Well, good morning again, church. Our sermon text today is Psalm 69. Let me invite you to go there
with me. If you're at home, let me encourage you to grab a Bible. If you're here in the sanctuary,
it's going to be on the screens as well. I'm going to start by reading the first 13 verses of Psalm
69, and then we'll kind of walk through the rest of the psalm as we go. But before I read the first
half of the psalm, let me pray for us, and then we'll dive in. Let's pray. Lord Jesus, thank you
that we can come to you as we are, that we don't need to clean ourselves up or get ourselves right
before we come to you, because God, you promise that you are the one who can make us right,
that you're the one who loves us as we are and changes us by your grace into who we need to be.
And we thank you that it's through your written word that you do that work of sanctifying us,
changing us, and transforming us more and more into the likeness of your own self, Lord Jesus.
So, would you in your mercy come and meet with us now as we turn to this psalm? Help us to
understand it. God, help us to receive it and help us to live it out. We pray this in Jesus' name.
Father, amen. Psalm 69.
To the choir master, according to the lilies of David,
Save me, O God, for the waters have come up to my neck. I sink in deep mire where there's no foothold.
I've come into deep waters and the flood sweeps over me. I'm weary with my crying out. My throat
is parched. My eyes grow dim with waiting for my God. More in number than the hairs of my head are
those who hate me without cause. Mighty are those who would destroy me, those who attack me with lies.
What I did not steal must I now restore? O God, you know my folly. The wrongs I've done are not
hidden from you. Let not those who hope in you be put to shame through me, O Lord God of hosts.
Let not those who seek you be brought to dishonor through me, O God of Israel. For it is for your
sake that I have borne reproach, that dishonor has covered my face. I've become a stranger to my
brothers, an alien to my mother's sons. For zeal for your house has consumed me, and the reproaches
of those who reproach you have fallen on me. When I wept and humbled my soul with fasting,
it became my reproach. When I made sackcloth my clothing, I became a byword to them. I'm the talk
of those who sit in the gate, and the drunkards make songs about me. But as for me, my prayer is to
you, O Lord. At an acceptable time, O God, in the abundance of your steadfast love, answer me
in your saving faithfulness.
Well, you know, I think sometimes we can think that the Christian life is a bit like a computer
program. If we put in the right code, if we put in the right commands, then we sort of get the outcome
that we want. As long as I do it right, then I get a good result. Or we can think of the Christian
life kind of like a vending machine. If I put in the money, if I slide my credit card, then the candy
kind of drops to the bottom, and everything's good. But you know, you don't have to read the Bible for
long, especially the Psalms, to realize that is not how things work. Sometimes we can do all the right
things for all the right reasons, and the result is not material blessing and comfort, but rather
increased trouble and trial. Sometimes our genuine devotion to God, in other words, can lead to just a
flood of trouble and a flood of hatred, even, from other people. And that's what Psalm 69 is all about.
In this Psalm, it kind of falls into two broad halves. In the first half of the Psalm, David kind of lays
out his situation, and then in the second half of the Psalm, he sort of takes that situation to God in
prayer. So today I want to kind of explore this situation together, and then we'll kind of explore
that prayer together as well, and see how we can respond when our devotion to God results in hatred
sometimes from other people. So first, let's look at that situation. In these first 13 verses that we
just read, David prays, and he just lays out his heart before the Lord. And you know, that just, just
in and of itself, that is a good example for us. Sometimes when we're feeling so overwhelmed, when we
feel like we're sinking, the best place to start is to just open our hearts to God in prayer, and just
express what's welling up in there. The Psalm just starts like a rocket, doesn't it? Save me, God!
I'm sinking! And sometimes that's where we need to begin. And these opening verses where David says,
I'm sinking beneath the waves of the flood, he's desperate, but we find out in verse 4 why he's so
desperate, why he feels like he's sinking. He says, more in number than the hairs of my head are those
who hate me without cause. And as David keeps on praying, we start to see that the reason why he's so
hated, the real root of that animosity, that reproach from other people, is actually David's
sincere devotion to God. Look at verse 8. I become a stranger to my brothers, an alien to my mother's
sons. Why? For zeal for your house has consumed me, and the reproaches of those who reproach you
have fallen on me. David says, when I wept and humbled my soul with fasting, it became my reproach.
