Having faith to trust (Quality: good)

[0:00] As the Lord may be pleased to help me, we would direct you prayerfully to Psalm 31, reading verses 14 and 15.

[0:14] Psalm 31, verses 14 and 15. But I trusted in thee, O Lord. I said, Thou art my God, my times are in thy hand.

[0:28] And deliver me from the hand of mine enemies and from them that persecute me. What a great gift is faith.

[0:41] Faith, dear friends, is that gift of God. We touched on in prayer, concerning in our day they speak of multi-faiths.

[0:55] You know, it's the work of the devil, the devil's religion. There's only one faith. And Jesus Christ is the author of it. And it's to his chosen people.

[1:06] It may be a stumbling block to many in our day when we hear of so many things regarding religion, regarding these gatherings together of these different religions.

[1:24] And it may seem that you feel, well, the strict Baptist must be all wrong. But it isn't, you know, there's much to exercise our souls in this day.

[1:40] Are we wrong? And they all right. But when you bring your arguments and your exercises to God's word, that there is the instruction, dear friends.

[1:54] There's the teaching. But you see, even then, we must have faith to believe in the purity and the entirety of God's holy word.

[2:05] Peter speaks about this in Mr. Philpott's portion this morning. All flesh is as grass. The grass withereth the flower faded.

[2:18] And we are like unto grass. But the word of the Lord endureeth forever. In forever, friends. There's no change with God's word.

[2:28] It endureeth forever. And Jesus is the word. And the word was made flesh. And dwelt amongst us.

[2:39] You see, the word was God. The word was with God. The word was God. And the word, you know, was made flesh. And dwelt amongst us. Jesus Christ, then, as the very sum and the substance of your hope and mine for deliverance.

[2:57] And if this God is your God, never mind what they might speak. They might even quote the truth of some of these other religions. But they don't adhere to it.

[3:08] And they don't believe to the purity and the entirety of it. And neither will you and I, unless the Lord teaches. But what a mercy to have faith in God.

[3:19] But I trusted in thee, O Lord David. A chosen vessel. A sinner? Yes. But we've all sinned and come short of the glory of God. We're all sinners in the sight of a holy God.

[3:32] But you know, there's salvation. There's deliverance from that punishment for sin. You see, the wicked die and they're remembered not.

[3:45] But the memory of the just is blessed. What a mercy then, dear friends, to have that faith. That trusting in one whom you have not seen.

[3:58] And yet you believe in faith. Trusting. You might put your trust in your physician. You've proved his kindness, his helpfulness to you.

[4:13] You've proved the means that he has prescribed to you, have been blessed to you. It's taken time, maybe. And so you had confidence in that measure in that man.

[4:27] You may have confidence in perhaps a certain place that you shop at or you purchase a certain item. You have faith.

[4:38] In other words, you believe that's a good make or it's a good name. These are only inferior examples, dear friends, and comparisons to this living faith that something deep down in your soul teaches you that he is the Lord God and he has shown you with remarkable signs and evidences in your life that he is God.

[5:07] He has brought you through some affliction, the means prescribed, the means given, have been blessed. And though you may have suffered a little season, you might have been in heaviness through manifold temptations in those things for a season if need be, but through mercy the Lord has brought you through.

[5:29] And by grace you can say, and faith hitherto hath the Lord helped us. Now this is ascribing unto God all the glory that is due unto his name, that he has thus favoured you with a little faith and that living faith to go again, to go again to the throne of grace and to rejoice in a little measure for his mercy and goodness that have followed you all the days of your life.

[6:03] that I trusted in the Lord. You see how David here was brought into this life. He said, my life is spent with grief and my years with sin.

[6:16] Or what have you and I been sighing over in this year? It's just passed. We've had things to rejoice over. Oneself in particular, with our dear one, a year of great rejoicing, but nevertheless tried, with afflictions and so forth.

[6:40] And you yourselves know, you know your heart knows his own bitterness. Those bitter things in your life, the balancing of the glass, the bud having a bitter taste, with you perhaps still is with you.

