1 00:00:01,200 --> 00:00:05,280 When was the last time you played a game of hide and seek? 2 00:00:06,360 --> 00:00:09,880 It's a game as old as time. It's a classic. 3 00:00:10,200 --> 00:00:13,160 It's one of the first games you learn to play when you're 4 00:00:13,160 --> 00:00:16,680 growing up. The fun thing about hide and 5 00:00:16,680 --> 00:00:23,320 seek is when you find the person you're looking for, friends. 6 00:00:23,320 --> 00:00:27,480 What do you do when it feels like you're stuck in a game of 7 00:00:27,480 --> 00:00:33,240 hide and seek with God? Like you're seeking him, trying 8 00:00:33,240 --> 00:00:36,800 to find him, but he's nowhere to be found? 9 00:00:37,800 --> 00:00:42,040 What do you do when it feels like God's face is hidden? 10 00:00:43,720 --> 00:00:47,400 What do you do when you feel a massive gap between God's 11 00:00:47,400 --> 00:00:53,080 promises and your experience? Friends, in these types of 12 00:00:53,080 --> 00:00:56,760 situations, no sunshine and rainbows. 13 00:00:56,760 --> 00:01:02,560 Religion will work. Religion and and even in some 14 00:01:02,560 --> 00:01:06,240 cases a sort of cultural Christianity will do us no 15 00:01:06,240 --> 00:01:10,440 lasting good. Is Christianity just a crutch to 16 00:01:10,440 --> 00:01:14,600 escape reality? Is it an excuse to ignore the 17 00:01:14,600 --> 00:01:19,040 pressing needs of the moment? We have tragedy pressing in from 18 00:01:19,040 --> 00:01:21,600 all sides. I mean, just look at the news. 19 00:01:21,800 --> 00:01:26,960 Look at our world around us. Is Christianity meant to be just 20 00:01:26,960 --> 00:01:30,640 this false smile we put on our faces? 21 00:01:32,960 --> 00:01:36,920 What about when your friends confront you with injustice? 22 00:01:37,160 --> 00:01:39,560 When they bring up to you the things in this world that are 23 00:01:39,560 --> 00:01:43,880 happening all around? How are the people of hope to 24 00:01:43,880 --> 00:01:48,320 respond then? What will you say to them? 25 00:01:50,200 --> 00:01:55,360 What about when injustice comes knocking on your door, when the 26 00:01:55,360 --> 00:02:00,960 pain becomes personal, When the hurt and the loss and the 27 00:02:00,960 --> 00:02:06,800 tragedy make you weep? Maybe some of you this morning 28 00:02:06,800 --> 00:02:12,280 have come in with those types of burdens, with affliction, seeing 29 00:02:12,280 --> 00:02:16,840 the injustice in the world and experiencing it in your soul, 30 00:02:17,840 --> 00:02:20,480 thinking God is supposed to be a helper. 31 00:02:21,120 --> 00:02:25,560 But I'm experiencing so much hurt and so little help. 32 00:02:26,520 --> 00:02:30,840 Feeling like you're stuck in a game of hide and seek with God, 33 00:02:32,440 --> 00:02:35,200 sunshine and rainbows. Religion won't work. 34 00:02:35,200 --> 00:02:41,240 Then suffering slices right through shallow answers to deep 35 00:02:41,600 --> 00:02:46,400 sorrows. But in Psalm 10 we learn from 36 00:02:46,400 --> 00:02:52,440 the psalmist how we should seek God's face when he feels hidden. 37 00:02:53,320 --> 00:02:57,640 Listen as I read Psalm 10, Psalm chapter 10. 38 00:02:57,640 --> 00:02:59,880 You can turn there in your Bibles. 39 00:03:05,920 --> 00:03:11,800 Psalm 10 reads, Why, O Lord, do you stand far away? 40 00:03:12,600 --> 00:03:16,480 Why do you hide yourself in times of trouble? 41 00:03:17,360 --> 00:03:20,160 In arrogance the wicked hotly pursue the poor. 42 00:03:20,920 --> 00:03:23,520 Let them be caught in the schemes that they have devised. 43 00:03:24,160 --> 00:03:28,360 For the wicked boast of the desires of his soul, and the one 44 00:03:28,360 --> 00:03:33,480 greedy for gain curses and renounces the Lord in the pride 45 00:03:33,480 --> 00:03:36,720 of his face. The wicked does not seek him. 46 00:03:37,560 --> 00:03:40,400 All his thoughts are, There is no God. 47 00:03:41,560 --> 00:03:46,480 His ways prosper at all times. Your judgments are on high out 48 00:03:46,480 --> 00:03:50,400 of His sight. As for his foes, he puffs at 49 00:03:50,400 --> 00:03:53,760 them. He says in his heart, I shall 50 00:03:53,760 --> 00:03:56,400 not be moved throughout all generations. 51 00:03:56,400 --> 00:04:01,720 I shall not meet adversity. His mouth is filled with cursing 52 00:04:02,040 --> 00:04:06,200 and deceit and oppression. Under his tongue are mischief 53 00:04:06,480 --> 00:04:09,920 and iniquity. He sits in ambush in the 54 00:04:09,920 --> 00:04:12,280 villages. In hiding places. 55 00:04:12,280 --> 00:04:17,760 He murders the innocent. His eyes stealthily watch for 56 00:04:17,760 --> 00:04:21,399 the helpless. He lurks in ambush like a lion 57 00:04:21,399 --> 00:04:24,480 in his thicket. He lurks that he may seize the 58 00:04:24,480 --> 00:04:26,960 poor. He seizes the poor. 59 00:04:26,960 --> 00:04:33,000 When he draws him into his net. The helpless are crushed, sink 60 00:04:33,000 --> 00:04:38,080 down and fall by his might. He says in his heart, God has 61 00:04:38,080 --> 00:04:40,720 forgotten. He has hidden his face. 62 00:04:41,280 --> 00:04:49,600 He will never see it. Arise, O Lord, oh God, lift up 63 00:04:49,600 --> 00:04:53,120 your hand. Forget not the afflicted. 64 00:04:54,160 --> 00:04:57,720 Why does the wicked renounce God, and say in his heart, You 65 00:04:57,720 --> 00:05:03,200 will not call to account, but you do see, for you note 66 00:05:03,200 --> 00:05:07,760 mischief and vexation, that you may take it into your hands. 67 00:05:08,160 --> 00:05:10,880 To you the helpless commits and self. 68 00:05:11,440 --> 00:05:13,840 You have been a helper of the fatherless. 69 00:05:14,760 --> 00:05:17,000 Break the arm of the wicked and evildoer. 70 00:05:17,440 --> 00:05:21,840 Call his wickedness to account till you find none. 71 00:05:22,880 --> 00:05:26,680 The Lord is king forever and ever. 72 00:05:27,080 --> 00:05:29,720 The nations perish from his land. 73 00:05:30,280 --> 00:05:32,840 Oh Lord, you hear the desire of the afflicted. 74 00:05:33,360 --> 00:05:37,840 You will strengthen their heart. You will incline your ear to do 75 00:05:37,840 --> 00:05:43,400 justice to the fatherless and the oppressed, so that the man 76 00:05:43,400 --> 00:05:48,200 who is of earth may strike terror no more. 77 00:05:50,560 --> 00:05:56,520 This is a heavy passage, a relatable passage, and it serves 78 00:05:56,520 --> 00:06:01,040 us as God's people, as a model of how we should respond to 79 00:06:01,040 --> 00:06:04,640 injustice. Friends, what do we do when 80 00:06:04,640 --> 00:06:12,360 God's faith feels hidden? Point #1 lament evil, lament 81 00:06:12,760 --> 00:06:15,480 evil. We see this in verses one 82 00:06:15,800 --> 00:06:18,480 through 11. Notice how the psalmist begins. 