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An Appeal to God (who is seemingly asleep) · Stornoway Free Church of Scotland - Sermons

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in our worship now, and we're singing firstly today in Psalm 118, Psalm 118 on page 397,
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singing verses 1 to 9.
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O praise the Lord, for he is good, his mercy lasteth ever. Let those of Israel now say,
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his mercy faileth never. Now let the house of Aaron say, his mercy lasteth ever. Let
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those that fear the Lord now say, his mercy faileth never. So this is a call by the psalmist to God's
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people, which applies nowadays to God's people, wherever they are, to come and praise the Lord for
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his goodness and for the mercy and loving kindness that lasts forever from him to his people.
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Psalm 118, verses 1 to 9. O praise the Lord.
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Praise the Lord, for he is good, his mercy lasteth ever. Let those of Israel now say, his mercy
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faileth never. Now let the house of Aaron say, his mercy lasteth ever. Let those that fear the Lord
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Azure say, his mercy lasteth ever. Let people have Quandohythmia in Jerusalem.
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dobr his mercy lasteth ever. suas mercy blanks whatever. Let those that fear the Lord have come as
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the Lord has come and has come before the Lord. Let those that fear the Lord have come and Михaillac as
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The Lord did answer me.
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He in a large place stood.
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He said, from trouble made me free.
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The mighty Lord is on my side.
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I will not be afraid.
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For anything that man can do,
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I shall not be dismayed.
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The Lord doth take my part with them
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that help to succor me.
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Therefore, O those that do me hate,
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I my desire shall see.
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Better it is to trust in God
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and trust in man's defense.
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Better to trust in God
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than make princes our confidence.
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Let's call on the Lord in prayer.
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This prayer is particularly for the young folks
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present and for the Sunday school.
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Let's pray.
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Lord, our gracious God, once again we give thanks
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that you have gathered us here together
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to worship you today.
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We know that this is our great privilege
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and that we are blessed in even coming together this way.
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We pray that your blessing will accompany, Lord,
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that privilege for us.
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We pray especially today for our children,
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for the young folks,
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and we ask that you would grant your blessing to them
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as once more we have them with us
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and we give thanks for them.
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And we pray that they, as they grow up
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and continue to learn different things day by day,
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that they will learn especially more about yourself,
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that they will be blessed by you in such a way
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as to place their trust in you
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and come to follow you and confess you as their God.
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Remember them, we pray,
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as they receive further teaching today in Sunday school.
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Be with their teachers as well,
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as we give thanks for them.
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And grant, Lord, that your blessing
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will accompany all the efforts made in your name,
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both at home and in church,
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to have our young people schooled
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and nurtured in the things of God.
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Make these things precious to them, we pray,
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and go before us now and pardon our sin.
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For Jesus' sake. Amen.
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Now I have here today an old recipe book.
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It's called the Glaxo Recipe Book.
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Glaxo apparently was a substitute milk powder,
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which especially in the times after the wars
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you would have found very important
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with the scarcity of goods that people had then.
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So I'm going to read a little bit
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from the introduction to this recipe book.
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It's not very big, but you can see it's very old
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and I have to handle it carefully.
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It doesn't actually belong to me,
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so it's on loan.
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But here it's what it says.
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To compile this recipe book,
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we asked nurses to give us their best recipes
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for children and invalids.
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I don't think nurses probably do that nowadays,
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but in those days that's how it was done.
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These recipes were then tested and revised
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by our own cookery expert and other recipes added.
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The result is a collection of over 160 recipes,
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which while mostly suitable for everyday cookery,
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will be found particularly useful
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to those who have to cater for children,
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invalids, dyspeptics, and the aged.
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And so it goes on.
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And it's a really interesting read, that introduction.
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It tells about glaxo itself.
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It was a powder which came from milk originally,
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made into a powder, and then you added water,
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and that was a substitute for milk.
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For all of these recipes,
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you're asked to use the glaxo.
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And that's interesting that that's what they say
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at the beginning because obviously it had to be tested,
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first of all, to see whether it would work
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or work as well as ordinary milk
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or milk before it became powdered.
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And it's interesting that the cookery experts
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that glaxo themselves had actually took the recipes
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the nurses provided and tested them out.
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And when you go through the book,
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it's really fascinating to find some of these recipes there,
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including cakes and biscuits and puddings
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and even such exotic recipes as stewed calves' feet.
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Let's not go into that,
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but it's one of those recipes that's mentioned.
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So how would they know that the thing was actually,
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that this glaxo was going to work?
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How would they know that these recipes
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actually were recipes that were tasty?
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How would they know that a pudding made with glaxo
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was actually very nutritious and also very tasty?
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Well, you'd have to actually prepare it
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and then you'd have to eat it, of course.
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And there's a saying nowadays,
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which is not actually accurately spoken.
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Many people will say,
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the proof is in the pudding.
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Well, that doesn't really mean anything, does it?
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Because the proof of what?
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The saying is actually,
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the proof of the pudding is in the eating.
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You can only prove that a pudding is tasty
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and good for you or whatever
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by preparing it according to a recipe
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and then tasting it.
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You make it up,
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you then eat it,
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and then you decide if it's tasty
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or maybe it's not.
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But you can only decide that
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by actually making it
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and eating it and tasting it.
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Now, the Bible, in many ways,
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is God's recipe book.
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He has provided us with the Bible
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as a guidance to how our life should be lived.
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And if you look at the Bible as a recipe book,
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there are many things in there
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that you can only actually find out for yourself
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and prove to be as the Bible says
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by taking it to yourself
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and then by actually tasting and seeing
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that God is good.
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How do you know that the peace of God
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is really precious?
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Well, not just by reading the Bible
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and reading about it,
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but by testing it for yourself.
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You find that the peace of God is precious.
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By coming to Jesus,
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by doing what the recipe says,
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coming to Jesus,
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putting your trust in Jesus,
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loving Jesus,
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following Jesus,
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taking Jesus as your Savior.
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And when you do that,
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and you confess your sins,
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and you ask God to pardon your sins,
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you ask God to accept you,
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all of these things are in the recipes
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of the Bible, if you like.
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And as you do that,
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then you find out
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that these things are actually true
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and precious to yourself.
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You'll never find out that God is good
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just by reading about it.
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You have to test it out for yourself.
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And you know,
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one of the great things that we have
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in the gospel
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is an invitation to taste and see
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that God is good.
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So I hope all young folks
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and older folks like ourselves
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as well today
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will know that for ourselves
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and realize that just having a Bible
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or having a Bible in our homes
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is good,
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but really there's more than that needed.
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You need to use the Bible,
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take what it says into your heart,
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put it into practice in your life,
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and then you'll be able to truly see,
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I know that God is good.
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I know that this Bible is true
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because I've tested it
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and tasted it for myself.
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Let's now say the Lord's Prayer together.
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Our Father, which art in heaven,
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hallowed be thy name.
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Thy kingdom come.
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Thy will be done on earth
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as it is in heaven.
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Give us this day our daily bread
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and forgive us our debts
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as we forgive our debtors.
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And lead us not into temptation,
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but deliver us from evil.
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For thine is the kingdom
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and the power
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and the glory forever.
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Amen.
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I'm going to sing again to God's praise,
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this time in Psalm 141,
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Psalm 141.
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This time it's in the Sing Psalms,
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that's on page 185.
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We're singing verses 1 to 5.
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O Lord, I call to you,
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come quickly, I'm in need.
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When I cry to you for help,
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to my appeal give heed.
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Like incense, may my prayer
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before your face arise,
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the raising of my hands be like
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the evening sacrifice.
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Verses 1 to 5 to God's praise.
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O Lord, I call to you,
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come quickly, I'm in need.
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And when I cry to you for help,
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to my appeal give heed.
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Like incense, may my prayer
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before your face arise.
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The raising of my hands be like
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the evening sacrifice.
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Keep watch, Lord, on my mouth,
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and guard my lips, I pray.
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Let not my heart to evil thoughts
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be drawn and led astray.
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Keep me from taking part
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in what the evil do.
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Let me not taste their choices food,
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lest I be false to you.
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A righteous friend's rebuke
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will be a soothing balm.
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Such blows in kindness aimed at me
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will never do me harm.
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Let's now turn to read God's word
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in the book of Psalms,
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Psalm number 44.
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Psalm 44, we'll read from the beginning
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right through to the end of the psalm.
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It's on page 564 or so
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if you're using the church Bibles.
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O God, we have heard with our ears,
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our fathers have told us
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what deeds you performed in our days
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in the days of old.
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You with your hand drove out the nations,
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but them you planted.
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You afflicted the peoples,
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but them you set free.
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For not by their own sword
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did they win the land,
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nor did their own arm save them,
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but your right hand and your arm
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and the light of your face,
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for you delighted in them.
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You are my king, O God,
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ordain salvation for Jacob.
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Through you we push down our foes,
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through your name we tread down
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those who rise up against us.
