WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:02.160 Good morning. 00:00:03.600 --> 00:00:08.060 My name is Matthew Capone, and I'm the pastor here at Cheyenne Mountain Presbyterian Church, 00:00:08.120 --> 00:00:11.339 and it's my joy to bring God's Word to you today. 00:00:11.939 --> 00:00:14.519 If you are new or visiting with us, welcome. 00:00:15.240 --> 00:00:16.260 We're glad that you're here. 00:00:16.679 --> 00:00:20.000 And we're glad that you're here not because we are trying to fill seats, 00:00:20.280 --> 00:00:23.760 but because we are following Jesus together as one community. 00:00:23.760 --> 00:00:28.300 And as we follow Jesus together, we are convinced that there's no one so good 00:00:28.300 --> 00:00:30.760 that they don't need God's grace and His forgiveness, 00:00:31.320 --> 00:00:33.820 and no one so bad that they can't have it. 00:00:34.799 --> 00:00:39.560 Which means that God has something to say to everyone in His Word, 00:00:39.799 --> 00:00:42.500 and everyone needs to hear what God has to say. 00:00:42.600 --> 00:00:45.219 And so that's why we come week after week to look at God's Word, 00:00:45.299 --> 00:00:47.799 because we believe that God speaks to us, 00:00:47.820 --> 00:00:51.420 and He speaks to us in ways and in words that we can actually understand. 00:00:52.299 --> 00:00:55.159 If you've been with us, you know that we are in the book of Psalms, 00:00:55.179 --> 00:00:57.400 and we're going to be in the book of Psalms for just a few more weeks 00:00:57.399 --> 00:01:00.439 before we start 1 Peter in September. 00:01:01.379 --> 00:01:04.179 And as I've told you many times, the Psalms are the prayer book 00:01:04.179 --> 00:01:06.299 and the hymn book of God's people in the Old Testament. 00:01:06.900 --> 00:01:10.299 And so it's hard to summarize them, just like it would be hard to summarize any hymn book. 00:01:10.959 --> 00:01:13.099 If you look at any book full of songs, 00:01:13.700 --> 00:01:15.700 especially songs that are hymns that are in the church, 00:01:15.759 --> 00:01:17.539 they're going to touch on all kinds of topics. 00:01:17.739 --> 00:01:22.060 If you look in the back of most hymnals, you might even find an index by topic. 00:01:22.900 --> 00:01:24.560 And so there's not one thing that we could say, 00:01:24.560 --> 00:01:26.359 but many things that we can say about the Psalms. 00:01:26.460 --> 00:01:28.560 And so I've given you a lot of different categories and ways. 00:01:28.740 --> 00:01:32.120 And one way the Psalms help us, and that we use them, 00:01:32.200 --> 00:01:36.859 is the Psalms are their poems, and they're poems that talk about emotions. 00:01:38.159 --> 00:01:42.180 The Psalms are a part of the Bible that more than some other parts of the Bible 00:01:42.180 --> 00:01:44.620 address directly our hearts. 00:01:44.620 --> 00:01:49.680 They direct how we feel, our affections, what we love, how we love. 00:01:50.939 --> 00:01:52.540 And so we're going to look this week, 00:01:52.939 --> 00:01:55.740 and probably a few more before we're over with the Psalms, 00:01:55.820 --> 00:01:59.240 about a Psalm that talks directly about what it is that goes on 00:01:59.240 --> 00:02:01.439 and happens inside of our hearts day by day. 00:02:02.400 --> 00:02:05.480 The Psalms help us address and diagnose the struggles of our hearts 00:02:05.480 --> 00:02:07.920 as we walk through life thinking about various things, 00:02:08.040 --> 00:02:09.500 worrying about various things, 00:02:09.900 --> 00:02:11.700 having fears and anxieties and ambitions. 00:02:11.699 --> 00:02:17.119 And if you sort of are aware of the water that we swim in right now as a culture 00:02:17.119 --> 00:02:20.079 and as a people, we are in what some people refer to as an anxious age. 00:02:20.979 --> 00:02:24.759 We're at a time when anxiety is at an all-time high, it feels like. 00:02:25.500 --> 00:02:29.620 And we worry and fret more than other generations have, 00:02:30.359 --> 00:02:32.759 even as we have increasing wealth and comfort. 00:02:33.599 --> 00:02:38.539 We face fears about the world in this year and last year 00:02:38.539 --> 00:02:41.000 more than we have in other years in this country of other decades. 00:02:42.379 --> 00:02:45.839 And the reality is, as we look at our hearts, our hearts reveal our hope. 00:02:47.379 --> 00:02:51.839 Our ambitions and our fears and our anxieties and our worries and our dreams about the future 00:02:51.839 --> 00:02:54.639 all reveal what it is that we hope in. 00:02:54.699 --> 00:02:59.280 And if you're anything like me, you have the temptation at times to maybe be frantic or panic 00:02:59.280 --> 00:03:01.620 in the face of life's challenges. 00:03:01.620 --> 00:03:07.500 And yet Jesus at the same time tells us in John 14, he says, 00:03:07.500 --> 00:03:10.180 My peace I leave with you, my peace I give to you. 00:03:11.060 --> 00:03:13.500 Not as the world gives do I give to you. 00:03:14.680 --> 00:03:17.900 Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid. 00:03:17.900 --> 00:03:23.080 And so as we come to this psalm, this psalm highlights the temptation, 00:03:23.180 --> 00:03:27.280 the temptation that we are tempted to put our hopes in all sorts of things. 00:03:28.180 --> 00:03:31.560 And the psalmist instead tells us in the last verse, verse 3, 00:03:31.640 --> 00:03:33.259 to put our hope in the Lord. 00:03:34.259 --> 00:03:37.939 And so we're going to see in Psalm 131 that because God cares for us, 00:03:38.420 --> 00:03:39.819 we can rest in him. 00:03:39.819 --> 00:03:47.419 And with that, I'm going to read Psalm 131. 00:03:47.560 --> 00:03:50.939 You can follow along in your worship guide or in your Bible or your phone. 00:03:51.620 --> 00:03:54.379 And as we come to this psalm, remember that this is God's word. 00:03:55.500 --> 00:03:59.699 And God tells us that his word is a lamp to our feet and a light to our path. 00:04:00.639 --> 00:04:03.919 In other words, God has not left us to stumble alone in the dark, 00:04:04.439 --> 00:04:07.599 but instead he's given us his word to show us the way to go. 00:04:07.599 --> 00:04:11.060 And so it's for that reason that we're going to read now, starting at verse 1. 00:04:37.600 --> 00:04:42.140 Hope in the Lord from this time forth and forevermore. 00:04:43.939 --> 00:04:47.360 I invite you to pray with me as we come to this portion of God's word. 00:04:50.960 --> 00:04:54.520 Father in heaven, we thank you that our hope is in you. 00:04:55.960 --> 00:04:58.400 That it's not in ourselves and what we can accomplish. 00:04:58.399 --> 00:05:03.159 It's not in our families and what they've done. 00:05:04.339 --> 00:05:06.219 It's not in our abilities and our skills. 00:05:06.419 --> 00:05:07.679 It's not in our bank accounts. 00:05:08.519 --> 00:05:10.699 It's not in our friends and our social circles. 00:05:11.479 --> 00:05:15.359 It's not in our reputation or our social media accounts. 00:05:16.299 --> 00:05:20.000 But our hope is in you from this time forth and forevermore. 