1 00:00:12,640 --> 00:00:15,240 Well, as we Turn to Psalm 80 this morning, as I said earlier, 2 00:00:15,240 --> 00:00:19,920 we come to the final of our summer Psalms for 2026, and all but 3 00:00:19,920 --> 00:00:24,480 one of these psalms have come from the third book of the Psalms. 4 00:00:24,640 --> 00:00:27,870 And we've been able to see a particular theme that is followed 5 00:00:27,870 --> 00:00:30,270 them all and that is waiting on the Lord. 6 00:00:30,750 --> 00:00:33,310 And for the children of Israel, their waiting on the Lord 7 00:00:33,630 --> 00:00:37,070 was for his deliverance from the trouble that they found themselves 8 00:00:37,070 --> 00:00:41,070 in, trouble that was a result of their unfaithfulness in their 9 00:00:41,070 --> 00:00:43,310 worship of him as the one true God. 10 00:00:44,110 --> 00:00:49,710 But in each psalm, they looked to him for rescue, they looked to 11 00:00:49,710 --> 00:00:54,510 him for forgiveness of sins, and they looked to him to assure 12 00:00:54,510 --> 00:00:57,220 them that indeed, their sins were forgiven. 13 00:00:58,660 --> 00:01:02,100 But as we've seen just now with the girls and boys, as well 14 00:01:02,100 --> 00:01:06,220 as throughout these Psalms, these are a people who, throughout 15 00:01:06,220 --> 00:01:11,140 their generations, quickly forget the promises they had made, 16 00:01:11,940 --> 00:01:14,820 but more importantly, who God is towards them. 17 00:01:15,700 --> 00:01:19,460 See, God didn't deliver or restore them because of their worth 18 00:01:19,460 --> 00:01:20,500 or their good works. 19 00:01:21,470 --> 00:01:26,390 He restored them because of who he is and the covenant promises 20 00:01:26,390 --> 00:01:29,630 he had made to be the God of their salvation. 21 00:01:30,590 --> 00:01:33,950 Now, during the summer, I took this picture of the corn mill, or 22 00:01:33,950 --> 00:01:37,510 certainly at the end of June and into the start of July, thinking 23 00:01:37,510 --> 00:01:39,150 of what this psalm was about. 24 00:01:39,230 --> 00:01:39,710 Waiting. 25 00:01:40,110 --> 00:01:41,110 We've seen this. 26 00:01:41,110 --> 00:01:44,190 If you've been here for 90 years, you've seen this corn mill. 27 00:01:44,350 --> 00:01:47,350 If you're only growing up in this community, you've seen this 28 00:01:47,350 --> 00:01:47,950 corn mill. 29 00:01:47,950 --> 00:01:48,670 You know, it's. 30 00:01:49,220 --> 00:01:53,780 In fact, it is our forefathers who first met in that building before 31 00:01:53,860 --> 00:01:56,180 this building was built. 32 00:01:57,300 --> 00:02:02,180 And so we have before us, as our Presbyterian heritage, a building 33 00:02:02,180 --> 00:02:06,700 that has stood the test of time, a reminder that indeed, as 34 00:02:06,700 --> 00:02:10,660 we wait on the Lord, he remains faithful. 35 00:02:11,540 --> 00:02:16,300 Our forefathers waited in that building for this building to be 36 00:02:16,300 --> 00:02:16,980 constructed. 37 00:02:17,940 --> 00:02:23,420 Generations have met in this place, praising and praying, waiting 38 00:02:23,420 --> 00:02:27,220 on the Lord to hear and to answer and to bless. 39 00:02:28,900 --> 00:02:34,500 And so we remain today a people who wait on the Lord. 40 00:02:34,500 --> 00:02:40,460 Not that he is slow to act, but that in the waiting we know more 41 00:02:40,460 --> 00:02:41,260 of who he is. 42 00:02:41,410 --> 00:02:42,050 He is. 43 00:02:44,530 --> 00:02:46,810 Now, young people, I'm going to tell you something that's going 44 00:02:46,810 --> 00:02:48,530 to blow your mind. 45 00:02:50,530 --> 00:02:55,810 Thirty years ago, if you wanted to get a plumber, a painter, 46 00:02:55,970 --> 00:03:00,530 a book binder, you had to go to a book called the Yellow Pages. 47 00:03:01,330 --> 00:03:05,250 And in the Yellow Pages, you could find any trade you wanted. 48 00:03:05,970 --> 00:03:08,970 You couldn't go to your house phone and type it in and find it. 49 00:03:08,970 --> 00:03:13,440 All of a sudden you went to the Yellow Pages and they told you 50 00:03:13,440 --> 00:03:14,520 the telephone number. 51 00:03:14,840 --> 00:03:16,680 Which was fixed to a wall. 52 00:03:16,680 --> 00:03:18,360 A telephone that was fixed to the wall. 53 00:03:18,440 --> 00:03:19,240 Imagine that. 54 00:03:20,760 --> 00:03:22,200 Come back those days, please. 55 00:03:23,000 --> 00:03:26,920 And you could phone whoever you needed to do a particular trade 56 00:03:27,320 --> 00:03:28,280 in your house. 57 00:03:29,240 --> 00:03:33,040 Now, growing up in the 1980s, there was a TV advert for the Yellow 58 00:03:33,040 --> 00:03:33,320 Pages. 