PSALM 42-43 PART 2

Louis said if I find in myself a desire, which no experience in this world can satisfy the most probable explanation is that I was made for another world again pointing towards the fact that only God could satisfy what's in our soul by adding one more quote that nobody heard last week, but I brought over this week cuz I was reading some John Piper from his is great book reading the Bible. Supernaturally. John Piper has his own take on this idea. He wrote the analogy that I find helpful is to conceive of the innate knowledge of God and His will as a kind of template or mold in the human heart. This template is designed by God in every human heart with the shape or a form that corresponds to the glory of God. In other words, if the glory of God were seen with the eyes of the heart, it would fit the template so perfectly We would know the glory is real we would know we were made for this. So when the Apostle Paul says that all humans no God or that humans have the work of the law written on their hearts. He means that there is a glory shaped template in every heart waiting to receive the glory of God. We all know God in the sense that we have this witness in our hearts that we were made for his glory. There is a latent expectancy and the longing and the shape of it is buried deep in our souls. So that's what we started with last week. We have this deep thirst in our souls that only God can satisfy and then I want to continue on and Psalms 42 and 43 with this idea. Having satisfied our thirst for God in Christ. Remember last week the only ways in which we can get God so to speak is through Christ having satisfy your thirst for God in Christ, the oppression of evil can disturb diminish and even temporarily destroy our awareness of our communion with God and with God's help. We must fight to reacquire an awareness of our communion with him. I believe this is what Psalm 42 in Psalm 43 teachers. I believe this is the message that the song just wanted to communicate to his congregation and his time. There is a thirst which only God can feel and having that relationship with God we should sense his presence when we don't because the oppression of evil we should fight to reacquire it. Let's read Psalm 42 and 43. You open up your Bibles at turn on your devices and read along with me. You can also read the Psalms on the back of the insert and the bulletin.

Psalm 42 in Psalm 43 to the choirmaster a maskil of the sons of Korah As a deer pants for flowing streams so pants my soul for you. Oh God, my soul thirsts for God for the Living God. When should I come and appear before God my tears have been my food day and night while they say to me all the day long. Where is your god? These things I remember as I pour out my soul how I would go with the throng and lead them in procession to the house of God with glide shows and songs of praise a multitude keeping Festival. Why are you cast down? Oh my soul. And why are you in turmoil within me? Hope in God for I shall again praise him my salvation and my God. My soul is cast down Within Me. Therefore. I remember you from the land of Jordan and of Herman from Mount mizar deep calls to deep at the Roar of your waterfalls. All your Breakers and your waves have gone over me by day. The Lord commands his steadfast love and a night. His song is with me a prayer to the god of my life. I say to God my rock. Why have you forgotten me? Why do I go morning? Because of the oppression of the enemy? House with a deadly wound in my bones my adversaries. Taunt me while they say to me all the day long. Where is your god? Why are you cast down? Oh my soul. And why are you in turmoil within me? Hope in God for I shall again praise him my cell vacation and my God vindicate me o God and defend my cause against an ungodly people from the deceitful and unjust man deliver me. For you are the god in whom I take refuge. Why have you rejected me? Why do I go about mourning because of the oppression of the enemy? Send out your light in your truth. Let them lead me let them bring me to your Holy Hill into your dwelling. Then I will go to the altar of God to God my exceeding joy, and I will praise you with the liar. Oh God my God. Why so why are you cast down? Oh my soul. And why are you in turmoil within me? Hope in God for I shall again praise him my cell vacation and my god, let's pray.

Good and gracious father. We thank you for your word and we thank you for these songs. And we thank you that you indeed have put a great longing and a great desire and a great Thursday play within our souls.

Can you graciously? Showed us the way of quenching The Thirst is through your son. We thank you for that. And father God we thank you for the promise of your presents. Haven't come to faith in Christ that you will be with us. Always you will never leave us or forsake us. We thank you for that creature. The father God we know we know by experience that there are times when we don't feel your presence or maybe feel it but in such a distant way, it's alarming I pray father God as we consider the words of the psalmist this morning the words that you spoke through him. That you would help us father. God to understand. just that you are always with us, but there will be times when we don't sense your presence when we're not aware of you and yet you are because you promised you will be And I pray you would help us to fight for an awareness of your presence and Eliza pray this in Jesus name. Amen.

The psalmist is experiencing a condition. What is that condition? I have named it Divine awareness deficit disorder.

I didn't choose that acronym or name of that thing to be cute. You're thinking mission accomplished you not.

