sermon -sept 28th, 2024
Notes
Transcript
Psalm 123
Psalm 123
A song of ascents.
I lift up my eyes to you,
to you who sit enthroned in heaven.
As the eyes of slaves look to the hand of their master,
as the eyes of a female slave look to the hand of her mistress,
so our eyes look to the Lord our God,
till he shows us his mercy.
Have mercy on us, Lord, have mercy on us,
for we have endured no end of contempt.
We have endured no end
of ridicule from the arrogant,
of contempt from the proud.
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I lift up my eyes to you,
to you who sit enthroned in heaven.
—> we are looking past the mountains now.
—> we are in worship and connected to God
—> that connection allows us to know HIs place and it is not here on earth but it is higher than the earth.
—> We aren’t looking at God or across to God, but we are directing our gaze up to God.
—> There is a realization that God is higher than us, holier than us, more powerful, and set apart and yet not distant.
—> Even though we look up to God with fear and wonder he still calls to us to come to Him.
“So I say to you: Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you.
As the eyes of slaves look to the hand of their master,
as the eyes of a female slave look to the hand of her mistress,
so our eyes look to the Lord our God,
till he shows us his mercy.
—> There is deeper meaning here than simply looking with the eyes.
—> The eyes were the window into the soul. So this is a deep longing, more than just meeting a physical need. They are waiting for their spiritual needs to be met.
—> We are looking to God for our help and our strength but not as equals, but as servants. Our proper posture of worship is as servants to God.
—> and what are they waiting for…mercy.
Have mercy on us, Lord, have mercy on us,
for we have endured no end of contempt.
We have endured no end
of ridicule from the arrogant,
of contempt from the proud.
—> The Psalmist and the people are crying out for mercy from God not because of the oppression of God but from the oppression of those over them and around them.
—> They are waiting and calling out for mercy to be free of these earthly masters.
—> They are tired of the oppression that they are under.
—> Most of us here in America have no idea what it is really like to be oppressed by harsh masters.
—> I won’t deny that there is still modern day slavery and people are being oppressed even right here in our own country and even in our own state.
—> But the reality is most of the time we are choosing our oppresor. We are choosing to put ourselves under the authority and power of the world, instead of under the authority and power of God.
—> We have this idea that we are actually free when in reality our only freedom is choosing who we will serve.
—> God or the World
—> Paul understands this dilema, he lived it as he tried to climb the social ladder and make something of himself.
—> He was humbled and brought low and through a meeting with Jesus was changed forever. He writes this towards the end of his letter to the church in Rome as he begins to sum up his thoughts.
—> Romans 12:1
Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship.
—> In our freedom I pray that we choose to serve God by giving ourselves over to Him. Body, mind, and soul so that we will be free from the chains of this world and free to serve God as he calls us. Only then can we know real peace and experience the fullness of God’s mercy, grace, and love.
