Author: Art Davison

SATISFACTION–PSALM 65:4

“Blessed is the man whom thou choosest, and causest to approach unto thee, that he may dwell in thy courts: we shall be satisfied with the goodness of thy house, even of thy holy temple.”

Introduction:

The Lord has blessed us during the past several years. Many souls have been rescued from spiritual

destruction and the Word of God has been preached not only to the lost, but also the God’s people.

The Lord has given you a new pastor having taken your former pastor to Glory. You should be satisfied – or should you?

I. It Would Be Easy To Be Satisfied.

A. You don’t need to be worried any more; Everything is in order.

B. We don’t need to work so hard now; we have a new pastor.

C. Now we can rest; we are satisfied.

II. However There Is A Greater Satisfaction.

A. The challenge of the future,  Luke 10:2 Therefore said he unto them, The harvest truly is great, but the labourers are few: pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that he would send forth labourers into his harvest.

John 4:35, Say not ye, There are yet four months, and then cometh harvest? behold, I say unto you, Lift up your eyes, and look on the fields; for they are white already to harvest.

B. The unlimited opportunities,  Proverbs 29:18 “Where there is no vision, the people perish: but he that keepeth the law, happy is he.”

1. When a church has no vision of the future it begins to become cold and useless.

2. When it does not accept the challenge, the church has no purpose.

III. The Greatest Satisfaction….

A. …Is to be an Ambassador for the Savior, 2 Corinthians 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.

B. …Is to win the lost now…..2 Corinthians 6:2 “For he saith, I have heard thee in a time accepted, and in the day of salvation have I succoured thee: behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation.”

1. Now is the time.

2. Now is the day of salvation.

C. …To see a life transformed,  2 Corinthians 5:17 “Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.”

Conclusion:

“I am satisfied with Jesus, but the question comes to me, is He satisfied with me.”

Psalm 17:15 “As for me, I will behold thy face in righteousness: I shall be satisfied, when I awake, with thy likeness.”

MOURN FOR AMERICA
PSALM 55:1-8

Key verse: v. 2, Attend unto me, and hear me: I mourn in my complaint, and make a noise;

Introduction:

Hedonism is the philosophy that “pleasure is the principal good and should be the aim of action.” America has been overrun by a generation of immoral pleasure seekers. Hollywood is the center of this cesspool of sin. They have declared war on the Bible and those who believe that it is the Word of God.

Fundamental Christians are said to be the cause of all to the bad things that happen to this country. The bad thing about this is that many people are falling for this lie.

There is cause to mourn for America and pray “because of the voice of the enemy.”

I. MOURN FOR THE NATION

A. Toleration gives men a license to sin.

1. Liquor and drugs has taken over the country, Proverbs 23:29-30, “Who hath woe? who hath sorrow? who hath contentions? who hath babbling? who hath wounds without cause? who hath redness of eyes? 30- They that tarry long at the wine; they that go to seek mixed wine.”

2. The fear of the Almighty God has been forsaken, Psalm 36:1-3, “The transgression of the wicked saith within my heart, that there is no fear of God before his eyes. 2- For he flattereth himself in his own eyes, until his iniquity be found to be hateful. 3- The words of his mouth are iniquity and deceit: he hath left off to be wise, and to do good.”

B. The results of such toleration.

1. Sin is rampant:

a. Unmarried couples have increased 1000% in the USA flaunting God’s Word.

b. Abortion is common: 1.5 million children are aborted every year in America.

c. Before WW II Margaret Sanger, founder of Planned Parenthood said, “The most merciful thing a large family can do to one of its infant members is to kill it.”

2. The payment for sin, Romans 6:23, “For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.”

a. If you forsake God, Joshua 24:19-20, “And Joshua said unto the people, Ye cannot serve the LORD: for he is an holy God; he is a jealous God; he will not forgive your transgressions nor your sins. 20- If ye forsake the LORD, and serve strange gods, then he will turn and do you hurt, and consume you, after that he hath done you good.”

b. God withholds good things from you, Jeremiah 5:25, “Your iniquities have turned away these things, and your sins have withholden good things from you.”

c. The unbelievers will die in their sin, John 8:24, “I said therefore unto you, that ye shall die in your sins: for if ye believe not that I am he, ye shall die in your sins.”

d. Hell is their destination, Psalm 9:17, “The wicked shall be turned into hell, and all the nations that forget God.”

