WEBVTT 00:00:00.040 --> 00:00:04.000 I'm going to invite you this morning to Psalm 107, where we're going to be together today. 00:00:04.400 --> 00:00:09.040 Psalm 107, and I want you to know this psalm has 43 verses. 00:00:09.080 --> 00:00:16.120 I'm not going to be able to dive into the details of every one of the verses and what they mean for us, but I do want you to have a broader understanding of what this Psalm is 00:00:16.160 --> 00:00:18.400 and why we should appreciate it as God's people. 00:00:18.400 --> 00:00:25.800 One of the things that I find that is most endearing about this Psalm is that this psalm is a psalm that really transcends every circumstance 00:00:25.800 --> 00:00:26.480 of life. 00:00:26.680 --> 00:00:33.880 One of the things we've talked about in the uniqueness of the book of Psalms, we often say together is, out of the 66 books of the Bible, 00:00:33.880 --> 00:00:39.440 65 of them are primarily seen as God's response to you, God sharing with us who he is. 00:00:39.840 --> 00:04:10.280 This particular book of the Bible is unique among 00:04:13.480 --> 00:04:36.640 all the others in 00:04:44.760 --> 00:05:19.100 that it's 00:05:19.100 --> 00:27:01.040 man's response 00:27:01.040 --> 00:27:10.640 back to God. 00:27:21.740 --> 00:27:47.940 It's helping us 00:27:47.940 --> 00:30:28.800 understand how 00:30:33.280 --> 00:31:09.220 to worship the Lord 00:31:09.220 --> 00:31:36.420 in light of who 00:31:57.820 --> 00:32:27.600 he is. 00:32:29.480 --> 00:35:03.070 And really, there's 00:36:11.770 --> 00:41:24.750 a psalm 00:41:24.750 --> 00:41:28.150 for about every season of life that you might go through. 00:41:28.150 --> 00:41:30.430 There's Psalms that you could gravitate to that remind us how to walk with the Lord in circumstances that we might be facing. 00:41:30.430 --> 00:41:33.710 But one of the things that makes Psalm 107 unique is that it's not primarily focused on just a specific season of life. 00:41:33.710 --> 00:41:33.710 It's a psalm that we should reflect upon in every season of life, as it teaches us how to root our identity in who Christ is and what it means to move forward in our lives. 00:41:33.710 --> 00:41:33.710 In light of that, this psalm really should become a bedrock psalm to all of our life. 00:41:33.710 --> 00:41:33.710 When you read through certain Psalms, you'll find that there are certain scriptures of the Bible, certain Psalms of the Bible that will resonate with your soul because of seasons of life that you're going through, and they're wonderful to have. 00:41:33.710 --> 00:41:33.710 And when you go back to that season of life, or you encounter someone else going through that season of life, there are certain passages that we should embed in the core of our being, so that we can share that with others, and we can remind ourselves of verses of Scripture in light of who God is. 00:41:33.710 --> 00:41:33.710 Psalm 107 is one of those where it's not just a Psalm that's important for a specific season, but it's a psalm that we should find our hearts resonating with in every season of life. 00:41:33.710 --> 00:41:33.710 One of the things that's interesting about this particular psalm, though it relates to every season of life, is that Psalm 107 has often been referred to as the Pilgrim Psalm. 00:41:33.710 --> 00:41:33.710 And I literally mean the pilgrims we often think about here in America, the reason we celebrate Thanksgiving. 00:41:33.710 --> 00:41:33.710 It's this specific psalm that the pilgrims gravitated to in their plight in life, as they were forced out of England because of persecution. 00:41:33.710 --> 00:41:33.710 They ran to Holland and eventually from Holland they came to the United States, and they found their identity in what this Psalm communicated, so much so that William Bradford, the governor at Plymouth, when they landed in 1620, as he wrote his book about that landing, he went back and reflected on their lives. 00:41:33.710 --> 00:41:33.710 And he quoted directly from this Psalm. 00:41:33.710 --> 00:41:33.710 He said the pilgrims were ready to perish in this wilderness. 00:41:33.710 --> 00:41:33.710 For they cried to the Lord. 00:41:33.710 --> 00:41:33.710 And the Lord heard their cry and looked on their adversity. 00:41:33.710 --> 00:41:33.710 And then he quotes the psalm. 00:41:33.710 --> 00:41:33.710 It says, let them therefore praise the Lord, because he is good, and his mercies endure forever. 00:41:33.710 --> 00:41:33.710 Yet let them which have been redeemed of the Lord show how he has delivered them from the hand of the oppressor. 00:41:33.710 --> 00:41:33.710 When they wandered in the desert wilderness out of the way, and found no place to dwell in, both hungry and thirsty, their soul was overwhelmed in them. 00:41:33.710 --> 00:41:33.710 Let them confess before the Lord his loving kindness and his wonderful works before the sons of men. 00:41:33.710 --> 00:41:33.710 He's quoting directly from this Psalm and how they rooted themselves in this particular season of life. 00:41:33.710 --> 00:41:33.710 But more than just a psalm of the pilgrims, for at least the last couple of centuries, if you're from America and familiar with the story, this psalm is also known as the Psalm of the Jewish plight. 00:41:33.710 --> 00:41:33.710 Meaning when you read through the book of Psalms, I told you there's 150 chapters in the Psalms, and we see it as one big book. 00:41:33.710 --> 00:41:33.710 But the Jewish people understood it as five distinct books within the one bigger book. 00:41:33.710 --> 00:41:33.710 Among these five distinct books, Psalm chapter one all the way to chapter 41 was book one, Psalm chapter 42 to 72 was book two, Psalm chapter 73 to 89 was book three, chapter 90 to 106 is book four, and chapter 107 to 150 is book five. 00:41:33.710 --> 00:41:33.710 So we're looking at Psalm 107, which is the last book of the five books found in the book of Psalms. 00:41:33.710 --> 00:41:33.710 And as you look at these five distinct books, the way they play themselves out is the first couple of books remind themselves of the promises that they have in the Lord, as their identity is rooted in him. 00:41:33.710 --> 00:41:33.710 But yet the middle books remind us that as they rebelled against the Lord, they were taken into captivity. 