Psalm

[0:00] As the Lord may be pleased to help me, I would ask your attention to Psalm 119 and verse 8.

[0:14] Psalm 119 and verse 8. I will keep thy statutes.

[0:27] O forsake me not utterly. Psalm 119 and verse 8.

[0:41] I will keep thy statutes. O forsake me not utterly. The word that is mainly with me is the last clause.

[1:00] O forsake me not utterly. But one feels we might just look at the first clause because they are coupled together in this psalm.

[1:19] I will keep thy statutes. This is the language of those that fear God.

[1:38] They are brought to this experience. Oftentimes, they realize the solemn hidings of the Lord's faith.

[1:57] The Lord's children are required by God to walk by faith.

[2:10] And in walking by faith, we often have not his sacred felt presence.

[2:25] It is easy to walk in the paths of the Lord when he is with us.

[2:36] But when he hides his face, then we are troubled. Unbelief works in our hearts.

[2:50] Satan takes advantage of it. He will do and say all manner of things and accuse us and point the finger.

[3:06] And will do his utmost to fill us with unbelief.

[3:23] He will do his utmost to try and show us that we are not the Lord's children.

[3:39] And it is these things that are often our trouble. We often question the reality of our religion.

[3:53] We often wonder whether we have got any faith at all. But friends, grace, though the smallest, shall surely be tried.

[4:12] And those that have more grace will surely be tried.

[4:25] Can we not say regarding Job? Can we not say he had great grace?

[4:41] I know that my Redeemer liveth. Remember when Job said that, he was in the depths of trouble.

[5:14] He was sorely tried by Satan. But you see, Job had faith.

[5:30] God-given faith. That faith that the Lord is the author and finisher of, that's what you and I want. If we are born of God.

[5:44] We want that faith. That we might come where Job did and say, I know that my Redeemer liveth.

[5:57] But Job, like I believe all his children, had to come to that place where he was greatly troubled.

[6:17] He went backward and forward. Oh, that I knew where I might find him.

[6:31] Friends, isn't that a pathway you and I know? Perhaps some of us have been there this morning.

[6:44] Oh, that I knew where I might find him. What is the house to you and me?

[6:57] We want to see the house of God. Unless the Master, there we see. We want to see the Master.

[7:09] Our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ. We want to hear his voice. But there are those times when we cannot find him.

[7:23] We need him. But friends, the psalmist says, I will keep thy statutes.

[7:40] Oh, forsake me not utterly. You see, he must have been in a dark place. But he could not give up.

[7:56] He could not turn back and walk no more with the Lord. No. He said, I will keep thy statutes.

[8:08] Is there any here that have been tempted not to come into the house of God this morning? Feeling so dark.

[8:22] So full of unbelief and despondency. Ah, friends, the Lord knows.

[8:36] But it may be you cannot yield to that temptation. It may be you can enter into this word, I will keep thy statutes.

[8:53] I will gather in his house. I will wait for the Lord. asья Parks observe the Lord.

[9:09] Eu I will keep thy statutes.

[9:37] As I said, I had not come with this first clause, really, but I will keep thy statutes.

[9:56] There's many things involved in that, friends. It's our walk. It's our conduct before our God.

[10:09] Do we keep his statutes? Do we keep his commandments? Are we walking according to the Lord's holy will?

[10:21] Do we honor him in our walk and our conduct? Or do we deny him?

[10:35] Do we hold back in various things? Do we know what we are doing? Do we know what we are doing? Do we know what we are doing?

[10:45] Do we know what we are doing? The flesh often shrinks from walking obediently before our God.

[10:58] But, friends, it becomes us to honor him, to walk in his ways.

[11:11] I will keep thy statutes. You see, although the psalmist was in such a dark place and fearing and painfully experienced the hidings of the Lord's face, yet he was determined to press forward looking unto Jesus.

[11:53] Does that touch you or me? Is that where we are? Perhaps sorely tried, sorely tempted.

[12:05] Realizing in our hearts the Lord is hiding his face and yet, friends, can we give up?

[12:21] Can we forsake the gathering of ourselves together for worship? Can we turn our backs upon our Lord? No.

[12:35] No. Our hope is in him. What did Job say? Though he slay me, yet will I trust in him.

[12:52] You see, what's the secret of it? It's God-given faith. It's the grace of God.

[13:04] For by grace are you saved through faith, and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God. And that's what every child of God is going to prove in their hearts and in their experiences.

[13:22] it's by grace you are saved. It's not by our good deeds in any way.

