We Can Rely On The Lord

Rely On The Lord

Psalms 46


To rely on means we have taken all the facts into consideration. We have studied the ability of a certain person along with his integrity and after considering all the evidence we have confidence that we can trust and depend on that person.

This describes the truth of our relationship with the Lord!

Eph 1:17  That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give unto you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him:
Eph 1:18  The eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that ye may know what is the hope of his calling, and what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints,
Eph 1:19  And what is the exceeding greatness of his power to us-ward who believe, according to the working of his mighty power,

We can know, what hope, what riches, and what the overwhelming greatness of the Lord's power is but only when we rely on Him for all things, especially our salvation!

Let's begin:

*****Psa 46:1  To the chief Musician for the sons of Korah, A Song upon Alamoth. God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.

Hear again we have another song put to music by the sons of Korah. We see one other thing in this Psalm.

That word "Alamoth". The word Alamoth means that when this Psalm was sung it was to be the tenor voices that were to take the lead or be emphasized.

In Psalm 6 we can see the word "Sheminith" and this word would indicate just the opposite or the bass voices to take the lead.

SO, why can we rely on the True and Living God? He is our refuge and our strength!

Until the Lord Jesus Christ is our foundation of life we have nothing else to rely on or to trust in as we travel through this thing we call physical life.

Life means we have movement. We are living, breathing, creatures. This physical, bodily existence is subject to suffering, sickness, weakness, temptations and sin!

But life as described in the Bible has greater meaning than than just physical, bodily existence.

In reality only God has life in the absolute sense of life's true meaning!

We know our Father in Heaven is the fountain of life and the light of life.

Psa 36:9  For with thee is the fountain of life: in thy light shall we see light.

So we know that the Son, the Lord Jesus Christ has life in Himself.

Joh 1:4  In him was life; and the life was the light of men.

This is our only means of real life!

It is our Savior who is also the source of all life!

The Bible does not teach that life exists of it's own. Life is not spoken of as made!

The Bible only says that our life exist only in Our Creator and our Savior!

We can rely on this life because of the work of Our Lord Jesus Christ!

Joh 20:31  But these are written, that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing ye might have life through his name.

**He gives abundant life.

Joh 10:10  The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.

**He gives resurrected life.

Joh 11:25  Jesus said unto her, I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live:

And this life which is given to us as a gift from God we can have in this present life!

1Jn 5:11  And this is the record, that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son.
1Jn 5:12  He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life.
1Jn 5:13  These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God.

This is the proof that we can rely on the Lord!

Our God is our "sure" shelter and our "pure" strength and is "ever present" in our lives today!

God will never withdraw Himself from us!

*****Psa 46:2  Therefore will not we fear, though the earth be removed, and though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea;

Therefore still means "for this reason". It is because my God is my refuge and my strength that I will not fear and it can be the same for each one that will trust Him!

With God on our side it is irrational to have fear of what man can do!

Even when the worst of the worst presents itself to the child of God, if we have placed our trust in the Living God we should have no fear!

Those that reject that the Earth will change during the tribulation period have rejected the Word of God!

Isa 40:4  Every valley shall be exalted, and every mountain and hill shall be made low: and the crooked shall be made straight, and the rough places plain:
Isa 40:5  And the glory of the LORD shall be revealed, and "all flesh shall see it together": for the mouth of the LORD hath spoken it.

Those that reject the fact that this Earth will one day be destroyed and replaced have rejected the Word of God!

Rev 21:1  And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: "for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away"; and there was no more sea.

Those that reject the world wide flood in the days of Noah also reject the Word of God.

Gen 7:10  And it came to pass after seven days, that the waters of the flood were upon the earth.
Gen 7:11  In the six hundredth year of Noah's life, in the second month, the seventeenth day of the month, the same day were all the fountains of the great deep broken up, and the windows of heaven were opened.

Those that reject the coming destruction also reject the Word of God.

Rev 6:14  And the heaven departed as a scroll when it is rolled together; and every mountain and island were moved out of their places.

Rev 16:20  And every island fled away, and the mountains were not found.

Peter described these things like this:

2Pe 3:10  But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up.

Destruction of all life that breathes came by a flood in the time of Noah.

Destruction of all life will come by fire at the return of Jesus Christ.

If you have never been in a war zone then you have missed an opportunity to see that some men just simply have no fear of death.

As Christians we need to be like these men and have nothing to fear from this world we live in. We are just passing through!

Heb 11:13  These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off, and were persuaded of them, and embraced them, and confessed that "they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth".

*****Psa 46:3  Though the waters thereof roar and be troubled, though the mountains shake with the swelling thereof. Selah.

We know that in the time of Noah, no one had ever seen a storm because no one had ever seen rain, so when those waters were raging even Noah was troubled by this sight as God judged this Earth.

2Pe 3:5  For this they willingly are ignorant of, that by the word of God the heavens were of old, and the earth standing out of the water and in the water:
2Pe 3:6  Whereby the world that then was, being overflowed with water, perished:

But those same waters that troubled that world to destruction also saved eight people when those flooding waters raised up the Ark of Noah into safety.

1Pe 3:20  Which sometime were disobedient, when once the longsuffering of God waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was a preparing, "wherein few, that is, eight souls were saved by water".

God will remove His people from this earth before this coming storm rages!

The same God that carried Noah and his family to safety can still carry all of His children to safety in any storm that happens in this life!

All those that trust in the Lord have no reason to fear!

And Selah, let's stop and take a moment to think about and meditate on what God has already done and then relate those things to what God says He will do in the future.

Let's stop and enjoy the music of the songs of salvation!

We can rest in the middle of every storm in this life, if we are sure of our future eternal and everlasting life!

Why?

*****Psa 46:4  There is a river, the streams whereof shall make glad the city of God, the holy place of the tabernacles of the most High.

There was a great river that flowed out of the Garden of Eden and divided into 4 streams.

Gen 2:10  And a river went out of Eden to water the garden; and from thence it was parted, and became into four heads.

There will be a great river that will flow from the rebuilt Temple of the Millennial Kingdom.

Eze 47:1  Afterward he brought me again unto the door of the house; and, behold, waters issued out from under the threshold of the house eastward: for the forefront of the house stood toward the east, and the waters came down from under from the right side of the house, at the south side of the altar.

But these cannot compare to the river of life that will flow out of the throne of God.

Rev 22:1  And he shewed me a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding out of the throne of God and of the Lamb.
Rev 22:2  In the midst of the street of it, and on either side of the river, was there the tree of life, which bare twelve manner of fruits, and yielded her fruit every month: and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations.

In the Church Age we can still see the river of Grace that is smoothly flowing from the hand of God to every believer.

It is "Grace" that flows through the Lord Jesus Christ that is our water of life and the river of God's pleasures!

What are the two greatest evils of mankind?

Jer 2:13  For my people have committed two evils; "they have forsaken me the fountain of living waters", and "hewed them out cisterns, broken cisterns, that can hold no water".

When we forsake the Lord Jesus Christ we have forsaken the fountain of living waters.

When we reject the Word of God and go our own way we are as pots that can hold no water.

God the Father is the source of living waters!

God the Son, the Lord Jesus Christ is the water that flows from that source!

Joh 7:38  He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water.

God the Holy Ghost is the power behind that source of living waters!

Joh 6:63  It is the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life.

Because God is in the midst of the city of God and all life flows from Him!

*****Psa 46:5  God is in the midst of her; she shall not be moved: God shall help her, and that right early.

God stands in the middle of His river of "Grace".

What does God promise to all those that believe?

Jesus Christ said, "I am with you always".

God is never separated from any part of His creation.

And God is always present in His relationship with those that believe on Him.

And without a doubt, God took a moment out of eternity and appeared to this world in the human flesh of His Son Jesus.

God is not some impersonal force in this world. God is alive! God is working in this world and God is relating to all those that call on His name!

God is a jealous God, taking Himself seriously and God is to be taken seriously by those He has created!

Whether we get God's help in certain things or not God is still present and available to help if He so chooses to do so!

If we do not believe this we cannot get a single prayer answered.

God is forever by our sides!

And the certain promise of God is that He will always be there for us at the right time!

God is never late because He is always on time!

The Church is not the city of God, because the city of God is the New Jerusalem.

It is the New Jerusalem that will be the eternal dwelling place of God in the midst of His people.

This city is not in Heaven because it is coming down from Heaven.

Rev 21:2  And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, "coming down from God out of heaven", prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.

This is the eternal city that will last forever.

Isa 66:22  For as the new heavens and the new earth, which I will make, shall remain before me, saith the LORD, so shall your seed and your name remain.

Those that will live in this city is the Church of the first born and the Lord stands in the midst of His Church and the Church cannot be moved!

Heb 12:22  But ye are come unto mount Sion, and unto the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to an innumerable company of angels,
Heb 12:23  To the general assembly and church of the firstborn, which are written in heaven, and to God the Judge of all, and to the spirits of just men made perfect,

Though this earth may be moved, God's Church cannot be moved but by Him!

*****Psa 46:6  The heathen raged, the kingdoms were moved: he uttered his voice, the earth melted.

There are only two things in our world today that can cause such a furious uproar.

