WEBVTT 00:00:03.040 --> 00:00:06.440 Like I said, we are starting our Summer of Psalms, 00:00:06.480 --> 00:00:11.740 and I just applaud Mike and his ability to capture 00:00:11.740 --> 00:00:15.480 a variety of things, contrast this wonderful, 00:00:15.740 --> 00:00:18.620 lighthearted with the Chaos of Revelations bumper 00:00:18.620 --> 00:00:21.480 video, right? And you talk about a chasm of creativity, 00:00:21.660 --> 00:00:24.539 which is fantastic, and though he told me those 00:00:24.539 --> 00:00:27.660 look like flyer flies, I see pollen, I really 00:00:27.660 --> 00:00:31.550 do. The summer of Psalms 2025 will just remind 00:00:31.550 --> 00:00:34.469 me of my allergies. So thank you for that. Now 00:00:34.469 --> 00:00:36.670 by half of you that you'll only see pollen too. 00:00:37.090 --> 00:00:39.490 But this sermon series is brought to you by Zyrtec. 00:00:39.689 --> 00:00:44.270 And so we're going to jump into Psalm 50, a psalm 00:00:44.270 --> 00:00:47.770 of Asaph. Asaph, we touched on a little bit of 00:00:47.770 --> 00:00:52.170 his last or two summers ago. Because if you remember, 00:00:52.369 --> 00:00:56.630 how many books technically is the entire psalms 00:00:56.630 --> 00:01:01.289 made up of? How many books? Five, right? And 00:01:01.289 --> 00:01:06.189 they mimic what in the Old Testament? The Torah, 00:01:06.870 --> 00:01:09.670 right? Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and 00:01:09.670 --> 00:01:12.510 Deuteronomy. They're broken up into five. So 00:01:12.510 --> 00:01:15.590 we are back. This is my sixth summer, so we're 00:01:15.590 --> 00:01:19.680 back in book two. Psalm 50, a psalm of Asaph. 00:01:19.939 --> 00:01:23.099 Asaph was in the line of the Levites, right? 00:01:23.200 --> 00:01:25.340 So he was part of the Levitical code. He was 00:01:25.340 --> 00:01:27.719 part of a Levitical people. So a lot of these 00:01:27.719 --> 00:01:30.959 psalms are going to have more to do with the 00:01:30.959 --> 00:01:33.180 idea of justice, keeping the law. What does that 00:01:33.180 --> 00:01:35.519 look like? But then how you also contrast that 00:01:35.519 --> 00:01:39.640 with living a life of love. So I will not have 00:01:39.640 --> 00:01:41.579 titles for these sermons because I believe the 00:01:41.579 --> 00:01:43.879 psalm itself is the title, but I'm going to start 00:01:43.879 --> 00:01:46.120 all of my sermons this summer with a question. 00:01:46.640 --> 00:01:49.959 And the question I have as we start, have you 00:01:49.959 --> 00:01:53.560 ever experienced the challenge of balancing truth 00:01:53.560 --> 00:01:58.500 and grace or justice and love in your relationships 00:01:58.500 --> 00:02:01.319 with others? You can leave that up for a minute. 00:02:01.420 --> 00:02:03.719 Let that simmer if people are writing it down. 00:02:04.799 --> 00:02:07.540 Have you ever experienced the challenge of balancing 00:02:07.540 --> 00:02:11.759 truth and grace or justice and love in your relationship 00:02:11.759 --> 00:02:14.819 with others? One of the kind of lenses I'm going 00:02:14.819 --> 00:02:18.150 to look at this summer. for Munster Church is 00:02:18.150 --> 00:02:21.669 to hopefully till the ground a little bit of 00:02:21.669 --> 00:02:24.949 creating deeper connection and relationships 00:02:24.949 --> 00:02:28.310 with us here in the church. That one of the things 00:02:28.310 --> 00:02:31.530 that I think we as a church body can take a big 00:02:31.530 --> 00:02:35.069 step in is being intentional in building relationships 00:02:35.069 --> 00:02:40.569 with one another, not from 9 .15 to 11 .15 on 00:02:40.569 --> 00:02:44.319 Sundays or noon if there's Lighthouse. That for 00:02:44.319 --> 00:02:45.879 some of us, that's going to take us out of our 00:02:45.879 --> 00:02:47.979 comfort zone because some of us like that kind 00:02:47.979 --> 00:02:49.979 of programmatical relationship. This is kind 00:02:49.979 --> 00:02:51.460 of how we've always had relationships with people 00:02:51.460 --> 00:02:53.580 at church. Church relationships are just that, 00:02:53.639 --> 00:02:58.060 relationships at church. Fair enough. I think 00:02:58.060 --> 00:03:01.340 that's sad. I think that we miss out on being 00:03:01.340 --> 00:03:04.060 the body of Christ, right? Not just the body 00:03:04.060 --> 00:03:05.840 of Munster Church. It's not about Munster Church 00:03:05.840 --> 00:03:07.960 per se, but the body of Christ here at Munster 00:03:07.960 --> 00:03:11.909 Church on other days of the week. Whether it's 00:03:11.909 --> 00:03:14.650 we're spreading mulch a couple of weeks ago or 00:03:14.650 --> 00:03:16.490 when we do our trunk or treat, that's all well 00:03:16.490 --> 00:03:18.810 and good. But that's all done here. That's all 00:03:18.810 --> 00:03:21.550 done on our campus, 214 Ridge Road. What would 00:03:21.550 --> 00:03:24.050 life look like if Munster Church was intentional 00:03:24.050 --> 00:03:27.409 about getting to know each other around different 00:03:27.409 --> 00:03:30.909 tables that we find ourselves in life? We found 00:03:30.909 --> 00:03:34.930 ourselves together today around the table of 00:03:34.930 --> 00:03:37.729 communion. But what would that look like around 00:03:37.729 --> 00:03:40.340 the table? in your dining room or your living 00:03:40.340 --> 00:03:43.580 room or your kitchen or maybe, you know, on your 00:03:43.580 --> 00:03:47.419 deck, maybe out at a restaurant somewhere. What 00:03:47.419 --> 00:03:49.520 would that look like if we were intentional? 00:03:49.780 --> 00:03:52.379 I know some of you do that. Some of you do that. 00:03:52.879 --> 00:03:56.840 But I think having... Us become that church where 00:03:56.840 --> 00:03:59.639 we are known for that. I think it's something 00:03:59.639 --> 00:04:01.680 that the Psalms this summer is going to call 00:04:01.680 --> 00:04:03.740 out of us. And I'm excited to have that conversation. 00:04:04.180 --> 00:04:05.879 Now I know, and I'm just going to call it out 00:04:05.879 --> 00:04:07.800 from the beginning. I know that there are some 00:04:07.800 --> 00:04:10.259 of you that aren't going to like that. And I'm 00:04:10.259 --> 00:04:12.879 just going to ask that you lean in. And some 00:04:12.879 --> 00:04:15.300 of you may say, you know what? My list of friends 00:04:15.300 --> 00:04:18.040 is good enough for me. I don't need more friends. 00:04:18.399 --> 00:04:22.160 Fine. But the fellowship of believers is something 00:04:22.160 --> 00:04:25.339 we are all called to be. We're surrounded by 00:04:25.339 --> 00:04:27.759 such a great cloud of witnesses, though Hebrews 00:04:27.759 --> 00:04:29.540 was talking about those that have gone before 00:04:29.540 --> 00:04:31.920 us. I think I could pull that down into the here 00:04:31.920 --> 00:04:35.879 and now, that you and I have relationship because 00:04:35.879 --> 00:04:38.519 we're the members of the same church. That means 00:04:38.519 --> 00:04:43.259 more than just the two hours. And hear me, we 00:04:43.259 --> 00:04:45.699 are together maybe for two hours. I guarantee 00:04:45.699 --> 00:04:47.579 you, you don't all talk to each other for two 00:04:47.579 --> 00:04:50.740 hours. What would that look like if we took that 00:04:50.740 --> 00:04:54.930 intentionality? Just the desire of that. And 00:04:54.930 --> 00:04:58.290 went out throughout the week. Because then we're 00:04:58.290 --> 00:05:00.889 going to kind of walk into some of the relational 00:05:00.889 --> 00:05:03.230 difficulties that we find in life. That this 00:05:03.230 --> 00:05:06.569 question brings up. That we live by a truth. 00:05:06.670 --> 00:05:09.230 A truth that is absolute. A truth that is not 00:05:09.230 --> 00:05:12.550 subjective. That God's word came down, gave it 00:05:12.550 --> 00:05:16.629 to us. Yet we are also called to have grace. 00:05:16.750 --> 00:05:19.279 Because we've been shown grace. As Paul writes 00:05:19.279 --> 00:05:22.199 in Colossians, we have been forgiven, therefore 00:05:22.199 --> 00:05:26.560 we ought to forgive. And that word ought is not 00:05:26.560 --> 00:05:30.180 just when you feel like it. That Psalm 50 calls 00:05:30.180 --> 00:05:34.819 us to account for how we live in the light of 00:05:34.819 --> 00:05:38.899 a couple things. God's justice, yet it also reveals 00:05:38.899 --> 00:05:42.860 a God who desires relationship with his people. 00:05:43.860 --> 00:05:47.100 So we're going to see that throughout the weeks. 00:05:47.819 --> 00:05:50.160 We're going to see what it looks like to have 00:05:50.160 --> 00:05:54.319 those genuine relationships with the people around 00:05:54.319 --> 00:05:59.100 us. Let's start first with our family. Hopefully 00:05:59.100 --> 00:06:02.459 we're intentional about having relationships 00:06:02.459 --> 00:06:07.019 with our family. And the way you can kind of 00:06:07.019 --> 00:06:10.139 tell is if you just ask those questions, do you 00:06:10.139 --> 00:06:13.360 spend time with, let's say you have a spouse, 00:06:13.519 --> 00:06:17.389 do you spend time with your spouse? If the answer 00:06:17.389 --> 00:06:19.689 is yes, then you're doing well. Go on to the 00:06:19.689 --> 00:06:22.750 next group of people. Maybe your kids. And that 00:06:22.750 --> 00:06:24.769 may be like, when I want to. And sometimes that's 00:06:24.769 --> 00:06:29.649 fine. That can be the answer. But if you're, 