Is God's steadfast love enough?

Please open your Bible to Psalm 5, a Psalm of David, to the choir master for the flutes.

Give ear to my words, O Lord. Consider my groaning.

Give attention to the sound of my cry.

My King and my God, for to you do I pray.

O Lord, in the morning you'll hear my voice.

In the morning I'll prepare the sacrifice for you and watch.

For you are not the God who delights in wickedness.

Evil may not dwell with you.

The boastful shall not stand before your eyes.

You hate all evildoers.

You destroy those who speak lies.

The Lord abhors the bloodthirsty and deceitful men.

But I, through the abundance of your steadfast love, will enter your house.

I will bow down toward your holy temple in the field of you.

Lead me, O Lord, in your righteousness because of my enemies.

Make your way straight before me.

For there is no truth in their mouth.

Their inmost self is destruction.

Their throat is an open grave.

They flatter with their tongue.

Make them bear their guilt, O God.

Let them fall by their own counsels.

Because of the abundance of their transgressions, cast them out.

For they have rebelled against you.

But that all who take refuge in you rejoice.

Let them ever sing for joy.

And spread your protection over them.

That those who love your name may exalt in you.

For you bless the righteous, O Lord.

You cover him with favour as with a shield.

Having a proper perspective is so important.

If we're going to form a conclusion, if we're going to set a course of action,

in pretty well any aspect of life, having a proper perspective is critical.

Now, it doesn't matter how much we think about that.

We will always have some sort of perspective in anything we do.

It will either be a good perspective or it will be a narrow, distorted perspective.

But we will have one.

Every time we set a course of action and make a formal conclusion.

Having a good perspective or a good point of view

means having all the relevant factors included.

Rightly integrated and properly balanced.

As we make a conclusion.

But far too often we have a distorted or narrow perspective

on things that we're thinking about or acting on.

And too often that's because we just go on what we see.

And that means that other critical factors

that may not be apparent aren't actually included.

And so our perspective is actually distorted or imbalanced.

Sometimes really unhelpfully so.

For example, this week, courtesy of the Essendon Football Club,

I suspect that all Christians like me have just felt the awfulness

of yet another public attack, public slanging of Christians.

Once again, we've just had to sit and listen

as Christianity is just branded as bigoted, even evil.

Treated unjustly.

Christians being silenced unfairly.

Without even regard for the truth.

And it seems that, as we listen in,

it seems that this whole notion that's paraded all the time,

inclusivity, tolerance, respect,

it seems like that's on offer to any set of beliefs,

any lifestyle, except Christians.

Now, from there, you see, it would be really easy to form the perspective

that God has been squeezed out of our society.

That God is no longer relevant to our society.

And that the Christian gospel has been defeated

and is powerless in our society.

But you see, that would be a really narrow, distorted perspective.

Why?

Because it doesn't take into account what God says in his word

and who God is in his world.

And then we can develop that example.

And if you're like me, sometimes when you feel excluded from our society,

it sort of pushes us to the other extreme

and a very different point of engagement

when we actually wish we could be involved in our world and accepted.

And then we start to think,

well, actually, our world and our culture

look so appealing at points, so inviting.

And we bounce from something like that Essendon saga

to actually this overcorrection

of just wanting to be part of our world,

be accepted,

be welcomed into it.

It looks so appealing.

It looks so satisfying.

Yet, we have to bear in mind

that the Lord says to us,

be in the world, but not of it.

Why?

Because the good life

of fullness and satisfaction

is sourced in relationship with him.

And we will never find it in the world.

That's what Jesus tells us.

And then he says,

well, I don't want you to be of the world,

but I do want you to be in and of the church.

Because as people who are new in Christ,

new in me,

then I want you to be fellowshiped

with people in a community,

the resurrection community,

where fullness of life is known

and enjoyed

and modelled to a lost world.

So there we have it.

In the world, but not of it.

In the church and in it.

But you see,

that's a hard perspective to balance,

isn't it?

To keep as well.

