Psalm 13

So we're going to be looking at Psalm 13 tonight.

So our pattern has been over recent months to go through a psalm as we share the Lord's Supper together,

and we are up to Psalm 13.

So I'm going to pray for us. Anderson's going to come and read.

Seth's going to come and preach for us, and then we will sing again.

So let me pray, and then, Anderson, you can come and read God's Word for us.

Father, we thank you that these are your words to us.

Thank you that you're a good God who loves to speak.

Please, we pray now, help us as your Word is read and preached to us to listen carefully

for the sake of your glory and to do us good, we pray in Jesus' name. Amen.

Amen.

Psalm 13.

How long, Lord? Will you forget me forever?

How long will you hide your face from me?

How long must I wrestle with my thoughts and day after day have sorrow in my heart?

How long will my enemy triumph over me?

Look on me and answer, Lord my God.

Give light to my eyes, or I will sleep in death.

And my enemy will say, I have overcome him.

And my foes will rejoice when I fall.

But I trust in your unfailing love.

My heart rejoices in your salvation.

I will sing the Lord's praise, for he has been good to me.

Thanks, Anderson.

As was just said, we will be in Psalm 13.

So I encourage you to get your Bible out, get your phone out.

So we'll refer back to the text multiple times.

I want to start us off today thinking about Christ, obviously, right?

So when Christ died on the cross, he said three words, right?

It is finished.

And these three words ring throughout eternity as a rally cry for Christians.

These three words signify what Christianity is all about, right?

Christ came, he died on the cross, but he did not stay dead.

He was raised three days later, defeating death, saying the words, it is finished.

And these words show how the story will end.

See, when the great armies of heaven and hell gather at the end of days, it won't even be a contest.

The Lord opens his mouth, and the armies of hell are defeated.

And so the words, it is finished, give the Christian confidence that whatever may happen,

they can trust in God, right?

Now, some of you might be a little confused right now, saying,

did he just get his notes out of order?

It feels a little bit more like the end of the sermon instead of the beginning.

But anyway, best Sunday night ever.

Let's wrap this up, take the sofa, and go home.

But before you pack, I want us to ask the question,

if this is true, if the words, it is finished, show and give the Christian confidence to trust God,

why does it always feel like we have victory?

Why can't I even read the Bible sometimes without feeling distracted and getting distracted?

How come I can't get some joy or victory over some of the seasonal depression that is happening right now in February?

Why does it sometimes feel like we picked the wrong side?

If you felt too scared to ask those questions before,

I want you to take heart.

You're not alone.

But see, we get the benefit of somebody asking those questions.

Multiple years ago, his name was King David.

In the Old Testament, he had the nickname, a man after God's own heart.

And yet, this man after God's own heart felt abandoned.

And he felt left by God at times.

But see, for our benefit, he wrote about it.

And that's what we just read in Psalm 13, right?

So when we're dealing with situations where we feel like we might be on the losing side,

or we feel like we're that guy right there, we're on the edge of the cliff,

and just a simple push will make us go tumbling down,

I want us to remember the lip of Psalm 13.

Lament, intercession, lamentation, intercession, and praise.

See, David is going to model that when you're under stress,

there's three things that you can do.

He's going to model that in this Psalm of lament,

remember that there is an intercessor,

and praise the Lord.

So that first section, verses 1 and 2, are lamentation,

because as we read earlier, this is a Psalm of lament.

Just look at the first verses.

How long is repeated four times?

David is feeling that God is uncaring, distant, callous, and thoughtless.

He's lamenting.

And he's using some bold language to do it, if I may say so.

If you first read, you might get a little antsy, right?

Like, if David was sitting here in the room today,

you might take the seat just one seat away,

so that when the lightning strikes, you know, it doesn't hit you.

But see, David here in this Psalm is appealing to God.

And that's really what the definition of a Psalm of lament is.

It's an appeal.

Its central aim is to appeal something to God.

And David, well, he has a few appeals.

He has a laundry list of things that have happened in his life,

and we, unfortunately, can't get to all of them.

But needless to say, David's been keeping receipts.

And in these first two verses, he's saying to God,

how long am I going to be separated?

How long am I going to feel these feelings of separation from you, God?

And as the pressure builds in our own lives,

there are moments where we can get to where David is at here.

We can ask, where are you, God?

It's getting harder and harder to believe those words

that you uttered on the cross of,

it is finished.

Where is this victory, God?

And see, Psalm 13 starts here,

in the same spot that any program that deals with addiction will start, right?

What's the first step in any program that deals with addiction?

You have to admit that you have a problem.

That's where the Psalm starts.

But there's a key difference.

