Fulfilling the desires of those that fear Him (Quality: Good)

[0:00] As the Lord may be pleased to help me, we would direct you prayerfully to Psalm 145 and reading verse 19.

[0:13] Psalm 145 and verse 19. He will fulfill the desire of them that fear him.

[0:25] He also will hear their cry and will save them. What a precious, precious word this is, friends, that in spite of all our sins, our hardness, our coldness, our deadness, our stubbornness, he will fulfill the desire.

[0:52] We would look to those whose desire he's going to fulfill, them, them that fear him. And who are those that fear him?

[1:06] Those that have been made conscious that in their sight they have sinned against him, light and knowledge, and are under the condemnation of the broken law.

[1:19] And they've got one day the exercise of soul that they're going to stand before the judgment seat of Christ. And none can escape. But those that have been given this filial fear, this reverential awe of the holiness and majesty and sovereignty of God will have their trials so sanctified to them that they tremble within at the majesty of God.

[1:50] And they will know what it is to seek to serve him and do that that is pleasing in his sight. And they painfully learn that without him they can do nothing because they have to say with Job of old, behold, I am vile.

[2:10] Oh, what a sad state then we're in by nature. And we cannot lift ourselves out of it though we may profess to be Christians or believers or whatever title we may take upon ourselves.

[2:24] It is only as the Lord himself will teach you and me his fear so he will exercise you and me to come with repentance and to call upon him and to be given that faith to believe when you do call, he will hear and that he will yet answer you with those exceeding great and precious promises.

[2:49] We have sung tonight two experimental hymns that I believe we should know what it is to walk through often and be very exercised concerning the language of these hymn writers that is that religion of God's elect and let no man deny it.

[3:11] Oh, how we need the Lord, don't we then, in his sovereign mercy to grant us these righteous desires you see, he says, man shall speak of the might of thy terrible acts.

[3:28] It is often, isn't it, referred to if some storm or some flood or fire befalls somebody's property or if it befalls villages or towns and parts of the country and affects people, they put it down or the insurance companies as an act of God and rightly so.

[3:55] But how many know what it is to speak of the might of his terrible acts. but I will declare thy greatness.

[4:07] The psalmist taught the fear of the Lord a sinner, a sinner saved by grace, a sinner brought to repentance, a sinner that had a new heart given him, though he still carried about with him a body of sin and death.

[4:22] Yet a new heart given him, quickened by the Spirit. You see, no man can truly say that Jesus is the Lord unless he take the veil away and breathe the living word.

[4:37] Oh, how we need then the Lord to breathe the living word into ourselves. The living word will exercise you and me with a hunger, with a thirst for the righteousness of Christ.

[4:50] The living word in your soul will be a word that shall exercise you into the steps you are to take. The living word of the Lord will so lay heavily upon you that you feel that thou art the man or the woman or even the child that shall be brought to acknowledge that he's an almighty God and tremble before his majesty and his sovereignty.

[5:21] Now, what a mercy then that we read here thou openest thine hand and satisfy the desire of every living thing. It is naturally but spiritually he will fulfill the desire of them that fear him.

[5:40] Now, what are the evidences that you and I have that we fear him? Why? We have eyes to see the eye of faith. We have an aching void.

[5:52] We have some circumstance that causes us to cry out not to man but to God. We see do we not to come to that secret place where the Lord you trust will pour in that you might pour out those desires under him.

[6:13] He will fulfill them. So this poor sinner this poor man cried this poor sinner brought to feel your poverty in religion.

[6:27] The Lord may abundantly bless you in providence but it's in your soul it's in religion. You're made to feel all that I knew where I might find him.

[6:39] It's a desire. Go on pleading it. You're fulfilling. What are your desires here tonight? The Lord has shown you your sinnership.

[6:51] He has made you to believe that he is God. Yes the devils believe and tremble. As I've said these acts in the world they say it's an act of God the devils believe and tremble but you're something deeper working in your soul you're made very conscious that there is a God one day you've got to stand face to face naked nothing to cover your sins and mine proving that your very righteousness is as filthy rags in the sight of a holy God all wretched man that I am he will fulfill the desire them that fear him so he teaches you and me his fear this filial fear not a slavish fear of the papists and all these other so called religions which are mockery to God but that desire in your soul as you fear him as you tremble as you exalt him as you acknowledge him as you long to know him and as you look for him to grant you his mercies you see we know we read often that his mercies are new every morning we quote it great is his faithfulness and all yet his compassions they fail not we read here the

