Sermon: A Song of Hope for the Troubled Soul

As we come to God's word. Let's bow together and pray for his Blessing

give thanks to the Lord for he is good. Is steadfast love endures forever? And we know father that you have shown that steadfast love supremely and decisively and finally and savingly through Jesus Christ.

We thank you for the love that sent him. We thank you for the love that sacrificed him. We thank you for the love that raised him. Lord we thank you for your word which Bears witness to him now. So we pray. That you would cause us to be those who tremble at your word who tremble with joy at your word at your majesty and your mercy. And we pray it in Christ's name. Amen.

There's nobody here this morning that needs me to tell you. That we live in very troubled times. Everywhere we look there is Brokenness. There are twisted roots of sin and suffering all around us and if we're honest within us. It's hard to watch the news night after night. We see daily reports of an oppressive and unjust war in Ukraine entering its second year. A few weeks ago two massive earthquakes in Turkey in Syria, leaving 50,000 dead

and just devastating entire cities including the ancient biblical city of Antioch. in our own community just a couple weeks ago. We were rocked by tragic and senseless deaths at the hand of a campus killer. We hear about a high profile murder conviction in South Carolina and on and on it goes. But it's even closer. We see it in our families. We see it in our churches. There's so much clumsiness and cluelessness and often cruelty

in relationships. We see various forms of marital or doctrinal infidelity. And increasing allegations of abuse. When we look at our own lives. We see sin and misery multiplying like a malignant cancer. Anxiety and depression are on the rise. People are enslaved by addictions. People are victims of trauma. There are explosive relational conflicts. There's rampant sexual sin and confusion everywhere. People are paralyzed by shame overwhelmed by

grief. And other seemingly crushing circumstances. And that has affected all of us. Our lord Jesus told us the absolute truth when he said in this world you will have tribulation.

But our God is not left us. alone in this world So what does God offer us to navigate through these troubled times? I believe there are two things that are absolutely essential and precious. I want to talk about one of them very quickly and the second one will take up most of our sermon this morning. first God offers us comprehensive truth about the world in his word. He gives us as it were a reality map. The big picture he shows us life as

he sees it and as he rules over it. And that is absolutely essential for us to be able to correctly interpret and respond to these troubled times. We're always doing both. First of all, usually unconsciously we're interpreting what we see and then we respond and God wants us to be able to interpret and respond in faith in Hope and in love. And so for example in Romans 8:35. Paul gives us a realistic perspective on life.

By listing several things several kinds of troubling circumstances that might threaten to discourage us or defeat us or even destroy us. And he starts with a question and I think this question is the deepest question that we struggle with it. It's what? The thought of this terrifies us he says who shall separate us from the love of Christ. That that terrifies us more than anything else the thought that something might happen within

me or outside of me. That would put me Beyond The Pale of God's grace and I would be completely on my own that's underneath all of our other fears. and so Paul asks seven different things contribulation separate us can distress separate us. How about persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? Can those things separate us from the love of Christ? Tribulation that word means any kind of stress-filled suffering anything

that presses hard and hurts bad. And you can fill in the blanks with your own specifics. How about distress can that separate us from the love of Christ? That's the mental anguish that accompanies the tribulation all the natural anxieties that we feel in the midst of all our trials and troubles. Can that separate us from the love of Christ? How about persecution hostility opposition to our faith opposition to us for our faith. Could that separate us from

the love of Christ? or famine lack of food or lack of any other necessities of life nakedness that suggests exposure or shame and we all know there is an epidemic of shame in our culture. Could that separate us from the love of Christ? Or finally the final enemy of death. He says the sword. These ancient words and descriptions have a very contemporary ring. Don't they? These words speak directly to our situation in 2023.

But Paul doesn't leave us there. He answers these questions contribulation to stress or persecution can any of these things separate us from the love of Christ with a resounding? No. He says that in all of those things. Which means we're not exempt from them in all of those things. God is going to make us more than conquerors. That means he's going to make every hard or painful thing work for our good and actually serve our salvation

and his saving purpose. That's the first thing we need to be able to navigate through these days. The second it's what we're mainly going to talk about. Today is the Book of Psalms. He gives us the book of Psalms to help us through these troubled times. If Romans 8 gives the big picture perspective The Book of Psalms gives us words to actually engage with God realistically and yet hopefully we're going to look at one sum Psalm 143.

I have found this Psalm very helpful in my own life in the last year. I've I've prayed it many times. I was talking to my son Neil down in Kalamazoo. He asked me what I was preaching about and I said Psalm 143 and he said the same thing. I've been praying that a lot. I've also shared it with precious brothers and sisters dealing with issues like depression or anxiety or trauma or feelings of hopelessness. We're going to do two things. We're going to read the psalm and

then look at some big themes in the psalm and then at the end. I'm going to lead us in a time of prayer to prepare us to come to the table today. And I'm going to lead us in a time of Prayer by asking some questions based on the psalm to show us how our God wants to lead us from crushing desperation. through Christ for specific mercies to confident hope so Psalm 143. I'm calling this A Song of Hope for the troubled soul. Let's read it.

