WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:15.599 Hi, my name is George Sinclair. I'm the lead pastor of Church of the Messiah. 00:00:15.599 --> 00:00:20.480 ! It is wonderful that you would like to check out some of the sermons done by Church of the Messiah, 00:00:20.480 --> 00:00:25.679 either by myself or some of the others. Listen, just a couple of things. First of all, would you pray for us 00:00:25.679 --> 00:00:32.159 that we will open God's Word well to His glory and for the good of people like yourself? 00:00:32.159 --> 00:00:37.359 The second thing is, if you aren't connected to a church and if you are a Christian, 00:00:37.359 --> 00:00:42.159 we really, I would really like to encourage you to find a good local church where they believe the 00:00:42.159 --> 00:00:48.799 Bible, they preach the gospel, and if you have some trouble finding that, send us an email. We will do 00:00:48.799 --> 00:00:55.120 what we can to help connect you with a good local church wherever you are. And if you're a non-Christian, 00:00:55.119 --> 00:01:00.320 checking us out, we're really, really, really glad you're doing that. Don't hesitate to send us 00:01:00.320 --> 00:01:05.280 questions. It helps me actually to know, as I'm preaching, how to deal with the types of things 00:01:05.280 --> 00:01:07.679 that you're really struggling with. So God bless. 00:01:07.679 --> 00:01:18.799 It's my privilege to preach for you this morning from Psalm 136. So if you have a Bible, I encourage 00:01:18.799 --> 00:01:23.759 you to open that and find it. If you don't, we've got a few extra here that we'd love to just give you. 00:01:23.760 --> 00:01:28.000 Feel free there on the front. You can come down, grab one. It'd be great if you followed along, 00:01:28.000 --> 00:01:33.200 because it's a big psalm. It's the psalm that Owen read for us. So I'm not going to go through 00:01:33.200 --> 00:01:38.480 every single part of it as I mention it, but hopefully the sermon is faithful to the whole 00:01:38.480 --> 00:01:43.040 text. And I encourage you to have the Bible open so you can see, and so you can see how 00:01:43.040 --> 00:01:46.240 the Lord is speaking to you from the scriptures itself. 00:01:47.680 --> 00:01:54.240 Well, first thing to say about Psalm 136 is that this is a psalm about, well, you know what? 00:01:54.560 --> 00:01:57.840 Before I start, let's just pray. Why don't we just pray? 00:01:59.280 --> 00:02:05.600 Father in heaven, Lord, we thank you for this day. We thank you just for the chance that it is to come 00:02:05.599 --> 00:02:12.079 together as your church to worship you through song, to worship you in prayer and studying your 00:02:12.079 --> 00:02:16.719 word. And we ask, Lord, that you would speak to us this morning through your word, and that we would 00:02:16.719 --> 00:02:23.199 be reminded afresh about your steadfast love, which does endure forever, and that you are worthy of all 00:02:23.199 --> 00:02:28.319 of our praise. And I ask, Lord, that you would set our hearts free to worship you rightly, that we would 00:02:28.319 --> 00:02:34.479 have the joy of knowing an intimate relationship with you through Jesus Christ. Amen. Amen. 00:02:36.079 --> 00:02:42.000 Well, so the first thing to say about this psalm is that it's about praise. And, you know, if you're 00:02:42.000 --> 00:02:48.879 new to Christianity, or if you're visiting with a friend, welcome here. But praise is a, it's kind of 00:02:48.879 --> 00:02:55.199 a religious word. It's not a word that is in everyday speech, I would say, for the most part. But the basic 00:02:55.199 --> 00:03:01.599 idea of it is, it's, well, it's something we all do. So later on this evening, I'm looking forward to 00:03:01.599 --> 00:03:06.479 watching the new Spider-Man to go see it in theaters. I think it's going to be great. And if I say, 00:03:07.119 --> 00:03:13.439 wow, that was a great movie, you've got to go see that. That's praise, you know, because I've really 00:03:13.439 --> 00:03:18.639 enjoyed the movie, I've really enjoyed it, and I think that there's something great in it, and I'm 00:03:18.639 --> 00:03:24.639 really commending it to other people. And I'm acknowledging it as good. And that's basically praise. 00:03:25.439 --> 00:03:31.679 But the Bible tells us that God is the one who is most worthy of our praise, and that we should 00:03:31.679 --> 00:03:39.039 know God in a way that is not just abstract, but that really enjoys him, that enters into a knowledge 00:03:39.039 --> 00:03:45.039 of him that delights in him, and that acknowledges him as good, and that shares that and expresses that, 00:03:45.599 --> 00:03:49.839 that kind of enjoyment. And so praise, and by that I mean that this heartfelt, 00:03:49.840 --> 00:03:55.520 personal thankfulness to God that acknowledges him, and that makes it a big deal of him, 00:03:55.520 --> 00:04:01.759 and that really delights in him, I've got to confess that that doesn't really come naturally to me. 00:04:01.759 --> 00:04:08.000 You know, you wake up in the morning, maybe you've got a Bible reading kind of habit or something like 00:04:08.000 --> 00:04:13.759 that, and if you're like me, you wake up and your heart's not just ready to go, praise the Lord, 00:04:13.759 --> 00:04:19.199 this is a great day, I'm just so thankful to be here, so thankful for God. But often when I get up, 00:04:19.199 --> 00:04:24.879 my heart's kind of a little cold, and my love for God feels just kind of a little bit low sometimes. 