Sermon: Psalm 7 You are my refuge

When we were growing up the summer holidays were long, and carefree, and the sun shone every day. (Or so it seemed). We had loads of friends on our street, and we rode our bikes, played tennis, and did lots of things together. The game we loved playing, though, was what we called pom pom home. It was like hide and seek - except the person looking for you had to get back to base and shout ‘pom pom I see Gary’ for me to be caught. Again. The whole idea of the game was to make it home, to get back to base, then you were safe. You couldn’t be caught. You were safe.

This morning, we’re thinking about taking refuge, finding shelter. So what comes into your mind when you hear those words - refuge, shelter. Perhaps it’s huddling under an umbrella, when the rain comes tumbling down, finding some protection from the elements. You get the same idea with a bus shelter - when you’re waiting for a bus, you can stand in under it, to get out of the rain or the wind.

With the children going back to school, though, I began to think back to the best time of the school day (and it wasn’t the home time bell, but it was just better than that) - breaktime and lunchtime. If it wasn’t raining, we were allowed out into the playground. You could play football, or chasies or swop football stickers or pogs or top trumps. If you were ever annoyed by someone, or someone wanted to fight with you, then you knew what to do - get close to Mrs Malcolmson / Osborne / Clarke / Barr. The dinner ladies took no nonsense. No one would dare come near you if you were beside them. The dinner ladies were a shelter, a safe place. A person was a safe place, a refuge. And that’s the idea that David shows us in verse 1. ‘O LORD my God, I take refuge in you; save me and deliver me from all who pursue me.’

The title of the Psalm gives us some idea of what is happening - ‘A shiggaion of David, which he sang to the LORD concerning Cush, a Benjaminite.’ And verse 2 shows why David needs to take refuge in the Lord - ‘or they will tear me apart like a lion and rip me to pieces with no one to rescue me.’ David fears for his life because of his enemies, and in particular this Cush boyo. So he takes refuge in the Lord. God is (firstly) David’s refuge. Is he your refuge, your shelter?

Next, in verses 3-5, David maintains his innocence before his judge. Do you see the way he says ‘if, if... then let’ this happen. He’s appealing to God the judge. If I have done this and there is guilt on my hands - if I have done evil to him who is at peace with me or without cause have robbed my foe - then let my enemy pursue and overtake me. If this was true, then he would deserve for his enemy to triumph over him. He feels so strongly, he feels wrongly accused, so he cries out to God, who sees all and knows all.

Whenever you’re accused of wrongdoing, how do you handle it? Do you go on the attack? Or do you take it to the Lord, your shelter, your refuge? David it takes it to the Lord in prayer. He appeals to the judge, and rests his case. Selah - that pause, that turning around.

From verse 6, we see David owning God as his vindicator, the one who will show and prove that David is in the right. I wonder would you talk to God like this? ‘Arise, O Lord, in your anger; rise up against the rage of my enemies; awake my God; decree justice.’ Do you see the action of those three lines? Arise, rise up, awake. God, don’t just sit there allowing this to happen. God, get up and do something! It’s almost like the words that will be heard when the schools start again - get up, you’ve to be in school! And what is it that God has to do? Not go to school, but to act as judge.

David seems to be impatient with God - that God is slow to do his job. That God is slow to act on David’s behalf. Have you ever found yourself in the same boat? The wicked seem to get away with their wickedness. Come on, God, don’t let them get away with it! Don’t let them accuse me falsely!

In verse 8, it almost looks as if David has gone too far. He may well be right to be cross with the accusations. He may well be right to call on God. But is he right to claim verse 8? ‘let the Lord judge the peoples. Judge me, O Lord, according to my righteousness, according to my integrity.’

It’s one thing to claim to be innocent in one particular charge. It’s another to claim to have righteousness and integrity. All the time? In everything? No slips, no faults, no secrets? It’s one thing to ask for God to judge others - but do we really want God to judge us? To come under his searchlight? The God who searches minds and hearts, who knows what we’re thinking, what we’re feeling, what we’re desiring.

This is a prayer - ‘bring to an end the violence of the wicked and make the righteous secure.’ David is looking forward to the day when the wicked will be stopped, when the righteous are secure. but how can we be sure that we’re part of the righteous, rather than the wicked who will be stopped? How could David be so certain? Was he trusting in his own righteousness, and his own integrity? Is that what we need to do as well? Reckon on our own right standing? Try to impress with our integrity?

Would we be willing to stand before God and say these words? To stand before the God who sees on the inside, without the need for x-ray vision or truth detectors or any other tricks. He searches minds and hearts. How can we be vindicated? How can we stand in the judgement of God?

We find the answer in verse 10 and following. ‘My shield is God Most High, who saves the upright in heart.’ David is vindicated because he knows that God is his shield and his saviour. He has taken refuge in God. And in these verses, we’re given a tour of God’s armour, his weapon room. Those who take refuge in God are behind his shield. But those who don’t, they’re on the receiving end of the other weapons of God: ‘God is a righteous judge, a God who expresses his wrath every day. If he does not relent, he will sharpen his sword; he will bend and string his bow. He has prepared his deadly weapons; he makes ready his flaming arrows.’ Now that line in the middle, ‘If he does not relent’ - the Bible translations are divided. Some go with our version, and the ‘he’ is God. If God does not relent, if he doesn’t provide mercy, then he will express his judgement...

Other versions reckon that the ‘he’ is talking about people. So they’ll say ‘If a man does not repent...’ But it’s the same end result either way. If we repent, if we turn to God, then he will receive us and give us refuge. But if not, then he will express his wrath against us.

Here’s why David is upright; here’s how David has righteousness and integrity - he hasn’t worked it up himself - he has received it, through repentance, through the Lord relenting.

By taking refuge in the Lord, the righteous judge, David is counted as righteous. For any who will not repent, God is presented as the righteous judge. Those who do not repent are in the firing line. The sword, the bow and arrow, all aiming at the sinner. To rebel against God is to sign up for the enemy, to stand in opposition to God, to fight against God. That’s the position we’re all in by nature, and unless we have done something about it, then we’re still in the firing line. God is angry at sin - not an unpredictable, vindictive anger the way some people might be; but a perfect, holy indignation against sin, all that dishonours him and rejects his way.

Alongside God’s anger, we’re also afflicted on the inside. It’s as if David brings us to the maternity ward to give us an examination. The wicked man is pregnant with evil, conceives trouble and gives birth to disillusionment. Our sin comes from inside, and destroys us from the inside.

It’s almost like one of those Tom and Jerry or Roadrunner and Wile E Coyote cartoons. ‘He who digs a hole and scoops it out, falls into the pit he has made. The trouble he causes recoils on himself; his violence comes down on his own head.’ Our acts of sin return on us, and destroy us. By continuing in sin, not only are we our own worst enemies, but also, we have God as our enemy.

David finds comfort in these verses, as he looks forward to the end of evil enemies. But this might be the wake-up call we need. Perhaps you will consider your ways, and realise the end of your own path. It doesn’t have to be that way.

You too can experience the assurance David knew. You can also be confident of standing in the judgement. You see, God is our refuge, our shelter. Out of his great love for us, he turned his weapons on his precious Son. Jesus bore the punishment we deserve. Jesus died the death we deserve. He takes away our sin, and instead he gives us his perfect righteousness - the righteousness that David knew as his own, a gift from God.

Many’s a time in our neighbour’s big back garden, we would sneak about, trying not to be caught, trying not to be found out. When we made it to the base, when we took refuge there, we were safe. It didn’t matter how much the catcher complained.

When we take refuge in God, the accuser can shout all he wants. But he is powerless to change God’s verdict on us - the judgement revealed before the day of judgement: there is no condemnation for those in Christ Jesus. That’s why David turns to thanks and praise - for his righteousness. Can you sing his praise today?

This sermon was preached in St Matthew's Church, Richhill on Sunday morning 13th August 2017.

Sermon: Matthew 13: 24-30, 36-43 Kingdom Parables: The Wheat and the Weeds

I'll hold my hands up, just so that you can see for sure: I don’t have green fingers. As I sometimes say, the only things I can grow are weeds. And that was definitely the case when we got married and had our first home together. There was a bit of a garden at the front, and more of a garden at the back. Our neighbours on either side were great gardeners, so the pressure was on. So off we went to a garden centre, got a few nice plants and so on. We planted them, watered them, and waited.

After a wee while, there was something growing, shooting up tall, and bringing these great flowers. I was so pleased at our efforts, until one of our neighbours pointed out that the bluebells I had been proud of were actually a weed. I quite liked them, but they weren’t what we had planted. Their seeds were already in the soil, waiting to come again.

And come they did. Better than any of our own plants! If you keep any sort of a garden, even a wee window box, then you know that you have to keep weeding it. To show off the flowers that you want, you have to get rid of the weeds. What’s a weed? Anything that shouldn’t be there.

In our Bible reading tonight, Jesus tells another of his kingdom parables. It’s an earthly, everyday story to teach us something about the kingdom of God. The story will show us some detail of what the kingdom of God is like. So let’s look at the parable, beginning in verse 24.

We’re told of a man who sows good seed in his field. He’s happy with his work, and waits for the plants to sprout. But unknown to him, in the dead of night, an enemy has come along and sowed weeds among the wheat. At first, it’s not obvious what has happened. It just looks like a good crop is growing.

But, verse 26, ‘When the wheat sprouted and formed ears, then the weeds also appeared.’ Alongside the wheat, there are the weeds. You see, the weeds here are probably darnel, a mildly poisonous weed that looks like wheat in the early stages. It’s only when the grains appear that the weeds are seen to be different. But by then it’s too late.

The wheat and the weeds are growing in and out through each other. It’s not that all the wheat are in this side of the field and all the weeds are in the other field. They’re side by side and through other.

The servants of the farmer are surprised when the weeds appear: ‘Sir, didn’t you sow good seed in your field? Where, then, did the weeds come from?’ (27) If you sow good seed, you expect a good crop - not weeds. It’s as if they’re asking if he’s still got the receipt for the seed. Or if he’s still got the packet the seeds came from. Are you sure they were good seed that was sown?

