Who do We Trust?

And thanks so much for reading, Ben.

And let me add my welcome to that of Graham's.

My name's Archie.

And if you hadn't already worked that out,

I'm the pastor in training here.

And it's great to be here this morning.

And do have that passage open in front of you.

I know I say this all the time, but it's just so helpful.

So if you've got a Bible in front of you,

just open it to Psalm 115.

And there are Bibles kind of on the pews around you.

You'll also be able to get it on your phone.

If you do have it on your phone,

put your phone on airplane mode.

We all know what we're like.

And if you get a message, you'll just reply to it, won't you?

Certainly, that's what I would do.

But fine to have it on your phone.

And let me get a show of hands as we start.

Put your hand up if you trust politicians.

Yeah, I thought so.

Generally speaking, as a profession,

they're just not the sort of people that we trust, are they?

Apparently, we just don't trust them.

They consistently top the list in the UK

of the professions that we just don't trust.

And let's be honest, we've got good reason not to trust them.

Katie, my wife, often reminds me

that it's much better to under-promise and over-deliver

than to over-promise and under-deliver.

And I guess that's why we've learned not to trust politicians.

Just very often, they make promises

that they can't deliver on.

And trust is important to us, isn't it?

It's true with politicians,

but maybe you know it just much more personally.

If you've ever trusted someone and been let down by them,

that sort of betrayal is one of the most horrible feelings

that I think we can experience, really.

It can be horrible.

And on the other side of that coin,

it's wonderful, isn't it,

to be able to trust those that we love

and those that love us most.

Because trust is right at the heart

of any healthy relationship.

Trust is just very important to us.

And our psalm this morning gets us asking that question,

what do we trust?

Not just what politicians do we trust

to make good on their promises,

but what, or I guess rather,

who do we trust when life gets tough?

So we've just sung about the one who is the Lord of all,

even in the storms of life.

When you're no longer able to steer the ship yourself,

who are you going to trust to the wheelhouse?

And importantly, ultimately, not just in this life,

but what do we think happens when we die?

And who do we trust with the answer to that question?

Who do we trust with our eternities?

We're in a section of the psalms

that Graham has just told us.

It's often called the Egyptian Hallel.

Hallel, you know that word.

You might not think you know that word,

but you do know that word.

It's a familiar word.

Hallel, hallelujah, means praise Yahweh, praise God.

And these psalms from 113 to 118,

we've seen a couple of them over the last two weeks.

They are praising Hallel, praising God

for his rescue of ancient Israel out of slavery in Egypt.

And so they're just often known as the Egyptian Hallel,

the Egyptian praise.

And I think it's quite hard to say exactly when

or for who this psalm was written,

the one that we've just read together.

But I think verse two gives us a little bit of a clue.

So have a look at verse two with me.

What does it say?

Why should the nations say,

where is their God?

We can imagine, I think,

that this psalm is probably written at a time

where the nations surrounding Israel

are questioning the existence,

perhaps the potency and the goodness,

of Israel's God.

Now, if I'm honest,

I think that could be at any time

in ancient Israel's history.

But a time, I think, perhaps of national crisis,

a time where Israel are particularly struggling.

It does not look as though their God is with them.

I wonder, I suppose it could be in the aftermath

of the Assyrian or Babylonian invasions,

where both Israel, the northern kingdom,

Judah, the southern kingdom,

they were both conquered, taken into exile.

And then when they returned from that exile,

we read in the books of Ezra and Nehemiah,

they've returned and they've begun rebuilding the temple.

But the temple is just very unimpressive

compared to what was there

before they were taken into exile.

And we read in those books

that the nations around them mocked them for it.

It might not be that,

but maybe that is the context.

Whatever the context is,

the nations around them are looking on at Israel

and asking, where is your God?

He doesn't look so powerful now.

And maybe that sounds familiar.

It's true, isn't it?

That the world around us is always calling into question

the existence, the potency, and the goodness of our God.

I mean, even just think about over the last few years,

how little God has been in the conversation.

We've faced some pretty big things

with COVID and various wars, climate change,

and nowhere.

Flick through any newspaper,

the Scotsman, the Times, the Week,

watch Sky News in the morning,

whatever it is,

nowhere you will find the suggestion

that God has anything to do with any of those things.