II. MOURN FOR VIOLATION OF GOD’S WORD

A. A Breach of God’s Word is spiritual prostitution, Hebrews 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.”

1. No love for the preaching of God’s Word, 1 Corinthians 1:18, “For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us which are saved it is the power of God.”

2. No love for the Lord’s people, John 13:34-35, “A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another. 35- By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another.”

3. No love for the souls of men, Proverbs 14:21, “He that despiseth his neighbour sinneth: but he that hath mercy on the poor, happy is he.”

B. It is an affront to the Lord, Hebrews 10:29, “Of how much sorer punishment, suppose ye, shall he be thought worthy, who hath trodden under foot the Son of God, and hath counted the blood of the covenant, wherewith he was sanctified, an unholy thing, and hath done despite unto the Spirit of grace?”

C. It is to neglect His great salvation, Hebrews 2:3, “How shall we escape, if we neglect so great salvation; which at the first began to be spoken by the Lord, and was confirmed unto us by them that heard him;”

III. MOURN FOR THE PRIDE OF THE NATION

A. Our condition is low, but our hearts are high, Proverbs 8:13, “The fear of the LORD is to hate evil: pride, and arrogancy, and the evil way, and the froward mouth, do I hate.”

1. With our pride comes our shame, Proverbs 11:2, “When pride cometh, then cometh shame: but with the lowly is wisdom.”

2. With our pride comes contention, Proverbs 13:10, “Only by pride cometh contention: but with the well advised is wisdom.”

3. With our pride comes our destruction, Proverbs 16:18, “Pride goeth before destruction, and an haughty spirit before a fall.”

B. However, Christ has overcome the world and sin, John 16:33, “These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.”

1. Men who are overcome by sin are slaves to their sin, 2 Peter 2:19, “While they promise them liberty, they themselves are the servants of corruption: for of whom a man is overcome, of the same is he brought in bondage.”

2. After knowledge of Christ your return to the world is worse than before, 2 Peter 2:20, “For if after they have escaped the pollutions of the world through the knowledge of the Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, they are again entangled therein, and overcome, the latter end is worse with them than the beginning.”

3. Greater is He that is in you, 1 John 4:4, “Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them: because greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world.”

CONCLUSION

The only way to have victory in your Christian life over this world is by being faithful to Jesus Christ. If you give an inch the devil will take a mile. If you participate in his game he will win. Your life for the Lord will be dishonorable and defeated.

GOD SPEAKS TWICE
PSALM 53:1-6

Introduction:

“The evil nature of man is here brought before our view a second time, in almost the same inspired words. (See Psalm 14).

All repetitions are not vain repetitions. We are slow to learn, and need line upon line. David after a long life, found men no better than they were in his youth.

Holy Writ never repeats itself needlessly, there is good cause for the second copy of this Psalm; let us read it with more profound attention than before.

If our age has advanced from fourteen to fifty-three, we shall find the doctrine of this Psalm more evident than in our youth.” —Charles H. Spurgeon

I. THE EVIL NATURE OF MAN

A. The FACT of sin, v. 1; Genesis 6:12, “And God looked upon the earth, and, behold, it was corrupt; for all flesh had corrupted his way upon the earth.”

1. Many say, “There is no God to punish and avenge the wicked,” Psalms 10:4, “The wicked, through the pride of his countenance, will not seek after God: God is not in all his thoughts.”

2. That means no law, no order, no restraint to lust, and no limit to passion, Romans 1:28, “And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not convenient;”

B. The FAULT of sin, v. 1.

1. It is iniquity, = gross injustice or wickedness, Job 15:16, “How much more abominable and filthy is man, which drinketh iniquity like water?”

a. Iniquity causes love for God to become cold, Matthew 24:12, “And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold.”

b. Iniquity results in hypocrisy, Matthew 23:28, “Even so ye also outwardly appear righteous unto men, but within ye are full of hypocrisy and iniquity.”

