Psalm 138, verse 8. I fully intend to spend some time
on this particular verse. In Psalm 138, verse 8, David
said, The Lord will perfect that which concerneth me. Not necessarily that which gives
me concern. There are a lot of things that
give us concern that the Lord's not going to perfect. He says
He's going to perfect that which concerned me. And not necessarily
will He perfect that that I'm concerned with and about. We
find ourselves concerned about some things that the Lord is
going to destroy someday. But it says He's going to perfect
that which really concerns me, that which is important, and
that which really matters to me and to His children. Because what is really important
and what really matters and what really concerns His children
is of great importance to their father. You can rest assured
that that's true. This is what Abraham meant when
he and Isaac were walking up that mountain. And Isaac turned
to his father and said, here's the wood, here's the fire, where's
the lamb? He said, my son, God will see to it. That's what
he said. God will see to it. And he named
that place Jehovah-Jireh, which is translated, God will see to
it. And this is what the psalmist
is saying here. That which really matters in
my life, my true happiness, in my true salvation and glory,
that which really concerns me, he's going to perfect. He'll
see to it. Top Lady, who I love Augustus
Montague Top Lady's writings and sermons. I used to have his
works, but I think my son stole them from me. He said he borrowed
them, but I haven't seen them since. That's been years ago.
But Augustus Montague Top Lady died when he was 36 years old. He wrote Rock of Ages, cleft
for me. And he wrote this concerning,
I believe, what I just read to you from the Psalms. The Lord
will perfect that which really matters in my life and that which
really concerns me. He's going to perfect it. And this is what Toplady wrote
about that. The work which His goodness began. Well, let me read the rest of
the verse. The Lord will perfect that which concerneth me. Thy
mercy, O Lord, endureth forever. Forsake not the works of thine
own hands. We are His workmanship, you know,
created in Christ Jesus. All right, here's Mr. Toplady's
hymn. The work which His goodness began,
the arm of His power will complete. His promise is yea and amen and
never was forfeited yet. things future, nor things that
are now, nor all things below and above, can make him his purpose
forego or sever my soul from his love. You see, my name from
the palms of his hands eternity will not erase. Impressed on
his heart, my name remains in Mark's of indelible grace. Yes, I to the end shall endure
as sure as the promise is given. More happy, but not more secure,
are the glorified saints up in heaven. They're more happy than
we are, but they're not more secure than we are, because He
will that which concerneth me. All right, let's go back to verse
1. You know that's what we like to do. When we read a verse,
let's go back and see that which led up to it. In Psalm 138, verse
1, David said, I'll praise thee with my whole heart. Now, I ask
this question. Dare any of us approach the living
God with anything less than my whole heart? I will praise thee with my whole
heart. If I can't praise him with my
whole heart, it'd be better to be still, wouldn't it? Idols
and false gods may be served with outward form and ceremony
and half-heartedly, but not the Lord. He says, my son, give me
your heart. Not part of it, all of it. My
heart is fixed, O God, my heart is fixed. You seek me and find
me when you search for me with all your heart." When that Ethiopian
eunuch asked Philip for baptism, what did he ask him? Do you believe
with all your heart? That's what he asked. If you
believe with all your heart, you may. God doesn't look on
the outward countenance, He looks on the heart. And repentance
and faith and love and worship is a heart work. As a man thinketh
in his heart, so is he. So I will praise thee with my
whole heart, with my whole heart. And blessed is the man, O God,
whose heart is stayed on thee, who waits for thy salvation,
Lord, That man, like Simeon, thy salvation will see. I'll praise thee with my whole
heart. If I can do that, I'll be heard. Before the gods, little G, will
I sing praise unto thee. And you know, David, think about
Israel, that little nation. surrounded by many nations, name
them, you can, Philistines, the Amorites, the Hittites, the Bezusites,
and all the rest of them, all of them with their false gods
and their idols and their pagan deities. But David said before,
all of these gods, I'll praise the living God. like David of old, we're surrounded
by new religions every day. I found out just the other day
there's a new religion. They've determined now that God
is a computer. You heard that one yet? A new
religion every day. California has one born every
day, a new religion, a new God. And in the midst of all of this
paganism and idol worship, David says, I'll sing praise unto thee. If others will not praise the
God of heaven and earth, I will. If others do not approve of praising
the living God, we will. And we're not going to turn toward
them in bitterness. It's only by the grace of God
that we are what we are. And we're not going to engage
them in debate and controversy. That just advertises the error.
