God, judge my enemies
Series: Wisdom
Speaker: Sam Low
Date: 15th July 2012
Passage: Psalm 69:1-36
00:00:00 --> 00:00:04 That is a fairly complicated psalm, which we're going to have some fun with.
00:00:04 --> 00:00:07 I don't know what your first reaction is when you hear that read out.
00:00:08 --> 00:00:11 You might be a little bit uncomfortable, particularly with a few verses in there
00:00:11 --> 00:00:16 where David calls down God's fiery anger on his enemies.
00:00:16 --> 00:00:17 You might be excited.
00:00:17 --> 00:00:23 You might think, finally, I've got biblical evidence that it's okay to call down God's judgment on those who I don't like.
00:00:23 --> 00:00:26 But the question has to be kind of lingering for us.
00:00:26 --> 00:00:28 What do we do with something like that?
00:00:29 --> 00:00:33 It doesn't seem to fit with the message of Christianity that we talk about,
00:00:34 --> 00:00:37 the call to love our enemy, the mercy and grace that God shows.
00:00:38 --> 00:00:40 So what is a psalm like this teaching us?
00:00:40 --> 00:00:44 We can't just kind of skip over those six or seven verses that are a little bit uncomfortable.
00:00:45 --> 00:00:50 We actually have to wrestle with them because they're not the only verses that say something like this in the Bible.
00:00:51 --> 00:00:54 So the question we've got to ask is, what are they doing there?
00:00:54 --> 00:00:57 Are they telling us that it's okay to pray down judgment?
00:00:57 --> 00:01:00 And I'm sure you're sitting there nervously saying, no, it can't be that.
00:01:00 --> 00:01:03 But if it's not that, what is it teaching us?
00:01:04 --> 00:01:12 So for us to wrestle with that, I want to pray and ask God to help us have his mind on his word.
00:01:12 --> 00:01:13 So please join me as we pray.
00:01:13 --> 00:01:21 Father God, I want to thank you for your word and I thank you that you give it to us so that we might know you better.
00:01:21 --> 00:01:29 Lord, I pray that as we wrestle with a difficult passage that you would keep us from bringing our own ideas to the passage,
00:01:29 --> 00:01:33 but that we would come teachable and humble and ready to hear you speak.
00:01:34 --> 00:01:38 Lord, I pray that the result of wrestling with something like this would be that we see you more clearly,
00:01:39 --> 00:01:41 that we have a bigger picture of who you are.
00:01:41 --> 00:01:45 And I pray that by your spirit, you would illuminate your word and shape our hearts,
00:01:45 --> 00:01:49 that we might love you more and honor you more with the lives that you've given us.
00:01:50 --> 00:01:50 Amen.
00:01:50 --> 00:01:54 Okay, Psalm in front of you, Psalm 69.
00:01:54 --> 00:01:59 The first thing that we need to understand and grab from this Psalm is that it's a Psalm of David.
00:01:59 --> 00:02:00 It's there right in the title.
00:02:01 --> 00:02:02 It's of David.
00:02:02 --> 00:02:03 And David is the king.
00:02:04 --> 00:02:07 He's God's anointed leader for the people.
00:02:07 --> 00:02:10 And he is facing some sort of severe persecution.
00:02:11 --> 00:02:14 The Psalm doesn't go into heaps of detail about what that is, but it's severe.
00:02:15 --> 00:02:16 You can see it as he goes through.
00:02:16 --> 00:02:17 He's nearly overwhelmed.
00:02:18 --> 00:02:19 The waters are reaching up to his neck.
00:02:19 --> 00:02:21 The mud's dragging him down.
00:02:21 --> 00:02:22 There's no way out.
00:02:22 --> 00:02:24 He's worn out from crying out for help.
00:02:24 --> 00:02:27 He's exhausted, waiting for God's deliverance.
00:02:27 --> 00:02:33 And more numerous than the hairs on his head are the people who hate him and seek to destroy him.
00:02:34 --> 00:02:39 And three times in the first four verses, in fact, particularly in verse four,
00:02:39 --> 00:02:45 David explains that his suffering, what he's going through, is unjust, is unfair.
00:02:45 --> 00:02:46 It's not his fault.
00:02:46 --> 00:02:47 If you have a look at verse four,
00:02:47 --> 00:02:59 Now, it's not that David is saying,
00:02:59 --> 00:03:04 I'm perfect and anything bad that happens to me is unfair because of all the characters in the Bible,
00:03:04 --> 00:03:08 David's epic failures are probably more documented than others.
00:03:08 --> 00:03:14 But he's saying that this issue here is not to do with him.
00:03:14 --> 00:03:16 This is not a Bathsheba problem.
00:03:16 --> 00:03:21 This is not something that David's done that has brought on the fire upon him.
00:03:21 --> 00:03:24 Because he acknowledges that he's not perfect in verse five.
00:03:24 --> 00:03:24 He says,
00:03:24 --> 00:03:26 You know my folly, O God.
00:03:26 --> 00:03:28 My guilt is not hidden from you.
00:03:28 --> 00:03:29 But he is saying,
00:03:29 --> 00:03:31 But I am innocent of this.
00:03:32 --> 00:03:35 This suffering that I'm facing right now, it's not my fault.
00:03:35 --> 00:03:41 And from that position of despair and being overwhelmed, David cries out to God there in verse one.
00:03:41 --> 00:03:42 That's the point of the whole psalm.
00:03:42 --> 00:03:44 Save me, O God.
00:03:44 --> 00:03:49 And that just builds momentum as we go through all 36 verses.
00:03:50 --> 00:03:56 That is David's heart's desire that he would be saved from this circumstance and opposition that he is facing.
00:03:57 --> 00:04:03 But there's something about that salvation that David wants that we need to wrestle with.
00:04:04 --> 00:04:09 We need to actually understand what is it that is driving his cry for salvation.
00:04:09 --> 00:04:13 Because it might not be what we first think.
00:04:13 --> 00:04:14 Have a look at verse nine with me.
00:04:15 --> 00:04:19 Because in verse nine, David actually expresses what it is that's causing him such anguish.
00:04:20 --> 00:04:22 He articulates his frustration.
00:04:22 --> 00:04:23 And it's there.
00:04:23 --> 00:04:24 It says in verse nine,
00:04:24 --> 00:04:26 Zeal for your house consumes me.
00:04:26 --> 00:04:30 And the insults of those who insult you fall on me.
00:04:30 --> 00:04:31 He's talking to God here.
00:04:31 --> 00:04:32 David says,
00:04:32 --> 00:04:35 I'm consumed with a passion for you and for your name.
00:04:35 --> 00:04:41 It's the relationship that David has with God that is causing people to persecute and oppose him.
00:04:41 --> 00:04:45 That is the basis for the hatred that he receives from his enemies.
00:04:45 --> 00:04:47 See, his enemies hate God.
00:04:48 --> 00:04:51 And David is the person that they can see as representative of God.
00:04:52 --> 00:04:54 So he becomes the object of their hatred.
00:04:55 --> 00:05:01 The insults aimed at David's heavenly father fall squarely on his shoulders.
00:05:01 --> 00:05:10 It's not dissimilar to a story that I was told recently about a man who was found guilty of a crime in Spain.
00:05:10 --> 00:05:12 This man was born in Britain.
00:05:13 --> 00:05:14 He was an American citizen.
00:05:14 --> 00:05:19 But in Spain, he was convicted of a crime that everybody knew he hadn't done.
00:05:20 --> 00:05:22 People were aware that he was innocent.
00:05:22 --> 00:05:25 But he was convicted and sentenced to firing squad.
00:05:25 --> 00:05:31 Now, at this point, the British embassy and the American embassy came out and said,
00:05:31 --> 00:05:34 If you shoot this man, we'll declare war on you.
00:05:35 --> 00:05:37 And when the day came for his firing squad,
00:05:38 --> 00:05:44 the two ambassadors came out and draped the flag of America and the flag of Britain around him
00:05:44 --> 00:05:47 and said, If you fire a shot, we'll declare war.
00:05:48 --> 00:05:51 And sure enough, the firing squad turned around and walked away.
00:05:51 --> 00:05:56 But in the same way that that man was representative of those nations at that particular point,
00:05:57 --> 00:06:00 David here is representative of God.
00:06:01 --> 00:06:02 He is God's king.
00:06:02 --> 00:06:04 He's the leader of God's people.
00:06:05 --> 00:06:06 And so when they see David,
00:06:06 --> 00:06:11 they see an opportunity to vent their hatred and opposition towards God.
00:06:11 --> 00:06:15 And so when David, in verse 13, returns to his quest for salvation,
00:06:15 --> 00:06:22 his cry for rescue and redemption is a cry for God's name to be vindicated.
00:06:23 --> 00:06:26 See, as David gets attacked, he feels this burden,
00:06:27 --> 00:06:29 not because his own character is under fire,
00:06:29 --> 00:06:31 not because his own name is being dragged through the mud.
00:06:32 --> 00:06:35 His fear is that God's name is being shamed.