2. It is that in which there is no good, v. 3; Romans 7:18, “For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh,) dwelleth no good thing: for to will is present with me; but how to perform that which is good I find not.”

3. It is that in which there is a lack of the knowledge of God, v. 4; Hosea 4:6, “My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge: because thou hast rejected knowledge, I will also reject thee, that thou shalt be no priest to me: seeing thou hast forgotten the law of thy God, I will also forget thy children.”

a. Because they have rejected knowledge, John 12:48, “He that rejecteth me, and receiveth not my words, hath one that judgeth him: the word that I have spoken, the same shall judge him in the last day.”

b. Without knowledge of God man is like a beast, Psalms 73:22, “So foolish was I, and ignorant: I was as a beast before thee.”

C. The fountain of sin, Jeremiah 17:9, “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?”

D. The folly or foolishness of sin, v. 4; Jeremiah 4:22, “For my people is foolish, they have not known me; they are sottish children, and they have none understanding: they are wise to do evil, but to do good they have no knowledge.”

E. The filthiness of sin, Isaiah 64:6, “But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags; and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away.”

F. The fear and shame that results from sin, v. 5; Psalms 35:26, “Let them be ashamed and brought to confusion together that rejoice at mine hurt: let them be clothed with shame and dishonour that magnify themselves against me.”

G. The faith of the saints, v. 6; Psalms 50:2, “Out of Zion, the perfection of beauty, God hath shined.”

1. The Lord has done great things for them, Psalms 126:2, “Then was our mouth filled with laughter, and our tongue with singing: then said they among the heathen, The LORD hath done great things for them.”

2. God’s people will triumph in His praise, Psalms 106:47, “Save us, O LORD our God, and gather us from among the heathen, to give thanks unto thy holy name, and to triumph in thy praise.”

3. We will draw water out of the wells of salvation with joy, Isaiah 12:3, “Therefore with joy shall ye draw water out of the wells of salvation.”

CONCLUSION

OUR CONFIDENCE

PSALM 46:1-11

Introduction:

Come what may the Lord’s people are happy and secure in Jesus Christ. He is the sure defense of the saints of God. He explained that God’s presence makes Zion secure from all her enemies. This is the teaching of this psalm.

I. GOD IS OUR REFUGE

Psalms 62:7, “In God is my salvation and my glory: the rock of my strength, and my refuge, is in God.”

A. Israel’s boast was in Jehovah, the only living and true God, John 17:3, “And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent.”

1. The Lord is the only living God, Jeremiah 10:10, “But the LORD is the true God, he is the living God, and an everlasting king: at his wrath the earth shall tremble, and the nations shall not be able to abide his indignation.”

2. He is the only God of Truth, Isaiah 65:16, “That he who blesseth himself in the earth shall bless himself in the God of truth; and he that sweareth in the earth shall swear by the God of truth; because the former troubles are forgotten, and because they are hid from mine eyes.”

B. God is a far better refuge from distress than the high places of the world, vv. 7, 11.

1. The Lord is with us, Numbers 14:9, “Only rebel not ye against the LORD, neither fear ye the people of the land; for they are bread for us: their defence is departed from them, and the LORD is with us: fear them not.”

2. The Lord is our Captain, 2 Chronicles 13:12, “And, behold, God himself is with us for our captain, and his priests with sounding trumpets to cry alarm against you. O children of Israel, fight ye not against the LORD God of your fathers; for ye shall not prosper.”

3. Who can be against us, Romans 8:31, “What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us?”

II. GOD IS IN OUR MIDST

A. He is in the midst of our camp, Deuteronomy 23:14, “For the LORD thy God walketh in the midst of thy camp, to deliver thee, and to give up thine enemies before thee; therefore shall thy camp be holy: that he see no unclean thing in thee, and turn away from thee.”

1. Our camp should be holy, Genesis 17:1, “And when Abram was ninety years old and nine, the LORD appeared to Abram, and said unto him, I am the Almighty God; walk before me, and be thou perfect [upright].”

