WEBVTT 00:00:10.160 --> 00:00:16.859 When times are pleasant and enjoyable in our 00:00:16.859 --> 00:00:26.140 lives, I believe that it's often easy to remain 00:00:26.140 --> 00:00:32.259 aloof or indifferent to the presence of the Lord 00:00:32.259 --> 00:00:37.159 in our lives, to the things of God in our lives. 00:00:38.350 --> 00:00:41.950 When things are pleasant and enjoyable in our 00:00:41.950 --> 00:00:49.770 lives, it's very easy to be forgetful of God 00:00:49.770 --> 00:00:55.229 and to neglect the fact that God is, in fact, 00:00:55.229 --> 00:01:00.350 with us as his people. Why is that, brothers 00:01:00.350 --> 00:01:05.709 and sisters? Why is it that when times are good 00:01:05.709 --> 00:01:11.219 and pleasant, It's so much easier for us to be 00:01:11.219 --> 00:01:16.120 neglectful of the Lord and the fact that he is 00:01:16.120 --> 00:01:21.480 with us. Well, it's because the good blessings 00:01:21.480 --> 00:01:25.739 that God has given to us in this life, the kind 00:01:25.739 --> 00:01:29.099 things that God has given to us in this world, 00:01:29.180 --> 00:01:35.359 steal our affections away from the one who has 00:01:35.359 --> 00:01:41.810 given them to us. The earthly comforts, the earthly 00:01:41.810 --> 00:01:47.829 pleasures, the earthly things of this world steal 00:01:47.829 --> 00:01:50.870 our heart's affections away from the living God 00:01:50.870 --> 00:01:58.769 who has given them to us. Then comes suffering 00:01:58.769 --> 00:02:06.489 into our lives. The earthly comforts are stripped 00:02:06.489 --> 00:02:13.629 away. The earthly pleasures and enjoyments are 00:02:13.629 --> 00:02:19.469 peeled back so that all that remains is the Lord. 00:02:20.050 --> 00:02:25.349 So that all that remains is Christ. So that all 00:02:25.349 --> 00:02:29.310 that remains is faith. So that all that remains 00:02:29.310 --> 00:02:35.509 is strength from God. Suffering we will see today. 00:02:36.650 --> 00:02:39.370 can actually be very, very beneficial in the 00:02:39.370 --> 00:02:43.750 life of the believer because it brings us to 00:02:43.750 --> 00:02:48.969 a place of intimate communion with God himself. 00:02:50.129 --> 00:02:55.990 David says in Psalm 23, Even though I walk through 00:02:55.990 --> 00:02:58.969 the valley of the shadow of death, I fear no 00:02:58.969 --> 00:03:02.569 evil, and listen to what he says here, for you 00:03:02.569 --> 00:03:07.139 are with me. The first thing we have to consider 00:03:07.139 --> 00:03:12.580 this morning is the intimate communion that David 00:03:12.580 --> 00:03:17.060 has come to enjoy in the darkness of his life. 00:03:20.139 --> 00:03:28.080 In verses 1 -3, David is talking about the Lord. 00:03:28.419 --> 00:03:31.580 The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want. He 00:03:31.580 --> 00:03:35.280 makes me lie down. He's not using direct speech. 00:03:36.300 --> 00:03:39.580 He's not having direct interaction and fellowship 00:03:39.580 --> 00:03:42.840 with the Lord. He's talking about the Lord being 00:03:42.840 --> 00:03:49.439 his shepherd. But then in verse 4 and following, 00:03:49.560 --> 00:03:57.479 we read that he says this, You are with me. It 00:03:57.479 --> 00:04:02.159 becomes direct. He speaks directly with the Lord. 00:04:03.180 --> 00:04:07.120 He comes to a place when the trouble comes in 00:04:07.120 --> 00:04:12.800 his life that he experiences and enjoys intimate 00:04:12.800 --> 00:04:19.779 communion and fellowship with God. We see that 00:04:19.779 --> 00:04:23.939 he's no longer talking about the Lord. Now he's 00:04:23.939 --> 00:04:30.180 talking to the Lord directly and intimately. 00:04:32.269 --> 00:04:39.110 This communion with God coincides with and is 00:04:39.110 --> 00:04:43.389 simultaneous to the arrival and the appearance 00:04:43.389 --> 00:04:46.509 of the valleys and the shadows. Is it not, brothers 00:04:46.509 --> 00:04:52.370 and sisters? So we see that the arrival of suffering 00:04:52.370 --> 00:04:57.149 in his life, the appearance of affliction in 00:04:57.149 --> 00:05:02.129 David's life, incurs and invokes and brings about 00:05:02.129 --> 00:05:05.689 and puts him in a place and brings him to a place 00:05:05.689 --> 00:05:10.389 where he's in an intimate fellowship with the 00:05:10.389 --> 00:05:17.029 living God, his shepherd. The affliction brings 00:05:17.029 --> 00:05:21.709 this about. You see, something that suffering 00:05:21.709 --> 00:05:25.310 does in this life, in the life of the believer, 00:05:25.529 --> 00:05:33.639 is that it brings them nearer and closer to the 00:05:33.639 --> 00:05:38.040 Lord. Now, one thing that we have to recognize, 00:05:38.120 --> 00:05:43.600 and we'll see this, Lord willing, we'll see that 00:05:43.600 --> 00:05:46.620 it's not that the Lord comes and goes so much, 00:05:46.819 --> 00:05:50.779 but it's the fact that in suffering we are driven 00:05:50.779 --> 00:05:57.839 to the Lord because we are distant. We are further 00:05:57.839 --> 00:06:01.990 away. We fluctuate in our nearness and our closeness 00:06:01.990 --> 00:06:05.449 to the Lord himself. It's not the Lord so much 00:06:05.449 --> 00:06:11.129 as it is us and our feeble affections and our 00:06:11.129 --> 00:06:15.629 feeble hearts and our feeble minds. Because we 00:06:15.629 --> 00:06:19.449 go up and down. We come and go. Not the Lord. 00:06:20.910 --> 00:06:27.899 So suffering can bring us to a place That is 00:06:27.899 --> 00:06:31.879 beneficial because it brings us closer to the 00:06:31.879 --> 00:06:41.399 Lord. It makes God real to the believer. It makes 00:06:41.399 --> 00:06:45.040 their faith real to the believer that suffers. 00:06:46.060 --> 00:06:51.259 No longer are these theoretical realities. No 00:06:51.259 --> 00:06:54.600 longer are these theoretical ideas and concepts. 00:06:55.149 --> 00:06:59.170 that we can merely talk about. But now when hardship 00:06:59.170 --> 00:07:02.769 comes in our life, our faith, our heart religion, 00:07:02.769 --> 00:07:08.689 is put to the test. Our religion is tested and 00:07:08.689 --> 00:07:13.329 tried. Does our faith really work? Do we really 00:07:13.329 --> 00:07:16.850 trust in the Lord? Do we really believe His promises? 00:07:17.250 --> 00:07:22.029 Do we genuinely have hope? Our religion, our 00:07:22.029 --> 00:07:27.019 heart religion, is tested and tried. And the 00:07:27.019 --> 00:07:29.439 effectiveness and the invincibility of faith 00:07:29.439 --> 00:07:35.980 is demonstrated time and time again as the believer 00:07:35.980 --> 00:07:42.360 suffers. We see in 2 Corinthians chapter 12, 00:07:42.480 --> 00:07:47.060 this very thing takes place in the life of the 00:07:47.060 --> 00:07:52.560 Apostle Paul. We read in 2 Corinthians chapter 00:07:52.560 --> 00:08:01.680 12. Starting in verse 7. Because of the surpassing 00:08:01.680 --> 00:08:10.139 greatness of the revelations, because of the 00:08:10.139 --> 00:08:13.379 surpassing greatness of the revelations, for 00:08:13.379 --> 00:08:16.680 this reason, to keep me from exalting myself, 00:08:17.000 --> 00:08:20.879 there was given me a thorn in the flesh, a messenger 00:08:20.879 --> 00:08:24.610 of Satan to torment me. To keep me from exalting 00:08:24.610 --> 00:08:28.589 myself. Concerning this I implored the Lord three 00:08:28.589 --> 00:08:34.409 times. That it might leave me. And he said to 00:08:34.409 --> 00:08:38.909 me. My grace is sufficient for you. My power 00:08:38.909 --> 00:08:42.309 is perfected in weakness. Most gladly therefore 00:08:42.309 --> 00:08:45.590 I will rather boast about my weaknesses. So that 00:08:45.590 --> 00:08:48.929 the power of Christ may dwell in me. In verse 00:08:48.929 --> 00:08:53.460 10. Therefore I am well content. with weaknesses, 00:08:53.720 --> 00:08:57.860 with insults, and distresses, with persecutions, 00:08:57.860 --> 00:09:00.860 with difficulties, for Christ's sake. For when 00:09:00.860 --> 00:09:07.539 I am weak, then I am strong. What do we see in 00:09:07.539 --> 00:09:11.899 the Apostle Paul's life? That the Lord is creating 00:09:11.899 --> 00:09:17.960 weakness in his life to make him strong in the 00:09:17.960 --> 00:09:22.149 Lord. The Lord brings about pain and suffering 00:09:22.149 --> 00:09:27.309 in his life to make him more useful in Christ. 00:09:28.970 --> 00:09:32.570 That his power might shine forth through the 00:09:32.570 --> 00:09:37.889 apostle. He's making him reliant upon faith. 00:09:38.909 --> 00:09:42.230 He's making him reliant upon the Lord and not 00:09:42.230 --> 00:09:47.090 himself. You see, suffering, brothers and sisters, 00:09:47.269 --> 00:09:54.490 is the great... Pride crusher. It demolishes 00:09:54.490 --> 00:09:59.409 pride in the life of people. It crushes pride 00:09:59.409 --> 00:10:02.809 on the head and smashes it and obliterates it 00:10:02.809 --> 00:10:07.970 to a million pieces. It does away with self -confidence 00:10:07.970 --> 00:10:11.450 and arrogance and pride and haughtiness in the 00:10:11.450 --> 00:10:14.950 life of God's people. And it brings them low 00:10:14.950 --> 00:10:18.419 so that they are cast on faith in Christ. and 00:10:18.419 --> 00:10:22.759 the need for His power, and His strength, and 00:10:22.759 --> 00:10:26.139 His might. They're brought to a place where all 00:10:26.139 --> 00:10:29.080 the human reliances they have in their life, 00:10:29.139 --> 00:10:32.100 the human dependencies, the worldly and earthly 00:10:32.100 --> 00:10:34.740 dependencies in their life, are taken away and 00:10:34.740 --> 00:10:37.320 ripped away from them. They don't have them anymore. 