Sermon #226 The Book of
Psalms Series
Title: The Mystery of
Text: Romans 8:28; Psalm 107:1-43
Subject: The display of God’s providence in saving his elect
Date:
Tape #
Introduction:
Hail,
sovereign love that first began the scheme to rescue fallen man,
Hail,
matchless, free, eternal grace that gave my soul a hiding place.
Against
the God that rules the sky I fought with hands uplifted high;
Despised
His rich abounding grace, too proud to seek a hiding place.
Enwrapt
in Egyptian night and fond of darkness more than light,
Madly
I ran the sinful race, secure without a hiding place.
But
thus the eternal counsel ran, “Almighty love, arrest that man!”
I
felt the arrows of distress and found I had no hiding place.
Indignant
justice stood in view, to Sinai’s fiery mount I flew;
But
justice cried with frowning face, “This mountain is no
hiding place!”
Ere
long the heavenly voice I heard and mercy’s angel form appeared;
She
led me on with gentle pace to Jesus as my hiding place.
Should
storms of thundering vengeance roll and shake the earth from pole to pole,
No
flaming bolt shall daunt my face, for Jesus is my hiding place.
A
few more rolling suns at most will land me safe on
Where
I shall sing the song of grace and see my glorious hiding place!
This evening, I want to show you how
God graciously brings sinners safely into Christ, the refuge of mercy. My
subject is The Mystery of
The providence of God is simply
God’s universal government of all things. In providence God brings to pass what
he has purposed in eternity. There is a general providence of God in the world.
And there is a special providence of God toward his elect. Fro example: God’s
general providence is his superintendence and government of the world. We do
not believe in the laws of nature. We believe in the laws of God. We believe in
a God “who worketh all things after the counsel of his own will.” Our God did
not create the world, and then leave it. No. He is actively presiding in all
the affairs of the universe. The dew falls and waters the earth by his decree.
The grass grows for the cattle in his appointed place. The sparrow is fed from
his almighty hand. And the planets are held in their orbit around the sun by
the Word of God. This is his general providence.
But his special providence is
something else. It is God working all things together for the good, for the
eternal salvation of his elect. Beloved, get this if you can, everything that
has ever taken place in the history of the world, since the beginning of time,
whether good or evil, has been ruled by the providence of God for your
salvation! That is a stupendous thought. And that is what our Psalm this
evening is all about. Empires have been raised up and empires have fallen by
the hand of God so that he might save your soul and mine. This is what God
says, “I am the Lord thy God, the Holy One of Israel, thy
Savior: I gave
Proposition:
Our
Psalm tonight magnifies the Lord for his spiritual blessings, of which temporal
blessings are but types and pictures.
This Psalm is like the Interpreter’s
house in Pilgrim’s Progress. There Pilgrim was told that he would see excellent
and profitable things. And, truly, if the Lord will give us eyes to see and
ears to hear, we will see and hear excellent and profitable things from this
song of the redeemed.
Divisions:
Let’s
now look at the Psalm. There are four things that I want to call to your
attention from these verses:
1.
We are called upon to extol and give
thanks to God for his goodness (1-3).
2.
We are given four illustrations of Divine
providence in salvation (4-32).
3.
We are given insight into the mystery of
providence (33-42).
4.
We are exhorted to observe the
lovingkindness of God in his providence (43).
I. In the first place, we are called upon to extol and give thanks to God for his goodness (1-3).
David
is here speaking to the people of God. Those who have been saved and gathered
from among the heathen ought to extol the Lord God for his goodness to them.
A.
Why should we give thanks to the Lord our God?
1. We should give thanks to the Lord
for his goodness.
The very name God is but an
abbreviation of the word good. God is good. He does good.
And he is the author of all good.
a. All temporal goodness.
b. All spiritual goodness.
c. All eternal goodness.
2. We should give thanks unto the
Lord, because his mercy endures forever.
God’s mercy is from everlasting to
everlasting. From generation to generation, the sons of men experience the
mercy of God in Christ.
a. His purpose of mercy.
b. His electing mercy.
c. His redeeming mercy.
d. His regenerating mercy.
e. His preserving mercy.
B.
Who should give thanks to the Lord? (3-4).
All men ought to do so. All men have
their life and being, food and clothing, health and strength by the hand of
God. But those who have experienced his grace in all parts of the world are
under special constraint to praise him. The redeemed of the Lord, the gathered
ones of the earth, should break forth in continual thanksgiving to God.
1. In mercy and goodness God has
redeemed us with the precious blood of Christ.
