WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:06.200 We're going to look this evening at a passage, we're going to look at Psalm 16. 00:00:06.200 --> 00:00:11.359 Derek briefed me in an email to have a celebratory and thankful theme, which was good. 00:00:11.359 --> 00:00:16.019 I was going to aim for kind of miserable and ungrateful, so it was good to get the heads 00:00:16.019 --> 00:00:21.039 up that that wasn't really the vibe, but good to be able to kind of celebrate the fact that 00:00:21.039 --> 00:00:26.920 we're able, as God's people, wherever we're from, whatever congregation we're part of, 00:00:26.920 --> 00:00:33.679 to have that fullness of joy that this Psalm is going to speak to us about. 00:00:33.679 --> 00:00:37.520 Just a bit of background before we turn to our passage, and one of the reasons I was 00:00:37.520 --> 00:00:44.160 keen to look here this evening, when we began Haddington Community Church back in 2017, 00:00:44.160 --> 00:00:50.640 into 2018, as I was just saying before, we spent a bit of time thinking about and speaking 00:00:50.640 --> 00:00:53.359 about our values as a church. 00:00:53.359 --> 00:00:57.399 What is the kind of church that we want to be? 00:00:57.399 --> 00:01:01.679 What are the kind of things we would want people to say of us if they came, and if they 00:01:01.679 --> 00:01:05.120 spent a little bit of time with our church family? 00:01:05.120 --> 00:01:10.680 We came down to really the kind of fundamentals of the centrality of the Bible, and the necessity 00:01:10.680 --> 00:01:15.960 of prayer that everything else builds on that, which I'm sure is the same for churches 00:01:15.960 --> 00:01:19.239 across the land, certainly the same here at St. Columba's. 00:01:19.239 --> 00:01:24.199 And then building on that, we spoke and we still speak about being a welcoming community 00:01:24.199 --> 00:01:28.879 that people would be brought in and find a home with us as a church, that we would be 00:01:28.879 --> 00:01:34.239 a growing community, not just that more people would join us, but that we would be growing 00:01:34.239 --> 00:01:40.239 in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, would be deepening our 00:01:40.239 --> 00:01:44.519 relationship with Him, that we would be a serving community, looking to use our gifts 00:01:44.519 --> 00:01:48.840 and our abilities for the good of the church, for the good of one another, and for the good 00:01:48.840 --> 00:01:50.560 of our community. 00:01:50.560 --> 00:01:55.960 And then finally, and really over and above all of that, that we would be a joyful community. 00:01:55.960 --> 00:02:00.240 We said from the beginning of our church that if the foundation is the gospel, literally 00:02:00.240 --> 00:02:05.520 the good news of Jesus Christ, or would then we want to demonstrate that good news in the 00:02:05.520 --> 00:02:10.599 way that we live, we want to live that out in joy, that people might look on us and say, 00:02:10.599 --> 00:02:15.120 well, they must know something good, and I'd like to hear about that, that we would be 00:02:15.120 --> 00:02:21.159 joyful people and a joyful community, and I know that joy is a feature of St. Columba's 00:02:21.159 --> 00:02:26.000 as well, and something I think I really kind of recognise in the other St. Columba's church 00:02:26.000 --> 00:02:30.360 plants too, really, as part of the DNA of this parent church. 00:02:30.360 --> 00:02:32.240 So it's really good to look at that together. 00:02:32.240 --> 00:02:33.879 I hate to break it to you. 00:02:33.879 --> 00:02:39.120 Scottish people are not renowned for their kind of outgoing displays of joy. 00:02:39.120 --> 00:02:43.599 Christians don't always have that kind of reputation as people of joy. 00:02:43.599 --> 00:02:48.400 When it comes to kind of Presbyterians in our stereotypes, we're really kind of scraping 00:02:48.400 --> 00:02:50.759 the bottom of the joy barrel. 00:02:50.759 --> 00:02:56.079 So perhaps our expectations here are low, but actually we're going to see why the Bible 00:02:56.079 --> 00:02:59.560 says that we not only can have joy, but that we should have joy. 00:02:59.560 --> 00:03:02.439 We must have joy. 00:03:02.439 --> 00:03:07.719 Being a community marked by joy is not an impossible goal, but it's something that the 00:03:07.719 --> 00:03:09.840 gospel moves us towards. 00:03:09.840 --> 00:03:13.319 That doesn't mean, and we'll say this again and again, that doesn't mean that we're 00:03:13.319 --> 00:03:16.719 always grinning and pretending that everything is fine. 00:03:16.719 --> 00:03:21.000 It doesn't always mean putting a brave face on everything. 00:03:21.000 --> 00:03:25.919 That's not the biblical picture of life or of joy, but it does mean there is that deep 00:03:25.919 --> 00:03:30.359 joy that we can hold on to whatever our circumstances. 