Psalm

[0:00] 43 and reading verse 10. Verse 10 in Psalm 143.

[0:13] Teach me to do thy will, for thou art my God.

[0:31] Thy spirit is good, lead me into the land of uprightness.

[0:50] Dear friends, real religion is very personal. Now, I've sometimes mentioned this regarding a personal religion.

[1:13] I'm thinking for a moment of Psalm 51. I've read this to you to begin with this evening.

[1:24] Teach me to do thy will. And if we possess spiritual life, we are continually in need of guidance.

[1:41] The scarce a day goes by wherein we need guidance. And the word of God I've read to you says, Teach me to do thy will.

[2:00] Well, it's very personal. And I just mentioned this for your consideration.

[2:12] I wonder how many of us have read Psalm 51 with much feeling and with a very burdened heart.

[2:28] I have known occasions when, in the very thought of reading the word of God and praying, whether it's been in the home or wherever, I have sometimes felt that Psalm 51 describes my burden, my soul's exercises, in certain ways more than anything else that we might read in the word of God.

[3:03] But Psalm 51 was penned by King David under very, very deep conviction of sin.

[3:20] Very, very deep conviction of sin. When I first entered out into the solemn work of the ministry, which for me is now almost 45 years ago, I was sent a message by one of the Lord's servants.

[3:49] And it was this, the message was this, tell him to preach sin and salvation. Tell him to preach sin and salvation.

[4:07] I don't know how you'll respond to this thought, but do you know what it is to be burdened as to whether we've ever really known real conviction of sin?

[4:25] It's very important truth. And I just remind us of what King David needed for him to pen Psalm 51.

[4:38] And what I will add before I proceed is this, if you were to go home tonight and read Psalm 51 or at any other time, you'll find that almost every verse has in it the word me.

[5:04] I just use the first verse to show you what I mean. Have mercy upon me, O God, according to thy loving kindness, according unto the multitude of thy tender mercies, blot out my transgressions.

[5:27] transgressions. How did King David come to pen this psalm? Perhaps it will be for our good to be reminded of how he did come.

[5:44] He had been left as the King of Israel, first of all to covet another man's wife. And don't let us forget he was the King of Israel, a very honoured, loved man of God.

[6:03] But it's left on record as words of warning for us. We shall only be kept by the power of God if we are to be kept, who are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation, ready to be revealed in the last time.

[6:29] Now, I have no thought of saying this, but I am having just to tell you again, how did King David come to pen Psalm 51?

[6:44] And the reason I've seen, my mind seems taken with it is simply because of the opening words in the text, verse 10 in Psalm 143 that I venture to read to you as a text.

[7:00] But it begins with, teach me. Teach me to do thy will. And if we are among the Lord's people, we shall be continually burdened in our lives to do that.

[7:18] we won't want to be left to ourselves in anything. We won't want to be left to take any step on our own.

[7:31] But just perhaps the Lord might use this for us here tonight in being reminded of what it was. First of all, he coveted another man's wife.

[7:46] he then committed adultery with her and he then murdered her husband in trying to get himself out of what it meant as the King of Israel.

[8:09] God's love. And dear friends, I have to tell you, and I'm saying it to my own heart first, that sin hardens.

[8:21] Sin hardens our hearts and our minds and our all. Sin, it hardens. And King David's heart became so hard that when God sent his servant Nathan to him with the parable of the rich and the poor man, I'm sure you've all read it at times, what happened?

[8:57] David's heart was so hard as he listened to that parable about the rich man. He said, the man that hath done this thing shall surely die.

[9:13] He pronounced his own death sentence, but he was oblivious as before God at that time to what he'd done.

[9:29] Coveting another man's wife, committing adultery with her, but oh, I would feel surely the third step in it was the most solemn.

[9:44] He strove to put the blame on her husband. He did all he could to put the blame on Bathsheba's husband.