00:06:36 --> 00:06:39 His fear is that somehow God would be found guilty
00:06:39 --> 00:06:41 or God's people would be found guilty.
00:06:41 --> 00:06:46 And so he eagerly desires that he would be delivered
00:06:46 --> 00:06:51 because these enemies of his are his enemies because they're God's enemies.
00:06:52 --> 00:06:56 And he bears their hatred and their shame for the sake of his God.
00:06:57 --> 00:06:59 David's in anguish not for his own comfort,
00:07:00 --> 00:07:03 but because of God's name and God's reputation.
00:07:04 --> 00:07:08 David is wounded by the rejection that God is facing.
00:07:08 --> 00:07:11 You've got to understand this here,
00:07:11 --> 00:07:14 that David's pain in these verses, and it's significant.
00:07:15 --> 00:07:18 There is this sense that it's almost beyond hope.
00:07:19 --> 00:07:22 And this is because his God is under fire.
00:07:23 --> 00:07:26 This is not a personal protection issue.
00:07:26 --> 00:07:31 This is him carrying the burden for the holy name of his holy God.
00:07:31 --> 00:07:35 And so it's from that context that we come back to these verses
00:07:35 --> 00:07:38 that make us feel a bit uncomfortable and we need to look at them again.
00:07:38 --> 00:07:39 I want you to have a look at verse 22
00:07:39 --> 00:07:42 because we will probably take the rest of the psalm and think,
00:07:42 --> 00:07:45 fantastic, God save your people when they're hurting.
00:07:45 --> 00:07:47 But it's this bit that we need to wrestle with.
00:07:47 --> 00:07:51 And it's David with a deep concern for his father's holy name
00:07:51 --> 00:07:52 who articulates these words.
00:07:54 --> 00:07:55 Speaking of his enemies, he says,
00:07:55 --> 00:07:58 May the table set before them become a snare.
00:07:58 --> 00:08:00 May it become retribution and a trap.
00:08:01 --> 00:08:03 May their eyes be darkened so they cannot see
00:08:03 --> 00:08:05 and their backs be bent forever.
00:08:06 --> 00:08:08 Pour out your wrath on them.
00:08:08 --> 00:08:10 Let your fierce anger overtake them.
00:08:10 --> 00:08:12 May their place be deserted.
00:08:12 --> 00:08:14 Let there be no one to dwell in their tents,
00:08:14 --> 00:08:16 for they persecute those you wound
00:08:16 --> 00:08:19 and talk about the pain of those you hurt.
00:08:19 --> 00:08:21 Charge them with crime upon crime.
00:08:22 --> 00:08:25 Do not let them share in your salvation.
00:08:25 --> 00:08:28 May they be blotted out of the book of life
00:08:28 --> 00:08:31 and not be listed with the righteous.
00:08:34 --> 00:08:37 I don't think that there is a harsher word
00:08:37 --> 00:08:38 that David could have spoken.
00:08:40 --> 00:08:44 I can't even begin to comprehend a circumstance in my life
00:08:44 --> 00:08:46 where I would utter these words
00:08:46 --> 00:08:49 against even my most hated enemy.
00:08:49 --> 00:08:58 David is praying that God would direct his fierce, jealous wrath
00:08:58 --> 00:09:00 on these enemies,
00:09:00 --> 00:09:02 that they might be destroyed,
00:09:02 --> 00:09:03 that they might be blotted out.
00:09:03 --> 00:09:06 But here's the key.
00:09:08 --> 00:09:11 David is not asking for revenge.
00:09:13 --> 00:09:16 David is not asking God to destroy David's enemies
00:09:16 --> 00:09:18 because they have hurt David.
00:09:18 --> 00:09:22 David is asking for justice against God's enemies.
00:09:23 --> 00:09:25 That is his heart's desire.
00:09:25 --> 00:09:27 Not that David would win,
00:09:27 --> 00:09:31 but that God's enemies would receive what they deserve.
00:09:31 --> 00:09:34 See, this psalm is a psalm about God's name.
00:09:35 --> 00:09:37 It's a psalm about God's reputation.
00:09:38 --> 00:09:40 And David is God's representative.
00:09:40 --> 00:09:43 And so as he endures the hatred and scorn
00:09:43 --> 00:09:44 that is directed at his God,
00:09:45 --> 00:09:47 even David's plea for salvation
00:09:47 --> 00:09:51 is actually a plea for God
00:09:51 --> 00:09:53 to vindicate his own character.
00:09:54 --> 00:09:56 In verse 1, when David says,
00:09:57 --> 00:09:58 save me, O God,
00:09:58 --> 00:09:59 his heart's desire,
00:09:59 --> 00:10:00 you can see it as we work through the psalm,
00:10:01 --> 00:10:02 is that God's name,
00:10:02 --> 00:10:03 the result of him being saved,
00:10:04 --> 00:10:05 the point of him being saved
00:10:05 --> 00:10:07 is that people would realize
00:10:07 --> 00:10:09 that God is powerful and just
00:10:09 --> 00:10:12 and mighty and righteous to judge.
00:10:14 --> 00:10:15 Now I know we get nervous
00:10:15 --> 00:10:16 when we talk about the wrath of God.
00:10:16 --> 00:10:19 There's that sense that we need to water it down
00:10:19 --> 00:10:20 with God's love.
00:10:21 --> 00:10:22 But David is simply asking
00:10:22 --> 00:10:25 that those who hate God
00:10:25 --> 00:10:27 get what they deserve.
00:10:27 --> 00:10:29 That's all he's asking for.
00:10:30 --> 00:10:30 David is saying,
00:10:31 --> 00:10:34 I am your chosen representative on the earth, God.
00:10:34 --> 00:10:36 I'm the one you anointed to be king
00:10:36 --> 00:10:37 and leader of your people.
00:10:37 --> 00:10:38 And if they reject me,
00:10:38 --> 00:10:39 they are rejecting you.
00:10:40 --> 00:10:43 And so please give them what they deserve.
00:10:43 --> 00:10:45 What you said you were going to give them.
00:10:45 --> 00:10:48 It's right that those who oppose God
00:10:48 --> 00:10:50 and reject his representative
00:10:50 --> 00:10:51 face judgment.
00:10:53 --> 00:10:53 That's right.
00:10:54 --> 00:10:54 That's fair.
00:10:54 --> 00:10:55 That's correct.
00:10:55 --> 00:10:57 Because if you reject the Savior,
00:10:58 --> 00:10:59 then all that's left
00:10:59 --> 00:11:00 is the wrath
00:11:00 --> 00:11:03 that you could have been saved from.
00:11:03 --> 00:11:05 It's like a man walking by a river
00:11:05 --> 00:11:06 who falls into the river.
00:11:07 --> 00:11:09 The river begins to pick up momentum
00:11:09 --> 00:11:11 and soon enough he realizes
00:11:11 --> 00:11:11 that the momentum
00:11:11 --> 00:11:13 is because there's a waterfall up ahead.
00:11:14 --> 00:11:16 If that man chooses to ignore
00:11:16 --> 00:11:18 the safety rope that is thrown to him,
00:11:19 --> 00:11:22 then the waterfall is a fair enough result
00:11:22 --> 00:11:23 for that individual.
00:11:24 --> 00:11:25 In the same way,
00:11:25 --> 00:11:27 if people choose to reject
00:11:27 --> 00:11:29 the Savior that God offers,
00:11:30 --> 00:11:32 then the destruction
00:11:32 --> 00:11:36 is a fair and right outcome.
00:11:38 --> 00:11:39 The New Testament quotes
00:11:39 --> 00:11:41 this difficult section
00:11:41 --> 00:11:43 in Psalm 69 twice
00:11:43 --> 00:11:44 to show us
00:11:44 --> 00:11:47 just how just it is.
00:11:48 --> 00:11:50 The first one comes in Acts chapter 1.
00:11:52 --> 00:11:54 And verse 25 of Psalm 69 is quoted.
00:11:54 --> 00:11:55 Verse 25 says,
00:11:56 --> 00:11:57 May their place be deserted.
00:11:57 --> 00:11:58 Let there be no one to dwell in their tents.
00:11:58 --> 00:12:00 When that comes into the New Testament,
00:12:00 --> 00:12:01 do you know who it's talking about?
00:12:02 --> 00:12:02 Judas.
00:12:04 --> 00:12:06 The disciple who betrayed Jesus
00:12:06 --> 00:12:07 for 30 pieces of silver.
00:12:08 --> 00:12:09 When we think Judas,
00:12:09 --> 00:12:10 we think that is right.
00:12:10 --> 00:12:11 He deserves to be judged.
00:12:12 --> 00:12:13 He betrayed his Savior
00:12:13 --> 00:12:15 from right under his nose.
00:12:15 --> 00:12:16 From the inner group
00:12:16 --> 00:12:18 who spent time and traveled with Jesus,
00:12:18 --> 00:12:20 God's wrath deserves
00:12:20 --> 00:12:21 to be poured out on Judas.
