Grateful, but longing for more

Service Notes

Next week is going to be an important Thursday, all Thursdays are important.

Reminder of the Send-Off for Chase & Ashley

“Camp-Meeting” after church

Sermon Introduction

Great desire to run straight to the rejoicing. There is plenty of that in this passage.

Conversation concerning “understanding the Bible”

Must come to a place of surrender and brokenness to receive the blessing of a passage

Psalm 126 (KJV)

A Song of degrees.

1 When the LORD turned again the captivity of Zion, we were like them that dream.

2 Then was our mouth filled with laughter, and our tongue with singing: then said they among the heathen, The LORD hath done great things for them.

3 The LORD hath done great things for us; whereof we are glad.

4 Turn again our captivity, O LORD, as the streams in the south.

5 They that sow in tears shall reap in joy.

6 He that goeth forth and weepeth, bearing precious seed, shall doubtless come again with rejoicing, bringing his sheaves with him.

Theme: Celebrate what God has already done, but long for what God will yet do.

Colossians 4:2-3 “2 Continue in prayer, and watch in the same with thanksgiving; 3 Withal praying also for us, that God would open unto us a door of utterance, to speak the mystery of Christ, for which I am also in bonds:”

More than being where we are in Psalms it is where I believe we should be as a church.

Longing to be Renewed

Psalm 126:1 “1 When the LORD turned again the captivity of Zion, we were like them that dream.”

We live with theological tension

We live in a theological tension. By faith in Christ, all of these spiritual blessings are ours already, but the full enjoyment of these blessings is not yet ours. Hebrews 11:1 “1 Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.”

Every one of God's children has been chosen to wait, because every one of God's children lives between the “already” and the “not yet.” Already this world has been broken by sin, but not yet has it been made new again. - Paul Tripp

Already adopted in Christ, but not yet adopted. Romans 8:15,23

Already redeemed in Christ, but not yet redeemed. Ephesians 1:7, 4:30

Already sanctified in Christ, but not yet sanctified. 1 Corinthians 1:2, 1 Thessalonians 5:23–24

Already saved in Christ, but not yet saved. Ephesians 2:8, Romans 5:9

Already raised with Christ, but not yet raised. Ephesians 2:6, 1 Corinthians 15:52

It doth not appear what shall be

1 John 3:2 “2 Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is.”

I fear, we only feel the weight of a passage like this when things in this world are so bad that we long for the world to come.

No matter your current life-stage you should “dream” or long for the renewing work that only God can do to this world.

Days when we lived lighter

Psalm 126:2 “2 Then was our mouth filled with laughter, and our tongue with singing: then said they among the heathen, The LORD hath done great things for them.”

God is not asking us to live on our great memories of the past

Days of having an effective witness.

Days of gladness. Psalm 126:3 “3 The LORD hath done great things for us; whereof we are glad.”

Time of a barren field

Psalm 126:4 “4 Turn again our captivity, O LORD, as the streams in the south.”

The psalmist prayed that the LORD would complete the restoration.

In the south during the dry season have little or no water but which in the rainy season overflow their banks.

Three Responses

We can ignore it.

We can imitate the solution.

We become obedient to God’s Word.

Transition: The psalmist found encouragement in the Principle of sowing and reaping.

Cultivating the ground

Story // Ground tilled up for a garden. One family member was thankful for the rain and the felt like it was keeping them from planting a garden.

Hearts need to be tilled

Psalm 126:5 “5 They that sow in tears shall reap in joy.”

The setting in verses 5–6 is agricultural.

After the land had been neglected for so long, it was almost impossible to work it.

The planting would be difficult, but persistence would doubtless bring a harvest.

Necessity of brokenness

Luke 14:11 “11 For whosoever exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted.”

God gives us tears. Psalm 80:5 “5 Thou feedest them with the bread of tears; and givest them tears to drink in great measure.”

Often when we cry we ask “what is wrong with me.”

