Sovereign Grace Baptist Church

Free Grace Media

Of Princeton, New Jersey

 

AuthorClay Curtis
TitleIn God We Boast
Bible TextPsalm 44:1-8
Synopsis What are we to instruct our children? The gospel is not man’s works for salvation but God’s work—"We have heard with our ears, O God, our fathers have told us, what work thou didst in their days, in the times of old.” Listen
Date11-Jul-2019
Series Psalms 2011
Article Type Sermon Notes
PDF Format pdf
Word Format doc
Audio HI-FI Listen: In God We Boast (32 kbps)
Audio CD Quality Listen: In God We Boast (128 kbps)
Length 38 min.
 

Series: Psalms

Title: In God We Boast

Text: Psalm 44: 1-8

Date: July 11, 2019

Place: SGBC, NJ

 

Psalm 44: 1: We have heard with our ears, O God, our fathers have told us, what work thou didst in their days, in the times of old.

 

The greatest responsibility of fathers and mothers is to teach our children the gospel—“our fathers have told us”

 

God told the fathers concerning the Passover--

 

Exodus 12: 26: And it shall come to pass, when your children shall say unto you, what mean ye by this service? 27: That ye shall say, It is the sacrifice of the LORD’S passover, who passed over the houses of the children of Israel in Egypt, when he smote the Egyptians, and delivered our houses.

 

 God told the fathers concerning the offering of the firstborn--

 

Exodus 13: 14: And it shall be when thy son asketh thee in time to come, saying, What is this? that thou shalt say unto him, By strength of hand the LORD brought us out from Egypt, from the house of bondage: 15: And it came to pass, when Pharaoh would hardly let us go, that the LORD slew all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, both the firstborn of man, and the firstborn of beast: therefore I sacrifice to the LORD all that openeth the matrix, being males; but all the firstborn of my children I redeem.

 

God told the fathers concerning the giving of the law at Sinai concerning the mountain of fire and their need of a mediator

 

Deuteronomy 4: 9:..teach them thy sons, and thy sons’ sons;

 

God told the fathers concerning the crossing of the Jordan

 

Joshua 4: 21: And he spake unto the children of Israel, saying, When your children shall ask their fathers in time to come, saying, What mean these stones? 22: Then ye shall let your children know, saying, Israel came over this Jordan on dry land. 23: For the LORD your God dried up the waters of Jordan from before you, until ye were passed over…24: That all the people of the earth might know the hand of the LORD, that it is mighty: that ye might fear the LORD your God for ever.

 

So God commands fathers to raise their children in the nurture and admonition of the LORD.  Same is true for mothers—Paul commended Timothy’s mother and grandmother for teaching him the scriptures as a child.

 

I have seen parents who were not consistent to have their children under the preaching of the gospel.  They were in the services a great deal of the time. But if something came up they went and did that instead.  So they taught their children that the gospel is not the most important thing there is.  So the children made a profession then went off to college then into the world.

 

Other parents taught their children that the gospel is more important than our daily food.  They had their children in every service and let nothing take them from the preaching of Christ crucified.  And God honored it by planting their children in his church under the gospel faithfully.  It is not a guarantee because God chooses whom he will but Christ said,

 

John 12: 26:…[Christ said] if any man serve me, him will my Father honour.

 

We see it in God’s commendation of Abraham.

 

Genesis 18:19: For I know him, that he will command his children and his household after him, and they shall keep the way of the LORD, to do justice and judgment; that the LORD may bring upon Abraham that which he hath spoken of him.

 

But we see the opposite of Eli. God rebuked Eli for not teaching his sons to honor God and God said,

 

1 Samuel 2:30: Wherefore the LORD God of Israel saith, I said indeed that thy house, and the house of thy father, should walk before me for ever: but now the LORD saith, Be it far from me; for them that honour me I will honour, and they that despise me shall be lightly esteemed.

 

Fathers and mothers should study the scriptures so we can teach our children God’s mighty works.  Nothing else we teach them will save them eternally—only the words of this book!  I want for my children to say one day, “We have heard with our ears, O God, our father [and mother] have told us, what work thou didst in their days, in the times of old.”

