Matthew C. Mitchell's Blog, page 27

“Your Statutes Are Wonderful” Psalm 119:129-144 [Matt's Messages]

“Your Statutes Are Wonderful”Lanse Evangelical Free ChurchMothers' Day :: May 9, 2021Psalm 119:129-144
Sometimes, it’s hard to pick out a particular passage of the Bible to preach that’s particularly appropriate to preach for Mother’s Day. I mean, you can preach from anywhere in the Bible on any given Sunday including Mother’s Day, but whenever I can, I like to preach a message that is particularly appropriate and suited for the particular occasion.
And this year, as we’ve been studying the fortifying truth of the Psalms, I wanted to pick a psalm that might be particularly appreciated by the mothers in our church family. Appropriate for all, of course, yet appreciated especially by the moms. 
So this time, I turned to the mom that lives in our home! Heather Joy Mitchell.
I asked Heather Joy if she would pick out the psalm for Mother’s Day, and I said that the only rule was it not be one of the 31 other psalms that we have studied so far in this series. And she agreed.
And so Heather Joy picked out for us the longest of the psalms! Psalm 119.
176 verses long!
Often called the “Giant Psalm” because it’s the longest psalm, the longest chapter in the whole Bible, and is actually longer than some entire books of the Bible!
Psalm 119.
I hope you have set aside a few hours to listen to this message!
No, don’t worry. Heather Joy didn’t ask me to preach the entire 176 verses in a short message to you today.
She actually picked out just 2 stanzas. Stanzas 17 and 18. Verses 129 through 144.
Just 16 verses, not 176!
Why do you think that Heather Joy picked out Psalm 119?
What do you know about this psalm? Other than that it’s gigantic?
Psalm 119 is also very intricate.
The unnamed author was an amazing craftsman with poetry.
Remember how Psalm 34, a couple of weeks ago, was an alphabetic acrostic with each successive verse beginning with the next letter of the alphabet? Aleph, beth, gimel, etc. A-B-C and so on?
Well, that was nothing compared to this!
Psalm 119 is a gigantic alphabetic acrostic in the original Hebrew. We can’t quite see it in our English versions.
This songwriter wrote 8 lines in a row for each letter of the Hebrew alphabet. 
Each line starts with the same letter for 8 lines. Aleph. 8 lines. Aleph, Aleph, Aleph, Aleph, Aleph, Aleph, Aleph, Aleph. Each line of the poem starts with Aleph.
Then Beth. 8 lines. Beth. Beth. Beth. Beth. Beth. Beth. Beth. Beth. Each line of the poem in the second stanza begins with Beth.
Then Gimel. 8 lines. You get the idea.
For all 22 letters in the Hebrew alphabet. You know how many verses that is? 176 all perfectly following that intricate pattern.
And not only that, but the psalmist uses 8 words, 8 terms, 8 synonyms over and over again without repeating the pattern for how he deploys them in 176 verses! These same 8 words pop up in just about every single verse!
And every single verse can stand on it’s own. They are connected to what is around them and all fit into the big acrostic pattern, but they are also each independent thoughts from one another.
Tiny little couplets of Hebrew parallelism. 176 of them!
This is a masterful piece of Hebrew poetry.
It’s isn’t just massive; it’s masterful.
But that’s not the main reason why Heather Joy picked this psalm for this weekend.
Heather Joy picked Psalm 119 because of what it’s about. Not just because of its beautiful construction, but because of its beautiful subject.
Psalm 119 is about one big thing. It rings the changes on one particular theme.
Like a diamond being turned in the light for each individual facet to be admired for its own glorious beauty, this gigantic, intricate, massive, masterful song is a rhapsody about...the Law of God.
All 8 of those recurring words, those 8 synonyms that show up again and again in all 22 eight line stanzas are all interrelated terms for the Law of God, the Torah.
CommandPreceptDecreeLawOrdinanceWordPromiseStatute
Now, let me ask you to do some free association here.
When you hear the word “statute,” what other words immediately come to your mind?
(And pretend that you haven’t read the title of this message yet.)
“Statute!”
Um. Legal? Dry. Stale. Important, maybe? Unbending. Prohibitive? Inscrutable. Cryptic? Written. Demanding?
What comes to your mind? “Statute.”
Now, listen to what the psalmist writes in our first verse for today. Psalm 119, verse 129.
It’s the first line of the 17th stanza where each line begins with the Hebrew letter “PE” like our letter “P.”
He writes, “Your statutes are wonderful; therefore I obey them.”
Wonderful statutes leading to obedience.
Statutes that are just full of wonder.
Awesome! Amazing! Astonishing! Astounding! Wonderful!
Those are the kind of words that the psalmist associates with these statutes.
Some of your versions may have the word “testimonies” here because the Hebrew  is related to the words that mean “to bear witness” meaning these statutes bear witness to God himself, His Law, and His requirements (thought drawn from Alec Motyer).
They are true representations of Who God is and what God wants.
And the psalmist says that these statutes are wonderful.
Now, let me ask you a trick question.
What do you think is the most important word in verse 129?
I told you it was a trick question!
What do you think is the most important word in Psalm 119, verse 129?
I’ll give you a hint. It’s not “statutes.” And it’s not even “wonderful.”
It’s “YOUR.”
This is a prayer. These are all prayers. Psalm 119 is a gigantic prayer full of prayers. 176 little prayers.
The most important thing about these statutes is that they are the LORD’s.
That’s what makes them wonderful. That’s what makes them miraculous.
This word “wonderful” in the Old Testament is a word that almost always is talking about God. Like the Son prophesied in Isaiah 9. “He shall be called” what? “WONDERFUL.”
Same word, “Pele!”
The psalmist not in love with the Law by itself.
He is in love with the Law of the LORD.
Because he loves the LORD of the Law.
What he loves about the Law is that it God’s Word to him.
The Law was the first five books of the Bible what we often called Pentateuch or they called the “Torah” which means the “Instruction” or the “Teaching.”
It was full of what we call “laws,” the “thou shalts” and the “thou shall nots.”
But Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy have a lot more than just “thou shalt” and “thou shall not,” in them don’t they?
And everything that they said was a precious, miraculous, wonderful word from God.
And the psalmist was so in love with it.
He wrote a 176-line love song about God’s Word!
Massive and masterful and gigantic and intricate and passionate!
And we’re just going to get a taste of it in these two stanzas.
“Your statutes are wonderful; therefore I obey them.”