00:03:30.359 --> 00:03:32.319 And Psalm 16 helps us with that. 00:03:32.319 --> 00:03:33.959 So let me read the Psalm now. 00:03:33.959 --> 00:03:40.039 If you do have a Bible, you can turn along their page 400 and 53, and I think it'll be 00:03:40.039 --> 00:03:41.199 perhaps on the screen as well. 00:03:41.199 --> 00:03:45.639 But this is Psalm 16, and we'll read the whole of that Psalm. 00:03:45.639 --> 00:03:47.639 A mixtam of David. 00:03:47.639 --> 00:03:52.239 Preserve me, O God, for in you I take refuge. 00:03:52.239 --> 00:03:54.560 I say to the Lord, you are my Lord. 00:03:54.560 --> 00:03:58.079 I have no good apart from you. 00:03:58.079 --> 00:04:03.759 As for the saints in the land, they are the excellent ones in whom is all my delight. 00:04:03.759 --> 00:04:07.879 The sorrow of those who run after another God shall multiply. 00:04:07.879 --> 00:04:13.519 The drink offerings of blood I will not pour out or take their names on my lips. 00:04:13.519 --> 00:04:17.159 The Lord is my chosen portion and my cup. 00:04:17.159 --> 00:04:18.360 You hold my lot. 00:04:18.360 --> 00:04:22.120 The lines have fallen for me in pleasant places. 00:04:22.120 --> 00:04:25.800 Indeed, I have a beautiful inheritance. 00:04:25.800 --> 00:04:28.839 I bless the Lord who gives me counsel. 00:04:28.839 --> 00:04:31.040 In the night also my heart instructs me. 00:04:31.040 --> 00:04:33.800 I have set the Lord always before me. 00:04:33.800 --> 00:04:38.079 Because He is at my right hand, I shall not be shaken. 00:04:38.079 --> 00:04:43.600 Therefore my heart is glad and my whole being rejoices. 00:04:43.600 --> 00:04:50.560 My flesh also dwells secure, for you will not abandon my soul to shale, or let your 00:04:50.560 --> 00:04:53.519 holy one seek corruption. 00:04:53.519 --> 00:04:56.120 You may know to me the path of life. 00:04:56.120 --> 00:04:59.439 In your presence there is fullness of joy. 00:04:59.439 --> 00:05:04.680 At your right hand are pleasures forevermore. 00:05:04.680 --> 00:05:11.439 Well, you might well know the book of Psalms is this incredible book of songs of poetry 00:05:11.439 --> 00:05:15.199 right in the middle, right at the heart of the Bible. 00:05:15.199 --> 00:05:22.079 And like the best songs, the best poetry is writing that really connects with the emotions. 00:05:22.079 --> 00:05:26.920 It's writing that brings truths from our minds down into our hearts. 00:05:26.920 --> 00:05:31.439 So if we're ever tempted perhaps to think that Christianity is a bit dry and dusty, 00:05:31.439 --> 00:05:36.480 or that it doesn't really connect with real life, or it doesn't understand how I feel, 00:05:36.480 --> 00:05:41.439 or the book of Psalms is a great place to turn to put ourselves right. 00:05:41.439 --> 00:05:44.920 The Psalms are full of joy, but also full of suffering. 00:05:44.920 --> 00:05:51.720 They're full of praise to God, but also crying out to God in times of hardship. 00:05:51.720 --> 00:06:00.120 They're full of the truth of who God is, but also the honest distress about the Psalmist's 00:06:00.120 --> 00:06:01.120 situation. 00:06:01.120 --> 00:06:09.120 And so as we think about joy in the Gospel, as we think about the church as a joyful community, 00:06:09.120 --> 00:06:14.000 the Psalms are a great place for us to turn to encourage us because they are realistic, 00:06:14.000 --> 00:06:15.000 aren't they? 00:06:15.000 --> 00:06:16.720 They're not going to shallow and happy-clappy. 00:06:16.720 --> 00:06:18.640 They are deep and genuine. 00:06:18.639 --> 00:06:23.839 They have the highs, but also the lows, often right here in the same Psalm. 00:06:23.839 --> 00:06:28.039 And so again, a great place to turn because that is what our lives are like, isn't it? 00:06:28.039 --> 00:06:29.800 And that is the case here in Psalm 16. 00:06:29.800 --> 00:06:34.519 If you flick over to the end of the Psalm, you'll see it finishes with those incredibly 00:06:34.519 --> 00:06:36.000 joyful verses. 00:06:36.000 --> 00:06:39.719 Verse 11, you make known to me the path of life. 00:06:39.719 --> 00:06:42.439 In your presence there is fullness of joy. 00:06:42.439 --> 00:06:45.479 At your right hand are pleasures forevermore. 00:06:45.480 --> 00:06:51.560 Now, what an incredible close to that Psalm, and that's where we're heading towards. 00:06:51.560 --> 00:06:55.720 But note the Psalm also doesn't start in that place. 00:06:55.720 --> 00:07:00.240 Verse one, preserve me, O God, for in you I take refuge. 00:07:00.240 --> 00:07:05.520 Now, this Psalm really begins with a cry for help, with a cry for rescue, the Psalmist 00:07:05.520 --> 00:07:06.520 needing shelter. 00:07:06.520 --> 00:07:13.640 And so this Psalm really leads us on this journey from feeling somewhat overwhelmed, from needing 00:07:13.639 --> 00:07:20.639 help, refuge, things that's been too much for us, to ultimately finding that fullness 00:07:20.639 --> 00:07:22.079 of joy that we're talking about. 