Because then we start to think,

well, actually,

hmm,

the church just doesn't seem

to be able to compete

with the allure

of our world.

And then we think,

well,

what about all the hurts

that I've experienced

in the church

due to the sinful actions of others

or due to my own omissions?

And again,

you see,

from there,

how easily would it be

to form a distorted perspective

which leads us away

from engaging in the church

and fellowshipping

with other Christians

while leading us ever more

into engagement

with the world?

But again,

that would be a very

distorted,

narrow perspective.

Friends,

the message of Psalm 5,

I believe,

is about King David's

godly perspective

in time of suffering

and attack.

Time when we're being

treated unfairly,

when we're suffering

injustice

or just generally suffering

as we seek to live

faithfully for the Lord

in this broken world

among rebellious people.

It brings just a level

of suffering

just doing that.

Now,

some commentators

are convinced

that this psalm

was written

for congregational use

and so it sort of

looks at suffering

from a more generalized

level

as opposed to

Psalm 3 and 4

that we looked at

over the last two weeks

where it's been

a very personal reflection

from King David

on a very personal

issue and situation.

Regardless of that,

I think it's a model

of how God's people

are to handle

the normal attacks

that comes to them

as God's people.

In other words,

it's a godly perspective

and one that we need

to take on board,

I think,

as our world develops

in the way it's doing

at the moment.

I want to make

three or four points.

The first one is

that David's

personal powerlessness

pushes him to rest

in God's powerfulness.

Look at picking up

the first three verses there.

Now,

the context of the psalm

is King David's

daily struggle

to rule God's people

and nurture righteousness

or behavior

which is pleasing

to the Lord

given the unruly hearts

of his people

and given their natural

inclination

to wickedness

which in the Bible

is simply

anything lived,

any life lived

in rebellion

against God.

That's wickedness.

It doesn't have to be

as evil

as it possibly can be.

It just means

a general orientation

is called wickedness.

A natural born orientation

to rebel against

God's authority,

to seek autonomy,

to live without

reference to God's word.

Now,

that's the struggle

David has each day

trying to subdue

the unruly hearts

of God's people.

And against this,

we see King David's

primary weapon

of response

is the weapon

of prayer.

And we see there

in verse 3 particularly,

verses 2 and 3 especially,

but his daily routine

begins

with David

talking to

the Lord.

Now,

we need to remember

that this is a king

of a large nation.

His day would have been

incredibly busy,

long,

pressured.

Every morning

so many officials

would be coming to him

each day

seeking advice,

reporting on issues.

But David,

if I can use the word

of Martin Luther,

says that,

you know,

he's too busy

not to pray.

And he's confident

of God's

answering of that prayer.

If you look at verse 3,

that last sentence

in verse 3,

in the morning

I prepare a sacrifice,

that's

a particular interpretation

of the Hebrew word,

which might actually

be a little bit more general,

although it's in the same line,

I prepare a sacrifice

is more likely to be,

look,

I set out in order

the various demands

and pressure points

of my day

and I take them

to the Lord in prayer.

And having done that,

then I wait confidently

for the Lord's guidance,

the Lord's answer.

And if you look at verse 2,

we see an even nicer context

because this is King David,

a very powerful man,

but he recognizes

that in all his power,

he's powerless.

And so,

he comes before

the greater king,

Yahweh,

who is the covenant-keeping God,

and the judge

of the whole earth,

of whom David

is but a servant.

And verse 1,

then,

that explains

his urgency,

his passion

in prayer.

David's expressing

the deep feelings

of his heart,

his mind.

Nothing of a mindless

habit here,

but the specific,

ordered,

daily committing

of his day

to the Lord.

So,

what can we say?

Well,

ultimately,

David's prayer

is simply spreading

out his helplessness

before the Lord.

He knows

that in spite

of all his power

as a king,

and that was

substantial power,

he is powerless

to do the thing

that he most wants

to do

and needs to do

as God's king,

and that is,

subdue the unruly

hearts

of God's people.

