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he is in Surrey the sir Reformed Baptist Church and so your announcements there is a hospital ministry today at 2:30 at the at the ECU which is at the main hospital I assume pastor brother's coming back for that I've not heard but anyways if anyone's able to to show up and be of help in singing and visiting the the people there the hospital that's at 2:30 this afternoon as well the other announcement would be there is no Bible study this Wednesday nor any Wednesday for the for the next two months there will be no no Wednesday night Bible study just just the will continue obviously with Sunday Sunday in the first hour of 9:30 11:00 and five o'clock on Sunday but nothing midweek well if you turn with me your Bibles please to Isaiah Isaiah chapter 42 set our hearts for worship this morning Isaiah chapter 40 and we'll read the the last 10 verses so 21 to 31 as we consider the God with whom we have to deal with this morning have you not known have you not heard has it not been told you from the beginning have you not understood from the foundations of the earth it is he who sits above the circle of the earth and its inhabitants are like grasshoppers who stretches out the heavens like a curtain and spreads them out like a tent to dwell in he brings the princes to nothing he makes the judges of the earth useless scarcely shall they be planted scarcely shall they be sown scarcely shall their stalk take root in the earth when he will also blow on them and they will wither and the whirlwind will take them away like stubble to whom then will you liken me or to who shall I be equal says the holy one lift up your eyes on high and see who has created these things who brings out their hosts by number he calls them all by name by the greatness of his might and the strength of his power not one is missing why do you say o Jacob and speak o Israel my way is hidden from the Lord and my just claim is passed over by my God have you not known have you not heard the everlasting God the Lord the creator of the ends of the earth neither faints nor is weary his understanding is unsearchable he gives power to the weak and to those who have no might he increases strength even the youths shall faint and be weary and the young men shall utterly fall but those who wait on the Lord shall renew their strength they shall mount up with wings like eagles they shall run and not be weary they shall walk and not faint Amen well please turn with me in your hymn books to him number 291 291 and I'll ask you to please stand [Music] [Applause] [Music] hey man you may be seated just by way of one more announcement I did forget this evening at our evening worship service the people from Surrey will be coming over so we'll be having to collect a collective service together both ourselves here at free grace and the Surrey Reformed Baptist Church and pastor brother will be will be coming back to it to preach this evening at that special service so let's go to God in prayer now and ask his blessing to be upon our meeting time this morning as we seek to worship His name let's pray our gracious and our loving Heavenly Father it's with gratitude father we come into your holy presence this morning through your son the Lord Jesus Christ father thank you that we have dealings to do with you this day because of what Christ has done the fact Lord that you have given to us at access into your very throne room this day because of the merits of the Lord Jesus Christ how grateful we are father that we do not come before a thrice holy God pleading our own merits coming in our own in our own self-righteousness for father we recognize that that would not avail with you but we come pleading and with the righteousness that is that is in the Lord Jesus Christ and we come boldly because of his righteousness how great we are farther than luck for the fact that we can praise you this day thank you for the beauty outside as we consider your creation the beauty of the new morning the Sun that has risen over the mountains and the freshness of the air and the greenness of the grass as the crops begin to grow in this in the in the valley here and and all these things father be speak of it of a good God a kind gotta creating God a God who is merciful to his creation even though we are stained by sin even this world around us has the effects and and evidence of the stain of sin yet father you aren't gracious and even through these things we can see your your handiwork and your goodness your kindness to us in this lower world so father we thank you for all the blessings that we do enjoy both physical and spiritual blessings that we enjoy from day to day we thank you for food to eat we thank you for the blessing of of homes to have in jobs employment we praise you Father for even this building set to come in - once a week - - to worship you the high king of heaven and earth so let me pray that you would be praised that you'd be worshipped here in this place this day receive our worship we do pray for Christ's sake we pray Lord that you would be that you would be well pleased to give to us the Spirit of the Living God here in this place as we seek to worship you this day for father we do not desire to come here without that spirit and so we pray that you would bless us with the Spirit of God and cause your word to to find its mark in each heart here this day as well we pray Lord that you would be glorified in all these things we thank you Lord that you have established the Church of Christ that the the Lord Jesus Christ is head of the church and he's given to us gifts in this in the church as well and we do thank you for pastor Butler we pray Lord that you would just strengthen him this day as he preaches over in Surrey we pray Lord your blessing to be upon pastor Randall in in in in Vernon as well as he seeks to bring the Word of God this day how we praise you Father that you have blessed us with with men of God who seek to give to us the whole counsel of God and so Lord we pray that you would bless these men and cause them to know your spirit and your aid and we do pray Lord that you would give continue to give a spirit of cooperation and a spirit of unity amongst these churches as well we thank you Lord that we can come together this evening as to churches and and enjoy worship and fellowship together as the people of God how we pray Lord your continued blessing to be upon our unity we what we pray for ourselves father we don't we also pray for other churches here in Chilliwack and throughout the Lower Mainland and across this nation of ours how we pray lo that you would be pleased to do bless the churches cause your word to go forth and we pray that it would be unleashed and that the Spirit of the Living God would take the Word of God and and apply it at an insane fication to to believers and and ultimately to - - to justify justify sinners those that would hear the message of the Lord Jesus Christ and that they would trust and believe in that message that will save them for all of eternity Lord we know that we come with with never dying souls before the true and living God and so Lord we pray that you would arrest Souls this day both here and around the world father caused the Word of God to find it smart Lord how we praise you for the gift of life and and health and strength we pray for those amongst who are ill who who have have illnesses or native not able to be with us this day or who are here but perhaps have things upon their mind er or if they're affected in their body we pray Lord that you would just be pleased to strengthen them and cause them to to to find much much help and comfort and strength and encouragement in the Word of God this day we thank you Lord for the preservation of life yesterday for Rebecca Hall we praise you even Lord that she has had her surgery and that the surgery seems to have seems to have taken and and appears to be doing