WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:00.840 Amen. 00:00:03.200 --> 00:00:07.560 So one of the big ideas that comes out of this psalm, 00:00:07.560 --> 00:00:09.359 and a lot of psalms actually, 00:00:09.359 --> 00:00:14.120 is the idea of looking back at what's gone before, 00:00:14.120 --> 00:00:15.800 looking back at what's gone before, 00:00:15.800 --> 00:00:19.160 in order to look forward at what lies ahead, 00:00:19.160 --> 00:00:21.559 looking back at what's gone before, 00:00:21.559 --> 00:00:24.519 in order to look forward at what lies ahead. 00:00:24.519 --> 00:00:26.280 Now that phrase there, 00:00:26.280 --> 00:00:29.600 it might seem a bit abstract at first. 00:00:29.600 --> 00:00:34.520 So I wanna explain a little bit about what I mean. 00:00:34.520 --> 00:00:37.480 Everyone, we love to reminisce, don't we, 00:00:37.480 --> 00:00:42.480 about past life events, having that sense of nostalgia. 00:00:43.000 --> 00:00:45.400 It's where we get the stories, if you like, 00:00:45.400 --> 00:00:47.520 of our lives, isn't it? 00:00:47.520 --> 00:00:50.439 There's those key moments where we think, 00:00:50.439 --> 00:00:53.280 it just seems like, oh, it seems like that only happened 00:00:53.280 --> 00:00:56.320 yesterday, and you think to yourself, 00:00:56.320 --> 00:00:57.799 where's the time gone? 00:00:57.799 --> 00:00:58.960 Where's the time gone? 00:00:58.960 --> 00:01:01.840 Perhaps it's graduating from university, 00:01:01.840 --> 00:01:03.920 getting married, having children. 00:01:04.760 --> 00:01:08.239 And it's not just specific times either, 00:01:08.239 --> 00:01:11.400 we also have some memories of particular places, 00:01:11.400 --> 00:01:15.640 sporting events, or nights out, or particular holidays. 00:01:16.760 --> 00:01:19.240 And when we look back and think about those moments, 00:01:19.240 --> 00:01:21.599 they do bring, as we discuss them, 00:01:21.599 --> 00:01:24.799 or chat about them, as we chat with family or friends, 00:01:24.799 --> 00:01:27.920 we reminisce, they bring a smile on our face, doesn't it? 00:01:27.920 --> 00:01:32.719 As we have that sense of nostalgia, of reminiscing. 00:01:34.400 --> 00:01:37.040 But the strange thing is, when we do that, 00:01:37.040 --> 00:01:41.640 is that there is another emotion that seems to crop up 00:01:41.640 --> 00:01:44.799 along the sort of the happiness of looking back of it. 00:01:44.799 --> 00:01:47.480 There is, with that happiness, there is almost 00:01:47.480 --> 00:01:49.960 sometimes a strange sort of sadness, 00:01:51.120 --> 00:01:54.280 because that moment, it's past, it's gone, 00:01:54.280 --> 00:01:57.000 and it won't be repeated. 00:01:57.000 --> 00:02:00.439 Parents with grown-up kids, you'll know this, 00:02:00.439 --> 00:02:03.079 you look back at old photos and think, 00:02:03.079 --> 00:02:05.079 oh, you remember when they were so away, 00:02:05.079 --> 00:02:06.719 you look at them now, leaving home, 00:02:06.719 --> 00:02:08.599 having families themselves. 00:02:09.400 --> 00:02:12.599 And if we think it's just sort of the older we get, 00:02:12.599 --> 00:02:16.560 of course we've got more times where we can look back, 00:02:16.560 --> 00:02:18.800 but it's not just parents, my own children, 00:02:18.800 --> 00:02:20.879 they're only, the eldest one is five, 00:02:20.879 --> 00:02:22.599 we've just moved from Glasgow, 00:02:22.599 --> 00:02:27.079 and because there were so many happy times there, 00:02:27.079 --> 00:02:29.799 they miss it, they love to remember it, 00:02:29.799 --> 00:02:32.680 but they sort of miss their next-door neighbors, 00:02:32.680 --> 00:02:37.680 and there's a strange sadness that that period of life is over. 00:02:38.280 --> 00:02:42.439 It's a funny experience, how a joyful time in the past 00:02:42.439 --> 00:02:44.599 can produce that in us as we look back, 00:02:44.599 --> 00:02:48.959 both happiness and sadness at the same time. 00:02:48.960 --> 00:02:53.000 Those were the days we say, those were the days. 00:02:53.000 --> 00:02:56.360 This Psalm is not like that, this Psalm is not like that, 00:02:56.360 --> 00:02:57.800 it's about doing the opposite, 00:02:57.800 --> 00:03:01.240 it's about not looking back, wishing those old days, 00:03:01.240 --> 00:03:03.120 the glory days we might call them, 00:03:03.120 --> 00:03:08.120 not pining for them or attempting to recreate them perhaps, 00:03:08.520 --> 00:03:10.000 but looking at what God has done 00:03:11.200 --> 00:03:13.640 and celebrating it with joy. 00:03:15.040 --> 00:03:17.360 And more than that, I think, 00:03:17.360 --> 00:03:20.200 not just the things in our individual experience, 00:03:20.200 --> 00:03:23.640 but looking back at what God