Psalm 146

So, joy to be with you this evening.

Thanks so much for all the very kind invitation.

!

Who or what do you put your trust in?

When times are difficult, when there is uncertainty, where do you turn for provision, for hope, for peace, for joy?

It's interesting, I haven't been around for that many general elections,

but in general it feels like each time the significance and the seriousness of the election is ever more important.

There's a sense in the culture that if an election does not go the way we want it to, then all will be lost.

Slate magazine ran an article looking at the history of the phrase,

most important election of our lifetime.

The earliest record they could find was in October 1805.

One amusing example of the saying being used was,

Greenfield Democrat Sun, a newspaper in Tennessee,

reported in 1923 that the most important election in the history of the county will take place,

where Green County will vote on resurfacing the roads.

One campaign manager for Barack Obama said he was regularly called up by Bill Clinton and told,

Every presidential election around the world is always a referendum on the future.

Now what Psalm 146 tells us is that that is not true.

That governments, politicians, the people, even ourselves, none of us hold the future.

God does.

Certainly elections and governments are important.

We should care about the state of our nation.

We should be praying for our next leader.

But ultimately, God is in control.

He rules.

He reigns.

And ultimately, whoever is in charge, whoever wins the election, isn't ultimately in charge.

And they cannot ultimately do what we most fundamentally need.

They cannot save us.

God reigns.

God rules.

And he does so with infinite wisdom and goodness.

And so we should put our hope and our trust in God.

So in Psalm 146, we're going to see three reasons why we should put our trust in God.

God is creator.

God is creator.

He is creator.

He is savior.

And he is king.

So firstly, God is creator.

Let's read verses 5 and 6.

Blessed is he whose help is the God of Jacob, whose hope is in the Lord his God,

who made heaven and earth, the sea and all that is in there.

We worship the God who created the universe, who holds it in his hands.

He uttered a word and creation came into being.

Nothing is outside of his control.

He sustains it.

He is the help that we have.

The one who brings us what we need to go on.

He's the one behind what we need because he has all resources in his hands.

He has all power.

Colossians 1, we read, not only did he make all things, all things were created through him and for him,

but that he is before all things and in him all things hold together.

I've read Economics University and it's often said, how do you summarize economics?

It's how to allocate finite resources with infinite ones.

God has infinite resources.

Because he creates all things out of nothing.

He is infinite.

He is eternal.

Yet we scramble around looking for help in places where they don't have the power

or the resources to give us what we need.

In all things, he's behind us, working together in his wisdom.

Now some here, you may just say, well, I don't, I definitely don't, I'm fairly ambivalent about politics.

I don't trust my trust in politicians.

I'm not like those people.

But don't we end up putting trust in ourselves?

I can do this.

I can make it.

I made this happen.

But see what God says in Deuteronomy 8.

You shall remember the Lord your God, for it is he who gives you the power to get wealth,

that he may confirm his covenant that he swore to your fathers as it is this day.

Our gifts are from God.

We are utterly dependent on God.

He's the one who gives us the ability to do what we need to do.

Because he's sovereign and overrules all things as creator.

We see this in Psalm 127, don't we?

Unless the Lord builds the house, the workers labour in vain.

Unless the Lord watches over the city, the watchman stays awake in vain.

That's not to say that help in this world is useless or can't do anything.

Or that politicians in elections are unimportant.

Rather, we need to trust the Lord.

And know that he is the one working behind all things.

He is the help behind the help.

Remember Jesus' words to Pilate.

You have no authority but that which is given from above.

I very easily forget this.

While I see what's going on in the world and I get frustrated.

We need to remember that God is in control.

He's sovereign.

He's the creator.

It's fairly known that anxiety and mental health issues are worse than ever before.

Particularly amongst young people.

And I can't help but think our nation's moving away.

I know Christians struggle with these things as well.

I can't help but think our nation's moving away from trusting in a sovereign creator hasn't helped.

As Spurgeon said, the sovereignty of God is the pillow upon which I lay my head.

The world does not have that pillow.

And this also means we can turn to God in prayer.

Perhaps a big way our nation's shifted is our lack of trust.

The fact that we don't turn to God in prayer.

Fascinating.

Famously, May 1940.

Dunkirk.

What happens?

The nation is called to prayer.

When it seems that all is lost.

Fast forward to 2020.

And the uncertainty and the chaos of COVID and nothing.

We're placing our trust elsewhere and even told it's too dangerous to worship God.

It was not essential.

When we have and know a sovereign God, we go to him in prayer.

It's been said the spiritual health of a church can be seen in its prayer.

