Measure Your Days

Well, would you please take your Bibles this morning and open them up one last time to the book of Psalms for the summer school is back in session.

The boys are back in school, which means we are preparing to depart from the Psalms once more and we'll be somewhere else next week.

But one more Sunday this morning in the book of Psalms, Psalm chapter 39.

Psalms 39 · chapter mention

If you don't have a Bible of your own, you can use one in the seat back nearby.

We provide those for you to make it easy for you.

But you do need a Bible open.

I want you to have your eyes on God's word even as you hear it from my mouth.

So Psalm chapter 39, when you've found that, let's stand in honor of the reading of God's word this morning.

Psalms 39 · chapter mention

This is the Psalm of David.

He says, I said, I will guard my ways that I may not sin with my tongue.

I will guard my mouth with a muzzle.

So long as the wicked are in my presence.

I was mute and silent.

I held my peace to no avail and my distress grew worse.

My heart became hot within me.

As I mused, the fire burned and then I spoke with my tongue.

Oh Lord, make me know my end.

And what is the measure of my days?

Let me know how fleeting I am.

Behold, you have made my days a few hand breaths.

And my lifetime is as nothing before you.

Surely all mankind stands as a mere breath.

Surely a man goes about as a shadow.

Surely for nothing they are in turmoil.

Man heaps up wealth and does not know who will gather.

And now, oh Lord, for what do I wait?

My hope is in you.

Deliver me from all my transgressions.

Do not make me the scorn of the fool.

I am mute.

I do not open my mouth.

For it is you who have done it.

Remove your stroke from me.

I am spent by the hostility of your hand.

When you discipline a man with rebukes for sin,

you consume like a moth what is dear to him.

Surely all mankind is a mere breath.

Hear my prayer, oh Lord, and give ear to my cry.

Hold not your peace at my tears.

For I am a sojourner with you, a guest like all my fathers.

Look away from me that I may smile again before I depart and am no more.

The grass withers and the flower fades, but the word of the Lord endures forever.

Father God, we pray once more, would you speak through the preaching of your word?

Would you show us Christ and draw our hearts to him in faith?

We pray in Jesus' name.

Amen.

You may be seated.

I love to hear missionary stories,

and I was reminded this week of the story of the missionary C.T. Stud.

C.T. Stud.

He was a missionary back in the 1800s.

He had just about everything going for him.

He was born into a wealthy family.

He quickly became a star cricket player

and was world-renowned for one of the best cricket players in the British Empire.

But when he heard the gospel and put his faith in Jesus at the age of 18,

everything changed for C.T. Stud.

His priorities changed.

His perspective on what a successful life looked like changed.

His vision of life and success changed.

And he was one of what we call the Cambridge Seven,

who left behind their elite status to go and follow Hudson Taylor to China as missionaries in 1885.

The life that C.T. Stud.

chose is worlds apart from the life that he left and the life that he could have had.

And just to give you an example of this,

two years later in 1887,

he received an inheritance in the sum of $125,000,

which in today's money doesn't seem like that can buy too much, right?

But in today's economy, that would be well over $4 million today.

And what did C.T. Stud do?

He gave most of it away for the cause of missions and the spread of the gospel.

He gave away this successful future, this promising life,

in order to face all sorts of struggles overseas.

He faced chronic asthma.

He lived in poverty.

He dealt with heart issues and disease.

He ate a diet that was mostly just wet rice.

And he and his wife were constantly sick, constantly ill.

They had to send their children back over to England.

They lived separated from them so that they could have a good education there.

They voluntarily lived in hostile climates,

in hostile territories, with hostile people,

and houses made out of mud.

It was a far cry from the life of luxury that could have been for C.T. Stud.

And you wonder, what in the world can motivate someone to live like that?

C.T. wrote a poem at the end of his life in 1931.

By this time, he was in the Congo, again, doing mission work.

He was battling the illness that would eventually take him out.

And in this poem is the constant refrain that helps us understand his motivation.

He says this,

Only one life will soon be passed.

Only what's done for Christ will last.

Only one life will soon be passed.

Only what's done for Christ will last.

C.T. had learned the lesson that David asked God to teach him here in Psalm 39.

He learned the bad news that life here in a fallen world is hard.

And we experience this, don't we?