The farmer realises an enemy has done this - something which was devastating, and illegal in Roman law. The weeds would threaten the wheat growing. Remember the parable of the sower - where the thorns grow up and choke the plants? So what should be done? We need to do the weeding! We need to get rid of the weeds!

So that’s what the servants ask: ‘Do you want us to go and pull them up?’

But the farmer tells them to wait: ‘No, because while you are pulling the weeds, you may root up the wheat with them. Let both grow together until the harvest.’ The roots and shoots of the wheat and weeds are tangled together, it would be too messy to get rid of the weeds now. In taking out the weeds, you might also threaten the harvest. It’s only when the harvest comes that the weeds can be easily separated from the wheat. Then the weeds will be collected first and tied to be burned, and afterwards the wheat gathered and brought into the barn.

So that’s the story of the wheat and the weeds. But what is it all about? Is Jesus warning about the dangers of agricultural terrorism? The need to have someone guarding your fields at night to stop enemies sowing weeds? Tips for farmers when it comes to weeding? Well, no.

When Jesus gets into the house, away from the crowd, the disciples ask him to explain it. As Jesus explains the story, we find that we’re in the story - it explains the world as we know it now, and gives us a warning about the future.

Jesus is the farmer, the one who sows the good seed. Here, the good seed are the children of the kingdom - those who belong to Jesus. On the other side, the weeds are the children of the evil one, sown by the enemy, the devil, in opposition to Jesus and his purposes. Isn’t this what we see in the world? There are both sorts of people in the world. And sometimes you can’t tell which are which. The children of the kingdom and the children of the evil one grow up together.

Just as the wheat and the weeds for a time looked the same, so it is with people you meet on the street. Some who look like weeds might actually be wheat; while some who look like wheat, the real thing, could actually be weeds. Here and now it’s hard to tell, but harvest is coming.

This was the thing that the writer of Psalm 73 struggled with. To his eyes, it seemed as if the weeds were flourishing, as if it was a better life to be wicked. But then, he entered the sanctuary of God ‘then I understood their final destiny.’ In the presence of God he sees beyond this life to the judgement, to the harvest, and sees that crime doesn’t pay; that wickedness will be judged; that it is only the wheat that will be taken into glory.

Now, the parable is about the world - all the world is God’s own field, as we sung in our first hymn. But the church too reflects this field. Even the church can be a ‘mixed’ organisation - wheat and weeds side by side, looking fairly similar. It’s sometimes hard to tell. You can have those who on the surface look to be faithful members, but in fact they’re not. The fruit shows the heart - they might look like wheat, but they produce weeds.

We’re now in this season of growth, but one day, some day (soon), will come the time of the harvest. The owner of the field will call time and send his workers in to gather the harvest. At that time it will be so obvious which is which - the wheat and the weeds.

Here’s what Jesus says: ‘As the weeds are pulled up and burned in the fire, so it will be at the end of the age. The Son of Man will send out his angels, and they will weed out of his kingdom everything that causes sin and all who do evil. They will throw them into the fiery furnace, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father. He who has ears, let him hear!’

Jesus is giving us a solemn warning here about what lies ahead for those who are not his people. Harvest time is coming, at the end of the world, when time itself shall cease, and the judgement of all is at hand. Just as you wouldn’t want any weeds spoiling your gardens or window boxes, so there is no room in God’s kingdom for those who are evildoers. Sin and sinners would be out of place in that atmosphere of perfect holiness.

We don’t like hearing about judgement; it’s not an easy thing to speak about - yet the Lord Jesus speaks of it, and so must we. You see, this world is not all there is, despite what the New Atheists try to tell us. If this world was all that existed, then there would be no justice. Hitler commanded the genocide of millions of Jews and others, and committed suicide before he could be captured and brought before a war trial. Did he escape justice? Our hearts cry out for justice - because there is a just God.

Jesus describes the furnace of fire, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. I know that some of you have a tender conscience, and as we speak of evildoers, your heart immediately cries out. You’re all too aware of your sins and failings. But look at the contrast - evildoers are the weeds, but the righteous are the wheat.

None of us are righteous by our own efforts. All of us deserve the fire of hell for our sins. But the good news is that Jesus endured our punishment; he died the death we deserved, and as we trust in him, we have that great exchange - he takes away our sin, and gives us his righteousness. We are found to be his, to be that good seed - and so no longer face punishment, but paradise.

A few years ago, I was part of a inter-diocesan discussion day on human sexuality. At our particular table of 8, it seemed as if I was the only one who believed in the biblical definition of marriage as one man and one woman, so I had spoken up, seeking to be faithful. The final session of the day was a reflection on this very parable. We were asked to reflect on it, then share our thoughts on it. One woman almost leapt over the table, to tell me that we can’t judge and shouldn’t judge! Yes, ok, I said, but look, the judgement is coming.

Everyone you meet is destined for either the fiery furnace or shining like the sun in the kingdom of our Father. We might not be able to tell who’s who (for sure) - but we labour to bring the good news, to share God’s word, so that the wheat will be revealed, and gathered to glory. Harvest is coming.

This sermon was preached in St Matthew's Church, Richhill on Sunday evening 6th August 2017.

Sermon: Psalm 6 How long, O Lord?

Picture the scene. You’re heading out somewhere, and you’re ready to go. But you can’t go yet, because someone else isn’t ready. And so you sit and wait. Or you pace up and down the hallway. You jangle your keys. And you think to yourself... how long?

Or you’re out shopping, and you stand outside the shop. And you wait. And you wait. And you think... how long?

Or you’re on the phone, and you hear the recorded message: ‘Your call is important to us. Please wait while we try to connect your call with the next available assistant.’ So you hear the same piece of music time after time after time, and you think... how long?

How good are you at waiting? You see, it’s one thing when it’s something small like waiting for someone else to get ready to go out; or someone to finish trying on shoes or clothes in the shop. Or maybe you’re asking ‘how long?’ will this sermon be? But sometimes waiting is even harder to do. The ‘how long?’ cry is even more urgent.

Perhaps you’re in the middle of a ‘how long?’ situation at the moment. You desperately need God to do something, to change something, to intervene, but it seems like he’s doing nothing, that he has forgotten about you, or that he doesn’t care about you.

That’s the very situation that David finds himself in as he writes Psalm 6. You see, David didn’t just sit in his nice cosy office, writing bits of poetry. No, he is living through these situations, his psalms are from his experience, from his anguish, so that he cries out: ‘How long, O Lord, how long?’ (3)

Now maybe you’re not in this ‘how long?’ situation right now. Things are going ok with you. Listen up - because we don’t know when we will find ourselves in one of these situations. For you, and for all of us, Psalm 6 can be like the Scouts motto - be prepared.

Why was it that David cries out, ‘how long, O Lord?’ Well, we see his anguish in verses 1-3. Whatever it is he’s going through, he feels that the Lord is rebuking or disciplining him. God has brought about this situation in order to discipline him. But look how he prays it - ‘O Lord, do not rebuke me in your anger or discipline me in your wrath.’ David isn’t saying, don’t correct me, or train me, or improve me - but just don’t do it in anger or wrath.

Hebrews 12 picks up on the discipline of the Lord - always from God’s love because it shows we are God’s children, always for our good that we might share in his holiness. Sometimes we go through situations that God uses to bring us to himself. Our dependence grows when we come to the end of our tether.

David seeks mercy and healing from God - ‘for I am faint... for my bones are in agony.’ Everything about him is weak and sore. And so he looks to God for mercy, and for healing. In fact, it’s so bad that ‘my soul is in anguish.’ (3) No wonder David asks, ‘How long, O Lord, how long?’ This is his anguish.

But then David moves on to his argument. You might remember that last week we saw five reasons why we should pray. Well this week, David lines up his arguments, the reasons why God should answer his prayer.

Now I wonder if that sounds a bit strange to you. Does it sound like we’re meant to bargain with God? Or argue him into submission? Convince him with a strong argument? But we see something like this all the time in the Bible. Here’s the request, and here’s the reason why you should do it. So what are David’s reasons, his arguments?

‘Turn, O Lord, and deliver me; save me BECAUSE of your unfailing love. No one remembers you when he is dead. Who praises you from his grave?’ (4-5)

So there’s the request - Turn (it’s as if God has turned away from him, and so he wants God to turn back to him). Deliver me and save me. And the reasons? 1. ‘Because of your unfailing love.’ Imagine that a parent makes a promise to their children. On Tuesday we’ll go to the zoo. Then on Tuesday morning, the zoo trip doesn’t look like it’s happening. So the kids start up with ‘but you promised!’

That’s what David is doing here. God, you’ve already promised your unfailing love to me, so please show it by delivering me. David puts faith in God’s faithfulness. That’s reason 1. You’ve said, God, and so I remind you of your promise.

And reason 2: ‘No one remembers you when he is dead. Who praises you from his grave?’ Now this isn’t David saying that this life is it, and there’s nothing beyond. The rest of the Bible shows that this isn’t true. But what David is saying is that if he dies, then God will have one voice less in the earthly choir. God’s earthly praise will be diminished, and so God should save him and deliver him, keep him alive in this situation.

David presents his arguments - I wonder if we thought about the things we prayed for, could we give reasons why God should answer? As if when we pray, we imagine God replying with why should I do that? Perhaps it would spur us to thoughtful prayers, reflecting on what God has promised.

Next, in verses 6-7, David details his agony in greater detail. Here’s how his anguish is affecting him. He is worn out from groaning. Even the effort of complaining is too much. David also says that he has wet his bed - but from tears. ‘All night long I flood my bed with weeping and drench my couch with tears. My eyes grow weak with sorrow; they fail because of all my foes.’ He’s in this agony of anguish. It’s no wonder that he’s crying out to God, ‘how long, O Lord?’

