Psalm 6 (2)

Sermon:

Good evening, everyone. Just like to say, thank you for having us. We always look forward to. Having these times where we can gather together, As a A larger collection of of god's people. But maybe we would on any normal day. And so it's always good because we're always so generous to have us out here. So Thank you much for having us.

One of the things we've been doing for about the last, about two months now, Is we have started our own Sunday evening service. And, and we do a couple different things. We do small group and then we do a large group and we've been working our way through the book of Psalms And we've been trying to do it in a way where It's a little more teachy and a little less preachy is how i would say it. We've been learning how to read, how to go through, what to do, how to get into, and understand the psalms, And one of the beautiful things for me as a pastor as i've been going through is Each week that i've sat down to study and outline and get ready to preach through the psalms Whatever solve we're going through, is probably my new favorite psalm of the week. And so here, as we going through our schedule, this is why we'll be in Psalm 6 today. I would say that this is still true. And one of the reasons the psalms are so wonderful is they speak to Life, as we know it. While also speaking to life as we wish it was. While also speaking to. Life, as it should be. And Psalm 6 is no different. And so this evening to sort of wrap our minds around this, we're just gonna work our way through the psalms, there's four stanzas, which will end up being our four main points for our sermon this evening. And i think it's important, we understand what david is doing. Psalm 6 is in fact, the psalm of david, it's written. The the heading we have here is to the choir master with stringed instruments, according to the sheminth. A psalm of david. To open, we'll just read god's word this evening. Psalm chapter 6 starting in verse 1,

Psalm 6 ESV

To the choirmaster: with stringed instruments; according to The Sheminith. A Psalm of David. O Lord, rebuke me not in your anger, nor discipline me in your wrath. Be gracious to me, O Lord, for I am languishing; heal me, O Lord, for my bones are troubled. My soul also is greatly troubled. But you, O Lord—how long? Turn, O Lord, deliver my life; save me for the sake of your steadfast love. For in death there is no remembrance of you; in Sheol who will give you praise? I am weary with my moaning; every night I flood my bed with tears; I drench my couch with my weeping. My eye wastes away because of grief; it grows weak because of all my foes. Depart from me, all you workers of evil, for the Lord has heard the sound of my weeping. The Lord has heard my plea; the Lord accepts my prayer. All my enemies shall be ashamed and greatly troubled; they shall turn back and be put to shame in a moment.

These are the words of the lord for us this evening. Let's open with the word of prayer.

Oh lord, we thank you. That you are a god. Who is near to us. We thank you. That we have a perfect savior, one who suffered when he was tempted. The one who Live the life we never could. But also endured the things of this earth. We have a savior, a great high priest who is familiar with our trials and troubles, who is able to relate but also, interced for us. Thank you for the precious work of your son. So jesus name, we pray Amen. And amen.

The first stands of this song versus one through three. Or rather interesting, david is praying. And as david's praying to the lord, He asked for something that i think is important, we understand. As i was outlining this all my called these first three abuses verse three verses.

REBUKE NOT WRATH

Rebuke. But not wrath. Chapter 6, verse 1, david says, oh lord, rebuke me, not in your anger nor discipline me in your wrath. I think it's important, we understand as david's praying this to see what he is asking for, but also know what he's not asking for. He is asking verse 2 for god to be gracious to him. He is admitting to god the feelings that he's feeling. He's tired, he's languishing. He's troubled in his soul. He's asking god to take these feelings. These thoughts, these issues that are pressing it around him. He's asking for God to remove them. He's asking quite literally how long he's going to have to endure. But what he's not asking for. Is for god to just not rebuke. This is how we often go. This is how we often think. We don't want any rebuke, we don't want any discipline, we don't want any of that. That's the hard stuff. Though, we know conscripture teaches. No discipline is fun. While we're going through it, but it's working in us. While we may understand that thought very few of us are willing to say no, no, i like when the lord rebukes me. David is not enjoying this process at all. But he doesn't ask for the rebuke to be left. Just got when he rebuke me. Don't do it in anger. In love, i can handle that. If you rebuke me in love, i need that. Discipline me and i probably david, obviously needed discipline. We know his life, we know the failings david has But god, if you're going to discipline me not in your wrath, i need it in your love in your justice. Yes. But also in your mercy and your grace. David is being open and honest with what he's going through with what he's experiencing. But he's also willing to admit. I probably need just a little bit of rebuke. I probably need just a lot of discipline. That's okay. There is grace. God's grace grace that is greater than all our sin. Grace, that is far more. Powerful than our sin and the things we find ourselves in. And so is david is here. Languishing, his bones are troubled, as he's feeling the weight of god, and his discipline and his rebuke. It's not the discipline and rebuke. David asked to be taken away. It's the feeling of god being far, it's the feeling of his soul being trouble. That's what david can't handle. And so is his experiencing these troubles. David gets to a point where I think we can many of us can relate to this. The troubles feel so much. I don't know what i'm going to do with life. So, in a time of brutal honesty, David looks to the lord in the second stands of verses 4 through 5. Turn. Oh, lord and deliver my life for save me, for the sake of your love, for in death. There is no remembrance of you. As i was again, outlining this David wants love. Not death.

