Now I want to bring you a message
from Psalm 70. And I want to talk to you about God's
salvation. God's salvation. It says in verse
4, let all those that seek Thee, seek Him in sincerity and in
truth, let all those that seek Thee, talking here about the
Lord our God, God our Savior, let all those that seek Thee
rejoice. Rejoice. Why should we rejoice? Well, the very fact if you are
seeking Him, you have great reason to rejoice. All spiritual blessings
are found in the Lord Jesus Christ. Rejoice and then be glad. Be glad. This is the day the
Lord hath made. Let us be glad. Let us be glad
in Him. And then let all Let such as
love, let those who love God's salvation. And we know that this
book teaches that salvation, salvation is of the Lord. God
planned it, He predestinated it, He executed it, He applies
it, He sustains us in the way of grace, and He brings us to
glory. It's all His salvation. Let such
as love the Lord Jesus Christ, He is salvation. Not only in
Christ, He is salvation. Let such as love thy salvation. Here's what we say. Don't you
say this in your heart? If you love the Lord Jesus Christ
and love this way of salvation in Him, don't you say in your
heart continually? Continually. God forbid that
we should glory save in the death of the Lord Jesus Christ. As
David said in another psalm, Lord, not unto us, not unto us,
but unto thy name do we give glory and honor for thy mercy,
for thy truth's sake, as it's revealed in Christ Jesus. Now, we'll come back and look
at verse 4 in just a minute, but let us make some comments
on the rest of this psalm. Notice here in the title, it's
called a psalm of remembrance. We are to observe the Lord's
table and do this in remembrance of Him, remembering who He is
and what He did for us. Now I have to confess, often
times there are many things that we remember that we should forget
And oftentimes there's many things we should remember that we let
them leak out. We need to always be reminded
that God is God. That He's the absolute King and
Ruler and Sovereign in heaven and in earth. In creation, created
all things by the word of His power. In providence of Him and
through Him and to Him are all things to whom be the glory both
now and forever. We need the constant reminding
that God is God and that secondly, that salvation is all of God's
grace. Salvation is in the Lord Jesus
Christ. God is God in creation, providence,
and in salvation. Salvation is of the Lord. and
of Him only. And thirdly, we need a constant
reminding, a constant reminding what we are by nature, lest we
get puffed up. What we are by nature is what?
Sinners. Sinners. I mean through and through,
died in the wool, at our best state, altogether vanity, none
righteous, no not one. That's us by nature. But there's
a second reminding here of what we are, not only by nature, but
what we are and have been made by His grace. By His grace. He's made us by His grace. We're
adopted into His family. Now you think of that. Beloved,
now are we sons of God. And it does not yet appear what
we shall be, but when He shall appear, we shall be like Him.
You think of all that He's done for us. Adopted us and called
us. This is what He's done for us
by His grace. Made us. He chose us. We didn't
choose Him. He chose us. And He made us new
creatures in Christ Jesus. He adopted us and loved us. When
we were yet in our sins, Christ loved His own. And the Lord Jesus
Christ died for the ungodly. We need to be reminded of these
things constantly. constantly that God is God, that
the Lord Jesus is everything in salvation, and what we are
by nature, and what God has made us by His grace. He has made
us trophies of His grace. He set His affection on His people,
His heart, His love from eternity. And He came and died for them,
and saved them by His glorious redeeming blood that flowed from
His glorious precious side. Now, in verse 1, we have an urgent
prayer. Make this our prayer. Make this
your prayer. Make haste. Make haste, oh God,
to deliver me. I can't deliver myself. I can't
deliver myself from my sins. I can't deliver myself from the
justice of God. Oh, God, deliver me. And then
he says, make haste to my help. Make haste to help me. Deliver me. Now, who else is
able? Who else is able? He's able to save to the uttermost
all that come to God by Him. Who else is willing? He is long-suffering. Now, I'm not going to do like
a lot of folks do, quote part of that verse. God is not willing
that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.