Each line of this song has similar features to it.
Each line is a prayer. They are all directed to the LORD Himself.
Each line is a personal prayer. It is direct from the psalmist to God Himself. The pronouns are singular. I, me, my, mine.
Each line talks to God about God’s Word, God’s Law, mostly with those same 8 synonyms that refer to overlapping and interconnected ideas showing the richness and diversity yet unity of God’s Word.
Most of the lines are about how wonderful God’s Word is and the effect it has on the psalmist–either what it does to him or how it makes him feel or what he wants to do because of them.
Therefore each line shows us how we should feel about and relate to God’s words.
And so I think each line raises the question for us today, “Do I feel this way about God’s Word?”
Do I feel this way about God’s Law?
And if not, why not? What is wrong with me? And what needs to change?
Because there’s nothing wrong with God Word! It’s wonderful!
If I don’t feel this way, then I need to repent and to read these words again and to pray these words again and to ask God to change my heart again so that they ring true for me today.
#1. YOUR STATUTES ARE WONDERFUL.
The theme of stanza 17–verses 129 through 136–is wonder and the controlling image is that of light. Look at the next verse, verse 130. 
“The unfolding of your words gives light; it gives understanding to the simple.”
Heather Joy said to me, “Verse 130 sums up what I feel.”
This is a picture of Heather Joy’s heart. When God’s Word gets unfolded to her, it is like a wondrous light shining on her.
Some of your versions may say the “entrance” of your word gives light.
The idea is that of an open door. You’re inside and it’s kind of dark, and then somebody opens the door and the sunlight streams in!
“Now, I can see!”
God’s Word makes it so that you can see. He says, “It gives understanding to the simple.” The simple are not fools. They are the uninitiated. They are open to be taught. They are childlike and teachable. Like little kids with their Mommy.
They are not yet mature, but they are open to being taught.
And when God’s word gets opened to them, they understand. A light comes on.
Is that how you feel about God’s Word?
The psalmist wants that so badly! Verse 131.
“I open my mouth and pant, longing for your commands.”
Like the thirsty deer in Psalm 42. Please give me your word! I pant for it. V.132
“Turn to me and have mercy on me, as you always do to those who love your name.”
Do you see how this psalm is all about his relationship with God?
He says, “I know how You operate. You are gracious and merciful to those who love Your name. So please give me Your word.” V.133
“Direct my footsteps according to your word; let no sin rule over me.”
Notice here that there is no perfectionism here. There’s no sense that this psalmist has arrived, that somehow the doing of God’s Law has made him perfect.
No, the more he understands God’s Law, the more he knows how imperfect he is and how much grace he needs. This is not legalism or works-based. This is all of grace, the grace of God to give His enlightening word to fight against sin.
Heather Joy said to me, “I am desperate and weak and foolish and sinful and constantly pounded by the world’s wisdom. I need life and light and mercy and a rock and a refuge, and God is all that and so much more. He has given me Himself in his word, so I run to it to find Him. And I do. Or rather, He finds me there.”
That’s why she picked this psalm. Because it’s her prayer.
The psalmist sees how beautiful the Law of God is and wants that to be reflected in his own heart and life. And he wants all obstacles to that to be removed. Internal ones like his own sin in verse 133 and external ones like oppressors in verse 134.
“Redeem me from the oppression of men, that I may obey your precepts. Make your face shine upon your servant and teach me your decrees.”
You see the image of light there again?
And that’s obviously an allusion to the blessing of Aaron in Numbers chapter 6 which I pray over my boys just about every night.
“The LORD bless you and keep you;the LORD make his face shine upon you and be gracious to you;the LORD turn his face toward you and give you peace.”
Psalm 119:135 is a personal prayer that God would do just that for the psalmist.
“Make your face shine upon your servant.”
It’s so wonderful. Shine on me with your words!
Is that your prayer today? Moms, do you pray like this?
Do you feel how passionate the psalmist is about this?
He cares so much! 
And he cares so much that so many do not care. Verse 136.
“Streams of tears flow from my eyes, for your law is not obeyed.”
The songwriter looks out on his culture, and he just cries and cries rivers of tears because nobody seems to care about God’s Law any more.
Can you relate to that?
I don’t mean that we should go “Tisk, tisk. Those people aren’t following God’s Law.”
I mean we should say, “Woe is me. I have unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips...”
So many people who claim to know and love Jesus don’t give a rip about His Word!
They are missing the wonder of it, and they are not following it.
And so we lament. We lament for God’s glory being neglected.
And we weep for God’s people’s being un-blessed because they haven’t seen the illuminating brilliance of His wonderful word!
The theme of Stanza 18 where every line begins with the letter “Tsadhe” (which is like a “TZ” in our language) is the righteousness of God’s Word which makes it trustworthy forever. Look at verse 137.
“Righteous are you, O LORD, and your laws are right.”
Notice that God’s laws are right because God Himself is righteous.
The one comes from the other. He doesn’t ever do anything wrong. He is not crooked in any way, so His laws are always straight. They’re always right. They’re always righteous. V.138.
“The statutes you have laid down are righteous; they are fully trustworthy.”
That’s not true of all the rules in the world. 
There are lots of statutes in this world that are not righteous and therefore are not trustworthy. But God’s statutes are, and the psalmist knows it. Verse 139.
“My zeal wears me out, for my enemies ignore your words.”
They don’t see, and they don’t care that God’s statutes are righteous, and that is so depressing for the songwriter. They just don’t see it!
But the songwriter sure does. Verse 140.
“Your promises have been thoroughly tested, and your servant loves them.” 
Heather Joy said to me, “Verse 140 is what I have learned in my mothering.”
This is what has gotten Heather Joy through in her mothering these last two decades.
This is her Bible. She has come to this book again and again and again and prayed words like Psalm 119, verse 18. “Open my eyes that I may see wonderful things in your law.”
And when she found a promise there, she trusted it.
These promises in here have been “thoroughly tested,” meaning they are fully refined. They are 100% pure. They are the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth. (Idea taken from Hywell Jones).
These words are not a shot in the dark. They are a light in the dark, “and your servant loves them.”
Moms, you need something tried and tested and true to base your mothering on.
We all need it.
Because there are going to be really hard days, and we’ll be tempted to lose sight of this. Verse 141.
“Though I am lowly and despised, I do not forget your precepts. Your righteousness is everlasting and your law is true. Trouble and distress have come upon me, but your commands are my delight. Your statutes are forever right; give me understanding that I may live.”
#2. YOUR STATUTES ARE FOREVER RIGHT.
They are not just wonderful.
They are righteous forever.
There is nothing wrong with them. There is nothing wrong with God’s Word.
That is such good news! And there never will be anything wrong with God’s Word.
So that means we can trust it forever.
And if we grasp it, we can truly live!
“Your statutes are forever right; give me understanding that I may live.”
Is that your prayer today?
Do you feel this way about God’s Word?
I know that, so often, I don’t.
I agree with it. 100%.
But my heart can be so cold.  
I would love to have a heart that burns like this with a passion for God’s Word.
I would love to have a heart like this so that I could write a gigantic intricate passionate love song about God’s Law full of tears and shot full of joy!
I’m so thankful that Jesus felt this way 100% about God’s Word.
Jesus could sing Psalm 119 without any irony or repentance.
He loved God’s Law and meditated on it day and night (Psalm 1).
And wept when He saw it being ignored.
He knew how wonderful it was and how righteous forever.
I’m so thankful because I’m in Christ through faith in His Work on the Cross and all of His love for the Word is reckoned to my account.
But I want it to be true of me in real time, as well.
So I need to repent of my ignorance and apathy and coldness and read these words and pray these words again and again and again.
Moms out there. Have you discovered the wonder of God’s Word and its trustworthiness for yourself?
What was the last wondrous thing you discovered in the Word of God for yourself?
What was the last trustworthy promises you took hold of in the Word of God for yourself?
God’s Law is light-giving and life-giving and righteous forever.
His promises have been thoroughly tested, and his servant loves them.

***
Fortifying Truth - Psalms - Fall 2020 / Winter 2021 / Spring 2021

01. Majestic and Mindful - Psalm 8
02. All Our Days - Psalm 90
03. "The LORD on High Is Mighty!" - Psalm 93
04. "The LORD Is My Shepherd" - Psalm 23
05. "Praise the LORD, O My Soul!" - Psalm 103
06. "The Blessing of Aaron's Oily Beard" - Psalm 133
07. "A Dying Thirst for the Living God" - Psalm 42
08. "Our Fortress" - Psalm 46
09. Unrestless - Psalm 131
10. "Sun and Shield" - Psalm 84
11. "With Songs of Joy" - Psalm 126
12. "His Love Endures Forever" - Psalm 136
13. "How Many Are Your Works, O LORD!" - Psalm 104
14. "My Soul Waits for the Lord" - Psalm 130
15. "Remember David" - Psalm 132
16. "My Son" - Psalm 2
17. "Search Me" - Psalm 139
18. "Cleanse Me" - Psalm 51
19. "A New Song" - Psalm 96
20. "Hear My Prayer, O LORD." - Psalm 86
21. "May All the Peoples Praise" - Psalm 67
22. "A Wedding Song" - Psalm 45
23. "My Feet Had Almost Slipped" - Psalm 73
24. “Rejoicing Comes in the Morning" - Psalm 30
25. 'The Waters Have Come Up To My Neck" - Psalm 69
26. "Cast Your Cares on the LORD" - Psalm 55
27. "“My God, My God, Why Have You Forsaken Me?" - Psalm 22
28. "You Will Not Abandon Me To the Grave" - Psalm 16
29. "He Will Rule" - Psalm 72
30. "Taste and See That the LORD is Good" - Psalm 34
31. "Since My Youth" - Psalm 71

Psalm 71 from Poor Bishop Hooper's EveryPsalm Project

Last week, Jesse Roberts sent me an advanced copy of Psalm 71 to help me write "Since My Youth" for Sunday's sermon. Poor Bishop Hooper's "EveryPsalm" project has been an invaluable aid to me this year.

