Eternal

This is the one Psalm of the 150 that was written by Moses.

Moses, the man of God.

So Psalm 90, I'm on page 599.

Lord, you have been our dwelling place throughout all generations.

Before the mountains were born or you brought forth the earth and the world,

from everlasting to everlasting, you are God.

You turn men back to dust, saying,

Return to dust, O sons of men.

For a thousand years in your sight are like a day that has just gone by,

or like a watch in the night.

You sweep men away in the sleep of death.

They are like the new grass of the morning.

Though in the morning it springs up new, by evening it is dry and withered.

We are consumed by your anger and terrified by your indignation.

You have set our iniquities before you,

our secret sins in the light of your presence.

All our days pass away under your wrath.

We finish our years with a moan.

The length of our days is seventy years or eighty if we have the strength.

Yet their span is but trouble and sorrow.

For they quickly pass and we fly away.

Who knows the power of your anger?

For your wrath is as great as the fear that is due to you.

Teach us to number our days aright,

that we may gain a heart of wisdom.

Relent, O Lord, how long will it be?

Have compassion on your servants.

Satisfy us in the morning with your unfailing love,

that we may sing for joy and be glad all our days.

Make us glad for as many days as you have afflicted us,

for as many years as we have seen trouble.

May your deeds be shown to your servants,

your splendor to their children.

May the favour of the Lord our God rest upon us.

Establish the work of our hands for us.

Yes, establish the work of our hands.

So this evening, this is what we're thinking about,

that God is eternal.

We're thinking about the God of infinite days.

And as we begin, I think it's helpful for us

to take just a few minutes to think about

our own relationship with time.

Because in large measure, we are defined

in relation to time.

We have a new niece as of yesterday.

So she is defined, a nephew.

What am I talking about?

A nephew.

And straight away, I'm not going to buy any of the presents.

Straight away, they are defined,

little Flynn is defined in terms of

this is the day of his birth.

And we're all like that.

We have calendars that we are then connected to.

Tables of events.

Things that we need to do.

Sometimes we find ourselves slaves to our diaries.

We have all of these commitments in time.

We're moving from one thing to the next.

We are defined in relation to time in that way.

But also in the sense that we are products

of our generation.

We live, we occupy this space in time.

So we struggle to understand sort of bygone eras.

Even if we study history, we're always kind of

looking at a distance and trying to figure it out.

We have no idea what's coming in the future.

So our understanding is always limited by time.

We understand that time is a resource,

especially, I guess, in the West.

We're used to thinking about time as a really precious resource.

Of course, we can waste it.

We can procrastinate.

We can be distracted.

But we talk about our culture as being time poor.

That many of us live with endless pressures

and one deadline after another.

That sense of never having enough time in the day

to get everything done to meet all our responsibilities.

So time limits us.

It limits our opportunities.

If I go to this place, then obviously I cannot also go to this place.

It limits our ability to build and maintain relationships.

If you move from one city to another or one country to another,

there are people that you say goodbye to

and with the best will in the world,

you just don't have time to keep up with them.

We are limited by time in terms of our perspectives.

That we look at the world as people today in the 21st century.

So our view on life is very different to, for example,

the way that people of biblical times looked at the world.

And so one of the challenges for us of living well

is to then have a right attitude to time.

That was one of the things I found most helpful

about Jen Wilkins' chapter this week.

She was talking about not being sort of tied to your past,

always sort of feeling, sort of having the past being brought up

or always being anxious about the future,

anticipating what's still to come.

She talked about being fully present in the present.

And that's really hard for us to do sometimes,

especially if we feel pressure.

We're sitting down maybe at home and we're thinking,

I've got this to do, that to do.

Our mind can go elsewhere.

The challenge to be fully present in the present is a real one.

So having a right attitude to time is important

and having a right attitude to the God who sits outside of

and over time, a right attitude to the eternal God

is crucially important for us to live well.

So to help us to reflect on this topic,

we are hearing in Psalm 90 a mature reflection from Moses,

the man of God.

If there is anyone who is qualified to speak about the eternal God

and people's relationship to the eternal God,

then it's Moses.

Because he is somebody who God spoke to face to face

as a man talks with his friend.

We're told that in Exodus 33.

So here is Moses reflecting on us in time

and the God of eternity.

Now one question before we get into it,

what's the likely timing of the writing of Psalm 90?

So some commentators have got their suggestions.

The one that makes the most sense to me,

and it's just a suggestion,

is that it probably follows the events of Numbers 20.

When you read Numbers 20,

you discover that there Moses' sister dies,

the sister Miriam,

his brother Aaron dies.

And Numbers 20 is also that point

where he has forbidden entry into the promised land.

He was told to bring water from the rock

and instead of speaking,

he hits it with a stick.

