The true worshipper

Our reading today is from Psalm 15.

While you turned to that, I was thinking about this this week

and I thought this was written around 3,000 years ago

under the inspiration of God.

It's not the shortest psalm, it's only short.

Psalm 117 is the shortest.

This is a close one.

Psalm 15, a psalm of David.

Lord, who may dwell in your sacred tent?

Who may live on your holy mountain?

The one whose walk is blameless,

who does what is righteous,

who speaks the truth from the heart.

Whose tongue utters no slander,

who does no wrong to a neighbour

and casts no slurs on others.

Who despises a vile person

but honours those who fear the Lord.

Who keeps an oath, even when it hurts.

And does not change their mind.

Who lends money to the poor without interest.

Who does not accept the bribe of the innocent.

Whoever does these things

will not be shaken.

Amen.

Yeah, my name's Dave.

I'm one of the pastors here.

If I haven't met you before,

a warm welcome to you.

Why don't we pray as we come to God's word.

Father, I praise you that

you're a God who wants us to know

that we can come to you.

That we can dwell in your presence.

But Lord, I pray that it wouldn't be based

on a false confidence

but on true and solid ground.

So I pray that you'd speak to each one of us

through your word right now.

Give us listening ears

so that we know that

we can rejoice in your presence.

praising you for saving our soul.

I pray this in Jesus' name.

Amen.

Well, what's the primary characteristic

of a close walk with God?

Who is someone who's intimate,

close with God,

walking through their life?

I think some people will be

wanting to put their confidence

of acceptance with God

based on some sense of religious feeling.

So those moments of peace

and joy and awe,

often when we're in prayer or praise.

Some, I think, will rely on

kind of supernatural things

like gifts of speaking in tongues

or receiving dreams.

Surely I'm close to God

if I've got these supernatural experiences.

I think some will look at their record

of sacrifices,

what I've done for God

in the church

and in evangelism,

for social justice.

Look at my giftedness.

Look at the successes

God has blessed my efforts

for him with.

Maybe some will look at their position

and role in the church community.

Surely I'm walking closely with God

by virtue of being a pastor, right?

Some will measure their closeness to God

by their superior Bible knowledge

compared to others.

If you can articulate doctrine

really clearly and persuasively,

surely that person's close,

walking close to God, right?

And of course,

some of us

will not claim

to be close at all.

We live in a constant fear

that God isn't pleased with us.

I think Psalm 15

cuts right through

all those things,

all those sense of confidence

and even lack of confidence.

It gives us

a surprising portrait

portrait of who the Lord

accepts

and is pleased with.

So that opening question,

O Lord,

who shall

sojourn

in your tent?

Who shall dwell?

Who shall live

on your holy hill?

These two lines,

they're two pictures,

but they're asking

the same question.

The Lord's tent

pictures,

you've already learnt this

through the children's talk,

thank you, Jen.

I feel like I can relax now

because you've said it all,

I'm just going to add

some detail now.

The tabernacle,

it pictures the tabernacle.

You read the book of Exodus

and isn't it riveting,

God's miracles,

redeeming his people

from Egypt?

And then he gives the law

and then do you stop

reading Exodus?

You get into all this detail

about what?

The tabernacle.

What's the goal of salvation?

God dwelling with his people.

He wants to live

with his people.

And at the end of Exodus,

you've got this beautiful paragraph

of God dwelling

in the tabernacle

and they're journeying

through the wilderness.

When the cloud lifts,

they go out.

When it settles,

they settle.

They're being led.

They're in the presence of God,

knowing they're God's people.

The goal of salvation

was for the Lord

to live among his people.

And so this idea

of sojourning

is the idea

of being a temporary resident.

You're a foreigner

travelling through this world

like Israel

were travelling through,

journeying

to the promised land,

being led by God,

knowing you belong to God,

enjoying friendship,

fellowship

with God.

And the Lord's holy hill

pictures Jerusalem,

the place from which

he would rule his people

through his chosen king.

So dwelling on his holy hill

is you don't belong

to the nations of the world

that don't know the Lord.

You belong to his king.

You belong to his people.

You can live with God.

There is no greater joy

than to live in God's presence.

Psalm 27 verse 4

Psalms 27:4

captures this poetically,

obviously, as a psalm.

One thing have I asked

of the Lord.

One thing.

What would that one thing be?

That will I seek after,

that I may dwell

in the house of the Lord

all the days of my life.

