WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:02.740 1.16, I'm going to read it out loud for us. 00:00:04.780 --> 00:00:10.019 I love the Lord because He has heard my voice and my pleas for mercy. 00:00:10.839 --> 00:00:16.399 Because He inclined His ear to me, therefore I will call on Him as long as I live. 00:00:17.359 --> 00:00:21.600 The snares of death encompassed me, the pangs of Sheol laid hold on me. 00:00:21.960 --> 00:00:24.600 I suffered distress and anguish. 00:00:25.900 --> 00:00:28.679 Then I called on the name of the Lord. 00:00:28.679 --> 00:00:31.579 O Lord, I pray, deliver my soul. 00:00:33.039 --> 00:00:35.439 Gracious is the Lord and righteous. 00:00:36.560 --> 00:00:38.079 Our God is merciful. 00:00:38.920 --> 00:00:40.700 The Lord preserves the simple. 00:00:41.679 --> 00:00:43.640 When I was brought low, He saved me. 00:00:44.600 --> 00:00:47.159 Return, O my soul, to your rest. 00:00:48.439 --> 00:00:50.700 For the Lord has dealt bountifully with you. 00:00:51.859 --> 00:00:57.219 For you have delivered my soul from death, my eyes from tears, my feet from stumbling. 00:00:57.219 --> 00:01:00.339 I will walk before the Lord in the land of the living. 00:01:01.060 --> 00:01:02.140 I believed. 00:01:02.740 --> 00:01:05.179 Even when I spoke, I am greatly afflicted. 00:01:05.760 --> 00:01:09.000 I said in my alarm, all mankind are liars. 00:01:09.640 --> 00:01:13.019 What shall I render to the Lord for all His benefits to me? 00:01:13.620 --> 00:01:17.579 I will lift up the cup of salvation and call on the name of the Lord. 00:01:17.579 --> 00:01:21.700 I will pay my vows to the Lord in the presence of all His people. 00:01:21.700 --> 00:01:26.340 Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of His saints. 00:01:27.240 --> 00:01:28.939 O Lord, I am your servant. 00:01:29.379 --> 00:01:32.159 I am your servant, the son of your maidservant. 00:01:32.480 --> 00:01:33.900 You have lost my bonds. 00:01:34.340 --> 00:01:38.740 I will offer to you the sacrifice of thanksgiving and call on the name of the Lord. 00:01:39.340 --> 00:01:42.439 I will pay my vows to the Lord in the presence of all His people, 00:01:42.820 --> 00:01:46.320 in the courts of the house of the Lord, in your midst, O Jerusalem. 00:01:46.319 --> 00:01:48.359 So praise the Lord. 00:01:50.319 --> 00:01:54.599 I don't know if any of you guys have had a close shave with death. 00:01:57.439 --> 00:01:57.839 Yeah? 00:01:58.599 --> 00:01:59.619 Tell us about it. 00:02:00.739 --> 00:02:02.639 One time I almost choked on steak. 00:02:04.899 --> 00:02:07.259 But like I literally was not breathing. 00:02:07.939 --> 00:02:10.219 But we had PMT over for dinner that night. 00:02:10.219 --> 00:02:12.419 So she actually did a time look on me. 00:02:13.099 --> 00:02:13.819 Praise God. 00:02:14.979 --> 00:02:18.460 Not a very great story, but it was really scary. 00:02:19.139 --> 00:02:19.960 It must have been scary. 00:02:20.180 --> 00:02:21.120 What was going through your mind? 00:02:23.699 --> 00:02:26.360 What was going through your mind after you were saved? 00:02:31.039 --> 00:02:32.979 Thank God Angela was here. 00:02:32.979 --> 00:02:33.419 Yeah. 00:02:35.419 --> 00:02:38.020 What a not coincidence, right? 00:02:38.020 --> 00:02:38.540 Yeah. 00:02:39.860 --> 00:02:41.960 Yeah, I like ran up to the fridge to get water 00:02:41.960 --> 00:02:45.480 because that's what my 12-year-old self thought would be the best thing for me. 00:02:45.740 --> 00:02:48.600 And Angela was like, come here. 00:02:48.660 --> 00:02:50.719 And so she was like doing the high look and it didn't work the first time. 00:02:50.780 --> 00:02:51.500 I was like, I'm going to die. 00:02:51.640 --> 00:02:52.980 Oh my gosh, I'm going to see Jesus. 