And we deal with issues.

We deal with stress.

We deal with sickness.

We deal with sacrifice.

The life in a fallen world is hard,

especially if you want to live faithfully to Christ.

But he also learned the good news that this present life,

with all of its hardship,

with all of its suffering,

with all of this weight of sin,

and this present life is a passing moment in the scheme of eternity.

Soon and very soon,

our God will come and transform this world,

and we who know Christ will be with him forever.

Church, that truth ought to shape the way that we go about our lives here and now.

Amen?

David, here in Psalm 39,

he is dealing with the weight and the difficulty of living in a fallen world.

He's dealing with some of these same tensions that you and I deal with here in a fallen world.

And he gives us three strategies for life in a fallen world.

This will be our outline if you're taking notes.

Three strategies for life in a fallen world.

The first strategy he gives us,

guard your tongue.

Guard your tongue.

Look there with me to verse 1.

Here, it's like David is having a flashback.

He's remembering a time of intense suffering.

We don't know exactly what was going on here.

It could be when Saul was still occupying the throne,

and David faced intense persecution then.

It could be when his own son Absalom rebelled against him.

You could draw from a number of instances in David's life.

But David is thinking back,

and he's recalling this time of suffering,

and he remembers a commitment that he made to himself.

Look there at verse 1.

He says,

I said,

I will guard my ways that I may not sin with my tongue.

And I will guard my mouth with a muzzle,

so long as the wicked are in my presence.

David commits in this moment of suffering

to keep a close guard on his tongue.

And he gives us two clear reasons why.

They're in verse 1.

The first reason, for one,

and maybe the most obvious reason,

he says he's going to guard his tongue,

guard his ways,

so that he doesn't sin with his tongue.

Now David hits on something very important here,

doesn't he?

He understands how easy it is for us to sin with our speech.

David understands that our words have incredible power,

more power than any weapon on the earth.

Our words can build up or they can tear down.

Our words can lead one another into truth,

or they can lead one another into destruction and deception.

Our words can make someone feel like they are worthy,

and like they can just go do anything.

We can build one another up and encourage one another in that way,

or our words can make one another feel worthless,

and like we can't do anything.

Our tongues, our words can speak in ways that honor the Lord,

as they were made to do,

or they can speak in ways that dishonor the Lord,

as we often do here on this side of the fall.

Church, when we're pressed,

and when we're under distress,

when we're suffering,

I think it's an all-too-common occurrence

that we fail to keep a guard over our mouth,

don't we?

And we're tempted to grumble,

and to complain when we don't get our way.

We're tempted to speak foolishly,

and to speak quickly,

and to speak rashly.

Do we realize that like David,

we don't have to say everything that we think?

You can, like David,

put a metaphorical muzzle over your mouth

if you're worried that something might come out sinfully,

if you don't.

You know, this is wise.

This is practical wisdom here for living in a fallen world.

We ought to, as God's people,

be very careful with our words.

In the New Testament, the book of James,

he says something very similar, doesn't he?

In James chapter 3,

James 3 · chapter mention

he says,

how great a forest is set ablaze by such a small fire.

He's talking about your tongue.

The tongue is a fire,

a world of unrighteousness.

The tongue is set among our members,

staining the whole body,

setting on fire the entire course of life,

and set on fire by hell.

For every kind of beast and bird,

of reptile and sea creature,

can be tamed and has been tamed by mankind.

But listen to this.

But no human being can tame the tongue.

It is a restless evil,

full of deadly poison.

With it we bless our Lord and Father,

and with it we curse people

who are made in the likeness of God.

From the same mouth come blessing

and cursing.

My brothers,

these things ought not to be so.

Have you experienced this in your own life?

Do you ever wrestle with what comes out of your mouth?

You wish you didn't say that thing that you just said?

David knows he is in danger of sinning with his tongue.

And so he says,

I'm going to keep silent.

It is better for him and for us, church,

to suffer in silence rather than for us to speak

and to sin against the Lord with our tongue.

That's the first reason.

The second reason,

he says he will guard his mouth with a muzzle

because he is in the presence of the wicked.

See that in verse 1.

Now think about that for a minute.

This is God-centered wisdom here for David.

Why does he not want to speak sinfully?

He says that he is in the presence of the wicked.