But the first part of that verse is, God is long-suffering to
usward, and He's writing to the elect of God, those who have
obtained light, precious faith through the righteousness of
God. God is long-suffering to usward, not willing that any
should perish, but all should come to repentance. Who else
is able and who else is willing? Who else is able to keep us from
falling, and to present us faultless before the presence of God's
glory with exceeding joy. Deliver me, and then he says,
Lord, help me. I don't know about you, but I
need help. I need help constantly. You know, He is our helper. Hold
your place there and find, I'm thinking of a scripture over
here in Hebrews chapter 2, I believe it is. Hebrews chapter 2, turn
over there. He is our help. He said in Hebrews
chapter 4, let us come boldly, verse 16, Let's turn there first,
Hebrews 4, 16. Let us come boldly unto the throne
of grace that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help. Do you
need help? I need help. Help in time of
need. Well, when is that time of need?
I don't know about you, but it's all the time for me. Now, turn
over here to Hebrews 2, verse 17. Wherefore in all things,
verse 17, it behooved him to be made like unto his brethren,
that he might be a merciful, faithful high preacher in things
pertaining to God, to make, and the word here ought to be atonement
for the sins of his people, that he, that for in that he himself
hath suffered being tempted, he was tempted, tested in all
points like as we are, yet without sin, he is able to succor them."
Now what is that word there? What does that mean? I don't
normally use that word and it's not usually in a vocabulary that
I use. But He's able to succor them
that are tempted. You know what the word there
means? Help! He's able to help them. He's able to assist them,
sustain them, to bless them, to save them, to keep them, to
glorify them. He's able! Lord, help me. You're able and you're willing.
And He is able. And the reason why, back to the
text, the reason why we need deliverance, the reason why we
need redemption, the reason why we need salvation, the reason
why we need help is found in verse 5. I'm poor and needy. Does that sum up you? I'm poor
and I'm needy. Here's our plain confession.
Poor, spiritually bankrupt before God. Have nothing to recommend
me before God. Turn over here to Psalm 39. Look
at this. Psalm 39, verse 4 and 5. Psalm
39, Lord, make me to know my end and the measure of my days,
what it is that I may know how frail I am. I'm poor. I am poor. I have nothing. No
righteousness of my own, no goodness of my own, how frail I am. Behold, thou hast made my days
as a hand-breath, My age is as nothing before thee. Verily,
truly, every man at his best point, his best state, is altogether
zero. Vanity. You see, I'm poor and
needy. That's why I need deliverance.
That's why I need help. I'm poor. Spiritually poor. But you know what? If you really
know that, our Lord said, blessed are those who are poor in spirit.
And then he says, I'm needy. I'm needy. I'm needy. Oh, how needy we are. I'm in
need of grace. I'm in need of forgiveness. I'm
in need of His mercy. You know, the Scriptures teach
this. Maybe this will be a blessing
if you turn and mark this in your Bible. If you'll find Philippians
chapter 4. Philippians chapter 4, verse
19. I am poor and I'm needy. I'm poor, but you know what?
In Christ, I'm an heir of God and a joint heir in the Lord
Jesus Christ. You know the grace of the Lord
Jesus that though He was rich, yet for your sake He became poor
that you through His poverty might be enriched. And I'm needy. Who's able to meet all my need?
I have a great need. God is holy. I can't produce
holiness. But God demands holiness. I can't
produce it. Well, who's going to meet all
my need? And notice it's singular. Philippians 4 verse 19, But my
God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory
by and through our Lord Jesus Christ. That's how He meets our
need. I'm poor and needy. Thou art my help. And He is. You know, He's called the Deliverer.
The Deliverer shall come, He was delivered for our offenses,
raised again for our justification. It says in Romans 8, He that
spared not His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall
He not with Him also freely give us all things? You see, He took
my sin, and He delivers us from sin by taking our sin to Himself. He bare our sin in His own body
on the tree. Now, back to Psalm 70, look at
verse 2. Let them be ashamed and confounded
that seek after my soul. Let them be ashamed and confounded. He's talking here about his enemies.