But this isn't just a big national issue.

It's for the small issues in our lives too.

Nothing is too big or too small that we can't go to God in prayer for.

As one commentator put it, these verses.

A God who has the wisdom and power to create the universe certainly has the wisdom and power necessary for us to experience well-being in every area of our lives.

If we genuinely believe and know that God is creator and sovereign, then we would surely turn to him in prayer more.

We would go to the one who holds all things in his hands and trust in him.

So we can trust God because he is creator.

He is sovereign.

Secondly, God is savior.

Let's look back at those verses again.

Blessed is he whose help is the God of Jacob, whose hope is in the Lord his God.

End of verse 6.

God is who keeps faith forever, who executes justice for the oppressed, who gives food to the hungry.

The Lord sets the prisoners free.

The Lord opens the eyes of the blind.

The Lord lifts up those who are bowed down.

The Lord loves the righteous.

The Lord watches over the sojourners.

He upholds the widow and the fatherless.

God, being sovereign and creator, is also savior and redeemer.

Now these words in this passage are strikingly similar to Isaiah 61, which Jesus quotes in Luke 4.

It says,

As was his custom, he went to the synagogue on the Sabbath day and he stood up to read,

and the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was given to him.

He unrolled the scroll and found the place where it was written,

The Spirit of the Lord is upon me,

because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor.

He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives,

and recovering of sight of the blind,

to set at liberty those who are oppressed,

to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor.

He rolled up a scroll, gave it back to the attendant,

and sat down, and the eyes of all in the synagogue were fixed upon him.

And he began to say to them,

Today, this scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.

The fulfillment of all that's in this psalm is found in Jesus Christ,

the Son of God.

Jesus' name literally means,

Yahweh is salvation.

All of these images in Psalm 146 are pictures which Jesus performed in his earthly ministry.

He welcomed the oppressed,

he fed the 5,000,

he healed the blind.

All these were pictures of the great salvation that Jesus accomplished for us

by his death and resurrection and ascension.

One thing we always need to remember is that no politician,

no mere mortal man,

no one we look up to,

no one we admire,

can do what we most fundamentally need.

Our greatest need is salvation,

because our greatest problem is our sin.

And that's why we put our ultimate hope and trust in Christ,

because he is the only one who can deal with that

by taking the penalty that was due us,

going to the cross in our place,

when we deserved death and judgment.

He died that we might live,

and he did this because he loved us.

Whilst we were still sinners,

God's shown his love for us,

then this might die for us.

Only Christ could do this.

Only he could save us.

And so that's why verse 3,

put not your trust in princes,

in a son of man,

in whom there is no salvation.

Instead, we put our trust in the prince of peace,

the son of man,

in whom there is salvation.

There is no other name

by which we may be saved.

So whoever wins the leadership election,

whoever wins our next general election,

whoever wins whatever election,

they cannot save us.

But God chose us

before the foundation of the world

to be adopted into his family,

to stand before him,

holy and blameless.

The Holy Spirit works a miracle in our hearts,

opening our eyes,

taking out our cold,

dead hearts of stone

and turning them into hearts of flesh.

He makes us righteous.

The righteous ones.

The Lord,

verse 8,

the Lord loves the righteous.

The righteous there are his children.

That's us

that he loves.

His children

that he has bought

and that he is sanctifying.

And so that puts everything into perspective.

When faced with uncertainty and trials,

whatever we're going through,

we can remember

and hold on to the fact

that Jesus Christ,

the son of God,

died for us

so that we can stand forgiven.

And so he hasn't given us

a spirit of slavery

to fall back into fear.

He has given us

a spirit of adoption

as sons and daughters

by whom we cry,

Abba,

Father.

And so knowing God as Saviour

gives us perspective

and a reason to rejoice,

to trust in him.

And what's important here

is that not only

has Jesus made us righteous,

but by his spirit

he empowers us

to live holy lives.

And so trusting in God

as Saviour

is not only

knowing our need

for a Saviour

and trusting in that,

but also trusting God

that his ways

are better

and the way

he has called us

to live

is better.

But we would only

see that

if we know God

as Saviour

and that he is good.

Otherwise,

we end up making

the same mistake

as Eve,

doubting the goodness

of God,

listening to the serpent

say,

did God really

say.

As Christians,

our disobedience

can often be

because we think

whatever choice

we're wanting to make

will be better

than what God

has for us.

We doubt

that God's ways

are good.

But when we see

God as Saviour

and Father

who wants the best

for us

and follow him

in light of his love,

then we can come

to trust him

knowing that

obedience

is good.