[6:58] You may be full of sorrow, you may be full of grief. Spent your year with sighing, not your years this year. It's been a year of sighing, of crying.

[7:11] Your strength of faith perhaps has failed in a measure because of your felt iniquity. My bones are consumed, says David.

[7:23] Oh, you feel such dry bones, don't you? In regard to life of the Spirit upon your soul. Oh, what dry bones you feel. And oh, what a mercy you know that the Lord does reign.

[7:38] These things that are a mystery to us. You know, but they're all known to God before they happen. We would have faith to believe in the calamity, in the vestry this morning, known to God, before it came.

[7:56] But oh, what a mercy you know that the Lord brings us through it. Satan tempts you, doesn't he? Can't have a service now.

[8:08] All the thoughts that went through one's hearts and doubtless some of your hearts when this thing happened. Yet you know, all know to God, my times, your times, our times, are in the hand of God.

[8:24] But what a mercy if you can have faith to say, thou art my God. Dry bones, Lord, can they live? Shall I ever receive that promise?

[8:35] Shall I ever receive the pardon of my sins? Shall I have the wherewithal to pay my bills? It comes down to personal things now, doesn't it?

[8:49] Shall I ever be able to keep my head high without being left to get into great debt? Shall I find also that I have that grace to endure?

[9:05] You know, you're so fearful, aren't you, that your riches might take wings and fly away? And you not have enough to make ends meet?

[9:17] You perhaps have a family, you perhaps have heavy burdens to carry, you're perhaps in great need of something or another, and you feel like this, poor David, I was approached among all my enemies, but especially among my neighbors.

[9:33] when you see their possessions and you get fretful and peevish, don't you, and concerned as to see the prosperity of the wicked, you become envious.

[9:46] But by the grace of God, you know, you still can't. I am forgotten. This is the utterance of your mind and mine. I am forgotten as a dead man out of mind.

[9:58] I'm like a broken vessel. Ah, he's given you a broken heart as in the contrition of spirit. You feel at the uttermost ends of the earth, but, all these blessed buts in God's word, but, I trusted in thee, O Lord.

[10:18] I had that little spark, I trust, of living faith, to call upon thy name. And I said, thou art my God. Thou art my God.

[10:30] That spirit of adoption whereby you and I can cry, Abba Father, Abba Father, my Father, my Father, blissful name, may I call thee mine.

[10:43] May I with sweet assurance claim a portion so divine, but I trusted in thee, O Lord. I said, thou art my God. what David must have felt, dear friends, when he was so persecuted by Saul, whom he acknowledged had been anointed by God as king of Israel for a season.

[11:09] He was not to know that the spirit was to be taken from Saul, did he? but he, he honoured him in that, what he felt was the office that God had put him in.

[11:24] But you see, how we have to prove, you know, that when the Lord's people have need, his goodness will find out a way. But I trusted in thee, O Lord.

[11:35] They devised to take away my life. Or you sometimes think, you know, that you have all these enemies, all these against you, all cry out against you, destroy it, destroy it, destroy him.

[11:54] But you see, the Lord God omnipotent reigneth. There's the secret of preserving, sparing mercies to you and me through another year.

[12:05] The Lord God omnipotent reigneth. And we come to this, my times are in thy hand. Oh, what a hand, dear friends, this hand that holds the helm and guides the ship.

[12:22] This hand, dear friends, that knows all about your pathway and mine and able to open his hand and satisfy every living thing.

[12:34] No, every living soul. He holds all nature in his hand. That gracious hand on which I live does life and time and death command and has immortal joys to give.

[12:50] What a God then to put our trust in and may the Lord give you and me faith to believe. It holds all nature in his hand, that gracious hand on which you live. Oh, what a hand it is.

[13:03] He opens that hand. He uses his hand to lead you forth by the right way. He uses his hand to feed you, provide for you, bless you, protect, preserve and keep you.

[13:17] Oh, what a God he is. And able to do far more exceeding abundantly for you above all of you, above all that you and I can ask or think, my times.

[13:30] Oh, what a mercy then to have such a sovereign God to go to and all our times are in his hands and all events at his command. Now, what a mercy to have that faith.