The very best thing I have found is this. Preach His truth and
magnify His grace and exalt His name. That's right. And that's what David says here.
Before the gods and the idols, and the pagan deities and the
new religions, I'm going to praise Him, exalt and magnify Him, preach
His glory. A long time ago, I wish I'd have
paid more attention to it back then, but a long time ago I read
a sermon by Mr. Spurgeon in which he said, If you're trying to prove that
a stick is crooked, just lay a straight one down
beside it. That's all. And anybody with intelligence
can see that the stick is crooked. So that's our calling. Our calling
is not to advertise error or to call attention to it. Our
calling is to praise the Lord. and exalt and magnify his matchless
name. And watch this. One more thing. Before the gods will I sing praise
unto thee. Another writer said this, and
this appeals to me a great deal. I know the other is correct.
But another writer says this. Before the gods, the princes,
and leaders, and great ones of this earth, I will praise thee. In other words, when I'm in the
company of those who have human honor and human influence and
human power and human prestige, I will not allow them to intimidate
me or to silence me nor to cause me to compromise before the very
elite of this world. I will praise the living God.
Not arrogantly, not arrogantly, but humbly. I'm going to let
them know. I like what that old lady said
is reported. During the revolutionary uprising
and war, when the Redcoats were coming, and she ran out down
the road with her broom in the middle of all the men with their
rifles, and someone says, Grandma, where are you going?" She said,
to fight the British. And they said, you can't fight
the British with a broomstick. She said, I know, but I can let
them know which side I'm on. And that's what this man, he
says, he's talking, I'll let them know whose side I'm on. Don't let them intimidate me. And then he says in verse 2,
I worship toward thy holy temple. and praise thy name for thy lovingkindness,
for thy grace, and for thy truth." I want you to turn to Deuteronomy
chapter 12. I brought this out some time
ago, but I'll repeat it. I worship toward thy holy temple. You know, Daniel, when he prayed,
when he dared to When he dared to confront Darius the king and
his unholy law that he passed that no one was to ask a favor
of any man or God except King Darius for 30 days, Daniel opened
his window three times a day and prayed toward Jerusalem. And Jonah was in the belly of
the fish. He said, I look again toward
thy holy temple. He said that twice. Well, these
men weren't idolaters, they weren't praying like some people do today
to Mecca or some city, or to the east, to the sun. What was
in Jerusalem? The temple. What was in the temple? The ark. What was on top of the
ark? The mercy seat. What was on the
mercy seat? The blood. That's why, that's
why David said, I look toward thy holy temple. He's looking
at the atonement. That's the only way I can come
to God is through the mercy seat, through the blood, through the
atonement. That's the reason Jonah, he was in the belly of
the fish, but he said, I look toward thy holy temple. He didn't
know which side was up or which side was down. But what he said
in my mind, in my heart, I look toward the mercy seat where the
high priest put the blood. Makes atonement for my soul.
Look at Deuteronomy 12. beginning with verse 10. Now,
when you go over Jordan and dwell in the land which the Lord your
God giveth you to inherit, and when he giveth you rest from
all your enemies round about, so that you dwell in safely,
then there shall be a place which the Lord your God shall choose
to cause his name to dwell there. Neither shall ye bring all that
I command you. Your burnt offerings, your sacrifices,
your tithes, the heave offering of your hand, and all your choice
vows which you bound to the Lord. And you shall rejoice before
the Lord your God, ye and your sons and daughters, and menservants
and maidservants, and the Levite that is within your gates, forasmuch
as he hath no part or inheritance with you, no lot, they served
in the tabernacle. Take heed to yourself that you
offer not thy burnt offering in every place that you seest,
but in the place which the Lord shall choose in one of thy tribes."
