it, purposed it, purchased
it, and He produced it. It's His salvation. Only that
which He provides, only that which He provides will He accept. We're accepted only in the Beloved.
Genesis 22 you remember the story of Abraham and his son Isaac
going to worship and Isaac asked the question my father. Where's
the lamb and he said behold my son God will provide himself
a lamb and he did The Lamb of God the Lord Jesus Christ John
identified that lamb that Abraham Said would come that God will
provide. Behold the Lamb of God that taketh
away our sin. Now this Psalm, this Psalm, Psalm
3, was given to David when his own son conspired to throw David
off the throne. Absalom, as we read earlier,
Absalom stole the hearts of the men of Israel. He did it by deceit
and deception, didn't he? and led a rebellion against his
own father, who was the king, a man after God's own heart,
David, the anointed, the blessed prophet and psalmist of God.
We read in 2 Samuel 15, the conspiracy was so strong, for the people
increased continually with Absalom against their own beloved king.
Anarchy. King David had many enemies to
come against him, even in his early life. King Saul, remember,
in his early life when he found out that God had put his blessing
on that young shepherd boy after the killing of Goliath. King
Saul sought to slay David many times, but God protected him
all through those days. The Lord sustained him, the Lord
blessed him, and later in David's life he had many, many enemies
come against him, but the Lord blessed him. The Lord defeated
all opposition that came against him. You remember how the life
of Absalom ended? He was slain in battle by David's
own general named Joab. Those who do rise in rebellion
against God the King will have a swift and certain end. And it will end in death for
the wages of sin is death. This psalm has certainly application
to King David. It's the cry of his heart. He's
broken hearted. But also this is a cry of every
believer in Christ Jesus. But this psalm also especially
has application to what I like to call the greater David. The greater David, the Lord Jesus
Christ. For could not we read, and could
not the Lord Jesus Christ say, Lord, how are they increased
that trouble me, and many are they that rise up against me.
The Lord had much, much opposition as He walked this earth as the
God-man mediator. He had many enemies rise in opposition
against Him, yet He is the mighty, conquering King of Kings. and Lord of Lords. And my friend,
we have victory over sin, death, hell, and the grave only through
this King, Lord Jesus Christ. The apostle wrote this, thanks
be to God who gives us the victory, who gives us the victory, it's
a given victory through His Conquering victory over sin and death. Thanks
be to God who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.
It's a gift of God's grace unto His people. Now, let's look at
verse 1. Lord, how are they increased
that trouble me? Many are they that rise up, rise
up, not to say thank God, but rise up against God, as we read
in Psalm 2. The kings of the earth set themselves
and the ruler take counsel together against the Lord and against
His anointed. They rise up against me. Trouble
is increased against me. David faced much hostility in
his day. And believers who stand for the
gospel of God's grace, believers also in this day face much opposition. We have strong opposition to
the gospel of God's grace. I tell you, you take a public
stand. for the gospel of God's sovereign
saving grace in the Lord Jesus Christ. I'm not talking about
something that you do undercover, but a public stand in the newspaper,
in the pulpit, on the radio, on the internet, take a public
stand and plainly declare that God is God, that he'll have mercy
on whom he will, and this religious community in which we live in,
and this country, this religious country in which we live in,
Tell you, those who are not made to bow to grace are in strong
opposition against grace because they're in enmity, they are enmity
in their heart against God. Remember the Lord's departing
words to His disciples found in John 15. If you'd like to
turn there, we'll read it together. John 15. John 15, the words of... The Apostle Paul to young Timothy
said, those who will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer
persecution. He's not talking about living
a moral life. He's talking about standing for
the gospel and contending for the gospel of God's grace. If
you stand, you will have opposition. Our Lord said in here, here in
John 15, verse 18, if the world hates you, you know that it hated
me before it hated you. If you were of the world, the
world would love his own. But because you're not of the
world, but I've chosen you out of it, therefore they hate you. Remember the words, remember
the word that I said unto you, the servant is not greater than
his Lord. If they persecuted me, they will
also persecute you. If they've kept my sayings, they'll
keep yours. But all these things will they
do unto you for my name's sake, because they know not him that