When I made sackcloth my clothing, I became a byword to them. I'm the talk of people now.
You know, drunkards are making songs about me. They're reviling me. So what we see here is that
David, that people have seen the psalmist, they've seen David's devotion to God, they've seen his humble
repentance, his sincere heart of worship to God in spirit and truth, and how have they responded?
With reproach and hatred. So this psalm has a pretty particular focus. It's not just about praying when
people are out to get you in general. It's about praying when your sincere faith leads to a flood
of criticism, contempt, mockery, even hatred. So it's good to pause here and say, has that ever happened
to us? Has that ever happened to you? Has your sincere desire to please God ever made you the subject of
mockery or contempt? Has it ever gotten you into trouble with other people? David says that even
some of his own family members have turned against him in verse 8. I'm a stranger to my brothers. I'm an
alien to my mother's sons. His own brothers have rejected him. And then in verse 12, it's, you know,
it's not just who he calls the drunkards, the sort of like hoi polloi, everybody out there. It's not just,
it's not just those people who are mocking him, but he says it's those who sit at the gate.
And those who sit at the gate in the ancient world, they would have been sort of the leaders
of the community. They would have been the respected community members who sit at the gate of the city
to make judicial decisions over things that are happening in the life. They were sort of the ruling
council. So everyone has turned against David here. Now, you know, as we think about this, you know,
I'm sure we can think of lots of things about sincere devotion to God. There are lots of elements
about having a heart sincerely devoted to God that could bring on this sort of alienation
and contempt from other people. But in this Psalm, David pinpoints something very specific in verses
10 and 11. Verses 10 and 11, he says, I humbled my soul with fasting. I made sackcloth my clothing.
What is that describing? What is that reality talking about? Well, those are ways of talking about
genuine, humble repentance. The mark of genuine spirituality, of real zeal for God
is humble repentance, a contrite spirit. And David says that humble, contrite spirit,
walking with repentance towards God, that has made him the target of countless enemies.
Friends, you see, in the gospel, we admit the biblical message of salvation, what the core message
of the Bible is about. In that saving message of the Bible, we admit that we are sinners who are saved
by sheer grace. There's nothing that we can do to make us right with God. We confess that we need a Savior.
And that confession, that humble confession of repentance, that at the end of the day,
the fact that we're all sinners, is the most offensive thing about the message of the Bible.
That we cannot save ourselves, that all our good works are not sufficient,
that there are no truly good people in the world, that all have sinned and fall short of the glory
of God. And only those who admit their sin and receive God's rescue and his son will be saved.
That message, what David is showing us here, is one of the most offensive things
about true biblical spirituality. Because in our fallen hearts, we just, we recoil against that message,
don't we? We want to think that my own performance, my own life is good enough for God to owe me favor.
I want to think that what I have done is the thing that grants me a place in God's favor.
We are inescapable in our self-justification. We're always going to look to something to then hold up
and say, God, you have to bless me. I'm good enough now. My good works, my performance, my credentials.
But the gospel comes in and says, no, you still need a savior. Because whatever it is you're building
your identity on, it's going to crumble in the end before the perfect wrath and love of God.
That message is at the heart of the gospel.
And it is always offensive to our natural human hearts.
And so, as Paul says
in 1 Timothy 3.12,
all who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus
will be persecuted.
Now,
this situation that David is laying out here
that he describes, I think it's both a comfort and it's a challenge to us.
Before we move on to the prayer,
let's just pause and think about the situation.
I think it's both a comfort and it's a challenge.
It's a comfort because,
brothers and sisters,
if you have lost friends,
or if you've been alienated
from some of your family relationships,
or if you've lost your reputation at work
because of
your sincere desire
to please God,
then Psalm 69
comes with a word of comfort and says,
you're not alone.
You stand
with a countless
host of saints
who've gone before you,
who have walked that road.
