Psalm

[0:00] Mr. L.S.B. Hyde, Hoke Chapel, Shorts Corner, Tuesday 18 April 2000 Let us now sing together hymn number 695, hymn 695, tune Providence, number 490.

[0:30] Blessed Comforter, appear to thy waiting children here. Bless us with a solemn frame. Magnify the Saviour's name. Raise our souls from earth and sin. Let us feel thy power within. Make the blessings of free grace unctuously suit every case. Hymn number 695.

[1:00] Blessed Comforter, appear to thy waiting children here. Rest us with a solemn frame. Magnify the Saviour's name.

[1:28] Praise our souls from earth and sin. Let us feel thy power within. Make the blessings of free grace. Make the blessings of free grace. Make the blessings of free grace.

[2:08] May the blessings of free grace. Pray us from this car in death. Jesus' love and loving heart. Drive a triumph from the past.

[2:30] Shout our souls from산. On the Mount and Sin. Pray us from above. Find us Lord with Ham towards blood.

[2:42] May he virtually agree With us Father, Son and Son. May he virtually agree With us Father, Son and Son On Lord, Son.

[2:59] As the Lord may help this evening, I would direct your attention to the psalm that we read, Psalm 136, reading verses 23 and 24.

[3:22] Who remembered us in our lowest state, for his mercy endureth forever, and hath redeemed us from our enemies, for his mercy endureth forever.

[3:44] Who remembered us in our lowest state, for his mercy endureth forever, and hath redeemed us from our enemies, for his mercy endureth forever.

[4:06] However, sometimes it is profitable for us to sit down and, as the Word of God says, remember the way which the Lord thy God has led thee.

[4:29] It will be surprising, if you are led by the Spirit of God, how many times you will have to pause and say, for his mercy endureth forever.

[4:47] If we are called by grace, what will you say? Why? For his mercy endureth forever. If we have felt the love of Christ set abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost, what shall we say?

[5:04] For his mercy endureth forever. And so, as the Spirit of God may lead us, in thinking of the way that God has led us, not the way that we have sorted out ourselves, but the way that God has led us, then, if our meditation is to be sweet, it must be interposed with this phrase, for his mercy endureth forever.

[5:40] It was not until this evening, although I have read this psalm many times, but I noticed that it was not just after each sentence that the words were added, for his mercy endureth forever, but there were interposing of the utterance of this phrase in the middle of a sentence.

[6:09] Just take an example. To him who that smote Egypt in their firstborn. Now there's a pause.

[6:21] Or rather, where are we? There is a pause when... I've lost the place.

[6:34] Where are we? Yes, the 14th verse. The 13th verse. The hymn which divided the Red Sea into parts.

[6:48] A colon. The subject is not finished, but we have to pause and think of this particular point. For his mercy endureth forever.

[6:59] Another colon. The sentence isn't finished. And made Israel to pass through the midst of it. A third colon. For his mercy endureth forever.

[7:11] For his mercy endureth forever. Generally speaking, where we read in the grammatical sequence of a colon being put here and there, generally it refers to something of the same subject subject.

[7:34] And yet needs to be considered. Now just to look at this wonderful experience which was never to be forgotten.

[7:45] Not only by those that passed through the experience, but in subsequent generations. to him that divided the Red Sea into parts.

[7:56] Well, it was something to me which should cause us to stand and be amazed. And I'm quite sure that the Israelites, as they were so enclosed, and the Red Sea was before them, would remember as they walked through the dry land of the Red Sea for his mercy endureth forever.

[8:23] But that was only part of the path. We go on and made Israel to pass through the midst of it. Standing by the Red Sea and closed completely, the Red Sea opened and then they passed through the Red Sea.

[8:44] And his mercy for his mercy endureth forever. And then there's another final point. But overthrew Pharaoh and his host in the Red Sea for his mercy endureth forever.

[9:02] So that there are three particular observations to be made even in that well-known piece of history in the scriptures.

[9:15] The people of Israel come into the Red Sea and it was closed. The opening of it and they walk through and then so to speak as they look back there was a third point and that was the destruction of the Egyptians.

[9:37] That is just one of the sentences that I happen to my eye happen to light upon. And equally in the words I have read to you as a text I rather think that sometimes we isolate this one verse from the other who remembered us in our lowest state for his mercy endureth forever.

