Let us commence our service by singing together hymn 643. The tune is evening hymn 709. Again, dear Lord, we would be fed. We come to seek for living bread and feast on love divine. Dear Father, let thy presence be enjoyed by all thy family. and make each face to shine. Hymn 643, tune Evening Hymn 709. O kindred, Lord, we will defend we come to seek for living bread and peace on earth divine. If Father let Thy presence be, Enjoyed by all Thy family, And may each face to shine In the open sands where they wait Come then and heal our souls and feet, and let us feast in Thee. O let us thank thee, be the King, and love, and pray, and praise, and sing Earth comes from bondage free. May faith be strong and peace the skies, And we with pleasure realize ♪ The glory now prepared ♪ ♪ Commune with Jesus as a friend ♪ Upon him give his love, obey, and honor things described. If this be granted, we'll adore the hand that gives and keeps in store. the boundless star of grace. In every time our feet will cry, and thou shalt go A face so fine, and half with smiling face. I ask us to turn together in God's holy word this evening to Psalm 25 and Psalm 27. Psalm 25 and then Psalm 27. Unto thee, O Lord, Do I lift up my soul? O my God, I trust in thee. Let me not be ashamed. Let not mine enemies triumph over me. Yea, let none that wait on me be ashamed. Let them be ashamed which transgress without cause. Show me thy ways, O Lord. Teach me thy paths. Lead me in thy truth and teach me. for Thou art the God of my salvation. On Thee do I wait all the day. Remember, O Lord, Thy tender mercies and Thy loving kindness, for they have been ever of old. Remember not these sins of my youth, nor my transgressions. According to Thy mercies, remember Thou me for Thy goodness' sake. O Lord. Good and upright is the Lord, therefore will he teach sinners in the way. The meek will he guide in judgment, and the meek will he teach his way. All the paths of the Lord are mercy and truth, and to such as keep his covenant and his testimonies. For thy name's sake, O Lord, pardon mine iniquities, for it is My iniquity for it is great. What is man? What man is, he that fears the Lord. Him shall he teach in the way that he shall choose. His soul shall dwell at ease, and his seed shall inherit the earth. The secret of the Lord is with them that fear him, and he will show them his covenant. Mine eyes are ever toward the Lord. he shall pluck my feet out of the net. Turn thee unto me, and have mercy upon me, for I am desolate and afflicted. The troubles of my heart are enlarged. Oh, bring thou me out of my distresses. Look upon my affliction and my pain, and forgive all my sins. Consider mine enemies, for they are many, and they that hate me with a cruel hatred. O keep my soul and deliver me. Let me not be ashamed, for I put my trust in thee. Let integrity and uprightness preserve me, for I wait on thee. Redeem Israel, O God, out of all his troubles. Psalm 27. The Lord is my light and my salvation. Whom shall I fear? The Lord is the strength of my life, of whom shall I be afraid? When the wicked, even mine enemies and my foes, come upon me to eat up my flesh, they stumbled and fell. Though an host should encamp against me, my heart shall not fear. Though war should rise against me, in this will I be confident. One thing have I desired of the Lord, that will I seek after. that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the Lord and to inquire in his temple. For in the time of trouble he shall hide me in his pavilion. In the secret of his tabernacle shall he hide me. He shall set me up upon a rock. And now shall mine head be lifted up above mine enemies round about me. Therefore will I offer in his tabernacle sacrifices of joy. I will sing, yea, I will sing praises unto the Lord. Hear, O Lord, when I cry with my voice. Have mercy also upon me and answer me. When thou saidst, seek ye my face, my heart said unto thee, thy face, Lord, will I seek. Hide not thy face far from me, put not thy servant away in anger. Thou hast been my help. Leave me not, neither forsake me, O God of my salvation. When my father and my mother forsake me, then the Lord will take me up. Teach me thy way, O Lord, and lead me in a plain path because of mine enemies. Deliver me not over unto the will of mine enemies, for false witnesses are risen up against me, and such as breathe out cruelty. I had fainted unless I had believed to see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living. Wait on the Lord, be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart. Wait, I say, on the Lord. May the Lord add to us the blessing of his word and may we be helped to continue in prayer. Almighty God, we bow before thee, that once again at the throne of grace, We thank Thee, Lord, for the privilege of prayer. We thank Thee for another opportunity to come together under the authority of Thy holy word and to worship Thee. We thank Thee that we come unto Thee, the true and living God, the God that made the heavens and the earth, the God that has given to us life, the God that has given to us health and strength, and the God that has given to us a desire and an opportunity to be found here this evening. We thank thee, Lord, that we can come under the influence of thy Holy Spirit to worship thee in spirit and in truth. And we ask, Lord, that our hearts may be prepared and ready to receive thy word, that we may come before thee in reverence and in godly