You're not alone.
Be comforted.
Be encouraged.
But,
I think we also have to admit
that this situation's a bit of a challenge to us,
isn't it?
You know, this week as I was
studying Psalm 69,
I've had to ask myself,
you know,
is my own humble heart
of repentance
and sincerity for God
shaping my life so much
that I experience
reproach
at times,
exclusion,
like David did?
Or is my life
really just
indistinguishable
from the world around me?
Is how I use
my money?
Is how I use
my time?
Is how I use
my body
any different
from the world around me
who don't know
the God of grace?
You know,
there are always going to be things
in the gospel,
in biblical Christianity
that will be appealing
to any culture
in which it stands.
But there are also
going to be things
that go against
the grain
of any culture.
So we have to ask ourselves,
we have to take the challenge
and say,
am I living in line
with the truth of the gospel,
with that humble,
repentant heart,
or am I just
indistinguishable
from the world around me?
So there's a challenge
here for us.
And it's a challenge
to renew
our sincerity
towards God.
To say,
Lord,
renew
my passion for you,
my zeal for you,
my devotion to you,
my humble commitment to you.
So that's the situation
that David is under here
and we can often
relate to it
and we can take comfort
and we can take challenge
from it.
But starting in verse 13,
David turns from
kind of laying out
the situation
to now asking God
to respond.
He turns from the situation
to prayer,
to petition.
He's not content
just to lay it out.
He says,
okay God,
now you've got to do
something about it.
And there are three
broad things
that David's going to pray for
in the second half
of Psalm 69.
First,
he's going to pray
a prayer for rescue.
And second,
he's going to pray
a prayer for justice.
And then third,
he's going to pray
a prayer of hope
and encouragement
for others.
So a prayer for rescue,
a prayer for justice,
and a prayer of hope
and encouragement
for others.
So first,
let's look at this
prayer for rescue.
We're going to pick up
in verse 13
and go to verse 18.
Let's read that.
Let me read that for us.
David says,
But as for me,
my prayer is to you,
O Lord,
and an acceptable time,
O God,
in the abundance
of your steadfast love.
Answer me in your
saving faithfulness.
Deliver me from sinking
in the mire.
Let me be delivered
from my enemies
and from the deep waters.
Let not the flood
sweep over me
or the deep swallow me up
or the pit close
its mouth over me.
Answer me,
O Lord,
for your steadfast love
is good.
According to your
abundant mercy,
turn to me.
Hide not your face
from your servant,
for I am in distress.
Make haste to answer me.
Draw near to my soul.
Redeem me.
Ransom me
because of my enemies.
Now,
when we feel like
we're sinking
beneath a flood
of unjust reproach
and hatred,
David's showing us here
that first
we have to pray
for God
to rescue,
to deliver.
I mean,
I think it would be
very ironic,
don't you,
to try to save ourselves
when the primaries
reason we're being
criticized
is because we believe
that we can't
save ourselves,
right?
So rather than
anxiously plotting
and planning
and fretting
and maneuvering
when we experience
unjust pressure
and attack
and reproach,
our first response
should be to pray
for God
to deliver.
Don't let me sink,
God.
Sustain me.
Hold me up.
We can bring this
to God in prayer.
prayer.
And David marshals,
he sort of draws out
of his experience
all sorts of words
and images here
to talk about God
rescuing him.
But note
where he ends
in verse 18.
He says,
redeem me,
God.
Ransom me.
You know,
we can often glide
pretty quickly
over these
words.
You know,
David takes
one,
two,
three,
four,
five,
six verses here
to basically say,
save me,
God,
right?
And we can sometimes
just kind of glide
over them.
But sometimes it's good
to slow down
to sort of hit the brakes
when we get to these
parts of the Bible
and really just sort of
slow down
and focus in
on what's being said.
You know,
the Bible uses
all sorts of words
to describe God's
saving work.
There's no one word
that can capture
its fullness.
So sometimes it's good
to just slow down
and listen to these words.
David says,
redeem me
and ransom me.