We can sing

with the psalmist

in Psalm 19,

the law

of the Lord

is perfect,

reviving the soul.

The testimony

of the Lord

is sure,

making wise

the simple.

The precepts

of the Lord

are right,

rejoicing the heart.

The commandment

of the Lord

is pure,

enlightening the others.

We can only

sing that,

pray that,

if we know

that God

is good.

whatever situation

we're in,

we need to trust

God that

obedience to him

will always

be right.

So whether it's

the temptation

to lie

about something,

to cover up,

such as at work

or in your family,

downplaying your faith,

hiding what you believe

about a particular issue

in front of colleagues,

or entertaining

the idea

of dating

or marrying

a non-Christian

because of fear

of never marrying,

there are a million ways

where we can be tempted

to be disobedient

because in the moment

we think it is best.

But God is good.

Trusting and being

obedient to him

is always

the way

forward.

But we'll only

see that

if we taste

and see

that the Lord

is good.

Blessed is he

who takes refuge

in the Lord.

Now look at the end

of verse 6.

The Lord

who keeps

faith forever.

He is faithful.

He will do

what he has promised.

He won't leave us

or abandon us

even when we

make what seem

to be costly decisions

out of obedience

to him.

I can genuinely

say

the times

when I'm

the most delighted

in Christ

are the times

when I've been

under the most

pressure

or opposition.

A couple years ago

or two years ago

I

got into a bit

of trouble

because I

said the

denomination

that I'm a part of

should hold on

to orthodoxy

and drive out

false teachers.

Said it

with more words

and less nuanced.

and for whatever

reason

it got a bit

more response

than I had

or as we'd

been expecting.

It was for

Christian San.

and

I think

on the Sunday

it was discussed

on BBC Radio 4

at some point.

I think

I came here

which was

a blessing.

But

basically

a fundamentalist

figure

says the stuff.

and it

was a really

difficult time

and

lots of

criticism

lots of

opposition

from without

and from within

family

saying

you shouldn't

have said that

what you're

saying is wrong

you're being

hateful

and

lots of

pressure

and it was

in that moment

I can genuinely

say that I

was able to

praise God

and say

he is faithful.

So even

in the most

difficult times

God is faithful

he is with us

he sustains us.

As Jesus

says

in this world

you will have

trouble

but take

heart

he has

overcome

the world.

We have

eternal hope

that puts

everything in

perspective

as Paul says

for this

light

and momentary

affliction

is preparing

for us

an eternal

weight of

glory

beyond

all

comparison

as we

look not

to the

things

that are

seen

but to

the

things

that are

unseen

for the

things

that are

seen

are

transient

and

the

things

that are

unseen

are

eternal.

In the

gospel we

have all

we need

because we

have

Christ

because he

is our

saviour.

He has

rescued us

he has

given us

salvation

something

that no

other person

can do.

Others

might say

it's only

in Christ

that there

is no

condemnation.

So yes

we need to

pursue

holy lives.

Jesus

died

he predestined

us to be

conformed

to the

image of

his son.

He died

that we

may say

no to

ungodliness

but even

when we

fall

and slip

up

and make

mistakes

and sin

there is

no condemnation

for those

who are in

Christ Jesus.

Trusting God

also means

trusting that

that we are

forgiven

that there is

grace

so we can

trust God

because he

is our

sinner

he is

good.

Finally

God is

king.

Verse 10

the Lord

will reign

forever.

Your God

is Zion

to all

generations.

Christ is

ruling and

reigning

right now

and establishing

his kingdom.

He's already

established his

kingdom.

Nothing

can afford

his purposes.

no matter

how big

or powerful

or influential

whatever it is

in front of us

in our lives

God

still

reigns.

see the

contrast with

verse 4

when the

prince

departs

he returns

to the earth

on that

very day

his plans

perish.

Even those

we read about

in the history

books

and left

legacies

they still

died

and became

dust.

God's plans

will never

perish.

They will

come

to pass.

He is

king of

kings

and lord

of

lords.

So no

matter what

any power

ruler

or authority

or government

says or

promise

it is

ultimately

God who

reigns.

That's what

we see

in

this

psalm.

We see

it in

Psalm 2.

We see

it in

Romans 13.

All

authority

is his.

Or

Philippians 2.

God

has highly

exalted

Christ

bestowed

on him

the name

that is

above

every name

so that

at the

name of

Jesus

every knee

should

bow

in heaven

and on

earth

and under

the earth

and every

tongue

confess

that

Jesus

Christ

is

Lord

to the

glory

of God

the Father.