00:02:53.379 --> 00:02:54.160 Goodbye world. 00:02:54.300 --> 00:02:55.100 But then it came out. 00:02:55.580 --> 00:02:55.840 Wow. 00:02:56.180 --> 00:02:56.439 Yeah. 00:02:57.140 --> 00:02:57.740 That's great. 00:02:57.900 --> 00:02:58.800 Yeah, it's a great story. 00:03:00.939 --> 00:03:05.060 I think you guys probably heard of our story when we spun out of the highway 00:03:05.060 --> 00:03:06.320 because of black ice. 00:03:06.319 --> 00:03:08.239 That's probably the closest we ever came to it. 00:03:08.419 --> 00:03:09.500 It's like a... 00:03:09.500 --> 00:03:12.459 And then afterward, it's just that relief. 00:03:13.199 --> 00:03:16.419 Like you think you might die and then you don't. 00:03:16.560 --> 00:03:18.959 And it's just that relief, overwhelming sense of relief. 00:03:20.159 --> 00:03:23.180 And then not much else matters at that point. 00:03:23.479 --> 00:03:25.079 Like I don't care that my car's totaled. 00:03:25.939 --> 00:03:27.039 My family's okay. 00:03:27.039 --> 00:03:29.039 You know, like it's like a... 00:03:29.739 --> 00:03:30.219 It's like... 00:03:30.219 --> 00:03:32.560 So the psalmist, like that kind of context, 00:03:32.900 --> 00:03:36.659 it's because the psalmist has just had a very close shave with death. 00:03:37.479 --> 00:03:38.060 Hey John. 00:03:39.019 --> 00:03:40.060 We're in Psalm 116. 00:03:44.459 --> 00:03:45.859 Your shirt still looks new. 00:03:46.000 --> 00:03:46.759 How's that possible? 00:03:47.759 --> 00:03:48.859 We're not special occasions. 00:03:49.079 --> 00:03:50.039 You don't wear it enough. 00:03:50.039 --> 00:03:52.120 You wear it enough too much. 00:03:53.659 --> 00:03:54.939 I sleep in my mind. 00:03:59.539 --> 00:04:02.299 And so the psalmist has had a close shave with death. 00:04:02.799 --> 00:04:06.079 And he's experiencing this sense of relief. 00:04:06.219 --> 00:04:12.259 And he's remembering how God delivered him in verses 12, verses 1 to 11. 00:04:12.259 --> 00:04:15.439 And then in verses 12 to 19, which is kind of the second half, 00:04:15.519 --> 00:04:19.659 he's speaking about rendering to God the vows he made when he was in trouble. 00:04:20.399 --> 00:04:23.839 So remembering God's deliverance and then rendering his vows to the Lord. 00:04:24.519 --> 00:04:26.459 So in the first part, verses 1 to 11, 00:04:26.560 --> 00:04:28.680 it's about remembering God's deliverance. 00:04:28.740 --> 00:04:30.219 And it begins this way in verse 1. 00:04:30.759 --> 00:04:34.420 I love the Lord because he has heard my voice and my pleas for mercy. 00:04:35.579 --> 00:04:38.139 And we see this over and over again through our scripture. 00:04:38.379 --> 00:04:41.459 God doesn't hear us because we love and serve him. 00:04:42.259 --> 00:04:46.899 We love and serve him because he hears us, because he loves us, 00:04:47.539 --> 00:04:48.920 because he has shown his mercy. 00:04:49.079 --> 00:04:50.899 We love him because he first loved us. 00:04:51.560 --> 00:04:55.560 And so the key to greater love for God always is remembering God's deliverance. 00:04:56.099 --> 00:04:58.319 So if we don't love God, if we don't feel zeal for him, 00:04:58.399 --> 00:05:00.219 if we feel lukewarm in our affections, 00:05:00.939 --> 00:05:03.579 if we feel ourselves getting bigger and bigger in our lives 00:05:03.579 --> 00:05:05.420 and we're having less of God in our lives, 00:05:05.420 --> 00:05:07.279 we need to remember God's deliverance. 00:05:08.360 --> 00:05:12.139 And this section has a roughly chiastic structure. 