fear. Lord, we ask that we may be taught how to pray this night, that thou knit us together in the unity of the Spirit, that our will may be the same as Thine will, that we may offer up those prayers and requests that are pleasing in Thy sight, that we may witness the answers to our requests. Lord, we do thank Thee that Thou art God who is abounding in mercy. We thank Thee, Lord, that Thou art God of truth, that Thy truth, it changes not. We thank Thee, Lord, that we can come to Thee through Thy beloved Son, our great high priest, whoever lives to intercede for us. We thank thee, Lord, that we have been given a desire to be here this evening, and we pray, Lord, that as we have gathered together, as we have come out from the world for a little while to fix our minds upon eternal things and to worship our creator, we pray, Lord, that we may receive the blessing of God. We come, Lord, to worship thee because thou art worthy of our worship. We come to sing thy praises, we come to bow down at thy feet, and we come, Lord, desiring, as those in the Scriptures, sir, we would see Jesus. And we pray, Lord, as we come unto thee, Lord, that thou draw near also unto us, that thou grant us a blessing in our own souls, a token for good, that we are indeed beloved of God, We pray, Lord, for those who have come in this night seeking for that confirmation that they are indeed loved with an everlasting love. We pray, Lord, that thou hear in heaven thy dwelling place, that thou draw near unto them and encourage them in the way. Lord, do draw near and speak to them words of comfort, that they may know that they are indeed loved in Christ Jesus, that their sins, which are so many, have been washed away in that fountain open for sin and for uncleanness. We pray, Lord, for those who have come in seeking guidance and direction, thy people who have been concerned about the way that thou hast them to go. Lord, we pray that thou grant them that prompting of thy spirit, that guidance and direction, that they may hear thy voice, that this is the way, walk ye in it. Lord, we pray that thou grant us each those humble hearts, hearts that have that desire to know and to do Thy will. Lord, we pray that Thou wouldst submit our own will unto Thy will, that we may be like Thy beloved Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, who cry, nevertheless not my will, but Thy will be done. We pray then, Lord, for that humble mind and that pacified of will to walk in the pathways of the Lord Jesus Christ. We pray, Lord, that Thou wouldst bless each who have gathered with us. Lord, we thank thee for the young ones and we pray for them. Lord, thou be with them. Go before them in their schooling. Go before them, Lord, in their summer holidays. We pray once again for their safety. Thou keep them and watch over them in these holiday periods to keep them, Lord, from the peer pressure of life. Do keep them from being drawn aside by the many temptations that there are in this world. Lord, do keep them both in mind and in body. Thou protect them from the tricks and traps of Satan and the lures of this world. We pray for parents, that thou grant them great wisdom. Help them, Lord, to raise their children in thy knowledge and in thy fear. Help us, Lord, as we Come around the family altar as we read thy word and seek to explain it unto them. As we pray over our families, Lord, we ask that thou hear in heaven thy dwelling place. We know, Lord, that there is only one thing that is truly needful in life, and that these little ones may sit at the feet of the Lord Jesus Christ and to learn of him. We pray then, Lord, that thou hear our cries, that thou work in their lives, that they may be born again of thy Holy Spirit and to walk worthy of the calling of the Lord Jesus Christ. I do, Lord, we do pray that thou guide them in their lives, that thou help them in the decisions that they have to make regarding college and universities and their future employments. And as they seek for husbands and wives, we pray, Lord, that they may be guided that they may submit to thy will in all of these things and commit their way unto thee. Lord, we pray for them then that they may be blessed, that they may know the Lord, that they may know thy leading and guiding, and that they may have that desire to follow the Lord Jesus Christ. We pray, Lord, for those who labour in the workplace to encourage them and go before them, provide for them, grant them that strength needed. We pray, Lord, for thy people as we go into the world day by day, as we have to be in the world but not of it. We pray, Lord, for that grace needed, that wisdom that is needed, that help that is needed. We pray that thou help us to be faithful, keep us from foolish conversation, to be drawn aside by the conversation of the wicked. Help us, Lord, we pray, to be like shining in a dark place, faithful witnesses of the Lord Jesus. And Lord, we pray for those who are self-employed amongst us to provide for them all needed work and strength and health as they labour to provide for their families. We pray that they may see thy hand in that provision, that they may see thy leading and direction and help them, Lord, in their labours, we pray. We pray, Lord, for our older brethren, that thou be with them and encourage them. Do be with them, Lord, as their bodies begin to show the age, the frailty of life, to encourage them, we pray. We pray for those who struggle with the lack of