[0:00] Let me ask you to remain standing. This is something we're doing a little bit different as we've tweaked the order of service a little bit. You know there's precedent to this? When the Word of God is read that His people would stand.
[0:12] In the book of Nehemiah, chapter 8, after the children of Israel had returned, the remnant had returned to Israel. And they were gathered together, and Ezra stood with the Word, and he began to read the Word.
[0:25] And as he did, the whole congregation stood. And they stood, and they worshipped through the reading of the Word like we're doing this morning. So we're in our series on Psalms, and we've made it to Psalm number 7 this morning.
[0:39] I don't know if you have your Word with me, but after we read, I'd ask that you would open to Psalm 7. But listen as I read the Word from Psalm 7. Oh, Lord my God, in You do I take refuge.
[0:56] Save me from all my pursuers and deliver me, lest like a lion they tear my soul apart, rending it in pieces with none to deliver.
[1:08] Oh, my God, if I have done this, if there is wrong in my hands, if I have repaid my friend with evil or plundered my enemy without cause.
[1:20] Let the enemy pursue my soul and overtake it, and let him trample my life to the ground and lay my glory in the dust. Arise, O Lord, in Your anger.
[1:32] Lift Yourself up against the fury of my enemies. Awake for me. You have appointed a judgment. Let the assembly of the peoples be gathered about You.
[1:45] Over it return on high. The Lord judges the peoples. Judge me, O Lord, according to my righteousness and according to the integrity that is in me.
[1:57] Oh, let the evil of the wicked come to an end, and may You establish the righteous. You who test the minds and the hearts, O righteous God.
[2:07] My shield is with God who saves the upright in heart. God is a righteous judge and a God who feels indignation every day.
[2:20] If a man does not repent, God will wet his sword. He has bent and readied his bow. He has prepared for him his deadly weapons, making his arrows fiery shafts.
[2:33] Behold, the wicked man conceives evil and is pregnant with mischief and gives birth to lies. He makes a pit, digging it out, and falls into the hole that he has made.
[2:48] His mischief returns upon his own head, and on his own skull his violence descends. I will give to the Lord the thanks due to his righteousness.
[3:01] And I will sing praise to the name of the Lord, the Most High. Amen. Let's pray. Fathers, we open your word this morning. I pray that you would open our ears.
[3:13] That as we hear your word, proclaim that, Father, you would help us to hear, not just with physical ears, but spiritual ears, God. That we would hear this truth, and you would grow us in understanding.
[3:27] Father, help us to look at your word and see the truths that are written therein. And Father, I pray that it would move us deep within our hearts. That you would move us to worship you, the righteous judge.
[3:41] Amen. Amen. Please have a seat. I forget those little transitions, and my memory is bad. Frank and Melanie, thank you for these flowers, but if I leave them there, I can almost grant you I'll knock them over.
[3:56] So see if I can move it without knocking it over. All right. I would encourage you, if you brought your Bible to open, so you can look at the words as we talk about this psalm.
[4:17] I want to remind us of this. We read, and we just read an Old Testament text, but I want to remind us, but we're listening with New Testament ears. Let me say that again.
[4:29] We read an Old Testament text, but we hear it with New Testament ears. What does that mean? That means on this side of the cross, in this new covenant in which we stand, we understand something spiritually.
[4:43] David wrote this in his context, and the physical things that were happening in his life are written by David, and certainly we see these truths, but you know that every word that's in Scripture, every single word was written by the hand of men, but they were moved by the Holy Spirit.
[5:05] And what we have here is the very words of God. Not only do we see the story of David, but I just want to say this, that God in the message of this psalm has a spiritual message for us to hear.
[5:21] You know that when God prompted him to write this, he was thinking far in the future as well. He prompted him to put these truths in this psalm, and that's what I hope the Lord will show us this morning as we walk through this.
[5:36] So I want you to look at the first four words, and we want to start there. You know, David could have said, oh my God, or oh Lord God, but you know what he said? He said, oh Lord, my God.
