Psalm (Quality: Average)

[0:00] The End The End Remember the word unto thy servant, upon which thou hast caused me to hope.

[1:09] This is my comfort and my affliction, for thy word hath quickened me. The 49th and 50th verses from the 119th Psalm.

[1:20] Remember the word unto thy servant, upon which thou hast caused me to hope. This is my comfort and my affliction, for thy word hath quickened me.

[1:31] Thank you.

[2:02] And some of the verses, it may be, well as we read them this morning, you may feel, it is high I cannot attain to it. A dear man, the dear psalmist could speak of his heart being warmed and those fervent desires to walk in God's ways and to know his truth.

[2:24] And with a measure of certainty as it were and assurance that it was so with him.

[2:36] And as you light on such verses as that, it may well be that you feel you cannot attain to it. And yet intermingled with those verses, we have here and there a beautiful petition expressed by the dear psalmist.

[2:55] And we have a petition here in these two verses. And I do hope as I try and bring it before you this morning, as one may be helped to do so.

[3:07] Perhaps it might be a word of encouragement to one or another. Because you know, the other psalmist lived there many years before. Yet, down to the generations, the gracious work of the Holy Spirit is the same.

[3:24] And although the world passed through changing scenes, everything to do with us, we are reminded of changes. When you come to consider the things pertaining to the work of grace that the Lord is pleased to perform in the hearts of his dear people, it is the same.

[3:42] Therefore, when we have desires expressed in the scripture that those who have gone before were the subject of, well, those same desires we found in the hearts of God's dear people in these present days.

[4:01] Because it is the same Holy Spirit who teaches the same truth. It is the same work of grace which the Lord is pleased by his Spirit to work in the hearts of his dear people.

[4:13] There is no difference in this. The same truths. The same experiences. There is great mercy if sometimes you feel you can join with the dear psalmist as he expresses his desire before the Lord in the psalm.

[4:36] Another thing to realise is this, and I hope we may be helped so to do. When you think about prayer. what a provision the Lord has made for his dear people in this he will have them call upon his name he will have them to inquire of him and good it is when sometimes there may be those sincere desires that do arise in your heart while at other times you may perhaps feel troubled and burdened because the lack of prayer or sometimes perhaps when prayer seems to be such a formality with you and yet in spite of all this what a great mercy it is when there is a real desire in the heart before God and that desire brings you as it were to the throne of grace that the Lord would in mercy meet that desire now in this text before us we have a desire expressed by the psalmist as he addresses himself before the Lord as

[5:43] God's servant remember the word of thy servant and we do tend perhaps when we look at a word like this to think more particularly perhaps of the Lord's servants who were called to preach the gospel but really you know this word servant describes every true child of God poor sinners who are delivered from the service of sin and Satan are taught by God's grace to be servants of the Lord and so then it is a word that does comprehend really the people of God altogether as servants of the most high God remember how Joshua at one point declared didn't he as for me and my house we will serve the Lord and what a great mercy it is if at times you are made to realise there is that desire in your heart in that respect not to be left as the ungodly to serve themselves and to serve their own lusts as it were pursue those things that the carnal heart desires while every true child of God is made to prove there is still the old man of sin within what a great mercy if there is another principle a principle of grace from which springs those desires which ascend to heaven such desires as the Lord alone can fulfil what a provision the Lord has made at the throne of grace those encouragements in the scripture for poor sinners in their felt need to call upon his name now this dear psalmist was no stranger to prayer and so we have scattered through this long psalm these petitions and good it is if you find at times they do express what you feel to need in your own soul and sometimes it's helpful isn't it as you may light upon a scripture which sets forth a prayer that you can as it were bring that same petition to the Lord not just repeating the words

[8:07] I don't mean that but the spirit of it the desire expressed so as we try and look at this word this morning what a great mercy if we have within our hearts something of that same desire that is expressed before us and really it is a desire that the Lord would confirm his word in the heart and his work of grace in the soul and there are those times when the Lord's dear people as they journey on through this wilderness world do need the Lord to come and confirm their souls in these things I notice in the hymn you just sung at this time the dear hymn writer makes reference to being confirmed in the way the fourth verse isn't it dear Saviour let thy powerful love confirm our faith our fears remove forgiveness shed through every breath and guide us and guide us to eternal rest what a suitable petition that is and you see it expresses the desire of a living soul to be confirmed in these things and surely as you journey on in life's way those of you perhaps who through God's great mercy you hope have been brought on through many years and many changing scenes you're brought to those places where you do need the Lord to graciously confirm your soul in these matters and that your heart may be assured that what you hope is that which the

