March 26, 2017

We are continuing a sermon series from the Psalms as we lead up to Easter And I want to begin by reading Psalm 91. I'm convinced that sometimes the devil Works through computers. Can I get an amen? So I had yeah, I had I had glitches all morning. So if if my screen malfunctions or if there's glitches just be gracious with me this morning because I was never a point in which I was really think would it be productive to throw the computer out the window and I was really debating. Well that was logically acceptable action. So hopefully we will be cuz I cuz I've got a lot to cover so it's kind of Professor Phillips day cuz I really want us to dig into this song and learn some good things and maybe the adversary is trying to keep us from benefiting from this song. So I'm hoping it will be a good morning for us in the word of God Psalm 91. Whoever dwells in the shelter of the most high will rest in the show. Shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the Lord. He is my refuge and my Fortress my God in whom I trust. Surely he will save you from the Fowler snacks near and from the deadly pestilence. He will cover you with his feathers and under his wings. You will find Refuge. His faithfulness will be your shield and Rampart. You will not fear the terror of night nor the arrow arrow that flies by day nor the pestilence that stalks in the darkness nor the place that destroys at. Midday a thousand may fall at your side ten thousand at your right hand, but it will not come near you you will only observe with your eyes. You will see the punishment of the wicked if you say the Lord is my refuge and you make the most high your dwelling no harm will overtake, you know disaster will come near your tent for he will command his angels concerning you to guard you and all of your ways and they will lift you up in their hands so that you will not strike your foot against a stone. You will Tread On The Lion and the cobra Will trample the great Lion and the serpent because he loves me says the Lord I will rescue him. I will protect him for he acknowledges my name he will call on me and I will answer him. I will be with him in trouble. I will deliver him and honor him with long life. I will satisfy him and show him my salvation. This song is a song that we see similar themes in frequently and they'll Tessa this song of God providing and protecting our lives because we trust in him and this provision that comes no matter what but there's some challenge when we think of it about life many of you might be able to finish the sentence. Mama always said life is like a box of very good because you never know what you're going to get the truth is if you've live long enough, you know, that that's true. You know that life is not predictable that you don't know what you're going to get and that there will be times in your life where you experience relationships that are broken where you experience a financial reversal in your life where you experienced disaster in your life or disease in your life. So the first glance at this song that says I trust God therefore I will face none of those things. If we're honest that butts up against life itself done it because we say Mama's right? You never know what you're going to get life is like this box of chocolates. There are things that come our way that we didn't expect the song seems to promise if we trust God we will be protected from violence disaster disease trouble of any kind it even says we won't even stop Bartow. The angels will lift you up and you won't even hit your foot on a stone the song says and by implication this sort of first glance at the song Sometimes it to preach that way if you trust God then you'll have no hardship or challenge or trouble in your life. And sometimes the opposite is implied to that if you got challenge or hardship in your life. It must be because of sin or a lack of trust in God. And it seems like that's what the song is implying but we all know that doesn't seem to match up with life itself. As I think we're challenged to dig into this song and study it a little more deeply instead of just reading it and running out the door for claiming it as here's what it says what it seems like at first glance the writer portrays God as a mother bird spreading her wings to protect her young something as unusual as the King James gets that translation more accurate than some of the others because it is this sense of a mother bird caring for her young now, that's not the usual fatherly image of God throughout scripture. Most often. God is portrayed as a father yet In this passage gospel trade as this mother bird protecting her Young Some of that I think is to counter the fact that sometimes not all the time, but Earthly fathers can be distance and so scripture doesn't leave that as the only metaphor or image of God, but includes other images as a matter fact in Ruth 2:12. God is portrayed as a female bird that covers and provides wings and Psalm 36 the same in Psalm 57 the same as Psalm 62 God is portrayed as this mother who cares for Orphans and her children. It's over this image is unique and I think that makes us a light that might that maybe something maybe something to that instead of just reading the song and kind of ignoring that unique thing and saying yeah, but it says protect you no matter what and I'm just going to go through life and everything should be good because I trust God we might say wait a minute. Maybe the song This is saying something more unique than I realized because this is a rare occasion when God is described as a mother who cares for her young birds. Don't remember the real estate rule of Bible study location location location, which is context context context. So whenever you're studying a passage you always want to say what's the location of this passage? What's the context of this passage? What comes before it? What comes after it's how does it fit in the larger context of scripture in general, especially if you're stumped if you read this passage at face value and you say well evidently if I trust God I'll never have a hard time in life. I'll never have troubles and then you say when a man that doesn't seem That doesn't seem right as you have that kind of that may not be right. That's when you need to say I need to apply that rule. I need to look at the wider context of scripture and ask myself is this true the way I'm understanding at the way I'm tempted to interpret this is this true with scripture as a whole and so you end up looking wider it scripture the Old Testament scriptures include the book of Jobe. Think about the Book of Job in the context of the way. We're tempted at first glance to interpret this song in The Book of jojoba experiences lost and disaster and trouble and his friend show up and they affirm that first glance interpretation of Psalm 91, they stay well Joe if you're having a hardship if you're having trouble then surely there must be some sort of unconfessed sin in your life. You must not be trusting God because that's the way they understand God and the universe that's how it works job. If you're having a hard time, it's because you've got send in your life. God is punishing. Because of this unconfessed sin, if you're having a hard time if there's trouble in your life, it must be because you're not trusting God does he have I know what happens in The Book of Job after job goes through all of his hardships and his friends pronounce with great theological Insight. Here's the way to understand. This is if I know what happens next. It's an awesome book who shows up.