00:05:12.939 --> 00:05:15.300 That's a mirroring symmetrical structure. 00:05:16.360 --> 00:05:19.519 And so you can see that clearly in verses 2 to 9. 00:05:19.620 --> 00:05:20.779 So verse 2 says, 00:05:20.980 --> 00:05:23.240 I will call on him as long as I live. 00:05:23.800 --> 00:05:25.300 And that mirrors verse 9. 00:05:25.519 --> 00:05:25.699 It says, 00:05:25.779 --> 00:05:28.060 I will walk before the Lord in the land of the living. 00:05:28.759 --> 00:05:30.159 And then verses 3 to 4, 00:05:30.560 --> 00:05:33.099 which recall how the psalmist cried out to the Lord, 00:05:33.319 --> 00:05:36.339 deliver my soul from the suffering and threat of death. 00:05:36.339 --> 00:05:39.259 That mirrors verses 7 to 8, 00:05:39.759 --> 00:05:40.279 which say, 00:05:40.439 --> 00:05:42.139 you have delivered my soul from death. 00:05:42.279 --> 00:05:43.919 So just similar concepts, ideas, 00:05:44.239 --> 00:05:44.699 and mirroring. 00:05:45.500 --> 00:05:48.279 And not all of us have experienced close shave with death, 00:05:48.399 --> 00:05:51.639 but all of us as Christians have experienced 00:05:51.639 --> 00:05:56.000 God's rescue from the spiritual death 00:05:56.000 --> 00:05:57.359 that the Bible describes, right, 00:05:57.419 --> 00:05:58.179 over and over again. 00:05:58.840 --> 00:06:02.500 Ephesians 2.5 says that we were all once dead in our trespasses, 00:06:02.740 --> 00:06:04.800 but made alive together with Christ. 00:06:05.180 --> 00:06:06.980 So we're people who, by definition, 00:06:07.240 --> 00:06:08.720 have passed from death to life. 00:06:09.420 --> 00:06:11.939 And it was more than just a close shave, right? 00:06:11.960 --> 00:06:14.300 We were actually dead in our trespasses and sins. 00:06:14.960 --> 00:06:17.139 But Christ delivered us 00:06:17.139 --> 00:06:18.600 while we were rotten to the core, 00:06:18.819 --> 00:06:19.780 spiritually speaking, 00:06:20.319 --> 00:06:21.000 corpses. 00:06:21.000 --> 00:06:24.199 Christ delivered us from death 00:06:24.199 --> 00:06:26.360 by dying on the cross for our sins 00:06:26.360 --> 00:06:27.579 in our place 00:06:27.579 --> 00:06:29.480 so that we might be redeemed. 00:06:29.779 --> 00:06:31.019 We might be counted as righteous. 00:06:32.160 --> 00:06:34.120 And the logic of Psalm 116 00:06:34.120 --> 00:06:36.600 is that those who have been delivered by God 00:06:36.600 --> 00:06:37.920 from death 00:06:37.920 --> 00:06:40.620 should live for God in life. 00:06:42.100 --> 00:06:43.699 And we owe Him our lives. 00:06:43.839 --> 00:06:45.120 We live because of Him 00:06:45.120 --> 00:06:46.240 so we should live for Him. 00:06:46.839 --> 00:06:49.139 And the spiritual life we experience here and now 00:06:49.139 --> 00:06:50.759 because of Jesus Christ 00:06:50.759 --> 00:06:52.699 like the eternal resurrection life 00:06:52.699 --> 00:06:53.779 that we will have in the future 00:06:53.779 --> 00:06:56.039 are to be lived in worship of God. 00:06:56.279 --> 00:06:57.759 Our life is to be life of worship. 00:06:58.860 --> 00:07:00.539 And what God has done for us 00:07:00.539 --> 00:07:01.659 is all the more amazing 00:07:01.659 --> 00:07:03.339 when we remember who God is 00:07:03.339 --> 00:07:04.759 and who we are. 00:07:05.159 --> 00:07:08.219 And that's what verse 5 and 6 are getting at. 00:07:08.699 --> 00:07:10.800 Verse 5 is an affirmation of who God is. 00:07:11.120 --> 00:07:12.120 And verse 6 is a statement 00:07:12.120 --> 00:07:14.279 of our relative unworthiness before God. 00:07:14.759 --> 00:07:15.360 Verse 5 says, 00:07:15.459 --> 00:07:17.599 Gracious is the Lord and righteous. 00:07:18.120 --> 00:07:19.519 Our God is merciful. 