Psalms

[0:00] The Lord may be graciously pleased, we would seek to direct your minds again to the 118th Psalm.

[0:23] And at verse 5, I called upon the Lord in distress, the Lord answered me, set me in a large place.

[0:43] 118th Psalm, and at verse 5, I called upon the Lord in distress, the Lord answered me and set me in a large place.

[1:00] So to look at these words a little, gather something of the meaning of the wonders of grace, brought into a gracious exercise in the soul's experience.

[1:15] In the beginning of this Psalm, there is a call to all and sundry to praise the Lord for his mercy.

[1:28] It's got to be individual, friend. So having called upon the house of Israel, and the house of Aaron, and them that fear the Lord, to praise the Lord, said, I called.

[1:48] Ah, my dear friend, grace is a personal matter. You can't have it for my sin, friend, and I can't have it for yours. You've got to stand one day before a holy and a heart-searching God, and you'll stand alone then, friend.

[2:08] You've got to stand alone now in this matter, friend. Of course, we can rejoice with them that do rejoice, as we mourn for those that mourn.

[2:20] But when it comes to the soul's eternal well-being, friend, it's personal. And I would remind you, dear friends, that Jesus is a personal Savior.

[2:35] He didn't come to save the masses, not in that respect, and even enlarge upon that, for you won't misunderstand me. He came to save sinners individually.

[2:47] Do you know about it, friend? What do I know about it? No, it isn't the knowledge, my dear friend, that you can gain by reading the Word of God, though God give us more desire to read the Word of God, but that won't save you, friend.

[3:07] Standing in His holy name, I'd save us, friend. That's clear from the words of the Apostle.

[3:19] Lest after having preached to others, I myself should become a castaway, and the Lord only knows that there's some, many of the Lord's servants.

[3:30] That's a solemn word indeed. No. It's between you and God, friend. As though there were no other sinner under the whole of heaven.

[3:44] As though there were no other Savior, and there is no other. I called upon the Lord in distress.

[3:57] He looked a little at this wonderful mercy He called upon the Lord. I mustn't go over the ground. We traveled this morning, but here's grace, friend, in the operation of it.

[4:13] This is where it begins, calling upon the name of the Lord, and I'm not setting any standards. But it's the praying heart, friend.

[4:24] Oh, have you been brought there? Oh, those lovely words that are given to us in Acts 9. In the contrast between a failing Ananias, Jesus said, Behold, he prayed.

[4:43] He didn't say, Behold, he's saying his prayers. He didn't say, He didn't say, Behold, he's uttering words. Prayer is the soul's sincere desire, uttered or unexpressed.

[5:02] and Jesus said behold he prayed and that is a revelation what this blessed exercise means in the annals of heaven and this is where grace will bring the burdened sinner I called upon the name of the Lord for mercy it is that it's possible so to do so reminded friends this morning the link with Calvary's accomplishment and Old Testament typical unfolding when he cried it is finished the veil of the temple was rent in twain the top to the bottom the way of access is made and now says David I called upon the name of the Lord of you friend there's nothing here about words nothing here about grammatical expressions nothing here about sincerity this is a heart matter friend we learned in our childhood days to sing the hymn

[6:19] I trust we've learned a little more of its meaning since I often say my prayers do I ever pray do the wishes of my heart go with the words of sight oh I want to remind you again beloved if you brought here to say one prayer I don't care if it's one word or no words it arises from the agony of a heart that's burdened by sin that's grace friend that'll never grow in nature's barren soil I call upon the name of the Lord in distress in distress as I say I mustn't go over the ground we traverse this is a forceful word friend I use the figure of the mariner at sea comes into a storm they do everything they can as they did in Acts 27 they lightened the ship they did every possible thing they had to come to the point with all hope that they should be saved as God and then they send out today they send out the distress signal how much reality in the words of it is it conveyed