There. He said, put the mercy seat on
the ark, and there I'll meet you. There I'll commune with
you. And Christ is our mercy seat, so we worship. We're not only to worship and
praise and adore the Lord God, but do it in His appointed way.
The Lord gave Christ as our tabernacle, Christ as our mercy seat, Christ
as our atonement, and to Him, in Him, and through Him we come
to God. You see that? That's what He's
saying here. Our worship toward Thy holy temple, toward the mercy
seat, toward the blood. And I'll praise thy name. Now
watch these two things here. For thy lovingkindness and for
thy truth, for thy grace and truth. His lovingkindness is
his grace. And grace and truth came through
our Lord Jesus Christ. And these are the two points
where men assail our God. These are the two points. His
grace. His sovereign, free grace. And His truth. is undeniable,
uncompromising truth, how He can be just and justified. Now
look at verse 2, the last line. For thou hast magnified thy Word
above thy name. God's Word, God's faithfulness,
is so dear to Him that He has exalted His Word above all His
protections. And I don't know I don't know how you can say
that any attribute is above another attribute. But I do know this. Turn to Deuteronomy 23. This
is the point he's making. What God promises, God will do. What God purposes, He will accomplish. What God says, He'll make good. Because all of His attributes
depend upon His faithfulness, upon His Word. Isn't that right?
In other words, this is what he's saying, God has so magnified
His Word as to call His Son by that name, the Word of God. God has so magnified His Word
that His perfections all depend upon His Word, all depend upon
His faithfulness. Now listen to Numbers 23, 19. God's not a man, He's not like
us, that He should lie. neither the Son of Man that he
should repent? Hath he said, shall he not do
it? Or hath he spoken, shall he not
make it good?" Brethren, that's the firm foundation of our salvation,
how firm a foundation is laid for you saints in His glorious
Word. God's Word will not change. He's magnified His Word above
His name. And no proof is more convincing
of that than a man's personal experience. Listen to David in
verse 3. In the day when I cried, He answered me. That's what David
said. In the day that I cried, He answered
me. There's nothing, no proof is
more convincing to a man than that which he experiences. He
heard me. The blind man who was made to
see, when the Pharisees came to him and gave him such a hard
time, this was his reply. Now you fellas hold whatever
opinion you choose to hold about Jesus of Nazareth, but I'm going
to tell you something. I was blind, and now I see. I know he keeps his word. I know
what He can do. I know it from experience. And
that's what David's saying in verse 3. He magnified His Word
above all His attributes and perfection because in the day
when I cried, this poor man cried, he said in another scripture,
he heard me. I was blind and now I see. Oh yes, I found out His grace. Listen to the next line. And
He strengthened me. with strength in my soul." I
tell you, a lot of your friends can't understand you. I know
what I'm talking about here. One of God's children gets down
in the valley, and God gives him grace, and God gives him
strength, and God gives him courage, and God's presence is with them,
and God strengthens and deepens their faith. And the nominal
religionist comes around with all of his PMA and so forth,
and when you talk about, God sent my trial, and God overrules
my trials and troubles, and God's given me strength, and this is
all good for me, and this is all in His will and in His purpose,
and He will accomplish my good, they don't know what you're talking
about. And you're a little bit hesitant
to tell them, because they can't understand unless they experience
it. And that's what David's saying.
His Word, His promise is so important, His faithfulness, that He's magnified
that above every perfection and every attribute. And the reason
I know is I cried and He heard me, and He strengthened me with
strength in my soul that I couldn't have gotten anywhere else. That's
right. I was blind. And I say, He enabled
me. That's right. That's the best. That's living proof. Living proof
that He's able. And I've watched it around here
through all these years. Yeah, I have. I've watched it
through all these years. Then He said in verse 4, watch
this, All the kings of the earth shall praise thee, O Lord, when
they hear the words of my mouth. Yea, they shall sing in the ways
of the Lord, for great is the glory of the Lord." Now, let
me see if I can help you with that. Look at it. All the kings
of the earth shall praise them when they hear the word of my
mouth. Kings don't usually have any interest in the word of God,
do they? You met any? Not many mighty, not many noble.
