So we're going to be looking at Psalm 13 tonight.
So our pattern has been over recent months to go through a psalm as we share the Lord's Supper together,
and we are up to Psalm 13.
So I'm going to pray for us. Anderson's going to come and read.
Seth's going to come and preach for us, and then we will sing again.
So let me pray, and then, Anderson, you can come and read God's Word for us.
Father, we thank you that these are your words to us.
Thank you that you're a good God who loves to speak.
Please, we pray now, help us as your Word is read and preached to us to listen carefully
for the sake of your glory and to do us good, we pray in Jesus' name. Amen.
Amen.
Psalm 13.
How long, Lord? Will you forget me forever?
How long will you hide your face from me?
How long must I wrestle with my thoughts and day after day have sorrow in my heart?
How long will my enemy triumph over me?
Look on me and answer, Lord my God.
Give light to my eyes, or I will sleep in death.
And my enemy will say, I have overcome him.
And my foes will rejoice when I fall.
But I trust in your unfailing love.
My heart rejoices in your salvation.
I will sing the Lord's praise, for he has been good to me.
Thanks, Anderson.
As was just said, we will be in Psalm 13.
So I encourage you to get your Bible out, get your phone out.
So we'll refer back to the text multiple times.
I want to start us off today thinking about Christ, obviously, right?
So when Christ died on the cross, he said three words, right?
It is finished.
And these three words ring throughout eternity as a rally cry for Christians.
These three words signify what Christianity is all about, right?
Christ came, he died on the cross, but he did not stay dead.
He was raised three days later, defeating death, saying the words, it is finished.
And these words show how the story will end.
See, when the great armies of heaven and hell gather at the end of days, it won't even be a contest.
The Lord opens his mouth, and the armies of hell are defeated.
And so the words, it is finished, give the Christian confidence that whatever may happen,
they can trust in God, right?
Now, some of you might be a little confused right now, saying,
did he just get his notes out of order?
It feels a little bit more like the end of the sermon instead of the beginning.
But anyway, best Sunday night ever.
Let's wrap this up, take the sofa, and go home.
But before you pack, I want us to ask the question,
if this is true, if the words, it is finished, show and give the Christian confidence to trust God,
why does it always feel like we have victory?
Why can't I even read the Bible sometimes without feeling distracted and getting distracted?
How come I can't get some joy or victory over some of the seasonal depression that is happening right now in February?
Why does it sometimes feel like we picked the wrong side?
If you felt too scared to ask those questions before,
I want you to take heart.
You're not alone.
But see, we get the benefit of somebody asking those questions.
Multiple years ago, his name was King David.
In the Old Testament, he had the nickname, a man after God's own heart.
And yet, this man after God's own heart felt abandoned.
And he felt left by God at times.
But see, for our benefit, he wrote about it.
And that's what we just read in Psalm 13, right?
So when we're dealing with situations where we feel like we might be on the losing side,
or we feel like we're that guy right there, we're on the edge of the cliff,
and just a simple push will make us go tumbling down,
I want us to remember the lip of Psalm 13.
Lament, intercession, lamentation, intercession, and praise.
See, David is going to model that when you're under stress,
there's three things that you can do.
He's going to model that in this Psalm of lament,
remember that there is an intercessor,
and praise the Lord.
So that first section, verses 1 and 2, are lamentation,
because as we read earlier, this is a Psalm of lament.
Just look at the first verses.
How long is repeated four times?
David is feeling that God is uncaring, distant, callous, and thoughtless.
He's lamenting.
And he's using some bold language to do it, if I may say so.
If you first read, you might get a little antsy, right?
Like, if David was sitting here in the room today,
you might take the seat just one seat away,
so that when the lightning strikes, you know, it doesn't hit you.
But see, David here in this Psalm is appealing to God.
And that's really what the definition of a Psalm of lament is.
It's an appeal.
Its central aim is to appeal something to God.
And David, well, he has a few appeals.
He has a laundry list of things that have happened in his life,
and we, unfortunately, can't get to all of them.
But needless to say, David's been keeping receipts.
And in these first two verses, he's saying to God,
how long am I going to be separated?
How long am I going to feel these feelings of separation from you, God?
And as the pressure builds in our own lives,
there are moments where we can get to where David is at here.
We can ask, where are you, God?
It's getting harder and harder to believe those words
that you uttered on the cross of,
it is finished.
Where is this victory, God?
And see, Psalm 13 starts here,
in the same spot that any program that deals with addiction will start, right?
What's the first step in any program that deals with addiction?
You have to admit that you have a problem.
That's where the Psalm starts.
But there's a key difference.
