Uphold me ... hold thou me up (i) (Quality: Very good)

[0:00] The Lord's help, I will direct your attention to Psalm 119, verses 116 and 117. Psalm 119, verses 116 and 117.

[0:16] Psalm 119, verses 117.

[0:46] Psalm 119, verses 117.

[1:16] Psalm 119, verses 117. Sometimes, especially, we may be in a need as to how we shall pray, for what we shall pray. And then, in reading the Word of God, we come to a passage which enables us to just say, that's it, that's how I feel, that's what I want.

[1:38] May we not then consider these words in that light. And if you feel, at this moment, an abiding desire accompanying the desire of the psalmist, then you may feel true that the blessed result and the end product of answered prayer will come to you, as well as it did unto him.

[2:02] And then, uphold me according unto thy word, that I may live. We find in the 51st Psalm, something which is very instructive in respect to upholding.

[2:22] There the psalmist says, uphold me by thy free spirit. Is it not a mercy that the Spirit of God is free?

[2:35] If we had to purchase anything that is in the realm of eternal things, we should be entirely destitute.

[2:46] So, in our petitions, to be upheld according to thy word, let us consider the freeness of the Spirit of God that is given unto every one of the children of God.

[3:08] Now, it is wonderful and very humbling to our pride to ask for that to uphold us which is free.

[3:21] You have often, doubtless, felt an urge to ask for the Spirit of God. We are encouraged in this by the words of the Lord Jesus in the Sermon on the Mount.

[3:38] If ye being evil know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more will your Father which is in heaven give the Holy Spirit to them that ask him?

[3:49] And that Holy Spirit is free. Free. Freely given. And that is according to the word of the Lord.

[4:01] Is this the desire of our hearts? Uphold me with thy free spirit, by thy free spirit, which is according to the word of the Lord.

[4:15] And then, another well-known scripture will find a place in this part of the word of God, and that is being upheld by the right hand of my righteousness.

[4:34] Now, the right hand of the righteousness of God is undoubtedly a reference to our Lord Jesus Christ. He is the Father's right hand.

[4:47] He is at the right hand of God to intercede for us. Therefore, in seeking and upholding according unto the word of God, there is an invocation that the Spirit might be granted, and that the revelation of the Son of God may be brought into our heart in such a way as to produce a living faith.

[5:20] The whole purpose behind the psalmist's words is that I may live.

[5:32] That I may live. If we do not live, then we are dead indeed. The dead know not anything, but the living know that they must die.

[5:48] Now, the desire of the psalmist then was to be upheld according to the word of God by the free spirit of God and by the object of faith, Jesus Christ at the right hand of the Father.

[6:07] The movement of the Spirit within and the intercession of Jesus Christ without would be those things that will make a person to be alive.

[6:24] This can be seen in the attitude in which we may draw near to God even the Father in prayer. If we are living, then necessarily we must be upheld by the Spirit of God for it is this, we know not what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit intercedeth for us with groanings which cannot be uttered.

[6:53] Uphold me with thy free spirit and then that Spirit will direct us to Jesus Christ as the only way of access unto the Father.

[7:05] In which case we see the necessity of that new and living way but also the acceptability of that new and living way that will take us into the presence of God.

[7:20] If we are sinners, we shall be aware of our own impotency. and our own incompetency. If we are sinners, we shall also realize that in drawing near to God, we need to come through a person which is acceptable and that person which is acceptable is Jesus Christ.

[7:45] Living people will desire to pray in a living way and they will desire to be persuaded that their prayers are heard.

[7:55] dead people, that is, who have no single eye to the glory of God will pray perhaps and yet never be concerned that their prayers are answered or otherwise.

[8:13] Indeed, their prayers may really relate to thanking God for this and that and the other without any requests. I have heard people pray where, as far as I could judge, they didn't make a request for anything.

[8:29] They thanked the Lord for many things. Now, do not mistake me. We may go to the other extreme and make so many requests and thank God for nothing.

[8:43] Here again, we should be solemnly at fault because the word of God says, let your requests be made known unto God with thanksgiving.

[8:54] Now, there's not an occasion when we draw near to God but what we should draw near with thanksgiving. When the psalmist said, it is good for me to draw near to God, it was certainly good because in drawing near to God he would draw near with thanksgiving.

[9:15] Thanksgiving unto God that there was a throne of grace. Thanksgiving unto God that there was the Father to whom he could come.

[9:27] Thanksgiving unto God that there was a Son through whom he could come. And Thanksgiving unto God that there was the Eternal Spirit by whom he could come.

[9:39] And how blessed it is when in our approaches unto God in prayer we have a spiritual exercise and we're able to grasp by the indwelt spirit the free spirit of God showing us that way into the holiest of all.

