Sunday 11:11:12

Slide 1 Psalm 130:1-2 Slide 2 Genesis 16:11, 13-1 Slide 3 Psalm 130:3-4 Slide 4 Psalm 103:1-5 Slide 5 Psalm 130:5-6 Slide 6 Psalm 130:7-8 Sermon notes: Psalms 120-134 are called "Pilgrim Psalms" or "Psalms of Ascent" sung by worshippers who journeyed to the temple and so "ascended" for the annual feasts. Psalm 120 begins in a distant country in hostile surroundings. Psalm 122 pictures the pilgrim arriving in Jerusalem. The rest of the psalms move toward the temple, recollecting the goodness of The Lord along the way. We too are pilgrims. We travel through a distant country. The land we travel is hostile to our faith. We have trouble here. But this land is not our home. Our destination is the presence of our King. As you read, you'll hear the struggle of the pilgrim. But listen to his longing to be in God's presence. Psalm 130:1-2 1 Out of the depths I cry to you, O Lord; 2 O Lord, hear my voice. Let your ears be attentive to my cry for mercy. "out of the depths" psalmist prays to God in a desperate state. Depth may have been fear, depression, illness, poverty, failure... Does God hear? Does he listen when we pray? Genesis 16:11, 13-14 - The Lord hears and sees Hagar 11 The angel of the Lord also said to her: “You are now with child and you will have a son. You shall name him Ishmael, (meaning, “God hears”) for the Lord has heard of your misery. 13 She gave this name to the Lord who spoke to her: “You are the God who sees me,” ("El Roi") for she said, “I have now seen the One who sees me.” 14 That is why the well was called Beer Lahai Roi; (“the well of the Living One who sees me”) it is still there, between Kadesh and Bered. When you see Egypt in the OT, it represents a place of refuge. Sometimes positive, often negative. Abram ran to Egypt to escape a famine (Gen. 12). Sarai had turned to an Egyptian to escape barrenness. Hagar had run to Egypt to escape misery. In later generations, the Israelites would run to Egypt over and over for help. Egypt would come to represent the Israelite's attempt to find salvation apart from God. But Egypt also came to represent something else - slavery. Israel's salvation apart from God didn't save them, but enslaved them. It is God who rescues and saves. Many times we run to our Egypt, looking for help, looking for relief, but God hears and sees you. He alone can help and save. Have you prayed like that? Psalm 130:1-2 1 Out of the depths I cry to you, O Lord; 2 O Lord, hear my voice. Let your ears be attentive to my cry for mercy. He hears and sees you. Psalm 130:3-4 3 If you, O Lord, kept a record of sins, O Lord, who could stand? 4 But with you there is forgiveness; therefore you are feared. The deepest depth to which our souls can sink is in sin. Sin separates us from God. It builds a wall between us and our Creator. It interrupts the relationship that he desires with us. If he kept a record of our sins, no one could stand. But with God, there is forgiveness. Sin is our greatest problem. It causes all our relationship problems. It sparks all our fears. It is our worst illness. It is our deepest debt. It is our greatest failure. But "with God there is forgiveness". He does not keep a record of our sins, but puts them away. Psalm 103:1-5 1 Praise the Lord, O my soul; all my inmost being, praise his holy name. 2 Praise the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits— 3 who forgives all your sins and heals all your diseases, 4 who redeems your life from the pit. and crowns you with love and compassion, 5 who satisfies your desires with good things so that your youth is renewed like the eagle's. Psalm 130:5-6 5 I wait for the Lord, my soul waits, and in his word I put my hope. 6 My soul waits for the Lord more than watchmen wait for the morning, more than watchmen wait for the morning. Like a watchman standing at his post all night, excited to see the morning light. The psalmist longs for The Lord to come to him - in love, knowing that he has God's favor. Knowing that he will see God's kindness, mercy, grace If you don't long for him, you've forgotten his goodness. Psalm 130:7-8 7 O Israel, put your hope in the Lord, for with the Lord is unfailing love and with him is full redemption. 8 He himself will redeem Israel from all their sins. Put your hope in The Lord. We heard earlier that forgiveness was with The Lord, Now unfailing love (unconditional, loyal, unending love) and redemption are with him. His full redemption forgives and frees us from sins consequences.