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morning. >> Good morning. >> Uh thank you Anthony for this privilege. It's been an honor to to get this together and uh so yeah, I'm excited to come to you guys and share what God has uh through me to to give like Anthony said a little maybe a different perspective and just to hear somebody different. So yeah, so let's go ahead and turn to Psalm 139. If you could all stand for the read. Oh Lord, you have searched me and you know me. You know when I sit and when I rise. You perceive my thoughts from afar. You discern my going out and my lying down. You are familiar with all my ways. Before a word is on my tongue, you know it completely, oh Lord. You hem me in behind and before and you have laid your hand upon me. Such knowledge is too wonderful for me to too lofty for me to attain. Where can I go from your spirit? Where can I flee from your presence? If I go up to the heavens, you are there. If I make my bed in the depths, you are there. If I rise on the wings of the dawn, if I settle on the far side of the sea, even there your hand will guide me. Your right hand will hold me fast. If I say surely the darkness will hide me and the light become night around me, even the darkness will not be dark. To you the night will shine like the day. For darkness is as light to you. For you created my inmost being. You knit me together in my mother's womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Your works are wonderful. I know that full well. My name was not hidden from you. My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place. When I was woven together in the depths of the earth, your eyes saw my unformed body. All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be. How precious me are your thoughts, oh God. How vast is the sum of them. Were I to count them, they would outnumber the grains of sand. When I wake, I am still with you. If only you would slay the wicked, oh God, away from me, you bloodthirsty men. They speak of you with evil intent. Your adversaries misuse your name. Do I not hate those who hate you, oh Lord? And abhor those who rise up against you. I have nothing but hatred for them. I count them my enemies. Search me, oh God, and know my heart. Test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offense way in me and lead me in the way everlasting. Heavenly Father, I thank you for this time you've given us to come together. I just pray that you just speak through me of what you have for us to to learn from these scriptures today. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen. You may be seated. So, as I said, my name is Brian Perry. I like long walks on the beach, sprint car racing. I enjoy to hunt and I enjoy a good sweet tea and brisket. Those are a couple of my things, just a kind of tidbits if you were to look up a profile on me. But, I've lived here in Pennsylvania for a handful years now, but originally, I was actually born in New Hampshire. That is right. I'm a New Englander. All right. [snorts] So, and my family is all from New England. My dad was born in Maine, my mom was born in Connecticut. And then my siblings, I am the oldest. And then I have a younger brother, Kyle, and sister Jenna. We were all born in Keene, New Hampshire. That's where we grew up. And, uh, we lived there for, um, I think it was about 11 years. Well, all my life till 11 years old. Um, my dad is a truck driver. And he worked for a a company called Stone Mills, which some of you might recognize. Um, but they they had a place in Chesterfield, New Hampshire. And they expanded in in add another place in New Oxford here. So, that's why you might recognize it. But, years went by and that company, Stone Mills, was bought out of a bigger company called, uh, United Natural Foods, UNFI. Denise knows it well. Uh, but yeah, so they got bought out and then UNFI had places all over the country. And they realized, they said, "Well, we don't need the Chesterfield, New Hampshire location anymore. So, we're going to close it." So, they came to the workers and said, "You have two options. Either you move to another location that we have, or you find another job." So, my parents started praying and and seeking God's wisdom on what to do. And being that, you know, partially that my dad knew some of the people that were here in New Oxford that maybe had transferred and stuff like that. And through many prayers and everything, they led uh God led my family to move here. Now, at that point, if you'd asked me then, it was the worst thing that ever happened in my life. I had a great church family. I had a great church. Um, we had friends and everything there and I vowed that someday, that when I turned 18, that I'd move back. And that was that was the last time. We've been there maybe once or twice since, but as you can see, I have not moved back. So, um, just a change in life in that way. But, as we as we lived moved here, uh, my family we decided to my siblings and I were home schooled and we got involved in a home schooling group here. And we got to meet some people and they started talking about some of the older siblings in their families had gone this place. It was a a camp ranch up towards Lake Erie called Miracle Mountain Ranch. And I was like, "What what is this place you guys talk about?" You know, and then they said, "Well, they have horses." And I'm like, "Horses? That sounds great." For me growing up, I was a John Wayne fan. That's what I I watched. I watched John Wayne, I watched Davy Crockett. I wanted to be a cowboy. That was my my dream. And uh So, I was like, "Well, that's pretty cool. They got horses and then, you know, it's a Christian place, so I'll be with Christian people and and everything." So, one thing led to another and I started looking into this program. So, what it is is they take college age students and they they have a apprenticeship program. Throughout the winter months, you learn [clears throat] different classes from different people that are there, different staff members. So, class on godly marriage, conflict resolution, and all these different courses that you learn and then they kind of turn they have retreats and stuff throughout time, but in the summertime it flips and it turns into a summer camp. So, then the apprentices kind of become labor for in the summertime and we get to put some of the stuff that we learned throughout that year to practice. So, I applied there and >> [snorts] >> they were already filled for that one year and I was like, "Okay, but what what to do now?" So, I was working and and we started looking online and we found this place in Ohio and called Faith Ranch. And so, we looked at that place and they were like, "Yeah, we would love to have Brian, you know, come here and blah blah and so it I ended up going and I lived there for about a year or so and then it became the next year for Miracle Mountain Ranch. So, I applied again and I got in. And so, I ended up going there for a year, and they have a second year program as well. So I applied for that. But I I didn't make it into that one. They said, you know, I want you to work on some stuff, go home, you know. So I was like, okay, I can do that. So I went home and I I uh got involved in my church as far as uh helping with youth group and and helping out lead the youth and do that kind of stuff. Got into a young adults group. And uh and then I got a phone call from the the owner of Miracle Mountain Ranch. She says, Brian, we're getting a second group together. Have you ever thought to moving to Texas? And I was like, Texas? Yeah. The home of the cowboy, man. I want to be a cowboy. So where do I got to go? I got to I'm better good at Texas, right? How can I pass this up? So he said, all right, well, we're going to start a second year group in Texas if you want to do it. I said, I'll pray about it. And that was And then so I did and I end up going there. We were there for a little bit and then where we were at kind of started not working out, but so we end up working moving to another camp that he knew of uh in Mississippi. So I finished out my summer. I was there 9 months in Texas and then I finished out the summer in this camp in Mississippi. And then after that, I was like, well, this part of my chapter is I think it's done, but where do I go from here? How do I, you know, horse training's not always uh there's not tons of jobs around here for it all the time, but um so I was kind of looking at that, but one of the the families that was the couples that was at Miracle Mountain Ranch my second year, they ended up leaving and they he got a job at a place in Tennessee. And then he said, I need people to come help me. We're going to start a cowboy church here. We're going to start uh doing trail rides and stuff like that. And you have a lot of experience with trail rides. Would you come work for for me? I was like, yeah, that sounds like a good idea. So went there, end up trying to uh they started a cowboy church and I was the like the youth leader there for for a little bit and it was a a small little church and it really have any kids that kind of hit or miss, but anyway, so we did that for a little while and then things kind of started to change there with the the farm that we were at and stuff and so I was like, I just don't know where to what where to go, what to do. So just praying again about what to to do. So I came home. Came home to Pennsylvania and and uh wasn't sure if I'll do horses again, wasn't sure what I was going to do, but got into the workforce and started working and and uh and honestly I didn't do horses after that. And I haven't haven't been back to doing horses very much. Um but just working and stuff like that. But then I started getting involved in another church I started going to with uh a young adults ministry and the guy was like, "Hey, you have experience like with young adults ministry, do you want to to help me start this?" And I was like, "Yeah." So I uh I helped him start it and kind of co- co-led this group and then he's like, "Hey, my wife and I feel that we're led to move somewhere else, so I'm leaving." I'm like, "All right, well what's going to happen to our group, you know?" And they're like, "Well, so" I end up taking over the young adults group and then uh one Sunday evening we were there and two young ladies came in and uh the one of them was Britney my future wife and uh the other one was Emily Stern and they said Britney said, "I just realized I needed some different friends and so I googled young adults ministries and yours one popped up." And and so we decided to come check it out and so then Caitlin and Reba and a bunch of people that you guys may know started coming to this young adults group that I was leading and we became friends and and then Britney and I became more than friends and then we got engaged and then married and and uh here I am now beautiful wife two crazy boys that you probably have run into or they've run into you, probably, at one time or another in this church. Um but yeah, so that's that's kind of a nutshell of my story of anti-save. Travel, I've done a lot of stuff. My family, we've always traveled as growing up. My dad being a truck driver, to him it was kind of easy for him to drive. And so we did. We've drove driven all over the country. My I want my mom sister lives in Oregon. We've driven from here to Oregon. >> [snorts] >> Um and so you ask, why do I tell you all this? Well, if you've ever heard the Johnny Cash song I've Been Everywhere, I kind of feel like sometimes that's my my my song, my story. As I sit there and as he goes through the states and I I'm like, yep, yep, yep, been there. But David also talks about some interesting things about traveling and going through some things. And let's go go through this. And I want to break this up >> [snorts] >> into four different sections. So the first section is we're going to do verse 1 through 6. And that's you know me. Second section is 7 through 12. You encompass me or you surround me. The third section is 13 through 18. You created me. 19 to 24. You test me. >> [snorts] >> So let's go ahead and read that first section 1 through 6, Psalm 139. O Lord, you have searched me and you know me. You know when I sit and when I rise. You perceive my thoughts from afar. You discern my going out and my laying down. You are familiar with all my ways. Before a word is on my tongue, you know completely, O Lord. You hem me in behind and before. You have laid your hand upon me. Such knowledge is too wonderful for me, too lofty for me to attain. Throughout scripture and throughout Psalms, we see a lot of poetic theology and some big theological words and teachings. But here in 139, David David is very personal. If you look here, it says, "O Lord, you have searched me, and you know me. You know where I sit and when I rise. You perceive my thoughts from afar. You discern my going in and laying down." I think we should take David's lead on how we communicate with God in our life and every day. It's just a straightforward talk. This is a Psalm. It's a praise, but also too, if you notice certain parts in here, the way he's talking, he's just like, "God, this is what's going on. This is what's you know, I understand that this is what you have for me. This is what you're seeing in me. This is what" just a a straight conversation. So, in uh in verse one, you search me and know me. He searches you. He searches everything about you. That's the first thing on your paper there. Are you ready to be searched? In the in your talkings to God, are you are you talking with him, but are you ready for the the searching and the the answers that might come back? Are you ready for God what God has for you because he already has it planned out before you even think it. And I I I think this could be taken two different ways, that concept of God knowing everything and and me before you ever think it. It's kind of hard for us nowadays, but it could either be taken as in fear. You be like, "Oh my goodness, this guy knows me. I I don't I don't want that." Or you could look at it as a privilege to say, "God knows me." And I should know him, right? I know it's crazy to think about anyone knowing everything about you or know what you're going to do, say, or even think. >> [snorts] >> Even David kind of struggles with it in verse six. He says, "I can't do that." Well, well, not not that he can't do that, but in verse six he says, "Such knowledge is too wonderful for me to too lofty for me to attain." So, he's saying, "God, you know all this stuff. You know everything. I I I'm not at that level. I can't do that. I can't know what Sometimes I don't even know what I'm going to say." Right? As we go through our lives, there's things that I'm I'm very guilty of it. I'll just say stuff. Now, I'm like, "Ah, man, I didn't That That didn't come out right." Or that that probably shouldn't have been said. But, you know what? God knew I was going to say that. A thing to think about and remember is that the writers of Psalm in early scripture knew far less of God than we do today. Yet, they loved him more. The prophets were inspired by the spirit of God. That is how we were able to write about how It's how they were able to write about things to come such as the coming of our savior, Jesus Christ. They did not have the fullness of the revelation of God as we do as the new covenant believers. This is before God sent Jesus to Earth with his ministry. So, we have the benefit now as coming through the new covenant of Jesus' um birth and resurrection. But, back then, they didn't have that. They had There was people that were brought forth and God spoke to you or gave message to you directly to to share. But, nowadays, if we we have all this that we can go through, all these scriptures, how much more we should know than what they they might have known at the time. Which brings me to the next point in your paper. God knows all about each of us, but he knows us relationally through Christ. So, you kind of look at one of the things when I was studying they they they said it's kind of like having a fiance, getting married. You know, you start dating, you know something about this person, you connect over something. Oh, I like this, I like Oh, so do I. But then, as you get closer and you grow closer, there's things that that align even more and you know about a person and then you might get engaged and you might find out more about this person. Be like, "Hey, if I'm going to be with you for the rest of my life, we should know this, you know?" And you have discussions. But then, when you get married, there's all a whole more stuff that you learn about that person. You learn more and more as your years go. And I think that was kind of a interesting tidbit to kind of think about that is is God knows everybody, knows everything. But when you accept Christ and you you build that relationship, how much more you know him in that in that time. All right, let's move on to the next part. Don't worry, I'm not going to be an hour or anything. This might This might go a little quick, so. Where can I go? Let's go on the next section, which is you encompass me or you surround me. Where can I go from your spirit? Where can I flee from your presence? If I go up to the heavens, you are there. If I make my bed in the depths, you are there. If I rise on the wings of the dawn, if I settle on the far side of the sea, even there your hands will guide me. Your right hand will hold me fast. If I say, "Surely the darkness will hide me." and the light become night around me, even the darkness will not be dark to you. The night will shine like the day, for darkness is as light to you. So, as in my story, I've said I've traveled a lot. Right? I've been to Maine, to Oregon, Canada, the Gulf of Mexico. And I'll tell you what, God was always with me. In those times, sitting in my camper, I lived in a camper in Tennessee, I'll I'll tell you that. Um sitting in in my camper in Tennessee with my little dog Ben, he was a little puppy at the time, just being like, I just don't know where I'm going. I know where I'm at this very moment, but I just don't know where I'm going to go. God already knew. David isn't saying or asking where God will be, but he is saying that no matter where David is, God will be there also. He wasn't trying to trip up God. He wasn't being like, "So, are you over here? Are you over here?" He wasn't like the Verizon guy. Can you hear me now? Good. All right, can you hear me now? Good. No, he wasn't doing any of that. He was saying, it's not that where he would be, it's wherever David would be, God would be also. Verses 13 through 18, which is you created me. For you created my inmost being, you knit me together in my mother's womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Your works are wonderful. I know that full well. My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place, when I was woven together in the depths of the earth, your eyes saw my unformed body. All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be. How precious to me and are your thoughts, oh God? How vast is the sum of them? Were I to count them, they would outnumber the grains of sand. When I wake, I am still with you. You know, I did also have a joke about the verse about the hairs on the head, but I see Dan Diodorf is not in here, so he's outside, but He said he's listening. He said he's going to listen. He's doing POC this morning. But anyways, so God is the author of life. An author is the creator of a story. He has ownership of it. He knows the story. He knows the plot lines and the subplot lines. He knows the characters and what they their backstories are, even if he doesn't make them known on in the book or the movie. Um he knows from the beginning to the end. So, the first time I ever saw Star Wars, so another Brian talking about Star Wars from the pulpit. There you go. Uh the first time I ever saw Star Wars, I was at a friend's house at a sleepover. He's like, "Let's watch Star Wars." I was like, "What is it?" Cuz I was I was a Western guy, you know, I didn't watch the sci-fi stuff. I wasn't really into it. And he's like, "You don't know what Star Wars is?" I'm like, "No." He's like, "Well, we got to watch it." But then after we watched it, he started talking about all this other stuff that wasn't in the movie. And I'm like, "What are you talking about, dude? It was not I wasn't even in there." He's like, "Well, this is brother and this person's thing and this" And I was like, "Well, how do you know this? Were you just making it up?" He goes, "No, there's books." And here, I didn't realize that George Lucas, they actually wrote books about Star Wars, and he actually had a huge storyline, which nowadays they've kind of gone through a little bit and made other movies to kind of cover some of that stuff, but at the time, they only had a couple movies out. And it didn't make sense to me, but this my friend, he's like, "Oh, I've read these books and everything. George Lucas knew what he wanted to do from the start to the finish." Now, he did something interesting in the movie history and started kind of in the middle and worked out, you know, different ways, which I think was kind of cool, a little different. But, I just think of that as a as that is that he had a bigger picture and uh and then he revealed at certain times. I I find it interesting, too, where he says, "I know this full well. Here's another example of David talking with God like a normal conversation." So, he's going through where I count them, they would outnumber my grains of sand, when I wake, I'm still Oh, let's see, where was it? Uh Ah. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Your works are wonderful. I know that full well. So, here's just another I I think it's kind of interesting. So, he's like, "Hey, I know this, and I just I just wanted to let you know that I know this and and but I think he also cuz he sees it in his own life, the things that are happening. So, we're going to go to 19 through 24, which is you test me. Now, this one gets a little little interesting a little bit, and I was like, okay, when I was preparing, I was like, I don't know how this kind of fits in, but God guided me in a certain way that we're going to go through it, and I I think I I got something. Uh but anyways, 19, if only you would slay the wicked, oh God, away from me, you bloodthirsty men. They speak of you with evil intent. Your adversaries misuse your name. Do I not hate those who hate you, oh Lord, and that abhor those who rise up against you? I have nothing but hatred for them. I count them my enemies. Search me, oh God, and know my heart. Test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offense way in me and lead me in the way everlasting. This definitely is a prayer that kind of boomerangs around, right? David is saying these things that he has seen and he hates and he doesn't like. He hates what the people around him are doing against God. He hates what they are saying against God. Doesn't that sound familiar for today? There's things that we see that are happening that we just don't don't agree with. We don't like and in some type cases it's it's hard not to hate what's going on. He's saying just get rid of the people, get rid of the hatred in their life and that in their hearts. And it will be it'll be easier if we just do that, right? He's saying to God just just wipe them out. But then he says, but hold on. Make sure my heart is right. You can't be judgemental against somebody if your heart's not coming from the right place. But if you notice he ends the way he started. He knows that God continues to search him and to test him and knows his thoughts and to lead him in the way of the everlasting. So he's saying what he started off with go back to verse one. Oh Lord, you have searched me and you know me. And at the end he's saying search me, oh God, and know my heart. Test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way and true lead me in the way everlasting. So in the beginning he says that God searched him and knows him. But he's making that his prayer at the end that even though he's struggling through these things and he's saying, "Hey, I'm not a big fan. I'm not I'm not I'm struggling with this." He says, "Hold on. Check my heart and then know me so I can know you." As we close, I want to go back to what we we talked about a little bit back. I said that God knows all about each of us. While I'm doing that, while I'm speaking of this, go ahead and turn to John chapter 10. I said that God knows all about each of us, but he knows us relationally through Christ. What does that mean? What does that mean to be known through Christ? In John chapter 10, it says, "I tell you the truth, the man who does not enter the sheep pen by the gate, but climbs in by some other way, is a thief and a robber. The man who enters by the gate is the shepherd of his sheep. The watchman opens the gate for him, and the sheep listen to his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. When he has brought out all his own, he goes on ahead of them, and his sheep follow him because they know him his voice. But they will never follow a stranger. In fact, they will run away from him because they do not recognize a stranger's voice." Jesus used the figure this figure of speech, but they did not understand what he was telling them. So, therefore, Jesus said again, "I tell you the truth, I am the gate for the sheep. All whoever came before me were thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not listen to them. I am the Whoever enters through me will be saved. He will come in and go out and find pasture. The thief comes only to steal and the kill and destroy. I've come that they may have life and they have it to the full. I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. Then go down to verse 14. I am the good shepherd. I know my sheep and my sheep know me. Just as the Father knows me and I know the Father. And I lay down my life for the sheep. God sent his only son Jesus to Earth to become a man, to be crucified in place for our sins. If we acknowledge and change our hearts and our minds to follow what God already planned for our life and follow his voice, we will spend eternity with him someday. And David too. So that brings me to the last point in your paper there as we close. Are you going to with the thief or the shepherd? The shepherd already knows you. Are you going to get to know the shepherd and follow him? Or you going to follow the thief? Which is the world around us that's being destroyed and and the struggles that are going on. Who are you going to follow? That's it for I have today. I had told you it was going to not going to be an hour. It was going to be short. But let's go ahead and close in prayer. And then Anthony will come up. Heavenly Father, I thank for today. Thank you for this opportunity to come and and read your scripture, Lord. And I just pray you just be with us as we go throughout our week, our life, that you already have the script in then the things in our lives planned out and you know our hearts, our mind, what we think, what we say, what we do. But Lord, I pray that you just guide us to know you as you know us. That we fully know your word and that we are able to share it with others and share the the word to our friends and family. And I just pray that you just help us as we go through our week and guide us and direct us. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen. Nice work, man. You guys give Brian a hand. >> You know, it is scary. Uh maybe this may surprise you in the fact that my vocation involves coming up and talking in front of people every single week. It's scary, guys. Opening up God's word and seeking the spirit and seeing what

