Blessed in the Hope of Glory
Notes
Transcript
Call to Worship: Psalm 121:1-2
Call to Worship: Psalm 121:1-2
Prayer
Prayer
Adoration: At your name, wicked tremble/Creation worships/the poor + humble + repentant sinner rejoice: your lovingkindness is vast beyond measure/endures forever
Confession: we have sinned against your enduring love in our thoughts, words, deeds; in selfishness + pride; idolatry + lust; anger + indifference… we’ve sinned against you. Father, forgive us
Thanksgiving: In love, you gave your Son to lead us by his blood on the great Exodus from the domain of darkness into his kingdom in light; by his blood we are marked with forgiveness and grace that cannot be erased…
Supplication: Teach us to fix our eyes on your love in the cross of your Son/give us boldness to speak this gospel to unbelievers//prepare the hearts of unbelievers in our community to hear gospel; Comunidad de Gracia—growth in discipling one another; Mission on Mt. Elgon: just wrapped up—may the word preached sink deep... now as we open your word, make yourself known to us by your Spirit’s power…
Family Matters: Board meeting 7pm Tue
Benediction
Benediction
Now may our Lord Jesus Christ himself, and God our Father, who loved us and gave us eternal comfort and good hope through grace, comfort your hearts and establish them in every good work and word.
Sermon
Sermon
Intro
Intro
What attitude are we supposed to have, as we walk through this life? How are we to experience blessing from God? What is our worship supposed to look like?
in some sense, same question from different angles
what we’ve been asking…
rich answers from the psalms…
We’ve seen:
Blessing of communing w/ God in his Word (Ps. 1)
Blessing of worshiping through confession of sin (Ps. 32, 51)
Blessing of refuge in the God of steadfast love (Ps. 2, 103, 136, 147)
Blessing of worshiping God through lament in sorrow (Ps. 22, 42)
Blessing of his shepherding care through the valley… (Ps. 23)
This morning: I want to conclude our series in the Psalms with the Blessing of the Hope of Glory.
=> We are a people who love to mix the past and the future—notice: cross/symbol from the past at apex of our meeting space—but aren’t we supposed to focused on the future hope of glory?
=> Why then do we focus on a past act of God’s faithfulness?
=> You can probably give variety of good answers to that question… but what Psalm 126 will show us this morning is it isn’t just OK to mix the future and the past in worship, but vital to do so!
=> This is because the way we obtain the blessing of future glory in the midst of this present darkness is by looking to God’s past faithfulness to redeem. How so? Let’s look at the Psalm:
The Joy of God’s People In God’s Past Faithfulness to Redeem
The Joy of God’s People In God’s Past Faithfulness to Redeem
[Historical explanation of the Psalm: Restoration of Zion from Babylonian exile (1-3)]
Heading tells us, this is “A Song of Ascents”—what does mean?
Ascend = to go up // there are 15 psalms labeled as ‘songs of ascent’, all arranged together in this part of the book of Psalms… What was their purpose?
Probably, these pss. were recited by faithful Israelites as they ascended to Jerusalem // to get the full picture => Geography + History + Theology
Geography: Jerusalem is located in the Judean mountains, with the Mediterranean sea on one side and the Jordan river on the other. The city is about about 2,500 ft. above sea level… (Jordan river is almost 1000 ft below sea level)… result is that traveling to Jerusalem from almost any other region of Israel involves going up… often, a large altitude gain over a short distance => ascending to Mt. Zion/Jerusalem + the Temple was a regular part of the life of a faithful Jew
History:
Jerusalem, on Mt. Zion = capital city of David + all the kings that descended from him…
…until the evil of those kings and those people—God’s kings and God’s people—became so great that God judged them//brought the Babylonian army against them => Jerusalem + Temple were destroyed, people sent into exile
But even in that judgement—even though his people had filled his land with injustice + idolatry—God was merciful and forgiving (his love endures forever!) => protected his people in exile, and then brought back/restored them to their land + provided for them to rebuild the city + temple
Theology:
Why did it matter so much? That they be in their land w/ the temple rebuilt?
Temple: where God dwelt w/ his people + was known/worshiped by them
They had feasts—three times of year when the nation would gather in mass at Jerusalem
At their worst: hypocrisy; at their best, joyful + God-centered worship
Now: put yourselves in the shoes of those faithful Jews—
In a group, beginning the ascent to Jerusalem, to worship the Lord there… you start singing the psalms of ascent together… get to Ps. 126—
When the Lord restored the fortunes of Zion, we were like those who dream.