00:04:24.879 --> 00:04:31.839 And sometimes it's like that when we come to church. And so I think that what this psalm does for us 00:04:31.839 --> 00:04:37.920 here, it offers us something really wonderful, because it doesn't just say, praise God, you've 00:04:37.920 --> 00:04:45.839 got to do it. It tells us why we should praise God, and it also tells us how to praise God. And it takes 00:04:45.839 --> 00:04:53.040 us on a journey, if you will, it takes us on an odyssey to get there. And so turn with me to the Psalm 136, 00:04:53.040 --> 00:04:59.920 and let's read the first part of verse one. Give thanks to the Lord. Why do we give thanks to the 00:04:59.920 --> 00:05:07.280 Lord? Well, it says for or because he is good. And just a little pause here, that this is, I think, 00:05:07.320 --> 00:05:13.640 constructive for us. It doesn't simply just say, give thanks to the Lord, praise the Lord, because he's all 00:05:13.640 --> 00:05:19.480 powerful, and you need to. You know, God is all powerful, and we should praise him, even for that alone. 00:05:19.480 --> 00:05:26.500 But what does it say? It says it prays God because he's good. And how do we know his goodness? 00:05:27.660 --> 00:05:34.819 Well, the next verse tells us, and this reason gets repeated 26 times throughout the psalm. It says, 00:05:35.680 --> 00:05:44.280 for or because his steadfast love endures forever. Just an aside before we move on with here, 00:05:44.279 --> 00:05:50.500 when verse two, when it calls God the God of gods and the Lord of lords, he's not, the psalmist isn't 00:05:50.500 --> 00:05:55.319 just saying that our God, the God of the Bible, is, you know, the main God, but there's all these other 00:05:55.319 --> 00:06:00.879 ones. He's just the biggest. What he means here by this is that our God is the only real God. He's the 00:06:00.879 --> 00:06:07.799 only God. There's other spirits, but our God is God. You know, we're going to see two theaters, two stages 00:06:07.800 --> 00:06:14.639 throughout the psalm, one of creation, and one of world history. And we see here that God is completely 00:06:14.639 --> 00:06:20.660 in control of creation. He doesn't need anybody's help. He alone is God. But also in world history, 00:06:20.819 --> 00:06:26.120 sure, there's other, there's kings, there's world governments, but at the end of the day, God is king 00:06:26.120 --> 00:06:31.980 over all things. He's almighty and all powerful. But what this psalm is going to show us is that 00:06:31.980 --> 00:06:38.340 God uses his great power in his rule for, in love, which makes him completely unique. 00:06:39.780 --> 00:06:43.780 And so my first point of three points, they're very simple, but the first point is this, 00:06:44.319 --> 00:06:50.680 thank and praise God, not just because he's all powerful, but because he is good. We can see that 00:06:50.680 --> 00:06:57.180 from these first three verses, or at the end of verse 26, we see that too. Well, there's another thing 00:06:57.180 --> 00:07:03.620 that stands out to us here that we could miss. What does it mean to give thanks to God? I mean, 00:07:03.699 --> 00:07:08.480 on this superficial level, I think that sounds just obvious. Just give thanks, just be thankful. And 00:07:08.480 --> 00:07:14.699 yes, that's true. But George gave me, Pastor George gave me a little stack of commentaries, 00:07:14.699 --> 00:07:20.800 and they were really helpful. And they were written by people way better educated and way smarter than me. 00:07:21.019 --> 00:07:25.180 And they all said that in the original language that this psalm was written in, 00:07:25.180 --> 00:07:31.340 that give thanks is a bit deeper than that. You know, it's a thanks that has content to it. It's not 00:07:31.340 --> 00:07:37.360 just saying, oh, thank God. Why? Oh, I don't know. It's nothing. It's actually telling us why we should 00:07:37.360 --> 00:07:44.840 thank God. Because implicit in this is this idea that we are remembering God, who he is, his goodness, 00:07:45.360 --> 00:07:51.460 but we're also remembering everything he's done for us, and his goodness to God's people, 00:07:51.459 --> 00:07:57.139 his goodness to me personally. And so it's a call to really praise God 00:07:57.139 --> 00:08:02.139 with the reason why, seeing who he is and how good he truly is, 00:08:02.379 --> 00:08:10.859 and how deeply he deserves our praise. You know, there's a story about a Scotsman visiting a church 00:08:10.859 --> 00:08:15.779 in the U.S., and he'd been having a rough morning, and he finally arrives at church, 00:08:15.779 --> 00:08:23.219 and the worship leader opens and just says from the front, says, how is everybody feeling? Feeling 00:08:23.219 --> 00:08:29.000 great. Let's worship. And the story goes, this Scotsman, he's maybe a bit curmudgeonly, 00:08:29.439 --> 00:08:37.259 and he says, how am I feeling? I'm feeling lousy. I slept bad. The kids are a mess. I kicked the cat on 00:08:37.259 --> 00:08:43.519 the way out the house. I got stuck in traffic, and I got road rage, and then I got to church late. How am I 00:08:43.519 --> 00:08:49.860 feeling? I'm not feeling great. I'm not feeling primed for worship. And if that's you, I think the 00:08:49.860 --> 00:08:54.240 psalm has something good for you here. What do you do when you're not feeling worshipful? 00:08:55.000 --> 00:08:59.659 What do you do when you're not feeling worshipful, but you know that worship is something you should 00:08:59.659 --> 00:09:05.319 do, but it's also, you know it's a real joy, because you've experienced it before. Well, what do you do? 00:09:05.399 --> 00:09:11.100 You remember God, and you think about what you've learned of him, all he's done for you, 00:09:11.100 --> 00:09:17.879 and you remember his steadfast love towards you, and then maybe your heart's more ready to praise. 00:09:18.500 --> 00:09:24.399 You know, worship is not about just purely a good feeling or good vibes, and it's not about going 00:09:24.399 --> 00:09:31.159 through the motions. It comes from the heart, and this psalm models us for us a way to prepare our 00:09:31.159 --> 00:09:36.460 hearts for worship by remembering and thanking God for all of the different ways he's been good to you, 00:09:36.460 --> 00:09:42.080 and that's what we see next. I mentioned that we're going to see two stages, the stage of creation 00:09:42.080 --> 00:09:47.280 and the stage of history. Well, let's start with creation here, verses four through nine. 00:09:48.580 --> 00:09:54.379 You know, when we think about nature, I think the first thing we see is just nature is so fine-tuned. 