Revelation: Conflict, Babylon, and Victory

Psalm 16 - Part 3

Transcript: AI Transcript

Professor: John Weaver

Subject: New Testament Studies

Genre: Sermon

Dictation Name:

Date: 2008-04-20

Synopsis: In this sermon, John Weaver expounds Psalm 16:8, focusing on the confidence of trust. He emphasizes that the verse applies primarily to Jesus Christ, who set the Lord always before Him and was not moved despite suffering. Weaver draws applications for believers: to fix their eyes on Christ, know and do God's will, resist intimidation, and remain faithful to the end, assured of ultimate victory.

[John Weaver] Psalm 16, and let's read the first eight verses. We've covered through verse 7. Today, Lord willing, we'll make it through verse 8. And maybe I will be able to finish a 9 through 11 in the next message. But notice Psalm 16, beginning with verse 1. This is the Golden Psalm. We're on Part 3 today. David prays, Preserve thee, O God, for in thee do I put my trust. O my soul, thou hast said unto the Lord thy Lord, My goodness extendeth not to thee, but to the saints that are in the earth, and to the excellent, in whom is all my delight. Their sorrows shall be multiplied that hasten after another God.

[John Weaver] Their drink-offerings of blood will I not offer, nor take up their names into my lips. The Lord is the portion of mine inheritance, and of my cup thou maintainest my lot. The lines are fallen unto me in pleasant places, yea, I have a goodly heritage. I will bless the Lord who hath given me counsel. My reigns also instruct me in the night seasons. I accept the Lord always before me, because he is at my right hand, I shall not be moved." Let me take just a few moments to review.

[John Weaver] Remember, this is indeed the Golden Psalm. It is a psalm that applies primarily to Jesus Christ. It is a true messianic psalm. In the first part of this psalm, verses 1 through 3, we saw the confession of trust. We saw the confession of trust as it is expressed in prayer in verse 1. Preserve me, O Lord, O my God, for in Thee do I put my trust. And then we saw the confession of trust expressed in prosperity. in verses 2-3 where David was saying that there was nothing he could do to add to God. And of course, I went on and applied this primarily also to Jesus Christ where nothing that Jesus Christ did applied to God the Father. We've got to understand that God is absolutely perfect. Since He is perfect, nothing can be added to Him. Nothing can be taken from Him. God is so righteous that nothing can aid him or help him, and he is so righteous that nothing can be taken from him. So what did the work of Jesus Christ do?

[John Weaver] The Bible tells us it went to the saints that are in the earth, to the excellent in whom was all of his delight. Everything that Jesus Christ did, he did for us. Certainly he honored God the Father outwardly, externally in his obedience, but nothing was added to God. And then last week, we looked at the commitment, the contentment of trust, and we saw the curse of idolatry and the comfort of fidelity. So you have the curse of idolatry in verse four. Their sorrow shall be multiplied that hasten after another God.

[John Weaver] Their drink offerings are blood. Will I not offer nor take up their names into my lips? David said, I have so little respect or absolutely no respect for these false gods. I will not even mention them. I certainly will not attend any of their services. And then he talks about, in verses 5 through 7, the comfort of fidelity. He says, the Lord is the portion of mine inheritance, my cup, thou maintainest my lot. And of course, I hope you'll remember that I went through the Bible and I showed you That when we were saved by the grace of God, we inherited the Lord. The Bible says in Romans chapter 8 that our inheritance is God Himself. We are heirs of God and then the Bible says joint heirs with Jesus Christ. So everything that Jesus Christ received, we received because we're joint heirs together. But the Bible specifically said that we are heirs of God. So in the work that Jesus Christ accomplished, we became an heir of God. Well, the Bible also says, and I read it for you, how the Lord's portion is His people.

[John Weaver] So in this transaction, we got the Lord and He got us. And as I said last week, we got the better end of the bargain. So, but David says very clearly and the Lord says very clearly that Jehovah is his portion and God maintains his lot and the lines have fallen him in pleasant places. And of course, the Lord then is the counselor and our instructor as well.

[John Weaver] Now, today we come to the third point, and that is the confidence of trust. I'm only going to deal with verse 8 today. So look at verse 8. David says, I have set the Lord always before me, because He is at my right hand, I shall not be moved.

[John Weaver] Now, we must remember that this verse applies directly to Jesus Christ. Yes, there's an application that you can make to David. But this verse has reference to the greater David, the Lord Jesus Christ. Now, in verse 8, the scripture says, I have set the Lord always before me. So, The import of this Hebrew word is, I have equally set, or I have proposed.

[John Weaver] Now, I want you to hold Psalm 16, but turn over in your Bibles to the book of Acts, chapter 2, and if you don't mind, just mark that passage because we will come back to this verse in just a moment. I will call your attention to it again, but look in your Bibles, Acts 2 and verse 25. Because here is the passage where Psalm 16 verse 8 is directly applied to Jesus Christ. Acts 2 verse 25, for David speaketh concerning him, that is concerning Christ, and then here verse 8 is quoted, I foresaw the Lord always before my face, for he is on my right hand, that I should not be moved. Now right now, all I want to call your attention to is the word foresaw.

[John Weaver] The Greek word here literally means to see before, to keep before one's eyes, and to be mindful of one's ways. Now, whole Acts 2, but go back to Psalm 16 and look at verse 8. David says, I have set the Lord always before me. What is David saying? I have set the Lord before me. My eyes are fully and completely upon Him. I will not suffer. I will not allow my eyes to be removed from Him. So it is not just David now who is setting his eyes upon the One true and living God. It is also the Lord Jesus Christ who set His eyes upon His Father.

[John Weaver] Now, what the Bible is teaching us is simply this. that as both David and our Lord set God before their eyes, it means they did not serve Him with fits and feelings, stops and starts, up and down. No, no. Their service was constant and continuous. They put their hands upon the plow, so to speak, and did not look back. You know, I know that not everyone in this room was raised on a farm, but I was. And I had to plow ever since I was a boy. You know how you plow a straight row?

[John Weaver] You have to start the field off like this. You put the tractor or the mule, back when I was a boy, you put the tractor or the mule in the edge of the field. And you look up to the end of the field and pick out a post, or a tree, or some object that does not move. And you keep your eye upon that object until you get to the end of the field. When you get to the end of the field, you can turn around and look back, and that row will be just as straight as an arrow. But I tell you what, if you keep turning around and looking back while you're trying to plow that first row, you're going to have all kinds of crooks in it, I can assure you.

[John Weaver] It will be a crooked road. It will not be a straight road. You know what our Lord said in Luke 9, verse 62? Let me just quote it. And Jesus said unto them, No man, having put his hand to the plow, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God. So our Lord is telling us that David and he himself, the greater David, when they put their hand to the plow, they did not look back. They had their eyes fully and completely and totally set upon God. That's why the scripture in the book of Colossians chapter 3 and verse 2 says this, set your affection on things above and not on things of the earth.

[John Weaver] In other words, you pick out the object that you wish to serve and honor and worship and obey. You fix your eyes upon him and you don't look back. And that's exactly what the scripture is telling us here.

[John Weaver] Now, before I go on with this verse, I want you to look at verse eight again, because there is another word there that is vitally important. He says, I have set the Lord always. Before me. Always before me, so our Lord is saying that he never deviated, he never turned, he never hesitated. that God the Father was always before him. I want you to hold Psalm 16, but turn in your Bibles to John chapter 5 to begin with, and let me just show you a couple of verses that will express the attitude of our Lord. Look in John chapter 5 and verse 31st. I could multiply these verses, but these two will be sufficient.

[John Weaver] To demonstrate The competence of trust. Look at it if you would please. John 5 in verse 30. Our Lord says this. I can of mine own self do nothing. As I hear, I judge and my judgment is just because I seek not mine own will. But the will of the Father with sent me.

[John Weaver] Now I could stop right there. And preach all afternoon. I could give you illustration after illustration how our Lord sought the will of the Father, never deviated, never turned. Do you remember how he's tempted of the devil? How the devil tried to get him to turn bread into stones to cast himself from the temple? And what did our Lord say? It is written, man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out the mouth of God. It is written, Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God. He never deviated. He never took his eyes from the Lord. Even in the garden when he prayed and sweat great drops of sweat as blood, what did he say?

[John Weaver] Not my will, but thine be done. He set his eyes upon the Lord. Look in John 8 and verse 29. I have often thought of this verse. Would it be a blessing If you and I could truthfully say what our Lord said. Look in John 8 verse 29. Jesus Christ said, and he that sent me is with me. The Father has not left me alone. For I do always those things that please Him. Would it not be wonderful that if you and I could always do those things that please Him. Now, what did David say? David said, I've set the Lord always before mine eyes. I suppose one of the answers as to how that we can always please the Lord is that we always keep Him before our eyes. We understand that he is to be honored and worshiped in all things. So the confidence of trust then becomes evident when we understand that it is our duty, our privilege, our honor, and our responsibility to exercise this same confidence in the Lord that David did and Christ did to the Father.

[John Weaver] You say, well, how in the world do we exercise that same confidence? Well, May I remind you of Hebrews 11 in verse 6. Let me just quote it. But without faith it is impossible to please him. For he that cometh to God must want first believe that he is and secondly that he is a rewarder of those that diligently seek him. Without faith it is impossible to please the Lord.

[John Weaver] So we're to always set Him before our face. We're to acknowledge that He is, and that He is indeed a rewarder of those who faithfully seek Him. Let me give you a quote from Joseph Carl. And some of you probably do not know the name Joseph Carl, but he was an old Puritan. He was one of those expositors that took everything chapter by chapter, verse by verse, word by word, and Joseph Carl preached 40 years just on the book of Job. Just on the book of Job.

[John Weaver] I have many of his messages. He was quite an expositor, but here's what Joseph Carl said concerning Psalm 16 in verse 8. I have set the Lord always before me. He that by faith eyes God continually as his protector in trouble shall not be moved with any evil that he suffers. And he that eyes God by faith as his pattern in holiness shall not be moved from doing that which is good. This thought, the Lord is at our right hand, keeps us from turning either to the right hand or to the left. It is said of Enoch that he walked with God, Genesis 5, verse 22. And though the history of his life was very short, yet it is said a second time in Genesis 5, verse 24, that he walked with God. He walked so much with God that he walked as God.

[John Weaver] He did not walk as men. He walked so little like the world that his stay was little in the world. He was not, said the text, for God took him. He took him from the world to himself, or as the author to the Hebrews reports it, he was translated that he should not see death, for he had this testimony that he pleased God." So he's giving the illustration there of Enoch. Enoch walked with God because he walked as God.

[John Weaver] I liked what Lester Olaf used to say about that passage. Lester Wolof used to say that Enoch walked with God. And he walked so much with God. He was so much like God. And one day as they were walking, God said, Enoch, you know, it's closer to my house than yours. You just come home with me. He said, and that's what happened. And Enoch just walked in with the Lord and never came back. Well, that's certainly true. But when we set the Lord before us, always, He will continually be in our mind. What does it mean when we say, I've set the Lord always before me?

[John Weaver] It means that He is in our thoughts. He is in our desires. We want His will, His word and His way. Let me show you. Look in your Bibles, if you would, whole Psalm 16, but turn to Isaiah 26. Isaiah 26. And let's read verses 8 and 9. I have sent the Lord always before me. What does it mean? It means that we want His will, His word, His way. It means that the desire of our soul is to Him. So in Isaiah 26, beginning there in verse 8, look what the scripture says. Yea, in the way of thy judgments, O Lord, have we waited for thee. Now notice, in the way of thy judgments, in other words, our lives have been brought in conformity to your word. So yea, in the way of thy judgments, O Lord, have we waited for thee. The desire of our soul is to thy name and to the remembrance of thee. With my soul have I desired thee in the night. Yea, with my spirit within me will I seek thee early.

[John Weaver] For when thy judgments are in the earth, the inhabitants of the world will learn righteousness." Now notice what is said,"...with my soul have I desired thee in the night." I suppose that everyone in this room wakes up sometime during the night. The question is, what do you do when you wake up? I don't mean just get up and go to the bathroom. What's on your mind when you wake up? Do you wake up praying? Do you wake up saying, Lord, thank you for your protection. Thank you for your blessing. Lord, since I'm awake right now, please make me more holy, more godly, more desires of thee. What did Isaiah say? With my soul have I desired thee in the night. Yea, with my spirit within me will I seek thee early. And when you wake up in the morning, Is He still on your mind?

[John Weaver] Have you set Him before your face? Do you understand that if we really, genuinely desire to honor the Lord, it will set us to thinking, meditating, musing on how best we can honor Him and obey Him. So David said, I've set the Lord always before me. Christ now is to be set before us as the object of our faith and our hope. We trust in Him. We depend upon Him, not just merely for our salvation, but for everything in life, for our protection, for our provision, just as Christ set the Father before Himself. So we set now Christ before ourselves.

[John Weaver] We have an eye to His glory. He is to be the ultimate end of our action. He is to be the desire of our soul. We are to follow His orders and His commands. His word is to rule our lives in every area, in every aspect. It is His power, His grace, His mercy that is to be manifest in our lives. We are to follow His counsel, obey His covenant.

[John Weaver] and seek His support and encouragement in everything, just like Christ set the Father always before Him. So we're to set Christ always before us.

[John Weaver] Now go back to Psalm 16. Look at verse 8 again. So again, the psalmist said. Psalm 16, verse 8, I have set the Lord always before me.

[John Weaver] Now he says, because he is at my right hand, I shall not be moved. Because he is at my right hand, I shall not be moved. Now, in a recent sermon in Psalm 18, I went through and showed you the import of being at the right hand. But here this phrase is used to identify someone who has been taken in, so to speak, supported by someone. In other words, for instance, the right hand is not only a place of support and comfort, it is also a place of safeguard.

[John Weaver] Have you ever noticed little children? When they are scared or terrified, if their father is nearby, what do they do? They run and they wrap themselves around his leg and he usually puts his arm around them, usually the right arm, and they nuzzle under it and they stay there for the protection. Now, the psalmist said, because he is at my right hand. What does that imply? Well, Look in Psalm 109 to begin with. Psalm 109 and verse 31. Psalm 109 and verse 31. Look what the scripture says concerning the Lord. For he shall stand at the right hand of the poor, to save him from those that condemn his soul. He shall stand at the right hand of the poor. Why? To save him. Now, wait a minute. The psalmist said, because he is at my right hand. He's right here next to me. What's he implying? He's implying that he's going to be saved. He's going to be delivered because God is right there. Look in Psalm 121 and verse 5. Psalm 121 and verse 5.

[John Weaver] The sun shall not smite thee by day, nor the moon by night. That's verse 6. Verse 5. The Lord is thy keeper. The Lord is thy shade upon thy right hand. The sun shall not smite thee by day, nor the moon by night. The Lord shall preserve thee from all evil. He shall preserve thy soul. The Lord shall preserve thy going out and thy coming in from this time forth even forevermore. Now isn't it interesting in verse 5, he says the Lord is thy keeper. The Lord is thy shade. upon thy right hand." Well, he said, look, I'll preserve you from all evil. I'll preserve your coming out and your going in. The sun's not going to smite you by day, nor the moon's going to smite you by night. I am here. I will protect thee. So the Lord is not only here to protect, but also to counsel and to instruct.