[5:51] There's something extremely significant about the word my. And I wonder for you, as you find yourself praying, do you pray to the God who's far off?
[6:04] Or do you pray to the God who's near? Do you pray in this way that illustrates that you have a relationship with him? As you walk, as you read, as you live, can you say this?
[6:20] Is this true for you? Is he your God? Is there a close personal nature to your relationship with him? You know, if we were to look backwards in the scriptures, and we were to go back to the time when David was a shepherd in the fields, you know what we'd see?
[6:40] We'd see a God that spends days upon days upon days by himself in the wilderness tending for his flock, taking them to the grassy fields and water, sources of water, protecting them at night from the enemies that would come against the sheep.
[7:01] And what we would also see is a boy that came to know a God that is greater than we can possibly understand, and it was David's practice to worship.
[7:13] He carried a harp with him, and he would sing to this holy God. And David can certainly say, you're my God. I've seen you in the wilderness.
[7:24] I know you. I've heard from you. I've watched your power on display as I've cared for this flock. Now, I asked us the question this morning, is he your God in that way?
[7:37] Do you experience him personally? Do you worship when you're alone? Do you find yourself constantly in conversation with him?
[7:55] It's my hope that the answer to that for all of us is yes. So I want you to see the relationship that's so obvious in these first four verses. David says, O Lord, my God.
[8:06] And he says something powerful after he says this. In you, I take refuge. Not in myself and my ability. Not in the warriors that walk with me. Not in some other country to come to my rescue.
[8:20] I take refuge in you. Do we live like that? Would you say that it's true for you that you entrust yourself into the hands of God?
[8:34] Do you see him genuinely as your refuge? Do you trust him? Do you know him in such a way that you would take your very life and say, God, I'm not going to any longer try to protect myself.
[8:53] What I'm going to do is I'm going to take my life and into your hands I give it. Whatever you choose is okay with me because I know who you are. you're the sovereign God who loves me and who can care for me and into your hands I take refuge.
[9:10] I sure hope that's true for us. You know, I think as we grow in our spiritual journey, we begin to digest the reality of this truth. We begin to know him in a deeper and a deeper and a deeper way.
[9:25] So much so that at some point along the way, we realize that a change has taken place in the way we relate to God that more so now, hopefully, than ever before, I entrust myself to him.
[9:37] He has shown himself strong on our behalf. You know, the word declares this, that God looks to and fro across all the earth looking to show himself strong on behalf of those whose hearts are surrendered to him.
[9:51] Is your heart surrendered to him? Are you his? Do you really believe that he'll show himself strong? David did. David says this, Oh Lord in you, my God in you, I take refuge.
[10:08] He says, Save me and deliver me. Save me God. Deliver me God. I know that you're able and I'm calling out on you to save me and deliver me.
[10:21] From who David? From who? Well, his pursuers. There are those who are in pursuit of him to kill him.
[10:34] And we'll look at a passage in Samuel in a little bit. Two passages. But there's a group of people that are after him to destroy him. Instead of turning and fighting, what does he do?
[10:47] He turns to God in prayer and says, You are the one in whom I take refuge. I trust you. Save me and deliver me. From whom? From these pursuers.
[10:57] Lest, look at the wording here. Lest, like a lion, they tear my soul apart. Rending it in pieces with none to deliver.
[11:09] So these pursuers, if he's given into their hands, we see what the result might be. He uses an illustration from his days as a shepherd.
[11:21] Do you see the illustration here? Do you know what would happen if a lion gets a hold of a sheep? If you don't like blood, don't go on YouTube and don't look this up.
[11:33] Because if you were to look it up and you were to see it, the powerful mouth of a lion, the damage it inflicts on a lamb is gruesome.
[11:46] And you can just picture this lion grabbing this lamb and the force of his jaws crushing the bones of the lamb. And then he takes his head and he slings it right and he slings it left.
