3. Looking In the Fear of the Lord Psalm 34:5-6

Text:  “Look unto Me, and be ye saved, all the ends of the earth; for I am God, and there is none else.  I have sworn by Myself, the Word is gone out of My mouth in righteousness, and shall not return, That unto Me every knee shall bow, every tongue shall swear.  Surely, shall one say, in the Lord have I righteousness and strength; even to Him shall men come; and all that are incensed against Him shall be ashamed.”         

Isaiah 45:22-24.

Good morning, God-Adoring Christian!  Before you open your Spiritually regenerate eyes each morning, you are seeking the face of the Lord.  As the Lord grants you power to open your eyelids, you look to the manifestation of His grace upon the day He has provided you.  You and I realize that we are not promised our next breath of fresh air without the generosity of God’s great Creative grace being in operation - and the fresh wonders of each new day are rightly attributed unto the Living Lord as we offer up our thanksgiving to Him.  We look to God in reverent fear and awe constantly, and the Almighty, all-powerful, all-giving Lord God Jehovah never lets us down.

“Bless the Lord, O my soul.  O Lord my God, Thou art very great; Thou art clothed with honour and majesty.”  (Psalm 104:1)

Salvation is of the Lord God and His matchless and truly Sovereign grace from beginning to end.  Sinful and fallen mankind has no power, no desire, no strength with which to realise he/she is a sinner and that there is a Salvation to be had in Christ Jesus.  It is of the Lord God’s free grace, and at all times according to His own Sovereign will and Divine election that any soul becomes quickened by God the Holy Spirit and saved for time and Eternity.  Illumination as to our sinful state, Christ’s absolute righteousness as the Standard for entrance to Heaven; and the fearful judgement that must come upon all men - all comes from the Lord God, and by His free and Sovereign grace alone. 

If God the Holy Spirit does not ‘quicken’ us by the hearing of God’s Word, and His message of Eternal Salvation in Christ Jesus and in His full Atonement Sacrifice at Calvary’s Cross - then we can never ever be saved.  Fact. 

The Spirit’s first ministry to us, when we are yet fallen in sin and Spiritually DEAD in trespasses and iniquity, is to enlighten us, to ‘quicken’ (make alive) us to the perilous state we are in, and to show us God’s way of Salvation in Christ Alone.  Praise God for His Sovereign grace!  Amen.

“Nevertheless I tell you the truth; it is expedient for you that I go away; for if I go not away, the Comforter (capital C) will not come unto you; but if I depart, I will send Him unto you.  And when He is come, He will reprove the world (fallen sinners) of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment: of sin, because they believe not on Me (Christ Jesus); of righteousness, because I go to My Father, and ye see Me no more; of judgement, because the prince of this world (Satan) is judged.”  (John 16:7-11)

“And you hath He quickened (made alive, made aware, enlightened), who were DEAD (Spiritually dead) in trespasses and sins…even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved); and hath raised us up together and made us sit in Heavenly places in Christ Jesus.”  (Ephesians 2:1;5-6)

These God-inspired Scriptures clearly prove the fact that, the Lord God instigates His Salvation process by the Spiritual awakening, or ‘quickening’, of those whom He has ordained, elected, to be saved.  Our Spiritual eyes are opened by God the Spirit and our hearts are regenerated by hearing the Word of God, and we LOOK to Christ in repentance and are forever saved, redeemed by His shed Blood.  Hallelujah!

“Look unto Me, and be ye saved, all the ends of the earth; for I am God, and there is none else.”

“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: 2)

Verse 5.  “They looked unto Him.  The more we can think upon our Lord and the less upon ourselves, the better.  Looking to Him, as He is seated upon the right hand of the throne of God, will keep our heads and especially our hearts steady when going through the deep waters of affliction.  Often have I thought of this when crossing the water opposite the old place of Langholm.  I found, when I looked down on the water, I got dizzy; I therefore fixed my eyes upon a steady object on the other side and got comfortably through.”  (David Smith, Treasury of David, page 165)

Those whom the Lord quickens to LOOK to Him, immediately cry out to Him in sincere, God-given, repentance - for forgiveness of sins, and Salvation in Christ Jesus.

Verse 6.  “This poor man cried.  His prayer was a cry, for brevity and bitterness, for earnestness and simplicity, for artlessness and grief; it was a poor man’s cry, but it was none the less powerful with Heaven, for the Lord heard him, and to be heard of God is to be delivered; and so it is added, the Lord saved him out of all his troubles.”  (C.H. Spurgeon, Treasury of David, page 165)

Thought:  ‘There’s life for a look at the Crucified One, there’s life at the Cross for me.’  “They looked unto Him, and were lightened…”, look to Him and live.