How Precious Is Your Steadfast Love

Please take your Bibles and open them up this morning to Psalm chapter 36.

Psalms 36 · chapter mention

! Psalm chapter 36.

Psalms 36 · chapter mention

We're continuing our series through the Psalms this morning.

And when you found that, Psalm 36, would you please stand in honor of the reading of the Word of the Lord.

Psalm 36 is to the choir master of David, the servant of the Lord.

Transgression speaks to the wicked deep in his heart.

There is no fear of God before his eyes.

For he flatters himself in his own eyes that his iniquity cannot be found out and hated.

The words of his mouth are trouble and deceit.

He has ceased to act wisely and do good.

He plots trouble while on his bed.

He sets himself in a way that is not good.

He does not reject evil.

Your steadfast love, O Lord, extends to the heavens.

Your faithfulness to the clouds.

Your righteousness is like the mountains of God.

Your judgments are like the great deep.

Man and beast you save, O Lord.

How precious is your steadfast love, O God.

The children of mankind take refuge in the shadow of your wings.

They feast on the abundance of your house.

And you give them drink from the river of your delights.

For with you is the fountain of life.

In your light do we see light.

O continue your steadfast love to those who know you.

And your righteousness to the upright of heart.

Let not the foot of arrogance come upon me.

Nor the hand of the wicked drive me away.

There the evildoers lie fallen.

They are thrust down, unable to rise.

The grass withers and the flower fades.

But the word of the Lord endures forever.

Father God, we pray now.

Would you show us the greatness of your steadfast love for us in Christ?

Help us not only to see it, but to marvel at it.

And not only to marvel at it, but to be satisfied in it.

We pray this in Jesus' name.

Amen.

You may be seated.

With all the rain that we've gotten over the past week, every now and then, the lights

at our house flickered on and off and threatened the possibility of a power outage.

And I remembered how much bigger a deal a power outage was when I was younger than they are

today.

I grew up in the time when we didn't have smartphones in our pockets with instant flashlights that

you could press at any moment to provide light in the room.

And so I distinctly remember every now and then there would be a storm.

The lights would go out and we couldn't see a thing.

And so my parents would be scrambling in the dark to find a match or a candle or a flashlight.

And until that light was lit, darkness had complete control of the room.

But once the light came on, the darkness was dispelled.

I wonder if you have ever been overwhelmed by darkness.

darkness.

And the world that we live in can often be described as dark.

And I know that it's sometimes hard for us to remember that, especially where we live

here in this beautiful place of the world here in Allendal or Mount Pleasant, often called

Mount Perfect or Mount Plastic even.

But when you peel back the shiny, luxurious exterior, the world that we live in, even here where we

live in a place of luxury, is dark.

And sometimes that darkness can be overwhelming.

I remind you of what I mentioned last week.

We live in a country where over a million unborn babies are aborted in this country legally

by the law of the land every single year.

We live in a world where Christians are often persecuted, maybe socially here, but beyond

this country, persecuted physically and even killed for professing their faith.

We live in a place where advancements in technology are a good thing, but now especially with the

rise of artificial intelligence, financial scams have become all the more sophisticated with

AI-fabricated distress calls that mimic the exact voices of your loved ones and contribute

to scamming the elderly out of billions of dollars every single year.

It's estimated that here in the U.S. there are over a million people trapped in conditions

of modern-day slavery and forced labor.

I don't tell you all this to depress you, although it is disheartening, but to illustrate the fact

that all of us are aware of, the world that we live in is very, very dark.

And sometimes you can wonder, well, where can we look when the darkness seems so overwhelming?

Where can God's people look to find comfort and assurance, even hope or security in light

of the great wickedness all around us?

And what hope do we have to offer others who are living here in the midst of this dark world?

Well, here in Psalm chapter 36, David gives us the answer to all of these questions.

Psalms 36 · chapter mention

And he tells us that here in a dark world, we must cling to the light of the glory of God.