To gaze upon the beauty

of the Lord

and to inquire

in his temple.

It is the greatest thing

in life.

This question only makes sense

if being right with God

and enjoying his presence

is the best thing.

It's what we're made for.

So if the psalms are the heart cries

of God's people,

this psalm catches,

I think,

one of the most fundamental,

the most fundamental heart cry

we all wonder.

Am I acceptable to you, God?

Do you embrace me as your own?

Are we at peace?

Can I enjoy you?

Are you pleased with me?

To even ask this question,

you're on the path of wisdom.

We saw last week in Psalm 14,

the fool says in his heart,

there is no God.

Now you may not say that

with your lips,

but practically we can do that.

You won't even be caring

about this question.

But if you are caring

about this question,

you're on the path to wisdom.

The Lord wants people to come in.

He wants us to come in

to his presence.

Like a child thrives

knowing the security in the family

and their father's pleasure in them.

So what's the answer?

Who does the Lord accept?

Who does he embrace as his own?

It's not just anyone and everyone.

This psalm ought to have

the same effect on us today

as I think it would have back then

in David's day.

To pause and ask,

am I acceptable

and at peace with you, God?

Now broadly speaking,

verse 2 answers the question.

It's the person who lives blamelessly,

who does what is right

and speaks truth in his heart.

So that's a broad answer.

That's the principle answer.

And then verses 3 to 5,

we get into some specifics.

But just sticking with the principle first,

I think that phrase,

speaks truth in his heart,

is key.

So it either speaks truth in his heart

or speaks truth from the heart.

Either way,

it's saying there's truth in the heart.

It could be picking up Psalm 1.

If you remember Psalm 1,

blessed is the man

who's meditating on God's word,

God's law,

day and night.

That word meditating,

meditating is murmuring.

You're not murmuring your own thoughts

like a crazy person.

You're murmuring God's thoughts

just day and night.

There's truth in your mind and heart.

That's the blessed person.

Now if commentators write

that this psalm starts a new subunit,

so Psalm 15,

it's like this grouping of psalms

with Psalm 24

because Psalm 24

asks the same question.

Who can dwell

in your holy hill?

Now if that's the case,

in the middle of this subunit

is Psalm 19.

That's the person

who looks at creation

and goes,

and it's just shouting truth.

God is,

his glory is declared

in the heavens

and meditating

on the law of God.

The law of God

is pure

and sweeter

than honey.

It is sure

it can be relied upon.

So truth in the heart.

There's integrity.

The truth in the heart

overflows

into

true living,

right living.

So who is acceptable

to the Lord?

Who can be confident

of belonging to him

and enjoying fellowship

with him?

It's the righteous person

of integrity.

The truth of God

in the heart

overflowing

into how

we live.

So what does

righteous living

look like?

How can you see

what's in the heart?

what's the characteristic

that comes out?

What does truth

produce?

And this is where

the psalm gets

surprising,

doesn't it?

This question

of vertical

relationship

with God

suddenly turns

horizontal.

It's all about

how we treat

people.

I think

it's uncomfortable

because

if we focus

on how we treat

people

then it challenges

any other

false

kind of

religious

adherence,

all those things

I opened

the sermon with,

it challenges

those things.

The primary

mark of

spirituality

is to share

the character

of God.

love for God

will overflow

into a holy

love

for people.

It's

inseparable.

It's to

share the

family likeness,

sharing our

Father's holy

love.

We worship

him,

we want to

be like

him.

The righteous

person will

have holy

brotherly

love.

I'm

interested

too by

why these

examples

of love.

There's

lots of

things that

could have

been said

in this

Psalm about

what it

means to

love one

another.

There's so

many things

and obviously

we need

the rest

of the

Bible to

add to

this but

I just

wonder if

these things

are chosen

because

these ones

are socially

respectable

sins.

I'm going

to use

Jerry Bridges

book title.

Most people

in society

these things

aren't a

big deal

I don't

think.

They're

tolerated

even

celebrated

but if

you love

the Lord's

character

if you

know

his

character

all of

a sudden

these things

really matter.

So let's

go through

them.

Verse

three

it's the

person

who

does not

slander

with his

tongue

and does

no evil

to his

neighbour

nor takes

up a

reproach

against

his

friend.

So doing

no harm

to others

to their

reputation

even

that last

phrase

even when

they deserve

it.

