Tremendous truths. We're turning tonight to Psalm
43. Sorry, Psalm 49.
Psalm 49, let's hear the word of God.
Psalm 49, Hear this. All ye people give here all the
inhabitants of the world, both low and high, rich and poor
together. My mouth shall speak of wisdom,
the meditation of my heart shall be of understanding.
I will incline my ear to a parable.
I will open my dark saying upon the harp.
Wherefore should I fear in the days of evil, when the iniquity
of my heels shall compass me about?
They that trust in their wealth, and boast themselves in the
multitude of their riches, none of them can by any means redeem
his brother. Their gift to God, a ransom
forum for the redemption of their soul, is precious, and it
ceases forever that he should still live forever and not see
corruption. For he saith that wise men die.
Likewise the fool and the British person perish and leave
their wealth to others. Their inward thought is that
their houses shall continue forever, and their dwelling
places to all generations. They call their lands after
their own names. Nevertheless, man being an
honour, abideth not. He is like the beasts that
perish. This their way is their folly,
yet their posterity approve their sayings.
Sealer. Like sheep they are LED in the
grave. Death shall feed in them, and
the upright shall have dominion over them in the morning, and
their beauty shall consume in the grave from their dwelling.
But God will redeem my soul from the power of the grave, for he
shall receive me. Sealer.
Be not thy afraid when one is made rich, when the glory of his
house is increased. For when he dies he shall carry
nothing away. His glory shall not descend
after him, though while he lived he blessed his soul.
And men will praise thee. When thou dost well to thyself.
He shall go to the generation of his fathers.
They shall never see light. Man, that is an honour and
understandeth not is like the beasts that parish.
Amen. We know God and stamped his own
approval and blessing, this reading of His own precious and
infallible word. Now my text tonight is taken
from Psalm 49 and in the verse 5.
Wherefore should I fear in the days of evil, when the iniquity
of my heels shall compass me about?
And I want to ask the question, and the question is this
tonight, are you dogged by iniquity?
You see, Psalm 49 is a Psalm for hard times and difficult days.
It's a Psalm really all about the futility and the vanity for
living for this world's richest status and fame, especially in
light of the certainty of death and the reality of God's
eternity. This is a wisdom Psalm, one full
of instruction, and the instruction, if received humbly
and heed it will ultimately result in you being in a loving
relationship to the Lord and offering praise to the God of
heaven. You see, this Psalm teaches us
how the ungodly lives. How does the ungodly live?
He lives for the moment. He lives for the here and now.
He lives for the things of time and sense.
He lives for those things he can see and feel and seek after.
He lives with a view to the riches of this present material
world. The ungodly have a bad attitude
to God and to God's eternity, that God is not for him.
He has no thought or regard or love for the Lord or the things
of God. His attitude is like Pharaoh,
who is the Lord, that I should obey him.
He only lives for the here and now.
But in contrast, Psalm 49 also sets forth the godly man, and we
see the difference in the godly man's attitude to God and to the
great eternity. He is full of wisdom.
He is understanding that he needs to live in a covenant
relationship with the Lord, especially in light of the
certainty of death and in light of eternity.
He knows that one day he will die.
He knows that one day he will stand before God.
He knows he's accountable to God who has given him life and all
that he has needed for his life. So his focus is not on riches,
but his focus is on redemption. His focus is on a relationship
with God on the ground of redemption.
His focus isn't on wealth, but on wisdom, wisdom that comes
from above. His focus isn't on fame, but on
the favour of God. Now it's a powerful thing, a
most precious truth to aim to live in light of God's eternity.
Psalm 49 falls into four parts. 1 to 4, you've got the psalmist
call to all people. Notice the inhabitants of the
world from every culture, class, and creed.
That call is to hear and give ear to that instruction and this
wisdom. In verses 5 to 12, you've got
the Psalmist Council. Council's simple, it's plain,
it's straightforward. Do not envy those who trust in
their wealth, because wealth cannot redeem one's soul or
purchase and escape from death. And then in verse 13 to 15,
you've got the psalmist's comparison.
And here's he compares the godly and the ungodly, the foolish man
and the wise, with the chief deference being their attitude
to God and God's eternity. And then from verses 16 to 20,
you've got the psalmist's conclusion.
And he concludes with this thought.
Don't fear if rich's increase. Why?
Because rich men will die, and rich men will carry nothing away
with them. Man dies and nothing that he
has. Nothing in his house, nothing to
do with heirlooms, nothing to do with his bank account, All that
he's loved, he leaves it behind. And just imagine if he dies
unredeemed, hasn't seen the light.
