WEBVTT 00:00:01.000 --> 00:00:12.220 Good morning, everybody. As I said at the beginning of our time together, it is so good to be back with you all, and I'm extremely glad that you have decided to join us for worship. 00:00:12.759 --> 00:00:22.339 This summer, we've been looking primarily at the Psalms, the prayer book in the Old Testament that has served God's people for generations. 00:00:22.339 --> 00:00:36.280 And as we've been looking at these Psalms in general, I've been thinking a lot and reflecting on the kind of relationship that David had with God, because many of the Psalms were written by David. 00:00:36.280 --> 00:00:48.120 And so as we read these Psalms and study them, they give us insight into the kind of relationship that David was able to have with God, which was an amazing relationship. 00:00:48.119 --> 00:01:00.320 If you look at David's life, he faced all kinds of crises, some probably not too dissimilar from the kinds of things that we are anxious about right now in our society, the kinds of crises that we're facing. 00:01:00.320 --> 00:01:12.099 I'm sure that at times David felt much the same way, that sense of powerlessness, that sense of being overwhelmed and not knowing what to do, the sense of confusion and chaos. 00:01:12.099 --> 00:01:20.419 And yet through all of that, God remained this tremendous source of encouragement and security for David. 00:01:20.579 --> 00:01:25.280 David knew that when he prayed to God, God would hear him and God would answer him. 00:01:25.419 --> 00:01:28.579 And his relationship with God was filled with intimacy. 00:01:29.560 --> 00:01:35.079 He was sure that God was present with him and it was filled with assurance of God's love. 00:01:35.079 --> 00:01:43.959 And so I read this and I find myself wondering, how can I have that kind of relationship with God? 00:01:44.019 --> 00:01:46.939 My relationship with God doesn't always feel that way. 00:01:46.980 --> 00:01:49.959 And I wonder if you may feel the same thing. 00:01:49.959 --> 00:01:58.400 And so what I'd like to do this morning is actually look at Psalm 17, which is one of the places where David is crying out to God for help. 00:01:58.400 --> 00:02:07.940 He's most likely on the run from Saul at this point in his life, and he's fleeing in the wilderness and hiding from Saul, who's persecuting him. 00:02:08.280 --> 00:02:13.000 And it's probably during that time that he wrote this Psalm, crying out to God for help. 00:02:13.120 --> 00:02:21.460 But what I want to do is to look at this Psalm and to try to see what we can learn about the kind of relationship that David had with God. 00:02:21.460 --> 00:02:29.840 And so we're going to look at this Psalm and we're going to see three key aspects of David's relationship with God that I think we can emulate. 00:02:30.260 --> 00:02:31.879 And so we're going to look at this together. 00:02:32.020 --> 00:02:34.080 First, let's pray, and then we'll get started. 00:02:35.480 --> 00:02:39.000 Lord, we thank you for your word, and we thank you for the Psalms. 00:02:39.020 --> 00:02:46.140 And we thank you that they cover the entire breadth of the human experience, every human emotion we can imagine. 00:02:46.139 --> 00:02:53.579 And I thank you that they show us even more what it means and what it looks like to have an intimate and life-giving relationship with you. 00:02:53.799 --> 00:03:01.379 And so we pray that as we open your word and look at Psalm 17, you would use these words to draw us more deeply into your embrace. 00:03:01.919 --> 00:03:06.419 Lord, that we would fall more in love with you even as we learn of your love for us. 00:03:06.560 --> 00:03:09.239 And we pray this in your son's holy name. Amen. 00:03:09.240 --> 00:03:21.600 So Psalm 17, it shows us three aspects of the kind of relationship I believe that every human being who belongs to God is meant to have with God. 00:03:21.920 --> 00:03:29.280 And the first aspect that I want to focus on here is that David's relationship with God was filled with honesty. 00:03:29.879 --> 00:03:33.580 It was profoundly and sometimes ruthlessly honest. 00:03:33.580 --> 00:03:35.460 In verse 1, it says, 00:03:35.800 --> 00:03:47.560 And part of what he's talking about there is he's not trying to deceive God. 00:03:47.880 --> 00:03:50.720 And part of what he's talking about there is self-deception. 00:03:51.600 --> 00:03:52.360 He goes on to say, 00:03:52.360 --> 00:04:08.360 So in other words, when David comes to God in prayer, he's able to say, 00:04:08.360 --> 00:04:11.860 Look, God, I'm being completely honest with you. 00:04:12.160 --> 00:04:14.220 I'm being completely open with you. 00:04:14.320 --> 00:04:15.980 I'm opening my heart to you. 00:04:16.100 --> 00:04:19.660 And you know better than anybody that I'm not trying to deceive you. 00:04:19.720 --> 00:04:21.800 And I'm not trying to deceive myself. 