The language of redeem,
of redeeming,
that's the language
you would use
when a family member,
when a near relative
sees you
in distress.
You know,
in the ancient world
maybe a famine
has come through
and you've lost
your fields,
you've had to sell
your property,
you've become
a hired hand,
your ability
to get your feet
under you
has been lost,
you're just systemically
down and out.
There's no way up.
Well,
a redeemer
is that relative
who comes,
sees you in distress,
they come to your side
and they buy back
your land for you
and they buy back
your equipment
and your livestock
for you
and they restore it
to you
and they put you
back on your feet again.
You remember
the book of Ruth?
The book of Ruth
is sort of a great book
in the Old Testament
about redeeming,
about a redeemer.
Boaz was the redeemer,
the nearest relative
of Ruth and Naomi
when they come back
to the land of promise
and they're completely destitute,
they've lost everything
and Boaz is the nearest relative
and he sees them in distress
and what it means
for Boaz
to be a redeemer
in that moment
is to marry Ruth the widow
and rescue
the family from ruin.
He binds himself
to the family
in marriage
to redeem them,
to rescue them.
Now think about Psalm 69.
David had lost his friends.
He'd even lost
his family relationships.
Everybody
was turning against him.
But he prays to the Lord
who's his redeemer.
The Lord is the one
who sticks closer
than a brother,
the one who will not leave us
destitute or alone,
the one who will see us
in our distress
and restore to us
what we've lost.
David says,
redeem me God.
Be my redeemer.
But the Lord
doesn't just redeem,
he ransoms.
David says,
ransom me,
oh God.
Now a ransom
in the ancient world
was a payment.
It was a price
that you paid
to set something free
when it was trapped.
If you had fallen
into slavery,
a ransom could be paid
to give you
your freedom again,
to liberate you.
Now you see,
in Psalm 69,
David is experiencing
the agonizing realization
that there is a cost
for sincere devotion to God.
There's a cost
for that.
But when we pray,
ransom me,
oh God,
because of my enemies,
we're reminded
that God
is willing
to pay a cost
for us.
Ransom me.
You know,
when God liberated
his people
from slavery in Egypt,
the great saving act
in the Old Testament,
the exodus from Egypt,
when God liberated
his people
from slavery in Egypt,
what was he doing there?
He was putting
his own name
on the line.
His reputation
was now bound up
forever
with the fate
of his people.
He was willing
to pay the cost
with his own name
to set them free.
But in the New Testament,
we see that God
isn't just willing
to put his name
on the line for us.
God's willing
to give his own son
for us.
God's willing
to pay the cost
fully.
Jesus willingly came
and ransomed us,
paid the price
to set us free.
And if that is true,
if we know
that the God
of the universe
has paid the price
for us,
if he has ransomed us,
if God has ransomed us,
then we know
that our enemies
can never really
destroy us.
How could our enemies
sink us
when God
is our redeemer,
when God
is our ransom?
No flood
could ultimately
shake us.
No amount
of torrent
or torment
or criticism
around us
could shake us
if we have
the Lord God
as our redeemer,
if we have
the Lord God
willing to put
his own self
on the line
for us?
How could he let us
sink beneath
the weight
of our enemies?
Never.
So David's confident
that at the acceptable
time,
in verse 13,
at the right time,
in God's
good timing,
he will be delivered.
But after praying
for rescue,
David then turns
to praying
for justice.
This is the second
part of David's prayer,
a prayer for justice.
And this is
verses 19
through 29.
Let me read
19 through 29
for us.
David says,
you know my reproach
and my shame
and my dishonor.
My foes are all
known to you.
Reproaches have
broken my heart
so that I am
in despair.
I looked for pity
but there was none
and for comforters
but I found none.
They gave me poison
for food
and for my thirst
they gave me sour
wine to drink.
Let their own table
before them
become a snare.
When they are at peace
let it become a trap.
Let their eyes be darkened
so they cannot see.
Make their loins
tremble continually.
Pour out your indignation
upon them
and let your burning anger
overtake them.
May their camp
become a desolation
and let no one dwell
in their tents.
