Trembling at God's Word, Part 6b

God is sovereign. And the scriptures reinforce that. So whenever you're going through a difficult time, whenever you're going through a trial, whenever things around you don't seem to be going like you think they should be going, you go back to the Word of God, and you see how God has all things, or is working all things out after the counsel of his own perfect will. Turn with me in your Bible to 2nd Samuel chapter 7.

God had told David that because he was a man of war, a man of bloodshed, that he would not be the one to build the temple of God. But that a son would. Listen to what he says. Verse number 10, I will also appoint a place for my people Israel and will plant them that they may live in their own place and not be disturbed again, nor will the wicked afflict them any more as formerly. Even from the day that I commanded judges to be over my people Israel, and I will give you rest from all your enemies.

The Lord also declares to you that the Lord will make a house for you. When your days are complete and you lie down with your fathers, I will raise up your descendant after you, who will come forth from you, and I will establish his kingdom. He shall build the house for my, name and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever. I will be a father to him and he will be a son to me when he commits iniquity I will correct him with the rod of men and with the strokes of the sons of men but my loving kindness shall not depart from him as I took it away from Saul whom I removed from before you and your house and your kingdom shall endure before me forever your throne shall be established forever.

God made a promise to David, the Davidic covenant, that your house would be established forever, that through one of your descendants, the temple of God will be built, ultimately the Messiah will come, but David, it's not going to be you who builds a temple. It's going to be one of your boys. Now note, listen carefully. That boy had not been born yet. That boy would come about as a result of an adulterous affair with Bashiba. God is telling David that one of your descendants is going to build the temple.

you are not. David already had four sons at this point. It wasn't any of them. And God would use, listen, God would use the situation with Bashiba and the first son would die and the second son born from David and Bashiba was Solomon.

He would build the temple. You know what God is saying? God already knew about the affair. David didn't know about the affair. God did. And God knew that he would override David's sin. Listen, Romans 828, for we know that all things work together for good to those who love God and are called according to his purposes, even our sinful actions. And David, not even knowing the situation with Bashiba, that doesn't happen until later on. And now, when you come over to, to 2 Samuel chapter 12 after David has already been rebuked and the child that David and Bashiba had had died.

Basheba then would become pregnant again. She would have another child and that child's name would be Solomon. David had already committed adultery. David had already lied. David had already committed murder. All those things had already taken place. And yet the son that was promised who would build a temple back in chapter seven would now be born through Bashiba. And in verse number 24, it says, then David comforted his wife Bashiba and went into her and lay with her and she gave birth to a son and he named him Solomon.

Now the Lord loved him. The Lord loved him. The Lord had a plan for Solomon. The Lord had a plan for David in spite of his sin. I share that illustration with you to let you know that no matter what has happened in your past, no matter how grotesque the sin may be. God overrides the sin because God is in control and God is more powerful than your sin and your sin doesn't thwart the plan of God. Your sin doesn't keep God from ultimately doing what he's planned to do for the beginning of time. God's in charge.

No matter how bad you think you have been or how wrong you think you have been or how wrong you think you have been treated God says, I can override all that.

That's not a big deal to me because I am in charge. See, to me, that causes me to tremble under the authority of God's word. That God is so in charge that there's nothing that escapes his notice.

There's nothing that happens that he doesn't work out for his glory and for my good because I am called according to his purpose. And that causes us to humble ourselves before him and to shake and to tremble under His Word. Number seven, not only do we tremble at God's word because it reinforces God's sovereignty, but it recounts to us God's mercy. It recounts God's mercy. Whenever you get some time, you need to be able to sit down and read through Psalm 136 as it talks about the loving kindness of God.

Every verse of every one of the 26 verses talks about the mercy of God, the loving kindness of God. It talks about everything that God did with Israel and how he was in complete control. And yet every verse ends with, and his loving kindness is everlasting. It endures forever. It just goes on and on about the loving kindness or the mercy of God. They're both the same. The loving kindness or the mercy of God, same words. It talks about his wonderful mercy. And now God has mercy for the miserable. You know, grace is given to the guilty and mercy is given to the miserable.

You know that, right? Because we're guilty, we need grace. Because we're miserable, we need mercy. And God gives us mercy. He's the father of mercies. And know this, that God doesn't have mercy to give. God is mercy. You know that, right? God doesn't have mercy and then just dispense that mercy. God is mercy. And if God is eternal, his mercy is eternal. no, right? And so we begin to understand the unending, loving kindness of God as it is poured out on his people over and over again. Tell me in your Bible Psalm 103.

Psalm 103 is one of those Psalms that recounts for us the mercy of God, the loving kindness of God. The Bible says in Psalm 103, verse number 1, and verse number 8, that the Lord is merciful.

merciful. He's merciful. Bless the Lord, oh my soul, and all that is within me, bless this holy name. The Lord is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger. Verse number eight, and abounding in mercy. Verse number four says, he crowns us with mercy and compassion. Why? Because our Lord is merciful. That's why. Psalm 11, verse number four, says that he is full of compassion. Psalm 116, verse number five, says, gracious is the Lord and righteous, yes, our God is merciful. Psalm 1164, the earth, O Lord, is full of your mercy.