00:41:33.710 --> 00:41:33.710 And then we get to the end of the book of Psalms, they're looking forward to the redemption, the restored story in the Lord, the way that God pursued them, though they were in rebellion and found themselves in captivity, and God brought them liberty, he brought them back to this place of freedom. 00:41:33.710 --> 00:41:33.710 And so Psalm 107 is very much reflective of that. 00:41:33.710 --> 00:41:33.710 In fact, Psalm 107 is also a part of a trilogy. 00:41:33.710 --> 00:41:33.710 Meaning when you look at Psalm 105, 106, 107, it's telling that redemptive story. 00:41:33.710 --> 00:41:33.710 It's saying in Psalm 105 how the children of Israel were promised to belong to the Lord. 00:41:33.710 --> 00:41:33.710 From the time of Abraham, they were brought into that promised land. 00:41:33.710 --> 00:41:33.710 And so you see that expressed throughout Psalm 105. 00:41:33.710 --> 00:41:33.710 And then in 106, you see them rebelling as they're in the promised land, and they're taken into captivity. 00:41:33.710 --> 00:41:33.710 And then Psalm 107 is God bringing that deliverance. 00:41:33.710 --> 00:41:33.710 And for us, the story of the children of Israel becomes a tangible expression of everything that God would redeem through us in a spiritual sense. 00:41:33.710 --> 00:41:33.710 Meaning when you look at the life of the children of Israel, you see physically reflected what God would ultimately do for us spiritually. 00:41:33.710 --> 00:41:33.710 What I mean by it is if you were to open up the gospel of Matthew, one of the most popular sections of the Gospel of Matthew is the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew chapter five, where Jesus gives us that grand message as his inauguration, as he's presented to the world as the Messiah and King coming to deliver. 00:41:33.710 --> 00:41:33.710 He gives really his inauguration speech to us. 00:41:33.710 --> 00:41:33.710 What is it like to belong to him, who came for our deliverance? 00:41:33.710 --> 00:41:33.710 And up until that point, those first four chapters of the book of Matthew, the writer lays out for us the story of Jesus lived out, but he lives out his story in such a way that he's walking literally the path of the children of Israel. 00:41:33.710 --> 00:41:33.710 And even though the children of Israel walked a path, they did so disobediently. 00:41:33.710 --> 00:41:33.710 But in the first four chapters of the book of Matthew, you see Jesus walking this path obediently. 00:41:33.710 --> 00:41:33.710 Meaning as Jesus was born in the promised land, so Abraham was taken to this place. 00:41:33.710 --> 00:41:33.710 But the children of Israel were taken to Egypt and were enslaved. 00:41:33.710 --> 00:41:33.710 And Jesus had to run for his life to Egypt to escape the hand of Herod from the place of death. 00:41:33.710 --> 00:41:33.710 But then he's brought back from Egypt, and as the children of Israel were carried through the wilderness, they wandered for 40 years. 00:41:33.710 --> 00:41:33.710 And Jesus, in the beginning of Matthew, wanders through the wilderness and faces temptation for 40 days and 40 nights to reflect the 40 years of the children of Israel. 00:41:33.710 --> 00:41:33.710 And just as the children of Israel crossed the Jordan River, Jesus comes to the Jordan River and is baptized. 00:41:33.710 --> 00:41:33.710 And you see Jesus as that true Israelite, the only one who fulfilled what the Father declared he should do. 00:41:33.710 --> 00:41:33.710 And because of that he becomes our redemption. 00:41:33.710 --> 00:41:33.710 He becomes our path of freedom. 00:41:33.710 --> 00:41:33.710 And for you and for me, it's important to see how this story correlates to our lives. 00:41:33.710 --> 00:41:33.710 Because when you see from the very beginning of the book of Genesis, you find that God created you for relationship. 00:41:33.710 --> 00:41:33.710 And in that relationship you were called to rest in him. 00:41:33.710 --> 00:41:33.710 It's why, as you read the creation story, it tells you first day God creates and there's morning and evening. 00:41:33.710 --> 00:41:33.710 Second day God creates and there's morning and evening. 00:41:33.710 --> 00:41:33.710 Third day goes on. 00:41:33.710 --> 00:41:33.710 Fourth day, morning and evening. 00:41:33.710 --> 00:41:33.710 Fifth day, morning and evening. 00:41:33.710 --> 00:41:33.710 Sixth day, morning and evening. 00:41:33.710 --> 00:41:33.710 Then God gets to the seventh day. 00:41:33.710 --> 00:41:33.710 He creates, and it tells us that God rests, but it never tells us there's an end to that rest. 00:41:33.710 --> 00:41:33.710 There's never a morning and evening. 00:41:33.710 --> 00:41:33.710 And so the idea in Scripture that's painted for us is that we're intended to belong to the Lord, that we were never called to leave that day of rest. 00:41:33.710 --> 00:41:33.710 And you see throughout the history of the children of Israel that they were called to have a day called the Sabbath, Saturday, in which they were to rest in the Lord, reflective of their relationship. 00:41:33.710 --> 00:41:33.710 They were called to belong to a relationship they abandoned because of their own rebellion. 00:41:33.710 --> 00:41:33.710 And so from the book of Genesis, you see this rebellion in mankind, that we asserted ourselves as if we are God, that we sit on the throne of our lives, and we declared right from wrong, and we abandoned our relationship with the Lord. 00:41:33.710 --> 00:41:33.710 But God didn't leave us there. 00:41:33.710 --> 00:41:33.710 He pursued us with his own life. 00:41:33.710 --> 00:41:33.710 And rather now than acknowledging Saturday as a Sabbath, we typically gather on a Sunday because that was the day of Jesus's resurrection, showing that God didn't leave us there, that he pursued us with his life so that we could have freedom in him, that he called us to that place of rest. 00:41:33.710 --> 00:41:33.710 And Sunday is a wonderful day for God's people to gather. 00:41:33.710 --> 00:41:33.710 I look at this as our really our anthem day, where we celebrate what we have in Christ. 00:41:33.710 --> 00:41:33.710 This is the cry of our soul, what we have in Jesus. 