00:09:54.379 --> 00:10:01.440 You know, everything fits together perfectly. You know, people often say if we were a little closer 00:10:01.440 --> 00:10:07.720 to the sun or a little further away, that life on earth would not have the conditions to support 00:10:07.720 --> 00:10:13.240 human life, and you know, we could think of a billion other examples of just how balanced the 00:10:13.240 --> 00:10:20.560 world is, how many conditions need to be right in order for us just as human people to physically live, 00:10:21.340 --> 00:10:27.140 and we see here that God has made us, for us in this earth, a perfect habitat, 00:10:27.139 --> 00:10:33.939 and nobody else has this kind of power or understanding or wisdom like God who does this, 00:10:34.340 --> 00:10:39.740 but the psalmist says that not only in this do we see God's power, his understanding, his wisdom, 00:10:39.740 --> 00:10:47.580 but we also see his love. You know, not only does creation work, but it's also extremely beautiful. 00:10:47.580 --> 00:10:56.080 I mean, God as creator, he was like an engineer, a brilliant engineer who created this most efficient 00:10:56.080 --> 00:11:03.200 system to support life. Things work. It's great. It's brilliant, but God has also been like an artist 00:11:03.200 --> 00:11:09.280 who's made for us a beautiful place, not just to live, but to enjoy, and why did he need to do this? 00:11:09.320 --> 00:11:14.180 I mean, he didn't need to make the world beautiful, if you think about it. It could have just been like a 00:11:14.179 --> 00:11:19.259 little, you know, I don't know. It could have just been purely mechanical, but God made us a beautiful 00:11:19.259 --> 00:11:26.120 place to enjoy in this world, and that's because he loves us, because his steadfast love endures forever. 00:11:26.739 --> 00:11:32.079 I mean, how often do we think of or not think of just how wonderful the world is? I mean, 00:11:32.819 --> 00:11:38.359 I mean, there's colors, there's trees, there's flowers, there's the ocean, there's the sunsets, 00:11:38.360 --> 00:11:44.779 there's all these sorts of things, and it's fantastic, and these things show us God's love for us. 00:11:47.399 --> 00:11:53.240 I'm not a parent myself, but I've seen enough movies to know that sometimes first-time parents, 00:11:53.639 --> 00:11:58.860 you know, when they have their first born, it's not typical to go the Harry Potter route and 00:11:58.860 --> 00:12:04.680 put a little bed in the pantry or in the closet, but typically, at least I've heard, 00:12:04.679 --> 00:12:09.959 that first-time parents often want to make a beautiful home for their kids, you know. Maybe 00:12:09.959 --> 00:12:16.039 they paint a baby room all nice, and they put stuff in there, and they get a crib, and they want to 00:12:16.039 --> 00:12:23.239 not just create a place that's efficient or safe, but to create a space that's beautiful for this new 00:12:23.239 --> 00:12:27.500 member of their family, and I think that God has done something like that for us in creation, 00:12:28.000 --> 00:12:32.500 that he's made us a place to be, but also a place to enjoy that's just for us. 00:12:32.500 --> 00:12:40.500 So, you know, it's getting a little cold, and I like the fall a lot, so maybe, you know, thinking of 00:12:40.500 --> 00:12:46.019 Thanksgiving, but Thanksgiving comes around in a few months, and maybe you're at a table, maybe you 00:12:46.019 --> 00:12:51.240 have a family tradition, and people say, hey, what are you thankful for this Thanksgiving? I have some 00:12:51.240 --> 00:12:58.679 suggestions for you from Psalm 136, verses 7 through 9. Sunshine by day, moonlight by night, 00:12:58.679 --> 00:13:05.739 stars in the sky, and also the ability that we get from these things, from the sun, from the moon, 00:13:05.739 --> 00:13:12.739 to count time, like 24-hour days. We count our hours, our days, our months, our years, and that means we 00:13:12.739 --> 00:13:19.139 get weekends out of that. We get anniversaries. We get birthdays. We get holidays, all because God has 00:13:19.139 --> 00:13:25.120 given us things that we just take for granted, that we just take for granted, but creation and all 00:13:25.120 --> 00:13:32.320 within it are gifts from God for us to enjoy because God loves us, and that's pretty incredible. 00:13:33.000 --> 00:13:39.320 And so that's my second point, that God proves his goodness by his steadfast love toward you 00:13:39.320 --> 00:13:47.539 as creator. We see that in these verses here, and also verse 25. But throughout the Psalm, 00:13:47.539 --> 00:13:54.659 throughout Psalm 136, we see that this love that the Psalm talks about isn't just a generic love. 00:13:54.899 --> 00:13:59.799 It's not the kind of love that, you know, you're rooting for England and FIFA, but they lose, so now 00:13:59.799 --> 00:14:04.819 you're rooting for Spain. You know, it's not a fickle love or something like that, but it's a steadfast 00:14:04.819 --> 00:14:11.159 love. And what does that mean? Well, another way of saying that is that God's love never ends. 00:14:11.159 --> 00:14:17.719 It's a loyal love. It's a covenantal love, if you know that word. It's committed. It's a committed love 00:14:17.719 --> 00:14:25.459 with no end. And it's unchanging, and it doesn't give up. And the Psalm shows us that creation is 00:14:25.459 --> 00:14:35.079 evidence for that. And so here's the point of application, that if you feel unloved, or if you 00:14:35.080 --> 00:14:41.240 are, maybe you're a Christian