1 00:00:00,160 --> 00:00:03,920 So this morning, of course, we will be in Psalm 145. 2 00:00:03,920 --> 00:00:08,080 And I would encourage you, as I do every week, I would encourage 3 00:00:08,080 --> 00:00:15,640 you to turn to Psalm 145 and it is found verse 14, which is 4 00:00:15,640 --> 00:00:19,520 where we'll be, is found on page 525. 5 00:00:19,520 --> 00:00:22,960 If you're using one of our Bibles, someone told me last 6 00:00:22,960 --> 00:00:26,880 week, they said, oh, I might have to start bringing my Bible 7 00:00:27,040 --> 00:00:32,800 because I keep asking people to turn to different sections and 8 00:00:33,240 --> 00:00:36,320 scriptures. So which is awesome. 9 00:00:36,600 --> 00:00:40,400 That made me so happy to hear. I'll check in with her later, 10 00:00:40,400 --> 00:00:43,040 the later after the service to see if she brought her Bible. 11 00:00:43,960 --> 00:00:48,000 But yeah, always, I always encourage you to bring your 12 00:00:48,000 --> 00:00:51,400 bring your Bibles with you on Sunday mornings because we will 13 00:00:51,400 --> 00:00:54,840 be in them and we'll be in a couple of different passages 14 00:00:54,840 --> 00:00:57,840 this morning that you'll be turning to Psalm 1:45. 15 00:00:59,200 --> 00:01:04,920 If you're able to, would you please stand as we read Psalm 16 00:01:04,920 --> 00:01:12,000 145, starting at verse 14. The Lord upholds all who are 17 00:01:12,000 --> 00:01:14,840 falling and raises up all who are bowed down. 18 00:01:15,640 --> 00:01:18,400 The eyes of all look to you, and you give them their food. 19 00:01:18,400 --> 00:01:21,000 In due season You open your hand. 20 00:01:21,000 --> 00:01:24,000 You satisfy the desire of every living thing. 21 00:01:24,200 --> 00:01:27,880 The Lord is righteous in all His ways and kind in all His works. 22 00:01:28,520 --> 00:01:32,600 The Lord is near to all who call on Him, to all who call on Him. 23 00:01:32,600 --> 00:01:36,320 In truth, He fulfills the desire of those who fear Him. 24 00:01:36,680 --> 00:01:39,040 He also hears their cry and saves them. 25 00:01:39,640 --> 00:01:43,640 The Lord preserves all who love Him, but all the wicked He will 26 00:01:43,640 --> 00:01:46,560 destroy. My mouth will speak the praise 27 00:01:46,560 --> 00:01:50,960 of the Lord, and let all flesh bless His holy name forever and 28 00:01:50,960 --> 00:01:52,400 ever. Amen. 29 00:01:52,520 --> 00:01:56,920 You may be seated. So the last couple weeks we've 30 00:01:56,920 --> 00:01:59,600 been in this Psalm, we've devoted a bit of time to 31 00:02:00,120 --> 00:02:03,920 examining what does it mean to praise God? 32 00:02:03,920 --> 00:02:07,880 All the different words that David used for praising God and 33 00:02:07,880 --> 00:02:10,440 the different ways that we can do that. 34 00:02:10,440 --> 00:02:14,480 And then part of what we praise God for is his great working. 35 00:02:14,480 --> 00:02:17,720 That was our focus in the first Week, 2 weeks ago, and the many 36 00:02:17,720 --> 00:02:22,360 ways that he had worked in the past, from the exodus to his 37 00:02:22,360 --> 00:02:25,840 involvement in our in our own lives. 38 00:02:26,200 --> 00:02:31,240 We even spent some time last week in Exodus 34 examining the 39 00:02:31,240 --> 00:02:35,360 character of the king and that he is gracious and compassionate 40 00:02:35,360 --> 00:02:38,800 and slow to anger and abounding and steadfast love. 41 00:02:39,000 --> 00:02:44,160 He's a good king and He offers his protection to us, but he 42 00:02:44,200 --> 00:02:49,200 also has expectations of us. So this morning we'll pick up 43 00:02:49,200 --> 00:02:53,680 with God's provision. Now as we do that, we see that 44 00:02:54,320 --> 00:03:00,560 part of how God provides is by lifting up the broken. 45 00:03:03,280 --> 00:03:07,600 He lifts up the broken. Verse 14 said the Lord upholds 46 00:03:07,600 --> 00:03:12,360 all who are falling and raises up all who are about down. 47 00:03:14,520 --> 00:03:18,400 You know, as one pours through the pages of Scripture, 48 00:03:19,480 --> 00:03:24,640 something interesting emerges. Humans finding themselves at the 49 00:03:24,640 --> 00:03:29,960 end of the rope, completely beat down and destroyed, wanting 50 00:03:29,960 --> 00:03:36,960 nothing more to do with this earthly life and discouragement 51 00:03:37,000 --> 00:03:41,320 rather than death. Discouragement has become the 52 00:03:41,320 --> 00:03:46,680 great equalizer because all of the heroes of the faith, they 53 00:03:46,720 --> 00:03:51,440 all experience discouragement at some point in their lives. 54 00:03:53,040 --> 00:03:55,600 Let's focus on one particular person for a moment. 