[John Weaver] Now, I want you to go back Acts 2 and verse 25 because I told you earlier we would come back to this passage. Because Psalm 16 in verse 8 is applied directly to Christ in Acts 2 and verse 25 and I want to read this again in light. Of his statement, the Lord is at my right hand. I shall not be moved. So in Acts 2 and verse 25, for David speaketh concerning Him, Christ, I foresaw the Lord always before my face, for He is on my right hand. Note that I should not be moved.

[John Weaver] Now the Greek word for see here means to see before us or to be present with us or to regard Him as being near us. In other words, we are expecting assistance from Him. And that is the meaning here, that Christ expected, Christ waited for the blessing and protection and the power of God. When we Expect the Lord to be at our right hand. What we're saying in essence is this, we're helpless and we're dependent. We need you. We want you.

[John Weaver] We can't do without you. John Gill, that old Baptist Puritan said this, Christ always had Jehovah in view throughout the whole of his life. and in his last moments he had respect and for the glory of his perfections as the ultimate end of obedience and sufferings, and to his purposes, counsel, and covenant, which were to be accomplished by him, and to his will and command in preaching the gospel, working miracles, going about to do good, and

[John Weaver] obeying the precept, and bearing the penalty of the law, as well as to his promises and his power to assist Support and preserve him as man and mediator. So he is saying, what I have shown before in Scripture, that Christ always had reference to the Father and expected and waited for His support and His comfort and His assistance.

[John Weaver] Now, notice what else is said in verse 8. Psalm 16 verse 8, I have set the Lord always before me, Because He is at my right hand, I shall not be moved. I shall not be moved. In other words, no great evil, no great calamity should happen to me that would make me or force me or coerce me to move from keeping my eye upon the Lord and having Him always in front of me.

[John Weaver] So this phrase then denotes to sink into calamities or to fall into the power of the enemy. In other words, nothing like that will ever deter us. Since we're in Psalms, look in Psalm 62. Psalm 62. And I want you to look at verse 2 and verse 6. You're going to find that they are identical. Psalm 62, verse 2. With the exception of one word. Psalm 62 verse 2.

[John Weaver] Referring to God, he only is my rock and my salvation. He is my defense. I shall not be greatly moved.

[John Weaver] Now look at verse 6. He only is my rock and my salvation. He is my fence defense. I shall not be moved. So the expressing the expression then is one who is in calamities. But instead of falling, he puts his trust in the Lord and consequently deliverance is found. If you were to stop and I want you to just for a moment and think concerning Christ and all of the difficulties that he faced and all of the difficulties that he went through, Christ was not moved from his nation or from his place.

[John Weaver] Although everyone was against him, What does the scripture say? He came into his own, but his own received him not. So Christ was not moved from his place or his nation. He was not moved from the duty of his office. He was not moved from the execution of that office. All of the threats and menaces of men, all of the temptations of Satan, all the rebelliousness of the people, all the terrors of death, all the flaming sword of justice, all the wrath of God, did not move Christ from the accomplishment of His task.

[John Weaver] In the midst of every difficulty, in the midst of every calamity, He kept His eye upon His Father and remained unmoved. And unshaken. You know what the Scripture says in Isaiah 42 in verse 4, speaking of Christ, listen. He shall not fail nor be discouraged till he set judgment in the earth. The aisle shall wait for his law. He shall not fail nor be discouraged. How could he fail? How could he be discouraged? Because he had his eye always upon the Lord.

[John Weaver] Now, look in your Bibles. Turn, please, to Isaiah 50. I want to read four verses for you. Isaiah 50, showing you that Christ was not moved. Christ was not discouraged, even through all the sufferings. Look in Isaiah chapter 50. Beginning there with verse five, and this passage is also applied directly to Christ. In the New Testament in the book of Hebrews. Isaiah 50 and verse 5, the Lord God has opened my ear. And I was not rebellious need to turn back now. Wait a minute when he says the Lord God had opened my ear. It doesn't mean that Christ was deaf that he couldn't hear. What does it mean when he says the Lord God had opened my ear?

[John Weaver] Do you not remember in the Old Testament When a Hebrew servant had become a slave, he could be a slave for six years to a fellow Hebrew. But on the seventh year, he had to go free. Unless the slave came to his master and said, the master had given him his wife, I love my wife, I love my children, I love my master, I will not leave you. I will be your slave forever. Then the Master took the servant and opened his ear, bore a hole in his ear, so that everyone would know that he was a dedicated slave and a dedicated servant. Christ said to the Father, Thou hast opened my ear. I am your servant. He came to do the will of the Father. Now look, the Lord God hath opened mine ear.

[John Weaver] I was not rebellious, neither turned back. You look at everything that Christ went through. He says in verse 6, I gave my back to the smiters. He was beaten with a cat of nine tails, my cheeks to them that plucked off the hair. They plucked his beard out. I hidden up my face from shame and spitting. For the Lord God will help me. Therefore, shall I not be confounded? Therefore have I set my face like a flint, and I know that I shall not be ashamed.

[John Weaver] He is near that justifieth me. Who will contend with me? Let us stand together. Who is mine adversary? Let him come near to me. Behold, the Lord God will help me. Who is he that shall condemn me? Lo, they all shall wax old as a garment. The moths shall eat them up." Did you hear what he said? The Lord God will help me. In all of his difficulties, he was not moved.

[John Weaver] Nothing deterred him from his task, from his duty, from his responsibility, from his devotion, from his accomplishment. Now, let me ask you a question. How does all this about Christ apply to us? You say, Pastor, I know that Christ was the victor. I know that Christ is victorious in all things. Yes, when David said in Psalm 16 verse 8, I set the Lord always before me because he is at my right hand, I shall not be moved. Yes, that verse is applied directly to Jesus Christ in Acts 2 verse 25. So how does it all apply to me? Well, let me just tell you, we must remember that Christ is our example in all things.

[John Weaver] I want to give you very quickly today four ways that this applies to us. First, If we are not to be moved, we must set Christ before our eyes. If we are not to be moved, we must set Christ before our eyes. We must see him in order to prevail. I want you to think again of all the temptation, persecution and trouble that Moses went through. Think of the temptation that Moses faced with all the pride, the prestige, the power and riches of Egypt. Remember, the Bible tells us that Moses refused to be called the son of Pharaoh's daughter. What does that mean? That means Moses would have been in line to inherit the throne. Everything in Egypt would have been his. But he refused that. And when he refused that same power, then turned around and persecuted him. And Moses had to flee and leave Egypt and go and hide in the desert. But you know what the Bible says in Hebrews 11 and verse 27?

[John Weaver] Let me read it to you. By faith, Moses. By faith, Moses. forsook Egypt, not fearing the wrath of the king, for he endured as seeing him who is invisible. What's that tell you? He set the Lord before his eyes. Moses forsook Egypt, not fearing the wrath of the king, for he endured as seeing him who is invisible. You know, It would be interesting to study eyes in the Bible.

[John Weaver] Have you ever thought about that? The eyes? Have you ever considered that the first sin was committed by taking the eyes off the Lord and his word? In Genesis 3 and verse 5, we have the temptation. And the serpent said to Eve, for God doth know in the day that you eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened and you shall be as gods, knowing good and evil. Now, don't you listen to verse 6. And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food and pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took the fruit thereof and did eat, and gave also to her husband with her, and he did eat." You know what you have in Genesis 3 and verse 6? You have the lust of the eyes, the lust of the flesh, and the pride of life. And all three of those came because she took her eyes off the Lord. Consequently, since that time, man is imputed with sin, born in sin, and the scripture tells us in 1 John 2 and verse 16, for all that is in the world is the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the pride of life.

[John Weaver] It is not of the Father, but is of the world. Isn't that amazing? It all started with the eyes. I hope now that we can see why men cannot see. They're blind. Moses endured as seeing him who is invisible. The problem is. People are blind and they can't see the Lord. Look in your Bibles to Acts 28 and I want you to look closely at verse 27. Because the problem is not just that men cannot see. It is also that they do not want to see. It is true that they cannot see.

[John Weaver] They do not have the ability in and of themselves. But it's also true that they do not want to see. For in Acts chapter 28 and verse 27. The Apostle is quoting from Isaiah. And he says, for the heart of this people is wax gross, and their ears are dull of hearing, and their eyes have they closed. Why? Lest they should see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their heart, and should be converted, and I should heal them. But they purposely, deliberately close their ears and close their eyes so they cannot see and cannot hear. You know what? Those of us who can see. Ought to be able.

[John Weaver] To give the Lord honor and glory and praise. And we ought to be able to say with that man who was born blind in John 9 in verse 25 when they kept interrogating him. And asking him who it was that healed you, he says, I know not. But one thing I do know that whereas I was blind, now I see. You may not be able to explain regeneration, but one thing you do know that you now see what at one time you did not see. And let me tell you what one of the problems is. One of the problems, even among professing Christians, is that we do not see as clearly as we should see.

[John Weaver] Look in your Bibles to Revelation, Chapter three, Revelation, Chapter three. Hobie was talking earlier about the messages to the churches. In Revelation, Chapter three. You have another statement that I look. To the church. Revelation chapter 3 notice if you would please beginning there with verse 17. Revelation 3 verse 17 of course this is a message to the church at Laodicea. Revelation 3 verse 17 God says to the church not to the heathen now but to the church Because thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing. And knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked? I counsel thee to buy me gold tried in the fire, that thou mayest be rich, and white raiment, that thou mayest be clothed, and that the shame of thy nakedness do not appear, and anoint thine eyes with eye salve, that thou mayest see." You know what? And I know there are exceptions. I understand this. But when you talk and think about the church movement in America today, the mega churches, the big churches, they can say, I'm rich.

[John Weaver] I'm increasing the goods. I have need of nothing. That's what they actually think. We have driven by some church buildings and I told Alice, I said, you know, I'd be satisfied with just a buck for each brick that's in that building. You look at that church building on 75 north of Atlanta. Lord have mercy. There's millions of bricks in that building. You know, it's interesting that most of these churches have big buildings, only use them once or twice a week. I mean, really, they'll have multi-million dollar buildings, all that money invested and only use it one time a week, maybe twice. What did God say? Our Lord said, you say you're rich and you have plenty of goods and you have need nothing. But our Lord said, you don't even understand that you're poor and blind and wretched and naked and you need ISAZ.

[John Weaver] As you can see, and he was not talking to the heathen. He's talking to the church. The truth of the matter is this, folks, most of the profession professing Christians in this day and age cannot see the truth that's clearly enunciated in the Word of God. And if the truth was known, most of them really and truly do not even want to know the truth. Because if they knew it, They'd have to do something about it.

[John Weaver] You remember how Sarah lied. And so that Abraham was her brother, you remember that in Genesis 20. And Abimelech, the king, took her. And would have laid with her, but God came to him at night and said, that's a man's wife and you touch her, you're a dead man. I'll kill you. And Abimelech said, in the integrity of my heart, have I done this thing? Did I not? Did she not say that he's my brother? Did he not say she's my sister? And the Lord answered Abimelech and he said, yea, I know that thou didst this in the integrity of thine heart.

[John Weaver] Therefore, have I withheld thee from sinning against me? God did not allow Abimelech to touch Sarah. And the next morning, when Abimelech gave Sarah back to Abraham, He reproved Sarah and he said this, Behold he, that is Abraham, is to thee a covering of thine eyes and to all that are with thee and all other, thus she was reproved. And in other words, here's what he told Sarah.

[John Weaver] You need to look at no one but your husband. Period. He is the covering to your eyes. And dear friend, may I tell you, That applies to us as Christians. We need to look only at Jesus Christ. He is the covering to our eyes. He is our bridegroom. He is our husband. And we need to keep him before our eyes. If we are not going to be moved, we must have him before our eyes. Secondly, very quickly, if we are not to be moved, we must know God's will for our lives. We must know what our duty is. as it's revealed in the Word of God and never, ever deviate from that duty.

[John Weaver] Now, let me say it again. If we're not to be moved, we must know God's will for our lives. Christ knew the will of the Father and he did it. We must know God's will for our lives.

[John Weaver] Now, I can assure you there are many things in this world that we don't know. And we'll probably never know them until we get to glory. There are some things in this world that we do not understand, and we'll never understand them until we get to glory. But there is one thing that is very clear and very distinct. And that is the infallible, inerrant, inspired Word of God. There is one thing that is very clear and very distinct. That is the inspired, inerrant, infallible Word of God. I get so sometimes tickled, sometimes aggravated at people who want to get into these theological discussions that amount to absolutely nothing. Did you know at one time during the medieval ages, There was a theological discussion as to how many angels could stand on the head of a pen.

[John Weaver] What difference does it make? Who would know? Who could prove one way or the other? You know, people always want to talk. I heard about one man who preached seven sermons on the seven thunders out of the book of Revelation. And when the seven thunders uttered her voice and John was about to write, the angel said, seal up those and don't write that. How can you preach on the voice of the seven thunders when nobody knows what they said?

[John Weaver] Now, I'm telling you all that to give you Deuteronomy 29, 29, listen carefully. The secret things belong to the Lord our God. But the things which ye have revealed belong to us and our children forever, that we may do all the words of this law." Isn't that amazing? I don't know about the secret things of the Lord. I don't know why such and such happened. I don't know what happened 10,000 years ago or 5,000. I don't know. But I know one thing. God has revealed everything that we need to know in this book. And he revealed it so that we may do it and you may rest assured if you obey the word of God, you are doing the will of the Father. His word is given to.

[John Weaver] For the totality of our lives. And let me just simply make this clear, it's not just knowing the will of God that is important, it is doing the will of God. Our Lord said in John 13 in verse 17, if you know these things, happy are you if you do them. And then our Lord said in Luke 6 in verse 47, whoso cometh to me and heareth my sayings and doeth them, I will show you to whom he is like.

[John Weaver] You remember that passage in the book of James, chapter one, where he talks about a man If any man be a hearer and not a doer of the word, he is like a man beholding himself in a glass, or in a mirror, and straightway goeth and forgeteth what manner of man he was. But he said, Whosoever heareth and doeth my word, this man shall be blessed in his deed. So it's not just hearing the Word of God. We must actually do the Word of God. We must obey. We must bring our lives in conformity to the Word of God.

[John Weaver] Thirdly, if you want to know how this applies to us in Psalm 16 verse 8, if we are not to be moved, we must not be intimidated by the world, the flesh and the devil. Did criticism stop Christ? Did gossip, lies, slander, innuendos and downright hatred hinder Christ? No. How about threats of imprisonment? How about threats of persecution? How about threats of death? No. None of those stopped Christ. None of those hindered Christ. Well, let me ask you, how is it that you and I are so easily intimidated and frightened by the wicked. Do we need courage? Yes. Do we need character? Yes. Do we need conviction? Yes. But do you remember those questions that were asked by God in Psalm 94 and verse 16? Listen to these. Here's what God asked.

