Sermon
Praise To The God Of Life
Publisher transcript
Transcript
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Psalm 30, a Psalm of David, a song at the dedication of the temple.
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I will extol you, O Lord, for you have drawn me up and have not let my foes rejoice over me.
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O Lord, my God, I cried to you for help and you have healed me.
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O Lord, you have brought up my soul from Sheol.
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You restored me to life from among those who go down to the pit.
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Sing praises to the Lord, O you his saints.
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Give thanks to his holy name.
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For his anger is but for a moment and his favor is for a lifetime.
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Weeping may tarry for the night, but joy comes with the morning.
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As for me, I said in my prosperity, I shall never be moved.
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By your favor, O Lord, you had made my mountain stand strong, but then you hid your face and I was dismayed.
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To you, O Lord, I cry.
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To the Lord, I plead for mercy.
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What profit is there in my death if I go down to the pit?
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Will the dust praise you?
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Will it tell of your faithfulness?
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Hear, O Lord, and be merciful to me.
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O Lord, be my helper.
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You have turned for me my mourning into dancing.
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You have loosed my sackcloth and clothed me with gladness.
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That my glory may sing your praise and not be silent.
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Amen.
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O Lord, my God.
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I will give thanks to you forever.
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Amen.
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Well, how fitting is it for us to hear God's word from Psalm 30 on a special day like this one?
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It was King David who authored it, which is always of special interest to us.
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But he had a specific purpose for this song.
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As you'll see in the superscription, he assigned it for worship at the dedication of the temple,
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which was a service we read about a moment ago.
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It actually took place quite a bit after his death.
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The question is, why this song?
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It says absolutely nothing about the temple.
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Why would David write this one and put it to music and decide, even before his death,
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that whenever the dedication of the house of God comes,
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that this is what Israel should sing as part of their worship on that day?
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What did David want to be foremost in Israel's worship on such a momentous day?
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Well, it isn't a song of praise to the God who gives his people wonderful places in which they can worship.
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That's not what the song is.
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Certainly, we want to do that.
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We want to praise God for his provision and for his faithfulness and the kindness and goodness of his hand
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that would do such things, but that's not what the song praises the Lord for.
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It's a song of praise to the God who rescues his people from death
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in order that he might give them life.
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That's what the song is about.
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That's what David wanted to be foremost in Israel's mind.
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Now, the setting of the psalm, it reminds us that David is reflecting on a time when he was as good as dead.
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And as we read through it, we find that he felt he was as good as dead,
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not because of some enemy in his life,
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but because he was actually facing the judgment and the wrath of God for his sin.
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Eventually, he repents.
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And when he repented, God's anger was assuaged,
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and God mercifully delivered David from this death.
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And so, in response to this great salvation that God has given him,
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he says in the end he will praise God forever.
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His thanksgiving to God will always be on his lips for the rest of eternity
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for this great gift of life and salvation.
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So then, in the dedication of the temple,
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the king then is leading his people in joyful worship
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for a life that will never come to an end.
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That's the theme of the psalm.
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That's the summary of it.
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The exact moment that David is recalling in his life isn't specified here,
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but it's hard to ignore how closely this psalm tracks
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with a specific moment in David's life.
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You can read about it in 1 Chronicles 21.
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It was a specific sin of David's life recorded for us
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when he numbered the people.
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It was a census that he engaged in
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in order that he might determine
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how many mighty warriors are actually at his disposal,
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thinking that his victory and his triumph
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would come at the hands of men,
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which you would understand to be a great problem for the Lord.
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It was a grievous act of pride.
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It came in a season of prosperity,
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and that comes through in the song as well.
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And what we find when we read 1 Chronicles 21
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is that God's judgment was severe.
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In the end of it, 70,000 of those men that David numbered
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were killed by a pestilence at the hand of the judgment of God.
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The account ends with God mercifully staying his hand.
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The angel of the Lord, we're told in that chapter,
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is prepared to bring destruction to the city of Jerusalem.
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The angel has situated himself on a place,
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a threshing floor that belonged to a man named Ornan.
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David and his company, they go to where this angel is,
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and it's at that place that David cries out to God
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and begs for him to stay his anger and to show mercy
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and to kill no one else,
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not to destroy the city of Jerusalem.
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And God hears his cry,
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and he stops his judgment.
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And then he gives David a command
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that he said, build an altar on that place
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where the angel of the Lord was sending forth this destruction.
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And that's exactly what David does.
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He builds an altar,
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and then he purchases Ornan's threshing floor,
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and he designates the site of Ornan's threshing floor
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to be the place where the future house of God,
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the temple of Israel, would be built.
