Fighting For Joy in A Fallen World
Notes
Transcript
Open your bibles and turn with me to Psalm 30
We are continuing a little mini-sermon series in the book of Psalms.
Called Psalms of Joy!
Last week – we looked at Psalm 13….and I hope you see the practicalness of the PSALTER
As I mentioned, these words are personal to David and the biblical writers,
they are experiencing life in a fallen world, just like us!
And plead to God in the same way that we long and lookto the Lord for help!
I’ve learned there is no better place for a weary and longing saint
to come and drink, than from the book of Psalms!
Specifically, and personally, this Psalm, Psalm 30, saved me from the pit of despair.
It was in a moment that I just felt so incredibly tired!
So lost …..and like my hope was dying!!
I even shared with a few trusted brothers –
it just feels like my joy and faith are gone, and I don’t know where to find it.
It was in that deep and raw moment of grasping for hope in what felt like despair,
the Lord turned my heart and mind to Psalm 30, and the Lord used the words of David,
and the truths of this Psalm and the encouragement of these brothers
to breathe new life into my heart!
What I needed was the encouragement of truth!
And the reminder of the truth of God’s word and of His faithfulness!
Sermon Summary: Restoration of joy involves the conscious choice to turn in praise to God
And what I mean by that is not to undermine
the ultimate truth of Joy is that Joy comes from the Lord!
Joy is a quality found in God, and is given from God!
Is a fruit of His Spirit, that the Lord must give to us!!
And it comes from being in the presence of the Lord, with whom there is the fullness of joy!
But I am seeking to communicate the truth that we see in this Psalm –
that the joy that God does give to us is often mediated through right thinking.
In other words, the Lord gives us joy by changing our hearts
and through changing our thinking or perspective!
To reorient our minds towards truth….
and away from self-focus and instead towards CHRIST oriented worship!
And David lives that truth out here, in Psalm 30
perhaps most noted than in any other passage of scripture.
Even notice that this psalms begins and ends with the book of PRAISE to God!!
v. 1 to extol the Lord! and v. 12 to give thanks to the Lord forever!
And in it, David shows us various truths of what it means to praise the Lord!
But moreover, how to fight for joy in a fallen world,
and in being surrounded by so many joy killers!!
Psalm 30
A Psalm of David. A song at the dedication of the temple. 1 I will extol you, O Lord, for you have drawn me up and have not let my foes rejoice over me. 2 O Lord my God, I cried to you for help, and you have healed me. 3 O Lord, you have brought up my soul from Sheol; you restored me to life from among those who go down to the pit. 4 Sing praises to the Lord, O you his saints, and give thanks to his holy name. 5 For his anger is but for a moment, and his favor is for a lifetime. Weeping may tarry for the night, but joy comes with the morning. 6 As for me, I said in my prosperity, “I shall never be moved.” 7 By your favor, O Lord, you made my mountain stand strong; you hid your face; I was dismayed. 8 To you, O Lord, I cry, and to the Lord I plead for mercy: 9 “What profit is there in my death, if I go down to the pit? Will the dust praise you? Will it tell of your faithfulness? 10 Hear, O Lord, and be merciful to me! O Lord, be my helper!” 11 You have turned for me my mourning into dancing; you have loosed my sackcloth and clothed me with gladness, 12 that my glory may sing your praise and not be silent. O Lord my God, I will give thanks to you forever!
I. Praise the Lord Who Saves (v.1-3)
I. Praise the Lord Who Saves (v.1-3)
Joy is elusive…..You know…..It’s strange, isn’t it….
Joy is the one common feeling and emotion we all long for,
but so seldom seem to find and keep it….at least in the flesh!
It’s the pursuit and driving passion – that leads many into addiction
and toward enslavement of things that ensnare and bind and destroy them!
For example – a person that turns to alcohol, sex, pornography, spending, control….workaholism
They all have the same common theme– a search for joy, comfort, and satisfaction!
The Joy so often we are looking for,
just slips through our fingers – we can never seem to find it.
This is because joy is otherworldly – it’s given from God!
It is a gift from him!
And here you see David, meets a variety of “joy killers”
and consciencely pushes past them by praising the Lord and thinking rightly about the Lord.
