in our worship now, and we're singing firstly today in Psalm 118, Psalm 118 on page 397,
singing verses 1 to 9.
O praise the Lord, for he is good, his mercy lasteth ever. Let those of Israel now say,
his mercy faileth never. Now let the house of Aaron say, his mercy lasteth ever. Let
those that fear the Lord now say, his mercy faileth never. So this is a call by the psalmist to God's
people, which applies nowadays to God's people, wherever they are, to come and praise the Lord for
his goodness and for the mercy and loving kindness that lasts forever from him to his people.
Psalm 118, verses 1 to 9. O praise the Lord.
Praise the Lord, for he is good, his mercy lasteth ever. Let those of Israel now say, his mercy
faileth never. Now let the house of Aaron say, his mercy lasteth ever. Let those that fear the Lord
Azure say, his mercy lasteth ever. Let people have Quandohythmia in Jerusalem.
dobr his mercy lasteth ever. suas mercy blanks whatever. Let those that fear the Lord have come as
the Lord has come and has come before the Lord. Let those that fear the Lord have come and Михaillac as
The Lord did answer me.
He in a large place stood.
He said, from trouble made me free.
The mighty Lord is on my side.
I will not be afraid.
For anything that man can do,
I shall not be dismayed.
The Lord doth take my part with them
that help to succor me.
Therefore, O those that do me hate,
I my desire shall see.
Better it is to trust in God
and trust in man's defense.
Better to trust in God
than make princes our confidence.
Let's call on the Lord in prayer.
This prayer is particularly for the young folks
present and for the Sunday school.
Let's pray.
Lord, our gracious God, once again we give thanks
that you have gathered us here together
to worship you today.
We know that this is our great privilege
and that we are blessed in even coming together this way.
We pray that your blessing will accompany, Lord,
that privilege for us.
We pray especially today for our children,
for the young folks,
and we ask that you would grant your blessing to them
as once more we have them with us
and we give thanks for them.
And we pray that they, as they grow up
and continue to learn different things day by day,
that they will learn especially more about yourself,
that they will be blessed by you in such a way
as to place their trust in you
and come to follow you and confess you as their God.
Remember them, we pray,
as they receive further teaching today in Sunday school.
Be with their teachers as well,
as we give thanks for them.
And grant, Lord, that your blessing
will accompany all the efforts made in your name,
both at home and in church,
to have our young people schooled
and nurtured in the things of God.
Make these things precious to them, we pray,
and go before us now and pardon our sin.
For Jesus' sake. Amen.
Now I have here today an old recipe book.
It's called the Glaxo Recipe Book.
Glaxo apparently was a substitute milk powder,
which especially in the times after the wars
you would have found very important
with the scarcity of goods that people had then.
So I'm going to read a little bit
from the introduction to this recipe book.
It's not very big, but you can see it's very old
and I have to handle it carefully.
It doesn't actually belong to me,
so it's on loan.
But here it's what it says.
To compile this recipe book,
we asked nurses to give us their best recipes
for children and invalids.
I don't think nurses probably do that nowadays,
but in those days that's how it was done.
These recipes were then tested and revised
by our own cookery expert and other recipes added.
The result is a collection of over 160 recipes,
which while mostly suitable for everyday cookery,
will be found particularly useful
to those who have to cater for children,
invalids, dyspeptics, and the aged.
And so it goes on.
And it's a really interesting read, that introduction.
It tells about glaxo itself.
It was a powder which came from milk originally,
made into a powder, and then you added water,
and that was a substitute for milk.
For all of these recipes,
you're asked to use the glaxo.
And that's interesting that that's what they say
at the beginning because obviously it had to be tested,
first of all, to see whether it would work
or work as well as ordinary milk
or milk before it became powdered.
And it's interesting that the cookery experts
that glaxo themselves had actually took the recipes
the nurses provided and tested them out.
And when you go through the book,
it's really fascinating to find some of these recipes there,
including cakes and biscuits and puddings
and even such exotic recipes as stewed calves' feet.
Let's not go into that,
but it's one of those recipes that's mentioned.
So how would they know that the thing was actually,
that this glaxo was going to work?
How would they know that these recipes
actually were recipes that were tasty?
How would they know that a pudding made with glaxo
was actually very nutritious and also very tasty?
Well, you'd have to actually prepare it
and then you'd have to eat it, of course.
And there's a saying nowadays,
which is not actually accurately spoken.
Many people will say,
the proof is in the pudding.
Well, that doesn't really mean anything, does it?
Because the proof of what?
The saying is actually,
the proof of the pudding is in the eating.
You can only prove that a pudding is tasty
and good for you or whatever
by preparing it according to a recipe
and then tasting it.
You make it up,
you then eat it,
and then you decide if it's tasty
or maybe it's not.
But you can only decide that
by actually making it
and eating it and tasting it.
Now, the Bible, in many ways,
is God's recipe book.
He has provided us with the Bible
as a guidance to how our life should be lived.
And if you look at the Bible as a recipe book,
there are many things in there
that you can only actually find out for yourself
and prove to be as the Bible says
by taking it to yourself
and then by actually tasting and seeing
that God is good.
How do you know that the peace of God
is really precious?
Well, not just by reading the Bible
and reading about it,
but by testing it for yourself.
You find that the peace of God is precious.
By coming to Jesus,
by doing what the recipe says,
coming to Jesus,
putting your trust in Jesus,
loving Jesus,
following Jesus,
taking Jesus as your Savior.