00:06:29.689 --> 00:06:31.910 let's just say, with the ones closest to you, 00:06:31.930 --> 00:06:33.490 do you spend time, are you intentional about 00:06:33.490 --> 00:06:35.149 spending time with the people that you claim 00:06:35.149 --> 00:06:37.750 to care about? And the answer is no. I think 00:06:37.750 --> 00:06:40.189 the Choose Your Own Adventure book stops there 00:06:40.189 --> 00:06:42.930 for you. Because if you can't do that with people 00:06:42.930 --> 00:06:45.009 that are near and dear to you, how in the world 00:06:45.009 --> 00:06:47.240 are you going to go do that? And be kind of that 00:06:47.240 --> 00:06:49.759 intentional church out and about in the neighborhoods, 00:06:50.079 --> 00:06:53.740 right? In the grocery stores, in your jobs, in 00:06:53.740 --> 00:06:57.519 your schools, in your extracurriculars. You can't 00:06:57.519 --> 00:07:00.300 give what you don't have. So maybe this summer, 00:07:00.319 --> 00:07:03.759 just maybe, the Lord is asking you to ask him 00:07:03.759 --> 00:07:09.740 for a way to do that. Maybe for some skill sets 00:07:09.740 --> 00:07:12.199 or some learning that you have to reflect on. 00:07:13.680 --> 00:07:16.300 Today we reflect on the first of these psalms 00:07:16.300 --> 00:07:18.740 that will bring us into this. And Psalm 50 highlights 00:07:18.740 --> 00:07:21.300 God's justice in calling his people to account 00:07:21.300 --> 00:07:25.360 while reminding us of his mercy and love. So 00:07:25.360 --> 00:07:27.620 let's talk through God's justice before we get 00:07:27.620 --> 00:07:29.779 to kind of that intentional community more toward 00:07:29.779 --> 00:07:33.139 the end. So God's justice is first found in accountability. 00:07:33.870 --> 00:07:36.350 The first six verses will be in Psalm 50. Again, 00:07:36.410 --> 00:07:39.649 we use the ESV version, but feel free to, if 00:07:39.649 --> 00:07:41.470 you have your own Bible, Bible apps, you can 00:07:41.470 --> 00:07:43.410 look at it in whatever translation you want. 00:07:43.490 --> 00:07:45.209 We're going to be in the first six verses for 00:07:45.209 --> 00:07:52.189 now. Starts off, the mighty one, God the Lord, 00:07:52.310 --> 00:07:56.529 speaks and summons the earth from the rising 00:07:56.529 --> 00:07:59.329 of the sun to its setting. We sang that today. 00:07:59.769 --> 00:08:02.389 Out of Zion, the perfection of beauty, God shines 00:08:02.389 --> 00:08:05.709 forth. Our God comes. He does not keep silent 00:08:05.709 --> 00:08:08.949 before him, is a devouring fire. Around him, 00:08:08.970 --> 00:08:11.670 a mighty tempest. He calls to the heavens above 00:08:11.670 --> 00:08:15.509 and to the earth that he may judge his people. 00:08:15.850 --> 00:08:19.430 Gather to me my faithful ones who made a covenant 00:08:19.430 --> 00:08:23.170 with me by sacrifice. The heavens declare his 00:08:23.170 --> 00:08:26.910 righteousness for God himself is judge. Selah. 00:08:27.920 --> 00:08:31.100 So here God is portrayed as a mighty judge who 00:08:31.100 --> 00:08:34.299 calls all the earth to witness his judgment. 00:08:34.860 --> 00:08:38.679 Now, we got that very much in Revelation. We 00:08:38.679 --> 00:08:41.460 just got done with some of that in our good friend 00:08:41.460 --> 00:08:45.440 Zephaniah. But this psalm opens with a powerful 00:08:45.440 --> 00:08:50.080 image of God summoning heaven and earth to testify 00:08:50.080 --> 00:08:55.519 to his justice. Right there shows a relationship. 00:08:57.869 --> 00:09:01.750 The summoning of a people. Now, you may be able 00:09:01.750 --> 00:09:04.490 to kind of couch this. Well, he is God. He is 00:09:04.490 --> 00:09:08.409 authority. He can make them come. If that's how 00:09:08.409 --> 00:09:10.929 you choose to see God, that's going to be a rough 00:09:10.929 --> 00:09:14.070 relationship. You're going to probably have some 00:09:14.070 --> 00:09:18.090 struggles with that. But what this tells me, 00:09:18.090 --> 00:09:20.690 what this shows me, is that God is demanding 00:09:20.690 --> 00:09:24.289 accountability from his people who he has relationship 00:09:24.289 --> 00:09:27.889 with, who he's gone to bat for throughout their 00:09:27.889 --> 00:09:31.470 history, who's done great things in their life. 00:09:31.750 --> 00:09:34.129 And bring it to today, a God that has done great 00:09:34.129 --> 00:09:38.269 things in your life, a God that sometimes does 00:09:38.269 --> 00:09:40.669 things that we don't fully understand or don't 00:09:40.669 --> 00:09:44.070 fully like, yet there's an intimacy of relationship 00:09:44.070 --> 00:09:47.149 there. It's not based on ritual sacrifice alone, 00:09:47.330 --> 00:09:52.149 but through true devotion. Oh, I hate that word, 00:09:52.190 --> 00:09:56.309 or both of those words put together. True devotion. 