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For not in my bow do I trust,
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nor can my sword save me,
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but you have saved us from our foes
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and have put to shame
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those who hated us.
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In God we have boasted continually
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and we will give thanks
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to your name forever.
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But you have rejected us
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and disgraced us
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and have not gone out with our armies.
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You have made us turn back from the foe
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and those who hate us have taken spoil.
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You have made us like sheep for slaughter
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and have scattered us among the nations.
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You have sold your people for a trifle,
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demanding no high price for them.
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You have made us the taunt of our neighbors,
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the derision and scorn of those around us.
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You have made us a byword among the nations,
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a laughingstock among the peoples.
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All day long my disgrace is before me
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and shame has covered my face.
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At the sound of the taunter and the reviler,
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at the sight of the enemy and the avenger.
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All this has come upon us,
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though we have not forgotten you
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and we have not been false to your covenant.
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Our heart has not turned back,
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nor have our steps departed from your way.
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Yet you have broken us in the place of jackals
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and covered us with a shadow of death.
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If we had forgotten the name of our God
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or spread out our hands to a foreign God,
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would not God discover this?
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For he knows the secrets of the heart.
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Yet for your sake we are killed all the day long.
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We are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered.
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Awake! Why are you sleeping, O Lord?
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Rouse yourself.
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Do not reject us forever.
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Why do you hide your face?
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Why do you forget our affliction and oppression?
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For our soul is bowed down to the dust.
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Our belly clings to the ground.
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Rise up.
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Come to our help.
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Redeem us
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for the sake of your steadfast love.
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And again, may God follow with us blessing
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our reading of that portion of his word.
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Let's call upon him again in prayer.
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O Lord, our God,
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we give thanks that your word draws us
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into circumstances that we find
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sometimes above our own experience,
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but very often also true to what we experience in this life.
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And we thank you especially that in regard to
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all the experiences we have,
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you bring us to yourself.
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You bring us to know yourself.
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You bring us the account that we have in your word
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of your great doings,
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of your wisdom,
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of your sovereign government,
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of all that exists.
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And we thank you today
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that we have been reminded of that in this psalm.
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We thank you, Lord,
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for the facility you give us to pray,
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to appeal to you,
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to come before you, Lord,
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to entreat you
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that you would come once again
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with your blessing to visit us,
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that you would restore,
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that you would come and bring us once again
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this knowledge of your power,
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of your strength working in our own hearts,
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in our situations,
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in our circumstances,
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in our nation,
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even throughout the world.
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Forgive us, Lord, we pray,
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for the many times we fail to acknowledge
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that you rule over us.
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Forgive us for the many times
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we neglect to think of your wisdom
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as so superior to ours,
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and that your plans are not like our plans,
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or your ways like our ways.
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We thank you today, O Lord,
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that we can worship you in this way,
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and that you guide us by your word
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as to how we worship you
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and how we call upon you,
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and indeed what we can place before you.
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We ask your blessing to be with us then today
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in our gatherings.
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We pray that your Holy Spirit once again
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will take your word,
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make it effective in our experience,
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we pray.
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Lord, leave us not to its outward sound merely,
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but give us, like the psalmist,
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to delight in your word inwardly,
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that they may be our delight,
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even your laws,
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that we may find, Lord,
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our comfort in your word,
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in a world which has so much
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to discomfort your people.
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We ask today that you would continue
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to encourage us,
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to lift us up,
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that you will continue, Lord,
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to strengthen us
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against all the temptations that we face,
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temptations especially designed
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to draw us away from obedience to you,
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and designed, Lord,
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to demoralize
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and to bring us despondency
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instead of assurance.
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We ask that you would grant to us, Lord,
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that today we may know
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that the Lord has indeed been amongst us,
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that you have been pleased once again
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to look upon us in your favor.
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We ask that you would revive us
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and quicken us,
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give us in our hearts, Lord,
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to know of that work of your Spirit
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bringing us out of our times
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of gloom and despondency
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and even against the many things in the world
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that we know are contrary to you
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and contrary to the advance of your cause.
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Nevertheless,
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help us to rejoice in you
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and help us to realize, Lord,
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once again,
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that you are the God
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who governs all things,
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even the movements of evil.
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We pray today for the world
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in which we live,
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the society we belong to ourselves,
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in our own locality
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and in our nation.
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Lord, again,
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be merciful to us,
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we pray,
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as we bring before you
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so many things
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that are of a concern
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to your people.
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We ask that you would
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bring through the power
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of the gospel
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many people under conviction
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that the ways of sin
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are not ways
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that are good for us
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as a people.
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Not only are they ways
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of which you disprove,
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but they are ways
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that damage our lives,
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that prevent us
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from fulfilling
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the chief end
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of our creation,
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which is to glorify you
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and to enjoy you forever.
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We ask your blessing
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today for the efforts
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being made
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against attempts
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in our own parliament,
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especially,
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to further reduce
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the impact of the gospel
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and the freedom
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with which we are able
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to declare the gospel
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and its message.
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Lord,
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we pray that the attempts
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to introduce this bill
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against conversion practices,
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as they are called.
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We ask, Lord,
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that your people
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will be moved
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to counter it.
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We pray that
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that attempt itself
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will fail,
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that you would show,
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Lord,
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your own great care
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and compassion
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towards your cause
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in doing this
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and help us,
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we pray,
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to respond as
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we are encouraged
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to this
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and to every other means
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by which we will seek
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to set the truth
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before the minds
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and the world
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of our day.
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Lord,
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remember those
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who do roll over us.
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We pray for them.
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We pray that
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you would enlighten them
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in your paths.
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We pray that you would
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bring them, Lord,
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to your laws
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and to your word.
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We pray that you would
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come into their lives
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to give them
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to follow you,
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to give themselves
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over to you,
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to be ruled by you
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and to realize
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that obedience
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to Christ
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is not the restriction
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the world thinks it is,
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but is indeed
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the greatest freedom
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we can know.
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And we pray
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that your blessing
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will be with all
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throughout the world today
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who are moved
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to pray
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and to act
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on behalf
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of the cause of Christ.
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Encourage your people,
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we pray,
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and give us
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as we pray to you
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and seek
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to wait upon you
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for your answer
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that we may nevertheless,
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Lord,
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be encouraged
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to continue
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to wait upon you
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and to hold
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to the fact
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that your gospel
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is true,
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that your word
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will not return
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to your void,
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that it will accomplish
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that which pleases you.
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We pray your blessing
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today
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for all other aspects
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of our national need
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and our local need.
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We pray that you'd
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bless all those
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today whom we know
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are caught up
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in various types
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of difficulties
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and challenges
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in life.
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remember them,
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we pray,
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whether they're
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in terms of mental health
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or in terms
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of behavior,
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we ask that you
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would be gracious
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to us, Lord,
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and come
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and help those
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who maybe not
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themselves cry out
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to you
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at this time.
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We pray that you'd
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bring them to do so
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and we ask that you
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would help
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those who seek
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to help them.
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We remember those
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who provide care
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for us in our community.
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Again,
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we commend them
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to you, O Lord,
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and ask that you'd
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bless them
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in our health services
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of various kinds
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and the many other ways
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in which we find
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volunteers
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and paid employment
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too,
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helping us
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in our times of need.
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Remember those
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who are ill at this time,
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continue to bless them.
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Remember those
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who are mourning
25:07
the passing of loved ones.
25:09
Draw near to them,
25:10
we pray,
25:10
to their comfort.
25:12
Grant you blessing
25:12
to our young folks.
25:14
We thank you for the time
25:15
that the Bible class
25:16
have had in Scalladale
25:18
in recent days.
25:19
We pray that that
25:19
will be blessed to them.
25:21
We ask that you would
25:22
continue, Lord,
25:23
to bless the teaching
25:25
of your word to them
25:26
and to the younger ones
25:27
as well.
25:28
We pray that you bless
25:30
our schools.
25:31
We ask that in all
25:32
our schools, O Lord,
25:33
we indeed may know
25:35
again the influence
25:37
of your truth,
25:38
the influence of your word,
25:39
both on those who teach
25:40
and those who are taught.
25:42
And we ask, Lord,
25:43
that you would continue
25:45
to provide us
25:45
with the resources we need
25:47
against the powers
25:49
of worldliness,
25:50
the powers of secularism,
25:52
the powers that seek
25:53
to destroy
25:54
the impact of the gospel.
25:56
Continue to hear
25:57
your prayers,
25:58
your people in their prayers.
26:00
Guide us now,
26:01
we pray,
26:02
into your word.
26:03
Hear us and bless us
26:04
and forgive our sins.
26:06
For Jesus' sake.
26:07
Amen.
26:07
Before we turn to God's word,
26:11
let's sing once again.
26:13
This time we're singing
26:13
in Psalm 43
26:14
on page 54.
26:18
We'll sing these five verses.
26:24
Come, vindicate me,
26:26
O my God.