We have to ask the question, did he never really ponder the
question of God and God's eternity?
When you read the Psalm, those four things jump out, the call,
the council, the comparison, the conclusion.
And as I read through the Psalm during the time of mission,
there were six sermons actually came to me for Sunday nights
during the time of mission. And here's one of them.
But what really jumped out at me because we've preached in Psalm
49 before, was the verse 5. Wherefore.
So this is the godly man, the man who's in that covenant
relationship on the basis of redemption.
He's saying, wherefore should I fear in the days of evil, when
the iniquity of my heels shall compass me about?
And they wrote down on a piece of paper this question, Are you
dogged by iniquity? Hence the title tonight of the
sermon. Now, there's three things here
that I want to try and teach you this evening from this one.
I want you to think of the picture that is presented.
Notice these words, when the iniquity of my heels shall
compass me about. Now that's fascinating, but what
does it mean when you read it in your Bible?
How do you understand it? What thoughts come to mind?
Many scholars believe, maintain, argue that the man of God is
looking forward to dark times when evil circumstances and bad
situations have come upon him. And these evil times and bad
situations, they're dogging his heels.
I'm well aware that we all have trials and troubles.
I'm well aware that evil times have come, and I'm well aware
that evil things aim to trip us up and impede us on our
spiritual pilgrimage. But I don't believe that's the
full meaning. Other scholars say no, it's not
evil times and bad situations. It has to do with iniquitous
men, that that's what's in view. And to an extent we can.
We can understand that we think of evil and wicked men lying in
wait for the man of God, hunting him like a a wild animal or or
attacking him like a servant that doth wait to bite at the
heels of a a weary traveller. And we could try and read it
that way. And that's how some read it,
that that the word iniquity here has to do with adversaries, it
has to do with supplanters, it has to do with wicked men.
There's others say, no, it's a reference to the devil.
It's a pseudonym or a synonym for the devil.
Think of the old prophecy, Genesis 3 and 15, that the
serpent would wound the heel of the woman's seed.
And we do know that the enemy of our souls is diligent and aiming
to fulfil that mission. But I want to tell you this now,
listen to me carefully. It is not strictly to do with
evil times and bad situations. It's not strictly to do with
iniquitous men who are supplanters and and their
adversaries. And to our soul, it's definitely
not a reference to the devil. There's more to it than that.
Now, I don't often disagree with the great reform commentators.
I'm not fit to speak their name or quote their sayings.
I'm like a spiritual pygmy. I submit to them as spiritual
giants. However, when all said and done,
when all that is written and fascinating to think about, I
come back to this fundamental thing.
And it's this. And we were taught this by the
late John Douglas and Lisburn to take the Bible literally, to let
the Bible speak. Now let's let the Bible speak,
when the iniquity of my heels shall compass me about what's
the real meaning here. The real meaning, I believe, is
a reference to the psalmist's own particular sins, sins that
are rising up against him, sins that are dogging his footsteps.
And that's what he means, simply the iniquity of my heels shall
compass me about. You're well aware of the
statement in the Bible. Beware of dogs.
I remember one day an outreach in Tory and Aberdeen, whenever I
knocked in this particular door and the woman opened the door,
maybe opened at about a foot, and there was a big chain and it
was attached to the door and onto the door frame.
And I was about to speak to the woman, telling her who I was and
why I was at her door. And I could hear oof and down
this big, it looked like a lion to me, but it was really
Annunciation. And he come bounding down the
stairs, jumped over the head of the woman at the door, right
through the gap, right on top of me.
And there's me sprocked out in the bushes, and the dog with his
four legs is standing over me, licking my face.
Well, I have to tell you to be honest, that was the end of my
outreach for that day, OK. And there have been in times and
outreach here. Think of a wee dog recently.
One from the estate ran out after me barking, biting at my
heels recently, drawing a wee bit of blood.
And it was only a tiny little dog.
I could have picked it up and put it in my pocket.
My my Pablo cat is is bigger. But that's the real picture that
is presented. It's a picture where the
psalmist is making reference to his own particular sins rising
against him and dogging his footsteps.
Personal sins, particular sins, private sins, rising up against
us, striking at our age, weakening our walk with God.
You see, it's not just iniquity in the abstract, but it's sins
in particular, sins in reality, chief sins, pet sins, the wisest
man who ever lived with Solomon. And Solomon said this, that
there's no man that liveth and sinneth not.
