I sought the Lord, and he heard me (Quality: Good - End missing)

[0:00] With the Lord's help this evening I would direct your attention to Psalm 34 and verse 4. Psalm 34 and verse 4.

[0:13] I sought the Lord and he heard me and delivered me from all my fears. I sought the Lord and he heard me and delivered me from all my fears.

[0:38] The word of God tells us, Ye are my witnesses, saith the Lord, that I am God.

[0:49] Now this is not intended to convey that we are witnesses just by putting pen to paper and signing a creed.

[1:03] But rather God's people are witnesses because the living God dwells in them and is the life of them. And it is because of this that they are able to be witnesses that God is the living God.

[1:22] That he is the mighty God. That he is the one who is able to deliver the needy when he cried. The poor also and him that hath no helper.

[1:35] This psalm opens in a quite remarkable way. There may be some people who would say, But I don't believe that to be true.

[1:51] I do not bless the Lord at all times. Well, this is what the scripture says. And let God be true and every man a liar. And if we are rightly instructed, We shall see that we have reason to bless the Lord at all times.

[2:07] Every moment of the day. And even so, every moment of the night. Because at all times the Lord is round about his people. And he brings them through their trials and difficulties.

[2:25] We try and come to the end of this psalm. And we read, Many are the afflictions of the righteous. But the Lord delivered him out of them all. What a blessing this is.

[2:38] Now if we reflect upon this in our own lives. And doubtless we have seen difficult situations. Painful situations.

[2:49] Hard trials at times. Yet, have we not proved that the Lord is the same. The same yesterday and today and forever.

[3:02] And so, what the psalmist says here is absolutely true. And I do anything that God has done. Anything that God has said.

[3:13] We can say, God has worked and it is absolutely true. There is no one that can speak against it.

[3:26] God, by his power, has demonstrated that he is the mighty God. That he is able to do great things. And holy is his name. So we find, and we should look at this verse, I will bless the Lord at all times.

[3:42] His praise shall continually be in my mouth. Well, there are other passages in the Psalms which refer to the effect of and feeling of the power of God upon us.

[4:02] Let me just direct your attention to Psalm 95. For O come, let us worship, and bow down, let us kneel before the Lord our Maker, for he is our God, and we are the people of his pasture, and the sheep of his hand.

[4:24] So there are several psalms filled with praise around about this part of the book of Psalms. Now, the effect of the power of God upon the psalmist here, and we should observe that it was a time of trial, temptation, and fear in the life of David, for it says at the beginning of the psalm, the psalm of David, when he gained his behavior before Abimelech, who drove him away, and he departed.

[5:01] It was the occasion when Abimelech said, have I need of mad men? But David was left, so to speak, to try and work out things for himself, and it came to a sad end.

[5:18] But it did bring him to a place where I will bless the Lord at all times. I will bless him when he blesses, good when he's surprised, and equally so when he withholds.

[5:34] Now, what can we say in our lives? Are we going to say, I shall not bless God today because affliction has come upon me, because distress has come into my life, because I have suffered some loss or other, and all my peace has been taken away by the instrumentality and activity of Satan himself.

[5:55] Are we going to say, I will not bless the Lord at all times? Because under those circumstances, is it not true to say that the Lord supports me under every load?

[6:06] It is not only when things are swimmingly for us and in our favor that we will seek to bless the Lord. And indeed, is it not true to say that we are witnesses of this, that even in the day of adversity, then we still bless the Lord.

[6:24] We are reminded in Ecclesiastes, in the day of prosperity, be joyful, in the day of adversity, consider. And what have we got to consider?

[6:35] That will sustain us in the day of adversity. Well, we've got to consider this, that God is faithful, who will not suffer me to be tempted above that which is evil, but will with every temptation make a way to escape, that we may be able to bear it.

[6:53] So, in that day of adversity, well, shall we not enter into the words of the psalmist here, I will bless the Lord at all times. But then, the day of adversity may be marked by the host of enemies rising up to fill us with dismay.

[7:13] But what does the hymn say? When hosts of enemies rise up to fill us with dismay, the Lord will make his goodness pass before us in the way. So then, cannot we come to this point?

