Matthew C. Mitchell's Blog, page 32

No On-Campus Church Events Until After January 4th

Dear Church Family,
The Church Elders Team has made the prayerful and painful decision to cancel all in-person, on-campus church events from now until after January 4th, 2021.
So that means no on-campus worship gatherings for the next four Sundays (December 13, 20, 27, or January 3) and no on-campus prayer meetings on Wednesday nights until January 6th. It also means that we are canceling the Candles and Carols outdoor worship gathering that we were in the process of planning for Christmas Eve.
This was not an easy decision to make because we all want to continue to gather in fellowship and worship of the Lord Jesus Christ, especially at Christmastime. But the Elders met twice this week to pray and plan together, and this is how the Lord led us.
Because COVID-19 cases are at an all time high, the Governor of Pennsylvania has put temporary mitigation measures into effect from December 12th to January 4th including limiting indoor gatherings to 10 people and outdoor gatherings to no more than 50. While the Governor has specifically indicated that churches are exempt from these limitations, he has also strongly recommended that churches follow them as well because “in person gatherings pose a significant risk to participants at this time.” It seemed wise to us to follow this guidance and continue to do our part in stopping the spread of COVID-19.
Obviously, the virus is now here among us in our area. Many in our own church family have been affected either by infection or exposure. We’re hoping that this temporary pause in gathering will  help us to keep each other safe, especially the most vulnerable among us.
This does not mean, of course, that our mission is on hold. We continue to exist to glorify God by bringing people into a life-changing relationship with Jesus Christ through worship, instruction, fellowship, evangelism, and service. The main thing is still to keep the main thing the main thing, which is the gospel of Jesus Christ.
We will continue to send out the Worship at Home resources we’ve been making, including a Guide to Worship at Home and recorded video messages. And we’re still online every Sunday evening at 6:30 for a Church Family Fellowship Meeting on Zoom. Right now, we’re focusing on interviewing and praying for the medical professionals in our church family who are working in health care during this difficult time.
We’re also going to continue to post videos of families in the church lighting the Advent Candles. Christmas is not canceled. It’s just different this year.
Here’s an idea the Elders had for Christmas Eve: Instead of all of our families all gathering together in one place, maybe a few families coordinate and go caroling at the homes of some of our older folks in the church? Pull out your directory and drive over to someone’s front yard, ring the doorbell and sing “Hark! The Herald Angels Sing” and “Joy to the World.” That would be very safe and might mean the world to someone who needs the encouragement. That church directory is our friend for ministry to one another during this hardest point in the pandemic. Let’s continue to stay connected.
By the way, thank you for your continued giving during this time. The deaconesses have begun helping families who have lost income due to quarantines using the relief funds that you have donated these last several months. And the church is still doing well financially. Thank you for your faithfulness and generosity!
If you have any questions or needs, please do not hesitate to contact me, Marilynn in the church office, or any of the Elders. We are here for you.
We are all sad that this is where we are at today and we are praying for an end to COVID-19 and full resumption of in-person ministry. I’m sure we’re going to get through this as the Lord is leading us every step of the way.
I will miss being with you for the next four Sunday mornings, but I am looking forward to gathering the six of us in our family in our living room and worshiping together there. I encourage you to do the same with your household because Jesus Christ is worthy.
“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” (Numbers 6:23-26, NIV84).
In His Grip,-Pastor Matt

Advent Candle #2: Repeat the Sounding Joy

 
LEFC Family Advent Readings: Let Earth Receive Her King!Psalm 98 :: December 6, 2020
Week #2: Repeat the Sounding Joy

“Advent” means “coming.” Christmas is coming. Jesus has come and is coming again.

During this year’s unusual Advent season, we are centering our attention on Psalm 98, which the hymnwriter Isaac Watts used as the basis for the Christmas carol, “Joy to the World.”

Psalm 98 is a victory song that joyfully celebrating the marvelous things the Lord has done in history and will do when Christ comes again.

Our first candle was a candle of preparation.

[LIGHT FIRST CANDLE AGAIN.]

Just as we are all preparing for the coming of Christmas, we should be preparing our hearts for the coming of Christ. Psalm 98 invites us to ready our hearts for His return.
                
[LIGHT SECOND CANDLE.]

Our second candle is a candle of celebration. Psalm 98 is filled with calls to rejoice in  song.

[READ PSALM 98:4-8]
                    
The coming of the Messiah is worthy of our frequently repeated joyful exultation. 

The psalmist personifies all of nature joining in the great celebration–with the sea roaring, rivers clapping their hands, and mountains singing for joy. All of creation participates in the festivity.

As Christians expecting the blessed return of our rescuing King, we have every reason to rejoice.

“Joy to the earth! the Savior reigns;
Let all their songs employ,
While fields and floods, rocks, hills, and plains
Repeat the sounding joy!”

“My Soul Waits for the Lord” [Matt's Messages]

“My Soul Waits for the Lord”Lanse Evangelical Free ChurchDecember 6, 2020 :: Psalm 130
Psalm 130 is about waiting. 
The psalmist says at least 4 times in 2 verses that he waits for the Lord; his soul (his entire being, his whole self) waits for the Lord.
And he repeats himself, saying in verse 6 his soul “waits for the Lord more than watchmen wait for the morning, more than watchmen wait for the morning.”
I remember the first time that John and Jeff  took me hunting. I had never been hunting. Didn’t grow up hunting. Lived here 10 years before going hunting even though that’s what everybody does around here.
But I wanted to learn, especially because someday I knew some of my boys would want to. And Jeff and John agreed to teach me.
I remember that first day of Buck season when we got up at 5:00 in the morning.
Did you know there were two five o’clocks? I knew about the one in the afternoon, but there’s one in the middle in the night, too!
And we got up and got dressed, and I was overdressed. I was wearing like 3 layers of clothes and had a snack and a full lunch with a turkey sandwich and a thermos of hot tomato soup in my brand new blue Carhartt jacket. Nobody had told me that blue was the exact wrong color to wear for hunting deer. It’s like a neon light for deer eyes. I would find that out later.
Jeff picked me up, and we went over to Kristofits’, and then we drove out to the woods, and then we silently marched out a few miles into the woods to places we’d picked out–I could have never found that place in the dark. Just following John.
And then we sat for an hour or more and waited for the morning to come.
And we waited for the morning to come.And we waited for the morning to come.And we waited for the morning to come.
And the whole time, my eyes were peeled.
I wasn’t going to fall asleep. I had a loaded gun on my lap.
I wasn’t going to fall asleep.
I was going to see those deer when they came.
And we waited for the morning to come.And we waited for the morning to come.
And it seemed like the morning would never come.
And then it came.
But there were no deer.
Not that day.
We hadn’t been promised any deer! They call it “hunting,” not “harvesting!”
The deer didn’t come that day.
But the morning came, just like we knew it would.
The morning. always. comes. Sometimes it seems like forever, but it’s always a sure thing. The morning will come.
And every watchman knows that.
Every sentry posted on watch knows that morning will inevitably come.
And so they wait.
But of course, we’re getting ahead of ourselves. That’s verse 6.
This psalm begins in verse 1. And it begins with a cry for help.

Psalm 130, verse 1.
“A song of ascents. Out of the depths I cry to you, O LORD; O Lord, hear my voice. Let your ears be attentive to my cry for mercy.”
This song obviously arises from a place of desperation. The songwriter is desperate. He’s in distress. He’s in danger. He’s in trouble. And he cries out to the LORD, Yahweh, for help.
He says, “Out of the depths I cry to you, O LORD;”
It’s like he’s drowning in the sea. Like Jonah.
We don’t exactly what his situation was. He wrote this song out of his desperation, and then it got included in the “Songs of Ascent” so that Israelite families would sing it together as they ascended in pilgrimage to Jerusalem for the holy feasts of Israel.
It was song of a desperate man that was also sung by a desperate nation.
Whatever his particular problem was, he somehow knew that it was tied to his own sin.
The psalmist knew that he himself had gotten himself into this predicament.
And that’s why he asks for mercy. Verse 2 again.
“O Lord, hear my voice. Let your ears be attentive to my cry for mercy.”
This psalm has two major parts to it, and so I have two points of application.
And the first is simply that we should do as this guy does and cry out for mercy.
#1. CRY OUT FOR HIS MERCY.
When we are in trouble, especially trouble caused by our own sin and failures, we should go directly to the Lord and ask Him for help.
When we’re drowning in our own sin.When we’re in deep water.When we’re realizing that we can’t save ourselves.
We should cry out for mercy.
Now, that’s counter-intuitive, isn’t it? Because we know that sin is rebellion against God. And that He is sovereign over the consequences of our sin. He Himself has sent them our way!
But where else could we go?
We cannot save ourselves. We need His mercy.
And here’s the good news! The LORD is full of mercy.
He loves to rescue people from their own sins.
And the psalmist knows that. Verse 3.
“If you, O LORD, kept a record of sins, O Lord, who could stand? But with you there is forgiveness; therefore you are feared.”
I love the self-awareness here. This guy knows that he’s a sinner, and that if God looked up his record in the database, he would get decimated.
“Hmm. Let’s see here. Matt Mitchell, Matt Mitchell, Matt Mitchell. Ooo. Ew. Ooo.”
And the songwriter says, that’s what God would do with all of us!
“If you, O LORD, kept a record of sins, O Lord, who could stand?”
Nobody could stand.
“All have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God.”
Martin Luther called this psalm, the Pauline Psalm. Like it could have been written by the Apostle Paul and included in the book of Romans.
“If you, O LORD, kept a record of sins, O Lord, who could stand?”
Make sure you see yourself in that verse. Because I think many people assume that they are basically good and that God has very little to forgive them for.
No. Our sins are great. But His mercy is more. Verse 4 again.
“But with you there is forgiveness...” 
That’s why we cry out for mercy, because God’s heart is full of mercy.
God loves to forgive!
Yes, He is holy. And He doesn’t wink at sin, but He does forgive it, and then He washes us free from it so that the record does not stand against us.
“But with you there is forgiveness...” 
The psalmist knows what God told Moses when He passed by him in the cleft of the rock, “The LORD, the LORD, the compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness, maintaining love to thousands, and forgiving wickedness, rebellion and sin” (Exodus 34:6-7, NIV84).
“With you there is forgiveness.”
And we know how He did it. Much better than the psalmist did. We know how He could be just and the justifier of the ungodly. How He could be holy and forgive at the same time.
We know that it took the Cross of Jesus Christ.
Paul says, “[A]ll have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus. God presented him as a sacrifice of atonement, through faith in his blood” (Romans 3:23-25a).
Have you put your faith in His blood?
Cry out for His mercy, and you will find it.
And don’t miss the end result. Verse 4 again. "But with you there is forgiveness; therefore you are feared.”
Therefore God is worshipped.
People says, “Wow! Whoa! That’s amazing! “What is this God like that is super holy and full of mercy at the same time?!”
The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom. When we understand how sinful we really are and what we have been forgiven of, we stand in awe. We stand in awe.
There is nothing cheap about God’s mercy. It is costly and glorious and calls forth worship.
So, cry out for His mercy.
I saw a post on social media recently that said something like, “I want to be a Father where my child does not say, ‘O no, I’m in trouble. Don’t call my Dad.’ I want to be a Father where my child says, ‘O no, I’m in trouble. I need to call my Dad.’”
That’s what kind of Father God is.
Cry out to Him for mercy.
Then in the second half of the psalm, the songwriter waits for the Lord.
It doesn’t say exactly what he’s waiting for. From the context, I think it’s a safe assumption that he’s waiting for the Lord’s deliverance. An official word of pardon and assurance of forgiveness and the Lord’s mercy to extricate him from the trouble he’s drowning in.
But it doesn’t say that directly, and it also seems to be a little bigger than just that. 
It doesn’t say that he waits for the Lord’s forgiveness. It just says that he waits for the Lord. It’s very personal. He is waiting on a Person. V.5
“I wait for the LORD, my soul waits, and in his word I put my hope.”
This guy has learned to trust in the Lord and wait on Him to fulfill His promises.
“In his word I put my hope.”
Whatever God has said that He will do, the psalmist believes that He will do.
And so he waits.
And waits some more. V.6
“My soul waits for the Lord more than watchmen wait for the morning, more than watchmen wait for the morning.” We’re learning a lot about waiting right now, aren’t we?
We are waiting for COVID to be over.We are waiting for a vaccine to be widely distributed.We are waiting for things to get back to “normal.”
We are waiting for test results.
Our lives are full of waiting for all kinds of things.
We’re waiting for Christmas!!!
And we’re waiting for the return of Jesus Christ.
A lot of people have asked me recently if I think that world events are pointing to the return of Christ.
And I always say, “Sure. But they always are.”
A year ago, we were studying Jesus’ teaching about the end times in Matthew 24 and 25, and we learned then that we don’t know when, and we’re not going to.
Jesus didn’t know!
It could be sooner than we expect, and it could be longer than we expect.
And so what are we supposed to do?
Wait for it.
And watch for it.
Like watchmen waiting for the morning.Like watchmen waiting for the morning.
How do watchmen wait for the morning?
Well, they long for it. They want it to come because it means the end of their shift. It means they get to rest, and they have done their job.
And they are tired, but they are focused.
And at the same time, they are confident that it will come.
The morning is a sure thing.
It is inevitable.
And so are all of God’s promises.
Including the glorious return of Christ and the full redemption of His people.
#2. WAIT FOR HIS REDEMPTION.
Cry out for His mercy, and wait for His redemption.
We cry out for His mercy because we know with Him there is forgiveness.
We wait for His redemption because we know with Him there is unfailing love. Look at verse 7.
“O Israel, put your hope in the LORD, for with the LORD is unfailing love [hesed!] and with him is full redemption.”
Doesn’t that sound good?
The KJV and ESV have, “plenteous redemption.”
He has the power to completely redeem His people.
To redeem something means to restore by payment. To restore freedom. To restore to original purpose. To pay what it takes to restore something is redemption.
And with the Lord is full redemption.
Full forgiveness.And full restoration.
Paul says even our bodies will one day be fully redeemed (Romans 8:23).
But right now we wait for it. We’re sure it’s going to come, but we have to hold on.
And wait.
But it is sure to come! The psalmist ends his song with an invitation for all of God’s people to put their hope in the Lord because (v.8):
“He himself will redeem Israel from all their sins.”
Our greatest problem will be solved by God Himself.
That word “himself” is the greatest word in verse 8!
The Lord has not just arranged for redemption on our behalf. He has accomplished it Himself!
The psalmist knew it was coming. He could see it.
We know how he did it.
Remember what the angel told Joseph when he appeared to him in a dream?
“[D]o not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, [why?] because he will save his people from their sins” (Matthew 1:20-21).
Just you wait!