If you read the book of Joe, go read it God himself. God shows up in the Book of Job in a whirlwind and speaks to his friends who just made all these pronouncements about God just so I know what God says to those friends of Joe. He confronts them and rebukes them. He says for them the things that you're saying about me. You're not speaking the truth. So they're they're pronouncing will clearly here's what's going on in your life friend hardship after hardship after hardship, and I know a little bit about your life, and I know you've got that sand that you never repent enough. It's all these things are happening to your friend because you've got send in your life. All these things are happening cuz you've not turn that over to God's because you're not trusting God.

And God shows up and says that person making those pronouncements. Hey.

Cut it out.

You're not telling the truth about me. You're not speaking truth about me. And if we read Psalm 91 like job's friends and we just say that's a great song can't we just read it Robbie and say hooray and run out and say if I trust God I'll never have hardship if we read it. That way. God will say to us. You're not thinking the truth about me. You're not thinking true things about me. So he challenges us I think to go deeper the context The Wider context of scripture challenges us to go deeper into this on the adversary as if there's not enough reasons to go deeper into the sump. The adversary wants us to read Psalm 91 like jobs friends. Did you know that this is the song that the devil quotes in Loop for when he's tempting Jesus to get off the path of being faithful to God the Father. This is the one time that the devil quotes scripture and he quotes this song and what he says the Jesus is well if you trust God if God is your father if he loves you and you love him. Then you won't even stop your toe. Will you you just throw yourself off the step of the angels will catch you and you won't even hit your foot on a stone. The adversary wants us to slip into that false understanding. of God Jesus of course rebukes that understanding and so we should rebuke it too because think about it if the devil can get us to think if we suffer God can't be trusted. What will that do to our faith over our lifetime? Do you see that subtle lie that even scripture itself is used by the adversary to put in our hearts and our minds if I suffer then God can't be trusted.

Because you never know what you're going to get right life is like a box of chocolates. Let me just tell you now you're going to suffer.

There's going to be things in life that absolutely suck. That don't go the way you planned that for everything that you thought was going to work out that don't fit in your understanding. This is what the song says if I trust God that nothing bad will ever happen to me the adversary if he can get you to think that if I suffer God cannot be trusted then he is on the path to ruin your face. You will grow older life will give you all these surprises and you will grow more and more bitter thinking I can not trust God God cannot be trusted and that's the adversaries great goal in your life to crush any spark of faith that you might place in God. He wants to get that foothold and get you questioning. How can this happen to me? It is God loves me. Then. Then why are my finances the way they are if God loves me. Why am I having health issues? If you love me love me, why isn't my family relationships the way I want them to be? The adversary wants us to miss understand this theme and scripture. So what does Scripture mean when we are told that God will protect us and against you got to think of the wider context think of the book of jokes think of the account of Joseph.