00:09:58.269 --> 00:10:00.509 When I got to that point very early on in the 00:10:00.509 --> 00:10:02.809 sermon writing, that idea of true devotion, I 00:10:02.809 --> 00:10:08.110 had to pause. And I don't know if I give that 00:10:08.110 --> 00:10:13.879 a lot. True devotion? That's super scary. True 00:10:13.879 --> 00:10:17.679 devotion, head over heels in love, in relationship 00:10:17.679 --> 00:10:20.419 with God where I'm going to abandon everything 00:10:20.419 --> 00:10:23.000 else for the sake of my relationship with God 00:10:23.000 --> 00:10:28.879 is ultimate vulnerability. And if I had to ask 00:10:28.879 --> 00:10:31.659 for, I won't, but if I had to ask for hands to 00:10:31.659 --> 00:10:33.620 be raised of people that like to be vulnerable, 00:10:34.019 --> 00:10:37.240 there probably wouldn't be many, if any, at all. 00:10:39.909 --> 00:10:42.850 But what God is calling for, what God is asking 00:10:42.850 --> 00:10:46.669 of us, is to understand that we should have a 00:10:46.669 --> 00:10:50.070 true, devoted life to Christ. Sacrifices are 00:10:50.070 --> 00:10:53.529 important, but they are meaningless without the 00:10:53.529 --> 00:10:56.450 righteousness and humility that should accompany 00:10:56.450 --> 00:11:00.070 them with our relationship with God. What does 00:11:00.070 --> 00:11:03.309 this look like played out? This is the understanding 00:11:03.309 --> 00:11:09.830 of real grace or cheap grace. We've talked about 00:11:09.830 --> 00:11:13.250 this before. Dietrich Bonhoeffer writes about 00:11:13.250 --> 00:11:17.710 it in three of his books about cheap grace. That 00:11:17.710 --> 00:11:22.429 cheap grace is an understanding that I know I'm 00:11:22.429 --> 00:11:24.529 going to do bad things on Friday, Saturday, or 00:11:24.529 --> 00:11:27.149 Sunday, or any day that ends in Y, but I know 00:11:27.149 --> 00:11:29.590 that I can ask for forgiveness and he will give 00:11:29.590 --> 00:11:33.590 that to me. Put that in your relationships. What 00:11:33.590 --> 00:11:36.129 if you had someone very close to you do that 00:11:36.129 --> 00:11:39.059 same thing to you? Do you believe them? Do you 00:11:39.059 --> 00:11:41.480 trust them? Will you ever be vulnerable with 00:11:41.480 --> 00:11:43.100 them if that's how they're going to live their 00:11:43.100 --> 00:11:44.980 life or how they're going to walk out their relationship 00:11:44.980 --> 00:11:49.179 with you or with me? No. We'd be a fool to do 00:11:49.179 --> 00:11:52.519 that. But that can't be our relationship with 00:11:52.519 --> 00:11:54.799 God. It needs to be not only that true devotion, 00:11:54.919 --> 00:11:58.440 but understanding real life -changing grace. 00:12:01.179 --> 00:12:04.009 One of the things we get from Lord's Day 6. of 00:12:04.009 --> 00:12:06.669 the Heidelberg Catechism, that Lord's Day 6 focuses 00:12:06.669 --> 00:12:10.250 on Christ as the perfect mediator. I love that 00:12:10.250 --> 00:12:13.750 word. Reflecting on God's justice, being fulfilled 00:12:13.750 --> 00:12:16.509 through Christ's sacrifice. Christ stands in 00:12:16.509 --> 00:12:20.490 the place of sinners, offering justice and mercy. 00:12:20.809 --> 00:12:23.929 Christ as mediator, whether you have thought 00:12:23.929 --> 00:12:25.769 about it before or not, is one of the greatest 00:12:25.769 --> 00:12:30.389 aspects of Jesus in your life, in my life, in 00:12:30.389 --> 00:12:33.460 the life of the church. That he is mediating 00:12:33.460 --> 00:12:37.279 for us. Why do we need that? Anyone want to take 00:12:37.279 --> 00:12:43.820 a guess? Why do we need a mediator? Because we 00:12:43.820 --> 00:12:47.340 can't do it ourselves. Kind of. Okay? That was 00:12:47.340 --> 00:12:50.179 an easy answer. Go a little deeper. Why do we 00:12:50.179 --> 00:12:54.159 need mediation from Christ? Because we're sinners. 00:12:54.460 --> 00:13:00.960 Okay? Pretty easy answer. Go deeper. You already 00:13:00.960 --> 00:13:04.450 answered. Because we can't get out of our own 00:13:04.450 --> 00:13:07.950 way. Because we're never going to do this perfectly. 