Well, why does that matter?

It's because he does not want to give the wicked

any reason to rob God of the glory that he's due.

David's not just thinking about himself

and defending himself

and speaking that word that he's talking back

and speaking against those accusations

that are coming against him.

He's not just speaking about himself,

thinking about himself.

He is thinking ultimately about the glory of God.

What would these wicked people say

if they heard God's anointed covenant king

just grumbling and whining about his life?

What would they say

if they hear God's anointed king

complaining about what God has brought into his life

by his hand of providence?

You can imagine how they'd run wild with that.

What would they say about God?

How would David's foolish words

commend God's goodness to the wicked?

We have to realize that God's opponents,

even if we don't think that they care at all

about what we say when we are in our best day

talking about the goodness of God,

we can be sure that they are listening

when we grumble and complain.

And they will take that and run wild with that

to rob God of the glory that he's due.

David is resolved, as we should be,

to only speak in ways that magnify the glory of God

in the gospel of Jesus Christ.

Church, I confess to you,

this is incredibly difficult.

Isn't it?

Am I alone in that?

Church, I confess,

I think about the ways this week,

and you take inventory of this week,

the ways that I have spoken to my family,

to others around me,

the words that I thought that I should speak in my head,

but it's hard to rein it back in.

This is incredibly hard.

But church, God will give you grace.

You can speak in ways that honor the Lord.

I want you to try it with me this week

as we look ahead to Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday.

Take inventory of your speech.

Speak carefully and intentionally

to only speak in ways

that magnify the glory of God.

And church, would you pray for his help?

Because we need it.

David is determined to muzzle his mouth,

but we see in verse 2,

that determination only lasts so long, doesn't it?

Verse 2, he says,

I was mute and silent,

but I held my peace to no avail.

My distress grew worse.

My heart became hot within me,

and I mused, and the fire burned.

It's like this image.

You see an image of a volcano here?

It is bubbling and gurgling under the surface.

You've probably felt this very thing before.

In your mind, you're telling yourself,

don't say it.

Don't say it.

Don't say it, right?

And you can cover up your mouth if you want,

but at some point,

that just kind of burst its way out.

And there's no getting it back.

It's rumbling here inside of David.

It's hot like fire,

and then he speaks,

but it may surprise you to see

what he says and who he says it to.

He doesn't speak horizontally to the wicked at all,

does he?

He doesn't lash out at them.

No, when he speaks,

he speaks vertically,

directly to God.

And what he says to God may surprise you.

He doesn't complain about the wicked.

He doesn't wish evil on them even,

not at this point.

Rather,

he asks God to give him the grace of a new perspective.

This is the second strategy here.

Second,

measure your days.

Measure your days.

What does David pray in verse four?

Look there with me.

He says,

Oh Lord,

make me know my end.

And what is the measure of my days?

Let me know how fleeting I am.

Now that is a strange prayer,

isn't it?

David wants to know how long he has to endure life in this fallen world.

God,

when will all this be over?

How long do I have?

Are we talking about one year of this suffering here?

Are we talking about two years?

Are we talking about 20?

Are we talking about 30?

What is it?

If I can maybe see the light at the end of the tunnel here,

maybe I can press on a little bit further.

He asks God to show him,

to impress upon his heart,

the reality of how short life really is.

He says,

Behold,

you have made my days a few hand breaths.

You know what a hand breath is?

You look at your hand.

A hand breath is the width of your hand,

the four fingers across.

Everybody has different size hands.

Some of your hands are bigger than others.

When you shake Treg's hand,

your hand gets lost.

You hold somebody else's hand,

a baby's hand,

you realize how small that hand is.

When David says,

it's just a few hand breaths stacked together,

you realize how short that really is,

don't you?

David says his days are just a few hand breaths.

He says,

My lifetime is as nothing before you.

Surely all mankind stands as a mere breath.

He speaks like we read in Ecclesiastes,

doesn't he?

Vanity of vanities.

All is vanity.

This life is short as a breath.

How many breaths have you taken this morning?

Do you think about your next breath?

You breathe in.

You hold it as long as you can.

You breathe out.

David says in comparison with eternity,

in comparison with our infinite God,

who has no beginning and has no end,

as long as our life may seem here,

especially in times of suffering,

it seems like we can't even get to the next day.