00:04:22.780 --> 00:04:28.400 And the reason that this is possible for David is that we know from other places in the Psalms 00:04:28.400 --> 00:04:33.040 that David regularly asks God to search his heart, 00:04:33.580 --> 00:04:38.040 to illuminate anything in him that needs to be addressed. 00:04:38.040 --> 00:04:46.860 And the word in this psalm for test or assess is the same word that would be used to refine precious metal. 00:04:47.060 --> 00:04:55.120 So it connotes the idea of separating the pure gold or the pure silver from the dross. 00:04:55.759 --> 00:04:59.700 And so David is saying this is what God does in his heart. 00:04:59.780 --> 00:05:02.900 He separates what is pure and good and true and beautiful 00:05:02.899 --> 00:05:08.939 from that which needs to be extracted or removed or taken out of his heart. 00:05:09.159 --> 00:05:12.519 And then the verb also implies an ongoing action. 00:05:12.919 --> 00:05:14.079 So that's very important. 00:05:14.199 --> 00:05:19.399 This is not just something that happened once or when David first gave his life to the Lord. 00:05:19.399 --> 00:05:27.239 But a key aspect of his relationship with God is that God is regularly testing and assessing his heart. 00:05:28.120 --> 00:05:30.279 Now, why would that be so important? 00:05:30.579 --> 00:05:33.359 And why would that matter so much in our relationship with God? 00:05:33.360 --> 00:05:41.040 Well, the fact of the matter is, and I think if you're honest and you're willing to think about your own life, 00:05:41.100 --> 00:05:43.080 you'll probably realize that this is true for you. 00:05:43.139 --> 00:05:49.000 It's certainly true for me, is that it's very easy for us to lose touch with the truth about ourselves. 00:05:49.500 --> 00:05:55.560 It's very easy for us to become disconnected with the reality of what's going on in here. 00:05:55.560 --> 00:05:58.500 And, you know, a number of philosophers have talked about this. 00:05:58.600 --> 00:06:05.199 The French mathematician and philosopher Blaise Pascal talks about this kind of tension 00:06:05.199 --> 00:06:08.639 that exists in the heart of every human being. 00:06:08.759 --> 00:06:11.600 He writes about this extensively in his Pensées. 00:06:12.120 --> 00:06:16.060 But he says that all human beings have this kind of internal struggle. 00:06:16.720 --> 00:06:20.959 On the one hand, we have our desire to think well of ourselves. 00:06:21.379 --> 00:06:24.300 And on the other hand, we have the truth about ourselves. 00:06:24.300 --> 00:06:30.420 So we want to love ourselves and think well of ourselves, but we also have the hard truth about ourselves. 00:06:30.579 --> 00:06:35.180 So as I think about my own life, on the one hand, I want to think well of myself. 00:06:35.319 --> 00:06:37.980 I want to think of myself as a good person. 00:06:38.100 --> 00:06:43.920 I want to think of myself as an honest person, as a generous person, right? 00:06:43.920 --> 00:06:47.379 As somebody who's genuinely concerned about my neighbors. 00:06:47.540 --> 00:06:51.780 I want to think of myself as a good dad and as a good husband. 00:06:52.040 --> 00:06:53.600 And that's what I want to believe. 00:06:53.600 --> 00:07:02.960 And yet, there's also the reality that maybe deep down, I'm not always quite as good as I think that I am. 00:07:03.160 --> 00:07:07.760 And in fact, maybe there are some hard realities in there that I really don't want to face. 00:07:07.820 --> 00:07:11.280 And that's exactly the point that Pascal is trying to make. 00:07:11.340 --> 00:07:16.240 He says most people, when caught in this tension between what we want to believe about ourselves 00:07:16.240 --> 00:07:21.240 and the hard truth about ourselves, he says most people decide to reject truth. 00:07:22.040 --> 00:07:24.120 And they see truth as an enemy. 00:07:24.240 --> 00:07:25.620 They prefer the illusion. 00:07:25.800 --> 00:07:27.220 They prefer the lie. 00:07:27.220 --> 00:07:32.060 And so he says that people tend to deny and minimize the truth about themselves. 00:07:32.380 --> 00:07:41.060 When it comes to accumulating friends, a lot of people tend to surround themselves with people who will only affirm them 00:07:41.060 --> 00:07:46.920 and encourage them and say that they're doing the right thing and tell them what they want to hear. 00:07:46.920 --> 00:07:52.920 And we can tend to view people who question us or who confront us as enemies. 00:07:54.060 --> 00:07:55.340 And this is a huge problem. 00:07:55.339 --> 00:08:06.279 And I've seen many friendships and relationships over the years that were wrecked because someone tried to confront a friend and speak truth in love. 00:08:06.599 --> 00:08:08.079 And they ended up being rejected. 00:08:08.479 --> 00:08:10.120 And it dissolved the relationship. 