What would you be singing? What would it mean to you?
means: ‘when the Lord brought us back from exile, and provided for us to rebuild Zion’
dream = the visions of the prophets—they said that God would some day restore his people—
=> now here it has happened before our very eyes…
=> as if we had somehow entered into the oracles of comfort spoken by Isaiah to suffering Zion
=> because of our sin, because we filled your land w/ injustice, Lord, our city was destroyed by the Nations with terrifying/devastating violence…
=> but in your kindness, you have brought us home, and what was rubble a few decades ago is a city and a temple once again
Behold: the mercy and steadfast love of God toward sinners
Continued singing:
Then our mouth was filled with laughter, and our tongue with shouts of joy; then they said among the nations, “The Lord has done great things for them.” The Lord has done great things for us; we are glad.
Based on the Lord’s past faithfulness, they praise him with joyful shouts of worship
They cannot contain their joy—in some sense, the only fitting response of a wretched, filthy sinner (like us) when we find that, though God rightly hates evil, yet he mercifully, tenderly forgives and restores us to himself
The mercy of God is so unexpected/profound, that the nations take notice (vs. 2) “then they said among the nations, “The Lord has done great things for them.””
[Application to us: Restoration of Zion at the cross]
But how does all this apply to us? Look @ vs. 4
Restore our fortunes, O Lord, like streams in the Negeb!
Wait… doesn’t vs. 1 say that their fortunes have already been restored?
What is this “restore our fortunes”? And, “like streams in the Negeb!”?
=> Negeb = a desert! => “our situation is like a desert!”
Why? Hadn’t the Lord brought them back?
Yes… but no.
Israel’s ultimate slave master was not physical—not Egypt/Assyria/Babylon/Persia/Rome—but SIN
The wickedness of their hearts had got them kicked out of their land… when God brought them back to the land = a real act of mercy + comfort… yet, it did not fix the root issue [hint: God had something much more jaw dropping planned for that… !]
In Sunday School—Malachi was written during this time//read the book => hearts of the people were still woefully astray… physically, back from exile… spiritually, still in exile
Andrew Peterson--
Our enemy, our captor is no pharaoh on the Nile
Our toil is neither mud nor brick nor sand
Our ankles bear no calluses from chains, yet Lord, we're bound
Imprisoned here, we dwell in our own land
Our sins they are more numerous than all the lambs we slay
Our shackles they were made with our own hands
Our toil is our atonement and our freedom yours to give
So Yahweh, break this silence if you can
So: the return from exile was a fulfillment of prophecy to a degree… yet, not the true fulfillment of God’s promises to restore from exile… God’s people were still in spiritual exile, waiting for the day that the Lord would restore their fortunes…
Really, the prophets themselves predicted more than a physical restoration...
Can see this in Isaiah 53-54— Ch. 53 predicts God will send a servant who will take the punishment deserved by God’s people on himself, so that God’s people might go free from slavery to sin:
But he was pierced for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his wounds we are healed.
=> God would send his servant to destroy the guilt + power of sin by dying in our place//bringing us peace, freedom, healing…
=> Jesus is that servant, has fulfilled that prophecy...
=> BTW, slavery to sin is alive and well today… [gospel plea]
But that’s ch. 53… what happens in ch. 54? As a direct result of Jesus’ death:
“Sing, O barren one, who did not bear; break forth into singing and cry aloud, you who have not been in labor! For the children of the desolate one will be more than the children of her who is married,” says the Lord.
=> Who is the barren one? In context = “Mother Zion” = a metaphor for the people of God…
=> Contrast is between spiritual barrenness//spiritual life => God’s people were barren of spiritual life//in spiritual exile
=> So then, how was Zion restored? Through the death of the suffering servant, Jesus… suddenly, she was teaming with spiritual life
=> That was the center of the promise of Isaiah’s prophecies
Now: put yourselves back in the shoes of faithful Jews ascending Mt. Zion to the Temple in Jerusalem… as you sing this song, you are remembering God’s past faithfulness as you cry out to him for future redemption
“Yahweh, by your prophets you promised us a redemption in which sin and death would be overturned, and your people dwell in peace with you forever. As we ascend to your temple, we rejoice in your astounding faithfulness to bring us back, and to give us the temple again. But we are still waiting for the true promised deliverance. Restore us, Yahweh!”
We are on the other side of that! As Simeon said, “Our eyes have seen God’s salvation” in the crucified and risen Jesus
That has to change what we mean when we say Ps. 126:
“When our Lord restored the fortunes of Zion, by dying and rising and ascending on high for our salvation,
We were astonished by the fulfilment of God’s promises right before our eyes
Then our mouth was filled with laughter//our tongue with shouts of joy
The nations hear our joyful proclamation of God’s grace, and they join us in saying, “The Lord has done great things for us; we are glad.”