This transcript has been AI-generated and likely has some errors.

So. Well, today we're going to be hanging out in Psalm 138. Uh so, if you want to pull out your Bibles and get ready, I'm going to give you a little bit of history here uh on Psalm 138. So, it's basically it's a hymn of individual praise and thanksgiving, you know, historically attributed to King David. Declaration of gratitude for God's personal deliverance, protection, and faithfulness. So, if you remember, it's believed that uh David authored seven about 73 Psalms in total of all the Psalms. Psalm 138 uh marks the beginning of the final little cluster of uh Davidic Psalms. That was like 138 to 145 before the Book of Psalms concludes with some other corporate praises. Uh and it, you know, 138 stands in heavy contrast to 137, you know, where the uh exiled Israelites were crying by the rivers of Babylon but refused to sing the Lord's song and praise, you know, in a foreign land. Uh but Psalm 138 acts as a staunch courageous reminder that we as God's people uh can and should boldly sing praises, you know, no matter how hostile the surrounding surrounding culture might be. So, if you're able to stand, uh we're going to read through Psalm 138. It's uh eight short verses, but uh uh, packs a lot of punch, so. Let's read Psalm 138 of David. I will praise you, oh Lord, with all my heart before the gods I will sing your praise. I will bow down toward your holy temple and will praise your name for your love and your faithfulness, for you have exalted above all things your name and your word. When I called, you answered me. You made me bold and stouthearted. May all the kings of the earth praise you, oh Lord, when they hear the words of your mouth. May they sing of the ways of the Lord, for the glory of the Lord is great. Though the Lord is on high, he looks upon the lowly, but the proud he knows from afar. Though I walk in the midst of trouble, you preserve my life. You stretch out your hand against the anger of my foes. With your right hand you save me. You, Lord, will fulfill his purpose for me. Your love, oh Lord, endures forever. Do not abandon the works of your hands. This is the word of the Lord. You can be seated. So, today we're looking, uh, 138 here. And the title of the message is God has a purpose. What is yours? So, a little more context here. Most biblical scholars believe David composed, uh, this Psalm in direct response to God establishing, you know, the Davidic covenant, which was, uh, displayed in 2 Samuel 7:1-17. Now, I'm sure you're all sitting there thinking, what is the Davidic covenant, right? I'm I know there's people in the room who know what it is, but in the pa- in that passage in 2 Samuel, King David expresses his desire to build a permanent temple for God. Noting that he lives in a cedar palace while the ark of God still resides in a tent. Well, now I don't know if you remember, but Nathan the prophet who kind of hung out with David, you know, he supported originally the idea of building a temple. However, the Lord uh speaks to Nathan that night and directing him to tell David that God does not dwell in a house, but has moved with the Israelites in a tent. So, God reminds David that he raised him from a shepherd to be a ruler, gave him victory over his enemies, and promises to make David's name great. Furthermore, God promises to establish a house, meaning a dynasty, you know, for David stating that David's descendant will build a house for God's name, and that his kingdom and throne will be established forever. So, God pledges to maintain his love for David's line even when punishing them, ensuring the kingdom endures. So, Nathan then reports this message to David, and overwhelmed that God promised to establish his royal lineage forever, David responded with intense personal devotion, which is basically Psalm 138. So, our first point we're going to talk about is an attitude of gratitude. All right? So, David had an attitude of gratitude. One One the reasons I chose, you know, this particular Psalm is because it complement Psalm 56 that I preached on a few weeks ago. You know, in that Psalm, basically we learned that David started praising God's promises when he was still trapped by his enemies. Remember that? David praised God before the breakthrough. However, we also made it a point to call out that for us, we normally wait, you know, until the problem's totally solved before we say thank you, right? Well, in Psalm 138, most of David's current problems are totally solved. King Saul is out of the way and David has been appointed king. So, what is David's reaction? Verses 1 to 2 say, "I will praise you, oh Lord, with all my heart before the gods. I will sing your praise. I will bow down toward your holy temple and will praise your name for your love and faithfulness, for you have exalted above all things your name and your word." Now, something worth noting here is that uh David opens by stating that he will sing praises before the gods. And just to clarify, in the In the ancient Near East, neighboring, as you know, neighboring pagan nations worship gods like Baal. But by declaring this, David was asserting that God's supreme authority uh it was over the pagan rulers and the idols of the nations he was able to defeat. Uh so, he wasn't uh he wasn't singing praises to the gods of the other nations. He was singing praises before the gods and basically uh because of God's uh accomplishment. So, what are some other points that David that support David's attitude of gratitude in this song? Well, we're going to look at a couple of them. First of all, gratitude is a choice, not a feeling. You know, David begins with the words, "I will praise." You know, David does not wait until his emotions align or his circumstances clear up. You know, true biblical gratitude is an intentional discipline of the mind that chooses to focus on who God is, regardless of your current emotional state. The next one is that gratitude requires a whole heart. And again, [clears throat] in verse one, David specifies he will praise God with his whole heart. So, half-hearted gratitude is often conditional, you know, lasting only as long as things go well. So, Jane and I were discussing the subject of gratitude uh when we were when I was talking about this, you know, putting the sermon together, and she recalled a quote that she once heard by Joyce Meyer. Joyce Meyer said that gratitude is the shortest-living emotion. Well, Jane and I challenged that thought somewhat, and after some research, discovered that gratitude is indeed more than a fleeting emotion. You know, whole-hearted gratitude implies that David has searched his life and gathered up every last bit of his attention to focus entirely on God's goodness, leaving no room for grumbling or idolatry. So, the next point is that gratitude is fueled by spiritual strength, not circumstantial simplicity. big words there. So, when in verse three, when David cried out, you know, God did not immediately vaporize his enemies. Instead, the Psalm says, "God boldly emboldened me with strength in my soul." So, David's thankfulness stems from internal strengthening. He is grateful because God changed him from the inside out, giving him the stamina to face the battle. That's a huge point. The next one, gratitude is kept alive by remembering God's track record. And that uses verses two and seven. David anchors his praise in God's Uh-oh, we're going to geek out here. In honor of Anthony, we're going to do some Hebrew. All right? So, David anchors his praise in God's hesed and emet. So, hesed means unfailing love, and emet means faithfulness. So, David anchors his praise in God's unfailing love and faithfulness. An attitude of gratitude cannot survive in a vacuum. You know, it requires a memory. And David accurately recalls how God delivered him in the past, allowing him to state with absolute certainty in verse seven, "Though I walk in the midst of trouble, you preserve my life." So, the next point is that gratitude rests in the certainty of the finish line. Verse eight. >> [clears throat] >> The ultimate support for David's gratitude is his theological certainty about the future. It says, "The Lord will fulfill his purpose for me." David is thankful not because he is in control of his destiny, but because he knows the master potter refuses to abandon the work of his hands. Gratitude flourishes when you realize your future is securely held in some by somebody else. So, showing God an attitude of gratitude doesn't require big fancy actions on our behalf. You know, based on King David's example in Psalm 138, comes down to a few small intentional shifts in how we live our daily lives. So, let's look at a few practical ways to show God you are thankful. First one is, say thank you first thing in the morning. Pretty practical, right? Here's how it works. You know, don't wait for something good to happen to be grateful. Start your day by thanking God for who he is before you even look at your phone. So, an example is, when your alarm goes off, say, "Thank you, God, for another day of life, and thank you that your love for me never changes." Number two, practice wholehearted talking. How it works. David said he would praise God with his whole heart. Well, this means giving God your full attention instead of just going through the motions. For example, take 2 minutes in any given day to sit in a quiet room with no distractions. Good luck, parents with young children, right? This kind of reminded me of the movie War Room. Does anybody remember seeing that movie with the little old lady who had the uh the prayer closet? Was that what it was? She'd go in there and go to battle through prayer. So, tell God exactly what you are thankful for. You know, naming specific small details like a good meal, a warm bed, or a helpful friend. Number three, talk about his goodness to others. How it works. You know, David wanted the kings of the earth to hear about God. When we tell other people how God has helped us, it shows God we aren't taking his blessings for granted. So, for example, the next time someone asks you, "How are you doing?" instead of just saying, "Fine." How many times do you get that? Right? When you ask somebody how they're doing, "Fine." Shanti, how are you doing today? Yeah. Yeah, right? And hey, I mean, we reciprocate the same way how many times, right? Depending on who is asking, depends how much time we want to give them, right? So, but um you know, share you know, instead of saying you know, a one-word answer, share a small win. You know, you could say, "Things have been stressful, but I'm thankful God gave me strength to get through this week." You know, that might change the attitude of the person that you're talking to because it could give off a signal to them that says, "Huh, he used God he used God in a sentence to me, you know, uh it's very good chance that he's somebody that I could talk to or she's somebody that I could talk to if I really need to uh to vent some stuff or need some help." So, number four is stay thankful when things get tough. You know, we talked about this in my last message a little bit, how it works. You know, it's easy to be thankful when life is perfect, right? Showing gratitude during a storm, though, proves you trust God's bigger plan. So, an example, when a problem pops up today, pause before you react and say, "God, this situation is frustrating, but thank you that you're right here with me in the midst of it. So, number five then, trust him to finish his project. This is how it works. The The ultimate way to show gratitude is to stop worrying. Mhm. When you trust that God will fulfill his purpose for you in Psalm 138:8, your peace becomes an act of worship. So, here's an example. When you feel overwhelmed about the future, open your hands, take a deep breath, and say, "Thank you, Jesus, that my future is in your hands, and you are not done with me yet." So, we're going to stay in verse eight here for a little while because verse eight brings us to our next topic. And that is God's purpose and our purpose. So, God's purpose for us is pretty simple. You know, Psalm 138:8 states that God's purpose for us is to completely fulfill and perfect perfect his specific plan for our lives. So, let's just read it again. It says, "The Lord will fulfill his purpose for me. Your steadfast love, oh Lord, endures forever. Do not forsake the works of your hand." So, our purpose in response is pretty much equally as simple. You know, it's to actively trust his faithfulness, surrender control, mhm, and offer a wholehearted praise. Now, it would be nice to say that that's the end of this topic, um and move on, but we're going to drill into this this a little bit further because as simple as it is, we're not simple people. We like to complicate things, right? Now, I think I know some simple people, but that's a different point. So let's look at God's purpose for us. So God's active purposes a believer's in a believer's life. So the first one is divine completion. So here we go little more Hebrew for you. The Hebrew root root word for a fulfill is Gamar. And it means to bring to an end. Complete or perfect. So God does not leave his projects half finished. Do you believe that? He promises to bring his plans for you to full fruition. And then the next one is personal vision. You know his purpose is uniquely tailored to you. I mean God's purpose for me is completely different than God's purpose for Jeff or to Steve or anybody else in this room. You know his purpose for each one of us is is uniquely tailored to to us. Sorry. The NASB New American Standard Bible translated as the Lord will accomplish what concerns me. Proving that no detail of your life is too small for his attention. And then eternal preservation. His purpose is secured by his steadfast love. Another Hebrew here chesed. Steadfast love meaning his commitment to developing you is motivated by unbreakable covenant love. Not temporary performance. So you know his love for you is and his purpose for you you know it's not just a fleeting thing. You know it's it's everlasting. It's eternal. So So then our purpose in response is number one, uh you know, when we understand that God's committed to completing his work in us, you know, our res- our responsive uh purpose shifts from striving to trusting. Yeah, and that's where faith comes in. So, surrender control. Who likes to do that? I don't know. I don't see any hands. Okay. Yeah. Surrender control. Realize that you do not have to force open doors, carry pressure of working out your own destiny. All right? Your role is to cooperate [clears throat] with his molding hands. Does that make [clears throat] sense? Yeah. Okay. Offer confident prayers. You know, follow the model at the end of verse 8 by praying, "Do not forsake the work of your hands." This is an act of worship mixed with faith, asking God to keep changing you while acknowledging that you belong to him. And this was divine intervention. I promise you this was not collaborated. But, one of the songs Kayla uses in worship is Canvas and Clay. Anybody familiar with that song? We sang it this morning. So, some of the lyrics say, you remember, "You're an artist and a potter. I'm the canvas and the clay. You make all things work together for my future and for my good. You make all things work together for your glory and for your name." Right? So, offer confident prayers. And then live in wholehearted praise. You know, in the broader context of uh Psalm 138:1-3, David responds to God's faithfulness with bold public gratitude. You are ultimate purpose is to reflect his glory through a lifestyle of Thanksgiving. So, there's a story from a renowned Bible teacher that deals directly with the raw kind of practical reality of Psalm 138 verse 8. Does anybody recognize the name uh Charles Spurgeon? Yeah. If Anthony was here, he'd be geeking out again like, "Oh, oh yeah. You know, he's He's one of my favorites." He has about 20 of them, right? But uh anyway, I'm poor guy. I'm picking on him this morning and he's not here to defend himself. But Spurgeon was a renowned 19th century British Baptist preacher known as the prince of preachers. So, Charles used this Psalm, you know, at a time when he felt completely unqualified, broken, and fearful that he ruined or couldn't handle God's plan for him. So, this is the the story of Charles Spurgeon's battle with what he said was unfit panic. Uh Charles Spurgeon is, you know, is highly uh celebrated today, but as a young man, he was plagued by intense feelings of inadequacy and depression. Anybody relate? When he was just a teenager, he was thrust into preaching to thousands of people in London as a teenager. He felt like a total fraud, assuming he was too young, too uneducated, and too broken to fulfill the massive calling God had placed on him. He genuinely believed genuinely believed he would crash and burn and ruin the ministry. But in his famous sermon on Psalm 138:8, Spurgeon shared how this exact verse rescued him from mental paralysis. He realized that the verse did not say, "Charles will perfect that's what that which concerns Charles." It said, "The Lord will perfect that which concerneth me." So, Spurgeon wrote a personal reflection that you know, perfectly captures the relief the relief of his promise and I quote, "God knows the force of your evil nature, the force of that obstinate self-love, the force of that imperious pride, the force of that dogged will. He knows all this. Nor can anything take him by surprise and therefore, since he has begun to save you, rest assured that he will accomplish his design." So, what's the takeaway there? Spurgeon realized God knew exactly how flawed he was before he called him. You know, his mess couldn't surprise God or derail the plan. So, to recognize and live out God's purpose, you must shift from trying to predict the distant future to walking faithfully in the present. God rarely reveals the complete plan. Instead, he provides a lamp for your next immediate step. So, going to move on to the next point. Be safe. Be saved. Uh, that might sound a little scary to some, right? But, I'm going to work through some things that Anthony's kind of been uh, ref- reflecting on, you know, in some of his messages. But, I want to ask, you know, uh how does Psalm 130 relate to Jesus as our personal savior? You know, Psalm 138 offers a powerful prophetic blueprint of Jesus Christ as our personal savior. You know, while King David wrote it from his own experience, the New Testament reveals that Jesus is the ultimate fulfillment of the themes we find in this Psalm. So, we're going to look at some of these. So, the first one is Jesus is God's word exalted. So, the living word in verse two declares, "You have exalted above all things your name and your word." Well, the fulfillment of this was John 1:1 that reveals that Jesus is the ultimate word made flesh. When we look at Jesus, we see God's promises perfectly fulfilled, making Jesus the tangible embodiment of God's exalted word. So, number two, Jesus personifies uh-huh, hesed and emet, remember? Covenant love and truth. So, the divine attributes. David's David praises God for his hesed, his unfailing covenant love, and emet, you know, his faithfulness and truth. And the fulfillment in John 1:14 states that Jesus came to us full of grace, hesed, and truth, emet. Jesus is not a messenger of God's love, you know, as a personal savior, he is that love and truth, you know, walking among us. So, number three, Jesus became lowly to save the lowly. Again, the divine paradox, verse six says, "Though the Lord is exalted, he looks kindly on the lowly." And the fulfillment is that Jesus perfectly molded this or modeled this. You know, he left his exalted heavenly throne, humbled himself to become human, and spent his earthly ministry with the broken, the outcasts, you know, and the poor. And that was recorded in Philippians 2:5-8. So, he is a personal savior who relates to our weaknesses. So, Jesus delivers us through the midst of trouble. You know, the promise of revival, verse seven says, "Though I walk in the midst of trouble, you preserve my life." And the fulfillment, you know, as our savior, Jesus does not promise an easy life. But, he promises his personal presence in the trouble. You know, through his death and resurrection, he conquered the ultimate trouble, sin and death, ensuring our final preservation and eternal life. So, the last one there, >> [clears throat] >> Jesus fulfills God's purpose for you. Again, the finished work. The psalm ends with absolute confidence. The Lord will fulfill his purpose for me. Do not abandon the works of your hands. And the fulfillment, Jesus is the ultimate guarantee of this promise. You know, on the cross, he cried out, "It is finished." You know, in John 19:30, it was recorded. And then Philippians 1:6 echoes Psalm 138 directly, promising that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ. So then, how does Psalm 130 relate, you know, to us or individuals asking Jesus to be their personal savior? You know, for someone taking the deeply personal step of asking Jesus to be their savior, or often called, you know, some people say the sinner's prayer, or entering into a saving relationship with God, you know, again, Psalm 138 acts as a perfect spiritual map. It mirrors the exact heart posture, confession, and immediate reality of a person accepting salvation. So, let's look at a couple of these points. So, the posture of total humility. So, the psalm says, "Though [clears throat] the Lord is exalted, he looks kindly on the lowly." Remember verse six. Well, the relationship is that asking Jesus to be your savior requires admitting your own spiritual bankruptcy and need for help. God resists pride, but pours out saving grace the moment a person humbles themselves and acknowledges Jesus' lordship. Now, granted, these are steps, you know, uh for people that are asking Jesus to be their savior. But then, if you've already done that, then these are just simple reminders, you know of what you signed up for here. So the second one, giving up other gods. The Psalm I says you know I will praise uh I will sing your praise before the gods remember in verse one. Well salvation is an act of repentance. You know when an individual turns to Jesus they are declaring before the gods you know the fist that and in this case uh before the gods are the false idols of their past like uh self-reliance or money or pleasure or approval. You know So we're declaring that Jesus alone is now our ultimate authority and savior. So calling out and receiving an immediate answer. Well the Psalm says when I called you answered me. You greatly emboldened me in verse three. One response Romans 10:13 promises that everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved. So Psalm 138 captures that exact moment of salvation. The instant an individual cries out to Jesus in faith. He hears, answers, forgives, and infuses their soul with new spiritual life and strength. So moving from judgment to protection. You know verse seven says you stretch out your hand against the anger of my foes. Your right hand saves me. Our ultimate spiritual enemies you know our sin, death, and separation from God. You know, when a person asks Jesus to save them, he figuratively stretches out his hand to take the judgment they deserve, pulling them safely out of danger, and placing them into an eternal security. So, then the last point, eternal security and the finished work. You know, the Psalm says in verse 8 again, "The Lord will fulfill his promise for me. Your love, Lord, endures forever. Do not abandon the works of your hands." Well, the relationship, you know, is that a new believer can have absolute confidence that salvation is not a temporary trial period. You know, by asking Jesus into their life, you know, they become the work of his hands. Jesus promises to personally guard, mold, and complete that person's spiritual journey all the way into eternity. So, there's a uh Wait, we are going to get out of here early today. Um you know, I just want to speak a little uh candidly to you. So, uh Kayla, you know, if you and the team want to come back up. Uh I just want to say a couple words. So, you know, um and this this part of this message anyone in um but there's, you know, a certain reality that exists when anyone stands up here and and shares a message. You never know as you stand up here and scan the crowd whether you're talking to believers or not. I like to think that I do know uh based on most of you that I know in this room, but I don't know all of you deeply and personally. So, I really don't know. You know, and you really just don't know uh you know, what stage people are at in their lives. You know, of course the word is the word and it pertains to everyone, but in my opinion you know, it requires a commitment uh for there to be a true connection. You know, a few weeks ago I was at a funeral for a cousin of mine uh that passed away. Uh once again, it proves you know, the harsh reality that life is short. And in some cases, I know as you know, from my family perspective growing up uh in some cases, it's way too short. You know, so if you're not a follower of Jesus and if you've not invited Jesus to be your personal savior, let today be the day. And if not you, if somebody you know, you know can you share this with them? You know, tomorrow is not a guarantee. You know, at the funeral I was asked to share some stories and memories of my time with my cousin. And one of the themes that I continued to come back to was the grace that he showed me during you know, an influential time in my life. I mean, he basically had started a landscape business and so when I turned 14, I worked with him that summer. So, from 14 to 18, you know, I spent my summers working with him. And of course, we were relatives so we spent other time together. But you know, he wasn't afraid to call me out you know, when something you know, I said something stupid or did something stupid. You know, and he kept me accountable and you know, I but he always gave me grace, you know. He never slammed the door in my face and that was one of the things I remembered. And you know, so I just want to say that I'm sure that if we all took a look back on our lives, whether young or old, you can probably remember somebody that offered grace to you at some point in your life. But really, there's only one person's grace that we should be worried about, and that's Jesus. You know, salvation is free. Jesus already paid the price. It's yours for the asking. You know, but you do have to ask. So, there might be somebody in the room today or somebody that you know that thinks that after all the bad stuff that they've done in their life, there's no way that God could love them. Or that you've turned your back on God for so long and he would never want you back. Or that maybe you've put so much distance between you and God, you know, that there's no way that he could ever find you. Can I just tell you that those are all lies? And that all you have to do is turn to God and cry out, and he will meet you where you are right now. No questions asked. Arms wide open. So, there's a contemporary Christian band called Cain, and they have a song out called Anymore, two words, anymore. And the lyrics to the chorus go like this, I couldn't love you anymore than I do right now. There's nowhere I wouldn't go to get to you, my child. Take a look at the cross, then you'll know it for sure. I couldn't love you. I couldn't love you anymore. So, if you haven't already or if you're not sure, don't let time run out on your chance to ask Jesus to be your savior and become his follower. During the last song, members of the prayer team will be available in the back of the room. Go and pray with them. Or maybe you've been saved and you're feeling in a rut. Uh have you been water baptized? You want a spiritual jump start? I would encourage doing that. So, I know some of you may have heard this story, but Jane and I were both baptized in the Lutheran church as infants. Um we were born a month and a day apart. Our parents were the best of friends. We went to the same church. Um so we were you know, baptized together on the same day in the same church. Well, it was not a church yet. It was the gymnasium at the time. But we were also then confirmed in the Lutheran church, which basically meant that we affirmed our baptisms and took responsibility for our faith at that point. You know, and that was like eighth or ninth grade. You know, but flash forward 40 years later and we found ourselves in a season you know, of life where relationship with Jesus became a whole lot more personal. And so we felt it only right that we rededicate our lives to him. So, as adults we were water baptized again, together, on the same day, in the same pool, and a lot of you were there actually to witness that. So I would just say that um you know, whether you were baptized as an infant or even confirmed or whatever, I don't I'm not saying that those acts of worship are not valid. You know, but uh maybe you could feel a deeper spiritual purpose or connection you know, if you rededicated your life to Jesus through water baptism. You know, fortunately we are doing a water baptism in a couple weeks. So, I don't know you know, what the up front prepa- preparations are uh that need to be done if you're interested in doing that. But I would reach out to Pastor Anthony. So, again, be safe and be saved. So, can we stand? I wanted to just uh pray for us. The Lord, thank you so much for bringing us all together today. We want to go out with hearts full of gratitude, thanking you for your blessings, your goodness, and the ways you are working in our lives. We hold on to your promise that you will finish the good work you started in us. Your love never quits, and we are so grateful that you never give up on us. We want to thank you especially for Jesus, our personal savior. Thank you, Jesus, for saving us, for giving our mistakes, and inviting us into real, daily relationship with you. Our lives are completely safe in your hands. And as we jump back into our normal routines, help us to actively engage with the Holy Spirit this week. Tune our hearts to listen to your promptings, and give us the courage to follow your guidance in our daily choices. Help us to live out our faith and share your love and hope with people around us. Please watch over everyone here. Keep our families safe, and help us stay close to you. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen. >> I love you, Lord. Oh, your mercy never fails me all my days. I've held >> [singing] >> in your >> [music] >> from the moment that I wake up.