assurance of their salvation. We ask, Lord, that thou undertake for them, grant them that confirmation that they are indeed loved, that death has lost its sting. We pray, Lord, that they may not fear the grave, that they may have that faith to look beyond, to view by faith, thy beloved son, the Lord Jesus Christ. We thank thee that he has gone to prepare a place for his people, and he will come and he will receive them unto himself. And we ask then, Lord, for that faith to be granted, that they may be encouraged in their latter days. We pray, Lord, for our brother here who passed us, Mr. Rutt. We thank thee, Lord, for him and for his labours here and amongst the churches. We pray that thou continue to Grant him all needed health and strength in body, mind and spirit. We pray that thou guide him through thy word as he seeks to preach the word. Do grant him, Lord, that ability to rightly divide the word of truth and encourage him, we pray, as he may see signs following the ministry, that the word may go forth with power, that it may enter into hearts and it may bear fruit. for thy honour and for thy glory. We pray, Lord, that thou revive this place, if it could please thee, that thou work in this village roundabout, that thou constrain those who pass by and those who live near to be drawn into this place, that they may hear the word of life and live. Lord, we ask that thou have mercy upon the village. Do not deal with them as they deserve to be dealt with, Lord, but we ask that In thy wrath, remember mercy. Do revive this place again, we pray, if it could please thee, for thy honour and for thy glory. We see, Lord, multitudes heading into an eternal wrath, having no concern for their souls, having no fear of the grave, having no fear of thee. Lord, we would pray that their eyes may be opened, that they may realise the frailty of life and the greatness of eternity that spans beyond the grave. O Lord, do work, we pray. We know, Lord, that it is not by our might nor by our power, but by thy spirit. And we pray then, Lord, for an outpouring of thy spirit as we have seen the rain falling this day. O heavenly Father, we pray that that spiritual rain may pour down and that there may be that great growth, that new growth unto thee. that there may be that great harvest, Lord, in this village for thy honour and for thy glory, that will raise up a people in this village, that they may show forth thy praise. And Lord, do grant us a true heart, a true burden for that, if it could please thee, Lord, we pray that thou'd encourage thy people. and Lord, encourage us to petition thee at the throne of grace. We know, Lord, that thou art God who is willing to pardon, thou art God who is an abounding in mercy, thou art God who is most graceful, Lord, and we pray that thou then have mercy on this village and this land of ours. Remember our leaders, oh Lord, do wake them up to their to their accountability before thee as the leaders of this land. We pray, Lord, that they may realise, they must give an account on that great day of how they have led this land of ours. And we pray, Lord, that they may turn again unto thee and that they may live, that their eyes may be opened to the consequences of their sin. Lord, we pray that thou move in our government to turn this nation once again to the scriptures. We pray, Lord, for each of those who minister thy holy word. Do, Lord, encourage them and help them. Help them, Lord, to be bold and to be faithful. Help them, Lord, not to fear man, but only to fear thee. Help them, Lord, to preach the word and to be in season and out of season. Help them to be faithful, we pray. and do encourage them. We pray, Lord, for others as we look at the extent of this nation. For, Lord, the harvest is truly great, yet the labourers, they are so few. And, Lord, we have been commanded to come unto thee and to ask that thou send forth labourers into the harvest. O Lord, we come unto thee, the Lord of the harvest. And we see, Lord, that the labourers are indeed few. Even in our denomination, Lord, the labourers, they are few. The congregations, they are few. O Lord, we ask that there may be that building up, that gathering in, the moving of thy spirit, that there may be men burdened with a fire in their bones, that the word of the Lord may go forth with power and authority into the hearts of sinners, that they may look and that they may live. We pray for our persecuted brethren, throughout the world. We pray for the war-torn parts of the world. O Lord, have mercy, we pray. Remember our brethren in Ukraine and suffering there because of the war, Lord, to encourage them and help them. We pray for those in Nigeria and Syria, Lord, to have mercy. We pray upon them, encourage our brothers and sisters in Christ as they suffer death, as they suffer loss, as they suffer bodily harm. Lord, have mercy upon them and encourage them, provide for them and keep them safe, we pray. Lord, we ask then that thou continue to build thy church, for it is written, Lord, thou wilt build thy church and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. We ask, Lord, that thou continue to go forth with power as a mighty conqueror, going into the kingdom of darkness and gathering thy people and bringing them into the light, the kingdom of light, that they may see the glorious gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ, that they may look to thy son and that they may live. Lord, we pray that