David had some enemies. Let them be turned backward and
put to confusion that desire my hurt. Now, he's asking God
for help here to conquer the foe, conquer the enemy. Shame
and confound the enemy. Now, David had some real enemies
that sought to end his life, even in his own family. His own
son, Saul, kicked David out of the kingdom and dethroned him
for a while. And you remember the story of
King Saul, when David was just a young man, how Saul hunted
him and hated him. He said on several occasions,
there's a step between me and death. He said on another occasion,
he said, I feel like a hunted bird out in the wilderness. David
had some real enemies, but God confounded and ashamed all of
them. He killed Absalom. What happened to King Saul? Boy,
God kicked him off the throne, didn't He? God raised up King
David. You see, my friend, we pray unto God to take care of
all our enemies, all our enemies. God justly removed all David
enemies, and there are many enemies that would seek to destroy us.
Spiritually speaking, sin, our sin that we've committed against
God, is against us, charged to us. The law of God, which is
contrary to us. The law of God that we have violated.
You see, the Lord Jesus Christ took care of our sin. taking
it to Himself. And He honored the law of God
for us, magnified the law of God for us. Sin, law, and death. The Lord Jesus Christ conquered
all three that was against us. He satisfied God's law, honored
God's law, put away our sin, and He conquered death. He said,
I am He that liveth and was dead. Behold, And I'm alive forevermore. He said, because I live, you'll
live. That's our hope. Those who persecute
us and mock the Gospel and God we love, that might say, Aha! Aha! You know what God says?
Turn over here to Psalm 2. Look at this. Psalm 2. Why do the heathen rage? Verse
1. Psalm 2. And the people imagine a vain
thing. The kings of the earth set themselves,
and the rulers take counsel together against the Lord and against
His anointed, saying, Let us break their bands asunder, and
cast away their cords from us. He that sitteth in the heavens
shall laugh, and the Lord shall have them in derision." He will
take care of all our enemies. As Moses said, And God told him
to declare, stand still and see the salvation of the Lord. Now back to Psalm 70, look at
this. So let them be turned back and put to shame for reward. Reward of their shame that say,
ah ha, ah ha. Now verse 4, let all those that
seek thee rejoice and be glad in thee. Now who are these that
seek the Lord? Who are these that seek the Lord? I tell you who they are. Turn
back to Psalm 27 this time. I'll tell you who these are who
seek the Lord. Now, these folks are not playing
religion, not playing games. They're truly, sincerely seeking
the Lord. And here's the reason why they're
seeking salvation. You know, it's wise to seek something
where it's found. Mercy is found in Christ Jesus.
Look at Psalm 27, verse 7. Hear, O Lord, when I cry with
my voice, Have mercy upon me, have mercy also upon me, and
answer me. When thou saidest, Seek ye my
face, my heart said unto thee, Thy face, Lord, will I seek. Turn to Psalm 65 and look at
this here. Who are these who seek the Lord?
Well, they seek the Lord by the command of God. Our Lord said,
No man can come to me except the Father which sent me. Draw
him. Psalm 65, look at verse 4. Psalm 65, verse 4, Blessed
is the man whom thou choosest and causest to approach unto
thee, that he may dwell in thy courts, and we shall be satisfied
with the goodness of thy house, even of thy holy temple. That's the blessed man. chosen
of God and calls to seek Him. Those who seek the Lord are those
who God, in that covenant of grace, in that electing love,
chose them unto salvation. Those who are redeemed by the
precious blood of the Lord Jesus Christ, these are those who seek
the Lord. And those who God calls and quickens
by His mighty and powerful grace. And those who do seek the Lord,
Now, He said, let all those that seek Thee rejoice. Rejoice in Him. We are the true
Israel which worship God in the Spirit, rejoice in Christ Jesus,
and have no confidence in the flesh. We do rejoice in Him.
Rejoice in the Lord always, and again I say, rejoice. Rejoice in Him. Glory in Him. Magnify the Lord and be glad. Be glad. We do rejoice in Him
and we are glad. He has blessed us. Now you think
about this. He has blessed us above all people of the earth.