[8:18] Lord is gracious and full of compassion slow to anger and great mercy but you know he's good to all too and his tender mercies are over all his works but those that fear him will be taught to cry unto him that he will fulfill their righteous desires their desires to do the will of God their desires to know him by name their desires to have some living testimony that they have been quickened into life their desires to know as we touched on in prayer anxious to know their sins forgiven and find an open way to heaven there be no open way to heaven but to those alone that have had their sins pardoned we cannot raise ourselves above sinful thoughts can we unless the spirit gives you these living desires unless the spirit breathes upon your dry bones and mine that we might be exercised in our souls concerning the

[9:33] Lord Jesus Christ as the one thing needful we go on speaking these things and we meditate upon these things in our minds but do we truly know what it is to fear God it will change your life you know oh I believe it will it will change your outlook on life it will change your walk and your conduct in life when you are truly taught to fear the Lord you'll be very exercised and concerned as to your dealings am I dealing wisely am I dealing right in thy sight Lord even in these minute circumstances don't leave me Lord to deceive another to deny another to rob another and don't leave me Lord to wear a rough garment to deceive as Jacob did his father

[10:36] Isaac a rough garment to deceive to deceive oh you know we might talk language we might talk religious language I know that preachers talk more publicly of course we might talk it in our lives but do we talk it glibly or do we talk it feelingly this exercise of soul to desire to do those things that are pleasing in the sight of God did we not speak on Sunday my mind cannot clearly remember but recently if now I have found grace in thy sight show me now thy way I think it was Sunday evening preaching this word my presence shall go with thee he said the Lord said this is the desire isn't it of you and me in our daily lives in our worship in our religious lives when we attend these religious things the services of God's house the private meditation or do we want to do we want to get the service over get the reading done in the morning and night whatever time you do it and that's it

[12:06] I can get on with my affairs or are you more exercised as you journey on with this desire of the knowledge of your a chosen vessel Paul had to come there that I may know him and this will be your prayer and mine if you truly fear the Lord it will be a daily concern quicken me Lord quicken my soul into life teach me to walk in thy fear teach me to do thy will leave me in a plain path because of mine enemies for on thee do I wait all the day long always living that life of faith by prayer is it not for you and me if we're a chosen vessel and so it's calling unto him in truth it's desiring that he will hear your cry that he will never leave you nor forsake you though often you have forsaken him and left him got carried away with some carnal temporal thing that is perishing for the using but oh this is the religion you and I will want won't you if you're a child of God some blessed evidence that these desires of your soul are to be fulfilled some blessed evidence that they will be fulfilled and they might be rejoicing when they are fulfilled so the desires of them that fear him to know him to be given grace to walk in his fear to keep his commandments and to forsake evil and to forsake those four pursuits wherefore he says come ye out from among them and be separate and touch not the unclean thing and I will receive you and be a father unto you and ye shall be my sons and daughters saith the

[14:23] Lord almighty the sons then and daughters of God will be taught this fear this desire and feeling conscious of the eye of the Lord is upon you you'll be seeking the righteousness of Christ you want him to say unto your soul I am thy salvation you want him to work in your soul and in your mind both the will and do his good pleasure now he will fulfill those right desires and they're those desires that you will seek daily after to know him to walk worthy of him and for him to supply your spiritual need and also your temporal need sometimes in crying for these temporal needs oh how frustrated you seem again the more you cry and shout the more he seems to shut out your prayer for deliverance from them and you go on and go on and go on waiting and still the Lord doesn't deliver you and yet you thought he'd shown you the way when you were to walk and yet still these clouds you enter and you fear as you enter them or you wonder sometimes where the scene's going to end you feel you bring shame and reproach upon the name of

[15:55] Christ you feel sometimes instead of relieving your burden perhaps in providence or in grace you seem to be get into deeper straits into deeper troubles you know the Lord will fulfill the desire and the desire of every believer every seeking soul will be that the Lord will appear that he will yet undertake for you that he will yet make that crooked thing straight for you that rough place plain for you and the darkness light before you Lord you say I'm overwhelmed I'm oppressed I'm cast down and yet you see the psalmist says he will fulfill and he preserveth all them that love him well you've sung tonight the language of some of their hearts

[16:57] I hope you can sing it with feeling friends I believe some of you can such a point it's a desire isn't it don't let it go plead it the time of love will come to those that have these desires to love the Lord Jesus Christ and to feel that he's the chiefest among ten thousand this is what I long for being able to say from an honest heart he's the chiefest among ten thousand he's the altogether lovely one he will when he reveals himself to you nothing else will separate or satisfy but the revelation of Jesus Christ and that everlasting love to your soul and mine he will fulfill the desire to disappoint it's a great point isn't it it's the vital point to know