And when you do that,
and you confess your sins,
and you ask God to pardon your sins,
you ask God to accept you,
all of these things are in the recipes
of the Bible, if you like.
And as you do that,
then you find out
that these things are actually true
and precious to yourself.
You'll never find out that God is good
just by reading about it.
You have to test it out for yourself.
And you know,
one of the great things that we have
in the gospel
is an invitation to taste and see
that God is good.
So I hope all young folks
and older folks like ourselves
as well today
will know that for ourselves
and realize that just having a Bible
or having a Bible in our homes
is good,
but really there's more than that needed.
You need to use the Bible,
take what it says into your heart,
put it into practice in your life,
and then you'll be able to truly see,
I know that God is good.
I know that this Bible is true
because I've tested it
and tasted it for myself.
Let's now say the Lord's Prayer together.
Our Father, which art in heaven,
hallowed be thy name.
Thy kingdom come.
Thy will be done on earth
as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread
and forgive us our debts
as we forgive our debtors.
And lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from evil.
For thine is the kingdom
and the power
and the glory forever.
Amen.
I'm going to sing again to God's praise,
this time in Psalm 141,
Psalm 141.
This time it's in the Sing Psalms,
that's on page 185.
We're singing verses 1 to 5.
O Lord, I call to you,
come quickly, I'm in need.
When I cry to you for help,
to my appeal give heed.
Like incense, may my prayer
before your face arise,
the raising of my hands be like
the evening sacrifice.
Verses 1 to 5 to God's praise.
O Lord, I call to you,
come quickly, I'm in need.
And when I cry to you for help,
to my appeal give heed.
Like incense, may my prayer
before your face arise.
The raising of my hands be like
the evening sacrifice.
Keep watch, Lord, on my mouth,
and guard my lips, I pray.
Let not my heart to evil thoughts
be drawn and led astray.
Keep me from taking part
in what the evil do.
Let me not taste their choices food,
lest I be false to you.
A righteous friend's rebuke
will be a soothing balm.
Such blows in kindness aimed at me
will never do me harm.
Let's now turn to read God's word
in the book of Psalms,
Psalm number 44.
Psalm 44, we'll read from the beginning
right through to the end of the psalm.
It's on page 564 or so
if you're using the church Bibles.
O God, we have heard with our ears,
our fathers have told us
what deeds you performed in our days
in the days of old.
You with your hand drove out the nations,
but them you planted.
You afflicted the peoples,
but them you set free.
For not by their own sword
did they win the land,
nor did their own arm save them,
but your right hand and your arm
and the light of your face,
for you delighted in them.
You are my king, O God,
ordain salvation for Jacob.
Through you we push down our foes,
through your name we tread down
those who rise up against us.
For not in my bow do I trust,
nor can my sword save me,
but you have saved us from our foes
and have put to shame
those who hated us.
In God we have boasted continually
and we will give thanks
to your name forever.
But you have rejected us
and disgraced us
and have not gone out with our armies.
You have made us turn back from the foe
and those who hate us have taken spoil.
You have made us like sheep for slaughter
and have scattered us among the nations.
You have sold your people for a trifle,
demanding no high price for them.
You have made us the taunt of our neighbors,
the derision and scorn of those around us.
You have made us a byword among the nations,
a laughingstock among the peoples.
All day long my disgrace is before me
and shame has covered my face.
At the sound of the taunter and the reviler,
at the sight of the enemy and the avenger.
All this has come upon us,
though we have not forgotten you
and we have not been false to your covenant.
Our heart has not turned back,
nor have our steps departed from your way.
Yet you have broken us in the place of jackals
and covered us with a shadow of death.
If we had forgotten the name of our God
or spread out our hands to a foreign God,
would not God discover this?
For he knows the secrets of the heart.
Yet for your sake we are killed all the day long.
We are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered.
Awake! Why are you sleeping, O Lord?
Rouse yourself.
Do not reject us forever.
Why do you hide your face?
Why do you forget our affliction and oppression?
For our soul is bowed down to the dust.
Our belly clings to the ground.
Rise up.
Come to our help.
Redeem us
for the sake of your steadfast love.
And again, may God follow with us blessing
our reading of that portion of his word.
Let's call upon him again in prayer.
O Lord, our God,
we give thanks that your word draws us
into circumstances that we find
sometimes above our own experience,
but very often also true to what we experience in this life.
And we thank you especially that in regard to
all the experiences we have,
you bring us to yourself.
You bring us to know yourself.
You bring us the account that we have in your word
of your great doings,
of your wisdom,
of your sovereign government,
of all that exists.
And we thank you today
that we have been reminded of that in this psalm.
We thank you, Lord,
for the facility you give us to pray,
to appeal to you,
to come before you, Lord,
to entreat you
that you would come once again
with your blessing to visit us,
that you would restore,
that you would come and bring us once again
this knowledge of your power,
of your strength working in our own hearts,
in our situations,
in our circumstances,
in our nation,
even throughout the world.
Forgive us, Lord, we pray,
for the many times we fail to acknowledge
that you rule over us.
Forgive us for the many times
we neglect to think of your wisdom
as so superior to ours,
and that your plans are not like our plans,
or your ways like our ways.
We thank you today, O Lord,
that we can worship you in this way,
and that you guide us by your word
as to how we worship you
and how we call upon you,
and indeed what we can place before you.