55 00:03:56,960 --> 00:04:00,960 Job. Job was considered the noblest 56 00:04:00,960 --> 00:04:06,680 man in the entire world, but after all the trials that he had 57 00:04:06,680 --> 00:04:10,080 experienced, he wrote. And it's there on the screen for 58 00:04:10,080 --> 00:04:13,480 you. Has not man a hard service on 59 00:04:13,480 --> 00:04:15,560 earth? And are not his days like the 60 00:04:15,560 --> 00:04:18,959 days of a hired hand? Like a slave who longs for the 61 00:04:18,959 --> 00:04:22,600 shadow, and like a hired hand who looks for his wages? 62 00:04:23,320 --> 00:04:27,160 So I am allotted Months of emptiness and nights of misery 63 00:04:27,160 --> 00:04:30,560 are apportioned to me. When I lie down, I say, When 64 00:04:30,560 --> 00:04:33,760 shall I arise? But the night is long, and I am 65 00:04:33,760 --> 00:04:38,120 full of tossing till the dawn. My flesh is clothed with worms 66 00:04:38,120 --> 00:04:41,040 and dirt. My skin hardens, then breaks out 67 00:04:41,040 --> 00:04:42,960 afresh. My days are swifter than a 68 00:04:42,960 --> 00:04:46,640 weaver's shuttle and come to their end without hope. 69 00:04:47,440 --> 00:04:52,120 Remembering that my life is a breath, my eye will never again 70 00:04:52,600 --> 00:04:56,680 see God, I want to pause for a moment. 71 00:04:58,960 --> 00:05:02,960 Sometimes people think that we have to act like we have it all 72 00:05:02,960 --> 00:05:07,000 together. But when you look at Scripture, 73 00:05:09,160 --> 00:05:12,360 clearly joke doesn't have it all together right here, right? 74 00:05:13,280 --> 00:05:17,080 And David, when you read all through the Psalms, there's so 75 00:05:17,080 --> 00:05:23,320 many places where life is certainly not going his way. 76 00:05:24,920 --> 00:05:29,680 So we can take the trials, the struggles in life, and we can 77 00:05:29,680 --> 00:05:35,160 bring those to God. God's a big boy, right? 78 00:05:35,640 --> 00:05:40,120 God can handle it. So Job had lost his property, 79 00:05:40,400 --> 00:05:43,520 his family. He'd lost even his health. 80 00:05:45,160 --> 00:05:47,600 The only thing he didn't lose was his wife. 81 00:05:48,520 --> 00:05:52,960 And well, she wasn't too good. She actually only made the 82 00:05:52,960 --> 00:05:57,160 situation worse. So he was completely discouraged 83 00:05:57,160 --> 00:06:04,080 and he had lost all hope. And after a lot of going back 84 00:06:04,080 --> 00:06:07,600 and forth and, and talking with God and talking with his friends 85 00:06:07,600 --> 00:06:13,360 who were pretty worthless, Job 1925 through 27. 86 00:06:14,080 --> 00:06:16,600 Job says this. And this is one of my favorite 87 00:06:16,600 --> 00:06:20,600 passages in Scripture. For I know that my Redeemer 88 00:06:20,600 --> 00:06:24,680 lives, and at the last he will stand upon the earth after my 89 00:06:24,680 --> 00:06:29,440 skin has been thus destroyed. Yet in my flesh I shall see God, 90 00:06:29,600 --> 00:06:34,000 whom I shall see for myself, and then my eyes shall behold, and 91 00:06:34,000 --> 00:06:37,280 not another. My heart faints within me. 92 00:06:38,920 --> 00:06:42,400 Job's hope within. A God who stands outside of 93 00:06:42,400 --> 00:06:46,800 time, a Redeemer who values Job's life and offers him 94 00:06:46,800 --> 00:06:51,160 something more than just an earthly experience. 95 00:06:52,240 --> 00:06:55,360 This was Job's hope. Not. 96 00:06:55,360 --> 00:06:59,560 It wasn't simply wishful thinking, but it was full belief 97 00:06:59,720 --> 00:07:07,280 that seeing God someday would become an actual reality, not 98 00:07:07,280 --> 00:07:13,680 just hoping for something. So all of us have known 99 00:07:13,680 --> 00:07:19,600 discouragements in our lives, some of us more than others, as 100 00:07:19,600 --> 00:07:23,920 some personalities are more prone to deeper bouts of 101 00:07:23,920 --> 00:07:31,560 discouragement and depression. However, the text this morning, 102 00:07:31,600 --> 00:07:35,760 this verse doesn't simply have discouragement in mind. 103 00:07:36,360 --> 00:07:41,000 Oppression is also in view here. See, when it says those who are 104 00:07:41,000 --> 00:07:45,240 bowed down, it's not just referring to someone who has 105 00:07:45,480 --> 00:07:48,240 fallen on hard times. They're in a season of maybe bad 106 00:07:48,240 --> 00:07:49,640 luck. Things just aren't going their 107 00:07:49,640 --> 00:07:51,920 way. No, that's not what's in view 108 00:07:51,920 --> 00:07:56,360 here. No, this person has been brought 109 00:07:56,440 --> 00:08:00,120 down by someone else. The actions of another person 110 00:08:00,120 --> 00:08:04,040 has served to bring this person down and to discourage them. 111 00:08:05,320 --> 00:08:09,360 When this happens, some may find themselves that they experience 112 00:08:09,360 --> 00:08:12,560 a particularly hard time of depression. 