[9:55] Lord has been pleased to perform in your heart and so then we look at this word as expressing a desire the soul to be confirmed and the suppliant makes reference to the word remember the word unto thy servant upon which thou hast caused me to help he says this is my comfort in my affliction for thy word hath quickened me now there are blessed and precious secrets which the Lord does reveal to his dear people through his word through the written word and through the word of the gospel preached the Lord's all wise appointment whereby blessings shall be showered down upon his dear people through the precious gospel of his grace the word of his grace you'll notice the psalmist speaks here in these verses concerning

[10:56] God's word and if you look through the psalm you'll notice that many times he refers to God's word God's word and what is God's word to you and me oh what a great mercy we have that desire expressed in another verse thy word have I hidden my heart that I may not sin against thee it is for the power of the Holy Spirit applying the word that it will be found hidden in the heart and that is where you want it to be don't you not just as it were to consider the word in a mere outward way but to have a gracious effect within the heart and for that word to be hid there and the Holy Spirit will perform that in the hearts of his dear people and the psalmist then he knew something the secret of the word yes

[12:03] God's word God's word spoken to him and we can think of the latter clause of these two verses for a moment he says for thy word hath quickened me he'll be reminded of the secrets of the power of God's truth the word of his truth in the hearts of poor sinners it is and it will be a quickening word remember the Lord Jesus Christ when he was up on earth stated didn't he the words that I speak unto you thou spirit and thou life one of the powerful and effectual operations of the Holy Spirit is in the word being a quickening word we have a record in the Acts of the Apostles of the day of Pentecost when Peter was helped to preach the word the word of the gospel and how it reached hearts sinners were born again the word entered as it were into their hearts effectually by the power of the Holy Spirit it is a quickening word it is a living word it is like a like a living seed if we turn to one of the epistles written by Peter he makes reference to that doesn't he where he says being born again not of corruptible seed but of incorruptible by the word of God which liveth and abideth forever

[13:38] God's word is a quickening word as it quickens dead souls what an effect that is you see by nature we are all dead in trespasses and sins an apostle wrote to their church and Ephesus says he reminds them of that that they were dead in trespasses and sins and that description describes mankind altogether and the awful effect of the Adam fall dead in trespasses and sins no life spiritually you see through God's great mercy through the wonder of the gospel fulfilling God's gracious purpose and grace to his chosen people it will prove to be a quickening word yes it will be as that living seed sown into the heart which will take root and will grow first first the blade then the ear after that the fulicorn in the ear but it is a quickening word but then it is also a quickening word to God's dear people as they journey on in the way of life and the psalmist says here for thy word hath quickened me there were those times you know when God's word proved to be a reviving word a reviving word and nothing short of the power of the Holy Spirit through the word can bring this about

[15:22] I may speak to some here this morning and perhaps you feel to be needing a reviving word but the Lord alone can do that for you and there is a there is a promise that it it shall be so good it is if you are concerned at times to know the quickening influence of God's word because there is so much that tends to deadness what we are ourselves by nature and the spirit of the world around us there is so much that tends to deaden but though it is a great truth that the principle of divine life implanted in the soul can never be destroyed but we have to confess don't we that sometimes we are in a very barren and dead state spiritually here again we see the power of God's word that it does quicken some in reviving but maybe sometimes you have felt much to need

[16:25] God's reviving hand yes to revive your faith to strengthen your faith to confirm you in the things of God yes to feel something of that movement God would you know we are so earthbound aren't we so often but God alone can deliver us from that and grant us that gracious reviving so the psalmist says here for thy word hath quickened me he knew what it was for that word to quicken in the first place every indication of divine life in the soul it is the quickening word of the Holy Spirit and then as I said to know those times of reviving for the word to be a quickening word in that way be thankful for sinners that have been those seasons when it has been like that with you perhaps coming up to the house of prayer on the