[13:45] That faith to put your trust in God and as he exercises your soul with this and that matter, this and that thing that concerneth you and me, he exercises your soul concerning it.

[13:59] And so, through the mercy of God, he is able to supply that need and will. Them that honor me, I will honor. They that despise me shall be likely esteemed.

[14:11] My times, the times then when the law began in working in your soul. The time when he quickened you into life.

[14:22] The time when he made you conscious of his very being. Ah, we weren't conscious of his being in our days of our childhood.

[14:33] Well, we were even in our youth. Oh, it was only as God shows you, as it's revealed to you that he is an almighty God, his hand.

[14:45] That gracious hand on which you and I live. He touches the heart. Or when he touched your heart, when he spoke to you through his word, it was effectual.

[15:00] There was an effectual calling, there was an effectual awakening from the dead. No longer were you satisfied with a formal Sunday. No longer were you satisfied with the round of service.

[15:16] But you began then to be in want. In the way the Lord met with you, quickened you, awakened you, exercised you, brought you back. And you had some felt persuasion that thou God seest me, looked upon my heart, caused me to ponder the path of my feet.

[15:41] And I began to realize that there was a God, the creator of the ends of the earth who fainted not, neither is weary and well doing.

[15:53] What a mercy to have such faith, to put your trust in this God, and to prove, and to be able to say with David my times. Not a minute, dear friends, not a breath that we breathe, but without the almighty hand of God in it, and my God shall supply.

[16:15] Here's faith and exercise, isn't it, in your soul? It's not a presumptuous faith of many religious folk today, is it? They're full of praise. Ah, you know, they won't be full of praise if they're the Lord's dear people.

[16:33] They'll be brought into the experience here, the psalmist, I am forgotten as a dead man out of mind. The uttermost ends of the earth in your feelings, you're cast down, you're so despairing, that the Lord will pass you by, and though you've lived this life, desiring to do that, that is right in the sight of God, remembering the Sabbath, and designed to keep it holy, though you have some of you lawful, lawful things to attend to on the Lord's day.

[17:11] But, this is what you want, the sweet evidence and assurance that you have been born a God, that you have been regenerated by His grace.

[17:22] Now, you know your calling dear friends, what a mercy not many mighty, not many noble are called, but God has chosen the foolish things of this world to confound the wise.

[17:36] Ah, that gives us a little hope in the ministry, friends, the foolish things, to confound the wise, the things that are not, to bring to naught the things that are, that no flesh should glory in His presence.

[17:51] I regret in our day, there's a lot of glory in the flesh and religion, but the Lord will bring you in that hymn that we sung this morning.

[18:02] I thought how apt for the occasion that we come this morning, that very hymn that a friend had been led to select, to open the service with. Ah, it's that pride and sound, that wretched pride, sin, dear friends, that pride and self must fall, that Jesus may be all and in all.

[18:25] So you see, this is the purpose of God's dealings with you and me as a son or a daughter, not a bastard, forgotten as a dead man.

[18:36] Lord, I begin to despair, you say, of any life in myself, but, we come back to that little word, but, I trust it, but God, you know, who is rich in mercy, he knows the way you and I take, he knows the trials, we come back again to Jonah, yet will I look again, look again, Jonah, like you have, you have, you flee, don't you, you took a ticket to Tarshish, he didn't want the ministry, neither does my nature, dear friends, you may think that a mystery, it's only grace, I believe, if I possess a little, it's only the Lord's instruction, that will, that has enforced me to preach the gospel, and go on preaching it, as we're enabled, or some seem to love it, but you know, dear friends, it's one thing that we, that seems to be contrary to my nature, what a mercy, dear friends, if the