00:07:19.519 --> 00:07:21.839 In contrast, verse 6 says, 00:07:21.959 --> 00:07:22.699 We are simple. 00:07:23.180 --> 00:07:24.699 We were brought low. 00:07:25.359 --> 00:07:27.719 But because God is gracious and merciful, 00:07:27.919 --> 00:07:28.799 He saved us. 00:07:30.459 --> 00:07:32.379 And this is in stark contrast 00:07:32.379 --> 00:07:33.919 to our human friends and allies. 00:07:34.159 --> 00:07:35.500 He says in verses 10 to 11, 00:07:35.620 --> 00:07:36.180 the psalmist says, 00:07:36.259 --> 00:07:36.939 I believed, 00:07:37.339 --> 00:07:38.219 even when I spoke, 00:07:38.560 --> 00:07:39.819 I am greatly afflicted. 00:07:40.299 --> 00:07:40.839 So he's saying, 00:07:40.899 --> 00:07:42.099 even when I was crying out to God, 00:07:42.159 --> 00:07:43.000 I am greatly afflicted. 00:07:43.060 --> 00:07:44.219 He believed in the Lord. 00:07:44.220 --> 00:07:45.400 And he's saying, 00:07:45.460 --> 00:07:46.580 I said in my alarm, 00:07:46.740 --> 00:07:48.140 all mankind are liars. 00:07:49.260 --> 00:07:49.740 And so, 00:07:50.340 --> 00:07:52.660 this is the first part of that. 00:07:53.220 --> 00:07:56.100 Verse 10 is cited in Paul's letter 00:07:56.100 --> 00:07:58.540 to 2 Corinthians 4, 00:07:58.660 --> 00:07:59.660 verses 13 to 14, 00:08:00.360 --> 00:08:01.240 where he says that 00:08:01.240 --> 00:08:02.280 in spite of the affliction 00:08:02.280 --> 00:08:03.700 that we experience as Christians, 00:08:03.840 --> 00:08:05.280 suffering that we experience in life, 00:08:05.700 --> 00:08:06.480 we believe, 00:08:06.740 --> 00:08:07.160 he says, 00:08:07.160 --> 00:08:08.780 and so we also speak, 00:08:09.380 --> 00:08:11.200 knowing that he who raised the Lord Jesus 00:08:11.200 --> 00:08:12.640 will raise us also with Jesus 00:08:12.640 --> 00:08:14.200 and bring us with you into his presence. 00:08:14.720 --> 00:08:16.300 So even in the midst of great affliction, 00:08:16.439 --> 00:08:17.680 like the psalmist is going through, 00:08:18.080 --> 00:08:19.380 even when our experience 00:08:19.380 --> 00:08:21.540 in our present life 00:08:21.540 --> 00:08:22.520 is just suffering 00:08:22.520 --> 00:08:24.379 and tribulation, 00:08:25.020 --> 00:08:26.700 we can still persist in faith 00:08:26.700 --> 00:08:28.560 in God's ultimate deliverance. 00:08:29.320 --> 00:08:31.440 So when the psalmist was in desperate need, 00:08:31.580 --> 00:08:32.639 no man came to his aid. 00:08:33.279 --> 00:08:34.540 Their promise of friendship 00:08:34.540 --> 00:08:35.860 and loyalty proved empty. 00:08:35.860 --> 00:08:37.159 So he declared, 00:08:37.399 --> 00:08:38.460 all mankind are liars. 00:08:39.300 --> 00:08:40.259 But God, 00:08:40.379 --> 00:08:40.980 he is true. 00:08:41.500 --> 00:08:41.720 God, 00:08:41.820 --> 00:08:42.600 he is faithful. 00:08:43.440 --> 00:08:44.399 Gracious is the Lord 00:08:44.399 --> 00:08:44.840 and righteous 00:08:44.840 --> 00:08:45.779 and God is merciful. 00:08:46.740 --> 00:08:47.580 It's similar to kind of 00:08:47.580 --> 00:08:48.480 what Paul writes about 00:08:48.480 --> 00:08:50.220 toward the end of his life 00:08:50.220 --> 00:08:52.779 in 2 Timothy 4, 00:08:52.919 --> 00:08:53.960 verses 16 to 18. 00:08:54.480 --> 00:08:54.879 He says, 00:08:54.960 --> 00:08:55.960 at my first defense, 00:08:56.039 --> 00:08:57.639 this is his trial in Rome. 00:08:58.279 --> 00:08:59.220 At my first defense, 00:08:59.340 --> 00:09:00.800 no one came to stand by me, 00:09:01.120 --> 00:09:02.580 but all deserted me. 00:09:03.519 --> 00:09:05.220 But the Lord stood by me 00:09:05.220 --> 00:09:06.220 and strengthened me. 00:09:06.920 --> 00:09:07.840 So I was rescued 00:09:07.840 --> 00:09:09.180 from the lion's mouth. 