So then: the foundation of our worship is recalling God’s past faithfulness in the cross of Christ
The Hope of God’s People in Future Joy
The Hope of God’s People in Future Joy
But what about vs. 4-6… do apply to us at all? Or, relic of the past?
[Historical expl.]—imagine again, ascending to Zion, crying out “Restore our fortunes, O Lord!”
Is that a confident cry, or mere desperation?
There is a note of desperation… but also of confidence… vs. 5-6--
Those who sow in tears shall reap with shouts of joy! He who goes out weeping, bearing the seed for sowing, shall come home with shouts of joy, bringing his sheaves with him.
Note: confidence that current tears will some day become shouts of joy… in context, when the LORD brings the promised redemption to pass through Jesus
What did “sowing” represent in this passage? Living out a life of faith in God’s promises and obedience to him, even in exile… weeping tears of sorrow in a desert
What did reaping represent? The day when, suddenly, redemption came, and all of that “sowing” turned out to be not in vain
Isaiah’s prophecies are glorious… but he saw none of the fulfillment (in this life)
Ex. Simeon + Anna
Anna for 60+ years sowed seeds with tears, praying and fasting at the temple in longing for redemption… had probably prayed Ps. 126 countless times… but then she saw Jesus as a baby and it was as if the harvest of joy was suddenly in front of her
Simeon, who was old and had likely sung Ps. 126 countless times ascending to Jerusalem… it says, “he was righteous and devout, waiting for the consolation of Israel”—sowing in tears—when he saw the infant Jesus, he said:
“Lord, now you are letting your servant depart in peace, according to your word; for my eyes have seen your salvation that you have prepared in the presence of all peoples, a light for revelation to the Gentiles, and for glory to your people Israel.”
So then: in Jesus, as God’s people, we now reap God’s harvest with shouts of joy
But then, do the tears and the sorrow of vs. 5-6 apply to us, on this side of the cross?
Certainly true: there is a clear difference between us and the OT saints:
God’s acts of deliverance in the OT… redemption from Egyptian slavery/restoration from exile… real acts of salvation…
Yet also, mere types and shadows of the ultimate salvation that has now come to us in Christ
Clear difference: spiritual slavery/exile ended at the cross! Zion has been restored
Yet, our redemption is not complete… we are still waiting for Jesus to return and make all things new… and so we have the same basic pattern as the OT saints:
In this life, we sow weeping
Describing the basic shape of the Christian life, Jesus said, (Jn. 16:33) “In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world”
We have tribulation. We suffer. That’s what it means to live in this world… sow the seeds of God’s kingdom with tears//so many different ways this applies:
=> a young man, waging a bitter war against lust in his life—fight that fight, brothers and sisters, and in the end you will bring in the sheaves with joy
=> a woman, grappling with the devastating reality of a barren womb—trust in in the bitter loss, and in the end he will repay you with glory unspeakable and full of joy
=> I was convicted this week by a sermon by the late great Dr. Walter Martin, called, “The Baptism of Boldness”
—he spoke passionately about loving people enough to tell them the whole truth, and not to sand of the “rough edges” of the gospel
—how many times have I soft petaled the gospel when I share it, b/c I don’t want to lose the approval of the person I’m sharing with? That’s selfishness, not love.
—we sow the seed of the gospel with tears, knowing that we will be rejected more often than accepted… and often ridiculed…
—Brothers and sisters: THAT’S HOW IT IS. There isn’t some key out there for sharing the gospel that will make everyone like us… speaking the truth in love means being willing to open someone’s eyes to vileness of their sin and the desperateness of their situation, so that the grace of God in Christ begins to make sense
But here’s the key: we bear theses sorrows with confidence that tears will turn to joy b/c of future redemption
So then: Here is the attitude we are supposed to have/the way to experience God’s blessing in this life/the shape of our worship in this age:
We worship with joy, b/c of the already accomplished restoration of God’s people in Christ
But… we also sow in tears—tears/lament must have a place in our worship/spiritual lives, b/c the full redemption, when Jesus makes all things new + destroys sin and death for good, is yet to come
On that day, we will reap with joy, and our weeping will be done for good. How do we know?
He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things?
Conclusion
Conclusion
That’s the shape of hope and our worship: we looking back to God’s past faithfulness at the cross as a way of looking forward to his promised future faithfulness to bring us safely home to glory. We SHALL come home with shouts of joy, carrying the harvest of his kingdom with us.
=> consider meditating on Ps. 126 this week, and asking the Lord to seal these truths to your heart.