00:12:23 --> 00:12:24 The second quote of this section
00:12:24 --> 00:12:26 comes in Romans chapter 11
00:12:26 --> 00:12:27 and it's a bigger chunk.
00:12:27 --> 00:12:29 And here Paul quotes the passage
00:12:29 --> 00:12:30 pointing to the Jews
00:12:30 --> 00:12:32 who have rejected Jesus
00:12:32 --> 00:12:33 as God's Savior.
00:12:34 --> 00:12:36 Now Paul's not looking for revenge
00:12:36 --> 00:12:36 on the Jews
00:12:36 --> 00:12:38 because Paul himself is a Jew.
00:12:38 --> 00:12:40 And Paul expresses his desire
00:12:40 --> 00:12:42 that the Jews would come to faith in Jesus.
00:12:42 --> 00:12:43 But he's saying
00:12:43 --> 00:12:46 if you reject God's anointed one,
00:12:46 --> 00:12:47 in this case Jesus,
00:12:48 --> 00:12:49 if you reject the Savior
00:12:49 --> 00:12:50 that he offers you,
00:12:51 --> 00:12:54 then it is right and fair and just
00:12:54 --> 00:12:56 that you receive the wrath
00:12:56 --> 00:12:59 that all creation deserves.
00:13:02 --> 00:13:04 Paul is simply saying
00:13:04 --> 00:13:05 the Jews are in the river
00:13:05 --> 00:13:06 and they are ignoring
00:13:06 --> 00:13:08 the life rope of Jesus
00:13:08 --> 00:13:11 and so it is inevitable
00:13:11 --> 00:13:13 that they will face the judgment.
00:13:15 --> 00:13:16 See, David is not crying out
00:13:16 --> 00:13:17 in this psalm
00:13:17 --> 00:13:18 because of his own suffering.
00:13:18 --> 00:13:21 He is driven by a zeal
00:13:21 --> 00:13:22 for God's house.
00:13:23 --> 00:13:25 By a desire that God's name
00:13:25 --> 00:13:26 would not be trampled by men,
00:13:26 --> 00:13:27 that it would not be okay
00:13:27 --> 00:13:28 for people to ignore him,
00:13:29 --> 00:13:30 pretend like he doesn't matter.
00:13:30 --> 00:13:32 David is grieved by sin
00:13:32 --> 00:13:34 because that's what sin is
00:13:34 --> 00:13:35 at its core.
00:13:36 --> 00:13:37 It's a rejection of God,
00:13:38 --> 00:13:39 a rejection of Jesus
00:13:39 --> 00:13:41 as King and Savior.
00:13:42 --> 00:13:43 And David isn't saying,
00:13:43 --> 00:13:44 God, make me strong
00:13:44 --> 00:13:45 so I can beat my enemies.
00:13:45 --> 00:13:48 He's saying,
00:13:48 --> 00:13:50 God, you're God.
00:13:52 --> 00:13:53 You're my God.
00:13:53 --> 00:13:54 I'm your representative.
00:13:55 --> 00:13:56 These are your enemies.
00:13:57 --> 00:13:58 Pour out your wrath
00:13:58 --> 00:13:59 like you said you would.
00:14:01 --> 00:14:02 And this is really,
00:14:02 --> 00:14:04 really important.
00:14:05 --> 00:14:07 God has already promised
00:14:07 --> 00:14:08 Abraham,
00:14:09 --> 00:14:11 way back in Genesis chapter 12,
00:14:11 --> 00:14:13 that he would judge those
00:14:13 --> 00:14:14 who rejected his people.
00:14:14 --> 00:14:16 I want you to flick back
00:14:16 --> 00:14:17 with me to Genesis chapter 12
00:14:17 --> 00:14:18 really quickly.
00:14:18 --> 00:14:19 Keep your finger in Psalm 69
00:14:19 --> 00:14:20 so that you're there,
00:14:20 --> 00:14:20 ready to go.
00:14:23 --> 00:14:25 But Genesis chapter 12
00:14:25 --> 00:14:25 is the promises
00:14:25 --> 00:14:27 that God makes to Abraham,
00:14:27 --> 00:14:28 who's David's great,
00:14:28 --> 00:14:28 great, great, great, great,
00:14:28 --> 00:14:29 great, great, etc.,
00:14:29 --> 00:14:30 grandfather.
00:14:31 --> 00:14:31 And the promises
00:14:31 --> 00:14:33 that God makes to Abraham
00:14:33 --> 00:14:34 are the basis
00:14:34 --> 00:14:35 for Israel's relationship
00:14:35 --> 00:14:36 with God.
00:14:36 --> 00:14:37 They're the basis
00:14:37 --> 00:14:38 for David's relationship
00:14:38 --> 00:14:38 with God.
00:14:38 --> 00:14:39 They define what
00:14:39 --> 00:14:41 that interaction looks like.
00:14:41 --> 00:14:42 And in verse 3
00:14:42 --> 00:14:43 of Genesis 12,
00:14:43 --> 00:14:45 listen to what God says.
00:14:46 --> 00:14:47 I will bless those
00:14:47 --> 00:14:48 who bless you
00:14:48 --> 00:14:50 and whoever curses you
00:14:50 --> 00:14:52 I will curse.
00:14:54 --> 00:14:55 It was right there
00:14:55 --> 00:14:55 in the beginning.
00:14:56 --> 00:14:57 This shouldn't surprise us.
00:14:57 --> 00:14:58 God said
00:14:58 --> 00:14:59 from the starting point,
00:15:01 --> 00:15:02 those who curse you,
00:15:02 --> 00:15:03 those who reject you,
00:15:03 --> 00:15:04 my people,
00:15:04 --> 00:15:05 my representative,
00:15:05 --> 00:15:06 reject me
00:15:06 --> 00:15:07 and they will face
00:15:07 --> 00:15:08 my curse.
00:15:09 --> 00:15:09 They will face
00:15:09 --> 00:15:10 my judgment.
00:15:10 --> 00:15:11 They will face
00:15:11 --> 00:15:12 my anger.
00:15:12 --> 00:15:13 God had promised this.
00:15:14 --> 00:15:15 Those who oppose
00:15:15 --> 00:15:16 his people
00:15:16 --> 00:15:19 would be cursed
00:15:19 --> 00:15:20 because rejecting
00:15:20 --> 00:15:21 God's people
00:15:21 --> 00:15:21 is the same
00:15:21 --> 00:15:22 as rejecting him
00:15:22 --> 00:15:24 and for that
00:15:24 --> 00:15:25 God promised
00:15:25 --> 00:15:25 his enemies
00:15:25 --> 00:15:26 would face judgment.
00:15:29 --> 00:15:30 David is not asking
00:15:30 --> 00:15:31 for permission
00:15:31 --> 00:15:32 to have revenge
00:15:32 --> 00:15:32 on his enemies.
00:15:33 --> 00:15:33 That is not what
00:15:33 --> 00:15:34 this psalm is about.
00:15:34 --> 00:15:35 He's asking for God
00:15:35 --> 00:15:36 to keep his promises,
00:15:36 --> 00:15:37 to keep his covenant,
00:15:38 --> 00:15:39 to bring justice,
00:15:39 --> 00:15:40 and to save him
00:15:40 --> 00:15:43 and that all
00:15:43 --> 00:15:45 goes together
00:15:45 --> 00:15:47 because in Genesis 12
00:15:47 --> 00:15:48 God promised
00:15:48 --> 00:15:48 that he would
00:15:48 --> 00:15:49 save his people.
00:15:49 --> 00:15:50 That's what the blessing is.
00:15:51 --> 00:15:52 That's why David
00:15:52 --> 00:15:53 can say in verse 13,
00:15:53 --> 00:15:54 I pray to you
00:15:54 --> 00:15:55 in the time of your favor
00:15:55 --> 00:15:56 in your great love,
00:15:57 --> 00:15:57 O God,
00:15:57 --> 00:15:58 answer me with your
00:15:58 --> 00:15:59 sure salvation.
00:16:01 --> 00:16:02 He's confident
00:16:02 --> 00:16:02 because God
00:16:02 --> 00:16:04 has already promised it
00:16:04 --> 00:16:06 and necessary
00:16:06 --> 00:16:08 to that salvation
00:16:08 --> 00:16:09 that God
00:16:09 --> 00:16:09 has promised
00:16:09 --> 00:16:11 is judgment
00:16:11 --> 00:16:12 on the enemies
00:16:12 --> 00:16:13 of God.
00:16:15 --> 00:16:15 See,
00:16:15 --> 00:16:16 there's no separation
00:16:16 --> 00:16:17 of those two things
00:16:17 --> 00:16:18 for King David.
00:16:19 --> 00:16:20 He doesn't see
00:16:20 --> 00:16:21 salvation as one request
00:16:21 --> 00:16:22 and the pouring out
00:16:22 --> 00:16:23 of his wrath
00:16:23 --> 00:16:24 as a second request.
