Salvation: Both Now and Forevermore

Bible Book: Psalms 16 : 1-11

Subject: Salvation; Eternal Security

Series: Psalms - Kirksey

Introduction

Salvation both now and forevermore is a good theme in God’s Word. I must confess with the sons of Korah, “My heart is overflowing with a good theme; I recite my composition concerning the King; My tongue is the pen of a ready writer” (Psalm 45:1).

Psalm 16 is a Michtam of David. According to Dr. William Smith’s Dictionary of the Bible, “This word occurs in the titles of six psalms (xvi, lvi-lx [16, 56-60]), all of which are ascribed to David. The marginal reading of our A. V. [Authorized Version] is ‘a golden psalm,’ while in the Geneva version it is described as ‘a certain tune.’ From the position which it occupies in the title, compared with that of Mizmor (A. V. ‘Psalm,’ Ps. iv-vi.[4-6], etc.), Maschil (Ps. xxxii.[32], etc.), and Shiggaion (Ps. vii. [7]), the first of which certainly denotes a song with an instrument accompaniment (as distinguished from shir, a song for the voice alone), we may infer that michtam is a term applied to these psalms to denote their musical character, but beyond this everything is obscure.”[1]

Dr. John Ker (1819-1886) shares, “This Psalm was the last Scripture read by Hugh M'Kail the evening before his execution in the Grass-market of Edinburgh. After reading it he said to his father, and those about him: 'If there were anything in this world sadly and unwillingly to be left, it were the reading of the Scriptures. I said: ‘I shall not see the Lord, even the Lord, in the land of the living’. But this needs not make us sad; for where we go, the Lamb is the book of Scripture, and the light of that city, and where He is, there is life,—even the river of the water of life, and living springs.'”[2]

Rev. Charles H. Spurgeon (1834-1892), preached a message titled “The Psalm of the Precious Secret,” on Psalm 16. Dr. J. Vernon McGee (1904-1988) explains, “The messianic meaning of this psalm is fully established by the testimony of the Holy Spirit in the New Testament, as we shall see. [Acts 2:25-28; 13:35] Let us call this psalm the Golden Jewel of David because he is looking forward to the One coming in his line, the One of whom he could say, ‘This is all my salvation.'’”[3]

David writes in Psalm 16:1-11, “Preserve me, O God, for in You I put my trust.

O my soul, you have said to the Lord, ‘You are my Lord, My goodness is nothing apart from You.’ As for the saints who are on the earth, ‘They are the excellent ones, in whom is all my delight.’ Their sorrows shall be multiplied who hasten after another god; Their drink offerings of blood I will not offer, Nor take up their names on my lips. O Lord, You are the portion of my inheritance and my cup; You maintain my lot. The lines have fallen to me in pleasant places; Yes, I have a good inheritance. I will bless the Lord who has given me counsel; My heart also instructs me in the night seasons. I have set the Lord always before me; Because He is at my right hand I shall not be moved. Therefore my heart is glad, and my glory rejoices; My flesh also will rest in hope. For You will not leave my soul in Sheol, Nor will You allow Your Holy One to see corruption. You will show me the path of life; In Your presence is fullness of joy; At Your right hand are pleasures forevermore.”

Allow me to share three things about our great salvation from Psalm 16.

I. Salvation commences with a humble dependence.

David prays in Psalm 16:1-4, “Preserve me, O God, for in You I put my trust. O my soul, you have said to the Lord, ‘You are my Lord, My goodness is nothing apart from You.’ As for the saints who are on the earth, ‘They are the excellent ones, in whom is all my delight.’ Their sorrows shall be multiplied who hasten after another god; Their drink offerings of blood I will not offer, Nor take up their names on my lips.”

Justification comes only when there is a humble dependence upon the merits of our Lord Jesus Christ in His death, burial and resurrection for the forgiveness of our sin. Paul the Apostle writes in Romans 5:1-2, “Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom also we have access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God.”

The phrase “Preserve me” reminds me of Jude 24-25, where we read, “Now to Him who is able to keep you from stumbling, And to present you faultless Before the presence of His glory with exceeding joy, To God our Savior, Who alone is wise, Be glory and majesty, Dominion and power, Both now and forever. Amen.”