You have to, for a lament Psalm,

to follow what David is saying here,

we have to, yes, admit to the Lord,

but we have to realize that the solution doesn't come from ourselves.

And see, the Bible doesn't mince words here when it talks about it.

It's when we hit a problem,

yes, admitting that we have a problem is a priority,

and it is a good thing to do.

But it is only the start.

We must continue this process and realize

that I can't fix this problem.

And there's no amount of clawing, scraping, or trying

that is going to get us out of this pit of despair that we may feel.

We need a hand reaching down into that pit.

We need an intercessor to pull us out.

So read on with me as we go to the next session of intercessor, verses 3 and 4.

They say,

David starts the psalm by lamenting,

what we talked about in verses 1 and 2.

And I would argue here that he keeps on lamenting, right?

Look at his words.

Look on me and answer.

Don't let my foes rejoice.

But if you look at the verse, there is a slight shift in his language.

He's moving on from just a general lament, a general despair,

to saying that he needs something.

What does he need?

He needs an intercessor.

He needs deliverance.

Look back at me with verse 3.

David says,

Give light to my eyes.

He needs light to shine in so that he can see his way forward.

Right now, he cannot see any way forward out of the pit,

and he needs somebody to give him direction.

The most obvious example of this that we can apply to our own lives, right?

Close our eyes.

If we all close our eyes right now, what do we see?

Nothing, right?

It's dark.

You can open your eyes.

But when you open your eyes,

why do you see?

It's not some philosophical question.

It's simply because there is light hitting your eyes, right,

so that you can see the way forward.

It's because our eyes have light that we can see.

That's what David is saying.

I need light to go on, God,

but I can't provide it.

I don't see a way out.

It has to be given to me.

So we need somebody,

even in our own lives,

when we get into moments in the pit,

we need somebody to intercede for us

and give us light in darkness.

David needed the same thing.

He needed somebody to reach down into that pit

and pull him out.

And that's what Christ does for us, right?

That's what we talked about at the very beginning of this sermon.

Christ reaches down into the pit

and pulls us out.

But what about the times

when you're like David

and you're stuck in the pit

and there is no hand reaching down?

You would say,

I'm a Christian.

I've been praying to God.

God, where is that hand?

What do you do then?

Why does it feel like I'm being punished, Lord?

Why is my problem not better?

Can I say something

that might not be comforting

to anybody in the room?

I don't know.

Genuinely, I don't know

and we don't know

why Jesus chooses to heal some

and not others

in his earthly ministry.

We don't know why

Paul, the Apostle Paul,

was able to go to Rome

but the Spirit wouldn't let him go to Asia.

And we don't know why

even in today

why God will heal some

of cancer

and let others die.

See Isaiah 55, 8

it says,

For my thoughts are not your thoughts.

This is God talking.

Neither are your ways my ways

declares the Lord.

So I don't know

why God works in some ways

and not others.

However, what I do know

is the process.

And because I know this process

I can trust the result.

You might be saying,

Seth, what do you mean?

I can illustrate it like this.

Have you ever heard of somebody

tell you

not to understand

what's in a hot dog?

You don't want to know

the process

of what it makes

and what it takes

to make a hot dog.

Just eat it

and trust the result.

Right?

That's not

what God says.

See God says,

don't look at the man

behind the curtain.

That's not who he is.

See he shows us

the process

and because of his

loving nature

we can trust the result.

So let's think about

this process.

Why can I trust God

when I am in the pit

and it feels like

there is no hand

reaching down towards me.

It goes back

to what we talked about earlier.

What happened on the cross

2,000 years ago.

And see Jesus

when he died on the cross

he was resurrected

and defeated death.

We call that redemption.

Because of his sacrifice

if you are a Christian

in the room

you have been redeemed.

Romans 5.1

would say that.

Therefore since we

have been justified

by faith

we have peace with God

through our Lord Jesus Christ.

Notice the past tense there.

Have been justified.

See this is what happened

when we became Christians.

It's already been accomplished.

Now if we look forward

Colossians 3

gives us a picture

of what's going to happen

when we move forward.

Colossians 3 says

when Christ

who is your life

appears

then you will

then you also will

appear with him in glory.

Future tense.

Right?

You will appear.

But what happens now

for the Christian?

What is happening now?

Hebrews 7.25

says

consequently

he is able to save

to the uttermost

those who draw near to God

through him

since he always lives.

He being their Christ.

Christ always lives

to make intercession for them.

Always lives there

is in the present tense.

Christ always

is interceding

for us.

Tyler

Statton

he's a

pastor out in Oregon

he says

intercession

is the present

action

of Jesus

that pulls

at this story

from both ends.

The salvation work

accomplished

in the past

and the glory

that awaits us

in the future.