00:41:33.710 --> 00:41:33.710 So Sunday is an important day for us. 00:41:33.710 --> 00:41:33.710 But more than just Sunday, when Jesus said to us in Matthew chapter 11, he gave this proclamation to a religious world that was worn out by their religion. 00:41:33.710 --> 00:41:33.710 He said to them, come to me, all you who are weary and heavy laden, and I will give you rest. 00:41:33.710 --> 00:41:33.710 Our rest is not about a day. 00:41:33.710 --> 00:41:33.710 Our rest is not about a place. 00:41:33.710 --> 00:41:33.710 Our rest is about a person. 00:41:33.710 --> 00:41:33.710 And when you look at this specific psalm, Psalm 107, which I'm leaving myself not very much time to dive into, so I got to jump into this. 00:41:33.710 --> 00:41:33.710 But the first three verses give you an introduction. 00:41:33.710 --> 00:41:33.710 And then verse four to verse 32 give us this body where it reminds us of four points of how we should celebrate this. 00:41:33.710 --> 00:41:33.710 And finally, verse 33 to 43, he gives us this conclusion. 00:41:33.710 --> 00:41:33.710 But I want you to see in this introduction what he's saying to us. 00:41:33.710 --> 00:41:33.710 It's the theme of everything I just said. 00:41:33.710 --> 00:41:33.710 He says, oh, give thanks to the Lord. 00:41:33.710 --> 00:41:33.710 This is your call, that we would give thanks from the being of our soul. 00:41:33.710 --> 00:41:33.710 And he tells you why. 00:41:33.710 --> 00:41:33.710 For he is good, for his steadfast love endures forever. 00:41:33.710 --> 00:41:33.710 He says, let the redeemed of the Lord say so, whom he has redeemed from trouble, and gathered in from the lands, from the east and from the west, and from the north and from the south. 00:41:33.710 --> 00:41:33.710 So this is a call to give thanks. 00:41:33.710 --> 00:41:33.710 And he's telling us the reason we should do this is because of the redeemed. 00:41:33.710 --> 00:41:33.710 He's saying it's the redeemed of the Lord that should be lifting their voices to proclaim this. 00:41:33.710 --> 00:41:33.710 Some translations say in verse two, let the redeemed of the Lord say so. 00:41:33.710 --> 00:41:33.710 Some translations say, let the redeemed of the Lord proclaim this. 00:41:33.710 --> 00:41:33.710 This is the anthem cry of your soul. 00:41:33.710 --> 00:41:33.710 It's your voice that should be lifted for this purpose. 00:41:33.710 --> 00:41:33.710 And he's using this psalm as if to say, remember, because we often have this tendency of forgetting. 00:41:33.710 --> 00:41:33.710 But he's saying, recall this at the depth of who you are, because this is core to your being. 00:41:33.710 --> 00:41:33.710 This is the foundation of your life. 00:41:33.710 --> 00:41:33.710 This is the guidepost for everything that you pursue. 00:41:33.710 --> 00:41:33.710 This defines you. 00:41:33.710 --> 00:41:33.710 And he uses this word redemption. 00:41:33.710 --> 00:41:33.710 Which leads me with a couple of questions we should ask ourselves. 00:41:33.710 --> 00:41:33.710 What does that mean? 00:41:33.710 --> 00:41:33.710 And am I that person? 00:41:33.710 --> 00:41:33.710 Am I one of those redeemed? 00:41:33.710 --> 00:41:33.710 Because you see in verse three that he's gathering these people from everywhere, from the east and the west and the north and the south, everywhere, everyone. 00:41:33.710 --> 00:41:33.710 They're coming together under this title of redemption, which leads them to give thanks. 00:41:33.710 --> 00:41:33.710 So what does this idea of redeem mean? 00:41:33.710 --> 00:41:33.710 And do I belong to this? 00:41:33.710 --> 00:41:33.710 Because if I belong, this should be the cry of my life. 00:41:33.710 --> 00:41:33.710 And when you understand what redemption means, the word is literally defined as rescue, or to buy someone. 00:41:33.710 --> 00:41:33.710 It's a word that would be used to purchase someone from the slave market. 00:41:33.710 --> 00:41:33.710 And it's exactly the picture that Scripture paints for your life and mine. 00:41:33.710 --> 00:41:33.710 Meaning we had found ourselves a prisoner of another. 00:41:33.710 --> 00:41:33.710 Our souls were held captive by sin and death. 00:41:33.710 --> 00:41:33.710 But God doesn't leave us there. 00:41:33.710 --> 00:41:33.710 He pursues us that we could find freedom in him and rest for our souls. 00:41:33.710 --> 00:41:33.710 And we understand the significance of what that is when we are reminded of it. 00:41:33.710 --> 00:41:33.710 It leads to the depth of our life to cry out from our being the richness that we possess in him. 00:41:33.710 --> 00:41:33.710 And so in Psalm 107 today, the title of your message is this: the redeemed have a story to tell. 00:41:33.710 --> 00:41:33.710 And we think about what is that song of our soul that we are called to sing. 00:41:33.710 --> 00:41:33.710 And we're just going to look at four points of what that's about. 00:41:33.710 --> 00:41:33.710 Let me give you number one, because I need to quickly start diving further into this text. 00:41:33.710 --> 00:41:33.710 Number one is this: we have a home for the wanderer. 00:41:33.710 --> 00:41:33.710 We have a home for the wanderer. 00:41:33.710 --> 00:41:33.710 When you read in verse four, it says, some wandered in desert wastes, finding no way to a city to dwell in. 00:41:33.710 --> 00:41:33.710 Hungry and thirsty, their soul fainted within them. 00:41:33.710 --> 00:41:33.710 Then they cried to the Lord in their trouble, and he delivered them from their distress. 00:41:33.710 --> 00:41:33.710 He led them by a straight way, till they reached a city to dwell in. 00:41:33.710 --> 00:41:33.710 Let them thank the Lord for his steadfast love, for his wondrous works to the children of man. 00:41:33.710 --> 00:41:33.710 For he satisfies the longing of the soul, and the hungry soul he fills with good things. 00:41:33.710 --> 00:41:33.710 When you read this particular section, you find very quickly why the pilgrims would have been attracted to such a passage. 00:41:33.710 --> 00:41:33.710 Being kicked out of England because of persecution, to go to Holland and America, they were certainly wanderers. 00:41:33.710 --> 00:41:33.710 They were pilgrims. 00:41:33.710 --> 00:41:33.710 But even more than that, when you read this passage, you can also reflect on what it was like to be the children of Israel during this time period. 