00:07:22.079 --> 00:07:25.079 And that is not because the challenges of life disappear. 00:07:25.079 --> 00:07:26.680 That's not what happens in this Psalm. 00:07:26.680 --> 00:07:31.240 There's no verse in the middle that says, suddenly all the bad things went away. 00:07:31.240 --> 00:07:37.919 Now, note, it's by finding hope in God through all of these challenges. 00:07:37.919 --> 00:07:42.079 So then what is this, this path to joy that the Psalm lays out? 00:07:42.079 --> 00:07:47.919 Joy which is certain and solid, a joy that is not dictated by our circumstances. 00:07:47.919 --> 00:07:53.599 I want us to see three steps in this Psalm, or really maybe three stages, three signposts. 00:07:53.599 --> 00:07:59.279 This is not a click of the fingers, and suddenly everything will just be happy days. 00:07:59.279 --> 00:08:04.799 But this is the path laid out for us to walk all of our days, even in the midst of that 00:08:04.799 --> 00:08:11.120 struggle and challenge that comes to us all, so that still we can know, still we can live 00:08:11.120 --> 00:08:14.560 out that fullness of joy which is promised. 00:08:14.560 --> 00:08:17.280 So let's look at these three stages. 00:08:17.280 --> 00:08:22.800 And the first one is this, the first marker laid out on this path for joy is to look to 00:08:22.800 --> 00:08:27.120 God alone for satisfaction. 00:08:27.120 --> 00:08:29.639 Look to God alone for satisfaction. 00:08:29.639 --> 00:08:35.200 That is what David who wrote this Psalm says in verse two, I say to the Lord, you are my 00:08:35.200 --> 00:08:36.320 God. 00:08:36.320 --> 00:08:39.960 I have no good apart from you. 00:08:39.960 --> 00:08:47.440 It might sound kind of strange or counterintuitive, but the first step we see here to joy is to 00:08:47.440 --> 00:08:53.920 give up hope of finding it anywhere other than in God. 00:08:53.920 --> 00:08:57.840 It's in recognizing that only he can satisfy us. 00:08:57.840 --> 00:09:02.639 And so straight away we see how the message of Christianity is different from the message 00:09:02.639 --> 00:09:03.639 of the world. 00:09:03.639 --> 00:09:07.400 There is that similarity, there is that common goal in some ways. 00:09:07.399 --> 00:09:13.079 We're all looking for joy, people want joy, and yet where do we find it? 00:09:13.079 --> 00:09:19.840 Well, the world tells us to look, doesn't it, to our stuff for joy. 00:09:19.840 --> 00:09:24.919 The whole advertising industry is geared up to show us what we need, what we'll make our 00:09:24.919 --> 00:09:28.919 lives fulfilling if we just had this product, well then we'd be happy. 00:09:28.919 --> 00:09:32.600 And obviously this all goes into overdrive at the moment, doesn't it, in the lead up 00:09:32.600 --> 00:09:34.840 to Christmas that we're in. 00:09:34.840 --> 00:09:40.480 And yet the Bible says that we'll never find our lasting joy in these things. 00:09:40.480 --> 00:09:43.960 It says these things are basically little gods to us. 00:09:43.960 --> 00:09:47.759 It's exactly what Derek was saying to the young guys just before. 00:09:47.759 --> 00:09:53.759 Now we try and put them in place of the true God, the glorious God, and yet they pale into 00:09:53.759 --> 00:09:59.360 insignificance in comparison, but we don't recognize that. 00:09:59.360 --> 00:10:03.080 Now that's what David is saying in verse four, the sorrows of those who run after another 00:10:03.080 --> 00:10:08.120 God, that's anything other than the true God to try and find our satisfaction. 00:10:08.120 --> 00:10:13.240 The sorrows of those who run after another God shall multiply. 00:10:13.240 --> 00:10:17.560 We can pick in our world from a whole range of gods. 00:10:17.560 --> 00:10:22.200 They can be different religious gods or they could be different secular gods of possessions, 00:10:22.200 --> 00:10:28.200 of fame, of wealth, of the new extension that we'd like to be keeping up with the neighbors. 00:10:28.200 --> 00:10:32.480 We can choose any of those things as gods to run after is the ultimate thing we think 00:10:32.480 --> 00:10:38.720 will bring us meaning, will bring us joy, but the Bible says those paths lead to sorrow, 00:10:38.720 --> 00:10:45.800 to unfulfillment, to a lack of satisfaction that they don't provide what they promise. 00:10:45.800 --> 00:10:51.560 There was a fascinating article in the Harvard Business Review last year. 00:10:51.560 --> 00:10:55.680 It was called Three Things That Won't Make You Happy. 00:10:55.680 --> 00:10:58.240 And the summary of the article read like this. 00:10:58.240 --> 00:11:00.240 It said, number one, money. 00:11:00.240 --> 00:11:03.879 Most of a person's needs are met, more money rarely leads to greater happiness. 