has done in history, 00:03:23.640 --> 00:03:25.560 how he's acted decisively, 00:03:25.560 --> 00:03:29.800 and what that means for our present and for our future, 00:03:29.800 --> 00:03:32.280 how what I said from the start, 00:03:32.280 --> 00:03:35.080 how looking back at what's gone before 00:03:35.080 --> 00:03:40.080 enables us to look with faith at the future ahead, 00:03:40.240 --> 00:03:43.840 because what God has done, his works we might call them, 00:03:43.840 --> 00:03:47.400 they demonstrate who he is, his character, what he's like 00:03:47.400 --> 00:03:51.280 and what that means for the future we look forward to. 00:03:51.280 --> 00:03:54.840 And as we do that, this Psalm, it pushes us to respond, 00:03:54.840 --> 00:03:56.879 it pushes us to respond. 00:03:56.879 --> 00:03:59.680 But before we jump into that, 00:03:59.680 --> 00:04:03.280 I think it is worth noting the title 00:04:03.280 --> 00:04:07.159 or the context given to the Psalm. 00:04:07.159 --> 00:04:08.800 You might just look with me, 00:04:08.800 --> 00:04:10.280 or it might come up on the screen, 00:04:10.280 --> 00:04:15.280 it says, it says, a Psalm, a song for the Sabbath. 00:04:15.319 --> 00:04:16.920 A song for the Sabbath. 00:04:16.920 --> 00:04:20.759 Now, as you'll know, we're New Testament believers 00:04:20.759 --> 00:04:23.759 and we don't meet on the Sabbath, 00:04:23.759 --> 00:04:26.199 which in the Jewish custom you'll know, 00:04:26.199 --> 00:04:28.839 it's a Saturday, we meet on a Sunday. 00:04:28.839 --> 00:04:31.680 The reason we do that is because it's the first day 00:04:31.680 --> 00:04:34.399 of the week, that's in light of the resurrection, 00:04:34.399 --> 00:04:36.959 which happens as you remember, the women, it says, 00:04:36.959 --> 00:04:39.399 they went on the first day of the week. 00:04:39.399 --> 00:04:41.799 That's why we meet on a Sunday. 00:04:41.799 --> 00:04:45.000 Nevertheless, there is continuity 00:04:45.000 --> 00:04:46.679 from the principle of the Sabbath 00:04:46.679 --> 00:04:49.239 to how we approach the Lord's day. 00:04:49.239 --> 00:04:51.560 The day where we meet together with God's people, 00:04:51.560 --> 00:04:54.799 it's a day of rest to worship the living God. 00:04:54.799 --> 00:04:58.519 Remember the Sabbath, says the Lord Tomorze's. 00:04:58.519 --> 00:05:00.759 Remember the day of rest, it's a command, 00:05:00.759 --> 00:05:03.919 but it has continuity in our minds 00:05:03.919 --> 00:05:06.479 because we live in light of the resurrection. 00:05:06.479 --> 00:05:08.719 It's good for us to have this day 00:05:08.720 --> 00:05:12.320 where we meet together and worship the Lord together. 00:05:12.320 --> 00:05:16.400 And as Christians, as we meet together, 00:05:16.400 --> 00:05:20.280 because of the resurrection, it actually elevates 00:05:20.280 --> 00:05:23.160 the idea of Sabbath rest. 00:05:23.160 --> 00:05:28.160 It reminds us that the rest that we all long for 00:05:28.240 --> 00:05:31.720 is not actually a one day a week. 00:05:31.720 --> 00:05:36.720 The rest we long for is eternal Sabbath rest, forever rest. 00:05:36.720 --> 00:05:40.840 Eternal rest which has been bought for us, 00:05:40.840 --> 00:05:43.040 won for us at the cross and secured 00:05:43.040 --> 00:05:46.000 through Jesus rising from the dead. 00:05:46.000 --> 00:05:48.800 It's the victory that enables us to enjoy 00:05:48.800 --> 00:05:52.080 the fullness of rest, the fullness of Sabbath 00:05:52.080 --> 00:05:55.120 in the very presence of God. 00:05:55.120 --> 00:05:59.640 And so it's entirely right that when we meet together, 00:05:59.640 --> 00:06:02.160 we remind ourselves of that. 00:06:02.160 --> 00:06:05.120 This Psalm, this song is named specifically 00:06:05.120 --> 00:06:08.840 as to be sung on the Sabbath, the day of rest 00:06:08.840 --> 00:06:10.879 that God has given. 00:06:11.840 --> 00:06:13.759 And I think by having that title, 00:06:13.759 --> 00:06:18.040 I think what God is saying is this song, this Psalm, 00:06:18.040 --> 00:06:21.160 it typifies the type of song 00:06:21.160 --> 00:06:23.439 I want you to sing when you meet together. 00:06:25.560 --> 00:06:29.800 What's contained within it should be the fuel of our praise. 00:06:30.879 --> 00:06:32.600 My real hope for us as we go through this 00:06:32.600 --> 00:06:35.480 is that we'll have an understanding 00:06:35.480 --> 00:06:37.920 of what the Lord desires that we sing to Him, 00:06:39.200 --> 00:06:42.400 of what things should bring us joy in Him, 00:06:42.400 --> 00:06:45.080 of how on the Lord's day we look back 00:06:45.080 --> 00:06:47.320 and sing about what's come before 00:06:48.439 --> 00:06:51.640 in order to look forward with faith 00:06:51.640 --> 00:06:55.560 and sing about the future that lies ahead. 