113 00:08:13,720 --> 00:08:20,560 So David knew this as a reality, as King Saul had, had made David 114 00:08:20,560 --> 00:08:26,640 enemy #1 for more than a decade, he'd been enemy number one of 115 00:08:26,640 --> 00:08:29,920 King Saul in spite of not doing anything wrong. 116 00:08:30,840 --> 00:08:36,679 He was Saul's enemy. But David knew that God was the 117 00:08:36,679 --> 00:08:41,200 lifter of his spirit, and he was continually going to God during 118 00:08:41,200 --> 00:08:44,680 that season when he's on the run, fearing for his life. 119 00:08:46,000 --> 00:08:50,240 So God upholds in raises up those who are broken and bowed 120 00:08:50,240 --> 00:08:55,440 down. Next we see that God provides. 121 00:08:57,480 --> 00:09:00,840 Verse 15 tells us that God provides the eyes of all look to 122 00:09:00,840 --> 00:09:04,600 you and you give them their food in due season. 123 00:09:06,640 --> 00:09:09,720 The providing of food that this verse speaks of is something 124 00:09:09,720 --> 00:09:15,120 that is part of what we call in theological circles, common 125 00:09:15,400 --> 00:09:17,560 grace. Now, common grace is 126 00:09:17,560 --> 00:09:22,040 distinguished from saving grace. Saving grace is the grace that 127 00:09:22,480 --> 00:09:26,920 that God imparts to those who would place their faith in Him. 128 00:09:26,920 --> 00:09:33,240 That is what saving grace is. The common grace is the grace of 129 00:09:33,240 --> 00:09:36,280 God-given to all people in the world. 130 00:09:37,000 --> 00:09:40,600 This grace is given to people regardless of whether or not 131 00:09:40,600 --> 00:09:46,360 they actually believe in Him. God has always shown His common 132 00:09:46,360 --> 00:09:50,960 grace to everyone everywhere through all of history. 133 00:09:51,400 --> 00:09:54,760 Everyone has been a recipient of His common grace. 134 00:09:56,280 --> 00:09:59,800 So verse 9 from last week spoke to this common grace. 135 00:09:59,800 --> 00:10:04,560 It said the Lord is good to all and His mercy is over all that 136 00:10:04,560 --> 00:10:08,120 he has made. Also, when the Sermon on the 137 00:10:08,120 --> 00:10:11,440 Mount, Jesus Speaking of the Father, he said he makes his 138 00:10:11,440 --> 00:10:16,520 sunrise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just 139 00:10:16,840 --> 00:10:22,320 and the unjust. So God's goodness is on 140 00:10:22,640 --> 00:10:26,480 everyone. The air we breathe is God's 141 00:10:26,480 --> 00:10:31,560 goodness. Waking up to each new morning is 142 00:10:31,560 --> 00:10:35,760 God's goodness and bringing in the harvest. 143 00:10:36,000 --> 00:10:41,120 This food is God's goodness, His common grace to all. 144 00:10:42,480 --> 00:10:46,320 Now notice that the verse says in due season. 145 00:10:46,960 --> 00:10:52,400 In due season means that God's going to bring this about in the 146 00:10:52,400 --> 00:10:54,720 right time. He knows the right time for 147 00:10:54,720 --> 00:10:57,600 everything. He knows when someone's at the 148 00:10:57,680 --> 00:10:59,480 end and they can't take it anymore. 149 00:10:59,680 --> 00:11:02,040 He knows when we're about to be destroyed and we need to be 150 00:11:02,040 --> 00:11:04,920 lifted up. God knows everything and 151 00:11:04,920 --> 00:11:13,680 provides for each person in His time a new job, financial 152 00:11:13,680 --> 00:11:21,800 resources, food, a career change to becoming a lead pastor, all 153 00:11:21,800 --> 00:11:26,640 all of these. God performs in His perfect 154 00:11:26,720 --> 00:11:29,440 timing. You might think that you have 155 00:11:29,440 --> 00:11:33,040 the right timing figured out. I thought I had it all figured 156 00:11:33,040 --> 00:11:36,800 out. God had other plans, but God 157 00:11:36,800 --> 00:11:40,040 will work His will in the right season. 158 00:11:41,120 --> 00:11:45,760 It might take longer than you want, or it might even be sooner 159 00:11:45,760 --> 00:11:49,360 than you want. God's timing is perfect. 160 00:11:51,000 --> 00:11:53,160 So we've received God's common grace. 161 00:11:53,160 --> 00:11:56,360 But then verse 16 takes it a step farther. 162 00:11:57,680 --> 00:12:02,200 You open your hand. You satisfy the desire of every 163 00:12:02,200 --> 00:12:06,720 living thing. He satisfies our desires. 164 00:12:09,200 --> 00:12:13,000 God is generous and He provides for His people in a bountiful 165 00:12:13,000 --> 00:12:16,240 manner. He isn't stingy and He isn't 166 00:12:16,240 --> 00:12:22,240 tight fisted. For 60 years now, literally 60 167 00:12:22,240 --> 00:12:26,960 years, Mick Jagger has been singing those famous lyrics. 