God overcoming the church's complaints and fears (Quality: Very good)

[0:00] Or, desiring the Lord's guidance and grace, I would draw your attention to Psalm 20 and this afternoon to verse 6 in the 20th Psalm, reading verse 6.

[0:38] Now know I that the Lord saveth his anointed, he will hear him from his holy heaven with the saving strength of his right hand.

[0:59] Now know I that the Lord saveth his anointed, he will hear him from his holy heaven with the saving strength of his right hand.

[1:14] Amen. This verse continues that theme of the confidence that we were considering in a measure this morning.

[1:32] It really expresses this confidence in the Lord's salvation, confidence in the Lord's ear that is open to hear those cries that ascend honestly, sincerely, and confidence in the Lord's great power.

[2:01] That power expressed in this wonderful expression is the saving strength of his right hand.

[2:13] You will see that the expression of confidence in the first clause is put in a very personal way.

[2:25] Now know I. And that we may think in various directions.

[2:39] It plainly indicates that there has been that process of enlightenment. enlightenment. We may think of it as reminding us that there was a time when we were ignorant and we didn't know these things.

[3:05] And maybe too it may remind us that there are times when we need quickening and reviving, when unbelief rises up and when we become dark and downcast in our spirits.

[3:26] But then the Lord enlightens and enlivens and enriches us. And we can say with David, now, now, now we know.

[3:39] There are surely those times with the people of God when they are brought low.

[3:50] There are times when they are lifted up and their confidence is renewed. When the psalmist says of the Lord saving his anointed, then we may think of this in these ways.

[4:12] Firstly, that the psalms do point us to the Lord Jesus Christ. We have the Savior's own word.

[4:25] He taught his disciples, opened their understanding in the psalms. They speak of me, said Jesus, the scripture.

[4:40] But we are reminded that particularly he spoke of those things in the psalms. And the apostles pointed out how David was that prophet and spoke of the Lord Jesus Christ.

[4:59] His anointed. Here he is set before us. And there is something that is very precious and yet very mysterious in the sense.

[5:12] How can it be that the Savior was said to be saved? And yet there is one, there is that sense of the word.

[5:26] And certainly he was heard. We are reminded in that very expression in Hebrews chapter 5.

[5:36] The verse tells us he was heard in that he feared. The word speaks of the Lord Jesus Christ.

[5:50] And then it speaks of his church. And then it speaks of those particular members of the church. His anointed.

[6:01] The Lord looks upon his church with that special favor. They are his. He has chosen them.

[6:14] He has appointed them to salvation. He has sanctified them. He has chosen them.

[6:25] He has chosen them. We were reading yesterday those words of Ephesians 5. Christ and his church. That he might sanctify it.

[6:37] Wash it. And the washing of water by the word. Presented to himself. His church anointed.

[6:49] Anointed. And they are to be blessed with his rich blessing. That grace poured upon them.

[7:03] That anointing of the Holy Spirit. He has given and does give his Holy Spirit. To those who believe on him.

[7:16] And those individual believers. Those who are his special people. He saveth them.

[7:31] First then we think of the Lord Jesus Christ. And we are immediately to consider how he was brought into that place of such overwhelming suffering and agony.

[7:54] And the holy mystery of that weight of guilt of sin that lay upon him. So that he cried in that prayer in the garden of Gethsemane.

[8:15] Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me. For you tread upon holy ground.

[8:28] For you are not in any way to imagine that the Saviour was unwilling. I am sure that is not to be read into it.

[8:39] For everywhere the word expresses that willingness of the Saviour. I lay down my life. Said Jesus. And he adds, no man taketh it from me.

[8:52] I lay it down of myself. I have power to lay it down. And I have power to take it again. They are very direct words.

[9:02] They insist upon the voluntary nature of his suffering. In the behalf of sinners.

[9:15] And that is something greatly important. And yet, in that mysterious way, the burden was so great.