Growing up, I didn’t really know anything about Pennsylvania Dutch culture or sayings. My mom’s parents were immigrants from Lithuania after World War 2 and my dad’s parents were ancestors of Germans who immigrated and settled in Western Maryland. Shortly after Katlyn and I started dating, I noticed there were some things different between her family and mine. But one of those things is that my mother-in-law would say the phrase: “It’s all.” I noticed she would say this when a jar of something was empty. But, it was strange to me: It’s all…what? Empty? Gone? Disgusting? What? 

To them, it was a normal saying. But to me, it was like a foreign language. And it can be that way for us with the Bible – we read something and to the early authors, it was a normal saying. But to us, 2,000 – 3,000 years removed from the context and situation, we find ourselves perplexed and unsure. That can mean that verses that meant a great deal to the early church seem confusing to us.

And since they seem confusing to us, we may not spend the time meditating on words that are meant to give us great hope and boldness in the face of challenges or when the world feels like it’s falling apart. Today, we’ll be looking at arguably the most important Psalm – at least in terms of how often the New Testament authors cite this one. It’s quoted or alluded to by Paul, Peter, Matthew, Mark, Luke, and the author of Hebrews multiple times. That Psalm is Psalm 110 and it’s a Psalm that will give us a deep and powerful hope. That hope is our main point for today which is: Jesus is the priestly king who has conquered and will conquer sin and death.

Will you please stand with me, if you’re able, as we read Psalm 110?

Who is this King and what does he do?

This is a psalm of King David of Israel and verse 1 opens with an interesting statement: Yahweh (LORD) says to my lord. King David is recognizing that whoever Yahweh is speaking to is of even greater authority and power than David himself. We often have many ideas about who kings are and what they do but to grasp this Psalm, we need to understand who kings were in the Old Testament.

Originally, Israel was to have no king or ruler. Instead, God was to be their king – the one who they give their allegiance to, the one who gives them victory on the battlefield, and who cares for them. But in 1 Samuel 8, the people of Israel desired to have a King like the nations around them. Despite Samuel’s warnings, the people doubled down and desired to have a king so God gave them a king: Saul.

King Saul and the kings after him were responsible for a few things:

·      Leading the armies of Israel into war against their enemies to secure the promised land

·      Model covenant faithfulness to the God of Israel, Yahweh, by leading people to obey the Law

·      Shepherding the hearts of the people of Israel and caring for the most vulnerable.

How did Israel’s kings do with these responsibilities? Not great. In 1 Samuel 15, King Saul disobeyed God’s explicit commands to totally destroy Israel’s enemies but instead he spared the best plunder. King David’s son, Solomon was the wisest man in the world but he disobeyed God’s covenant by marrying multiple foreign women who led his heart away from Yahweh. In Ezekiel 34, Ezekiel tells the leaders of Israel: “shepherds who have been feeding yourselves... the weak you have not strengthened, the sick you have not healed, the injured you have not bound up, the strayed you have not brought back, the lost you have not sought.” Ezekiel 34 goes on to indict those leaders and God himself says he is against them.

So we can see that all the Kings of Israel miserably failed. On his own, King David didn’t see the future failures of his son, Solomon. So David, writing by the Spirit, already knew no king – not Saul before him nor the sons who would come after him could carry the weight of the true king that Psalm 110 describes. So, who is the true king?

If you’ve ever been let down by someone you trust: a parent, a friend, a spouse, you know how it feels to be Israel.

But, Matthew 22:41-46 gets us closer to who the true king is, let me read that now. Jesus is helping the religious leaders to see that this messianic king would be someone greater than David – all the human kings were too weak. Ezekiel 34 also picks up on this theme, God's response is direct: because Israel's shepherds failed, he says, 'I will search for the lost, I will bind up the injured, and I will tend the flock myself.'

Looking at the full biblical narrative, we see Jesus as the King that Psalm 110 and Ezekiel 34 points to. In Acts 2, Peter's Pentecost sermon argues the resurrection installed Jesus on this throne (Acts 2:34–36). Paul tells us what that throne is doing right now: 'he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet' — a reign still actively at work, with one enemy, death itself, still left to fall. Through this, Jesus’ kingdom is expanding out of Zion into the entire world through his people who offer themselves to their new king.

This is why Psalm 110 calls Jesus the true king: not one more failed ruler like Saul or Solomon, but the priestly king who has conquered and will conquer sin and death.

So if Jesus is the King but how do people get into his Kingdom? Do they just move someplace? That answer can be found in Psalm 110:4.

Who is the priest and what does he do?

In verse 4 of our Psalm, King David speaks that this person won’t just be a King – they’ll also be a priest – a priest who is in the order of Melchizedek. Now, Melchizedek is a curious character. In Genesis 14, Abram goes to battle against a couple of Kings who have kidnapped his nephew, Lot. God leads Abram’s household to victory and after the battle, Melchizedek comes to visit Abram. Genesis 14 says Melchizedek was a priest of the most high God and his name means King of Righteousness. He’s the King of Salem which also means king of peace. So, Melchizedek is a ruler or a king but he’s also a priest.

So, what do priests do?

In Israel, priests served vitally important functions – you could only be a priest in the tribe of Levi: they were to offer sacrifices and mediate atonement for the sins of the people, they were to teach the law, take care of the sanctuary, and bless the people of Israel. But like the kings of Israels, the priests also failed.

In 1 Samuel 2, Eli is a priest who has two sons: Hophni and Phinehas were priests too. And you know what they would do? They would take the best cuts of meat from the sacrificial animals by force. They didn’t care about God. The prophet Malachi also rebukes priests who give the worst animals for sacrifice, not the best. And once again, David speaking by the Spirit, looks forward to the day when God’s hand-picked King will also be a priest in the order of Melchizedek because he will not fail, he will be righteous. He will bring peace between God and man. Going a step further, the Psalm says: “The LORD has sworn and will not change his mind” – meaning whoever this priest is, he is going to finish the job. He’s going to win.

Who then is this high priest? Well, according to Hebrews, the high priest is Jesus Christ himself. The author of Hebrews calls Jesus the high priest multiple times in the book. There are two areas I want us to draw out about Jesus as the high priest:

1.      Hebrews 2 and 4 tells us that he is a high priest who ascended into heaven and since he is human, he is merciful and empathetic towards our weaknesses.

2.    Hebrews 5 tells us the he is a high priest who was the sacrifice for the sins of his people. It goes deeper still: He was appointed priest by God's own oath — not because he sought the honor. And because he learned obedience through what he suffered, he's able to be the source of salvation for everyone who follows him.

Jesus Christ isn’t a far off distant being who doesn’t care about you. He’s not a god on top of the mountain. He’s the God of the mountain, who descended, and who did what we cannot do. This is why Psalm 110 calls him priest: not one more failed mediator like Hophni or Phinehas, but the priestly king who has conquered and will conquer sin and death.

If you’ve been paying attention, you’ll notice that I’m using the term “Priestly King” a lot today. Why is that necessary?

Why does the King need to be a priest too?

In Israel's law, you could be born a king, or you could be born a priest — but never both. If you came from Judah's family line, like David, you could rule, but you could never enter the priesthood — the priesthood belonged only to Levi's family line. It was that strict. So when Psalm 110 says one person will be both — a king from Judah's own line — it's not a small detail. It's saying: this person breaks a rule that had never been broken before, because he's not getting his priesthood the ordinary way, by birth. He's getting it the way Melchizedek did, before Levi's family line even existed — by God's own oath.

So, we now have these two incredible perspectives of Jesus: he’s the King in the Kingdom of God. As the King, he leads his people with care. The Kingdom of God is taking ground – just think how Jesus started with a few followers after his ascension to where we are today. But, Jesus is also the priest in the Kingdom of God. And he’s a perfect priest. I often say this when we celebrate communion but the Levitical priests would make sacrifice after sacrifice to atone for the sins of the people. But, Jesus is the perfect sacrifice – once and for all.