[John Weaver] Who will rise up for me against the evildoers? Or who will stand up for me against the workers of iniquity? What is he asking? He's asking for someone with some courage who will stand up and say, look, what you're doing is wicked and wrong and ungodly. Here's what God demands. You know, he said in Psalm 97 and verse 10, ye that love the Lord hate evil. Have you ever understood that you really can't love the Lord unless you hate the evil?

[John Weaver] You cannot embrace Opposites at the same time. If you love the Lord, you hate evil. If you love evil, you hate the Lord. It's just that simple. And so our Lord is saying we have to learn to be fearless and determined. Isn't it amazing that our enemies don't give a flip about what Christ says or the Word of God or our feelings or anything? They just hate Christ.

[John Weaver] And we are so Afraid that we're going to offend someone. Do you remember what our Lord said? When he got through preaching and his disciples came and said, knowest thou not that the Pharisees were offended at thy saying? Our Lord started shaking and trembling. He says, oh, that really bothers me. That really upsets me. Is that what happened? You know what our Lord said? Let them alone.

[John Weaver] Every plant which my heavenly Father hath not planted shall be rooted up. They be blind, leaders the blind. And if the blind lead the blind, they shall both fall in the ditch. So translated in good South Georgia language, when they said, knowest thou not that thou, the Pharisees were offended by saying? He said, tough stuff. They'll die in their sins. It doesn't bother me that they cannot and will not hear the truth of God.

[John Weaver] You know what the Bible says in 2 Timothy 1 verse 7? Here's a passage you need to remember. For God hath not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind. Now, if God has not given us a spirit of fear, then we have to ask the question, From where does fear arrive? Where does it come from? The only places left are the world, the flesh, and the devil. If God doesn't give it to us, that means we're intimidated either by the world, the flesh, or the devil. Why should we be intimidated? by all of that which is going to perish and be destroyed when we have the sovereign, omnipotent, eternal God at our right hand.

[John Weaver] I shall not be moved. Fourthly, very quickly, if you're not to be moved, and if you experience God's protection and ultimate deliverance, you must remain faithful to the end. Did Christ remain faithful to the end? Sure. You know, it seems to me. That I read somewhere in the Bible that there's a great deal concerning this truth about being faithful to the end. Somewhere, for instance, Hebrews three and verse six, let me read it. But Christ is the Son of His own house, whose house we are if we hold fast the confidence and rejoicing of hope firm unto the end." How about Hebrews 3.14? We are made partakers of Christ if we hold the beginning of our confidence steadfast unto the end. How about Hebrews 6.11? And we desire that every one of you do show the same diligence to the full assurance of hope unto the end.

[John Weaver] How about Revelation 2, 26? And he that overcometh and keepeth my works unto the end will I give him power over all the nations. How about Revelation 2 in verse 10? For none of these things which thou shalt suffer For none of these things which thou shalt suffer, behold, the devil shall cast some of you, fear none of these things thou shalt suffer, behold, the devil shall cast some of you into a prison that you may be tried, and you shall have tribulation ten days. Be thou faithful until death, and I will give thee the crown of life."

[John Weaver] Now, I want you to go back to Psalm 16 and look at verse 8, and I'm going to just make one comment and I'm going to close, but look at Psalm 16, verse 8. Please understand the impact and the application of this verse to each of us. David said, I have set the Lord always before me, always, because He is at my right hand, I shall not be moved. What does that mean? Here it is.

[John Weaver] We must learn to never give up, never give in, never quit, never compromise, never be discouraged, never be depressed. Why? We are not victims. We are the victor. We are not the conquered. We are the conquerors. In fact, Scripture tells us that we are more than conquerors in Jesus Christ. How in the world could you not be faithful when you know and understand that ultimately you will win?

[John Weaver] And not just temporarily, but permanently and for eternity. I've got news for you. We've already won. Because Christ is risen from the dead. He's seated at the right hand of God. And as our sovereign God told His Son, sit thou here till I make thine enemies thy footstool. Can you say with David? Can you say with Christ? I've set the Lord always before me. Because he is at my right hand, I shall not be moved. Let's pray. Father, in the name of Jesus Christ, we ask that you would help us speak to our hearts, deal in our souls. Give us, Lord, a holy determination that we will always set thee before our eyes. that we would always trust in Thee. And because Thou art our right hand, we'll never be moved. May we never give up, never get in, never quit, never compromise, but stand true and faithful unto Thee. In the name of Jesus Christ our Lord, Amen.

[John Weaver] This program was produced by Dominion Ministry. For more information about Pastor Weber's sermons, you may contact Dominion Ministry by mail at 7400 Abercorn, that's A-B-E-R-C-O-R-N, Street, Suite 705, PMD 175, Savannah, Georgia, 31406. Or give us a call at 912-833-7000. You can also visit our website at www.dominionministry.com

Psalm 16 - Part 3

John Weaver | SermonAudio

Lecture Metadata	Details
Speaker	John Weaver
Source	SermonAudio
Media ID	97081826238
Subject	New Testament Studies
Course	Revelation: Conflict, Babylon, and Victory
Genre	Sermon
Date	2008-04-20
Dictation Name
Book	Book 159: Psalm 16 — Chapter 3
Source Timed Segments	77

Formatted Transcript

Introduction and Review

Weaver reviews the previous parts of Psalm 16, covering the confession of trust (vv. 1-3) and the contentment of trust (vv. 4-7), highlighting that the psalm is messianic and applies primarily to Christ.

Psalm 16, and let's read the first eight verses. We've covered through verse 7. Today, Lord willing, we'll make it through verse 8. And maybe I will be able to finish 9 through 11 in the next message. But notice Psalm 16, beginning with verse 1. This is the Golden Psalm. We're on Part 3 today. David prays,

Scripture Reading — Psalm 16:1-8

"Preserve me, O God, for in thee do I put my trust. O my soul, thou hast said unto the Lord, Thou art my Lord: my goodness extendeth not to thee; but to the saints that are in the earth, and to the excellent, in whom is all my delight. Their sorrows shall be multiplied that hasten after another god."

"Their drink offerings of blood will I not offer, nor take up their names into my lips. The Lord is the portion of mine inheritance and of my cup: thou maintainest my lot. The lines are fallen unto me in pleasant places; yea, I have a goodly heritage. I will bless the Lord, who hath given me counsel: my reins also instruct me in the night seasons. I have set the Lord always before me: because he is at my right hand, I shall not be moved." Let me take just a few moments to review. Remember, this is indeed the Golden Psalm. It is a psalm that applies primarily to Jesus Christ. It is a true messianic psalm. In the first part of this psalm, verses 1 through 3, we saw the confession of trust. We saw the confession of trust as it is expressed in prayer in verse 1: "Preserve me, O Lord, O my God: for in thee do I put my trust." And then we saw the confession of trust expressed in prosperity in verses 2-3, where David was saying that there was nothing he could do to add to God. And of course, I went on and applied this primarily also to Jesus Christ, where nothing that Jesus Christ did applied to God the Father. We've got to understand that God is absolutely perfect. Since He is perfect, nothing can be added to Him. Nothing can be taken from Him. God is so righteous that nothing can aid him or help him, and he is so righteous that nothing can be taken from him. So what did the work of Jesus Christ do?

The Bible tells us it went to the saints that are in the earth, to the excellent in whom was all of his delight. Everything that Jesus Christ did, he did for us. Certainly he honored God the Father outwardly, externally in his obedience, but nothing was added to God. And then last week, we looked at the commitment, the contentment of trust, and we saw the curse of idolatry and the comfort of fidelity. So you have the curse of idolatry in verse four: "Their sorrows shall be multiplied that hasten after another god." "Their drink offerings of blood will I not offer, nor take up their names into my lips." David said, "I have so little respect or absolutely no respect for these false gods. I will not even mention them. I certainly will not attend any of their services." And then he talks about, in verses 5 through 7, the comfort of fidelity. He says, "The Lord is the portion of mine inheritance, my cup: thou maintainest my lot." And of course, I hope you'll remember that I went through the Bible and I showed you that when we were saved by the grace of God, we inherited the Lord. The Bible says in Romans chapter 8 that our inheritance is God Himself. We are heirs of God and then the Bible says joint heirs with Jesus Christ. So everything that Jesus Christ received, we received because we're joint heirs together. But the Bible specifically said that we are heirs of God. So in the work that Jesus Christ accomplished, we became an heir of God. Well, the Bible also says, and I read it for you, how the Lord's portion is His people.

So in this transaction, we got the Lord and He got us. And as I said last week, we got the better end of the bargain. So, but David says very clearly and the Lord says very clearly that Jehovah is his portion and God maintains his lot and the lines have fallen him in pleasant places. And of course, the Lord then is the counselor and our instructor as well.

The Confidence of Trust: Setting the Lord Always Before Us

Weaver introduces verse 8, explaining that 'I have set the Lord always before me' means constant, unwavering focus on God, as exemplified by David and perfectly by Christ.

Now, today we come to the third point, and that is the confidence of trust. I'm only going to deal with verse 8 today. So look at verse 8. David says, "I have set the Lord always before me: because he is at my right hand, I shall not be moved."

Now, we must remember that this verse applies directly to Jesus Christ. Yes, there's an application that you can make to David. But this verse has reference to the greater David, the Lord Jesus Christ. Now, in verse 8, the scripture says, "I have set the Lord always before me." So, the import of this Hebrew word is, "I have equally set," or "I have proposed."

Now, I want you to hold Psalm 16, but turn over in your Bibles to the book of Acts, chapter 2, and if you don't mind, just mark that passage because we will come back to this verse in just a moment. I will call your attention to it again, but look in your Bibles, Acts 2 and verse 25. Because here is the passage where Psalm 16 verse 8 is directly applied to Jesus Christ. Acts 2 verse 25,

Scripture Reading — Acts 2:25

"For David speaketh concerning him,"

that is concerning Christ, and then here verse 8 is quoted,

Scripture Reading — Acts 2:25

"I foresaw the Lord always before my face, for he is on my right hand, that I should not be moved."

Now right now, all I want to call your attention to is the word "foresaw." The Greek word here literally means "to see before," "to keep before one's eyes," and "to be mindful of one's ways." Now, hold Acts 2, but go back to Psalm 16 and look at verse 8. David says,

Scripture Reading — Acts 2:25

"I have set the Lord always before me."

What is David saying? "I have set the Lord before me. My eyes are fully and completely upon Him. I will not suffer. I will not allow my eyes to be removed from Him." So it is not just David now who is setting his eyes upon the one true and living God. It is also the Lord Jesus Christ who set His eyes upon His Father.

Now, what the Bible is teaching us is simply this: that as both David and our Lord set God before their eyes, it means they did not serve Him with fits and feelings, stops and starts, up and down. No, no. Their service was constant and continuous. They put their hands upon the plow, so to speak, and did not look back. You know, I know that not everyone in this room was raised on a farm, but I was. And I had to plow ever since I was a boy. You know how you plow a straight row?

You have to start the field off like this. You put the tractor or the mule, back when I was a boy, you put the tractor or the mule in the edge of the field. And you look up to the end of the field and pick out a post, or a tree, or some object that does not move. And you keep your eye upon that object until you get to the end of the field. When you get to the end of the field, you can turn around and look back, and that row will be just as straight as an arrow. But I tell you what, if you keep turning around and looking back while you're trying to plow that first row, you're going to have all kinds of crooks in it, I can assure you.

It will be a crooked road. It will not be a straight road. You know what our Lord said in Luke 9, verse 62? Let me just quote it.

Scripture Reading — Luke 9:62

"And Jesus said unto them, No man, having put his hand to the plow, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God."

So our Lord is telling us that David and he himself, the greater David, when they put their hand to the plow, they did not look back. They had their eyes fully and completely and totally set upon God. That's why the scripture in the book of Colossians chapter 3 and verse 2 says this, "Set your affection on things above and not on things of the earth."

In other words, you pick out the object that you wish to serve and honor and worship and obey. You fix your eyes upon him and you don't look back. And that's exactly what the scripture is telling us here. Now, before I go on with this verse, I want you to look at verse eight again, because there is another word there that is vitally important. He says, "I have set the Lord always before me." Always before me, so our Lord is saying that he never deviated, he never turned, he never hesitated. That God the Father was always before him. I want you to hold Psalm 16, but turn in your Bibles to John chapter 5 to begin with, and let me just show you a couple of verses that will express the attitude of our Lord. Look in John chapter 5 and verse 30. I could multiply these verses, but these two will be sufficient.

Christ's Example of Unwavering Focus

Using John 5:30 and John 8:29, Weaver shows that Christ always sought the Father's will and did what pleased Him, never deviating even under temptation and suffering.

To demonstrate the confidence of trust. Look at it if you would please. John 5 in verse 30. Our Lord says this:

Scripture Reading — John 5:30

"I can of mine own self do nothing: as I hear, I judge: and my judgment is just; because I seek not mine own will, but the will of the Father which hath sent me."

Now I could stop right there and preach all afternoon. I could give you illustration after illustration how our Lord sought the will of the Father, never deviated, never turned. Do you remember how he's tempted of the devil? How the devil tried to get him to turn bread into stones, to cast himself from the temple? And what did our Lord say? "It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God." "It is written, Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God." He never deviated. He never took his eyes from the Lord. Even in the garden when he prayed and sweat great drops of sweat as blood, what did he say?

"Not my will, but thine be done." He set his eyes upon the Lord. Look in John 8 and verse 29. I have often thought of this verse. Would it be a blessing if you and I could truthfully say what our Lord said? Look in John 8 verse 29. Jesus Christ said,

Scripture Reading — John 8:29

"And he that sent me is with me: the Father hath not left me alone; for I do always those things that please him."

Would it not be wonderful that if you and I could always do those things that please him? Now, what did David say? David said, "I've set the Lord always before mine eyes." I suppose one of the answers as to how that we can always please the Lord is that we always keep Him before our eyes. We understand that he is to be honored and worshiped in all things. So the confidence of trust then becomes evident when we understand that it is our duty, our privilege, our honor, and our responsibility to exercise this same confidence in the Lord that David did and Christ did to the Father.

The Meaning of Setting the Lord Before Us

Weaver explains that setting the Lord before us involves having Him in our thoughts, desires, and seeking His will, word, and way, as illustrated by Isaiah 26:8-9.

It means that He is in our thoughts. He is in our desires. We want His will, His word and His way. Let me show you. Look in your Bibles, if you would, hold Psalm 16, but turn to Isaiah 26. Isaiah 26. And let's read verses 8 and 9. "I have set the Lord always before me." What does it mean? It means that we want His will, His word, His way. It means that the desire of our soul is to Him. So in Isaiah 26, beginning there in verse 8, look what the scripture says: "Yea, in the way of thy judgments, O Lord, have we waited for thee; the desire of our soul is to thy name, and to the remembrance of thee. With my soul have I desired thee in the night; yea, with my spirit within me will I seek thee early."

Scripture Reading — Isaiah 26:8-9

"For when thy judgments are in the earth, the inhabitants of the world will learn righteousness."

Now notice what is said,

Scripture Reading — Isaiah 26:8-9

"...with my soul have I desired thee in the night."

