Well, it's a great privilege to be here with you again and to bring the word to you this
evening.
Would you please turn with me, if you have a Bible with you, to Psalm 92, Psalm 92,
portion of which we've just sung.
Let us hear God's own word.
Psalm 92, a psalm, a song for the Sabbath day.
It is good to praise the Lord and make music to your name, O Most High, to proclaim your
love in the morning and your faithfulness at night, to the music of the ten-stringed lyre
and the melody of the harp.
For you make me glad by your deeds, O Lord.
I sing for joy at the works of your hands.
How great are your works, O Lord!
How profound are your thoughts!
The senseless man does not know, fools do not understand, that though the wicked spring up
like grass and all evildoers flourish, they will be destroyed forever.
But you, O Lord, are exalted forever.
For surely your enemies, O Lord, surely your enemies will perish, all evildoers will be scattered.
You have exalted my horn like that of a wild ox.
Fine oils have been poured upon me.
My eyes have seen the defeat of my adversaries.
My ears have heard the rout of my wicked foes.
The righteous will flourish like a palm tree.
They will grow like a cedar of Lebanon, planted in the house of the Lord.
They will flourish in the courts of our God.
They will still bear fruit in old age.
They will stay fresh and green, proclaiming,
The Lord is upright.
He is my rock.
And there is no wickedness in him.
So far, the reading of God's word.
Well, this psalm, Psalm 92, is a rather remarkable psalm.
And it is remarkable for a variety of reasons.
Perhaps most obviously, we find it remarkable for its moving imagery,
for the beauty of some of its phrases.
Towards the end of the psalm, particularly from verse 12 and verse 13,
The righteous will flourish like a palm tree.
They will grow like a cedar of Lebanon,
bearing fruit in old age,
flourishing in the presence of God.
What words of beauty and splendor!
What words of strength and encouragement!
So it's a remarkable psalm because it is a beautiful psalm.
But it is also a remarkable psalm because it is the one psalm in the Psalter
that mentions the Sabbath.
That's kind of intriguing.
Only one psalm in the whole Psalter mentions the Sabbath day.
And it's further interesting that this psalm, Psalm 92,
where we find the Sabbath mentioned,
that reference comes only in the title.
Many psalms, of course, have a title.
Many psalms have a title.
But the title of this psalm is a psalm, a song for the Sabbath.
The Sabbath was a central institution in the Old Testament,
connected not only to particular historical festivals for God's people,
but to the regular weekly worship of God.
God, of course, had strictly charged Israel to keep the Sabbath day holy.
In Genesis 2 and Exodus 20,
he declared that he had grounded the holiness,
the sanctity of the day in creation,
following his own pattern.
Of working for six days and then resting.
In Deuteronomy 5,
he declared through Moses
that he had also grounded the Sabbath day
in his redemptive work.
So he, through Moses, tells the people there,
you shall remember that you were slaves in Egypt,
and that the Lord your God
brought you out from there with a mighty arm,
a mighty hand and an outstretched arm.
Therefore, the Lord your God commands you to keep the Sabbath day.
And so, too, when the prophets warn Israel
of the peril and the danger of Israel's sin,
of Israel's disobedience,
keeping the Sabbath is never far from view, is it?
Isaiah 56 and Isaiah 58,
we read of blessing that is promised to the people.
Isaiah 56, verse 2, 58, 13, and 14.
If you honor the Sabbath day by not going your own way
and not doing as you please
or speaking your own idle words,
but if you call the Sabbath a delight,
then you shall take delight in the Lord.
You shall find joy in the Lord.
I will make you ride on the heights of the land
and feed you with the heritage of your father Jacob.
So we might think that it's somewhat surprising then,
because of the great importance of the Sabbath for Israel,
for the people of God of old,
that this psalm is the only place
where we find any reference in the Psalter
to that holy day.
And more surprising still is the apparent absence
of any clear reference to the Sabbath
in the body of the psalm.
