1 00:00:00,080 --> 00:00:02,159 Please remain standing now for the reading of 2 00:00:02,159 --> 00:00:04,719 God's Word. We're going to be looking at 3 00:00:04,719 --> 00:00:08,400 Psalm 6 this morning. Again, Psalm 6. Please 4 00:00:08,400 --> 00:00:10,259 listen to the reading of God's Word. 5 00:00:12,160 --> 00:00:13,059 To the choirmaster 6 00:00:13,839 --> 00:00:15,139 with string instruments 7 00:00:16,214 --> 00:00:17,434 according to the sheminith, 8 00:00:18,214 --> 00:00:19,595 a psalm of David. 9 00:00:21,095 --> 00:00:23,595 O Lord, rebuke me not in your anger, 10 00:00:24,295 --> 00:00:26,475 nor discipline me in your wrath. 11 00:00:27,335 --> 00:00:29,175 Be gracious to me, O Lord, for I 12 00:00:29,175 --> 00:00:29,835 am languishing. 13 00:00:30,850 --> 00:00:33,570 Heal me, O Lord, for my bones are 14 00:00:33,570 --> 00:00:34,070 troubled. 15 00:00:35,090 --> 00:00:37,030 My soul also is greatly troubled. 16 00:00:37,570 --> 00:00:39,829 But you, O Lord, how long? 17 00:00:41,010 --> 00:00:42,149 Turn, O Lord. 18 00:00:42,609 --> 00:00:43,829 Deliver my life. 19 00:00:44,625 --> 00:00:46,725 Save me for the sake of your steadfast 20 00:00:47,344 --> 00:00:50,145 love. For in death there is no remembrance 21 00:00:50,145 --> 00:00:50,804 of you. 22 00:00:51,185 --> 00:00:53,284 In sha'ol, who will give you praise? 23 00:00:54,225 --> 00:00:55,924 I am weary with my moaning. 24 00:00:56,545 --> 00:00:58,885 Every night I flood my bed with tears. 25 00:00:59,660 --> 00:01:02,219 I drench my couch with my weeping. My 26 00:01:02,219 --> 00:01:04,859 eye wastes away because of grief. It grows 27 00:01:04,859 --> 00:01:06,959 weak because of all my foes. 28 00:01:08,380 --> 00:01:10,700 Depart from me, all you workers of evil, 29 00:01:10,700 --> 00:01:12,780 for the Lord has heard the sound of 30 00:01:12,780 --> 00:01:13,520 my weeping. 31 00:01:14,045 --> 00:01:15,664 The Lord has heard my plea. 32 00:01:16,045 --> 00:01:18,384 The Lord accepts my prayer. 33 00:01:19,084 --> 00:01:21,724 All my enemies shall be ashamed and greatly 34 00:01:21,724 --> 00:01:22,224 troubled. 35 00:01:22,604 --> 00:01:25,084 They shall turn back and be put to 36 00:01:25,084 --> 00:01:25,584 shame 37 00:01:26,125 --> 00:01:26,944 in a moment. 38 00:01:27,325 --> 00:01:28,704 This is the word of the Lord. 39 00:01:29,510 --> 00:01:31,370 Thanks be to God. Please be seated. 40 00:01:46,134 --> 00:01:46,875 In June 41 00:01:47,575 --> 00:01:48,634 of 15 20, 42 00:01:49,575 --> 00:01:52,554 Spanish control over the Aztec capital of Tenochtitlan 43 00:01:53,015 --> 00:01:53,994 was quickly 44 00:01:54,935 --> 00:01:55,435 unraveling. 45 00:01:56,329 --> 00:01:58,990 A few weeks earlier, the tension in Tenochitlan 46 00:01:59,209 --> 00:02:00,909 had reached a boiling point 47 00:02:01,290 --> 00:02:04,090 and full rebellion against the Spanish had broken 48 00:02:04,090 --> 00:02:06,270 out after Spanish conquistador 49 00:02:06,650 --> 00:02:09,689 Hernan Cortes left the city and traveled back 50 00:02:09,689 --> 00:02:10,430 to Veracruz 51 00:02:11,194 --> 00:02:13,935 to defeat the troops that the Spanish governor 52 00:02:14,075 --> 00:02:15,055 in Havana 53 00:02:15,514 --> 00:02:17,215 had deployed to arrest Cortes 54 00:02:17,594 --> 00:02:18,495 for insubordination. 55 00:02:19,835 --> 00:02:22,395 In Cortes' absence, the man he had left 56 00:02:22,395 --> 00:02:23,135 in charge, 57 00:02:23,550 --> 00:02:24,530 Pedro de Alvarado, 58 00:02:25,229 --> 00:02:26,449 had ordered a massacre 59 00:02:26,750 --> 00:02:28,909 of the Aztec nobles and priests who were 60 00:02:28,909 --> 00:02:30,849 participating in a pagan ceremony 61 00:02:31,229 --> 00:02:33,169 at the great temple in Tenochtitlan. 62 00:02:34,430 --> 00:02:35,169 The attack 63 00:02:35,594 --> 00:02:36,334 was brutal 64 00:02:36,794 --> 00:02:39,775 resulting in many deaths and sparking a fierce 65 00:02:39,914 --> 00:02:40,414 uprising. 66 00:02:41,354 --> 00:02:44,094 After Cortes defeated the Spanish troops from Havana, 67 00:02:44,155 --> 00:02:45,375 he returned to Tenochtitlan 68 00:02:46,155 --> 00:02:48,634 to find that the fragile peace with the 69 00:02:48,634 --> 00:02:49,134 Aztecs 70 00:02:49,490 --> 00:02:50,389 had been shattered. 71 00:02:50,770 --> 00:02:53,569 And he immediately understood the great peril of 72 00:02:53,569 --> 00:02:54,389 his circumstances. 73 00:02:55,330 --> 00:02:56,949 With the Spanish troops besieged 74 00:02:57,409 --> 00:02:58,949 from within the city walls, 75 00:02:59,409 --> 00:03:02,150 Cortes decided that a hasty retreat 76 00:03:02,610 --> 00:03:03,909 was their only hope. 77 00:03:04,564 --> 00:03:05,944 So, exactly 504 78 00:03:06,564 --> 00:03:07,625 years ago today, 79 00:03:08,004 --> 00:03:10,104 on the fateful night of June 30th, 80 00:03:10,485 --> 00:03:11,384 15 20, 81 00:03:11,764 --> 00:03:13,544 Hernan Cortes led his troops, 82 00:03:14,405 --> 00:03:16,724 under the cover of darkness in a daring 83 00:03:16,724 --> 00:03:19,305 escape out of the Aztec capital of Tenochtitlan. 84 00:03:20,629 --> 00:03:23,830 2 things conspired against him and turned that 85 00:03:23,830 --> 00:03:24,810 attempted escape 86 00:03:25,189 --> 00:03:26,170 into a catastrophe. 87 00:03:26,950 --> 00:03:27,450 1st, 88 00:03:27,990 --> 00:03:30,010 the greed of his troops significantly 89 00:03:31,030 --> 00:03:32,250 slowed down their movement 90 00:03:32,710 --> 00:03:34,330 since not only were they traveling 91 00:03:34,985 --> 00:03:37,305 under heavy armor, but they were also weighed 92 00:03:37,305 --> 00:03:37,805 down 93 00:03:38,264 --> 00:03:40,025 by the gold they had stolen from the 94 00:03:40,025 --> 00:03:40,924 Aztec treasury. 95 00:03:41,864 --> 00:03:42,364 2nd, 96 00:03:42,824 --> 00:03:45,245 on the night of June 30th 15 20, 97 00:03:45,305 --> 00:03:46,604 there was a full moon. 98 00:03:46,930 --> 00:03:49,669 So their greed deprived them of agility 99 00:03:50,050 --> 00:03:51,270 and the bright moonlight 100 00:03:51,650 --> 00:03:53,030 deprived them of stealth. 101 00:03:53,409 --> 00:03:55,169 And they moved as they moved along the 102 00:03:55,169 --> 00:03:55,669 causeway 103 00:03:56,050 --> 00:03:58,930 that connected the inland city the island city 104 00:03:58,930 --> 00:03:59,750 to the mainland. 105 00:04:01,145 --> 00:04:03,384 Having become aware of their movements, the Aztec 106 00:04:03,384 --> 00:04:05,645 warriors launched a fierce attack. 107 00:04:06,264 --> 00:04:09,224 Chaos erupted as the Spaniards fought desperately to 108 00:04:09,224 --> 00:04:09,724 survive. 109 00:04:10,745 --> 00:04:13,485 Many fell under the barrage of Aztec spears 110 00:04:13,544 --> 00:04:14,284 and arrows, 111 00:04:14,750 --> 00:04:16,209 and many more drowned 112 00:04:16,669 --> 00:04:18,850 in the Lake Texcoco's dark waters, 113 00:04:19,389 --> 00:04:23,149 submerged under the unbearable burden of their stolen 114 00:04:23,149 --> 00:04:23,649 gold. 115 00:04:24,589 --> 00:04:26,350 Though the Aztecs have removed part of the 116 00:04:26,350 --> 00:04:28,930 causeway that connected the Nocitlan to the mainland, 117 00:04:29,455 --> 00:04:31,694 as the bodies of men and horses piled 118 00:04:31,694 --> 00:04:33,875 up along the shallow waters of the lake, 119 00:04:34,014 --> 00:04:35,235 their lifeless bodies 120 00:04:35,615 --> 00:04:37,314 formed a morbid bridge 121 00:04:37,615 --> 00:04:40,254 that ironically permitted Cortes and others to reach 122 00:04:40,254 --> 00:04:40,835 the mainland 123 00:04:41,215 --> 00:04:42,675 and preserve their lives. 