So taking

up a

reproach

it's to

rebuke

it's

when they

deserve it.

I think

why that's

a problem

is it's

taking up

it's almost

like

I don't

know

you won't

let it

go.

You have

to get

vengeance.

I think

this is

describing

the woman

over coffee

after the

service finishes

who just

senses that

the conversation

about someone

else is not

building up

that person

it's not

productive at

all and

so they

turn the

conversation

to another

subject matter

or even

go hey

we shouldn't

be saying

this or

they just

walk away.

I think

it's describing

that kind

of person.

It's the

man who's

criticised

who then

doesn't just

launch a

verbal attack

with the

flaws of

the person

accusing

them.

Doesn't

try and

defend

themselves

like that.

It's the

employee who

doesn't join

in the

workplace

complaining

about their

boss

or kids

at school

not joining

in in

that

insults

of that

teacher

that everyone

insults.

It's the

Christian who

doesn't get

tunnel vision

when a

brother or

sister wrongs

them,

unable to

let the

injustice

go but

who is

determined

to show

the same

grace that

they've

received.

It's not

as simple

as just

being polite

and never

saying a

negative word.

You read

Jesus,

he's the

picture of

perfect

character and

wow,

he went to

town on

some people

but it

was for

love's

sake.

God's

God's

words,

his words

give grace

to those

who hear

even if

those words

are a

rebuke,

will care

about their

words and

the effect

on other

people.

verse 4,

in whose

eyes a

vile person

is despised

but who

honours

those who

fear the

Lord.

I think

we trip

over this

one,

don't we?

It's

in our

so-called

tolerant and

inclusive

day and

age where

everyone is

cancelling

each other

on social

media.

I'm not

convinced it's

that tolerant.

I think

we can

get past

this doesn't

seem right

when we

consider a

few things.

One is

we're all

evaluating

people.

Everyone is.

It's actually

good to

distinguish

good from

evil.

Everyone's

doing that.

It's being

part of

God's image

to do

that.

Everyone is

going,

I'm going

to embrace

this because

I think

it's good.

I'm

rejecting

that because

it's not

good.

I'm going

to give you

a challenge.

Think of

a person

you don't

like.

I'm not

encouraging you

to dwell on

this for too

long.

I'm

guessing as

well it

won't be

too hard to

think of

someone.

Take a

moment and

think about

why you

don't like

them.

What's

the criteria

you're

using?

Isn't

it so

often about

do I

think this

person will

advantage me?

Will I

profit from

accepting this

person?

Or if it

doesn't

advantage me I

might reject

them.

Either socially

if they seem

popular I'll

link up with

them.

They're not

popular I'll

avoid them.

Isn't it so

much self

centred that

we evaluate

people by?

But this

is saying

you don't

decide if

someone's

vile or

not.

It's not

saying that.

It's saying

because it

can also

mean a

rejected

person is

despised.

So in

other words

it's someone

who evaluates

people as

God sees

them.

Does God

reject them?

Does God

embrace them?

And so

too likewise.

You do

likewise.

It's not

your criteria

it's his

criteria.

And part

of God's

holy love

is that

he hates

evil.

Imagine if

God loved

evil.

What a

terrifying

thought.

Our problem

with this is

we don't

hate evil

enough.

I just

thought of

all the

comedians

we can

sometimes

listen to

and they're

just

disparaging

Jesus.

How can

we respect

this person

while they

do that?

But we

also need to

be careful

about who

is it that

God rejects

and embrace

and accepts.

We've got to be

really careful

about this

because Jesus

was a friend

of tax

collectors

and sinners

and he

reserved his

harshest

rejection

for the

religious.

So we

also have to

be careful

about how

we measure

those

who fear

the Lord

or not.

That is

holy love.

Our aim

in despising

is that we

want that

person to

repent so

that they're

at peace

with God.

Our aim

at despising

is we

don't want

that others

to be

continually

damaged by

what that

person is

doing or

let astray.

Our aim

in honouring

those who

fear the

Lord is we

want them

not to boast

in themselves,

we want them

to keep

fearing the

Lord and

encourage

others to

do likewise.

So holy

love looks

like accepting

or rejecting

people not

based on your

evaluation but

God's

evaluation,

his criteria.

people.

Then we've

got who

swears to

his own

hurt and

does not

change.

Their yes

is yes,

their no

is no,

whatever the

personal cost.