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It's fitting then that when we come to Psalm 30,
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that we would think of David's connection
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between this psalm and the dedication of that very temple.
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David wanted the people to remember on that day
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not that God can prosper them to build magnificent structures.
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He wanted them to remember on that day
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that God is a God of mercy
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and that salvation from his own wrath
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is what he offers his people.
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At the heart of the psalm is an invitation
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to join in the king's praise.
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It's a call for us to give praise to the God of life
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for salvation from death
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is given to all who will belong to him by faith.
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And we know that this life
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is provided through not David,
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but the greater David, Jesus,
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who ultimately fulfills the meaning of the psalm.
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So then all of King Jesus' people
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may then join him in his song of praise
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to the God of life.
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There's five stanzas in the psalm.
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I'm gonna group them together into three sections.
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In the first section,
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we see that we are to praise the God
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who raises the dead.
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We praise the God who raises the dead.
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Look at the first three verses.
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I will extol you, O Lord,
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for you have drawn me up
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and have not let my foes rejoice over me.
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O Lord, my God,
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I cried to you for help
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and you have healed me.
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O Lord, you have brought up my soul from Sheol.
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That's the realm of the dead.
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You restored me to life
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from among those who go down to the pit.
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The word pit there
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is gonna be used later in the psalm,
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but it's a different Hebrew word.
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It means something different later in the psalm.
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Here, it just means a pit,
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a hole in the ground
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where you put the dead body
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and you commit it back to the earth.
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David says,
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you have restored me to life from that place
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and from among those
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who are placed in the ground
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in order that they may decay
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and be corrupted.
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That this is a song of praise
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is clear from the opening determination
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that he will extol the Lord.
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You'll notice the king's praise here,
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David's praise,
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it is not at all perfunctory.
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He doesn't merely go through
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the motions of worship
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seen in dull
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and routine acts of ritual.
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So often we fall into Sunday by Sunday.
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That is not what's happening in the psalm.
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No, this praise is passionate.
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It's sincere.
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It's sincere.
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It's enthusiastic.
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Three times in the first three verses,
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nine times overall for the whole song,
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but three times in the first three verses,
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he uses the covenant name of God.
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One time adding in the intimately personal,
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my God,
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oh Lord,
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oh Yahweh,
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my God,
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you have healed me.
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You have brought me up.
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You have restored me to life.
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Why is that significant?
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What God has done for David
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is the outworking
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of his covenant faithfulness.
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He's fulfilling a promise
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to David in this.
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David recognizes that
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and he employs this covenant name
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that represents the faithfulness of God
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and the covenant of God
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to his king and to his people.
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He's fulfilled that promise
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and enthralled
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by the goodness of God,
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David responds
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with this opening shout of praise
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for what God has done for him.
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But what exactly is it
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that God has done for him?
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How has he so fulfilled his covenant?
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How has he so thrilled his king?
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He's restored him to life
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from certain death.
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David here was not merely
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on the brink of death,
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but it was such a death
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that comes from God's own wrath
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against him.
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It wasn't ordinary danger
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in which we ask God
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to simply rescue us
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from worldly enemies.
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God himself was the danger.
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God himself was the one
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against David
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in this moment.
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And knowing the severity of God,
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David writes
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as if he were truly dead.
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And yet God raised him
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from that death,
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delivering him
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from his own judgment.
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He, quote,
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drew him up from death
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as one would draw water
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out of a well.
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Why?
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So that David's enemies
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and the enemies of God
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would have no reason
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to rejoice in his death.
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That's not just death.
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That's a specific kind of death
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that would bring shame to David
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and to the people of Israel
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that would be able to rejoice
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and say,
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see, this God you've trusted in
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is worthless.
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That's what he's been drawn up from.
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It's not just about dying.
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It's about death by judgment.
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Strikingly,
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David speaks of it
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in terms of resurrection.
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In verse 3,
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God has rescued
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not merely his body
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from danger,
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he has rescued his soul
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from the realm of the dead,
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from the nether regions.
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He has restored him to life
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from the grave itself.
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And for David,
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this resurrection is metaphorical,
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but it's not at all difficult
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for us then to see
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how Jesus fulfills the psalm
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in its truest sense.
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See, anytime,
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this is why I say,
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anytime we read the psalms of David
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in particular,
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they're of special interest to us
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because as we look back historically
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to the person of David,
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it's as if we're seeing King David
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there waving at us with one hand,
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welcoming us in to his intimacy,
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to his real experience.
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But then with the other hand,
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he's pointing us to someone else.
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He's saying,
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you can see what's happening here,
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but it's fulfilled there.
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And he's pointing toward the Lord Jesus,
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the true and better David.
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And that's what's happening here in the psalm.