You have to, for a lament Psalm,
to follow what David is saying here,
we have to, yes, admit to the Lord,
but we have to realize that the solution doesn't come from ourselves.
And see, the Bible doesn't mince words here when it talks about it.
It's when we hit a problem,
yes, admitting that we have a problem is a priority,
and it is a good thing to do.
But it is only the start.
We must continue this process and realize
that I can't fix this problem.
And there's no amount of clawing, scraping, or trying
that is going to get us out of this pit of despair that we may feel.
We need a hand reaching down into that pit.
We need an intercessor to pull us out.
So read on with me as we go to the next session of intercessor, verses 3 and 4.
They say,
David starts the psalm by lamenting,
what we talked about in verses 1 and 2.
And I would argue here that he keeps on lamenting, right?
Look at his words.
Look on me and answer.
Don't let my foes rejoice.
But if you look at the verse, there is a slight shift in his language.
He's moving on from just a general lament, a general despair,
to saying that he needs something.
What does he need?
He needs an intercessor.
He needs deliverance.
Look back at me with verse 3.
David says,
Give light to my eyes.
He needs light to shine in so that he can see his way forward.
Right now, he cannot see any way forward out of the pit,
and he needs somebody to give him direction.
The most obvious example of this that we can apply to our own lives, right?
Close our eyes.
If we all close our eyes right now, what do we see?
Nothing, right?
It's dark.
You can open your eyes.
But when you open your eyes,
why do you see?
It's not some philosophical question.
It's simply because there is light hitting your eyes, right,
so that you can see the way forward.
It's because our eyes have light that we can see.
That's what David is saying.
I need light to go on, God,
but I can't provide it.
I don't see a way out.
It has to be given to me.
So we need somebody,
even in our own lives,
when we get into moments in the pit,
we need somebody to intercede for us
and give us light in darkness.
David needed the same thing.
He needed somebody to reach down into that pit
and pull him out.
And that's what Christ does for us, right?
That's what we talked about at the very beginning of this sermon.
Christ reaches down into the pit
and pulls us out.
But what about the times
when you're like David
and you're stuck in the pit
and there is no hand reaching down?
You would say,
I'm a Christian.
I've been praying to God.
God, where is that hand?
What do you do then?
Why does it feel like I'm being punished, Lord?
Why is my problem not better?
Can I say something
that might not be comforting
to anybody in the room?
I don't know.
Genuinely, I don't know
and we don't know
why Jesus chooses to heal some
and not others
in his earthly ministry.
We don't know why
Paul, the Apostle Paul,
was able to go to Rome
but the Spirit wouldn't let him go to Asia.
And we don't know why
even in today
why God will heal some
of cancer
and let others die.
See Isaiah 55, 8
it says,
For my thoughts are not your thoughts.
This is God talking.
Neither are your ways my ways
declares the Lord.
So I don't know
why God works in some ways
and not others.
However, what I do know
is the process.
And because I know this process
I can trust the result.
You might be saying,
Seth, what do you mean?
I can illustrate it like this.
Have you ever heard of somebody
tell you
not to understand
what's in a hot dog?
You don't want to know
the process
of what it makes
and what it takes
to make a hot dog.
Just eat it
and trust the result.
Right?
That's not
what God says.
See God says,
don't look at the man
behind the curtain.
That's not who he is.
See he shows us
the process
and because of his
loving nature
we can trust the result.
So let's think about
this process.
Why can I trust God
when I am in the pit
and it feels like
there is no hand
reaching down towards me.
It goes back
to what we talked about earlier.
What happened on the cross
2,000 years ago.
And see Jesus
when he died on the cross
he was resurrected
and defeated death.
We call that redemption.
Because of his sacrifice
if you are a Christian
in the room
you have been redeemed.
Romans 5.1
would say that.
Therefore since we
have been justified
by faith
we have peace with God
through our Lord Jesus Christ.
Notice the past tense there.
Have been justified.
See this is what happened
when we became Christians.
It's already been accomplished.
Now if we look forward
Colossians 3
gives us a picture
of what's going to happen
when we move forward.
Colossians 3 says
when Christ
who is your life
appears
then you will
then you also will
appear with him in glory.
Future tense.
Right?
You will appear.
But what happens now
for the Christian?
What is happening now?
Hebrews 7.25
says
consequently
he is able to save
to the uttermost
those who draw near to God
through him
since he always lives.
He being their Christ.
Christ always lives
to make intercession for them.
Always lives there
is in the present tense.
Christ always
is interceding
for us.
Tyler
Statton
he's a
pastor out in Oregon
he says
intercession
is the present
action
of Jesus
that pulls
at this story
from both ends.
The salvation work
accomplished
in the past
and the glory
that awaits us
in the future.