00:05:20.739 --> 00:05:24.879 We ask that you would send your spirit now to help us as we look at this psalm 00:05:24.879 --> 00:05:28.019 and that we would grow in our hope and trust in you. 00:05:29.019 --> 00:05:32.060 We ask these things not because we have earned them, 00:05:32.420 --> 00:05:34.659 but because Jesus has earned them for us. 00:05:34.719 --> 00:05:36.060 And so we ask them in his name. 00:05:36.779 --> 00:05:37.000 Amen. 00:05:37.000 --> 00:05:44.040 Now there's lots of things as we've looked at the psalms over the last couple months 00:05:44.040 --> 00:05:46.420 that I've mentioned as aspects and ways of thinking about it. 00:05:46.439 --> 00:05:48.060 And there's one thing I haven't told you about. 00:05:48.819 --> 00:05:50.600 And it is the anti-psalm. 00:05:51.939 --> 00:05:55.180 And the anti-psalm is not something that shows up in the psalms, 00:05:55.279 --> 00:05:58.199 but it's something that sometimes people will do, 00:05:58.319 --> 00:06:01.079 people who study the Bible, to help us understand the psalms. 00:06:01.180 --> 00:06:02.379 They'll write an anti-psalm. 00:06:02.759 --> 00:06:05.980 And an anti-psalm is simply the opposite of whatever a psalm says. 00:06:05.980 --> 00:06:09.160 So you'll have someone who studies and meditates a psalm, 00:06:09.240 --> 00:06:11.939 and they'll think, what would the exact opposite be of this psalm 00:06:11.939 --> 00:06:13.740 so I can highlight what this psalm is doing? 00:06:13.900 --> 00:06:17.460 And Psalm 131 has gotten a lot of attention from various people 00:06:17.460 --> 00:06:19.960 because of its, not just its brevity, it's short. 00:06:20.140 --> 00:06:22.360 So it's a helpful psalm for us to memorize and remember. 00:06:22.939 --> 00:06:26.060 But also because of what it teaches us about God and our relationship with him. 00:06:26.140 --> 00:06:28.220 And so there's at least one anti-psalm. 00:06:28.680 --> 00:06:29.819 And I'm going to read it to you now. 00:06:29.900 --> 00:06:32.620 This is written by a man, a pastor named David Pallison. 00:06:33.319 --> 00:06:35.819 And he's written this opposite of Psalm 131. 00:06:35.980 --> 00:06:36.840 And it goes like this. 00:06:38.240 --> 00:06:40.120 Self, my heart is proud. 00:06:40.980 --> 00:06:42.240 I'm absorbed in myself. 00:06:43.259 --> 00:06:44.780 And my eyes are haughty. 00:06:45.460 --> 00:06:47.300 I look down on other people. 00:06:48.300 --> 00:06:52.379 And I chase after things too great and too difficult for me. 00:06:53.020 --> 00:06:53.759 That's verse 1. 00:06:54.319 --> 00:06:55.640 Verse 2 of the anti-psalm. 00:06:56.160 --> 00:07:00.000 So, of course, I'm noisy and restless inside. 00:07:00.000 --> 00:07:02.959 It comes naturally to me. 00:07:03.259 --> 00:07:06.459 Like a hungry infant fussing on his mother's lap. 00:07:07.259 --> 00:07:11.939 Like a hungry infant, I am restless with my demands and my worries. 00:07:12.660 --> 00:07:13.160 Verse 3. 00:07:14.019 --> 00:07:18.899 I scatter my hopes on anything and everybody all the time. 00:07:18.899 --> 00:07:25.919 What the anti-psalm does is it helps us understand what's going on, especially in verse 1. 00:07:25.979 --> 00:07:28.459 And the psalmist is telling us in verse 1 what he's not. 00:07:28.979 --> 00:07:33.000 And by telling us what he's not, he's probably telling us what he has been in the past. 00:07:33.759 --> 00:07:34.479 And so verse 1. 00:07:34.480 --> 00:07:38.460 When his heart is not lifted up, a lifted up heart would be someone who's proud and arrogant. 00:07:39.200 --> 00:07:41.080 Someone who thinks very highly of themselves. 00:07:42.200 --> 00:07:43.600 My eyes are not raised too high. 00:07:43.660 --> 00:07:45.800 Another way to translate this would be haughty eyes. 00:07:45.879 --> 00:07:48.200 That's how it shows up in other parts of the Bible. 00:07:49.040 --> 00:07:53.340 And so not only am I proud and I think very highly of myself, but because I think very highly of myself, 00:07:53.439 --> 00:07:54.720 I think lowly of other people. 00:07:54.780 --> 00:07:55.780 I think poorly of other people. 00:07:55.840 --> 00:07:56.540 I look down on them. 00:07:57.100 --> 00:08:00.259 I'm arrogant and proud because I'm able to accomplish and do a lot of things. 00:08:00.259 --> 00:08:03.879 And I realize there are other people who are not able to accomplish and do a lot of things. 00:08:04.439 --> 00:08:05.500 And so I look down on them. 00:08:06.000 --> 00:08:06.899 That's my raised eyes. 00:08:07.659 --> 00:08:12.000 And then finally, still in verse 1, this is what this proud person does. 00:08:12.079 --> 00:08:15.759 We could call this not just the proud person, but the loud heart. 00:08:16.079 --> 00:08:18.759 Because in verse 2 we're going to see there's a quiet soul, a quiet heart. 00:08:19.480 --> 00:08:22.579 I do not occupy myself with things too great and too marvelous for me. 00:08:22.620 --> 00:08:28.159 In other words, I used to be a person who tried to do things that were impossible for me. 00:08:29.300 --> 00:08:33.799 I used to try to accomplish things that were not meant for human people to accomplish. 00:08:33.879 --> 00:08:35.939 I tried to do what only God can do. 00:08:36.639 --> 00:08:40.480 And I tried to only understand what God can only understand. 00:08:42.039 --> 00:08:50.519 In other words, this person that we're meeting in verse 1, this is someone who believes that the world rises and falls on what they are able to do and accomplish. 00:08:50.519 --> 00:08:58.500 This is someone who believes that the world is able to accomplish. 00:08:58.500 --> 00:09:01.460 That causes their heart to be filled with pride. 00:09:02.320 --> 00:09:04.659 And it causes them to look down on other people. 00:09:04.659 --> 00:09:11.219 And even more than that, it causes them to think they can do what they can't do. 00:09:11.799 --> 00:09:14.199 It causes them to try to do things that are impossible for them. 00:09:16.539 --> 00:09:20.339 And you might be wondering, well, it doesn't sound too bad. 00:09:20.340 --> 00:09:24.720 There's certainly lots of things that we can do, right? 00:09:25.379 --> 00:09:27.560 Some of you think, well, I do have lots of capacities. 00:09:27.720 --> 00:09:29.340 There's lots of capabilities that I have. 00:09:29.379 --> 00:09:31.280 I wouldn't have made it to this point in life if I didn't. 00:09:32.660 --> 00:09:35.940 And yet the problem with this person is that they are the opposite of verse 2. 00:09:36.040 --> 00:09:39.440 And so we find out not only that they're proud and they look down on other people, 00:09:39.780 --> 00:09:43.040 but they don't have what the psalmist has in verse 2. 00:09:43.120 --> 00:09:45.000 They don't have a quiet heart. 00:09:45.000 --> 00:09:50.799 Now, it might seem odd to think of someone who's proud as having a loud and busy heart. 00:09:52.360 --> 00:09:54.120 And that's exactly what the psalm is telling us. 00:09:54.179 --> 00:09:57.059 People who are proud are walking through this world not filled with peace, 00:09:57.659 --> 00:10:03.980 but instead they're filled with noise and ambition and irritability and anger and resentment. 00:10:04.799 --> 00:10:07.899 They're filled with disappointment as they're not able to fulfill and achieve 00:10:07.899 --> 00:10:10.080 and accomplish everything that they believe that they can. 00:10:11.100 --> 00:10:14.840 The other side of this is that there are people who don't think they're proud, but they are. 00:10:15.919 --> 00:10:20.960 There's a sense in which if we are fretful and anxious constantly, that we're proud. 