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David's life is foreshadowing
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the death and the resurrection
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of the Lord Jesus Christ.
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So then as we praise the God
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who raises the dead,
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we must first look with praise
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to the resurrection of Jesus Christ
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for that is how we know for sure
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that God really is the one
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who raises the dead.
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But we can't miss where he moves
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in this part of the song.
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Verses four and five.
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Notice,
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David turns his attention to the people.
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Sing praises to the Lord.
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Lord,
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all you his saints,
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and give thanks to his holy name
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for his anger
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is but for a moment.
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His favor though,
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when you get his favor,
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it's not temporary
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like the judgment
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that David experienced.
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No,
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it is life.
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It's a lifetime.
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It's never ending
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is the implication here.
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And he takes it further.
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Weeping
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may last for a night,
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but the implication being
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that night will eventually
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come to an end
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and it will break forth
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into the joy of mourning
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that has no end.
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He invites us then
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to join him
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in this praise.
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A praise
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set on
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the king's experience
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of resurrection
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before it is
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our own experience
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of resurrection
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and life.
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It's amazing.
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It shows us
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that this
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resurrection power
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is extended
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to the king's people.
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We may give
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thanks to God
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ourselves
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because his
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saving benefits
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of mercy
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and favor
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are applied
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to all his saints,
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all those
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who will love
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and serve him
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and obey him.
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And of course
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this blessing,
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this blessed state,
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it doesn't preclude
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God's discipline.
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Surely we do
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at times
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face his anger
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and the consequences
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of our sin.
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Neither does it
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deny the real
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experience of grief.
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Weeping does come
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even for the saints.
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But we may rest
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in the fact
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that our trials
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are but momentary.
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the favor
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of the Lord,
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the joy
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of the Lord,
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it has no end.
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Even when it
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comes to death
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itself,
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we understand
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as saints
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of God
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that that death
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is but momentary.
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It is a weeping
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that lasts
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only for a night
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but breaks forth
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into life.
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And the life
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that he gives,
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it's true,
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it's unending.
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And those of us
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who have received
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it by faith
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must join
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the king's song
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of praise
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to God
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who raises
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the dead.
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This is not
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the only reason
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that we are
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praising God
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here.
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We praise the God
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who raises
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the dead
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but then we
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praise God
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who responds
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to our cries
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for mercy.
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Look at verses
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six and seven.
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As for me,
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I said in my
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prosperity,
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I shall never
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be moved.
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By your favor,
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O Lord,
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you made my
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mountain stand
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strong
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but then you
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hid your face
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and I was
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troubled.
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I was dismayed.
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In these two
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stanzas,
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David is
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rewinding the
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tape,
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so to speak.
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Now,
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half the room
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doesn't know
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what that means
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but those of you
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who grew up
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with blockbuster
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and cassette
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tapes know
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exactly what
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that means.
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He's rewinding
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the tape,
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so to speak,
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so that he
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might explain
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the circumstances
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that led
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to the praise
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that he gives
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in the first
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five verses.
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Okay,
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so we already
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know from the
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beginning of the
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song,
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God has given
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him life
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and it's been
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magnificent.
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Now,
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after he's
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established that,
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now he's
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rewinding and
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he's saying,
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now let me
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explain just a
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little bit more
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about how this
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all came about.
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Let me explain
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a little bit more
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about what
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actually was
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happening.
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In a time
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of blessing,
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David grew
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presumptuous
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and he acted
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in pride.
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I said in my
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prosperity,
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I shall never
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be moved.
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The implication
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is that he
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began to think
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of himself
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as self-sufficient
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rather than
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dependent on
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grace.
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God had given
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him tremendous
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security,
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but then
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suddenly he
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hides his
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face from
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David.
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He removes
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his blessing
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so that
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David feels
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as he stands
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against the
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wrath of God
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and the
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judgment of
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God that
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he is as
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good as
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dead as
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he stands
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before the
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Lord.
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Why?
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Because of
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his own
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sin.
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He found
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himself to
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be the
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object of
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God's
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wrath.
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It greatly
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troubled him.
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It should
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trouble you.
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He wasn't
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at the
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brink of
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death because
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of unfortunate
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circumstances.
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He wasn't
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at the
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brink of
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death because
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of the
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threat of
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some human
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enemy.
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He was
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facing the
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direct
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judgment
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of the
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holy God.
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And so
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it was
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with Jesus.
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His
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crucifixion,
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despite what
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some may
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say,
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it wasn't
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the result
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of
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misfortune.
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Neither
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was he
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hopelessly
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caught up
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in the
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machinations
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of Jewish
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leaders or
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the tyranny
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of Roman
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oppression and
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the way that
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they dealt
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with who
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they thought
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were criminals
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and insurrectionists
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of the day.