Intercession
stated as simply
as possible
brings forth
the image
of Jesus
praying for us
individually
by name.
and as he does
he wedges us
tightly
between forgiveness
and glory
enabling a deep
inner rest
sheltered by security
hope
and delight.
See God
shows us
the process
of what is happening.
He gives us
a peek under the bonnet
if you will.
Redemption
happens when we
became a Christian.
Glorification
is what will happen
when Christ
comes back
but intercession
is what is happening
now
for the believer.
And because of this
knowledge
of the process
of what Jesus
is doing
as he's
wedging us
between
glorification
and redemption
!
And because of
the knowledge
of the nature
of God
that we have
we can trust
his word
and his intercessory
work
no matter
whatever pit
we are in.
So because
he's opened up
the bonnet
and given
us
the process
we may be
going through
some tough
times and say
Lord I really
feel like I
could use
a hand here
to pull me
out of this
pit
but even
if you
don't
I can respond
like David
does in the
next section
in praise.
so if we
look at that
last section
verses 5 and 6
and talk about
praise
let's read 5 and 6
again
but I trust
in your unfailing
love
my heart
rejoices
in your
salvation
I will sing
the Lord's
praise
for he
has been
good to me
if your
neck is sore
from the
whiplash there
of that verse
you're not
alone
David
was saying
how long
will you
forget me
forever
God
just a few
verses
earlier
how does
he go
from that
to singing
the Lord's
praises
see
David
had
a knowledge
of God
and he
understood
God's
work
but it
wasn't
just a
head
knowledge
it
moved
to his
heart
see
earlier
I said
Christians
we have
a knowledge
that Christ
conquered
death
and we
said
we
believe
this
right
but how
do we
move
that
knowledge
from our
heads
to
it's
actually
coming
out
of us
when we're
in the
pit
and we
don't feel
like there's
a hand
reaching down
to save
us
see in modern
English
there's a
difference
between know
and believe
right
what does
know mean
means you can
recall something
it's what we
test for
most
teachers do
right
but what does
believe mean
believe means
we can hold
on to something
you would hold
to it
but in Hebrew
that's not
the case
the Hebrew
word here
is yada
which means
a relational
knowing
the example
is how do I
know my
life loves
me
well I
would say
when I'm
sick she
takes care
of me
when
I'm hungry
she doesn't
let me
starve
she does
feed me
I would
say
she
puts away
my shoes
that I
can't ever
find the
shoe rack
for
even though
I leave
them just
wherever
around
she loves
me that
way
and puts
them
away
I
would say
she works
a job
right now
that keeps
us in
this country
see when
you would
ask how
do you
know your
wife loves
you
I would
show and
I would
tell you
by the way
she shows
me
I know
she loves
me because
I have
experienced
her love
and that's a
true meaning
of the Hebrew
word here
right
in Genesis
you go all
the way
back to
the first
book of
the Bible
when Adam
and Eve
are having
children
what does
the Bible
use
as the
word
he says
no
right
the Bible
says no
why does
it use
this term
because
knowledge
in the
Hebrew
is relational
it's
intimate
and spiritual
knowledge for
us needs
to be the
same
it needs
to be
inhabited
experienced
and lived
that's what
the psalmist
is saying
in verses
five and
six
David didn't
just know
of God
he experienced
him
he was
experiencing
being held
between grace
and glorification
look back
at it
verse five
but I trust
in your
unfailing
love
my heart
rejoices
in your
salvation
I will sing
the Lord's
praise
how David
how can
you sing
the Lord's
praises
you are
in the
pit
three verses
earlier
you said
give me
light
or I
will
die
because of
the end
of verse
six
for he
has
been
good
to me
I know
you didn't
sign up
for a grammar
lesson here
when you
came
but again
look at
the tense
of that
word
has
been
David
didn't
just
write
this
song
he
didn't
just
believe
this
song
he
knew
it
why
because he
had
experienced
it
before
the knowledge
of God
had moved
from his
head
to his
heart
and that's
what the
passage
calls us
to do
today
don't
just
think
of God
as some
person
in the
sky
that you
send your
prayer request
up to
and hope
you don't
get denied
almost like
a mean
boss
right
instead
experience
him
and that
leads us
to the
question
the obvious
question
is how
a great
example
of this
is civil
rights leader
Martin Luther
King
Jr.
see in
March
of 1965
Martin
Luther
King
Jr.