sent me. Those who are of God, heareth
God's words. But this is also true, not only
of David, opposition, not only true of believers, but it also
is true concerning our blessed Redeemer. As He went about to
accomplish our salvation, the Lord in the days of His flesh
sustained a constant barrage, a relentless attack from the
enemies of God. I turn over here to Psalm 22,
the Psalm of the Cross, Psalm 22. Just read just a portion of it,
beginning at verse 11. Be not far from me, for trouble
is near, for there is none to help. Many bulls have compassed
me, strong bulls bashing have beset me round, they gaped upon
me or gapped upon me with their mouths as a ravening and a roaring
lion. I am poured out like water, all
my bones are out of joint, my heart is like wax, it's melted
and missed to my bowels, my strength is dried up like a pot shirt,
my tongue cleaveth to my jaws, thou hast brought me into the
dust of death. These are the words of the Lord
Jesus on the cross. For dogs have compassed me, the
assembly of the wicked have enclosed me, they pierced my hands and
my feet. You see something of the anguish
of the Lord Jesus Christ. Trouble is near. Turn to Psalm
69. Psalm 69, look at verse 1. Save me, O God. For the waters are coming to
my soul. I sink in deep mire where there's no standing. I'm
coming to deep waters where the floods overflow me. I'm weary
of my crime. My throat is dry. My eyes fail
while I wait for God. They that hate me without a cause
are more than the hairs of my head. They that would destroy
me being my enemies wrongfully are mighty. Then I restored that
which I took not away. The Lord knew much about opposition,
didn't he? You read through the Gospels
how those religious men hated him. They went out one day after
the Lord had healed a man in a miraculous way, they went out
and held a council how they might destroy him. How many times they
tried to stone him, throw him off a cliff, put an end to this
one. And then finally they cried out
away with him, we have no king but Caesar. Look at verse 2 in
our text. Many, many there be would say
of my soul, there's no way, there's no help for this man. But there's
no help for him even in God, there's just no help. Now you
stop and think about that a minute. David's enemies looked upon his
case as a helpless, desperate case. There's none to help him. David has no friends. His God's
forsaken him. Many in religious circles will
consider Bile sinners as a hopeless case, won't they? Won't they
say, well, you know, he's sinned so much there's no help for him.
I've even heard some people say, well, he sinned away the day
of grace. Oh my soul. God help us. Many religious circle
will consider vile sinners as a hopeless case and there's no
salvation for such a man, a drug addict or a dope head or a prostitute. There's no help for them. Oh,
my friend, I beg your pardon. The Lord Jesus Christ came to
save the helpless. He came to save the hopeless. He came to save sinners. Sinners. He had the rebuke and the scorn
for those self-righteous Pharisees. He never one time turned a needy
beggar away. Not one time. You see, the Lord
Jesus Christ came to seek and to save the lost. This is a faithful
saying and worthy of all acceptation that the Lord came to save sinners. And Paul said, I am chief. He came not to call the righteous,
did he? The righteous don't need a Savior.
But he came to call sinners to repentance. In like manner, the
Lord's enemies belched out cruel taunts against him, didn't they?
Listen to these words recorded in Matthew 27, as he hangs on
Calvary's tree, nailed, so bloodied and so battered that
Isaiah, when he writes concerning that event there in Isaiah 52,
says that his vision is so marred that he didn't even look like
a man. He looked like a beaten piece
of meat nailed to a tree. Looking at him, you wouldn't
even recognize it was a man. And here's what those religious
folks, as they sat down and watched this gruesome sight, rejoicing
in their heart of their bloodthirsty, wicked heart. Here's what they
said. He saved others. Himself he can't
save. They said, off you be the King
of Israel. Let him come down from the cross
now and we'll believe you. Would it not? He's trusted in God, they said.
Let him deliver him now if he'll have him, for he said, I'm the
son of God. Such cruel, wicked, malice out
of the heart. What were they saying? There's
no help for God in him. Look at that. Look at him now.
They thought they'd won. Oh, no, no, no. They were the
losers. He's the victor. He's dying for
our sin according to the scripture. Without the determinant decree
of God, no one could have nailed him to a cross that day. Not
all the armies of Rome. All he had to do is speak a word
and they would have perished in their sin. Look at verse three,
but, but, here's this big word, but, B-U-T, but thou. Not but
me, not but we, not but the church, but Thou, O Lord. You're my shield. You're my shield
for me, for me, round about me. You're my glory. You're the lifter
up of my head. You're the lifter up of my head.