2. God will not dwell where there is uncleanness, 2 Corinthians 6:16-17, “And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? for ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people.

17- Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you,”

B. God will help us in difficult times, Psalms 30:5, “For his anger endureth but a moment; in his favour is life: weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning.”

1. He is the stability we need, Psalms 62:2, 6, “He only is my rock and my salvation; he is my defence; I shall not be greatly moved. 6- He only is my rock and my salvation: he is my defence; I shall not be moved.”

2. Trusting in the Lord, we are unmovable, Psalms 125:1, “They that trust in the LORD shall be as mount Zion, which cannot be removed, but abideth for ever.”

3. His help comes early, Psalm 143:8, “Cause me to hear thy lovingkindness in the morning; for in thee do I trust: cause me to know the way wherein I should walk; for I lift up my soul unto thee.”

III. BE STILL, AND KNOW THAT I AM GOD

A. Sit down and wait in patience, you believers!

1. Be still and let the Lord work, Habakkuk 2:20, “But the LORD is in his holy temple: let all the earth keep silence before him.”

2. The Lord will deliver the Philistines into our hands, 1 Samuel 17:46, “This day will the LORD deliver thee into mine hand; and I will smite thee, and take thine head from thee; and I will give the carcases of the host of the Philistines this day unto the fowls of the air, and to the wild beasts of the earth; that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel.”

B. God will be exalted in the earth, Psalms 21:13, “Be thou exalted, LORD, in thine own strength: so will we sing and praise thy power.”

1. He is exalted as head above all, 1 Chronicles 29:11, “Thine, O LORD, is the greatness, and the power, and the glory, and the victory, and the majesty: for all that is in the heaven and in the earth is thine; thine is the kingdom, O LORD, and thou art exalted as head above all.”

2. The lofty looks of man shall be humbled, Isaiah 2:11, “The lofty looks of man shall be humbled, and the haughtiness of men shall be bowed down, and the LORD alone shall be exalted in that day.”

C. The victorious saints sang with harps the song of Moses and the song of the Lamb, Revelation 15:3, “And they sing the song of Moses the servant of God, and the song of the Lamb, saying, Great and marvellous are thy works, Lord God Almighty; just and true are thy ways, thou King of saints.”

D. In this song God is praised for His great deeds, justice, truth, glory, and holiness, Revelation 16:7, “And I heard another out of the altar say, Even so, Lord God Almighty, true and righteous are thy judgments.”

E. Who should not fear Him? Jeremiah 10:7, “Who would not fear thee, O King of nations? for to thee doth it appertain: forasmuch as among all the wise men of the nations, and in all their kingdoms, there is none like unto thee.”

CONCLUSION

REMEMBERING

PSALM 38:1-22

Introduction:

The most wonderful features in this Psalm, are the DEPTH OF MISERY into which the psalmist gradually plunges in his complaints in the first part of it, the SUDDEN GRASP AT THE ARM OF MERCY AND OMNIPOTENCE that is made in Psalms 38:8, “I am feeble and sore broken: I have roared by reason of the disquietness of my heart.” And the EXTREME HEIGHT OF COMFORT AND CONSOLATION that it reaches in the end. —Benjamin Weiss.

As we study this psalm let us REMEMBER how the Lord has dealt with us during our life.

I. REMEMBERING PAST TRIALS AND PAST DELIVERANCE

A. The Rebuke of the Lord for sins, Psalms 6:1, “LORD, rebuke me not in thine anger, neither chasten me in thy hot displeasure.”

1. David was very aware of his sins, Psalms 88:15, “I am afflicted and ready to die from my youth up: while I suffer thy terrors I am distracted.”

2. David felt God’s wrath as being hard upon him, Psalms 88:7, “Thy wrath lieth hard upon me, and thou hast afflicted me with all thy waves.”

B. God hides His face from us for a moment because of our sins, Isaiah 54:8, “In a little wrath I hid my face from thee for a moment; but with everlasting kindness will I have mercy on thee, saith the LORD thy Redeemer.”

