1 00:00:00,000 –> 00:00:07,080 You’re listening to a sermon from Pastor Colin Smith of Open The Bible. 2 00:00:07,080 –> 00:00:16,620 To contact us, call us at 1-877-Open365 or visit our website www.openthebible.org 3 00:00:16,620 –> 00:00:17,719 Let’s get to the message. 4 00:00:17,719 –> 00:00:18,480 Here is Pastor Colin 5 00:00:18,480 –> 00:00:24,400 Well, please open your Bible at Psalm 42. 6 00:00:24,400 –> 00:00:29,719 In one of the best known and best loved chapters of the whole Bible, the Apostle Paul tells 7 00:00:29,719 –> 00:00:37,779 us that there are three things that will remain – faith, hope and love. 8 00:00:37,779 –> 00:00:44,080 Our knowledge is going to pass away, our gifts are going to pass away, the mark that each 9 00:00:44,080 –> 00:00:52,919 of us makes on the world will one day pass away, but faith, hope and love remain forever. 10 00:00:53,880 –> 00:00:59,860 Love is our distinct calling and as the world gets harsher and as it gets more divided, 11 00:00:59,860 –> 00:01:04,519 well, our calling is all the more distinct. 12 00:01:04,519 –> 00:01:12,180 Faith grows when it is tested and that a genuine faith is more precious than gold because it 13 00:01:12,180 –> 00:01:19,339 is going to bring praise and glory and honour when Jesus Christ is revealed. 14 00:01:19,360 –> 00:01:26,440 Now, our series for this month is entitled Growing in Hope and if you have your Bible 15 00:01:26,440 –> 00:01:34,059 open at Psalm 42, you’ll notice there that there is a heading and it says to the Choir 16 00:01:34,059 –> 00:01:39,260 Master, a maskle of the sons of Korah. 17 00:01:39,260 –> 00:01:46,019 The sons of Korah were Levites who led worship and it could be that the psalm was written 18 00:01:46,339 –> 00:01:47,339 by them. 19 00:01:47,339 –> 00:01:54,339 Or it could be that this psalm was written by King David for them and I’m going to assume 20 00:01:54,339 –> 00:01:57,720 as we come to this psalm today the latter. 21 00:01:57,720 –> 00:02:05,660 Now, I want to draw your attention especially to verse 5 where we have the theme of hope. 22 00:02:06,419 –> 00:02:15,220 Why are you cast down, O my soul, and why are you in turmoil within me? 23 00:02:15,220 –> 00:02:26,080 Hope in God, hope in God, for I shall again praise him, my salvation and my God. 24 00:02:26,080 –> 00:02:31,339 Now if you look down in your Bible then to verse 11 of Psalm 42 you will find that he 25 00:02:31,339 –> 00:02:35,240 says exactly the same thing again. 26 00:02:35,240 –> 00:02:40,940 Why are you cast down, O my soul, and why are you in turmoil within me? 27 00:02:40,940 –> 00:02:48,539 Hope in God, for I shall again praise him my salvation and my God. 28 00:02:48,539 –> 00:02:55,080 Now it’s generally reckoned that Psalm 42 and Psalm 43 were actually originally one 29 00:02:55,080 –> 00:02:57,740 psalm, that they belonged together. 30 00:02:57,740 –> 00:03:04,059 And if you look at Psalm 43 and verse 5 the last verse of that Psalm you will see that 31 00:03:04,199 –> 00:03:08,080 he says the same thing yet again, a third time. 32 00:03:08,080 –> 00:03:13,259 Why are you cast down, O my soul, why are you in turmoil within me? 33 00:03:13,259 –> 00:03:22,259 Hope in God, for I shall again praise him my salvation and my God. 34 00:03:22,259 –> 00:03:28,639 Now it’s clear then that hope is the central theme of this Psalm. 35 00:03:28,639 –> 00:03:32,259 And that is our focus as we begin this series today. 36 00:03:33,160 –> 00:03:37,759 Now no one needs hope when life is going swimmingly well. 37 00:03:37,759 –> 00:03:39,360 When you’re healthy, when you’re happy, 38 00:03:39,360 –> 00:03:41,720 when you’re at home in the world, 39 00:03:41,720 –> 00:03:44,119 all you want to do is – well, you know the phrase, 40 00:03:44,119 –> 00:03:48,580 live in the moment, savour what you’re able to enjoy. 41 00:03:48,580 –> 00:03:53,240 But you’ll notice from this Psalm that David, when he wrote it, 42 00:03:53,240 –> 00:03:56,759 was in a very different place. 43 00:03:56,759 –> 00:03:59,860 Perhaps the best way to describe his experience here 44 00:03:59,860 –> 00:04:03,460 is that he was dried out. 45 00:04:03,460 –> 00:04:05,660 Look at what he says in verse 1, 46 00:04:05,660 –> 00:04:10,559 as a deer pants for flowing streams. 47 00:04:10,559 –> 00:04:15,300 Like a man desperate for water – you know what this is like, 48 00:04:15,300 –> 00:04:19,359 you go through a dry season. 49 00:04:19,359 –> 00:04:20,579 Perhaps you’ve said, you know 50 00:04:20,579 –> 00:04:24,619 I’m really just going through a very dry time right now. 51 00:04:24,619 –> 00:04:28,040 And what you would mean by that is that your energy is low. 52 00:04:28,040 –> 00:04:29,459 It’s not what it usually is, 53 00:04:29,500 –> 00:04:32,079 everything seems flat to you. 54 00:04:32,079 –> 00:04:33,880 You don’t get excited about things 55 00:04:33,880 –> 00:04:35,700 in the way that you used to do. 56 00:04:35,700 –> 00:04:39,519 You don’t laugh like you used to. 57 00:04:39,519 –> 00:04:42,779 Dry times come. 58 00:04:42,779 –> 00:04:45,320 And for a Christian when dry times come, 59 00:04:45,320 –> 00:04:47,679 our first instinct is to say, 60 00:04:47,679 –> 00:04:49,459 well you know, I’m really feeling dry, 61 00:04:49,459 –> 00:04:53,660 so I need to seek after God more 62 00:04:53,660 –> 00:04:56,500 and so you turn to the Bible 63 00:04:56,739 –> 00:05:00,500 and what you find is that your 64 00:05:00,500 –> 00:05:03,239 reading of the Bible seems to be flat. 65 00:05:03,239 –> 00:05:07,040 Nothing seems to be jumping out at you. 66 00:05:07,040 –> 00:05:11,820 You’re making a greater effort to seek after God 67 00:05:11,820 –> 00:05:15,220 and you just don’t feel that you’re making much progress. 