83 00:06:18,520 --> 00:06:22,680 Look down at verse 1. He says, why, O Lord, do you 84 00:06:22,680 --> 00:06:27,200 stand far away? Why do you hide yourself in 85 00:06:27,200 --> 00:06:31,880 times of trouble? This phrase times of trouble 86 00:06:32,280 --> 00:06:37,880 occurs only two times in the Old Testament and we find it in the 87 00:06:37,880 --> 00:06:42,720 chapter right before. In Psalm 9, verse 9, David 88 00:06:42,720 --> 00:06:48,520 writes the Lord is a stronghold for the oppressed, a stronghold 89 00:06:48,720 --> 00:06:55,400 in times of trouble. Psalm 9 and Psalm 10 are almost 90 00:06:55,400 --> 00:07:00,000 like paternal twins. While there's some debate as to 91 00:07:00,000 --> 00:07:05,400 whether David wrote Psalm 9 and Psalm 10 because of Psalm 10's 92 00:07:05,400 --> 00:07:10,200 lack of a superscription, that little headline at the top, the 93 00:07:10,200 --> 00:07:14,360 connections between the two make it obvious that it's very likely 94 00:07:14,600 --> 00:07:19,480 that David did indeed write both, that he had his pen in his 95 00:07:19,480 --> 00:07:24,240 hand. He wrote Psalm 9, paused, and 96 00:07:24,240 --> 00:07:28,360 then wrote Psalm 10. It's a continuation of the same 97 00:07:28,600 --> 00:07:32,400 line of thinking. The connections are right there. 98 00:07:32,640 --> 00:07:36,520 Psalm 9 and 10 both speak of times of trouble. 99 00:07:36,880 --> 00:07:42,360 They both call for God to arise. Both pray that God would not 100 00:07:42,360 --> 00:07:46,960 forget the afflicted. While they're an obvious pair, 101 00:07:47,320 --> 00:07:49,840 they also have distinct personalities. 102 00:07:50,760 --> 00:07:55,440 In Psalm 91, we read of David recounting the wonderful deeds 103 00:07:55,680 --> 00:07:59,200 of the Lord. But here in Psalm 10, David 104 00:07:59,200 --> 00:08:04,520 moves from recounting to wrestling, from speaking about 105 00:08:04,520 --> 00:08:08,160 God's presence. In Psalm 10, I'm excuse me, 106 00:08:08,160 --> 00:08:14,040 Psalm 9 to mourning. God's absence in Psalm 10 feels 107 00:08:14,040 --> 00:08:21,880 like God is far away. David, like us, felt the tension 108 00:08:22,000 --> 00:08:25,680 between God's promises and the world's problems. 109 00:08:26,360 --> 00:08:30,480 He had trouble aligning what he believed with what he saw. 110 00:08:32,159 --> 00:08:37,280 The Psalms are full of these honest cries arising from what 111 00:08:37,280 --> 00:08:42,000 has been called divine hiddenness, times where God 112 00:08:42,000 --> 00:08:46,880 feels far away. This theme is found across the 113 00:08:46,880 --> 00:08:50,520 Psalms. Psalm 44, verses 23 through 25 114 00:08:50,840 --> 00:08:53,800 read Awake. Why are you sleeping? 115 00:08:53,800 --> 00:08:58,280 O Lord, rouse yourself. Do not reject us forever. 116 00:08:58,720 --> 00:09:03,600 Why do you hide your face? Why do you forget our affliction 117 00:09:03,600 --> 00:09:07,600 and oppression? For our soul is bound down to 118 00:09:07,600 --> 00:09:11,400 the dust. Our belly clings to the ground. 119 00:09:12,680 --> 00:09:16,080 Or look at Psalm 13 verse one reads. 120 00:09:16,200 --> 00:09:20,880 How long, O Lord, why will you forget the wicked forever? 121 00:09:20,880 --> 00:09:23,320 Excuse me, will you forget me forever? 122 00:09:23,760 --> 00:09:26,680 How long will you hide your face from me? 123 00:09:27,240 --> 00:09:31,600 How long must I take counsel in my soul and have sorrow in my 124 00:09:31,600 --> 00:09:35,800 heart all the day? How long shall my enemies be 125 00:09:35,800 --> 00:09:42,320 exalted over me? The Bible is a very honest book. 126 00:09:43,000 --> 00:09:45,080 It's not just full of sunshine and rainbows. 127 00:09:45,080 --> 00:09:47,920 Christianity. The Psalms are full of these 128 00:09:48,040 --> 00:09:53,400 honest cries of times when it feels like God is asleep. 129 00:09:55,120 --> 00:09:57,200 What do you do when you feel like you're playing hide and go 130 00:09:57,200 --> 00:10:00,880 seek with God? These Psalms call us to imitate 131 00:10:00,880 --> 00:10:04,880 David by praying prayers of lament. 132 00:10:05,520 --> 00:10:11,240 Praying prayers of lament. Lament is prayer and pain that 133 00:10:11,240 --> 00:10:14,680 leads to trust. I'll say that one more time. 134 00:10:14,960 --> 00:10:20,600 Lament is prayer and pain that leads to trust. 135 00:10:21,560 --> 00:10:25,760 It's cries of confusion that flow from faith. 136 00:10:26,440 --> 00:10:31,080 As we saw a few months ago in the Habakkuk series, Lament is a 137 00:10:31,080 --> 00:10:33,680 divinely approved pressure release. 138 00:10:33,840 --> 00:10:38,400 When the pressure in your soul of confusion and trial and 139 00:10:38,400 --> 00:10:41,360 sorrow have no nowhere else to go. 140 00:10:41,920 --> 00:10:46,560 Lament is the way we release them to God by saying honestly 141 00:10:46,800 --> 00:10:54,000 what we see and what we feel. How is lament different from 142 00:10:54,000 --> 00:10:56,360 grumbling might be asking that question. 143 00:10:57,480 --> 00:11:04,240 Lament complaints to God while grumbling complaints about God. 144 00:11:05,280 --> 00:11:10,560 Lament flows from faith flows from trust in God, whereas 145 00:11:10,560 --> 00:11:17,320 grumbling flows from unbelief. Lament leads to deeper trust, 146 00:11:18,040 --> 00:11:22,200 while grumbling leads to deeper sin. 147 00:11:23,200 --> 00:11:27,280 Christian, do you have this category of prayer in your 148 00:11:27,280 --> 00:11:31,000 spiritual toolbox? Without it, there will 149 00:11:31,000 --> 00:11:34,480 eventually come a time, if it's not come already, where you're 150 00:11:34,480 --> 00:11:40,720 out of options, you're out of levers to pull, and you'll need 151 00:11:41,120 --> 00:11:45,880 to pray prayers of lament. The pressure will be such, the 152 00:11:45,880 --> 00:11:50,000 suffering will be such, the confusion will be such that 153 00:11:50,000 --> 00:11:54,400 lament is the type of prayer that you need to pray. 154 00:11:57,200 --> 00:12:01,080 I personally struggle with people pleasing. 155 00:12:01,720 --> 00:12:06,720 I'm a habitual people pleaser. If I'm over at someone's house, 156 00:12:06,960 --> 00:12:12,160 I might hesitate from saying if I don't prefer that particular 157 00:12:12,280 --> 00:12:15,400 food. I'm worried that my honesty 158 00:12:15,920 --> 00:12:19,200 might hurt their feelings. I'm worried that saying what I 159 00:12:19,200 --> 00:12:22,560 actually think, what I'm actually feeling, is going to 160 00:12:22,560 --> 00:12:27,800 make someone feel bad. Maybe you feel the same way, 161 00:12:29,080 --> 00:12:31,920 beloved. We can do the same thing with 162 00:12:31,920 --> 00:12:38,800 God holding back our honest prayers, because deep down, 163 00:12:38,800 --> 00:12:43,000 whether we would admit it or not, we don't want to seem like 164 00:12:43,040 --> 00:12:48,360 unthankful Christians in our sufferings, even as we talk 165 00:12:48,360 --> 00:12:53,160 about them with God's people. We could just put on this fake 166 00:12:53,160 --> 00:12:58,320 smile and suffer in silence because we don't want to come 167 00:12:58,320 --> 00:13:03,640 across as unthankful to God's people or to God Himself. 168 00:13:05,200 --> 00:13:10,600 Beloved, God won't be hurt by your honesty. 169 00:13:11,760 --> 00:13:16,080 He won't be hurt by your honest prayers of lament. 