Now it's

easy to keep

promises when

it's convenient,

isn't it?

It's easy,

everyone does

that.

If it's

convenient,

sure,

I'll keep

my word.

But what

about if it

costs you to

keep your

word?

I think

this is

picturing the

wife of

an inconsiderate,

self-centered,

harsh and

critical husband

who feels

desperately

lonely but

keeps seeking

his eternal

good,

forbearing and

faithfully keeping

her vows.

That won't

feel all too

nice,

but that

person needs

to know.

God is

pleased.

It's the

employee who

does quality

work, even

if their

superiors are

pressuring them

to cut

corners and

not keep

whatever promises

the work

made to

make money

or save

time.

It's a

person who

loses sleep,

loses money,

loses opportunities,

loses approval of

people because

they made a

prior commitment.

I think it's

much easier to

go with what

you feel like

doing in the

moment.

It's much

harder to

work out all

these commitments,

which ones do I

need to keep to

honour the Lord?

Why is this the

case?

Because a family

likeness, love for

the God who is

faithful to his

word, will mean a

holy love for

people.

I will care

about my

word.

Verse 5a, who

does not put

out his money

at interest and

does not take up

a bribe against

the innocent.

This person

isn't ruled by

thinking, what

can I gain out

of this?

They're ruled by

compassion.

How can I help

this person in

need?

Now, Old

Testament law,

Exodus 22, 25,

it emphasises to

the Israelite, do

not charge

interest to a

poor Israelite.

Israelite.

It specifies the

poor Israelite.

And there was

different standards

for how you do

business among

Israelites and with

foreigners.

So I'll let you do

some research in

that.

But I think the

main point here is

it's not to take

advantage of someone

who is in need.

Someone who needs

help, oh great, I

can make a profit.

You're not even

thinking that way.

It's how can I

use what I've got

for your sake?

Well, at the

moment it's the

landlord who

doesn't charge

excessive rent

simply because the

market allows them

to.

It's the building

report, I read

ABC article, it's

the building report

experts who don't

hide the defects

in a building

report.

simply to get

more business

from the real

estate agents.

It's not

accepting that

kind of bribe.

I think this

one applies.

I think it's the

Christian GP

who now might

have to risk

their job and

their reputation

not to prescribe

the abortion

pill.

people.

It's not

taking that

security at the

cost of the

innocent.

It's the

person who

lends what

they own

without the

desire to get

favours in

return.

They're ruled by

compassion, not

by what they can

gain.

It's the

person who

defends the

person wrongly

accused.

It's hard to

speak up when

that happens,

isn't it?

It's really hard

because you might

be the one who's

attacked then.

I think all

these things are

rather normal,

aren't they?

I don't know if

you agree with

me.

I think they're

pretty common.

It's just normal,

even respectable,

even respectable

among Christians

sometimes.

But they all

destroy community.

The Lord

accepts and

is pleased with

those who share

his family

likeness, who

have a holy

love because

they worship a

God of holy

love.

The Lord

accepts the

one who would

rather live at

peace with the

Lord knowing

they are his

rather than be

at home in

this sinful

world.

So the one

who does these

things will

never be moved.

What a

promise.

The problem

is obvious,

isn't it?

If we don't

do these things,

we've got to

admit that we're

not listening to

his rule.

We've got to

admit more than

that.

We don't

actually love

his character

as we ought.

his acceptance

and pleasure

in us

isn't prized

as we

ought to

prize it.

How can

I dwell

with peace

and confidence

with God

and his

holy hill

if I

don't do

these things?

Well,

this is where

the Psalms

help us as

well.

we need

a righteous

king.

On our

own,

we can't

stand,

but we

need a

righteous

king who

can represent

us,

who can

fight for

us.

As Psalm

24 asks

this same

question again,

who shall

ascend the

hill of

the Lord?

That Psalm

ends by

picturing these

gates,

these ancient

doors,

and it's the

gates to God's

city are

shut.

Sinners

cannot come

in.

But that

Psalm ends

going,

but there

is a

king.

When he

walks up to

those doors,

they will

open.

There is a

king of

glory who

opens the

way into

paradise.

It's

Psalm 2.

God has

set up his

righteous king

on his

holy hill.

people.

We need

to take

refuge in

him.

So we

can't stand

on our

own.

The Psalms

point us

to a

king, a

righteous

king.

Obviously

David failed

at that.

Who is the

king of

glory?