00:13:08.129 --> 00:13:10.110 We're never going to be able to do the things, 00:13:10.230 --> 00:13:12.690 say the things, give the things, volunteer enough 00:13:12.690 --> 00:13:14.450 for things, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, to 00:13:14.450 --> 00:13:19.250 stand before a perfect God. We can't do it. If 00:13:19.250 --> 00:13:21.169 this is the first you're hearing this, then I'm 00:13:21.169 --> 00:13:23.389 glad you're here, because this is what changes 00:13:23.389 --> 00:13:27.009 lives. That we need somebody that's going to 00:13:27.009 --> 00:13:31.480 be the perfect mediator between us and God. But 00:13:31.480 --> 00:13:34.519 it also shows the importance of mediation in 00:13:34.519 --> 00:13:38.779 the relationships we have on this earth. Have 00:13:38.779 --> 00:13:41.000 you ever had conflict with somebody that goes 00:13:41.000 --> 00:13:43.740 unresolved? You just kind of let it, oh, I'm 00:13:43.740 --> 00:13:45.019 not going to think about it a whole lot anymore. 00:13:45.500 --> 00:13:46.940 Maybe you're not even going to sweep it under 00:13:46.940 --> 00:13:49.740 the rug. For some of you, that's your modus operandi, 00:13:49.879 --> 00:13:51.759 and that's probably not good. Now, probably it 00:13:51.759 --> 00:13:53.919 isn't good. But for some of us, it's like, well, 00:13:53.960 --> 00:13:55.600 we just won't talk about it. I'll just unfriend 00:13:55.600 --> 00:13:57.200 them. I'll just stop that. I'll just kind of 00:13:57.200 --> 00:14:00.019 disengage, and we'll just be done. That's not 00:14:00.019 --> 00:14:02.019 how it works either. That if you're going to 00:14:02.019 --> 00:14:06.340 claim to be a follower of Christ, though not 00:14:06.340 --> 00:14:08.299 everybody needs to be on your Christmas card 00:14:08.299 --> 00:14:12.539 list, we should have a mediated life. We should 00:14:12.539 --> 00:14:15.559 be able to be one that people can come to to 00:14:15.559 --> 00:14:18.340 seek forgiveness from or ask forgiveness for. 00:14:18.879 --> 00:14:22.100 As Christ is that for us, so we can be that for 00:14:22.100 --> 00:14:24.120 the relationships around us. Though we're not 00:14:24.120 --> 00:14:28.240 a perfect mediator, but we should offer the peacemaking. 00:14:29.100 --> 00:14:33.179 That life needs, our relationships needs, because 00:14:33.179 --> 00:14:37.159 we're all broken. We're all messy. And guess 00:14:37.159 --> 00:14:39.299 what? Our brokenness and our messiness gets on 00:14:39.299 --> 00:14:42.320 other people. We bring people into our mess. 00:14:42.480 --> 00:14:44.379 How do I know? I do it to all of you every Sunday. 00:14:45.720 --> 00:14:48.899 But understand that as Christ is the mediator 00:14:48.899 --> 00:14:51.799 standing before us, we can come to Christ together 00:14:51.799 --> 00:14:55.990 to figure out the conflicts in life. Our devotion 00:14:55.990 --> 00:14:58.409 to God should be sincere and rooted in a love 00:14:58.409 --> 00:15:01.210 that goes beyond external acts but to internal 00:15:01.210 --> 00:15:03.629 transformation of our hearts. So it should be 00:15:03.629 --> 00:15:08.990 in relationships with people on earth. Just as 00:15:08.990 --> 00:15:10.850 God calls us to accountability in our personal 00:15:10.850 --> 00:15:13.289 lives, we are called to hold one another accountable 00:15:13.289 --> 00:15:17.889 in love within our communities. That doesn't 00:15:17.889 --> 00:15:21.309 mean you're judge and jury and executioner. That 00:15:21.309 --> 00:15:23.779 just means we hold each other accountable. How 00:15:23.779 --> 00:15:25.820 in the world can you do that without relationships? 00:15:27.419 --> 00:15:31.460 Play that out in your mind for a minute. If you 00:15:31.460 --> 00:15:35.860 have elders or deacons that don't know you, yet 00:15:35.860 --> 00:15:38.120 they want to sit down and hold you accountable. 00:15:39.200 --> 00:15:43.679 Thus saith the elders. Thus saith the deacons. 00:15:43.700 --> 00:15:48.899 Thus saith the lighthouse staff. Thus saith... 00:15:49.100 --> 00:15:51.919 Insert whatever position you might hold or volunteer 00:15:51.919 --> 00:15:54.720 for here at the church. I tell my council and 00:15:54.720 --> 00:15:56.600 my elders, my deacons all the time, if we have 00:15:56.600 --> 00:15:59.419 to play that card, we're not doing our jobs. 00:16:00.120 --> 00:16:03.220 It comes with relationships. It comes with the 00:16:03.220 --> 00:16:06.820 ability to sit down with someone at a table and 00:16:06.820 --> 00:16:11.740 talk things out. Bury the hatchet. Whatever you 00:16:11.740 --> 00:16:17.220 want to call it. Do the work. Verse 7 brings 00:16:17.220 --> 00:16:19.840 us into more of a practical way of understanding 00:16:19.840 --> 00:16:23.080 God's loving invitation to genuine relationships. 