I look forward to Wednesdays when the latest comes out, and today was Psalm 71:

"Since My Youth" Psalm 71 [Matt's Messages]

“Since My Youth”Lanse Evangelical Free ChurchMay 2, 2021 :: Psalm 71
I’ll be honest with you. I prayerfully picked Psalm 71 for this weekend because recently I’ve been feeling my age.
This Tuesday will mark my 48th birthday. If I make it to Tuesday, Lord-willing, I will be half way to 96 years old. 
Now, I know that for some of you that does not sound very old. You’re so old you hardly remember being 48 years old. I’m just a spring chicken. I understand, and this Psalm is definitely for you, as well!
But for others of you, you can’t imagine reaching the ripe old age of 48. That sounds like Rip Van Winkle. Theoretically, you know that you will be 48 some day, but that day seems very far off. Well, Psalm 71 is also for you.
Whether I seems old to you or not, I’ve been feeling older. I’m much more aware these days of my limitations. In the last year, I’ve begun using reading glasses. I bought 6 cheap pairs, and I have placed them on each stack of current books that I am reading in my home and my office.
And I just can’t seem to read like I used to. I keep buying books! But I don’t get them read at the pace I used to. I just can’t concentrate for that long, that sustained. 
Now, I actually feel really good. Better than I have in a long time because my health has improved in the last two years as I got really serious about my gluttony and got diligent and disciplined with my exercise.
But I’m also very aware of my limitations. How quickly I get tuckered out. What I can and can’t pull off any more.
And the other day, I hurt myself taking a nap! You know you’re getting older when your back hurts, and you realize it was because you slept the wrong way during your nap!
My beard is going grey. I’m getting older. And with my birthday arriving again (so soon after the last one!), I am reflecting on where I’m at, and on my relationship with the Lord.
We don’t know who wrote Psalm 71, but we do know that he was also feeling his age.
He had gotten older and could look back over his lifetime. His age informs his song.
This psalmist has written a prayer song to God from the perspective of one who has  lived some life, has some experience under his belt, and is now feeling his strength wane. He’s old and gray. He’s in decline.
But, being older, he is also able to look back and see what God has done over the course of his life. He can trace the hand of God on his life since his youth.
This songwriter has a long history with God, and he can lean on that history, lean on the lessons of that history, lean on the God of that history to face his current and future problems.
Which is important because, as we shall soon see, this man is not just older. He’s also in trouble. And he needs help.
Look with me at Psalm 71, verses 1 through 4.
As I read this psalm, I want you to tune your ear to hear the “always words.” Words like “always” and “ever” and “all day long.” As I was studying it this week, those words popped out at me over and over again. Listen for “always.” Psalm 71, verse 1.
“In you, O LORD, I have taken refuge; let me never be put to shame. Rescue me and deliver me in your righteousness; turn your ear to me and save me. Be my rock of refuge, to which I can always go; give the command to save me, for you are my rock and my fortress. Deliver me, O my God, from the hand of the wicked, from the grasp of evil and cruel men.”

Are you tired yet of psalms like this one? The psalmist is in trouble once again and is asking God for help?
We don’t know what precipitated this particular crisis, but he’s obviously under attack from some mean hombres. Verse 4 again, “Deliver me, O my God, from the hand of the wicked, from the grasp of evil and cruel men.” This is no walk in the park. 
So many of the psalms have prayers like this. “Help! Lord, help!”
And what I love about that is that it’s so true to life, right?
Because there is always something, right? There’s always trouble in our lives. If nothing bad is happening to you, if there is no threat on the threat board, you just aren’t paying attention.
Sure, some days are better than others. Some days are awesome. My birthday is this Tuesday! We’re going to celebrate with some good food and maybe some more books?
But there’s always something, right?
We have always enemies. The world, the flesh, and the devil don’t just disappear.
And the psalmist is feeling it. So he asks God for an “always refuge.” Did you catch that “always” word in verse 3?
He keeps using these strong images of safety and security and protection. V. 1 “refuge.” Verse 3, “rock of refuge.” Then the end of verse 3, “my rock and my fortress.”
That’s what you need when you’re under attack! You need a solid rock fortress that is impregnable and unassailable. If you are in this rock fortress, you are perfectly safe.
And what does he say it needs to be? Verse 3, “Be my rock of refuge, to which I can always go...”
Today, I have 4 summary statements to try to capture the force of this prayer song. Here’s the first one:
#1. I ALWAYS NEED AN ALWAYS REFUGE.
This isn’t something that I grow out of. I always need a safe place to run to when the attacks come. “Help!” Because there’s always something. If I’ve learned anything over the last several years, there is always something.
So I always need somewhere safe to run.
The question is where. Where do we run when the attacks come?
Where do you run? 
This songwriter has learned to run to the LORD, and he has found the LORD to always be there. Look at verse 5.
“For you have been my hope, O Sovereign LORD, my confidence since my youth.”
There’s our sermon title. “Since my youth.”
The psalmist looks back over the full stretch of his life and says that he has been able to put his confidence in Yahweh, in the LORD, in since he was very very young.
The LORD has always been his rock and his fortress. 
#2. YOU HAVE ALWAYS BEEN MY ALWAYS REFUGE.
Verse 5 again. 
“For you have been my hope, O Sovereign LORD, my confidence since my youth. [We go way back!] From birth I have relied on you; you brought me forth from my mother's womb. I will ever praise you.”
The psalmist goes back before he can even remember to say that the LORD has always been there for him.
And he has been trusting Him for as long as he can remember. 
Now, not everybody can say that. Some of you [in this room] have a testimony like this songwriter. Some of you do not.
Some of you became Christians later in life, as adults, and we praise God for you! What a glorious thing to be saved as an adult! Like the Apostle Paul coming to trust Christ later in life. Perhaps from a notorious background. 
But those are not the only awesome testimonies out there.
Let me tell you about another kind of awesome testimony:
Somebody who was born into a Christian family and nurtured in the gospel from before they knew words. A child whose family was a part of Bible-teaching church and whose parents prayed for them and did family devotions together. And who prayed to receive Christ so long ago that they don’t even remember it they were so little. Their parents had to tell them about it later.
And they just grew up with Him. Just grew up trusting Him. Growing up in Him. God has always been their always refuge.
That’s an awesome testimony, too.
That’s what this fellow could say. He looks back over the decades and says, “For you have been my hope, O Sovereign LORD, my confidence since my youth.”
And people could see it. Verse 7.
“I have become like a portent to many, but you are my strong refuge.”
Now, a “portent” is like a sign, and this one could be negative or positive. Like people can see the trouble that is coming towards him, and they are like, “Whoa! Here it comes. I wonder what’s going to happen.” And he’s like, “Doesn’t matter what. I’m going to trust the LORD.”
Or it could be a positive sign. As in a wonder or a marvel. Like people who have watched this psalmist get into trouble and then trust God and get out of trouble again and again and again. And they’re like, “Wow! I see what God can do in a life that is committed to Him.”
Either way, people are watching, and they are watching not just what comes at us but what comes out of us when stuff comes at us.
And this old psalmist says, “Just watch. The LORD is my strong refuge, and I’m going to say so all day long.” Verse 8.
“My mouth is filled with your praise, declaring your splendor all day long. [There’s some more “always words.”]
The psalmist is saying something like this:
#3. I WILL ALWAYS TRUST YOU AS MY ALWAYS REFUGE.
That sounds good, but let me ask you a question that I was asking myself as I studied Psalm 71 this week: 
"Matthew, how would you respond if you were old, losing strength, and under evil attack? Could you write this psalm yourself?"
I think I would be very tempted to give in. To throw in the towel. To look around for an alternative refuge.
Money, popularity, relationships, addictions, pleasure, government, escapes, friends, family, maybe try out some other gods.
How about you?
How would you respond if you were old, losing strength, and under evil attack? Could you write this psalm yourself?
This is why I’m glad that Jesus could sing Psalm 71 so perfectly. He never faltered. He trusted God from before His birth and never wavered all the way to the Cross and the Empty Tomb.
Jesus always trusted His Father as His always refuge.
“Into Your hands I commit my spirit.”
And on this day, this psalmist trusted God fully, too.
He looked back on his many yesterdays with the Lord, and decided to build his today on the Lord, as well.
Which is good because he was still under attack. Verse 9.
“Do not cast me away when I am old; do not forsake me when my strength is gone. For my enemies speak against me; those who wait to kill me conspire together. They say, ‘God has forsaken him; pursue him and seize him, for no one will rescue him.’ Be not far from me, O God; come quickly, O my God, to help me. May my accusers perish in shame; may those who want to harm me be covered with scorn and disgrace.”
You feel it? Do you feel his desperation?
It’s one thing to be young and under attack.
It’s another to be old and under the same level of attack.
But this songwriter is undaunted. He keeps coming back to the LORD. He keeps asking God to not cast him away or discard him like so many people discard the elderly.
He says, “Don’t forsake me.” 
And we know that God has promised to never leave us nor forsake us, so that’s praying that God would keep His promises–a very biblical thing to do.
And he prays that God would not only rescue him but flip the situation upside down so that those who want him to come to shame would be shamed themselves. He prays for justice to be done. Again, (like we saw in Psalm 69, 55, and 22) he doesn’t take vigilante justice into his own hands, he prays that God’s divinely perfect justice would be done.
And he puts his stake in the ground. Verse 14.
This is the exact middle point, the center, of the whole psalm. Verse 14.
“But as for me, I will always have hope; I will praise you more and more.”
Can you say that?
Are you saying that today?
That’s what I want to mark my life in my 49th year starting on Tuesday.
“But as for me, I will always have hope; I will praise you more and more.”
I will always trust You as my always refuge.
I will always run to You.
I’ve seen your faithfulness in all of my yesterdays, so I will trust you will all of my today and all of tomorrows.
#4. I WILL ALWAYS PRAISE YOU AS MY ALWAYS REFUGE. V.15
“My mouth will tell of your righteousness, of your salvation all day long, though I know not its measure.”
I love that! He says, “I don’t even know how good You are. I can’t get to the bottom of it. I have more blessings than I can count. My salvation extends to a depth I cannot fathom. So I will not ever quit saying how awesome you are.”
“All day long.” There’s another “always word.”
Like we said last week, “GOD IS TOV all the time. ALL THE TIME God is tov.”
The psalmist is determined to praise God for His mighty deeds.
That includes the big things like rescuing Israel from Egypt. But it also includes all of the personal things that God has done just for the psalmist. V.16
“I will come and proclaim your mighty acts, O Sovereign LORD; I will proclaim your righteousness, yours alone. Since my youth, O God, you have taught me, and to this day I declare your marvelous deeds.”
There’s our title again. “Since my youth.” I’m not young any more, but I’m still learning. And I’m still praising.
“Since my youth, O God, you have taught me, and to this day I declare your marvelous deeds. [V.18.] Even when I am old and gray, do not forsake me, O God, till I declare your power to the next generation, your might to all who are to come.”
This psalmist asks for another day to pass on what he’s learned about God to the next generation, to the kids.
He asks for more grace so he give God more praise.
He still needs God!
We don’t get to a point where we say, “I’ve got all of the God I need. Thanks.”
No, we needed Him yesterday, and we need Him today, and we’ll need Him tomorrow.
Especially so that we can tell the young ‘uns that they need Him today and tomorrow.
“Even when I am old and gray, do not forsake me, O God, till I declare your power to the next generation, your might to all who are to come.” Is that your prayer?
Are you committed to declaring God’s power and might to the next generation?
One of the reasons why God has let you and I live this long is to tell the young people how awesome He is.
My friend Blair Murray was 84 when he died. And I loved to do baptism interviews with him. He was an elder in our church for many years. Many of you knew him. Some of you did not. 
He loved to talk to young people about how trustworthy our Savior was.
When we did a baptism interview, he would always say, “You will never regret it. You will never regret following Jesus. He is worth it.”
“Even when I am old and gray [or bald!], do not forsake me, O God, till I declare your power to the next generation, your might to all who are to come.”
And then that’s what he does with whole rest of the song. He just praises God and promises to praise God to the next generation and in joyful worship. Verse 19.
“Your righteousness reaches to the skies, O God, you who have done great things. Who, O God, is like you? [To the skies. Beyond our comprehension is your righteousness. Your holiness. Your rightness. Your justice. O God, you who have done great things. Who, O God, is like you? NOBODY! Nobody is like this God! V.20]
“Though you have made me see troubles, many and bitter, you will restore my life again; from the depths of the earth you will again bring me up.”
Don’t you just love the honesty and the realism here? He’s says, “Life has been hard, and you’re sovereign over the hardships. But God is good all the time. And all the time God is good. And You’re going to come through again and again and again.”
Someday, the psalmist would actually die as will we.  But we know that one day from the depths of the earth we will be brought up again!
So that we never stop praising Him! V.22
“You will increase my honor and comfort me once again. I will praise you with the harp for your faithfulness, O my God; I will sing praise to you with the lyre, O Holy One of Israel. [Fire up the worship band!] My lips will shout for joy when I sing praise to you–I, whom you have redeemed. My tongue will tell of your righteous acts all day long, for those who wanted to harm me have been put to shame and confusion.”
I always need an always refuge.
But, praise God, You have always been my always refuge.
So I will always trust You as my always refuge. Even when the times are hard, and I’m under attack. Especially when the times are hard and I’m under attack.
I will always praise You as my always refuge.
Since my youth and forever.
“But as for me, I will always have hope; I will praise you more and more.”
***
Fortifying Truth - Psalms - Fall 2020 / Winter 2021 / Spring 2021

