I invite you to turn with me in your Bibles to Psalm 16. Psalm 16. And we'll be reading together the entirety of the Psalm. So hear now, once again, the Word of our God. Amidst Psalm of David, 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. Oh, bless the Lord who hath given me counsel. My reigns also instruct me in the night seasons. I said the Lord always before me, because he is at my right hand. I shall not be moved. Therefore, my heart is glad and my glory rejoiceth. My flesh also shall rest in hope, for thou wilt not leave my soul in hell, neither wilt thou suffer thine holy one to see corruption. Thou wilt show me the path of life, and thy presence is fullness of joy. At thy right hand, there are pleasures forevermore. Amen. Let's go once again together to the throne of grace this evening. Let us pray. Our Father in heaven, we come before your word. Lord, recognizing that this is the word of our infinite, our just, and our holy, as well as our gracious and merciful God. And Father, as we come before you and your ordinances under this word, Father, we ask that you would send grace. Lord, this word must be attended by the ministry of your spirit if we are to be benefited at all from it. And Lord, how dark are our hearts? How cold are they? How dim are our minds? Father, without your spirit then, Lord, we would go as we came. And so Father, we pray for omnipotent grace. We ask that you would bless this then, your word to us this evening, as we ask it in Jesus' blessed name. Amen. I've heard many men say over the course of the past several years, that as we look at the church in the West, and we really look at all of Western civilization today, there is one prevailing problem, one prevailing spiritual problem, and that, they say, is the absence of the fear of God. I don't think that that's a hard thing to prove, but perhaps one of the best symptoms to indicate that kind of a problem is just how we approach God in His worship, and particularly how we approach Him in prayer. You see, friend, when the scriptures call us to approach God, as the preacher does in Ecclesiastes 5, he calls us to mind our words as we come before him. Friend, why is that? Well, because of the God with whom we have to do. Friend, the God who those who pray approach is the living God. And so it's not a trite or a small thing to invoke His name and to go to the throne of grace. Friend, it's a profound thing to have the ear of heaven, the one who is God of all. And so, friend, when we go to God in prayer, we are to remember, and Scripture teaches us to remember, the one to whom we pray, His greatness and His glory, as well as our own need for grace. and the provision that we have in the Lord Jesus Christ. And friend, not only does scripture teach that to us by precept, but it also teaches us by example. And Psalm 16 is an example just of that very thing. The psalmist is dealing with God in a holy and a humble way, but he's dealing with God very seriously. This is not a small thing that the psalmist is undertaking. And friend, you see that from the very beginning. The psalmist here cries out to God, preserve me. What's striking about that word is that through scripture, that idea of preservation, well, that word really carries all kinds of various meanings. In Exodus, it's used to describe how an ox or any kind of cattle was fenced in by its owner. Later on in Joshua, the idea of guarding a prisoner or guarding anything really is the idea that's communicated. And perhaps what's most well known to us is the idea that we have in Psalm 91, where the psalmist there asks that God would protect him. All of this is the very same word that we have here in verse one. The psalmist is going to his God and he's pleading as a sinner, as a man, a creature who has been defiled by the fall. And he goes to the thrice holy God, and he says, pleads with him, that God would undertake for him, be his guard. It's a staggering thing, friend, but what's even more perhaps staggering is what follows. He cries out to God, pleading for this, but then he adds, as it were, a kind of argument, a holy kind of reasoning. For in thee do I put my trust. That's a striking thing. The thing that the psalmist is saying is, Lord, be the one who undertakes for me, be my guardian. And why? The psalmist says, because I trust in you. Again, friend, that's a staggering thing, isn't it? For a man who is but a compound of dust and sin to go to the Holy God and plead for this grace just on the basis that he believes. This is a holy kind of argument that the psalmist brings out, and we see the basis of this argument as we move through the psalm. He begins with his petition in verse one, but then quickly, as you move down verses two and following, the psalmist turns from God and turns from the throne of grace, and he begins speaking with his own soul. You see that, oh my soul, thou hast said unto the Lord. And in this case, the psalmist goes through the various things that would indicate that he has indeed trusted in God. That the argument, so to speak, of verse one is not faulty. It's well-founded, well-grounded argument, well-grounded reason. And then he concludes in these last several verses by going back to God. Verses 10 and 11, for thou wilt not leave my soul in hell. Friend, all that this psalm teaches us here is very plain. We are to be a people as we deal with God that we deal so in earnest. This is a wonderful example of what it means to really watch and to guard our words as we go to the throne of grace. But the question is not just how does the psalmist