[18:00] Jesus Christ does love you with an everlasting love nothing else will matter will it if Christ is rich and we possess that riches of grace in our soul what can you want beside that you say I have wants I have needs do you think the Lord Jesus Christ is going to let you perish and bring shame and reproach upon that name that you profess before men or would profess before men you may profess it not openly but in your soul and in your gathering in God's house and what a mercy dear friends the Lord knoweth the way that you and I take tis a point Lord tis a point after it causes anxious thought do I love the Lord or no am I his am I not Lord decided desire ever go on pleading friends you say well my prayers are so feeble

[19:09] I feel sometimes that my prayers don't go beyond the hearing of my own ears or beyond the room you know what a mercy if you get if you're dissatisfied with your prayers I believe a true believer will never be satisfied with his or her prayers they know what it is to cry they know what it is to have prayer squeezed out of the very soul Lord help me Lord help me or Lord help this one or that one you have loved ones you have friends laid on your heart you see them brought into trouble you cry to God that he will that it might be his will to drive out the enemy from their souls deliver them from those that despitefully use them and hate them and mock them and laugh them to score those that do not have compassion upon them you know shall not

[20:19] God avenge his own elect which cry unto him daily you know his elect will cry unto him because he puts in their soul the desire to pray and there will be desires to do the will of God and righteous desires David solemnly prayed in the psalmist about destroying his enemies one of his enemies was a hithafel whom he took sweet counsel with solemn thing isn't it to have to pray against your enemies but if you and I are made tender in the fear of God we shall commit them into the Lord's hand and pray that he might drive out Satan from their wicked hearts that they show compassion and that their hearts might be changed you wouldn't wish harm on your greatest enemy would you if you truly fear

[21:22] God Lord deal with him deal with him Lord drive him away but oh you know Paul speaks doesn't he about sending them to Satan to be tempted of Satan friends and if there's grace in their hearts that will alter them if there's grace in a sinner's heart that has seemed to be swallowed up with Satan you get wearied of serving Satan if he's one of the Lords and he'll have those right desires put in his soul to flee from the wrath to come to come out from separate you know we should not have a cloak of religion and live in sin if we dare to do that the Lord will deal with us real religion you know will will make you very very conscious of the eyes of the world upon you and the eyes dear friends of those that perhaps should be looking to you as an example it'll be make you very conscious heart so all the things that fall out in your life as you fear him will exercise you more and more with this righteous desire that he would hear your cry and mine and save us out of the hand of our enemies see the psalmist was very much concerned about this that we might be saved from the hands of our enemies now it'll be through much tribulation sanctified trials that bring you and me to see the

[24:17] Lord and cry to him daily Lord grant me those tokens of thy love this is my desire all my desire is before thee and your desires are this that you might be made right and kept right and that you might have some clear evidence that you believe in the Lord that you walk in his fear that you know the truth and the truth will deliver you as a promise from the condemnation of the broken law you see unto you that fear my name oh there's that desire in your soul to walk in the fear of the Lord what do we read it is an unctuous lie to all that's right and a bar to all that's wrong may the Lord so exercise us in this walk and conduct in his fear and he says he will teach you his fear oh what a favour that the Lord teaches his dear people his fear this filial fear this desire to walk in the under the felt exercise that the eye of the Lord is upon you and you're brought here with this language delight thyself also in the Lord and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart there it is isn't it the desires of your heart of a true believer are that you might be clearly led to walk worthily of him

[26:01] Lord I'm an unworthy sinner but give me grace in these righteous things to walk worthily of thee grant me grace to do things decently and in order and all do favour me Lord that I might be given grace to commit my way unto thee and to trust also for thee to bring into pass oh you know those desires don't you that you have in your soul desires then to love the Lord that we've been speaking of desires to bear witness that you've been with Jesus desires to bear witness of the wonders of his redeeming love as revealed to you desires that you might be made a true Christian desires that you might even keep his commandments desires that you might come and sit at table with him to partake of his emblems that all of us are unfit for and unworthy but all the fitness he requireth is to feel your need of him this he gives you it is the spirit's rising being and what a mercy you come in the fear of the Lord as a sinner a guilty weak and helpless worm not in the head in the very soul you tremble don't you you're you're not one to run without being drawn we don't run to the ministry without being sent the

[27:45] Lord leads doesn't he he gives you a spirit of grace and of supplication he leads you he guides you into all truth and these are your desires that you might truly be given grace to delight yourself in the Lord that he might in his sovereign mercy fulfill that desire of them that fear him you see he will also hear their cry they go together the faith of God's elect you see will bring you and me together at the throne of divine grace you see opposites meet don't they in Jesus Christ sinners and God in his righteousness as Jesus himself is that one mediator and he draws a poor sinner to the mercy seat and he bids him come and he pours upon him a spirit of grace and of supplication if they come with weeping and with supplications will