00:06:55.560 --> 00:06:58.200 And so the first thing I want us to see 00:06:58.200 --> 00:07:02.360 is that the Psalm is characterized by joy, 00:07:02.360 --> 00:07:03.400 by joy. 00:07:03.400 --> 00:07:07.120 When I say joy, I don't necessarily 00:07:07.120 --> 00:07:10.040 mean ecstatic jumping around, 00:07:10.040 --> 00:07:12.520 I mean an emotive response. 00:07:12.520 --> 00:07:15.879 And it's an emotive response 00:07:15.879 --> 00:07:19.720 that's founded on something real, something concrete. 00:07:19.720 --> 00:07:23.280 It's not just a fluffy, nice feeling 00:07:23.280 --> 00:07:26.639 because it has solid foundations to it. 00:07:26.639 --> 00:07:29.120 Even in the first sort of few verses, 00:07:29.120 --> 00:07:32.879 we see joyful responses. 00:07:32.879 --> 00:07:36.639 Verse one, we see it's good to give thanks to the Lord, 00:07:36.639 --> 00:07:38.680 to sing praise to your name. 00:07:38.680 --> 00:07:41.600 Verse two, to declare your steadfast love. 00:07:41.600 --> 00:07:44.879 And then verse three is about doing it all to music. 00:07:44.879 --> 00:07:48.160 These are the responses to something real, 00:07:48.160 --> 00:07:49.600 to something concrete. 00:07:50.639 --> 00:07:54.319 And in verse four, such an important verse, 00:07:54.319 --> 00:07:57.600 what we get is the reasons behind doing all that. 00:07:57.600 --> 00:08:00.400 What's the reason behind giving thanks? 00:08:00.400 --> 00:08:02.560 The reason behind singing, declaring truth 00:08:02.560 --> 00:08:03.960 and making music. 00:08:03.960 --> 00:08:06.400 Verse four, this is the reason. 00:08:07.280 --> 00:08:11.439 For you, O Lord, have made me glad. 00:08:11.439 --> 00:08:13.080 How? 00:08:13.080 --> 00:08:14.360 By your work. 00:08:16.000 --> 00:08:20.080 At the work of your hands, I sing for joy. 00:08:21.600 --> 00:08:26.600 Meditating and thinking on the Lord's works. 00:08:26.600 --> 00:08:30.280 What He's done, what's gone before. 00:08:31.520 --> 00:08:34.320 And the response to the memory of the Lord's work 00:08:34.320 --> 00:08:35.800 is exactly what He says. 00:08:35.800 --> 00:08:38.720 Thankfulness, singing, making music, 00:08:38.720 --> 00:08:41.759 declaring truth about the living God. 00:08:44.800 --> 00:08:47.480 And I think there's a few things 00:08:47.480 --> 00:08:51.320 that are really striking going on in these opening verses. 00:08:51.320 --> 00:08:53.000 There's a few, really striking. 00:08:53.000 --> 00:08:56.200 And the first thing I want to draw our attention to 00:08:56.200 --> 00:09:00.480 is the phrase that starts the Psalm actually. 00:09:00.480 --> 00:09:01.480 It is good. 00:09:02.360 --> 00:09:03.280 It is good. 00:09:05.040 --> 00:09:08.640 I think that reminds us that what we're doing here this morning, 00:09:08.640 --> 00:09:12.240 gathering together, we're full of thanks, 00:09:12.240 --> 00:09:14.920 we've said prayers of thanks, we're full of praise, 00:09:14.920 --> 00:09:16.320 we've sung to the living God, 00:09:16.320 --> 00:09:18.960 we're declaring truth and we're singing. 00:09:18.960 --> 00:09:19.800 That's what we're doing. 00:09:19.800 --> 00:09:22.040 We're doing the things that it tells us to do in this Psalm. 00:09:22.039 --> 00:09:26.319 God's word says that what we're doing here is good. 00:09:26.319 --> 00:09:27.919 It is good. 00:09:27.919 --> 00:09:29.959 It is good that we meet together. 00:09:29.959 --> 00:09:32.399 This is the best thing 00:09:32.399 --> 00:09:35.759 that you could be doing with your Sunday morning, right now. 00:09:36.719 --> 00:09:38.279 It is good that you're here. 00:09:38.279 --> 00:09:42.000 And I wonder if we should remind ourselves of that. 00:09:42.000 --> 00:09:45.480 Tell yourself, it's good that I'm here. 00:09:46.559 --> 00:09:49.159 Tell one another, maybe the person next to you, 00:09:49.159 --> 00:09:53.000 after the service, it's good that you're here. 00:09:53.000 --> 00:09:56.360 Because what we do when we are here is good. 00:10:00.439 --> 00:10:03.399 The second thing I want to draw our attention to 00:10:03.399 --> 00:10:05.519 is the reason it's good. 00:10:05.519 --> 00:10:06.639 The reason it's good. 00:10:08.759 --> 00:10:12.879 Any joy or happiness that we experience, 00:10:12.879 --> 00:10:17.879 I suppose, in life, it is always centered on something. 00:10:17.879 --> 00:10:22.600 We're not just sort of happy for no reason. 00:10:22.600 --> 00:10:26.799 I was talking to a friend just the other week 00:10:26.799 --> 00:10:30.039 who went along to the Scotland-Denmark game 00:10:30.039 --> 00:10:33.720 and he was saying there's 50,000 people 00:10:33.720 --> 00:10:35.519 singing about their national team, 00:10:35.519 --> 00:10:37.559 not just because they felt like it, 00:10:37.559 --> 00:10:40.080 but it was based on the fact that they were tuning up 00:10:40.080 --> 00:10:41.679 and had a playoff place secured. 