00:41:33.710 --> 00:41:33.710 They are reminded of how they were taken into captivity because of the Babylonians. 00:41:33.710 --> 00:41:33.710 They were ripped from their places of protection, their cities that held them and gave them security. 00:41:33.710 --> 00:41:33.710 And they were moved and they were exposed. 00:41:33.710 --> 00:41:33.710 And now they longed for that place of peace, that place of being connected, that place of being protected. 00:41:33.710 --> 00:41:33.710 During this specific time period, it's important to remember that if difficult things happen, if someone came against you, there was no police officer to call. 00:41:33.710 --> 00:41:33.710 The protection of the people was determined by the city in which they dwelt, and the walls that stood around them, and their family members that came to their aid. 00:41:33.710 --> 00:41:33.710 And now, suddenly being ripped from the protection of the city and being dragged off as a foreigner to another land and being left to the open countryside, they were open to whatever the wild animals would bring or the marauders that would visit. 00:41:33.710 --> 00:41:33.710 And what furthermore is interesting about this particular passage is the reason this was produced was not because of something necessarily someone else did, but because of their own destructive path and choosing a life contrary to the Lord. 00:41:33.710 --> 00:41:33.710 God had warned them over and over again. 00:41:33.710 --> 00:41:33.710 Don't forsake me. 00:41:33.710 --> 00:41:33.710 Trouble is coming. 00:41:33.710 --> 00:41:33.710 But yet the children of Israel continued to abandon the Lord, and in so doing they lost their home. 00:41:33.710 --> 00:41:33.710 But one of the things I think is important to see is that where their satisfaction is coming from is not just simply in a city in itself. 00:41:33.710 --> 00:41:33.710 The satisfaction comes from something greater, that longing deep within their soul, that they are recognizing that what they yearn for is home. 00:41:33.710 --> 00:41:33.710 But home is something much deeper than just being present in a place. 00:41:33.710 --> 00:41:33.710 It's where you're called to ultimately belong. 00:41:33.710 --> 00:41:33.710 We don't have to be taught what it means to appreciate the idea or the sense of home. 00:41:33.710 --> 00:41:33.710 We gravitate to even videos on social media that remind us of the significance of it. 00:41:33.710 --> 00:41:33.710 For example, sometimes there's a popular video where a soldier goes off to battle and when he returns from the battlefield, rather than just simply walk through his home, sometimes there might be some greater plan made where there might be an assembly of children at a school, and they call one of the students forward. 00:41:33.710 --> 00:41:33.710 And as they're calling the student forward, out from behind the stage or somewhere hidden, one of their parents appears who had returned from battle. 00:41:33.710 --> 00:41:33.710 And all of a sudden you get that endearing moment that home is more than just about a place. 00:41:33.710 --> 00:41:33.710 It's the sense of belonging. 00:41:33.710 --> 00:41:33.710 It's this yearning for peace deep within you that things aren't as they should be. 00:41:33.710 --> 00:41:33.710 But we long for that. 00:41:33.710 --> 00:41:33.710 Even within the animal kingdom, there's the homing pigeon. 00:41:33.710 --> 00:41:33.710 Studies have been done that they can take that pigeon hundreds of miles, if not thousands of miles, and it's been proven that some of them can still find their way home. 00:41:33.710 --> 00:41:33.710 There is this longing ingrained within them for home. 00:41:33.710 --> 00:41:33.710 Ecclesiastes chapter three, verse 11, the Bible says for all of us God has written eternity in your hearts. 00:41:33.710 --> 00:41:33.710 Meaning you may find a piece or a part of peace, a sense of satisfaction in a homely sense here in this world. 00:41:33.710 --> 00:41:33.710 But it's also important to recognize that the things of this world pass away. 00:41:33.710 --> 00:41:33.710 And you were made for more. 00:41:33.710 --> 00:41:33.710 And your ultimate sense of home is not so much about a specific place, but in a greater picture, that place where you were ultimately designed to belong, which is the Lord. 00:41:33.710 --> 00:41:33.710 And even if the distance between you and God is because of your sin, this passage reminds us that God still pursues us in his grace. 00:41:33.710 --> 00:41:33.710 God does not give up on you. 00:41:33.710 --> 00:41:33.710 That's what this redemption that he's telling us about is revealing to us. 00:41:33.710 --> 00:41:33.710 We're made to belong. 00:41:33.710 --> 00:41:33.710 And there is this God who has not forgotten you. 00:41:33.710 --> 00:41:33.710 He has forgiven you. 00:41:33.710 --> 00:41:33.710 He has given everything that you could belong to him. 00:41:33.710 --> 00:41:33.710 Jesus offers peace. 00:41:33.710 --> 00:41:33.710 The redeemed have a story to tell. 00:41:33.710 --> 00:41:33.710 A home for the wanderer. 00:41:33.710 --> 00:41:33.710 Number two, our story looks like this: it's freedom for the prisoner. 00:41:33.710 --> 00:41:33.710 Remember the home for the wanderer. 00:41:33.710 --> 00:41:33.710 Number two, remember the freedom for the prisoner. 00:41:33.710 --> 00:41:33.710 And he goes on and reminds us in verse ten, some sat in darkness and in the shadow of death, prisoners in affliction and in irons. 00:41:33.710 --> 00:41:33.710 For they had rebelled against the words of God and spurned the counsel of the Most High. 00:41:33.710 --> 00:41:33.710 So he bowed their hearts down with hard labor. 00:41:33.710 --> 00:41:33.710 They fell down with none to help them. 00:41:33.710 --> 00:41:33.710 Then they cried to the Lord in their trouble, and he delivered them from their distress. 00:41:33.710 --> 00:41:33.710 He brought them out of darkness and the shadow of death, and burst their bonds apart. 00:41:33.710 --> 00:41:33.710 He's reminding us in this passage that the cause of their troubles was produced by their own rebellion. 00:41:33.710 --> 00:41:33.710 But even in that rebellion, God does not forget them, but rather God forgives them. 00:41:33.710 --> 00:41:33.710 You see, their rebellion is ultimately against the Lord, even though the Lord had warned them. 00:41:33.710 --> 00:41:33.710 And in so doing they find themselves in chains. 