But then suddenly, the Psalm changes in verse 8. He has mentioned how his eyes fail because of all his foes. All of a sudden, he now speaks to them. ‘Away from me, all you who do evil.’ They may have been tormenting him, but now he sends them away. Why? ‘For the LORD has heard my weeping. The LORD has heard my cry for mercy; the LORD accepts my prayer.’ After his anguish, his arguments, and his agony, God has answered his prayer.

Because God has heard his weeping, his cry for mercy, and has accepted his prayer, then verse 10: ‘All my enemies will be ashamed and dismayed; they will turn back in sudden disgrace.’ God will indeed act according to his unfailing love to deliver and save.

So if you’re in the middle of the Psalm, if you’re in the place of tears, if you’re still crying out to God, how long, O Lord - then keep looking to God; keep crying to him; verse 8 will come. It’s not that the Lord is deaf; that he can’t hear. In his own good timing he will save.

And we know this not just because David says so, but because Jesus knows so. You see, in our Gospel reading today (John 12:27), Jesus says that he is in anguish (cf v3) - ‘Now my heart is troubled, and what shall I say? ‘Father, save me from this hour? No, it was for this very reason I came to this hour.’ Jesus was already in anguish by chapter 12, as he faced the agony of the cross. Even before the nails were driven into his hands and feet, Jesus was in anguish. Just think of him sweating drops of blood as he prayed in Gethsemane.

He endured that agony for you. He was saved through death, was raised to new life, and he offers us this hope, this unfailing love, this certainty of answered prayer. All who put their faith in his faithfulness will be saved. But Jesus will also say at the last, ‘Away from me, all you who do evil’ (cf Matt 7:23).

To be an enemy of Jesus is to be ashamed, dismayed, and disgraced. But for those who love him, there is answer, salvation, and endless praising of the one who loves us with an everlasting love.

Anguish, argument, agony and answer. David shows us how to pray, and why God should answer our prayers - and how God will answer our prayers. Let’s pray.

This sermon was preached in St Matthew's Church, Richhill on Sunday morning 6th August 2017.

Sermon: Matthew 13: 10-17 Kingdom Parables - The Purpose of the Parables

Have you ever seen one of those magic eye pictures? You know the type - it’s a pattern, and as you keep looking at it, suddenly another picture appears. Or so I’ve been told. I can never see them. You could tell me that the secret picture is of an elephant riding a unicycle over a tightrope and I wouldn’t know. People who can see them might even get frustrated with me - it’s right there, how can you not see it?

Or maybe you’ve had something like this happen to you. You’re asked to go and get something from the kitchen. So you look and look for it, but you can’t see it. And then your beloved comes, and gets it straight away - it was right in front of your face, you were looking at it, but you couldn’t see it for looking at it.

Seeing, but not really seeing. Last time, we began to look at Matthew 13, as Jesus teaches a series of parables by the lakeside, and we listened in as he speaks of the parable of the sower - the seed is sown, the four different responses. What we noticed was that the parable was told to the crowd, and it’s only later that Jesus explains it, to his disciples. In between the parable and the explanation, we find today’s reading. The disciples ask Jesus - ‘why do you speak to the people in parables?’ (10)

The disciples might be seeing the puzzled response of the crowd; they perhaps see that the crowd aren’t quite understanding what Jesus is saying. The disciples might even be having a hard time understanding him themselves! They’re asking why doesn’t Jesus come straight out and say what he really means. Why does he use stories and parables?

The key to Jesus’ answer comes in verse 11. Look there with me: ‘The knowledge of the secrets of the kingdom of heaven has been given to you (that is, to the disciples), but not to them.’ The words of Jesus are bringing a division between people - those who will come to know the secrets of the kingdom and those who won’t; between those who will see and hear and get it, and those who will see and hear, but not get it.

This is explained and expanded on in verse 12. Now at first reading this sounds maybe a wee bit unfair. ‘Whoever has will be given more, and he will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken from him.’ So if you have, you’ll get more, but if you don’t, then you’ll even lose the little. But isn’t that how muscles work? (I’m going by the experience of others... I haven’t been in a gym in years!) If you work hard in the gym, then your muscles grow bigger and stronger, but if you just lay in bed, not moving, then your muscles would waste away.

The parables work in the same way. If we’re looking for the light, looking for understanding, then we’ll be given it; but if we don’t, then we won’t - ‘the darkness intensifies’ (Green p153).

So Jesus identifies two groups of people - the insider and the outsider. Let’s think about these two groups. Over in verse 13 Jesus gives the reason for speaking in parables: ‘This is why I speak to them in parables: “though seeing they do not see, though hearing they do not hear or understand.”’ On the surface, the crowd sees Jesus, they hear him speak, they’re listening to the parable of the sower, but it’s all just on the surface.

They’re not really hearing the true story, what it’s all about; they’re not getting to the deeper meaning. In the same way, they’re seeing Jesus, but they’re not really seeing who he is - they don’t realise that he is the Son of God, the King of this kingdom he is proclaiming. They’re a bit like me and my magic eye picture - I’ll look, but I’ll not see it.

You might have noticed that this phrase “though seeing, they do not see; though hearing they do not hear or understand.” is set in separately in our Bibles - Jesus is picking up and using a phrase that comes several times in the Old Testament. You see, this isn’t the first time the people of Israel, the people of God, have been slow on the uptake. They have form in this sort of experience.

Back in Deuteronomy 29, Moses is addressing the people before he dies and they cross over into the promised land. He’s recapping all that they’ve come through, and he’s urging them to trust God as they go into the land of promise. He says this: ‘Your eyes have seen all that the LORD did in Egypt to Pharaoh, to all his officials and to all his land. With your own eyes you saw those great trials, those miraculous signs and great wonders.’ (Deut 29:2-3)

Just think what they saw. A Holywood blockbuster movie wouldn’t even get close. The plagues. The Passover. Walking through the midst of the Red Sea on dry land. Watching as Pharaoh’s army were drowned when the waters closed over them. The provision of manna and quail. The pillar of fire and the pillar of cloud leading them.

They saw all that, with their own eyes, and yet they still don’t really trust the Lord. They’re still rebellious. ‘But to this day the LORD has not given you a mind that understands or eyes that see or ears that hear.’ (Deut 29:4) They don’t want to listen.

In fact, as Jesus says here, his generation is the fulfilling of the prophecy of Isaiah 6. I’m sure you know the passage well - as the prophet Isaiah is called for service, he’s given the vision of the LORD in the temple, his conviction of his sin in the face of God’s glory, his sin being taken away, and then the question from the throne: ‘Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?’ And with that, Isaiah says ‘Here am I. Send me!’

Now that’s where we like to stop the reading. Application - God called Isaiah, and God is calling you, will you go for him? But carry on into the next verse, and you discover just what Isaiah was being called to do. It wasn’t the victorious, triumphant, wonderful message you might think. ‘Go and tell this people: Be ever hearing, but never understanding; be ever seeing, but never perceiving...’ Imagine being given that assignment! Preaching, and no one listening. Never having any response, never seeing a single convert. And Isaiah says ‘For how long, O LORD?’ How long have I to do this?

This is the very passage that Jesus quotes here - Isaiah’s ministry is to expose the people’s blindness and deafness. Isaiah comes from God, and the people don’t listen to him - because they refuse to listen.

Last night it was great to get a phonecall from Bulgaria. In fact, even better, it was a videocall - after her many hours of travel, it was good to hear and see that L had arrived safely at the campsite. To see her and to hear her voice.

But imagine that I hadn’t answered the phone. Or had answered and then starting humming to myself. Or didn’t bother listening. Stuck my fingers in my ears and closed my eyes. This is a bit like how the people of Israel were in Isaiah’s day, and also in Jesus’ day. They had the privilege of the Creator of the universe speaking to them, and how did they react? They put their fingers in their ears, they closed their eyes, they refused to turn back to God and be healed. They are hearing the words of life, but they don’t want to listen. They’re being offered the lifegiving medicine, but they leave it on the shelf, or pour it down the sink.

Could this be said of us as well? You could be an upstanding member of the community, someone who has been born and bred, baptised and confirmed in the Church of Ireland, never miss a Sunday, and yet it’s as if you’re sitting with fingers in your ears as God speaks through his word. Is this you? Oh how we need to cry for mercy, asking that God would open our ears that we would hear, and give us hearts to turn to him for healing and salvation.

How could we be members of the kingdom if we refuse to listen to the king? If we disobey what he says? Remember verse 13 - we use it or we lose it. So what are we doing with the word that God speaks to us week after week, or day after day?

In contrast to the crowds, the disciples have been given the secrets of the kingdom. To know the Lord Jesus personally, to understand his work of salvation on the cross, to hear him teaching - Jesus says that their eyes and ears are blessed, because of their place in history.

The Old Testament believers had only the promise of the King, which they believed, but they longed to see the Messiah themselves, and to hear his word. They looked forward to the day Jesus would walk on the earth - what a privilege for the disciples to be with Jesus. They got to hear him and see him.

It’s a privilege we share with them, coming after them in time, having the words of Jesus written down for us, so that we too can see his work and hear his words. How blessed we are, to have the Scriptures in our language.

What a privilege we have - but with that a great responsibility to make sure that we are listening to him. We share in the blessing of the disciples, and one day we too will see him face to face, in his eternal kingdom, where we’ll be with him and see him and hear him directly.

So as Jesus speaks to us through the Bible, are you listening to him? Will you receive his word?

This sermon was preached in St Matthew's Church, Richhill on Sunday evening 30th July 2017.

McFlurry's McLinks (27)

It's been a while since we've had some proper blogging here. We'll maybe see about more regular posting, besides the sermons from Sundays. So here's the revival of my McFlurry's McLinks feature, highlighting some of the blogs you might also find interesting.

First up, Supersimbo takes us back to the beginning of blogging, when the word of the year was blog.

Haddon Robinson was most famous for his book on Expository Preaching. Following his recent death Steve Mathewson paid this tribute on the Gospel Coalition website.

David Murray reflects on profitable fails - reminding us that failure is not final.

The Belfast Bigot tackles life in the Matrix, looking at 3 insurmountable problems of atheism.