00:10:23.139 --> 00:10:25.460 Because if we're fretful and we're anxious constantly, 00:10:25.580 --> 00:10:28.059 it means that we believe that everything is up to us. 00:10:30.379 --> 00:10:34.399 And if everything is up to us, we must be a very powerful person. 00:10:34.399 --> 00:10:40.399 And so whether we feel proud or not, verse 1 is telling us 00:10:40.399 --> 00:10:47.500 that when we believe that the world rises and falls on us and what we can do, 00:10:48.259 --> 00:10:52.539 that is when we live in a world filled with anxiety and fear. 00:10:52.539 --> 00:11:00.259 That's the world that causes us not to have peace and rest and quiet in our hearts and our lives. 00:11:00.919 --> 00:11:04.079 But it's the kind of thought that fills us with pride and anxiety. 00:11:05.299 --> 00:11:07.919 It fills us with minds that can't be still. 00:11:07.919 --> 00:11:11.120 With hearts that aren't able to fall asleep. 00:11:14.519 --> 00:11:16.399 That's the problem that the psalmist sees here. 00:11:16.479 --> 00:11:17.919 That's the one that he's bringing to God. 00:11:18.000 --> 00:11:20.979 We get another picture of it too in verse 2 because we find out the opposite. 00:11:22.199 --> 00:11:24.240 He tells us he has calmed and quieted his soul. 00:11:24.519 --> 00:11:27.500 And he's calmed and quieted his soul specifically like a weaned child. 00:11:28.459 --> 00:11:31.339 Now I'm going to make a confession this morning that may surprise many of you. 00:11:31.340 --> 00:11:35.860 It is true that I have never weaned a child. 00:11:39.000 --> 00:11:40.660 I want you to think about that for a second. 00:11:42.220 --> 00:11:46.280 But I am told that if a child is not weaned, 00:11:46.420 --> 00:11:50.220 and sometimes I experience this, not as a weaner but as someone just in the world, 00:11:50.540 --> 00:11:53.580 there's a strange urgency that unweaned children have. 00:11:54.460 --> 00:11:58.440 In fact, sometimes if there's a child who's not weaned and they don't have the food that they want, 00:11:58.440 --> 00:12:02.180 they communicate in such a way that it sounds like the world is about to end. 00:12:04.480 --> 00:12:09.620 And that they are actually going to die if they do not get what they want right now. 00:12:10.440 --> 00:12:12.540 Some of you are parents who have experienced this. 00:12:12.620 --> 00:12:15.320 Some of you are parents who will experience this. 00:12:15.460 --> 00:12:17.260 Some of you are parents who are experiencing this. 00:12:18.640 --> 00:12:21.740 This is a child who is frantic, panics easily. 00:12:22.460 --> 00:12:25.460 They want anything to solve their problem as quickly as possible. 00:12:25.460 --> 00:12:29.800 Some of you have had the experience, perhaps you picked up a child that's not yours, 00:12:30.000 --> 00:12:32.400 and that child has started trying to nurse you. 00:12:33.960 --> 00:12:37.280 Because it's thinking, anywhere and anything that I can do, as fast as possible, 00:12:37.360 --> 00:12:39.700 I need to have this need met right away. 00:12:39.780 --> 00:12:41.040 There's no ability to wait. 00:12:43.040 --> 00:12:45.860 These children are fixated on a solution, on one solution. 00:12:45.960 --> 00:12:46.759 It's their solution. 00:12:47.360 --> 00:12:49.280 There's only one way to solve this problem. 00:12:49.420 --> 00:12:52.180 They only know one way, and they're the ones who are going to have to make it happen. 00:12:52.179 --> 00:12:55.679 And there's this knee-jerk reaction that comes from the unweaned child. 00:12:57.099 --> 00:13:00.279 Their need has to be met immediately, and so they're upset. 00:13:00.539 --> 00:13:01.179 They're hungry. 00:13:01.559 --> 00:13:02.259 They're frantic. 00:13:02.379 --> 00:13:05.159 There's no ability to be still and rest and be quiet. 00:13:06.539 --> 00:13:09.939 And so that's what happens if we have a verse 1 kind of heart. 00:13:10.019 --> 00:13:14.759 If we have the loud heart, the psalmist is telling us that we are like unweaned children. 00:13:14.759 --> 00:13:22.200 We're constantly frantic and worried and scared, looking around, needing our needs to be met immediately, 00:13:22.340 --> 00:13:25.100 believing we're the ones who know the solution and that we have to find it. 00:13:25.460 --> 00:13:30.559 And if it doesn't come right now, then we are actually going to die. 00:13:32.939 --> 00:13:35.100 That is the belief of the Psalm 1 heart. 00:13:35.179 --> 00:13:37.879 That's the anxious heart, the fearful heart, the proud heart. 00:13:38.299 --> 00:13:40.679 The heart that doesn't have hope in the Lord. 00:13:40.679 --> 00:13:46.879 And so the first question that Psalm 131 puts to us, the verse 1 question, 00:13:46.979 --> 00:13:49.779 and by the way, this psalm has three points and three verses. 00:13:50.339 --> 00:13:52.159 It's very convenient that it works out that way. 00:13:53.839 --> 00:14:00.199 Where is your heart loud with fear and anxiety and control and pride? 00:14:03.419 --> 00:14:04.939 Where is your heart loud? 00:14:04.940 --> 00:14:12.820 Where does your heart believe that you are actually going to die if your need is not met right now? 00:14:16.100 --> 00:14:20.580 And where does your heart, even more than that, believe you are the only one that can meet that need? 00:14:21.580 --> 00:14:28.040 That you have to squirm and reach and grasp for everything that you could have and get. 00:14:30.920 --> 00:14:32.960 Where do you struggle to trust God? 00:14:34.940 --> 00:14:37.300 Where do you struggle to have contentment? 00:14:38.620 --> 00:14:43.200 To know, like a weaned child, that you may not have what you want right now, 00:14:43.960 --> 00:14:45.800 but that God is going to provide. 00:14:46.460 --> 00:14:47.760 That he hasn't left you alone. 00:14:49.980 --> 00:14:51.800 And then where are you trying to be God? 00:14:54.400 --> 00:15:01.380 Where are you trying to fix and solve and control things that God did not mean for you to fix and control and solve? 00:15:01.379 --> 00:15:07.659 That's the proud heart and the arrogant heart that we see in verse 1. 00:15:07.759 --> 00:15:09.100 It's the heart that is loud. 00:15:12.939 --> 00:15:16.399 And so the psalmist doesn't just leave us, thankfully, with the loud heart, 00:15:16.460 --> 00:15:19.080 but he gives us the quiet soul here in verse 2. 00:15:20.080 --> 00:15:24.899 He tells us that he has calmed and quieted his soul like a weaned child with its mother. 00:15:24.899 --> 00:15:27.779 Like a weaned child is my soul within me. 00:15:29.939 --> 00:15:32.600 So I've told you about the unweaned child. 00:15:32.679 --> 00:15:33.620 Now we have the weaned child. 00:15:33.699 --> 00:15:35.600 The weaned child is not frantic. 00:15:35.899 --> 00:15:37.259 The weaned child doesn't panic. 00:15:38.240 --> 00:15:42.419 The weaned child, we find out here, is able to be still with its mother. 00:15:43.159 --> 00:15:44.519 The weaned child has trust. 