00:41:33.710 --> 00:41:33.710 But it's God who delivers them by breaking free those chains that they may walk in the joy of knowing him. 00:41:33.710 --> 00:41:33.710 The prisoner is set free. 00:41:33.710 --> 00:41:33.710 Because you think of the significance of what it means to rebel against God and your own relationship with the Lord. 00:41:33.710 --> 00:41:33.710 There are a lot of things that we can go through in life and a lot of excuses that we can give as to why we might not follow God. 00:41:33.710 --> 00:41:33.710 But can I tell you, your greatest adversity in following the Lord is not what happens beyond you, but the war that wrestles within you. 00:41:33.710 --> 00:41:33.710 It's our own brokenness in our hearts. 00:41:33.710 --> 00:41:33.710 The Bible reminds us in Ephesians chapter two, verse one, for you were dead in your trespasses and sins. 00:41:33.710 --> 00:41:33.710 And the Bible says our position before the Lord is in a state of being dead, meaning there's nothing that you can do to resurrect your own life before God. 00:41:33.710 --> 00:41:33.710 There's nothing that you can do to impress God with who you are. 00:41:33.710 --> 00:41:33.710 But then it goes on and tells us in First Peter, chapter one, verse 23, that you were raised to life by an imperishable seed, the word of God. 00:41:33.710 --> 00:41:33.710 And it's that word that gives you life. 00:41:33.710 --> 00:41:33.710 And you find in John chapter one, verses 1 to 14, that Jesus ultimately is that word. 00:41:33.710 --> 00:41:33.710 And that word became flesh and dwelt among us. 00:41:33.710 --> 00:41:33.710 And we had the opportunity to see his glory. 00:41:33.710 --> 00:41:33.710 And it tells us that he gave to us grace upon grace. 00:41:33.710 --> 00:41:33.710 It's critical to understand that while Ephesians chapter two, verse one tells us we were dead in our trespasses and sins, that verse eight and nine then goes on and says, for by grace you are saved through faith, not of yourselves. 00:41:33.710 --> 00:41:33.710 It's a gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast. 00:41:33.710 --> 00:41:33.710 We often joke about that in talking about the boasting, that if you arrogantly think that it's you that earns the right to come before God, then the rest of us have to spend eternity listening to you talk about how great you are, and none of us want that. 00:41:33.710 --> 00:41:33.710 But if you understand what Ephesians two, eight and nine are saying, it's not because of you, but by the grace of God. 00:41:33.710 --> 00:41:33.710 So the boasting doesn't belong to you, but rather to him. 00:41:33.710 --> 00:41:33.710 And we spend eternity seeing the greatness of who he is, how he didn't give up on us, how he pursued us with his life. 00:41:33.710 --> 00:41:33.710 And he gives us not only freedom, but new identity in him. 00:41:33.710 --> 00:41:33.710 And so this particular passage is recognizing the significance of that for you and for me. 00:41:33.710 --> 00:41:33.710 In fact, there is a theological word that we like to use to define this. 00:41:33.710 --> 00:41:33.710 It's the word, if you want to fill in the blank there, it's the word justification. 00:41:33.710 --> 00:41:33.710 And it means you've been freed from sin's penalty. 00:41:33.710 --> 00:41:33.710 It's saying to you, Jesus became as you are, so that you can become as he is. 00:41:33.710 --> 00:41:33.710 He took on your sin so that you could take on his righteousness. 00:41:33.710 --> 00:41:33.710 The word justification is a legal term and it literally means declared righteous. 00:41:33.710 --> 00:41:33.710 It's as if you go into a courtroom knowing that you're guilty. 00:41:33.710 --> 00:41:33.710 But before the judge slams the gavel to say, take him away forever, he slams that gavel and says, forgiven. 00:41:33.710 --> 00:41:33.710 You've been made justified. 00:41:33.710 --> 00:41:33.710 You've been declared righteous in him. 00:41:33.710 --> 00:41:33.710 Nelson Mandela is somewhat of a complicated figure in history, but in the 1960s, he fought for the desegregation that was taking place in South Africa. 00:41:33.710 --> 00:41:33.710 Segregation was still existing. 00:41:33.710 --> 00:41:33.710 He led a peaceful movement to try to end it. 00:41:33.710 --> 00:41:33.710 But eventually it was outlawed that they could no longer have a peaceful movement to end segregation. 00:41:33.710 --> 00:41:33.710 And so he started to lead a band of individuals that started to attack vital places. 00:41:33.710 --> 00:41:33.710 He never harmed another human being, but they would go into infrastructure and started to lead revolts. 00:41:33.710 --> 00:41:33.710 And it ultimately ended with him in jail. 00:41:33.710 --> 00:41:33.710 And he became somewhat of a figure for the ending of segregation in South Africa. 00:41:33.710 --> 00:41:33.710 And he spent several decades in prison. 00:41:33.710 --> 00:41:33.710 And finally, in 1990, he was let free. 00:41:33.710 --> 00:41:33.710 And the question was, what kind of individual was going to walk out of those prison doors? 00:41:33.710 --> 00:41:33.710 And Nelson Mandela said this: as I walked out of the prison, I knew that I had to leave bitterness and hatred behind, because if I didn't, my prison would walk with me. 00:41:33.710 --> 00:41:33.710 Guys, can I just tell you, when Jesus sets you free, he sets you free from everything. 00:41:33.710 --> 00:41:33.710 We come to him empty and we receive the full forgiveness of God because of what he's accomplished for us on the cross. 00:41:33.710 --> 00:41:33.710 We get to lay it down at his feet and step into this entirely new identity of which we walk into, because of the enrichment of Christ made known in our life. 00:41:33.710 --> 00:41:33.710 The song of the redeemed is a song of a home for the wanderer. 00:41:33.710 --> 00:41:33.710 It's a psalm of freedom for the prisoner. 00:41:33.710 --> 00:41:33.710 And number three is this: it's a song of healing for the foolish. 00:41:33.710 --> 00:41:33.710 It's a song of healing for the foolish. 00:41:33.710 --> 00:41:33.710 He goes on in verse 17, some were fools through their sinful ways and because of their iniquities suffered affliction. 