Okay, morning folks. Lovely to see you today. My name is Graham. I'm the pastor here.
I'm a bit tired this morning. I haven't been on that weekend away yesterday, but it is lovely to be
! together as a church family. If you have a Bible, you're going to need Psalm 43 open in front of you.
Also worth having a finger in John chapter 14, which is, surprise, it's just where we're going to end
this morning. Two places that are going to be helpful for us to have God's Word open in front
of us so that you can see that what I'm saying, I hope, is what God says in His Word. But maybe to
get us started and to get us into the situation of this Psalm, complete the phrase on the screen.
It's given away. There's no place like home. So I wonder who here this morning is the furthest away
from home. Michaela, what do you think? Which is home in it? Where's home again? Michigan.
I can think of one person in this room who might top that, but go for it. Yeah.
10,000 miles. Wow. Putting the proclaimers to shame with their 500 miles. Hayden, you're
who I was thinking of this morning. Where are you from, buddy? Where's home?
South New Zealand.
South New Zealand, which I don't think you could actually get much further away from here,
could you? Puts my 12 minutes down the road to shame. But you know that phrase that we
have, okay? There's no place like home. When was the last time you found yourself saying
that? We don't say it when we're away from home, do we? We actually say it when we're in
our bed and we're at home. Actually, there's no place like home. But we all know that feeling,
don't we? That my body might be somewhere, but my heart is way back there. And that longing,
bring it to this psalm, and you begin to understand the situation into which this is written.
Take it with you to Psalm 43. Right? My body might be here, but my heart's way back there.
That's where the writer of this psalm is in Psalm 43. Here's the geography of this psalm.
Currently, if you look at verse 6 of Psalm 42, the writer of this psalm is miles away from Jerusalem,
up in the north, miles away from home. But their heart is back in Jerusalem, back at home.
But this is about way more than just homesickness. No wish you were here postcard from his mates
back home. He's going to soften the blow that the psalmist feels from being miles away from his home.
There's a way bigger spiritual dimension going on in this psalm for us to see.
What we're going to see this morning is the reality of how hard life can be.
We're going to think about the beauty of who Jesus is. And then we're going to think about the wonder
for every Christian of the glory of home. And this is what is pulled out in this psalm today.
So if you're in that place where actually life is really hard just now, and you're longing that it
wouldn't be the case, there's wonderful balm for your soul in this psalm.
The detachment, if you look at verse 2 of Psalm 43, the detachment, if the writer's trying to describe
what this feels like, do you see the word beginning with M that they go for? It's not miss, a miss home.
This detachment feels like mourning. That's how there's been a death in the family word, isn't it?
It's mourning. And the strength of that word there makes us want to ask, why so strong?
Two things I think explain it. Here's the first one. I think it's his job, the psalmist job.
Now, Psalm 43, you'll notice, doesn't have underneath the word Psalm 43. It doesn't have an assigned author.
But if you look at Psalm 42, and there's good reason to think of Psalm 42 and Psalm 43 going together,
we'll come back to that. Underneath the words of Psalm 42, do you see what's written in italics?
It is a mascal, and that word just means a song that's written in order to impart wisdom, right?
So you can imagine you go to Spotify, you type in, I want a wisdom song. This is the one that's coming up.
It's that kind of gig, okay? A mascal, song to, written to impart wisdom, and written by the sons of Korah.
Now, the sons of Korah were the musicians who served at the temple back in Jerusalem.
So they are, for all intents and purposes, if you want to understand it in our language today,
they are the worship leaders at the temple. That's their job, but it's more than just their job.
This is not something kind of Dolly Parton, 9 to 5. This is just what we do.
No, this is, and you get it in this psalm, this is their job, and it's their joy.
Love doing this.
But now, this psalmist, because he's away up north, away from home, away from his job, away from his people,
this psalmist is staring early retirement from the thing that they love doing right in the face,
and they wonder if they'll ever get back to do it again.
That's the first thing. It's their job.
But the second thing that explains it, it's all to do with the reason that they've ended up away from Jerusalem in the first place.
And it's not because they typed the wrong digits into Satnav and got lost and refused to ask for directions.
They've been driven away from Jerusalem, way up to the north, because their enemies have forced them out.
And the combination of both of those things, this is a double whammy.
The combination of both of those things, and notice the word verse 5, it has left them feeling downcast.
And that's a hugely emotional word.
Of all the words they could have picked, downcast.
And it's spelled out with graphic metaphors all the way through Psalm 42.
Take, for example, verse 3. Do you see it of Psalm 42?
My tears have been my food day and night.
Now there's a metaphor and everything in that phrase.
Have you ever done that?
Have you ever cried so much that the taste from the salt of your tears hits your mouth and you begin to taste it?