And he knows

that opposition

to him

as God's

appointed king

is only a symptom

of a much bigger battle,

a much bigger rebellion,

a much deeper

unruliness

in the hearts

of God's people,

and that is

their rebellion

ultimately

against God's rule,

their desire

for autonomy.

And so,

the first perspective

is here

that David

in the situation

of suffering

is doing

what he can do

as God's servant.

He can pray.

He can wait

on the Lord.

He can worship.

He can rest

in the Lord.

He can trust

the Lord.

So David

does what he can do,

and then behind

that prayer

we see that

he's really

looking to the Lord

to do what

only the Lord

can do.

as the true

effective king

and ruler

of his world

and his people.

And so,

there's a real calm

in David

we sense

at the beginning

of every day

that allows him

to get into his day

with

consummate

confidence.

Because every day,

David experiences

the opposition

and sinful behavior

of his people.

But in a sense,

I think we could say

here that David,

as he prays,

pictures himself

in God's courtroom

where the great king,

the great judge

of the whole earth,

has it all

under his control

and is doing

what he wants to do,

as he wants to do it,

with whom he wants

to do it.

So David,

as he prays,

is in a sense

observing

the outworking

of God's character.

And so that's

where he's moving

to look

in face

of his own

personal inconstancy

to God's constancy.

David's world's turmoil.

But as he sees himself

in God's courtroom,

as it were,

he sees calm

and order

and control.

Verses 46,

David is confident

that God's judgment,

justice rather,

will be measured out

to the wicked.

And the wicked,

I say,

are those who rebel

against God's authority

and pursue autonomy

in this world,

in life.

Verse 4,

for you're not a God

who delights

in wickedness.

Evil may not dwell

with you.

The boastful

shall not stand

before your eyes.

They're all terms

of relationship

and presence

and intimacy,

aren't they?

You hate all evildoers.

You destroy those

who speak lies.

The Lord abhords

the bloodthirsty

and deceitful man.

David's perspective

is,

as he engages

with God's character,

that all sinfulness,

all rebellion

will be exposed

and it will be exposed

simply because

it's measured

against God's

righteous character.

Rebellious hearts,

rebellious character,

overflow

into sinful,

rebellious actions.

And we pick up

on those verses

and so often

those sinful actions

are defended

and applauded

in our world.

But they don't sneak

through unnoticed

by the Lord.

They're roundly exposed

and condemned,

every one of them.

And the consequence

of that

is just enormous.

They will never

dwell with God.

Now there's a perspective

for you,

isn't it?

They will never

dwell with God.

Devastating consequence

of rebellion

and autonomy.

Something that

in this world

looks quite attractive,

looks quite appealing,

quite satisfying.

And there we have

that important

ingredient

that we need

to have

in our perspective.

They shall never

dwell with God.

the good life

that this world

offers us,

in inverted commas,

proves to be

an absolute illusion,

deception,

when it's set

alongside

the righteous

character of God.

God's mercy.

And ultimately,

it will be

destroyed.

Why?

Because they do

not fear

the Lord.

Equally true,

verse 7,

equally true,

David is confident

that God's mercy

will be gifted

to those who

live under

his rule.

And I think

when David says

in verse 7,

but I,

that's not a

statement of arrogance.

That's a statement

of wonderful

appreciation

of God's grace,

as you'll see

when you read

the rest of the verse.

But I,

through the abundance

of your steadfast love,

will enter your house.

I will dwell with you.

Why?

Not because I'm

any better,

a whit better,

than all the rest

of my people,

but because

I've experienced

the benefits

of your steadfast love,

your grace,

your mercy.

And that could only

have been a gift

to David

because he didn't

deserve it.

And so David,

as he moves forward

in his prayer,

is very much aware

of his own

sinful heart

provoking him

to rebel

against the Lord

likewise.

And he's very much

aware that he also

deserves condemnation

when he's measured

against God's

righteousness.

Except

for God's grace

and God's

unchanging

covenant love

in his life.