He has loved us. If God be for us, I brought a
radio message this morning from Romans chapter 8. If God be for
us, who can be against us? He that spared not His own son. But delivered him up, how shall
he not with him also freely give us all things? Who can, if God
be for us, now really, now think about it, if God's for us, who,
tell me who can be against us? We love God's salvation and we're
glad in Him. I'm glad that God is God and
beside Him there is no other. I'm glad that the Lord Jesus
Christ accomplished all my salvation, and I rest in Him, and I look
to Him." Now, this phrase here, let such as love thy salvation,
let them say, let God be magnified and honor Him. We love God's
salvation. I give you six reasons why. Now,
I won't wear you out with this. But here's six reasons why we
love God's salvation. Number one is this. We love God's
salvation because we've experienced it. We've grasped it by faith.
We possess it by His grace. And it has been revealed unto
us how God can be just, holy, and how He can justify the ungodly
in Christ Jesus. That's the experience of grace. Now, let me tell you this. An
experience that you had way back is not salvation. But salvation
by the grace of God is certainly something we do experience. He brings it to pass in our life,
in our heart, and He applies that salvation unto us. And it's
certainly something that we know about. We've experienced it by
His grace. We enjoy it by His grace. And
it causes us to leap with joy and look to Christ who is wisdom,
righteousness, sanctification, and He's our blessed redemption
to the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ. We love this salvation
because we're saved by it. We've experienced this salvation
of His total, sovereign, free, effectual, redeeming grace. Number
two, we love this salvation That is those who seek Him and rejoice
in Him. We love this salvation because
of the person of it. Salvation is in a person. We
love this salvation because Jesus Christ is the Lord our Savior. He's God our Savior. Salvation
is not only in Christ, He is our salvation. Righteousness
is not only from Him and in Him, He is the Lord, our righteousness. Our hope of salvation is not
only a good hope through grace, the Scripture says Christ is
our hope. He's everything. You see, it's
not only in Him, it is Him. In whatever realm you talk about,
in spiritual salvation, Christ the Lord Jesus Christ, He's everything. Redemption. Deliverance. Pardon. He is my pardon. Forgiveness. He is my forgiveness. Redemption. He is my Redeemer. You see where
I'm getting at? He's the author and finisher
of our faith. He's everything in salvation.
The person of it. Pastor Mahan has preached that
for years and years. Salvation's in a person. In a
person. Not a domination. Not a feeling.
Salvation's in a person. the Lord Jesus Christ. He purchased
our salvation at great cost to Himself. He is on blood. He is
the sum of salvation, the essence of salvation, the center of salvation,
the joy of salvation, the power of salvation. Mary said, My soul
doth rejoice in God my Savior. You remember Simeon in the temple.
And the Lord revealed to him that he would not die until he'd
seen the Lord's Christ. He's waiting for the consolation
of Israel. And they brought that little
babe, eight days old, in to circumcise him after the manner of the law.
And Simeon said, Can I hold him? And he took that baby, lifted
him up, and looked in his face and said, God, let me die. Let
me die right now. I've seen thy salvation. He is
the Savior. You see, salvation is in him.
He's the power of it, the glory of it, the sum of it, the essence
of it. We love this salvation because of the experience of
it, because of the person of it. Thirdly, we love God's salvation
because of the method of it. The method of it. What is the
method of salvation? Grace. Grace and grace alone. I told the folks this morning,
I wish You can't harp and preach salvation by the grace of God
too often, too much, or too highly. I'd like to be guilty of doing
that. Salvation is by the sovereign, free grace of God alone. His
unmerited favor. He loved me. Herein is love. Not that we love God. He loved
us. And He sent His Son to be our sacrifice for sin. We love
God's salvation because of the method of it. Grace. Grace alone. God who saved us. called us with
a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to
His own purpose and grace." Purpose and grace, you know those two
words go together. God's purpose and God's grace.
