Set the Lord Always Before Me
A Sermon on Psalm 16:8
Originally preached Jan. 1, 1956
Scripture
8I have set the LORD always before me: because he is at my right hand, I shall not be moved.
Sermon Description
What is the secret to a life of spiritual longevity? How did saints of old overcome the daily battle of temptation and trouble? In this sermon on Psalm 16:8 titled “… Set the Lord Always Before Me,” Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones expounds on this psalm of David to share this secret. It is the daily decision to actively set the Lord always before oneself. This daily spiritual discipline enables the Christian to face the uncertainty of the future without fear as one considers who the Lord is and who they are to Him. Dr. Lloyd-Jones encourages with a gracious reminder that there are two things the Christian can do to “set the Lord before us.” First, they must make an active decision to consciously remind themselves of God. It is an act of determination to think on the Lord and what He has done; otherwise their lives will be swept into busyness and God becomes secondary in thoughts and affections. Secondly, after one sets their hearts steadfastly on seeking the presence of God, they turn to the means of communion with God. Christians seek Him through prayer and reading Scripture. They are the means of communing with God on days when one feels like seeking Him as well as the days their hearts feel cold and distant from Him. Find encouragement from Dr. Lloyd-Jones’s preaching on David’s resolute desire to battle temptation and find comfort in setting the Lord always before him.
Sermon Breakdown
- The psalmist tells us how he faces the future in Psalm 16:8. He kept the Lord always before him.
- This verse shows us the secret of the life of David and the life of Jesus. They lived with God always before them.
- We must determine and decide to live this way. We must exercise our willpower and be rigid with ourselves.
- There is a divine initiative in the Christian life, but we must also initiate things through God's enabling. We can't be passive.
- Setting the Lord before us means training ourselves in the art of recollection - consciously reminding ourselves of God and our relationship to Him.
- Setting the Lord before us means reading the Bible, praying, and reading biographies of godly people.
- We must do this even when we don't feel like it and make it a daily habit. Don't do it only when in trouble.
- We should do this because God is the Lord, we are always before Him, and we will stand before Him in judgment.
- It is a privilege to walk in fellowship with God and set Him always before us.
- Setting the Lord before us brings comfort in temptation, trials, sickness, and even death. He will be with us.
- We can face the future without fear because God does not change. We must abide in Him.
Sermon Q&A
Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones Sermon Analysis: Setting the Lord Always Before Us
What does "I have set the Lord always before me" mean according to Dr. Lloyd-Jones?
According to Dr. Lloyd-Jones, this phrase from Psalm 16:8 means "the determination to live life in the conscious presence of God." It involves deliberately and actively bringing oneself into God's presence, making a conscious decision to focus on God, and consistently reminding oneself of one's relationship with God. It's about practicing the "art of recollection" - consciously speaking to oneself about one's relationship to God and seeking His presence.
How does Dr. Lloyd-Jones explain the practical application of setting the Lord before us?
Dr. Lloyd-Jones provides several practical ways to set the Lord before us: 1. Regular, systematic daily reading of the Bible (suggesting reading through the entire Bible annually) 2. Consistent prayer - talking to God and listening to Him 3. Reading biographies of godly people to learn from their examples 4. Deliberately reminding ourselves of our identity as children of God when we wake up 5. Consciously seeking God's presence throughout the day 6. Not allowing life, organizations, or even religious activities to control us 7. Being disciplined and rigid with ourselves about maintaining this focus
Why does Dr. Lloyd-Jones believe we should set the Lord always before us?
Dr. Lloyd-Jones provides several compelling reasons: 1. Because God is the Lord Jehovah, the Almighty, the eternal God 2. Because we are always before Him - "his eye is always on me, it is the essence of wisdom that my eye should be always upon him" 3. Because we will all eventually stand before God in judgment 4. Because it's our privilege as Christians to walk in fellowship with God 5. Because it provides comfort and security in facing temptations, trials, and even death
What does Dr. Lloyd-Jones mean by "the art of recollection"?
The "art of recollection" refers to consciously and deliberately speaking to oneself about one's identity and relationship with God. Dr. Lloyd-Jones describes it as: "when I wake up in the morning, before I allow myself to think about anything else, I say to myself again, you are a child of God and an heir of eternity. You belong to God. God knows you and you are a child of God." It's about forcibly reminding ourselves of spiritual realities before allowing other thoughts to crowd in.
What does Dr. Lloyd-Jones say about the timing of setting the Lord before us?
Dr. Lloyd-Jones emphasizes that we should set the Lord before us "always" - not just occasionally or when convenient. Specifically: 1. Not only when we feel like it, but "still more in a sense, when you don't feel like it" 2. Not fitfully or just at the beginning of the year 3. Not only when we're in trouble - "If you want to find the Lord when you're in trouble, set him before you when you're not in trouble" 4. In all circumstances - "Sunshine and rain, storm and calm, affluence and prosperity, penury and loss, health and sickness"
How does Dr. Lloyd-Jones connect this psalm to Jesus Christ?
Dr. Lloyd-Jones points out that Psalm 16 is a Messianic Psalm that prophesies about Christ. He explains that these words can be "appropriated to our Lord himself" and that setting the Lord always before Him was "the secret of the human life of the Lord Jesus Christ." He points to Christ's prayer life as evidence of this principle in action, noting how Jesus would get up before dawn to pray and would sometimes spend whole nights in prayer.
What does Dr. Lloyd-Jones say about the balance between divine initiative and human activity?
Dr. Lloyd-Jones teaches that there are two sides to the Christian life: 1. "The divine initiative, without which nothing happens at all" 2. Human responsibility to initiate action as a result of divine life
He warns against passive waiting for God while doing nothing ourselves: "We cannot create a revival, and it's folly to attempt to do so. But there is a great deal we can do and must do." He emphasizes that while we were once "dead in trespasses and sins" and could do nothing, now that we have been given life, we "can and we must" take action.
What comfort does Dr. Lloyd-Jones say comes from setting the Lord before us?
Dr. Lloyd-Jones explains that setting the Lord before us provides comfort in: 1. Facing temptations - "Temptations lose their power when thou art nigh" 2. Enduring trials - "There's only one thing that is of value, and that is that we shall not be alone" 3. Confronting aging, sickness, bereavement, and world calamities 4. Meeting death itself - "He will not leave us nor forsake us"
He concludes that because God is unchangeable even though we and the world change, we can say with confidence, "Because he is at my right hand, I shall not be moved."
Old Testament
Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones
Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones (1899-1981) was a Welsh evangelical minister who preached and taught in the Reformed tradition. His principal ministry was at Westminster Chapel, in central London, from 1939-1968, where he delivered multi-year expositions on books of the bible such as Romans, Ephesians and the Gospel of John. In addition to the MLJ Trust’s collection of 1,600 of these sermons in audio format, most of these great sermon series are available in book form (including a 14 volume collection of the Romans sermons), as are other series such as "Spiritual Depression", "Studies in the Sermon on the Mount" and "Great Biblical Doctrines". He is considered by many evangelical leaders today to be an authority on biblical truth and the sufficiency of Scripture.