King David

enjoys fellowship

with God

not because

he is different

at heart

from the rest

of his people,

but because

God has determined

to love him

and has invited him

into everlasting

relationship with him.

Which changes

David's orientation,

changes his status,

changes his attitudes,

and changes his confidence.

Changes everything

in respect of himself,

in respect of his

understanding

and appreciation

of God,

and in respect

of his role

as God's king

in his daily

circumstances.

And again,

it's a wonderful

perspective

that David's

in the midst

of suffering.

He doesn't know

from one day

to the next

whether he will

make it through

the day.

He has so many enemies,

so many who wish him

dead.

But here's a perspective

that allows

King David

to get on

with his day

regardless of

whether he might

lose his life

in this world

at the hands

of those

who oppose him.

He has confidence

that he will dwell

with the Lord.

He will be

personally

and intimately

ensconced

in God's

actual own

personal house

as it were.

That's how

confident,

how personal

and secure

and warm

and rich

that picture is.

And again,

the perspective

is in total

contrast.

So David,

in total

contrast to

those who

seem to have

life worked

out in this

world

apart from

God,

but David

will be the

one who's

under the

pump.

He will be

the one who

has,

he is the

one who

has the

indestructible

home,

security

and identity

with the

Lord.

And verse

eight then

is an

interesting

little

addition

which I've

pondered for

quite some

time this

week,

and I've

put it

down the

way it

is here.

I think

David now

looks to

the Lord

to coach

him in

righteousness.

I'm not

sure whether

that's the

right word,

I've tried

lots of

different

words,

so forgive

me if

that's

a jars

with you,

but let

me try

and explain

it to you.

David,

I think,

looks to

the Lord

to coach

him in

righteousness.

See,

here's the

problem.

When David

understands that

in contrast to

the wicked,

he has a

place secured

for him in

God's dwelling.

It can

easily turn

into a

perspective of

arrogance,

a sense of

superiority

that I,

in contrast to

everybody else,

have a place to

dwell in the

Lord's house.

But it's not

like that for

David, it

doesn't result in

that for David.

No arrogance,

no sense of

security,

quite the

opposite.

in response

to God's

righteous

character,

David's

concern,

therefore,

is with his

own attitudes,

his own

actions,

way before

he's got any

concern for

the wickedness

of his

enemies.

It's as if

this thought

he's had in

verse 7

just flows

over him

and makes

him so

aware of

the privilege

he has

under God's

love that

his first

and only

concern

really at

that

moment

is his

own

attitudes,

his own

actions.

And so he

asks the

Lord to

coach him

in

righteousness

lest his

own

lifetime,

his own

actions,

give

opportunity

for his

enemies to

mock the

Lord.

And again,

you see,

I think that

highlights David's

total dependence

upon the

Lord.

Lord, even

in his

position of

security,

he's

recognizing,

perhaps

memorizing,

remembering what

he's actually

done in his

own life with

Bathsheba and

other situations.

He's actually,

even as he's

secure in the

Lord, he's

very much

aware of the

fact that he

also could go

down that path

of autonomy and

rebellion that so

many of God's

people choose.

God's

love.

Why?

Because he

knows that at

heart he has

the same

rebellious,

autonomy-seeking

heart.

And so then we

step through to

the next section,

verses 9 to 12,

where David's

praying actually

pushes him,

therefore, into a

new longing for

God's honor.

So I'm hoping you

see the development

here.

David starts with

his own concerns,

in a sense,

verses 1 to 3,

but by the time

we get to verse

9, David's

totally consumed

with God's

concerns and

God's righteousness.

Very different

perspective.

A much more

wholesome perspective

in lots of ways.

And I think

these verses

9, 10, 11,

and 12 might

actually be

evidence of

God doing

just exactly

what David's

asked him to do,

coach me in

righteousness.

As we see

his focus

shifting from

personal concern

to concern

for God's

honor.

And David

expresses concern

for God's

honor in two

ways, a negative

and a positive

way.