To some of David he says here my prayer O Lord give ear to my pleas for mercy. In your faithfulness answer me in your righteousness. Enter not into judgment with your servant for no one living is righteous before you. For the enemy has pursued my soul. He has crushed my life to the ground. He has made me sit in darkness like those long dead. Therefore my spirit faints within me. My heart within me is appalled. I remember the days of old.

I meditate on all that you've done. I Ponder the work of your hands I stretch out my hands to you. My soul thirsts for you like a parched land. Answer me quickly O Lord, my spirit fails hide. Not your face from me lest. I be like those who go down to the pit. Let me hear in the morning of your steadfast love for in you I trust. Make me know the way I should go for to you. I lift up my soul. Deliver me from my enemies O Lord,

I have fled to you for Refuge. Teach me to do your will. For you are my God. Let your good spirit lead me on level ground. For your name's sake O Lord preserve my life in your righteousness. Bring my soul out of trouble. And in your steadfast love you will cut off my enemies and you will destroy all the adversaries of my soul. For I am your servant. So let's go through the psalm and just catch some of the themes in this song of Hope.

For the troubled soul. in verses 1 and 2 David Begins the way he often begins he cries for mercy. Now is there any hope? simply in crying for mercy I believe there is if you cry to the Living God. Knowing that we need Mercy from God his undeserved forgiveness and his gracious relief actually brings a glimmer of hope right away. Because it reminds us that we never have to come to God trusting in our own performance or good

works. But we always come as Beggars at the door of Mercy. Knowing that as David says there's no one living righteous before you so I can't possibly come to you on the basis of my own righteousness. I need Mercy. There's Hope in that There's a story about Abraham Lincoln in the Civil War. There was a young Union soldier who was guilty of desertion. And he was sentenced to be executed. And his mother came pleading for his life to President Lincoln

and she said Mr. President. Please have mercy on my son. He's my only son have mercy on him. President Lincoln said madam He doesn't deserve Mercy he deserted. To which she replied? Of course, he doesn't deserve Mercy Mercy is what you give to those who don't deserve it. In her logic prevailed and he was spared. So crying for Mercy reminds us right off that we come to The God Who revealed himself. As the Lord the Lord merciful and

gracious slow to anger. And abounding in steadfast love. Now look at verses 3 and 4. Here's where David begins to complain. He begins to lament his experience of trouble. And notice the the Raw. And graphic words that he uses to capture his feeling of being crushed and defeated. He said I'm pursued by the enemy. I'm crushed to the ground. I'm sitting like one in darkness with those who are long dead. My spirit faints. My

heart is appalled.

It's shocking language. You don't use that kind of language in polite company. even in polite Church company I believe that without a sum like this and others like it. Most of us would never dare to use such graphic words to talk to the Living God. I mean they sound exaggerated. almost primitive and yet if we're honest these words pursued by the enemy crushed to the ground. They perfectly capture what life feels like sometimes today.

Don't they? And God invites you. To use David's strong shocking words and then to pour into them your specific circumstances. Take your circumstances and use use them to talk to God about what makes your spirit faint. What makes you crushed. So as you're sitting here right today. What's crushing you? What makes your spirit faith today?

Then in verses 5 and 6. David says I remember the days of old I meditate on all you have done. All the sudden he's looking back. And he's inviting you. To strengthen your faltering faith. and your wavering hope by remembering examples of God saving help in the past remembering and then reflecting on the God who saved in the past is the same God yesterday today and forever. Isn't it true? That sometimes you feel so weary so overwhelmed.

That you just feel like in the present today. I just don't have much Faith or energy to do anything. If I look to the Future that looks completely daunting. David says it's good idea then to start by Looking Back. Look back. What are your favorite Old Testament Deliverance stories? Is that the Exodus and The Parting of the Red Sea? One of my favorites. Is that story in Second Kings where Elisha's servant? Gets up one morning. They're in the city of Dothan.

And Elisha as a Marked Man and his servant gets up and walks around and he sees in the mountains around Dothan the whole Syrian Army and they're just after Elisha. And he does what you and I would do he freaks out and he talks to Elisha. He says Master. What are we going to do? And Elisha just prays. Lord open his eyes. And he looks again and he sees surrounding the Syrian Army Gods Army like Angel and angels and horses and Chariots of Fire.