I did it because I wanted to connect it with all those other things that we see and hear about in our day and age that are very serious things disorders that have acronyms similar to this one because this is a serious condition. And this is a condition I'll suggest that every believer will experience.

a lack of awareness of our communion with God It's something we all face. This is what the psalmist was going through and verse 3. He says my tears have been my food day and night while they say to me all the day long. Where is your God if the song has had a strong sense of God's presence with him why the tears?

Orange verse 9 I say to God my rock. Why have you forgotten me if the Samus has a tangible sense of the reality of God's Fellowship. Where do these feelings of Forgotten this come from? Verse 10 house with a deadly wound in my bones bones my adversaries. Taunt me while they say to me all the day long. Where is your God if the psalmist had a convincing apprehension of God's nearness? Why do the taunts have an effect? Reverse 2 of 43 for you the god in whom I take refuge. Why have you rejected me if there was a compelling awareness of fellowship with God? Why would the Samus be wrestling with rejection know the fact is he hadn't lost an awareness of God's presence. That's what he was missing the great reformer Theologian got John Calvin commenting on these two Psalms recognize this to he said it is it need not excite. Our wonder that he the psalmist was so much disquieted and passed down since he could not discern any sign of the Divine favor towards and this is the condition of the Samus. I think if we're honest as Believers, we would say yes, I have been there. There have been times in my life. I ate tangible awareness of God's presence has been diminished. Or distant or even seemingly non-existent. It's a serious condition. This is what Psalm 42 and 43 speaks to What's the cause? What's the cause of a a lost or a lack of awareness of God's presence with us will first let me speak to anyone here who is not a believer. If you are here and you have never entrusted your life to Christ, you're never repent of your sins and availed yourself of Christ in his work on your behalf for the Forgiveness of your sins and Reconciliation of the father. You have no reason to expect an awareness of God's presence. It doesn't mean you won't ever since God you may cuz God is gracious. And you guys we talked about last week. The only way in which we have fellowship with God. The only way in which God's very presence comes to live inside us is through Christ is returning to him and Trust in our life that him and believing and who he is and what he did.

Let me speak to those of you now who have entrusted your life to Christ know that God has promised to never leave us or forsake us. The Christ said when the last things he said to his disciples that he would be with us till the end of the age. Let me speak to you. Because you I believe have experienced this. A lack of awareness of God's presence with us. Where does that come from? What is its cause playing the song that uses a phrase that would have corporate all those things that may cause that in her life because of the oppression of evil. It's the oppression of evil that results in a lack of awareness of our communion with God. We see it in verse 9. I say to God my rock. Why have you forgotten me? Why do I go morning? Because of the oppression of the enemy? Reverse two of Psalm 43:4 you are the god in whom I take refuge. Why have you rejected me? Why do I go about morning? Because of the oppression of the enemy stop word oppression means pressure. It means the distress. It means the things that your enemies put on you and that leads to this lack of awareness and we would know and in our DNA sore many things which can disturb and diminish and even destroy a present awareness of God's presence. The great enemies of our faith first and foremost sin. As well as Satan the enemy of our souls and not to mention the world. Our interaction with these three things will often lead us to a scent or lack of that sense of God's presence with us. And it's also those three things and how they engage with us in life in which we Face trials and tribulations. Any speaking too many of you I know that difficult trials and tribulations. You've been through have led you to a place where you don't sense God's nearness. Sometimes this is our own responsibility. We shouldn't be surprised when we willfully sin against God that we have lost a sense of his presence with us. I'm not saying his presence leaves. No, he promises. His presence is with us. In fact, I told the first service that sometimes I hear people pray in a way that frustrates me. We pray that God will be with someone. Oh, I pray God you would be with them will if they are believe or he is with them. You don't need to pray that I told the congregation a much better thing to pray in. My estimation would be to pray God's will you give them a sense of your presents with them? Would you make your fellowship with them? So real that they can tangibly feel it and are aware of it. I think that's a better prayer. I just saw I don't walk away from church seeming Smart in the smart. One of the Congress reminded me of what we say at the end of every service. God be with you.

Larry Hobbits 10 ways we know God is with those who've entrusted with Christ and he always will be but we don't feel it and sin and the enemy of our souls and society and culture can take us to a place in which we don't sense his presence.