and you feel like that you've done enough wrong, that maybe God will 00:14:41.240 --> 00:14:46.420 kind of tolerate you, but God might not love you, that God might not care about you that much, 00:14:47.420 --> 00:14:53.160 well, take, the Psalm tells you, just take a moment, take a step back, and see that God created you 00:14:53.160 --> 00:14:59.980 because he loved you. God sustains you because he loved you. And the sun is still shining on you, 00:14:59.980 --> 00:15:05.659 or reigning and giving life, but you get to enjoy the world. You get to enjoy creation, 00:15:06.180 --> 00:15:11.920 no matter what you've done, or no matter what you do. And why, this is not something we should just 00:15:11.920 --> 00:15:20.120 take for granted. God is showing his love towards all people as their creator by giving us this life, 00:15:20.480 --> 00:15:26.279 keeping us in this life, enjoying these good things, this creation. And that's proof that God 00:15:26.279 --> 00:15:35.079 loves all people with a love that endures as their creator. Well, next we move from the stage of 00:15:35.079 --> 00:15:42.120 creation to the stage of world history. And at this point, we also move from the love of God towards 00:15:42.120 --> 00:15:49.519 all that he's made as creator, towards a special love for his people that are in a covenantal or in a 00:15:49.519 --> 00:15:57.460 committed relationship with him. But verse 10 stands out a bit as we read it. Stands out like a sore thumb, I think. 00:15:58.100 --> 00:16:00.259 Well, let's read it. Verse 10 says this, 00:16:01.919 --> 00:16:04.740 Give thanks to him who struck down the firstborn of Egypt, 00:16:05.539 --> 00:16:08.559 for his steadfast love endures forever. 00:16:10.480 --> 00:16:12.399 That might sound like a bit of a 00:16:12.399 --> 00:16:16.360 change from what we've just read. We've just read about how God has a 00:16:16.360 --> 00:16:20.159 has a love for towards everything that he's made. So what's what's going on here? 00:16:21.480 --> 00:16:22.600 Well, for those who 00:16:22.600 --> 00:16:25.580 maybe for those who are new to Christian, new to the Bible, 00:16:26.100 --> 00:16:28.899 this is referring to the Exodus, you know, that 00:16:28.899 --> 00:16:31.779 defining origin story of Israel as a nation. 00:16:32.960 --> 00:16:34.659 The Israelites, they had been 00:16:34.659 --> 00:16:38.419 enslaved by the Egyptians, put into a very, very long, 00:16:38.940 --> 00:16:39.980 brutal slavery. 00:16:39.980 --> 00:16:47.639 And then what happens is that that God sends Moses to go to Pharaoh, the king of Egypt and say, 00:16:48.340 --> 00:16:49.200 let my people go, 00:16:49.440 --> 00:16:53.639 let them free, stop enslaving them, stop brutalizing them and 00:16:53.639 --> 00:16:59.200 murdering them and setting them to this brutal oppression, but set them free and let them go. 00:17:00.080 --> 00:17:00.159 And 00:17:00.159 --> 00:17:04.160 Pharaoh says, who is God that I should listen to him? 00:17:04.779 --> 00:17:06.980 I'm going to do my own thing. I'm going to keep on doing this. 00:17:06.980 --> 00:17:09.680 I'm not going to show any mercy. I'm going to oppress these people. 00:17:10.299 --> 00:17:12.559 And Moses, God says to Moses that 00:17:12.559 --> 00:17:17.039 that each of these times he's going to send what a supernatural 00:17:17.039 --> 00:17:24.380 sign of judgment, something that traditionally we call plagues, you know, at the 10 plagues over Egypt. 00:17:24.940 --> 00:17:28.759 Not that they were all about like a virus or something like that, but these are all 00:17:28.759 --> 00:17:35.180 10 supernatural, demonstrable signs that God means business, that he's serious. 00:17:35.180 --> 00:17:43.060 And then after Pharaoh would reject the sign and this declaration, this warning, the sign would happen. 00:17:43.680 --> 00:17:46.519 And then Moses would come back and say, God says, let my people go. 00:17:46.980 --> 00:17:48.860 And Pharaoh would say, no. 00:17:49.100 --> 00:17:50.600 And then the next sign would happen. 00:17:50.720 --> 00:17:57.380 And this goes back and forth and back and forth 10 times until finally God comes to Moses and says, 00:17:57.519 --> 00:17:58.519 let my people go. 00:17:58.720 --> 00:18:01.720 And if you don't, this last one, it's going to happen. 00:18:01.720 --> 00:18:11.059 And Pharaoh in Egypt still said no, still did not let them go, still did not release their chokehold on Israel 00:18:11.059 --> 00:18:14.019 and stop their oppression. 00:18:15.100 --> 00:18:19.900 And it took this final plague in order to break that hold and let them go. 00:18:20.600 --> 00:18:21.680 So that's the history. 00:18:21.839 --> 00:18:24.200 But how do we, what can we say about this? 00:18:24.279 --> 00:18:25.480 Some things we can say. 00:18:25.480 --> 00:18:34.140 Well, I think the first thing we can say is that this didn't come without warning, that God didn't just show up and say, I'm going to do this to Egypt. 00:18:35.240 --> 00:18:47.220 But no, this is, this is the final plague, the final judgment following 10 previous judgments, 10 previous plagues with the warning, let my people go, all of which were ignored. 00:18:47.220 --> 00:18:51.660 You know, we, we sometimes think that, oh, I'm a, I'm a gracious guy. 00:18:51.779 --> 00:18:52.839 I give second chances. 00:18:53.339 --> 00:18:57.259 Or maybe I'm really, really gracious and I give three chances. 00:18:57.759 --> 00:19:01.339 But God gives 10 chances here and then an 11th. 00:19:02.259 --> 00:19:06.779 And I think we also forget that this doesn't happen in a vacuum. 00:19:07.100 --> 00:19:14.360 This is after over, this is over, after about 400 years of tyrannical, brutal, brutal slavery. 00:19:14.359 --> 00:19:20.799 And in the midst of that, there's also a genocide against Israel's baby boys as well, too. 00:19:21.299 --> 00:19:25.019 And then God sends Moses and says, let my people go. 00:19:25.159 --> 00:19:27.899 And he gives 10 chances to Egypt. 