[11:58] And what happens to the bones and what happens to the body of this little lamb? It's just, it's ripped apart. It's broken to pieces. It's separated.
[12:10] There's pieces on the ground for this lion who's destroying and trampling on and feasting on this lamb that he's caught.
[12:23] You know, the New Testament eyes I talk about, when we read this, David is telling a story that's this illustration from his time as being a shepherd. But you know the word of God refers to somebody else in this way?
[12:36] In 1 Peter 5, 8, you would remember a verse that has been oft quoted. It says this, to us as Christians, Christians, Christian, it says, be sober-minded, be watchful.
[12:48] Your adversary, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion seeking someone to devour. We realize that we have an enemy.
[13:01] We have a pursuer against us as Christians, as children of God. So in our New Testament eyes, we see that there is this accuser, there is this lion, this one who prowls and seeks to destroy.
[13:18] You know, Christ tells of a parable and he said, the thief comes to steal, to kill, and to destroy, but I have come that they might have life. You know, the enemy hates us because we're stamped with his mark, because we're called by his name, because we're covered in his blood.
[13:40] He hates us. And like a lion, he pursues us. And so in the real physical scenario that David is referring to, there is a physical army or group of men that are chasing him to do him damage and to kill him.
[13:57] And he cries out to the Lord. And it's interesting in verse 3, he says again, oh Lord, my God. He has three ifs. I wonder if you see the three ifs here.
[14:11] Lord God, if I have done this. What, David? If you've done what, David? If I have done this. What is he referring to? You know, truthfully, I don't know exactly what he's referring to, but I do know it points back to the preface on this psalm.
[14:27] If you look at the preface, it says this. This is a psalm that David, which he sang to the Lord concerning the words of Cush, of Benjamite.
[14:39] Who is Cush? His name is never mentioned in the scriptures except here. It's mentioned in the preface to the psalm. So it begs the question, what did he say?
[14:52] What are the words of Cush to which David is referring to here? Whatever those words are, he says this. Oh, Lord, my God, if I have done this, whatever those accusations are, if I have done this, if there actually is wrong in my hands, if my heart is intending wrong, and I've done that which is wrong, if I have repaid my friend with evil, or if I have plundered my enemy without a cause, then, in your justice, God, let the enemy pursue my soul and overtake it.
[15:31] and let him trample my life to the ground and lay my glory in the dust. Do you hear what David's saying? He's appealing to the righteous God, to the righteous judge.
[15:44] And he says, Lord, you heard it. You know what Cush has said. You know the accusation. And God, if that is true, and I have dishonored your name, and I've dishonored you, and I've dishonored your kingdom, then it's right that I would be captured.
[16:01] It's right that I would be broken in pieces like the lion to the sheep. It's right that that would happen. Then let them trample me, God. You judge and let them trample me if I've done these things.
[16:16] But look at verse 5. And I would add this phrase if we look at it in the flow of the text. If I've done these things, then in your justice allow them to pursue me and catch me and destroy me.
[16:31] But if not, but if not, if I'm innocent, Lord, if I've not done what they've accused me of, then arise, lift yourself up, awake for me.
[16:45] You hear the cry? Arise, Lord. Lift yourself up. Don't wait.
[16:57] Don't sit. Don't sleep any longer. Awake for me, God. I want us to see that in this call of God to rise up, what is he calling God to do?
[17:12] He's calling God in his wrath and his anger to judge those who are truly evil. those who are truly wicked.
[17:25] And let me stop for just a second. You realize that all of us fall into that category? In our natural state, we're all wicked.
[17:37] You know, last week when we looked at Psalm 6, David claimed the same thing. He talks about the anger of God against him, the discipline, the languishing as bones are troubled, soul is greatly troubled.
[17:51] Why? It's the effect of sin. We all are wicked. You know, we don't have to turn far into Psalms. I turn to Psalm 14. Listen to what Psalm 14 says about you and me, about all men.