The symptoms of this are in the song. Here are some adjectives from just one commentary talking about Psalm 42 and 43 in reference to the psalmist. Despair discouraged Gloom despondent isolated alone threatened sorrowful overwhelmed sadness grief impending doom abandoned crushed physically unwell and Confused. How many kimberlites we've been there? We've been there. This idea of a downcast soul actually means to be bowed down to be so burdened with the weight of things that you end up going down to the ground it so we might ask ourselves this morning. What's weighing me down. What's weighing you down? What are you burdened with? What is putting pressure on you? Why are you grieving?

But those aren't really the ultimate question. Do you know why they're not the ultimate question because many people experiencing those very things have a very tangible sense of God present God's presence. I spoken to some of you I've spoken to some of you who have gone through difficult things and yet still feel God's nearness to you and see you in the back row Chris. I should have asked you but his wife passed away recently and it was in this office. And in the midst of Tears talking about Lauren being away in grieving legitimately. There was such a real sense of his knowledge of the presence of God with him in a great joy in his heart. And so the question isn't just what am I going through because we can sense The Nearness of God. It was difficult.

There's other times. We can't the Paul Apostle Paul knew this and 2nd Corinthians Chapter 4 verses 8 through 10. Paul says, we are afflicted in every way but not crushed perplexed but not driven to despair persecuted but not forsaken struck down but not destroyed always carrying in the body the death of Jesus so that the life of Jesus may also be manifested in our body we can go through these things and have a very real sense of God's presence. Thank God we can but sometimes we don't so the real question isn't what's weighing me down. What is pressuring me? What is stifling my joy? The real question is what is disturbing in diminishing and even destroying my awareness? a fellowship with God

I believe this lack of a sense of God's presence is something we need to remedy. When we feel that way when we experience that it's not okay. And again, it may not be your fault. Sometimes those feelings of distance our own fault because we've send but sometimes it's because somebody send against us or maybe because the enemy is attacking us or maybe the realities of living in a sinful world where bad things happen. Either way, I think we should look for that be remedied. I think that's what Psalm 42 and 43 teaches us it teaches us to fight for a sense of The Nearness of our God and savior. We should fight for that sense of the Soul thirst quenchers presents. The very one who quench that deep-seated thirst we should fight for that. Well, how do we fight for it? What is the what is the treatment for this condition? Will I think Psalm 42 and 43. Mm. First off. We can pray look at the first three verses of Psalm 43. We see the prayer of the song is vindicate me o God and defend my cause against an ungodly people from the deceitful and unjust man deliver me. For you in a God in whom I take refuge. Why have you rejected me? Why do I go about mourning because of the oppression of the enemy send out your light and your truth? Let them lead me let them bring me to your Holy Hill into your dwelling. The psalmist is praying save me from my enemies and bring me back into your presence God and so we ought to pray. Another good remedy for this lack of an awareness of God's presence is praise and worship. We seeing verse a day by day the Lord commands his steadfast love and at night his song is with me a prayer to the god of my life or 43 Verse for then I will go to the altar of God to God my exceeding joy and I will praise you with the liar. Oh God my God. I think this is a tonic for the lack of awareness of his presence to spend time praising him, but I want to move on for those two very real and very poor things praying and praising and get onto the third one. The third remedy for a downcast sold at the third treatment for this condition of not being aware of Our God's presence with us. And that is to preach to yourself. Three times the psalmist says essentially the same thing in verse 5 and verse 11 and verse 5 of 43. Why are you cast down? Oh my soul. And why are you in turmoil within me? Hope in God for I shall again praise and my salvation and my God.

The absolute best teaching I have heard on preaching to yourself came from dr. Martyn Lloyd Jones. He was a preacher Westminster Chapel in England. And the last Sentry some argue the greatest preacher of that Century in his book spiritual depression. He using this song. So I'm 42 and Psalm 43. He addresses this idea of preaching yourself. how to read a fairly long quote because Anyone can say at the way Lloyd Jones says it. He said there then we have looked at the causes. What about the treatment in general very briefly at this point. The first thing we have to learn is what the psalmist learned we must learn to take ourselves and hand. This man was not content just to lie down and commiserate with himself. He does something about it. He takes himself and hand but he does something which is more important still that is he talks to himself. The man turns to himself and says, why art thou cast down. Oh my soul. Why art thou disquieted within me? He is talking to himself. He is addressing to himself. But says someone is that not the one thing we should not do since our great trouble is that we spend too much time with ourselves surely it contradicts what you've already said you warned us against morbidity and introspection and now you tell us that we have to talk to ourselves.

