WEBVTT 00:00:00.520 --> 00:00:03.540 I was going to say, oh good, I wrote it down and then I lost it. 00:00:05.360 --> 00:00:11.740 Ah, it is now my privilege and what not to introduce to you our speaker for this morning. 00:00:12.919 --> 00:00:20.859 Matthew Ritskus, born and raised in Southwest, Saskatchewan, south of Swift Current, 00:00:21.879 --> 00:00:23.820 down in Dan and Darlene's country. 00:00:24.679 --> 00:00:28.080 He can't get away with anything because Dan and Darlene know his folks. 00:00:28.079 --> 00:00:34.739 So, but he is a graduate. 00:00:35.159 --> 00:00:39.619 He took four years, took the full four-year program at Miller College of the Bible, 00:00:39.799 --> 00:00:49.519 graduated last year and has gone into ministry at West Bank Bible Camp, 00:00:49.939 --> 00:00:52.619 just north of Swift Current, if I remember right. 00:00:52.879 --> 00:00:55.079 And he's in maintenance there. 00:00:55.079 --> 00:01:01.539 And I know, having been a director of Bible Camp, what an important job Matthew has 00:01:01.539 --> 00:01:03.939 in taking care of the facilities. 00:01:04.459 --> 00:01:08.079 And it's not that complicated a job. 00:01:08.140 --> 00:01:10.179 It can only keep you busy 24-7. 00:01:11.000 --> 00:01:17.500 So, and sometimes, and Rob will appreciate this, maybe even 25 or 26-7. 00:01:17.500 --> 00:01:25.859 But Matthew has a heart for the Lord, and I know he's been looking forward to coming and 00:01:25.859 --> 00:01:27.799 sharing God's Word with us. 00:01:27.920 --> 00:01:30.359 So, Matthew, it's yours. 00:01:30.359 --> 00:01:30.460 Thank you. 00:01:30.459 --> 00:01:39.979 I have been quite excited to come here this morning. 00:01:40.239 --> 00:01:44.899 I was speaking with Josh on the phone a few weeks ago, 00:01:45.019 --> 00:01:49.699 and he said that this church has a real love for the Word of God. 00:01:49.700 --> 00:01:57.400 And that made me quite excited that we get to speak about God's Word this morning and learn from it and study it. 00:01:58.620 --> 00:02:02.240 And this morning has already been so good looking at the Psalms, 00:02:02.600 --> 00:02:08.020 because this morning we're going to be looking at Psalm 1 together. 00:02:08.020 --> 00:02:12.340 And so that's what I have prepared. 00:02:12.980 --> 00:02:16.980 So thanks for leading us in songs and preparing our hearts for that. 00:02:18.340 --> 00:02:22.780 So, Psalm 1, if you want to turn there, and then I'll just pray for us before we dive in. 00:02:32.960 --> 00:02:33.540 Let's pray. 00:02:33.539 --> 00:02:41.159 Thank you, Father, for a morning you have made, and that we can rejoice in and be glad that we can meet together 00:02:41.159 --> 00:02:48.719 to look at your Word and what you've said to us through it, and how we can live in pursuit of you. 00:02:49.659 --> 00:02:53.479 So I pray that you'd be with us this morning, that you'd give me the words to say, 00:02:54.180 --> 00:02:59.319 and that you would help me to put my ego aside and my pride aside, 00:02:59.319 --> 00:03:02.239 and that we would seek you wholeheartedly. 00:03:02.759 --> 00:03:02.939 Amen. 00:03:03.539 --> 00:03:08.759 So let's read the Psalm together, Psalm 1. 00:03:09.659 --> 00:03:11.639 I'm reading from the ESV this morning. 00:03:13.419 --> 00:03:17.139 Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, 00:03:17.560 --> 00:03:21.780 nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers, 00:03:22.039 --> 00:03:27.579 but his delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law he meditates day and night. 00:03:27.580 --> 00:03:34.000 He is like a tree planted by streams of water that yields its fruit in its season, 00:03:34.260 --> 00:03:35.800 and its leaf does not wither. 00:03:35.800 --> 00:03:38.220 In all that he does he prospers. 00:03:38.680 --> 00:03:42.620 The wicked are not so, but are like chaff that the wind drives away. 00:03:43.520 --> 00:03:48.439 Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous. 00:03:48.439 --> 00:03:53.620 For the Lord knows the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked will perish. 00:03:53.620 --> 00:04:00.819 So the Psalms are a wonderful book of praises and prayer. 00:04:01.780 --> 00:04:07.480 And the New Testament writers also use the book of Psalms often, and they quoted it. 00:04:07.719 --> 00:04:11.080 It's not the most quoted book in the New Testament, but it's up there. 00:04:11.140 --> 00:04:12.420 I think Isaiah is number one. 00:04:12.419 --> 00:04:20.099 And oftentimes when they quote the book of Psalms, it's in reference specifically to the person and work of Jesus Christ. 00:04:21.099 --> 00:04:24.819 And Psalm 1, as the opening to the book, is no different. 00:04:25.279 --> 00:04:30.259 We have so much in here about he lays out these two different pathways that we should take. 00:04:30.659 --> 00:04:38.019 You know, you have live righteously, but also we're going to see this morning how it does point forward to Jesus, 00:04:38.019 --> 00:04:42.000 and that just intensifies the meaning for us on this side of the cross. 00:04:42.420 --> 00:04:47.920 So this morning I'm going to take a look at the first Psalm, 00:04:48.080 --> 00:04:56.800 and then at the end I want to point us back to Jesus and how this just really makes things greater for us always when we see Jesus. 00:04:59.280 --> 00:05:02.960 So I'll pose this question as we start and as we look at it. 00:05:03.840 --> 00:05:06.300 Where do you want to go in life? 00:05:06.900 --> 00:05:08.700 And we're going to look at this spiritually. 00:05:08.700 --> 00:05:12.360 What is your destination or your end goal? 00:05:13.319 --> 00:05:17.600 You can think of it as, do you want to be somebody that people look to for guidance? 00:05:18.140 --> 00:05:20.680 Do you want to be a witness in your workplace? 00:05:21.699 --> 00:05:24.860 Or a raiser of a godly family? 00:05:26.700 --> 00:05:28.580 The psalmist words it like this. 00:05:29.280 --> 00:05:33.879 I want God to look at my life and smile. 00:05:33.879 --> 00:05:38.379 And that's what he means when he says, blessed is the man. 00:05:38.959 --> 00:05:41.120 May the Lord's face shine upon you. 00:05:41.719 --> 00:05:44.779 He has this in verse 1 as well as in verse 6. 