[13:35] It's not in our obedience unto the Lord and in our walk, though it becomes us to keep his statutes and walk in his ways.

[13:47] But friends, by doing so, we cannot merit the Lord's favour. We have been singing together of sinners, bankrupt sinners, and they had nothing to pay.

[14:06] Nothing to pay. They were wholly dependent upon the mercy of God.

[14:19] When they had nothing to pay, he frankly forgave them. That is the love of Christ to sinners, repenting sinners.

[14:33] Those that have nothing to pay their debts with, their deep debtors, their lepers, friends, and they know it.

[14:53] Do you and I know these things in our hearts? Is it not these things that make us cry and sigh unto the Lord continually?

[15:09] It's our sins. It's our uncleanness. It's our failings. I will keep thy statutes.

[15:27] Forsake me not utterly. Friends, this is one of the greatest fears that children of God have, that the Lord will forsake them utterly.

[15:52] The Lord chastises his children. It is needful. Some of us have had children, little ones.

[16:08] And we have at times had to chastise them because of sin.

[16:21] it is necessary. It is necessary. It is needful. It is for their own good. children of God.

[16:32] And we have to say, how much more the children of God who are sinners, who are called by grace, who serve a holy God, God, how much more needful it is that they should be chastised by our God who is holy.

[17:08] we have to be corrected by our God.

[17:19] Friends, we feel our need of him from time to time. we have to come to the Lord.

[17:31] We have to plead with him to show us his way. There are those things that we come into from time to time that are troublesome.

[17:47] and some of those things we fear are dishonouring to our God.

[18:01] They are brought to our knowledge. We are brought to see them. And friends, they become to us to hear the voice.

[18:17] it becomes us to take heed. It becomes us to honour our God and do what is necessary.

[18:35] It may cost us much, but friends, we need to be honest before our God.

[18:56] Because if we're not and if we dishonour him, he will hide his face. I owe for forsake me not utterly.

[19:24] Forsake me not utterly. there are those times, friends, when the Lord withdraws from us because of sin.

[19:41] Maybe because we're walking contrary to his holy will. It may be that we are even yielding to the temptations of the devil.

[19:57] Oh, friends, the Lord knows how to deal with his children.

[20:11] I've had to walk in some mysterious pathways sometimes.

[20:28] And one of them was regarding my children when they were little.

[20:39] and it was regarding to the ordinances of God's house.

[20:54] Friends, some of God's servants they do not welcome people to witness the Lord's Supper.

[21:23] And my children used to witness the Lord's Supper. I felt it was right to do so.

[21:40] But however, one Sabbath, as they were witnessing the Lord's Supper, father, and we, their parents, were at the table of the Lord, and an intruder walked into the front porch church, and took away their coats, which were new, two of them.

[22:23] And friends, when we come out from the Lord's table to go home, of course, the coats are gone.

[22:34] And immediately, I was greatly troubled and condemned by Satan and friends.

[23:02] At the time, I felt it was the Lord showing me that they shouldn't have been there.

[23:19] And that's why they were taken away. And I labored under that for some months. I was very troubled until one day, the Lord showed me, I believe, he showed me, that he wouldn't frown upon any witnessing the Lord's Supper.

[23:48] God's love. He made it a blessing to various ones over the years, and I believe he did to myself before I was a member, in exercising our hearts, God's love.

[24:16] Drawing us unto the Lord in prayer, feeling drawn to the Lord's children that sat at the table, but feeling unworthy and unlike them, but pleading with the Lord that he would bless bless us, that he would bless my soul, and I believe others have walked in this way.

[24:48] And friends, how can it be wrong if the Lord is in it, if he blesses his waiting children, if he exercises their hearts, if he draws them to the throne of Christ.

[25:15] Oh, friends, the snare was broken, but you see, the damage was done. Oh, we need to be careful.

[25:31] friends, there are many enemies, many enemies.

[25:44] Satan uses whom he will, but how easily it is to be deceived, and how easily when we are deceived.

[26:02] We have to solemnly find and prove from time to time that the Lord withdraws. He is grieved with us because of our actions.

[26:20] we're so easily deceived. Oh, friends, these things are very weighty things.

[26:35] They are mountains from time to time as we are brought into various things which sometimes dishonor our God.

[26:57] Oh, friends, our prayer should be, Lord, what will thou have me to do?

[27:09] This is what is the important thing with us. But you see, there are those times when we cannot find the Lord.

[27:32] The heavens seem to us to be as brass. Oh, forsake me not utterly. But you see, at the same time, we would walk in his statues.