26:27
Against this nation
26:28
plead my cause.
26:30
Deliver me from wicked foes
26:31
and hypocrites
26:32
who break your laws.
26:35
You are my stronghold
26:36
and my God.
26:37
Why then have you rejected me?
26:40
Why must I go about in grief,
26:42
downtrodden by the enemy?
26:46
And you can see
26:46
that these words
26:47
carry over into the next psalm,
26:50
which we've read
26:50
a short time ago.
26:52
Words where the psalmist
26:53
is pleading with God
26:54
to send out his light
26:57
and his truth
26:58
as he has that
26:58
in verse 3 of this psalm.
27:01
So we'll sing these five stanzas.
27:03
Come, vindicate me,
27:04
O my God.
27:07
Come, vindicate me,
27:15
O my God.
27:19
Against this nation
27:23
plead my cause.
27:27
Deliver me from wicked foes
27:36
and hypocrites
27:40
who break your laws.
27:45
You are my stronghold
27:51
and my God.
27:53
Why then have you rejected me?
28:01
Why must I go about in grief,
28:12
death trodden by the enemy?
28:18
enemy.
28:21
Oh, send
28:24
your light
28:26
forth and
28:28
your truth.
28:31
Let them
28:32
direct
28:34
me in
28:36
your grace
28:38
and bring
28:40
me to
28:43
your
28:44
holy
28:46
hill into
28:48
your
28:50
sacred
28:52
dwelling
28:54
place.
28:58
Then
28:58
to God's
29:01
altar
29:02
I will
29:05
go.
29:07
To God my
29:09
joy and
29:11
my
29:12
delight
29:14
and I
29:17
will
29:18
praise
29:19
you with
29:21
the
29:22
harp.
29:23
Oh,
29:24
God,
29:26
you are
29:28
my
29:29
God
29:30
of
29:31
might.
29:34
Why
29:34
are
29:36
you
29:37
downcast,
29:39
O my
29:41
soul?
29:43
Why
29:44
are you
29:45
so
29:46
disturbed
29:48
in me?
29:51
Trust
29:52
God
29:53
for
29:54
I
29:55
will
29:56
praise
29:57
him
29:58
yet
29:59
my
30:00
saviour
30:02
and
30:03
my
30:04
my
30:05
God
30:07
is
30:08
he.
30:13
Let's
30:13
turn now to
30:14
the book of
30:14
Psalms,
30:14
Psalm 44.
30:17
Psalm 44,
30:18
especially the
30:19
last few
30:19
verses from
30:20
verse 23
30:21
to 26.
30:24
Awake,
30:25
why are you
30:26
sleeping, O
30:26
Lord?
30:28
Rouse
30:28
yourself.
30:29
Do not
30:30
reject us
30:30
forever.
30:32
Why do you
30:32
hide your
30:32
face?
30:34
Why do
30:35
you forget
30:35
our affliction
30:36
and oppression?
30:37
For our
30:38
soul is
30:38
bowed down
30:39
to the
30:39
dust,
30:39
our belly
30:40
clings to
30:40
the ground.
30:42
Rise up,
30:43
come to
30:43
our help.
30:45
Redeem
30:45
us for
30:46
the sake
30:46
of your
30:47
steadfast
30:48
love.
30:51
What's
30:52
going on
30:52
here?
30:54
Why
30:54
would this
30:55
man of
30:55
God
30:56
be so
30:57
bold as
30:58
to call
30:58
upon God
30:59
to awake
31:00
as if he
31:00
were sleeping?
31:02
Why are
31:03
you sleeping,
31:04
O Lord?
31:05
Rouse
31:06
yourself.
31:07
Do not
31:07
reject us
31:08
forever.
31:10
What's the
31:11
context?
31:11
What's
31:12
behind that?
31:14
What's the
31:15
reason he
31:16
would speak
31:16
in that way
31:17
to God?
31:18
Is that
31:19
not wrong?
31:20
Would we
31:21
not find
31:21
fault with
31:22
him for
31:23
doing so,
31:24
for using
31:24
these words
31:25
as he
31:25
addresses
31:26
God?
31:27
Well,
31:28
perhaps,
31:28
but we
31:28
need to
31:29
understand
31:29
where that
31:30
cry is
31:31
coming from.
31:32
Sam,
31:34
you can
31:34
say,
31:35
divides
31:35
into two
31:36
main parts,
31:37
verses 1
31:38
to 8.
31:39
You'll notice
31:39
as we read
31:40
through it,
31:41
verses 1
31:41
to 8 are
31:42
in many ways
31:43
a celebration
31:43
of God's
31:44
victories on
31:45
behalf of
31:46
his people,
31:47
and especially
31:48
how he brought
31:49
them to be
31:49
settled in
31:51
the land of
31:51
Canaan,
31:52
his covenant
31:52
people,
31:53
having brought
31:54
them out of
31:54
Egypt safely
31:55
and on
31:56
through the
31:56
wilderness.
31:58
But then
31:58
there's a
31:59
turn from
32:00
verse 9
32:01
onwards.
32:02
The first
32:03
eight verses
32:03
are verses
32:05
that prepare
32:05
us for
32:06
the complaint
32:07
and the
32:08
context that
32:09
bemoans the
32:10
defeats that
32:12
they have
32:12
suffered.
32:12
We're not
32:13
told the
32:13
exact historical
32:15
context of
32:15
the psalm,
32:17
but it's
32:18
obviously a
32:19
time when
32:19
they faced
32:20
defeat and
32:21
experienced
32:22
defeat against
32:23
their enemies
32:24
because,
32:25
as you can see
32:25
there in these
32:26
verses,
32:27
the Lord,
32:28
he says,
32:28
has rejected
32:29
us,
32:30
you have
32:30
not gone
32:30
out with
32:31
our armies,
32:32
you have
32:33
made us
32:33
turn back
32:34
from the
32:34
foe,
32:35
and those
32:36
who hate
32:36
us have
32:37
taken spoil,
32:38
and then
32:38
twice he
32:39
says in
32:39
the psalm,
32:40
you have
32:40
made us
32:40
like sheep
32:41
for the
32:42
slaughter.
32:44
So the
32:45
context is
32:46
really that
32:47
context of
32:48
defeat and
32:50
of seeing
32:51
that God
32:52
had not
32:52
actually acted
32:53
on their
32:54
behalf as
32:55
he had done
32:55
previously.
32:56
and he's
32:57
bringing this
32:58
to God
32:59
and actually
33:00
setting that
33:01
before God
33:02
and expressing
33:03
the pain
33:04
of his heart,
33:04
the bewilderment
33:05
indeed of his
33:06
heart as
33:07
why is this
33:08
the case?
33:10
Why are we
33:10
now like this
33:11
when previously
33:12
the Lord
33:13
showed his
33:14
power in
33:15
our support
33:16
on our
33:16
behalf?
33:18
Well,
33:18
that's a
33:19
pattern here
33:20
that really
33:20
the church
33:21
of God,
33:21
the people
33:22
of God
33:23
have known
33:23
throughout
33:24
history
33:24
because as
33:26
you know
33:26
yourselves,
33:27
there are
33:28
periods in
33:28
the history
33:29
of the
33:29
church
33:29
down all
33:30
these
33:30
generations
33:31
where you
33:32
find times
33:33
of blessings
33:34
nevertheless
33:35
accompanied by
33:36
times of
33:37
barrenness
33:37
spiritually,
33:39
times when
33:40
the church
33:41
has experienced
33:42
growth,
33:43
but that's
33:44
sometimes
33:44
accompanied
33:45
or followed
33:46
by or even
33:46
preceded by
33:48
times of
33:49
reduction
33:50
and lack
33:51
of growth,
33:52
indeed times
33:53
when there's
33:54
been such
33:54
great decline
33:55
numerically
33:56
as well,
33:57
times when
33:58
the church
33:58
has advanced,
34:00
when the
34:00
power of
34:00
the gospel
34:01
through the
34:02
church,
34:02
through God's
34:02
people,
34:03
has really
34:03
had an
34:04
impact on
34:05
society,
34:06
but times
34:07
such as
34:07
we're living
34:08
in now
34:09
when that's
34:10
not the
34:11
case,
34:12
when you
34:13
can say
34:13
that these
34:14
verses 9b
34:15
to 10
34:15
might
34:17
characterize
34:18
the times
34:19
in which
34:19
we live,
34:20
you have
34:21
not gone
34:21
out without
34:21
armies,
34:22
you've
34:23
made us
34:23
turn back
34:24
from the
34:24
foe,
34:25
those who
34:25
hate us
34:26
have taken
34:26
spoil,
34:28
the reduction
34:28
in the
34:29
impact of
34:30
the gospel,
34:31
the reduction
34:31
even in
34:32
terms of
34:33
not only
34:33
the volume,
34:34
the number
34:35
of God's
34:36
people that
34:36
represent him
34:38
and witness
34:38
for him in
34:39
the world,
34:40
but how we
34:40
ourselves
34:41
experience such
34:42
a lack of
34:42
power accompanying
34:43
that witness.