We ask your blessing to be with us then today
in our gatherings.
We pray that your Holy Spirit once again
will take your word,
make it effective in our experience,
we pray.
Lord, leave us not to its outward sound merely,
but give us, like the psalmist,
to delight in your word inwardly,
that they may be our delight,
even your laws,
that we may find, Lord,
our comfort in your word,
in a world which has so much
to discomfort your people.
We ask today that you would continue
to encourage us,
to lift us up,
that you will continue, Lord,
to strengthen us
against all the temptations that we face,
temptations especially designed
to draw us away from obedience to you,
and designed, Lord,
to demoralize
and to bring us despondency
instead of assurance.
We ask that you would grant to us, Lord,
that today we may know
that the Lord has indeed been amongst us,
that you have been pleased once again
to look upon us in your favor.
We ask that you would revive us
and quicken us,
give us in our hearts, Lord,
to know of that work of your Spirit
bringing us out of our times
of gloom and despondency
and even against the many things in the world
that we know are contrary to you
and contrary to the advance of your cause.
Nevertheless,
help us to rejoice in you
and help us to realize, Lord,
once again,
that you are the God
who governs all things,
even the movements of evil.
We pray today for the world
in which we live,
the society we belong to ourselves,
in our own locality
and in our nation.
Lord, again,
be merciful to us,
we pray,
as we bring before you
so many things
that are of a concern
to your people.
We ask that you would
bring through the power
of the gospel
many people under conviction
that the ways of sin
are not ways
that are good for us
as a people.
Not only are they ways
of which you disprove,
but they are ways
that damage our lives,
that prevent us
from fulfilling
the chief end
of our creation,
which is to glorify you
and to enjoy you forever.
We ask your blessing
today for the efforts
being made
against attempts
in our own parliament,
especially,
to further reduce
the impact of the gospel
and the freedom
with which we are able
to declare the gospel
and its message.
Lord,
we pray that the attempts
to introduce this bill
against conversion practices,
as they are called.
We ask, Lord,
that your people
will be moved
to counter it.
We pray that
that attempt itself
will fail,
that you would show,
Lord,
your own great care
and compassion
towards your cause
in doing this
and help us,
we pray,
to respond as
we are encouraged
to this
and to every other means
by which we will seek
to set the truth
before the minds
and the world
of our day.
Lord,
remember those
who do roll over us.
We pray for them.
We pray that
you would enlighten them
in your paths.
We pray that you would
bring them, Lord,
to your laws
and to your word.
We pray that you would
come into their lives
to give them
to follow you,
to give themselves
over to you,
to be ruled by you
and to realize
that obedience
to Christ
is not the restriction
the world thinks it is,
but is indeed
the greatest freedom
we can know.
And we pray
that your blessing
will be with all
throughout the world today
who are moved
to pray
and to act
on behalf
of the cause of Christ.
Encourage your people,
we pray,
and give us
as we pray to you
and seek
to wait upon you
for your answer
that we may nevertheless,
Lord,
be encouraged
to continue
to wait upon you
and to hold
to the fact
that your gospel
is true,
that your word
will not return
to your void,
that it will accomplish
that which pleases you.
We pray your blessing
today
for all other aspects
of our national need
and our local need.
We pray that you'd
bless all those
today whom we know
are caught up
in various types
of difficulties
and challenges
in life.
remember them,
we pray,
whether they're
in terms of mental health
or in terms
of behavior,
we ask that you
would be gracious
to us, Lord,
and come
and help those
who maybe not
themselves cry out
to you
at this time.
We pray that you'd
bring them to do so
and we ask that you
would help
those who seek
to help them.
We remember those
who provide care
for us in our community.
Again,
we commend them
to you, O Lord,
and ask that you'd
bless them
in our health services
of various kinds
and the many other ways
in which we find
volunteers
and paid employment
too,
helping us
in our times of need.
Remember those
who are ill at this time,
continue to bless them.
Remember those
who are mourning
the passing of loved ones.
Draw near to them,
we pray,
to their comfort.
Grant you blessing
to our young folks.
We thank you for the time
that the Bible class
have had in Scalladale
in recent days.
We pray that that
will be blessed to them.
We ask that you would
continue, Lord,
to bless the teaching
of your word to them
and to the younger ones
as well.
We pray that you bless
our schools.
We ask that in all
our schools, O Lord,
we indeed may know
again the influence
of your truth,
the influence of your word,
both on those who teach
and those who are taught.
And we ask, Lord,
that you would continue
to provide us
with the resources we need
against the powers
of worldliness,
the powers of secularism,
the powers that seek
to destroy
the impact of the gospel.
Continue to hear
your prayers,
your people in their prayers.
Guide us now,
we pray,
into your word.
Hear us and bless us
and forgive our sins.
For Jesus' sake.
Amen.
Before we turn to God's word,
let's sing once again.
This time we're singing
in Psalm 43
on page 54.
We'll sing these five verses.
Come, vindicate me,
O my God.
Against this nation
plead my cause.
Deliver me from wicked foes
and hypocrites
who break your laws.
You are my stronghold
and my God.
Why then have you rejected me?
Why must I go about in grief,
downtrodden by the enemy?
And you can see
that these words
carry over into the next psalm,
which we've read
a short time ago.
Words where the psalmist
is pleading with God
to send out his light
and his truth
as he has that
in verse 3 of this psalm.
So we'll sing these five stanzas.