[10:01] Uphold me according unto thy word that I may live. Now the living in Jerusalem that is those who are quickened by the spirit of God will be aware of living what what living is.

[10:22] The first point we will consider is living to show forth his praise. There are no other witnesses in the world but the people of God who shall be witnesses of showing forth his praise.

[10:41] Uphold me according to thy word that I may live. If the person concerned here needs to be upheld necessary follows that he must feel pressures pressing down and very many weights laid upon him.

[11:02] But the free spirit of God will uphold a person and bring them to with that amount of strength that they might be able to show forth the Lord's praise.

[11:17] What is our profession? What is our religion worth? Is it a constant being alive to showing forth the Lord's praise? We shall not be able to live or to walk or to engage in anything which will manifest the Lord's praise unless we are constantly aware of that which brings us to praise the Lord.

[11:44] We have reason to praise the Lord. Oh we have reason to praise the Lord every day and every moment of our lives. It is good when you can meet people that will speak of praising the Lord.

[12:02] Sometimes these people are despised. It is quite true that there are such that use empty words and have no feeling in their hearts.

[12:14] But if our hearts are moved, if they are alive, if they are blessed with the free spirit of God, if they get a glimpse of God's wonderful provision in setting a mediator at the right hand of God, the right hand of his righteousness, then can it be that we should be otherwise than praising God for all his great goodness to us, that I may live to show forth his praise.

[12:47] This is seen in a knowledge of divine truth. Not least among this knowledge will be the awareness that Christ is risen from the dead.

[12:59] in the early days of the Christian church, the normal salutation was a reminder that Christ was risen from the dead.

[13:11] Christ is risen. You will remember the scripture records Christ is, the Lord is risen and hath appeared unto Peter.

[13:23] What a salutation. Our salutations are for the most part mundane. It is right and proper in a way to inquire after our individual cases and as we are able to sympathize therewith.

[13:44] But, you see, it is better when our salutation should be that Christ is risen and therefore with all my trials and with all my afflictions, Christ is risen.

[13:57] I cannot help praising God because of this truth and therefore all events are at his command and everything is under his control. My life's minutest circumstance is subject to his eye.

[14:13] The Lord is risen indeed. Would not our lives be different if we could speak along these lines more frequently? Would not our lives be different if we considered that this is the course that should be reflected in our lives?

[14:31] The Lord is risen indeed and I am living to show forth his praise. And if we should ask the question as to how we know that the Lord is risen indeed then what shall we answer?

[14:45] if you then be risen with Christ seek those things which are above. I know that the Lord is risen indeed because there is that free spirit within me which seeks those things which are above.

[15:02] There are many much in my old nature which militates against seeking those things which are above but even so I'm not living unless I'm seeking those things that are above.

[15:17] I am dead in my feelings and dead in everything. Oh then uphold me with uphold me according to unto thy word that I may live.

[15:31] It is a great strength to us to add these words according to thy word that I may live.

[15:44] that I may live to show forth thy praise is that this can be accomplished and is accomplished by the free spirit of God being given and by the faith of God being given to look to the right hand of the Father and see there Jesus Christ interceding for us and having all power.

[16:08] dwelling upon this point a little further that I should show forth his praise we can see this set before us in various offices which the Lord Jesus sustains.

[16:26] Very often three are linked together prophet priest and king that I may live to show forth his praise as a prophet.

[16:43] It will be a mercy and a blessing and a cause of singing the praises of the Lord when God is to you a prophet and what will he prophesy?

[16:55] Well he will prophesy this in your soul say ye to the righteous it shall be well with him equally say ye to the wicked it shall be ill with him it is well with them that fear God Jesus Christ the prophet prophesying those things which are contained in the gospel those things which refer to eternal life and when the spirit of God speaks to you and the spirit of Christ is the spirit of prophecy then what will he tell you?

[17:43] Will he tell you about the future? Your future? There are times when the Lord speaks unto his people regarding certain appointments that he has for them in this life there are times when God speaks to his people and impresses upon their minds the certain passages perhaps of the scripture which enables them to ponder when God prophesies in our souls then it is right and proper to ponder these things a great deal of exercise goes and follows and then goes in relation to the prophecies which come to us by the power of the spirit of Jesus Christ Mary pondered these things in her heart in her heart there were various prophecies which she heard with her ears when such people as

[18:58] Simeon prophesied undoubtedly under the power of the Holy Ghost she pondered these things in her heart and if God has put something in your heart with regard to the future even as it regards this life and the position you are to fill in it or perhaps concerning another in respect to the position that person is to fill in it then you will consider the prophecy and you will ponder it and you will pray over it and it and if you can say it is according to thy word then Lord may I live to show forth thy praise and in the appointed time testify that thy word was true thy word was true the word of God is always true but the prophecies of God sometimes may come under much darkness and the situations which arise may appear to go quite against what

