WEBVTT 00:00:00.160 --> 00:00:02.680 Welcome to all of you who do not yet know me. 00:00:02.740 --> 00:00:03.339 My name is Sean. 00:00:03.399 --> 00:00:05.160 I'm one of the pastors of Trinity Cambridge Church, 00:00:05.339 --> 00:00:07.379 and it's my joy and privilege 00:00:07.379 --> 00:00:10.120 to preach God's word to you this morning. 00:00:10.400 --> 00:00:13.820 If you would please open up your Bibles to Psalm 25. 00:00:15.160 --> 00:00:17.100 And if you don't have a Bible, please raise your hand. 00:00:17.160 --> 00:00:19.440 We'd love to give you a copy that you can use 00:00:19.440 --> 00:00:22.820 while you're here, and you can take home with you. 00:00:24.140 --> 00:00:25.699 Psalm, if you're not familiar with it, 00:00:25.780 --> 00:00:27.500 is like right in the middle of the book, 00:00:27.780 --> 00:00:28.320 middle of the Bible. 00:00:28.320 --> 00:00:29.460 Just open it in the middle. 00:00:29.460 --> 00:00:31.080 You'll probably be somewhere close to the Psalms, 00:00:31.980 --> 00:00:34.340 and Psalm 25 is toward the beginning of the book. 00:00:36.500 --> 00:00:39.380 Let me pray for the reading and preaching of God's word. 00:00:43.079 --> 00:00:46.439 Father, we humble ourselves before your word once again 00:00:46.439 --> 00:00:54.260 because we don't want to shape you according to our will, 00:00:54.719 --> 00:00:57.540 but we want to be shaped by you. 00:00:57.539 --> 00:01:00.579 We want our reality, our perceptions, 00:01:01.019 --> 00:01:05.400 our attitudes, our words and actions 00:01:05.400 --> 00:01:08.480 to be shaped by what you say. 00:01:08.480 --> 00:01:13.760 So we incline our ears and our hearts to you now. 00:01:13.960 --> 00:01:16.079 Focus our attention on Jesus. 00:01:18.400 --> 00:01:19.659 The word made flesh. 00:01:23.760 --> 00:01:26.780 Enlarge our view of your grace and mercy 00:01:26.780 --> 00:01:32.560 that we might give you the praise that you rightly deserve. 00:01:32.560 --> 00:01:35.460 In Jesus' name we pray. 00:01:35.460 --> 00:01:36.140 Amen. 00:01:40.140 --> 00:01:43.859 If you are willing and able, please stand for the reading of God's word. 00:01:44.980 --> 00:01:45.939 Psalm 25. 00:01:45.939 --> 00:01:47.939 Of David. 00:01:47.939 --> 00:01:48.459 Of David. 00:01:48.459 --> 00:01:52.159 To you, O Lord, I lift up my soul. 00:01:53.159 --> 00:01:55.000 O my God, in you I trust. 00:01:55.700 --> 00:01:57.239 Let me not be put to shame. 00:01:58.079 --> 00:02:00.259 Let not my enemies exalt over me. 00:02:01.000 --> 00:02:04.400 Indeed, none who wait for you shall be put to shame. 00:02:04.979 --> 00:02:07.539 They shall be ashamed who are wantonly treacherous. 00:02:07.540 --> 00:02:10.939 Make me to know your ways, O Lord. 00:02:11.099 --> 00:02:12.460 Teach me your paths. 00:02:13.140 --> 00:02:14.980 Lead me in your truth and teach me. 00:02:15.360 --> 00:02:17.420 For you are the God of my salvation. 00:02:17.860 --> 00:02:20.700 For you I wait all the day long. 00:02:22.300 --> 00:02:24.580 Remember your mercy, O Lord, 00:02:24.840 --> 00:02:26.319 and your steadfast love. 00:02:26.700 --> 00:02:28.580 For they have been from of old. 00:02:29.520 --> 00:02:32.540 Remember not the sins of my youth or my transgressions. 00:02:32.539 --> 00:02:36.479 According to your steadfast love, remember me. 00:02:36.819 --> 00:02:39.519 For the sake of your goodness, O Lord. 00:02:40.719 --> 00:02:42.519 Good and upright is the Lord. 00:02:42.739 --> 00:02:45.120 Therefore, he instructs sinners in the way. 00:02:45.659 --> 00:02:47.739 He leads the humble in what is right 00:02:47.739 --> 00:02:49.599 and teaches the humble his way. 00:02:50.439 --> 00:02:54.560 All the paths of the Lord are steadfast love and faithfulness. 00:02:55.120 --> 00:02:57.979 For those who keep his covenant and his testimonies. 00:02:58.819 --> 00:03:00.579 For your name's sake, O Lord, 00:03:00.580 --> 00:03:03.160 pardon my guilt, for it is great. 00:03:04.160 --> 00:03:06.320 Who is the man who fears the Lord? 00:03:06.920 --> 00:03:10.220 Him will he instruct in the way that he should choose. 00:03:11.060 --> 00:03:13.280 His soul shall abide in well-being 00:03:13.280 --> 00:03:15.360 and his offspring shall inherit the land. 00:03:15.960 --> 00:03:18.960 The friendship of the Lord is for those who fear him 00:03:18.960 --> 00:03:21.480 and he makes known to them his covenant. 00:03:22.439 --> 00:03:24.580 My eyes are ever toward the Lord, 00:03:24.820 --> 00:03:26.960 for he will pluck my feet out of the net. 00:03:27.680 --> 00:03:30.439 Turn to me and be gracious to me. 00:03:30.439 --> 00:03:32.400 For I am lonely and afflicted. 00:03:32.919 --> 00:03:35.240 The troubles of my heart are enlarged. 00:03:35.460 --> 00:03:37.319 Bring me out of my distresses. 00:03:37.599 --> 00:03:39.800 Consider my affliction and my trouble 00:03:39.800 --> 00:03:42.479 and forgive all my sins. 00:03:43.680 --> 00:03:45.419 Consider how many are my foes 00:03:45.419 --> 00:03:47.680 and with what violent hatred they hate me. 00:03:48.199 --> 00:03:50.139 O guard my soul and deliver me. 00:03:50.400 --> 00:03:51.819 Let me not be put to shame, 00:03:52.139 --> 00:03:53.699 for I take refuge in you. 00:03:54.300 --> 00:03:57.180 May integrity and uprightness preserve me, 00:03:57.180 --> 00:03:59.340 for I wait for you. 00:04:00.300 --> 00:04:02.520 Redeem Israel, O God, 00:04:02.819 --> 00:04:04.800 out of all his troubles. 00:04:05.500 --> 00:04:07.500 This is God's holy and authoritative word. 00:04:07.580 --> 00:04:08.060 You may be seated. 00:04:08.060 --> 00:04:15.420 The superscription of Psalm 25 00:04:15.420 --> 00:04:17.899 tells us that this is a psalm of David, 00:04:18.019 --> 00:04:19.980 meaning most likely that David composed it. 00:04:20.579 --> 00:04:22.639 And here David draws a connection 00:04:22.639 --> 00:04:25.340 between the sins that he has committed 00:04:25.340 --> 00:04:28.240 and the troubles that he's facing 00:04:28.240 --> 00:04:29.300 because of his enemies. 00:04:30.500 --> 00:04:32.920 Sometimes the superscriptions of the psalms 00:04:32.920 --> 00:04:34.899 give us more specific contextual details. 00:04:34.899 --> 00:04:37.199 For example, the superscription of Psalm 51 00:04:37.199 --> 00:04:39.659 tells us that David wrote a psalm 00:04:39.659 --> 00:04:41.819 when Nathan the prophet confronted him 00:04:41.819 --> 00:04:43.679 regarding his adultery with Bathsheba. 00:04:44.419 --> 00:04:46.319 Since Psalm 25 doesn't have 00:04:46.319 --> 00:04:47.859 that kind of detailed superscription, 00:04:48.039 --> 00:04:49.620 we can't be sure, 00:04:50.259 --> 00:04:52.620 but there is a season in David's life 00:04:52.620 --> 00:04:55.620 that fits naturally with the content of Psalm 25. 00:04:56.739 --> 00:04:58.299 In 2 Samuel 11, 00:04:58.819 --> 00:05:00.579 David covets his servant, 00:05:01.099 --> 00:05:03.139 Uriah's wife, Bathsheba. 00:05:03.139 --> 00:05:05.599 And he commits adultery with her 00:05:05.599 --> 00:05:08.180 while Uriah is away in battle 00:05:08.180 --> 00:05:09.800 fighting for his king, David, 00:05:10.180 --> 00:05:12.240 putting his life on the line for him. 00:05:12.959 --> 00:05:14.800 David gets Bathsheba pregnant 00:05:14.800 --> 00:05:17.019 and then he tries to cover his tracks 00:05:17.019 --> 00:05:19.199 by getting Uriah killed. 00:05:19.899 --> 00:05:23.639 He sends Uriah to the fiercest part of the battle 00:05:23.639 --> 00:05:26.339 and he instructs the army to withdraw from him 00:05:26.339 --> 00:05:28.439 so that Uriah is killed in action. 00:05:29.659 --> 00:05:31.360 And David thinks that he's covered it up, 00:05:31.360 --> 00:05:33.000 but of course, nothing is hidden 00:05:33.000 --> 00:05:34.500 from the all-seeing eyes of God. 00:05:35.319 --> 00:05:37.960 And prophet Nathan confronts David about his sin 00:05:37.960 --> 00:05:39.960 and pronounces God's judgment. 00:05:41.060 --> 00:05:42.939 The child of David's adultery 00:05:42.939 --> 00:05:45.060 is not going to live past infancy. 00:05:45.680 --> 00:05:48.340 And God says to David in 2 Samuel 12, 11 to 12, 00:05:48.420 --> 00:05:50.439 Behold, I will raise up evil against you 00:05:50.439 --> 00:05:51.639 out of your own house. 00:05:51.639 --> 00:05:55.139 And I will take your wives before your eyes 00:05:55.139 --> 00:05:56.560 and give them to your neighbor. 00:05:57.300 --> 00:06:00.459 And he shall lie with your wives in the sight of the sun. 00:06:00.959 --> 00:06:02.159 For you did it secretly, 00:06:02.560 --> 00:06:04.819 but I will do this thing before all Israel 00:06:04.819 --> 00:06:06.159 and before the sun. 00:06:07.000 --> 00:06:08.899 This judgment comes to fruition 00:06:08.899 --> 00:06:10.779 in 2 Samuel 15 to 17 00:06:10.779 --> 00:06:12.639 when David's son Absalom revolts, 00:06:13.599 --> 00:06:15.159 stages a successful coup d'etat, 00:06:15.639 --> 00:06:18.159 and he forces David to flee in exile 00:06:18.160 --> 00:06:19.400 and his loyal followers. 00:06:19.820 --> 00:06:21.740 And he takes over the throne in Jerusalem. 00:06:22.540 --> 00:06:25.420 And after Absalom takes over his father's throne 00:06:25.420 --> 00:06:26.540 in the king's palace, 00:06:26.860 --> 00:06:27.640 you know what he does? 00:06:28.320 --> 00:06:31.640 He sleeps with all of his father's concubines 00:06:31.640 --> 00:06:34.300 publicly in the sight of all Israel, 00:06:34.520 --> 00:06:37.280 fulfilling the punishment that God had decreed 00:06:37.280 --> 00:06:39.440 for David's hidden adultery with Bathsheba 00:06:39.440 --> 00:06:43.220 and for his murder of her husband, Uriah. 00:06:43.220 --> 00:06:47.220 But this has the effect of solidifying Absalom's rebellion. 00:06:48.240 --> 00:06:49.940 And guess who is the shrewd counselor 00:06:49.940 --> 00:06:53.520 that is counseling Absalom during this time against David? 