Intercession

stated as simply

as possible

brings forth

the image

of Jesus

praying for us

individually

by name.

and as he does

he wedges us

tightly

between forgiveness

and glory

enabling a deep

inner rest

sheltered by security

hope

and delight.

See God

shows us

the process

of what is happening.

He gives us

a peek under the bonnet

if you will.

Redemption

happens when we

became a Christian.

Glorification

is what will happen

when Christ

comes back

but intercession

is what is happening

now

for the believer.

And because of this

knowledge

of the process

of what Jesus

is doing

as he's

wedging us

between

glorification

and redemption

!

And because of

the knowledge

of the nature

of God

that we have

we can trust

his word

and his intercessory

work

no matter

whatever pit

we are in.

So because

he's opened up

the bonnet

and given

us

the process

we may be

going through

some tough

times and say

Lord I really

feel like I

could use

a hand here

to pull me

out of this

pit

but even

if you

don't

I can respond

like David

does in the

next section

in praise.

so if we

look at that

last section

verses 5 and 6

and talk about

praise

let's read 5 and 6

again

but I trust

in your unfailing

love

my heart

rejoices

in your

salvation

I will sing

the Lord's

praise

for he

has been

good to me

if your

neck is sore

from the

whiplash there

of that verse

you're not

alone

David

was saying

how long

how long

will you

forget me

forever

God

just a few

verses

earlier

how does

he go

from that

to singing

the Lord's

praises

see

David

had

a knowledge

of God

and he

understood

God's

work

but it

wasn't

just a

head

knowledge

it

moved

to his

heart

see

earlier

I said

Christians

we have

a knowledge

that Christ

conquered

death

and we

said

we

believe

this

right

but how

do we

move

that

knowledge

from our

heads

to

it's

actually

coming

out

of us

when we're

in the

pit

and we

don't feel

like there's

a hand

reaching down

to save

us

see in modern

English

there's a

difference

between know

and believe

right

what does

know mean

means you can

recall something

it's what we

test for

most

teachers do

right

but what does

believe mean

believe means

we can hold

on to something

you would hold

to it

but in Hebrew

that's not

the case

the Hebrew

word here

is yada

which means

a relational

knowing

the example

is how do I

know my

life loves

me

well I

would say

when I'm

sick she

takes care

of me

when

I'm hungry

she doesn't

let me

starve

she does

feed me

I would

say

she

puts away

my shoes

that I

can't ever

find the

shoe rack

for

even though

I leave

them just

wherever

around

she loves

me that

way

and puts

them

away

I

would say

she works

a job

right now

that keeps

us in

this country

see when

you would

ask how

do you

know your

wife loves

you

I would

show and

I would

tell you

by the way

she shows

me

I know

she loves

me because

I have

experienced

her love

and that's a

true meaning

of the Hebrew

word here

right

in Genesis

you go all

the way

back to

the first

book of

the Bible

when Adam

and Eve

are having

children

what does

the Bible

use

as the

word

he says

no

right

the Bible

says no

why does

it use

this term

because

knowledge

in the

Hebrew

is relational

it's

intimate

and spiritual

knowledge for

us needs

to be the

same

it needs

to be

inhabited

experienced

and lived

that's what

the psalmist

is saying

in verses

five and

six

David didn't

just know

of God

he experienced

him

he was

experiencing

being held

between grace

and glorification

look back

at it

verse five

but I trust

in your

unfailing

love

my heart

rejoices

in your

salvation

I will sing

the Lord's

praise

how David

how can

you sing

the Lord's

praises

you are

in the

pit

three verses

earlier

you said

give me

light

or I

will

die

because of

the end

of verse

six

for he

has

been

good

to me

I know

you didn't

sign up

for a grammar

lesson here

when you

came

but again

look at

the tense

of that

word

has

been

David

didn't

just

write

this

song

he

didn't

just

believe

this

song

he

knew

it

why

because he

had

experienced

it

before

the knowledge

of God

had moved

from his

head

to his

heart

and that's

what the

passage

calls us

to do

today

don't

just

think

of God

as some

person

in the

sky

that you

send your

prayer request

up to

and hope

you don't

get denied

almost like

a mean

boss

right

instead

experience

him

and that

leads us

to the

question

the obvious

question

is how

a great

example

of this

is civil

rights leader

Martin Luther

King

Jr.

see in

March

of 1965

Martin

Luther

King

Jr.