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That's not
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what's happening
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there.
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On the
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cross,
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Jesus was
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the direct
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object of
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God's just
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wrath.
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He didn't
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face the
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wrath of
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Caiaphas.
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He didn't
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face the
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wrath of
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the Pharisees.
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He didn't
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face the
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wrath of
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Pilate or
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of Caesar.
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He faced
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the wrath
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of his
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own father.
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Only he
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did not
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face that
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judgment as
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a sinner
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himself.
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He faced
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that judgment
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from God
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as a sin
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bearer.
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And in
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bearing the
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just wrath
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of God,
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Jesus stood
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in the place
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of sinners,
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in the place
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of sinners
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like David.
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The place
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of sinners
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like me
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and the
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place of
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sinners
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like you.
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How did
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David go
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from the
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object of
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God's
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judgment
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to
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extolling
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God for
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restoring him
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to life?
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The answer
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is in his
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prayer.
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Look at
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verses 8
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to 10.
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To you,
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O Lord,
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I cried,
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and to the
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Lord,
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I pled for
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mercy.
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And he
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gives us
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what he
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prayed.
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What profit
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is there
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in my
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death
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if I
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go down
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to the
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pit?
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Now,
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I told you
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earlier in
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the psalm,
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it uses
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the English
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word pit.
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It's a
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different Hebrew
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word.
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There it
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actually means
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a hole
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in the
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ground.
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Here it
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actually means
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corruption.
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So maybe
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you reflect
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on a psalm
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like Psalm
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16,
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where David
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says you
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will not
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let your
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holy ones
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see corruption
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or decay.
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That's
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quoted by
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Peter in
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Acts chapter
Acts 2 chapter mention
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2,
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that great
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sermon at
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the day
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of Pentecost.
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He uses
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that to
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preach the
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resurrection
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of Jesus
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Christ.
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Same word
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David's now
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using here.
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For some
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reason,
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it's recorded
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for us here
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as pit,
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but it
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means corruption.
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David
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says,
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what profit
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is there
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if I go
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to the
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grave and
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I stay
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there?
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Will the
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dust
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praise you?
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Will what
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becomes of
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my body
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be any
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good to
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you or
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to anyone
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else,
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Lord?
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Will it
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tell of
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your
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faithfulness?
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Hear,
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O Lord,
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be merciful
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to me.
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O Lord,
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be my
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helper.
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David
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cries.
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You've
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heard that
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dead men
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tell no
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tales.
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They give
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no praise
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either.
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Don't be
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mistaken.
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David isn't
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bribing God
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here as if
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God has
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this desperate
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need to
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be recognized
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by us.
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He doesn't
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need us.
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That's not
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what David's
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doing.
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David knows
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that God
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will be
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glorified most
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in showing
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mercy,
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fulfilling his
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covenant,
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fulfilling his
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promise to
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David,
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and preventing
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him from
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seeing this
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corruption,
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death maybe,
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but not
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eternal death,
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not corruption,
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not decay.
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praying.
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We can hear
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Jesus
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pray this
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prayer,
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knowing that
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there would
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indeed be
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no profit
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for anyone
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if he were
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left in the
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grave.
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There would
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be neither
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glory for God,
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neither would
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there be hope
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for any of
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the rest of
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us.
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You say,
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when did
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Jesus ever
-
pray a
-
prayer like
-
this?
-
listen to
-
the writer
-
of Hebrews,
-
Hebrews 5,
-
verse 7,
-
in the days
-
of his
-
flesh,
-
Jesus offered
-
up prayers
-
and supplications
-
with loud
-
cries and
-
tears to
-
him who
-
was able
-
to save
-
him from
-
death,
-
and he
-
was heard
-
because of
-
his reverence,
-
and he
-
became the
-
source of
-
eternal
-
salvation
-
to all
-
who obey
-
him,
-
who obey
-
the God
-
who raises
-
the dead.
-
who will
-
come to
-
the God
-
who responds
-
to our
-
cries for
-
mercy.
-
Isn't that
-
what we're
-
praising for
-
in the
-
psalm?
-
These are
-
the prayers
-
that we
-
repeatedly
-
find God
-
responding to
-
throughout the
-
Bible.
-
Over and
-
over,
-
the people
-
that we
-
feel God
-
see God
-
drawing to
-
are those
-
who are
-
humble and
-
contrite and
-
broken and
-
poor in
-
spirit.
-
Remember,
-
in Jesus'
-
own life,
-
he shows
-
this,
-
he shows
-
the glory
-
of God
-
in this
-
way as
-
he sits
-
with sinners
-
and prostitutes
-
and publicans,
-
the people
-
who the
-
Jews hated.