00:09:09.800 --> 00:09:10.940 The Lord will rescue me 00:09:10.940 --> 00:09:12.000 from every evil deed 00:09:12.000 --> 00:09:12.840 and bring me safely 00:09:12.840 --> 00:09:13.779 into his heavenly kingdom. 00:09:14.519 --> 00:09:15.240 So this is a really 00:09:15.240 --> 00:09:17.580 wonderful promise. 00:09:18.200 --> 00:09:19.139 Our best friends 00:09:19.139 --> 00:09:20.220 might betray us, 00:09:20.560 --> 00:09:20.700 right? 00:09:20.759 --> 00:09:22.340 Our fathers and mothers 00:09:22.340 --> 00:09:23.440 might reject us. 00:09:24.139 --> 00:09:26.000 Our spouses might leave us, 00:09:26.080 --> 00:09:27.379 but God is faithful 00:09:27.379 --> 00:09:28.340 and true. 00:09:29.060 --> 00:09:30.320 All mankind are liars, 00:09:30.320 --> 00:09:31.260 but the Lord, 00:09:31.680 --> 00:09:32.960 he is gracious and true. 00:09:34.000 --> 00:09:35.720 And so we can cry out 00:09:35.720 --> 00:09:36.500 like the psalmist, 00:09:37.160 --> 00:09:37.800 I believe, 00:09:38.140 --> 00:09:39.160 even when I spoke, 00:09:39.320 --> 00:09:40.480 I am greatly afflicted. 00:09:41.160 --> 00:09:42.100 And because of God's 00:09:42.100 --> 00:09:43.080 unchanging character, 00:09:43.240 --> 00:09:44.180 that's why we can have 00:09:44.180 --> 00:09:45.260 unwavering faith, 00:09:45.820 --> 00:09:48.300 even in the face of death, 00:09:48.600 --> 00:09:49.720 both physical death 00:09:49.720 --> 00:09:50.700 and spiritual death. 00:09:52.280 --> 00:09:53.340 Even when we experience 00:09:53.340 --> 00:09:54.640 tragedy, tragedies, 00:09:54.720 --> 00:09:55.860 defeats in our lives, 00:09:55.860 --> 00:09:56.940 we can have faith. 00:09:57.300 --> 00:09:58.020 I believe, 00:09:58.180 --> 00:09:59.040 even when I spoke, 00:09:59.140 --> 00:10:00.280 I am greatly afflicted. 00:10:01.280 --> 00:10:02.280 And after remembering 00:10:02.280 --> 00:10:03.080 God's deliverance, 00:10:03.180 --> 00:10:04.380 in verses 12 to 19, 00:10:04.580 --> 00:10:05.240 the psalmist speaks 00:10:05.240 --> 00:10:06.440 of rendering his vows 00:10:06.440 --> 00:10:07.700 to the Lord in worship. 00:10:08.340 --> 00:10:08.960 And he begins 00:10:08.960 --> 00:10:10.220 with the rhetorical question, 00:10:10.380 --> 00:10:11.480 what shall I render 00:10:11.480 --> 00:10:12.180 to the Lord 00:10:12.180 --> 00:10:13.720 for all his benefits to me? 00:10:14.240 --> 00:10:15.600 I love that it's phrased 00:10:15.600 --> 00:10:16.720 as a rhetorical question 00:10:16.720 --> 00:10:17.960 because it kind of conveys 00:10:17.960 --> 00:10:18.780 that sense of 00:10:18.780 --> 00:10:20.460 there's nothing I can do. 00:10:20.740 --> 00:10:21.420 Like, there's nothing 00:10:21.420 --> 00:10:22.400 I can do to repay, 00:10:22.680 --> 00:10:23.940 to render enough 00:10:23.940 --> 00:10:24.820 to God 00:10:24.820 --> 00:10:25.980 for what he has done for me, 00:10:25.980 --> 00:10:26.899 for all the benefits 00:10:26.899 --> 00:10:27.620 that I have enjoyed. 00:10:28.220 --> 00:10:29.279 What shall we render 00:10:29.279 --> 00:10:29.820 to the Lord? 00:10:30.779 --> 00:10:31.440 Yet even though 00:10:31.440 --> 00:10:32.340 we can't repay, 00:10:32.659 --> 00:10:34.000 we have to respond somehow 00:10:34.000 --> 00:10:35.379 because we can't help ourselves. 00:10:36.139 --> 00:10:37.300 So the psalmist answers 00:10:37.300 --> 00:10:38.139 the question himself 00:10:38.139 --> 00:10:39.420 in verses 13 to 19. 00:10:40.080 --> 00:10:40.600 And that too 00:10:40.600 --> 00:10:42.060 is structured symmetrically 00:10:42.060 --> 00:10:42.980 like the first section. 