The Apple in God's eye
Psalm 17 • Sermon • Submitted
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· 7 viewsWe can pray because Jesus is innocent, our head and loves God
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Praying so that God will answer
Psalm 17
Good morning everyone. Great to see you. My name is Brian one of the pastors at Epping. A warm welcome to you if you are new or visiting EPC.
Well, would you like to know how to pray and be sure that God would answer? That’s all of us right. Wouldn’t that be great? My guess is that this, you’ve had times when you prayed and you asked God for something – my constant prayer over the past few months ‘Lord please heal my children, they have “insert sickness.” I’ve prayed desperately that the kids would just have a week of no sickness. We’ve all at some point been desperate. We’ve prayed about sickness, death, disease, work, worries and fears, we’ve prayed about the future. We pray for all sorts of reasons. Wouldn’t be great to pray and have God answer? And if you’re not a follower of Jesus this morning, I’m sure for you it’s the same. Wouldn’t it great if you can pray to and be sure God would answer? Surely you want that.
In our Psalm this morning, King David prays to God. It’s a desperate cry to God. And like last week, he seeks refuge from his enemies. And in Psalm 17, we find that David is confident. God will answer his prayers. This is clear.
Look at Psalm 17:6
I call upon you, for you will answer me, O God;
incline your ear to me; hear my words.
He’s sure that God will answer, not if or might. He will.
So that’s our big question; how can we be sure God will answer your prayers?
Friends, here’s how you can be sure. There three things you need to know. Listen carefully.
First,
1. Be pure and innocent (17:1-5)
Let me add. Be completely pure and innocent to your enemies. Come to verses 1 to 5 with me
Hear a just cause, O Lord; attend to my cry!
Give ear to my prayer from lips free of deceit!
From your presence let my vindication come!
Let your eyes behold the right!
“Hear a just cause, O Lord;” Right there you hear what David is saying? This is a just cause. He is bringing a court case to God. And he is saying; I am in the right. I am not guilty. Hear this case Lord I’m innocent. I have done nothing wrong to my enemies. He’s not saying I’m innocent through and through. Right. If he was. Well we’d have a problem. Because David is the bloke who committed adultery with Bathsheba. David arranged her husband Uriahs death. He’d be lying. And if it was before that event, this is just naïve talk. How can you possibly say I’ve never sinned?! It's more precise what he is saying; he’s saying when it comes to my enemies. I have done nothing to deserve this. I have done nothing wrong. So David cries.
Attend to my cry! It’s an urgent desperate cry.
Give ear to my prayer from lips free of deceit. I’m honest. This is genuine. I’m not being deceitful. I’m not lying.
Then verse 2 “From your presence let my vindication come! Let your eyes behold the right!
I’m not asking for mercy. I’m asking for justice. Declare me right.
If you’re wondering if David is seriously saying this; he goes further. Yes I am really true innocent. Look at how sure he is. Verses 3 to 5
You have tried my heart, you have visited me by night,
you have tested me, and you will find nothing;
I have purposed that my mouth will not transgress.
“you have tried my heart” – right there. He’s saying probe my heart. The heart is the seat of your affections, your true loves, your real hates. Put that on a spiritual cat scan. Probe my heart. You know what’s going on in here. I’m innocent. He goes on. Verse 3 “you have visited me by night, you have tested me, and you will find nothing”
He's tossing and turning in bed at night. He wrestles with the constant mind games. Why has everything fallen on him? Don’t we do the same thing? The night time is the time we wrestle with all these thoughts. Things you’ve stored up in the day. When we’re in troubling circumstances, that’s when our minds go into overdrive. You wake up. What could I have done differently? What could I have said? Sometimes staring at the ceiling is not such a bad thing. He counts it as God visiting him. It’s bad if we don’t come to God, hear him speak to us in his word. But for David, that’s nothing to hide. There’s no sinful motive. He’s confident God will find nothing.
His heart is pure. God has tested him.
Even my mouth see there end of verse 3 “I have purposed that my mouth will not transgress” you and I know how easy it is to let slip a terse remark. Someone cuts you off… expletive. How hard is it to tame the tongue?
james 3:8
but no human being can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison.
James says 3:8 ‘but no human being can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison.’But David says, I have purposed that my mouth will not sin. I haven’t sinned. My heart, pure. My mouth, no sin, and even my works, pure
You getting the picture? Be completely pure and innocent.
With regard to the works of man, by the word of your lips
I have avoided the ways of the violent.
My steps have held fast to your paths;
my feet have not slipped.
As you can see, David is saying. I am completely utterly pure and innocent.
Easy stuff? If you want to come to God and know you’re prayers will be answered by God, be completely pure and innocent.
Second
2. Be the representative head of God’s people (17:6-8)
Look at verse 6. David continues.