***
Fortifying Truth - Fall 2020

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

Mrs. Russell and the Message of Romans

I learned today that a very special woman, Karen (Huston) Russell Mott, has gone to be with the Lord. 
Years ago, for our church's inaugural "Back 2 School Sunday" event I wrote the following sermon in which she played a major part. 
I share it here as a tribute to her wonderful influence in my life and a wish for many more to know her Savior.
 ***
"Mrs. Russell and the Message of Romans"Back-2-School Sunday :: Lanse Evangelical Free ChurchAugust 29, 1999
I've been a student in school for most of my life.  In fact, I went to school for 21 straight years, from the time I was 4 (and went to preschool) to the time I was 25 and graduated from seminary, I never took 1 year off.  Every Fall, it was the same story--Back-2-School.  This is only the second Fall that I can remember that I didn't have to buy school supplies, and school clothes, and get my schedule and find out who my teachers are going be, and so on.
And you can imagine that in 21 straight years of school, I had a wide variety of teachers.   Some were brilliant people who gave stimulating lectures and led thought-provoking discussions.  In Bible School and Seminary, I had the privilege of sitting under some of the leaders in their fields of study–a truly awesome educational experience.  On the other hand, I've had some teachers who were as boring (to me) as watching golf re-runs on television, and some who I would pay large sums of money to not take again.  Counting substitutes, I have easily been taught by over 100 different teachers.
And this morning, I want to pay tribute to one special lady who taught me 9th grade English.  Her name was Mrs. Karen Russell.
Mrs. Russell was a 9th Grade English Teacher at Shelby Senior High School in Shelby, Ohio.  She had been teaching for a number of years there and had children about my age, one a couple of years older than me, the other a couple of years younger.
Mrs. Russell had a great sense of humor, an infectious laugh, a bright-red head of hair,  and a winsome and attractive way of conducting her class.  She knew how to bring the best out of her students, of which, I was glad that I was one.
Mrs. Russell taught us about parts of speech (like verbs and nouns and gerunds and adjectives) and made us read stories like The Lottery and plays by William Shakespeare, and write our own stories.  She was one of those people who encouraged me as a writer--and you folks who have to listen to my sermons from week to week are the judge of whether or not she was doing a good thing!
In many ways she taught me a love for English.  I had already obtained a great respect for English because my mother was also an English teacher.  But, right about the time that I had Mrs. Russell, I began to realize that English was not just grammar and vocabulary and hard work, but that words in English put together in the right way could convey great thoughts and important ideas.
But English wasn't the only thing that I learned from Mrs. Russell.  I also learned that a teacher and a student could be friends, too.  Many days after school was over and the bell had rung, I stopped by Mrs. Russell's room.  My locker was just down the hall from her room, and after stuffing my things in my locker, we'd talk–sometimes for 1/2 an hour!  She never stopped being a teacher or my elder during those discussions, and I never stopped being a student or respecting her, but during those discussions we didn't just talk about English.  We talked about life and about choices–and about Jesus Christ.  You see, Mrs. Russell was a Christian.  And though you didn't hear about it every day in class, it affected everything that she did and said–and after school hours, we could talk about how her faith and my faith in Jesus made a difference in how we lived.  I visited her classroom, and we had these discussions long after my 9th grade year.  In fact, after Heather and I got engaged, one of the people I wanted her to meet before we married, was Mrs. Russell.
One of the most poignant lessons that I learned from Mrs. Russell was how to go through tough times.  It was during that year I had her for English that her husband Mr. Terry Russell, died.  He had some disease in an internal organ–I never paid attention to the details–that was a constant, up-hill battle that year.  Mrs. Russell missed a lot of school that year, taking him to different doctor's appointments and dealing with the painful truth--we had a lot of substitutes for 9th grade English.
But Mrs. Russell didn't fall apart.  She was obviously going through something incredibly painful–some subjects in our class and in our discussions would bring tears to her eyes.  But even though she was in pain (and she didn't deny that), it was obvious to some of us that she had something or someone who was getting her through her trials and suffering–even with joy.  And it was also obvious that that something or someone was the Lord Jesus Christ.  I've never talked with her about it, but her example of persevering in faith even through adversity was a great example for me.
I'm really grateful to God for Mrs. Russell.  From interacting with her, I learned about English, friendship, Christianity, and persevering through trials.  I'm thankful that God brought her into my life.  I hope that you all had a Mrs. Russell in your life at some point, and that you will in some way try to be a Mrs. Russell for someone else.
But there was one thing that she taught me that I hated with a passion.  In fact, all of my classmates in 9th Grade English hated it.  We used to joke about it scornfully behind her back.
It was a exercise that she made us do to everything that we read for her class.  It was something she called–“Universal Truths.”
Ugh.  Just the thought of it makes my blood run cold.  My classmates and I thought that finding Universal Truths was a dirty rotten trick that English teachers had thought up to torture 9th grade students!
The process of finding Universal Truths in a piece of literature is really quite simple.  First, you read the book or story or poem and then you pick out its key themes.  And you do that by choosing just a few sample sentences or passages that you think are key to the whole and that explain the whole thing...and...(this is the key)...you state the key thoughts that explain the whole thing in terms that affect all people everywhere.
Ugh.  I hated looking for Universal Truths for Mrs. Russell!  And so did my classmates.  We always seemed to get it wrong.  Or, when Mrs. Russell would say what a sample Universal Truth might be from a particular story, we would just shrug and say, "I would have never thought of that!  Where did you get that?"  Did you have this experience with English teachers?  If I hadn't been raised by one, I would have thought that they were a sinister bunch of people!
But, as you might guess, even Mrs. Russell's Universal Truths have been helpful to me in my life. Especially in interpreting the Bible which is full  of Universal Truths that are backed up with a divine guarantee.  In fact, talking about Universal Truths is what I want us to do together this morning as we look into God's Word.
We're going to take one Bible book, the book of Romans–and look at the Universal Truths found there, using Mrs. Russell's technique.  Remember, to find Universal Truths, you read the entire book (which I've done for us in advance), and you pick out its key themes by choosing just a few sample sentences or passages that you think are key to understanding whole book and...you state the key thoughts that explain the whole thing in terms that affect all people everywhere.  Got it?
I've picked the book of Romans because Romans is the clearest explanation of the whole Bible in one book.  It is the Capitol City of the Universal Truth Nation.  Someone has said that all roads in the Bible intersect at some point in Romans.  So if you want to know in a nutshell what the message of the Bible is, first, learn the message of Romans.
So, to make my 9th Grade English teacher happy, and so that we can learn the central message of the Bible, let's look together at the Universal Truths found in the Book of Romans (God's principles that affect all people everywhere).
The first 2 universal truths come under the heading Our Universal Problem.  This problem is one that affects everyone on the face of the planet–you and me and everyone.  And it's bad news.  The first Universal Truth is found very simply stated in chapter 3, verse 23 or Romans (1114).  Romans 3:23 encapsulates the ideas found from chapter 1–all the way up to this point.  Let's read it together.
[Read Romans 3:23.]
Simply put, the first Universal Truth is this:  Everyone is a sinner.
Notice this verse says, "ALL have sinned."  All. There is no one that is outside of this sentence. God, through the writer, Paul, is telling us that all humans have rebelled against God.
Sins are disobedience to God's laws of right and wrong.  This doesn't just include big sins like rape, and extortion, and murder, but also stuff like lies, and cruelty, and losing your temper, and cheating, and drunkenness, and lust, and self-centeredness, and gossip.  I don't think that there is anyone in this room who would not admit that they have done at least one of those things and probably recently.
Those are sins.  They are rebelling against God.  And every human alive has practiced sin.  Everyone is a sinner.  And that sin has caused every person to not reflect God's glory in the way they should.  We have all fallen short of the glory of God; God's glorious standard has been broken by every person on the planet.
Now that certainly sounds like a problem, but it probably doesn't worry you very much until you begin to understand the second universal truth in the book of Romans.  And that's found in Romans 6:23.  Let's turn over a page and read Romans 6:23.
[Read Romans 6:23]
I want to focus first, on the first half of that key verse.  "For the wages of sin is death..."  
This is a universal truth because everyone is a sinner.  So the effects of sin affect everyone–you and me and everyone.  What this verse says is that our rebellion has earned us something.  We get a wage for our sin.  We have something due us because of our sins.  And that is death.
Everyone has earned death.
Everyone has sinned and those sins have earned us a penalty of death.
Death is separation from something.  Physical death is separation from our bodies.  But spiritual death, what this is talking about, is separation eternally from God.  You see, we were created to have a perfect love relationship with God. But because of our sins, we have been separated and alienated from God.  And that separation is caused by our sin.  The wages of sin is death.  That separation or death for eternity is what we call Hell, and according to this verse, we have all earned it because of our sin.
I'd like to illustrate that.  On June 4, 1961, the K-19, a Soviet nuclear submarine, was conducting a training exercise in the North Atlantic when a pipe carrying coolant to the nuclear reactor burst.  In the reactor room, the temperature quickly soared to 140 degrees, and the radiation level mounted.  The reactor had to be cooled or it would burst, poisoning the sea with radiation.
The Captain of the sub, Nikolai Zateyv, called for volunteers to go into the reactor room and weld a new cooling system.  The men would work in three-man shifts for five to ten minutes, wearing only raincoats and gas masks for protection.
The first volunteer stumbled out of the reactor room after only five minutes.  He tore off his gas mask and vomited.  Volunteers continued to go into the reactor, however, and eventually they succeeded in fixing the cooling pipe.  The Soviet Sub did not explode.