00:06:54.800 --> 00:06:55.380 Ahithophel. 00:06:56.340 --> 00:06:57.940 And we know that Ahithophel, 00:06:58.040 --> 00:07:00.840 from 2 Samuel 11, 3 and 2 Samuel 23, 34, 00:07:01.540 --> 00:07:04.400 he is the grandfather of Bathsheba, 00:07:05.180 --> 00:07:08.120 whom David adulterated and stole unlawfully. 00:07:08.400 --> 00:07:11.380 And that makes him also the grandfather-in-law of Uriah, 00:07:11.379 --> 00:07:13.319 whom David murdered. 00:07:14.399 --> 00:07:17.159 It seems that Ahithophel never quite got over 00:07:17.159 --> 00:07:19.980 what David did to his granddaughter 00:07:19.980 --> 00:07:22.219 and to his grandson-in-law. 00:07:22.719 --> 00:07:24.759 So he joins Absalom's revolt 00:07:24.759 --> 00:07:27.659 and counsels him against David. 00:07:28.759 --> 00:07:30.680 David's adultery and murder 00:07:30.680 --> 00:07:34.839 were connected to Absalom's rebellion and adultery 00:07:34.839 --> 00:07:36.459 with David's concubines. 00:07:37.600 --> 00:07:40.480 Through his sins, David made enemies. 00:07:40.480 --> 00:07:41.939 For himself. 00:07:42.400 --> 00:07:45.960 And he brought these troubles upon himself. 00:07:47.000 --> 00:07:49.160 And David understands this reality. 00:07:49.759 --> 00:07:52.200 And that's why in this psalm, 00:07:52.300 --> 00:07:54.620 he simultaneously laments the troubles 00:07:54.620 --> 00:07:55.819 that he is in from his enemies, 00:07:56.160 --> 00:07:58.879 and he laments the sins that he has committed 00:07:58.879 --> 00:08:00.280 and asks God for forgiveness. 00:08:01.439 --> 00:08:05.180 There is no one-to-one connection or correlation always 00:08:05.180 --> 00:08:07.020 in Scripture between your sins 00:08:07.020 --> 00:08:08.920 and the troubles and the calamities that come upon you. 00:08:08.920 --> 00:08:12.220 But there is a connection that the Bible draws in places. 00:08:13.180 --> 00:08:14.540 And here is an example of that. 00:08:15.500 --> 00:08:18.379 Psalm 25 is written as an acrostic poem in Hebrew, 00:08:18.640 --> 00:08:20.600 meaning that each verse begins with the letter 00:08:20.600 --> 00:08:23.060 of the Hebrew alphabet, and it goes down in order. 00:08:23.580 --> 00:08:25.540 It's an almost perfect acrostic. 00:08:26.120 --> 00:08:27.740 An acrostic is a mnemonic device 00:08:27.740 --> 00:08:29.800 intended to help people memorize it. 00:08:30.439 --> 00:08:32.440 So this psalm was often committed to memory. 00:08:32.580 --> 00:08:33.659 That's an evidence of that. 00:08:33.659 --> 00:08:36.980 And the only verse that doesn't fit the acrostic 00:08:36.980 --> 00:08:37.919 is the last verse, 00:08:38.039 --> 00:08:40.600 which is kind of a postscript, verse 22. 00:08:40.759 --> 00:08:41.740 So it's emphasizing that. 00:08:42.519 --> 00:08:44.019 In addition to being an acrostic, 00:08:44.159 --> 00:08:45.959 there is a prominent structure in the psalm. 00:08:46.159 --> 00:08:47.879 It's a chiastic structure, 00:08:48.379 --> 00:08:49.919 meaning the first half of the psalm 00:08:49.919 --> 00:08:52.179 is mirrored in the second half of the psalm, 00:08:52.480 --> 00:08:54.740 in its words and phrases and content. 00:08:55.719 --> 00:08:57.679 And so, for example, in verses 1 to 5, 00:08:57.720 --> 00:08:59.120 it speaks of trusting God 00:08:59.120 --> 00:09:02.019 and being not put to shame before the enemies. 00:09:02.419 --> 00:09:04.080 And then at the end, verse 20 to 21, 00:09:04.200 --> 00:09:05.279 it speaks of the same thing, 00:09:05.379 --> 00:09:07.700 trusting God, not being put to shame before the enemies. 00:09:08.200 --> 00:09:11.460 And then verses 6 to 7 speak of God's steadfast love 00:09:11.460 --> 00:09:12.940 and ask for forgiveness for sins. 00:09:13.379 --> 00:09:16.120 And then verses 16 to 19 speak of God's grace 00:09:16.120 --> 00:09:18.000 and ask for forgiveness for sin. 00:09:18.639 --> 00:09:21.360 Verses 8 to 10 says that the Lord instructs 00:09:21.360 --> 00:09:23.820 those who are humble, sinners who humble themselves. 00:09:24.299 --> 00:09:26.139 And then verses 12 to 15 tells that 00:09:26.139 --> 00:09:28.740 the Lord instructs the man who fears him. 00:09:29.519 --> 00:09:30.819 And so there's a matching element 00:09:30.819 --> 00:09:31.819 to every part of the psalm, 00:09:31.879 --> 00:09:32.840 except for the middle, 00:09:32.960 --> 00:09:34.980 which is the core, the crux of the psalm, 00:09:35.299 --> 00:09:37.100 verse 11, and that's being highlighted, 00:09:37.279 --> 00:09:38.919 emphasized because it stands alone, 00:09:39.279 --> 00:09:41.319 which talks about how God pardons guilt 00:09:41.319 --> 00:09:43.019 for his name's sake. 00:09:43.120 --> 00:09:44.460 So using this chiasm, 00:09:44.539 --> 00:09:46.460 I'm going to preach through those matching sections 00:09:46.460 --> 00:09:50.500 together until we climax in that middle, 00:09:50.639 --> 00:09:52.059 in the core, in verse 11. 00:09:52.819 --> 00:09:55.059 And Psalm 25's overall message for us 00:09:55.059 --> 00:09:57.659 is that as pilgrims who have not yet arrived, 00:09:58.199 --> 00:10:00.699 we should humbly confess our sins to God 00:10:00.699 --> 00:10:03.139 and wait for his redemption. 00:10:03.779 --> 00:10:05.739 And it gives us several motivations for that. 00:10:06.319 --> 00:10:08.459 First, God vindicates those who wait on him. 00:10:09.019 --> 00:10:11.659 Second, God forgives those who confess their sins. 00:10:12.379 --> 00:10:14.519 Third, God instructs those who humble themselves. 00:10:15.059 --> 00:10:17.819 And fourth, God redeems for his name's sake. 00:10:18.099 --> 00:10:20.519 These are the reasons why we should turn to him 00:10:20.519 --> 00:10:21.939 and plead for forgiveness for sin. 00:10:21.940 --> 00:10:25.920 So the first reason why we should humbly confess our sins to God 00:10:25.920 --> 00:10:27.080 and wait for his redemption 00:10:27.080 --> 00:10:29.820 is that God vindicates those who wait on him. 00:10:30.780 --> 00:10:32.200 Like us, when we wait on God, 00:10:32.300 --> 00:10:33.700 you might not be doing anything, 00:10:33.840 --> 00:10:35.460 but God is up to something. 00:10:36.420 --> 00:10:37.860 And so it's not in vain. 00:10:38.560 --> 00:10:40.860 It's not a waste of time. 00:10:41.660 --> 00:10:42.700 And seeing in that light, 00:10:42.840 --> 00:10:45.000 waiting is actually a very hopeful thing. 00:10:45.000 --> 00:10:48.740 Because if you're not waiting, 00:10:49.279 --> 00:10:50.340 that means you've given up. 00:10:51.559 --> 00:10:52.600 You've despaired. 00:10:53.580 --> 00:10:54.659 There is no hope. 00:10:55.700 --> 00:10:56.620 So if you're waiting, 00:10:56.759 --> 00:10:58.259 that means there's actually hope. 00:10:58.799 --> 00:11:01.419 You're waiting for the resolution of something. 00:11:02.320 --> 00:11:03.559 Those who despair say, 00:11:03.779 --> 00:11:05.740 Lord, the Lord redeems not. 00:11:05.740 --> 00:11:08.960 But those who wait and hope 00:11:08.960 --> 00:11:12.440 say the Lord redeems not yet. 00:11:14.620 --> 00:11:17.379 Waiting is not the same as languishing or wasting away. 00:11:17.519 --> 00:11:19.139 In fact, Isaiah 40, 31 says that 00:11:19.139 --> 00:11:20.460 those who wait for the Lord 00:11:20.460 --> 00:11:22.360 shall renew their strength. 00:11:22.940 --> 00:11:25.259 They shall mount up with wings like eagles. 00:11:25.700 --> 00:11:27.360 They shall run and not grow weary. 00:11:27.620 --> 00:11:29.180 They shall walk and not be faint. 00:11:30.519 --> 00:11:33.340 Waiting for the Lord brings renewal of strength. 00:11:33.340 --> 00:11:35.019 In the same way, 00:11:35.080 --> 00:11:36.600 when the guitar strings are loose, 00:11:36.700 --> 00:11:37.920 you can't play any music. 00:11:38.060 --> 00:11:38.800 When you strum it, 00:11:39.840 --> 00:11:42.879 you'll only hear this cacophonous clattering of metal 00:11:42.879 --> 00:11:44.740 against the wooden body of the guitar. 00:11:45.980 --> 00:11:47.420 It's only when the strings are taught 00:11:47.420 --> 00:11:49.280 that it can bring forth beautiful music. 00:11:49.480 --> 00:11:50.639 Likewise for the Christian, 00:11:50.800 --> 00:11:52.379 it's only when they live in the midst 00:11:52.379 --> 00:11:54.639 of that tension between the already and the not yet. 00:11:55.139 --> 00:11:56.320 When they live with hope, 00:11:56.440 --> 00:11:57.379 waiting on God, 00:11:57.460 --> 00:12:00.540 that they can produce beautiful music in their lives. 00:12:01.600 --> 00:12:03.320 In perseverance and endurance. 00:12:03.340 --> 00:12:06.800 This is why David says in verse 21, 00:12:06.940 --> 00:12:09.440 May integrity and uprightness preserve me, 00:12:09.820 --> 00:12:11.259 for I wait for you. 00:12:12.800 --> 00:12:15.360 The words integrity and uprightness 00:12:15.360 --> 00:12:18.000 refer to David's integrity and uprightness. 00:12:18.399 --> 00:12:20.379 We know that because those two exact words 00:12:20.379 --> 00:12:21.680 are used by God himself 00:12:21.680 --> 00:12:23.920 to describe David in verse Kings 9, 4. 00:12:24.940 --> 00:12:27.000 But how can David possibly claim 00:12:27.000 --> 00:12:28.960 integrity and uprightness for himself 00:12:28.960 --> 00:12:30.259 when he says in verse 11, 00:12:30.420 --> 00:12:32.040 Pardon my guilt, for it is great. 00:12:32.039 --> 00:12:36.599 How can a person with great guilt 00:12:36.599 --> 00:12:39.559 can be said to have integrity and uprightness? 00:12:40.439 --> 00:12:43.259 Why does David think that his integrity and uprightness 00:12:43.259 --> 00:12:43.939 will preserve him? 00:12:44.659 --> 00:12:46.000 He tells us in verse 11, 00:12:46.679 --> 00:12:48.980 For I wait for you. 00:12:50.759 --> 00:12:53.319 David is not saying that he has been sinless, 00:12:53.320 --> 00:12:56.200 but he is saying that his hope and trust 00:12:56.200 --> 00:12:58.400 are unreservedly in the Lord. 00:12:59.760 --> 00:13:00.960 That's his integrity 00:13:00.960 --> 00:13:02.840 and that's his uprightness. 