Psalm Ch126v1-6 - Joyful Harvest

Well, let's turn in our Bibles to Psalm 126.

Psalm 126.

So I wish you a joy-filled coming year.

A joy-filled coming year.

Is it possible that we could be joy-filled?

Well, yes, we can.

We're going to find out how as we read Psalm 126.

Let's read together.

When the Lord restored the fortunes of Zion, we were like those who dreamed.

Our mouths were filled with laughter, our tongues with songs of joy.

Then it was said among the nations, the Lord has done great things for them.

The Lord has done great things for us.

And we are filled with joy.

Restore our fortunes, Lord, like streams in the Negev.

Those who sow with tears will reap with songs of joy.

Those who go out weeping, carrying seed to sow, will return with songs of joy, carrying sheaves with them.

Short psalm, but a great psalm.

Let's pray and ask for God's help as we look at this together.

Let's pray.

Father, thank you that you are present with us.

We cannot see you physically, but you are here by your Holy Spirit.

And you are here through your word as we look at it together.

Father, and we pray that by your Spirit you would take your word and speak into our lives today.

Restore our fortunes so that we are filled with joy.

That's our prayer.

And we ask that you will do it.

Amen.

Amen.

Well, have any of you ever seen The Repair Shop?

Any of you seen that?

It's a program on TV where people bring in their broken items to get repaired.

It could be a chair, it could be a record player, a toy or a game.

Something that has great emotional value to the person.

And at the beginning of the program, we see the guests bring their broken item, a watch or whatever it is that belonged to their great, great, great, great grandmother.

And by the end of the program, they receive the fully repaired and restored item.

And the response of the guest is always one of wonder and delight.

As their repaired item is revealed to them, as the cover is pulled away, they are stunned and amazed that something broken could be restored.

There are tears of joy.

Well, wonderfully, God is in the business of restoration.

And it always leads to songs of joy.

Look at verse 1 with me.

When the Lord restored the fortunes of Zion.

Verse 2.

We were filled with songs of joy.

Verse 4.

Restore our fortunes.

Verse 5.

And there will be songs of joy.

You see, this is what God is doing for us.

He restores broken lives and fills us with songs of joy.

And this ultimately happens through the gospel, the good news about the Lord Jesus Christ.

So as we venture into Psalm 126, we do so at the end of one year and facing into another year.

So what we're going to do is we're going to look back with joy at God's restoration.

And we're going to look forward in joy with God's restoration.

A looking back and a looking forward.

So first of all, let's look back with joy.

Verse 2.

Our mouths were filled with laughter and our tongues with songs of joy.

Imagine a room full of laughter and joy.

Why?

What's the cause here of such delight?

Well, we know, don't we?

Look at verse 1.

When the Lord restored the fortunes of Zion.

This is taking us back.

God's people are looking back to the salvation that God did in their lives.

It could be when God rescued his people from Egypt.

Or it could be when God returned his people from exile.

The slavery in Egypt, the separation in exile, were both desperate situations.

It seemed utterly hopeless and dark.

But yet God intervened and restored them.

End of verse 1.

We were like those who dreamed.

The restoration that God brought about was only a distant thought.

But amazingly, it became a reality.

You see, this is the kind of God we have.

He's a restoring God.

Have a look back with me to Psalm 107.

It's where we started this morning.

Psalm 107.

This psalm is a collection of stories of how God restores.

How God intervenes and saves.

So look at verse 2.

Let the redeemed of the Lord tell their story.

Well, what is their story?

Well, let's have a look.

Verse 4.

Some wandered in desert wastelands, finding no way to a city where they could settle.

Verse 6.

Then they cried out to the Lord in their trouble, and he delivered them from their distress.

Or look at verse 10.

Some sat in darkness, in utter darkness, prisoners suffering in iron chains.

Verse 13.

Then they cried to the Lord in their trouble, and he saved them from their distress.

Or verse 17.

Some became fools through their rebellious ways, and suffered affliction because of their iniquities.

Verse 19.

Then they cried to the Lord in their trouble, and yes, he saved them from their distress.

You see, God is a restoring God.

He saves, he rescues his people.

Well, let's go back to Psalm 126.