Much less would you see anywhere claims

that he might be the solution.

And I think that really reflects

how people think about God in Scotland today.

In other words,

they just don't really think about him at all.

He probably doesn't exist.

And even if he does,

he must surely be impotent,

or evil,

or both.

And we certainly wouldn't trust him.

You know, just last week,

I was sat with a friend whose mum died last year.

And his dad had a stroke just 10 days ago.

And he's reached a point in life

where he's asking some big questions.

We had some fascinating conversations

about the gospel

and about God's word and his purposes.

And in many ways,

it was a really encouraging conversation to me.

But these conversations,

they're often very similar.

I don't know if you find this,

but people are genuinely interested.

They see that the gospel,

the good news of Christianity,

does make sense.

Most of my friends would even know

that they're sinful in some way.

They long for eternal life.

But then it's also really discouraging

because for them,

for a lot of my friends,

what their unbelief boils down to,

often as they look at the world that we live in,

the mess,

the injustice,

the pain in their own lives,

they're asking,

where is your God in this?

For some of them,

they've probably convinced themselves

that that's the case,

maybe just to justify the way that they're living,

to avoid confronting their sin,

though I think they know that it's there.

But however it is that they've reached that position

in their thinking,

just like the nations in this psalm,

they see a messy world,

they see the faith of Christians,

they see my faith,

and they're asking,

where's your God in all of this?

Maybe you're here this morning,

and maybe you're there too.

Maybe you have similar questions

about where God is in all of this mess.

Well, stay tuned this morning,

because let me tell you,

this God,

the God that we believe in,

he is utterly trustworthy.

And this psalm would tell us

that it's utterly foolish

to put your trust anywhere else.

But where is this God?

Well, the psalmist answers that question immediately.

Have a look at verse three.

Our God is in the heavens.

He does all that pleases him.

And this God, Israel's God,

the God of the universe,

is just absolutely in control.

He's in heaven.

That's not some spiritual other world,

but in the heavens.

It just means the skies.

Where is he?

He fills the galaxy.

He inhabits the universe.

And notice he does all that he pleases.

Not some of what he pleases.

Not what he pleases for some

or in some circumstances.

No, God does all that he pleases.

He is absolutely in control.

He was in control

when he rescued his people

from slavery in Egypt,

when he spared him

from his wrath at the Passover,

as we'll hear about a little bit later.

He was in control

in the context of this psalm.

Whatever it was that Israel faced

as they were mocked

by the nations around them,

their God was in control.

And he is in control today.

Everything going on in the news.

I spent just two minutes

on the BBC website this week.

I tried to avoid it as best I can.

But just two minutes.

Headlines about war,

about people stuck in hospitals,

about economic turmoil,

about assaults and abuse.

In all of the mess out there

and in all of the mess in here,

in my sinful heart,

though the world does not recognize him,

our God has got this whole thing

under control.

Would we trust him in that?

And it is absolutely essential

that we do

because,

and this is really the first big thing

that I want us to see

in this psalm this morning,

because if we trust in man-made idols,

this psalm says

that we will become dead like them.

If we trust in man-made idols,

we will become dead like them.

Let me read from verse four.

Their idols are silver and gold,

the work of human hands.

They have mouths,

but cannot or do not speak.

Eyes, but cannot see.

They have ears, but cannot hear.

Noses, but cannot smell.

They have hands, but cannot feel.

Feet, but cannot walk.

And they do not make a sound

in their throats.

Do you see the irony here?

The Israelites' God,

who has rescued them out of slavery,

he has spoken to them.

He's given them his perfect commandments,

helping them to live wisely in the world.

The nations around them,

those nations that mock their God,

well, the irony is

they worship these idols,

created trinkets,

preciously made.

Yes, they're made from silver and gold.

But of course,

as these verses,

yes, those idols are silent.

They cannot speak

like the God of the universe does.

They're blind.

They're deaf.

They cannot smell or feel or walk.

Picture with me Andy's bedroom.

Andy from Toy Story,

if you know the scene,

take yourself to his bedroom.

As he leaves the room,

what happens?

The toys,

they come to life,

don't they?