Come, vindicate me,
O my God.
Come, vindicate me,
O my God.
Against this nation
plead my cause.
Deliver me from wicked foes
and hypocrites
who break your laws.
You are my stronghold
and my God.
Why then have you rejected me?
Why must I go about in grief,
death trodden by the enemy?
enemy.
Oh, send
your light
forth and
your truth.
Let them
direct
me in
your grace
and bring
me to
your
holy
hill into
your
sacred
dwelling
place.
Then
to God's
altar
I will
go.
To God my
joy and
my
delight
and I
will
praise
you with
the
harp.
Oh,
God,
you are
my
God
of
might.
Why
are
you
downcast,
O my
soul?
Why
are you
so
disturbed
in me?
Trust
God
for
I
will
praise
him
yet
my
saviour
and
my
God
is
he.
Let's
turn now to
the book of
Psalms,
Psalm 44.
Psalm 44,
especially the
last few
verses from
verse 23
to 26.
Awake,
why are you
sleeping, O
Lord?
Rouse
yourself.
Do not
reject us
forever.
Why do you
hide your
face?
Why do
you forget
our affliction
and oppression?
For our
soul is
bowed down
to the
dust,
our belly
clings to
the ground.
Rise up,
come to
our help.
Redeem
us for
the sake
of your
steadfast
love.
What's
going on
here?
Why
would this
man of
God
be so
bold as
to call
upon God
to awake
as if he
were sleeping?
Why are
you sleeping,
O Lord?
Rouse
yourself.
Do not
reject us
forever.
What's the
context?
What's
behind that?
What's the
reason he
would speak
in that way
to God?
Is that
not wrong?
Would we
not find
fault with
him for
doing so,
for using
these words
as he
addresses
God?
Well,
perhaps,
but we
need to
understand
where that
cry is
coming from.
Sam,
you can
say,
divides
into two
main parts,
verses 1
to 8.
You'll notice
as we read
through it,
verses 1
to 8 are
in many ways
a celebration
of God's
victories on
behalf of
his people,
and especially
how he brought
them to be
settled in
the land of
Canaan,
his covenant
people,
having brought
them out of
Egypt safely
and on
through the
wilderness.
But then
there's a
turn from
verse 9
onwards.
The first
eight verses
are verses
that prepare
us for
the complaint
and the
context that
bemoans the
defeats that
they have
suffered.
We're not
told the
exact historical
context of
the psalm,
but it's
obviously a
time when
they faced
defeat and
experienced
defeat against
their enemies
because,
as you can see
there in these
verses,
the Lord,
he says,
has rejected
us,
you have
not gone
out with
our armies,
you have
made us
turn back
from the
foe,
and those
who hate
us have
taken spoil,
and then
twice he
says in
the psalm,
you have
made us
like sheep
for the
slaughter.
So the
context is
really that
context of
defeat and
of seeing
that God
had not
actually acted
on their
behalf as
he had done
previously.
and he's
bringing this
to God
and actually
setting that
before God
and expressing
the pain
of his heart,
the bewilderment
indeed of his
heart as
why is this
the case?
Why are we
now like this
when previously
the Lord
showed his
power in
our support
on our
behalf?
Well,
that's a
pattern here
that really
the church
of God,
the people
of God
have known
throughout
history
because as
you know
yourselves,
there are
periods in
the history
of the
church
down all
these
generations
where you
find times
of blessings
nevertheless
accompanied by
times of
barrenness
spiritually,
times when
the church
has experienced
growth,
but that's
sometimes
accompanied
or followed
by or even
preceded by
times of
reduction
and lack
of growth,
indeed times
when there's
been such
great decline
numerically
as well,
times when
the church
has advanced,
when the
power of
the gospel
through the
church,
through God's
people,
has really
had an
impact on
society,
but times
such as
we're living
in now
when that's
not the
case,
when you
can say
that these
verses 9b
to 10
might
characterize
the times
in which
we live,
you have
not gone
out without
armies,
you've
made us
turn back
from the
foe,
those who
hate us
have taken
spoil,
the reduction
in the
impact of
the gospel,
the reduction
even in
terms of
not only
the volume,
the number
of God's
people that
represent him
and witness
for him in
the world,
but how we
ourselves
experience such
a lack of
power accompanying
that witness.
These are the
kind of times
that we have
actually come to
experience in
the wisdom
and the
providence
of God.
And undoubtedly
that's the
case with
the church
in the
west today,
that while
there are
other parts
of the
world for
which we
give thanks
to God,
where the
church is
increasing,
where the
gospel itself
is having
an impact,
even if you
wouldn't
necessarily
agree with
everything that's
happening,
nevertheless it's
still the
case that
in other
parts of the
world the
church is
growing.
It's not
the case by
enlarge with
ourselves in
the western
nations.
And we
find ourselves
sometimes in
the position of
the psalmist
here, asking
the question
why.
And there
are three
things I
want to
take from
this context
today.
I want to
look first of
all at the
importance of
a living
relationship
with God.
Secondly,
I would
call our
second point
behind a
frowning
providence,
taking words
from William
Cowper's
great poem
God Moves
in a Mysterious
Way.
So that'll
be our
second point.
We'll try
and open
up why
we're giving
it that
title,
that second
point.
The third
will be,
again,
borrowed
from Romans,
this time
Romans 15,
these things
were written
for our
instruction.
Things which
are written
beforehand
were written
for our
instruction.
