May 29, 2011
SOVEREIGN GRACE BAPTIST CHURCH
LOCATION
Rocky Hill Firehouse, 2nd Floor
150 Washington Street
Rocky Hill, New Jersey, 08553
Telephone: 615-513-4464
Schedule of Services
Sunday 10 AM Bible Class
Sunday 11 AM Morning Service
Thursday 7 PM Midweek Service
I SHALL BE SATISFIED
Psalm 17: 15
Some mornings when my eyes open there is a communion with Christ in my heart that immediately causes me to thank the Lord for satisfaction in my Beloved: satisfaction of righteousness wrought by Christ, satisfaction of acceptance with God in Christ, satisfaction wrought in my heart by the Spirit of God. But even when I am awakened with such a delight, soon after, the pains of my own body or the thoughts of another long day brings in the present reality—I am still in this body of death and still I see through a glass darkly. But one day, I shall awake to behold my Savior’s face without any interruption. I shall awake perfectly conformed to my Savior. In that day, I shall be satisfied.
No Satisfaction of This World
In this Psalm, David is asking God to deliver him from worldly men who set their eyes upon him like a fierce lion. A worldly man finds satisfaction in conformity to this world: in oppressing, reviling, self-righteousness and all manner of worldly gain. His portion is in this life. When the worldly man dies, all that he has, he leaves, with no future hope of any good (Psalm 17: 14). Do you envy the worldly man?
A believer journeys through this world with some measure of satisfaction by the grace of our God but our satisfaction is not of or in this world. Like David, we are looking away from the face of men to the face of God. We are looking ahead to a far greater, never-ending day when we shall be conformed to our Lord.
The Time of Our Satisfaction
Believers shall be satisfied when we awake from death, conformed to our Lord. It is two-fold. Scriptures refers to death as sleep. But the soul does not sleep. Our soul shall depart to be with the Lord immediately upon death and “we shall behold thy face in righteousness” (Philippians 1:23; 2 Corinthians 5:8; Luke 23: 42-43). Then in the resurrection our body shall “awake, with thy likeness.” 1 Corinthians 15: 41-57). We shall be satisfied when we are perfectly conformed to our Lord in body and soul.
The Object of Our Satisfaction
David said, “I will behold thy face….” The face of God is his presence; the manifestation of himself. In this life, it is by the countenance of God—his face—the glory of God shining into our hearts, that we are saved (Psalm 80:3; 4:6; 89:15). When God turns his face to the heart of a chosen, regenerated child of grace, the Spirit of God makes us to behold “God hath reconciled us to himself in Christ Jesus.” The LIGHT of the GLORIOUS gospel of Christ—who is the image of God,…SHINES. We behold his glory in the face of Christ Jesus (2 Corinthians 4: 4, 6): the glory of his electing love, his redeeming love, his regenerating love, his preserving love, even a foretaste of his resurrecting love. We see through a glass darkly now but then, face-to-face! (1 Corinthians 13:12; Job 19: 25-27). Our satisfaction is and shall be the uninterrupted presence of God!
The State of Our Satisfaction
David says, “in righteousness, with thy likeness.” We shall behold the LORD our righteousness and we shall be perfectly conformed to the image of his Son in righteousness (Romans 8:29). Right now, sinners are changed into the same image in the inner man by faith’s sight of him by the Holy Spirit. (2 Corinthians 3: 18). Then, we shall be changed into the same image in righteousness of body and soul by seeing him as he is--“when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is. (1 John 3: 2). Though the guilt of sin is now removed from us by the blood of Christ, though the dominion of sin has now been dethroned by the Spirit of God within us—o, happy day!—then we shall stand before God’s throne completely free from the body of sin. In the last day, Christ Jesus shall present us to himself—a glorious church—not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but holy and without blemish (Ephesians 5: 27). It will all be the result of God’s work alone—to the praise of the glory of his grace.
The Measure of Our Satisfaction
David says, “I shall be satisfied” that is, fully satisfied! God shall be satisfied when Christ shall deliver up all that was entrusted to him, saying, “Behold, I and the children which God hast given me” (Hebrews 2: 13). Christ shall see of the travail of his soul and shall be satisfied (Isaiah 53: 11). And every child of glory shall have the desire of our souls fully satisfied. We shall be with our God without any deficiency, shadow or fear of change for all eternity. Perfect peace!
Our Resolve
With this hope in him, though surrounded by a world of oppressors satisfied with a conformity to perishing things of dirt, David set his face like a flint toward God, saying, “As for me, I will behold thy face in righteousness: I shall be satisfied, when I awake, with thy likeness.” (Psalm 17: 15).
Beloved, with this same hope in us let us rejoice for our dear brethren who are now enjoying the satisfaction of our God in glory. And let us be diligent to mortify the old man of our flesh by setting our full attention on our Lord in great expectation of perfect conformity to him in glory—we shall be satisfied! (2 Peter 3:14; 1 John 3: 3; Psalm 67: 1).
DATE TO REMEMBRER
June 10, Friday, 7pm, youth bible class on Birch Street.
SERMONS
After clicking on the following sermon links you will go to sermon notes where you will find an option at the top of the page to access the audio.
For Righteousness’ Sake
Disciples of Christ
I Shall Be Satisfied