[20:14] God has prophesied concerning the future but God brings to pass in his own time what he has prophesied there are many of God's ministers over the years to whom God has spoken very clearly and powerfully that they should be engaged in that work but there are many over the years who would be able to say that there were times when they thought they were persuaded that it could never come to pass but it did it did and maybe there are things in your life that God has told you about and it doesn't look as though they can ever come to pass because of what you look at at the moment but they will if God has spoken then surely as the prophet of his people he will bring that which he has spoken to pass if we regard this in the most important of all things that we shall get to heaven at last then that prophecy of God will very often come under many many trials that the trial of your faith be much more precious than of gold that perish it though it be tried with fire might be found under praise and honor at the appearing of Jesus

[21:50] Christ the appearing of Jesus Christ is assured to all the people of God when they come to the end of their journey prophecies are to be believed and faith comes by hearing but prophecies are not fulfilled immediately always for the most part they are at the distance the prophecy concerning your ultimate destiny is certain as we read in Daniel the thing was certain but the time was long the thing was certain but the time was long and that is very often the case but in the meanwhile that I may live to show forth the praises of the Lord those praises being spoken not in empty words not proceeding from the natural mind but praises that come forth because the soul is exercised in faith unto God the soul verity believes that what

[23:08] God has spoken he will bring to pass and therefore they will be saved in the end saved in the end the 107th psalm reminds us even upon the reflection of the psalmist's mind how he lived to show forth the Lord's praise when he said men would praise the Lord for his goodness and for his wonderful works to the children of men that I may live that I may live not just live and say I'm a Christian how many people do but we need to live in order that by our very life by our very words by our very conversation and that being more generally and widely applied to our general department that we should speak it is good when people speak in their lives so to speak without opening their lips our lips are given us to speak our lips are given us to sing and to praise God but it is good when our very lives in everything that we do in the attitude that we adopt in doing it in the spirit in which we do it is such that will show forth the praises of God now the desire of the psalmist was uphold me according unto thy word that I may live give me thy spirit grant me the knowledge of Christ in such a way that my whole life may reflect it and yea that my whole life may show to others without my saying a word that I am a follower after

[25:17] God himself but coming back to the next point and that is Christ as a high priest that I may live now the high priesthood of Christ will be necessary and important to everyone of God's children that is all who are alive by the spirit because they will feel their need of a high priest they will feel their need of one to enter into the holy place why because they are sinners because sin dwells in their members and though the outside be kept clean they feel the felt within sometimes in drawing near to God they may feel that their own lips are sealed because of the weaknesses that have been manifested during the day how good it is to have one that you believe will intercede for you and pray for you and take your case up in heaven that I may live again to show forth his praise that we have a high priest how precious the words are in the Hebrews such a high priest became us who was holy harmless undefiled and separate from sinners but then goeth on to say who needeth not daily as those high priests to offer up sacrifice first for his own sins and then for the people's for this he did once when he offered up himself meditation is a lively exercise much meditation has been lost in the present day we should not be wise to dismiss this as saying well I can't meditate how does meditation come if meditation is to be any use to you or to me it has got to be that which comes forth from the spirit of god there is what we might call natural meditation but it never rises higher than natural things and natural things will do the soul no good will never bring any comfort but to have that meditation of which

[28:03] I think it is the psalmist speaks my meditation of him shall be sweet is that meditation which comes forth from the living the living who think upon his name that's meditation think upon his name we may think about all sorts of things the natural mind the devil the religious world will speak about meditation as trying to unfold deep mysteries and to be able to give some very deep revelation according to them of that which others cannot understand but meditation beloved friends is just this thinking upon his name thinking upon his name that name in respect to the offices which he sustains his name his name as prophet his name as high priest but you may say how can I think upon his name my mind seems everywhere so it does very often this is how you will know that the spirit of god is given to you freely and your feeble prayer has been answered uphold me according to thy word