00:05:45.540 --> 00:05:47.540 Blessed is the man, verse 1. 00:05:47.600 --> 00:05:50.399 And then down in verse 6, the Lord knows. 00:05:51.180 --> 00:05:53.740 I believe the NIV says the Lord watches. 00:05:53.740 --> 00:05:59.139 This is a term of intimacy, of the Lord's face shining down. 00:06:01.199 --> 00:06:07.079 In our Canadian way of thinking, we don't think of knowledge as a very intimate thing. 00:06:07.899 --> 00:06:11.899 Sometimes we think of, like, oh, I know about this. 00:06:12.519 --> 00:06:13.939 But, you know, what does that mean? 00:06:14.120 --> 00:06:19.959 The word knowledge in the Old Testament, in the Hebrew, it's not just awareness of something. 00:06:20.279 --> 00:06:21.799 It's more of a closeness. 00:06:22.099 --> 00:06:29.319 When you say that, oh, yeah, I'm close with so-and-so, it's this picture of intimacy. 00:06:30.120 --> 00:06:33.000 Like, the NIV's saying the Lord watches the righteous. 00:06:33.979 --> 00:06:38.240 It's like if you're a parent and you have children, young children, do you know where your children are? 00:06:38.240 --> 00:06:39.959 Oh, yeah, they're at the park. 00:06:40.699 --> 00:06:43.039 Or, I'm watching them, right? 00:06:43.099 --> 00:06:44.019 I'm with them. 00:06:44.679 --> 00:06:47.379 This is the picture that the psalmist is laying out. 00:06:47.479 --> 00:06:49.719 He wants to be close with God. 00:06:49.720 --> 00:06:51.180 That is his goal. 00:06:52.720 --> 00:06:59.400 So then, if our goal is to be close to God, to be near to God, how do we get there? 00:07:00.240 --> 00:07:05.380 Which pathway are we on, is what the psalmist wants to point out to us. 00:07:05.920 --> 00:07:10.040 Because the blessed man, he's not following the pathway of the world, 00:07:10.260 --> 00:07:14.280 but he needs to stay on the pathway of the righteous if this is going to be the case. 00:07:15.700 --> 00:07:19.560 When I was on my drive here, I looked at Google Maps before I came. 00:07:20.580 --> 00:07:24.040 Last night, I was just looking, okay, this is how I get to Davidson, the quickest way. 00:07:24.820 --> 00:07:29.300 And then, I think it was Central Butte, the Highway 19 just took a little jog. 00:07:29.380 --> 00:07:32.640 But I kept on going straight, because I didn't acknowledge this jog. 00:07:32.820 --> 00:07:34.500 And so I was just on a gravel road. 00:07:35.040 --> 00:07:38.200 And I was like, well, I guess this is the way to get there. 00:07:38.199 --> 00:07:42.000 And then, eventually, there's a sign that you can't go any further. 00:07:42.259 --> 00:07:47.159 So I took another turn, and eventually, I ended up back on the Highway 19. 00:07:47.379 --> 00:07:49.240 And we got here, so that's good. 00:07:49.240 --> 00:08:02.319 And so, which pathway are we on, spiritually, to get to the spiritual destination of God looking at us and smiling to be near God? 00:08:02.319 --> 00:08:15.420 I would say that the best way to determine which path we're on, for me, it was, well, this highway shouldn't be gravel, and it should be continuing going. 00:08:15.420 --> 00:08:22.460 The best way for us to determine a spiritual pathway is our delights, actually. 00:08:22.680 --> 00:08:24.460 I'm not saying to live by our feelings. 00:08:25.280 --> 00:08:27.199 But what brings you joy in life? 00:08:28.280 --> 00:08:30.660 Is our greatest joy things of the world? 00:08:30.660 --> 00:08:33.820 Maybe we're in pursuit of things of the world. 00:08:34.139 --> 00:08:36.460 Is our greatest joy things of God? 00:08:37.080 --> 00:08:39.040 That is a good indicator. 00:08:42.040 --> 00:08:45.420 And this, honestly, is a psalm about delights, a lot. 00:08:46.379 --> 00:08:49.720 We see his delight is in the law of the Lord. 00:08:50.460 --> 00:08:53.700 And so that's what I want to look more at. 00:08:55.740 --> 00:08:57.560 Proverbs 4.23 says, 00:08:57.559 --> 00:09:05.959 Out of the abundance of the heart, our mouth speaks. 00:09:06.119 --> 00:09:08.159 Our desires deepen our heart. 00:09:08.379 --> 00:09:10.979 That's going to determine the direction that we take in life. 00:09:12.719 --> 00:09:16.399 So let's look a little bit more about what this blessedness looks like. 00:09:16.559 --> 00:09:21.539 And the psalmist, in verse 1, he describes it by saying something that it's not. 00:09:22.039 --> 00:09:26.500 Sometimes we like to describe something by saying the negative way of it. 00:09:26.500 --> 00:09:30.440 Like to say, well, how do I put this? 00:09:30.620 --> 00:09:33.039 I met a missionary from Thailand, and he says it like this. 00:09:33.340 --> 00:09:36.879 When they want to emphasize something heavily in Thailand, 00:09:37.600 --> 00:09:40.580 they wouldn't say, oh, yes, this person is very tall. 00:09:41.159 --> 00:09:43.500 If they say somebody is tall, you acknowledge that they're tall. 00:09:43.679 --> 00:09:48.139 But if you want to say he's very tall, you'd say he is not short. 00:09:48.700 --> 00:09:51.200 And so it's a very different way of thinking. 00:09:51.200 --> 00:09:53.060 But this is kind of what the psalmist does here. 00:09:53.480 --> 00:09:53.720 He says, 00:09:54.000 --> 00:09:57.920 This blessed person, this person who is close to God and near to God, 00:09:58.860 --> 00:10:02.560 blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked, 00:10:02.879 --> 00:10:06.240 who does not walk in step with the wicked, does not go down their way. 00:10:07.000 --> 00:10:09.020 He does not stand in the way of sinners, 00:10:09.720 --> 00:10:12.340 nor does he sit in the seat of scoffers. 00:10:12.340 --> 00:10:17.920 Walking in the counsel of the wicked is to take counsel, 00:10:18.060 --> 00:10:20.180 take advice from the ways of the world. 00:10:21.519 --> 00:10:24.080 And oftentimes the devil likes to feed us lies 00:10:24.080 --> 00:10:26.840 through things that we consume in our lives, 00:10:26.840 --> 00:10:30.420 as well as the old nature within us, our sinful hearts. 00:10:30.879 --> 00:10:33.480 When we turn off our thinking, 00:10:33.960 --> 00:10:36.180 and we just let things filter into us, 00:10:37.080 --> 00:10:39.740 it can lead us down many dark paths. 