They usually don't have any interest in hearing the word of God. And
they have still less interest in His praise and in His glory.
They're interested in their glory and their praise and their power. Oh, you may find one here, one
yonder, one there. I stayed in the home of a medical
doctor out in Shreveport, Dr. John McLean, 33 years of age. loves the gospel. He's the one
that really set this meeting up. He's the one that paid the
rent on the building out there. He's the one that invited the
people. He's the one that presided. He's the one that brought me
there. We had 110 people the first night over in a ballroom
at LSU Branch Campus. He's the one that promoted it.
And he talked to me through the day, took off from his work for
three days while I was there to talk about the gospel, about
Christ. I said, I'm a good man to move to Iceland where I can
hear the gospel every Sunday, bring my children. I said, you
know something, doctor? Not many like you in this world.
You ought to every day when you wake up and every night before
you go to sleep praise God for calling you. How many doctors
you know down there where you work that love Christ? I said, how many of you know
in this town that love Christ? Or in this state? There's not
many. I know one in Lexington. I know
one over in Virginia. I know a couple in Louisiana. Ain't many. I can't find any,
very many kings and rulers and princes and powerful people and
positions of authority that care anything about the praise of
God. You know who I believe he's talking about here? I'm talking
about Jesus. We're not kings. Oh, yes, we
are. He hath made us kings and priests to our God. You know
what Scripture says? Well, let's read it, Revelation
chapter 5. Listen here. Listen to this.
It says in Revelation 5, verse 9, they sung a new song. You
don't sing what you used to sing, do you? You don't talk like you
used to talk. God made a difference in your
life. 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, and people,
and nation, and hast made us to our God, kings, right now,
and priests, and we shall reign on the earth. What an assembly,
all the kings of the earth. What a purpose! gathered to hear
the words of the Lord. What a preacher, David, or the
son of David. What a choir, kings below praising
the king above. And what a song, for great is
the glory of the Lord. That makes sense to me. All the
kings of the earth shall praise the O Lord when they hear the
words of my mouth. of thy mouth through my mouth.
Yea, they shall sing in the ways of the Lord, and they shall sing,
Great is the glory of the Lord." Now watch this. Watch this here. Though the Lord be high, and
my, my, that's a simple four-letter word for such height, isn't it?
Though the Lord be high. Though the Lord be high, who
can tell His glory, majesty. His name's wonderful, Counselor
of the mighty God, the everlasting Father, King of kings, Lord of
lords. Though the Lord be high, yet
has He respect to the lowly. Who's that talking about? That's
us, too. Now, I know in Christ we're righteous,
and I know in Christ we have no sin, And I know in Christ
we're accepted, and I know in Christ indeed we're sons of God,
and I know we're kings and priests to our God, that all this honor
and glory bestowed upon us is not ours, it's His. It's all
of His grace and not because of anything in us. And though
God in Christ sees us high, exalted, seated on the throne, In our
own esteem, we're low. Nothing. Though God thinks highly of us,
we think little of ourselves and less all the time. And though
he says, you'll never leave me, we don't have any confidence
in this flesh. Though he says, I'll never leave
you, we pray every day. Take not thy Holy Spirit from
thee." Isn't that right? And though He be high, so high
it's indescribable, yet He hath respect for those below them. And the lower, the more respect. Because the proud, He knows them
afar off, afar off. The proud, he knows from a distance.
He doesn't have to come near. He just knows it from afar. Our Lord said about that bunch
that followed him, he said, I know why you're following me. You
saw the miracles. But he didn't commit himself
to them because he knew what was in them, and he knows. Now
watch this next verse. Though I walk in the midst of
trouble, the believer's life is his walk. Let's examine this
a minute. Though I walk in the midst of
trouble, the believer's life is his walk. When you talk about
our walk, you're talking about our lives here on this earth. We walk in the Spirit, not in
the flesh. It's a walk. And the believer's walk is often
in trouble. Though I walk in the midst of
trouble, and he's not a bystander, he's in the middle of it. In
this world you shall have trouble. Yea, though I walk through the
valley of the shadow of death." David's troubles were real. Turn to Psalm 31. Listen to this
verse. Psalm 31, verse 10. And we can identify with this.