00:10:37.440 --> 00:10:40.840 So what do they have left? They have faith in 00:10:40.840 --> 00:10:44.860 the Lord Jesus. And they grow strong in that 00:10:44.860 --> 00:10:53.360 faith, the Lord Jesus Christ. So, suffering is 00:10:53.360 --> 00:11:00.879 beneficial. Now we see that this is what takes 00:11:00.879 --> 00:11:05.580 place when we see that this is a reality in David's 00:11:05.580 --> 00:11:08.779 life because of this communion that he's enjoying 00:11:08.779 --> 00:11:18.919 with the Lord. So we also have to consider that 00:11:18.919 --> 00:11:27.019 the communion that David is enjoying is built 00:11:27.019 --> 00:11:34.879 on the fact that God is with him. David says, 00:11:35.100 --> 00:11:40.659 for you are with me. Now the imagery presented 00:11:40.659 --> 00:11:44.259 here, we can imagine it. I'm sure you have it 00:11:44.259 --> 00:11:48.419 in your mind's eye already. You have the sheep, 00:11:48.460 --> 00:11:52.820 and you have the dark, deep valley. You have 00:11:52.820 --> 00:11:57.559 the gloom. You have the frightening imagery and 00:11:57.559 --> 00:11:59.960 the frightening darkness approaching. You're 00:11:59.960 --> 00:12:04.500 in it, but the sheep are not alone. The shepherd 00:12:04.500 --> 00:12:07.159 is with them, guiding, directing, and providing 00:12:07.159 --> 00:12:16.240 all the while. David says, you are with me. This 00:12:16.240 --> 00:12:19.799 leads us to the inevitable question, one I'm 00:12:19.799 --> 00:12:23.059 sure that many of us have asked through our lives, 00:12:23.120 --> 00:12:26.440 and we've asked time and time again as we read 00:12:26.440 --> 00:12:31.100 the Bible and the Scriptures, what does that 00:12:31.100 --> 00:12:38.620 mean exactly? That God is with me. I know what 00:12:38.620 --> 00:12:40.940 it means when my mom or my dad or my brother 00:12:40.940 --> 00:12:45.240 or my sister or my child is with me. Because 00:12:45.240 --> 00:12:48.019 they're present with me. But what does it mean 00:12:48.019 --> 00:12:52.240 when the Bible says that you are with me speaking 00:12:52.240 --> 00:13:00.200 of God? Now, to answer this, we must first understand 00:13:00.200 --> 00:13:05.879 the nature of God. And we must understand that 00:13:05.879 --> 00:13:10.259 men are always in the presence of God, as it 00:13:10.259 --> 00:13:14.740 were. Men are always before God. And this is 00:13:14.740 --> 00:13:19.480 because of the nature of the living God. We could 00:13:19.480 --> 00:13:29.879 look at Proverbs chapter 15, verse 3, which says 00:13:29.879 --> 00:13:36.039 this, The eyes of the Lord are in every place, 00:13:36.360 --> 00:13:43.990 watching the evil and the good. God sees all. 00:13:44.830 --> 00:13:49.789 God observes all. God watches all because God 00:13:49.789 --> 00:13:55.870 is omnipresent. Everything, whether a person 00:13:55.870 --> 00:14:02.370 recognizes it or not, is quorum Deo, before the 00:14:02.370 --> 00:14:08.370 face of God. Every single thing is quorum Deo, 00:14:08.409 --> 00:14:11.370 before the face of God. There's no escaping that 00:14:11.370 --> 00:14:14.610 reality, whether you're a believer or an unbeliever. 00:14:14.690 --> 00:14:17.470 What you do, what you think, how you live, your 00:14:17.470 --> 00:14:20.330 actions, your thoughts, everything, is quorum 00:14:20.330 --> 00:14:23.289 Deo, before the face of God, because he's a holy, 00:14:23.370 --> 00:14:29.590 righteous, infinite, spiritual being. He sees 00:14:29.590 --> 00:14:33.710 and knows all. Nothing is concealed from him. 00:14:33.750 --> 00:14:39.200 Nothing is kept from him. We read in 2 Chronicles. 00:14:41.659 --> 00:14:51.980 Chapter 16. Verse 9. Oh, I'm sorry. Hebrews chapter 00:14:51.980 --> 00:15:02.659 4. Verse 13. Which says this. And there is no 00:15:02.659 --> 00:15:07.139 creature hidden from his sight. But all things 00:15:07.139 --> 00:15:11.320 are open and laid bare to the eyes of him with 00:15:11.320 --> 00:15:17.519 whom we have to do. Everything is open and laid 00:15:17.519 --> 00:15:20.740 bare before the sight of God because everything 00:15:20.740 --> 00:15:25.519 is in the presence of the living God. Everything 00:15:25.519 --> 00:15:30.259 is set before him. Everything is in front of 00:15:30.259 --> 00:15:34.200 his face. Now to help us understand this, I want 00:15:34.200 --> 00:15:37.700 to read a quote. from a theologian, John Frame. 00:15:39.779 --> 00:15:43.600 He says this, and this is really, really important 00:15:43.600 --> 00:15:48.639 with our understanding of who God is. God is 00:15:48.639 --> 00:15:54.860 not a vague, abstract principle or force, but 00:15:54.860 --> 00:15:59.480 a living and true God, as opposed to all the 00:15:59.480 --> 00:16:03.240 deaf and dumb idols of the world. Knowledge of 00:16:03.240 --> 00:16:07.879 him, therefore, is also a person -to -person 00:16:07.879 --> 00:16:14.019 knowledge. God's presence is not something that 00:16:14.019 --> 00:16:17.500 we discover through refined theoretical intellect 00:16:17.500 --> 00:16:20.480 or intellectual thinking. And here it is, brothers 00:16:20.480 --> 00:16:25.860 and sisters, listen