[10:03] forever. But there's something more. The Lord did something. He did not just remember us but it also goes on to say and has redeemed us from our enemies for his mercy endureth forever.

[10:23] forever. This psalm starts so to speak in the heights and finishes I was going to say in the depths.

[10:37] O give thanks unto the Lord for he is good. When we think about this point what is to follow for his mercy endureth forever.

[10:51] And do not think of anything spiritual without also considering these words and all their importance for his mercy endureth forever.

[11:05] And there is certainly a call from God Almighty to give thanks unto God the God of gods for his mercy endureth forever.

[11:17] O give thanks to the Lord of lords for his mercy endureth forever. To him who alone doeth great wonders for his mercy endureth forever three different points concerning and referring to the same person the Almighty God but interspersed by three mentions for his mercy endureth forever.

[11:48] And so we could go on through this psalm and seeing a method and a suggestion shall I say I don't think that's quite the right word an indication of what we should do and not just now and again.

[12:10] But the more thy glory strikes our eye the humbler we shall lie and therefore it is good for us to weigh the matter especially when we come to think he remembered us in our low estate low estate what is that our low estate we Adam and Eve as you know were created in every perfection of the almighty but from that wonderful position through temptation they fell and they came by comparison into a low estate we may think on the same level that the people we ourselves as sinners have come into a place of degeneration what a blessing it is if the spirit of

[13:29] God renews us awakens us giving us a new heart so that we can see from whence we are fallen and see how we have been restored and in every instance of our meditation and thinking we have to intersperse for his mercy enduring forever the word of God tells us that his mercy is from everlasting everlasting to everlasting upon them that fear him with an everlasting quality the mercy can never change never deviate or differ at all God's mercy that called us out of darkness into his marvelous light light is still being maintained throughout our life and as we are led and instructed by the spirit of God has

[14:49] God shown you something fresh shall I say today will it not call forth the reason for his mercy endureth forever the psalmist says in psalm 73 I was as a beast before thee why wasn't he destroyed for his mercy endureth forever it may be that some of you at times have looked at that psalm and felt you could lodge in it as well and what the psalmist said himself you could identify yourself in the expressions of the psalmist and yet you're spared why there's only one ground and that is for his mercy endureth forever who remembered we should remember this that

[15:55] God's memory is an everlasting remembrance remembrance he remembers remember us he remembers us when nobody else does that may seem strange but there are internal exercises down settings and uprisings which we cannot communicate to another and God remembers us why and how do we know well we wouldn't know unless God communicated with us that his mercy endureth forever though all men forget thee and forsake thee yet will not I I will stand by thee and support thee and that when all forsake yet

[16:57] I will not forsake and here you are can you picture the scene standing in your distress I feel forsaken and alone I hear the lion roar and every door is shut but one and that is mercy's door mercy's door the door of thy mercy stands open all day to the poor and the needy who walked by the way who remembered us and God's memory is without forgetfulness our memory at last is weak and we forget and certainly that is increased with age and infamities of old age but the Lord God never gets old and he doesn't change a bit he has been the same almighty

[18:04] God from eternity past go back as far as you can and you're still not at the end to meet up with the extensiveness of God's spirit there was never a time when he was not and there never will be another time at the other end of the scale when he will not be now of course since we are limited creatures we are not able to really appreciate what eternity means but it is because of God's eternity that we are able to speak so wonderfully who remembered us everything eternal is without failure our forgetfulness so has God remembered you when perhaps nobody else remembered you you know sometimes we hope and pray and feel that our dear ones and our brothers and sisters in the faith they remember us in their prayers how often it may be that if the truth was set before us we should find that our names has been forgotten not intentionally but because of our weakness we are men and women and children of time and we have failings and it may be that in a most distressing situation we are not capable of knowing exactly what is going on except we are present at the time but the

[20:12] Lord does not have to reveal his presence for you to say I am with thee and for you to observe when you say why is this because his mercy endureth forever we find in the book of Malachi I am the Lord I change not therefore ye sons of Jacob are not consumed there are times when our sins seem to fill us with alarm our forgetfulness our pride our irresponsible behaviour sometimes they fill us with misdismay and is the law near at hand are we coming under it do we feel the condemnation of it is anybody going to remember us