01. Majestic and Mindful - Psalm 8
02. All Our Days - Psalm 90
03. "The LORD on High Is Mighty!" - Psalm 93
04. "The LORD Is My Shepherd" - Psalm 23
05. "Praise the LORD, O My Soul!" - Psalm 103
06. "The Blessing of Aaron's Oily Beard" - Psalm 133
07. "A Dying Thirst for the Living God" - Psalm 42
08. "Our Fortress" - Psalm 46
09. Unrestless - Psalm 131
10. "Sun and Shield" - Psalm 84
11. "With Songs of Joy" - Psalm 126
12. "His Love Endures Forever" - Psalm 136
13. "How Many Are Your Works, O LORD!" - Psalm 104
14. "My Soul Waits for the Lord" - Psalm 130
15. "Remember David" - Psalm 132
16. "My Son" - Psalm 2
17. "Search Me" - Psalm 139
18. "Cleanse Me" - Psalm 51
19. "A New Song" - Psalm 96
20. "Hear My Prayer, O LORD." - Psalm 86
21. "May All the Peoples Praise" - Psalm 67
22. "A Wedding Song" - Psalm 45
23. "My Feet Had Almost Slipped" - Psalm 73
24. “Rejoicing Comes in the Morning" - Psalm 30
25. 'The Waters Have Come Up To My Neck" - Psalm 69
26. "Cast Your Cares on the LORD" - Psalm 55
27. "“My God, My God, Why Have You Forsaken Me?" - Psalm 22
28. "You Will Not Abandon Me To the Grave" - Psalm 16
29. "He Will Rule" - Psalm 72
30. "Taste and See That the LORD is Good"

"The Gospel and Gossip" - May/June Issue of Christianity Today

It was a real privilege to be one of the people interviewed by Kate Shellnutt for her cover story "Whispers or Whistleblowing?" about gossip and abuse in the latest issue of Christianity Today. I just got my print copy in the mail yesterday.
In her article, Kate links to my blogpost: "Don't Misuse 'Resisting Gossip'" and  guest post for Ed Stetzer, "Gossip and Prayer Requests" and she reports some of our discussion of the difficult dynamics at play when the vulnerable may need to speak up and speak out about those wielding power and authority. The answers are not easy because they are "both/and" which always requires wisdom, courage, and love. 
I agree that the definition of gossip that we employ is a big part of the problem so that the more biblical clarity we can get on that, the more it will also be a big part of the solution. My one-sentence way of summarizing the Bible's teaching is that the sin of gossip is bearing bad news behind someone's back out of a bad heart.
I'm thankful to get to make a contribution to an important conversation.

So far the only side-effect I'm feeling is gratefulness.

A real shot in the arm! 
You might not be able to tell with my mask on, but I'm smiling big today. 
So far the only side-effect I'm feeling is gratefulness. I feel like there is so much to be thankful for as Heather and I received jab #2 of our COVID vaccine: 
1. I'm thankful for the scientists, researchers, doctors, public health officials, hospital administrators, testing volunteers, and everyone else who worked so hard to develop these vaccines. 
2. I'm thankful for our governmental leaders past and present for their efforts to get these vaccines made and out to us here in the sticks. I'm thankful today for how the Trump/Pence administration cut through all of the bureaucratic red-tape and shrewdly invested our tax dollars in vaccine research so that we could have such incredibly effective vaccines in such a short amount of time and for how the Biden/Harris administration has accelerated the widespread distribution so that 140 million people have gotten one shot already in just a few months. American ingenuity and determination at work! 
3. I'm thankful to the Lord for building repeatable regularity into the world He has made so that science is possible. There would be no science or technology without God (Proverbs 25:2, Psalm 24:1). 
4. I'm thankful that getting immunized against COVID will enable me to get closer to people. As a pastor, the hardest part of the pandemic has been keeping my distance out of love for others. My natural inclination is to move towards others, and now I can do that more and more! For me, the vaccine helps me to love people better, and that sure feels good. In two weeks, I plan to use my full immunity to get busy in visiting people once again. You will be safe from me. Invite me over, and I'll be there! 
5. Most of all I'm thankful to belong to the Lord Jesus because no medical technology is perfect and life is short no matter what. "You have made my days a mere handbreadth; the span of my years is as nothing before you. Each man's life is but a breath" (Psalm 39:5). What matters is being in His hands (Psalm 31:15). My safety and security are in Him. I hope you can say the same. If not, give Him a try. 
 "Taste and see that the LORD is good; blessed is the man who takes refuge in him" (Psalm 34:8).