34:46
These are the
34:46
kind of times
34:47
that we have
34:48
actually come to
34:49
experience in
34:51
the wisdom
34:51
and the
34:51
providence
34:52
of God.
34:54
And undoubtedly
34:55
that's the
34:55
case with
34:56
the church
34:56
in the
34:56
west today,
34:58
that while
34:58
there are
34:58
other parts
34:59
of the
34:59
world for
35:00
which we
35:00
give thanks
35:00
to God,
35:01
where the
35:02
church is
35:02
increasing,
35:03
where the
35:04
gospel itself
35:04
is having
35:05
an impact,
35:06
even if you
35:07
wouldn't
35:07
necessarily
35:08
agree with
35:08
everything that's
35:09
happening,
35:10
nevertheless it's
35:10
still the
35:11
case that
35:11
in other
35:13
parts of the
35:13
world the
35:14
church is
35:14
growing.
35:16
It's not
35:16
the case by
35:17
enlarge with
35:18
ourselves in
35:19
the western
35:19
nations.
35:22
And we
35:22
find ourselves
35:23
sometimes in
35:25
the position of
35:25
the psalmist
35:26
here, asking
35:27
the question
35:28
why.
35:29
And there
35:30
are three
35:30
things I
35:30
want to
35:31
take from
35:32
this context
35:33
today.
35:34
I want to
35:35
look first of
35:35
all at the
35:36
importance of
35:37
a living
35:38
relationship
35:39
with God.
35:41
Secondly,
35:42
I would
35:42
call our
35:43
second point
35:44
behind a
35:45
frowning
35:45
providence,
35:46
taking words
35:47
from William
35:48
Cowper's
35:49
great poem
35:49
God Moves
35:50
in a Mysterious
35:51
Way.
35:52
So that'll
35:52
be our
35:52
second point.
35:53
We'll try
35:54
and open
35:54
up why
35:55
we're giving
35:56
it that
35:56
title,
35:56
that second
35:57
point.
35:58
The third
35:58
will be,
36:00
again,
36:01
borrowed
36:01
from Romans,
36:02
this time
36:02
Romans 15,
36:03
these things
36:04
were written
36:04
for our
36:05
instruction.
36:07
Things which
36:08
are written
36:08
beforehand
36:09
were written
36:10
for our
36:10
instruction.
36:11
So that's
36:11
our way of
36:12
final application
36:13
of these
36:15
verses and
36:15
of the
36:15
context
36:16
in the
36:17
psalm.
36:18
So the
36:18
importance
36:19
of a
36:20
living
36:20
relationship
36:21
with God.
36:22
The
36:22
psalmist
36:23
now has
36:24
the benefit
36:25
here,
36:25
though he's
36:25
speaking in
36:26
this way,
36:27
he has the
36:27
benefit of
36:28
personally
36:28
knowing
36:29
God.
36:31
You can
36:31
see that
36:32
coming through.
36:32
Nobody
36:33
would use
36:34
these words
36:35
in the
36:35
form of
36:35
a prayer
36:36
and of
36:36
an appeal
36:37
unless he
36:38
actually knew
36:39
God to
36:39
begin with.
36:41
These are
36:41
not the
36:41
words of
36:42
somebody who
36:42
is a
36:43
stranger to
36:43
fellowship
36:44
with God.
36:44
God.
36:45
They're
36:45
not the
36:46
words of
36:46
somebody who's
36:47
never known
36:47
God in
36:48
his life.
36:49
They're
36:50
the words of
36:50
somebody who
36:51
values the
36:52
relationship he
36:53
and his
36:53
people have
36:54
with God,
36:55
have had in
36:55
the past
36:56
with God,
36:56
and continue
36:57
to have
36:57
with God.
36:59
And that's
37:00
why he can
37:00
express his
37:02
sorrow and
37:02
his consternation
37:03
and his
37:04
puzzlement to
37:05
God in
37:06
his way.
37:07
It's through
37:08
this relationship
37:08
that he has
37:09
with God
37:10
that he's
37:11
able to
37:11
use such
37:12
language in
37:14
expressing the
37:15
sorrow of
37:15
his heart.
37:18
And he
37:19
even uses
37:19
this language
37:20
very boldly,
37:21
this bold
37:22
language,
37:23
calling on
37:23
God to
37:24
awake.
37:25
Why are
37:25
you sleeping?
37:27
Did the
37:27
psalmist really
37:28
believe that
37:29
God had
37:29
fallen asleep?
37:30
Of course
37:30
not.
37:33
God never
37:34
slumbers nor
37:35
sleeps.
37:35
He knew that
37:36
very well.
37:37
But he puts
37:38
it in this
37:38
form as
37:39
as to
37:39
reinforce
37:41
the strength
37:42
of his
37:42
appeal to
37:43
God.
37:44
It's as if
37:45
God has
37:45
fallen asleep.
37:46
It's as if
37:47
God is no
37:48
longer active.
37:49
It's as if
37:49
God has
37:50
withdrawn his
37:51
power altogether
37:52
and is not
37:53
prepared to
37:53
come to
37:54
bless them
37:55
as his
37:55
people anymore.
37:56
And so he
37:57
uses this
37:57
graphic language,
37:58
awake,
37:59
why are you
38:00
sleeping?
38:01
He didn't
38:01
believe God
38:02
was actually
38:03
asleep,
38:04
but it
38:04
reinforces his
38:05
appeal to
38:06
God for
38:07
God to
38:07
act once
38:08
again.
38:08
as he
38:09
used to
38:10
in the
38:10
past.
38:14
In fact,
38:15
you could
38:15
say that
38:16
the words
38:17
he's using
38:17
here actually
38:19
reveals that
38:20
he believes
38:21
in a God
38:22
who acts.
38:24
Why would
38:24
he call upon
38:25
God to
38:26
come, as
38:26
he put it
38:27
here, to
38:27
awaken himself
38:28
from sleep
38:29
and to
38:29
show himself
38:30
again if
38:31
he didn't
38:31
believe to
38:32
begin with,
38:32
this is the
38:33
God who
38:33
acts on
38:34
behalf of
38:34
his people,
38:35
the God
38:36
who actively
38:36
intervenes for
38:38
their support
38:38
from time
38:39
to time.
38:40
But he
38:41
also believes
38:42
in a God
38:43
who is
38:44
wise,
38:45
who for
38:46
his own
38:46
sake
38:47
sometimes
38:48
does things
38:49
like this,
38:50
and instead
38:51
of acting
38:51
as he
38:52
once did,
38:53
he withdraws
38:54
his power
38:54
sometimes for
38:56
reasons unknown
38:56
to us.
38:57
God.
38:58
But there's
39:00
one of the
39:00
great benefits
39:01
we have
39:02
in a living
39:03
relationship
39:04
with God.
39:05
Where do
39:06
you go
39:06
today with
39:07
the agonies
39:08
of your
39:08
heart?
39:09
Where do
39:09
you go
39:10
today with
39:10
the things
39:10
that really
39:11
trouble you?
39:12
Where do
39:12
you go with
39:13
the sturrings
39:13
that come
39:14
within your
39:15
soul that
39:16
you cannot
39:16
really understand
39:18
or fathom
39:19
that cause
39:20
you bewilderment?
39:21
Where do
39:21
you go with
39:22
the events
39:22
in your life
39:23
that perplex
39:24
you?
39:25
Where do
39:25
you go with
39:26
the things
39:26
that actually
39:27
cause you
39:27
real hurt
39:28
and real
39:29
pain
39:29
and unexpected
39:31
agony of
39:32
soul?
39:32
You bring
39:33
them to
39:33
God and
39:34
even if
39:34
it's expressing
39:35
it in this
39:36
way it
39:36
shows that
39:37
you're bringing
39:38
them to
39:38
God means
39:39
you still
39:40
believe in
39:41
him.
39:41
You still
39:41
believe in
39:42
his power
39:42
to act.
39:44
You still
39:44
believe that
39:44
he is able
39:45
to help
39:45
you.
39:48
He allows
39:49
us the
39:51
outpouring
39:51
of our
39:52
grief.
39:53
He allows
39:54
us to frame
39:55
things in
39:55
question.
39:56
questions
39:56
which perhaps
39:57
at other
39:58
times we
39:58
wouldn't
39:59
ask or
40:00
wouldn't
40:00
even need
40:00
to ask.
40:02
But as
40:03
part of
40:03
the greatness
40:04
of our
40:05
God,
40:06
as part of
40:07
the facility
40:08
he gives
40:09
us in
40:10
his kindness,
40:11
in his
40:11
loving kindness,
40:12
that's how the
40:12
psalm finishes,
40:13
redeem us for
40:14
the sake of
40:15
your steadfast
40:16
love,
40:16
your loving
40:17
kindness,
40:17
for your
40:18
own sake,
40:19
Lord.