00:19:27.959 --> 00:19:34.799 And each of these times with a proven, legitimizing, supernatural sign saying this is serious. 00:19:35.519 --> 00:19:39.139 This is serious before it reaches this, this breaking point. 00:19:39.740 --> 00:19:44.299 What, what I mean by this is that the scriptures are true and it says God is slow to anger. 00:19:44.359 --> 00:19:50.479 This passage is not teaching us that God hates people. 00:19:50.719 --> 00:19:56.979 You know, we've seen before that God has a common, gracious love towards everybody by making them and sustaining them in this life. 00:19:57.539 --> 00:20:04.339 But the theologians sometimes refer to judgment as God's, as God's reluctant work. 00:20:04.939 --> 00:20:07.319 Because God would rather save than judge. 00:20:07.319 --> 00:20:11.359 And, but we see sometimes salvation is a double-edged sword. 00:20:11.359 --> 00:20:26.460 You know, the same, the same deliverance is sometimes the same, the same action and strong action of God to save is sometimes the same action that results in judgment for those who would oppress and keep, keep down and do violence to God's people. 00:20:26.460 --> 00:20:32.640 This passage teaches us that God loves his people. 00:20:33.019 --> 00:20:39.259 That's, that's the focus that no one will stop God from saving his people. 00:20:39.259 --> 00:20:41.539 And that is my third point. 00:20:42.319 --> 00:20:50.180 That God proves his goodness by his steadfast love towards his people as their savior. 00:20:50.359 --> 00:20:55.180 That he proves his goodness by his steadfast love towards his people as their savior. 00:20:56.759 --> 00:21:07.519 And we see that not, after this, we see not only this, but not even nature or the world's most powerful army at that time is going to stop God from saving his people. 00:21:07.519 --> 00:21:19.440 The history goes, Israel escapes, Pharaoh gets second thoughts, gathers his army, tears off after them, corners them, traps them between army feet behind them, the Red Sea in front. 00:21:19.819 --> 00:21:22.519 And you'd think Israel's done for at this point. 00:21:23.220 --> 00:21:31.579 But God supernaturally parts the waters, drag around them in the middle, and that's Israel, brings Israel, in fact, through. 00:21:31.579 --> 00:21:38.339 Well, just an aside about this is, some people will say bodies of water don't just split in half. 00:21:39.539 --> 00:21:41.000 This is unscientific. 00:21:41.740 --> 00:21:42.839 This doesn't happen. 00:21:43.799 --> 00:21:47.460 And I think that the text would actually agree with you with that. 00:21:48.000 --> 00:21:50.279 Things like this don't typically happen. 00:21:50.519 --> 00:21:56.259 And that's, that's why we have the category of, not to sound cliche, but that's why we have the category of miracles. 00:21:56.259 --> 00:22:10.740 You know, if you believe in, that there is a God who created everything out of nothing, which is, just as an aside, I think much more reasonable than somehow a nothing creating everything out of other nothingness. 00:22:10.740 --> 00:22:24.920 Then it's not so hard to see that God could actually engage in world history and exercise some of that magnificent, almighty power to do something a bit unusual in nature, in the world, in the structure of the world. 00:22:25.000 --> 00:22:27.059 If he can create it, surely he can edit it. 00:22:28.420 --> 00:22:32.039 And Paul, I mean, rather the psalm is not saying that this is ordinary. 00:22:32.039 --> 00:22:47.659 In fact, it's, it's including it here in the psalm because it's extraordinary, because it's an example of how great is the steadfast love of the Lord, still great that not even the created order of nature will prevent God from saving his people. 00:22:48.740 --> 00:22:49.680 Well, back to the text. 00:22:50.299 --> 00:22:55.039 You know, God brings Israel through the waters, but Pharaoh and his army rushing after them. 00:22:55.039 --> 00:23:00.440 And at this point, did God just throw up his hands and say, I've done enough for this people. 00:23:00.619 --> 00:23:01.599 It's on them now. 00:23:01.899 --> 00:23:03.259 I mean, it's been a long time. 00:23:03.319 --> 00:23:04.359 I've been holding their hands. 00:23:04.460 --> 00:23:06.819 They've got to, they've got to figure this out on their own. 00:23:07.420 --> 00:23:16.700 But no, verse 15 says that God overthrew or literally shook off Pharaoh and his, and his army into the sea. 00:23:17.279 --> 00:23:18.519 How did he do this? 00:23:19.159 --> 00:23:21.579 Because he's God of gods and Lord of lords. 00:23:21.579 --> 00:23:22.819 And why did he do this? 00:23:22.819 --> 00:23:27.899 Because towards his people, God's steadfast love endures forever. 00:23:29.099 --> 00:23:33.439 And I think just as an aside too here, that's another picture I think. 00:23:34.039 --> 00:23:36.159 We even see God's graciousness here. 00:23:36.279 --> 00:23:45.779 You know, when Pharaoh and his armies come after Israel and try to trap them in here, God, his first response isn't, I'm going to smite the entire army there. 00:23:46.000 --> 00:23:48.279 He actually just provides a way of escape for Israel. 00:23:48.279 --> 00:23:58.139 And it's only when Pharaoh and his army come after them to try to kill them in spite of that, that God, that God throws them off like this and says enough is enough. 00:23:58.879 --> 00:24:00.740 That God is patient and slow to anger. 00:24:01.920 --> 00:24:12.000 Well, the next scene that we get moves Israel into the wilderness and then through the wilderness to the border of this promised land that God would give them out of their slavery. 00:24:12.000 --> 00:24:15.599 And as they go through, they're trying to get to the promised land. 00:24:15.779 --> 00:24:18.019 They've got to come through a few territories to get there. 