“Taste and See that the LORD is Good” Psalm 34 [Matt's Messages]

“Taste and See that the LORD is Good”Lanse Evangelical Free ChurchApril 25, 2021 :: Psalm 34
Psalm 34 is an lyrical invitation to a “taste test.”
Psalm 34 is a song in which King David beautifully invites us all to try out, to sample, and to judge for ourselves just how good the LORD is.
Verse 8 says it this way: “Taste and see that the LORD is good.”
The metaphor alludes to two of our physical senses both of which when something is truly wonderful indicate for us great pleasure. Both taste and sight. 
“Taste and see that the LORD is good.”
This last year, Heather Joy has gotten into baking bread again in a big way. She’s had great success with her “sourdough starter” so that several times a week we who can eaten gluten get to enjoy a fresh hot loaf of better-than-Panera-bread. 
Do you like sourdough bread? Have you tried it?
Maybe with some warm butter and local honey smeared on it? Have you tried it?
Take a taste test! Somebody who has experienced the goodness of something invites others try it out and see for themselves how good it really is.
But in Psalm 34, it’s not a loaf of bread.
It’s a Person. It’s God Himself. It’s Yahweh, the God of Israel.
“Taste and see that the LORD is good.”
The Hebrew word translated “good” is “tov.” The same word that expressed God’s pleasure in the world that He had made. He saw that it was “tov.” “Tov” is the way things ought to be. It’s not just morally good. It’s good and complete and sweet.
“Taste and see that the LORD is [tov].”
That’s the invitation. But that’s down in verse 8. We need to start back in verse 1.
Interestingly, Psalm 34 is an acrostic poem. One of those A-Z sort of things where the psalmist starts each line with a successive letter of the Hebrew alphabet. Aleph, Beth, Gimel. A, B, C. You can’t see it in the English, but this is a carefully constructed poem from A-Z. 
It actually deviates from the pattern in two places, and I’m not sure why. There is no 6th letter and the 17th letter is out of order, comes at the end. But the point is that King David has spent a lot of time and effort to craft this particular song just the way he wants it to invite us to taste the goodness of the LORD and to instruct us in the fear of the LORD ourselves.

The first invitation of Psalm 34 is an invitation to join the psalmist in unceasing praise. Look at verse 1.
“Psalm 34. Of David. When he pretended to be insane before Abimelech, who drove him away, and he left. I will extol the LORD at all times; his praise will always be on my lips. My soul will boast in the LORD; let the afflicted hear and rejoice. Glorify the LORD with me; let us exalt his name together.”
I have four points of application for us to consider today from Psalm 34, and they are all about how to relate to the goodness of the LORD. The first one is this:
#1. BOAST OF HIS GOODNESS.
David starts his song with a commitment to unceasing praise.
“I will extol the LORD at all times; his praise will always be on my lips.”
You can count it. I plan to always praise the Lord. In the good times and in the bad times, right? He says “at all times,” “always.” Not just when things are going well, but when things are decidedly NOT going well.  It’s much harder then. That’s why you have to decide in advance that your lips are going to always have praise on them.
Now, of course, that doesn’t mean that all we ever do is praise the Lord. Read the rest of Bible or just read the rest of Psalms to see that there are other things we do with our lips, other godly ways of talking–including lament. 
But every day and never far away we who belong to the LORD can and should have praise on our lips. Because He is so good! We boast about Him. Verse 2.
“My soul will boast in the LORD; let the afflicted hear and rejoice.”
Now, that’s a strange group to rejoice! “The afflicted.” The suffering. The downtrodden. The distressed.
King David invites them to hear his song and to join it! V.3
“Glorify the LORD with me; let us exalt his name together.”
We’ve seen again and again in the Psalter that praise is contagious, and it loves company. 
David wants everybody to sing in concert with him, boasting in the goodness of the Lord.
All of the time.
Last week, Pastor Kerry had us do call and response with “We Proclaim Christ! Right?" Right!
Well, there’s a call and response in the historically Black Church that goes, “God is Good...All the Time. All the Time...God is Good.”
King David would say, “Let us exalt his name together. God is TOV...All the time. All the time...God is TOV.”
In verse 4 we begin to see what David was so happy about. He had been rescued. He had been saved from his enemies. Verse 4.
“I sought the LORD, and he answered me; he delivered me from all my fears. Those who look to him are radiant; their faces are never covered with shame. This poor man called, and the LORD heard him; he saved him out of all his troubles.” 
Like many other psalms, this one has a backstory. The superscription in verse 1 tells us that it was written out of the time when David “pretended to be insane before Abimelech, who drove him away, and he left.”
You can read about that story in 1 Samuel chapter 21. It’s really wild!
David was in trouble (as usual) and on the run from King Saul and he ran into even more trouble trying to live under a Philistine king while carrying the sword of Goliath the giant Philistine had he killed earlier.
David was in a pickle, and he used a clever ruse to get out of it.
But his own cleverness was not the point of the story that David himself got out it!
David recognized when it was all over that God had rescued him. That Yahweh had delivered him. From all of his fears and all of his troubles. Verse 6 again.
“This poor man [no resources on my own] called, and the LORD heard him; he saved him out of all his troubles.”
That’s why David is praising Him! That’s how good the LORD is!
God is TOV...All the Time. All the time...God is TOV.
I love how verse 5 describes the people who look to the LORD for salvation. They don’t look terrorized even if scary things are happening to them. Verse 5. 
“Those who look to him are radiant; their faces are never covered with shame.” 
I want that for myself especially as I age. I want to be radiant. And I want that for all of us, as well. I want us to be radiant.  If I were going plant or rename a church, I think I’d want to call it, “Radiant Church.” Shining with praise for God’s deliverance in our lives. Because, verse 7:
“The angel of the LORD encamps around those who fear him, and he delivers them.”
That’s an unseen spiritual reality intimated in this song lyric. Right now those of us who fear God have the angel of the LORD encamping around us. 
You are surrounded right now!
You are spiritually safe from the world, the flesh, and the devil though they make war against you as they constantly will.
“The angel of the LORD encamps around those who fear him, and he delivers them.”
And if that’s true, why wouldn’t you want the LORD in your life? V.8
“Taste and see that the LORD is good; blessed is the man who takes refuge in him.”
Application point number two:
#2. TASTE HIS GOODNESS.
See for yourself. Don’t just take my word for it. Don’t just take David’s word for it!
Jump in yourself. The water’s so good!
Take a bite of the goodness of belonging to the Lord. You won’t be disappointed. Here’s what you’re going to find: blessing.
“Blessed is the man who takes refuge in him.”
That’s the same word that starts off the whole book of Psalms.
“Blessed.” Happy. In a state to be congratulated. In a good place.
“Safe and secure from all alarms.” / “Life and rest and joy and peace.”
‘Tis so sweet to trust in Jesus.”
Try it! Verse 9.
“Fear the LORD, you his saints, for those who fear him lack nothing. The lions may grow weak and hungry, but those who seek the LORD lack no good thing.”
How about that image?! Yes, even young lions who can eat anything they can catch will still get tired and hungry.
But if the LORD is your shepherd, you shall not want (Psalm 23:1).
If the LORD is your sun and your shield, He will withhold no good thing from you (Psalm 84:11).
Everything you really need will be yours if you put your trust and fear in the name of the LORD.
God is TOV...All the Time. All the time...God is TOV.
Now, David has used this phrase, “fearing the LORD” a few times already in this song (verse 7, verse 9). The LORD has delivered Him from all of his fear except for his fear of the LORD.
That’s a good fear. And it’s one that we need to learn.
The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom.
Where you do you get that?
In verse 11, King David offers to teach us. He speaks as the “father” of Israel and offers to be their teacher. Verse 11.
“Come, my children, listen to me; I will teach you the fear of the LORD.”
You see how invitational this song is?
David invites them to praise God for His goodness with himself.David invites them to taste and see God’s goodness for themselves.And now David invites them to learn to fear the LORD for themselves.
And it basically boils down to practicing God’s goodness. To living out God’s will in the sight of God and pursuing goodness like God himself. Verse 12.
“Whoever of you loves life and desires to see many good days, keep your tongue from evil and your lips from speaking lies. Turn from evil and do good; seek peace and pursue it.”
I’m going to summarize that with the phrase:
#3. PRACTICE HIS GOODNESS.
The fear of the LORD looks like living a good life in sight of God.
It’s living out your faith before a holy God.
It’s not being perfect, but it is being obedient by faith. Look at verse 12 again.
“Whoever of you loves life and desires to see many good days ["tov" days, days filled with the goodness of the LORD], keep your tongue from evil and your lips from speaking lies. Turn from evil and do good [tov]; seek peace and pursue it.”
It’s that easy.
Or it’s that simple. It may not be easy, especially for broken people in a broken world. But it’s pretty simple.
Watch your mouth.
“...keep your tongue from evil and your lips from speaking lies.”
I caught myself in lie the other day. I was trying to impress somebody, and I exaggerated something to ingratiate myself with them. I’ve been shaking my head at myself every since.
How about you? Is your mouth marked by truth?
Gossip, slander, obscenity, cursing, manipulating, quarreling. There are lots of ways that our mouths can get us in trouble.
There are so many Proverbs that warn us that the fear of the LORD means that we keep our tongues from evil.
And not just our mouths, but we should watch the whole direction of our whole lives.
“Turn from evil and do good [tov]; seek peace and pursue it.”
Peace. That’s our relationships. 
To learn the fear of the LORD, we actually have to practice His goodness in our personal relationships.
“Seek peace and pursue it.”
Does that describe you and your life?
It doesn’t say “fake peace,” it says “seek peace and pursue it.”
You and I are supposed to be peace-seekers, peace-pursuers, peace-makers reconcilers.
Some of us just like to stir the pot, though.
When Christians do not practice Gods goodness like verses 12 through 14, we give Christianity a bad name.
That was the point the Apostle Peter was making in his first letter when he quoted these very lines of Psalm 34!
And Peter said we should do it even when we’re being persecuted! He said, “Do not repay evil with evil or insult with insult, but with blessing, because to this you were called so that you may inherit a blessing. For, ‘Whoever would love life and see good days must keep his tongue from evil and his lips from deceitful speech. He must turn from evil and do good; he must seek peace and pursue it” (1 Peter 3:9-11). That’s Psalm 34!
We still supposed to live this way today.
Even when we are being persecuted. 
Are you ready for persecution?
It seems to me from watching things online that many Christians are not ready for persecution because they are repaying evil with evil and insult with insult instead of blessing.”
Are you ready for persecution?
Get ready.
And get ready by practicing the goodness (the tov-ness) of God.
With your mouth.With your life.With your relationships.
We are to repay evil and insult with blessing so that we may inherit a blessing.
Because our God is so full of blessing, so full of goodness.
So full of attentive care.
That’s how David ends this song–with a litany of beautiful images of God’s goodness  up close and personal.
One on top of another.
It’s so full of promise that our last application point is simply:
#4. REST IN HIS GOODNESS.
Because when we live in the fear of the LORD knowing that His holy eyes are on us so we want to please Him and live in accordance with His goodness, we also know that His holy eyes are not just on us but on our enemies, and He will deliver us. V.15
“The eyes of the LORD are on the righteous and his ears are attentive to their cry; the face of the LORD is against those who do evil, to cut off the memory of them from the earth. [Yikes!] The righteous cry out, and the LORD hears them; he delivers them from all their troubles.
The LORD is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit. A righteous man may have many troubles, but the LORD delivers him from them all; he protects all his bones, not one of them will be broken. Evil will slay the wicked; the foes of the righteous will be condemned. The LORD redeems his servants; no one will be condemned who takes refuge in him.”
This afternoon, take out a piece of paper and a pen and make a list of all of the goodness that this song ascribes to the LORD.
And just revel and rest in it!
Look at all of those sensory words. Its not just our mouth and eyes with which we taste and see.
It’s the LORD’s eyes, and ears, and face and personal presence, and closeness.
He is near and He cares.
Do you need to hear that today? I’ll bet that some of you really do!
The LORD hears and He cares.
“The LORD is close to the brokenhearted...”
Are you brokenhearted today?
“[He] saves those who are crushed in spirit.”
He does not promise us a trouble-free life. “A righteous man may have many troubles, but the LORD delivers him from them all; he protects all his bones, not one of them will be broken.”
For great King David, that was a metaphor of God’s overall protection, but of course for great King David’s greatest son, King Jesus, it was literally true.
They did not break His bones (John 19:36).
Though they did pierce His hands and feet.
And He did die on the Cross.
There is a tension here, isn’t there? This psalm can’t be promising that we will win every single time. That Christians will never lose, never really suffer, never really die.
Our Lord did all of that.
But even as He died, they did not break His bones, and that pointed to the ultimate deliverance that came in just 3 days when He came back to life and life forevermore.
And verses 21 and 22 point to our ultimate deliverance, our ultimate salvation.
Which is “no condemnation” for those who are in Christ Jesus.
Condemnation for those outside of Christ Jesus. 
“Evil will slay the wicked [it will catch up to them]; the foes of the righteous will be condemned.”
Judgment is coming. Flee the wrath of God.
But Jesus absorbed the wrath we deserve so that we can be redeemed. Verse 22.
“The LORD redeems his servants; no one will be condemned who takes refuge in him.”
Rest in that!
Rest in that goodness!
All who take shelter in King Jesus can say, “I will never be condemned.”
God is TOV...All the Time. All the time...God is TOV.
Come try Him for yourself.
Taste and see that the LORD is good. 

