The Enlargement of the Saint, Pt. 2 (10/28/2001)

Park Meadows Church

Subscribe

Download

Share

00

00:00

Well before we start in Looking at this little part in 2nd

00:05

Samuel chapter 22. Let me read to you from the Psalms. We're speaking this morning on the enlargement of the saint

00:13

How God enlarges us? why we need this and last time we started out we talked about Jabez and His name is the son of sorrow wouldn't it be something if your mom named you that?

00:26

You kind of get the impression. She was tired of having babies, wouldn't you? son of my sorrows and He prayed a famous Prayer, it was not much about him in the

00:38

Bible But his prayer has become a famous prayer and he prayed that the Lord might enlarge his coasts

00:46

We talked about that last time and then we talked about Hannah who has an interesting name as well

00:52

Her name is sorrowful or stoopy in the Hebrew now,

00:57

I Hope it sounds better in the Hebrew than it does in the English because I wouldn't want to be

01:04

Outside playing and my mom hollers out stoopy suppers ready but that's what she had to go through and She later prayed a prayer and said

01:16

Lord you have made My mouth to be enlarged over my enemies and So we talked a little bit about last time about how it is that when

01:28

God enlarges his children part of what happens is that there's victory over the enemy and the enemy is forced to look at it and to observe the

01:38

Strength of the Lord and the victory that is in the Lord Jesus Christ and that's what we talked about last time

01:45

Today, we're going to focus on the enlargement of David So let's let me read to you from Psalm 4 1 and then we'll go into this passage

01:53

You've already turned to but just listen to this one a psalm of David Hear me when

02:00

I call Oh God of my righteousness Thou hast enlarged me when

02:07

I was in distress What we'll find is most of our enlarging times do in fact come at a time when we're in great distress

02:16

David says this thou hast enlarged me when I was in distress Have mercy upon me and hear my prayer

02:24

Oh you sons of men, how long will you turn my glory into shame? How long will you love vanity and seek after leasing say lie?

02:34

But know that the Lord hath set apart him that is godly for himself

02:41

The Lord will hear when I call unto him. It's interesting that in Sunday school this morning

02:46

We talked about the fact that God does everything for himself And how that's odd to the ear to our ear because we hear it through Ears of Fallen men who have been saved we have been born again, but we still

03:04

Think strangely of someone who would do everything for himself to us That would be selfishness and it could never really work right in us at least not perfectly yet Until we're with the

03:17

Lord, but for God it is right It is right for him to do all things for himself because he is the

03:23

God of love He is the God of mercy. He is the God of justice and if he does please himself, it's going to be better for us

03:33

And look at this has a bit of this in it It says but know that the Lord hath set apart him that is godly for himself

03:40

You know most of the preaching today in this country has to do with trying to teach Americans that God is there for us

03:48

That God is there to make us successful That God is there to make us holy if we're going to be holy so that's for the sake of ourselves

03:57

Being able to say we're holy perhaps who knows why they teach these things, but they're not true

04:03

It all happens because he is setting us apart for himself. You want to talk about separation being separated from the world unto

04:10

God That's not for us. That's for him. That's for his glory And David recognized this so many years ago and now into the passage in 2nd

04:22

Samuel chapter 22. The first thing that it talks about we spoke of this last time is That David's steps were enlarged now today predominantly we're going to talk about his heart

04:33

But I want to review the steps just for a moment. So start in verse 33 2nd Samuel chapter 22 verse 33

04:41

God is my strength and power and he maketh my way perfect and He noticed all the he's look at the he's here.

04:50

We're looking at God. We're looking at the sovereignty of God We're looking at the power of God. We're looking at God's hand placed on God's people he maketh my feet like hinds feet and Saideth me he said if me upon high places he teacheth my hands to war now

05:09

Look at this so that the bow of steel is broken in mine arms What are what is the bow used for?

