WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:22.080 Turn in your Bibles to Psalm 17. It is on page 550. If you're in a church Bible, if you're in your own Bible, somewhere near the middle. Psalm 17. I'm going to read for us and then I'm going to hand over to Ray who's going to preach for us. 00:00:24.660 --> 00:00:27.320 Psalm 17, a prayer of David. 00:00:27.320 --> 00:00:45.000 Hear me, Lord. My plea is just. Listen to my cry. Hear my prayer. It does not rise from deceitful lips. Let my vindication come from you. May your eyes see what is right. 00:00:45.000 --> 00:00:56.000 Though you probe my heart, though you examine me at night and test me, you will find that I have planned no evil. My mouth has not transgressed. 00:00:56.000 --> 00:01:05.000 Though people try to bribe me, I have kept myself from the ways of the violent through what your lips have commanded. 00:01:05.000 --> 00:01:19.040 My steps have held to your paths. My feet have not stumbled. I call on you, my God, for you will answer me. Turn your ear to me and hear my prayer. 00:01:19.040 --> 00:01:28.120 Show me the wonders of your great love. You who save by your right hand those who take refuge in you from their foes. 00:01:29.200 --> 00:01:33.860 Keep me as the apple of your eye. Hide me in the shadow of your wings. 00:01:34.580 --> 00:01:38.900 From the wicked who are out to destroy me, from my mortal enemies who surround me. 00:01:38.900 --> 00:01:43.520 They close up their callous hearts and their mouths speak with arrogance. 00:01:44.180 --> 00:01:47.660 They have tracked me down. They now surround me. 00:01:48.219 --> 00:01:56.980 With eyes alert to throw me to the ground, they are like a lion hungry for prey, like a fierce lion crouching in cover. 00:01:58.260 --> 00:02:04.560 Rise up, Lord. Confront them. Bring them down with your sword. Rescue me from the wicked. 00:02:04.560 --> 00:02:12.659 By your hand, save me from such people, Lord, from those of this world whose reward is in this life. 00:02:13.599 --> 00:02:17.280 May what you have stored up for the wicked fill their bellies. 00:02:17.800 --> 00:02:22.680 May their children gorge themselves on it, and may they be leftovers for their little ones. 00:02:23.539 --> 00:02:28.699 As for me, I shall be vindicated and shall see your face. 00:02:29.120 --> 00:02:33.699 When I awake, I shall be satisfied with seeing your likeness. 00:02:34.560 --> 00:02:35.680 Amen. 00:02:36.340 --> 00:02:36.939 Ray. 00:02:42.939 --> 00:02:45.219 Thanks, Steve. Good evening, everyone. 00:02:46.219 --> 00:02:49.939 Let's come to the Lord, shall we, and ask for his help as we look at it together. 00:02:53.099 --> 00:02:59.980 Father, thank you that we heard the great boasts of your word this morning, how good it is for us. 00:03:00.420 --> 00:03:03.259 We pray that that will be our experience tonight. 00:03:03.259 --> 00:03:12.979 We pray that your Holy Spirit will speak words from your word to us to change our lives. 00:03:14.840 --> 00:03:22.099 Take away distractions, those things that would hinder your word tonight, and speak to us, please, Father. 00:03:22.280 --> 00:03:23.780 In Jesus' name. Amen. 00:03:23.780 --> 00:03:23.879 Amen. 00:03:25.460 --> 00:03:30.800 Right, well, you saw there Psalm 17, right from the very top, it was a prayer of David. 00:03:31.939 --> 00:03:37.199 And it's a plea of David to God for vindication from his enemies. 00:03:37.479 --> 00:03:40.460 That's the general kind of theme of what's going on there. 00:03:40.460 --> 00:03:47.060 But interestingly, if you notice going through, not a lot of time is spent on David's problem. 00:03:47.420 --> 00:03:49.400 We're not told a lot about his problem. 00:03:50.060 --> 00:03:53.040 It's just three verses there in verses 10 to 12. 00:03:53.039 --> 00:04:02.259 The majority of the psalm is dealing with David's heart responses, as in fact most of the psalms are, of course. 00:04:02.959 --> 00:04:11.199 We see here a revelation of David's heart, his confidence and his hope in God, and what his heart's desires were. 00:04:11.199 --> 00:04:20.899 So, I'm planning to look at this in three sections, and we're going to look, first of all, verses 1 to 5, at his heart cry. 00:04:21.060 --> 00:04:22.459 What was the cry of his heart? 