00:11:03.879 --> 00:11:09.600 In fact, too much money can lead to increased loneliness and anxiety and complicates our 00:11:09.600 --> 00:11:10.600 relationships. 00:11:10.600 --> 00:11:12.519 Number two, likes. 00:11:12.519 --> 00:11:17.399 Millions of people seek the dopamine hit of likes and views on Twitter, Instagram, TikTok, 00:11:17.399 --> 00:11:22.560 Facebook or other platforms believing that more social media friends and attention will 00:11:22.560 --> 00:11:24.480 mean a greater sense of worth. 00:11:24.480 --> 00:11:30.920 But emerging evidence shows that social media use and happiness are inversely correlated. 00:11:30.920 --> 00:11:33.600 And the third and final one was stuff. 00:11:33.600 --> 00:11:39.560 It said accumulating material possessions doesn't improve live satisfaction and can actually 00:11:39.560 --> 00:11:45.800 lead to deeper feelings of anxiety, insecurity and emptiness. 00:11:45.800 --> 00:11:48.080 Fascinating, isn't it? 00:11:48.080 --> 00:11:50.759 How the research there backs up. 00:11:50.759 --> 00:11:56.439 What the Psalms were saying thousands of years ago, not just that these things can't satisfy, 00:11:56.439 --> 00:11:59.639 but that these things are actually a downward slope. 00:11:59.639 --> 00:12:04.879 The sorrows of those who run after another God shall multiply. 00:12:04.879 --> 00:12:09.720 And it's important to say here that Christians and the Bible are not against all of these 00:12:09.720 --> 00:12:10.720 things. 00:12:10.720 --> 00:12:15.840 That there are plenty of good things in our world to be enjoyed, but the problem comes 00:12:15.840 --> 00:12:19.960 when we look to them instead of God. 00:12:19.960 --> 00:12:25.160 And so the Bible says to enjoy good things, but to remember, to remember that even if they 00:12:25.160 --> 00:12:32.280 are all stripped away, that if we have God, we still have enough. 00:12:32.280 --> 00:12:35.800 We still have all that we need. 00:12:35.800 --> 00:12:40.080 Really, why is it that God satisfies and other things don't? 00:12:40.080 --> 00:12:45.440 It's because it comes down to what we were designed for, that we were made in the image 00:12:45.440 --> 00:12:48.759 of God as relational beings. 00:12:48.759 --> 00:12:51.559 We were made to be in relationship with God. 00:12:51.559 --> 00:12:52.720 That's where our joy comes from. 00:12:52.720 --> 00:12:56.000 We weren't designed as consumers. 00:12:56.000 --> 00:12:58.720 We were designed for relationships. 00:12:58.720 --> 00:13:02.519 We might then ask that question, well, if that's the case, why can I not find all of 00:13:02.519 --> 00:13:07.840 my joy and pin my hopes in a partner or in family or in friends? 00:13:07.840 --> 00:13:11.120 And again, we'd be keen to say, well, these are good things. 00:13:11.120 --> 00:13:16.159 And yet it is not fair on those people to put them in the place of God. 00:13:16.159 --> 00:13:19.719 People will let us down and we will let other people down. 00:13:19.719 --> 00:13:25.039 If our joy, if all our satisfaction is depending on and resting on a person, we'll ultimately 00:13:25.039 --> 00:13:26.679 crush that relationship. 00:13:26.679 --> 00:13:30.559 We'll spoil what is good by trying to make it the ultimate thing. 00:13:30.559 --> 00:13:36.919 It is only God who can bear that weight, only God who can truly satisfy. 00:13:36.919 --> 00:13:39.120 And that's what David says there in verse 5, isn't it? 00:13:39.120 --> 00:13:41.799 The Lord is my chosen portion and my cup. 00:13:41.799 --> 00:13:43.799 You hold my lot. 00:13:43.799 --> 00:13:47.799 And it's not God plus this nice place to live. 00:13:47.799 --> 00:13:52.959 It's not God plus all these friends who kind of like me and say positive things about me. 00:13:52.959 --> 00:13:55.959 It's not God plus financial security. 00:13:55.959 --> 00:13:58.759 It's not God plus things going well at church. 00:13:58.759 --> 00:14:04.000 It is God alone where joy is found. 00:14:04.000 --> 00:14:11.559 Jesus, David throws his whole lot in with God and says, you and only you are who I'm 00:14:11.559 --> 00:14:12.559 going to look to. 00:14:12.559 --> 00:14:15.799 That is his beautiful inheritance, it says, verse 6. 00:14:15.799 --> 00:14:19.399 That is the lines that have fallen in pleasant places. 00:14:19.399 --> 00:14:22.759 David isn't speaking there about his property portfolio. 00:14:22.759 --> 00:14:25.959 He's talking about his relationship with God. 00:14:25.959 --> 00:14:30.399 He is satisfied because he has God himself. 00:14:30.399 --> 00:14:37.919 And so there's that first step in this Psalm on the path to joy to realign our focus and 00:14:37.919 --> 00:14:44.559 our alliance to look to God alone for our satisfaction, to look to God alone for our 00:14:44.559 --> 00:14:45.559 joy. 00:14:45.559 --> 00:14:50.599 And we'll step two then and we'll be brief for here the second aspect of this journey. 