124 00:04:43,810 --> 00:04:45,430 Exhausted and defeated, 125 00:04:46,129 --> 00:04:49,090 Cortes and those who escaped regrouped near a 126 00:04:49,090 --> 00:04:51,810 large cypress tree with a trunk over 10 127 00:04:51,810 --> 00:04:54,370 feet in diameter and about a 150 feet 128 00:04:54,370 --> 00:04:54,870 tall. 129 00:04:55,504 --> 00:04:57,504 The few remaining hours of the night became 130 00:04:57,504 --> 00:04:58,245 a nightmare 131 00:04:58,785 --> 00:05:00,485 that Cortez would never forget. 132 00:05:01,264 --> 00:05:03,584 The Aztecs had managed to capture scores of 133 00:05:03,584 --> 00:05:05,665 Spanish soldiers. And for the rest of the 134 00:05:05,665 --> 00:05:07,764 night, the Aztecs devoted themselves 135 00:05:08,144 --> 00:05:08,805 to ritualistically 136 00:05:09,105 --> 00:05:09,605 sacrifice 137 00:05:10,460 --> 00:05:12,000 every single one of them. 138 00:05:12,780 --> 00:05:15,420 So under the massive cypress tree and the 139 00:05:15,420 --> 00:05:17,439 unrelenting witness of the full moon, 140 00:05:17,819 --> 00:05:20,460 the air became thick with the weeping and 141 00:05:20,460 --> 00:05:22,480 wailing of the sacrificial victims. 142 00:05:22,855 --> 00:05:25,175 And Cortes, overwhelmed by the agony of his 143 00:05:25,175 --> 00:05:27,115 men, succumbed in despair 144 00:05:27,495 --> 00:05:28,714 and whipped bitterly. 145 00:05:30,134 --> 00:05:31,895 That tree came to be known as el 146 00:05:31,895 --> 00:05:34,535 arbol de la noche triste or the tree 147 00:05:34,535 --> 00:05:35,835 of the night of sorrows. 148 00:05:36,295 --> 00:05:38,235 A tree whose trunk still stands, 149 00:05:38,629 --> 00:05:40,949 a silent witness to the deep sorrow that 150 00:05:40,949 --> 00:05:41,610 can befall 151 00:05:41,990 --> 00:05:43,050 the human soul. 152 00:05:43,829 --> 00:05:45,750 I pray none of us ever find ourselves 153 00:05:45,750 --> 00:05:48,009 in the shadow of that kind of tree. 154 00:05:48,069 --> 00:05:50,949 But King David, the primary human author of 155 00:05:50,949 --> 00:05:52,089 the Hebrew Psalter, 156 00:05:52,474 --> 00:05:54,814 not only experienced nights like the one Cortez 157 00:05:54,875 --> 00:05:56,495 experienced exactly 505104 158 00:05:57,354 --> 00:05:59,995 years ago under the tree of the night 159 00:05:59,995 --> 00:06:00,654 of sorrows, 160 00:06:01,115 --> 00:06:01,935 but thankfully, 161 00:06:02,794 --> 00:06:05,134 he also recorded his raw sentiments 162 00:06:05,514 --> 00:06:06,334 in the Psalter, 163 00:06:06,819 --> 00:06:09,779 providing the church in God's providence and under 164 00:06:09,779 --> 00:06:10,759 his guidance 165 00:06:11,300 --> 00:06:12,199 with a compass 166 00:06:12,660 --> 00:06:15,300 to guide us out of a state of 167 00:06:15,300 --> 00:06:18,660 deep sorrow and into the light of God's 168 00:06:18,660 --> 00:06:19,160 love. 169 00:06:19,955 --> 00:06:21,335 Psalm 6 is precisely 170 00:06:21,795 --> 00:06:24,055 that kind of godly compass. 171 00:06:24,754 --> 00:06:26,675 Now many consider Psalm 6 to be the 172 00:06:26,675 --> 00:06:29,495 first of 7 penitential Psalms in the Psalter. 173 00:06:29,955 --> 00:06:32,055 In such Psalms, the psalmist expresses 174 00:06:32,595 --> 00:06:33,735 sorrow for sin 175 00:06:34,099 --> 00:06:36,339 and he pleads with God for mercy and 176 00:06:36,339 --> 00:06:36,839 deliverance. 177 00:06:38,099 --> 00:06:40,599 Think for a moment how extraordinary this is. 178 00:06:41,379 --> 00:06:44,019 Many people today suggest that the Christian God 179 00:06:44,019 --> 00:06:46,120 is either despotic or uncaring, 180 00:06:46,659 --> 00:06:49,479 and that Christians are self righteous and hypocritical. 181 00:06:50,875 --> 00:06:51,375 However, 182 00:06:51,834 --> 00:06:54,095 penitential Psalms, like Psalm 6, 183 00:06:54,794 --> 00:06:55,294 demonstrate 184 00:06:56,154 --> 00:06:58,555 that far from being or far from being 185 00:06:58,555 --> 00:07:00,014 called by the scriptures 186 00:07:00,314 --> 00:07:01,454 to be self righteous, 187 00:07:01,754 --> 00:07:03,675 or or in far from being encouraged by 188 00:07:03,675 --> 00:07:05,055 the scriptures to be hypocritical, 189 00:07:05,500 --> 00:07:08,379 the scriptures call us and encourage us to 190 00:07:08,379 --> 00:07:11,019 confess our sin and to express sorrow for 191 00:07:11,019 --> 00:07:11,519 it. 192 00:07:11,899 --> 00:07:14,800 And far from God being despotic and uncaring, 193 00:07:15,259 --> 00:07:17,339 the scriptures teach us that He has compassion 194 00:07:17,339 --> 00:07:18,240 for His people 195 00:07:18,944 --> 00:07:21,345 and that his saving work is an act 196 00:07:21,345 --> 00:07:23,284 of mercy and a demonstration 197 00:07:23,664 --> 00:07:24,485 of his love 198 00:07:24,865 --> 00:07:25,524 for them. 199 00:07:26,464 --> 00:07:29,024 This is why Psalm 6 presents a message 200 00:07:29,024 --> 00:07:30,884 of hope for you this morning. 201 00:07:31,370 --> 00:07:33,370 Since it reminds you that because God is 202 00:07:33,370 --> 00:07:34,269 who He is, 203 00:07:34,649 --> 00:07:37,069 you can come to Him as you are, 204 00:07:37,370 --> 00:07:38,750 in the depths of sorrow, 205 00:07:39,289 --> 00:07:41,069 in the shame of your sin, 206 00:07:41,849 --> 00:07:43,470 in the agony of persecution. 207 00:07:44,404 --> 00:07:46,084 And not only will He not turn you 208 00:07:46,084 --> 00:07:46,584 away, 209 00:07:47,204 --> 00:07:49,305 but because of the love that is yours, 210 00:07:49,444 --> 00:07:51,305 by virtue of your union with Christ, 211 00:07:51,685 --> 00:07:53,925 He will have mercy on you and He 212 00:07:53,925 --> 00:07:56,084 will deliver you from the attacks of the 213 00:07:56,084 --> 00:07:56,584 wicked 214 00:07:57,160 --> 00:07:59,420 and from the fear of uncertainty, 215 00:07:59,879 --> 00:08:01,660 and even from the seemingly 216 00:08:02,279 --> 00:08:04,939 unbearable weight of deep despair. 217 00:08:06,040 --> 00:08:07,180 And that's not all. 218 00:08:08,040 --> 00:08:11,100 God will also work in you even painfully 219 00:08:11,319 --> 00:08:12,060 if necessary 220 00:08:12,865 --> 00:08:14,004 to purify you, 221 00:08:14,544 --> 00:08:15,845 to cause you to repent 222 00:08:16,224 --> 00:08:17,204 from your sin, 223 00:08:17,985 --> 00:08:19,985 to teach you to hate your sin, and 224 00:08:19,985 --> 00:08:21,824 to turn away from it, and to turn 225 00:08:21,824 --> 00:08:22,964 in hope to Christ 226 00:08:23,425 --> 00:08:25,664 that you might become more and more like 227 00:08:25,664 --> 00:08:26,164 Him. 228 00:08:26,930 --> 00:08:28,529 You see, the Psalms are not only a 229 00:08:28,529 --> 00:08:29,029 window 230 00:08:29,649 --> 00:08:30,870 into our hearts. 