00:10:41.679 --> 00:10:43.080 It's worth celebrating. 00:10:44.519 --> 00:10:46.519 And if football is worth celebrating, 00:10:46.519 --> 00:10:50.039 and don't get me wrong, I love celebrating football too, 00:10:50.039 --> 00:10:53.799 but if it is, we have more reasons. 00:10:55.439 --> 00:10:58.399 The reason that we have to celebrate, 00:10:58.399 --> 00:11:00.720 the reason it's so good is because the center 00:11:00.720 --> 00:11:04.519 of our attention, our focus is the Lord, 00:11:04.519 --> 00:11:07.439 his character and what he's done, 00:11:07.439 --> 00:11:10.079 his works, it says in this Psalm, 00:11:10.080 --> 00:11:15.080 his goodness, his steadfast love, his faithfulness, 00:11:17.720 --> 00:11:22.320 the wonderful gospel of a Savior who is Christ the Lord, 00:11:22.320 --> 00:11:25.720 making a way for us to have real relationship with him, 00:11:25.720 --> 00:11:29.800 understanding what truth is, what grace is. 00:11:29.800 --> 00:11:32.000 Because the reason we can do that is 00:11:32.000 --> 00:11:34.759 because he's put his Holy Spirit in our hearts, 00:11:34.759 --> 00:11:37.560 making you and I new creations in him, 00:11:37.559 --> 00:11:40.679 a victory that secures our redemption. 00:11:40.679 --> 00:11:43.519 These are the things that we remind ourselves of 00:11:43.519 --> 00:11:45.399 that are worth celebrating. 00:11:46.279 --> 00:11:49.919 It is good that we're here this morning 00:11:49.919 --> 00:11:51.759 to celebrate the works of the Lord. 00:11:53.519 --> 00:11:57.959 And so, when we look back at our lives, 00:11:57.959 --> 00:12:01.479 we don't need to reminisce by pining for the good old days, 00:12:01.479 --> 00:12:03.399 but we give thanks for them. 00:12:03.399 --> 00:12:07.119 We rejoice in what he's done for us individually, 00:12:07.120 --> 00:12:10.960 and what he's done in history for his people. 00:12:13.560 --> 00:12:17.759 Now, you might see perhaps that these first few verses 00:12:17.759 --> 00:12:20.480 that we've looked at, they've kind of been 00:12:20.480 --> 00:12:24.919 a more general outlook regarding our response 00:12:24.919 --> 00:12:26.440 to the Lord's works. 00:12:26.440 --> 00:12:28.679 And the Lord's works sort of encompasses 00:12:28.679 --> 00:12:30.519 quite a lot of things. 00:12:30.519 --> 00:12:33.360 But the rest of the Psalm, there is a focusing 00:12:33.360 --> 00:12:36.720 on particular aspects of God's works 00:12:36.720 --> 00:12:39.200 that the Psalmist, he wants to hone in on 00:12:39.200 --> 00:12:42.240 and draw our attention even further on. 00:12:42.240 --> 00:12:44.800 And it sort of comes in two halves, 00:12:44.800 --> 00:12:48.040 so we're gonna look at them separately. 00:12:48.040 --> 00:12:50.920 But the first aspect, you might say, 00:12:50.920 --> 00:12:53.840 it comes in verse eight, 00:12:53.840 --> 00:12:58.440 verse eight, but you, O Lord, are on high forever. 00:12:58.440 --> 00:13:01.279 You, O Lord, are on high forever. 00:13:01.279 --> 00:13:03.360 The Lord is on his throne, on high, 00:13:03.360 --> 00:13:07.279 and that's not a temporary arrangement. 00:13:08.279 --> 00:13:11.399 It's not like one day there's gonna be somebody else, 00:13:11.399 --> 00:13:14.240 there he's there forever, it's an eternal reality. 00:13:14.240 --> 00:13:19.240 The Lord always has been and will always be on high 00:13:19.440 --> 00:13:21.639 on his throne forever. 00:13:22.759 --> 00:13:26.039 A good question that we might be thinking at this point 00:13:26.039 --> 00:13:28.759 is why is it out of all the things 00:13:28.759 --> 00:13:31.680 that he hone in on too? 00:13:31.679 --> 00:13:36.679 Well, why is it that the Psalmist wants to hone in on that? 00:13:37.159 --> 00:13:41.199 What is it about the Lord being on high that's important? 00:13:43.079 --> 00:13:45.039 And for my money, I think there's, 00:13:45.039 --> 00:13:47.919 from the verses that surround verse eight, 00:13:47.919 --> 00:13:50.719 I think the Psalmist, he's well aware 00:13:50.719 --> 00:13:53.120 and we'll be well aware of this, 00:13:53.120 --> 00:13:56.399 that although, for many of us, 00:13:56.399 --> 00:13:58.279 we know that to be true up here, 00:13:58.279 --> 00:14:00.959 we know that to be true. 00:14:05.639 --> 00:14:08.720 If anything of the last few years has taught us, 00:14:08.720 --> 00:14:11.639 it doesn't always feel or look that way, does it? 00:14:13.839 --> 00:14:15.519 We know that God's in charge, we know that. 00:14:15.519 --> 00:14:18.159 We could tell somebody else that, that he's on the throne, 00:14:18.159 --> 00:14:21.000 but it doesn't always feel like that. 00:14:23.559 --> 00:14:27.240 The contrast that surrounds this verse eight's in the middle 00:14:27.240 --> 00:14:29.320 and the contrast that surrounds this 00:14:29.320 --> 00:14:33.879 about the Lord on high is the temporary earthly success 00:14:33.879 --> 00:14:36.240 of his enemies, verse seven, 00:14:36.240 --> 00:14:39.320 it says the wicked sprouts like grass 00:14:39.320 --> 00:14:42.560 and it talks about evildoers flourishing. 