00:15:44.519 --> 00:15:51.779 The weaned child knows that she is not going to die if she's not fed right now. 00:15:55.620 --> 00:15:59.939 If the weaned child is hungry and upset, the weaned child can pull herself together 00:15:59.939 --> 00:16:03.039 because she knows that her needs will eventually be met. 00:16:04.279 --> 00:16:07.100 She knows that her mother loves her and cares for her 00:16:07.100 --> 00:16:09.939 and will provide for her what she needs when she needs it. 00:16:09.940 --> 00:16:13.620 The weaned child is more mature. 00:16:14.640 --> 00:16:18.100 She knows that the world is bigger than being comforted and fed. 00:16:20.640 --> 00:16:25.340 And so the weaned child doesn't need to grasp constantly squirming, 00:16:25.460 --> 00:16:27.420 trying to find the next source of food, 00:16:28.180 --> 00:16:30.320 trying to do for itself what it can. 00:16:33.140 --> 00:16:36.940 And so as Christians, as people who have hope in God, 00:16:36.940 --> 00:16:43.620 as we struggle with fear and anxiety and control and ambition and failure and greed, 00:16:44.280 --> 00:16:47.780 our goal, our hope, is to be like weaned children. 00:16:50.260 --> 00:16:52.120 This psalm has its own illustration. 00:16:52.320 --> 00:16:56.260 We want to have calm and quiet souls, not frantic souls. 00:16:57.860 --> 00:16:59.780 The psalmist before, verse 1, 00:17:00.800 --> 00:17:02.080 there was only one source, 00:17:03.380 --> 00:17:04.360 him and his abilities. 00:17:04.359 --> 00:17:07.240 Whatever he could do. 00:17:07.979 --> 00:17:11.059 Whether that made him proud and arrogant or anxious and afraid, 00:17:12.500 --> 00:17:15.159 there was only one way for him to be provided for. 00:17:17.079 --> 00:17:19.559 After, there's the mature Christian here. 00:17:19.779 --> 00:17:23.539 He's moved to a calmness, a quiet from knowing that God is in control. 00:17:24.579 --> 00:17:25.679 That he can trust. 00:17:25.799 --> 00:17:28.199 He knows that he's going to be fed when he needs to be fed. 00:17:30.979 --> 00:17:32.799 So verse 2 gives us a picture here. 00:17:32.799 --> 00:17:35.619 It gives us a picture of what it looks like when we trust God. 00:17:36.680 --> 00:17:41.680 What it looks like when we know that it's not up to us to make everything happen. 00:17:41.759 --> 00:17:43.819 It's not up to us to provide for ourselves. 00:17:44.500 --> 00:17:46.299 But that God is bigger and greater. 00:17:46.720 --> 00:17:48.299 That he knows what we need. 00:17:49.259 --> 00:17:50.279 That he's with us. 00:17:50.440 --> 00:17:51.339 And that he's for us. 00:17:53.480 --> 00:17:55.480 But verse 2 does not just give us a picture. 00:17:55.599 --> 00:17:57.279 It also gives us a process. 00:17:57.279 --> 00:18:01.139 Because the psalmist tells us this is something he has done. 00:18:01.259 --> 00:18:03.500 He has calmed and quieted his soul. 00:18:03.599 --> 00:18:04.599 These are action verbs. 00:18:04.720 --> 00:18:06.119 It's something actively that he's done. 00:18:07.440 --> 00:18:09.980 If you've ever weaned a child, unlike me, 00:18:10.859 --> 00:18:13.460 you know that this is something that doesn't happen instantly. 00:18:15.559 --> 00:18:16.779 It's a process. 00:18:16.779 --> 00:18:22.539 It's a process to convince and help a child understand that he or she is not going to die. 00:18:24.279 --> 00:18:26.240 And so the same is true for us as well. 00:18:26.399 --> 00:18:26.799 Verse 2, 00:18:26.879 --> 00:18:28.779 The psalmist has calmed and quieted his soul. 00:18:28.879 --> 00:18:32.460 The challenge is for us to calm and quiet our souls as well. 00:18:32.460 --> 00:18:41.120 And so what does it look like to cultivate a calm and quiet soul in a busy and frantic world? 00:18:43.000 --> 00:18:46.420 We see the first thing the psalmist does is that he is talking to God. 00:18:46.559 --> 00:18:48.420 Verse 1, he addresses God. 00:18:48.500 --> 00:18:49.980 Oh Lord, my heart is not lifted up. 00:18:50.039 --> 00:18:51.519 My eyes are not raised too high. 00:18:52.279 --> 00:18:53.700 In other words, he prays. 00:18:56.519 --> 00:18:59.680 And if that sounds too simplistic, remember that every time we pray, 00:18:59.680 --> 00:19:03.340 we are acknowledging that God is able to do things that we can't. 00:19:05.600 --> 00:19:08.840 And we're acknowledging that God is in control and we are not. 00:19:10.340 --> 00:19:13.560 And so the very act of the psalmist praying here is a reminder. 00:19:14.259 --> 00:19:19.320 It's a way of quieting his soul because it's recognizing and admitting and acting on the knowledge 00:19:19.320 --> 00:19:23.380 that not everything he needs is something he can do or accomplish. 00:19:25.620 --> 00:19:28.860 And so we quiet our souls by coming and praying to God. 00:19:28.859 --> 00:19:30.119 That's what verses 1 and 2 are. 00:19:30.199 --> 00:19:30.659 They're a prayer. 00:19:31.559 --> 00:19:33.579 That's what our New Testament reading said, by the way. 00:19:33.659 --> 00:19:36.240 We looked at Philippians chapter 4 last fall. 00:19:37.459 --> 00:19:39.059 And we also looked at it this morning. 00:19:39.539 --> 00:19:43.319 And Paul tells us that the opposite of anxiety is prayer. 00:19:45.159 --> 00:19:49.099 If we don't want to be anxious, then we present our concerns to God. 00:19:49.179 --> 00:19:51.319 And it tells us in Philippians 4, 00:19:51.459 --> 00:19:54.279 the peace of God which passes all understanding will be with us. 00:19:54.279 --> 00:20:03.519 So this process of weaning, this process of calming and quieting his soul 00:20:03.519 --> 00:20:05.559 is something that the psalmist does for himself. 00:20:05.680 --> 00:20:08.279 He does it by coming to God over and over. 00:20:09.539 --> 00:20:15.299 The assumption of many of the psalms is that they are telling us a story in very short form. 00:20:15.480 --> 00:20:17.940 That they're telling us something that happened over a long period of time 00:20:17.940 --> 00:20:19.539 and the psalmist makes it very succinct. 00:20:19.539 --> 00:20:22.680 So that's most likely true of Psalm 13, the psalm of lament. 00:20:22.879 --> 00:20:25.359 It's probably, I would guess, true of this psalm as well. 00:20:26.180 --> 00:20:29.000 That the psalmist had a long process of calming and quieting his soul. 00:20:29.119 --> 00:20:31.420 And then finally he was able to write Psalm 131. 00:20:31.420 --> 00:20:37.779 Not only do we wean our souls by praying to God, 00:20:38.740 --> 00:20:39.840 have a calm and quiet soul, 00:20:39.900 --> 00:20:40.960 but I would actually encourage you, 00:20:40.980 --> 00:20:42.740 and I don't do this with every psalm, 00:20:42.779 --> 00:20:43.519 but I've done it with a couple, 00:20:44.080 --> 00:20:46.259 I would encourage you to memorize Psalm 131. 00:20:48.039 --> 00:20:48.940 It's very short. 00:20:49.100 --> 00:20:49.960 It's only three verses. 