231 00:08:31,729 --> 00:08:34,309 They are they are the uncensored voice 232 00:08:34,850 --> 00:08:36,230 of the Christian soul 233 00:08:36,690 --> 00:08:38,549 confessing to God our remorse, 234 00:08:39,375 --> 00:08:40,115 our fear, 235 00:08:40,495 --> 00:08:41,315 our shame, 236 00:08:41,774 --> 00:08:43,934 and our sorrow, and doing so with the 237 00:08:43,934 --> 00:08:44,434 expectation 238 00:08:45,294 --> 00:08:48,514 that our good heavenly Father hears our prayers 239 00:08:48,654 --> 00:08:50,595 and acts for our benefit. 240 00:08:51,700 --> 00:08:53,539 If I could distill the message of Psalm 241 00:08:53,539 --> 00:08:55,480 6 into a singular proposition, 242 00:08:55,860 --> 00:08:56,839 it would be this, 243 00:08:57,379 --> 00:08:58,440 In your distress 244 00:08:59,059 --> 00:09:00,039 do not despair, 245 00:09:00,659 --> 00:09:02,360 but turn to God for deliverance. 246 00:09:03,299 --> 00:09:05,399 Again, in your distress do not despair, 247 00:09:05,985 --> 00:09:08,404 but turn to God for deliverance. 248 00:09:09,345 --> 00:09:10,945 So the message of Psalm 6 is a 249 00:09:10,945 --> 00:09:12,464 message that we all need to hear this 250 00:09:12,464 --> 00:09:12,964 morning, 251 00:09:13,264 --> 00:09:15,745 for it offers us many practical lessons that 252 00:09:15,745 --> 00:09:17,825 will enable us to draw near to God 253 00:09:17,825 --> 00:09:19,365 in our time of need. 254 00:09:20,039 --> 00:09:22,679 Consider first the title or superscript of the 255 00:09:22,679 --> 00:09:23,179 Psalm. 256 00:09:23,559 --> 00:09:24,299 We read, 257 00:09:25,159 --> 00:09:26,139 to the choirmaster 258 00:09:26,679 --> 00:09:27,820 with string instruments 259 00:09:28,200 --> 00:09:29,419 according to the sheminith, 260 00:09:29,960 --> 00:09:30,779 a Psalm 261 00:09:31,159 --> 00:09:31,899 of David. 262 00:09:32,975 --> 00:09:34,334 The first thing I want to point out 263 00:09:34,334 --> 00:09:37,074 to you is that like like Psalms 45 264 00:09:37,214 --> 00:09:39,855 before it, Psalm 6 is addressed to the 265 00:09:39,855 --> 00:09:40,674 choir master. 266 00:09:41,454 --> 00:09:41,954 Furthermore, 267 00:09:42,654 --> 00:09:44,975 the title intimates that the psalm is to 268 00:09:44,975 --> 00:09:47,954 be recited or sung with stringed instruments 269 00:09:48,629 --> 00:09:49,929 according to the sheminith. 270 00:09:50,629 --> 00:09:52,410 The sheminith means the 8th. 271 00:09:52,950 --> 00:09:53,929 So it probably 272 00:09:54,389 --> 00:09:56,889 refers to an 8 stringed instrument 273 00:09:57,269 --> 00:09:59,129 or to a musical beat. 274 00:09:59,750 --> 00:10:02,710 You might ask, why should we care about 275 00:10:02,710 --> 00:10:03,929 these kinds of details? 276 00:10:04,764 --> 00:10:06,445 The reason is that we ought to worship 277 00:10:06,445 --> 00:10:08,625 God in the way that He commands, 278 00:10:09,084 --> 00:10:11,024 neither taking away from His ordinances 279 00:10:11,485 --> 00:10:14,144 nor adding rituals according to our own preferences 280 00:10:14,524 --> 00:10:17,325 or to the traditions of men as Moses 281 00:10:17,325 --> 00:10:18,464 instructs in Deuteronomy 282 00:10:18,764 --> 00:10:19,264 12 283 00:10:19,590 --> 00:10:21,610 and Jesus confirms in Matthew 15. 284 00:10:22,389 --> 00:10:24,730 This is known as the regulative principle 285 00:10:25,350 --> 00:10:26,009 of worship, 286 00:10:26,470 --> 00:10:28,550 which asserts that the worship of God should 287 00:10:28,550 --> 00:10:31,670 be based solely on what is explicitly commanded 288 00:10:31,670 --> 00:10:32,410 in scripture. 289 00:10:33,315 --> 00:10:35,014 This is why our worship services 290 00:10:35,715 --> 00:10:36,855 are not a concert, 291 00:10:37,634 --> 00:10:39,095 nor a political rally, 292 00:10:39,554 --> 00:10:42,195 nor a platform for a self improvement TED 293 00:10:42,195 --> 00:10:42,695 talk, 294 00:10:43,075 --> 00:10:46,054 nor your weekly cappuccino with Jesus check-in. 295 00:10:47,889 --> 00:10:48,389 Instead, 296 00:10:49,090 --> 00:10:52,289 we strive to worship God in spirit and 297 00:10:52,289 --> 00:10:54,129 in truth as Jesus commands us to do 298 00:10:54,129 --> 00:10:55,990 so in John 4:24, 299 00:10:57,169 --> 00:11:00,309 and to do so decently and in order 300 00:11:00,534 --> 00:11:02,955 as Paul instructs in 1st Corinthians 14:40. 301 00:11:03,975 --> 00:11:05,254 And to do it in a way that 302 00:11:05,254 --> 00:11:06,554 God himself prescribes 303 00:11:07,254 --> 00:11:08,394 in the entirety 304 00:11:08,855 --> 00:11:09,754 of his word. 305 00:11:10,855 --> 00:11:13,095 And we learned in Psalms and we learned 306 00:11:13,095 --> 00:11:14,715 in Psalms, like Psalm 6, 307 00:11:15,220 --> 00:11:18,340 that music and singing has always been an 308 00:11:18,340 --> 00:11:18,840 important 309 00:11:19,299 --> 00:11:20,840 and God honoring element 310 00:11:21,379 --> 00:11:22,120 of worship. 311 00:11:22,980 --> 00:11:24,919 Even in our simple worship services, 312 00:11:25,460 --> 00:11:27,480 we worship God by singing hymns 313 00:11:27,860 --> 00:11:30,735 accompanied with a stringed instrument. In this case, 314 00:11:30,815 --> 00:11:32,894 the piano, which even though it has a 315 00:11:32,894 --> 00:11:33,394 keyboard, 316 00:11:33,695 --> 00:11:34,195 is, 317 00:11:34,575 --> 00:11:37,294 its sound production relies on strings being struck 318 00:11:37,294 --> 00:11:37,954 by hammers. 319 00:11:39,294 --> 00:11:40,595 Our first lesson, therefore, 320 00:11:41,054 --> 00:11:43,075 is that we sing in our worship services 321 00:11:43,534 --> 00:11:45,879 not primarily because we enjoy it, though we 322 00:11:45,879 --> 00:11:46,379 do, 323 00:11:47,159 --> 00:11:49,820 nor because singing together brings us closer together, 324 00:11:50,360 --> 00:11:51,259 though it does, 325 00:11:52,120 --> 00:11:53,339 but because singing 326 00:11:53,720 --> 00:11:56,059 to God in worship is prescribed 327 00:11:56,600 --> 00:11:57,579 in his word. 328 00:11:58,544 --> 00:12:00,945 Now, the title also teaches us that this 329 00:12:00,945 --> 00:12:02,965 Psalm is composed by David. 330 00:12:03,504 --> 00:12:05,904 However, unlike Psalm 3, for example, which tells 331 00:12:05,904 --> 00:12:08,485 us the what the Psalm is about, 332 00:12:09,105 --> 00:12:11,205 Psalm 6 does not give us the historical 333 00:12:11,345 --> 00:12:11,845 background 334 00:12:12,304 --> 00:12:13,365 for its composition. 335 00:12:14,250 --> 00:12:15,149 We do know, 336 00:12:16,009 --> 00:12:18,009 that Psalm 6 is a prayer that David 337 00:12:18,009 --> 00:12:20,350 offers in terribly difficult circumstances, 338 00:12:20,809 --> 00:12:23,950 perhaps under his own tree of sorrows. 339 00:12:24,889 --> 00:12:26,429 So, in the midst of his agony, 340 00:12:26,889 --> 00:12:29,230 let us first of all consider David's posture. 341 00:12:30,205 --> 00:12:31,964 In verse 2, we read that David is 342 00:12:31,964 --> 00:12:32,464 languishing 343 00:12:33,245 --> 00:12:34,865 and that his bones are troubled. 344 00:12:35,644 --> 00:12:37,164 And in verse 3, we read that his 345 00:12:37,164 --> 00:12:38,784 soul is greatly troubled. 