05:18

It is used against the enemy Thou hast also given me the shield of salvation and thy gentleness hath made me great

05:28

Now look at this thou hast enlarged my steps under me David says so that my feet did not slip

05:34

So we see that the first thing in the order of things here is that God must enlarge our feet

05:41

Lest we backslide Lest we slip away from God into the things of the world the flesh or the devil and God Enlarges our steps under us so that our feet will not slip.

05:54

I have pursued mine enemies David says now at this point starting in verse 37.

06:00

I want to remind you to look at the times you see the word I Now this is

06:05

David doing some things You would never want to start with verse 37 and just go through 39 and pluck that out of context because if you did you'd be an

06:15

Arminian But if you read it in the Bible, it has the balance that God gives everything and look what he says

06:22

I have pursued mine enemies and Destroyed them that's victory over sin folks

06:28

That's victory over the one that brings sin, but it's also victory over specific sins in our lives

06:34

Temptations and sins they don't have to hold us He says he destroyed them and turned not again

06:43

Until I had consumed them. He did not turn back to these this did not happen again He had victory and complete victory and I have consumed them and wounded them the enemies

06:54

That they could not arise do you realize that you can have such victory that you'd never have this particular enemy arise again

07:03

They are fallen under my feet now we go back into verse 40 all of a sudden we'd see that he and has turned it into thou and David is pointing out why he has been able to get into the

07:14

I part of it It is only because of the power of God in his life for thou hast girded me

07:20

Why is it that he can say I pursued my enemies? Why is it that he says I consume them?

07:25

Why is it that he can say they are fallen under my feet never to arise again only because thou hast girded me with strength to battle

07:35

Them that rose up against me has thou subdued under me

07:42

That's the power of God in the life of the believer that is the enlarging of God we find ourselves in a time of distress

07:51

When the enemy is attacking If we're not careful we Go. Oh, whoa is me and we just look at that enemy and we look at that attack and we think that's all there is in life at that moment

08:04

And we don't remember the verses where the Lord reminded us in Sunday school this morning that this suffering is just for a season

08:12

And it's for a purpose to equip us and to enlarge us and it shall pass

08:18

But we shall go through it on the way Thou hast subdued the enemy under me.

08:26

He says and he is in the in the work of subduing the enemy under Our feet isn't it interesting that he uses our feet?

08:37

Isn't it interesting that he has to enlarge our steps first and then he

08:42

Subdues the enemy under our feet thou has also given me the necks of mine enemies that I might destroy them

08:49

That hate me. So we saw last time that as God enlarges the Saint one of the great things that happens

08:57

Happens to the enemy He is forced to be down on the ground with the foot of God on his neck

09:06

Looking up at the victory that God has given to his Saints in this life not just the one to come but here for him to view here and now for all of the the angelic realms including the fallen angelic realms to view here and now in time a

09:26

Victory, they're not all victories for us. Are they we don't always win the little fights

09:34

The war is won and we know that But you know what he wants us to win sometimes and he wants the enemy to see very clearly his strength and power in our life

09:47

God subduing the enemy Through us or with us along with us

09:52

So you have the vow and you have the eye but you wouldn't want to have the eye without the vow

09:57

You couldn't have it Now let's go deeper Let's go into Psalm 119

10:04

Verse 31 and Let's go deeper into this.

10:13

I Have stuck unto thy testimonies. Oh Lord Put me not to shame

10:21

David says we're talking about the same person We're talking about a different part of his anatomy not the feet anymore.

10:29

We're talking about his heart. I Will run the way of thy commandments when?

10:36

when Thou shalt enlarge my heart Do you realize that we cannot run without this enlargement?

10:45

Do you realize that we can't even walk without it? But let alone can we run for the Lord picture picture a warrior?