170 00:13:16,720 --> 00:13:20,320 Our lack of lament does not deceive God. 171 00:13:20,960 --> 00:13:23,640 He knows our confusion. He knows our sorrows. 172 00:13:23,800 --> 00:13:29,520 He knows everything. Us not telling Him doesn't make 173 00:13:29,760 --> 00:13:33,320 it any different. He already knows. 174 00:13:35,200 --> 00:13:39,400 So crack open your sorrows right in front of the Lord. 175 00:13:39,760 --> 00:13:44,120 Go before Him in prayer and pray right where it hurts. 176 00:13:44,560 --> 00:13:50,160 Tell God honestly where you're confused and where you feel like 177 00:13:50,160 --> 00:13:55,120 he is far away. Follow David's example and bring 178 00:13:55,120 --> 00:13:58,160 your lament to the throne of grace. 179 00:13:58,440 --> 00:14:02,600 Bring others laments to the throne of grace. 180 00:14:03,840 --> 00:14:06,360 This is exactly what David goes on to do. 181 00:14:06,760 --> 00:14:10,600 He says to God exactly what he sees. 182 00:14:10,880 --> 00:14:16,600 He presents the evidence to God that suggests that God is far 183 00:14:16,880 --> 00:14:20,480 off. Look down at verses 2 and 3. 184 00:14:22,120 --> 00:14:26,200 David writes in arrogance. The wicked hotly pursue the 185 00:14:26,200 --> 00:14:30,280 poor, let them be caught in the schemes that they have devised. 186 00:14:31,080 --> 00:14:35,280 For the wicked boasts of the desires of his soul, and the one 187 00:14:35,280 --> 00:14:42,520 greedy for gain curses and renounces the Lord like a movie 188 00:14:42,720 --> 00:14:47,080 jumping into a high speed chase, verse 2 just immediately ropes 189 00:14:47,080 --> 00:14:52,160 in our attention the wicked hotly pursue the poor. 190 00:14:53,240 --> 00:14:58,200 The wicked here are a dangerous combination of both pride and 191 00:14:58,200 --> 00:15:01,920 prosperity. They're proud and they have the 192 00:15:01,920 --> 00:15:07,360 means and the power to execute oppression on all those around 193 00:15:07,360 --> 00:15:11,120 them. They're steered by their selfish 194 00:15:11,400 --> 00:15:13,840 desire. That's the steering wheel of 195 00:15:13,840 --> 00:15:20,160 their life, their desires. Verse 3 says the desires of his 196 00:15:20,480 --> 00:15:23,440 soul. They're greedy for gain. 197 00:15:23,600 --> 00:15:27,000 They're boasting, scheming and renouncing God. 198 00:15:27,760 --> 00:15:32,000 And then in verse 4 we read in the pride of his face, the 199 00:15:32,000 --> 00:15:37,360 wicked does not seek him. All his thoughts are there is no 200 00:15:37,360 --> 00:15:42,280 God. David here skillfully identifies 201 00:15:42,520 --> 00:15:48,640 The Fountainhead of sin, the source of all sin, and that is 202 00:15:48,960 --> 00:15:54,000 No Fear of God. The source of our sin is pride, 203 00:15:54,200 --> 00:15:57,240 arrogance. Where we don't fear God's face, 204 00:15:57,720 --> 00:16:02,560 we don't fear His judgment. The place where God should have 205 00:16:02,560 --> 00:16:07,720 been in their hearts has been replaced by selfish desire. 206 00:16:08,000 --> 00:16:11,160 That's what's driving them. That's what's driving their 207 00:16:11,160 --> 00:16:14,640 life. We see here what we might call a 208 00:16:14,640 --> 00:16:19,320 type of practical atheism. Practical atheism. 209 00:16:19,680 --> 00:16:22,920 It's essentially where, whether you would admit it or not, you 210 00:16:22,920 --> 00:16:27,240 live as if there is no God. You might say there is a God, 211 00:16:28,160 --> 00:16:31,280 but your thoughts would reveal otherwise. 212 00:16:31,840 --> 00:16:37,600 The NIV in this verse literally reads there is no room in their 213 00:16:37,600 --> 00:16:41,320 thoughts for God. No room. 214 00:16:42,600 --> 00:16:47,520 Sadly, this is as common today as it was way back then. 215 00:16:48,520 --> 00:16:52,840 At UNC, where Brian Miller and I have the privilege of going out 216 00:16:52,840 --> 00:16:57,320 and sharing the gospel with students, we often come across a 217 00:16:57,320 --> 00:17:02,440 practical atheist response. Someone who might say there is a 218 00:17:02,440 --> 00:17:06,400 God, but then when we ask them, have you ever thought about God? 219 00:17:07,079 --> 00:17:10,319 You ever considered his existence, will often get the 220 00:17:10,319 --> 00:17:13,079 response. That's not something I think 221 00:17:13,160 --> 00:17:18,280 about very often. I don't really worry about God. 222 00:17:19,079 --> 00:17:22,960 That's not something I spend much time thinking about. 223 00:17:23,319 --> 00:17:27,680 That's the response we get pretty often, and it's sad 224 00:17:28,280 --> 00:17:32,960 because many of these students clearly do not have God in their 225 00:17:32,960 --> 00:17:36,320 everyday thoughts. There's no room in their 226 00:17:36,320 --> 00:17:41,000 thoughts for God because God has been replaced in their hearts by 227 00:17:41,000 --> 00:17:47,640 something else, some other desire, pride, selfishness, 228 00:17:47,840 --> 00:17:55,680 whatever drives them pride has pushed out the fear of God in 229 00:17:55,680 --> 00:17:59,560 their thinking. In the neighborhood that I grew 230 00:17:59,560 --> 00:18:03,320 up in, we had a neighbor across the street who I spent a good 231 00:18:03,320 --> 00:18:05,920 amount of time playing with my siblings. 232 00:18:05,920 --> 00:18:10,040 We spent a good time playing with him and I'll never forget 233 00:18:10,040 --> 00:18:12,920 one particular afternoon. We're playing, we're having fun 234 00:18:12,920 --> 00:18:17,280 shooting basketball. And on this particular day, he 235 00:18:17,280 --> 00:18:22,680 had come to think that if he had his eyes closed that he would be 236 00:18:22,840 --> 00:18:26,680 invisible. If he just closed his eyes that 237 00:18:26,760 --> 00:18:32,480 instantly he would magically poof, go away and be invisible 238 00:18:33,440 --> 00:18:36,320 and he would yell at us with his eyes closed. 239 00:18:36,520 --> 00:18:38,800 You can't see me, you can't see me. 240 00:18:39,400 --> 00:18:43,200 And all of us would yell back at him, Yes we can, Yes we can. 241 00:18:44,520 --> 00:18:47,400 He thought that because his eyes were closed, because he couldn't 242 00:18:47,400 --> 00:18:50,720 see us, that we couldn't see him. 243 00:18:52,480 --> 00:18:59,040 Friends, this is what pride is like before an all seeing God. 244 00:19:00,080 --> 00:19:05,640 Just because we don't see him or care about him or think about 245 00:19:05,640 --> 00:19:10,640 him doesn't mean that God doesn't see us. 246 00:19:11,560 --> 00:19:16,280 God's not fooled. Your lack of seeing him doesn't 247 00:19:16,280 --> 00:19:22,040 mean he ceases to exist. Your lack of seeking him doesn't 248 00:19:22,040 --> 00:19:26,040 cause him to vanish. God is there. 249 00:19:26,560 --> 00:19:31,880 God sees verses 5 through 6 of the Psalm point out this exact 250 00:19:32,000 --> 00:19:36,000 thing. Says his ways prosper at all 251 00:19:36,000 --> 00:19:39,960 times. Your judgments are on high out 252 00:19:39,960 --> 00:19:45,000 of his sight. As for his foes, he puffs at 253 00:19:45,000 --> 00:19:47,160 them. He says in his heart, I shall 254 00:19:47,160 --> 00:19:49,720 not be moved throughout all generations. 