In the midst of darkness, God's people look to Him and satisfy our soul in Him.

So let's take a look as we ask the question, how do God's people navigate the darkness?

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

How do God's people navigate the darkness?

And we'll see it in three parts this morning.

First, David shows us we must examine the wickedness of man.

Examine the wickedness of man.

We see this here in verses 1 through 4.

Look there with me.

And here David shows us what it is like in the dark.

This is the darkness when the lights are off.

And here's my disclaimer.

This picture of wickedness is not pretty.

This is a very blunt and honest, unattractive look at the sinfulness of man.

This is not an attractive, popular message, but it's here before us and so we deal with it.

David gives us a full picture here of the wickedness of man.

And what we see here is a picture of what we call total depravity.

It's not that we're all as bad as we possibly could be,

but rather that every single part of us, inside and out, has been corrupted by the darkness of sin.

Look at this description that he gives us here of the wicked man.

He goes head to toe here in verses 1 through 4.

He says in verse 1,

Their heart is corrupt.

Transgression speaks to the wicked deep in his heart.

Here transgression itself is personified,

almost like wisdom is personified in the book of Proverbs.

And transgression speaks to the wicked.

It has this deep hold on the heart of the wicked.

It's not just empty words in his ears.

It's resonating with him deep in his heart.

The darkness, the wickedness begins here in the heart.

And we should understand that the wicked actions and the sinful words and the sinful attitudes

that we see coming out of the exterior,

those are like warning lights on the dashboard

that show us that something is wrong on the interior.

The human heart, left to itself, apart from the grace of God, is wicked.

Jeremiah tells us the heart is deceitful above all things and desperately sick.

You should know, follow your heart is terrible advice.

David says the wicked's heart is corrupt.

Not only that, but his eyes are corrupt.

He says there is no fear of God before his eyes.

This is someone who lives in open rebellion against God

and simply does not care.

He doesn't fear God's wrath.

He laughs off all this religious talk about hell.

He thinks all that religious talk of a God who sees every act

and hears every word and knows every thought

and can discern every intention of the heart.

That's just a bunch of nonsense.

He cares nothing about the coming day of judgment

when all will be exposed.

All he wants to do is live free from all of this

and so he suppresses it.

He has no fear of God in his eyes.

In fact, he says he flatters himself in his own eyes.

He convinces himself that his iniquity cannot be found out

and cannot be hated.

This wicked man is self-deceived.

And he's deceived himself into thinking,

what I do in the privacy of my own home is my business.

It can't be found out.

It can't be hated.

It can't be dealt with at all.

Now Moses warned the Israelites about this exact sort of attitude

all the way back in Deuteronomy chapter 29.

Deuteronomy 29 · chapter mention

Listen to what he says.

He warns the community of Israel,

Beware lest there be among you a root bearing poisonous and bitter fruit,

one who when he hears the words of this sworn covenant,

blesses himself, flatters himself in his heart,

saying, I shall be safe although I walk in the stubbornness of my heart.

This will lead to the sweeping away of the moist and the dry alike.

The Lord will not be willing to forgive him,

but rather the anger of the Lord and his jealousy will smoke against that man.

And the curses written in this book will settle upon him,

and the Lord will blot out his name from under heaven.

The wicked man does not fear God.

He lives in open rebellion.

And so, verse 3,

The words of his mouth are trouble and deceit.

His mouth is corrupt.

Jesus tells us in Matthew 12 that a tree is known by its fruit.

He looks the Pharisees right in the eye and he says,

You brood of vipers, how can you speak good when you are evil?

For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks.

The good person out of his good treasure brings forth good,

and the evil person out of his evil treasure brings forth evil.

I tell you, on the day of judgment,

people will give account for every careless word that they speak.

For by your words you will be justified,

and by your words you will be condemned.

He says the wicked man's mouth is corrupt.

He says his hands and feet are corrupt.