00:20:51.700 --> 00:20:54.320 When you come into a situation where you can feel 00:20:54.320 --> 00:20:56.460 your anxiety rising, 00:20:56.920 --> 00:20:57.860 your fear rising, 00:20:57.859 --> 00:21:00.500 you can catch yourself, 00:21:00.599 --> 00:21:01.439 and you can say to yourself, 00:21:01.539 --> 00:21:02.639 if you memorize it in your head, 00:21:02.699 --> 00:21:03.000 you can say, 00:21:03.079 --> 00:21:03.399 Oh Lord, 00:21:04.159 --> 00:21:05.199 my heart is not lifted up. 00:21:06.339 --> 00:21:07.759 My eyes are not raised too high. 00:21:08.740 --> 00:21:11.240 I do not occupy myself with things too great 00:21:11.240 --> 00:21:12.359 and too marvelous for me, 00:21:12.419 --> 00:21:13.959 but I have calmed and quieted my soul. 00:21:16.259 --> 00:21:19.240 And so as you're struggling to have a calm and quiet soul, 00:21:19.879 --> 00:21:21.719 this psalm is a tool for us. 00:21:22.419 --> 00:21:24.699 And it's an especially potent tool 00:21:24.699 --> 00:21:25.879 because of how short it is. 00:21:25.880 --> 00:21:28.660 There are some scriptures that we memorize 00:21:28.660 --> 00:21:30.240 that we're going to use more than others. 00:21:30.900 --> 00:21:32.920 I'm going to suggest to you that Psalm 131 00:21:32.920 --> 00:21:35.280 is a high ROI psalm. 00:21:36.460 --> 00:21:38.540 There is a high return on investment here. 00:21:40.260 --> 00:21:41.680 There's a psalm that you're going to memorize. 00:21:41.820 --> 00:21:41.960 In fact, 00:21:42.020 --> 00:21:43.620 I would encourage you to think about this summer 00:21:43.620 --> 00:21:44.420 as we go through the psalms, 00:21:44.520 --> 00:21:45.460 pick one psalm. 00:21:46.420 --> 00:21:47.540 It doesn't have to be this one. 00:21:47.580 --> 00:21:49.360 I'd encourage you to consider this one. 00:21:49.420 --> 00:21:51.380 Pick one psalm that you want to shape your life. 00:21:53.960 --> 00:21:55.640 And be a Psalm 1 person about it. 00:21:55.640 --> 00:21:57.700 And meditate on it over and over and over again. 00:21:57.800 --> 00:21:59.040 Let it shape the way you think, 00:21:59.120 --> 00:21:59.780 the way you feel. 00:22:00.460 --> 00:22:04.780 If you're struggling to face injustice in the world, 00:22:05.040 --> 00:22:06.259 Psalm 5 might be your psalm. 00:22:09.940 --> 00:22:12.640 If you are struggling to believe 00:22:12.640 --> 00:22:15.360 that God is the most powerful person in the world, 00:22:15.580 --> 00:22:16.340 memorize Psalm 2. 00:22:16.339 --> 00:22:20.980 And if you struggle with a loud and noisy heart, 00:22:22.259 --> 00:22:23.559 memorize Psalm 131. 00:22:27.159 --> 00:22:31.099 A man named Paul Miller says this about Psalm 131. 00:22:31.199 --> 00:22:31.459 He says, 00:22:31.460 --> 00:22:52.120 And then he says this, 00:22:52.119 --> 00:23:10.099 God knows 00:23:10.099 --> 00:23:13.639 that we face many things in this life 00:23:13.639 --> 00:23:16.059 that would cause us to panic and be frantic. 00:23:16.059 --> 00:23:19.519 And so he's given us this psalm 00:23:19.519 --> 00:23:21.639 as a lamp to our feet 00:23:21.639 --> 00:23:22.700 and a light to our path 00:23:22.700 --> 00:23:23.879 to show us the way 00:23:23.879 --> 00:23:26.960 when we face those situations in life. 00:23:30.079 --> 00:23:31.940 So how do we quiet and calm our souls? 00:23:32.059 --> 00:23:34.059 One way is talking to God. 00:23:34.440 --> 00:23:35.359 We pray to God. 00:23:36.019 --> 00:23:37.619 The way you can do that is memorizing this psalm. 00:23:38.679 --> 00:23:39.940 The other thing that we can do 00:23:39.940 --> 00:23:41.000 is talk to ourselves. 00:23:41.000 --> 00:23:43.960 I'm going to jump ahead a little bit, 00:23:44.039 --> 00:23:45.119 but in verse 3, 00:23:46.359 --> 00:23:48.339 the psalmist is not talking to God anymore. 00:23:48.579 --> 00:23:50.539 He's talking to the rest of the Israelites 00:23:50.539 --> 00:23:51.160 who are gathering 00:23:51.160 --> 00:23:52.839 and he's telling them to hope in the Lord. 00:23:55.039 --> 00:23:57.519 So he talks to God about his hope and his quiet 00:23:57.519 --> 00:24:00.220 and then he talks to the other people around him. 00:24:00.519 --> 00:24:01.900 We would say he talks to the other Israelites. 00:24:02.079 --> 00:24:04.240 I would say we, as people in the New Testament, 00:24:04.339 --> 00:24:05.259 can talk to other Christians 00:24:05.259 --> 00:24:06.019 and we can say, 00:24:06.619 --> 00:24:08.319 O Christians, hope in the Lord. 00:24:08.319 --> 00:24:11.279 Church, hope in the Lord. 00:24:13.259 --> 00:24:15.859 When we sing here in church together, 00:24:16.019 --> 00:24:17.939 we are primarily singing to God 00:24:17.939 --> 00:24:19.639 songs of worship to him. 00:24:20.659 --> 00:24:22.819 We are secondarily reminding 00:24:22.819 --> 00:24:24.099 and singing to each other. 00:24:26.759 --> 00:24:28.220 And so the weaning process, 00:24:28.339 --> 00:24:30.319 the process by which we have a quiet soul 00:24:30.319 --> 00:24:32.179 rather than a noisy, busy soul, 00:24:33.019 --> 00:24:35.019 the process by which we have peace 00:24:35.019 --> 00:24:36.200 rather than being frantic, 00:24:36.200 --> 00:24:40.019 is one that involves both talking to God 00:24:40.019 --> 00:24:41.440 and talking to ourselves. 00:24:41.580 --> 00:24:43.740 We remind ourselves of God's faithfulness 00:24:43.740 --> 00:24:44.340 and his love. 00:24:45.539 --> 00:24:46.900 It's exactly what we talked about 00:24:46.900 --> 00:24:48.019 in the Psalms of Lament, 00:24:48.420 --> 00:24:49.480 that we're remembering 00:24:49.480 --> 00:24:51.759 what God has done for us in the past 00:24:51.759 --> 00:24:53.779 and we're reminding ourselves 00:24:53.779 --> 00:24:54.880 over and over again. 00:24:55.019 --> 00:24:55.880 We're whipping up. 00:24:57.559 --> 00:24:58.980 Remember we talked about the cream 00:24:58.980 --> 00:25:00.019 that you make into whipped cream. 00:25:00.120 --> 00:25:02.220 We're whipping up the hard peaks 00:25:02.220 --> 00:25:03.340 of faith and trust 00:25:03.340 --> 00:25:04.539 and hope and confidence. 00:25:04.539 --> 00:25:07.519 And so the Psalms present us 00:25:07.519 --> 00:25:08.460 with that process. 00:25:12.700 --> 00:25:14.200 Remind ourselves of God's faithfulness 00:25:14.200 --> 00:25:15.200 to us specifically. 00:25:16.079 --> 00:25:18.000 We remind ourselves of God's faithfulness 00:25:18.000 --> 00:25:19.379 to us and all Christians 00:25:19.379 --> 00:25:20.859 through Jesus. 00:25:22.139 --> 00:25:23.500 That we look to everything 00:25:23.500 --> 00:25:24.700 that God has done for us. 00:25:25.839 --> 00:25:27.240 And so we're asking for God's help 00:25:27.240 --> 00:25:28.759 rather than relying on our own. 00:25:28.759 --> 00:25:32.519 Now if you're thinking 00:25:32.519 --> 00:25:34.779 that I'm telling you to memorize 00:25:34.779 --> 00:25:37.079 and remind yourself of Psalm 131 00:25:37.079 --> 00:25:37.920 to pray to God 00:25:37.920 --> 00:25:39.960 as a way to escape 00:25:39.960 --> 00:25:41.720 the problems in this world, 00:25:41.799 --> 00:25:43.519 the way to escape personal responsibility, 00:25:43.700 --> 00:25:45.099 to escape doing what you need to do 00:25:45.099 --> 00:25:46.460 to accomplish what's before you, 00:25:46.740 --> 00:25:48.819 that is not what I'm saying. 00:25:50.200 --> 00:25:51.299 And I'll tell you a story. 00:25:51.359 --> 00:25:53.019 I recently found out about something. 00:25:53.140 --> 00:25:54.720 Many of you probably already know about this. 00:25:55.140 --> 00:25:56.000 I've heard this is a big thing 00:25:56.000 --> 00:25:56.559 in the military. 00:25:57.299 --> 00:25:58.460 It's called box breathing 00:25:58.460 --> 00:26:00.180 or tactical breathing 00:26:00.180 --> 00:26:01.140 or combat breathing. 