[9:58] You all know that's true. and yet when that parable was spoken to him and God sent Nathan with it to bring David under deep conviction of sin.

[10:16] I don't know how long, it must have been some little while that he lived and as it went on his heart became more and more hardened. he had given the command to put Uriah in the forefront of the battle.

[10:38] But what was it that he needed and what do we need? If we are going to be brought into these opening words, teach me, teach me.

[10:52] I repeat, it's very personal. But we all need it. We all need it. Well, you may remember when David said, the man that hath done this thing shall surely die.

[11:12] and what he was oblivious of was this. When that divine sentence was spoken by Nathan, thou art the man.

[11:27] Now, that was, he needed it to really convince him of his sins. He needed it to bring him to real repentance and he needed what the Lord did for him to grant him forgiveness.

[11:51] You may remember that Nathan could add this, the Lord also hath put away thy sin, thou shalt not die. His sin had been put away by God.

[12:06] Do you want your sins to be put away by God? Do I want my sins to be put away by God?

[12:20] You know, there are times in the life of a child of God when the Lord will bring them in measure where he brought his servant Ezekiel. Turn thee yet again, son of man, and thou shalt find greater abominations than these.

[12:38] Now I'm finding it, I'm finding that that's happening to me. I'm amazed at times as to what the Lord reveals to me of my life and my sins.

[12:56] Well, I leave those thoughts with you. sin. But what real conviction of sin will do and what real repentance will do and what real forgiveness will do will make us take up the language in this one verse, verse 10 in Psalm 143.

[13:24] I had no thought I was going to speak as I have. But it's just come. It's come in and it's come out.

[13:40] And I believe, solemn though the thought is, I believe that that is the Lord's way with his servants. That is the Lord's way with his servants.

[13:54] You may remember that the Lord Jesus could say this, we speak that that we do know and testify that which we have seen and ye receive not our witness.

[14:08] Even the Saviour had to speak like that about his preaching. And yet never man speak like this man. Well, I have ventured as I have and I needed help to do it.

[14:28] Teach me, let us come then to the verse as the Lord might be merciful in directing me. Because really, you know, in the solemn work of the ministry, the Lord may, and mercy when he does, when he does give his servants his word to go with.

[14:48] That is my cry day in and day out. And I thought about it in coming here tonight to Bethel Rye. Lord, I cannot go without thy word.

[15:03] That is what I keep telling the Lord. And this word, I hope and believe that this word came for me to venture with.

[15:14] Now, then, the Lord help us to try to concentrate on this verse. It's personal. I wonder how many of us here tonight feel again to be in need of divine guidance.

[15:37] You know, otherwise, we will do things, we will take steps on our own, and we may take steps which please us, we may take steps that we want ourselves to do, but are we not sometimes brought to a stand in it?

[15:57] Just to use a way of speaking or an illustration, years ago now, and I may have said it here before, but years ago now, I was preaching in our chapel at Eastbourne, but it's not my chapel, our chapel, but I hope the Lord has put me there, but I was preaching this Sunday morning, and without my knowing anything at all, I had to put this question to the hearers that Sunday morning, have you prayed about it?

[16:34] We could put it another way, have you prayed about this? Now, that went into a man's soul, with power, and why?

[16:47] Because he had entered into an agreement with a man to join him in a business, but he hadn't prayed about it, and that went home, and you know that man, he took me to show me the shop, where he was intending to be, he took me to show me, and he said to me many times afterwards, how thankful he was that I'd put that simple question, that Sunday morning to the hearers, have you prayed about this?

[17:30] Have you prayed about it? You see, he knew he hadn't. Now, friends, hasn't it been like that with us at least sometimes? We don't always pray about things, do we?

[17:45] Not really, I mean. Well, I hope the Lord is here with us, and I thank the Lord because he has been here with us.

[17:57] I hope he is again tonight. Teach me to do thy will. And I have also thought that I must link it at once with, for thou art my God.