[9:26] The load so infinite. Such an immensity of suffering that the Saviour cries out in that prayer. And there was an angel from heaven strengthening him.

[9:45] Saved. The Lord saveth his anointed. Saved. The Lord saveth his anointed. And he said, Look again at the words in the epistle to the Hebrews.

[10:01] And verse 7. Who in the days of his flesh, when he had offered up prayers and supplications with strong crying and tears, And to him that was able to save him from death.

[10:21] Able to save him from death. There again is another great mystery in those words. Able to save him from death.

[10:34] But you may say he didn't save him from death. No. Not in that sense that he must needs die.

[10:48] And the Saviour pointed that out to his disciples. Peter, you know, was for saying, This be far from thee.

[11:00] This shall not happen. For Christ to die. To be taken by wicked hands. And crucified. And you know how the Lord turned upon Peter and said, Get thee behind me, Satan.

[11:20] Though savourest not the things that be of God, but those that be of men. There must be. He insisted this suffering.

[11:33] This death of the cross. The Son of Man must be lifted up. He pointed out, as those sweet words at the end of Luke's Gospel, Tell us to his sorrowing apostles, The necessity.

[11:55] How he said to them, O fools, and slow apart to believe all that the prophets have spoken. Ought not Christ to have suffered these things, And to enter into his glory.

[12:13] And then, again in verse 46, As he gathered in the upper room with them, We find him saying, Thus it is written, And thus it behoved Christ to suffer, And to rise from the dead the third day.

[12:31] So, again, he is saying, Of that necessity of his death, That death of the cross. But the Lord saved.

[12:43] Saved. Saved his anointed. But God raised him from the dead. And there is a great sense of triumph and victory in that expression.

[13:01] Simple in its wording, But so profound. He died. He was put to death. But God raised him from the dead. Him, says Peter, Him, being delivered by the determinate counsel and foreknowledge of God, Ye have taken and crucified, Whom God raised from the dead.

[13:30] Because it was not possible that he should be holden of it. Saved. He was saved. The Lord saveth his anointed.

[13:45] And heard, Was heard, In that he feared. He will hear him from his holy heaven.

[13:57] In Psalm 22, We have the similar sense. At first, There is that mystery of the hiding of God's face from his own dear son.

[14:15] That is, As I understand it in the favor, And the sweetness and the smile of it. Why, My God, My God, Why hast thou forsaken me?

[14:30] Why, Hast thou, Why art thou so far from helping me, And from the words of my roaring? O my God, I cry in the daytime, But thou hearest not.

[14:44] And it seems, And it seems, A complete desolation. And yet we find, Later, In the psalm, That there was, That hearing, Verse 24, Ye hath not despised, Nor abhorred, The affliction of the afflicted, Neither hath he hid his face from him.

[15:12] But when he cried unto him, He heard. Again, The paradox, Isn't it?

[15:24] And yet it is, A very blessed and wonderful paradox, And it is for our sakes, Remember, It is for the sake of sinners. It was for sinners, That he hung there.

[15:37] It was for sinners, That he endured. That he cried, In that awful agony. It was for sinners, That he endured, Such a death, And triumphed over it, And was heard, Of his father.

[16:00] Yet, We, We, Cannot, Cannot, Fully comprehend, The greatness of this.

[16:12] But let me, Just say to you, I believe, Both, Are true. Both are true. There was, That sense, Of awful desolation, Such as we can, Hardly, In any way, Imagine.

[16:29] And yet, The presence of the Lord, That strength afforded, That deliverance, He heard, He was heard.