00:41:33.710 --> 00:41:33.710 They loathed any kind of food, and they drew near to the gates of death. 00:41:33.710 --> 00:41:33.710 Then they cried to the Lord in their trouble, and he delivered them from their distress. 00:41:33.710 --> 00:41:33.710 He sent out his word and healed them, and delivered them from their destruction. 00:41:33.710 --> 00:41:33.710 Let them offer sacrifices of thanksgiving, and tell of his deeds in songs of joy. 00:41:33.710 --> 00:41:33.710 Here he is again, saying it was their own foolish sinfulness that brought them to this bondage, the children of Israel. 00:41:33.710 --> 00:41:33.710 And it's the same for us. 00:41:33.710 --> 00:41:33.710 Our sinfulness produces bondage of the soul, and we forget the richness that we have in Christ. 00:41:33.710 --> 00:41:33.710 And this call of this passage is to lay it down. 00:41:33.710 --> 00:41:33.710 And maybe we could ask of our own selves, just to do some soul searching this morning, and saying, what part of my life am I withholding from the Lord? 00:41:33.710 --> 00:41:33.710 What area of my life do I really think that God can't see? 00:41:33.710 --> 00:41:33.710 What area of my life do I think I could try to cover over by just trying to do some good deeds real quick? 00:41:33.710 --> 00:41:33.710 God sees it all. 00:41:33.710 --> 00:41:33.710 It's all bare to him. 00:41:33.710 --> 00:41:33.710 And whatever in our hearts is not fully surrendered to him, just to commit it to him. 00:41:33.710 --> 00:41:33.710 Whatever excuse we might make for our behavior, to realize I'm still accountable for what I do and the foolishness I walk in, to see that what ultimately heals me is the healing hand of God. 00:41:33.710 --> 00:41:33.710 His word alone sets me free. 00:41:33.710 --> 00:41:33.710 And what Jesus declared over me by his own life. 00:41:33.710 --> 00:41:33.710 And it says the only response, finally in this Psalm, is starting to tell us, as he lays out these figures, how we should respond. 00:41:33.710 --> 00:41:33.710 And he says, let them offer sacrifices of thanksgiving. 00:41:33.710 --> 00:41:33.710 He's saying, as God has laid down his life for you, the only logical response is that we would give ourselves in return to him. 00:41:33.710 --> 00:41:33.710 My God, my heart was made for you. 00:41:33.710 --> 00:41:33.710 And it's not until you have it fully that I'm truly wrapped up in all that you are, finding my identity in this. 00:41:33.710 --> 00:41:33.710 So God set me free. 00:41:33.710 --> 00:41:33.710 God, let me surrender my life to you because of what you've done for me. 00:41:33.710 --> 00:41:33.710 Let me lay it down and rejoice in thanksgiving because of who you are. 00:41:33.710 --> 00:41:33.710 Maybe we could say it like this: sometimes as Christians, if we aren't careful, there are plenty of us that are willing to talk about the cross, but far fewer of us that are willing to take up the cross and follow him. 00:41:33.710 --> 00:41:33.710 The calling of the life of the believer is to lay down who we are for his glory, as he lay down who he is for ours. 00:41:33.710 --> 00:41:33.710 There's a home for the wanderer. 00:41:33.710 --> 00:41:33.710 There's freedom for the prisoner. 00:41:33.710 --> 00:41:33.710 There's healing for the foolish. 00:41:33.710 --> 00:41:33.710 Number four, there's peace from the fearful. 00:41:33.710 --> 00:41:33.710 There is peace from the fearful. 00:41:33.710 --> 00:41:33.710 Verse 23, some went down to the sea in ships doing business on the great waters. 00:41:33.710 --> 00:41:33.710 Can I just tell you, as we get ready to read these verses, maybe most of us might resonate with this section more than any other. 00:41:33.710 --> 00:41:33.710 And some of that is because when it comes to sinfulness, we don't always like to reflect in that way. 00:41:33.710 --> 00:41:33.710 Don't call me sinful. 00:41:33.710 --> 00:41:33.710 My mom thinks I'm something special. 00:41:33.710 --> 00:41:33.710 They might be sinful because they do bad things. 00:41:33.710 --> 00:41:33.710 But me? 00:41:33.710 --> 00:41:33.710 I'm great. 00:41:33.710 --> 00:41:33.710 Let me just tell you, there's a verse for that. 00:41:33.710 --> 00:41:33.710 Jesus says don't call out the splinter in your brother's eye when you've got a log in your own. 00:41:33.710 --> 00:41:33.710 It's good to be honest. 00:41:33.710 --> 00:41:33.710 But in this particular passage, what he's saying is sometimes we just get busy in the things of life and they distract us so much, and chasing after the dreams of this world, that we often turn from that and realize, man, I've gotten so far from God. 00:41:33.710 --> 00:41:33.710 The lure of the dreams of life can pull us from what we've ultimately been called to in him. 00:41:33.710 --> 00:41:33.710 And verse 23 is saying, is that your soul right now? 00:41:33.710 --> 00:41:33.710 You've gotten so busy in the things of this world that you've given no time for God, and now your soul has been distracted, so many little gods that you've failed to see the worth of the one true God. 00:41:33.710 --> 00:41:33.710 Some went down to the sea in ships doing business on the great waters. 00:41:33.710 --> 00:41:33.710 They saw the deeds of the Lord, his wondrous works in the deep. 00:41:33.710 --> 00:41:33.710 For he commanded and raised the stormy wind which lifted up the waves of the sea. 00:41:33.710 --> 00:41:33.710 They mounted up to the heavens, and they went down to the depths. 00:41:33.710 --> 00:41:33.710 Their courage melted away in their evil plight. 00:41:33.710 --> 00:41:33.710 They reeled and staggered like drunken men and were at their wits' end. 00:41:33.710 --> 00:41:33.710 Can I just tell you, some of us look at that and we read this as a fearful moment. 00:41:33.710 --> 00:41:33.710 But can I tell you, if you're in that state right now, what else could God do to awaken your eyes to how much you need him? 00:41:33.710 --> 00:41:33.710 I mean, it becomes a response of God's mercy and grace to you that you would come to a place in life where you realize you're not as great as you thought you were. 00:41:33.710 --> 00:41:33.710 And the promises of this world aren't as tempting as you once saw, so that you could see something more, something greater, something far more wondrous and beautiful. 