Thank you for listening to the media ministry of the Puritan Reformed Presbyterian Church in San Diego, California. If you are blessed by what you hear and would like to help keep our little church going as a ministry partner with your cheerful gifts, please listen for instructions at the end of this message. We were in Psalm 71 this morning. We return to Psalm 71 this evening. Our scripture for the sermon tonight will be verse 20. Hear now the word of the Lord, Psalm 71, verse 20. Thou which hast showed me great and sore troubles, shalt quicken me again, and shalt bring me up again from the depths of the earth. Let me read that once more. thou which hast showed me great and sore troubles shalt quicken me again and shalt bring me up again from the depths of the earth." This morning we looked at verse 8 of this same psalm that taught us, because the Christian's chief desire for his mouth is to be filled with praise that honors God's name always. Thus, let our mouths be filled with God's glorious praise all day. Among many good reasons for praising God all the day, every day, is said later here in verse 20. Our text this evening, which teaches us that while the Lord often lays his people low, he will always lift them up. I give that to you as the main idea of our text. While the Lord often lays his people low, he will always lift them up. Every day, all day long. every morning. So let your mouth be filled with God's glorious praise throughout the day, because though the Lord often lays us low, He will always lift us up. Let me say that to you more directly in the second person, but I do want to think of this collectively as this morning in the third. Though the Lord often lays you low, He will always lift you up. And though the Lord often lays us low, He will always lift us up. I want to remind you of what we revisited last week in our teaching time briefly, our last lesson of our series on the Sixth Petition of the Lord's Prayer with Thomas Watson. You'll remember we had quite a long layover with other books and things to study to kind of bring home the point. And the last thing I brought to you was excerpts from my Old Testament Hebrew professor, C.J. Williams, his book, The Shadow of Christ, in the book of Job. Especially because he demonstrates the whole book is really probably the most important, obvious type of Jesus in all of the Old Testament. It is a unfolding and building out, Genesis 3.15, that Satan will bruise his heel, but you will crush his head. And so Satan at the beginning of the book is asking God questions, what about this Job? But God's actually the one asking the questions, initiating, sending him after Job, really. And he allows him to bring unbelievable, torturous trouble on Job. And Satan is like, he's going to curse you. He won't praise you if it's going good. And you know the story. We revisited some of those things such as, though he slay me yet will I trust in him. The Lord gives, the Lord takes away, blessed be the name of the Lord. And he does get through it, but what we want to recognize, thinking also where we are in the Westminster larger catechism in our teaching time, which is what brought this up last week. That whole section 46 to 50 of the questions and answers talks about the humiliation of Christ in his mediatorial role as prophet, priest, and king. We've just begun the first few questions. But remember, Christ's humiliation comes before the crown. But remember, he didn't start there. He came from the highest glory of heaven. And so what was highlighted in our answer last week, he had no ordinary abasement in where he was born, right? to really significant poverty, born in the feeding trough, or laid in a feeding trough of animals, like no ordinary abasement, which is a huge change, fast, compared to sitting on his throne at the right hand of God Almighty. And so Job is a type of that. It's a real thing, but it's designed by God. He is in an extraordinary riches, extraordinary influence. And then so fast he goes from that to extraordinary pain and poverty and difficulty. And he's a type of Christ in that regard. He goes from the heights of glory and riches to a deep and devastating decline to such utter depths of despair and loss and poverty which God brings upon him. But it's also God who returns and raises him back up, and even to higher heights. Remember, Job had double what he had before. And of course, Christ goes back and sits at the right hand of God, but now is given all authority and power on heaven and earth, and he will judge at the last great day. He is mediatorial king versus church. It'll be he that judges, it'll be he that raises all the dead by his voice when he summons them. So in both cases, this incredible dive to a really low place from God, but then a bringing it back even to far beyond the heights that it was. That is the type of Christ and that in Christ is really our story. And we want to look at that tonight. The psalmist is expressing a similar experience. And he first says, thou, that's supplied for us in verse 19. The word thou isn't there, but it's understood and appropriately put there because it is God who is being referred to spilling in from the verse before. So what he's saying is, it is you, God, who has showed me sore troubles. You've showed me these things. Not you've showed me these things like I'm watching them as a bystander. You have brought them upon me. You've brought these things into my face. Sore troubles you've brought to me, God. Sore could be translated evil, bad, calamity, and troubles, distress. You've brought me evil distresses. And not only that, they are great. The Hebrew word there is often translated, many. You have brought many evil, distressing things upon me. Now, it's not accusatory. It's a humble just acknowledging of it, to ask for mercy, to be relieved of it. Now there are reasons for it, and it's mostly to keep us close to God. So remember Psalm 119, 67, 71, and 75 say, it is good that I was afflicted. It brought me closer to your word, it brought me closer to you, and you in faithfulness afflicted me, oh God. Because when you bring me low, then you bring me closer to you, and there's no higher place to be than the rock. who is higher than we are. So, praise of God all day