it she appears to be doing well we just gave you our grateful thanks father for having preserved her and we do just pray that she would just be pleased to bless her with continued health and strength we pray the ankle would heal from the surgery last night and that that she would be back to to health and strength and in duty in due time we thank you Father that you have that you have truly created us and we are fearfully and wonderfully made even just the ability to to heal and from from from a traumatic incident like this we praise you father and give you our grateful things that it was not worse and we just pray your blessing upon her we pray Lord your blessing upon mothers this day who are expecting babies again we thank you Lord for the preservation of life within the womb and we pray that you would continue to bless those mothers bless those little ones can we pray that they would know that they would know your help and your aid your strength from day to day until the day of the they give birth father's reconsidered birth and we consider the the the wonder of it the joy of it Lord our our hearts are saddened when we consider the state of affairs in our own nation in regards to the ending of life those those are the ones who have been created in the womb and yet are discarded and thrown away and and treated as as just as tissue as as cells within within the life of the mother and Lord we know that to be very different from the Word of God and we pray low that she would be pleased to move in this nation of ours we pray that there would be that would be a turning away from that which is wicked towards the things that are that are even common tu-tu-tu-tu-tu-tu man in his understanding of life a general grace we know Lord that that that man in his heart sees that this is wrong and thus the the anger and and the hatred against it so Lord how we pray that you would to work upon the consciences of of our nation and upon the lawmakers and we pray that that these things would not always be done but rather your will would be done on earth as it is in heaven we know in heaven there is no there is no death there's no killing and how we pray to that end more that you would change change things in our nation we can only plead upon your mercy father we know that with men it is impossible but with you in all it is possible we pray Lord that you would be merciful to us as a nation Lord we do pray for the missionary enterprise we think of the Hamiltons and we prayed for in the last hour there in the and and their work in the Far East we pray Lord that that work would continue on that you would bless bless the school children as they are on vacation now we pray Lord that you would be pleased to continue to - to hold that work together and bless bless the leaders who have been left behind that they Lord would take up the torch and they would continue the work that has begun there in the in the Hamiltons absence from from that country we pray for the the the compares as santiago's and others within within China how we prayer load that your blessing would be upon them and that you would cause the Church of Christ to march forward we know it is only because of the success of the church that ultimately the authorities of this at this lower world want to clamp down and want to want to - closed churches so what we rejoice in the fact that the church is marching forward in the Far East and we pray that would continue - and that your hand will be upon those who are seeking - to see that implemented both both International those from foreign countries as well as national leaders Lord strengthen their hands we do pray and strengthen their arms we pray so Lord we just ask your blessing to be upon all these things we we commit ourselves into your hands and pray Lord that you would be glorified here in this place we desire to lift up your high and holy and mighty name and we pray to you to help us now in our worship we pray that you would be pleased to Tabernacle amongst us this day and it's in Jesus precious name we pray amen well please turn with me in your hymn books to the next hymn which is 466 [Music] please turn with me in your Bibles as we continue to read through the New Testament week by week we're up to John chapter 20 John chapter 20 certainly they've been they've been very dark chapters in many ways that we've been reading John 1819 the crucifixion of the Lord Jesus Christ and we get to a a much happier event I suppose that we were to judge it by sadness happiness obviously the will of God was being worked out but but certainly there's a we're starting to reach the high the high peak of the the Gospel of John as we enter into this chapter where the Lord Jesus Christ has been resurrected from the dead beginning to read John chapter 20 we're going to read the first 15 or 18 verses now the first day of the week Mary Magdalene went to the went to the tomb early while it was still dark and saw that the stone had been taken away from the tomb then she ran and came to Simon Peter and to the other disciple whom Jesus loved and said to them they have taken away the Lord out of the tomb and we do not know where they oblate him Peter therefore went out and the other disciple and were going to the tomb so they both ran together and the other disciple outran Peter and came to the tomb first a student and he and he stooping down and looking in saw the linen cloths lying there yet he did not go in then Simon Peter came following him and went into the tomb and he saw the linen cloths lying there and the handkerchief that had been around his head not lying with the linen cloths but folded together in a place by itself then the other disciples there saw the end then the other disciple who came to the tomb first went in also and he and he saw and believed for as yet they did not know the scriptures that he must rise again from the dead then the disciples went away again to their own homes but Mary stood outside by the tomb we and as she wept she stooped down and looked into the tomb and she saw two angels in white sitting one at the head and the other at the feet where the body of Jesus had lain then they said to her woman why are you weeping she said to them because they have taken away my Lord and I do not know where they have laid him now when she had said this she turned around and saw Jesus standing there and did not know it was Jesus jesus said to her woman why are you weeping whom are you seeking she supposing him to be the gardener said to him sir if you have carried him away tell me where you have laid him and I won't take him away jesus said to her Mary she turned and said to him Robin I which is to say teacher jesus said to her do not cling to me for I have not yet ascended to my father but go to my brethren and say to them I am ascending to my father and your father and to my god and your God Mary Magdalene came and told the disciples that she had seen the Lord and that he had spoken these things to her well certainly it's hard to know exactly what was going through the mind of the disciples in this in this chapter of this particular stage in the life of the of the disciples three of the disciples understanding of everything that has happened that was happening to the Lord Jesus Christ could could best be best described perhaps as as the dawning of a new day as those first as that first light Dawn's a new day and brings light out of the out of the darkness and I think to some degree that was what's happening that's what was happening with the disciples here there there understand their understanding was just beginning to be to be broken up by the by the first morning rays of light here in this chapter and and in such condescending grace Christ is removing all the obstacles all the obstacles of of belief ultimately removing their unbelief I think the best commentary for for scripture obviously is always scripture itself as pastor Butler as well taught us