Psalm 31, verse 9. Have mercy upon me, O Lord, for
I am in trouble. Mine eye is consumed with grief,
yea, my soul and my belly, for my life is spent with grief,
and my years with sighing, and my strength palest because of
mine iniquity, and my bones are consumed." I know something about
trouble, trouble. But it says here, though I walk,
go back to the text, though I walk in the midst of trouble, thou
wilt revive me, Thou wilt revive me, thou shalt stretch forth
thy hand against the wrath of mine enemies, and thy right hand
shall save me." Paul knew something about this.
Don't turn to it because you're familiar with it. In 2 Corinthians
4, verse 8, he said, I'm troubled, but I'm not distressed. God has
spoken peace to my heart. I'm troubled. But I'm not distressed. He said, I'm perplexed. I'm uncertain. I'm confused. I don't see the
purpose of God. But I'm not in despair, because
he'll support me. Paul said, I'm persecuted, hated,
have enemies, despised, people who don't even know me. But I'm
not forsaken. I'm troubled, but I'm not distressed.
I'm perplexed and uncertain, but I'm not in despair. I'm persecuted,
but I'm not forsaken. I'm cast down like an earthen
vessel is cast to the ground. But I will not be destroyed.
Cast down, not destroyed. Why? Because He'll revive me. He'll revive me. He'll revive
me. You know, when Absalom did that
bad deed. David let him come back to the
capital city, but he didn't let him see the king's face. How
long? Two years? Something like that.
But he wasn't forsaken. He wasn't destroyed. He was being
chastened. And finally the great king let
him come back, didn't he? He maps them. But our Lord said,
though I walk in the midst of trouble, He'll revive me in His
own time. In due time, He'll stretch forth
His hand against the wrath of mine enemies, whatever it is
that's afflicting or plaguing me, or whatever evil spirits
or principalities. His right hand will save me.
That's Christ. Because He bought me, body and soul. He'll save
me. That's right. Because, verse
8, Here it is, three things. Here's our confidence. The Lord
will perfect that which concerns me. He's going to make it perfect.
You remember what Jim read a while ago? Let's go over there to 1
Corinthians 13 a moment. Well, what does concern me? What
is of the greatest importance? What matters most of all? Three
things. Verse 13, Now abideth faith,
hope, and love these things. What about faith? He's going
to perfect my faith. Verse 12 says, Now I see through
a glass darkly, dimly, but then face to face. In other words,
my faith one day will be perfected and will give way to sight. I'm
going to see Him face to face. I'm going to see Him. He's going
to perfect my faith. Secondly, hope. Now I know in part, my, that's my hope. Hope that is seen is not hope. Now I know in part, but then
I'm going to know as I am known. In other words, my hope is going
to give way to reality and experience. I'm going to be hope anymore.
When you have Him, you don't need hope. of Him. When you see
Him face to face, you don't need faith. Faith is going to be perfected
and give way to sight, and hope will be no more, because it will
give way to glory, experience. I don't need hope when it's mine. Love is still the same. But it will be a perfect love,
a perfect love. That's the reason He said now
about His faith, imperfect faith, imperfect at best, love, but
the greatest of these is love. And one day we're going to be
perfectly conformed to the image of our Lord. That's what concerns
me. That's what concerns me. That's
what is concerning me, and it ought to be what concerns me. That's what concerns me. And
I wish that that was more of a concern to me than some of
the things that are of a concern to me. But notice the last line,
I'll quit. The Lord will perfect that which
concerneth me, because his mercy endureth forever. That's the
reason. I don't deserve it, but he's merciful. He's merciful. And he's not going to forsake
the work of his hands. And if you'll let me read Philippians
1, that'll be the close. Because he began this work, you
see, in Philippians 1, 6, it says, being confident of this
very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you shall
perfect it, finish it, perform it unto the day of the Lord Jesus
Christ. Isn't that assuring? And gives
us great encouragement, consolation, and comfort. Let me give you something to
think about while we're receiving the offering. You and I would be horrified if a person claiming to be a
believer, a Jewish person claiming to be a believer, and a group
of Jewish people claiming to be believers in Christ would
erect another tabernacle. We'd be horrified. and another
altar, and another mercy seat, and slay another animal, and
say, well, we're just using these things to remind us, and keeping
another seventh Sabbath, seventh-day Sabbath. We'd be horrified. We'd
say, but those things are all finished, put away. Christ just
fulfilled them all. And you don't need these visual
aids. You don't need these things, these ordinances, these rudiments
or elements to remind you of Christ. We'd be horrified. But
now, wait a minute. Our Lord came and was born of a woman.