Where you see His purpose, you find His grace. Where you find
His grace, you find His purpose. They work in harmony. They're
one and the same. He works all things after the
counsel of His own will. Where you find purpose and grace,
you find salvation is given in Christ before the foundation
of the world. That's what it says. He saves
us with an everlasting salvation. Thirdly, that's the third one. We love God's salvation because
of the method of it. Substitution. Grace. No other gospel, no other gospel
than the gospel of substitution, satisfaction through the Lord
Jesus Christ. All of our preaching should be
saturated with Christ and Him crucified. Christ crucified to
just. dying for the unjust that He
might bring us to God? Can we be brought savingly unto
God any other way but through Jesus Christ, the just One who
has made sin for us, the just dying for the unjust to bring
us unto God? No other way. Such salvation
honors, adores all the attributes of God and gives us, poor and
needy sinners, Abundant redemption, abundant pardon in Christ Jesus. Fourthly, we love God's salvation
because of the object of it. The objects of it. What is the
object of God's mercy? Who are the object of God's mercy?
Huh? Sinners. The object of God's
mercy, sinners, sinners died in the wool. Our Lord said, this
is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptation that the Lord
Jesus Christ came to save, who? Sinners! Those who are well don't
need a doctor. He said, go and learn what that
means. I didn't come to call the righteous, but sinners. Sinners! To repentance. Christ died for
the ungodly. He came to seek and to save that
which is law. These are the object of His mercy. You see, the best way to magnify
God's glorious grace is against the black background of our sin. I'll illustrate it this way.
If you go into a jewelry store, some of you young ladies like
to do this. You go into a jewelry store and you ask that jeweler,
I want to see the best diamond rings you've got. And they display
those best diamond rings. You know what they bring out?
They'll bring out a black velvet cloth. And they'll lay that diamond
ring on that black cloth. And you know why they do that?
It magnifies the diamond. And that's what God does. Because
we're so sinful and guilty and wicked, it magnifies His grace
when we see the depravity of our sin and that gives Him all
the honor and glory in. saving sinners. We love God's
salvation because it's for the poor and needy, and that's me. That's me. This salvation suits
me. That's who I am, poor and needy.
Fifthly, we love God's salvation because the sureness of it, the
sureness of it. This salvation in Christ is certain
and sure. It's certain and sure. It's safe.
You know I like things that are safe, don't you? Don't you like
things that are safe? You wouldn't jump out of an airplane,
would you? Without a parachute? No way. Well, that's risky business.
You might land on something that would cushion the blow, but not
likely. You like things that are safe.
Now, you'd stay in that airplane. As long as it's going along okay,
you'd stay in there. It's safe. My friend, we can
trust the Lord Jesus Christ safely. We run no risk. None at all. By trusting and committing all
of our salvation to Him. All of it. Now let me show you
a scripture I think that illustrates that point. It's found in 2 Timothy. 2 Timothy chapter 1. 2 Timothy chapter 1. He says
this. 2 Timothy 1.12. For the witch
cause, for the which cause also I suffer these things. Nevertheless,
I'm not ashamed, for I know whom I have believed, and I'm persuaded
that He is able to keep that which I've committed unto Him
against that day." He's able. I've committed everything to
Him. He is able. You see, we run no risk in trusting
all of our salvation to the Lord Jesus Christ. Salvation in Christ
is certain and sure. Wasn't that David's last words
on his deathbed? God hath made with me a covenant,
ordered in all things, and is sure this is all my hope and
all my salvation. Salvation is by grace through
faith that it might be sure to all the seed. You see, we have
a sure foundation to rest upon. Whose foundation is this anyway?
I'm getting ready to pour a foundation tomorrow. I'm pouring a foundation
for a flood wall that we're building. And you know what? One thing
I know about building, you better have a good foundation. If you
don't have a good foundation, the flood water will just wipe
it off, wipe it away. This foundation that the sinner
has is laid not by the preacher, not by the church. This foundation
that the church has to rest upon is laid by God Himself. It's
designed by Him. I designed, me and some other
brothers of the church, we designed this footer And it's a good footer. We put it deep in the ground.
It's full of rebar steel, commercial grade. Every 12 inches there's
rebar this way and this way. And going up vertically too and
horizontally. It's a good footer. We designed
it to last and to endure the flood. But my friend, that pales
in comparison to the foundation that God has laid for us in Zion,
the Lord Jesus Christ. He said it's tried, it's precious,
it's a precious cornerstone. And he that trusts Him shall
never be forced out, never be ashamed, never be forced to flee
off this foundation that God has laid. Oh, it's a good foundation. It's a certain and sure foundation.