[27:51] I will keep thy statues. Ah, friends, though the Lord hides his face from us from time to time.

[28:14] And we painfully have to prove and walk these things out yet, friends. We must walk in his statues. We must keep his commandments.

[28:29] We must honour him. Yes, we must honour him. he is a faithful God.

[28:42] He is a merciful God. But I say again, grace, though the smallest, shall surely be tried.

[28:56] God. And these, when we have to walk in this way, in these experiences, and be tried, it's a hard pathway.

[29:16] For we have so many doubts and fears, we have so much unbelief. God. Oh, and Satan uses these things.

[29:35] Yes, he uses these things to drive his people to despair. But, friends, what a mercy.

[29:50] He can never drive one of God's children to despair. Why? Because the dear Lord, our dear Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ, has prayed.

[30:08] He has prayed unto his Father that his children's faith fail not. friends, what a wonderful thing to have an interest in our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ, in his prayers.

[30:36] Do you find, do you feel an interest in it? Do you do you long to be included in the prayers of Jesus?

[30:55] He prayed that the face of his children, Peter, and every child of God, that their faith fail not.

[31:14] Oh, friends, what an unspeakable mercy that is to feel that the Lord has prayed for us, that our faith fail not.

[31:31] Who has held you and I up? Who has supported us? Who has kept us from turning back? Who has kept us from giving up?

[31:46] Why do we keep gathering in the house of God? finding there's an appetite within, a hungry and thirsting?

[32:09] Who keeps it alive? You and I can't keep it alive. the dear Lord keeps his children exercised around.

[32:26] I believe I mentioned in prayer, I mention it now. In the word of God it says, by these things men live.

[32:40] Yes, these things. It's our experiences. It's the things that we pass through. It's the spots and places that we come into that drive us to the Lord.

[33:00] It's our necessities that drive us to the Lord. We have numbers in the word of God who were driven to the Lord.

[33:13] in their necessity. The dear woman that had the issue of blood 12 years. She tried everything.

[33:25] She had spent much but she had not been healed but she came to that place to get to get to get to get to the Lord.

[34:15] Jesus Christ. There were many many a multitude of people but she didn't she didn't give up.

[34:27] She didn't say well I'm too weak after all this suffering. I can never get there.

[34:38] No. She strove. She struggled. She pressed through. She got there.

[34:51] She obtained a blessing. She wasn't disappointed. Neither was the man at Bethesda's pool who gathered there year after year for 38 years seeking a remedy.

[35:12] Seeking the healing hand of God upon him. He didn't wait him by. No. Not even after 38 years.

[35:26] And you may depend he was sorely tried and tempted by the adversary. But he still went. He still was there year by year.

[35:40] But he couldn't get down into the water. And the Lord knew. The Lord knew.

[35:53] And it wasn't the dear man had to prove that this blessing, this healing wasn't dependent upon him getting in the water.

[36:08] You see, he proved, he had to prove his helplessness. He couldn't get into the water. But the Lord didn't despise him. The Lord didn't reject him.

[36:20] Because of it, the Lord knew. And he came where he was. And he blessed him, he healed him. Oh, the wondrous friends of salvation.

[36:37] Our God, he sees all things. Nothing is hid from him. He sees your heart.

[36:47] He sees my heart. He knows and sees our walk, our conduct before him.

[37:01] He sees, friends, how we have come in his house this morning. He knows the things that we're in.

[37:14] He knows the pressures that are upon us. He doesn't forsake his people.

[37:26] He doesn't cast them off. But they fear oftentimes that he will.

[37:39] Oh, forsake me not utterly. It's a painful pathway, friends, to walk in. But the Lord will never cast off his people forever.

[38:01] there's a sweet hymn that we have and it says, I will never, no, never, no, never forsake.

[38:22] Oh, friends, I believe every child of God will prove this. in their experiences, they will prove the eternal love of God in their hearts.

[38:40] But they still will have those times when they will feel forsaken. But the Lord and friends, we must say this, our Lord Jesus Christ walked in this pathway.

[39:06] He felt to be utterly forsaken. My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?

[39:19] and friends, friends, those of us that are his children will have to taste of this cup.

[39:33] There will be those times when we shall fear that we are forsaken, that we have a precious Savior who has walked in this pathway and he has said that he will never forsake his people.

[39:55] And he has said this, comfort ye, comfort ye, my people, saith your God.

[40:06] oh, that the Lord would comfort us then in all our trials and tribulations.

[40:18] May the Lord bless his word to us. For his name's sake, amen. I had mercy when he COMMER HAD men have been in all light and happy for all in, in,