00:10:39.740 --> 00:10:42.159 There's an expression said by somebody, 00:10:42.639 --> 00:10:45.259 Show me your friends, and I'll show you your future. 00:10:45.860 --> 00:10:48.200 And I think that that holds some weight. 00:10:48.720 --> 00:10:52.000 We need to be diligent with who we take our counsel from. 00:10:53.899 --> 00:10:55.779 He stands not in the way of sinners. 00:10:56.659 --> 00:10:58.519 This is a picture of going with the flow, 00:10:58.980 --> 00:11:01.080 or going down the wide path. 00:11:01.440 --> 00:11:04.919 But Jesus says that we need to follow the straight and narrow path, 00:11:05.299 --> 00:11:07.779 because this wide path that everybody wants to go down, 00:11:07.779 --> 00:11:10.980 because it's easy, it does lead to destruction in the end. 00:11:12.740 --> 00:11:13.639 And then he says, 00:11:14.360 --> 00:11:17.500 Nor does the blessed man sit in the seat of scoffers. 00:11:18.959 --> 00:11:21.959 Scoffing or mockery, gossip, 00:11:22.559 --> 00:11:28.539 this is not what the person who is close to God commits himself to. 00:11:28.539 --> 00:11:33.959 James says that the tongue is a fire set ablaze by hell. 00:11:34.860 --> 00:11:38.659 That's very, you know, bold imagery, 00:11:39.079 --> 00:11:42.919 that our tongues have the power to tear people down. 00:11:45.120 --> 00:11:47.759 And so we do need to be careful of these things. 00:11:48.899 --> 00:11:50.819 So these pictures are, as I said, 00:11:51.179 --> 00:11:54.159 it's an opposite of the person who is near to God, 00:11:54.379 --> 00:11:55.439 of being blessed. 00:11:55.440 --> 00:12:00.400 And already we have a picture here of delights, 00:12:00.860 --> 00:12:03.120 and desires, and what our hearts pursue. 00:12:03.900 --> 00:12:05.320 Take a look at the action words. 00:12:05.420 --> 00:12:06.520 This man is walking, 00:12:07.220 --> 00:12:08.400 and then he's standing, 00:12:08.960 --> 00:12:09.960 and then he's sitting. 00:12:11.580 --> 00:12:12.300 Flip side, 00:12:12.440 --> 00:12:13.420 if somebody is sitting, 00:12:14.500 --> 00:12:15.340 and then he stands up, 00:12:15.380 --> 00:12:16.080 and then he walks, 00:12:16.720 --> 00:12:18.200 it means he didn't want to be there anymore, 00:12:18.340 --> 00:12:19.420 because he got up and left. 00:12:19.419 --> 00:12:20.759 This person, 00:12:21.459 --> 00:12:22.939 he goes over to this place, 00:12:23.219 --> 00:12:25.719 and he lets his peace rest in that area. 00:12:26.179 --> 00:12:28.240 A picture of contentment. 00:12:28.639 --> 00:12:30.059 This is where he wants to be, 00:12:30.399 --> 00:12:31.799 in the ways of the world. 00:12:34.179 --> 00:12:35.819 But the psalmist wants to argue, 00:12:36.579 --> 00:12:38.199 the man who's pursuing God, 00:12:38.599 --> 00:12:40.500 the one whose God favor rests upon, 00:12:41.159 --> 00:12:43.259 has a fight against sin. 00:12:43.259 --> 00:12:44.500 He is not at peace, 00:12:44.500 --> 00:12:46.679 with walking in the ways of the world, 00:12:46.819 --> 00:12:48.840 because he realizes, 00:12:49.080 --> 00:12:50.740 the destination of that path. 00:12:53.480 --> 00:12:54.939 So I want to read verse 2. 00:12:55.960 --> 00:12:56.659 His delight, 00:12:57.659 --> 00:13:00.419 is not in walking with the counsel of the wicked, 00:13:00.819 --> 00:13:03.019 his delight is in the law of the Lord, 00:13:03.519 --> 00:13:05.080 and on his law he meditates, 00:13:05.319 --> 00:13:05.919 day and night. 00:13:05.919 --> 00:13:10.979 So the law. 00:13:11.539 --> 00:13:12.159 This is, 00:13:12.579 --> 00:13:13.939 the word here is Torah, 00:13:14.419 --> 00:13:15.799 which means instruction, 00:13:16.399 --> 00:13:17.620 or direction. 00:13:18.279 --> 00:13:20.059 And it's a very interesting thing, 00:13:20.360 --> 00:13:20.860 that he says that, 00:13:21.059 --> 00:13:22.319 this is his delight, 00:13:22.679 --> 00:13:23.079 law. 00:13:23.819 --> 00:13:24.860 When I think about this, 00:13:24.919 --> 00:13:25.299 I think, 00:13:25.419 --> 00:13:25.579 well, 00:13:26.539 --> 00:13:27.019 I get, 00:13:28.120 --> 00:13:29.439 delighting in grace, 00:13:29.659 --> 00:13:30.959 delighting in God's mercy, 00:13:31.879 --> 00:13:33.240 delighting in the gospel, 00:13:33.240 --> 00:13:36.539 but delighting in rules? 00:13:36.779 --> 00:13:38.299 This is very interesting to me. 00:13:39.799 --> 00:13:40.279 And, 00:13:40.360 --> 00:13:42.080 it's a really cool theme, 00:13:42.180 --> 00:13:42.360 honestly, 00:13:42.440 --> 00:13:43.220 throughout the Psalms. 00:13:43.740 --> 00:13:44.139 You know, 00:13:44.200 --> 00:13:45.360 even Psalm 119, 00:13:45.899 --> 00:13:46.200 you know, 00:13:46.560 --> 00:13:48.240 these statutes and rules, 00:13:48.759 --> 00:13:49.779 the psalmist is writing about, 00:13:49.840 --> 00:13:51.060 how they're so glorious to him. 00:13:51.779 --> 00:13:52.620 And that's because, 00:13:52.759 --> 00:13:54.039 these Old Testament writers, 00:13:54.519 --> 00:13:56.519 and those who were practicing law, 00:13:56.680 --> 00:13:58.779 understood the purpose of it. 00:14:00.000 --> 00:14:01.240 The purpose of the law, 00:14:01.379 --> 00:14:03.039 is not to uphold it, 00:14:03.240 --> 00:14:04.200 and realize that, 00:14:04.899 --> 00:14:06.340 we are really good about ourselves, 00:14:06.440 --> 00:14:06.820 but rather, 00:14:06.940 --> 00:14:08.340 God gives the rules, 00:14:08.399 --> 00:14:09.519 which show his character, 00:14:10.060 --> 00:14:11.299 and his goodness, 00:14:11.399 --> 00:14:12.100 and his grace. 00:14:12.960 --> 00:14:14.000 And when we understand, 00:14:14.200 --> 00:14:16.100 that we cannot meet God's standard, 00:14:16.539 --> 00:14:17.820 it reveals to us greater, 00:14:18.299 --> 00:14:19.220 God's grace. 00:14:20.820 --> 00:14:21.600 And so, 00:14:22.500 --> 00:14:23.840 the psalmist is not saying, 00:14:23.960 --> 00:14:24.680 simply that, 00:14:25.899 --> 00:14:26.620 rules are good, 00:14:26.680 --> 00:14:27.539 because I'm really good, 00:14:27.539 --> 00:14:28.259 at keeping them. 00:14:28.860 --> 00:14:29.720 But instead, 00:14:30.419 --> 00:14:30.659 he says, 00:14:30.659 --> 00:14:31.480 like, 00:14:31.659 --> 00:14:31.860 Lord, 00:14:31.980 --> 00:14:33.219 the more that I see, 00:14:33.559 --> 00:14:34.579 your rules, 00:14:35.500 --> 00:14:36.240 and your grace, 00:14:36.439 --> 00:14:37.919 in spite of my sinfulness, 00:14:38.699 --> 00:14:40.079 this is just amazing, 00:14:40.439 --> 00:14:41.740 and it causes great delight. 