00:14:44.759 --> 00:14:48.120 And if we just saw verse seven, 00:14:48.120 --> 00:14:51.279 we think, yeah, actually, that seems to fit 00:14:51.279 --> 00:14:52.840 with the world that I live in. 00:14:52.840 --> 00:14:56.759 It seems at times that that can be more real. 00:14:59.519 --> 00:15:01.800 Evil somehow seems to have the upper hand. 00:15:01.800 --> 00:15:03.160 Do you watch the news? 00:15:03.160 --> 00:15:05.440 Even in the last couple of weeks, 00:15:05.440 --> 00:15:09.000 we've had shootings, terrorist attacks, COVID's ongoing, 00:15:09.000 --> 00:15:11.519 we've got corruption in companies, governments, 00:15:11.519 --> 00:15:14.000 maybe even in the neighbors we live in. 00:15:14.000 --> 00:15:16.960 We see family fumes and the like. 00:15:16.960 --> 00:15:21.040 It can appear to us that these are the things 00:15:21.040 --> 00:15:22.360 that are growing and flourishing. 00:15:22.360 --> 00:15:24.240 And the scientist recognizes that. 00:15:27.240 --> 00:15:29.960 Perhaps if it's not those bigger things, 00:15:33.360 --> 00:15:34.840 our thoughts turn to individuals 00:15:34.840 --> 00:15:37.440 who might seem to escape justice. 00:15:42.399 --> 00:15:47.399 You think of people like Jimmy Savile, no retribution. 00:15:47.399 --> 00:15:52.399 When that came to light, there was an outpouring of rage 00:15:52.720 --> 00:15:54.639 because he died without a trial. 00:15:56.679 --> 00:16:01.679 He lived a life of luxury whilst carrying out atrocities. 00:16:03.639 --> 00:16:06.439 He flourished in his life. 00:16:06.439 --> 00:16:09.879 And we think, where's the justice? 00:16:12.039 --> 00:16:14.600 Maybe our attention turns to world leaders in countries 00:16:14.600 --> 00:16:18.519 that allow our brothers and sisters in Christ to be persecuted 00:16:18.519 --> 00:16:22.519 whilst they live in palaces behind high security walls 00:16:22.519 --> 00:16:24.720 and seemingly happy. 00:16:25.720 --> 00:16:28.920 And the question comes, where is the justice? 00:16:36.000 --> 00:16:37.200 The difference. 00:16:37.200 --> 00:16:44.200 And I know where those things, I know where at all want to be 00:16:44.200 --> 00:16:45.879 flippant about any of that. 00:16:45.879 --> 00:16:50.879 Their suffering is horrendous and we should weep with them. 00:16:52.120 --> 00:16:55.360 What this Psalm teaches us is that that position 00:16:55.360 --> 00:16:56.800 will be reversed. 00:16:58.040 --> 00:17:03.040 Those who finish last will be first 00:17:03.039 --> 00:17:07.639 and the first last. 00:17:08.920 --> 00:17:10.960 The Lord is on high. 00:17:10.960 --> 00:17:14.440 He's on high for how long? 00:17:14.440 --> 00:17:15.279 Forever. 00:17:17.920 --> 00:17:22.720 Verse seven, they're talking about his enemies. 00:17:22.720 --> 00:17:24.159 They're doomed to destruction. 00:17:24.159 --> 00:17:27.839 Verse nine, they shall perish, they shall be scattered. 00:17:27.839 --> 00:17:31.240 We long for injustices to cease, we long for that. 00:17:31.240 --> 00:17:33.039 Praise God he's on high forever. 00:17:34.120 --> 00:17:35.680 So we don't despair. 00:17:36.920 --> 00:17:39.240 But the Psalmist's calling us to give thanks 00:17:39.240 --> 00:17:41.160 for the fact that this is true. 00:17:42.319 --> 00:17:44.759 To sing, to declare, to make music 00:17:44.759 --> 00:17:47.720 because there will be a day when the wrongs will be made right, 00:17:47.720 --> 00:17:49.680 when the reign of our King will come. 00:17:49.680 --> 00:17:53.279 And so we can rejoice now in anticipation 00:17:53.279 --> 00:17:56.039 of that becoming a reality that we know, 00:17:56.039 --> 00:18:01.039 that we see, that we live in. 00:18:05.000 --> 00:18:07.680 So we've honed in on the Lord on high. 00:18:08.759 --> 00:18:11.879 And so now we come to the second aspect 00:18:11.879 --> 00:18:15.720 that the Psalmist wants us to zoom in on. 00:18:15.720 --> 00:18:17.319 And we saw a contrast in the one before 00:18:17.319 --> 00:18:19.639 between the enemies and the Lord on high. 00:18:19.639 --> 00:18:21.279 And we get a second contrast here. 00:18:21.279 --> 00:18:24.639 The contrast here is a contrast between the wicked 00:18:24.640 --> 00:18:27.040 and the righteous, both flourish. 