Psalm 130 - A Communion Meditation

“The way to cover our sin is to uncover it by confession.” 

Richard Sibbes

- 16th Century Anglican Theologian

Cry of Repentance (vs. 1-2)

 

Psalm 130: 1-2 “Out of the depths I cry to you, O Lord; O Lord, hear my voice. Let your ears be attentive to my cry for mercy.”

 

“Mercy” – the bridge that spans the Pit and God

 

·      Psalmist acknowledges he is asking for what he does NOT deserve – Mercy.

·      Yet he knows his God...who is rich in mercy.

 

Ephesians 2:4-5 – “Because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions – it is by grace you have been saved.”

 

“Repentance” = Activator of Mercy’s restoration

 

·      Psalmist admits he’s in the “depths”

o   “Out of the Depths” = the natural consequence (most common expression) that sin leads us

 

·      Usually associated with Death or a Grave Situation...

 

...sometimes caused by other people...

...sometimes the result of our sin.

 

Holman Commentary – “When confession of sin and repentance are real, they will not be mumbled in a casual, halfhearted manner. True repentance always has an element of brokenness, a feeling of guilt that must be cleansed. His cry for mercy is a confession of sin, seeking forgiveness from God.”

 

App: As we come to the Table tonight, we come because God is merciful... 

 

...not wanting to give us what we deserve...

 

...but willing to show us his grace.

 

Cry of Forgiveness (vs. 3-4)

 

Psalm 130: 3-4 “If you, O Lord, kept a record of sins, O Lord, who could stand? But with you there is forgiveness; therefore you are feared.”

 

Application: Too often we blame other people or things for our “depths”.

 

Genesis 3:12 – The man said, “The woman you put here with me - she gave me some fruit from the tree, and I ate it.”

 

** Good News...God keeps no record of sin!

 

·      Psalm 103:12 – “As far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us.”

·      Psalm 130:3 – the rhetorical “if” ... “If you, O Lord, kept a record of sins, O Lord, who could stand?  But with you there is forgiveness.”

 

Cry of Anticipation (vs. 5-6)

 

Psalm 130: 5-6 – “I wait for the Lord, my soul waits, and in his word I put my hope. My soul waits for the Lord more than watchmen wait for the morning, more than watchmen wait for the morning.”

 

“Wait” = connotes active anticipation.

 

Point: The assurance of forgiveness frees the Psalmist to actively seek the blessings of God.

 

App: Stuck in bondage? ...not feeling free?

 

...You are likely not fully assured of forgiveness!

 

Cry of Confidence (vs. 7-8)

 

Psalm 130: 7-8 – “O Israel, put your hope in the Lord, for with the Lord is unfailing love and with him is full redemption. He himself will redeem Israel from all their sins.”

 

** “Waiting” has its fruit = Hope (i.e.: confidence)

 

** What is our Hope?   From the Heidelberg Catechism

 

Question 1: What is your only comfort in life and death?

 

Answer 1: That I am not my own, ¹but belong with body and soul, both in life and in death, ² to my faithful Savior Jesus Christ. ³ He has fully paid for all my sins with his precious blood, ⁴ and has set me free from all the power of the devil. ⁵ He also preserves me in such a way ⁶ that without the will of my heavenly Father not a hair can fall from my head; ⁷ indeed, all things must work together for my salvation. ⁸ Therefore, by his Holy Spirit he also assures me of eternal life ⁹ and makes me heartily willing and ready from now on to live for him. ¹⁰

 

1. 1 Corinthians 6:19, 20.

2. Romans 14:7-9.

3. 1 Corinthians 3:23; Titus 2:14.

4. 1 Peter 1:18, 19; 1 John 1:7; 2:2.