and I'm just going to read the first five verses of John chapter one because I believe this really is what we're seeing here happening as the disciples on Stanny has been the darkness be removed from there from their eyes from their minds and really that's what the Gospel of John is all about it's about its setting forth the deity of the Lord Jesus Christ and in John chapter 1 in the beginning was the word and the Word was with God and the Word was God he was in the beginning with God all things were made through him and without him nothing was made that was made in him was life and the life was the light of men and the light shines in the darkness and the darkness did not comprehend it well certainly we see that the scales are beginning to fall off the disciples and certainly Mary Magdalene's eyes and they're seeing more and more they're understanding more and more and I think really we we are recipients of a great gospel we're recipients of full understanding the disciples had to understand one ray of light at a time we get to look back and see everything and we can rejoice in that but we certainly see the evidence of John chapter one one two five just just slowly opening as the rays of understanding was beginning to open in the eyes and and then the minds and the hearts of these disciples and let's let's let's use every every gospel opportunity let's use the scriptures we have full revelation and so therefore we ought to revel in that and we don't we don't have small bits like the disciples did at this particular stage and they're in their lives we have full revelation and we ought to we ought to enter into that and and make good on those on those things and truly improve upon them well that's pray our gracious and our loving Heavenly Father which really do thank you Father that you have given to us full revelation we have full understanding because we have all the scriptures these 66 books that give us a total understanding of the Lord Jesus Christ that one that was promised back in in genesis 3:15 and has has come to fruition and and ultimately lived they they was born of the Virgin Mary and was was lived a perfect life according to the law and died and was buried and was resurrected and now is with the five at the Father's right hand how we praise you Father for your son the Lord Jesus Christ and for understanding of these things that we do not our scriptures do not end here in the in the twentieth chapter or the verse eighteen of John but rather we know father that much more from the rest of the New Testament so we thank you Lord for for having gifted gifted the the gifted us with your word and how we pray Lord that you would be pleased to cause us each and every day to be men and women boys and girls of the word that we would seek to read it seek to understand it and by your gracious Holy Spirit that we would apply these things and and and and put them into our lives and cause us Lord to to be men and women of the Word of God and full understanding we do pray so thank you for the blessings that are ours in Christ Jesus all the spiritual blessings that we do enjoy from day to day and look forward to all of eternity all of eternity to enjoy and we pray in Jesus precious name Amen well please turn with me for the last him before we begin the before we hear the word if God opened up it would be him number 195 195 in Alaska Stan [Music] [Music] [Music] amen you may be seated well if I just begin with a with a story which I trust will capture your your attention and ultimately will will be dealt with as we read God's Word in just a few moments it's a it's a it's a story it's a very short subparagraph long so don't worry it's not gonna be a long story but the key to the story is moving the comma how much a comma can can make a difference Alexander the third he was the second last Czar of Russia and he lived in the eighth the late 1800s his rule was often marked by a repression and cruelty and particularly persecution of the Jews and his wife Maria she was quite the opposite she provided a stark contrast to Alexander the third she was bet she was best known for her generosity ultimately to those in need and on one occasion her husband had signed an order consigning a prisoner to to life in exile and this is what what he signed what this is what it said it read pardon impossible comma to be sent to Siberia well Maria changed that prisoners life by moving the comma in her husband's order she altered it to pardon comma impossible to be sent to Siberia there's a big difference in there in the comma just read that again so he had written pardoned impossible comma to be sent to Siberia she changed it to pardoned comma impossible to be sent to Siberia so herein is the good news God has changed the comma that stood against us and and in Christ there is forgiveness and thus great hope for life for the life of the righteous and this is what the psalm that we're going to open up today with that we're gonna read Psalm 130 and I trust that you can open your Bibles to Psalm 130 I trust that as we read Psalm 130 as we as we open up the Word of God this day that that truly we would all rejoice in the fact that in Christ there is great forgiveness in Christ we have great hope there is great hope for the righteous and and I trust that you will leave here this day encouraged challenged but in terms of what to do but encouraged by what has been done for us I'll read Psalm 130 and I will pray and then we'll begin Psalm 130 it's a song of a sense out of the depths I've cried to you O Lord Lord hear my voice let your ears be attentive to the voice of my supplications if you Lord should mark iniquities O Lord who could stand but there is forgiveness with you that you may be feared I wait for the Lord my soul waits and in his word I do hope my soul waits for the Lord more than those who watch for the morning yes more than those who watch for the morning o Israel hope in the Lord for with the Lord there is mercy and with him is abundant redemption and he shall redeem Israel from all his iniquities well that's prayer our gracious and our loving Heavenly Father truly we are grateful father for the redemption that is ours in Christ Jesus and so Lord as we as we work through this chapter today how we pray Lord that you would be pleased to bless us with the Holy Spirit bless me as the Speaker I pray that I would not be confusing or or speak in air this day we pray that you would hedge me in and cause your spirit father to take this word truly a word that that speaks of the Great forgiving God that you are the great the gracious God that you are we pray that as we shine a light upon your graciousness upon your mercy upon your bended ear towards your people that father truly we would leave this place encouraged by the by the great God that you are and that we would go away from here rejoicing in the things that we have in Christ Jesus so Lord bless us now we do pray that your spirit would attend the Word of God and it's in Jesus precious name we pray amen well certainly our salvation is referred to in the old test or sorry in the new testament often as as the pearl of great price that's often a tour that is a from the New Testament it's a reference to that to that salvation is ours and pearls of great value often are found great deaths in the ocean and the pearl of great price would never be a would never have been heard of if this psalmist had not been cast into the depths and that's how this this chapter opens up the first two verse I trust that you have an outline that that will help you to to perhaps stay kind of focused in terms of where I'm going with this chapter just four points and they divide out quite nicely into just two verses for each for each point and so my first point would be that the psalmist here has an intense desire towards God in the first two Voort in the first two verses he's crying out to God and it's a figurative expression certainly of