stood
on the
Alabama
courthouse
where two
years earlier
the governor
of Alabama
George
Wallace
had uttered
these
words
segregation
now
segregation
tomorrow
and segregation
forever
Luther was
not on
these steps
by accident
just two
weeks
prior
in
Selma
Alabama
some
protesters
had
gathered
together
to protest
segregation
and the
lack of
voting rights
for African
Americans
and as
these
protesters
peacefully
gathered
to march
the 50
miles
from Selma
to the
capital of
Montgomery
they
didn't even
make it
out of
town
before they
were
stopped
tear
gassed
beaten
all by
law
enforcement
over 50
people were
hospitalized
on what has
become known
as Bloody
Sunday
by the
people
that were
supposed to
keep them
safe
so two
weeks later
when Martin
Luther King
Jr.
is on
the steps
at the
Montgomery
courthouse
the moment
felt heavy
the path
ahead
looked dim
and the
hope for
change
seemed
small
where
did King
go
where
could he
go
he went
to Psalm
13
listen to
these words
as they
come from
Dr.
Martin
Luther
King
Jr.
I
come to
you this
afternoon
however
difficult
the
moment
however
frustrating
the
hour
it
will
not
be
long
because
truth
crushed
to
earth
will
rise
again
listen to
this
familiar
refrain
how
long
not
long
because
no
lie
can
live
forever
how
long
not
long
because
you
shall
reap
what
you
sow
how
long
not
long
truth
forever
on
the
scaffold
wrong
forever
on
the
throne
yet
that
scaffold
sways
the
future
and
behind
the
dim
unknown
standeth
God
within
the
shadow
keeping
watch
above
his
own
how
long
not
long
because
the
arc
of
the
moral
universe
is
long
but
it
bends
towards
justice
how
can
Martin
Luther
King
Jr.
stand
before
people
the
very
people
that
witnessed
over
50
people
beaten
and
hospitalized
and say
not
long
repeat
the
familiar
refrain
of
David
here
in
Psalm
13
because
he
knew
God
he
knew
that
the
laments
of this
life
would
not
last
he
knew
that
God
was
interceding
on
his
behalf
he
knew
that
praise
would
be
drawn
from
his
lips
because
God
had
been
faithful
in
the
past
and
God
is
the
ultimate
provider
of
justice
and
you
may
be
saying
Seth
that's
great
I'm
not
Martin
Luther
King
Jr.
and
I'm
not
David
I
don't
think
I
can
make
it
out
of
the
pit
in
my
life
I
don't
think
I
can
stand
this
silence
from
God
anymore
I
don't
know
how
to
take
this
head
knowledge
that I
have
of
God
and to
make
it
into
heart
knowledge
and
again
as I
said
earlier
the deal
is
I
don't
know
exactly
how
to
do
it
for
you
either
there's
no
specific
amount
of
formulas
that
you
can
get
to
no
specific
amount
of
prayers
fasting
church
attendance
that
is going
to get
you
heard
by
God
in
terms
of
have
your
prayers
of
lament
be
heard
and
you
getting
taken
out
of
that
pit
but
I
can
say
when
I've
done
what
David
does
in
this
psalm
which
is
lament
remember
my
intercessor
and
praise
him
even
when
I
don't
feel
it
I
can
feel
the
knowledge
of
God
grow
inside
of
me
not
just
in
my
head
but
in
my
heart
so
if
you're
an
unbeliever
in
this
room
and
you
say
I
would
like
to
have
that
relationship
I
would
like
somebody
that
would
cover
me
have
a
strong
foundation
I
don't
have
that
somebody
that
wedges
me
in
safety
there
is
a
free
offer
of
grace
on
the
table
today
I
beg
of
you
please
take
it
come
talk
to
me
talk
to
Steve
Jen
is
in
the
back
as
well
we
love
to
talk
to
you
about
this
the
good
news
from
this
passage
it
doesn't
take
anyone
special
if
we
use
our
lips
to
lament
remember
our
intercessor
and
praise
God
then
we
can
say
like
Martin
Luther
King
Jr.
that
the
world
is
full
of
sadness
Yes
but
the
arc
of
the
moral
universe
bends
towards
justice
why
because
our
God
is in
the
shadows
let's
pray
father in
heaven
thank you
for
today
thank you
for
the
opportunity
to
come
and
just
open
your
word
father
you
are
indeed
our
ultimate
intercessor
God
your
son
died
on the
cross
and
uttered
those
three
words
it
is
finished
and
you
give
us
victory
Lord
it
may
not
always
feel
like
how
we
want
it
to
feel
but
God
we
know
that
your
plans
are
not
like
our
plans
and
your
ways
are
greater
than
our
ways
so
help
us
to
trust
us
trust
you
in
that
it
can
be
hard
!
Lord
you
are
the
creator
of
the
!
we
love
and
trust
you
pray
these
things
in
your
name
Amen