Summer White at Sheologians considers the recent Peterson scandal and views it from several significant angles.

It was good to be off for a brief holiday, and get some reading done last week. It was even better to then read this (three-year old) article from Rachel Grate, which says that 'Science has great news for people who read actual books.' So what are you waiting for? Put down your phone, switch off your laptop, and get reading an actual book. Just remember to come back and sample another set of McLinks in a week or two!

Sermon: Psalm 5 Why pray?

There’s a little three letter word that can strike terror into the hearts of parents , grandparents, aunts & uncles. It seems that whenever a wee one learns this three letter word, it then becomes their favourite word, indeed, their favourite question. A simple conversation can become an endless cycle of answering that question. Daily routines become another opportunity to ask the same question. And what is the three letter word? It’s WHY?

A routine that is done unthinkingly is suddenly challenged. Reasons for ‘why’ they need to put their socks on, or why they have to hold your hand when walking up the street. Why? Why? Why? While it’s good for the wee one to learn why we do things, that there’s normally a good reason why something happens or has to happen; it can be helpful for us to have to think about why we do the things we do.

Think back over the past week. There are things that you’ve done (or not done), that if you were to sit down and think - why did I do that - you might struggle to come up with an answer. Why do we do the things that we do?

If I were to ask you, why do you pray, what would you say? How would you answer the ‘why’ question? Why pray?

Maybe it’s something that you’ve always done, you were taught in Sunday School to say your prayers, and so you always say them - but you’ve never really thought why you pray. Perhaps you’ve seen how God has answered your prayers in the past - that’s why you pray, so long as God keeps answering them just the way you want them. Or maybe you’ve another reason why you pray.

Or what if you don’t pray - why not? Is it that you think you can get on fine without needing any help - you don’t want to need anybody else? Is it that you’re too busy? Is it that you don’t know how to pray?

Well, if that three letter question has got you thinking about why you pray or don’t pray, our Psalm this morning will help us see why we should pray. In Psalm 5, David is praying to God. But he doesn’t just show us how to pray, he also shows us why we should pray. David gives us five good reasons why we should pray.

Now, as we begin, do you see how intense David’s prayer is? ‘Give ear to my words, O LORD, consider my sighing. Listen to my cry for help, my King and my God, for to you I pray.’ (1-2) He’s sighing, he needs help. And so he cries out to God.

He’s regular in his praying. Twice he says in verse 3 ‘In the morning...’ Every morning, David prays - ‘you hear my voice’ and ‘I lay my requests before you.’ In the morning, every morning. Now I don’t know about you, but that might be a challenge for us. Maybe your mornings are jampacked as you try to get up and out for work and you think - when would I get time to pray? It can be so tempting to think - I’m so busy that I haven’t got time to pray. Yet there might be time to check Facebook or Instagram...

Does God hear our voice in the morning? David prayed, because he expected God to listen and answer. Do you see how verse 3 ends? ‘In the morning I lay my requests before you and wait in expectation.’ Why pray? We’ll pray if we expect God to act.

But more than that, David prays because of God’s holiness. In verses 4-6, David reminds God of what God is like. ‘You are not a God who takes pleasure in evil; with you the wicked cannot dwell.’ You see, it’s because God answers prayer, that David says these things. David is troubled by some wicked people, people who are arrogant, telling lies, bloodthirsty and deceitful. And so David reminds God that he should act according to his revealed holiness. Because God is holy, we can pray to him.

But you might be thinking to yourself - how does that work? If God doesn’t take pleasure in evil, and the wicked can’t dwell with him, then how come David thinks he can pray to God? Who does David think he is? Is he setting himself up as some sort of holy Joe? Does he reckon that he’s good enough to come to God?

Well, no. This brings us to our third reason to pray - David prays because of God’s mercy. If verse 7 just said ‘But I will come into your house...’ then David would also find himself on the wrong side of God’s holiness. It’s only by God’s mercy that David can come. Mercy is when God does not give us what we deserve. And David is recognising that he is wicked, just like everybody else. But he can pray because of God’s mercy. It’s the only way we can pray as well.

God is not our personal assistant; our slave to order about whatever way we want. No, God rules over all, yet he listens to us by his mercy. He removes our wickedness. He receives us in. We bow in reverence (worship). We pray because of God’s mercy.

David then prays because of his enemies. His request is found in verse 8. That request would work just as well without the middle bit in it - if he were to say, ‘Lead me, O LORD, in your righteousness... make straight your way before me.’ Asking God to lead and guide, to help us to walk in righteousness. We talk about a criminal going straight - you might remember the prison comedy show starring Ronnie Barker - Porridge. There was a sequel to it called ‘Going Straight.’ That’s what David asks - to go straight, and all the more so because of his enemies.

You see, they’re described in verse 9. They’re entirely crooked - not a word from their mouth can be trusted; their heart filled with destruction; throat an open grave; tongue only used to speak deceit. David prays because of his enemies, because he wants to be different, distinct from them.

You see, these sins declare them guilty (in the face of a holy God). These intrigues will be their downfall. (Other Psalms and Proverbs talk about how they spread a net and get caught in it themselves; they dig a pit, cover it up, and fall into themselves - a bit like Wile E Coyote getting caught in all the traps he sets for the Roadrunner!). These sins are a rebellion against God, and will lead to banishment, being sent away, being excluded, missing out on God’s eternal blessing.

David prays because of his enemies - and maybe as we hear of what they were like, you’re thinking of your own enemies. Don’t be too quick to point the finger at anyone else - as you might have heard before, when you point a finger at someone else there’s three pointing back at yourself.

These words from verse 9 are picked up by Paul and quoted in his letter to the Romans. You maybe recognised them earlier on. They come in a series of quotations from the Old Testament, showing that everyone, no matter who they are, Gentile or Jew, all are under sin. Our words, our hearts, our throats and tongues are plagued by sin.

By nature and choice, we are God’s enemies. We deserve to be banished, because we are rebels against God’s reign. But thankfully, Romans 3 doesn’t end at verse 23. All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, but God has made a way. We can be freely justified by his grace through the redemption that comes through Christ Jesus. We don’t deserve it - it’s grace and mercy, to be turned from rebels to redeemed.

And that leads us to the final reason David prays. David prays because of God’s blessing. Verse 11: ‘But let all who take refuge in you be glad; let them ever sing for joy. Spread your protection over them, that those who love your name may rejoice in you. For surely, O LORD, you bless the righteous; you surround them with your favour as with a shield.’

There is a blessing for all who take refuge in God - gladness, singing for joy, protection, rejoicing, favour.

Why do you pray? Here are five good reasons to pray - expecting God to listen; because of God’s holiness; because of God’s mercy; because of your enemies; because of God’s blessing.

Tomorrow when you wake, remember even one of these reasons, and use that as your ‘why’ to pray, before you get out of bed, or when you’re in the shower, or as you wait for the kettle to boil. Let God hear your voice. It doesn’t have to be complicated. It doesn’t have to be long. You could even use some of David’s words here. Speak up, and pray to God. Why? He’s listening for you.

This sermon was preached in St Matthew's Church, Richhill on Sunday morning 30th July 2017.

Sermon: Matthew 13: 1-9 & 18-23 Kingdom Parables - The Sower

Where would your ideal holiday be? You might be the adventure type, wanting to go and climb mountains, or even ski down them. Perhaps you would prefer to get away from it all, a little cottage in the middle of a forest, far from other people. Or maybe you’re the type who likes the beach, water lapping at your toes, relaxing.

At the start of our reading today, it seems as if Jesus is doing the same. He went out of the house and sat beside the lake. But rather than getting away from everything, Jesus isn’t there for rest. We’re landing into the middle of Matthew’s gospel, and Jesus has been attracting a crowd, following him to watch him perform miracles of healing, and to hear him teaching. In fact, the crowd is so great that Jesus has to get into a boat, and it’s from the boat that he teaches the crowd.

This whole chapter, set on the lake shore, contains some of Jesus’ teaching on the kingdom of God, as he tells a number of parables - everyday stories with a deeper meaning. Over the rest of the summer, we’re going to listen in as Jesus teaches us what the kingdom of heaven is like.

So this evening, Jesus begins with a story that most of us have probably heard before. He says: ‘A farmer went out to sow his seed.’ As he goes along, he spreads the seed, and Jesus tells us that it lands in lots of different places - the path, where it is eaten up by birds; the rocky places, with a promising start, but it withers as quickly as it sprouted; among the thorns, where it is choked out; and finally the good soil, producing a crop.

You’ve heard the story before. You know what it’s all about. You know that Jesus gives the explanation a little later. But stop here, at this point, and that’s all Jesus says to the crowd. If you were in the crowd that day, that’s all you would have heard about the seed and the soils. What would you make of it?

Would it seem as if Jesus was branching out into giving agricultural advice? Was he writing a column for the farming section of the Newsletter on a Saturday on how and where to sow seed? Is he on the Farmgate programme on Radio Ulster where they talk about the price of lambs and hoggets at the local marts? What was it all about?

You see, in verse 10, the disciples come to Jesus (probably later) and ask him why he speaks in parables. They might not have understood it either. (see Luke 8:9). It’s only to the disciples that Jesus explains the parable (we’ll think next time about the purpose of the parables from the middle section).

So what is it all about? Jesus starts with what the people know - they all know about farming, they either sow themselves, or have seen their neighbours doing it. They know about the different places that the seed can land; and the way the seed grows in those places. But Jesus isn’t just teaching about farming - instead he’s pointing to the deeper truth, and it’s highlighted in the last words of the parable: ‘He who has ears, let him hear.’

When I was at school, every few months I got a day off school, and a trip into Belfast on the bus with my mum or my granny. I would be taken to a little box in the hospital, wearing headphones, with a stick in my hand, listening carefully. When I heard a sound, I had to hit the block of wood. It seems my hearing wasn’t great - I ended up getting vents in my ears three times!

Jesus is asking us in this parable the same question: what’s your hearing like? Are you listening?