As we've said, it's only in the title.
But I think that's important.
I think that is a remarkable testimony
that the Sabbath is never an end in itself.
It's not something to talk about endlessly.
The Sabbath is always a means to an end.
It's a means to an end of time with God.
It's a means to an end,
a goal of thinking about God,
of praising God,
of being renewed in the grace of God,
of fellowshipping with the people of God,
of hearing that verdict pronounced
that we find from the apostles in their letters,
grace to you,
and peace from God our Father
and the Lord Jesus Christ.
The students are sometimes startled
to encounter the great importance
attached to this
and to worship generally during the Reformation.
When John Calvin described the problems
in the church that needed to be reformed
according to the word of God,
he put worship at the top of the list.
He said,
that belongs even ahead of the recovery
of the authority of the Bible,
even ahead of recovering
the right doctrine of salvation.
Worship is the number one issue
of the Christian religion.
But he was reminding us
that God revealed himself in Scripture
for a purpose,
and that our salvation
is not an end in itself,
but it is a means to an end.
And what is the end
for which we are saved?
What is the purpose
for which God revealed himself
in his word?
It is the worship of God.
And what is the worship of God?
It is God meeting with his people.
So this psalm, Psalm 92,
a great psalm of praise,
a great psalm of creation and redemption,
of meeting with God,
is particularly fitting
for the Sabbath day.
It is a gloriously God-centered psalm,
isn't it?
As we read it,
we notice that it opens
with giving thanks to God.
This is a key activity of the Sabbath
to praise God,
to thank God,
to focus on God,
to thank him in prayer,
to praise him in song.
These things are critical
for our relationship with God.
And then it closes
with blessing for the people.
We hear what God has done.
We respond in praise and thanksgiving.
And God provides for us
what we need.
But at the center of this psalm,
Psalm 92,
we find verse 8.
Another remarkable feature
of this psalm,
this remarkable declaration
in verse 8,
You, O Lord,
are on high forever.
You, O Lord,
are exalted forever.
We might ask then,
what is the center
of this Sabbath song?
The psalmist tells us
it is the exaltation
of the Lord.
Elsewhere,
we read in the Psalter
that God is enthroned
on the praises of Israel.
And this psalm addresses
God as Lord,
as Yahweh,
the great covenant name of God.
It addresses him
as the Most High
so that we can know
it is this God,
this God who is
in himself
high and lifted up
forever.
He is pleased
that we would exalt him
in our hearts
and minds
with our praise.
And what a blessing
that is for us.
So how does this psalm then,
this song for the Sabbath,
this celebration
of the Lord,
teach us
to worship
and exalt the Lord?
Well, first of all,
I think this psalm
teaches us
that God is exalted
in the destruction
of the wicked.
Somewhat a startling thing
to find in this psalm.
We might be tempted
to ask,
who believes in judgment?
Isn't that a little ridiculous?
A little comical.
A little absurd today.
But this psalm
reminds us
of the terrible judgment
that does await
those who reject the Lord.
that judgment
is coming.
That the holiness
of God,
the justice of God
will be upheld.
The wicked
may seem
to flourish
for a time.
Evil
may seem
to be exalted
for a time.
All we need
to do
is read the newspaper
to see that.
But the day
is coming,
we need to remember,
when the wicked
will perish
everlastingly.
verses 6 and 7
of this psalm.
Senseless people
do not know.
The force here
is really
the stupid one
cannot know.
The fool
cannot understand
that though
the wicked
spring up
like grass
and all evildoers
flourish,
they are doomed
to destruction
forever.
Or again,
verse 9.
For surely
your enemies,
O Lord,
surely your enemies
shall perish.
all evildoers
shall be scattered.
So this psalm
contains a solemn
warning.
And when we
praise God
on the Sabbath
for the coming
judgment,
we remember
the importance
of rejecting
worldliness
in order to
pursue true
godliness.