00:16:23.399 --> 00:16:25.740 We've talked about the true devotion. Now we're 00:16:25.740 --> 00:16:27.559 going to talk about the genuine relationships 00:16:27.559 --> 00:16:31.799 from 7 to 15. Hear, O my people, and I will speak, 00:16:31.940 --> 00:16:35.779 O Israel, I will testify against you. I am God, 00:16:35.899 --> 00:16:39.200 your God. Not your sacrifices do I rebuke you. 00:16:39.279 --> 00:16:41.879 Your burnt offerings are continually before me. 00:16:41.980 --> 00:16:44.799 I will not accept a bull from your house or goats 00:16:44.799 --> 00:16:47.649 from your folds. For every beast of the forest 00:16:47.649 --> 00:16:51.129 is mine, the cattle on a thousand hills. I know 00:16:51.129 --> 00:16:53.970 all the birds of the hills, and all that moves 00:16:53.970 --> 00:16:56.769 in the field is mine. If I were hungry, I would 00:16:56.769 --> 00:16:59.129 not tell you, for the world and its fullness 00:16:59.129 --> 00:17:02.190 are mine. Do I eat the flesh of bulls or drink 00:17:02.190 --> 00:17:05.289 the blood of goats? Offer to God a sacrifice 00:17:05.289 --> 00:17:09.059 of thanksgiving. and perform your vows to the 00:17:09.059 --> 00:17:11.759 Most High, and call upon me in the day of trouble. 00:17:11.900 --> 00:17:15.460 I will deliver you, and you shall glorify me. 00:17:15.619 --> 00:17:20.940 God is addressing his people directly, expressing 00:17:20.940 --> 00:17:24.299 that he does not need their sacrifices to fulfill 00:17:24.299 --> 00:17:28.160 their own needs. Rather, he desires genuine worship 00:17:28.160 --> 00:17:32.500 that comes from the heart. A worship that recognizes 00:17:32.500 --> 00:17:36.960 his ownership of everything in creation. And 00:17:36.960 --> 00:17:41.160 notice, God doesn't dangle this over us and says, 00:17:41.220 --> 00:17:43.900 come on up to me, right? Try to be more like 00:17:43.900 --> 00:17:47.720 me, because that's, be holy as I am holy has 00:17:47.720 --> 00:17:50.220 always been the call. We can't do it, so we have 00:17:50.220 --> 00:17:53.079 to do it in repentance. We have to do it with 00:17:53.079 --> 00:17:57.599 grace. The key to pleasing God is not ritual 00:17:57.599 --> 00:18:01.460 performance of the heart, but a genuine seeking 00:18:01.460 --> 00:18:06.900 to glorify him in everything. Let's pause and 00:18:06.900 --> 00:18:13.259 get a little awkward. Look back on the last seven 00:18:13.259 --> 00:18:19.160 days of your life. Go back to last Monday. The 00:18:19.160 --> 00:18:21.579 mirror's right here and I see it. I'll put one 00:18:21.579 --> 00:18:25.400 on this side too. The question is, is everything 00:18:25.400 --> 00:18:29.079 you have said, everything you have done, and 00:18:29.079 --> 00:18:33.859 everything you have thought brought glory to 00:18:33.859 --> 00:18:42.269 God? I know for me that's a no. And if I had 00:18:42.269 --> 00:18:45.069 to guess, it would be a no for all of you. Unless 00:18:45.069 --> 00:18:49.369 all you did was sleep all week. Even then, our 00:18:49.369 --> 00:18:51.750 subconscious, nah, you probably don't get a pass 00:18:51.750 --> 00:18:55.490 on that either. But understand that if glorifying 00:18:55.490 --> 00:18:59.670 God is the key to pleasing God, it's not about 00:18:59.670 --> 00:19:02.710 rituals, but it's about bringing him glory by 00:19:02.710 --> 00:19:06.670 living that out, then we're all in a lot of trouble. 00:19:08.120 --> 00:19:12.759 That's what's so amazing about grace. That's 00:19:12.759 --> 00:19:15.980 why we are called to be in that intimate relationship 00:19:15.980 --> 00:19:19.319 with God in order to develop a true faith. This 00:19:19.319 --> 00:19:21.819 has been a resounding gong over the last, and 00:19:21.819 --> 00:19:24.440 maybe it's for a reason, but it seems like every 00:19:24.440 --> 00:19:27.380 third or fourth sermon, Lord's Day 7 gets brought 00:19:27.380 --> 00:19:29.779 up, that the Heidelberg Catechism's teaching 00:19:29.779 --> 00:19:33.380 on faith, particularly in Lord's Day 7, emphasizes 00:19:33.380 --> 00:19:38.859 that true faith is a living, relationship with 00:19:38.859 --> 00:19:43.519 God. One that involves trust in God's promises 00:19:43.519 --> 00:19:47.740 and obedience to his commands. Now I'm going 00:19:47.740 --> 00:19:50.339 to bring that down to our own personal relationships 00:19:50.339 --> 00:19:55.000 that they take trust. You're not going to build 00:19:55.000 --> 00:19:56.900 a deep relationship with someone you don't trust. 00:19:57.140 --> 00:20:02.059 It doesn't work. You can be acquaintances with 00:20:02.059 --> 00:20:05.200 them. You can be friendly with them. Not sure 00:20:05.200 --> 00:20:06.559 why I put that in air quotes. We'll just move 00:20:06.559 --> 00:20:11.119 past it. But understand that having true relationships 00:20:11.119 --> 00:20:16.380 involve trust. Trust that I can bring you something 00:20:16.380 --> 00:20:19.500 or you can bring me something that I may not 00:20:19.500 --> 00:20:22.019 like and I'm not going to try to hit you with 00:20:22.019 --> 00:20:25.869 my car. Right? It's an understanding and a trust 00:20:25.869 --> 00:20:28.130 that we're not going to go from zero to ten. 00:20:28.250 --> 00:20:30.430 We're not going to write each other off. But 00:20:30.430 --> 00:20:33.470 that we love each other enough to maybe get in 00:20:33.470 --> 00:20:38.109 our mess a little bit. To talk openly and honestly 00:20:38.109 --> 00:20:41.869 about our fears, our anxieties, or just the stuff 00:20:41.869 --> 00:20:46.509 that you do that ticks me off. And vice versa. 