WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:02.160 So we're going to be looking at Psalm 14. 00:00:02.540 --> 00:00:04.580 So we've been working our way through the Psalms 00:00:04.580 --> 00:00:07.459 and our Lord's Supper services on Sunday evenings. 00:00:08.359 --> 00:00:08.439 ! 00:00:30.000 --> 00:00:31.000 There is no God. 00:00:32.320 --> 00:00:33.320 They are corrupt. 00:00:34.359 --> 00:00:35.359 Their deeds are vile. 00:00:36.439 --> 00:00:37.759 There is no one who does good. 00:00:39.219 --> 00:00:41.780 The Lord looks down from heaven on all mankind 00:00:41.780 --> 00:00:44.159 to see if there are any who understand, 00:00:44.159 --> 00:00:45.500 any who seek God. 00:00:46.719 --> 00:00:48.620 All have turned away. 00:00:48.620 --> 00:00:50.920 All have become corrupt. 00:00:50.920 --> 00:00:53.700 There is no one who does good, not even one. 00:00:57.060 --> 00:00:59.939 Do all these evildoers know nothing? 00:00:59.939 --> 00:01:02.179 They devour my people as though eating bread. 00:01:02.659 --> 00:01:04.719 They never call on the Lord. 00:01:05.640 --> 00:01:08.859 But there they are, overwhelmed with dread. 00:01:09.659 --> 00:01:12.000 For God is present in the company of the righteous. 00:01:13.340 --> 00:01:15.500 You evildoers frustrate the plans of the poor, 00:01:15.620 --> 00:01:17.420 but the Lord is their refuge. 00:01:18.039 --> 00:01:21.759 Oh, that salvation for Israel would come out of Zion 00:01:21.759 --> 00:01:24.039 when the Lord restores his people. 00:01:24.759 --> 00:01:28.739 Let Jacob rejoice and Israel be glad. 00:01:30.599 --> 00:01:31.000 Amen. 00:01:31.899 --> 00:01:33.519 Nick, over to you. 00:01:33.519 --> 00:01:36.599 Thanks, Steve. 00:01:37.479 --> 00:01:40.780 All right, well, let's just pray before I get started. 00:01:42.140 --> 00:01:44.099 Father in heaven, we thank you for your word. 00:01:44.399 --> 00:01:46.299 We thank you, Father, that it has been passed down 00:01:46.299 --> 00:01:47.179 through the generations. 00:01:48.239 --> 00:01:50.179 Thank you, Father, that you are true to your word 00:01:50.179 --> 00:01:51.859 and always faithful. 00:01:53.019 --> 00:01:55.819 Help me as I go through this psalm. 00:01:56.479 --> 00:01:58.199 I pray, Father, that it will make sense. 00:01:58.200 --> 00:02:03.200 I pray that the Holy Spirit will speak to each and every person in here. 00:02:04.219 --> 00:02:07.180 And so, Father, we ask for your blessing this evening. 00:02:07.420 --> 00:02:08.219 In Jesus' name. 00:02:08.960 --> 00:02:09.180 Amen. 00:02:09.180 --> 00:02:09.319 Amen. 00:02:11.319 --> 00:02:11.800 Okay. 00:02:11.800 --> 00:02:16.379 So, yeah, a few years ago, Richard Dawkins, 00:02:17.659 --> 00:02:21.580 the famous evolutionist, science communicator and atheist, 00:02:22.480 --> 00:02:27.140 lent his support to an atheist bus advertisement campaign. 00:02:27.139 --> 00:02:29.459 You may or may not remember it. 00:02:30.459 --> 00:02:32.919 You may not even be aware that it existed. 00:02:33.779 --> 00:02:36.919 It happened in 2008, 2009. 00:02:37.859 --> 00:02:41.000 And as I switch it on, there we go. 00:02:41.000 --> 00:02:43.819 This was their slogan. 00:02:44.340 --> 00:02:45.659 There's probably no God. 00:02:46.379 --> 00:02:49.139 Now stop worrying and enjoy your life. 00:02:50.219 --> 00:02:55.219 So this was plastered on buses all over the place. 00:02:57.080 --> 00:03:01.259 Initially, the crowd funder that was set up was ignored. 00:03:01.460 --> 00:03:05.099 And it wasn't until Richard Dawkins put his name to it 00:03:05.099 --> 00:03:08.460 that it then raised enough money to get going. 00:03:08.460 --> 00:03:11.420 And it actually ran across the whole nation, 00:03:12.060 --> 00:03:15.340 not just on a few buses as they originally planned. 00:03:16.980 --> 00:03:18.780 And it's where it was... 00:03:18.780 --> 00:03:23.120 The campaign was thought up by this lady, Ariane Shireen, 00:03:23.600 --> 00:03:24.640 and she had seen a... 00:03:24.640 --> 00:03:27.180 She'd actually seen a poster quote in a Bible verse. 00:03:27.700 --> 00:03:32.659 And the Bible verse was from Luke, chapter 18, verse 8. 00:03:33.159 --> 00:03:34.680 And there it... 00:03:34.680 --> 00:03:35.640 That was on the poster. 00:03:35.639 --> 00:03:38.699 I couldn't find this poster, by the way. 00:03:38.799 --> 00:03:41.199 So I looked on the internet to see if I could find this poster. 00:03:41.799 --> 00:03:46.779 But I guess it was a bit too old for someone to have uploaded it. 00:03:47.279 --> 00:03:48.419 But the verse in question is, 00:03:48.559 --> 00:03:53.039 When the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth? 00:03:53.500 --> 00:03:58.619 And the poster had a link to Jesussaid.org. 00:03:59.139 --> 00:04:02.099 Now that website is no longer there. 00:04:02.099 --> 00:04:04.719 There is a .uk, but it's a different site. 00:04:05.579 --> 00:04:09.579 So I went on the Wayback Machine. 00:04:10.120 --> 00:04:12.000 So you can look back. 00:04:12.799 --> 00:04:14.799 There's an archive of a lot of websites. 00:04:15.019 --> 00:04:16.040 So I went to the website. 00:04:16.040 --> 00:04:24.560 And this lady objected to something that she read on God's Wrath Against Sin page. 00:04:25.080 --> 00:04:26.080 It's a bit small, isn't it? 00:04:26.640 --> 00:04:32.300 But generally, she saw another quote, and this time from Matthew. 00:04:33.259 --> 00:04:37.840 And Matthew, chapter 25, verse 41. 00:04:37.839 --> 00:04:40.779 And it says, 00:04:40.779 --> 00:04:45.219 Then he will say to those on his left, so this is Jesus speaking, 00:04:45.739 --> 00:04:52.479 Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire, prepared for the devil and his angels. 00:04:53.479 --> 00:05:01.839 So she felt that hard-pressed London commuters might be brought to despair reading this. 00:05:01.839 --> 00:05:09.599 They've led stressful lives, and they might read this, and it just might be too much, and they might end it all. 00:05:12.239 --> 00:05:18.399 The good thing is that Christian organizations did not just go and leave this campaign to itself. 00:05:18.659 --> 00:05:19.559 They did respond. 