We remember
the requirements
laid out for us
in God's
holy law.
psalm 92
here almost
seems to
review for us
the familiar
imagery of
psalm 1,
of the ideal
of the blessed
man,
the blessed
man who
listens to
the word of
God,
who lives
the word of
God,
who loves
the word of
God,
who meditates
on the word
of God
day and
night,
so that his
heart and his
mind might be
steeped,
saturated in
the word of
God.
Because he has
listened to the
word,
he does not
walk in the
counsel of
the wicked.
He does not
copy the
behavior of
the sinful
world around
him.
He does not
join the
mockers who
scorn the
truth,
but he hears
the word and
delights in it,
and the word
gives him what
he needs.
Psalm 1,
verse 3,
he is like a
tree planted
by streams of
water,
yielding fruit
in season,
and whose
leaf does
not
wither.
Whatever
he does
prospers,
but not
so the
wicked.
They are
like chaff
that the
wind blows
away.
Therefore,
the wicked
will not
stand in
the judgment,
nor sinners
in the
assembly of
the righteous.
For the
Lord watches
over the
way of the
righteous,
but the
way of the
wicked will
perish.
God is
so the
Lord
will not
be the
righteous.
We praise
him,
this psalm
suggests,
for his
destruction
of the
wicked,
where God
shows himself
to be
holy.
And not
only holy,
but also a
great comfort
to his
people,
because he
promises that
he is the
judge who
shall come
to set
all things
right.
Also,
secondly,
we exalt
God for
his
deliverance
of the
righteous,
for the
flourishing
of the
righteous.
This
psalm,
again,
like Psalm
1,
compares the
righteous to
a healthy
tree.
Verses
12 and
13,
the righteous
flourish like
the palm
tree,
they grow
like the
cedar of
Lebanon,
planted in
the house
of the
Lord,
they flourish
in the
courts of
our God.
A tree
that has
been planted,
that grows
because someone
else has
planted the
seed,
and watered
the seed,
and tended
it, and
cultivated it.
The righteous
are not like
fleeting grass,
but long
lasting trees.
The beauty
of the palm
strength of
the cedar,
near to
God,
growing in
the very
courts of
the Lord,
in his
temple.
And so we
are meant to
be planted,
to be fixed
and rooted in
the courts of
the Lord,
in the house
of God,
near to the
Lord,
where he has
made known
his holy
presence.
Again,
these moving,
beautiful images,
the palm,
the cedar,
spirit.
These are
also remarkable
testimonies to
the abundance
of God.
And God
also promises
here that the
righteous shall
stay vital and
productive even
into old age.
Verse 14,
they still bear
fruit in old
age.
They still
stay fresh
and green.
You see,
it's not just
that they
endure.
It's not just
that they
withstand the
difficulties of
this life that
would threaten
the people of
God.
But we are
given here a
great picture of
the splendor of
the people of
God like a
tree, rich and
plentiful, lavish,
continuing to
bear fruit,
continuing to
flourish.
And so there
is a future
for the people
of God.
The wicked
sprout like
grass today,
but in God's
time,
they are gone
tomorrow.
But there is a
future for the
people of God.
And that's such
a comfort,
isn't it?
That there is a
future.
Something we need
to remind
ourselves.
We don't always
feel that way,
do we?
We don't always
feel that we
have a future.
We can and
do know times
of trouble and
sorrow and
anguish,
distress and
discouragement.
We are prone
to ask in
times of great
sadness and
difficulty,
where is this
stability?
Where is this
strength?
Where is this
peace and rest?
Yes, all that
sounds good, but
when I look around
at my life, I
don't see much
of this.
peace and
peace.
But when that
is our
experience, we
would do well to
remember this
song for the
Sabbath, where
we read, God
is on high
forever.
So when we're
feeling afflicted,
we're feeling
like things are
unstable, like
things are
tottering.
When we're
feeling puny,
God says to
us as his
people, don't
be discouraged.
I have a
future for
you.