[18:19] And I would feel it right to say that in our fallen state by nature, we have no thought, we have no desire, we have no wish.

[18:33] We do not feel any need to ask God's direction, do we? You know, by nature we tend to think like this, I'm quite able to conduct my affairs, I don't need anybody else to show me, or to tell me.

[18:56] And I thought in coming here tonight that I could tell you this, verse, even the second clause in this verse, for thou art my God.

[19:14] And I believe you know that puts the emphasis on the request, the opening request, teach me to do thy will, for thou art my God.

[19:33] Well, dear friends, haven't we through the mercy of God proved that? Haven't we in mercy proved that, that the Lord has been our God? That he has led us?

[19:46] That he has instructed us? And when is it that we've really used or taken up this cry, teach me to do thy will, only when we've been fearful of taking any step on our own.

[20:04] You haven't wanted to take any step on your own when you're really burdened, because you know there's danger in it. If we're left to ourselves in anything, we shall soon be in trouble.

[20:20] We're only safe as we seek help and guidance from this great God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit. We're only safe when we really pray over things, when we really have to lay it before the Lord, because we are fearful of offending God.

[20:40] We are fearful of taking any step without God. And it makes us really burdened that the Lord would help us do the right thing.

[20:53] And I believe you know when we are enabled, in any matter, to lay it before the Lord with this cry in our heart when you feel you don't want to be left to your own will.

[21:08] You don't want to be left to your own desires. You don't want to be left to try and please yourselves. cross. And you will then pray like this, guide me O thou great Jehovah, pilgrim through this barren land, I am weak, but thou art mighty, hold me with thy powerful hand, bread of heaven, feed me now and evermore.

[21:36] It's only when we are fearful of taking any step that we are compelled to really pray over it. Just to illustrate the point from an experience in my own life, there was a time where I was in such need of divine guidance and I asked the Lord for a sign if I was going in the right direction.

[22:15] And yet at the same time, I remember all through that day, I said, Lord, if it's not thy will, don't grant me that sign, don't grant me that answer.

[22:29] But when I went in to Jireh Temptedin, it was a prayer meeting, years ago now, I went into the prayer meeting and there the Lord had given me what I'd asked him for and that was the sign I'd prayed for, might there be a certain hymn on the hymn board.

[22:49] Have you ever prayed on it there? I know that people have and do when they're brought there. And I pleaded for a certain hymn to be on the hymn board and I went into the prayer meeting and friend what filled me with amazement was this on that hymn board that hymn was there because it's a hymn with two parts.

[23:15] And the one who had been the one to and if there was exercise as I trust there was, you that give out hymns, you know what it is to be burdened about what you to give out.

[23:32] You don't want to give out the wrong hymn, do you? You want it to be according to the will of God. Well all I'm telling you is this, that that evening I didn't ask for that, but the Lord gave it me, the same hymn as in two parts.

[23:49] And so there was the number of the hymn twice on the hymn board. It was there. And yet I pleaded that the Lord wouldn't grant it to me if it wasn't his will.

[24:03] Do you know what it is to dread to do anything without the will of God? I'm sure you do. So then a little encouragement I hope it will be to us here tonight.

[24:22] I don't know how you people have come, but the Lord knows how you've come. The Lord knows what's going on in your life. And I venture to say this again, the scarcity of day goes by in our lives from what we need further guidance.

[24:39] And when the Lord will bring us to feel our need of guidance in the little things of our lives as well as the big things, the little things that associate with our life, life.

[24:54] And aren't there many little things every day that we try to do, we do do, and how good when we have the witness of what I've said follows this word here, teach me to do thy will for thou art my God.

[25:15] Oh friends, if we can look back, I hope we will tonight. And looking back, and we shall need the Holy Spirit's help to look back, but as we look back, haven't we seen the Lord's guiding hand?

[25:29] Haven't we seen him working things out for us? Sometimes in a very remarkable way, and all of it in answer to prayer.