168 00:12:27,880 --> 00:12:34,600 I can't get no satisfaction because I try and I try and I 169 00:12:34,600 --> 00:12:38,600 try and I try. The double negative aside, 170 00:12:39,520 --> 00:12:44,960 Jagger has clearly been looking for satisfaction in the wrong 171 00:12:45,320 --> 00:12:52,120 places. The 17th century scientist, 172 00:12:52,120 --> 00:12:57,480 mathematician and philosopher Blaise Pascal is said to have 173 00:12:57,480 --> 00:13:01,640 authored the notion of the God shaped hole that exists inside 174 00:13:01,640 --> 00:13:06,320 of each person. Now this is the concept that 175 00:13:06,320 --> 00:13:11,400 there's something inside of us, inside each person that longs 176 00:13:11,400 --> 00:13:15,680 for something bigger than us, the unmoved mover, the immutable 177 00:13:15,680 --> 00:13:22,400 and infinite God of this world. Now the translations of his 178 00:13:22,400 --> 00:13:28,240 French texts don't exactly yield the words God shaped whole, but 179 00:13:28,240 --> 00:13:30,320 the concept is there in his writings. 180 00:13:31,440 --> 00:13:35,880 In Section 7 on morality and doctrine, Pascal writes. 181 00:13:37,520 --> 00:13:41,480 What is it then, that this desire and this inability to 182 00:13:41,800 --> 00:13:45,800 proclaim to us? But there was once in man a true 183 00:13:45,800 --> 00:13:50,640 happiness, of which there now remain to him only the mark and 184 00:13:50,640 --> 00:13:55,960 empty trace of this happiness, which he in vain tries to fill 185 00:13:55,960 --> 00:14:00,720 from all his surroundings, seeking from things absence the 186 00:14:00,720 --> 00:14:03,240 help he does not obtain in things presence. 187 00:14:04,880 --> 00:14:09,560 But these are all inadequate, because the infinite abyss can 188 00:14:09,560 --> 00:14:14,600 only be filled by an infinite and immutable object, that is to 189 00:14:14,600 --> 00:14:21,560 say, only by God Himself. Let me repeat that these are all 190 00:14:21,560 --> 00:14:26,040 all these things that we try to fill our lives with, all these 191 00:14:26,040 --> 00:14:31,480 things that we try to satisfy our lives with, They're all 192 00:14:31,480 --> 00:14:36,040 inadequate because the infinite abyss can only be filled by an 193 00:14:36,040 --> 00:14:41,760 infinite and immutable object, that is to say, only by God 194 00:14:42,400 --> 00:14:49,320 himself. True satisfaction is only found 195 00:14:49,880 --> 00:14:52,600 in God. All other attempts to find it 196 00:14:52,600 --> 00:14:58,280 elsewhere will just leave you in the same place as Mick Jagger 197 00:14:58,840 --> 00:15:01,600 not being able to find satisfaction. 198 00:15:03,360 --> 00:15:08,520 God's fulfilling our desires and providing for us is a reflection 199 00:15:09,000 --> 00:15:14,600 of His good character. So next we briefly look at God's 200 00:15:14,600 --> 00:15:20,160 righteous ways, verse 17. The Lord is righteous in all His 201 00:15:20,160 --> 00:15:27,200 ways and kind in all His works. Now, if you're like me, then 202 00:15:27,200 --> 00:15:30,960 perhaps you've misunderstood the meaning of the word 203 00:15:31,200 --> 00:15:34,480 righteousness. For years I have the notion that 204 00:15:34,800 --> 00:15:39,720 righteousness was more or less just a synonym for the word 205 00:15:40,240 --> 00:15:43,240 holiness. I'm not sure what caused me to 206 00:15:43,240 --> 00:15:48,360 realize this, but after examining the Word more deeply, 207 00:15:48,360 --> 00:15:52,800 I began to understand that righteousness is really about 208 00:15:52,920 --> 00:15:56,480 justice. Righteousness is about God's 209 00:15:56,480 --> 00:16:01,840 justice, His in his dealings with us and our justice in 210 00:16:01,840 --> 00:16:05,080 dealing with other people, doing right by them. 211 00:16:06,480 --> 00:16:12,640 So in light of that, allow me to offer to you the Pastor Drew 212 00:16:12,640 --> 00:16:19,400 paraphrase of verse 17. God is just in his dealings with 213 00:16:19,400 --> 00:16:28,080 us and loving in all his deeds. Now perhaps that verse might 214 00:16:28,360 --> 00:16:32,240 strike you a little bit when you think of it in those terms. 215 00:16:34,520 --> 00:16:43,000 Does God's justice mesh with God's love and mercy and 216 00:16:43,000 --> 00:16:46,240 compassion? How? 217 00:16:46,240 --> 00:16:49,760 How do these these things go together? 