What God Does For Us
Psalm 86
Chuck Sligh
April 29, 2012
TEXT: Psalm 86 – “Bow down thine ear, O LORD, hear me: for I am poor and needy. 2 Preserve my soul; for I am holy: O thou my God, save thy servant that trusteth in thee. 3 Be merciful unto me, O Lord: for I cry unto thee daily. 4 Rejoice the soul of thy servant: for unto thee, O Lord, do I lift up my soul. 5 For thou, Lord, art good, and ready to forgive; and plenteous in mercy unto all them that call upon thee. 6 Give ear, O LORD, unto my prayer; and attend to the voice of my supplications. 7 In the day of my trouble I will call upon thee: for thou wilt answer me. ΒΆ 8 Among the gods there is none like unto thee, O Lord; neither are there any works like unto thy works. 9 All nations whom thou hast made shall come and worship before thee, O Lord; and shall glorify thy name. 10 For thou art great, and doest wondrous things: thou art God alone. 11 Teach me thy way, O LORD; I will walk in thy truth: unite my heart to fear thy name. 12 I will praise thee, O Lord my God, with all my heart: and I will glorify thy name for evermore. 13 For great is thy mercy toward me: and thou hast delivered my soul from the lowest hell. 14 O God, the proud are risen against me, and the assemblies of violent men have sought after my soul; and have not set thee before them. 15 But thou, O Lord, art a God full of compassion, and gracious, longsuffering, and plenteous in mercy and truth. 16 O turn unto me, and have mercy upon me; give thy strength unto thy servant, and save the son of thine handmaid. 17 Shew me a token for good; that they which hate me may see it, and be ashamed: because thou, LORD, hast holpen me, and comforted me.”
INTRODUCTION
The moment the Apostle Paul was saved on the road to Damascus, he asked God, “Lord, what will you have me to do?” (Acts 9:6) And that’s true of every truly saved person. You who were saved not by You works but by faith in Jesus Christ—you turned to the One who saved you, and asked, “Lord, what do you want me to do now?”
And then you learned the answer:
• You learned that you needed to publically identify with Christ by being baptized
• You learned that you needed to be a member of a good, Bible-teaching church.
• You learned you need to faithfully be a part of a homegroup to cultivate close relationships with other believers and stir one another in faith and love.
• You learned you need to serve the Lord in some ministry.
• You learned you need to study and learn God’s Word and to pray to God regularly.
• You learned you need to live a life of integrity and honesty and love and compassion.
• You learned to share with faith with others so they can come to know Christ.
• You learned that everything in your life needs to be pleasing to the Lord.
This is all well and good and healthy, and signs of genuine conversion to Christ. But sometimes we forget that just as we should do things for GOD, God does things for US.
Oh, what a blessing to be a Christian! In Psalm 86, David mentions six things God DOES for His children and several things God IS for His children. Next week, we’ll see what God IS for us as His children. Today, let’s focus on some wonderful things God DOES for us who are His children.
I. FIRST, I’D LIKE YOU TO SEE THAT HE LISTENS TO US IN VERSES 1 and 6
Let’s read these two verses again:
Verse 1 – “Bow down thine ear, O LORD, hear me: for I am poor and needy.”
Verse 6 – “Give ear, O LORD, unto my prayer; and attend to the voice of my supplications.”
God is not an impersonal force who’s not concerned with our problems and our welfare. He’s a PERSONAL Being who’s vitally interested in every area of our lives; who’s concerned with our problems and difficulties; who gives attention to our day-to-day affairs. He LISTENS to us and He HEARS US when we pray. He’s close and available, waiting for us to confer with Him, and waiting for us to seek His help and His care and His guidance and His direction.
Illus. – I remember years ago when my youngest son, Allen, came to me in the living room to tell me about something or the other. He talked for about 3 full minutes, but I was preoccupied with reading the paper and was just saying, “Mmm-huh, Mmm-huh.”
Finally, he got up close to me, grabbed my face in his hands and turned it to him and said, “Daddy, I’m talking but you’re not really listenen’. It’s ’PORTENT.”
I suddenly gave him my full and undivided attention (I had no choice!).
You know, God is not like that: He’s NEVER preoccupied; He NEVER misses a thing we say; and everything we say to Him is “’portent.”
However, there are times when God chooses not to hear us…
• One instance is found in John 9:3, where Jesus said, “Now we know that God heareth not sinners: but if any man be a worshipper of God, and doeth his will, him he heareth.” God doesn’t promise to hear an unsaved person’s prayer except his prayer asking God to save him.
Illus. – Suppose your neighbor’s little boy comes over and asks you to buy him a bicycle. You’d say “Well, go ask your own daddy, not me. I’m not your daddy.” That’s the kind of request you would grant only for one of your own kids.
It’s the same with God: You cannot expect to have the privileges of a relationship with God unless you’re one of His kids.