00:14:43.799 --> 00:14:44.279 Amen. 00:14:49.039 --> 00:14:49.719 And so, 00:14:49.879 --> 00:14:51.659 that's our question for ourselves, 00:14:51.759 --> 00:14:52.600 is do we delight? 00:14:52.600 --> 00:14:53.720 We have, 00:14:53.960 --> 00:14:55.180 you know, 00:14:55.240 --> 00:14:56.500 being immersed in the scriptures, 00:14:56.820 --> 00:14:58.139 we have memory of scriptures, 00:14:58.560 --> 00:15:00.320 which is amazing, 00:15:00.960 --> 00:15:02.180 but the Pharisees, 00:15:02.259 --> 00:15:02.920 in the New Testament, 00:15:03.040 --> 00:15:04.060 also had this, 00:15:04.200 --> 00:15:05.560 deep knowledge, 00:15:06.040 --> 00:15:06.879 of the scriptures, 00:15:07.340 --> 00:15:09.300 but Jesus never said of them, 00:15:09.980 --> 00:15:10.779 you guys are like, 00:15:11.120 --> 00:15:12.700 trees planted by streams of water, 00:15:12.899 --> 00:15:13.060 like, 00:15:13.100 --> 00:15:14.920 you guys are very strong spiritually. 00:15:15.540 --> 00:15:15.800 No, 00:15:15.899 --> 00:15:16.480 instead he said, 00:15:16.560 --> 00:15:17.500 beware of the leaven, 00:15:17.560 --> 00:15:18.500 of the Pharisees, 00:15:19.039 --> 00:15:19.440 you know, 00:15:20.240 --> 00:15:22.100 why is this? 00:15:22.159 --> 00:15:23.220 It's not just about, 00:15:23.220 --> 00:15:24.700 obeying the law, 00:15:24.779 --> 00:15:25.360 it's not just about, 00:15:25.360 --> 00:15:26.139 knowing the law, 00:15:26.419 --> 00:15:27.379 it's not even just about, 00:15:27.480 --> 00:15:28.379 doing the law, 00:15:28.639 --> 00:15:29.159 honestly. 00:15:30.419 --> 00:15:31.820 Jesus wants us to be, 00:15:31.820 --> 00:15:32.779 delighting in, 00:15:32.980 --> 00:15:33.799 and out of that, 00:15:34.779 --> 00:15:35.820 it produces fruit. 00:15:37.320 --> 00:15:38.179 We could say that, 00:15:38.240 --> 00:15:38.740 the Pharisees, 00:15:38.840 --> 00:15:40.019 greater delight was, 00:15:40.659 --> 00:15:41.519 being seen as, 00:15:41.940 --> 00:15:42.419 great, 00:15:42.559 --> 00:15:43.440 in the eyes of man, 00:15:43.720 --> 00:15:45.139 or elevating themselves, 00:15:45.440 --> 00:15:46.139 above others, 00:15:46.559 --> 00:15:47.960 and belittling others. 00:15:48.500 --> 00:15:51.139 On the Sermon on the Mount, 00:15:51.399 --> 00:15:52.539 in Matthew chapter 5, 00:15:52.720 --> 00:15:54.320 Jesus says a very interesting thing. 00:15:54.960 --> 00:15:55.440 He says, 00:15:55.600 --> 00:15:56.639 unless your righteousness, 00:15:56.860 --> 00:15:58.480 surpasses that of the Pharisees, 00:15:58.840 --> 00:16:00.820 you'll never enter the kingdom of heaven. 00:16:01.840 --> 00:16:02.860 Which is very, 00:16:02.860 --> 00:16:04.740 profound, 00:16:04.919 --> 00:16:05.639 because we're saying, 00:16:05.740 --> 00:16:06.740 Jesus never said of them, 00:16:07.200 --> 00:16:08.519 you guys are doing the right thing, 00:16:09.320 --> 00:16:10.539 but he says, 00:16:11.039 --> 00:16:13.620 you do need to act a certain way, 00:16:13.679 --> 00:16:15.019 you do need to follow these laws, 00:16:15.019 --> 00:16:16.819 but it can't just be about, 00:16:16.819 --> 00:16:18.559 be about outward expression, 00:16:19.240 --> 00:16:20.279 it needs to be about, 00:16:20.279 --> 00:16:22.340 delighting in God, 00:16:22.879 --> 00:16:24.039 and God delighting in us, 00:16:24.120 --> 00:16:25.139 because of his grace, 00:16:25.240 --> 00:16:26.600 and understanding grace, 00:16:26.799 --> 00:16:27.340 through the law. 00:16:29.559 --> 00:16:30.039 So, 00:16:30.419 --> 00:16:31.519 we have for us, 00:16:32.159 --> 00:16:33.360 set out these pathways, 00:16:34.019 --> 00:16:34.899 the way of the righteous, 00:16:35.199 --> 00:16:35.980 the way of the wicked, 00:16:35.980 --> 00:16:37.399 and now, 00:16:37.820 --> 00:16:39.000 he's going to get into, 00:16:39.180 --> 00:16:39.980 their destinations, 00:16:40.940 --> 00:16:42.080 in the next few verses. 00:16:43.680 --> 00:16:44.159 Verses, 00:16:44.159 --> 00:16:45.100 three, 00:16:45.620 --> 00:16:46.779 and verses six, 00:16:47.600 --> 00:16:48.779 first half of chapter six, 00:16:48.840 --> 00:16:49.420 talks about, 00:16:50.060 --> 00:16:51.120 this righteous man, 00:16:52.159 --> 00:16:53.200 the way of the righteous, 00:16:53.420 --> 00:16:54.159 and their destination. 00:16:54.480 --> 00:16:55.379 Verses four and five, 00:16:55.480 --> 00:16:55.980 speak about, 00:16:56.560 --> 00:16:58.460 the way of the wicked, 00:16:58.659 --> 00:16:59.600 and its destination. 00:16:59.600 --> 00:17:00.200 So, 00:17:00.399 --> 00:17:02.139 we're going to start with, 00:17:02.840 --> 00:17:04.319 the righteous one. 00:17:04.680 --> 00:17:05.400 I'll just read the whole, 00:17:05.839 --> 00:17:06.819 verses three to six. 00:17:08.140 --> 00:17:09.160 He's like a tree, 00:17:09.319 --> 00:17:10.860 planted by streams of water, 00:17:11.099 --> 00:17:12.099 that yields its fruit, 00:17:12.180 --> 00:17:12.799 in its season, 00:17:13.279 --> 00:17:13.860 and its leaf, 00:17:13.920 --> 00:17:14.559 does not wither. 00:17:15.180 --> 00:17:16.200 In all that he does, 00:17:16.279 --> 00:17:17.079 he prospers. 00:17:17.860 --> 00:17:18.940 The wicked are not so, 00:17:19.079 --> 00:17:19.960 but are like chaff, 00:17:20.019 --> 00:17:21.200 that the wind drives away. 00:17:22.099 --> 00:17:22.440 Therefore, 00:17:22.620 --> 00:17:23.720 the wicked will not stand, 00:17:23.779 --> 00:17:24.319 in the judgment, 00:17:24.940 --> 00:17:25.480 nor sinners, 00:17:25.579 --> 00:17:26.180 in the congregation, 00:17:26.180 --> 00:17:26.900 of the righteous. 00:17:27.519 --> 00:17:28.660 For the Lord knows, 00:17:28.700 --> 00:17:29.480 the way of the righteous, 00:17:29.599 --> 00:17:30.939 but the way of the wicked, 00:17:31.419 --> 00:17:32.119 will perish. 