Here's a common phrase about God's salvation, but God, but
God, but God. You remember our study from Ephesians
chapter 2, but God who is rich in mercy for his great love wherewith
he loved us even when we were dead and in sin. But God, but
he says three things here, but thou Lord Jehovah is the word,
but thou, Jehovah, art a shield round about me." Remember what
we studied in Ephesians chapter 6, above all, taking the shield
of faith, that you may be able to quench all the fiery darts
of the wicked. The Lord Himself, Jehovah, is
our defense, protecting us, shielding us, and helping us in all things. Turn over here to Psalm 18, verse
2. Verse 1 and 2, I will love thee,
O Lord, my strength. The Lord is my rock, my fortress,
my deliverer, my God, my strength. Boy, look at this list here.
The Lord is my rock. He's my fortress. I don't know
what He is to you, but He's my rock. He's my fortress. He's my deliverer. He's my God. He's my strength in whom I'll
trust. He's my buckler, shield. and the horn of my salvation,
he's my high tower." That's good news, is it not?
He's the shield for his people. The Lord Jesus, while in the
flesh, was shielded from the rage of Herod. You remember they
sought to slay all the infants that were born there in Jerusalem,
and how Mary and Joseph had to flee the country. God protected
him even in his infancy. He was shielded from the rage
of Herod. The Lord Jesus was shielded from
the attacks of the Pharisees, who on countless occasions tried
to kill Him. And He would often say, My hour
has not yet come. You can't touch Me until I let
you do so. My hour has not yet come. Lord,
Thou art My shield. And then secondly, He said, But
Lord, Thou art My glory. You're My glory. God took David
from a sheepfold and that little shepherd boy raised him up as
a glorious king in Israel, even so the believer has been made
to sit and to rejoice in the glorious salvation given to us
in Christ Jesus. He has made us unto our God kings
and priests through His blood unto Him who loved us, washed
us from our sin in His own blood to Him be glory forever. and ever. He is our glory. He is our shield. And then it says there thirdly,
the lifter up of my head. The lifter up of my head. Well
the Lord Jesus Christ is the head of his people and he's high
and lifted up. How high and lifted up is the
Lord Jesus Christ? As high as you can get. When
He by Himself purged our sin, He sat down on the right hand
of the throne of God. That's pretty high. He's the
lifter up of my head. Christ is the head of the church.
He's the head of the body. He is the representative man
of His elect. He was lifted from the grave.
God has highly exalted Him and given Him a name which is above
every name, that at that name every knee is going to bow and
every tongue is going to confess He's Lord to the glory of God
the Father. It says in Romans 4, He was delivered
from our offenses and raised again because He justified us. He's my shield, my glory, and
He's my representative lifted up. He's the lifter of the head,
of my head. We have been raised up in Him
from the dunghill to inherit the throne of glory. Read that
1 Samuel chapter 2, Hannah's prayer talks about those raised
from a dunghill and made to be the princes and heirs of God,
joint heirs in the Lord Jesus Christ. Look at verse 4, I cried
to the Lord. Psalm 3 verse 4, I cried unto
the Lord. I cried unto the Lord with my
voice and he heard me. He heard me. He heard me out
of his holy hill. Stop and think about that a minute. I cried and he heard. God is
the living God who hears the cries of his people and answers
them sooner or later. What a privilege we have as His
people to cry out unto our great God who always answers prayers. You remember we studied again
in Ephesians chapter 6 about putting on the whole armor of
God? Do you remember that last one we talked about? Praying
always? Praying always. And this is certainly
true of the greater David, the Lord Jesus Christ. the Father,
He was always, how many times we read in the Gospels where
He kind of just went aside from the disciples and went alone
into a certain mountain and there prayed all night. He was a man
of prayer. He prayed unto the Father and
was heard. Listen to this scripture in Hebrews
5, who in the days of His flesh when he offered up prayers and
supplication with strong crying and tears unto him that was able
to save him from death, and was heard in that he feared. Though he were a son, yet he
learned obedience by the things which he suffered, and being
made perfect, he became the author of eternal salvation unto all
those that obey him. He cried and was heard. How about the prayers of the
Lord Jesus Christ? You reckon they're answered?
Well, certainly they are. Certainly they are. I like especially
that prayer in John 17. Don't turn, let me just get it
here for you quickly. You remember in John 17, one
of the things the Lord prays for, He prays for His covenant
people. He prays for those given to Him
in that covenant of grace. And then He says in John 17 verse
24, Father, I will that they also whom Thou hast given Me
be with Me where I am, that they may behold My glory. which thou hast given me, for
thou lovest me before the foundation of the world." Every time a believer
dies, that prayer is answered. I pray for those that you've
given to me, that they may behold my glory, for to be absent from
the body is to be present with the Lord. Death to a believer
is not punishment. Death to a believer is promotion.