But the radiation had done its harm.  The appearance of the men who had gone into the reactor changed.  Skin reddened and swelled.  Dots of blood appeared on foreheads and scalps. Within 2 hours, the sailors could not be recognized.  Within days, eight had died.  Within two years, fourteen more eventually died of radiation poisoning.
Sin is like that radiation; sin is deadly to our souls.  Noone who comes in contact with it (and that's everyone (remember point #1)) is exempt from its destructive and deadly effect.  Everyone is a sinner, we have all gone into the reactor room of sin.  And everyone has earned death, we all experience the destructive penalty of that radiation–death–eternal separation from God.
That's the bad news.  And its Our Universal Problem.
I am so glad, that Romans does not stop here.  There is more to the message of Romans than this bad news.  In fact, there is more to this verse than this bad news.
The second two Universal Truths from the Book of Romans can be classified under the heading, God's Loving Solution.   God has provided a loving solution to Our Universal Problem.  Let's look at that!  The 3rd Universal Truth is found at the end of Romans 6:23, let's read it again.  Follow along in your Bibles.
[Read Romans 6:23.]
Here's where the good news begins!  Simply put, the 3rd Universal Truth is that God has provided the gift of eternal life.
I call this an Universal Truth, not that everyone has the gift, but it is freely offered to everyone on Earth.  It is Universal in its scope.  God has provided the gift of eternal life.
Imagine owing 75 billion dollars and having only 25 cents to your name.  And then imagine that debt being forgiven.  What a gift that would be!  It's not something that you could earn in a lifetime of trying–it would have to be a gift–freely given with no expectation of a payback.  Our sin-debt is like that– more than we could ever repay– ever!  
But God has provided a means of salvation for us–a rescue from our sin-debt, forgiveness of our sins, restoration of that love-relationship that we were made for, and eternal life with Christ in heaven.  All that is offered in a gift.  A gift.
"The wages of sin is death BUT the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord."
God has mercifully and lovingly provided a solution to our greatest problem.
That's good news!
But, you may be wondering "how?"  How can God just forgive our debts like that? Our sins have earned a penalty–death–and someone had to pay that penalty.
And the next Universal Truth from Romans shows just how much God loved us.  Turn back a page to Romans 5:8. 
[Read Romans 5:8.]
This is one of the most sobering and joy-bringing truths that you will ever hear.  Our 4th Universal truth is this:  God's gift comes from the death of Jesus Christ.
Someone had to die–and Jesus volunteered.  While we were sinners (and all of us are sinners who have earned death), Jesus died for us because of God's love for us.  The gift of eternal life is in Jesus Christ because it was his death that made it possible.  He paid the penalty for our sins.  On the cross he took upon himself your sins and mine and suffered the death we had earned.
On the Cross, God looked at Jesus, a sinless man, and said--Guilty!--and judged him with all his wrath for our sins.  This is the Great Exchange--his life for our sins bought a great gift that is offered to everyone here.
Eternal life is possible because of the death of Jesus Christ.
Have you ever looked at the cross and thought about what that awful day meant?  We are told that it was an act of love–what made it so loving was that he didn't have to die.  He hadn't earned death like we have, instead he took upon himself the effects of our rebellion–in our place.
His great demonstration of God's love–dying for us–made it possible for God to offer the gift of eternal life!
That's good news!!!
However, just because it is offered to all who hear about it--does not mean that everyone has received the gift.  A personal response is required of all who will enjoy eternal life.
The last 2 Universal Truths in the Message of Romans come under that heading--the personal response that God requires of ALL who would enjoy the gift of eternal life.
I think that Romans 10:9-10 capture in a nutshell what this personal response should look like. Turn there with me please.
(Can I just say right here, that this is not just an academic exercise? Your eternal destiny rides on these Universal Truths.  This is what God says about who has eternal life and who doesn't.  This is important stuff.)
Let's read Romans 10:9-10.
[Read Romans 10:9-10.]
There are two basic responses that are mandated by this passage.  We must believe in Jesus and must confess Jesus as Lord.  Those are our last 2 Universal Truths.  I call them Universal because EVERYONE who will have eternal life must have responded in these 2 ways.
Let's take them one at a time.  First, we must believe in Jesus.  Look at v.9.
[Read Romans v.9b & 10a.]
This says that there is something and someone that we are supposed to believe in.  We are to believe that God raised Jesus from the dead.  Jesus died for our sins--but that wasn't the end of the story.  God demonstrated his approval of Jesus' death on our behalf by raising him from the dead!  It happened almost 2000 years ago.  Jesus was resurrected and that is the proof that he paid for our sins and that the gift of eternal life is available.  And right here, God says that to receive the gift of eternal life, you must have your heart   trust in Jesus.  If you do, according to this verse, then you will be "justified," that is, declared NOT GUILTY by God because of Jesus' death on your behalf.
Believe in Jesus!  Belief or faith is, at heart, a full reliance or trust.
Belief is not just mental assent to a set of facts.  Take this chair for example.  I might say that I believe that this chair will support my weight.  It looks strong and trustworthy (it's got 4 legs, I've been around it a long time, I've seen other people sit on it.)–but that is not what is meant by the biblical word "believe."
When Romans 10:9 says that we need to believe in our heart in Jesus and his resurrection, it does not mean "O, I believe in God and all that." It means that we stop relying on anything else and put all of our weight down on Jesus.  Full reliance and trust in him and his death/resurrection.  We trust him, personally, with our salvation.
We are called to respond in belief.  Full reliance, total trust.
The second response, and our last Universal Truth is that we must confess Jesus as Lord.
Let's read that passage again.
[Read Romans 10:9-10.]
We are called to personally respond by confessing Jesus as our Lord.
What does that mean?  A Lord is a ruler, a boss, a king, a master.  We are not supposed to just believe in Jesus, we are supposed to recognize Jesus' mastery of our lives.  We are to give him the control of our lives.
To confess means to recognize something and demonstrate that you believe it.  It means to agree with your life that Jesus is your Lord.
This is not earning your salvation, this is receiving it, by giving away the control of your life.
The best way that I know how to illustrate this is to use a steering wheel.
This steering wheel looks like it was taken off of a lawn-mower.  Before you become a Christian, you control the steering wheel of your life.  You have control.
But Romans 10:9 says that you have to open your hands and hand off the steering wheel to Jesus (the Lord) to be saved.
We are called to put Jesus in the driver's seat of our lives.
I think that this is one of the most ignored truths about Christianity.  A lot of people think that they are Christians because they go to church or give their money or belong to a Christian family or attend a Bible study or say various prayers.
Many people because they agree that Jesus died for the sins of the world think that they have eternal life.  But the Bible is clear–only those who put their whole weight down on Jesus and his death/resurrection and those who hand over the steering wheel of their life to Jesus as Lord receive and enjoy eternal life.
It is a personal response.  Everyone on Earth is called to do it.
Let me put it this way:  Just because you hang around airports doesn't mean that you're flying.  You might know all about airports–schedules and aerodynamics and wingspans and flight procedures–but that won't get you off the ground.  You have to personally get on board and trust the airplane and its pilot to get anywhere.
God is calling you to personally believe in Jesus (chair) and to confess him as Lord (steering wheel) to be saved.
This is important.  Some of you, whether first-time guests or long-standing attenders here,  have never taken this crucial step.  You have agreed all along that you "believe."  You  don't disagree with anything that I've said today.  But you have never personally trusted Jesus in this way–with your whole life.
You can do it right now.  It doesn't require a prayer but a prayer is a good way to formalize it in your mind and heart.
Let's review these Universal Truths:
Everyone here is a sinner.All sinners have earned eternal death.But God has loving provided the gift of eternal life.That gift was made possible by the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.To receive that gift, you need to put your weight down on Christ, to fully rely on him and nothing else to give you salvation.To receive that gift, you need to recognize with your life and your words that Jesus is your Lord, giving him the steering wheel of your life.
To everyone who truly does that, God has promised forgiveness of sins, restoration of a permanent love-relationship with him, and eternal life.
If you want that, you can pray right now to begin a new life.  Tell God that you are a sinner, confess your need for salvation from the death-penalty that you earned and  trust Jesus, giving him the control of your life.
Mrs. Russell eventually remarried.  She is Mrs. Karen Mott now, and I saw her a couple of weeks ago at my brother's wedding.  Though she has permission to ask me just about anything, anytime she wants, when I saw her she didn't asked about Universal Truths, and I certainly didn't bring it up.  But, I know that she agrees that these 6 truths are the most important ones in the whole world.  Paul has much more to say in Romans, read it sometime from start to finish, he's got a lot to say.  But this is the heart of the message of Romans and the message of the Bible–in spite our sin, Christ died to bring us eternal life if we believe in him and confess him as Lord.

Advent Candle #1: Prepare Him Room

LEFC Family Advent Readings: Let Earth Receive Her King!Psalm 98 :: November 29, 2020
Week #1: Prepare Him Room

“Advent” means “coming.” Christmas is coming. Jesus has come and is coming again.

During this year’s unique Advent season, our Advent readings will focus on Psalm 98, the psalm the hymnwriter Isaac Watts was contemplating when he wrote the Christmas carol, “Joy to the World.” 

Psalm 98 is a victory song–jubilantly celebrating the marvelous things the Lord has done and will do.

[READ PSALM 98:1-3]

Our first candle is a candle of preparation.

[LIGHT FIRST CANDLE]

Psalm 98 looks back on the Lord’s triumphs in Israel’s history and also looks forward to the Lord’s salvation which is coming to the whole world. This song prophesied the coming of the Messiah, the right hand and holy arm of the Lord, Jesus Christ. Jesus was born in Bethlehem, worked our salvation on the Cross, rose from the dead, and will soon return bringing the blessings of salvation to the ends of the earth.

Psalm 98 invites us to receive the Lord with great rejoicing. And it also raises the question, “Are we ready for Him?”

Just as we are all preparing for the coming of Christmas, we should be preparing our hearts for the coming of Christ.