1) The city of Jerusalem in the hands of the Jewish people.

2) The Church established in the name of Jesus Christ.

God allows the heathen to rage at this time but one day soon this will all end and their voices will be silenced!

God will not always allow the heathen to turn this world against His people!

When God utters His voice these things will cease and so will those that are heathen.

2Pe 3:10  But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up.

The Hebrew word for "melt" means to be dissolved or to disappear!

Who are the heathen? All those that do not worship the One True Living God!

1Jn 5:10  He that believeth on the Son of God hath the witness in himself: he that believeth not God hath made him a liar; because he believeth not the record that God gave of his Son.
1Jn 5:11  And this is the record, that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son.

1Jn 2:22  Who is a liar but he that denieth that Jesus is the Christ? He is antichrist, that denieth the Father and the Son.

What kingdoms will be moved? Those that are influenced by Satan.

Isa 14:12  How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! how art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations!
Isa 14:13  For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north:
Isa 14:14  I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High.
Isa 14:15  Yet thou shalt be brought down to hell, to the sides of the pit.
Isa 14:16  They that see thee shall narrowly look upon thee, and consider thee, saying, "Is this the man that made the earth to tremble, that did shake kingdoms";
Isa 14:17  That made the world as a wilderness, and destroyed the cities thereof; that opened not the house of his prisoners?

Who can do all these things?

*****Psa 46:7  The LORD of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our refuge. Selah.

Why is the Church so secure? The Lord of hosts is with us.

Why is Heaven so secure? The Lord of hosts abides there.

Isa 40:22  It is he that sitteth upon the circle of the earth, and the inhabitants thereof are as grasshoppers; that stretcheth out the heavens as a curtain, and spreadeth them out as a tent to dwell in:
Isa 40:23  That bringeth the princes to nothing; he maketh the judges of the earth as vanity.

Isa 40:26  Lift up your eyes on high, and behold who hath created these things, that bringeth out their host by number: he calleth them all by names by the greatness of his might, for that he is strong in power; not one faileth.

It is our Lord who rules all the angels, all the stars, all the elements, and all the hosts of Heaven and it is this same Lord who stands in the midst of His Church!

It is the same God of Jacob that fulfilled the prophecies of the Bible to stand in the midst of His Church!

Isa 7:14  Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.

It is our God that gave Himself for the Church and it is this same love and dedication we are to give to our own families!

Eph 5:25  Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it;
Eph 5:26  That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word,
Eph 5:27  That he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish.

And Selah.

Let's take a moment and meditate on all these things as we behold the works of our Lord!

*****Psa 46:8  Come, behold the works of the LORD, what desolations he hath made in the earth.

All we need do is observe all the things that are going on in this world we live in.

God has made sure that technology has progressed to a point that if we want to, we can see what is going on throughout the entire world without leaving our homes.

There has been no other time in history when these things that take place can be observed as they  are taking place due to television, computers, and cell phones.

To believe in the providence of God is to be sure to know that God's will and God's plan are moving forward at His own pace and by His own wisdom!

Pro 14:12  There is a way which seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death.

Man's evilness is leading our world down a path of destruction but these things are not within man's control!

Psa 135:6  Whatsoever the LORD pleased, that did he in heaven, and in earth, in the seas, and all deep places.

This world we live in is under the direct control of our Almighty God!

Dan 2:20  Daniel answered and said, Blessed be the name of God for ever and ever: for wisdom and might are his:
Dan 2:21  And he changeth the times and the seasons: he removeth kings, and setteth up kings: he giveth wisdom unto the wise, and knowledge to them that know understanding:
Dan 2:22  He revealeth the deep and secret things: he knoweth what is in the darkness, and the light dwelleth with him.

And God has already told us of a future coming destruction.

Rev 21:1  And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea.

You know, God cast all our sin into the deepest part of the sea but there will be no sea in the New Heaven nor the New Earth.

What happened during the time of Noah?

Isa 24:1  Behold, the LORD maketh the earth empty, and maketh it waste, and turneth it upside down, and scattereth abroad the inhabitants thereof.

What will happen someday in the future?

Isa 24:3  The land shall be utterly emptied, and utterly spoiled: for the LORD hath spoken this word.
Isa 24:4  The earth mourneth and fadeth away, the world languisheth and fadeth away, the haughty people of the earth do languish.
Isa 24:5  The earth also is defiled under the inhabitants thereof; because they have transgressed the laws, changed the ordinance, broken the everlasting covenant

Even war and peace are under God's control!

*****Psa 46:9  He maketh wars to cease unto the end of the earth; he breaketh the bow, and cutteth the spear in sunder; he burneth the chariot in the fire.

The world tries to end wars by the use of politics.

Politics is supposedly the science of government. The world uses of laws, regulations and so called ethics to preserve the safety of innocent people, at least this what they say.

**Politics have been used to bring to the end many wars.

But today politics is more about making concessions to those that seek to do evil at the expense of those that seek to do good!

Most people think that peace can come only by a One World Government with one set of laws for all people.

But these results would be a peace that cannot be sustained because those that seek to do evil are never satisfied!

**There are those that seek to bring peace by education.

If we study the history of our world we can see where and why wars have begun, many by trivial matters, and not repeat these same mistakes.

The pure fact is the leaders of our world never learn from the mistakes made by those of the past and history continues to repeat itself over and over again.

A wise man once wrote:

Ecc 1:9  The thing that hath been, it is that which shall be; and that which is done is that which shall be done: and there is no new thing under the sun.

If we could learn from our mistakes, we could make something new and lasting but we just keep remembering "the good old days" which is not the wise thing to do.

Ecc 7:10  Say not thou, What is the cause that the former days were better than these? for thou dost not enquire wisely concerning this.

**There is only one method to bring world peace and it is God's way. It is the Christian way!

Evil must be conquered and removed or reconciled to God.

Rom 8:6  For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace.

The Church must be ambassadors for peace and not ambassadors of war!

2Co 5:20  Now then we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us: we pray you in Christ's stead, be ye reconciled to God.

In the end, God will bring peace!

Isa 2:4  And he shall judge among the nations, and shall rebuke many people: and they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruninghooks: nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more.

There will only be peace when the Prince of Peace rules on this earth and government will rest on His shoulders!

Isa 9:6  For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.

What did God tell Moses? God said you go tell Pharaoh that "I Am" sent you.

*****Psa 46:10  Be still, and know that I am God: I will be exalted among the heathen, I will be exalted in the earth.

If we truly rely on the Lord, sometimes we must simply "be still".

To be still is to keep silent, or to be quiet!

We must quit warring with ourself long enough to hear "that still small voice" of the Lord!

1Ki 19:12  And after the earthquake a fire; but the LORD was not in the fire: and after the fire "a still small voice".

When we become so occupied with our own selves and our own miseries, we sometimes cannot hear what God is trying to teach us!

The "Gospel of Jesus Christ" is a gentle voice of "Mercy and Grace".

The "Gospel of Jesus Christ" is a gentle voice of Love!

It is "that still small voice" of God that brings with it peace, and pardon, and righteousness, and best of all salvation by Christ Jesus!

Psa 89:15  Blessed is the people that know the joyful sound: they shall walk, O LORD, in the light of thy countenance.
Psa 89:16  In thy name shall they rejoice all the day: and in thy righteousness shall they be exalted.

Most of the time, "and God knows", when we are relying on the Lord, we just need to stop what we are doing and wait patiently on the Lord!

After all He is God!

If we believe in what we say we believe in, then all we need do is read what God has done in the past and we can see what God will do in the future!

God is no respecter of persons!

Act 10:34  Then Peter opened his mouth, and said, Of a truth I perceive that God is no respecter of persons:

God will not do for one, what He will not do for another!

We simply cannot put anything else before our God!

Anything we put before God is an idol. We all have our idols from time to time and they will certainly interfere with our relationship with the Lord!

There is coming a day when our God will be exalted in all this earth!

Rom 14:11  For it is written, As I live, saith the Lord, every knee shall bow to me, and every tongue shall confess to God.
Rom 14:12  So then every one of us shall give account of himself to God.

SO, Why can we rely on the Lord?

*****Psa 46:11  The LORD of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our refuge. Selah.

God is never separated from any part of His creation!

God is present throughout all His creation! We call that the omnipresence of God.

But even more important than that, God is always present in His relationship with those who love Him!

God has appeared to us all "Person to person" in the flesh of Jesus Christ, His Son!

Php 2:5  Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus:
Php 2:6  Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God:
Php 2:7  But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men:
Php 2:8  And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.

It is the Lord of all creation who is our Father!

It is the that same God of Jacob who is our refuge!

Questions?

Let's Pray!

Yearning For The Lord

Yearn For The Lord

Psalms 42

In Psalms 42 we have the second of the Maschil Psalms.

Remember all Scripture is given for instruction to improve our walk with the Lord!

2Ti 3:16  All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:
2Ti 3:17  That the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works.

But the Maschil Psalms have special instructions for specific things that happen in our walk with the Lord.

What is the Biblical meaning of the Maschil Psalm?

Psa 47:7  For God is the King of all the earth: "sing ye praises with understanding".

In other words a Maschil Psalm is a song that praises God but just by singing it we can still obtain God's wisdom!