00:13:03.200 --> 00:13:04.680 He's waiting on the Lord. 00:13:05.720 --> 00:13:07.060 Integrity does not mean 00:13:07.060 --> 00:13:08.440 that you are sinless, 00:13:08.700 --> 00:13:09.740 but it does mean 00:13:09.740 --> 00:13:11.280 that there is no sin in your life 00:13:11.280 --> 00:13:12.379 that you have not renounced 00:13:12.379 --> 00:13:13.480 or repented of. 00:13:13.480 --> 00:13:17.759 David is living in that tension. 00:13:19.639 --> 00:13:20.480 Like him, 00:13:20.580 --> 00:13:23.080 we are simultaneously sinner and saint. 00:13:23.720 --> 00:13:25.240 And in that in-between time, 00:13:26.200 --> 00:13:26.779 between God's, 00:13:26.960 --> 00:13:27.820 Jesus' first coming 00:13:27.820 --> 00:13:28.560 and his second coming, 00:13:28.659 --> 00:13:29.800 we lament our sins 00:13:29.800 --> 00:13:31.519 and we confess our sins 00:13:31.519 --> 00:13:32.659 to God and to one another 00:13:32.659 --> 00:13:34.220 and we wait on God, 00:13:34.580 --> 00:13:35.940 hoping in him that 00:13:35.940 --> 00:13:37.940 there will be a time 00:13:37.940 --> 00:13:39.180 when sin will be no more. 00:13:39.179 --> 00:13:42.079 When we wait on the Lord 00:13:42.079 --> 00:13:43.199 in the midst of our sins, 00:13:43.299 --> 00:13:44.319 in the midst of our sufferings 00:13:44.319 --> 00:13:44.779 and sorrows, 00:13:44.859 --> 00:13:46.120 we're declaring our hope 00:13:46.120 --> 00:13:47.299 that the final word 00:13:47.299 --> 00:13:49.179 has not yet been spoken. 00:13:51.879 --> 00:13:53.079 And that God's good 00:13:53.079 --> 00:13:54.000 and sovereign purposes 00:13:54.000 --> 00:13:54.879 will prevail. 00:13:57.219 --> 00:13:58.539 And as David waits 00:13:58.539 --> 00:13:59.519 on the Lord in this way, 00:13:59.620 --> 00:14:01.059 he prays for deliverance 00:14:01.059 --> 00:14:01.759 from his enemies. 00:14:02.099 --> 00:14:02.919 Verses 2 to 3. 00:14:03.339 --> 00:14:04.959 Let me not be put to shame. 00:14:05.359 --> 00:14:07.199 Let not my enemies exalt over me. 00:14:07.199 --> 00:14:07.519 Indeed, 00:14:07.659 --> 00:14:08.759 none who wait for you 00:14:08.759 --> 00:14:09.879 shall be put to shame. 00:14:10.299 --> 00:14:11.259 They shall be ashamed 00:14:11.259 --> 00:14:13.000 who are wantonly treacherous. 00:14:14.000 --> 00:14:15.120 His enemies are those 00:14:15.120 --> 00:14:16.559 who are wantonly treacherous, 00:14:16.700 --> 00:14:17.379 willfully doing 00:14:17.379 --> 00:14:19.220 whatever treachery they want, 00:14:19.759 --> 00:14:20.759 which is contrasted 00:14:20.759 --> 00:14:21.679 with the psalmist's 00:14:21.679 --> 00:14:22.639 patient waiting. 00:14:23.860 --> 00:14:24.679 David's enemies 00:14:24.679 --> 00:14:25.720 take matters 00:14:25.720 --> 00:14:26.700 into their own hands, 00:14:27.259 --> 00:14:28.279 wantonly treacherous, 00:14:28.700 --> 00:14:29.779 while David leaves 00:14:29.779 --> 00:14:30.980 the matter in God's hands. 00:14:31.279 --> 00:14:31.879 He waits. 00:14:32.299 --> 00:14:32.919 He hopes. 00:14:34.159 --> 00:14:35.000 And for this reason, 00:14:35.080 --> 00:14:36.259 David repeatedly asks God 00:14:36.259 --> 00:14:37.200 not to let him 00:14:37.200 --> 00:14:38.220 be put to shame. 00:14:39.100 --> 00:14:39.480 Again, 00:14:39.740 --> 00:14:40.379 this is matched 00:14:40.379 --> 00:14:41.740 by verses 19 to 20, 00:14:41.840 --> 00:14:42.179 where he says, 00:14:42.299 --> 00:14:43.139 Consider how many 00:14:43.139 --> 00:14:43.819 are my foes, 00:14:44.120 --> 00:14:45.200 and with what violent hatred 00:14:45.200 --> 00:14:45.879 they hate me. 00:14:46.200 --> 00:14:47.120 O guard my soul 00:14:47.120 --> 00:14:47.679 and deliver me. 00:14:47.759 --> 00:14:49.439 Let me not be put to shame, 00:14:49.600 --> 00:14:51.220 for I take refuge in you. 00:14:52.220 --> 00:14:53.480 To be put to shame 00:14:53.480 --> 00:14:55.700 or to be disgraced, 00:14:55.819 --> 00:14:57.500 it refers to being embarrassed 00:14:57.500 --> 00:14:59.159 by folly or by guilt. 00:15:01.340 --> 00:15:02.179 That's the difference 00:15:02.179 --> 00:15:04.159 between guilt and shame. 00:15:05.159 --> 00:15:06.259 Guilt is vertical. 00:15:06.259 --> 00:15:09.019 It describes the feeling 00:15:09.019 --> 00:15:10.639 of having done something wrong 00:15:10.639 --> 00:15:11.559 before the law 00:15:11.559 --> 00:15:12.379 or before God. 00:15:13.220 --> 00:15:14.500 Shame is horizontal. 00:15:15.580 --> 00:15:16.980 It's what you feel, 00:15:17.659 --> 00:15:19.360 the feeling of being exposed 00:15:19.360 --> 00:15:20.240 to others, 00:15:20.519 --> 00:15:22.460 embarrassed by others 00:15:22.460 --> 00:15:24.139 because of the wrong 00:15:24.139 --> 00:15:24.980 that you have done 00:15:24.980 --> 00:15:27.360 or the perceived wrong. 00:15:27.360 --> 00:15:30.480 David's praying 00:15:30.480 --> 00:15:31.279 that God would not 00:15:31.279 --> 00:15:33.019 let him be put to shame 00:15:33.019 --> 00:15:34.120 before his enemies. 00:15:35.019 --> 00:15:36.539 God, I wait on you. 00:15:36.960 --> 00:15:38.639 My hope is in you. 00:15:39.419 --> 00:15:40.840 If you don't deliver me, 00:15:40.919 --> 00:15:42.519 my enemies will gloat over me 00:15:42.519 --> 00:15:43.060 and they will say 00:15:43.060 --> 00:15:44.300 that my hope was in vain 00:15:44.300 --> 00:15:46.139 and that I was a deluded fool. 00:15:47.360 --> 00:15:48.759 Don't let that happen. 00:15:49.200 --> 00:15:50.419 I am waiting on you. 00:15:50.439 --> 00:15:51.460 I'm counting on you. 00:15:51.620 --> 00:15:52.439 Vindicate me. 00:15:53.840 --> 00:15:55.059 And David expresses 00:15:55.059 --> 00:15:55.860 his confidence 00:15:55.860 --> 00:15:57.120 that God will indeed 00:15:57.120 --> 00:15:57.720 vindicate him. 00:15:57.779 --> 00:15:58.279 In verse 3, 00:15:58.360 --> 00:15:58.740 Indeed, 00:15:59.279 --> 00:16:01.259 none who wait for you 00:16:01.259 --> 00:16:02.539 shall be put to shame. 00:16:04.039 --> 00:16:05.319 But how can David 00:16:05.319 --> 00:16:06.120 be so confident 00:16:06.120 --> 00:16:07.059 that he will be vindicated? 00:16:08.240 --> 00:16:09.080 Because he knows 00:16:09.080 --> 00:16:09.980 God's character. 00:16:10.819 --> 00:16:11.639 It brings me to my second point 00:16:11.639 --> 00:16:12.419 that God is the one 00:16:12.419 --> 00:16:13.319 who forgives those 00:16:13.319 --> 00:16:14.620 who confess their sins. 00:16:15.840 --> 00:16:17.500 It says in verses 6-7, 00:16:17.500 --> 00:16:19.460 Remember your mercy, O Lord, 00:16:20.220 --> 00:16:21.860 and your steadfast love, 00:16:22.799 --> 00:16:24.759 for they have been from of old. 00:16:25.559 --> 00:16:26.879 Remember not the sins 00:16:26.879 --> 00:16:27.659 of my youth 00:16:27.659 --> 00:16:29.019 or my transgressions. 00:16:29.500 --> 00:16:31.019 According to your steadfast love, 00:16:31.139 --> 00:16:32.159 remember me 00:16:32.159 --> 00:16:33.879 for the sake of your goodness, 00:16:34.039 --> 00:16:34.419 O Lord. 00:16:35.299 --> 00:16:36.759 There are several amazing 00:16:36.759 --> 00:16:38.399 contrasts in these verses. 00:16:39.279 --> 00:16:41.179 The sins of my youth 00:16:41.179 --> 00:16:43.720 and my transgressions 00:16:43.720 --> 00:16:46.320 are contrasted with your mercy 00:16:46.320 --> 00:16:48.640 and your steadfast love. 00:16:49.420 --> 00:16:51.080 The sins of my youth 00:16:51.080 --> 00:16:53.020 is also contrasted with 00:16:53.020 --> 00:16:53.800 God, 00:16:54.040 --> 00:16:55.900 whose mercy and steadfast love 00:16:55.900 --> 00:16:57.580 are from of old. 00:16:58.200 --> 00:16:59.520 David and we, 00:16:59.640 --> 00:17:00.000 like him, 00:17:00.040 --> 00:17:00.840 have been sinning 00:17:00.840 --> 00:17:01.680 from our youth, 00:17:02.160 --> 00:17:03.200 but the good news 00:17:03.200 --> 00:17:04.140 is that God 00:17:04.140 --> 00:17:05.000 has been merciful 00:17:05.000 --> 00:17:05.759 and steadfast 00:17:05.759 --> 00:17:06.880 from of old. 00:17:07.039 --> 00:17:08.080 He is the ancient of days. 00:17:08.180 --> 00:17:08.460 In fact, 00:17:08.519 --> 00:17:09.620 from eternity past, 00:17:09.900 --> 00:17:10.700 he has been characterized 00:17:10.700 --> 00:17:12.120 by steadfast love 00:17:12.120 --> 00:17:13.299 and mercy. 00:17:13.299 --> 00:17:15.759 my sins 00:17:15.759 --> 00:17:17.659 and my transgressions 00:17:17.659 --> 00:17:18.519 are many. 00:17:19.720 --> 00:17:20.500 But the good news 00:17:20.500 --> 00:17:21.039 is that Lord 00:17:21.039 --> 00:17:21.940 is abounding 00:17:21.940 --> 00:17:23.480 in steadfast love, 00:17:23.559 --> 00:17:24.039 as it says 00:17:24.039 --> 00:17:25.799 in Exodus 34, 6. 00:17:27.119 --> 00:17:27.859 These verses 00:17:27.859 --> 00:17:28.339 are alluding 00:17:28.339 --> 00:17:30.399 to that powerful passage. 00:17:31.480 --> 00:17:32.259 Verse 6 and 7 00:17:32.259 --> 00:17:32.720 are mirrored 00:17:32.720 --> 00:17:34.639 by verse 16 to 18. 00:17:35.000 --> 00:17:35.919 Turn to me 00:17:35.919 --> 00:17:37.419 and be gracious to me, 00:17:37.579 --> 00:17:38.259 for I am lonely 00:17:38.259 --> 00:17:39.019 and afflicted. 00:17:39.500 --> 00:17:40.599 The troubles of my heart 00:17:40.599 --> 00:17:41.259 are enlarged 00:17:41.259 --> 00:17:41.900 and bring me 00:17:41.900 --> 00:17:43.039 out of my distress. 