00:10:43.600 --> 00:10:44.440 So verse 13, 00:10:44.580 --> 00:10:45.159 he speaks of 00:10:45.159 --> 00:10:46.759 lifting up the cup of salvation 00:10:46.759 --> 00:10:47.680 and calling upon 00:10:47.680 --> 00:10:48.620 the name of the Lord. 00:10:49.100 --> 00:10:50.340 And then that matches 00:10:50.340 --> 00:10:51.279 verse 17, 00:10:51.440 --> 00:10:51.920 which speaks of 00:10:51.920 --> 00:10:53.200 offering the sacrifice 00:10:53.200 --> 00:10:53.980 of thanksgiving 00:10:53.980 --> 00:10:55.060 and calling 00:10:55.060 --> 00:10:56.060 upon the name 00:10:56.060 --> 00:10:56.539 of the Lord. 00:10:57.080 --> 00:10:57.960 So this is a picture 00:10:57.960 --> 00:10:59.220 of worship at the temple. 00:11:00.000 --> 00:11:00.779 Lifting up the cup 00:11:00.779 --> 00:11:02.899 is a libation offering, 00:11:03.279 --> 00:11:03.860 wine offering. 00:11:04.539 --> 00:11:05.580 Offering the sacrifice 00:11:05.580 --> 00:11:07.000 is probably an animal sacrifice, 00:11:07.180 --> 00:11:07.620 thanksgiving. 00:11:08.440 --> 00:11:10.019 And then verses 14 and 18 00:11:10.019 --> 00:11:11.420 are exactly the same. 00:11:11.759 --> 00:11:12.720 I will pay my vows 00:11:12.720 --> 00:11:13.200 to the Lord 00:11:13.200 --> 00:11:13.800 in the presence 00:11:13.800 --> 00:11:14.580 of all his people. 00:11:15.620 --> 00:11:16.620 So the first section 00:11:16.620 --> 00:11:17.960 dealt with what God has done. 00:11:18.120 --> 00:11:18.720 And this section 00:11:18.720 --> 00:11:19.440 is dealing with 00:11:19.440 --> 00:11:21.420 how we should respond. 00:11:21.419 --> 00:11:23.459 We have to pay our vows 00:11:23.459 --> 00:11:23.860 to the Lord 00:11:23.860 --> 00:11:24.299 in the presence 00:11:24.299 --> 00:11:25.379 of all his people. 00:11:26.120 --> 00:11:27.719 A vow is a voluntary 00:11:27.719 --> 00:11:31.279 but a binding agreement. 00:11:32.019 --> 00:11:33.519 We enter into it voluntarily 00:11:33.519 --> 00:11:34.579 but once we've made it 00:11:34.579 --> 00:11:35.120 it's binding. 00:11:36.139 --> 00:11:36.919 And so a believer 00:11:36.919 --> 00:11:38.000 in this situation, 00:11:38.099 --> 00:11:38.620 the psalmist, 00:11:38.759 --> 00:11:39.939 has said to the Lord, 00:11:40.240 --> 00:11:41.219 Lord, if you deliver me 00:11:41.219 --> 00:11:41.939 from this threat, 00:11:42.240 --> 00:11:43.459 I vow to do such and such 00:11:43.459 --> 00:11:44.039 for your glory. 00:11:44.899 --> 00:11:46.279 And so by entrusting himself 00:11:46.279 --> 00:11:47.319 to God's deliverance, 00:11:47.419 --> 00:11:48.159 the psalmist has put 00:11:48.159 --> 00:11:48.919 certain obligations 00:11:48.919 --> 00:11:49.659 upon himself 00:11:49.659 --> 00:11:50.779 as a worshiper of God. 00:11:51.419 --> 00:11:53.199 And this is explained further 00:11:53.199 --> 00:11:54.639 in verse 15 to 16. 00:11:55.620 --> 00:11:56.860 Precious in the sight 00:11:56.860 --> 00:11:57.259 of the Lord 00:11:57.259 --> 00:11:58.559 is the death of his saints. 00:11:58.659 --> 00:11:59.439 That's verse 15. 00:12:00.299 --> 00:12:01.459 This is sometimes 00:12:01.459 --> 00:12:02.639 misunderstood by people. 00:12:02.759 --> 00:12:03.419 It doesn't mean 00:12:03.419 --> 00:12:05.039 that God is pleased by 00:12:05.039 --> 00:12:06.879 or eager for 00:12:06.879 --> 00:12:08.240 the deaths of his saints. 00:12:08.860 --> 00:12:09.839 Come on, more people. 00:12:10.579 --> 00:12:11.539 Come die for me. 00:12:11.740 --> 00:12:12.199 You know, it's like 00:12:12.199 --> 00:12:13.279 that's not what 00:12:13.279 --> 00:12:14.099 this is talking about. 