59 00:03:33,320 --> 00:03:37,270 And the scene began with a young man in his teens or early twenties 60 00:03:37,270 --> 00:03:38,830 having a party in his home. 61 00:03:38,830 --> 00:03:43,150 And it was the morning after, while his parents are on their holidays. 62 00:03:43,550 --> 00:03:45,910 And at the end, the phone rings, so we know the parents are 63 00:03:45,910 --> 00:03:49,390 on their way home and they say they're leaving the airport and all 64 00:03:49,390 --> 00:03:50,350 around is a mess. 65 00:03:51,070 --> 00:03:53,750 And so the young man begins tidying up. 66 00:03:53,750 --> 00:03:57,310 And as he lifts a glass from the coffee table, he sees that the 67 00:03:57,470 --> 00:04:00,030 antique coffee table is scratched. 68 00:04:00,270 --> 00:04:02,710 Well, he whips out his copy of the Yellow Pages. 69 00:04:02,710 --> 00:04:03,790 It was this thick. 70 00:04:03,950 --> 00:04:06,590 This thick, by the way, there was a great magic trick that you 71 00:04:06,590 --> 00:04:08,290 could rip a young pages in half. 72 00:04:08,290 --> 00:04:09,170 Did you ever try it? 73 00:04:09,170 --> 00:04:12,090 If you steamed it over a kettle, a book this thick, you could 74 00:04:12,090 --> 00:04:13,050 easily rip it in. 75 00:04:13,210 --> 00:04:15,610 It was a great showpiece for me, but there you go. 76 00:04:18,170 --> 00:04:23,490 And so he whips it out and he finds French polisher and he phones 77 00:04:23,490 --> 00:04:25,130 the gentleman who comes to his house. 78 00:04:25,130 --> 00:04:27,770 You can see in the second picture, you can still find this 79 00:04:27,770 --> 00:04:28,850 advert on YouTube. 80 00:04:28,850 --> 00:04:30,170 The wonders of YouTube. 81 00:04:30,170 --> 00:04:33,490 And here he is on his knees with his little cloth and his little 82 00:04:33,490 --> 00:04:36,340 paintbrush and he's repairing the table. 83 00:04:36,660 --> 00:04:40,980 And just in the nick of time before Mum and Dad phone to say they're 84 00:04:40,980 --> 00:04:43,780 leaving the airport, it's fixed. 85 00:04:44,660 --> 00:04:48,900 Only as he's seeing the gentleman out through the door, another 86 00:04:48,900 --> 00:04:51,060 piece of damage done to the house. 87 00:04:51,140 --> 00:04:52,100 And guess what? 88 00:04:52,340 --> 00:04:55,940 Out comes the Yellow Pages to get someone else to fix that. 89 00:04:58,100 --> 00:04:59,380 Why do I tell you this? 90 00:04:59,620 --> 00:05:03,200 Well, because it's the middle bit of this advertisement. 91 00:05:03,910 --> 00:05:06,070 This advert is for 90 seconds. 92 00:05:06,710 --> 00:05:11,110 And the one striking thing is, as the man is polishing with this 93 00:05:11,110 --> 00:05:14,150 young man the sweat on him, waiting for his parents to come home, 94 00:05:14,150 --> 00:05:15,670 hoping he won't be discovered. 95 00:05:16,230 --> 00:05:17,270 He has to wait. 96 00:05:17,910 --> 00:05:20,790 He has to wait while the work is done. 97 00:05:21,190 --> 00:05:24,590 And like most of us, when we're anxious and waiting for something 98 00:05:24,590 --> 00:05:26,710 to happen, we probably pace. 99 00:05:26,870 --> 00:05:28,630 And that's what he does. 100 00:05:29,510 --> 00:05:33,630 The expert is there before him, fixing the table to restore 101 00:05:33,630 --> 00:05:34,870 it before his very eyes. 102 00:05:35,590 --> 00:05:40,230 And all he can do is wait because it is completely out of his 103 00:05:40,710 --> 00:05:41,270 hands. 104 00:05:42,070 --> 00:05:46,230 And Psalm number 80 has the same premise. 105 00:05:47,110 --> 00:05:49,990 Damage has been done to the people. 106 00:05:51,110 --> 00:05:53,510 They haven't been well treated by their enemies. 107 00:05:53,510 --> 00:05:58,110 And as they call out to God for restoration, they have to wait 108 00:05:58,110 --> 00:06:00,950 for him to deliver them from their enemies. 109 00:06:02,390 --> 00:06:05,230 And there's something unusual about this psalm, and perhaps you 110 00:06:05,230 --> 00:06:09,870 noticed it as we read it earlier, three times it repeats a 111 00:06:09,870 --> 00:06:13,750 refrain or a chorus, exactly word for word. 112 00:06:14,230 --> 00:06:19,990 But there are in fact, four refrains that are in this psalm, 113 00:06:19,990 --> 00:06:22,390 all asking for the Lord to restore. 114 00:06:23,010 --> 00:06:26,810 And so the psalm divides up for us into four sections, and the 115 00:06:26,810 --> 00:06:30,490 first section focuses on the shepherd of Israel in verses one 116 00:06:30,490 --> 00:06:31,090 to three. 117 00:06:31,730 --> 00:06:34,690 Because as this psalm opens, it uses one of the most familiar 118 00:06:34,690 --> 00:06:38,490 images in the Bible of the relationship between God and his 119 00:06:38,490 --> 00:06:40,810 people and that of a shepherd and a sheep. 