[18:06] It says this, the Lord looks down from heaven on the children of man without exception, all men, to see if there are any who understand, who seek after God.
[18:20] In verse 3, it says this, they have all turned aside. Together, they have become corrupt. There is none who does good, not even one. You know, there's no person on the planet can claim that they do good and they honor God with the way they live and think and act.
[18:35] We're all wicked. We're all slaves to sin apart from the touch of God. And even if we skip down to verse 11 real quick, God is a righteous judge, a God who feels indignation every day.
[18:51] Why does He feel indignation? The offenses of our sin against a holy, righteous, loving God. Everything is open unto the eyes of Him with whom we have to give an account.
[19:07] He sees it all. There's nothing hidden. But by the grace of God, we would suffer this judgment that is talked about. Notice He says in verse 5, Arise, O Lord, in your anger.
[19:22] Do you view God as one who has anger? Let's look at a couple of verses right quick. I will turn there. No need for you to turn. Just quickly. The Word of God in Romans 12, this is Paul sharing to the church this.
[19:38] He says, Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God. Do you know there's a day coming when the wrath of God is going to be fully on display?
[19:50] He says, leave it to the wrath of God for it's written, vengeance is mine, I will repay, saith the Lord. You know God calls us to love? He says, don't you go seek vengeance for those who wrong you.
[20:04] You let me do that. You live for me. You serve me. You entrust yourself to me. You honor me. You obey me. All that's in my court. There's a day coming where every wicked person is going to face my wrath.
[20:20] You know what? It is not a day that's going to be great for them. It's not going to end well. For the enemies of the church. Notice the way it's worded here. David says this, in your anger against the enemies, the enemies I would say certainly of David, but I would also say from New Testament eyes against the enemies of the church, against the enemies of the bride, there's this cry for judgment.
[20:47] There's this cry that says, how long will you wait, God? Every day they continue to dishonor you. They continue to spit in your face.
[20:59] They don't worship you the way you deserve to be worshipped. How long will you wait? In your anger, rise up against the enemies you have appointed for judgment.
[21:12] What is judgment? You see that as being a biblical truth? Is there a day coming where men will be judged? We just read it this morning, earlier in the service.
[21:24] Listen to the words of 2 Peter. This is apostle of Christ who writes this to Christians. He says, just taking a little chunk here, the heavens and earth that now exist are stored up for fire, being kept until the day of judgment and destruction of the ungodly.
[21:46] You know there's a day coming where the ungodly will be destroyed, where the earth will be, in a sense, burnt up and made new. But there's a judgment coming for all who don't know the Lord Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior.
[22:02] For all who haven't bowed the knee to worship and obey a holy God. Revelation 6 says it like this. And it's talking about the classes of men and he touches all these classes of men when he makes his statement in Revelation 6.
[22:19] It says, then, meaning, on that day, on that day, that judgment day, here's what's said about it. Then the kings of the earth and the great ones and the generals and the rich and the powerful and everyone, slave and free, hid themselves in the caves and among the rocks of the mountains, calling on the mountains and the rocks, fall on us and hide us from the face.
[22:44] We've seen that word, right? Hide us from the face of God. Remember what he told Moses? No man can see my face and live. Hide us from the face of him who is seated on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb for the great day of their wrath has come and who can stand?
[23:05] There's a judgment coming. In essence, David is calling out to God, bring it. Bring it, Lord. How long will you delay, Lord?
[23:18] How long? In essence, you know what he's calling for? He's calling for the kingdom of God to come. You know when we read the Lord's Prayer, you know what it says? Thy kingdom come. That's twofold there.
[23:30] Thy kingdom come in my heart that you would reign inside of my heart. But yet, thy kingdom come. The creation groans and waits for this new heaven, for this new earth, for the redemption of all these things.
[23:45] There's this crying out, even in creation, and certainly crying out of the heart of believers, I can't wait to the time where I'll see him face to face. I can't wait to the time where I'll have perfect fellowship with the Father.