346 00:12:39,644 --> 00:12:42,065 The word languishing has the sense of withering, 347 00:12:42,929 --> 00:12:44,070 of drying out, 348 00:12:44,529 --> 00:12:46,149 of dwindling away. 349 00:12:46,690 --> 00:12:48,789 It's as if his very life is dissipating, 350 00:12:49,169 --> 00:12:51,909 like it is vanishing into thin air. 351 00:12:52,450 --> 00:12:54,690 His bones, which are the frame of his 352 00:12:54,690 --> 00:12:57,254 body or the scaffolding, one might think, of 353 00:12:57,254 --> 00:12:58,514 of his very existence 354 00:12:59,774 --> 00:13:00,434 are troubled, 355 00:13:00,735 --> 00:13:01,875 or better yet 356 00:13:02,254 --> 00:13:02,754 distressed, 357 00:13:03,295 --> 00:13:04,274 and his soul 358 00:13:04,815 --> 00:13:05,955 is greatly troubled. 359 00:13:07,535 --> 00:13:08,514 The word languishing, 360 00:13:09,830 --> 00:13:12,649 like I said, has this this sense of 361 00:13:12,870 --> 00:13:15,290 of of withering. And and David is, 362 00:13:15,830 --> 00:13:18,550 feels like his whole existence is withering, like 363 00:13:18,550 --> 00:13:19,769 he is falling apart. 364 00:13:20,310 --> 00:13:22,810 His body cannot withstand the burden 365 00:13:23,174 --> 00:13:25,815 that is that he is carrying and his 366 00:13:25,815 --> 00:13:27,914 soul is in abject terror. 367 00:13:28,455 --> 00:13:31,434 He is utterly dismayed, one might say. 368 00:13:32,054 --> 00:13:33,034 That's the sense 369 00:13:33,414 --> 00:13:36,634 conveyed by David's poetic language in this Psalm. 370 00:13:37,620 --> 00:13:39,460 In verses 6 and 7, we learn more 371 00:13:39,460 --> 00:13:41,240 about David's ruinous condition. 372 00:13:42,019 --> 00:13:44,279 His pain has provoked an intense moaning 373 00:13:44,820 --> 00:13:46,440 that has debilitated him. 374 00:13:46,820 --> 00:13:49,220 And at night, tears pour out from his 375 00:13:49,220 --> 00:13:50,360 eyes without ceasing, 376 00:13:50,660 --> 00:13:52,759 so that his couch is drenched 377 00:13:53,355 --> 00:13:54,575 by his unconsolable 378 00:13:55,274 --> 00:13:55,774 weeping. 379 00:13:57,115 --> 00:13:59,214 So profound is his grief is his grief 380 00:13:59,434 --> 00:14:01,674 that his eyes are wasting away from so 381 00:14:01,674 --> 00:14:04,334 much crying. And he feels that the constant 382 00:14:04,394 --> 00:14:04,894 torment 383 00:14:05,549 --> 00:14:07,870 from his foes might cause him to lose 384 00:14:07,870 --> 00:14:09,169 his eyesight altogether 385 00:14:09,950 --> 00:14:11,490 as his eye grows weaker 386 00:14:12,110 --> 00:14:12,769 and weaker. 387 00:14:14,190 --> 00:14:14,690 Darkness 388 00:14:15,309 --> 00:14:17,950 is encompassing David and he is about to 389 00:14:17,950 --> 00:14:20,715 black out as the world, his world is 390 00:14:20,715 --> 00:14:22,095 spinning out of control. 391 00:14:23,915 --> 00:14:24,894 Worst of all, 392 00:14:25,754 --> 00:14:27,595 verse 1 shows that David is concerned that 393 00:14:27,595 --> 00:14:29,434 God has set his anger and his wrath 394 00:14:29,434 --> 00:14:30,254 against him. 395 00:14:32,360 --> 00:14:33,179 You see that 396 00:14:33,799 --> 00:14:35,740 in his words in verse 1. 397 00:14:36,200 --> 00:14:37,740 In other words, David's despair 398 00:14:38,360 --> 00:14:39,179 is deepened 399 00:14:39,720 --> 00:14:40,860 by his concern 400 00:14:41,480 --> 00:14:43,419 that God has forsaken him. 401 00:14:44,704 --> 00:14:46,004 So in Psalm 6, 402 00:14:46,464 --> 00:14:48,225 David's posture is that of a man who 403 00:14:48,225 --> 00:14:48,964 is forlorn, 404 00:14:50,464 --> 00:14:51,524 physically frail, 405 00:14:52,784 --> 00:14:53,924 spiritually faint, 406 00:14:55,105 --> 00:14:55,605 emotionally 407 00:14:56,144 --> 00:14:56,644 fading. 408 00:14:58,019 --> 00:14:59,160 He feels forsaken 409 00:15:00,180 --> 00:15:01,720 and forgotten by God. 410 00:15:03,139 --> 00:15:04,759 Have you ever felt this way? 411 00:15:06,019 --> 00:15:08,580 Perhaps not all at once, but can you 412 00:15:08,580 --> 00:15:09,080 identify 413 00:15:09,700 --> 00:15:10,759 with that sense 414 00:15:11,105 --> 00:15:12,945 of sorrow that is conveyed in the first 415 00:15:12,945 --> 00:15:14,644 seven verses of Psalm 6? 416 00:15:16,144 --> 00:15:18,004 Problems in your marriage, for example, 417 00:15:18,705 --> 00:15:21,285 can lead you down very very dark paths. 418 00:15:21,985 --> 00:15:24,004 Especially because conflict with your spouse 419 00:15:24,559 --> 00:15:25,759 can make it seem as if you had 420 00:15:25,759 --> 00:15:26,740 made an adversary 421 00:15:27,519 --> 00:15:29,279 out of the very person whom God has 422 00:15:29,279 --> 00:15:30,500 provided to encourage 423 00:15:30,879 --> 00:15:32,820 and support you in your adversity. 424 00:15:34,320 --> 00:15:35,620 And if you're not careful, 425 00:15:36,559 --> 00:15:38,240 that can cause you to lose trust in 426 00:15:38,240 --> 00:15:38,899 your spouse, 427 00:15:39,575 --> 00:15:41,835 and to lose trust even in God's promises. 428 00:15:42,855 --> 00:15:44,855 And that can very quickly and effectively be 429 00:15:44,855 --> 00:15:45,754 used by Satan 430 00:15:47,014 --> 00:15:48,235 to cause you to 431 00:15:48,615 --> 00:15:50,394 feel physically alone, 432 00:15:51,575 --> 00:15:53,115 and emotionally abused, 433 00:15:54,269 --> 00:15:55,649 and spiritually abandoned. 434 00:15:57,470 --> 00:15:59,710 Relational conflicts with family or with friends can 435 00:15:59,710 --> 00:16:01,790 cause you to experience a deep sense of 436 00:16:01,790 --> 00:16:02,290 betrayal. 437 00:16:03,710 --> 00:16:05,730 When one of your children, or grandchildren, 438 00:16:06,485 --> 00:16:07,845 or when one of your parents is not 439 00:16:07,845 --> 00:16:08,904 walking with the Lord, 440 00:16:09,445 --> 00:16:11,384 that can provoke a profound 441 00:16:12,165 --> 00:16:13,225 sense of sorrow. 442 00:16:14,485 --> 00:16:15,625 The loss of employment 443 00:16:16,404 --> 00:16:18,425 and the uncertainty that comes with it 444 00:16:18,830 --> 00:16:21,809 can lead to unbearably high levels of stress 445 00:16:22,269 --> 00:16:23,009 and anxiety 446 00:16:23,389 --> 00:16:25,330 as you consider the potential repercussions 447 00:16:26,110 --> 00:16:27,009 on your family, 448 00:16:27,470 --> 00:16:28,929 not to mention the unwarranted 449 00:16:29,710 --> 00:16:31,809 guilt and shame that often accompany 450 00:16:32,269 --> 00:16:33,570 the loss of a job. 451 00:16:35,044 --> 00:16:36,745 And speaking of guilt and shame, 452 00:16:37,605 --> 00:16:38,105 hidden, 453 00:16:38,725 --> 00:16:39,784 indwelling sin 454 00:16:40,325 --> 00:16:41,065 over time 455 00:16:41,605 --> 00:16:43,625 can not only stunt your spiritual maturity 456 00:16:45,204 --> 00:16:47,625 and your growth in godliness as well, 457 00:16:48,019 --> 00:16:49,940 But Satan can use it to cause you 458 00:16:49,940 --> 00:16:51,240 to doubt your salvation, 459 00:16:52,179 --> 00:16:54,039 leading you to spiritual despair. 460 00:16:55,460 --> 00:16:56,840 Of course, chronic illness, 461 00:16:58,019 --> 00:16:59,080 deteriorating health, 462 00:16:59,860 --> 00:17:01,320 an unfavorable diagnosis, 463 00:17:02,394 --> 00:17:04,315 and the prospect of death, either yours or 464 00:17:04,315 --> 00:17:05,375 that of a loved one, 465 00:17:05,835 --> 00:17:07,994 can lead you to a very dark valley 466 00:17:07,994 --> 00:17:08,494 indeed, 467 00:17:08,954 --> 00:17:11,454 causing you to drench your pillow with tears 468 00:17:12,075 --> 00:17:12,575 night 469 00:17:13,115 --> 00:17:14,015 after night 470 00:17:14,634 --> 00:17:15,615 after night. 