I suppose that everyone in this room wakes up sometime during the night. The question is, what do you do when you wake up? I don't mean just get up and go to the bathroom. What's on your mind when you wake up? Do you wake up praying? Do you wake up saying, "Lord, thank you for your protection. Thank you for your blessing. Lord, since I'm awake right now, please make me more holy, more godly, more desirous of thee." What did Isaiah say?

Scripture Reading — Isaiah 26:8-9

"With my soul have I desired thee in the night. Yea, with my spirit within me will I seek thee early."

And when you wake up in the morning, is He still on your mind?

Have you set Him before your face? Do you understand that if we really, genuinely desire to honor the Lord, it will set us to thinking, meditating, musing on how best we can honor Him and obey Him. So David said, "I've set the Lord always before me." Christ now is to be set before us as the object of our faith and our hope. We trust in Him. We depend upon Him, not just merely for our salvation, but for everything in life, for our protection, for our provision, just as Christ set the Father before Himself. So we set now Christ before ourselves.

The Lord at Our Right Hand: Protection and Support

Weaver discusses the significance of the Lord being at the right hand as a place of safeguard, support, and deliverance, citing Psalm 109:31 and Psalm 121:5.

Now he says, "Because he is at my right hand, I shall not be moved." Because he is at my right hand, I shall not be moved. Now, in a recent sermon in Psalm 18, I went through and showed you the import of being at the right hand. But here this phrase is used to identify someone who has been taken in, so to speak, supported by someone. In other words, for instance, the right hand is not only a place of support and comfort, it is also a place of safeguard. Have you ever noticed little children? When they are scared or terrified, if their father is nearby, what do they do? They run and they wrap themselves around his leg and he usually puts his arm around them, usually the right arm, and they nuzzle under it and they stay there for the protection. Now, the psalmist said, "Because he is at my right hand." What does that imply? Well, look in Psalm 109 to begin with. Psalm 109 and verse 31. Psalm 109 and verse 31. Look what the scripture says concerning the Lord:

Scripture Reading — Psalm 109:31

"For he shall stand at the right hand of the poor, to save him from those that condemn his soul."

He shall stand at the right hand of the poor. Why? To save him. Now, wait a minute. The psalmist said, "Because he is at my right hand." He's right here next to me. What's he implying? He's implying that he's going to be saved. He's going to be delivered because God is right there. Look in Psalm 121 and verse 5. Psalm 121 and verse 5.

"The sun shall not smite thee by day, nor the moon by night." That's verse 6. Verse 5: "The Lord is thy keeper: the Lord is thy shade upon thy right hand. The sun shall not smite thee by day, nor the moon by night. The Lord shall preserve thee from all evil: he shall preserve thy soul. The Lord shall preserve thy going out and thy coming in from this time forth, and even for evermore." Now isn't it interesting in verse 5, he says, "The Lord is thy keeper. The Lord is thy shade upon thy right hand." Well, he said, "Look, I'll preserve you from all evil. I'll preserve your coming out and your going in. The sun's not going to smite you by day, nor the moon's going to smite you by night. I am here. I will protect thee." So the Lord is not only here to protect, but also to counsel and to instruct.

Now, I want you to go back to Acts 2 and verse 25 because I told you earlier we would come back to this passage. Because Psalm 16 in verse 8 is applied directly to Christ in Acts 2 and verse 25 and I want to read this again in light of his statement, "The Lord is at my right hand. I shall not be moved." So in Acts 2 and verse 25, "For David speaketh concerning him," Christ, "I foresaw the Lord always before my face, for he is on my right hand, that I should not be moved."

Christ's Unmovable Resolve in Suffering

Weaver highlights that Christ was not moved by threats, temptations, or suffering, as prophesied in Isaiah 50:5-7, because He trusted in the Father's help.

In the midst of every difficulty, in the midst of every calamity, He kept His eye upon His Father and remained unmoved and unshaken. You know what the Scripture says in Isaiah 42 in verse 4, speaking of Christ, listen:

Scripture Reading — Isaiah 42:4

"He shall not fail nor be discouraged, till he have set judgment in the earth: and the isles shall wait for his law."

He shall not fail nor be discouraged. How could he fail? How could he be discouraged? Because he had his eye always upon the Lord.

Now, look in your Bibles. Turn, please, to Isaiah 50. I want to read four verses for you. Isaiah 50, showing you that Christ was not moved. Christ was not discouraged, even through all the sufferings. Look in Isaiah chapter 50. Beginning there with verse five, and this passage is also applied directly to Christ in the New Testament in the book of Hebrews. Isaiah 50 and verse 5, "The Lord God hath opened mine ear, and I was not rebellious, neither turned away back." Now wait a minute. When he says, "The Lord God hath opened mine ear," it doesn't mean that Christ was deaf that he couldn't hear. What does it mean when he says, "The Lord God hath opened mine ear"?

Do you not remember in the Old Testament when a Hebrew servant had become a slave, he could be a slave for six years to a fellow Hebrew. But on the seventh year, he had to go free. Unless the slave came to his master and said, "The master had given him his wife, I love my wife, I love my children, I love my master, I will not leave you. I will be your slave forever." Then the master took the servant and opened his ear, bore a hole in his ear, so that everyone would know that he was a dedicated slave and a dedicated servant. Christ said to the Father, "Thou hast opened mine ear. I am your servant." He came to do the will of the Father. Now look, "The Lord God hath opened mine ear.

I was not rebellious, neither turned away back." You look at everything that Christ went through. He says in verse 6, "I gave my back to the smiters," he was beaten with a cat of nine tails, "and my cheeks to them that plucked off the hair:" they plucked his beard out. "I hid not my face from shame and spitting. For the Lord God will help me; therefore shall I not be confounded: therefore have I set my face like a flint, and I know that I shall not be ashamed." "He is near that justifieth me; who will contend with me? let us stand together: who is mine adversary? let him come near to me. Behold, the Lord God will help me; who is he that shall condemn me? lo, they all shall wax old as a garment; the moth shall eat them up." Did you hear what he said? "The Lord God will help me." In all of his difficulties, he was not moved.

Application: How We Can Be Unmoved

Weaver provides four applications: set Christ before our eyes, know and do God's will, resist intimidation, and remain faithful to the end, drawing on examples like Moses and warnings to the church.

I want to give you very quickly today four ways that this applies to us. First, if we are not to be moved, we must set Christ before our eyes. If we are not to be moved, we must set Christ before our eyes. We must see him in order to prevail. I want you to think again of all the temptation, persecution and trouble that Moses went through. Think of the temptation that Moses faced with all the pride, the prestige, the power and riches of Egypt. Remember, the Bible tells us that Moses refused to be called the son of Pharaoh's daughter. What does that mean? That means Moses would have been in line to inherit the throne. Everything in Egypt would have been his. But he refused that. And when he refused that same power, then turned around and persecuted him. And Moses had to flee and leave Egypt and go and hide in the desert. But you know what the Bible says in Hebrews 11 and verse 27?

Let me read it to you. "By faith Moses, by faith Moses, forsook Egypt, not fearing the wrath of the king: for he endured, as seeing him who is invisible." What's that tell you? He set the Lord before his eyes. Moses forsook Egypt, not fearing the wrath of the king, for he endured as seeing him who is invisible. You know, it would be interesting to study eyes in the Bible. Have you ever thought about that? The eyes? Have you ever considered that the first sin was committed by taking the eyes off the Lord and his word? In Genesis 3 and verse 5, we have the temptation. And the serpent said to Eve,

Scripture Reading — Genesis 3:5-6

"For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil."

Now, don't you listen to verse 6.

Scripture Reading — Genesis 3:5-6

"And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat."

You know what you have in Genesis 3 and verse 6? You have the lust of the eyes, the lust of the flesh, and the pride of life. And all three of those came because she took her eyes off the Lord. Consequently, since that time, man is imputed with sin, born in sin, and the scripture tells us in 1 John 2 and verse 16, "For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world."

Isn't that amazing? It all started with the eyes. I hope now that we can see why men cannot see. They're blind. Moses endured as seeing him who is invisible. The problem is, people are blind and they can't see the Lord. Look in your Bibles to Acts 28 and I want you to look closely at verse 27. Because the problem is not just that men cannot see. It is also that they do not want to see. It is true that they cannot see.

They do not have the ability in and of themselves. But it's also true that they do not want to see. For in Acts chapter 28 and verse 27, the Apostle is quoting from Isaiah. And he says,

Scripture Reading — Acts 28:27

"For the heart of this people is waxed gross, and their ears are dull of hearing, and their eyes have they closed; lest they should see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their heart, and should be converted, and I should heal them."

But they purposely, deliberately close their ears and close their eyes so they cannot see and cannot hear. You know what? Those of us who can see ought to be able to give the Lord honor and glory and praise. And we ought to be able to say with that man who was born blind in John 9 in verse 25 when they kept interrogating him and asking him who it was that healed you, he says, "I know not: but one thing I know, that whereas I was blind, now I see." You may not be able to explain regeneration, but one thing you do know that you now see what at one time you did not see. And let me tell you what one of the problems is. One of the problems, even among professing Christians, is that we do not see as clearly as we should see.

Look in your Bibles to Revelation, chapter three. Revelation, chapter three. Hobie was talking earlier about the messages to the churches. In Revelation, chapter three, you have another statement that I look to the church. Revelation chapter 3, notice if you would please beginning there with verse 17. Revelation 3 verse 17, of course this is a message to the church at Laodicea. Revelation 3 verse 17, God says to the church, not to the heathen now but to the church:

Scripture Reading — Revelation 3:17-18

"Because thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing; and knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked: I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire, that thou mayest be rich; and white raiment, that thou mayest be clothed, and that the shame of thy nakedness do not appear; and anoint thine eyes with eyesalve, that thou mayest see."

You know what? And I know there are exceptions. I understand this. But when you talk and think about the church movement in America today, the mega churches, the big churches, they can say,

Scripture Reading — Revelation 3:17-18

"I'm rich. I'm increasing in goods. I have need of nothing."

That's what they actually think. We have driven by some church buildings and I told Alice, I said, "You know, I'd be satisfied with just a buck for each brick that's in that building." You look at that church building on 75 north of Atlanta. Lord have mercy. There's millions of bricks in that building. You know, it's interesting that most of these churches have big buildings, only use them once or twice a week. I mean, really, they'll have multi-million dollar buildings, all that money invested and only use it one time a week, maybe twice. What did God say? Our Lord said,

Scripture Reading — Revelation 3:17-18

"You say you're rich and you have plenty of goods and you have need of nothing."

But our Lord said,

Scripture Reading — Revelation 3:17-18

"You don't even understand that you're poor and blind and wretched and naked and you need eyesalve.

that you may see." And he was not talking to the heathen. He's talking to the church. The truth of the matter is this, folks, most of the professing Christians in this day and age cannot see the truth that's clearly enunciated in the Word of God. And if the truth was known, most of them really and truly do not even want to know the truth. Because if they knew it, they'd have to do something about it. You remember how Sarah lied and said that Abraham was her brother, you remember that in Genesis 20. And Abimelech, the king, took her. And would have lain with her, but God came to him at night and said, "That's a man's wife and if you touch her, you're a dead man. I'll kill you." And Abimelech said, "In the integrity of my heart have I done this thing. Did she not say, 'He is my brother'? Did he not say, 'She is my sister'?" And the Lord answered Abimelech and he said, "Yea, I know that thou didst this in the integrity of thine heart.

Therefore, have I withheld thee from sinning against me." God did not allow Abimelech to touch Sarah. And the next morning, when Abimelech gave Sarah back to Abraham, he reproved Sarah and he said this, "Behold, he," that is Abraham, "is to thee a covering of the eyes, unto all that are with thee, and with all other:" thus she was reproved. And in other words, here's what he told Sarah. "You need to look at no one but your husband. Period. He is the covering to your eyes." And dear friend, may I tell you, that applies to us as Christians. We need to look only at Jesus Christ. He is the covering to our eyes. He is our bridegroom. He is our husband. And we need to keep him before our eyes. If we are not going to be moved, we must have him before our eyes. Secondly, very quickly, if we are not to be moved, we must know God's will for our lives. We must know what our duty is, as it's revealed in the Word of God, and never, ever deviate from that duty.

Now, let me say it again. If we're not to be moved, we must know God's will for our lives. Christ knew the will of the Father and he did it. We must know God's will for our lives.

Now, I can assure you there are many things in this world that we don't know. And we'll probably never know them until we get to glory. There are some things in this world that we do not understand, and we'll never understand them until we get to glory. But there is one thing that is very clear and very distinct. And that is the infallible, inerrant, inspired Word of God. There is one thing that is very clear and very distinct. That is the inspired, inerrant, infallible Word of God. I get so sometimes tickled, sometimes aggravated at people who want to get into these theological discussions that amount to absolutely nothing. Did you know at one time during the medieval ages, there was a theological discussion as to how many angels could stand on the head of a pin?

What difference does it make? Who would know? Who could prove one way or the other? You know, people always want to talk. I heard about one man who preached seven sermons on the seven thunders out of the book of Revelation. And when the seven thunders uttered their voices and John was about to write, the angel said, "Seal up those and don't write that." How can you preach on the voice of the seven thunders when nobody knows what they said?

Now, I'm telling you all that to give you Deuteronomy 29:29, listen carefully.

Scripture Reading — Deuteronomy 29:29

"The secret things belong unto the Lord our God: but those things which are revealed belong unto us and to our children for ever, that we may do all the words of this law."

Isn't that amazing? I don't know about the secret things of the Lord. I don't know why such and such happened. I don't know what happened 10,000 years ago or 5,000. I don't know. But I know one thing. God has revealed everything that we need to know in this book. And he revealed it so that we may do it and you may rest assured if you obey the word of God, you are doing the will of the Father. His word is given to

for the totality of our lives. And let me just simply make this clear, it's not just knowing the will of God that is important, it is doing the will of God. Our Lord said in John 13 in verse 17, "If ye know these things, happy are ye if ye do them." And then our Lord said in Luke 6 in verse 47, "Whosoever cometh to me, and heareth my sayings, and doeth them, I will shew you to whom he is like." You remember that passage in the book of James, chapter one, where he talks about a man: "If any man be a hearer of the word, and not a doer, he is like unto a man beholding his natural face in a glass: for he beholdeth himself, and goeth his way, and straightway forgetteth what manner of man he was. But whoso looketh into the perfect law of liberty, and continueth therein, he being not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, this man shall be blessed in his deed." So it's not just hearing the Word of God. We must actually do the Word of God. We must obey. We must bring our lives in conformity to the Word of God.

Thirdly, if you want to know how this applies to us in Psalm 16 verse 8, if we are not to be moved, we must not be intimidated by the world, the flesh and the devil. Did criticism stop Christ? Did gossip, lies, slander, innuendos and downright hatred hinder Christ? No. How about threats of imprisonment? How about threats of persecution? How about threats of death? No. None of those stopped Christ. None of those hindered Christ. Well, let me ask you, how is it that you and I are so easily intimidated and frightened by the wicked? Do we need courage? Yes. Do we need character? Yes. Do we need conviction? Yes. But do you remember those questions that were asked by God in Psalm 94 and verse 16? Listen to these. Here's what God asked.