10:52

Running to battle in the times when they fought with swords hand -to -hand combat or at least perhaps on a horse, but you have a sword and When it's the moment of battle all the things are in place the two armies have positioned themselves

11:08

The two armies have rattled their sabers for long enough And it comes to the point where the leader says charge

11:18

Picture yourself running Picture yourself in the prime of your life

11:24

Picture yourself 22 23 years old No table muscles. It's all real muscle

11:31

And you've got the sword of the Lord in your hand and you are running towards the enemy You're not standing there just for him to come get you and you try to defend the place you are running toward him with the sword

11:45

Resisting what he would do to your family in your country Which pictures your family your life your church the spiritual well -being of your children your wife?

11:54

You're running towards him You know, you can't do that if your heart had not already been a lot enlarged

12:02

In the physical realm it has to and be enlarged by charismatic leader of the army Who can get you to want to follow him into battle in the spiritual realm?

12:12

It is the same way Our captain is the Lord Jesus Christ And he says follow me stay with me into battle stay next to my side, but run

12:25

But long before he asks you to run he begins this work of enlarging the heart

12:32

Let's look at some of the things that Happens and throughout this passage starting with verse 33

12:37

Psalm 119 verse 33. I want you to notice this sovereignty of God and The responsibility of man working alongside one another notice the vow and the eye

12:51

Again and again thou and I The I part is us doing what we're supposed to do not just sitting back waiting to see what

13:01

God will do That's that is a perversion of the whole Bible just as much as people who think they just do it all in the flesh

13:09

The Armenians are perverse They think that they do everything and it God responds.

13:15

That's ridiculous But the hyper Calvinist is perverse too because he thinks that he just sits there and watches what

13:21

God will do It's never worked that way God works in the life of the

13:26

Saints. He works in and through us He accomplishes work in this physical realm with our bodies because they are his bodies

13:33

We're bought with a price and our bodies are a sacrifice a living sacrifice to him.

13:39

What does it mean? It means he's simply doing work in this realm in this physical world It's also a spiritual world it's both and He works together with us because he chooses to and for himself

13:55

So look at him working and look at us working throughout this passage look what David says in verse 33

14:02

He says teach me O Lord the way Now it's as if David is putting proper conditions on all these

14:10

Because if you look at the second half of almost every pairing in this little passage You have pairings all the way down through it

14:17

You see the part that David's supposed to do The part that he is supposed to do and that we are supposed to do you see at the end of verse 33

14:25

I will keep it. What is the it? the statutes of the Lord the

14:30

Word of God He says I I will do something. I will keep it

14:37

But he didn't start the sentence with I did he He started the sentence with this condition

14:44

Lord if if you will teach me the way

14:50

I Will keep it It's interesting because this word teach in the

14:56

Hebrew is y 'all raw, which means to flow as water Lord if you will cause

15:03

The truth to flow as water into my life. I Will be able to keep the truth if you will flow the water of truth and life into me.

15:16

I Will be able to keep the way the word the way is direct which means the road the course of life

15:24

But what's more amazing than anything in this verse to me is the word test statutes

15:32

The way of thy statutes these things that I'm supposed to be keeping That I can only keep if God flows them as water into my life this word statutes is kook in the

15:45

Hebrew which means an enhancement an appointment in time

15:53

You realize that God is in fact sovereign It's all already happened and is happening is in a state of continual present tense

16:04

He's seen the end already He's seen the end of each life in this room already

16:10

But do you know that there is an appointment for each of you each little boy in this room?

16:16

Each little girl in this room and the rest of us little boys and girls in this room There is an appointed thing in our life

16:24

There's an appointed time where you will have the sword in your hand and you'll be running Towards the enemy with the light at the side the captain

16:36

Well, David says Lord if you'll flow the truth the way of my appointment

16:43

Into my life. I will keep it to the end What better match of the sovereignty of God and the responsibility of man could be found in that which

16:54

David found in his life That's a good sermon, let's go to another one man, that's good preaching

17:04

That's not good preaching obviously, but that sure is good truth in it verse 34

17:12

Give me notice the pairing give me understanding And I shall keep thy law

17:21

You see the pairing what's the part we're supposed to do We're supposed to keep

17:26

God's law the word keep not starve means to guard We're supposed to guard

17:33

God's law in our lives Doesn't mean just in the sense of going and doing it like we think keep in English means

17:39

I'm gonna I'm gonna keep the commandments. I'm gonna go do the stuff No, it means

17:44

I'm going to guard it I'm going to keep it in the sense that I'm gonna keep it safe in my life.