He has ceased to act wisely and to do good.

His mind is corrupt.

He plots trouble while he's on his bed.

I mean, this is where all the AI scams and the abortion industry

and the human trafficking and all the other evil in the world begins.

It's in those quiet moments where you're left with your own thoughts.

What is it that your mind goes to?

The wicked, David says,

is plotting wickedness from a corrupt mind.

In fact, his very will is corrupt.

Look what he says.

He sets himself in a way that is not good.

He does not reject evil.

This is the will of a sinner.

You know, we often maybe talk about free will,

and what that means biblically is that people actually choose what they do.

That is true.

You choose what you do.

What it doesn't mean is that your will is neutral.

All of us choose according to our nature.

There's a reason that birds don't swim and fish don't fly

and dogs don't quack and ducks don't bark

and the wicked don't reject evil.

What is it?

It's because we all act and choose according to our nature.

And biblically, David is telling us his very nature,

the nature of a wicked man is that from head to toe he is ruled by sin.

The biblical word for that isn't freedom.

It's slavery.

It's a dark picture, isn't it?

When we look around and we see the darkness of the world all around us,

we should understand it for what it is.

This is a world that is lost and enslaved by the powers of sin.

But we should also understand that apart from the grace of God

that liberates the sinful nature,

that frees us from the power of sin,

apart from the grace of God,

friend, this is not just darkness out there around us.

This is us.

This is the point that Paul makes in Romans chapter 3

Romans 3 · chapter mention

when he quotes this exact passage and others

and says,

None is righteous.

No, not one.

No one understands.

No one seeks for God.

Not even you.

Not even me.

All have turned aside.

Together they have become worthless.

No one does good.

Not even one.

Their throat is an open grave.

They use their tongues to deceive.

The venom of asps is under their lips.

Their mouth is full of curses and bitterness.

Their feet are swift to shed blood.

In their paths are ruin and misery.

The way of peace they have not known.

There is no fear of God before their eyes.

The picture that the Bible gives us is dark.

The wicked are totally, absolutely consumed with evil.

And friend, if the psalm ended here,

we would leave here in absolute despair, wouldn't we?

But notice what David does next.

David shifts the perspective back here in verses 5 through 9

to give us just about the greatest contrast you can possibly imagine.

Against this dark backdrop of sin,

in the midst of this great darkness,

he shows us the light of the glory of God.

And he calls us to fix our eyes there.

This is our hope in the midst of darkness.

This is what he shows us in verses 5 through 9.

Look there.

Second, David says,

we must exalt our glorious God in the midst of the darkness.

Exalt our glorious God.

Look there to 5 through 9.

There could not be a more drastic contrast than what we see here.

This is darkness and light, night and day.

David draws our attention here to the covenant attributes of our God.

He says, fix our eyes on the steadfast love of the Lord.

Fix your eyes on the steadfast love of the Lord.

We've heard that term,

but it's possible that you may not know exactly what that means.

The steadfast love of the Lord.

This is God's covenant love for His people.

This is God's faithfulness to the promises that He has made to His people.

And ultimately, we know that this is God's love for His covenant people in Christ.

Isaiah says in Isaiah 54 verse 10,

Isaiah 54:10

the mountains may depart and the hills may be removed,

but my steadfast love shall not depart from you.

This steady, rock solid, enduring love is ours in Christ's church.

But even on His side of the cross,

David's able to look at the steadfast love of God

and marvel that His steadfast love extends to the heavens.

His faithfulness extends to the clouds.

He says, look there if you're overwhelmed by the darkness.

But also, he says, fix your eyes on the righteousness of the Lord.

He is perfectly pure.

I remember going to pick out Amanda's engagement ring,

and you learn all sorts of new stuff when you go to buy a ring.

All the four C's and all that.

Cut clarity, carrot, and I forget the fourth one.

I don't know what it is.

But where they really get you is in the purity of the diamond, right?

