Psalm 102: Jesus Christ, Sovereign Creator We Hope In
Notes
Transcript
Dismiss the children if you haven’t already
GREETINGS
Good afternoon again Church! Please grab your Bibles as we continue our worship through the preaching of God’s Word. We’re in a series on the Messianic Psalms, and today we'll be in Psalm 102, verses 1–28.
As you make your way there, let me just say we're glad you’re here this morning. If you're visiting or new, we encourage you to observe, watch, and listen. Feel free to pull me aside after church if you have any questions about the church, the Bible, or the gospel.
We’re in Psalm 102:1-28.
25 Of old you laid the foundation of the earth, and the heavens are the work of your hands. 26 They will perish, but you will remain; they will all wear out like a garment. You will change them like a robe, and they will pass away, 27 but you are the same, and your years have no end.
May the Lord bless the reading of His Word. This text is quoted in Hebrews 1:10-12, directly tying it to Jesus Christ, making this a Messianic Psalm. Our sermon title is “Jesus Christ is the Sovereign Creator We Hope In”.
PRAY
Introduction
Introduction
Imagine the drama of being caught in a blizzard while hiking. Your phone has only 1% left on the battery, and you see just one bar of signal—3G at best. Who would you call? Would they pick up? Are you going to survive this thing?
The opening words of this Psalm capture that exact moment of absolute desperation:
1 Hear my prayer, O Lord; let my cry come to you!
One of the most liberating things I’ve experienced as a Christian is the ability to cry out to the Lord in my anguish. Sometimes the troubles of this life—external hardship or the hardship my own sin brings—make me feel trapped. Crying out to the Lord in anguish brings hope.
Mark Vroegop, in Dark Clouds, Deep Mercy, notes, "To cry is human". But he goes on to say, “lament is different”. Lament is the honest cry of a hurting heart wrestling with the paradox of pain and the promise of God’s goodness. With that 1% battery life left, the Christian cries out to God. Vroegop states it plainly:
“To cry is human, but to lament is Christian.”
This Psalm is a worship Psalm in the form of a cry. He cries for himself in verse 3 and then he cries for his people in verse 13. And of course because it is crying through praying, we know that this is lamenting.
The Inscription says, “A prayer of one afflicted, when he is faint and pours out his complaint before the Lord.”
The Psalmist hurts on the inside for himself and on the outside for his people. The answer to this hurt, this pain, this agony, is lament! It is going to Him in prayer, not running from Him.
That desperate, singular act of lament—the raw, unfiltered cry to the only one who can hear—is exactly where Psalm 102 begins. The Psalmist is in a state of utter anguish, beaten up and beaten down, and he has nowhere else to go but to God in prayer. Before he even details the sickness and sorrow, his first words are five urgent appeals, captured in the Invocation of verses 1 and 2
Invocation: Five Urgent Appeals (v. 1-2)
Invocation: Five Urgent Appeals (v. 1-2)
1 Hear my prayer, O Lord; let my cry come to you! 2 Do not hide your face from me in the day of my distress! Incline your ear to me; answer me speedily in the day when I call!
He is in desperation and darkness. He knows he must go to God with his sin, for the lament is Christian.
Hear my prayer… He desires his prayers to be heard, acknowledged, and received.
Let my cry come to you… He feels so alone in his plight; he needs his anguish to reach God.
Do not hide your face from me in the day of my distress… He doesn't want to feel rejected; he longs for God's presence and favor.
Incline your ear to me… He wants God to hear not just his words, but his groanings, making the anguish clear.
Answer me speedily in the day when I call! He doesn't want merely a listening ear, but he desires rescue.
That’s how he enters the complaint.
We hear the desperation, but what exactly has brought him to this point? Why does he feel the darkness so keenly that he pleads, “Do not hide your face from me”? The anguish puts everything in context. The Psalmist now turns to the substance of his cry—the crushing reality of his condition, which we find in Part 1 of his Lament, verses 3 through 11.