00:05:19.560 --> 00:05:27.180 And so one of the campaigns started doing bus adverts saying, 00:05:27.680 --> 00:05:32.920 There definitely is a God, so join the Christian party and enjoy your life. 00:05:33.840 --> 00:05:41.740 So there's the opposite view and the truth being spoken there. 00:05:41.740 --> 00:05:51.280 So it's interesting to note that both the atheist campaign and the Christian campaign told their readers to go off and enjoy their lives. 00:05:52.040 --> 00:05:53.800 So I'll just think on that. 00:05:54.360 --> 00:05:58.060 The good thing is that these campaigns did get people talking about God. 00:05:58.680 --> 00:06:03.540 So it was a good opportunity to discuss God, to discuss Christ, 00:06:04.120 --> 00:06:08.879 to discuss is there something more than what you can see in front of you. 00:06:08.879 --> 00:06:15.139 But it's interesting, the psalmist, the psalmist, the psalm is not here to debate whether God exists or not, 00:06:15.540 --> 00:06:17.879 because he patently does. 00:06:20.879 --> 00:06:24.699 So before we look at the psalm, I'll just make that a point, 00:06:25.279 --> 00:06:34.040 that this psalm 14 is almost, word for word, the same as psalm 53. 00:06:34.040 --> 00:06:40.140 So if you, at some point afterwards, go and look at Psalm 53, 00:06:40.920 --> 00:06:45.420 you'll see that, bar a few words, it's actually the same psalm. 00:06:46.980 --> 00:06:49.020 So from one point of view, I was thinking, 00:06:49.140 --> 00:06:51.540 well, maybe what's being said in the psalm is really important, 00:06:51.660 --> 00:06:55.280 that it gets two goes in the book of psalms. 00:06:55.279 --> 00:07:01.000 Or maybe it was sung to a different melody, or it was used at different occasions. 00:07:01.559 --> 00:07:04.279 But that's just an interesting aside. 00:07:06.199 --> 00:07:09.579 The psalm itself is a lament to the Lord, 00:07:10.559 --> 00:07:14.639 a call to the Lord during the suffering of Israel at the hands of the godless. 00:07:15.519 --> 00:07:18.079 And it's a reminder that the Lord is their refuge, 00:07:19.099 --> 00:07:23.039 and source of salvation, and to trust and to wait upon him. 00:07:23.040 --> 00:07:30.220 So that's the structure of it, even more briefly than the psalm itself. 00:07:33.760 --> 00:07:38.160 So I do pray that I, everything will, I will go, 00:07:38.260 --> 00:07:40.200 it may feel like I'm going to go off at tangents, 00:07:40.420 --> 00:07:45.759 and so I do pray that you'll follow along with me. 00:07:45.759 --> 00:07:50.680 So the psalm does start here, it's saying, 00:07:50.920 --> 00:07:53.839 the fool says in his heart, there is no God. 00:07:54.519 --> 00:07:58.480 What does saying there is no God do to someone's heart? 00:08:00.019 --> 00:08:03.240 What does it do to their outlook in life? 00:08:03.779 --> 00:08:06.019 To the way they may treat other people? 00:08:06.019 --> 00:08:10.240 To the way that they consider themselves? 00:08:12.240 --> 00:08:18.060 For example, someone might take evolution and natural selection, 00:08:18.839 --> 00:08:22.099 and then take slogans like survival of the fittest, 00:08:22.919 --> 00:08:26.099 and look out for number one, and greed is good, 00:08:26.779 --> 00:08:30.199 to justify their own self-centeredness. 00:08:30.199 --> 00:08:34.559 Not only that, to justify cruelty to other people. 00:08:36.120 --> 00:08:42.860 So what you believe and what you say shapes how you live out your life, 00:08:42.939 --> 00:08:45.819 and how you act, and how you are towards other people. 00:08:47.500 --> 00:08:51.419 In verse one, the fool David is talking about 00:08:51.419 --> 00:08:55.319 is one who is living their life believing 00:08:55.320 --> 00:08:58.900 that there is no divine consequence to their actions. 00:08:59.920 --> 00:09:02.640 So they may believe there is a God, 00:09:04.520 --> 00:09:07.200 or as was very likely back then, 00:09:07.400 --> 00:09:13.260 that Israel's God was just one of the many gods, 00:09:13.420 --> 00:09:17.900 with little g's, that the various tribes and people had. 00:09:18.860 --> 00:09:21.300 And so from that point of view, 00:09:21.900 --> 00:09:25.140 if they had experience of their own tribal God, 00:09:25.320 --> 00:09:28.520 and they didn't really have a relationship with him, 00:09:28.820 --> 00:09:31.060 or whoever that little God was, 00:09:31.740 --> 00:09:35.440 they might have treated and thought of the one true God 00:09:35.440 --> 00:09:38.960 as not realizing that he is the one true God. 00:09:41.760 --> 00:09:45.700 So that's the tribes that don't know God. 00:09:45.700 --> 00:09:59.900 So it's interesting that either way, 00:10:00.820 --> 00:10:05.259 their actions mean that they're actually living out their life 00:10:05.259 --> 00:10:06.700 as a practical atheist. 00:10:07.379 --> 00:10:11.060 So they're living as if God doesn't exist. 00:10:11.059 --> 00:10:13.759 And as the psalmist states, 00:10:14.219 --> 00:10:16.199 this results in their corruption, 00:10:16.759 --> 00:10:18.839 and in them doing vile deeds. 00:10:19.799 --> 00:10:22.219 If you look at the footnote in the NIV, 00:10:22.979 --> 00:10:26.679 it says that the Hebrew word used for fool 00:10:26.679 --> 00:10:29.459 denotes someone who is morally deficient. 00:10:29.460 --> 00:10:33.600 And in the Greek translation of the Old Testament, 00:10:33.820 --> 00:10:34.800 the Septuagint, 00:10:35.320 --> 00:10:38.639 the word there kind of gives the impression 00:10:38.639 --> 00:10:41.440 that the person is not of sound or proper mind, 00:10:41.879 --> 00:10:43.720 or that they're not thinking correctly. 00:10:46.240 --> 00:10:48.040 David goes further, 00:10:48.039 --> 00:10:51.019 and he says that no one that does good, 00:10:52.480 --> 00:10:54.240 that there is no one that does good. 00:10:55.459 --> 00:11:00.819 And in this first, 00:11:00.899 --> 00:11:01.360 I was wondering, 00:11:01.480 --> 00:11:02.899 does that include the people of Israel, 00:11:03.079 --> 00:11:04.779 or does it include the atheists? 00:11:06.099 --> 00:11:07.000 But really, 00:11:07.339 --> 00:11:08.319 it doesn't matter, 00:11:08.419 --> 00:11:10.459 because we're all sinners. 00:11:10.699 --> 00:11:11.539 All of us are sinners. 