You will
flourish like a
palm tree and
grow like a
cedar, tall with
a beauty that
does not fade,
strong to
withstand distress.
For I have
planted you,
don't you see,
I have planted
you in my
house, on my
property, you
are mine, you
are within my
temple.
And because I
have done this
for you, you
can have
confidence that
you will find
life and hope
and deliverance
in me.
You will not
blow away like
grass.
You will not
wither.
The source of
your life will
not dry up,
because the
source of your
life is not
you, but it
is God
himself.
It is the
Lord Jesus
Christ given
to you as
the water of
life.
So this
image of the
people of
God as a
tree, I
think, is a
particularly
appropriate image
for the
Sabbath day, for
us to meditate
on, because it
is a testimony to
our Savior.
So this
psalm would
teach us then to
exalt the
Lord for his
destruction of
the wicked, for
his deliverance
of the righteous,
but also,
thirdly, for the
declaration of
his character.
for the
declaration of
his character.
The psalmist
here declares
the steadfast
love of God
in the morning,
and the
faithfulness of
God by night,
verse 2.
God has
loved his
own from
eternity, the
mystery of
redemption, and
will ever
continue to
love and care
for them.
And because he
loves them, he
is always
faithful to his
promises.
He is
completely
reliable and
worthy of all
praise.
And he has a
purpose to
save, to
deliver, and
he will not
fail.
He is the
God of great
power, bringing
all creation
into being.
He is the
God of great
authority, redeeming
his people from
Egypt.
The God of great
purpose, making
men and women in
his image, and
renewing his law
for his people
at Mount Sinai.
He is the
God of great
promise, who
meets with his
people, to
dwell with
them, to
sustain them, to
bring them to
flourish.
And he is
perfectly holy in
all that he
does.
This psalm
reminds us of
the character of
our God.
Verse 15,
the righteous
will proclaim,
the Lord is
upright, he is
my rock, and
there is no
wickedness.
No unrighteousness
in him.
God's character
here is to be a
great comfort for
his people.
We are to set
before our eyes
not what the
changing course of
the world would
bring, not the
calamity that we
might face in this
present moment, not
the difficult
circumstances and
trials of life that
are true and
real and can be
unrelenting and
can feel unbearable.
But this psalm would
tell us we are to
know who our God
is.
He is permanent.
He is steadfast in
love.
He is high and
lifted up.
How frequently in
the psalms are we
called to remember
who our God is and
what he has done for
us?
I think this must be
one of the hardest
things for us to do.
One of the hardest
things we have to do
is to remember the
character of our
God.
So often this slips
from our mind.
So often we lose
track of it.
But it's something we
never outgrow needing
to hear as
Christians.
So we're told again
and again throughout
all of the
scripture, aren't we?
Remember, do not
forget.
Remember, do not
forget.
I am the Lord
your God, merciful
and gracious, slow
to anger, abounding
in steadfast love
and faithfulness,
keeping steadfast love
for thousands,
forgiving iniquity and
transgression and
sin, and I will by no
means clear the
guilty.
And so we are
called to confess
verse 5 of our
psalm.
How great are your
works, O Lord.
How deep, how
profound are your
thoughts.
We are to remember
again with Isaiah
that the Lord's ways
are higher than our
ways.
That God's thoughts
are higher than our
thoughts.
We are called to
remember and not to
forget that our God
is sovereign in his
power and in his
wisdom and in his
goodness.
That he has laid the
foundation of the
earth.
That he is indeed
the most high
enthroned forever.
That he will never
be cast down.
And though we may
not always see the
wisdom of his
action, and we may
not always understand
his purpose, we can
have this great
confidence in our
God that he is
upright in all that
he does.
He is my rock and
there is no
wickedness in him.
We see this above
all in the face of
our Lord Jesus
Christ, don't we?
How do we know
that God is
steadfast in his
love?
What is the work
of the Lord that
would make us glad,
that would cause us
to rejoice?