Let this first candle shine to remind us to repent of our sins and receive the King Jesus as our Savior, and ready our hearts to receive King Jesus as Lord. 

“Joy to the world! the Lord is come;
Let earth receive her King;
Let ev'ry heart prepare him room,
And heav'n and nature sing!”

“How Many Are Your Works, O LORD!” [Matt's Messages]

“How Many Are Your Works, O LORD!”Lanse Evangelical Free ChurchNovember 29, 2020 :: Psalm 104
Psalm 104 is a rhapsody about our Creator God.
Psalm 104 is a little different from most of the others psalms we’ve studied this Fall.  It’s a little longer so I won’t be able to share as much color commentary as we read it. 
And it’s also not so much about us, about you and me and other human beings.
We show up in it, and we’re supposed to sing and live it. But we’re not the main focus...and we’re not the secondary focus, either.
Like all of the Psalms, the main focus is the LORD, Yahweh, the God of the Bible. He is the main focus as we shall see and sing.
But unlike other Psalms where we might be the secondary focus, and our relationship with Him be what brings the two foci together, this Psalm is a rhapsody about God’s role in the whole of creation.
That is that the LORD made the whole creation and sustains the whole creation and maintains the whole creation and manages the whole creation and provides for the whole creation and causes the whole creation to thrive.
The whole creation is the secondary focus of Psalm 104.  This song gets totally energetic in celebrating the Creator. 
Psalm 104 is a rhapsody about our Creator God. Which is perfect for this Sunday in Pennsylvania when the seasons come together. We celebrate the harvest coming in, we go out in the woods chasing after wild game, and we wrap ourselves in flannel as winter is around the corner.
We look out on the beauty of the earth that God has made, and we marvel at its Maker.
That’s what this song does. It marvels at the Maker.
I’ve chosen the title for this message from what the songwriter says in verse 24, “How many are your works, O LORD! The earth is full of your creatures.”
The psalmist is astonished at the creative power of Yahweh.
He can’t get over how powerful and wise God is to have made a world like this one so replete with diverse and amazing creations.
And so he sings about it, and I hope we do, too.

Psalm 104, verse 1.
“Praise the LORD, O my soul. O LORD my God, you are very great; you are clothed with splendor and majesty.”
Psalm 104 begins and ends just like the previous Psalm, 103, which we looked at together on Celebration Sunday two months ago.
The psalmist begins by preaching to his own soul and telling his own self to get his praise into gear. But then he immediately begins talking straight to God in prayer. “O LORD my God, you are very great; you are clothed with splendor and majesty.”
He addresses God as King. He tells Him how regal and glorious and magnificent He is. Yahweh is the Lord on high. Verse 2.
“He wraps himself in light as with a garment; he stretches out the heavens like a tent and lays the beams of his upper chambers on their waters. He makes the clouds his chariot and rides on the wings of the wind. He makes winds his messengers, flames of fire his servants.”
This is exalted poetry. This is not to be taken literally but literarily. It’s exalted poetry to get at the glorious splendor of the King of the Universe.
He wraps himself in light.
That’s His royal robe. Light itself is God’s royal robe!
And He has set up camp; He has set up His throne room above everything.
And He rides the clouds and the wind. He rides the storms. And the wind and the lightning do His bidding. The things that often scare us are simply His servants.
Notice that the psalmist has changed from talking to God to talking about God? He does that throughout this Psalm. He toggles from You to Him, and Him to You.
I’m not sure exactly why he does that, but I think it’s because he’s both praying to God and at the very same time reminding everyone else (including his own self) Who this God really is.
God is the radiant glorious sovereign King over and above everything.
In verse 5, the song goes from the celestial above to the terrestrial below. Yahweh is Lord of both. Verse 5.
“He set the earth on its foundations; it can never be moved. [It cannot be toppled by anyone but Him.] You covered it with the deep as with a garment; the waters stood above the mountains. But at your rebuke the waters fled, at the sound of your thunder they took to flight; they flowed over the mountains, they went down into the valleys, to the place you assigned for them. You set a boundary they cannot cross; never again will they cover the earth.”
Now some scholars think that he’s singing about the flood of the days of Noah, and that’s quite possible given the language here.
But I tend to think, with others, that this psalm roughly follows Genesis chapter 1 and he’s singing here about the third day of creation when the Lord told the “water under the sky be gathered to one place, and let dry ground appear.’ And it was so. God called the dry ground ‘land,’ and the gathered waters he called ‘seas.’ And God saw that it was good” (that’s Genesis 1:9&10).
The point here in this song is that God told it all where to go...and it went!
Again, this is not scientific, this is poetic and it’s theological.
The psalmist is saying that God did it and nobody else.
All He had to do was speak, and the waters ran away!
And they stay away unless the Lord says differently.
This part of the psalm is talking about the solidity of our world and the reliability of our world.
This is why we can have science in the first place. Because God holds everything together and keeps the right things apart!
We often say, “Well, the sun will come up tomorrow.”
But why? 
It will come up tomorrow because the Lord says so.
The world is reliable because the Lord has made it so.
Verses 10 through 13 tells us more about the water that God supplies. He not only bounds the water, He provides it. V.10
“He makes springs pour water into the ravines; it flows between the mountains. They give water to all the beasts of the field; the wild donkeys quench their thirst. The birds of the air nest by the waters; they sing among the branches. He waters the mountains from his upper chambers; the earth is satisfied by the fruit of his work.”
That’s a key word there for this psalm, “satisfied.” It means flourishing. It means thriving.
All of the thriving in the world that comes from life-giving water comes ultimately from the generous hand of God.
I love all of the list of all of the wild creatures that God is providing for.
God doesn’t just care for the domestic creatures, but also all of the ones out there in the wild. God’s work is in places that man does not even live. Does not even know about.
Have you ever thought about that? God sees places in this world that no one else sees, and is even providing water and food for creatures that no one else knows even exist! “The earth is satisfied by the fruit of his work.”
The big theological word for this is “providence.” God’s sovereign provision and management of His entire creation. 
Verse 14. And here we finally get briefly mentioned at the center of the song. Verse 14.
“He makes grass grow for the cattle, and plants for man to cultivate–bringing forth food from the earth: wine that gladdens the heart of man, oil to make his face shine, and bread that sustains his heart.”
That’s Thanksgiving right there for you.
The Lord provides the grass, the cattle, and the ability to bring in a harvest. So that we don’t just survive, but sometimes we thrive! He doesn’t just provide sustenance but also abundance.
I hope there was a big ole spread on your table this week. We had roasted chicken, and braised red cabbage [with bacon!], and smashed potatoes and Heather’s homemade sourdough bread and Judy Carlson’s sweet homemade applesauce and a cranberry curd tart for dessert!
The heart of this man was “gladdened,” and I know that it all came from the Lord.
And it’s not just we that benefit from God’s providence. Even the trees do. Verse 16.
“The trees of the LORD are well watered, the cedars of Lebanon that he planted.” The word for “well watered” there is the same word for “satisfied” that we saw in verse 13.
The trees are satisfied! And the birds that live in them. Verse 17.
“There the birds make their nests; the stork has its home in the pine trees. The high mountains belong to the wild goats; the crags are a refuge for the coneys.”
Do you know what a coney is? Me neither. My wife tells me that they are rock badgers or hyrax. But I don’t know what that is either.
But the Lord does! God knows all about them and provides for them, too.
And these animals are unclean. According to the Law, Israel was not allowed to eat things, but the Lord provided for  them anyway.
Do you get a sense of how great God’s providence is? How far it extends?
This is a great big ginormous glorious world, and it is run by God!
God governs it with order. Verse 19.
“The moon marks off the seasons, and the sun knows when to go down.”
Some scholars have noticed similarities between this psalm and an Egyptian song that worships the Sun the “Hymn to Aten.” But Psalm 104 says that the sun does what the Lord says it ought to do!
“The sun knows when to go down.” Because God is the God over time itself! V.20
“You bring darkness, it becomes night, and all the beasts of the forest prowl. The lions roar for their prey and seek their food from God. [Creatures of the night.] The sun rises, and they steal away; they return and lie down in their dens. [Then it’s our turn.] Then man goes out to his work, to his labor until evening.”
There is order, there are cycles, there are rhythms to this world because God is a God of order.
There is regularity that we can count on because God is orderly and reliable.
Do you see how this psalm is a rhapsody about our Creator God?!
In verse 24, the psalmist just explodes! “How many are your works, O LORD! In wisdom you made them all; the earth is full of your creatures. There is the sea, vast and spacious, teeming with creatures beyond number–living things both large and small.”
The psalmist moves from the celestial to the terrestrial to the oceanic.
And He says that God is the God of everything in the sea.
Now, remember, the Hebrews didn’t like the sea. It was chaotic and uncontrollable and scary to them.But that wasn’t because God was not in control of it, too!
He is the Lord of the high seas, as well. Verse 26.
“There the ships go to and fro, and the leviathan, which you formed to frolic there.”
Probably talking about whales. The “leviathan” was a great frightening formidable sea creature. 
But to God? He is just like a little fish in the fish tank for God to watch play around! You formed leviathan to frolic there!
My son Isaac loves marine biology. He’s taking it as a class right now, and he loves to regale us at the dinner table with all of the amazing diversity of marine creatures out there under the sea.
God knows every one of them. He made them. He watches them play.
And He feeds them. He feeds anyone who gets fed. Verse 27.
“These [all creatures, great and small] all look to you to give them their food at the proper time. When you give it to them, they gather it up; when you open your hand, they are satisfied with good things. [Same word in Hebrew. If anyone is satisfied, however briefly, it came from the Lord. We are totally dependent on Him. V.29]  When you hide your face, they are terrified; when you take away their breath, they die and return to the dust. When you send your Spirit, they are created, and you renew the face of the earth.”
We are totally dependent on this God.
When He opens His hand, we are satisfied.
When He closes His hand, we are done.
He gives, and He takes away. Blessed be the name of the LORD.
How do we respond to this fortifying truth?
The psalmist escalates this rhapsody to a glorious climax of application at the very end of his song.
After singing about God’s providential care, he breaks out into some powerful prayer requests, each one beginning with the word “may.”
And I think they make fitting applications for us today. V.31
“May the glory of the LORD endure forever; may the LORD rejoice in his works–he who looks at the earth, and it trembles, who touches the mountains, and they smoke.”
#1. MAY THE LORD REJOICE IN HIS WORKS!
It’s all about Him! May God get the glory for making the whole creation and sustaining the whole creation and maintaining the whole creation and managing the whole creation and providing for the whole creation and causing the whole creation to thrive.
And may the whole creation bring Him pleasure!
He deserves it.
He is holy. Don’t miss that. Verse 32 makes it clear that just as God made the world, He can unmake the world just with a look or a touch.
He made this all; He can unmake it.
And one day He will...and then make it all new.
But this is simply a request that God enjoy what He has made.
The psalmist wants God to relish His own work in providence.
And he wants to join Him in that rejoicing.
#2. MAY I REJOICE IN HIS WORKS! Verse 33.
“I will sing to the LORD all my life; I will sing praise to my God as long as I live. May my meditation be pleasing to him, as I rejoice in the LORD.”
As I think about what God has done in making all of this, may I sing and sing and sing my heart out in rejoicing in Him.
If God rejoices in His work, how much more should we?!
We should be singing the praises of our Creator God.
We should rhapsodizing about how amazing He is in wisdom for making all of this, and maintaining all of this, and providing all of this.
We should not take it lightly that we have all of this!
Heather and I went up to the Grand Canyon of Pennsylvania for our retreat back in October, and we were just astonished at the beauty of autumn with all of the fall colors.
And our hearts just sang!
Because we know Who made all of that.
Let that roll around in your heart so that your meditation is pleasing to Him.
May I rejoice in His works.
#3. MAY ALL REJOICE IN HIS WORKS.
Verse 35 has a twist that I never see coming. It always feels like it comes out of nowhere. Look at verse 35.
“But may sinners vanish from the earth and the wicked be no more.”
He hasn’t been talking about sinners.
He hasn’t mentioned sin.He hasn’t mentioned the fall.He hasn’t mentioned the curse.
He’s been singing about Genesis 1, not Genesis 3.
But we live in a world tainted by Genesis 3.
This song gets sung in a world tainted by Genesis 3.
There is sin. There is brokenness.Things are not all as they should be.
But this song sings of day when everything will be made new again.
A day when everything is right again and the way it should always have been.
And in that day, all of the sin will be gone which means all of the sinners be gone and all of the wicked be gone.
And all that will be left are those who have repented of their sins and embraced the Savior and rejoice in all of the works of the LORD.
I hope that includes you.
May that day come soon.
“O let [us] never forgetThat though the wrong seems oft so strongGod is the Ruler yet.
This is [our] Father’s world:The battle is not done;Jesus who died shall be satisfied.And earth and heav’n be one.”
[Adapted from “This Is My Father’s World” by Maltbie Babcock.]
So Psalm 104 ends as it began. Verse 35.
“Praise the LORD, O my soul. Praise the LORD.”