00:20:48.529 --> 00:20:51.759 That's... That's some of the things we can see 00:20:51.759 --> 00:20:55.960 from this relationship we have with God. Except 00:20:55.960 --> 00:20:57.779 for when it comes to our relationship with God, 00:20:57.920 --> 00:21:01.599 we may get mad at him. He does get upset with 00:21:01.599 --> 00:21:05.619 us. But he is God and we are not. We have to 00:21:05.619 --> 00:21:08.079 remember that in our relationships as well. You 00:21:08.079 --> 00:21:10.940 are not God in your relationships. I am not God 00:21:10.940 --> 00:21:14.119 in my relationships. We are both bruised, broken 00:21:14.119 --> 00:21:17.430 sinners coming at this together. God's love extends 00:21:17.430 --> 00:21:20.170 an invitation to all who seek him. It is an invitation 00:21:20.170 --> 00:21:23.690 to live with intentionality, not just as individuals, 00:21:23.869 --> 00:21:27.569 but as a community. As we seek to grow our community, 00:21:27.829 --> 00:21:31.329 we must understand that true unity is formed 00:21:31.329 --> 00:21:36.289 through a shared devotion to God. Because friends, 00:21:36.410 --> 00:21:40.589 we may look at church differently. Guess what? 00:21:41.609 --> 00:21:45.740 250 people here today. We don't all believe the 00:21:45.740 --> 00:21:48.779 same things about all the things. Not the way 00:21:48.779 --> 00:21:52.339 church is done or anything like that. I hope 00:21:52.339 --> 00:21:55.140 we can land on all of the essentials here. That 00:21:55.140 --> 00:21:59.440 is key. But we need to understand that there 00:21:59.440 --> 00:22:03.519 is that love and that support that as we come 00:22:03.519 --> 00:22:08.420 as a community where we find true unity is our 00:22:08.420 --> 00:22:12.359 devotion to God expressed in both personal and 00:22:12.359 --> 00:22:16.109 communal ways. Part of that is coming together 00:22:16.109 --> 00:22:19.650 and worshiping. Whether you hate that song or 00:22:19.650 --> 00:22:24.970 not, you come to worship. We come to lay it down. 00:22:25.029 --> 00:22:28.569 We come to seek God's face together. What would 00:22:28.569 --> 00:22:32.029 that look like not in this building? What would 00:22:32.029 --> 00:22:36.569 that look like your home or my home? Because 00:22:36.569 --> 00:22:40.480 finally, where the psalm ends, Is God calling 00:22:40.480 --> 00:22:44.599 us to live out that justice and that love together? 00:22:44.859 --> 00:22:49.900 Starting with verse 16. But to the wicked, God 00:22:49.900 --> 00:22:53.900 says, what right have you to recite my statutes 00:22:53.900 --> 00:22:56.920 or take my covenant on your lips? For you hate 00:22:56.920 --> 00:22:59.619 discipline and you cast my words behind you. 00:23:00.059 --> 00:23:02.420 If you see a thief, you are pleased with him 00:23:02.420 --> 00:23:05.339 and you keep company with adulterers. You give 00:23:05.339 --> 00:23:07.980 your mouth free reign for evil and your tongue 00:23:07.980 --> 00:23:11.400 frames deceit. You sit and speak against your 00:23:11.400 --> 00:23:14.579 brother. You slander your own mother's son. These 00:23:14.579 --> 00:23:17.259 things you have done and I have been silent. 00:23:17.460 --> 00:23:20.920 You thought that I was one like yourself, but 00:23:20.920 --> 00:23:25.140 now I rebuke you and lay out the charge before 00:23:25.140 --> 00:23:30.619 you. Mark this then. You who forget God, lest 00:23:30.619 --> 00:23:34.160 I tear you apart and there will be none to deliver. 00:23:34.460 --> 00:23:38.740 The one who offers thanksgiving as his sacrifice 00:23:38.740 --> 00:23:43.460 glorifies me. To the one who orders his way rightly, 00:23:43.599 --> 00:23:51.559 I will show the salvation of God. It doesn't 00:23:51.559 --> 00:23:53.680 really get more direct than that, right? When 00:23:53.680 --> 00:23:55.660 it comes to having our relationship with God 00:23:55.660 --> 00:23:59.269 but also with others. God addresses those who 00:23:59.269 --> 00:24:06.730 live hypocritically. As I say that word, all 00:24:06.730 --> 00:24:08.930 of you are now thinking of it, probably three 00:24:08.930 --> 00:24:13.109 or four people. Performing religious duties while 00:24:13.109 --> 00:24:16.529 failing to live justly. His warning is clear. 