Notice how David begins!
1 I will extol you, O Lord, for you have drawn me up and have not let my foes rejoice over me.
Here we see ONE of the joy killers –
that David experienced was relational conflict!
David had enemies– this is often the backdrop of many of the Psalms!
David knew what it meant to be pursued, even to the point of death (v.3)
I think most of us, have experienced life enough to know that relational conflict is difficult!
Especially in instances of people that you love!
David knew this, too…I mentioned even last week, that Psalm 13,
might have had the backdrop of the Absolom conspiracy,
when David’s own son rebelled against him
and sought to turn Israel against his father…
Similarly, many of the Psalms were written against the backdrop
of King Saul’s pursuit of David who God declared KING in place of Saul
because of his pride and arrogance,
the Lord removed his anointing from SAUL and had given it to David!!
13 And Samuel said to Saul, “You have done foolishly. You have not kept the command of the Lord your God, with which he commanded you. For then the Lord would have established your kingdom over Israel forever. 14 But now your kingdom shall not continue. The Lord has sought out a man after his own heart, and the Lord has commanded him to be prince over his people, because you have not kept what the Lord commanded you.”
Saul was the People’s choice for king!
But David was God’s choice for king!!
And the prophet Samuel comes to Saul and tells him,
that because he has forsaken the Lord, the Lord has forsaken him as KING
and has given the kingdom unto another, David!
Because the Lord recognized in David, that he had a pure heart and love for the Lord!
It wasn’t that David was perfect or that David never sinned,
but that David exuded a disposition of love and humility toward the Lord!
And upon hearing this. – Saul became obsessed with destroying David!
Countless times – David would flee from Saul, barely escaping death!
On more than one occasion, having spears thrown at his head!!
In fact, many of the Psalms were pinned in caves and dark valleys,
while David ran for His life from Saul!
David – knows the Lord to be faithful….and so he is able to sing…
and able to say as He does here!!
I will extol you oh, Lord, for you have drawn me up!
And have not let my foes rejoice over me!
You’ve preserved me!
You’ve saved me!
David knows the faithfulness of God – and says, I will lift you up…
I will praise you, LORD!! You have delivered me!!
He continues in v. 2 – he knows the salvation of the Lord in more ways than one!
He speaks of physical trials in v.2.
Health struggles, are no doubt a joy killer.
David knows of the Lord healing from pain and aliments!
Those of you who know that physical pain can be almost debilitating!!
Though David, is able to look to the Lord!
To say, you have healed me
2 O Lord my God, I cried to you for help, and you have healed me. 3 O Lord, you have brought up my soul from Sheol; you restored me to life from among those who go down to the pit.
David speaks of the joy killer of death
Here, David alludes to being spared EVEN from the prongs of death itself.
David, on more than one occasion, faced moments of near death!
To speak of the place of SHEOL was the place of death and dying….
The grave and the place of that the dead are buried
The pit of death!
And David says, you have restored me
from the place of death and given me LIFE!!
This is a picture of resurrection!
From DEATH to LIFE, you have delivered me!
And often, this death can be less than Physical,
but often the Psalms speak to the darkness of depression and being sorrow-filled!
It is certainly a type of death that the Psalms are very familiar!
And David says, here, among other places!
Lord, you have brought me from DEATH to LIFE!
You have spared me, and you have saved me!!
And in every circumstance! ….David gives 3 specifics here….
but we know them to be more!
Against the backdrop of countless joy killers!
David says at every turn – it was you, Lord, who saved me!
You delivered me!
You saved me!
You caused me to triumph!
And I will extol you, I will lift you up! PRAISE YOU!!
BECAUSE YOU SAVED ME!!
This is not only the testimony of David,
but of Paul in the New Testament, when he writes to Timothy
10 You, however, have followed my teaching, my conduct, my aim in life, my faith, my patience, my love, my steadfastness, 11 my persecutions and sufferings that happened to me at Antioch, at Iconium, and at Lystra—which persecutions I endured; yet from them all the Lord rescued me.
And because of the Lord’s faithfulness…
David recognizes and knows that it is the Lord who SAVES!
David remembers and declares!