[16:45] But when, He cried unto him, He heard. We find, The prophet, Jeremiah, Complaining, In a similar way, In the, Book of the Lamentations, In chapter 3, He, Speaks in those earlier verses, Also when I cry, And shout, Verse 8, He shutteth out my prayer, But then, We find, Later on, Again, There is, That reversal, That understanding, Though it may seem, That the, Face, Of the Lord, Is against, Though it may seem, As though, He does not hear, Though it may seem, As though, Our prayers, Do not enter in, Yet, There is that hearing, Look at verses, 55 and 56,

[17:50] I called upon thy name, O Lord, Out of the low dungeon, Thou hast heard my voice, Hide not thy face, At my breathing, At my cry, Thou drewest near, In the day, That I called upon thee, Thou saidst, Fear not, It is sometimes, With the church of God, Like that, And sometimes, With individual, Believers in that way, That they feel, In their measure, That the, Their prayers are not heard, They feel, That they, Are in the darkness, There is a cloud, There, There seems to be, Perhaps, No answer, Remember a dear, Man of God, Some years ago, Speaking, Upon Elijah, On Mount Carmel,

[18:54] He sent his servant, To look out, To see, To the servant return, There is nothing, It seemed to be, A very final expression, There is nothing, But said Elijah, Go again, Seven times, And on the seventh occasion, There was a cloud, It was only the size, Of a man's hand, We are told, But it was, The harbinger, That great rain, That which, Was soon to come, How quickly, It developed, And, The rain, Came, Upon the earth, Again, So, It was an encouraging word, There is nothing, We may, Be, Discouraged, And, Tempted to give up,

[19:55] When we think, In those terms, There is nothing, But, Go again, Seven times, There seemed, Nothing for that, Woman, Who came with her, Case, To the Lord, Lord help me, And, The disciples, Were for turning her away, And, The first, Response, Of the Lord, Seemed, But cool to her, But she was not discouraged, And not deterred, And persisted, In her, Supplication, Then, Came she, And, Worshipped him, And said, Lord help me, And you know, That she was heard, Even though it seemed, At first, That she was not, Indeed, How the Lord, Commended her faith, O woman, Great is thy faith,

[20:58] Be it unto thee, Even as thou wilt, Now, Know I, It is a great thing, To be able to say, Now, We know, There was a time, When we did not know, It may be that, It has been a gradual, Enlightenment, It may be, That with some, It has been, That, Very, Deep, And drastic, And, Dramatic, Change, As it was, With Saul of Tarsus, But the Lord, Works in, A variety, Of ways, To the same end, We need, Enlightening, We are born, In that darkness, Of unbelief, We do not, Know, The natural man,

[21:58] Receiveth not, The things, Of the spirit, Of God, Their foolishness, Unto him, Neither can he, Know them, They are spiritually, Deserned, How, Do we know then, How can we know, These things, By, That enlightenment, Of the Lord, He, Opens the eyes, To see, He opens, The heart, To understand, The entrance, Of his word, Gives, Gives light, And understanding, To the simple, It brings, It brings, That knowledge, Of the Lord, Jesus Christ, It brings, The knowledge, Of salvation, The knowledge, Of salvation, But, Zacharias, Put it, In that way, In, His song, Of thanksgiving, Recorded, At the end, Of Luke, Chapter 1,

[22:59] Thou child, Shall be called, The prophet, Of the highest, For thou shalt go, Before the face, Of the Lord, To prepare, His ways, To give, The knowledge, Of salvation, Unto his people, By the remission, Of their sins, Through, The tender mercy, Of God, Of our God, Whereby, The day spring, From on high, Hath visited us, To give light, To them, That sit in darkness, And in the shadow, Of death, To guide our feet, Into the way, Of peace, I often think, That's a very, Beautiful, Very lovely way, Of putting it, Isn't it, The day spring, From on high, Has come, Visited this earth, Brought light, Jesus said, I'm the light, Of the world, To enlighten, His people, To chase away, The darkness, And to,

[23:59] Bring them into that, Knowledge of salvation, To give the knowledge, Of salvation, Through, The remission, Of their sins, Now, Know I, It is, A personal knowledge, It is a necessary, Knowledge, It's a knowledge, That we need to be taught, Of God, In our very hearts, And that's how, David puts it, That there was a time, When, He did not know, And then it may be, As I suggest, There was a time, When he felt, Doubtful, When, There came a darkness, When it seemed, As though, The Lord, Could not save, There was a time, In the history of David, When he, Was very doubtful, I shall one day,