severe distress this cry of God to God carries an implicit statement of confidence and faith in God the psalmist believes that God is present in the in the depths God is not absent from the depths but rather God is very present there in the depths where this psalmist begins in the first two verses we may be we may be in the deepest depths ourselves we may be in great despair we may be in great distress we may be low dark in in low and darker our spirit may be sinking this morning perhaps you come here this day with a drooping heart with it with a sinking heart with a cast down disquieted I don't know all of our circumstances but you know your own heart you know your own mind and you know what you come with today so I trust that you will find encouragement because you can identify with the psalmist here in the first two verses there's a however there's in these depths I would say that that there's it's also our privilege the psalmist says here to call upon God and know that we're going to be heard certainly that's the evidence of the first two verses is not a question God will you hear me but rather it's a real confidence that God will hear when we were in those depths I thought of some Old Testament passages where we can identify with we have Jeremiah in the dungeon sorry Jeremiah yes in the in the dungeon in in Jerusalem he was saying he was thrown in there by his own by his own King and what did he what did he pray in lamentations 355 I called on thee from the depths of the pit Jonah is another example of someone who was cast down into the belly of the fish in Jonah - - what has Jonah do but he does what the psalmist says here in my distress I called to the Lord and he answered me from deep in the realm of the Dead I called for help and you listened to my cry we have another example of Daniel in the lion's den he was cast in there because the king was there was angry or he had gone against an edict of the king and so he was put into the lion's den and what what did Daniel say in Daniel 6 22 he says my God sent His angels and shut the lion's mouth and obviously that was evidence of the fact that Daniel had prayed to the Lord his God we think of the Apostle Paul who was unjustly left in prison by Felix for two years simply because Felix want to grant a favor to the Jews in Acts 24 we think of the the person of Joseph Joseph was left in prison for two years why because Pharaoh's cup bearer quote/unquote forgot him in Genesis chapter 40 so these men were certainly left to languish God did not immediately rescue them out of the out of the pit out of the out of the the depths that they were in but they were left to languish but clearly their predicaments were under the sovereign control of an infinite wise and loving God I think we can be certainly confident of that that they were under the under that that control of an infinitely wise and a very loving God are calling upon God in the first two verses it's our duty it's not an option it's our duty as believers to call and it's because it's the likeliest way to prevent our sinking lower and and ultimately to help us there to recover out of that depth by calling upon the Lord that's what the psalmist is saying so no matter the place no matter the occasion no matter the circumstances we can pray to God and the psalmist is very confident of that ultimately the deeper the place that we perhaps are called to go through maybe it's the deeper devotion comes out of it because if we only experience a small amount of difficulty while our devotion would perhaps be small a great amount of devotion may well be get deeper devotion the deeper our trial may just follow the deeper our earnest and earnestness and might that sometimes be the purpose that God would have in cast this low in take us through deep or heavy waters is it might well be - - he may permit those trials so that we will have a deep earnestness for the things of God who for the and and seeking after God himself and there's peace for the believer just to know the Lord hears us when we pray I see that in the verb in the first two verses there's not an anxiety and the psalmist heart and mind there's a peace that comes when when we pray we there's a scent in a sense he's leaving it to the superior wisdom - of God to decide whether he will answer or not now it's certain it's better for our prayers to be heard than to be answered I believe if the Lord were to make an absolute promise to answer all of our requests it might be more of a cursing than a blessing because it would be casting a responsibility of our lives upon ourselves rather than upon God that would certainly be a most anxious predicament to be in is that it would be dependent upon ourselves so just the fact brethren this morning that the Lord hears our desires that should be enough to bring comfort and encouragement to our heart to your heart if you are despondent if you are weary if you are low this day we can only wish him to grant a grant our petitions if in His infinite wisdom he sees that would be for our good and ultimately for his glory so when we've prayed over our troubles the psalmist encourages us here in this in these opening verses encourages us to pray over them again and that's what he says I cried to you O Lord hear my voice let your ears be attentive if I could just flip - you don't need to turn to it I'll read it Luke chapter 11 I think says something about the the the coming to the Lord more than once because certainly that's what the psalmist does here in the first two verses Luke 11 5 5 to 10 reads and he said to them this is the Lord Jesus Christ speaking which of you shall have a friend and go to him at midnight and say to him friend lend me three loaves for a friend of mine has come to me on his journey and I have nothing to set before him and he will answer him from within and say do not trouble me the door is now shut and my children are with me in bed I cannot rise and give to you I say to you though he will not rise and give to him he is his friend yet because of his persistence he will rise and give him as many as neat as he needs so there's that sense of the important prayer that's what that is called the importunate prayer from from Luke chapter 11 and back here in some in our in our Psalm Psalm 130 the psalmist faith assures him that God does hear his voice and that's why it's repeated three times in the first two verses God does hear the voice of those who cry for help and so we need to stop on her and ask ourselves does our faith assure us of the same thing when we seek God when we pour our heart to God do we pour it out with that sense that God does hear us and God assures us that he hears us there is a sense of confidence in our calling upon God it's not we don't call into the into thin air we don't call without a hope that maybe God will hear us know the psalmist here in the first two verses is absolutely certain that God does hear his voice and that is tremendous encouragement moving on to the second point or the second two verses or the verses 3 and 4 the next section we see a humble confession of repentance and faith in verses 3 and 4 alternates a focus on God's character when we approach the throne that's what our focus should be is upon the character of God as we approach that throne of God because we're guilty certainly the verses 3 and 4 would appear to be very in a sense discouraging perhaps but no I think there's much to be encouraged about in verses 3 and 4 we're guilty before God we're unable to answer him for one of a thousand of offenses therefore verse 3 it ultimately does humble us before adjust and a thrice holy God when we come to him if we're seeking things from him we need to see our own position before him yea if the all-seeing eye of God should be should in strict justice call every man to account for every want of conformity to his righteousness would any of us stand could any of us seek God and like he'd like he does in