00:16:25 --> 00:16:26 Salvation happens
00:16:26 --> 00:16:27 by God pouring out
00:16:27 --> 00:16:27 his wrath
00:16:27 --> 00:16:28 on his enemies.
00:16:28 --> 00:16:29 The pouring out
00:16:29 --> 00:16:30 of God's wrath
00:16:30 --> 00:16:30 on his enemies
00:16:30 --> 00:16:32 brings salvation
00:16:32 --> 00:16:33 for those who hope
00:16:33 --> 00:16:33 in God.
00:16:34 --> 00:16:34 They are one
00:16:34 --> 00:16:35 and the same action.
00:16:35 --> 00:16:35 Now,
00:16:35 --> 00:16:36 I want to say that again
00:16:36 --> 00:16:37 because this is really
00:16:37 --> 00:16:37 important
00:16:37 --> 00:16:38 and you need
00:16:38 --> 00:16:39 to grasp this.
00:16:40 --> 00:16:41 Without judgment,
00:16:42 --> 00:16:44 there is no salvation.
00:16:47 --> 00:16:48 Without judgment,
00:16:48 --> 00:16:50 there is no salvation.
00:16:50 --> 00:16:51 We get very nervous
00:16:51 --> 00:16:52 about the ideas
00:16:52 --> 00:16:53 of judgment
00:16:53 --> 00:16:53 and wrath,
00:16:54 --> 00:16:55 but biblically,
00:16:56 --> 00:16:57 you need judgment
00:16:57 --> 00:16:59 for salvation.
00:16:59 --> 00:17:00 That is how it works.
00:17:01 --> 00:17:02 That is how it worked
00:17:02 --> 00:17:02 from the beginning.
00:17:02 --> 00:17:03 That is how Israel
00:17:03 --> 00:17:04 was rescued from Egypt
00:17:04 --> 00:17:06 by God bringing judgment
00:17:06 --> 00:17:07 on the Egyptians
00:17:07 --> 00:17:08 for oppressing his people.
00:17:09 --> 00:17:10 That is the pattern
00:17:10 --> 00:17:10 that he builds
00:17:10 --> 00:17:11 throughout Scripture.
00:17:12 --> 00:17:13 Judgment is something
00:17:13 --> 00:17:14 that makes us nervous,
00:17:14 --> 00:17:15 maybe correctly
00:17:15 --> 00:17:16 because it is so horrific,
00:17:16 --> 00:17:17 but it is necessary
00:17:17 --> 00:17:20 for salvation.
00:17:22 --> 00:17:23 In this psalm,
00:17:23 --> 00:17:24 David's deep desire
00:17:24 --> 00:17:26 is God's glory.
00:17:28 --> 00:17:29 That is what he cares about
00:17:29 --> 00:17:30 more than anything else
00:17:30 --> 00:17:32 and we need to ask God
00:17:32 --> 00:17:34 to shape our hearts
00:17:34 --> 00:17:35 so that we desire
00:17:35 --> 00:17:35 his glory
00:17:35 --> 00:17:37 more than anything else.
00:17:38 --> 00:17:39 Our biggest struggle
00:17:39 --> 00:17:39 with this psalm
00:17:39 --> 00:17:40 is when we think enemy,
00:17:41 --> 00:17:42 we think those who hurt me.
00:17:43 --> 00:17:44 The possibility
00:17:44 --> 00:17:45 of being as offended
00:17:45 --> 00:17:47 by what people say
00:17:47 --> 00:17:47 about God
00:17:47 --> 00:17:48 or the way they interact
00:17:48 --> 00:17:49 with God
00:17:49 --> 00:17:51 is just foreign to us
00:17:51 --> 00:17:53 because we are so self-absorbed
00:17:53 --> 00:17:54 in our own world.
00:17:54 --> 00:17:56 It is easy to hate
00:17:56 --> 00:17:57 those who have hurt us,
00:17:57 --> 00:18:00 but only as God
00:18:00 --> 00:18:02 renews our hearts
00:18:02 --> 00:18:03 and teaches us
00:18:03 --> 00:18:04 to love what he loves
00:18:04 --> 00:18:05 can we begin
00:18:05 --> 00:18:06 to be offended by sin
00:18:06 --> 00:18:07 in the way that he is
00:18:07 --> 00:18:10 and that needs to be our prayer
00:18:10 --> 00:18:10 and that is the evidence
00:18:10 --> 00:18:11 of God's work
00:18:11 --> 00:18:12 in David's life
00:18:12 --> 00:18:14 that David is so offended
00:18:14 --> 00:18:17 by those who reject God
00:18:17 --> 00:18:18 that he is grieved
00:18:18 --> 00:18:19 to the point
00:18:19 --> 00:18:20 of being overwhelmed
00:18:20 --> 00:18:21 and crying out
00:18:21 --> 00:18:22 for God to do something.
00:18:22 --> 00:18:26 We need to ask God
00:18:26 --> 00:18:27 to be shaping our hearts
00:18:27 --> 00:18:28 that we might love him
00:18:28 --> 00:18:30 and desire his glory
00:18:30 --> 00:18:31 more than our own.
00:18:32 --> 00:18:33 But that is where
00:18:33 --> 00:18:34 the question of this psalm
00:18:34 --> 00:18:35 gets even more pointed.
00:18:36 --> 00:18:37 As we begin to see
00:18:37 --> 00:18:38 and hate sin
00:18:38 --> 00:18:39 with the same zeal
00:18:39 --> 00:18:40 that God does
00:18:40 --> 00:18:41 and with the same zeal
00:18:41 --> 00:18:42 that David does,
00:18:43 --> 00:18:44 how then do we respond
00:18:44 --> 00:18:45 to that sin?
00:18:47 --> 00:18:49 How then do we respond
00:18:49 --> 00:18:49 to injustice
00:18:49 --> 00:18:50 because in our world
00:18:50 --> 00:18:52 God is still rejected
00:18:52 --> 00:18:52 and hated
00:18:52 --> 00:18:54 by billions of people?
00:18:55 --> 00:18:55 In our world
00:18:55 --> 00:18:56 there is still oppression
00:18:56 --> 00:18:57 and injustice
00:18:57 --> 00:18:58 all around us
00:18:58 --> 00:19:00 so how would God
00:19:00 --> 00:19:01 have us respond?
00:19:02 --> 00:19:03 I mean we've already said
00:19:03 --> 00:19:04 that in this psalm
00:19:04 --> 00:19:05 David is praying
00:19:05 --> 00:19:06 in line with the covenant
00:19:06 --> 00:19:07 and promises
00:19:07 --> 00:19:08 that God made to him
00:19:08 --> 00:19:10 but the question is
00:19:10 --> 00:19:12 as we look at sin around us
00:19:12 --> 00:19:13 is it right for us
00:19:13 --> 00:19:14 to pray the same thing?
00:19:16 --> 00:19:17 Is it okay for us
00:19:17 --> 00:19:18 to call down God's judgment
00:19:18 --> 00:19:19 on the sinners
00:19:19 --> 00:19:20 that we see
00:19:20 --> 00:19:21 in the world around us?
00:19:24 --> 00:19:25 The New Testament
00:19:25 --> 00:19:26 quotes this psalm
00:19:26 --> 00:19:27 quite a lot
00:19:27 --> 00:19:28 and I want to quickly
00:19:28 --> 00:19:29 show you three quotes
00:19:29 --> 00:19:30 in John's Gospel.
00:19:31 --> 00:19:32 You don't need to flick there
00:19:32 --> 00:19:33 if you really fast
00:19:33 --> 00:19:34 go for it
00:19:34 --> 00:19:34 but if you want
00:19:34 --> 00:19:35 just scribble these down
00:19:35 --> 00:19:36 and check them out
00:19:36 --> 00:19:36 later on.
00:19:37 --> 00:19:37 In chapter 2
00:19:37 --> 00:19:38 of John's Gospel
00:19:38 --> 00:19:40 Jesus discovers
00:19:40 --> 00:19:40 that the temple
00:19:40 --> 00:19:41 is being used
00:19:41 --> 00:19:42 as a market
00:19:42 --> 00:19:44 and he is so angry
00:19:44 --> 00:19:45 that he fashions
00:19:45 --> 00:19:46 a whip for himself
00:19:46 --> 00:19:47 and goes through
00:19:47 --> 00:19:48 cracking his whip
00:19:48 --> 00:19:49 and turning over tables
00:19:49 --> 00:19:50 and chasing out
00:19:50 --> 00:19:50 the people
00:19:50 --> 00:19:51 who are in there
00:19:51 --> 00:19:52 and his disciples
00:19:52 --> 00:19:54 are watching him do this
00:19:54 --> 00:19:56 watching his anger
00:19:56 --> 00:19:56 burn
00:19:56 --> 00:19:58 at these people
00:19:58 --> 00:19:59 who have perverted
00:19:59 --> 00:20:00 the use of his
00:20:00 --> 00:20:01 father's house
00:20:01 --> 00:20:02 and suddenly
00:20:02 --> 00:20:03 for the disciples
00:20:03 --> 00:20:03 it clicks.