In verses 18-23, Jesus explains the parable. He says that it’s all about our listening - what we do with the word that we hear. He begins: ‘When anyone hears the message about the kingdom...’ (19).

In the parable, Jesus is the sower. He’s the one going out, spreading the seed. The seed is the message about the kingdom - the word of God. And just as Jesus sows the word, so we too are involved in sowing the word in different ways and contexts - in church, organisations, the home, among friends. And perhaps we don’t see the results we expect. You see, as God’s word is being sown, there are different responses, different reactions. Jesus says that we’ll see these different results as we sow seed, just as he did when he sowed the seed. The question is - which are we?

There’s the seed sown along the path. The seed is scattered, but it bounces off again straight away. The birds come along and eat it up. The seed doesn’t get a chance to grow. Jesus says that’s the people who hear the message, don’t understand it, and the evil one comes and snatches away what was sown in their heart.

Maybe you’ve brought along a friend to church, you’ve been praying that they’ll hear and repent and believe, but it makes no difference to them. You’ve thought it was a great sermon (someone else was preaching) but it doesn’t get in to them. It’s as if the words have just bounced off them, nothing has really gone in. Perhaps, at this point in time, they’re like the path. Keep praying!

The next type of people are more encouraging. Like the rocky soil, there’s a quick sprouting - they hear the word and ‘at once receives it with joy.’ (20). They’re madly keen, they go to every prayer meeting and every service and they’re full on for the Lord... at least for a wee while.

A fast sprouting, and a fast falling away. Why is it? Verse 21: ‘But since he has no root, he lasts only a short time.’ It’s not how we start that matters, but how we finish. In marathon terms, you could run flat out for the first mile or two, and then have to lie flat because you can’t keep going.

Maybe you can think of people who were so very keen, they seemed to come to faith, and were very zealous, but they haven’t really been about since. We need to put down roots, to be able to endure when things aren’t so easy.

That’s the case with this rocky soil. ‘When trouble or persecution comes because of the word, he quickly falls away.’ The good news sounds good - yes, I’ll go for that, but then the Christian life is harder than you thought. Be ready for the opposition and hardship that can come because you’re a Christian. The trouble and persecution comes (look at it with me, v 22) ‘because of the word.’

Put down firm roots to weather the trouble that will come because of the word. Encourage others who need help to get through the trouble!

Others are like the thorny ground. Again, there’s some growth, some signs of life, but then it doesn’t get much farther. ‘But the worries of this life and the deceitfulness of wealth choke it, making it unfruitful.’ (22)

The seed of the gospel needs space to grow. But if we’re growing several sorts of plants on top of each other, then it’ll not work. One plant will win through; one will get the nutrients and the water and dominate. And if we’re watering our worries and our wealth, then the seed of the gospel can’t grow as well.

Perhaps we need to do some weeding, to get rid of the thorns that choke us and keep us from being fruitful.

Now, maybe all that makes you think, is it really worth it to do some sowing? You put your energy into preparing the Bible class for the BB, or your Sunday School class, or you take the courage to share something from the Bible with a friend at work. You post your favourite Bible verse on Facebook. You put yourself out to do some sowing... and... nothing. You’re discouraged by no response, or by a quick response and then falling away, or by seeing someone fail to reach their potential. Is it worth it?

Yes, Jesus says! Alongside the path, the rocky place, the thorny ground, there is also the good soil. The person hears the word and understands it. The seed goes in and produces a crop, yielding a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown. A bumper crop. It’s all worth it when the good soil gets the gospel seed.

But, you might be asking, well, what was the problem with the first three types of soil? Was it the seed that was faulty? No - it’s the same seed. Was it the sower that was faulty? No - it’s the same sower. The difference comes in the type of soil, that is, the response to the word.

When we sow the seed, when we share God’s word, we might get any or all of the four responses. But that should inspire us to keep going. The hundred, sixty, thirty times is worth it.

And for the hearer - Jesus says: ‘He who has ears, let him hear.’ Listen up! How’s your hearing? Which type of soil are you? How will you receive God’s word? Will you break up the rocky ground or clear away the weeds in your heart and life to help you hear better? To produce the fruit in your life.

May this word go deep into our hearts and spring up to eternal life, thirty, sixty, a hudredfold, in God’s grace. Amen.

This sermon was preached in St Matthew's Church, Richhill on Sunday evening 16th July 2017.

Sermon: Psalm 23 My Shepherd Lord

This morning we’re thinking about Psalm 23. Now, does anyone know how Psalm 23 starts off? What’s the first line of the Psalm?

‘The Lord is my shepherd’

So what does a shepherd do? He keeps sheep.
I mustn’t be a very good shepherd. I’ve brought along my flock of sheep this morning, but I’ve lost them. Can anyone find any of my sheep?

I’m not a very good shepherd, because I lost my sheep. But the Lord isn’t like that. He’s a much better shepherd than me. Now how do we know that?

Well, the Bible tells us that the Lord is my shepherd - and the person who wrote these words was a shepherd himself! Does anyone know who wrote Psalm 23?

It’s a Psalm of David. David who later became the king - his first job was as a shepherd, looking after the sheep. As David sat around on the hillside, as he walked along with his sheep, he realised that God is his shepherd. David pictures himself as a sheep, and the Lord as his shepherd.

In Psalm 23, David tells us the three benefits of having the Lord as his shepherd. We’re going to look at them in turn.

Now the first one, this always puzzled me when I was growing up. Sometimes, things in church can be a wee bit confusing - so ask if you’re not sure of something. There are no silly questions! So, how I was puzzled. We would sing ‘The Lord’s my shepherd, I’ll not want.’ And I always wondered why would I not want the Lord to be my shepherd? But that’s not what it says. And the NIV helpfully puts it in a way that explains it better.

‘The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not be in want.’ (1)

Whenever the Lord is your shepherd, you will not be wanting or needing anything. The Shepherd Lord provides.

We see this in verses 2-3. Every line starts with the word ‘he’. David is telling us, and anyone who will listen, about his shepherd Lord.

Here’s how the Lord provides:
he makes me lie down in green pastures
he leads me beside quiet waters
he restores my soul
he guides me in paths of righteousness for his names’ sake

If you’re a sheep, you need some food - the green pastures are the place to find grass (and also get a nice lie down). You need some water - quiet waters are better to get a drink from rather than a raging rushing river (the sheep might get swept away). You need rest. And you need to keep moving, because otherwise a flock of sheep would eat all the grass in one place and make it a desert.

Everything I need, the Lord provides - I shall not be in want.

Now that sounds great, doesn’t it? All nice and gentle, and peaceful. Sometimes you see pictures with Bible verses on them. You might see a picture of some sheep in a green field with verse 1 on it. But I’m pretty sure you’ve never seen one of those Bible verse pictures with verse 4 on it.

Here, the sun has gone, it’s dark and dangerous, we’re in the valley. This is maybe a scary place. It’s called either the valley of the shadow of death; or footnote, ‘through the darkest valley’. Either way, it’s a place of danger and darkness.

But look at verse 4. The shepherd Lord protects.

‘Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.’ (4)

I shall not want was the first benefit of having the shepherd. The second is ‘I will fear no evil.’

But this isn’t because the sheep is very brave, it’s not afraid of anyone or anything all by itself. No, there is no fear because ‘you are with me...’ The shepherd is with the sheep. The shepherd protects the sheep, with his rod and his staff. They’ll keep away any dangers.

So far we’ve seen the shepherd provides and the shepherd protects. Lastly, we see that the shepherd promises.

We have a sure and secure future. Along the way, the Lord prepares a table for us, to give us strength for the journey, the strength to get home. There is food, there is oil (to cleanse and heal), and there is an overflowing cup.

Is there anyone with a steady hand? At college, one of the tricks that were pulled was that someone would pour out water at the dinner table, right up to the very, very brim. If you didn’t have a steady hand, you’d get soaked. Here, the cup is overflowing, there is more than enough, plentiful supply. (Don’t try this at home!)

The table, oil and cup are given to get us home. Goodness and love (mercy) follow us - or as some people have suggested, they’re like sheepdogs chasing us along the way home.

Home, where the promise is: ‘I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.’

Over the past few weeks, we’ve been asked, well, does the rectory feel like home yet? It does. But we know that at some point in the future, it’ll not be our home any more. Tomorrow I’m doing a wedding in my old church and on Friday evening it was strange to drive past our old house, knowing that’s not where we live any more.

But we have a forever home. A place where we will dwell forever. It’s the house of the Lord, where we’ll be with him, forever provided and protected, according to his promise.

David knew that the Lord was his shepherd. But in the New Testament, the Lord Jesus tells us that he is the good shepherd. Jesus is our shepherd, and he provides for us: ‘I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.’ (Jn 10:10). Jesus is our shepherd and he protects us: ‘I may down my life for the sheep’ (Jn 10:15). Jesus is our shepherd and he give us his promise: ‘I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one can snatch them out of my hand.’ (Jn 10:28).

These blessings of provision, protection, and promise are for those who can say ‘The Lord is MY shepherd’. Can you say that today? He is calling to you. He is leading you. Come to him.

This sermon was preached at the Family Service in St Matthew's Richhill on Sunday 16th July 2017.

Sermon: Romans 1: 1-17 Not Ashamed

We’re getting into the time of year when people are either planning their holidays, or else they’ve already gone on them. The kids are off school, the Twelfth fortnight has arrived, so lots of people will be heading on holiday this week or next. Maybe you’re counting down the days, you just can’t wait until you head off. And you’re very excited to be going wherever you’re going. You’re telling everyone about your holiday.

Now, I realise this might be a strange question to be asking a congregation of mostly Orangemen, and maybe you don’t want to put your hand up or nod, but you can waggle your eyebrows or just wink at me... but have you ever been to Rome? I haven’t been myself, so if you’ve been and you’ve any tips for holidaying in Rome, you can let me know sometime. The reason I ask, though, is because in our second reading today, on page 1128 in the pew Bibles, Paul is a wee bit obsessed about travelling to Rome.