255 00:19:50,040 --> 00:19:55,680 I shall not meet adversity. Friend, your lack of thoughts 256 00:19:55,680 --> 00:19:59,080 about God do not erase his existence. 257 00:19:59,920 --> 00:20:04,840 God sees even if your eyes are closed. 258 00:20:07,080 --> 00:20:12,920 Look back down at verse 7 says under his tongue are mischief 259 00:20:13,160 --> 00:20:16,960 and iniquity. Here we have a vivid image of 260 00:20:16,960 --> 00:20:23,560 trickery under the tongue, hidden away, ready to bounce out 261 00:20:24,520 --> 00:20:28,440 the wicked. Are plotting and mischievous. 262 00:20:29,920 --> 00:20:35,400 They're using their words for greed and gain rather than for 263 00:20:35,400 --> 00:20:38,160 others. Then in verses 8 through 10, our 264 00:20:38,160 --> 00:20:42,120 attention is brought again to the way that they ambush the 265 00:20:42,120 --> 00:20:45,920 poor. David describes this person like 266 00:20:45,920 --> 00:20:52,440 a lion, the master predator. Big mane, very strong, loud 267 00:20:52,440 --> 00:20:55,640 growl. The wicked person uses his 268 00:20:55,640 --> 00:21:01,320 tongue to deceive, his eyes to identify the vulnerable, and 269 00:21:01,320 --> 00:21:06,720 then his strength to seize them. Here we're reminded that the 270 00:21:06,720 --> 00:21:11,480 weakest and the poorest are often the most vulnerable to 271 00:21:11,480 --> 00:21:16,280 attack the orphan, the person without the resources or the 272 00:21:16,280 --> 00:21:20,800 power to defend themselves. We're also reminded that 273 00:21:20,800 --> 00:21:25,160 prosperity is not an automatic sign of God's favor. 274 00:21:25,480 --> 00:21:28,600 Here in this passage. This person is greedy for gain. 275 00:21:28,600 --> 00:21:34,520 They want more and more. The helpless are easy targets 276 00:21:35,000 --> 00:21:40,920 for these lions to attack. David here is mourning. 277 00:21:40,920 --> 00:21:46,680 He's lamenting before God that he lives in a society filled 278 00:21:46,920 --> 00:21:51,200 with lions attacking the helpless poor, those with little 279 00:21:51,200 --> 00:21:55,840 money, little physical strength. No fatherly defenders are being 280 00:21:56,160 --> 00:21:59,240 attacked within Israel and the world. 281 00:21:59,240 --> 00:22:05,480 At that time, there was No Fear of God in people's gaze, No Fear 282 00:22:05,480 --> 00:22:10,200 of God in their thinking, No Fear of God to stop them in 283 00:22:10,200 --> 00:22:15,360 their tracks. In verse 8, the psalmist talks 284 00:22:15,360 --> 00:22:19,920 about hiding places. Kids, I don't know if you've 285 00:22:19,920 --> 00:22:22,640 ever played hide and go seek. I'm pretty sure you have. 286 00:22:24,240 --> 00:22:27,680 You have a hiding place. It's where no one is looking. 287 00:22:29,080 --> 00:22:33,560 And in our text, it's clear that before the eyes of others, the 288 00:22:33,560 --> 00:22:37,520 attack of these lions might be postponed. 289 00:22:38,000 --> 00:22:39,680 No one's looking. Excuse me? 290 00:22:39,680 --> 00:22:43,560 If someone's looking, they might not attack, but when no one is 291 00:22:43,560 --> 00:22:49,880 looking in the dark, the attack goes forward Because they assume 292 00:22:49,920 --> 00:22:55,440 that God doesn't see, they assume that God's eye isn't 293 00:22:55,440 --> 00:22:57,600 there. They assume that because they're 294 00:22:57,600 --> 00:23:01,520 in the dark that there really is no God. 295 00:23:03,080 --> 00:23:09,560 Friend, who are you in the dark? Who are you in the hiding 296 00:23:09,880 --> 00:23:13,160 places? The modern reader may read these 297 00:23:13,160 --> 00:23:18,840 verses and think, well, I'm not that bad, I'm not like that, but 298 00:23:18,840 --> 00:23:23,280 we need to take a closer look. I need to take a closer look. 299 00:23:24,240 --> 00:23:28,600 How often do you puff up in pride against those who are 300 00:23:28,600 --> 00:23:33,040 weaker than you? When you're the strongest 301 00:23:33,160 --> 00:23:37,720 mentally or physically in the room, Do you use that 302 00:23:37,720 --> 00:23:42,760 superiority selfishly or selflessly? 303 00:23:44,200 --> 00:23:49,960 When no one is looking, what do you think and what do you do? 304 00:23:51,760 --> 00:23:55,360 Well, verse 10 summarizes the state of things. 305 00:23:56,120 --> 00:24:02,920 The psalmist says the helpless are crushed, sink down, and fall 306 00:24:03,200 --> 00:24:11,480 by his might. This is a godless society within 307 00:24:11,480 --> 00:24:14,880 Israel and within the world at large. 308 00:24:14,920 --> 00:24:20,800 It's a time where might makes right, you might say. 309 00:24:20,880 --> 00:24:23,640 Certainly times are different today. 310 00:24:24,120 --> 00:24:27,200 We're in 2025. We have modern technology. 311 00:24:29,160 --> 00:24:33,880 That was 1000 years ago. Surely things are different now. 312 00:24:34,040 --> 00:24:39,360 Surely we've made progress. Yet throughout our world, it's 313 00:24:39,520 --> 00:24:44,400 obvious that the most vulnerable are being preyed upon. 314 00:24:45,320 --> 00:24:50,080 With our eyes wide open, we can see the helpless crushed all 315 00:24:50,080 --> 00:24:54,880 around us. Predators prey on the most 316 00:24:54,880 --> 00:24:58,680 helpless and the most innocent. Even children. 317 00:25:00,240 --> 00:25:08,960 Millions of abortions each year. Shootings across our country and 318 00:25:08,960 --> 00:25:14,200 across the world, the persecution of Christians, those 319 00:25:14,200 --> 00:25:21,360 who believe in Christ across the globe, the list goes on and on. 320 00:25:21,840 --> 00:25:24,440 Turn on the news, you see it there. 321 00:25:25,160 --> 00:25:29,360 Talk to your friends and family, you see it there too. 322 00:25:29,920 --> 00:25:34,720 Those who are most vulnerable, most weak are taken advantage 323 00:25:35,320 --> 00:25:39,360 of. We live in the same world as the 324 00:25:39,360 --> 00:25:47,040 psalmist did, and the psalmist here models for us a sensitivity 325 00:25:47,240 --> 00:25:52,280 to sin that we should follow. All of this should affect us as 326 00:25:52,280 --> 00:25:55,120 God's people. It shouldn't be water off a 327 00:25:55,120 --> 00:25:58,800 duck's back. It shouldn't be light or easy 328 00:25:58,800 --> 00:26:01,640 for us to brush these things off. 329 00:26:02,240 --> 00:26:05,960 We shouldn't ignore it and go with the sunshine and rainbows 330 00:26:06,200 --> 00:26:10,160 approach. Depending on who you are, 331 00:26:10,280 --> 00:26:14,480 there's likely certain evils that you're more nose blind to 332 00:26:14,960 --> 00:26:19,960 than others. My wife Kim and I are eager to 333 00:26:19,960 --> 00:26:23,920 welcome our first child into the world come December. 334 00:26:23,920 --> 00:26:26,840 Lord willing, we'll bring this child in. 335 00:26:27,360 --> 00:26:30,360 And I've been asking a lot of dads, hey, give me some advice, 336 00:26:30,520 --> 00:26:34,400 give me some tips and tricks, tell me what is going to happen. 