[19:42] Lord has chosen us for the work, and we would not, we would not undermine that, but it's my card and mine, it's ever enmity to God, and the things of God, and while you're in that state of enmity, any of you here, you know you'll not have real love to God, will you, it's when he quickens your soul, when he gives you faith, when you say by that sweet grace in your soul of adoption, thou art my God, my times, you see it's being submissive and resigned to the will of your God as you cast your care, you're enforced to the sinner's friend, you're enforced to the throne of grace as a quickened soul, Lord make me to know and do thy will, teach me to do thy will, leave me in a plain path, because of mine enemies, ah you'll meet many an enemy, won't you, in this world of sin and woe, what a mercy to have faith and grace to be steadfast, to be unmovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, and that he might work in you and me both and well and do of his good pleasure, this God you say shall be our God, he will be our guide even unto death, now when you learn of these characters that you've known, that you've seen perhaps in your shopping days and they're suddenly taken, they're men of the world, they have shown much evidence of men of the world, we're not the final judge, it's true, but by their fruits you should know them, now what has made you and me to differ, if so be you have differed, why is this gift of grace and faith, grace and faith go together, he that cometh a God must believe that he is, he's given you faith to believe in him, put your trust in him, and you've been given that grace and faith to believe my times, times when he's saying ah, you know there'll be times, times to prove the tempter's power, in heaviness through manifold temptations if needs be, and all doesn't

[22:19] Satan get very very active upon ourselves, when we seem to be in such darkness, a broken vessel, the margin says a vessel that perisheth, Lord I'm such a leaky vessel, cannot retain what I hear preached, or what I read of these holy things, no and you won't retain it will you unless the spirit seals it upon your soul and then you bring it to your remembrance from time to time and the love of Christ in it that love is not past you and me by, I've been reading through Genesis you know of the plagues upon Pharaoh and how and Exodus as well and how all those plagues came upon Pharaoh and then and gradually you see how his heart changed until there was the stopping of the judgments falling upon his land but the

[23:35] Lord hardened his heart and it reads there the Lord hardened his heart has he hardened your hearts dear friends and mine or in those things that have made us hard have they made us hard the things that we pass through the times of God the times of sorrow the times of disappointment the times of sadness have they made our hearts harder have they made us bitter you know in the world there are many that we say they carry a chip on their shoulder they're full of bitterness because perhaps they've been deprived of something that they felt they wanted that their heart and their flesh lusted after been deprived of it they murmur and they complain with their lot their hearts are hardened to God but you know when the

[24:40] Lord sanctifies a trial to his dear people they know what it is to have a hard heart at times but they also know what it is to be blessed with that oil in their vessel you see the barrel of meal shall not waste and the cruise of oil shall not fail you know that that that little oil in their vessel oil you know indicating the spirit grace in your soul I trusted in the O Lord oh haven't you through this past year had occasion to bless God when you had a little faith may have been a great mountain before you you didn't know how you were going to get through it around it or over it it was tribulation to your soul a great mountain chain of trouble whatever that might have been but you see in the world you shall have tribulation you see it's who art thou great mountain when you committed that mountain before the

[25:56] Lord and you proved here that it was the Lord my times are in thy hands the appointment of God then for this great trial this mountain before he made it a play didn't he and some of you deny it this year that the Lord has made the crooked things straight the rough place plain the darkness light before you you stand amazed you can say thus far my God has led me on you have that humble hope you've had the spirit of adoption and say thus far my God has led me on and made his truth and his mercy know that as I trusted in the Lord my times have been in thy hand and I proved thy goodness in the land of the living thou hast delivered me from the hands of mine enemies though you may have further enemies before you in the unknown future what a mercy that

[27:03] God is ever your refuge and your strength a very present help in your trouble you've sought his face you've resorted to the throne of grace and often it's been as a last ditch hand I was going to say back to the wall when you could go no further from the Lord and the Lord at that uttermost situation you've been in when you felt you despair the Lord has reached forth his hand and he's delivered you you had to come with weeping didn't you and supplications will I lead them oh what a mercy you're brought into that uttermost ends of the earth feeling and weeping supplication Lord Lord I am like a broken vessel

[28:05] I am forgotten as a dead man out of mind sheer desperation in your cry unto God well he does require he does regard the prayer the destitute friend what a mercy to feel a destitute sinner of the life of the spirit of any hope of God being your God but I will be inquired of he says by the house of Israel to do these things for them you've seen all those plagues that came upon Pharaoh and Egypt that didn't touch the Israelites cattle or their land or their rivers and all those things that fell upon them you see that God was their protector he had a favour toward them and what a mercy to have faith to believe in this God and to seek him that he might be your helper that he might be your counsellor and your divine