00:41:33.710 --> 00:41:33.710 And that is to be captivated by the splendor of who God is. 00:41:33.710 --> 00:41:33.710 And so they're saying there came this moment where I got distracted, but then I was reminded just how small I am in this world, and that I needed something more. 00:41:33.710 --> 00:41:33.710 And the greatness of God being made known. 00:41:33.710 --> 00:41:33.710 He goes on, verse 28, then they cry to the Lord in their trouble, and he delivered them from their distress. 00:41:33.710 --> 00:41:33.710 He made the storm be still, and the waves of the sea were hushed. 00:41:33.710 --> 00:41:33.710 They were glad that the waters were quiet, and he brought them to their desired haven. 00:41:33.710 --> 00:41:33.710 Let them thank the Lord for his steadfast love, for his wondrous works to the children of man. 00:41:33.710 --> 00:41:33.710 Let them extol him in the congregation of the people, and praise him in the assembly of the elders. 00:41:33.710 --> 00:41:33.710 They're saying it's this love in the midst of the brokenness of life that reminds us of the greatness of who God is. 00:41:33.710 --> 00:41:33.710 And we are thankful that even when we rebel against the Lord, even when we get lost in the temptations and the distractions of life, when our soul becomes overwhelmed in those moments, we can turn and see that there is a God who has not forsaken us. 00:41:33.710 --> 00:41:33.710 There is a God who has not given up on us, but rather we can turn to him and be forgiven, that he brings peace to my soul and he stills the waters of my life. 00:41:33.710 --> 00:41:33.710 While the children of Israel are certainly seeing this as being physically taken out of captivity from Babylon, this passage reminds us that God desires to do this in your inner being, to bring this stillness to your life, that you could see the significance of who he is. 00:41:33.710 --> 00:41:33.710 And ultimately the fulfillment of all of these things is made known in Christ. 00:41:33.710 --> 00:41:33.710 Jesus is the one who gathers people from the nations, as it tells us in John chapter 11, verse 52. 00:41:33.710 --> 00:41:33.710 In John chapter ten, it tells us that he is the good Shepherd who takes the wandering sheep and he calls them home to him. 00:41:33.710 --> 00:41:33.710 He proclaims freedom to the captives, those who find themselves in prison, in Luke chapter four, verse 18. 00:41:33.710 --> 00:41:33.710 He is the ultimate word who heals us in John chapter one, verses 1 to 14. 00:41:33.710 --> 00:41:33.710 He is the one who calms the storm in Mark chapter four, verses 35 to 41. 00:41:33.710 --> 00:41:33.710 It's reminding us the song of the redeemed finds itself ultimately in everything that Christ is for you and for me. 00:41:33.710 --> 00:41:33.710 And then he goes on in verse 33 to verse 42. 00:41:33.710 --> 00:41:33.710 I'm not going to be able to read all this, but I want you to see, if you take time this week to read this Psalm and reflect on it, what you're going to find is when we're proud, God brings us low. 00:41:33.710 --> 00:41:33.710 But when we're humble, God exalts us in him. 00:41:33.710 --> 00:41:33.710 That God speaks to the humble of heart. 00:41:33.710 --> 00:41:33.710 God's desire, more than anything, is for your heart to come before his presence. 00:41:33.710 --> 00:41:33.710 The greatest gift we give to the Lord is not something we do, but ourselves surrendered to him. 00:41:33.710 --> 00:41:33.710 And this psalm reflects on that. 00:41:33.710 --> 00:41:33.710 And then this psalm ties itself together in one beautiful word. 00:41:33.710 --> 00:41:33.710 I gave you justification under point number two. 00:41:33.710 --> 00:41:33.710 Under point number three, your other word there is sanctification, that we're saved from the power of sin. 00:41:33.710 --> 00:41:33.710 And under point number four, the next word there is glorification. 00:41:33.710 --> 00:41:33.710 We're saved from the presence of sin. 00:41:33.710 --> 00:41:33.710 Ultimately this is made known in everything that Christ is for us. 00:41:33.710 --> 00:41:33.710 But he ties this all together in one word. 00:41:33.710 --> 00:41:33.710 This word becomes a theme word for this entire Psalm. 00:41:33.710 --> 00:41:33.710 And more than that, it's a critical Hebrew word to know in all of the Old Testament. 00:41:33.710 --> 00:41:33.710 It's a word used some 250 times through the Old Testament. 00:41:33.710 --> 00:41:33.710 And it's a word that very much roots your identity in the Lord, and therefore a word that you should cling to. 00:41:33.710 --> 00:41:33.710 But here's what's interesting about this word: it's a difficult word to translate in English, because there's not one English word that truly captivates what this Hebrew word is. 00:41:33.710 --> 00:41:33.710 And that Hebrew word is the word hesed. 00:41:33.710 --> 00:41:33.710 Hesed in Hebrew is often translated in multiple different ways. 00:41:33.710 --> 00:41:33.710 In this particular verse, Psalm 107, verse 43, it says, whoever is wise, let him attend to these things. 00:41:33.710 --> 00:41:33.710 Let them consider the hesed, or the steadfast love, of the Lord. 00:41:33.710 --> 00:41:33.710 This word is peppered throughout this Psalm. 00:41:33.710 --> 00:41:33.710 It's in verse one, and it's characterized in each one of those points we made together. 00:41:33.710 --> 00:41:33.710 In all four of those points, it comes down to this idea, why do we want to sing this song? 00:41:33.710 --> 00:41:33.710 Well, it's because of hesed. 00:41:33.710 --> 00:41:33.710 It's understanding who you are in the Lord. 00:41:33.710 --> 00:41:33.710 And sometimes when translators translate this word in English, they'll translate it as covenantal love. 00:41:33.710 --> 00:41:33.710 Sometimes they'll translate it as the kindness of God. 00:41:33.710 --> 00:41:33.710 Sometimes they'll translate it as the mercy of God. 00:41:33.710 --> 00:41:33.710 Sometimes they'll even loosely translate it as the amazing grace of God. 00:41:33.710 --> 00:41:33.710 Here in this passage, they translate it as the steadfast love of the Lord. 00:41:33.710 --> 00:41:33.710 And look, when we use the word love in our culture, what's important to remember is it's a junk drawer word. 00:41:33.710 --> 00:41:33.710 It's something we could just use flippantly. 