That's a good Deliverance story that really happened. Or think about what's your favorite Jesus miracle? All the times that he cured diseases sometimes incurable diseases sometimes congenital diseases. And three times it talks about him raising. The dead God is inviting you to take time to think back in your own life. And remember how has he surprised you with timely Powerful Answers to prayer. verses 7 through 11 David

switches from merely complaining to crying for help. And he does it in Rapid Fire. He says answer me quickly hide. Not your face. Let me hear of your steadfast love make me know the way I should go deliver me from my enemies teach me to do your will let your spirit lead me on level ground preserve my life. Bring my soul out of trouble. This is an automatic rifle. This is just firing quick. But these are really helpful.

Sometimes we don't know how to pray. We're just so burdened. We just don't know how to pray. So David says Hey borrow my language. Answer me quickly Lord. I'm at the end of my rope today. Hide, not your face. Oh that reminds me of that proverb that says in the light of a king's face. There is life. Let me hear of your steadfast love in the morning Lord. I need help soon. Tomorrow morning would not be too soon. Make me know the way I should go. I don't

even know which way to turn today Lord. Deliver me from my enemies. I look at our crazy culture my own remaining corruption and the enemy and it's just too much. It's just too much for me. Teach me to do your will. And Lord, I'm a slow learner. So please be patient. Let your spirit lead me on level ground when I look ahead I see sinkholes and quicksand and many obstacles. Preserve my life. In another place David said though, I walk in the midst of trouble.

You preserve my life. Bring my soul out of trouble. The Troubles of my heart are enlarged. Bring me out of my distresses. You see these rapid fire cries for help. They're concise their clear but their comprehensive. And they're very helpful when we don't know what to pray for. Borrow David's language. That's what God invites you to do. And now we're at the end of the psalm last verse verse 12. I wonder if you notice. a subtle

but powerful switch change of mood be easy to miss this Monumental change. So look at verse 9. It says deliver me from my enemies O Lord. And then if you skip down to verse 12, it says in your steadfast love you will cut off my enemies. Oh. That's a massive change. A desperate cry suddenly morphs into a confident prediction of help and deliverance. What happened? Well, let's let's think of some theories here. What happened?

And maybe one theory is David wrote versus one through 11 first. And then later on days or months. Later, God actually. Intervened and so David wrote verse 12 as an addendum like everything came out. Okay in the end. Yeah, I don't think so. I don't think that's very good theory. Maybe another theory is Nathan or some other prophet? Came and told David that God had heard him and that he was going to deliver him. That's more

plausible that actually happened with David and other people were prophets came and said God has heard your prayer. Here's what's going to happen. So maybe that happened but I think there's a simpler possibility. And it's one that applies to all of us because it's not likely that anybody in this room is going to have a profit come to you this week and tell you what God Said. I think this. I think the Holy Spirit. Worked in David's heart to change it as

he engaged with God honestly persistently and desperately. I think the Holy Spirit just changed him as he did business with God. And again, I think we're often afraid to pray this way. Seems impolite or audacious or maybe even disrespectful. but remember these words are divinely inspired. They're not just for David they're for us. I love when I'm counseling. if I share a song like someone 43 or any Psalm and it connects with the person and

they feel like oh, yeah, that's how I feel. I love to say this to them. Aren't you glad? That 3,000 years ago the Living God inspired David to write these words because he knew you would need them today. That's the god. that we deal with

so somehow through engaging with God in the words of the song. David's mood changed from desperation to confidence. Let's let's look at just verses 11 and 12 this time one more time. Verse 11 for your namesake O Lord preserve my life exclamation point in your righteousness bring my soul out of trouble exclamation point and without a break and in your steadfast love you will cut off my enemies and you will destroy the adversaries of my soul.

For I am your servant. As I said at the beginning God loves to move us like he did David. from crushing desperation through Christ for mercy to confident hope that is the work of the Holy Spirit. And it's available to all of us as we engage honestly in prayer with God. So we're done with the psalm and I said I was going to lead you in prayer. And I am in a minute. Before we do that, I think there's one more thing we need

to do. I wouldn't be surprised if some of you are are sitting there saying. Wait a minute. Wait a minute. This sounds really good. But how do I know for sure that God will bring me. from crushing desperation to deliverance and Hope I mean, that's a common. Question, isn't it God you can do this, but I don't know if you want to do this. It's even in the Bible remember in Mark 1 we're a leper comes to Jesus. And he says Lord.

If you are willing. You can make me clean. He didn't doubt that Jesus could do it, but he wasn't sure Jesus wanted to do it. Isn't that what? Is so hard sometimes. And I love what Jesus did. First of all, he said I am willing. Then he touched him a leper. And then he healed him. so our dilemma is we know God can do anything but does he want to cut off my enemies and destroy the adversaries of my soul? I think in the end what we agonize over is Will things

end well for me. Can you relate to that will things end well? That's a good question. And good questions always lead. to good places that question leads us to the very heart of the Gospel. See our assurance that things will end well for us and that the things David prayed for and we're being encouraged to pray for will actually happen. Is based on the fact that this is not just David Son. It's Jesus sound. first of all, Jesus inspired it a thousand

years before he came And secondly when Jesus came a thousand years later, he owned that Psalm Jesus owned the whole book of Psalms. They were the inner life. Of Jesus. They were the prayer language of Jesus and I'll bet he used someone 143 when he offered a prayers and supplications with loud cries and tears in the days of his flesh because the Psalms expressed his inner world and his prayer language. But it's even better than that.