It is the work of
the Savior.
He is the blessed
man of Psalm 1.
He is the righteous
one who brings
abundant life to his
people, who suffered
terribly, but in
doing so came to
know our suffering.
And in his death, he
destroyed the power
of death, so that he
might bring us to
glory.
All of this is
impressed on us in
this psalm.
When we see that
Psalm 92, this song
for the Sabbath, is
set in the mouth of
Israel's king.
Verses 10 and 11,
You have exalted
my horn like that
of a wild ox.
Fine oils have been
poured upon me.
My eyes have seen
the defeat of my
adversaries.
My ears have heard
the rout of my
wicked foes.
And when we compare
these words to
Psalm 89, part of the
context for
understanding Psalm 92,
we read in the
middle of Psalm 89,
similarly of David,
You, O Lord, are the
glory of our
strength.
By your favor, our
horn is exalted.
I have found David,
my servant.
With my holy oil, I
have anointed him.
I will crush his foes
before him and strike
down those who hate
him.
My faithfulness and
my steadfast love
shall be with him,
and in my name shall
his horn be exalted.
But then we think
about Psalm 89, the end
of the third book of
the Psalter.
And we find that it
is about the people
of God left wondering
whether God's word is
true, whether God has
not forgotten his
promise that David's
sons will sit on
David's throne.
Psalm 89, verse 49,
Lord, where is your
steadfast love of old,
which by your
faithfulness you swore
to David, the king?
You see, there's a
terrible crisis of
faith there, a
crisis of the
apparent failure of
the promises of God,
a crisis of kingship.
Where is that king?
Holy, exalted,
powerful, who will
lead the people of
God in praise.
You think of
Deuteronomy 17.
The king is to be a
guide for the people.
He is to order his
life in the kingdom
according to the word
of God.
Where is that king?
Well, who is that king
who is to lead the
praise for the people
on the Sabbath day?
Who is the answer to
the crisis of Psalm
89?
Who is the king who
brings rest to his
people?
Who defeats the
adversary and brings
peace with God?
It is the Lord Jesus
Christ, isn't it?
He is the son of David.
He is the true king of
Israel.
He himself declared,
Hebrews 10, 7,
Behold, I have come to
do your will, O Lord.
He alone offers perfect
praise to God.
He alone is Lord of the
Sabbath.
And this psalm would call
us to draw our strength
from him.
Now, it's sometimes
suggested that Jesus,
as Lord of the
Sabbath, abolished the
Sabbath because it was a
purely Mosaic
institution.
But as we've seen,
the Old Testament
sees the Sabbath
first as a command of
creation.
Command which is
repeated by
Moses,
but not
instituted by
Moses.
There remains a
holy day in the
new covenant.
The Lord's day is a
special day belonging
to God.
We think of
Revelation 1.10.
There are many
texts we could refer
to.
We might preach on
all of them tonight,
but I think you would
get weary and so
would I.
Psalm 1.10, at least,
shows us this.
And in the New
Testament, the only
day that is given any
special attention is
Sunday, the Lord's
day.
The first day of the
week.
The day of the
resurrection of our
Lord Jesus Christ.
Christ.
Jesus, as Lord of
the Sabbath, has made
the first day, rather
than the seventh day, a
holy day for his own.
From the beginning of
creation to Jesus, we
looked forward to the
rest that would come in
the end.
But with the coming of
Jesus, rest has been
won in his resurrection.
And so, as the people of
God, we begin our week
with rest and worship.
And by doing so, we
anticipate already our
eternal rest, dwelling
with God forever in
glory.
Hebrews 3 and 4.
You see, the Sabbath is
a foretaste of that
eternal rest.
It is a day that is set
apart, given to us by
God for worship and for
fellowship.
It is a day when we
can turn off the lies
of the world.
What is the greatest
lie of the world?
This may be a difficult
question.
Surely one of the
greatest lies of the
world we find elsewhere
in the Psalter.