[7:26] I will bless the Lord at all times. His praise shall continually be in my mouth. One thing then, that is very clear at the opening of this psalm, and as you read through the psalm itself, and many of the psalms, all the psalms, of course, we find that here, we have the outpost, the heart movements, exposed, and it is the exposition of a heart that is quickened by his spirit, that lives upon God.

[7:57] It is a person in whom Christ dwells by living faith, and who works in us both to will and to do of his good pleasure. So, my soul shall make a boast in the Lord, the humble man shall hear thereof, and be glad.

[8:15] I will magnify the Lord with me, and let us exalt his name together. Now, I would direct your attention to the points here that this is a good religion.

[8:28] It's a good religion, and especially if you can magnify the Lord in the day of your adversity, in the day when you're cast down by reason of the hardness of the way, in the day when you feel that you're forsaken and alone and hear the lion roar, and every door is shut but one, and that is mercy's door.

[8:51] But can you say, do you remember such a time when you've been in such a low place, as you've been able to say, oh, magnify the Lord with me, and let us exalt his name together, because he is a strong tower, and the righteous runneth into it and is safe.

[9:09] But I must go along to the words that I read to you as a text this evening. Oh, I sought the Lord, and he heard me, and delivered me from all my fears.

[9:25] This is evidence of the psalmist's personal religion. And indeed, we cannot really go further than having a personal religion.

[9:38] How can we be a witness and one of God's witnesses if we cannot say, I saw the Lord? It is when we've had certain experiences so that the singular pronoun is used, I saw the Lord, then we are true witnesses.

[10:00] Then, we can say, I saw the Lord. And I can tell you what was the result of my seeking the Lord. Oh, how good it is then to be living witnesses, not only witnesses because we believe the truth, but also witnesses because we have felt the poor.

[10:22] And if we come into contact with some of our beloved friends, and they seem to be downcast by reason of the way, we're able to say to them, I saw the Lord, and he heard me.

[10:36] And if that is so, you know the person well, and they're seeking and they're not finding. Yet may it still be that you're witnessing unto them.

[10:46] I saw the Lord, and I'm a sinner of violent baits. I saw the Lord, and my, my temptations of my heart, while I should, he would never take notice of me.

[11:00] But nevertheless, I saw the Lord, and he heard me. We find in one of the Psalms quite, quite near to this present one, Rejoice in the Lord, O ye righteous, for praise is comely for the upright.

[11:18] Praise the Lord with harps, sing unto him with psaltery and an instrument of ten strings. Sing unto him a new song, play skillfully with a loud noise, for the word of the Lord is right, and all his works are done in truth.

[11:36] But to take a point here, I sought the Lord, and why did he seek the Lord? There are many people that are in trouble, and the last thing that they do is to seek the Lord.

[11:49] They will try, and of course, you have probably found this in your own nature as well, that you try every scheme to try and solve your problems, and sustain your weaknesses by trusting in yourself, taking the grip of yourself, and so on.

[12:16] But, I sought the Lord. Why did the psalmist seek the Lord? We shall not seek the Lord until God himself puts within our heart the spirit of grace and of supplications, and they shall come with weeping and with supplications of I, do I leave them?

[12:40] So then, I sought the Lord, and it is good if in seeking the Lord you may feel the need to search the scriptures.

[12:53] Does anyone seek the Lord as I feel at the moment? Does anyone ever seek the Lord as I feel at the moment? And if you look from page to page in the scriptures, I very believe that you will find yes, says the person that is in my very case at the present time.

[13:14] I sought the Lord, and this is because they shall come. Oh, they shall come. Are you one of those people of the shall comers who could not help coming blessed be God if we can sought the Lord, if we have sought the Lord, and we are able to demonstrate this point that we are among those that shall come.

[13:41] And with all the opposition of our carnal mind, with all the opposition of Satan himself, with all the opposition of unbelief, that they shall come.

[13:51] And because they shall come, I saw the Lord. That was a solid ground on which I came to seek the Lord at all.

[14:04] Now, you are now, you are on some sound ground now because you can say and give a reason as to why I sought the Lord.

[14:16] You would not have sought the Lord if you had not been prickened by grace. You would not have sought the Lord if the Holy Spirit had not moved you to seek the Lord. And you would not have sought the Lord if there was any possibility of getting along without doing so.