[17:32] Sabbath day coming to the sound of the preached word had to mourn over your felt deadness but then a word reached your heart it enlivened your faith yes there was as it were a new life to what seemed to be so dead before but it all has to be traced you see for the gracious work of the Holy Spirit through the word then again the psalmist speaks of the word being made a comfort to him he says this is my comfort in my affliction for thy word has quickened me the dear man was enabled to realise there was comfort to me no and it did comfort him it comforted his heart he encouraged him yes in his affliction and there are those afflictions which are peculiar to God's dear people while affliction of course is common to mankind generally through sin but there are those afflictions which are peculiar to God's dear people we read in scripture don't we many are the afflictions of the righteous but the Lord delivereth him out of them all and there is blessed comfort to afflicted souls through God's word yes varied of those afflictions some actual afflictions many of

[19:05] God's dear people know what it is to have to live with a bodily affliction but there are afflictions of various sorts yes afflictions which are not apparent by others yes the Lord is praying to deal with poor sinners and bring to realize something of what they are by nature or they shouldn't begin to realize their afflictions yes afflicted with sin you know of course there is the conflict there is still the new man of grace but there is still the old man of sin and the afflictions but here the dear psalmist could say that he felt comfort and sometimes the gospel as it is preached and has supplied with divine power to a poor sinner's heart it does become a comforting word it really is one of the sweet notes of the gospel isn't it the word of comfort there will be wounded souls that will appreciate the word of comfort not the self-sufficient not the self-righteous no but poor sinners who know and feel something of their sad state by nature or what a comfort the gospel is sometimes it speaks of peace and pardon forgiveness through the precious blood of the Lord

[20:41] Jesus Christ this is solid comfort I want to particularly consider what there is contained in this word in the 49th verse remember the word unto thy servant upon which thou hast caused me to home because here again we can see that not only is God's word a quickening word it's a word of comfort to soaring souls is a word of hope a word of hope we've seen in the opening hymn about that anchor of the soul the apostle writing to the Hebrews made reference to its name he said which hope we have as an anchor of the soul now the gospel does become a gospel of hope to poor sinners and the dear psalmist he appeals to the Lord upon the ground of this he felt that he had a sweet hope raised up in his heart through the word though of course the dear psalmist did not live in a gospel day yet at the same time the Lord was pleased at times to speak to his dear people often times directly individually it did become a word of hope to them promises

[22:20] God gave to his ancient people God gave promise to Abraham didn't he and there was hope you see it was a word of hope to Abraham how he did need the Lord to confirm it that that word of promise might be brought to pass in measure this would be so in the experiences of God's dear people then with regard to God's word and what a great mercy dear friends if you're not a total stranger to the hope of the gospel and you know perhaps you feel you cannot lay hold lay claim as it were to outstanding experiences what a great mercy if you're no stranger to that secret power of the word as it applied to your heart and to know it as a word of hope one of the early experiences of the blessings that flows of the gospel to poor needy sinners is that is a word of hope and it directs them to him who is the hope of

[23:32] Israel the Lord Jesus Christ himself the sinner's only hope salvation for a sinner's hope is in the word and him writer dwells on it doesn't he he said how firm a foundation you saints of the

[24:49] Lord is laid for your faith is excellent word referring of course to faith and then there's the hope you see faith and hope go hand in hand as it were in the experience of God to your people and what a one to experience really it is when first a hope is raised up in the heart because one of the effects of the teaching of the Holy Spirit is this that a poor sinner is brought to realise he has no hope in himself no good resolutions can form a foundation to hope no all these things are no more than a sandy foundation as it were unless there are those who build on them but you know the hope is in God's word and he has declared that word the hope of the gospel now in the petition you see surely we can discern this that this dear man this dear suppliant he knew something of the secret of hope being raised up in his heart so the word yes that may be well a word of gracious promise spoken to him and it caused him to hope now in the petition it's just this isn't it he appeals to the

[26:23] Lord in this way remember the word God says I'm not understanding of this the Lord never forgets now and his dear people in his heart and his mind as it will speak reverently and yet he condescends with his dear people in this way yes and it's one of the aspects of prayer isn't it the Lord condescends in that way to his dear people as suppliants before him yes not that God forget no but he condescends with your people as they appeal before him in that way that he would indeed remember the word confirm it fulfill it and the Lord alone can do that what a great mercy it is a poor sinner can plead before the Lord in that way yes that the

[27:25] Lord would confirm that word and that work of grace in the heart it may be I speak to some of you this morning and you know what it is from time to time as you have come up to a prayer if so be the Lord bless you and confirm your soul in his truth in the word of his truth and the word of his grace and that sweet hope which is raised up in your heart that you may have it confirmed that it is a good hope through grace you see not a self constructed hope but a hope wrought within the souls of the gospel grounded upon the truth yes upon that rock of salvation oh it is a great mercy dear friends our hope is built on that foundation because although it may feel sometimes your hope grows very dim there may be the questionings the doubts that arise the fears that arise but you know a hope built upon the foundation which is the

