We Have Peace With God

Psalm 85:1-13

Introduction

What is Christmas about?

For many Christmas is about family, love, giving

It’s essentially a time of sentimentality

For Christians Christmas isn’t about sentimentality but certainty

It’s not just a celebration that Jesus came but a celebration of why He came

For Christians Christmas is about salvation

Salvation that brings freedom, reconcilliation, peace, love & hope

It is this salvation that makes Christmas a time of joy

READ PSALM 85

Look for the themes of Christmas/Advent in the Psalm

At the centre of the Psalm is salvation (Ps. 85:4, 7)

Key word is ‘restore’ (Ps. 85:1, 4)

Leads us to a place of mercy, peace and righteousness

Psalm 85 has 3 parts

It shows why the concept of Advent is so important

Not just to Christmas but to the Christian life

Ps. 85:1-3 speaks about the past

Psalm 85:4-7 - speaks about the present

Psalm 85:8-13 speaks about the future

How can this Psalm help us celebrate Christmas/Advent?

We are Thankful for Forgiveness

Psalm 85:1-3

We’ve been Shown Favour

Psalm 85:1

The Circumstances

First 3 verses have a real historical context in mind

Itr emembers a past event but with thankfulness & hope

Most commentators agree this is written after Babylonian exile

Israel taken into captivity for their sin (Assyria then Babylon)

God had promised He would restore them

Speaks of time of Ezra & Nehemiah

People are back in the land & have experienced God’s forgiveness & blessing

Temple is rebuilt & dedicated

This song is filled with thankfulness for what God has done

So we are reminded to look back in thankfulness to God

Accepted by God

Thankfulness rises out of fact they had sinned & stubbornly continued in that sin

Thankfulness rises out of the fact they suffered consequences of stubborn rebellion

So they are reminded to be humble because we’re recipients of God’s favour

They were guilty and they endured discipline but they weren’t rejected

God’s favour is expression of His grace, favour He shows us that we haven’t earned

It doesn’t mean that God approves of what we do but that He has made a way to accept us despite that

Ephesians 1:6 “6 to the praise of the glory of His grace, by which He made us accepted in the Beloved.”

Christmas (the Gospel) is about acceptance

Wait there is more to that thought - not acceptance of sin

To be in God’s favour, to be accepted by God means our offence is forgiven, we are brought out of the darkness of our sin and into the light of God’s love and goodness

Colossians 1:13 “13 He has delivered us from the power of darkness and conveyed us into the kingdom of the Son of His love,”

Result is that we are brought into God’s family

Our Repentance of Sin

Acceptace and favour is a gift

A gift that is received through repentance

God is at work drawing us back to Himself

We find God’s favour by turning to Him

Luke 5:32 “I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners, to repentance.””

We’ve been Forgiven of Iniquity

Psalm 85:2

He Has Forgiven

Psalm isn’t just thankful for deliverance from captivity & return to homeland

End of captivity is a physical sign of a much deeper truth - a spiritual deliverance, forgiveness

Through our repentance we find favour with God having been forgiven of our iniquity

1 John 1:9 “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”

What does that mean?

Needing to come back to God suggests there is a separation & there is

We are separated from God because of our iniquity (sin)

This is the removal of our sin & the consequences of our sins

That is, God no longer holds us guilty of our sin

Since the guilt is removed so is the punishment (death)

Romans 6:23 “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

God’s people can speak of this as a past experience

We have been forgiven

Yes, we sinned but God forgives

Covered the Sins

When God forgives sin He covers sins - idea of atonement

Picture of blood sacrifices in OT - blood covered door, mercy seat, etc.

He covers it all so it is no longer seen

Our sins are no longer seen because they are hidden beneath the atoning work of Christ

Hebrews 9:14 “how much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without spot to God, cleanse your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?”

There is thankfulness and joy in these words because forgiveness brings peace & joy to the believer

Psalm 32:1 “1 Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, Whose sin is covered.”