to this. Rather, God is unavoidably 00:16:25.860 --> 00:16:31.240 close to His creation. We are involved with Him 00:16:31.240 --> 00:16:37.090 all the time. Do you know why that is? Because 00:16:37.090 --> 00:16:42.769 God is omnipresent. God is an infinite, eternal, 00:16:43.269 --> 00:16:50.730 self -existent, sovereign, spiritual, personal 00:16:50.730 --> 00:16:58.049 being. A person. Not a force or a principle who 00:16:58.049 --> 00:17:04.890 is everywhere all the time. He is always. and 00:17:04.890 --> 00:17:10.490 we are always set before him. The deepest secrets 00:17:10.490 --> 00:17:13.309 of our heart, brothers and sisters, can you conceal 00:17:13.309 --> 00:17:18.670 those from the living God? The most subtle thoughts 00:17:18.670 --> 00:17:21.710 in your mind, which nobody else around you knows, 00:17:22.190 --> 00:17:25.650 are those kept from the face of the living God? 00:17:26.569 --> 00:17:30.950 No. Now what we'll find is that this is incredibly 00:17:30.950 --> 00:17:33.950 comforting. for the believer in suffering, but 00:17:33.950 --> 00:17:36.849 this ought to be incredibly frightening and terrifying 00:17:36.849 --> 00:17:41.670 to the unbeliever who doesn't know Christ. The 00:17:41.670 --> 00:17:46.569 believer ought to find comfort in the fact that 00:17:46.569 --> 00:17:50.490 the living God is with them. The unbeliever ought 00:17:50.490 --> 00:17:52.890 to be terrified and frightened out of their boots 00:17:52.890 --> 00:17:56.549 that they are in the hands of the sovereign God, 00:17:56.670 --> 00:17:59.569 that He sees and knows all that they do. He knows 00:17:59.569 --> 00:18:03.700 that they reject Christ. He knows that they love 00:18:03.700 --> 00:18:05.980 their sin or are unwilling to forsake it for 00:18:05.980 --> 00:18:10.859 the gospel of His Son who gave His life. Believers 00:18:10.859 --> 00:18:13.660 ought to find great encouragement and strength 00:18:13.660 --> 00:18:16.420 and the character and nature of the living God. 00:18:16.900 --> 00:18:19.440 And unbelievers ought to consider this reality 00:18:19.440 --> 00:18:23.339 that everything is laid bare. And they ought 00:18:23.339 --> 00:18:27.819 to be frightened and fearful. I've seen something 00:18:27.819 --> 00:18:32.289 recently going around that says, When Jonathan 00:18:32.289 --> 00:18:36.210 Edwards wants to encourage believers, he reminds 00:18:36.210 --> 00:18:43.029 them that they are in God's hands. But when Jonathan 00:18:43.029 --> 00:18:46.329 Edwards wants to instill fear in the unbeliever, 00:18:46.470 --> 00:18:51.369 he reminds them that they are in God's hands. 00:18:53.829 --> 00:18:58.849 You know why that is? Why does that bring encouragement? 00:19:00.430 --> 00:19:04.190 To the believer. With faith. Who has been given 00:19:04.190 --> 00:19:07.049 the righteousness of Christ. And why does that 00:19:07.049 --> 00:19:09.890 instill fear. In the heart of the unbelieving 00:19:09.890 --> 00:19:13.630 man. Encouragement for those in Christ. Because 00:19:13.630 --> 00:19:17.309 he is a loving father. Who cares for us. Who 00:19:17.309 --> 00:19:22.410 is present and involved. In our hardships. But 00:19:22.410 --> 00:19:24.789 for the unbeliever. They don't have the righteousness 00:19:24.789 --> 00:19:29.680 of Christ. They don't have faith. God is a holy 00:19:29.680 --> 00:19:32.859 and a righteous God. And they are in His hands 00:19:32.859 --> 00:19:35.180 and they hate Him. And there's enmity with this 00:19:35.180 --> 00:19:37.920 holy and righteous God. He can drop you at any 00:19:37.920 --> 00:19:40.279 moment into the pits and depths of hell because 00:19:40.279 --> 00:19:44.660 He's a sovereign God. It should incur and bring 00:19:44.660 --> 00:19:47.660 about and stir up the longing for repentance 00:19:47.660 --> 00:19:50.220 in your life. It should create an urgency in 00:19:50.220 --> 00:19:53.759 your soul because God could drop you at any moment. 00:19:53.799 --> 00:19:58.769 You are in His sovereign hands. the believer 00:19:58.769 --> 00:20:04.890 will never be dropped. They will be carried to 00:20:04.890 --> 00:20:10.650 the celestial city. They will be carried by the 00:20:10.650 --> 00:20:14.170 sovereign, powerful, mighty right hand to the 00:20:14.170 --> 00:20:19.609 great city of God. And he will never drop the 00:20:19.609 --> 00:20:26.049 believer. So we have to understand the fact that 00:20:26.049 --> 00:20:31.019 God Is an infinite. Eternal spiritual being. 