00:17:43.579 --> 00:17:44.519 Consider my affliction 00:17:44.519 --> 00:17:45.059 and my trouble 00:17:45.059 --> 00:17:46.519 and forgive all my sins. 00:17:46.619 --> 00:17:47.980 When your troubles 00:17:47.980 --> 00:17:48.819 seem enlarged 00:17:48.819 --> 00:17:49.680 before your eyes 00:17:49.680 --> 00:17:50.559 and they seem to loom 00:17:50.559 --> 00:17:51.700 large in the horizon 00:17:51.700 --> 00:17:52.480 and seem to dominate 00:17:52.480 --> 00:17:53.319 your perspective, 00:17:53.680 --> 00:17:54.440 we need to ask 00:17:54.440 --> 00:17:55.160 and pray to God 00:17:55.160 --> 00:17:56.000 and cry at Him 00:17:56.000 --> 00:17:56.460 in this way 00:17:56.460 --> 00:17:57.259 to enlarge 00:17:57.259 --> 00:17:59.339 our view of His grace, 00:18:00.079 --> 00:18:00.900 His mercy, 00:18:01.740 --> 00:18:02.759 His steadfast love. 00:18:03.200 --> 00:18:03.859 Note the repetition 00:18:03.859 --> 00:18:04.819 of the word remember. 00:18:06.960 --> 00:18:07.359 Twice, 00:18:07.900 --> 00:18:08.839 once in verse 6 00:18:08.839 --> 00:18:09.680 and again in verse 7, 00:18:09.759 --> 00:18:10.519 David asks God 00:18:10.519 --> 00:18:11.720 to remember His 00:18:11.720 --> 00:18:12.759 steadfast love 00:18:12.759 --> 00:18:14.480 or to remember Him 00:18:14.480 --> 00:18:15.599 according to His 00:18:15.599 --> 00:18:16.539 steadfast love. 00:18:17.460 --> 00:18:18.319 And then sandwiched 00:18:18.319 --> 00:18:19.400 between those two occurrences 00:18:19.400 --> 00:18:20.379 is another occurrence 00:18:20.379 --> 00:18:21.079 of the word remember 00:18:21.079 --> 00:18:21.980 but this time it says 00:18:21.980 --> 00:18:23.000 remember not 00:18:23.000 --> 00:18:24.839 the sins of my youth 00:18:24.839 --> 00:18:26.139 or my transgression. 00:18:26.779 --> 00:18:27.639 So that structure 00:18:27.639 --> 00:18:29.460 emphasizes the contrast. 00:18:30.119 --> 00:18:32.339 David wants to be remembered 00:18:32.339 --> 00:18:33.940 not according to 00:18:33.940 --> 00:18:35.160 his transgressions 00:18:35.160 --> 00:18:36.420 but according to 00:18:36.420 --> 00:18:38.379 God's steadfast love. 00:18:38.380 --> 00:18:40.680 this is because 00:18:40.680 --> 00:18:41.660 David knows 00:18:41.660 --> 00:18:42.800 as he says 00:18:42.800 --> 00:18:43.620 in Psalm 130, 00:18:43.620 --> 00:18:44.480 if you, 00:18:44.740 --> 00:18:45.000 O Lord, 00:18:45.120 --> 00:18:46.260 should mark iniquities, 00:18:46.880 --> 00:18:47.580 O Lord, 00:18:48.220 --> 00:18:48.700 who 00:18:48.700 --> 00:18:49.980 could stand? 00:18:51.900 --> 00:18:52.580 No one. 00:18:53.540 --> 00:18:54.360 No one 00:18:54.360 --> 00:18:54.960 could stand. 00:18:55.840 --> 00:18:57.240 Not a single one 00:18:57.240 --> 00:18:57.820 in this room. 00:18:57.880 --> 00:18:58.800 Not a single one 00:18:58.800 --> 00:18:59.860 out in the world. 00:18:59.940 --> 00:19:00.600 If God, 00:19:00.940 --> 00:19:01.800 who is perfect 00:19:01.800 --> 00:19:02.460 in holiness, 00:19:03.060 --> 00:19:04.180 chooses to mark 00:19:04.180 --> 00:19:05.440 all of our iniquities, 00:19:05.440 --> 00:19:06.400 here's another one. 00:19:07.200 --> 00:19:08.279 Here's another one. 00:19:09.200 --> 00:19:10.400 Who can stand? 00:19:11.740 --> 00:19:12.900 Who can be justified? 00:19:13.799 --> 00:19:14.580 Who can have any 00:19:14.580 --> 00:19:15.759 standing or excuse 00:19:15.759 --> 00:19:16.460 before God? 00:19:17.320 --> 00:19:18.039 David knows 00:19:18.039 --> 00:19:19.539 that if God treats him 00:19:19.539 --> 00:19:20.880 as he deserves 00:19:20.880 --> 00:19:21.620 to be treated 00:19:21.620 --> 00:19:23.100 that he's in trouble. 00:19:23.880 --> 00:19:25.180 His only hope 00:19:25.180 --> 00:19:25.680 is that God 00:19:25.680 --> 00:19:26.700 does not remember 00:19:26.700 --> 00:19:27.480 his sins 00:19:27.480 --> 00:19:28.340 and that God 00:19:28.340 --> 00:19:29.220 does not treat him 00:19:29.220 --> 00:19:30.059 as he deserves 00:19:30.059 --> 00:19:30.820 but instead 00:19:30.820 --> 00:19:32.320 that God treats him 00:19:32.320 --> 00:19:33.519 on the basis 00:19:33.519 --> 00:19:35.299 of his own mercy, 00:19:35.879 --> 00:19:36.660 steadfast love, 00:19:37.079 --> 00:19:37.619 and grace. 00:19:43.440 --> 00:19:45.220 God is merciful. 00:19:49.579 --> 00:19:50.460 It's the word 00:19:50.460 --> 00:19:50.960 that describes 00:19:50.960 --> 00:19:51.759 God's tender 00:19:51.759 --> 00:19:52.740 compassion 00:19:52.740 --> 00:19:54.200 toward his people 00:19:54.200 --> 00:19:55.059 like the mother's 00:19:55.059 --> 00:19:55.420 compassion 00:19:55.420 --> 00:19:56.480 for a nursing child. 00:19:58.139 --> 00:19:59.599 God's not severe 00:19:59.599 --> 00:20:00.759 or harsh 00:20:00.759 --> 00:20:01.440 with us. 00:20:01.460 --> 00:20:02.200 He is merciful. 00:20:03.519 --> 00:20:06.000 God has steadfast love 00:20:06.000 --> 00:20:07.200 toward us. 00:20:07.940 --> 00:20:09.519 This is his loyal love. 00:20:10.180 --> 00:20:11.519 His loving kindness. 00:20:12.220 --> 00:20:13.119 His enduring 00:20:13.119 --> 00:20:15.059 covenantal love 00:20:15.059 --> 00:20:16.579 that he shows 00:20:16.579 --> 00:20:17.299 to a people 00:20:17.299 --> 00:20:18.220 who have repeatedly 00:20:18.220 --> 00:20:19.220 been unfaithful to him 00:20:19.220 --> 00:20:20.639 because he is faithful 00:20:20.639 --> 00:20:21.160 even when 00:20:21.160 --> 00:20:22.920 they are not. 00:20:26.200 --> 00:20:27.839 In the Hebrew, 00:20:28.059 --> 00:20:28.539 both the word 00:20:28.539 --> 00:20:29.759 mercy and steadfast love 00:20:29.759 --> 00:20:30.480 in verse 6 00:20:30.480 --> 00:20:31.799 are actually plural. 00:20:31.960 --> 00:20:32.480 I love that. 00:20:32.480 --> 00:20:33.640 It's awkward 00:20:33.640 --> 00:20:34.120 in English 00:20:34.120 --> 00:20:34.660 so you don't 00:20:34.660 --> 00:20:35.480 translate it that way. 00:20:35.900 --> 00:20:37.500 But God's mercies, 00:20:39.059 --> 00:20:41.059 God's steadfast loves, 00:20:41.980 --> 00:20:45.339 as if to counteract 00:20:45.339 --> 00:20:46.160 the plurality 00:20:46.160 --> 00:20:47.900 of David's sins 00:20:47.900 --> 00:20:49.960 and transgressions, 00:20:50.960 --> 00:20:52.299 as if to convey 00:20:52.299 --> 00:20:53.360 the reality 00:20:53.360 --> 00:20:54.740 that where sin 00:20:54.740 --> 00:20:55.599 increased, 00:20:56.099 --> 00:20:57.599 grace abounded 00:20:57.599 --> 00:20:59.459 all the more. 00:21:00.919 --> 00:21:01.980 That our sins, 00:21:02.099 --> 00:21:02.379 yes, 00:21:02.480 --> 00:21:03.159 they are many, 00:21:03.519 --> 00:21:04.559 but his mercies 00:21:04.559 --> 00:21:05.679 are more. 00:21:06.599 --> 00:21:07.819 God's mercies. 00:21:10.139 --> 00:21:11.559 A boy who is playing 00:21:11.559 --> 00:21:12.759 in a little pond 00:21:12.759 --> 00:21:13.919 where a puddle of water 00:21:13.919 --> 00:21:14.659 has to be careful 00:21:14.659 --> 00:21:15.599 because he can't 00:21:15.599 --> 00:21:16.639 jump too high 00:21:16.639 --> 00:21:17.119 or he obviously 00:21:17.119 --> 00:21:18.019 can't dive into it 00:21:18.019 --> 00:21:18.919 or he will get 00:21:18.919 --> 00:21:19.799 seriously hurt. 00:21:20.639 --> 00:21:21.559 If he rough houses 00:21:21.559 --> 00:21:22.319 a little too much, 00:21:22.500 --> 00:21:22.959 there might be 00:21:22.959 --> 00:21:23.899 no more puddle left. 00:21:24.219 --> 00:21:24.759 Water might be 00:21:24.759 --> 00:21:25.819 just a muddy mess. 00:21:27.559 --> 00:21:28.640 But if you take that boy 00:21:28.640 --> 00:21:29.160 and drop him 00:21:29.160 --> 00:21:29.740 in the ocean, 00:21:30.559 --> 00:21:33.180 he could play 00:21:33.180 --> 00:21:34.359 and dive 00:21:34.359 --> 00:21:35.379 and jump 00:21:35.379 --> 00:21:36.980 all he wants 00:21:36.980 --> 00:21:38.140 in the freedom 00:21:38.140 --> 00:21:40.960 of that vast ocean. 00:21:42.980 --> 00:21:43.640 In the same way, 00:21:43.680 --> 00:21:44.759 God's love for us 00:21:44.759 --> 00:21:46.039 is boundless 00:21:46.039 --> 00:21:47.519 and bottomless 00:21:47.519 --> 00:21:48.759 and vast 00:21:48.759 --> 00:21:49.759 and those who 00:21:49.759 --> 00:21:50.879 confess their sins 00:21:50.879 --> 00:21:52.000 and turn to him 00:21:52.000 --> 00:21:52.940 can relish 00:21:52.940 --> 00:21:53.700 the freedom 00:21:53.700 --> 00:21:55.360 of that love. 00:22:00.240 --> 00:22:01.200 God is also 00:22:01.200 --> 00:22:01.920 gracious, 00:22:02.100 --> 00:22:02.460 he says, 00:22:02.820 --> 00:22:03.240 which means 00:22:03.240 --> 00:22:03.740 that he shows 00:22:03.740 --> 00:22:04.299 kindness 00:22:04.299 --> 00:22:05.500 or favor 00:22:05.500 --> 00:22:06.220 to his people. 00:22:07.160 --> 00:22:07.500 Right? 00:22:07.539 --> 00:22:08.120 When you find 00:22:08.120 --> 00:22:09.539 favor with someone, 00:22:10.059 --> 00:22:10.420 that person 00:22:10.420 --> 00:22:11.480 delights in you 00:22:11.480 --> 00:22:12.440 and is inclined 00:22:12.440 --> 00:22:13.299 to be favorable 00:22:13.299 --> 00:22:14.059 toward you 00:22:14.059 --> 00:22:15.200 and that means 00:22:15.200 --> 00:22:16.200 he's not treating you 00:22:16.200 --> 00:22:16.840 fairly 00:22:16.840 --> 00:22:18.180 or equitably 00:22:18.180 --> 00:22:19.620 but like everyone else, 00:22:19.880 --> 00:22:20.200 rather than 00:22:20.200 --> 00:22:21.000 he's treating you 00:22:21.000 --> 00:22:22.700 with a special favor 00:22:22.700 --> 00:22:23.559 and special, 00:22:23.720 --> 00:22:25.200 exceptional grace. 00:22:25.700 --> 00:22:26.460 So all three 00:22:26.460 --> 00:22:27.160 of these words, 00:22:27.299 --> 00:22:27.680 mercy, 00:22:28.380 --> 00:22:29.180 steadfast love 00:22:29.180 --> 00:22:30.039 and grace, 00:22:30.119 --> 00:22:31.220 they highlight the fact 00:22:31.220 --> 00:22:32.400 that God forgives 00:22:32.400 --> 00:22:33.119 those who confess 00:22:33.119 --> 00:22:33.619 their sins 00:22:33.619 --> 00:22:34.660 not because of 00:22:34.660 --> 00:22:35.619 who they are 00:22:35.619 --> 00:22:36.880 but because of 00:22:36.880 --> 00:22:37.940 who he is. 00:22:39.579 --> 00:22:40.920 That's our great hope 00:22:40.920 --> 00:22:41.619 as Christians. 