00:12:14.699 --> 00:12:15.759 The word precious 00:12:15.759 --> 00:12:17.439 is used most often 00:12:17.439 --> 00:12:18.159 throughout scripture 00:12:18.159 --> 00:12:20.360 to refer to precious stones. 00:12:20.360 --> 00:12:21.940 And the word means 00:12:21.940 --> 00:12:23.759 rare, costly, 00:12:24.560 --> 00:12:25.019 weighty. 00:12:25.519 --> 00:12:27.120 So it's the exact opposite 00:12:27.120 --> 00:12:29.100 of what pagans 00:12:29.100 --> 00:12:30.419 in the ancient world 00:12:30.419 --> 00:12:31.620 frequently said. 00:12:31.840 --> 00:12:32.919 And what they said was, 00:12:33.019 --> 00:12:34.080 whom the gods love 00:12:34.080 --> 00:12:34.620 die young. 00:12:35.300 --> 00:12:36.200 Because they want 00:12:36.200 --> 00:12:37.940 these people to be with them 00:12:37.940 --> 00:12:38.779 because they love them. 00:12:38.879 --> 00:12:39.800 So they make them die young. 00:12:39.899 --> 00:12:40.379 So that's what 00:12:40.379 --> 00:12:41.360 the pagans said. 00:12:41.700 --> 00:12:42.899 But this is the exact opposite 00:12:42.899 --> 00:12:43.180 of that. 00:12:43.259 --> 00:12:44.039 The psalmist is saying 00:12:44.039 --> 00:12:44.639 that the death 00:12:44.639 --> 00:12:45.740 of one of his people 00:12:45.740 --> 00:12:46.980 is not something 00:12:46.980 --> 00:12:48.000 that God brings about 00:12:48.000 --> 00:12:48.559 flippantly. 00:12:49.340 --> 00:12:50.279 It's rather something 00:12:50.279 --> 00:12:51.360 that's weighty to him. 00:12:51.539 --> 00:12:52.919 It's serious to him. 00:12:53.200 --> 00:12:54.740 It's significant to him 00:12:54.740 --> 00:12:55.980 and costly to him. 00:12:56.600 --> 00:12:58.240 We are valuable to him 00:12:58.240 --> 00:12:59.019 is what he's saying. 00:13:00.019 --> 00:13:01.159 And that's why 00:13:01.159 --> 00:13:02.000 he saved us. 00:13:02.759 --> 00:13:03.279 Verse 16, 00:13:03.340 --> 00:13:03.700 O Lord, 00:13:03.799 --> 00:13:04.779 I am your servant. 00:13:05.559 --> 00:13:06.480 I am your servant, 00:13:06.639 --> 00:13:08.059 the son of your maidservant. 00:13:08.139 --> 00:13:08.779 You have lost 00:13:08.779 --> 00:13:10.120 my bonds. 00:13:10.580 --> 00:13:11.960 So in the 00:13:11.960 --> 00:13:13.340 bonds 00:13:13.340 --> 00:13:15.059 referred to here 00:13:15.059 --> 00:13:15.639 is probably 00:13:15.639 --> 00:13:17.259 the same snare 00:13:17.259 --> 00:13:17.740 of death 00:13:17.740 --> 00:13:18.659 mentioned in verse 3. 00:13:19.139 --> 00:13:19.580 So God 00:13:19.580 --> 00:13:20.199 loosed him 00:13:20.199 --> 00:13:20.799 from the bonds 00:13:20.799 --> 00:13:21.240 of death. 00:13:22.080 --> 00:13:23.399 And by crying out 00:13:23.399 --> 00:13:24.399 to him for salvation, 00:13:24.539 --> 00:13:25.539 by crying out to God 00:13:25.539 --> 00:13:26.500 that he would free us 00:13:26.500 --> 00:13:27.299 from the bondage 00:13:27.299 --> 00:13:27.699 of death, 00:13:27.960 --> 00:13:29.000 we have put ourselves 00:13:29.000 --> 00:13:29.960 under a certain obligation. 00:13:30.460 --> 00:13:31.740 We become his servants. 00:13:32.199 --> 00:13:33.319 Or rather, 00:13:33.419 --> 00:13:34.639 because we are his servants, 00:13:35.379 --> 00:13:36.199 God responds 00:13:36.199 --> 00:13:36.699 to free us 00:13:36.699 --> 00:13:37.679 because we are his people. 00:13:38.500 --> 00:13:39.460 And according 00:13:39.460 --> 00:13:40.740 to Exodus 21, 00:13:40.939 --> 00:13:41.700 verse 4, 00:13:42.240 --> 00:13:43.379 the children of slaves 00:13:43.379 --> 00:13:44.439 belong to the master. 00:13:44.440 --> 00:13:46.060 And so this 00:13:46.060 --> 00:13:47.000 is referring 00:13:47.000 --> 00:13:47.760 to that concept. 