WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:03.399 Well, good morning, church. It's good to see you all this morning. 00:00:05.440 --> 00:00:12.200 We're continuing our series in the Psalms today, and we're looking at not one, but two Psalms, 00:00:12.280 --> 00:00:19.039 Psalm 105 and Psalm 106. These are sometimes called historical Psalms because they recount 00:00:19.039 --> 00:00:24.080 large sections of Israel's history in the context of prayer and praise and confession. 00:00:24.580 --> 00:00:29.920 So let me invite you to turn to Psalm 105. If you're at home, grab your Bible. If you're here 00:00:29.920 --> 00:00:34.820 in the sanctuary and you didn't bring one, we'll have some of the verses of Psalm 105 and 106 on 00:00:34.820 --> 00:00:39.079 the screen. These are long Psalms, so we're not going to actually read all of them together, 00:00:39.540 --> 00:00:46.400 but we're going to start by reading the first 11 verses of Psalm 105, and then a little later we'll 00:00:46.400 --> 00:00:51.900 jump into Psalm 106. But as we come to God's Word, let me pray for us as we begin. 00:00:51.899 --> 00:01:02.379 Our Father in heaven, we pray that you would be filling our vision this morning as we come to 00:01:02.379 --> 00:01:09.140 your Word. God, help our minds and our hearts to be attentive to what your Spirit is saying to us, 00:01:09.459 --> 00:01:17.739 and help us to get a fresh glimpse of your glory, your power, your love. We pray this in Christ's name. 00:01:17.739 --> 00:01:21.560 Amen. Psalm 105. 00:01:21.560 --> 00:01:28.700 Oh, give thanks to the Lord. Call upon His name. Make known His deeds among His peoples. 00:01:29.840 --> 00:01:36.040 Sing to Him. Sing praises to Him. Tell of all His wondrous works. Glory in His holy name. Let the 00:01:36.040 --> 00:01:44.140 hearts of those who seek the Lord rejoice. Seek the Lord and His strength. Seek His presence continually. 00:01:45.219 --> 00:01:50.740 Remember the wondrous works that He has done, His miracles and the judgments He uttered. 00:01:51.560 --> 00:01:57.480 O offspring of Abraham, His servant, children of Jacob, His chosen ones. He is the Lord our God. 00:01:58.000 --> 00:02:03.760 His judgments are in all the earth. He remembers His covenant forever, the word that He commanded 00:02:03.760 --> 00:02:10.620 for a thousand generations, the covenant that He made with Abraham, His sworn promise to Isaac, 00:02:11.120 --> 00:02:16.960 which He confirmed to Jacob as a statute, to Israel as an everlasting covenant, saying, 00:02:16.960 --> 00:02:21.700 to you I will give the land of Canaan as your portion for an inheritance. 00:02:23.400 --> 00:02:33.200 And then the rest of Psalm 105 recounts the story of the people of God from Abraham all the way 00:02:33.200 --> 00:02:41.280 to their entrance into the promised land. Now, as we jump into this Psalm together, it's good to ask, 00:02:41.280 --> 00:02:47.920 why is Psalm 105 recounting, retelling this history? Is it just because it's a pretty good story, a way 00:02:47.920 --> 00:02:53.039 to sort of entertain the people of God? Well, it is a pretty exciting story, but obviously there's more 00:02:53.039 --> 00:02:58.120 to it than that. Is Psalm 105 recounting this history just because it's true, because there are facts that 00:02:58.120 --> 00:03:02.759 we need to know? Well, it is a true story. It's history. These things really happen, but there's more to 00:03:02.759 --> 00:03:09.219 it than just sort of getting facts into our heads. So why recount, why retell this history? 00:03:10.959 --> 00:03:16.719 Well, the answer is actually right there in the beginning of Psalm 105. Look with me again at verses 00:03:16.719 --> 00:03:23.399 three and four. Verse three says, glory in His holy name. Let the hearts of those who seek the Lord 00:03:23.399 --> 00:03:31.680 rejoice. Seek the Lord in His strength. Seek His presence continually. Remember the wondrous works that He has done. 00:03:32.759 --> 00:03:40.340 So in verse three, the invitation is to rejoice. The point of telling this history is because 00:03:40.340 --> 00:03:48.079 as the people of God, there are times when we need joy. And then in verse four, the invitation is to 00:03:48.079 --> 00:03:53.419 seek the Lord's strength. The point of telling this history is because there are times as the people of 00:03:53.419 --> 00:04:01.699 God when we are weak and we need strength. And joy and strength come only from knowing the Lord. And to know 00:04:01.699 --> 00:04:10.959 the Lord, we must know, as verse five says, His wondrous works. That is the way in which God has acted 00:04:10.959 --> 00:04:22.699 in history. To know God, we must know what He's done. And that brings us to the main verb of Psalm 105, 00:04:22.699 --> 00:04:32.459 the verb, the verb, remember. Remember His wondrous works. Do you need joy in the midst of sorrow? 