218 00:16:51,000 --> 00:16:59,680 Well, here's the great paradox. Mercy and justice meet in God. 219 00:17:01,240 --> 00:17:05,920 God is both merciful and God is both just. 220 00:17:06,920 --> 00:17:11,040 Neither quality is exclusive, but rather are two sides of the 221 00:17:11,040 --> 00:17:15,200 same coin. God is at once perfectly just 222 00:17:15,359 --> 00:17:19,200 and absolutely tender and compassionate at the same time. 223 00:17:20,880 --> 00:17:24,000 Now David didn't have the fully fleshed out under the standing 224 00:17:24,000 --> 00:17:26,079 of the Messiah that that we have. 225 00:17:26,079 --> 00:17:34,440 He he had what's was in his scriptures, which was parts of 226 00:17:34,800 --> 00:17:38,000 the Old Testament. So he didn't fully understand 227 00:17:38,000 --> 00:17:43,480 what the Messiah would be. But but God's justice demands 228 00:17:43,480 --> 00:17:46,840 that that sin is punished. Now, this has not changed. 229 00:17:46,840 --> 00:17:51,040 Sin has always been punished all the way from the Garden all the 230 00:17:51,040 --> 00:17:53,960 way up to today. Sin has to be punished. 231 00:17:54,160 --> 00:17:58,160 However, God's mercy and compassion offered forgiveness 232 00:17:58,160 --> 00:18:02,640 to us through the sacrifice and finished work of Jesus Christ on 233 00:18:02,640 --> 00:18:08,240 the cross. So that is how both justice and 234 00:18:08,520 --> 00:18:11,360 compassion are demonstrated in our God. 235 00:18:12,840 --> 00:18:18,320 Moving on to verse 18, as we look at God's deliverance, the 236 00:18:18,320 --> 00:18:22,920 Lord is near to all who call on him, to all who call on him. 237 00:18:22,920 --> 00:18:31,440 In truth, God is near. He's near to us. 238 00:18:31,440 --> 00:18:36,120 And being near to us means that when we call on Him, He's 239 00:18:36,320 --> 00:18:41,800 attentive to us. God isn't like our daughter 240 00:18:42,640 --> 00:18:46,800 Arya. If she's reading a book and you 241 00:18:46,800 --> 00:18:53,560 say her name, in all likelihood she is not going to respond. 242 00:18:54,200 --> 00:18:58,520 She doesn't even hear you speaking to her. 243 00:18:58,720 --> 00:19:04,160 Even when you use her name, she won't even hear you because she 244 00:19:04,160 --> 00:19:09,520 is so absorbed in that book. She is not attentive to anything 245 00:19:09,520 --> 00:19:12,880 else going on around her. It's really amazing. 246 00:19:12,880 --> 00:19:19,720 I don't know how she does it, but God, when we call out to 247 00:19:19,720 --> 00:19:29,680 him, he's near to us and he's attentive to us when we call. 248 00:19:32,240 --> 00:19:36,360 Now I've referred to God's transcendence a few times over 249 00:19:36,360 --> 00:19:40,360 the last couple weeks. Mean that God is so great and 250 00:19:40,560 --> 00:19:44,720 beyond this world that we can't possibly know everything there 251 00:19:44,720 --> 00:19:49,880 is to know about him. So this is true. 252 00:19:49,880 --> 00:19:53,680 But I also said a couple weeks ago that God is imminent. 253 00:19:55,120 --> 00:20:01,280 He's close to us like a friend. God is near to us, and He is 254 00:20:01,280 --> 00:20:03,520 completely. Accessible. 255 00:20:03,720 --> 00:20:09,040 He hasn't locked himself away in some safe house in heaven. 256 00:20:10,320 --> 00:20:15,760 No, he's near. Also, to say that God's near 257 00:20:15,760 --> 00:20:22,320 means he's present with those who sincerely seek him. 258 00:20:24,200 --> 00:20:29,120 Now, it's possible you've heard the question and rather trite 259 00:20:29,120 --> 00:20:32,200 statement. Are you far from God? 260 00:20:32,880 --> 00:20:37,520 Well, guess who moved? The obvious implied answer being 261 00:20:37,520 --> 00:20:41,040 that God didn't move. You did. 262 00:20:42,200 --> 00:20:47,720 However, it's a disservice to stop there so we can then 263 00:20:47,720 --> 00:20:53,120 continue with another fairly forward response. 264 00:20:53,840 --> 00:21:02,000 God is only a prayer away. This isn't just a trite 265 00:21:02,000 --> 00:21:07,160 statement, it's truth. If you seek Him, then you will 266 00:21:07,160 --> 00:21:08,760 find Him. He's right there. 267 00:21:08,760 --> 00:21:12,560 The writer of Hebrews tells us that whoever would draw near to 268 00:21:12,560 --> 00:21:18,560 God must believe that he exists, and He rewards those who seek 269 00:21:18,560 --> 00:21:21,560 Him. Seeking after Him isn't 270 00:21:21,560 --> 00:21:24,280 something that that you will do in vain. 271 00:21:24,280 --> 00:21:29,120 If you were earnestly seeking after Him and Scripture says you 272 00:21:29,560 --> 00:21:34,480 will find Him. Now consider for a moment what 273 00:21:34,480 --> 00:21:40,240 would happen if you wanted to approach an earthly king or a 274 00:21:40,240 --> 00:21:43,400 president. You can't simply go to the 275 00:21:43,400 --> 00:21:48,600 King's place of residence, which right now is Clarence House, I 276 00:21:48,600 --> 00:21:52,920 believe is what it's called. You can't go to the King's place 277 00:21:52,920 --> 00:21:56,520 of residence and and say I want to meet with the king, just as 278 00:21:56,520 --> 00:22:00,800 you can't go to the White House and say I would like to meet 279 00:22:00,800 --> 00:22:07,080 with the president. Try as you might, as much as you 280 00:22:07,080 --> 00:22:11,080 might want to gain an audience with either of these two men, 281 00:22:12,960 --> 00:22:17,520 you're probably going to be unsuccessful in your attempts. 