 

For you children, it is a great blessing from God that he has given you believing fathers and mothers to teach you the gospel.  I commend our young people who are always here to hear the gospel preached.  Scripture says,

James 1: 19:…let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath: [lay apart everything that will distract you and] receive with meekness the engrafted word, which is able to save your souls.

 

Then after you hear the gospel give yourselves to diligently seek Christ in the scriptures. The Bereans,

 

Acts 17: 11: These were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so.

Do not go the way the of the world—use your believing fathers and mothers to ask questions and heed what they teach you and seek Christ now!

 

Proposition: What are we to instruct our children?  The gospel is not man’s works for salvation but God’s work—"We have heard with our ears, O God, our fathers have told us, what work thou didst in their days, in the times of old.”

 

GOD’S ELECTION OF GRACE

 

Psalm 44: 2: How thou didst drive out the heathen with thy hand, and plantedst them [God’s elect]; how thou didst afflict the people, and cast them out. [the non-elect heathen] 3…[but he says of God’s elect] thou hadst a favour unto them.

 

The gospel we must instruct our children is that God has an elect people in this world for whom God gives nations.  It is clear throughout the scripture that some people in this world are God’s favored people and others are not.  There were many nations—people—who God did not show favor unto but who God drove out of the land of Canaan—they are called here “the heathen.”—"thou didst drive out the heathen with thy hand, thou didst afflict the people, and cast them out.”  Then there were the children of Israel—amongst whom God had an elect people—and toward them God had free favor—free grace—not based on anything in them—God “planted them”  This shows us plainly that there are people in this world who are God’s elect and there are people who are not.  

 

The only difference is the difference made by God’s favor—his sovereign, free, distinguishing grace.  Take Noah for example. He was a sinner like all the other people in his day—“every imagination of the thoughts of their heart was only evil continually.” Who made Noah to differ?  Ge 6:8  But Noah found grace in the eyes of the LORD.  God had favor unto Noah like he does his elect today.

 

God works all things in this world for his elect.  God gives up whole nations of people for his elect’s sake.

 

Isaiah 43: 3: For I am the LORD thy God, the Holy One of Israel, thy Saviour: I gave Egypt for thy ransom, Ethiopia and Seba for thee. 4: Since thou wast precious in my sight, thou hast been honourable, and I have loved thee: therefore will I give men for thee, and people for thy life.

 

Everything God does in this world, he does for his elect—everything Christ did he did for his elect and his elect alone!

 

Remember what we saw is the purpose of God in electing some and passing by others?

 

Romans 9:11: (For the children being not yet born, neither having done any good or evil, that the purpose of God according to election might stand, not of works, but of him that calleth;)…

 

The first thing that must happen for a sinner to be saved is we must be made to see we are sinners. We have no will to come to God.  We have no works to make ourselves accepted of God. Salvation must be by God who calleth because we are helpless, ruined sinners.  Before we can be saved we have to be humbled from our proud, arrogant pedestal down to Christ’s feet.  Coming to Christ is not of your will or mine.  Being God’s elect is not because of some work in us.  It is simply of God that shows mercy to whom he will.  He gives a new heart and draws us to Christ

 

Romans 9: 16: So then it is not of him that willeth, nor of him that runneth, but of God that sheweth mercy.

 

Would you believe that as I studied this 44th Psalm, I came across a commentary which said, “See, human will must work together with divine grace.”  It is due to such blindness of the depraved heart that God must do the choosing and give us a new heart and a new will.

 

SALVATION BY CHRIST’S HAND

 

Psalm 44: 3: For they got not the land in possession by their own sword, neither did their own arm save them: but thy right hand, and thine arm, and the light of thy countenance, because thou hadst a favour unto them. 4: Thou art my King, O God: command deliverances for Jacob.  5: Through thee will we push down our enemies: through thy name will we tread them under that rise up against us. 6: For I will not trust in my bow, neither shall my sword save me. 7  But thou hast saved us from our enemies, and hast put them to shame that hated us.

 

 

We must teach our children that salvation is not by our hand but by God’s right arm, Christ Jesus his Son.  Someone correctly said that verse 1 speaks of Gods’ “work” singular because all the works of God in delivering Israel pictures that one work of Christ on the cross whereby he crushed the devils head, fulfilled the law and delivered his people from all our enemies.  The children of Israel did not get the land of Canaan in possession by their own sword, neither did their arm save them.  Nor did we get heavenly Canaan in our possession by our works.  We are possessors of heavenly Canaan by Christ Jesus who is described here as "thy right hand, and thine arm, and the light of thy countenance, because thou hadst a favour unto them.”