I call upon you, for you will answer me, O God;
incline your ear to me; hear my words.
I call upon you, for you will answer me O God; incline your ear to me; hear my words. David is confident God will answer him. Look at verse 7 comforting words
Wondrously show your steadfast love,
O Savior of those who seek refuge
from their adversaries at your right hand.
Friends, these verses David brings up a big event in the past. When God gloriously rescued his people the Israelites. He brought them out of slavery in the Exodus. God said to Pharaoh Exodus 4:22 ‘Thus says the LORD, Israel is my firstborn son, Israel is God’s beloved son. David brings that up to say to God; like you saved your firstborn son, save me! I represent your people. I am your son.
So these words (new slide)
wondrously,
steadfast love,
right hand are all echoes of Exodus 15:11-13.
This is the song Moses sang after the Exodus. After God rescued his people.
“Who is like you, O Lord, among the gods?
Who is like you, majestic in holiness,
awesome in glorious deeds, doing wonders?
You stretched out your right hand;
the earth swallowed them.
“You have led in your steadfast love the people whom you have redeemed;
you have guided them by your strength to your holy abode.
David knows God’s character. He has shown steadfast love to his people in the past. The wonders of his love. He has stretched out his right hand to rescue them. David is saying, like you saved your people out of Egypt, save me now.
He goes on in verse 8 and I love the imagery here. It’s poetic. ‘Keep me as the apple of your eye.’
psalm 17:8
Keep me as the apple of your eye;
hide me in the shadow of your wings,
literally in the Hebrew he says ‘keep me as the pupil of your eye.’ It’s more poetic the other way – apple of your eye. Ever said that to anyone? You are the apple of my eye.
You know what that means? The pupil is the bit on your eye you protect the most. David is not asking God to keep an eye on him. God sees. God knows everything. He’s asking God to keep him in his pupils. It’s a language of closeness. Right in your pupil. The part you protect the most. Keep me. Guard me more than anything else in the world. It’s a bold request.
More than that he says verse 8 ‘hide me in the shadow of your wings.’ It’s a beautiful picture of protection, isn’t it? Like an eagle who keeps its young under its wings. Like a child under the arms of their parents. It’s a picture of protection. David is saying; Guard me because I am the head of your people.
Make sure you are the representative head of God’s people. Then you can pray and be confident God will answer.
So how are you going? First, be pure and innocent. Second, be the representative head over God’s people. And third, it doesn’t get any easier.
3. Love God so that you’re enemies are God’s enemies (17:9-15)
David’s enemies hated him. Verses 9-12 there I won’t read the verses but see what they are like? Hear what they are like.
The wicked who do me violence
The deadly enemies surround him
They close their hearts to pity – they have no pity on him. No mercy. No pity.
Their mouths speak arrogantly. David has been pure and innocent. His heart is pure. His mouth has not sinned. But see how he describes them.
They surround his steps
They track him down
They want to rip into him like a lion eager to tear its prey apart.
So David says
Psalm 17:13–14 (ESV)
Arise, O Lord! Confront him, subdue him!
Deliver my soul from the wicked by your sword,
from men by your hand, O Lord,
from men of the world whose portion is in this life.
verse 13 “Arise, O Lord! Confront him, subdue him! This is military language. Come on my side and destroy them! “Deliver my soul from the wicked by your sword, 14 from men by your hand, O Lord, from men of the world whose portion is in this life.” God come with all your land and sea power. Destroy them. Save me from my enemies. Fight for me. I’m 100% on your side. Everyone who hates me hates you.
He can pray confidently. God’s enemies are his enemies. David is sure. He clearly loves God. he knows he is on God’s side 100%, he knows he will see God.
As for me, I shall behold your face in righteousness;
when I awake, I shall be satisfied with your likeness.
My enemies are your enemies.
There we are. If you want to be sure God will answer your prayers
1. Be completely pure and innocent to your enemies
2. Make sure you are the representative head of God’s people
3. Love God so much that your enemies are his enemies
Are you stumped? What are you talking about Brian? All you’ve done is show me how there’s no way I can pray and God will answer.
I’m not pure and innocent to my enemies. I’m far from it. I’m not spiritually pure. I’m a sinner. I fall short. I’m not the representative head of God’s people. I struggle to lead my own family – I’m talking about me here. And the idea that my enemies are God’s enemies. 100% of the time. There are plenty of things that I like that God hates. Plenty of things I don’t care about that God loves. I’m a sinner. how can I confidently pray to God so that he hears me?
Friends, we have a problem.
How can the church sing this psalm for over 2000 years? How can we sing this? How can we pray this? If it’s not true of us.
The answer is; it’s a wonderful answer.
4. All this is only true of Jesus
All this is only true of Jesus. He is the singer of the Psalm. Jesus is the only one who can sing this Psalm confidently.