[25:00] Fall by the hand, Of Saul, It's easy to say, Because we know, The history, And, We are assured, Of the word of God, That, He wouldn't do, Had not God, Promised him, To be, Ruler over Israel, Anointed him, By the hand of Samuel, But then, We must understand, That David was very pressed, Saul, Sought him every day, His, Jealousy was, So, Vindictive, So, Great, That, He spared no trouble, No pains, To pursue David, Engaging his army, In, That, Course of action, Instead of, Fighting against the Philistines,

[26:02] No wonder David, Felt, To be, Pushed, No wonder he felt, Pressed in his spirit, No wonder that, He, Felt to be doubtful, I'm not, In any sense, Excusing unbelief, I would not have you think that, It's a great sin, Indeed it is, I hope you, Appreciate that, I hope, You, Feel, That desire, That, It might be routed, From your heart, Forgive him, Forgive our unbelief, But do we have to say, Like that poor man, That, We do have a struggle with it, Well, I know, There are many, Believers who do, They do have a struggle with it, It would be, Good if we could say, There were never, Shadow, A vestige of it,

[27:02] Lurking about, In our hearts, Oh, How confident, We would be then, How, Great would our light shine, Surely it would, If we were, So free from it, But, Sadly we know, What an enemy this is, Yet the Lord does, Quicken and revive, Strengthen that faith, Increase our faith, Said the apostles, The Lord does, Give those words of, Encouragement and hope, And strengthen, And so, That knowledge is, Enlivened, And his people can say, Now know I, That the Lord, Saveth his anointed, He does, Save them, And, Not just once, But over and, Over again, He,

[28:03] Saves them, He saves them, From their enemies, Saves them, From, Themselves, And their folly, And saves them, From all their sins, He will, Hear him, From his holy heaven, With the saving strength, Of his right hand, We know that the Lord, Has promised, To hear his people, And this expression, Means not only, That he, Hears, Their prayer, In the sense of, Accepting it, Taking it in, But that, He answers, He responds, He, Does, That which is necessary, That's, What is involved,

[29:04] In the Lord, Hearing, As he said, Of old, By, Moses, I have heard, I have heard, He heard the groanings, Of the children, Of Israel, Seen their tears, I have come down, To deliver them, There is, That action, We may, Hear, The cries, Of those, In need, And not be able, To do anything, There are the pleas, Aren't there, Of those in the earth, Who, Are in, Places of conflict, Of difficulty, Is a, Very apt, Example, In these, Present times, In, Bosnia, Or, The united nations, Ostensibly, Is there,

[30:04] To help, To relieve, To hear the cries, Of those, In need, And to afford, Protection, And provision, But, We are constantly, Being told, That, They are not able, To do this, There is a great difficulty, There is a human, Difficulty, There is, A great problem, Which, The ingenuity, Of man, Seems unable, To get over, Well certainly, I don't know, How to get over that, These wars, And these rumors of wars, They occur, They occur, But they are sad, Aren't they, They illustrate, The impotence, Of, Our, Human nature, But there, What a difference, With the Lord, What a, What a contrast, Is drawn,

[31:06] How, He, Helps, There is, There is, Nothing, That is, Beyond his power, Nothing, That is impossible, With God, He will hear him, So, It should encourage us, To call upon the Lord, He, Does hear, He, Has, That open ear, For, The cry, Of the righteous, And if you will, Perhaps say, Well, That's a very fine word, But, I don't, Feel to be righteous, Do I come in, There, Can I, Suppose, That the Lord, Will hear my cry, Well, Yes, If you cry,

[32:07] Sincerely, If you call upon him, The, Psalmist, Puts it, That way, When he, Says he will, Hear, That cry, Of all, Who, Call upon him, In truth, How, Does he, Put it, The Lord is nigh, Unto, All them, That call upon him, To all, That call upon him, In truth, He will fulfill, The desire of them, That fear him, He also will, Hear their cry, And will save them, So says David, In Psalm, 145, It is, A question, That others, Cannot answer, But, Question, For our own hearts, And consciences, Are we sincere, Do we call upon him, In truth,