stood

on the

Alabama

courthouse

where two

years earlier

the governor

of Alabama

George

Wallace

had uttered

these

words

segregation

now

segregation

tomorrow

and segregation

forever

Luther was

not on

these steps

by accident

just two

weeks

prior

in

Selma

Alabama

some

protesters

had

gathered

together

to protest

segregation

and the

lack of

voting rights

for African

Americans

and as

these

protesters

peacefully

gathered

to march

the 50

miles

from Selma

to the

capital of

Montgomery

they

didn't even

make it

out of

town

before they

were

stopped

tear

gassed

beaten

all by

law

enforcement

over 50

people were

hospitalized

on what has

become known

as Bloody

Sunday

by the

people

that were

supposed to

keep them

safe

so two

weeks later

when Martin

Luther King

Jr.

is on

the steps

at the

Montgomery

courthouse

the moment

felt heavy

the path

ahead

looked dim

and the

hope for

change

seemed

small

where

did King

go

where

could he

go

he went

to Psalm

13

listen to

these words

as they

come from

Dr.

Martin

Luther

King

Jr.

I

come to

you this

afternoon

however

difficult

the

moment

however

frustrating

the

hour

it

will

not

be

long

because

truth

crushed

to

earth

will

rise

again

listen to

this

familiar

refrain

how

long

not

long

because

no

lie

can

live

forever

how

long

not

long

because

you

shall

reap

what

you

sow

how

long

not

long

truth

forever

on

the

scaffold

wrong

forever

on

the

throne

yet

that

scaffold

sways

the

future

and

behind

the

dim

unknown

standeth

God

within

the

shadow

keeping

watch

above

his

own

how

long

not

long

because

the

arc

of

the

moral

universe

is

long

but

it

bends

towards

justice

how

can

Martin

Luther

King

Jr.

stand

before

people

the

very

people

that

witnessed

over

50

people

beaten

and

hospitalized

and say

not

long

repeat

the

familiar

refrain

of

David

here

in

Psalm

13

because

he

knew

God

he

knew

that

the

laments

of this

life

would

not

last

he

knew

that

God

was

interceding

on

his

behalf

he

knew

that

praise

would

be

drawn

from

his

lips

because

God

had

been

faithful

in

the

past

and

God

is

the

ultimate

provider

of

justice

and

you

may

be

saying

Seth

that's

great

I'm

not

Martin

Luther

King

Jr.

and

I'm

not

David

I

don't

think

I

can

make

it

out

of

the

pit

in

my

life

I

don't

think

I

can

stand

this

silence

from

God

anymore

I

don't

know

how

to

take

this

head

knowledge

that I

have

of

God

and to

make

it

into

heart

knowledge

and

again

as I

said

earlier

the deal

is

I

don't

know

exactly

how

to

do

it

for

you

either

there's

no

specific

amount

of

formulas

that

you

can

get

to

no

specific

amount

of

prayers

fasting

church

attendance

that

is going

to get

you

heard

by

God

in

terms

of

have

your

prayers

of

lament

be

heard

and

you

getting

taken

out

of

that

pit

but

I

can

say

when

I've

done

what

David

does

in

this

psalm

which

is

lament

remember

my

intercessor

and

praise

him

even

when

I

don't

feel

it

I

can

feel

the

knowledge

of

God

grow

inside

of

me

not

just

in

my

head

but

in

my

heart

so

if

you're

an

unbeliever

in

this

room

and

you

say

I

would

like

to

have

that

relationship

I

would

like

somebody

that

would

cover

me

have

a

strong

foundation

I

don't

have

that

somebody

that

wedges

me

in

safety

there

is

a

free

offer

of

grace

on

the

table

today

I

beg

of

you

please

take

it

come

talk

to

me

talk

to

Steve

Jen

is

in

the

back

as

well

we

love

to

talk

to

you

about

this

the

good

news

from

this

passage

it

doesn't

take

anyone

special

if

we

use

our

lips

to

lament

remember

our

intercessor

and

praise

God

then

we

can

say

like

Martin

Luther

King

Jr.

that

the

world

is

full

of

sadness

Yes

but

the

arc

of

the

moral

universe

bends

towards

justice

why

because

our

God

is in

the

shadows

let's

pray

father in

heaven

thank you

for

today

thank you

for

the

opportunity

to

come

and

just

open

your

word

father

you

are

indeed

our

ultimate

intercessor

God

your

son

died

on the

cross

and

uttered

those

three

words

it

is

finished

and

you

give

us

victory

Lord

it

may

not

always

feel

like

how

we

want

it

to

feel

but

God

we

know

that

your

plans

are

not

like

our

plans

and

your

ways

are

greater

than

our

ways

so

help

us

to

trust

us

trust

you

in

that

it

can

be

hard

!

Lord

you

are

the

creator

of

the

!

we

love

and

trust

you

pray

these

things

in

your

name

Amen