40:19
Lord.
40:20
And we
40:21
today can
40:22
bring to
40:23
him all
40:24
that is
40:25
lying on
40:26
our hearts
40:26
and perhaps
40:28
say to
40:29
him as we
40:29
would not
40:30
say to
40:30
anyone else,
40:32
these
40:32
Lord are
40:33
the things
40:33
that I'm
40:33
experiencing.
40:35
Come to
40:36
me.
40:37
Tell me
40:37
why.
40:38
Tell me
40:39
about them.
40:40
Explain
40:41
them to
40:41
me.
40:41
Help me
40:42
through
40:42
them.
40:43
What a
40:47
great God
40:48
we have
40:48
that we
40:51
can do
40:51
this.
40:53
That we
40:53
can do
40:54
this and
40:54
he doesn't
40:55
then say
40:55
to us,
40:56
you put
40:56
that into
40:57
more decent
40:57
language.
40:58
You put
40:59
that into
40:59
language that
41:00
shows you
41:00
understand
41:01
something more
41:02
of what I'm
41:02
doing.
41:03
He doesn't
41:03
turn us
41:03
away and
41:04
say,
41:04
come back
41:05
with your
41:05
more polished
41:06
prayers.
41:08
He hears
41:08
us.
41:09
He hears
41:09
the cry
41:10
of our
41:10
souls.
41:11
He hears
41:12
the tears
41:13
that sometimes
41:13
fall from
41:14
our eyes
41:15
when we
41:15
can't put
41:16
into words
41:16
the things
41:17
that really
41:17
bewilder
41:18
us in
41:18
this life.
41:21
God is
41:22
still our
41:23
God,
41:24
even when
41:24
we can't
41:25
understand
41:26
how he
41:27
deals with
41:27
us at
41:28
certain
41:28
times.
41:30
Is that
41:31
the case
41:32
with yourself?
41:34
Do you
41:34
have this
41:35
living
41:35
relationship
41:36
with God
41:37
where you
41:38
can come
41:38
not only
41:38
to sing
41:39
his praises
41:40
as we
41:40
do in
41:41
church,
41:41
but to
41:41
sing his
41:42
praises,
41:43
even the
41:43
kind of
41:44
words that
41:44
you find
41:45
in the
41:45
psalm that
41:46
are real
41:47
expressions of
41:48
how you
41:48
feel,
41:49
how you
41:49
know in
41:49
your heart
41:50
things to
41:50
be?
41:51
Are there
41:51
things in
41:52
your life
41:52
today where
41:53
you know
41:53
things are
41:54
not as
41:54
they should
41:55
be between
41:55
yourself and
41:56
God?
41:59
Is God
42:00
less clear to
42:00
you today than
42:01
he was
42:01
previously?
42:03
Is there
42:04
something in
42:04
your life
42:05
where you
42:05
know there's
42:06
something affecting
42:07
your relationship
42:08
with God?
42:10
Or perhaps
42:11
you haven't
42:11
even come
42:12
yet to
42:13
embrace
42:14
this God
42:14
and all
42:15
that he
42:15
is.
42:17
Perhaps
42:18
you'd rather
42:18
the things
42:19
were comfortable
42:19
all the
42:20
time.
42:21
Well,
42:21
so would
42:21
I.
42:23
But that's
42:23
not the
42:24
God we
42:24
worship,
42:25
the God
42:25
we follow,
42:26
the God
42:26
we serve.
42:29
Instead,
42:29
we need to
42:30
come at
42:31
all times,
42:32
as Psalm
42:32
34 begins,
42:33
at all
42:34
times I
42:35
will bless
42:36
the Lord,
42:38
even the
42:38
times when
42:39
it's beyond
42:40
your understanding
42:41
why he's
42:42
dealing with
42:42
you in
42:43
certain ways.
42:44
First thing
42:45
then is a
42:45
living relationship
42:46
with God,
42:47
the importance,
42:48
the necessity
42:49
of that,
42:50
the need we
42:51
have,
42:51
each one of
42:51
us,
42:52
to have
42:52
that for
42:53
ourselves.
42:54
Secondly,
42:55
behind a
42:56
frowning
42:57
providence,
42:57
as we said
42:58
from verse
42:58
17,
43:00
especially,
43:01
the Psalm
43:01
is showing
43:02
why he's
43:02
perplexed.
43:04
And what's
43:04
really perplexing
43:05
is that he's
43:06
saying here,
43:07
we have
43:07
not forgotten
43:08
you,
43:09
verse 17,
43:10
all this
43:11
has come
43:11
upon us,
43:12
and we
43:12
have not
43:13
been false
43:13
to your
43:14
covenant,
43:14
our heart
43:15
has not
43:15
turned back,
43:16
not have
43:17
our steps
43:17
departed
43:18
from your
43:19
way,
43:19
yet you
43:20
have broken
43:20
us.
43:21
This is
43:22
what makes
43:22
it really
43:23
perplexing.
43:24
If he was
43:24
coming with
43:25
a confession
43:26
of backsliding,
43:27
a confession
43:28
where he
43:28
found the
43:29
people and
43:29
himself to
43:30
have departed
43:30
from the
43:31
ways of the
43:31
Lord,
43:32
or as he
43:32
says there,
43:33
if we had
43:34
forgotten the
43:34
name of
43:35
God and
43:36
spread our
43:36
hands to a
43:37
foreign God,
43:37
to idols,
43:38
in other words,
43:39
God would
43:39
know this and
43:40
he would make
43:40
it known to
43:41
us.
43:41
This is not
43:42
the case.
43:43
He's convinced
43:44
that it's not
43:45
because they've
43:45
gone astray or
43:46
badly astray that
43:48
this has happened.
43:48
So he's asking
43:49
God the question,
43:50
well, what is the
43:51
meaning of this
43:52
then?
43:54
Maybe in your
43:55
life today,
43:56
you can't put your
43:57
finger on something
43:58
you've done that
44:00
you know is
44:00
wrong and that
44:01
you may think
44:02
God is now
44:03
laying some
44:04
sort of
44:05
chastisement upon
44:06
you to bring
44:06
you back to
44:07
himself.
44:07
Maybe you say,
44:08
well, I can't
44:09
put my finger
44:09
on anything,
44:10
so why don't
44:11
I have God's
44:12
closeness the
44:13
way I used
44:14
to?
44:14
Well, if you
44:15
go to the
44:16
book of Job,
44:17
you'll find a
44:18
man in exactly
44:19
that position.
44:21
And the
44:21
book of Job,
44:23
difficult though
44:23
many parts of
44:24
it is to
44:24
understand,
44:25
we can
44:26
certainly understand
44:27
the main thread
44:28
of it,
44:28
which is this,
44:29
God is showing,
44:31
he's showing
44:31
Satan,
44:32
with which the
44:33
book begins,
44:34
the first few
44:34
chapters,
44:35
Satan coming
44:35
to be given
44:36
permission to
44:37
attack Job.
44:39
Job's a holy
44:39
man.
44:40
Job has not
44:41
gone astray.
44:42
Job is respected
44:43
in his community
44:44
as a man of
44:45
God.
44:47
And yet,
44:48
he has this
44:49
immense suffering
44:50
laid upon him
44:50
in God's
44:51
providence.
44:52
God has given
44:53
permission to
44:54
Satan to attack
44:55
him in this
44:55
way.
44:56
what's the
44:57
purpose?
44:58
What's the
44:58
meaning?
44:59
Well,
44:59
so that
45:00
when you
45:05
look at the
45:05
book of Job,
45:07
God is
45:08
showing that
45:09
Job wasn't
45:11
a believer
45:12
for personal
45:14
selfish reasons.
45:17
He's showing
45:18
that Job
45:18
didn't put his
45:19
confidence and
45:20
trust in God,
45:21
as it were,
45:21
just so he could
45:22
get so much
45:23
out of it for
45:23
himself.
45:26
He's showing
45:27
that faith,
45:28
in the case of
45:30
Job,
45:30
when we trust
45:31
more and more
45:33
in our own
45:34
case,
45:34
faith trusts
45:36
in God,
45:37
come what
45:37
may.
45:39
Faith trusts
45:40
in God not
45:41
just in the
45:41
fair weather,
45:42
but during the
45:43
storms.
45:44
Faith is
45:45
concerned to
45:46
honor God,
45:48
even at the
45:48
worst of times,
45:49
if we can put it
45:50
that way,
45:51
as much as the
45:52
times when we
45:53
have things
45:54
going quietly
45:55
and comfortably.
45:59
Whenever you
46:00
find a
46:00
Christian
46:01
suffering,
46:02
when you
46:03
find a
46:03
Christian
46:04
obviously
46:04
suffering,
46:06
never conclude
46:07
that that's a
46:08
chastisement.