[33:08] Do we fear him, That is to say, Reverence, And, We concern, To know his will, And to do that will, Are we, Tenderly, Aware, Aware, Of his, Of his, His, His, His, His, His, Might, Do we, Fall under, His, Word, With, A, Humility of spirit, And a brokenness of heart, Do we confess, What we are, The word, Does not say, That we are, To be sinless, Before we, Come to his throne, Of grace, If it had said that, Well it would rule us all out, But thankfully, Blessedly, It tells us, We may come boldly, To obtain mercy, Find that grace, To help, In time of need, The requirement,

[34:09] Is, That there should be, That, Sincerity, That should be, That, Trust in him, He that cometh to God, Must believe that he is, And that he is a rewarder, Of them that diligently, Seek him, But listen to, There, Is that, Great word, Of, Psalm 102, Psalm 102, In verses 16, And 17, When the Lord, Shall build up Zion, He shall, Appear in his glory, Then in verse 17, Immediately goes on to say, He will regard, The prayer of the destitute, And not despise, Their prayer, This shall be written, For the generation to come, The people which shall be created, Shall praise the Lord,

[35:10] What are wonderful words, You find, Don't you, In the scriptures, And in the Psalms, Written in this way, And the, Positioning of the words, Is very sweet, You might, You might have thought, That, When the psalmist, Had written, Those glorious words, When the Lord, Shall build up Zion, He shall appear, In his glory, That he would go on to say, And, He will regard, Those that are great, And those that are noble, And those that are mighty, But he doesn't, He comes right down, Where we are, Doesn't he, And he says, He will regard, The prayer of the destitute, Here is the glory of the Lord, And the graciousness, And the wonder of his mercy, Those who, He will regard, The face of the Lord, Is against,

[36:12] The proud, He hears, His ears are open, To the cry of the humble, James reminds us of this, The proud, No, Such, Do not gain his ear, That isn't the way of it, At all, He will hear, He will hear, He will hear the humble, The cry of the humble, The desire, He will hear the prayer, Of the destitute, Who, Really do need him, Well they do, Don't they, If not, Nothing else, They, Have, An urgency, And, Like those, Who needed his, Hand, And might, To heal them, When the Savior, Was upon earth, So, They need him, Most,

[37:13] Deeply, He will hear, Hear them, From his holy heaven, And, He, Will, Answer them, It is encouraging, For us to persevere, Remind you of, This point, I did, Touch upon it this morning, In a little measure, But, Let me, Enforce it, Remind you, That we, Should, Should, Continue, That we should, Be persevering, That we should, Not give up, Because the king, Of Israel, Called the prophet, Desired victory, Over his enemies, So the prophet, Said to him, Smite with the arrow, And he smoked, Three times, And stayed,

[38:14] Gave up, And the prophet, Was angry with him, They should have, Smitten, Five or six times, He said, Should have gone on, But, He gave up, After, Only three, Well, Isn't this, A lesson for us, Perhaps, It's, A, A, A, Pointed lesson, Reminding us, How easily, We give up, There are things, That we, Long for, Desire, Pray over, But then, There comes, That cloud, Again, And we, Feel that, It won't happen, I know this well, But, We should, Continue, When the Savior, Spoke, Of the,

[39:18] Persisting in prayer, He used that, Example, Of the, The widow woman, She, Came to the, Unjust judge, And though, He, He was, Not willing, To regard her, Yet, He did, Because this widow, Troubleth me, I will avenge her, Lest by her, Continual coming, She weary me, In, Luke 18, The Lord, Says, Hear what the unjust judge saith, And shall not God, You see the contrast, He's not saying, God is like an unjust judge, At all, But, He's drawing the contrast, Shall not God, Avenge his own elect, Which cry, Day and night, Unto him, Though he bear long, With them, I tell you, He will avenge them,