00:18:27.040 --> 00:18:31.000 We've seen that, but in totally different ways. 00:18:31.000 --> 00:18:35.520 Whereas the enemies of God flourish in an earthly sense, 00:18:35.520 --> 00:18:38.120 the righteous flourish spiritually, 00:18:38.120 --> 00:18:40.800 the righteous flourish spiritually. 00:18:40.800 --> 00:18:43.720 And you might notice here, as we were reading through it, 00:18:43.720 --> 00:18:45.280 you might have noticed some of the language. 00:18:45.280 --> 00:18:47.240 It sort of picks up some of the language 00:18:47.240 --> 00:18:48.800 that we looked at quite a while back 00:18:48.800 --> 00:18:52.160 at the beginning of this series in Psalm one. 00:18:52.160 --> 00:18:54.080 Remember Psalm one verse three, it says, 00:18:54.079 --> 00:18:57.359 he talking about the righteous, it says, 00:18:57.359 --> 00:18:59.759 he is like a tree planted by streams of water 00:18:59.759 --> 00:19:02.000 that yields its fruit in season. 00:19:02.000 --> 00:19:03.799 And its leaf does not wither. 00:19:03.799 --> 00:19:06.039 In all that he does, he prospers. 00:19:06.039 --> 00:19:08.599 And we get similar sort of metaphors 00:19:08.599 --> 00:19:11.039 in the Psalm that we're looking at today. 00:19:11.039 --> 00:19:13.599 Metaphor of God's people as the righteous 00:19:13.599 --> 00:19:17.079 as trees planted in God's house. 00:19:17.079 --> 00:19:19.679 Now, of course, God's house in the Old Testament, 00:19:19.679 --> 00:19:21.599 that's the temple. 00:19:21.599 --> 00:19:23.599 And of course, in the temple, 00:19:23.599 --> 00:19:25.919 there was no physical trees. 00:19:25.919 --> 00:19:27.119 But what the Psalmist is doing, 00:19:27.119 --> 00:19:29.119 is using picture language, 00:19:29.119 --> 00:19:34.119 demonstrating how God's people grow and flourish in him. 00:19:34.719 --> 00:19:37.319 And there's three contrasts, big contrasts, 00:19:38.359 --> 00:19:42.279 that I want us to connect with this plant metaphor. 00:19:42.279 --> 00:19:45.519 The first one is the type of plant. 00:19:45.519 --> 00:19:46.799 If you look with me, it says, 00:19:46.799 --> 00:19:50.159 it says the enemies, they're likened to grass. 00:19:50.159 --> 00:19:52.599 If you remember what, I think it's James says, 00:19:52.599 --> 00:19:55.119 James, grass here today, gone tomorrow, 00:19:55.119 --> 00:19:58.039 grass withers, but the righteous, 00:19:58.879 --> 00:20:02.079 like a palm tree, a cedar in Lebanon. 00:20:02.079 --> 00:20:04.359 Just to give you a bit of an idea 00:20:04.359 --> 00:20:08.719 about those types of trees, palm trees, cedars. 00:20:08.719 --> 00:20:11.519 They actually grow to about 100 feet tall. 00:20:11.519 --> 00:20:13.000 And their diameter is at the base. 00:20:13.000 --> 00:20:15.359 They're six feet in diameter, they're massive. 00:20:17.000 --> 00:20:18.000 It's not just any tree, 00:20:18.000 --> 00:20:20.839 but he's chosen particular trees 00:20:20.839 --> 00:20:22.399 that are the strongest. 00:20:22.400 --> 00:20:24.200 They're the most stable. 00:20:24.200 --> 00:20:25.640 So do you see what God is saying? 00:20:25.640 --> 00:20:30.440 That the righteous, they have stability in the Lord. 00:20:30.440 --> 00:20:34.720 They have roots that go down in him and they prosper. 00:20:36.000 --> 00:20:37.480 That's the first thing. 00:20:37.480 --> 00:20:41.560 The second difference is how the plant begins. 00:20:41.560 --> 00:20:44.560 Notice there's a word that's not with the wicked. 00:20:44.560 --> 00:20:47.560 It talks about them being planted. 00:20:47.560 --> 00:20:49.040 The righteous are planted, 00:20:49.039 --> 00:20:53.000 they're cared for by the Lord, that doesn't happen 00:20:53.000 --> 00:20:53.920 with the wicked. 00:20:55.879 --> 00:20:57.519 And I remember the other year, 00:20:57.519 --> 00:21:02.519 I was walking in the parks in Glasgow with Heidi, 00:21:03.680 --> 00:21:08.159 Maya Eldis girl, and we found a conker 00:21:08.159 --> 00:21:11.279 and I showed her, she had the conker in her hand 00:21:11.279 --> 00:21:13.960 and we're picking different conkers up. 00:21:13.960 --> 00:21:16.920 And I showed her the tree that it came from 00:21:16.920 --> 00:21:20.480 and explained to her that if you planted a conker 00:21:20.480 --> 00:21:22.960 in the ground, it would grow into the tree 00:21:22.960 --> 00:21:26.039 that was next to us, just like this tree. 00:21:26.880 --> 00:21:30.320 And you should have seen the look that she gave me. 00:21:30.320 --> 00:21:33.800 She took hold of the conker, she looked at it, 00:21:33.800 --> 00:21:37.120 and she looked at the tree, looked at the conker again. 