00:14:50.599 --> 00:14:53.719 Remember we're not saying this is simple. 00:14:53.719 --> 00:14:55.559 Just do one, two, three and you're done. 00:14:55.559 --> 00:14:56.559 Happiness for evermore. 00:14:56.559 --> 00:14:58.919 No, these are our attitudes. 00:14:58.919 --> 00:15:03.679 These are truths that we have to work at, that we have to pursue. 00:15:03.679 --> 00:15:07.079 We don't want to present this as a quick fix in any way. 00:15:07.080 --> 00:15:14.320 But step two is to know that as we cast our lot in with God, as we look to him alone for 00:15:14.320 --> 00:15:20.200 satisfaction that God will guide us and he will protect us. 00:15:20.200 --> 00:15:22.440 And this is verse 7 onwards really. 00:15:22.440 --> 00:15:23.440 It's all very well, isn't it? 00:15:23.440 --> 00:15:25.480 Saying, well, just give everything to God. 00:15:25.480 --> 00:15:26.480 Look to him for your joy. 00:15:26.480 --> 00:15:29.639 It's very easy for me to say that from here. 00:15:29.639 --> 00:15:30.639 But how? 00:15:30.639 --> 00:15:32.920 Or why can we do that? 00:15:32.919 --> 00:15:38.519 Now David here really gives us a list of why this is a good decision. 00:15:38.519 --> 00:15:43.479 Of why it makes sense to put our focus and our hope on God and why we can do that with 00:15:43.479 --> 00:15:45.039 real confidence. 00:15:45.039 --> 00:15:49.879 Have a look at verses 7 and 8 there where we see God gives us counsel, it says. 00:15:49.879 --> 00:15:51.679 He gives us instruction. 00:15:51.679 --> 00:15:53.479 It says he goes before us. 00:15:53.479 --> 00:15:55.159 He is always beside us. 00:15:55.159 --> 00:15:59.279 The big point is that this is a God who we can rely on. 00:15:59.279 --> 00:16:05.120 If we put our hopes in other things or when the chips are down they'll fold. 00:16:05.120 --> 00:16:13.559 Whatever stuff we have, that will seem insignificant when our loved ones are in a time of sickness. 00:16:13.559 --> 00:16:17.199 Whatever relationships we build, there will be situations that they just cannot help us 00:16:17.199 --> 00:16:18.199 with. 00:16:18.199 --> 00:16:22.919 There will be questions they do not know the answer to. 00:16:22.919 --> 00:16:27.279 And so David is able to say these incredible words then at the end of verse 8 because 00:16:27.279 --> 00:16:32.039 his trust is not in his stuff, not in other people but in God alone. 00:16:32.039 --> 00:16:37.159 He's able to say, I shall not be shaken. 00:16:37.159 --> 00:16:41.919 And aren't they just words that we would love to be able to say when the storms of life 00:16:41.919 --> 00:16:44.799 come, I shall not be shaken. 00:16:44.799 --> 00:16:49.759 Aren't they words that we would love to be able to say when difficult things hit us and 00:16:49.759 --> 00:16:53.399 all the other things we realize are so shaky in our lives. 00:16:53.399 --> 00:16:55.639 I shall not be shaken. 00:16:55.639 --> 00:17:00.679 One of the commentators on this passage says that phrase can be said in two ways. 00:17:00.679 --> 00:17:05.400 The first way it can be said in pure Rivaldo really which says, well I won't be shaken. 00:17:05.400 --> 00:17:07.879 I can do this, I'm strong. 00:17:07.879 --> 00:17:10.480 Actually the meaning here is so different. 00:17:10.480 --> 00:17:15.240 And it's not pride, it's not self-reliance, it's not about my strength. 00:17:15.240 --> 00:17:19.440 But it is due to this trust in God that David has been laying out. 00:17:19.440 --> 00:17:25.599 It's because he is at my right hand, the verse says, I shall not be shaken. 00:17:25.599 --> 00:17:29.199 And this is a God who is with us, who we can trust. 00:17:29.199 --> 00:17:33.759 And as we read on in verse nine, the consequence of this is joy. 00:17:33.759 --> 00:17:40.000 Verse nine, therefore my heart is glad, my whole being rejoices, my flesh also dwells 00:17:40.000 --> 00:17:41.000 secure. 00:17:41.000 --> 00:17:44.639 We have joy because God is beside us in every situation. 00:17:44.639 --> 00:17:46.519 And will not let us down. 00:17:46.519 --> 00:17:52.759 And that's now, and this Psalm makes really clear that that is into the whole of eternity. 00:17:52.759 --> 00:17:57.039 And here's where we see even more clearly, even more abundantly, that God can offer 00:17:57.039 --> 00:17:59.720 what nobody else can. 00:17:59.720 --> 00:18:03.039 Verse 10, there is security even beyond death. 00:18:03.039 --> 00:18:07.160 Verse 11, there are pleasures forevermore. 00:18:07.160 --> 00:18:12.000 There is no end to the joy that comes when we throw our lot in with God. 00:18:12.000 --> 00:18:17.400 Because there is no end to his care and his protection of us. 00:18:17.400 --> 00:18:21.759 And again to emphasize here, we're not talking about pretending everything is fine. 00:18:21.759 --> 00:18:26.039 We're not talking about just a surface level kind of veneer of happiness. 