go, but what really is the matter of the psalm? What is the thing that the psalmist is really about as he goes so solemnly and earnestly before God? And that's what we take up with God's help this evening. I want us to notice, first of all, that this psalmist here is crying out for preserving grace. But as he's crying out for that, you notice that the psalmist over and over again is careful to look both within and without. In other words, the psalmist is not just meditating loosely, but he has real and concrete objects in mind as he goes to God. And what are those objects? Well friend, I want us to see here that the psalmist over and over again, concerns himself with his own condition before God. He talks of course about his trust in God. But then as he moves verses five and following, he talks about his position with God, that the psalmist here has a legal claim, so to speak, with the one to whom he prays. And what does this teach us? Well, it teaches us that the psalmist is really dealing with God beyond himself and looking to something else. And what is that thing? Well, his position that he enjoys because he does put his faith in God. What the psalmist teaches us here is that as he looks to God by faith, and only because he looks to God by faith, that friend, he can have this confidence that God will grant him preserving grace, grant him the very grace that he requests in the very first verse. What I want us to do then in the remaining time that we have is look at really the nature of this relationship under three basic headings. We'll consider the character of it first, the evidences of it, and its fruition. And so first, the character of this position that the psalmist enjoys. My friend, I want us to notice, yes, the psalmist is a man who has placed his faith in God. But even in Psalm 16, he gives us a sense of how specifically this faith is aimed. I want you to notice in verse eight, the psalmist says very plainly, I have set the Lord always before me because he is at my right hand. I shall not be moved. that those words that are translated in the very first line there, I have set the Lord always before me, is the idea that he has set, or as it were, foreseen the Lord before him. And actually that's how the text is translated in the Greek Old Testament. That's the very text that's used of course in Acts chapter two, our scripture reading just earlier. And what is the object then? What is the psalmist meaning when he says, I have set the Lord before him in this way? Well, Peter at Pentecost tells us, the object of this faith, the one whom the psalmist has placed before him, Peter reasons, is none other than the Lord Jesus Christ. Friend, he's not just aimlessly trusting in the concept of God, but he is looking to the Lord Jesus Christ, to the promised Messiah. And in him is his faith grounded. Now friend, this is so powerful. Powerful because it shows us really the basis for the request of verse one. Our psalmist is not pleading his own merit as he's crying out for God to be the one who undertakes for him. But even as the psalmist prays, he has an eye to Christ, really and truly. But I want you to notice that friend as this faith is aimed at Christ, the psalmist even here recognizes that this faith really unites him to this promised Messiah. If you look at verse 10, the psalmist says, thou will not leave my soul in hell. Neither will thou suffer thine holy one to see corruption. Now you could read that text in two ways, and some do. You could read it in the way that the psalmist is really repeating himself. You'll not leave my soul in the grave, and then you'll not leave my soul in the grave. But I think Calvin is very helpful here. Calvin shows us that really we have two very different ideas in view. In the very first line, we do have the psalmist saying that you will not leave my soul in hell, Sheol, the grave. But I want you to notice the second line. Neither wilt thou suffer thine holy one to see corruption. What's striking is the word Sheol and the word here for corruption are very two different ideas, two different concepts. In the first case, the psalmist is saying, I am pleading that God, and to have confidence that God will not leave me in the grave. But in the second line, the psalmist, changing pronouns and everything, says that he believes that the Holy One of God will not see corruption. He will not see, really as the words are used elsewhere in the Old Testament, he will not see the decomposition of his body. And friends, so what is the psalmist looking at? Well, he's looking at an integral connection between the one who is the object of his faith and himself. Because God will not leave his Holy One to see corruption, he has confidence that he will not remain in the grave. You see that, friend? As the psalmist looks to Christ as the object of his faith, the psalmist sees himself so vitally united to him. that if Christ is raised such that he doesn't see corruption, then the psalmist's resurrection is guaranteed. And friend, isn't this the very doctrine that the apostle continues to remind the Corinthians of in 1 Corinthians 15? Because Christ has raised, has been raised from the dead. And only because of that, the believer is one who has hope. Our psalmist is no different. He is a man who looks through the corridors of time and by faith perceives a Christ to whom he is vitally united and has confidence that because of that union, he will not be left. God will not desert him in death. But the question is, well, what is really the nature of this union? I want us to see, first of