68 00:05:15,220 –> 00:05:17,519 That’s what it feels like to be dry. 69 00:05:18,579 –> 00:05:22,619 And that’s precisely where David is here. 70 00:05:22,619 –> 00:05:24,980 As the deer pants for flowing streams, 71 00:05:25,000 –> 00:05:27,700 so pants my soul for you O God. 72 00:05:27,700 –> 00:05:31,079 My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. 73 00:05:31,079 –> 00:05:32,779 See he loves God. 74 00:05:32,779 –> 00:05:34,119 He’s seeking God. 75 00:05:34,119 –> 00:05:35,459 He wants more of God. 76 00:05:35,459 –> 00:05:37,100 He wants to feel close to God. 77 00:05:37,100 –> 00:05:42,100 The problem is that God seems to be so very very far away. 78 00:05:42,279 –> 00:05:44,739 He seeks God, but he cannot find him. 79 00:05:44,739 –> 00:05:48,160 And so he says verse two when can I come 80 00:05:48,160 –> 00:05:50,859 and appear before God? 81 00:05:51,119 –> 00:05:56,119 Now there are at least seven descriptions 82 00:05:56,320 –> 00:06:01,480 in the PSALM of what David was experiencing. 83 00:06:01,480 –> 00:06:04,019 I’m going to call them symptoms. 84 00:06:04,019 –> 00:06:07,179 This was his experience. 85 00:06:07,179 –> 00:06:12,179 First, as we’ve seen, he felt dry as a dear pants 86 00:06:13,220 –> 00:06:14,320 for flowing stream. 87 00:06:14,320 –> 00:06:17,000 So pants my soul for you O God. 88 00:06:17,000 –> 00:06:21,119 My soul thirsts for God for the living God. 89 00:06:22,279 –> 00:06:25,119 Not only is he dry, but he feels tearful. 90 00:06:25,119 –> 00:06:30,119 Verse three, my tears have been my food day and night. 91 00:06:30,760 –> 00:06:32,100 My tears have been my food. 92 00:06:32,100 –> 00:06:35,359 Now I take that to mean that he had lost his appetite. 93 00:06:35,359 –> 00:06:37,079 He wasn’t eating very much. 94 00:06:37,079 –> 00:06:39,600 Probably not eating anything at all. 95 00:06:39,600 –> 00:06:41,359 He was weeping. 96 00:06:41,359 –> 00:06:42,640 That’s how it was. 97 00:06:43,619 –> 00:06:46,839 And then notice thirdly, he was downcast. 98 00:06:46,839 –> 00:06:50,079 You have that in verse five and verse 11, 99 00:06:50,079 –> 00:06:54,079 why are you cast down, oh my soul? 100 00:06:54,959 –> 00:06:59,119 And then fourthly, in the same verses he’s in turmoil, 101 00:06:59,119 –> 00:07:02,140 why are you in turmoil within me? 102 00:07:02,140 –> 00:07:03,119 What a word that is. 103 00:07:03,119 –> 00:07:03,959 Turmoil. 104 00:07:03,959 –> 00:07:05,880 His stomach’s churning. 105 00:07:07,040 –> 00:07:08,619 He feels overwhelmed. 106 00:07:08,619 –> 00:07:12,119 Verse seven, he says it’s like one wave after another 107 00:07:12,260 –> 00:07:15,940 just breaking over me, I just feel completely overwhelmed 108 00:07:15,940 –> 00:07:18,000 my stomach churns at the very thought 109 00:07:18,000 –> 00:07:19,459 of what lies ahead of me. 110 00:07:20,859 –> 00:07:23,739 Fifthly in verse nine, he feels forgotten. 111 00:07:24,679 –> 00:07:29,679 I say to god, my rock, why have you forgotten me? 112 00:07:33,839 –> 00:07:36,359 And then sixthly, he’s mourning. 113 00:07:36,359 –> 00:07:39,679 Why do I go mourning? 114 00:07:39,700 –> 00:07:43,279 And the use of the word mourning clearly indicates 115 00:07:43,279 –> 00:07:47,899 that he was experiencing some kind of loss 116 00:07:47,899 –> 00:07:50,839 and that indeed was part of what was going on 117 00:07:50,839 –> 00:07:52,540 in his life at this time. 118 00:07:53,640 –> 00:07:57,660 And then seventhly, he was oppressed. 119 00:07:57,660 –> 00:08:01,220 He speaks about the oppression of the enemy. 120 00:08:01,220 –> 00:08:03,380 Now you put these seven together 121 00:08:03,380 –> 00:08:06,059 and here you have a picture of a man 122 00:08:06,059 –> 00:08:08,760 who is in real trouble. 123 00:08:08,899 –> 00:08:13,760 He’s dry, he’s tearful, he’s downcast, 124 00:08:13,760 –> 00:08:16,980 he’s in turmoil, he feels forgotten, 125 00:08:16,980 –> 00:08:21,880 he’s mourning, and he is oppressed. 126 00:08:21,880 –> 00:08:24,679 And these are the words of a man 127 00:08:24,679 –> 00:08:28,459 who truly loved and served the Lord. 128 00:08:29,920 –> 00:08:32,419 Now you see, this raises a very important question. 129 00:08:32,419 –> 00:08:36,099 Can it really be true that a faithful believer 130 00:08:36,099 –> 00:08:38,159 can experience all of these things? 