Psalm 11915, great are your tender mercies, oh Lord. Psalm 145, verse number eight, the Lord is gracious and full of compassion, great in mercy. Ephesians 2, verse number 4, He is rich in mercy because of his great love. 2 Corinthians 1 3, he is called the Father of mercies. That's who God is. He is a merciful, faithful, high priest. And that's why he, like no one else, can sympathize with our weaknesses. That's why God is the one you go to when everything around you is falling apart. Because you know what?

The other people out there, for the most part, don't relate to what you're going through. And if they went through something that you're going through now, they have forgotten about how difficult it was. But God doesn't forget anything. and that's why he's called the faithful and merciful high priest because he can sympathize with every single one of your weaknesses every one of them and so that's why we are compelled to go to him pour out our hearts to him beg him for mercy ask him for help in our time of need and you know what so many times if we would just do that with God and pour our lives out to Him, him and go with him and say Lord be merciful unto me a sinner Lord be merciful unto me because I am in dire need of your tender compassion that if we just did that with our God we would begin to see how God would operate in our lives but instead what do we do we want to talk to our friend about it we want to call our neighbor we want to write a letter about it and tell everybody else about our needs and get that woe is me mentality and God just pour your heart out to me me because I am the faithful and merciful high priest.

It doesn't mean you don't tell people about your problems. I'm not saying that. What I'm saying is that he's got to be the priority. He's got to be the one you pour your life out to. He is the Father of Mercies. It says this, verse number two, bless the Lord all my soul, and forget none of his benefits.

Don't forget him. But you know what we do? We forget them. We tend to forget. An interesting study would be for you to go. Go through the Bible and see where how many times the word forget is used. God says, I don't want you to forget.

So what do we do? We forget. You can't afford to forget this book and the principles and the promises that are. You can't afford to do that. And the Psalm says, forget none of his benefits. Ask yourself, have you forgotten any of these benefits? Who pardons all your iniquities? You've forgotten that? Who heals all your diseases. Now, a lot of times that's taken out of context. And you're going to realize when we get to 2nd Peter about counterfeit teachers and false teachers, what characterizes them, how God's speaking to them is the authority, and all false teachers are characterized by saying, God told me, God has spoken to me.

That's a false counterfeit teacher. And we'll prove that to you in Jude and say, 2 Peter chapter 2. Who heals all your diseases. Turn over to Psalm 107 for a moment. What are those diseases he heals? Verse number 17. Psalm 107. Fools, because of their rebellious way and because of their iniquities were afflicted. Their soul abhorred all kinds of food and they drew near to the gates of death. Then they cried out to the Lord in their trouble. He saved them out of their distresses. He sent his word and healed.

them and delivered them from their destructions. You see, bless the Lord, oh my soul, and all that is within me, and forget none of his benefits. What are his benefits? The one who heals all of one's soul's diseases. It's coming from my soul. And Psalm 107 defines for us the diseases that are healed, and they are the diseases of iniquity. They are the diseases of our soul that God himself heals. And so the psalmas comes along and says, don't forget his benefits. Don't forget that he just pardons all your iniquities, that it heals all of your soul's diseases, who redeems your life from the pit, who crowns you with mercy and compassion, who satisfies your years with good things so that your youth is renewed like the eagle.

That's the mercy of God. It's because of his tender mercy that we have absolution. It's because of his tender mercy. We have restoration. It's because of his tender mercy that we have an elevation. We are redeemed from the pit. That we have a coronation, that he crowns us with compassion and mercy, and that ultimately we have satisfaction because he satisfies our years with good things. That's our God. And therefore, when we read about the mercy of God and recount the mercy of God over and over again, it was what, back in number of chapter 14, after the spies went in and spied out Cates Barnea and realized that they couldn't get in there except for Joshua Kina, they were the ones who tried to rally the troops.

But God was going to kill the nation of Israel. And Moses would appeal to God, and he would appeal to God based on one thing, and that was his mercy. He said these words in members chapter 14, the Lord is slow to anger and abundant in mercy, forgiving iniquity and transgression, but he will by no means clear the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children to the third and fourth generations.

Pardon, I pray, the iniquity of this people, according to the greatness of thy mercy, just as thou also has forgiven this people from Egypt even until now.

He would go and appeal to God based on his own. mercy. Oh, God, have mercy on your people. That's what needs to happen. Be merciful to us, Lord. Because without your mercy, we can't survive. Without your tender compassion, we will fail. We will not make it. God's mercy is that which saves our soul. And it's his mercy that allows us to make it from day to day moment by moment. And therefore, knowing the mercy of God, they are new every mourning, it causes me to tremble and to humble myself before him and to thank him for what he's done.