David’s confession, “My goodness is nothing without you,” reminds me of the words of Proverbs 21:4, “A haughty look, a proud heart, And the plowing of the wicked are sin.” Note, Solomon states, “The plowing of the wicked [is] sin.”

Rev. Matthew Henry (1662-1714) pithily says, "They that multiply gods multiply griefs to themselves; for whosoever thinks one god too little, will find two too many, and yet hundreds not enough."[4]

II. Salvation continues with a holy devotion.

From Psalm 16:5-9 we read, “O Lord, You are the portion of my inheritance and my cup; You maintain my lot. The lines have fallen to me in pleasant places; Yes, I have a good inheritance. I will bless the Lord who has given me counsel; My heart also instructs me in the night seasons. I have set the Lord always before me; Because He is at my right hand I shall not be moved. Therefore my heart is glad, and my glory rejoices; My flesh also will rest in hope.”

Sanctification is to be holy. God commands His people to be holy (Leviticus 19:2; 20:7-8, 26; 21:8). No one can be holy without the Holy Spirit. As believers we must be holy, as we read in 1 Peter 1:13-21, “Therefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and rest your hope fully upon the grace that is to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ; as obedient children, not conforming yourselves to the former lusts, as in your ignorance; but as He who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, because it is written, ‘Be holy, for I am holy.’ And if you call on the Father, who without partiality judges according to each one’s work, conduct yourselves throughout the time of your stay here in fear; knowing that you were not redeemed with corruptible things, like silver or gold, from your aimless conduct received by tradition from your fathers, but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot. He indeed was foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last times for you who through Him believe in God, who raised Him from the dead and gave Him glory, so that your faith and hope are in God.” This is to live before our Father God.

We read in Romans 8:1-17, “There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit. For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has made me free from the law of sin and death. For what the law could not do in that it was weak through the flesh, God did by sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, on account of sin: He condemned sin in the flesh, that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit. For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit. For to be carnally minded is death, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. Because the carnal mind is enmity against God; for it is not subject to the law of God, nor indeed can be. So then, those who are in the flesh cannot please God. But you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you. Now if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he is not His. And if Christ is in you, the body is dead because of sin, but the Spirit is life because of righteousness. But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you. Therefore, brethren, we are debtors—not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh. For if you live according to the flesh you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live. For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God. For you did not receive the spirit of bondage again to fear, but you received the Spirit of adoption by whom we cry out, ‘Abba, Father.’ The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him, that we may also be glorified together.”

We read in Romans 8:28-30, “And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose. For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren. Moreover whom He predestined, these He also called; whom He called, these He also justified; and whom He justified, these He also glorified.”

We read in Psalm 97:10, “You who love the Lord, hate evil! He preserves the souls of His saints; He delivers them out of the hand of the wicked.” From Amos 5:15a we read, “Hate evil, love good. . .” In Romans 12:9-21 Paul the Apostle exhorts, “Let love be without hypocrisy. Abhor what is evil. Cling to what is good. Be kindly affectionate to one another with brotherly love, in honor giving preference to one another; not lagging in diligence, fervent in spirit, serving the Lord; rejoicing in hope, patient in tribulation, continuing steadfastly in prayer; distributing to the needs of the saints, given to hospitality. Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse. Rejoice with those who rejoice, and weep with those who weep. Be of the same mind toward one another. Do not set your mind on high things, but associate with the humble. Do not be wise in your own opinion. Repay no one evil for evil. Have regard for good things in the sight of all men. If it is possible, as much as depends on you, live peaceably with all men. Beloved, do not avenge yourselves, but rather give place to wrath; for it is written, ‘Vengeance is Mine, I will repay,’ says the Lord. Therefore ‘If your enemy is hungry, feed him; If he is thirsty, give him a drink; For in so doing you will heap coals of fire on his head.’ Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.” Do you love what is good and hate what is evil, or do you just go along to get along?