131 00:08:38,179 –> 00:08:40,400 And the answer to that question from this scripture 132 00:08:40,400 –> 00:08:42,919 very clearly is, yes. 133 00:08:43,820 –> 00:08:46,020 Even the strongest believers 134 00:08:46,020 –> 00:08:49,719 may endure what David describes here. 135 00:08:50,739 –> 00:08:54,580 Dr. Jim Packer, in his marvelous book, Knowing God, 136 00:08:54,580 –> 00:08:59,000 warns about the dangers of playing down 137 00:08:59,000 –> 00:09:02,820 the challenges of the Christian life. 138 00:09:02,820 –> 00:09:06,159 The danger of giving the impression that, and I quote, 139 00:09:06,179 –> 00:09:09,219 for Christians, problems should no longer exist 140 00:09:09,219 –> 00:09:11,960 or if they come, they have only to be taken 141 00:09:11,960 –> 00:09:13,200 to the throne of grace 142 00:09:13,200 –> 00:09:15,820 and then immediately they’re going to melt away. 143 00:09:15,820 –> 00:09:18,539 Well, perhaps someone has spoken to you 144 00:09:18,539 –> 00:09:20,359 in a way that gives you that impression. 145 00:09:20,359 –> 00:09:21,960 Oh, just take it to the Lord in prayer. 146 00:09:21,960 –> 00:09:24,280 If you pray about it, then it will all be fine. 147 00:09:24,280 –> 00:09:26,479 And what you found is that you have prayed about it 148 00:09:26,479 –> 00:09:28,719 and you are still struggling. 149 00:09:28,719 –> 00:09:33,280 That’s exactly where David was, right here. 150 00:09:36,679 –> 00:09:38,580 Now, these are the symptoms. 151 00:09:40,039 –> 00:09:40,880 Why? 152 00:09:41,919 –> 00:09:43,619 What was the cause? 153 00:09:44,479 –> 00:09:49,479 What gave rise to these things that David was experiencing? 154 00:09:51,080 –> 00:09:53,640 Now, the Psalm makes it pretty clear 155 00:09:53,640 –> 00:09:58,640 that first, he was in a very hostile environment. 156 00:09:59,640 –> 00:10:02,359 Look at verse three, and then at verse 10. 157 00:10:03,340 –> 00:10:08,340 Verse three, my tears have been my food day and night, 158 00:10:08,960 –> 00:10:12,599 while they say to me, all the day long, 159 00:10:12,599 –> 00:10:15,520 where is your God? 160 00:10:15,520 –> 00:10:17,900 And then it’s almost repeated in verse 10. 161 00:10:17,900 –> 00:10:20,979 My adversaries taunt me, 162 00:10:20,979 –> 00:10:23,559 while they say to me all the day long, 163 00:10:23,559 –> 00:10:26,840 where is your God? 164 00:10:26,840 –> 00:10:31,200 There were some people who had it in for David. 165 00:10:32,159 –> 00:10:36,859 He describes them as adversaries, enemies, 166 00:10:36,859 –> 00:10:41,859 and they taunted him, where is your God? 167 00:10:42,080 –> 00:10:44,919 And notice that he lives with the taunts 168 00:10:44,919 –> 00:10:48,479 of these adversaries all the day long. 169 00:10:48,479 –> 00:10:51,119 It’s like, it never stops. 170 00:10:51,119 –> 00:10:53,380 They never relent. 171 00:10:53,380 –> 00:10:55,299 And over time, David’s experience 172 00:10:55,299 –> 00:10:58,219 is that it just wears him down. 173 00:10:59,219 –> 00:11:02,559 Now, maybe you have experienced this in your own life, 174 00:11:02,559 –> 00:11:07,559 the erosive effects of a hostile culture, over time. 175 00:11:07,840 –> 00:11:10,000 The opposition you face in one way or another, 176 00:11:10,000 –> 00:11:12,159 perhaps, has become quite relentless. 177 00:11:12,159 –> 00:11:15,719 You’re just bombarded by hostility and opposition, 178 00:11:15,719 –> 00:11:17,400 everything that you put forward, 179 00:11:17,400 –> 00:11:19,979 push back, push back, push back, 180 00:11:19,979 –> 00:11:22,119 and over time, it takes its toll, 181 00:11:22,119 –> 00:11:25,979 and eventually, your soul begins to feel dried out, 182 00:11:25,979 –> 00:11:28,919 downcast, and you have the stomach churning, 183 00:11:28,919 –> 00:11:30,280 and you are in turmoil. 184 00:11:30,280 –> 00:11:33,700 That’s exactly what David is describing here, 185 00:11:35,880 –> 00:11:37,440 and Jesus has been there. 186 00:11:39,700 –> 00:11:44,700 Consider the hostility He endured from sinful men. 187 00:11:48,020 –> 00:11:52,719 He endured taunting, He saved others. 188 00:11:52,719 –> 00:11:55,640 He cannot save himself, 189 00:11:55,659 –> 00:12:00,559 He trusted in God, let God deliver him if He wants him. 190 00:12:03,039 –> 00:12:07,020 David endured over time, 191 00:12:07,020 –> 00:12:11,059 the erosive effect of a hostile culture. 192 00:12:12,299 –> 00:12:17,299 And on top of that, he had experienced very great loss. 193 00:12:17,640 –> 00:12:19,280 Now look at verse four, 194 00:12:19,280 –> 00:12:24,280 “‘These things I remember as I pour out my soul, 195 00:12:24,479 –> 00:12:27,320 how I would go with the throng 196 00:12:27,320 –> 00:12:30,739 and lead them in procession to the house of God 197 00:12:30,739 –> 00:12:34,539 with glad shouts and songs of praise.” 198 00:12:35,419 –> 00:12:38,239 Now, he’s describing what he used to do. 199 00:12:39,119 –> 00:12:42,640 But the point here is that he’s not doing it now. 200 00:12:43,659 –> 00:12:45,960 The great festivals, that you’re referring to 201 00:12:45,960 –> 00:12:48,900 the crowds of people rejoicing and praising God, 202 00:12:48,900 –> 00:12:50,940 they all took place in Jerusalem. 203 00:12:50,940 –> 00:12:53,479 And notice that David is not in Jerusalem 204 00:12:53,520 –> 00:12:54,960 when he writes this Psalm. 