I WILL EXTOL YOU!.....I WILL PRAISE YOU!!
And we should do the same!.
To give praise and honor to the one who IS WORTHY!!
TO THE ONE WHO BRINGS SALVATION!
And David says, I will PRAISE YOU….because of your faithfulness
because you have saved me!
--------------------------------------------------- Praise the Lord Who Saves (v.1-3)
II. Praise The Lord In Community (v.4-6)
II. Praise The Lord In Community (v.4-6)
In other words, we need to praise the Lord together!
And recognize the gift the Lord has given to us
through the community of the Local church!!
And I have found most of the embittered and frustrated …..scowl-faced….individuals
share very little in community and are often estranged
from a consistent practice of life together in the body of Christ!!
But it such a gift, and David reminds his heart of this truth!
Of the grace of God through the SAINTS who hope in the Lord,
along with DAVID in his fight for joy!!
It’s interesting in the superscription –
these words were sung at the dedication of TEMPLE –
meaning SOLMON’s temple, in that David was already Dead
when these words were sung, in community!
But David had penned these words prior,
and they were preserved to be sung at the dedication of the TEMPLE.
In which the community of Israel would come and sing to the Lord!
Just as David knew the importance and longs to do,
in his search for joy in the Lord…it’s a community endeavor….notice what He says in v. 4
4 Sing praises to the Lord, O you his saints, and give thanks to his holy name.
David knows that right praise to the Lord,
is to be done in the assembly of THE LORD’s people!!
Though, yes, praise is fitting to be personal,
but should not remain personal but extended to the community of faith!
Because our faith is a public faith and shared faith!
God is deserving of praise,
and so it’s fitting that when we come together for worship!
WE SING to the Lord together!….because He is worthy of praise!
The saints singing together is so vital
to our strength and courage when we are weak and fragile!
It is for me….is it for you?
That when we sing, and we focus on the character of God and the goodness of God!
But in hearing others sing, it is an encouragement to our own hearts!
And the joy of the body is contagious to the weary Christian!
I can’t tell you the number of occasions,
that I’ve come to worship, wondering, doubting, struggling!
Thinking - I don’t have a clue what God is trying to do right now…
and if I’m honest, I don’t feel like singing in that moment!!
But we are commanded to sing….and so in obedience, we lift our voice – together!
and the Lord reminds me, as the congregation sings!
Of the shared struggle and faith of the brothers and sisters in the body!!
And so singing together with the saints
reinforces faith and trust
in the Lord who is WORTHY of PRAISE!!
And David reminds us of that our faith is a shared faith –
and knowledge that we have together in the following verses!!
As we notice this incredible statement in v. 5
Psalm 30:5 (ESV)
5 For his anger is but for a moment, and his favor is for a lifetime.
I beg that you don’t gloss over this statement….this is incredible what David says here!!
This should be the other way around!!
His favor toward us, should be very little….less than a moment, if even a moment!
And HIS ANGER SHOULD BE FOR A LIFE TIME!!
And yet, David says the opposite!!
He knows the Lord’s character!!
In Exodus 34, the Lord passed by Moses and declared
6 The Lord passed before him and proclaimed, “The Lord, the Lord, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness,
This is the Lord’s nature and character!
He is gracious!
He is kind….He doesn’t remain angry forever towards his saints!
Because for His saints, his wrath has ultimately been satisfied in the gospel of Jesus Christ!!
In which all of God’s wrath toward sin
has been poured out on Jesus and not on us!!
And this doesn’t come to us freely!
But it is won at Christ’s death and our sin being placed on Jesus!
Jesus is taking our sin and condemnation on HIMSELF on the cross!!
And in that moment – the Father turned his face away from his own son!
Who for all eternity has experienced perfect love and fellowship within the GODHEAD!
And Jesus Cries out in Matt 27:46
“My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”
Jesus is identifying with the cry of David, specifically in Psalm 22…
but often the cry of abandonment from God that we can sometimes feel.
But we know that within the TRIUNE GOD,
There is no break or rupture between the persons of the TRINITY.
And Jesus commendsHis Spirit to HIS FATHER on the cross!!
But in these words, are just a glimpse of the agony
of what it feels like to be forsaken by the Lord….