And you see, the best of our service, I want to tell you, the
best Free Presbyterian minister there is, the best elder, the
best moderator. This would be true of the late
Doctor Paisley, Doctor Douglas, all of them.
The best of those men in their service in their holiest
moments, including myself. Our services tint it with so
much sin and imperfection and what keeps us clean and keeps us
right? Well, the blood of Christ.
So there's the what I believe to be the picture that's presented
here. Notice something else very
quickly. The performance is poetic.
You see, he says. When the iniquity of my heels
shall compass me about the iniquity of my heels.
It's it's, it's, it's thinking about how a dog could bite at
your heels. It's thinking about how a
serpent could bite or strike at your heels.
The reference here, I believe, is to the power of sin.
Sin, like a little dog, is forever biting at your heels.
And as sin bites, you feel the bitterness of that.
You feel the annoyance of that. Sin is literally dogging your
steps like a little dog in a path.
You don't seem to take one step without feeling the power of sin
at your heels. Your particular sins, chief
sins, your private sins. You see, every man and Adam
remember, has fallen into an estate of sin and misery, and
therefore every man is in danger of the iniquity of his heels.
I believe tonight the goal Free Presbyterians in the total
depravity of the Sinner. Every man is dead and trespasses
and sins. He needs to be born again of
God's spirit. Every man is darkened in his
heart and mind. He has no light, he has no
wisdom instruction in and of himself.
And every man of course is diseased in his affections.
He's told to love God with all his heart, soul, mind and
strength, love his neighbour as herself, but he he cannot, he
does not love God with all his heart, soul, mind and strength.
He doesn't love his neighbour as himself.
Why? Because he's diseased in his
affections. And I'm not suggesting for one
moment that every man has committed every sin that's
mentioned in the Bible. Let me just mention certain
sins. It says in Mark Chapter 7 verse
21, Mark 7/21 For from within, out of the heart of men proceed
evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders, theft,
covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lucciviousness and evil
eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness, all these evil
things come from within and defile the man.
And remember over in the Book of Revelation, we read this in
Revelation chapter 21 verse 8. But the fearful, the
unbelieving, the abominable murderers, whoremongers and
sorcerers and idolaters, and all liars shall have their part in
the lake which burned with fire and brimstone, which is the
second death. But what I'm trying to bring out
to you is this, that all men are not murderers.
All men are not thieves, all men are not adulterers.
Now, now some have fallen prey to those sins and those sins
have brought them down to a, a, a, a, a constant life of shame.
People, when they look at an individual, will say, well, that
man committed murder and that man committed adultery and that
man stole. But not all men.
And it's not about human willpower.
It's not about gritting your teeth.
It's not about being like a Stoic.
The answer is because of the common grace of God, grace that
has restrained men, men who have had anger in their heart, but
they not have physically committed a murder.
The grace of God has restrained them from falling to such depths
and going so low. At the same time, they still
have a, a vile, unregenerate heart.
The heart is deceitful and above all things, desperately wicked.
Who can know it? And I want to tell you that.
Listen to me carefully. Now, this applies to the Sinner
there. There's many unconverted men and
women and they're in terrible danger.
And every step that they take, they live out their life without
a relationship with God, without redemption, an ungodly
lifestyle. What they don't realise is that
sin is trying to trip them up. Sin is dogging their steps.
And they're only ever one step away from dying in their sins
and ended up in this awful place that the Bible calls hell.
Sin poses a great danger, great danger to every man and.
The individual Sinner who's dead, diseased and darkened may
not know and be aware of the power of sin.
I said to someone recently, I can't remember who it was.
Sin will take you further than you want to go.
Sin will always cost you more than you want to pay, and sin
will keep you longer than you want to stay.
If you want a wee history lesson, read the book of Ruth.
Ruth chapter 1. Elimelech, Killian and Malin all
died in Moab and Naomi was there for 10 years.
It also applies to the backslater.
See, you think tonight of sins that are past, sins that have
been forgotten. Do you know that those very sins
can come back to haunt you? Just like the dog at your heels,
Just like the serpent at your heels?
Let me illustrate from scripture.
Remember Joseph's brothers, Think of what they did to him.
And he was only aged 17, right? Remember, they were going to
kill him. They hated him because of his
words. They hated him because of his
dreams. He dreamt one night that their
stalks came and did obedience or abeyance to his stalk of corn.
They were callous men. They were brutal men.
They were ungodly and only Reuben's intervention.