The Lord Jesus Christ has redeemed
us from the hand of the enemy.
a. He has redeemed us from the law
by price.
b. He has redeemed us from Satan and
sin by power.
c. He has redeemed us from death by
his resurrection.
2. Another example of God’s goodness
and mercy is that he has gathered us to Christ by effectual power.
We had all gone astray. We had
turned everyone to his own way. But the Lord observed our ways. And in the
fullness of time he gathers his elect to Christ by sovereign power, from the
four corners of the earth.
NOTE:
This is a phrase often used to signify faith, salvation, and effectual
calling (Isa. 43:5-6).
NOTE:
Those who are redeemed of the Lord will, most assuredly be gathered to him.
“I will hiss (call) for them, and gather them; for I have redeemed them” (Zech.
10:8).
3. The men of the world will not
confess the goodness of God, therefore we must. “Let the redeemed of the Lord
say so.” We have found him to be good, and we must say so.
a. Is God good when he takes away,
as well as when he gives? “The redeemed of the Lord say so.”
b. Is God merciful when he frowns,
as well as when he smiles? “The redeemed of the Lord say so.”
c. Does God work all things together
for good to them that love him? “The redeemed of the Lord say so.”
II. Secondly, we are given four illustrations of Divine providence in salvation (4-32).
The redeemed of the Lord say that
God is good and his mercy endures forever. Now, the Psalmist displays that
mercy in providence.
Mark it down, beloved,
the mercy of God toward you did not begin when you first believed. God’s mercy
was actively arranging all the affairs of your life in order to bring you to
faith in Christ. Indeed, he arranged all the affairs of history to secure your
eternal salvation. This is his prevenient grace, that
grace of providence, which precedes the grace of salvation.
NOTE:
Sometimes God’s good providence appears to us to be hard and rough. But he
has a good purpose. In providence he may bring Gomer down to the lowest pit of
degradation. He may even use Satan to do it. But his purpose is to exalt her in
due time. Before God ever exalts a sinner to his place among the sons of God,
he will bring him down in the dust of humiliation.
Look now at these illustrations of
Divine providence, these illustrations of prevenient
grace.
A.
We were all lost, weary travelers in need of a guide to bring us home to God (4-9).
1. We were lost in the wilderness of
sin by reason of our own rebellion and ignorance (4).
Like silly, ignorant sheep we all
went astray. We all went our own way, according to the bent of our will. And we
wandered on in darkness, so ignorant that we did not even know our condition.
2. But God, in his providence, made
us hungry and thirsty (5).
God knows how to create
dissatisfaction in a man’s heart. God knows how to make the prodigal hungry. We
found ourselves in desperate need, with no means of provision.
3. Then, in the time of our soul’s
trouble, we called upon the Lord (6).
It is a time of trouble when
awakened sinners are convinced of sin by the Spirit of God.
a. We were pricked to the heart by a
sense of sin.
b. The terrors of death and hell got
hold of us.
c. We saw our lost and undone
condition, ready to perish.
d. Then, and not till then, we cried
to God for mercy.
4. Then, the Lord God led us to
Christ the Way, our City of
5. All of this we owe to God’s
providence. Therefore, we will praise him (8-9).
‘Twas grace that taught my heart to fear,
And
grace my fears relieved;
How
precious did that grace appear
The
hour I first believed.
None abut Christ satisfies the
hungry soul.
B.
We were all prisoners, in bondage to sin, satan,
and the law of God, but Christ set us free (10-16; Isa. 9:2; 42:7; 49:9).
1. We were prisoners sentenced to
death (10).
2. Our sentence was just (11).
3. God graciously humbled our proud
hearts (12).
With one
afflictive providence after another, the haughtiness of man is laid low.
When a man is humbled under a sense of sin, then he is willing to submit to
Christ and his righteousness. Then the guilty sinner falls down and pleads for
mercy. He has no other hope.
4. When the guilty, weary, helpless
sinner cries for mercy, the Lord sets him free (13-14).
5. All of this, we owe to God’s
providence. Therefore, we will praise him (15-16).
Grace,
‘tis a charming sound!
Harmonious
to mine ear!
Heaven
with the echo shall resound,
And
all the earth shall hear.
Grace
first inscribed my name
In
God’s eternal book:
‘Twas grace that gave me to the Lamb,
Who
all my sorrows took.
Grace
taught my soul to pray,
And
made my eyes o’erflow;
‘Twas grace that kept me to this day,
And
will not let me go.
C.
We were all sin-sick souls in need of a healing Physician (17-22).
1. Sin has made fools of all men
(17).