00:17:35.079 --> 00:17:35.559 So, 00:17:35.639 --> 00:17:36.119 this tree, 00:17:36.500 --> 00:17:37.339 we have a picture, 00:17:37.459 --> 00:17:38.480 just by looking at, 00:17:39.079 --> 00:17:40.959 the words in here, 00:17:41.019 --> 00:17:41.879 that are used to describe, 00:17:42.000 --> 00:17:42.500 this person, 00:17:42.899 --> 00:17:44.000 we have a picture of, 00:17:44.179 --> 00:17:44.539 strength, 00:17:45.039 --> 00:17:45.480 provision, 00:17:46.379 --> 00:17:46.899 longevity, 00:17:47.679 --> 00:17:48.419 and fruitfulness. 00:17:49.339 --> 00:17:51.139 Trees by a stream of water, 00:17:52.179 --> 00:17:53.439 its leaf never withers, 00:17:54.099 --> 00:17:54.759 it is strong, 00:17:54.839 --> 00:17:55.359 and it's sure, 00:17:55.539 --> 00:17:56.500 and it's going to stand, 00:17:57.500 --> 00:17:59.179 when the wind comes. 00:17:59.599 --> 00:18:02.159 And this is amazing, 00:18:02.519 --> 00:18:03.259 because if this, 00:18:03.379 --> 00:18:04.579 is absolutely true, 00:18:05.079 --> 00:18:06.099 if God's promise, 00:18:06.240 --> 00:18:06.779 in the word, 00:18:07.639 --> 00:18:08.319 in this psalm, 00:18:08.359 --> 00:18:08.859 is true, 00:18:09.379 --> 00:18:11.059 then nothing that we have, 00:18:11.740 --> 00:18:12.839 is a rip off, 00:18:12.939 --> 00:18:13.399 in life. 00:18:14.359 --> 00:18:15.279 Nothing that comes, 00:18:15.379 --> 00:18:16.579 we don't have to say, 00:18:17.119 --> 00:18:18.579 I got the short end, 00:18:18.579 --> 00:18:19.159 of the stick, 00:18:19.519 --> 00:18:20.740 because God has promised, 00:18:21.740 --> 00:18:23.000 the righteous one, 00:18:23.339 --> 00:18:24.539 will be strong, 00:18:24.539 --> 00:18:26.420 the righteous one, 00:18:26.420 --> 00:18:28.139 does have all that he needs, 00:18:28.279 --> 00:18:29.019 the righteous one, 00:18:29.460 --> 00:18:30.299 can endure. 00:18:31.960 --> 00:18:32.879 And this is, 00:18:32.960 --> 00:18:34.079 this is very profound. 00:18:34.899 --> 00:18:35.579 Job, however, 00:18:35.940 --> 00:18:38.180 was a righteous man, 00:18:38.460 --> 00:18:40.240 it says in the beginning of Job, 00:18:40.799 --> 00:18:42.079 that Job was more righteous, 00:18:42.240 --> 00:18:43.159 than anyone else, 00:18:43.220 --> 00:18:44.119 on the earth at his time, 00:18:44.779 --> 00:18:46.399 but he had a hard time, 00:18:46.500 --> 00:18:48.180 understanding this delight, 00:18:48.299 --> 00:18:48.899 in the Lord, 00:18:49.480 --> 00:18:50.839 when the hard times came. 00:18:50.839 --> 00:18:54.659 In chapter 32 of Job, 00:18:55.199 --> 00:18:56.980 Elihu is this younger man, 00:18:57.119 --> 00:18:57.939 he's been listening, 00:18:58.519 --> 00:19:00.279 and he's hearing the back and forth, 00:19:00.319 --> 00:19:01.740 kind of complaints between them, 00:19:01.980 --> 00:19:03.259 and then he speaks up, 00:19:03.319 --> 00:19:04.980 when everybody's run out of words to say. 00:19:05.639 --> 00:19:06.859 He says this of Job, 00:19:08.859 --> 00:19:11.220 chapter 34, 00:19:11.379 --> 00:19:12.279 starting in verse 9, 00:19:14.039 --> 00:19:15.439 or starting in verse 7 actually, 00:19:15.959 --> 00:19:17.439 What man is like Job, 00:19:17.559 --> 00:19:19.639 who drinks up scoffing like water, 00:19:19.640 --> 00:19:22.540 who travels in a company with evildoers, 00:19:22.840 --> 00:19:24.520 and walks with wicked men. 00:19:25.060 --> 00:19:26.160 For he has said, 00:19:26.660 --> 00:19:27.980 it profits a man nothing, 00:19:28.380 --> 00:19:30.540 that he should take delight in God. 00:19:32.640 --> 00:19:35.220 Job definitely did have a journey in front of him, 00:19:35.500 --> 00:19:36.560 and all around him, 00:19:37.040 --> 00:19:39.080 but Elihu comes in to remind him, 00:19:39.700 --> 00:19:40.940 God is not your enemy, 00:19:41.540 --> 00:19:42.580 he's your friend, 00:19:43.180 --> 00:19:44.820 and we can delight in him, 00:19:45.220 --> 00:19:47.340 despite all the things going on around us, 00:19:47.339 --> 00:19:49.500 because God has promised, 00:19:50.099 --> 00:19:51.299 and God never lies. 00:19:51.959 --> 00:19:54.759 Titus 1, verse 2 says that, 00:19:55.339 --> 00:19:56.459 in hope of eternal life, 00:19:56.519 --> 00:19:58.139 which God, who never lies, 00:19:58.359 --> 00:19:59.399 promised beforehand, 00:19:59.839 --> 00:20:01.039 before the ages began. 00:20:02.139 --> 00:20:03.859 Job lost a little bit of sight of this, 00:20:03.899 --> 00:20:04.639 amidst the things, 00:20:05.319 --> 00:20:06.859 but Elihu came to remind him, 00:20:07.659 --> 00:20:08.919 God is our greatest delight, 00:20:09.199 --> 00:20:11.799 because he's promised great things, 00:20:11.799 --> 00:20:14.079 even though we have a hard time seeing it, 00:20:14.299 --> 00:20:15.559 in our struggles. 00:20:19.419 --> 00:20:21.619 He moves on in verse 4, 00:20:21.740 --> 00:20:22.839 the wicked are not so, 00:20:23.419 --> 00:20:24.359 but are like chaff, 00:20:24.419 --> 00:20:25.740 that the wind drives away. 00:20:26.619 --> 00:20:28.700 Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment, 00:20:28.960 --> 00:20:30.940 nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous. 00:20:31.839 --> 00:20:34.119 There's so much contrast in this psalm, 00:20:34.200 --> 00:20:36.440 about pathways of the righteous and the wicked, 00:20:36.599 --> 00:20:37.299 their destination, 00:20:37.299 --> 00:20:38.519 and all this. 00:20:38.879 --> 00:20:41.279 And now in contrast to this strong tree, 00:20:41.720 --> 00:20:43.680 which does have all that it needs, 00:20:44.259 --> 00:20:45.139 we have chaff. 00:20:45.619 --> 00:20:46.680 And if you know chaff, 00:20:47.079 --> 00:20:48.940 and the wind that we get here in Saskatchewan, 00:20:49.000 --> 00:20:50.200 if you have a bucket of grain, 00:20:50.559 --> 00:20:52.319 and you just kind of dump it out like this, 00:20:52.659 --> 00:20:54.159 the grain will land right there, 00:20:54.539 --> 00:20:55.960 but where does the chaff go? 00:20:56.919 --> 00:20:57.099 Right? 00:20:57.519 --> 00:20:58.240 It's all over. 00:20:58.299 --> 00:20:59.980 You can't scatter it. 00:21:00.619 --> 00:21:01.299 You know, this tree, 00:21:01.460 --> 00:21:02.279 which, you know, 00:21:02.399 --> 00:21:03.200 the wind comes, 00:21:03.819 --> 00:21:04.419 it's fine. 00:21:04.420 --> 00:21:05.279 This chaff, 00:21:05.560 --> 00:21:06.360 a gentle breeze, 00:21:06.779 --> 00:21:07.620 and it's gone. 00:21:09.420 --> 00:21:12.500 This is a reminder of the destination, 00:21:12.700 --> 00:21:15.140 of the pathway that we might choose. 