Westtown Church
Westtown Church
The Prayer of Buffeted Faith
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Suffering certainly does not feel normal but the Bible reveals that suffering is a normal part of the Christian life. That suffering seems even more painful when it comes from the hands, mouths and schemes of other people. The second half of Psalm 9 reminds us of at least five things we need to remember about God when our faith is challenged with suffering.
Psalm 9
Speaker 1Good morning . I invite you to turn in your Bibles to Psalm 9 this morning , psalm 9 . And if you're thinking , hey , we did that Psalm last week , you're right , we did , but we only did the first half . So we're going to do the second half today and we're in our last few weeks of the Summer Psalm series . I hope it's been an encouragement to you , as it has been to me . I'm going to introduce it and then I'll read the portion that we're going to look at today and pray together .
Speaker 1To be a Christian is a high calling . Sometimes you'll hear people say calling . Sometimes you'll hear people say you know to be a Christian . That's just a cop-out . But when someone says that actually what they're demonstrating is , they don't understand what the high calling of a Christian is .
Speaker 1Because one of the things the Psalms teaches so clearly , and the Bible in general teaches us so clearly , is when we're a Christian , we're called by God to suffer for his glory . The apostle Peter in this first Peter , chapter two , peter suffered greatly for Christ . He ended up being martyred for Christ . But he says this to the suffering Christians of the early church If , when you do good and suffer for it , you endure , this is a gracious thing in the sight of God . For to this you have been called , because Christ also suffered for you , leaving you an example so that you might follow in his steps . So Christ suffered for us to the glory of God , and we're called to suffer for him to the glory of the Father . We see that all over the Psalms . That's why we need the Psalms . We get a theology of suffering in many other places from the Bible , but the Psalms are a critical piece to that . John Piper says the suffering of Christ is a call for a certain mindset towards suffering , namely that in this fallen world it is normal and the path of love and missions will often require it . So as Christians , we have to have that mindset of Christ and part of that mindset of Christ in this fallen world , on this side of glory . Think God , one day the suffering is going to end . Aren't you glad for that ? But on this side of glory , suffering is normal . It's actually a normal part of the Christian life . We should not be surprised by it .
Speaker 1And so , with that brief introduction , I'd like to invite you , if you would , to stand . I'm going to read the second half of Psalm 9 , verses 11 through 20 . It's the infallible word of the living God . It's inerrant and it's inspired , and God sends it to you with love in his heart . So receive it from him in that way . Verse 11 .
Speaker 1Sing praises to the Lord who sits enthroned in Zion . Tell among the peoples his deeds , for he who avenges blood is mindful of them . He does not forget the cry of the afflicted . Be gracious to me , o Lord . See my affliction from those who hate me . O you who lift me up from the gates of death , that I may recount all your praises . That in the gates of the daughter of Zion I may rejoice in your salvation .
Speaker 1The nations have sunk in the pit that they have made , in the net that they hid . Their own foot has been caught . The Lord has made himself known . He has executed judgment . The wicked are snared in the work of their own hands . The wicked shall return to shield all the nations that forget God , for the needy shall not always be forgotten and the hope of the poor shall not perish forever . And the hope of the poor shall not perish forever . Arise , o Lord . Let not man prevail . Let the nations be judged before you Put them in fear , o Lord . Let the nations know that they are but men . The grass withers and the flowers fade , but the word of the Lord endures forever . God's people said Amen , you may be seated , heavenly Father , we come to your word . And Lord Jesus , you prayed in John 17 that the Father's word is truth . Sanctify them by your truth . So that's what we ask God that you'd make us holy , make us like Christ . Transform us today through your word , by the grace of the Holy Spirit at work in us . We ask in Christ's name , amen .
Speaker 1We're going to look at this in five parts . I'm going to spend most of my time on the first two and allude more briefly on the last three parts , but we're going to look at this . Verses 11 through 20 . There's a chunk of change in Psalm 9 , which is why I divided it . There's a lot in here to benefit from , but the first thing I want you to see about the Lord , that is , the covenant Lord , is that he's the avenger of the afflicted .