[29:11] God my times are in thy hand you'll say then as you look upon those great blessings and his goodness that have passed before you in the way and to deliver you from the hand of our enemies and from them that persecute me ah be sure of it dear friends there will be those that will mock you and laugh you to scorn if you have the faith of God's elect it will be surely dried but but it will be the substance of those things hope and you'll be ever pleading to the Lord to bow down his ear Lord I'm not worthy that thou should come under my roof not worthy that thou should take notice of me for I am such a wretched sinner you feel it and you feel at times sin has procured unto you these trials but nevertheless nevertheless Lord do in thy mercy appear to me and for me and speak to my heart and assure my conscience of its part in the

[30:19] Redeemer's blood as you would be given grace to seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness and all these other things that you are in need of in your these necessities of life all these other things shall be added unto you what a good God he has been to some of you here and you feel to acknowledge him and see grace in all your ways to acknowledge him and find him directing your paths and your steps but I trusted in thee for what a mercy then to put your trust in the living God that ever liveth and ever reigneth and oh what God must see as he looks upon this sin stained world and sees the mockery the mockery of men that know nothing of regenerating grace as we said earlier they may speak some of the words of truth but all you know it's more than that isn't it it's the very truth burned into your very soul some sweet evidence of the power of

[31:35] Christ resting upon your soul and mine as you prove these times times yes the tempter's power to prove but times to taste the saviour's love and oh what sweet moments they are when the Lord so showers down those tokens of his love upon your soul you know you're going to strengthen that meat for many days as he drops a word of promise into your soul and mine and the blessing of the Lord so enriches your soul you can go in the strength of that meat can't you you can do all things through Christ who strengthens you and uphold you with that right hand of his righteousness and you prove the blessing of the Lord that enriches your soul or when you have to prove oftentimes Lord I'm a wretched vile sinner but doing thy sovereign mercy come and undertake for me but

[32:40] I trusted in thee O Lord I said thou art my God my times are in my hand you see these your times are not beyond the limits of his love friends you see if you're a chosen vessel you're filled to be a leaking vessel but a broken hearted vessel will be pleading for the Lord to come and restore unto you the joy of salvation you restore unto you that blessed promise and that gift of eternal life because there's nowhere else that you and I can go to obtain the blessing of the promise but to the Lord Jesus Christ himself who has promised that he would not leave you comfort this you see as we have passed to the end of this year the

[33:49] Lord has you have proved some of you been good to you he's given you faith to see and witness that it is the hand of the Lord that has gone before you he's been better to you than all your fears he's given you far more exceeding abundantly than you justly deserve and you bless him for it and you pray Lord give me faith and strengthen my weak hands of faith as spared to enter another year to see that it is thy goodness that is going before thee though there may be down sittings and uprisings though there may be adversity and prosperity there's one that is set over against the other nor do grant me grace to endure and don't leave me to say in prosperity I shall never be moved and leave me there Lord when riches increase to set my heart upon them but may I truly be given grace to be still and to bless

[35:03] God and to give me more grace and more faith to put all all my concerns to bring them to the mercy seat my times oh what a mercy you know and you'll notice this is not time it's times it is in the plural there are many things many times many situations that confront a poor sinner in the wilderness world unexpectedly arising in our pathway these things are a great mystery to us but I trusted in thee oh what a mercy then if you're putting your trust in this God whoever liveth and the eye of the Lord is upon them that fear him and he will show them his covenant and he will supply your need and he will not leave you

[36:08] David said though I am old and grey headed yet have I not seen the righteous forsaken nor his seed begging bread you won't beg it from man will you you'll be begging it from God if need be you're John Warburton he had to beg it from God and so will you and I have to beg this and that from God and all you know if we've got a big balance in the bank we don't have to pray so effectually do we for providence but you know we do need to be delivered from saying you'll never be moved we don't know what lies around the corner do we what cross there is to be but what a mercy to acknowledge yes you look on and see what God has given you and then you seek grace to deal wisely with those situations that you're in stewards of the gold and the silver stewards of the providential blessings that you've given and to seek you know to deal wisely in all matters times you know all these things all these events in your life and mine to commit to the way of