the first two verses could any of us cry out to God like the psalmist does in verses 1 & 2 I would say not but God sees our transgressions he sees them daily he sees them hourly he sees them minute ly if there's such a word and so the psalmist is under no illusions he sees his own sin and the psalms does not asked as a supplicant here a supplicate as a person who requests God but rather he's a confessing sinner he's confessing his sin to God it's more of a lament it's a passionate expression of grief and sorrow before a holy God and and certainly he owns that he can't stand before that great king in his own righteousness but rather he's struck with a sense of the holiness of God and well does the psalmist cry out o Lord who can stand but there's a verse for thank goodness it even begins delivered with the word but isn't it a great mercy that we don't meet God as a merciless judge when we're in when we are despondent when we are in deep troubles when we are in difficulty we don't meet with a merciless God we meet with a merciful God verse 4 but sets forth another way of acceptance to which we flee it begins with a blessed but but with you there is forgiveness so we may feel wretched we may feel our own sin but with God there is forgiveness it's full forgiveness it's free forgiveness and it's a it's a pardon and it's in the hand of our great king it's his it's a it is his progress to forgive and the fact that matter he delights to exercise that prerogative he delights to forgive us of our sins and so therefore have that in our minds as we beseech God as we come to God with with those petitions with those with those deep deep felt needs that God's nature is mercy he has provided the sacrifice for sin and the power of the pardon is permanently resident with God he had he has forgiveness ready at hand and gratitude for pardon produces far more fear and reverence for God than the dread of punishment that's what the Psalms is is reminding himself of here that it's a gratitude to God for the fact that God has forgiven his sin and it's out of that gratitude to God that he comes with these petitions CH Spurgeon says a short quote here but I'll read it twice sometimes it's always hard to catch it the first time so I'll read it twice if the Lord were to execute justice upon all there would be none left to fear him if all were under apprehension of his deserved wrath despair air would harden them against fearing him it is grace which leads the way to a holy regard of God and a fear of grieving him then we read that again if the Lord were to execute justice upon all there would be none left to fear him if all were under apprehension of his deserved wrath despair would harden them against fearing him it is Grace which leads the way to a holy regard of God and a fear of grieving him so here our approach to God is clearly laid out we come to a most gracious God a God who is forgiving a God who is merciful to his people and so therefore when we come in the first two verses to a to immerse into two to God with our with our pleas with our with our difficulty with our circumstances know that you come to a gracious God know that you come to a forgiving God no - no we come to a God who doesn't hold I can't hold us an account but rather we're completely forgiven because that's that's that God is in the business of forgiving and I trust with that there is much encouragement third the third point verses 5 to 6 as we move through this news of this chapter we see here a trustee and watchfulness is declared and resolved upon God verses 5 and 6 where to wait verse 5 and 6 I wait for the Lord my soul waits and in his word I do hope my soul waits for the Lord more than those who watch for the morning yes more than those who watch for the morning it's God we wait that we wait and to him alone we come in love it's not to anyone else we wait it's the Lord to be come to wait for my quiet Lee wait for his appearing mark the repetitive the repetition in those verses as well I wait my soul waits he repeats it twice so there is a sense of waiting it's not immediate until he appears for my help the psalmist tells me that I must wait even perhaps in the depths of my despair he doesn't get us out of the depths and then we wait somehow over here we're in the depths of our despair that's where we wait upon the Lord because if the Lord Jehovah makes us wait let's do it with willing hearts you see to be saying here the psalmist the psalmist does the psalmist is waiting with a willing heart he's not apprehensive he's not angry against God but rather he's a willing waiter he's he's he has a willing he's a willing heart to wait upon a willing Jehovah now doubting God more often than not was the Old Testament or the sin of the Old Testament people what did they often do they doubted God they doubted God they were often punished for it so that's not me of people who doubts God if God if we seek God and he makes us wait in the inner difficulty in the depths of our circumstances well that's not doubt him but rather continue to be beseech him and continue to have our mind and focus an eye upon him as the verse will later talk about the verse verse five B's so what are the biblical benefits of waiting well certainly tries our faith because we all like immediate answers children who come to their parents want an immediate answer they don't like to be told to wait they want something immediate it certainly exercises our patience I think if we if we recognize there if we if we're honest when we ask God for something we usually want it sooner than later so we have to there's a sense of exercising patience it trains our submission we are submissive to God when he doesn't immediately respond with an answer that we find satisfactory and in ultimate endears the blessing all the more when it does come when we have prayed for something when we assert when we've sought God and the and and the answer does come well then it just simply has has his has endeared the blessing of God in our lives now the Lord's people have always been a people who have had to wait when we consider a few circumstances in the old New Testament the first Advent from genesis 3:15 to the - when christ was born wasn't just a few years it was thousands of years so there was a sense of waiting for the coming of christ what about the second Advent christ died 2,000 years ago he said he will come again that's a lot of weight in 2,000 years it may be another thousand it may be another 2,000 maybe 5,000 years in a way we don't know but again the Christian is called to wait wait for the weight from the Lord how about Abraham's child a promise Isaac we've been sliding out on Wednesday night Abraham was in his 90s waiting for that child of promise for Isaac to come along and so again that's an evidence of of a man of God waiting the children of Israel they were in Egypt waiting for an exodus from Egypt for 400 years what a long time I'm sure they were they were wishing for that that answer to come from God so they were waiting upon the Lord sir and the entry into the Promised Land when they eventually did get out they still had way to hold generation ultimately due to sin but nevertheless there was a sense of waiting they had to wait to even to get into the Promised Land the establishment of the church was was a waiting period as well it didn't just happen when Christ died the church was was was born and created out of nothing it took time it took training it took installing elders it took just moving throughout all of all of Asia to see the church established and what about our own sanctification isn't that a sense of weighty as well we wish we were we were more sanctified than we are I trust that we are being sanctified those who are believers but but we still haven't but we haven't arrived where we'd like to be one day so there is still a sense of waiting for the Christian so the Christian is often marked by waiting upon God and