[7:53] I don't know SOS is save our souls if I understand it right but I leave that part I called upon the Lord in distress the boat's going down they haven't got much time to think about anything they've come there as a sinner burdened distressed felt in anguish sorrow dread and fear of the consequences called upon the Lord in distress stress this is where the Lord the Spirit will bring you the man in the gospel that I've referred to in prayer couldn't lift his eyes to heaven that didn't matter very much but he could beat upon his breast oh he said I've got to do something I can't look up

[8:53] I dare look up I'm not worthy to look up but I can beat upon my breast and cry my God be merciful to me I say to you that that man went down to his house justified there's the divine testimony never mind about the man he called upon the Lord in distress have you do you know anything of this do you know what it is to agonize to become overwhelmed does sin become a burden does it press heavily upon your poor spirit do you wonder where the scene will end cry my dear friends sin is a reality it's an awful thing heerness before a holy and a heart searching God and here's where

[9:53] David is if you want the details you can turn back to the second book of Samuel 22nd chapter I called upon the Lord in distress oh I don't know it's nothing to do with me in that sense you won't misunderstand me there may be some poor heart this evening that has turned in in distress and aventuring once more than the language of their heart is yet will I look once more yes and in their own heart they've said him if he doesn't answer I shan't look anymore you will friend you will if he's the author of that prayer that's rising in the midst of your agony you can't let it go friend that's the mercy of grace oh I cried upon to the Lord in distress and he answered me he answered me you see this is grace in the development of it he answered me send a message down from heaven entirely for me oh what mercy is to be found here friend what mercy and all through the river inside of a dear redeemer oh friend this is what he came to accomplish he came to save sinners from their sins nothing else nothing else

[11:37] I've no other message for you my dear friend Jesus Christ came into the world to save sinners and if you're in distress you feel you can say of whom I am chief you will but he answered me he didn't send somebody else no he may have conveyed the message through a poor instrument in the proclamation of the gospel he may have conveyed it by the reading of his word but it must be him oh I want it from his own lips my dear friend I have such a deceitful heart and I have such a great enemy and he will deceive me as he has a thousand times but if the Lord answered me that's what it says I called upon the Lord in distress the Lord answered me the triune

[12:38] Jehovah my dear friend is blended here in sweet operation and he has to do only with sinners I came not to call the righteous they don't need me I've got nothing for them I came to call sinners to repentance oh as he brought you there to lay in the dust at his dear feet to pour out your poor heart you can't pour it out to anybody else you're dead the Lord answered me and set me in a large place I'll look at this a little to see let me remind you of one word here I want to gather every word every word here is so important we've looked at the word distress we've looked at the word answered now here's another word he set me he set me you know what that means you don't need any grammatical description do you you don't need a dictionary to tell you the meaning of that word he set me you were in distress you wasn't set there my dear friend not in his eternal purpose it may have remained with you for many many years it may have caused you indescribably distress but in the purposes of his sovereign grace the time of love came he loosed the load that was on your poor back and crippling you with the weight of it now you wouldn't set there he set me he set me in a large place you're going to abide there friend that's what it means that's what we need isn't it friend

[14:45] I don't want to transit to religion my dear friend I don't want to pass in whim or fancy I want a reality and if he takes my trembling hand and feet and sets me where will he set me upon the rock upon the rock as David says in another psalm he brought me up out of the horrible pit and out of the miry clay set my feet upon a rock oh get it clear friend that's where he answers that he brings out of the unstable the unreliable out of the hands of the deceitfulness of sin and iniquity and out of all the despicable aspects of your own carnal heart friend set my feet set my feet the work sovereign grace well might he say what

[15:55] I do thou knowest not now but thou shalt know no chastening for the time present seemeth to be joyous but grievous nevertheless afterward it yieldeth the peaceable fruits of righteousness for all who are exercised thereby and you'll never be exercised unless grace is there for him oh you'll have a whim or a fancy you'll shed a few tears my dear friend but they'll dry up like the tube in the sunrise but when he sets your feet in a large place what is this large place reason remembering the connection in which the text is placed he sets you in the large place of a godly hope you've got something to lay hold on the you can come to his word and clean it set my feet oh in a large place and the kindling the bubblings of a