471 00:17:16,919 --> 00:17:19,240 My father was diagnosed with a very aggressive 472 00:17:19,240 --> 00:17:21,500 form of cancer in September of 2011. 473 00:17:21,960 --> 00:17:23,720 And he passed away 2 months later at 474 00:17:23,720 --> 00:17:24,700 the age of 59. 475 00:17:25,799 --> 00:17:27,799 I love my father deeply and those couple 476 00:17:27,799 --> 00:17:30,045 of months were a nightmare to me. It 477 00:17:30,125 --> 00:17:31,565 It was a nightmare to my sisters. It 478 00:17:31,565 --> 00:17:33,244 was most of all a nightmare to my 479 00:17:33,244 --> 00:17:33,744 mother. 480 00:17:34,765 --> 00:17:36,605 I'm thankful that I had the opportunity to 481 00:17:36,605 --> 00:17:38,365 spend the last 10 days of my dad's 482 00:17:38,365 --> 00:17:40,605 life with him, although the remembrance of those 483 00:17:40,605 --> 00:17:43,025 days can still be disquieting for me. 484 00:17:43,679 --> 00:17:44,419 In particular, 485 00:17:44,960 --> 00:17:47,379 the night before he died was especially ghastly. 486 00:17:48,079 --> 00:17:49,759 I remember it was about 3 in the 487 00:17:49,759 --> 00:17:51,839 morning and I couldn't sleep. So I went 488 00:17:51,839 --> 00:17:53,839 to the living room and, there was a 489 00:17:53,839 --> 00:17:55,839 window in our living room that, 490 00:17:56,399 --> 00:17:58,579 faced the front of the street. 491 00:17:59,284 --> 00:18:01,525 And I opened that window and noticed that 492 00:18:01,525 --> 00:18:02,585 there was no breeze. 493 00:18:03,284 --> 00:18:04,585 It was eerily 494 00:18:04,964 --> 00:18:06,904 quiet and still outside, 495 00:18:07,204 --> 00:18:09,765 as if death itself had moved into the 496 00:18:09,765 --> 00:18:10,265 neighborhood. 497 00:18:11,170 --> 00:18:12,930 The only sound I could hear was that 498 00:18:12,930 --> 00:18:14,470 of my father's labored breathing 499 00:18:14,769 --> 00:18:16,849 as he gasped for air with greater and 500 00:18:16,849 --> 00:18:17,750 greater difficulty. 501 00:18:18,369 --> 00:18:19,349 I thought to myself, 502 00:18:19,890 --> 00:18:21,670 what a nightmare this is. 503 00:18:23,089 --> 00:18:25,109 I was in my last year of seminary 504 00:18:25,785 --> 00:18:27,545 and I remember praying that God would have 505 00:18:27,545 --> 00:18:29,085 mercy on my father. 506 00:18:29,545 --> 00:18:31,384 Since he was a believer, I prayed that 507 00:18:31,384 --> 00:18:32,904 if God was not going to heal him, 508 00:18:32,904 --> 00:18:34,984 that he would take my father to enjoy 509 00:18:34,984 --> 00:18:35,725 his presence. 510 00:18:36,984 --> 00:18:39,225 I also prayed that God would use my 511 00:18:39,225 --> 00:18:42,500 profound sense of pain to teach me how 512 00:18:42,500 --> 00:18:44,119 to minister to his sheep 513 00:18:44,579 --> 00:18:46,359 whenever their hearts were hurting 514 00:18:46,819 --> 00:18:47,799 like mine was. 515 00:18:49,380 --> 00:18:51,619 In that night of sorrow, instead of questioning 516 00:18:51,619 --> 00:18:53,859 the goodness of God, I was thankful that 517 00:18:53,859 --> 00:18:56,099 the Lord permitted me to seek comfort in 518 00:18:56,099 --> 00:18:57,634 him through prayer. 519 00:18:58,575 --> 00:19:00,015 And you see that is the pattern that 520 00:19:00,015 --> 00:19:02,515 David lays out for us in Psalm 6. 521 00:19:03,455 --> 00:19:06,575 While the circumstances of his life have given 522 00:19:06,575 --> 00:19:08,035 him a posture of sorrow, 523 00:19:08,494 --> 00:19:10,515 David doesn't protest against God. 524 00:19:10,920 --> 00:19:12,539 Instead he prays to him, 525 00:19:13,000 --> 00:19:14,619 pleading with him before 526 00:19:15,080 --> 00:19:16,619 God's throne of grace. 527 00:19:17,080 --> 00:19:18,779 And that is what we must do 528 00:19:19,160 --> 00:19:21,160 when we find ourselves under the tree of 529 00:19:21,160 --> 00:19:21,660 sorrow. 530 00:19:22,600 --> 00:19:24,860 We are not to run away from God. 531 00:19:25,275 --> 00:19:26,654 We are to take comfort 532 00:19:27,035 --> 00:19:28,815 under the shadow of His wings. 533 00:19:29,674 --> 00:19:31,674 So having looked at David's posture, let us 534 00:19:31,674 --> 00:19:33,295 now consider David's plea. 535 00:19:33,835 --> 00:19:36,075 Notice first of all that David addresses his 536 00:19:36,075 --> 00:19:37,214 plea to God 537 00:19:37,755 --> 00:19:40,140 using his covenantal name, Yahweh, 538 00:19:40,519 --> 00:19:42,619 translated Lord in the ESV. 539 00:19:43,640 --> 00:19:46,200 In the 10 verses of Psalm 6, David 540 00:19:46,200 --> 00:19:48,940 uses God's covenantal name 8 times. 541 00:19:49,960 --> 00:19:51,740 So when sadness sets in, 542 00:19:52,394 --> 00:19:53,134 when anguish 543 00:19:53,674 --> 00:19:54,575 agitates you, 544 00:19:55,195 --> 00:19:56,974 when doubt depresses you, 545 00:19:57,434 --> 00:19:59,455 when conflict confounds you, 546 00:19:59,994 --> 00:20:01,535 when fear makes you faint, 547 00:20:02,154 --> 00:20:02,894 when iniquity 548 00:20:03,195 --> 00:20:04,335 isolates you. 549 00:20:04,650 --> 00:20:07,130 Beloved Christian, do not believe even for a 550 00:20:07,130 --> 00:20:07,630 moment 551 00:20:08,250 --> 00:20:09,230 that your privilege 552 00:20:09,769 --> 00:20:12,430 of calling upon your heavenly Father for help 553 00:20:12,970 --> 00:20:13,950 has been revoked. 554 00:20:14,970 --> 00:20:15,869 On the contrary, 555 00:20:16,410 --> 00:20:18,509 that is when Christ's work for you 556 00:20:18,809 --> 00:20:19,950 is most beneficial. 557 00:20:20,865 --> 00:20:22,805 And when he most clearly demonstrates 558 00:20:23,345 --> 00:20:25,204 his unfailing love for you. 559 00:20:26,065 --> 00:20:28,625 Remember that your standing before God has never 560 00:20:28,625 --> 00:20:29,285 been grounded 561 00:20:29,664 --> 00:20:30,565 on your goodness 562 00:20:31,184 --> 00:20:32,005 or steadfastness, 563 00:20:33,630 --> 00:20:35,330 nor on your happiness or confidence, 564 00:20:36,109 --> 00:20:38,349 nor even on the strength and extent of 565 00:20:38,349 --> 00:20:39,009 your faith. 566 00:20:39,950 --> 00:20:40,849 No, the reason 567 00:20:41,150 --> 00:20:43,330 why you can turn to God in prayer 568 00:20:43,869 --> 00:20:45,009 even and especially 569 00:20:45,710 --> 00:20:47,170 in your night of sorrow 570 00:20:47,605 --> 00:20:50,005 is because of Christ's perfect and finished work 571 00:20:50,005 --> 00:20:50,585 for you. 572 00:20:51,524 --> 00:20:54,184 The circumstances in your life may change. 573 00:20:55,204 --> 00:20:57,304 The vibrancy of your walk with the Lord 574 00:20:57,605 --> 00:20:58,345 may vary. 575 00:20:59,700 --> 00:21:02,279 The fortitude of your faith may fade 576 00:21:02,659 --> 00:21:03,720 or may flourish. 