***
Fortifying Truth - Psalms - Fall 2020 / Winter 2021 / Spring 2021

01. Majestic and Mindful - Psalm 8
02. All Our Days - Psalm 90
03. "The LORD on High Is Mighty!" - Psalm 93
04. "The LORD Is My Shepherd" - Psalm 23
05. "Praise the LORD, O My Soul!" - Psalm 103
06. "The Blessing of Aaron's Oily Beard" - Psalm 133
07. "A Dying Thirst for the Living God" - Psalm 42
08. "Our Fortress" - Psalm 46
09. Unrestless - Psalm 131
10. "Sun and Shield" - Psalm 84
11. "With Songs of Joy" - Psalm 126
12. "His Love Endures Forever" - Psalm 136
13. "How Many Are Your Works, O LORD!" - Psalm 104
14. "My Soul Waits for the Lord" - Psalm 130
15. "Remember David" - Psalm 132
16. "My Son" - Psalm 2
17. "Search Me" - Psalm 139
18. "Cleanse Me" - Psalm 51
19. "A New Song" - Psalm 96
20. "Hear My Prayer, O LORD." - Psalm 86
21. "May All the Peoples Praise" - Psalm 67
22. "A Wedding Song" - Psalm 45
23. "My Feet Had Almost Slipped" - Psalm 73
24. “Rejoicing Comes in the Morning" - Psalm 30
25. 'The Waters Have Come Up To My Neck" - Psalm 69
26. "Cast Your Cares on the LORD" - Psalm 55
27. "“My God, My God, Why Have You Forsaken Me?" - Psalm 22
28. "You Will Not Abandon Me To the Grave" - Psalm 1629. "He Will Rule" - Psalm 72

"We Proclaim Christ! Right?" by Pastor Kerry Doyal [LEFC Sermon Notes]

"We Proclaim Christ! Right?" Believers long to present Christ to others so we can present them to Christ. Colossians 1:27-29Kerry Doyal, Allegheny District Superintendent
We are easily distracted. Admittedly, some more than others – squirrel! We live in days of multiplying diversions and deepening divisions. It is easy to get off message and mission. Our passage today helps us refocus on our central source and message of hope. Jesus, God’s sovereign Son, and sole means of redemption and adoption, is our life and mission. He is to be what we are all about.  
“God wanted to make known among the Gentiles the glorious wealth of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory. 28 We proclaim him, warning and teaching everyone with all wisdom, so that we may present everyone mature in Christ. 29 I labor for this, striving with his strength that works powerfully in me.” (Col. 1:27-29 – CSB)
Confined in Rome (60 AD), Paul reaches out to a church being threatened with doctrinal drift and spiritual distraction. Epaphras visited Paul to share his concerns for the church in Colossae. Paul writes them, pointing them back to the Lord Christ Jesus. He reminds us of our central commitment – Messiah Jesus. Finding life and hope in Him, we strive to proclaim Him to others. 
WE PRESENT CHRIST TO OTHERS SO WE CAN PRESENT THEM TO CHRIST.
A full presentation of Him, in His fullness, which leads to Fullness, Maturity in Him
1.      We are All about HIM; Christ, our hope of glory
a.       Seeking to know Him better to live worthy of Him (1:9-14)
b.      Him: God’s Sovereign Son, His exact image, firstborn, over all…  (15-23)
c.       Him: God’s Made-known secret; the Savior, our Source of Life (24-27)
2.       We Proclaim Him, with Wisdom  
a.       Willing to suffer as servants of this glorious message of hope (24-27)
b.      Warning them – “Get right”
c.       Teaching  them – “Grow up”
d.      With Knowledge and Insight into message, method (cf. Col 4:2-6)
3.      We’re Purposeful: To Present Mature Disciples to Him
a.       “proclaiming the gospel of God, so that the Gentiles might become
b.      an offering acceptable to God” (Romans 15:16 - NIV)
c.       Not just “getting’ souls saved” – make disciples! (Matt. 28:18-20)
d.      Help them grow up in all things (cf. Gal. 4:19; Eph. 4:1-6)
4.      We Persevere in this Mission, with His Power
                Agonizing, toiling, dependent on Him (John 15:1-5; 1Cor. 15:10)
  APPLICATION QUESTIONS.
Ø  Do you know Him? He is God’s source of hope for us (1:26, 27)
Ø  Are you growing in knowledge of Him?  Pray Col. 1:9-14
Study Col. 1:15-20; write out who He is, what He’s done
Ø  Do you live to make Him known? With your:
Life  - fruit of Spirit, deeds (Gal. 5:19-22; Matt. 5:13-16)
Lips – truth of Spirit from the Word  (Col. 3:16-17; 4:5, 6)
Ø  What flows most frequently from you? What drips over your lips?
Politics, pandemic, playthings…  (Luke 6:45; Col. 3:14-16) 