00:22:41.619 --> 00:22:46.259 David is pleading 00:22:46.259 --> 00:22:46.719 with God 00:22:46.719 --> 00:22:47.339 for forgiveness 00:22:47.339 --> 00:22:47.979 on the basis 00:22:47.979 --> 00:22:48.859 of his character, 00:22:49.239 --> 00:22:49.659 on the basis 00:22:49.659 --> 00:22:50.279 of the covenant 00:22:50.279 --> 00:22:51.099 that God has made 00:22:51.099 --> 00:22:51.659 with him. 00:22:51.959 --> 00:22:52.119 God, 00:22:52.199 --> 00:22:53.139 I belong to you. 00:22:53.239 --> 00:22:54.199 I am yours. 00:22:54.539 --> 00:22:55.559 I wait on you. 00:22:55.659 --> 00:22:56.539 My hope and trust 00:22:56.539 --> 00:22:57.259 are in you. 00:22:57.379 --> 00:22:58.299 So forgive me. 00:22:59.199 --> 00:23:00.579 Remember not my sins 00:23:00.579 --> 00:23:01.899 but remember 00:23:01.899 --> 00:23:02.639 your mercy 00:23:02.639 --> 00:23:03.619 and steadfast love 00:23:03.619 --> 00:23:04.319 and grace. 00:23:06.019 --> 00:23:06.979 And as recipients 00:23:06.979 --> 00:23:07.839 of God's mercy 00:23:07.839 --> 00:23:08.639 and steadfast love, 00:23:08.719 --> 00:23:09.759 we do not presume 00:23:09.759 --> 00:23:11.099 upon God's grace 00:23:11.099 --> 00:23:12.279 and go on sinning 00:23:12.279 --> 00:23:12.819 all the more. 00:23:13.900 --> 00:23:14.759 We turn away 00:23:14.759 --> 00:23:16.319 from our sinful ways 00:23:16.319 --> 00:23:17.220 and turn toward 00:23:17.220 --> 00:23:18.160 the ways of God. 00:23:18.279 --> 00:23:18.740 That brings me 00:23:18.740 --> 00:23:19.480 to my third point. 00:23:19.579 --> 00:23:20.619 God instructs 00:23:20.619 --> 00:23:21.980 those who humble themselves 00:23:21.980 --> 00:23:24.420 and he helps us 00:23:24.420 --> 00:23:25.500 to walk in his ways. 00:23:26.099 --> 00:23:26.759 Note the repetition 00:23:26.759 --> 00:23:27.500 of words like 00:23:27.500 --> 00:23:28.000 way, 00:23:28.359 --> 00:23:28.879 path, 00:23:29.200 --> 00:23:29.599 lead. 00:23:30.000 --> 00:23:30.559 It says in verses 00:23:30.559 --> 00:23:31.160 four and five, 00:23:31.160 --> 00:23:32.480 make me know your ways, 00:23:32.579 --> 00:23:32.960 O Lord. 00:23:33.099 --> 00:23:34.339 Teach me your paths. 00:23:34.819 --> 00:23:36.019 Lead me in your truth 00:23:36.019 --> 00:23:36.879 and teach me 00:23:36.879 --> 00:23:37.420 for you are the God 00:23:37.420 --> 00:23:38.099 of my salvation. 00:23:38.680 --> 00:23:39.519 Verses eight to ten, 00:23:39.519 --> 00:23:40.160 again highlight 00:23:40.160 --> 00:23:41.200 the same theme. 00:23:41.720 --> 00:23:42.200 Good and upright 00:23:42.200 --> 00:23:42.680 is the Lord, 00:23:42.799 --> 00:23:43.960 therefore he instructs 00:23:43.960 --> 00:23:45.160 sinners in the way. 00:23:45.759 --> 00:23:47.500 He leads the humble 00:23:47.500 --> 00:23:48.160 in what is right 00:23:48.160 --> 00:23:49.059 and teaches the humble 00:23:49.059 --> 00:23:50.019 his way. 00:23:50.579 --> 00:23:51.559 All the paths 00:23:51.559 --> 00:23:52.059 of the Lord 00:23:52.059 --> 00:23:53.019 are steadfast love 00:23:53.019 --> 00:23:53.720 and faithfulness 00:23:53.720 --> 00:23:54.940 for those who keep 00:23:54.940 --> 00:23:55.480 his covenant 00:23:55.480 --> 00:23:56.900 and his testimonies. 00:23:57.220 --> 00:23:57.920 Again and again, 00:23:58.079 --> 00:23:58.400 way, 00:23:58.660 --> 00:23:59.160 path, 00:23:59.500 --> 00:23:59.799 lead. 00:24:00.359 --> 00:24:01.400 The word lead, 00:24:01.639 --> 00:24:03.480 it's a verbal form 00:24:03.480 --> 00:24:04.059 of the word. 00:24:04.660 --> 00:24:07.539 It's a type of form 00:24:07.539 --> 00:24:08.960 that literally means 00:24:08.960 --> 00:24:10.220 cause someone to walk. 00:24:10.960 --> 00:24:11.460 So to lead 00:24:11.460 --> 00:24:12.279 is to cause someone 00:24:12.279 --> 00:24:12.700 to walk. 00:24:12.799 --> 00:24:13.460 So it's again 00:24:13.460 --> 00:24:14.159 playing into that 00:24:14.159 --> 00:24:14.899 same imagery, 00:24:15.099 --> 00:24:15.539 that metaphor 00:24:15.539 --> 00:24:16.779 of a journey. 00:24:18.079 --> 00:24:19.099 And verses eight to ten 00:24:19.099 --> 00:24:19.899 are mirrored by verses 00:24:19.899 --> 00:24:20.759 twelve to fifteen 00:24:20.759 --> 00:24:21.599 in the second half, 00:24:22.099 --> 00:24:22.680 which tells us 00:24:22.680 --> 00:24:23.200 that the Lord 00:24:23.200 --> 00:24:24.879 instructs in the way 00:24:24.879 --> 00:24:25.680 those who fear him 00:24:25.680 --> 00:24:27.139 and plucks their feet 00:24:27.139 --> 00:24:27.980 out of the net. 00:24:29.259 --> 00:24:30.240 Our enemies 00:24:30.240 --> 00:24:31.359 seek to ensnare 00:24:31.359 --> 00:24:32.220 our feet 00:24:32.220 --> 00:24:32.859 in the net 00:24:32.859 --> 00:24:33.559 of their schemes. 00:24:33.700 --> 00:24:34.359 Our sins 00:24:34.359 --> 00:24:35.659 seek to entangle us 00:24:35.660 --> 00:24:36.660 in its nets. 00:24:37.140 --> 00:24:38.019 But God's the one 00:24:38.019 --> 00:24:38.980 who plucks our feet 00:24:38.980 --> 00:24:39.820 out of the net 00:24:39.820 --> 00:24:41.000 and keeps us walking 00:24:41.000 --> 00:24:42.500 on the right path. 00:24:43.060 --> 00:24:44.000 It's on that journey. 00:24:45.240 --> 00:24:46.060 So these metaphors, 00:24:46.120 --> 00:24:47.360 this extended metaphor 00:24:47.360 --> 00:24:48.300 reminds us 00:24:48.300 --> 00:24:49.759 that God's people 00:24:49.759 --> 00:24:51.000 are pilgrims 00:24:51.000 --> 00:24:52.220 on the way. 00:24:53.380 --> 00:24:55.080 We have not yet arrived. 00:24:57.400 --> 00:24:58.820 There will be a day 00:24:58.820 --> 00:25:00.600 when prayer turns to praise. 00:25:01.680 --> 00:25:02.800 And there will be a day 00:25:02.800 --> 00:25:04.440 when faith turns to sight. 00:25:04.440 --> 00:25:06.200 There will be a day 00:25:06.200 --> 00:25:07.400 when hope turns 00:25:07.400 --> 00:25:08.380 into reality. 00:25:08.880 --> 00:25:09.500 But that day 00:25:09.500 --> 00:25:10.720 is not yet. 00:25:11.840 --> 00:25:13.059 And until that day comes, 00:25:13.180 --> 00:25:13.759 we should humbly 00:25:13.759 --> 00:25:14.680 confess our sins 00:25:14.680 --> 00:25:15.140 to God 00:25:15.140 --> 00:25:16.539 and wait for his redemption. 00:25:18.779 --> 00:25:19.299 Lamenting 00:25:19.299 --> 00:25:20.080 and confessing 00:25:20.080 --> 00:25:20.640 our sins, 00:25:20.700 --> 00:25:21.580 it helps us 00:25:21.580 --> 00:25:22.080 to keep 00:25:22.080 --> 00:25:23.480 to that narrow gate 00:25:23.480 --> 00:25:25.320 and the hard way 00:25:25.320 --> 00:25:26.299 that leads to life 00:25:26.299 --> 00:25:27.500 that Jesus talks about 00:25:27.500 --> 00:25:28.120 in Matthew 7 00:25:28.120 --> 00:25:28.600 rather than 00:25:28.600 --> 00:25:30.140 straying to the wide gate 00:25:30.140 --> 00:25:30.940 and the easy way 00:25:30.940 --> 00:25:32.299 that leads to destruction. 00:25:32.299 --> 00:25:34.259 because when you 00:25:34.259 --> 00:25:35.659 lament your sins, 00:25:35.740 --> 00:25:36.480 when you mourn 00:25:36.480 --> 00:25:37.039 your sins 00:25:37.039 --> 00:25:37.579 or the sins 00:25:37.579 --> 00:25:38.440 of our society, 00:25:38.819 --> 00:25:39.500 then you will no longer 00:25:39.500 --> 00:25:40.799 delight in those sins. 00:25:42.799 --> 00:25:43.899 And that temptation 00:25:43.899 --> 00:25:44.960 loses its illusion. 00:25:48.059 --> 00:25:48.859 And if you're 00:25:48.859 --> 00:25:50.019 confessing your sins 00:25:50.019 --> 00:25:50.460 to God 00:25:50.460 --> 00:25:51.059 and to others, 00:25:51.659 --> 00:25:52.980 you are debasing yourself 00:25:52.980 --> 00:25:54.240 and you're humbling yourself 00:25:54.240 --> 00:25:56.059 and God promises 00:25:56.059 --> 00:25:57.539 he gives grace 00:25:57.539 --> 00:25:58.759 to the humble. 00:26:01.920 --> 00:26:02.940 Who are the kind 00:26:02.940 --> 00:26:03.279 of people 00:26:03.279 --> 00:26:03.799 that God 00:26:03.799 --> 00:26:05.099 personally instructs 00:26:05.099 --> 00:26:05.559 and teaches 00:26:05.559 --> 00:26:06.480 and leads, 00:26:06.599 --> 00:26:07.539 causes to walk 00:26:07.539 --> 00:26:08.200 in the right way? 00:26:08.660 --> 00:26:09.519 Verse 9 tells us 00:26:09.519 --> 00:26:10.120 the humble. 00:26:11.500 --> 00:26:12.500 Verse 12 and 14 00:26:12.500 --> 00:26:12.839 tells us 00:26:12.839 --> 00:26:13.599 those who fear 00:26:13.599 --> 00:26:14.140 the Lord. 00:26:15.480 --> 00:26:16.220 Fearing the Lord 00:26:16.220 --> 00:26:16.700 doesn't mean 00:26:16.700 --> 00:26:17.940 being terrified of God 00:26:17.940 --> 00:26:18.220 rather than 00:26:18.220 --> 00:26:18.940 it means standing 00:26:18.940 --> 00:26:20.000 in awe of God, 00:26:20.880 --> 00:26:21.579 his glory, 00:26:21.799 --> 00:26:22.559 his greatness 00:26:22.559 --> 00:26:23.500 in such a way 00:26:23.500 --> 00:26:24.059 that we dare 00:26:24.059 --> 00:26:25.079 not disobey him. 00:26:27.159 --> 00:26:28.119 To fear the Lord 00:26:28.119 --> 00:26:28.799 is to live 00:26:28.799 --> 00:26:30.179 before the presence 00:26:30.179 --> 00:26:30.740 of God, 00:26:30.859 --> 00:26:31.960 under the authority 00:26:31.960 --> 00:26:32.440 of God, 00:26:32.519 --> 00:26:33.819 and for the glory 00:26:33.819 --> 00:26:34.279 of God. 00:26:34.339 --> 00:26:34.919 That's what it means 00:26:34.919 --> 00:26:35.879 to have fear of the Lord. 00:26:37.599 --> 00:26:40.220 And so in a real way, 00:26:40.419 --> 00:26:40.879 fear of the Lord 00:26:40.879 --> 00:26:41.559 is a synonym 00:26:41.559 --> 00:26:42.220 for humility. 00:26:43.240 --> 00:26:44.879 And the two terms 00:26:44.879 --> 00:26:46.159 are often paired together 00:26:46.159 --> 00:26:47.179 in the book of Proverbs. 00:26:48.819 --> 00:26:49.819 Because those who fear 00:26:49.819 --> 00:26:50.720 the Lord are humble. 