00:04:33.519 --> 00:04:39.019 Strength in the midst of weakness? The Psalm says, remember. Remember His wondrous works. Now, this 00:04:39.019 --> 00:04:44.980 biblical call to remember is more than just to sort of bring something to mind, more than merely to sort of 00:04:44.980 --> 00:04:52.020 recall something. To remember in the Bible is really to sort of re-center your mind, your heart, 00:04:52.300 --> 00:04:59.180 your will around the central facts of the story of what God has done. So remembering in the Bible 00:04:59.180 --> 00:05:02.980 isn't sort of like a shopping list that you would take to the store. Oh, I got to remember to pick up 00:05:02.980 --> 00:05:08.780 milk at the store. No. Remembering in the Bible is more like what a married couple does on their 00:05:08.779 --> 00:05:16.039 anniversary when they remember their wedding day. Their wedding was a life-shaping event. And to 00:05:16.039 --> 00:05:25.579 remember it is to get back in touch with the profundity of that reality. And then to redirect 00:05:25.579 --> 00:05:33.459 and replot one's life accordingly. To put your mind and your affections and your decisions in line again 00:05:33.459 --> 00:05:39.799 with that reality. And so running throughout the Old Testament and on into the New Testament is this 00:05:39.799 --> 00:05:44.779 biblical call to remember what God has done, to remember His wondrous works. 00:05:46.979 --> 00:05:54.000 So ask yourself, are you this morning in need of a healthy dose of biblical remembering? 00:05:55.859 --> 00:06:03.279 Are you feeling sorrow? Are you feeling weak? In your sorrow, in your weakness, are you starting 00:06:03.279 --> 00:06:09.639 maybe to feel a little despair? You know, every saint in the Bible and in church history has had 00:06:09.639 --> 00:06:13.919 to contend with sorrow and weakness. If you're feeling those things, it doesn't mean that you're 00:06:13.919 --> 00:06:19.619 failing as a believer. But Psalm 105 comes to us when we need joy, when we need strength, and says, 00:06:19.619 --> 00:06:26.359 here's the key. Remember the wondrous works of God. Remember the history of what He's done. 00:06:26.360 --> 00:06:39.000 Now, it's worth noting how kind of countercultural this admonition is. Most of the world's wisdom will 00:06:39.000 --> 00:06:46.680 tell you to look to yourself for the strength and the joy that you need. I think this popular wisdom 00:06:46.680 --> 00:06:55.280 was captured very nicely in the Disney movie Frozen 2. Anybody here seen Frozen 2? Okay, anyone who has a 00:06:55.279 --> 00:07:01.079 daughter that's under 10 has probably seen Frozen 2. But this is the climax of Frozen 2. Elsa, the main 00:07:01.079 --> 00:07:07.839 character, sort of reaches the end of her hero's journey, looking for answers. And finally, the answer 00:07:07.839 --> 00:07:14.359 that she's been looking for comes to her in the lyrics of a song that says, Elsa, you are the one you've 00:07:14.359 --> 00:07:23.739 been waiting for all of your life. You're the one you've been waiting for all your life. Now, of course, 00:07:23.740 --> 00:07:30.100 there's a healthy place, isn't there, for a healthy self-understanding. There's no virtue and self-condemnation. 00:07:30.680 --> 00:07:39.019 In Christ, we're children of God, heirs of the kingdom. This is true. But friends, the biblical way 00:07:39.019 --> 00:07:44.400 through sorrow and weakness into joy and strength is very different than the world's way. 00:07:44.399 --> 00:07:52.359 The psalm says, remember God's wondrous works. He's the one you've been waiting for all of your life. 00:07:54.979 --> 00:08:02.219 Now, in particular, Psalm 105 is about remembering the wondrous works of God specifically related to 00:08:02.219 --> 00:08:09.719 his covenant with Abraham. God made a covenant. That is a binding promise to Abraham that his offspring 00:08:09.720 --> 00:08:14.840 would inherit the land of Canaan. Now, we're not going to read all of the psalm, but let's scan 00:08:14.840 --> 00:08:20.060 down through the psalm and let's remember God's wondrous works related to this promise. 00:08:21.420 --> 00:08:26.920 Look at verses 12 through 15. God protected the patriarchs when they were merely sojourners in 00:08:26.920 --> 00:08:34.160 the land. Verses 16 through 22. During the great famine, God sent Joseph ahead of them. He was sold as a 00:08:34.159 --> 00:08:42.259 slave, but then elevated to authority. In verses 23 through 25, God brought the people to Egypt, 00:08:42.659 --> 00:08:48.139 grew them in number even in the midst of the world's hatred. And then in verses 26 through 36, 00:08:48.319 --> 00:08:52.959 God sends Moses and Aaron when the people are in slavery. He sends plagues upon Egypt, 00:08:53.439 --> 00:09:00.299 his signs and miracles. Verses 37 and 38 tell us how God brought the people out of Egypt, 00:09:00.299 --> 00:09:07.500 not in poverty, but with silver and with gold. In verses 39 and 42, God led and fed his people in 00:09:07.500 --> 00:09:13.279 the wilderness, cloud and fire, quail and bread, water from the rock, and all of these wondrous works 00:09:13.279 --> 00:09:20.279 because God remembered his holy promise and Abraham his servant. And then in verses 43 through 45, 00:09:20.399 --> 00:09:26.419 kind of the summary, and so God brought them out, God brought them out of slavery and gave them the 00:09:26.419 --> 00:09:34.959 land for their possession that they might keep his statutes and observe his laws. Wondrous works of God. 00:09:37.539 --> 00:09:44.719 Now, what does all this have to do with us here today? Well, friends, if you're a believer in Jesus, 00:09:44.720 --> 00:09:54.360 the Messiah, then you are a part of the family, the spiritual family of Abraham. 