that's thus the the verses verse verse 5 I wait for the Lord my soul waits one of the grounds of our of our dependence well it's it's found in verse 5 be it's in his word and in his word I do hope we must hope not only for that which he has promised in his word that's what we must wait for is the things he has promises in his word not creaturely comforts not the things that we would like to receive you know would make it that would make us more comfortable make us you know perhaps an answer an answer to prayer he's a covenant-keeping god we need to always keep that in mind that God is faithful to his covenant not to our creaturely comforts we must hope for that which he has promised in his word and not in my own merit I don't merit anything with God God will not give me because of somehow I've merited it but rather God will give because of it because we are in covenant with him he is a covenant keeping God we wait for what we cannot see that's the importance of waiting in God's Word because it's the source according to verse 5 be in his I do hope it's the source it's the strength of our waiting it will be the true Word of God psalm 119 verse verse 105 very familiar verse says your word is a lamp to my feet and a guide to my path excuse me so jehovah's word ultimately is a firm ground for our waiting to be resting upon so don't rest in our own mind our own consciousness or just in nothingness but when we're waiting for the lord to answer our prayer rest in his word read his word be people of the word in that there is great comfort there's ultimately great hope as well but especially the comfort what's the degree of our dependence well verse 6 b it says more than those who watch for the morning well we know the morning just you know nature assures us that mourning is going to come tomorrow but why because of God's grace right we go to bed tonight we just are we can assume that God will rise the Sun and raise the Sun in the morning and we'll start a new day and so certainly God's covenants are even more firm than the ordinances of day and night as natural as those things are as natural as we will get a new morning tomorrow Lord willing and we'll get a new day tomorrow and night will come after that those things are very natural why because of God's grace well I would say that likewise we can be assured that God will look down upon his children and mercy according to his promises that's why we that's why we hope in the Word of God because he is faithful and ultimately has fit more faithful to his covenant even than perhaps we could say he is to the general grace of morning and evening sentinels were perhaps what's what's he referring to in verse 6 be more than those who watch in the morning yes more than those who watch in the morning perhaps he's referring to sentinels who would have who would have kept watch on the walls of Jerusalem all night long doing they're doing their duty and they would have longed for the morning they would have longed for the daylight from their tedious work of walking and certain and looking for the enemy to over the over the wall the walls of Jerusalem well the person the psalmist here is yearning and waiting for God even more than that or perhaps it could have been shepherds in the few you can imagine if you were a shepherd in the field you're cold you're wet what would you be looking for you'd be looking for the morning you'd be looking for that that that for your shift to be over and for you to be able to to end at the end that final shift so that's our dependence it's it's it's our depends ought to be in the Word of God and in the surety of God's Word more earnestly than than then these two things the psalmist longs for tokens of God's favor and answers to his prayers and that longing that waiting ultimately needs to be rooted in the Word of God because it's in God's Word where we're going to read of his character of his promises of his comforting Holy Spirit these are the things are going to bring us most hope and comfort in the times of need so I trust that that's what you do I trust that's what I will do when in the when when faced with with with with the depths of despair with with despondency with with something you're praying about something you're earnest about I trust that it's to God's Word we will go and find our hope in there because it's in the in the Word of God we will find out about the character of God the promises of God the comfort of God the Holy Spirit the workings of God and in the past that we can assume if you work like that in the past he will work like that today and in the future finally the final section is the fourth section is is a verses 7 to 8 our joyful expectation from God and that's ultimate our hope our hope is in is found in verses 7 and 8 o Israel hope in the Lord for with the Lord there is mercy and with him is abundant Redemption and he shall redeem Israel from all his iniquities note there's there's no evident conclusion to the psalmist waiting here we see him waiting and then he ends the verse says 78 and there's just there's no real evident conclusion to to what he has waited for doesn't appear like the Lord his necessary answered him because he doesn't he does not speak about he seems to just leave off with waiting upon God and moves on to the conclusion of the song and perhaps verse verse 7 is telling Israel tell you in the church and telling us personally too to look out of self into Jehovah for his riches for his mercy upon our lives and and all we maybe that's what he's doing here he's arguing from from the greater to the lesser he redeemed us from our sins clearly in verses 3 and 4 and therefore can he not redeem us from our great and many troubles if he could redeem us whereas in what our troubles to the Lord he can redeem us from those troubles he can get us out of those troubles as well God's attribute of mercy and the fact of redemption here in these last two verses are the two most sufficient reasons for hoping in Jehovah and I trust that's what you will find to bring you hope and encouragement these these should be the only things that bring us comfort in trial is the the attribute of God's great mercy and the act of the fact of God's Redemption it's not is it not better for us to be in the depths with the psalmist hoping and God's mercy then up on the mountaintops and boasting or in our own fancied solutions and our own self-righteousness I think I'd rather be with the psalmist and hoping in God's great mercy despondency in the Christian I don't think is certainly not becoming another Christian to be downcast to be saddened as to be sad in the face it's certainly not becoming other Christians nowhere to be found here in this Psalm obviously he is in the depths he's in a great discouraging place yet you don't see despondency you don't sense despondency in the voice of the in the voice of the psalmist here because our God is a God of hope and we should be hopeful in him and that seems to be where the where the where the Psalms this point is to is to hope in him to hope in that sense mention here is to live expectantly with an awareness of God of how God has acted in the past with a keen anticipation of what God and how God will do in the future our hope should be in the Lord certainly not in ourselves and that's the opposite of despair the opposite of hopelessness in Israel's history they had a lot - they had they they had to hope in His mercy many times his patience his provision as they certainly went throughout the Old Testament as they as they moved for those forty years he had to provide God provided for them ultimately in Israel's history they also hoped in his Redemption and God came through every single time so we find great encouragement there's a sense of again come back to the Word of God it's the Word of God that's going to that's going to boy us up in adversities it's the Word of God that's going to that's going to put us put a smile on our