1. God will not look upon our sin, Habakkuk 1:13a, “Thou art of purer eyes than to behold evil, and canst not look on iniquity:”

2. God’s “EVERLASTING KINDNESS” is seen in His mercy, Jeremiah 31:3, “The LORD hath appeared of old unto me, saying, Yea, I have loved thee with an everlasting love: therefore with lovingkindness have I drawn thee.”

3. God has given us “EVERLASTING CONSOLATION” through His grace, 2 Thessalonians 2:16, “Now our Lord Jesus Christ himself, and God, even our Father, which hath loved us, and hath given us everlasting consolation and good hope through grace,”

II. REMEMBERING THE DEPRAVITY OF OUR NATURE

A. Remembering our sins, God’s rebuke IS RICHLY DESERVED, Jeremiah 17:9, “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?”

1. Every man walks after the IMAGINATION of his EVIL heart, Jeremiah 16:12, “And ye have done worse than your fathers; for, behold, ye walk every one after the imagination of his evil heart, that they may not hearken unto me:”

2. The evil in man’s heart brought about the FIRST destruction of this earth, Genesis 6:5, “And GOD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.”

B. David saw that HIS SINS were a heavy burden TOO MUCH FOR HIM, v. 4; Psalms 69:1-2, “Save me, O God; for the waters are come in unto my soul. 2- I sink in deep mire, where there is no standing: I am come into deep waters, where the floods overflow me.”

1. Job questioned God about his sin, Job 7:20-21, “I have sinned; what shall I do unto thee, O thou preserver of men? why hast thou set me as a mark against thee, so that I am a burden to myself? 21- And why dost thou not pardon my transgression, and take away mine iniquity? for now shall I sleep in the dust; and thou shalt seek me in the morning, but I shall not be.”

2. The Lord invites man to come unto Him with his burden of sin, Matthew 11:28, “Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.”

a. The Lord has borne our sins to the Cross, 1 Peter 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.”

b. God is satisfied with His Son’s sacrifice for our sins, Isaiah 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.”

III. REMEMBERING OUR MANY ENEMIES

A. His enemies laid SNARES for him, Psalms 119:110, “The wicked have laid a snare for me: yet I erred not from thy precepts.”

B. His enemies SOUGHT his HURT, Psalms 35:4, “Let them be confounded and put to shame that seek after my soul: let them be turned back and brought to confusion that devise my hurt.”

C. His enemies spoke MISCHIEVOUS THINGS, Psalms 64:3, “Who whet their tongue like a sword, and bend their bows to shoot their arrows, even bitter words:”

D. His enemies DEVISED AND IMAGINED DECEITS all the day long, Psalms 64:5, “They encourage themselves in an evil matter: they commune of laying snares privily; they say, Who shall see them?”

IV. REMEMBERING OUR GRACIOUS GOD

A. The Lord is our HOPE, v. 15; Psalms 39:7, “And now, Lord, what wait I for? my hope is in thee.”

1. That He will HEAR us, Psalms 38:15, “For in thee, O LORD, do I hope: thou wilt hear, O Lord my God.”

2. That He will ANSWER our prayers, Psalms 138:3, “In the day when I cried thou answeredst me, and strengthenedst me with strength in my soul.”

3. That He will have MERCY on us, Psalms 123:1-3, “Unto thee lift I up mine eyes, O thou that dwellest in the heavens. 2- Behold, as the eyes of servants look unto the hand of their masters, and as the eyes of a maiden unto the hand of her mistress; so our eyes wait upon the LORD our God, until that he have mercy upon us. 3- Have mercy upon us, O LORD, have mercy upon us: for we are exceedingly filled with contempt.”

B. The enemy is STRONG, vv. 19-20; Psalms 73:4, “For there are no bands in their death: but their strength is FIRM.”

1. They call EVIL GOOD, Isaiah 5:20, “Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light, and light for darkness; that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter!”

2. They have NO LACK of resources, Psalms 73:12, “Behold, these are the ungodly, who prosper in the world; they increase in riches.”

C. Hurry to HELP ME, Lord, vv. 21-22; Psalms 71:12, “O God, be not far from me: O my God, make haste for my help.”