00:11:12.480 --> 00:11:13.860 We've all fallen short. 00:11:13.860 --> 00:11:19.659 And if we look at Jesus' response in Mark 10, 00:11:20.240 --> 00:11:26.180 when he calls out the rich man calling him a good teacher. 00:11:27.279 --> 00:11:30.060 The rich man was actually asking him, 00:11:30.320 --> 00:11:32.240 how do I get eternal life? 00:11:34.320 --> 00:11:35.659 But he said, 00:11:35.740 --> 00:11:36.580 why do you call me good? 00:11:37.360 --> 00:11:39.759 No one is good except God alone. 00:11:39.759 --> 00:11:42.159 So, 00:11:42.600 --> 00:11:45.840 and then in verses two and three, 00:11:46.980 --> 00:11:48.939 David then does kind of like, 00:11:49.200 --> 00:11:50.659 without confusion, 00:11:51.439 --> 00:11:54.279 say that all of the children of man 00:11:54.279 --> 00:11:55.600 do no good. 00:11:58.720 --> 00:11:59.200 So, 00:11:59.600 --> 00:11:59.939 sorry, 00:12:00.139 --> 00:12:00.379 at the, 00:12:00.580 --> 00:12:00.720 yeah, 00:12:01.139 --> 00:12:02.939 so we see there 00:12:02.939 --> 00:12:06.439 that no one is excluded from this. 00:12:06.440 --> 00:12:09.660 And this is, 00:12:09.740 --> 00:12:10.360 this is, 00:12:10.360 --> 00:12:10.900 this is, 00:12:10.900 --> 00:12:11.840 where I, 00:12:11.840 --> 00:12:13.420 I just thought it occurred to me, 00:12:14.060 --> 00:12:17.200 it would be useful 00:12:17.200 --> 00:12:17.780 to, 00:12:17.900 --> 00:12:19.620 to actually look at the, 00:12:19.620 --> 00:12:22.040 Heidelberg catechism at this point. 00:12:22.980 --> 00:12:23.580 And, 00:12:23.660 --> 00:12:28.880 seeing how it relates to these first three verses of, 00:12:29.000 --> 00:12:29.760 of the psalm. 00:12:30.460 --> 00:12:31.640 I could actually, 00:12:31.980 --> 00:12:35.260 do this talk without referring to the catechism. 00:12:35.259 --> 00:12:35.700 Um, 00:12:36.100 --> 00:12:38.899 but the catechism itself is such a great blessing. 00:12:39.340 --> 00:12:40.399 And it is worth, 00:12:40.399 --> 00:12:40.879 uh, 00:12:40.879 --> 00:12:41.360 sharing. 00:12:42.580 --> 00:12:45.299 Steve introduced us to the catechism already. 00:12:45.700 --> 00:12:46.200 And, 00:12:46.299 --> 00:12:46.539 um, 00:12:46.899 --> 00:12:48.100 the song that we sing, 00:12:48.379 --> 00:12:48.799 um, 00:12:49.740 --> 00:12:49.960 uh, 00:12:49.960 --> 00:12:50.279 Christ, 00:12:50.399 --> 00:12:52.840 our hope in life and death is actually inspired by, 00:12:53.200 --> 00:12:53.759 um, 00:12:53.879 --> 00:12:54.840 by the catechism. 00:12:55.840 --> 00:12:56.519 Um, 00:12:56.519 --> 00:12:58.179 if you don't know what a catechism is, 00:12:58.299 --> 00:12:59.500 very briefly, 00:12:59.500 --> 00:13:00.319 it's, 00:13:00.500 --> 00:13:00.819 um, 00:13:00.879 --> 00:13:05.100 it's a way of learning by asking questions. 00:13:05.100 --> 00:13:05.600 Um, 00:13:05.600 --> 00:13:05.940 um, 00:13:05.940 --> 00:13:08.180 stating the answer. 00:13:09.019 --> 00:13:09.540 Um, 00:13:09.620 --> 00:13:15.060 the Heidelberg catechism was published in 1563 in Heidelberg. 00:13:15.440 --> 00:13:17.060 And it brought together, 00:13:17.060 --> 00:13:18.019 um, 00:13:18.019 --> 00:13:21.960 it was brought together to clarify lots of theological issues, 00:13:21.960 --> 00:13:22.560 um, 00:13:23.080 --> 00:13:23.340 um, 00:13:23.340 --> 00:13:27.180 of the day that arose because of the reformation of the church. 00:13:27.179 --> 00:13:35.039 And one of the great things about the Heidelberg catechism also is that every answer has Bible verses, 00:13:35.039 --> 00:13:35.519 um, 00:13:35.519 --> 00:13:36.239 backing it up. 00:13:36.399 --> 00:13:37.919 So underneath you can see all the, 00:13:37.919 --> 00:13:38.819 um, 00:13:39.379 --> 00:13:40.359 Bible verses. 00:13:40.979 --> 00:13:41.459 Um, 00:13:41.459 --> 00:13:42.620 should have had that up there earlier. 00:13:42.719 --> 00:13:42.859 Yeah. 00:13:42.899 --> 00:13:43.379 So you can see. 00:13:43.519 --> 00:13:44.659 So as I've just said, 00:13:44.719 --> 00:13:45.059 that's, 00:13:45.179 --> 00:13:45.319 um, 00:13:45.679 --> 00:13:46.759 and so the way that, 00:13:46.879 --> 00:13:47.120 um, 00:13:47.959 --> 00:13:49.479 the catechism is split, 00:13:50.139 --> 00:13:50.959 um, 00:13:50.960 --> 00:13:51.600 it's, 00:13:51.680 --> 00:13:53.680 it's split into 52 Lord's days. 00:13:54.960 --> 00:13:55.560 And, 00:13:55.720 --> 00:13:56.100 um, 00:13:56.100 --> 00:13:58.920 on each day you have maybe one or two, 00:13:59.000 --> 00:14:04.040 three questions that you are given and there's answers to. 00:14:04.740 --> 00:14:05.379 And, 00:14:05.500 --> 00:14:06.100 um, 00:14:06.639 --> 00:14:07.420 it's, 00:14:08.060 --> 00:14:08.420 well, 00:14:08.560 --> 00:14:08.800 yeah. 00:14:09.200 --> 00:14:10.040 And so it, 00:14:10.120 --> 00:14:11.100 that's how it's split. 00:14:11.379 --> 00:14:12.160 So it's, 00:14:12.200 --> 00:14:12.960 it's kind of the, 00:14:12.960 --> 00:14:14.500 the focus of the catechism. 00:14:15.200 --> 00:14:15.600 Um, 00:14:15.940 --> 00:14:17.400 there's a summary at the start. 00:14:17.399 --> 00:14:20.779 there's a small section that deals with our guilt. 00:14:21.459 --> 00:14:21.840 And then, 00:14:21.840 --> 00:14:22.500 um, 00:14:23.319 --> 00:14:24.519 you've got grace and gratitude, 00:14:24.679 --> 00:14:26.019 take the big chunk of it. 00:14:26.659 --> 00:14:26.980 Um, 00:14:27.179 --> 00:14:29.340 so it's worth considering the, 00:14:29.439 --> 00:14:29.740 uh, 00:14:29.799 --> 00:14:30.299 the, 00:14:30.419 --> 00:14:31.799 the authors that put it together, 00:14:31.799 --> 00:14:32.840 how they, 00:14:33.179 --> 00:14:33.620 um, 00:14:34.659 --> 00:14:34.860 yeah, 00:14:34.939 --> 00:14:36.120 weighted the catechism. 00:14:36.600 --> 00:14:37.100 And, 00:14:37.220 --> 00:14:37.579 uh, 00:14:37.759 --> 00:14:38.340 so you can, 00:14:38.799 --> 00:14:39.299 it's, 00:14:39.459 --> 00:14:40.500 you can download it for free, 00:14:40.579 --> 00:14:42.460 but you can also get it as a, 00:14:42.460 --> 00:14:42.980 as a book. 00:14:44.620 --> 00:14:45.139 So, 00:14:45.259 --> 00:14:45.539 um, 00:14:45.620 --> 00:14:45.860 okay. 00:14:45.860 --> 00:14:47.560 So back to the Psalm. 