00:24:18.200 --> 00:24:23.900 And they ask this very powerful king, King Sihon of the Amorites, if they could pass through the land. 00:24:24.180 --> 00:24:29.099 They promise we're not even going to, it literally says we're going to follow the king's highway. 00:24:29.259 --> 00:24:30.420 We're not going to get off the road. 00:24:30.579 --> 00:24:32.539 We're not even going to pull over for an on route. 00:24:32.740 --> 00:24:34.299 We are just going to go straight through. 00:24:34.440 --> 00:24:35.579 Can we come through? 00:24:35.579 --> 00:24:38.500 But Sihon says no. 00:24:39.039 --> 00:24:52.519 And not only no, but he brings out his famous forces, his impressive army to attack this tiny nation of weak ex-slaves at that time who had just come out of slavery. 00:24:53.480 --> 00:24:55.939 And then, but again, God saves his people. 00:24:56.519 --> 00:24:59.779 And then the second time, a different king, King Og, same thing happens. 00:25:00.179 --> 00:25:01.480 Abation comes in after them. 00:25:01.480 --> 00:25:03.539 But again, God saves. 00:25:03.539 --> 00:25:13.659 Verse 21, and gave their land as a heritage or as an inheritance because his steadfast love endures forever. 00:25:14.279 --> 00:25:19.519 A heritage for Israel, his servant, for his steadfast love endures forever. 00:25:21.779 --> 00:25:25.339 Well, just notice the word servant there in verse 22. 00:25:25.339 --> 00:25:37.059 I think that's very interesting because this is the first time in the psalm that we have even a hint or a suggestion of Israel giving God any kind of service or doing anything for God. 00:25:37.059 --> 00:25:44.599 You know, this comes out at the very end of a very long list of everything God has done for his people. 00:25:44.799 --> 00:25:45.899 He has made them. 00:25:46.119 --> 00:25:47.259 He sustains them. 00:25:47.460 --> 00:25:49.139 He rescued them from slavery. 00:25:49.599 --> 00:25:53.259 He saved their lives time, time, time, time and again. 00:25:53.659 --> 00:25:54.980 Brings them through the wilderness. 00:25:55.279 --> 00:25:57.139 Gives them a land and an inheritance. 00:25:57.819 --> 00:25:59.220 Becomes their God. 00:25:59.220 --> 00:26:02.259 They have a father in him. 00:26:03.180 --> 00:26:07.700 And then at the very end of this, we see that they are God's servant. 00:26:08.640 --> 00:26:15.240 You know, we sometimes have this idea that God will give us what we want if we do something for God. 00:26:15.380 --> 00:26:19.579 That God will bless us if we do something for him and serve him right. 00:26:20.160 --> 00:26:22.960 That if we kind of earn something, if we earn some credit with God. 00:26:22.960 --> 00:26:28.480 Or maybe we have this idea that God will actually love us if I first make myself lovable. 00:26:28.840 --> 00:26:34.720 If I first get my life together and it becomes respectable or good in God's sight. 00:26:34.860 --> 00:26:36.240 Then maybe he'll love me. 00:26:37.519 --> 00:26:42.500 But the psalm teaches us that when we are brought into God's family, into his people, 00:26:43.019 --> 00:26:48.900 our past is grace, our present is grace, and our future is grace. 00:26:48.900 --> 00:26:56.600 The history of God's people is a history of slow, faltering obedience in a sea of God's grace. 00:26:57.840 --> 00:26:59.920 Look up to verse 16 and see this. 00:27:00.080 --> 00:27:05.880 See how it mentions here that God led his people through the wilderness. 00:27:07.400 --> 00:27:12.960 Now, if you remember the story in the book of Numbers, those were not prime years for Israel. 00:27:13.700 --> 00:27:17.300 Those were not good times of great service to God. 00:27:17.299 --> 00:27:24.539 Those were horrible times where Israel is constantly complaining about the God who literally just saved them. 00:27:24.859 --> 00:27:27.980 Saying, oh, if only we could go back to being slaves again. 00:27:28.819 --> 00:27:30.399 Like, incredibly ungrateful. 00:27:30.619 --> 00:27:31.200 Like, horrible. 00:27:31.759 --> 00:27:36.720 And there's terrible examples all throughout about how bad they were at being God's people. 00:27:36.919 --> 00:27:38.039 About serving God. 00:27:38.039 --> 00:27:45.299 And in fact, in this whole period, from the Exodus, through the wilderness, into the land, saved from these two kings, 00:27:45.619 --> 00:27:49.019 that's like not much more than 40 years of time in that period. 00:27:49.139 --> 00:27:55.899 And if all of that time, like 40 of those years plus, is this wilderness time. 00:27:56.019 --> 00:27:58.119 Either end is these salvation acts of God. 00:27:58.119 --> 00:28:06.519 But in the middle here, we have the whole history really is Israel's very lapluster obedience and bad attitude towards God. 00:28:07.679 --> 00:28:18.399 And in 12 verses here of God's steadfast love, enduring forever, of God's saving, of God's blessing, of God redeeming Israel, 00:28:18.619 --> 00:28:24.859 we have less than half of a verse that only kind of indirectly references Israel's faltering obedience. 00:28:24.859 --> 00:28:27.379 Well, why is that? 00:28:28.779 --> 00:28:35.919 Because covering their sin and covering their failure, the Lord's steadfast love endures forever. 00:28:36.459 --> 00:28:39.539 And if there was a love that was tested ever, then this was it. 00:28:40.240 --> 00:28:41.399 But God's love endures. 00:28:44.599 --> 00:28:49.079 Well, in verse 23, the psalmist takes this up to his present day. 00:28:49.079 --> 00:28:56.039 And thousands of years later, we can also join in with this and look back and say, 00:28:56.579 --> 00:28:57.799 who is this who saved us? 00:28:58.139 --> 00:29:03.720 It is he who remembered us also in our lowest state and our desperation, 00:29:04.000 --> 00:29:06.879 who remembered us in our need and our place of weakness, 00:29:06.879 --> 00:29:13.059 and who rescued us from all our foes because his steadfast love endures forever. 