That's the idea that's going on here.
This person, this psalmist, is at rock bottom.
And if life were a boxing match, this is the point where you would be winded, lying on the canvas, thinking to yourself,
do I have the strength to get myself back up again and go again?
And do you know what?
There will be times for all of us, I think, as Christians, as we follow Jesus, when we're there.
We're downcast.
We're overwhelmed.
And we're just really sad.
We're low.
And it's not that we've done anything wrong.
It's just living in this world where it's broken.
You know, there's no indication that the psalmist has done anything wrong here.
There's no sin involved here.
But I think the very fact that God has given us this hymn book of the Psalms is God's way of saying,
do you know what?
In life, you will feel like this.
And here's my permission slip, as it were, as a parent, to say, it's okay to feel like this.
And I'll go better than that.
I'll give you a song that you can sing when you feel like this, and you can just sing it back to me.
Do you not love that God is big enough to handle our questions?
Do you not love that God is loving enough that he invites these kind of questions as a father who knows us?
Here's what we can sing in the times when we're downcast.
And we need to add this song to the Spotify playlist of our Christian lives.
Because do you know what this is?
This is a hymn for the hurting and homesick heart.
It's a hymn for the hurting and homesick heart.
And just look what is going on in this psalm if we get into the details of it.
They're crying out.
This psalm is two things.
Just crying out to God.
Look at the first thing.
Firstly, verse 1.
Do you see that?
God, here's the first cry.
Declare me right.
Do you see the first word there, verse 1?
Literally the first word.
Vindicate.
Straight from the law court.
What's going on here?
Vindicate me.
Because currently the enemies living round about me are saying,
Oi, Bible basher.
Where's your God now?
Did he miss the memo?
Is he asleep?
And so the Sabbath is saying,
God, would you,
in your perfect way,
would you declare in the sight of the watching world
that I'm in the right for trusting you
and they're in the wrong for mocking and defying you?
That's what he's,
he's crying out to God.
Right?
I don't know about you,
but I found it in my own soul this week
as you kind of watch the stuff
that was going on in the parliament,
the votes,
and just the heaviness of that.
You know, we're living our lives in a world
that is just hostile to God.
Just pursuing our own ways.
And of course,
we engage in those debates compassionately,
but we engage with conviction as well.
But a world that says,
no, do we want to go our own way?
We're not going God's way.
I found that overwhelming.
The psalmist is saying,
declare me right in the eyes of the watching world
for trusting you.
And the second thing, verse three,
if the first cry is declare me right,
the second cry is bring me home.
Do you see the language here?
Send me,
verse three,
let them,
let them.
So here's what I think
the psalmist realizes
as he says those words.
I think he realizes
that he is powerless
to change this situation.
Being there,
God, this has to be all of you
because I ain't got nothing.
And look specifically
at the plea of verse three.
Send me your light
and your faithful care.
Some of your translations
will say truth.
Send me your light.
Send me your truth.
Maybe he's thinking
in the Bible story,
of course,
if he's a worship leader
at the temple,
he's singing about
how God has delivered
his people over the past.
Maybe he's thinking
specifically about
how God led his people
from Egypt
through the wilderness
and to the promised land
by a pillar of fire
by night.
Maybe that's what he's thinking
of in his head.
And he's saying,
God, I want you to do it again.
And I want that light,
I want that truth
to lead me,
as it were,
carry me all the way
to your,
do you see it?
Holy mountain.
And what's the deal
with God's holy mountain
in this psalm?
It is the place
where God dwells.
So he's not after
a bit of real estate,
is he?
He's after the very presence
of God himself,
which at the time
of writing
would have been
the temple
at Jerusalem.
He's saying,
God, bring me to you.
I want you.
My soul is lost.
It is,
look at verse 1
of verse 42.
I'm like a deer
panting by streams
of water.
I've actually not seen
many deer in my life,
believe it or not,
but I've seen a lot
of dogs do this.
Just desperate,
desperate for water.
And that's what he's saying,
Lord, I'm desperate
for you.
Because you are my joy
and you are my delight,
would you bring me home?
But this is all of you.
I can't do this.
Would you bring me home?
And then we get
that inner pep talk
repeated at verse 5.
He's saying to himself,
come on soul.
Come on soul.
Remember.
Remember who this God is.
Remember he's the Lord.
Capital L,
capital O,
capital R,
capital D.
He's the God
who promises.
He's the God
that delivers.
And I know it's
looking bleak out here,
but come on soul,
remember who this God is.
He will act.
He will be faithful
to his promises.
And do you see
how these are
the exact same words?
This is a total
copy and paste job.
Right?
This was the plagiarism check
when you submit
your essay at uni.
This would be flagging up.
Right?
We've seen this before.