"Who will rise up for me against the evildoers? or who will stand up for me against the workers of iniquity?" What is he asking? He's asking for someone with some courage who will stand up and say, "Look, what you're doing is wicked and wrong and ungodly. Here's what God demands." You know, he said in Psalm 97 and verse 10, "Ye that love the Lord, hate evil." Have you ever understood that you really can't love the Lord unless you hate the evil? You cannot embrace opposites at the same time. If you love the Lord, you hate evil. If you love evil, you hate the Lord. It's just that simple. And so our Lord is saying we have to learn to be fearless and determined. Isn't it amazing that our enemies don't give a flip about what Christ says or the Word of God or our feelings or anything? They just hate Christ.

And we are so afraid that we're going to offend someone. Do you remember what our Lord said? When he got through preaching and his disciples came and said, "Knowest thou not that the Pharisees were offended at thy saying?" Our Lord started shaking and trembling. He says, "Oh, that really bothers me. That really upsets me." Is that what happened? You know what our Lord said? "Let them alone.

Every plant, which my heavenly Father hath not planted, shall be rooted up. They be blind leaders of the blind. And if the blind lead the blind, both shall fall into the ditch." So translated in good South Georgia language, when they said, "Knowest thou not that the Pharisees were offended at thy saying?" He said, "Tough stuff. They'll die in their sins. It doesn't bother me that they cannot and will not hear the truth of God." You know what the Bible says in 2 Timothy 1 verse 7? Here's a passage you need to remember. "For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind." Now, if God has not given us a spirit of fear, then we have to ask the question, from where does fear arrive? Where does it come from? The only places left are the world, the flesh, and the devil. If God doesn't give it to us, that means we're intimidated either by the world, the flesh, or the devil. Why should we be intimidated by all of that which is going to perish and be destroyed when we have the sovereign, omnipotent, eternal God at our right hand?

"I shall not be moved." Fourthly, very quickly, if you're not to be moved, and if you experience God's protection and ultimate deliverance, you must remain faithful to the end. Did Christ remain faithful to the end? Sure. You know, it seems to me that I read somewhere in the Bible that there's a great deal concerning this truth about being faithful to the end. Somewhere, for instance, Hebrews 3 and verse 6, let me read it: "But Christ as a son over his own house; whose house are we, if we hold fast the confidence and the rejoicing of the hope firm unto the end." How about Hebrews 3:14? "For we are made partakers of Christ, if we hold the beginning of our confidence stedfast unto the end." How about Hebrews 6:11? "And we desire that every one of you do shew the same diligence to the full assurance of hope unto the end."

How about Revelation 2:26? "And he that overcometh, and keepeth my works unto the end, to him will I give power over the nations." How about Revelation 2 in verse 10? "Fear none of those things which thou shalt suffer: behold, the devil shall cast some of you into prison, that ye may be tried; and ye shall have tribulation ten days: be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee a crown of life."

Conclusion: Never Give Up

Weaver concludes by urging believers to never give up, compromise, or be discouraged, because they are victors in Christ who has already won the victory.

We must learn to never give up, never give in, never quit, never compromise, never be discouraged, never be depressed. Why? We are not victims. We are the victors. We are not the conquered. We are the conquerors. In fact, Scripture tells us that we are more than conquerors in Jesus Christ. How in the world could you not be faithful when you know and understand that ultimately you will win?

And not just temporarily, but permanently and for eternity. I've got news for you. We've already won. Because Christ is risen from the dead. He's seated at the right hand of God. And as our sovereign God told His Son, "Sit thou here till I make thine enemies thy footstool." Can you say with David? Can you say with Christ? "I've set the Lord always before me. Because he is at my right hand, I shall not be moved." Let's pray. Father, in the name of Jesus Christ, we ask that you would help us, speak to our hearts, deal in our souls. Give us, Lord, a holy determination that we will always set thee before our eyes, that we would always trust in Thee. And because Thou art our right hand, we'll never be moved. May we never give up, never give in, never quit, never compromise, but stand true and faithful unto Thee. In the name of Jesus Christ our Lord, Amen.

Study Guide

Major Themes

Christ as the Ultimate Example

Summary: Psalm 16:8 is primarily messianic, pointing to Jesus Christ who perfectly set the Father before Him and remained unmoved through all trials.

Evidence: Weaver states, 'this verse applies directly to Jesus Christ... the greater David, the Lord Jesus Christ' and cites Acts 2:25.

Constant Focus on God

Summary: Believers are called to set the Lord always before them, meaning continuous, unwavering attention to God's will, word, and way, without looking back.

Evidence: Weaver explains, 'they did not serve Him with fits and feelings... Their service was constant and continuous' and references Luke 9:62.

Divine Protection and Support

Summary: The Lord at our right hand signifies His presence as protector, counselor, and sustainer, ensuring we are not moved by calamities.

Evidence: Weaver says, 'the right hand is not only a place of support and comfort, it is also a place of safeguard' and cites Psalm 109:31.

Faithfulness and Perseverance

Summary: To be unmoved, believers must remain faithful to the end, never giving up or compromising, assured of ultimate victory in Christ.

Evidence: Weaver quotes Hebrews 3:6, 3:14, and Revelation 2:10, and concludes, 'We must learn to never give up, never give in, never quit.'

Spiritual Blindness and Sight

Summary: Weaver contrasts the blindness of the world and the church with the need for spiritual sight, using the example of Moses who endured by seeing the invisible God.

Evidence: Weaver discusses Genesis 3, Acts 28:27, and Revelation 3:17-18, and says, 'Moses endured as seeing him who is invisible.'

Key Arguments

Christ's Unwavering Obedience

Summary: Jesus Christ always set the Father before Him, never deviating from God's will, even in the face of temptation, suffering, and death.

Evidence: Weaver cites John 5:30 and John 8:29, and says, 'He never deviated. He never took his eyes from the Lord.'

The Necessity of Fixing Our Eyes on Christ

Summary: To avoid being moved by trials, believers must keep Christ before their eyes as their covering and example, just as Moses endured by seeing the invisible God.

Evidence: Weaver says, 'If we are not to be moved, we must set Christ before our eyes' and references Hebrews 11:27.

Knowing and Doing God's Will

Summary: Being unmoved requires knowing God's revealed will in Scripture and actively obeying it, not just hearing it.

Evidence: Weaver states, 'If we're not to be moved, we must know God's will for our lives' and cites Deuteronomy 29:29 and James 1:22-25.

Resisting Intimidation

Summary: Believers must not be intimidated by the world, flesh, or devil, but stand courageously for truth, as Christ did when the Pharisees were offended.

Evidence: Weaver asks, 'How is it that you and I are so easily intimidated?' and references Matthew 15:14 and 2 Timothy 1:7.

The Promise of Victory

Summary: Because Christ is at our right hand, we are victors, not victims, and we can remain faithful knowing we have already won through Christ's resurrection.

Evidence: Weaver declares, 'We are not victims. We are the victors... We've already won. Because Christ is risen from the dead.'

Scripture References

Psalm 16:1-8

Context: Weaver reads the first eight verses of Psalm 16 as the text for the sermon, focusing on verse 8.

Acts 2:25

Context: Weaver shows that Psalm 16:8 is directly applied to Jesus Christ in Peter's sermon at Pentecost.

Luke 9:62

Context: Weaver quotes Jesus' words about putting hand to the plow and not looking back, illustrating constant focus.

Colossians 3:2

Context: Weaver cites this verse to encourage setting affection on things above.

John 5:30

Context: Weaver uses this verse to show Christ's complete dependence on and obedience to the Father's will.

John 8:29

Context: Weaver quotes Christ's statement that He always does what pleases the Father, as an example for believers.

Hebrews 11:6

Context: Weaver quotes this verse to emphasize that faith is necessary to please God.

Isaiah 26:8-9

Context: Weaver reads these verses to illustrate the desire for God that comes from setting Him before us.

Psalm 109:31

Context: Weaver cites this verse to show the Lord standing at the right hand of the poor to save them.

Psalm 121:5-8

Context: Weaver reads this passage to illustrate the Lord as our keeper and shade at our right hand.

Psalm 62:2, 6

Context: Weaver points out the identical phrasing about not being moved, emphasizing trust in God.

Isaiah 42:4

Context: Weaver quotes this prophecy about Christ not failing or being discouraged.

Isaiah 50:5-9

Context: Weaver reads this passage to show Christ's determination and trust in God despite suffering.

Hebrews 11:27

Context: Weaver quotes this verse about Moses enduring by seeing the invisible God, as an example of setting the Lord before one's eyes.

Genesis 3:5-6

Context: Weaver references the first sin as involving the eyes, leading to the lust of the eyes.

1 John 2:16

Context: Weaver quotes this verse to connect the lust of the eyes with the world's temptations.

Acts 28:27

Context: Weaver reads this verse to show that people close their eyes and ears to avoid conversion.

John 9:25

Context: Weaver quotes the healed blind man's testimony: 'Whereas I was blind, now I see.'

Revelation 3:17-18

Context: Weaver reads Christ's counsel to the Laodicean church to anoint their eyes with eyesalve to see their true condition.

Deuteronomy 29:29

Context: Weaver quotes this verse to emphasize that God has revealed what we need to know and do.

Historical References

Joseph Caryl

Context: Weaver quotes the Puritan expositor Joseph Caryl, who preached 40 years on the book of Job, on Psalm 16:8 regarding faith and walking with God.

Lester Roloff

Context: Weaver recounts Lester Roloff's humorous illustration about Enoch walking with God and going home with Him.

John Gill

Context: Weaver quotes the Baptist Puritan John Gill on Christ always having Jehovah in view throughout His life and ministry.

Medieval theological discussion

Context: Weaver mentions the medieval debate about how many angels could stand on the head of a pin as an example of useless theological speculation.

Important Quotes

I have set the Lord always before me: because he is at my right hand, I shall not be moved.

Significance: This is the key verse of the sermon, expressing the confidence of trust in God's constant presence and protection.

I can of mine own self do nothing: as I hear, I judge: and my judgment is just; because I seek not mine own will, but the will of the Father which hath sent me.

Significance: Weaver uses this quote to show Christ's complete dependence on and submission to the Father's will.

And he that sent me is with me: the Father hath not left me alone; for I do always those things that please him.

Significance: This quote illustrates Christ's constant obedience and the Father's presence, serving as a model for believers.

By faith Moses, forsook Egypt, not fearing the wrath of the king: for he endured, as seeing him who is invisible.

Significance: Weaver uses this to exemplify setting the Lord before one's eyes, enabling endurance through trials.

The secret things belong unto the Lord our God: but those things which are revealed belong unto us and to our children for ever, that we may do all the words of this law.

Significance: This quote emphasizes that God has revealed His will in Scripture for us to obey, not to speculate on hidden matters.

For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.

Significance: Weaver cites this to encourage believers not to be intimidated, as fear does not come from God.

Fear none of those things which thou shalt suffer: behold, the devil shall cast some of you into prison, that ye may be tried; and ye shall have tribulation ten days: be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee a crown of life.

Significance: This quote underscores the call to faithfulness unto death, with the promise of eternal reward.

Discussion Questions

What does it mean practically to 'set the Lord always before me' in daily life?

Context: Weaver explains that it involves constant focus on God, not serving Him with fits and starts, and references Luke 9:62 about not looking back.

How does Christ's example of always doing what pleases the Father challenge our own obedience?

Context: Weaver quotes John 8:29 and asks if we can truthfully say we always do what pleases God.

In what ways are we easily intimidated by the world, flesh, or devil, and how can we overcome that fear?

Context: Weaver asks how we are so easily frightened and cites 2 Timothy 1:7, emphasizing that God gives power, love, and a sound mind.

Why is it important not only to know God's will but to do it, and what hinders us from doing so?

Context: Weaver stresses the need to obey God's revealed Word, citing James 1:22-25 and John 13:17.

How does the promise that we are 'more than conquerors' in Christ help us remain faithful in trials?

Context: Weaver concludes that because Christ is risen and we have already won, we should never give up or compromise.

Applications

Fix Your Eyes on Christ

Summary: Believers must set Christ before their eyes as their covering and example, just as Moses endured by seeing the invisible God, to avoid being moved by trials.

Evidence: Weaver says, 'If we are not to be moved, we must set Christ before our eyes' and references Hebrews 11:27.

Know and Do God's Will

Summary: To be unmoved, we must know God's will as revealed in Scripture and actively obey it, not just hear it, as emphasized in James 1:22-25.

Evidence: Weaver states, 'If we're not to be moved, we must know God's will for our lives' and cites Deuteronomy 29:29.

Resist Intimidation

Summary: Believers should not be intimidated by the world, flesh, or devil, but stand courageously for truth, trusting in God's spirit of power, love, and a sound mind.

Evidence: Weaver asks, 'How is it that you and I are so easily intimidated?' and references 2 Timothy 1:7.

Remain Faithful to the End

Summary: We must persevere in faith and obedience until death, never giving up or compromising, because we are victors in Christ who has already won.

Evidence: Weaver quotes Revelation 2:10 and says, 'We must learn to never give up, never give in, never quit.'

deepseek | deepseek-v4-pro | clean_readable_transcript | 2026-06-05T19:37:52Z

deepseek | deepseek-v4-pro | weaver_study | 2026-06-06T12:30:21Z

Clean Transcript

Psalm 16 - Part 3

Clean readable transcript. This view follows the Commentary.net cleaned segment text while preserving timestamps for audio follow-along.