He trusted God. If you go back and read the story of Joseph in Genesis, it's an amazing story, but it's got these highs and lows this roller coaster. Leon Jacob favors his son Joseph above all his other children. That's not a good thing. And it poisons our relationship so that the time Joseph is a teenager. He's having these dreams he started to believe his own press right until he comes to the table and says his brother to have this dream where I was awesome. And I love you guys were just barely mediocre. It was the greatest dream ever. So Joseph is going toward this path of arrogance and pride and his brothers what's happened to them their hearts are being filled with envy and jealousy and anger even murder.

That's weird. Their life's are heading. I've been all these crazy things happen, right? Joseph gets sold into slavery by his brothers goes to Egypt gets falsely accused by one of his employers or something. He did not do and gets put in prison and he's in prison year after year after year. Do you think during those times in prison? He prayed out to God. He wanted Psalm 91 to Min-ho if I just trust God nothing bad will ever happen to me. I'll never have a difficult time.

So what happened to Joseph story? He's able to say this to his brother's years later after he rises to a position in Egypt gets out of prison is able to rise to the second in command of all of Egypt. Preserve the nation and the surrounding people through his wisdom and and God's Visions to him and allowing them to store up drain for an approaching famine. So that instead of the entire nation starving and the surrounding area starving they all live and his brothers not knowing who he is come into Egypt to get grain so that they can live and when he reveals himself to them, he says this amazing verse you intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish. What is now being done the saving of many lives? Think about everything that surrounds that moment in Joseph's life. Joseph was a great man. Who trusted God and God used him to save many lives, but his life was not absent of hardship or suffering. As a matter of fact, it was the hardship and suffering that he went through that God used to bring about this moment. And if you read the story that versus not said in judgment this moment when he is such a human story such a beautiful moment when he thinks I just want to I want to get my brother's I'm so angry but it is I who am I God's goodness to him and got us working is left. Hey, let's go of that and he forgives them in the braces. If it says look you intend a different path, but God orchestrated it for good that many lives would be saved. When you when you look at the larger context of scripture, you can't really back up this idea that if I trust God I will never suffer. I will never have hardship. He will protect and preserve me from ever experiencing. Those are two things. It's much deeper than that. It's the mystery of Romans 8:28 that we talked about a couple of months ago Romans 8:28 says and we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him. We've been called according to his purpose. And the key in understanding Romans 8:28 As Romans 8:29 where God defines the purpose we always just stop right there. The purpose is that we've been destined to be conformed to the image of his son. And so God's Great purpose in our life is to shape us into christ-like men and women that's his great purpose and he can use all things for that good. He doesn't cause those things God is not the author of evil that you can use even a Bad Thing even something that somebody else intended for harm in my life. Like the like a life of Joseph. God can orchestrate it toward good. so think about this person the context of everything we're looking at and look what Jesus says. It's not just the Old Testament. Not just Joe and Joseph but it's Romans 8:28 and Luke 21. Jesus says to his disciples. You will be betrayed even by parents and brothers relatives and friends and they will put some of you to death. There's a promise from Jesus to those who are committed to following him. Doesn't sound like hey, let me just tell you you trust me nothing's ever going to harm you then sound like that. But look at what he says in the next verse and you will be hated for my namesake but not a hair of your head shall be lost by your patience. You will possess your souls.

Now it does sound like Psalm 91 done it. That he saying these feels like Kyrie 4 truce in the same breath. People will betray you some of you'll be even put the death but not even a hair of your head will be harmed by what's the disciples I would have said. Hey, Dad, say yes, Robbie. What's your question?