face and put a spring in our step because because of what God has done in the past he will do in the future so inexperienced we ought to have hope in his light in dark times his strength in our weaknesses his direction when we're perplexed that he would give us direction his deliverance in danger we ought to have our hope in victory and conflict and triumph in death the fact is that we we look forward to these things these are all things that that God has benefited us in the past the is throughout all scripture we can attest to many of these things as well and certainly we ought to have hope in these things all the preceding verses of this chapter are all personal under you notice that they were all III until we get up to verse seven seven and eight they're the the psalmist is seems to seems to take a change it's no longer i but israel verse seven and eight turned from a personal confession to a to a public charge he says o israel hope in the Lord in verse seven a so what he learned in his personal life he is seeking to apply to the whole nation of Israel that's what we seem to see in verses 7 and 8 when God's people humbly look to him there is a mercy there's an abundant redemption for both the individual and the community I think that's what that's what the psalmist is saying now it's just something that he can't even experience personally but we as a church can experience when we're praying through things when we're seeking God when we're waiting apart upon God there is there is encouragement here for us and this is the this is the confident conclusion of this of the psalm trusting that God will indeed bring the redemption that she speaks up there in verse 7 be the redemption in rescue to either the individual or at the time of the psalmist the nation which perhaps was overwhelmed in the depths of their need what God has demonstrated to the individual he will perform for the community that cries out to him and certainly this brings great hopes an individual Christian the corporate body of the church as we gather together for prayer we have church prayer meeting upstairs in the first hour and on Wednesday nights as well what an encouragement to the to the church here we see in these lofts in these last verses that it's not just for the private individual but it's for the it's for the the the nation Israel and of course the church is the replacement of that nation Israel and there's great hope when we gather in prayer that we come to this God who is a God of great mercy a God who does desire to - to do to bestow his mercy upon us as his people gonna read add just a quote from a an Old Testament theologian at Jerome Creech I believe it's the way pronounce his last name he's speaking of the last two verses specifically a couple of verses a couple of words in those verses he says the Lord sorry the word iniquities you see that in in the in the last the last verse there in the last couple of verses the word iniquities appear here again like in verse 3 a verse 3 a you see at the end of verse 3 iniquities thus linking the psalmist's recognition of sinfulness with Israel's failure as God's people but in the call for Israel to hope in God two new words appear the first is steadfast love translated here as mercy we see that word mercy the second line of verse of verse 7 the word for this in Hebrew is one of the most important theological words in the Psalms it signifies God's faithfulness to God's promises the NIV translates it to unfailing love so what a is not a wonderful thing and we consider that that that that that the the Word of God is committed to to God's faithfulness to his promises so when we are in despair when we are in deep deep waters when we earned when we are in difficulties the fact that we have that we have it's God's faithfulness he will be faithful to his promises and it's interpreted here as the word mercy or translated as mercy and just finishing his quote the second word is redeemed which is in verse 8 they are redeemed this word speaks of God as a kin who buys a relative out of debt slavery or some other such desperate circumstance in this case the promise is that God will purchase Israel out of the self-inflicted wounds of its own iniquity so I trust that when we're in difficulty when we're in circumstances that we feel that are beyond ourselves and we're seeking God we come to this chapter that find great hope in the fact that we have been redeemed we have been we do have a God who is great in mercy and and he will answer our prayers not necessarily according to how we perhaps may perceive them to be answered but according to his mercy according to his faithless according to his covenant according to ultimately what will bring him most glory and in that I trust that you will leave here today desirous to bring your prayers desirous to bring your petitions before the Lord who does here and just a couple of applications at the to conclude and then we'll sing a hymn the Father's love for us cannot say I cannot fail any more than his love for Christ can fail and I think we need to be assured of that his love for us cannot feel any Brit any more than his love for Christ and we know God the Father had great love for his son the Lord Jesus Christ and we must learn to see our adversities in relation to our union with Christ and we see our adversities in relation to our union with Christ and knowing that God has much love for Christ and had much love for Christ then that ought to put a smile on our face that ought to bring encouragement to us irregardless of what circumstance you might be going through god does not deal deal with us as as so to speak free standing agents unattached to him rather he deals with us as individuals United in Christ and we can no more drain the love of God then we can drain the Pacific Ocean one teaspoonful at a time so when we consider this God with whom we come to with our petition with our requests with our deep-seated anguish with you know in the depths of despair remember that God is for you God is for me be encouraged in whatever depth you may be going through because God is in covenant with us and I think that one of the things that I've appreciated most since coming to an understanding of of the of the reformed doctrine is that sense of covenant that we are in covenant with God it's not just a relationship our relationship is different than a covenant a covenant is a is is a is a a transaction that has been signed and sealed awfully by the blood of Christ and and that ought to bring great encouragement that to to us if I could just read Luke chapter 10 verse 17 to 20 then I'll make a comment on it you ready to turn you just listen Luke Luke chapter 10 verse 17 to 20 then the seventy returned with joy saying Lord even the demons are subject to us in your name and he said to them I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven behold I give you the authority to trample on serpents and scorpions and over all the power of the enemy and nothing shall by any means hurt you nevertheless here's the important part nevertheless do not rejoice in this that the spirits are subject to you but rather rejoice because your names are written in heaven so ultimately a question to ask ourselves is is my joy in God based on my covenant relation to God or upon my performance that seems to be the disciples it was slightly based upon sometimes their performance they were able to do great things and Christ just kind of cuts them down as I didn't cut them down that said that obviously would not be Christ he redirects their thinking I guess is a more politically correct way to saying it and that is that they're there they're in covenant relationship to God and therefore that's what the joy needs to be based upon so if perfor it was based upon performance it doesn't endure endure the values if God is going to bless me because I've been good because I've done this so because I've done that well that's not