00:14:49.240 --> 00:14:49.680 So, 00:14:49.899 --> 00:14:50.259 um, 00:14:50.620 --> 00:14:50.860 yeah. 00:14:51.000 --> 00:14:52.080 So in the Psalm, 00:14:52.159 --> 00:14:54.480 the Lord looks down from heaven. 00:14:55.860 --> 00:14:56.419 And, 00:14:56.500 --> 00:14:56.899 um, 00:14:57.440 --> 00:14:58.200 one of the, 00:14:58.300 --> 00:14:58.620 um, 00:14:59.620 --> 00:15:00.800 this brings to mind, 00:15:00.800 --> 00:15:02.120 uh, 00:15:02.519 --> 00:15:03.960 verse in Genesis six, 00:15:04.580 --> 00:15:05.519 verse five, 00:15:05.519 --> 00:15:06.480 which I'll, 00:15:06.480 --> 00:15:07.039 I'll read. 00:15:08.159 --> 00:15:13.840 So the Lord saw how great the wickedness of the human race had become on the earth. 00:15:13.840 --> 00:15:14.280 Um, 00:15:15.220 --> 00:15:19.060 and that every inclination of the thoughts and, 00:15:19.060 --> 00:15:19.720 um, 00:15:20.399 --> 00:15:27.980 the thoughts of the human heart was only evil all the time. 00:15:28.800 --> 00:15:34.200 The Lord regretted that it made human beings on the earth and his heart was deeply troubled. 00:15:34.200 --> 00:15:35.480 So the Lord said, 00:15:35.660 --> 00:15:37.560 I will wipe from the face of the earth, 00:15:37.680 --> 00:15:39.440 the human race I have created. 00:15:39.980 --> 00:15:40.800 And with them, 00:15:40.879 --> 00:15:41.360 the animals, 00:15:41.640 --> 00:15:44.400 the birds and the creatures that move along the ground for, 00:15:44.520 --> 00:15:45.920 I regret that I have made them, 00:15:46.379 --> 00:15:49.580 but Noah found favor in the eyes of the Lord. 00:15:49.580 --> 00:15:50.980 So in, 00:15:50.980 --> 00:15:52.360 in that instance in time, 00:15:52.900 --> 00:15:55.639 the Lord looked down and he did see Noah. 00:15:57.040 --> 00:15:57.520 Um, 00:15:58.139 --> 00:15:58.500 in the, 00:15:58.560 --> 00:15:59.520 in the catechism. 00:16:00.160 --> 00:16:02.080 So you might say to yourself, 00:16:02.440 --> 00:16:03.639 Oh, 00:16:03.820 --> 00:16:04.180 you know, 00:16:04.240 --> 00:16:06.040 are we really just that bad? 00:16:06.160 --> 00:16:06.879 Are we really, 00:16:07.020 --> 00:16:07.700 really that bad? 00:16:08.900 --> 00:16:09.379 Um, 00:16:10.220 --> 00:16:10.740 and, 00:16:10.879 --> 00:16:11.600 um, 00:16:11.960 --> 00:16:14.379 so question eight of the catechism, 00:16:14.500 --> 00:16:16.580 which I should have really made much bigger again, 00:16:16.800 --> 00:16:18.340 but that's from the book. 00:16:18.340 --> 00:16:19.259 But, 00:16:19.379 --> 00:16:19.660 um, 00:16:19.720 --> 00:16:19.879 it, 00:16:20.120 --> 00:16:21.660 the question asks, 00:16:22.399 --> 00:16:29.480 but are we so corrupt that we are totally unable to do any good and inclined to all evil? 00:16:30.220 --> 00:16:32.420 And the answer is yes, 00:16:33.139 --> 00:16:36.860 unless we are regenerated by the spirit of God. 00:16:37.620 --> 00:16:39.820 And if you look at the question five, 00:16:40.259 --> 00:16:42.879 it asks whether we can keep God's laws perfectly, 00:16:43.460 --> 00:16:45.400 to which the answer is no, 00:16:45.940 --> 00:16:48.320 I'm inclined by nature to hate God. 00:16:48.340 --> 00:16:50.360 And my neighbor. 00:16:51.100 --> 00:16:51.320 Now, 00:16:51.980 --> 00:16:52.280 um, 00:16:52.360 --> 00:16:52.440 you, 00:16:52.980 --> 00:16:53.180 again, 00:16:53.259 --> 00:16:54.040 the Bible verses, 00:16:54.200 --> 00:16:54.960 they both underneath, 00:16:55.120 --> 00:16:55.519 they both, 00:16:55.960 --> 00:16:58.259 both of them actually point to Genesis six, 00:16:58.340 --> 00:16:58.980 verse five. 00:16:59.759 --> 00:17:02.759 And they also point us to Genesis eight, 00:17:02.899 --> 00:17:03.660 verse 21. 00:17:05.039 --> 00:17:05.600 And, 00:17:05.700 --> 00:17:06.079 um, 00:17:06.120 --> 00:17:06.460 this, 00:17:06.860 --> 00:17:06.940 in, 00:17:07.120 --> 00:17:09.480 this is just after the floodwaters have subsided. 00:17:09.480 --> 00:17:12.019 Noah has left the ark. 00:17:12.519 --> 00:17:15.539 He's built an altar and he sacrificed to the Lord. 00:17:16.259 --> 00:17:16.740 So, 00:17:16.740 --> 00:17:17.660 um, 00:17:18.299 --> 00:17:19.200 that's Genesis eight, 00:17:19.279 --> 00:17:20.079 verse 21. 00:17:20.079 --> 00:17:23.599 The Lord smelled the pleasing aroma and said in his heart, 00:17:23.599 --> 00:17:24.740 never again, 00:17:24.740 --> 00:17:24.740 00:17:24.740 --> 00:17:27.179 will I curse the ground because of humans, 00:17:27.619 --> 00:17:31.959 even though every inclination of the human heart is evil from childhood. 00:17:32.279 --> 00:17:33.339 And never again, 00:17:33.339 --> 00:17:36.639 will I destroy all living creatures as I have done. 00:17:37.099 --> 00:17:38.839 So we have from the Lord's mouth, 00:17:38.839 --> 00:17:41.439 the truth regarding our depravity. 00:17:42.439 --> 00:17:42.639 Um, 00:17:42.899 --> 00:17:43.480 praise God, 00:17:43.519 --> 00:17:45.740 he vowed not to wipe out all living creatures again. 00:17:46.579 --> 00:17:46.939 Um, 00:17:47.319 --> 00:17:48.740 so it's, 00:17:48.919 --> 00:17:49.279 it's, 00:17:49.279 --> 00:17:50.179 so it's, 00:17:50.519 --> 00:17:54.959 so I'm just highlighting how the Psalmist has captured these, 00:17:55.119 --> 00:17:56.199 these truths. 00:17:56.199 --> 00:17:57.419 And these truths are, 00:17:57.639 --> 00:17:58.199 you know, 00:17:58.319 --> 00:17:59.939 straight out of the Lord's mouth as well. 00:18:01.619 --> 00:18:02.099 Um, 00:18:02.759 --> 00:18:03.859 also as a, 00:18:03.939 --> 00:18:05.779 as an interesting aside, 00:18:05.779 --> 00:18:09.139 the catechism also references Romans three, 00:18:09.639 --> 00:18:10.200 verse 10. 00:18:10.720 --> 00:18:15.359 And there Paul quotes from the Greek translation of Psalm 14. 00:18:15.819 --> 00:18:17.519 He also includes other, 00:18:17.519 --> 00:18:18.359 um, 00:18:18.399 --> 00:18:23.639 pieces of scripture where he lays out in that letter that no one is righteous, 00:18:23.859 --> 00:18:24.879 Jew or Gentile. 