Three times we get it.
See verse,
sorry,
Psalm 42 verse 5.
Psalm 42 verse 11.
And here we go,
Psalm 43 verse 5.
Three times it's
exactly the same phrase.
And that tells us
something really important
about the Christian life.
Our soul needs to hear
the same truths
from God's word
over and over
and over
again.
Pride says,
I've heard it before.
Humility says,
I need it again.
Over
and over
and over.
What do they say
about repetition?
It's the mother of all
education.
Here's his advice.
This song,
put it on your record player.
This advice,
why are you,
my soul,
so downcast?
Play it on repeat.
Feel no embarrassment
about putting it on repeat.
My kids are always like that.
Dad,
we've heard this song.
We heard another one.
No.
Let's hear the same one.
Hope in God.
That's what he's saying.
In other words,
remember soul
because of who God is
and what he said is true.
One day,
all of this is going to pass
and I'll be home with God.
And here's the thing.
We can sing this today
ever so,
so much more confidently
than the psalmist here
could sing this.
Do you know why?
Because that plea
that the writer has made
away from home,
God,
would you send me
your light
and your truth
and would that light
and truth
lead me home to you?
We can say to ourselves
this morning
that God has answered
that cry
and he's answered
that cry
in the person
of the one
who called himself
the way,
the truth
and the life.
Jesus says that
about himself
in John chapter 14.
Do you want to
skim there?
You can turn there
to John chapter 14.
And it's a wonderful
chapter of John's gospel
and the context
is that Jesus
has just told
his 12 disciples
that
having been with them
for three years,
he's leaving them
and he's going
to his father
in heaven.
So he's no longer
going to be physically
with them.
And imagine the questions
flying about their minds
at this point.
How are we going to cope
when our main guy
is not around?
How are we going to
stand for him
when he's not
by our side?
How are we going to
experience knowing him
when he's not physically
with us anymore?
Will we ever get home?
You see the disciples
are panicking
in John 14
but Jesus
isn't.
And he speaks
words of truth
to troubled hearts.
And if you see
is it verse 1
of chapter 14?
Jesus says
do not be troubled.
And so when we cry
why?
Why?
God?
How long?
Lord?
There are no sweeter
words for our souls
to hear than Jesus
saying
don't be troubled.
And what makes
those words more
than just one
of those thinking
of you cards
that you'd pick up
in the card factory
and gives them
gravity
is that Jesus
says in John 14
that he goes
to prepare a place
for us.
And before he's
talking about heaven
what we need to
understand is that
place that he's
talking about
is the cross.
That's the place
where he's going
first and foremost.
The place where he
will willingly die
bearing the punishment
for all of our mistakes,
all of our sin,
all of our shame,
all of our regrets.
He goes there
to make us
right with God.
It's there
that we are made
sons and daughters
adopted into the
family of God
as the Spirit
is sent
to live inside
of us.
Salvation
is all of him.
It's all of him.
The psalmist
is saying
God it has to be
all of you
and Jesus
comes along
and says
John 14
do you know what?
It's going to be
all of me.
salvation
is all of him.
I feel that burden
off of you
this morning.
Salvation
is all of him.
I like to think
of it like this
when it comes
to salvation.
You know when you
go out with a friend
for dinner
something to eat
and there's that
awkward moment
when it comes
to paying
and if you haven't
agreed this in advance
what often happens
in those moments
is just say
we're going to
split it.
Yeah?
We're going to split
the bill.
See when it
comes to salvation
friends
we don't split
the bill
with Jesus.
This is all
of him.
Jesus goes
to pay it all
and because
he goes
to the cross
God vindicates
him at the
resurrection
and 40 days
later he ascends
to heaven
and do you not
love the intimate
and homely
language that
Jesus uses
to speak of
heaven?
This is not
the father's
hotel.
This isn't a
place where
guests check
in, stay
the night
have breakfast
leave a review
on TripAdvisor
and then check
out again.
This is the
father's house.
Children live
there with
their father.
I don't know
maybe home
for you
wasn't a good
place
when you were
growing up
and I'm
really sorry
to hear that
that was your
experience
but this will
be everything
that we
ever want
in a home.
A place
of warmth,
a place
of protection,
a place
of communion,
a place
of delight.
Of course
in the bigger
Bible story
this is
everything
that Adam
and Eve
had,
Genesis 1
and Genesis 2
before sin
entered the
human equation.
How often
we think of
heaven as a
place where
our dreams
come true
like heaven
is this
never ending
round of golf
or it's a
never ending
week long
shopping trip
in Milan.
What makes
heaven heaven
is what
Jesus says
about it
that one
day he
will return
and he
will take
us to be
with himself.
So what
makes heaven
heaven
is the fact
that he's
there.