[14:36] But you see, it is God's purpose that all his people should seek the Lord. And so, the doors are shut. and every door is shut but that, the door of God's mercy, I sought the Lord.

[14:56] Sometimes, we may seek the Lord and feel that we are seeking things which are, shall I call it, legitimate. Now, there are matters in regard to God's day-to-day providences.

[15:13] And it is good, of course, to commit our way unto the Lord in regard to day-to-day providences. But there is more to be said by sought the Lord when he showed me that I was of such a base character of when he takes notice of me.

[15:35] Now, some of the images that we have sung this evening so two hymns have directed our attention to the great God who compels people.

[15:48] Compels. Now, you see, there are two ways in which we may look at compulsion. I sought the Lord.

[16:01] I sought the Lord with compulsion. I sought the Lord because I had to. I was in deep trouble. But had God moved us and shown us his great love and mercy that we come in this spirit, yes, certainly, in a very strong spirit, compelling spirit, but I sought the Lord because I love to seek him.

[16:28] you see, in all things, in Christian experience and religious experiences, there are these two points.

[16:39] I sought the Lord because I had to. I had no option. But is it so? I sought the Lord because I'd love to. And have we not many encouragements in the word of God that bring us to this point?

[16:54] I sought the Lord. Yes, and, and as we read here, and he heard me. There are several wonderful expressions that we can read in the Psalms elsewhere.

[17:11] and, one of them is found and, is comprised in words like this, the Lord hath been mindful of us.

[17:25] He will be, he will bless us. Now, we should take a point here, I sought the Lord and he heard me. That doesn't mean to say that we may necessarily enter in a conversation.

[17:39] sometimes, he may speak with a look into our spirits. Sometimes, he may sow, send his grace into our spirits and then, during the day, and then, perhaps you may go up to the house of the Lord and your days, yesterday's troubles might have been traced out in the preaching of the gospel so that you're able to say the Lord has been mindful of us.

[18:11] Because, the minister brought forth those very things that we were, I was passing through, we were passing through yesterday and we knew not what to do but now, we have that witness in our own hearts that the Lord was mindful of us.

[18:27] So, I saw the Lord and now I've discovered through the preaching of the gospel that the Lord was mindful of us. and then, what a different spirit will come upon your spirit as you sit in the house of God and you give voice to this as the psalmist did, he will bless us, he will bless us.

[18:49] If the Lord has been mindful of you yesterday, then will he not bless you today? Will you not have that encouragement? I sought the Lord and now, I've had my feelings traced out through the preaching of the gospel and surely, since this has been known and I am now satisfied that the Lord has been mindful of me in my distresses and in those things which I could not communicate to anyone else that he will bless.

[19:21] Not bless for anything that I have done but bless because he will bless for his mercy's sake. So then I sought the Lord.

[19:35] The word of God is full of accounts of idol worship. We, in our lives, are conscious of idolatry on every hand.

[19:49] And, when we come to consider that we are idolaters ourselves because we can so easily raise somebody up above that which they ought to be raised and put their trust and competence in them.

[20:06] And God will bring all these things to nothing and bring us into distress. I sought the Lord to deliver me from my idolatry, to deliver me from looking to any other source whereby I might be saved and delivered.

[20:24] So then, I sought the Lord. And we should notice the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost. I sought the Lord. We might take note of this point as well.

[20:37] I sought the Lord. It was not in a crowd but it was when he was on his own when we were judged. We have those words in the scripture which tell us in the 42nd Psalm as the heart panteth after the water broke so panteth my soul after the old God.

[21:03] My soul thirsteth for God for the living God. When shall I come and appear before God? Well, has it always been like that? In the days of your own regeneracy if you sought the Lord that would not have been accompanied with this panting and this thirsting after God.

[21:22] Now, there were times when in the I'll go and read the next verse My tears have been my meat that night while they continually say unto me where is thy God?

[21:36] And if you are in trouble this will be able tremendous bitter experience. When I remember these things I pour out my soul in me for I've gone with a multitude.

[21:50] Maybe we can remember time the time when we came to the house of God with the other rest of the people we went with a multitude.

[22:01] But we didn't thirst for God we didn't wait upon God we didn't pant after God as the heart panted out to the water brooks so the psalmist had a condition in his soul like that at times.

[22:15] I went with him to the house of God with a voice of joy and praise with a multitude that kept holy day. But now he come into a different place.