***
Fortifying Truth - Fall 2020

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

“His Love Endures Forever” [Matt's Messages]

“His Love Endures Forever”Lanse Evangelical Free ChurchNovember 22, 2020 :: Psalm 136
It’s obvious.
I think one look at Psalm 136 and it’s rather obvious why I picked it for the Sunday before the Thanksgiving holiday.
Psalm 136 begins with the words, “Give thanks” at the start of each of the first 3 verses[!] and then ends with the same, “Give thanks.”
“Give thanks.”“Give thanks.”“Give thanks.”“Give thanks.”
That repetition tells us what this psalm is all about and tells us what we should do with it, namely “Give thanks to the LORD.”
That’s not, however, the greatest repetition in this song!
Just one look at this psalm, and you can see what’s really different about it. This is the only psalm that does this in the whole Bible.
Psalm 136 repeats one key phrase at the end of every single line. 26 times. 26 verses, 26 times, it says the exact same thing! The exact same refrain.
And that exact same refrain tells us the reason WHY we should give thanks to the LORD.
It’s because “His love endures forever.”
“His love endures forever.”
26 times. The song writer put those words in there 26 times in a row. Even breaking up sentences with it.  There must be a good reason for that.
Don’t let your eyes (or your ears !) just bounce over that repetition. Don’t get bored with it. It’s in God’s Word for a reason. It’s in this one short psalm 26 times for a reason!
The Hebrews called this psalm “the Great Hallel,” the Great Psalm of Praise.
And it seems clear that it was sung in worship antiphonally which means call and response. Call and response.
The leader, probably a priest, would say the first part of every line and then the congregation or perhaps a special group of singers would respond back with “His loves endures forever” or in Hebrew, “ki leolam hasdo.”
Sometimes I hear people complaining about modern worship songs with all their repetition. Often calling it “7-11 worship.” 7 words repeated 11 times. Well, there is a biblical basis for repetition OF GOOD LYRICS! Here we have 3 good words in Hebrew repeated 26 times in just one worship song.
What’s really important are what words we are saying again and again and again.
Because these are words to shape us. These are words that we need to get down deep into our souls.
כִּי לְעוֹלָם חַסְדּוֹ
“For His love endures forever.”
So, as we go through this psalm, we’re going to have to repeat that phrase over and over again or we’re doing the psalm wrong.
And I’ll need you to participate with me, or we’re doing the psalm wrong!

Before we read verse 1, let’s think some more about this repeated phrase: "His love endures forever."
You might be surprised to find out how many different ways that phrase can be translated. It’s mainly because of the wonderful word “hesed” embedded in it.
That word is wonderful and also difficult to capture in English.
It’s more than just love. It’s loyal love. It’s steadfast love.
The King James used “mercy,” because it has a gracious element to it, as well. This  is the thing that King David said in Psalm 23 that follows him all of the days of his life.
Listen to how various versions translate this phrase for us:
King James: “For his mercy endureth forever.”
New American Standard: “For his lovingkindness is everlasting.”
English Standard Version: “For His steadfast love endures forever.”
New Living Translation and Christian Standard Bible: “His faithful love endures forever.”
Another one (Alec Motyer’s personal translation): “Because forever is his committed love.”
And another (Derek Kidner's): “His love has no end.”
Do you get the sense of it? Do you see and hear how wonderful this is?
Our God has a love that lasts. Our God keeps His promises faithfully. Our God is unchanging in His commitments to show gracious steadfast love to His people. (It takes a lot more words in English than it did in Hebrew.)
Our God’s gracious loyal love is unending! Isn’t that good news?!  Don’t we all need to hear that?
No wonder the song repeats it! And repeats it again.
I mean, how do you convey, how to do you communicate the concept of forever, of everlasting? That’s a mind-bending word, isn’t it? Infinite?
How do you get the idea of “forever” across and into someone’s psyche? Well, what better way than repetition?
"His love endures forever." 26 times so that we might begin to get the point.
Psalm 136, verse 1.
“Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good. His love endures forever.” Psalm 136 calls upon all of us to give thanks to the LORD, to Yahweh, the God of the Bible.
I love the Thanksgiving holiday here in the United States because it’s just not that commercialized. I know that there are football games with commercials and Black Friday deals that play a part in many of our celebrations.
But the idea, even in the name of the holiday, is just simply saying, “Thank you.”
And we, as followers of Jesus Christ, know Whom we are thanking!
Not everybody knows who to thank at Thanksgiving. It’s not just Mom for roasting a turkey. (Though you should certainly thank her if she does!)
Thanksgiving, for us, is thanking God.
Because He (v.1) He is good and because "His love endures forever.”
Psalm 136 calls upon us to give thanks to God for both WHO He is and WHAT He has done.
For both His character and His actions in history, today, and for all eternity.
Verses 2 and 3 emphasize His supremacy. V.2
“Give thanks to the God of gods. His love endures forever.Give thanks to the Lord of lords: His love endures forever.”
God is supreme over every being in the universe.He is exalted on high. No one is in His class.No one is even near!
And what’s amazing is that His ultimate transcendence does not keep Him far away from us; instead it enables Him to show His unending love for us!
"His love endures forever."
Now, starting in verse 4, we begin to see another thing that this psalm does so well.The psalm starts to tell history.
It’s still a song, and it’s a song with all of that repetition, so you don’t miss the point.
But the psalmist begins to march through his Bible, the Torah, and demonstrate how the LORD’s love has been seen to endure forever.
He doesn’t just say it; he shows it, in poetic form.
And the song proceeds in canonical order. Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy, and really into the first part of Joshua.
Just like we as a church have been studying the Big Story of the Bible since 2003, this song sings the Big Story of the Bible to show the faithful love of God.
It’s like the Old Testament version of “Count Your Many Blessings,” but it does it in historical order, starting in Genesis with creation. V.4
Give thanks...
“to him who alone does great wonders, His love endures forever.who by his understanding made the heavens, His love endures forever.who spread out the earth upon the waters, His love endures forever.who made the great lights–His love endures forever.the sun to govern the day, His love endures forever.the moon and stars to govern the night; His love endures forever.”
Do you see how that comes right out of Genesis?
This song calls upon us to thank the LORD for making everything.
It’s amazing that He can, and even more amazing that He did.
When was the last time you thanked God for making the world that you live in?
This song emphasizes that God make everything, and with great skill.
In verse 5, it says, “by his understanding” he made the heavens and the earth.
That means with great wisdom, insight, and skill.
And that’s the reason why we can have science, by the way. The only reason why science is so effective is because God set up with the world with so much skillfulness and because His faithful love endures forever.What we call “scientific laws” are rules for the world that God built into it in the first place.
Anybody thankful for science this year? I’m thankful to the scientists who are working so hard on medicines and vaccines for COVID-19. If any are eventually effective, that’s because of what this psalmist is singing about in verse 5.
And how about you guys going out in the woods next weekend after that elusive whitetail? Don’t forget to stop and look up at the sun, and the moon, and the stars and say to the Lord, “Thank you!”
#1. THANK YOU FOR MAKING US.
Sing it out now: "His love endures forever."
Do you see how those two things go together?
It isn’t just wonder and worship that God made the world. It’s wonder and worship and gratefulness that God made the world and placed us in it. The book of Genesis doesn’t just say that God made the world, but that He made us, too, and placed us in the world.
But He didn’t stop there. He didn’t just place us in the world He made and then leave us alone. After we sinned, He came to redeem and rescue us.
In verses 10 through 15, the song moves from Genesis to Exodus. From creation to salvation. V.10
Give thanks...
“to him who struck down the firstborn of Egypt His love endures forever.and brought Israel out from among them His love endures forever.with a mighty hand and outstretched arm; His love endures forever.to him who divided the Red Sea asunder His love endures forever.and brought Israel through the midst of it, His love endures forever.but swept Pharaoh and His army into the Red Sea; His love endures forever.”
This song is not about some generic vague notion of God. This song is about a particular God who saved a particular people for His glory.
In the book of Exodus, the Lord rescued His people, Israel, from Egypt. And they loved to sing about His deliverance.
For you and me, it wasn’t Egypt that had us trapped in bondage. It was sin and Satan. And the LORD rescued us through Jesus’s death on the Cross and resurrection on the third day. So that today we can say:
#2. THANK YOU FOR SAVING US.
Altogether?  "His love endures forever."
Unless, of course, you can’t sing that because it hasn't happened for you yet. The Israelites could sing Psalm 136 because they had been saved from Pharaoh by the Lord’s mighty hand and outstretched arm.
Have you been saved from your sin by the Lord Jesus? He is stretching out His arm to you today. He invites you to put your faith and trust in Him and what He did on the Cross on your behalf.  He came back to life to give you life and life forever.
Forever! Remember, that’s how long His love lasts.
In verse 15, the song moves from Exodus and Leviticus through Numbers and Deuteronomy and even into Joshua. The Lord doesn’t just save us and then leave us. He goes with us, and He guides us. V.16.
Give thanks...
“...to him who led His people through the desert, His love endures forever.”who struck down great kings, His love endures forever.and killed mighty kings–His love endures forever.Sihon king of the Amorites His love endures forever.and Og king of Bashan–His love endures forever.and gave their land as an inheritance, His love endures forever.an inheritance to His servant Israel; His love endures forever.”
The LORD was faithful to Israel in the wilderness.
This psalm sings about the Lord’s guidance, and protection, and promise-keeping.
Read Numbers chapter 21 to find out about these bad guys, Sihon and Og. 
They just sound like bad guys, don’t they? They attacked Israel even though Israel was coming in peace. And the Lord rescued His people again and again. And then when they got into the Promised Land, they got the land that was promised.
Now, I think that these verses are the most like what I feel right now in November of 2020. It kind of feels like the desert, like the wilderness.
2020 is on the attack like Sihon and Og. But the same Lord that got His people through the wilderness and into the Promised Land is the same Lord that we are singing about today.
He guides and protects and provides so that we can say:
#3. THANK YOU FOR SUSTAINING US.
Thank You for making us.Thank You for saving us.
But thank You also for not leaving us there.
Thank You for sustaining us no matter what comes.
And everybody said? "His love endures forever." The psalm ends with escalating praise for how faithful and gracious the Lord is. Verse 23.
Give thanks...
“to the One who remembered us in our low estate His love endures forever.and freed us from our enemies, His love endures forever.and who gives food to every creature. His love endures forever.Give thanks to the God of heaven. His love endures forever.”  [Number 26!]
Do you hear how the psalm changes from “them” to “us?” Verse 23 moves from the history to the present day of the psalmist.
It wasn’t just what God had done for Israel in the past. But what God was doing that very day for God’s people. And also what we can expect for ever and ever and ever.
He made us.He saved us.He sustains us.
And for all who belong to Jesus, we can expect that for all eternity.
"His love endures forever.”
So give thanks!