[23:57] God, bring it. Why do you wait, God? You see all this evil that seems to prosper. Why, God? Destroy.
[24:09] Bring your day. Bring your kingdom. And here's this, verse 7's so beautiful, but we could miss it if we don't understand what he's saying. In verse 7, it says this, Let the assembly of the peoples be gathered about you.
[24:24] That takes us back to a picture in the Old Testament, does it? You remember when the tabernacle was dedicated? You remember what happened? That God descended in that pillar of fire and he went into the Holy of Holies and what did he do?
[24:37] The smoke of his presence just spilled out from under and the awe that was in the hearts of the people as they stood back and in the incredible presence of the Holy God in the middle.
[24:49] And what was common when the people really served and worshiped him, what was common? They gathered for prayer. They gathered for worship as a nation. God descended into the midst of the camp and they all gathered to worship.
[25:04] Do you know that 1 Chronicles 13 reveals something about the time of Saul? After David was anointed and there was an overlap in time between Saul and David and David was fleeing from Saul, he was being chased by Saul.
[25:22] After the fact, after that happened that Saul died and David became king, here's a truth that we see back in Chronicles that says this, David consulted with commanders and it said, let us bring again the ark of our God to us for we did not seek it in the days of Saul.
[25:42] You know, in the days of Saul, there was not the gathering of worship for worship. It's like every man did his own thing. It's like the nation was running, his wheels were running off the chariot, so to speak.
[25:57] They weren't honoring God. They weren't worshiping God. They didn't have God as a central focus of the nation. And you know what David is saying here? God, save me. Here's why I'm asking you to save me, so that the people will gather for worship.
[26:11] God, if you will save me, God, if you, the righteous judge, will judge me, God, if I'm wrong in this, then destroy me. Allow them to destroy me.
[26:22] But if I'm right in this, God, show your righteousness in your judgment. Judge them so that the people will see your righteousness. They will see that you protect those who are innocent.
[26:37] It's this picture of this act of deliverance that would inspire the people to worship. Is that true for you and I? Is it true when you see the mighty hand of God on display in your life or in the life of another, do you tend to worship?
[26:55] When God pulls back the veil just a little bit and we see his glory, what's the response? It's worship. You know what God's saying? God, deliver me. I'm willing to die, but deliver me so that the people will come together and begin to worship you again because you are worthy of our worship.
[27:12] You are our God. We are your people. You deserve to be worshipped. God, these evildoers that are chasing us down, those who are righteous that are hiding because of the evil that is in pursuit of us, the wicked are in pursuit of us.
[27:24] God, show yourself strong on our behalf that we might come together and be inspired to worship you for you deserve it. You're worthy. Over it, that is the nation, return on high as the sovereign, holy one that we would see you for who you are.
[27:44] We would worship you for who you are. And then verse 8. Verse 8. How in the world can David say this? The Lord judges the people.
[27:58] Judge me, O Lord, according to my righteousness and according to the integrity that is in me. How can David say that he's righteous and full of integrity?
[28:13] What's that? It's Christ. It is the picture of Christ. And you stole my thunder, brother. We will get there at the end. We want to look at Christ in the pages of Psalm 7.
[28:24] But you're exactly right. That is a picture of the only one who can say that, right? There's only one that can say, judge me according to my righteousness according to the integrity that is in me. Jesus Christ can say that.
[28:36] He alone can say it. There's none other. But yet David says it. So how is it in the text, in the context of what's going on that he could say this?
[28:46] Well, perhaps it's hard to know. I would say this. It's hard to know the timing of the psalm. It's hard to know where in the history of the nation and where in the history of David that this takes place, that this psalm spills out of some time frame in his life.
[29:06] Perhaps. Perhaps it's in response to this. If we were to turn, and I don't ask y'all to turn, but I'm going to briefly just remind us of a couple of events that happened in 1 Samuel 24 and 26.