God is always looking down from Heaven just to see if we truly understand what He is trying to teach us.

Psa 53:2  God looked down from heaven upon the children of men, "to see if there were any that did understand", that did seek God.

Not only is this a Maschil Psalm but it is also the first time we have seen a Psalm that was to be sung by the sons of Korah.

These "sons of Korah" were Levites by bloodline of the tribe of Levi and during the time of David and Solomon their chief place was to keep the doors of the Tabernacle and then the Temple after it was built.

1Ch 6:32  And they ministered before the dwelling place of the tabernacle of the congregation with singing, until Solomon had built the house of the LORD in Jerusalem: and then they waited on their office according to their order.

There are 11 of the Psalms titled "for the Sons of Korah" that were put to music by these doorkeepers of the House of God.

The doorkeeper was the lowest of the jobs of the Levitical priest but these men did not see it that way.

Psa 84:10  For a day in thy courts is better than a thousand. "I had rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God, than to dwell in the tents of wickedness".

They readily boasted that is was better to be in the lowest position in the work of God than to be in the highest position among those that rejected God.

In other words it is better to be changing diapers in the nursery at church than to be the President of the United States or the most powerful person in this world and not know God!

There is no greater job than serving in the Army of God!

So let's begin:

*****Psa 42:1  To the chief Musician, Maschil, for the sons of Korah. As the hart panteth after the water brooks, so panteth my soul after thee, O God.

God never said our walk with Him would be an easy walk.

There will still be times when we will begin to wonder if God truly exists.

There will be times when we will desire any sign from the Lord just to know He is listening to our prayers.

There will be times when we have a great desire to be in the House of God but do to reasons out of our control we just cannot get there.

There will be times when we just want to feel that God is doing something in our lives and have a great desire and a need to just feel His presence.

This Psalm is intended to help us through those times and it begins by showing us that we are not alone because the Holy Ghost inspired this writer, probably David, to write about such a time that he was experiencing.

In the Bible a "hart" refers to a  stag or a male deer. This was one of the clean animals and could be hunted and killed for food.

A deer will use every skill it has to allude the hunter even to the point of exhaustion avoiding a watering hole knowing they would be an easy target if they stopped to drink. They would have a great thirst for a refreshing drink of water that was necessary for life.

To pant describes an excited rapid movement of the heart.

We all know that our soul is the seat of all our emotions.

God created man as a unique being.

If we have evolved, we are just a higher form of some animal, without morals and without accountability and many people use this as an excuse to live anyway they so desire.

But the Bible teaches us that humans are moral creatures who are accountable to our Creator!

Man is also a "soul" and therefore eternal!

Gen 2:7  And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul.

And the Bible states that mankind is made in the image of God thus cannot be a product of evolution!

Gen 1:26  And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth.

That word "our" means we were created after the image of the Tri-Une God, (Body, Soul, and Spirit)!

1Th 5:23  And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.

It should be obvious to us that our soul will sometimes be longing for it's Creator our Maker!

*****Psa 42:2  My soul thirsteth for God, for the living God: when shall I come and appear before God?

Our soul, our true being, that is housed in our body of flesh will thirst for it's Creator!

We will sometimes miss a meal and in time we will feel the pangs of hunger.

But when you are thirsty for water it is an awful feeling that could lead to your death.

As a rule of thumb if you got caught out in dangerous cold most people could last no more than 3 hours.

Most people cannot go without water more than 3 days but no more that 8-10 days.

Most people can go without food for 3 weeks or more.

This writer was thirsting to the point of death for God, not water and not food!

God encourages us to be in the House of God in our appointed times of worship.

Heb 10:25  Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching.

We should have a desire to be in our place of worship!

BUT, even more than that, we need to thirst for that close and personal relationship with God.

Not with just any God but the True and Living God!

We need that desire to have fellowship with God Himself!

It is because Our God lives that He can give us "living water"!

What did Jesus tell that woman at the well?

Joh 4:10  Jesus answered and said unto her, If thou knewest the gift of God, and who it is that saith to thee, Give me to drink; thou wouldest have asked of him, and he would have given thee living water.

Joh 4:13  Jesus answered and said unto her, Whosoever drinketh of this water shall thirst again:
Joh 4:14  But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life.

A dead and an impersonal god is a mockery to any religion!

What is the truth of eternal life?

Rev 21:6  And he said unto me, It is done. I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give unto him that is athirst of the fountain of the water of life freely.
Rev 21:7  He that overcometh shall inherit all things; and I will be his God, and he shall be my son.

What is the truth of eternal life? Being in the family of God!

If we say we love the Lord but do not assemble in His name we are pretenders of the "Gospel"!

But if we do not crave that personal relationship with Jehovah the Living God then we are fooling ourselves because we cannot know true life!

Sometimes we can crave to be in the presence of God so much we will seek some real evidence that He has not forgotten about us.

*****Psa 42:3  My tears have been my meat day and night, while they continually say unto me, Where is thy God?

When we cannot feel the presence of the Lord and we know that we have not been drinking of that "Living Water" we soon also find out that there is nothing on this earth that will satisfy that longing for the Lord and this will lead to a miserable life.

It is our God in Christ Jesus that our soul will crave!

Those that do not know the Lord Jesus as their Savior also cannot know this craving of being close to our very personal God and they will always say, where is your God when you really need Him or they will say a true God would not allow such a thing to happen.

Only those that do not know our Savior could say these things!

When we are down because of the things that happen in this world, our enemies will always try to take advantage of that situation.

We should be very clear, Satan will do anything to keep us off of our knees!

But prayer is still our greatest weapon!

The God of the mountain is still God in the valley!

What is the irony of prayer?

God knows our needs, but He will sometimes make us ask.

God will answer every prayer that makes it to Heaven, but sometimes will have to be persistent and patient.

And it is only the prayer in the name of Jesus Christ that can be answered because this shows our faith in Him to solve our problems.

Calling upon our Father in Heaven, through the Holy Spirit, and in the name of His Son Jesus is the mark of the true believer!

Even with the greatest "faith" prayers not in the will of God will certainly not be answered.

But without "faith" no prayer can be answered!

Our understanding of prayer will correspond with our understanding of the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ!

And we must remember all these things.

*****Psa 42:4  When I remember these things, I pour out my soul in me: for I had gone with the multitude, I went with them to the house of God, with the voice of joy and praise, with a multitude that kept holyday.

God is our refuge and the place of our strength!

Hardly a day goes by that we are not caught up in the atrocities of this evil world we live in.

The phrase "come to pass" is used 161 times in the Bible. These things will come and they will pass and the answer is that when they come we need to pour out our souls to God!

In fact if we are in daily contact with our Father in Heaven we will miss out on many obstacles that cross our paths.

We need to attend the House of God regularly.

We need to get involved in the worship service.

We need to remember why we need to do these things!

Psa 62:7  In God is my salvation and my glory: the rock of my strength, and my refuge, is in God.
Psa 62:8  Trust in him at all times; ye people, pour out your heart before him: God is a refuge for us. Selah.
And we need to stay in constant contact with our Savior!

We just cannot allow the things that go on in this world to knock us down!

*****Psa 42:5  Why art thou cast down, O my soul? and why art thou disquieted in me? hope thou in God: for I shall yet praise him for the help of his countenance.

We should also remember that God will test our faith from time to time.

1Pe 1:7  That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ:

We should think of this as God trying to remove all our defective parts.

And we should just question our own selves and quit complaining and asking God why He has forgotten about us because that is impossible for Him to do!

What does God expect from us during these times?

1Pe 5:6  Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time:
1Pe 5:7  Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.

Why in the world should we get so discouraged since we know that God exist and He certainly cares for us?

It is vital that we endure these times of testing!

Jas 1:2  My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations;
Jas 1:3  Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience.

Our hope is in the Lord!

1Th 1:3  Remembering without ceasing your work of faith, and labour of love, and patience of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ, in the sight of God and our Father;
1Th 1:4  Knowing, brethren beloved, your election of God.

AND, God is never very far from His children!

*****Psa 42:6  O my God, my soul is cast down within me: therefore will I remember thee from the land of Jordan, and of the Hermonites, from the hill Mizar.

In verse 5 the writer of this Psalm, probably David, began to realize that he really had no good reason to fill so dejected but when we have a close personal relationship with our Father in Heaven, we need to make sure to tell Him everything.

We must also be persistent in our prayer!

We should show the Lord how we really feel, our feelings are important to the Lord!

And we should also remember the goodness of the Lord and how He has already brought us through the many trials of our life.

God makes a covenant with each one of His children and God will always keep His covenant!

It is good to remember these thing when we feel this world caving in on us.

The land of Jordan was the promised land to the Jews.

Eternal life in Heaven is the promised land to all, "whosoever will", call on the Lord Jesus Christ.

Where do we flee? We must flee to the Covenant of Grace!

Who made this covenant?

God the Father made a covenant with God the Son, brought about by God the Holy Spirit.

Isa 42:6  I the LORD have called thee in righteousness, and will hold thine hand, and will keep thee, and give thee for a covenant of the people, for a light of the Gentiles;
Isa 42:7  To open the blind eyes, to bring out the prisoners from the prison, and them that sit in darkness out of the prison house.