And a picture of what we deserve for our sin.
And the Lord to turns away in anger….
and for three agonizing hours, when the whole world was darkened…
and Jesus experienced the abandonment of His Father because of our sins.
And that we deserved for all eternity!
We deserved the anger and wrath of God for all eternity…
We deserved to be condemned for our sin and in our sin!
Yet, now, through Christ, we have been FORGIVEN …..saved!
And redeemed!!
And now, as the assembly of the Lord’s gathered people
Now – the church! Comes and should SING PRAISES TO THE LORD together!
For his abundant mercy and grace!
FOR HE HAS SAVED US and is worthy of PRAISE!!
And because the Lord has saved us –
we have confidence that he will not forsake his children!!
He will not turn his back on us!!
His justice has been satisfied!!
And the Lord no longer has wrath toward us, because of Jesus!
We experience only his fatherly discipline to
conform us and correct us….
not to condemn or cause us to perish!!
The Lord doesn’t remain angry with us, when we sin, but lovingly corrects us….
to follow him through FATHERLY discipline!!
And because God delivers us….we have confidence that the Lord will restore to us joy!
And so David continues v.5
5 For his anger is but for a moment, and his favor is for a lifetime. Weeping may tarry for the night, but joy comes with the morning.
David says, I know that joy is coming!!
The night has been long!
But I trust, I believe, and I know that the SUN of JOY will soon rise!!
And my sorrow will turn to singing!
My gloom will turn to hope!
And my weeping will turn to joy!!
I don’t know when, but I know it’s coming, David says!
And I just can’t help but notice that David says these hope-filled words
in the midst of the assembly of the people of God!!
To which, so often, we wait and hope for the lord in isolation!
We want to hunker down in a pit,
in mourning and weep alone…
and only emerge when everything is better!
But we don’t need to do that!
We need the body to encourage us, to see us, and help us in times of sorrow!
To walk with us!
To build us up, and remind us…of the Lord’s faithfulness!
And be with us in our pain!...
I know it is hard! …But we aren’t giving up….nor are we leaving!!
WEEPING is going to end, Christian!
JOY is coming!!
And one of the worst things you can do in moments of pain
and suffering is run away from the people of God!
But to run towards them instead,
and lean on brothers and sisters
to encourage you….and we encourage one another!
JOY is coming!!
This dark painful, long night of weeping will END!!
It will end!!
Maybe not like you hoped or expected …..it rarely does….
BUT YOU NEED TO KNOW the LONG DARK NIGHT OR WEEPING WILL END!
And then JOY will come in the morning!!
The morning is coming!!
This life wasn’t to be lived alone, we need others to help us!
And so much more as Christians, in fighting against sin
and fighting for joy in the midst of sorrow!!
How much more do we need other Christians to help us!!
Don’t fight alone!!
Don’t suffer alone!!
Jesus suffered alone, so we wouldn’t have to!
We suffer with HIM!
And we also suffer together in the body!!
When one suffers, we all do! (1 Co 12:26)
Lean into the community of faith in your sorrow, not away from them!
When you’ve lost your joy – let the saints in Christ,
Encourage, admonish, correct, and point you to hope in the Lord!
Until the light of morning joy dawns again!!
-------------------------------------
III. Praise The Lord For His kindness in Exposing Our Sin (v.6-10)
III. Praise The Lord For His kindness in Exposing Our Sin (v.6-10)
It’s interesting the phrasing that this Psalm turns in verses 6-10.
On a surface reading, it might be difficult to see exactly what David is doing.
But David is turning to the Lord in repentance….
There appears to be a part of this trial that has been tailor-made to correct David’s sin.
David begins a phrase of confession to the Lord….
the Lord has gotten his attention, not throughDavid’s success,
but through bringing him low in affliction!
Psalm 30:6–7 (ESV)
6 As for me, I said in my prosperity, “I shall never be moved.” 7 By your favor, O Lord, you made my mountain stand strong
If you look back just a few chapters earlier in Psalm 10….