thou encourage thy people. Help us, Lord, as we labour. Help us as we live a life in a crooked and perverted generation. Keep us, Lord, from temptation. Help us to flee from the devil. Help us, Lord, to keep away from any appearances of evil. Help us, Lord, to be aware of the tricks and traps of Satan. Keep us, Lord, from lukewarmness. And keep us, Lord, close to the Lord Jesus Christ. And we pray. that they'll help us to run with patience the race that is set before us, looking unto the Lord Jesus Christ. Help us, Lord, to lay aside every sin and every weight that so easily besets us. Lord, do show us those besetting sins, show us those character weaknesses, enable us to crucify the lusts of the flesh, to put to death our old nature. O Lord, we pray that Thou help us to pursue after holiness and godliness and the fruit of Thy Spirit. We pray that it may be manifested in each of Thy dear people's lives. And Lord, we pray that we may know Thy blessing once again. We ask, Lord, that thou draw near to us, enable me to speak in thy name. We pray, Lord, that thou pour in, that I may be able to pour out, that thy people who have come in hungry and thirsty, that they may feed from thy holy word, that they may be strengthened, Lord, to continue on that narrow way that leads to life. We pray, Lord, that this evening we may grow in grace and in the knowledge of the Lord Jesus. We pray, Lord, we may be shut in with thy Son, with thy Spirit. Lord, we ask that thou draw near, that our hearts may burn within us this night. You forgive us, we pray, of our sin, of our doubts and fears, of our failings, and do make up, Lord, we pray, as we ask it in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. Amen. Let us continue by singing together hymn 714. The tune is Belmont 101. Why so cast down, dejected soul? A loving Christ is near. By broken bones he can make whole, and drooping spirit cheer. Hymn 714, tune Belmont 101. I saw a stone, ejected stone, A holy Christ is near. Thy broken bones, He can make whole unto His Spirit's will. If empty, stink-tide, conscience-fill'd, Have haste, ye through and through, Cross back slightly, Christ can hear, And to Mary freely turn. If justice rolls its flaming sword, The kings will turn to hail. On Jesus call, and trust His word, And thou shalt praise Him still. Thy sacred temples may beat us at night and solitas. On our soul an epilogue makes the Lord His trust. Dear Jesus, you, thy shining face, earth, heaven, and earth, with love, Display the power of saving grace, And cheer the troubled heart. Refresh his eye with sweeter light, and place love in his ear. Thy soul is prayer, God's been my sight, and He hath helped me. Once again, with the help of God, I'd like to draw your attention to the second psalm that we read together, Psalm 27, and the text you'll find in verse 11. Teach me thy way, O Lord, and lead me in a plain path because of mine enemies. We read through the psalms They are very experimental, they enter into the multitude of the experiences of the people of God. There are times when the psalmist is down in the depths, there are times when the psalmist is pursued with enemies, there are times when he is anxious and afraid, there are times when he seeks to comfort himself and seeks to speak to himself, to encourage himself, in the things of God and the Psalms have been of a great benefit and a great comfort to the Lord's people throughout the Old Testament and throughout the New Testament and they are the living inspired Word of God and today they still bring great comfort and help to the Lord's people. Sometimes we can feel like we are on our own in our life's experience that Nobody else has been through what we are going through. Our experience is unique and different to everybody else's and we come to the Samas and we find that the Samas has passed that way before. We find that the Samas has entered into our spiritual experience, that the Samas has entered into our physical experiences of life and they bring that great comfort and that great help. to the Lord's people. We are thankful for the Lord Jesus Christ, that great high priest who ever lives to intercede for his people, that he has tried and tested in all points as we are, yet without sin he understands our frame. He has passed through the experiences of our lives and he knows the frailty of our bodies and we are thankful that we can come to him As he intercedes for us, we can come to the throne of grace. We can unburden our hearts before him. And he has granted to his dear people, the Holy Spirit, the comforter, the teacher, that he will take the things of the Lord Jesus Christ and reveal them unto the Lord's people, that he will open up their understanding to the scriptures, that they may feed and benefit from the word of God. David was a man who knew much of the experiences of life. He knew what it was to be king of Israel. He knew what it was to be a shepherd boy. He knew what it was to be fleeing from his enemies. He knew what it was even to be fleeing from his own son and the difficult life that he had. He knew what it was to be anointed to be king and yet have to flee for his life from King Saul. And those things that he experienced and that he passed through, he wrote them down for Israel and for the church to come. And here we have in this wonderful Psalm, Psalm 27, the Psalm of David. He begins by declaring all that the Lord is to him. The Lord is my light and my