[29:22] And I'll just, I'll just paraphrase instead of taking all the time but just don't have time to read the sections that would be beneficial to read. But you remember when Saul was pursuing David and his guy said, he's in the wilderness, let's go.
[29:38] And he grabs 3,000 men and they chase him out in the wilderness to try to kill him, capture him and kill him. And David and his men were hiding in the cave. And Saul goes in the cave to relieve himself.
[29:50] And you remember the story that David, the men, they said, there he is. God has delivered him in your hand. Kill him right now. He's the one that without cause is chasing you. You've done nothing wrong.
[30:01] You've served him well. And yet he's chasing you to kill him because these people are telling him these words, these things that aren't true about you. That you're out to kill him so he's defending himself.
[30:12] It's not true. And he's killing him. God has done this. God put him in the cave so you can kill him right now. David says, no way. No way will I harm the one who's been anointed by God as the king.
[30:26] Far be it from me to step in front of God and make a decision. I leave that into the hands of God. But he took his knife and very skillfully he cut off the edge of Saul's garment.
[30:37] And Saul walks out of the cave and as he walks out and he gets the distance away, David walks out behind him and he calls the name of Saul. He says, Saul, what are you doing? Why are you believing the lies that you're being told?
[30:48] I'm not out to get you for if I were out to get you, you see this? This is the corner of your road. God delivered you into the cave and delivered you into my hand. But I value your life because you are the king, the anointed of God.
[31:02] I will not harm you. Don't listen to the stories of your commanders and your people that are in your ear. Don't listen to them. I do not mean you harm. Saul realizes at that moment and he leaves.
[31:17] But Saul doesn't get the message very well, does he? And so again, he hears in 26, we see another story that he hears that David's in the wilderness so he grabs 3,000 men again to do what?
[31:29] To go kill him. And they're out pursuing him and David is in the wilderness and Saul and his people are encamped and David hears that they are there and he goes up on the hill to see the camp that's laying asleep and he and one other walk into the camp and they walk right to the king and his top commander, Abner, and they take the water jug and the spear, they pluck it out of the ground and they walk up to the hill and they turn around and they start yelling the name Abner.
[32:01] Abner, the one who's supposed to protect the king with his life, who allowed the king to be killed because he was asleep on his job. But he says this to Saul, Saul, again, I tell you, here's your spear, here's your water jug, you do know that I had God delivered you in my hand the second time that I could have killed you but I value your life because I trust the Lord that has anointed you as king.
[32:26] I will not harm you. Hear the words two times I've told you and two times you've seen that I am not out to harm you. Whatever the accusations, whatever the words that are in your ear, do not believe me any longer.
[32:43] And so we turn back to verse 8 in Psalm 7, perhaps, perhaps in that scenario he can actually say that I've honored you, God, by not killing Saul.
[32:57] And I stand with a level of integrity because I've trusted you and I follow your leading. I do not take vengeance into my own hands but I allow vengeance to be in your hands.
[33:10] In verse 9, oh, let the evil, the evil of the wicked come to an end. When will that happen? When will the evil of the wicked come to an end?
[33:20] It will never come to an end until the last day, right? Until the second coming of Christ when he makes all things new. We read in Revelation this day that's coming, this judgment day when all that is evil will be done away.
[33:33] All who are evil and are not covered with the blood of Christ will be destroyed. They will be judged and they will be judged to spend eternity away from the grace and the love of God.
[33:45] Eternity away. And he also says that you may establish the righteous. When will the righteous truly be established?
[33:57] It's the new heavens and the new earth, isn't it? With New Testament eyes we see that he's talking about God is woven into the text here this new world, this hope that we have that we can hold on to.
[34:14] This hope of heaven, this hope of this kingdom of God where the gates will not need to be shut to protect. Where we'll have perfect fellowship with an almighty God.