all, friend, that the psalmist is, at least implicitly in verse 10, showing us that at the end of the day, there's a legal connection between him and the one to whom he looks. Why is it that death comes upon men? Well, friend, of course, it's because of sin. And what then could release man from its grip? Only, friend, only, if the law is satisfied. And here you have the psalmist then looking to Christ and seeing that because of his union, he enjoys a legal standing. A legal standing in which death no longer has a hold over him. Can no longer exercise its dominion. That death really, as the apostle says, has lost its sting. And that because of Christ. The legal standing, his position has changed. But not only has his position changed, but the man himself is different. If you jump up just a couple of verses here, the psalmist indicates that as he looks to this one, to the Lord Jesus Christ, well friend, he has changed. In verse seven, we're told that the psalmist will bless the Lord who has given me counsel. The rains also instruct me in the night seasons. And also this confidence in verse 11, that the Lord will show him the path of life. What is the psalmist getting at in both of these cases? Friend, the psalmist sees himself actually led and counseled by the Lord. Counseled by the Lord in such a way that he begins to walk in the path of life. You see, friend, not only does he enjoy the legal benefits of union with Christ, but he is also, as it were, renovated because of that union. Changed more into the likeness of Christ as a sinner now brought into the path of life, counseled by the Lord God, effectually. And friend, I want us to see then that not only is the psalmist looking at the object of his faith, but he's also showing us its effect or its evidence. And that's our second heading for this evening. The psalmist here is a man who is on the path of life, who is counseled by God. And the effect of that is simple. The man now begins to love the God whom he once hated. Friend, we can't forget the natural condition of even this man. He was once, as the apostle describes in Ephesians 2, a man without God in the world, an alien to God. And yet notice these words. He says, the Lord is the portion of mine inheritance. But even before that, we don't see that this is some kind of begrudging admission. He says that the Lord is his Lord. He recognizes that this is his God, the one whom he desires, who he has as his own. And so friend, what do we find here? We find here a man who has, by God's grace, claimed this thrice holy God as his, by solemn covenant. And even now friend, as the psalmist reflects, his love for God, argues that he must abhor idolatry. That's the fourth verse. He hates everything that is contrary to this one. Well, friend, how different is that than the man in his natural condition? And the man in his natural condition, what is he? As Calvin put it, I think very accurately, he's nothing but a factory of idols. But here the psalmist says that he abhors idolatry. What has happened, friend? A real change. Really God has counseled, not just intellectually, but effectually drawn him. Drawn his heart. So that he now embraces the God he once despised. But friend, it's not just God himself. I want you to notice the very next line of verse 2. Verse 3 rather. But to the saints that are in the earth. The psalmist turns not only to God, but now he loves the people of God as well. He loves those who actually bear this resemblance like him. Friends, this is a massive change, of course. He was once part of the world. The world that despised God and His people. And now He's brought to love Him. But all of this argues that this real change has taken place. That the trust that He does have in this One who is to come, in the Lord God, in the Lord of glory incarnate. Well, everything that we've just seen argues that that's a real faith because he is really united to this one and being conformed to his likeness. But friend, what is at the end of the day, the fruition, the end that the psalmist sees that arises from this faith and this union? Oh, you have that in verses five and following. The psalmist tells us plainly, that the Lord is the portion of his inheritance. He goes on to say that he is also his cup, his lot, and his goodly heritage. All of these things, friend, the psalmist looks at and he sees, and striking, he sees that he has, as it were, a claim upon God, that God is his own in a special way. But what does that mean practically? Friend, I want you to think about what it means for a man, for a soul to say that I don't only have good things from God, but I have God himself as my inheritance. I have God himself as my exceeding great reward, as the Lord tells Abraham that he is. What does that mean? Friend, when you think about the goodness of God, We are reminded that all that is in God is something that is beyond our reckoning as finite creatures. But everything around us tells us that there is a good God. And friend, as we reason through this, what we find is that all the goodness that we do see, all the beauty and all the loveliness that we do know, friend, they're merely emanations from what is in Him intrinsically. Everything that is good. Everything that is truly beautiful and lovely. Friend, all of those things are but shards of what is in God essentially. And that from all of eternity. And so when the psalmist says that he has God as his portion, friend, it's a staggering thing. Because he's saying, I don't have a beautiful creature, a good created thing. that I have the one who is the