And because of that, he's forbidden entry.

Why do I think this is the most likely time period for writing?

Because as you look at Psalm 90,

you see this theme of the brevity of life coming through.

You also see the connection between sin and death

being highlighted for us.

And the idea at verse 1 of God being a home,

God as home for the homeless,

is also present there.

So that being the case,

how does Moses guide us to think about the eternal God?

Well, the key, the most basic observation for us

is just that simple reminder that God is eternal.

So verse 1 and 2 again,

Lord, you have been our dwelling place

throughout all generations

before the mountains were born,

while you brought forth the earth and the world

from everlasting to everlasting,

you are God.

So Moses picks the biggest,

most permanent,

most enduring part of our world,

the mountains.

And then he goes wider than that.

He says,

even before you brought the earth and the world,

you are God.

From everlasting to everlasting,

you are God.

Before there was anything that we can see,

it was God.

After there is everything,

there will be God.

Moses is teaching here

the same message of Genesis chapter 1.

Genesis 1 · chapter mention

In the beginning,

God created the heavens and the earth.

So God is,

he exists before he creates.

So he creates a world that is marked by time.

There are days and there are seasons

and there are years,

but God is not within that.

God is timeless.

He is everlasting.

So he is outside of time.

And this is one of those things that is,

I would suggest,

it's almost impossible for us

to get our minds around.

It's one of those biblical mysteries.

We were talking about it in the car,

on the drive up.

How do you imagine,

how can you begin to imagine

a God who has always been?

Because we are so used to stuff

having a beginning and an ending.

We think in terms of time,

in terms of duration.

We cannot imagine that anything

will last forever.

And that's part of the mystery of God.

It's part of how he differs from us,

that he stands apart from us,

unique to us,

because he is eternal.

And because he is eternal,

he has a different perspective

on time than we do.

So in verse four,

for a thousand years in your sight

are like a day that has just gone by,

or like a watch in the night.

So because God stands above time,

he's able to see history

in a single moment.

He's not bound by our limited perspective.

You know, what do we know

about the past and the present?

Depending on how many books we've read

or how many conversations we've had,

we may have some grasp of the past,

and we've got some understanding

of our experience of the present,

but it's still tiny compared to

all that's going on around the world.

And it's important for us

to recognize that

and to see that our place

within God's story

is tiny as well.

That we are important,

we're valued by God,

but our place is small.

So if the whole of human history

is God's great musical concerto,

perhaps we're a single note.

Or if history is God's epic cinematic masterpiece,

then we are extras

with a small walk on part.

That to look on us

does not give a whole sense

of time and history,

but God can see the whole.

God sees the whole story.

He sees our place

within time and history

in ways that we can't.

The truth that God is eternal,

it is intended to do

at least two things within us.

First of all,

it's intended to give us

a proper sense of humility,

to understand that

we're not always going to grasp

what God is doing,

why He does it.

We're not always going to understand

what perfect timing means for God.

We have an idea

of what perfect timing should be.

When we pray,

we expect God to answer

at such and such a time.

God doesn't always do that.

So there is to be a humility

as a result of that,

but also a sense of hope

that we can trust this God

to work all things together for good,

even if that leaves

unresolved mystery for us.

Even if we cannot see

how God can possibly use

this or that difficult circumstance

or mess in our lives,

we can trust the eternal God

to bring good,

to redeem that.

We can trust the message

of Ecclesiastes,

that God makes everything beautiful

in His own time,

not always in our time.

that we're invited to have faith

that His story of salvation

comes together

as He intends it to.

And so we're invited

to this humble,

hopeful attitude

that says to God,

my times are in your hands

and that's not a message

that tends towards despair,

but it allows us to humbly trust

because we know our eternal God.

So that's one of the dominant pictures

of Psalm 90,

that God is eternal.

Another key observation

that Moses makes for us

at this very basic level

is that by contrast,

we are temporal

and we are time bound.

So in verse 3,

He says,

you turn men back to dust,

saying,

return to dust,

O sons of men.

So the Bible teaches

that God is sovereign

over all the days of our lives,

from our beginning,

and then He sustains

all the days of our lives

and He decides

the day of our death.

In verse 5,

you sweep men away

in the sleep of death.

They're like the new grass

of the morning,

though in the morning

it springs up new.

By evening,

it is dry and withered.

Compared to God,

our life is brief

and fragile,

like the desert grass

that springs up in the morning

and then by the evening

is scorched and gone.

We are here today

and gone tomorrow,

relatively speaking.

Now it's important

for us to recognize

that that was not

how things were,

in the beginning.

So in verse 3,

he uses that

return to dust language

and that, I think,

is deliberately picking up

the language

of Genesis chapter 3.

