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[0:00] We're going to do the Bible reading now, so if you'd like to open your Bibles or your devices or Don's favourite app to Psalm 32. That's right, Don, I pay attention to those talks.

[0:13] Psalm 32, reading the whole chapter. A mascal of David. Blessed is the one whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered.

[0:26] Blessed is the man against whom the Lord counts no iniquity, and in his spirit there is no deceit. For when I kept silent, my bones wasted away through my groaning all day long.

[0:43] For day and night your hand was heavy upon me. My strength was dried up as by the heat of summer. Salah. I acknowledged my sin to you, and I did not cover my iniquity.

[0:58] I said, I will confess my transgressions to the Lord, and you forgave the iniquity of my sin. Salah. Therefore let everyone who is godly offer prayer to you at a time when you may be found.

[1:16] Surely in the rush of great waters they shall not reach him. You are a hiding place for me. You preserve me from trouble. You surround me with shouts of deliverance.

[1:28] Salah. I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go. I will counsel you with my eye upon you. Be not like a horse or a mule without understanding, which must be curbed with bitten bridle, or it will not stay near you.

[1:46] Many are the sorrows of the wicked, but steadfast love surrounds the one who trusts in the Lord. Be glad in the Lord, and rejoice, O righteous, and shout for joy, all you upright in heart.

[2:02] I play bowls. I've just brought these two bowls along to grade that.

[2:15] The bowls have a big, big round side and a little side. The little side is the one that's biased.

[2:26] In other words, if you bowl it, you want it so the little ring is going towards the jack, the kitty. Okay?

[2:39] But if you happen to not think what you're doing, and you're holding it the same way, and you forget the check, you'll roll a wrong bias.

[2:50] When you roll a wrong bias at bowls, everybody knows about it. They all give a big shout and name and shame you, and you have to put a dollar in the box that goes to charity.

[3:08] So it's a name and shame situation, and I lead on a Friday with a couple of brothers, and here I try to get as close as I can to that jack.

[3:26] And if I can get my three bowls really close to the jack, I think it's great. The only trouble is it becomes a target then for everybody else, and they want to knock me off.

[3:42] My opponents want to get rid of it. Okay. Why am I telling you this? Well, I think it's a good example for a Christian to keep their eyes on the goal, to always have your bias towards Christ, and to get close to him, as close as possible.

[4:06] But there are times, and there will be times, when we forget to check our bias. We move our eyes onto something that's tempting us, and before long we know we've moved away with the temptation.

[4:26] We enter into the temptation. We turn away from Christ to satisfy our own desires. But it's never pleasant when you're found out, and everyone seems to notice it, and especially the Lord himself.

[4:51] Let's pray. Father, sometimes silly examples, everyday life examples, can give us a lesson of where we should be aiming in this life.

[5:10] and I pray today that by your spirit you might open our eyes to see the truth as it is in Jesus, the truth as it is in his word.

[5:21] We thank you that his word lives and abides forever, and it will be effectual today in each of our hearts. And I pray this in Christ's name.

[5:32] Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. One day, when I was playing against this fellow, I played against him a number of times, but hadn't for a long time.

[5:47] He happened to pick up my bowl, and on all bowls I have a symbol. Everybody has their own symbol. I identify them as theirs in particular.

[5:59] And this fellow this day, he picked up mine. It's pretty hard to read mine. And he said, what's this PS 116? I said, oh, it's my favourite psalm.

[6:10] I said, I love the Lord because... He said, oh. The conversation finished.

[6:23] So, my message today is just based on these five words. I love the Lord because... Three headings.

[6:34] You've got them there on your sheet. I love... King David loved the Lord because... I love the Lord because... But the question is, do you love the Lord because...

[6:53] King David loved the Lord. But what does the word love mean? Love's always been on the agenda, countless songs have been written about love.

[7:06] One of the songs I used to love singing was, love is a many splendid thing. And one of the lines says, out of the morning mist two lovers kissed and the world stood still.

[7:19] Wow. That's some kiss. I remember the first date I had with my wife June, who was to be my wife.

[7:30] When I kissed a good night, I knew that was the girl I was going to marry. And I did. I'd kissed plenty of girls before, but this one.

[7:41] Wow. It was a kiss to drill the dream on. However, that's not the sort of love that God inspired King David to write about.

[7:55] Vines, one of the word commentators says, love can only be known from the action it prompts. Actions towards the object of our love.

[8:11] King David says, I love the Lord because... But King David didn't always love the Lord. It was only because the Lord first loved him at a young age.

[8:28] God inspired him to write many songs. You remember, if you remember the children's dress I did here some weeks ago in Psalm 14, when it talked about, that the Lord looks down from heaven upon the children and men to see if there are any who understand, who seek God.

[8:47] They've all turned aside. They have together become corrupt. There's none who does good. No, not one. Not even David.

[9:00] And yet he said he loves God. He loves the Lord. And that was David. But he was one of those none. He was not righteous before the living God.