Now, the point of all these restoration stories is, this is God's work.

God has intervened.

His acts of salvation have been clearly seen, and it's evident by the nations.

Look at the end of verse 2.

It was said among the nations, as they looked on at what God has done.

The Lord has done great things for them, for his people.

And the people themselves, well, they could say in verse 3, the Lord has done great things for us.

You see, salvation is always a work of God.

It's not 50-50, you do your bit, and God will make up the rest.

No, it's always 100% God.

It is salvation is an intervention by God when we're no longer longing or desiring.

It's a God initiative when we have no means or no ability within ourselves.

God restores and God acts.

Now, God's acts of salvation, as we've seen, have been many and varied.

But the point of all of these stories throughout the Old Testament is to point us to Christ, who ultimately saves.

One writer put it like this.

The Bible is not a series of disconnected stories.

It is a single narrative in which every story, every character, and every act points beyond itself to one who is greater.

That is, Jesus Christ.

So the story of God rescuing his people from slavery in Egypt points us to Jesus, who has come to rescue us from a greater slavery, or slavery to sin.

The account of God returning his people who are in exile back to their own land points us to Jesus, who brings us back into relationship with him,

and into a kingdom that will last forever and ever.

The restoration that God's people who are in exile back to their own land points us to Jesus.

I want us to encourage us to look back with joy.

Here's two ways we can do this.

Here's the first one.

Remembering our big salvation story.

So retell the story to yourself.

If you are a Christian here this morning, look back to that time in life when God intervened into the mess and brokenness of your life and restored you.

Do you remember it?

How he forgave you of all your sin, past, present, and future, never to hold it against you?

Do you remember how he loved you?

Do you remember how he loved you and embraced you and welcomed you as a son and daughter into his family?

Look back and remember the moment you realized Jesus is my saviour.

Be filled with joy at the big salvation story.

But also remember and look back to the smaller stories of salvation.

You see, while we may have a big story of being saved by Jesus, there are many mini stories too, aren't there?

Like the stories we read in Psalm 107.

Maybe you were wandering in that desert-like wasteland, empty, unfulfilled.

Or perhaps you were like that person who was in deep darkness.

No hope, no light.

Or maybe it was just through our plain old foolish sinful self and we found ourselves lost and broken.

But whatever experience we have been through, God remained faithful to you.

He heard your cry of trouble and in your distress, he saved you.

He restored your life.

You see, when God saves you, he will keep you.

He is the faithful, loyal, and steadfast God.

So look back with joy in what God has done for you.

Now maybe you're here this morning, but you're thinking,

well, I don't have a salvation story.

I haven't experienced that.

Well, you know what?

You can, right here, right now,

by simply trusting Jesus with your life,

you can be restored to God.

He will give you a new beginning and a fresh start.

He will walk with you in your times of trials.

He will be with you in your seasons of struggle.

Those that God saves, he will keep.

He will never, ever let you go.

No matter your sin, your suffering, or Satan,

he will hold you.

And so you too can say these words in verse 3.

The Lord has done great things for me.

And I am filled with joy.

So can we look back together?

Look back in the past,

at the big salvation story,

and all the many little ways God has been keeping you in your life.

Second,

looking down without joy.

You see, we may be and have experienced joy in the past,

but that's not how I would describe my life today.

Perhaps you're thinking,

when I look at my life at this very moment,

it's joyless.

Because that seems to be the experience of the writer.

Something is happening between verses 3 and 4.

We're not told,

but it's clear, isn't it?

Because verse 3 ends with joy, doesn't it?

We're filled with joy.

But then verse 4,

there's an absence of joy.

All is not right.

He's having to cry out again,

verse 4,

Restore our fortunes, Lord.

It's like the joy is gone.

In fact, as we read on in the remaining verses,

there's tears and weeping.

Their life is like a farmer

who's longing and waiting for a turn of fortunes.

He's sowing in tears,

going out weeping.

They're doing the right things,

but nothing seems to be changing.

Isn't that how life can feel?

Maybe that's where you are right now,

today.

You've trusted God in the past.

You've been serving God.

You've been faithful.

But the past was great.

But today,

this week,

this year,

it's been hard.

It's tough.