For they persecute him
whom you've struck down
and they recount
the pain
of those you've wounded.
Add to them
punishment upon punishment.
May they have
no acquittal from you.
Let them be blotted
out of the book
of the living.
Let them not be enrolled
among the righteous.
But I am afflicted
and in pain.
Let your salvation
oh God
set me on high.
Out of his deep
anguish
David prays here
in these verses
that God would deal
with his enemies
in perfect justice.
That all the wrong
that they've done
he says
God let it be done
back to them.
You know
you can look through
these verses
22 through 28
and see all the ways
in which David's
sort of recounting
his own experience.
His own table
has become a snare.
His eyes have been darkened.
He's trembling continually.
His enemies are always
saying to him
throughout the Psalms
there's no salvation
for you David.
You're not going to be
a part of God's plan.
And David's just saying
God
act in justice.
Give to my enemies
what they deserve.
Now
how do we make sense
of a prayer like this?
It seems pretty harsh
doesn't it?
Well first
we have to see
that prayers like this
in the Psalms
and this prayer here
in Psalm 69 in particular
is an expression
of a soul
in deep
anguish.
A soul that has
experienced
deep
wrong.
So
before
we criticize
or we dismiss
such a prayer
you know
maybe it's helpful
to go back
to those moments
in our own life
when perhaps
we've tasted a bit
of that anguish
and injustice.
And when we go back
and we remember
those moments
in our own life
that own bitter
anguish
you know
we can start to realize
that the hearts cry
for justice
the hearts cry
for things to be
made right
that heart cry
resounds deeply
in the bones
of creatures
who are made
in the image
of God
and sometimes
that anguish
it cries out
in this kind of form.
So this is an expression
of a soul
in deep anguish
crying out to God
for real justice.
But second
notice that the prayer
is horizontal
it's not vertical
and this is what I mean
notice that what David
is praying here
is not
God
let me
make things right
with my enemies
let me
give to them
what they gave to me
just give me a chance
God
let me pay them back.
It's not what David
is praying
is it?
He's praying a vertical prayer
the psalm is saying
God
you be the judge
God
you give them
what they deserve
in other words
it's putting God
in the place of judgment
not me
and only when
we can pray
that prayer
vertically
only when
we can
we can pray
that prayer vertically
can we then respond
rightly horizontally
because
if we don't
put God
in our own hearts
in the rightful seat
of judgment
without minimizing
the wrong
without excusing
the wrong
if we don't
sort of lift it up
to God
and say
God
you must be
the rightful
judge here
if we don't
put God
in that place
then we will
inevitably
put ourselves
in that place
if I don't
honestly entrust
the judgment
to God
I'm going to
seek retribution
or vengeance
for myself
I'm going to
try to balance
the scales
and it might
not be
through physical
harm
but it might
be through
verbal attack
or it might
be through
just harboring
evil thoughts
in my mind
about another
person
but if I
take my
sense of
justice to
God
if I can
settle things
vertically
then I can
respond rightly
horizontally
then when I
respond to
my enemies
I can respond
with equity
or with justice
where needs
be
and I can
even respond
with forgiveness
David prayed
this prayer
from a place
of deep
anguish
a place
of deep
hurt
of being
deeply
wrong
and he
prayed it
to God
knowing that
God would
be the
just judge
but he
also prayed
it knowing
that God
promises to
protect his
people
to stand
up for the
oppressed
the downtrodden
the afflicted
this is one
of the
great
messages
of the
Bible
that God
will protect