They decided no will, Will will not kill him.
We'll we'll put him into your pet till they decided what we're
going to do with them. Remember they ignored his cries.
They mocked him. Eventually when Reuben was away,
they brought him out of the pit and sold it for 20 pieces of
silver and then they went back home.
They lied to their father, remember?
They brought in the blood soaked garment.
Could you just picture them coming through the door?
Hey dad, look what we found on the pathway as we journeyed
home. Maybe they were crying.
There might even been howls and girls from their lips.
They said no now whether it be thy son's coat or not and they
covered it up. Now they never seen Joseph again
from he was 17 till Joseph was 39.
So you do the maths 22 years or 23 years and Joseph was out of
mind and sight. And yet 2223 years later, where
are they? They're in Egypt, they're facing
trouble, they're facing imprisonment, they're facing
death. And this is what the Word of God
says over there in Genesis chapter 42.
And it says this in verses 21 and 22.
Genesis 42. And they said, one to another,
We are verily guilty concerning our brother, and that we saw the
anguish of his soul when he besought us, and we would not
hear. Therefore has this distress come
upon us. And Reuben answered them,
saying, Speak I not unto you, saying, do not sin against the
child, and ye would not hear. Therefore behold also his blood
is required now. Now, do you see that?
There? Here's the point.
The haunting memory of the guilt and power of sin in the day of
trouble came back to their mind, came to the forefront of their
thinking. Sin that was unconfessed,
unrepentant. Sin that had lay in dormant for
2223 years. We'd be verily guilty concerning
our brother. Reuben, remember, said that I
not say unto you, sin not against the child.
Therefore because of that, behold also his blood is
required. Reuben of course had big ideas,
but he hadn't the initiative and guts to follow through on those
ideas and applies to the backslider as as old sins of the
past haunting you in your heart and your mind.
You go to bed with them and you wake up and you remember what
happened in the past. Something has triggered it.
It applies to the deathbed. Those that near the end have sat
with men and, and their minds have been full of thoughts of
agony of soul and they've confessed to me they're afraid
and, and they, they announced and realised that they've made
wrong decisions, bad decisions in the past.
And those decisions were done sometimes it was spite and done
out of hatred and and done out of a spirit of jealousy and, and
envy. Those sins don't lie down.
Those sins have robbed them of peace.
What about the times of heartfelt rejections of Christ?
What about the haunting memory of a lost opportunity?
What about the haunting memory of a life of rejection of
Christ? What about the hunt and memory
of the times you were called to repent and believe and, and
still tonight, whatever age you are, you, you're not yet in a
relationship with the Lord you. You're not yet redeemed.
Think of Psalm 23, verse four. Yeah, though I walk through the
valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no Weevil for that
word with me. Let me ask if you won with you
in the journey. Let me ask you have you one who
will carry you over across the river Have you one with you who
will deliver you and give you the victory in the day of death
and and and you see if in Canaan's side.
Let me tell you something else very quickly.
It's a reference here not just to the power of sin, but also
the pollution of sin. See the context here is an
ungodly man in health and strength, and he discovers his
wealth is useless. No man has the power to remove
the guilt of his own sin. His wealth, his riches are
useless. You've heard the same Money
talks, and it does, but doesn't talk to God.
Money doesn't open the door to heaven.
Money can't buy happiness. Money can't buy freedom from
guilt and the power of sin, neither a man's wealth.
Look at verse seven of the context here.
It says none of them can by any means redeem his brother nor
give to God a ransom for him. Why?
For the redemption of their soul is precious and it ceases
forever. Neither a man's works for big
grace, you see through faith and none of yourselves is gift of
God, not of works that any man should boast.
You see the power and the pollution and the poison of sin
can only be dealt with on the basis of redemption.
That's why he says for the redemption of their soul is
precious. Look at verse 15.
But God will redeem my soul from the power of the grave, and for
he shall receive me. See, redemption is connected to
the shed blood of the Lord Jesus Christ, and only the shed blood
of the Lord Jesus Christ deal with them.
Redemption is the only ground that sets a man's free from
sins, power, pollution, poison, pleasure, and one day from His
presence. Redemption can lift a man out of
the place of condemnation, death, and punishment for sin
and bring him into the place of commendation.
Well done, good and faithful servant.
Redemption gives a man a new standing with Gaunt.