00:18:26.099 --> 00:18:26.660 Um, 00:18:27.059 --> 00:18:27.980 so yeah, 00:18:28.059 --> 00:18:30.980 this is quite a dire state of affairs and, 00:18:31.220 --> 00:18:31.619 um, 00:18:32.079 --> 00:18:33.819 none of us are exempt from it, 00:18:33.819 --> 00:18:36.119 though we have that sliver, 00:18:36.359 --> 00:18:37.379 that sliver of hope, 00:18:37.519 --> 00:18:37.960 big hope, 00:18:38.220 --> 00:18:38.679 where it says, 00:18:38.740 --> 00:18:39.359 unless we are, 00:18:39.700 --> 00:18:39.980 um, 00:18:39.980 --> 00:18:42.419 have been regenerated by this Holy Spirit. 00:18:42.419 --> 00:18:43.419 Um, 00:18:45.119 --> 00:18:47.039 so in verse four, 00:18:47.700 --> 00:18:49.519 we, 00:18:49.619 --> 00:18:50.460 we talk about, 00:18:51.039 --> 00:18:51.559 it's, 00:18:51.559 --> 00:18:51.779 it, 00:18:51.839 --> 00:18:52.619 it poses, 00:18:52.939 --> 00:18:54.059 he's asking this question, 00:18:54.179 --> 00:18:54.319 do, 00:18:54.480 --> 00:18:56.339 do all these evil doers know nothing? 00:18:56.939 --> 00:18:58.980 And so the catechism is, 00:18:59.139 --> 00:18:59.819 is, 00:18:59.939 --> 00:19:00.339 um, 00:19:00.579 --> 00:19:02.639 one way we can guard against, 00:19:02.639 --> 00:19:03.059 uh, 00:19:03.099 --> 00:19:03.579 ignorance. 00:19:03.819 --> 00:19:07.439 Especially as we seek to teach the next generation, 00:19:07.579 --> 00:19:08.000 the gospel. 00:19:08.839 --> 00:19:10.259 And in judges, 00:19:10.839 --> 00:19:11.339 um, 00:19:11.740 --> 00:19:14.779 there's another warning about how easily, 00:19:14.779 --> 00:19:15.599 um, 00:19:16.220 --> 00:19:17.939 we can forget and, 00:19:18.000 --> 00:19:20.079 and slip into these ways. 00:19:20.200 --> 00:19:21.119 In judges, 00:19:21.319 --> 00:19:21.639 uh, 00:19:21.639 --> 00:19:22.519 two verse 10, 00:19:23.019 --> 00:19:25.019 the Israelites forgot the Lord in, 00:19:25.119 --> 00:19:25.279 in, 00:19:25.399 --> 00:19:25.700 in a, 00:19:25.740 --> 00:19:26.819 in a single generation. 00:19:28.019 --> 00:19:28.700 So, 00:19:28.939 --> 00:19:29.319 um, 00:19:29.319 --> 00:19:29.819 and this is, 00:19:29.899 --> 00:19:30.039 uh, 00:19:30.039 --> 00:19:31.539 judges two verse 10. 00:19:31.539 --> 00:19:35.799 After that whole generation had been gathered to their ancestors, 00:19:36.420 --> 00:19:39.599 another generation grew up who neither knew the Lord, 00:19:40.079 --> 00:19:41.740 nor what he had done for Israel. 00:19:41.740 --> 00:19:46.880 Then the Israelites did evil in the eyes of the Lord and served the Baals. 00:19:47.359 --> 00:19:49.000 They forsook the Lord, 00:19:49.480 --> 00:19:50.660 the God of their ancestors, 00:19:51.160 --> 00:19:52.460 who had brought them out of Egypt. 00:19:53.140 --> 00:19:57.400 They followed and worship various gods of the peoples around them. 00:19:58.079 --> 00:19:59.180 They aroused the Lord, 00:19:59.579 --> 00:20:04.940 the Lord's anger because they forsook him and served Baal and the Ashtoreths. 00:20:04.940 --> 00:20:06.220 So, 00:20:06.620 --> 00:20:07.400 um, 00:20:08.320 --> 00:20:09.220 so it's, 00:20:09.440 --> 00:20:15.440 so it's really important for our local churches to be declaring the gospel in our communities. 00:20:15.820 --> 00:20:20.080 And it's not only for the benefit of those that are around us in our local communities, 00:20:20.080 --> 00:20:21.580 it's for our benefit as well. 00:20:21.680 --> 00:20:23.299 We need to be reminded as well, 00:20:23.299 --> 00:20:24.279 um, 00:20:24.340 --> 00:20:24.840 of who, 00:20:24.960 --> 00:20:25.200 of, 00:20:25.279 --> 00:20:25.759 of, 00:20:25.860 --> 00:20:26.160 um, 00:20:26.320 --> 00:20:28.400 of God and of Christ. 00:20:30.400 --> 00:20:30.880 So, 00:20:30.880 --> 00:20:32.000 um, 00:20:32.080 --> 00:20:32.440 so yeah, 00:20:32.440 --> 00:20:33.019 verse four, 00:20:33.120 --> 00:20:33.259 do, 00:20:33.420 --> 00:20:35.120 do all the evil doers know nothing. 00:20:35.279 --> 00:20:36.600 So as we've seen, 00:20:36.680 --> 00:20:40.700 the ranks of the evil doers come from all of the children of man. 00:20:41.259 --> 00:20:43.180 So before going, 00:20:43.180 --> 00:20:43.920 um, 00:20:43.920 --> 00:20:45.600 on with any request to the Lord, 00:20:45.920 --> 00:20:50.019 we must seek to deal with the proverbial plank in our own eye. 00:20:50.840 --> 00:20:51.240 Um, 00:20:52.080 --> 00:20:53.080 so are we, 00:20:53.160 --> 00:20:55.680 are we guilty of what we are, 00:20:56.340 --> 00:20:56.660 um, 00:20:56.779 --> 00:20:59.039 if what we'll then be complaining to the Lord for? 00:20:59.320 --> 00:20:59.840 I mean, 00:20:59.880 --> 00:21:00.900 as Steve said this morning, 00:21:00.900 --> 00:21:02.120 we need to be self-aware. 00:21:02.440 --> 00:21:04.759 And we need to bring that to the Lord and, 00:21:04.799 --> 00:21:06.460 and ask him to help us. 00:21:07.460 --> 00:21:07.940 Um, 00:21:07.940 --> 00:21:08.900 so here in, 00:21:08.980 --> 00:21:09.180 in, 00:21:09.240 --> 00:21:10.380 in that verse four, 00:21:10.460 --> 00:21:11.019 we see this, 00:21:11.720 --> 00:21:12.180 uh, 00:21:12.539 --> 00:21:17.840 the Psalmist is really crying out to the Lord in pain because he's seeing his people under attack 00:21:17.840 --> 00:21:19.640 and being exploited, 00:21:19.640 --> 00:21:23.240 exploited by those that don't even know the Lord or call on him. 00:21:23.660 --> 00:21:27.180 And they seem to be profiting and growing and, 00:21:27.240 --> 00:21:30.180 and doing well at the expense of those who love the Lord, 00:21:30.180 --> 00:21:31.360 of the Lord's people. 00:21:32.440 --> 00:21:33.600 So, 00:21:33.860 --> 00:21:34.180 um, 00:21:34.559 --> 00:21:36.820 whilst all people are depraved, 00:21:37.160 --> 00:21:40.720 there are those that the Lord draws to himself and they seek him. 00:21:41.340 --> 00:21:42.620 In David's time, 00:21:42.799 --> 00:21:45.700 it included those in Israel that put their trust in the Lord. 00:21:46.200 --> 00:21:48.059 And since Messiah Jesus came, 00:21:48.519 --> 00:21:50.380 those who follow him and are born again. 00:21:50.380 --> 00:21:55.380 As we saw in the answer to question eight of the catechism, 00:21:56.380 --> 00:21:56.560 uh, 00:21:56.560 --> 00:22:00.780 we are all corrupted unless we have been regenerated by the spirit of God. 00:22:02.240 --> 00:22:02.720 Um, 00:22:02.800 --> 00:22:03.580 around the world, 00:22:03.700 --> 00:22:07.820 Christians are being persecuted and murdered for their faith in Christ. 00:22:07.819 --> 00:22:10.200 And the perpetrators seem to flourish. 