00:08:11.019 --> 00:08:17.659 And this is heartbreaking because it runs against the very fabric of what it means to be someone's friend. 00:08:17.660 --> 00:08:31.160 And the reality is you can't have a real relationship with God or with other people or even with yourself if that relationship is built on lies. 00:08:31.820 --> 00:08:35.399 Because real relationships are built on honesty. 00:08:35.740 --> 00:08:37.779 And they're built on truth-telling. 00:08:38.340 --> 00:08:41.580 You can't have a real relationship that's built on falsehood. 00:08:41.580 --> 00:08:49.020 And so as we think about this and as we think about what it would be like to have this kind of relationship with God, 00:08:49.520 --> 00:08:56.780 we then need to ask, well, how do we begin to move in the direction of honesty and truth-telling in our relationship with God? 00:08:56.900 --> 00:08:59.240 And the first thing I would say is that it starts with how we pray. 00:09:01.040 --> 00:09:05.220 David assumed that God knew more than he did about his own heart. 00:09:05.800 --> 00:09:08.560 And remember at the beginning of our time together, beginning of our worship, 00:09:08.559 --> 00:09:16.139 we pray to the God to whom all hearts are open and all desires known and from whom no secrets are hid. 00:09:16.259 --> 00:09:19.899 So we're acknowledging right away, God, you know more about my heart than I do. 00:09:20.439 --> 00:09:22.699 And so make that a part of your prayer life. 00:09:23.139 --> 00:09:24.899 Ask God to search your heart. 00:09:25.479 --> 00:09:32.079 Ask God through the Holy Spirit to illuminate things for you that you need to see and that you need to address, 00:09:32.219 --> 00:09:33.579 even if they're painful to look at. 00:09:33.939 --> 00:09:34.759 So that's the first thing. 00:09:34.759 --> 00:09:39.279 The second thing is that this approach needs to shape how we read Scripture. 00:09:40.100 --> 00:09:45.580 In other words, don't just read the Bible looking for a bit of inspiration or a bit of encouragement. 00:09:46.039 --> 00:09:49.819 Now, there's a ton of inspiration and encouragement in the Bible, so there's nothing wrong with that. 00:09:50.059 --> 00:09:51.960 But don't just read the Bible for that. 00:09:52.299 --> 00:09:56.019 One of the main ways that God uses Scripture in the lives of his people 00:09:56.019 --> 00:10:06.199 is to spotlight and illuminate areas of sin or self-deception that need to be brought out of the darkness and into the light. 00:10:06.659 --> 00:10:11.460 And so ask the Lord as you read Scripture to search your heart with Scripture. 00:10:12.000 --> 00:10:15.779 For instance, in this very Psalm, when we read something like verse 4, 00:10:15.879 --> 00:10:16.639 where David says, 00:10:17.100 --> 00:10:19.120 I have avoided the ways of the violent. 00:10:19.120 --> 00:10:22.259 We shouldn't just read that as a kind of poetic phrase and keep going. 00:10:22.360 --> 00:10:27.980 We should pause and think and reflect and ask, 00:10:28.200 --> 00:10:29.700 have I done that? 00:10:30.840 --> 00:10:34.240 Have I avoided the ways of the violent? 00:10:35.100 --> 00:10:41.120 Not only in my actions, but what about my words and the language that I use with the people around me? 00:10:41.120 --> 00:10:48.000 What about in my thoughts, especially when I get angry or upset or offended? 00:10:48.360 --> 00:10:50.320 What about when I'm on social media? 00:10:51.200 --> 00:10:53.460 The things that I'm reading, the things that I'm posting. 00:10:53.679 --> 00:10:55.320 What about when I'm stuck in traffic? 00:10:56.240 --> 00:11:00.480 Have I avoided the ways of the violent or not? 00:11:00.779 --> 00:11:02.779 So this is how we should read all of Scripture. 00:11:02.779 --> 00:11:04.679 And then lastly, I would say, 00:11:04.779 --> 00:11:09.740 if you want to move in the direction of truth in your relationships with God and other people and yourself, 00:11:09.919 --> 00:11:15.539 we should intentionally seek out and surround ourselves with people who will tell us the truth, 00:11:15.740 --> 00:11:17.939 even when we don't want to hear it. 00:11:18.039 --> 00:11:23.579 So if you look at David's life, David had Nathan, who was one of his closest friends, 00:11:23.899 --> 00:11:30.240 but Nathan was not afraid to confront David with some of the most egregious sin imaginable. 00:11:30.240 --> 00:11:32.840 And so that was a true friendship. 00:11:33.879 --> 00:11:40.360 And so an exercise that I might recommend to you this week would be to think about some of the people who are closest to you, 00:11:40.419 --> 00:11:42.879 some of the people that you would consider to be your closest friends. 00:11:43.200 --> 00:11:44.159 Maybe it's your spouse. 00:11:45.240 --> 00:11:49.159 And I want you to go to one of those people and I want you to ask them this question. 