Speaker 1I want you to notice verses 11 and 12 . Sing praises to the Lord , who sits enthroned in Zion . Tell among the peoples his deeds , for he who avenges blood is mindful of them . He does not forget the cry of the afflicted . For some , this may be a little bit of a shocker . Jesus is the avenger . God is the avenger of the afflicted . It's natural for us to want to shape God into how we want him to be or how we like to think him to be . But what God calls us to do is for us to understand him how he's revealed himself to be in the Holy Scriptures , and particularly through his son , jesus Christ .
Speaker 1And I want you to notice that the God of the Bible is the God who avenges the blood of his people who have been mistreated , who are afflicted by unjust treatment . Unjust treatment God is gentle , he's patient , he's tender , but he's not a pansy , he's not weak , he's not limp . There's a toughness to God as well as a tenderness , and it doesn't say he takes revenge , he avenges . You know , in this world there are people who lose loved ones to unjust acts of others . It might be murder , whatever the case might be . And until they find out who that is and that person is brought to justice , what's the cry of their heart ? We want God to make this right . We want justice . The dignity of that person's life demands that justice be done , and we're not going to be able to rest until it is done , and that's the spirit that's in this Psalm . That's a right spirit , that's a good spirit . This is a spirit that's in David , this godly king of Israel , and it's the Holy Spirit who inspired him in this very prayer . And so God avenges the blood of his people . I don't know if you know this . We might be thinking well , that's great , pastor , but I got problems at work and Tuesday's coming and I don't see anybody getting slaughtered in Westchase . Well , did you know that in the 20th century more Christians were persecuted and died for their faith than the previous 19 centuries combined ? The last hundred or so years has been a bloodbath of Christians around the world , and if you're a Christian here this morning , those are our brothers and sisters . In the faith We'll spend eternity . They're our eternal family . God notices and he wants us to remember them too .
Speaker 1Verse 11 , we see the two great activities of the church worship and evangelism . There's actually a third discipleship , but here David , worship and praise . Sing praises to the Lord who sits enthroned in Zion . There's worship , and then evangelization and proclamation of the gospel . Tell among the peoples his deeds , tell them how great God is , how good he is , how gracious . And so true faith bursts forth with a thankful heart , and a joyful heart , into worship of God , and not only that , they don't keep it to themselves .
Speaker 1David rightly wants other people to share in this joy that he has in God . He wants other people to know about how great God is and to join him in their praise of him . The knowledge of God , the knowledge of the kingdom of God it's a kingdom of worship . It's a kingdom of worship . Why did Jesus give us the great commission ? It's because all over the world , he gave his church the great commission . Because all over the world , people do not worship God . That's the greatest injustice on this earth that the infinitely great God does not get the praise and honor due his name . We hear a lot about social justice . How much do we hear about the injustice of God not getting thanks and praise for all the blessings he bestows upon all ? The Scripture says he's good to all , don't we know this from our own life ? Look at how good God is to us .
Speaker 1True faith bursts forth with this worship , and so David's basically saying in verse 11 , if you could see , with the eyes of faith , like I can see , how great and good and gracious God is , you would praise him too . Those things that we take joy in , we want to share with other people , and so David calls upon the Israelites here to sing praise , not to the God of their choice , but to the Lord . That's the covenant Lord Yahweh , who we just sang about . And who is this Lord David tells us in verse 11 , the one who sits in Zion or the one who dwells in Zion ? That's an Old Testament way of saying the one who dwells amongst his church , amongst his people . God's not off bowling in the sky , he's not unconcerned and detached . Our God is Emmanuel , god with us . That's why the tabernacle was right in the middle of the 12 tribes of Israel when they moved through the wilderness . God is with his people and we see that in Christ . His glory may be above the heavens , as Winston just read to us . It's from Psalm 8 . His glory may be above the heavens , as Winston just read to us from Psalm 8 . His glory may be above the heavens . The heavens can't contain his glory . He's so great , but he dwells amongst his people as great , infinitely great and transcendent as God is . He's near you . Ladies that are going to study Revelation this fall together Revelation chapters two and three . You're going to see that Jesus is amongst the church he's dwelling in the church of all those churches that are listed in those chapters . Emmanuel , god with us .