[17:09] God given and a God stimulated and conducted a hope within the breast friend it's an anchor of the soul both sure and steadfast in very deep and when you and I get there my dear friend all the fiends in hell can't shake you they can't you may be filled with unbelief but there's an in with something that sweetens all and you'll lay hold and you'll wrestle and plead on the ground of a godly hope oh don't underestimate it my dear friend this is a gracious principle doesn't come from anything upon earth and it'll never arise from any human heart friend it's a gracious impartation of hope hope you know the dear book says we're saved by hope you know what it means

[18:13] I'm looking to enlarge upon it if you don't know what it means ask the Lord to open it up to you my dear friend but you are saved from hope you'll tell you what you're saved from despair you're saved from all your own misgivings you're saved from all your own doubts and fears hope hope lingering within the breast and every now and again reaching out and laying hold thou hast said and demanding and I use the word advisedly demanding it's fulfillment oh don't find fault with the word my dear friend if that's used in the gracious sense you can demand you can demand dear old Job dies in trouble he's in distress you ask him he said

[19:13] I'll tell you what distress is and have you even lost the sight of my God or if only I could find him I'd come even to his feet I'd fill my mouth with arguments what did you say Job I said I would fill my mouth with arguments what are you going to argue about nothing about myself I've got nothing to argue about here I'd argue about what he said what he said oh get this picture in your mind my dear friend hell deserving sinner and feeling it but having audience with the king of kings and arguing arguing it's a bubbling up of a God given hope imparted within the breast the kindles of that living exercise of song brought me into a large place and he set me down there from now on you're going to live by hope until the portals of heaven open and you enter into the reality and bask in the sunlight then you won't need hope my dear friend as Paul reminds us of the spirit of the Lord

[20:34] I always like to put it that way are not Paul's words so the spirit of the Lord now abideth faith hope love the greatest of these is love why because the other two are only here below you won't need them in heaven but you'll need the third in heaven friend that'll never end hope you'll be finished with hope my dear friend when he gathers you into the eternal home when he gathers you to himself and you bask in the sunlight of the fullness and rejoice in the throng around the throne he brought set my feet those trembling feet that have hardly been fit to hold us up at all because of the anguish and the sorrow that's filled the breast he took our trembling feet and set them firmly he's the god of all hope the vileless sinner out of hell who lives to feel his need is welcome welcome of the throne of grace to save his blood to plead why because he's pleading a certainty pleading a certainty set my feet in a large place and there's blessed blessed hope here set my feet in a large place what about faith's aspirations faith laughs at impossibility and says it shall be done this is the enigma my dear friend if you know anything of these things your poor aching heart will be saying it's hopeless it's hopeless it's no good looking and there's here the bubblings of a little god given faith that says it must it shall set my faith faith faith laughs at impossibilities and says it shall be done the faith of god's elect is described because all god's people have it in measure i know it will fluctuate because your wicked heart and mind will rob us of the joy of it and we shall be found so often leaning to our own understanding instead of trusting in the lord with all our heart but when faith when faith eyes the promise firm and true and says it shall be done i don't i can't understand how i can't see the possibility but i know it will because there's a secret something within that tells me and lays hold of the divine strength and says it shall be done as the divine command came to lazarus loose him let him go but he's dead by this time he's stinking didn't care if he'd been there for years loose him let him go he stood up he stood up the gospel is full of it and these things are written aforetime for your learning and mine my dear friend i know i know yes you'll need faith friend you'll need hope you'll need every spiritual grace before you can lay hold of them i've heard it all down the ages i'm not a stranger to it my dear friend the voices that come and have said oh there's three thousand promises you've only got to take them i've tried friend and i haven't got half of one yet but when he puts it into my poor heart i know i've got it friend and it's a living principle faith faith don't ask me to define it ask me to explain it in the experience of it and i hope i'm not a stranger to it living by faith oh the wonderful principle of it and christ jesus came remember through his blood and atoning merit and sacrifice to impart it to poor sinners the vile of the vile you can't you can't get beyond this my dear friend your sin can never be too great no i'm saying it to myself i wanted that but i wanted to apply it for it believe me but it's true blessedly true brings me sets me down in a large place of faith aspirations nothing in me to merit esteem to give out give this all give thee the creator delight even so father we ever must sing because it seemed good in thy sight you can go on singing you can go and ask him why was