[9:11] He was a sinner just like you and I. But now, as a saved sinner, he loves the Lord. You here this morning, remember, he was inspired to write Psalm 23.

[9:27] Another five word. The Lord is my shepherd. Now, here in our text, it's not from Psalm 23, or 32 I should say, but from my bowls.

[9:45] I love the Lord because. It's very revealing when you think about it.

[9:57] It's very revealing when you think about it. Because why does he love the Lord? Well, if you've got Psalm 32 open in your Bibles, you'll see he loves the Lord for who he is.

[10:15] That's the first thing. Not for what he's done first, but for who he is. David knows him as the creator of the heavens and the earth, the sea and the skies and every living soul that breathes.

[10:33] Every living creature. He's the sustainer. He's the controller. He has everything under his sovereign hand. He's the one who makes the sun to rise and the moon to rise and set.

[10:47] The rain to fall, the dust to rise. He keeps the great oceans within its bounds that he has set. Yes, he's the creator.

[10:59] He's the sustainer. Psalm 24, if you have a look at that, it says here in this verse one and two, the earth is the Lord's and all its fullness, the world and those who dwell therein, for he has founded it upon the seas and established it upon the waters.

[11:25] Down in verse seven, lift up your heads, O your gates, and be lifted up, your everlasting doors, and the king of glory shall come in. Who is this king of glory? The Lord strong and mighty, the Lord mighty in battle.

[11:41] Lift up your heads, O your gates. Lift up your everlasting doors, and the king of glory shall come in. Who is this king of glory? The Lord of hosts.

[11:52] He is the king of glory. David knew him as he is the king of glory.

[12:06] He knows the Lord and the Lord knows him. He knows every word and thought and deed that King David ever committed. David loves the Lord for who he is and he loves the Lord for what he has done.

[12:25] You remember about that wrong bias? You can be balding the same ball. You can look as though you're approaching the bat the same way.

[12:35] You can get down and you balde smoothly off and you forget to check and the ball goes away from where it's designed to go. You remember the occasion of David's wrong bias, particularly wrong bias.

[12:53] in 2 Samuel 11, there was David. He should have been out on the battlefield but he wasn't and he's just walking around his parapet and he happened to glance over the side and what happened?

[13:07] He sees this beautiful married woman down there naked, Bathsheba. Instead of walking away, he gets his servants to go and get that woman.

[13:23] And he commits adultery with that woman and sends her back to her house. And a few months later she tells him, sends a message and says, I'm pregnant.

[13:35] I'm carrying your child. And so what's he going to do? He calls her husband out of the army. He's fighting the battles.

[13:46] He's fighting King David's battles and he calls him to come home and David gives him a feast, asks him about the battle and then says, well, you go back to your own house now and then go back to the battle but he wouldn't do it.

[14:00] He said, no. He said, all the armies are in tents. He said, I'm not going to go. He just slept there with the servants. David tried to get him to do it a couple of times but he wouldn't do it and eventually David writes a note.

[14:13] He sends it off to Joab, his commander, and he says, put this man, Uriah, in the forefront of the battle and leave him and of course Uriah gets killed.

[14:29] David not only committed adultery, tried to cover it up, commits murder and after this lady has mourned for his loss for husband, he takes this lady for his own wife.

[14:46] He thinks he can get away with it but everybody knows. His servants knew what he had done. No doubt his other wives knew. Women seemed to know these things.

[15:00] His children must have known. God knew and he sent Nathan the prophet along and this child is born to David and Bathsheba and Nathan comes along and he tells him this story about this rich man had all his sheep and the poor man had one little ewe lamb and the rich man wanted to put on a feast for somebody so he took the one little ewe lamb and killed it and David as the king was incensed he said he should die and Nathan said you are the man.

[15:37] You are the man. It cost David, it cost Bathsheba the death of their child. But you know God in his mercy reinstated this child of his.

[15:58] David was a believer he had a wrong bias and he committed a great sin and a great crime and so David writes a psalm psalm.

[16:13] Some believe that this psalm comes after Psalm 51 not chronological order in the scriptures here but it comes after Psalm 51 you remember Psalm 51 where David confesses his sin he says Lord I was born in sin and shapen and iniquity and in sin did my mother conceive me he said against you and you only have I sinned and done this evil in your sight he didn't say against Uriah he didn't say against Bathsheba he didn't say against his family and friends and against the nation but his first thought was against God he'd sinned and done this evil in his sight and then David later on writes this psalm he loves the Lord because blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven whose sin is covered blessed is the man to whom the Lord does not impute iniquity and in whose spirit there is no guile or no deceit so David loves the Lord because he has been forgiven but he also loves the Lord for what he is he is doing now look at psalm 32 and verse 6 for this cause everyone who is godly shall pray to you in the time when you may be found surely in a flood of great waters they shall not come near him you are my hiding place you shall preserve me from trouble you shall surround me with songs of deliverance