Speaker 1The Old Testament , when you had the presence of the Ark of the Covenant there , part of what that signified is God's presence with His people . And in the New Covenant we rejoice in the Lord Jesus Christ , because he's the reality of that Ark . That Ark was a symbol that pointed forward to the true Ark of the Covenant , which is Jesus Christ . John's Gospel opens this way Listen , in the beginning was the word , and the word was with God , and the word was God . He was in the beginning with God , of course , the words referring to Jesus here , the son of God . All things were made through him . And then you drop down to verse 14 and the word became flesh and dwelt among us , literally tabernacled among us . There's that tabernacle , the presence of God with his people , and John says and so the true meaning of the Ark of the Covenant has become clear that God is with us in the person of Jesus Christ . Indiana Jones , take a break , you don't need to find that ark and I know he found it and it got stuck in some warehouse . But no , jesus Christ is the true ark of the covenant . He's the true ark of the covenant . That's what you need to find is Him .
Speaker 1Verse 11 , let us not keep the wonder and the glory of our God to ourselves . That's the heartbeat of it . Tell amongst the peoples , tell amongst the nations his deeds , because the Holy Spirit inspired David in this prayer , in this psalm . It means this is God's heartbeat for the nations . He wants his greatness to be known amongst the peoples . Verse 12 , he's the avenger of the afflicted , for he who avenges blood , not revenge , he who avenges blood , is mindful of them . He does not forget the cry of the afflicted . That's the deeds . That's part of what David . It's one of the things David wants people to praise God for . He doesn't forget , he takes notice .
Speaker 1Sometimes in our suffering and our pain , we wonder does God see me ? Does he care ? Is he mindful of me ? Doesn't he see how I'm hurting ? And the answer is he absolutely does see you . But there's purpose in our suffering . There's purpose in our suffering , as Mark Futaro said , somewhere in the love of God there's a place for suffering , and part of that place is for us to take that suffering , commit it to God and glorify Him in it . And that's what we see David doing here in Psalm 9 .
Speaker 1Some of you have family that has dealt with dementia and Alzheimer's and it's a horrible , tragic disease , tragic disease . But verse 12 tells us there's one who never , ever forgets , and he never , ever forgets the cries of the afflicted and the oppressed and those who are persecuted and murdered in his name . He never forgets his people . And , to be clear , who is it that does this avenging ? It's the covenant Lord , all capitals , capital L , capital O , capital R , capital D . We just sang Yahweh . That's it . It's the promise keeping God . You may be suffering , but God is going to show himself faithful . That's what it means . Before it's all over , you're going to be able to say great is thy faithfulness . Aren't you glad , christian , if you believe that this morning say amen , he will show himself faithful . That's why David's using this name . He's a promise-keeping God . He will keep his promises to you and it's Jesus Christ Himself .
Speaker 1The New Testament says Jesus is who , jesus is Lord . This Lord we read about in the Old Testament is revealed Now . We know His name Jesus . It kind of reminds me of Helen Keller . She said at one point remember she was deaf and blind and mute . She said at one time I knew him . I knew him . I just did not know his name . Well , we know him . His name's Jesus . He is the Lord . Jesus is Lord . He's the one who suffered for us and our sins . He drank the cup of hell in our place . He went to the grave . God raised him from the dead . Christ ascended into heaven , sits at the right hand of God , the Father Almighty , in the heavenly Zion now , and he's the one who dwells in heaven amongst his people . He's there with Michelle Howell and all the saints that have gone before us and the angels , but he also , by the Holy Spirit , the Spirit of Christ , dwells with us here this morning . God is with you , christian . He's with his people
Prayer for God's Vengeance and Grace
Speaker 1.
Speaker 1Revelation , chapter six , the fifth seal . It's broken by who ? Jesus Christ , the Lamb of God . Listen , when he opened the fifth seal , I that is , the apostle John I saw under the altar the souls of those who'd been slain for the word of God and for the witness they had borne . They cried out with a loud voice oh sovereign Lord , holy and true , how long before you will judge and avenge our blood on those who dwell on the earth ? Then they were each given a white robe and told to rest a little longer , until the number of their fellow servants and their brothers should be complete , who were to be killed , as they themselves had been .