Interview with Bill Arnold at Faith Radio about "Resisting Gossip"

On Friday, I enjoyed talking about Resisting Gossip yesterday with Bill Arnold on Faith Radio out of Minneapolis.

Live radio can be kind of daunting--I had a few moments when I blanked out and I tripped over my words, but it was still fun to have a lively conversation about saying, "No" to the temptation to talk about people behind their backs.

“He Will Rule” Psalm 72 [Matt's Messages]

“He Will Rule”Lanse Evangelical Free ChurchApril 11, 2021 :: Psalm 72
This might take a little bit of effort, but imagine for a moment that you are soon going to be crowned the next king of Israel. 
Imagine that you are living 3,000 years ago in ancient Israel, and your daddy had been the king of Israel, and you are either soon going to be crowned or have recently been crowned, and you are now coming into the fullness of your reign. 
And you have an opportunity to write a prayer song about your reign. A prayer for you to pray, a song for you to sing and for others to pray and sing along with you.
What do you put in that prayer?
What do you include in that song?
It was apparently a situation something like that which was the occasion for the composition of Psalm 72.
The superscription says that Psalm 72 is “Of Solomon.” Just like many of these psalms have been “Of David.” There are only actually 2 Psalms in the Psalter listed as “Of Solomon.” This one and Psalm 127.
And this one is all about the reign of the king.
It’s a prayer for and about the king–the royal son–and his rule.
I’ve titled this message, “He Will Rule,” drawing from the first three words of verse 8 in the 1984 New International Version.
Because it’s all about the rule and reign of this king.
Now, which king is in view in Psalm 72?
That’s a very important question.
What king is this song about?
Well, just like the last four psalms that we have studied together the last four Sundays, I think that the answer is complicated. It’s at least twofold.
There’s the original king that this song is about (I think Solomon himself here), but the language of Psalm 72 is so exalted, so extravagant, so boundary-busting, that I think it must also be prophetic about a Great King to come.
Not just great David’s great son King Solomon.But great David’s greatest son King Jesus.
And I think you’ll see and feel that yourself as we read it together.
This is a royal psalm that seems also really be a Messianic psalm.
Many of the phrases that describe the king can actually be translated either as a request, “May He be this...” or as a declaration, a vision, a prophecy, “He will be this...”
Like that phrase in verse 8. It could be translated, “May He rule.”
I think the ambiguity may be intentional so that we hear both Solomon praying for these things for himself and also prophesying that they will be some day in the future be fully realized in Jesus.
So, back to the question. You are about to be crowned king, and you’re writing a prayer song about your reign.
What do you put in that song?