00:24:16.769 --> 00:24:19.569 Those who honor God with their lips but not their 00:24:19.569 --> 00:24:26.619 lives will not see salvation. That's tough. That's 00:24:26.619 --> 00:24:29.559 a tough truth. The psalm concludes with a powerful 00:24:29.559 --> 00:24:32.119 reminder that to those who live with sincerity 00:24:32.119 --> 00:24:36.539 and justice before God will see salvation. So 00:24:36.539 --> 00:24:39.380 let's work that out real quick. With God, he 00:24:39.380 --> 00:24:42.839 tells us how to do it. Glorify him in everything. 00:24:43.099 --> 00:24:45.099 In all of your thoughts, your words, your deeds. 00:24:45.319 --> 00:24:48.559 Glorify God. But there are some that will say, 00:24:48.660 --> 00:24:50.460 oh, I'm going to do that. I'm going to give it 00:24:50.460 --> 00:24:53.380 a go. But I know that when I don't, I will be 00:24:53.380 --> 00:24:56.740 able to seek forgiveness. Cheap grace. It is 00:24:56.740 --> 00:24:59.779 the one that mourns their sin. That is constantly 00:24:59.779 --> 00:25:03.019 trying to get out of these sin natures. And is 00:25:03.019 --> 00:25:07.500 just, maybe even this much, walking toward God 00:25:07.500 --> 00:25:12.400 day by day. And for some of you, you might have 00:25:12.400 --> 00:25:14.420 a really, really tight relationship with God 00:25:14.420 --> 00:25:17.839 right now. Life just seems to be going well. 00:25:18.819 --> 00:25:21.240 Your relationship with God is deep. There's devotion. 00:25:21.980 --> 00:25:25.599 You're straying from sin as best you can. Awesome. 00:25:25.920 --> 00:25:30.000 Fantastic. Don't keep that to yourself. Ask God 00:25:30.000 --> 00:25:32.380 to put people in your life that may need that 00:25:32.380 --> 00:25:35.359 encouragement, may need that discipleship, may 00:25:35.359 --> 00:25:37.819 need that accountability. Yes, there are people 00:25:37.819 --> 00:25:42.160 that actually pray. for those things. And then 00:25:42.160 --> 00:25:44.420 you have to control how you go and do that and 00:25:44.420 --> 00:25:48.420 to live that out. That we need to embody justice 00:25:48.420 --> 00:25:54.220 and mercy but also love. Lord's Day 8 and 9, 00:25:54.380 --> 00:25:56.940 kind of a summary, the understanding of God's 00:25:56.940 --> 00:25:59.859 justice as reflected in Lord's Day 8 and 9 shows 00:25:59.859 --> 00:26:03.319 how Christ fulfills the law, embodying both justice 00:26:03.319 --> 00:26:07.240 and mercy. In our own lives, we are to follow 00:26:07.240 --> 00:26:10.130 Christ's example. living justly while loving 00:26:10.130 --> 00:26:16.089 others. So I'll land the plane here today. The 00:26:16.089 --> 00:26:18.750 community at Munster Church. I'm talking to Munster 00:26:18.750 --> 00:26:20.670 Church. If you're a guest, I'm talking to you 00:26:20.670 --> 00:26:22.910 too, but I'm really talking to those that call 00:26:22.910 --> 00:26:25.769 Munster Church home. Our community is called 00:26:25.769 --> 00:26:29.250 to live out the justice and love of God in tangible 00:26:29.250 --> 00:26:32.829 ways. This involves caring for one another, sharing 00:26:32.829 --> 00:26:36.349 resources, and holding each other accountable 00:26:36.349 --> 00:26:40.990 in love. We should prioritize building relationships 00:26:40.990 --> 00:26:44.450 that reflect this justice and love of God by 00:26:44.450 --> 00:26:47.450 living intentionally with one another, fostering 00:26:47.450 --> 00:26:50.569 that trust with one another, and ensuring that 00:26:50.569 --> 00:26:57.450 every member is valued. That is the church. Take 00:26:57.450 --> 00:27:00.190 Munster Church name off of it. Take our address 00:27:00.190 --> 00:27:03.430 off of it. But that should be the church universal. 00:27:05.130 --> 00:27:09.920 As we reflect. On Psalm 50, we see that God calls 00:27:09.920 --> 00:27:13.240 us to live in a way that reflects his justice 00:27:13.240 --> 00:27:17.960 and love. So my challenge, I'm going to start 00:27:17.960 --> 00:27:19.579 with a question, I'm going to end with a challenge. 00:27:20.140 --> 00:27:24.079 I encourage you this week to invite someone from 00:27:24.079 --> 00:27:27.779 our church community to share a meal with you. 00:27:28.339 --> 00:27:31.680 Whether it's a cup of coffee, lunch, or dinner, 00:27:31.759 --> 00:27:35.910 or other. And use this time not only to get to 00:27:35.910 --> 00:27:38.710 know one another, but to share what God is doing 00:27:38.710 --> 00:27:43.670 in your lives. Let's build community in practical 00:27:43.670 --> 00:27:48.029 and loving ways as we grow together in Christ. 00:27:48.450 --> 00:27:49.109 Let's pray.