And since he’s at the right hand of the Father as King, he’s also at the right hand to continuously intercede (Hebrews 7:25) or to plead on your behalf as a priest - forever. He’s not going anywhere, he’s not giving up. He’s not getting tired of applying his blood to cover his people’s sin.

So the next time you sin, you don’t have to run from God. Jesus is ensuring that you receive forgiveness because he’s the priest but also as King, he’s given you the Spirit to form you to look more like Christ. You don’t need to hide from God, you need to go run to him because it’s only through him that you find the help you need.

So, we see that Jesus is the priestly king – he’s dealt with sin on the cross, he’s demonstrated his victory over Satan (Hebrews 2:15), and he’s defeated death but we still die. I know of many situations here today where we may rejoice in the victory of Christ but there are struggles with our kids, failures we feel as spouses, or illnesses that we’ve asked God to heal and yet, it seems like healing isn’t on the table for us. The Bible describes Jesus’ reign as our priestly king as a “Already / Not Yet reign.” Some theologians compare this idea to World War 2. When the Allies invaded France with the D-Day on June 6, 1944 – the decisive battle was already won and Germany knew it. But, Victory in Europe day didn’t come until May 1945. So between those two dates, people still died, homes were still destroyed, and pain was still felt.

So in a sense, we know Jesus has won but he’s also still winning which means there are hard things that happen. 1 Corinthians 15:25-26 says: “ For he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet. ²⁶ The last enemy to be destroyed is death.” Although we know that when we die, we shall rise with Christ – it’s still a reality in our world. Hard things happen to us. And because of that, we’re going to ask one final question that Psalm 110:5-7 wants us to see…

Whose side are you on?

I want to re-read verses 5-7 so we can sit with this hard text. PAUSE Do you realize how terrible that day will be? Most pastors, including myself, likely don’t talk about judgment enough and I think that may be a tragedy.

These verses should make us uncomfortable. “He will judge the nations, heaping up the dead, and crushing the rulers of the whole earth.” ESV: “The Lord is at your right hand; he will shatter kings on the day of his wrath; He will execute judgment among the nations, filling them with corpses;he will shatter chiefs over the wide earth.

On the day of his wrath, the enemies of Jesus do not stand a chance. The LORD will not change his mind like verse 4 says. As we sit in these harder verses, you may think: “This seems a bit harsh. Why would Jesus do this?” My friends, Psalm 110 is highlighting a day where the enemies of God refuse to bow down and serve him as Lord. His enemies aren’t saying: “Please, Lord, have mercy.” No, they’re actively going to war against Jesus. Revelation 19 gives us this full picture that the army of Satan doesn’t go: “Oh, we’re wrong. Forgive us, Jesus.” No, they go into battle hoping to defeat Jesus and do they? No.

Jesus completely and utterly defeats them. How do we know this? Verse 7 (Read it) – remember how I shared that my mother-in-law would say “It’s all” and I would have no idea. We likely have no idea what verse 7 means because it’s out of our context. In the old testament, drinking from a stream or a brook and lifting your head up high was to signify military victory. That means this priestly king will defeat his enemies.

If death itself couldn’t defeat Jesus, the rest of his enemies have no chance. So, the question I want you to ask yourself is this: whose side are you on today? And truly, whose side are you on? Search your heart.

Is Jesus your priestly king? Or are you his enemy? Do you do the right things like come to church but don’t really care about Jesus any other time of the week? Then, he’s not your King.  And to my struggling friends in the room, the ones who struggle to open their bibles or pray but you still love Jesus. you don't need to manufacture more devotion to earn his favor — he's already interceding for you, right now, as your priest. Keep pursuing him because he never stopped pursuing you. Psalm 110:3 gives us an idea of what the king’s army looks like: they’re people who are dressed in holy splendor. They’re people who are distinct, holy, and have a heart that is given to their King. Why have they given their heart to the King?

Because the King has given them himself. While we were enemies of God, in sin, Christ Jesus died for us.  We all face multiple problems in our lives – sicknesses, finance stressors, job dissatisfaction, and troubled relationship. But across the globe, every single human being shares the same problem: because of sin, we all die. Full-stop. And sin impacts us now – it slowly destroys us, damages our relationships, and decimates our communities. We can try harder, try to be good people, and try to love everyone through gritted teeth but we will fail.

Psalm 110 shows us that: Jesus is the priestly king who has conquered and will conquer sin and death. So, are you on his team or are you his enemy? The cross and the resurrection were the decisive battles that Jesus won and someday soon, he’ll return. Will you be arrayed in holy splendor or will you be crushed and judged?

If you’re unsure where you’re at today, today’s the day to decide. Please come talk to me after service if that’s you. There are also people in the back who would love to pray with you whether that’s you coming to faith in Christ today or you need prayer over a specific situation. PAUSE And if you are a follower of Jesus, today’s a day to rejoice in that – Jesus’ victory is guaranteed. No matter how dark things may appear, Jesus has already won the decisive battle, and the final victory is coming. Let us pray.

Have you ever envied someone else’s life? A few years ago, a friend bought a house and was excited to show me. I asked for some pictures, and he sent me the Zillow listing — sale price included. When I saw how much he spent on that house, I wish I could say: God, thank you that you are taking care of my friend so well and you’ve blessed him with this house. No, instead, my initial reaction was: yeah, if we didn't tithe or give, we could have bought a house like that too. In my flesh, I was envious even though I know it’s wrong.

Am I alone in that? Sometimes, it can seem like that people who aren’t following the Lord are doing better than the ones who are. And today, Psalm 73 reveals this tension for us. In this Psalm, Asaph asks hard questions in this Psalm like: Why does it seem like people who don’t follow God have it so much easier than me? Is God really good? Or am I just following him in vain?

Have you ever wondered those questions? Have you ever looked at someone who wasn’t living for God at all and thought: honestly, their life looks easier than mine? If that’s you, you’re in good company because Psalm 73 helps us answer those questions and see what path leads to sinking sand and what path leads to a rock-solid hope.

If you’re able, would you please stand with me as we read Psalm 73?

Why does it seem like good things happen to bad people?(Verses 1-14)

Do you sense the irony at the beginning of this Psalm? How does Asaph start it? He gives the Sunday School answer to the questions we asked already today: God is good to Israel, to those who are pure in heart (ie. whose love and allegiance is to the Lord). And then he immediately confesses that he has had a hard time believing in the goodness of God. Why?

His personal experience. In the next 11 verse, he goes on to share how he sees the wicked (ungodly) prospering and living great lives even though they reject God. Asaph sees things that make him wonder: is following God worth it? He sees that the wicked have: incredible wealth and resources which causes them to feel superior to everyone and accountable to no one – not even God. They also have comfortable lives where they don’t have hardships or pain like the rest of us.

While observing all this, Asaph is struggling – he sees that people who aren’t following God are doing just fine without him. They have wealth, social status, freedom, and more. Even though Asaph affirms God’s goodness in verse 1, he shares how he has felt jealous of the world and as we’ll see, this leads to a crisis of faith for him where he truly wonders: is following God worth it?

I’m a total nerd and like to read about the economic collapse of 2008 – I particularly am fascinated by one investment bank in particular: Lehman Brothers and their CEO, Dick Fuld. Between 1999 and 2007, Dick Fuld made approximately ~$484 million while his bank saw huge profits from investments in sub-prime mortgages. He was living the good life with homes in Florida, Connecticut, and Idaho.

And if we’re honest with ourselves, we can become envious of people like Dick Fuld. Why? Following Jesus is hard. C.S. Lewis wisely stated: (PIC) “I didn’t go to religion to make me happy. I always knew a bottle of Port would do that. If you want a religion to make you feel really comfortable, I certainly don’t recommend Christianity.”

We can all be tempted by the ways of the world. We may think things like:

·      It must be nice to just cut someone out of my life who’s annoying rather than reconciling with them.

·      It must be nice to not worry about things like sexual immorality, lust, or drunkenness.

·      It must be nice to not have to offer forgiveness to someone who hurt us.

Here’s what I appreciate about Asaph – he’s talking to God about these problems and being honest. He’s asking God: “From my perspective, it seems like they’re all doing pretty good.” And that’s what we can do too: we can speak to God about our disillusionment when it comes because disillusionment will come. Even Jesus modeled this kind of honesty — the night before his betrayal, he asked the Father, 'is there any other way?' Overwhelmed with grief, he still brought it to God rather than burying it. And so, there are always going to people who are not Christians who have a better life than you – that’s a fact. But, you don’t need to harbor this secret envy against them – talk to God about that envy. Express what you see to God and soon enough, you’ll join Asaph on climbing your way out of the insanity that envy can be.

So after listing out the ways the ungodly are living and how good things seem to be for them, Asaph reaches a crossroads. His envy has led him to a place where he reflects on his own decisions and where he needs to make another important decision: how he chooses to respond. Let’s see.

How will you respond when you envy those who don’t know God? (Verse 13-17)

Verses 13 and 14 are heavy – Asaph states that following God, making sacrifices for him, and more were all for nothing. He’s asking God: “after everything I’ve done, this is what I get?” I get a hard life with struggle after struggle where you rebuke me. Does it get any more real and honest than this?

Asaph is almost believing that he has wasted his life by following God. But, it’s also here where Asaph catches himself. He realizes this is serious business and his decisions and how he talks about his doubts will impact others in his faith community. He also realizes he’s getting too far up in his head and is all alone in this, he needs to see if there can be a different perspective on this issue. So, what does he do?

There’s an important word in verse 17 – “until” I went into the sanctuary of God then I discerned their end. Asaph re-joined his people in worshipping God and it was that act that helped him to discern the end or the result of the ungodly life choices. For us as followers of Jesus, Asaph’s sanctuary is only a shadow of the true Sanctuary that is to come through the person of Christ.

This is a critical moment for Asaph and it’s a critical moment for us. You may be in a crisis of faith right now or you will be in the future. The questions that Asaph was asking of God were good and they were honest. But, Asaph was also looking for answers too. We can end up in a dangerous place when we continue to ask God questions but don’t bother asking others for answers, reading his word for answers, or seeking him in prayer for answers. This is one reason why a local church is essential for believers – we’re supposed to ask the hard questions, listen to each other, and also help each other gain a different perspective. When we gather, we’re to look up to God through worshipping him in song, scripture, sermon, prayer, and the fellowship that we have. Do not forsake meeting together, encourage each other. Asaph knew that and that’s why he entered the sanctuary and it totally changed his perspective. Our perspective and grasp on things is not always accurate.

It reminds me of Kevin McCallister in Home Alone. Because he’s mad at his family, he wishes that he has no family. The next morning, his family forgot to wake him up to leave on family vacation and he’s home alone. Kevin thinks his wish has been granted and he’s so excited. But after awhile, his perspective begins to change. He realizes he misses his family and he’s grateful for them. It took Kevin losing his family to gain the proper perspective.

In contrast, Asaph didn’t have to hit rock bottom or allow his doubts to overwhelm him to force a perspective change. Instead, he took action by entering the sanctuary and everything changed for him.

When Asaph entered the sanctuary with God’s people, what was he reminded of? That’s where the Psalm takes us to next.

Where do the paths lead? (Verse 18-28)

Asaph was reminded of two things: the sinking sand of the wicked and rock solid hope of God’s generous love.  

The Sinking Sand of the Wicked

First, Asaph realizes the apparent strength of the ungodly is weaker than he realized. He says that God has set them in slippery places; he makes them fall to ruin. In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus offers a similar warning: he says that people build their lives on all sorts of things like money, power, success, etc and they think they’re building their lives on a rock. But, Jesus reveals it’s all sinking sand.

Remember how I’m a total nerd and we talked about Dick Fuld, the CEO of Lehman Brothers? Well, in 2008, something big happened on Wall Street – the housing market crashed. And with it, Lehman Brothers lost billions of dollars and ended up closing its doors. Dick Fuld, the once mighty man of Wall Street, lost his reputation, a significant part of his wealth, and his company. His fortunes and company’s performance was all sinking sand.

Asaph realized that looks can be deceiving. God’s justice and judgment is true – for the powerful and prideful who reject God, God will reject them. Sure, the ungodly may be looking like life is going great for them but by choosing to reject God, they are going to face a sudden and terrifying wake up call.

After reflecting on the wicked, Asaph humbly repents in verses 21-22. He uses strong language in Hebrew – he calls himself stupid because he was so bitter towards God and in pain over his doubts. Now that he has a new perspective, he realizes the sinking sand of the wicked and pain that will come to them. So, he moves from repentance into gratitude of the wealth he has in God.

The Wealth of God

Asaph then goes on to list multiple ways that God has been rich and kind towards him in all his days: God has continually guided us and will continually be with us through the highs and the lows of our lives. God is continually guiding us to glory – that should remind us of Romans 8:28 (God works all things together for good…). God’s ways and commands may be difficult at times but he’s never asking us to do them alone – he’s leading us on like a parent teaching their small child how to walk.

That’s the wealth of God – his continued presence, guidance, and love throughout our life. In processing that, Asaph asks the question: who have I in heaven but you? And earth has nothing I desire beside you. Put differently, Asaph realizes that the ungodly value and treasure things that can disappear in an instant. He realizes the benefits of those things are just an illusion for now. He goes on to share that his heart and his strength may fail but God is the strength of his heart and his portion forever. He is still going to have troubles, questions, and doubts in his life but God will faithfully sustain him because he has promised to.

Towards the end of this Psalm, Asaph remembers that following God is where he should take refuge. God should be his safe place – he is building his house on the rock so that when the storms of life come, God will bring him through. Throughout this Psalm, Asaph was tempted to make those lesser things his refuge but he now sees the errors of his ways.  

For us today, how can we make God our refuge? How do we put into practice all that we just heard?

Jesus as the True Sanctuary (Verse 17)

And can you remember the sanctuary that Asaph walked into in verse 17? The place where his perspective finally changed? For Asaph, he walked into the Sanctuary – the Temple, remember?. But that was only a shadow of what was to come.  In John 2:19, Jesus tells the religious leaders that if they destroy the temple, Jesus himself will rebuild it in three days. He was telling them that he himself is the new temple and that even though he will die, he will rise back to life in three days.

So just like Asaph entered the Sanctuary and received new perspective, we are invited to enter into Jesus Christ through faith in him. Because In Christ, godliness proves to be great gain; but apart from him, godlessness is great pain.  That’s how we can summarize Psalm 73 today. What do I mean?

Godlessness is great pain. Psalm 73 helps us to see that the illusions of worldly wealth, power, and success will disappear in an instant. God is not impressed by position titles, 401Ks, or a fancy house. God is impressed by faith. Throughout the Old Testament, Israel loses the Sanctuary that was so essential for Asaph’s faith crisis. Why did they lose it? They turned away from God as their refuge – they placed trust in military alliances with other nations, they placed trust in gods that couldn’t save them, and they placed trust in the riches of the Temple. And God brought judgment on Israel by allowing them to be conquered and carried off into exile in Babylon. Their godlessness led to great pain.

In the same way, friends, our temptations to godlessness will lead to great pain – now and in the life to come. Instead, we must see that In Christ, godliness proves to be great gain. When you think of Jesus’ life, picture him walking through this faith crisis in Psalm 73. As Satan is tempting Jesus with promises of power and provision, Jesus had to overcome huge temptation. Those temptations promised Jesus an easy life with power but Jesus made God, his father, his refuge and he chose godliness.

That choice led him to the cross where out of love for people like you and me, he took the brunt of God’s judgment of our sin into himself. He was victorious over the powers of sin, Satan, and death by giving up his life out of love. And Jesus died but he rose again to new life so that we could live with resurrection hope – hope that our losses in life can be transformed for our good.

But, also resurrection hope that godliness, obeying God, and serving him actually leads to new life too. It leads to great gain – it leads to Jesus. It leads to life that’s built on a solid rock – that Jesus Christ lived, died, and rose from the grave. It means we can trust in God as our refuge because if he overcame death, he will help us through whatever it is we’re facing.

When we fall into envy, like I did when I saw the price of my friend's house., Jesus is wanting me to stop looking at them and start looking at him. Don't make a nice home or big salary your refuge — make Christ your refuge. So here's a simple practice: this week, when you catch that envious thought, say it out loud to God — 'God, I'm sorry for feeling envious about ___, forgive me. Jesus, be my refuge and sanctuary.' Because in Christ, godliness proves to be great gain; but apart from him, godlessness is great pain.

Today, I want to talk about a word that if I asked each of you to define, we’d likely get some different answers. It’s a common Christian and non-Christian word but there are often similarities to how these two groups describe the word. That word is blessing.

If you go to Chick-Fil-a and order a 8 ct nugget but they give you a 12 ct nugget instead, you are #blessed. If everything is going well in your life, you are #blessed. If you have the perfect home or just got a good raise at work, you are #blessed. But is blessing just about having good outcomes in your life or is there something deeper? Because what happens when bad or tough things come, has God stopped blessing you? Is it possible to be blessed when things are falling apart?

There is a danger for us, especially in the West. We love comfort – we’ll say we’re blessed when all our bills are paid but could you say the same if you lost your job and had no idea how to pay rent or your mortgage? There is a danger that for a lot of you, God’s blessing is directly tied to how comfortable or how good life feels right now. But, is it possible for us to disconnect God’s blessings from his purposes?

Psalm 67 lays out a clear point for us and it’s the point we’ll be making today: your blessings have a purpose: God’s name magnified in your neighborhood and among the nations. We’ll be tracing through to see what God gives us (his blessings), who God is because of that, and what these blessings are for. As we go through, we’re going to discover that God’s blessings aren’t meant to stop with us – they’re meant to spread.

If you’re able, would you please stand with me as we read God’s word?

What God Gives Us (Blessing, Grace, Presence, & Provision)

In this Psalm, we see three ways that God blesses us: with his grace, with his presence, and with his provision. Here’s how that works:

1.      His grace: “May God be gracious to us.” This is asking God to bless them by showing them unmerited kindness or favor. The Psalmist knows they don’t deserve God’s kindness but because of who God is, they want him to show his favor.

2.    His presence: “Make his face shine on us.” This is asking God bless by turning his face towards his people – asking God to be attentive to their needs, to hear their prayers, and continue to be present with them. He’s asking God, “please don’t leave us. Stay.”

3.    His provision: “The land yields its harvest.” So, they’re asking God to bless them by continuing to meet their material or physical needs. He’s making sure they have enough to eat and survive.

In this Psalm, these are three examples that God blesses his people but it’s easy for us to just look at blessings as God’s provision. What does Jesus says in the Sermon on the Mount: “See how your father cares for the lilies and the birds, aren’t you more valuable than them?” But, there are times when we forget about the other two ways God can bless us with his grace and his presence.

God blesses us with grace through the fact that while we were yet sinners, Christ Jesus died for us – the just (Jesus) for the unjust). How many of us, in our natural ability, would forgive a person who consistently sinned against or intentionally hurt us? That’s God’s grace. But, God also blesses us with his presence: Jesus humbly descended from the throne, took on flesh, and dwelt among us. After he ascended, he sent the Holy Spirit who lives in every believer. And because the Spirit is in us, God’s attentive love is always with us – he sees you, he sees me, and he hears us when we cry. God’s attentive love is also displayed through his church who cares for the hurting and the poor. Those are ways we can be blessed.

PIC When I was in Peru, I met a family who was facing a lot of challenges. They had no formal income – the mom had a small market stand along the street and the husband was a farmer with a teen son. One day, the husband was riding his bike and was hit by a car breaking his leg right at harvest time with his crops. There was no way he’d be able to harvest but when we visited, he kept talking about how blessed they were. This is a family whose income was just severely impacted, who lived in a cinderblock home with a dirt floor and no AC, and no social benefits. He said they were blessed because God’s blessings were shown through the local church there. The church paid for his doctor visits, the church helped harvest his crops, the church prayed for his healing, and the church reminded him that God was with him in this struggle.

God’s blessings aren’t just limited to a comfortable life. They also include his grace, his presence, and his provision like in that Peruvian family’s life.

In seasons where provision is tight or things are hard, you can still say you’re blessed because God’s presence never leaves you and his grace is what brings you into his presence through what Jesus has done.

But, all of this begs a question: If someone consistently gives you favor that you don’t deserve, stayed close to you no matter what, and faithfully cared for your needs, you will ask – who does this sort of thing? Psalm 67 gives us two qualities of God that should lead us to joy.

Why God?

The Psalmist is expressing that the nations will be glad and sing for joy when they hear of the God of the bible. Why in the world would they do that?

Psalm 67 tells us in verse 4, that connector word: May the nations be glad and sing for joy, FOR…you rule the people with equity and guide the nations of the earth. And it’s those things that cause them to be glad and sing for joy! Why is that good news?  

It’s good news because it shows us that:

1.      God is just – we live in a world that often is unjust. From our perspective, it seems like bad people get away with their wrongs and the weakest of our society are manipulated or forgotten. But, not in God’s eyes – he is just meaning he does what is right. He is the father of the fatherless, he defends the weak and oppressed, and he sees the evil deeds done in our world and will bring justice to those who cause harm. And one day fully, God’s justice will be shown as Jesus himself will wipe away every tear from every eye.

2.    God is powerful: that’s why he guides the nations of the earth. All rulers of the earth may feel like they’re truly in control and can effect great change but it is God who is truly on the throne. He is powerfully working all things together for good. In the Old Testament, God worked in the hearts of multiple kings of Babylon to free Israel from exile. God worked in the Babylonian Kings who then gave Israel all the supplies and funds that they needed to rebuild Jerusalem and the Temple. This is the same God who parted the Red Sea for Israel in the Exodus. God is powerful and he is a firm rock to put your hope in.

So because of who God is, the nations are glad and sing for joy! God isn’t in the business of redeeming people who grit their teeth and regret the fact that God called them. Instead, God is in the serious business of joy – he wants passionate worshippers who know he is better than the other things we’re tempted to put our hope in.

The nations are worshippers of God because of who he is and what he gives us. But, Psalm 67 creates a cycle where we worship and rejoice but we also take action: there’s a power phrase in this psalm that gets to the reason why we’re blessed – “so that.” It’s asking us: what’s the purpose of God’s blessings?

What It’s For

Ultimately, this is what Psalm 67 is about – helping us to see that God has a purpose behind his blessings (his grace, his presence, and his provision) because of who he is. So, what is that purpose?

Verse 2 and verse 7 tell us in this Psalm – so that God’s ways would be made known on the earth, his saving way or salvation among all nations. Verse 7 tells us so that all the ends of the earth will fear him or hold him in reverence.  So, blessing isn’t meant for us – blessing is meant for the sake of others, in our neighborhoods and the nations.

PIC Christopher Ash, in his commentary on this says: “Psalm 67 celebrates the attractive power of grace.”

Why does God care about the neighborhoods and nations? Because of the fall, we all offer some sort of disordered worship. Because we have disordered worship, we find ourselves enslaved to serving false gods. For example, if you idolize having enough money – what’s your response when someone has a higher salary or hourly rate than you? Is it joy and contentment with what you have or is it rage at that person for getting paid more than you? Don’t you get jealous and wish you were paid more instead? You’re stewing by now and you’re falling into sin because you’re desiring what someone else has and also angry at them. You make poor decisions like obsessing over your finances, only to find out there’s another person who has a nicer home than you. That false god has enslaved you and led you into sin. Pick your own false god and this path repeats itself.

But, it’s only Jesus who can truly save you from your sin and your idolatry. By trusting in Jesus, you can find the forgiveness you need and fight sin by trusting that God will always provide for you – it doesn’t matter if someone gets paid more than you. It’s only through Jesus that this can take place, it’s only through him that anyone can be made right with God. But, God is under no condition to do any of this. Out of deep love, he chooses to free us from the bondage of sin and offer us new life found in him. So, have you repented from your sin and trusted him yet? If you haven’t, today’s the day.

And when you come to faith in Christ, you join with all the believers to worship him and to be glad at what he has saved you from! You shout with joy because your old ways are no longer your new ways. You become a worshipper in every area of your life. And true worship is contagious – meaning it spreads to others, to your neighborhoods and to the nations.

That’s the heart of this Psalm: if you’re a follower of Jesus, you’re not meant to keep this gift to yourself. Here’s the thing: your neighbors and people in the nations will not hear about Jesus if you do not talk to them about Jesus. Psalm 67 repeats the idea of: May the peoples praise you, this is the Father’s heart. He doesn’t want his blessings to just be on Israel or just this church, he wants his blessing spread all across the globe.

If you have the gift of faith, that gift isn’t just to be a steady anchor for you when life gets messy and hard – it’s meant to also meant to be shared with others so they come to a deeper faith. If you have been blessed with an abundance of time, money, or other resources, it’s not meant to only be used by you – it’s meant to be multiplied and invested into the Kingdom.

Psalm 67 wants us to see that God blesses us with his grace, with his presence, and with his provision so that we will be empowered to work towards the spread of his Gospel message. One of the reasons that God has chosen to save and redeem you so that you will be an instrument in his hand to reach those who are far from him – it doesn’t mean being a missionary in Papua New Guinea, it means being faithful and intentional right where you are. This is how God is fulfilling his promise that he made to Abraham all the way back in Genesis 12 – he blessed Abraham so that all the nations would be blessed through him

Revelation 7:9-10 gives us this incredible promise and future reality:

After this I looked, and there before me was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne and before the Lamb. They were wearing white robes and were holding palm branches in their hands. ¹⁰ And they cried out in a loud voice:

“Salvation belongs to our God,
who sits on the throne,
and to the Lamb.”

And how do those people get to the lamb? They get to the lamb through hearing the message of Jesus from one of his followers, you and me. And can you imagine that day? People from all across the world – different languages, different cultures, and different ethnicities but all united in worshipping the King of Kings. That’s where the biblical story is heading and Psalm 67 wants us to jump into that story today.

So, I want to ask two hard questions: when’s the last time you talked to someone about Jesus? When’s the last time you prayed for someone to come to faith in Christ? If you’re feeling the weight of that, I’m with you – so, let’s commit to take action together.

As we eagerly look forward to the day when Jesus returns and Revelation 7 becomes our reality, I want to give you two practices I’d recommend. These two practices will help Psalm 67 become true in your neighborhood and the nations.

1. I want you to pray for a specific person or household in your neighborhood or workplace. And I want you to pray that God would provide you with opportunities to show them the love of Christ through your actions but also share the love of Christ through your words. I want you to pray that they would come to faith in Jesus.

2. I want you to pray for an unreached people group. In case you don’t know, unreached people groups are folks around the world who have never heard about Jesus. They are far from God, searching for meaning, for freedom, and for hope. There’s a fantastic tool called: “joshuaproject.net” that shows you stats of how many people in the world haven’t heard about Jesus (3.58 billion) and they give you a daily prayer prompt for a people group who are unreached. I want you to pray that God would raise up missionaries in this church and the global church to reach every inch of this world with the hope of Christ. I want you to pray that God would be working in the hearts of those unreached people to hear and receive the Gospel well when it comes. Today, we’ll be doing that for the Dome people in India. 204,000 people, 0 following Jesus. Poor.

Next year, it’s my hope and prayer that we will have more strategic ways for us, as a church, to engage in local and global missions so stay tuned. But, prayer must always be our first step in these pursuits so commit to pray for a neighbor and an unreached people group.

As we prepare to close, remember that your blessings have a purpose: God’s name magnified in your neighborhood and among the nations. Will there be days where you fail in this pursuit and live a life where your blessings are disconnected from God’s purposes? You bet. Ultimately, Jesus did what Israel and ourselves could not do: he lived in complete obedience to God’s Law. He was blessed by God and he submitted himself to the Father’s will which was to rescue and redeem people from their slavery to sin which leads to death and life spent apart from him. Jesus accomplished his mission and he has given us the mission of spreading his name everywhere we go. But because of the cross, there is forgiveness when we mess up or forget this.  

But slowly, with the Spirit’s help and your intention, God’s name will be magnified in your neighborhood and among the nations. Maybe next time someone asks you if you're blessed, your answer won't begin with your paycheck or your health or your house. Maybe you'll say, 'Yes. God's been gracious to me. His presence is with me. He's provided what I need. And now I want someone else to know Him too.'

As we prepare to sing one final song together, I’m going to introduce a new song by Keith and Kristyn Getty entitled: “May the Peoples Praise You” – it’s inspired by this very Psalm and it’s full of the joy that this Psalm encapsulates. And we must never cease singing this song until all the peoples praise God for who he is. Amen? Let us pray. If you need prayer, go see the people in the back.

In the Office, Michael Scott is your loveable clueless boss. And one of my favorite quotes from him is: “Sometimes, I’ll start a sentence and I don’t even know where it’s going. I just hope I find it along the way.” Now, we’re meant to laugh at Michael’s cluelessness with this quote but I have a question: do you and I do the same thing? Perhaps not verbally but what about in our mind?

Do you ever sit and listen to that little voice in your head and wonder: “How in the world did I start thinking about this?” Going further, how often is that little voice in your head actually helpful? If you’re like me, that little voice in your head can be overly critical of yourself and others. That little voice can quickly spiral to crushing lows of anxiety and depression. That little voice can slowly crush out hope, if you let it.

Paul David Tripp often quips that the most influential person in your life is you because no one else talks to you as much as you talk to you. So, the question is: what are you saying to yourself? That’s what the Psalmist in Psalm 42 is addressing. And today, we’ll be seeing why you should stop listening to yourself and start preaching to yourself.

Here’s the thing: there are some of you who may be in a spiritual depression, challenging season, or life just feels really hard. If that’s not you, can I let you in on a secret? You will - and Psalm 42 prepares you for when that day comes. This Psalm is critical for us so that we know how, by the Spirit’s help, to choose hope even when things feel totally hopeless and so that we know the feelings we have can be valid but we also have the choice to respond to them as well. When you preach to yourself instead of just listening to yourself, your eyes lift — and you remember that God's faithfulness and goodness are still there, even in the darkest season.

Will you stand with me, if you’re able, as we read Psalm 42-43? They’re separated in our bibles but as you’ll likely be able to tell, they go together and would be sung together.  

Feeling Distant from God

Do you feel the weight of this Psalm? This wasn’t written by David, Asaph, or Moses – it was written by the sons of Korah who were responsible for leading God’s people in song. So, this Psalm was meant to be sung by the people of Israel which is good news for those of us who have struggled with depression, anxiety, and more.

In Hebrew poetry, which the Psalms are, words don’t rhyme. Instead, the Psalmist repeats questions or phrases to convey the deep anguish or strong feelings he’s experiencing. Psalm 42-43 is no different, the repeated question is: why, my soul, are you downcast? Why so disturbed within me?

We’re going to look at the rest of the Psalm to better understand why he was feeling this way and I bet you have also felt this way at some point in your life. The Psalmist takes us through two journeys of his heart, both leading to a deeper anguish:

1. Looking for Him But Not Finding Him

The Psalmist compares himself to a deer that is panting for water, the deer is thirsty and knows what it needs but it can’t drink. Joel 1:20 uses this imagery as he’s describing how Israel is so parched and destroyed by sin that the deer are looking for water but there is none to be found. Do you ever feel that way – knowing you need God but feeling like you can’t find him? So in the same way, the Psalmist is realizing the thing he needs most is God but he can’t find him.

This leads him to verse 3 where he can’t eat because he’s so distraught. His daily sustenance is no longer food, it’s his tears – that’s why he says his tears have been his food. I’m reminded of C.S. Lewis’s words after Aslan was murdered by the White Witch as he shares how Lucy and Susan felt: “If you've been up all night and cried till you have no more tears left in you—you will know that there comes in the end a sort of quietness. You feel as if nothing was ever going to happen again.” Why is the Psalmist so distraught?

He tells us in verse 4: he knows what it’s like to need God and to have him by your side. He used to be the one who would lead people in worship at the Temple in Jerusalem – he would shout with joy and praise! But, something happened and he’s no longer in Jerusalem – verse 6 tells us that he is far away north in the heights of Mount Hermon which is well over 100 miles away from Jerusalem. Some scholars believe this Psalmist has actually been imprisoned or exiled which is why he’s far away from Jerusalem as well as enduring the taunts and mockery of folks asking: where is your God now?

And remember, Israel believed, at this time, the Temple was the unique and central place where God had chosen to dwell with his people. To be away from the Temple, it felt like you were away from God’s presence. So, this Psalmist feels cut off from the place where God dwelled and he naturally feels like he has no hope to ever lead worship again.  

So, that’s why he is so downcast, that’s why he weeps, and that’s why he is pouring out his soul. This is one of my favorite Psalms because it shows us that wrestling with God is okay. It shows us that having questions or real struggles in our walk with Christ isn’t evidence that we don’t have enough faith or out of God’s will. These two Psalms show us how to respond when those things happen. I worry that sometimes we feel like our prayers have to be super pious or we can’t talk to God about these hard things, the Psalmist gets super real here and I don’t see any indicator that God rebuked him for his honesty.

So my friends, have you felt this way before? You’ve had times where you’ve searched for God, cried out to him, and it feels like he’s not listening? Psalms 42 and 43 show us that this is part of the human experience and it’s extremely healthy to process this pain. As we read this together, I hope you were encouraged that these Psalms don’t hold anything back. In your own prayer life, you don’t have to hold anything back. God can handle your honesty, your doubts, or your hurts but you need to express them to him as well.

Things continue to grow worse from the Psalmist’s perspective. Since he can’t find God, he ends up:

2. Feeling Abandoned and Rejected by God

Because of all that has happened, the Psalmist ends up feeling abandoned or forsaken by God. In verse 7, he shares how God’s waves and breakers have swept over him meaning the troubles facing him have totally overwhelmed him. In verse 9, he reaches his lowest moment – he asks: “God, why have you forgotten me?” How many of us have wondered that very same thing?

Because he feels forgotten, he describes just how bad he feels: he describes his bones being in agony. This has moved from his mind into his body– this Psalmist feels abandoned and that has impacted his body, his mind, his heart, and his soul. Psalm 43 tells us that he feels rejected by God – perhaps he felt that God had equipped and called him for a specific purpose but now that’s been taken from him. The Psalmist is likely wondering: God, why did you reject me? What did I do to deserve that?

In these Psalms, things have slid from bad to worse. This is why the Psalmist asks the question: why are you downcast, o my soul? And my friends: I’m willing to bet that you have felt that too. Why am I so upset? Why do I feel like God doesn’t love me or care about me? Why is this happening to me?

As it was read, did you notice how there was something else going on? There was this internal battle going on in the Psalmist’s words – there was all the terrible stuff we just went through but there was also hope through gritted teeth. Here’s what I mean.

The Self Talking to You

As the Psalmist is reflecting on everything, do you feel the overwhelm and hopelessness? These Psalms are fascinating because we don’t see all of his circumstances but we see the war in his heart. Left unchecked, this is a very dangerous war.

Like all of us, this Psalmist has a voice in his head. In this Psalm, we’re getting an insight into the Psalmist’s unfiltered thoughts. Some of his thoughts are indeed true. He really is suffering. He really is far from Jerusalem. He really is being mocked. The problem isn't that his circumstances are false—the problem is that his pain is becoming the lens through which he interprets everything. Left unchecked, those thoughts begin to spread and dominate his perspective.

Specifically, the Psalmist’s thoughts are telling him: he has been abandoned by God, he’s been forgotten, and that God has allowed him to be totally overwhelmed. He is feeling crippling anxiety that overwhelms him. And if we’re honest with ourselves: this is where our thoughts can go too – how often does a thought pop into our mind about something hard or tough in our lives? Then, next thing you know, it’s all you can think about. You begin to spiral and it robs you of your present moment and it consumes your mind.

For me, I can often feel shame and guilt over my past mistakes before coming to faith in Christ. I think of the many mistakes that I made. And once those thoughts start coming, it’s like a fire hose. More thoughts start to come that I can’t control: thoughts that I’m not loved by God, that I can’t be a pastor because of my past, and that I don’t deserve to have such a loving wife and three great kids. It leads me to a dark place where I retreat inwardly away from God, away from my family, and away from my friends.

In those moments, the Psalmist and I have a similarity: we are just listening to ourselves and letting that voice in our head talk to us and define our situations. These negative and destructive thoughts totally overwhelm us but Psalm 42:5 is a turning point. He refuses to let his emotions have the final word – it’s a turning point that he returns to three times where he effectively says: “Enough is enough, I’m fighting back!” That’s when he stops listening to himself and starts preaching to himself by asking: Why, my soul, are you downcast? Why so disturbed within me? He’s wondering: how in the world did I get to be feeling this way?

It’s at this critical moment that the Psalmist decides to fight back. The rest of verse 5 gives us the weapon he uses to fight back.

Choosing to Hope (Preaching to Yourself)

He repeats this phrase twice in Psalm 42 and once in Psalm 43. The fact that it’s repeated three times in 16 verses tells us something critical. He says “Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him, my savior and my God.” This is said for the first time in Psalm 42:5 and what’s incredible is what happens next: the Psalmist acknowledges that he is still downcast but he will remember God – even though he feels distant from him. His circumstances have not changed but when he says he “remembers God”, that means he is consciously reminding himself of God’s faithfulness, kindness, and love that has been shown to him all his life. The Psalmist is fighting back by intentionally deciding to trust in God in the present moment by reminding himself how God has been trustworthy in the past.

As he does this, he finds his strength and voice again – you can see this in Psalm 42:8. He recalls God’s love, his presence, and how he is involved in his life. He says by day, God directs his love and by night, God's song — his very presence — is with him. Remember how he started? He said his tears have been his food day and night but who else was there? God. Every tear he cried wasn’t prayed with an absent God but rather in the presence of God who was with him all along.

In Psalm 42:9, he calls God “His rock” which is a far cry from where he started. The destructive thoughts come up again and he believes he’s been forgotten by God and the pain of it is unimaginable. But, does he allow this to overwhelm him?

No, he asks the question posed earlier: Why, my soul, are you downcast? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God! Psalm 43 follows a similar theme where he calls God “his stronghold”. A destructive thought comes up again but he decides to fight back by asking God to send his faithful care and his light so that he can draw near to him once again. Psalm 43 draws to a close with the Psalmist calling God his joy and his delight. This is what preaching to yourself can do – it doesn’t change your circumstances but it does change your perspective.  

So, what should you do when it’s Monday morning and those negative thoughts start coming? I want to give you an example and then a practice with this.

Before I give you a practical example, I want to say something important. Some of you may be in a season where the weight you're carrying goes beyond a Monday morning battle with negative thoughts — and what you genuinely need is a trained counselor or therapist. If that's you, preaching to yourself is not a replacement for that, and pursuing help is not a failure of faith. The Psalmist cried out for help too. Please don't hear this next section as 'just try harder.' What I'm offering is a daily practice — not a cure for everything.

And as we move into the practical part of this sermon, I want to read an excerpt from the brilliant Dr. Martin Lloyd Jones who wrote a full book on Psalm 42:

Have you realized that most of your unhappiness in life is due to the fact that you are listening to yourself instead of talking to yourself? Take those thoughts that come to you the moment you wake up in the morning. You have not originated them, but there they are, talking to you. They bring back the problem of yesterday. Somebody’s talking. Who’s talking? Your self is talking to you. Now this man’s treatment in Psalm 42 was this: instead of allowing this self to talk to him, he starts talking to himself, “Why are you cast down, O my soul?” he asks. His soul had been depressing him, crushing him. So he stands up and says: “Self, listen for a moment, I will speak to you.

So, as destructive thoughts flood your mind, how do you actually preach to yourself? This is one of the reasons why I believe knowing Scripture by heart and memory can be so helpful. Some of you may be thinking: “Anthony, memorizing Scripture is so hard.” But yet, you know the rosters of all your sports teams and the life story of a celebrity. If you can do that, you can memorize Scripture.

In my case, I often think of the glorious eighth chapter of Romans to combat negative and destructive thoughts. Like I shared earlier, when the weight of my past mistakes and regrets feels too heavy to bear, those thoughts of: thoughts that I’m not loved by God, that I can’t be a pastor because of my past, and that I don’t deserve to have such a loving wife and three great kids.

What do I preach to myself? I remind myself that there is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. I remind myself that I have failed to live up to God’s standards but Jesus did that on my behalf. That old self is dead, I live life by the Spirit and he is making me new. I wish I did things differently but God works all things together for good for those he loves who are called according to his purposes. I am God’s child, I’m not forsaken by him because of my past – he knows my past and he’s written my future. God isn’t against me, he is for me and if he is for me, who can be against me? My past, my regrets, my mistakes then and now cannot ever separate me from the love of Christ that is found in Christ Jesus.

Do I always do that every time I have a destructive thought come into my mind? I wish I could say yes but like you, I’m still learning and growing. But when the Spirit reminds me to, I begin to find my courage and strength again. I remember my true name and true identity.

And that’s what I want you to do this week: take some time this week to write a messy prayer. Here’s what I mean by that:

·      Write down the pains, hurts, and sorrows in your life currently.

·      Share how you’re honestly feeling with God as a result of those – do you feel forgotten? Abandoned?

·      Choose to put your hope in God by preaching to yourself.

·      Remind yourself of God’s past faithfulness, kindness, and love. Preach to yourself verses from Scripture – this is fighting lies with truth.

And when those destructive thoughts come again, refer to the prayer that you wrote. Preach to yourself truth so you can overcome the lies.

I know that may feel overly simplistic but I want to remind you why all of us here should put our hope in God. Psalm 42 and Psalm 43’s toughest moments were lived out by Jesus Christ himself. Heading to the cross, Jesus wept as he asked his Father: “is there any other way?” He was heading into the beast of sin and death where he would feel the weight of anguish and pain like the Psalmist felt, like we’ve all felt. The Psalmist felt the deep waters sweeping over him but Jesus Christ felt the deep destruction of sin on the cross. He absorbed the full weight of sin and died. Jesus felt the full weight of this – even quoting Psalm 22 to communicate his deep anguish, asking God: “Why did you forsake me?” Though Jesus entered into death itself, the Father vindicates Jesus through the resurrection and establishes him as his chosen king. Jesus displayed his authority and power over sin and death. Those things have no power over him and if you follow him as your Lord and Savior, they no longer have power over you.

On the day that Jesus died, it would have been understandable to give up hope. It would have been understandable to think Jesus was a fraud or there was no way he was coming back. But, he did. The cross didn’t have the final word, the resurrection did. And that’s why we can put our hope in God – our perspective on things aren’t always accurate, we need the daily reminder that because of the resurrection, we can have hope that sorrows, pain, and hurts can be transformed for our good. They aren’t evidence of God’s absence, they’re evidence of the sin in our world They’re evidence that this world and all of need a great savior. And by God’s grace, that savior is Jesus Christ and it is in him that we put our hope in. So, my friends – this is your reminder to stop listening to yourself and start preaching to yourself a Gospel of hope, mercy, forgiveness, of a God who cares, and of a God who reigns.

I’m going to invite you to stand for one final worship song and I’ll pray for us.

This transcript is AI-generated, there are likely some errors.

bring up the darkness line presentation that'd be awesome. So, we're Well, a couple things. First of all, I guess uh uh the word must got out. I was preaching this morning and you know, I got to appreciate you guys coming anyway. Thank you. And uh you know, so if you want me to do a quick sales pitch on ecological fibers. So, the Bible that I have in my hand here, the cover material on this Bible is manufactured by our facility in China and it's manufactured in China as well brought over here which is most Bibles and journals and things are nowadays because all the fancy stuff they do on them that we can't do over here. Uh so, yeah, that's my pitch. If you're buying Bibles and journals, thank you. Because if you have this type of material on your Bible, came from us most likely. So. Okay. So, we're going to continue our series. We're going to keep things going as Anthony has already laid out for us this summer. And we're spending the summer in the Psalms. So, uh if you want to stand with me, we're going to actually spend time today in Psalm 56. So, if you have your Bible and you want to flip it open to that or your Bible app on your phone or if you need a Bible, there's Bibles on a table in the back there. And uh we're going to read uh Psalm 56. So, basically just a little um preamble here. There are 150 Psalms you know, in the book of Psalms and it's believed that David authored about 73 of those Psalms in total. And then eight of those 73 Psalms were written while David was living as a fugitive. And these eight particular Psalms, sometimes also referred to as as poems, continue to give the abundant testimony to the vicious realities of a fallen world. You know, and still, when God is on our side, we can find refuge in the midst of any storm. So, let's read Psalm 56. Be merciful to me, oh God, for men hotly pursue me. All day long they press their attack. My slanders pursue me all day long. Many are attacking me in their pride. When I am afraid, I will trust in you. In God, whose word I praise, in God I trust, I will not be afraid. What can mortal man do to me? All day long they twist my words. They are always plotting to harm me. They conspire, they lurk, they watch my steps eager to take my life. On no account let them escape. In your anger, oh God, bring down the nations. Record my lament. List my tears on your scroll. Are they not in your record? Then my enemies will turn back when I call for help. By this I will know that God is for me. In God, whose word I praise, in the Lord, whose word I praise, in God I trust, I will not be afraid. What can man do to me? I am under vows to you, oh God. I will present my thank offerings to you. For you have delivered me from death and my feet from stumbling, that I may walk before God in the light of life. You can be seated. So, yep, I'm going to have to go back one. The title of this sermon this morning is called Faith in the midst of fear. And uh I'm going to put my hat on here for a minute. So, uh uh I have a I had a chuckle the other evening. We had a uh men's group event at uh Dave's place and uh you know, as we were all coming together and everything, I was wearing my my navy hat and Ed pulled up and he uh was came up and he's puffing his chest out. He's like, "Oh, I see we're going to have a problem tonight." I was like, "What do you mean?" And I looked and well, he had his Air Force hat on, right? I'm like, "Oh, okay. Here we go." Right? So, in context now, in true Air Force fashion, Ed, I think, had the most comfortable chair there, okay? And I'm pretty sure when he was getting it out of his car, I saw a pillow and a blanky fall out. That, you know, just in case he needed a nap, you know, while we were we're we were doing all this, but anyway, it was all good. We we did not we did not have any uh any problems. So, um but I did want to share a story with you. And uh there she is. This is the mighty Mount Whitney, LCC 20, the amphibious command ship. And you know, as most of you know or probably figured it out by now, I spent about uh you know, I served in the Navy for about 6 years. And while I was on active duty, uh I was assigned to the staff of the commander of the Second Fleet. And the Mount Whitney was the flagship for the Second Fleet. So, I was stationed on board the Mount Whitney. And uh as you can see in this picture, she was a beautiful ship, very clean, pretty much spotless, you know, because the admiral of the Second Fleet, you know, this was uh uh his home while we were uh not in port, and so um you know, we hosted you know, a nice uh flat deck there on the top, and it's about a quarter mile around there, actually. Uh you know, believe it or not. And um on the back, between the superstructure and the antenna they'd put up big canopy, and we'd host dignitaries and parties and things like that. So, uh yeah, it was um uh It it The picture pretty much shows, you know, her how she was when I was on board. I saw some recent pictures, and there's been some pretty dramatic changes in uh in some of the antennas and stuff like that. But, uh so the Second Fleet basically covers uh North the North Atlantic Ocean uh and the Arctic region, you know, territory extends basically from the US East Coast to the western shores of Europe. Right? So, uh for me, being on the Second Second Fleet really had its perks. Uh for instance, the admiral of the Second Fleet and another admiral uh they owned property in St. Thomas. So, um needless to say, we spent most of our winter months cruising around in the Caribbean. Tough duty, I know. But, uh and so, another thing with being on the staff, when we were in port away from our home port, Norfolk, uh my job was covered by a duty watch station, so I didn't have to work. So, anytime we'd pull in the port, I was free to go and roam. Now, didn't always do that. I was a nice guy. Even back then, I would help and uh you know, cover other people's watches, so they could go and and enjoy a little bit of time while we were in port, as well. But, um in the late summer and fall, you know, we'd typically do like a 3-month cruise to the North Atlantic and Europe, you know, where our territory and our uh where we covered. And so, the first year um that we made that cruise, that I was, you know, on board when we made that cruise, when we were coming home across the North Atlantic, uh we really hit some nasty storms, uh some very very rough seas. And uh you know, it was pretty scary for me. I'm not going to lie. I mean, uh you know, I wasn't sitting at a desk like Ed probably was in the in the Air Force. Yeah, I was No, I'm just kidding. Worry, I told him I was going to pick on you a little bit, right? So, uh you know, then it happened. Uh here we are, we're cruising, and if you I know this little pointer doesn't work, unfortunately, on the little screen there, Plumber. But anyway, if you can see on the side of the boat where like that little sponson comes down, like that addition on the just below the main deck where the little uh lifeboats and stuff were back there, well, where that uh where that sponson, that's called a sponson, came and was welded to the hull of the ship, uh about halfway down there, uh we had a fracture in the seam of the hull, and it ripped uh a big seam a big a tear in the hull where it was connected. And of course, you know, we started taking on water, and of all places, the water was coming in, you know, the staff's birthing compartment. Of all places, right? Couldn't get more luckier than that. But uh yeah, I mean, uh it was a it was >> [laughter] >> uh I'm not going to say, you know, I was thinking the worst, obviously. You know, I'm thinking like full Titanic here, like we're going down kind of kind of thing. And although this was in 1985 when this happened in the movie Titanic didn't actually come out till 1997. Uh yeah, I was I must have had uh thoughts ahead. But anyway, you know, how much worse could it get, right? You got a rip in the hole, it's you know, filling out part of the the staff birthing compartment. And you know, what if this you know, my mind is like, what if this becomes like a major issue? You know, how much you know, could the boat actually flood? You know, is it going to be enough to take the ship down? I mean, it was you know, you're you you know, it's not like that happened and the and the weather went away. I mean, you're still in it. And it was nasty. And so, uh I started uh doing some pretty major praying. And you know, the those weather conditions lasted for about 24 hours. And then at that point we were pretty much in the clear because, you know, the waves were now hitting lower than uh the tear in the ship. And uh you know, and the seas were calming down pretty considerably. So, you know, it normally took about 7 days for us to get from uh Plymouth, England uh back to Norfolk, Virginia. And we were probably about two to two or three days out from Norfolk yet when all this when all this happened. And so, that for me was probably the scariest moment I faced while I was in the Navy. And uh I definitely found myself calling out to God. And then so, today we're going to learn about one of the times in this life that that David was crying out to God. All right? So, um take my hat back off here. That's my Navy story for you. But fun stuff on that boat. Um and she had to go into dry dock when we got back to to Norfolk, obviously. But, we're going to I want to give a little bit of more context to uh the the Psalms here uh before we get into some of the major points. Um, as I mentioned earlier, you know, eight Psalms were written by David while he was a fugitive, while he basically was running from King Saul. And 1 Samuel 21:10-25 basically describes the story that David is referring to in Psalm 56. You know, so David is fleeing from King Saul and in a desperate moment decides to head to Gath. Anybody know who lived in Gath? Or who came from Gath? Yeah, of course. Gath was a hometown of Goliath, right? So, he's not a stranger there and David quickly finds himself held captive by the Philistines. So, fearing King Achish of Gath, I made up that pronunciation of that name, but uh and knowing his danger there, David tries faking insanity to escape. So, David alters his behavior uh to appear insane and he starts, you know, scratching on the doors and drooling in his beard and ultimately his plan works. Uh and the king was like, "Get this guy out of here, you know?" And he was able to escape to the cave of Adullam. So, in Psalm 56 then, David prays for rescue from the constant threat of his enemies. Despite this, he resolves to respond with trust in the Lord. David asked rhetorically, you know, what possible dangers could earthly men be compared to the power of God in verses 1 to 4. David's enemies act with hate and malice. You know, he says, "My enemies make trouble for me all day long. They are always thinking of ways to hurt me." He says, "You know how troubled I am. You have a record of my tears. Be merciful to me, oh God, because I am under attack." David is in a bad way. Yet, he continues to have hope. So, we're going to break down some of the realities that David shares in the text in Psalm 56 and see how they might be relative to us right now. So, point number one, you don't have to fake being fearless. All right? So, some of these points I broke down into three little sections and the first section I'm just calling it the real-life view. All right? The real-life view of this is that David was genuinely terrified. And he didn't pretend otherwise. Made it very clear. But for us, following Jesus doesn't mean you never get anxious about bills, financial stress, health crisis, and health test results, and your and even your future. And the list goes on and on, right? Now, you know that I've talked a lot about in the past uh the role of the Holy Spirit in our lives as believers and how we're to engage the Holy Spirit. So, I've also interjected a little section in here uh about the Holy Spirit's take on uh you don't have to fake being fearless. And in for this point, we're just going to call it turning fear into trust. You know, you cannot just force yourself to stop being anxious through willpower. You know, the Holy Spirit acts as a supernatural disruptor to fear. So, when panic sets in, the spirit reminds us that um God's character is going to give you a sudden, unexplainable sense of peace that doesn't sense um that you know, it doesn't make sense to you it it given your circumstances. Okay? That and that and that basically that statement comes from Philippians 4:7, which is one of my favorite verses in the Bible. And it says my favorite uh it says, "And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus." So, then there's a daily practice portion of this for us. For, you don't have to fake being fearless. You know, followers of Jesus are not expected to be emotionless. You know, the goal isn't to never feel fear. It's about what you do next. So, when anxiety hits, make a conscious pivot to the trust, mirroring what David's words were in verse three, "When I am afraid, I will trust." So, treat it like an alarm clock, you know, um that tells you, "Okay, it's time to hand this over to God." And you just take a breath and say, "God, I'm scared, but I'm trusting you in this anyway." You know, some seasons make it really hard to trust God. Not because you don't believe, but because what we're walking, you know, or what you or what we're walking through just feels too heavy. Well, what's been hardest for you lately? You need to take that to God today. He's not pushing you away. He's inviting you closer. Okay? So, point number two. God sees your worst nights. Not necessarily your worst nights is in the worst thing you're doing. Your worst nights is what's troubling you the most. So, a real-life view of this is that David took deep comfort in knowing that God counted his tosses in bed and cashes his tears in a bottle, right? Some versions say, uh, instead of catching tears in a bottle, "List my tears on your scroll." Or, "Put my tears in your wine's wine skin." You know, in our busy, hyper-connected world, it's incredibly easy to feel completely anonymous and invisible and lonely. So, what's the Holy Spirit's take on this? We'll call it noticing God's intimate care. You know, when you feel lonely or invisible, the Holy Spirit acts as your comforter and your counselor. Romans 8:16 says, "The Spirit directly reassures our deep inner self that we belong to God." When you're crying or hurting so badly that you don't have the words to pray, the Holy Spirit actually steps in and groans to God on your behalf, as mentioned in Romans 8:26. So, what's our daily practice here? You know, this theme reminds Christians that their personal pain is never invisible or wasted. This means that you are never crying alone in your car or tossing and turning at 3:00 in the morning unnoticed. God doesn't look at your pain from a distance. He pays attention to every single detail of your heartaches. And your struggles genuinely matter to him. Jesus took this even further in 10 uh verse 30 stating, "Even the very hairs of your head are all numbered." Reinforcing that we as believers serve an intensely attentive father. Now, for me, it takes him a lot less longer to count the hairs on a head. But, I decided to put that in there anyway. That's okay. All right. Point number three. Flying right through this. We're going to be out We're going to be out We're going to breakfast today, Dave, not lunch. So, it says, "Thank him before the breakthrough." Thank him before the breakthrough. So, the real life view here is that David started praising God's promises while he was still trapped by his enemies. Usually, we wait until the problem is totally solved before we say, "Thank you." right? Don't we? So, the Holy Spirit praising before the breakthrough Praising God in a mess is hard. But, the Holy Spirit gives you the strength and perspective to do it. The Holy Spirit shifts your shifts your focus off your immediate problems and shines a spotlight on Jesus. He brings specific scriptures to mind or worship songs to mind. You know, giving you the supernatural power to say, "Thank you." even when your circumstances haven't changed yet. So, what's our daily practice in thanking him before the break through breakthrough? Well, trying to thank God for who he is uh right in the middle of a mess. Call it a pre-victory praise. Singing a worship song or listing things you're grateful for when life feels chaotic. You know, completely changes your perspective. It reminds you that your problems are small compared to how big God is. One great illustration of this is found in Acts 16 where Paul and Silas, after being beaten and facing certain death, prayed and sang hymns to God while chained in a dark prison cell long before the earthquake happened that released them. So, I took some time and found a story that best illustrates these three points. Um, you know, I'm trying to find them a real-life example for us to to follow. And one of the most famous real-life examples of Psalm 56 comes from Corrie ten Boom. So, most of you probably are familiar with the name, maybe not who she was or what she did. Um, so, basically Corrie ten Boom was a Dutch Christian who helped many Jewish people escape the Nazi Holocaust during World War II. She was eventually caught and sent to Ravensbruck, a notorious women's concentration camp. You know, her experiences in the camp perfectly illustrate then, you know, all three of these points that we've talked about in Psalm 56. So, the first point, actively choosing trust from Psalm 56 verse 3 says, "When Corrie and her sister Betsy were first forced into the barracks at Ravensbruck, they found a room completely swarming with fleas. Corrie was instantly terrified and overwhelmed by the horrific degrading conditions. In that moment of panic, her sister Betsy reminded her of the Bible's instruction to give thanks in all circumstances. Corrie didn't feel brave or fearless, but she made a conscious choice of trust uh, you know, to trust God blindly. She forced herself to pray and literally say, "Thank you, God, even for the fleas." So, in point two, God's intimate care from Psalm 56:8, living in a death camp, it was incredibly easy to feel completely invisible and abandoned by God. Millions of people were treated like numbers, stripped of their identity, and killed. However, Corrie often spoke about a small physical reminder of God's microscopic care for her. She had smuggled in a tiny bottle of liquid vitamins to give to her sick sister. Miraculously, no matter how many drops she squeezed out of it to help the freezing women around her, the bottle never ran dry. Every single day, that tiny bottle reminded Corrie of David's words in Psalm 56:8, that God keeps track of our wanderings and catches our tears in a bottle. God was intensely aware of her specific daily suffering in that crowded barracks. And to point three, praising before the breakthrough in Psalm 56:10, you know, months before they were ever released or saved, and while women were dying all around them, Corrie and Betsy did something radical. Every single night, they held the secret Bible studies in the back of the dark filthy barracks. They would quietly sing worship songs and praise God's promises in the middle of the Nazi concentration camp. They didn't wait until the war was over to praise God. They used praise as a frontier weapon, a front line weapon to keep despair from crushing their souls. So the beautiful twist in the story was only much later did Corrie find out why the camp guards never came into their barracks to stop their worship services and Bible studies. Can you guess why? Because of the fleas. The guards were so terrified of catching fleas that they completely avoided the room, giving the women total freedom to pray. So that very thing that caused Corrie fear was what God used to protect them. So, what did we learn today? Uh let's see what the next slide is. Yeah, what did we learn today? Uh we learned about anxiety management, we'll say. The Psalm offers a practical instruction for shifting from panic to praise during high stress situations. David wrote this while trapped by his enemies. And he was totally stressed out. You know, people were constantly breathing down his neck and trying to mess with him. So even though he was terrified, he kept telling himself, "Nope, I'm choosing to trust God anyway." Isolation and empathy. The Psalms reminds you that God sees your hidden emotional battles. Even when you feel completely alone or misunderstood by everyone else. David points out that God actually cares about our smallest hurts. Like he's literally collecting our tears in a bottle. And then the last point we'll just call it digital hostility to bring it up to modern day. Now one quote I read said the feeling of being watched and twisted mirrors the modern exhaustion of online criticism, workplace politics, or social social scrutiny. By the end, David realizes that if God has his back, regular people can't do anything to him. Which changes his whole mood from panic to thankful. So, I found something I thought might be helpful for you to help remember Psalm 56 in this message as you go through your week. It's actually you know, practical enough that you could make it part of your of a weekly routine. It's called the tear jar challenge. And it's on your note paper as well, so you can take it home and and and use it. But here's basically how it works. First, you find a small container. Use a small glass jar, a box, or if you're a techy, you can make a little digital note file, right? Number two, you write down your burdens. Every time you feel anxious, slated, uh slated or overwhelmed, write one sentence summary of that pain on a slip of paper. Number three, surrender it. Drop it in the Drop the paper into the jar as a physical symbol of handing it over to God. Explicitly telling yourself, "God keeps track of this, so I can let it go." And then And four, review and praise At the end of the week, read the slips, thank God for carrying those specific burdens, and then shred the paper. So, hopefully I will be helpful to you if you want to try to uh let go of some of your anxiety. Uh and uh and share it with God, which we are called to do. So, that's it for me. Short and sweet. I am going to uh pray for you. So, um worship team can I guess come back up. And so, I'm going to pray and then hand this back over to uh Pastor Anthony. Let's pray. Heavenly Father, honestly, some days feel heavy and it feels like everything is is stacking up against us. When anxiety sneaks in and tries to take us over, please help us pause and shift our focus back to you. Thank you for being a God who actually cares about the details in our lives. It is wild to think that you see every single one of our hidden struggles, and that you even keep keep track of our tears. Whenever we start to panic, remind us that we can choose trust over fear. If you are for us, we don't need to stress about what anyone else thinks or does. Wash away our anxiety today and replace it with your peace. Thank you for having our backs, always.

Does it ever feel like the world is falling apart to you? For our two young people who are going off to college in the fall, they’re entering a world that seems worse off than it was when you were their age. Today, there’s still conflict going on in Iran (despite assurances that it wouldn’t be long), Ebola has returned in the Democratic Republic of Congo/Uganda, and gas prices continue to climb higher and higher.

Those are real challenges but as a chronic overthinker like myself, I always like to ask: why are those things happening? What is the source of the world’s problems? Why does it seem to be falling apart? Today, we’ll be reading from Psalm 2 which will show us that the World Rages Yet Jesus Reigns. We’ll be walking through this Psalm to see why the world rages, how God responds, and who his king is. This is part of our Summer in the Psalms series where we are learning to pray and sing for all of life’s seasons.

So if you’re able, will you stand with me as we read Psalm 2 this morning?   

The World Rages

At the start of Psalm 2, you get a list of nations, kings, and rulers. It may be easy to write this Psalm off and think yourself: well, that doesn’t include me – I don’t rule. But, Psalm 2 does include you – it indicts anyone who wields power and influence. Because although political leaders boast in their military capabilities, GDPs, or voter base. You and I boast in our abilities/work ethic, good moral deeds/behavior, and our salaries. So, you have power and influence in your workplace, families, neighborhoods, and many other places. So, what does Psalm 2 indict us of?

Psalm 2:3 tells us: “let us break off our chains and throw off our shackles.” What do they mean? They want to throw off the supposed chains and shackles that God and his king have placed on them. In other words, the guilty folks in Psalm 2:3 are saying: I am my own and I get to decide how to live my life. Now, does that sound familiar? It should because it’s what we often tell ourselves.

The beginning of Psalm 2 is inviting us to ask a profound question: why do we resist being ruled by God? Instead of being ruled by God, we allow ourselves to be ruled by something else. I think most people are okay with the concept of God but just a God who doesn’t require anything of you, who doesn’t disagree with everything you believe, and who doesn’t say anything mean. But, we don’t get to decide that and the way we are wired is we are all ruled by something. The question is: what are we ruled by?

If you throw off God’s supposed chains like folks want to do in Psalm 2, guess what? You just place new chains on. Why? We aren’t truly free. We’re all slaves to something and if Jesus isn’t in your life, you’re a slave to sin. And my friends, sin is destructive and doesn’t stay contained – it spreads and multiplies. In the past, I’ve compared sin to black mold in a basement– it may be hidden deep in your heart but it grows, it spreads, and it’s deadly. But like black mold, we may convince ourselves it’s not a huge deal and not deal with it but unchecked, it spreads. Just like times where you’ve told one lie only to have to tell another lie to compensate for it. Or adultery often doesn’t just happen randomly – it begins with mini betrayals of your spouse with pornography consumption, in appropriate texts, phone usage secrecy, only to erupt. Sin is ruthless and it’s this ruthlessness that is destroying our world and we’ve caused it. Trafficking and slave labor. But why does sin do that?

Here’s the thing: you and I are made to worship or to give our hearts to something. The question is: what is it that you worship? What do you spend your money on, think about constantly, or spend obsessive time on? In your hearts of hearts, what is that thing or person that you say: “When I finally have this, I’ll be happy” or “Once this happens, I’ll be happy.” Then, do you end up being happy?  

In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus’ most famous teaching, he knows the power of worship and our hearts. That’s why he said: “For where your treasure is, there your heart will also be.” So, what is your treasure? Or to ask the question that Psalm 2 is asking: what is the thing ruling you.? What is it that you’re looking towards to give you freedom, meaning, and wholeness?

The Need to Fit In / Gain Approval

For some of you, you’ll do whatever it takes for others to see you as funny, cool, or intelligent. You’ll live for the approval of others but you will die and flounder when they criticize you. When this starts to happen, you start to make choices and decisions that are genuinely bad for you – all for the sake of other’s approval. You head down a path where you lose the fundamental reality of who you are in your quest for others to like you.  

Your Relationships

For some of you, your spouse, your kids, or your friends are the center of your universe. When they do something you approve of, you’re riding high with them. But when they hurt you or disappoint you, you’re crushed and in despair. Relationships are a good thing but they can never be the main thing, my friends. When they become the main thing, you become unable to speak the truth in love to them because you’re worried it’ll destroy the relationship. You become unable to make decisions that are for their ultimate good because you’re worried they’ll get mad at you.

Control or Safety

For some of you, you need to be in control. If work is going great, your grades are solid, your kids are doing great, and everyone is healthy, you’re praising God. You conspire and plan to ensure that life remains stable. Life hardly remains stable, friends. Because here’s what happens: you face a crisis at work or you get let go. Or you fail an exam or someone gets sick. Next, your entire life feels like it’s falling apart and you work extremely hard to get it back on track – compromising other areas of your life in the process.

So that’s how the world rages and conspires. Do you see the futility behind it all? If we throw off God’s chains, we end up taking up new ones and being ruled by something else. So, how does God respond to us doing that then?

How The King Responds (4-6)

As the empires rise, kings and presidents boast in military ability, and as human beings put their hopes and ambitions into folks like Elon Musk or ChatGPT (which is an amazing tool but not a savior or friend), what’s God’s response? Is he shaking in his boots? No, he laughs.

First, that should strike us because God is capable of great joy and humor. But, it also tells us that God is not threatened by the world’s vain efforts to reject his rule. Like I’ve said already, we end up allowing ourself to be ruled by something else. We believe those other things will give us true meaning, satisfaction, and purpose apart from our creator. We put so much trust and faith in all sorts of things and God laughs because he knows better.  

It’s like when a parent is playing at the playground with their kids. A kid gets to the monkey bars and most definitely cannot handle the monkey bars but they reject their parent’s help, trusting instead in their own ability to figure it out on their own. What does the parent do? They laugh to themselves and think: well, good luck, kid. Because, the parent knows how this is going to end: total failure.

God is saying: think you can rule better than I can? Ha! Good luck to you. But, he’s not just going to passively let you fail.

He laughs, yes, but he also takes action. God does something that we all may get a little uncomfortable with: God rebukes them in his anger and terrifies them in his wrath. For those feeling uneasy, it’s good to remember that wrath is actually a good thing. It’s a byproduct of God’s love – what do I mean? As a parent, I love my children so much. As a result of my love, I’ll become righteously angry or full of wrath at something that will harm them – it’s natural. It’s the same way for God’s Wrath – he loves his creation and because of that, he hates seeing his creatures be ruled by something that is going to betray them. He hates seeing us choose sin over him because it destroys us and destroys others. God hates sin because of its effect on all that he loves which is why he’s moved to wrath. God’s wrath is directed towards those things that rule our hearts.

So, what’s the outcome of God’s wrath in Psalm 2? He doesn’t just stay angry. Out of love and mercy, He anoints or appoint a special king (Hebrew Word is Messiah) to rule instead – he’s going to be a true ruler. But, who is this ruler?

The Son Reigns (7 – 9)

This ruler is God’s special ruler: he’s hand-picked by the creator of the universe himself. This isn’t a person who was elected in. They were specially picked by God, the true ruler of Israel.

In Israel’s time, this verse was meant as a fulfillment to the House of David that 2 Samuel 7:16 speaks about where God promises: “Your house and your kingdom will endure forever before me; your throne will be established forever.’” But if you know the Old Testament well, you know David’s house became a train wreck: his son, Solomon, became King but was a womanizer. After Solomon, Rehoboam became king and the kingdom of Israel was split in two due to rebellion. And eventually, the Kingdom of Israel was seemingly destroyed by the Babylonians and then the Romans. But, Psalm 2 tells us that God’s appointed King would inherit the nations and rule the ends of the earth. None of Israel’s Kings in the Old Testament did that nor has any king in the world done that. But Psalm 2 points to a time of a truer king, one who would not falter and fall into sin like the Kings of old.

In the New Testament, we see just who that King is: Jesus Christ. In two specific moments tied into Psalm 2, God the Father demonstrates that Jesus is the King that was promised:

1.      In Jesus’ baptism, God the Father, speaks from Heaven saying: This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased!

2.    In Jesus’ transfiguration, God the Father speaks from Heaven saying: This is my son, whom I love, listen to him!

This is the Father’s way of saying: Jesus is the king, he’s the one I sent – the one I promised David and Israel hundreds of years ago. If you want to know what God is like, you don’t need to guess: you just look at Jesus.

And lastly throughout Jesus’s last few days, he becomes a true king: he is given a crown to wear – not a crown of gold and jewels but a crown of thorns. He is given a royal robe to wear – not out of heartfelt worship from his subjects but out of hatred. And he is raised up on a throne but it’s not a chair, it’s a cross.