00:21:37.120 --> 00:21:40.400 She looked at me, pulled her, screwed up her face 00:21:40.400 --> 00:21:42.800 and went, silly dad. 00:21:42.799 --> 00:21:47.519 And you can almost see her point, can't you? 00:21:48.519 --> 00:21:50.279 It is unbelievable. 00:21:50.279 --> 00:21:54.440 It is amazing that you put a conker in the ground, 00:21:54.440 --> 00:21:56.680 and not get me wrong, it takes years, 00:21:56.680 --> 00:21:59.599 but eventually it would grow to be a huge tree. 00:22:02.039 --> 00:22:04.200 Now this is probably an illustration 00:22:04.200 --> 00:22:07.399 you weren't expecting, but I think people 00:22:07.399 --> 00:22:09.039 are a little bit like conkers. 00:22:09.039 --> 00:22:12.319 You know what happens out of the ground a conker? 00:22:12.319 --> 00:22:15.200 It's picked up by a child, put on the end of a string 00:22:15.200 --> 00:22:17.759 and repeatedly beaten against another one. 00:22:20.319 --> 00:22:22.399 But if you're planted in the ground, 00:22:23.399 --> 00:22:25.159 it's a different ball game. 00:22:26.319 --> 00:22:29.039 If you get planted by the Lord, you just watch. 00:22:29.960 --> 00:22:32.119 Now you don't become a tree overnight, 00:22:32.119 --> 00:22:36.039 but watered, nurtured, perfect, 00:22:36.039 --> 00:22:40.639 perfect, by fixating our mind on Him, on the truth of who He is. 00:22:40.639 --> 00:22:43.119 It's a lifetime till you're fully grown. 00:22:43.119 --> 00:22:47.359 It's full of winters and summers, good times and bad, 00:22:47.359 --> 00:22:50.759 but Jesus transforms, grows us in Him. 00:22:52.319 --> 00:22:54.359 That little sapling believer, 00:22:55.879 --> 00:22:57.839 ensuring he gets the right light and water 00:22:57.839 --> 00:22:59.559 kept at the right temperature. 00:23:01.240 --> 00:23:04.639 He plans ensuring that the flourishing 00:23:04.640 --> 00:23:06.280 is not like the wicked in the world, 00:23:06.280 --> 00:23:08.080 but in the courts of the living God. 00:23:12.040 --> 00:23:16.000 In the knowledge of His love, being soaked in His Word. 00:23:18.560 --> 00:23:23.560 And the last difference is the righteous bear fruit. 00:23:23.560 --> 00:23:25.280 We don't see that with the wicked, 00:23:25.280 --> 00:23:27.840 but the righteous bear fruit, verse 14, 00:23:27.840 --> 00:23:30.360 they bear fruit still in old age, 00:23:30.360 --> 00:23:33.080 they're ever full of sap and green. 00:23:33.079 --> 00:23:35.480 These plants bear fruit, you think of the palm tree, 00:23:35.480 --> 00:23:37.319 bearing delicious dates, 00:23:37.319 --> 00:23:40.319 hanging low to be picked off and enjoyed. 00:23:41.480 --> 00:23:43.839 And not just now, but they continue to do so, 00:23:43.839 --> 00:23:46.240 still producing in old age. 00:23:46.240 --> 00:23:49.439 I think that last point is so counter-cultural 00:23:49.439 --> 00:23:54.279 in today's world, in the way that the world thinks, 00:23:54.279 --> 00:23:58.720 the productivity as you get older goes down. 00:23:58.720 --> 00:24:02.919 And I suppose physically, we can't do as much, 00:24:02.920 --> 00:24:05.160 but worship is a lifelong endeavor. 00:24:06.519 --> 00:24:09.720 It's not just for when you're young, no far from it. 00:24:09.720 --> 00:24:11.880 Those that they're spiritual peak are those 00:24:11.880 --> 00:24:14.519 who've walked with the Lord the longest, 00:24:14.519 --> 00:24:17.759 spiritually flesh, bursting with spiritual life 00:24:17.759 --> 00:24:21.039 and wisdom and godliness, never too old to be used 00:24:21.039 --> 00:24:24.080 by the Lord, the more spiritually fit there is, 00:24:24.080 --> 00:24:26.160 whose roots have grown the deepest 00:24:26.160 --> 00:24:33.160 and whose fruit is the most mature. These are the Lord's works. 00:24:35.720 --> 00:24:37.360 This is what the Lord's has done. 00:24:38.720 --> 00:24:41.640 There's a lot of things that we can sing about. 00:24:43.080 --> 00:24:45.880 The Lord is on high and justice will come, 00:24:45.880 --> 00:24:49.800 but also the Lord plants the righteous. 00:24:49.800 --> 00:24:51.480 The Lord plants the righteous. 00:24:51.480 --> 00:24:56.120 But you know what's really fascinating about this? 00:24:56.120 --> 00:25:00.319 What's really fascinating is that it's the enemies of God, 00:25:00.319 --> 00:25:05.319 the ones that deserve to perish, to be scattered. 00:25:06.200 --> 00:25:08.880 It's among them that they're the ones 00:25:08.880 --> 00:25:10.680 that the Lord ends up planting. 00:25:14.120 --> 00:25:16.000 That's us. 00:25:16.000 --> 00:25:20.680 We were at one time hostile to God. 00:25:20.680 --> 00:25:23.440 Our God was our belly as we navel gaze, 00:25:23.440 --> 00:25:27.279 looking at ourselves, living to satisfy our own desire. 00:25:27.279 --> 00:25:31.080 It is a miracle that we're not still in that position. 