God prepared His Son to be our sacrifice:

Heb 10:5  Wherefore when he cometh into the world, he saith, Sacrifice and offering thou wouldest not, but a body hast thou prepared me:

God met all the conditions of His personal covenant:

Gal 4:4  But when the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law,
Gal 4:5  To redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons.

God work through the power of the Holy Spirit:

Rom 1:2  (Which he had promised afore by his prophets in the holy scriptures,)
Rom 1:3  Concerning his Son Jesus Christ our Lord, which was made of the seed of David according to the flesh;
Rom 1:4  And declared to be the Son of God with power, according to the spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead:

God has kept this covenant and now works through the Lord Jesus to fulfill His covenant:

Heb 9:15  And for this cause he is the mediator of the new testament, that by means of death, for the redemption of the transgressions that were under the first testament, they which are called might receive the promise of eternal inheritance.

It is the "Throne of Grace" where we must flee in our times of trouble.

God made this covenant with Himself and it cannot be broken by anyone on this earth!

Eph 2:4  But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us,
Eph 2:5  Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;)

The land of Jordan refers to the promised land, our promised land is the New Heaven and New Earth.

Deu 27:3  And thou shalt write upon them all the words of this law, when thou art passed over, that thou mayest go in unto the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee, a land that floweth with milk and honey; as the LORD God of thy fathers hath promised thee.

The land of the Hermonites refers to place God commanded His blessings, The Lord commands our blessings from the Father's House.

Psa 133:3  As the dew of Hermon, and as the dew that descended upon the mountains of Zion: for there the LORD commanded the blessing, even life for evermore.

And the hill Mizar refers to the New Jerusalem.

Rev 21:2  And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.

We can find comfort in the promises of God even in our times of trouble.

*****Psa 42:7  Deep calleth unto deep at the noise of thy waterspouts: all thy waves and thy billows are gone over me.

We will all have to travel through the "sea of affliction" once we call on the Lord Jesus Christ as our Savior!

If we remember the story of Job, just as soon as one affliction was over another one came until Job had lost everything he had, but his God.

If you view the ocean you will see that one wave comes and before it is over, another is already on the way.

Some higher, some lower but they come continuously. A billow describes a great wave or a surge from the sea, possibly a Tsunami type of wave.

A water-spout is a large tube formed by the clouds and with it's circular motion and being hollow within, it attracts a vast quantity of water which it will pour down all at one time.

There is only One who we can turn to and that is Our God!

Zec 10:11  And he shall pass through the sea with affliction, and shall smite the waves in the sea, and all the deeps of the river shall dry up: and the pride of Assyria shall be brought down, and the sceptre of Egypt shall depart away.
Zec 10:12  And I will strengthen them in the LORD; and they shall walk up and down in his name, saith the LORD.

*****Psa 42:8  Yet the LORD will command his lovingkindness in the daytime, and in the night his song shall be with me, and my prayer unto the God of my life.

Come what may it is the God of love that can sweeten our day!

Those that do not know the Lord have nowhere to turn but at any hour of the day or night, those that do know the Lord can turn to Him but only if He is the God of your life.

It is only the Living God that can be the God of our life!

1Ti 4:10  For therefore we both labour and suffer reproach, because we trust in the living God, who is the Saviour of all men, specially of those that believe.

Since the Lord is a living God He has life within Himself and therefore the "Author of" and the "Giver of" life to all others.

This is good reason to trust Him!

*****Psa 42:9  I will say unto God my rock, Why hast thou forgotten me? why go I mourning because of the oppression of the enemy?

Since we know the Living God and only because we have a close and personal relationship with Him are we even allowed to ask such questions as these.

And it is only a loving Father who is patient enough with His children who will listen to us as we do!

There is no question that God will ever reject but we may not always like His answers!

The most important thing to remember is that God is truly Our Rock!

1Co 10:1  Moreover, brethren, I would not that ye should be ignorant, how that all our fathers were under the cloud, and all passed through the sea;
1Co 10:2  And were all baptized unto Moses in the cloud and in the sea;
1Co 10:3  And did all eat the same spiritual meat;
1Co 10:4  And did all drink the same spiritual drink: for they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them: and that Rock was Christ.

God gets no pleasure seeing His children suffer.

God gets no pleasure seeing the things that Satan tries to do to God's people.

We suffer because of the choices we make!

Satan uses the afflictions of this world to either cause us to backslide, to reject the Lord, or to loose our testimony.

So we must be more like Moses.

Heb 11:24  By faith Moses, when he was come to years, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh's daughter;
Heb 11:25  "Choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God, than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season";
Heb 11:26  Esteeming the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures in Egypt: "for he had respect unto the recompence of the reward".

There are rewards for serving the One true and Living God!

*****Psa 42:10  As with a sword in my bones, mine enemies reproach me; while they say daily unto me, Where is thy God?

There is no doubt that the tongue of our enemies will cut to the bone and God will listen as we explain these things to Him. God already knows what we are going through and He does not mind as we explain these things to Him and listens intently as we express our feelings to Him in prayer.

God will not judge us, He just listens to His child as most any good parent would do!

When our enemies and our persecutors ask "Where is your God now" it can cut deeply but we know that our Lord is only a prayer away.

If we did not believe that, we would not be praying. Sometimes it's good just to get some things off your chest and Our Father in Heaven will even allow us that privilege at times if we have humbled ourselves before Him.

Heb 4:15  For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin.
Heb 4:16  Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.

In America we hear a lot about freedom of speech. This was installed into the our Constitution by our forefathers but it comes from our relationship with the Lord.

The Lord allows us the freedom to speak to Him and the confidence to know that He will patiently listen and He promises an answer.

God only has 3 answers.

Yes, No and not at this time!

When we pray we should remember we are at the "throne of  Grace" and not the "throne of Judgment"!

God is never very far from His children!

Act 17:27  That they should seek the Lord, if haply they might feel after him, and find him, though he be not far from every one of us:
Act 17:28  For in him we live, and move, and have our being; as certain also of your own poets have said, For we are also his offspring.

We simply cannot allow the things of this world to tear us down!

*****Psa 42:11  Why art thou cast down, O my soul? and why art thou disquieted within me? hope thou in God: for I shall yet praise him, who is the health of my countenance, and my God.

Once we humble ourselves before the Almighty God we realize that we have no ground to complain!

He is our only help!

He is the only one who can drive the sorrow away!

It is He that our enemies hope does not respond to our prayers!

He is, He has been, and He will be, our strength and our salvation forever!

He is Our God!

Isa 12:2  Behold, God is my salvation; I will trust, and not be afraid: for the LORD JEHOVAH is my strength and my song; he also is become my salvation.
Isa 12:3  Therefore with joy shall ye draw water out of the wells of salvation.

And we must not forget what our job is after we are saved!

Isa 12:4  And in that day shall ye say, Praise the LORD, call upon his name, declare his doings among the people, make mention that his name is exalted.

We must keep the main thing, the main thing, and the main thing is "salvation" to whosoever will believe on the name of the Lord Jesus Christ!

Questions?

Let's Pray!

Patiently Waiting On The Lord

Wait On The Lord

Psalms 40

What is patience?

Patience is is actively enduring the opposition we have to our lives.

Patience is suffering while remaining calm in that suffering!

Patience is enduring adversity while keeping a calm temper!

God's people are commanded to be patient!

Patience is described in the Bible as: endurance, steadfastness, long-suffering, and forbearance.

The Bible says we are saved by our "hope" in the sure promises of God and we must be patient in that hope!

Rom 8:24  For we are saved by hope: but hope that is seen is not hope: for what a man seeth, why doth he yet hope for?
Rom 8:25  But if we hope for that we see not, then do we with patience wait for it.

The gift of patience comes forth as we improve in our walk with the Lord.

2Th 3:5  And the Lord direct your hearts into the love of God, and into the patient waiting for Christ.

Jesus is coming soon but if He does not come before our death then at that time we will go straight to Him!

Let's begin:

*****Psa 40:1  To the chief Musician, A Psalm of David. I waited patiently for the LORD; and he inclined unto me, and heard my cry.

It may have been David's hand that wrote this Psalm but this Psalm is not so much about David.

No doubt David had passed through some deep suffering in which he had to be patient and wait on the Lord. The Lord says we all will pass through our times of suffering!

David was a type of Christ in many ways but David was never a sacrifice for God's people!

The Holy Spirit who inspired all the Bible and this Psalm points beyond David to Jesus Christ.

In fact the entire Old Testament will point you toward Jesus Christ!

This Psalm is about the Messiah!

This Psalm is a celebration of God's deliverance!

This Psalm expresses the feelings of the human nature of Jesus Christ!

Jesus Christ was 100% human while still being 100% God!

This Psalm teaches us that the greatest example of "patience" in the Bible is that time of Christ just before and during His Passion.

This Psalm recounts the inner most thoughts of the Lord Jesus Christ when He was on that cross for "our" salvation.

What is the truth about the Messiah?

Php 2:5  Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus:
Php 2:6  Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God:
Php 2:7  But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men:
Php 2:8  And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.

This is the truth of the Gospel of Jesus Christ!