The Bible publishers have added in the section heading above verse 8 - Paul’s longing to visit Rome. Do you see in verse 10, ‘I pray that now at last by God’s will the way may be opened...’ or in verse 13 ‘I planned many times to come to you...’

Paul has been wanting to visit Rome for a long time. He’s been frustrated by changed travel plans, but now, at last, he’s on his way. So why does he want to visit Rome? Is it for a decently priced citybreak? Does he want to do the touristy sites - the Coliseum, the Trevi fountain, the Vatican? Well, the Vatican didn’t exist at the time, but, no, he’s not interested in being a tourist.

So why is Paul going to Rome? He tells us in the passage. He’s writing a letter to the Christians in Rome, and he says that he longs to see them, to meet up with them, so that they can be mutually encouraged by each other’s faith. When they eventually meet up, they’ll be able to encourage each other because of their faith - telling stories of how their prayers have been answered; sharing how they’ve been given grace to endure - being together with other Christians is a good thing to do. It’s one of the reasons why we meet together on Sundays as the church family.

The other reason why Paul wants to go to Rome is to preach the gospel in Rome. He wants to have a harvest (13), people becoming Christians for the first time, but it’s also because he owes it to people to share the gospel. Paul has been given good news, and so he needs to pass it on to others. They need to hear it too.

So Paul is going to Rome, he wants to share the gospel there. But there in verse 16, he says something strange. ‘For I am not ashamed of the gospel.’ Why does Paul say this? Or, rather, why does he feel he has to say this?

I wonder if you’ve ever been ashamed of something? What does it feel like? You don’t want to be associated with it, or identified with it. Maybe this helps us to see why Paul says that he is not ashamed of the gospel.

It must be that some people in Rome were ashamed of the gospel. Perhaps these Christians in Rome were under pressure from their friends - you don’t really believe all that about Jesus, do you? Maybe over their tea break at work they were feeling the heat - You don’t really think there’s just one God rather than all the Roman gods and goddesses? That’s not very tolerant of you to claim there’s just one way to God!

Perhaps there’s the same pressure today for us. Just think back to the treatment of the Lib Dem leader Tim Farron on whether he thought gay relationships were sinful. Or the way people from Northern Ireland have been ridiculed by the mainland media for maintaining a Christian stance on abortion. Could we become ashamed of the gospel? Maybe tone it down to fit in and be accepted?

Paul felt the same pressures. By the time he’s writing this letter, he’s been in prison several times; he’s about to be arrested again. Maybe people were saying to him, do you really have to be so committed? Moderate your message and you might get on better with people.

But Paul declares, ‘I am not ashamed of the gospel.’ In doing so, he challenges the Roman Christians, and us gathered here as well, to echo his words. I wonder can you say with him, ‘I am not ashamed of the gospel.’? To help you do that, let’s look at why Paul says it - what the gospel is, and what the gospel does.

So what is the gospel? In order to be clear from the very start, Paul outlines the gospel in the very first verses of the letter. The whole thing is a fuller statement of the gospel, but even in the first verse, Paul gets to the gospel of God. This isn’t just a fairy story; it isn’t something made up to make us feel good for now, to give us something to do on a Sunday; it’s not, as Marx claimed, the opiate of the people, designed to keep the poor people happy until they die. The gospel is God’s gospel - his good news given to us.

This good news didn’t just appear in the first century. It doesn’t start with the birth of Mary’s baby in Bethlehem. The gospel was promised beforehand by God - through his prophets in the Holy Scriptures. The Old Testament was laying the foundation for what would come later, just as you have to lay your foundation before you build your house.

The gospel is all about a person. ‘Regarding his Son, who as to his human nature was a descendant of David, and who through the Spirit of holiness was declared with power to be the Son of God, by his resurrection from the dead: Jesus Christ our Lord.’ The gospel is the good news about Jesus, the God-man who is the Son of David, the Son of God. He lived, he died on the cross, and he was raised to new life. This is the good news, that Jesus has defeated death, that he lives forever. If Jesus was not raised from the dead, then there is no good news. This is the gospel - Jesus died and lives.

So why does Paul hold fast to this gospel? Why is he not ashamed of it? He tells us the reason in verse 16. Here’s what the gospel does: ‘For I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes: first for the Jew, then for the Gentile.’

This message about Jesus is the power of God for the saving of everyone who believes. You see, without Jesus we are in danger. We are lost. We need to be rescued. We stand under judgement by a holy God, who cannot tolerate our sin. And yet, so often we don’t realise. We drift along, unaware of the danger. Like someone lying on a blow-up sunlounger, being carried closer and closer to the huge waterfall, we go through life unaware of our danger.

We need a rescuer. Someone to bring you to safety. And that’s what Jesus has done. He came into this world, took on our flesh, he took on our sin, and he gave his life so that we might live. The rescue has been accomplished. The victory has already been won. The good news is being told.

And all you have to do is trust in the Lord Jesus - to believe the good news proclamation. As Paul says, ‘it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes.’ Everyone, anyone, all who will believe will be saved. Those like us and those we like; those we don’t like so much - all who believe will be saved.

It’s not about bringing a bit long list of reasons why you should be good enough for God to save you. You see, to trust in ourselves - our good works, our church attendance, our praying, our giving to charity, our paying in to church - to trust in ourselves and what we have achieved is to say that Jesus isn’t enough; that we can do it by ourselves - that Jesus didn’t really need to die. But there is only salvation in Jesus. Without the gospel, we are lost, both now and for eternity, no matter how good or decent we might think we are.

A German monk struggled to be good enough to please God. He could never be satisfied that he had done enough. The demands of God’s law weighed down heavily upon him, with no relief. He even grew to hate the God he tried to serve. But then he had to study Romans, to teach a class, and in 1:17 he found the key to his own changed life. This truth would lead to him starting the Protestant Reformation 500 years ago this year.

‘The righteous will live by faith.’ Martin Luther came to discover that it’s not about what we bring to the table. The good news of the gospel declares the finished work of Christ and asks us - do you believe this? It is by faith (alone!) that he trust the promise, and by faith we receive eternal life. This is why Paul is not ashamed of the gospel. It is God’s gospel from start to finish. It’s all about Jesus, what he has done for us. And it is the power of God for salvation for anyone who will believe.

Perhaps today as you hear of the gospel, you realise that you’ve never really believed the message. You’ve heard it many times before, but never received it for yourself. You can trust in Christ for the first time, just where you’re sitting. Take hold of the promises. Look to Christ, and discover that he did it all for you. Believe on him today.

But maybe you’ve been a Christian for a long time. You’ve been around a few corners and you know how life works. It’s far easier to keep your faith private. No one else needs to know. No one could even guess! Paul challenges you today - are you ashamed of the gospel? As we’re reminded of the glories of Christ, the marvellous good news of what he has done, the amazing promise that anyone who believes will be saved, may we know God’s power at work in our lives.

Be bold in your faith and in living it out. Count all else as loss compared to knowing Christ. Live in such a way that proclaims to everyone you meet: ‘I am not ashamed of the gospel.’ And may we all, on that last day, be joined with the great crowd from every nation, all who have received the good news and trusted the Lord Jesus, for his glory. Amen.

This sermon was preached in St Matthew's Church, Richhill on Sunday afternoon 9th July 2017. The members of Richhill District LOL No. 2 were in attendance at the service.

Sermon: Psalm 4 Dealing with Distress

I’m sure you’ve heard the wee saying - Sticks and stones may break my bones, but names will never harm me. But is it true? You see, we might teach this wee rhyme to children, to tell them to never worry about what someone says to them or about them, but is it true? So many people’s experience would suggest that long after a broken bone would have healed, the ongoing harm from words and names continues to be felt. So you find that twenty, thirty, fifty years later you still hear that voice telling you that you’re stupid, or useless, or whatever was said about you.

So how do you respond when someone attacks you with their words? Or when they bad mouth you to other people? Start spreading some rumours about them? Come up with some sharp-tongued words of your own? While it might seem satisfying, it’s probably not going to help in the long term. So what are we to do?

Well, someone once said of the Bible that ‘all human life is here.’ And in our Psalm (4) this morning, we find that David is facing that very circumstance. He’s facing opposition, he’s under attack from a verbal assault. Now, whether or not this is connected to Psalm 3, and Absalom’s rebellion - some people think it might be, but we’re not told for sure - we see how David responds to this opposition. So what does David do?

First, he calls out to God. We see this in verse 1. ‘Answer me when I call to you, O my righteous God. Give me relief from my distress; be merciful to me and hear my prayer.’

Notice that he goes to God first of all. You see, so often we’re likely to tell everyone else about our situations and our problems before we think to tell God. ‘Did you hear what they said about me?’ But David goes directly to God. And do you see how he describes God, as he calls out to God? ‘O my righteous God.’ God is ‘my God’ - there’s a personal relationship here; but also an awareness that God is righteous, just and holy.

So what does he want God to do for him? Well, there are three (or maybe four) requests in that first verse. ‘Answer me... give me relief from my distress... be merciful to me and hear my prayer.’ David asks God to help him - he says that he is in distress and needs relief. The situation has been getting to him, and so he needs the pressure relieved. But even as he asks for this relief, David knows that he can’t order God about; that he doesn’t deserve this help. Rather, he can only ask for mercy - when God doesn’t give us what we deserve. ‘Be merciful to me and hear my prayer.’

David calls out to God, first and foremost - the God who is righteous; the God who is merciful; the God who will answer by giving relief from distress. Do we (me included) need to train ourselves to be quicker to pray, because of who God is? Call out to God, first of all.

But then David turns, secondly, to confront his enemies. Here, we see what the problem was, and we get an idea of what was being said about David. ‘How long, O men, will you turn my glory into shame? How long will you love delusions and seek false gods?’ (2) (Or, footnote, see lies).

By their words, they were trying to turn things upside down. They were turning David’s glory into shame - speaking evil of him, making him out to be what he wasn’t. And they were doing this by loving delusions and seeking lies. Donald Trump talks a lot about ‘fake news’ these days, but David’s opponents seem to be the first batch of fake news reporters.