How is it that but not a hair of my head gets harm yet? I might actually lose my life. How does that work? How would my family betray me and yet you tell me that? But not a hair of my head. Would be hard help me help me understand this now. Think about Joseph and his brothers. They were actually protected by what they went through. right They're protected from them self. Joseph was going on this path of hey, I'm all that and a bag of chips. And suddenly everything he went through ended up producing humility and trusting God. Even prison trust in God and coming out on the other end to be used by God to do great things and save others even his brothers were saved and humbled through the whole process. That actually worked through those events that were tempted to say, but wait a minute. I like the idea of thinking that if I trust God I won't have any of those events in my life. I won't have any prison or any broken relationships in my family. I won't have any of those difficulties what's going on here and the answer is think about Romans 8:28. What is it that God is ultimately Sheltering and directing in our lives.

to be christ-like That's the ultimate good that God has proclaimed in scripture from beginning to the end. Paul gets excited about in Colossians. And he says this thing which used to be a mystery is now reveal. It's the gospel and it's Christ in you the hope of glory he proclaims in Clawson Christ in youth talks about in a fish's chapter 1 from Verses 4 through 19. It's just go to be so excited faces. Listen from the very foundations of the earth before the mountains were even formed it was always God's plans that he would have a people that he would draw them in the life that's always been what he intends for us to that. We would be like Christ that we would have this intimate relationship with him this relationship based on trust that we would have the piece that allows us to walk towards the crosses that coming us in our own life and still trust the father. I mean the biggest example in scripture is Jesus in it. How could we say if you trust God you will not suffer. The Life of Christ is the ultimate example of what it means to trust God and it means to give your life over to God the father and even Jesus struggled with that. In the garden, right? I mean babies are going to be separated.

Is there any other way father? Jesus struggled with that moment, but he said none the less. nonetheless I trust you. I trust you see the deeper understanding of this passage in this theme is that we give our very lives to God and when we give our very lives to him, he protects us not a hair on our head will be harmed. He will see to it no matter what happens in our life that if we keep investing our trust and giving our life to him. He will shape Us in the direction of becoming like his son. So like Joseph we may be in prison. We may have broken relationships, but if we keep trusting God he can use all that for his glory and do great things through you and I twin others laughed and said Messiah, you just got beat up by the Roman guards, then gambled over his garments and Drug him off to be killed real impressed with this message from Jesus. Jesus stayed the course. trusted the father and in moments and then suffering that look like nothing but the absence of God, that's what they shouted at him on the cross. Where is your God now and those sorts of Mama's he still trusted and that led to the resurrection.

I mean, we're told those Roman soldiers collapsed because of fear on that Resurrection morning. If you taunted the one who said hey, I'm from God and I'm here to tell you that he loves you and call you to obey him and you taunted and beat and killed that one and you stood guard by his grave and the stone starts to move. starts to rumble and it rolls away.

What God is Sheltering and directing is the best intentions for our lives to be like Christ? We have to trust him in that regard if we care about anything more than God career Financial Peace family those things on us.

Do you understand the logic of that? It is good to care about family. It is good to care about your career is good to hear about your finances. Don't miss hear me. But if we let any of those things become the ultimate the thing that we care about most something that we care about more than we care about God's then those things owned us. We don't possess our own sold. We end up getting owned our self-worth Rises and Falls based on our career or self-worth Rises and Falls based on how her family relationships are going with we're constantly anxiety and anxiety about finances. Those things actually become Our God's and not God himself and we become this this disfigured version of our self full of anxiety. No, peace because what happens if my career go south what happens if my relationship go south is those are our ultimate things then we go in the opposite direction. And God is seeking to lead us towards christlikeness elitist or not trusting in those things the unexpected chocolates that come our way in life end up being opportunities to invest our trust in God. I mean, let's be honest. Can we all be honest for just a moment? I promise that I will be completely honest. Will you do the same? Will you raise your hand on this question? You guys are like, I don't know what you're going to ask you and I'm not. How many times has it taken something difficult in your life to cause you to turn your attention to God? Is that ever happened to you?

And is it more loving for God to allow us to walk? Through the valley of the shadow of death itself. So that we can know he's with us. Or more loving to save us from every challenge. I mean think about it.

You've seen families that have the ability to rescue their children from the consequences of every decision they make amateur how's that worked out?

Are they beautiful adults? But you just find a joy to be around. Are the sons and daughters of the rich and famous who never understand what it's like to work for money or never have to actually experience the consequences of their bad behavior because of Mom and Dad's connections and rescue do they turn out to be these beautiful selfless life-giving Mother Teresa's in our world. Disfigured versions of what God intended for them. And before we feel too good. We're all the same. We just don't have Paparazzi following us. Can you imagine what what our life would be like if we had somebody following us of a camper at all times that I have been in something selfish. Let's put it on the screen showing to the whole nation.