00:22:11.000 --> 00:22:15.000 The reports pour in every day via Barnabas fund and open doors. 00:22:15.879 --> 00:22:16.139 And, 00:22:16.220 --> 00:22:16.539 um, 00:22:16.579 --> 00:22:16.960 like, 00:22:17.200 --> 00:22:18.079 like the Psalmist, 00:22:18.159 --> 00:22:22.599 we are to send our laments and our prayers and our cries up to the Lord, 00:22:22.740 --> 00:22:23.299 to them. 00:22:25.519 --> 00:22:26.000 Um, 00:22:26.000 --> 00:22:26.099 um, 00:22:26.579 --> 00:22:27.359 so in the, 00:22:27.380 --> 00:22:28.000 in the next, 00:22:28.119 --> 00:22:28.519 um, 00:22:28.900 --> 00:22:29.380 um, 00:22:29.859 --> 00:22:30.460 verse, 00:22:30.900 --> 00:22:31.279 um, 00:22:31.859 --> 00:22:32.359 okay. 00:22:32.579 --> 00:22:33.279 In the next, 00:22:33.420 --> 00:22:33.640 um, 00:22:33.740 --> 00:22:34.660 in the next verses, 00:22:34.819 --> 00:22:35.140 David, 00:22:35.140 --> 00:22:35.960 uh, 00:22:35.960 --> 00:22:37.700 delves below that facade, 00:22:38.019 --> 00:22:38.440 you know, 00:22:38.440 --> 00:22:39.059 um, 00:22:39.420 --> 00:22:41.099 are, 00:22:41.240 --> 00:22:42.180 are the evil, 00:22:42.519 --> 00:22:45.759 are the evil people really all that happy and really, 00:22:45.759 --> 00:22:46.380 you know, 00:22:46.440 --> 00:22:47.559 living it up and being, 00:22:47.740 --> 00:22:48.000 you know, 00:22:48.039 --> 00:22:49.259 having a joyous time. 00:22:49.339 --> 00:22:50.119 Are they really doing that? 00:22:50.119 --> 00:22:51.119 Um, 00:22:51.719 --> 00:22:53.399 and he says, 00:22:53.539 --> 00:22:53.779 um, 00:22:55.159 --> 00:22:55.979 in verse five, 00:22:56.119 --> 00:22:56.719 but they, 00:22:57.219 --> 00:23:00.199 but there they are overwhelmed with dread. 00:23:02.059 --> 00:23:02.539 Okay. 00:23:02.539 --> 00:23:05.559 So I'm going to go a bit off the beaten thing here already. 00:23:05.659 --> 00:23:06.179 So I'll say, 00:23:06.179 --> 00:23:09.959 can I dare to call that dread existential angst? 00:23:11.019 --> 00:23:11.319 Um, 00:23:11.539 --> 00:23:12.519 for the atheist, 00:23:12.779 --> 00:23:13.739 I imagine it's, 00:23:13.839 --> 00:23:19.459 it's this feeling that's preventing them from going off and enjoying their life as they're instructed to. 00:23:20.119 --> 00:23:21.559 By the posters on the buses, 00:23:21.979 --> 00:23:24.779 even with the probabilistic assurance, 00:23:24.779 --> 00:23:27.199 there is no God to hold them accountable. 00:23:28.659 --> 00:23:30.259 Now I'm not a philosopher. 00:23:30.559 --> 00:23:31.619 I'm not a psychologist, 00:23:32.279 --> 00:23:34.139 not even a theologian come to that, 00:23:34.619 --> 00:23:38.119 but we must all seek to firm up our understanding of the gospel. 00:23:38.519 --> 00:23:43.500 And that includes spending some time investigating the human condition. 00:23:44.539 --> 00:23:44.839 So, 00:23:45.099 --> 00:23:45.439 um, 00:23:45.879 --> 00:23:47.039 if you turn to the internet, 00:23:47.159 --> 00:23:50.099 which I did and look up existential angst, 00:23:50.119 --> 00:23:51.000 did I actually, 00:23:51.179 --> 00:23:51.559 you know, 00:23:51.939 --> 00:23:52.119 get, 00:23:52.199 --> 00:23:52.799 get it right. 00:23:53.039 --> 00:23:53.299 Well, 00:23:53.739 --> 00:23:54.399 it says, 00:23:54.619 --> 00:23:55.039 um, 00:23:55.519 --> 00:23:56.619 existential act, 00:23:56.819 --> 00:23:57.259 angst, 00:23:57.819 --> 00:23:58.759 someone called, 00:23:59.079 --> 00:23:59.339 uh, 00:23:59.339 --> 00:24:01.639 sometimes called existential dread, 00:24:02.319 --> 00:24:02.939 anxiety, 00:24:03.199 --> 00:24:03.899 or anguish, 00:24:03.899 --> 00:24:07.919 is a term common to many existentialist thinkers. 00:24:08.859 --> 00:24:09.379 Um, 00:24:09.379 --> 00:24:15.799 and it's generally held to be a negative feeling arising from the experience of human freedom and responsibility. 00:24:15.799 --> 00:24:18.000 I read that and I, 00:24:18.000 --> 00:24:18.680 yeah, 00:24:18.680 --> 00:24:18.000 I read that and I, 00:24:19.220 --> 00:24:19.419 yeah, 00:24:19.419 --> 00:24:20.740 quite surprising really. 00:24:21.419 --> 00:24:21.720 Um, 00:24:22.159 --> 00:24:23.579 so, 00:24:24.119 --> 00:24:26.059 but I, 00:24:26.099 --> 00:24:27.039 I think it's, 00:24:27.139 --> 00:24:27.480 it's, 00:24:27.700 --> 00:24:28.680 if you bear with me, 00:24:29.099 --> 00:24:29.419 it's, 00:24:29.480 --> 00:24:30.220 it's worth, 00:24:30.680 --> 00:24:31.180 um, 00:24:31.180 --> 00:24:34.360 it's, 00:24:34.460 --> 00:24:36.340 it's worth spending some time here because, 00:24:36.340 --> 00:24:37.140 um, 00:24:37.200 --> 00:24:37.680 we're, 00:24:37.680 --> 00:24:42.279 we're seeking to identify what the fool is really experiencing. 00:24:42.880 --> 00:24:50.039 And it may be that we recognize some elements from what we were like before the Lord called us and we were reborn. 00:24:50.039 --> 00:24:52.200 It may also be that, 00:24:52.200 --> 00:24:53.180 um, 00:24:53.539 --> 00:24:54.220 in your life, 00:24:54.299 --> 00:24:56.180 you're actually feeling some of these, 00:24:56.180 --> 00:24:56.799 um, 00:24:56.819 --> 00:24:57.279 things. 00:24:57.759 --> 00:25:00.000 And it's important to remember, 00:25:00.000 --> 00:25:01.139 um, 00:25:01.819 --> 00:25:02.240 as, 00:25:02.379 --> 00:25:02.659 as, 00:25:02.799 --> 00:25:03.019 um, 00:25:04.059 --> 00:25:05.279 that we have been born again. 00:25:05.720 --> 00:25:06.460 And we, 00:25:06.759 --> 00:25:09.200 and Paul writes in Romans eight, 00:25:10.019 --> 00:25:10.680 um, 00:25:11.099 --> 00:25:11.420 that, 00:25:11.579 --> 00:25:11.899 um, 00:25:12.399 --> 00:25:13.079 that we are no, 00:25:13.279 --> 00:25:13.500 that, 00:25:13.599 --> 00:25:14.500 that through Christ, 00:25:14.500 --> 00:25:16.720 we are no longer in the realms of the flesh, 00:25:16.980 --> 00:25:18.740 but in the realm of the spirit. 00:25:18.740 --> 00:25:25.839 So it's to take heart and realize that you are reborn and regenerate and, 00:25:25.940 --> 00:25:26.380 um, 00:25:26.740 --> 00:25:27.579 that, 00:25:27.799 --> 00:25:28.079 you know, 00:25:28.480 --> 00:25:28.859 but it's, 00:25:28.960 --> 00:25:33.140 it's important to recognize those feelings and be reminded that Christ has got your back, 00:25:33.519 --> 00:25:33.960 basically. 