282 00:22:18,480 --> 00:22:22,200 You will not gain an audience with these men. 283 00:22:24,800 --> 00:22:32,160 But if we earnestly, truthfully desire to see God, if we really 284 00:22:32,160 --> 00:22:37,240 desire to be near Him, then we will receive that reward and 285 00:22:37,240 --> 00:22:42,040 we'll find ourselves in close proximity to our key. 286 00:22:45,160 --> 00:22:49,960 Verse 19. He fulfills the desire of those 287 00:22:49,960 --> 00:22:52,960 who fear Him. He also hears their cry and 288 00:22:52,960 --> 00:22:58,280 saves them. God listens. 289 00:23:00,960 --> 00:23:05,160 He's a God who listens. He doesn't turn a deaf ear. 290 00:23:07,280 --> 00:23:10,280 As I said, he's attentive to the cries of his people. 291 00:23:10,280 --> 00:23:14,200 When we cry out to him in trouble, God hears us and has 292 00:23:14,200 --> 00:23:17,000 compassion on us. He'll bandage our wounds. 293 00:23:17,000 --> 00:23:19,960 He'll pick us up and be our rescue. 294 00:23:21,360 --> 00:23:24,600 He brings deliverance to his people. 295 00:23:27,720 --> 00:23:31,800 So David experienced this in his life. 296 00:23:32,680 --> 00:23:36,760 God was there as David's deliverance all through his life 297 00:23:36,960 --> 00:23:41,440 and God was listening to him. Now this was obviously the case 298 00:23:41,440 --> 00:23:45,960 during the 1st 10 to 15 years after Samuel had an anointed 299 00:23:45,960 --> 00:23:50,120 David as king and during which time David was on the run for 300 00:23:50,120 --> 00:23:55,880 his life. But then David had become king, 301 00:23:55,880 --> 00:23:58,400 and there was his own personal exile. 302 00:23:58,400 --> 00:24:02,800 He'd been exiled from Jerusalem because his rebellious son 303 00:24:02,800 --> 00:24:09,120 Absalom had usurped the throne. And so again David found himself 304 00:24:09,120 --> 00:24:13,080 in a place where he was fearing for his life. 305 00:24:14,480 --> 00:24:17,360 And through it all, David continually cried out to a God 306 00:24:17,720 --> 00:24:21,920 and expressed worship to him at every season. 307 00:24:23,600 --> 00:24:26,920 This was in spite of the constant threats on his life. 308 00:24:29,680 --> 00:24:32,200 In the midst of these things, David knew God listens. 309 00:24:32,400 --> 00:24:38,120 And that's how he can say God hears their cry and saves 310 00:24:38,640 --> 00:24:42,040 because David had experienced it in his own life. 311 00:24:44,000 --> 00:24:48,920 And then he goes on to say, God hears your cry and saves. 312 00:24:49,320 --> 00:24:53,440 Those who worship Him in reverent fear will be delivered 313 00:24:53,440 --> 00:24:59,800 when they cry out. Last week we talked about living 314 00:25:00,040 --> 00:25:14,080 in the Kingdom and I referenced one Monty Python movie. 315 00:25:16,440 --> 00:25:21,320 So now hopefully every every time you see that movie or hear 316 00:25:21,320 --> 00:25:26,120 about it, you will think about what it's like to live in God's 317 00:25:26,120 --> 00:25:29,960 Kingdom. So we talked about living in the 318 00:25:29,960 --> 00:25:33,520 Kingdom and, and the fact that we can expect certain things 319 00:25:33,520 --> 00:25:36,600 when we live in the Kingdom. We know that there will be 320 00:25:36,600 --> 00:25:40,080 expectations placed on us, but then we also know that there are 321 00:25:40,080 --> 00:25:42,840 benefits to life in the Kingdom of God. 322 00:25:43,080 --> 00:25:47,240 We have His protection as God preserves the righteous. 323 00:25:47,840 --> 00:25:52,680 He preserves the righteous, but He also destroys the wicked. 324 00:25:54,080 --> 00:25:57,440 Verse 20 said He preserves all who love him, but all the wicked 325 00:25:57,800 --> 00:26:01,880 he will destroy. He keeps watch over and He 326 00:26:02,160 --> 00:26:06,680 guards all who love him. It's easy for us to miss what 327 00:26:06,680 --> 00:26:10,560 this means since we're not so versed in the nuances of being a 328 00:26:11,040 --> 00:26:15,280 Pagan deity. You see, Pagan gods didn't 329 00:26:15,280 --> 00:26:21,240 demand love from their subjects. They demanded loyalty for sure. 330 00:26:21,240 --> 00:26:24,240 And this loyalty was shown through simple actions like 331 00:26:24,560 --> 00:26:32,840 offerings and sacrifices. But love never entered the 332 00:26:32,840 --> 00:26:40,000 equation in how a Pagan God interacted with its subjects. 