46:09
Never conclude
46:10
about that
46:11
person,
46:12
something's
46:13
gone wrong
46:13
between himself
46:14
and God,
46:15
he's done
46:15
something or
46:16
she's done
46:16
something really
46:17
bad,
46:18
or else there
46:19
wouldn't be that
46:19
sort of suffering
46:20
in their
46:20
life.
46:22
God
46:22
sometimes
46:23
brings
46:24
suffering for
46:25
other reasons,
46:27
reasons known
46:28
to himself,
46:29
reason known
46:29
to his
46:30
wisdom.
46:31
You see,
46:32
that's when you
46:32
go to the
46:33
likes of Job
46:34
and his
46:34
wife came.
46:35
You remember
46:35
early on in
46:37
the book of
46:37
Job,
46:38
his wife came
46:39
and was a
46:41
temptation to
46:42
him,
46:42
used of course
46:43
I'm sure by
46:44
Satan as well,
46:45
who's so
46:45
involved,
46:46
as we said,
46:47
in the whole
46:47
of Job's
46:49
incidents.
46:50
You find
46:50
there in
46:51
Job chapter
46:51
2,
46:52
verses 9
46:53
to 10,
46:54
that this
46:54
is what
46:55
Job resisted,
46:56
where his
46:58
wife said
46:58
to him,
46:59
do you still
46:59
hold fast
47:00
your integrity?
47:01
Curse God
47:02
and die.
47:03
She was really
47:03
saying to him,
47:04
you know,
47:05
you're believing
47:05
in this God
47:06
and look what's
47:07
happened to
47:07
your life.
47:08
What benefit
47:09
has it been
47:09
to you?
47:11
What advantage
47:12
do you have
47:12
continuing to
47:14
believe in
47:14
this God?
47:15
Now,
47:15
what did he
47:15
say?
47:16
He said,
47:16
you speak
47:17
as one
47:17
of the
47:18
foolish
47:18
women
47:18
would
47:18
speak.
47:19
Shall
47:20
we
47:20
receive
47:20
good
47:21
from
47:21
God?
47:22
And shall
47:23
we not
47:23
receive
47:24
evil
47:24
or what
47:25
is bad?
47:26
In all
47:27
this Job
47:27
did not
47:28
sin
47:29
with his
47:30
lips.
47:32
That's
47:32
why I've
47:33
called this
47:33
point
47:33
behind
47:34
a
47:34
frowning
47:35
providence.
47:37
Because it's
47:37
not always
47:38
the case
47:38
that God
47:40
brings
47:40
difficulty
47:41
into our
47:41
lives
47:42
to test
47:43
us by
47:44
way of
47:44
bringing
47:46
us back
47:46
from
47:46
disobedience.
47:49
Every
47:49
suffering
47:50
is a
47:51
form of
47:52
testing,
47:52
yes,
47:53
but it
47:54
doesn't
47:54
always mean
47:55
we've done
47:55
something
47:55
really badly
47:56
wrong.
47:57
You bring
47:58
it back
47:58
to that
47:59
great poem
48:00
of William
48:00
Cowper's
48:01
God
48:01
moves in
48:02
a mysterious
48:02
way his
48:04
judgments
48:04
to perform.
48:05
And later
48:06
on in the
48:07
poem,
48:08
these three
48:08
verses,
48:09
judge not
48:10
the Lord
48:11
by feeble
48:11
sense,
48:13
but trust
48:13
him for
48:14
his grace.
48:15
Behind a
48:16
frowning
48:16
providence
48:17
he hides
48:18
a smiling
48:19
face.
48:20
His purposes
48:21
will ripen
48:22
fast,
48:23
unfolding
48:23
every hour.
48:25
The bud
48:25
may have
48:26
a bitter
48:26
taste,
48:27
but sweet
48:28
will be
48:29
the flower.
48:30
Blind
48:31
unbelief
48:32
is sure
48:33
to err
48:33
and scan
48:35
his works
48:36
in vain.
48:36
God
48:38
is his
48:38
own
48:38
interpreter
48:39
and he
48:41
will make
48:42
it plain.
48:44
Well,
48:44
Cowper
48:44
knew very
48:45
well himself
48:46
of grievous
48:47
providences.
48:48
He was a
48:49
man who
48:49
suffered from
48:50
severe acute
48:51
depression,
48:52
a friend of
48:53
the hymn
48:54
writer John
48:55
Newton,
48:56
but that
48:57
was his
48:57
lot in
48:57
life.
48:59
And that's
49:00
out of that
49:00
agony of soul,
49:01
out of that
49:02
darkness that
49:03
came upon him
49:04
from time
49:04
to time,
49:05
he actually
49:06
penned these
49:07
wonderful words,
49:09
words that
49:09
have been
49:10
such an
49:11
assurance and
49:11
comfort to
49:12
God's people
49:12
down through
49:13
the ages.
49:14
God is
49:15
his own
49:16
interpreter
49:16
and he
49:18
will make
49:19
it plain.
49:21
His ways
49:21
are not
49:21
our ways,
49:23
his paths
49:24
are not
49:24
as our
49:25
paths.
49:27
Behind
49:27
the frowning
49:28
providence
49:28
there hides
49:30
a smiling
49:33
face.
49:33
that doesn't
49:35
mean,
49:36
of course,
49:37
that when
49:38
God lays
49:38
something
49:39
difficult and
49:40
grievous upon
49:40
us in
49:41
providence,
49:41
he's not
49:42
correcting us
49:43
into his
49:44
way.
49:44
There are
49:44
times when
49:45
we do
49:45
cause an
49:46
interruption
49:47
or a
49:47
break between
49:48
ourselves and
49:49
God in
49:50
fellowship,
49:51
and that we
49:52
need the
49:53
kind of
49:54
chastisement
49:54
that sometimes
49:55
he lays on
49:56
us to
49:57
bring us
49:57
back.
49:59
But here
49:59
is the
49:59
man,
50:00
a man in
50:00
the psalm
50:01
here as we're
50:01
looking at
50:02
it,
50:02
in Psalm
50:03
44,
50:03
who's asking
50:04
these great
50:04
questions of
50:05
God in
50:06
that context
50:07
where as we
50:08
see him
50:09
awake,
50:10
why are you
50:10
sleeping,
50:11
rouse yourself,
50:12
do not reject
50:13
us for his
50:14
concern,
50:15
is not just
50:16
for himself,
50:17
his concern
50:17
is for the
50:18
people of
50:18
God,
50:19
for the
50:19
cause of
50:20
God,
50:20
for the
50:21
name of
50:21
God,
50:22
for the
50:23
reputation
50:23
indeed of
50:24
God,
50:24
because they
50:25
have just
50:25
capitulated
50:26
against the
50:27
enemies of
50:27
God,
50:28
the enemies
50:28
of his
50:28
people.
50:29
And the
50:30
psalmist
50:30
here is
50:31
concerned that
50:32
God would
50:33
come to
50:33
act for
50:34
them once
50:34
again,
50:35
and show
50:36
once again
50:37
his power
50:38
and his
50:39
grace.
50:41
A living
50:41
relationship
50:42
with God
50:42
behind a
50:44
frowning
50:45
providence.
50:46
And then
50:47
from the
50:48
book of
50:48
Romans,
50:49
some verses
50:50
from chapter
50:50
15,
50:51
just to make
50:52
our third
50:52
point,
50:53
it's written
50:53
for our
50:54
instruction,
50:55
verses 3
50:55
and 4
50:56
of chapter
50:57
15 of
50:57
Romans.
50:58
Romans,
50:59
where he
50:59
says that
50:59
Christ did
51:00
not please
51:01
himself,
51:02
but as it
51:03
is written,
51:03
the reproaches
51:04
of those
51:04
who reproached
51:05
you fell
51:06
on me.
51:07
For whatever
51:08
was written
51:08
in former
51:09
days was
51:10
written for
51:10
our instruction,
51:12
that through
51:12
endurance and
51:14
through the
51:14
encouragement of
51:15
the scriptures,
51:16
we might have
51:17
hope.
51:19
That's why it
51:20
was written.
51:21
That's why
51:21
these passages
51:22
exist in the
51:22
Bible.
51:23
That we,
51:24
through
51:24
encouragement
51:25
and assurance
51:27
of the
51:27
scriptures,
51:28
might have
51:29
hope,
51:29
that we
51:30
might come
51:30
to have
51:30
assurance.
51:31
And
51:31
interestingly,
51:33
it's in
51:33
Romans chapter
51:34
8,
51:35
we'll see
51:35
that in a
51:35
minute,
51:36
that Paul
51:36
actually quotes
51:38
from this
51:38
Psalm,
51:38
Psalm 44,
51:39
these words
51:40
that we are
51:41
made as
51:41
sheep for
51:42
the slaughter.
51:44
But let me
51:44
take you to
51:44
another incident
51:45
first of all,
51:46
before we come
51:46
to that,
51:47
and you'll
51:48
find it in
51:49
the Gospels,
51:50
especially
51:51
in Mark's
51:53
Gospel.