We’ve been Freed from Wrath

Psalm 85:3

God’s Wrath

Many people don’t want to recognise that God does get angry and is angry at them

God is angry

Romans 1:18 “18 For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who suppress the truth in unrighteousness,”

What is this ungodliness and unrighteousness

Ten Commandments are pretty good place to start

Proverbs 6:16–19 “16 These six things the Lord hates, Yes, seven are an abomination to Him: 17 A proud look, A lying tongue, Hands that shed innocent blood, 18 A heart that devises wicked plans, Feet that are swift in running to evil, 19 A false witness who speaks lies, And one who sows discord among brethren.”

Has Been Withdrawn

What brings the Psalmist joy, thankfulness & peace?

God wrath has been turned away from them

Wrath has been replaced with favour

For those who have been accepted, for those who are forgiven we are no longer under God’s wrath

Romans 8:1 “1 There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit.”

Truth of Christmas/Gospel is that God can & will remove His wrath from those who believe Jesus

Colossians 2:14 “14 having wiped out the handwriting of requirements that was against us, which was contrary to us. And He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross.”

Notice that it is God who removes His wrath from us

We don’t remove ourselves from under His wrath

Ephesians 2:8–9 “8 For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, 9 not of works, lest anyone should boast.”

Key word of Psalm 85:1-8 is shuv

brought back (85:1); turned from (85:3); Restore (85:4); turn back (85:8)

1 more occurence but we’ll get to that shortly

Over & over we are reminded that God rescues, restores, gives life

Christmas is a reminder to be thankful for the forgiveness God gives His people

We Pray for Restoration

Psalm 85:4-7

We Fall

Psalm 85:4

Our Present Failure

While Psalm begins with thankfulness for God’s forgiveness & great work something is missing now

Something has gone wrong

Those who have been forgiven, those who were thankful for deliverance are now pleading with God for His favour again

Nehemiah 1:3 “And they said to me, “The survivors who are left from the captivity in the province are there in great distress and reproach. The wall of Jerusalem is also broken down, and its gates are burned with fire.””

Oh how we wish that our past deliverance assured us of present victory

Truth is, though our iniquities have been forgiven and our sins covered we will fall again

Psalm doesn’t indicate that past forgiveness has been lost or their acceptance in the beloved has been rejected

Rather it is a plea to be restored to the joy of that place which has been lost through falling

Though we have been forgiven and accepted, in the present we will struggle with sin

This is the Bible doctrine of sanctification - we are growing in Christian life

God is a Present Saviour

Psalmist asks a couple of rhetorical questions

Will God be angry forever? NO

Will He revive? YES

How does He know? Past deliverance

Because of Christ’s work in the past He is a present Saviour

We’re Forgiven

Psalm 85:5

God is Forgiving

Was God angered by thier sin? Yes

Is He angered by your sin? Yes

Did He not promise forgiveness in Jesus Christ? Yes, He did

God is Reviving

In Nehemiah we see that God did answer this prayer by using Nehemiah

He forgave (because He had already forgiven), He restored, & filled with joy

Ps. 85:6 is an emphatic statement

Literally, Will you not Yourself revive us again?

When God gives you life, forgiveness, covers your sins He doesn’t change His mind

When you fall in sin & lose your joy & peace of life He will restore

He will revive our soul

Only God can revive our soul but like the Psalmist we must call to Him in repentance

Again

Psalm 85:6-7

Common Problem

Again is the other occurence of the Hebrew word shuv

He will bring us back again

Problem the Psalmist expresses is a problem common to all of God’s people

We have been saved, forgiven, accepted

We love God, seek to serve God but we fall & we fail

Thankfully, the salvation God gives isn’t dependent on our maintaining by perfection

His forgiveness in the past is active in the present

Common Prayer

Psalmist recognises the commonness of this problem

While Ps. 85:1-3 reference a historical event the remainder of the Psalm is open & generic