00:25:34.759 --> 00:25:36.960 So a bit further down, 00:25:37.039 --> 00:25:39.400 it then talks about existential despair. 00:25:40.960 --> 00:25:43.799 And despair is generally defined as a loss of hope. 00:25:44.640 --> 00:25:45.039 Um, 00:25:45.039 --> 00:25:46.559 and in existentialism, 00:25:46.680 --> 00:25:48.539 which is this philosophy of, 00:25:48.740 --> 00:25:50.460 philosophy, 00:25:50.640 --> 00:25:52.279 but I'm not going to go into that. 00:25:52.640 --> 00:26:02.019 It is more specifically a loss of hope in a reaction to a breakdown in one or more of the defining qualities of oneself or identity. 00:26:02.019 --> 00:26:04.019 It goes on to say, 00:26:04.019 --> 00:26:04.460 it goes on to say, 00:26:05.119 --> 00:26:05.639 what set, 00:26:05.879 --> 00:26:15.480 what sets the existentialist notion of despair apart from the conventional definition is that existentialist despair is a state of, 00:26:15.740 --> 00:26:15.960 is, 00:26:16.059 --> 00:26:18.119 is a state one is in, 00:26:18.420 --> 00:26:21.059 even when they are not overtly in despair. 00:26:21.059 --> 00:26:25.819 So long as a person's identity depends on qualities that can crumble, 00:26:25.819 --> 00:26:28.839 they are in perpetual despair. 00:26:29.980 --> 00:26:32.740 So for the person that says there is no God, 00:26:33.779 --> 00:26:39.359 they're very likely having to deal with this sense of dread and uneasiness. 00:26:39.359 --> 00:26:43.199 when the noise and busyness of the world subsides, 00:26:44.199 --> 00:26:44.419 um, 00:26:44.619 --> 00:26:46.399 that cloud starts to appear. 00:26:48.019 --> 00:26:48.539 Um, 00:26:48.599 --> 00:26:52.139 and so we come to the second half of verse five, 00:26:52.139 --> 00:26:56.439 for God is present in the company of the righteous, 00:26:56.819 --> 00:26:57.039 right? 00:26:57.039 --> 00:26:58.659 So big amen to that. 00:26:59.500 --> 00:27:00.779 For the regenerate believer, 00:27:01.059 --> 00:27:03.899 our core identity is now rooted in Christ. 00:27:04.700 --> 00:27:14.539 If my life before was all about my ability in doing some thing or identifying my worth through my job title and nothing else, 00:27:15.019 --> 00:27:16.920 I would be in that precarious position. 00:27:17.379 --> 00:27:19.539 But as one of the Lord's people, 00:27:20.079 --> 00:27:24.039 my core identity now has its root in Christ. 00:27:24.039 --> 00:27:28.119 And God's qualities definitely are not going to crumble. 00:27:29.279 --> 00:27:31.180 So in my own walk with the Lord, 00:27:31.980 --> 00:27:32.279 it's, 00:27:32.379 --> 00:27:37.119 it has taken many years for me to transfer that solid rock truth from, 00:27:37.659 --> 00:27:37.940 um, 00:27:38.000 --> 00:27:39.200 from my head to my heart. 00:27:39.200 --> 00:27:39.639 And, 00:27:39.740 --> 00:27:40.680 and God has been, 00:27:40.680 --> 00:27:41.399 um, 00:27:42.200 --> 00:27:44.079 graciously patient throughout that, 00:27:44.460 --> 00:27:45.180 all that time. 00:27:46.200 --> 00:27:46.559 Um, 00:27:46.819 --> 00:27:47.819 so I would, 00:27:47.980 --> 00:27:50.319 so I would bring before us the, 00:27:51.079 --> 00:27:51.480 um, 00:27:52.079 --> 00:27:53.599 this first question, 00:27:53.599 --> 00:27:54.519 the, 00:27:54.579 --> 00:27:54.859 the, 00:27:54.859 --> 00:27:58.399 the first question of the Heidelberg catechism. 00:27:58.539 --> 00:27:59.799 I think it's worth just, 00:27:59.799 --> 00:28:01.000 um, 00:28:01.319 --> 00:28:02.839 reading it and, 00:28:02.919 --> 00:28:03.439 um, 00:28:03.819 --> 00:28:04.079 and, 00:28:04.179 --> 00:28:04.399 and, 00:28:04.399 --> 00:28:04.699 and, 00:28:04.699 --> 00:28:06.719 and taking our comfort from it. 00:28:06.719 --> 00:28:07.839 So it's, 00:28:07.939 --> 00:28:08.439 it asks, 00:28:08.599 --> 00:28:10.899 what is your only comfort in life and death? 00:28:12.579 --> 00:28:15.219 And the answer is that I am not my own, 00:28:15.220 --> 00:28:18.819 but I belong with body and soul, 00:28:18.819 --> 00:28:22.259 both in life and death to my faithful Jesus, 00:28:22.860 --> 00:28:23.100 savior, 00:28:23.240 --> 00:28:24.039 Jesus Christ. 00:28:24.819 --> 00:28:32.039 He is fully paid for all my sins with his precious blood and has set me free from all the power of the devil. 00:28:32.039 --> 00:28:37.299 He also preserves me in such a way that without the will of my heavenly father, 00:28:37.759 --> 00:28:39.460 not a hair can fall on my head. 00:28:40.240 --> 00:28:40.440 Indeed, 00:28:40.559 --> 00:28:43.099 all things must work together for my salvation. 00:28:44.119 --> 00:28:44.399 Therefore, 00:28:44.539 --> 00:28:46.019 by his Holy Spirit, 00:28:46.559 --> 00:28:54.339 he also assures me of eternal life and makes me heartily willing and ready from now on to live for him. 00:28:54.339 --> 00:28:58.859 So that really is a true source of comfort, 00:28:58.859 --> 00:28:59.599 um, 00:28:59.699 --> 00:29:00.439 for the believer. 00:29:01.299 --> 00:29:02.619 So take heart. 00:29:03.000 --> 00:29:07.539 The Lord is gracious and compassionate and he knows the problems that you battle. 00:29:08.579 --> 00:29:11.720 And as a community of believers and as individuals, 00:29:12.539 --> 00:29:12.759 um, 00:29:12.859 --> 00:29:13.079 we, 00:29:13.159 --> 00:29:13.539 we have, 00:29:13.779 --> 00:29:18.199 we must pray that we reflect on God's presence amongst, 00:29:18.419 --> 00:29:18.959 among us, 00:29:19.379 --> 00:29:22.039 the love that we show each other, 00:29:22.119 --> 00:29:23.519 the joy we have in the Lord, 00:29:23.519 --> 00:29:30.720 and being about his business should cause visitors to pause and consider that something supernatural is, 00:29:30.720 --> 00:29:31.019 is, 00:29:31.019 --> 00:29:31.660 is happening. 00:29:32.619 --> 00:29:32.900 Um, 00:29:33.299 --> 00:29:34.759 but not only when we gather, 00:29:34.879 --> 00:29:35.740 but also in the, 00:29:35.740 --> 00:29:38.940 the daily mundaneness of our daily lives. 