00:09:55.960 --> 00:10:01.240 That's what Paul and the other apostles say over and over again in the New Testament. When we're united 00:10:01.240 --> 00:10:06.960 to Jesus, the Messiah, by faith, we become united to the family of God by faith. So when we're reading 00:10:06.960 --> 00:10:15.580 this story, this story is actually your family story too. Isn't it fun to look through old family photo albums? 00:10:18.160 --> 00:10:23.540 You know, you get to, well, we don't have a lot of actual physical photo albums anymore, do we? But isn't it fun 00:10:23.540 --> 00:10:27.060 when you actually find one, like buried in the attic or something, and you pull it out, and you get to look 00:10:27.060 --> 00:10:32.280 through these old photographs, and you get to think of the stories and lives of your grandparents, or maybe even 00:10:32.279 --> 00:10:37.059 your great-grandparents, or maybe you're someone who likes reading the history of the places where 00:10:37.059 --> 00:10:41.919 your family is originally from. Maybe your family history, your family tree goes back to Europe, or to 00:10:41.919 --> 00:10:46.559 Asia, or to Africa. So reading about those particular places and people groups gives you a sense of sort of 00:10:46.559 --> 00:10:55.699 story and purpose. But as a believer in Christ, the Messiah, when you pick up the Bible, you are reading 00:10:55.700 --> 00:11:03.840 your spiritual family history. In fact, by virtue of belonging to Christ, this story, this history 00:11:03.840 --> 00:11:08.140 is more true of you than any other story, any other history. 00:11:11.640 --> 00:11:19.620 But what about this particular promise of the land of Canaan? How does that promise interact with us 00:11:19.620 --> 00:11:28.419 today as Christians? Well, let's take a moment and frame that promise. And consider that promise in 00:11:28.419 --> 00:11:34.860 light of the big story of the Bible. Where does the promise to Abraham fit in the big story of the Bible? 00:11:35.940 --> 00:11:42.220 Well, friends, when Adam and Eve lost their home in the Garden of Eden because of their sin, when they lost 00:11:42.220 --> 00:11:49.600 their dwelling in the land, God's plan wasn't sort of suddenly lost at that point. God's desire 00:11:49.620 --> 00:11:55.980 to have a people in his place under his rule, a kingdom that would stretch through all the earth. That 00:11:55.980 --> 00:12:04.840 plan wasn't over. God had a plan of redemption all along. So when God promised Abraham the land of 00:12:04.840 --> 00:12:13.200 Canaan, it was a start of re-establishing his kingdom, part of this bigger redemptive plan to restore 00:12:13.200 --> 00:12:22.780 humanity to a people in God's place under God's rule. And in the time of the Old Testament, God made 00:12:22.780 --> 00:12:29.160 that initial promise to Abraham true. He did give them the land. They were God's people in God's place 00:12:29.160 --> 00:12:38.820 under God's rule. But that wasn't the sort of end of the storyline. Now that the Messiah, now that Jesus 00:12:38.820 --> 00:12:44.980 has come, the promise to have a people under God's rule extends to every corner of the globe. 00:12:46.440 --> 00:12:52.540 And the Psalms actually talk about this all the time, that the reign of God's king would one day be 00:12:52.540 --> 00:12:57.220 to the ends of the earth. And this is what the writers of the New Testament understood. 00:12:58.040 --> 00:13:03.440 In Romans 4 verse 13, Paul mentions this promise to Abraham. He sort of references it in passing. 00:13:03.440 --> 00:13:09.020 And he says, the promise to Abraham and his offspring is that he would be heir, not just of the land, 00:13:09.320 --> 00:13:16.480 he would be heir of the world. You see, Paul understood the land promise to Abraham and his 00:13:16.480 --> 00:13:21.460 offspring as connected, just like the rest of the Old Testament understood as connected 00:13:21.460 --> 00:13:27.580 to a longer storyline. This promise of the land of Canaan was just a foretaste, just a seed 00:13:27.580 --> 00:13:30.920 of God's kingdom extending to the ends of the earth. 00:13:33.440 --> 00:13:39.680 And here we are, sitting literally from the perspective of the Bible, in the ends of the 00:13:39.680 --> 00:13:45.200 earth. New Haven, Connecticut. This is not the center of the universe. We are sitting at the ends 00:13:45.200 --> 00:13:50.820 of the earth. And here we are, God's people, under God's rule, King Jesus, looking forward to the day 00:13:50.820 --> 00:13:54.080 when the whole earth will be full of the glory of God as the waters cover the sea. 00:13:54.080 --> 00:14:02.080 You see, the spiritual kingdom of Christ fulfills that promise to Abraham. 00:14:03.320 --> 00:14:09.300 And one day when the king returns, the whole earth will rejoice. The trees will clap their hands, 00:14:09.400 --> 00:14:14.900 the Psalms say. Those waters will roar at his glory and the glory of his people. 