2. In our folly we despised the good
Word of God, and Christ the Bread of Life was rejected by us. We were famishing
and ready to die, by reason of our sin-sick souls (18).
3. When we were at the point of
death, we called upon the Lord and he saved us (19).
Sending his Word, the Word of the
gospel he healed us (20). The gospel is a tree of life. Its doctrines are
leaves for the healing of the nations.
4. All of this we owe to the good
providence of God. Therefore, we will offer to him the sacrifices of praise and
thanksgiving, the calves of our lips (21-22; Heb.
D.
We were all like seaman on the raging sea, ready to perish, until the Lord God
intervened and gave us peace (23-32).
1.
We have seen the wonders of God’s hand, but we paid them no heed (23-24).
2. God tossed us about in his stormy
providence until he made our souls melt within us and brought us to our wits
end (25-27).
3.
Then, and not till then, we called upon him, and he gave us peace, great peace,
peace that passeth understanding, bringing us to our desired haven of rest
(28-30).
4.
All of this we owe to God’s adorable providence. Therefore, we will give thanks
and praise to him (31-32).
NOTE: This is God’s goodness
and his wonderful work.
1. He causes the lost to hunger and
thirst. Then he brings them to Christ and satisfies their need.
2. He causes the prisoner’s heart to
be heavy. Then he brings him to Christ and sits him free.
3. He causes sin-sick souls to feel
their desperate sickness. Then he sends the Great Physician to heal them.
4. He causes the rebel’s soul to
melt into submission. Then he gives him peace.
III. Now, in the third place, we are given insight into the mystery of
providence (33-42).
David has told us how that God deals
with individuals to bring them to saving faith in Christ. Now, he goes deeper
into the mystery of providence, showing us how that God arranges the affairs of
princes, and nobles, and nations in this world for the salvation of his elect.
A.
God causes the fruitful places to be barren and the barren places he makes
fruitful, according to his wise designs (33-35).
He takes the gospel from one nation
and gives it to another.
1. When a land is left barren,
without a gospel witness, it is because they have despised the goodness of God
to them.
2. When a land of darkness and
ignorance is given the light of the gospel, it is because God has a people in
that land whom he intends to save.
NOTE:
How often history has proven this fact. “Ephraim is joined to his idols.
Let him alone.”
1.
2.
3.
4. But God is not without a witness.
He opened the borders of
Why do you suppose that
B.
God makes the hungry and thirsty soul to dwell in a land where the gospel is
preached (36-40).
Those
whom he intends to save, the Lord will put in a place where they will hear the
gospel.
1. He sows the seed of the gospel in
a land by his servants.
2. He plants his churches as
vineyards in the land.
3. And he gives fruit and increase.
4. For a season, they prosper and
flourish.
5. But then, because of sin and
unbelief, by an act of providence they are diminished and scattered.
Where are the flourishing churches
of
C.
But of these things we may be sure (41-42).
1. God will save his own (41).
2. The righteous will see the
wonderful works of God and rejoice (42).
3. The wicked shall be without
excuse (42).
IV. In the last place, we are exhorted to observe the lovingkindness of God in his providence (43).
This I say, brethren, “All things
are yours; whether…the world, or life, or death, or things present, or things
to come; all are yours; and ye are Christ’s; and Christ is God’s.”
Whatever God does, he does because
of his lovingkindness toward his children in this world.
Application:
1. Let us give thanks
to God for his goodness that he has shown to us.
2. Let us cherish the
blessings of God upon us. They can be removed as easily as they were given.
3. Let us adore the
good providence of God.
This is God’s providence. “And we
know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who
are the called according to his purpose.”
God
moves in a mysterious way
His
wonders to perform;
He
plants His footsteps in the sea,
And
rides upon the storm.
Deep
in unfathomable mines
Of
never failing skill,
He
treasures up His bright designs,
And
works His sovereign will.
Ye
fearful saints, fresh courage take;
The
clouds ye so much dread
Are
big with mercy, and shall break
In
blessings on your head.
Judge
not the Lord by feeble sense,
But
trust Him for His grace;
Behind
the frowning providence,
He
hides a smiling face.
His
purposes will ripen fast,
Unfolding
every hour.
The
bud may have a bitter taste,
But
sweet will be the flower.
Blind
unbelief is sure to err,
And
scan His work in vain.
God
is His own Interpreter,
And
He will make it plain.
4. Now I ask you,
child of God, if God has given nations for you, and people for your life, don’t
you suppose he is worthy of your trust day by day? “He that spared not his own
Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely
give us all things?”
Go home, my friends, resting in the
lovingkindness of God’s good providence. Amen.