First of all,

in verses 9 and

10, David

asked the Lord,

act against

those who

rebel against

you.

Now, why

does David do

that?

How can David

do that?

To our ears,

it sounds like

a quest for

revenge or

just a blood

thirstiness.

But I don't

think it is

that.

I think David

is reflecting

on the one

hand on the

awfulness of

sin and

rebellion and

how so often

in our world

that rebellion

is camouflaged

by smooth

words that

tries to make

vice into

virtue.

And that's

what we see

all around

us in our

world,

isn't it?

And David

is just

reflecting on

the awfulness

of sin.

And from

there he

bounces to

the righteousness

of God's

character and

how sin is

just such an

offense to

God's character.

Because in

contrast to the

wickedness of

rebellion,

David sees the

constancy of

God's heart,

the beauty of

God's love,

the breadth

of God's

covenant

purpose in

setting aside

these people

and determining

to save

them and make

them his own

and make

them beautiful.

And yet

there's this

rebellion,

rebellion,

rebellion.

And David,

out of concern

for God's

honor,

says,

God,

act.

Act to

show yourself

to be the

righteous God

you are.

God's

desire.

It's not a

concern for

personal

revenge.

It's not a

twisted delight

in seeing people

brought down and

getting what they

deserve.

It's a desire to

see God's

character

clearly evidenced

and honored.

God's

love.

And in

verses 11 and

12,

having asked

God to act

one way,

he then

longs for

God to

act for

all who

take refuge

in him.

Having

experienced

himself

personally,

having

experienced

the freedom

and delight

of finding

refuge in

God,

David wants

the same

for all

God's

people over

whom he

rules.

It's not

that circumstances

have changed

for David

and there's

no longer

any danger,

any suffering,

any personal

attack,

anything to

fear.

it's not

that aspect

of David's

perspective has

changed.

What's

changed is

that David

has discovered

this safe

place,

this place

of refuge,

shielded and

protected by

the Lord.

David has

discovered and

experienced what

it means to

live under the

steadfast love

of the Lord.

He's

discovered,

verse 11,

he's discovered

a deep joy

in the

mess and

uncertainty

of life,

a joy that

will sustain

him in any

circumstance

and which

frees him to

press ahead in

his immediate

circumstances,

not demanding

the Lord

change the

circumstance,

not being

disappointed or

angry at the

Lord if it

doesn't change,

but secure in

the Lord and

in his

steadfast love.

love.

And finally

then, that

personal longing

that's expressed

in verses 11

and 12 there,

that personal

longing for

righteousness and

covering pushes

David towards

Jesus.

Let me read

those two

verses to you.

But let all

who take refuge

in you rejoice.

Let them ever

sing for joy.

Spread your

protection over

them, that

those who love

your name may

exult in you.

For you bless

the righteous,

O Lord.

You cover him

with favor as

with a shield.

Oh my goodness,

this happened

again.

I thought I'd

lost a page

of notes.

Okay.

So we follow

through the

movement for

David and we

just pick up on

this deep

longing he has

for his people.

He's observed

the awfulness

of sin and

he's hated

the sinfulness

of sin in his

people.

He knows his

own restless

heart.

heart.

It's an unruly

heart and he's

experienced the

unruly heart of

God's people.

He longs for

things to be

different.

And ultimately

David knows,

we'll go back to the

start, ultimately

David knows that he's

powerless to

effect the change

in the hearts of

God's people that

is needed, that is

required.

ultimately he knew

that only God

could subdue and

renew unruly

hearts.

Only God could

stem the flow of

wickedness and

sin.

Only God could

produce passion and

delight in

righteousness and

obedience to God.

God.

And so that pushes

David in his

longings for God

to act.

And that

ultimately takes us

to Jesus who

actually delivers the

cravings of David's

heart.

Because in the

language of verses

11 and 12 of

Psalm 5 we have

the language of

the gospel.

Jesus covered his

people.

Completely covered

them.

With what?

with forgiveness

for all their

sinfulness, for

all their

offense.