How? Well thank God for Martin Luther and the protestant reformation. He rediscovered the old truth that you are justified by grace alone through faith alone in Jesus alone. He rediscovered this first in the Psalms. Of course also found it later in Romans and Galatians.
What did he find? Well, Jesus Christ is the only one who could sing this Psalm with complete integrity. Jesus can say search my heart I’ve done nothing wrong. Period. Not just against my enemies. But I’m perfect. He lived a perfect life. You can search his motives and you will find nothing wrong. Nothing impure.
He committed no sin, neither was deceit found in his mouth.
Jesus is the only man who is the representative head of God’s people. God says in a voice from heaven in Matthew 3:17
Matthew 3:17 (ESV)
“This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.”
He represented his people all the way to the cross. 1 Peter 3:18
1 Peter 3:18 (ESV)
For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, that he might bring us to God
For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, that he might bring us to God,
And Jesus is the only man who loved God the Father so much that his enemies were God’s enemies.
So friends, there’s only one man who could pray to God boldly. At the grave of his great mate Lazarus, he says Father I know you always hear me – that’s the Lord Jesus.
So here’s the wonderful truth. Remember this; when we pray in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, God the Father hears us. We read. We sing this Psalm in Jesus’ name.
Friends, Jesus is the choir leader who leads the singing of this Psalm. This and other Psalms right. As Christians we join in the choir singing the song with Jesus.
This is how it works; Jesus is our righteousness. He lived a perfect life. He is perfect in God’s eyes. Not us. So when we pray verses 1-5 we’re not saying Lord I am pure and innocent. In fact, I bring nothing to God. I bring my sin and shame. Actually, we’re saying, I’m rejoicing. I give thanks because these verses are true of Jesus. He is righteous. His heart is perfect. His mouth has not transgressed. He holds fast to God’s paths. And this is what’s amazing. By faith in Jesus, God has counted us as right with God by faith. That’s why 2 Corinthians 5:21
For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.
So I can sing he is our righteousness. He took our sins. We get his righteousness. Jesus is the head of God’s people. We are God’s people because Jesus is the Son of God.
So as we finish, what does it mean for us to pray a Psalm like this in Jesus’ name? What does it mean to pray in such a way so that God hears us?
Here’s some implications
First, when we pray we come to boldly to our heavenly Father because of what Jesus has done. Nothing we bring to the table. Jesus is the one who is completely pure and innocent. We can’t say God I pray you will heal my children because I’ve done so much for you. No. God has shown us mercy. We come bringing nothing to God. Followers of Jesus do not pray in a way that says God you owe me one. It’s time to cash in. It’s always. Always. What Jesus has done. This is why we can pray to God. So we pray this Psalm humbly. We know we come to God as forgiven people. We come humbly to God.
Second, we are to pray in line with God’s desires. Jesus prays this Psalm because his enemies are God’s enemies. What God loves he loves. What God hates he hates. So as we pray in Jesus name, our prayers surely its got to be shaped by the Bible. So that over time we want what God wants, and pray what God wants. Praying in Jesus name is not like a genie you coming out of a bottle giving you whatever you wish. aim and claim. No, it’s changing what we want to what God wants. As we read the Bible we will find out what God wants. And we may be confident that God will answer.
And here’s the big thing God has promised. Notice in this Psalm – we saw in verses 7 and 8 echoes of the Exodus. David is praying just like you rescued your people from the Exodus, from slavery, please rescue me from my enemies! Jesus says you rescued your people from slavery, God please rescue them from slavery to sin. Jesus is spot on. This is the biggest issue the world faces. It’s death and God’s judgment. So please rescue them so they won’t die but be with you in the new heavens and new earth. They might have eternal life.
There are always things we pray. God may say yes, God may say no. God may say wait. It’s so comforting so good that we can pray to God – the God of the universe in Jesus’ name. he hears our prayers. He may answer us the way we desire. He may not. But God is good. he knows what is good for us. Friends, I mentioned at the beginning tell you what its been a season of praying hasn’t it? just so much sickness. You have been sick. I’ve been praying earnest for my kids to get better. One gets sick, another, then another. But I think God is showing me it’s not about just good health, but trusting him. he’s teaching me to trust him. Joy and i were reflecting on this a little the other night. This life is not all there is. Actually we haven’t arrived home yet. we’re not with the Lord yet. And while I want my kids to be healthy - it’s not that bad i’ sure many of you have it worse, what this Psalm teaches us is to pray that will keep them following Jesus. That ought to be my biggest prayer for them.
Isn’t it wonderful we can pray in Jesus’ name? When he loos at me he probes my heart and he sees the purity of Jesus by faith? Let’s keep remembering, resting in God’s goodness to us and pray boldly to our heavenly father. Let’s pray.