But look at how David responds directly to them in verse 3. He’s saying that you might run after delusions and lies; you might seek after false gods; but here’s something you can depend on; here’s something that is certain; something you can know for sure: ‘Know that the LORD has set apart the godly for himself; the LORD will hear when I call to him.’

Know that the LORD has set apart the godly for himself. Now, as we’ve already seen, David isn’t claiming to be godly because he’s good or perfect - he had to ask for mercy in verse 1. But God has (and will) set apart his own people for himself.

What David is saying here is that it doesn’t matter what other people think of him - it’s God’s opinion that really matters. So even if other people speak lies about him; even if others have all sorts of opinions about him; he doesn’t really care. It’s what God says about him that counts - and God says that he is godly, and that he is God’s. Therefore, the LORD will hear when he calls to him.

Are we too quick to listen to the opinions of others? To be labelled by people as this, that or the other - and to have that name stick? Listen to what God says about you. In that power and that name, you can confront your enemies.

Now as we come to the next section, there might be some confusion as to who David is speaking to. So far, he has called out to God; and confronted his enemies. But who is he speaking to now? Still his enemies? Or someone else?

It’s a bit like walking into a house, and you hear someone in the living room say ‘Hello, how are you?’ So you start to reply... and walk into the room to discover that they’re actually on the phone to someone else! So while it might be that David is still speaking to his enemies, telling them how to turn from their sin, it seems that he’s actually comforting his friends.

David’s friends are offended on his behalf. They’ve heard what his opponents are saying, and they’re now stepping in, getting angry, and could make things worse. So David comforts his friends in verse 4: ‘In your anger do not sin.’ Now, I don’t know about you, but I wonder how you can be angry but not sin. We’re so used to anger being sinful - anger at the person who cut us up on the road; angry over something that happened at work; just being constantly angry. So what does it mean to ‘in your anger do not sin’?

There is a type of anger that is righteous - where we get angry at injustice and oppression; angry at the way things are wrong with the world; even angry over someone being picked on unjustly. But we’re to be wise with it - ok, be angry, but don’t let it lead to sin. Paul picks up on this in Ephesians 4:26 as he's showing us what it's like to live out the new, saved self - our anger can provide a foothold to the devil - even our righteous anger, so that it can lead to sin. So be careful with your (righteous) anger!

Instead, David says, ‘when you are on your beds, search your hearts and be silent. Offer right sacrifices and trust in the LORD.’ You deal with your anger, and the LORD will right the wrong, not you. Just trust him.

Think back over the last week, and try to remember all the times you were angry. Then ask yourself - was this justified anger? And did it lead to good, or to sin? David comforts his friends, to trust the LORD.

David has been dealing with opponents, friends, and finally, the despairing. With everything that has been happening, with the verbal attacks on David’s name and character, some are seeing the glass half empty. They’re like Winnie the Pooh’s friend, Eeyore, you know the donkey? Everything is doom and gloom. So here’s what David’s friends are saying: ‘Many are asking, “Who can show us any good?”’

Well, who can? If anyone can, it’s the Lord. Even if no one else can, the Lord can. So David prays to the Lord: ‘Let the light of your face shine upon us, O LORD.’ He’s taking up a line from the Aaronic blessing in Numbers 6 - You know, ‘The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make his face shine upon you and be gracious to you; the Lord turn his face towards you and give you peace.’

He’s asking God to bless, to turn towards them, to shine upon them, even to smile upon them. And God answers the prayer. God gives David joy. ‘You have filled my heart with greater joy than when their grain and new wine abound.’ (7). He thinks back to harvest time, to the joy that people feel when they have a good harvest of grain and grapes. But God has given him a greater joy. A lasting joy. Better than the joy of payday.

We get to the end of the Psalm, and it’s the end of the day for David. So how will he sleep? Just as Psalm 3 is a morning psalm, so this is taken as an evening psalm. We’ve already looked at his friends lying on their beds. Now David says that he’s going to get a good night’s sleep. Even with all that’s been said about him. Even with the comings and goings of all that’s happened. How will he sleep so well? Verse 8 - a great verse to remember and remind yourself of as your head hits the pillow tonight: ‘I will lie down and sleep in peace, for you alone, O LORD, make me dwell in safety.’ (8)

David will sleep in peace, not because of Nytol, but because of the LORD over all. The LORD almighty makes him dwell in safety. David calls to the Lord, confronts his enemies, comforts his friends, and has confidence in the Lord.

Sticks and stones may break my bones but names will never harm me? My version of that rhyme? Words and lies may cause my cries, but God will hear and keep me. That’s what Psalm 4 is all about. The God who has set us apart for himself; the God who hears us; the God who keeps us in safety. To know this God is to have peace in the midst of difficulties. If you do know God, are you experiencing this peace? Take some time with God this week, listening to his opinion of you, and find the peace that comes from him. And if you don’t know this peace, and don’t know this God, then I’d be delighted to introduce you to him.

This sermon was preached in St Matthew's Church, Richhill on Sunday morning 9th July 2017.

Sermon: Habakkuk 3: 1-19 Rejocing in the Lord

I’m sure you’ve heard of the radio programme ‘Desert Island Discs.’ Celebrities are invited to share their choice of eight songs, a book, and a luxury item they would want to have if they were stranded on a desert island. What would your items be? What could you not do without? It’s a fun question, and if we had time we could go round everyone and learn a lot about each other.

But what if the situation wasn’t just a bit of fun, if it wasn’t just a game played on a radio programme? What if the circumstances in your life brought about a radical change in your fortunes? To see the victims of the Grenfell Tower tragedy in London and imagine their situation - having nothing but what they stood up in. What could you not do without? What would you cling to?

The prophet Habakkuk is facing a similar meltdown. It’s not the way he expected things to turn out, and the prospect of disaster now lies before him. It’s like an accident that’s happening in slow motion in front of him, but he can’t do anything to stop it. What will he cling to as disaster strikes?

Well, if you’ve been with us on Sunday evenings, you’ll know that Habakkuk’s little book is a two-way conversation between Habakkuk and God. Habakkuk complained that his nation was doing wrong, and yet God wasn’t doing anything about it. So God says that he’s planning to do something about it - something unbelievable - he’s bringing the Babylonians on Judah. He’s bringing a more evil people to punish God’s people.

Habakkuk can’t understand why God is doing this, and complains about it. We might be bad, but they’re worse! But God says that while he uses Babylon to punish Judah, one day he will also punish Babylon. God calls Habakkuk and us to trust him - ‘the righteous will live by his faith.’

Last week we imagined this book as a Wimbledon tennis match. Back and forward, back and forward. Look at the way chapter 2 ends: ‘But the LORD is in his holy temple; let all the earth be silent before him.’ Is that the final shot? Game over?

Well, obviously not. We’ve already heard chapter 3 read to us, so let’s look at how Habakkuk responds. Both of his previous utterances were complaints. Complaining about his own people, and complaining about the Babylonians (and God using them). Perhaps you know someone whose every utterance is complaint. Nothing’s ever right. They love a good moan. Is that the case with Habakkuk? As he opens his mouth, is it to complain again?

Verse 1. This is different. ‘A prayer of Habakkuk the prophet. On shigionoth.’ This time Habakkuk is praying. In fact, his prayer is written as a Psalm - that shigionoth is a musical term (and the very end in v 19 says ‘for the director of music. On my stringed instruments.’) But then you remember that there are some Psalms that are complaints. So is this going to be a complaining prayer? Let’s look at verse 2:

‘LORD, I have heard of your fame; I stand in awe of your deeds, O LORD. Renew them in our day, in our time make them known; in wrath remember mercy.’

This is different! First of all, Habakkuk looks back. Having heard of the LORD’s fame, his reputation, his power, he stands in awe of the LORD’s deeds. He remembers what God has previously done.

Then he asks that God do the same things in his day. What we’ve heard you do in the past, do now in our day and our time. And as you do, as you bring your wrath on our people, please, also remember mercy.

So what are the deeds he’s thinking of? What was it that brought the LORD fame? He recites some of them in verses 3-15. ‘God came from Teman, the Holy One from Mount Paran.’ Teman is in the south, Mount Paran is in and around Mount Sinai. Habakkuk is recalling the Exodus - as God revealed himself at Mount Sinai, having rescued his people from Egypt by the plagues and pestilences. The earth quaked as the law was given. God led his people to conquer the tents of Cushan and the dwellings of Midian.

Did you notice that verses 3-7 are speaking about God, but from verse 8 he’s speaking to God? It goes from he, he, he to you, you, you. Riding with his horses and victorious chariots through the Red Sea and the river Jordan, bringing his people out of Egypt and into the promised land.

God is the one who has all power over his creation; the one who rules and reigns; the one who fights for his people. ‘In wrath you strode through the earth and in anger you threshed the nations. You came out to deliver your people, to save your anointed one. You crushed the leader of the land of wickedness.’ (12-13)

This is the fame of the LORD. These are the deeds of the LORD. And Habakkuk wants God to do the same in his day. Having made his request, Habakkuk shows that he is resolved to live by faith. Verse 16 brings us to the day of invasion, the day of disaster.

Imagine waking up to hear the Babylonians coming over the hill, the noise of men and horses, the dread of what the day might bring, the knowledge that they are (in the short term) going to conquer. Do you see how Habakkuk’s body is affected?

‘I heard and my heart pounded, my lips quivered at the sound; decay crept into my bones, and my legs trembled.’ It’s almost cartoonish heart pounding, thud, thud, thud. Lips quivering. Bones decaying. Legs trembling - knees knocking, as we would say. Is he resigned to ‘que sera sera - whatever will be will be’? No, verse 16 continues ‘Yet I will wait for the day of calamity to come on the nation invading us.’ God, you’ve said you’re going to act to save us and destroy them - so I’m waiting for that, even with knees knocking and heart pounding.