[28:59] I lead them you cry this real wrestling prayer of a poor sinner that you might yet have your mouth to speak of the praise of the Lord Lord I am oppressed but do undertake for me help me to still daily call upon thee and commit my way unto thee and exercise me with those righteous desires and Lord do fulfill them for he will fulfill the desire of the righteous them that fear me these are they that are fearing the Lord and the fear of the Lord we are told is the beginning of wisdom and if any man lack wisdom let him ask of God and give it liberally and upbraid it not let him ask in faith nothing wavering see we don't want to be tossed as the waves upon the sea it is being steadfast being steadfast being unmovable being always abounding in the work of the

[30:05] Lord he will fulfill then this desire and that desire which will unite a poor sinner to the Lord Jesus Christ and you won't let him go until he blesses you with those tokens of his love what a mercy then that we have in the word of God these characters and especially David who was ever looking to the Lord and looking for that happiness for he says happy is he that hath the God of Jacob for his help whose hope is in the Lord his God this righteousness then that a poor sinner will be looking to the Lord for to know to know him as their saviour to know him as the one that has gone before them to redeem them from the curse of the broken

[31:05] Lord he will fulfill it this is not something that may take place this is something that will take place in a believer's life he will fulfill the desire of you as you fear him as you wish to serve him as you humbly desire to follow him don't think don't think the devil's going to leave you once the Lord has given you a promise on the contrary we have to prove this that the greater the blessing the greater the temptation that follows it I believe that is so you know friend and oh sometimes we can so easily get wearied in our well doing but you know the Lord said be not weary in well doing for in due season ye shall reign if ye faint not that set time then for the

[32:13] Lord to hear your cry and save you deliver you in other words send answers to your very soul when you're feeling to be absolutely destitute prostrate before the Lord emptied of all self righteousness and pride and come with nothing sure I am dear friends that the Lord would never let you and me have any reserve of grace any reserve of faith it'll be grace will be sufficient for you as your days demand so shall your strength and mind be as he gives power only to them that are faint and them that have no might he increases strength great mystery dependence isn't it this is where he brings a soul with these desires of them of them that fear the Lord implants these desires in our soul and all there be much toiling and rallying seem to get into muddied waters we get into stormy waters and seas the Lord is able to grant you that he might command the waves to be still that there might be a great calm and there be those moments I believe in our lives when there's a great calm as the

[33:48] Lord calms your troubled breasts and you are still and you're persuaded that he is God that we will fulfill the desire of these characters that know what it is to be found groaning being burdened yet long to have the tokens of his love long to have that sweet assurance that they are chosen vessels that they might find him that they might have union and communion with him that he might suck with them and he would them you want to feed don't you upon fat things wine upon the least well refined and without him we can do nothing and you know you'll know what it is then when the Lord does draw near and comfort you those times when you could go here I believe in little and say every day will I bless thee and I will praise thy name forever and ever now these are seasons aren't they when the

[34:54] Lord so favors you with a great deliverance there'll be those days when you go on blessing God blessing him for his faithfulness blessing him for his goodness blessing him for his tokens in providence service and sometimes here little and there little blessing him for his grace to your very soul you feel he has a favor towards you in that he has shown you some token here and there for good and you've been strengthened in all with all might in the inner man to press on in the journey in spite of what opposition you meet you have this friend that sticketh closer than a brother and he hears your cry and will save them he hears their cry and will save them you see the force of their united cries power could no longer withstand that power then that he gives to a poor sinner that fears him the eternal