17:50

I'm gonna guard it I'm gonna keep my mind where it's on these things. It's safely in my mind It's safely in the front in the forefront of my heart and mind.

17:59

I will keep I will guard thy law

18:04

He also says I shall observe it observe it The word observe is shalmar which means to hedge about as with thorns

18:13

To hedge about and guard God's law and our life is very very important What did

18:20

Jesus teach about that the different soils? Remember the one one that comes to mind this morning to me is the thorny soil

18:28

Jesus said the thorny soil is like a person who is good ground and the good seed comes into his life and lands there

18:36

And grows has roots. So it's a saved person It has the Lord Jesus Christ, but the cares of this world the deceitfulness of riches

18:47

Other things coming in and the pleasures of this life Those four things are listed as that which will choke the word from your life

18:56

And if you study that passage in the four Gospels What you'll find or the

19:02

I should say three it's only in the three But if you study it in the parallel passages, you'll find that those things will choke the word from your life

19:09

But there's one of the passages where it says those things will make the word come unfruitful Now the other other two say to make you be unfruitful, but the third one says it'll make the word

19:21

Unfruitful in your life. That's a horrible thought. How would you like to be sitting in your home reading the word you get nothing from it?

19:29

Do you think that's possible for a believer? Absolutely it is Everybody in here is looking at me saying

19:35

I've done that before Well, you know what

19:42

Part of what's happening there is that we did not guard we did not put a hedge about God's Word in our life and heart and we let other things creep in and Take more preeminence in our thought life

19:55

And all of a sudden his word Speaks with a much quieter voice than it ought to until we get our hearts, right?

20:03

But this is what David says. I'll keep it. I'll guard it I will observe it the word observe is the word it means

20:08

I'll hedge about The word in my life and he says I'll do it with my whole heart, but you know what?

20:14

There's an if there Now if you're sitting in the Church of Christ this morning or some maybe

20:19

Methodist Church or some of these Armenian churches They'd be emphasizing the I part of this, but we can't do that.

20:25

Can we we have to go to the first part of the verse? where he says if if You give me understanding then

20:34

I will do those things if you give me understanding being which means to separate mentally to be able to distinguish right from wrong to be able to Distinguish that which

20:46

God wants you to do versus what your flesh wants to do to be able to distinguish whose hand whose

20:53

Person God's hand is on in your life. Who should you listen to those that those that have God's hand on their life?

20:58

That's who you listen to you. Don't listen to all the other voices. How can you distinguish all these things?

21:05

Only if God gives you that He calls it understanding here but it what it means is the ability to separate mentally, but it is a gift from God you can't do this and David considered as it a considers it a condition

21:22

Upon which he can do the part he's supposed to do He can only do it if God gives him this separating mental ability

21:30

Then he'll be able to guard and hedge the Word of God in his heart where it comes out when it's needed

21:36

Which is always but especially in those times If God will teach me his way as water flowing into my heart if God will give me

21:46

Understanding this discernment this ability to separate right from wrong truth from error white from black good from evil bad people who are in the flesh from Bad people who got saved and now they're good people because they're in the spirit

22:02

Let's slip over in that other area. Don't listen Even if you were listening to him yesterday This discernment must come and David says only if you give it to me, can

22:12

I guard the word in my heart? Third let's look at verse 35 Make me to go in the path of thy commandments for therein do

22:22

I delight do you want to have this delight in your heart? When you sing praises to the

22:28

Lord and you hear this music and the spiritual songs Do you want to be able to clap your hands for real?