So that's
our way of
final application
of these
verses and
of the
context
in the
psalm.
So the
importance
of a
living
relationship
with God.
The
psalmist
now has
the benefit
here,
though he's
speaking in
this way,
he has the
benefit of
personally
knowing
God.
You can
see that
coming through.
Nobody
would use
these words
in the
form of
a prayer
and of
an appeal
unless he
actually knew
God to
begin with.
These are
not the
words of
somebody who
is a
stranger to
fellowship
with God.
God.
They're
not the
words of
somebody who's
never known
God in
his life.
They're
the words of
somebody who
values the
relationship he
and his
people have
with God,
have had in
the past
with God,
and continue
to have
with God.
And that's
why he can
express his
sorrow and
his consternation
and his
puzzlement to
God in
his way.
It's through
this relationship
that he has
with God
that he's
able to
use such
language in
expressing the
sorrow of
his heart.
And he
even uses
this language
very boldly,
this bold
language,
calling on
God to
awake.
Why are
you sleeping?
Did the
psalmist really
believe that
God had
fallen asleep?
Of course
not.
God never
slumbers nor
sleeps.
He knew that
very well.
But he puts
it in this
form as
as to
reinforce
the strength
of his
appeal to
God.
It's as if
God has
fallen asleep.
It's as if
God is no
longer active.
It's as if
God has
withdrawn his
power altogether
and is not
prepared to
come to
bless them
as his
people anymore.
And so he
uses this
graphic language,
awake,
why are you
sleeping?
He didn't
believe God
was actually
asleep,
but it
reinforces his
appeal to
God for
God to
act once
again.
as he
used to
in the
past.
In fact,
you could
say that
the words
he's using
here actually
reveals that
he believes
in a God
who acts.
Why would
he call upon
God to
come, as
he put it
here, to
awaken himself
from sleep
and to
show himself
again if
he didn't
believe to
begin with,
this is the
God who
acts on
behalf of
his people,
the God
who actively
intervenes for
their support
from time
to time.
But he
also believes
in a God
who is
wise,
who for
his own
sake
sometimes
does things
like this,
and instead
of acting
as he
once did,
he withdraws
his power
sometimes for
reasons unknown
to us.
God.
But there's
one of the
great benefits
we have
in a living
relationship
with God.
Where do
you go
today with
the agonies
of your
heart?
Where do
you go
today with
the things
that really
trouble you?
Where do
you go with
the sturrings
that come
within your
soul that
you cannot
really understand
or fathom
that cause
you bewilderment?
Where do
you go with
the events
in your life
that perplex
you?
Where do
you go with
the things
that actually
cause you
real hurt
and real
pain
and unexpected
agony of
soul?
You bring
them to
God and
even if
it's expressing
it in this
way it
shows that
you're bringing
them to
God means
you still
believe in
him.
You still
believe in
his power
to act.
You still
believe that
he is able
to help
you.
He allows
us the
outpouring
of our
grief.
He allows
us to frame
things in
question.
questions
which perhaps
at other
times we
wouldn't
ask or
wouldn't
even need
to ask.
But as
part of
the greatness
of our
God,
as part of
the facility
he gives
us in
his kindness,
in his
loving kindness,
that's how the
psalm finishes,
redeem us for
the sake of
your steadfast
love,
your loving
kindness,
for your
own sake,
Lord.
And we
today can
bring to
him all
that is
lying on
our hearts
and perhaps
say to
him as we
would not
say to
anyone else,
these
Lord are
the things
that I'm
experiencing.
Come to
me.
Tell me
why.
Tell me
about them.
Explain
them to
me.
Help me
through
them.
What a
great God
we have
that we
can do
this.
That we
can do
this and
he doesn't
then say
to us,
you put
that into
more decent
language.
You put
that into
language that
shows you
understand
something more
of what I'm
doing.
He doesn't
turn us
away and
say,
come back
with your
more polished
prayers.
He hears
us.
He hears
the cry
of our
souls.
He hears
the tears
that sometimes
fall from
our eyes
when we
can't put
into words
the things
that really
bewilder
us in
this life.
God is
still our
God,
even when
we can't
understand
how he
deals with
us at
certain
times.
Is that
the case
with yourself?
Do you
have this
living
relationship
with God
where you
can come
not only
to sing
his praises
as we
do in
church,
but to
sing his
praises,
even the
kind of
words that
you find
in the
psalm that
are real
expressions of
how you
feel,
how you
know in
your heart
things to
be?
Are there
things in
your life
today where
you know
things are
not as
they should
be between
yourself and
God?
Is God
less clear to
you today than
he was
previously?
Is there
something in
your life
where you
know there's
something affecting
your relationship
with God?
Or perhaps
you haven't
even come
yet to
embrace
this God
and all
that he
is.
Perhaps
you'd rather
the things
were comfortable
all the
time.
Well,
so would
I.
But that's
not the
God we
worship,
the God
we follow,
the God
we serve.
Instead,
we need to
come at
all times,
as Psalm
34 begins,
at all
times I
will bless
the Lord,
even the
times when
it's beyond
your understanding
why he's
dealing with
you in
certain ways.
First thing
then is a
living relationship
with God,
the importance,
the necessity
of that,
the need we
have,
each one of
us,
to have
that for
ourselves.
Secondly,
behind a
frowning
providence,
as we said
from verse
17,
especially,
the Psalm
is showing
why he's
perplexed.