his people
from all
harm in
the end
he prayed
this prayer
knowing that
God sees
the afflictions
of his
people
that God
knows what
it's like
do you
remember at
the end
of Exodus
chapter 2
where the
people are
sort of
they're sort
of languishing
in slavery
in Egypt
and at the
end of Exodus
2 it
says God
heard
their groanings
he saw
and God
knew
David
picks up
that divine
reality in
verse 9
when he
says God
you know
my reproach
you know
my shame
you know
my dishonor
God
knows
my friends
how much
more can
we say
that God
knows
in light
of the
New Testament
knowing that
God the
Son took
our human
nature
was tested
and tried
in every
way that
we are
but without
sin
Jesus
lived a
life of
complete
and perfect
devotion
to the
Father
and what
did
Jesus
receive
as a
result
of that
perfect
life
of healing
and righteousness
and goodness
and love
contempt
and hatred
and eventually
crucifixion
you know
when David
writes
they gave
me poison
for food
and for
my thirst
they gave
me sour
wine to
drink
he was
speaking
metaphorically
he was
saying
look
I did
good
to them
and they
gave
me
the
worst
in
return
but when
Jesus
was hanging
on the
cross
the gospel
of Matthew
tells us
that literally
they offered
him wine
to drink
mixed with
gall
mixed with
a dull
poison
to ease
his pain
Jesus
was offered
the worst
of human
enmity
and hatred
he was
truly hated
without cause
and yet
something
happens
at the
cross
Jesus
the perfect
judge
prays for
his enemies
father
forgive
them
now is
Jesus
overturning
or is
he kind
of contradicting
prayers
like we
have in
psalm 69
is he
saying
forget
about
those
prayers
now
that
I've
come
no
he's
not
Jesus
taught
again
and again
that perfect
judgment
would come
that those
who refuse
to repent
will be
shut out
of the
kingdom
that they
will be
blotted
out of the
book of
life
Jesus
talked
more about
the reality
of judgment
than anybody
else in
the Bible
in fact
the risen
Lord
Jesus
says that
he will
himself
be the
judge
so
Jesus
wasn't
contradicting
the witness
of the
psalms
from the
cross
he was
fulfilling
it
the
judge
was
standing
in
the
place
of
the
judged
so
that
mercy
free
of
charge
could
be
extended
to
sinners
the
love
of
God
took
up
not
only
the
complaint
of
the
wronged
but
the
wrong
of
the
wrongers
to
rescue
them
so
today
we
too
can
pray
for
God's
judgment
and
for
God's
protection
for
his
people
we
can
pour
out
our
hearts
to
God
when
we
experience
hatred
without
cause
but
when
we
do
that
we're
actually
letting
God
be
the
judge
and
when
we
set
that
straight
that
allows
us
then
to
deal
with
our
enemies
with
both
justice
and
with
mercy
as
God
has
dealt
with
us
through
the
cross
in
both
justice
and
mercy
and
that
brings
us
to
the
third
part
of
David's
prayer
we've
seen
his
prayer
for
rescue
his
prayer
for
justice
and
the
psalm
ends
with
a
prayer
of
hope
of
encouragement
for
others
let's
pick up
with
29
we'll
read
to
the
end
and
then
we'll
finish
up
David
says
I'm
afflicted
and
in
pain
let
your
salvation
O God
set
me
on
high
I
will
praise
the
name
of
God
with
a
song
I
will
magnify
him
with
our
prisoners
let
heaven
and
earth
praise
him
the
seas
and
everything
that
moves
in
them
for
God
will
save
Zion
and
build
up
the
cities
of
Judah
and
people
shall
dwell
there
and
possess
it
the
offspring
of
his
servant
shall
inherit
it
and
those
who
love
his
name
shall
dwell
in
it
you see
when
David
prayed
this
prayer
all of
Psalm 69
he wasn't
just
praying
as an
individual
before
God
he was
praying
also
as
the
people's
king
as
the
people's
representative
as
their
head
and
that
means
that
what
was
true
of
him
was
true
of
them
as
their
king
and
that's
why
earlier
in
this
psalm
in
verse
6
David
is
so
concerned
that
the
shame
and
dishonor
he's
experiencing
for
his
devotion