-
He sat
-
with them
-
at dinner,
-
not to
-
condone their
-
life or to
-
condone their
-
behavior,
-
but to
-
call them
-
away from
-
it.
-
The Pharisees,
-
those who
-
were high-minded
-
about themselves,
-
who thought
-
much of
-
themselves and
-
their religion
-
would come
-
by and
-
said,
-
why on
-
earth would
-
you sit
-
with them?
-
To which
-
he responds,
-
a healthy
-
man needs
-
no physician,
-
only a
-
sick man.
-
I didn't
-
come to
-
call those
-
who think
-
they're
-
righteous.
-
I came
-
for those
-
who know
-
they're not.
-
That's who
-
God responds
-
to, not
-
to the
-
arrogant and
-
the prideful,
-
those who
-
think they
-
have their
-
life together,
-
those who
-
think they're
-
going to
-
be good,
-
those who
-
assume
-
arrogantly
-
that God
-
will reward
-
those who
-
do their
-
best and
-
try their
-
hardest.
-
That is not
-
the God
-
of the
-
Bible.
-
He does
-
not reward
-
you.
-
He gifts
-
you with
-
grace and
-
that grace
-
is received
-
through this
-
kind of
-
penitence.
-
They are the
-
humble,
-
penitent
-
prayers of
-
those who
-
set their
-
hope on
-
the mercy
-
of God,
-
not setting
-
their hope
-
on what
-
they think
-
may be
-
good in
-
themselves.
-
The Bible
-
echoes again
-
and again
-
that our
-
righteousness
-
is like a
-
filthy rag
-
to God.
-
It means
-
nothing to
-
Him.
-
Our
-
righteousness
-
is not
-
our own.
-
If you
-
have any
-
hope,
-
it won't
-
be because
-
you stand
-
before Him
-
and say,
-
well,
-
look at how
-
I live
-
my life,
-
God,
-
and He
-
rewards you.
-
It won't
-
happen.
-
We just
-
sang about
-
it.
-
When Satan
-
tempts me
-
to despair
-
and tells
-
me of
-
the guilt
-
within,
-
my real
-
guilt,
-
my own
-
sin,
-
upward I
-
look and
-
see Him
-
there who
-
made an
-
end to
-
all my
-
sin.
-
Because the
-
sinless
-
Savior died,
-
my sinful
-
soul is
-
counted free.
-
For God,
-
the just
-
one,
-
is satisfied
-
to look
-
on Him
-
and pardon
-
me.
-
Not to
-
look on
-
me,
-
to look
-
on Him.
-
Who
-
is it
-
that God
-
responds
-
to?
-
Whose
-
prayers
-
does God
-
actually
-
hear?
-
Not the
-
prayers of
-
the spiritually
-
arrogant,
-
but the
-
prayers of
-
the humble,
-
those who
-
cry out
-
for mercy.
-
Don't you
-
realize that
-
God invites
-
you to
-
do this?
-
Isaiah
-
1,
-
18,
-
come now,
-
let us
-
reason together,
-
says the
-
Lord.
-
Though your
-
sins are
-
like scarlet,
-
I will
-
make them
-
white as
-
snow.
-
He invites
-
you,
-
come to
-
Him to
-
receive this
-
mercy.
-
Micah 7,
-
who is a
-
God like
-
you,
-
pardoning
-
iniquity,
-
passing
-
over
-
transgression
-
for the
-
remnant of
-
your people.
-
He does
-
not retain
-
His anger
-
forever,
-
but He
-
delights
-
in steadfast
-
love.
-
Psalm
-
130,
-
3 and
-
4,
-
if you,
-
O Lord,
-
should mark
-
iniquities,
-
if you
-
should count
-
sins,
-
O Lord,
-
who could
-
stand?
-
Answer,
-
no one.
-
But the
-
psalmist
-
continues,
-
but with
-
you there is
-
forgiveness,
-
that you
-
may be
-
feared,
-
that you
-
may be
-
loved and
-
obeyed and
-
revered,
-
not merely
-
because of
-
your greatness,
-
but because
-
of your
-
mercy.
-
Lamentations
-
3,
-
21 and
-
23,
-
but this
-
I call
-
to mind
-
and therefore
-
I have
-
hope,
-
that the
-
steadfast
-
love of
-
the Lord
-
never ceases.
-
His
-
mercies
-
never come
-
to an
-
end,
-
they're
-
new every
-
morning,
-
great is
-
your
-
faithfulness,
-
O God.