For me to live is Christ, to die is gain. How is it? That's what the Word says and
that's what we believe. Now look at verse 5, Psalm 3
verse 5, I laid me down, I laid me down and slept. I wait for the Lord to sustain
me. Now you think about this, David,
here he's on the run, he has no home, he's out in the wilderness,
he's got those 600 men that are with him that he has total responsibility
to provide for him, and he says here, I laid me down and slept. How many times do we have a rough
day and we have heartaches and things on our mind and we try
to lay down and we just roll and roll this way and roll that
way. That's miserable, isn't it? I laid me down and slept. I waked for the Lord sustained
me. The Lord sustained me. David
in the midst of trouble found sweet rest. in the sovereign
providence of God. Jot this reference down and look
at it sometime. In Psalm 127 verse 2, you know
what it says? He giveth his beloved sleep. I've got a confession. Don't
tell anybody. But oftentimes when I have a
long night, and roll and worry and trouble. This verse often
crosses my mind. He giveth his beloved sleep. And I think, Lord, do you love
me? Am I your beloved? Am I his or am I not? Weakness
on my part. Look what it says. The Lord sustained
me. I awake for the Lord sustained me. We are kept by His power.
We're kept by the power of God. Turn over here to Psalm 121. Psalm 121. You remember these words? He will not suffer. Psalm 121
verse 3. Thy foot to be moved, he that
keepeth thee will not slumber. Behold, he that keepeth Israel
shall neither slumber nor sleep. The Lord is thy keeper. The Lord
is thy shade upon thy right hand. The sun shall not smite thee
by day nor the moon by night. The Lord shall preserve thee
from all evil. He shall preserve thy soul. The Lord shall preserve thy going
out and thy coming in from this time forth and even for evermore. The Lord shall preserve. The
Lord shall keep. The Lord shall sustain thee.
Now, I want to make another application to that in verse 5 and use this
in reference to the Lord Jesus Christ dying, dying for our sin
in verse 5. We can also make a glorious application
to the Lord Jesus Christ in death and also to His glorious resurrection
found there in verse 5. So, we can use that in the sense
that the Lord did lay down His life For his sheep, and death
is often referred to in the scripture as sleeping. Remember the Lord
said of Lazarus who had died, behold he sleepeth. The Lord
laid down his life, but he didn't stay dead. Did he? If there be no resurrection of
the Lord Jesus Christ, my friend, we have no gospel. We are no
hope, and we are yet in our sin. The Lord laid down His life.
He said, no man takes my life from me. I have power to lay
it down. I have power to take it again.
This commandment have I received of my Father. When they came
that day to the garden to arrest Him, with Judas leading the way
and all the soldiers, and they came to arrest Him, And he went
forth and said, Whom do you seek? And they said, Jesus of Nazareth.
And he said, I am. You remember what happened? They
just fell out to the ground. He had all power. They couldn't
touch him without the Lord submitting, submitting willingly. He laid
down his life for us. He, according to God, determined and his body lay in the grave
for three days and awaked with a glorious, glorious resurrection,
a glorious resurrection. Our Lord said in Revelation 1,
I'm he that liveth and was dead behold I'm alive forevermore. I laid me down and slept The
Lord sustained me and I awaited. The Lord sustained me. God the
Father sustained him and raised him from the dead. Turn over
here to Psalm 16. We see something of this here
in Psalm 16. Psalm 16, verse 8. I have set the Lord always before
me. Because He is at my right hand, I shall not be moved. Therefore
my heart is glad, and my glory rejoiceth. My flesh also shall
rest in hope. Now this is talking about the
Lord Jesus. My flesh shall rest in hope,
for Thou wilt not leave my body in the grave, neither wilt Thou
suffer Thy Holy One to see corruption. Death couldn't hold him because
he'd put away our sin. Look at verse 6 in our text.
I will not be afraid. I will not be afraid of ten thousands
of people that have set themselves against me round about. King
David was a man of courage, protecting his father's sheep from the lion
and bear, defeating Goliath with a sling, defeating a host of
enemies that came against Israel. But this was not owing to his
own power, but rather it's what the Lord was doing through him.