[28:36] Lord Jesus Christ is a hope that cannot be destroyed you may be brought low sometimes and sometimes it is like this isn't it you may be brought low in your own experience of things you do need the Lord to come and confirm your soul in these all important matters that that hope which is in your heart is indeed a hope through grace a good hope through grace and the Lord does condescend to his dear people in that way yes and encourages them to bring their desires before him in this respect I think of one word I think it is in the prophecy of Isaiah where the Lord condescend to his dear people in this way he says put me in remembrance striking word isn't it put me in remembrance well as I said the Lord never forgets but it shows to us how the Lord does condescend with his dear people in their exercises and trials as they journey on here below put me in remembrance and here you see remember the word all that the dear man as a supplement before the throne of grace beseeches of the Lord in this way was this word yes perhaps it dropped into his heart many years before and it raised a hope in his breast now he needs it to be confirmed well it is a great truth you know

[30:16] God's word endures it endures forever it cannot be destroyed and a word of grace wrought in the heart with the power of the Holy Spirit can never be destroyed but you may lose the comfort of it sometimes Satan may come too he may be permitted to come and you find you're up against fierce temptations but we have to remember this don't we the Lord does try he tries his dear people the Lord tried the righteous how tried Joseph must have been in the prison he had a word from the Lord before those dreams God spoke to him through those dreams he had a persuasion that God would have fulfilled those things but he was in the prison yes falsely accused how trying that must have been how the word must have tried him because it reminds us of how the

[31:22] Lord is pleased to deal with his dear people at times that which he has been pleased to perform in their hearts he will try it God given faith will be tried a good hope through grace is tried and it brings to this doesn't it the Lord his great mercy would come affirm those things below there's the trial the trial of faith yet hope tried yet you see through the trial ultimately there's made manifest that which is of God the word of God speaks about the fiery trials doesn't it the Lord does he has his fire in Zion his furnace in Jerusalem and the Lord has tried his people and sometimes in these afflictions it is like a fire isn't it and what is the effect well those things are consumed burned out as it were burned up but there's something that remains that which is fireproof as it were cannot be destroyed like the pure gold benefited you see by the dross being removed but God does try his people and it may be sometimes as you realise this you do feel to be so reduced as it were you want the Lord to come yes and that which you hope he has been pleased to make known to you perhaps in past experience past years it may be that the

[33:09] Lord would confirm this so you find this petition here fits in with the desire of your soul remember the word unto thy servant upon which thou hast caused me to hold there's another secret here to remind ourselves of remember the word unto thy servant you see it indicates a word applied a word applied it's one thing isn't it to settle under the sand of the truth yes and it may be perhaps to approve those things that are heard but the secret of the blessing is this when the word is applied and here the text is remember the word unto thy servant yes a word spoken a word applied to the heart and that through the trial one is brought to feel to need a confirmation of this you see satan attacks doesn't he he's the adversary and all that the lord is pleased to perform in the hearts of his dear people oh the lord satan will attack it and the lord permits this he permits satan to come as an adversary there's a great mercy he brings to the throne of grace yes being tossed about as it were and perhaps like it was that peace to be riddled in satan's sin oh you need the lord there to come his great mercy and confirm your soul in the face of all these difficulties and trials and these besetting things that come from satan that there is that which the lord is being pleased to perform in your heart which never be destroyed but through the trial sometimes you're bettered by it may suffer loss but what a great mercy when the little that comes forth from the fire as it were is fire proof

[35:29] Paul inviting to the church at Corinth makes mention doesn't he of these things he makes mention of the wood and the hay and the stubble and you know it may well be there's much of that in us that needs to be burned up needs to be consumed but what a great mercy if there's the other the gold and the silver and the precious stones that which the fire cannot destroy but as it is with the gold and the silver it's purified you see the refiner purifies the gold and the silver it is put in the crucible of the furnace and all the dross is skimmed off the top as it were and the gold is made clean made pure and reflects the image of the purifier well then there's sometimes posture these things it brings us to this point doesn't it as the dear psalmist was at this time and as he appealed to the