salvation. Whom shall I fear? He knew the greatness of God. He knew how powerful and almighty his God was. He knew he was Jehovah, the God who has no beginning and no end, the God who created the heavens and the earth, the God in whom there is no darkness. He understood that his God was a God of light, a God of truth, and that he was the God of his salvation. It was him who had redeemed him from the sins of his youth. It was him who had brought him from the darkness into the light. It was him who was leading him and guiding him as his shepherd. It was him who was delivering him from the very different circumstances of life. Not only is He a God of salvation to deliver people from their sin, but also He is the God of salvation to deliver them from the difficult circumstances of life, the enemies that were before David. He was surrounded by wicked enemies. They came upon Him. He felt like they were wanting to eat Him, to consume Him. But He understood. that he had his confidence in God. He desired to be with the Lord. He desired to seek after the Lord. He desired to dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of his life, to behold the beauty of the Lord and to inquire at his temple. Know that David, as we read through the accounts of scripture, had that desire. to build the temple. Yet the Lord, through his prophet Nathan, he was unable to do so, but he still had that desire to bring the temple, to bring the ark into Jerusalem. He had that desire to gather the people of God collectively around the ark. to worship the Lord. He had that desire to see Israel praising the one and true living God, the God who he trusted in, the God who he had proved to be faithful even in the most difficult situations of life. Even when David couldn't understand all that God was doing, the situations of life were completely perplexing to him. He did not know why he was fleeing, why he was going this way, why Saul was after him. There were times in our life, and often it is in Providence, that the Lord does strange and mysterious things in our lives. They are perplexing things to us. We cannot see the end of where the Lord is leading. We cannot see the end of the situation that we are passing through. That is where we need to walk by faith. That is where David had to rest upon his God, that God who is sovereign, God who is eternal, knew exactly what he was doing. He was his saviour. He had delivered him. He was his strength and he had no reason to be afraid because the Lord was leading him and guiding him and directing him. As we read the beginning of this psalm and the other psalms, it may come as a surprise that David begins to ask the Lord to teach him. You may think that David knew everything about God, He declares that he is his light. He declares that he doesn't need to be afraid. He declares that he wants to be in the house of the Lord all the days of his life. It's as though David knows everything about God. Yet he still declares that he needed teaching. Teach me thy way, O Lord. In the experiences of David's life, There are times when he was very isolated and lonely. In verse 10 it says, when my father and my mother forsake me, then the Lord will take me up. David had experienced the goodness of God. He had experienced the Lord anointing him as king, yet he experienced the difficult and trying circumstances of walking out the will of God in his life. He experienced isolation and persecution, and yet he understood that when he was abandoned, when he was alone, when he was at his wit's end, When it was, as it were, even his father and his mother, the closest ties of nature, had abandoned him, then he knew that the Lord would still be there. We know that this world is overshadowed by death. And there are times in life when our mothers and fathers and those closest to us must pass away. But we know that the Lord will never pass away. We know that his word is an eternal word and he is an eternal God. And although people close to us and near to us may abandon us and may be taken from this world, yet the Lord is still there. He says, although they forsake me, although they forget me, although they leave me, yet the Lord will take me up. Though he felt abandoned and alone, yet he knew that the Lord was with him and that the Lord would gather him up and take care of him. There are times, aren't there, when it seems like, as we say, the bottom falls out of our well. things take place and they're so shocking, so difficult, they happen in a moment. But the scripture tells us that underneath are the everlasting arms of God and the people of God cannot fall out into an abyss of abandonment. They fall into the arms of a loving God who knows exactly what he is doing, who knows exactly why he is doing what he is doing. And as he did in the life of David, we can trace the goodness of God through the experiences of David. That God was working out his purposes for his own glory. Yes, it was hard and difficult for his servant, yet it was needed and essential for him to make him trust and rest in the true and living God. He desired to continue to be taught the things of God. If you remember the Lord Jesus Christ, as he was going to leave this earth, as he was going to be crucified, and he promised, he told his disciples that he was going to go away, he tells them in John 14, do not let your heart be troubled. You believe in God, believe also in me. In my Father's house are many mansions. If it were