577 00:21:04,819 --> 00:21:06,119 But what never changes, 578 00:21:06,899 --> 00:21:07,880 but is always 579 00:21:08,339 --> 00:21:08,839 steadfast 580 00:21:09,619 --> 00:21:11,319 and is always sufficient 581 00:21:12,105 --> 00:21:13,565 is the merit and efficacy 582 00:21:14,025 --> 00:21:16,045 of Christ's work for you. 583 00:21:17,144 --> 00:21:18,045 Saying snares, 584 00:21:18,825 --> 00:21:20,765 the fallen world's lies, 585 00:21:21,464 --> 00:21:24,444 and your own sinfulness will constantly remind you 586 00:21:24,505 --> 00:21:25,644 of your inadequacy 587 00:21:26,105 --> 00:21:27,565 to stand before God. 588 00:21:28,789 --> 00:21:30,089 Ah, but in so doing, 589 00:21:30,549 --> 00:21:32,809 your adversaries are doing you a great favor. 590 00:21:33,509 --> 00:21:36,569 For you see, a great a greater apprehension 591 00:21:37,269 --> 00:21:38,569 of your personal inadequacy 592 00:21:39,269 --> 00:21:40,809 should result in a correspondingly 593 00:21:41,269 --> 00:21:42,170 greater appreciation 594 00:21:43,144 --> 00:21:44,284 for Christ's work. 595 00:21:45,304 --> 00:21:47,625 Remember Jesus' rebuke of Simon the Pharisee in 596 00:21:47,625 --> 00:21:48,365 Luke 7 597 00:21:49,304 --> 00:21:52,024 when Jesus asked him, If a lender cancels 598 00:21:52,024 --> 00:21:53,884 a man's debt of 50 denarii 599 00:21:54,264 --> 00:21:56,684 and another man's debt of 500 denarii, 600 00:21:57,279 --> 00:21:59,059 which man will love him more? 601 00:22:00,000 --> 00:22:02,400 And Simon answered, I suppose the one who 602 00:22:02,400 --> 00:22:03,619 had the larger debt. 603 00:22:04,640 --> 00:22:06,900 So Jesus replied, You suppose correctly. 604 00:22:07,359 --> 00:22:08,980 He who has forgiven much 605 00:22:09,440 --> 00:22:10,500 loves much. 606 00:22:11,804 --> 00:22:14,944 Far from invalidating your appeal before God's grace, 607 00:22:15,484 --> 00:22:16,384 it is precisely 608 00:22:17,085 --> 00:22:19,664 through confessing your necessity and poverty 609 00:22:20,044 --> 00:22:21,505 and your personal unworthiness 610 00:22:22,204 --> 00:22:23,105 before God 611 00:22:23,565 --> 00:22:25,565 that the chambers of the king shall be 612 00:22:25,565 --> 00:22:26,865 open wide to you. 613 00:22:27,380 --> 00:22:30,440 Through the abundantly merciful ministrations of Jesus 614 00:22:31,140 --> 00:22:33,460 who is never ashamed of you, but who 615 00:22:33,460 --> 00:22:35,779 will gladly anoint your head with oil and 616 00:22:35,779 --> 00:22:38,100 prepare a table for you in the presence 617 00:22:38,100 --> 00:22:38,920 of your enemies. 618 00:22:40,384 --> 00:22:42,164 When the devil reminds you of your inadequacy 619 00:22:42,944 --> 00:22:43,684 and need, 620 00:22:44,224 --> 00:22:44,724 discern 621 00:22:45,105 --> 00:22:46,804 that you have been forgiven much. 622 00:22:47,505 --> 00:22:48,884 So love much. 623 00:22:50,304 --> 00:22:52,164 So in your distress do not despair, 624 00:22:53,264 --> 00:22:54,884 but turn to God for deliverance. 625 00:22:55,710 --> 00:22:58,029 For a sound travels faster through water than 626 00:22:58,029 --> 00:22:59,169 it does through air, 627 00:22:59,549 --> 00:23:00,289 so also 628 00:23:00,669 --> 00:23:01,409 your tears 629 00:23:01,869 --> 00:23:04,669 expedite your appeal for mercy before the very 630 00:23:04,669 --> 00:23:06,929 heart of the God of consolation. 631 00:23:08,325 --> 00:23:09,845 The second thing I want you to notice 632 00:23:09,845 --> 00:23:11,065 about David's plea 633 00:23:11,924 --> 00:23:14,005 is that in verse 1, David doesn't ask 634 00:23:14,005 --> 00:23:16,984 that God not rebuke him nor discipline him, 635 00:23:17,284 --> 00:23:19,384 but that God does not do these things 636 00:23:19,444 --> 00:23:20,265 in anger 637 00:23:20,644 --> 00:23:21,544 or in wrath. 638 00:23:22,500 --> 00:23:23,619 There are 2 things I want you to 639 00:23:23,619 --> 00:23:25,000 take away from this. 1st, 640 00:23:26,019 --> 00:23:27,779 you may find that the rebuke and discipline 641 00:23:27,779 --> 00:23:28,920 of the Lord is painful, 642 00:23:29,779 --> 00:23:31,140 but you can be assured that it is 643 00:23:31,140 --> 00:23:31,960 always good. 644 00:23:33,059 --> 00:23:35,480 If we rebuke and discipline our own children 645 00:23:35,539 --> 00:23:37,059 because we want to help them grow in 646 00:23:37,059 --> 00:23:37,559 maturity, 647 00:23:38,315 --> 00:23:39,375 steering them away 648 00:23:39,755 --> 00:23:41,835 from a direction that will lead them to 649 00:23:41,835 --> 00:23:42,335 trouble, 650 00:23:42,875 --> 00:23:45,035 and helping them to experience instead a life 651 00:23:45,035 --> 00:23:46,974 of blessing and joy and peace, 652 00:23:47,434 --> 00:23:48,494 how much more 653 00:23:48,954 --> 00:23:49,934 should we benefit 654 00:23:50,714 --> 00:23:52,414 from the rebuke and discipline 655 00:23:53,059 --> 00:23:53,880 of our loving 656 00:23:54,259 --> 00:23:55,160 heavenly Father. 657 00:23:56,019 --> 00:23:58,579 So don't despise the Lord's rebuke and discipline 658 00:23:58,579 --> 00:24:00,839 when they come, but learn from them 659 00:24:01,220 --> 00:24:02,920 and grow through them. 660 00:24:03,779 --> 00:24:04,279 2nd, 661 00:24:04,974 --> 00:24:07,375 notice that David prays that God restrain his 662 00:24:07,375 --> 00:24:08,595 anger and his wrath. 663 00:24:09,454 --> 00:24:11,694 Now can God restrain his anger and wrath 664 00:24:11,694 --> 00:24:12,355 from us 665 00:24:13,134 --> 00:24:15,634 even when our sinful actions merit it? 666 00:24:16,734 --> 00:24:18,595 Would this not violate God's justice? 667 00:24:20,369 --> 00:24:21,670 No, it would not. 668 00:24:22,289 --> 00:24:25,009 The Christian can indeed pray that God withhold 669 00:24:25,009 --> 00:24:27,170 his anger and wrath from us without putting 670 00:24:27,170 --> 00:24:28,549 God's justice in jeopardy. 671 00:24:29,330 --> 00:24:31,410 The reason for this, of course, is that 672 00:24:31,410 --> 00:24:33,029 God has already fully satisfied 673 00:24:33,554 --> 00:24:35,654 his anger and wrath for our sins 674 00:24:36,034 --> 00:24:37,875 when Jesus was judged on the cross of 675 00:24:37,875 --> 00:24:38,375 Calvary. 676 00:24:39,234 --> 00:24:42,375 Thus David prayed relying on the future fulfillment 677 00:24:42,434 --> 00:24:43,335 of God's promise. 678 00:24:43,875 --> 00:24:46,054 But you can pray remembering 679 00:24:46,769 --> 00:24:48,070 God's past demonstration 680 00:24:48,769 --> 00:24:50,150 of his faithfulness. The 681 00:24:51,170 --> 00:24:52,930 third thing I want you to notice about 682 00:24:52,930 --> 00:24:53,830 David's plea 683 00:24:54,450 --> 00:24:56,390 is that he reminds God of his covenantal 684 00:24:56,529 --> 00:24:58,150 promises for to his people. 685 00:24:58,849 --> 00:25:01,490 In verses 2 and 4, David asked for 686 00:25:01,490 --> 00:25:01,990 grace, 687 00:25:02,984 --> 00:25:03,484 healing, 688 00:25:04,184 --> 00:25:04,684 deliverance, 689 00:25:05,065 --> 00:25:05,805 and salvation. 690 00:25:06,345 --> 00:25:07,884 Not because he deserves them, 691 00:25:08,585 --> 00:25:10,265 not because it would be just for him 692 00:25:10,265 --> 00:25:11,565 to receive these blessings, 693 00:25:12,025 --> 00:25:15,484 but for the sake of God's steadfast love. 694 00:25:16,369 --> 00:25:18,769 What David is doing here is reminding God 695 00:25:18,769 --> 00:25:19,590 of the promises 696 00:25:20,130 --> 00:25:21,750 that God made to his people. 