00:29:13.059 --> 00:29:19.079 We have an invitation here to look back on the history of Israel, like this psalmist did, 00:29:19.119 --> 00:29:25.639 to look back on these establishing great times and see that that's our God too. 00:29:25.960 --> 00:29:31.319 That's my God who saved them and who saved me for his steadfast love endures forever. 00:29:31.759 --> 00:29:35.039 And just like that, psalmist is also inviting his readers to say, 00:29:35.119 --> 00:29:37.839 look at your lives, look at where we are now. 00:29:37.839 --> 00:29:41.059 And God's steadfast love still endures forever. 00:29:41.480 --> 00:29:44.639 That he is still the God who remembered us in our lowest state. 00:29:44.980 --> 00:29:52.199 That we ourselves can look back to see that God has a love for us that endures forever. 00:29:52.480 --> 00:29:57.919 But nowhere is this love more clear to us than in how this story continues 00:29:57.919 --> 00:30:02.679 and what happens at the culmination of the story of God's redeeming love for his people. 00:30:03.240 --> 00:30:07.799 That God sent his son, Jesus Christ, fully God, fully man. 00:30:07.839 --> 00:30:08.919 Into the world. 00:30:10.119 --> 00:30:13.359 That he died the death on the cross that we deserved. 00:30:13.679 --> 00:30:21.579 God's firstborn son dies the death that we deserve so that we might live in the life that he earned. 00:30:23.279 --> 00:30:26.519 That he opened the door for all people to become God's people. 00:30:26.980 --> 00:30:31.139 If they put their faith and their trust in him, in this God who saves, 00:30:31.539 --> 00:30:34.359 and in his steadfast love which endures forever. 00:30:34.359 --> 00:30:40.159 Remember the history of the whole church, of Christianity, the history of our own congregation. 00:30:40.619 --> 00:30:45.819 We've been through some times, you know, especially in 2008, 2011, before I was here, 00:30:46.679 --> 00:30:49.919 some times of, real times of testing in the life of the congregation. 00:30:49.920 --> 00:30:55.140 And we can see these things and we can also see in the history of our own lives. 00:30:55.560 --> 00:30:57.680 How God saved us from our foes. 00:30:57.980 --> 00:31:00.080 How God delivered us and rescued us. 00:31:00.279 --> 00:31:01.860 How God didn't give up on us. 00:31:02.440 --> 00:31:04.420 How his steadfast love endures forever. 00:31:04.620 --> 00:31:05.539 Who rescued us. 00:31:05.620 --> 00:31:06.480 Who redeemed us. 00:31:06.840 --> 00:31:07.740 Who saved us. 00:31:08.000 --> 00:31:09.180 And who delivered us. 00:31:09.180 --> 00:31:10.740 Why? 00:31:11.460 --> 00:31:13.180 Not because we deserved it. 00:31:13.799 --> 00:31:17.880 But because his steadfast love for his people endures forever. 00:31:18.039 --> 00:31:19.320 Because that's who he is. 00:31:19.660 --> 00:31:21.140 Because he's a great God. 00:31:21.240 --> 00:31:22.600 And worthy of praise. 00:31:22.980 --> 00:31:24.759 Because his love endures forever. 00:31:25.580 --> 00:31:28.400 And if you are a follower of God through Jesus Christ. 00:31:28.759 --> 00:31:29.960 If you are a Christian. 00:31:30.420 --> 00:31:32.420 And you've been brought into the family of God. 00:31:32.420 --> 00:31:39.539 And the false starts and persistent sins in your life. 00:31:40.080 --> 00:31:44.220 And in your faltering, hesitating obedience. 00:31:44.220 --> 00:31:46.080 If it weighs on your conscience. 00:31:47.860 --> 00:31:51.340 The psalm encourages you and tells you to take your eyes off yourself. 00:31:52.080 --> 00:31:54.200 And put your eyes back on God. 00:31:54.460 --> 00:31:58.060 Who loves you with the steadfast love that endures forever. 00:31:58.259 --> 00:31:59.620 Who did not let his people. 00:32:00.380 --> 00:32:02.300 He did not abandon his people to slavery. 00:32:02.800 --> 00:32:05.019 He did not abandon his people to die in the wilderness. 00:32:05.660 --> 00:32:07.060 But he gave them a family. 00:32:07.480 --> 00:32:08.380 He gave them a people. 00:32:09.000 --> 00:32:11.620 And he brought them into the land of blessing. 00:32:11.800 --> 00:32:13.000 That he gave them an inheritance. 00:32:13.640 --> 00:32:15.500 And the right to be called children of God. 00:32:16.920 --> 00:32:19.120 For his steadfast love endures forever. 00:32:20.920 --> 00:32:23.740 In this psalm, we've seen that God loves everything that he's made. 00:32:24.279 --> 00:32:26.380 You know, verse 25 adds to it. 00:32:26.380 --> 00:32:29.060 And says that even the act of having food. 00:32:29.580 --> 00:32:32.400 Is an act of God's provision for everything that lives. 00:32:32.900 --> 00:32:35.779 You know, we often think of things just how we go about food. 00:32:35.860 --> 00:32:39.440 But what about God's providence and everything it took for us to have that? 00:32:40.140 --> 00:32:41.820 You know, God's love is for all people. 00:32:41.960 --> 00:32:44.680 And giving us just the blessings in this life. 00:32:44.680 --> 00:32:48.160 And that's one reason why we should just thank God for the food that we eat. 00:32:49.160 --> 00:32:52.840 But we've also seen here God has a special love towards his people. 00:32:52.839 --> 00:32:56.639 That he acted in real history. 00:32:57.439 --> 00:32:59.399 To redeem his people. 00:33:00.119 --> 00:33:01.539 To free them from slavery. 00:33:02.059 --> 00:33:03.759 To save them from their enemies. 00:33:03.879 --> 00:33:05.439 Give them a home and an inheritance. 00:33:05.440 --> 00:33:11.640 And if you are, if you're not sure where you stand with God in this. 00:33:11.720 --> 00:33:15.259 But you want to know this special love that God has for his people. 00:33:15.380 --> 00:33:16.259 This saving love. 00:33:16.460 --> 00:33:18.279 And you want to be part of God's family. 00:33:18.920 --> 00:33:20.240 To be part of that community. 