333 00:26:41,920 --> 00:26:45,640 There wasn't love from the God for the subjects, and there 334 00:26:45,640 --> 00:26:49,240 wasn't love from the subjects for the God. 335 00:26:51,400 --> 00:26:55,320 But Yahweh. Yahweh is different. 336 00:26:55,800 --> 00:26:59,320 While there are expectations placed on His followers, it's 337 00:26:59,320 --> 00:27:05,000 love that is the basis for that relationship, not coercion. 338 00:27:06,040 --> 00:27:09,480 We don't love God in order to receive His protection. 339 00:27:09,480 --> 00:27:13,640 We love God because He first loved us. 340 00:27:14,400 --> 00:27:17,880 We love Him out of grateful hearts for the salvation that 341 00:27:17,880 --> 00:27:22,680 we've received. And then this is the evidence of 342 00:27:22,680 --> 00:27:27,960 true godliness. Our God's ways are way different 343 00:27:28,240 --> 00:27:35,120 than the ways of the Pagan gods. Go ahead and turn a little to 344 00:27:35,120 --> 00:27:43,600 the left to Psalm 121. This is such an awesome Psalm. 345 00:27:44,320 --> 00:27:49,560 Psalm 121 is a beautiful statement of God's protection 346 00:27:49,640 --> 00:27:53,120 for His people, and I suspect much of this will be familiar to 347 00:27:53,120 --> 00:27:58,560 many of you. I lift up my eyes to the hills. 348 00:27:58,560 --> 00:28:03,120 From where does my help come? My help comes from the Lord who 349 00:28:03,120 --> 00:28:05,840 made heaven and earth. He will not let your foot be 350 00:28:05,840 --> 00:28:08,640 moved, but he who keeps you will not slumber. 351 00:28:09,160 --> 00:28:13,200 Behold, he who keeps Israel will neither slumber nor sleep. 352 00:28:14,160 --> 00:28:18,160 The Lord is your keeper. The Lord is your shade on your 353 00:28:18,160 --> 00:28:20,800 right hand. The sun shall not strike you by 354 00:28:20,800 --> 00:28:25,840 day, nor the moon by night. The Lord will keep you from all 355 00:28:25,840 --> 00:28:28,440 evil. He will keep your life. 356 00:28:29,320 --> 00:28:32,800 The Lord will keep your going out and you're coming in from 357 00:28:32,800 --> 00:28:40,280 this time forth and forevermore. This, this is the protection 358 00:28:40,280 --> 00:28:45,400 offered to those who call on him in truth, the protection offered 359 00:28:45,400 --> 00:28:48,840 to those who fear Him, The protection offered to those who 360 00:28:48,840 --> 00:28:53,960 love Him. He fiercely protects His people, 361 00:28:55,400 --> 00:29:03,560 But the wicked don't experience the same benefits since they 362 00:29:03,560 --> 00:29:10,160 don't live under the rule and reign of our God, Psalm 1, 363 00:29:10,160 --> 00:29:14,600 verses 5 through 6 reads. Therefore the wicked will not 364 00:29:14,600 --> 00:29:17,760 stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the congregation of 365 00:29:17,760 --> 00:29:20,800 the righteous. For the Lord knows the way of 366 00:29:20,800 --> 00:29:26,000 the righteous, but the way of the wicked will perish. 367 00:29:28,080 --> 00:29:32,080 So these verses beg the question, Who are the wicked? 368 00:29:32,680 --> 00:29:37,480 Is this a word reserved solely for the Hitler's and Pol Pots 369 00:29:37,480 --> 00:29:41,560 and Stalin's of the world, people whose lives are 370 00:29:41,800 --> 00:29:47,120 characterized by evil and Avi and who are obviously wicked? 371 00:29:48,640 --> 00:29:50,960 Or is there a broader category in view here? 372 00:29:51,600 --> 00:29:54,640 Well, I would suggest that this verse is getting at both the 373 00:29:54,640 --> 00:29:57,640 obviously wicked of this world as well as those who are in a 374 00:29:57,960 --> 00:30:03,000 broader category. Generally speaking, we can think 375 00:30:03,000 --> 00:30:06,360 of the wicked as people whose lives are characterized by 376 00:30:06,520 --> 00:30:10,200 rebellion against God. They have complete disdain for 377 00:30:10,200 --> 00:30:13,280 God's ways and God's righteousness. 378 00:30:15,120 --> 00:30:19,960 Instead of living according to His ways, they choose instead to 379 00:30:20,280 --> 00:30:24,080 live in open rebellion against their Creator. 380 00:30:24,680 --> 00:30:26,360 This is a hallmark of their life. 381 00:30:27,800 --> 00:30:31,680 There's no doubt about their level of morality as they are 382 00:30:31,680 --> 00:30:36,480 completely immoral. This is who the wicked are. 383 00:30:37,840 --> 00:30:41,440 Then there's also a broader category though listed as 384 00:30:41,600 --> 00:30:44,320 sinners. And when you come across this, 385 00:30:44,320 --> 00:30:48,040 it might catch your attention because you might stop and 386 00:30:48,040 --> 00:30:51,120 think, what does that mean? I'm a Sinner? 