Lamenting in Anguish - Part 1: The Reason (v. 3-11)
Lamenting in Anguish - Part 1: The Reason (v. 3-11)
3 For my days pass away like smoke, and my bones burn like a furnace. 4 My heart is struck down like grass and has withered; I forget to eat my bread. 5 Because of my loud groaning my bones cling to my flesh.
This language is typical of someone who may have committed a transgression before the Lord. Burning bones is language reserved for God’s enemies. The Psalmist likely feels God’s indignation and anger toward him, as seen in verse 10: “you have taken me up and thrown me down”. He doesn’t feel like God is on his side.
In his complete anguish:
His heart is struck down and withered.
Because of his loud groaning, his bones cling to his flesh.
I think of that drop tower ride at Disneyland—the Tower of Terror, now Guardians of the Galaxy. Once you’re on, there’s nothing you can do but fall, cling to the bar, and brace yourself for the drop. That’s the intensity of his anguish.
6 I am like a desert owl of the wilderness, like an owl of the waste places; 7 I lie awake; I am like a lonely sparrow on the housetop.
He describes his loneliness with three natural images : a desert owl in a wasteland, an owl of the waste places in a destroyed city, and a lonely sparrow on the housetop. He is utterly alone in his distress.
The sorrow continues:
8 All the day my enemies taunt me; those who deride me use my name for a curse. 9 For I eat ashes like bread and mingle tears with my drink, 10 because of your indignation and anger; for you have taken me up and thrown me down. 11 My days are like an evening shadow; I wither away like grass.
His enemies taunt him.
He eats ashes like bread and mingles tears with his drink.
He admits his spiritual state: “My days are like an evening shadow; I wither away like grass”. He finds himself in darkness, which, if due to his sin, is his own doing.
That is the anguish he brings to the Lord.
The darkness is clear. He sees himself as transient, fading, and withering. If that were the end of the story, we'd have no hope. But this is the beauty of a biblical lament: it doesn't leave you in the dust of your despair. In this very moment of maximum spiritual darkness, the Psalmist pivots from his own fleeting mortality to the ultimate, unchanging reality—God’s eternity.
Confession: The Eternal God (v. 12-17)
Confession: The Eternal God (v. 12-17)
It’s in the darkness that God’s grace, God’s mercy, and God’s glory shines through here. He is transitioning from his temporary state to the sublime. That’s where we find the Confession of Trust in verses 12 through 17:
12 But you, O Lord, are enthroned forever; you are remembered throughout all generations.
He has no successor, He lives forever
He faces no real threat, His rule is secure, His rule is forever
He is remembered because He is worshipped and He is worshipped because He is worthy
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13 You will arise and have pity on Zion; it is the time to favor her; the appointed time has come. 14 For your servants hold her stones dear and have pity on her dust. 15 Nations will fear the name of the Lord, and all the kings of the earth will fear your glory. 16 For the Lord builds up Zion; he appears in his glory; 17 he regards the prayer of the destitute and does not despise their prayer.
A few things are going on here:
Timely grace (v. 13)
The Psalmist speaks of having timely favor towards Israel.
We know from Hebrews 4:16 that God has grace to help in time of need. God has timely grace. Just as the Psalmist is confident of God’s rule, he’s confident of God’s grace.
Restoring grace (v. 14)
Verse 14 refers to a building project. The dust mentioned there refers to the rubble or debris of a decimated city.
God has pity and in this case provides the stone for his people to rebuild.
Sovereign grace (vs. 15-17)
God is glorious over all nations, it is God who restores, and He does hear and receive the prayers of His people. God regards the prayer of the destitute and does not despise their prayer.
This confidence inspires more than quiet assurance; it provokes a bold, future-focused commitment.