337 00:26:35,080 --> 00:26:39,400 And one dad I was talking to just the other week said, Joe, I 338 00:26:39,400 --> 00:26:44,040 want to let you know that the stinky diapers, you'll 339 00:26:44,040 --> 00:26:48,800 eventually get used to them. Eventually it'll be just second 340 00:26:49,120 --> 00:26:52,440 nature. And I was thinking to myself, I 341 00:26:52,560 --> 00:26:57,280 sure hope that's true. I sure hope that's the case, 342 00:26:57,640 --> 00:27:01,720 said eventually you'll grow nose blind to them. 343 00:27:03,320 --> 00:27:08,080 But friends, let's not grow nose blind to the sin around us. 344 00:27:08,960 --> 00:27:15,520 What tragedies, what evils don't prick you like they should? 345 00:27:17,720 --> 00:27:24,000 Politics especially can pollute our sensitivity to certain sins. 346 00:27:24,520 --> 00:27:28,600 We're soaking more in political commentary than we are in 347 00:27:28,600 --> 00:27:31,840 Scripture. This is why we need God's Word 348 00:27:32,000 --> 00:27:37,560 to splash us in the face and to remind us the sins and the evils 349 00:27:38,120 --> 00:27:41,320 that are all around us. Get into your Bibles. 350 00:27:41,320 --> 00:27:45,720 Read Scripture. This is one reason why we need 351 00:27:45,880 --> 00:27:48,880 one another. We need each other in the church 352 00:27:49,840 --> 00:27:53,760 so that when sin or tragedy strikes, we can weep with those 353 00:27:53,760 --> 00:27:57,440 who weep. Maybe a brother or sister can 354 00:27:57,440 --> 00:28:01,800 remind you or point out to you certain sins that you've grown 355 00:28:01,960 --> 00:28:06,920 numb to, either in your own life or in the world at large. 356 00:28:07,960 --> 00:28:11,560 Perhaps something that you're listening to or watching, or 357 00:28:11,560 --> 00:28:16,200 your regular intake of social media or the news is dulling 358 00:28:16,200 --> 00:28:21,080 your senses and you need to scale back and introduce more 359 00:28:21,240 --> 00:28:26,600 scripture after the service. Ask a brother or sister what 360 00:28:26,600 --> 00:28:31,560 evils are you tempted to grow nose blind to? 361 00:28:33,720 --> 00:28:38,040 Well, verse 11 concludes this section of lament. 362 00:28:38,760 --> 00:28:43,040 David has been pouring out his heart before the Lord, pouring 363 00:28:43,040 --> 00:28:47,760 out his pain, showing the evidence that God feels hidden. 364 00:28:48,800 --> 00:28:54,040 And in verse 11, he concludes with these words talking about 365 00:28:54,040 --> 00:29:02,200 the wicked says he says in his heart, God has forgotten, he has 366 00:29:02,200 --> 00:29:06,720 hidden his face. He will never see it. 367 00:29:07,680 --> 00:29:13,640 In verse one, David, praise God, why do you hide your face? 368 00:29:13,800 --> 00:29:19,600 Here in verse 11, the wicked say, God, you have hidden your 369 00:29:19,600 --> 00:29:22,600 face. God seems far away and the 370 00:29:22,600 --> 00:29:26,040 psalmist has prayed his pain before the Lord. 371 00:29:27,880 --> 00:29:32,440 And here in this last verse, verse 11 of this section, the 372 00:29:32,440 --> 00:29:38,200 wicked seems to think that God will never see and will never 373 00:29:38,440 --> 00:29:43,280 judge. But it's a dangerous thing, a 374 00:29:43,320 --> 00:29:48,880 very, very dangerous thing to conclude from God hasn't to God 375 00:29:49,160 --> 00:29:53,160 won't. Just because God hasn't judged 376 00:29:53,320 --> 00:29:56,160 the wicked doesn't mean he won't. 377 00:29:57,880 --> 00:30:03,800 And friends, as we stare at the unbalanced scales of justice, we 378 00:30:03,800 --> 00:30:06,640 need to guard against that same assumption. 379 00:30:07,400 --> 00:30:13,000 Just because God hasn't judged our enemies doesn't mean he 380 00:30:13,000 --> 00:30:17,800 won't. That's why we must point #2 381 00:30:18,560 --> 00:30:23,520 Petition the God of justice. Petition the God of justice. 382 00:30:23,520 --> 00:30:29,160 Verses 12 through 15 the first words read. 383 00:30:29,560 --> 00:30:34,840 Arise, O Lord, O God, lift up your hand. 384 00:30:35,320 --> 00:30:39,880 Forget not the afflicted. Why does the wicked renounce God 385 00:30:41,000 --> 00:30:46,240 and say in his heart, you will not call to account when God 386 00:30:46,240 --> 00:30:50,200 feels hidden, when His justice feels far away? 387 00:30:50,480 --> 00:30:55,360 We are called here to model David and petition this God of 388 00:30:55,360 --> 00:30:59,680 justice to call out to him that He would balance the scales. 389 00:31:00,280 --> 00:31:05,400 Psalm 7 verse 6 is very similar. It reads, Arise, O Lord, in your 390 00:31:05,400 --> 00:31:09,240 anger, lift yourself up against the fury of my enemies. 391 00:31:10,040 --> 00:31:14,400 Awake before me. You have appointed judgment. 392 00:31:16,320 --> 00:31:22,800 David, unlike us today, lived in the theocracy of the nation of 393 00:31:22,800 --> 00:31:26,520 Israel. He had been appointed king, and 394 00:31:26,520 --> 00:31:30,920 he was called upon by God to dethrone his enemies so that he 395 00:31:30,920 --> 00:31:36,080 could righteously rule. In that sense, we are not like 396 00:31:36,440 --> 00:31:40,240 David. We are not anointed kings here 397 00:31:40,240 --> 00:31:45,440 to establish our Kingdom here on earth, to establish our nation, 398 00:31:45,440 --> 00:31:48,120 the nation of Joe or insert your name. 399 00:31:49,840 --> 00:31:55,120 But church, we can model David's petition by praying that God 400 00:31:55,320 --> 00:32:00,920 would punish evil doers, that he would push back the enemies of 401 00:32:00,920 --> 00:32:04,240 righteousness, that he would push back those who seek to 402 00:32:04,240 --> 00:32:10,840 oppress the poor, that he would have victory over evil. 403 00:32:11,640 --> 00:32:15,080 We should pray that God would disarm wicked people, wicked 404 00:32:15,080 --> 00:32:18,480 institutions. When we see evil all around us, 405 00:32:19,080 --> 00:32:22,960 call a brother or sister, say, would you pray with me? 406 00:32:23,160 --> 00:32:27,880 This evil is burdening my soul. And you can pray like David that 407 00:32:27,880 --> 00:32:32,680 God would disarm them. We should be praying for our 408 00:32:32,680 --> 00:32:36,240 persecuted brothers and sisters. We should be praying for those 409 00:32:36,240 --> 00:32:38,960 in our society that I was mentioning earlier that are 410 00:32:38,960 --> 00:32:41,400 helpless, that are being crushed. 411 00:32:44,360 --> 00:32:48,160 We should not only pray for God's justice now, we should 412 00:32:48,160 --> 00:32:52,800 pray for God's justice in the future, the justice of God's 413 00:32:53,080 --> 00:32:56,600 second coming of Christ's return. 414 00:32:57,760 --> 00:33:01,800 We handicap our prayers if we never pray for God to execute 415 00:33:02,040 --> 00:33:05,600 justice. As Christians, God's judgement 416 00:33:06,000 --> 00:33:09,480 can sometimes be one of these uncomfortable things. 417 00:33:09,840 --> 00:33:13,120 Maybe pray for God's mercy, but God's judgement? 