[36:09] God oh what a mercy he is without change the same yesterday today forever the eternal God is your refuge and he is a very present help my presence shall go with thee and I will give thee rest a present help in your time of need he also will hear their cry and will save them you have such a desire to ask for the old past you don't want any new fangled gospel you don't want any new bible translation you want the old past you want the lord to take the word and seal it you want him to open the mouth of the speaker and fill it not with his own knowledge that he's learned by familiarity you want the lord to send the servant you want the lord to unstop your deaf ears and open your hearts to receive it and indelibly inscribe it there because then it'll be something that will never be erased did jesus once upon you shine in some peculiar maybe spectacular way to you unusual way but in such a way that lord spoke to you appeared to you and for you and it's been something that has been received in your very heart you're persuaded of it that this was the lord's doing he'd heard your cry and he'd saved you in other words he delivered you he'd made a way for you where there seemed to be no way and he had blessed you in it because when a man's ways please the lord even his enemies shall be at peace with him ah that's hard sometimes perhaps to think that's possible with god all things are possible and unto you that fear my name shall all these shells and wills of jehovah ah that you know they shall yet praise him i shall yet praise him as you know we've had to prove this we've lived to praise him and bless him in providence and we trust a little in grace and though we seem to lack grace and still look to the lord to give us more grace but it's all according to his sovereign will and what he sees you and i are in need of his grace is sufficient and so that grace you know will exercise you in in being very conscious as we said earlier of the light eye of the lord upon you and me and his ear his ear blessed be his holy name his ear is open unto your cry open to your cry and all there be many heartfelt cries go up lord do keep my faith preserve me unto thy heavenly kingdom and give me grace in all my ways to acknowledge thee and find thee directing my paths they're the steps of the man of this man that fears him he is called the good man because he has that good principle within his soul as quickened by grace to serve the lord with reverence and godly fear and the steps of this good man are ordered by the lord and he delight in it and he delighteth in his way in the way of peace in the way of everlasting happiness and salvation from his sins because the lord in his sovereign mercy has taught him his fear and he's shown him his hands his feet and his side by the eye of faith and he's been melted down you see the law and the terrors do but harden all the while they work alone but a sense of blood bought pardon soon dissolves a heart of stuff this blood bought pardon there the knowledge that your sins are pardoned saved with an everlasting salvation salvation of the righteous is of the lord he is their strength in the time of trouble as we said earlier the greater the blessing the greater the temptation to the father you know you may on the main of temptation be tossed your sorrows may swell as the sea none of the ransoms shall ever be lost the righteous shall hold on his way you are clean dear friends to whatever the lord has spoken to you of whatever the lord has persuaded to you of whatever he's moved your heart to do so he moves your heart to worship him to come to his house to wait upon him to renew your strength to look to him to confirm your soul with that righteousness of christ and to know your number amongst these chosen vessels for the christian's hope shall never fail his hope is built upon nothing less than jesus blood and righteousness we dare not trust the sweetest frame but wholly lean on jesus now and this is the name that you will plead at the throne of grace this is the name the father loves to hear his children plead and all such pleadings he approves and blesses them in day he will fulfill the desire what a mercy if you have a desire it will bring you and me to the mercy see continually lord grant me the reality of this religion that i might feel that union and communion with them and that i might feel not only because there has been good to me in providence and i'm not left to settle down on mere providential deliverances and blessings but i might bless and praise thee for that good hope through grace that i shall yet overcome this body of sin and death through the merits of jesus that he might say unto your soul and mine son thy sins are forgiven thee daughter thy faith are saving go in peace that's the peace of god that passeth all knowledge of understanding that's the peace that jesus has left on record in his word my peace i leave with you because it's peace by his blood as jesus made the church his everlasting head for hell and death of victory won and with a shout the glory god over hell and death he's gotten the victory for such unworthy souls as yours and mine hold fast hold fast to the form of sound words that the trumpet of the gospel might be blown with no uncertain sound and that you might receive it into your very hearts that you might be able to say lord i bless and praise thee for those precious promises and that promise now that they was applied to myself and told me that thou hast redeemed me from the curse of the lord blessed jesus then to you and me it will be and your cup would run over there'll be such joy and peace in believing as he furnishes this table for you in the wilderness and blesses you with a crumb and with a sip of these wells of salvation because then you see as he fulfills these desires then with joy with joy he shall draw water out of the wells of salvation one sip will satisfy that longing desire of yours and mine won't it when jesus with his mighty love visits my troubled breast my doubts subside my fears remove and i'm completely blessed or may the lord in his sovereign mercy bless our souls that their cups run over from time to time that we are like these people of god that shall feel that we have been blessed with the pardon of sins and the assurance of heaven for happy is in that people that is in such a case yea happy is that people whose god is the lord but i must leave it there the lord had his blessing and forgive all of this amen let us conclude in singing hymn 916

[45:50] June Dismissal 671 oft as sins my soul assail thee turn thy eyes to jesus blood nothing short of this can heal thee seal thy peace or do thee good seek no healing but from gilead's sovereign balm nine th m is not on sail made turn thy eyes

[47:02] Thou Jesus Mine The saint's short of this man will be, Till thy peace all to thee prove.

[47:34] Seek no healing, seek no healing, But from ill of sovereign home.

[48:01] Should the tears of deep country stir, Like a tall road down thy rise, Beautiful sinners known in this show, Put in this great sacrifice.

[48:55] True repentance, true repentance, Christ to Israel, free him.

[49:22] May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, The love of God the Father, The fellowship of the Holy Spirit, Rest and abide with us each. Amen.