[18:05] David knows this great work that's going that God is doing in him and for him he prays to the Lord he's not worried about all the attacks that are going to come upon him because he knows he has a hiding place in his God and he loves the Lord for where he will be for all eternity in psalm 23 we all know it ends up with and I shall be in the house of the Lord forever so David had great cause to say I love the Lord because but myself I love the Lord because one of the reasons I put it on my bowels because it has so much meaning for me I love the Lord because he heard my cry and my supplication because he inclined his ear unto me therefore I'll call upon him all the days of my life what a blessing that has been to me

[19:09] Vine says love love can only be known by the action it prompts I was like David a sinner against the holy God but now I am saved by his grace and I too thank him for who he is for what he's done on the cross and going to Calvary and bearing my sins and iniquities in his body on that tree by going to the grave and rising again and ascending on high and forgiving my sins I thank him and I love him for what he is doing interceding in my life providing all my needs according to his riches in glory and he's working in me to will and to do of his good pleasure I thank him and praise him and love him for the assurance that I will be with him and all his people in heaven forever you remember

[20:10] Romans 8 1 says there is therefore now no condemnation to those that are in Christ Jesus for the law of the spirit of life in Christ Jesus made me free from the law of sin and death in verses 28 through 30 all things work together for good to those who love God to those who are called according to his purpose and you know that's that's the reason why I love the Lord but I do put down some wrong biases I must tell you people at Bowles when I do it at Bowles they all give a big shout they all name and shame me but in real life I do put down wrong biases and I have to pay the price when I sin true love for the Lord shows itself in heartfelt repentance and a renewed love for

[21:13] Christ you remember in 1 John it says if we confess our sins he's faithful and just to forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness Gareth reminded the children about that this morning I love the Lord for his word his word is a lamp under my feet and a light under my path I love the assembly of his people you here today as we come to worship him in spirit and in truth I love telling other people about the mercies of the Lord when that man picked up my bold and asked me what that PS116 was I said I love the Lord because that was the end of the conversation with him but there will be other opportunities and I hope I'll be able to tell him about the love of Christ I was no king but now

[22:16] I am a king and priest and God and I love the Lord because of all this but the big question this morning is King David is not here I'm here but I'm on my way out but what about you do you love the Lord because I mean it's a very personal question isn't it one day we're all going to have to stand before the living God and we are going to have to give an account of our lives the only ones that are going to heaven are those who love the Lord Jesus who are first loved by him and then love him for all eternity the only ones going to heaven are those who have been shown their sins and their need of repentance and faith and they've got down on their knees and they've said Lord forgive me my sin is against you and you only have a sin and done this evil in your sight and let me tell you until God convicts you that your sin your lies your deceit and all those other things that you do that are contrary to

[23:28] God's will unless you see that they're against the holy God you'll never see your sin whilst ever we compare ourselves with other people and try to say well I'm not as bad as they are you'll have a wrong bias all the time you'll never come to Christ but we really need to see that this sin is against the holy God before whom we will stand and when he asked you why should I let you into my kingdom what are you going to say oh I wasn't as bad as the other blokes I never committed adultery I never murdered anybody I must told a few lies stretched the truth a bit and may have been a bit deceitful and probably didn't honour my father and my mother I ought to have done and I didn't worry about you know meeting on Sundays with the people he said you know the kids were playing sport it was more important for me to take to the sport more important to have the family barbecue more important to meet with the family than to come to church but I'm not a bad bloke well let me tell you it won't cut the mustard

[24:42] I think that was the saying I don't know what the saying is today but it won't pass the pub test it won't pass the Lord love can only be known by the action it prompts so unbeliever do you love the Lord for the simple reason you don't love the Lord for the simple reason that you don't know him now you don't have a personal relationship with him you're still in your sin and without God and without hope in this world or that to come you're alienated from the household of God your only hope is escaping God's wrath is eternity in hell and eternity in hell is to be found in the love and mercy of God himself so fall on your knees turn your heart towards him have your bias towards him who loved the world so much that he gave himself and you'll know the joy of having sins forgiven past present and future and then and only then will you be able to say with

[26:12] King David and me and all other sinners here today I love the Lord because let's pray father we're grateful to be here to know that there is a God who reigns over all things the creator of all things the sustainer of all things the one who gives us every breath that we breathe the one who knows our thoughts and the intents of our hearts and yet you send a word like this today to encourage the believer to continue to love the Lord to have a bias towards him continually and to stay as close as possible to the

[27:14]  Lord Jesus to love his word and to love his people but Lord you've also given hope to those who today even in this very room who don't know you that today is the day of salvation today if they hear his voice as they have done let them not harden their hearts but turn to you to bow the knee to you and to acknowledge their sin before you and to say Lord forgive me and Father to hear your voice and to hear the voice of the Lord Jesus on the cross saying Father forgive them for they know not what they do and oh Lord may each of these who have come here unsaved know the joy of your salvation and they may rejoice forever with the saints in glory for Christ's sake Amen