Turn to Psalm 27, notice this. Psalm 27, verse 1, the Lord is
my light and my salvation, whom shall I fear? The Lord is the
strength of my life, of whom shall I be afraid? When the wicked,
even my enemies, came, my foes came upon me to eat up my flesh,
they stumbled and fell. Though a host should encamp against
me, my heart shall not fear. Though war should rise against
me, in this I'll be confident. One thing I've desired of the
Lord, that will I seek after, that I may dwell in the house
of the Lord all the days of my life. and to behold the beauty
of the Lord, to inquire in his temple, for in a time of trouble
he shall hide me in his pavilion. In the secret of his tabernacle
shall he hide me. He shall set me upon a rock,
upon a rock." David had victory over the enemies,
but how much more the greater David, the Lord Jesus Christ.
When they came to arrest him, They couldn't touch Him without
His permission, without His will. And how much is also this true
in regard to the believer? For if God be for us, who can
be against us? Millions against us when God
is on our side, or as nothing, as nothing to us. Look at verse
7. Arise, O Lord! Arise, O Lord! O Jehovah, and save me, O my
God, for Thou hast smitten all my enemies upon the cheekbone,
Thou hast broken the teeth of the ungodly. David's only hope
was in the Lord our God. Here is our total confidence
and hope of salvation. Arise, O Lord, arise, O Lord,
O my God, and save me. For thou hast smitten all my
enemies upon the cheekbone, thou hast broken the teeth of the
ungodly. I can't help but think of that
gospel promise there in Genesis 3, 15. The seed of the woman,
the God-man mediator, has crushed Satan's head, power, and dominion. God has broken his teeth. God has broken his jaw. God has
crushed his dominion. The humanity of the Lord Jesus
Christ was broken in the process. He was wounded and bruised for
our iniquities, and with His stripes we are healed. But He
spoiled all principalities and powers. He made a show of them,
triumphing over them Himself. He has broken the teeth of the
ungodly. Lastly, verse 8, salvation. What we so desperately need and
what we cannot produce, and what's so vital to our very being, salvation. We have a Savior that indeed
saves. We have a Redeemer that indeed
redeems us from all our sin, and this salvation belonged to
Him. He purposed it. He planned it.
And His blessings are upon His people. This great and glorious
truth that shines throughout all Holy Scripture, salvation
is of the Lord. Let me show you another place
where you can mark this, Psalm 37. Psalm 37, verse 39. But the
salvation of the righteous is of the Lord. He is their strength
in the time of trouble. The Lord shall help them, deliver
them, He shall deliver them from the wicked and save them because
they trust in Him. This is the very point concerning
which we are daily trying to declare to all men that salvation
is of the Lord. Those who oppose the gospel,
the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ, they would say that salvation
belonged unto man. They would say that salvation
belonged to the free will of man. They would even say, and
some even assert, that salvation belonged to the church, the certain
church, the right church, the proper church, to give it to
whom the church sees fit. No, my friend, what does that
say? Salvation belongs to the Lord, to the Lord, not to man's
merit, man's will, or man's decision. The scripture declares that salvation
of the Lord, it belongs to him. He will have mercy on whom he
will have mercy. He prayed that in John 17, that
same prayer. Father, you've given me power.
over all flesh as a God-man mediator. As God, He has all power. But
as a God-man mediator in His mediatorial office, Father, You've
given me power over all flesh that I should give eternal life
to as many as You have given to me. Romans 9 says, I will
have mercy on whom I will have mercy. I will have compassion
on whom I will have compassion. So then, it's not of him that
willeth. nor of him that runneth, but it's God that would show
mercy." All of salvation, determined by God, dependent by God, accomplished
by God, applied by God, it sounds to me like salvations of the
Lord. God who has begun a good work in you, He will perform
it, He will perfect it, that which begins in grace will end
in glory. That's right. He's the author
of eternal salvation. He planned it, purposed it, purchased
it, produced it. He generously provides salvation
unto his people. Thy blessings, look what it says,
thy blessing is upon thy people. He has blessed us. I go back
to our study in Ephesians chapter 1. He has blessed us with all
spiritual blessings in Christ Jesus according as He has chosen
us in Him before the foundation of the world. The Lord's blessings
of grace and mercy are upon thy people. people freely given. He that spared not his own son,
how shall he not with him also freely give us all things? Romans
8, 32. Thy blessing shall be upon thy
people. What a joyful conclusion. And
then that little word again. You stop and think about that
a while. As someone said, was it Rupert that said in that last
message, stop and look for Christ? Is that what he said about Selah?
I can't remember. I think it's what he said. Stop
and look for Christ. Stop and think about Him. Think
about the Lord Jesus Christ.