When David declared, “The LORD is the portion of mine inheritance,” it hearkens back to Deuteronomy 18:1-5, relating the inheritance of the priests. Here, we read, “The priests, the Levites—all the tribe of Levi—shall have no part nor inheritance with Israel; they shall eat the offerings of the Lord made by fire, and His portion. Therefore they shall have no inheritance among their brethren; the Lord is their inheritance, as He said to them. ‘And this shall be the priest’s due from the people, from those who offer a sacrifice, whether it is bull or sheep: they shall give to the priest the shoulder, the cheeks, and the stomach. The firstfruits of your grain and your new wine and your oil, and the first of the fleece of your sheep, you shall give him. For the Lord your God has chosen him out of all your tribes to stand to minister in the name of the Lord, him and his sons forever.”

In Psalm 122:1 David declared, “I was glad when they said to me, ‘Let us go into the house of the Lord.’” Even though David loved to be in the sanctuary in Jerusalem, he did not overstep his bounds into the priesthood, as did King Uzziah. We read in 2 Chronicles 26:16, “But when he was strong his heart was lifted up, to his destruction, for he transgressed against the LORD his God by entering the temple of the LORD to burn incense on the altar of incense.” Uzziah’s disgraceful end is a cautionary tale to anyone who presumes to meddle in an area the Lord has not called or led them.

Notice we find the words “my heart” in verse 7 and in verse 9. Remember, David was “a man after [God’s] own heart” (Acts 13:22). This holy devotion is not a hopeless devotion. When we are devoted like David we will be delighted like David.

Dr. H. C. G. Moule (1841-1920) recounts, “I read of a servant of Christ in the past, a man singularly rich in the gift of spiritual influence over individuals. He was asked to disclose something of his secret. His reply, in essence, was that it lay, as far as he knew, in the sense of profound contentment with his blessed Master in which his soul was kept through grace. Jesus Christ irradiated him within and for Himself. He was, at the very centre of his soul’s consciousness, deeply happy to belong to ‘his King who saved him,’ and to be used by that great and holy Possessor as should seem best to Him. And this took friction and anxiety out of his life in a very wonderful way, while it kept that life, so to speak, always directed, peacefully and unwearily, toward the thought of service, towards the idea, and the expectation, of being used. And the service was all the happier, because it was not the source of the man’s happiness.”[5]

III. Salvation concludes with a heavenly destination.

In Psalm 16:10-11 David declares, “For You will not leave my soul in Sheol,
Nor will You allow Your Holy One to see corruption. You will show me the path of life;
In Your presence is fullness of joy; At Your right hand are pleasures forevermore.”

The word translated “hell” in verse ten is the word “Sheol,” the place of the dead. David asks to be preserved in verse one. He does not want to be separated from God, which is to perish. Jesus said, “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life” (John 3:16).

About ten years ago, Dr. Warren W. Wiersbe spoke to the attendees of the Samford Pastor’s School at Beeson Divinity School. It was a wonderful time to meet him and his dear wife, Betty. One afternoon that week, I asked him to autograph a stack of books I collected through the years. He graciously complied. He signed them, “W W Wiersbe Ps. 16:11.” This verse is a great encouragement for every believer, as it along with verse ten, speaks of our glorification. This is the final element of our salvation. Remember, Paul writes in Romans 8:30b, “Whom He justified, these He also glorified.”

Paul reminds us in Philippians 3:20-21, “For our citizenship is in heaven, from which we also eagerly wait for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, who will transform our lowly body that it may be conformed to His glorious body, according to the working by which He is able even to subdue all things to Himself.” We read in 1 John 3:1-3, “Behold what manner of love the Father has bestowed on us, that we should be called children of God! Therefore the world does not know us, because it did not know Him. Beloved, now we are children of God; and it has not yet been revealed what we shall be, but we know that when He is revealed, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is. And everyone who has this hope in Him purifies himself, just as He is pure.” A careful reading of Revelation 21 and 22 provides a picture of the wonderful destination of the believer. Likely, every description of heaven does not do it justice. Paul the Apostle writes in 1 Corinthians 2:9, “But as it is written: ‘Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, Nor have entered into the heart of man The things which God has prepared for those who love Him.’”