There’s a parallel with us today, isn’t there? God has promised us the victory, and the downfall and defeat of Satan. Jesus has already won the victory, yet we’re still distressed by Satan and sin. But we wait for the ultimate victory, when sorrow and sin will be no more.

So Habakkuk lives by faith as he waits for the Babylonians to have their own day of disaster. But it’s not an easy faith. It’s a faith that faces up to disaster. At the start, I asked what you couldn’t do without. For Habakkuk, he has lost everything. In verse 17 he gives us a guided tour of his farm. But it’s not like one of those open farms where the kids can see the cows being milked and cuddle the wee chicks. Rather, it’s more like an abandoned farm.

Habakkuk runs through the stock list. Fig tree? Did not blossom. Vines? No grapes. Olive crop? No produce. Fields? no food. Sheep pen? Empty. Stalls? No cattle at all. ‘Disaster on a total scale’ writes one commentator. What would this look like for you? P45? Starvation? How would you respond? How do you think Habakkuk responds?

‘Though the fig tree does not bud and there are no grapes on the vines, though the olive crop fails and the fields produce no food, though there are no sheep in the pen and no cattle in the stalls, YET I will rejoice in the LORD, I will be joyful in God my Saviour.’

In those two lines, Habakkuk refers to God in two different ways, which together show us why he continues to rejoice, even in those difficult times. ‘Yet I will rejoice in the LORD.’ The LORD (capital letters), otherwise Yahweh / Jehovah, is the covenant name of God. It’s God’s name revealed to Moses when he called to him from the burning bush. The Lord God Almighty chose the people of Israel to be his people, and he would be their God. He has pledged himself to care and protect them through the covenant with them at Mount Sinai - and it’s this covenant making and covenant keeping God that Habakkuk is trusting in.

Even when the people of God have failed him, have walked away from him, the LORD is still keeping his covenant with them, working his purposes out. It’s this faithfulness of the LORD of the covenant that leads Habakkuk to rejoice.

But even more than that, the LORD is also ‘God my Saviour’ - the one who will save, the one who in wrath will remember mercy. Sometimes, we imagine that when we become a Christian, God will save us from all trials. That we’ll have an easy ride through life, and all will be well. But God often acts to save us through our trials. We’ll go through incredibly difficult things, but God will give us the strength to get through them.

That’s Habakkuk’s testimony in verse 19: ‘The Sovereign LORD is my strength; he makes my feet like the feet of a deer, he enables me to go on the heights.’

This is what it looks like to live by faith. Praying to God to act; waiting patiently for him to do what he has said he will do; and even in times or trouble and trial, rejoicing in the Lord who is our Saviour.

This sermon was preached in St Matthew's Church, Richhill on Sunday evening 2nd July 2017

Sermon: Psalm 3 You are my shield

Did you sleep well last night? Was it a nice, long, refreshing sleep and you woke this morning ready to take on the world? Or was it one of those disturbed, seeing every hour, tossing and turning type of nights? According to some survey or other, 25% of people in the UK have some form of sleep disorder - they can’t sleep at night, and then could sleep all day, feeling tired.

Maybe you couldn’t sleep because someone else was snoring (as all the ladies look at their husbands...) - or perhaps you woke yourself up from your snoring! Some people even have ruined sleep by sleepwalking or sleeptalking.

Or maybe you weren’t able to sleep because of a worry you have - you can’t seem to switch off, you’re always thinking about it, always worrying about it.

In our Psalm today (p. 544), David describes his night’s sleep. Look with me at verse 5. ‘I lie down and sleep; I wake again, because the LORD sustains me.’ Well, that’s all right for him, you might think. David was the king, he was probably in his royal palace with a four poster bed and a comfortable mattress and a nice duvet. Of course he was sleeping well. If I was in Buckingham Palace I would have a great sleep as well!

But when we read the title of the Psalm, the words before the first verse, we see that David wasn’t in his nice comfy bed in the palace. David wasn’t even in the city. He was on the run. ‘A Psalm of David, when he fled from his son Absalom.’

David was the king in Jerusalem, but his son Absalom had risen in rebellion against him. Earlier in 2 Samuel 15, you can read about how Absalom made himself popular with everyone, made David out to be a bad king, and then announced himself as king. So Absalom comes towards the city, and David runs away. He flees. Everyone seems to have turned against him. Look at verses 1-2. Here’s how desperate the situation is:

‘O LORD, how many are my foes! How many rise against me! Many are saying of me, “God will not deliver him.”’

Now, it’s not that David is asking ‘how many are there?’ as if he’s trying to count them. Rather, he’s saying, look, Lord, look how many are against me! It’s as if David is looking behind him, and he sees the crowd following Absalom, many foes; many risen against me; many talking about me.

If it goes on numbers, then David is finished. All these people are against him, they’re out to get him. And they reckon that God doesn’t want him either. Dale Ralph Davis says that his opponents are ‘many, mean and mouthy.’

Do you see what they were saying about him? ‘God will not deliver him.’ It’s a bit like the saying you might have heard ‘you couldn’t like him if you reared him.’ They are sure that God won’t help him or deliver him.

Maybe someone has said the same about you. Or maybe you’ve thought it yourself? Have you ever said to yourself God will not deliver me?

Now, picture yourself in David’s position. You’ve had to flee from your house and your hometown. You’re with a small band of followers, and evening comes. You’re not lying in your palace, you’re lying on the ground. Do you think you would sleep much? Would you not lie awake, listening for the noise of Absalom’s army? Would you be able to sleep for fear of what might happen?

So how do we get from this desperate situation in verses 1-2 to verse 5, where David lay down, slept, and woke again? We have to go through verses 3 and 4. And as we do that, we also have to deal with the extra wee word at the end of verse 2 and 4. Selah. No one quite knows what it means, but it’s found in loads of Psalms. Some think it’s a musical term, but it seems like it’s a pause for thought indicator. It comes at the end of verse 2, as if David is reflecting on this situation.

Everyone else has it in for me. ‘But you are a shield about me, O LORD; you bestow glory on me and lift up my head.’ Here’s the reason David could sleep so well, even with all these people out to get him. He knows that the LORD, the promise making, promise keeping God is three things:

A shield around me - God is like a shield, protecting us, no matter what comes our way.

You bestow glory on me - or as you’ll see in the footnote, ‘my Glorious One’; other versions simply say ‘my glory’ - the one David delights in; the one whose opinion really matters.

You lift up my head - with all these people against him, with all his worries and woes, David’s head must have been down. But God lifts his head, gives him strength and grace and purpose.

The Lord is protection, satisfaction, encouragement. What would you do differently this week if you knew this protection, satisfaction and encouragement of the Lord?

And how does David know this? How does this work out in his life? ‘I cried out to the LORD, and he answered me from his holy hill.’ David might have left the ark behind. David might not be in Jerusalem any more. But God still hears David, and answers David from his holy hill. (Selah - pause)

When you know that God is in control, when you know that God is in charge, when you know that God is for you, then you don’t need to fear anyone or anything. So even on the rough ground, David had a good night’s sleep. He did it, ‘because the LORD sustains me.’ And do you see how he keeps going in verse 6? ‘I will not fear the tens of thousands drawn up against me on every side.’

David isn’t trusting in his own strength. He doesn’t think that he can take them all on himself. David’s trust is in his shield, his glory, the lifter of his head. And so he calls God to action: ‘Arise, O LORD! Deliver me, O my God! Strike all my enemies on the jaw; break the teeth of the wicked.’ (7)

This isn’t David saying what he’s going to do. He’s calling on God to arise, and deliver him. It’s God who will deal with David’s enemies, striking them on the jaw, breaking their teeth. Then they won’t be able to bite. They won’t be able to speak out the accusing threats.

Verse 8 brings the Psalm to a close, and shows us the message of the Psalm in one little easy to remember sentence. Despite the big problem David had; despite all the people after him; David was able to lie down and sleep. He wasn’t depending on himself. His trust was in God, because he knows the truth of verse 8.

‘From the LORD comes deliverance. May your blessing be on your people.’ (Selah)

David faced massive opposition. They were sure that ‘God will not deliver him.’ But it is from the LORD comes deliverance. As other versions put it, ‘Salvation belongs to the LORD.’ The Lord is the one who saves, the one who delivers. We just need to cry out to him as David did here.

David the king sang of the Lord’s salvation, but we also hear another king singing the same song. I don’t know if you saw any of the Glastonbury coverage last weekend. During one of the performances, someone sent out a funny tweet saying ‘Shame Barry Gibb hasn’t got more of his own material. First he covered Take That, then Boyzone, now Steps.’ Of course, Barry Gibb wrote and performed the original Bee Gees songs in the 1970s and the other singers then covered them in the 1990s & 2000s, but some people on Twitter didn’t get the joke. [Take That - How deep is your love (1996); Boyzone - Words (1996); Steps - Tragedy (1999)]

David the king sings of the Lord’s salvation, but another king ‘covers’ the same song. This king knew what it was to have massive opposition; for people to taunt him about his God; for people to question his faith. He sang the same song, and went the same way as David. Did you notice in the readings? In 2 Sam 15:23, king David and his followers crossed the Kidron Valley, up the Mount of Olives. And in John 18:1, Jesus and his disciples crossed the Kidron Valley, and went into the olive grove on the Mount of Olives.

Jesus faced even greater opposition, yet submitted to the mob. He trusted so that God the Father brought him through (not just sleep, but death), to the waking of the resurrection.

Jesus has endured the scorn and opposition to provide us with his salvation. Jesus is the one who shields us, is our glory, and lifts up our head. Because the Lord gives deliverance, so he provides blessings to his people. There’s another Selah at the end - a great reminder to pause, reflect, and take in this great truth before we rush on with the rest of today.

When it comes bedtime tonight, how will you sleep? When the litany of worries begins, could you join with David in recognising who your God is - your shield, your glory, the lifter of your head? And as you do so, cry out to him. He will answer; he will sustain; and he will deliver you.

This sermon was preached in St Matthew's Church Richhill on Sunday morning 2nd July 2017.