00:04:23.339 --> 00:04:26.879 Verses 6 to 12, what was the confidence of his heart? 00:04:27.480 --> 00:04:32.919 And verses 13 to 15, the last few verses there, what his heart's desire was. 00:04:33.639 --> 00:04:36.279 So, his heart cry, first of all, verses 1 to 5. 00:04:36.279 --> 00:04:45.179 If you keep your Bibles open, we won't be reading big chunks of it, so you'll need to follow yourselves there. 00:04:45.459 --> 00:04:49.079 His heart cry, verses 1 to 5, seen in two elements. 00:04:49.319 --> 00:04:51.339 First of all, hear my prayer. 00:04:51.500 --> 00:04:52.259 That's his plea. 00:04:52.859 --> 00:04:54.500 Lord, hear my prayer. 00:04:55.819 --> 00:05:00.879 And in case you don't get it, in the first verse, he says that three times. 00:05:01.319 --> 00:05:02.279 Can you see that there? 00:05:02.279 --> 00:05:04.639 Hear me, Lord. 00:05:05.459 --> 00:05:06.859 Listen to my cry. 00:05:07.439 --> 00:05:08.559 Hear my prayer. 00:05:09.619 --> 00:05:11.399 And then in verse 6, twice again, 00:05:12.059 --> 00:05:15.939 I call on you and turn your ear to me and hear. 00:05:16.599 --> 00:05:17.279 Why is this? 00:05:17.419 --> 00:05:19.879 Why does he labor this? 00:05:20.879 --> 00:05:22.479 Well, it's because it's his heart cry. 00:05:22.579 --> 00:05:23.599 He's not making this up. 00:05:23.719 --> 00:05:26.939 He's not thinking, well, how many times should I say this? 00:05:27.239 --> 00:05:28.779 How many times should I repeat it? 00:05:28.779 --> 00:05:33.299 He is desperate to tell God of his need. 00:05:34.159 --> 00:05:38.239 But it also is showing his complete confidence and dependence on God. 00:05:38.959 --> 00:05:43.019 If you're asking God time and time again to save you from the situation, 00:05:43.439 --> 00:05:45.959 you must have some confidence that he's going to help you. 00:05:46.159 --> 00:05:47.039 He's going to save you. 00:05:47.799 --> 00:05:50.259 So that's the first thing about his heart cry. 00:05:51.019 --> 00:05:56.599 The second thing, which is a little stranger, is his claim to innocence there in verses 3 to 5. 00:05:56.600 --> 00:05:58.879 Why should God hear David? 00:05:59.100 --> 00:06:03.160 Well, if you ask him the question, he will say, because I'm innocent. 00:06:05.100 --> 00:06:09.460 His prayer doesn't rise from deceit, he says in verse 1. 00:06:10.540 --> 00:06:13.100 And then in verse 3, he talks about three things. 00:06:13.220 --> 00:06:16.640 God probing him, examining him, and testing him. 00:06:16.720 --> 00:06:17.920 All the same kind of thing. 00:06:17.920 --> 00:06:23.980 So God has been dealing with him, has been searching his heart. 00:06:24.480 --> 00:06:28.120 And it's after this, he says that he is innocent. 00:06:29.460 --> 00:06:34.259 The original wording for that verse, it's all in the past tense. 00:06:35.160 --> 00:06:37.220 You have tried me in the night. 00:06:37.420 --> 00:06:38.560 You have visited me. 00:06:39.139 --> 00:06:40.420 My heart you have tested. 00:06:40.780 --> 00:06:42.200 So God has done this already. 00:06:42.620 --> 00:06:44.980 And still David says he's innocent. 00:06:44.980 --> 00:06:48.300 Verse 3, he's claiming his heart is right. 00:06:49.100 --> 00:06:53.300 Verses 4 and 5, he's claiming his actions are right. 00:06:55.720 --> 00:06:59.800 Now with what we know of the gospel, and with what we know of our hearts, 00:07:00.560 --> 00:07:02.600 does this seem a bit strange to you? 00:07:03.100 --> 00:07:05.180 It certainly did to me as I was reading it. 00:07:06.180 --> 00:07:09.180 How can a man claim innocence before God? 00:07:09.180 --> 00:07:20.300 What we have to take into account here is I don't think he is claiming sinlessness. 00:07:21.000 --> 00:07:21.060 Okay? 00:07:21.439 --> 00:07:25.660 We see from other Psalms, particularly Psalm 51, but from other Psalms, 00:07:26.519 --> 00:07:29.060 David realises that he is guilty. 00:07:29.720 --> 00:07:31.340 He realises that he's not sinless. 