Roy Jones goes on the main trouble in this whole matter of spiritual depression innocence is this that we allow ourselves to talk to us instead of talking to herself. Am I just trying to be deliberately paradoxical far from it? This is the very essence of wisdom in this matter. I listen closely to this next line. He says have you realized that most of your unhappiness in life is due to the fact that you are listening to yourself instead of talking to yourself. You say that again. How do you realize that most of your unhappiness in life is due to the fact that you are listening to yourself instead of talking yourself. Take those thoughts that come to you the moment you wake up in the morning. You have not originate in but they start talking to you. They bring back the problem of yesterday. Somebody is talking who is talking to yourself is talking to you know, this man being in the Solomons. This man's treatment was this instead of allowing this self to talk to him. He starts talking to himself. Why are the cast down? Oh my soul. He has his soul has been repressing him and crushing him. So he stands up into the self listen for a moment. I will speak to you. Do you know what I mean? If you do not you have but little experience he goes on the main artery in the matter of Spiritual Living is to know how to handle yourself. You have to take yourself in hand. You have to address yourself preach to yourself question yourself. You must say to your soul. Why art thou cast down what business have you to be disquieted? You must turn on yourself and upgrade yourself an exhaust yourself and say to yourself. Hope thou in God instead of muttering in this depressed on Happy way and then you must go on and remind yourself of God who God is and what God is and what God has done and what God has pledged himself to do then having done that end on this great note defy yourself into fire other people and defy the devil in the whole world and say what this man I shall yet praise him for the help of his countenance who is also the help health of my countenance and my God, this is Lloyd Jones describing how we preach to ourselves how we take ourselves in hand how we grab ourselves by the collar? Watch this day is parents and you seen on TV once in awhile back in the old days used to grab a kid by the year. But now I got to grab ourselves by year and get our attention and address ourselves.

We need to preach to ourselves and we need to defy everything that's contrary to the truth. And we need to remind yourself ourselves of who God is that's what the song is does. Listen to him preach to himself. Why are you cast down? Oh my soul. And why are you in turmoil within di hoping he's preaching to himself and he's defying everything that's contrary to what he says for I shall again praise him, even though I have enemies even though my soul is downcast even though I'm feeling the pressure in the burden and I don't feel God's near this I shall again Praise Him the song mystifies anyone and anybody that is contrary to the truth. And then he reminds himself is who God is my salvation and my God. You may be sitting there saying pastor Jude easy for you to say you're a preacher. You know how to preach, you know, how to preach to yourself. Well, let me give you an example and I use this on a regular example. Let me give you an example right from scripture of how you can preach the gospel to yourself. How you can defy contrary ideas how you can remind yourself of who God is? Open your Bibles to Romans 8:31 through 39 and pray like this South. What then shall we say to these things if God is for us who can be against us 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 Self who shall bring any charge against God's elect. It is God who justifies self who is to condemn Christ Jesus is the one who died more than that. Who is Ray Ray's was at the right hand of God who indeed is interceding for us? Self listen up who shall separate us from the love of Christ. Tell tribulation or distress or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword at as it is written for your sake. We are being killed all the day long. We are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered. no self Let me see again south no in all these things. We are more than conquerors through him who loved us for I am sure self. that neither death nor life nor angels nor rulers nor things present nor things to come nor powers nor height nor depth nor anything and all creation including you so Will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ. Jesus our lord that's how you preach to yourself.

We're going to have an opportunity in the last moments of this service. We're going to have an opportunity As we sing to preach to ourselves to preach the gospel in verse?

To remind ourselves of what God has done in and all that he's accomplished and who he is and to defy everything that is contrary to that truth. And I'm going to be able to act out reaching yourself for the communion table yet again and opportunity to grab ourselves by the collar and say you see what God has done for you.

You may not feel it this morning. You may be that person who's in the position of the psalmist who doesn't feel an awareness of God's presence. But if you have in face Avail yourselves of Christ work he is with you. Can you bring yourself to the communion table? And you preach to yourself This is what God has done. This is who he is and I defy anything that is contrary to this. Let's pray. Father God we thank you for these songs. We thank you for the great truth that are deep longing and thirst for you.

Has been quenched because of Christ. We recognize father God sometimes do their own fault sometimes not that we don't always feel your presence with us. We're not always aware of our fellowship with you. But I pray for that you by your Holy Spirit would help us to fight to reacquire a sense of your nearness that you would help us to pray that end and to praise to the time but most of all you would help us and teach us to stop listening to ourselves and start preaching to ourselves. Help us to preach the gospel to ourselves. Help us to remind ourselves of who you are and what you've done. And how does the defy anyone or anything? That's contraida. I pray this in Christ's name.