205 00:12:54,960 –> 00:12:56,340 In verse 6, he says, 206 00:12:56,340 –> 00:12:59,520 “… I remember you from the land of Jordan 207 00:13:01,000 –> 00:13:05,739 and of Hermon miles from Jerusalem. 208 00:13:07,359 –> 00:13:11,880 Now, why he was there, we don’t know. 209 00:13:11,880 –> 00:13:15,919 But what’s clear, is that he is no longer in the place 210 00:13:15,919 –> 00:13:19,080 where he’s able to do what he loved doing. 211 00:13:19,780 –> 00:13:23,719 He has lost a cherished role 212 00:13:25,119 –> 00:13:28,760 and joys that used to be his 213 00:13:28,760 –> 00:13:31,159 are simply his no longer.” 214 00:13:33,000 –> 00:13:37,460 Now, it’s not easy when you no longer get to do 215 00:13:37,460 –> 00:13:40,640 what has been perhaps for a long time, 216 00:13:40,640 –> 00:13:44,320 a joy and a blessing in your own life. 217 00:13:44,320 –> 00:13:48,400 When I’m thinking, for example, of mothers 218 00:13:48,400 –> 00:13:50,440 who may say, 219 00:13:50,440 –> 00:13:52,679 “‘This is the last summer 220 00:13:52,679 –> 00:13:56,760 before my son or my daughter goes off to college. 221 00:13:58,159 –> 00:14:01,059 And my whole life has circled around 222 00:14:01,059 –> 00:14:02,440 raising these children. 223 00:14:02,440 –> 00:14:05,760 What in the world am I now going to do?’ 224 00:14:07,239 –> 00:14:08,799 We live in a changing world 225 00:14:11,039 –> 00:14:14,599 and we need the help of the unchanging God. 226 00:14:15,099 –> 00:14:17,200 And, you know, Jesus has been there too. 227 00:14:18,760 –> 00:14:22,239 For three years, he enjoyed all the blessings 228 00:14:22,239 –> 00:14:24,400 of the most marvelous ministry. 229 00:14:26,520 –> 00:14:28,599 “‘My food,’ he said, 230 00:14:28,599 –> 00:14:31,520 “‘is to do the will of him who sent me.’” 231 00:14:31,520 –> 00:14:34,559 In other words, Jesus found the very engagement 232 00:14:34,559 –> 00:14:36,859 in ministry that he was given 233 00:14:36,859 –> 00:14:38,919 to be nourishing to his own soul. 234 00:14:38,919 –> 00:14:40,440 It’s a joy, it’s a blessing. 235 00:14:40,440 –> 00:14:41,280 It’s a delight. 236 00:14:41,280 –> 00:14:42,739 And then it’s all taken away. 237 00:14:42,780 –> 00:14:44,039 And it’s all taken away. 238 00:14:46,140 –> 00:14:47,940 The disciples abandon him, 239 00:14:48,820 –> 00:14:50,419 he’s surrounded by darkness, 240 00:14:50,419 –> 00:14:52,859 he goes into the Garden of Gethsemane, 241 00:14:52,859 –> 00:14:57,179 and he says, “‘my soul is overwhelmed with sorrow.’” 242 00:14:58,840 –> 00:15:02,179 But the biggest problem, on top of all that, 243 00:15:03,659 –> 00:15:08,299 was the felt distance of God. 244 00:15:09,340 –> 00:15:10,979 Notice what David says at the beginning 245 00:15:10,979 –> 00:15:14,219 of the Psalm, “‘as a deer pants for flowing streams, 246 00:15:14,219 –> 00:15:18,380 “‘so my soul pants for you, oh God. 247 00:15:18,380 –> 00:15:23,299 “‘My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. 248 00:15:23,299 –> 00:15:26,619 “‘When shall I come and appear before God?’ 249 00:15:27,820 –> 00:15:31,659 See, David could face a hostile environment, 250 00:15:31,659 –> 00:15:33,159 difficult though that was. 251 00:15:34,299 –> 00:15:39,059 David could endure even the loss of a cherished role 252 00:15:39,099 –> 00:15:40,559 that he had loved. 253 00:15:41,419 –> 00:15:45,799 He could do these things if he felt that God was near. 254 00:15:47,159 –> 00:15:49,140 But you see, the problem here is 255 00:15:49,140 –> 00:15:51,979 that God felt far away from David 256 00:15:51,979 –> 00:15:54,020 just at the very moment where David felt 257 00:15:54,020 –> 00:15:55,859 he needed the Lord the most. 258 00:15:58,820 –> 00:16:02,020 There was a priest in the 16th century 259 00:16:02,020 –> 00:16:05,599 known as John of the Cross, 260 00:16:05,640 –> 00:16:09,619 and he coined a phrase 261 00:16:09,619 –> 00:16:13,239 that describes what David was enduring here, 262 00:16:13,239 –> 00:16:18,239 he called it the dark night of the soul. 263 00:16:19,760 –> 00:16:21,900 Isaiah knew what this was like, 264 00:16:21,900 –> 00:16:25,840 he says in Isaiah 45 in verse 15 to the Lord, 265 00:16:25,840 –> 00:16:30,840 “‘Truly you are a god who hides himself.’” 266 00:16:32,760 –> 00:16:34,440 You know that experience of feeling 267 00:16:34,479 –> 00:16:37,679 that you’re just seeking God, you need his help, 268 00:16:37,679 –> 00:16:39,859 and you feel like he’s hiding from you? 269 00:16:41,960 –> 00:16:46,000 Now, can this really be the experience of a godly person? 270 00:16:47,619 –> 00:16:50,000 Well, remember, this was the experience 271 00:16:50,000 –> 00:16:52,039 of our Lord Jesus himself. 272 00:16:52,039 –> 00:16:56,000 Jesus knew what it was to feel that the father 273 00:16:56,000 –> 00:17:00,799 was far away just when he needed him the most. 274 00:17:01,780 –> 00:17:06,819 My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? 