[37:29] God what a mercy when the Lord so blesses your soul and reward you accordingly that when with your blessings that you're bestowed upon the Lord's people or one and another in as much as you've done it under these the least of my brethren you've done it under me oh what a mercy then the blessed time of year in the giving of giving of these good gifts and to see to have that good gift of the Holy Spirit that'll be your reward won't it that'll be your reward as you render your carnal things to receive those spiritual things that shall satisfy your longing soul and prove to you that you truly fear God and that all your times and all your events are in his almighty hand for this

[38:31] God shall be my God our God and to have that faith strengthened with those signs and those wonders in your pathway signs and wonders as you look on and say this is the Lord's doing whether it be the gift of a child the gift of a partner the gift of something in providence you say this is the Lord's good this is the Lord's goodness this is the Lord's doing it's marvelous in your eyes our times time to be born time to die a time to sow and a time to rend and all those times that are spoken of in ecclesiastes and all these times dear friends are known to the Lord God omnipotent and reign and ought to be given that grace of submission to bow beneath his sovereign will all that set time that we look up to the

[39:41] Lord to in our day there might be a set time to a favor as I am that there might be many that shall be born here brought to the birth and brought forth constrained by the love of Christ to come and testify of what they believe the Lord has done for their soul oh you know it's a great mercy and privilege isn't it to have these times when you are born again quickened into life and given grace to run with patience the race set before you looking to Jesus and by the eye of faith you see him through a glass darkly but you see him and humbly hope that one day you might see him without a veil between but you might see him as he is and love him as you ought my times all blessed mercy then those things that you have many fears about in the unknown future things that you have to attend to that you cannot escape from but those things you know that cause you much trembling and much fearfulness in yourself and above all that time that is appointed of death and after death of judgment oh how will it be with me in the swellings of jordan you may feel that the sands of time are sinking it's a dread moment to you but oh if the lord puts underneath these everlasting arms you'll never fall into satan's den will you or his pen but you'll be found at last with christ in heaven for to live is christ and to die is gain but i trusted in thee oh lord i said thou art my god my times are in thy hand dear old david then knew what it was to be a sinner but he also knew what it was to repent to repent and believe his heart changed by an almighty god almighty grace arrest this and that man or woman or child and cause them to begin to be wild we have heard and read haven't we of the tragedies in the past week those ushered into eternity in a moment of time and oh how sad it is for those relatives and friends near them as even a young child even was drowned in that pond seeking a child and so to others with her and elsewhere to these solemn things these solemn events things or to be favored dear friends to know something of that gracious preparation be also ready for you know not what a day may bring for or may the lord then in his sovereign mercy deliver me from the hand of enemies that last enemy is death and what a dread moment it is but what a mercy with christ in the vessel ah that's the great secret isn't it christ in the vessel your hope of glory christ formed in my heart the hope of glory but i trusted in thee may he strength and then the weak hands of faith confirm the feeble needs so to them of a fearful heart fear not thy god will come with vengeance you see he needs to come with vengeance to drive out the devil the buyers and the sellers of your heart and mine but all may the lord drive them out and they come with recompense of reward and save your soul and mine from the bed my times are in thy hand what a what a mercy that we have such a god to go to he ever liveth he ever liveth as the lord jesus christ as the son of god co-equal with the father and all that that father gave the son the son was willing to die to satisfy the just demands of the holy lord that we might be delivered in the hand of our enemies and from them that persecute us and cause his face to shine upon you unto you therefore that fear my name shall the son of righteousness arise with healing in his wings that's what we need isn't it the healing touch the applied promise the visits of the lord jesus christ to confirm your soul as being a child of god as one that has that good hope through grace that i shall yet praise him who is the health of my countenance and my god but i trust in thee oh lord i said thou art my god my times are in thy hands we will leave at the time the lord had his blessing and forgive all of this amen