00:20:05 --> 00:20:06 Jesus is
00:20:06 --> 00:20:07 Psalm 69
00:20:07 --> 00:20:08 verse 9
00:20:08 --> 00:20:10 Zeal
00:20:10 --> 00:20:11 for God's house
00:20:11 --> 00:20:12 is consuming Jesus
00:20:12 --> 00:20:14 that is what's going on
00:20:14 --> 00:20:15 and John 2
00:20:15 --> 00:20:16 says they remember
00:20:16 --> 00:20:17 this psalm
00:20:17 --> 00:20:18 and realise
00:20:18 --> 00:20:19 Jesus is doing it.
00:20:19 --> 00:20:20 Second one
00:20:20 --> 00:20:21 in chapter 15
00:20:21 --> 00:20:22 Jesus is sitting down
00:20:22 --> 00:20:23 with his disciples
00:20:23 --> 00:20:24 and explaining
00:20:24 --> 00:20:25 that they're going
00:20:25 --> 00:20:26 to be persecuted
00:20:26 --> 00:20:26 just like him.
00:20:27 --> 00:20:28 He's explaining
00:20:28 --> 00:20:28 that they're going
00:20:28 --> 00:20:29 to hate you
00:20:29 --> 00:20:30 just like they hated me
00:20:30 --> 00:20:31 and at the end
00:20:31 --> 00:20:32 Jesus says
00:20:32 --> 00:20:34 the world's rejection
00:20:34 --> 00:20:35 and hatred of him
00:20:35 --> 00:20:36 is a fulfilment
00:20:36 --> 00:20:37 of Psalm 69
00:20:37 --> 00:20:38 verse 4
00:20:38 --> 00:20:40 those who hate me
00:20:40 --> 00:20:41 without reason
00:20:41 --> 00:20:42 outnumber the hairs
00:20:42 --> 00:20:42 of my head.
00:20:44 --> 00:20:45 He says
00:20:45 --> 00:20:46 that is me
00:20:46 --> 00:20:47 in that psalm.
00:20:48 --> 00:20:48 He says
00:20:48 --> 00:20:49 I'm experiencing
00:20:49 --> 00:20:50 all those things
00:20:50 --> 00:20:51 that David talked about
00:20:51 --> 00:20:53 and kind of
00:20:53 --> 00:20:54 foreshadowed earlier on
00:20:54 --> 00:20:55 this is about me
00:20:55 --> 00:20:56 and one last one
00:20:56 --> 00:20:57 in John chapter 19
00:20:57 --> 00:21:00 Jesus is on the cross
00:21:00 --> 00:21:02 this is beginning
00:21:02 --> 00:21:03 at verse 28
00:21:03 --> 00:21:04 in John 9
00:21:04 --> 00:21:05 and Jesus has been
00:21:05 --> 00:21:06 whipped and bloodied
00:21:06 --> 00:21:07 he's about to die
00:21:07 --> 00:21:08 but one last thing
00:21:08 --> 00:21:08 he does
00:21:08 --> 00:21:11 so he's not sitting
00:21:11 --> 00:21:12 there thinking
00:21:12 --> 00:21:12 what boxes do
00:21:12 --> 00:21:13 I have to tick
00:21:13 --> 00:21:15 this was about him
00:21:15 --> 00:21:15 from the beginning
00:21:15 --> 00:21:17 and he says
00:21:17 --> 00:21:18 as he's hanging there
00:21:18 --> 00:21:19 so that the scripture
00:21:19 --> 00:21:20 might be fulfilled
00:21:20 --> 00:21:22 I'm thirsty
00:21:22 --> 00:21:24 and he's given a drink
00:21:24 --> 00:21:26 of wine vinegar
00:21:26 --> 00:21:29 Psalm 69
00:21:29 --> 00:21:30 verse 21
00:21:30 --> 00:21:31 they put gall
00:21:31 --> 00:21:31 in my food
00:21:31 --> 00:21:32 and gave me vinegar
00:21:32 --> 00:21:34 for my thirst
00:21:34 --> 00:21:36 it's not a coincidence
00:21:36 --> 00:21:38 this psalm
00:21:38 --> 00:21:39 is about God's
00:21:39 --> 00:21:40 anointed king
00:21:40 --> 00:21:41 and leader
00:21:41 --> 00:21:42 it is about
00:21:42 --> 00:21:43 King David
00:21:43 --> 00:21:44 absolutely
00:21:44 --> 00:21:45 it's first about
00:21:45 --> 00:21:45 King David
00:21:45 --> 00:21:46 but then
00:21:46 --> 00:21:47 it is about Jesus
00:21:47 --> 00:21:49 he fulfills
00:21:49 --> 00:21:50 this psalm
00:21:50 --> 00:21:51 he is the eternal king
00:21:51 --> 00:21:53 David was the temporary king
00:21:53 --> 00:21:54 the word used
00:21:54 --> 00:21:55 to describe
00:21:55 --> 00:21:56 David's role
00:21:56 --> 00:21:57 is the same word
00:21:57 --> 00:21:57 that's used
00:21:57 --> 00:21:58 to describe
00:21:58 --> 00:21:59 Jesus' saviour
00:21:59 --> 00:21:59 in the New Testament
00:21:59 --> 00:22:00 because the king
00:22:00 --> 00:22:01 was like the saviour
00:22:01 --> 00:22:02 but Jesus
00:22:02 --> 00:22:04 is the saviour
00:22:04 --> 00:22:05 of God's people
00:22:05 --> 00:22:06 Jesus lives out
00:22:06 --> 00:22:07 this psalm
00:22:07 --> 00:22:08 but the reaction
00:22:08 --> 00:22:09 that Jesus has
00:22:09 --> 00:22:09 to his enemies
00:22:09 --> 00:22:11 is very different
00:22:11 --> 00:22:12 to David's
00:22:12 --> 00:22:14 it's like Jesus
00:22:14 --> 00:22:14 is saying
00:22:14 --> 00:22:15 amen
00:22:15 --> 00:22:15 amen
00:22:15 --> 00:22:16 amen
00:22:16 --> 00:22:17 the whole way through
00:22:17 --> 00:22:18 and then he gets
00:22:18 --> 00:22:19 to verse 22
00:22:19 --> 00:22:21 and something shifts
00:22:21 --> 00:22:23 because
00:22:23 --> 00:22:24 in Gethsemane
00:22:24 --> 00:22:24 you see
00:22:24 --> 00:22:25 Jesus praying
00:22:25 --> 00:22:25 prayers
00:22:25 --> 00:22:26 that kind of
00:22:26 --> 00:22:26 reflect
00:22:26 --> 00:22:27 what David's
00:22:27 --> 00:22:27 feeling
00:22:27 --> 00:22:29 Jesus
00:22:29 --> 00:22:29 feeling
00:22:29 --> 00:22:29 that anguish
00:22:29 --> 00:22:30 of if there's
00:22:30 --> 00:22:31 another way
00:22:31 --> 00:22:31 God
00:22:31 --> 00:22:32 can you do it
00:22:32 --> 00:22:34 but we get
00:22:34 --> 00:22:35 to verse 22
00:22:35 --> 00:22:36 and it's where
00:22:36 --> 00:22:37 David and Jesus
00:22:37 --> 00:22:38 it becomes obvious
00:22:38 --> 00:22:39 just how different
00:22:39 --> 00:22:40 they are
00:22:40 --> 00:22:42 because Jesus'
00:22:42 --> 00:22:43 prayer is
00:22:43 --> 00:22:45 Father forgive them
00:22:45 --> 00:22:46 for they know
00:22:46 --> 00:22:47 not what they do
00:22:47 --> 00:22:49 see Jesus
00:22:49 --> 00:22:51 actually embodies
00:22:51 --> 00:22:52 the judgment
00:22:52 --> 00:22:52 that David
00:22:52 --> 00:22:53 prays for here
00:22:53 --> 00:22:55 he experiences
00:22:55 --> 00:22:56 the judgment
00:22:56 --> 00:22:56 he takes it
00:22:56 --> 00:22:57 on himself
00:22:57 --> 00:22:58 Jesus wraps up
00:22:58 --> 00:22:59 all of verse 22
00:22:59 --> 00:23:00 through to 28
00:23:00 --> 00:23:02 on himself
00:23:02 --> 00:23:05 Jesus on the cross
00:23:05 --> 00:23:07 is not just about