The Lord Jesus Christ did not have an ounce of impatience all through His agony in the Garden of Gethsemane.

The Lord Jesus never expressed impatience during all of the false trials before the High Priest nor before Herod nor Pilate.

The Lord was never impatient when He suffered for 3 hours the agonies of Hell's separation from His Father in Heaven while He hung on that cross until His cry was heard.

Our Lord Jesus only had one response to all these things when He said these words!

Joh 19:30  When Jesus therefore had received the vinegar, he said, "It is finished": and he bowed his head, and gave up the ghost.

God came down to this earth in the form of a man and patiently made a way for us to join Him in Heaven!

One day when we know our days are nearing their end we can also realize that our suffering of this life is "finally finished" and we are going home!

Notice this patient Lamb of God had no wrath and professed no vengeance, He just waited patiently until these things were over.

1Pe 2:23  Who, when he was reviled, reviled not again; when he suffered, he threatened not; but committed himself to him that judgeth righteously:

Luk 23:34  Then said Jesus, Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do. And they parted his raiment, and cast lots.

We should know that the patient waiting by the Lord Jesus was not in vain and not one child of God will ever wait on our Lord in vain!

Our Messiah was brought very low but He arose in victory and because He did we can!

*****Psa 40:2  He brought me up also out of an horrible pit, out of the miry clay, and set my feet upon a rock, and established my goings.

What was the condition of Christ our Lord at the time of the cross?

Heb 5:7  Who in the days of his flesh, when he had offered up prayers and supplications with strong crying and tears unto him that was able to save him from death, and was heard in that he feared;
Heb 5:8  Though he were a Son, yet learned he obedience by the things which he suffered;
Heb 5:9  And being made perfect, he became the author of eternal salvation unto all them that obey him;

Why was He in that horrible pit?

2Co 5:21  For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.

And the wages of sin are death!

Rom 6:23  For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

The Messiah, the Lord Jesus Christ, bore on His person the curse of all our sin because He had no sin of His own!

Isa 53:5  But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed.

1Pe 2:24  Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed.

It is this act of God that is the truth of Christianity and separates Christianity from all false religion!

2Co 5:18  And all things are of God, who hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ, and hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation;
2Co 5:19  To wit, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them; and hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation.

This is the only means of a personal relationship with our Holy God which also separates Christianity from false religion!

This is the only means of establishing our goings!

And we too should be singing a new song!

*****Psa 40:3  And he hath put a new song in my mouth, even praise unto our God: many shall see it, and fear, and shall trust in the LORD.

The atonement of Christ Jesus, which means being at one with God, did not end with the death of Christ but ended with His resurrection!

Rom 1:4  And declared to be the Son of God with power, according to the spirit of holiness, "by the resurrection from the dead":

Let's look back: (John 20:2-8)

When Peter and John came to the tomb, they saw the grave-clothes lying in the grave retaining their shape as they had been wound about the body of Christ. The face napkin had been folded and laid neatly nearby but the body of the Lord Jesus Christ was gone. The body of Jesus had passed right through those linen wrappings leaving them in place.

The Lord Jesus had arose just as He had said He would!

Joh 11:25  Jesus said unto her, I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live:
Joh 11:26  And whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die. Believest thou this?

What is this new song? It is the glorious and never ending song of redemption!

Only the Lord Jesus can know the fullness and the glory of this new song and He will one day lead all those He redeemed in singing this new song.

Psa 22:22  I will declare thy name unto my brethren: in the midst of the congregation will I praise thee.

Our Lord will sing praises not only to His God but to our God!

It is this act of redemption that could have only been done by the Lord Jesus Christ that has brought each believer unto a personal relationship with God!

Joh 20:17  Jesus saith unto her, Touch me not; for I am not yet ascended to my Father: but go to my brethren, and say unto them, I ascend unto my Father, and your Father; and "to my God, and your God".

Just as the Lord Jesus can be the only One to sing this new song of the redeemed, it is only the redeemed who can sing the new song of the Lord's worthiness to open the Book of Judgment.

Rev 5:9  And they sung a new song, saying, Thou art worthy to take the book, and to open the seals thereof: for thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation;

All those that can see the resurrection of our Lord just as John and Peter saw it, shall trust in the Lord and be saved!

This is the Lord's reward!

Gal 2:20  I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, "and gave himself for me".

It was personal for the Lord and we can have that personal relationship with Him!

This is our greatest blessing!

*****Psa 40:4  Blessed is that man that maketh the LORD his trust, and respecteth not the proud, nor such as turn aside to lies.

The most blessed day we can ever have is that day we trust in the Lord!

Joh 5:24  Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life.

Rom 8:1  There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.

All those that are rich and in power on this earth and full of self pride expect all men to bow to them but the King of Glory went from riches to rags to pay our sin debt.

This world we live in is full of Satan's lies!

Joh 8:44  Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it.

It is only the Lord Jesus Christ who is the truth!

Joh 14:6  Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.

*****Psa 40:5  Many, O LORD my God, are thy wonderful works which thou hast done, and thy thoughts which are to us-ward: they cannot be reckoned up in order unto thee: if I would declare and speak of them, they are more than can be numbered.

No one can count all God's wonderful works in His creation of this world and the cosmos!

No one can see God's great design for His people!

But all these things are quiet small when compared to God's great plan of redemption, and His future plans for those that trust Him!

Eph 2:7  That in the ages to come he might shew the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus.

The greatest thing we can give back to Our Lord while we are still living, is just realizing how much we are loved!

Psa 139:17  How precious also are thy thoughts unto me, O God! how great is the sum of them!

God desires only that we believe on Him!

*****Psa 40:6  Sacrifice and offering thou didst not desire; mine ears hast thou opened: burnt offering and sin offering hast thou not required.

Sacrifices and offerings are physical things that are brought unto God to express devotion, thanksgiving, or a need for forgiveness.

What these scriptures show us is an actual conversation between God the Father and God the Son described by God the Holy Ghost.

Heb 10:4  For it is not possible that the blood of bulls and of goats should take away sins.
Heb 10:5  Wherefore when he cometh into the world, he saith, Sacrifice and offering thou wouldest not, but a body hast thou prepared me:
Heb 10:6  In burnt offerings and sacrifices for sin thou hast had no pleasure.

There should be no doubt to any of us that a greater and a better sacrifice was needed to solve the sin problem created by Adam!

There is a great example in the Old Testament that can give us an explanation of our ears being opened.

Exo 21:6  Then his master shall bring him unto the judges; he shall also bring him to the door, or unto the door post; and his master shall bore his ear through with an aul; and he shall serve him for ever.

When that hole was bored in the ear of that bond servant after he had become eligible for freedom it was meant to show the world that he had chosen to remain in the service of his master forever.

The Lord Jesus says, "mine ears has thou opened" because He so chose to be obedient to His Father in Heaven!

Our Lord was quick to hear and perform His Father's will!

Heb 10:10  By the which will we are sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ "once for all".

*****Psa 40:7  Then said I, Lo, I come: in the volume of the book it is written of me,
Psa 40:8  I delight to do thy will, O my God: yea, thy law is within my heart.

You see it was God's plan all along to sacrifice Himself in payment for our sin!

We are wrong when we do not realize that the entire Bible was written to bring us to the truth of Jesus Christ.

The God of the Old Testament and the God of the New Testament are one and the same God!

Every writer of the Old Testament wrote about Jesus Christ!

Jesus said:

Luk 24:44  And he said unto them, These are the words which I spake unto you, while I was yet with you, that all things must be fulfilled, which were written in the law of Moses, and in the prophets, and in the psalms, "concerning me".

When baby Jesus was born in Bethlehem, He began to fulfill all the things written about Himself in the Old Testament!

This was the first sign that the Messiah had come!

Isa 7:14  Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.

We know these same things are written in the Book of Hebrews because The Messiah and the Lord Jesus Christ are one and the same.

But these are also the thoughts of Jesus Christ when He was on that cross remembering how and why He had come into the world.

Mat 26:42  He went away again the second time, and prayed, saying, O my Father, if this cup may not pass away from me, except I drink it, "thy will be done".

Jesus delighted in paying our sin debt but His greatest delight was in pleasing His Father in Heaven and this is the lesson and our greatest example He has given to us to learn.

It is the will of God that we be just as obedient as He was!

Heb 5:7  Who in the days of his flesh, when he had offered up prayers and supplications with strong crying and tears unto him that was able to save him from death, and was heard in that he feared;
Heb 5:8  Though he were a Son, yet learned he obedience by the things which he suffered;
Heb 5:9  And being made perfect, he became the author of eternal salvation "unto all them that obey him";

*****Psa 40:9  I have preached righteousness in the great congregation: lo, I have not refrained my lips, O LORD, thou knowest.

The entire life of Jesus was our sermon for salvation!

When Jesus preached, He preached the whole council of God!

Jesus preached openly in the Temple unashamed of His testimony!

Jesus was the first true missionary to declare the Gospel of God!

Jesus was the greatest evangelist that ever lives and reached out to all people(whosoever)!

But, Jesus also preached prophesy and judgment.

Again Jesus did all these things in obedience to His Father and Our Father in Heaven.