-
Or if you
-
need a
-
New Testament
-
passage,
-
how about
-
Jesus'
-
own words
-
in Matthew
-
11,
-
come to
-
me,
-
all who
-
labor and
-
are heavy
-
laden,
-
who's he
-
talking to?
-
He's talking
-
to all of
-
those people
-
who are
-
working so
-
hard to
-
earn something
-
from God
-
that they'll
-
never be able
-
to earn.
-
He says,
-
you,
-
come to
-
me,
-
I'll give
-
you rest
-
from those
-
laborers.
-
Come to
-
me and you
-
will find
-
rest for
-
your soul.
-
Perhaps you
-
would prefer
-
Paul.
-
Whosoever
-
will call upon
-
the name of
-
the Lord,
-
will be
-
saved.
-
Perhaps you
-
like Andy's
-
passage better
-
from earlier
-
in the
-
service.
-
If you
-
say you
-
have no
-
sin,
-
you're a
-
liar.
-
But if you
-
confess your
-
sin,
-
he is
-
faithful
-
and just
-
and will
-
forgive your
-
sin and
-
will cleanse
-
you from
-
all unrighteousness.
-
Our
-
righteousness is
-
not our
-
own.
-
It's an
-
alien
-
righteousness.
-
It's
-
imputed
-
onto us.
-
It's the
-
righteousness
-
of Christ.
-
As he
-
stands
-
condemned
-
in our
-
place,
-
he then
-
puts his
-
righteousness
-
on his
-
people.
-
David can
-
extol God
-
who raises
-
the dead
-
because he
-
had personally
-
experienced
-
God who
-
responds to
-
our cries
-
for mercy.
-
And it's
-
because of
-
this experience
-
that he
-
could affirm
-
that God's
-
anger is
-
indeed only
-
for a
-
moment,
-
but his
-
favor is
-
life.
-
God saves
-
from himself,
-
mind you.
-
He saves
-
from himself
-
all who
-
will acknowledge
-
their sin,
-
turn to him
-
in faith,
-
and seek
-
his mercy.
-
And those
-
who have
-
received it
-
can thus
-
join in
-
this song
-
of praise.
-
But you
-
can't join
-
this song
-
of praise
-
until you've
-
gotten there.
-
Notice
-
again,
-
verse 4,
-
who is it
-
that's called
-
to join
-
the king
-
in this
-
praise?
-
Not
-
everyone.
-
Not
-
everyone.
-
His
-
saints,
-
those who
-
have done
-
as David
-
has done,
-
those who
-
will look
-
to Christ
-
by faith
-
and will
-
love the
-
Lord and
-
trust him
-
and cry
-
out for
-
his mercy.
-
That's
-
who can
-
sing the
-
song.
-
So we
-
praise God
-
who raises
-
the dead.
-
We praise
-
God who
-
responds to
-
our cries
-
for mercy.
-
Finally,
-
we praise
-
God who
-
rejoices
-
our hearts.
-
Rejoices
-
our hearts.
-
Verses 11
-
and 12.
-
It's wonderful
-
here.
-
David moves
-
on from this
-
experience and
-
he returns
-
to praise.
-
You have
-
turned for
-
me my
-
mourning into
-
dancing.
-
That's why we
-
know David
-
wasn't a
-
Baptist.
-
You have
-
loosed my
-
sackcloth.
-
You've
-
clothed me
-
with gladness.
-
Why?
-
So that
-
my glory
-
may sing
-
your praise
-
and never
-
be silent.
-
And then
-
there's this
-
promise he
-
gives.
-
Oh Lord,
-
my God,
-
I will
-
give thanks
-
to you
-
forever.
-
God's
-
judgment,
-
it clothes
-
us in
-
grief.
-
You
-
consider
-
your sin
-
when you
-
really
-
confront
-
the glory
-
of God
-
and God
-
confronts you
-
with that
-
glory.
-
glory,
-
you should
-
be dismayed.
-
It should
-
bring you
-
grief.
-
That's why
-
our service
-
is structured
-
the way
-
that it
-
is.
-
We begin
-
by looking
-
to the
-
greatness
-
of God
-
and then
-
immediate
-
from there
-
we go
-
to humility
-
and a
-
confession
-
of sin.
-
Because to
-
really see
-
God for
-
who he is
-
means you're
-
really going
-
to see
-
yourself for
-
who you
-
are and
-
that will
-
produce
-
grief.
-
His
-
judgment,
-
it closes
-
with grief.
-
But when
-
we turn
-
to him
-
in repentance
-
and faith
-
he removes
-
the sackcloth
-
of our guilt.
-
But he
-
doesn't just
-
remove the
-
sackcloth
-
of our guilt
-
he puts
-
in its
-
place
-
the joy
-
of our
-
salvation.