00:20:31.759 --> 00:20:37.900 Who is omnipresent. And he is personal. But we 00:20:37.900 --> 00:20:42.759 also have to understand. And we must grasp. That 00:20:42.759 --> 00:20:47.319 David is speaking. Not in a general way. David 00:20:47.319 --> 00:20:49.799 is speaking in a unique way. That God is with 00:20:49.799 --> 00:20:57.900 him. In a covenantal sense. The Bible. does not 00:20:57.900 --> 00:21:03.900 say that God is with the unbeliever. That is 00:21:03.900 --> 00:21:09.359 something that is unique and distinct to those 00:21:09.359 --> 00:21:15.400 in covenantal relationship with God. We see it 00:21:15.400 --> 00:21:20.960 that God was with the patriarchs, Abraham, Isaac, 00:21:21.059 --> 00:21:25.619 and Jacob. We see that God was with Israel, the 00:21:25.619 --> 00:21:29.329 nation. His covenant people. We see that God 00:21:29.329 --> 00:21:32.910 was with Moses. We see that God was with Joshua. 00:21:33.930 --> 00:21:37.809 We see that when the birth and the announcement 00:21:37.809 --> 00:21:43.190 of the Messiah is announced in the Gospels early 00:21:43.190 --> 00:21:47.509 on, what is the name of this God that would take 00:21:47.509 --> 00:21:53.710 on flesh? Emmanuel. God with us. In a redemptive, 00:21:53.710 --> 00:21:57.789 covenantal sense, brothers and sisters. So David 00:21:57.789 --> 00:22:00.369 isn't speaking about the fact that all men are 00:22:00.369 --> 00:22:04.549 with God and God is with all men. No, he's talking 00:22:04.549 --> 00:22:07.190 about the fact that God is uniquely and distinctly 00:22:07.190 --> 00:22:11.250 with His covenant people in their suffering. 00:22:12.569 --> 00:22:19.049 Psalm 34 .15 says this, The eyes of the Lord 00:22:19.049 --> 00:22:24.230 are continually toward the righteous and His 00:22:24.230 --> 00:22:29.859 ears open to their cries. Whose eyes are the 00:22:29.859 --> 00:22:33.359 Lord's toward? Who is the Lord's eyes toward? 00:22:33.480 --> 00:22:36.160 Who is his gaze set upon? The righteous man. 00:22:36.579 --> 00:22:39.359 Those who are God -fearing. Those who have faith. 00:22:39.539 --> 00:22:42.000 Those who are in covenant relationship with God. 00:22:42.119 --> 00:22:46.000 The people of God. Whose cries does he hear? 00:22:46.339 --> 00:22:51.559 His people. He's in covenant relationship with 00:22:51.559 --> 00:22:57.089 them. We read in... 2 Chronicles chapter 16, 00:22:57.390 --> 00:23:01.250 verse 9. For the eyes of the Lord move to and 00:23:01.250 --> 00:23:05.250 fro throughout the earth, that He may strongly 00:23:05.250 --> 00:23:10.109 support those whose heart is completely His. 00:23:11.769 --> 00:23:16.730 The Lord in all His sovereignty, in all His might, 00:23:16.910 --> 00:23:21.450 in all His infinity, brothers and sisters, in 00:23:21.450 --> 00:23:28.619 all His omnipresence, is for the believer, is 00:23:28.619 --> 00:23:33.059 for the righteous man who has been given faith 00:23:33.059 --> 00:23:37.500 and made new by the power of God. He's speaking 00:23:37.500 --> 00:23:41.519 in a covenantal sense. The Bible explains many 00:23:41.519 --> 00:23:45.920 ways that the Lord is with his covenant people. 00:23:46.960 --> 00:23:49.880 He is with them to help them and strengthen them. 00:23:49.940 --> 00:23:53.440 We read this in Psalm. 46, 1 -2 and verse 7. 00:23:53.559 --> 00:23:58.339 He is a very present help in times of trouble. 00:23:58.519 --> 00:24:02.000 He is with his people in trouble. He is with 00:24:02.000 --> 00:24:04.680 his people to uphold them and sustain them by 00:24:04.680 --> 00:24:10.200 his mighty right hand. Isaiah 41, 10 -14. His 00:24:10.200 --> 00:24:13.900 sovereign hand exists and serves the people of 00:24:13.900 --> 00:24:16.559 God by upholding them, bearing them up, sustaining 00:24:16.559 --> 00:24:21.140 them. He is with them in that capacity. He is 00:24:21.140 --> 00:24:24.539 with his people to support, care for, provide, 00:24:24.799 --> 00:24:28.599 lead, and protect. We could look at Psalm 73, 00:24:28.819 --> 00:24:36.559 23, or 45, verses 16 through 17. He is with his 00:24:36.559 --> 00:24:41.519 people to give them victory and to fulfill his 00:24:41.519 --> 00:24:44.359 promises in their life and to fight on their 00:24:44.359 --> 00:24:49.019 behalf. You remember when Joshua... was getting 00:24:49.019 --> 00:24:52.740 ready to go into the promised land. And he's 00:24:52.740 --> 00:24:56.839 obviously fearful of the enemies of God. Now, 00:24:56.859 --> 00:24:59.380 these promises were given through Moses, and 00:24:59.380 --> 00:25:02.599 Moses told Joshua these things earlier on, but 00:25:02.599 --> 00:25:06.440 then God reiterates these same things to Joshua 00:25:06.440 --> 00:25:12.119 himself. And what's the justification that God 00:25:12.119 --> 00:25:17.339 gives to Joshua for not being fearful? I am with 00:25:17.339 --> 00:25:20.920 you. The Lord will go ahead of him. The Lord 00:25:20.920 --> 00:25:23.099 will conquer the enemies. The Lord will drive 00:25:23.099 --> 00:25:25.640 out the enemies on his behalf. The Lord will 00:25:25.640 --> 00:25:27.759 give him success. The Lord will fight for him. 00:25:27.839 --> 00:25:37.240 The Lord is with him. And Joshua girded up his 00:25:37.240 --> 00:25:43.880 loins and obeyed the Lord and led the nation 00:25:43.880 --> 00:25:49.210 of Israel into the promised land. God is