Isa 61:1  The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me; because the LORD hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek; he hath sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound;
Isa 61:2  To proclaim the acceptable year of the LORD, "and the day of vengeance of our God"; to comfort all that mourn;

*****Psa 40:10  I have not hid thy righteousness within my heart; I have declared thy faithfulness and thy salvation: I have not concealed thy lovingkindness and thy truth from the great congregation.

This is exactly what the Lord Jesus did when He was on this earth!

Those that were lost clearly understood that no one taught the things Jesus taught!

Joh 7:46  The officers answered, "Never man spake like this man".

The scribes were the ones that made the copies of the Old Testament at that time and they had written the words so much that they became the authority on the scriptures but it had Jesus who had given the words to the original writers.

Mat 7:28  And it came to pass, when Jesus had ended these sayings, the people were astonished at his doctrine:
Mat 7:29  "For he taught them as one having authority, and not as the scribes".

Salvation is God's plan and no one can explain it better than the Lamb of God who fulfilled God's plan!

We truly have no righteousness in our selves!

It is God's righteousness that is delivered to each one that believes on the Lord Jesus Christ that provides our opportunity to be saved!

Php 3:9  And be found in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, "but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith":
Php 3:10  That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death;
Php 3:11  If by any means I might attain unto the resurrection of the dead.

What was the message Jesus had for this world?

Jesus preached the "faithfulness" of His Father.

Jesus preached the "salvation plan" of His Father.

Jesus preached the "love" of the Father.

Jesus preached the "truth" of the Gospel!

Joh 14:6  Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.

This now the same job of all those that Christ Jesus has delivered into salvation!

We are not to hide the righteousness of God in our hearts but we are to tell it to all who will listen!

*****Psa 40:11  Withhold not thou thy tender mercies from me, O LORD: let thy lovingkindness and thy truth continually preserve me.

When the Lord Jesus had been obedient all the way to the cross and just before He entered into the shadow of His death, He pleaded with His Father for mercy and His compassion.

And what was God's answer?

Isa 49:8  Thus saith the LORD, In an acceptable time have I heard thee, and in a day of salvation have I helped thee: and I will preserve thee, "and give thee for a covenant of the people", to establish the earth, to cause to inherit the desolate heritages;

The Lord Jesus never doubted that God's plan would be fulfilled just as it was written!

*****Psa 40:12  For innumerable evils have compassed me about: mine iniquities have taken hold upon me, so that I am not able to look up; they are more than the hairs of mine head: therefore my heart faileth me.

It was the assembly of the wicked that surrounded Jesus on that cross.

Psa 22:16  For dogs have compassed me: the assembly of the wicked have inclosed me: they pierced my hands and my feet.

But it was all "our sin" that Jesus bore on His body!

1Pe 3:18  For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, "the just for the unjust", that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh, but quickened by the Spirit:

We are also to be more like Christ Jesus in His death than in His life.

Jesus Christ died for our sin and therefore we are to be dead to sin in order to live in Jesus Christ!

Rom 6:11  Likewise reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Rom 6:12  Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, that ye should obey it in the lusts thereof.

The Lord Jesus was made sin for us. The transfer of our sin to our Savior was real!

This is the truth of the Gospel!

It was for this reason that for a brief moment He could not look upon the face of His Father in Heaven!

Jesus died for our sin and He died of a broken heart for this one reason!

It is a well known scientific fact, that the effect of continued and intense agony will produce a colorless fluid as the blood begins to separate.

Joh 19:34  But one of the soldiers with a spear pierced his side, and forthwith came there out blood and water.

We are washed in the blood of Jesus!

Rev 1:5  And from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, and the first begotten of the dead, and the prince of the kings of the earth. Unto him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood,

But we are also showered by the living water!

Joh 7:38  He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water.

And our Father in Heaven was very pleased with His Son.

*****Psa 40:13  Be pleased, O LORD, to deliver me: O LORD, make haste to help me.

How can we not be amazed at God's plan of salvation?

Php 2:5  Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus:
Php 2:6  Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God:
Php 2:7  But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men:
Php 2:8  And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.

Was God pleased?

Isa 53:10  "Yet it pleased the LORD to bruise him"; he hath put him to grief: when thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin, he shall see his seed, he shall prolong his days, and the pleasure of the LORD shall prosper in his hand.
Isa 53:11  He shall see of the travail of his soul, and shall be satisfied: by his knowledge shall my righteous servant justify many; for he shall bear their iniquities.

Did God help His Son? if we cannot believe this we cannot be saved!

Rom 10:9  That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and "shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead", thou shalt be saved.

If we cannot believe that Jesus was the Messiah we cannot be saved!

*****Psa 40:14  Let them be ashamed and confounded together that seek after my soul to destroy it; let them be driven backward and put to shame that wish me evil.
Psa 40:15  Let them be desolate for a reward of their shame that say unto me, Aha, aha.

In Satan's feeble attempt to destroy our Savior, he destroyed himself!

Because it is in total ignorance that anyone battles with the Lord!

God used the cross to show His love for all His created human beings!

And it was only the sacrificial Lamb of God that brought divine redemption to all people!

1Co 2:7  But we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, even the hidden wisdom, which God ordained before the world unto our glory:
1Co 2:8  Which none of the princes of this world knew: for had they known it, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory.

By destroying the Lamb of God, this evil world executed the plan of God perfectly!

In reality there is no one that has ever walked or that will ever walk on this earth that is not involved in God's plan of salvation!

God gives us His choice to do so willingly or unwillingly!

And God says:

1Co 14:38  But if any man be ignorant, let him be ignorant.

And God says in the end:

Rev 22:11  He that is unjust, let him be unjust still: and he which is filthy, let him be filthy still: and he that is righteous, let him be righteous still: and he that is holy, let him be holy still.

It is a foolish thing to reject the Word of God!

Even as  our Lord Jesus was desolate in His agony on that cross, we will see that the enemies of the Church will also be in agony in the end.

The Lord Jesus was deprived of the comfort and companionship of His Father for three hours on that cross.

That word "desolate" means that the enemies of God will be deprived of His comfort and His companionship for eternity!

1Co 3:19  For the wisdom of this world is foolishness with God. For it is written, He taketh the wise in their own craftiness.
1Co 3:20  And again, The Lord knoweth the thoughts of the wise, that they are vain.

It is only those that seek the Lord who will be able to rejoice!

*****Psa 40:16  Let all those that seek thee rejoice and be glad in thee: let such as love thy salvation say continually, The LORD be magnified.

There are to many people in this world that think of God as loving God that would never punish the wicked forever but that is simply not true!

God says it is only those that seek Him who will rejoice!

God says that it is only those that seek Him who will be glad that they did!

Jesus said:

Joh 17:9  I pray for them: "I pray not for the world", but for them which thou hast given me; for they are thine.
Joh 17:10  And all mine are thine, and thine are mine; and I am glorified in them.

Jesus is not praying for those that reject Him!

Jesus prayed only for those that accept Him!

We have only one job after our salvation and that is to proclaim the glory of God!

This is why Our Lord rejoiced for our salvation!

Heb 12:2  Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; "who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross", despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.

We are not only to love the God of our salvation but we are also to love our salvation itself!

Self-preservation is the first law of life in this flesh!

Satan uses this one trait against us more than any other thing!

Job 2:4  And Satan answered the LORD, and said, Skin for skin, yea, all that a man hath will he give for his life.

We also know that Job would have died for His children.

Many of us who would not give our life for any other reason will give their life for their own children.

Many a soldier has given his life for freedom!

We know that this is exactly what our Lord did for us. The Lord did not allow the love He had for Himself to interfere with the love He has for each of us!

Our Lord wanted us to be free form the bondage of sin!

We are to love our salvation even more than we are to love ourselves!

There is only one thing that must remain greater than our love for our salvation and that must be our love of God!

*****Psa 40:17  But I am poor and needy; yet the Lord thinketh upon me: thou art my help and my deliverer; make no tarrying, O my God.

The Lord Jesus knew that Jehovah God would never turn away His heart from Him.

This is the thing that upheld Him in His hour of need!

As the redeemed of the Lord we must believe that the Lord will never turn His heart way from us!

It should be very sobering to think that out of all the people on this Earth, the Lord is thinking on each of us!

Jesus Christ is our example to live by in this life and He knew that His Father in Heaven was His help and also His deliverer and He is the same to each of us!

When the Lord Jesus Christ was on that cross He knew His death could come at any moment so He gave His life freely for our sake!

Jesus rose up bravely and met death head on so that we do not have to!

His need was urgent because He knew our need of salvation is also urgent!

As we go through this life we need only know one thing!

Rom 8:35  Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?
Rom 8:36  As it is written, For thy sake we are killed all the day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter.
Rom 8:37  Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us.

There is not one thing on this earth that can separate us from the love of the Lord Jesus Christ!

We need to patiently wait on the Lord!

Questions?

Let's Pray!

Rest In The Lord

Rest In The Lord

Psalms 37

There are many who fall by the wayside everyday because they find it impossible to believe God would allow the wicked to prosper while the Christians suffer.

To many, these things lead to doubt and frustration.

Satan will use these things to tempt us into sin.

The Lord will not hold us accountable for the suggestions that the Devil makes, or those thoughts that our evil hearts produce but God will hold us accountable if we yield to that sin or act on that evil thought!