***

Fortifying Truth - Fall 2020

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

“With Songs Of Joy” [Matt's Messages]

“With Songs Of Joy”Lanse Evangelical Free ChurchNovember 15, 2020 :: Psalm 126
Has this year gotten you down?
For most of us, probably all of us, 2020 has been a hard year in so many ways. We probably all have stories of great blessings that have come to us in the last eleven and a half months for which we are grateful, but I know that we also all have stories of loss of things taken from us in the last eleven and a half months that we have all felt most deeply.
As your pastor, I am very grateful for the good gifts the Lord has poured out on us, especially during crazy period of pandemic. I count my blessings every day! But I also look around, and I see that things are not as they used to be, and it feels like we have to do three times the work for the one third of the results. And there is kind of a “desert” feeling to life and ministry right now.
Has this year gotten you down?
Well, if so, I have a psalm for you. 
It’s Psalm 126, one of the psalms of ascent, those beautiful worship songs that the Israelite pilgrims sang together as they marched upward to Zion to worship at the holy feasts days of Israel.
And it’s a song that looks in two directions at once.
It’s a song that looks back in thanksgiving (which is perfect for November of 2020), and it’s a song that looks forward in hope (which is much needed in November of 2020).
And it’s a song that emphasizes JOY which we really need to emphasize in November of 2020. 

Isn’t this psalm wonderful?!
Did you hear the title of this message as I read it?
In this short psalm, the psalmist uses this one phrase again and again, “With Songs of Joy.”
“With Songs of Joy.”
The English Standard Version has an even stronger translation. It says, “With Shouts of joy!” “With shouts of joy!” “With shouts of joy!” The idea is unbridled exclamations of gladness.
Kind of like some of you when your team does something tremendous on the field or on the court or on the track.
Like if a Penn State defender picked off an interception in the endzone and then runs it all the way back for a surprise touchdown. What would you do if you saw that?
Woohoo! 
It’s an awesome feeling that must be made verbal!
Shouts of Joy!
Yes! Yes!
Hallelujah!Hallelujah!
“With songs of joy.” I know that doesn’t even capture it.
It’s a feeling so good it must be verbalized.
But we don’t always feel that way, do we?
No, often we do not, and the psalms are perfectly placed by God in our Bibles to give us language for the times when we feel that way and the times when we want to feel that way again.
That’s what Psalm 126 does.
Psalm 126 is actually a song about songs of joy for when you do not feel like singing songs of joy but want to feel like singing songs of joy again.
Let me show you what I mean.
Psalm 126 falls neatly into two parts, verses 1 through 3 which I think look backwards in thanksgiving and verses 4 through 6 which look forward in hope.
And both parts talk about “with songs of joy” so I have a point of application for each part.
#1. THANK GOD FOR SONGS OF JOY IN THE PAST.
Look again at verse 1.
“When the LORD brought back the captives to Zion, we were like men who dreamed.”
Isn’t that beautiful?
Now, we don’t know what particular situation the psalmist is referring to in verse 1, but we do know that it was a really good thing.
The old 1984 NIV translates it, “when the LORD brought back the captives to Zion.” So it could be describing a return from exile. Maybe even THE return from the Babylonian exile.
But the updated 2011 NIV, translates the words in verse 1 the same way both of them translate the words in verse 4, “when the LORD restored the fortunes of Zion.” And that’s how the ESV and CSB translate it as well. The Hebrew is something more literally like “when the LORD turned with the turning of Zion.”
The point is that there was this massive reversal of the situation for good.
It doesn’t mean “fortunes” as in luck. It means the situation, the state of affairs, the position.
When God brought the amazing turnaround, “we were like men who dreamed.”
I love that. It seemed to good to be true. We were “deliriously happy” (cf. Kidner).
We just woke up and our dreams had come true!
That’s how good it was.
When this turnaround happened to these Israelites, they thought they must have been dreaming. And it made them so incredibly happy. V.2
“Our mouths were filled with laughter, our tongues with songs of joy.”
It doesn’t just say, “They laughed.” Or “They sang.”
“Our mouths were filled with laughter, our tongues with songs of joy.”
Shouts of joy.
We were so incredibly happy we had to make some noise about it.
Have you ever been so happy, you just had to make noise? I’ll bet you have.
And these people were so joyful the world had to take notice. Look at V.2 again.
“Our mouths were filled with laughter, our tongues with songs of joy. Then it was said among the nations, ‘The LORD has done great things for them.’”
Others, outsiders, the world, had to admit that God had been good to them. It was undeniable. 
And the psalmist says. V.3
Yes! “The LORD has done great things for us, and we are filled with joy.”
We are so glad because we are so blessed.
You see how the psalmist looks backwards?
We’re going to see in just the next verse that this is not how things are right now.
Things are not happy for the nation of Israel when the psalmist writes this.
But he remembers!
He remembers how good God has been to them, and he gives thanks.
I love how we don’t know exactly what story this psalm was about in Israel’s history because it makes it easy to translate it right into our lives today.
What great things has God done for you that you can remember and thank Him for?
November is a great month to count your many blessings.
And we all have millions and billions of them. Many of which we don’t even know.
We don’t know a fraction of the good gifts the Lord is giving us, even this very second.
For the followers of Christ, the greatest thing we have been given is our salvation.
Don’t just think about physical blessings and material turnarounds.
Think about the reversal of fortune, the change in your circumstances that God effected when He rescued you from the dominion of darkness and brought you into the kingdom of the Son he loves (Col 1:12)!
Think about how you felt when you got saved. And the songs of joy.
“Victory in Jesus my Savior forever!”
And so many other ways that God has blessed you and me.
Think about them. Count them.Remember them.And thank God for them!
And sing about them with songs of joy: “To God be the glory great things He has done.”  
Verse 3 again: “The LORD has done great things for us, and we are filled with joy.”
Except, so often we are not.
So often we look around and we see the things that are bad and feel the things that hurt. And we long for things to change back to how they were before.
That’s the story for many of us of 2020.
And it was the story for this psalmist.
We don’t know exactly what the problem was for Israel when the psalmist wrote Psalm 126, but we know that he longed for things to be the way they used to be. V.4
“Restore our fortunes, O LORD, like streams in the Negev.”
He’s saying, “Do it again.”
Have you ever thrown a little child into the air and caught them?
It’s so much fun. Because they just get this big eyed look on their face and they giggle.
And then your arms get tired, and you put them down, and what happens?
They raise up their arms, and said, “Again, Daddy! Do it again!”
That’s what the psalmist is saying to the LORD in verse 4.
“Do it again!”
“You did it before. I know you can do it once more.”
“Do it again! Turn things around again.”
“Restore our fortunes, O LORD, like streams in the Negev.”
The Negev is an arid wilderness in the Southern part of Israel. It’s very dry and hard and desert-like. But maybe once a year, maybe at Springtime, it will get a hard rain and spring to life.
Just out of nowhere.
“Do it again!”
“Restore our fortunes, O LORD, like streams in the Negev.”
“Turn this “parched life” (cf. Leslie Allen) into a garden. Bring your life-giving grace into our situation. You can do it. Suddenly rush in with your rain and restore us to blessing. Please!”
#2. TRUST GOD FOR SONGS OF JOY IN THE FUTURE.
And that begins with asking.
“Lord, do it again. Bring the great turnaround.”
And that could be something physical or more importantly something spiritual.
“Bring me personal revival, Lord.” Or as a church, “Revive us again.”
It’s because the psalmist is thankful for the songs of joy in the past that he can ask and expect songs of joy in the future.
And he does expect it.  Look at how confident he is. V.5.
“Those who sow in tears will reap with songs of joy. He who goes out weeping, carrying seed to sow, will [most certainly] return with songs of joy, carrying sheaves with him.”
Big bundles of harvested grain.
The psalmist doesn’t just ask, he expects God to act.
He doesn’t just assume that all of God’s blessings are back there in the past.
He knows with a heart of faith that the best is yet to come.
He’s certain, he’s trusting, because that’s how his God is and that’s how his God works.
The metaphor in verses 5 and 6 is an agrarian metaphor, a figure of speech from the world of agriculture and farming.
First you sow, then later you reap.
What’s interesting here is that the psalmist is 100% sure that the reaping will come.
In the world of agriculture, that’s not always guaranteed.
But the song-writer trusts God and expects God to provide for the Israelites songs of joy.
Just as sure as God brings the seasons, springtime and harvest.
There will be a reaping of songs of joy.
But there will also be tears.
Did you see that in verses 5 and 6? The sorrow?
“Those who sow in tears will reap with songs of joy. He who goes out weeping, carrying seed to sow, will return with songs of joy, carrying sheaves with him.”
Tears first, songs of joy later.
This is not just happy, happy, happy here.
There will be tears. But do it anyway.
The point of verses 5 and 6 is that because you expect God to work, to answer your prayers, you keep on going. You keep on sowing, and you hold on for the harvest.
Don’t stop. Keep going. Even through the tears.
My wife has told me that a good number of our family dinners have been seasoned by her tears. They drop off of her face into the soup. 
Heather doesn’t feel like making dinner. She’s sad about whatever. But she keeps on going. She keeps putting one foot in front of the other. She keeps making the soup. She keeps on sowing. And she expects a big harvest.
That’s what I try to do as a pastor. I try to keep on sowing. Going back out there with seed and planting it, seed and planting it. Even with tears.
With some people, I have been trying to sow seeds with them for a long time, and the good results have not come yet.
But still I weep and I sow.
I weep and I sow.
And I trust God for the song of joy to come.
Little tiny seeds turn into great big sheaves.
Big honking bundles of blessings.
Trust God for those future songs of joy and keep on sowing until they come.
I was talking to Wally last week about how we need to be faithful in our evangelism as a church. He was saying, and I agree, that we need to boldly keep telling people about Jesus Christ and what He did for us on the Cross and at the Empty Tomb.
We have the greatest news in all the world. And they may not want to hear it at first.
We may cry over people as we take the seed of the gospel and sow it in the field of the world.
Sinking that investment in what often feels like a losing proposition.
But we know that God did it before [Here we are!] and we know that He can do it again.
So we ask Him. “Restore us again!”
And it’s not just evangelism; this sowing in tears is being obedient in whatever the Lord is calling us to do.
To go out there, obeying, investing, giving, sowing even through tears, and believe that the best is yet to come.
It might feel a little bit like death.
When our Lord Jesus went out sowing with his tears, He sowed Himself. Jesus Himself was the seed going into the ground, but He came back up with a new glorious body, and we are His sheaves!
It’s worth it, friends.
Trust God for the songs of joy in your future in 2020 and beyond.
Keep going, even through the tears.
Don’t get me wrong.  I’m not saying that every prayer of our hearts will be answered in the way we want it. God has not promised that. He has not promised that every seed will yield the harvest that we hope for.
But He has promised good for His children. He has promised a bountiful harvest for those who trust Him and keep on sowing their seeds of faith and obedience.
This is true:
“He who goes out weeping, carrying seed to sow, will return with songs of joy, carrying sheaves with him.”
***
[Astute readers may remember several parts of this message first appeared in the Mother’s Day message from 2017.]