Psalm 16, and let's read the first eight verses. We've covered through verse 7. Today, Lord willing, we'll make it through verse 8. And maybe I will be able to finish 9 through 11 in the next message. But notice Psalm 16, beginning with verse 1. This is the Golden Psalm. We're on Part 3 today. David prays, "Preserve me, O God, for in thee do I put my trust. O my soul, thou hast said unto the Lord, Thou art my Lord: my goodness extendeth not to thee; but to the saints that are in the earth, and to the excellent, in whom is all my delight. Their sorrows shall be multiplied that hasten after another god."
#1 | 0:02 to 0:42 | cleaned
"Their drink offerings of blood will I not offer, nor take up their names into my lips. The Lord is the portion of mine inheritance and of my cup: thou maintainest my lot. The lines are fallen unto me in pleasant places; yea, I have a goodly heritage. I will bless the Lord, who hath given me counsel: my reins also instruct me in the night seasons. I have set the Lord always before me: because he is at my right hand, I shall not be moved." Let me take just a few moments to review.
#2 | 0:43 to 1:14 | cleaned
Remember, this is indeed the Golden Psalm. It is a psalm that applies primarily to Jesus Christ. It is a true messianic psalm. In the first part of this psalm, verses 1 through 3, we saw the confession of trust. We saw the confession of trust as it is expressed in prayer in verse 1: "Preserve me, O Lord, O my God: for in thee do I put my trust." And then we saw the confession of trust expressed in prosperity in verses 2-3, where David was saying that there was nothing he could do to add to God. And of course, I went on and applied this primarily also to Jesus Christ, where nothing that Jesus Christ did applied to God the Father. We've got to understand that God is absolutely perfect. Since He is perfect, nothing can be added to Him. Nothing can be taken from Him. God is so righteous that nothing can aid him or help him, and he is so righteous that nothing can be taken from him. So what did the work of Jesus Christ do?
#3 | 1:15 to 2:26 | cleaned
The Bible tells us it went to the saints that are in the earth, to the excellent in whom was all of his delight. Everything that Jesus Christ did, he did for us. Certainly he honored God the Father outwardly, externally in his obedience, but nothing was added to God. And then last week, we looked at the commitment, the contentment of trust, and we saw the curse of idolatry and the comfort of fidelity. So you have the curse of idolatry in verse four: "Their sorrows shall be multiplied that hasten after another god."
#4 | 2:27 to 3:01 | cleaned
"Their drink offerings of blood will I not offer, nor take up their names into my lips." David said, "I have so little respect or absolutely no respect for these false gods. I will not even mention them. I certainly will not attend any of their services." And then he talks about, in verses 5 through 7, the comfort of fidelity. He says, "The Lord is the portion of mine inheritance, my cup: thou maintainest my lot." And of course, I hope you'll remember that I went through the Bible and I showed you that when we were saved by the grace of God, we inherited the Lord. The Bible says in Romans chapter 8 that our inheritance is God Himself. We are heirs of God and then the Bible says joint heirs with Jesus Christ. So everything that Jesus Christ received, we received because we're joint heirs together. But the Bible specifically said that we are heirs of God. So in the work that Jesus Christ accomplished, we became an heir of God. Well, the Bible also says, and I read it for you, how the Lord's portion is His people.
#5 | 3:02 to 4:10 | cleaned
So in this transaction, we got the Lord and He got us. And as I said last week, we got the better end of the bargain. So, but David says very clearly and the Lord says very clearly that Jehovah is his portion and God maintains his lot and the lines have fallen him in pleasant places. And of course, the Lord then is the counselor and our instructor as well.
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Now, today we come to the third point, and that is the confidence of trust. I'm only going to deal with verse 8 today. So look at verse 8. David says, "I have set the Lord always before me: because he is at my right hand, I shall not be moved."
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Now, we must remember that this verse applies directly to Jesus Christ. Yes, there's an application that you can make to David. But this verse has reference to the greater David, the Lord Jesus Christ. Now, in verse 8, the scripture says, "I have set the Lord always before me." So, the import of this Hebrew word is, "I have equally set," or "I have proposed."
#8 | 4:56 to 5:22 | cleaned
Now, I want you to hold Psalm 16, but turn over in your Bibles to the book of Acts, chapter 2, and if you don't mind, just mark that passage because we will come back to this verse in just a moment. I will call your attention to it again, but look in your Bibles, Acts 2 and verse 25. Because here is the passage where Psalm 16 verse 8 is directly applied to Jesus Christ. Acts 2 verse 25, "For David speaketh concerning him," that is concerning Christ, and then here verse 8 is quoted, "I foresaw the Lord always before my face, for he is on my right hand, that I should not be moved." Now right now, all I want to call your attention to is the word "foresaw."
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The Greek word here literally means "to see before," "to keep before one's eyes," and "to be mindful of one's ways." Now, hold Acts 2, but go back to Psalm 16 and look at verse 8. David says, "I have set the Lord always before me." What is David saying? "I have set the Lord before me. My eyes are fully and completely upon Him. I will not suffer. I will not allow my eyes to be removed from Him." So it is not just David now who is setting his eyes upon the one true and living God. It is also the Lord Jesus Christ who set His eyes upon His Father.
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Now, what the Bible is teaching us is simply this: that as both David and our Lord set God before their eyes, it means they did not serve Him with fits and feelings, stops and starts, up and down. No, no. Their service was constant and continuous. They put their hands upon the plow, so to speak, and did not look back. You know, I know that not everyone in this room was raised on a farm, but I was. And I had to plow ever since I was a boy. You know how you plow a straight row?
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You have to start the field off like this. You put the tractor or the mule, back when I was a boy, you put the tractor or the mule in the edge of the field. And you look up to the end of the field and pick out a post, or a tree, or some object that does not move. And you keep your eye upon that object until you get to the end of the field. When you get to the end of the field, you can turn around and look back, and that row will be just as straight as an arrow. But I tell you what, if you keep turning around and looking back while you're trying to plow that first row, you're going to have all kinds of crooks in it, I can assure you.
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It will be a crooked road. It will not be a straight road. You know what our Lord said in Luke 9, verse 62? Let me just quote it. "And Jesus said unto them, No man, having put his hand to the plow, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God." So our Lord is telling us that David and he himself, the greater David, when they put their hand to the plow, they did not look back. They had their eyes fully and completely and totally set upon God. That's why the scripture in the book of Colossians chapter 3 and verse 2 says this, "Set your affection on things above and not on things of the earth."
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In other words, you pick out the object that you wish to serve and honor and worship and obey. You fix your eyes upon him and you don't look back. And that's exactly what the scripture is telling us here.
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Now, before I go on with this verse, I want you to look at verse eight again, because there is another word there that is vitally important. He says, "I have set the Lord always before me." Always before me, so our Lord is saying that he never deviated, he never turned, he never hesitated. That God the Father was always before him. I want you to hold Psalm 16, but turn in your Bibles to John chapter 5 to begin with, and let me just show you a couple of verses that will express the attitude of our Lord. Look in John chapter 5 and verse 30. I could multiply these verses, but these two will be sufficient.
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To demonstrate the confidence of trust. Look at it if you would please. John 5 in verse 30. Our Lord says this: "I can of mine own self do nothing: as I hear, I judge: and my judgment is just; because I seek not mine own will, but the will of the Father which hath sent me."
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Now I could stop right there and preach all afternoon. I could give you illustration after illustration how our Lord sought the will of the Father, never deviated, never turned. Do you remember how he's tempted of the devil? How the devil tried to get him to turn bread into stones, to cast himself from the temple? And what did our Lord say? "It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God." "It is written, Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God." He never deviated. He never took his eyes from the Lord. Even in the garden when he prayed and sweat great drops of sweat as blood, what did he say?
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"Not my will, but thine be done." He set his eyes upon the Lord. Look in John 8 and verse 29. I have often thought of this verse. Would it be a blessing if you and I could truthfully say what our Lord said? Look in John 8 verse 29. Jesus Christ said, "And he that sent me is with me: the Father hath not left me alone; for I do always those things that please him." Would it not be wonderful that if you and I could always do those things that please him? Now, what did David say? David said, "I've set the Lord always before mine eyes." I suppose one of the answers as to how that we can always please the Lord is that we always keep Him before our eyes. We understand that he is to be honored and worshiped in all things. So the confidence of trust then becomes evident when we understand that it is our duty, our privilege, our honor, and our responsibility to exercise this same confidence in the Lord that David did and Christ did to the Father.
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You say, "Well, how in the world do we exercise that same confidence?" Well, may I remind you of Hebrews 11 in verse 6. Let me just quote it. "But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him." Without faith it is impossible to please the Lord.
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So we're to always set Him before our face. We're to acknowledge that He is, and that He is indeed a rewarder of those who faithfully seek Him. Let me give you a quote from Joseph Caryl. And some of you probably do not know the name Joseph Caryl, but he was an old Puritan. He was one of those expositors that took everything chapter by chapter, verse by verse, word by word, and Joseph Caryl preached 40 years just on the book of Job. Just on the book of Job.
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I have many of his messages. He was quite an expositor, but here's what Joseph Caryl said concerning Psalm 16 in verse 8: "I have set the Lord always before me. He that by faith eyes God continually as his protector in trouble shall not be moved with any evil that he suffers. And he that eyes God by faith as his pattern in holiness shall not be moved from doing that which is good. This thought, the Lord is at our right hand, keeps us from turning either to the right hand or to the left. It is said of Enoch that he walked with God, Genesis 5, verse 22. And though the history of his life was very short, yet it is said a second time in Genesis 5, verse 24, that he walked with God. He walked so much with God that he walked as God.
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He did not walk as men. He walked so little like the world that his stay was little in the world. He was not, said the text, for God took him. He took him from the world to himself, or as the author to the Hebrews reports it, he was translated that he should not see death, for he had this testimony that he pleased God." So he's giving the illustration there of Enoch. Enoch walked with God because he walked as God.
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I liked what Lester Roloff used to say about that passage. Lester Roloff used to say that Enoch walked with God. And he walked so much with God. He was so much like God. And one day as they were walking, God said, "Enoch, you know, it's closer to my house than yours. You just come home with me." He said, "And that's what happened. And Enoch just walked in with the Lord and never came back." Well, that's certainly true. But when we set the Lord before us always, He will continually be in our mind. What does it mean when we say, "I've set the Lord always before me"?
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It means that He is in our thoughts. He is in our desires. We want His will, His word and His way. Let me show you. Look in your Bibles, if you would, hold Psalm 16, but turn to Isaiah 26. Isaiah 26. And let's read verses 8 and 9. "I have set the Lord always before me." What does it mean? It means that we want His will, His word, His way. It means that the desire of our soul is to Him. So in Isaiah 26, beginning there in verse 8, look what the scripture says: "Yea, in the way of thy judgments, O Lord, have we waited for thee; the desire of our soul is to thy name, and to the remembrance of thee. With my soul have I desired thee in the night; yea, with my spirit within me will I seek thee early."
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"For when thy judgments are in the earth, the inhabitants of the world will learn righteousness." Now notice what is said, "...with my soul have I desired thee in the night." I suppose that everyone in this room wakes up sometime during the night. The question is, what do you do when you wake up? I don't mean just get up and go to the bathroom. What's on your mind when you wake up? Do you wake up praying? Do you wake up saying, "Lord, thank you for your protection. Thank you for your blessing. Lord, since I'm awake right now, please make me more holy, more godly, more desirous of thee." What did Isaiah say? "With my soul have I desired thee in the night. Yea, with my spirit within me will I seek thee early." And when you wake up in the morning, is He still on your mind?
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Have you set Him before your face? Do you understand that if we really, genuinely desire to honor the Lord, it will set us to thinking, meditating, musing on how best we can honor Him and obey Him. So David said, "I've set the Lord always before me." Christ now is to be set before us as the object of our faith and our hope. We trust in Him. We depend upon Him, not just merely for our salvation, but for everything in life, for our protection, for our provision, just as Christ set the Father before Himself. So we set now Christ before ourselves.
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We have an eye to His glory. He is to be the ultimate end of our action. He is to be the desire of our soul. We are to follow His orders and His commands. His word is to rule our lives in every area, in every aspect. It is His power, His grace, His mercy that is to be manifest in our lives. We are to follow His counsel, obey His covenant.
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and seek His support and encouragement in everything, just like Christ set the Father always before Him. So we're to set Christ always before us.
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Now go back to Psalm 16. Look at verse 8 again. So again, the psalmist said, Psalm 16, verse 8, "I have set the Lord always before me."
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Now he says, "Because he is at my right hand, I shall not be moved." Because he is at my right hand, I shall not be moved. Now, in a recent sermon in Psalm 18, I went through and showed you the import of being at the right hand. But here this phrase is used to identify someone who has been taken in, so to speak, supported by someone. In other words, for instance, the right hand is not only a place of support and comfort, it is also a place of safeguard.
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Have you ever noticed little children? When they are scared or terrified, if their father is nearby, what do they do? They run and they wrap themselves around his leg and he usually puts his arm around them, usually the right arm, and they nuzzle under it and they stay there for the protection. Now, the psalmist said, "Because he is at my right hand." What does that imply? Well, look in Psalm 109 to begin with. Psalm 109 and verse 31. Psalm 109 and verse 31. Look what the scripture says concerning the Lord: "For he shall stand at the right hand of the poor, to save him from those that condemn his soul." He shall stand at the right hand of the poor. Why? To save him. Now, wait a minute. The psalmist said, "Because he is at my right hand." He's right here next to me. What's he implying? He's implying that he's going to be saved. He's going to be delivered because God is right there. Look in Psalm 121 and verse 5. Psalm 121 and verse 5.
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"The sun shall not smite thee by day, nor the moon by night." That's verse 6. Verse 5: "The Lord is thy keeper: the Lord is thy shade upon thy right hand. The sun shall not smite thee by day, nor the moon by night. The Lord shall preserve thee from all evil: he shall preserve thy soul. The Lord shall preserve thy going out and thy coming in from this time forth, and even for evermore." Now isn't it interesting in verse 5, he says, "The Lord is thy keeper. The Lord is thy shade upon thy right hand." Well, he said, "Look, I'll preserve you from all evil. I'll preserve your coming out and your going in. The sun's not going to smite you by day, nor the moon's going to smite you by night. I am here. I will protect thee." So the Lord is not only here to protect, but also to counsel and to instruct.
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Now, I want you to go back to Acts 2 and verse 25 because I told you earlier we would come back to this passage. Because Psalm 16 in verse 8 is applied directly to Christ in Acts 2 and verse 25 and I want to read this again in light of his statement, "The Lord is at my right hand. I shall not be moved." So in Acts 2 and verse 25, "For David speaketh concerning him," Christ, "I foresaw the Lord always before my face, for he is on my right hand, that I should not be moved."
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Now the Greek word for "see" here means "to see before us" or "to be present with us" or "to regard Him as being near us." In other words, we are expecting assistance from Him. And that is the meaning here, that Christ expected, Christ waited for the blessing and protection and the power of God. When we expect the Lord to be at our right hand, what we're saying in essence is this: we're helpless and we're dependent. We need you. We want you.
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We can't do without you. John Gill, that old Baptist Puritan said this: "Christ always had Jehovah in view throughout the whole of his life, and in his last moments he had respect and for the glory of his perfections as the ultimate end of obedience and sufferings, and to his purposes, counsel, and covenant, which were to be accomplished by him, and to his will and command in preaching the gospel, working miracles, going about to do good, and
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obeying the precept, and bearing the penalty of the law, as well as to his promises and his power to assist, support and preserve him as man and mediator." So he is saying, what I have shown before in Scripture, that Christ always had reference to the Father and expected and waited for His support and His comfort and His assistance.
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Now, notice what else is said in verse 8. Psalm 16 verse 8, "I have set the Lord always before me: because he is at my right hand, I shall not be moved." I shall not be moved. In other words, no great evil, no great calamity should happen to me that would make me or force me or coerce me to move from keeping my eye upon the Lord and having Him always in front of me.
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So this phrase then denotes to sink into calamities or to fall into the power of the enemy. In other words, nothing like that will ever deter us. Since we're in Psalms, look in Psalm 62. Psalm 62. And I want you to look at verse 2 and verse 6. You're going to find that they are identical. Psalm 62, verse 2, with the exception of one word. Psalm 62 verse 2.
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Referring to God, "He only is my rock and my salvation; he is my defence; I shall not be greatly moved."
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Now look at verse 6. "He only is my rock and my salvation: he is my defence; I shall not be moved." So the expression then is one who is in calamities. But instead of falling, he puts his trust in the Lord and consequently deliverance is found. If you were to stop and I want you to just for a moment and think concerning Christ and all of the difficulties that he faced and all of the difficulties that he went through, Christ was not moved from his nation or from his place.