22:34

I? Know some of you'll never do it, but inwardly you are So the rest of you can do it outwardly ease more easily

22:43

But inwardly You want to be able to have that delight? And by the way, don't clap your hands if it's not coming from the delight that's inside Please at least not here.

22:53

You can do that at the ballgame But here if it's coming from an inner absolute delight with God in his word then

23:04

It's okay, but you know what he says here David doesn't say

23:09

I'm just gonna go around delightful I'm gonna go around the light at all the time. I'm just gonna be happy and a happy Christian shouting and laughing and All of this all the time

23:20

In fact, he says I can't do that unless and if Look at the first part of the verse if God makes me

23:32

To go in the path of his commandments, then I'll have that the light only if God does this in my life

23:38

David knew David knew in his flesh. He could do nothing as surely as Paul knew it David knew it probably as well as any other man

23:47

After what happened to him with Bathsheba and the blood that he had on his hands with Uriah He knew it more than any other man

23:56

Perhaps ever knew it. Maybe that's why he was so close to God's heart because once he got back into that place

24:02

He didn't want to leave it again That place of closeness to the Lord He says

24:09

Lord If you make Me to go in the path of thy commandments

24:17

Then I can delight this word go is phenomenal folks a little word go in verse 35

24:24

You realize in the Hebrew? It is da rock, which does not mean go it means to draw pulling back of the bow

24:35

Do you know what David is saying he's saying God let me be cocked all the time God pull me if I'm the instrument in your hand pull me back and have the resistance already there

24:48

So all you have to do is let go Now spring into action like the arrow as it's sent on this proper path towards the enemy

24:58

David said let me be that way make me to go Make me to be the arrow that is poised in the bow and the bow is already drawn in the

25:09

Lord's hands David said he had the strength to break the steel bow.

25:15

Imagine how strongly God can pull the bow back He says you father you make me to be a drawn bow

25:27

With Pertinence to the path that I'm supposed to be following path of thy commandments

25:33

Then I will be delighted David didn't like he didn't want to be a bench warmer.

25:39

Did he he wanted to be in the game? He didn't want to be back in the place where there's supplying supplies and preparing the food for the soldiers and Sewing the garments and maybe sewing up the wounds and That's not where he wanted to be.

25:57

He wanted to be right in the front next to the captain charging the enemy Make me to go on the path of thy commandments, then he says

26:07

I'll be delighted well as We look at verse 36

26:25

He goes deeper and deeper into what it means to have an enlarged heart Inclined my heart and to thy testimony

26:37

And not to covetousness a lot of this has to do with the enemy

26:46

David wanted to follow the captain And what did the captain do

26:52

Colossians chapter 2? Why is it that we're supposed to be with him

26:58

Well, because we're buried with him in baptism Wherein also we are risen with him through the faith of the operation of God You see

27:07

God's hand in it all none of it happens without God's hand Who hath raised Christ from the dead and the same power that raised him from the grave is the power that's in us to do the work of God it is the drawn bow and You being dead in your sins and the uncircumcision of your flesh

27:24

Hath he quickened together with him only in Christ are we quicken but at the same time

27:31

He was quicken We were quicken When he came out of that grave, however, he did it.

27:39

We didn't see him come out the grave Rock the stone the huge stone was pushed aside already when they arrived.

27:45

They didn't see him walk out of the grave They don't know if he walked out if he just passed through the rock They don't know if the angels moved the rock and he walked out we just know he's out

27:55

But when he came out you came out hallelujah Quickened together with him having forgiven you all trespasses

28:05

Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances now watch the enemy as he attacks here I mean as he is attacked watch the enemy as he has to watch the victory

28:15

Watch the enemy in the realm of this world in a physical Spiritual realm not just a spiritual realm a physical world

28:24

Where the enemy has to look and see the stone pushed back. He has to look and see the empty tomb and He has to recognize that when the

28:37

Savior came out you came out with him the elect Those who have been with the

28:43

Lord's heart from the before the beginning of time From before the beginning of anything even before any kind of sequence that was in heaven you

28:53

Were in Christ at that moment And so look what the effect upon the enemy is blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us

29:02

Which was contrary to us and took it out of the way Nailing it to the cross and having spoiled

29:08

Principalities and powers he made a show of them openly. That's what this enlargement is all about Triumphing over them in it.