00:26:51.399 --> 00:26:52.240 Because they are not 00:26:52.240 --> 00:26:53.339 wise in their own eyes, 00:26:53.400 --> 00:26:54.880 but instead find wisdom 00:26:54.880 --> 00:26:55.799 in God's word. 00:26:57.480 --> 00:26:58.160 Those who fear 00:26:58.160 --> 00:26:59.000 the Lord are humble 00:26:59.000 --> 00:27:00.220 because they care 00:27:00.220 --> 00:27:00.980 more about what 00:27:00.980 --> 00:27:02.559 God says about them 00:27:02.559 --> 00:27:03.400 than what men 00:27:03.400 --> 00:27:04.279 say about them. 00:27:05.640 --> 00:27:06.259 Those who fear 00:27:06.259 --> 00:27:07.500 the Lord are humble 00:27:07.500 --> 00:27:08.259 because 00:27:08.259 --> 00:27:09.940 they do not deny 00:27:09.940 --> 00:27:10.519 their sins, 00:27:11.019 --> 00:27:11.720 but they've really 00:27:11.720 --> 00:27:12.220 confessed. 00:27:16.660 --> 00:27:18.279 It's people like that 00:27:18.279 --> 00:27:19.859 that learned 00:27:19.859 --> 00:27:20.819 from God 00:27:20.819 --> 00:27:21.720 and followed him. 00:27:22.240 --> 00:27:24.400 A college professor 00:27:24.400 --> 00:27:25.299 might look for 00:27:25.299 --> 00:27:26.259 the most intelligent 00:27:26.259 --> 00:27:26.759 student, 00:27:26.920 --> 00:27:27.559 handpick the most 00:27:27.559 --> 00:27:28.559 intelligent student 00:27:28.559 --> 00:27:29.759 to teach 00:27:29.759 --> 00:27:30.700 and to advise 00:27:30.700 --> 00:27:31.740 so that he or she 00:27:31.740 --> 00:27:32.500 can understand 00:27:32.500 --> 00:27:33.759 complex material 00:27:33.759 --> 00:27:35.420 and maybe even 00:27:35.420 --> 00:27:36.500 progress beyond 00:27:36.500 --> 00:27:37.700 where they have gone. 00:27:38.660 --> 00:27:39.859 That's their hope. 00:27:41.299 --> 00:27:42.299 But that's not 00:27:42.299 --> 00:27:43.339 what God looks for 00:27:43.339 --> 00:27:43.960 in his people. 00:27:46.359 --> 00:27:47.299 God looks for 00:27:47.299 --> 00:27:48.180 humble people 00:27:48.180 --> 00:27:49.299 who fear him. 00:27:49.299 --> 00:27:53.240 in order to grasp 00:27:53.240 --> 00:27:54.180 a difficult math 00:27:54.180 --> 00:27:55.279 or a physics concept, 00:27:55.460 --> 00:27:56.240 you need intelligence. 00:27:57.180 --> 00:27:58.419 But in order to grasp 00:27:58.419 --> 00:28:00.240 the wisdom of God, 00:28:00.779 --> 00:28:02.740 in order to walk 00:28:02.740 --> 00:28:04.240 in the ways of God, 00:28:04.460 --> 00:28:06.119 you need humility. 00:28:06.119 --> 00:28:06.179 humility. 00:28:11.059 --> 00:28:12.119 And why does God 00:28:12.119 --> 00:28:13.119 place such a premium 00:28:13.119 --> 00:28:13.919 on humility? 00:28:14.459 --> 00:28:15.039 Why does God 00:28:15.039 --> 00:28:15.839 care so much 00:28:15.839 --> 00:28:16.459 that we walk 00:28:16.459 --> 00:28:17.439 in his paths 00:28:17.439 --> 00:28:18.419 without veering 00:28:18.419 --> 00:28:19.419 away from it? 00:28:20.099 --> 00:28:20.639 Verse 14 00:28:20.639 --> 00:28:21.119 tells us, 00:28:21.279 --> 00:28:22.019 that friendship 00:28:22.019 --> 00:28:23.299 of the Lord 00:28:23.299 --> 00:28:24.439 is for those 00:28:24.439 --> 00:28:25.279 who fear him 00:28:25.279 --> 00:28:27.059 and he makes 00:28:27.059 --> 00:28:27.859 known to them 00:28:27.859 --> 00:28:28.959 his covenant. 00:28:31.279 --> 00:28:32.219 God demands 00:28:32.219 --> 00:28:32.619 humility 00:28:32.619 --> 00:28:33.500 and God calls 00:28:33.500 --> 00:28:33.859 to walk 00:28:33.859 --> 00:28:34.259 in his paths 00:28:34.259 --> 00:28:34.899 not because 00:28:34.899 --> 00:28:35.639 he's arbitrary 00:28:35.639 --> 00:28:37.859 or not because 00:28:37.859 --> 00:28:38.659 he's a tyrant. 00:28:39.379 --> 00:28:39.759 It's because 00:28:39.759 --> 00:28:40.559 the only way 00:28:40.559 --> 00:28:41.740 that we lowly humans 00:28:41.740 --> 00:28:42.879 can relate properly 00:28:42.879 --> 00:28:43.439 to God, 00:28:43.519 --> 00:28:44.179 most high, 00:28:44.299 --> 00:28:45.319 is through humility 00:28:45.319 --> 00:28:46.799 and fear of the Lord. 00:28:47.339 --> 00:28:47.939 And it's only 00:28:47.939 --> 00:28:48.719 when we relate 00:28:48.719 --> 00:28:49.359 to him rightly 00:28:49.359 --> 00:28:50.139 that we can have 00:28:50.139 --> 00:28:51.579 a personal relationship 00:28:51.579 --> 00:28:52.059 with him. 00:28:52.859 --> 00:28:53.679 The friendship 00:28:53.679 --> 00:28:54.519 of the Lord 00:28:54.519 --> 00:28:55.119 is for those 00:28:55.119 --> 00:28:56.179 who fear him. 00:28:56.579 --> 00:28:57.799 The Christian Standard Bible, 00:28:57.899 --> 00:28:58.759 which is another translation, 00:28:58.919 --> 00:28:59.539 puts it this way, 00:28:59.619 --> 00:29:00.959 the secret counsel 00:29:00.959 --> 00:29:02.019 of the Lord 00:29:02.019 --> 00:29:02.679 is for those 00:29:02.680 --> 00:29:03.799 who fear him. 00:29:04.860 --> 00:29:05.980 If we humbly 00:29:05.980 --> 00:29:07.840 walk with God 00:29:07.840 --> 00:29:08.519 in the paths 00:29:08.519 --> 00:29:09.019 of God, 00:29:09.420 --> 00:29:10.740 God confides 00:29:10.740 --> 00:29:11.400 in us. 00:29:12.140 --> 00:29:12.840 He reveals 00:29:12.840 --> 00:29:13.360 things 00:29:13.360 --> 00:29:14.279 that he only 00:29:14.279 --> 00:29:14.840 reveals 00:29:14.840 --> 00:29:15.660 to his covenant 00:29:15.660 --> 00:29:16.480 friends. 00:29:17.880 --> 00:29:18.840 God cares 00:29:18.840 --> 00:29:19.620 that we walk 00:29:19.620 --> 00:29:20.220 in his paths 00:29:20.220 --> 00:29:20.799 by obeying 00:29:20.799 --> 00:29:21.400 his commands 00:29:21.400 --> 00:29:22.200 because it's 00:29:22.200 --> 00:29:23.600 only in doing 00:29:23.600 --> 00:29:24.259 so that we can 00:29:24.259 --> 00:29:24.860 experience 00:29:24.860 --> 00:29:26.140 his steadfast 00:29:26.140 --> 00:29:27.160 love and faithfulness. 00:29:27.700 --> 00:29:28.200 Because what did 00:29:28.200 --> 00:29:28.940 it say in verse 10? 00:29:29.080 --> 00:29:29.840 All the paths 00:29:29.840 --> 00:29:30.420 of the Lord 00:29:30.420 --> 00:29:31.340 are steadfast love 00:29:31.339 --> 00:29:32.000 and faithfulness 00:29:32.000 --> 00:29:32.279 for those 00:29:32.279 --> 00:29:32.720 who keep 00:29:32.720 --> 00:29:33.319 his covenant 00:29:33.319 --> 00:29:34.319 and his testimonies. 00:29:35.139 --> 00:29:35.819 It's only 00:29:35.819 --> 00:29:36.759 by walking 00:29:36.759 --> 00:29:37.720 in God's paths 00:29:37.720 --> 00:29:38.599 and keeping 00:29:38.599 --> 00:29:39.379 to our covenant 00:29:39.379 --> 00:29:39.959 with him 00:29:39.959 --> 00:29:40.579 that we can 00:29:40.579 --> 00:29:41.179 love him 00:29:41.179 --> 00:29:42.059 and have a relationship 00:29:42.059 --> 00:29:42.559 with him. 00:29:43.059 --> 00:29:43.679 That's what God 00:29:43.679 --> 00:29:44.539 desires of us. 00:29:45.619 --> 00:29:46.359 This is why 00:29:46.359 --> 00:29:47.119 we lament 00:29:47.119 --> 00:29:47.619 and turn 00:29:47.619 --> 00:29:48.599 from our sinful ways 00:29:48.599 --> 00:29:50.000 so we can keep 00:29:50.000 --> 00:29:50.899 to his paths 00:29:50.899 --> 00:29:51.579 and enjoy 00:29:51.579 --> 00:29:52.659 the friendship 00:29:52.659 --> 00:29:53.899 of the Lord. 00:29:55.959 --> 00:29:56.980 Do you want 00:29:56.980 --> 00:29:57.559 more 00:29:57.559 --> 00:29:58.259 out of your 00:29:58.259 --> 00:29:58.679 relationship 00:29:58.679 --> 00:29:59.199 with God? 00:29:59.200 --> 00:30:03.100 Do you 00:30:03.100 --> 00:30:03.819 want 00:30:03.819 --> 00:30:04.680 more 00:30:04.680 --> 00:30:05.360 of his 00:30:05.360 --> 00:30:06.400 steadfast 00:30:06.400 --> 00:30:06.759 love 00:30:06.759 --> 00:30:07.680 and faithfulness? 00:30:07.779 --> 00:30:08.019 Do you 00:30:08.019 --> 00:30:09.140 want to 00:30:09.140 --> 00:30:09.720 know him 00:30:09.720 --> 00:30:10.460 more deeply 00:30:10.460 --> 00:30:11.160 and walk 00:30:11.160 --> 00:30:11.559 with him 00:30:11.559 --> 00:30:12.420 more intimately? 00:30:14.940 --> 00:30:15.660 Here's the 00:30:15.660 --> 00:30:16.140 Bible's 00:30:16.140 --> 00:30:17.220 answer. 00:30:18.440 --> 00:30:18.819 Obey 00:30:18.819 --> 00:30:19.259 him. 00:30:20.660 --> 00:30:21.080 Stay 00:30:21.080 --> 00:30:21.519 along 00:30:21.519 --> 00:30:22.340 his paths. 00:30:23.360 --> 00:30:23.720 Walk 00:30:23.720 --> 00:30:24.240 with him. 00:30:24.940 --> 00:30:25.259 Keep 00:30:25.259 --> 00:30:25.860 in step 00:30:25.860 --> 00:30:26.340 with his 00:30:26.340 --> 00:30:26.759 spirit. 00:30:26.940 --> 00:30:27.460 Then you 00:30:27.460 --> 00:30:28.160 will know 00:30:28.160 --> 00:30:28.440 God 00:30:28.440 --> 00:30:28.660 more 00:30:28.660 --> 00:30:29.059 intimately. 00:30:30.019 --> 00:30:30.259 You 00:30:30.259 --> 00:30:30.680 will 00:30:30.680 --> 00:30:31.220 experience 00:30:31.220 --> 00:30:31.480 more 00:30:31.480 --> 00:30:31.720 of his 00:30:31.720 --> 00:30:32.180 steadfast 00:30:32.180 --> 00:30:32.460 love 00:30:32.460 --> 00:30:32.600 and 00:30:32.600 --> 00:30:33.200 faithfulness. 00:30:33.680 --> 00:30:33.799 You 00:30:33.799 --> 00:30:34.140 will 00:30:34.140 --> 00:30:34.400 have 00:30:34.400 --> 00:30:34.900 deeper 00:30:34.900 --> 00:30:35.759 friendship 00:30:35.759 --> 00:30:36.500 with 00:30:36.500 --> 00:30:36.820 the 00:30:36.820 --> 00:30:37.140 living 00:30:37.140 --> 00:30:37.900 God. 00:30:42.660 --> 00:30:43.180 That 00:30:43.180 --> 00:30:43.400 leaves 00:30:43.400 --> 00:30:44.000 verse 11 00:30:44.000 --> 00:30:44.460 which is 00:30:44.460 --> 00:30:44.900 the center 00:30:44.900 --> 00:30:45.180 of the 00:30:45.180 --> 00:30:45.539 chiasm 00:30:45.539 --> 00:30:46.380 and the 00:30:46.380 --> 00:30:46.799 crux of 00:30:46.799 --> 00:30:46.940 the 00:30:46.940 --> 00:30:47.920 psalm. 00:30:48.059 --> 00:30:48.720 Verse 22 00:30:48.720 --> 00:30:49.220 which is 00:30:49.220 --> 00:30:50.660 like an 00:30:50.660 --> 00:30:51.120 afterward 00:30:51.120 --> 00:30:51.640 since it 00:30:51.640 --> 00:30:52.240 falls outside 00:30:52.240 --> 00:30:52.759 the alphabet 00:30:52.759 --> 00:30:53.440 acrostic. 