His promise of grace, all the promises of grace in Him are
yes. and in Him. And then it says,
Amen to the glory of God. I don't know what persuasion
you are, but this is my persuasion. I'm persuaded that all that God
has promised, He's able to do. You see, this is a certain and
sure salvation in Christ Jesus. He completed all of it. And that
leads me to my last point. We love God's salvation because
of the completeness of it. The completeness of it. Is there
something left for me to do? Do I need to bring something?
Do I need to add something to this salvation? Well, I just
mess it up. I just mess it up. We love God's
salvation because of the completeness of it. In Him dwells all the
fullness of the Godhead bodily and in Christ we are, we are
almost, no, we said complete, doesn't it? Nothing remained
unfinished. The Lord Jesus Christ said it
is finished. It is finished. Sin is put away. So much so that God said, their
sin, their iniquity, I remember no more. They're gone. Righteousness
established. Not by my doing, by His doing. He magnified the law. He made
it honorable. He is the Lord, our righteousness.
Reconciliation done. God was in Christ reconciling
us unto Himself. In Christ, the believer stands
complete, accepted in the Beloved, eternally. effectually and infallibly
saved, he said, they'll never perish. I give them eternal life
and they'll never perish. Anybody who does not love God's
salvation has to be a fool. Has to be a fool. Going about
to establish their own righteousness rather than resting in the Lord
Jesus Christ. He has to be a fool and a hater
of God's grace and a lover of his own sinful self. The writer
of Hebrews said, how shall we escape if we neglect so, so great
salvation? You see, we love God's salvation.
Now look back at the text. We love God's salvation, and
because we do, we say continually that we say this in every message.
I've been coming here for over a year. I preach the same message
every time. Let God be magnified. Isn't that our message? Let God
be magnified, but of Him are you in Christ, who has made unto
us wisdom, righteousness, sanctification, and redemption, that according
as it is written, he that would glory, let him glory only in
the Lord. You see, this is our watchword.
This is our everyday theology. Let us say every day continually,
God forbid, that we should glory but in the Lord Jesus Christ.
He decreed our salvation. He planned it. He executes it.
He applies it, secures it. You see, we get right back to
the bottom line, salvations of the Lord. And it gives Him all
the honor and glory. And that's the song of the redeemed.
Let them sing a new song. Turn to Revelation 1. And I'll
close with these two readings here. Revelation chapter 1, first
of all. You see, let Him be magnified.
That's the grand design of God in saving sinners through Christ
Jesus. His glory. And that's why we
sing that new psalm of redemption in Revelation 1, verse 5, from
Jesus Christ, Revelation 1, 5, who is the faithful witness,
the first begotten of the dead. He's the first fruit. And the prince of the kings of
the earth, unto him that loved us and washed us from our sins
in his own blood, and has made us kings and priests unto our
God and His Father. What does that say? To Him be
glory and dominion for ever and ever. Revelation 5, turn over
there. Verse 9, And they sung a new
song, saying, Thou art worthy to take the book, to open the
seals thereof, for Thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us to
God by Thy blood out of every kindred, tongue, people, and
nation, and has made us unto our God kings and priests, and
we shall reign on the earth. And behold, I heard the voice
of many angels round about the throne, and the beast, and the
elders, and the number of them was ten thousand times ten thousands,
and thousands of thousands, saying with a loud voice, Worthy is
the Lamb that was slain to receive all riches, wisdom, strength,
honor, glory, and blessing. Verse 13, And every creature
which is in heaven, and on the earth, and under the earth, and
such as are in the sea, and all that are in them, heard I saying,
Blessing, honor, glory, and power be unto him that sits upon the
throne, and unto the Lamb forever and ever. You see, every knee
is going to bow. Every tongue is going to confess that he is
Lord to the glory of God the Father. Let such as love thy
salvation, let such as love thy salvation say continually, Let
God be magnified. Rejoice in the Lord always. And
again I say, rejoice.