00:21:16.180 --> 00:21:20.240 This wide pathway that all the world is going down, 00:21:20.560 --> 00:21:22.360 it looks very appealing in the moment, 00:21:23.279 --> 00:21:26.580 but the psalmist reminds us it does not last. 00:21:29.420 --> 00:21:30.700 So as it was said, 00:21:30.759 --> 00:21:31.960 I work at a Bible camp, 00:21:32.180 --> 00:21:33.759 and this past week there's a speaker, 00:21:34.500 --> 00:21:35.579 his name was Dan Stobie, 00:21:36.180 --> 00:21:38.740 and he had this story for the kids, 00:21:38.940 --> 00:21:39.519 one chapel, 00:21:39.920 --> 00:21:40.720 out of a book, 00:21:40.799 --> 00:21:42.720 it was called A View from the Zoo. 00:21:42.980 --> 00:21:43.980 It's a pretty cool book. 00:21:44.119 --> 00:21:46.379 It talked about different stories 00:21:46.379 --> 00:21:48.140 from this veterinarian at the zoo, 00:21:49.059 --> 00:21:52.039 and all the different things that went on with that, 00:21:52.400 --> 00:21:54.039 and then through the end of the chapter, 00:21:54.160 --> 00:21:58.240 he relates it back to these stories of animals, 00:21:58.359 --> 00:21:58.960 back to God. 00:21:58.960 --> 00:22:01.400 And he had this cool story that I thought, 00:22:01.559 --> 00:22:03.759 this fits so well with what I'm saying, 00:22:04.140 --> 00:22:05.660 and he had it photocopied for me, 00:22:05.779 --> 00:22:07.160 so I was very happy about that. 00:22:07.700 --> 00:22:11.380 So when we speak about the way of the wicked being like chaff, 00:22:12.620 --> 00:22:14.539 it reminds me of Bandit, 00:22:15.340 --> 00:22:15.559 the, 00:22:16.559 --> 00:22:17.539 oh, what is he? 00:22:17.539 --> 00:22:22.119 What are those animals that are like Bandits? 00:22:23.920 --> 00:22:24.399 Raccoons. 00:22:24.480 --> 00:22:25.039 That's it. 00:22:26.119 --> 00:22:27.920 The title of this chapter is called, 00:22:28.139 --> 00:22:29.779 It Will Be Different For Me. 00:22:29.779 --> 00:22:33.539 Bandit was irresistible. 00:22:34.220 --> 00:22:34.879 No raccoon, 00:22:35.000 --> 00:22:35.940 oh, there it is, 00:22:36.299 --> 00:22:38.819 that ever existed had more natural cute 00:22:38.819 --> 00:22:41.599 than this 90-day-old bundle of mischief. 00:22:42.279 --> 00:22:44.819 When my neighbor Julie bought him at the pet store, 00:22:44.819 --> 00:22:47.579 she was sure that they would be lifelong friends. 00:22:48.299 --> 00:22:50.019 Everywhere she went, he went, 00:22:50.539 --> 00:22:52.019 usually perched on her shoulder. 00:22:52.980 --> 00:22:56.059 Bandit's habit of holding Julie's cheeks in his paws 00:22:56.059 --> 00:22:59.539 and looking into her eyes with sparkling curiosity 00:22:59.539 --> 00:23:01.099 always melted her 00:23:01.099 --> 00:23:03.859 and solicited an affectionate kiss and hug. 00:23:04.720 --> 00:23:05.500 And he grew. 00:23:06.420 --> 00:23:07.559 18 months passed 00:23:07.559 --> 00:23:11.799 and Bandit became a strapping 25-pound adolescent raccoon, 00:23:12.299 --> 00:23:13.599 still full of the dickens 00:23:13.599 --> 00:23:16.200 and only slightly less playful. 00:23:17.019 --> 00:23:18.440 He still loved affection, 00:23:18.819 --> 00:23:19.680 rode on shoulders, 00:23:20.220 --> 00:23:22.960 and seemed to be a one-raccoon advertisement 00:23:22.960 --> 00:23:25.420 that raccoons make great pets. 00:23:25.420 --> 00:23:29.100 I mentioned Julie and Bandit 00:23:29.100 --> 00:23:30.700 to our zoo veterinarian one day 00:23:30.700 --> 00:23:33.000 and inquired as to why more people 00:23:33.000 --> 00:23:34.860 didn't keep raccoons as pets. 00:23:35.759 --> 00:23:37.039 His answer floored me. 00:23:38.120 --> 00:23:41.400 They undergo a glandular change 00:23:41.400 --> 00:23:42.759 at about 24 months. 00:23:43.820 --> 00:23:44.500 After that, 00:23:44.580 --> 00:23:45.800 they become unpredictable, 00:23:46.460 --> 00:23:46.880 independent, 00:23:47.320 --> 00:23:49.180 and often attack their owners. 00:23:50.180 --> 00:23:51.279 Are there exceptions? 00:23:51.600 --> 00:23:52.240 I inquired. 00:23:52.240 --> 00:23:53.819 None that I know of, 00:23:54.180 --> 00:23:55.079 he said thoughtfully. 00:23:55.880 --> 00:23:57.839 Then Julie is likely to be bitten? 00:23:58.680 --> 00:24:00.079 Any time now, I should think, 00:24:00.279 --> 00:24:01.660 the doctor added with conviction. 00:24:03.359 --> 00:24:05.180 Since a 30-pound raccoon 00:24:05.180 --> 00:24:07.240 can be equal to a 100-pound dog 00:24:07.240 --> 00:24:07.980 in a scrap, 00:24:08.380 --> 00:24:09.900 I felt compelled to mention 00:24:09.900 --> 00:24:11.299 the coming change to Julie. 00:24:12.079 --> 00:24:13.559 She sat and listened politely 00:24:13.559 --> 00:24:14.640 as I explained 00:24:14.640 --> 00:24:18.140 what an eminent world authority 00:24:18.140 --> 00:24:19.180 had shared with me 00:24:19.180 --> 00:24:20.140 concerning raccoons 00:24:20.140 --> 00:24:21.140 and their nature. 00:24:22.120 --> 00:24:23.740 I'll never forget her answer. 00:24:24.400 --> 00:24:25.960 It will be different for me. 00:24:26.779 --> 00:24:27.840 Bandit is different. 00:24:28.640 --> 00:24:30.500 And she smiled as she added, 00:24:31.160 --> 00:24:32.259 Bandit wouldn't hurt me. 00:24:32.519 --> 00:24:33.299 He just wouldn't. 00:24:34.660 --> 00:24:35.840 Three months later, 00:24:36.500 --> 00:24:38.960 Julie underwent plastic surgery 00:24:38.960 --> 00:24:41.060 for facial laceration sustained 00:24:41.060 --> 00:24:42.560 when her adult raccoon 00:24:42.560 --> 00:24:43.200 attacked her 00:24:43.200 --> 00:24:44.320 for no apparent reason. 00:24:45.120 --> 00:24:46.759 Bandit was released into the wild. 00:24:46.759 --> 00:24:49.859 That happened about 15 years ago, 00:24:50.059 --> 00:24:51.460 and I've heard Julie's reply 00:24:51.460 --> 00:24:52.599 many times since. 00:24:53.079 --> 00:24:54.879 But it will be different for me. 00:24:57.180 --> 00:24:58.539 Now, repeat out loud 00:24:58.539 --> 00:24:59.559 the following phrase, 00:25:00.220 --> 00:25:02.140 maybe it won't be different for me. 00:25:03.259 --> 00:25:04.400 And maybe we should be quicker 00:25:04.400 --> 00:25:06.700 to say that about sin in our lives. 