not so, I would have told you I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go to prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you unto myself, that where I am, there ye may be also." And so he tells his apostles that he's going to leave them. Their hearts are filled with sadness. but he tells them that he's going to give them the comforter, that he will not leave them comfortless, that he, I will come to you. I will pray the Father, and he will give you another comforter. Christ had been that physical comforter to them. He'd walked with them for those three years. They'd sat at his feet. They'd been his disciples. He had taught them all that they needed to know. and yet he was going to go away. But he says, I'm not going to abandon you, I'm not going to leave you as orphans, I'm going to give you the Holy Spirit who is the Comforter of God, the Spirit of Truth, and I will come to you. Jesus tells us, doesn't he, where two or three are gathered in my name, there I will be in the midst of them. Christ's Spirit, the Holy Spirit of God, he meets with his people, he indwells with his people. The Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, which the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and bring all things to your remembrance whatsoever I have said unto you. And we see as the Lord Jesus Christ is crucified upon the cross, The apostles, they all fled and left the Lord Jesus. They abandoned him, but he had not abandoned them. They couldn't understand. Even though the Lord Jesus has explained to them exactly all that was going to take place, yet they could not grasp it with their carnal minds. And it's the same with us. Christ has told us that it is through much tribulation you must enter the kingdom of God. And when those tribulations enter into our lives, we believe, oh, the Lord has abandoned me. He has left me. I'm alone. I'm like a sparrow on a housetop. I'm at my wit's end. We forget the goodness and the greatness of our God. But He has told us and warned us, all these things, they are going to happen to you. But be of good cheer, be of good comfort. I have given you the Holy Spirit, the Comforter, who will take the Word and He'll bring to your memory the things that I have taught you. And as Christ, as He ascends up into glory, He opens up the understanding of His apostles. to the Scriptures. They're emboldened, they're strengthened, and they go forth preaching the unsearchable riches of Christ, experiencing persecution and oppression and martyrdom all for the sake of the Lord Jesus. He had not abandoned them. As David was not abandoned, the Lord was with him. although his natural friends abandoned him, yet his God was faithful. When thy father and thy mother forsake thee, then the Lord will take thee up. Teach me thy way, O Lord. The word teach shows that there is something that he didn't know, something that he wanted to know. By our nature, we have no desire to know anything about God. We have no desire to be taught the things of God. We are, as the prodigal son on a life that has rejected the existence of God and we are only interested in the things that the world can teach us and show us. Those things that are tangible, those things we can touch, those things we can hear, those things we can see. We're on, as it were, a destructive path. The scripture tells us, the Lord Jesus Christ tells us there is a way, there is a broad road that leads to destruction. And there is a narrow way that leads to life. Proverbs tells us there is a way that seems right unto a man. At the end of that way, it is death. David had a desire to be taught It was something that he didn't know, that he wanted the Lord to teach him. He wanted to be taught in the ways of the Lord. As he sees his natural peers, his natural relations abandon him, as he sees that the Lord has taken him up, we see that he is brought into a relationship with God. those sinners that were once estranged from God, had no desire to be taught the things of God, but rather listen to lies and listen to the truth. Through the work of God's Spirit, their hearts are changed and they are brought nigh, they are brought near by the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ. Those who were afar off are made nigh by the blood of the Lord Jesus. and they are adopted into the family of God. David says, when my father and my mother forsake me, then the Lord will take me up. By our nature, we are orphans. We are without God. We are separated from God. We walk this earth in the darkness. We walk this earth separated from a heavenly father. As Jesus says, you are of your father the devil. But there is that new desire that the Lord has taken them up, gathered them to himself in Christ Jesus. And they are now given that desire to say, teach me thy way. Years of listening to lies, now there is that desire to listen to the truth, to know the truth. They come to the understanding of there are things that I don't know and I desire to know them. Hungry and thirsty, they seek after righteousness. Hungry and thirsty, they seek after the truth, the way, the Lord Jesus Christ. He says, I am the way. David says, teach me thy way, O Lord. In the other psalm that we read together, Psalm 25, there again he is expressing similar thoughts. He desires to be shown the ways of the Lord. Show me Thy ways, O Lord, teach me Thy paths, lead me in Thy truth, and teach me, for Thou art the God of my salvation. On