387 00:30:51,520 --> 00:30:56,640 We're all sinners, right? Well, in a technical sense, yes, 388 00:30:56,640 --> 00:31:00,560 we all sin. But that's not what this passage 389 00:31:00,560 --> 00:31:03,600 has in view when Scripture references sinners. 390 00:31:03,760 --> 00:31:07,560 It isn't referring to those who have placed their faith in Jesus 391 00:31:07,560 --> 00:31:09,720 Christ redeeming work on the cross. 392 00:31:10,240 --> 00:31:13,640 No, that's not what's in view when Scripture is talking about 393 00:31:13,640 --> 00:31:17,000 sinners. Scripture it's talking about 394 00:31:17,000 --> 00:31:21,920 people who have not given their life over to Christ and they are 395 00:31:21,920 --> 00:31:29,760 choosing rather to live their own ways to have self on the 396 00:31:29,760 --> 00:31:35,360 throne of their lives rather than King Jesus on the throne of 397 00:31:35,360 --> 00:31:40,720 their lives. So these people and the wicked 398 00:31:41,280 --> 00:31:44,960 will find themselves wanting in the day of judgment. 399 00:31:47,840 --> 00:31:51,920 And as we end it all comes back to where we started. 400 00:31:53,560 --> 00:31:58,920 Verse one said I will extol you my God and King and bless your 401 00:31:58,920 --> 00:32:03,400 name forever and ever. And then to close out the 402 00:32:03,400 --> 00:32:06,800 chapter, David basically says, well, he actually repeats 403 00:32:06,800 --> 00:32:09,960 verbatim part of verse one, and then he uses that Hebrew 404 00:32:09,960 --> 00:32:13,240 parallelism that I talked about, saying the same thing just in a 405 00:32:13,240 --> 00:32:16,360 different way. He says in verse 21, My mouth 406 00:32:16,360 --> 00:32:20,240 will speak the praise of the Lord, and let all flesh bless 407 00:32:20,240 --> 00:32:27,280 his holy name forever and ever. David has made it clear he's 408 00:32:27,280 --> 00:32:30,320 going to praise the Lord his king. 409 00:32:31,040 --> 00:32:33,960 He's going to say great things about God, and then his 410 00:32:33,960 --> 00:32:40,480 encouragement is for everyone, everything to do the same, 411 00:32:42,320 --> 00:32:48,000 everything to praise the Lord and to do that forever. 412 00:32:50,800 --> 00:32:55,520 As we wrap up the short series, I want to leave you with the 413 00:32:55,520 --> 00:33:00,360 summation I came across. So Psalm 145 and life in the 414 00:33:00,360 --> 00:33:05,840 Kingdom of God. I can expect God to act in a way 415 00:33:05,840 --> 00:33:07,720 that's consistent with his nature. 416 00:33:09,040 --> 00:33:11,040 I can expect him to keep his promises. 417 00:33:11,040 --> 00:33:14,040 I can expect God to hold me up when I stumble. 418 00:33:14,040 --> 00:33:17,800 I can expect him to give me what I need when I need it. 419 00:33:19,160 --> 00:33:22,000 I can expect him to be open handed with me and sensitive to 420 00:33:22,000 --> 00:33:24,680 my desires. I can expect Him to do the right 421 00:33:24,680 --> 00:33:28,360 thing, to deal with me and love to be near, to be when I cry. 422 00:33:28,840 --> 00:33:38,000 I can expect God to save me. And God, for His part, can 423 00:33:38,000 --> 00:33:40,960 expect something from me in return. 424 00:33:42,560 --> 00:33:51,400 He can expect praise. We can expect life in the 425 00:33:51,400 --> 00:33:55,240 Kingdom of God. We can expect God to take care 426 00:33:55,240 --> 00:34:02,400 of us and provide for all we need and our proper response to 427 00:34:02,400 --> 00:34:07,000 the God who provides for all we need, our salvation and our 428 00:34:07,000 --> 00:34:14,400 daily sustenance. Our proper response is lives of 429 00:34:14,679 --> 00:34:18,400 praise. Let's bow our heads and close 430 00:34:18,400 --> 00:34:30,760 our eyes. God, we thank You that you are 431 00:34:30,760 --> 00:34:36,920 gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and abounding the 432 00:34:36,920 --> 00:34:46,639 steadfast love. May we never forget that that is 433 00:34:46,639 --> 00:34:55,000 who you are. Yet you are also just and we 434 00:34:55,000 --> 00:35:05,160 give thanks for your justice that took our sins and punish 435 00:35:05,160 --> 00:35:13,000 them on Jesus on that cross, providing the way for us to live 436 00:35:13,000 --> 00:35:25,830 life under your rule and reign. Would you continue to move in 437 00:35:25,830 --> 00:35:31,150 this place and in this time as we sit at your table in Jesus 438 00:35:31,150 --> 00:35:32,830 name, Amen?