***
Fortifying Truth - Fall 2020

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

“Sun and Shield” [Matt's Messages]

“Sun and Shield”Lanse Evangelical Free ChurchNovember 8, 2020 :: Psalm 84
I picked Psalm 84 for this Sunday because of the way it talks about God in verse 11.
The whole psalm is a beautiful song of longing for the presence of God in genuine worship, but verse 11 is just glorious!
If you don’t have it memorized already, you should start today. It says, “For the LORD God is a sun and shield; the LORD bestows favor and honor; no good thing does he withhold from those whose walk is blameless.”
Isn’t that wonderful?!!
A sun and a shield. That’s the double image that pops out to me.
The Lord is a sun and a shield.
Is there anything more glorious and life-giving in our world than the sun?
In this world, the sun is our greatest source of light and life. It illuminates everything. So it’s an image of guidance and truth and beauty. And it provides energy and warmth to us.
We are headed into that dreaded season here in North America when the sun is not out very much. Praise the Lord for the sun we’ve experienced this last week! But as winter approaches, it’s going to get dark faster and longer. And that will just make the sun even more precious!
“A sun and shield.” There you have an image of protection. Of safety and security.
The windshield in your car. Have you ever had a rock fly up and take a dent out of your windshield while you’re driving? And what do you think when that happens?
“I’m so glad that wasn’t my head it hit! I’m so glad I have a shield.”
Safety, security, protection.
A sun and a shield. That’s what this song says the LORD is.
But I’ve gotten ahead of myself.
That’s the second to last verse. But I wanted you to know where it’s all going as we dive into verse 1. It’s all headed to that glorious word picture to describe our God! A “Sun and Shield.”

Let’s look together at verse 1. Psalm 84, verse 1.
“For the director of music. According to gittith. [Just like Psalm 8 we saw earlier this Fall. A musical term.] Of the Sons of Korah [those guys again, that intergenerational family of worship leaders, the Sons of Korah!]. A psalm. 
How lovely is your dwelling place, O LORD Almighty!
My soul yearns, even faints, for the courts of the LORD; my heart and my flesh cry out for the living God.” 
Psalm 84 has a lot in common with Psalm 42 that we looked at about a month ago.
They are both beautiful songs of the Sons of Korah that express a deep longing for the presence of the living God.
Psalm 42 is more sad and almost gloomy. The psalmist there is downcast and seems to be in prison and unable to make it to the temple.
Psalm 84 is less gloomy and more glorious. My guess is that this psalmist can get to the temple, at least some times. It might even be written by the same psalmist at a different point in his life. He was at least part of the same family, and he felt the same way about the temple.
“How lovely is your dwelling place, O LORD Almighty! My soul yearns, even faints, for the courts of the LORD; my heart and my flesh cry out for the living God.” 
This guy intensely loved the temple in Jerusalem. 
That word “lovely” in verse 1 could translated “beloved.”
How beloved is the Lord’s dwelling place!  
Now, of course, we know (and he knew!) that the Lord is everywhere (omnipresent), not just in Jerusalem. Not just at the temple.
But, back then, the Lord had put His name on Jerusalem, and the temple was the earthly symbol of His presence. It was, back then, His home. His earthly headquarters.
So this psalmist longed, not just for a building, but to be near the Lord Himself in a special way. Especially worshipping with others.
He was irresistibly drawn to be in God’s presence.
That’s what he’s singing about.
And he is even jealous of little birds that got to be in the temple when he wasn’t!  Look at verse 3.
“Even the sparrow has found a home, and the swallow a nest for herself, where she may have her young–a place near your altar, O LORD Almighty, my King and my God.”
I think he’s envious! Because the temple courts are open, birds can fly in and live there. And he wishes he was one of them! In the temple, 24/7. 
V.4 “Blessed are those who dwell in your house; they are ever praising you. Selah”
Just think about that!
I think here he might be talking about the priests who have apartments in the greater temple complex. They basically live on site.
How blessed they are to be right there!
Or there every day because they pretty much live at work.
And they can be ever praising God. Just think about that! Ever praising God.
So, when I read Psalm 84, I have to translate it into our New Covenant context. We don’t have a temple in Jerusalem any more. So this psalm is not about (for us!) going to the temple. That’s Old Covenant. We have to process it through our New Covenant reality.
And when I read Psalm 84, it raises spiritual questions for me about my heart.
So I want to share those questions with you as we work at applying this psalm to our lives today in 2020. Because I want to sing Psalm 84 with my life. I want this to be the song of my life.
I want to be, spiritually speaking, where this psalmist is. Don’t you?
Here’s the first application question for us today:
#1. DO I YEARN TO BE NEAR THE LORD?
Do I long to be close to Him?
This guy is almost falling over, he feels it so much. Look at verse 2 again, “My soul years, even faints,  for the courts of the LORD; my heart (insides) and my flesh (outsides) cry out for the living God.”
Do you feel that in your heart?
I don’t mean do you feel close to the Lord? That feeling comes and goes. I’m talking about what your heart wants. Does your heart, does your soul yearn to be near the Lord?
To worship Him. To know Him better. To walk with Him. To dwell with Him. To be with Him. To be (verse 4), “ever praising Him.”
That starts with daily personal worship. Because we are temples, now, right. The Spirit of God lives in each of us believers.
But it’s more than that. The temple now is not a building but it a church. The New Testament says that the people of God are being built up into a temple together.
So when we gather, we are the temple.
When this church comes together, we are the temple.
Doesn’t matter if we are inside or outside (or even on Zoom), we as a church are the temple, the beautiful place where His glory dwells.
Do you yearn to worship with God’s people?
I worry about people who feel ambivalent about church. They can just take it or leave it.
Now, there are good reasons to stay away from church gatherings for a time including staying safe from COVID-19 and keeping others safe from COVID-19.
But gathered worship should be a hard thing to give up.
It should always be what your heart wants.
Where your heart points. Like a compass pointing north.
Your heart should be pointing at church.
Your heart should long to be worshiping God with the people of God.
That’s where blessing is!
In verse 5, the psalmist turns from the priests to the pilgrims and says that they know where blessing is. Verse 5.
“Blessed are those whose strength is in you, who have set their hearts on pilgrimage. [literally, “highways are on their hearts.” As they pass through the Valley of Baca, they make it a place of springs; the autumn rains also cover it with pools. They go from strength to strength, till each appears before God in Zion.”
These people yearn to be near to God.
They set their hearts on the highways that lead to the temple in Zion.
And they gain strength as they go.
Now, we don’t know what the Valley of Baca is. It seems to be a play on words, not a geographical location. It’s either the Valley of Weeping or the Valley of Balsam, so an arid dry location. Either way, it’s tough sledding to go through there, but the picture is that as these faithful pilgrims pass through the valley, the Lord blesses them with life-giving water, with rain, with flourishing. And they get stronger for it.
You might think that the more wearily trudge on and on trying to make it to Zion, the harder it will get, but these folks find that they get strength upon strength until they reach the Lord’s home.
They’re marching to Zion.Beautiful beautiful Zion.They’re marching upward to Zion, the beautiful city of God.
And that’s where blessing is! “Blessed are those who strength is in you.”
That’s fortifying truth!
Do you yearn to be near to the Lord?
Do you yearn for heaven?
Because that’s the ultimate experience of nearness to God!
That’s the ultimate Zion!
Heaven is the ultimate temple.
Our church gatherings are a just a foretaste of the nearness of God that is coming one day.
Do you long for heaven?
I hope you’ve set your heart on that pilgrimage.
Because if you do, you’ll gain strength as you go.
Here’s the second question of application:
#2. DO I ASK THE LORD FOR HIS FAVOR?
I have never noticed verse 8 until studying it this week.
In verse 8, the psalmist all of a sudden tosses up a prayer request for his king. Look at verse 8.
“Hear my prayer, O LORD God Almighty; listen to me, O God of Jacob. Selah
Look upon our shield, O God; look with favor on your anointed one.”
I think he’s praying for his king, which was probably a son of King of David, a Davidic king.
Here, the king is referred to as a shield, one who protects the nation. And he’s called the Lord’s “anointed one” or messiah.
Remember when David was anointed by Samuel?
The psalmist prays for his king. He asks the Lord to look upon the king with favor.
Because he knows that as the king goes, so goes the nation.
So, this is a prayer for favor.
Have you prayed for favor? For God’s grace and mercy and blessing?
He is not saying that this king deserves it. He’s just saying that he needs it and if he’s blessed so will his people be.
Do I ask the Lord for favor?
And not just for kings, but also for presidents.
I have begun to pray for the next president of the United States which from all appearances will be former vice-president Joe Biden.
As I have prayed the last four years for President Donald Trump, I will pray for Mr. Biden. I will not pray that all of his policies get enacted. I don’t think they are all good. And I did not pray for all of Mr. Trump’s policies to be enacted. I didn’t think they were all good.
But I did pray for favor on him, and I will pray for favor on a new president, as well. Because I will pray for favor on our nation. 
Not because we deserve it, because we certainly don’t. But because we need it, and our God is a gracious God.
But that’s just America. Which is a very small thing in the grand scheme of things. We are just a footnote in the big story.
The bigger story is how God showed His favor to His Anointed One with a capital A. Favor to His Messiah with a capital M. The Lord Jesus Christ. He was dead and buried, and the Lord raised Him back to life!
And if God would show that kind of favor to Jesus, then I can also ask Him for much smaller prayer requests of the things that concern me today.
Now. We are getting that glorious verse 11. “Sun and Shield.” But first, verse 10.
“Better is one day in your courts than a thousand elsewhere; I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God than dwell in the tents of the wicked.”
You see how the psalmist hasn’t quit?
He still longs to be in the Lord’s presence.He still yearns to be at the temple.
There is nothing better!
He would rather be standing on the threshold of the temple, with no shelter, maybe getting rained on, a lowly doorkeeper than live in luxury with the wicked.
Than live in the penthouse with the godless.
There is no place he’s rather be than near to God!
Is there a place you’d rather be than near to God?
Again, this is not just about “going to church.” But I think there’s an application there.
Would you rather do just about anything than spend time worshipping God with the people of God?
Or are you willing to sit in your car, sit under a tent, wear a mask or a face-shield, give up your warm bed on a Sunday morning, gather your family around the dining room table, do whatever it takes to get near to God?
“Better is one day in your courts than a thousand elsewhere...”
And what about heaven? Better is a thousand years in God’s presence than just one anywhere else.
This guy knows where it’s at. This guy knows where the blessing is.
This guy knows how good he has it. Do we?
That’s our last application question:
#3. DO I KNOW HOW BLESSED I AM?
Why does he think the temple is so great?
It’s because of the One who lives there! V.11
“I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God than dwell in the tents of the wicked. For the LORD God is a sun and shield; the LORD bestows favor and honor; no good thing does he withhold from those whose walk is blameless. O LORD Almighty, blessed is the man who trusts in you.”
A sun and a shield!
Light and life and safety and security.
Guidance and protection.
Joy and delight.
“Favor and honor.”
“No good thing.”
I almost titled this sermon, “No Good Thing.” But that sounds negative.
It says, “...no good thing does he withhold from those whose walk is blameless.”
We get everything!
This is November. Thanksgiving is coming.
What are you thankful for? It came from God.
Whatever you’re thankful for, it came from God.
And He will make sure that you get every good thing as you walk with Him.
By the way, “Blameless” doesn’t mean perfect. It just means real. It means genuine. It means that you are on the path of wisdom and righteous and faith and obedience. You aren’t on the other path. You’ve repent of your sins and chosen the path that leads to life.
You are trusting in the LORD.
And that’s the path of blessing.
V.12 “O LORD Almighty, blessed is the man who trusts in you.”
Happy is the one.
Forever happy and blessed.
Do we know just how good we have it?
Do we know how blessed we are?
If you have the Lord, you have a sun and shield!
Forever and ever. You have a sun and a shield.
At the very end of the Bible, in Revelation 21, the Apostle John recounts his vision of the End, and he says, “I did not see a temple in the [heavenly] city, because the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are its temple. The city does not need the sun or the moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light, and the Lamb is its lamp.”
That’s how blessed we are and how blessed we will be.
Forever and ever.
The Lord is our sun and our shield.
***
Fortifying Truth - Fall 2020