00:13:47.980 --> 00:13:48.480 As heirs 00:13:48.480 --> 00:13:49.200 of the servants 00:13:49.200 --> 00:13:49.820 of God, 00:13:50.400 --> 00:13:51.280 the slaves of God, 00:13:51.380 --> 00:13:52.280 we too belong 00:13:52.280 --> 00:13:52.720 to God. 00:13:53.080 --> 00:13:54.500 We are the chosen people, 00:13:54.620 --> 00:13:55.340 his elect. 00:13:55.940 --> 00:13:56.980 We are his servants. 00:13:57.160 --> 00:13:58.020 And for that reason, 00:13:58.140 --> 00:13:59.140 because of our relationship 00:13:59.140 --> 00:13:59.600 to him, 00:13:59.700 --> 00:14:00.980 we're valuable to him. 00:14:01.360 --> 00:14:01.920 And so God 00:14:01.920 --> 00:14:02.480 intervenes 00:14:02.480 --> 00:14:03.100 to free us 00:14:03.100 --> 00:14:03.700 from death 00:14:03.700 --> 00:14:05.320 and so that we might 00:14:05.320 --> 00:14:06.520 be free to serve him. 00:14:09.040 --> 00:14:10.020 What Paul talks 00:14:10.020 --> 00:14:10.980 about in Romans 6, 00:14:10.980 --> 00:14:12.460 but thanks be to God 00:14:12.460 --> 00:14:13.279 that you who were 00:14:13.279 --> 00:14:14.639 once slaves of sin 00:14:14.639 --> 00:14:15.899 have become obedient 00:14:15.899 --> 00:14:16.639 from the heart 00:14:16.639 --> 00:14:17.639 to the standard of teaching 00:14:17.639 --> 00:14:18.700 to which you were committed 00:14:18.700 --> 00:14:20.680 and having been set free 00:14:20.680 --> 00:14:21.300 from sin 00:14:21.300 --> 00:14:23.139 have become slaves 00:14:23.139 --> 00:14:24.279 of righteousness. 00:14:25.539 --> 00:14:27.279 So we are slaves of God, 00:14:27.480 --> 00:14:27.779 right, 00:14:27.820 --> 00:14:28.860 according to this passage. 00:14:29.639 --> 00:14:30.680 We were bought 00:14:30.680 --> 00:14:31.460 with a price. 00:14:31.980 --> 00:14:33.159 And as the property 00:14:33.159 --> 00:14:33.620 of God, 00:14:33.700 --> 00:14:34.519 we are to practice 00:14:34.519 --> 00:14:36.000 absolute obedience, 00:14:36.519 --> 00:14:37.240 total submission, 00:14:37.840 --> 00:14:39.420 and exclusive preoccupation 00:14:39.419 --> 00:14:40.259 with his purposes 00:14:40.259 --> 00:14:40.959 and priorities. 00:14:42.699 --> 00:14:44.139 Sometimes we're uncomfortable 00:14:44.139 --> 00:14:45.000 with that kind of language, 00:14:45.179 --> 00:14:46.459 but that's the reality, 00:14:46.620 --> 00:14:46.779 right? 00:14:46.839 --> 00:14:47.719 So as Christians, 00:14:48.219 --> 00:14:48.860 brothers and sisters, 00:14:49.059 --> 00:14:50.659 we have to ask ourselves, 00:14:50.819 --> 00:14:50.939 right, 00:14:50.979 --> 00:14:52.379 are you preoccupied 00:14:52.379 --> 00:14:54.159 with pleasing your master? 00:14:55.439 --> 00:14:57.000 Is that what consumes you? 00:14:59.759 --> 00:15:00.799 Or are we merely 00:15:00.799 --> 00:15:01.679 pleasing ourselves 00:15:01.679 --> 00:15:02.500 with our lives? 00:15:05.339 --> 00:15:06.819 Because nothing else 00:15:06.819 --> 00:15:07.679 loosed our bonds. 00:15:07.819 --> 00:15:08.559 It was the Lord, 00:15:08.559 --> 00:15:10.179 God who loosed our bonds. 00:15:10.719 --> 00:15:11.779 God loosed our bonds. 00:15:11.939 --> 00:15:12.779 God purchased us 00:15:12.779 --> 00:15:13.699 with the blood of Christ 00:15:13.699 --> 00:15:14.959 and so we belong to him. 00:15:15.539 --> 00:15:16.339 And those who have been 00:15:16.339 --> 00:15:17.339 delivered by God 00:15:17.339 --> 00:15:18.000 from death 00:15:18.000 --> 00:15:19.019 should live for God 00:15:19.019 --> 00:15:19.500 in life. 00:15:20.139 --> 00:15:21.319 That's really the main point 00:15:21.319 --> 00:15:22.159 of this psalm. 00:15:24.219 --> 00:15:25.259 Let's respond to that 00:15:25.259 --> 00:15:25.859 with the song.