00:33:20.660 --> 00:33:24.500 Then I encourage you to cry out to God and ask him. 00:33:24.880 --> 00:33:26.660 Lord God, I want to serve you. 00:33:26.820 --> 00:33:29.160 I know that you are a God who deserves praise. 00:33:29.460 --> 00:33:30.900 That you are the only true God. 00:33:30.900 --> 00:33:31.640 And a great God. 00:33:31.720 --> 00:33:33.180 And a God who's powerful to save. 00:33:33.300 --> 00:33:34.500 And who's willing to save. 00:33:34.900 --> 00:33:36.100 Lord God, save me. 00:33:36.440 --> 00:33:37.740 Lord God, help me to believe. 00:33:38.100 --> 00:33:39.060 Help my unbelief. 00:33:39.400 --> 00:33:40.180 Help me to believe. 00:33:40.360 --> 00:33:41.019 And save me. 00:33:41.860 --> 00:33:45.960 And if that's you, I'd be happy to talk to you after the service. 00:33:45.960 --> 00:33:48.140 Or so many Christians here would. 00:33:48.500 --> 00:33:51.060 We have prayer time, as Hudson mentioned, through those doors too. 00:33:51.460 --> 00:33:52.660 We would love to pray for you. 00:33:53.000 --> 00:33:53.960 And to help you with that. 00:33:57.580 --> 00:33:59.940 Because through Jesus Christ and what he did on the cross. 00:33:59.940 --> 00:34:02.779 He opened the door for all people to become God's people. 00:34:02.940 --> 00:34:04.539 If they put their faith and trust in him. 00:34:04.880 --> 00:34:08.059 And this God whose steadfast love endures forever. 00:34:09.159 --> 00:34:12.960 And so we asked a question at the beginning of this psalm. 00:34:13.860 --> 00:34:15.000 But what is praise? 00:34:15.079 --> 00:34:15.940 How do we get there? 00:34:16.000 --> 00:34:17.599 Why should we praise God? 00:34:17.720 --> 00:34:18.220 And how? 00:34:18.900 --> 00:34:20.360 And I think this psalm has shown us. 00:34:20.539 --> 00:34:22.700 It shows us why we should praise God. 00:34:23.059 --> 00:34:24.579 Because he's shown his goodness. 00:34:24.780 --> 00:34:26.780 And he's proven his goodness in creation. 00:34:27.179 --> 00:34:27.840 In history. 00:34:27.840 --> 00:34:30.300 Most of all in sending his son to die for us. 00:34:30.400 --> 00:34:32.000 For the love that he has for us. 00:34:32.120 --> 00:34:32.940 To save us. 00:34:33.800 --> 00:34:36.200 And it's showing us also how to worship God. 00:34:36.660 --> 00:34:39.039 That when you wake up and your heart doesn't feel worshipful. 00:34:39.300 --> 00:34:41.600 And you're not tasting the goodness of the Lord. 00:34:42.680 --> 00:34:45.079 A better way than just trying to force things. 00:34:45.180 --> 00:34:47.559 Is to take a moment and just remember God. 00:34:48.000 --> 00:34:49.180 You know, open up the scriptures. 00:34:49.340 --> 00:34:50.800 And just see what God's done. 00:34:51.240 --> 00:34:51.800 His goodness. 00:34:52.059 --> 00:34:52.800 Who he is. 00:34:52.800 --> 00:34:54.480 What he's done for you. 00:34:54.700 --> 00:34:55.560 His love for you. 00:34:55.660 --> 00:34:56.740 And remember these things. 00:34:57.460 --> 00:34:59.100 And you'll enter into worship. 00:34:59.700 --> 00:35:01.960 And so in closing, just those three points. 00:35:02.120 --> 00:35:03.340 Thank God and praise him. 00:35:03.760 --> 00:35:05.519 Not just because he's all powerful. 00:35:05.740 --> 00:35:06.880 But because he is good. 00:35:07.720 --> 00:35:09.019 And God proves his goodness. 00:35:09.180 --> 00:35:11.880 By his steadfast love toward you as creator. 00:35:12.600 --> 00:35:14.140 And God also proves his goodness. 00:35:14.640 --> 00:35:18.340 By his steadfast love towards his people as their savior. 00:35:18.340 --> 00:35:20.820 Give thanks to the God of heaven. 00:35:21.260 --> 00:35:23.620 For his steadfast love endures forever. 00:35:24.160 --> 00:35:24.800 Let's pray. 00:35:32.440 --> 00:35:33.440 Father in heaven, Lord. 00:35:33.519 --> 00:35:35.019 We thank you for this word. 00:35:35.740 --> 00:35:36.780 Lord God, we thank you. 00:35:37.380 --> 00:35:39.400 That you have a love for us that endures forever. 00:35:40.440 --> 00:35:43.820 Lord, we thank you that you are the God who saved Israel. 00:35:43.820 --> 00:35:45.740 Out of all of these things time and time again. 00:35:45.820 --> 00:35:46.780 And didn't give up on them. 00:35:46.880 --> 00:35:47.920 On your covenant people. 00:35:48.619 --> 00:35:49.559 And now we thank you, Lord. 00:35:49.619 --> 00:35:52.280 We put our trust that if we belong to you through Jesus Christ. 00:35:52.360 --> 00:35:53.740 That you do not give up on us. 00:35:54.000 --> 00:35:55.119 That you save us. 00:35:55.200 --> 00:35:56.220 And you deliver us. 00:35:56.700 --> 00:35:58.900 Because your steadfast love endures forever. 00:35:59.619 --> 00:36:00.920 So we pray, Lord God. 00:36:01.019 --> 00:36:03.900 That we will grow to have hearts that see your goodness. 00:36:04.200 --> 00:36:05.760 That taste and see that you are good. 00:36:06.360 --> 00:36:07.159 And we pray, Lord. 00:36:07.200 --> 00:36:09.420 That you would set our hearts free to worship you. 00:36:09.760 --> 00:36:10.840 This day and always. 00:36:10.840 --> 00:36:13.059 For the great love that you have towards us. 00:36:13.240 --> 00:36:17.180 As our maker, redeemer, savior, and Lord. 00:36:17.179 --> 00:36:19.399 In the precious name of Jesus Christ. 00:36:19.500 --> 00:36:21.579 Through whom all of these things are possible. 00:36:21.779 --> 00:36:22.159 We pray. 00:36:22.679 --> 00:36:23.039 Amen. 00:36:23.039 --> 00:36:23.179 Amen. 00:36:23.339 --> 00:36:23.339 00:36:23.339 --> 00:36:23.339 00:36:23.339 --> 00:36:23.339 00:36:23.339 --> 00:36:23.339 00:36:23.339 --> 00:36:23.339 00:36:23.339 --> 00:36:23.339 00:36:23.339 --> 00:36:23.339 00:36:23.339 --> 00:36:23.339 00:36:23.339 --> 00:36:23.339 00:36:23.339 --> 00:36:23.339 00:36:23.339 --> 00:36:23.339 00:36:23.339 --> 00:36:23.339 00:36:23.339 --> 00:36:23.339 00:36:23.339 --> 00:36:23.339 00:36:23.339 --> 00:36:23.339 00:36:23.339 --> 00:36:23.339 00:36:23.340 --> 00:36:53.320 Thank you.