51:53
I'm going
51:54
to read
51:54
from Mark's
51:54
Gospel,
51:56
and from
51:56
chapter 4,
51:57
and verses
51:58
37 to 38.
52:00
This is
52:01
something that
52:02
took place
52:04
when the
52:06
disciples were
52:08
on the sea
52:09
in the storm.
52:11
And when
52:12
Jesus came
52:12
to them,
52:14
and when
52:15
Jesus rather
52:16
was in the
52:16
boat, but
52:17
actually was
52:18
asleep at the
52:19
back of the
52:20
boat.
52:21
And the
52:21
disciples called
52:22
upon him,
52:23
did they not
52:23
care for him,
52:25
for them at
52:25
all?
52:26
Why was he
52:27
sleeping in
52:27
this way?
52:27
Very similar
52:28
really in a
52:28
sense to what
52:29
you find in
52:30
Psalm 44.
52:32
And when the
52:33
disciples came
52:33
and found
52:34
Jesus asleep,
52:35
how did he
52:36
actually respond?
52:36
He said,
52:37
where is your
52:38
face?
52:39
Now that's
52:40
really interesting
52:40
in the context.
52:41
And then of
52:42
course he arose
52:42
and rebuked the
52:43
wind, the
52:44
storm, and the
52:45
sea became a
52:46
great calm.
52:47
And they were
52:48
amazed, and they
52:48
said, who is
52:49
this then?
52:50
That he
52:51
commands even
52:51
the wind and
52:52
the seas to
52:53
obey him.
52:54
She has the
52:54
whole point of
52:56
the purpose to
52:56
bring the
52:57
disciples to
52:57
learn something
52:58
more about
52:59
Jesus.
53:00
To actually
53:00
come once again
53:01
to stand in
53:02
the presence of
53:03
Jesus and say,
53:04
this is no
53:05
ordinary man,
53:06
this is no
53:06
ordinary person,
53:07
this is a
53:08
person who's
53:08
got extraordinary
53:09
ability and
53:10
power, and he's
53:11
here with us, and
53:11
he's in this
53:12
boat, and he's
53:12
looking after
53:13
us.
53:14
See, that's one
53:15
of the great
53:16
privileges we
53:18
have in this
53:19
life.
53:20
These disciples
53:20
were actually
53:21
quite safe, even
53:23
while Jesus was
53:24
sleeping.
53:25
The storm was
53:26
not going to
53:26
overwhelm them, but
53:28
they were being
53:29
tested.
53:30
That's why he
53:31
addressed them in
53:33
terms of their
53:33
faith, or indeed
53:35
the lack of their
53:36
faith.
53:36
faith.
53:38
And so, for you
53:39
and I as well, our
53:42
privilege is to
53:43
learn more and
53:44
more about God.
53:47
And sometimes
53:47
that comes through
53:48
the asking of
53:49
questions in really
53:50
difficult times.
53:53
But when we use
53:54
that facility to
53:55
come to God, and
53:57
wait upon God, and
53:58
bring our concerns
53:58
to him, we know
54:00
that he's still the
54:01
same God.
54:03
We know that he
54:03
hasn't changed.
54:04
We know that even
54:06
although things
54:07
change maybe in
54:08
our relationship
54:09
with him, in
54:10
terms of how we
54:11
see things and
54:12
how we feel
54:12
things to be,
54:14
essentially, nothing
54:15
is different with
54:16
God.
54:18
He remains the
54:19
same.
54:20
He remains
54:20
faithful.
54:22
He remains the
54:23
God we can
54:23
depend upon, the
54:25
God we can pray
54:26
to, the God we
54:27
can pour our
54:28
heart out to, and
54:30
bring our concerns
54:31
to him.
54:33
And then, I
54:34
mention Romans
54:35
chapter 8, again
54:37
written for our
54:37
instruction.
54:39
Romans chapter 8,
54:40
one of the great
54:41
chapters of this
54:44
great book of the
54:44
Bible.
54:46
And near the end
54:47
of the chapter,
54:48
Paul moves to
54:49
encouraging those
54:51
Christians in Rome
54:52
by that wonderful
54:54
passage, beginning
54:55
verse 31.
54:56
What shall we then
54:57
say to these
54:58
things?
54:59
If God is for us,
55:00
who can be against
55:01
us?
55:02
He who did not
55:03
spare his own
55:04
son, but gave
55:04
him up for us
55:05
all, how will he
55:06
also not with him
55:08
graciously give us
55:09
all things?
55:10
And so it goes on.
55:11
These questions that
55:12
he then puts in the
55:13
form of questions
55:14
that are designed to
55:15
assure us, designed
55:16
to encourage us, to
55:18
reinforce the truth
55:19
that we know about
55:20
God.
55:21
Who shall separate
55:22
us from the love
55:23
of Christ?
55:24
Shall tribulation, or
55:26
distress, or
55:26
persecution, or
55:27
famine, or
55:28
nakedness, or
55:29
danger, or sword,
55:30
as it is written,
55:31
and here's Psalm
55:32
44, for your
55:33
sake we are being
55:34
killed all the day
55:35
long, we are
55:36
regarded as sheep
55:37
to be slaughtered.
55:39
Why does Paul find
55:41
Psalm 44, given the
55:42
kind of Psalm it is,
55:43
to be so meaningful
55:45
and important in the
55:46
context of
55:47
encouragement, the
55:48
context of giving
55:49
assurance to those
55:50
people that he's
55:51
writing to, that
55:52
God has not
55:54
changed?
55:55
Well, because that's
55:56
the context in which,
55:57
as we're seeing,
55:58
Psalm 44 has to be
56:00
looked at as a
56:01
sign itself of
56:02
encouragement,
56:04
pouring out the
56:05
heart before God
56:06
and waiting upon
56:07
God.
56:08
Somebody put it
56:09
this way, and I
56:09
like this way of
56:12
describing it, the
56:14
use of these words
56:15
here from Psalm 44
56:16
in Romans 8, a
56:18
passage of great
56:18
encouragement.
56:20
Sometimes he says,
56:22
the scars that we
56:23
bear, the
56:24
sufferings that we
56:25
have to go through
56:25
as Christians, he
56:27
said, they are
56:29
actually more
56:30
battle scars
56:31
rather than
56:33
punishments.
56:35
What he meant by
56:36
that was that, as
56:38
he put it again, in
56:39
our battle with the
56:41
world, in our
56:41
fighting against a
56:43
world which is at
56:44
war with God,
56:47
why would we not
56:48
expect some scars,
56:49
some battle scars?
56:52
Why would we not
56:52
expect sometimes to
56:53
be defeated rather
56:55
than just pushing and
56:56
advancing all the
56:57
time?
56:58
Why would we not
56:59
expect the kind of
57:00
suffering that really
57:01
tests us, just like a
57:03
soldier on the front
57:04
line is tested, seeing
57:06
many of their comrades
57:07
killed, all different
57:09
kinds of testings, it's
57:11
all part of the war,
57:13
part of the engagement,
57:14
part of the battle
57:15
scene, and many go
57:17
home with mental and
57:19
physical scars from that
57:20
battlefield, and God's
57:22
people are like that
57:23
spiritually.
57:25
We bear battle
57:27
scars.
57:29
We bear sufferings to
57:31
do with following
57:32
Christ, to do with
57:34
faithfulness to Christ.
57:37
And you know, these
57:38
words in the psalm are
57:40
picked up as well in
57:41
Paul's use of them.
57:43
For your sake we are
57:45
accounted as sheep for
57:47
the slaughter.
57:48
In many ways that's
57:49
really the key to
57:50
everything, isn't it?
57:51
For your sake.
57:54
For the Lord's sake.
57:56
Why are we engaged in
57:57
a battle against the
57:59
world in its opposition
58:00
to the gospel?
58:02
Why are we engaged in
58:03
living the kind of life
58:05
that's contrary to the
58:06
world, and therefore
58:07
attracting suffering and
58:09
difficulty and challenge
58:10
to ourselves?
58:10
Why is it done?
58:12
What is the purpose of
58:13
it?
58:13
What is the rationale?
58:15
It's for his sake,
58:16
isn't it?
58:18
Why are we encouraged
58:19
to combat the attempt
58:21
that are being made
58:22
to introduce further
58:23
measures in law that
58:25
would curtail the
58:26
gospel for his sake?
58:28
That's why.
58:31
Why do we encourage
58:32
one another as those
58:34
who are together in
58:35
this battle?
58:37
For his sake.
58:39
For his loving
58:40
kindness sake.
58:42
The struggles, the
58:43
defeats, the
58:46
challenges, the
58:48
hurts and the
58:48
pains of being a
58:50
soldier of Christ,
58:51
male or female,
58:53
they're not
58:54
evidences that God
58:55
has forgotten us.