[25:41] When the Lord has done things that we, well we know were impossible, unless the Lord did it. I hope this might cheer our hearts then, teach me to do thy will, for thou art my God.

[26:04] Oh, haven't you proved that? This God, have we ever been able to take up this language? This God is our God forever and ever.

[26:16] He will be our guide even unto death. And the nearer we get to our end, the more we feel to need guidance. Because we are made aware that the grasshopper is becoming a burden, and desire fails.

[26:35] Why? Because man goeth to his long home, and the mourners go about the streets. one of William Gadsby's great fears, we are told, as he grew old, one of his greatest fears was being left to do anything that would bring dishonor upon the Lord's name.

[26:58] glory. That's a good exercise, isn't it? We do not want to bring dishonor upon the Lord's name in our lives and what we do or what we don't do.

[27:11] well, I tried to ask the Lord to show me how to try and speak from this word tonight, if he had indeed given it to me.

[27:27] Well, may we go on then a little with it, because the whole verse is joined together by God. It's been made, this verse has been my prayer many years, over many years, I have found this verse to be my prayer, and it still is.

[27:51] Teach me, and sometimes, of course, it's like this, isn't it? Teach us, husbands and wives, if we are favoured in that way.

[28:03] Teach us to do thy will, for thou art our God. now, a little more then. Can we feelingly join in with what follows here?

[28:18] Thy spirit is good. How can we know that that is truth, from experience in its truest sense?

[28:34] Thy spirit is good. Now, we can say that. We can say that of God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Ghost. We know from our hearts, the Lord is good, a stronghold in the day of trouble, and he knoweth then the trust in him.

[28:56] That can be said of the Trinity, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, and friends, it cannot be said of any human being. You know, many people will be offended by what I've just said.

[29:16] People will, in my work over Wittisham years ago, and Stone as well, those two villages, what it really meant was I was meeting with customers the whole day long, every day and all day.

[29:31] And of course, they became, in that sense, in those two villages, they became my customers. It was my responsibility to serve. But, you know, sometimes people would tell me, well, I'm as good as the next one.

[29:53] They would, to use an expression I think you would understand, they would blow their own trumpets, and they would speak about others as being far worse than they were. I used to get this on the round, with people, some people especially.

[30:12] But, oh, do you know what it is? I know what it is to say this, of goodness I have none, not in my fallen nature, of goodness I have none.

[30:29] and yet it's true, thy spirit is good, and if we know that to be true, we shall want to live like it.

[30:44] It used to be said of the Englishman, it used to be said, the Englishman's word is his bond, and how good it is when we can trust people, in business or in other ways.

[30:59] When we get to know them and we find that they are truthful, we find that they're honest, and it gives us confidence, doesn't it? And you feel you can do business with such people, because you can trust them, how different when you cannot.

[31:20] Teach me to do thy will, for thou art my God, thy spirit is good, and we shall feel that we might be granted the spirit of Christ.

[31:41] You know, the Bible is very searching that says this, about the spirit of Christ. if a man has not, if any man has not, the spirit of Christ, he is none of his.

[32:02] Oh, friends, this will search all our hearts, I believe, but don't we need help to live our life like that? Motivated by the spirit of Christ in everything, in all our dealings, in all our relationships, and in all that concerns us.

[32:26] And I think of that word. I wonder if this finds any of us here tonight. Could you come in with this? And it's in Psalm 107, and it says this, he led them forth by the right way that they might go to a city of habitation.

[32:52] Hasn't that been our burden through mercy in our life? He led them forth by the right way. What is that right way? The right way is Christ.

[33:03] I am the way, the truth, and the life. God, it's only as we follow Christ in our lives and in all our matters, it's only as we follow him that we shall go right.

[33:18] We shall only go right as we are following him. If any man, I had to venture with this on Sunday evening at Eastbourne, but I had to venture with this on Sunday evening.

[33:30] If any man, and it said this, the Lord, he, and I want just to read it to you as it is in the word of God, but the Lord might use it here tonight if it should be his will.