00:18:26.039 --> 00:18:31.519 We're saying even in the deepest and darkest times, even in the times when we weep for 00:18:31.519 --> 00:18:37.640 ourselves and we weep with others, the gospel gives us a joy that continues through our 00:18:37.640 --> 00:18:39.400 weeping. 00:18:39.400 --> 00:18:42.680 Because it shows us a God who is with us in the midst of those times. 00:18:42.680 --> 00:18:48.759 And who promises that he will bring us to his eternal home with him where weeping will 00:18:48.759 --> 00:18:50.960 be no more. 00:18:50.960 --> 00:18:53.480 God will lead and protect. 00:18:53.480 --> 00:18:58.640 So this Psalm says we find our joy from moving our security, our hope, our focus from things 00:18:58.640 --> 00:19:00.140 to God. 00:19:00.140 --> 00:19:03.440 And as we do that, knowing that God won't let us down. 00:19:03.440 --> 00:19:05.840 God will lead, God will protect. 00:19:05.840 --> 00:19:09.440 The final thing I want us to look at this evening, really, which is the key, which holds 00:19:09.440 --> 00:19:14.319 all of this together, really the key to this Psalm about the journey from being kind of 00:19:14.319 --> 00:19:17.519 overwhelmed to finding joy. 00:19:17.519 --> 00:19:23.759 And that key is this, the third thing, to look to the risen Lord Jesus. 00:19:23.759 --> 00:19:28.279 Third and finally, look to the risen Lord Jesus. 00:19:28.279 --> 00:19:34.240 Because actually it is Jesus who is the fulfillment of this Psalm. 00:19:34.240 --> 00:19:35.799 How do we know that? 00:19:35.799 --> 00:19:41.480 Well, it's because the New Testament actually tells us specifically that this Psalm is about 00:19:41.480 --> 00:19:43.319 him. 00:19:43.319 --> 00:19:48.799 In the book of Acts, as the apostle Peter speaks to the crowds about Jesus, really his first 00:19:48.799 --> 00:19:54.159 great sermon recorded after Jesus had ascended, after Jesus had returned to heaven. 00:19:54.159 --> 00:19:56.960 Peter quotes this Psalm, Psalm 16. 00:19:56.960 --> 00:20:01.240 He says this, I saw the Lord always before me, for he is at my right hand, that I might 00:20:01.240 --> 00:20:02.240 not be shaken. 00:20:02.240 --> 00:20:05.159 Therefore, my heart was glad and my tongue rejoiced. 00:20:05.159 --> 00:20:10.960 My flesh also will dwell in hope for you have not abandoned my soul to hares or let your 00:20:10.960 --> 00:20:12.759 Holy One seek corruption. 00:20:12.759 --> 00:20:15.279 You have made known to me the path of life. 00:20:15.279 --> 00:20:19.680 You will make me full of gladness in your presence. 00:20:19.680 --> 00:20:25.879 Peter picks up on this Psalm 16 and then he asks the question, well, who is this Holy 00:20:25.879 --> 00:20:29.519 One who didn't seek corruption? 00:20:29.519 --> 00:20:33.079 Who is this one who didn't remain in death? 00:20:33.079 --> 00:20:37.759 He says it's not David who wrote the Psalm because he is dead and gone and we can show 00:20:37.759 --> 00:20:40.279 you where he's buried. 00:20:40.279 --> 00:20:41.279 But he continues. 00:20:41.279 --> 00:20:47.759 Verse two, verse 31, he says of David that he foresaw and spoke about the resurrection 00:20:47.759 --> 00:20:50.440 of the Christ. 00:20:50.440 --> 00:20:52.440 It is Jesus. 00:20:52.440 --> 00:20:59.039 Jesus is the one who was brought back from beyond the grave, whose soul did not see decay. 00:20:59.039 --> 00:21:03.599 He is the fulfillment of this soul. 00:21:03.599 --> 00:21:09.599 Jesus truly is the only one who fully trusted and looked to God rather than the things of 00:21:09.599 --> 00:21:11.359 this world. 00:21:11.359 --> 00:21:12.959 And so we want to strive to do that. 00:21:12.959 --> 00:21:14.119 We can grow in doing that. 00:21:14.119 --> 00:21:17.480 But there will always be these times when we fail. 00:21:17.480 --> 00:21:21.279 There will always be times when we find ourselves looking elsewhere. 00:21:21.279 --> 00:21:24.959 We sang that great line at the beginning of that song we've just sung. 00:21:24.959 --> 00:21:31.399 Minor days that God has numbered, I was made to walk with him, yet I look for worldly treasure 00:21:31.399 --> 00:21:35.279 and forsake the king of kings. 00:21:35.279 --> 00:21:39.559 We know that is not the way to joy, but we still do that. 00:21:39.559 --> 00:21:40.559 And so we fail. 00:21:40.559 --> 00:21:41.559 And so we fail. 00:21:41.559 --> 00:21:46.519 And yet when we turn to Jesus, the fulfillment of this song, we see he did that perfectly 00:21:46.519 --> 00:21:48.679 on our behalf. 00:21:48.679 --> 00:21:54.759 And so that means that our joy is found ultimately in trusting in what he has done and not our 00:21:54.759 --> 00:21:56.559 own efforts. 