When we love something else more than God, then we start down that path of being this disfigured spoiled creature. And out of love. God says I will protect you. But I'll protect the real you the true you the deepest you. I will text you by Leading you in the midst of trouble to learn to trust me not preserving you from all trouble against if we preserve our kids from all trouble then they become something that we want to kiss to build a walk through trouble and be strong on the other side, don't we? I need to find out if I protect my kids from everything. What are they going to do one day they'll never know how to help another they'll never know how to be in the midst of struggle and hardship and say we can trust God we can get through this don't ever be used by God in that way if I protect and preserve them from everything. Psalm 91 read superficially asked God like I just said to preserve the very things I'm tempted to place above him to Amy and becoming the Lesser me. I just figured spoiled me. What this song is about is that we learn to trust God in the midst of trouble and become able to handle trouble itself because God's ultimate goal in our in our life is to work all things for the good and the good is that we be conformed to the image of his son. So that even on our own crosses we could trust God and we could draw others to him. He's working toward that great goal in our life. He's not just going to protect all of us so that we just end up weak and dependent and to get this gather us like a little Lego collection and Heaven one day and stack us on shelves.

He's inviting us to be like his son Jesus. Be like that now to be men and women he can use to advance his cause what would Joseph story be without his trials? What would Joseph be without his trial? What would you be without your trials?

I mean with the advantage of hindsight. Do you look back on moments in your life now and you're glad you went through something difficult.

If I glad you got your kids.

Is it worth the pain of childbirth?

What a horrible thing of God answered all our prayers. If we directed our destinies. What horrible thing? If God was at our beck-and-call God I never want to suffer any paint then you'll never have a child. I never want a difficult life then you'll never raise a child.

You never get married.

Thank you God.

Thank you. God that you don't just give us what we're tempted to want on the surface Lord. I'd like that like every one of my professors is ingrained in my head from undergrad. He always said if we're not careful we can just slip into the cultural flow that says my dream is to fly right fat dumb and happy from the Cradle to the Grave. That's all. I want Lord. I just want everything to be easy. I just want to get a hardship or trouble or problems. If you'll just blessed me would not be a blessing. And God and his love that is deeper than our thinking. Protects what's best about us and allows us to suffer?

When we allow him to use it to shape us into Christ likeness. Here's the key verse in Psalm 91:15. He shall call upon me and I will answer him. I will be with him in trouble. in trouble he will be with us in trouble. He doesn't simply pluck us out of trouble at every Point. That's the wrong understanding. He is with us in trouble so that we could be shaped more and more into the image of a symbol or talking about here is the gospel hidden away in this little song in the Old Testament the Gospel of Jesus Christ. No other Faith talks about God the way Flippy and stood as you can have confidence in Christianity in the context of world religions because you can spot the fact that world religion outside of Christianity are all man-made and inventions by human thinking because if none of them is God spoke enough the way he spoke it up and Christianity. No other religions talks about God's way Philippians. 2:9 Philippians 2 says here's what God is like Christ. And he had everything all the power all the glory everything that God the father has any emptied himself he gave it up taking on the form of a servant being vulnerable became vulnerable being mortal became mortal. No other religion talks about God that way every other religion finds that God when you get to the heart of every other religion God Is Power and you better learn the right wisdom or follow the right path or do the right things in order to please that God's but when you get the heart of Christianity you find God being crucified on a cross for the sake of humans.

And we're called to follow God. We're called the follow that path the piece that we find when we understand this song correctly. We understand the gospel correctly is that Jesus knows exactly what we're going through.