 

It was common when I was growing up to hear free will preachers say, “Since God is Spirit, God has no hands but your hands and no arms but your arms.”  Truth is, God has no hands and no arms but those of the GodMan, Christ Jesus, his Son.  God who is Spirit came down and took a human body like those he came to save so that Christ is the right hand and right arm of God—Christ is the power and wisdom of God!

 

Isaiah 53: 1: Who hath believed our report? and to whom is the ARM OF THE LORD revealed? 2: For he shall grow up before him as a tender plant, and as a root out of a dry ground: he hath no form nor comeliness; and when we shall see him, there is no beauty that we should desire him. 3: He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not. 4: Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted. 5: But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed.

 

Christ is the “Light of God’s countenance”

 

Hebrew 1:3: Who being the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high;

 

Christ is King and God in the hearts of all who he regenerates through the Spirit—"Thou art my King, O God: command deliverances for Jacob.”  Christ commanded Lazarus come forth from the tomb!  He commanded the wicked spirits depart the demoniac.  Christ commanded the wind and waves be still.  Christ is at God’s right hand with all power and our King, our God, COMMANDS DELIVERANCE FOR HIS HELPLESS JACOBS

 

But someone will object.  They will say but the children of Israel fought the Canaanites so we must fight with our hand and our arm.  Yes, we must fight the good fight of faith.  But it is only through Christ that we win the victory—"Through thee will we push down our enemies: through thy name will we tread them under that rise up against us. For I will not trust in my bow, neither shall my sword save me. But thou hast saved us from our enemies, and hast put them to shame that hated us.” This is the Psalm that gives us the familiar verse in verse 22.  We are sheep accounted for the slaughter. What did Paul say on this verse?

 

Romans 8: 37: Nay, in all these things, we are more than conquerors THROUGH HIM that loved us.

 

 Listen to this beautiful picture of our salvation.

 

Joshua 24: 11 [God told Israel] And ye went over Jordan, and came unto Jericho: and the men of Jericho fought against you,…and I delivered them into your hand….13: And I have given you a land for which ye did not labour, and cities which ye built not, and ye dwell in them; of the vineyards and oliveyards which ye planted not do ye eat.

 

That is a picture of our salvation by Christ Jesus.  We have all these free blessings for which we did not labor but Christ won the victory on our behalf.

 

Joshua 24: 14: Now therefore fear the LORD, and serve him in sincerity and in truth: and put away the gods which your fathers served on the other side of the flood, and in Egypt; and serve ye the LORD.

 

So long as sinners keep boasting in their fighting, in their faith, in their overcoming then they are worshipping idol gods.  But those who fear the Lord serve him in sincerity and truth, giving the glory to God!

 

GIVE GOD ALL THE GLORY

 

Psalm 44: 8: In God we boast all the day long, and praise thy name for ever. Selah.

 

So, lastly, we must teach our children that true worshippers give God all the glory for all.  This is the difference in false and true worshippers. False worshippers boast in themselves.  True worshippers boast in God and praise his name forever.

 

Selah—means give that serious consideration.    

 

1 Corinthians 4:7: For who maketh thee to differ from another? and what hast thou that thou didst not receive? now if thou didst receive it, why dost thou glory, as if thou hadst not received it?

 

Listen to 1 Corinthians 1: 30-31.  “But of him are ye in Christ Jesus”—if we are in Christ God the Father chose us in Christ.  “Who of God is made unto us—if we believe Christ in truth it is because the Spirit of God revealed Christ unto us.  And if we worship Christ in truth it is because Christ is all our salvation—"wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption.” So seeing that God alone made us to differ; seeing we received everything from God and had nothing to do with any aspect of our salvation—that leaves us only one thing to do—"He that glorieth, let him glory in the Lord.”

 

May God give us fathers and mothers grace to teach our children that salvation is by God’s electing grace, that salvation is by Christ our God and King doing all the work and that salvation is to the praise and glory of God. And may God give our children grace to hear their father and mother and believe on Christ.  

 

Amen!