00:11:49.360 --> 00:11:52.320 Say, is there anything about me? 00:11:52.460 --> 00:11:56.139 Is there anything that you've seen or heard or observed in my life 00:11:56.139 --> 00:12:01.639 that you're afraid to bring up with me because you're afraid it might threaten our relationship? 00:12:02.699 --> 00:12:05.840 Is there anything that you have seen in my life or observed in my life 00:12:05.840 --> 00:12:08.559 that you're afraid to bring up with me 00:12:08.559 --> 00:12:11.740 because you're afraid it might threaten our relationship? 00:12:12.000 --> 00:12:14.360 And then if they say yes, 00:12:14.899 --> 00:12:19.139 I want you to give them permission to share those things with you. 00:12:19.139 --> 00:12:25.000 And you need to realize that sometimes we have to give permission to our closest friends in our lives. 00:12:25.159 --> 00:12:29.779 We have to give them permission to share those kinds of concerns 00:12:29.779 --> 00:12:33.460 and assure them that it will not threaten the integrity of our relationship. 00:12:33.580 --> 00:12:36.600 In fact, it will only make the relationship stronger. 00:12:37.460 --> 00:12:41.000 So the first thing that we see in this relationship that David has with God 00:12:41.000 --> 00:12:46.659 and thus himself and other people is as he grows and as he matures, 00:12:46.840 --> 00:12:49.960 he pursues honesty more and more and more. 00:12:50.580 --> 00:12:53.639 And then we go on and we say, 00:12:53.740 --> 00:12:57.100 well, what's the next characteristic that we see in this relationship with God? 00:12:57.100 --> 00:13:04.899 And the next characteristic in Psalm 17 is that David has an exclusive relationship with God. 00:13:05.019 --> 00:13:08.840 He recognizes that the relationship that God wants with all of his people 00:13:08.840 --> 00:13:10.799 is an exclusive relationship. 00:13:11.000 --> 00:13:12.720 And I'll share more about what I mean. 00:13:13.100 --> 00:13:14.240 In verse 3, David says, 00:13:14.620 --> 00:13:17.379 I have purposed that my mouth will not transgress. 00:13:17.820 --> 00:13:21.340 With regard to the works of man, which means daily life, 00:13:21.500 --> 00:13:22.720 with regard to the works of man, 00:13:23.059 --> 00:13:25.820 by the word of your lips, I have avoided the ways of the violent. 00:13:25.820 --> 00:13:28.759 My steps have held fast to your paths. 00:13:29.159 --> 00:13:31.500 My feet have not slipped. 00:13:32.139 --> 00:13:37.940 So in the same way that God desires a relationship with us that is honest and built on truth, 00:13:37.940 --> 00:13:42.420 God also wants an exclusive relationship with his people. 00:13:42.419 --> 00:13:45.500 Now, if you're married to someone, 00:13:45.939 --> 00:13:47.579 and you decide to go out one evening, 00:13:47.579 --> 00:13:49.259 and you take off your wedding ring, 00:13:49.299 --> 00:13:53.839 and you go and you spend a romantic evening and night with someone else, 00:13:54.039 --> 00:13:56.479 you cannot expect to come home the next day 00:13:56.479 --> 00:13:59.139 to an intimate, warm, loving relationship with your spouse. 00:13:59.620 --> 00:14:00.979 And the reason is obvious. 00:14:00.979 --> 00:14:05.139 It's because you have violated the exclusivity of that relationship. 00:14:05.139 --> 00:14:07.139 And thus, you have destroyed the intimacy, 00:14:07.319 --> 00:14:08.799 and you've broken down trust. 00:14:09.759 --> 00:14:09.879 Right? 00:14:10.000 --> 00:14:13.720 So it's the same when it comes to our relationship with God. 00:14:13.840 --> 00:14:17.360 We can't go out and live however we please, 00:14:17.860 --> 00:14:22.699 and then come to God and expect immediate warmth and intimacy and connection. 00:14:23.100 --> 00:14:24.659 It simply doesn't work that way. 00:14:24.740 --> 00:14:27.059 If we go out and we live however we please, 00:14:27.139 --> 00:14:28.699 we are taking off the wedding ring. 00:14:28.779 --> 00:14:32.460 We are denying that we are in any kind of covenant relationship with God, 00:14:32.460 --> 00:14:37.160 and we're destroying the intimacy that should exist between God and his people. 00:14:37.860 --> 00:14:37.960 Right? 00:14:38.019 --> 00:14:42.000 To use another metaphor, right, think about parents and children. 00:14:43.040 --> 00:14:45.340 Our kids, now that they're getting a little older, 00:14:45.440 --> 00:14:48.820 our boys, now that they're getting a little older 00:14:48.820 --> 00:14:50.019 and they're hanging around with their friends, 00:14:50.220 --> 00:14:53.480 they're beginning to realize that different houses and different kids 00:14:53.480 --> 00:14:55.920 and different parents have all kinds of different standards. 00:14:56.400 --> 00:14:56.500 Right? 