That is, what he says can be applied in any situation & that is his hope

He has written a prayer for all us for the times that we fail

This isn’t a prayer just for Israel or even just for Israel in that circumstance

This is a prayer for all of God’s people in all times and in all circumstances

This is a prayer for you Christian

This is a prayer that God will answer

We Anticipate Our Salvation

Psalm 85:8-13

He Gives His Peace

Psalm 85:8-9

Listen to God’s Word

Psalmist now speaks for himself, but certainly in a way we should follow

What do we do in these times? What should we expect? How do we find the peace of God’s forgiveness?

Hear what God is saying

To know the experience of Ps. 85:1-3 (past forgiveness)

Hear what God says about you as a sinner

Hear what God says about Himself as pure & holy creator

Hear what God says about the reason Christ came to earth

What about us who believe but fall - Hear God’s word

This is the way to peace of mind, heart & soul

Philippians 4:8 “8 Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy—meditate on these things.”

Meditate is to truly hear God’s Word, to take it in, ponder it with depth, understand it’s implications

You will not find the peace you’re looking for within you

You will find the peace you’re looking for by taking God’s Word within you

He Gives Security

Philippians 4:9 “9 The things which you learned and received and heard and saw in me, these do, and the God of peace will be with you.”

Notice confidence Psalmist speaks with - surely His salvation is near

In your failing, falling & trouble God has not left You

He is calling you back to give you peace

Romans 5:1 “1 Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ,”

This is the message of Christmas that He will bring true peace on earth

How? Because He is the Prince of Peace

He Gives His Love

Psalm 85:10-11

Steadfast Love

Mercy is another key word (some versions have loving kindness or steadfast love)

To understand God’s mercy is to find a deep source of peace

It describes loyal love, some suggest devotion is a good word to sum up its meaning

Its persistent, unconditional kindness

It’s not just about kindness or love but is deeply connected with covenant

Mercy expresses God’s love for His people & His loyalty to His covenant

That is God loves His people and He keeps His promise

God has promised to love His people & He will keep that promise

That means God extends His love to us even when we don’t deserve it because He has promised it

He has committed to love us by making His love a promise to us

‘combining the warmth of God’s fellowship with the security of God’s faithfulness’ - Alec Motyer

Divine Perfection

Establishes this be telling us that God’s divine attributes are in complete harmony

Truth is sometimes translated faithfulness because it means something that is straight, solid, unchanging

Take those 2 things together

God’s absolute commitment to love His people is joined to His commitment to be & do what is straight, solid & unchanging

Righteousness is God’s commitment to do what is right

Righteousness is in perfect harmony with God’s peace which is His commitment to our spiritual & physical well-being

Jesus is the source of all we desire

He Gives His Blessing

Psalm 85:12-13

In This Life

He will do what is good for us in this life

He will bless us and care for us in this life

If Ecclesiastes has taught us anything it is that even in a sin cursed world like this God has overwhelmed us with good gifts to enjoy

In His Kingdom

His past salvation, present goodness all lead us to future glory

Conclusion

What is Christmas about? Peace

It is about peace with God that brings peace to your soul

This Christmas, as you look back on the event, look back with thankfulness

Thankfulness that because of Jesus you have been forgiven, accepted & delivered from wrath

As you celebrate Christmas, rejoice that because of what Jesus has done for you in the past you salvation today

Yes, you will fail but God is a present Saviour

As you celebrate Christmas this year enjoy the many, many good gifts God has given you in this world

Look forward with joy & hope to the perfect joy that is to come

If you are not a Christian, the message of Christmas is this:

Jesus Christ came into this world to give you true peace & joy

He did that by taking care of what stole our peace & joy in the first place

Our sin

His death and resurrection were to accomplish what we cannot

To fully pay the debt we owe to God for our rebellion & deliver us from the consequence of our rebellion - separation from God forever