00:23:07 --> 00:23:08 physical pain
00:23:08 --> 00:23:09 there is significant
00:23:09 --> 00:23:10 physical pain
00:23:10 --> 00:23:11 but it is more
00:23:11 --> 00:23:12 about what this
00:23:12 --> 00:23:13 psalm talks about
00:23:13 --> 00:23:15 it is more about
00:23:15 --> 00:23:16 the fierce
00:23:16 --> 00:23:17 anger
00:23:17 --> 00:23:18 of a holy
00:23:18 --> 00:23:18 God
00:23:18 --> 00:23:21 being poured
00:23:21 --> 00:23:21 out
00:23:21 --> 00:23:23 on his son
00:23:23 --> 00:23:26 Jesus takes
00:23:26 --> 00:23:27 that judgment
00:23:27 --> 00:23:28 in verses 22
00:23:28 --> 00:23:29 to 28
00:23:29 --> 00:23:30 and rolls it up
00:23:30 --> 00:23:31 with the rejoicing
00:23:31 --> 00:23:32 that David has
00:23:32 --> 00:23:33 in verses 29
00:23:33 --> 00:23:34 to the end
00:23:34 --> 00:23:35 he combines
00:23:35 --> 00:23:35 them together
00:23:35 --> 00:23:36 and judgment
00:23:36 --> 00:23:37 and salvation
00:23:37 --> 00:23:38 become
00:23:38 --> 00:23:39 inseparably
00:23:39 --> 00:23:39 connected
00:23:39 --> 00:23:42 Jesus
00:23:42 --> 00:23:44 far surpasses
00:23:44 --> 00:23:44 anything
00:23:44 --> 00:23:46 that David
00:23:46 --> 00:23:46 could have
00:23:46 --> 00:23:47 even begun
00:23:47 --> 00:23:47 to hope
00:23:47 --> 00:23:47 for
00:23:47 --> 00:23:49 we get
00:23:49 --> 00:23:50 excited
00:23:50 --> 00:23:50 when we
00:23:50 --> 00:23:50 glory
00:23:50 --> 00:23:50 in the
00:23:50 --> 00:23:51 forgiveness
00:23:51 --> 00:23:52 that comes
00:23:52 --> 00:23:52 by the
00:23:52 --> 00:23:52 cross
00:23:52 --> 00:23:53 of our
00:23:53 --> 00:23:53 Savior
00:23:53 --> 00:23:54 but we
00:23:54 --> 00:23:54 cannot
00:23:54 --> 00:23:55 fully
00:23:55 --> 00:23:55 understand
00:23:55 --> 00:23:56 the
00:23:56 --> 00:23:56 forgiveness
00:23:56 --> 00:23:56 that we
00:23:56 --> 00:23:57 have
00:23:57 --> 00:23:57 we cannot
00:23:57 --> 00:23:58 fully
00:23:58 --> 00:23:58 understand
00:23:58 --> 00:23:58 the love
00:23:58 --> 00:23:59 that God
00:23:59 --> 00:23:59 has shown
00:23:59 --> 00:23:59 us
00:23:59 --> 00:24:01 unless we
00:24:01 --> 00:24:01 understand
00:24:01 --> 00:24:02 that at
00:24:02 --> 00:24:03 exactly
00:24:03 --> 00:24:03 the same
00:24:03 --> 00:24:04 time
00:24:04 --> 00:24:05 as that
00:24:05 --> 00:24:06 forgiveness
00:24:06 --> 00:24:06 was won
00:24:06 --> 00:24:09 the most
00:24:09 --> 00:24:10 direct
00:24:10 --> 00:24:10 and severe
00:24:10 --> 00:24:11 act of
00:24:11 --> 00:24:11 judgment
00:24:11 --> 00:24:12 that this
00:24:12 --> 00:24:12 world
00:24:12 --> 00:24:12 will ever
00:24:12 --> 00:24:12 know
00:24:12 --> 00:24:13 was being
00:24:13 --> 00:24:13 poured
00:24:13 --> 00:24:14 out
00:24:14 --> 00:24:20 until we
00:24:20 --> 00:24:21 grasp
00:24:21 --> 00:24:21 that all
00:24:21 --> 00:24:22 of God's
00:24:22 --> 00:24:22 wrath
00:24:22 --> 00:24:24 was poured
00:24:24 --> 00:24:25 out on
00:24:25 --> 00:24:25 Jesus
00:24:25 --> 00:24:26 instead of
00:24:26 --> 00:24:26 us
00:24:26 --> 00:24:27 we will
00:24:27 --> 00:24:27 never
00:24:27 --> 00:24:28 begin
00:24:28 --> 00:24:28 to
00:24:28 --> 00:24:29 understand
00:24:29 --> 00:24:30 the love
00:24:30 --> 00:24:30 that God
00:24:30 --> 00:24:31 has shown
00:24:31 --> 00:24:31 us
00:24:31 --> 00:24:35 can we
00:24:35 --> 00:24:36 pray this
00:24:36 --> 00:24:36 prayer
00:24:36 --> 00:24:39 as
00:24:39 --> 00:24:40 forgiven
00:24:40 --> 00:24:40 sinners
00:24:40 --> 00:24:41 wrath
00:24:41 --> 00:24:41 is not
00:24:41 --> 00:24:41 ours
00:24:41 --> 00:24:42 to give
00:24:42 --> 00:24:45 we
00:24:45 --> 00:24:46 have a
00:24:46 --> 00:24:46 covenant
00:24:46 --> 00:24:46 that is
00:24:46 --> 00:24:47 better than
00:24:47 --> 00:24:47 the one
00:24:47 --> 00:24:47 that David
00:24:47 --> 00:24:48 knew
00:24:48 --> 00:24:48 we have
00:24:48 --> 00:24:49 a covenant
00:24:49 --> 00:24:50 that guarantees
00:24:50 --> 00:24:50 our eternal
00:24:50 --> 00:24:51 salvation
00:24:51 --> 00:24:51 through the
00:24:51 --> 00:24:51 blood of
00:24:51 --> 00:24:52 our son
00:24:52 --> 00:24:53 and as
00:24:53 --> 00:24:53 forgiven
00:24:53 --> 00:24:56 sinners
00:24:56 --> 00:24:56 wrath
00:24:56 --> 00:24:57 is not
00:24:57 --> 00:24:57 ours
00:24:57 --> 00:24:57 to give
00:24:57 --> 00:24:58 it is
00:24:58 --> 00:24:58 God's
00:24:58 --> 00:24:59 alone
00:24:59 --> 00:25:01 as
00:25:01 --> 00:25:01 followers
00:25:01 --> 00:25:01 of
00:25:01 --> 00:25:02 Jesus
00:25:02 --> 00:25:02 the
00:25:02 --> 00:25:03 model
00:25:03 --> 00:25:03 that we
00:25:03 --> 00:25:03 are
00:25:03 --> 00:25:03 given
00:25:03 --> 00:25:04 is to
00:25:04 --> 00:25:04 love
00:25:04 --> 00:25:04 our
00:25:04 --> 00:25:05 enemies
00:25:05 --> 00:25:06 love
00:25:06 --> 00:25:06 for our
00:25:06 --> 00:25:07 brothers
00:25:07 --> 00:25:07 and our
00:25:07 --> 00:25:08 enemies
00:25:08 --> 00:25:09 there's a
00:25:09 --> 00:25:09 great set
00:25:09 --> 00:25:10 of verses
00:25:10 --> 00:25:10 in Romans
00:25:10 --> 00:25:11 chapter 12
00:25:11 --> 00:25:12 beginning at
00:25:12 --> 00:25:12 verse 17
00:25:12 --> 00:25:13 it says
00:25:13 --> 00:25:13 do not
00:25:13 --> 00:25:14 repay anyone
00:25:14 --> 00:25:14 evil for
00:25:14 --> 00:25:15 evil
00:25:15 --> 00:25:16 be careful
00:25:16 --> 00:25:16 to do
00:25:16 --> 00:25:16 what is
00:25:16 --> 00:25:17 right
00:25:17 --> 00:25:17 in the
00:25:17 --> 00:25:17 eyes
00:25:17 --> 00:25:17 of
00:25:17 --> 00:25:18 everybody
00:25:18 --> 00:25:18 if
00:25:18 --> 00:25:18 it
00:25:18 --> 00:25:18 is
00:25:18 --> 00:25:19 possible
00:25:19 --> 00:25:19 as
00:25:19 --> 00:25:19 far
00:25:19 --> 00:25:19 as
00:25:19 --> 00:25:19 it
00:25:19 --> 00:25:20 depends
00:25:20 --> 00:25:20 on
00:25:20 --> 00:25:20 you
00:25:20 --> 00:25:21 live
00:25:21 --> 00:25:21 at
00:25:21 --> 00:25:21 peace
00:25:21 --> 00:25:22 with
00:25:22 --> 00:25:22 everyone
00:25:22 --> 00:25:22 and
00:25:22 --> 00:25:22 here's
00:25:22 --> 00:25:23 really