00:21:56.559 --> 00:22:00.839 And that is why, more than anything else, that is why this joy is so secure. 00:22:00.839 --> 00:22:05.879 Because when we have a bad day, when we find ourselves looking in the wrong places, this 00:22:05.880 --> 00:22:14.400 is not all out of the window, but it continues because it is grounded on what Jesus has achieved. 00:22:14.400 --> 00:22:20.400 We keep on looking to Jesus, the one who perfectly looked to God alone for his satisfaction. 00:22:20.400 --> 00:22:28.240 But not only did Jesus look to God perfectly in his life, he also then died of death in 00:22:28.240 --> 00:22:31.560 our place that he did not deserve. 00:22:31.560 --> 00:22:35.760 And again there we see really the second aspect of what we were looking at this evening. 00:22:35.759 --> 00:22:41.640 We see the ultimate display of God's faithfulness, that God is one who will lead us and guide 00:22:41.640 --> 00:22:45.720 us, that he is one that will not let us down, that he will not abandon those who look to 00:22:45.720 --> 00:22:50.400 him, that God truly does lead and protect. 00:22:50.400 --> 00:22:55.640 And he has done that through Jesus, who has opened that door and who will lead and guide 00:22:55.640 --> 00:23:01.519 and protect us all the way to our heavenly home with God the Father, where there is joy 00:23:01.519 --> 00:23:03.000 forevermore. 00:23:03.000 --> 00:23:08.440 Again, Peter says in Acts, God raised him up, loosing the pangs of death because it was 00:23:08.440 --> 00:23:12.279 not possible for him to be held by it. 00:23:12.279 --> 00:23:19.799 Ultimately to find joy, to find joy in a difficult world where we go through difficult circumstances, 00:23:19.799 --> 00:23:26.319 where we need refuge, and we look to the risen Jesus, we identify ourselves with him, we 00:23:26.319 --> 00:23:31.079 put our trust in him, because he perfectly looked to God alone. 00:23:31.079 --> 00:23:38.599 And through him God has shown us his perfect faithfulness and opened that door to a perfect 00:23:38.599 --> 00:23:39.679 eternity with him. 00:23:39.679 --> 00:23:45.720 We can have that proper joy, whatever our situation, whatever is going on in our life, 00:23:45.720 --> 00:23:52.000 because if we're following Jesus, we know that we too will be raised just as he was, 00:23:52.000 --> 00:23:56.439 that he was the first born from the dead, but that we follow in his footsteps. 00:23:56.440 --> 00:24:02.880 Through him we are brought into the very presence of God now and for all eternity. 00:24:02.880 --> 00:24:08.960 And as we said as a Psalm 16 concludes, in his presence there is fullness of joy at his 00:24:08.960 --> 00:24:13.039 right hand are pleasures forevermore. 00:24:13.039 --> 00:24:16.799 We have access to that place through Jesus. 00:24:16.799 --> 00:24:19.320 And so we have real reason to be joyful. 00:24:19.320 --> 00:24:24.840 And notice, as we said before, nowhere in this Psalm has it ever said, has it even hinted 00:24:24.839 --> 00:24:29.959 that life will be easy, that if we get these steps right, the things that we find difficult 00:24:29.959 --> 00:24:33.079 will just fade away. 00:24:33.079 --> 00:24:37.879 And actually as we draw to a close perhaps our metaphor we've been using even isn't quite 00:24:37.879 --> 00:24:38.879 right. 00:24:38.879 --> 00:24:42.639 This isn't a journey from joy, sorry, from suffering to joy. 00:24:42.639 --> 00:24:49.039 It's actually signposts to joy even in suffering, isn't it? 00:24:49.039 --> 00:24:54.359 It's a real joy as through Jesus we are brought into the presence of God and it's there and 00:24:54.359 --> 00:24:59.519 in seeking him above everything else that true joy is found as we cast our lot in with 00:24:59.519 --> 00:25:03.199 God recognizing only he can satisfy. 00:25:03.199 --> 00:25:06.759 As we know that he is faithful he will protect and stand by us. 00:25:06.759 --> 00:25:12.359 And as over and above everything else we look to the risen Lord Jesus who has done this 00:25:12.359 --> 00:25:20.319 perfectly for us and brings us into the presence of God and the joy that brings now and forevermore. 00:25:20.319 --> 00:25:27.000 Now let me just finish then with two kind of quick thoughts about how we might apply 00:25:27.000 --> 00:25:31.799 this, the difference this might make to our lives this week. 00:25:31.799 --> 00:25:37.720 Number one, to think about this as we look out and I'm just so struck as we look at this 00:25:37.720 --> 00:25:40.039 Psalm as we think about that joy. 00:25:40.039 --> 00:25:46.960 What a brilliant message this is for us that we get to share with other people. 00:25:46.960 --> 00:25:51.600 So often I'm sure I'm not the only one who finds it hard to speak about Jesus, to speak 00:25:51.600 --> 00:25:54.880 about what I believe, to speak about my faith. 