697 00:25:22,289 --> 00:25:23,590 In Exodus 3:8, 698 00:25:24,049 --> 00:25:26,450 when God appears before Moses in the burning 699 00:25:26,450 --> 00:25:28,690 bush, he tells him, I have come down 700 00:25:28,690 --> 00:25:29,430 to deliver 701 00:25:29,924 --> 00:25:31,525 my people out of the land out of 702 00:25:31,525 --> 00:25:32,664 the hand of the Egyptians 703 00:25:33,125 --> 00:25:35,545 and to bring them out of that land 704 00:25:35,605 --> 00:25:38,005 to a good and broad land, a lamb 705 00:25:38,005 --> 00:25:40,025 flowing with milk and honey. 706 00:25:40,644 --> 00:25:41,865 In Exodus 52, 707 00:25:42,245 --> 00:25:44,745 after God delivers Israel from bondage in Egypt, 708 00:25:45,119 --> 00:25:47,279 Moses and the people of Israel praise God 709 00:25:47,279 --> 00:25:48,819 by singing a song saying, 710 00:25:49,440 --> 00:25:51,619 The Lord is my strength and my song, 711 00:25:51,759 --> 00:25:52,819 and He has become 712 00:25:53,279 --> 00:25:54,019 my salvation. 713 00:25:56,160 --> 00:25:57,380 In Exodus 1526, 714 00:25:58,079 --> 00:26:00,420 as Israel begins its journey through the wilderness, 715 00:26:00,825 --> 00:26:01,964 God made this promise. 716 00:26:02,825 --> 00:26:05,144 If you will diligently listen to the voice 717 00:26:05,144 --> 00:26:06,365 of the Lord your God, 718 00:26:06,744 --> 00:26:08,424 and do that which is right in his 719 00:26:08,424 --> 00:26:11,065 eyes, and give ear to his commandments, and 720 00:26:11,065 --> 00:26:12,365 keep all his statutes, 721 00:26:13,200 --> 00:26:15,519 I will put none of the diseases on 722 00:26:15,519 --> 00:26:17,460 you that I put on the Egyptians, 723 00:26:17,839 --> 00:26:19,299 for I am the Lord, 724 00:26:19,839 --> 00:26:20,740 your healer. 725 00:26:22,000 --> 00:26:24,740 And on Mount Sinai, in Exodus 34:6, 726 00:26:25,785 --> 00:26:27,785 as God hands Moses the tablets of the 727 00:26:27,785 --> 00:26:28,525 10 commandments, 728 00:26:29,785 --> 00:26:31,865 that are going to go inside the ark 729 00:26:31,865 --> 00:26:34,105 of the covenant, God identifies himself in this 730 00:26:34,105 --> 00:26:34,605 way. 731 00:26:34,984 --> 00:26:35,725 The Lord 732 00:26:36,265 --> 00:26:39,164 the Lord, a God merciful and gracious, 733 00:26:39,900 --> 00:26:40,880 slow to anger, 734 00:26:41,259 --> 00:26:43,039 and abounding in steadfast love 735 00:26:43,580 --> 00:26:44,240 and faithfulness. 736 00:26:45,259 --> 00:26:47,099 So you see the lessons the lesson for 737 00:26:47,099 --> 00:26:47,599 us 738 00:26:47,900 --> 00:26:49,580 is that it is always good for us 739 00:26:49,580 --> 00:26:52,000 to pray God's words back to Him, 740 00:26:52,555 --> 00:26:53,055 especially 741 00:26:53,835 --> 00:26:56,015 reminding him of his promises to his people 742 00:26:56,394 --> 00:26:59,615 and claiming them because of his steadfast love. 743 00:27:00,474 --> 00:27:03,195 This underscores the practical importance of reading the 744 00:27:03,195 --> 00:27:03,695 Bible. 745 00:27:04,075 --> 00:27:06,015 For it is only by reading the Bible 746 00:27:06,180 --> 00:27:07,940 that we will be able to learn and 747 00:27:07,940 --> 00:27:09,320 claim God's promises 748 00:27:09,860 --> 00:27:12,019 for us and for our loved ones as 749 00:27:12,019 --> 00:27:12,840 they are contained 750 00:27:13,380 --> 00:27:14,200 in the Bible. 751 00:27:15,539 --> 00:27:17,059 The last thing I want to highlight about 752 00:27:17,059 --> 00:27:19,059 David's plea this morning is the purpose that 753 00:27:19,059 --> 00:27:22,024 he attaches to it. Look at verses 45 754 00:27:22,085 --> 00:27:22,825 with me. 755 00:27:24,724 --> 00:27:25,784 Turn, O Lord, 756 00:27:26,484 --> 00:27:27,625 deliver my life. 757 00:27:28,085 --> 00:27:29,784 Save me for the sake of your steadfast 758 00:27:29,924 --> 00:27:30,424 love. 759 00:27:31,204 --> 00:27:32,184 For in death 760 00:27:32,644 --> 00:27:35,509 there is no remembrance of you. In Sheol, 761 00:27:35,970 --> 00:27:38,070 who will give you praise? 762 00:27:39,410 --> 00:27:41,330 David says that the reason why God should 763 00:27:41,330 --> 00:27:44,210 be gracious to him, and heal him, and 764 00:27:44,210 --> 00:27:46,390 deliver him, and save him 765 00:27:46,785 --> 00:27:47,525 is so 766 00:27:48,144 --> 00:27:50,404 that David can remember God's faithfulness 767 00:27:51,105 --> 00:27:52,484 and give him praise. 768 00:27:53,664 --> 00:27:54,644 Beloved Christian, 769 00:27:55,105 --> 00:27:56,945 it is good for us to write down 770 00:27:56,945 --> 00:27:59,105 our prayers, not only because it will help 771 00:27:59,105 --> 00:27:59,845 us remember 772 00:28:00,710 --> 00:28:02,710 who to pray for and what to pray 773 00:28:02,710 --> 00:28:03,210 for, 774 00:28:03,750 --> 00:28:04,650 but also 775 00:28:05,029 --> 00:28:07,369 because it will help us remember God's faithfulness, 776 00:28:08,069 --> 00:28:10,390 which will increase our gratitude and love for 777 00:28:10,390 --> 00:28:10,890 Him, 778 00:28:11,269 --> 00:28:13,829 and it will encourage and embolden us to 779 00:28:13,829 --> 00:28:16,250 give Him praise, which will help others 780 00:28:16,964 --> 00:28:18,424 trust in Him. 781 00:28:19,365 --> 00:28:22,265 In verses 8 to 10, David's tone changes. 782 00:28:23,125 --> 00:28:23,865 He writes, 783 00:28:24,804 --> 00:28:26,825 depart from me all you workers of evil, 784 00:28:27,125 --> 00:28:29,285 for the Lord has heard the sound of 785 00:28:29,285 --> 00:28:29,944 my weeping. 786 00:28:30,500 --> 00:28:33,140 The Lord has heard my plea. The Lord 787 00:28:33,140 --> 00:28:34,359 accepts my prayer. 788 00:28:34,900 --> 00:28:37,140 All my enemies shall be ashamed and greatly 789 00:28:37,140 --> 00:28:37,640 troubled. 790 00:28:37,940 --> 00:28:39,940 They shall turn back and be put to 791 00:28:39,940 --> 00:28:40,440 shame 792 00:28:40,900 --> 00:28:41,720 in a moment. 793 00:28:42,555 --> 00:28:44,815 It's as if David's sorrow has dissipated 794 00:28:45,195 --> 00:28:46,255 and he is confident 795 00:28:46,634 --> 00:28:48,815 that the Lord has heard his weeping, 796 00:28:49,515 --> 00:28:52,174 has heard his plea, and most importantly 797 00:28:52,475 --> 00:28:53,375 has accepted 798 00:28:54,075 --> 00:28:54,894 his prayer. 799 00:28:56,529 --> 00:28:57,830 So in this prayer 800 00:28:58,690 --> 00:28:59,750 of Psalm 6, 801 00:29:00,210 --> 00:29:02,470 we have seen that David's posture of sorrow 802 00:29:03,330 --> 00:29:05,190 led him to plead God's promises 803 00:29:05,890 --> 00:29:07,990 for the purpose of praising God. 804 00:29:08,654 --> 00:29:11,134 Now we see David's prayer end with a 805 00:29:11,134 --> 00:29:11,634 prophecy. 806 00:29:12,654 --> 00:29:14,674 Instead of David being concerned 807 00:29:15,375 --> 00:29:18,174 about God's anger and wrath, he warns his 808 00:29:18,174 --> 00:29:20,414 enemies that God's anger and wrath will fall 809 00:29:20,414 --> 00:29:21,154 upon them. 810 00:29:22,079 --> 00:29:24,179 Altogether certain that in a moment, 811 00:29:24,720 --> 00:29:26,339 they will be put to shame. 