00:26:01.660 --> 00:26:02.700 And it's where when someone 00:26:02.700 --> 00:26:04.339 is feeling nervous and anxious 00:26:04.339 --> 00:26:07.319 and they're facing a high stakes, 00:26:07.420 --> 00:26:08.420 high stress situation, 00:26:08.940 --> 00:26:09.720 they'll go through certain 00:26:09.720 --> 00:26:10.480 breathing techniques 00:26:10.480 --> 00:26:11.599 that will calm their body down. 00:26:12.880 --> 00:26:14.779 So they'll breathe in for four seconds. 00:26:15.339 --> 00:26:16.180 They'll hold their breath 00:26:16.180 --> 00:26:17.000 for four seconds. 00:26:17.480 --> 00:26:18.980 They'll breathe out for four seconds. 00:26:18.980 --> 00:26:21.220 And then they'll let their breath sit out 00:26:21.220 --> 00:26:22.099 without breathing in again 00:26:22.099 --> 00:26:23.099 for another four seconds. 00:26:23.099 --> 00:26:25.019 I'm not going to demonstrate for you. 00:26:25.659 --> 00:26:26.379 You're welcome. 00:26:29.199 --> 00:26:30.399 And this is often for people 00:26:30.399 --> 00:26:32.319 who are in really high stressful situations, 00:26:32.439 --> 00:26:33.079 in high combat, 00:26:33.240 --> 00:26:34.279 in special ops. 00:26:34.419 --> 00:26:35.959 The Navy SEALs apparently use this. 00:26:36.939 --> 00:26:38.319 Now I'm going to suggest to you 00:26:38.319 --> 00:26:40.480 that no soldier who uses this technique 00:26:40.480 --> 00:26:41.299 thinks to themselves, 00:26:41.719 --> 00:26:43.699 man, this is a really high stress situation. 00:26:44.019 --> 00:26:45.639 I just need to escape for a little bit. 00:26:46.179 --> 00:26:47.439 The enemies will understand. 00:26:48.299 --> 00:26:49.259 I'm going to tell them like, 00:26:49.339 --> 00:26:50.419 hey, it's a timeout right now. 00:26:50.420 --> 00:26:52.500 I've got to do my box breathing. 00:26:52.620 --> 00:26:53.300 I'm really stressed. 00:26:54.060 --> 00:26:55.380 And if you could just give me a second, 00:26:55.460 --> 00:26:56.620 then I'm going to get back into the game. 00:26:56.720 --> 00:26:56.860 Okay? 00:26:58.940 --> 00:27:00.000 No, the box breathing 00:27:00.000 --> 00:27:02.700 is not an escape from combat. 00:27:04.180 --> 00:27:05.900 It's not an escape from moving forward 00:27:05.900 --> 00:27:07.519 and making hard decisions in life. 00:27:08.900 --> 00:27:10.600 It is what allows soldiers 00:27:10.600 --> 00:27:11.759 to calm themselves down 00:27:11.759 --> 00:27:13.640 so that they can proceed in combat. 00:27:16.120 --> 00:27:17.519 When we have a quiet heart, 00:27:17.600 --> 00:27:18.560 when we're praying to God 00:27:18.559 --> 00:27:19.259 and trusting Him, 00:27:19.279 --> 00:27:21.099 it is not to escape from this world. 00:27:21.720 --> 00:27:23.220 It's not to absolve ourselves 00:27:23.220 --> 00:27:24.079 of our responsibilities. 00:27:24.799 --> 00:27:25.559 It's not to say, 00:27:25.659 --> 00:27:26.519 well, I'm not going to be proud 00:27:26.519 --> 00:27:27.659 so I guess I can't do anything. 00:27:27.740 --> 00:27:28.980 I can't accomplish anything. 00:27:30.099 --> 00:27:31.159 Instead, it's to say, 00:27:31.960 --> 00:27:32.919 I'm going to move forward 00:27:32.919 --> 00:27:33.759 in this life, 00:27:33.859 --> 00:27:34.700 this busy life, 00:27:35.059 --> 00:27:36.139 with a quiet heart. 00:27:37.399 --> 00:27:38.339 And I'm going to face 00:27:38.339 --> 00:27:39.700 the challenges that are ahead of me 00:27:39.700 --> 00:27:40.940 doing what I need to do, 00:27:41.460 --> 00:27:42.720 not being controlled 00:27:42.720 --> 00:27:43.859 by believing that everything 00:27:43.859 --> 00:27:45.079 rises and falls on me, 00:27:45.179 --> 00:27:46.139 but knowing that God 00:27:46.139 --> 00:27:47.460 is the one who is in control. 00:27:48.559 --> 00:27:50.539 He's more powerful than I am. 00:27:51.000 --> 00:27:51.980 He's more powerful 00:27:51.980 --> 00:27:53.319 than the challenge that I face. 00:27:54.099 --> 00:27:55.200 And so I'm going to pause 00:27:55.200 --> 00:27:57.379 and stop not to retreat from life, 00:27:57.659 --> 00:27:59.679 but to be able to move forward in it. 00:28:01.119 --> 00:28:02.119 It is prayer, 00:28:02.859 --> 00:28:04.220 it is Psalm 131 00:28:04.220 --> 00:28:05.500 that is the box breathing, 00:28:05.659 --> 00:28:06.599 the combat breathing 00:28:06.599 --> 00:28:07.619 of the Christian. 00:28:07.619 --> 00:28:11.259 This is how we pull ourselves back 00:28:11.259 --> 00:28:12.759 as we are in the challenges 00:28:12.759 --> 00:28:14.159 and the friction of life. 00:28:14.959 --> 00:28:16.659 And we're able to remind ourselves 00:28:16.659 --> 00:28:17.799 that God is in control 00:28:17.799 --> 00:28:18.919 so that we can move forward. 00:28:22.179 --> 00:28:23.959 We are asking for God's help 00:28:23.959 --> 00:28:27.959 rather than relying on our own power 00:28:27.959 --> 00:28:29.239 and strength and ability. 00:28:30.699 --> 00:28:32.639 It's knowing that we can't make things happen. 00:28:32.719 --> 00:28:33.739 It's not all up to us. 00:28:33.740 --> 00:28:36.079 It means that we can have quiet hearts. 00:28:37.700 --> 00:28:38.660 And so this doesn't mean 00:28:38.660 --> 00:28:39.420 that we're passive. 00:28:40.019 --> 00:28:42.019 It just means that we're not restless anymore. 00:28:43.180 --> 00:28:44.279 We can have peace 00:28:44.279 --> 00:28:45.980 in the midst of difficult circumstances. 00:28:46.220 --> 00:28:47.559 It's sitting with someone 00:28:47.559 --> 00:28:48.299 who is hurting 00:28:48.299 --> 00:28:50.039 and remembering, 00:28:51.039 --> 00:28:53.099 my words are not going to be able 00:28:53.099 --> 00:28:54.420 to solve this situation. 00:28:55.000 --> 00:28:56.680 That would be something too great 00:28:56.680 --> 00:28:57.920 and too marvelous for me. 00:28:57.920 --> 00:29:01.240 And so I am now able 00:29:01.240 --> 00:29:02.779 to actually sit with 00:29:02.779 --> 00:29:04.440 and be with this person. 00:29:07.340 --> 00:29:08.820 It's applying for jobs 00:29:08.820 --> 00:29:10.600 and knowing I have to be faithful 00:29:10.600 --> 00:29:12.220 in pursuing work. 00:29:13.519 --> 00:29:16.000 But I can't make this happen. 00:29:17.620 --> 00:29:18.800 And so I'm going to trust God 00:29:18.800 --> 00:29:20.500 and have a calm and quiet heart 00:29:20.500 --> 00:29:21.560 in the midst of it. 00:29:23.480 --> 00:29:24.340 It's facing illness 00:29:24.340 --> 00:29:25.279 and knowing there may 00:29:25.279 --> 00:29:26.600 or may not be a solution 00:29:26.600 --> 00:29:27.759 or a cure to this. 00:29:28.240 --> 00:29:30.519 But I can't heal myself. 00:29:33.560 --> 00:29:35.160 And so I can trust God. 00:29:35.259 --> 00:29:37.080 I can seek out doctors and solutions 00:29:37.080 --> 00:29:38.100 with a quiet 00:29:38.100 --> 00:29:39.759 and prayerful trust 00:29:39.759 --> 00:29:41.200 and hope in God. 00:29:43.320 --> 00:29:44.740 Jesus asked this question 00:29:44.740 --> 00:29:45.300 at one point. 00:29:45.380 --> 00:29:45.779 He says, 00:29:47.039 --> 00:29:47.480 in Luke, 00:29:47.960 --> 00:29:49.300 in which of you by being anxious 00:29:49.300 --> 00:29:50.720 can add a single hour 00:29:50.720 --> 00:29:51.820 to his span of life? 00:29:51.819 --> 00:29:57.079 Our hope 00:29:57.079 --> 00:29:59.519 is not in ourselves 00:29:59.519 --> 00:30:00.379 and what we can do, 00:30:00.500 --> 00:30:01.460 but it is in God. 00:30:02.460 --> 00:30:03.720 And so that's how we end 00:30:03.720 --> 00:30:04.460 in verse 3. 