• Another reason for God refusing to hear prayer is found in Psalm 66:18 – “If I regard iniquity [sin] in my heart, the Lord will not hear me.” This Psalmist was a believer in God, but he said, “If I allow sin [that is, if I leave it unconfessed] in my heart, the Lord will not hear me.” God doesn’t promise to hear the prayer of a backslider until he repents and turns away from his sin. Though nothing can take away our relationship as a son of God, sin damages our fellowship with Him.
Sin grieves Him and makes Him cross with us though He never stops loving us. When one of your children disobeys you, he or she doesn’t cease to be your son or daughter, but you’re very unhappy with him; your fellowship is broken. It’s only when he acknowledges what he’s done and asks you to forgive him that fellowship can be restored, yet you never ceased to love him.
So how do you restore fellowship with God once you have sinned so that God will hear your prayers? – John tells us, “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” (1 John 1:9)
II. SECOND, NOTE THAT GOD PRESERVES US – Verse 2 says, “Preserve my soul; for I am holy: O thou my God, save thy servant that trusteth in thee.”
Illus. – When I read this, it reminded me of my garden in North Carolina. When the tomatoes, zucchini, green beans, peas, corn and other vegetables were ready for harvesting—we’d have vegetables EVERYWHERE—all over the kitchen counters; in bags and buckets all over the floor; and in several rooms. We picked as many as we could and PRESERVED them. We preserved them by canning, where we heated them to a high temperature for a certain length of time, placed them in jars, and sealed the jars.
Preserving food does two things that have spiritual applications for us:
• First, preserving food makes it last.
When God preserves His people, He makes them last! This is what we call the “eternal security of the believer”—the truth that once a person places His trust in Jesus Christ and is truly saved, he is saved FOREVER and can NEVER lose his salvation.
Paul tells us in Philippians 1:6 – “Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ.” When God starts something, He finishes it! And if He started the good work of salvation in you, you can be as confident as Paul was that God will perform His work in you from the day of your salvation all the way to the “day of Jesus Christ.”
Well, what’s he mean by “the day of Jesus Christ?” Theologians tell us that the day of Christ is the DAY OF HIS RETURN. So Paul says you can be confident in one thing for sure—that what God STARTED in you the day of your salvation, He will continue and NEVER STOP until the very day of Christ’s return in the Rapture.
• Second, it keeps the food from contamination.
Paul said in 1 Corinthians 1:8-9 – “Who shall also confirm you unto the end, that ye may be blameless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. 9 God is faithful, by whom ye were called unto the fellowship of his Son Jesus Christ our Lord.” God says He will confirm you until the end, which is the “day of our Lord Jesus Christ”—again, the day of Christ’s return! The Greek word translated “confirm” here means “to keep you; establish you; make sure your final salvation happens.” And in what state does He promise we will be confirmed to the end?—BLAMELESS, which means WITHOUT SIN, that is—PRESERVED!
How can we know that?—Paul says because “God is faithful.” God keeps His promises; He performs what He says He’ll perform; He finishes the job; He saves us to the very end! If our salvation were dependent upon our own faithfulness, NONE OF US would have a chance because we’re not always faithful.
But God is faithful, and a faithful God who says that if you’ll believe in Him, you’ll have EVERLASTING LIFE—which by definition means life that never ends—will do exactly as He said He would.
III. THE THIRD THING GOD DOES FOR US IS HE GIVES US JOY – Verse 4 – “Rejoice the soul of thy servant: for unto thee, O Lord, do I lift up my soul.”
What a joy it is to serve God. In fact, you will only find real joy when you are right in the center of God’s will. The Psalmist says, “unto thee, O Lord, do I lift up my soul.”
The world will tell you that if you serve God, you’ll miss out; but the truth is that the ONLY place for abiding joy that lasts even during trial and trouble is found in serving and loving God. God gives us joy, but note three conditions of joy the Bible talk about:
• First is obedience to God – Jesus said in John 15:10-11 – “If ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide in my love; even as I have kept my Father's commandments, and abide in his love. 11 These things have I spoken unto you, that my joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full.” Jesus said He wants us to abide in His commandments so that our joy may be full. There is no more miserable person in all the world than a disobedient Christian.
• Second is walking in the Spirit. – Paul tells us in Galatians 5:22 that among other things, “The fruit of the Spirit is love, JOY, peace…” – Thus abiding joy comes as a result of walking in the Spirit—that is, walking close to Him, listening to His promptings and obeying Him each step of the way.
• Third is looking to JESUS to fill you up.
- If you’re looking to PEOPLE or RELATIONSHIPS to fill your cup and make you happy—whether it be a spouse, or a lover or a child or a parent or a friend—you’ll eventually be frustrated, because eventually, they’ll always fail you and let you down—causing you to lose your joy. Did you know that your husband or wife or child or parent will NEVER fully satisfy you and fulfill you and make you happy? If they could, you wouldn’t need the Lord!