We must lay hold to integrity and moral soundness and remain incorruptible.

There is no greater passage in the Bible in teaching this than the Book of Job.

Incorruptible means not being subject to decay!

Two weeks ago we saw that unconfessed sin was leading King David to the point of decay.

When we are so easily troubled because we see the wicked live a life of prosperity and we have forgotten that our sins have been forgiven and true riches await those that make it into God's Heaven and we will never spend one moment in the Burning Lake of fire, then it can also lead us to that same point of decay!

Earthy rewards are not the payment for spiritual work, spiritual work brings Heavenly rewards!

To expect earthly rewards for the work of God will only weaken our faith!

God is not dealing harshly with us when He does not make us rich!

There is a great bit of difference between a need and a want!

We can rejoice when we know we are redeemed by the blood of Jesus!

We can only rest when we understand the truth of God!

Let's Begin.

*****Psa 37:1  A Psalm of David. Fret not thyself because of evildoers, neither be thou envious against the workers of iniquity.
Psa 37:2  For they shall soon be cut down like the grass, and wither as the green herb.

Again another Psalm of David.

Not only was David King of Israel, and a man after God's own heart, God used the experiences of David to teach us many valuable lessons.

We must accept that every Word in the Bible was inspired by the Holy Spirit but when that writer had experienced those things that they had written, we can more easily relate those things to our own lives.

It is the object of God's Word to teach us the means of salvation but also how to walk in the ways of the Lord in this life!

One of the greatest problems to the Christian is when they try to answer the question of "why God's people suffer while the wicked seem to succeed"?

They say why would God allow such a thing?

This is what the word "fret" has as it's meaning!

The purpose of this Psalm is to answer this question.

To "fret" is to worry, to fume, to have heart-burn, to become irritated and it is in fact a form of jealousy!

We are not to be jealous of evildoers who seem to prosper because of their evilness.

We are also not to be envious of their apparent success.

Envy will only add to jealousy hate, and uneasiness, and it shows to that wicked person that he is superior to you!

Pro 3:31  Envy thou not the oppressor, and choose none of his ways.
Pro 3:32  For the froward is abomination to the LORD: but his secret is with the righteous.

How does God describe these evil doers?

They are as the grass that we mow weekly during the cutting season.

The destruction of ungodly people will be speedy, it will be sudden, and it will be sure!

What is the truth about herbs?

The herb is not like a tree, the herb dies to the root every year. The herb dries up once it has produced it's fruit and dries up in the sun.

All the glory of wicked and evil people will end at their death and they are soon forgotten.

Inside every "Born Again" child of God there lives a soul that knows that true life will be eternally spent with the Lord!

This true life begins when we trust in the Lord.

How do we obtain true riches?

*****Psa 37:3  Trust in the LORD, and do good; so shalt thou dwell in the land, and verily thou shalt be fed.
Psa 37:4  Delight thyself also in the LORD; and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart.
Psa 37:5  Commit thy way unto the LORD; trust also in him; and he shall bring it to pass.
Psa 37:6  And he shall bring forth thy righteousness as the light, and thy judgment as the noonday.
Psa 37:7  Rest in the LORD, and wait patiently for him: fret not thyself because of him who prospereth in his way, because of the man who bringeth wicked devices to pass.

1) We are commanded not to fret ourselves because of evildoers.

2) We are now commanded to trust the Lord.

The Bible is a book of commandments and not a book of suggestions!

God says the cure to "fretting" is "faith"!

Faith means we  can see things as they really are.

God says the remedy for "fretting" is "doing good"!

That word "verily" means "the truth is".

The truth is that God will not only feed His people with bread, but more important God will feed His people with "His Truth"!

How will the evil doer be fed?

Isa 44:20  He feedeth on ashes: a deceived heart hath turned him aside, that he cannot deliver his soul, nor say, Is there not a lie in my right hand?

Jer 23:15  Therefore thus saith the LORD of hosts concerning the prophets; Behold, I will feed them with wormwood, and make them drink the water of gall: for from the prophets of Jerusalem is profaneness gone forth into all the land.

They will feed on ashes and wormwood and gall!

3) We are now commanded to delight ourselves in the Lord!

We are to make the Lord the joy of our lives!

Those that are evil get joy from doing evil things which will bring them no reward at their death.

Remember how David has used the word "my"?

The Lord is my light, my salvation, my strength, my rock, my fortress, my high tower and my deliverer!

This is the way we need to use the word "my" when it comes to the Lord!

We must have a personal relationship with Him!

What are the facts?

Those who delight in the Lord only delight and ask for the things that please Him and Our God delights in fulfilling those desires!

Joh 14:14  If ye shall ask any thing in my name, I will do it.

How can these things come about?

4) We must commit ourselves to the Lord and not to the ways of this world.

We must roll the burden of our life over to the Lord!

1Pe 5:6  Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time:
1Pe 5:7  Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.

When we place our trust in the Lord, why in the world would we want to interfere and not leave the results in His hands.

The more we fret the worse we will be, the more we trust the Lord the better off we will be!

The Lord is the Judge of all this Earth!

Abraham asked the Lord this question.

Gen 18:25  That be far from thee to do after this manner, to slay the righteous with the wicked: and that the righteous should be as the wicked, that be far from thee: "Shall not the Judge of all the earth do right"?

We can know that the Lord is the Righteous Judge of this Earth and can only do what is right!

How will He judge the righteous who remain in the light of the Lord?

Each believer is as the noon of day when there is not even a shadow of darkness!

We must not fret because of evil doers.
We must trust in the Lord.
We must delight ourselves in the Lord.
We must commit ourselves to the Lord.

5) And then we can rest in the Lord.

This is also a command and not some suggestion.

Psa 46:10  Be still, and know that I am God: I will be exalted among the heathen, I will be exalted in the earth.

God will never act before it is time to act but we can also be sure to know that God will never be late, He will always be on time!

We must never forget the intent of the Lord.

Jas 5:7  Be patient therefore, brethren, unto the coming of the Lord. Behold, the husbandman waiteth for the precious fruit of the earth, and hath long patience for it, until he receive the early and latter rain.

I have said it before, that lost soul the Lord is waiting on could be one of our own family members.

We will certainly see the unrighteous prosper in this world but that is all they have!

We will certainly see that the rich get richer and the poor get poorer!

We simply must help those we can, especially those of the true Church and cease from our anger at these things.

God's "Grace", through the Lord Jesus Christ is still the only answer to all life's problems!

*****Psa 37:8  Cease from anger, and forsake wrath: fret not thyself in any wise to do evil.
Psa 37:9  For evildoers shall be cut off: but those that wait upon the LORD, they shall inherit the earth.

We must believe that nothing can ever happen to us apart from the knowledge, the presence, and the love of God!

And we must know that God only wants good things for us, things that will make us better suited for His use!

What is the truth of God?

Rom 8:18  For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.

When we see these things happen around us, we can either get angry at those that are so prosperous in their evil, or we will get angry at God.

To be angry at the world is madness, to be angry at God is insanity. Then the answer must be for us to forsake being angry!

We can live and rejoice with life when we trust that the Lord only does the right things for us and we need to avoid anything that even gives the appearance of being evil.

Anger will simmer and burn until reaches a point of explosion which will lead to sin.

Eph 4:26  Be ye angry, and sin not: let not the sun go down upon your wrath:

Eph 4:31  Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all malice:

We must remember those that reject the Word of God will suffer a terrible judgment.

What is the truth of the Word of God?

Luk 16:22  And it came to pass, that the beggar died, and was carried by the angels into Abraham's bosom: the rich man also died, and was buried;
Luk 16:23  And in hell he lift up his eyes, being in torments, and seeth Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom.

But those who are patiently waiting on the Lord even in this life will have the most of real enjoyment and in the ages to come the glory and triumph of the glory world.

John Bunyan wrote: "Passion" has his good things first, and they are soon over. "Patience" has his good things last, and they last forever.

What is the truth of the Word of God?

*****Psa 37:10  For yet a little while, and the wicked shall not be: yea, thou shalt diligently consider his place, and it shall not be.

The average life span in some places in this world may have increased to over 70 years but that is still a short time. Many who live the lifestyle of the rich and famous do not live that long. The glitter of the wicked is not true gold!

There are many a building which carry the name of some famous person but that person has already perished. We may consider their place in society but they themselves are long gone.

His house is empty, his chair at the office is empty, his estate belongs to someone else or is without an owner. They are gone and will be soon forgotten!

But this is not so for those that love the Lord.

*****Psa 37:11  But the meek shall inherit the earth; and shall delight themselves in the abundance of peace.

It is those of "faith" that above all others, can enjoy life.

The "meek" are all those that have submitted themselves to the divine will of God!

Our meekness comes from the "Grace" of God through the Lord Jesus Christ which the world simply cannot understand.

What is the truth of the Lord our God?

Isa 55:8  For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the LORD.
Isa 55:9  For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.

Those that have been justified by faith will always be the enemy of those that will not submit to the Lord.

*****Psa 37:12  The wicked plotteth against the just, and gnasheth upon him with his teeth.

The Atheist say there is no God, so why do they attack those that do believe?