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Although everyone was against him, what does the scripture say? "He came unto his own, and his own received him not." So Christ was not moved from his place or his nation. He was not moved from the duty of his office. He was not moved from the execution of that office. All of the threats and menaces of men, all of the temptations of Satan, all the rebelliousness of the people, all the terrors of death, all the flaming sword of justice, all the wrath of God, did not move Christ from the accomplishment of His task.
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In the midst of every difficulty, in the midst of every calamity, He kept His eye upon His Father and remained unmoved and unshaken. You know what the Scripture says in Isaiah 42 in verse 4, speaking of Christ, listen: "He shall not fail nor be discouraged, till he have set judgment in the earth: and the isles shall wait for his law." He shall not fail nor be discouraged. How could he fail? How could he be discouraged? Because he had his eye always upon the Lord.
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Now, look in your Bibles. Turn, please, to Isaiah 50. I want to read four verses for you. Isaiah 50, showing you that Christ was not moved. Christ was not discouraged, even through all the sufferings. Look in Isaiah chapter 50. Beginning there with verse five, and this passage is also applied directly to Christ in the New Testament in the book of Hebrews. Isaiah 50 and verse 5, "The Lord God hath opened mine ear, and I was not rebellious, neither turned away back." Now wait a minute. When he says, "The Lord God hath opened mine ear," it doesn't mean that Christ was deaf that he couldn't hear. What does it mean when he says, "The Lord God hath opened mine ear"?
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Do you not remember in the Old Testament when a Hebrew servant had become a slave, he could be a slave for six years to a fellow Hebrew. But on the seventh year, he had to go free. Unless the slave came to his master and said, "The master had given him his wife, I love my wife, I love my children, I love my master, I will not leave you. I will be your slave forever." Then the master took the servant and opened his ear, bore a hole in his ear, so that everyone would know that he was a dedicated slave and a dedicated servant. Christ said to the Father, "Thou hast opened mine ear. I am your servant." He came to do the will of the Father. Now look, "The Lord God hath opened mine ear.
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I was not rebellious, neither turned away back." You look at everything that Christ went through. He says in verse 6, "I gave my back to the smiters," he was beaten with a cat of nine tails, "and my cheeks to them that plucked off the hair:" they plucked his beard out. "I hid not my face from shame and spitting. For the Lord God will help me; therefore shall I not be confounded: therefore have I set my face like a flint, and I know that I shall not be ashamed."
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"He is near that justifieth me; who will contend with me? let us stand together: who is mine adversary? let him come near to me. Behold, the Lord God will help me; who is he that shall condemn me? lo, they all shall wax old as a garment; the moth shall eat them up." Did you hear what he said? "The Lord God will help me." In all of his difficulties, he was not moved.
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Nothing deterred him from his task, from his duty, from his responsibility, from his devotion, from his accomplishment. Now, let me ask you a question. How does all this about Christ apply to us? You say, "Pastor, I know that Christ was the victor. I know that Christ is victorious in all things. Yes, when David said in Psalm 16 verse 8, 'I set the Lord always before me because he is at my right hand, I shall not be moved.' Yes, that verse is applied directly to Jesus Christ in Acts 2 verse 25. So how does it all apply to me?" Well, let me just tell you, we must remember that Christ is our example in all things.
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I want to give you very quickly today four ways that this applies to us. First, if we are not to be moved, we must set Christ before our eyes. If we are not to be moved, we must set Christ before our eyes. We must see him in order to prevail. I want you to think again of all the temptation, persecution and trouble that Moses went through. Think of the temptation that Moses faced with all the pride, the prestige, the power and riches of Egypt. Remember, the Bible tells us that Moses refused to be called the son of Pharaoh's daughter. What does that mean? That means Moses would have been in line to inherit the throne. Everything in Egypt would have been his. But he refused that. And when he refused that same power, then turned around and persecuted him. And Moses had to flee and leave Egypt and go and hide in the desert. But you know what the Bible says in Hebrews 11 and verse 27?
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Let me read it to you. "By faith Moses, by faith Moses, forsook Egypt, not fearing the wrath of the king: for he endured, as seeing him who is invisible." What's that tell you? He set the Lord before his eyes. Moses forsook Egypt, not fearing the wrath of the king, for he endured as seeing him who is invisible. You know, it would be interesting to study eyes in the Bible.
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Have you ever thought about that? The eyes? Have you ever considered that the first sin was committed by taking the eyes off the Lord and his word? In Genesis 3 and verse 5, we have the temptation. And the serpent said to Eve, "For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil." Now, don't you listen to verse 6. "And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat." You know what you have in Genesis 3 and verse 6? You have the lust of the eyes, the lust of the flesh, and the pride of life. And all three of those came because she took her eyes off the Lord. Consequently, since that time, man is imputed with sin, born in sin, and the scripture tells us in 1 John 2 and verse 16, "For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world."
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Isn't that amazing? It all started with the eyes. I hope now that we can see why men cannot see. They're blind. Moses endured as seeing him who is invisible. The problem is, people are blind and they can't see the Lord. Look in your Bibles to Acts 28 and I want you to look closely at verse 27. Because the problem is not just that men cannot see. It is also that they do not want to see. It is true that they cannot see.
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They do not have the ability in and of themselves. But it's also true that they do not want to see. For in Acts chapter 28 and verse 27, the Apostle is quoting from Isaiah. And he says, "For the heart of this people is waxed gross, and their ears are dull of hearing, and their eyes have they closed; lest they should see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their heart, and should be converted, and I should heal them." But they purposely, deliberately close their ears and close their eyes so they cannot see and cannot hear. You know what? Those of us who can see ought to be able
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to give the Lord honor and glory and praise. And we ought to be able to say with that man who was born blind in John 9 in verse 25 when they kept interrogating him and asking him who it was that healed you, he says, "I know not: but one thing I know, that whereas I was blind, now I see." You may not be able to explain regeneration, but one thing you do know that you now see what at one time you did not see. And let me tell you what one of the problems is. One of the problems, even among professing Christians, is that we do not see as clearly as we should see.
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Look in your Bibles to Revelation, chapter three. Revelation, chapter three. Hobie was talking earlier about the messages to the churches. In Revelation, chapter three, you have another statement that I look to the church. Revelation chapter 3, notice if you would please beginning there with verse 17. Revelation 3 verse 17, of course this is a message to the church at Laodicea. Revelation 3 verse 17, God says to the church, not to the heathen now but to the church: "Because thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing; and knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked: I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire, that thou mayest be rich; and white raiment, that thou mayest be clothed, and that the shame of thy nakedness do not appear; and anoint thine eyes with eyesalve, that thou mayest see." You know what? And I know there are exceptions. I understand this. But when you talk and think about the church movement in America today, the mega churches, the big churches, they can say, "I'm rich.
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I'm increasing in goods. I have need of nothing." That's what they actually think. We have driven by some church buildings and I told Alice, I said, "You know, I'd be satisfied with just a buck for each brick that's in that building." You look at that church building on 75 north of Atlanta. Lord have mercy. There's millions of bricks in that building. You know, it's interesting that most of these churches have big buildings, only use them once or twice a week. I mean, really, they'll have multi-million dollar buildings, all that money invested and only use it one time a week, maybe twice. What did God say? Our Lord said, "You say you're rich and you have plenty of goods and you have need of nothing." But our Lord said, "You don't even understand that you're poor and blind and wretched and naked and you need eyesalve.
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that you may see." And he was not talking to the heathen. He's talking to the church. The truth of the matter is this, folks, most of the professing Christians in this day and age cannot see the truth that's clearly enunciated in the Word of God. And if the truth was known, most of them really and truly do not even want to know the truth. Because if they knew it, they'd have to do something about it.
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You remember how Sarah lied and said that Abraham was her brother, you remember that in Genesis 20. And Abimelech, the king, took her. And would have lain with her, but God came to him at night and said, "That's a man's wife and if you touch her, you're a dead man. I'll kill you." And Abimelech said, "In the integrity of my heart have I done this thing. Did she not say, 'He is my brother'? Did he not say, 'She is my sister'?" And the Lord answered Abimelech and he said, "Yea, I know that thou didst this in the integrity of thine heart.
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Therefore, have I withheld thee from sinning against me." God did not allow Abimelech to touch Sarah. And the next morning, when Abimelech gave Sarah back to Abraham, he reproved Sarah and he said this, "Behold, he," that is Abraham, "is to thee a covering of the eyes, unto all that are with thee, and with all other:" thus she was reproved. And in other words, here's what he told Sarah.
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"You need to look at no one but your husband. Period. He is the covering to your eyes." And dear friend, may I tell you, that applies to us as Christians. We need to look only at Jesus Christ. He is the covering to our eyes. He is our bridegroom. He is our husband. And we need to keep him before our eyes. If we are not going to be moved, we must have him before our eyes. Secondly, very quickly, if we are not to be moved, we must know God's will for our lives. We must know what our duty is, as it's revealed in the Word of God, and never, ever deviate from that duty.
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Now, let me say it again. If we're not to be moved, we must know God's will for our lives. Christ knew the will of the Father and he did it. We must know God's will for our lives.
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Now, I can assure you there are many things in this world that we don't know. And we'll probably never know them until we get to glory. There are some things in this world that we do not understand, and we'll never understand them until we get to glory. But there is one thing that is very clear and very distinct. And that is the infallible, inerrant, inspired Word of God. There is one thing that is very clear and very distinct. That is the inspired, inerrant, infallible Word of God. I get so sometimes tickled, sometimes aggravated at people who want to get into these theological discussions that amount to absolutely nothing. Did you know at one time during the medieval ages, there was a theological discussion as to how many angels could stand on the head of a pin?
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What difference does it make? Who would know? Who could prove one way or the other? You know, people always want to talk. I heard about one man who preached seven sermons on the seven thunders out of the book of Revelation. And when the seven thunders uttered their voices and John was about to write, the angel said, "Seal up those and don't write that." How can you preach on the voice of the seven thunders when nobody knows what they said?
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Now, I'm telling you all that to give you Deuteronomy 29:29, listen carefully. "The secret things belong unto the Lord our God: but those things which are revealed belong unto us and to our children for ever, that we may do all the words of this law." Isn't that amazing? I don't know about the secret things of the Lord. I don't know why such and such happened. I don't know what happened 10,000 years ago or 5,000. I don't know. But I know one thing. God has revealed everything that we need to know in this book. And he revealed it so that we may do it and you may rest assured if you obey the word of God, you are doing the will of the Father. His word is given to
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for the totality of our lives. And let me just simply make this clear, it's not just knowing the will of God that is important, it is doing the will of God. Our Lord said in John 13 in verse 17, "If ye know these things, happy are ye if ye do them." And then our Lord said in Luke 6 in verse 47, "Whosoever cometh to me, and heareth my sayings, and doeth them, I will shew you to whom he is like."
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You remember that passage in the book of James, chapter one, where he talks about a man: "If any man be a hearer of the word, and not a doer, he is like unto a man beholding his natural face in a glass: for he beholdeth himself, and goeth his way, and straightway forgetteth what manner of man he was. But whoso looketh into the perfect law of liberty, and continueth therein, he being not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, this man shall be blessed in his deed." So it's not just hearing the Word of God. We must actually do the Word of God. We must obey. We must bring our lives in conformity to the Word of God.
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Thirdly, if you want to know how this applies to us in Psalm 16 verse 8, if we are not to be moved, we must not be intimidated by the world, the flesh and the devil. Did criticism stop Christ? Did gossip, lies, slander, innuendos and downright hatred hinder Christ? No. How about threats of imprisonment? How about threats of persecution? How about threats of death? No. None of those stopped Christ. None of those hindered Christ. Well, let me ask you, how is it that you and I are so easily intimidated and frightened by the wicked? Do we need courage? Yes. Do we need character? Yes. Do we need conviction? Yes. But do you remember those questions that were asked by God in Psalm 94 and verse 16? Listen to these. Here's what God asked.
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"Who will rise up for me against the evildoers? or who will stand up for me against the workers of iniquity?" What is he asking? He's asking for someone with some courage who will stand up and say, "Look, what you're doing is wicked and wrong and ungodly. Here's what God demands." You know, he said in Psalm 97 and verse 10, "Ye that love the Lord, hate evil." Have you ever understood that you really can't love the Lord unless you hate the evil?
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You cannot embrace opposites at the same time. If you love the Lord, you hate evil. If you love evil, you hate the Lord. It's just that simple. And so our Lord is saying we have to learn to be fearless and determined. Isn't it amazing that our enemies don't give a flip about what Christ says or the Word of God or our feelings or anything? They just hate Christ.
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And we are so afraid that we're going to offend someone. Do you remember what our Lord said? When he got through preaching and his disciples came and said, "Knowest thou not that the Pharisees were offended at thy saying?" Our Lord started shaking and trembling. He says, "Oh, that really bothers me. That really upsets me." Is that what happened? You know what our Lord said? "Let them alone.
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Every plant, which my heavenly Father hath not planted, shall be rooted up. They be blind leaders of the blind. And if the blind lead the blind, both shall fall into the ditch." So translated in good South Georgia language, when they said, "Knowest thou not that the Pharisees were offended at thy saying?" He said, "Tough stuff. They'll die in their sins. It doesn't bother me that they cannot and will not hear the truth of God."
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You know what the Bible says in 2 Timothy 1 verse 7? Here's a passage you need to remember. "For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind." Now, if God has not given us a spirit of fear, then we have to ask the question, from where does fear arrive? Where does it come from? The only places left are the world, the flesh, and the devil. If God doesn't give it to us, that means we're intimidated either by the world, the flesh, or the devil. Why should we be intimidated by all of that which is going to perish and be destroyed when we have the sovereign, omnipotent, eternal God at our right hand?
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"I shall not be moved." Fourthly, very quickly, if you're not to be moved, and if you experience God's protection and ultimate deliverance, you must remain faithful to the end. Did Christ remain faithful to the end? Sure. You know, it seems to me that I read somewhere in the Bible that there's a great deal concerning this truth about being faithful to the end. Somewhere, for instance, Hebrews 3 and verse 6, let me read it: "But Christ as a son over his own house; whose house are we, if we hold fast the confidence and the rejoicing of the hope firm unto the end." How about Hebrews 3:14? "For we are made partakers of Christ, if we hold the beginning of our confidence stedfast unto the end." How about Hebrews 6:11? "And we desire that every one of you do shew the same diligence to the full assurance of hope unto the end."
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How about Revelation 2:26? "And he that overcometh, and keepeth my works unto the end, to him will I give power over the nations." How about Revelation 2 in verse 10? "Fear none of those things which thou shalt suffer: behold, the devil shall cast some of you into prison, that ye may be tried; and ye shall have tribulation ten days: be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee a crown of life."
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Now, I want you to go back to Psalm 16 and look at verse 8, and I'm going to just make one comment and I'm going to close, but look at Psalm 16, verse 8. Please understand the impact and the application of this verse to each of us. David said, "I have set the Lord always before me, always, because he is at my right hand, I shall not be moved." What does that mean? Here it is.
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We must learn to never give up, never give in, never quit, never compromise, never be discouraged, never be depressed. Why? We are not victims. We are the victors. We are not the conquered. We are the conquerors. In fact, Scripture tells us that we are more than conquerors in Jesus Christ. How in the world could you not be faithful when you know and understand that ultimately you will win?
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And not just temporarily, but permanently and for eternity. I've got news for you. We've already won. Because Christ is risen from the dead. He's seated at the right hand of God. And as our sovereign God told His Son, "Sit thou here till I make thine enemies thy footstool." Can you say with David? Can you say with Christ? "I've set the Lord always before me. Because he is at my right hand, I shall not be moved." Let's pray. Father, in the name of Jesus Christ, we ask that you would help us, speak to our hearts, deal in our souls. Give us, Lord, a holy determination that we will always set thee before our eyes, that we would always trust in Thee. And because Thou art our right hand, we'll never be moved. May we never give up, never give in, never quit, never compromise, but stand true and faithful unto Thee. In the name of Jesus Christ our Lord, Amen.
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This program was produced by Dominion Ministry. For more information about Pastor Weaver's sermons, you may contact Dominion Ministry by mail at 7400 Abercorn, that's A-B-E-R-C-O-R-N, Street, Suite 705, PMD 175, Savannah, Georgia, 31406. Or give us a call at 912-833-7000. You can also visit our website at www.dominionministry.com
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deepseek | deepseek-v4-pro | clean_readable_transcript | 2026-06-05T19:37:52Z