29:19

Why is it David wants to be right next to that captain? If you do too

29:27

You want to be next to that captain because he's already won Wouldn't it be wonderful to be able to go into battle knowing?

29:35

You're not going to be slain and destroyed. You have already won it and you know it going into it You think you might charge a little faster?

29:42

You think you might run and try to outrun all your brothers and sisters? And get there first with your sword.

29:48

If you already knew you couldn't be destroyed. You could not be defeated and if your leader

29:55

Is the king of kings and the Lord of Lords? It'll make you run in the battle

30:04

The Psalm 119 36 says I'll do another thing. I will stay away from covetousness

30:09

Which is the very thing Jesus taught in the soil of the thorny soil Covetousness the desire for all these things that are in the world is

30:19

One of the four things you mentioned that could choke the word David says I'll stay away from covetousness.

30:25

I Will not covet he says now Could you just pull that out of context and say that's what we're supposed to do.

30:31

Let's just say okay. I won't covet I'm gonna walk out of here today soon as that door opens. I'm walking out of here. I will never covet anything

30:38

I'll just only covet God in my heart. No, we'd have a real problem with that But you know what

30:44

David says at the first of that verse verse 36 he says but if you God Would incline my heart to that testimonies,

30:53

I wouldn't cut it Incline means to stretch and spread out and bend

31:03

David says God if you will stretch out My own selfish will if you will bend me to your will

31:14

If you will spread out your will before me that I can see it clearly and desire it

31:21

He says then My heart will go to your testimonies because you have stretched me out

31:28

You have spread them out before me you have bent my will to your will You've caused me to come to the place where I am inclined to your testimonies

31:39

I'm flying my heart. That's the Hebrew word for the feelings The will and the intellect not just the intellect

31:47

Not just the will but the feelings part of your emotions God inclined me make me want to do these things.

31:55

Don't make me just do it out of service and duty Yes, I will do it out of service and duty, but make me want to do it

32:03

Make my heart yearn towards your testimonies because when that yearning is placed there by God You don't covet anymore

32:12

You don't covet the things of this world Why would you covet an old piece of plastic food?

32:18

You could eat when God gives you a steak When he gives you the meat from God if you had the meat you wouldn't covet the junk food

32:27

That's kind of sermons. I get at home all the time for my wife It's good preaching miss

32:33

Charlotte The next one look at verse 37

32:39

Turn away mine eyes from beholding vanity Quickened thou me in the way notice he reversed the couplet here all the rest of them has

32:51

God's part Well, actually this one is surrounded on both sides We have God's doing the turning away and then we have

32:57

God doing the quickening at the end and right in the middle We have David able to perform finally But David says the thing

33:04

I'm going to do here is I'm going to not let my eyes behold vanity vanity here means

33:11

Devastation that which would devastate the life young people Think about things like pornography think about the things the world offers even let it on the

33:21

Internet Parents, you need to watch that a little bit. Don't let your children be tempted the

33:26

Internet can find anything David says these things are that which will devastate my life.

33:34

I can think of nothing in a young man's life It would be more devastating than to get involved in pornography of any kind You just don't flee from Things that devastate things that let leave your heart desolate things that destroy evil things ruinous things

33:54

Idolatry things that are useless This is what the word vanity means and David says

33:59

I will turn my eyes away from all of that Don't let those things come before your eyes young men in this room and older men in this room

34:09

Never it's not to be with the children of God and David knows it but look who he relies upon Does he rely upon his flesh?

34:16

Can you reply rely on your flesh to make your flesh keep your eyes from looking at such things? You're not that strong So don't do it go to the

34:27

Lord and say Lord if you turn me away It's interesting the word turn away is one word in Hebrew.