[22:25] Now I sought the Lord and it was meaningful. It wasn't just a matter of going up to the house of God and singing the praises of God and perhaps listening to a sermon and yet there was no thirst for God.

[22:40] No, though much it might have been said to encourage people that God would appear for them in prayer and providence yet nevertheless this thirst into God is something quite different.

[22:52] I cannot do without the Lord God himself even the Father, the Son and the Holy Ghost so I pen for God and this brought into the psalmist experience why art thou cast down O my soul and why art thou discarded in me?

[23:10] Hope thou in God for I should yet praise him for the help of his countenance for the help of his countenance. One thing that I've mentioned many times but is very important to us have we a hope a hope that has an expectation notice the words I hope thou in God for I shall yet praise him now you know not everybody has that kind of hope there are many people it would appear that have a hope which is a very doubtful hope it has no expectation in it but blessed be God I saw the Lord and he gave me a hope and that hope was a hope of expectation so I shall yet praise him for the help of his countenance and of course this is repeated farther on in the same psalm why art thou cast down

[24:12] O my soul and why art thou described it within me hope thou in God for I shall yet praise him who is the health of my countenance here and and my God I saw the Lord I saw the Lord with life in my soul that life was communicated from God so that my religion was a real religion it was a living religion and because it was a living religion then I saw the Lord because it was a natural activity of my my newborn soul to seek the Lord you probably wouldn't be able to say I did not always seek the Lord but I seek the Lord now and why do you seek the Lord now when you didn't before is it not because God has quickened your soul is it not because

[25:14] God has made himself a living reality or one that is able to perform remember what is written let me think in the book of Job I think where he says that he performed the thing that is appointed for me now are there things in your life that you cannot perform yourself the children of God will certainly have many things that they cannot perform themselves and these things will be spiritual things and amongst those spiritual things will be the desire to worship God day by day and to pray unto God how often do we pray unto God just occasionally just when we perhaps read a portion and pray after breakfast or just before we go to bed at night or are we praying before praying unto God all the day shall I say under our breath yes but

[26:18] God hears and what a blessed thing it is that the throne of God's mercy stands open all day and what's more however poor and faint you are yet God is able to give strength and if your weakness is so great that you hardly have strength to utter a word yet remember that the desire of the righteous shall be granted no desire does not need any expression to be given to it God sees desires and what is your desire this evening it is a desire which agrees with the words of our text I sought the Lord this is my desire and if it is your desire then be assured it is that which has been prompted by the Holy Spirit and therefore you are indwelt by the Spirit of God I sought the Lord and he heard me now this second part and they heard me is a confirmation and an encouragement to the first clause

[27:29] I sought the Lord we have no assurance so to speak although we may have faith but we have no assurance until God hears and the Lord hears under most unexpected times when we think that all is over all is up with us has not God appeared sometimes and answered our petitions now we should remember this I brought the Lord and he heard I saw the Lord and he heard me that God works in the soul of people of sinners of the election of grace and brings them to those places where they cry out unto God most high unto God who is able to perform all things for me it is a good thing when we come to the pot spot where we are in a difficulty in a pathway and we just cannot move we just cannot proceed we can only call upon

[28:39] God upon me O God according to thy loving kindness and according to thy tender mercies so I saw the Lord and he heard me God does not always I think I mentioned this touched on this point before in the sermon but he does not always hear us by speaking with his lips there are always there always has been in the conversation of the godly two ways of speaking we can speak with our voice we can also speak with our feet equally God himself he can speak with his voice but he can also speak with the power of being of things the past deliverance is communicated without saying the word and perhaps you are witnesses to that

[29:41] I saw the Lord and he heard me looking through the scriptures I'm sure we should find certain occasions in the life of God's people when God worked when he did great things how many times did God work in a most remarkable way I saw the Lord I think just for a moment about the case of Jehoshaphat when he was confronted with the great armies of Moab and Ammon and another tribe Mount Seir and he didn't know what to do he wasn't destitute an army at all but the numbers of people that were included in the three armies of these individual nations was tremendous he says what shall we do we know we know not what to do our eyes are upon thee now