very epitome of beauty, the very epitome of loveliness and goodness as my own. And friend, we're not talking here, of course, just about the psalmist this evening. We're talking, of course, about all of those who are united to Christ by faith. Friend, What is it that will drive you to holiness? What is it that will drive you, at the end of the day, to be faithful? The answer to that question could be asked in terms of our own biblical history. What was it that pulled Abraham from his homeland? Or was it just a tract of land in the Middle East? Or was that the thing that cultivated this desire to move south? To leave his family and all that he knew? Friend, not at all. In Genesis 15, we're told by the Lord, that that which was promised to Abraham was not a good thing from God. But as we've just said, that God Himself would be His exceeding great reward. Friend, it was to have God that made Abraham what Abraham was. It was to have God that made the men of the past, the women of the past, what they were. It was God himself as their possession and inheritance, friend that drove them and even caused them to sing in prison cells to rejoice in affliction. And the question that's set before us this evening is simple. The first question is, are we a people of like-minded faith? Can we say with the psalmist that all that we ask for from God is only on the basis of our union with Christ? Friend, the psalmist, as he makes this holy argument, always has an eye to the coming Christ. As you go to God for grace, do you seek to find some foundation for Him to be good to you from within? Not so, the psalmist, and we ought not either. Every good thing He sees only as He stands in union with this Christ. Friend, so should we. But the next question is, is it the case that it is God Himself that we desire? This evening. Friend, when the psalmist says that these wonderful descriptors refer to His right, His gracious place with God. That God is His. And that He is God's. Friend, He's not bemoaning something as though that were undesirable. This is the thing that He craves. The thing that is His joy. Let come to Him in this life whatever might come. So long as He has God as His portion. So long as He has God as His lot. That is sufficient for Him. Even as we sang in Psalm 17. Friend, is that your case this evening? Friend, who knows? what difficult providences may lay ahead. We can look to the saints of the past and we can see that there are kinds of providences that we could not even imagine on our own. Hard and difficult things that the people of God are commanded to go through. Friend, if you lost it all, if you went through those kinds of providences, And you lost family, you lost friends. You lost your name in the world and you lost all of your possessions, your health and everything. But you had this. This blessed promise that in Christ you have God as your own. Would you be satisfied? Friend, that's the question that's set before us this evening, isn't it? Can I be satisfied with God Himself? Is it He Himself that I desire most of all? Or just His benefits? Just His created blessings? But friend, there is, of course, a word of consolation here. The psalmist asks that God would undertake for him. In spite of all of his sin, in spite of all of his unworthiness, he goes so boldly to the throne of grace. that the one who is the omnipotent judge of the living and the dead would be his guardian. He does so on the basis of his faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. But what does he expect from it? Verse 11, thou wilt show me the path of life, in thy presence is fullness of joy. at thy right hand are pleasures forevermore. You see, friend, what the psalmist looks to is not just to the present enjoyment that he has of God. He does enjoy God now. God's counsel, he already has said, is with him presently. But he looks forward to something even more. He looks forward to the fruition of God in union with Christ. He looks for that moment as we even sang, where he sees as he looks into the face of his savior, his living Christ, the one whom he has always desired. Friend, that is the pleasure that the psalmist envisions. These short, these 70 some years that are allotted to men are very short. And at the end of the day, the psalmist, as it were, is telling us, that after all the difficulties that he may go through, every loss that he may encounter, he is an infinite gainer as he has God in Christ. If you ask the psalmist at the end of the day, at the end of the age, if you ask David, having lost so much over such a span of time, was it worth it? Friend, as he looks to the face of Christ, he will always say, that it was certainly worth it. Just to see him and to have him, as the words are in the Song of Solomon, to say that this one is my beloved and I am his. Friend, it makes every difficulty pale in comparison. Those who have Christ, Those who can say that God is their portion and inheritance can say that whatever they lose in this world, well friend, they gain infinitely more by having Christ. And what's said before us then, as we look to our Savior, is just this, that because of who he is intrinsically, And through the gospel so graciously offered, friend, even you and I can have confidence not only in preserving grace, but in the joy of having him for everlasting years. To enjoy these pleasures that are forever at his right hand, that are in himself. May that be the thing as we close this Lord's Day that carries us through the week. Just God Himself, in the Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.