Genesis 3 · chapter mention

Moses was the writer

of Genesis.

And in Genesis 3,

we have the language

of dust to dust.

Following the sinful pride

and rebellion

of Adam and Eve,

Adam and then

all people subsequent

find themselves

under God's curse.

That Adam is told

quite clearly

that sin leads to death

and as a consequence

of their sin,

death comes

into the world.

Why do we suffer

in time

in our lives

and why do we die?

Because,

as the Bible says,

the wages of sin

is death.

That's the reason

why I think

in verses 7 to 10,

there is such

a strong connection

between the themes

of judgment

and death.

Moses is trying

to remind us

in very stark terms

that our short lives,

part of the brevity

of life,

reminds us

that God

is justly angry

against sin.

That death

came into the world

as a consequence

consequence

of sin

and we are all

implicated in that

which is why

the we and the our

language comes through

again and again

in verses 7 to 9.

So we are consumed

by your anger.

You have set

our iniquities

before you,

our secret sins

in the light

of your presence.

All of humanity

together

in our sin

leading to the death

leading to death

and the displeasure

of God.

So Moses is not

just pointing out

the great contrast

that is in terms

of God is eternal

and we are temporal.

Part of that contrast

is showing the great

crisis that as people

we all face.

How can we properly

relate to this

eternal God

if we stand as

sinners deserving

the judgment of God?

And so the question

that we want to turn

our attention to now

is,

is there any good news

for us here

does Moses

the man of faith

have anything

gospel to say to us?

Is there hope

for us

in this psalm?

And the answer is

yes,

there is

as we listen

to his words.

The first

lesson I think

that Moses

would have us

to learn

is that we should

ask God

to help us

live wisely

in time.

And we'll think

about what that

looks like.

but maybe we can

read together

in verses 11

and 12.

Verse 11,

Who knows

the power

of your anger?

For your wrath

is as great

as the fear

that is due

to you.

And then he says,

Teach us

to number

our days

aright

that we may

gain

a heart

of wisdom.

What would it

look like

for God

to teach us

to number

our days

right?

What is

wisdom

in how we

approach

time and

eternity?

Moses has

got a lot

of valuable

stuff

to teach

us.

So we just

read verse 11

and they are

part of the

wisdom

that he's

teaching us

is to

understand

that sin

is serious

and God

is holy.

Take time

to observe

and reflect

that reality.

Sometimes we're

so busy

with life

that we can

ignore

the great

crisis that

there is

between us

and God

and we can

ignore God's

solution to

that crisis

the sending

of his one

and only

son Jesus

to be our

savior

and rescuer.

And so this

psalm is pushing

us to understand

that sin is

serious

and that God

is holy

and to understand

that there is

a direct

connection

between sin

and death.

Again,

it is wisdom

to recognize

that so while

we have time

to discover

for ourselves

God's way

of forgiveness.

We don't like

to think about

life and death

and judgment

but it's wisdom

for us

when we reflect

on the fact

that death

comes to us all

and we need

to be ready

for that

and God

and Jesus

has given

us the way

to be ready

because he's

given us the way

where if we

trust in Jesus

then we know

that we'll be

accepted by God

and we'll enjoy

eternal life

from him.

I think in

verse 4

we're encouraged

to remember

and to understand

and to understand

that God's

timetable

is different

to ours

and so we're

invited to be

trusting in God

in the days

that he gives

to us.

That we are to

understand that

life is

temporary

so we don't

invest all our

energy in now

we live for

eternity.

In Luke

Luke 12 · chapter mention

chapter 12

Jesus taught

the parable

that we

maybe know

as the parable

of the rich

fool.