[21:16] I think generally speaking the attitude of the natural mind to a criminal is he deserves what he's got well God looks at us and he could equally say he deserves the trouble that he's now in but who remembered us in our lowest state who remembered us in our weakness who remembered us when we were alone alone and sometimes God's people have had the experience of being alone I think the psalmist said elsewhere no man cared for my soul now there is a time in Christian experience in the early stages after you are being caught by grace when you're coming into a new path and when you're greatly troubled you feel alone you feel alone everywhere because you can't imagine that anybody is feeling such deficiencies so many deficiencies sins and so many sins against

[22:41] God as you are now passing through and you would not be surprised if a person that met you that knew you might suddenly be so affrighted that he or she might run away God knows exactly how we are he knew how wicked man had been he knew that God must punish sin and for his people then he said I'll bear the punishment instead wonderful therefore in considering this who remembered us in our lowest state and why because for his mercy endureth forever forever there are times in

[23:45] Christian experiences when you suddenly remember the past and can any of us boast of a past which is without any moments when we hope that nobody will ever get to know now it may be that in order a conversation something may be said they can somebody might say I can find out your past oh dear alarmed we shall be find out my past yes there are some good things but how many bad things who remembered us in our lowest state and he remembered he saw us ruined in the fall yet love does not with standing all he saves me from my lost estate his loving kindness oh how great and in medley's well known him he goes from point to point and maybe in number nine you have found how wonderful it is how constant is his loving kindness though numerous hosts of mighty foes though earth and hell my way oppose he leads my soul safely leads my soul along his loving kindness oh how strong and what's really happening a performance of the words of our text this evening who remembered us in our lowest state for his mercy endureth forever sometimes if we have been in a lower state in regard to the truth of

[26:03] God and perhaps that part of our life is remembered I remember many so many years ago now listening to a minister that came to preach at the chapel where I was worshipping and I thought he got on a very nice streak but one of the other friends came and said to me I knew him 30 years ago and in that man's memory that was the picture now the Lord Jesus knew us from the day of our birth so then who remembered us in our lowest state 30 years ago 40 years ago 2 years ago 12 years ago yes and what has he done behold his mercy lengthened out lengthened out for his mercy endureth forever and so you see when trouble like a gloomy cloud has gathered thick and thundered loud and do remember that when this happens to you or to me most people will walk away when you're in prosperity you've got many friends but when you're in adversity people are ready to walk away but what about God here and will it be our consolation and comfort he near my soul as always should his loving kindness oh how good and now it may be that some of you can go along with

[28:02] Samuel Medley I can because I've proved a God in these particulars and I am bound to say who remembers us in our lowest state and said come come unto me all you that labor and are heavy laden and I will give you rest when everybody else is casting you off and saying oh him or her you know you can be very unfriendly sometimes when you get that kind of spirit but you will not find that kind of spirit in the Lord himself who remembered us in our lowest state are we thankful because all of us at some time or other have come into a lowest state we seem to be the off scouring of all things and the apostle Paul himself refers to this when he wrote to the

[29:09] Hebrews and he said in that chapter 10th chapter I think call to remembrance the former days in which after ye were illuminated ye enjoyed a great fight of afflictions partly whilst ye were made a gazing stock by reproaches and afflictions and partly whilst ye became companions of them that are so used for ye had compassion on me in my bonds and took joyfully the spoil of your goods knowing in yourselves that ye have in heaven a better and an enduring substance so who remembered us in our lowest state and the reason for his mercy endure forever unchangeable his mercy is contained in his love mine is an unchanging love higher than the heights above deeper than the depths beneath free and faithful strong as death he remembered no

[30:39] I depend upon God that he might lead me to the right subject I can't tell I need to be directed it may be I trust it is so that these words are for someone in particular this evening who were cast down by reason of the way but if you were cast down who remembered us in our lowest state we find instances in the scriptures where there were some that were very cast down and the Lord Jesus came and made himself known and spoke perhaps wonderful and precious words words that were substantiated because his mercy endured forever mercy mercy mercy now where are we sometimes in a low state and of course it is assumed that if you are a