275 00:17:10,819 –> 00:17:13,839 Now, this psalm really helps us. 276 00:17:13,839 –> 00:17:16,839 It helps us not only by describing 277 00:17:16,839 –> 00:17:20,680 the darker experiences that may come 278 00:17:20,680 –> 00:17:23,640 to a Christian in the course of life, 279 00:17:23,640 –> 00:17:27,040 some of the harder things that we may endure 280 00:17:27,680 –> 00:17:29,819 in following after Christ, 281 00:17:29,819 –> 00:17:33,560 but it also identifies not only the experience, 282 00:17:33,560 –> 00:17:37,739 but the cause that may lie behind these experiences. 283 00:17:39,300 –> 00:17:42,439 The erosive effects of a hostile culture, 284 00:17:42,439 –> 00:17:46,640 the loss of a cherished role in life and in ministry, 285 00:17:46,640 –> 00:17:49,520 the feeling that God is far away 286 00:17:49,520 –> 00:17:53,859 at the very time when you feel you need him the most. 287 00:17:54,699 –> 00:17:58,280 These were the experiences of David. 288 00:17:58,280 –> 00:18:02,040 These were the experiences of Jesus 289 00:18:02,040 –> 00:18:06,199 and there may be times when they are your experience too. 290 00:18:07,579 –> 00:18:10,239 But what I want us to see today 291 00:18:10,239 –> 00:18:14,660 is that despite all that David was enduring, 292 00:18:14,660 –> 00:18:17,780 he was moved by the Holy Spirit 293 00:18:17,780 –> 00:18:20,959 to write a Psalm that focuses on hope. 294 00:18:21,920 –> 00:18:23,760 That’s what this Psalm is about, 295 00:18:23,760 –> 00:18:26,199 at the very center of it repeated three times 296 00:18:26,199 –> 00:18:30,599 as we have seen, hope in God, verse five. 297 00:18:30,599 –> 00:18:32,439 Hope in God, verse 11. 298 00:18:34,280 –> 00:18:37,459 Hope in God, Psalm 43, and verse five. 299 00:18:40,819 –> 00:18:44,060 Now the aim of this series over these next weeks 300 00:18:44,060 –> 00:18:46,579 is that we will grow in hope. 301 00:18:46,579 –> 00:18:48,400 I want to be very practical 302 00:18:49,000 –> 00:18:52,680 and so I want us to see four strategies 303 00:18:52,680 –> 00:18:56,520 from the Psalm as to how we can grow in hope. 304 00:18:58,560 –> 00:19:02,479 The first of these is to speak honestly to God. 305 00:19:03,619 –> 00:19:06,439 You see, that’s what David does here. 306 00:19:06,439 –> 00:19:07,800 Look at verse nine. 307 00:19:07,800 –> 00:19:11,800 I say to God, my rock, why have you forgotten me? 308 00:19:12,719 –> 00:19:15,000 Why have you forgotten me? 309 00:19:15,000 –> 00:19:17,160 Why do I go mourning? 310 00:19:17,160 –> 00:19:20,680 Because of the oppression of the enemy. 311 00:19:20,680 –> 00:19:24,719 And notice that he says these things to God. 312 00:19:26,939 –> 00:19:31,939 You don’t need to feel close to God in order to pray. 313 00:19:34,699 –> 00:19:37,479 You can pray as David does here, 314 00:19:37,479 –> 00:19:41,040 even when you feel that God has forgotten you. 315 00:19:42,699 –> 00:19:45,619 You can pray to God when you feel far from him. 316 00:19:46,819 –> 00:19:49,739 You can pray to God when you don’t feel like praying. 317 00:19:51,000 –> 00:19:54,160 You can tell him that you feel forgotten. 318 00:19:54,160 –> 00:19:57,479 You can tell him that you feel oppressed. 319 00:19:57,479 –> 00:19:58,839 You can tell him that you feel 320 00:19:58,839 –> 00:20:02,280 absolutely, completely, and utterly dried out. 321 00:20:03,400 –> 00:20:05,800 You can tell him that your stomach is churning 322 00:20:05,800 –> 00:20:08,180 and that you are in turmoil. 323 00:20:09,040 –> 00:20:12,540 That’s what Jesus did in the Garden of Gethsemane. 324 00:20:14,000 –> 00:20:17,380 My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow 325 00:20:17,380 –> 00:20:20,359 and he says it to the Father. 326 00:20:21,760 –> 00:20:26,199 The presence of God is one place 327 00:20:26,199 –> 00:20:30,920 where you can be absolutely safe in being yourself. 328 00:20:32,060 –> 00:20:35,359 There is nothing that you can tell him 329 00:20:35,359 –> 00:20:37,040 that he doesn’t know already. 330 00:20:39,060 –> 00:20:44,060 He knows you completely and therefore there is a freedom 331 00:20:44,260 –> 00:20:47,859 that you have to come and to speak to God 332 00:20:47,859 –> 00:20:49,859 in every circumstance, 333 00:20:49,859 –> 00:20:51,900 and that’s the first thing that David does here. 334 00:20:51,900 –> 00:20:53,260 That’s what this psalm is. 335 00:20:53,260 –> 00:20:54,099 It’s a prayer. 336 00:20:54,099 –> 00:20:57,900 It’s a pouring out of his soul in the presence of God. 337 00:20:59,579 –> 00:21:02,420 That’s the first thing, but it’s not the only thing. 338 00:21:02,420 –> 00:21:06,099 Second, challenge yourself. 339 00:21:06,099 –> 00:21:07,660 If you’re going to grow in hope, 340 00:21:07,699 –> 00:21:09,540 you need to speak honestly to God, 341 00:21:09,540 –> 00:21:11,260 and if you’re going to grow in hope, 342 00:21:11,260 –> 00:21:15,500 you really need to challenge yourself. 343 00:21:15,500 –> 00:21:17,140 Look again at verse 5. 344 00:21:17,140 –> 00:21:20,099 Why are you cast down, oh my soul? 345 00:21:20,099 –> 00:21:24,300 And why are you in turmoil within me? 346 00:21:24,300 –> 00:21:28,180 Now notice that in this verse David is not speaking to God, 347 00:21:28,180 –> 00:21:30,219 he’s speaking to himself. 