It's the

Lord Jesus

Christ.

And look

at the one

he accepts.

He accepts

the one who

confesses their

lack of love

for people.

He accepts

the one with

a broken

and contrite

heart.

He will

not despise

a broken

and contrite

heart.

But he

will reject

as vile

those who

trust in

their own

righteousness.

In the

Lord Jesus

you will

never be

moved.

through him

we have

permanent

access to

God's

throne of

grace with

confidence.

Even

taking that

idea of

tent, he

is set up

he is the

tent now as

the children

that Jen

brought out.

We are in

him.

We are

united to

him.

He is

even in

us by

his spirit.

He's set

up his

home in

his people.

And then

he empowers

us to

have this

family

likeness to

love.

In

him, he

and us

we can

walk and

rest in

the presence

of God

even as

we are

foreigners

in this

self-centered

world.

So

please hear

me correctly.

Let me be

clear.

Doing

good things

do not

save us.

You cannot

add to

your full

access and

acceptance to

God what

Jesus has

done.

You can't

add to

it.

But

while we're

saved by

faith alone,

faith is

never alone.

His grace

not only

saves, it

transforms.

forms.

One

Peter

talks about

Christians

understanding

who we

are.

We are

elect

exiles.

We are

sojourners.

We don't

belong in

this world

anymore because

we've been

chosen out

of the

world.

We don't

belong.

We're

foreigners

here.

And then

having been

born again,

Peter says

to us in

1.22,

having purified

your souls by

your obedience

to the

truth.

What's

coming next?

What was

that salvation

for?

Having been

purified so

that you're

acceptable to

God.

What's

that for?

For a

sincere,

brotherly

love.

Love one

another

earnestly

from a

pure

heart

since

you have

been

born

again.

The

primary

measure of

a close

walk with

God,

of spiritual

maturity,

of love

for God,

belonging to

his household,

it is not

religious

feelings.

It's not

what you

sacrifice to

God.

It's not

doing great

things for

God.

It's not

your knowledge,

Bible

knowledge.

God's

love.

The primary

measure of

a close

walk with

God is

holy,

brotherly

love.

I was

reading 1

Corinthians 13

this week.

You can

have tongues

of angels,

but if you

don't have

love, you're

just a

clanging

dong.

You've

got to

have love.

You can

have insights

into the

most profound

spiritual

realities of

everything,

and if

you don't

have love,

I am

nothing.

What a

state.

You can

give your

body to

the flames,

you can

sacrifice

all, but

if you

don't have

love,

it's to

no point.

Wow.

The measure

of a close

walk with

God is

holy,

brotherly

love,

because that

reflects the

holy love of

our Father,

the family

likeness.

love,

so you

can be

confident

you're

walking

closely

with

God

when the

truth of

Christ

overflows

into

brotherly

love.

Beware of

false

confidences,

but this

psalm encourages

us.

We are to

know we

will never

be moved.

I find

that a

great

encouragement

because to

do these

things, to

love in

this way,

it could

move you.

It could

cost your

reputation,

it could

cost money,

your business,

it could

cost your

job, it

could cost

friends and

family.

You might

feel incredibly

moved, but

the promise

here is you

need to know

that loving

like this,

you're

reflecting

the

Father.

You will

not be

moved from

his

acceptance

and embrace

of you.

Our

Father wants

us to know

we will

never be

moved from

him,

to know

we belong

to the

Lord's

household,

and so

expressing

that in

brotherly

love.

Why don't

we pray?

Let's pray.

thank you

Lord that

while we're

still sinners,

Christ died

for us.

Thank you

that in

our righteous

king we

have peace

with God.

God, thank

you that we

have access

into this

grace in

which we

stand, having

been filled

with your

love by

your spirit.

Lord, we

give all the

praise to

you for

making us

fully part

of your

people,

fully acceptable

to you because

of the Lord

Jesus.

and I

pray that

out of

that, out

of our

thankfulness,

that we

would want

to be

like you,

that we

would set

our hope

fully on

the grace

that we're

going to

receive when

you return,

that we

are looking

forward to

the home

of righteousness

while we

are living

in exile

and journeying

as sojourners

in this

life.

Lord, help

us set

our hope

on that

home of

righteousness

when we'll

see you

face to

face so

that we

can express

that and

give honour

to you by

the way

that we

love one

another.

In Jesus'

name I

pray.

Amen.