And what's
really perplexing
is that he's
saying here,
we have
not forgotten
you,
verse 17,
all this
has come
upon us,
and we
have not
been false
to your
covenant,
our heart
has not
turned back,
not have
our steps
departed
from your
way,
yet you
have broken
us.
This is
what makes
it really
perplexing.
If he was
coming with
a confession
of backsliding,
a confession
where he
found the
people and
himself to
have departed
from the
ways of the
Lord,
or as he
says there,
if we had
forgotten the
name of
God and
spread our
hands to a
foreign God,
to idols,
in other words,
God would
know this and
he would make
it known to
us.
This is not
the case.
He's convinced
that it's not
because they've
gone astray or
badly astray that
this has happened.
So he's asking
God the question,
well, what is the
meaning of this
then?
Maybe in your
life today,
you can't put your
finger on something
you've done that
you know is
wrong and that
you may think
God is now
laying some
sort of
chastisement upon
you to bring
you back to
himself.
Maybe you say,
well, I can't
put my finger
on anything,
so why don't
I have God's
closeness the
way I used
to?
Well, if you
go to the
book of Job,
you'll find a
man in exactly
that position.
And the
book of Job,
difficult though
many parts of
it is to
understand,
we can
certainly understand
the main thread
of it,
which is this,
God is showing,
he's showing
Satan,
with which the
book begins,
the first few
chapters,
Satan coming
to be given
permission to
attack Job.
Job's a holy
man.
Job has not
gone astray.
Job is respected
in his community
as a man of
God.
And yet,
he has this
immense suffering
laid upon him
in God's
providence.
God has given
permission to
Satan to attack
him in this
way.
what's the
purpose?
What's the
meaning?
Well,
so that
when you
look at the
book of Job,
God is
showing that
Job wasn't
a believer
for personal
selfish reasons.
He's showing
that Job
didn't put his
confidence and
trust in God,
as it were,
just so he could
get so much
out of it for
himself.
He's showing
that faith,
in the case of
Job,
when we trust
more and more
in our own
case,
faith trusts
in God,
come what
may.
Faith trusts
in God not
just in the
fair weather,
but during the
storms.
Faith is
concerned to
honor God,
even at the
worst of times,
if we can put it
that way,
as much as the
times when we
have things
going quietly
and comfortably.
Whenever you
find a
Christian
suffering,
when you
find a
Christian
obviously
suffering,
never conclude
that that's a
chastisement.
Never conclude
about that
person,
something's
gone wrong
between himself
and God,
he's done
something or
she's done
something really
bad,
or else there
wouldn't be that
sort of suffering
in their
life.
God
sometimes
brings
suffering for
other reasons,
reasons known
to himself,
reason known
to his
wisdom.
You see,
that's when you
go to the
likes of Job
and his
wife came.
You remember
early on in
the book of
Job,
his wife came
and was a
temptation to
him,
used of course
I'm sure by
Satan as well,
who's so
involved,
as we said,
in the whole
of Job's
incidents.
You find
there in
Job chapter
2,
verses 9
to 10,
that this
is what
Job resisted,
where his
wife said
to him,
do you still
hold fast
your integrity?
Curse God
and die.
She was really
saying to him,
you know,
you're believing
in this God
and look what's
happened to
your life.
What benefit
has it been
to you?
What advantage
do you have
continuing to
believe in
this God?
Now,
what did he
say?
He said,
you speak
as one
of the
foolish
women
would
speak.
Shall
we
receive
good
from
God?
And shall
we not
receive
evil
or what
is bad?
In all
this Job
did not
sin
with his
lips.
That's
why I've
called this
point
behind
a
frowning
providence.
Because it's
not always
the case
that God
brings
difficulty
into our
lives
to test
us by
way of
bringing
us back
from
disobedience.
Every
suffering
is a
form of
testing,
yes,
but it
doesn't
always mean
we've done
something
really badly
wrong.
You bring
it back
to that
great poem
of William
Cowper's
God
moves in
a mysterious
way his
judgments
to perform.
And later
on in the
poem,
these three
verses,
judge not
the Lord
by feeble
sense,
but trust
him for
his grace.
Behind a
frowning
providence
he hides
a smiling
face.
His purposes
will ripen
fast,
unfolding
every hour.
The bud
may have
a bitter
taste,
but sweet
will be
the flower.
Blind
unbelief
is sure
to err
and scan
his works
in vain.
God
is his
own
interpreter
and he
will make
it plain.
Well,
Cowper
knew very
well himself
of grievous
providences.
He was a
man who
suffered from
severe acute
depression,
a friend of
the hymn
writer John
Newton,
but that
was his
lot in
life.
And that's
out of that
agony of soul,
out of that
darkness that
came upon him
from time
to time,
he actually
penned these
wonderful words,
words that
have been
such an
assurance and
comfort to
God's people
down through
the ages.
God is
his own
interpreter
and he
will make
it plain.
His ways
are not
our ways,
his paths
are not
as our
paths.
Behind
the frowning
providence
there hides
a smiling
face.
that doesn't
mean,
of course,
that when
God lays
something
difficult and
grievous upon
us in
providence,
he's not
correcting us
into his
way.
There are
times when
we do
cause an
interruption
or a
break between
ourselves and
God in
fellowship,
and that we
need the
kind of
chastisement
that sometimes
he lays on
us to
bring us
back.