with 00:25:49.210 --> 00:25:53.849 his people. So when we consider the answer to 00:25:53.849 --> 00:25:56.430 this question, this inevitable question of what 00:25:56.430 --> 00:25:59.990 does it mean that God is with us, or what does 00:25:59.990 --> 00:26:03.329 it mean when David says, for you are with me. 00:26:03.769 --> 00:26:10.109 What does this mean? It means the Lord, because 00:26:10.109 --> 00:26:15.009 of his covenantal promises, his gracious promises, 00:26:15.930 --> 00:26:22.210 His love for His people, means that He, as a 00:26:22.210 --> 00:26:29.049 gracious and loving Father, in the darkest, as 00:26:29.049 --> 00:26:33.089 a gracious and loving Father, is intimately present 00:26:33.089 --> 00:26:40.049 and actively involved in the darkest hours of 00:26:40.049 --> 00:26:46.119 your life as a believer in Jesus Christ. Intimately 00:26:46.119 --> 00:26:52.960 present and actively involved. And what's He 00:26:52.960 --> 00:26:58.259 doing? He's strengthening you. He's preserving 00:26:58.259 --> 00:27:01.660 you. He's sustaining you. He's protecting you. 00:27:01.839 --> 00:27:05.339 He's fighting on your behalf. He's working for 00:27:05.339 --> 00:27:09.559 you in your life. His mighty right hand is with 00:27:09.559 --> 00:27:12.920 you. Psalm 73 talks about how the Lord has taken 00:27:12.920 --> 00:27:18.059 hold of my right hand. Now the Lord has strengthened 00:27:18.059 --> 00:27:23.420 Asaph, I believe. Now the Lord has given him 00:27:23.420 --> 00:27:26.259 strength in his life. That's how the Lord is 00:27:26.259 --> 00:27:30.079 present and with his people. He helps them in 00:27:30.079 --> 00:27:35.380 their trials, in their sufferings. Now I want 00:27:35.380 --> 00:27:37.900 to encourage you with this, brothers and sisters. 00:27:39.880 --> 00:27:42.920 When we think about this and the fact that God 00:27:42.920 --> 00:27:47.460 is with David in his trial, In the valleys and 00:27:47.460 --> 00:27:52.119 the shadows. David always had people around him. 00:27:53.220 --> 00:27:57.319 He always had the royal court. He always had 00:27:57.319 --> 00:28:00.559 faithful friends. He always had individuals around 00:28:00.559 --> 00:28:03.579 him. But listen, in this text, David doesn't 00:28:03.579 --> 00:28:09.859 say, Bathsheba is with me. He doesn't say that 00:28:09.859 --> 00:28:14.339 his advisor is with him. He says, for you are 00:28:14.339 --> 00:28:19.109 with me, the Lord. is with me. There are some 00:28:19.109 --> 00:28:24.230 trials and there are some sufferings and afflictions 00:28:24.230 --> 00:28:27.609 in life, brothers and sisters, which are so severe 00:28:27.609 --> 00:28:31.450 that it seems as though there isn't anybody else 00:28:31.450 --> 00:28:34.670 with you because nobody understands. Nobody knows 00:28:34.670 --> 00:28:37.089 what I'm going through. Nobody can feel what 00:28:37.089 --> 00:28:39.289 I'm feeling. Nobody can endure what I'm doing 00:28:39.289 --> 00:28:43.609 because it's so hard. But listen here, believer. 00:28:44.140 --> 00:28:47.900 Hear me, the Lord is with you in those moments. 00:28:49.119 --> 00:28:52.660 When nobody else can get into your soul and know 00:28:52.660 --> 00:28:56.880 what's taking place, hear me well, God is with 00:28:56.880 --> 00:29:04.039 you. You can say as those with faith, you are 00:29:04.039 --> 00:29:14.829 with me. Some of our sweetest moments. of communion 00:29:14.829 --> 00:29:19.950 and fellowship with the living God are often 00:29:19.950 --> 00:29:25.250 taking place in some of the darkest moments of 00:29:25.250 --> 00:29:28.009 our lives. Have you ever thought about that? 00:29:31.230 --> 00:29:34.450 Some of the times when you enjoy God the most, 00:29:34.670 --> 00:29:40.400 some of the times when you... You enjoy the presence 00:29:40.400 --> 00:29:43.079 of God and you know that He's real and you know 00:29:43.079 --> 00:29:45.259 that He's working and you know that He's helping. 00:29:45.460 --> 00:29:47.640 Some of the sweetest moments of communion with 00:29:47.640 --> 00:29:50.059 the Word of God and prayer and the fellowship 00:29:50.059 --> 00:29:52.319 of the saints and the preaching of the Word and 00:29:52.319 --> 00:29:54.720 the gathering of the church. When are some of 00:29:54.720 --> 00:29:57.119 those moments, brothers and sisters? Often when 00:29:57.119 --> 00:30:01.079 are those moments? In the darkest moments of 00:30:01.079 --> 00:30:06.549 our lives. Now this does not mean... That we'll 00:30:06.549 --> 00:30:11.009 always have the sensible presence of God. This 00:30:11.009 --> 00:30:13.250 does not mean that we'll always have the felt 00:30:13.250 --> 00:30:18.890 presence of God in our lives. Job knew that God 00:30:18.890 --> 00:30:22.170 was with him. He knew and he believed that God 00:30:22.170 --> 00:30:26.269 was working his purposes. But Job, in Job 23, 00:30:26.630 --> 00:30:28.970 it's clear and evident that he could not sense 00:30:28.970 --> 00:30:35.210 God's presence with him. But he believed. That 00:30:35.210 --> 00:30:40.049 God was with him. He knew that God was in the 00:30:40.049 --> 00:30:43.069 midst of his suffering. He knew that there was 00:30:43.069 --> 00:30:45.589 a purpose in the pain. He knew that there was 00:30:45.589 --> 00:30:49.250 a purpose in the affliction. It was by faith. 