[40:20] Speedily, There again, You get one of those, Paradoxes, Of the Christian life, And experience, The Saviour saying, Yes, He, He will avenge them, Speedily, But then, He is immediately, Before that said, Though he bear, Long with them, How, How can we reconcile this, I, Think of it, In these terms, That, It seems to us, A long time, And yet, When we look back, How, Quickly, Really, The time has gone, It's like that, Isn't it, Perhaps you, Have, Something that you, Particularly, Desiring, Looking forward to, When, The date is first set, It, Seems a long way ahead,

[41:22] But then, Afterward, When you look back, Really, How the time has gone, So, Speedily, And then, It is, Like that, With, The things, That we desire, In prayer, And, It is, With, With trials, And, Painfulness, Like that, A long time, When we are in, That condition, But then, What a little, Time, When we look back, Indeed, When we shall look back, From eternity, What a, Short time, Indeed, What a, A little time, It will be, Our life, Altogether, A little time, For that matter, In this sense, Then, The saviour, Puts it, And then,

[42:22] I think of how, The lord works, When we, Are, Ignorant, Of that fact, It was so, With jacob, Joseph, Joseph, Was in, Egypt, But, Jacob, His father, Did not know, For a long time, He didn't know, When the news, Was brought, He couldn't believe it, But then, You see, Poor jacob, He was, Pressed, And tried, And, He felt, That he was, Losing his sons, And so, He said, All these things, Are against me, But at the very time, When he uttered those words, They were all, Working together, For him, In fact, It was the very time, When the lord, Was bringing about, Those purposes, And jacob,

[43:23] Was to go down, Into egypt, And end his days, In peace there, When he said, All these things, Are against me, That's what he felt, But they weren't, They were all, Working together, For good, Do you see, Then, How it may be, How the lord works, In that wonderful way, He will hear him, From his holy heaven, With the saving, Strength of his right hand, How, He is able to, Subdue all enemies, To do all things, To accomplish, His purpose, With the, Power and, Glory, To bring to pass, That which, He ordains, To his own glory, The saving, Strength of his right hand,

[44:24] He brought, Israel out, We are told, With an outstretched arm, A mighty hand, And so, He is able to, Deliver his people, We feel to need, That deliverance, Help, With that saving, Strength today, I, Feel with you, I appreciate, Very deeply, The, Sense of our weakness, Our fewness, I know, That we are told, We, Should not, Dwell, Too much, As it were, Upon the former days, Or, Say, Why were they better, Than these, Things, But there are times, When we cannot help, But compare, Times when, Like the psalmist, In Psalm 44, He says,

[45:25] Fathers have told us, What work thou didst, In their day, And we, Are in, A, Very different position, We, Are brought down, We are a feeble, Remnant, Indeed, And, We know, That in these, Days, It seems that, The powers of, Darkness, And of evil, Are gaining, The victory, And overcoming, But, Do not be, Discouraged, Dear friends, And do not give up, And consider, What the Lord, Has done, In many days, And how, He has, Worked, For his own glory, And, To his own end, When, It seemed, As though,

[46:25] Jerusalem, The people of Israel, Were, Overcome, And scattered, He gathered them again, Zechariah, Puts it in that way, He says, They say, That I, Look upon Zion, Upon Jerusalem, They ranged, Against her, And, They glory, And gloat over her, But they know not, He says, They know not, The thoughts, Of the Lord, Nor consider, The operation, Of his hands, They don't know, They don't know, His great purposes, That's a wonderful word, May it, Then rest upon our minds, And upon our hearts, May God, Bless his word to us, Amen,

[47:26] Amen, Amen, Amen, Amen, Amen, Amen, Amen, Amen, Amen, Amen, Amen, Amen, Amen, Amen, Amen, Amen, Amen, Amen, Amen, Amen, Amen, Amen, Amen,