Believers are a people with a burden. We desire to serve our Lord. We want to be useful in His kingdom, advance His gospel, and serve His people. Christ Jesus said that His servant John the Baptist "… was a burning and a shining light…" John was more than illumination of doctrine; he had a burning passion to unveil the coming Lord. And, all of God's believing people want our love to wax hotter and hotter.
We, as believers, are never satisfied with our works. In our days of religion, we were satisfied if our works exceeded those of the people around us (Gal. 1:13-16; II Cor. 10:12). We thought that we were wise and compared ourselves among one another for righteousness. If we lived close enough to the preacher's standard, then we had 'confidence' with god. Yet, being born of God, we've seen the Lord Jesus Christ, and now perfection is the least that our consciences will allow (Rom. 7:9-22). We're not satisfied until we see perfect love. We know that our God is worthy.
What will we do with our burden to serve the Lord Jesus Christ?We must be reconciled to the fact that salvation is God's work. Christ rendered the service that God needed to save His elect. In Hebrews 8:1-3, we see that the High Priest ministered on behalf of chosen sinners and left us nothing to do. Christ performed all of the services necessary to make His Body a proper meeting place between God and sinners. Like the high priest of the Old Testament that typified Him, our Lord Jesus entered the holy of holies bearing blood. While the congregation of the people stood outside of the tabernacle, the high priest brought the blood of the burnt offering within the veil and reconciled the mercy seat by the means of death (Lev. 16:17). Now, everyone that Christ redeemed, He shall gather – (Jer. 31:10-11) "… He that scattered Israel will gather him, and keep him, as a shepherd doth his flock. For the Lord hath redeemed Jacob, and ransomed him from the hand of him that was stronger than he."
Now, our good works are entirely the result of Christ's priestly ministry. No good thing that's presently done on earth causes anything good to come down from heaven. (Heb. 11:3) "Through faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that things which are seen were not made of things which do appear." Christ has saved us already, and the blessings of grace are ours because of His work alone. No man is blessed with power from God because of His faithfulness and zeal. If you see a believer that is mightily used of God, it's not because of anything that you see. Christ bought that person's faithfulness with His own blood. Their zeal and diligent seeking of grace is a gift of grace through faith in His Word.
Therefore, for others salvation and our own strength, we look away from ourselves and turn to Christ. Christ Jesus is the Mediator of a better covenant than the covenant of works given to us by the mediation of Moses (Heb. 8:6-9). Moses brought the law, but he didn't bring any power for the people to perform it. It was NOT Moses' job to make peace. Moses came with conditions of peace, and the man that obeyed would live. Christ's covenant is a better covenant because it is entirely of grace. Christ's covenant is better because it is sure (it can't be broken), and it is made to save sinners (Heb. 8:10-12). In the covenant of works, man was responsible to keep up his end of the agreement. In the covenant of grace, God shall teach the heart, God shall be merciful to unrighteousness, and God shall keep both ends of the covenant by His own Spirit. In the covenant of works, sinners must provide their own goodness. In the covenant of grace, we shall be satisfied with His goodness (Jer. 31:14).
Moses told men what God demanded of them. Christ did for men what God demanded of them. Moses swore death for the disobedient. Christ continually promised life for the disobedient. Moses told sinners to do to live. Christ entreated sinners to believe in Him and live. Moses burdened sinners to come unto God by their obedience to the law. Christ made a way for sinners through veil of His torn flesh. The bottom line distinction between righteousness by law and righteousness by grace is that Moses told sinners to go to God through their personal obedience. Christ brings sinners to God through faith in Him alone.
Our faith in the new covenant is faith in God's goodness. Either He is good or He is evil. There can be no middle ground. Therefore, as the God of all grace, we trust Him (Ps. 37:1-6).
1. Don't fret yourself because of the seeming prosperity of wicked men. Don't fret over the pretended good works of the religious – "For they shall soon be cut down like the grass, and wither as the green herb (vs. 2)." God's elect shall be delivered from their hands.
2. Don't do anything your way. "Trust in the Lord, and do good; so shalt thou dwell in the land, and verily thou shalt be fed (vs. 3)." Don't take matters into your own hands and try to stir up the zeal of your flesh in an effort to 'help' God.
3. Delight yourself in His goodness – "Delight thyself also in the Lord; and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart (vs. 4)." This delight is not self-stirred religious phoniness. Delight yourself in His covenant of grace. Believe what He has promised to do for sinners and saints.
4. Cast your burden upon Him. The marginal reference for vs. 5 is "Roll thy way upon the Lord". I Pet. 5:7 says, "Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you." You can only cast what's broken. You can only trust Him in the areas of your weakness and need. In Matt. 15:29-30, our Lord Jesus "… went up into a mountain, and sat down there. And great multitudes came unto him, having with them those that were lame, blind, dumb, maimed, and many others, and cast them down at Jesus' feet; and he healed them." This typifies His ascension to the throne where He is now. And, it teaches us that sovereign grace is found at Jesus' feet… where we cast our shame and burdens upon Him.
5. This is God's promise to the believing. Do you trust Him to save and desire to be useful in His kingdom? Then the promise is surely for you – "And He shall bring forth thy righteousness as the light, and thy judgment as the noonday (vs. 6)." He'll manifest through good works that you've trusted Him (Heb. 11:2).
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