Thee do I wait all the day long.' That is his new desire, he's gone his own way, he's been on that broad road that leads to destruction, now he's on this narrow way that leads to life, and he desires now to be shown the ways of God, to walk in the pathway, the highway of holiness, to be led in paths of truth and righteousness and godliness. He desires to be taught by the blessed Spirit of God. No longer is his heart hard to the things of God, but he's now been made sensitive and subtle to the truths of scripture. He says, thou art the God of my salvation. Remember not the sins of my youth, nor my transgressions. Good and upright is the Lord. Therefore will he teach sinners in the way. The meek will he guide in judgment, and the meek will he teach in his way. All the paths of the Lord are mercy and truth, and to such as keep his covenant and his testimonies, the meek will he guide?' Jesus says, blessed are the meek, blessed are the meek, those who have been pacified by the Spirit of God, no longer hard-hearted and self-willed but now they have been pacified by God's Spirit falling down at the feet of the Lord Jesus Christ as the Apostle Paul, Lord what will thou have me to do? A heart that is changed no longer self-willed but subject to the will of Christ, guided and directed by his spirit. Teach me thy way, that our desire this night. We come here this evening to be taught to fall humbly under the authority of God's holy word, to be guided and directed by the truth of Scripture, as the Spirit of God takes the Word of God and applies it to our lives? Do we fall under the authority of God's Word? Do we have a humble and a teachable spirit? David says, teach me thy way, God's way, not my way, not your way, not David's way, but God's way. God's way is the way that leads to life. It is eternal life. It is through his beloved Son, the Lord Jesus Christ. It is God's way, and it is the only way. Jesus says, no man can come unto the Father, but through me or by me. It is God's way. Teach me thy way, O Lord. If we desire to be taught the way of God, then we desire to know what the will of God is. By our nature, we want to do our thing, we want to go our way. But if we come to the throne of grace, if we come to the word of God with a humble and a teachable spirit desiring to know what the way of the Lord is, that means we are falling under the authority of God and his word and we are desiring to do his will and not our own will. David, as he wrote that Psalm 23, He declares the Lord is my shepherd, teach me thy way. He desires that the Lord would go before him, guide him and direct him, lead him in those paths that are right and pleasing. He desires to go to those green pastures to find rest and to drink from those still waters. He desires that his soul would be restored and satisfied. Yes, through the valley of the shadow of death he understood that the good shepherd was with him, guiding him and going before him, but he should fear that he should fear no evil. Teach me thy way, O Lord, and lead me in a plain path. Teaching and leading. Show me the way, but don't abandon me. You're someone you may stop and you may, as it used to happen in days gone by, you may stop and you may ask somebody for directions. And they would say, you go down the road, do a left, do a right, and then you'll come to your destination. It is being taught the way. But David wanted more than just being taught the way. David wanted the Lord to lead him in that way. He wanted the Lord to go before him, the Lord to walk with him, the Lord to make him walk down the easiest and the best pathway, not just to be taught, but to be led. As Moses, he said, if thy presence go not with us, carry us not up hence. He was not just content with ascending away, but he wanted to be led and guided. He understood his frailty and his inability, his weakness. And so it is with the Lord's people. We have the word of God, we understand what the will of God is, we desire to be guided and directed in our lives by God's revealed truth, but we don't want to walk it alone. We want to know that Christ is with us, that he is walking with us and we are walking in his will, in his way. We desire to know his presence and his help and his ability. There are times in our lives when there seems to be great mountains and obstacles in our pathway. David says, lead me in a plain path. lead me in a level way. He didn't want mountains, he didn't want crookedness, he wanted the straight path that leads to life. He says, I have enough problems with the enemies that are around about me, please let me walk an easy and a plain path. The scripture tells us that those mountains shall become a plain. Those mountains that are before the Lord's people, those things that they perceive that are before them, that are impossibilities, that they are nothing in the sight of a holy God. Those great obstacles, impossibilities will flow down at the presence of God. And if we have to pass through those great difficulties of life, then we are promised that strength and that ability to continue day by day. He desired a plain path. The scripture tells us those crooked things that shall be made straight. So David asked to be taught, then he asked to be led. If we're going to be led, then we must be humble. You cannot overtake the one who is leading you. You must follow. Jesus tells his disciples, follow me. To follow is to walk behind. It is to submit to the fact that