00:14:14.899 --> 00:14:25.279 Now, I say all this to say that this history, this history of God's wondrous works, 00:14:26.439 --> 00:14:30.279 brothers and sisters, this is your history. It's our history. 00:14:30.279 --> 00:14:41.559 So when we're feeling sad and weak, remember the wondrous works. God keeps his covenant to a 00:14:41.559 --> 00:14:47.659 thousand generations. Did he protect the patriarchs when they were sojourning in the midst of the land, 00:14:47.799 --> 00:14:54.519 wandering to and fro? Did he send Joseph ahead and elevate him miraculously to authority to protect 00:14:54.519 --> 00:15:00.079 and preserve the family of God? Did he cause the people to flourish in Egypt, even though they were 00:15:00.079 --> 00:15:06.439 surrounded by enemies? Did he bring Pharaoh to his knees, humiliating all of Egypt's so-called gods? 00:15:07.960 --> 00:15:12.819 Did the Lord liberate his people? Did he lead them and feed them in the wilderness? Did he give them a 00:15:12.819 --> 00:15:23.759 home? Yes! Then know that the Lord will protect you through trial and provide for you in want and lead you 00:15:23.759 --> 00:15:37.960 the whole way home. Why? Because God keeps his promise. So rejoice in him. Be strong in his strength. 00:15:38.559 --> 00:15:46.259 Your God keeps his promises. Look and remember his wondrous works. Read the scriptures not as a dry 00:15:46.259 --> 00:15:51.200 religious text, but as your history, the history of God and his faithfulness to his people. 00:15:51.200 --> 00:15:56.740 Look back over your own life and start to see where God's wondrous works have touched down in your own 00:15:56.740 --> 00:16:08.780 life. And everyone who has placed their faith in Christ can point to at least one wondrous work 00:16:08.780 --> 00:16:18.200 that outstrips them all. The fact that your loving Father has brought you from death to life in Jesus the Messiah. 00:16:18.200 --> 00:16:27.520 Don't think that your life is devoid of wondrous works. God has breathed spiritual life into you, 00:16:27.820 --> 00:16:34.740 given you his Holy Spirit, made you a part of his kingdom, and is inviting you to take his kingdom to the ends of the earth. 00:16:34.740 --> 00:16:38.680 Remember his wonderful life. Remember his wondrous works. 00:16:44.680 --> 00:16:50.519 But, you know, remembering our history can be a bit of a two-sided coin, can't it? 00:16:52.320 --> 00:16:56.480 You know, when you pull out those old family photo albums, you see and remember the good times, 00:16:56.480 --> 00:17:00.980 but you also see in those faces and in those moments captured in photographs, 00:17:01.560 --> 00:17:06.160 you see the reminders of your family's brokenness too, don't you? 00:17:07.599 --> 00:17:11.259 The failures. The marriages that didn't last. 00:17:12.240 --> 00:17:16.059 The anger that gets passed down from generation to generation. 00:17:17.099 --> 00:17:20.460 You see the addictions. You see the abuses. You see the failures. 00:17:20.460 --> 00:17:29.759 If we're going to remember our history, we need to be ready to encounter it, warts and all. 00:17:31.819 --> 00:17:38.640 And that's why there's no mistake that right after Psalm 105 comes Psalm 106. 00:17:40.660 --> 00:17:43.240 Psalm 106 is also a history psalm. 00:17:44.259 --> 00:17:49.759 In fact, it recounts large stretches of the same Old Testament history as Psalm 105, 00:17:49.759 --> 00:17:52.359 but the tone is very different. 00:17:54.079 --> 00:17:58.539 The first few verses begin with a call to praise, but soon it takes a very different turn. 00:17:59.220 --> 00:18:03.160 So let's look at Psalm 106, and I'm going to read verses 1 through 6 for us, 00:18:03.200 --> 00:18:06.599 and these will also be on the screen here if you're in the sanctuary. 00:18:07.980 --> 00:18:10.000 Psalm 106, verses 1 through 6. 00:18:10.259 --> 00:18:11.140 Praise the Lord. 00:18:12.119 --> 00:18:16.519 O give thanks to the Lord, for He is good, for His steadfast love endures forever. 00:18:16.519 --> 00:18:20.639 Who can utter the mighty deeds of the Lord or declare all His praise? 00:18:21.339 --> 00:18:24.279 Blessed are they who observe justice, who do righteousness at all times. 00:18:25.579 --> 00:18:29.279 Remember me, O Lord, when You show favor to Your people. 00:18:30.539 --> 00:18:31.940 Help me when You save them, 00:18:32.799 --> 00:18:35.460 that I may look upon the prosperity of Your chosen ones, 00:18:35.519 --> 00:18:37.859 that I may rejoice in the gladness of Your nation, 00:18:38.259 --> 00:18:40.440 that I may glory with Your inheritance. 00:18:40.440 --> 00:18:45.700 Both we and our fathers have sinned. 00:18:46.320 --> 00:18:47.840 We have committed iniquity. 00:18:48.620 --> 00:18:50.019 We have done wickedness. 00:18:51.900 --> 00:18:56.440 And then, from verse 7 all the way to verse 43, 00:18:57.740 --> 00:19:01.920 the psalm recounts the history of the people's sin and rebellion. 00:19:03.240 --> 00:19:05.960 Scan with me through this family record, 00:19:06.120 --> 00:19:09.039 through this uncomfortable family photo album. 00:19:09.039 --> 00:19:12.279 In verses 7 through 12, at the Red Sea, 00:19:13.019 --> 00:19:15.180 after God had just liberated them from slavery, 00:19:15.519 --> 00:19:18.200 shown His mighty works at the Red Sea, the people rebel. 