00:25:31.080 --> 00:25:34.360 It is an absolute miracle that we're in the courts of God 00:25:34.360 --> 00:25:37.320 as the righteous, that we now declare, 00:25:37.320 --> 00:25:41.080 verse 15, that the Lord is upright, that he's our rock, 00:25:42.279 --> 00:25:45.039 that we know and recognize that there's no righteousness 00:25:45.039 --> 00:25:46.680 in him. That is a miracle. 00:25:46.680 --> 00:25:51.680 That is a work of God worth singing about, 00:25:53.240 --> 00:25:56.759 worth declaring, worth giving thanks for. 00:25:58.440 --> 00:26:01.560 And so as we come in for landing, 00:26:01.560 --> 00:26:04.279 let's remember that it is good to be here. 00:26:04.279 --> 00:26:06.960 There is nothing better than you could be doing right now, 00:26:06.960 --> 00:26:09.240 meeting with God's people. 00:26:09.240 --> 00:26:12.080 Let's remember his works, let's meditate in them. 00:26:12.080 --> 00:26:14.759 Joy in the Lord is not something that comes out of nowhere, 00:26:14.759 --> 00:26:18.359 but it requires us to fixate our minds and our attention 00:26:18.359 --> 00:26:21.839 on the good news of the gospel, on the beauty of Jesus, 00:26:22.920 --> 00:26:25.759 that he punishes sin, that Jesus has taken our punishment 00:26:25.759 --> 00:26:27.920 and has planted us in him, 00:26:27.920 --> 00:26:31.319 like palm trees bearing fruit into old age. 00:26:32.480 --> 00:26:35.799 We look back, we reminisce at what God has done, 00:26:35.799 --> 00:26:38.079 and it gives us faith for a glorious future. 00:26:39.000 --> 00:26:40.359 It's worth singing about. 00:26:40.359 --> 00:26:45.359 And do you know, we will never stop singing 00:26:45.399 --> 00:26:46.719 about the Lord's works. 00:26:48.159 --> 00:26:51.000 When we meet together and praise God for his works, 00:26:51.000 --> 00:26:52.639 like this, where he'd actually just joining in 00:26:52.639 --> 00:26:55.079 with the chorus of heaven. 00:26:55.079 --> 00:26:56.799 Just look with me, should come on the screen, 00:26:56.799 --> 00:27:01.799 Revelation 15, this is the people of God singing praise 00:27:01.799 --> 00:27:04.119 in heaven. This is what they sing. 00:27:04.119 --> 00:27:07.159 And they sing the song of Moses, the servant of God, 00:27:07.159 --> 00:27:08.359 and the song of the Lamb. 00:27:08.359 --> 00:27:12.759 And they say, great and amazing are your deeds, 00:27:12.759 --> 00:27:14.639 O Lord God the Almighty. 00:27:14.639 --> 00:27:17.919 Just and true are your ways, O King of the nations. 00:27:17.919 --> 00:27:20.639 Who will not fear, O Lord, and glorify your name? 00:27:20.639 --> 00:27:22.319 For you alone are holy. 00:27:22.319 --> 00:27:24.439 All nations will come and worship you. 00:27:24.439 --> 00:27:28.199 For your righteous acts have been revealed. 00:27:28.199 --> 00:27:30.879 We will never get tired of seeing praise 00:27:30.879 --> 00:27:32.879 about what the Lord has done. 00:27:32.879 --> 00:27:35.719 When our Sabbath climax is with the eternal rest 00:27:35.720 --> 00:27:38.960 that lasts forever, we will be a singing people, 00:27:38.960 --> 00:27:42.600 a praising people that sing and declare his amazing works 00:27:42.600 --> 00:27:44.759 and his wondrous deeds. 00:27:46.079 --> 00:27:48.640 When we look back, it gives us confidence 00:27:48.640 --> 00:27:52.559 that this is the future we look forward to, 00:27:52.559 --> 00:27:54.640 that the Sabbath points us to. 00:27:54.640 --> 00:28:06.320 Let's pray together. 00:28:06.320 --> 00:28:10.640 Almighty God, we praise you and we thank you 00:28:10.640 --> 00:28:13.040 for your words to us this morning. 00:28:13.040 --> 00:28:18.000 And we praise you for your wondrous works, your amazing deeds. 00:28:18.000 --> 00:28:20.240 We thank you for all that you've done in our lives. 00:28:20.240 --> 00:28:25.920 We thank you that you've taken us and planted us in Christ 00:28:25.920 --> 00:28:27.920 and that we grow in Him. 00:28:30.920 --> 00:28:34.799 We thank you that we have roots in you and that we bear fruit. 00:28:34.799 --> 00:28:37.640 We thank you that you're just. 00:28:37.640 --> 00:28:42.839 We thank you that you're unhigh and you'll be unhigh forever. 00:28:42.839 --> 00:28:47.759 And we thank you that all injustice is will cease 00:28:47.759 --> 00:28:51.759 and that your reign will last forever. 00:28:51.759 --> 00:28:54.759 We look forward to that day. 00:28:54.759 --> 00:28:57.759 As we look back, give us confidence, 00:28:57.759 --> 00:29:00.759 give us hope, reassurance, encouragement 00:29:00.759 --> 00:29:05.759 to live with faith in the future that you have prepared for us. 00:29:05.759 --> 00:29:07.759 We ask for this in Jesus' name. 00:29:07.759 --> 00:29:17.759 Amen.