00:25:07.799 --> 00:25:09.359 Maybe it won't be different for me. 00:25:10.019 --> 00:25:11.319 This is what the psalmist 00:25:11.319 --> 00:25:12.220 is writing about, 00:25:13.099 --> 00:25:13.980 about sin 00:25:13.980 --> 00:25:15.559 and following wickedness 00:25:15.559 --> 00:25:16.599 and this pathway. 00:25:17.940 --> 00:25:19.519 It's end, you know, 00:25:19.899 --> 00:25:20.700 like Bandit. 00:25:21.399 --> 00:25:22.759 I don't know of any exceptions. 00:25:23.599 --> 00:25:24.779 This is the end of these things. 00:25:25.839 --> 00:25:27.460 In Daniel chapter 5, 00:25:28.019 --> 00:25:29.220 King Belshazzar is having 00:25:29.220 --> 00:25:30.119 this great feast, 00:25:30.279 --> 00:25:30.819 and he's inviting 00:25:30.819 --> 00:25:31.579 all the officials, 00:25:32.139 --> 00:25:33.819 and they have the instruments 00:25:33.819 --> 00:25:34.960 from the house of God 00:25:34.960 --> 00:25:35.639 to eat with 00:25:35.639 --> 00:25:36.419 and all these things. 00:25:36.859 --> 00:25:38.159 And he's at the top of the world. 00:25:38.940 --> 00:25:40.059 But then the handwriting 00:25:40.059 --> 00:25:41.139 on the wall comes 00:25:41.139 --> 00:25:42.480 and breaks his party. 00:25:42.980 --> 00:25:43.179 It says, 00:25:43.180 --> 00:25:46.060 which means 00:25:46.060 --> 00:25:47.200 you've been weighed 00:25:47.200 --> 00:25:48.000 in the balances, 00:25:48.960 --> 00:25:49.720 a scale, 00:25:49.960 --> 00:25:50.460 you've been weighed 00:25:50.460 --> 00:25:51.100 in the balances, 00:25:51.539 --> 00:25:52.799 and you're found wanting. 00:25:53.220 --> 00:25:54.340 You're found lacking. 00:25:55.400 --> 00:25:55.880 Belshazzar, 00:25:55.940 --> 00:25:57.019 you're at the top of the world. 00:25:57.560 --> 00:25:58.680 You have all that you need, 00:25:58.680 --> 00:26:01.240 but you don't have everything, 00:26:01.660 --> 00:26:03.279 and your kingdom is divided. 00:26:04.320 --> 00:26:04.940 It will be given 00:26:04.940 --> 00:26:06.019 to the Medes and the Persians. 00:26:06.140 --> 00:26:07.019 It goes on there later. 00:26:10.500 --> 00:26:10.940 So, 00:26:11.740 --> 00:26:13.320 this psalm teaches us 00:26:13.320 --> 00:26:14.640 about the destination 00:26:14.640 --> 00:26:15.840 that we need to pursue, 00:26:16.259 --> 00:26:17.440 which is a relationship 00:26:17.440 --> 00:26:18.200 with God 00:26:18.200 --> 00:26:19.920 and to be seen as 00:26:19.920 --> 00:26:22.580 loved in his eyes, 00:26:22.700 --> 00:26:23.420 to be blessed. 00:26:24.220 --> 00:26:25.380 It also is a warning, 00:26:25.560 --> 00:26:25.779 though, 00:26:25.779 --> 00:26:27.859 about the other pathways 00:26:27.859 --> 00:26:29.119 which are tempting to us. 00:26:29.899 --> 00:26:30.200 So now, 00:26:30.279 --> 00:26:31.460 I want to connect it to Jesus. 00:26:31.720 --> 00:26:31.859 So, 00:26:32.279 --> 00:26:33.519 on this side of the cross, 00:26:33.599 --> 00:26:34.660 it just intensifies 00:26:34.660 --> 00:26:36.660 this meaning for us. 00:26:38.940 --> 00:26:39.759 And to do that, 00:26:39.799 --> 00:26:40.440 I want to ask, 00:26:41.119 --> 00:26:42.279 do we know anybody 00:26:42.279 --> 00:26:43.859 who has completely 00:26:43.859 --> 00:26:44.960 fulfilled this psalm? 00:26:47.299 --> 00:26:48.099 Even Job, 00:26:48.160 --> 00:26:49.480 who is declared righteous, 00:26:50.279 --> 00:26:51.460 he needs to be corrected 00:26:51.460 --> 00:26:52.220 by Elihu 00:26:52.220 --> 00:26:54.500 in his thinking. 00:26:56.339 --> 00:26:56.819 Jesus, 00:26:57.000 --> 00:26:57.360 of course, 00:26:57.440 --> 00:26:59.000 is the righteous tree, 00:26:59.420 --> 00:27:00.279 whereas we are 00:27:00.279 --> 00:27:01.220 the wicked chaff. 00:27:03.740 --> 00:27:05.500 God said of the Son 00:27:05.500 --> 00:27:06.779 at the baptism of John, 00:27:07.160 --> 00:27:07.920 from John, 00:27:08.360 --> 00:27:09.420 this is my Son 00:27:09.420 --> 00:27:10.240 whom I love. 00:27:10.519 --> 00:27:11.299 With Him, 00:27:11.579 --> 00:27:12.640 I am well pleased. 00:27:13.519 --> 00:27:14.579 It's this picture of 00:27:14.579 --> 00:27:15.799 the Lord's face 00:27:15.799 --> 00:27:17.279 shining upon Jesus. 00:27:18.620 --> 00:27:19.100 Love. 00:27:19.460 --> 00:27:20.660 This is the blessed one. 00:27:21.019 --> 00:27:21.839 Blessed is the man, 00:27:21.839 --> 00:27:22.139 right? 00:27:24.980 --> 00:27:26.240 This is quite amazing 00:27:26.240 --> 00:27:28.379 when in the New Testament 00:27:28.379 --> 00:27:29.519 we see so much imagery 00:27:29.519 --> 00:27:29.859 of 00:27:29.859 --> 00:27:32.099 we are to be righteous. 00:27:32.559 --> 00:27:33.439 But it's not of 00:27:33.439 --> 00:27:34.379 our own righteousness, 00:27:34.939 --> 00:27:36.119 but instead it's the grace 00:27:36.119 --> 00:27:37.099 that God 00:27:37.099 --> 00:27:38.639 extends to us. 00:27:39.059 --> 00:27:39.740 I want to go to 00:27:39.740 --> 00:27:40.980 2 Corinthians here. 00:27:43.059 --> 00:27:44.179 Chapter 5. 00:27:45.879 --> 00:27:47.000 It's a really cool chapter. 00:27:47.939 --> 00:27:49.599 Verse 21 says this. 00:27:49.599 --> 00:27:52.439 For our sake 00:27:52.439 --> 00:27:53.539 He made Him 00:27:53.539 --> 00:27:54.359 to be sin 00:27:54.359 --> 00:27:56.059 who knew no sin 00:27:56.059 --> 00:27:57.359 that in Him 00:27:57.359 --> 00:27:58.139 we might become 00:27:58.139 --> 00:27:58.740 the righteousness 00:27:58.740 --> 00:27:59.619 of God. 00:28:02.019 --> 00:28:03.419 He knew no sin. 00:28:03.899 --> 00:28:05.419 He is the righteous one, 00:28:05.579 --> 00:28:06.199 whereas we are 00:28:06.199 --> 00:28:06.879 like the chaff. 00:28:07.679 --> 00:28:08.319 But because of 00:28:08.319 --> 00:28:09.399 His death on the cross, 00:28:10.079 --> 00:28:10.980 He invites 00:28:10.980 --> 00:28:12.519 vile sinners 00:28:12.519 --> 00:28:13.279 like ourselves 00:28:13.279 --> 00:28:14.779 to become 00:28:14.779 --> 00:28:15.299 righteous 00:28:15.299 --> 00:28:16.459 like Himself. 00:28:16.460 --> 00:28:17.039 and it's only 00:28:17.039 --> 00:28:17.880 because of the cross 00:28:17.880 --> 00:28:18.980 that we can look 00:28:18.980 --> 00:28:19.700 at this psalm 00:28:19.700 --> 00:28:21.680 and say, 00:28:21.920 --> 00:28:23.360 I want to pursue 00:28:23.360 --> 00:28:23.819 righteousness. 