418 00:33:14,000 --> 00:33:19,480 Can we pray for that? By not praying for God's final 419 00:33:19,480 --> 00:33:24,680 judgement, we're essentially not praying for Christ to return. 420 00:33:25,560 --> 00:33:31,360 Christ is returning to judge all things, so we should pray for 421 00:33:31,360 --> 00:33:33,280 that. Listen to the prayers of the 422 00:33:33,280 --> 00:33:37,440 Saints in heaven. Revelation 6 verse 9 says, When 423 00:33:37,440 --> 00:33:42,200 he opened the 5th seal, I saw under the clouds, Excuse me, I 424 00:33:42,200 --> 00:33:46,400 saw under the altar of the souls of those who had been slain for 425 00:33:46,400 --> 00:33:49,800 the word of God, and for the witness they had borne. 426 00:33:50,400 --> 00:33:55,320 They cried out with a loud voice, O sovereign Lord, holy 427 00:33:55,480 --> 00:34:00,400 and true, how long before you will judge and avenge our blood 428 00:34:00,400 --> 00:34:06,600 on those who dwell on the earth? We should pray for God's second 429 00:34:06,640 --> 00:34:11,440 coming, for His justice. Jesus Himself calls us to pray 430 00:34:11,639 --> 00:34:15,960 in the Lord's Prayer that His Kingdom would come and that His 431 00:34:15,960 --> 00:34:20,280 will would be done on earth as it is in heaven. 432 00:34:20,840 --> 00:34:24,320 This is one of those prayers that you can pray and know that 433 00:34:24,320 --> 00:34:28,880 you have a guaranteed yes. Those are pretty sweet prayers 434 00:34:29,080 --> 00:34:31,280 to pray. You know there's a yes on the 435 00:34:31,280 --> 00:34:35,760 other side of that prayer because Christ will return. 436 00:34:37,679 --> 00:34:42,600 Brothers and sisters, we all long for the scales of justice 437 00:34:42,880 --> 00:34:48,080 to be balanced. It's a deep craving in every 438 00:34:48,159 --> 00:34:51,159 soul. Every time we see the helpless 439 00:34:51,159 --> 00:34:55,840 crushed and our world spinning out of control, we crave 440 00:34:56,040 --> 00:35:00,440 justice. There are Christian families I 441 00:35:00,440 --> 00:35:05,960 love very much and sitting down with them as they share their 442 00:35:05,960 --> 00:35:10,360 trials, the abuse that's gone on in their family, how within 443 00:35:10,360 --> 00:35:13,280 their circles the helpless have been crushed. 444 00:35:14,760 --> 00:35:20,200 Those who are most weak have been taken advantage of, and 445 00:35:20,200 --> 00:35:22,040 there's no justice that's been done. 446 00:35:24,640 --> 00:35:30,520 My eyes, they fill with tears because worldly comforts, they 447 00:35:30,520 --> 00:35:35,160 just fall short. There's no silver lining, 448 00:35:36,040 --> 00:35:40,600 there's no positive spin. So I'm sitting there with them. 449 00:35:41,160 --> 00:35:45,760 There's just this crushing weight of evil unpunished, 450 00:35:46,080 --> 00:35:54,120 that's on their backs. God has given us governments 451 00:35:54,840 --> 00:35:58,200 with the power of the sword to punish injustice. 452 00:35:58,640 --> 00:36:02,800 Praise God for that. But worldly injustice is 453 00:36:02,800 --> 00:36:05,920 insufficient for at least two reasons. 454 00:36:05,960 --> 00:36:09,080 It falls short for at least two reasons. 455 00:36:09,720 --> 00:36:14,520 The 1st is that worldly justice systems don't possibly have the 456 00:36:14,520 --> 00:36:19,880 ability to see everything. They're not all seeing. 457 00:36:20,280 --> 00:36:25,520 They're not all knowing. Their eyes can't be everywhere 458 00:36:25,680 --> 00:36:30,080 at once. And second, they don't have the 459 00:36:30,080 --> 00:36:35,800 power to punish everything. They can't possibly punish to 460 00:36:35,800 --> 00:36:39,680 the degree that's necessary, and they can't possibly punish with 461 00:36:39,680 --> 00:36:44,200 the scope that's necessary. Their power is limited. 462 00:36:44,440 --> 00:36:47,680 Their eye and their hand is weak. 463 00:36:48,800 --> 00:36:53,080 And friends, without a God who is on the throne, the wicked 464 00:36:53,320 --> 00:36:56,920 will get away with it. They'll get away with it. 465 00:36:58,280 --> 00:37:04,080 And This is why verse 14 is so refreshing, as the burden of 466 00:37:04,080 --> 00:37:07,320 unpunished sin crushes our backs. 467 00:37:07,800 --> 00:37:12,200 Look down at verse 14 and let relief wash over your soul. 468 00:37:13,040 --> 00:37:15,240 This is what the psalmist says, verse 14. 469 00:37:15,600 --> 00:37:22,840 But you do see, for you note mischief and vexation, that you 470 00:37:22,840 --> 00:37:28,760 may take it into your hands. When justice falls through the 471 00:37:28,760 --> 00:37:35,960 cracks, we can trust that God does see and that he will judge. 472 00:37:37,000 --> 00:37:42,080 This is good news. It's good news that God is just. 473 00:37:42,520 --> 00:37:48,040 It's good news that God's eye and his arm are strong friends. 474 00:37:48,040 --> 00:37:52,200 This is the hope for the world. There's no utopia that's going 475 00:37:52,200 --> 00:37:55,480 to be accomplished by justice here on earth. 476 00:37:55,720 --> 00:37:59,760 It's only the justice from heaven coming down to earth. 477 00:37:59,960 --> 00:38:04,840 When the clouds are ripped open, that justice will finally reign. 478 00:38:05,000 --> 00:38:09,960 God will establish everlasting peace when he comes again. 479 00:38:10,760 --> 00:38:13,960 God is really watching. He's really waiting to bring 480 00:38:13,960 --> 00:38:19,400 final judgment on the earth. And This is why Jesus came. 481 00:38:20,080 --> 00:38:25,880 He came and announced repent and believe, for the Kingdom of 482 00:38:25,880 --> 00:38:31,240 heaven is at hand. There will come a day when God 483 00:38:31,240 --> 00:38:36,320 will make all things right. He will RIP open the sky and 484 00:38:36,320 --> 00:38:41,840 judge the living and the dead. Every arrogant thought, every 485 00:38:41,840 --> 00:38:47,040 abuse of power, every boastful word, every proud look and every 486 00:38:47,040 --> 00:38:50,840 word of deceit will be brought before the King of Kings and the 487 00:38:50,840 --> 00:38:56,040 Lord of Lords, and He will begin his courtroom, and he will 488 00:38:56,040 --> 00:39:02,320 execute justice and punish perfectly every sin, every evil. 489 00:39:04,080 --> 00:39:08,400 Our perfect Creator will pronounce judgment on every 490 00:39:08,680 --> 00:39:11,800 soul. Everyone of us in this room 491 00:39:12,000 --> 00:39:16,360 individually will be judged before the God of the universe 492 00:39:18,240 --> 00:39:24,960 and on our own, by our own merit, not one of us will be 493 00:39:24,960 --> 00:39:29,400 pronounced not guilty. On our own. 494 00:39:29,400 --> 00:39:35,800 The sentence will be guilty. God's eye will see right through 495 00:39:36,040 --> 00:39:40,240 any pretence of good, even the good things we have done. 496 00:39:40,920 --> 00:39:44,320 They'll be like paint over our rotten wrongs. 497 00:39:44,400 --> 00:39:48,440 God can see right through to our proud hearts. 