348 00:21:31,260 –> 00:21:34,020 He is addressing his own soul. 349 00:21:34,020 –> 00:21:38,640 Why are you cast down, oh my soul? 350 00:21:40,420 –> 00:21:43,959 Now it’s very important to learn to do this. 351 00:21:43,959 –> 00:21:46,040 Martyn Lloyd-Jones, who writes so helpfully 352 00:21:46,040 –> 00:21:49,979 on this from Psalm 42, asks this question. 353 00:21:49,979 –> 00:21:54,979 Have you realized that most of your unhappiness in life 354 00:21:55,979 –> 00:21:59,180 is due to the fact that you are listening to yourself 355 00:21:59,180 –> 00:22:01,260 rather than talking to yourself? 356 00:22:02,020 –> 00:22:05,140 Most of your unhappiness comes from this, he says. 357 00:22:05,140 –> 00:22:08,800 You listen to all the thoughts and the fears, 358 00:22:08,800 –> 00:22:11,199 all the questions and doubts, 359 00:22:11,199 –> 00:22:14,859 all the forbodings that rise up from within your own soul. 360 00:22:14,859 –> 00:22:18,900 You listen to all that but you don’t talk to yourself. 361 00:22:18,900 –> 00:22:22,099 You’re listening to yourself but not talking to yourself. 362 00:22:23,319 –> 00:22:27,020 So understand this, that your soul will 363 00:22:27,020 –> 00:22:30,920 throw up all kinds of fears. 364 00:22:30,920 –> 00:22:33,239 There will be times when you feel dried out 365 00:22:33,239 –> 00:22:35,300 and downcast and forgotten. 366 00:22:35,300 –> 00:22:38,739 What are you to do when these times come? 367 00:22:38,739 –> 00:22:41,420 Well, you do what David does here. 368 00:22:41,420 –> 00:22:46,339 He takes himself in hand and he challenges himself, 369 00:22:46,339 –> 00:22:48,619 he scolds himself. 370 00:22:48,619 –> 00:22:50,739 If I can put it this way, he gives himself 371 00:22:50,739 –> 00:22:52,599 a good talking to. 372 00:22:54,319 –> 00:22:57,619 And this psalm gives us a marvelous model 373 00:22:57,619 –> 00:22:59,420 of how to do this. 374 00:22:59,420 –> 00:23:02,140 How to reason with yourself. 375 00:23:03,180 –> 00:23:04,880 Spurgeon makes this comment, 376 00:23:04,880 –> 00:23:09,520 David’s faith reasons with his fears 377 00:23:09,520 –> 00:23:13,280 and his hope argues with his sorrows. 378 00:23:14,780 –> 00:23:19,300 Again, Lloyd-Jones says, this self of ours 379 00:23:19,300 –> 00:23:21,380 has got to be handled. 380 00:23:22,660 –> 00:23:25,880 Don’t listen to him, Lloyd-Jones says. 381 00:23:25,880 –> 00:23:27,439 Turn on him. 382 00:23:27,439 –> 00:23:29,140 Speak to him. 383 00:23:29,160 –> 00:23:32,260 Condemn him, upbraid him, Exhort him, 384 00:23:32,260 –> 00:23:35,819 encourage him, remind him of what you know 385 00:23:35,819 –> 00:23:38,939 instead of placidly listening to him 386 00:23:38,939 –> 00:23:41,020 and allowing him to drag you down. 387 00:23:42,839 –> 00:23:44,520 I wonder if you’ve experienced that, 388 00:23:44,520 –> 00:23:47,800 you listen sometimes to all the thoughts 389 00:23:47,800 –> 00:23:50,660 and all the fears and all the forebodings 390 00:23:50,660 –> 00:23:52,160 that are coming up from within. 391 00:23:52,160 –> 00:23:53,920 How am I going to manage this? 392 00:23:53,920 –> 00:23:56,219 And what happens is because you’re listening 393 00:23:56,239 –> 00:23:59,599 to all the stuff that’s coming up from your soul, 394 00:24:00,800 –> 00:24:02,900 it’s dragging you down. 395 00:24:04,979 –> 00:24:07,619 And Dr. Lloyd-Jones is saying, 396 00:24:07,619 –> 00:24:12,619 instead of placidly listening to all of that stuff, 397 00:24:12,739 –> 00:24:15,020 here’s what you do, you tell it to God 398 00:24:16,079 –> 00:24:18,199 and then you challenge yourself. 399 00:24:18,199 –> 00:24:20,579 That’s what David does here. 400 00:24:20,579 –> 00:24:23,959 Now, why are you cast down, oh my soul? 401 00:24:24,020 –> 00:24:29,020 Why are you so in turmoil, disturbed within me? 402 00:24:32,000 –> 00:24:34,560 Put your hope in God. 403 00:24:35,900 –> 00:24:37,520 Is he’s challenging himself. 404 00:24:40,479 –> 00:24:44,199 Now, notice how he does this. 405 00:24:44,199 –> 00:24:46,119 It takes us to the third strategy. 406 00:24:47,300 –> 00:24:52,300 Affirm what you know to be true, hope in God. 407 00:24:54,939 –> 00:24:59,859 Now, this is what David says to his dried out, 408 00:24:59,859 –> 00:25:04,760 tearful, downcast, turmoiled, forgotten, 409 00:25:04,760 –> 00:25:08,640 mourning, and oppressed self. 410 00:25:08,640 –> 00:25:13,640 He takes his self in hand and he says to himself, 411 00:25:14,140 –> 00:25:17,239 hope in God. 412 00:25:18,900 –> 00:25:20,140 There’s hope for you. 413 00:25:20,140 –> 00:25:24,439 He says to his own soul and the hope for you 414 00:25:24,439 –> 00:25:27,400 is in God himself. 415 00:25:28,599 –> 00:25:30,760 The Apostle Paul says exactly the same thing 416 00:25:30,760 –> 00:25:35,219 in the New Testament in 1 Timothy chapter 4 and verse 10. 417 00:25:35,219 –> 00:25:40,180 He says, we toil and strive and what energizes us 418 00:25:40,180 –> 00:25:42,280 to keep toiling and keep striving? 419 00:25:42,280 –> 00:25:43,599 Well, this is the reason. 