And there are no songs of joy.

You see,

we live in a broken world,

don't we?

And some days,

that brokenness

is all too real.

A loved one dies.

A relationship breaks.

A friend lets you down.

You receive that unwanted diagnosis

from the doctor.

Your plans for the future

are all shattered.

You fail

and you fall again.

Today,

there are no songs of joy.

Today,

it's tears

and weeping.

Is that it?

Is that the life

that I am to expect?

The past was great.

But today,

what's going to happen?

Is this it?

Well,

the answer

is both a yes

and a no.

There will be tears

and there will be joy.

Third,

looking forward

with joy.

You see,

amidst the suffering

and the pain,

there is a promise,

isn't there?

Look at verses 5 and 6.

The people will

reap with songs of joy.

They will,

verse 6,

return

with songs of joy.

How?

Where,

where does all this joy

come from?

Well,

verse 4

gives us the answer.

It's a prayer.

Unless,

sorry,

verse 4,

restore our fortunes,

Lord,

like streams

in the Negev.

They're praying

to God.

Having looked back

at how God

had restored

in the past,

the people are now

crying out to God

to intervene again

and bring

his salvation.

Just as you

restored us

in the past,

restore us again

today

like streams

in the Negev.

Well,

what's the Negev?

I've never been there.

Well,

the Negev

was a dry wilderness,

barren

and desert-like.

No life,

no growth.

However,

heavy rains

in the distant mountains

would cause

flash flooding

on the barren

plains below.

Dry riverbeds

would suddenly

become full

and an overflowing river.

Overnight,

dormant seeds

are nourished

and within

24 hours,

lush green plants

and flowers

sprout up

all along

the river course.

And you can watch this

on YouTube,

by the way.

Go and look it up.

Not now,

later.

What was barren

has now

automatically,

instantly

been filled

with life

as the river

comes cascading

through.

It's restored.

It's like a new

creation.

Well,

just as the rivers

flow and bring

life,

so the cry

goes up to God

once again

to bring

restoration,

to bring

his salvation.

Ultimately,

it's a prayer

for God's people

as we live

in a broken

world.

We long

for God

to come

again

and to

restore

our fortunes.

We long

for the day

when God

will burst

forth like

a mighty

river,

bringing life

in all its

glorious abundance.

We long

for the tears

to be replaced

with laughter,

the sound

of weeping

with songs

of joy.

Restore

our fortunes,

Lord,

like streams

in the

Negev.

Well,

there is

a promised

joy,

isn't there?

Through the

blur of our

tears

and through

the pain

of our

weeping,

let's not

lose sight

of God's

promise.

Look at

verse 5.

Those who

sow with

tears

will

reap

with songs

of joy.

Those who

go out

weeping,

carrying

seed to

sow,

will

return

with songs

of joy,

carrying

sheaves

with them.

Here

is the

promise

of God's

full

and complete

salvation,

the ultimate

restoration

we

long

for.

It

will be

like

harvest

time,

where

everything

is

ripe

and full

and there's

fruitfulness.

It's

then that

all sorrow

will cease

and there

will be

songs of

joy

forevermore.

How can

we be so

sure of

this?

Well,

come with

me please

to John's

Gospel.

You can

keep your

finger in

one,

two,

six,

and we'll

go to

John's

Gospel in

the New

Testament,

Matthew,

Mark,

Luke,

John.

John

John 16 · chapter mention

chapter

16.

Here

Jesus is

speaking with

his

disciples

about

his

soon

death

to come

and his

resurrection

that will

take place

after.

And with

his

disciples he

speaks these

words starting

in verse

20.

Very

truly I

tell you,

you will

weep and

mourn while

the world

rejoices.

You will

grieve,

but your

grief will

turn to

joy.

A woman

giving birth

to a child

has pain

because her

time has

come.

but when

her baby

is born

she forgets

the anguish

because of

her joy

that a

child is

born into

the world.

So with

you,

now is

your time

of grief,

but I

will see

you again

and you

will rejoice

and no

one will

take away

your joy.

Jesus' promise

here is

not just

for the

disciples

but for

all his

people who

trust him.