Psalm 3, verse 2.
David is there
complaining against
enemies who would rise
against him.
And he says,
Many are saying of my
soul, there is no
salvation for him in
God.
There is no deliverance
for him.
God will not deliver
him.
What a terrible thing
it is that the world
shouts at us.
There is no salvation
for you in God.
There is no deliverance
for us in God.
I think that's something
we hear all the time,
isn't it?
The world that would
mock and ridicule the
people of God.
That would crowd out the
voice of our Lord.
And so too our flesh,
the sin that continues to
abide within us, the doubt
that often grips us.
That would tell us there
is no deliverance for you.
And of course the
temptations of the evil
one.
So much so tempting
us that we can wonder,
is there any salvation?
Is there any deliverance?
Does any of it really
matter?
Yes, I go to church on
Sunday.
Does any of it really
matter?
God says to us in this
psalm, this song for the
Sabbath, he says, the
Sabbath is the day when
you gather before me so
that I can tell you my
gospel, that I can preach
to you good news.
It's news that you cannot
find anywhere else.
It's news that you keep
forgetting.
But I will keep on telling
you again and again and
again, because of my
steadfast love, because of
my faithfulness, because of
my covenant promises, I
declare to you, yes, there
is salvation for you in me.
Yes, there is deliverance
for you in my son.
He is the one whom I gave
for the salvation of the
world.
And it is his resurrection
and life that you
celebrate on the Sabbath
day.
And so isn't it wonderful
then that God gave us the
Sabbath as a day to
rejuvenate us, to restore
us, so that we might be
renewed in God.
And even in this psalm here,
we're reminded that God
gives it to us because we
are tired from the labor of
our hands.
We're reminded that we are
freed here from the burden
of our hands, from the
work of our hands, from the
concern, from the struggle,
from the anxiety of our
hands, of our six days of
labor.
We are called away from our
work to rest in God's work,
to delight in the work of
our Lord.
Lord.
Those of you who listen
carefully will have seen
that verse 2 teaches us
there's to be a morning and
an evening service.
Well, maybe not exactly.
But it does say to declare
your steadfast love in the
morning and your faithfulness
by night.
It is the whole day that
belongs to God, is the
point.
The morning belongs to the
Lord.
The evening belongs to the
Lord.
And that pattern of
scripture, of morning and
evening devotion to God, the
whole day is His.
It is a great help to us.
It is a great blessing to us
that we might keep the
Sabbath day, that we might be
refreshed by our Savior.
When we know what God
promises, that He says, I
will meet with you.
I will give you what you
need when you are weary and
you are tired and you cannot
bear your burdens.
Where else would we go?
Think of Peter.
John 6, responding to our
Lord.
You have the words of
eternal life.
Where else would we go?
So the Sabbath is to be for
us a day when we thank God,
when we praise Him, when we
exalt Him for His judgment,
for His destruction of the
wicked, for His deliverance
of the righteous, for the
declaration of His character.
The Sabbath is a weekly
reminder for us that we serve
a high and mighty,
lifted up, almighty God
who is reliable, who will
judge His enemies, who will
prosper His people, because of
who He is, because of all that
the Son has done for us.
So Psalm 92 is a perfect
Sabbath psalm because it helps us
to worship and praise our God.
may we be encouraged by this
psalm.
May God be pleased to make us a
Sabbath people who find their rest
in Christ.
Amen.
Let us pray.
O Lord, our God, we thank You for
Your Word.
We pray that we would all know the
blessedness of faith in our Lord
Jesus Christ, the great King who is
even now at Your right hand, working
all things together for us and for
our salvation.
We thank You that He will come in
glory to bring us to be with You
forever.
Help us to know, our Father, that You
are indeed on high and that in
Christ, Your Son, we have a mighty
Savior.
In Jesus' name we pray.
Amen.
Will you please stand as we sing our
final psalm here?
Psalm 93.