3. A Declaration of God's Ownership Psalm 31:3


Text:  “For Thou art my Rock and my fortress; therefore (a conclusion) for Thy Name’s sake lead me, and guide me.”

                                                                                                                   Psalm 31:3.

Good morning, bought-and-paid-for Christian!  When the Lord God gave you and I His gift of faith to believe and to receive Christ Jesus as our own and personal Saviour and Lord - we became His bought-and-paid-for possessions.  We are not our own any more.  We are willing bond-slaves of the King of all kings - Jesus the risen Christ!  Hallelujah!

“What?  Know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own?  For ye are bought with a price; therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s.”   (1 Corinthians 6:29-20)

“Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation (entire lifestyle) received from your fathers; but with the precious Blood of Christ, as of a Lamb without blemish and without spot.”     (1 Peter 1:18-19)

If you are NOT bought-and-paid-for by the sinless Blood of Christ - you are NOT a true Christian!  God KNOWS them that are His!  We are marked in His Blood.

“Nevertheless the foundation of God standeth sure, having this seal, The Lord knoweth (knows and continuously knows) them that are His.  And, Let everyone that nameth the Name of Christ depart from iniquity.”  (2 Timothy 2:19)

Reverent Reasoning:  In Psalm 31: and verse 3 the Psalmist is reverently reasoning with God in this manner: ‘Lord, You are my Rock and my fortress, and therefore, because You are, and for the glory of Your Own Name’s sake, lead me and guide me.  Not to do so, would be to allow shame to come to Your Own Name, therefore lead me and guide me.’  (Dr C.K. McClinton 1947 -?)

Verse 3.  “For Thou art my Rock and my fortress.  The two personal pronouns, like sure nails, lay hold upon the faithfulness of the Lord.  Oh, for grace to have our heart fixed in firm, unstaggering belief in God!”  (C.H. Spurgeon, Treasury of David, page 148)

If the Lord God has ‘purchased’ you and I by the Price of His own sinless Blood, shed upon that cruel Cross at Calvary - then we are, by His unmerited favour and Sovereign grace, become His personal possessions.  As His personal possessions, how can we not fail to be heard at His throne when we humbly come in reverence to pray to Him?  Not to hear us, and not to answer us when we reverently petition Him for His help and grace, would be tantamount to Him breaking His own inspired and revealed Word to us as His born again adopted children.  This the Lord can never do.  Praise His Name!

“Therefore say unto them, Thus saith the Lord God; There shall none of My Words be prolonged any more, but the Word which I have spoken shall be done, saith the Lord God.”  (Ezekiel 12:28)

“I will worship towards Thy Holy Temple, and praise Thy Name for Thy loving-kindness and for Thy truth: for Thou hast magnified Thy Word above Thy Name.”  (Psalm 138:2)

When the Lord God makes a promise to ‘His people’, His Word is His Divine bond; guaranteed by the power and Holiness of His own Almighty Name.

Verse 3.  “Therefore for Thy Name’s sake lead me, and guide me.  It is not possible that the Lord should suffer His own honour to be tarnished, but this would certainly be the case if those who trusted Him should perish.  This was Joshua’s plea, ‘What wilt Thou do unto Thy great Name? (Joshua 7:9)’”

Those of us who genuinely profess ourselves to be regenerate, Bible-believing Christians have, by God’s free grace, taken upon ourselves the Name of Christ, the Son of the Living Lord God, God the Living Son.  Therefore, we reverently reason that carrying the Holy Name of God the Son Himself, we cannot go unheard at God the Father’s throne in prayer, nor left without the Divine guidance and leading of God the Holy Spirit.  The Lord hears and answers us when we pray to Him in Christ’s Name.

“And in that day (today!) ye shall ask Me nothing Verily, verily, I say unto you, Whatsoever ye shall ask the Father in My Name, He will give it you.  Hitherto have ye asked nothing in My Name: ask, and ye shall receive, that your joy may be full.”    (John 16:23-24)

“If merely a creature’s honour, the credit of ministers, or the glory of angels were involved, man’s Salvation would indeed be uncertain.  But every step involves the honour of God.  We plead for His Name’s sake.”  (William S. Plumer 1802-1880)

Thought:  Go to, then, ‘bought-and-paid-for Christian’, The Makers Name upon us grants us His Eternal guarantee.  If broken, He will mend; if cast down, He will lift up; we can never be lost, if He has found us and stamped His mark of Divine Ownership upon us.  Hallelujah!  Salvation is of the Lord!  (Jonah 2:9)

No comments:

Post a Comment

I invite comments that are Christian in nature. All comments are moderated, and any negative submissions are deleted and never published.