00:19:19.519 --> 00:19:22.299 In verses 13 to 15, in the wilderness, the people have a craving, 00:19:22.599 --> 00:19:23.759 start complaining against God. 00:19:24.059 --> 00:19:25.720 In verses 16 through 18, 00:19:25.980 --> 00:19:28.379 they rebel against the leadership of Moses and Aaron. 00:19:29.099 --> 00:19:30.579 Then in verses 19 through 23, 00:19:30.839 --> 00:19:32.440 they make a golden calf, 00:19:32.799 --> 00:19:35.460 exchanging the glory of God for an empty lie. 00:19:35.460 --> 00:19:37.819 In verses 24 through 27, 00:19:37.819 --> 00:19:39.680 they refuse to take the promised land, 00:19:39.779 --> 00:19:44.539 thinking that the enemies in the land were more powerful than the God that they served. 00:19:45.600 --> 00:19:47.400 And then in verses 28 through 31, 00:19:48.000 --> 00:19:50.759 they end up yoking themselves to the Baal of Peor. 00:19:50.860 --> 00:19:52.620 That is, they started worshiping a false god 00:19:52.620 --> 00:19:55.100 and engaging in all of these destructive religious practices. 00:19:55.759 --> 00:19:57.200 In verses 32 through 33, 00:19:57.319 --> 00:19:59.180 they anger God at the waters of Meribah, 00:19:59.279 --> 00:20:01.319 again complaining against Him and His goodness. 00:20:01.319 --> 00:20:03.679 In verses 34 through 39, 00:20:03.679 --> 00:20:05.519 after God gives them the land, 00:20:06.019 --> 00:20:08.960 they end up compromising with the people of the land 00:20:08.960 --> 00:20:11.179 and worshiping their gods rather than driving them out. 00:20:12.319 --> 00:20:13.720 In verses 40 through 43, 00:20:13.839 --> 00:20:16.200 in anger, the Lord hands the people over to the nations. 00:20:16.859 --> 00:20:18.559 Many times He delivers them, 00:20:19.519 --> 00:20:21.579 but the people still persist in their rebellion. 00:20:24.480 --> 00:20:26.700 This is a very honest psalm, isn't it? 00:20:27.539 --> 00:20:30.000 There's no whitewashing of the history of Israel here. 00:20:30.000 --> 00:20:33.920 And it's written from the perspective of someone, 00:20:34.000 --> 00:20:36.720 the psalmist here is writing from the perspective of someone 00:20:36.720 --> 00:20:41.720 who sees the same rebellious tendencies in their own heart, 00:20:42.000 --> 00:20:42.819 in their own life. 00:20:43.960 --> 00:20:46.519 You see, when I read the story of the Old Testament 00:20:46.519 --> 00:20:48.420 and the people's hard-heartedness, 00:20:48.539 --> 00:20:52.519 I'm reading my family story, my own story. 00:20:55.019 --> 00:20:57.500 And again, note how countercultural this is 00:20:57.500 --> 00:20:59.640 to admit one's moral failings. 00:21:00.000 --> 00:21:03.440 To place myself not in the company of the righteous, 00:21:03.700 --> 00:21:05.460 but in the company of the sinners. 00:21:09.420 --> 00:21:11.400 But again, what's the purpose here? 00:21:12.440 --> 00:21:14.940 Is Psalm 106 here simply to grind our faces 00:21:14.940 --> 00:21:17.119 in the failings of our forefathers and foremothers? 00:21:18.099 --> 00:21:20.960 Is Psalm 106 here simply to pile condemnation on our heads? 00:21:21.200 --> 00:21:23.559 To put us down in the dust and leave us there? 00:21:25.559 --> 00:21:26.119 No. 00:21:26.119 --> 00:21:26.200 No. 00:21:26.200 --> 00:21:29.860 Look again at verse 4. 00:21:31.980 --> 00:21:33.080 Remember me, O Lord, 00:21:33.519 --> 00:21:36.620 when you show favor to your people. 00:21:38.059 --> 00:21:40.680 Again, that verb, remember. 00:21:42.440 --> 00:21:45.860 But now the prayer isn't that we would remember God, 00:21:46.000 --> 00:21:48.019 but that God would remember us, 00:21:48.160 --> 00:21:51.900 remember us when he shows favor to his people. 00:21:51.900 --> 00:21:56.080 You see, we confess our sins not to grovel in them, 00:21:56.220 --> 00:21:58.540 but to remember how much we need a Savior 00:21:58.540 --> 00:22:01.620 and to come again to the unimaginable reality, 00:22:01.940 --> 00:22:03.780 not merely that we can remember God, 00:22:03.840 --> 00:22:07.640 but that God chooses to remember us even in our sin. 00:22:07.640 --> 00:22:13.580 After all, even this psalm that is so full of the people's failure 00:22:13.580 --> 00:22:16.700 also recounts the Lord's mercy. 00:22:18.340 --> 00:22:18.940 Verse 8, 00:22:19.020 --> 00:22:20.240 The people rebelled at the Red Sea, 00:22:20.400 --> 00:22:24.080 and yet God saved them for his namesake. 00:22:25.340 --> 00:22:26.100 Verse 23, 00:22:26.200 --> 00:22:27.580 The people worship the golden calf, 00:22:27.680 --> 00:22:30.240 and yet God allows Moses to stand up for them, 00:22:30.960 --> 00:22:32.620 and God relents of his anger. 00:22:33.140 --> 00:22:33.540 Verse 30, 00:22:33.539 --> 00:22:34.859 The people go after foreign gods, 00:22:34.940 --> 00:22:36.299 and yet God raises up Phinehas, 00:22:36.619 --> 00:22:37.720 and the plague is held back. 00:22:38.480 --> 00:22:39.039 Verse 43, 00:22:39.139 --> 00:22:41.399 The people become just like the nations around them, 00:22:41.579 --> 00:22:44.539 even sacrificing their sons and daughters to fake gods, 00:22:44.659 --> 00:22:46.539 and they fall under foreign domination. 