That's comforting in it. I mean, honestly, if you ever have a royal screw-up in your life in one of the first people you call a friend who's been through the same thing. I mean, honestly, it's awful to say this, but it's true. Almost glad I guess what I just got fired to just like you. I'm so glad you got fired last year because now it don't feel so bad and you brother. We got fired together cancer the same thing and it was our fault we did wrong. We're not victims here. There's a little bit of comfort in that that you can call that person. Jesus knows everything we go through all the suffering we go through because he became flesh the most radical unique only true story of God and Humanity that there is is this God who took on flesh and suffered for our sake the pieces to know that he knows our trials and that he protects us ultimately. Matthew 23 and Luke 13 record of Jesus entering Jerusalem and identifying guess what as a mother bird wanting to take the Unfaithful under her wings. So you have these these these unusual occurrence of the Old Testament. You can skip a stone across where God identify as often as a mother bird sometimes and Eagles sometimes to him wanting to rescue is real and hear Jesus as he enters Jerusalem recorded in two different places and Matthew 23 look 13th as he enters Jerusalem, he calls for that same image and he says listen Jerusalem o Jerusalem you who murdered the proper. So we speaking to those who have sinned who ever ejected him rejected the gospel few who have killed the prophets who come to you how I long long to take you under my wings like a mother bird take your chicks under our wings. I always read that as kind of a twin that tooth in that warm and fuzzy because he wants to say come here. I want to give you a hug. But it's about so much more than that because the context again that's the rule of starting the Bible, right? The context is Judgement. Israel the Unfaithful ones in Israel the Unfaithful Jews and Israel, those who have rejected Jesus. They are facing judgment. And as he approaches approaches Jerusalem, he knows that's exactly what's coming down on the city judgment. And in that context he says

If you would just let me. If you would just trust me more than money or family or finances or tradition or religion. If you would just trust me if you would let me take you under my wings. That's what I long to do to rescue you and take you under my wings. The context is judgement. As I said the disfiguring, consequences of sin and Jesus Takes that judgment that we deserve.

That's why he's longing for those who are facing judgment. He's longing for them to trust him. He knows that judgment is real and that's what they're facing the consequences of their send their consequences of a life that says I'll do it myself and turns their back on God the consequences of getting what you want at every turn and the disfigurement that that produces for our own Souls. Jesus longs to rescue us from judgement. For us to place our trust in him. So that he can rescue us and that's exactly what he does on the cross. He takes our judgment upon himself. The Judgment we deserve. I read a story about Yellowstone National Park. After some forest fires from Rangers were going to the park cleaning up debris and they came near this large tree and they saw sitting in front of the tree just like the perfect charred body of a bird just standing up on the ground and I thought boy that's that's unusual. And one of them even thought that seemed a little bit creepy so he went over and decided just to kind of knock it over. So it just wouldn't be there anymore. And when he knocked it over a bunch of little baby birds came running out.

Do this this this mother bird when this fire came gather her chicks under her wings? And she allowed herself to be burn up. In order to protect them. In order to rescue them. And Jesus says oh Jerusalem. Oh Jerusalem, those of you who have rejected the prophets those of you who have rejected me how I longed. To save you from the Judgment how I long to take you under my wings and protect you and that's what he did on the cross even on the cross in Luke 23. He looks down and says father forgive them for they know not what they do.

We really have no excuse. If we know that we need forgiveness. Jesus has provided it. And the offers it to us.

He's forgiven you already. Even if you've not yet accepted it. Now you have to accept it.

But even on the cross those who didn't understand what they're doing. He was willing to die for them. Is going to take their judgment. and then commands us to go into all the Earth to preach this good news that any who would hear and believe Should not perish but instead be saved. That's what you discover at the heart of Christianity. This God who gave his life. to save us I'm going to buy the worship team to come forward. It's why the heart of Christianity is John 3:16 right for God so loved the world. He gave his only son. That whoever would believe in him would not perish. would not perish

fires of judgment that threaten those who want nothing to do with God the Father Jesus Takes that judgment invites us under his wings so that in Christ Romans 8:1, there is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.

Thought we would not perish but it's Dad have everlasting life.

If you need to make that decision. During the song make that decision to accept the forgiveness and love of God. I'll be in the back. You can come to me back there. I'd love to pray with you answer any questions you have will be folks both in the front and the back for prayer if you have prayer concerns.

Why we can think of the Cross as a beautiful thing? Because of what happened on the cross Jesus taking our judgment providing for the offer for you and I to receive forgiveness to be protected.

What's sing?