[26:28] I made to hear his voice you'll never answer him go on asking that's alright but you'll never get an answer save that it pleased the Lord and the same remember is said concerning a precious Christ if you read the 53rd of Isaiah it pleased the Lord to bruise him it pleased the Lord to bruise him put him to grief oh yes my never I'm not so worried don't misunderstand me beloved I'm not so worried about explanations I want the experience I want the application I want the possession and know that these precious truths are mine brought me into a large and set me in a large place the place of faith's aspirations put and put it round in a negative sense are you suggesting friend listen are you suggesting your sins are beyond his power oh you say

[28:22] I don't put it that way I don't mind which way you put it friend I don't mind what words you use but the substance is the same are you saying that then he's a liar that's what you're saying that's what you're saying God has said and I quoted it already and I could go on quoting many others call upon me in the day of trouble I will deliver them it's a large place my dear friend the promises of God I'm not worried whether there's three thousand or four thousand I know there are many of them friend when the Lord by his spirit set you down in the midst of this it won't be a valley of dry bones through no living principle oh the blessedness of his promises now remember they come from the

[29:31] God of all grace from the God of infinite mercy yes but from the God of all knowledge he knows what he's doing he knows what he's doing he's not put something haphazard down here he knows every word and he wouldn't even allow holy men to record it no he said no this is vastly important I can't leave it to you you holy men yes I know but I can't leave this to man I'm sending message down to poor hell deserving sinners and it must be in the right words it all cling to the words of scripture every word is inspired by God it's the revelation of his infinite mind and will and purpose and

[30:33] God is speaking this is the only way he speaks the only way he speaks and he speaks as he sets his people in the large place of the promises of his word I talk to many of the people of God through the years I don't know how many different ones have said well this promise was applied to me or they said that this promise was applied to me and somebody else comes and says well I don't know anything about either of them but this promise was applied to me sovereignty friend I revel in it friend I live upon it friend new and if you take it away you are in confusion father do I said many times if the reigning monarch of this nation of ours is not sovereign

[31:34] I'm not putting it in on my level whatever she says has got to be performed if she's not sovereign there's confusion and it's more so in relation to God but God is not the author of confusion everything is set every promise is dated as the old divine said and all the power associated with it is fixed in his eternal mind and when he speaks it shall be done it shall be done the promises of God are yea and amen in Christ Jesus and all the hosts of hell can neither thwart its operation and they cannot rob you with the joy of it my dear friend when the Lord applies it if somebody else applies it to you you'll lose it they'll rob you of it the eagles are ready to devour the carpets so they will from you and I my dear friend

[32:48] I speak a little what I know about these things my dear friend I want to know the reality but I've got a little bit of knowledge about them oh this deceitful heart yes it is deceitful above all things desperately wicked if something drops into your heart and he comes from the wrong source my dear friend it'll never do you any good when he set you when he set you in the large place of the promises of his word ah you'll have to sing then and you'll have to call upon everybody else and you'll have to cry you'll have to cry with a psalmist and another psalm come and hear all ye that fear God and I'll tell you I want to tell you I long to tell what he has done for my soul and that's all you can tell my dear friend there won't be any question of what you've done for him and if you tried to tell him what you tried to do for yourself it would only be wind and confusion no I would tell you what he has done for my soul but he's calling upon them here oh give thanks unto the Lord for he is good let the house of Israel now suffer let the house of Aaron now say let those poor ones that fear the Lord now say let us all say for his mercy and juries forever for I sought the Lord in distress he answered me as though David would say what do you think about this what do you think about this he answered me me who am less than the least of all saying set me in a large place place of the promises of his word but I want to get a bit nearer as he sets you into that large place but the flowing of the sacred stream of his atoning blood if you're going to ponder the Easter theme