00:30:50.670 --> 00:30:57.630 So, don't cast off the darkness. Don't cast off 00:30:57.630 --> 00:31:01.710 the suffering in your life. Let it cast you down 00:31:01.710 --> 00:31:08.599 onto Christ. Don't push it away. Embrace it, 00:31:08.619 --> 00:31:11.980 brothers and sisters, and let it do its work 00:31:11.980 --> 00:31:14.900 in your life and drive you to Christ by faith. 00:31:16.099 --> 00:31:20.619 To rid yourself of the vanity and the pride and 00:31:20.619 --> 00:31:22.960 the arrogance and the ingratitude and the sin 00:31:22.960 --> 00:31:25.559 and the corruption and to bring you to a place 00:31:25.559 --> 00:31:28.079 where you are more reliant and dependent on the 00:31:28.079 --> 00:31:32.400 living God by faith. That's one of the grand 00:31:32.400 --> 00:31:37.210 purposes. Of suffering in the life of God's people. 00:31:38.609 --> 00:31:43.390 So, David has this communion because the Lord 00:31:43.390 --> 00:31:50.769 is with him. We also must consider that David 00:31:50.769 --> 00:31:58.009 enjoys this communion. Because he recognizes 00:31:58.009 --> 00:32:04.289 that God is with him. For you are with me. What 00:32:04.289 --> 00:32:08.769 is he doing? He's consciously recognizing the 00:32:08.769 --> 00:32:14.069 fact that God is with him. He has the knowledge 00:32:14.069 --> 00:32:22.789 that God is with him. He's setting the Lord before 00:32:22.789 --> 00:32:27.450 himself. In a sense, we could say David is putting 00:32:27.450 --> 00:32:32.960 himself into the presence of God. By recognizing 00:32:32.960 --> 00:32:39.700 that God is with him. Psalm 16 .8 says, I have 00:32:39.700 --> 00:32:44.359 set the Lord continually before me. What's he 00:32:44.359 --> 00:32:48.440 mean? He means that he is recognizing that God 00:32:48.440 --> 00:32:52.380 is with him. We are always before the face of 00:32:52.380 --> 00:32:55.279 God, right, brothers and sisters? We know this. 00:32:56.180 --> 00:32:58.809 We are always in his presence. But that does 00:32:58.809 --> 00:33:01.509 not mean that we always set the Lord before us. 00:33:02.410 --> 00:33:04.930 That does not mean that we always put the Lord 00:33:04.930 --> 00:33:07.450 in front of us. It does not mean that we always 00:33:07.450 --> 00:33:10.109 recognize and remember and recall the fact that 00:33:10.109 --> 00:33:14.990 God is with us. That's what David is doing here. 00:33:15.549 --> 00:33:19.950 He's recognizing that God is with him. And this 00:33:19.950 --> 00:33:22.869 knowledge that God is with him is a source of 00:33:22.869 --> 00:33:26.910 great strength. It is a source of great confidence 00:33:26.910 --> 00:33:30.289 and boldness. What does he say? Your rod and 00:33:30.289 --> 00:33:35.230 your staff, they comfort me. He derives comfort 00:33:35.230 --> 00:33:38.549 from the reality that God in his sovereignty 00:33:38.549 --> 00:33:45.609 and his power is with him in the suffering. But 00:33:45.609 --> 00:33:49.349 we also find in the second half of Psalm 16, 00:33:49.490 --> 00:33:54.250 8, he says, because you are at my right hand, 00:33:54.569 --> 00:34:00.829 I shall not. be shaken. What about when David 00:34:00.829 --> 00:34:05.069 says, I fear no evil? What's the basis for that 00:34:05.069 --> 00:34:10.170 statement? The fact that the Lord is with David. 00:34:10.730 --> 00:34:15.489 He derives great comfort, peace, hope, and confidence 00:34:15.489 --> 00:34:19.789 to endure and press on in trial from the fact 00:34:19.789 --> 00:34:24.550 that God is intimately involved, intimately with 00:34:24.550 --> 00:34:31.170 him. and actively present and working in his 00:34:31.170 --> 00:34:40.190 situation. Knowing who is with you has a great 00:34:40.190 --> 00:34:44.650 effect on our confidence in life, I believe, 00:34:44.769 --> 00:34:53.409 brothers and sisters. Yes, trials can be large 00:34:53.409 --> 00:34:58.340 and big and expansive. Suffering can be and seem 00:34:58.340 --> 00:35:03.679 overwhelming. Hardship in our lives can seem 00:35:03.679 --> 00:35:07.380 continual, like a battering ram that picks us 00:35:07.380 --> 00:35:10.280 up and whacks us down all in one movement, over 00:35:10.280 --> 00:35:12.940 and over and over, and we think, what is going 00:35:12.940 --> 00:35:23.590 on? They seem like giants at times. They seem 00:35:23.590 --> 00:35:27.570 insurmountable at times in our lives. When the 00:35:27.570 --> 00:35:30.449 darkness is all around us and we're in the midst 00:35:30.449 --> 00:35:36.130 of the valley, it can seem