You see that David’s words here are strikingly close
to the wicked, non-believing and arrogant man of Psalm 10
3 For the wicked boasts of the desires of his soul, and the one greedy for gain curses and renounces the Lord. 4 In the pride of his face the wicked does not seek him; all his thoughts are, “There is no God.” 5 His ways prosper at all times; your judgments are on high, out of his sight; as for all his foes, he puffs at them. 6 He says in his heart, “I shall not be moved; throughout all generations I shall not meet adversity.”
11 He says in his heart, “God has forgotten, he has hidden his face, he will never see it.”
And here David says – here in Psalm 30
In his PROSPERITY– LITERALLY …HIS EASE
I SHALL NEVER BE MOVED!! - That’s a statement of David’s own pride!!
7 By your favor, O Lord, you made my mountain stand strong; you hid your face; I was dismayed.
By your favor, O Lord,
you made my mountain stand strong;
David in his moment of the mountain top, he sees himself as untouchable!
He’s strong, He’s confident, independent!
It’s as though David thought; Nothing can touch me, harm me…..
Until the Lord hid his face….
And that’s why David continues Psalm 30:7 you hid your face; I was dismayed.
And David goes from one who was filled with pride
to one who is humbled and in an instant!
David sees himself through the lens of who he truly is….
A man who is nothing apart from the Lord!!
He goes from a man enthralled with himself,
to horrified of being left to himself!
David is being humbled!
The Lord is exposing his arrogance!
And it took the Lord hiding His face from David to demonstrate to David,
just how dependent David was to the Lord for help!!
David got the message!!
And cries out in repentance!
Notice how David continues in v.8-10
8 To you, O Lord, I cry, and to the Lord I plead for mercy: 9 “What profit is there in my death, if I go down to the pit? Will the dust praise you? Will it tell of your faithfulness? 10 Hear, O Lord, and be merciful to me! O Lord, be my helper!”
David begins to plead and reason with the Lord!
Lord – if I die, what difference is that going to make?….
if this trial consumes me!
If I die, will the dust praise you?
Will it tell of your faithfulness!?
Lord, please help me!!
Be merciful to me!!
TO YOU I CRY, oh LORD!
OH Lord, I plead with you for mercy!!
OH LORD, BE MY HELPER!!
In just four verses….
David now sees his need for the Lord’s mercy!
He reflects deeply on his life and mortality!
He assures himself of right worship and praise
And is repentant in crying out for the Lord’s help!!
Beloved, this was the Lord’s kindness to David– to bring this to his attention!!
To lovingly expose David’s own sin of pride!
And to bring David to a place of repentance!!
AWAY from HIMSELF –
TOWARD THE LORD in RIGHTFUL PRAISE!
And it made all the difference!
This was a good thing!
This trial, even, was a good thing for David!
And it’s a good thing when the Lord does this in us!!
It may not feel good….at least in the moment!
But this is God’s mercy and grace of exposing our sins
and bringing us into conformity to Jesus!
And it’s a merciful, kind work of the Lord and His grace!
To expose our sinfulness and grant us repentance!
Beyond that, this passage teaches us that God is much more concerned
with our obedience than he is with our victory….or our prosperity!
To the degree, he was even willing to bring David
from the mountain top of ease!
To a low valley! – that He might walk in obedience!!
This is because God desires us to live in light of His glory!
Not our own comfort!!
He ALWAYS desires conformity to Christ over our earth's comfort!
In his devotional – Holiness Day by Day – Jerry Bridges speaks to this when he writes…
"God wants us to walk in obedience - not victory. Obedience is oriented toward God; victory is oriented toward self. This may seem to be merely splitting hairs over semantics, but there's a subtle, self-centered attitude at the root of many of our difficulties with sin. Until we deal with this attitude, we won't consistently walk in holiness. Victory is a by-product of obedience. As we concentrate on living an obedient, holy life, we'll certainly experience the joy of victory over sin." – Jerry Bridges
Sometimes, the Lord will remove comfort from us!
To expose us, reveal our sin, and bring us to the valley,
That we might look up in faith and cry out to HIM for mercy!!
Just as He did with David here in Psalm 30….
And that’s a merciful and good thing
Because the Lord is more concerned with
Our obedience than our victory and comfort!!
And David praises the Lord for His mercy and kindness towards him!!