Junior Hill

I was conducting a revival meeting in Florida; and one night after the service, the pastor and I went over to a woman's home to have some refreshments. As we sat down around the table, I soon recognized something unusual about this woman. She was physically blind. As we sat there talking, she turned those dark expressionless eyes toward where I was sitting, and she said, "Brother Hill, do you know why I'm blind?" "No, ma'am, I don't," I replied. "Preacher," she continued, " a number of years ago the tear ducts in my eyes dried up, and no matter how broken my heart was or how crushed my spirit might have been, I simply could not cry. As a result of those dry eyes, I eventually lost my sight. Brother Hill, I'm blind because I cannot shed tears."

As I sat there listening to that sad woman tell of the tragedy of eyes that could not see, I thought in my heart, "Oh, Lord, what a remarkable comparison that is to many of our churches today-blind congregations who are spiritually barren because they have lost their ability to weep over those who are dying around them."

We need to be people of a contrite hear. Psalm 51:17 “17 The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit: a broken and a contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise.”

“Men who cannot cry aren’t good for much, those who cannot stop crying are good for nothing.” - I do not believe we have that problem today.

We are not speaking of tears - but of a broken and contrite heart.

Promises made to the broken hearted

Psalm 84 is one of my favorite psalms. It is full of promise for the broken- hearted. Psalm 84:5-6 “5 Blessed is the man whose strength is in thee; in whose heart are the ways of them. 6 Who passing through the valley of Baca make it a well; the rain also filleth the pools.”

It is good to be at this place. Ecc 7:2-4 “2 It is better to go to the house of mourning, than to go to the house of feasting: for that is the end of all men; and the living will lay it to his heart. 3 Sorrow is better than laughter: for by the sadness of the countenance the heart is made better. 4 The heart of the wise is in the house of mourning; but the heart of fools is in the house of mirth.”

Henri Nouwen wrote in his book, The Return of the Prodigal Son, “There are so few mourners left in the world. But grief is the discipline of the heart that sees the sin of the world, and knows itself to be the sorrowful price of freedom without which love cannot bloom. I am beginning to see that much of praying is grieving”.

Hebrews 5:7-8 tell us that the days of His flesh (His life), Jesus offered his supplications and prayers to His Father with loud crying and tears.

If Satan could blind the eyes of God’s people to just one thing, of course it would be that intimate place of humility.

James 4:6-10 “6 But he giveth more grace. Wherefore he saith, God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble. 7 Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. 8 Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded. 9 Be afflicted, and mourn, and weep: let your laughter be turned to mourning, and your joy to heaviness. 10 Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you up.”

To often we are people of dry-eyed confession of sin, a mere decision of the will instead from genuine, godly sorrow.

The Bible was written in tears and to tears it yields its treasures. -Oswald Chambers

Precious Seed

Psalm 126:6 “6 He that goeth forth and weepeth, bearing precious seed, shall doubtless come again with rejoicing, bringing his sheaves with him.”

The Seedline is a ministry of Bearing Precious Seed

Forgotten this is good news.

Why do you think we are not more willing to tell people about Jesus?

We have forgotten how good and precious this message is.

Broken vessels, incredible treasure

2 Corinthians 4:7 “7 But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us.”

A preacher went to make a visit one day and knocked on the door of a home. The lady in the house thought it might be her husband coming home and called out, “Is that you, angel?” The preacher said, “No, I’m not an angel but I’m from the same department.”

You and I are not angels. We are earthen vessels. Let us be broken vessels.

In the early days of the Salvation Army, a worker in that ministry sent word to William Booth, the founder of the organization, saying that his work was getting so hard that he could make no progress. Booth sent back the following two word message: “Try Tears". We will have no tears unless we get close to the Lord and feel His burden for those who are unsaved.

Response

We know we are people that have been delivered. We laugh and rejoice. 3 The LORD hath done great things for us; whereof we are glad.

But until He returns from us we live in a broken world and we want to see Him do in our lives what He has done for others. 4 Turn again our captivity, O LORD, as the streams in the south.

We have been given the promise of a joyful return. 6 He that goeth forth and weepeth, bearing precious seed, shall DOUBTLESS come again with rejoicing, bringing his sheaves with him.