00:41:33.710 --> 00:41:33.710 But when it's used in the context of hesed, it's something more than just simply kindness. 00:41:33.710 --> 00:41:33.710 It's something more than just simply mercy or amazing grace. 00:41:33.710 --> 00:41:33.710 Maybe one of the best ways to define it is to give it a plurality of words to express it. 00:41:33.710 --> 00:41:33.710 It's the covenantal love of God that is faithfully unending, expressed to you in action. 00:41:33.710 --> 00:41:33.710 It's not just simply words God says, but it's the way God lives it out. 00:41:33.710 --> 00:41:33.710 It is an unending love. 00:41:33.710 --> 00:41:33.710 And here's what's critical for you and I to consider: when we think about covenantal love, God allows us to experience that kind of relationship in this world in the terms of marriage, or maybe with a parent and a child. 00:41:33.710 --> 00:41:33.710 There's a covenantal love expressed there. 00:41:33.710 --> 00:41:33.710 In marriage, you're called to live a covenantal love, an unending, faithful love. 00:41:33.710 --> 00:41:33.710 But here's the reality of our love. 00:41:33.710 --> 00:41:33.710 It always has an end. 00:41:33.710 --> 00:41:33.710 The reason for that is, well, no matter how great you think your marriage might be, you as a human being have limitations to who you are because you get tired and sometimes you sleep and one day you'll die. 00:41:33.710 --> 00:41:33.710 Hesed love for us has an end. 00:41:33.710 --> 00:41:33.710 Even beyond that, we're not always faithful in covenant love. 00:41:33.710 --> 00:41:33.710 We sin against one another. 00:41:33.710 --> 00:41:33.710 We cause harm. 00:41:33.710 --> 00:41:33.710 We produce distrust. 00:41:33.710 --> 00:41:33.710 But for the Lord his hesed love, his faithful love, it never ends. 00:41:33.710 --> 00:41:33.710 No matter what you do. 00:41:33.710 --> 00:41:33.710 Because his faithful love is contingent upon who he is in his nature and character. 00:41:33.710 --> 00:41:33.710 God never grows tired. 00:41:33.710 --> 00:41:33.710 God never sleeps. 00:41:33.710 --> 00:41:33.710 God never abandons you. 00:41:33.710 --> 00:41:33.710 He will never fail you. 00:41:33.710 --> 00:41:33.710 He is always faithful. 00:41:33.710 --> 00:41:33.710 This is not just a love that we use in word. 00:41:33.710 --> 00:41:33.710 This is a love expressed in deed. 00:41:33.710 --> 00:41:33.710 No one has loved you like God has loved you. 00:41:33.710 --> 00:41:33.710 Let me use this as a way to conclude. 00:41:33.710 --> 00:41:33.710 One of the ways I think hesed love has historically been seen or experienced was through Princess Alice in the late 1800s, in 1878. 00:41:33.710 --> 00:41:33.710 Princess Alice was a princess in the UK. 00:41:33.710 --> 00:41:33.710 She's pictured here with her husband Duke Louis and her six kids. 00:41:33.710 --> 00:41:33.710 And during 1878 her royal family came down with diphtheria and her children were struggling for life, and as a mother, she just wanted to care for them during this time period. 00:41:33.710 --> 00:41:33.710 But unfortunately, her youngest child, Mary, passed away from diphtheria. 00:41:33.710 --> 00:41:33.710 And as her children were fighting and struggling for their life, she waited to share this with the children because she didn't want them so distraught that they weren't able to overcome, because they were so overwhelmed by the death of their youngest sister. 00:41:33.710 --> 00:41:33.710 Ernest, the young boy, was the first in the family to begin to recover. 00:41:33.710 --> 00:41:33.710 And so the mother shared with her son that they had lost their sister Mary to diphtheria, and her son Ernest began to break down and cry. 00:41:33.710 --> 00:41:33.710 And doing what a mother does in those moments, she just forsook herself and she gathered around her son and just held him tight, embracing him, kissing his forehead as he wept bitterly over the death of his sister. 00:41:33.710 --> 00:41:33.710 And in so doing, Princess Alice put her own life at risk. 00:41:33.710 --> 00:41:33.710 And just a few days later she contracted diphtheria and she passed away. 00:41:33.710 --> 00:41:33.710 And her life becomes this example of hesed love, where at the forsaking of your own self, you put someone else's well-being above yours in order to love them in a moment of desperation. 00:41:33.710 --> 00:41:33.710 And this is exactly what's expressed in the love that God has for you. 00:41:33.710 --> 00:41:33.710 In fact, in Genesis chapter three, verse 17, this is that section of Scripture where Adam and Eve rebelled against God and God's pronouncing to them what is the curse of sin that will be upon them because of this. 00:41:33.710 --> 00:41:33.710 And he says, cursed is the ground because of you. 00:41:33.710 --> 00:41:33.710 In pain you shall eat of it all the days of your life. 00:41:33.710 --> 00:41:33.710 Thorns and thistles it shall bring forth for you. 00:41:33.710 --> 00:41:33.710 And you shall eat the plants of the field. 00:41:33.710 --> 00:41:33.710 By the sweat of your face you shall eat the bread till you return to the ground. 00:41:33.710 --> 00:41:33.710 It's reminding us of the curse of sin because of our disobedience to God, and the curse of the thorns of the ground. 00:41:33.710 --> 00:41:33.710 But then when we look at the life of Jesus as he's coming to the cross, we recognize at the end of his life he wears a crown, but it's not the typical crown you would expect of a king. 00:41:33.710 --> 00:41:33.710 Rather than wear the usual crown, the crown that's placed on the head of Jesus is the crown of thorns. 00:41:33.710 --> 00:41:33.710 And it's to demonstrate to us, while we are the ones that rebelled against God, and the curse of this world was placed upon us, Jesus put that curse upon his own head in his great love towards you, his unending, sacrificial, covenantal love. 00:41:33.710 --> 00:41:33.710 He abandoned his own well-being for your sake, so that the song of the redeemed could go forth forever. 00:41:33.710 --> 00:41:33.710 And this psalm becomes the song of our heart, seeing the redemption that we have in Christ alone. 00:41:33.710 --> 00:41:33.710 The core of our identity being who he is.