[29:29] I feel that I'm slipping I feel that I'm being overcome my mind is being crowded out with all the demands of time but uphold me according unto thy word grant me that free spirit which will lead me to meditate upon thy word which will give me an understanding that I am alive that my soul's desire is to think upon his name oh the preciousness of thinking upon the name of Jesus Christ as a high priest my high priest that one that will enter into the holy presence of god for me that one that will offer himself as an acceptable sacrifice that one will reveal to me that he can deal with my sins and not only deal with them that put them away a high priest that I may live to show forth his praise yes but also to meditate upon his grace one of our poets takes up this line when he says no sweeter subject can invite the sinner's heart to sing or more display the glorious right of their exalted king which takes us on to the third point and that is the lord jesus christ as king we sometimes speak and refer to the psalmist words the lord god omnipotent reigneth meditation upon this great aspect of christ himself will indeed be the result of this prayer unto god uphold me according unto thy word that i may live live to meditate regarding how great my king is great allegiance is given to earthly kings and queens and we can see from time to time demonstrations of great devotion to by their subjects what is our devotion to our king or is our king jesus christ or is our king a king of this world if we are alive if we can go along with the psalmist uphold me according unto thy word that i may live oh our whole life will be contained in meditating in thinking upon in looking at every circumstance and seeing in it the impress of our the work of our king children of the heavenly king as ye journey sweetly sing sing your father's worthy praise wondrous in his works and ways that verse embodies all that we have already said but it is the children of the heavenly king what is our birth are we of royal birth if we are born again of the spirit then we are of royal birth and we have the benefit and blessings that belong to the king and all his possessions the apostle has some striking words when he says as having nothing and is that way you feel as having

[33:29] nothing but how does he go on goes on to say this and yet possessing all things why only because the people of god are children of a heavenly king and therefore they will be wanting for nothing the question was asked by the lord jesus and also by joshua in earlier days lack to anything lack to anything and the answer had to be because it could be no otherwise nothing lord nothing why all because jehovah is king christ the lord is king then be his name adored lord that i may live now if we are children of a king it surely follows that our lives should honor the king that is our father who is our father to this end may this not be a a deep and abiding prayer uphold me according unto thy word that i may live to honor him who is my father my king my prophet my priest to honor him we live in a day when honor is often not given the general spirit of the world is to give honor where honor should never be given and not to give honor where it should be given just one example the word of god says honor the king now there are many people in the world today who are most unwilling to honor the king and even those that may acknowledge the king or the queen may there are still amongst those ranks those who would not wholeheartedly honor the king but another person whom the word of god completely condemns may receive honor from men in a most extreme manner looking at these words more particularly as it refers to the children of god that i may live to honor honor god honor him in all his blessed offices but particularly as we look at it at this moment as king what is the benefit and what is the blessing of being the children of a king one would judge that the royal family living in buckingham palace must be cognizant with the general drift of things in the governing of the country much more and more perfectly than we do as being amongst the common people now there are many things that

[37:29] are confusing confusing to everybody many questions are asked why this and why that and why the other now if we are the children of the king we may well say that i may live to honor my king my father because he shows to me according to his word why this and that is happening much darkness is upon the world at large there are many people that may say they do not know because they do not want to know but to the children of god the knowledge will be given as to why certain things have come what shall we say upon our nation generally if you walk contrary to me i will walk contrary to you may be spoken to a nation to a church to an individual person and this may explain a lot of things god is not to be trifled with and if he is trifled with and if we do not honor him not just in lip service but by our very life then we must expect that he will walk contrary to us and maybe prayer will not be answered why because we are walking contrary to him we are not doing those things that are laid down in the scriptures of truth that we should do now uphold me according unto thy word that

[39:29] I may live that the spirit of God may dwell in me who will show me the mind of God and explain to me why this and that is happening not that I might ooze with pride because of my knowledge rather that I am deeply humbled because of what God has told me and how kind he has been to show me to honor God honor him truly with our speech but also to honor him by doing those things that he has commanded it we go back to the days of Samuel to read those words them that honor me I will honor and those that despise me shall be lightly esteemed that was a very solemn word spoken in very solemn circumstances and

[40:32] I doubt not that there have been many fathers over the years godly fathers who have greatly trembled because of those words the connection is in relation to Eli and his sons Ophni and Phinehas he preferred Eli preferred allowing his sons to dishonor god in the office in the worship at that time rather than to put them out of office he reprove them he said you should not do this but it was a matter which was not connected with that which was domestic but it was that that was connected with that which was spiritual and therefore

[41:37] Eli greatly heard in not reproving his sons effectively by removing them even from their priestly office as he should have done and therefore the solemn words were spoken then that honor me I will honor and those that despise me shall be likely esteemed we may be in a position where we say well if I honor God it's going to cost me a lot I cannot interfere with my family like this well the crunch comes here as to whether the preference is given to honoring God or to honoring men now if you honor God remember that God will honor you and if you honor men the time may come when they will kick you rather than help you men are fickle creatures some of us are found we cannot rely on them that

[42:47] I may live to honor God in order that we may honor God it means a constant reverence of the word of God to know those things that God requires and that we may honor him in respect to all those things will not this be sufficient to show us how much we need to read the word of God there are too many that fall into errors and come to wrong judgments professing themselves to be Christians still because they do not know the word of God if they did they would be preserved from many follies honoring God may be taken as knowing what is in the word of God that is one aspect of it uphold me according unto thy word that

[43:51] I may live to honor God we must leave it may the Lord command his blessing for Christ's sake amen