So one

day every

knee will

bow.

even

Liz

Truss

and

Rishi

Sinai

even

Joe

Biden

or

Putin

or

Zelensky

or Boris

Johnson

they will

all

bow

and whoever

becomes our

next

Prime Minister

it doesn't

change the

reality

that Christ

is King

and so

they will

bow

either

as sons

and daughters

or in fear

of God's

judgment

because it

will one

day come.

We see the

ultimate

destinies for

those who do

not trust in

him

and the

way of the

wicked

he brings

to Rory

at verse 9

but if we

know Christ

as our

Saviour

and King

as our

help

verse 4

verse 5

we are

blessed

we are

happy

we have

joy and

peace

God is

King

he rules

he reigns

he has

all power

so trust

him

we've seen

three reasons

why we should

put our trust

in God

he is

creator

he is

Saviour

he is

King

now just

two diagnostic

questions

for you

as we think

about

do you

trust in

the Lord

you may say

we do

how do you

respond when

things are

going badly

do you get

anxious and

worried

doubt God's

control and

sovereignty

doubt God's

goodness

perhaps you

get frustrated

I know that

I can

do you turn

to God

in prayer

or try

to find a

way through

it independently

in your own

strength

do you fall

into despair

as though all

is lost

do you turn

your eyes

on the things

that are wrong

do you forget

the rich blessings

that he has

lavished on us

in Christ

how do you

respond when

things are

going badly

secondly

how do you

respond when

things are

going well

do you think

it's your own

doing

that you have

achieved things

for yourself

are you

grateful and

thankful to

God

is your

happiness in

your circumstances

or in God

do you praise

and thank you

so two

diagnostic

questions

how do you

respond when

things are

going badly

how do you

respond when

things are

going well

so how can

we trust

in God

how can we

grow in trust

firstly we need to

meditate on God

and who he is

on his character

know the rich

goodness

of his character

hear his voice

in the words

of scripture

meditate on who

he is

this psalm

itself

is glorious

has glorious

truths

about who

he is

as we read

scripture

we are hearing

God

literally

speak to us

he is our

father

secondly

repent and pray

ask for forgiveness

for our lack of

trust

ask God

by his spirit

to give us

greater faith

and trust

in him

do we turn

to God

in all circumstances

Paul says

in the Philippines

do not be anxious

about anything

but in everything

by prayer

and supplication

with thanksgiving

let your requests

be known to God

one theologian

described prayerlessness

as practical

atheism

turn to God

in prayer

in the good

and the bad

i.e.

always turn to God

in prayer

and third

and finally

praise

the Lord

this is what we see

in this psalm

praise the Lord

praise the Lord

oh my soul

I will praise

the Lord

as long as I live

I will sing

praises to my God

while I have

my being

notice the resolve

I will

I will

this is the

first of the last

the five

hallelujah psalms

at the end

of the psalter

all of them

beginning and ending

with praise the Lord

hallelujah

all of the psalms

have been working

up to this point

of praise

just as all of

history

is working up

to this point

all of our lives

working up

to this point

praise the Lord

hallelujah

resolve

in the good

and the bad

as long as we

have our being

meaning as long

as we are alive

to sing praises

to our God

singing praises

to God

is not only

in response

to the trust

in God

but it builds

our trust

in God

praise the Lord

oh my soul

tell yourself

preach to yourself

implore yourself

to praise

and worship

God

because that

is ultimately

what we are

made for

Charles Ferdinand

commenting on these

verses

and I'll close

with this

wrote

when we praise

God

let us arouse

our innermost self

our central life

we have

but one soul

and if it be

saved from

eternal wrath

it is bound

to praise

its saviour

come

heart

mind

thoughts

come my

whole being

my soul

my all

be all

on flame

with joyful

adoration

up my brethren

lift up the song

praise ye the Lord

I shall not live here

forever

this mortal life

will find

finish in death

but while it lasts

I will lord

the Lord my God

I cannot tell

how long

or short

my life may be

but every hour

of it shall be

given

to the praises

of my God

while I live

our love

and while I breathe

our bless

the glorious

Jehovah

is my God

my own God

by covenant

and by blood

relationship

in Christ

Jesus

I have no being

apart from my God

therefore

I will not attempt

to enjoy my being

otherwise

than by singing

to his honour

twice the psalmist

says I will

we cannot be too firm

in the holy resolve

to praise God

for it is the chief end

of our living and being

that we should glorify God

and enjoy him

forever

Amen

Amen

Thank you.