He takes away,

he covers the

stench of the

rebellion against

God through his

death on the

cross.

And he covers

them with

righteousness

instead.

And so great

was that reversal,

so great was that

covering that the

lips of his

people no longer

spewed the

foulness of

verse 9,

of this

foulness of

the grave,

the foulness of

death.

But these lips

were changed

to proclaim the

songs of praise

and worship

and delight.

it's the Lord

Jesus that subdues

unruly hearts.

Turning them from

desire for

rebellion and

autonomy to

delight in and

hunger for

righteousness.

My friends,

what David could

only imagine in

his mind, and

probably couldn't

even imagine in

his mind, could

only sort of

search for in

his mind, we

actually know

in reality, in

our relationship

with the Lord

Jesus Christ.

We are

these homeless,

wicked

revels who

now have a

secure home

forever.

we are the

ones who

were caught

up in an

empty way of

life, handed

down to us

from our

forefathers,

thinking we

had the good

life, but

being deceived.

We are now

those who

know true

life, and

who can say

we will dwell

in the house

of the Lord

forever.

Jesus turned

the fruitless

search that

we see all

around us, and

people all

around us, whether

it's family

members, or

workmates, or

people we play

sport with, or

just general

public.

We hear it on

the news, we

hear it on our

TVs.

We see this

constant fruitless

search for

blessing and the

good life in

their own efforts,

and apart from

God.

God, but in

Christ we know

the good life.

We've been

spared that

fruitless search.

Jesus has come

to us, and

he's renewed

us such that

we have joy as

image bearers once

again, who can

find our

satisfaction and

joy in his

steadfast love,

in his grace.

we are loved.

We are loved

forever.

We are covered

fully in the

full extent of

God's love.

Nothing held

back.

This is what

God's steadfast

love delivered in

and through the

Lord Jesus means.

Let me just

finish with a

question that I

like to do.

there's a

godly perspective

which then

turns into a

question.

Is that a

perspective?

Is this a

perspective?

That's enough

for you to

live faithfully

and demonstrably

in obedience to

Christ this week.

Because when you

leave here,

maybe even now,

even as you're

hopefully listening

to me, maybe

even there's a

battle in your

mind of

the lure of

this world,

the attractiveness

of it, the

appeal of it,

the invitation

of it.

But is this

perspective enough

for you to live

faithfully and

demonstrably in

obedience to

Christ?

Opposition,

hostility to

God will

continue and it

will continue

more and more

I think to be

aimed and

targeted at

God's people.

God's people.

And the reality

is that to be

in this world

but not of

it because we're

determined to

pursue righteousness

and obedience to

the Lord Jesus

Christ will

inevitably mean a

huge and

increasingly huge

cost of hostility

from the world.

That's the way

Jesus said it

will be.

That's the way

we experience it.

And so

therefore the

question is,

is our

perspective

complete?

What we see

at one point

is frightening,

at the other

point is alluring.

Both will be a

distorted

perspective

unless we come

to it through

the likes of

Psalm 5.

A godly

perspective,

my friends,

will help us

choose

to have

God's

blessing,

God's

home,

rather than

the

pseudo

blessing

or

pseudo

home

of being

at ease

in this

world,

of being at

ease with

our

rebellion,

being at

ease with

a lifestyle

that treats

the Lord

with contempt.

Pray with

me then,

please.

Lord,

you tell us

to live

by faith

and not

by sight.

And yet,

so often we

just do the

very opposite.

We're so

often we're

bound by

what we can

see.

And what we

can see as we

look at our

world either

scares us

or draws us

in seductively.

Help us,

Lord, to

cut ourselves

loose from

that distorted

perspective

and look at

our world

through the

lens of

your steadfast

love.

And to go

forth each

day into

the world

convinced

that being

loved by

you

is the

best thing

that we

can have.

And from

there, Lord,

give us

freedom to

serve you

with confidence

and with

courage

and with

openness.

In Jesus'

name I pray.

Amen.

All right,

thank you for

listening to me.