00:07:31.540 --> 00:07:31.620 Okay? 00:07:31.840 --> 00:07:32.939 So he's not saying that. 00:07:32.939 --> 00:07:37.980 It must be that in this particular situation, where his enemies are after him, 00:07:38.219 --> 00:07:42.980 trying to kill him, that he's innocent of whatever their accusations are. 00:07:43.300 --> 00:07:44.600 That's his innocence. 00:07:46.060 --> 00:07:51.920 So in trying to apply these verses to ourselves, we need to be quite careful. 00:07:52.740 --> 00:07:54.779 Why should God hear your prayer? 00:07:56.000 --> 00:07:57.980 Why should God hear my prayer? 00:07:57.980 --> 00:08:02.780 Not because our behaviour is right or proves us innocent, 00:08:03.700 --> 00:08:06.360 but not because we mean well, we have a good heart, 00:08:07.259 --> 00:08:10.280 but because as we're seeing right before us, 00:08:10.900 --> 00:08:14.160 God in Jesus declares us innocent. 00:08:16.879 --> 00:08:21.780 That is, when Christ took the anger of God on our sin, 00:08:21.779 --> 00:08:30.939 he not only forgave us but he also transferred god's righteousness sorry christ's righteousness 00:08:30.939 --> 00:08:35.919 to us we're so we're we're doubly clean as it were 00:08:35.919 --> 00:08:42.939 so when god looks at us he sees not our sinfulness but jesus's righteousness 00:08:42.939 --> 00:08:51.759 so what do you think can god now hear our prayer of course he can hear our prayer and he 00:08:51.759 --> 00:08:55.179 loves to hear our prayer because of the goodness of jesus 00:08:55.179 --> 00:09:05.179 added to that as if that's not enough romans 8 34 tells us that christ is now at the right hand of 00:09:05.179 --> 00:09:12.360 god interceding for us so not only has he cleaned you not only has he given you his righteousness 00:09:12.360 --> 00:09:20.159 but he's also interceding for you he stands before the father and the father can see he's died in our 00:09:20.159 --> 00:09:27.179 place so of course god is going to answer our prayer so the first five verses we've looked at 00:09:27.179 --> 00:09:35.980 showed david's heart cry god hear me and this should be our heart cry as well we have the access to god 00:09:35.980 --> 00:09:44.439 how are we using that access to god how are we praying to god are we like david fervent in prayer 00:09:44.440 --> 00:09:51.920 are we saying lord only you can sort this out i need you more than anything else more than anyone else 00:09:51.920 --> 00:09:59.200 so that's david's heart cry david's heart confidence we see in verses 6 to 12 00:09:59.200 --> 00:10:08.140 what is this confidence well god david is appealing to god on the basis of god's love 00:10:08.139 --> 00:10:17.500 verse 7 david says show me the wonders of your great love you who save by your right hand 00:10:17.500 --> 00:10:26.000 so david is saying two things here isn't he god is able to save god's right hand showing his strength 00:10:26.000 --> 00:10:33.879 his power he's able to save but he's also willing to save because of his great love 00:10:33.879 --> 00:10:43.759 then he drives it home in verse 8 with two wonderful illustrations i told you last time i spoke that 00:10:43.759 --> 00:10:48.919 i'm rubbish at illustrations so the lord's given me two illustrations here right from the pages of 00:10:48.919 --> 00:10:56.000 scripture the first one he says is keep me as the apple of your eye isn't that beautiful 00:10:56.000 --> 00:11:01.360 have you heard that expression that somebody is the apple of someone's eye 00:11:01.360 --> 00:11:09.560 it's a phrase used to describe how precious someone is or something is and it is in fact used in the 00:11:09.560 --> 00:11:17.700 old testament in a two or three places and it's in in two of those places it describes israel 00:11:17.700 --> 00:11:24.279 as precious to god israel is the apple of god's eye 00:11:24.279 --> 00:11:41.000 isn't that amazing and his prayer is not uh lord i know it messed up make me the apple of your eye 00:11:41.000 --> 00:11:48.980 he doesn't say that he says keep me as the apple of your eye he's already the apple of god's eye he knows 00:11:48.980 --> 00:11:59.460 that and then after that he says hide me in the shadow of your wings so straight