going to endure any valleys and valleys are a part of living in this lore world it's so easy for us to rejoice in our successes when things appear to be working out for us but what about when things don't appear to be working out for us romans 8:28 says and we know that all things work together all being sometimes the good sometimes they're not so good all things work together for good to those who love God for those who called according to his purpose is in Christ Jesus so so ultimately is my joy based upon my covenant relation to God or upon my performance I trust that our joy in the Lord and our our assurance of God hearing us is based upon we're in covenant relationship with God third point would be to be people of the Word of God because that's what the psalmist says here that we will be a people of the word wait for God to answer our prayer by being in the word sometimes perhaps may one work when we're in de-spawn despondency when we're in despair when we are low when we're when we're crying out to the Lord sometimes perhaps that mean that might be the last thing that we feel like doing is going to the Word of God but it's to the Word of God we must go because that's our rock that's our anchor the Word of God for the Christian that's what's going to steady the soul in a distress in a difficulty is by going over the the the character of God being immersed in the in the in in Psalms like Psalm 130 and thus being assured that God may not answer us immediately God may not answer us according to our desires but God hears and in that the psalmist rests just the fact that God hears me that was enough for him to kind of rest his rest his soul in peace the people of Prayer would be another that would be a fourth application from this from this chapter Psalm 130 be people of Prayer let's wait wait upon God as individuals as a corporate body let's wait upon God wait for God to answer our prayers we have warrant here in this in this chapter for God's great mercy to us as individuals to us as a local church as a corporate body so let's use the privilege and commune with God often commune with God expectantly because that's again what the psalmist is saying fifthly the psalm begins with an earnest cry from the depths and it closes with a triumphant hope of complete and eternal deliverance and there's there's a world where there's where there is no occasion to cry from the depths of and sin and that's the head that's heaven that awaits us long Paul tells us to long for it look forward to it be sanctified by our thoughts of heaven when we no longer have to crawl upon God cry out to God from the depths because there will be no depths in heaven so ultimately this this Psalm will will will will be for naught I suppose when we enter into a Manuel's land because we will have no debts we will have no difficulties so long for that look forward to that have that as our eternal perspective you know one eye upon earth but one eye upon heaven as well where all will be well well there will where there will be no more crying sorrow deaths sin to deal with and and that ought to bring encouragement to us as Christians so if you're in the depths today take courage take courage from this song take courage from from what we read here in this in this chapter and and and I trust that you will find opportunity to apply it in the days ahead and finally ultimately if we're not in union with Christ then that's where we must begin we must be completely and forever delivered by the power and the Dominion of sin because if we're not if we have not come to a knowledge of Christ that we if we have no knowledge of the Savior as a personal Lord and Savior then this Psalm is not for you and I would as pastor Butler always does implore you to believe on the Lord Jesus Christ it's as simple as that when we believe in the Lord Jesus Christ then this chapter does have relevance then this chapter does become yours and I trust that that if you are not a believer that you would believe in the Lord Jesus Christ that you would cast your burden the burden of sin ultimately upon the Lord Jesus Christ and ask him to forgive you and and heal you so that you might enter in to the wonders and the wonderful promises and the Covenant promises promises of this of this chapter Psalm 130 let's close in order prayer and then as I say we will we will sing a loss to him let's pray our gracious in our loving Heavenly Father we truly come before you the seat this morning through your son the Lord Jesus Christ and father how grateful we are that that no matter what our circumstances that you are God who does here whether we call from the depths of the earth or whether we call from from from a disquieted naswinger own hearts and unhappiness something that's upon our heavy upon our hearts father you hear us and for that we truly are grateful thank you that you are a covenant hearing god that we have entered into a covenant relationship with you through your son the Lord Jesus Christ and it's in that it's it's it's through that covenant we that we come before you this morning father how we praise you that you've taken our sins you remove them from us you've cast them into the deepest part of the ocean you have removed this them from us as far as the East is from the West and for that we truly give you our grateful thanks and praise father how we pray that you would be pleased to cause us to be a people of the word of God cause us Lord to be a people of the word that we would not hope in ourselves hoping our hope and trust in our own abilities or lack thereof but rather we pray father that each one of us this day might be people who would give our de-stresses give our concerns give our distress to you father and trust that you hear us and how we pray that we would have that that peace that comes from knowing these things that we would have that quiet spirit that the psalmist clearly does have here in this chapter knowing that that you hear him and that you will answer according to your good and perfect will so Lord how we pray that you would be pleased to cause these things to bring much hope much encouragement in the days and weeks ahead father we do not know our circumstances ahead a minute much less a day or a week you had father we know your promises to be true this so when we do go through difficulties when we do go through circumstances father we do have these scriptures to call upon to read through and tomb all over and and ask that your Holy Spirit would would would be pleased to to bless them to our hearts use into our mind and we do pray Lord that you would be pleased to bless us as a congregation as well help us to make use of that corporate prayer time as well knowing more that you hear us and that you have redeemed the people for yourself a people to bring prayers and petitions and requests before you as the Church of God and so Lord how we praise you that you have that you have ordained these things and we just praise you and bless you that you will work out things according to your purposes in Christ Jesus so Lord thank you and we pray your blessing as we go to our homes of this afternoon blesses as we come back this afternoon as well we pray that you would bless pastor brother give them safety and travel as well as the the other the the Surrey church folk as they travel many kilometres to be here this evening as well we pray Lord that you would grant safety along the roads and we pray that as we meet back together that you would be pleased to give us your spirit and we pray that we would rejoice in the things that we hold in common in Christ Jesus and the Lord we just pray your blessing now upon all these things for it's in Jesus precious name we pray amen well please turn with me in your hymn books to him number 568 568 and I'll ask you to stand please [Music] [Music] [Music] both [Music] Amen you may be seated and the piano will pray we'll play for a few minutes then we'll be dismissed