34:35

It's a bar which means to cover if you will cover my eyes They won't see these things

34:41

Isn't that beautiful? if you will cover my eyes with your hand

34:47

Lord, I Won't let them be on things Behold vanity

34:53

David says I won't let it happen if you'll cover my heart, then, you know, that's pretty cool Davidson, I'm strong.

34:59

I can break a bow with my arms and Lord I will not let my eyes see any unclean things long as you cover Long as you cover that's the truth, isn't it?

35:09

That's the way it is David was smart enough to pray and ask

35:15

God to cover his eyes, wasn't he? You know, what else that showed though? He had a desire in his heart not to see the vanity

35:21

He really didn't want to see it and the times when his flesh caused him do it. He didn't like it You're that way

35:29

If you're saved today, you're that way your flesh to your flesh may get you to do something, but you won't like it

35:35

You is the new man. You won't like it. And so you'll say Lord. I won't do that again as long as you're covering me

35:42

Please cover me Turn my eyes away from beholding vanity Quicken thou me in the way.

35:48

We'll come back to that idea in another verse here in a minute in verse 39 He says turn away my reproach which

35:54

I fear for thy judgments are good. He fears the reproach that comes with sin You know why?

36:00

Because David knows that there is a way that this whole thing can be turned around And all of a sudden the enemy can watch us be defeated.

36:08

That's reproach That's not what this is all about. He said that's not what I want my life or cover my eyes from unclean thing

36:16

Don't let anything come into my heart mind It would cause excuse me cause me to do anything that would bring reproach on me or the name of my captain in front of the enemy

36:27

David's whole concern is how does the enemy view this? He was interested in the enemy. He wanted to know how they saw things

36:34

He wanted them to see themselves in defeat and the children of God and God in victory

36:40

Not the other way around and that was his great motivation to avoid sin Perhaps he realized somehow that every sin that he would do in the future would be laid upon the

36:51

Lord Jesus Christ So I don't want to do anymore. He has enough burden as it is It has enough of my sin on him already on the cross as God goes into that outside of time place

37:02

Where Jesus can be on the cross at the same time. We're sitting on this pew today You go out from this place today and you do a sin in your heart

37:10

Then that's placed on him while he's still on the cross another burden and another you don't want that David didn't want that either that is

37:18

Causing reproach to come upon the Lord Jesus Christ and it's causing the enemy to think he's having victory when he's not

37:25

David didn't like it one bit and David says therefore turn my eyes away from beholding any kind of vanity that would cause me to sin

37:32

And turn me away Anything that would from anything that would cause reproach to come upon me or upon you because I'm your child

37:41

Turn away to cover It's interesting the word of reproach in Hebrew is the word naked

37:50

Or don't let me stand naked before the enemy because he'll laugh at me He'll ridicule me and that nakedness picture sin

38:00

When you sin you become naked before God, but also before the end isn't it interesting that in human history as Great armies have gone in and conquered that most of the time they would strip their

38:14

Enemies naked and chain them and make a march back to their own country and march down the main street in the victory parade

38:22

The enemy would be brought along and chains naked the women and the men and the children

38:30

That interesting that the enemy does that the victor does that that's exactly what Satan does when he defeats you

38:36

He stands you up naked in front of everybody And you're your reproach cannot be taken away for some time and David says boy.

38:45

I've been there I do not want to go there again He has released me from those chains.

38:51

He took me out of that slave hall And now the Lord The same one that is my captain is my master and my lord and I don't have to ever experience that again

39:03

And he says don't let that happen to me turn away my reproach, which I fear

39:09

David feared sin 38 verse 38 look at this Establish thy word unto thy servant who is devoted to thy fear

39:20

David didn't say I'm gonna read through the Bible every year. Did he? He said

39:25

God, please you if you will establish the word in my heart then I'll be in the word

39:33

Establish is an interesting word too because in the Hebrew it means to perform So do you know what David's really saying in verse 38?