after that hide me 00:11:59.460 --> 00:12:04.639 in the shadow of your wings now the picture here i don't know what conjures up in your mind when you 00:12:04.639 --> 00:12:10.320 think of that the first thing i thought of was an eagle all right you americans might appreciate 00:12:10.320 --> 00:12:18.540 appreciate this the the american eagle or any of these huge birds with a great wingspan and i picture 00:12:18.540 --> 00:12:24.800 this eagle going through the desert with his arms stretched out there casting a big shadow and anyone 00:12:24.800 --> 00:12:31.320 who happens to be fortunate fortunate enough to be under the shadow of that gets protection from the 00:12:31.320 --> 00:12:37.620 blazing sun that was the image it came to my mind but perhaps if you're more spiritual than i am 00:12:37.620 --> 00:12:44.639 and you're thinking of scripture you might think of what jesus said in luke 13 when he said how often 00:12:44.639 --> 00:12:51.539 have i longed to gather your children together as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings 00:12:51.539 --> 00:13:01.320 so here we have two illustrations that show us that we are precious to god and that we are safe 00:13:01.320 --> 00:13:11.080 and protected by god god is here showing us as david first said the wonders of his great love 00:13:11.080 --> 00:13:18.260 so this should encourage us in our prayers not only will god hear us because of jesus 00:13:18.260 --> 00:13:27.580 but god loves to hear his people and he has power to save them so we've now seen two things 00:13:27.580 --> 00:13:35.980 david's uh david's heart cry his confidence in god and now lastly we look at uh verses 13 to 15 what 00:13:35.980 --> 00:13:44.580 was his heart's desire and this is the last few verses there verses 13 to 15 david there in verses 9 to 15 00:13:44.580 --> 00:13:51.300 is describing his enemies can you see that and as i say doesn't spend a lot of time dwelling on that 00:13:51.299 --> 00:13:59.479 but he does call on god to confront his enemies and to deliver him in verse 13 00:13:59.479 --> 00:14:08.839 at the beginning of the psalm david asked god to vindicate him and now here at the end of the psalm 00:14:08.839 --> 00:14:17.079 verse 15 we're seeing that he's saying that god will vindicate him now notice the tense here it's not 00:14:17.080 --> 00:14:25.360 that he has been vindicated but he knows he will be vindicated and this plays him very much to what 00:14:25.360 --> 00:14:33.500 he's saying in in these verses here when he's describing the end of verse 14 his enemies and 00:14:33.500 --> 00:14:37.180 then he's describing his heart in verse 15 00:14:37.180 --> 00:14:45.840 he's here you see drawing a parallel or probably not a parallel it's a contradiction 00:14:45.840 --> 00:14:54.540 between his heart and his enemies heart his priorities and his enemies priorities so he says 00:14:54.540 --> 00:15:03.519 there in um the end of verse 14 about his enemies that they're those of this world whose reward is in 00:15:03.519 --> 00:15:04.460 this life 00:15:04.460 --> 00:15:11.340 in other words they live for themselves and for what they can get now 00:15:11.340 --> 00:15:21.300 that so are the enemies of david so are the enemies of god so were we before we knew the lord we were 00:15:21.300 --> 00:15:24.960 enemies of god we lived for what we could get at the time 00:15:24.960 --> 00:15:35.700 david describes his heart in verse 15 he says this as for me i will be vindicated and will see your face 00:15:35.700 --> 00:15:43.540 when i awake i will be satisfied with seeing your likeness 00:15:43.540 --> 00:15:48.620 now the context here suggests that when i awake 00:15:48.620 --> 00:15:52.740 is talking about when he awakes from the sleep of death 00:15:52.740 --> 00:15:56.460 that's what we read here in this in this context 00:15:56.460 --> 00:16:06.139 so he may not even get his vindication that he's asking for this side of death but he knows it will 00:16:06.139 --> 00:16:13.820 come he will get it one way or the other what is it what is his reward what is his vindication 00:16:13.820 --> 00:16:22.240 it's seeing