Redemption translates him from the Kingdom of darkness into the
Kingdom of light. Redemption translates a man from
the road to hell to the road to heaven to to have the assurance
of the Psalm, as surely goodness and mercy shall follow me up the
days of my life, and I will dwell in the House of the Lord
forever. That's the only way of dealing
with the heels of iniquity. That's the only way to deal with
sin. Bedding at your heels.
What is sin? Sin as any want of conformity
unto your transgression of the law of God.
We live in a day when men have renamed sin.
We, we, we, we. We live in a day when car theft
is looked upon us, joyriding. We look.
We live in a day when violence and rioting against the police,
well, that's just looked upon us.
Recreational disturbances. This is a day after gross
ignorance of what sin really is and what sin does and do that we
could discover that because it's all bound up in this
performance. That's prophetic.
The heels of iniquity. Let me finish.
Think of the peace of the pardon.
You see, here's a question Wherefore should I fear in the
days of evil, when the iniquity of my heels will compass me
about the The godly man has realised something I don't need
to fear in the days of evil. Why?
Because I'm redeemed, but God will redeem my soul from the
power of the grave, for he shall receive me.
Sealer. Think about that.
You see, I admit that we're not perfect, but we are accepted in
Jesus Christ. Jesus died and rose again from
the dead and is ascended into heaven, and we're accepted in
the Beloved, and we're redeemed by blood.
And God can see the blood mark upon us, the blood of atonement.
And we have faith in Christ that we don't need to fear, because
we've got a full, free and forever pardon, and we've
committed all our lives all that we are and all that we have to
Christ. Listen to these words.
Nevertheless, I'm not ashamed, for I know in whom I have
believed, and I'm persuaded that He's able to keep that which
I've committed unto Him against that day.
Is that your testimony as we wrap things up tonight?
What's your attitude to the gospel, the good news of the
death and resurrection and ascension of Jesus Christ?
What's your attitude to sin? What's your attitude to God?
Your attitude to to God's eternity?
Are you living for the frivolity and the futility and foolishness
of riches? You see, riches are brief at
best, but riches are useless because wealth or riches cannot
purchase our souls. Redemption, riches and wealth
isn't a real comfort. And listen to me carefully as we
finish. Riches and wealth will be left
behind to death. And the rich man, billionaire,
millionaire, he'll experience death like the poor man.
And you know what'll happen? His wealth will be left to
others, and that other that receives that wealth will take
it to spend of it. And if it's left to an ungodly
soul, it'll be wasted. You think of hard working men,
men who live and die, die without God, having refused to
live in light of eternity. The leaves, the wealth, the
others, what does it profit them in that day?
They have no peace. Therefore, being justified by
faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.
Not only peace with God, but we can know the peace of God.
This is Zia, the Prophet said, there thou will keep him in
perfect peace, his mind to stay the knee, because he trusteth
the knee. And here's this great question.
Wherefores I fear in the days of evil?
I don't have to be afraid because I'm redeemed.
The redemption of my soul is precious.
There's the peace of the pardon. And if you're redeemed tonight
and the blood marks upon you, you can rejoice.
You have the right attitude to God and the gospel.
But if you haven't tonight, I issue this.
Don't aim for riches. Aim for redemption and a
relationship with God. Don't aim to be famous.
Aim for the favour of God. Don't aim for silver.
Aim for the smile of a loving Heavenly Father.
That would be my advice. Don't aim for wealth.
Aim for the wisdom that comes from God through this book.
The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.
Knowledge of the Holy is understanding.
If you're dog by the heels of iniquity, then I would urge you
to search your heart. Whether you're in your sins,
whether you're a backslider, or whether you feel that you're
near the end, then I would urge you to look to the bleeding
lamb. Plead the power of the blood.
The blood of Jesus Christ, remember, cleanseth us from all
sin. And if you put your faith and
trust in Christ and plead the power of that blood, then you'll
have this peace, the peace of the pardon.
You'll not have to fear even when the heels of iniquity
compass you about. And when the devil comes with
those sins, you can tell him what sins you're talking about,
because they're all forgiven. It's not what Luther did when
the devil came to him in a dream.
These are all your sins, Martin Luther.
And it was all in scrolls. There's there many more.
Yes, there is. There's loads more.
And he'd picked up the pain of his dream.
The blood of Jesus Christ, his Son cleanseth us from all sin.
It's not tremendous. And he went to bed happy and he
slept the sleep of the just. May that be your experience
tonight. Thank you for coming.
Thank you for sharing with us. We're going to sing in closing,
appreciate somebody must have been praying really hard there
for my voice have kept up well, reasonable at least.