Everyone who calls God, “Heavenly Father,” does not know Him as Father. If that shocks you, remember the words of Hebrews 12:3-17, “For consider Him who endured such hostility from sinners against Himself, lest you become weary and discouraged in your souls. You have not yet resisted to bloodshed, striving against sin. And you have forgotten the exhortation which speaks to you as to sons: ‘My son, do not despise the chastening of the Lord, Nor be discouraged when you are rebuked by Him; For whom the Lord loves He chastens, And scourges every son whom He receives.’ If you endure chastening, God deals with you as with sons; for what son is there whom a father does not chasten? But if you are without chastening, of which all have become partakers, then you are illegitimate and not sons. Furthermore, we have had human fathers who corrected us, and we paid them respect. Shall we not much more readily be in subjection to the Father of spirits and live? For they indeed for a few days chastened us as seemed best to them, but He for our profit, that we may be partakers of His holiness. Now no chastening seems to be joyful for the present, but painful; nevertheless, afterward it yields the peaceable fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it. Therefore strengthen the hands which hang down, and the feeble knees, and make straight paths for your feet, so that what is lame may not be dislocated, but rather be healed. Pursue peace with all people, and holiness, without which no one will see the Lord: looking carefully lest anyone fall short of the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness springing up cause trouble, and by this many become defiled; lest there be any fornicator or profane person like Esau, who for one morsel of food sold his birthright. For you know that afterward, when he wanted to inherit the blessing, he was rejected, for he found no place for repentance, though he sought it diligently with tears.”

Jesus said, “Jesus said to him [Thomas], “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me” (John 14:6).

While God is the Father of all in creation, He is not the Father of all in salvation.

Conclusion

We are warned not to neglect salvation, as we read in Hebrews 2:1-4, “Therefore we must give the more earnest heed to the things we have heard, lest we drift away. For if the word spoken through angels proved steadfast, and every transgression and disobedience received a just reward, how shall we escape if we neglect so great a salvation, which at the first began to be spoken by the Lord, and was confirmed to us by those who heard Him, God also bearing witness both with signs and wonders, with various miracles, and gifts of the Holy Spirit, according to His own will?” Not only do we face the danger of negligence related to salvation, we must face ignorance, as we read in 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18, “But I do not want you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning those who have fallen asleep, lest you sorrow as others who have no hope. For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so God will bring with Him those who sleep in Jesus. For this we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord will by no means precede those who are asleep. For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord. Therefore comfort one another with these words.” The last part of verse 17 is a wonderful word for believers, “And thus we shall always be with the Lord.”

Paul the Apostle exhorts in 2 Timothy 1:8-12, “Therefore do not be ashamed of the testimony of our Lord, nor of me His prisoner, but share with me in the sufferings for the gospel according to the power of God, who has saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace which was given to us in Christ Jesus before time began, but has now been revealed by the appearing of our Savior Jesus Christ, who has abolished death and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel, to which I was appointed a preacher, an apostle, and a teacher of the Gentiles. For this reason I also suffer these things; nevertheless I am not ashamed, for I know whom I have believed and am persuaded that He is able to keep what I have committed to Him until that Day.”

May you know for certain that you have salvation both now and forevermore.

[1]Dr. William Smith’s Dictionary of the Bible, rev. and ed. H. B. Hackett, with the cooperation of Ezra Abbot, Vol. 3, Marriage to Regem., (Boston, MA: Houghton, Mifflin and Company, 1892), 1923

[2]The Expositor's Dictionary of Texts: Volume 1, Part 1: Genesis to St. Mark, ed. Sir W. Robertson Nicoll, M.A., LL. D. and Jane T. Stoddart with the co-operation of the Rev. James Moffatt, M.A., D.D., (New York: George H. Doran Company, 1910), 375

[3]J. Vernon McGee, “Psalm 16:1-11,” Thru the Bible with J. Vernon McGee WORDsearch Corp.

[4]Herbert Lockyer, Psalms: A Devotional Commentary, (Grand Rapids, MI: Kregel Publications, 1993), 57

[5]H. C. G. Moule, Thoughts on The Spiritual Life, (London: Seeley & Co., 1889), 161-162

By Dr. Franklin L. Kirksey, pastor First Baptist Church of Spanish Fort 30775 Jay Drive Spanish Fort, Alabama 36527

Author of Sound Biblical Preaching: Giving the Bible a Voice Available on Amazon.com and WORDsearchbible.com

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