00:25:23 --> 00:25:23 important
00:25:23 --> 00:25:24 do not
00:25:24 --> 00:25:24 take
00:25:24 --> 00:25:25 revenge
00:25:25 --> 00:25:25 my
00:25:25 --> 00:25:25 friends
00:25:25 --> 00:25:27 but leave
00:25:27 --> 00:25:27 room for
00:25:27 --> 00:25:28 God's
00:25:28 --> 00:25:28 wrath
00:25:28 --> 00:25:29 for it
00:25:29 --> 00:25:30 is
00:25:30 --> 00:25:30 written
00:25:30 --> 00:25:30 it
00:25:30 --> 00:25:30 is
00:25:30 --> 00:25:31 mine
00:25:31 --> 00:25:31 to
00:25:31 --> 00:25:32 avenge
00:25:32 --> 00:25:33 I
00:25:33 --> 00:25:33 will
00:25:33 --> 00:25:33 repay
00:25:33 --> 00:25:34 says
00:25:34 --> 00:25:34 the
00:25:34 --> 00:25:34 Lord
00:25:34 --> 00:25:35 on
00:25:35 --> 00:25:35 the
00:25:35 --> 00:25:36 contrary
00:25:36 --> 00:25:36 if
00:25:36 --> 00:25:36 your
00:25:36 --> 00:25:37 enemy
00:25:37 --> 00:25:37 is
00:25:37 --> 00:25:37 hungry
00:25:37 --> 00:25:38 feed
00:25:38 --> 00:25:38 him
00:25:38 --> 00:25:39 if
00:25:39 --> 00:25:39 he
00:25:39 --> 00:25:40 is
00:25:40 --> 00:25:40 thirsty
00:25:40 --> 00:25:41 give
00:25:41 --> 00:25:41 him
00:25:41 --> 00:25:41 something
00:25:41 --> 00:25:41 to
00:25:41 --> 00:25:42 drink
00:25:42 --> 00:25:43 in
00:25:43 --> 00:25:43 doing
00:25:43 --> 00:25:43 this
00:25:43 --> 00:25:44 you
00:25:44 --> 00:25:44 will
00:25:44 --> 00:25:44 heap
00:25:44 --> 00:25:44 burning
00:25:44 --> 00:25:45 coals
00:25:45 --> 00:25:45 on
00:25:45 --> 00:25:45 his
00:25:45 --> 00:25:45 head
00:25:45 --> 00:25:46 do
00:25:46 --> 00:25:47 not
00:25:47 --> 00:25:47 overcome
00:25:47 --> 00:25:47 by
00:25:47 --> 00:25:48 evil
00:25:48 --> 00:25:48 but
00:25:48 --> 00:25:49 overcome
00:25:49 --> 00:25:49 evil
00:25:49 --> 00:25:50 with
00:25:50 --> 00:25:50 good
00:25:50 --> 00:25:53 the
00:25:53 --> 00:25:53 command
00:25:53 --> 00:25:53 to
00:25:53 --> 00:25:53 love
00:25:53 --> 00:25:54 doesn't
00:25:54 --> 00:25:54 remove
00:25:54 --> 00:25:55 the
00:25:55 --> 00:25:55 desire
00:25:55 --> 00:25:55 for
00:25:55 --> 00:25:56 justice
00:25:56 --> 00:25:57 it
00:25:57 --> 00:25:57 just
00:25:57 --> 00:25:58 helps
00:25:58 --> 00:25:58 us
00:25:58 --> 00:25:58 understand
00:25:58 --> 00:25:59 what
00:25:59 --> 00:25:59 justice
00:25:59 --> 00:25:59 really
00:25:59 --> 00:26:00 is
00:26:00 --> 00:26:01 justice
00:26:01 --> 00:26:02 isn't
00:26:02 --> 00:26:02 my
00:26:02 --> 00:26:03 vindication
00:26:03 --> 00:26:04 it's
00:26:04 --> 00:26:05 God's
00:26:05 --> 00:26:05 vindication
00:26:05 --> 00:26:07 it's
00:26:07 --> 00:26:07 those
00:26:07 --> 00:26:08 who have
00:26:08 --> 00:26:08 rejected
00:26:08 --> 00:26:08 him
00:26:08 --> 00:26:09 receiving
00:26:09 --> 00:26:09 what
00:26:09 --> 00:26:09 they
00:26:09 --> 00:26:10 deserve
00:26:10 --> 00:26:12 and
00:26:12 --> 00:26:12 those
00:26:12 --> 00:26:13 who have
00:26:13 --> 00:26:13 trusted
00:26:13 --> 00:26:13 in
00:26:13 --> 00:26:13 the
00:26:13 --> 00:26:14 son
00:26:14 --> 00:26:15 being
00:26:15 --> 00:26:15 given
00:26:15 --> 00:26:15 the
00:26:15 --> 00:26:16 life
00:26:16 --> 00:26:16 that
00:26:16 --> 00:26:16 they
00:26:16 --> 00:26:16 do
00:26:16 --> 00:26:16 not
00:26:16 --> 00:26:19 so
00:26:19 --> 00:26:20 how do
00:26:20 --> 00:26:20 we
00:26:20 --> 00:26:20 respond
00:26:20 --> 00:26:20 to
00:26:20 --> 00:26:21 injustice
00:26:21 --> 00:26:21 and
00:26:21 --> 00:26:21 sin
00:26:21 --> 00:26:21 in
00:26:21 --> 00:26:22 the
00:26:22 --> 00:26:22 world
00:26:22 --> 00:26:22 around
00:26:22 --> 00:26:23 us
00:26:23 --> 00:26:24 as
00:26:24 --> 00:26:25 God
00:26:25 --> 00:26:25 does
00:26:25 --> 00:26:25 shape
00:26:25 --> 00:26:26 our
00:26:26 --> 00:26:26 heart
00:26:26 --> 00:26:26 to
00:26:26 --> 00:26:26 love
00:26:26 --> 00:26:27 him
00:26:27 --> 00:26:27 more
00:26:27 --> 00:26:27 than
00:26:27 --> 00:26:27 us
00:26:27 --> 00:26:27 and
00:26:27 --> 00:26:28 as
00:26:28 --> 00:26:28 we
00:26:28 --> 00:26:28 do
00:26:28 --> 00:26:29 God
00:26:29 --> 00:26:29 willing
00:26:29 --> 00:26:29 become
00:26:29 --> 00:26:29 more
00:26:29 --> 00:26:30 offended
00:26:30 --> 00:26:31 by
00:26:31 --> 00:26:31 the
00:26:31 --> 00:26:32 irreverence
00:26:32 --> 00:26:32 that
00:26:32 --> 00:26:32 we're
00:26:32 --> 00:26:32 surrounded
00:26:32 --> 00:26:33 by
00:26:33 --> 00:26:33 how do
00:26:33 --> 00:26:33 we
00:26:33 --> 00:26:34 respond
00:26:34 --> 00:26:37 like
00:26:37 --> 00:26:38 David
00:26:38 --> 00:26:38 ultimately
00:26:38 --> 00:26:39 did
00:26:39 --> 00:26:41 from
00:26:41 --> 00:26:41 verse
00:26:41 --> 00:26:42 29
00:26:42 --> 00:26:43 he
00:26:43 --> 00:26:43 says
00:26:43 --> 00:26:43 I'm
00:26:43 --> 00:26:43 in
00:26:43 --> 00:26:44 pain
00:26:44 --> 00:26:44 and
00:26:44 --> 00:26:44 distress
00:26:44 --> 00:26:45 may
00:26:45 --> 00:26:45 your
00:26:45 --> 00:26:46 salvation
00:26:46 --> 00:26:46 oh
00:26:46 --> 00:26:46 God
00:26:46 --> 00:26:47 protect
00:26:47 --> 00:26:47 me
00:26:47 --> 00:26:48 I
00:26:48 --> 00:26:48 will
00:26:48 --> 00:26:49 praise
00:26:49 --> 00:26:49 God's
00:26:49 --> 00:26:49 name
00:26:49 --> 00:26:49 in
00:26:49 --> 00:26:50 song
00:26:50 --> 00:26:50 and
00:26:50 --> 00:26:51 glorify
00:26:51 --> 00:26:51 him
00:26:51 --> 00:26:51 with
00:26:51 --> 00:26:52 thanksgiving
00:26:52 --> 00:26:52 this
00:26:52 --> 00:26:52 will
00:26:52 --> 00:26:53 please
00:26:53 --> 00:26:54 the
00:26:54 --> 00:26:54 Lord
00:26:54 --> 00:26:54 more
00:26:54 --> 00:26:54 than
00:26:54 --> 00:26:54 an
00:26:54 --> 00:26:55 ox
00:26:55 --> 00:26:55 more
00:26:55 --> 00:26:55 than
00:26:55 --> 00:26:56 a
00:26:56 --> 00:26:56 bull
00:26:56 --> 00:26:56 with
00:26:56 --> 00:26:56 its
00:26:56 --> 00:26:57 horns
00:26:57 --> 00:26:57 and
00:26:57 --> 00:26:57 its
00:26:57 --> 00:26:57 hoofs
00:26:57 --> 00:26:57 and
00:26:57 --> 00:26:57 he
00:26:57 --> 00:26:59 rejoices
00:26:59 --> 00:27:00 because
00:27:00 --> 00:27:00 even
00:27:00 --> 00:27:01 though
00:27:01 --> 00:27:01 he's