If that’s what you’re doing, STOP IT!—You’re just making yourself and your flawed partner more and more unhappy. The Psalmist says, “unto thee, O Lord, do I lift up my soul.”
- If you’re looking for MATERIAL “STUFF” to fill your cup, your joy will last only as long as you can keep your material things new and shiny and up-to-date. – The Psalmist says, “unto thee, O Lord, do I lift up my soul.”
- If you’re looking for PLEASURE to fill your cup and meet your deepest needs, you’ll have joy only as long as you’re participating in pleasurable activity.
But if you’re looking to the LORD to fill your cup and give you satisfaction, He’ll never fail you, He never becomes outdated, and His joy is permanent. You can have the joy of the Lord even in the midst of great struggle and trial if you’re looking to the Lord for your joy and fulfillment.
Some of the most joyful people I’ve ever met were people suffering from infirmity, people with incapacities, people who were poor, people without spouses or children because their life was not wrapped up in their comfort or their health or their abilities or in things or in people. They were wrapped up in the Lord.
“Unto thee, O Lord do I lift up my soul.” I haven’t always done that, and when I haven’t, I always lost my joy. But when my heart was set on my Savior, I could sing with Nehemiah, “The joy of the Lord is my strength.” (Nehemiah 8:10b)
IV. THE FOURTH THING GOD DOES FOR US IS TEACH US – Verse 11 – “Teach me thy way, O LORD; I will walk in thy truth: unite my heart to fear thy name.”
I’m so glad I don’t have to figure out the Christian life by myself! God teaches me and leads me along and helps me grow in the Lord.
How does this happen? We aren’t filled with the knowledge of God the moment we’re saved. But Isaiah 28:9-10 explains how it happens: “Whom shall he teach knowledge? and whom shall he make to understand doctrine? them that are weaned from the milk, and drawn from the breasts. 10 For precept must be upon precept, precept upon precept; line upon line, line upon line; here a little, and there a little.”
I like that Patch the Pirate song titled “Little by Little” my boys used to sing. It goes like this:
Little by little, inch by inch.
By the yard it’s hard, by the inch, what a cinch.
Never stare up the stairs, just step up the steps.
Little by little, inch by inch.
God teaches us through His Holy Spirit little by little, bit by bit, but only as we listen and learn by studying God’s Word and listening to sound Bible teachers and good preaching and carefully listening to the Holy Spirit.
V. FIFTH, GOD DELIVERS US FROM HELL – Verse 13 – “For great is thy mercy toward me: and thou hast delivered my soul from the lowest hell.”
Hebrews 9:27 says, “It is appointed unto men once to die and after this the judgment.” This judgment is described in Revelation 20 in which all those without Christ will be judged by God and cast into the Lake of Fire. This is NOT where a thinking person would want to go.
The great thing is that you don’t HAVE to go there; God has provided an escape. Jesus Christ came to earth to die for your sins and take away your sins. If you’ll trust in Him as your Savior, you have the promise of Jesus Himself that you will live with Him for eternity in heaven.
Listen to what Jesus told a man named Nicodemus in John 3:
• Verse 16 – “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”
• Verse 18 – “He that believeth on Him is not condemned but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.”
• Verse 36 – “He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him.”
You see, God has given you a fire escape, but what good is a fire escape if you neglect it? Hebrews 2:3 says “How shall we escape if we neglect so great salvation…” Don’t neglect this great salvation provided by God through His wonderful Son.
VI. LASTLY, I’D LIKE YOU TO SEE THAT GOD HELPS AND COMFORTS US – Verse 17 – “Shew me a token for good; that they which hate me may see it, and be ashamed: because thou, LORD, hast helped me, and comforted me.”
When we are in the valley of despair, the Lord reaches down and helps us, and when He chooses to allow us to go through a trial for our good and His divine purposes, He is always there to comfort you. How many times have I faced an insurmountable obstacle in my life, or a seemingly unsolvable problem, or an unbearable trial in which God either came down and delivered me, or He took me in His arms and said, “I know this hurts; it hurts ME, but you must go through this fire for your own good and the good of my kingdom, but I will be with you; I will take care of you; I will comfort you.”
One of my favorite verses in all the Bible is 1 Peter 5:7 – “Casting all your care upon Him for He careth for you.” Dear friend, He does care for you and He will help and comfort you through your darkest hours.
CONCLUSION
The Psalmist reminds us that God is a good God who loves us and is committed to us. When you love someone and you’re committed to them, you do things for them, don’t you?
God loves you and He’s committed to you. Do you love Him, and are you committed to Him in return? If not, why not give your life to Christ today?
Christian, God does many things for you every day of your life. What are you doing for Him? How are you serving Him or pleasing Him with your life and actions? Time to get off the bleachers and get into the game for God.