When he realizes his own sin before the Lord!!
And we should do the same, beloved!!
And turn away from SELF and SIN – and to the LORD!
-------------------------------------
IV. Praise The Lord Who Restores Joy to His Children (v.11-12)
IV. Praise The Lord Who Restores Joy to His Children (v.11-12)
David comes full circle here, doesn’t he….
He began with praise to the Lord!!
And reminded of the Lord’s faithfulness towards him!!
He attests to the gift of community!
And the importance of rejoicing with the saints
to declare of the goodness of God!!
He’s lived the hard reality of seeing his own sin and need for repentance!
And he’s lived through the valley – to know that ultimately!
Everything we have is a gift from the Lord!!
And the Joy that David longs for is, too, a gift from GOD!
11 You have turned for me my mourning into dancing; you have loosed my sackcloth and clothed me with gladness,
God YOU have done it!!
Only YOU could have done it!!
Because joy is given ultimately by the Lord!
22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.
Jesus speaks to his disciples of the importance of abiding in Christ
and abiding in the love of God so that we might be restored joy in this life….
not from this world, but as a gracious gift from HIM!
11 These things I have spoken to you, that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full.
And David says here in Psalm 30
You have turned my time of morning into dancing!!
I’ve gone from sorrow to singing!!
I’ve gone from sitting in sackcloth and ashes! …..to gladness!!
And David gives us a picture of the Lord’s restoration!
Removing David’s old clothes prepared for a funeral….
Maybe even his own….
Of SACKCLOTH!
Rigid, itchy, tight, stiff funeral clothes of mourning!!
The closest thing we have to sackcloth is like wearing burlap!
And that’s immediately contrasted – to being clothed with gladness!!
That is – David says, you’ve caused my heart to be cheerful!
GLAD, happy!!
I’m no longer carrying around the sorrow of my heart, but the joy of the Lord!
And the Lord has done it!
And he’s done it in his own time and in his own way!!
And finally – we see that the Lord does it for His own glory!!
Notice that David says in v. 12
11 You have turned for me my mourning into dancing; you have loosed my sackcloth and clothed me with gladness, 12 that my glory may sing your praise and not be silent. O Lord my God, I will give thanks to you forever!
David recognizes that God’s desire is He might praise the Lord – with everything in HIM!
His glory – that is …..with all that David has!
That is with my whole being -
That David would sing and not be silent!!
And he would be filled with praise to the Lord!
And thanks to him forever and forever!
Because God is worthy!
And he has brought David’s thinking into the right perspective!
And David sings with the joy of the Lord, bestowed on him from above!!
Because He now sees the truth of who God is
and the right response is always living for His glory and praise!!
And when we do that, we realize that we are people created to praise the Lord!
Who so often search for joy in all the wrong places!
But it is only in Christ and only in the Lord
that we find true and lasting joy!
And what grace it is when the Lord bestows his joy upon us
And when that happens
We will live in light of Psalm 4:6-7
6 There are many who say, “Who will show us some good? Lift up the light of your face upon us, O Lord!” 7 You have put more joy in my heart than they have when their grain and wine abound.
Sermon Summary: Restoration of joy involves the conscious choice to turn in praise to God
And for us – it is a turning toward praise in the Lord
and the highest affection in the Lord Jesus!!
Who has taken away our sin and satisfied the wrath of God.
Who in Christ – we experienceGod’s everlasting favor through Christ’s gospel!
And though the Lord disciplines us,
he does not remain angry at us for our sins!
But desires, we repent and rest in Him!
And this morning – for the person who is not walking in joy –
It ought to cause us to run all the more to Christ
because He is our hope for everlasting joy!
That by His spirit, we might put to death –
the deeds of harshness and a critical spirit of living in the flesh!
And by faith, put on the Lord Jesus, and be satisfied in him, alone!!
ALIVE IN THE JOY OF THE LORD!
Have you lost your joy today?
Has it gotten away from you?
Oh, that you might run to Jesus and rest in Him and be satisfied!
And for the non-believer searching for joy everlasting!
That you might look to Christ and
find true and lasting JOY AND HOPE IN HIM!!
To turn from your sin in repentance and look to Christ in faith!