But here
is the
man,
a man in
the psalm
here as we're
looking at
it,
in Psalm
44,
who's asking
these great
questions of
God in
that context
where as we
see him
awake,
why are you
sleeping,
rouse yourself,
do not reject
us for his
concern,
is not just
for himself,
his concern
is for the
people of
God,
for the
cause of
God,
for the
name of
God,
for the
reputation
indeed of
God,
because they
have just
capitulated
against the
enemies of
God,
the enemies
of his
people.
And the
psalmist
here is
concerned that
God would
come to
act for
them once
again,
and show
once again
his power
and his
grace.
A living
relationship
with God
behind a
frowning
providence.
And then
from the
book of
Romans,
some verses
from chapter
15,
just to make
our third
point,
it's written
for our
instruction,
verses 3
and 4
of chapter
15 of
Romans.
Romans,
where he
says that
Christ did
not please
himself,
but as it
is written,
the reproaches
of those
who reproached
you fell
on me.
For whatever
was written
in former
days was
written for
our instruction,
that through
endurance and
through the
encouragement of
the scriptures,
we might have
hope.
That's why it
was written.
That's why
these passages
exist in the
Bible.
That we,
through
encouragement
and assurance
of the
scriptures,
might have
hope,
that we
might come
to have
assurance.
And
interestingly,
it's in
Romans chapter
8,
we'll see
that in a
minute,
that Paul
actually quotes
from this
Psalm,
Psalm 44,
these words
that we are
made as
sheep for
the slaughter.
But let me
take you to
another incident
first of all,
before we come
to that,
and you'll
find it in
the Gospels,
especially
in Mark's
Gospel.
I'm going
to read
from Mark's
Gospel,
and from
chapter 4,
and verses
37 to 38.
This is
something that
took place
when the
disciples were
on the sea
in the storm.
And when
Jesus came
to them,
and when
Jesus rather
was in the
boat, but
actually was
asleep at the
back of the
boat.
And the
disciples called
upon him,
did they not
care for him,
for them at
all?
Why was he
sleeping in
this way?
Very similar
really in a
sense to what
you find in
Psalm 44.
And when the
disciples came
and found
Jesus asleep,
how did he
actually respond?
He said,
where is your
face?
Now that's
really interesting
in the context.
And then of
course he arose
and rebuked the
wind, the
storm, and the
sea became a
great calm.
And they were
amazed, and they
said, who is
this then?
That he
commands even
the wind and
the seas to
obey him.
She has the
whole point of
the purpose to
bring the
disciples to
learn something
more about
Jesus.
To actually
come once again
to stand in
the presence of
Jesus and say,
this is no
ordinary man,
this is no
ordinary person,
this is a
person who's
got extraordinary
ability and
power, and he's
here with us, and
he's in this
boat, and he's
looking after
us.
See, that's one
of the great
privileges we
have in this
life.
These disciples
were actually
quite safe, even
while Jesus was
sleeping.
The storm was
not going to
overwhelm them, but
they were being
tested.
That's why he
addressed them in
terms of their
faith, or indeed
the lack of their
faith.
And so, for you
and I as well, our
privilege is to
learn more and
more about God.
And sometimes
that comes through
the asking of
questions in really
difficult times.
But when we use
that facility to
come to God, and
wait upon God, and
bring our concerns
to him, we know
that he's still the
same God.
We know that he
hasn't changed.
We know that even
although things
change maybe in
our relationship
with him, in
terms of how we
see things and
how we feel
things to be,
essentially, nothing
is different with
God.
He remains the
same.
He remains
faithful.
He remains the
God we can
depend upon, the
God we can pray
to, the God we
can pour our
heart out to, and
bring our concerns
to him.
And then, I
mention Romans
chapter 8, again
written for our
instruction.
Romans chapter 8,
one of the great
chapters of this
great book of the
Bible.
And near the end
of the chapter,
Paul moves to
encouraging those
Christians in Rome
by that wonderful
passage, beginning
verse 31.
What shall we then
say to these
things?
If God is for us,
who can be against
us?
He who did not
spare his own
son, but gave
him up for us
all, how will he
also not with him
graciously give us
all things?
And so it goes on.
These questions that
he then puts in the
form of questions
that are designed to
assure us, designed
to encourage us, to
reinforce the truth
that we know about
God.
Who shall separate
us from the love
of Christ?
Shall tribulation, or
distress, or
persecution, or
famine, or
nakedness, or
danger, or sword,
as it is written,
and here's Psalm
44, for your
sake we are being
killed all the day
long, we are
regarded as sheep
to be slaughtered.
Why does Paul find
Psalm 44, given the
kind of Psalm it is,
to be so meaningful
and important in the
context of
encouragement, the
context of giving
assurance to those
people that he's
writing to, that
God has not
changed?
Well, because that's
the context in which,
as we're seeing,
Psalm 44 has to be
looked at as a
sign itself of
encouragement,
pouring out the
heart before God
and waiting upon
God.
Somebody put it
this way, and I
like this way of
describing it, the
use of these words
here from Psalm 44
in Romans 8, a
passage of great
encouragement.
Sometimes he says,
the scars that we
bear, the
sufferings that we
have to go through
as Christians, he
said, they are
actually more
battle scars
rather than
punishments.
What he meant by
that was that, as
he put it again, in
our battle with the
world, in our
fighting against a
world which is at
war with God,
why would we not
expect some scars,
some battle scars?
Why would we not
expect sometimes to
be defeated rather
than just pushing and
advancing all the
time?