5. John 8:34-36; Hebrews 2:14, 15; 1 John 3:8.

6. John 6:39, 40; 10:27-30; 2 Thessalonians 3:3; 1 Peter 1:5.

7. Matthew 10:29-31; Luke 21:16-18.

8. Romans 8:28.

9. Romans 8:15, 16; 2 Corinthians 1:21, 22; 5:5; Ephesians 1:13, 14.

10. Romans 8:14.

Kirk McCormick · Psalm 130 - A Communion Meditation

Lessons from the Wilderness - Week 8

 

“Lessons about Death”

Deuteronomy 34:1-12

“Man is born with his fists clinched, but dies with his hands open.”

- Talmud

Premise: To truly live we need to have confidence about death.

Lessons about Death Lesson #1 – In death, we are neither alone nor lonely.

Deuteronomy 34:1 – “Then Moses went up from the plains of Moab...and the LORD showed him the whole land.”

NOTE: God promises to be there with us -

Hebrews 13:5 – God has said, “Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.”

** Jesus said - “I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go, I will return and bring you to myself so that where I am you may be also.” – John 14:2

Point: In death, God escorts us through the process.

Lesson #2 – God leaves no task undone.

Deuteronomy 34:4 - Then the LORD said to him, “This is the land I promised on oath to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob when I said, ‘I will give it to your descendants.’ I have let you see it with your eyes, but you will not cross over into it.”

Point: God does not take us prematurely.

Job 14:5 – “Man’s days are determined; you have decreed the number of his months and have set limits he cannot exceed.”

Ephesians 2:10 – “For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.”

Lesson #3 – Death opens the door to the ultimate blessing.

Deuteronomy 34:5 – “Then Moses, the servant of the LORD, died there in the land of Moab, at the LORD’S command.”

Jude 9 - Even the archangel Michael, when he was disputing with the devil about the body of Moses, did not dare to bring a slanderous accusation against him, but said, “The Lord rebuke you!”

1 Corinthians 13:12 – “Now we see things imperfectly, like puzzling reflections in a mirror, but then we will see everything with perfect clarity. All that I know now is partial and incomplete, but then I will know everything completely, just as God now knows me completely.” (NLT)

Point: God’s purpose in death is to reward his own.

Lesson #4 - Mourning has its place in God’s purpose.

Deuteronomy 34:8 – “The Israelites wept for Moses in the plains of Moab thirty days; then the period of mourning for Moses was ended.”

Joshua 1:1 – “After the death of Moses the servant of the LORD, the LORD spoke to Joshua son of Nun, Moses’ assistant, saying, ‘My servant Moses is dead. Now proceed to cross the Jordan, you and all this people, into the land that I am giving to them, to the Israelites.’”

** Elizabeth Kubler-Ross: Six Stages of Grief

1. Denial.  2. Anger.  3. Bargaining. 4. Depression. 5. Acceptance. 6. Hope.

Point: Purposeful mourning expresses hope...enables us to live supported by faith.

1 Thessalonians 4:13 – “But we do not want you to be uninformed, brothers and sisters, about those who have died, so that you may not grieve as others do who have no hope.”

Lesson #5 - While on earth, build an eternal legacy.

Deuteronomy 34:9 - “Joshua son of Nun was full of the spirit of wisdom, because Moses had laid his hands on him; and the Israelites obeyed him, doing as the LORD had commanded Moses.”

Point: To build an eternal legacy, invest in people.

 

Kirk McCormick · Lessons about Death

Lessons from the Wilderness - Week 7

Lessons about How God Works

Numbers 27:12-23

“For now we see in a mirror, dimly, but then we will see face to face.

Now I know only in part; then I will know fully, even as I have been fully known.”

1 Corinthians 13:12

As God works, He “A.C.T.S.” 

** As God works, He “A”ppoints.

Numbers 27:18 - So the LORD said to Moses, “Take Joshua son of Nun, a man in whom is the spirit and lay your hand upon him”

Our Hang Up: Ego.

** Our Egos get involved in three ways...

1) Jealousy 

2) Distortion 

3) Distrust

Point: God never chooses the wrong person for his purposes.