[35:11] I want the Easter theme all the year round many I fear today all out of them have gone to the house of God because it's Easter they won't go again till Christmas I set my feet in a large place my sins are enormous in themselves and in their quantity I am guilty of every conceivable sin you can think blessed blood blessed blood so large so large a place as to cleanse me from all of it from all of it what a large place this is if you've been at the footstool of Calvary's cross this weekend if you caught a little glimpse of the dear Redeemer agonizing on behalf of poor sinners aren't of your poor heart being able to see a little that he's agonized on your behalf that's what I want the Lord is pleased to grant a little power of that to Zion at large today my dear friends things will happen we've got a way we've got a way we're leaning to our own understanding the cry in all directions is prophesy unto us smooth things don't stir us up too much we love complacency you can have it all friend

[37:02] I say it meaningly friend you can have it all I've dwelt there I know what it is I want God to lift me out of it awful places complacency self esteem Satan's a must even and I feel sometimes I've got three parts of satanic power within my breast I really do when the Lord leads me to Calvary's cross I mean I mean experimentally I'm not bringing me back to suffer bleed and die but if he brings you back to that scene in Bethsaida's garden when there was run from his sacred brow in agony anguish of the deepest distress the mortal can never know sweat as it were great drops of blood oh I hope words of mine won't detract for words of mine can never portray it but I hope they won't detract

[38:18] God preserve it from that that's the cost of sin and he must bear the load the whole of the load for the whole of the sin but oh my dear friend what a place to be set in I read in the record of it sitting down they watched him I know there was a motley throng there I'm not going into all that but there was one or two aching hearts there and they saw him in his agony of mind and body and spirit combined oh don't you ever underestimate the sufferings of Christ because you can't understand it mortal mind can never grasp the heart can be made to feel a little of it it's the cost of your sin poor sinner the burden that you and I should have borne justly should have borne dying thief not only said this man had done nothing amiss but he also acknowledged we are suffering the reward of our deeds now acknowledged it and you will have to in your distress you will come there will be the pouring out it will all have to go there will be no reserve no holding back you wouldn't express it to others but to him alone with him in your distress you call upon the lord and then alone with him the answer will come he will set such a trembling feet into some of these large places beloved that he has provided all his oh bless his dear name he's got it already he doesn't say well wait a minute wait a minute

[40:37] I'll see if I can prepare no he says I've got a large place already for him you never would have come there if I had brought you and now I've got the place for you next so the exhortation has come under me all year that labour and the heavy laden and I will give you relief I will give you rest when he giveth rest who then can make trouble Jonah had to learn this in the belly of the fish ah he said I I'm going to run away from the Lord are you well you try that's alright the Lord's watching the Lord's watching have you ever put yourself there

[41:38] I don't mean running away in a boat that's only that's only one mean the Lord's watching you when you're running away I can only mention these things my time has gone oh my dear friend down the Lord has got a boat got a fish and they're cavilling they've been cavilling all down the ages but there isn't a fish that could swallow a man and keep him alive I don't care to hoops about that my God can prepare anything and cavilling that if you know the gracious experience of it you won't cavilling that forget this blessed sovereign to clear Jonah is falling and the fish is coming and Jonah didn't get there first and go past the fish and the fish went by things can't happen my dear friend when he rules and he reigns and he's got command over the fish and over

[42:49] Jonah and the fish opened his mouth swallowed Jonah and in the belly of the fish he learned one thing salvation is of the Lord and I say to that Amen and Amen