Meanwhile
Thomas chips
in at verse
5,
Lord how
will we
know the
way?
So we're
going to be
away from
you,
we're going
to be
away from
our home.
How are
we going
to know
the way?
So he's
out with
his map
and his
compass,
he's
wanting
GPS
digits
and Jesus
says
unashamedly
and yet
unreservedly
that he
is the
way,
the truth
and the
life.
You've
got to
notice the
definite
article there.
He's
the way,
the truth
and the
life.
So Jesus
doesn't give
Thomas a
postcode.
As it were
he gives
him a
person.
And he
says,
look at
me.
You see,
Jesus is
the light
and the
truth sent
from the
Father.
He is
the light
and the
truth that's
mentioned in
this psalm.
He is
the one
who has
acted and
he is the
one who
will return
one day
to take
us home.
And so
see when we're
downcast,
see when we're
lying on that
canvas,
see when we're
wondering if
we can get
back up
again.
The
psalmist
pep talk
to himself
is hope
in God.
For us,
this side of
the cross
are waiting
for Jesus'
return.
Filled with
the spirit,
the advice
to us is to
look to
Christ.
All eyes
on him.
Why, my
soul, are you
downcast?
Why so
disturbed within
me?
Put your
hope in
God.
Lift your
eyes to
Christ.
Remember
who he
is and
remember
where he
is.
Just as we
finish, let's
just close on
that note.
There was a
story once
told of
Charles
Spurgeon,
a famous
preacher down
in London
in the
early,
mid-18th
century.
He once
did a
kids'
talk and
he got
the
children
to gather
around and
he had
on the
stage a
big bucket
of water
and he
said to
one of
the kids,
I want
you to
put your
hands in
it for
30
seconds.
So they
put their
hands in
it for
30
seconds and
then he
asks them
to everyone
watching,
can anyone
tell me why
that child
hasn't drowned?
And of
course the
answer that
the little
girl did
who was
doing the
demonstration
said,
it's because
my head's
not in
the water.
And he
said precisely
because if
your head's
alive,
it doesn't
matter if the
rest of you
is in the
water.
What the
most important
thing is
where your
head is.
And I
just find
that little
illustration,
see when I'm
in these
places of
being downcast,
I just find
that so
helpful to
remember that
our head,
Jesus,
he's there.
Right?
He's victorious,
he's there.
So I might be
struggling down
here, I might
be weary, I
might be weak
down here, but
he says look to
me, look where
I am.
I'm victorious
at God's
right hand.
I've paid for
your sin on the
cross, you're
mine, I've
bought you to
myself and I've
sent my spirit,
my spirit lives
in you so
that you can
know, you
can know the
future as hard
as it gets
down here, you
can know who
I am, you
can know communion
with me and you
can know the
glorious future
that's ahead of
you.
Because one day
what happened to
Jesus in the eyes
of the watching
world when he
was vindicated,
when he returns
friends, the same
thing will happen
to us.
If our trust is in
him today, we will
be vindicated in the
eyes of the watching
world.
When our king
returns, evil will
be banished, sin
will be a distant
memory, tears will
be redundant, doctors
will be unemployed,
death will no longer
be a thing and we
will be physically
with the God who is
our delight and our
joy.
You know, no one
puts this better than
English hymn writer
Charles Wesley in his
song and can it be.
And let me just
finish with this.
This is his chorus.
No condemnation now
I dread.
Jesus and all in
him is mine.
Alive in him my
living head and
clothed in
righteousness divine.
Bold I approach
the eternal throne
and claim the crown
through Christ my own.
Amazing love, how can
it be that thou my
God should die for
me.
Let me pray.
And so Father we
thank you so much for
your word this
morning.
Thank you that we
have it in our own
language that we can
pick up, read,
understand and know
who you are.
Thank you that you're a
God who is delighted
to reveal yourself.
And you still speak
through what you have
spoken.
And so Father I pray
for any of my
brothers and sisters
here this morning who
are downcast.
For whatever reason
Lord and we're all
there at some point
that we're just low
and maybe we're weary
and maybe we're
doubting.
Maybe we're full of
questions and so Lord I
pray that by your
spirit as your word
goes forth as it does
its work in our
lives.
Lord that we would
leave here today
knowing that you're a
God who invites us to
come to you with our
questions.
But knowing that you
are a God who has
wonderfully answered
that prayer of the
psalmist to send out
your light and your
truth.
And so Father I pray
Lord that we would be
captivated this morning
with the glory of the
one who said that he is
the way, the truth and
the life.
Help the eyes of our
hearts be fixed on him.
So Lord we thank you
for your commitment and
your steadfast love to us
this morning and we pray
all of these things in
Jesus' precious name.
Amen.