Speaker 1What do the martyred in heaven do ? Well , certainly one thing they're in bliss and total peace and they worship God . But they also cry out to the Lord , jesus Christ , the Lamb of God , that their blood would be avenged . Now , why do they do that ? Because God doesn't forget . He may be patient , and he is . He may be tender and gentle , and he is , but he will never forget those who suffer for His name . Never their blood will be avenged on those who dwell on the earth . It says that's the prayers of those who have been perfected in heaven . There's no sin in heaven . You see how pure that prayer is . I love how the ESV translates . He has remembered the martyrs here in verse 12 . It brings out his tenderness and compassion for those who suffer under the banner of his name . It says is mindful of them , he's mindful of them .
Speaker 1John Calvin , one of the great 16th century reformers , said it is striking evidence not only of God's fatherly love towards us , but of the blessed immortality which is the portion of all . The only of God's fatherly love towards us , but of the blessed immortality , which is the portion of all the children of God , that he has a care about us even after we are dead . And though dead , we still remain alive in his presence . Some of you may wonder who's going to remember me . I'll tell you who's going to remember you . God's going to remember you , he's going to remember you , he will remember , and that gives a certain dignity to every human life . God will remember and , for God's people , he will care about us and he will care about even the unjust things .
Speaker 1You know , I was thinking about this psalm and I thought about , you know , those parents who had maybe their child murdered and on this side of glory they never got to see that resolved . They had to go to the grave not knowing who did it , who took them from them . God will make it right . God's going to make all things right one day . Aren't you glad for that ? He is going to make it right and we need to grab hold of that . And David , you see , that's one of the things fueling , that's part of the wood that's fueling the fire of his prayer here . He knows he's not being treated right , even though he's God's holy and chosen and anointed king . But he knows his God and God's gonna make it right and he may suffer , but he's suffering for the King of Kings .
Speaker 1I came across in Ralph Davis's notes in his commentary there he talked about these 20 families in Myanmar and sometimes called Burma . These 20 families , they walk to church every Sunday , he said , and they walk there with their children , and it takes them one day to get there and one day to go home . And these 20 families would go in this little caravan and on six different occasions the Burmese army has attacked them . Now who cares about those Christians ? I'll tell you who cares and I'll tell you who's going to remember and he will make it right . God is going to make it right . Think about our Christian brothers and sisters who were in Iraq , iran you know Iran is the fastest growing evangelical church in the world . Now , isn't that amazing ? After 1300 years , the gospel has broken through to the Iranian people , not just in Iran , but other places . God's at work in places that before it seemed shut off Pakistan , saudi Arabia , china , india , other places .
Speaker 1Many of these Christians have to hide in secret to worship God . A mere profession can cost you your life , your family , your livelihood , but even if they lay down their lives for Christ . Even if you lay down your life for Christ , that doesn't seem as far away as it used to be for some of your older saints , does it ? God will remember you . If you suffer for His name , he is going to remember . He will not be forgotten . He is the avenger of the afflicted and also he's the savior from death .
Speaker 1Verses 13 and 14 . Be gracious to me , o Lord . See my affliction from those who hate me , o you who lift me up from the gates of death , that I may recount all your praises , that in the gates of the daughter of Zion I may rejoice in your salvation . You see what David's appealing to here . He's appealing in this prayer to God's grace and to his glory . So he's teaching us how to pray . Here he's appealing to God's grace and then to God's glory . Notice here David doesn't appeal to the Lord as if God owed him anything . Not at all . That's not the basis of his prayer .
Speaker 1Look at verse 13 . Be gracious to me , o Lord . Gracious , we can stop praying sometimes , because our sin starts to gnaw at us . We know we're in the spiritual dumper and you just think I don't deserve the special attention of the lord . Why would he hear my prayers ? I've just messed things up and so on and so forth , and , before you know it , you just quit praying , and that's exactly what satan wants god's people to do . Well , of course , you don't deserve to be heard by god . But guess what ? We serve a gracious god , and god hears our prayers because he is a gracious God and he acts on our prayers , not because we deserve it , but because we're gracious , or because he's gracious , rather , and we're loved by Him . So no , we don't deserve His attention , but that isn't why he answers it .