David says this life is just a mere breath.

The fact is, church,

you and I will not live forever.

I don't want to be overly morbid with you this morning.

You and I will not live forever.

You are not guaranteed to make it to the end of this sermon.

You are not guaranteed to come back here next week.

You are not guaranteed to leave here and go to lunch.

You don't know how long you have.

And again, when you zoom out of your present life

and you look in the scheme of eternity,

what is this life?

If you have 70, 80, 90 years,

my grandmother is about to turn 99.

That's an old life, right?

Long life.

Not in the scheme of eternity.

It's a breath.

And it's gone.

How would it change things for you

to think and to know how short your time really is?

Church, there is wisdom to be gained

from measuring your days.

Now, depending on where you stand with the Lord,

you're going to hear that fact very differently, aren't you?

You're going to hear that truth very differently.

The non-believer, those who are outside of Christ,

those who have not put their faith in Christ,

they cannot take comfort in this.

The perspective of the non-believer is,

well, you only live once, right?

So eat and drink and be merry,

for tomorrow you die.

You live it up.

And all you have is this life.

It's this short window

to have as much pleasure as you can in this life.

And then it's done.

There's no hope beyond the grave for the non-believer.

So you gather up as much wealth as you can

and you enjoy as much pleasure as you can.

You go see and you go do as much as you can.

You have a bucket list that you want to check off

before you kick the bucket.

The non-believer hears this reminder

how short life is,

how brief our time is,

and that response in their heart is one of fear.

Don't talk to me about that.

They respond with this urgency to live it up

before the bell rings,

before the believer.

The shortness of our time here, church,

is a great comfort for us.

David is like a runner.

He's running and he's rounding the turn

and the people around him are shouting,

there's just one more lap.

You got this.

You can do this.

And he's yelling at them saying,

well, tell me how much longer I have.

How much more do I have to endure?

When can my lungs get a break

and get some oxygen here?

For David and for the believer,

the shortness of our life gives us hope.

We are looking forwards to a time

when we no longer have to deal with suffering.

When we no longer have to deal with the wicked men

and their schemes against us.

We no longer have to deal with our own sin

and the discipline of God in our life.

We don't have to muzzle our mouths anymore

because we won't have to worry about something sinful

coming out of it.

We won't have to worry about how the wicked men around us

will take what we say.

For the Christian,

the shortness of this life

is a great comfort ahead of us.

I've shared before about our friend Holly,

who is now with the Lord.

You all remember Holly?

But before she died,

she was in the hospital very sick

and I went to go speak with her

and we read scripture together

and we prayed together

and we talked about death together

and because she is a Christian,

we talked about what lay ahead of her

after her death.

And afterwards,

I think I've shared this with you before,

I bumped into the doctor

who was there in the room with us

and he said,

you know,

we try not to use that D word too often around here.

Makes people a little bit uncomfortable.

And I said,

sir,

Miss Holly is a Christian

and she is not afraid of death.

We talk about death all the time.

You come to our church,

come on,

we'll tell you about death, right?

And we'll tell you about the hope

that God's people have beyond the grave.

It's not an enemy for us anymore.

Christ has risen.

from the grave.

So for us,

for her,

for David,

death is not the end of her joy.

It's the end of her suffering.

It's not the exit from her best days.

It is the entrance to her best days

in the presence of God

for the rest of eternity.

The believer hears this reminder.

This life is short.

This life is short.

And they take heart

that this light

and momentary affliction

is preparing for you

an eternal weight of glory

beyond all comparison

as we look not to the things

that are seen

which are hard, right?

As we look not to the things

that are seen

which are painful in the present,

but to the things

that are unseen

that God has in store for us

in glory.

Church,

this is the key to endurance.

And this is the key

to faithful obedience

in this life.

Do you need the strength

to endure a little suffering

here and now?

Remember,

this life is short.

Christ is coming soon.

And do you need motivation

to keep on running

faithfully,

to obey,

to lay it all out

and run the race

that's set before you?

Christian,

remember,

this life is short.

Christ is coming soon.

Only one life

will soon be passed.

Only what's done

for Christ will last.

Church,

the good news of the gospel

is that Jesus Christ

has conquered the grave

to give us hope

beyond our suffering.