00:30:53.860 --> 00:30:54.500 Verse 22 00:30:54.500 --> 00:30:55.080 concludes 00:30:55.080 --> 00:30:55.779 with this 00:30:55.779 --> 00:30:56.080 prayer. 00:30:56.259 --> 00:30:56.660 Redeem 00:30:56.660 --> 00:30:57.160 Israel 00:30:57.160 --> 00:30:57.779 O God 00:30:57.779 --> 00:30:58.120 out of 00:30:58.120 --> 00:30:58.360 all 00:30:58.360 --> 00:30:58.560 his 00:30:58.560 --> 00:30:58.860 troubles. 00:30:59.340 --> 00:30:59.759 The whole 00:30:59.759 --> 00:31:00.220 psalm up to 00:31:00.220 --> 00:31:00.640 this point 00:31:00.640 --> 00:31:01.420 was personal. 00:31:01.620 --> 00:31:01.800 It was 00:31:01.800 --> 00:31:02.080 written in 00:31:02.080 --> 00:31:02.460 the first 00:31:02.460 --> 00:31:02.940 person. 00:31:03.680 --> 00:31:04.019 I, 00:31:04.220 --> 00:31:04.480 me, 00:31:04.740 --> 00:31:05.060 my, 00:31:05.240 --> 00:31:05.700 and here 00:31:05.700 --> 00:31:06.259 David 00:31:06.259 --> 00:31:07.100 transfers 00:31:07.100 --> 00:31:07.700 that to 00:31:07.700 --> 00:31:08.300 the corporate 00:31:08.300 --> 00:31:08.940 reality of 00:31:08.940 --> 00:31:09.500 Israel as 00:31:09.500 --> 00:31:09.800 God's 00:31:09.800 --> 00:31:10.060 people, 00:31:10.160 --> 00:31:10.380 as a 00:31:10.380 --> 00:31:10.680 nation. 00:31:11.680 --> 00:31:11.920 And so 00:31:11.920 --> 00:31:12.220 that this 00:31:12.220 --> 00:31:12.600 lament 00:31:12.600 --> 00:31:13.800 becomes the 00:31:13.800 --> 00:31:14.340 prayer of 00:31:14.340 --> 00:31:15.320 all God's 00:31:15.320 --> 00:31:15.759 people. 00:31:17.340 --> 00:31:17.779 And the 00:31:17.779 --> 00:31:18.779 God of our 00:31:18.779 --> 00:31:19.640 salvation that 00:31:19.640 --> 00:31:20.140 he's waiting 00:31:20.140 --> 00:31:21.860 for came to 00:31:21.860 --> 00:31:22.500 us in 00:31:22.500 --> 00:31:23.220 Jesus Christ. 00:31:23.220 --> 00:31:25.100 when 00:31:25.100 --> 00:31:25.860 prophet Simeon 00:31:25.860 --> 00:31:26.160 had been 00:31:26.160 --> 00:31:26.860 waiting, 00:31:27.339 --> 00:31:28.019 waiting for 00:31:28.019 --> 00:31:28.160 the 00:31:28.160 --> 00:31:28.799 consolation of 00:31:28.799 --> 00:31:29.140 Israel, 00:31:29.700 --> 00:31:30.339 finally got 00:31:30.339 --> 00:31:30.980 to behold 00:31:30.980 --> 00:31:31.539 the child 00:31:31.539 --> 00:31:32.380 Jesus at 00:31:32.380 --> 00:31:32.819 the temple. 00:31:33.319 --> 00:31:33.819 He held 00:31:33.819 --> 00:31:34.480 him up 00:31:34.480 --> 00:31:35.220 and said 00:31:35.220 --> 00:31:35.680 this, 00:31:37.039 --> 00:31:37.900 my eyes 00:31:37.900 --> 00:31:38.779 have seen 00:31:38.779 --> 00:31:40.059 your salvation. 00:31:41.940 --> 00:31:42.839 Jesus is 00:31:42.839 --> 00:31:43.440 the fulfillment 00:31:43.440 --> 00:31:43.819 of Psalm 00:31:43.819 --> 00:31:45.799 25 because 00:31:45.799 --> 00:31:46.460 he came and 00:31:46.460 --> 00:31:46.880 accomplished 00:31:46.880 --> 00:31:47.539 the central 00:31:47.539 --> 00:31:48.200 prayer of 00:31:48.200 --> 00:31:48.740 this Psalm, 00:31:48.920 --> 00:31:49.480 verse 11, 00:31:49.900 --> 00:31:50.539 for your 00:31:50.539 --> 00:31:51.360 namesake, 00:31:51.400 --> 00:31:51.759 O Lord, 00:31:52.059 --> 00:31:52.759 pardon my 00:31:52.759 --> 00:31:53.359 guilt for 00:31:53.359 --> 00:31:53.740 it is 00:31:53.740 --> 00:31:54.339 great. 00:31:56.140 --> 00:31:56.740 I was 00:31:56.740 --> 00:31:57.259 praying this 00:31:57.259 --> 00:31:57.539 for you 00:31:57.539 --> 00:31:57.920 guys this 00:31:57.920 --> 00:31:58.319 week and 00:31:58.319 --> 00:31:58.500 we were 00:31:58.500 --> 00:31:59.079 praying together 00:31:59.079 --> 00:31:59.460 for this 00:31:59.460 --> 00:31:59.980 this morning. 00:32:00.099 --> 00:32:00.359 Do you 00:32:00.359 --> 00:32:01.420 know that 00:32:01.420 --> 00:32:02.099 your guilt 00:32:02.099 --> 00:32:03.039 is great? 00:32:07.180 --> 00:32:07.700 Lawbreaking 00:32:07.700 --> 00:32:08.500 offenses in 00:32:08.500 --> 00:32:09.119 our society 00:32:09.119 --> 00:32:09.779 get classified 00:32:09.779 --> 00:32:10.299 into three 00:32:10.299 --> 00:32:11.240 broad categories 00:32:11.240 --> 00:32:13.019 and infraction 00:32:13.019 --> 00:32:14.539 is the least 00:32:14.539 --> 00:32:15.160 serious, 00:32:15.559 --> 00:32:16.339 smallest offense 00:32:16.339 --> 00:32:17.740 which can be 00:32:17.740 --> 00:32:18.180 punished with 00:32:18.180 --> 00:32:18.680 up to five 00:32:18.680 --> 00:32:19.279 days in prison 00:32:19.279 --> 00:32:20.099 and $5,000 00:32:20.099 --> 00:32:20.720 in the file. 00:32:21.359 --> 00:32:21.700 It's still 00:32:21.700 --> 00:32:22.279 pretty expensive 00:32:22.279 --> 00:32:22.539 on. 00:32:23.879 --> 00:32:24.960 A misdemeanor 00:32:24.960 --> 00:32:25.740 is next, 00:32:26.180 --> 00:32:26.700 punishable by 00:32:26.700 --> 00:32:27.180 up to one 00:32:27.180 --> 00:32:27.579 year in 00:32:27.579 --> 00:32:29.119 prison and 00:32:29.119 --> 00:32:30.139 or $100,000 00:32:30.139 --> 00:32:30.720 in the file. 00:32:31.180 --> 00:32:31.680 The worst, 00:32:31.799 --> 00:32:32.279 most serious 00:32:32.279 --> 00:32:32.859 crime is a 00:32:32.859 --> 00:32:33.839 felony which 00:32:33.839 --> 00:32:34.319 is punishable 00:32:34.319 --> 00:32:34.740 by up to 00:32:34.740 --> 00:32:35.299 a lifetime 00:32:35.299 --> 00:32:36.240 in prison 00:32:36.240 --> 00:32:36.920 or death 00:32:36.920 --> 00:32:38.240 and or by 00:32:38.240 --> 00:32:39.559 a $250,000 00:32:39.559 --> 00:32:40.039 fine. 00:32:40.960 --> 00:32:41.700 Sometimes we 00:32:41.700 --> 00:32:42.240 can think of 00:32:42.240 --> 00:32:42.879 our sins as 00:32:42.879 --> 00:32:43.519 a minor 00:32:43.519 --> 00:32:44.160 infraction. 00:32:44.799 --> 00:32:45.240 Oh, I've 00:32:45.240 --> 00:32:45.619 done some 00:32:45.619 --> 00:32:46.240 bad things, 00:32:46.539 --> 00:32:47.059 little things 00:32:47.059 --> 00:32:47.399 here and 00:32:47.399 --> 00:32:47.759 there, but 00:32:47.759 --> 00:32:48.279 oh man, 00:32:48.379 --> 00:32:48.740 so many 00:32:48.740 --> 00:32:49.259 people are 00:32:49.259 --> 00:32:49.839 so much 00:32:49.839 --> 00:32:50.279 worse. 00:32:50.279 --> 00:32:54.059 No. 00:32:56.099 --> 00:32:57.099 God is 00:32:57.099 --> 00:32:57.619 our creator 00:32:57.619 --> 00:32:58.940 and he is 00:32:58.940 --> 00:32:59.899 our sovereign 00:32:59.899 --> 00:33:02.279 ruler, but 00:33:02.279 --> 00:33:03.339 all of us 00:33:03.339 --> 00:33:04.619 at one point 00:33:04.619 --> 00:33:05.379 denied him 00:33:05.379 --> 00:33:06.059 to his face 00:33:06.059 --> 00:33:06.859 and we 00:33:06.859 --> 00:33:07.680 rejected his 00:33:07.680 --> 00:33:08.240 rule and we 00:33:08.240 --> 00:33:08.759 sought to be 00:33:08.759 --> 00:33:09.660 masters of our 00:33:09.660 --> 00:33:10.420 own fate. 00:33:11.000 --> 00:33:11.899 We sought to 00:33:11.899 --> 00:33:12.399 live for 00:33:12.399 --> 00:33:13.119 ourselves. 00:33:14.220 --> 00:33:14.940 We have all 00:33:14.940 --> 00:33:15.819 in our ways, 00:33:15.920 --> 00:33:16.319 in our own 00:33:16.319 --> 00:33:16.799 simple ways, 00:33:16.879 --> 00:33:17.819 tried to be 00:33:17.819 --> 00:33:19.019 God rather 00:33:19.019 --> 00:33:19.599 than submit 00:33:19.599 --> 00:33:20.059 to God. 00:33:21.440 --> 00:33:22.119 That's not 00:33:22.119 --> 00:33:22.460 a little 00:33:22.460 --> 00:33:22.799 sin. 00:33:23.160 --> 00:33:23.460 We have 00:33:23.460 --> 00:33:23.879 sought to 00:33:23.879 --> 00:33:24.660 usurp the 00:33:24.660 --> 00:33:25.559 very throne 00:33:25.559 --> 00:33:26.200 of God. 00:33:27.440 --> 00:33:27.900 That's 00:33:27.900 --> 00:33:28.420 treason. 00:33:30.000 --> 00:33:30.400 And if 00:33:30.400 --> 00:33:30.900 treason 00:33:30.900 --> 00:33:31.460 against the 00:33:31.460 --> 00:33:31.920 United States 00:33:31.920 --> 00:33:32.339 government 00:33:32.339 --> 00:33:33.240 is a felony, 00:33:33.759 --> 00:33:34.200 how much 00:33:34.200 --> 00:33:34.579 more when 00:33:34.579 --> 00:33:34.779 it is 00:33:34.779 --> 00:33:35.500 committed 00:33:35.500 --> 00:33:36.160 against the 00:33:36.160 --> 00:33:36.639 God of 00:33:36.639 --> 00:33:37.200 the universe 00:33:37.200 --> 00:33:38.200 who has 00:33:38.200 --> 00:33:39.160 infinite worth 00:33:39.160 --> 00:33:39.700 and value 00:33:39.700 --> 00:33:40.200 and who 00:33:40.200 --> 00:33:40.720 has never 00:33:40.720 --> 00:33:41.319 wronged and 00:33:41.319 --> 00:33:41.700 has given 00:33:41.700 --> 00:33:42.240 us all 00:33:42.240 --> 00:33:42.539 that is 00:33:42.539 --> 00:33:42.900 good. 00:33:44.680 --> 00:33:45.779 Our guilt 00:33:45.779 --> 00:33:46.960 is great. 00:33:46.960 --> 00:33:48.380 Do you 00:33:48.380 --> 00:33:49.079 feel that? 00:33:52.259 --> 00:33:53.140 If all of 00:33:53.140 --> 00:33:53.519 us really 00:33:53.519 --> 00:33:54.420 understood this 00:33:54.420 --> 00:33:54.920 then we 00:33:54.920 --> 00:33:55.980 would stop 00:33:55.980 --> 00:33:56.900 trying to 00:33:56.900 --> 00:33:57.880 make up for 00:33:57.880 --> 00:33:58.620 it and 00:33:58.620 --> 00:33:59.500 pay for our 00:33:59.500 --> 00:34:00.120 sins ourselves 00:34:00.120 --> 00:34:01.480 because there's 00:34:01.480 --> 00:34:02.460 no way that 00:34:02.460 --> 00:34:03.100 we could ever 00:34:03.100 --> 00:34:03.620 do enough 00:34:03.620 --> 00:34:04.440 community service 00:34:04.440 --> 00:34:05.039 hours, do 00:34:05.039 --> 00:34:05.660 good deeds 00:34:05.660 --> 00:34:06.259 to make up 00:34:06.259 --> 00:34:06.620 for it. 00:34:07.340 --> 00:34:08.360 There's no way 00:34:08.360 --> 00:34:09.019 we can ever 00:34:09.019 --> 00:34:09.760 pay a big 00:34:09.760 --> 00:34:10.559 enough punishment, 00:34:10.760 --> 00:34:11.179 big enough 00:34:11.179 --> 00:34:12.539 fine to make 00:34:12.539 --> 00:34:13.260 up for it. 00:34:14.139 --> 00:34:14.720 And great 00:34:14.720 --> 00:34:15.639 guilt requires 00:34:15.639 --> 00:34:16.579 a great 00:34:16.579 --> 00:34:17.599 pardon. 