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 84

“Unrestless” [Matt's Messages]

“Unrestless”Lanse Evangelical Free ChurchNovember 1, 2020 :: Psalm 131
I am singularly unqualified to preach Psalm 131.
I did not pick Psalm 131 for this weekend because I live it out so well. So often this Psalm does NOT describe me or my heart.
I picked out Psalm 131 because I need it so desperately. I need Psalm 131. 
And I want Psalm 131. I want this song to be the song of heart.
Psalm 131 is a very short psalm, just 3 verses, attributed to King David and included in the Songs of Ascent, that hit album of Hebrew songs that the Israelites sang as they marched up to Jerusalem for the great feasts.
And I love that Psalm 131 is by King David because when I read about his life in 1 and 2 Samuel and I hear his heart in many of his other songs throughout the Psalter, I realize that Psalm 131 was not David’s perpetual experience, either.
David was not describing his constant experience, but a place that he had gotten to, a posture, a composure, a peace that he had learned. And that he had to constantly return to.
Psalm 131 is a song about a heart that is unrestless.
I know, that’s not a word. I made it up!
If you Google “unrestlesss,” you won’t find a definition in Merriam-Webster’s online dictionary.
I made it up for this occasion because I wanted a fresh word that was the opposite of restless.
The opposite of frantic. The opposite of fussy. The opposite of fretful. 
So I picked, “unrestless.”
One of my mentors, the late David Powlison, said that Psalm 131 describes a person who is “quiet on the inside.”
Doesn’t that sound good? “Quiet on the inside.”
David Powlison wrote, “Amazingly, this man isn’t noisy on the inside. He isn’t busy-busy-busy. Not obsessed. Not on edge. The to-do list and pressures to achieve don’t consume him. Ambition doesn’t churn inside. Failure and despair don’t haunt him. Anxiety isn’t spinning him into free fall. He isn’t preoccupied with thinking up the next things he wants to say. Regrets don’t corrode his inner experience. Irritation and dissatisfaction don’t devour him. He’s not stumbling through the mine field of blind longings and fears” (“‘Peace, be still:’ Learning Psalm 131 by Heart,” The Journal of Biblical Counseling, Vol. 18, No. 3, Spring 2000, pg. 2).
“Quiet on the inside.”
Doesn’t that sound good? And that’s just a list of what he isn’t!
He is unrestless.
Let me read Psalm 131 to you, and you can hear it for yourself. Psalm 131.

The most poignant image in this song is in verse 2 when David likens himself to a “weaned child with its mother.”
He says it twice for emphasis. “Like a weaned child, like a weaned child.”
In this setting a “weaned child” is a toddler who is no longer nursing and so is content now with his mother.
Have you ever seen a fussy baby that is hungry? What do they do?
They root around. They flail around. And they wail.
They wail and they flail!
A baby can’t peacefully say, “I’m hungry, Mother. When is dinner?”
Especially if they are really hungry. Then they really cut loose.
They don’t know what’s going on. They just know they feel this terrible pain in their tummy, and they don’t know how it will ever be fixed!
But a weaned child with their mother has learned. They know the drill. They know how this works. They know that Mom will take care of them. They know that they can trust their mother, and so in this picture they are tranquil. They are peaceful. They are not wigged out every time it’s dinner time!
That’s the picture here. The weaned child is no longer restless. They are unrestless.
They are at peace.
And King David says, “That’s me. That peaceful child is a picture of my heart, of my soul within me.”
I don’t know about you, but I want a piece of that.
That’s the peace that “transcends all understanding” that we’ve been reciting in our memory verse these last few months.
As I said, this is not my natural experience. I am by temperament, a “self-tightening nut.”
I heard somebody say that you can buy a “self-tightening nut” at the hardware store, and I think that means that instead of loosening when it gets jostled, this kind of nut just gets tighter and tighter.
Well, Heather and I think that’s a great label for my natural temperament.
We both call me, “a self-tightening nut.”
Fretting, fussing, frantic, worrying, needy, noisy on the inside.
I confess that I am often restless.
If you didn’t know that about me, I’m glad. That might mean that I’m making progress, or it could just mean that I hide it well, or that you’re not paying attention.
But the people who know me, know me.
And they know that I need Psalm 131.
How about you? Are you noisy on the inside?
I think that the pandemic has brought it out of me in new ways.
For example, I want to do things the right way. I want to do the right thing and to be seen to do the right thing. And that’s a good desire, and a good value to have, especially when leading a church through a polarizing pandemic.
But it can became overwhelming and obsessive for me to do things the right way and for everyone to see that I’m doing things the right way. And before you know it, I’m all twisted up inside, the self-tightening nut.
How about you? Are you restless or unrestless?
Are you quiet or noisy on the inside?
I love how Psalm 131 doesn’t just describe the result; it also beautifully describes the process of getting there. 
I want to walk through it in three major steps of application for ourselves.
#1. HUMBLE MYSELF.
To be unrestless, I need to humble myself like David did. Verse 1.
“My heart is not proud, O LORD, my eyes are not haughty;”
We don’t tend to use that word “haughty,” but it means arrogant.
David proclaims that his heart is not lifted up, and he doesn’t look down his nose at others. He is not proud.
He is humble.
Is it surprising to you that he starts here? 
I don’t think we understand how much our inner restlessness comes from our own pride and arrogance.
Anxiety is often tied to pride.
We believe that we deserve something and so we strive for it with all of our insides so that our insides get turned inside out.
But David knew, in his moments of faithful sanity, that the road to tranquility comes through humility.
“My heart is not proud, O Yahweh, my eyes are not haughty.”
And then he says it in a different way.
“I do not concern [or occupy] myself with great matters or things too wonderful for me.”
Now, David was not saying that he never did great or wonderful things. This is King David talking! Giant-slaying, kingdom-building, David! But he is saying that he has stopped trying to play God.
I think the things too great or wonderful for him are the things that belong to God alone.
Deuteronomy 29:29 says, “The secret things belong to the LORD our God...” And David is saying that when he’s at his best, he doesn’t worry about what he can’t understand.
I want that to be true of me.
So often I would like God to explain more of the plan to me, and especially my part in the plan.
“A few more details here, Lord! Is it going to be this or this? I really want to know. I feel like I need to know!” Do you feel like that sometimes?
David had learned to live with unanswered questions. It doesn’t mean he stopped asking them, but he stopped demanding the answers on his terms. 
In other words, David stopped trying to play God. David realized that the position of God was already filled.
So he would just let God be God.
That’s humbling yourself.
Can you see how freeing that would be?
#2. QUIET MY HEART.
To be unrestless, I need to quiet my heart like David did. V.2
“But I have stilled and quieted my soul; like a weaned child with its mother, like a weaned child is my soul within me.”
Notice that this is not passivity. David has something very active to do. He has to actively still and quiet his heart! 
It’s not just something that washes over him automatically.
Even though it is ultimately the work of the Holy Spirit, David himself has role to fulfill to experience this peace.
In fact, in the Hebrew there is an almost an oath here.
"I solemnly swear that I have done this. I have stilled and quieted my soul."
It’s a different Hebrew word but it’s a similar idea to Psalm 46:10 that we heard last week, “Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.”
"Shhhh. Stop it. Quiet. Cut it out. Be still."
We’re learning a lot this Fall about talking to our souls, not just listening to them, right?
“Praise the LORD, O My Soul!”
“Why so downcast, O My Soul! Put your hope in God.”
“Be still.”
This is not some eastern fluttery meditation practice.
This is based on knowing God in fortifying truth and humbling yourself before Him.
But it is telling your soul to pipe down.
On Friday, I found out that I had made a major miscalculation about something that is important to me. And I have made this major miscalculation for the last couple of years, and I realized that adjusting myself to the way it really is will be a painful undertaking.
The details are not important, what is important is how I handle it. 
I have not handled it very well, I confess: Brooding, worrying, obsessing, arguing, complaining.
My wife and my Dad have had to endure all of that for the last couple of days.
Tighten, tighten, tighten.
But yesterday, out on a walk, thinking about how I desperately need this song in my heart, I began to experience some peace. And I started, not just listening to my heart, but talking back to my heart.
“Shhh. Be still. Be quiet. God’s got this. Rest and trust in Him.”
I’m not there yet. I’ll have to sing this to myself a lot more.
But I know that the Lord can be trusted. Jesus came back from the dead to guarantee it! Jesus died for our sins and then came back to life. If He can take care of our sin problem and our death problem[!], then there is no problem that He cannot take care of!
So I say to my soul, “What do you have to worry about?”
“Hey, hey, hey, let’s get quiet on the inside.”
And put your hope in the Lord.
#3. HOPE IN THE LORD.
To be unrestless, I need to put my hope in the LORD just like David did.
And just like he told the rest of Israel to do. Verse 3.
“O Israel, put your hope in the LORD both now and forevermore.”
Don’t put your hope in yourself or in anything else.
In your bank account.In the government.In your party’s candidate for office.In your family.In your health.In your gifts or abilities.
Don’t place your hope in those things; they will all disappoint you at some point.
“O Israel, put your hope in the LORD [Yahweh] both now and forevermore.”
He will never disappoint.
Fix your eyes on Him.
I’m so thankful that King David wrote this song, and I’m even more thankful that King Jesus sang this song perfectly with His life.
He humbled Himself. He had a perfectly stilled and quiet soul. Even when His soul was so troubled within Him, He was its master. And He perfectly put His hope in the Lord.
So that even when I fail to and flail around and wail like a frantic fussy baby inside, He has me safe in His arms.
So I can lean back and rest, and I can humble myself once again. And say, “Ok. Right. Right. You are God. You’ve got this. I don’t have to have it all figured out or every box checked in the right place.”
I can trust in You. I can be like a weaned child with its mother.
I can be unrestless.
“O Lanse Free Church, put your hope in the LORD both now and forevermore.”

***
Fortifying Truth - Fall 2020

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