00:28:24.140 --> 00:28:24.799 I want to pursue 00:28:24.799 --> 00:28:25.940 this walk with God 00:28:25.940 --> 00:28:27.759 because He has pursued me 00:28:27.759 --> 00:28:28.980 and He has invited me 00:28:28.980 --> 00:28:29.579 into this. 00:28:30.079 --> 00:28:31.559 Even those in the Old Testament 00:28:31.559 --> 00:28:32.160 looking at 00:28:32.160 --> 00:28:33.019 the law, 00:28:33.559 --> 00:28:34.120 like I said, 00:28:34.180 --> 00:28:34.920 they're looking at it 00:28:34.920 --> 00:28:36.220 and seeing God's grace 00:28:36.220 --> 00:28:36.900 and saying, 00:28:37.900 --> 00:28:38.059 God, 00:28:38.059 --> 00:28:38.539 I don't know 00:28:38.539 --> 00:28:40.379 how you would do this. 00:28:40.700 --> 00:28:42.079 I can't fulfill the law, 00:28:42.720 --> 00:28:43.500 but because of 00:28:43.500 --> 00:28:44.019 your promise 00:28:44.019 --> 00:28:44.679 of forgiveness 00:28:44.679 --> 00:28:45.960 and your promises 00:28:45.960 --> 00:28:46.679 of grace, 00:28:47.299 --> 00:28:48.740 we're thankful. 00:28:49.500 --> 00:28:50.279 Psalm 50. 00:28:51.279 --> 00:28:52.379 This is the psalm 00:28:52.379 --> 00:28:53.579 about the Lord 00:28:53.579 --> 00:28:54.059 is the owner 00:28:54.059 --> 00:28:54.899 of cattle 00:28:54.899 --> 00:28:55.899 on a thousand hills. 00:28:56.159 --> 00:28:56.919 He says that 00:28:56.919 --> 00:28:59.019 you don't own 00:28:59.019 --> 00:28:59.759 any of the cattle. 00:29:00.359 --> 00:29:01.339 I actually own them. 00:29:01.839 --> 00:29:02.819 The blood of bulls 00:29:02.819 --> 00:29:03.220 and goats, 00:29:03.359 --> 00:29:03.859 they don't actually 00:29:03.859 --> 00:29:04.759 satisfy me, 00:29:05.539 --> 00:29:06.159 but instead 00:29:06.159 --> 00:29:07.259 offer to God 00:29:07.259 --> 00:29:08.200 a sacrifice 00:29:08.200 --> 00:29:08.920 of thanksgiving 00:29:08.920 --> 00:29:09.519 and praise. 00:29:10.259 --> 00:29:10.799 And that's what 00:29:10.799 --> 00:29:11.400 we look to 00:29:11.400 --> 00:29:13.400 when we're looking 00:29:13.400 --> 00:29:15.160 at God's grace. 00:29:16.059 --> 00:29:16.940 And this psalm, 00:29:18.619 --> 00:29:19.980 though we are not righteous, 00:29:20.759 --> 00:29:21.759 God has given us 00:29:21.759 --> 00:29:22.420 the opportunity 00:29:22.420 --> 00:29:24.500 to grow in Him. 00:29:26.460 --> 00:29:27.900 And the promise of this 00:29:27.900 --> 00:29:29.119 is like this tree. 00:29:29.480 --> 00:29:30.119 Even when things 00:29:30.119 --> 00:29:31.339 are going crazy 00:29:31.339 --> 00:29:32.119 around us, 00:29:32.579 --> 00:29:33.920 we have this promise 00:29:33.920 --> 00:29:34.559 which God, 00:29:34.640 --> 00:29:35.359 who never lies, 00:29:35.660 --> 00:29:36.279 promised before 00:29:36.279 --> 00:29:37.079 the ages began. 00:29:37.259 --> 00:29:40.420 So with that, 00:29:40.660 --> 00:29:41.660 I would like to pray 00:29:41.660 --> 00:29:42.160 for us. 00:29:45.759 --> 00:29:46.759 Not that we look 00:29:46.759 --> 00:29:48.059 to the psalms 00:29:48.059 --> 00:29:48.559 as, 00:29:50.079 --> 00:29:50.960 in the Bible in general, 00:29:51.019 --> 00:29:51.500 in the law, 00:29:52.599 --> 00:29:53.740 as something for 00:29:53.740 --> 00:29:55.240 ourselves to pursue 00:29:55.240 --> 00:29:56.539 better on our own efforts, 00:29:57.119 --> 00:29:58.000 but that we acknowledge 00:29:58.000 --> 00:29:58.400 better 00:29:58.400 --> 00:30:00.359 that God is so gracious 00:30:00.359 --> 00:30:00.859 to us 00:30:00.859 --> 00:30:02.000 and so good to us 00:30:02.000 --> 00:30:02.799 and that we have 00:30:02.799 --> 00:30:04.180 no reason 00:30:04.180 --> 00:30:05.299 not to delight in Him. 00:30:05.779 --> 00:30:06.359 So let me pray. 00:30:06.359 --> 00:30:10.059 Father, 00:30:10.139 --> 00:30:10.839 we are so thankful 00:30:10.839 --> 00:30:11.619 for your grace 00:30:11.619 --> 00:30:12.159 for us 00:30:12.159 --> 00:30:13.240 and that 00:30:13.240 --> 00:30:14.240 though we cannot 00:30:14.240 --> 00:30:16.719 keep your commands 00:30:16.719 --> 00:30:17.859 on our own strength, 00:30:18.099 --> 00:30:18.939 you've sent your Son 00:30:18.939 --> 00:30:20.539 to die in our place 00:30:20.539 --> 00:30:22.159 and that you 00:30:22.159 --> 00:30:23.099 declare us righteous 00:30:23.099 --> 00:30:24.240 and that you 00:30:24.240 --> 00:30:25.839 have your favor 00:30:25.839 --> 00:30:26.740 upon us 00:30:26.740 --> 00:30:27.399 and that we can be 00:30:27.399 --> 00:30:28.179 counted blessed 00:30:28.179 --> 00:30:29.959 because of your love 00:30:29.959 --> 00:30:31.279 for your Son 00:30:31.279 --> 00:30:32.379 and therefore 00:30:32.379 --> 00:30:33.059 for us. 00:30:33.059 --> 00:30:35.039 we pray that we 00:30:35.039 --> 00:30:35.839 would not make 00:30:35.839 --> 00:30:36.759 light of the gospel 00:30:36.759 --> 00:30:37.700 but that we'd reflect 00:30:37.700 --> 00:30:38.480 on these truths 00:30:38.480 --> 00:30:40.240 more and more 00:30:40.240 --> 00:30:41.359 as our lives 00:30:41.359 --> 00:30:41.839 go on. 00:30:42.799 --> 00:30:43.599 So we thank you 00:30:43.599 --> 00:30:44.179 for your goodness. 00:30:44.419 --> 00:30:45.359 We pray that as we go 00:30:45.359 --> 00:30:46.119 about our weeks 00:30:46.119 --> 00:30:46.679 and our day 00:30:46.679 --> 00:30:48.339 that we would 00:30:48.339 --> 00:30:50.039 choose the straight 00:30:50.039 --> 00:30:50.919 and narrow path 00:30:50.919 --> 00:30:52.119 not because we're able 00:30:52.119 --> 00:30:52.720 to walk it 00:30:52.720 --> 00:30:54.059 on our own strength 00:30:54.059 --> 00:30:55.659 but because you give us 00:30:55.659 --> 00:30:56.099 the strength 00:30:56.099 --> 00:30:56.659 to do it. 00:30:57.419 --> 00:30:57.619 Amen. 00:30:57.619 --> 00:31:00.419 Thank you. 00:31:00.500 --> 00:31:01.179 I'd like to chat 00:31:01.179 --> 00:31:01.699 with you guys 00:31:01.699 --> 00:31:02.199 all more. 00:31:02.879 --> 00:31:03.859 If I didn't chat 00:31:03.859 --> 00:31:04.879 with you before the service 00:31:04.879 --> 00:31:06.339 I'd love to meet you guys 00:31:06.339 --> 00:31:07.739 so thanks for having me 00:31:07.739 --> 00:31:08.019 out here. 00:31:08.019 --> 00:31:08.079 Thank you.