Do you remember what young Solomon asked the Lord for in 1 Kings chapter 3?
The LORD appeared to Solomon at Gibeon and said to him, “Ask whatever you want, and I’ll give it to you.”
Do you remember what young Solomon asked for then? A discerning heart. He said, “[G]ive your servant a discerning heart [wisdom!] to govern your people and to distinguish between right and wrong. For who is able to govern this great people of yours?” (1 Kings 3:9).
And the Lord loved that answer and gave that wisdom and much more blessing to him.
Well, that’s what Solomon starts Psalm 72 with. Let’s look at it. Verses 1 through 4.
“Psalm 72. Of Solomon. Endow the king with your justice, O God, the royal son with your righteousness. He will judge your people in righteousness, your afflicted ones with justice. The mountains will bring prosperity to the people, the hills the fruit of righteousness. He will defend the afflicted among the people and save the children of the needy; he will crush the oppressor.”
I have three points to summarize the rule of the king in Psalm 72. 
#1. HIS REIGN WILL BE RIGHTEOUS.
He will rule in righteousness.
Do you see how Solomon repeats that idea over and over again in the first 4 verses?
“Righteousness, righteousness, righteousness.”
He wants righteousness, rightness, justice to be the hallmark of his reign.
That’s the number one thing he asks for.
“Endow the king with your justice, O God [divine justice! The ability to make the right ruling, the right decision, to know right from wrong in any given situation, Endow the king with your justice, O God], the royal son with your righteousness. [And then perhaps more prophetically.] He will judge your people in righteousness, your afflicted ones with justice.”
What does that look like? When the king is reigning in righteousness, then prosperity is the result. 
Verse 3. “The mountains will bring prosperity [literally “shalom” “peace” “wholeness”] to the people, the hills the fruit of righteousness. [It will be everywhere. And that justice will be evidenced by how the most vulnerable are treated.]
That’s the exact right thing to pray for as you begin your reign as king.
Pray that you would bring justice like that. That you love justice like that. That you would have a heart of righteousness, and that you would bring righteousness to bear in every situation under your rule.
Now, we don’t have a monarchy in this country, but these are good things for us to pray for in our democracy, as well, I think. We can pray that our government (which is by the people) would be for the people, especially the most vulnerable people among us. And we can pray that we would be wise to elect those whose policies would most have that effect.
Because these verses open up for us the heart of God. It’s a heart for justice. Notice what Solomon calls the afflicted in verse 2? They are “your afflicted ones.” Those who are suffering under injustice are described as belonging in some way to the Lord Himself.
So that how we treat the last and the least and the oppressed matters deeply to God. And, therefore, it should matter to the king. V.4
“He will defend the afflicted among the people and save the children of the needy; he will crush the oppressor.”
I think that in first instance this is Solomon’s prayer request for himself and his rule.
But how did Solomon do at this after all?
Was he thumbs up or thumbs down in the end?
Well, Solomon was a pretty mixed bag. He got some things right early on, and I think he may have actually came back strong at the end of his life.
But, in many ways, he failed at this very thing. In 1 Kings 12, his former subjects said that he had placed a heavy yoke on them. At least some of them actually said that he had oppressed them instead of crushing their oppressors.
So I think this psalm is also prophetic about the Messiah and His unswerving commitment to righteousness. 
I think Psalm 72 predicts that the Messiah will set everything right as it should be. Poverty will be eliminated. Peace will rule. And everything still wrong will be made right. When He will rule in righteousness.
Do you long for that? I know I do. Every day I read the news I long for it even more. There is so little justice, so much injustice. And, I admit, I don’t always know what justice actually is in many situations. 
But Jesus does, and Jesus will, and He will bring divine righteousness to His kingdom.
#2. HIS REIGN WILL BE BOUNDLESS.
It will not just be righteous, but it will be boundless. 
In verse 5, Solomon goes really big. He swings for the fences. Verse 5.
“He will [or “may he”] endure as long as the sun, as long as the moon, through all generations.”
Now, if he’s praying for himself, that’s a little over the top. Perhaps it’s just poetry to say, “always,” or perhaps he means himself and the rest of David’s dynasty, all of David’s sons “through all generations” are in the “he” there.
Maybe. But you can’t help but think about the Messiah, can you?
About a king that literally endures as long as the sun and moon...AND EVEN LONGER! Boundless in time. An endless enduring reign. 
And boundless in blessing. Verse 6.
“He will be like rain falling on a mown field, like showers watering the earth.”
Solomon wants to be like that, but we know that Jesus is and will be.
He is so refreshing and life-giving.
I love that Jesus is like a Spring rain! Fallen on mown field. What’s the significance of that? Well, it’s refreshing, but it’s also fruitful, right? The first planting has already grown up and been cut. And now the rain is coming to nourish the second planting. And then third and the fourth and fifth to infinity. Verse 7.
“In his days the righteous will flourish; prosperity will abound till the moon is no more.”
Boundless prosperity! Can you imagine?
That’s what the kingdom will be like.
Now, all of that was in jeopardy when Jesus died on the Cross, wasn’t it?
It sure didn’t look like boundless prosperity. 
It sure didn’t look like perfect righteousness was going to win.
That’s why the resurrection that we celebrated last Sunday is so important for today.
Because King Jesus is still risen indeed today, we know that His Kingdom will come and be forevermore.
Forevermore, boundless in time. And boundless in space. Verse 8.
“He will rule from sea to sea and from the River to the ends of the earth.”
Now that could be in Solomonic terms from the Mediterranean to the Sea of Galilee,  but feels bigger than that, doesn’t it?
And from the River (the Euphrates) to the ends of the earth.
That’s saying the whole world, isn’t it? The whole known world.
Solomon is not emphasizing limits here but extension. Everywhere you look, this king will rule or “may he rule.” Verse 9
“The desert tribes will bow before him and his enemies will lick the dust. The kings of Tarshish and of distant shores will bring tribute to him; the kings of Sheba and Seba will present him gifts.”
Solomon is like pointing to every point on the compass.
Anybody know where Tarshish was? It was probably Spain. That’s where Jonah wanted to go, right? That was a far West as anybody had heard of.
And how about South? Sheba and Seba are in the South.
Seba is probably present day Ethiopia.
Sheba is probably present day Yemen.
And the River was to the East and North.
All over the compass, Solomon expected to reign.
He would defeat his enemies, and even attract other kingdoms to follow him.
That’s what happened with the Queen of _______ in 1 Kings 10?
The Queen of Sheba. She came up and checked out Solomon’s kingdom, and it literally look her breath away.
Far away places.
And if that was true of King Solomon for a limited time, how much more will it be true of King Jesus for an unlimited time? Verse 11.
“All kings will bow down to him and all nations will serve him.”
My mind goes to the Magi bowing down in Matthew chapter 2 to the newborn king with their precious gifts.
And then my mind goes to Revelation 21 where it says that all of the kings and nations of the earth of will come to the New Jerusalem to worship the Lamb and bring in their glory and honor to King Jesus.
All of these things have been promised to King David in some form, and Solomon is just praying that they will be fulfilled.
And we know that they will be fulfilled!
Boundless in time.Boundless in flourishing.Boundless in territory.Boundless in mercy and justice.
In verse 12, Solomon goes back to the theme of justice, and he says that this kind of justice is what will really attract the nations.
It won’t just be the king’s raw power, but how he uses that power to exercise compassion and justice for the vulnerable. Verse 12.
“All kings will bow down to him and all nations will serve him. For he will deliver the needy who cry out, the afflicted who have no one to help. He will take pity on the weak and the needy and save the needy from death. He will rescue them from oppression and violence, for precious is their blood in his sight.”
That is the heart of a true king.
If you are in any position of leadership and authority, pray that this would be true of you in your leadership.
Pray that you would use what power you have for those who are powerless.
Verse 15. “Long may he live! May gold from Sheba be given him. May people ever pray for him and bless him all day long.”
Here Solomon asks for long life and for his people’s prayers. He prays for prayer.
And he prays for blessing.
#3. HIS REIGN WILL BE BLESSED.
His reign will be righteous.His reign will be boundless.And His reign be blessed.
Verse 16, “Let grain abound throughout the land; on the tops of the hills may it sway. Let its fruit flourish like Lebanon; let it thrive like the grass of the field.”
In verse 15, he prayed for gold from Sheba. And the Queen of Sheba brought him some!
In verse 16, he prays for crops. He wants thriving crops throughout the land–even on the tops of the hills. That would be miraculous in Israel.
Fruit growing like trees grow in Lebanon.
Fruit like grass!
That’s a picture of blessing, isn’t it?
This is pointing beyond Solomon, beyond Israel, to Jesus and His Kingdom in the New Heaven and the New Earth.
A completely renovated world. 
Where everything is not only righteous but prosperous.
Not only just but blessed.
All because of Who the King is. Verse 17.
“May his name endure forever; may it continue as long as the sun. All nations will be blessed through him, and they will call him blessed.”
Solomon prayed for boundless blessing on his reign, and well he might as long as that blessing came as the fruit of righteousness.
But this prayer is too big for Solomon’s britches. His shoes were not big enough to fill up verse 17!
Verse 17 alludes to the promises made to Abraham, doesn’t it? The Abrahamic Covenant. “All nations will be blessed through him, and they will call him blessed.”
Well, Solomon in his splendor was foretaste of the fulfillment of that blessing but only a foretaste.
Thankfully, “One greater than Solomon has come.”
Do you remember when Jesus said that about Himself?
“One greater than Solomon has come.”
A thousand years after King Solomon wrote Psalm 72, King Jesus came and began  to really fulfill it.
And now 2000 years after that we are waiting for Jesus to sing this song to its fullest and be blessed forevermore!
One greater than Solomon has risen from the dead is coming again soon!
So, how do we apply Psalm 72 to our lives today?
Three quick bullet points of application:
#1. Expect His Reign.
“He will rule!” Solomon prayed for it, and he was also prophesying it.
And we should fully expect it to be fulfilled in the return of Christ.
His reign WILL BE righteous.His reign WILL BE boundless.His reign WILL BE blessed forevermore.
We can put all of our faith in that biblical hope.
Sometimes (often!), it doesn’t seem likely. It doesn’t seem like the kingdom is on the way.
But we know it is!
He will rule. Expect with it with all of you heart.
#2. Expand His Reign.
That starts with submitting to it yourself and then sharing it with others.
If you have never bowed the knee to King Jesus and received Him as your own Lord, don’t wait another second. You’ve just read where history is headed. You don’t want to be on the wrong side of this King.
“His enemies will lick the dust.”
But His subjects will be rescued from their oppressors even from their own oppressive sin.
And tell other people about Him!
This is Who King Jesus is! Invite others from here to every point on the compass to put their faith in Him.
Expand His Reign.
#3. Extol His Reign.
Praise God that the King has come, the King has come back from the dead, and the King is coming again to bring a kingdom that will never end.
That’s where the Psalm 72 goes at the very end. This part actually may be added as the ending not just for Psalm 72 but for the whole second part of the Psalter because verse 20 has the note, “This concludes the prayers of David son of Jesse.”
Regardless, it is the right place to go next. And that is praise because of His reign. Verse 18.
“Praise be to the LORD God, the God of Israel, who alone does marvelous deeds. Praise be to his glorious name forever; may the whole earth be filled with his glory. Amen and Amen.”
***
Fortifying Truth - Psalms - Fall 2020 / Winter 2021 / Spring 2021

01. Majestic and Mindful - Psalm 8
02. All Our Days - Psalm 90
03. "The LORD on High Is Mighty!" - Psalm 93
04. "The LORD Is My Shepherd" - Psalm 23
05. "Praise the LORD, O My Soul!" - Psalm 103
06. "The Blessing of Aaron's Oily Beard" - Psalm 133
07. "A Dying Thirst for the Living God" - Psalm 42
08. "Our Fortress" - Psalm 46
09. Unrestless - Psalm 131
10. "Sun and Shield" - Psalm 84
11. "With Songs of Joy" - Psalm 126
12. "His Love Endures Forever" - Psalm 136
13. "How Many Are Your Works, O LORD!" - Psalm 104
14. "My Soul Waits for the Lord" - Psalm 130
15. "Remember David" - Psalm 132
16. "My Son" - Psalm 2
17. "Search Me" - Psalm 139
18. "Cleanse Me" - Psalm 51
19. "A New Song" - Psalm 96
20. "Hear My Prayer, O LORD." - Psalm 86
21. "May All the Peoples Praise" - Psalm 67
22. "A Wedding Song" - Psalm 45
23. "My Feet Had Almost Slipped" - Psalm 73
24. “Rejoicing Comes in the Morning" - Psalm 30
25. 'The Waters Have Come Up To My Neck" - Psalm 69
26. "Cast Your Cares on the LORD" - Psalm 55
27. "“My God, My God, Why Have You Forsaken Me?" - Psalm 22
28. "You Will Not Abandon Me To the Grave" - Psalm 16

15:14 Podcast Interview

I thoroughly enjoyed being interviewed by Curtis Solomon of the Biblical Counseling Coalition for their 15:14 Podcast. We got talk about Resisting Gossip and especially how it relates to biblical counseling. Stay clear to the end for a two minute "get-to-know-you" speed round of favorites!


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