Speaker 1The gospel is about the grace of God , it's not about the goodness of man . That's why it's good news , because God not only saves sinners , he helps sinners , aren't you glad ? And he hears sinners . Saints that still battle sin , don't stay away from the throne room of God . God is our Savior from death , both in this life and in the life to come . He'll save us from , even from the grave , because of Christ , and he's going to do it not because we're good , not because we've got it all together , but not because we deserve it . One reason , and David states it right here because he's gracious . That is the very character of God . That's what flows through the veins of God . That's what flows from his heart . He loves to be gracious . You parents , don't ? You love to be gracious to your kids , even when they don't deserve it . Well , how much more our God , who is love , he loves and delights to be gracious to you .
Speaker 1Verse 12 , david prays to God . See my affliction . This is the kind of scene like hearing when he says hear my prayer , oh God . He doesn't want God just to hear , he wants God to hear in such a way that he acts Same with this scene , see my affliction , lord in such a way that you act on what you see . And I mean he's aware that God's all-knowing . He's not informing God of anything , but he's appealing to God , he's pleading with him to act .
Speaker 1And David reminds the Lord that his affliction arises from these band of rebels who hate him . And that's a big deal , because David is God's chosen king . He's the anointed king of the kingdom on earth , the kingdom of God on earth . To attack the king of the kingdom is to attack God himself . The king is God's representative on earth . That's why you remember when the apostle Paul , before he was even converted to Christ and he hated the early church and he was the lead persecutor of the early church . When the risen Jesus Christ showed up , his name was Saul . We call him Paul now , but remember how Jesus confronted him . Saul . Saul , why are you persecuting me ? He was persecuting the bride of Christ . To persecute the bride of Christ is to persecute Christ , and to attack the king of the kingdom is to attack the God of the kingdom .
Speaker 1And notice David reminds the Lord of his situation . He's calling upon him to act , but he's not telling him how to fix it . He knows God knows how to do that . He doesn't need to inform God how to deal with this situation . So there's a certain humility with David in this prayer . He doesn't think that he knows better than God , but he knows . He's given it to the Lord and he calls the Lord the one who lifts me up from the gates of death . You see , he's the savior from death . The gates of death , that's right . The powers of death , the entrance of death . You know , the gates in the ancient world were where you entered the cities that had walls around them right and the powers of the gates always had . City hall was usually right there at the gates when you came in , so you could do business when you came into the city . So the powers of hell , the gates of hell , is the powers of hell . But he's right there at the entrance and the powers of death are nipping at David's heels .
Speaker 1And David's appeal to God for sparing his life here in verse 14 . Look , why does David want his life spared ? Lord , spare my life ? Because , to be honest with you , at this point all I do is want to hit that little white thing every day on that beautiful green grass . No , by the way , I like golf too , but that's beside the point . But verse 14 , that I may recount all your praises , that in the gates of the daughters of Zion I may rejoice in your salvation .
Speaker 1The point is , the point's not to knock golf . The point is David wants to be saved from death so that he can glorify God . There's a radical God-centeredness to David . It's not save me from this Lord so I can get back to doing just whatever I want to do . And then you know whatever . And no , I want to . I want to praise you , I want you to get the glory due to your name , and you see David's hitting at the very center of and purpose of our living and our suffering . It's to glorify God in all things and when he hears our prayers , to open our lips and give him praise in worship and to our family and friends and , as appropriate , with wisdom , not obnoxious , but to our co-workers and our neighbors and so forth . Our neighbors and so forth .