[31:51] Christian person when you are in a low state you will automatically pray but if we know ourselves we shall know that it doesn't come naturally it has to come spiritually and it has to come with a low note too but who remembered us in our lower state he saw us cast out having no hope almost and without God in the world prayer it had gone from us how could we pray and it was not a question of just praying certain words shall I say praying the Lord's prayer not that I'm despising that but it would always be a cry for mercy how often do you cry unto the Lord for mercy we may ask we may we may think that prayer is the vehicle to ask for things that will make our life easy but if

[33:05] God remembers us in our lowest state things won't be easy they will be difficult and difficult because it is decreed that most must walk the darkest paths alone but God watches remember this great truth who remembers us in our lowest state he remembers us not by speaking always but sometimes working for us and to our astonishment sending help easing our burden and causing us to suddenly pray prayer a soul's sincere desire uttered or unexpressed the motion of a hidden fire that trembles in the breast and then will you not have to say why is this an answer for his mercy endure forever we think of

[34:24] God's mercy very often when we are in good health spiritually but God's mercy is even greater when it is received in our bad health the times when the power of sin seems to be predominate the time when pride seems to be sitting in the saddle the time when we despise others now do not say but we are the children of God that doesn't happen to us well you can find a few cases in the scriptures where it did and if you know your own heart you will find that your spirit is wrong on many occasions and people are ready to say if they find you out he's a man of a bad spirit or a woman of a bad spirit or a child of a bad spirit and so you're written off you're written off but remember the words before us who have redeemed us in our low estate for his mercy endureth forever mercy he doesn't cast us off have you felt in your own soul sometimes that you deserve to be cast off you've got sins which are not the sins which the world look at as sins but sins which are spiritual sins and are calculated to separate you from

[36:19] God and yet you're not separated from God and why is this we have the answer here his mercy endureth forever every one of God's children knows not very much perhaps they may say but there's one thing that they do know and that is that his mercy endureth forever can you cast your mind back over today have you needed God to cause his mercy to endure forever towards you and to make it known mercy is very wonderful to read it as something which will encourage us but it's one thing to read it another thing to feel it mercy through blood I make my plea O God be merciful to me and so we have it here who remembered us in our lowest state and who is this going back to the beginning of this psalm

[37:32] O give thanks unto the God of gods for his mercy endureth forever give thanks to the Lord of lords to him who alone doeth great wonders to him that by wisdom made the heavens to him that stretched forth out the earth above the waters all of these great benefits are the result of God's mercy and sometimes if our eyes are opened we can see God's mercy we look into the garden or we look into the countryside and there we see God's mercy it could have been all the world over like the Sahara desert or like the land of Siberia but it isn't is it and why is that well to the people of God when they feel they're undeserving undeserving you remember what Jacob said

[38:39] I'm not worthy of all the goodness and of all the mercy that was shown me I'm not worthy and yet why was it so because God remembered him and when God remembers you in your distresses then it is that you will be ready to join with that in that everlasting song for his mercy and joy forever but the man here although he was in a lower state he didn't remain there and so coming to the next verse and hath redeemed us from our enemies you will notice they're both remembered and redeemed are in the past tense and very often when things are referred to in the past tense we may consider it very well that the covenant of grace is being set before us one thing one path that we should have to come into is to value the covenant of grace the to value the covenant of grace before the world came into this being this covenant of grace was formulated we have a word in the prophecy of Isaiah who will go for us send me sometimes this is regarded as a time when the it is revealed of a conversation of the trinity in unity so send me how willing was Jesus to die that we fellow sinners might live the life they could not take away how willing was Jesus to give and have redeemed us from our enemies mighty enemies without much mightier within how true is this if you can deal with your outside enemies it's very difficult to deal with your inside enemies that is the deceit and conceit of your fallen nature that have redeemed us from our enemies who are our enemies our enemies are all those that arise endeavoring to inject into our mind unbelief and that God is not fair and that he is not just and that he favors one and not another all these thoughts may come into our mind and they're all enemies enemies they in one sense they're outside enemies but in another sense they're inside enemies as well and have redeemed us from our enemies now all all these are sins whatever may be injected into our mind and we're thankful if sometimes we can realize that the devil whispers sometimes and you