420 00:25:43,599 –> 00:25:48,040 We toil and strive because we have set our hope 421 00:25:48,040 –> 00:25:49,560 on the living God. 422 00:25:50,819 –> 00:25:53,439 We have hope in the living God 423 00:25:54,780 –> 00:25:57,119 and that’s what gives us the energy to keep going 424 00:25:57,119 –> 00:26:01,880 and to continue to toil and continue to strive. 425 00:26:03,219 –> 00:26:08,219 Don’t let the darkness around you dictate the conversation. 426 00:26:10,560 –> 00:26:15,560 Hope in God, who he is, what he has done, what he will do. 427 00:26:15,959 –> 00:26:18,239 David keeps reminding himself, 428 00:26:18,239 –> 00:26:20,540 almost drip feeding throughout the Psalm 429 00:26:20,540 –> 00:26:22,880 while all of these fears are coming up, 430 00:26:22,880 –> 00:26:26,920 they’re being answered by what he says in regards to God. 431 00:26:26,920 –> 00:26:30,000 He’s the living God, verse two. 432 00:26:30,000 –> 00:26:33,199 He’s the God of my life, verse eight. 433 00:26:33,199 –> 00:26:35,660 He’s my rock, verse eight. 434 00:26:36,520 –> 00:26:41,520 He’s my God and my salvation, verses five and verse 11. 435 00:26:42,319 –> 00:26:45,119 How can we grow in hope? 436 00:26:45,119 –> 00:26:46,579 Well, here’s how David does it 437 00:26:46,579 –> 00:26:49,439 and here’s how we can grow in hope. 438 00:26:49,439 –> 00:26:51,219 You speak honestly to God, 439 00:26:51,219 –> 00:26:53,439 you tell him the truth 440 00:26:53,439 –> 00:26:56,239 about all that’s coming up from within your soul. 441 00:26:57,599 –> 00:26:59,959 But then, you take yourself in hand, 442 00:26:59,959 –> 00:27:01,739 you challenge yourself, 443 00:27:02,640 –> 00:27:04,719 and the way that you do that 444 00:27:04,719 –> 00:27:08,680 is that you affirm what you know to be true 445 00:27:08,680 –> 00:27:10,140 about God. 446 00:27:10,780 –> 00:27:12,680 And then, one more thing. 447 00:27:12,680 –> 00:27:17,140 You wait expectantly on God. 448 00:27:17,140 –> 00:27:19,079 Look again at verse five. 449 00:27:19,079 –> 00:27:21,180 Hope in God, 450 00:27:22,479 –> 00:27:25,819 for I shall again praise him, 451 00:27:26,819 –> 00:27:29,619 my salvation and my God. 452 00:27:31,579 –> 00:27:34,880 Now, you read that verse, verse five, of Psalm 42, 453 00:27:34,880 –> 00:27:38,900 and you think that would be the most miraculous thing 454 00:27:39,319 –> 00:27:43,339 or the most marvelous ending for this Psalm. 455 00:27:44,979 –> 00:27:47,800 But of course it doesn’t end there. 456 00:27:47,800 –> 00:27:51,119 Notice, you see, he makes this marvelous confession 457 00:27:51,119 –> 00:27:52,660 of faith, 458 00:27:52,660 –> 00:27:55,979 hope in God, I’m going to praise him again. 459 00:27:57,579 –> 00:27:59,339 And within four verses, 460 00:27:59,339 –> 00:28:01,560 he’s saying to God, 461 00:28:01,560 –> 00:28:04,020 well now, why have you forgotten me, verse nine. 462 00:28:05,479 –> 00:28:07,880 It feels almost as if he’s gone back 463 00:28:07,959 –> 00:28:09,500 to where he started, 464 00:28:09,500 –> 00:28:13,959 so you see, he has to give himself another good talking to. 465 00:28:13,959 –> 00:28:14,800 Verse 11. 466 00:28:15,780 –> 00:28:18,140 Why are you cast down on my soul? 467 00:28:18,140 –> 00:28:19,939 Why are you in turmoil within me? 468 00:28:19,939 –> 00:28:21,699 Hope in God, 469 00:28:22,660 –> 00:28:26,979 for I shall yet praise Him, my salvation and my God. 470 00:28:26,979 –> 00:28:29,099 Well, you think, now that’s it. 471 00:28:29,099 –> 00:28:31,239 That’s the end of the Psalm. 472 00:28:31,239 –> 00:28:33,699 That’s the moment of triumph, 473 00:28:33,699 –> 00:28:37,020 except that it’s not, remember Psalm 42 and Psalm 43 474 00:28:37,300 –> 00:28:39,079 almost certainly written as one composition 475 00:28:39,079 –> 00:28:39,920 at the beginning, 476 00:28:39,920 –> 00:28:42,560 and so you go forward, another couple of verses 477 00:28:42,560 –> 00:28:45,280 into Psalm 43, and now he’s asking God 478 00:28:45,280 –> 00:28:47,040 why have you rejected me, 479 00:28:47,040 –> 00:28:48,880 why do I go about mourning, 480 00:28:48,880 –> 00:28:51,239 because of the oppression of my enemy. 481 00:28:51,239 –> 00:28:54,000 So he has to take himself in hand again. 482 00:28:56,000 –> 00:28:57,920 Chapter 43 in verse 5. 483 00:28:59,040 –> 00:29:01,920 Why are you cast down on my soul? 484 00:29:01,920 –> 00:29:03,880 And why are you in turmoil within me? 485 00:29:05,239 –> 00:29:06,520 Hope in God. 486 00:29:07,119 –> 00:29:08,160 Hope in God. 487 00:29:09,439 –> 00:29:11,939 For I shall again praise him, 488 00:29:11,939 –> 00:29:14,540 my salvation and my God. 489 00:29:15,859 –> 00:29:19,040 Now, thank God this is in the Bible 490 00:29:19,040 –> 00:29:21,699 because you know what this is like as I do. 491 00:29:23,180 –> 00:29:26,619 You struggle to deal with something 492 00:29:26,619 –> 00:29:29,020 that has really hurt you, 493 00:29:30,579 –> 00:29:33,420 and you think you’ve got over it. 494 00:29:33,420 –> 00:29:34,900 I’ve been able to forgive. 495 00:29:35,819 –> 00:29:39,380 And then the resentment comes back 496 00:29:39,380 –> 00:29:42,920 and you wonder if you’ve really made any progress. 