[30:54] I saw the Lord just a point here before I pass on I saw the Lord are we looking all round or have we got our eyes fixed upon God well certainly Jehoshaphat had his eyes fixed upon God when he prayed unto God and he saw the Lord how he would deliver then the prophet comes along and tells him that God would deliver him and he wouldn't need to fight in that battle I saw the Lord and a great battle perhaps is before you and does God say you have no need to fight in this battle for the Lord shall fight for you and you shall hold your peace now when was it that the captivity was turned and the nations involved began to destroy one another it was when the priest began to praise the

[32:02] Lord now let us consider this point I sought the Lord and he answered me by putting praise into my heart by putting expectation into my soul and I validly believed you have no need to fight in this battle for the Lord to fight for you so then I saw the Lord and he heard me and undoubtedly Jehoshaphat was able to bear testimony to this great and glorious interposition of God oh who could have imagined that Jehoshaphat could spend his time praising the Lord about the victory which was being accomplished without any of his help or ability any praise that could be taken by him as to the doing of it amazingly I think it is the Israelites or rather Judah was three days gathering up the spoil the victory was so great I saw the

[33:02] Lord and he heard me now God knows the application to your case and what it is all about I do not expect for one moment it is like Jehoshaphat's case but on the other hand there could have a similar content for example three armies have we not three opposing us we speak of the trinity in unity that is God the father God the son and God the holy ghost but let us not forget that we also have to combat against the trinity of evil that trinity of evil is referred to as the world the flesh and the devil and what power are we over the world the flesh and the devil we can easily be attracted by worldly things we can easily be attracted by a freshly outburst of ungracious desire we can easily be troubled when

[34:21] Satan appears as a roaring lion on the one hand or as an angel of light on the other so I saw the Lord and he heard me so have we then come before God with this trinity of evil besetting us the world the flesh and the devil well then what are we going to do well God will listen to our prayers if you're crying out because of this great army that is about you now one of these will be a power but when you've got three that join together to destroy your soul and take away your comfort well what shall we do oh what shall we do we will call upon God who hath delivered and who does deliver and whom we trust would yet deliver us

[35:28] I saw the Lord and he heard me and this is the engage of one person the things that are written before time are written for our learning and this is one of the things the experience of God's people you would never know the experience of God's people you would never know the wonderful working of God's spirit were it not written in the scriptures you might think that something wonderful had happened or you were against great enemies but how to deal with them and what they were all about you would be ignorant of these things but we have the scriptures of truth and the scriptures of truth can describe the exercises of the quickened soul the hopes and fears which alternatrise and comforts mingle with their sighs so I sought the Lord and he heard me and therefore there is this close communion between

[36:34] God and the soul now it may be that some of you are debatable on this point you seem to be so hardened in your heart and in your sins even that you wonder whether you will be a conqueror and more than conqueror too but be assured let us look at the scriptures and see what the child of God under the power of the spirit is really sometimes we may be under the power of our flesh sometimes we may be under the power of the world sometimes we may be under the power of Satan I saw the Lord whether it was because my enemy was one of these or because it was a united combination of the three I saw the

[37:35] Lord and he heard me oh it is a wonderful thing to realize that God is with his people he is with them all the time we may not always feel it I feel forsaken and alone but that doesn't alter the truth that doesn't mean to say that God has forsaken you what you feel is one thing and what is the truth is quite another so then I saw the Lord and he heard me and delivered me from all my fears sometimes there are things that happen which bring fear into our hearts and there are times when that those things that we feared never came upon us it was never in God's design it was a promotion of our natural mind that induced fear into our hearts and maybe the devil himself rejected such an image of the power of our enemies that we were ready to sink we were ready to sink

[38:51] I remember as it comes into my mind an experience of the late Mr. Frank Costum and he mentioned this in the sermon when he said I was in great distress on one occasion and he said I left home and there were so many burdens so many things in our experience as a family that time that I said as I left home if there's one thing comes this day which is to weigh me down that will be the finish and I shall sink he said the day proceeded and the thing came and I did sink but I sank into the everlasting arms of Jesus Christ now you see sometimes Satan outputs himself by bringing us to fall into the arms of