[42:39] think it's you and so you're in great need of God's mercy he hath redeemed us from our enemies now has God done that for you redeemed what does this bring before us it brings before us redemption in an extreme sense redeemed by Jesus blood redeemed what does redemption really refer to well we have this word redemption in business circles and ordinary circles as well and redemption is certain things are redeemed certain situations are redeemed by the injections shall we say of some extra money or so on but they have to be bought back now this is the great truth have you wandered so far from God that you have needed to be brought back but also bought back and have redeemed us from our enemies our enemies will perhaps hold you grip you grip you keep you and endeavor to be a hindrance between you and God how are we going to how are we going to come out of this situation and have redeemed us from our enemies now you see by the fall immediately the people whose names are written in heaven needed to be brought back

[44:42] Satan had begun his great work of drawing the people away leading them into sin unbelief and so on now they need to be brought back as well as brought back so then here we have the psalmist's words and hath redeemed us from our enemies for his mercy endureth forever if you have some indication in your own soul that you're in the covenant of God's grace and the grace of redemption and the power of redemption the shedding of the blood of Christ himself has been such that you are saved in the Lord with an everlasting salvation what are you going to say you've been rescued from the powers of

[45:44] Satan you've been rescued from the weaknesses and sinfulness of your own self has it been by suddenly working a change in you it had to be dealt with by a person who was only capable of dealing with the matter who remembered us in our lowest state for his mercy endureth forever and hath redeemed us from our enemies for the same reason our enemies redemption tis a joyful sound redemption to look at the cross of calvary so go to the mount of olives and to see that the lord jesus had gained redemption through his sacrifice on calvary and had paid the debt paid the debt mostly if we are to be redeemed it is a matter of the debt being paid now you see dear friends if you are a great sinner and you will say well

[47:01] I'm going to try and pay this debt myself but the next day you'll find you've added to the debt and eventually it becomes insurmountable and therefore you're faced with condemnation and hath redeemed us from our enemies for his mercy endureth forever written in Christian experience we shall always find these words for his mercy endureth forever again and again as you come to the end of each day will this be a voice in your soul for I've been I'm still alive and because his mercy endureth forever and if we lay our head upon our pillow and go to sleep during the night and then wake up again how is it we're not cut off we're defenseless when we're asleep how is it we're not cut off it is ours his mercy endureth forever so then what do we know of it

[48:20] I can't communicate this truth but God can and it will be a time never to be forgotten when perhaps you can see there's no other reason of your being saved because of these wonderful words for his mercy endureth forever it is not surprising therefore that when we come to the last verse of this psalm oh give thanks unto the God of heaven for his mercy endureth forever thinking of heaven we may think of the glory to be revealed to the people of God when they come to the end of their journey and see heaven before them and are ready to enter in but does sin stand in their face well if it doesn't why is it it is because of this great truth for his mercy endureth forever so

[49:33] Christian experience will begin with mercy and it will end with mercy and in heaven above we shall not need mercy because we shall be cleansed from all our sins enjoy the benefit of redemption and enter into that everlasting song to crown him Lord of all I'll leave the subject this evening Amen Let us close by singing hymn number 445 hymn 445 tune Haslinden number 544 Join every tongue to sing the mercies of the

[50:35] Lord the love of Christ our King let every heart record he saved us from the wrath of God and paid our ransom with his blood what wondrous grace was this we sinned and Jesus died he wrought the righteousness and we were justified we ran the score to length extreme and all the debt was charged on him hymn 445 on every doubt we sing the blessings of the Lord the Lord of Christ our King let every heart recall his name has come the hope of

[51:41] God and pay the ransom with his heart for wondrous grace was this we say that Jesus died he ruled the righteousness and we were just a high we ran the score to length extreme and the word that was judged on him and was a justice and did that hell endure through his guilt death and forth and will be kept on heavenly food.

[53:33] And now may the grace of Christ our Saviour and the Father's boundless love and the Holy Spirit's favour rest upon us from above.

[53:49] For Jesus' sake. Amen. Amen.

[54:41] Amen. Amen.

[55:41] Amen. Amen.

[56:41] Amen. Amen.

[57:41] Amen. Amen.

[58:41] Amen. Amen.

[59:41] Amen.