00:27:01 --> 00:27:01 surrounded
00:27:01 --> 00:27:01 by
00:27:01 --> 00:27:02 injustice
00:27:02 --> 00:27:03 back
00:27:03 --> 00:27:03 in
00:27:03 --> 00:27:04 verse
00:27:04 --> 00:27:04 13
00:27:04 --> 00:27:04 he
00:27:04 --> 00:27:04 already
00:27:04 --> 00:27:05 knows
00:27:05 --> 00:27:05 that
00:27:05 --> 00:27:05 salvation
00:27:05 --> 00:27:06 is
00:27:06 --> 00:27:06 sure
00:27:06 --> 00:27:07 that
00:27:07 --> 00:27:07 judgment
00:27:07 --> 00:27:08 will
00:27:08 --> 00:27:08 come
00:27:08 --> 00:27:08 that
00:27:08 --> 00:27:09 God
00:27:09 --> 00:27:09 will
00:27:09 --> 00:27:09 bring
00:27:09 --> 00:27:11 justice
00:27:11 --> 00:27:12 and
00:27:12 --> 00:27:12 judgment
00:27:12 --> 00:27:13 and
00:27:13 --> 00:27:13 salvation
00:27:13 --> 00:27:16 respond
00:27:16 --> 00:27:16 like
00:27:16 --> 00:27:17 David
00:27:17 --> 00:27:17 ultimately
00:27:17 --> 00:27:18 did
00:27:18 --> 00:27:18 but
00:27:18 --> 00:27:18 more
00:27:18 --> 00:27:18 than
00:27:18 --> 00:27:19 that
00:27:19 --> 00:27:20 respond
00:27:20 --> 00:27:20 like
00:27:20 --> 00:27:21 Jesus
00:27:21 --> 00:27:21 did
00:27:21 --> 00:27:23 with
00:27:23 --> 00:27:24 sacrificial
00:27:24 --> 00:27:24 love
00:27:24 --> 00:27:26 even
00:27:26 --> 00:27:27 especially
00:27:27 --> 00:27:29 for those
00:27:29 --> 00:27:29 who persecute
00:27:29 --> 00:27:30 us
00:27:30 --> 00:27:31 because we
00:27:31 --> 00:27:32 are confident
00:27:32 --> 00:27:34 that God
00:27:34 --> 00:27:35 will bring
00:27:35 --> 00:27:35 justice
00:27:35 --> 00:27:38 we are
00:27:38 --> 00:27:38 confident
00:27:38 --> 00:27:40 because in
00:27:40 --> 00:27:40 Jesus
00:27:40 --> 00:27:41 he's already
00:27:41 --> 00:27:42 begun to do
00:27:42 --> 00:27:42 it
00:27:42 --> 00:27:44 and because
00:27:44 --> 00:27:44 he has
00:27:44 --> 00:27:45 promised
00:27:45 --> 00:27:45 that when
00:27:45 --> 00:27:45 Jesus
00:27:45 --> 00:27:46 returns
00:27:46 --> 00:27:49 he will
00:27:49 --> 00:27:49 bring
00:27:49 --> 00:27:49 justice
00:27:49 --> 00:27:50 fully
00:27:50 --> 00:27:51 and
00:27:51 --> 00:27:51 forever
00:27:51 --> 00:27:54 let's
00:27:54 --> 00:27:54 pray
00:27:54 --> 00:28:02 father
00:28:02 --> 00:28:02 god
00:28:02 --> 00:28:02 we
00:28:02 --> 00:28:03 acknowledge
00:28:03 --> 00:28:03 that
00:28:03 --> 00:28:05 it is
00:28:05 --> 00:28:05 our
00:28:05 --> 00:28:06 hearts
00:28:06 --> 00:28:06 first
00:28:06 --> 00:28:06 desire
00:28:06 --> 00:28:06 to
00:28:06 --> 00:28:07 protect
00:28:07 --> 00:28:07 ourselves
00:28:07 --> 00:28:08 but we
00:28:08 --> 00:28:08 ask that
00:28:08 --> 00:28:09 you would
00:28:09 --> 00:28:09 strip
00:28:09 --> 00:28:09 that
00:28:09 --> 00:28:09 away
00:28:09 --> 00:28:11 please
00:28:11 --> 00:28:13 shape our
00:28:13 --> 00:28:13 hearts
00:28:13 --> 00:28:13 that we
00:28:13 --> 00:28:14 would love
00:28:14 --> 00:28:14 you
00:28:14 --> 00:28:15 as you
00:28:15 --> 00:28:15 deserve
00:28:15 --> 00:28:16 that we
00:28:16 --> 00:28:17 would care
00:28:17 --> 00:28:17 more about
00:28:17 --> 00:28:18 your glory
00:28:18 --> 00:28:19 and your
00:28:19 --> 00:28:19 honor and
00:28:19 --> 00:28:20 your name
00:28:20 --> 00:28:20 and your
00:28:20 --> 00:28:21 purpose than
00:28:21 --> 00:28:21 any of our
00:28:21 --> 00:28:22 own ambition
00:28:22 --> 00:28:25 father
00:28:25 --> 00:28:25 as you
00:28:25 --> 00:28:26 shape us
00:28:26 --> 00:28:26 and as we
00:28:26 --> 00:28:27 recognize
00:28:27 --> 00:28:28 just how
00:28:28 --> 00:28:28 sinful
00:28:28 --> 00:28:29 and dark
00:28:29 --> 00:28:29 our world
00:28:29 --> 00:28:30 is
00:28:30 --> 00:28:33 may we
00:28:33 --> 00:28:33 be moved
00:28:33 --> 00:28:34 to love
00:28:34 --> 00:28:35 like you
00:28:35 --> 00:28:35 loved
00:28:35 --> 00:28:37 maybe we
00:28:37 --> 00:28:38 move to
00:28:38 --> 00:28:38 love
00:28:38 --> 00:28:39 sacrificially
00:28:39 --> 00:28:40 humbly
00:28:40 --> 00:28:40 without
00:28:40 --> 00:28:41 judgment
00:28:41 --> 00:28:42 knowing that
00:28:42 --> 00:28:43 it's you
00:28:43 --> 00:28:43 who judges
00:28:43 --> 00:28:47 give us
00:28:47 --> 00:28:48 the ability
00:28:48 --> 00:28:48 to love
00:28:48 --> 00:28:49 and forgive
00:28:49 --> 00:28:49 those who
00:28:49 --> 00:28:50 hurt us
00:28:50 --> 00:28:50 again
00:28:50 --> 00:28:51 knowing that
00:28:51 --> 00:28:52 it's you
00:28:52 --> 00:28:52 who judges
00:28:52 --> 00:28:52 and that
00:28:52 --> 00:28:53 your judgment
00:28:53 --> 00:28:54 is sure
00:28:54 --> 00:28:54 and right
00:28:54 --> 00:28:55 and just
00:28:55 --> 00:28:58 father
00:28:58 --> 00:28:58 be enough
00:28:58 --> 00:28:59 for us
00:28:59 --> 00:29:01 that we
00:29:01 --> 00:29:01 might be
00:29:01 --> 00:29:01 content
00:29:01 --> 00:29:02 in you
00:29:02 --> 00:29:03 that we
00:29:03 --> 00:29:04 might be
00:29:04 --> 00:29:04 released
00:29:04 --> 00:29:05 to love
00:29:05 --> 00:29:07 especially
00:29:07 --> 00:29:07 when it
00:29:07 --> 00:29:07 hurts
00:29:07 --> 00:29:09 father
00:29:09 --> 00:29:09 we thank
00:29:09 --> 00:29:10 you for
00:29:10 --> 00:29:10 your son
00:29:10 --> 00:29:12 we thank
00:29:12 --> 00:29:12 you that
00:29:12 --> 00:29:13 he was
00:29:13 --> 00:29:14 willing to
00:29:14 --> 00:29:14 take
00:29:14 --> 00:29:16 the punishment
00:29:16 --> 00:29:16 that we
00:29:16 --> 00:29:17 deserved
00:29:17 --> 00:29:18 lord
00:29:18 --> 00:29:19 may that
00:29:19 --> 00:29:19 truth
00:29:19 --> 00:29:20 daily
00:29:20 --> 00:29:21 break
00:29:21 --> 00:29:22 our hearts
00:29:22 --> 00:29:24 and excite
00:29:24 --> 00:29:25 us
00:29:25 --> 00:29:26 to share
00:29:26 --> 00:29:26 that love
00:29:26 --> 00:29:27 with others
00:29:27 --> 00:29:27 who don't
00:29:27 --> 00:29:28 deserve it
00:29:28 --> 00:29:30 thank you
00:29:30 --> 00:29:30 god for
00:29:30 --> 00:29:31 your word
00:29:31 --> 00:29:32 amen
00:29:32 --> 00:29:37 so
00:29:37 --> 00:29:39 you
00:29:39 --> 00:29:40 you
00:29:40 --> 00:29:43 other
00:29:43 --> 00:29:45 who