They talk to one another.

They even plot together.

Those toys,

they are alive.

They are precisely the opposite

of what this psalmist describes.

What's the psalmist saying?

These idols,

they're utterly inanimate.

They are not alive.

These idols are dead.

And to our modern sensibilities,

of course they are.

We know that Toy Story

is fantastical.

And actually,

most people today,

I think,

would agree.

Like,

maybe even if you don't believe

in the God of this psalm,

you'd probably still say,

wouldn't you,

that inanimate objects

can't actually be gods.

They have no real agency

or power in our world.

But of course,

there are millions

who worship idols

exactly like these

in our world today.

Virtually every major religion

takes man-made things

and puts them in a temple

or in a church

and calls them holy.

But there's more to it than that

because increasingly,

I think,

the worldview around us

isn't simply atheistic.

It doesn't just rely

on man-made idols,

but it is spiritualistic

and superstitious.

This is everywhere.

Let me just give you

a couple of examples.

I was speaking to a friend

at the rugby club this week

and he was talking

about manifesting.

I don't know if you've

come across this trend

that if you focus

your thoughts on your goal,

on a desired outcome,

just focusing on it

and trying to bring it

into being.

He was talking about

wanting to put on

a bit of weight

and manifesting that

as though tapping

into some stream

of consciousness

would make that happen

for him.

Maybe that kind of

half-supernatural

kind of belief

is familiar to you.

I think it's everywhere

at the moment.

It might be less spiritual

and more superstitious.

Katie and I are going

on holiday in September

and, you know,

flights are way cheaper

on the 11th of September

than they are on

any other day of the year.

Apparently,

they're also cheaper

on Friday the 13th.

People just are

way more superstitious

than I think we realise.

And maybe if you're honest,

you can be a bit

like that too.

Even just in subtle ways,

superstitious,

trusting in your own

man-made rituals

and idols

to get you through life.

I think more than that,

outside of the

explicitly supernatural,

isn't it just very normal

to place our ultimate

trust in the material?

Perhaps that's most obvious

with our money.

I know I sometimes do that.

Very often we think,

don't we,

that if we just had

enough money,

then all our worries

and problems

would disappear.

And if we're doing

alright with money,

how easy it is

to trust that

in place of trusting

our God.

That whatever our

idols and superstitions,

whatever it is

that we're trusting

to get us through life,

they might offer us

comfort in the moment.

They might be genuinely

helpful for a time.

But the hope that they give

always fades.

Ultimately,

and maybe you've

experienced this yourself,

they all have the capacity

to let us down

in the end.

Whether we run out of money

or our superstitions

just don't work out

or the friends

and family members

that we had trusted

let us down

in some way or another.

All of these things

can let us down,

prove themselves

to be hollow

and ultimately

do more harm

for us than good.

Wherever we're trusting

things other than

this God,

this God who

does not change,

who is a solid rock,

wherever we're trusting

other things,

this psalmist says

we've got to see

those things

are not really alive.

They don't have

real agency.

They do not speak today.

And ultimately,

they cannot save us

because they are dead

or they are dying.

And did you see

in verse 8

where the psalmist

is going here?

It says,

those who make them

become like them

and so do all

who trust in them.

In other words,

those who make

and trust in idols

will die.

See that these idols

are totally inanimate,

they're impotent,

they're dead.

And I actually think

this is supposed to be

comfort for the Israelites

because the psalmist says

those nations around you,

they might look powerful

and you might be

facing troubling times.

Maybe your temple project

just doesn't look

that impressive.

Times that cause

those people

to mock your God

but ultimately

those people

are going to become

like their idols.

Dead.

And us too,

if we trust

in man-made idols,

will become dead

like them.

And now of course

we will all die

and I hope that's not

news to you

but you will one day die.

And so whatever it is

that we're trusting in

or in whatever it is

that we face in life,

whether we're unwell

or we're caring

for someone who's unwell

or we're looking

for a new job

or navigating

a tricky relationship,

whether it's at home

or at work

or at school,

wherever we are

and those around us

are calling God

into question,

whatever it is

that we trust

through that,

we have to say

it's really just

putting off the inevitable,

isn't it?