-
He clothes
-
us then
-
with gladness
-
and the
-
fruit of
-
this gladness
-
is endless
-
praise.
-
Those
-
whom God
-
has made
-
glad
-
cannot
-
help
-
but sing
-
his praise
-
not merely
-
with their
-
lips
-
but with
-
their whole
-
being.
-
This
-
praise,
-
this promise
-
of worship
-
here moves
-
beyond merely
-
singing a set
-
of songs
-
on a Sunday
-
morning.
-
If that's
-
all this
-
was this
-
would not
-
be as
-
exciting
-
as it
-
actually
-
is.
-
It's
-
not just
-
about that.
-
It's a
-
life that
-
is wholly
-
dedicated
-
to God's
-
glory.
-
It is
-
the genuine
-
fruit
-
of real
-
salvation.
-
Not only
-
the song
-
that you
-
sing
-
but the
-
life
-
that you
-
live
-
and the
-
way that
-
you obey
-
him
-
and the
-
way that
-
you love
-
him
-
and the
-
way that
-
you love
-
his people
-
and his
-
church
-
and the
-
way that
-
you commit
-
yourself
-
to worship
-
and the
-
way that
-
you commit
-
yourself
-
and all
-
that you
-
do not
-
for your
-
own
-
pleasure
-
but for
-
the
-
pleasure
-
of the
-
God
-
who has
-
given
-
you
-
life.
-
That's
-
what this
-
is.
-
Consider
-
your own
-
life for
-
a moment.
-
Is your
-
life truly
-
dedicated to
-
God's
-
glory?
-
Not because
-
you think
-
in some
-
kind of
-
commitment
-
you will
-
earn something
-
from him
-
but because
-
you cannot
-
help but
-
recognize what
-
he has done
-
for you
-
and you
-
will give
-
your life
-
to his
-
glory
-
and to
-
his gospel.
-
Is that
-
your life?
-
That's the
-
Christian life.
-
That's what
-
it means to
-
be a
-
Christian.
-
It means
-
to recognize
-
the goodness
-
of Christ
-
and live
-
the rest
-
of your
-
days in
-
light of
-
that.
-
Has
-
he turned
-
your mourning
-
into dancing?
-
has
-
he turned
-
your
-
weeping
-
into joy
-
and your
-
sorrow
-
into
-
gladness?
-
And if
-
you believe
-
he has
-
the question
-
is
-
is that
-
actually
-
evidenced
-
in the
-
fruit of
-
the life
-
that you
-
live
-
and in
-
the way
-
that you
-
worship
-
or in
-
whether or
-
not you
-
worship
-
at all?
-
Perhaps
-
you've
-
come here
-
this morning
-
thinking that
-
everything is
-
good but
-
the reality
-
is your
-
life proves
-
that everything
-
is not
-
good.
-
You may
-
feel good
-
about it
-
but it's
-
not very
-
good.
-
David
-
ends the
-
song with
-
a promise.
-
He will
-
give thanks
-
to God
-
forever.
-
How can
-
he do
-
that?
-
Is that
-
not its
-
own kind
-
of presumption
-
and pride
-
that he
-
would expect
-
to live
-
forever?
-
Well that
-
promise is
-
rooted in
-
a promise
-
from God
-
that for
-
David
-
there will
-
be a
-
forever
-
in which
-
he may
-
give thanks
-
and he
-
is committed
-
to doing
-
just that.
-
He
-
anticipates
-
here a
-
more profound
-
salvation
-
that goes
-
beyond
-
whatever
-
earthly
-
experience
-
provides the
-
background
-
of this
-
song.
-
It's
-
moving
-
past that.
-
That's
-
not what
-
he has
-
in mind
-
at the
-
end.
-
Because
-
God
-
has
-
delivered
-
him
-
from
-
death
-
he
-
believes
-
truly
-
that
-
God
-
will
-
also
-
deliver
-
him
-
through
-
death.
-
This is
-
what Paul
-
is on
-
about.
-
In 1
-
Corinthians
-
15 he
-
says
-
the last
-
enemy
-
to be
-
destroyed
-
is
-
death.
-
That
-
means
-
you
-
will
-
die.
-
Victory
-
is not
-
in avoiding
-
that.
-
Victory
-
is coming
-
through
-
that
-
to receive
-
a life
-
that moves
-
beyond
-
this one.
-
That's
-
what David's
-
on about
-
at the
-
end.
-
How could
-
we be
-
hopeful
-
for such
-
a thing?
-
The hope
-
of this
-
eternal
-
life
-
is assured
-
to us
-
in the
-
resurrection
-
of Christ
-
who ultimately
-
fulfills
-
David's
-
words here.