You see,

through the

death of

Jesus,

our

rebellion

was dealt

with and

there was

the joy

of the

forgiveness

of all

of our

sin.

But more

than that,

through the

resurrection of

Jesus,

death is

defeated once

and for

all and

there is

the joy

of eternal

life.

But above

all of

these things,

one day

the risen

Jesus will

return and

he will

end all

grief and

he will

wipe away

your every

tear and

fill your

hearts with

joy.

Look at

verse 22

again.

So with

you,

now is

your time

of grief,

but I

will see

you again

and you

will rejoice

and no

one will

take away

your joy.

Let's go

back to

Psalm 126.

So there

is the

promised

joy.

And in

the meantime,

there's

patient

waiting,

isn't

there?

Jesus is

coming,

hallelujah.

But what

about now?

What do we

do today as

we wait?

well, we

have the

joy of

forgiveness,

the joy

of a

relationship

with God,

the joy

of an

eternal

future to

come,

the joy

of one

another here

today.

And

together we

get on

with the

task of

sharing this

gospel hope

with a

broken

world.

Look at

verse 5.

the

picture is

agricultural.

The farmer

goes out

to sow

his seed,

carrying

his seed,

and is

patiently

waiting.

Sometimes,

well,

sometimes the

crop can

fail.

Maybe it

gets diseased,

perhaps there's

no rain.

The work is

repeated,

and so the

farmer must

go again,

more sowing,

more carrying,

longing,

waiting.

Through the

tears,

and through

the weeping,

he goes

again,

and again.

It's a

picture of

the church,

isn't it?

As we get

on with the

task of

sharing the

gospel hope,

we faithfully

sow the

seed.

We share

the gospel

story of

God's

restoration,

and we

pray for

God to

act,

that he

would come

like a

mighty

river,

longing,

and waiting,

tears,

and weeping.

You pray

for a

friend,

months and

years pass

by.

You serve

in the

ministry of

a church

every week,

every term,

but for

all the

hard work,

there comes

at times

disappointment,

rejection,

loneliness.

We sow

with tears,

we go out

weeping,

we long for

the barren

wastelands to

be filled with

life.

Well,

one day,

the longing

and the

waiting will

be over.

Look at

verse 5.

Those who

sow with

tears

will reap

with songs

of joy.

Those who

go out

weeping,

carrying seed

to sow,

will return

with songs

of joy,

carrying sheaves

with them.

one day

the Lord

will return

and as

he gathers

all God's

people,

on that

great day

we will

see the

harvest

in all

its fullness,

more than

we could

ever expect

or imagine.

And we

will celebrate

God's

restoration.

Tears

and weeping

will become

songs

of joy.

And so

as we

sit

between

the end

of one

year

and the

start

of a

new

year,

as we

face

today

with all

its

struggles

and all

its

pressures,

I invite

us all

to look

back

on 2023

and rejoice

in God's

salvation

in your

life and

how he

has saved

you and

how he

has kept

you.

He has

been faithful

and I

want us

to look

forward to

2024

and rejoice

in what

God is

doing.

The numbers

may be

small in

those who

respond,

but God

is doing

his work

and we

look forward

to the

ultimate

day

when we

will carry

in sheaves

many

people.

Together,

today we

pray,

we

sow

and we

wait.

Joy

is

coming.

Let's

pray.

Father,

thank you.

Thank you

for intervening

into our

life.

Thank you

for rescuing

us,

restoring us

and saving

us,

for the

joy of

salvation

today.

Thank you

for the

many,

many times

you have

intervened

in our

life,

how you

keep us,

how you

are faithful,

and help

us now

together as

your people,

as your

church,

as we

go forward

to a

new year,

to trust

your great

promises,

that you

will do

your work

as we

sow.

Help us

never to

tire from

doing the

gospel work

that you

have called

us to,

in the

glorious hope

and knowledge,

that we

will reap

with songs

of joy,

we will

see a

harvest to

come.

So bless

us,

Father,

do your

work amongst

us,

and we

ask this

for your

glory,

and the

fame of

your name.

Amen.

Well,

we're going

to sing,

sing a

song of

joy.

What is

our hope

in life

and death?

Yes,

it's true,

we do

have an

eternal

hope.