00:14:56.580 --> 00:14:58.340 And so a lot of times they'll look at their friends, 00:14:58.660 --> 00:15:01.220 and their friends are doing all kinds of things that they can't do. 00:15:01.220 --> 00:15:03.920 You know, maybe they're eating cookies every morning for breakfast, 00:15:04.060 --> 00:15:06.340 or maybe they're playing video games all day long, 00:15:06.399 --> 00:15:09.560 or maybe they don't have a bedtime and they're able to go to bed whenever they want, 00:15:09.600 --> 00:15:11.720 or maybe they get an iPhone at age seven, 00:15:11.820 --> 00:15:13.800 or whatever it is, our kids see these things, 00:15:13.899 --> 00:15:15.279 and then our kids come to us and they say, 00:15:15.560 --> 00:15:17.420 why can't we do those things? 00:15:17.519 --> 00:15:19.019 Why do you have to be so strict? 00:15:19.259 --> 00:15:20.960 Why can't we live like our friends live? 00:15:22.160 --> 00:15:23.500 And you know what we have to say to them? 00:15:24.220 --> 00:15:25.980 We say, well, listen to this. 00:15:26.860 --> 00:15:28.220 You are not their children. 00:15:28.720 --> 00:15:29.879 You are our children. 00:15:29.879 --> 00:15:33.820 And like it or not, we know you better than they know that you, 00:15:34.080 --> 00:15:36.659 and we love you better than they love you. 00:15:36.820 --> 00:15:42.200 And we know better than them and better than you what you need in order to thrive. 00:15:42.659 --> 00:15:44.980 And so you may not fully understand it, 00:15:45.299 --> 00:15:47.340 but because you're our children, 00:15:47.779 --> 00:15:51.179 you need to live by our standards because we know it's best for you. 00:15:51.559 --> 00:15:54.139 And in the same way, when it comes to God, 00:15:54.139 --> 00:15:56.360 from the beginning, God has made it clear 00:15:56.360 --> 00:15:59.039 that he calls his people to be set apart. 00:15:59.639 --> 00:16:04.720 He calls his people to live differently from other people in the world. 00:16:04.779 --> 00:16:09.300 And he makes it clear that our lives are not going to look like other people's lives, 00:16:09.360 --> 00:16:13.340 that our standards are not going to be the same as other people's standards. 00:16:13.519 --> 00:16:16.419 And this has been true in every society, both ancient and modern, 00:16:16.680 --> 00:16:18.899 where God's people have ever lived. 00:16:18.980 --> 00:16:20.080 It's always been true. 00:16:20.080 --> 00:16:21.700 And God says it should be true. 00:16:22.220 --> 00:16:25.800 So the way we handle things like sex or money or power 00:16:25.800 --> 00:16:29.720 are going to be radically different in some cases than the surrounding culture. 00:16:29.840 --> 00:16:31.540 And that's how God intends it. 00:16:32.060 --> 00:16:33.360 And that's because God says, 00:16:33.639 --> 00:16:36.080 I know better than you what you need. 00:16:36.780 --> 00:16:40.120 And so what we believe is that God knows better than we do 00:16:40.120 --> 00:16:44.640 how we should live our lives such that we will thrive 00:16:44.640 --> 00:16:48.860 and become more and more the kind of people that he made us to be. 00:16:48.860 --> 00:16:54.500 And one of the most powerful phrases in this psalm comes at the very end in verse 15, 00:16:54.680 --> 00:16:55.740 where David says, 00:16:56.139 --> 00:16:57.340 As for me. 00:16:58.220 --> 00:17:00.379 That's a very powerful little phrase. 00:17:00.720 --> 00:17:02.220 As for me. 00:17:02.500 --> 00:17:02.960 He says, 00:17:03.300 --> 00:17:06.599 Everyone else is living like this world is all there is. 00:17:06.960 --> 00:17:09.880 Everyone else is seeking all that they can get 00:17:09.880 --> 00:17:13.160 and trying to find total satisfaction in this world. 00:17:13.360 --> 00:17:13.860 And then he says, 00:17:13.859 --> 00:17:15.139 But as for me. 00:17:16.000 --> 00:17:16.899 As for me. 00:17:17.000 --> 00:17:22.240 I know that I will only ever be fully satisfied when I'm in the presence of my God. 00:17:23.679 --> 00:17:24.719 As for me. 00:17:24.779 --> 00:17:26.939 I have a different standard for life. 00:17:26.939 --> 00:17:29.379 I have a different standard of excellence. 00:17:29.819 --> 00:17:32.859 I have a different standard for what real hope looks like. 00:17:33.359 --> 00:17:34.240 As for me. 00:17:34.419 --> 00:17:36.159 I belong to someone else. 00:17:37.339 --> 00:17:37.459 Right? 00:17:37.579 --> 00:17:39.399 So everyone else is doing this. 00:17:39.740 --> 00:17:41.019 But as for me. 00:17:41.199 --> 00:17:42.459 I will live God's way. 00:17:42.460 --> 00:17:45.140 Everyone else thinks this way. 00:17:45.660 --> 00:17:46.840 As for me. 00:17:47.440 --> 00:17:49.620 I remain faithful to God's word. 00:17:50.600 --> 00:17:54.840 So the Christian life is full of moments where we have to decide to say, 00:17:55.240 --> 00:17:56.160 As for me. 00:17:57.000 --> 00:18:00.240 Where we have to break from the norm. 00:18:00.700 --> 00:18:04.500 Where we have to be willing maybe to offend others. 00:18:04.500 --> 00:18:09.420 Where we have to be willing to risk social rejection. 