Because though they might

help us steer the course,

at the end of it all,

we will all die.

We will all become

like the idols

that we've worshipped.

And yet,

in all this,

there is the glorious hope

of the Christian gospel

that if we trust

in the living God,

we will live forever.

That's the second big thing

in our psalm this morning.

If we trust

in the living God,

we will live forever.

Do you notice

the repeated refrains

in verses 9 to 11?

As the psalmist say,

trust in the Lord.

He is their help

and shield.

In those verses,

it is all of Israel,

the house of Aaron,

that's the kind of

priestly family,

those who fear the Lord,

that I think is

outsiders welcomed in.

The psalmist says,

trust him.

Trust him because

he's been faithful

in your history

as a nation

and he will be

faithful forever.

For the readers

of this psalm

and the other psalms

around it,

singing these psalms

and remembering

the exodus,

the rescue from slavery,

remembering the Passover,

the deliverance

from God's wrath

and his justice,

they're remembering

that God has proved

himself to be faithful,

faithful to his promises

and he will be faithful

forever into eternity.

Have a look at verse 12.

The Lord has remembered us.

He will bless us.

Again, it's Israel,

Aaron's house

and all who fear the Lord,

both the small

and the great.

This God,

the God who we've seen

is in total control.

He wants to bless

his people.

I love that little detail

that it's the small

and the great.

God's blessing

is for you,

the least

and the greatest,

the poor

and the rich,

the servant

and the king.

He has remembered

them all

and he will bless

them all.

But just imagine

how difficult

that must have been

for these people.

incredibly difficult

to see in the context

as God's people

have these nations

mocking them.

The glory

of the Jerusalem temple

once a genuine wonder,

now nothing

compared to the temples

of the great empires

around them.

Even as it's being rebuilt,

it's unimpressive.

They don't look

much blessed.

But God's promises

are sure

and he will

bless those

who trust in him.

and that remains

true today.

God has promised

to bless you.

Do you believe that?

And would you

trust him

from the smallest

to the greatest,

the least

to the most,

whoever you are,

however you

have been made

to feel about yourself,

would you trust

this God

and receive his blessing

on your life?

Now what exactly

does that mean

to trust in him

and he will bless us?

What are we saying?

Are we saying

that we're blessed

according to a measure

of our trust?

Materially blessed?

There are lots of people

who would speak

that sort of way,

claiming that with

enough trust in God

we can kind of claim

any blessing

as our own.

What blessing

would you like today?

Are you single?

Would you like

a husband or a wife?

Would you like

some money

for that project,

some physical healing?

And look,

God does of course

give such good things

to his people

in his will

but not because

one trusts him

more than another.

That's not how

blessing works.

God is not

a vending machine.

It's not a case

of I do my bit,

I trust God

and he does his bit,

he blesses me accordingly.

Instead,

it is all according

to his grace.

all the good things

that we get in life,

all of the ways

that we have been

blessed by him.

It's not because

we deserve them

in any way at all

but would we trust

that any blessing

we have received,

any blessing

that we will receive

comes from him

and not from dead idols

and crucially

to trust that

God's blessing

his people

won't always

look like

what the world

calls blessing.

Remember the context

here is the

nations look

and mock.

Clearly it didn't

look like

worldly blessing.

Whatever was going on

was not impressive.

It won't always

look impressive.

In fact,

it might look

very unimpressive.

Have a look

at verses 14 and 15

for an example

of how God's blessing

might work.

It says,

may the Lord

cause you to

flourish

or give you

increase.

You and your

children,

may you be

blessed by the

Lord who made

heaven and earth.

You know,

the idols of the

surrounding,

the nations

surrounding Israel

were often

attributed with

fertility and

prosperity,

just two of the

most important

things in the

ancient world.

That's what the

people foolishly

trusted in idols

for.

But one of the

great promises

of Israel's

scripture was that

God's people

would be the

ones who

would be

fruitful and

who would

multiply.

Just fundamental

to the Bible

is that those

things are

blessings from

God.

It comes right

at the beginning

with Adam as

a kind of

global promise.

And then it's

repeated at

various points to

the leaders of

God's people as

a particular

promise to

Israel.

And it's a

promise that in

some ways has

already been

fulfilled by the

time of this

psalm.