There was a

man who had

a great harvest

and so he's

got this question

well what should

I do

with my great

crop

and he decides

well I know

what I'll do

I'll tear down

my small barns

and I'll build

bigger ones

and then once

all the crop

is in

I'll eat

and I'll drink

and I'll be

merry

and in the

night God

comes to him

and says

you fool

tonight your

life will be

asked of you

and Jesus

is saying

it's foolish

to be rich

in human

terms now

and to be

poor in terms

of not having

a relationship

with the God

who made us

the God who

made us

so that we

might know

him

and so one

of the things

that Moses

is pushing us

to think about

is if there

is an eternal

God

then

and if God

has made us

for relationship

then we need

in order that

we might enjoy

the eternal

life promised

by Jesus

so the first

lesson that Moses

gives us in this

psalm is to ask

God to help us

to live wisely

and the second

thing

and Moses came

to learn this

in his own

experience

make your home

in God

picking up

that language

of verse

one

Lord you

have been

our dwelling

place

throughout

all

generations

so here is

personal testimony

from Moses

the man of

faith

this is Moses

also speaking

on behalf of

the generations

of faith

that came

before him

that God

is a home

God

is a refuge

God

is a safe

place

for his

people

perhaps we can

think about the

example of

Abraham

Abraham was

promised

by God

I will give

you the land

of Canaan

but that land

would only come

to Abraham's

descendants

430 years

later

so Abraham

spent a good

portion of

his life

wandering around

from place

to place

with no

home to

speak of

except that

his home

his place

of security

his place

of belonging

was in

God

and so

Moses too

understood

that as

the people

wandered in

the wilderness

for 40 years

again

without a

home

Moses

and the

faithful

in Israel

found their

home

found their

safe place

in God

when trouble

when challenges

came

was God

that Moses

turned to

home

is a place

of belonging

when John

Calvin

commentated

on this

psalm

he said

that this

dwelling place

language

is adoption

language

we have

a home

because God

is father

and we

are his

children

we are

children

of the

eternal

God

and so

it makes

sense

for us

to find

our rest

and our

security

and our

hope

with our

father

God

and so

again

there's this

contrast

so Moses

is saying

on the one

hand

you know

life is

full of

trial

and sorrow

and it's

short

but he's

also saying

with the

eternal

God

there is

a sense

of being

rooted

there is

a sense

of permanence

there

so that

while there

is this

trial

and while

there is

this sorrow

for the

people of

God

for example

in verse

14

we can say

satisfy us

in the morning

with your

unfailing

love

that we

may sing

for joy

and be

glad

all our

days

and again

we can

remember

Jesus'

words

in John

John 14 · chapter mention

chapter

14

as Jesus

spoke to

his troubled

disciples

the night

before he

would go

to the

cross

Jesus

said this

to them

this is

beginning

of John

John 14 · chapter mention

chapter

14

do not

let your

hearts

be troubled

trust in

God

trust also

in me

in my

father's

house

are many

rooms

if it

were not

so I

would have

told you

I am

going there

to prepare

a place

for you

and if

I go

and prepare

a place

for you

I will

come back

and take

you to

be with

me

that you

also

may be

where I

am

so here

is gospel

hope

connected to

this idea

of a

home

Jesus is

saying I

have come

to save

you

in order

that one

day I

will take

you to

be with

me

in

perfection

forever

and the

picture there

is of

God

having

plenty

of space

for all

those who

would trust

in Jesus

to enjoy

the joy

of heaven

the third

lesson

that I think

that we can

learn from

Moses about

how to

live

wisely

it comes

from verse

17

and the

idea of

investing

in

eternity

if we're

right in

thinking

this is

Moses

writing this

psalm towards

the end

of his

life

then when

he says

may the

favor of

the Lord

our God

rest upon

us

establish the

work of

our hands

for us

yes

establish the

work of

our hands

it's

natural to

hear this

as Moses

asking for

a legacy

of faith

let my

life mean

something

in spiritual

terms

let the

life of

the people

of Israel

mean something

in spiritual

terms

here is an

encouraging

principle

here is

Moses

a man

who is

bound by

time

speaking to

the eternal

God

and he's

acknowledging

that the

eternal

God can

establish

lasting

eternal

results

from our

small

efforts

in time

if God

establishes

our work

then they

will have

lasting

value

and significance

it's like

Jesus

in Matthew

Matthew 6 · chapter mention

chapter 6

when he

called us

to store

up for

ourselves

treasures

in heaven

to invest

our time

and our

energy

and our

resources

in those

things that

are

eternal

so a

reminder to

invest in

relationships

and people

ahead of

money and

stuff

to share

our resources

to care

for others

in Jesus

name

asking that

God's love

might be felt

in the

lives of

others

and they

may be

drawn to

trust in

Jesus

for

themselves

it

certainly

reminds us

of the

importance

of sharing

the gospel

of sharing

our faith

with others

in our

homes

in our

church

in the

groups

that we

belong

to

on our

streets

because

God can

take our

small

efforts

and he

can

establish

them

in such

a way

that it

has

eternal

significance

so Moses

here is

seeking to

act as

our guide

as we

think about

the eternal

God

and how

we relate

to him

in Jen

Wilkins

book

she asks

a helpful

question

when she

asks how

aware

are you

that your

days

are numbered

it's

wisdom

to see

that every

day of

our life

is a

gift

of God's

grace

it's

wisdom

to

acknowledge

that we

are

fragile

and that

the eternal

God is

our only

lasting

hope

and home

and it

is truly

wise

to trust

in Jesus

the eternal

son of

God

who have

love for

us

entered

into

time

entered

into

human

history

in order

to go

to the

cross

to save

us

in order

to promise

us

the eternal

life

that our

hearts

long for

not

have

you

have

no

help