120 00:06:40,810 --> 00:06:45,090 Of course, we know Psalm 23 is the shepherd psalm and where it communicates 121 00:06:45,090 --> 00:06:45,810 that to us. 122 00:06:46,850 --> 00:06:49,460 And we all know what a shepherd's job is, is. 123 00:06:49,940 --> 00:06:53,540 A shepherd is to look after sheep under their care. 124 00:06:54,980 --> 00:06:59,380 And that from the beginning, is what the people of God want God 125 00:06:59,380 --> 00:07:00,820 to do for them. 126 00:07:01,460 --> 00:07:05,380 Just like a shepherd will lead his sheep from one pasture to another 127 00:07:05,700 --> 00:07:09,340 to make sure that they're safe, so they want God to do the 128 00:07:09,340 --> 00:07:09,540 same. 129 00:07:09,540 --> 00:07:15,060 And this is what they say, hear us this great title, O shepherd 130 00:07:15,060 --> 00:07:19,690 of Israel, you who lead Joseph like a flock, you who sit enthroned 131 00:07:19,690 --> 00:07:24,330 between the cherubim, shine forth before Ephraim, Benjamin and 132 00:07:24,330 --> 00:07:29,690 Manasseh, awaken your might, come and save us. 133 00:07:30,170 --> 00:07:33,570 Now in these opening verses, we're given a perspective that this 134 00:07:33,570 --> 00:07:37,690 is a community psalm that is sung for all of Israel. 135 00:07:38,490 --> 00:07:41,170 When you understand the names that are mentioned here in these 136 00:07:41,170 --> 00:07:43,440 verses, you get to see how this is. 137 00:07:44,080 --> 00:07:44,600 Hopefully. 138 00:07:44,600 --> 00:07:48,200 We know that Joseph was not one of the tribes of Israel. 139 00:07:48,200 --> 00:07:52,320 Instead, his sons Ephraim and Manasseh were given the land portion. 140 00:07:52,720 --> 00:07:57,760 And after King Solomon died, Israel was divided into two, Israel 141 00:07:57,760 --> 00:07:58,640 and Judah. 142 00:07:59,520 --> 00:08:03,200 Ephraim and Manasseh were the two, or were two of the northern 143 00:08:03,200 --> 00:08:06,800 tribes, while Benjamin was one of the southern tribes in Judah. 144 00:08:07,440 --> 00:08:11,680 So we have a psalm that speaks for the whole people, even though 145 00:08:11,680 --> 00:08:13,160 they are a kingdom divided. 146 00:08:13,160 --> 00:08:15,980 So why just these tribes? 147 00:08:16,380 --> 00:08:17,900 Why not name all of them? 148 00:08:17,900 --> 00:08:21,500 Well, I hope you notice what the connection is between them all, 149 00:08:22,460 --> 00:08:26,740 because what we're given here in the line of Jacob are those who 150 00:08:26,740 --> 00:08:28,620 are descendants of Rachel. 151 00:08:30,060 --> 00:08:33,340 And so what the psalmist is using here is using Jacob's true 152 00:08:33,340 --> 00:08:38,140 love, his true love for Rachel that he had for her to demonstrate 153 00:08:38,140 --> 00:08:44,000 just how much God cares for and loves his people by using that 154 00:08:44,000 --> 00:08:46,680 image of the true love of Jacob had for Rachel. 155 00:08:46,680 --> 00:08:49,160 And from her came Joseph and Benjamin. 156 00:08:49,240 --> 00:08:53,160 And then the allotment of the tribes with Ephraim, Manasseh and 157 00:08:53,240 --> 00:08:54,040 Benjamin. 158 00:08:54,920 --> 00:08:58,680 And as these people, as this community of Israel north and south 159 00:08:59,000 --> 00:09:00,760 cry out to the shepherd. 160 00:09:00,760 --> 00:09:04,920 We're given the picture of the throne of God because the image given 161 00:09:04,920 --> 00:09:07,480 to us here depicts God in his sanctuary. 162 00:09:08,390 --> 00:09:12,910 When Moses had the Ark of the Covenant built, figures of the cherubim 163 00:09:12,910 --> 00:09:17,470 occupied the two ends of the mercy seat, that gold cover of the 164 00:09:17,470 --> 00:09:22,390 Ark, and they had outspread wings overshadowing the Ark. 165 00:09:22,390 --> 00:09:25,910 And this was the place where the Lord would meet with Moses and 166 00:09:25,910 --> 00:09:27,270 speak to him so. 167 00:09:27,590 --> 00:09:31,190 And so it came to be seen as the Lord's earthly throne. 168 00:09:32,470 --> 00:09:37,100 And so the Lord is king, as we declared right at the beginning of 169 00:09:37,100 --> 00:09:37,580 our service. 170 00:09:37,580 --> 00:09:38,900 He's king of his people. 171 00:09:39,540 --> 00:09:44,500 And because of his presence sitting amidst the cherubim and the 172 00:09:44,500 --> 00:09:49,060 Ark of the Covenant, he's present there with them in the sanctuary. 173 00:09:49,460 --> 00:09:53,340 And so the people can confidently cry out to him so that 174 00:09:53,340 --> 00:09:57,780 he will manifest his presence by helping his people by his might. 175 00:09:59,470 --> 00:10:02,510 And in verse three, they make it plain what they want. 176 00:10:03,470 --> 00:10:09,790 Restore us, just like that yellow pages advert the restoration 177 00:10:09,870 --> 00:10:11,870 of that antique coffee table. 178 00:10:12,670 --> 00:10:19,190 Make us new, make us afresh, O God, and make your face shine upon 179 00:10:19,190 --> 00:10:21,710 us that we may be saved. 180 00:10:21,710 --> 00:10:24,430 And I hope you recognize this second part. 181 00:10:25,160 --> 00:10:28,040 Where else do we hear of the Lord making His face to shine upon 182 00:10:28,040 --> 00:10:28,360 us? 183 00:10:28,920 --> 00:10:31,680 Well, these are a people who want salvation, and they're using 184 00:10:31,680 --> 00:10:36,480 that great blessing of old, the Aaronic blessing given to us 185 00:10:36,480 --> 00:10:38,200 in number six by Aaron. 186 00:10:38,680 --> 00:10:43,640 They desire the Lord's favor to restore them as his people and 187 00:10:43,640 --> 00:10:44,440 to bless them. 188 00:10:45,640 --> 00:10:50,600 So here we have in this first section, the shepherd of Israel. 189 00:10:51,840 --> 00:10:55,520 Well, now we move on to the second part of this. 190 00:10:55,520 --> 00:11:00,160 And verses four to seven talk about God's smouldering anger. 191 00:11:00,640 --> 00:11:03,840 And this smoldering anger is towards his people, because the people 192 00:11:03,840 --> 00:11:08,160 are not ignorant that their sin has caused distance between them 193 00:11:08,160 --> 00:11:08,880 and God. 194 00:11:10,080 --> 00:11:14,080 These are a people who have ignored him, they've ignored his 195 00:11:14,080 --> 00:11:17,520 way for them, and instead they've gone after false gods. 196 00:11:18,960 --> 00:11:22,720 And they now ask how long it will be before he answers their prayers 197 00:11:22,720 --> 00:11:23,040 again. 198 00:11:23,760 --> 00:11:27,120 The relationship that they once knew is one that they want to 199 00:11:27,120 --> 00:11:27,920 return to. 200 00:11:28,080 --> 00:11:30,400 And verse five tells us how they feel. 201 00:11:31,840 --> 00:11:34,800 You have fed them with bread, with the bread of tears. 202 00:11:35,120 --> 00:11:38,080 You have made them drink tears by the bowlful. 203 00:11:39,360 --> 00:11:42,880 These are our people who are cried out physical tears. 204 00:11:43,530 --> 00:11:47,170 They're weary, they're looking to the Lord, they're trusting in 205 00:11:47,170 --> 00:11:47,490 the Lord. 206 00:11:47,490 --> 00:11:50,050 And verse six goes on to speak of how they have become a source 207 00:11:50,050 --> 00:11:54,970 of contention, a source of mockery to all those around them, 208 00:11:55,130 --> 00:11:57,290 and in this case, the Gentile nations. 209 00:11:57,610 --> 00:11:59,850 And so, rather than being the light of hope. 210 00:11:59,930 --> 00:12:05,410 They have been scorned and at this point we must pause and search 211 00:12:05,410 --> 00:12:08,010 our own souls and our own hearts. 212 00:12:09,140 --> 00:12:12,660 Have you felt as the people do here in this second section of God's 213 00:12:12,660 --> 00:12:15,220 anger is smoldering towards you. 214 00:12:16,340 --> 00:12:20,460 Perhaps you're aware of past and present sins and know that you 215 00:12:20,460 --> 00:12:21,900 haven't fully confessed them. 216 00:12:21,900 --> 00:12:25,260 Or perhaps you don't want to confess them because you enjoy them 217 00:12:25,260 --> 00:12:28,180 too much and their benefits or perceived benefits. 218 00:12:30,100 --> 00:12:34,940 Sin is a serious problem in our lives and it must be dealt with 219 00:12:34,940 --> 00:12:40,120 by God if we're to have any hope of a relationship with Him. 220 00:12:41,480 --> 00:12:45,040 And I used this verse last week and I make no apology for bringing 221 00:12:45,040 --> 00:12:46,040 it before you again. 222 00:12:46,600 --> 00:12:49,760 Because once again, First John, chapter one, verses eight to 223 00:12:49,760 --> 00:12:54,160 nine counsels us if we claim to be without sin, then we deceive 224 00:12:54,160 --> 00:12:55,880 ourselves and the truth isn't in us. 225 00:12:56,520 --> 00:12:59,960 So if you're sitting here today and you think you're okay, 226 00:13:00,120 --> 00:13:02,040 the wake up call is you're not. 227 00:13:02,600 --> 00:13:05,600 Because if we claim to be without sin, then you're deceiving 228 00:13:05,600 --> 00:13:06,120 yourself. 229 00:13:07,110 --> 00:13:09,110 You're selling yourself a lie. 230 00:13:10,310 --> 00:13:11,910 But the council continues. 231 00:13:11,910 --> 00:13:15,470 If we confess our sins, so if we acknowledge them and confess them 232 00:13:15,470 --> 00:13:19,990 before God, well then he is the one who is faithful and he is 233 00:13:20,070 --> 00:13:25,190 just and he will forgive us our sins and he will purify us from 234 00:13:25,190 --> 00:13:27,270 all unrighteousness. 235 00:13:29,430 --> 00:13:31,510 There's a reality that you must know this morning. 236 00:13:32,720 --> 00:13:37,200 We're all in the same boat when it comes to sin. 237 00:13:38,320 --> 00:13:41,520 We can't get away from it on our own. 238 00:13:42,480 --> 00:13:48,640 It's all around us, whether it be our own sin committed that has 239 00:13:48,640 --> 00:13:52,680 far reaching consequences, or whether it be the sin of others that 240 00:13:52,680 --> 00:13:54,080 has impact upon us. 241 00:13:54,400 --> 00:13:56,120 We can't get away from it. 242 00:13:56,120 --> 00:13:58,150 But we do have hope. 243 00:13:58,870 --> 00:14:03,830 We have hope in restoration and deliverance because Jesus is 244 00:14:03,830 --> 00:14:06,950 faithful and just to forgive us our sins. 245 00:14:07,590 --> 00:14:09,830 What is the refrain that we come to again? 246 00:14:09,990 --> 00:14:15,030 Restore us, O God, make your face shine upon us that we may be 247 00:14:15,190 --> 00:14:15,670 saved. 248 00:14:16,950 --> 00:14:21,350 We must confess our sins before him in prayer so that we will 249 00:14:21,350 --> 00:14:25,840 know that forgiveness A song that I've been listening to over 250 00:14:25,840 --> 00:14:30,960 these past few months, has been written by Matt Boswell, Michael 251 00:14:30,960 --> 00:14:32,480 Cochran and Matt Papa. 252 00:14:32,800 --> 00:14:38,360 And this is what it says in the first all we have, like sheep 253 00:14:38,360 --> 00:14:39,200 gone astray. 254 00:14:40,160 --> 00:14:42,320 Each of us has turned our own way. 255 00:14:43,120 --> 00:14:50,380 But God led all our wrongs, our sins, upon the sinless one, his 256 00:14:50,380 --> 00:14:51,180 only son. 257 00:14:52,060 --> 00:14:57,620 And as I was reading Psalm 80, it just fits all we, like sheep, 258 00:14:57,620 --> 00:14:58,420 have gone astray. 259 00:14:58,420 --> 00:15:01,860 And what are we crying out to but the great shepherd, the one who 260 00:15:01,860 --> 00:15:02,420 will Lead us. 261 00:15:02,420 --> 00:15:04,300 We've each turned our own way. 262 00:15:04,860 --> 00:15:06,780 But what has God done for us? 263 00:15:06,780 --> 00:15:11,300 Just as we were thinking, with forgive and forget, God led all our 264 00:15:11,300 --> 00:15:16,470 wrongs, our sins, upon the sinless one, his only Son. 265 00:15:17,430 --> 00:15:22,950 This is what has been done for us so that we can return to the Lord 266 00:15:23,270 --> 00:15:24,630 and know salvation. 267 00:15:25,590 --> 00:15:30,150 So that as that refrain is repeated in verse seven, we can be 268 00:15:30,150 --> 00:15:31,470 restored to the Lord. 269 00:15:31,470 --> 00:15:37,750 We can know his blessing as his face, his goodness, his glory 270 00:15:38,230 --> 00:15:39,510 shines upon us. 271 00:15:41,600 --> 00:15:42,640 Don't you want this? 272 00:15:43,920 --> 00:15:44,560 Don't you? 273 00:15:45,120 --> 00:15:46,600 Why would you want anything else? 274 00:15:46,600 --> 00:15:48,480 Why would you settle for anything else? 275 00:15:48,880 --> 00:15:50,640 Because anything else is less. 276 00:15:52,320 --> 00:15:58,320 This is the only way we can have assurance of salvation and life 277 00:15:59,120 --> 00:15:59,920 eternal. 278 00:16:01,680 --> 00:16:04,000 So we have the shepherd of Israel. 279 00:16:04,400 --> 00:16:08,730 But we also understand God's smoldering anger and, and it's anger 280 00:16:08,730 --> 00:16:09,930 because of our sin. 281 00:16:11,050 --> 00:16:14,210 Well, now we move on to a different image that's presented 282 00:16:14,210 --> 00:16:14,570 to us. 283 00:16:14,570 --> 00:16:18,250 Moving from a shepherd, we come to the idea of a vine. 284 00:16:18,890 --> 00:16:22,650 And so verses 8 to 15 consider the spoiled vine. 285 00:16:23,210 --> 00:16:26,890 Verse 8 reminds the people of how God brought them out of Egypt 286 00:16:26,970 --> 00:16:30,330 to be his people, and how he established them as a nation in the 287 00:16:30,330 --> 00:16:31,050 Promised Land. 288 00:16:31,610 --> 00:16:35,770 And verse nine plays on the horticultural image of a cutting 289 00:16:36,330 --> 00:16:40,730 being taken from a vine that is then planted in soil, the soil 290 00:16:40,730 --> 00:16:42,570 being the land in which they dwell. 291 00:16:43,210 --> 00:16:49,050 Verse 10 then tells us that the arms of this vine were to give 292 00:16:49,050 --> 00:16:52,850 shade to the mighty cedars and were to extend to the sea, either 293 00:16:52,850 --> 00:16:55,490 the Red Sea or the Mediterranean, unto the Euphrates 294 00:16:55,490 --> 00:16:55,850 River. 295 00:16:56,010 --> 00:16:59,810 So what we're having here is that this vine in the Promised land 296 00:16:59,810 --> 00:17:03,710 was to spread to all its borders, therefore it would know 297 00:17:03,710 --> 00:17:08,670 its borders and it would live in those borders as God's people. 298 00:17:09,470 --> 00:17:13,710 And by the way, those borders always included the Gentile nations. 299 00:17:14,750 --> 00:17:18,750 The branches and shoots are therefore an image of the benefits 300 00:17:18,750 --> 00:17:22,430 that come to all who are under the rule of this people. 301 00:17:23,390 --> 00:17:28,110 But a question comes in this image of the vine in verses 12 to 302 00:17:28,110 --> 00:17:28,430 13. 303 00:17:29,420 --> 00:17:31,100 Why have you broken down its walls? 304 00:17:31,100 --> 00:17:35,460 So that all who pass by pick its grapes, boars from the forest 305 00:17:35,460 --> 00:17:38,940 ravage it, and the creatures of the field feed on it. 306 00:17:39,900 --> 00:17:44,620 And here we're told that it is God who has broken down its walls, 307 00:17:44,779 --> 00:17:48,140 which had protected the vine from all who pass by, and from the 308 00:17:48,140 --> 00:17:51,620 boar of the forest, that is, he removed from his people his own 309 00:17:51,620 --> 00:17:55,420 protection against the marauding and empire building Gentiles. 310 00:17:56,820 --> 00:17:57,380 And why? 311 00:17:57,460 --> 00:17:59,460 Because of their rebellion. 312 00:18:00,500 --> 00:18:03,540 God isn't punishing them for no reason. 313 00:18:04,500 --> 00:18:07,740 These are people who made promises and have broken them again 314 00:18:07,740 --> 00:18:08,740 and again and again. 315 00:18:09,060 --> 00:18:12,940 And so they come, knowing all of this, with the question, why? 316 00:18:12,940 --> 00:18:16,740 And it's a question inviting the singers to ponder the answer. 317 00:18:17,300 --> 00:18:23,090 If God has shown such care for this vine, they would ask, would 318 00:18:23,090 --> 00:18:25,410 he likely allow such violence against it? 319 00:18:25,410 --> 00:18:28,770 And that's a reasonable question for them to ask. 320 00:18:29,490 --> 00:18:32,690 And if we actually go back to verse four, well, they've already 321 00:18:32,690 --> 00:18:35,770 admitted that the people's unfaithfulness may be the very reason 322 00:18:35,770 --> 00:18:36,130 for it. 323 00:18:36,130 --> 00:18:40,690 But now in verse 14, we see an appeal to God to look down from heaven, 324 00:18:41,330 --> 00:18:46,490 to have regard, or to consider this vine again, to restore it to 325 00:18:46,490 --> 00:18:52,280 its proper rule the world as being a people who worship him, and 326 00:18:52,280 --> 00:18:54,840 a blessing and a light to the nations. 327 00:18:55,960 --> 00:18:59,040 And so this third refrain, although not a repeat of what we 328 00:18:59,040 --> 00:19:02,320 read in verses three and seven, and then in verse 19, it still 329 00:19:02,320 --> 00:19:05,680 presents the request that the Lord would look favorably again on 330 00:19:05,680 --> 00:19:07,880 his vine and cause it to flourish. 331 00:19:09,080 --> 00:19:10,280 But notice verse 15. 332 00:19:11,000 --> 00:19:15,440 Look at how it points us forward as we read it with New Testament 333 00:19:15,440 --> 00:19:16,160 Understanding. 334 00:19:16,640 --> 00:19:20,880 Verse 15 says, Watch over this vine, the root your right hand has 335 00:19:20,880 --> 00:19:24,320 planted, the Son you have raised up for yourself. 336 00:19:25,600 --> 00:19:30,440 See, God was insistent that his people would flourish, but they 337 00:19:30,440 --> 00:19:33,680 could never have done so if left to their own resources. 338 00:19:34,960 --> 00:19:38,400 Even our girls and boys now understand that as they've traced 339 00:19:38,400 --> 00:19:42,850 the history of the children of Israel out of Egypt, these are a 340 00:19:42,850 --> 00:19:46,610 people who needed deep deliverance, not just from Egyptian 341 00:19:46,610 --> 00:19:49,450 captivity, but from sin's captivity. 342 00:19:50,410 --> 00:19:53,930 And as we read this, the sun you have raised up for yourself, 343 00:19:54,090 --> 00:19:57,370 our alarm bells and light bulbs should be flashing, saying, 344 00:19:57,370 --> 00:20:01,210 well, with New Testament eyes, we know exactly who this Son is. 345 00:20:02,170 --> 00:20:05,450 Because when Jesus Christ came to earth, he called himself the vine. 346 00:20:06,480 --> 00:20:08,240 And we also know him as the Son of God. 347 00:20:08,960 --> 00:20:12,320 In other words, Jesus came to do what Israel failed to do. 348 00:20:12,800 --> 00:20:16,720 He came to spread the shade of his blessing far and wide, the goodness 349 00:20:16,720 --> 00:20:17,680 of his salvation. 350 00:20:18,160 --> 00:20:23,120 And so united to him by faith, we too become part of that life giving 351 00:20:23,120 --> 00:20:23,680 vine. 352 00:20:24,240 --> 00:20:25,520 And we bear fruit. 353 00:20:27,120 --> 00:20:33,930 And so this morning, if you feel forsaken, as if you keep disappointing 354 00:20:33,930 --> 00:20:38,490 God, then consider what God has done for you. 355 00:20:39,290 --> 00:20:45,290 If you are in Christ, he has given you his one and only Son, so 356 00:20:45,290 --> 00:20:47,850 that you can be raised up for his glory. 357 00:20:48,730 --> 00:20:54,250 And Jesus tells us this himself in John 15:5, Jesus says, 358 00:20:54,250 --> 00:20:57,130 I am the vine, you are the branches. 359 00:20:57,970 --> 00:21:02,130 If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit. 360 00:21:03,090 --> 00:21:06,450 And here's another line to pay attention to. 361 00:21:07,250 --> 00:21:11,730 Because apart from me, Jesus says, you can do nothing. 362 00:21:12,610 --> 00:21:14,210 Jesus gives us all we need. 363 00:21:14,690 --> 00:21:17,250 He says, you need to look to me, you need to trust in me. 364 00:21:17,250 --> 00:21:18,450 Don't trust in yourself. 365 00:21:18,530 --> 00:21:21,650 Don't think that all your rituals and all your rites, that 366 00:21:21,650 --> 00:21:24,510 all of your good works will ever cut it, because they won't. 367 00:21:25,460 --> 00:21:30,020 None of us by birth are automatically in the kingdom of God. 368 00:21:31,940 --> 00:21:35,540 For we are all born in sin and we are shaped by it. 369 00:21:36,260 --> 00:21:38,820 And apart from Christ, we can do nothing. 370 00:21:39,540 --> 00:21:44,300 But yet he tells us that if we remain in him, then he remains in 371 00:21:44,300 --> 00:21:44,580 us. 372 00:21:44,900 --> 00:21:49,780 And we will know that blessing of bearing fruit for his name's sake. 373 00:21:50,670 --> 00:21:53,470 You see, all we need is Jesus. 374 00:21:54,430 --> 00:21:56,590 We cannot save ourselves. 375 00:21:56,590 --> 00:21:58,830 And I cannot save you. 376 00:21:59,710 --> 00:22:03,910 But when we know Christ's salvation, then we know that we flourish 377 00:22:03,910 --> 00:22:05,390 as we grow in faith. 378 00:22:06,350 --> 00:22:12,550 And if your faith this morning is weary, and if you're tired, well, 379 00:22:12,550 --> 00:22:13,710 take hope. 380 00:22:14,670 --> 00:22:17,510 Look to Jesus and trust in him to see you through. 381 00:22:17,510 --> 00:22:21,310 As the second verse of the Boswell, Cochrane and Papa Song says, 382 00:22:22,570 --> 00:22:27,130 all who feel the sting of your sin come and lift your eyes once 383 00:22:27,130 --> 00:22:27,450 again. 384 00:22:27,930 --> 00:22:33,050 How great a price was paid to save the souls of those who stray. 385 00:22:33,610 --> 00:22:35,850 Yet still we stray. 386 00:22:36,730 --> 00:22:38,650 Isn't this the reality of who we are? 387 00:22:38,970 --> 00:22:40,090 We still stray. 388 00:22:40,090 --> 00:22:44,810 But there's a solution to our wanderings, and it's Jesus. 389 00:22:45,610 --> 00:22:48,650 The price has been paid to save our souls. 390 00:22:49,420 --> 00:22:52,380 And when we trust in him, he will keep us. 391 00:22:53,180 --> 00:22:56,860 And this brings us to the final section, and we consider the 392 00:22:56,940 --> 00:23:01,020 Savior they seek in verses 16 to 19. 393 00:23:01,820 --> 00:23:05,500 Verse 16 acknowledges that they are facing what they're facing 394 00:23:05,500 --> 00:23:07,500 because of their sin and its consequences. 395 00:23:07,900 --> 00:23:11,340 They know that to face the rebuke of God will mean they perish. 396 00:23:11,500 --> 00:23:13,100 And they don't want to perish. 397 00:23:13,580 --> 00:23:17,890 They want to be restored, to be revived, so that they can call 398 00:23:17,890 --> 00:23:19,570 on the name of the Lord. 399 00:23:20,290 --> 00:23:22,290 And they can do that with joy. 400 00:23:24,370 --> 00:23:29,250 Look at the prophetic language of verse 17 from these old Testament 401 00:23:29,250 --> 00:23:29,570 people. 402 00:23:30,770 --> 00:23:35,250 Let your hand rest on the man at your right hand, the Son of Man 403 00:23:35,250 --> 00:23:37,530 you have raised up for yourself. 404 00:23:37,530 --> 00:23:41,970 Now, there's a play on words here, and that refers to Benjamin. 405 00:23:42,230 --> 00:23:45,670 And Benjamin's name means man at your right hand. 406 00:23:46,710 --> 00:23:51,870 But we know that there is a greater son of David, a greater son 407 00:23:51,870 --> 00:23:55,590 of Jacob, who would be called the Son of Man, and that is Jesus. 408 00:23:55,590 --> 00:23:59,550 And as the people sing their final refrain in verse 19, they seek 409 00:23:59,550 --> 00:24:02,470 salvation and the Lord's favor to shine upon them. 410 00:24:02,710 --> 00:24:07,110 And for us today, we can only know this through Jesus as we trust 411 00:24:07,110 --> 00:24:07,670 in Him. 412 00:24:08,220 --> 00:24:13,340 And this trust is not just for one moment in time, a trust for every 413 00:24:13,500 --> 00:24:13,900 day. 414 00:24:15,180 --> 00:24:18,860 Every day we ask that he will see us through. 415 00:24:19,420 --> 00:24:22,540 He will keep us from sin and from evil. 416 00:24:23,100 --> 00:24:27,580 And that as we looked at in Revelation 21 last Sunday evening, 417 00:24:28,140 --> 00:24:31,500 we will know there is a day coming where every tear will be wiped 418 00:24:31,500 --> 00:24:35,540 from every eye, where there will be no more sickness or mourning 419 00:24:35,540 --> 00:24:39,230 or sorrow for the old things have passed away. 420 00:24:40,110 --> 00:24:41,790 This is what we need to know. 421 00:24:42,430 --> 00:24:45,390 We need to trust in Jesus to know this, because it is a trust 422 00:24:45,390 --> 00:24:50,150 that leads us to prayer and to praise of who he is to us, so that 423 00:24:50,150 --> 00:24:54,990 we too will sing the words of Numbers 6, 24, 26 the Lord bless 424 00:24:54,990 --> 00:24:55,950 you and keep you. 425 00:24:56,350 --> 00:25:00,310 The Lord make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to 426 00:25:00,310 --> 00:25:00,670 you. 427 00:25:00,910 --> 00:25:05,360 The Lord turn his face toward you, give you peace. 428 00:25:08,080 --> 00:25:13,800 I do put my put myself out on a limb here when I say this is potentially 429 00:25:13,800 --> 00:25:17,720 one of the greatest blessings we can read in Scripture, rooted 430 00:25:17,720 --> 00:25:22,040 in the Old Testament, yet fulfilled in Jesus, to know a blessing 431 00:25:22,040 --> 00:25:25,360 of comfort and to know a blessing of peace. 432 00:25:27,360 --> 00:25:31,630 Psalm 80 does four things for us and I hope you appreciate the 433 00:25:31,630 --> 00:25:35,190 work I've gone to because they are all with the letter S. And you 434 00:25:35,190 --> 00:25:39,030 know that doesn't come easily to me because Psalm 80 assures us 435 00:25:39,030 --> 00:25:43,110 that when we turn to the shepherd of Israel and acknowledge 436 00:25:43,110 --> 00:25:47,870 his smouldering anger towards us because of our sin, then we will 437 00:25:47,870 --> 00:25:52,390 know our own past as the spoiled vine so that we can know 438 00:25:52,390 --> 00:25:59,120 the Savior we seek, the only one to deliver us from sin, restore 439 00:25:59,120 --> 00:26:01,680 us to God forever. 440 00:26:03,920 --> 00:26:05,840 Why would you want anything else? 441 00:26:06,640 --> 00:26:09,520 Why would you want anything different? 442 00:26:11,040 --> 00:26:17,640 The Yellow Pages have come and they've gone within 0.3 seconds. 443 00:26:17,640 --> 00:26:22,880 Google tells me I can now find a plumber and a painter and even 444 00:26:22,880 --> 00:26:24,080 a French polisher. 445 00:26:24,800 --> 00:26:28,080 He might have to travel 60 miles, but not 0.3 seconds. 446 00:26:29,280 --> 00:26:32,240 We don't need the Yellow Pages to help us. 447 00:26:32,720 --> 00:26:38,720 We have everything we need in a Savior who loves us so. 448 00:26:39,520 --> 00:26:47,200 Come, let us return to the Lord Come now all his mercies Remember 449 00:26:48,000 --> 00:26:51,840 how wide his love that waits to welcome us. 450 00:26:53,710 --> 00:27:00,750 O come, let us return to the Lord Let us pray. 451 00:27:02,270 --> 00:27:06,870 Our Father God, we thank you for this psalm that perhaps many 452 00:27:06,870 --> 00:27:08,510 of us have never read. 453 00:27:09,150 --> 00:27:13,230 And yet we know and read of its truth as we see it in the light 454 00:27:13,230 --> 00:27:13,950 of Christ. 455 00:27:14,990 --> 00:27:17,630 And so may we know its message of salvation. 456 00:27:18,500 --> 00:27:19,780 May we know its goodness. 457 00:27:20,420 --> 00:27:25,100 And Father, may we know who you are to us as we know you, and 458 00:27:25,100 --> 00:27:27,740 return to you as the God of our salvation. 459 00:27:27,740 --> 00:27:31,580 May we not be ignorant, may we not be so hard hearted or cold to 460 00:27:31,580 --> 00:27:38,180 this truth, but may we return gladly and joyfully and no restoration 461 00:27:38,420 --> 00:27:40,980 to you and we ask it in Jesus name. 462 00:27:41,780 --> 00:27:42,420 Amen. 463 00:27:48,170 --> 00:27:57,800 Sam.