00:22:46.859 --> 00:22:50.139 But still, many times, God delivers them. 00:22:51.420 --> 00:22:53.779 The reference there is probably to the period of the judges, 00:22:54.279 --> 00:22:56.359 those military saviors, 00:22:56.440 --> 00:22:58.440 those rescuers that God raised up 00:22:58.440 --> 00:23:01.460 to rescue the people from foreign oppression. 00:23:01.460 --> 00:23:04.600 The mercy of God, 00:23:05.680 --> 00:23:09.220 always sending rescue for his people. 00:23:12.559 --> 00:23:14.700 Verse 45 sums it up. 00:23:14.779 --> 00:23:15.220 It says, 00:23:16.120 --> 00:23:16.960 For the people's sake, 00:23:17.860 --> 00:23:19.700 he remembered his covenant, 00:23:21.299 --> 00:23:22.039 and he relented. 00:23:22.200 --> 00:23:23.940 That is, he relented from judging 00:23:23.940 --> 00:23:25.980 according to, 00:23:26.460 --> 00:23:27.259 because of, 00:23:27.259 --> 00:23:31.619 the abundance of his steadfast love. 00:23:33.920 --> 00:23:35.079 For the people's sake, 00:23:35.160 --> 00:23:36.759 he remembered his covenant. 00:23:36.900 --> 00:23:37.379 Again, 00:23:37.859 --> 00:23:38.619 we hear 00:23:38.619 --> 00:23:41.019 that language of covenant, 00:23:41.740 --> 00:23:42.720 of God's 00:23:42.720 --> 00:23:43.619 binding 00:23:43.619 --> 00:23:44.819 promise. 00:23:46.359 --> 00:23:47.740 And what Psalm 106 00:23:47.740 --> 00:23:49.000 starts to show us 00:23:49.000 --> 00:23:49.819 is that 00:23:49.819 --> 00:23:51.059 the covenant 00:23:51.059 --> 00:23:52.559 that God made with his people 00:23:52.559 --> 00:23:53.940 was about a lot more 00:23:53.940 --> 00:23:55.599 than just a piece of land. 00:23:55.599 --> 00:23:57.799 The heart 00:23:57.799 --> 00:23:59.519 of the binding commitment 00:23:59.519 --> 00:24:00.679 that God made 00:24:00.679 --> 00:24:02.279 was that 00:24:02.279 --> 00:24:03.599 he would be their God 00:24:03.599 --> 00:24:05.899 and they would be his people. 00:24:06.519 --> 00:24:07.339 What was his 00:24:07.339 --> 00:24:08.339 would be theirs 00:24:08.339 --> 00:24:09.240 and what was theirs 00:24:09.240 --> 00:24:10.039 would be his. 00:24:10.099 --> 00:24:10.740 In other words, 00:24:10.919 --> 00:24:12.159 at the heart of the covenant 00:24:12.159 --> 00:24:14.240 was communion, 00:24:14.980 --> 00:24:15.959 was fellowship, 00:24:16.179 --> 00:24:16.980 was union 00:24:16.980 --> 00:24:18.359 with God. 00:24:18.359 --> 00:24:22.379 And this covenant, 00:24:23.259 --> 00:24:24.419 though we from our end 00:24:24.419 --> 00:24:25.879 persisted in forgetting it 00:24:25.879 --> 00:24:26.539 again and again 00:24:26.539 --> 00:24:27.759 and running after other gods 00:24:27.759 --> 00:24:28.419 and other lovers 00:24:28.419 --> 00:24:29.199 and other lords, 00:24:29.559 --> 00:24:30.619 God from his end 00:24:30.619 --> 00:24:31.899 never 00:24:31.899 --> 00:24:32.899 forgot. 00:24:35.399 --> 00:24:37.059 And God took the initiative 00:24:37.059 --> 00:24:37.799 again 00:24:37.799 --> 00:24:38.959 and again 00:24:38.959 --> 00:24:40.419 unilaterally 00:24:40.419 --> 00:24:41.459 to uphold 00:24:41.459 --> 00:24:42.259 the covenant 00:24:42.259 --> 00:24:42.959 with his people 00:24:42.959 --> 00:24:43.939 and he sent Moses 00:24:43.939 --> 00:24:45.439 and he sent Phineas 00:24:45.439 --> 00:24:46.659 and he sent the judges 00:24:46.660 --> 00:24:47.759 and he sent David 00:24:47.759 --> 00:24:48.480 and the kings. 00:24:51.180 --> 00:24:52.000 And so, 00:24:52.120 --> 00:24:53.019 in verse 47 00:24:53.019 --> 00:24:54.680 of Psalm 106, 00:24:55.460 --> 00:24:56.160 the psalmist, 00:24:56.500 --> 00:24:56.920 probably 00:24:56.920 --> 00:24:58.300 in exile, 00:24:59.100 --> 00:25:00.060 lifts up his voice 00:25:00.060 --> 00:25:00.860 to God 00:25:00.860 --> 00:25:02.540 with a prayer 00:25:02.540 --> 00:25:03.660 that God 00:25:03.660 --> 00:25:04.519 would do it again. 00:25:05.820 --> 00:25:06.600 Save us, 00:25:06.680 --> 00:25:07.500 O Lord our God. 00:25:08.240 --> 00:25:09.019 Gather us 00:25:09.019 --> 00:25:10.040 from among the nations 00:25:10.039 --> 00:25:12.420 that we may give thanks 00:25:12.420 --> 00:25:13.319 to your holy name 00:25:13.319 --> 00:25:14.759 and glory 00:25:14.759 --> 00:25:15.559 in your praise. 00:25:17.399 --> 00:25:18.399 Verse 47 00:25:18.399 --> 00:25:19.279 is a prayer 00:25:19.279 --> 00:25:20.539 for God 00:25:20.539 --> 00:25:22.059 to remember 00:25:22.059 --> 00:25:22.700 his covenant 00:25:22.700 --> 00:25:24.700 and to come 00:25:24.700 --> 00:25:26.839 to arrive 00:25:26.839 --> 00:25:28.759 and to save. 00:25:30.839 --> 00:25:31.399 God, 00:25:31.519 --> 00:25:32.279 here we sit 00:25:32.279 --> 00:25:33.399 in exile 00:25:33.399 --> 00:25:34.639 because of our sin. 00:25:35.319 --> 00:25:35.700 Come. 00:25:35.700 --> 00:25:35.799 Come. 00:25:35.799 --> 00:25:41.440 And isn't that exactly 00:25:41.440 --> 00:25:43.099 what this season 00:25:43.099 --> 00:25:43.720 of Advent 00:25:43.720 --> 00:25:45.299 is all about? 00:25:46.720 --> 00:25:47.799 Advent literally 00:25:47.799 --> 00:25:48.259 means 00:25:48.259 --> 00:25:49.119 arrival. 00:25:50.740 --> 00:25:51.419 Arrival. 