to
God
is
going
to
undermine
the
faithful
people
as
well
if
they
see
the
king
being
brought
low
being
riddled
down
with
contempt
will
they
not
to
be
brought
low
will
it
not
weaken
their
spiritual
devotion
to
see
their
king
suffer
such
a
cost
for
his
devotion
to
God
David's
rightly
concerned
about
the
people
that
they're
going
to
lose
heart
when
they
see
him
experience
this
kind
of
attack
so
that's
why
the
psalm
ends
with
David's
not
just
with
David's
own
personal
rescue
or
David's
own
you
who
seek
God
even
when
you
bear
reproach
let
your
hearts
revive
do
not
think
that
these
afflictions
are
the
last
word
no
though
we
are
brought
low
now
God
will
set
us
on
high
and
we
can
be
so
sure
of
that
hope
that
even
now
we
can
praise
him
and
magnify
him
with
thanks
giving
David's
hope
and
confidence
in
God's
rescue
means
that
the
people
can
have
the
same
hope
and
confidence
as
well
because
what's
true
of
the
king
if
God
will
rescue
his
king
then
God
will
rescue
his
people
and
so
the
psalm
ends
with
this
confident
hope
that
God
will
save
Zion
he'll
build
up
the
cities
of
Judah
in
other
words
the
people
of
God
will
one
day
flourish
and
get
this
in
their
flourishing
creation
will
rejoice
heaven
and earth
will
praise
God
the
sea
just
dragging
us
forward
into
the
new
testament
pointing
us
ahead
to
the
new
and
better
David
to
Jesus
Christ
crucified
and
risen
if
the
old
testament
people
of
God
could
have
hope
when
they
saw
David
rescued
from
his
enemies
how
much
more
brothers
and
sisters
can
we
have
hope
now
that
we
see
Jesus
the
king
of
the
universe
resurrected
and
triumphant
over
sin
and
death
and
hell
for
us
what's
earlier
if
the
world
hated
him
it
will
hate
us
too
but
the
new
testament
tells
us
that
if
we
share
in
his
sufferings
we
will
also
share
in
his
glory
and
the
whole
creation
Paul
says
in
Romans
8
is
waiting
and
groaning
with
eager
longing
with
bated
breath
for
the
children
of
God
to
enter
into
glory
to
experience
the
resurrection
with
Jesus
when
he
returns
and
when
that
day
happens
and
so
when
you
are
hated
without
cause
because
of
your
sincere
devotion
to
God
remember
that
when
you
share
in
his
sufferings
you
will
also
share
in
his
glory
in
fact
the
sufferings
of
this
present
time
Paul
says
are
not
worth
comparing
with
the
glory
that
is
revealed
to
us
the
new
testament
will
even
say
that
the
sufferings
now
are
preparing
for
us
an
eternal
weight
of
glory
beyond
compare
if
we're
willing
to
pray
that
sort
of
prayer
of
hope
even
in
suffering
and
trial
if
we
let
that
hope
get
into
our
prayers
and
we
start
to
praise
God
then
like
David
we
can
start
to
think
of
others
too
and
we
can
start
to
think
of
their
well-being
even
when
we're
going
through
extremely
difficult
times
isn't
it
true
that
suffering
and
affliction
can
make
us
very
self
standard
we
just
worry
about
ourselves
and
our
own
problems
but
you
know
if
we
have
the
hope
of
the
Bible
if
we
have
the
hope
of
the
gospel
even
when
we're
suffering
we
can
care
for
others
and
encourage
others
we
can
be
thinking
of
others
even
in
the
midst
of
excruciating
trial
why
because
we
have
hope
because
this
is
not
the
last
word
so
friends
when
our
devotion
to
God
brings
a
flood
of
contempt
and
even
hatred
even
when
it
seems
like
we're
sinking
with
nowhere
to
stand
remember
that
you
have
a
rescuer
and
there
is
a
just
God
who
promises
to
protect
you
and
we
have
hope
this
story
that
we
are
in
ends
like
Psalm
69
it
ends
in
praise
let's
pray
together
Lord
Jesus
help
us
to
live
into
the
hope
of
this
Psalm
help
us
not
to
be
afraid
when
we
face
affliction
Jesus
you
warned
us
that
we
would
be
hated
help
that
not
to
destroy
us
God
but
help
it
to
drive
us
to
you
and
Lord
would
you
advance
your
kingdom
through
us
we
pray
in
Jesus
name
Amen