00:30:05.200 --> 00:30:05.740 O Israel, 00:30:05.980 --> 00:30:06.879 hope in the Lord 00:30:06.879 --> 00:30:08.059 from this time forth 00:30:08.059 --> 00:30:09.319 and forevermore. 00:30:09.319 --> 00:30:12.099 this isn't some sort of 00:30:12.099 --> 00:30:13.839 mindfulness technique 00:30:13.839 --> 00:30:14.879 in which the psalmist 00:30:14.879 --> 00:30:16.279 pulls back from his situation, 00:30:16.439 --> 00:30:18.319 but it's a reminder technique 00:30:18.319 --> 00:30:19.319 in which the psalmist 00:30:19.319 --> 00:30:20.279 remembers 00:30:20.279 --> 00:30:22.460 that God is his hope. 00:30:24.859 --> 00:30:26.559 Now, hope can sometimes be 00:30:26.559 --> 00:30:28.659 something of a pie-in-the-sky word. 00:30:28.660 --> 00:30:31.440 We might talk as Christians 00:30:31.440 --> 00:30:32.000 about hope 00:30:32.000 --> 00:30:33.360 without giving a firm 00:30:33.360 --> 00:30:34.400 and clear definition. 00:30:35.420 --> 00:30:36.040 And we've seen 00:30:36.040 --> 00:30:36.980 various types of hope 00:30:36.980 --> 00:30:38.000 in the psalms already. 00:30:38.240 --> 00:30:39.700 As the psalms define hope, 00:30:39.779 --> 00:30:41.300 it's several things at least. 00:30:42.540 --> 00:30:43.220 First of all, 00:30:43.240 --> 00:30:43.740 it's our hope. 00:30:43.820 --> 00:30:44.680 The previous psalm, 00:30:44.759 --> 00:30:45.400 Psalm 130, 00:30:45.560 --> 00:30:46.220 talks about this. 00:30:46.279 --> 00:30:46.900 It's our hope 00:30:46.900 --> 00:30:48.000 in God's forgiveness. 00:30:49.860 --> 00:30:50.720 As Christians, 00:30:50.860 --> 00:30:51.620 part of our hope 00:30:51.620 --> 00:30:52.640 is that God 00:30:52.640 --> 00:30:53.580 is going to forgive us 00:30:53.580 --> 00:30:54.420 of our sins 00:30:54.420 --> 00:30:56.380 because of Jesus' death 00:30:56.380 --> 00:30:57.340 for us. 00:30:57.400 --> 00:30:58.180 That Jesus has taken 00:30:58.180 --> 00:30:59.600 the penalty for our sins. 00:31:00.060 --> 00:31:00.960 And so we can hope 00:31:00.960 --> 00:31:01.480 in forgiveness. 00:31:02.279 --> 00:31:03.480 But we're not just hoping 00:31:03.480 --> 00:31:04.060 in the forgiveness 00:31:04.060 --> 00:31:04.680 of our sins. 00:31:04.779 --> 00:31:05.820 The psalms also talk 00:31:05.820 --> 00:31:07.480 about God's steadfast love. 00:31:08.200 --> 00:31:09.360 That's also our hope. 00:31:10.080 --> 00:31:11.220 Not just that God 00:31:11.220 --> 00:31:11.940 has forgiven us, 00:31:12.000 --> 00:31:13.460 but that he's also adopted us. 00:31:14.220 --> 00:31:15.660 We are Jesus' brothers 00:31:15.660 --> 00:31:16.440 and sisters 00:31:16.440 --> 00:31:17.539 because of what he's done. 00:31:18.740 --> 00:31:19.980 And so God's never stopping, 00:31:20.180 --> 00:31:20.900 never giving up, 00:31:21.039 --> 00:31:21.440 unbreaking, 00:31:21.560 --> 00:31:22.740 and always and forever love 00:31:22.740 --> 00:31:23.680 is with us. 00:31:24.720 --> 00:31:26.259 It's something that we can rest in 00:31:26.259 --> 00:31:27.580 and hope in and trust in. 00:31:28.179 --> 00:31:29.059 That's part of what 00:31:29.059 --> 00:31:29.919 the psalmist is saying 00:31:29.919 --> 00:31:30.960 when he says hope in the Lord. 00:31:31.079 --> 00:31:31.639 Hope in the Lord 00:31:31.639 --> 00:31:32.439 for his forgiveness. 00:31:33.659 --> 00:31:34.460 Hope in the Lord 00:31:34.460 --> 00:31:36.259 because of his steadfast love 00:31:36.259 --> 00:31:36.980 that he's not going 00:31:36.980 --> 00:31:37.599 to leave you 00:31:37.599 --> 00:31:38.399 or forsake you. 00:31:39.579 --> 00:31:40.579 We've also seen 00:31:40.579 --> 00:31:41.859 in Psalm 2 00:31:41.859 --> 00:31:42.740 and Psalm 6, 00:31:42.879 --> 00:31:43.199 we hope, 00:31:43.319 --> 00:31:43.980 or Psalm 2 00:31:43.980 --> 00:31:44.699 and Psalm 5, 00:31:45.199 --> 00:31:46.559 we hope in God's justice. 00:31:47.240 --> 00:31:48.319 That's part of our hope. 00:31:49.139 --> 00:31:50.500 Our hope is that one day 00:31:50.500 --> 00:31:51.960 God is actually going 00:31:51.960 --> 00:31:53.559 to make everything right. 00:31:53.559 --> 00:31:56.700 And so when the psalmist says 00:31:56.700 --> 00:31:57.539 in verse 3, 00:31:58.759 --> 00:31:59.659 hope in the Lord, 00:31:59.759 --> 00:32:01.059 he is not talking about 00:32:01.059 --> 00:32:03.399 a pie-in-the-sky hope. 00:32:04.179 --> 00:32:05.359 He's not talking about 00:32:05.359 --> 00:32:06.000 an ambiguous, 00:32:06.379 --> 00:32:07.220 undefined hope. 00:32:07.899 --> 00:32:09.079 He is talking about 00:32:09.079 --> 00:32:10.859 the trust and confidence 00:32:10.859 --> 00:32:12.879 and love that comes 00:32:12.879 --> 00:32:13.619 from knowing 00:32:13.619 --> 00:32:14.659 that God's forgiveness 00:32:14.659 --> 00:32:16.379 and his love for us 00:32:16.379 --> 00:32:17.159 are unshakable. 00:32:17.160 --> 00:32:19.940 and knowing 00:32:19.940 --> 00:32:20.900 that his justice 00:32:20.900 --> 00:32:21.820 is unstoppable. 00:32:23.920 --> 00:32:25.500 And so it's that hope 00:32:25.500 --> 00:32:27.759 that allows the psalmist 00:32:27.759 --> 00:32:29.460 to not have a lifted up heart 00:32:29.460 --> 00:32:30.880 but instead to calm 00:32:30.880 --> 00:32:32.360 and quiet his soul. 00:32:34.140 --> 00:32:35.660 His hope as the psalmist 00:32:35.660 --> 00:32:36.480 in the Old Testament 00:32:36.480 --> 00:32:37.620 and God's people of Israel 00:32:37.620 --> 00:32:39.540 is our same hope 00:32:39.540 --> 00:32:41.080 even more clearly defined 00:32:41.080 --> 00:32:42.000 in the New Testament. 00:32:43.560 --> 00:32:44.620 That as he looked 00:32:44.620 --> 00:32:45.420 to God's forgiveness, 00:32:45.600 --> 00:32:46.180 he did not know 00:32:46.180 --> 00:32:47.360 exactly how it was 00:32:47.360 --> 00:32:48.000 going to happen 00:32:48.000 --> 00:32:50.039 and yet we as Christians 00:32:50.039 --> 00:32:50.940 in the New Testament 00:32:50.940 --> 00:32:52.000 know exactly 00:32:52.000 --> 00:32:52.779 how it happened. 00:32:54.480 --> 00:32:55.320 The forgiveness 00:32:55.320 --> 00:32:56.140 of our sins 00:32:56.140 --> 00:32:57.279 comes because 00:32:57.279 --> 00:32:58.560 Jesus took the penalty 00:32:58.560 --> 00:32:59.180 for them. 00:32:59.940 --> 00:33:01.080 Because Jesus lived 00:33:01.080 --> 00:33:01.840 the perfect life 00:33:01.840 --> 00:33:02.940 that we should have lived 00:33:02.940 --> 00:33:04.960 and then he died 00:33:04.960 --> 00:33:05.380 the death 00:33:05.380 --> 00:33:06.340 that we should have died. 00:33:07.400 --> 00:33:08.060 And so we look 00:33:08.060 --> 00:33:08.799 to his death 00:33:08.799 --> 00:33:09.560 and his resurrection 00:33:09.560 --> 00:33:10.440 as our hope 00:33:10.440 --> 00:33:11.180 for forgiveness. 00:33:12.539 --> 00:33:13.640 Jesus is also our hope 00:33:13.640 --> 00:33:15.340 for God's steadfast love. 00:33:16.180 --> 00:33:18.580 Because Jesus died 00:33:18.580 --> 00:33:19.920 we are now 00:33:19.920 --> 00:33:20.519 his brothers 00:33:20.519 --> 00:33:21.360 and his sisters. 00:33:21.500 --> 00:33:22.640 We are God's children. 