[36:38] Lord that those things which he realised were the means of raising up a hope in his heart were of God yes not to self construct it hope which is of God I thought of the case of poor Jerry Morrow you know he was a servant of God he was taught of God God raised him up as a faithful prophet in a very sad solemn time in the history of God's ancient people and he had much to discourage him so much so that when you read the lamentations you see how low the dear man did sink he does make reference to hope doesn't he and it only has to show how low he did sink he says my hope is perished from the Lord well that could never be but he lost the comfort of it and sometimes perhaps through fierce temptations you do there's a comfort of your hope but do remember it cannot be destroyed a good hope through grace cannot be destroyed you turn to that third chapter the lamentations where

[37:59] Jeremiah makes mention of these things that beautiful portion in the chapter where so evident the Lord appeared to the dear man in his much darkness and difficulty and trial and discouragement God appeared God confirmed his hope though he had come to the conclusion his hope was perished he lost the comfort of it he hadn't lost the reality of it and God did confirm that hope and in heaven's light he could see things in a different way he was brought to this point wasn't he he said it is good it is good that a man should both hope and quietly wait for the salvation of the Lord and he could feel too this he says the Lord is my portion saith my soul therefore what a hope in him well what had taken place then the

[39:05] Lord had confirmed his hope yes he delivered him from the despair the discouragement he felt strengthened well here we have the dear psalmist then in prayer before the Lord remember the word until I serve and upon which thou cause me to hope so the dear man appeals to the Lord in that way now what a mercy dear friends you and I have a privilege to do so and although perhaps you may feel sometimes it is a trying path maybe sometimes a dark path Satan may come with his fierce temptations suggesting you out of the secret altogether he's a cruel fowl but it's a great mercy dear friends if it brings you to the throne of grace yes with some importunity you know sometimes we try to pray it seems to be so formal doesn't it there's a great mercy you know maybe a burden sometimes maybe a trial that comes into experience and it brings you to the throne of grace yes it brings about a spirit of importunity and in measure you feel a little bit like Jacob did or not let me go except they bless me well now here this dear man of

[40:35] God in prayer before the Lord remember the word unto thy servant yes God's word that word which had been a hope to him and was a hope to him that word which was a comfort to him that word which had quickened him and revived him from time to time remember the word all other times when you feel to lead the Lord to as it were make over again these things good it is isn't it when first a sweet hope is raised out perhaps under the sound of the gospel but you can be sure as you journey on that it will be tried and it brings you to this doesn't it for the Lord to come and confirm that in your soul that what he has been pleased to perform it is his work his work and how precious it is to be the subject of a sweet hope in the mercy of God that hope that yes springs up in the heart through the power of the

[41:48] Holy Spirit as the word reaches the heart as it quickens as it revives yes as it strengthens as it allays the fears the word of grace remember the word unto thy servant upon which thou hast caused me to hope this is my comfort in my affliction all the times when the dear man realised that comfort and the source of it not in himself not in his circumstances no but in the word and that quickening word yes you see it does indicate the gracious power of the Holy Spirit through the word and is applied with divine power to the soul it revives it confirms your hope it gives strength so you're able to continue a bit of a word isn't in the scripture like this it says they go from strength to strength well that strength is from the

[42:55] Lord and when a sweet hope is raised up in the heart although sometimes it may sink very low when God comes and confirms that hope in your soul gives you strength yes strength to continue so that you helped yes a journey on although sometimes of course hope and against hope but God is the God of hope the Lord Jesus Christ is that sweet hope of Israel the poor sinner's hope isn't it though you feel to be so undone and helpless and sometimes so guilty yet there's everything in the Lord Jesus Christ yes for your poor hope to build upon oh to have that good foundation which will never be removed well might the Lord bless these few favoring hearts amen let us close this morning by singing hymn number 1038 the tune is man home 679 hymn number 1038 1038 sinners in their deep affliction sigh and groan beneath their load long to read their own election and with pleasure say my God trembling fearing hoping still in Jesus blood hymn number 1038 in cent ⁁そして

[45:24] In our mission, Sire and worship will ye ever come, How they will ever be 삼在, 알았어 will incidos, 아직 moi pregnanye g czym remade gation remade gationûre You Jesus Morning, host, let me shoot who I am yet.

[46:42] Thank you.

[47:12] Thank you.

[47:42] Oh, my God.

[48:12] Amen. Now, may the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God the Father, the communion and worship of the Holy Spirit rest upon us and abide with us and with the dear people of God everywhere, now and forever. Amen.

[48:42] Amen.