They hold it out against this black cloth.

They slide it out to you.

They put it under the microscope.

You spin it around,

and you can see every little minor imperfection.

Not so with God.

Here, against this black backdrop of our sin,

we see that there is not the slightest imperfection in our God.

There is not the slightest hint of evil.

There is not the slightest inclination to wickedness.

John tells us, God is light.

In him there is no darkness at all.

Our God is not just holy.

He is holy, holy, holy.

This is the refrain of heaven.

Revelation chapter 4.

Revelation 4 · chapter mention

Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty,

who was and is and is to come.

His righteousness, David says,

is like the mountains of God.

It's strong.

It's stable.

It's towering.

It's enduring.

It's beautiful.

And again,

the righteousness of our God,

it shines forth most clearly in Christ Jesus,

who is the perfect Son of God,

who is the radiance of the glory of God

and the exact imprint of His nature.

He is the embodiment of holy God in human flesh.

David says,

would you just marvel at this faithful holy God?

His judgments are like the great deep.

All life owes itself to the work of this great God,

man and beast alike.

Who can comprehend the ways of God?

And when we stand back and we just think for a moment,

and when we zoom out of all the chaos of life

and all the overwhelming darkness of day-to-day life

here in a fallen world,

when we think about God's works of salvation

and creation and providence,

but especially salvation,

what He's done for us in Christ,

we say with Paul,

oh, the depths of the riches and the wisdom

and the knowledge of God.

How unsearchable are His judgments

and how inscrutable are His ways.

You just marvel at the wisdom

and the ways of this God.

Can you imagine a greater contrast

in what David shows us here?

Derek Kidner says,

here is a whole world to explore,

a broad place to be brought into,

unsearchable, impregnable, inexhaustible,

yet for all that, welcoming and hospitable.

He says,

it is only man's world that is cramping.

Human fickleness makes a drooping contrast

to this towering covenant love and faithfulness.

Human standards where all is relative

are a marshland beside the exacting,

exhilarating mountains of His righteousness.

Human assessments are shallowness itself

in comparison with His judgments.

David holds this diamond of God's glory

in his hand against the black backdrop

of the wickedness of man

and he turns it every which way

and says,

would you just look and marvel

at the glory of God?

Church, do you ever marvel

at the glory of God?

Do you find yourself considering His attributes

when you're overwhelmed

by the darkness of this world?

David says,

fix your eyes on Him.

Remember who He is,

but we can't stop there.

We can't stop there.

Pay close attention to this church

because this is absolutely crucial for us to get.

David moves from talking about the glory of God

in verses 5 through 6

to treasuring God

in verses 7 through 9.

And this is just an incredible shift

that takes place here.

Look what he says in verse 7.

How precious is your steadfast love,

O God, he says in verse 7.

How precious is your steadfast love.

The children of mankind

take refuge in the shadow of your wings.

See, there is an eternity of difference.

between knowing that God is faithful

and knowing that God is righteous

and knowing that God is just

and knowing that God is wise,

knowing that God is good,

and actually experiencing

these glorious truths for yourself.

There is an eternity of difference

between being able to list off attributes

and loving this great God for who He is.

If you're freezing out in the dark,

you don't need a lecture,

a bunch of true facts about the heat.

You need to get up close to the fire

and feel His warmth

and see by His light.

And this is what David's getting at here.

He says God's steadfast love

is not just true.

It is precious to those who love Him.

God's people don't just know

that He's able to save.

They take refuge in the shadow of His wings.

It is not enough

just to be able to talk about this God.

You must treasure Him in your heart.

No one has been more helpful for me

in understanding this

than my good friends John Piper

and Jonathan Edwards.

John Piper has famously coined the phrase,

God is most glorified in us

when we are most satisfied in Him.

God is most glorified in us

when we are most satisfied in Him.

Church, this is why our mission as a church,

what is it?