very, very frightening 00:35:36.130 --> 00:35:40.250 and very, very overwhelming. But this is when 00:35:40.250 --> 00:35:48.969 it's important to remember who is with you. To 00:35:48.969 --> 00:35:52.409 remember who... is at your right hand in the 00:35:52.409 --> 00:35:56.329 midst of your trial, in the midst of your suffering, 00:35:56.409 --> 00:35:59.110 in the midst of your affliction. Yes, this affliction 00:35:59.110 --> 00:36:02.070 may be severe, but is it bigger and greater and 00:36:02.070 --> 00:36:07.269 mightier than God himself? No. God is with me. 00:36:08.449 --> 00:36:12.690 Is this suffering or this trial so expansive 00:36:12.690 --> 00:36:15.849 that it cannot be controlled and it cannot be 00:36:15.849 --> 00:36:21.039 used for your good? No, God is with me, brothers 00:36:21.039 --> 00:36:25.179 and sisters. The knowledge of who is with you 00:36:25.179 --> 00:36:29.360 has the distinct ability to strengthen you in 00:36:29.360 --> 00:36:36.760 this life. To bolster you for the suffering and 00:36:36.760 --> 00:36:40.679 to face the suffering that you're presently in, 00:36:40.699 --> 00:36:47.480 in your life. All of this should encourage us 00:36:48.780 --> 00:36:55.340 to seek and enjoy communion with God in our lives 00:36:55.340 --> 00:37:02.800 all the time, but especially in suffering, brothers 00:37:02.800 --> 00:37:07.780 and sisters. When trials come in your life, that 00:37:07.780 --> 00:37:12.679 is not the time to throw away your Bible. That 00:37:12.679 --> 00:37:17.800 is not the time. To stop getting on your knees 00:37:17.800 --> 00:37:22.199 and seeking the face of God. When the darkness 00:37:22.199 --> 00:37:25.159 arrives, that is the time to seek out the face 00:37:25.159 --> 00:37:29.619 of God more than you ever have. That is the time 00:37:29.619 --> 00:37:32.340 to fellowship with Him more than you ever have. 00:37:33.900 --> 00:37:36.900 That is the time to lean into your fellowship 00:37:36.900 --> 00:37:41.059 and your communion with the living God by faith. 00:37:42.780 --> 00:37:47.460 We will not. As stated earlier about Job, we 00:37:47.460 --> 00:37:50.019 will not always have the sensible or felt presence 00:37:50.019 --> 00:37:54.219 of God in trials. At times you will, and you 00:37:54.219 --> 00:37:58.340 will enjoy that blessing. At other times, you 00:37:58.340 --> 00:38:03.780 will not. So what do we need to do in the darkness 00:38:03.780 --> 00:38:10.400 and in the suffering? When it arrives, we need 00:38:10.400 --> 00:38:13.630 to look to the Word of God. Over and over and 00:38:13.630 --> 00:38:20.110 over. Because these are promises. The fact that 00:38:20.110 --> 00:38:24.070 God is with David, that's a promise, brothers 00:38:24.070 --> 00:38:27.869 and sisters. And that means that we have to go 00:38:27.869 --> 00:38:30.150 to the word of God and we have to believe that 00:38:30.150 --> 00:38:33.269 promise and we have to lean on that promise like 00:38:33.269 --> 00:38:38.369 Jacob leaned on his staff. We have to cast ourselves 00:38:38.369 --> 00:38:41.309 on it. We have to bring those promises before 00:38:41.309 --> 00:38:44.650 God. Lord, you said you would be an ever -present 00:38:44.650 --> 00:38:48.389 help in my times of trouble. Bring them to the 00:38:48.389 --> 00:38:54.590 Lord and recognize that God will never leave 00:38:54.590 --> 00:38:56.590 you and he will never forsake you. And do you 00:38:56.590 --> 00:39:03.849 know why? Because Christ died for sinners. No 00:39:03.849 --> 00:39:07.920 promise of God will be revoked. And no promise 00:39:07.920 --> 00:39:11.659 of God will be left incomplete or unfulfilled 00:39:11.659 --> 00:39:13.619 in the life of the believer. That means that 00:39:13.619 --> 00:39:17.920 he will always be with the believer. That means 00:39:17.920 --> 00:39:20.079 he will always be present. And that means he 00:39:20.079 --> 00:39:22.440 will always be actively working in your life. 00:39:22.519 --> 00:39:25.159 In the dark moments and in the pleasant moments 00:39:25.159 --> 00:39:28.699 of your life. Because Christ died. He secured 00:39:28.699 --> 00:39:35.820 the guarantee of God's promises. All the promises 00:39:35.820 --> 00:39:39.639 of God are yes and amen in Christ, brothers and 00:39:39.639 --> 00:39:44.079 sisters. So, when we're tempted to doubt that 00:39:44.079 --> 00:39:49.860 God is with me or with you, look to the cross 00:39:49.860 --> 00:39:57.440 of Calvary. Christ died for me. The Spirit of 00:39:57.440 --> 00:40:01.969 God makes those promises effective in me. God's 00:40:01.969 --> 00:40:06.289 providence supports me in my life. Look to the 00:40:06.289 --> 00:40:10.889 cross when you are threatened to doubt. Look 00:40:10.889 --> 00:40:14.989 to the cross and be reminded of God's faithfulness 00:40:14.989 --> 00:40:20.110 and the fact that He will fulfill every promise 00:40:20.110 --> 00:40:22.570 to His people.