A Vow of Praise: Recording for Posterity (v. 18-22)
A Vow of Praise: Recording for Posterity (v. 18-22)
18 Let this be recorded for a generation to come, so that a people yet to be created may praise the Lord: 19 that he looked down from his holy height; from heaven the Lord looked at the earth,
With this eternal perspective, considering in history how God has been and the great acts that God has accomplished throughout time, the Psalmist is praising God and in verse 18-19 is commending future generations to praise God as well.
He is committed to seeing future generations praise God, by recording this lament for future generations to be inspired by.
What he envisions in verse 20 is a restored people
20 to hear the groans of the prisoners, to set free those who were doomed to die,
So that in verses 21-22, the people are praising God
21 that they may declare in Zion the name of the Lord, and in Jerusalem his praise, 22 when peoples gather together, and kingdoms, to worship the Lord.
Verse 22
The word for peoples is ethnic people
The word for kingdoms is political nations
The worship of ethnic peoples (ammim) and political nations (mamlakot), they will all worship this great God. From every people, tribe, nation and tongue. A future like that is a glorious future.
The Psalmist has praised God, confessed His eternity, and vowed to inspire the world to worship Him. You might think, "Well, the anguish is over." But it’s not! The struggle is real. In this life we need to go back to the Lord over and over again with your anguish, your troubles, and your complaints. In verses 23 and 24, the darkness and brokenness return—but this time with a new, eternal perspective. This is the Psalmist’s expanded cry, the Lamenting in Anguish, Part 2:
Lamenting in Anguish - Part 2: Eternal Perspective (v. 23-24)
Lamenting in Anguish - Part 2: Eternal Perspective (v. 23-24)
23 He has broken my strength in midcourse; he has shortened my days. 24 “O my God,” I say, “take me not away in the midst of my days— you whose years endure throughout all generations!”
This expands on verses 3-11.
To the appeal in verse 1, hear my prayer, we have an answer here in verse 23. He broke me. He humbled me.
God on His throne does as He pleases to do precisely that which is best for you His people
28 And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.
And so if he breaks you and humbles you, then dear church, know that it’s for your good.
In the case of the Psalmist he feels like his life is over. You ever feel that way?
He certainly feels the temporariness of his life. It’s transient. It’s not permanent. In that perspective, it doesn’t make sense to mess around with sin. Why would you? When life is fleeting, don’t you want to make it count for God?
Not only does he see the darkness clearly in v. 11, but here in verse 24 he puts his life in perspective in the grand scale of eternity.
Joni Eareckson Tada, known for being a quadriplegic, she says that after she broke her neck, “I felt as though God had smashed me underfoot like a cigarette.” She says, “At night, I would thrash my head on the pillow, hoping to break my neck at a higher level and thereby end my misery.” She goes on to say, “after weeks in bed, I got tired of being depressed, and I finally cried out, “God, if I can’t die, please show me how to live.”
Here is the turning point, the theological and spiritual apex of the entire Psalm. The Psalmist has placed his life, which feels like a fragile evening shadow, against the measure of God’s endless years. He transitions, one final time, to a hymn of creation and eternity, and in doing so, he gives us The Hope of Israel—because this final section, verses 25 through 27, is applied directly to Jesus Christ in Hebrews 1:10-12. This is our Actual Praise of the Sovereign Creator:
Actual Praise (v. 25-28)
Actual Praise (v. 25-28)
25 Of old you laid the foundation of the earth, and the heavens are the work of your hands. 26 They will perish, but you will remain; they will all wear out like a garment. You will change them like a robe, and they will pass away, 27 but you are the same, and your years have no end.
The Psalmist goes back to the single most awesome display of sovereign power and prerogative in all of history and it is that of Creation.
Verse 25 - The eternal Creator God is being attributed to Christ Himself // Heb. 1:10
A reference is made to the foundation of the earth which is the very bottom and the heavens which is the very top to indicate that the Creation the Psalmist has in mind is the entire universe.
So if you are connecting the dots here, then Genesis 1:1 is in reference to Jesus Christ, “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.”