God used that woman to bring Him into the world, just like
He used those types to show Christ. And people today are elevating
her, and worshipping her, and calling her name. Hail Mary,
Mother of God, pray for us poor sinners. We're taking, people
today are taking the means God used to bring Christ. And that's
idolatry. And then He died on a cross,
a wooden cross. The shape of it is left up for
argument, whether it's this way or this way, whatever. There's
a lot of arguments about that. But we've taken that cross and
we've set it up. and made an idol out of it. People
wear them. They keep them all over church
buildings, and people kneel before them. That's idolatry. That's
just as serious as those Jews putting up another tabernacle.
And then the Holy Land, God sent Christ over there to a place.
He came, was born in a manger, and they're trying to find those
places so they can go there and worship. It'd be the same thing
as putting up another tabernacle. And maybe some of you have thought,
I'd love to go to the Holy Land. That land's not holy. This parking
lot out here is just as holy as that land over there. It can't
do a thing for you. Yes, it can. It'll do something
for you. It'll make an idolater out of
you. And that's the reason it's dangerous to try to find his
tomb, Calvary's mountain. People go over there and gather
around these places and kneel. And it's the same thing as if
we erected another tabernacle, I'm telling you. And the same thing is true of
me putting on royal robes or something and garments up here
and acting like a priest and dressing differently from you.
It's a subtle thing. It's a subtle thing. This is
what our Lord said to the woman of Samaria. She said, we worship
in this mountain. You Jews worship in Jerusalem.
He said, the time comes when you're neither in this mountain
nor at Jerusalem. They that worship God, worship
Him in spirit. God is a spirit. So when we're
talking about these elements, and don't go back to them, I'm
talking about any element, any rudiment, any carnal, earthly,
figurative picture. This is another thing about these
pictures. Our Lord was down here in a body,
and we don't know what it looked like, but we're painting pictures
of it and putting lights on them. My home church in Alabama, after
we left there and some more folks left there, they put a picture
of Jesus up here behind the baptistery, a picture, they said, of Jesus.
And every service, after the service was over, they darkened
the auditorium. and put spotlight on that picture,
and they'd have two minutes of silent prayer. That picture. That's pagan. And that, you say,
just does things for me, makes me feel so religious. It's dangerous. Makes you feel carnally religious.
That's why Christ, it's... And what I'm attempting here,
and what I have attempted, is to worship God in spirit and
truth. for God seeketh such to worship
Him. May He give us, may He deliver us from the subtlety of works,
self-righteousness, and false religion, having a form of godliness
and denying the power thereof. Our Father, bless this message
to our hearts. O God, may we afresh and anew
see Him, who's our great high priest, in his perfect sacrifice,
his perfect offering, putting away all of these ceremonies
and sacrifices and types and pictures, Christ our high priest,
Christ our mercy seed, Christ our offering, Christ our tabernacle,
Christ our life, our hope, our confidence, our salvation, and
we come to Thee in Him, worship Thee in Him. Teach us to worship,
teach us to pray. Help us to think on these things,
to find in Him all we need. Bless the offering, the gift
and the giver. Use it for your glory, for Christ's
sake. Amen.