[39:56] Jesus oh they're safe arms they're sure arms they are delivering arms and delivered me from all my fears which should not be natural if we had not fears creatures of fear we drag along and fear where no fear is but if we have been in such a place God is able to deliver us and like that good servant of the Lord is able to make you sink but not sink into death not sink into hell not sink into everlasting trouble but sink into the arms of one who is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that you can ask or think and deliver me from all my fears now just let us remember this point that the word refers to one person and it is only individuals that can speak to the honor and glory of

[41:06] God who delivered me out of from all my fears are we any fears now are we thinking about tomorrow are we very fearful about it and why have we got fears but it is because we are not listening to what the counsel of God is take no thought for tomorrow what you shall eat or what you shall drink and what you shall put on for the Lord is in control of tomorrow sufficient amount of the day is the evil thereof because we have to contend with our fallen nature which we all the while are trying to put fear into our hearts when if we can only leave things leave tomorrow until it comes and be satisfied even with looking back and thinking well

[42:12] God delivered yesterday will he not deliver today will he not deliver tomorrow I don't know how he's going to do it I cannot conceive that or perceive it but surely he will not love me more than I'm able to bear and he will do great and exceeding things and let us remember also that there is a provision made in the word of God exceeding great and precious promises I do like to make the phrase complete it is not if we say yes well there's God's promises yes you're on a rather low note there but if you go a step further and say yes God's promises aren't great then perhaps you're rising a bit higher but you still haven't got where you should be the word of God says exceeding great and precious promises this word exceeding is mentioned in the scriptures on several occasions and from different aspects too we read of the exceeding sinfulness of sins of sin now that is going to be tremendous and it's going to sink you sometimes exceeding sinfulness that is you cannot get the grasp of it it is so much so powerful that you feel that it will overcome you in the end but let us consider what the apostle Paul said when he wrote to do his son in the faith

[43:46] Timothy and he spoke about God's exceeding ability and he puts it in terms like this and I thank God Christ Jesus our Lord who had enabled me for that he counted me faithful putting me into the ministry who was before a blasphemer and a persecutor and injurious but I obtained mercy because I did it ignomently in unbelief and the grace of our Lord was exceedingly abundant so then have we come to a point where we have got exceeding sinfulness in our view and do we think that there's nothing else that can supersede the exceeding sinfulness of sin but there is and we read it here this and the grace of our Lord was exceedingly abundant with faith and love which is in

[44:49] Christ Jesus this is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptation that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners of whom I am chief surely the apostle Paul would have come or could have shaken hands with these words in the 34th psalm I sought the Lord and he heard me and he told me has it been necessary for God to tell you what's written in the scriptures what the exceeding great and precious promises involved in Peter's epistle we have this word casting all your care upon him for he careth for you isn't that a wonderful word do think that God cares for you undoubtedly the psalmist felt it even in the sentence we have before us

[45:53] I saw the Lord and he heard me and delivered me out of all my fears and therefore on this account he was able to commit his way unto the Lord casting all his care upon him because he had this persuasion that the Lord cared for him so then how can we feel this evening do you think the Lord has cared for you undoubtedly the psalmist was aware of this I saw the Lord and it was because the Lord cared for him and he heard me and it was because the Lord cared for him and he delivered him out of all his distresses and fears and why it was because the Lord cared for him now are we going to have this wonderful few things this evening and say yes the Lord has cared for me and I'm ashamed and filled with confusion of face because sometimes

[46:56] I have not fully believed it I seem to have been a stranger from this but it doesn't make any difference if my fearing and if my doubting if my unbelief has cropped up and there has been a big question mark as to whether the Lord really cares for your soul or mine yet it won't alter God's purpose and God's practice he careth for me oh yes it is good when we can worship God he careth for me and how different it is if you come into the words of our come in the words of our text tonight I sought him because I know he cares for me oh you see dear friends if we are children of God shall we not be acquainted with this great truth if it is so naturally if a child becomes aware that mother and father care for him or her as the case might be do you think that God himself who is your father your redeemer your savior and has communicated to you part of his divine nature do you think that he will not care for you if we have the example of the natural order how much more so in the spiritual order he careth for you now what about our testimony this evening can we say that yes God has cared for me over the years and we should bear this point in mind but he cares for his people when they knew him not he cares for his people when they were in under generancy he cared for his people when they had no care for him and it may be that some of you might be able to look back over the years when you knew not the Lord and could observe he cared for me there and he cared for me in another place that could get found on little around trauma