you don't know where you are going and that the leader in front knows and you have to walk behind him. There's this story of the two shepherd boys in Scotland. The snow came early one winter and the sheep were still on the mountains. And the two brothers, they said, well, we have to go and we have to bring the sheep down from the hills. And the older brother, he went first and the younger brother, he walked behind his brother. And as he was walking behind, as his brother began to walk faster, he was left behind. And he realized that the further away he walked behind his brother, the more difficult it was for him to walk. He was more affected by the snow. He was more affected by the wind. And the closer that he walked to his brother, the brother took the weight, took the force of the wind, the force of the snow. And so he found by walking closer to his brother, walking in the steps of his brother, the easier it was for him to walk. You and I, The more we distance ourselves from the Lord Jesus Christ, the more lukewarm we become, the harder our Christian pathway becomes. The harder it is to follow the Lord Jesus, the harder it is to bear the heat and burden of the day, the harder it is to bear the difficulties that are brought into our pathway. We find that when we do distance ourselves and we do drift away from our beloved saviour, he will bring something into our life. He will bring a storm into our life, not because we are orphans, not because he doesn't care about us, but because we are sons and daughters of his. Therefore he brings these trials, these things, persecutions into our lives to cause us to draw closer to him. Desires a plain path, but a path that will cause him to walk closely to the Lord Jesus. to be taught by the Lord Jesus Christ, or even to be desired, to have that desire to be taught, shows that you're a disciple of the Lord Jesus. A disciple is one who sits at the feet Remember the Apostle Paul, he sat at the feet of Gamaliel. The disciples of the Lord Jesus Christ, the disciples of John, they sat at the feet of their teacher to learn of him. Remember Mary and Martha, how careful and troubled about many things, but one thing is needful and Mary has chosen that better part. Where was she? She was sitting at the feet of the Lord Jesus Christ and learning of Him. She says, teach me thy way, O Lord, and lead me in a plain path. Is that our prayer this night? To sit at the feet, to look up to the Lord Jesus Christ and say, teach me thy way. I don't want my way, I want thy way. I don't want my will, I want thy will. I want my will to be knit together with thy will. Oh Lord, oh Jehovah, the great God, lead me and guide me and direct me. I don't want to make wrong choices. I want to be guided and directed by the Holy Spirit of God. I want to be guided into that right college. I want to be guided into that right university. I want to be guided into that right job. I want to be guided to the right husband, the right wife. I want to be guided to a right home. I want to be guided throughout my days. I don't want my own will. I want to know the will of my maker. I want to know the will of the Lord. And I want to be led and guided in all truth. When my father and my mother forsake me, then the Lord will take me up. Teach me thy way, O Lord, and lead me in a plain path because of my enemies. And may the Lord grant us a humble and a teachable heart, a heart that wants to know what is thy will and not my will, a heart that has been made sensitive and submissive to the authority of God's holy word and has that desire to follow the Lord Jesus Christ, not to go before him, but to follow him, to walk closely to him. As David says, the Lord is my shepherd. Yes, though he walked through the valley of the shadow of death, yet the Lord was his shepherd. He would fear no evil for the Lord was with him. And the Lord is still with his people even this day. Although friends and family may abandon them, Although loved ones may pass to the eternal world, yet the Lord remains faithful and close to his people. Underneath are his everlasting arms. Teach me thy way, O Lord, and lead me in a plain path, because of mine enemies. Our enemies, they are many. Satan and the kingdom of darkness is always opposing. Persecution and difficulties are there to oppress, but the Lord will lead his people and will bring them through, that they will be with him in glory. Jesus says, don't let your heart be troubled. You believe in God, believe also in me. In my father's house are many mansions. If it were not so, I would have told you I go to prepare a place for you. May the Lord add his blessing. Amen. Let us now sing together hymn number 570. The tune is Wiltshire 268. The Lord on high his love proclaims and makes his goodness known to men deserving endless pains he gave his only son. Hymn 570, tune Wiltshire 268. Lord, on high His love proclaims, And makes His goodness known. Her name deserving endless fame He gave His only Son He gave His Son that I may to save and from despair. From death and hell to strife and grave, In glory to the King. For we are good in Jesus' blood, And freely his bestow'd. The souls of the dead themselves can cry for help to come. Oh, dear souls, dry up your tears, Thou let it be your case. If thou shalt May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God the Father with the fellowship and communion of the Holy Spirit, to be with you each now and for evermore. Amen.