[33:47] In Luke chapter 9 and verse 23, and this is what I had to go with Sunday evening, and he said to them all, you know, if you really think about it, if the Lord was pleased to really use that word on Sunday evening, and if the Lord did indeed speak to everyone, and he said to them all, if any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me.

[34:32] oh, it's this guidance, it's to be guided, guide, oh, guide me by thy spirit, leave me not to walk alone.

[34:44] I find that really is my daily prayer. prayer. Why is it because we are fearful of doing the wrong thing? We dread the thought of doing anything that's wrong.

[34:59] In every matter to do with our life, we feel to need guidance. Teach me to do thy will, for thou art my God.

[35:13] thy spirit is good, and the last clause is this, lead me into the land of uprightness.

[35:27] Lead me into the land of uprightness. What is this land of uprightness? Dear friends, it's only as we follow Christ. It's only as we follow him, and the Lord is a sovereign in this.

[35:44] Sometimes he grants divine direction through his word. I wonder how many of us here tonight have had at least a few times when the Lord has directed us very clearly by his word.

[36:01] And if he has spoken it into our hearts. Remember once when I was in great need of divine guidance regarding a new step in my life providentially.

[36:18] And the Lord gave me this to go with. The Lord will go before you. And the God of Israel will be your reward.

[36:31] I went to work over Wittisham with that. The Lord will go before you. The Lord will. If I could just possibly because I've got this fear now of misquoting the word of God.

[36:50] If I could just turn to this then I would just read it to you as it is. Because the Lord might use it.

[37:02] Are there any of you here tonight that are in particular need of divine guidance? And you've been praying about it.

[37:14] And you've been watching the Lord's hand in it. And this has been your burden. Well, I'm reminded then of this.

[37:26] And indeed the whole verse that the Lord gave me at that time was this. For ye shall not go out with haste nor go by flight for the Lord will go before you and the God of Israel will be your reward.

[37:46] Now that verse was what the Lord gave me. I could take you to a spot of ground where he gave it. The Lord gave me that verse when I was in such need of divine guidance as to whether or not I was to venture to go over and work at Wichisham.

[38:04] That's how I went. I went with it. For ye shall not go out with haste nor go by flight for the Lord will go before you and the God of Israel will be your reward and the margin renders that will gather you out.

[38:19] I ventured into that new, completely new occupation with it. And through mercy I proved it the Lord had given me. haven't you proved at times that the Lord has given you his word?

[38:35] And what does it mean in closing here tonight? The whole verse when it's linked together, teach me to do thy will for thou art my God, thy spirit is good, lead me into into the land of uprightness.

[39:01] Oh, don't we need that? Don't we need that? Guide, oh, guide me by thy spirit, lead me not to walk alone.

[39:12] You'll dread the thought, but with Christ in the vessel, with Christ in the vessel, oh, surely that's our greatest need.

[39:24] With Christ in the vessel, we shall smile at the storm. Amen. Amen.

[40:29] Amen. Amen.

[41:29] Amen. Amen.

[42:29] Amen. Amen.

[43:02] Amen. Amen. Amen.

[43:17] Amen. Amen. In vain every drive throughout this earth To Him all had been see us cry back Crown Him, crown Him, crown Him Lord of all

[44:23] We took the contents of peace A AKA sacred from Nazareth Oh, that is need would be full Join in the ever-lasting song And crown him, crown him, crown him And crown him, Lord of all

[45:30] Can it please thee, Lord, to bless thy holy word?

[45:46] Can it please thee to bless everyone that has come to the service here this evening? Lord, I can only hope they won't feel there's been nothing for them.

[46:05] Mercifully take us to our homes now in peace. And may the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God the Father With the communion of the Holy Spirit be with you all.

[46:27] Amen. Amen. Amen. Thank you. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen.

[46:41] Thank you.

[47:11] Thank you.