Speaker 1Right and so ? David was standing here at the gates of death . He knew who the Lord of heaven and earth were . He knew who the Lord of life and death was . It's the Lord Most High . And so the Lord allowed . You remember , back in the book of Job , he allows Satan to come in and take away everything from Job his family , his wealth and much more , even Job's children . I can't imagine . In Job 1 , though verse 20 , it says Then Job arose and tore his robe and shaved his head and he fell on the ground and did what ? And worshiped . That's almost a stunning thing to read . Job has just lost everything and he's grieving and he falls to the ground and yet he worships God . And what does he say ? Naked , I came from my mother's womb and naked shall I return ? The covenant Lord gave and the covenant Lord has taken away . Blessed be the name of the covenant Lord .
Speaker 1Evie Hill , the great LA preacher , when he was preaching his own wife's funeral . By the way , I mentioned this in the first service , I'll mention it to you . Men , you want to have a very profitable marriage retreat . Here's what you do . You go on YouTube and you Google in EV Hill preaching wife's funeral and you and your wife sit and listen to that message together and then you take her to somewhere that she really likes Not that you like , but she really likes right and you listen . But you listen to that . You won't regret it , trust me on that one . But EV Hill , he preached his wife's funeral and he said some people say the Lord giveth and the Lord taketh away , but my Bible says the Lord giveth and the Lord taketh away . Blessed be the name of the Lord .
Speaker 1Evie Hill , like David here , knew who was Lord of heaven and earth and life and death , and so he praises God . He could praise God when he gave and he could praise God when he took away . But you know it begs the question if we're not committed to the glory of God , why should the Lord give us one more breath ? If we're just going to live our life and not care about giving him glory , which is the very purpose of our life , why should he spare it . You see how merciful God is , aren't you glad he's patient with us . Thank God , he's patient . He's a patient Lord . But David petitions here , his prayer . He's got a certain helplessness and he keeps an eye on , like I said , god's grace and his glory , because it's by grace that he saves us from death and he saves us to what that we might give him the glory and the praise . That's why public worship is important . It's why evangelism and church planning and world missions are so important and so forth .
Speaker 1Have you ever noticed , again and again and again , the pattern of Scripture ? Ephesians is a classic example . The first three chapters are about the grace of God . Chapter 4 through 6 , here's how you glorify God in your life . Here's how you honor Him and give Him praise .
The Judge and Savior of Nations
Speaker 1Heidelberg Catechism , written by two young theologians in their 20s . You , young people . God does great things through young people . That's one of the most beloved Reformation catechisms to this day . It's got three sections in it . First section guilt , grace , gratitude . Gratitude is how they label the Christian life . We were guilty , god was gracious Gratitude . Now we're going to live like this out of thanksgiving to God . Remember , jesus healed the 10 lepers and when one came back he said where's the other nine Thanksgiving ? And so the Lord is our savior from death , and thank God that he is , but he's also the judge of the nations . Look at verses 15 and 16 . The nations have sunk in the pit that they have made and the net that they hid their own foot has been caught . The Lord has made himself known . He's executed judgment . The wicked are snared in the work of their own hands . This is what it sounds like in the New Testament . The wages of sin is death . That's the paycheck for sin .
Speaker 1Justice , and Charles Spurgeon says , because of the character of God , he requires and demands the punishment of sin . Sometimes we think because he's so patient that he doesn't care about sin . But that's just . He's patient , but he must punish it . His holiness and abhorrence of sin are displayed . A ruler who winked at evil , spurgeon says , would soon be known as evil . And while our God is God , he will not and he cannot spare the guilty , except through that one glorious way , jesus Christ . That's why Jesus died , that Christ could take our justice as our judge and become our Savior . What a blessing , on judgment day , that we will look at the judge and become our savior . What a blessing , on judgment day , that we will look at the judge and see our savior right there , and he will be just as much of a savior then to us as he was the day we first believed , and he is today and will be forever for those of us who believe in him .
Speaker 1And so there's this boomerang effect of sin that David alludes here to . The world calls it karma , but that's not true . It's not this impersonal force that's just out there and makes things . It's the personal judgment of God . It's the personal judgment of God . That's how he works oftentimes in this world is he lets the wicked get swallowed up by their own schemes , and you see it all the time . And so when we trust in Christ , by faith alone , the wrath of God's just judgment for our sins goes upon Him and we can live in peace even when death is before us . So our Lord is the judge of the nations , but he's also the champion of the weak .