00:25:52.539 --> 00:25:53.460 It's the season 00:25:53.460 --> 00:25:53.980 of the year 00:25:53.980 --> 00:25:54.599 when we 00:25:54.599 --> 00:25:55.759 re-enter 00:25:55.759 --> 00:25:57.440 that longing 00:25:57.440 --> 00:25:58.759 for God 00:25:58.759 --> 00:25:59.680 to arrive. 00:26:00.019 --> 00:26:00.539 We need 00:26:00.539 --> 00:26:01.579 God to come 00:26:01.579 --> 00:26:02.899 because our sins 00:26:02.899 --> 00:26:03.700 are great 00:26:03.700 --> 00:26:05.019 because we haven't 00:26:05.019 --> 00:26:05.740 upheld our end 00:26:05.740 --> 00:26:06.220 of the covenant 00:26:06.220 --> 00:26:07.139 and because we 00:26:07.139 --> 00:26:07.940 need a rescuer. 00:26:11.700 --> 00:26:12.220 You know, 00:26:12.259 --> 00:26:12.700 historically, 00:26:12.859 --> 00:26:13.680 Advent is actually 00:26:13.680 --> 00:26:15.039 a penitential season 00:26:15.039 --> 00:26:16.359 of the church's 00:26:16.359 --> 00:26:16.960 sort of rhythms 00:26:16.960 --> 00:26:17.480 of prayer. 00:26:18.779 --> 00:26:19.359 Advent's full of 00:26:19.359 --> 00:26:20.079 a lot of sentiment 00:26:20.079 --> 00:26:20.599 right now 00:26:20.599 --> 00:26:21.099 and sort of 00:26:21.099 --> 00:26:22.700 things like that, 00:26:22.740 --> 00:26:23.779 but it started out 00:26:23.779 --> 00:26:24.519 as a time 00:26:24.519 --> 00:26:25.539 for the church 00:26:25.539 --> 00:26:27.440 to pray prayers 00:26:27.440 --> 00:26:28.079 of repentance 00:26:28.079 --> 00:26:29.099 and humility 00:26:29.099 --> 00:26:29.660 together 00:26:29.660 --> 00:26:31.200 and remembering 00:26:31.200 --> 00:26:32.420 our great need 00:26:32.420 --> 00:26:33.059 for a Savior. 00:26:33.059 --> 00:26:36.679 it's the time 00:26:36.679 --> 00:26:37.500 when we remember 00:26:37.500 --> 00:26:38.220 once again 00:26:38.220 --> 00:26:39.059 that our biggest 00:26:39.059 --> 00:26:39.799 need 00:26:39.799 --> 00:26:40.899 isn't that we 00:26:40.899 --> 00:26:41.859 would remember God, 00:26:41.960 --> 00:26:42.659 but our biggest 00:26:42.659 --> 00:26:43.539 need is that God 00:26:43.539 --> 00:26:44.639 would remember us. 00:26:49.279 --> 00:26:49.779 So, 00:26:49.879 --> 00:26:50.339 brothers and sisters, 00:26:50.460 --> 00:26:51.720 this Advent season, 00:26:52.720 --> 00:26:55.259 what is there 00:26:55.259 --> 00:26:56.899 in your story, 00:26:57.119 --> 00:26:58.159 in your history, 00:26:58.160 --> 00:26:59.960 if you were to tell 00:26:59.960 --> 00:27:00.800 it warts and all, 00:27:01.340 --> 00:27:02.340 what is there 00:27:02.340 --> 00:27:03.759 today that you 00:27:03.759 --> 00:27:04.440 would need 00:27:04.440 --> 00:27:05.380 to confess? 00:27:07.160 --> 00:27:08.120 What sins 00:27:08.120 --> 00:27:08.759 and failures 00:27:08.759 --> 00:27:10.360 in your life 00:27:10.360 --> 00:27:10.940 have you been 00:27:10.940 --> 00:27:11.800 denying 00:27:11.800 --> 00:27:13.480 or hiding 00:27:13.480 --> 00:27:14.900 or maybe 00:27:14.900 --> 00:27:15.660 excusing? 00:27:16.720 --> 00:27:17.580 What sins 00:27:17.580 --> 00:27:18.300 have you inherited 00:27:18.300 --> 00:27:19.240 from your family 00:27:19.240 --> 00:27:21.779 that still plague you, 00:27:22.080 --> 00:27:22.880 that you haven't 00:27:22.880 --> 00:27:23.620 been able to 00:27:23.620 --> 00:27:24.940 remove and rid 00:27:24.940 --> 00:27:25.640 from your life? 00:27:25.640 --> 00:27:31.200 Psalm 106 00:27:31.200 --> 00:27:31.980 is an invitation 00:27:31.980 --> 00:27:33.580 to confession. 00:27:35.820 --> 00:27:37.020 But it's an invitation 00:27:37.020 --> 00:27:38.120 to confession 00:27:38.120 --> 00:27:40.040 in the context 00:27:40.040 --> 00:27:40.960 of great hope 00:27:40.960 --> 00:27:43.580 because the history 00:27:43.580 --> 00:27:44.160 of the people's 00:27:44.160 --> 00:27:44.640 failure 00:27:44.640 --> 00:27:46.360 is matched 00:27:46.360 --> 00:27:47.300 by the history 00:27:47.300 --> 00:27:48.320 of God's mercy 00:27:48.320 --> 00:27:49.020 and rescue. 00:27:49.980 --> 00:27:50.240 And so, 00:27:50.360 --> 00:27:51.140 when we confess 00:27:51.140 --> 00:27:51.860 our sins, 00:27:51.940 --> 00:27:52.440 we do so 00:27:52.440 --> 00:27:52.940 with the same 00:27:52.940 --> 00:27:53.480 humility 00:27:53.480 --> 00:27:54.500 but also 00:27:54.500 --> 00:27:55.279 with the same 00:27:55.279 --> 00:27:56.220 confidence. 00:27:59.339 --> 00:28:00.059 The same 00:28:00.059 --> 00:28:00.559 confidence 00:28:00.559 --> 00:28:02.099 that starts 00:28:02.099 --> 00:28:03.180 off Psalm 106. 00:28:04.420 --> 00:28:05.079 Psalm 106 00:28:05.079 --> 00:28:05.579 starts, 00:28:05.740 --> 00:28:06.319 Oh, give thanks 00:28:06.319 --> 00:28:06.799 to the Lord 00:28:06.799 --> 00:28:07.519 for He's good 00:28:07.519 --> 00:28:09.319 for His steadfast 00:28:09.319 --> 00:28:09.960 love endures 00:28:09.960 --> 00:28:10.360 forever. 00:28:12.279 --> 00:28:12.940 And friends, 00:28:12.980 --> 00:28:13.360 how much more 00:28:13.360 --> 00:28:14.079 can we say that 00:28:14.079 --> 00:28:14.740 this morning? 