498 00:39:49,440 --> 00:39:54,920 As verse 15 says, God will call our wickedness to account till 499 00:39:54,920 --> 00:39:59,000 he finds none. Just like a righteous judge here 500 00:39:59,000 --> 00:40:04,960 on earth won't let the good outweigh the bad, so God will 501 00:40:04,960 --> 00:40:11,040 perfectly judge each of us. He'll judge every thought we've 502 00:40:11,040 --> 00:40:14,640 had in the dark, everything we've thought, everything we've 503 00:40:14,640 --> 00:40:17,320 done, all the things that we're ashamed of. 504 00:40:18,440 --> 00:40:22,520 And the final judgement really should be a terror to those who 505 00:40:22,520 --> 00:40:25,760 are doing evil. Maybe some of you even in this 506 00:40:25,760 --> 00:40:29,840 room thinking that God is not going to judge you, that there's 507 00:40:29,840 --> 00:40:32,920 going to be no accounting, that you're getting away with it. 508 00:40:34,000 --> 00:40:38,440 Might I just point you to this text and say God's judgments are 509 00:40:38,440 --> 00:40:42,120 on high right now, out of your sight, but eventually they'll 510 00:40:42,120 --> 00:40:47,240 break over your head. So turn to this God. 511 00:40:48,280 --> 00:40:51,640 The question we should all be asking is how can a just God 512 00:40:52,480 --> 00:40:56,800 still forgive us? How can a just God wash away our 513 00:40:56,800 --> 00:40:59,600 iniquity? How can the banner of guilty be 514 00:40:59,600 --> 00:41:03,280 taken away from over our heads on that day? 515 00:41:04,520 --> 00:41:08,120 Friends, this is also why Jesus came. 516 00:41:08,360 --> 00:41:12,200 He came to announce His coming judgement, but He came first to 517 00:41:12,200 --> 00:41:17,200 give righteousness to those who would believe on this earth. 518 00:41:17,200 --> 00:41:20,440 He lived a perfect life where we failed. 519 00:41:20,600 --> 00:41:26,800 Christ was perfect, and on the cross of Calvary, as He was led 520 00:41:26,800 --> 00:41:29,880 up that hill, and as He had the crown of thorns placed in His 521 00:41:29,880 --> 00:41:36,960 head, and as He was nailed to that tree, those sins of ours 522 00:41:36,960 --> 00:41:41,720 who believe in Him were accounted to him so that He 523 00:41:41,720 --> 00:41:46,600 could count. Many righteous Jesus can forgive 524 00:41:46,600 --> 00:41:51,800 sinners because on that cross He was made to be seen as the most 525 00:41:51,800 --> 00:41:57,480 angry, boastful, deceptive, greedy man to ever walk the 526 00:41:57,480 --> 00:42:00,920 earth. As your sin and my sin was 527 00:42:00,920 --> 00:42:07,320 placed on His shoulders, He was seen to be sin, so that in him 528 00:42:07,560 --> 00:42:14,440 you and I might have the righteousness of God credited to 529 00:42:14,440 --> 00:42:18,240 us. The just anger of God was poured 530 00:42:18,240 --> 00:42:22,640 out upon Christ as if He was the most sinful man to walk the 531 00:42:22,640 --> 00:42:27,240 earth. The cross brings together God's 532 00:42:27,280 --> 00:42:33,760 uncompromising justice and his unrelenting mercy, as on that 533 00:42:33,760 --> 00:42:38,720 cross he satisfied the wrath of God against those who would 534 00:42:38,720 --> 00:42:43,680 believe. And then he was laid in the 535 00:42:43,680 --> 00:42:48,000 grave. And the question would be, was 536 00:42:48,000 --> 00:42:52,480 this God's payment for sin sufficient? 537 00:42:53,280 --> 00:42:58,320 Was it enough? Well, I'm happy to announce that 538 00:42:58,320 --> 00:43:03,360 three days later, Jesus rose from the grave, proving that the 539 00:43:03,360 --> 00:43:09,560 check had been cashed. He can say to you and I, I 540 00:43:09,560 --> 00:43:15,360 forgive you and actually mean it because he purchased it on that 541 00:43:15,360 --> 00:43:18,480 cross. He is the just and justifier of 542 00:43:18,480 --> 00:43:22,320 the one who has faith in Jesus. Friends, This is why Jesus is 543 00:43:22,320 --> 00:43:26,720 the only way to salvation. This is why no other way to God, 544 00:43:26,840 --> 00:43:29,920 no other religion can offer forgiveness. 545 00:43:30,280 --> 00:43:35,880 Don't rely on them because Jesus is the only one who justly 546 00:43:36,000 --> 00:43:41,400 satisfied God's wrath. So if you're not a believer, 547 00:43:41,960 --> 00:43:48,320 turn to this God today and be accounted righteous by praying 548 00:43:48,400 --> 00:43:52,280 that God would give you his righteous robes, the righteous 549 00:43:52,280 --> 00:43:55,280 robes of Jesus, and that he would take your filthy robe of 550 00:43:55,280 --> 00:43:58,400 sin. God will answer that prayer. 551 00:43:59,400 --> 00:44:04,960 Call out to Him, bow before him, and He will wash you clean. 552 00:44:07,080 --> 00:44:10,920 For us who are believers already, the justice of God is 553 00:44:10,920 --> 00:44:15,640 good news for us. This is why we, like David, can 554 00:44:15,640 --> 00:44:18,840 say to you, the helpless commits himself. 555 00:44:19,320 --> 00:44:21,760 You have been a helper to the fatherless. 556 00:44:23,320 --> 00:44:28,960 Many in our world despise the idea of needing help, of being 557 00:44:28,960 --> 00:44:33,920 helpless, of needing someone stronger to overthrow the bully 558 00:44:34,360 --> 00:44:36,400 or to fill in the gap where we're weak. 559 00:44:37,760 --> 00:44:41,760 Many, even in Christian circles will repeat the phrase God helps 560 00:44:41,760 --> 00:44:47,600 those who help themselves. But friends, this is not the God 561 00:44:47,880 --> 00:44:52,480 of the Bible. We are all need and He is all 562 00:44:52,480 --> 00:44:55,960 help. We are full of weakness and He 563 00:44:55,960 --> 00:45:00,280 is full of strength. We are full of doubt and He is 564 00:45:00,280 --> 00:45:04,520 full of promises. We are full of sin and He is the 565 00:45:04,520 --> 00:45:09,960 fountain of righteousness. We struggle with sin and He was 566 00:45:09,960 --> 00:45:13,840 tempted in every way as we are, yet without sin. 567 00:45:14,800 --> 00:45:19,080 We are all need and He is all help. 568 00:45:21,440 --> 00:45:27,200 God doesn't mail us a check. He comes to us even though we 569 00:45:27,200 --> 00:45:32,560 may feel like David, that God is far away, that He's hidden, yet 570 00:45:32,560 --> 00:45:38,160 even there, even then God has not removed His Holy Spirit from 571 00:45:38,160 --> 00:45:40,400 us. Remember what the Spirit is 572 00:45:40,400 --> 00:45:45,760 called called the Helper. You and I have the Helper within 573 00:45:45,760 --> 00:45:50,680 us, and that Helper is the very one that leads us to pray 574 00:45:50,680 --> 00:45:54,480 prayers of lament and then pray prayers of petition. 575 00:45:54,720 --> 00:45:58,160 That's God's work in you. Even though God may feel 576 00:45:58,160 --> 00:46:01,880 1,000,000 miles away, He's actually, if you're a believer, 577 00:46:02,080 --> 00:46:07,920 right inside you, helping you and causing you to seek Him. 578 00:46:09,280 --> 00:46:15,560 You, like David, can remember how God has been a helper in 579 00:46:15,560 --> 00:46:18,280 days past. Recall the times where God has 580 00:46:18,280 --> 00:46:22,240 been a deliverer in your times of confusion. 