497 00:29:44,079 –> 00:29:46,140 You think you’ve come to terms 498 00:29:46,140 –> 00:29:48,939 with a great loss in your life, 499 00:29:48,939 –> 00:29:51,060 beginning to find my way now. 500 00:29:52,579 –> 00:29:55,479 But then you find that you’re thrown 501 00:29:55,479 –> 00:29:58,319 back into turmoil all over again. 502 00:29:58,319 –> 00:30:00,739 And you say, you know, I just seem to be 503 00:30:00,739 –> 00:30:03,579 right back where I started. 504 00:30:05,880 –> 00:30:08,640 You think that you’ve dealt with these fears, 505 00:30:10,119 –> 00:30:13,339 but you find that you still have a battle on your hands. 506 00:30:14,760 –> 00:30:18,540 And you say, will I ever be done with this? 507 00:30:18,540 –> 00:30:21,599 I don’t seem to be making any progress at all. 508 00:30:23,800 –> 00:30:26,280 Now, when you read these Psalms, 509 00:30:26,280 –> 00:30:29,839 it does seem like they’re going round in circles. 510 00:30:29,839 –> 00:30:32,800 And indeed, when you face great darkness 511 00:30:32,800 –> 00:30:35,180 that is exactly what it is like. 512 00:30:35,180 –> 00:30:38,479 You think you’ve won through and then you find yourself 513 00:30:38,479 –> 00:30:41,920 back in the thick of the battle all over again. 514 00:30:41,920 –> 00:30:45,719 And you may well feel, well, am I really getting anywhere? 515 00:30:45,719 –> 00:30:48,800 I just don’t seem to be making any progress. 516 00:30:48,800 –> 00:30:50,739 I’m just going round in circles. 517 00:30:53,599 –> 00:30:55,800 Let me give you a picture to encourage you. 518 00:30:57,560 –> 00:31:00,599 Imagine a steep mountain 519 00:31:01,479 –> 00:31:05,640 and a long, winding road that goes all the way 520 00:31:05,640 –> 00:31:09,439 round the bottom, and then gradually as it circles 521 00:31:09,439 –> 00:31:13,619 the mountain works its way up towards the summit. 522 00:31:16,400 –> 00:31:20,280 You travel on the road and as you’re driving 523 00:31:20,280 –> 00:31:25,099 round the mountain you keep seeing the same view. 524 00:31:25,099 –> 00:31:27,319 First you’re seeing the view looking north. 525 00:31:27,319 –> 00:31:29,400 Then you’re seeing the view looking west. 526 00:31:29,420 –> 00:31:31,300 Then you’re seeing the view looking south. 527 00:31:31,300 –> 00:31:33,260 And you’re seeing the view looking east. 528 00:31:33,260 –> 00:31:34,780 And then you’re back to the same old view 529 00:31:34,780 –> 00:31:36,000 looking north again. 530 00:31:38,300 –> 00:31:40,579 And the kids are in the back of the car 531 00:31:40,579 –> 00:31:42,739 and they’re saying, we’ve seen this before, 532 00:31:44,079 –> 00:31:46,079 we’re just going round in circles. 533 00:31:47,780 –> 00:31:49,260 And of course that is true. 534 00:31:51,060 –> 00:31:53,400 But at the same time you are getting higher. 535 00:31:54,239 –> 00:31:58,839 And if you keep going, you will reach the top 536 00:31:58,839 –> 00:31:59,839 of the mountain. 537 00:32:01,739 –> 00:32:06,739 I shall again praise Him, my Salvation and my God. 58 00:32:11,660 –> 00:32:14,900 So let this psalm be an encouragement to you. 539 00:32:16,099 –> 00:32:19,739 Some victories take longer than others. 540 00:32:20,839 –> 00:32:22,500 And the whole point of this psalm 541 00:32:23,020 –> 00:32:27,579 surely is that David keeps on seeking the Lord 542 00:32:27,579 –> 00:32:29,420 even when he seems far away. 543 00:32:30,780 –> 00:32:34,979 He keeps on challenging himself because he needs it. 544 00:32:36,060 –> 00:32:39,099 He keeps affirming what he knows to be true. 545 00:32:39,099 –> 00:32:41,000 There’s hope for you in God. 546 00:32:42,140 –> 00:32:45,060 And he keeps anticipating the deliverance 547 00:32:45,060 –> 00:32:50,060 that will one day be his, I shall again praise Him. 548 00:32:50,719 –> 00:32:55,719 And he wins through because he does not give up. 549 00:32:58,479 –> 00:33:02,939 I shall again praise Him, my salvation and my God. 550 00:33:04,099 –> 00:33:08,819 The lips that once said God has forgotten me 551 00:33:09,780 –> 00:33:14,699 will say God has delivered me because He’s my God 552 00:33:16,339 –> 00:33:18,500 and He’s my salvation. 553 00:33:19,319 –> 00:33:23,180 Let’s pray together, father, 554 00:33:23,180 –> 00:33:26,560 we thank you that in and through the Lord Jesus Christ 555 00:33:26,560 –> 00:33:31,560 you are our God, you are our salvation 556 00:33:32,959 –> 00:33:36,099 and that even in the hardest of times, 557 00:33:37,060 –> 00:33:42,060 our hope is in you grant in your mercy, 558 00:33:42,619 –> 00:33:47,619 grant in your mercy we may grow in hope. 559 00:33:51,479 –> 00:33:52,660 And we pray this together 560 00:33:52,660 –> 00:33:54,800 in and through the Lord Jesus Christ. 561 00:33:56,300 –> 00:33:57,140 Amen. 562 00:33:58,939 –> 00:34:00,180 You’ve been listening to a sermon 563 00:34:00,180 –> 00:34:02,599 with Pastor Colin Smith of Open The Bible. 564 00:34:02,599 –> 00:34:03,660 To contact us, 565 00:34:03,660 –> 00:34:07,859 call us at 1-877-OPEN365 566 00:34:07,859 –> 00:34:10,659 or visit our website, OpenTheBible.org.