In reality most of them just hate the fact there is truly a righteous God.

Many others just say that there simply cannot be a personal God.

And all others place their faith in false gods!

As Christians we are simply to tell others about salvation through the Lord Jesus Christ and then stand our ground on these facts!

We are not at war with the world! God gave every one the gift of choice!

God wants us to have an informed choice so that there will not be any excuses at the judgment seat.

What will God do when He hears the excuses of the wicked?

*****Psa 37:13  The Lord shall laugh at him: for he seeth that his day is coming.

We know that the Lord is full of mercy and grace so laughing seems out of His true character, yet here it is.

The Hebrew word saw-khak is used here and it means a mocking laugh.

God will not allow for excuses and He will have heard them all at the White Throne of Judgment.

God's mocking laughter occurs only after those wicked have conclusively rejected His love and mercy, and then continued in their arrogant rebellion against the Word of God.

Pro 1:24  Because I have called, and ye refused; I have stretched out my hand, and no man regarded;
Pro 1:25  But ye have set at nought all my counsel, and would none of my reproof:
Pro 1:26  I also will laugh at your calamity; I will mock when your fear cometh;

It seems that most pulpits refuse to preach the truth of these scriptures.

Things will be different for those that love the Lord!

*****Psa 37:18  The LORD knoweth the days of the upright: and their inheritance shall be for ever.
Psa 37:19  They shall not be ashamed in the evil time: and in the days of famine they shall be satisfied.

God may have laughed at those who reject Him but those that love Him have a bright future!

There is not one thing that lies in our future that God is not already aware of and is already preparing us for it before it comes!

To know the Lord Jesus Christ as your personal Savior means to have an inheritance laid up in Heaven that will last forever!

For ever means one day we will wake up in glory and there will never be another day. That day will just continue unending!

Rev 22:5  And there shall be no night there; and they need no candle, neither light of the sun; for the Lord God giveth them light: and they shall reign for ever and ever.

For this reason we do not have to be ashamed that we are not as prosperous as those that refuse the Lord Jesus here in this life.

We do not have to be disappointed because we cannot obtain all our desires in this life.

God is not just a friend on the sunny days, God is our friend even on the cloudy days!

When God's providence is our inheritance in this life, we need not worry about tomorrow. God already knows what we need for tomorrow!

*****Psa 37:23  The steps of a good man are ordered by the LORD: and he delighteth in his way.
Psa 37:24  Though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down: for the LORD upholdeth him with his hand.

What is it like to be in the Army of God? The Lord delights in the ways of all those who "themselves" delight in the Lord!

As a babe who delighted it's parents with those first steps, so it is with the Lord when we begin our walk with Him.

As our walk becomes more and more secure as time passes by, the Lord's smile also broadens.

Pro 3:6  In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.

God knows that the path of each Christian is not always an easy road and God understands we will fall on occasion.

Job lost everything he had and Job was a very rich man.

Joseph was treated as a slave and then put in prison.

Jonah was cast into the deep in the belly of a whale.

The child of God need fall only as far as his knees to brought back up again!

The troubles in this world may bring us down to our knees, death may bring us to the grave, but we will never go lower than this because our true life is up!

It is God that holds on to His children through Jesus Christ!

Joh 10:28  And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand.
Joh 10:29  My Father, which gave them me, is greater than all; and no man is able to pluck them out of my Father's hand.
Joh 10:30  I and my Father are one.

*****Psa 37:25  I have been young, and now am old; yet have I not seen the righteous forsaken, nor his seed begging bread.
Psa 37:26  He is ever merciful, and lendeth; and his seed is blessed.

David adds a personal testimony in his own observations in serving the Lord but this is nonetheless a true statement!

The Lord will reward those that obey Him!

The Lord will never forsake His children!

The true children of God will never be beggars when they remain in the congregation of the faithful!

How can this be true?

*****Psa 37:27  Depart from evil, and do good; and dwell for evermore.
Psa 37:28  For the LORD loveth judgment, and forsaketh not his saints; they are preserved for ever: but the seed of the wicked shall be cut off.

The path way of the Christian is stay off the path of evil!

The path way of the Christian is cease to do evil and learn to do good!

It is very important for us to maintain good works after our salvation!

Tit 3:14  And let ours also learn to maintain good works "for necessary uses", that they be not unfruitful.

Good works are all those works that grow out of our supreme love of God!

It is a fact that there will some children of God who will have certain needs from time to time and it is the congregation of the faithful who are to provide that need!

Gal 6:10  As we have therefore opportunity, let us do good unto all men, especially unto them who are of the household of faith.

Very few wicked men ever leave any help for their own children!

Not one wicked man will influence his children to obey God and most of them will also fall into the same snares of the Devil!

*****Psa 37:29  The righteous shall inherit the land, and dwell therein for ever.

There is only one place that is forever!

Rev 21:1  And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea.

There is only one inheritance!

Rev 21:7  He that overcometh shall inherit all things; and I will be his God, and he shall be my son.

This is the paradise of the believer, so who could be so foolish to turn down such an opportunity as this?

*****Psa 37:30  The mouth of the righteous speaketh wisdom, and his tongue talketh of judgment.
Psa 37:31  The law of his God is in his heart; none of his steps shall slide.

What are the characteristics of a righteous man?

Their thoughts are good because their heart is right with God.

Their words are good because they have an understanding of the Word of God and the "Gospel" of Jesus Christ.

Their works are good because they take action guided by the Holy Spirit.

Col 4:6  Let your speech be alway with grace, seasoned with salt, that ye may know how ye ought to answer every man.

How do we find that certain rest for our souls?

Jer 6:16  Thus saith the LORD, Stand ye in the ways, and see, and ask for the old paths, where is the good way, and walk therein, and ye shall find rest for your souls. But they said, We will not walk therein.

*****Psa 37:32  The wicked watcheth the righteous, and seeketh to slay him.
Psa 37:33  The LORD will not leave him in his hand, nor condemn him when he is judged.

It is sad but it is also a fact, if it were not for the laws in most lands, we would see a complete massacre of the followers of Jesus Christ!

Even when Christians cannot be just killed because of laws, their testimonies will be slandered, what they own will be taken away from them, and many will attempt to destroy the way they live.

1Pe 5:8  Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour:

We are foolish to not believe that this true!

God may allow us to be in the enemies hands for a period of time, such as Job, but God will not leave us there!

By the providence of God, temporary injustice may be tolerated for awhile but but those that love the Lord will be justified by their faith.

Rom 5:1  Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ:
Rom 5:2  By whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God.

It takes a little patience!

*****Psa 37:34  Wait on the LORD, and keep his way, and he shall exalt thee to inherit the land: when the wicked are cut off, thou shalt see it.

That word "wait" is easy to say but it is hard to carry out.

Waiting is a line that extends from the heart of the believer by faith in a great desire to be with the Lord, Our God!

There will not be even one "Born Again" child of God that will stand in judgment before God at the "White Throne" seat of judgment but they will be there to witness the judgment of the non-believers.

We may also witness the ruin of many of our foes while we remain alive.

What will God do to the wicked?

Psa 52:5  God shall likewise destroy thee for ever, he shall take thee away, and pluck thee out of thy dwelling place, and root thee out of the land of the living. Selah.

*****Psa 37:35  I have seen the wicked in great power, and spreading himself like a green bay tree.
Psa 37:36  Yet he passed away, and, lo, he was not: yea, I sought him, but he could not be found.

God's people are to be fruitful trees producing fruit season after season.

The wicked on the other hand spread themselves out as a luxurious overbearing shrub that can only grow locally and all signs of it will perish when it dies. There will be no evidence that it ever existed.

In the New Heaven and New Earth, there will be no evidence that anything wicked ever existed!

*****Psa 37:37  Mark the perfect man, and behold the upright: for the end of that man is peace.
Psa 37:38  But the transgressors shall be destroyed together: the end of the wicked shall be cut off.

Who is a perfect man?

Mat 22:37  Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.
Mat 22:38  This is the first and great commandment.
Mat 22:39  And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.
Mat 22:40  On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.

The perfect man will be obedient to these two commandments!

The perfect man will know who his neighbor is.

Mat 5:44  But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you;
Mat 5:45  That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust.

To do these things is the closest we can get to being perfect while we are still living on this Earth and we are commanded to do this also!

Mat 5:48  Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect.

But we are not to be wimps! Jesus Christ was no wimp, He was still 100% a real man while still being 100% God!

All the wicked have the same fate which is destruction and in the end will be cut off!

Their time will be shortened. their happiness will be ended, their hopes will not be fulfilled and their execution will be eternal.

*****Psa 37:39  But the salvation of the righteous is of the LORD: he is their strength in the time of trouble.
Psa 37:40  And the LORD shall help them, and deliver them: he shall deliver them from the wicked, and save them, because they trust in him.

This is the "Doctrine Of The Bible"!

Salvation can only come by the Lord!

The Lord not only delivers us in the end, He will also deliver us along the way!

The Lord must be the object of all our faith and all our trust!

The Lord will help, the Lord will deliver, and the Lord will save all those that trust in Him and His Word!

And knowing all these things we can "Rest in the Lord"!

Questions?

Let's Pray!