00:18:09.880 --> 00:18:12.500 In order to be set apart to the Lord. 00:18:13.039 --> 00:18:14.440 And we might come to the Lord and say, 00:18:14.579 --> 00:18:15.299 Why can't I do this? 00:18:15.359 --> 00:18:16.019 Why can't I do that? 00:18:16.079 --> 00:18:16.900 Why can't I live like this? 00:18:16.960 --> 00:18:17.880 Why can't I think that? 00:18:18.599 --> 00:18:18.819 Right? 00:18:18.839 --> 00:18:19.440 But God says, 00:18:19.660 --> 00:18:21.259 You don't belong to them. 00:18:21.400 --> 00:18:22.619 You don't belong to the world. 00:18:23.079 --> 00:18:24.200 You belong to me. 00:18:24.759 --> 00:18:26.740 I know you better than they know you. 00:18:26.960 --> 00:18:29.039 I love you more than anyone will ever love you. 00:18:29.039 --> 00:18:33.180 And I know better even than you what you need in order to flourish. 00:18:33.180 --> 00:18:41.960 So another thing that I would suggest that you might do this week is to spend some time thinking about your life. 00:18:42.019 --> 00:18:45.120 And looking at the various aspects of your life. 00:18:45.340 --> 00:18:48.440 And think about any of the ways that you've had to say, 00:18:48.600 --> 00:18:49.660 As for me. 00:18:50.700 --> 00:18:52.980 And think about when you've done that. 00:18:53.080 --> 00:18:54.720 What it might have cost you. 00:18:55.160 --> 00:18:57.039 And think about why you did that. 00:18:57.100 --> 00:18:59.960 And how that affected your relationship with God. 00:18:59.960 --> 00:19:01.680 When you were willing to say, 00:19:02.080 --> 00:19:02.900 As for me. 00:19:03.860 --> 00:19:10.220 Another thing that you might do is if you look at your life and you can't find anything like that. 00:19:10.299 --> 00:19:12.759 If there's nothing in your life that you can point to. 00:19:12.920 --> 00:19:13.480 And say, 00:19:13.600 --> 00:19:15.740 This is a point where I broke from the norm. 00:19:15.799 --> 00:19:16.259 And I said, 00:19:16.340 --> 00:19:17.000 As for me. 00:19:17.060 --> 00:19:18.220 I'm set apart to the Lord. 00:19:18.560 --> 00:19:20.799 That's really something worth thinking about. 00:19:21.440 --> 00:19:22.460 And then ask yourself, 00:19:22.560 --> 00:19:24.920 What kind of intimacy and connection do I feel with God? 00:19:25.080 --> 00:19:26.259 If I've never said that. 00:19:26.259 --> 00:19:30.580 If I've never treated God as though He's exclusive in my life. 00:19:30.579 --> 00:19:30.960 He'smit into my life. 00:19:30.960 --> 00:19:31.619 So, 00:19:31.619 --> 00:19:40.459 So these are two qualities that we see in David's relationship with God that are profoundly important for having a real relationship with God. 00:19:40.859 --> 00:19:42.959 Honesty and exclusivity. 00:19:43.379 --> 00:19:46.199 But the third thing is what holds all of this together. 00:19:46.319 --> 00:19:51.099 In fact, the third thing is what makes honesty and exclusivity possible and worth pursuing. 00:19:51.419 --> 00:19:58.679 And this is that David, at every point in his relationship with God, assumes God's steadfast love. 00:19:59.460 --> 00:20:02.060 He assumes that God loves him. 00:20:02.779 --> 00:20:03.759 In verse 7, it says, 00:20:04.180 --> 00:20:10.940 Wondrously show your steadfast love, O Savior of those who seek refuge from their adversaries at your right hand. 00:20:11.420 --> 00:20:12.360 And listen to this language. 00:20:12.840 --> 00:20:14.759 Keep me as the apple of your eye. 00:20:15.420 --> 00:20:17.320 Hide me in the shadow of your wings. 00:20:18.740 --> 00:20:19.720 That's beautiful. 00:20:20.840 --> 00:20:27.840 And honesty and exclusivity are necessary if you want a real thriving relationship with God. 00:20:27.839 --> 00:20:29.079 They're necessary for that. 00:20:29.419 --> 00:20:33.559 But these things are not necessary in order to earn God's love. 00:20:34.319 --> 00:20:37.000 They are not necessary to earn God's love. 00:20:37.119 --> 00:20:43.859 And the reason for that is that nothing that we do is necessary to earn God's love. 00:20:43.859 --> 00:20:48.859 No matter who you are, no matter what you've done, no matter where you've been or where you've come from, 00:20:48.919 --> 00:20:51.939 no matter what you believe right now as you're sitting here. 00:20:51.940 --> 00:20:55.000 Even if you're sitting here thinking, I don't even believe in God. 00:20:55.039 --> 00:20:57.299 I reject the whole idea of God. 00:20:57.340 --> 00:20:59.539 I think all of that is a ridiculous fairy tale. 00:21:00.400 --> 00:21:02.820 The fact of the matter is that God loves you. 00:21:03.600 --> 00:21:04.320 God loves you. 00:21:04.360 --> 00:21:08.080 Even as you sit here maybe denying him, God loves you. 00:21:08.160 --> 00:21:09.940 You're the apple of his eye. 00:21:10.039 --> 00:21:11.279 He's crazy about you. 00:21:11.279 --> 00:21:21.180 And maybe the most profound truth in all of Scripture is that before we even know or acknowledge God, 00:21:22.259 --> 00:21:23.279 God loves us. 00:21:23.680 --> 00:21:27.899 That his love is the beginning of all of this. 00:21:28.720 --> 00:21:35.420 And so the reason that I know I can come to God and be honest with him about the darkest parts of my heart 00:21:35.420 --> 00:21:37.579 is because I know he loves me. 00:21:37.579 --> 00:21:43.919 And I know that no matter what I say to God, no matter what I do, no matter what realities might be true about me, 00:21:44.659 --> 00:21:50.159 that they will never touch, they will never shift how much God loves me. 00:21:50.539 --> 00:21:52.960 And when you know that, you can come to God with anything. 