00:28:16.920 --> 00:28:17.839 Knowing that God 00:28:17.839 --> 00:28:18.220 has sent 00:28:18.220 --> 00:28:18.960 not just Moses, 00:28:19.259 --> 00:28:20.240 not just Phineas, 00:28:20.640 --> 00:28:21.620 not just Deborah 00:28:21.620 --> 00:28:22.420 or Gideon 00:28:22.420 --> 00:28:23.000 or Samuel 00:28:23.000 --> 00:28:23.620 or the judges, 00:28:23.820 --> 00:28:24.460 not just David 00:28:24.460 --> 00:28:24.960 and the kings, 00:28:25.360 --> 00:28:25.759 knowing 00:28:25.759 --> 00:28:27.840 that the fullness 00:28:27.840 --> 00:28:28.519 of time 00:28:28.519 --> 00:28:29.080 has come 00:28:29.080 --> 00:28:31.620 and that God 00:28:31.620 --> 00:28:31.960 has sent 00:28:31.960 --> 00:28:32.720 His own Son. 00:28:36.279 --> 00:28:36.860 You see, 00:28:36.940 --> 00:28:37.980 God always 00:28:37.980 --> 00:28:39.340 had to fulfill 00:28:39.340 --> 00:28:40.420 the covenant 00:28:40.420 --> 00:28:41.019 for us. 00:28:41.740 --> 00:28:42.519 He was always 00:28:42.519 --> 00:28:43.800 faithful on His side, 00:28:43.900 --> 00:28:44.180 of course, 00:28:44.240 --> 00:28:44.640 but what about 00:28:44.640 --> 00:28:45.240 our side? 00:28:48.500 --> 00:28:49.539 And this is the wonder 00:28:49.539 --> 00:28:50.080 and the mystery 00:28:50.080 --> 00:28:50.500 of Christmas, 00:28:50.620 --> 00:28:50.940 isn't it? 00:28:50.940 --> 00:28:52.840 When God took 00:28:52.840 --> 00:28:54.160 on human nature, 00:28:54.900 --> 00:28:56.220 He could now 00:28:56.220 --> 00:28:57.400 fulfill the covenant 00:28:57.400 --> 00:28:59.180 from our side 00:28:59.180 --> 00:29:00.320 for us. 00:29:00.740 --> 00:29:01.900 God in Christ, 00:29:02.019 --> 00:29:02.799 in our place, 00:29:02.880 --> 00:29:03.799 in our human nature, 00:29:04.019 --> 00:29:05.059 He upholds 00:29:05.059 --> 00:29:06.000 our end 00:29:06.000 --> 00:29:06.900 of the relationship 00:29:06.900 --> 00:29:07.740 for us. 00:29:09.240 --> 00:29:09.940 And now, 00:29:10.019 --> 00:29:10.880 no matter what 00:29:10.880 --> 00:29:12.279 history holds, 00:29:12.640 --> 00:29:13.720 what's His is mine 00:29:13.720 --> 00:29:14.360 and what's mine 00:29:14.360 --> 00:29:14.940 is His. 00:29:15.140 --> 00:29:16.519 He will be our God 00:29:16.519 --> 00:29:17.400 and we will be 00:29:17.400 --> 00:29:18.559 His people forever. 00:29:18.559 --> 00:29:19.799 And that promise 00:29:19.799 --> 00:29:20.359 is open 00:29:20.359 --> 00:29:21.259 to all 00:29:21.259 --> 00:29:22.079 who place 00:29:22.079 --> 00:29:22.759 their trust 00:29:22.759 --> 00:29:23.919 in Christ, 00:29:24.720 --> 00:29:25.679 the great covenant 00:29:25.679 --> 00:29:26.179 keeper. 00:29:28.720 --> 00:29:29.679 So take heart, 00:29:29.819 --> 00:29:30.500 brothers and sisters. 00:29:31.379 --> 00:29:32.539 This is your history. 00:29:33.480 --> 00:29:34.759 This is your God. 00:29:34.759 --> 00:29:34.799 God. 00:29:39.039 --> 00:29:40.359 The history of Psalm 105 00:29:40.359 --> 00:29:41.599 starts in the land 00:29:41.599 --> 00:29:42.519 with the patriarchs 00:29:42.519 --> 00:29:43.259 and ends in the land 00:29:43.259 --> 00:29:43.799 with conquest. 00:29:44.000 --> 00:29:44.519 And then the history 00:29:44.519 --> 00:29:45.220 of Psalm 106 00:29:45.220 --> 00:29:45.960 starts in slavery 00:29:45.960 --> 00:29:46.379 in Egypt 00:29:46.379 --> 00:29:47.680 and ends in exile. 00:29:47.759 --> 00:29:48.140 But what about 00:29:48.140 --> 00:29:48.440 the history 00:29:48.440 --> 00:29:49.039 of the whole Bible? 00:29:51.119 --> 00:29:51.700 The history 00:29:51.700 --> 00:29:52.220 of the whole Bible 00:29:52.220 --> 00:29:53.160 begins in a garden 00:29:53.160 --> 00:29:54.240 with God 00:29:54.240 --> 00:29:55.779 and it ends 00:29:55.779 --> 00:29:57.700 in a garden 00:29:57.700 --> 00:29:58.220 that's become 00:29:58.220 --> 00:29:58.619 a city 00:29:58.619 --> 00:29:59.660 with God. 00:29:59.660 --> 00:30:01.460 and at the center 00:30:01.460 --> 00:30:02.279 of that city 00:30:02.279 --> 00:30:03.980 is the Son, 00:30:04.580 --> 00:30:05.540 the Lion of Judah, 00:30:05.900 --> 00:30:06.960 the Lamb of God, 00:30:07.060 --> 00:30:08.120 the Savior who's come, 00:30:08.200 --> 00:30:09.240 the Lord Jesus Christ. 00:30:10.160 --> 00:30:11.180 And if your history 00:30:11.180 --> 00:30:12.720 is bound to His, 00:30:14.279 --> 00:30:15.519 then let your heart 00:30:15.519 --> 00:30:16.100 rejoice 00:30:16.100 --> 00:30:17.460 and be strong 00:30:17.460 --> 00:30:19.500 and know 00:30:19.500 --> 00:30:19.920 that there is 00:30:19.920 --> 00:30:21.960 absolutely no failure 00:30:21.960 --> 00:30:23.740 that can undermine 00:30:23.740 --> 00:30:24.560 the faithfulness 00:30:24.560 --> 00:30:25.160 of your Savior. 00:30:26.440 --> 00:30:26.720 Amen? 00:30:27.420 --> 00:30:28.160 Let's pray. 00:30:28.160 --> 00:30:31.040 Lord Jesus, 00:30:31.160 --> 00:30:31.600 we pray, 00:30:32.600 --> 00:30:32.960 come, 00:30:34.160 --> 00:30:35.620 forgive us our sins, 00:30:38.000 --> 00:30:38.920 strengthen us, 00:30:39.360 --> 00:30:40.160 give us your joy, 00:30:40.980 --> 00:30:41.860 help us to remember 00:30:41.860 --> 00:30:43.000 that you hold 00:30:43.000 --> 00:30:44.120 all things in your hands 00:30:44.120 --> 00:30:45.420 and you love us. 00:30:47.080 --> 00:30:47.900 We pray this, 00:30:48.040 --> 00:30:48.120 Father, 00:30:48.200 --> 00:30:48.980 in the name of Christ. 00:30:49.320 --> 00:30:49.560 Amen.