Why would we not
expect the kind of
suffering that really
tests us, just like a
soldier on the front
line is tested, seeing
many of their comrades
killed, all different
kinds of testings, it's
all part of the war,
part of the engagement,
part of the battle
scene, and many go
home with mental and
physical scars from that
battlefield, and God's
people are like that
spiritually.
We bear battle
scars.
We bear sufferings to
do with following
Christ, to do with
faithfulness to Christ.
And you know, these
words in the psalm are
picked up as well in
Paul's use of them.
For your sake we are
accounted as sheep for
the slaughter.
In many ways that's
really the key to
everything, isn't it?
For your sake.
For the Lord's sake.
Why are we engaged in
a battle against the
world in its opposition
to the gospel?
Why are we engaged in
living the kind of life
that's contrary to the
world, and therefore
attracting suffering and
difficulty and challenge
to ourselves?
Why is it done?
What is the purpose of
it?
What is the rationale?
It's for his sake,
isn't it?
Why are we encouraged
to combat the attempt
that are being made
to introduce further
measures in law that
would curtail the
gospel for his sake?
That's why.
Why do we encourage
one another as those
who are together in
this battle?
For his sake.
For his loving
kindness sake.
The struggles, the
defeats, the
challenges, the
hurts and the
pains of being a
soldier of Christ,
male or female,
they're not
evidences that God
has forgotten us.
They're evidences of
the struggles that
we're engaged with
in our war with sin
and with the world.
They're marks of
honor, in fact, in
that sense.
You wouldn't have
them if you weren't
a Christian.
You wouldn't have
them if you didn't
belong to these
people who are
sometimes bewildered,
but can bring their
bewilderment to God
and wait upon him
until he comes once
again to act on
their behalf.
It's an aspect of
that living
relationship with
him.
So today, friends,
don't be
discouraged.
Don't be discouraged
when you look into
yourself and find
much to be
discouraged about.
Don't be discouraged
as you look out on
that world and find
even more to be
discouraged about.
Don't be discouraged
when you are sad
about how little
impact the gospel
and the church has
in our society
today.
Don't be discouraged.
Take all of that
to God.
Bring all of that
into your living
relationship with
him.
Set it out before
him.
Pour out your
heart to him.
Beseech him.
Appeal to him to
come as if you
were sleeping, to
rise up again like
the psalmist here,
to come and revive
his cause and
revive ourselves.
In other words,
make it a means of
encouragement to
pray and to
beseech and to
appeal to God
and to continue
to serve him.
May God bless
these thoughts on
his word.
Let's conclude by
singing some more
verses this time.
We're singing from
Psalm 119.
Psalm 119 and
at verse 51,
that's on page
404.
And singing from
verse 51 down to
the end of that
section, verse 56.
The men whose
hearts with pride are
stuffed did greatly
me deride, yet from
thy straight
commandments I have
not turned aside.
Thy judgments
righteous, O Lord,
which thou of old
forthgave, I did
remember, and myself
by them comforted
have.
Horror took hold
on me, because
ill men thy law
forsake.
I in my house of
pilgrimage, thy
laws my songs do
make.
Thy name by night,
Lord, I did
mind, and I have
kept thy law, and
this I had, because
thy word I kept
and stood in awe.
from verse 51 to
the end of the
section.
The men whose
hearts with
pride are
stuffed
did greatly
me
deride,
yet from
thy straight
commandments
I have
no
turn
aside.
Thy
judgments
righteous,
O Lord,
which thou
of old
forthgave,
I did
remember
and
myself
by them
comforted
have.
Horror
took hold
hold on
me, because
ill men
thy love
forsake.
I
in my
house
of
pilgrimage,
thy
laws,
thy
songs
to make
thy name
my
night,
Lord,
I
did
mine,
and
I
have
kept
thy
law,
and
this
I
had,
because
thy
word
I
kept
and
stood
in
all.
Can I
ask you to
be seated
for a
moment,
please?
I have
something to
announce
to you.
I
notified
the
Kirk
session
last
Monday,
and the
presbyter
the
following
day,
Tuesday,
of my
intention
to
retire,
and to
retire as
from the
end of
June this
year.
So it's
only right
that you,
as the
congregation,
would actually
have that
announcement
as well.
So we've
got a few
months yet,
it'll go past
fairly quickly,
I'm sure,
God willing,
but it's only
right that you
know that
just now,
and especially
for those who
need to make
some preparation
for the time
after which I'm
no longer
here as
minister.
It's something
that I find
difficult to
announce,
simply because
of the love
that you have
shown to me,
and the love
that I have
for you,
as the
congregation,
God has
called me
to the
final part
of my
ministry in,
and that
has been
certainly a
time of
much delight
to myself
of much
benefit,
and I hope
to yourselves
as well.
So that's
really all
there is to
it,
let's just
enjoy,
God willing,
the months
we still have
together,
until that
final cut-off
point comes.
After the
benediction just
now,
I'll go to
the door
here to
my right,
no,
I'll go to
the main
door because
I won't
see you
this evening,
at least
not at
the door,
so I'll
go to
the main
door after
the
benediction.
Please
stand there
for the
benediction.
Now may
the grace
of the
Lord Jesus
Christ,
the love
of God
the Father,
and the
communion
of the
Holy Spirit
be with
you now
and ever
more.
Amen.
his
name прекрас
and
the
behavior
you
Thank you.