Psalm 16 - Part 3

John Weaver | Freedom Ministries

In this sermon, John Weaver expounds Psalm 16:8, focusing on the confidence of trust. He emphasizes that the verse applies primarily to Jesus Christ, who set the Lord always before Him and was not moved despite suffering. Weaver draws applications for believers: to fix their eyes on Christ, know and do God's will, resist intimidation, and remain faithful to the end, assured of ultimate victory.

Introduction and Review

Scripture Reading — Psalm 16:1-8

"Preserve me, O God, for in thee do I put my trust. O my soul, thou hast said unto the Lord, Thou art my Lord: my goodness extendeth not to thee; but to the saints that are in the earth, and to the excellent, in whom is all my delight. Their sorrows shall be multiplied that hasten after another god."

The Confidence of Trust: Setting the Lord Always Before Us

Weaver introduces verse 8, explaining that 'I have set the Lord always before me' means constant, unwavering focus on God, as exemplified by David and perfectly by Christ.

Scripture Reading — Acts 2:25

"For David speaketh concerning him,"

that is concerning Christ, and then here verse 8 is quoted,

Scripture Reading — Acts 2:25

"I foresaw the Lord always before my face, for he is on my right hand, that I should not be moved."

Scripture Reading — Acts 2:25

"I have set the Lord always before me."

It will be a crooked road. It will not be a straight road. You know what our Lord said in Luke 9, verse 62? Let me just quote it.

Scripture Reading — Luke 9:62

"And Jesus said unto them, No man, having put his hand to the plow, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God."

Christ's Example of Unwavering Focus

Using John 5:30 and John 8:29, Weaver shows that Christ always sought the Father's will and did what pleased Him, never deviating even under temptation and suffering.

To demonstrate the confidence of trust. Look at it if you would please. John 5 in verse 30. Our Lord says this:

Scripture Reading — John 5:30

"I can of mine own self do nothing: as I hear, I judge: and my judgment is just; because I seek not mine own will, but the will of the Father which hath sent me."

Scripture Reading — John 8:29

"And he that sent me is with me: the Father hath not left me alone; for I do always those things that please him."

The Meaning of Setting the Lord Before Us

Weaver explains that setting the Lord before us involves having Him in our thoughts, desires, and seeking His will, word, and way, as illustrated by Isaiah 26:8-9.

Scripture Reading — Isaiah 26:8-9

"For when thy judgments are in the earth, the inhabitants of the world will learn righteousness."

Now notice what is said,

Scripture Reading — Isaiah 26:8-9

"...with my soul have I desired thee in the night."

Scripture Reading — Isaiah 26:8-9

"With my soul have I desired thee in the night. Yea, with my spirit within me will I seek thee early."

And when you wake up in the morning, is He still on your mind?

The Lord at Our Right Hand: Protection and Support

Weaver discusses the significance of the Lord being at the right hand as a place of safeguard, support, and deliverance, citing Psalm 109:31 and Psalm 121:5.

Scripture Reading — Psalm 109:31

"For he shall stand at the right hand of the poor, to save him from those that condemn his soul."

Christ's Unmovable Resolve in Suffering

Weaver highlights that Christ was not moved by threats, temptations, or suffering, as prophesied in Isaiah 50:5-7, because He trusted in the Father's help.

Scripture Reading — Isaiah 42:4

"He shall not fail nor be discouraged, till he have set judgment in the earth: and the isles shall wait for his law."

He shall not fail nor be discouraged. How could he fail? How could he be discouraged? Because he had his eye always upon the Lord.

Application: How We Can Be Unmoved

Weaver provides four applications: set Christ before our eyes, know and do God's will, resist intimidation, and remain faithful to the end, drawing on examples like Moses and warnings to the church.

Scripture Reading — Genesis 3:5-6

"For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil."

Now, don't you listen to verse 6.

Scripture Reading — Genesis 3:5-6

"And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat."

They do not have the ability in and of themselves. But it's also true that they do not want to see. For in Acts chapter 28 and verse 27, the Apostle is quoting from Isaiah. And he says,

Scripture Reading — Acts 28:27

"For the heart of this people is waxed gross, and their ears are dull of hearing, and their eyes have they closed; lest they should see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their heart, and should be converted, and I should heal them."

Scripture Reading — Revelation 3:17-18

"Because thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing; and knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked: I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire, that thou mayest be rich; and white raiment, that thou mayest be clothed, and that the shame of thy nakedness do not appear; and anoint thine eyes with eyesalve, that thou mayest see."

You know what? And I know there are exceptions. I understand this. But when you talk and think about the church movement in America today, the mega churches, the big churches, they can say,

Scripture Reading — Revelation 3:17-18

"I'm rich. I'm increasing in goods. I have need of nothing."

Scripture Reading — Revelation 3:17-18

"You say you're rich and you have plenty of goods and you have need of nothing."

But our Lord said,

Scripture Reading — Revelation 3:17-18

"You don't even understand that you're poor and blind and wretched and naked and you need eyesalve.

Now, let me say it again. If we're not to be moved, we must know God's will for our lives. Christ knew the will of the Father and he did it. We must know God's will for our lives.

Now, I'm telling you all that to give you Deuteronomy 29:29, listen carefully.

Scripture Reading — Deuteronomy 29:29

"The secret things belong unto the Lord our God: but those things which are revealed belong unto us and to our children for ever, that we may do all the words of this law."

Conclusion: Never Give Up

Weaver concludes by urging believers to never give up, compromise, or be discouraged, because they are victors in Christ who has already won the victory.

Psalm 16 - Part 3

John Weaver | SermonAudio

Lecture Metadata	Details
Speaker	John Weaver
Source	SermonAudio
Media ID	97081826238
Subject	New Testament Studies
Course	Revelation: Conflict, Babylon, and Victory
Genre	Sermon
Date	2008-04-20
Dictation Name
Book	Book 159: Psalm 16 — Chapter 3
Source Timed Segments	77

Lecture Guide

Outline

Introduction and Review: Weaver reviews the previous parts of Psalm 16, covering the confession of trust (vv. 1-3) and the contentment of trust (vv. 4-7), highlighting that the psalm is messianic and applies primarily to Christ.
The Confidence of Trust: Setting the Lord Always Before Us: Weaver introduces verse 8, explaining that 'I have set the Lord always before me' means constant, unwavering focus on God, as exemplified by David and perfectly by Christ.
Christ's Example of Unwavering Focus: Using John 5:30 and John 8:29, Weaver shows that Christ always sought the Father's will and did what pleased Him, never deviating even under temptation and suffering.
The Meaning of Setting the Lord Before Us: Weaver explains that setting the Lord before us involves having Him in our thoughts, desires, and seeking His will, word, and way, as illustrated by Isaiah 26:8-9.
The Lord at Our Right Hand: Protection and Support: Weaver discusses the significance of the Lord being at the right hand as a place of safeguard, support, and deliverance, citing Psalm 109:31 and Psalm 121:5.
Christ's Unmovable Resolve in Suffering: Weaver highlights that Christ was not moved by threats, temptations, or suffering, as prophesied in Isaiah 50:5-7, because He trusted in the Father's help.
Application: How We Can Be Unmoved: Weaver provides four applications: set Christ before our eyes, know and do God's will, resist intimidation, and remain faithful to the end, drawing on examples like Moses and warnings to the church.
Conclusion: Never Give Up: Weaver concludes by urging believers to never give up, compromise, or be discouraged, because they are victors in Christ who has already won the victory.

Major Themes

Key Arguments

Christ's Unwavering Obedience

Jesus Christ always set the Father before Him, never deviating from God's will, even in the face of temptation, suffering, and death.

Weaver cites John 5:30 and John 8:29, and says, 'He never deviated. He never took his eyes from the Lord.'

The Necessity of Fixing Our Eyes on Christ

To avoid being moved by trials, believers must keep Christ before their eyes as their covering and example, just as Moses endured by seeing the invisible God.

Weaver says, 'If we are not to be moved, we must set Christ before our eyes' and references Hebrews 11:27.

Knowing and Doing God's Will

Being unmoved requires knowing God's revealed will in Scripture and actively obeying it, not just hearing it.

Weaver states, 'If we're not to be moved, we must know God's will for our lives' and cites Deuteronomy 29:29 and James 1:22-25.

Resisting Intimidation

Believers must not be intimidated by the world, flesh, or devil, but stand courageously for truth, as Christ did when the Pharisees were offended.

Weaver asks, 'How is it that you and I are so easily intimidated?' and references Matthew 15:14 and 2 Timothy 1:7.

The Promise of Victory

Because Christ is at our right hand, we are victors, not victims, and we can remain faithful knowing we have already won through Christ's resurrection.

Weaver declares, 'We are not victims. We are the victors... We've already won. Because Christ is risen from the dead.'

Scripture References

Psalm 16:1-8: Weaver reads the first eight verses of Psalm 16 as the text for the sermon, focusing on verse 8.
Acts 2:25: Weaver shows that Psalm 16:8 is directly applied to Jesus Christ in Peter's sermon at Pentecost.
Luke 9:62: Weaver quotes Jesus' words about putting hand to the plow and not looking back, illustrating constant focus.
Colossians 3:2: Weaver cites this verse to encourage setting affection on things above.
John 5:30: Weaver uses this verse to show Christ's complete dependence on and obedience to the Father's will.
John 8:29: Weaver quotes Christ's statement that He always does what pleases the Father, as an example for believers.
Hebrews 11:6: Weaver quotes this verse to emphasize that faith is necessary to please God.
Isaiah 26:8-9: Weaver reads these verses to illustrate the desire for God that comes from setting Him before us.
Psalm 109:31: Weaver cites this verse to show the Lord standing at the right hand of the poor to save them.
Psalm 121:5-8: Weaver reads this passage to illustrate the Lord as our keeper and shade at our right hand.
Psalm 62:2, 6: Weaver points out the identical phrasing about not being moved, emphasizing trust in God.
Isaiah 42:4: Weaver quotes this prophecy about Christ not failing or being discouraged.
Isaiah 50:5-9: Weaver reads this passage to show Christ's determination and trust in God despite suffering.
Hebrews 11:27: Weaver quotes this verse about Moses enduring by seeing the invisible God, as an example of setting the Lord before one's eyes.
Genesis 3:5-6: Weaver references the first sin as involving the eyes, leading to the lust of the eyes.
1 John 2:16: Weaver quotes this verse to connect the lust of the eyes with the world's temptations.
Acts 28:27: Weaver reads this verse to show that people close their eyes and ears to avoid conversion.
John 9:25: Weaver quotes the healed blind man's testimony: 'Whereas I was blind, now I see.'
Revelation 3:17-18: Weaver reads Christ's counsel to the Laodicean church to anoint their eyes with eyesalve to see their true condition.
Deuteronomy 29:29: Weaver quotes this verse to emphasize that God has revealed what we need to know and do.

Historical References

Joseph Caryl: Weaver quotes the Puritan expositor Joseph Caryl, who preached 40 years on the book of Job, on Psalm 16:8 regarding faith and walking with God.
Lester Roloff: Weaver recounts Lester Roloff's humorous illustration about Enoch walking with God and going home with Him.
John Gill: Weaver quotes the Baptist Puritan John Gill on Christ always having Jehovah in view throughout His life and ministry.
Medieval theological discussion: Weaver mentions the medieval debate about how many angels could stand on the head of a pin as an example of useless theological speculation.

Important Quotes

I have set the Lord always before me: because he is at my right hand, I shall not be moved.

This is the key verse of the sermon, expressing the confidence of trust in God's constant presence and protection.

I can of mine own self do nothing: as I hear, I judge: and my judgment is just; because I seek not mine own will, but the will of the Father which hath sent me.

Weaver uses this quote to show Christ's complete dependence on and submission to the Father's will.

And he that sent me is with me: the Father hath not left me alone; for I do always those things that please him.

This quote illustrates Christ's constant obedience and the Father's presence, serving as a model for believers.

By faith Moses, forsook Egypt, not fearing the wrath of the king: for he endured, as seeing him who is invisible.

Weaver uses this to exemplify setting the Lord before one's eyes, enabling endurance through trials.

The secret things belong unto the Lord our God: but those things which are revealed belong unto us and to our children for ever, that we may do all the words of this law.

This quote emphasizes that God has revealed His will in Scripture for us to obey, not to speculate on hidden matters.

For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.

Weaver cites this to encourage believers not to be intimidated, as fear does not come from God.

Fear none of those things which thou shalt suffer: behold, the devil shall cast some of you into prison, that ye may be tried; and ye shall have tribulation ten days: be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee a crown of life.

This quote underscores the call to faithfulness unto death, with the promise of eternal reward.

Discussion Questions

[Question]

What does it mean practically to 'set the Lord always before me' in daily life?

[Context]

Weaver explains that it involves constant focus on God, not serving Him with fits and starts, and references Luke 9:62 about not looking back.

[Question]

How does Christ's example of always doing what pleases the Father challenge our own obedience?

[Context]

Weaver quotes John 8:29 and asks if we can truthfully say we always do what pleases God.

[Question]

In what ways are we easily intimidated by the world, flesh, or devil, and how can we overcome that fear?

[Context]

Weaver asks how we are so easily frightened and cites 2 Timothy 1:7, emphasizing that God gives power, love, and a sound mind.

[Question]

Why is it important not only to know God's will but to do it, and what hinders us from doing so?

[Context]

Weaver stresses the need to obey God's revealed Word, citing James 1:22-25 and John 13:17.

[Question]

How does the promise that we are 'more than conquerors' in Christ help us remain faithful in trials?

[Context]

Weaver concludes that because Christ is risen and we have already won, we should never give up or compromise.

Applications

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