LOVE NOT DEATH

Or maybe more right is salvation. Not death. But it probably feels like. All i have is death. This morning in our sunday morning service, we're also working our way through the psalms and a much different rate. David says, sort of the same thing in psalm 30. Here, he says. For in death, there is no remembrance of you and she all who will give you praise and psalm 30. We have the same thought. What prophet is there in my death? If i go down to the pit, Will the dust praise you? Will it tell of your faithfulness hear? Oh lord. And be merciful to me. Oh lord be my helper. And i think this is the same thought. I can't do this. I can't do this on my own in my own strengths, in my own might i can't do this. If i'm the one fighting for me. And he asked that god would deliver him so turn. Oh lord. Deliver me, save me. But again, we must know, david's heart. He's not saying save me because i want to be saved though. He obviously does. He says, turtle lord deliver my life, save me for the sake of your love. Save me because if you save me, then i will have lips by which to praise you. Now, if you let me die off and become like the dust dust, can't praise you. But if you save me, if you delivering my lips will sing your praise Maybe once love not death. Salvation, not languishing. So, he cries out to the lord? He cries out to the lord though he is. Well aware He may not be worthy of god's love. But maybe God will give it.

The next stance of verses six through seven. Is, for many of us. The easiest part of this psalm to relate to Verse 6, i am weary. With my moaning. You've been tired. Then we're Sometimes the world crushes crushes us. Sometimes, we can't even let out. Words to Talk about put into words, the pain and sorrow we're feeling. Weary. In our church, we covered psalm 5 two weeks ago now We talked about three different types of prayer. There was groaning. There was crying. And there was prayer. Here, David's weary with just moaning groaning, this deep guttural weight of the world pressing against him. Every night. I flood my bed with tears. David is a wreck. A wreck. And we are entired but i can't sleep. I'm tired. I'm exhausted because i'm being crushed by everything that's going on but i can't even sleep because i'm just crying all night every night. My bed is flooded. My couch is drenched. I can't do this. My eye weighs away with grief, it grows weak. Because of my folks. What are David's folks? Many. Often david's foes are external. It's salt. It's a son. It's the other. It's the other. People who? You know, team solve, we didn't want to be on team david, all of these things brewing, it's other kings. It's stuff going on all around him often. David's foes that are pressed against him or external. But often david's foes are also internal. To send. He's well, aware of It's the profit nathan coming to him. You are that, man. It's knowing the weight and guilt of all of the things that he's done. And so, david feeling assaulted on every side like where in the world can i turn? Nowhere. If the question you're asking, Is where in the world can i turn? The answer is nowhere.

So where do we turn? Like david. We should turn to the lord. That's what he's been doing. In our first stanza, the first two verses. When he's pleading with god for rebuke, but not wrath discipline, but not destruction. Got turn and deliver me, rebuke me, not in your anger. Heal me. Oh lord, my bones are troubled. I can't turn anywhere in the world, but i can turn to the lord. So he begs him turn and deliver my life verse 4. I need your steadfast love in death. There is no worshiping death. I can't praise you. So save me deliver me. Oh god. I kind of, i'm i'm done. I'm weary i'm tired. I can't sleep. I can't wake. I can't do anything. My eye. Waste away. Verse 8. Apart from me, all you workers of evil. For the lord has heard the sound of my weeping. There is no cry. He does not hear. No sorrow. That he's not aware of. No wait. That he cannot help you bear. There is nothing. That is too big or great or sorrowful. And here is our hope, this is our great. Hope the lord will hear the sound of my weeping. There is notes here. That's wasted. For he will come for me. The lord has heard the sound of my weeping david writes. In verse 8, verse 9, the lord has heard my plea. We know even better than david because we have the blessing of knowing the whole rest of redemptive history, he hears my plea because i have a great high priest, who will interced on my behalf for all time. He is, in fact, the son of david Jesus christ, our lord. We know that we can bring any plea before the lord because He will hear. Not only will he hear my plea. Verse 9 continues, the lord accepts My prayer. Got here. God knows. And god will save. And deliver his people. David here can be brutally honest, brutally honest, about the weight and the trouble. And the trial of what this life often is, The pain that is experiencing And these important for us to hear and remember, David. Was a man after god's own heart. David. Wrote the vast majority of the psalms david, the king par excellence until jesus came Even david. Didn't always have it all together. Even david needed to cry out to the lord. Even david would have these moments where The weight of the world was crushing him. But the lord heard. The lord accepted. The Lord delivered. David ends with this thought. All of the foes all of the trials, all of the pressures. All of the things that are all amounting all around him. They shall be ashamed and greatly troubled. Maybe not now. Maybe right now it doesn't feel like these foes and these things are ashamed and greatly troubled but they will be. When the lord rises to deliver me. When whatever it is, i'm going through when that is taken care of. Miami shall be greatly ashamed and greatly troubled. They shall turn back and be put to shame in a moment. That is the hope we have. Of a god, who will deliver, who will write all wrongs. And he'll be with his people. Let's pray.