Colossians 1:16-17 says all things were created by Him and for Him, and in Him all things hold together.
John 1:3 says All things were made through Him.
Hebrews 1:2 says God spoke to us by His Son, through whom also he created the world.
Verse 26 // Heb. 1:11
Only the Lord is eternal. In Christ you may have eternal life and you will live forever, but you are not eternal like He is. He has no beginning, but you do. Only the Lord is truly eternal.
This world suffers decay, but the Lord transcends.
Verse 27 // Heb. 1:12
Jesus will accomplish his purpose with creation
28 The children of your servants shall dwell secure; their offspring shall be established before you.
The Lord offers hope
Hope brings stability because the Lord will bring it
We are transient, but the stability He brings outlasts our lifetime
Conclusion and Application
Conclusion and Application
Respond to anguish with Lament
Respond to anguish with Lament
The Psalmist's opening is a desperate, unedited cry to God. We often try to manage our pain or run from the Lord. Since "to cry is human, but to lament is Christian", as believers we must make lament our first response to anguish.
When you feel the pain of life—external hardship or the hardship your own sin brings —follow the Psalmist's five appeals. Do not simply journal or vent; bring your full, honest complaint to the throne , asking Christ not to "hide your face from me" but to "answer me speedily".
Remember that “Spiritual problems require spiritual solutions.”
Remember that “Spiritual problems require spiritual solutions.”
If you have determined that you are indeed swimming in your sin, there’s only one way back. It’s repentance. And repentance is only possible in Christ. If you are in sin, then in your Lament … Repent. Come back!!
Rejoice in God’s sovereignty over your life
Rejoice in God’s sovereignty over your life
The ultimate truth of this Psalm is found in the final verses: the entire universe—the earth, the heavens, the stars—will "wear out like a garment" and "pass away". But Jesus Christ, the one who created it all, is the one who will "change them like a robe". This means Christ has sovereign, creative control over all things.
You are transient, but the stability He brings outlasts your lifetime. When you are in anguish, you often feel the crushing need to be in control of your circumstances, your timeline, or your future. But how can a "fragile evening shadow" hope to control the universe? You can't. You can only rejoice that the one who can control the universe is the very one who died for you.
Give thanks that you do not have to cling to your strength, your timetable, or your solution. Instead, hand that "garment" over to Jesus Christ, the Sovereign Creator, trusting that He is working all things together for your good. Let the joy of His eternal control replace the stress of your temporary burden.
Pray
Communion
As the men come up to pass out the elements for communion, we now enter into a time of remembrance. If you are a baptized believer in good standing with your church, we invite you to join us for communion as we celebrate the Lord Jesus Christ in a time of remembrance.
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I want to talk about repentance and what makes it so awesome. The famous passage on communion in 1 Corinthians 11 deals with a problem that made it inappropriate for them to take communion. That problem is divisions in verse 18, factions in verse 19, and drunkenness in verse 20. They bring their sin to communion and they shouldn’t take it at all. At the end of verse 22, Paul says I do not commend you. He says, I don’t even want to have communion with you.
Here is what makes repentance so awesome. In verse 28, he says examine yourself, repent, come back, and let’s have communion. In Christ we don’t have to try harder. That’s not how we come back. The ONLY way back is repent. No matter how hard you try, you can never come back. But what does Paul say? Examine yourself, repent, then eat and drink.
With the bread we remember that Jesus sacrificed Himself on the cross and with the juice we remember that he bled and died so that we might have life in Him. Repentance is awesome because the door is always open to enjoy our God. We don’t need to stay in our sin. He has not shut us out. We have access. And the way back is repentance. Jesus does that.
Christian, you are never ever ever stuck in your sin. Don’t buy that lie for one minute. You are free because He died for you.
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Christians, eat and drink, knowing Christ forgives our sins though His body by His blood. Go ahead and take the bread and then the juice.
Pray