long is called for because we know he won't leave us there in the depths of despair, but he will bring me up closer to him and so higher in him. God shall quicken me, he says. And then twice the word again, You'll do this again. And actually the Hebrew word is usually translated return. You're going to return. You're going to return. You're going to bring me up. You're going to quicken me while he's saying, you've brought this upon me. All things are from you, to you, through you, for your glory. Please get me out of this. I know you will get me out of this. You will deliver me. You are using this for your purposes and you will glorify yourself. And I can identify with Christ in the sufferings, with his fellowship, and also in the power of his resurrection. God testifies to this truth elsewhere. Deuteronomy 32 verse 39, See now that I, even I, am he. This is the Lord speaking. See now that I, even I, am he, and there is no God with me. I kill and I make alive. I wound and I heal. Neither is there any that can deliver out of my hand. Hannah reflects this in 1st Samuel 2 verse 6. The Lord killeth and maketh alive. He bringeth down to the grave and bringeth up. Very much, very much the idea of our verse tonight. Lord, you've brought me down to the grave, the depths of the earth, practically left for dead. But you also bring me up. You raise me from the dead. just as you did typologically of Job, just as you did truly in the Lord Jesus Christ, who is the first fruits of my own resurrection, who is my life. Job 5 verse 18, For he maketh sore, there's that word sore again, brought sore troubles on me, he maketh sore and bindeth up, he woundeth and his hands make whole. So heed the words of Hosea 6, 1 and 2. Come and let us return unto the Lord, for he hath torn and he will heal us. He hath smitten and he will bind us up. After two days will he revive us. In the third day he will raise us up. and we shall live in his sight. Don't miss the prophetic note there at the end of that verse. The third day, he will raise us up and we shall live in his sight. You see, here's the encouragement. Because the difficulty is from God himself, that's been laid upon me and has laid me low. Because it's from God himself, He Himself can and will return with relief and lift it off of me and lift me up in more glory as a result. He has a purpose for the difficult providence and persecutions and that's a lot of what's in the psalm, but God has a purpose for it. So also it is His prerogative to remove it and no one can stop Him When it's time, he says, enough. It's time to lift it up. Because he himself has brought it upon his people, so he himself will lift it up and lift them up out of it to a greater place with hinds feet, on hinds places, because no one can stop him. And the rest of your story is quite encouraging. Verses 21 to 24. Thus shalt increase my greatness. Just like Job. And comfort me on every side. That's a verse I almost wanted to preach with it or instead. That's a verse maybe we'll come back to, but it's so connected. Thou shalt increase my greatness and comfort me on every side. I will also praise thee with the psaltery, even thy truth, O my God. Unto thee will I sing with the harp, O thou holy one of Israel. My lips shall greatly rejoice when I sing unto thee, and my soul which thou hast redeemed. And then verse 24, very similar to our text in verse 8 this morning. My tongue also shall talk of thy righteousness all the day long, for they are confounded, for they are brought unto shame that seek my hurt. See, the Lord shows His power and glory to deliver. just like the Egyptians from Egypt and through the Red Sea, just like through the wilderness, just like from the Amalekites and Zion and Og. God shows his glory when he lets us go through things that seem impossible, but he shows nothing is impossible for God. He brought it on us to bring us closer to him and lift us up higher in him out of it in his time. Thus, beloved, be clothed with humility, for God resisteth the proud, and giveth grace to the humble. Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time. casting all your care upon him, for he careth for you." 1 Peter 5, 5-7. Now often, this will be part of your collective cry as Christians and as individual Christians. Psalm 60, verse 3, Thou hast showed thy people hard things. Thou hast made us to drink the wine of astonishment. God wrote that for you to sing. I don't think we find that in many man-made songs. Your cry will sometimes be Psalm 85 verse 6. Wilt thou not revive us again that thy people may rejoice in Of course, this is the story of church history in the scriptures, and the story of the history of the church, as it's brought back to the scriptures in revival and reformation. So let your prayer be to praise God, to see you through to greater restoration, like our verse. It's like, you brought this upon me, I know you're gonna lift me up out of it to a higher place. But right now I'm in it. But he looks ahead, he knows, he remembers where this is going. That's his hope. That's his trajectory. That's where he knows this will be resolved, relieved, and raised up. Psalm 119 verse 25, my soul cleaveth unto the dust. Have you been there? I trust we've all had those moments where we've been on the ground. Our face on the floor, literally. My soul cleaveth unto the dust. Quicken thou me. according to thy word. Psalm 138, 7. Let it be your prayer looking ahead. Though I walk in the midst of trouble, thou wilt revive me. Thou shalt stretch forth thine hand against the wrath of mine enemies, and thy right hand shall save me. Psalm 143, verse 11. Quicken me Oh Lord, for Thy names' sake, for Thy righteousness' sake. Before we continue, we've looked at such appeals given to answer, and I encourage you to remember to regularly pray with those as your reasons. Lord, do this for Your names' sake, for Your righteousness' sake. and often for the sake of your covenant, for your mercy's sake. Remember to have those regularly as part of your petitions. Quicken me, O Lord, for thy name's sake, for thy righteousness' sake. Bring my soul out of trouble. He will. That's what our text tells us. That's what our psalmist testifies of. He will. in Jesus. Remember your entire story is within your union in and with Christ. Philippians 2, 5-11. Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus, who being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God but made himself of no reputation and took upon him the form of a servant and was made in the likeness of men and being found in fashion as a man he humbled himself and became obedient unto death even the death of the cross. Wherefore, God hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. Thus, let us run with patience the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God." Hebrews 12, 1 and 2. And remember, that's where he came from. you can always lament, you can always learn, and you can always be lifted up with text like ours this evening. Again, Psalm 71 20, Thou which hast showed me great and sore troubles shalt quicken me again and shalt bring me up again from the depths of the earth. Or, Turning to Psalm 130, verses one through eight. Out of the depths have I cried unto thee, O Lord. Lord, hear my voice. Let thine ears be attentive to the voice of my supplications. If thou, Lord, shouldest mark iniquities, O Lord, who shall stand? But there is forgiveness with thee. thou mayest be feared. I wait for the Lord, my soul doth wait, and in his word do I hope. My soul waiteth for the Lord more than they that watch for the morning. I say more than they that watch for the morning. Let Israel hope in the Lord, for with the Lord there is mercy, and with him is plenteous redemption. And he shall redeem Israel from all his iniquities." Now, Psalm 130, in our verse tonight, speaks of being in the depths, crying out on the depths, the depths of the earth. But that idea out of the depths of the earth is not only figurative. It's not just a metaphor for life. Most importantly, it's looking ahead finally and completely to what is literal. John 11 verse 25, I am the resurrection, says the Lord Jesus, and the life. He that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live. And he proved it by raising Lazarus from the dead and raising himself from the dead out of his own tomb. Revelation 14 verse 13. Blessed are the dead which die in the Lord from henceforth. They may rest from their labors and their works do follow them. John 5 verse 24. Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation, but is passed from death unto life. 1 Corinthians 15 21-22 For since by man came death, By man came also the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive. Romans 6 verse 4, our memory verse for this evening. Therefore, we are buried with him by baptism into death. That like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life. Or as proclaimed in the church's earliest testimony, the Apostles' Creed. And before I read it for you, I encourage you to go to page 319 in your your packaged version of the Westminster Confession with the catechisms and other things. Right after the shorter catechism on page 319, they list the Ten Commandments, although they've taught through it. They list the Lord's Prayer, although they've taught through it. And lastly, they list what they haven't taught through, the Apostles' Creed, but they give it to us. I encourage you to read the footnote. I encourage you also to read the asterisk next to one of the phrases that often causes people trouble. It used to cause me trouble and it doesn't anymore because you consider how it's true on the cross in a moment. I'm not going to go through all that. I had it in my notes. I decided I need to leave something out. So I recommend to you highly to go to page 319, read the Apostles' Creed because it isn't read very often in our kinds of contexts, but it's very beneficial. And they even do say everything in this has been taught in our catechisms and that it's very good and historic. But you can go read a little bit more of what they say. I encourage that. But I want you to remember what it does proclaim as really the earliest recorded church confession, and it is not written by the apostles, and I wouldn't lead us to say it, recite it, or pray it together, but I will read it for you and proclaim it. I believe in God, the Father Almighty, maker of heaven and earth. And in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord, which was conceived by the Holy Ghost, born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, dead, and buried. He descended into hell. The third day, He rose again from the dead. He ascended into heaven. and sitteth at the right hand of God the Father Almighty. From thence he shall come to judge the quick and the dead. I believe in the Holy Ghost and Holy Catholic Church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting. Amen. This is the truth of our text. And the truth is true always throughout your life and ultimately at the end of your life forever. Though the Lord often lays us low, He will always lift us up. Once more, Psalm 71 verse 20. Thou which has showed me great and sore troubles, shalt quicken me again, and shalt bring me up again from the depths of the earth. Though the Lord often lays you low, brother, sister, he will always lift you up. Brethren, though the Lord often lays us low, He will always lift us up. Let us pray. Oh Lord God, you kill and you make alive. You wound and you heal. You lay us low and you lift us up again and again to higher heights. as you would help us humble ourselves under your mighty hand that you would lift us up in due season and on the last great day from our graves in the depths of the earth, transforming our bodies into our new spiritual bodies and letting us walk in eternal newness of life in the new heavens and the new earth with you, never to be laid low again. Keep this ever before us and the hope of the resurrection, which is why we are here every Christian Lord's Day. Celebrating Christ's resurrection as the first fruits of our own, with it as a hope, as an anchor for our soul that will not disappoint. Keep our eyes on it and on Jesus Christ, the author and finisher of our faith. And we all pray in his name. Amen. And if you prefer to send your support through the mail, please make your check out to Puritan Reformed Presbyterian Church and send it to Puritan Reformed Presbyterian Church, 6374 Potomac Street, San Diego, California 92139. Thank you.