god's face and when you consider the trouble he's going through his enemies are out to get 00:16:22.240 --> 00:16:29.919 him um his his enemies are surrounding him they've in they've got him trapped his concern is not 00:16:29.919 --> 00:16:37.279 primarily for deliverance although he wants that but it's that he was going to rejoice when he sees 00:16:37.279 --> 00:16:44.560 his face and he's going to be satisfied if we're seeing god's likeness 00:16:44.559 --> 00:16:53.039 this is true for us as believers we can read these promises of the old testament for ourselves 00:16:53.039 --> 00:16:59.439 um but it's explicitly we're told the same thing in one john chapter three verse two 00:16:59.439 --> 00:17:07.359 when it's this it says this but we know that when christ appears we shall be like him 00:17:07.359 --> 00:17:17.000 for we will see him as he is that's your vindication that's your reward that's your promise from god 00:17:17.000 --> 00:17:24.000 when christ appears we shall be like him we shall see him as he is 00:17:24.000 --> 00:17:33.039 and like david we will be satisfied when we see him and when we are like him then we'll have a 00:17:33.039 --> 00:17:39.500 resurrection body our sinful self will finally be done away with our problems will be over 00:17:39.500 --> 00:17:45.960 when i was mulling over this this morning i'm not going to do this but you can do this exercise at home 00:17:45.960 --> 00:17:52.399 i was thinking of what won't there be in heaven now you can think think yourself there so this is why 00:17:52.399 --> 00:17:59.279 we should be so excited what won't be there and what will be there and for david the greatest thing 00:17:59.279 --> 00:18:06.559 was the lord is going to be there he will see the lord's face so the unspoken question as we 00:18:06.559 --> 00:18:20.160 get to the end of psalm 17 i think has got to be this is christ enough for us here and now are we totally 00:18:20.160 --> 00:18:22.879 satisfied with him 00:18:22.880 --> 00:18:29.680 is christ enough for us what does it mean to be satisfied with christ 00:18:29.680 --> 00:18:35.980 well it's that we don't have to have other things other loves other pleasures christ is enough 00:18:35.980 --> 00:18:42.780 um take this illustration all right if you've been through this yourself you will know it well 00:18:42.780 --> 00:18:47.300 if you've heard other people go through this through this you'll know it well too and it's the 00:18:47.300 --> 00:18:52.720 marriage vows all right this is the marriage vows if you are not familiar with it 00:18:52.720 --> 00:18:59.920 i take you to be my wife or my husband to have and to hold from this day forward for better for 00:18:59.920 --> 00:19:08.480 worse for richer for poorer in sickness and in health to love and to cherish till death do us part 00:19:08.480 --> 00:19:14.740 so the couple standing there at the front of the church giving their life to each other 00:19:14.740 --> 00:19:23.740 and they're promising to be faithful to each other not just to be faithful to each other in a vague sense 00:19:23.740 --> 00:19:31.319 but to keep themselves to the for each other to the exclusion of all others 00:19:31.319 --> 00:19:38.740 so that is a wedding is a beautiful picture of the church and christ 00:19:38.740 --> 00:19:48.200 have we given ourselves to the exclusion to christ so that although we may have other loves we may 00:19:48.200 --> 00:19:55.299 have a wife a husband we may have our children other things in in life that we love our prime love 00:19:55.299 --> 00:20:04.740 is jesus christ is christ alone enough for you we sung song we've learned recently and uh 00:20:04.740 --> 00:20:11.799 we're going to sing it it's if christ is mine and the last verse says this though all i have is stripped 00:20:11.799 --> 00:20:21.559 away still i rejoice for christ remains and when he comes he'll lift me high for all of christ is all of 00:20:21.559 --> 00:20:25.420 mine what a wonderful song a wonderful verse 00:20:25.420 --> 00:20:32.920 just before we stop and we go into communion i think it's very important that we look 00:20:32.920 --> 00:20:43.039 