39:41

He's praying a prayer and saying God perform your word in my life Think of it.

39:47

He's not saying teach me your word He's not saying preach to me your word. He's not saying say to me your word that I might know it.

39:56

He's saying Lord Take the truth in your word and perform those in my life

40:02

So that my life is all about your word being worked out And then in verse 40

40:09

You see a seventh thing that David's looking at in his life. It says behold. I have longed after thy precepts

40:16

Wiccan me and thy righteousness. There's our familiar couplet You see the it is reversed from some of the earlier ones.

40:25

You see David's part In the first of this one where he says I long after your law long after your word

40:32

We should all be in that state where our hearts just wants to wants to run and get into the Word of God and find

40:37

Something new shouldn't we? And you know what we get disappointed at ourselves when we're not feeling that way, don't we but you know what

40:44

David recognized? He said that'll only happen if God does his part first So I'm gonna ask him to God quicken me in thy righteousness

40:52

Bring me alive quicken me make me be alive to your righteousness Then Then I will long for your precepts quicken down me in the way

41:03

Make me alive and I righteousness he says and then lastly verses 41 and 42

41:11

Let thy mercies come also unto me. Oh Lord, even thy salvation according to thy word

41:18

Now we have here his interest in the enemy So shall

41:23

I have wherewith to answer him that's the enemy Answer him that reproaches me for I trust in thy word

41:34

So David says God if you will flow your truth into me like water flowing into my life.

41:41

I Will keep and guard and hedge it in my life and he says

41:47

Lord if You will give me understanding and the ability to separate things correctly in my mind then

41:55

I will hedge it about in my life David says if you will make me to go if you will make me to be the arrow in a bow

42:07

That's already been drawn by the strong arm of God Then I will be delighted.

42:14

I will live in delight And David says if you will Spread out my heart and incline it to your testimonies

42:22

I will not be covetous and David says if you will cover my eyes

42:27

Then I won't let him look at unclean things and David says if you will establish your word in my heart

42:35

I'll be devoted to your fear and David says if you will quicken me in the very righteousness of Jesus Christ Then I will long after your precepts and David says you'll make me alive

42:48

To righteousness if You will do all these things in my life

42:55

And show your mercy and your salvation in my life. I Will be able to answer the enemy

43:04

That's what he wants for our lives folks Because that pleases the Lord the

43:09

Lord's the Lord not a loser He's a victor Lord will not have

43:15

Satan in Victory viewing the defeat of himself ever

43:22

It's already been nailed to the cross already been put to open shame And there are times in our lives when he wants that to be shown off to the enemy in us having victory

43:34

That's why he enlarges our steps and enlarges our hearts Let's stand and pray together

43:42

That the Lord might accomplish the similar work in our lives that he did in David's Dear father, we thank you so much for this man the history of this man

43:54

This one who was the apple of your eye This one upon whose throne the

44:00

Lord Jesus Christ will sit someday in the

44:05

Millennial Kingdom the throne of David This man who could do absolutely nothing

44:12

Without you doing it in his life first and he recognized it Help us to recognize it help us to fall upon you

44:21

Help us to yearn for you to do these very things in our hearts and with our steps

44:28

So that the enemy might be shown the feet And father we ask that you work in our lives protect our young people our children

44:39

Make them strong In the power of God's might because they're strong in the

44:45

Word of God Lord cause steps of our feet to be pleasing in your sight and give us this delight

44:54

That David had may we be as a drawn bow ready and waiting for the enemy for the attack may we be visualize ourselves as being in your hand and ready to Storm the enemy at your side

45:12

Lord we thank you so much for the captain of our salvation the Lord Jesus Christ And we look forward to the moment when we'll see him for the first time with our eyes

45:23

Or you said that moment will be like him, but we shall see him as he is

45:29

Until that time father may we still pray every day that your power would be in our lives that the enemy might be shown to feet in us