00:33:23.640 --> 00:33:24.200 And so not only 00:33:24.200 --> 00:33:25.000 is God's forgiveness 00:33:25.000 --> 00:33:25.640 with us 00:33:25.640 --> 00:33:26.799 but his steadfast love 00:33:26.799 --> 00:33:27.799 is with us as well. 00:33:29.940 --> 00:33:30.960 Jesus earns 00:33:30.960 --> 00:33:31.759 God's favor 00:33:31.759 --> 00:33:32.779 and his care for us. 00:33:32.860 --> 00:33:33.400 He earns 00:33:33.400 --> 00:33:34.240 what we need 00:33:34.240 --> 00:33:35.320 to be able to have 00:33:35.320 --> 00:33:36.960 calm and quiet hearts. 00:33:36.960 --> 00:33:40.319 Jesus says 00:33:40.319 --> 00:33:41.319 in Matthew chapter 10 00:33:41.319 --> 00:33:42.480 are not two sparrows 00:33:42.480 --> 00:33:43.400 sold for a penny 00:33:43.400 --> 00:33:45.240 and not one of them 00:33:45.240 --> 00:33:46.200 will fall to the ground 00:33:46.200 --> 00:33:47.200 apart from your father. 00:33:48.259 --> 00:33:48.940 But even the hairs 00:33:48.940 --> 00:33:49.519 of your head 00:33:49.519 --> 00:33:50.360 are all numbered. 00:33:51.000 --> 00:33:51.920 Fear not therefore 00:33:51.920 --> 00:33:53.920 you are of more value 00:33:53.920 --> 00:33:55.079 than many sparrows. 00:33:56.519 --> 00:33:57.400 And then he says 00:33:57.400 --> 00:33:58.140 in John 14 00:33:58.140 --> 00:33:59.200 I will not leave you 00:33:59.200 --> 00:33:59.880 as orphans 00:33:59.880 --> 00:34:01.299 I will come to you. 00:34:01.299 --> 00:34:04.359 And finally 00:34:04.359 --> 00:34:04.779 our hope 00:34:04.779 --> 00:34:05.240 is not just 00:34:05.240 --> 00:34:06.099 in God's forgiveness 00:34:06.099 --> 00:34:07.460 and his steadfast love 00:34:07.460 --> 00:34:08.880 but also in his power. 00:34:09.659 --> 00:34:10.679 That he is 00:34:10.679 --> 00:34:12.360 actually powerful enough 00:34:12.360 --> 00:34:13.400 to care for us 00:34:13.400 --> 00:34:14.800 and provide for us. 00:34:17.320 --> 00:34:18.259 There's a story 00:34:18.259 --> 00:34:19.860 in Matthew 8 00:34:19.860 --> 00:34:22.279 where Jesus' disciples 00:34:22.279 --> 00:34:23.119 are afraid. 00:34:25.619 --> 00:34:26.940 The pastor I mentioned before 00:34:26.940 --> 00:34:27.619 David Pallison 00:34:27.619 --> 00:34:28.519 connects this psalm 00:34:28.519 --> 00:34:29.159 to this story. 00:34:29.159 --> 00:34:29.980 They're afraid that 00:34:29.980 --> 00:34:32.219 their boat is going to sink 00:34:32.219 --> 00:34:32.980 and they're going to die. 00:34:34.159 --> 00:34:35.500 They wake Jesus up 00:34:35.500 --> 00:34:35.940 and Jesus 00:34:35.940 --> 00:34:36.819 and they're going to die. 00:34:38.259 --> 00:34:39.339 They wake Jesus up 00:34:39.339 --> 00:34:40.539 and Jesus is able to 00:34:40.539 --> 00:34:41.960 disciples say this 00:34:41.960 --> 00:34:42.920 in Matthew chapter 8 00:34:42.920 --> 00:34:45.299 What sort of man is this 00:34:45.299 --> 00:34:46.839 that even the winds 00:34:46.839 --> 00:34:47.399 and sea 00:34:47.399 --> 00:34:48.519 obey him? 00:34:51.500 --> 00:34:52.719 That is the God 00:34:52.719 --> 00:34:54.739 in whom we have 00:34:54.739 --> 00:34:56.139 a quiet confidence 00:34:56.139 --> 00:34:57.599 and a quiet trust. 00:34:57.599 --> 00:35:00.000 And so when we're 00:35:00.000 --> 00:35:00.819 tempted to put 00:35:00.819 --> 00:35:01.500 our hope 00:35:01.500 --> 00:35:02.880 in all sorts of things 00:35:02.880 --> 00:35:05.039 the psalmist tells us 00:35:05.039 --> 00:35:06.079 to put our hope 00:35:06.079 --> 00:35:06.699 in the Lord. 00:35:07.539 --> 00:35:08.539 We put our hope 00:35:08.539 --> 00:35:08.860 in him 00:35:08.860 --> 00:35:10.179 because he cares for us 00:35:10.179 --> 00:35:11.639 and he loves us 00:35:11.639 --> 00:35:13.119 he provides for us 00:35:13.119 --> 00:35:14.539 because he is 00:35:14.539 --> 00:35:15.619 the powerful king 00:35:15.619 --> 00:35:16.659 who's able to do 00:35:16.659 --> 00:35:17.239 what he promises. 00:35:18.639 --> 00:35:19.319 And so I invite you 00:35:19.319 --> 00:35:19.779 to join me 00:35:19.779 --> 00:35:20.299 as we pray 00:35:20.299 --> 00:35:21.000 to that king 00:35:21.000 --> 00:35:21.519 right now. 00:35:21.519 --> 00:35:25.480 Father in heaven 00:35:25.480 --> 00:35:26.800 we thank you 00:35:26.800 --> 00:35:29.920 that even the storms 00:35:29.920 --> 00:35:31.300 and the seas 00:35:31.300 --> 00:35:32.000 obey you. 00:35:34.960 --> 00:35:35.780 We're tempted 00:35:35.780 --> 00:35:36.820 to believe 00:35:36.820 --> 00:35:38.139 that it's our job 00:35:38.139 --> 00:35:39.199 to calm the seas 00:35:39.199 --> 00:35:39.759 and the storms 00:35:39.759 --> 00:35:43.539 and yet you remind us 00:35:43.539 --> 00:35:45.320 that that's only 00:35:45.320 --> 00:35:46.579 pride and arrogance. 00:35:46.579 --> 00:35:48.880 And so we ask 00:35:48.880 --> 00:35:49.539 that you'd help us 00:35:49.539 --> 00:35:50.539 that you'd build 00:35:50.539 --> 00:35:51.920 a calm 00:35:51.920 --> 00:35:53.079 and quiet 00:35:53.079 --> 00:35:54.099 trust in you 00:35:54.099 --> 00:35:54.880 as we face 00:35:54.880 --> 00:35:55.440 the challenges 00:35:55.440 --> 00:35:56.119 of this world. 00:35:57.179 --> 00:35:58.139 And we thank you 00:35:58.139 --> 00:35:58.860 that we can have 00:35:58.860 --> 00:35:59.500 that trust 00:35:59.500 --> 00:36:00.519 and that confidence 00:36:00.519 --> 00:36:01.940 not as the 00:36:01.940 --> 00:36:02.719 pie in the sky 00:36:02.719 --> 00:36:03.179 confidence 00:36:03.179 --> 00:36:03.960 but a true 00:36:03.960 --> 00:36:05.039 and steady hope. 00:36:05.779 --> 00:36:06.579 And it's true 00:36:06.579 --> 00:36:07.000 and steady 00:36:07.000 --> 00:36:08.039 because we look 00:36:08.039 --> 00:36:08.719 to our hope 00:36:08.719 --> 00:36:09.420 and we look 00:36:09.420 --> 00:36:09.900 to Jesus 00:36:09.900 --> 00:36:10.480 as the one 00:36:10.480 --> 00:36:11.239 who provides it. 00:36:11.940 --> 00:36:12.799 And we trust 00:36:12.799 --> 00:36:13.440 in the truth 00:36:13.440 --> 00:36:14.159 and the steadiness 00:36:14.159 --> 00:36:14.879 of his life 00:36:14.879 --> 00:36:15.619 and his death 00:36:15.619 --> 00:36:16.579 and his resurrection 00:36:16.579 --> 00:36:18.359 that pays the penalty 00:36:18.359 --> 00:36:19.259 for our sins 00:36:19.259 --> 00:36:20.179 and brings us in 00:36:20.179 --> 00:36:21.119 as part of your family 00:36:21.119 --> 00:36:21.799 the family 00:36:21.799 --> 00:36:22.480 that you care 00:36:22.480 --> 00:36:23.359 and provide for 00:36:23.359 --> 00:36:24.579 and will bring justice 00:36:24.579 --> 00:36:25.759 for fully and finally. 00:36:26.799 --> 00:36:27.399 And so we ask 00:36:27.399 --> 00:36:27.920 these things 00:36:27.920 --> 00:36:28.559 not because 00:36:28.559 --> 00:36:29.420 we have earned them 00:36:29.420 --> 00:36:31.259 not because 00:36:31.259 --> 00:36:31.859 we're capable 00:36:31.859 --> 00:36:32.779 of achieving them 00:36:32.779 --> 00:36:33.899 not because 00:36:33.899 --> 00:36:34.299 we're better 00:36:34.299 --> 00:36:35.000 than other people 00:36:35.000 --> 00:36:36.679 but we ask them 00:36:36.679 --> 00:36:37.379 because Jesus 00:36:37.379 --> 00:36:38.519 has earned them for us 00:36:38.519 --> 00:36:39.239 and so we ask them 00:36:39.239 --> 00:36:39.839 in his name. 00:36:40.480 --> 00:36:40.699 Amen.