at our lord jesus and how he how we see him in this song how did jesus read this song i was very 00:20:43.039 --> 00:20:49.980 interested to hear from a preacher that steve actually knows which i was very very i'm surprised 00:20:49.980 --> 00:20:55.799 i know you're moving big circles but i didn't know it was this big all right this guy's written a book 00:20:55.799 --> 00:21:02.980 named christopher ash for those of you that may be studying scriptures and he speaks at length 00:21:02.980 --> 00:21:09.960 on christ in the psalms all right and it's a great it's a great um great thing to follow up if you if you 00:21:09.960 --> 00:21:18.220 can do that and what he says is this is that the psalms was jesus's song book so jesus was very familiar 00:21:18.220 --> 00:21:24.420 with this psalm and for all of the other psalms that was his prayer book that was his his song book 00:21:24.420 --> 00:21:34.100 he would hear it in the synagogue he would memorize it and you can see as you read through the psalms 00:21:34.100 --> 00:21:42.160 it's all about the heart the heart response to god and how did how did jesus's heart response to his 00:21:42.160 --> 00:21:49.440 father fit him with what what is said in the psalms this is i haven't got the answer to it i haven't got 00:21:49.440 --> 00:21:55.279 the answer to it but it's just fascinating to think about what i can see from this psalm i'll share with 00:21:55.279 --> 00:21:55.519 you 00:21:55.519 --> 00:22:09.900 we see here that david reflects jesus but jesus is the greater david we see that david could claim 00:22:09.900 --> 00:22:17.980 innocence in his actions on a particular matter but our lord jesus could claim perfect purity 00:22:17.980 --> 00:22:28.019 that's how christ read this psalm he had perfect purity he was holy as his father was holy 00:22:28.019 --> 00:22:36.300 david experienced in verses 9 to 12 there the wrath of his enemies he he had people surrounding him 00:22:36.299 --> 00:22:45.359 out to destroy him jesus experienced this very same thing on the cross for us his enemies were out to 00:22:45.359 --> 00:22:52.960 destroy him as we read in verse 9 david's experience verse 9 they surrounded david they surrounded jesus 00:22:52.960 --> 00:22:58.819 around the cross of course they closed up their callous hearts and spoke with arrogance 00:22:58.819 --> 00:23:08.279 what can be more arrogance than to say to the son of god who is dying in their place come down from the 00:23:08.279 --> 00:23:10.819 cross you saved others so save yourself 00:23:10.819 --> 00:23:22.379 they were indeed as verse 12 says like a lion hungry for for prey yeah unlike david his prayer was not for 00:23:22.380 --> 00:23:28.800 rescue or for vindication but what did he say father forgive them 00:23:28.800 --> 00:23:36.080 his prayer for us jesus was of course the apple of his father's eye 00:23:36.080 --> 00:23:45.280 and even so his desire was not to be saved from his enemies but to submit to his father that he may ransom 00:23:45.279 --> 00:24:00.279 his people lastly he lived and died not for this short life on earth as david's enemies did but his for his father's glory and to win souls to his eternal kingdom 00:24:00.279 --> 00:24:13.279 so that this is true of us when we look forward to the celestial city revelation 22 verse 4 they will see his face 00:24:13.279 --> 00:24:17.279 the lord will be their light 00:24:17.279 --> 00:24:31.279 we were once his enemies now forgiven bought into his kingdom and we have a chance to reflect now of his wonderful love for us 00:24:31.279 --> 00:24:35.279 around the table so i pray that god will help us all to do that 00:24:35.279 --> 00:24:36.160 so i pray that god will be our hope for us all to do that 00:24:36.160 --> 00:24:36.160 00:24:36.160 --> 00:24:36.160 00:24:36.160 --> 00:24:36.160 00:24:36.160 --> 00:24:36.160 00:24:36.160 --> 00:24:36.160 00:24:36.160 --> 00:24:36.160 00:24:36.160 --> 00:24:36.160 00:24:36.160 --> 00:24:36.160 00:24:36.160 --> 00:24:36.160 00:24:36.160 --> 00:24:36.160 00:24:36.160 --> 00:24:36.160 00:24:36.160 --> 00:24:36.160 00:24:36.160 --> 00:25:06.140 Thank you.