[34:26] Establish the righteous this time when your kingdom comes and your will is always done. Where sin is done away with. Where those who are evil are done away with. Where everything is full of your love and your grace.
[34:40] Where your kingdom has fully been established. He's looking ahead. The text is looking ahead and pointing us there. Verse 10. My shield is with God who saves the upright in heart.
[34:53] You know, God saves those who've been changed by him. God saves those who've been bought with the blood of Christ. God saves the truly born again believers. When he sees us and we stand before him, can we say we're guiltless?
[35:09] Not a chance. All of us are sinners. All of us have gone astray. But you know what he's done on our behalf? He's covered us with the blood of Christ. He's forgiven us because of the substitutionary death of Christ on the cross.
[35:24] And we've been imputed with righteousness because of the faith we have in him. He gave us the faith. He opened our eyes. He showed us the Savior.
[35:35] And he says, come. And he establishes his kingdom and his kingdom is full of the righteous. Those who've been made righteous. Not those who were righteous.
[35:46] Those who've been made righteous by the blood of Christ. Through faith. And notice what it says here. It's through repentance, isn't it? Verse 12.
[35:58] If a man does not repent, what's the end result? Judgment. What does judgment look like? Look at the illustration here. If you ever watched any movies or you've ever seen where a guy takes a sword and he cuts into another person and the sword is wet with the blood of the one that was struck.
[36:20] And it's the picture, this illustration of what it's going to be like for those who don't repent. There's coming a day when God will wet his sword with the blood of the enemies of his church.
[36:32] with those who are wicked and evil. His bow, he has bent and has readied his bow. He has prepared for him his deadly weapons making his arrow fiery shafts.
[36:48] What is a fiery shaft of an arrow? In the old days when they would go to war, they would light, they would put a pitch on the end of the arrow and they would light it on fire and they would pull it back and they would shoot it into these walled cities and straw-covered roofs of these places would alight and it would perhaps burn the city down.
[37:08] That was certainly the attempt. But it's this destruction that's being foretold here, this judgment day, this day that is coming that God himself is going to rise up in his wrath and he's going to destroy all who don't repent.
[37:25] So brothers and sisters, let me ask you, have you repented? Have you come to the place in your life where you see your sin for what it is, that it's an offense to a holy God and that recognition grieves you the way that Matthew 5 says it?
[37:50] There's a mourning in our heart, there's a heaviness in our heart when God opens our eyes to see how offensive our sin really is to a holy God. Have you mourned over your sin?
[38:02] Are you truly sick as you see your sin for what it is? Have you come before him and confessed and said, God, forgive me, forgive me, forgive me.
[38:13] I did not know until you opened my eyes to see that I was an enemy of yours. I was in rebellion to you. God, forgive me for the sins that you've opened my eyes to see and I come before you with nothing except the blood of my Savior Jesus.
[38:32] I now see why he died on the cross. He died for me. He died that I might trust in him. I might take my sins and my evil and I would hang it on the cross and he would take it to the cross and he would die that I might know life, that I might be forgiven.
[38:49] Have you repented? It's my heart's desire that every single one of us in here would be believers, that we'd be born again in newness of life, we'd be spiritually born because we've come to understand this and we truly see our sin for what it is and we turn and worship him.
[39:12] The wicked conceives evil and mischief and lies. Every thought, every action, every word is against God. The result of that is judgment.
[39:28] And I love the way that David finishes this psalm. He's calling out for the kingdom of God to come. He's calling out for the protection of God. He's calling out for God to judge righteously.
[39:41] God, you see the thoughts and intents of every heart. Based on what you see, judge. Your judgment is righteous. For those who are trusting in you, Father, establish your kingdom.
[39:53] For those who are not trusting in you, who are evil and wicked in every thought, deed, and action, God, destroy them. Rise up in your anger so that your kingdom can come, so that your church will be gathered for worship.
[40:08] You know that in heaven we're going to truly worship him? When he really gathers all of us together in all this wilderness, this place, this sin that so clings to us is going to be done away.