Jesus is established as the King of Psalm 2. If you’re here today, this is one thing I don’t want you to miss: Jesus was dead and he came back to life. If you’re going to wrestle with anything from today, that’s what I want you to wrestle with. Because if it is true, that means we have to view what he taught and what the Scriptures (that he respected and read) say. If he didn’t come back to life, we’re all free to go home.

In Acts 13, the Apostle Paul is preaching and he says the resurrection of Jesus is the fulfillment of Psalm 2. When Jesus came back to life, he became the true King that was promised and he is redeeming people from every nation. He is sending his people out to every nation to redeem them for his own. And he’s doing that today.

Sailors test an anchor before a voyage — not in calm water but in rough seas. An anchor that holds in a storm is one you trust your life to. The resurrection is the anchor that has already been tested in the worst storm imaginable — death itself — and it held. The King you're being invited to follow has already faced the worst and won. Like Mr. Beaver says in The Lion, The Witch, & The Wardrobe, “Safe? ‘Course he’s isn’t safe but he’s good. He’s the King, I tell you.”

This then means Jesus is inviting us to a decision that every single person needs to make. Psalm 2 ends with inviting you into a serious reflection and that’s what I’d invite every single of you into as well. I’m going to re-read Psalm 2:10-12 so we can reflect on this together.

When the Psalm says “Kiss his son”, that really means to give allegiance or respect/honor to the son. In other words, that means accepting the Son’s kingship or accepting him as your ruler. We’ve already discussed that we all are guilty of allowing ourselves to be ruled by something else and we hate being told what to do. This leads into sin and running away from God which means we cause our own downfall and destruction. That’s how Psalm 2 ends with a warning.

I know it can be tempting to rationalize this away but you can’t. Paul writing in 1 Corinthians 15 names over 500 people who saw Jesus alive after his death — and he wrote that while many of them were still alive to be questioned. So if Jesus did really come back to life this becomes your reality. This is a warning for those who would hear this message today and not change anything because Jesus isn’t just gentle and lowly, he’s also strong and powerful. 

Why is Jesus worth following? Why should you give your allegiance to him? Those other things that you’re letting rule your life will fail you. They will betray you and let you down. They are not as strong as you think they are. But, Jesus Christ is God in the Flesh, he cannot fail you. Dr. Timothy Keller often quipped that: “The Gospel means that you are more flawed and sinful than you ever dared to imagine but, at the same time in Christ Jesus, you are more loved and known than you ever dared to hope.”

When you choose to follow Jesus, what does Psalm 2 say you will find? Blessing. Joy. Flourishing. There is no refuge or rest apart from God – you will continue to allow other things to rule your life and it’ll only lead to your destruction. But, you can find the refuge and rest that you desire by coming to faith in Christ and paying homage to him regardless of your life season.

I want you to imagine this whole congregation as a symphony orchestra. We each play an instrument. Now, if we value freedom above all and don’t listen to experts on how to play the instruments, we can play on our own but it’ll sound terrible. In our pride, we double down and try harder but we still sound awful. But, what if we start to learn how to play? What if we allow ourselves to be ruled by an expert conductor or instructor? Slowly, we begin to play and we sound not too bad. Over time, we start to sound pretty good. But, we only get to sounding like a real symphony orchestra when we allow ourselves to be ruled by that instructor. You can ignore that instructor but you’re going to flounder and never become the musician that you could have been.

In the same way, you can write off Jesus or say that you don’t need him but you’re going to miss out on the life that God has in store for you. You’re going to flounder and struggle with no confidence in this life. Your hopes are going to be dashed Into pieces of pottery because they’re not as strong as you thought they were.

So as interesting as all this is, what does that mean you should do today, in light of what we all just heard? Two practices, one for the Christian, one for the non-Christian.

If you’re a Christian today, this week, I’d invite you to reflect on the questions that are on your notes. They’ll help you see what’s been ruling you lately.

If you’re not a Christian, I’d invite you to become one today and become a part of this church or another gospel centered church. Tomorrow isn’t promised and the path apart from Jesus just means you destroy yourself. God’s heart isn’t for you to go down that path, God’s heart is for you to find refuge and blessing but it’s only found with Jesus as your king. So if that’s you, there will be folks at the back during our final song who would love to pray with you and lead you to Christ or you can come talk to me after service as well.

With Jesus as your King, you will find a sure and steady anchor amidst the storms of life. With Jesus as your King, you will find forgiveness for the sins and stumbles of your life. With Jesus as your King, you will live with resurrection hope because you know God can take the worst things in your life and bring good from them just like he did in Jesus’ death. With Jesus as your King, you can trust that every wrong and every injustice will one day be made right because Jesus is a good king.

As I said at the beginning, the nations rage yet Jesus reigns. So, is he reigning in your life today?

I’m going to invite you to stand for one final worship song and I’ll pray for us.

Who famously said: “My precious?” That’s Smeagol or Gollum from Lord of the Rings. If you’re unfamiliar with the story, Gollum is a creature who was formerly a like a human being whose name was Smeagol. Smeagol was a sweet guy who enjoyed fishing but then something happened that transformed from Smeagol into Gollum. He discovered a magical ring that became, you guessed it, his precious. This ring is evil and it has a powerful hold over Gollum – he hurts others to keep the ring, he isolates himself to keep the ring, and he loses the fundamental reality of who he is to keep the ring. Smeagol never thought he’d do those things but he did. Why?

He delighted in that ring and it dictated his life. And it got me thinking, you and I can do the same thing. We can end up delighting in the wrong things. And when we delight in the wrong things, we begin to make compromises that we never would have made in the past.

When I first came to faith in Christ, I was working at a digital marketing agency. We helped all sorts of companies advertise and market their products but with my newfound faith, I faced a dilemma. I loved working at that company; it was my delight. But we started working with companies that as a Christian, I had issues with because their values severely conflicted with my new world-view. At first, I thought to myself: what’s the big deal? I kept dutifully working and training others to improve the way we sell those services for our clients. But the more I thought about it and dwelled in the Word, it just didn’t sit right with me so I resigned. And it wasn’t easy – I missed the cool company I worked for, the free snacks and coffee they offered, and unlimited PTO. But as a new believer, I believe it was the right choice because I was beginning to delight myself in the Word and not just in my career.

So,  what if we delight in the right thing? Where does that take us? It takes us to blessing and flourishing for the good of others but it takes honesty and vulnerability which is a huge theme in all the Psalms. And this summer, we’ll be spending our preaching time in the books of the Psalms. The Psalms are the kind of books that every human being needs to read: they’re full of joy, doubts, anger, and hope just like our real lives. If you have the pre-conceived notion that the bible is stuffy, super pious, or out of touch, you’ve never read the Psalms.

But, the Psalms are also more than a collection of books. They’re prayers and songs written for God’s people. Wait, Anthony, aren’t we supposed to pray from the heart? Yes, you are – but sometimes, you don’t know how to pray and just telling you to shoot from the hip - leads to paralysis or shallow prayers. And if I can tell you a secret, Jesus himself prayed the Psalms so if they’re good enough for Jesus, they are good enough for me! God wants real prayers and the Psalms help us in that area. So it’s my hope that as we spend time in the Psalms, we will learn to pray and sing for all of life’s seasons.  

So, to start our series, we’re starting with Psalm 1 which is intentionally placed at the start to guide us through the 150 Psalms spread out across 5 books. By the end of today, we’ll see that your delight dictates your life. If you’re able, will you please stand with me as we read Psalm 1?

What do you delight in? Path #1

This Psalm highlights that there are really two paths that human beings can go down: the righteous path and the wicked path. As messy humans, we likely walk these paths multiple times each day but let’s talk about the wicked path first.

First, the wicked just sounds harsh and is somewhat of a loaded term. When the bible uses the term ‘wicked’, don’t think of criminals or that sort of thing. Instead, think of ‘ungodly’ which ultimately means people who have given their allegiance to the ways of the world instead of God. The scary thing about Psalm 1 is not that there are wicked people somewhere else — it’s that all of us naturally drift toward this path apart from God’s grace.

In verse 1, there’s this interesting progression that takes place: “walk -> stand -> sit.” It’s a downward spiral that gradually goes from bad to worse.

At first, you’re walking in step with the wicked/ungodly which means you’re absorbing their thinking and advice more than you’re absorbing God’s thinking and advice. Soon enough, you’ll be standing in the way that sinners take which means you behave similarly to the world. And after you behave enough like the world, you’ll sit in the company of mockers where cynicism and apathy towards God and all that’s good, true, and beautiful in the world is mocked.  

And what do you get for walking in this way? You get to become like chaff. What is chaff? Well, if you’re not a farmer, you may not know what chaff is. Chaff is usually the outer shell from grain that falls off during processing. It has no roots and is easily blown away. It’s unable to endure the harsh realities of the world.

Now, this sort of thinking can take you down to a path of “okay, I don’t want that. I’m going to keep away from anyone who may be ungodly so they don’t pollute me.” That’s not what you should get from this Psalm. Jesus spent the vast majority of his time with the ungodly, right? Instead, you should see how this downward spiral towards ungodliness begins: it starts with your mind which then transforms your behavior and who you belong to.

I want you to just ask the question: what am I being discipled by? What am I absorbing? Your phone, your politics, your entertainment, and your work are all shaping you. So, are you being intentional with what you’re letting in or just letting whatever comes your way come your way?

If you’ve ever heard of people who have committed fraud at their workplace, they’ll often admit it started out small – maybe lying on their timesheet, requesting more on reimbursement then is needed. But they start to get bolder: they steal  $200 here and then that $200 became $1,000. And so it can be with what we consume, it starts off small but grows and grows – until the thing that we know isn’t good for us actually becomes something we delight in.

So it’s my goal for this to be a wake-up call for you: what are you absorbing? Have you given it thought? Do you have enough godly wisdom to discern what’s helpful and from the Lord vs. what sounds nice but actually isn’t godly? If you took a look at your screen time, watch history, or music listened to from the past week, what could be summarized about you? Do you look different from the world or do you look like the ungodly that Psalm 1 warns us about? All those other things will fail you too – a YouTube influencer or a politician or your boss at work can’t care for you the way Jesus does. So, what does your time suggest about you? Which path are you walking right now?

That question may sting a little bit and that’s okay, it’s supposed to. And if you’re feeling convicted – great but hear me too: there’s good news coming for you too.

There is life found but it’s not found on the path of the wicked, it’s found on the path to the good life or the blessed life which is the complete opposite of the ungodly life. Here’s how.

What do you delight in? Path #2

Contrasted to the ungodly, what does blessed truly mean? In the context of Psalm 1, blessed has to do more-so with a deep inner wellbeing or higher quality of life because you are directly oriented to God. Your life compass is pointing at him. It doesn’t mean you’re going to live a pain-free existence, it just means that you’re connected and intimately know the one who is guiding you through this life.

Psalm 1 tells us that we delight in the Law of the Lord. When you hear Law, just think of the whole biblical teaching. You delight in what God’s word says and you aim to obey it! When you’re faithful in reading the Scriptures, something amazing happens: God meets you in his word. Sometimes we want this visceral experience where we hear God’s voice, that happens. But the Bible is one of the primary ways God speaks to us. It reminds me of a Marty (CHH rapper) verse where he says: “Don’t tell me God is silent when you’re bible is closed.”

As you spend time in the Word, your thoughts begin to shape and look like God’s thoughts. Remember that walk -> stand -> sit downward spiral I mentioned that the ungodly do? And in a similar way, instead, you’re on an upward spiral where you walk with the Lord and allow him and his word to shape your thoughts. You stand in his presence which slowly transforms you. You sit and receive the offer of love, redemption, and forgiveness that Christ bought for you on the cross.

And what do you get as a blessed person? You’re compared to a tree planted by streams of water – you’re strong, reliable, and life-giving to others.

You’re strong because the thing that you’re building your life on isn’t weak or fragile like your career, approval rating, or bank account. What did Jesus say at the end of the sermon on the mount? Will you build your house on sand or a solid rock? That solid rock is God’s Word and life in the Kingdom.

You’re reliable because God’s commands and vision for life isn’t a buzzkill, it leads to the good life. That’s what being blessed means. Your yes means yes and your no means no.

You’re life-giving to others because God’s word reminds you that we live in a world full of imperfect people. But you are to follow Christ’s example and love them and sacrifice for them. Trees provide life to others and relief with their shade, you can do the same if God is your delight.

I know the Bible can be so weird sometimes and hard to read. But, I believe, we live in a time where the bible is so accessible to us and widely available. Y’all know that the Bible used to be just kept at the church or place of worship? Some folks knew entire books in their heads. And yet for us, biblical literacy appears to be down. If that’s you, my friends, there are such good resources available like The Bible Project, the Bible App, or the Streetlights Audio Bible if you like hip-hop. If you’re not a reader, you can listen to the bible. If you don’t have time, listen to it in your car on the way to work. If you’re confused, see if The Bible Project has a video or blog post covering that topic.

And I know some of you may be thinking: “Anthony, I do read the Word but it just feels like it’s taking forever to change.” I hear you. Take heart, my friend – Psalm 1 says you’re going to be like a tree planted by streams of water and it will yield its fruit in season.

There are two common trees in Israel: the Mediterranean Cyprus and Olive Tree. Do you know how long that growth takes? The Cyprus matures in about 30 years and the Olive Tree takes 15 years. That’s a long time! For many years, it’s unlikely that you will notice much growth in those trees but sure enough, they are growing as long as they have a continuous water source. And as they mature, they become more resilient through droughts and wildlife.  

This is why Jesus calls himself the Living Water – Jesus, the very Word himself, says he’s what you need to grow and to be blessed. He’s who you need to delight in so that you will grow into a person that others will say: “That is a blessed person.”

In the same way, friends, you’re like those trees. Choose to drink the living water and trust that in God’s season, you and others will benefit from the fruit that God has grown. Because when we live by God’s instructions, it does lead to the good life. That’s why we can delight in it.

Why is this so hard though? We’re constantly in a war for our worship (and yes, you are too). For the ungodly, they worship (by their actions, behaviors, and beliefs) all sorts of false gods like their careers, their perfect relationships, their money, or their social status. This means putting all your hope, trust, and faith in those things – that they will satisfy you and give you everything you need to fulfill purpose. But those things are really bad gods – they’re going to disappoint you.

Towards the end of Lord of the Rings, Gollum is betrayed by the ring and it leads to his own death. His delight led to his death. And if your delight isn’t God, that’s what it leads to as well.

That’s why my invitation to you today is to: delight in the word of God. Growth will take time but in its proper season, you will see the fruit and it will be very good.

Application & Inspiration

So, as interesting as all this is, what should you do differently today? I would invite you to do a simple practice this week:

Before you go to bed, take 2 minutes to read Psalm 1 and ask yourself: which path did I walk on today? There are going to be days where you probably don’t feel like doing this but that’s why Jesus tells us to take up our cross and follow him.

Some of you are discouraged because you don’t see fruit yet or you don’t see as much fruit as you’d like. But, my friends, there could be roots or growth you’re not even aware of yet…let me share with you a story about one of my favorite writers: C.S. Lewis.

It took a is LONG time for C.S. Lewis to come to faith in Christ. For years, he was a staunch atheist while a professor at Oxford University. Eventually, he struck up a friendship with another professor who was a Catholic named J.R.R. Tolkien. They would often talk about faith and J.R.R. slowly, but surely (or more likely, God) answered objection after objection that C.S. Lewis had.  C.S. Lewis delighted in truth, ideas, and story which led him to appreciate Tolkien so much. Their friendship caused these roots to grow.  And a few years after their friendship, C.S. Lewis became a theist which just meant he believed in God but not the God of the Bible. And then eventually, after that, he converted to Christianity and believed in Jesus Christ, the son of God.

As he prolifically wrote, you’d get the assumption that his transformation was instantaneous but that’s not the case. And it was the same way for him when he came to faith as well, it was a day-by-day change. That’s why he wrote this in Mere Christianity: “Relying on God has to begin all over again every day as if nothing had yet been done.” I know this is hard but through the daily choices and interactions C.S. Lewis had, he eventually became a tree planted by streams of water. All of us in here are still enjoying the good fruit from his life – whether through Narnia, his Christian books, or when you enjoy a quote I share from him.

As we close, I want to remind you that the world is going to try to convince you to delight in things that aren’t God. IT’s going to try to have you delight in good things and bad things but those things will disappoint you. Left unchecked, they will control your life. That’s why my main point for today is: your delight dictates your life.

When somebody is a dictator, that means they have total control over you. The Ring had total control over Smeagol. What has total control over you? Is it the world or is it God? Which will you choose?

My invitation is for you to delight in God. Here’s why: Psalm 1 points us to Jesus. He has proven that his path leads to life. Jesus resisted walking the path of the wicked even when Satan promised him the world. Jesus’ delight was to obey his Father’s will no matter what happened. What was his Father’s will? His will was to redeem – set free – his people from their sin. All the times where we’ve missed the mark of God’s standards, all the times where we hurt others in our sin, and all the times where we betray God – Jesus absorbs the penalty on the cross for that. What does Psalm 1? It says the Wicked will not stand in Judgement. And yet, Jesus stood in that judgement instead of us. And to show that death and sin have no hold on him, Jesus arose on the third day. When you place your faith in Jesus, death and sin no longer have a hold on you anymore either but it’s a steady, long journey (you’re a tree, remember?) You become united with Christ and that is very good news.

So this week, take the 2 minutes to read Psalm 1 before you go to bed. Ask yourself: which path did I walk today? If you walked the blessed path, thank God for his grace and his Spirit that empowered you to do so. If you walked the ungodly path, ask God for forgiveness and trust in his mercy that was lovingly displayed on the Cross.

I’m going to pray then we’ll transition to our time of communion.