812 00:29:27,679 --> 00:29:30,339 This shift in the Psalm is so abrupt 813 00:29:31,279 --> 00:29:34,179 that it has left secular biblical scholars confounded 814 00:29:34,785 --> 00:29:36,545 leading some of them even to posit that 815 00:29:36,545 --> 00:29:38,865 these verses were a later edition written by 816 00:29:38,865 --> 00:29:39,765 a different hand. 817 00:29:41,744 --> 00:29:44,164 Christians, of course, have no excuse for indulging 818 00:29:44,225 --> 00:29:45,125 such folly. 819 00:29:45,984 --> 00:29:48,244 You see in verse 9, David tells us, 820 00:29:48,619 --> 00:29:49,279 The Lord 821 00:29:49,820 --> 00:29:50,320 accepts 822 00:29:51,019 --> 00:29:51,759 my prayer. 823 00:29:52,779 --> 00:29:53,600 And that 824 00:29:54,140 --> 00:29:56,619 tells us everything we need to know about 825 00:29:56,619 --> 00:29:59,200 the source of David's confidence and the reason 826 00:29:59,420 --> 00:30:00,799 for his change in tone. 827 00:30:01,625 --> 00:30:03,804 The reason the Lord accepts David's prayer 828 00:30:04,264 --> 00:30:06,184 is the same reason why God's anger and 829 00:30:06,184 --> 00:30:08,605 wrath are no longer set on David. 830 00:30:09,384 --> 00:30:11,964 You see, as David prayed God's promises, 831 00:30:12,825 --> 00:30:14,684 David himself remembered them. 832 00:30:15,230 --> 00:30:17,890 And he understood that God himself would provide 833 00:30:18,269 --> 00:30:19,410 and offer up 834 00:30:19,869 --> 00:30:22,830 the lamb who would appease God's anger and 835 00:30:22,830 --> 00:30:23,330 wrath. 836 00:30:24,190 --> 00:30:25,410 So David trusted, 837 00:30:26,269 --> 00:30:27,089 fully trusted, 838 00:30:28,105 --> 00:30:29,164 in that promise. 839 00:30:29,944 --> 00:30:31,804 You and I get to fully trust 840 00:30:32,264 --> 00:30:33,325 in that fact. 841 00:30:34,184 --> 00:30:35,944 Look at how the author of Hebrews puts 842 00:30:35,944 --> 00:30:37,164 it in Hebrews 10. 843 00:30:38,024 --> 00:30:41,144 He writes, and every priest stands daily at 844 00:30:41,144 --> 00:30:44,460 his service, offering repeatedly the same sacrifices 845 00:30:44,920 --> 00:30:46,700 which can never take away sins. 846 00:30:47,480 --> 00:30:48,539 But when Christ 847 00:30:49,000 --> 00:30:51,960 offered for all time a single sacrifice for 848 00:30:51,960 --> 00:30:52,460 sins, 849 00:30:53,160 --> 00:30:54,839 he sat down at the right hand of 850 00:30:54,839 --> 00:30:55,339 God, 851 00:30:55,875 --> 00:30:57,954 waiting for the time until his enemies should 852 00:30:57,954 --> 00:31:00,134 be made a footstool for his feet. 853 00:31:00,595 --> 00:31:02,055 For by a single offering, 854 00:31:02,434 --> 00:31:04,375 he has perfected for all time 855 00:31:04,755 --> 00:31:05,255 those 856 00:31:05,555 --> 00:31:06,695 who are being sanctified. 857 00:31:08,210 --> 00:31:10,950 Christ is both our Passover lamb which satisfies 858 00:31:11,089 --> 00:31:14,150 God's anger and wrath and our high priest 859 00:31:14,529 --> 00:31:16,150 who is at God's right hand, 860 00:31:16,529 --> 00:31:18,470 interceding for us, guaranteeing 861 00:31:18,769 --> 00:31:20,230 through His perfect merit 862 00:31:20,875 --> 00:31:22,575 that God accepts our prayers 863 00:31:23,034 --> 00:31:25,355 as they are sanctified and offered up by 864 00:31:25,355 --> 00:31:26,255 Jesus Himself. 865 00:31:27,355 --> 00:31:28,174 In a moment, 866 00:31:28,634 --> 00:31:30,575 your enemies and His enemies 867 00:31:30,954 --> 00:31:32,174 will be made a footstool 868 00:31:32,714 --> 00:31:33,694 for His feet. 869 00:31:34,799 --> 00:31:37,519 This liberates us to pray as Jesus commanded 870 00:31:37,519 --> 00:31:38,899 us for our enemies 871 00:31:39,359 --> 00:31:41,299 since vengeance belongs to him 872 00:31:41,679 --> 00:31:42,819 and not to us. 873 00:31:44,159 --> 00:31:45,779 You know, we live in a time 874 00:31:46,494 --> 00:31:48,674 during which revisionist history 875 00:31:49,054 --> 00:31:49,794 is everywhere. 876 00:31:50,654 --> 00:31:53,375 And this movement has not spared even the 877 00:31:53,375 --> 00:31:55,954 tree of the night of sorrow. 878 00:31:56,815 --> 00:31:57,875 Early in 2020, 879 00:31:58,335 --> 00:32:01,794 just before the 500th anniversary of Cortez's fateful 880 00:32:01,855 --> 00:32:02,309 night, 881 00:32:02,789 --> 00:32:04,890 the authorities in Mexico City renamed 882 00:32:05,269 --> 00:32:06,009 the tree 883 00:32:06,309 --> 00:32:08,009 from the tree of the night of sorrow 884 00:32:08,390 --> 00:32:10,490 to the tree of the victorious night 885 00:32:10,870 --> 00:32:13,509 commemorating the victory of the native Aztecs over 886 00:32:13,509 --> 00:32:14,809 the European colonizers. 887 00:32:15,994 --> 00:32:18,494 And although I'm no fan of revisionist history, 888 00:32:18,955 --> 00:32:21,275 in this instance, I do find good precedence 889 00:32:21,275 --> 00:32:22,335 for that revision. 890 00:32:23,195 --> 00:32:25,275 You see, as Cortes wept bitterly under the 891 00:32:25,275 --> 00:32:26,174 tree of sorrow, 892 00:32:26,634 --> 00:32:28,795 he vowed to return one day to avenge 893 00:32:28,795 --> 00:32:29,775 his men's death 894 00:32:30,075 --> 00:32:30,735 and conquer 895 00:32:33,369 --> 00:32:35,049 Tenochtitlan. Well, that reminds me of a different 896 00:32:35,049 --> 00:32:36,590 vow under a different tree. 897 00:32:37,369 --> 00:32:38,670 On the night of his arrest, 898 00:32:38,970 --> 00:32:41,150 our savior was greatly troubled, 899 00:32:41,850 --> 00:32:45,369 sweating drops of sorrow as he prayed beneath 900 00:32:45,369 --> 00:32:46,509 an olive tree. 901 00:32:47,585 --> 00:32:49,765 Yet he vowed to do his father's will 902 00:32:50,144 --> 00:32:51,605 no matter what the cost. 903 00:32:52,865 --> 00:32:54,865 The next day, under the shadow of another 904 00:32:54,865 --> 00:32:56,005 tree on Calvary, 905 00:32:56,625 --> 00:32:59,105 the drops of sorrow transformed into drops of 906 00:32:59,105 --> 00:32:59,605 love. 907 00:33:00,710 --> 00:33:02,650 As our Lord fulfilled his vow 908 00:33:03,349 --> 00:33:05,750 not to avenge his men by killing his 909 00:33:05,750 --> 00:33:06,250 enemies, 910 00:33:06,549 --> 00:33:08,089 but to redeem his bride 911 00:33:08,390 --> 00:33:10,630 by dying for her while she was yet 912 00:33:10,630 --> 00:33:11,369 his enemy. 913 00:33:12,309 --> 00:33:14,390 Thus, while it's true that our savior hung 914 00:33:14,390 --> 00:33:15,529 on a tree of sorrow, 915 00:33:16,275 --> 00:33:18,434 that tree became a tree of victory when 916 00:33:18,434 --> 00:33:20,455 he was raised on the 3rd day. 917 00:33:21,475 --> 00:33:22,775 That's why like David, 918 00:33:23,234 --> 00:33:25,095 if you're in Christ, you can be sure 919 00:33:25,715 --> 00:33:28,535 that God's anger and wrath are no longer 920 00:33:28,595 --> 00:33:29,335 on you. 921 00:33:30,200 --> 00:33:32,440 That's also why like David, if you are 922 00:33:32,440 --> 00:33:34,299 in Christ, you can be sure that God 923 00:33:34,359 --> 00:33:35,819 accepts your prayer. 924 00:33:36,599 --> 00:33:37,740 So in your distress, 925 00:33:38,440 --> 00:33:39,339 do not despair, 926 00:33:39,960 --> 00:33:41,579 but turn to God 927 00:33:42,039 --> 00:33:42,859 for deliverance. 928 00:33:43,240 --> 00:33:44,140 Let's pray.