And so,

it's because of this

that we respond

third,

like David,

third strategy here,

by hoping in God.

This is the third strategy

he gives us

for life in a fallen world.

He says,

hope in God.

David says in verse 7,

And now, O Lord,

for what do I wait?

My hope is in you.

My hope is in you.

And so he prays.

He prays,

deliver me from

all my transgressions.

Now,

notice how he starts there.

Notice how he starts there.

Yes,

there are external enemies.

There always are.

But David realizes

he is a sinner

in need of deliverance.

Yes,

there are wicked men

around him.

But David recognizes

the first enemy

he's got to deal with

is his own sin.

He has fallen short

of the glory of God.

He needs deliverance

from his own sin.

And Christian,

I ask you,

when is the last time

you called out to God

for deliverance

from your sin?

Nonbeliever,

that may be the first time

you call out to God

for deliverance

from your sin.

Do you groan

as you wait

for the redemption

of your bodies?

Do you long

to be freed

from this body

of death

with all its

sin-twisted desires

and thoughts

that come streaming

out of your mouth?

Do you long

to be freed

from a time

when you have

to muzzle your mouth

so you don't have

to pour out wickedness?

Call out to him,

God,

would you deliver

me from evil?

David prays,

do not make me

the scorn

of the fool.

God,

keep me

from being the fool.

God,

keep me

from the foolishness

of other wicked men.

Keep me

from earning scorn

from others

and thereby leading

them to scorn you.

Church,

do you pray,

Lord,

keep me

from temptation?

Keep me

from wandering

into foolishness,

not for my sake,

but for your sake,

God,

not for my reputation,

but for your reputation,

not for my glory,

but for your glory,

for the praise

of your name.

He prays,

God,

would you remove

your hand of discipline

from me?

He gives another reason

for his silence

there in verse 9.

You see it?

He says,

I am mute.

I do not open

my mouth,

for it is you

who have done it.

He sees this

suffering

and this affliction

ultimately

as the discipline

of God.

And so he prays,

God,

would you remove

your hand of discipline

from me?

Remove your stroke

from me.

I am spent

by the hostility

of your hand.

When you discipline

a man with rebukes

for sin,

he says,

you can assume

like a moth

what is dear to him.

Surely all mankind

is a mere breath.

When God's children

find themselves

running after

false gods

and setting their hearts

on the joys

of this life

ultimately

and not on the Lord

ultimately,

guess what God

is kind enough to do?

He is kind enough

to take it away.

David says,

God has consumed

like a moth

what is dear to him.

This is the severe,

merciful,

hard,

but loving discipline

of our God.

He does this

not to us

to afflict us

but for us

to train us

to train our hearts

to love him

and to delight ourselves

into him

and not the cotton candy

pleasures of this life.

We should ask,

friend,

is there anything

in your life

that your heart

is so consumed with

that if God

were to

eat it up

like a moth

you would just

be completely undone?

Ask it another way.

Is there anything

that without it

life would not

be worth living?

If you can find

an answer

to those questions

that's not rooted

in the Lord,

you may have just

identified an idol

in your heart

and it's wise

for you to pray

with David,

God,

would you deliver me

from my own sin

and then remove

your hand of discipline

from me

that I might delight

in you

and then rightly

enjoy your good gifts?

Augustine,

he says,

our heart is restless

until it finds

its rest in thee.

David prays

for relief

but look at this.

David also prays

for joy.

Look at verse 12.

He says,

hear my prayer,

O Lord,

and give ear

to my cry.

Hold not your peace

at my tears

for I am a sojourner

with you.

I am a guest

like all my fathers.

Look away from me

that I may smile again

before I depart

and am no more.

In other words,

he says,

I don't belong here.

I'm a sojourner.

I'm a citizen

of the kingdom of God.

I'm not like

these wicked men

whose entire life

and whose entire identity

is right here,

whose entire treasure

is here

and things that rust

and fade.

I am headed

for the kingdom

but even so,

God,

would you relieve me

of this hand

of discipline

so that I can have

some joy

here and now

before I die?

It's not a bad thing

to pray like that,

church.

It is true,

yes,

we will suffer.

It's also true

there is much joy

to be had

here and now.

It's true

that our treasure

is in heaven

but it's also true,

guess what,

we can enjoy

in right perspective,

we can enjoy

God's gifts to us

here and now.