We exist to magnify the glory of God

in the gospel of Jesus Christ.

How?

Way number one,

by enjoying Him.

Do you realize that Christianity

is a religion of joy?

Christianity is a religion

of unlimited pursuit

of the deepest,

most infinitely pleasurable,

exhilarating source of satisfaction

imaginable in all the universe.

Christianity is a religion

of unlimited pursuit of pleasure.

And we believe that there's nothing

more satisfying to your soul

than the God who made it.

And the gloriously good news

is that when you satisfy your heart in God,

you can come and have as much as you want.

This is what David says in Psalm 1611.

In your presence,

there is fullness of joy.

At your right hand are pleasures forevermore.

Do you see the abundance language in this psalm?

Do you hear this?

We're not just fed by God.

We feast on the abundance of His house.

We don't just sip from a faucet.

We drink from the river of God's delights.

We don't just squint by candlelight.

It says,

When your heart is satisfied in God,

in His light we see light.

And so Edwards,

he says,

Persons need not and ought not

set any bounds

to their spiritual and gracious appetites.

He says,

There is no such thing

as any ordinateness

in holy affections.

There is no such thing

as excess in longings

after the discoveries

of the beauty of Christ Jesus

or greater degrees of holiness

or the enjoyment of communion with God.

Men may be as covetous as they please,

if I may so speak,

after spiritual riches.

They may be as eager as they please

to heap up treasure in heaven.

They may be as ambitious as they please

of spiritual and eternal honor and glory.

They may be as voluptuous as they please

with respect to spiritual pleasure.

In other words,

he says,

If you want to be satisfied,

come and get it.

As much as you want.

The table is set.

He says elsewhere,

in a sermon that has shaped my life,

what is glorifying God

but rejoicing in the glory

that He has displayed?

Merely understanding

the perfections of God

cannot be the end of creation.

God is glorified

not only by His glory being seen

but by its being rejoiced in.

When those that see it

delight in it,

God is more glorified

than if they only see it.

Friend,

do you treasure God

as the only

and all satisfying

source of delight

for your soul?

Do you see Him

as the greatest satisfaction

that your soul

could possibly ever have?

Friend,

if you are overwhelmed

by the darkness

of this world,

Christian,

the invitation,

come feast your soul

on the glory of God.

And if you are discouraged

by the sin in your own heart,

Christian,

come drink

from the life-giving stream

of the steadfast love

of God for you in Christ.

And friend,

if you are the wicked man

of verses 1-4

who has lived in rebellion

against this great God,

come all who are thirsty,

He says in Isaiah 55.

Come everyone who thirsts,

come to the waters,

come he who has no money,

come buy and eat,

and you will find life

and satisfaction in Christ.

Come to Christ.

find in Him

full atonement

for the greatest wickedness

and full satisfaction

for the hungry heart.

Because of course,

it is in Christ

and only in Christ

that we see

the full expression

of this psalm

most clearly.

The Gospel of John

most clearly,

probably more clearly

than anywhere else,

sheds light

on the language

of this psalm.

In fact,

I've often wondered

if John was reading

Psalm 36

as he composed

his Gospel.

Because it's there

in the Gospel of John

that Jesus says,

I am the light

of the world.

It is by His light

that we see light.

It is there in John

that Jesus meets

with a Samaritan woman

and invites her,

ask me

and I will give you

living water.

He says there in John,

whoever believes in me

as Scripture has said,

out of His heart

will flow rivers

of living water.

Church,

ultimately,

the steadfast love

of God

is shown towards

His people

in Christ.

And no matter

how dark

the world around us

gets,

we take comfort

to know we are

safe and sheltered

in Christ.

Not only from

the schemes of the enemy,

but even from

the wrath of God

against our own sin.

Why?

Because as ugly

and dark

and wicked

of a picture

of our own sin

as we see

in this song,

Christ Jesus,

the perfect Son of God

became sin for us

so that in Him

we might become

the very righteousness

of God.