00:25:54.880 --> 00:25:59.039 We're not sure what to say, do we have to tell people these kind of complicated bits of theology, 00:25:59.039 --> 00:26:03.759 is there lots of rules and things like that involved if you're here this evening and you're 00:26:03.759 --> 00:26:07.519 not a Christian you might think well what is it that these Christians really want from 00:26:07.519 --> 00:26:09.640 me? 00:26:09.640 --> 00:26:15.440 Actually we have a message that says do you want a joyful life? 00:26:15.440 --> 00:26:21.840 Not in a simplistic way, not in a naive way, but do you want this life where even if everything 00:26:21.840 --> 00:26:27.080 was stripped away from you you'd still be able to say at the deepest level you have 00:26:27.080 --> 00:26:29.200 pleasures forevermore. 00:26:29.200 --> 00:26:35.440 Do you feel that so much of what the world has offered has flattered to deceive and has 00:26:35.440 --> 00:26:40.039 failed to bring the satisfaction it promised? 00:26:40.039 --> 00:26:45.400 And we have that incredible privilege of being able to say well here is someone, Jesus Christ, 00:26:45.400 --> 00:26:47.600 who brings that joy. 00:26:47.600 --> 00:26:52.360 What a great message that is for us to be able to share. 00:26:52.360 --> 00:26:58.160 And then secondly I suppose looking in thinking of ourselves as church congregations. 00:26:58.160 --> 00:27:01.960 So important that we don't ever feel this message of being a joyful community means that we 00:27:01.960 --> 00:27:09.080 cannot share our difficulties or our sorrows with one another, that somehow that would 00:27:09.080 --> 00:27:13.000 make us a failure that we're not doing it right if we're not kind of grinning from ear 00:27:13.000 --> 00:27:14.000 to ear. 00:27:14.000 --> 00:27:18.759 So important we remember as we close the whole point of the joy the Gospel brings, the thing 00:27:18.759 --> 00:27:24.559 that sets it kind of head and shoulders above anything else is that it is a joy that can 00:27:24.559 --> 00:27:26.680 deal with sorrow. 00:27:26.680 --> 00:27:33.160 It is a joy that goes through sorrows, that goes through difficulties, goes through sadness. 00:27:33.160 --> 00:27:37.920 It is a joy that lasts through the storms of life because it isn't based on what's around 00:27:37.920 --> 00:27:45.600 us but it's based on the certain and unchanging truth of who God is and what is done for us 00:27:45.600 --> 00:27:46.800 through Jesus Christ. 00:27:46.800 --> 00:27:54.039 And as a community of believers we're able to joyfully spur one another on to that joy 00:27:54.039 --> 00:27:59.960 by pointing one another to Him, pointing one another to Him in the good times when we celebrate. 00:27:59.960 --> 00:28:06.240 But also pointing one another to Him when things are hard, when times are tough, but when God 00:28:06.240 --> 00:28:11.599 is unchanging and Christ remains the same for us. 00:28:11.599 --> 00:28:14.599 Let's pray together. 00:28:14.599 --> 00:28:19.960 Heavenly Father we thank You for the joy that You have made possible for us through the 00:28:19.960 --> 00:28:22.480 Gospel of Jesus Christ. 00:28:22.480 --> 00:28:27.880 We thank You that in Him You have opened the way for us to return to You, to enjoy the fullness 00:28:27.880 --> 00:28:33.680 of joy that we find in Your presence, sharing with You in the relationship that we were 00:28:33.680 --> 00:28:34.680 designed for. 00:28:34.680 --> 00:28:39.560 And we thank You that it's not a joy based on our circumstances or on things that come 00:28:39.560 --> 00:28:46.560 and go but that it is based fully and finally on what You've done for us. 00:28:46.560 --> 00:28:51.880 We confess that so often we wander, so often we look for joy in other places. 00:28:51.880 --> 00:28:56.240 But we thank You that because of Jesus' perfect faithfulness and obedience that still we can 00:28:56.240 --> 00:28:59.799 return to You time and time again. 00:28:59.799 --> 00:29:06.079 We pray we will continually look to the risen Lord Jesus as the demonstration of Your victory 00:29:06.079 --> 00:29:11.200 and of Your faithfulness to Your promises, of the eternal life promised to all those 00:29:11.200 --> 00:29:13.079 who trust in Him. 00:29:13.079 --> 00:29:18.319 We pray that our hope and our joy would be in Him and that would be a certain hope and 00:29:18.319 --> 00:29:22.599 that would be a joy that we're eager to share with others and that we would live out boldly 00:29:22.599 --> 00:29:27.079 in our lives, in our relationships, in all the places that You put us. 00:29:27.079 --> 00:29:31.399 We pray that we would be Your people and that as Your people we would be marked by that 00:29:31.399 --> 00:29:34.119 joy that only the gospel can bring. 00:29:34.119 --> 00:29:39.240 And we pray all of these things for Your glory and in the precious name of Jesus Christ, 00:29:39.240 --> 00:30:03.359 Amen.