A Confessed Hope
Psalms of Ascent • Sermon • Submitted • Presented
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A Song of Ascents.
1 Out of the depths I cry to you, O Lord!
2 O Lord, hear my voice! Let your ears be attentive to the voice of my pleas for mercy!
3 If you, O Lord, should mark iniquities, O Lord, who could stand?
4 But with you there is forgiveness, that you may be feared.
5 I wait for the Lord, my soul waits, and in his word I hope;
6 my soul waits for the Lord more than watchmen for the morning, more than watchmen for the morning.
7 O Israel, hope in the Lord! For with the Lord there is steadfast love, and with him is plentiful redemption.
8 And he will redeem Israel from all his iniquities.
Call from The Depths!
Call from The Depths!
I am reminded of Jonah in this moment.
He was in distress
He was in the belly
He had hit rock bottom before he cried unto the Lord.
Let’s read
2 saying, “I called out to the Lord, out of my distress, and he answered me; out of the belly of Sheol I cried, and you heard my voice.
He said you heard
What do we remember about Jonah...he was in rebellion, he was broken, he was struggling with his own anger, he was struggling with pride, he was struggling with a judgmental spirit, he was dealing with his own frustration.
In this moment we look to the point of where the Psalmist reminds he was located when he called.
1 Out of the depths I cry to you, O Lord!
2 O Lord, hear my voice! Let your ears be attentive to the voice of my pleas for mercy!
What happens in the deep...in the deep we find the pearls, in the deep we are perfectly broken, in the deep God chisels away the imperfect, in the deep God brings us to the need for a breath, in the deep God makes us keenly aware of our inadequacy, and in the depth of our trials God makes us to recognize that there is none other but Him that we look to for the answers.
So in the deep there is a cry...a cry for an attentive moment
A cry for mercy.
But a cry for mercy rests in an acknowledgement of a need...the need is for attention from the King.
So we begin with a: “A Call from the Depths”
Secondly:
Believe Him!
Believe Him!
The Psalmists often confess their sin and their trust in the Lord.
The Psalms of Ascent offer no difference...
Let’s recognize the Omniscience of the Lord.
8 You have set our iniquities before you, our secret sins in the light of your presence.
We are laid bare before the Lord.
It is not as though we can hide action or thought
He knows all.
So here we see the Psalmist sings of His knowledge in their presence.
3 If you, O Lord, should mark iniquities, O Lord, who could stand?
4 But with you there is forgiveness, that you may be feared.
Here we see a personal and corporate admonition of sinfulness.
But good news as well.
9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
You see, while we are in the O.T., we can still grasp the immutability of our God.
He was, is, and always will be a longsuffering, patient, and merciful God.
Notice in vs. 4 the Psalmist writes of the forgiveness that He me be feared...literally it is honored/revered.
4 Or do you presume on the riches of his kindness and forbearance and patience, not knowing that God’s kindness is meant to lead you to repentance?
Call From the Depths!
Believe Him!
Thirdly:
Remain Patient
Remain Patient
Sometimes it feels as though the Lord is silent or not at work, but we are reminded of a purposeful patience that is needed.
17 I will wait for the Lord, who is hiding his face from the house of Jacob, and I will hope in him.
Isaiah says he will wait as the Lord hides His face...literally as the Lord is not making Himself known in the moment.
The Psalmist sings of a patience in waiting on the Lord to move...or move him.
5 I wait for the Lord, my soul waits, and in his word I hope;
6 my soul waits for the Lord more than watchmen for the morning, more than watchmen for the morning.
Notice particularly in vs. 6 as the watchman for the morning is a connection of the one who needs patience, but the requirement of patience is thrust upon him daily.
Call From the Depths!
Believe Him!
Remain Patient!
Fourthly:
Hope
Hope
7 O Israel, hope in the Lord! For with the Lord there is steadfast love, and with him is plentiful redemption.
8 And he will redeem Israel from all his iniquities.
He will do it!
He will do it!
Walking Away, But In...
Walking Away, But In...
Call
Believe
Rest
Hope