00:21:53.480 --> 00:21:57.720 And this is also the reason that we should desire to have an exclusive relationship with God 00:21:57.720 --> 00:22:03.399 because there's no one, nothing else in the universe who loves you like God loves you. 00:22:03.400 --> 00:22:07.340 And so if you give your heart to anyone or anything else, 00:22:07.600 --> 00:22:11.300 if you build your life around anyone or anything else, 00:22:11.700 --> 00:22:14.140 their love will never come close to God's love. 00:22:14.460 --> 00:22:16.860 You will always be selling yourself short. 00:22:18.420 --> 00:22:20.480 The language that David uses, 00:22:21.840 --> 00:22:23.360 keep me as the apple of your eye, 00:22:24.019 --> 00:22:25.920 hide me in the shadow of your wings, 00:22:26.400 --> 00:22:29.220 this is what every human being wants deep down. 00:22:29.220 --> 00:22:31.600 We all deep down. 00:22:31.680 --> 00:22:33.360 This is what we're searching for in life. 00:22:33.480 --> 00:22:37.079 We all want someone to look at us and to really see us 00:22:37.079 --> 00:22:38.460 and to say, 00:22:39.180 --> 00:22:40.900 I know everything about you. 00:22:41.480 --> 00:22:44.019 I see everything about you. 00:22:44.640 --> 00:22:47.160 And I love everything about you. 00:22:47.539 --> 00:22:48.880 I know everything about you. 00:22:48.920 --> 00:22:50.000 I know the truth about you. 00:22:50.600 --> 00:22:52.180 And yet you're the apple of my eye. 00:22:52.640 --> 00:22:55.860 And I want more than anything to cover you with my wings 00:22:55.860 --> 00:22:58.500 and to hold you tight and to protect you. 00:22:58.500 --> 00:23:00.599 That's what we all want. 00:23:00.660 --> 00:23:02.539 We want someone to say that to us. 00:23:03.720 --> 00:23:06.359 And this is also covenant language. 00:23:06.819 --> 00:23:08.839 This is the kind of language that God uses 00:23:08.839 --> 00:23:12.259 when he's talking about the kind of exclusive relationship 00:23:12.259 --> 00:23:15.259 that he wants to have with the people whom he loves. 00:23:15.819 --> 00:23:17.599 And so this is why we should desire this. 00:23:18.319 --> 00:23:20.579 And yet in spite of all of that, 00:23:20.960 --> 00:23:23.980 human beings by nature turn away from God. 00:23:23.980 --> 00:23:25.599 On our own, 00:23:25.799 --> 00:23:29.620 we reject this love because we would rather live as we please. 00:23:30.140 --> 00:23:33.120 And so this is why the gospel is such good news. 00:23:33.860 --> 00:23:37.160 Because many years after David wrote these words, 00:23:37.279 --> 00:23:39.339 hide me in the shadow of your wings, 00:23:39.480 --> 00:23:40.360 many years, 00:23:40.680 --> 00:23:42.440 generations after David wrote these words, 00:23:43.079 --> 00:23:45.920 one of his descendants said them once more. 00:23:45.920 --> 00:23:47.960 In Luke 13, 00:23:48.220 --> 00:23:51.519 Jesus stands looking out over the city of Jerusalem. 00:23:51.840 --> 00:23:54.340 And he says in that point in verse 34, 00:23:54.759 --> 00:23:56.200 Oh, Jerusalem, Jerusalem, 00:23:56.539 --> 00:23:58.259 the city that kills the prophets 00:23:58.259 --> 00:24:00.340 and stones those who are sent to it. 00:24:00.680 --> 00:24:03.640 How often would I have gathered your children together 00:24:03.640 --> 00:24:06.539 as a hen gathers her brood under her wings 00:24:06.539 --> 00:24:08.240 and you were not willing. 00:24:10.779 --> 00:24:11.680 What's he saying? 00:24:11.680 --> 00:24:17.200 He's saying when David prayed that prayer so long ago 00:24:17.200 --> 00:24:20.600 and when David cried out to God and said, 00:24:21.140 --> 00:24:23.100 hide me in the shadow of your wings, 00:24:23.640 --> 00:24:24.940 Jesus Christ is saying, 00:24:25.160 --> 00:24:27.080 I have come to answer that prayer. 00:24:28.640 --> 00:24:30.840 I am here to answer that prayer of David. 00:24:31.480 --> 00:24:34.060 That prayer that so many have cried out over the centuries. 