581 00:46:22,920 --> 00:46:27,160 In your confusion, commit yourself to the God of help. 582 00:46:27,880 --> 00:46:32,920 He will fill you up in due time. We've seen how we should lament 583 00:46:32,920 --> 00:46:35,240 injustice. We've seen how we ought to, 584 00:46:35,720 --> 00:46:38,240 excuse me, We've seen how we ought to petition the God of 585 00:46:38,240 --> 00:46:41,880 justice. Now finally, point #3 praise the 586 00:46:41,880 --> 00:46:45,680 God of justice. Praise the God of justice. 587 00:46:46,000 --> 00:46:49,680 The psalmist concludes in verses 16 to 18. 588 00:46:50,520 --> 00:46:54,560 The Lord is king forever and ever the nations perish from his 589 00:46:54,560 --> 00:46:57,560 land. Oh Lord, you hear the desire of 590 00:46:57,560 --> 00:47:00,040 the afflicted. You will strengthen their heart. 591 00:47:00,440 --> 00:47:05,760 You will incline your ear to do justice to the fatherless and 592 00:47:05,760 --> 00:47:10,200 the oppressed so that the man who is of earth may strike 593 00:47:10,200 --> 00:47:12,760 terror. No more. 594 00:47:14,640 --> 00:47:18,800 Winter time is coming, even a little bit colder this morning 595 00:47:18,800 --> 00:47:21,960 than it normally is. And many of us will be making 596 00:47:22,120 --> 00:47:24,640 bonfires. I love bonfires. 597 00:47:24,640 --> 00:47:27,640 I love getting them started. Sometimes they can grow a little 598 00:47:27,640 --> 00:47:31,240 bit dim, a little bit cold. And what you do with the bonfire 599 00:47:31,240 --> 00:47:34,440 is you either take the Stokes or you do it the old school way. 600 00:47:34,760 --> 00:47:39,880 You just blow on those coals and they the oxygen hits them, they 601 00:47:39,880 --> 00:47:44,240 get hotter, they glow. Well, in this Psalm, it's almost 602 00:47:44,240 --> 00:47:48,960 as if when David prays his prayer of petition, that those 603 00:47:48,960 --> 00:47:52,600 prayers are like oxygen hitting the promises of God that he 604 00:47:52,600 --> 00:47:55,240 knows. And it makes him grow hotter and 605 00:47:55,240 --> 00:47:58,960 hotter in his mind until finally, as he's praying prayers 606 00:47:58,960 --> 00:48:03,600 of petition, his heart just naturally moves to prayers of 607 00:48:03,600 --> 00:48:08,520 praise because those promises begin to feel glowing hot to 608 00:48:08,520 --> 00:48:11,040 him. His petitions lead him to 609 00:48:11,040 --> 00:48:16,720 praise. David prays that God would be 610 00:48:16,720 --> 00:48:20,560 glorified. He prays in confidence, and he 611 00:48:20,560 --> 00:48:24,560 prays in confidence because he knows that there is coming final 612 00:48:24,720 --> 00:48:27,000 judgment. These prayers make no sense. 613 00:48:27,000 --> 00:48:30,680 His praise makes no sense if God's not coming back to make 614 00:48:30,680 --> 00:48:34,120 all things right, to make all things new. 615 00:48:34,760 --> 00:48:38,880 While he certainly anticipated earthly victory in his Kingdom 616 00:48:39,120 --> 00:48:42,920 in the nation of Israel, he's clearly looking forward to the 617 00:48:42,920 --> 00:48:46,440 one who would come from his line, the line of David, who 618 00:48:46,440 --> 00:48:50,560 would execute justice and righteousness for all who are 619 00:48:50,720 --> 00:48:53,800 oppressed. He's looking forward to the day 620 00:48:53,800 --> 00:48:58,520 when God's judgement will bring lasting safety for the people of 621 00:48:58,520 --> 00:49:02,520 God. How does God respond to this 622 00:49:02,520 --> 00:49:06,720 prayer of calling for God to arise, even these praises that 623 00:49:06,720 --> 00:49:10,760 he lifts up to God? Well, Psalm 12 verse 5 previews 624 00:49:10,760 --> 00:49:16,600 God's response that will come. Psalm 12/5 reads I will now 625 00:49:16,600 --> 00:49:22,600 arise, says the Lord. I will bring him into the safety 626 00:49:22,960 --> 00:49:30,080 for which he longs. Christian, when God's face feels 627 00:49:30,360 --> 00:49:37,200 hidden, look forward to heaven. Look forward to the day when the 628 00:49:37,200 --> 00:49:39,480 scales of justice will be balanced. 629 00:49:39,840 --> 00:49:43,760 Look forward to the day when the burden of injustice will be 630 00:49:43,760 --> 00:49:48,840 removed from your back. God's goodness and His face in 631 00:49:48,840 --> 00:49:54,200 heaven will not be hidden. God will deliver you to the 632 00:49:54,200 --> 00:49:59,960 safety for which you long kids in heaven. 633 00:50:00,280 --> 00:50:02,120 There will be no more locks on doors. 634 00:50:02,600 --> 00:50:04,040 There will be no more nightmares. 635 00:50:04,040 --> 00:50:06,320 There will be no more scary people. 636 00:50:06,680 --> 00:50:09,960 Just safety. And that safety will be 637 00:50:09,960 --> 00:50:13,480 accomplished because of God's righteous judgment. 638 00:50:13,680 --> 00:50:16,160 No more bad guys, no more crimes. 639 00:50:16,600 --> 00:50:23,880 Just peace, just safety. Look forward to that day. 640 00:50:24,800 --> 00:50:27,520 In verse 18 we have a glorious promise. 641 00:50:27,880 --> 00:50:31,280 It says on that day God will do justice to the fatherless and 642 00:50:31,280 --> 00:50:35,480 the oppressed so that the man who is of earth may strike 643 00:50:35,480 --> 00:50:40,080 terror. No more Christian. 644 00:50:40,760 --> 00:50:44,920 Let God's final judgement be a comfort to you. 645 00:50:45,600 --> 00:50:48,440 You're going to need this in your Christian life. 646 00:50:48,440 --> 00:50:51,640 You're going to need this as you live in this world where the 647 00:50:51,640 --> 00:50:54,840 righteous suffer and the wicked often flourish. 648 00:50:54,920 --> 00:50:56,920 You're going to need these categories. 649 00:50:57,960 --> 00:51:02,560 You're going to need the comfort of heaven and the day of peace. 650 00:51:03,920 --> 00:51:08,360 Christian, if you came in today feeling like God is far away, 651 00:51:09,280 --> 00:51:13,440 follow the Psalmist's example. When God's justice seems hidden, 652 00:51:14,000 --> 00:51:19,600 lament the injustice you see. Petition the God of justice and 653 00:51:19,600 --> 00:51:23,520 then praise him. He is the King. 654 00:51:24,440 --> 00:51:29,400 He is coming back soon. You will come to find out that 655 00:51:29,400 --> 00:51:34,880 he has heard your every cry. Let's pray. 656 00:51:38,760 --> 00:51:42,960 Lord God, we thank you that you were just. 657 00:51:43,760 --> 00:51:48,400 We thank You that you are coming soon to execute justice and 658 00:51:48,400 --> 00:51:50,600 righteousness for all who are oppressed. 659 00:51:51,440 --> 00:51:54,560 Lord, we pray that everyone in this room would be made right 660 00:51:54,800 --> 00:51:59,120 with God through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ, that they would 661 00:51:59,120 --> 00:52:02,480 be justified through that sacrifice. 662 00:52:03,080 --> 00:52:06,040 And Lord, we pray that when we see injustice around us that we 663 00:52:06,040 --> 00:52:09,640 would turn to your word and we would turn to one another, and 664 00:52:09,640 --> 00:52:12,280 that we would respond as David responded. 665 00:52:12,800 --> 00:52:16,000 Lord, we pray all these things in Jesus name, Amen.