00:29:41.339 --> 00:29:42.440 So in, 00:29:42.500 --> 00:29:43.299 in verse six, 00:29:43.379 --> 00:29:44.599 the Psalmist acknowledges, 00:29:44.599 --> 00:29:45.420 uh, 00:29:45.420 --> 00:29:46.879 that evil doers do, 00:29:46.960 --> 00:29:47.420 um, 00:29:47.460 --> 00:29:49.200 frustrate the plans of the poor, 00:29:49.740 --> 00:29:50.519 but the, 00:29:50.539 --> 00:29:51.379 the Lord is, 00:29:51.559 --> 00:29:51.779 um, 00:29:52.000 --> 00:29:52.900 the Lord is there, 00:29:52.900 --> 00:29:54.200 their refuge. 00:29:55.200 --> 00:29:57.060 And so how does that work in, 00:29:57.140 --> 00:29:57.860 in practice? 00:29:58.960 --> 00:29:59.220 Um, 00:29:59.720 --> 00:30:03.360 question 28 of the catechism asks, 00:30:03.640 --> 00:30:11.519 what does it benefit us to know that God has created all things and still upholds them by his providence? 00:30:11.519 --> 00:30:15.180 And the answer that's given there is, 00:30:15.680 --> 00:30:18.139 we can be patient in adversity, 00:30:18.720 --> 00:30:21.859 we can be thankful in prosperity, 00:30:21.859 --> 00:30:24.940 and with a view to the future, 00:30:25.359 --> 00:30:29.039 we can have a firm confidence in our faithful God and Father, 00:30:29.579 --> 00:30:31.839 that no creature shall separate us, 00:30:32.319 --> 00:30:32.720 um, 00:30:32.720 --> 00:30:33.900 from his love. 00:30:33.900 --> 00:30:36.960 for all creatures are so completely in his hand, 00:30:37.019 --> 00:30:38.360 that without his will, 00:30:38.740 --> 00:30:40.540 they cannot so much as move. 00:30:42.259 --> 00:30:42.780 So, 00:30:43.220 --> 00:30:46.240 the Lord is working for us, 00:30:46.480 --> 00:30:46.820 and he's, 00:30:46.880 --> 00:30:47.200 he's, 00:30:47.300 --> 00:30:47.820 he's, 00:30:48.200 --> 00:30:49.080 he, 00:30:49.200 --> 00:30:51.440 he's in control of every aspect of our lives. 00:30:51.440 --> 00:30:54.480 The catechism references Job, 00:30:54.480 --> 00:30:55.140 Job, 00:30:55.279 --> 00:30:55.600 uh, 00:30:55.600 --> 00:30:55.900 one, 00:30:56.360 --> 00:30:57.559 verse 121, 00:30:58.279 --> 00:30:58.680 um, 00:30:58.680 --> 00:31:00.120 and that's where Job is, 00:31:00.279 --> 00:31:01.539 has heard that all his children, 00:31:01.539 --> 00:31:02.160 um, 00:31:02.680 --> 00:31:04.039 had just died. 00:31:04.680 --> 00:31:05.600 And he proclaimed, 00:31:06.459 --> 00:31:08.279 naked I come from my mother's womb, 00:31:08.699 --> 00:31:10.199 and naked I shall depart. 00:31:10.980 --> 00:31:11.939 The Lord gave, 00:31:12.119 --> 00:31:13.419 and the Lord has taken away. 00:31:14.059 --> 00:31:15.619 May the name of the Lord be praised. 00:31:16.839 --> 00:31:19.399 And it also references Romans 8, 00:31:19.579 --> 00:31:21.779 verses 38 to 39. 00:31:22.679 --> 00:31:23.759 So Paul writes, 00:31:24.339 --> 00:31:28.059 for I am convinced that neither death nor life, 00:31:28.819 --> 00:31:30.439 neither angels or demons, 00:31:31.279 --> 00:31:32.240 neither the present, 00:31:32.819 --> 00:31:33.740 nor the future, 00:31:33.740 --> 00:31:35.539 nor any powers, 00:31:36.079 --> 00:31:36.900 neither height, 00:31:37.039 --> 00:31:37.740 nor depth, 00:31:38.160 --> 00:31:39.960 nor anything else in all creation, 00:31:40.460 --> 00:31:45.880 will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord. 00:31:46.720 --> 00:31:49.339 The Lord is truly our refuge. 00:31:51.380 --> 00:31:52.220 And so, 00:31:52.400 --> 00:31:53.420 to the last verse. 00:31:56.160 --> 00:31:59.120 How blessed are we to be alive now? 00:32:00.200 --> 00:32:03.720 David's outpouring of desire for God to restore Israel from our lives, 00:32:03.740 --> 00:32:04.299 out of Zion, 00:32:04.759 --> 00:32:06.700 is something that we have seen fulfilled. 00:32:07.559 --> 00:32:08.400 And not only that, 00:32:08.480 --> 00:32:15.059 God's word is available freely to almost every person on the planet in so many different languages. 00:32:15.759 --> 00:32:18.299 And we stand atop a mountain, 00:32:18.500 --> 00:32:22.980 seeing the Old Testament prophecies fulfilled in the coming of Christ Jesus, 00:32:22.980 --> 00:32:24.000 and the saving, 00:32:24.000 --> 00:32:24.400 and the saving, 00:32:24.539 --> 00:32:26.079 and his saving work on the cross. 00:32:27.220 --> 00:32:30.799 But we also have our own waiting and trusting in the Lord to do. 00:32:31.599 --> 00:32:34.319 And David acknowledges that salvation is God's, 00:32:34.319 --> 00:32:35.620 is God's alone. 00:32:36.339 --> 00:32:37.200 Without him, 00:32:37.319 --> 00:32:38.220 we can do nothing. 00:32:39.259 --> 00:32:40.660 We cannot do good works, 00:32:40.660 --> 00:32:41.620 or sacrifices, 00:32:41.620 --> 00:32:44.120 or promise God anything 00:32:44.120 --> 00:32:46.579 through our own effort. 00:32:46.579 --> 00:32:49.259 The standard is just too high. 00:32:51.799 --> 00:32:54.199 Question two of the Catechism asks, 00:32:54.859 --> 00:33:00.000 what do you need to know in order to live and die in the joy of this comfort? 00:33:00.000 --> 00:33:02.460 And the answer is first, 00:33:03.119 --> 00:33:05.019 how great my sins and misery are. 00:33:06.119 --> 00:33:06.599 Second, 00:33:07.000 --> 00:33:10.619 how I am to be delivered from my sins and misery. 00:33:11.240 --> 00:33:12.220 And third, 00:33:12.460 --> 00:33:16.000 how I am to be thankful to God for such a deliverance. 00:33:16.619 --> 00:33:17.440 So it's the guilt, 00:33:17.799 --> 00:33:18.180 grace, 00:33:18.339 --> 00:33:19.099 and gratitude 00:33:19.099 --> 00:33:20.000 over, 00:33:20.279 --> 00:33:20.819 and over, 00:33:20.960 --> 00:33:21.440 and over. 00:33:22.400 --> 00:33:23.740 Christ will surely return. 00:33:23.740 --> 00:33:28.440 So we have that waiting and trusting upon the Lord to do. 00:33:29.400 --> 00:33:32.000 And whilst we may be desperately saying, 00:33:32.200 --> 00:33:32.900 come Lord Jesus, 00:33:33.099 --> 00:33:33.339 come, 00:33:33.660 --> 00:33:34.500 in our hearts, 00:33:34.900 --> 00:33:37.539 each day God waits 00:33:37.539 --> 00:33:40.859 is one more day for the Lord to do his redeeming work 00:33:40.859 --> 00:33:42.559 on our loved ones, 00:33:43.279 --> 00:33:43.900 our neighbors, 00:33:44.859 --> 00:33:46.900 and our enemies that have yet to be saved. 00:33:48.019 --> 00:33:48.140 So, 00:33:48.539 --> 00:33:48.980 that's it. 00:33:49.980 --> 00:33:50.279 Amen. 00:33:50.940 --> 00:33:51.460 Thank you.