And lastly, listen carefully. We tremble under the authority of God's word. We humble ourselves before him because it's the word of God that records man's destiny. It records man's destiny. John chapter 12, Christ said these words in verse number 48. He who rejects me and does not receive my sayings has one who judges him. The word I spoke is what will judge him at the last day. If you reject my words, if you don't obey my words, it will be those words that will judge you in the last day. Remember in Matthew chapter 16 when Peter made that great confession that thou art the Christ's son of the living God?

And Christ came back and said, Peter, flesh and blood has not revealed this unto you, but my father who is in heaven. And upon this rock, upon this confession, upon this foundation that Jesus Christ is the Messiah, I will build my church and the gates of hell should not prevail against it. He says, Peter, and I'm giving you the keys to the kingdom of heaven. And whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven. And whatever you loose on earth shall be loose in heaven. What was Christ saying? Very simply this.

Here's the key, Peter, that you and the apostles will have to the kingdom. And it's this. How people respond to this confession that, Jesus Christ is Lord, that Jesus Christ is Messiah, will give you the authority and the power to determine whether or not they are loosed from their sins or are still bound in their sins. Can you tell somebody whether or not they're a Christian? Yes, you can. You can't. Based on what God's word says about Jesus Christ, the Messiah. You can go before people and say, listen, if you reject Jesus Christ, the Messiah as a true Savior of your soul, and don't give your life to him, and don't believe that God raised it, from the dead, I can tell you right now that you won't go to heaven, but you will die in your sins.

How do you have the authority to say that? Because God gives us the keys to this kingdom. This is the key. It's what you do with the confession of Christ, who he is. And Christ says, look, I'm the judge of all the earth.

If you reject my words, it'll be those words that will judge you in the last day. It says over in Hebrews 10. Verse 26, for if we go on sinning willfully after receiving the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, but a certain terrifying expectation of judgment and the fury of a fire which will consume the adversaries. Anyone who has set aside the law of Moses dies without mercy on the testimony of two or three witnesses. How much severe a punishment do you think he will deserve who has trampled under foot the son of God and has regarded as unclean the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified and has insulted the spirit of grace for we know him who said vengeance is mine I will repay and again the Lord will judge his people it is a terrifying thing to fall into the hands of the living God that's what the word says so when Christ makes that compelling statement of Matthew chapter 7 enter by the narrow gate for broad is the way that leads to destruction and many go that way but few who find the narrow gate, enter into the narrow gate.

Because the Bible records man's destiny. Over in 2nd Thessalonians chapter 1, it says in verse number 6, for after all it is only just for God to repay with affliction those who afflict you and to give relief to you who are afflicted and to us as well when the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with his mighty angels in flaming fire dealing that retribution to those who do not know God and to those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus, and these will pay the penalty of eternal destruction away from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of His power when it comes to be glorified in the saints on that day.

Very clearly, the Bible says, for those who do not obey this word, they will be judged by this word. They will be condemned by this word. In Revelation chapter 20, in verse number 11, at the end of the millennial reign of Christ when Satan is let loose to gather all the rebellious people can think about it when Christ sets up his kingdom in Jerusalem at the end of the tribulation everybody on earth at that time will be saved that is who's alive because only the saved are going to go into the kingdom and the sage will all those saved people will get married they'll have children in those children of course will be born with a sin nature.

And after a thousand years, there will be a multitude, a great multitude. The Bible says as the sands of the sea who rebel against Christ.

Imagine that? Do you know why Christ has a reign in Jerusalem for a thousand years on the throat of David? Number one, because he made a covenant with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.

He promised him that. Number two, to prove that no matter how holy and heaven, how just and how fantastic the dictator man still rebels.

Still does. Because man doesn't want to be ruled. He wants to rule. Fire comes down from heaven. They're all consumed. Satan is thrown in the lake of fire with the beast and the false prophet. And heaven and earth are done away with. And all it's left is a great white throed judgment. And the books are open. at that great right thrown judgment, all the unbelievers will be judged and be cast into the lake of fire because they refuse to obey the gospel of Jesus Christ, Lord. It's this book that records man's destiny.

In fact, Psalm 119 says it this way. Verse 120, listen to this. My flesh trembles for fear of thee. My flesh trembles for fear of thee. and I am afraid of thy judgments. That's a psalmist saying that. I tremble before you, God, because I know that you are a just God, and I know that you are the judge of all the earth. You are in charge, and Lord, that causes me to shake. It causes me to fear, because I know what you can do, and I know what you will do to those who will rebel against you. It says earlier in verse number one, 118, thou hast rejected all those who wonder from thy statutes, for their deceitfulness is useless, and thou hast removed all the wicked of the earth like dross, therefore I love thy testimonies, my flesh trembles for fear of thee, for I am afraid of thy judgments.

That's the kind of person God's looking for, right there, whose flesh trembles before an almighty God because he knows about the judgment of God. Not that he will be judged by God because he's been forgiven of his sins, but he knows that God is just in judging sinners. He knows about the holy, awesome power of His God and falls down and humbles submission before him because he knows to this man, I will look to him who is broken and of a kind of trite heart and who trembles at my word.