The Israelite

nation had

grown.

It had

occupied the

promised land.

But of course

here it seems as

though they're in

a national crisis.

And so God

says to them,

you may be

decimated now.

It may look as

though your God

has deserted

you.

The nations may

mock, but still

I am your God

and I promise

that those who

are left will

once again be

fruitful and

multiply.

And God

doesn't over

promise and

under deliver.

He delivers on

his promises.

And what do

we make of

that promise

today?

That God's

people would

be fruitful?

That they

would multiply?

I'll be honest,

from where I'm

standing, church

doesn't always

feel all that

fruitful.

I mean, just

look around,

we're a pretty

unimpressive

bunch, aren't

we?

Especially on a

kind of quiet

summer Sunday

like this.

It just doesn't

feel like we're

multiplying all

that quickly.

certainly across

Scotland, that's

the headline,

isn't it?

Christianity is

dying.

This building is

testament to

that.

I mean, just

look up at this

false ceiling.

Most of you

probably know

that hides a

balcony, a

constant reminder

that at one

point this

building had a

capacity for

many hundreds

of people.

What do we

make of God's

promise that his

people would be

fruitful and

multiply?

Well, it

might be hard

to see.

It might be

really hard to

see it here in

Scotland at the

moment, but

God's church

continues to

grow.

Honestly, I

think the

church decline

narrative here

is massively

overstated.

I think the

pews have been

emptying of

people who

never really

believed in

the first

place.

And we can

talk about

that afterwards

if you like,

but much more

than that, I've

been listening to

this brilliant

podcast recently.

It's called

GLO.

A review of

it is in the

monthly newsletter

if you want to

read more about

it.

But it exists to

tell stories of

how the church is

growing all over

the world.

As they put it,

they say this,

when we look at

the global church,

when we see that

the gospel of

Jesus Christ is

not losing

steam, it is

in fact flourishing

in new and

amazing ways,

God is still

at work.

It may be

very hard to

see it sometimes,

but God does

not break his

promises.

There are more

Christians alive

today than there

ever have been

in the history

of this planet.

God does not

break his

promises.

His church is

being fruitful,

it is multiplying,

and it will

continue to do

so.

For the God

who is in

control is

behind it,

and his gospel

is very good.

His promise

is that if we

trust in him

and the living

God, then we

too will live

forever.

That is good

news.

And it's good

news that has

real power.

Here's why.

You see back in

verses 4 to 7,

we saw that the

idols are dead,

that they have

no life in

them.

In verse 8,

we saw that all

who trust in

them will follow

them to the

grave.

I take it that

is to the

eternal grave.

And why is

that true?

Well, it's true

because an

idol who is

not alive cannot

die to save.

An idol who is

not alive cannot

die to save,

and that's what

we need.

Here's why.

Our human

instinct, which

leads us to

trust anything

other than the

living God, in

other words, our

rebellion against

him, our sin,

demands a

price.

It demands

death.

It's why those

who turn away

from him in this

psalm face

death.

But we can

point to a

victorious,

living saviour,

a God who

became man,

who joined us

in our

suffering, who

really encountered

the crisis that

all of humanity

faces, who

witnessed and

was tempted by

our rebellion

against God,

but who,

having lived a

perfect life,

took the

punishment for

that rebellion

in our place,

who, unlike

already dead

idols, he

really could

die for us,

and he did.

But he didn't

stay dead.

He really did

rise again.

In John

John 20 · chapter mention

chapter 20, we

read the

wonderful story

of Thomas.

Why don't I

just read it for

us?

You don't need to

turn there, but

in John chapter

John 20 · chapter mention

20, it says

this.

Now Thomas,

also known as

Didymus, one of

the twelve, was

not with the

disciples when

Jesus came.

Jesus has

risen from the

grave, he's

appeared to all

the other

disciples.

Thomas wasn't

there.

So the other

disciples told him,

we have seen

the Lord.

But he said to

them, unless I

see the nail

marks in his

hands and put

my finger where

the nails were

and put my

hand into his

side, I will

not believe.

A week later,

his disciples

were in the

house again, and

Thomas this time

was with them.