-
Christopher
-
Ash
-
writes so
-
helpfully,
-
David's
-
rescue from
-
death was
-
somehow
-
necessary for
-
the glory
-
of God
-
and yet
-
David
-
died.
-
Do you
-
see what
-
David is
-
promising
-
here is
-
not that
-
if you
-
just do
-
everything
-
that he's
-
telling you
-
to do
-
you will
-
never
-
actually
-
die.
-
That God
-
will never
-
allow you
-
to actually
-
face death
-
itself.
-
That's not
-
what the
-
psalm promises.
-
David
-
died.
-
So the
-
fulfillment
-
of the
-
psalm
-
has to
-
await
-
something
-
else.
-
It
-
awaits
-
actually
-
the
-
resurrection
-
of
-
Jesus
-
Christ.
-
The
-
hope of
-
this
-
psalm
-
it
-
doesn't
-
ultimately
-
rest in
-
David's
-
deliverance
-
from the
-
danger
-
of death.
-
It
-
rests in
-
Jesus'
-
resurrection
-
from death
-
itself.
-
That's
-
where the
-
hope is
-
here.
-
Concealed
-
in mystery
-
with David
-
he's but a
-
shadow
-
but the
-
substance
-
of that
-
shadow
-
in
-
psalm
-
30
-
is the
-
Lord
-
Jesus.
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Our
-
hope in
-
singing this
-
song of
-
praise to
-
God
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is not
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finally to
-
live a
-
longer life
-
to extend
-
our days
-
on earth.
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That's not
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why we would
-
sing this
-
song in
-
praise.
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It's not
-
what we're
-
looking to
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do.
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It's not
-
what you
-
should be
-
looking to
-
do.
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That's not
-
the heart
-
of it.
-
It is to
-
receive
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eternal life
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that comes
-
through faith
-
in the
-
Lord Jesus
-
Christ.
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Who bore
-
our sins
-
in his
-
body on
-
the tree
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and was
-
raised from
-
the dead
-
so that
-
your faith
-
and hope
-
are in
-
God
-
writes Peter.
-
Jesus
-
himself says
-
if you
-
remember the
-
story with
-
Martha and
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Mary and
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Lazarus and
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Lazarus' death
-
and Jesus
-
raising him.
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What is it
-
that he says
-
to Lazarus'
-
sister?
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I am the
-
resurrection
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and the
-
life.
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Whoever
-
believes in
-
me
-
though he
-
die
-
will live.
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That's the
-
fulfillment of
-
what David
-
writes here.
-
We don't
-
look to
-
David with
-
joy.
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We look
-
to Jesus
-
with joy.
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This is
-
what David
-
wanted Israel
-
to think
-
of as they
-
dedicated
-
the temple.
-
It's what we
-
should think
-
of every
-
time we
-
come to
-
this place.
-
Sunday
-
by Sunday
-
singing our
-
song of
-
praise to
-
the God
-
of life.
-
You know
-
that's why we
-
gather on
-
Sunday.
-
Right?
-
It's to
-
celebrate the
-
resurrection of
-
Jesus.
-
For us
-
every Sunday
-
is Easter.
-
It really
-
is.
-
We receive
-
this life
-
life.
-
We just
-
acknowledge
-
before we
-
close.
-
That if
-
you do
-
not receive
-
this life
-
and if
-
you go
-
to
-
corruption
-
and you
-
face
-
God's
-
eternal
-
wrath and
-
judgment,
-
it won't
-
be because
-
God was
-
mean to
-
you.
-
It will
-
be because
-
in this
-
moment and
-
in moments
-
like it,
-
when you've
-
heard the
-
truth of
-
the gospel,
-
you ignored
-
it and
-
you rejected
-
it and
-
you denied
-
it.
-
You will
-
go to an
-
eternal hell
-
because of
-
you and
-
no one
-
else and
-
nothing else.
-
But there
-
is hope
-
for you.
-
He extends
-
this offer
-
of life
-
through Jesus
-
to you
-
if you
-
will but
-
come to
-
him for
-
it.
-
Turn from
-
your sin
-
and self
-
and your
-
self-sufficiency
-
and your
-
self-satisfaction
-
and everything
-
you think is
-
good about
-
you and
-
cry out
-
to him
-
because
-
truly,
-
whoever
-
will call
-
out to
-
him in
-
Christ
-
will be
-
saved.
-
And if
-
you turn
-
to Christ
-
today,
-
this life
-
will be
-
yours.
-
And we'll
-
look forward
-
to seeing
-
you next
-
Sunday
-
as we
-
gather
-
again
-
to praise
-
the God
-
of life.