Speaker 117 and 18, . The wicked shall return to Sheol . That's the grave , that's the realm of the dead . The wicked shall return to Sheol . All the nations that forget God , for the needy shall not always be forgotten , and the hope of the poor shall not perish forever . Those who forget God , verse 17 , are the ones who will return to Sheol the grave . The grave for the Jew meant much more than just the place where your body went . Actually , they were often buried above ground , in tombs or in cave-like tombs , but for the wicked it represented eternal death , cut off from God .
Speaker 1Isn't it interesting the New Testament says ? For believers , it describes our death as sleep , sleep always taking a nap . Why is that ? Because we're going to awake and God's going to give life to our body again . But for the wicked , eternal death . It's a willful forgetfulness of God by the wicked . It's not the tragic forgetfulness of those who have something like Alzheimer's or dementia , no , this is the willful forgetfulness . They don't want to know about God , they willfully shut Him out .
Speaker 1And so David , here he's talking about . He's witnessed them sinking , some of his enemies sinking into the pit . But the battle's not over . There's more enemies he's dealing with . Verses 17 and 18 , you see , the judgment is upon all those who forget God , and the salvation is of the poor and the forgotten people of God . They suffer this hatred , they suffer this injustice and notice the little word forever . That's a long time . Verse 18 , the wicked and the godly will both die . They'll both enter the grave , but you'll notice that God's people , the poor , will not perish forever . That's because of Christ . That's why he died and rose again . That's why he rules and reigns now . That's why he's coming back .
Speaker 1David is able to pray with the peace of eternal security . I wonder if you know that peace this morning ? There's nothing like it . Jesus said I am the resurrection and the life . Whoever believes in me , though he die , he shall , he live , and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die .
The Humility and Grace of Christ
Speaker 1Christ is the champion of the weak . His people throughout the ages were often without the power , often the underdog , so to speak . And he's the champion of the weak , but lastly and very briefly , he's the humbler of men . I just want you to see here 19 and 20 , arise , o Lord . Let not man prevail . Let the nations be judged before you . Put them in fear , o Lord . Let the nations know that they are but men . Jesus is the Prince of Peace , but he's also the Warrior of Heaven . He's both .
Speaker 1I'll just say this , so the roast doesn't burn At the end of the day , we're all going to be humbled before God . At the end of the day , we're all going to be humbled before God . The word used for man here is vulnerable , frail man , the mortal man . And see , david knows he's but a mere man , but he's a man who's loved by God . He's a man who's right with God , through faith in the Lord , by the grace of God alone . And that's the difference . King David's been greatly humbled . Why is that important ? Because the Bible says , in more than one place God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble . So I'm going to end with this .
Speaker 1Three very brief concluding points . One , don't forget the persecuted church . Go to persecutedchurchorg or Open Doors , usa , or Voice of the Martyrs , whatever . You might even read David Limbaugh's book Persecution on the persecution that's in the West , not just in other places . But remember them , because a man with a broken leg , when he sees a man who's lost two legs from war , it's not that his broken leg isn't a problem , it's not that his broken leg doesn't cause him suffering , but it sure does put it in perspective . And we need to remember the persecuted church , not only for them but for us , to guard us from self-pity .
Speaker 1And secondly , god hears the cries of hurting people , whether by persecution or some other means . I don't know what you're suffering from this morning , but hear Jesus in this psalm . Come to me , all you who are weary and heavy laden . I will give you rest . And the last thing I want you to see , to remind you of , is the radical God-centeredness of David here . Do you know , at the end of the day , derek Kidner points out as much as David was hurting , he didn't make a suffering about him . First and foremost it was about him . But more than that , it was about the glory of God . And you see , the Psalms teach us not only how to pray but how to live . Take whatever you're suffering from this morning and you say to God , just like Christ took that cup of suffering for me in the garden and at the cross , not my will but your will . Be done Lord . Unto you be the glory . You see , in the mystery of God's love there's purpose in our suffering and there's no greater privilege than to suffer for the King of Kings .