Though the

doors were

locked, Jesus

came and stood

among them and

said, peace be

with you.

And he said to

Thomas, put your

finger here, see

my hands, reach

out your hand and

put it in my

side, stop

doubting and

believe.

Thomas said, my

Lord and my

God.

Then Jesus

told him, because

you have seen

me, you have

believed.

Blessed are

those who

have not

seen and

yet have

believed.

It's one of my

favourite scenes

in all of the

Gospels, that

Thomas' encounter

with the risen

Jesus.

As Thomas felt

the nail marks

in his hands,

as he put his

hand in the

wound in Jesus'

side, this

isn't a ghost

story.

Jesus is

alive.

And he's

alive today.

He sits at

the right hand

of the Father,

reigning in

heaven.

Our God is

alive.

Would we

trust him?

For anyone

who trusts in

the living

God, they

will live

forever.

Just notice

then finally

as we finish

how God's

people are

called to

respond to

this good

news.

In verses

16 to

18.

How do

God's people

respond?

They

respond with

Hallel, in

praise.

Do you

notice these

verses contain a

bit of a

summary of

the psalm?

I don't

know if you

noticed that.

Where is

God?

He's in the

heavens, which

are his.

Where is

man?

On earth, which

is his.

But those who

trust in things

of the earth

will die.

And in their

death they

will not

praise him.

But we,

God's people,

those who

trust in him,

we will bless

him, we will

praise him.

Do you notice

the implication

there is that if

we trust in

him, we will

live forever and

so we can

praise him from

this time

forth and

forevermore.

We noted

last week that

the Israelites

sang this

set of

psalms as

they celebrated

their rescue

out of slavery

in Egypt.

And every

year at the

festival of

Passover they

celebrated that

rescue.

And in

particular they

celebrated the

moment where

God's judgment

passed over the

homes of those

who were

faithful.

As each

faithful family

sacrificed a

lamb that

was God's

sign to

them, a

sign of

their

faithfulness

so that

his judgment

would pass

over them

and fall

instead on

the Egyptians

and those

who had not

trusted in

him.

In that

story God

promised to

rescue them

and he

delivered on

that promise.

And you

know we can

read and

sing these

psalms today

knowing that

Jesus came

to be the

once and

for all

time sacrificial

lamb.

That for us

God has made

a way, he

has promised

that for

those who

trust in

him, those

who are

faithful to

him, that

the judgment

of God

might pass

over them

and God

delivers on

his promises.

If you're here

this morning and

you do not

trust him,

maybe you're

one of those

who mocks,

who laughs at

God's people.

Where is your

God?

And I suspect

if you're here

this morning you

might be a bit

more respectful

than that.

And yet if

you're honest you

can't help but

agree.

God just

doesn't seem

all that

powerful in

the mess of

this world.

If that's

you, let me

ask you, who

or what do

you trust?

Who do you

trust to steer

the ship in

the storms of

this mess?

As life gets

tough, where

do you turn?

And who do

you trust to

see you through

the other

side?

can the

things that

you trust

make a real

difference?

Do they have

the capacity

to let you

down?

And ultimately

with your

eternal fate

to your

eternal position

before God,

can those

things that

you trust,

can they

really speak?

Can they

really save?

Do they

really live?

And for the

Christian, if

you do

trust like

that, how

will you

respond to

your God

this morning?

The God

who is in

absolute

control, the

God who is

alive, this

living God

who has

promised to

rescue you,

this living

God who has

rescued you

in Jesus, he

is far more

trustworthy than

any man-made

thing, certainly

more trustworthy

than any of

our politicians.

He never

breaks his

promises.

So will you

trust him this

morning?

Will you

see his

blessing on

your life and

on his

church?

And will we

praise him

together?

Let me pray.

Heavenly Father,

I thank you so

much that you

are a God who

speaks today,

that we can

come to your

word as we

have just done

and hear from

you.

Lord, I thank

you so much

for Jesus.

I thank you

that he came

to save us,

that he is

alive, that he

died and that

he's alive

again.

Lord, I pray

that you would,

by your Holy

Spirit, help us

to trust you

this morning

and that you

would draw out

our praises

for you,

for your glory,

name and in

Jesus' name.

Amen.