00:34:18.259 --> 00:34:18.900 And praise 00:34:18.900 --> 00:34:19.859 be to God 00:34:19.859 --> 00:34:20.539 that he 00:34:20.539 --> 00:34:21.480 provided Jesus 00:34:21.480 --> 00:34:22.659 to provide 00:34:22.659 --> 00:34:23.519 that great 00:34:23.519 --> 00:34:24.519 pardon for 00:34:24.519 --> 00:34:25.039 us. 00:34:26.219 --> 00:34:26.719 Verse 11 00:34:26.719 --> 00:34:26.980 says, 00:34:27.099 --> 00:34:27.819 For your 00:34:27.819 --> 00:34:28.699 name's sake, 00:34:28.759 --> 00:34:29.139 O Lord, 00:34:29.259 --> 00:34:29.900 pardon my 00:34:29.900 --> 00:34:30.179 guilt, 00:34:30.279 --> 00:34:30.859 for it is 00:34:30.859 --> 00:34:31.799 great. 00:34:32.460 --> 00:34:33.259 Once again, 00:34:33.619 --> 00:34:34.099 the basis 00:34:34.099 --> 00:34:34.460 for our 00:34:34.460 --> 00:34:34.960 pardon for 00:34:34.960 --> 00:34:35.539 sin is not 00:34:35.539 --> 00:34:36.359 our worthiness, 00:34:36.599 --> 00:34:37.159 not our 00:34:37.159 --> 00:34:37.859 deservingness, 00:34:37.920 --> 00:34:38.239 but the 00:34:38.239 --> 00:34:38.679 Lord's 00:34:38.679 --> 00:34:39.500 character and 00:34:39.500 --> 00:34:40.179 name. 00:34:41.179 --> 00:34:41.779 Ezekiel 20, 00:34:41.779 --> 00:34:42.539 44 makes 00:34:42.539 --> 00:34:42.920 this so 00:34:42.920 --> 00:34:43.400 explicit. 00:34:43.539 --> 00:34:43.920 You shall 00:34:43.920 --> 00:34:44.480 know that I 00:34:44.480 --> 00:34:44.799 am the 00:34:44.799 --> 00:34:44.980 Lord. 00:34:44.980 --> 00:34:45.260 When I 00:34:45.260 --> 00:34:45.679 deal with 00:34:45.679 --> 00:34:46.380 you for 00:34:46.380 --> 00:34:47.460 my name's 00:34:47.460 --> 00:34:47.780 sake, 00:34:48.159 --> 00:34:48.860 not according 00:34:48.860 --> 00:34:49.139 to your 00:34:49.139 --> 00:34:49.840 evil ways, 00:34:50.199 --> 00:34:50.940 not according 00:34:50.940 --> 00:34:51.340 to your 00:34:51.340 --> 00:34:52.059 corrupt deeds, 00:34:52.119 --> 00:34:52.559 O house of 00:34:52.559 --> 00:34:52.920 Israel. 00:34:54.099 --> 00:34:55.000 Herein lies 00:34:55.000 --> 00:34:55.599 our hope, 00:34:55.780 --> 00:34:56.119 brothers and 00:34:56.119 --> 00:34:56.400 sisters. 00:34:57.300 --> 00:34:57.679 God does 00:34:57.679 --> 00:34:58.599 not deal 00:34:58.599 --> 00:34:59.099 with us 00:34:59.099 --> 00:34:59.820 according to 00:34:59.820 --> 00:35:00.519 our sins. 00:35:01.760 --> 00:35:02.500 God does 00:35:02.500 --> 00:35:03.059 not repay 00:35:03.059 --> 00:35:03.780 us according 00:35:03.780 --> 00:35:04.159 to our 00:35:04.159 --> 00:35:04.539 iniquities. 00:35:04.619 --> 00:35:05.139 He could, 00:35:05.780 --> 00:35:06.300 but he 00:35:06.300 --> 00:35:06.920 doesn't. 00:35:11.659 --> 00:35:12.240 It's like 00:35:12.240 --> 00:35:12.699 having a 00:35:12.699 --> 00:35:13.360 cosigner on 00:35:13.360 --> 00:35:13.719 the loan. 00:35:14.980 --> 00:35:16.039 As sinners 00:35:16.039 --> 00:35:17.019 were morally 00:35:17.019 --> 00:35:17.800 and spiritually 00:35:17.800 --> 00:35:19.619 bankrupt and 00:35:19.619 --> 00:35:20.059 left to our 00:35:20.059 --> 00:35:20.500 devices, 00:35:20.760 --> 00:35:21.019 we would 00:35:21.019 --> 00:35:21.579 default on 00:35:21.579 --> 00:35:22.039 our loans 00:35:22.039 --> 00:35:22.760 immediately. 00:35:25.440 --> 00:35:26.280 But because 00:35:26.280 --> 00:35:27.019 God has 00:35:27.019 --> 00:35:27.800 singled us 00:35:27.800 --> 00:35:28.199 out for 00:35:28.199 --> 00:35:28.760 himself as 00:35:28.760 --> 00:35:29.199 his people, 00:35:29.719 --> 00:35:30.300 because God 00:35:30.300 --> 00:35:30.880 has committed 00:35:30.880 --> 00:35:31.539 himself to 00:35:31.539 --> 00:35:32.059 us in 00:35:32.059 --> 00:35:32.500 covenant, 00:35:33.019 --> 00:35:33.380 it's like 00:35:33.380 --> 00:35:33.800 having a 00:35:33.800 --> 00:35:35.340 cosigner on 00:35:35.340 --> 00:35:35.780 our loan. 00:35:38.360 --> 00:35:39.099 When we 00:35:39.099 --> 00:35:39.579 can't pay, 00:35:39.659 --> 00:35:40.400 the cosigner is 00:35:40.400 --> 00:35:41.179 obligated to 00:35:41.179 --> 00:35:41.659 pay because 00:35:41.659 --> 00:35:42.300 now his 00:35:42.300 --> 00:35:43.320 name and 00:35:43.320 --> 00:35:44.160 his credit 00:35:44.160 --> 00:35:45.100 are on 00:35:45.100 --> 00:35:45.559 the line. 00:35:46.420 --> 00:35:47.000 Because God 00:35:47.000 --> 00:35:47.559 has bowed 00:35:47.559 --> 00:35:48.059 himself to 00:35:48.059 --> 00:35:48.480 us in 00:35:48.480 --> 00:35:49.000 covenant and 00:35:49.000 --> 00:35:49.440 because he 00:35:49.440 --> 00:35:50.080 has signed 00:35:50.080 --> 00:35:50.539 on that 00:35:50.539 --> 00:35:51.360 dotted line, 00:35:52.000 --> 00:35:52.519 now it's 00:35:52.519 --> 00:35:53.200 for his 00:35:53.200 --> 00:35:54.240 name's sake 00:35:54.240 --> 00:35:54.620 that he 00:35:54.620 --> 00:35:55.340 pardons our 00:35:55.340 --> 00:35:55.660 guilt. 00:35:57.559 --> 00:35:58.280 That's what 00:35:58.280 --> 00:35:59.140 Jesus accomplished 00:35:59.140 --> 00:36:00.140 on the cross. 00:36:00.580 --> 00:36:01.080 How can a 00:36:01.080 --> 00:36:01.860 just God 00:36:01.860 --> 00:36:03.280 pardon a 00:36:03.280 --> 00:36:04.100 great guilt 00:36:04.100 --> 00:36:04.840 with impunity? 00:36:04.840 --> 00:36:07.420 If a judge 00:36:07.420 --> 00:36:08.280 pardoned great 00:36:08.280 --> 00:36:08.760 guilt in 00:36:08.760 --> 00:36:09.200 court, we 00:36:09.200 --> 00:36:09.500 would be 00:36:09.500 --> 00:36:10.100 outraged. 00:36:11.200 --> 00:36:11.600 So how 00:36:11.600 --> 00:36:12.200 can God 00:36:12.200 --> 00:36:12.740 do that? 00:36:13.280 --> 00:36:13.820 Because of 00:36:13.820 --> 00:36:14.120 Jesus. 00:36:14.579 --> 00:36:15.100 Because God 00:36:15.100 --> 00:36:15.760 didn't just 00:36:15.760 --> 00:36:16.640 excuse and 00:36:16.640 --> 00:36:17.760 pardon sin in 00:36:17.760 --> 00:36:18.380 a cavalier 00:36:18.380 --> 00:36:18.760 manner, in 00:36:18.760 --> 00:36:19.600 offhand manner 00:36:19.600 --> 00:36:20.660 like nothing 00:36:20.660 --> 00:36:21.320 ever happened. 00:36:21.840 --> 00:36:22.440 Rather, God 00:36:22.440 --> 00:36:23.260 paid a steep 00:36:23.260 --> 00:36:24.240 price for our 00:36:24.240 --> 00:36:24.480 sin. 00:36:25.079 --> 00:36:25.820 He bore the 00:36:25.820 --> 00:36:26.720 punishment for 00:36:26.720 --> 00:36:27.500 our sin in 00:36:27.500 --> 00:36:28.360 Jesus Christ 00:36:28.360 --> 00:36:29.280 when he died 00:36:29.280 --> 00:36:30.180 on the cross 00:36:30.180 --> 00:36:30.620 and when he 00:36:30.620 --> 00:36:31.420 was raised on 00:36:31.420 --> 00:36:31.740 the third 00:36:31.740 --> 00:36:32.019 day. 00:36:32.019 --> 00:36:34.900 Jesus made 00:36:34.900 --> 00:36:35.699 good our 00:36:35.699 --> 00:36:36.320 pardon of 00:36:36.320 --> 00:36:37.079 sin and he 00:36:37.079 --> 00:36:37.500 was the 00:36:37.500 --> 00:36:38.599 ransom, the 00:36:38.599 --> 00:36:39.619 price for our 00:36:39.619 --> 00:36:40.380 redemption from 00:36:40.380 --> 00:36:41.619 slavery and 00:36:41.619 --> 00:36:41.920 death. 00:36:43.539 --> 00:36:44.619 That's why we 00:36:44.619 --> 00:36:45.039 can humbly 00:36:45.039 --> 00:36:45.659 confess our 00:36:45.659 --> 00:36:46.360 sins to God 00:36:46.360 --> 00:36:47.460 assured of our 00:36:47.460 --> 00:36:47.860 pardon. 00:36:48.539 --> 00:36:49.380 That's why we 00:36:49.380 --> 00:36:50.019 can patiently 00:36:50.019 --> 00:36:50.840 wait for his 00:36:50.840 --> 00:36:51.480 redemption, our 00:36:51.480 --> 00:36:52.259 final redemption, 00:36:52.420 --> 00:36:53.199 assured that 00:36:53.199 --> 00:36:54.000 that is coming 00:36:54.000 --> 00:36:54.719 because we 00:36:54.719 --> 00:36:55.500 already have the 00:36:55.500 --> 00:36:56.320 down payment of 00:36:56.320 --> 00:36:56.800 that redemption 00:36:56.800 --> 00:36:57.300 in the Holy 00:36:57.300 --> 00:36:57.659 Spirit. 00:36:57.659 --> 00:37:02.339 our final 00:37:02.339 --> 00:37:02.980 redemption is 00:37:02.980 --> 00:37:03.819 certain, it's 00:37:03.819 --> 00:37:04.519 not a maybe, 00:37:05.279 --> 00:37:06.079 it's just not 00:37:06.079 --> 00:37:06.519 yet. 00:37:07.599 --> 00:37:08.399 Not yet. 00:37:11.199 --> 00:37:12.279 Pardon for 00:37:12.279 --> 00:37:13.940 sin and a 00:37:13.940 --> 00:37:14.639 peace, steady 00:37:14.639 --> 00:37:15.259 endurance. 00:37:16.440 --> 00:37:17.339 Thine own 00:37:17.339 --> 00:37:18.259 dear presence to 00:37:18.259 --> 00:37:19.019 cheer and to 00:37:19.019 --> 00:37:19.299 guide. 00:37:20.359 --> 00:37:21.139 Strength for 00:37:21.139 --> 00:37:21.799 today and 00:37:21.799 --> 00:37:23.319 bright hope for 00:37:23.319 --> 00:37:24.039 tomorrow. 00:37:24.920 --> 00:37:26.099 Blessings all 00:37:26.099 --> 00:37:27.319 mine with 00:37:27.320 --> 00:37:29.059 10,000 beside. 00:37:29.500 --> 00:37:29.980 Let's pray. 00:37:32.580 --> 00:37:33.120 Yes, Father, 00:37:33.240 --> 00:37:33.840 fill us with 00:37:33.840 --> 00:37:35.480 that hope this 00:37:35.480 --> 00:37:35.740 morning. 00:37:36.080 --> 00:37:36.820 Make us wait 00:37:36.820 --> 00:37:39.120 on you so 00:37:39.120 --> 00:37:39.780 that as we 00:37:39.780 --> 00:37:40.580 wait on you, 00:37:40.700 --> 00:37:41.160 we are 00:37:41.160 --> 00:37:41.740 renewed, 00:37:42.840 --> 00:37:45.380 renewed in 00:37:45.380 --> 00:37:46.080 our strength. 00:37:46.920 --> 00:37:47.260 So we might 00:37:47.260 --> 00:37:48.200 soar with wings 00:37:48.200 --> 00:37:48.900 like eagles. 00:37:53.580 --> 00:37:54.340 Impress upon 00:37:54.340 --> 00:37:55.480 us what great 00:37:55.480 --> 00:37:56.400 mercies. 00:37:57.320 --> 00:37:57.880 we have 00:37:57.880 --> 00:37:58.160 received. 00:38:01.620 --> 00:38:02.480 In Jesus' 00:38:02.660 --> 00:38:02.900 name we 00:38:02.900 --> 00:38:03.160 pray. 00:38:03.539 --> 00:38:04.059 Amen. 00:38:04.059 --> 00:38:04.159 Amen.