It's true,

yes,

this world

is quickly passing,

this life

will soon be passed

but it is also true

that when we have

this eternal perspective

and when our hope

is in him,

we of all people

ought to be marked

by unshakable joy

in this life.

That sort of hope,

church,

that sort of joy,

that is compelling.

How do we explain

a joy

and a satisfaction

that is not anchored

to our circumstances

in life?

How can we explain

a heart satisfaction

that doesn't get rattled

when things get rough

in your life?

That demands

an explanation

and when the non-believing world

sees that in you,

you have the opportunity

to say,

I have this joy

because I have set

my hope in Jesus

because it is only

in Jesus

that this prayer

of verses 7 through 13

can be prayed

with confidence.

It is Jesus

who,

like David,

silenced his mouth

in the presence

of the wicked,

who,

like a lamb

before its shearers

was silent,

so he opened

not his mouth,

who did not take vengeance

into his own hands

but entrusted himself

completely to the Lord,

not looking at

the temporary relief

from his suffering

but at the eternal

weight of glory

that lay beyond.

It is Jesus

who knew all too well

the shortness

and the frailty

of this life

whose earthly life

was cut short

at age 33.

You know,

we would call that

a tragically short life,

wouldn't we?

Just a breath

but it was no tragic accident.

This was the eternal plan

of God

to redeem us

from the vanity of life

and the struggle

of a life

in a fallen world.

Friend,

if you want to be lifted

out of despair,

out of the hopelessness

and the struggle

of living in a fallen world,

the only hope

is to look

to Jesus

and to call out

to him

and to trust

in him

and to delight

yourself in him

and to look forward

to the day

when he will come

again to transform

this world

and usher in

the age to come.

He says,

behold,

I am making

all things new.

In that day

he will not ignore

our tears.

He will wipe away

every one of them

from our eyes.

Friend,

that day

is coming soon.

That day

is coming soon.

And then we will see

just how light

and momentary

this present affliction is.

How worth it

faithfully suffering

for his glory was.

I referenced the poem

from C.T. Studd

and I think it's worth

hearing in full

as we close.

He writes,

two little lines

I heard one day

traveling along

life's busy way.

bringing conviction

to my heart

and from my mind

would not depart.

Only one life

will soon be passed.

Only what's done

for Christ will last.

Only one life,

yes,

only one.

Soon will its fleeting

hours be done.

Then in that day

my Lord to meet

and stand

before his judgment seat.

Only one life

will soon be passed.

Only what's done

for Christ will last.

Only one life

the still small voice

gently pleads

for a better choice.

Bidding me selfish aims

to leave

and to God's

holy will

to cleave.

Only one life

will soon be passed.

Only what's done

for Christ

will last.

Only one life

a few brief years.

Each with its burdens,

hopes,

and fears.

Each with its clays

I must fulfill

living for self

or in his will.

Only one life

will soon be passed.

Only what's done

for Christ

will last.

When this bright world

would tempt me sore,

when Satan would

a victory score,

when self would

seek to have its way,

then help me,

Lord,

with joy to say,

Only one life

will soon be passed.

Only what's done

for Christ

will last.

Give me,

Father,

a purpose deep.

In joy or sorrow

thy word to keep,

faithful and true

whatever the strife,

pleasing thee

in my daily life,

only one life

will soon be passed.

Only what's done

for Christ

will last.

Oh,

let my love

with fervor burn

and from the world

now let me turn,

living for thee

and thee alone,

bringing thee pleasure

on thy throne.

Only one life

will soon be passed.

Only what's done

for Christ

will last.

Only one life,

yes,

only one.

Now let me say

thy will be done.

And when at last

I'll hear the call,

I know I'll say

it was worth it all.

Only one life

will soon be passed.

Only what's done

for Christ

will last.

Father,

we pray,

would we live

this life

in view

of eternity?

Would we recognize

the shortness

of our days?

Would you teach us

to measure our days

that we may gain

a heart of wisdom?

Lord,

would you show us,

Father,

that there is only

one life

and it will soon

be passed.

Would you motivate us

and strengthen us

by your spirit

to live for ways

that will last

into eternity?

We pray this in Jesus' name.

Amen.

Amen.