00:24:34.200 --> 00:24:35.960 I have come to do just that. 00:24:36.740 --> 00:24:39.019 But how do you gather people together 00:24:39.019 --> 00:24:40.539 under the shadow of your wings 00:24:40.539 --> 00:24:41.759 who don't want to be gathered, 00:24:42.019 --> 00:24:43.519 who don't want to have anything to do with you? 00:24:44.359 --> 00:24:46.399 Well, the gospel says that Jesus Christ 00:24:46.399 --> 00:24:49.000 is the eternal apple of God's eye. 00:24:49.139 --> 00:24:52.039 He's the one that God is most crazy about. 00:24:52.399 --> 00:24:54.319 He's God's only begotten son. 00:24:54.799 --> 00:24:56.960 And what the gospel says is that Jesus Christ 00:24:56.960 --> 00:24:59.779 came to trade places with us. 00:25:00.659 --> 00:25:03.319 He came to live the life that we should have lived 00:25:03.319 --> 00:25:06.659 and to die the death that we deserve to die 00:25:06.659 --> 00:25:08.379 because we didn't live that life 00:25:08.380 --> 00:25:11.060 so that we could take his place, 00:25:11.400 --> 00:25:13.040 so that we could come to God 00:25:13.040 --> 00:25:15.320 knowing that all of that has been dealt with 00:25:15.320 --> 00:25:18.780 and that we, just as Jesus is, 00:25:18.860 --> 00:25:21.780 that we are now the apple of God's eye. 00:25:22.440 --> 00:25:23.760 And for Christians, 00:25:24.400 --> 00:25:28.020 the grace of the cross now covers us 00:25:28.020 --> 00:25:31.520 and protects us like the wings of a bird 00:25:31.520 --> 00:25:33.460 covering her brood. 00:25:33.460 --> 00:25:36.740 And so this is what makes it possible for us 00:25:36.740 --> 00:25:39.319 to have the kind of relationship with God 00:25:39.319 --> 00:25:40.660 that David had. 00:25:41.860 --> 00:25:43.620 We need to be honest with God 00:25:43.620 --> 00:25:46.700 and we need to be honest with others 00:25:46.700 --> 00:25:48.340 and we need to be honest with ourselves 00:25:48.340 --> 00:25:49.559 about who we really are. 00:25:49.620 --> 00:25:51.079 We need to bring all of that to the Lord. 00:25:52.120 --> 00:25:55.340 We need to be willing to set God apart in our hearts 00:25:55.340 --> 00:25:58.460 and in our speech and in our actions 00:25:58.460 --> 00:26:03.620 and in our thoughts treat God as exclusive in our lives. 00:26:04.559 --> 00:26:06.720 But more than either of those things, 00:26:06.880 --> 00:26:08.980 we need to live with the daily knowledge 00:26:08.980 --> 00:26:11.600 that God loves us 00:26:11.600 --> 00:26:15.279 and that that love is what makes all of this possible. 00:26:15.860 --> 00:26:18.920 And the good news is we can know this in a way 00:26:18.920 --> 00:26:21.279 that even David couldn't know it 00:26:21.279 --> 00:26:23.000 because David says in verse 15 00:26:23.000 --> 00:26:26.440 that his great hope and the great vindication of all of this 00:26:26.440 --> 00:26:28.360 is that one day when he awakes, 00:26:28.680 --> 00:26:30.360 he might see God's face 00:26:30.360 --> 00:26:32.200 and then be fully satisfied. 00:26:32.580 --> 00:26:34.080 And the good news of the gospel is 00:26:34.080 --> 00:26:36.200 we have already seen God's face. 00:26:37.980 --> 00:26:43.140 We have experienced things David only could have imagined 00:26:43.140 --> 00:26:47.440 because we have seen the face of Jesus Christ. 00:26:48.220 --> 00:26:51.160 And it's in his name that we say all of these things. 00:26:51.700 --> 00:26:52.240 Let's pray. 00:26:52.240 --> 00:26:56.920 Lord, we thank you for your word 00:26:56.920 --> 00:26:59.120 and for the words of this psalm in particular. 00:27:00.160 --> 00:27:03.240 And we desire this kind of relationship with you. 00:27:03.380 --> 00:27:05.819 We desire to know that we can be fully honest with you 00:27:05.819 --> 00:27:06.980 and open our hearts to you, 00:27:07.019 --> 00:27:07.960 the good, the bad, and the ugly. 00:27:08.880 --> 00:27:12.099 And we desire that you would be set apart in our lives, 00:27:12.400 --> 00:27:14.220 that there would be no question of our loyalty 00:27:14.220 --> 00:27:15.240 and allegiance to you 00:27:15.240 --> 00:27:18.279 because there's no question of your loyalty to us. 00:27:19.319 --> 00:27:21.819 And that's because of your steadfast love, Lord. 00:27:22.240 --> 00:27:23.900 That no matter who we are or what we've done, 00:27:24.460 --> 00:27:25.819 that there's nothing that we can do 00:27:25.819 --> 00:27:28.180 that will ever add to or take away from 00:27:28.180 --> 00:27:29.500 the love that you have for us. 00:27:29.620 --> 00:27:31.380 And I pray that that would be our refuge, 00:27:31.519 --> 00:27:32.759 that that would be our resting place, 00:27:32.819 --> 00:27:34.620 that would be our fortress and our shield. 00:27:35.099 --> 00:27:36.740 And Lord, I pray that as we learn more 00:27:36.740 --> 00:27:37.680 about your love for us, 00:27:37.740 --> 00:27:39.940 that we would fall more and more deeply in love with you. 00:27:40.640 --> 00:27:42.880 And it's in the name of your son, Jesus Christ, 00:27:43.000 --> 00:27:44.079 we pray all of this. 00:27:44.500 --> 00:27:44.740 Amen.