** As God works, He “C”ommissions.

Numbers 27:19 - So the LORD said to Moses, “Have him [Joshua] stand before Eleazar the priest and the entire assembly and commission him in their presence.”

Point: God always confirms the appointments he makes.

Our Hang Up: Poor Listening ...which causes resistance to God’s will.

Application: When intimidated by God’s appointment remember...it’s a “co-mission” with God.

** As God works, He “T”eaches.

Numbers 27:21- God said about Joshua, “He is to stand before Eleazar the priest, who will obtain decisions for him by inquiring of the Urim before the LORD.”

Jesus said, “When he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all truth.” - John 16:13 

Our Hang Up: Ignorance.

Application Question: What training exercises am I involved in?

** As God works, He “S”ends.

Numbers 27:21b - God said about Joshua – “At his command he (Joshua) and the entire community of the Israelites will go out, and at his command they will come in.”

Note: God does not appoint, commission and train us so we can sit at home. 

Matthew 28:18-20 – Jesus said -

“All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

1 Command: “Make Disciples”

1 Strategy: Baptize and Teach

1 Insight: “Behold” = pay attention

Our Hang Up: Doubt.

James 1:6 – “...he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind.”

Kirk McCormick · Lessons about How God Works

Lessons from the Wilderness - Week 6

Lessons about Self-Control

Numbers 20:1-13

“We are not masters of our own feeling,

but we are by God’s grace masters of our consent.”

- Francois Fenelon

17th/18th Century Catholic Archbishop

I. Common Substitutes for Self-Control 

Substitute 1 - Rebellion.

Numbers 20:2 – “There was no water for the people to drink at that place, so they rebelled against Moses and Aaron.” (NLT)

Point: Anarchy does not honor God...nor does it prove power.

Substitute 2 - Compromise.

Numbers 20:8, 11 – God said to Moses, “Command the rock before their eyes to yield its water.” Then Moses lifted up his hand and struck the rock twice with his staff.

Point: Half-truth is really no truth.

Substitute 3 - Rage.

Numbers 20:10 – “Listen, you rebels, shall we bring water for you out of this rock?” Ephesians 4:26 – “In your anger do not sin.”

Point: God is rarely glorified in our uncontrolled anger.

Benjamin Franklin - “Whatever is begun in anger ends in shame.”

Substitute 4 - Faithlessness.

Numbers 20:12 – But the LORD said to Moses and Aaron, “Because you did not trust me enough to demonstrate my holiness to the people of Israel, you will not lead them into the land I am giving them!”

Point: A lack of self-control has its consequences...for us and others.

II. Lessons about Self-Control 

Lesson #1 – Self-control protects our spirits.

Frederick Buechner – “If you do not face up to the enemy in all his dark power, then the enemy will come up from behind some dark day and destroy you while you are facing the other way.”

Proverbs 25:28 – “A person without self-control is as defenseless as a city with broken-down walls.” (NLT)

1 Peter 5:8 – “Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.” (NIV)

Point: Self-control demonstrates our “Yes” to God’s purposes.

Lesson #2 – Self-control reduces faithlessness.

Quote: Someone once said, “If you don’t live it, you don’t believe it.”

2 Peter 1:6 – “Knowing God leads to self-control. Self-control leads to patient endurance, and patient endurance leads to godliness.” (NLT)

Point: Self-control is part of our contribution to a healthy, whole spiritual life.

John Eldredge - “This is where your strength is revealed and even increased – through exercise. Stand on what is true and do not let go. Period.”

Lesson #3 – In self-control, we experience the glory of God.

1 Corinthians 9:25 – “All athletes practice strict self-control. They do it to win a prize that will fade away, but we do it for an eternal prize.” (NLT)

Point: Self-control is part of the prize of salvation we receive from God.

Kirk McCormick · Lessons about Self Control