[40:23] And when we worship there, it's going to be unlike anything you've ever experienced before. It's going to be pure and genuine with no taint of sin. We're going to worship him with all our heart. It's going to be incredibly powerful.
[40:35] I just look at the angels and what they say, holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty. And look what David says, God, even in this circumstance, even though they're chasing me to kill me, I will give you thanks and I will sing praise to the name of the Most High Sovereign God.
[40:55] You're my God. I trust you. I worship you. I praise you. I leave myself. I trust myself in your hands. And brother, where do you see Christ? Where do you see Christ here?
[41:09] You know the true accuser? The one in Revelation 12 that's talked about, the accuser of the brethren. You know who he is? He's Satan. He's a true accuser. And we know that he was out to kill Jesus, right?
[41:26] And what did Jesus do? Did he take vengeance in his own hand or he entrusts himself to the Father? You know, he said he could have called down legions of angels. To protect him.
[41:38] When he was walking through that last week of his life, he could have called down legions of angels to fight on his behalf, but he did not. Why? Because he knew that it was the route of the cross that was going to give life to those who trusted in him.
[41:53] Without him being willing to go to the cross, we would never live. He entrusted himself to God. And like a lion, Satan comes to devour. But you know what's powerful? As God only allowed Satan...
[42:07] How should I say this? Satan desired... Have you seen the movie? Or you read the book about Aslan? This picture that's illustrated in the book that he gives himself into the hands of the white witch and they put him on the table and they kill him on the table.
[42:27] The table is split. He allows himself to do that for the sake of the people and then what happens? He comes back to life. He comes back in power. All along, Satan thought...
[42:39] In that movie, you see Demonstrator. In that book, you see Demonstrator this incredible excitement and the hordes of evil, the ones that followed the wicked witch. And they were salivating to get their hands on Aslan to kill him.
[42:52] You know Satan and the demonic kingdom are just like that? They're salivating to get their hands... They were salivating to get their hands on Christ. And when they got their hands on him and they spit on him and they mocked him and they beat him with reeds and they beat him with a whip, his body was a pulp, all but dead through the beating and he carries his cross at least part of the way up Golgotha.
[43:19] But you know not one bone of him is broken. God allowed Satan to do only so much for his son to his son.
[43:37] And Christ likewise could say if I have done evil, if I have sinned and I deserve it, did Christ ever sin? No, we know he didn't sin. And so Christ in verse 8 can say judge me of Lord according to my righteousness and according to the integrity that is in me.
[43:50] You know what Jesus said? well done my son, good and faithful. I'm pleased with my son. We heard it audibly.
[44:01] We didn't hear it. They heard it audibly when Christ says I am pleased with my son. Because why? Because he never sinned.
[44:13] Have you trusted in him today? Is he your Lord? Let's pray. Father, I'm grateful that Father, you've opened our eyes to see that you are the sovereign God and we can entrust ourselves into your hand.
[44:37] That you're more than able to care for us. Father, in those circumstances are heavy in our lives and those things that we don't understand happen to us.
[44:48] God, we trust you anyway. And God, we thank you even for the hard situations because we know you're doing a work in our lives that's for our good and it's for your glory.
[44:59] So God, give us the courage and the strength to be faithful in pursuing you and be willing to entrust our lives to you. God, that we would present our bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to you which is a reasonable expectation of worship.
[45:16] And Father, we worship you by offering ourselves to you in order that you might be glorified. God, I pray that that you would speak to every single person here this morning, Father, and if there's anyone here that truly is not born again that doesn't know you as Lord and Savior, I pray that you would speak especially of their heart that they might come to see your love in the person of Jesus Christ.
[45:47] They might come to know the forgiveness of their sins through Jesus Christ. God, I ask that you would bless this song that we're about to sing this time. We're about to worship you and I pray that from our hearts we would lift you up and I pray in Christ's name.
[46:01] Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen.