WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:07.700 I think you'll agree with me that the word blessing is a pretty overused word these days. 00:00:07.700 --> 00:00:13.560 You hear it in all kinds of places. You hear it in acceptance speeches. You hear it in toasts. 00:00:13.560 --> 00:00:18.519 You hear it when people find a good parking spot downtown. People use the word blessing all the time. 00:00:18.920 --> 00:00:22.039 And then you see it everywhere. You see it all over Facebook and Instagram. 00:00:22.679 --> 00:00:27.160 And, you know, you see a picture of somebody hanging out with their friends on the beach in the Bahamas. 00:00:27.160 --> 00:00:33.520 And you see somebody's journal and a cup of coffee in front of a rainy window pane. 00:00:33.679 --> 00:00:37.019 You know, hashtag blessed. You see this word showing up everywhere. 00:00:37.179 --> 00:00:42.179 And because of that, it's become really trite. And it's pretty much lost its meaning. 00:00:42.820 --> 00:00:47.420 So what I want to do this morning is to talk a little bit about God's blessing. 00:00:47.859 --> 00:00:52.859 And what God's blessing means when we try to understand it by looking at Scripture. 00:00:52.859 --> 00:00:58.219 And my sense is that when we come to understand what it means for God to bless us, 00:00:58.439 --> 00:01:04.539 not only will we use the word differently, but we'll also want it more than ever. 00:01:05.019 --> 00:01:10.019 And so in order to do this, we're going to be looking at Psalm 67, one of my favorite psalms. 00:01:10.079 --> 00:01:13.799 It's an amazing psalm. And it shows us a few things about God's blessing. 00:01:13.960 --> 00:01:18.920 First, it asks or it answers the question, whom does God bless? Who gets the blessing? 00:01:18.920 --> 00:01:25.120 Then it shows us what God's blessing is. And then lastly, it shows us how we can know these things. 00:01:25.599 --> 00:01:30.079 So whom does God bless? What is God's blessing? And how do we know? Let's pray. 00:01:30.079 --> 00:01:36.539 Lord, we thank you. And as always, every week, we thank you for your word. 00:01:37.179 --> 00:01:41.500 And we thank you that in the midst of all of the chaos and uncertainty of these times, 00:01:41.759 --> 00:01:46.200 that your word is a rock and a lamp and a guide, 00:01:46.500 --> 00:01:50.719 and that we can open your word with full assurance that you're going to speak to us. 00:01:51.140 --> 00:01:52.799 As we pray, you will this morning. 00:01:52.939 --> 00:01:55.759 We pray that your Holy Spirit would make these words come alive. 00:01:55.760 --> 00:02:01.600 We pray that those of us who are afflicted would be comforted this morning. 00:02:01.719 --> 00:02:07.500 We pray that those who are a little too comfortable might be disturbed or afflicted a bit. 00:02:07.620 --> 00:02:08.560 Lord, stir it up. 00:02:09.560 --> 00:02:12.659 And Lord, we pray that in all ways, that only you fully know, 00:02:12.920 --> 00:02:14.560 you would do your work in us through your word. 00:02:14.900 --> 00:02:17.460 And it's in your son's holy name that we pray. Amen. 00:02:18.900 --> 00:02:20.620 So we're looking at Psalm 67. 00:02:20.819 --> 00:02:24.960 First question we want to ask is, whom does God bless? 00:02:24.960 --> 00:02:27.820 Who gets the privilege of being blessed by God? 00:02:28.159 --> 00:02:30.379 And if you look at this Psalm, verse 1 says, 00:02:30.960 --> 00:02:36.020 May God be gracious to us and bless us and make his face to shine upon us. 00:02:36.480 --> 00:02:38.460 And some of you may recognize this language. 00:02:38.580 --> 00:02:39.580 It's very specific. 00:02:40.120 --> 00:02:42.420 This language is taken from the Old Testament. 00:02:42.620 --> 00:02:46.080 It's taken specifically from Numbers chapter 6. 00:02:46.080 --> 00:02:55.080 And this is the place where God gives Moses and Aaron very specific instructions and language about how to bless his people. 00:02:55.520 --> 00:02:57.040 So God comes to Moses and says, 00:02:57.300 --> 00:02:59.280 Tell Aaron, say this to my people. 00:03:00.280 --> 00:03:02.420 The Lord bless you and keep you. 00:03:02.740 --> 00:03:06.540 The Lord make his face shine on you and be gracious to you. 00:03:06.760 --> 00:03:10.300 The Lord turn his face toward you and give you peace. 00:03:10.300 --> 00:03:14.439 This is what is commonly referred to as the Aaronic blessing. 00:03:14.560 --> 00:03:15.660 Because it comes from Aaron. 00:03:15.740 --> 00:03:17.719 Not to be confused with the Ironic blessing. 00:03:18.020 --> 00:03:19.500 Which is a different sermon entirely. 00:03:19.860 --> 00:03:21.260 This is the Aaronic blessing. 00:03:21.719 --> 00:03:25.840 And this is the special blessing that God gives to his people Israel. 00:03:26.000 --> 00:03:31.820 It's sort of like when you have a married couple and they have certain phrases or inside jokes that they use with each other. 00:03:32.080 --> 00:03:35.600 That reaffirm and assert the intimacy that they share. 00:03:35.599 --> 00:03:39.319 This is insider language that God uses with his people. 00:03:39.419 --> 00:03:41.079 His specific covenant people. 00:03:41.620 --> 00:03:46.659 And so many Israelites came to believe that this meant, this was just one more sign, 00:03:47.039 --> 00:03:50.299 that they as the nation of Israel were God's favorites. 00:03:50.900 --> 00:03:52.599 That they were God's favorites. 00:03:52.840 --> 00:03:56.879 That they were inherently more worthy than other nations. 00:03:57.240 --> 00:04:01.400 And that God had chosen to bless them because he loved them the most. 00:04:01.400 --> 00:04:09.800 And so probably by the time that this psalm was written, many people in Israel had come to believe that that's why God had chosen to bless them. 00:04:10.599 --> 00:04:16.980 And that's why this psalm and the few psalms that preceded in the Psalter, that's why this psalm is actually so amazing. 00:04:17.280 --> 00:04:19.519 Because look at verses 2 and 3. 00:04:21.100 --> 00:04:25.639 It's asking for God's specific covenant blessing. 00:04:25.840 --> 00:04:29.439 This blessing that was originally given to Moses and Aaron. 00:04:29.439 --> 00:04:33.120 But why is the psalmist praying for this blessing? 00:04:33.600 --> 00:04:34.259 Well, verse 2. 00:04:34.779 --> 00:04:37.540 That your way may be known on earth. 00:04:37.879 --> 00:04:40.779 Your saving power among all nations. 00:04:41.339 --> 00:04:44.019 And then as if to emphasize the point, 00:04:44.519 --> 00:04:46.560 Let the peoples praise you, O God. 00:04:46.959 --> 00:04:49.540 Let all the peoples praise you. 00:04:50.079 --> 00:04:52.159 So we're not just talking about Israel anymore. 00:04:52.159 --> 00:04:53.860 We're talking about all nations. 00:04:54.000 --> 00:04:56.120 We're talking about all people everywhere. 00:04:56.120 --> 00:05:00.899 So then we come back to the question, why did God bless Israel to begin with? 00:05:01.939 --> 00:05:04.879 And the answer is, not because they're his favorites. 00:05:05.379 --> 00:05:09.600 Not because they're inherently better or superior over other people. 00:05:10.160 --> 00:05:16.860 God chooses to bless Israel because he ultimately desires to bless everyone in the world. 00:05:17.100 --> 00:05:20.939 And he desires to use Israel to accomplish that purpose. 00:05:20.939 --> 00:05:26.540 And that's the truth that this psalm is driving home in the hearts of God's people. 00:05:26.699 --> 00:05:30.560 If you go all the way back to the first book of the Bible, the book of Genesis, 00:05:30.759 --> 00:05:33.199 you go to chapter 12 in the book of Genesis, 00:05:33.199 --> 00:05:36.879 this is the first place where God lays out his plan 00:05:36.879 --> 00:05:41.259 for what he's going to do in the world now that human beings have turned their backs on it. 00:05:41.759 --> 00:05:43.159 He lays his plan out. 00:05:43.459 --> 00:05:45.220 Here's how God's going to respond. 00:05:45.220 --> 00:05:48.040 And he tells all of this to a man named Abram. 00:05:48.220 --> 00:05:51.100 And he comes to Abram and he says, here's what I want you to do. 00:05:51.160 --> 00:05:54.520 I want you to pack everything up. 00:05:55.200 --> 00:05:56.760 I want you to leave your homeland. 00:05:57.140 --> 00:05:58.600 I want you to leave your family. 00:05:58.720 --> 00:06:00.360 I want you to set off on your own. 00:06:00.600 --> 00:06:05.840 You're going to travel a great distance and you're going to settle in a land that I will show you. 00:06:06.100 --> 00:06:08.640 And once you settle there, if you're faithful to me, 00:06:08.800 --> 00:06:11.000 I'm actually going to bless you. 00:06:11.240 --> 00:06:14.140 And I'm going to give you a huge family. 00:06:14.139 --> 00:06:16.800 I'm going to give you more kids than you can even count. 00:06:17.459 --> 00:06:20.979 And I'm going to build you into an entirely new family. 00:06:21.339 --> 00:06:24.839 And then through your descendants, specifically through one of your descendants, 00:06:25.180 --> 00:06:29.639 my plan is I'm going to bless all of the families in all of the nations of the earth. 00:06:30.579 --> 00:06:32.860 So God makes this promise to Abram. 00:06:32.919 --> 00:06:34.500 He makes this covenant with Abram. 00:06:34.899 --> 00:06:39.459 And in this language, we see that God actually desires to bless everyone 00:06:39.459 --> 00:06:43.639 through this nation of Israel that he builds from Abram's descendants. 00:06:44.139 --> 00:06:48.199 So our first question, whom does God bless? 00:06:49.300 --> 00:06:55.819 God's desire and God's ultimate plan is to bless everybody, regardless of nation, 00:06:56.139 --> 00:06:58.639 regardless of race, regardless of class. 00:06:58.779 --> 00:07:02.360 God's desire is ultimately to bless everybody in the world. 00:07:02.360 --> 00:07:06.540 And when God chooses to bless some people now, 00:07:06.879 --> 00:07:11.939 that is always because he is desiring to bless other people through them. 00:07:12.319 --> 00:07:15.040 And that's why he blessed Israel to begin with. 00:07:15.960 --> 00:07:20.199 So before we move on, it's just worth us reflecting on this fact 00:07:20.199 --> 00:07:23.819 that if God has chosen to bless you now, 00:07:24.620 --> 00:07:27.139 if God has chosen to bless you now, 00:07:27.139 --> 00:07:31.079 chances are that blessing has come with a responsibility. 00:07:32.060 --> 00:07:34.800 In other words, chances are there are people around you, 00:07:34.919 --> 00:07:38.779 people in your life whom God is desiring to bless through you. 00:07:39.740 --> 00:07:42.939 And so not only should we regularly be pausing 00:07:42.939 --> 00:07:48.439 and taking stock of all of the amazing blessings of God in our lives, 00:07:48.439 --> 00:07:51.740 but as we do that and as we give thanks, 00:07:51.819 --> 00:07:55.240 which is a practice that we should be doing in an ongoing way, 00:07:55.399 --> 00:07:57.420 as we take stock of God's blessings, 00:07:57.420 --> 00:07:59.360 we should also be asking ourselves, 00:07:59.719 --> 00:08:02.720 who are the people around me 00:08:02.720 --> 00:08:06.500 God might be desiring to bless through me, 00:08:06.600 --> 00:08:10.000 through these blessings that God has entrusted into my hands? 00:08:10.000 --> 00:08:13.779 This is one of the core principles of biblical stewardship. 00:08:14.399 --> 00:08:16.860 And so as we think about the blessings of our lives, 00:08:16.899 --> 00:08:19.720 if you're blessed enough to have a stable family 00:08:19.720 --> 00:08:21.980 or a stable household that you live in 00:08:21.980 --> 00:08:24.699 or a stable group home or network of friends, 00:08:24.800 --> 00:08:26.300 that's an enormous blessing. 00:08:26.839 --> 00:08:29.420 If you are blessed with financial stability 00:08:29.420 --> 00:08:31.240 and even financial resources, 00:08:31.240 --> 00:08:33.580 if you're not living paycheck to paycheck 00:08:33.580 --> 00:08:35.720 or just barely getting by, 00:08:35.820 --> 00:08:37.820 if you're not struggling in poverty, 00:08:37.820 --> 00:08:40.440 if you have enough to live on and maybe a little extra, 00:08:40.680 --> 00:08:42.220 that's an extraordinary blessing. 00:08:42.520 --> 00:08:45.920 You represent a very small percentage of the global population. 00:08:46.900 --> 00:08:49.040 If you're lucky enough to live in a home, 00:08:49.500 --> 00:08:51.120 that's an extraordinary blessing. 00:08:51.260 --> 00:08:53.500 And so we look at these blessings and then we ask, 00:08:53.900 --> 00:08:56.860 how might God be desiring to use me 00:08:56.860 --> 00:08:58.840 and these blessings that he's given me 00:08:58.840 --> 00:09:00.700 in order to bless other people? 00:09:00.780 --> 00:09:02.900 One of the greatest blessings that you might have 00:09:02.900 --> 00:09:05.020 is a professional network. 00:09:05.500 --> 00:09:07.140 And so one of the questions we might ask is, 00:09:07.139 --> 00:09:10.699 who are we allowing and giving access to? 00:09:11.279 --> 00:09:13.600 Who are we opening that network up to 00:09:13.600 --> 00:09:15.419 who might otherwise not have access 00:09:15.419 --> 00:09:17.639 to those networks of influence? 00:09:17.699 --> 00:09:19.120 These are things that we should be asking 00:09:19.120 --> 00:09:20.439 on a regular basis. 00:09:20.639 --> 00:09:22.620 So blessing comes with responsibility. 00:09:23.100 --> 00:09:24.779 Whom does God desire to bless? 00:09:24.879 --> 00:09:27.120 Ultimately, God desires to bless everyone. 00:09:27.840 --> 00:09:28.159 Everyone. 00:09:29.639 --> 00:09:31.279 The next question we want to ask 00:09:31.279 --> 00:09:33.539 is a very key question. 00:09:33.960 --> 00:09:35.240 All this talk about blessing, 00:09:35.240 --> 00:09:36.320 what is it? 00:09:37.039 --> 00:09:39.240 What does it mean to be blessed by God 00:09:39.240 --> 00:09:40.639 as we look in the Bible? 00:09:41.299 --> 00:09:44.200 And the basic meaning of the word bless, 00:09:44.320 --> 00:09:45.680 as you see it in scripture, 00:09:45.940 --> 00:09:47.759 and this comes from a theological dictionary, 00:09:48.460 --> 00:09:51.539 is to bless is to confer abundant 00:09:51.539 --> 00:09:55.080 and effective life upon someone or something. 00:09:55.080 --> 00:09:59.220 It's to confer effective and abundant life 00:09:59.220 --> 00:10:01.020 upon someone or something. 00:10:01.020 --> 00:10:04.120 To cause someone or something to flourish, 00:10:04.240 --> 00:10:06.100 to give them abundant life. 00:10:06.180 --> 00:10:07.500 That's the basic meaning. 00:10:08.020 --> 00:10:09.460 But if you look at Psalm 67, 00:10:09.920 --> 00:10:12.580 Psalm 67 takes this way further, 00:10:12.759 --> 00:10:13.700 makes it a whole lot bigger. 00:10:14.340 --> 00:10:16.139 Verses one through five show us 00:10:16.139 --> 00:10:18.220 that God's blessing to the world, 00:10:18.400 --> 00:10:20.000 God's desire to bless the world, 00:10:20.220 --> 00:10:21.840 means a number of things. 00:10:21.840 --> 00:10:24.960 It means first that his grace is given to everyone. 00:10:25.480 --> 00:10:27.139 That everybody has an opportunity 00:10:27.139 --> 00:10:28.840 to experience God's grace. 00:10:28.980 --> 00:10:30.920 That is, God's willingness to give us 00:10:30.920 --> 00:10:32.060 what we don't deserve, 00:10:32.720 --> 00:10:34.100 didn't earn, 00:10:34.399 --> 00:10:35.500 and could never repay. 00:10:36.200 --> 00:10:37.639 That that's a part of God's blessing 00:10:37.639 --> 00:10:38.840 is that he's the kind of God 00:10:38.840 --> 00:10:39.960 who wants to give us things 00:10:39.960 --> 00:10:40.940 that we don't deserve. 00:10:41.220 --> 00:10:43.440 So everybody gets to experience his grace. 00:10:43.700 --> 00:10:45.940 It means his presence is felt by everybody. 00:10:46.519 --> 00:10:49.800 It means his ways are known by everybody. 00:10:49.799 --> 00:10:54.740 It means his saving power is experienced by everyone, 00:10:54.819 --> 00:10:56.039 that everyone has an opportunity 00:10:56.039 --> 00:10:58.299 to experience God's saving power. 00:10:58.579 --> 00:11:01.299 It also means that God's justice is done 00:11:01.299 --> 00:11:03.859 for everyone with no favoritism. 00:11:04.620 --> 00:11:06.079 With no favoritism. 00:11:07.359 --> 00:11:10.839 Lastly, it means that his guidance leads everyone, 00:11:11.019 --> 00:11:14.379 that all of the nations are guided by God himself. 00:11:14.659 --> 00:11:17.899 So this is God's vision of blessing the world. 00:11:17.899 --> 00:11:21.879 And so God's blessing means nothing short 00:11:21.879 --> 00:11:27.199 of the complete renewal and restoration of this world. 00:11:27.319 --> 00:11:30.919 It means God himself coming to put everything right again 00:11:30.919 --> 00:11:32.340 in the world that he made 00:11:32.340 --> 00:11:34.059 so that it will once again be the world 00:11:34.059 --> 00:11:37.340 that he intended it to be when he made it. 00:11:37.699 --> 00:11:40.579 And that goes for us as human beings as well. 00:11:41.100 --> 00:11:44.779 So this is what God's blessing actually means in this psalm. 00:11:44.779 --> 00:11:48.299 And one of the things that we need to recognize about this psalm, 00:11:48.339 --> 00:11:50.199 and this is reflected all throughout scripture, 00:11:50.819 --> 00:11:55.679 is that all of these aspects of God's blessing go together. 00:11:56.299 --> 00:12:00.720 They're all facets of the same jewel, so to speak. 00:12:00.899 --> 00:12:03.980 So you can't have one without the others, right? 00:12:04.179 --> 00:12:08.079 You can't have abundant life apart from God's presence. 00:12:08.080 --> 00:12:15.100 You need God's presence in order to make abundant life possible. 00:12:15.580 --> 00:12:18.560 You can't live by God's ways. 00:12:18.780 --> 00:12:20.600 You can't live up to God's standards 00:12:20.600 --> 00:12:23.879 without God's grace and God's saving power. 00:12:24.220 --> 00:12:26.220 The core message of scripture says 00:12:26.220 --> 00:12:28.980 that we need God's spirit in us 00:12:28.980 --> 00:12:31.800 in order to make it possible for us to live out 00:12:31.800 --> 00:12:33.240 and follow God's ways. 00:12:33.400 --> 00:12:35.560 And so you can't have one without the other. 00:12:35.559 --> 00:12:39.119 And lastly, you cannot have God's justice 00:12:39.119 --> 00:12:41.399 apart from God's guidance. 00:12:42.119 --> 00:12:47.579 You can't have neighborhoods and cities and countries, 00:12:47.779 --> 00:12:51.959 nations that embody the justice of God 00:12:51.959 --> 00:12:54.899 unless those nations are also guided by God 00:12:54.899 --> 00:12:56.079 and follow God. 00:12:56.479 --> 00:12:58.779 They require each other, right? 00:12:58.919 --> 00:13:03.219 And I think this is actually very relevant for us right now, 00:13:03.220 --> 00:13:06.779 this idea of the holistic understanding of God's blessing 00:13:06.779 --> 00:13:08.800 and specifically the implications 00:13:08.800 --> 00:13:13.480 around how we think about various aspects of God's blessing. 00:13:13.920 --> 00:13:17.160 I think these days we tend to want to separate 00:13:17.160 --> 00:13:20.200 and separate these pieces out 00:13:20.200 --> 00:13:22.519 and sort of choose the parts that we want 00:13:22.519 --> 00:13:27.279 and leave the rest to other people, right? 00:13:27.279 --> 00:13:31.559 So some people, I think, really want God's presence 00:13:31.559 --> 00:13:34.839 and they really want God's provision in their life, 00:13:34.839 --> 00:13:37.579 but they don't want to live by God's ways, right? 00:13:37.579 --> 00:13:38.799 So people say, you know, 00:13:38.819 --> 00:13:40.779 I want to kind of live however I want to live 00:13:40.779 --> 00:13:42.539 and I'm going to expect and hope and assume 00:13:42.539 --> 00:13:44.759 that God's going to bless me no matter what I do. 00:13:44.899 --> 00:13:47.759 Really, God just cares that I'm happy, right? 00:13:47.819 --> 00:13:52.299 That's a way that some people want to relate to God 00:13:52.299 --> 00:13:55.360 that doesn't reflect what scripture says at all. 00:13:55.360 --> 00:13:58.740 Other people, I think, are very focused 00:13:58.740 --> 00:14:01.320 on making God's saving power 00:14:01.320 --> 00:14:04.200 and God's grace known to the world. 00:14:04.279 --> 00:14:05.779 They really care about evangelism 00:14:05.779 --> 00:14:07.259 and think that's what Christians should be doing 00:14:07.259 --> 00:14:07.919 and they're right. 00:14:08.419 --> 00:14:12.180 But those people also minimize the need for justice 00:14:12.180 --> 00:14:14.320 and equity in our society, 00:14:14.460 --> 00:14:16.360 to do justice in God's name. 00:14:16.440 --> 00:14:19.220 And so they say, well, evangelism is where 00:14:19.220 --> 00:14:20.420 we need to be pouring our energy, 00:14:20.879 --> 00:14:22.180 but not so much justice. 00:14:23.139 --> 00:14:25.080 And then a third thing that we see 00:14:25.080 --> 00:14:27.740 is that in our society these days, 00:14:27.740 --> 00:14:29.300 when people talk about justice, 00:14:29.400 --> 00:14:30.759 and this includes Christians, 00:14:31.100 --> 00:14:32.259 when people talk about justice, 00:14:32.259 --> 00:14:34.700 there are many different ideas 00:14:34.700 --> 00:14:37.060 of what justice actually means. 00:14:37.580 --> 00:14:40.480 And this psalm makes it clear 00:14:40.480 --> 00:14:44.460 that God's justice is connected to God's guidance. 00:14:44.580 --> 00:14:47.400 In other words, there's a specific way 00:14:47.400 --> 00:14:51.720 in which God envisions justice looking in our society. 00:14:51.720 --> 00:14:54.580 And so as Christians, we always want to be asking, 00:14:55.180 --> 00:14:58.060 what does it look like to do justice God's way? 00:14:58.920 --> 00:15:00.820 In other words, it's not enough for us to say, 00:15:00.940 --> 00:15:02.259 God cares about justice. 00:15:02.720 --> 00:15:04.639 Here's my definition of justice. 00:15:04.820 --> 00:15:07.480 Therefore, God endorses this thing that I'm doing. 00:15:07.580 --> 00:15:08.519 We always want to be asking, 00:15:09.060 --> 00:15:12.399 is my concept of justice aligning with God's guidance 00:15:12.399 --> 00:15:14.940 about what God's justice actually means? 00:15:15.279 --> 00:15:17.600 And so that makes things very complicated 00:15:17.600 --> 00:15:19.740 as Christians try to wade into the waters 00:15:19.740 --> 00:15:21.480 of doing justice and mercy, 00:15:21.519 --> 00:15:23.080 which is a core part of what it means 00:15:23.080 --> 00:15:24.799 to be God's people in the world. 00:15:25.180 --> 00:15:27.440 So for instance, with the very complicated 00:15:27.440 --> 00:15:30.100 and controversial phrase, black lives matter, 00:15:30.259 --> 00:15:32.360 this is very complicated for Christians. 00:15:32.560 --> 00:15:35.080 And so I think we should question any Christian 00:15:35.080 --> 00:15:36.519 that writes that off entirely. 00:15:36.779 --> 00:15:38.379 We should also question any Christian 00:15:38.379 --> 00:15:41.879 that just fully buys in to everything that represents, 00:15:42.100 --> 00:15:44.159 because we have to ask a lot of questions. 00:15:44.580 --> 00:15:47.039 For instance, we have to make the distinction 00:15:47.039 --> 00:15:51.259 between the slogan and the organization, right? 00:15:51.299 --> 00:15:53.779 So the slogan, black lives matter, 00:15:53.919 --> 00:15:55.899 that slogan, that idea, 00:15:56.279 --> 00:15:59.019 the idea that a just society is one 00:15:59.019 --> 00:16:00.939 in which black men and women are treated 00:16:00.939 --> 00:16:04.919 with equal dignity and value and equity 00:16:04.919 --> 00:16:06.799 alongside everyone else. 00:16:06.819 --> 00:16:09.719 And that there's not at any level in our legislation, 00:16:09.860 --> 00:16:11.539 in our institutions, that at no level 00:16:11.539 --> 00:16:14.099 is there any devaluing of the lives 00:16:14.099 --> 00:16:15.399 of black men and women in our country. 00:16:15.399 --> 00:16:17.079 That's something that I think everybody 00:16:17.079 --> 00:16:17.819 should get behind. 00:16:17.919 --> 00:16:18.840 That's something that Christians 00:16:18.840 --> 00:16:20.539 should not only passionately support, 00:16:20.939 --> 00:16:22.579 but we should also work toward it 00:16:22.579 --> 00:16:24.459 in whatever ways that we can, right? 00:16:24.539 --> 00:16:27.399 So that idea is something that I think fully aligns 00:16:27.399 --> 00:16:28.699 with the heart of God 00:16:28.699 --> 00:16:32.039 and how we should be thinking about justice in our society. 00:16:32.379 --> 00:16:34.039 It deeply resonates with that. 00:16:34.559 --> 00:16:36.559 But then if you look at the organization, 00:16:37.240 --> 00:16:39.500 Black Lives Matter, and you read the manifesto, 00:16:39.539 --> 00:16:41.179 and you read the values and the priorities, 00:16:41.679 --> 00:16:43.559 there are some things in there 00:16:43.559 --> 00:16:45.379 that I think that we can affirm and support, 00:16:45.659 --> 00:16:46.799 but there are other things in there 00:16:46.799 --> 00:16:48.319 that I think are deeply problematic, 00:16:48.679 --> 00:16:50.759 that not only don't seem to reflect 00:16:50.759 --> 00:16:53.479 God's vision of justice in the world, 00:16:53.519 --> 00:16:54.419 as we see it in scripture, 00:16:54.559 --> 00:16:58.099 but don't really seem to have much to do with black life. 00:16:58.619 --> 00:17:01.439 And so this leaves us as Christians 00:17:01.439 --> 00:17:03.000 in a very complicated position. 00:17:03.559 --> 00:17:04.619 It's not straightforward. 00:17:04.619 --> 00:17:09.000 So in some ways, we affirm and support the idea 00:17:09.000 --> 00:17:09.699 and the slogan. 00:17:09.879 --> 00:17:13.219 We work towards social and legislative reform 00:17:13.219 --> 00:17:14.779 as much as we possibly can. 00:17:15.099 --> 00:17:16.639 We even affirm and recognize 00:17:16.639 --> 00:17:19.639 the tremendous value of saying black lives matter 00:17:19.639 --> 00:17:21.939 and not just dismissively responding 00:17:21.939 --> 00:17:23.699 by saying all lives matter, 00:17:23.779 --> 00:17:25.639 that it's a whole lot more complicated than that. 00:17:25.899 --> 00:17:28.319 And then there's a reason why that phrase matters. 00:17:28.459 --> 00:17:29.839 So we affirm that, 00:17:29.839 --> 00:17:31.039 but at the same time, 00:17:31.279 --> 00:17:35.419 we don't fully affirm or support the organization, right? 00:17:35.480 --> 00:17:37.419 And so these are questions 00:17:37.419 --> 00:17:39.000 that we always have to be asking. 00:17:39.480 --> 00:17:42.000 They're hard, they're not easy, they're complicated. 00:17:42.059 --> 00:17:44.179 I think that's why there's so much disagreement right now, 00:17:44.399 --> 00:17:45.379 even within the church 00:17:45.379 --> 00:17:47.259 at this particular cultural moment. 00:17:48.179 --> 00:17:50.699 But as Christians seeking to bring God's blessing 00:17:50.699 --> 00:17:51.319 to the world, 00:17:51.699 --> 00:17:53.339 we have to be very discerning 00:17:53.339 --> 00:17:56.179 about what blessing actually means. 00:17:56.480 --> 00:17:59.199 God's grace, God's saving power, 00:17:59.200 --> 00:18:02.000 God's presence, God's justice. 00:18:02.259 --> 00:18:05.559 They come along with God's guidance and God's ways. 00:18:06.500 --> 00:18:08.200 It's a package deal. 00:18:08.500 --> 00:18:09.580 It's not a la carte. 00:18:09.759 --> 00:18:11.420 We don't just pick and choose what we want. 00:18:11.700 --> 00:18:12.559 It's all or none. 00:18:14.420 --> 00:18:16.059 So whom does God bless? 00:18:16.600 --> 00:18:19.160 God blesses some people 00:18:19.160 --> 00:18:21.640 because ultimately through them, 00:18:21.720 --> 00:18:22.980 he wants to bless everyone. 00:18:23.200 --> 00:18:25.580 God's desire is to bless every single man, 00:18:25.580 --> 00:18:26.660 woman, and child in this country 00:18:26.660 --> 00:18:28.220 and around the world. 00:18:28.220 --> 00:18:29.839 God wants to bless everyone. 00:18:31.680 --> 00:18:33.019 That's whom God blesses. 00:18:33.620 --> 00:18:34.920 What is God's blessing? 00:18:36.079 --> 00:18:38.380 Well, it's nothing short of the total renewal 00:18:38.380 --> 00:18:40.500 and restoration of this world 00:18:40.500 --> 00:18:42.860 and the people God has made. 00:18:43.279 --> 00:18:46.039 So this is a very comprehensive, 00:18:46.380 --> 00:18:48.079 vast vision of blessing. 00:18:48.920 --> 00:18:50.579 And some people may hear this and think, 00:18:50.680 --> 00:18:52.500 well, this is just pie-in-the-sky optimism. 00:18:52.720 --> 00:18:54.319 There's no way this could ever come about. 00:18:54.559 --> 00:18:55.640 Is there any evidence? 00:18:55.640 --> 00:18:57.180 Is there any way we could actually know 00:18:57.180 --> 00:18:58.620 that this is the kind of thing 00:18:58.620 --> 00:19:00.180 that God is planning for this world 00:19:00.180 --> 00:19:02.060 and the kind of thing that God is doing right now? 00:19:02.660 --> 00:19:04.940 And that's one of the reasons I love this psalm. 00:19:05.200 --> 00:19:05.700 Because we say, 00:19:05.800 --> 00:19:07.400 what assurance can I possibly have 00:19:07.400 --> 00:19:09.759 that God does desire to bless and restore this world? 00:19:10.200 --> 00:19:12.800 And verse 6 answers that question. 00:19:14.300 --> 00:19:16.080 The earth has yielded its increase. 00:19:16.500 --> 00:19:18.800 God, our God, shall bless us. 00:19:18.799 --> 00:19:20.440 And I love this. 00:19:20.899 --> 00:19:23.039 You know, theologians talk about the concept 00:19:23.039 --> 00:19:24.680 of God's common grace. 00:19:25.339 --> 00:19:27.279 All of the ways that God loves 00:19:27.279 --> 00:19:29.879 and provides for His people everywhere. 00:19:30.059 --> 00:19:31.879 No matter what they believe about Him, 00:19:31.960 --> 00:19:34.079 no matter if they believe that He exists, 00:19:34.240 --> 00:19:36.299 no matter if they've completely turned their backs on Him. 00:19:36.799 --> 00:19:40.339 God's common grace means that God still blesses 00:19:40.339 --> 00:19:43.639 and provides for all of the people of the earth, 00:19:43.720 --> 00:19:45.220 regardless of what they believe, 00:19:45.419 --> 00:19:46.759 regardless of how they live. 00:19:46.759 --> 00:19:50.539 And as this psalm draws our attention to, 00:19:50.799 --> 00:19:53.339 the earth itself is actually a great example 00:19:53.339 --> 00:19:54.539 of God's common grace. 00:19:54.980 --> 00:19:55.940 The psalmist is saying, 00:19:56.240 --> 00:19:56.879 look at the earth. 00:19:57.400 --> 00:20:01.000 Look at how beautiful this world is that God has made. 00:20:01.400 --> 00:20:04.079 Look at how the earth provides for us. 00:20:04.220 --> 00:20:06.819 Look at how God designed the earth 00:20:06.819 --> 00:20:09.440 to provide everything that we need. 00:20:09.879 --> 00:20:11.819 And so think of all of the food 00:20:11.819 --> 00:20:14.819 and the medicine and the minerals 00:20:14.819 --> 00:20:18.839 and the natural resources that we derive from the earth. 00:20:18.980 --> 00:20:20.759 Apart from which, our survival, 00:20:21.279 --> 00:20:23.740 our abundant life would not be possible. 00:20:23.980 --> 00:20:26.859 These are examples of God's common grace. 00:20:28.259 --> 00:20:31.639 So God's common grace is one reason 00:20:31.639 --> 00:20:35.399 that we can be assured that God desires to bless us 00:20:35.400 --> 00:20:37.800 and will continue to bless us. 00:20:38.680 --> 00:20:39.600 The psalmist is saying, 00:20:39.800 --> 00:20:41.940 look at the abundant blessing of this world. 00:20:42.460 --> 00:20:45.000 The kind of God who would do something like this. 00:20:45.500 --> 00:20:48.380 Surely that God will continue to bless us. 00:20:48.860 --> 00:20:51.780 Surely we can trust the heart of that kind of God. 00:20:52.180 --> 00:20:55.420 And I think that that's really compelling evidence 00:20:55.420 --> 00:20:58.820 that shows us the kind of God we're dealing with. 00:20:58.819 --> 00:21:02.079 And yet we, as people living in this day and age, 00:21:02.439 --> 00:21:04.419 we have far more assurance 00:21:04.419 --> 00:21:06.439 and far more evidence 00:21:06.439 --> 00:21:09.439 than this psalmist ever could have imagined. 00:21:10.200 --> 00:21:15.799 Because if you look at Paul's letter to the Galatians, 00:21:15.899 --> 00:21:16.700 the apostle Paul, 00:21:17.559 --> 00:21:20.339 Paul goes back to the promise 00:21:20.339 --> 00:21:23.740 that God made so long ago to Abram. 00:21:23.740 --> 00:21:26.740 He talks about this promise that God made 00:21:26.740 --> 00:21:29.319 to one day bless all of the nations of the earth 00:21:29.319 --> 00:21:31.140 through Abram's descendant. 00:21:31.640 --> 00:21:32.900 And then Paul says, 00:21:33.380 --> 00:21:35.180 that promise has been fulfilled. 00:21:36.120 --> 00:21:38.819 That promise that Abram was waiting on, 00:21:38.900 --> 00:21:41.000 the promise that the psalmist was waiting on, 00:21:41.059 --> 00:21:42.700 that promise has finally, 00:21:42.859 --> 00:21:43.920 after all of this time, 00:21:44.240 --> 00:21:47.819 it's finally been fulfilled in Jesus Christ. 00:21:48.400 --> 00:21:50.400 And so he says that Jesus Christ 00:21:50.400 --> 00:21:53.519 was willing to give his life for us on the cross. 00:21:53.519 --> 00:21:54.379 And here's what he says, 00:21:54.799 --> 00:21:56.420 so that in Christ, 00:21:56.980 --> 00:21:59.279 Jesus, the blessing of Abraham, 00:21:59.480 --> 00:22:00.839 so he's the blessing, 00:22:01.099 --> 00:22:02.079 the blessing of Abraham, 00:22:02.400 --> 00:22:03.960 might come to the Gentiles 00:22:03.960 --> 00:22:07.160 so that we might receive the promised spirit 00:22:07.160 --> 00:22:08.500 through faith. 00:22:09.759 --> 00:22:10.799 In other words, 00:22:11.240 --> 00:22:14.519 all of the beauty and all of the goodness 00:22:14.519 --> 00:22:16.680 and all of the common grace, 00:22:16.940 --> 00:22:17.799 all of that, 00:22:17.940 --> 00:22:19.539 everything like that in the world 00:22:19.539 --> 00:22:20.579 is just a preview. 00:22:21.139 --> 00:22:22.519 It's just a pre-blessing. 00:22:22.519 --> 00:22:24.259 The true blessing, 00:22:24.799 --> 00:22:26.240 the ultimate blessing, 00:22:26.740 --> 00:22:28.279 is Jesus Christ himself. 00:22:29.299 --> 00:22:32.200 If blessing means to confer effective 00:22:32.200 --> 00:22:33.759 and abundant life, 00:22:34.299 --> 00:22:36.519 the place where you're going to find that 00:22:36.519 --> 00:22:38.200 more than anywhere else 00:22:38.200 --> 00:22:40.480 is in the person and the presence 00:22:40.480 --> 00:22:41.839 of Jesus Christ. 00:22:42.039 --> 00:22:44.460 He is the fulfillment of God's promise 00:22:44.460 --> 00:22:47.160 to bless everyone in the world. 00:22:47.160 --> 00:22:50.100 So regardless of where you are right now, 00:22:50.220 --> 00:22:51.360 regardless of what you believe, 00:22:51.540 --> 00:22:53.460 regardless of what your life looks like, 00:22:53.600 --> 00:22:57.120 regardless of even any of the ways 00:22:57.120 --> 00:22:59.060 that you have previously thought about faith 00:22:59.060 --> 00:23:00.060 or Christianity, 00:23:00.060 --> 00:23:03.519 this opportunity is sitting in your lap right now. 00:23:03.519 --> 00:23:06.380 If you desire to experience God's blessing, 00:23:06.380 --> 00:23:08.340 if you want to know his grace 00:23:08.340 --> 00:23:10.080 and his saving power 00:23:10.079 --> 00:23:12.099 and have his presence in your life, 00:23:12.359 --> 00:23:13.720 and if you want your life 00:23:13.720 --> 00:23:16.259 to be filled with the abundance 00:23:16.259 --> 00:23:18.759 that God is able to provide, 00:23:18.839 --> 00:23:20.220 that only God is able to provide, 00:23:20.619 --> 00:23:24.039 it begins by coming to Jesus Christ in faith. 00:23:24.639 --> 00:23:26.139 It begins by recognizing 00:23:26.139 --> 00:23:28.819 that Jesus Christ is God's true 00:23:28.819 --> 00:23:30.819 and ultimate blessing to this world. 00:23:30.819 --> 00:23:32.700 Let's pray. 00:23:35.460 --> 00:23:36.559 Lord, we thank you. 00:23:36.679 --> 00:23:37.960 We thank you for your word. 00:23:38.379 --> 00:23:42.039 We thank you for your power at work in us. 00:23:42.460 --> 00:23:44.039 We thank you for your blessing 00:23:44.039 --> 00:23:45.240 that is at work in the world. 00:23:45.759 --> 00:23:47.819 Lord, we pray that you would continue 00:23:47.819 --> 00:23:48.980 to do your work in the world. 00:23:49.119 --> 00:23:52.519 We pray that you would give us eyes to see 00:23:52.519 --> 00:23:53.919 not only the blessings 00:23:53.919 --> 00:23:55.639 that you have put in our lives, 00:23:55.659 --> 00:23:56.599 but all of the ways 00:23:56.599 --> 00:23:58.519 that we're meant to use those blessings, 00:23:58.519 --> 00:24:00.940 that you would draw to mind 00:24:00.940 --> 00:24:02.400 and draw to our attention 00:24:02.400 --> 00:24:04.000 the people in our lives 00:24:04.000 --> 00:24:06.359 whom you're desiring to bless, 00:24:06.680 --> 00:24:08.879 and that you would embolden us 00:24:08.879 --> 00:24:10.839 and fill us with love and compassion 00:24:10.839 --> 00:24:12.879 to do your work in their lives, Lord. 00:24:13.099 --> 00:24:15.259 And we pray this not only for our good 00:24:15.259 --> 00:24:16.160 or the good of our city 00:24:16.160 --> 00:24:17.559 or our country or our world, 00:24:17.639 --> 00:24:18.940 but ultimately that your name 00:24:18.940 --> 00:24:20.000 would be glorified, 00:24:20.099 --> 00:24:21.240 that as this psalm says, 00:24:21.480 --> 00:24:23.059 that all nations, all people 00:24:23.059 --> 00:24:24.980 would praise you, Lord. 00:24:25.059 --> 00:24:26.440 And we pray this in your son's holy name. 00:24:26.579 --> 00:24:26.779 Amen. 00:24:28.519 --> 00:24:29.519 Amen.