Jesus Christ

bore the wrath

of God

against our sin

and as God's

righteous judgment

fell upon Him

in our place,

it says,

darkness covered

the face of the earth.

the very darkness

that David describes

here in verses 1-4

reached its peak

at the cross of Christ

as the light

of the world

was slain.

But we praise God

that the darkness

could not hold Him.

He has risen

from the grave

in victory

over the darkness,

victory over our sin,

victory over the enemy,

and victory over the grave.

Christian,

our comfort

and our confidence

in the face of darkness

is the all-satisfying

glory of Christ.

Because of this,

third and finally,

we are compelled

to express

our desires to Him.

Look there to verses

10-12

and would you just

notice here

up to this point

David has asked

for nothing.

He's just examined

the wickedness

and he has extolled

the glory of God.

But now in light

of all of this,

David prays verse 10,

continue your steadfast love

to those who know you

and your righteousness

to the upright of heart.

In other words,

God,

would you be who you are

to those who are yours?

Your steadfast love

is so great,

your righteousness

is so precious,

would you just cover

your people with it

and guard them with it

and comfort us

with your steadfast love

and faithfulness?

And also,

would you,

verse 11,

let not the foot

of arrogance

come upon me

nor the hand

of the wicked

drive me away.

There the evildoers

lie fallen,

they are thrust down

unable to rise.

Again,

we're reminded

of the radical distinction

between the righteous

and the wicked.

James Hamilton

summarizes it perfectly.

He says,

the wicked worship sin

with its fleeting pleasure

and lasting regret,

and in the end,

they gain eternal destruction.

The righteous worship God

with His lofty love

and rooted righteousness,

and in the end,

they drink from the fountain

of life

and ever bask

in His light.

Church,

this is the certain end

of all things.

This is the light

at the end of the tunnel.

You remember our question?

Where do we look

when the darkness

is overwhelming?

Here's your answer,

church.

You look

to the light

of the world,

Jesus Christ.

If you are overwhelmed

by evil in our world,

take heart.

Nothing can separate you

from the covenant love

of God

for you in Christ Jesus.

In fact,

He says,

I have overcome

the world.

If you are discouraged

by the battle

with sin

in your own heart,

take heart.

If you are in Christ,

God is faithful.

He will complete

the good work

He began in you.

Indeed,

His own perfect righteousness

is yours

by faith in Christ.

If you are facing

the fierce attacks

and temptations

and accusations

of the enemy,

take heart.

Christ Jesus

also has been tempted

and tried

in every way

as we are,

yet without sin.

He also endured

the darkness

of this world

so that He might

bring us

out of darkness

and into His

marvelous light.

And if you are

longing for real,

lasting satisfaction

for your soul,

church,

remember that

one day soon

and very soon,

Christ Jesus

will return.

And He will

banish the darkness

forever.

And He will be

our everlasting light.

And all His people

will drop to their knees

and drink from the river

of His everlasting delights

throughout all eternity.

But until that day comes,

church,

guess what?

You can begin feasting

on His goodness

right now.

So if you are thirsty

today, friend,

come to the waters.

If you are empty,

friend,

come to the feast.

If you are terrified

of the dark,

would you turn

to the light

of the world

and take refuge

in the shadow

of His wings?

And would you consider Him

and would you treasure Him

in your heart?

Would you express

the desires of your heart

to Him

and entrust

your very life

to Him?

He is faithful

and He is good.

Let's pray.

Father,

would you show us,

God,

that you are

the all-satisfying

source of joy

for which we were made?

God,

would you show us

the fleeting pleasures

and destructive end

of sin

that we might repent

and put our faith

entirely in Christ

and satisfy our soul

in Him?

And we pray,

Lord Jesus,

would you come quickly

and put an end

to the darkness

and usher in the age

of eternal joys

in your presence?

We pray in Jesus' name.

Amen.