Not only did he Inspire it not only did he own it and use it when Jesus came as the second Adam as our substitute. Jesus lived this song he entered into this Psalm and he fulfilled all the conditions and all the things that that we should do in order to receive Mercy from God. So before we pray it's going to go through the psalm one more time very briefly, and we're just going to notice how in almost every verse Jesus comes and

lives this out. As our representative and as our substitute so that we can be assured. Of God's mercy. verse 1 David cried for mercy So did Jesus. Jesus cried in the Garden of Gethsemane for a merciful reprieve father. I don't want to have to do this. But he was denied. So that you might never be denied Mercy. And that you might receive the very Mercy that David prayed and that you need. verse 2 David says don't enter into judgment with me for

no one living is righteous before you I can't expect anything good. Well, God did enter into judgment with his son Jesus. And he made Jesus to become your sin. So that you might become the righteousness of God and face the final judgment. free and fearless verse 3 David says the enemy has pursued me and I am like one sitting in darkness. Well the enemy of death and the enemy of the devil and the enemy of the whole world pursued Jesus right into the darkness of

the grave. So that you might rise with him. and live forever in joy in verse 6. David says I stretch out my hands to you. I my soul thirsts for you. Well, Jesus stretched out his hands on the cross. And he cried out I thirst. So that you might be embraced by the father's hands in his arms. And drink from the Fountain of Life. In verse 7. He says don't hide your face for me lest. I be like those who go down into the pit.

Well, you know the father did hide his face from his son. And he went down into the very pit of God's Wrath. So that you could be reconciled to God and know his smile. Verse 9. Jesus was given over to his enemies that we might find Eternal Refuge from ours under the shadow of God's wings. Verse 11 David asked to be delivered from his troubles Jesus cried out and chatting the Gospel of John. My soul is deeply troubled. Jesus

was racked with troubles so that you and I might have the peace. That passes all understanding. And finally in verse 12. David ends it by saying for I am your servant. Jesus was the servant. The suffering servant who gave his life for you as a ransom. So that he might destroy all the adversaries of your soul. And bring you safely home to the father's house. So what we're really being invited to pray for in this psalm.

Is Jesus himself? and all of the Glorious benefits of his gospel.

And that leads us. to the Lord's Supper But I want to I want to I want to have us just take a few minutes to pray to prepare our hearts using someone 43. I'm going to ask them questions and allow some time for you to just silently pray and do business with God as you as you think about this song of Hope the troubled soul. We're all troubled Souls. We're all struggling with something this morning. I pray this will be a good time of preparation. So let's

pray. first questions what sin? Or suffering are you struggling with this morning?

And how do versus three and four? Help you express the anguish of your heart.

What sin or suffering are you struggling with? How do verses 3 and 4 Express the anguish of your heart?

As you express your sin and suffering to the Lord does doesn't it make a wonderful difference that you're doing that in the company of David and Jesus and countless other suffering Christians throughout the ages. The second thing is that in the midst of his pain David looked outside himself. And remember the days of old. And he meditated on all that God had done. Take a moment right now. Can you think of one way? That God has met you in the past in Christ.

answered you delivered you if you can think of even one example. Maybe you'll think of more. Just give thanks to him right now.

David cries out to the Lord for help and many different various ways. He says answer me quickly. Let me hear of your steadfast love. Make me know the way I should go. Deliver me from my enemies. Teach me to do your will. Preserve my life. Bring my soul out of trouble. Go one more time to the Lord Jesus. He is your sympathetic high priest. He he sympathizes and feels your weaknesses and your struggles and your pains and your Temptations.

Talk to him right now about your hurt your confusion. Talk to him about your frustration and anger. Talk to him about your sadness and hopelessness. your self doubts and you're besetting sins. Talk to him about anything and everything. Invites you right now to his throne of grace. Ask him and plead for what only he can give.

Lord Jesus as we come from your word to your table. Would you remind us and convince us? That you are much more excited to have us come than even we are to come. It is your Delight to be the host at this table. It is your Delight. to show us Mercy Heavenly Father you are the God of All Comfort who comforts Us in all our afflictions. So that we might Comfort others in any affliction. Would you be our comfort today? And would you help us even this week to

bring that same Comfort to others? We pray this all in the matchless and precious. name of Jesus Amen