58:58
They're evidences of
58:59
the struggles that
59:00
we're engaged with
59:01
in our war with sin
59:03
and with the world.
59:05
They're marks of
59:06
honor, in fact, in
59:07
that sense.
59:09
You wouldn't have
59:09
them if you weren't
59:10
a Christian.
59:12
You wouldn't have
59:13
them if you didn't
59:14
belong to these
59:14
people who are
59:15
sometimes bewildered,
59:17
but can bring their
59:17
bewilderment to God
59:19
and wait upon him
59:21
until he comes once
59:23
again to act on
59:24
their behalf.
59:26
It's an aspect of
59:28
that living
59:29
relationship with
59:30
him.
59:32
So today, friends,
59:33
don't be
59:34
discouraged.
59:35
Don't be discouraged
59:36
when you look into
59:37
yourself and find
59:39
much to be
59:39
discouraged about.
59:41
Don't be discouraged
59:42
as you look out on
59:43
that world and find
59:44
even more to be
59:45
discouraged about.
59:47
Don't be discouraged
59:48
when you are sad
59:50
about how little
59:51
impact the gospel
59:53
and the church has
59:54
in our society
59:55
today.
59:56
Don't be discouraged.
59:57
Take all of that
59:58
to God.
59:59
Bring all of that
1:00:00
into your living
1:00:01
relationship with
1:00:02
him.
1:00:03
Set it out before
1:00:03
him.
1:00:04
Pour out your
1:00:04
heart to him.
1:00:05
Beseech him.
1:00:06
Appeal to him to
1:00:07
come as if you
1:00:08
were sleeping, to
1:00:08
rise up again like
1:00:10
the psalmist here,
1:00:10
to come and revive
1:00:11
his cause and
1:00:12
revive ourselves.
1:00:14
In other words,
1:00:15
make it a means of
1:00:17
encouragement to
1:00:19
pray and to
1:00:20
beseech and to
1:00:20
appeal to God
1:00:21
and to continue
1:00:23
to serve him.
1:00:26
May God bless
1:00:27
these thoughts on
1:00:28
his word.
1:00:28
Let's conclude by
1:00:29
singing some more
1:00:31
verses this time.
1:00:32
We're singing from
1:00:32
Psalm 119.
1:00:35
Psalm 119 and
1:00:37
at verse 51,
1:00:38
that's on page
1:00:39
404.
1:00:40
And singing from
1:00:48
verse 51 down to
1:00:49
the end of that
1:00:49
section, verse 56.
1:00:51
The men whose
1:00:52
hearts with pride are
1:00:53
stuffed did greatly
1:00:54
me deride, yet from
1:00:56
thy straight
1:00:57
commandments I have
1:00:58
not turned aside.
1:01:00
Thy judgments
1:01:00
righteous, O Lord,
1:01:02
which thou of old
1:01:03
forthgave, I did
1:01:05
remember, and myself
1:01:07
by them comforted
1:01:08
have.
1:01:09
Horror took hold
1:01:10
on me, because
1:01:11
ill men thy law
1:01:13
forsake.
1:01:14
I in my house of
1:01:15
pilgrimage, thy
1:01:16
laws my songs do
1:01:18
make.
1:01:19
Thy name by night,
1:01:20
Lord, I did
1:01:21
mind, and I have
1:01:23
kept thy law, and
1:01:25
this I had, because
1:01:26
thy word I kept
1:01:28
and stood in awe.
1:01:30
from verse 51 to
1:01:32
the end of the
1:01:32
section.
1:01:37
The men whose
1:01:40
hearts with
1:01:42
pride are
1:01:45
stuffed
1:01:46
did greatly
1:01:49
me
1:01:51
deride,
1:01:54
yet from
1:01:57
thy straight
1:01:59
commandments
1:02:02
I have
1:02:07
no
1:02:07
turn
1:02:08
aside.
1:02:13
Thy
1:02:14
judgments
1:02:16
righteous,
1:02:19
O Lord,
1:02:23
which thou
1:02:25
of old
1:02:28
forthgave,
1:02:31
I did
1:02:32
remember
1:02:34
and
1:02:38
myself
1:02:39
by them
1:02:43
comforted
1:02:47
have.
1:02:50
Horror
1:02:51
took hold
1:02:53
hold on
1:02:55
me, because
1:02:59
ill men
1:03:02
thy love
1:03:04
forsake.
1:03:07
I
1:03:08
in my
1:03:11
house
1:03:12
of
1:03:13
pilgrimage,
1:03:16
thy
1:03:18
laws,
1:03:20
thy
1:03:21
songs
1:03:22
to make
1:03:25
thy name
1:03:27
my
1:03:29
night,
1:03:31
Lord,
1:03:32
I
1:03:33
did
1:03:34
mine,
1:03:35
and
1:03:37
I
1:03:38
have
1:03:39
kept
1:03:40
thy
1:03:42
law,
1:03:44
and
1:03:45
this
1:03:46
I
1:03:47
had,
1:03:49
because
1:03:50
thy
1:03:52
word
1:03:53
I
1:03:55
kept
1:03:57
and
1:03:57
stood
1:03:59
in
1:04:00
all.
1:04:03
Can I
1:04:03
ask you to
1:04:04
be seated
1:04:04
for a
1:04:05
moment,
1:04:05
please?
1:04:09
I have
1:04:10
something to
1:04:10
announce
1:04:10
to you.
1:04:13
I
1:04:14
notified
1:04:15
the
1:04:16
Kirk
1:04:16
session
1:04:17
last
1:04:17
Monday,
1:04:17
and the
1:04:19
presbyter
1:04:19
the
1:04:19
following
1:04:19
day,
1:04:20
Tuesday,
1:04:21
of my
1:04:21
intention
1:04:22
to
1:04:22
retire,
1:04:24
and to
1:04:24
retire as
1:04:25
from the
1:04:25
end of
1:04:26
June this
1:04:27
year.
1:04:27
So it's
1:04:28
only right
1:04:28
that you,
1:04:29
as the
1:04:30
congregation,
1:04:31
would actually
1:04:31
have that
1:04:32
announcement
1:04:32
as well.
1:04:34
So we've
1:04:35
got a few
1:04:35
months yet,
1:04:36
it'll go past
1:04:37
fairly quickly,
1:04:37
I'm sure,
1:04:38
God willing,
1:04:39
but it's only
1:04:40
right that you
1:04:40
know that
1:04:41
just now,
1:04:42
and especially
1:04:43
for those who
1:04:43
need to make
1:04:44
some preparation
1:04:45
for the time
1:04:47
after which I'm
1:04:48
no longer
1:04:48
here as
1:04:49
minister.
1:04:53
It's something
1:04:53
that I find
1:04:54
difficult to
1:04:55
announce,
1:04:56
simply because
1:04:57
of the love
1:04:58
that you have
1:04:58
shown to me,
1:05:00
and the love
1:05:00
that I have
1:05:01
for you,
1:05:02
as the
1:05:03
congregation,
1:05:03
God has
1:05:04
called me
1:05:04
to the
1:05:06
final part
1:05:06
of my
1:05:06
ministry in,
1:05:08
and that
1:05:09
has been
1:05:09
certainly a
1:05:10
time of
1:05:12
much delight
1:05:12
to myself
1:05:13
of much
1:05:15
benefit,
1:05:17
and I hope
1:05:18
to yourselves
1:05:19
as well.
1:05:21
So that's
1:05:22
really all
1:05:22
there is to
1:05:23
it,
1:05:24
let's just
1:05:25
enjoy,
1:05:25
God willing,
1:05:26
the months
1:05:27
we still have
1:05:27
together,
1:05:28
until that
1:05:29
final cut-off
1:05:30
point comes.
1:05:31
After the
1:05:32
benediction just
1:05:32
now,
1:05:33
I'll go to
1:05:33
the door
1:05:33
here to
1:05:34
my right,
1:05:35
no,
1:05:35
I'll go to
1:05:36
the main
1:05:36
door because
1:05:37
I won't
1:05:37
see you
1:05:37
this evening,
1:05:38
at least
1:05:39
not at
1:05:40
the door,
1:05:41
so I'll
1:05:41
go to
1:05:41
the main
1:05:41
door after
1:05:42
the
1:05:42
benediction.
1:05:43
Please
1:05:43
stand there
1:05:44
for the
1:05:44
benediction.
1:05:47
Now may
1:05:48
the grace
1:05:48
of the
1:05:49
Lord Jesus
1:05:49
Christ,
1:05:50
the love
1:05:50
of God
1:05:50
the Father,
1:05:51
and the
1:05:51
communion
1:05:51
of the
1:05:52
Holy Spirit
1:05:52
be with
1:05:53
you now
1:05:53
and ever
1:05:54
more.
1:05:55
Amen.
1:06:13
his
1:06:13
name прекрас
1:06:22
and
1:06:24
the
1:06:24
behavior
1:06:30
you
1:06:30
Thank you.