TITLE: Out Of The Depths 01072013
TEXT: Psalm 130 1Out of the depths I cry to you, LORD; 2Lord, hear my voice. Let your ears be attentive to my cry for mercy. 3 If you, LORD, kept a record of sins, Lord, who could stand? 4 But with you there is forgiveness, so that we can, with reverence, serve you. 5 I wait for the LORD, my whole being waits, and in his word I put my hope. 6 I wait for the Lord more than watchmen wait for the morning, more than watchmen wait for the morning. 7 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.
INTRODUCTION
ILL. Calvin Coolidge went to church on a Sunday without his wife. When he returned from the service in the afternoon she wanted to know what the pastor preached about. Coolidge told her, “Sin.” Thinking that this wasn’t much of a description of the sermon, she pressed her husband for more details. Being a man of few words with his wife, he responded, “Well, I think he was against it.”
A. As God’s people we can expect hard times and challenges to our walk of faith as we traverse this earth below for Jesus’ sake. One of the most painful challenges we face will be the challenge sin poses.
1. The guy in our scripture today knows he is in trouble. He knows that God is his only source of deliverance from that trouble. But as he looks at his own life, he realizes that he is not completely spotless—he is not without sin.
2. Maybe the trouble he is in is partially his own doing.
ILL. I knew a great guy. Had a wife and 2 1/2 kids, 2 ½ cars with payments, a dog and ½ a cat, a mortgage. --The average American Joe with the average American debt. He had the average American Job making $49,500 annually. He was in a mid-level management position with American Widgets Inc., which produced and sold the average American high quality widgets which everyone in the world seemed to be buying in the 1990’s. He had been with the company quite a while and had done quite a good job over the years. He would get the average pep talks and corrections from his superiors everyone should expect to get if you work with or for anyone. But one year, the bottom fell out of his division of the widget market. He had never experienced lack-luster sales in all his years with the company and didn’t know the remedy to the situation. He had a team working with him who were equally as clueless. They read, they researched, they studied charts and actuaries. They cut costs, increased productivity and retooled the factory. There were others who worked with him, but he was in charge of that division. And, their team response to the problem did not prove adequate. The result—failure. The problem was complicated. There were many factors, many individuals, contributing to the failure (Not to mention, they found out later, there was a guy, working behind the scenes, gunning for my friend’s position, manipulating the facts and figures which were already poor enough). The company’s response however was simple. My friend had to go—He was the guy in charge—he was fired.
3. The point of my story is this: It is most difficult to justify yourself when you have at least some fault in the matter. In almost every situation, all of us, almost always are to some extent at fault. --Sometimes even 100% at fault.
4. How in the world can a man with unclean hands ask a holy God for help—for deliverance from his trouble, when he understands, at least to some degree, “I am getting what I deserve!”?
5. Let me take that a step farther. The sad truth is we all deserve far worse. Think of the most horrible trouble you have ever been in. Maybe it was standing before a judge who was about to pronounce you guilty. Maybe he was going to levy some big fine or sentence you to some time. I’ve been there. In that moment, do you know what pounded through my mind? The truth!
6. The truth is I deserve to stand before a very harsh judge and hear the words, “Curtis Scott Ghan, you have read and are well aware of Romans 6:23 ‘...the wages of sin is death...’ I therefore sentence you to death—eternal death—complete separation from God forever!”
–Hell Fire!!! That’s what I have earned and deserve! –That’s what you have earned deserve! –That’s what every sinful person who has ever lived has earned and deserves!
7. How dare we stand before a holy God and ask for deliverance from any sort of trouble if it is even a fraction, and it almost always is, part of our own making?
8. I think this knowledge—this understanding is what adds the blue, moan—the sorrow to the Psalmist’s plea:
9. And from a jail came the wail, Of a down-hearted frail... From a whippoorwill, Out on a hill, They took a new note, Pushed it through a horn, Til it was worn, Into a blue note, And then they nursed it, rehearsed it, And gave out the news, That the Southland gave birth to the blues!
--Nah, Someone beat the Southland to it...
I. OUT OF THE DEPTHS I CRY TO YOU JESUS
A. V1 Out of the depths I cry to you, LORD. What an incredible way to begin a prayer to God.
1. Have you ever felt this way? Have you ever found yourself groaning away all day long—feeling the weight of things you’ve done wrong, and feeling the mess of it all eat you alive?
2. Out of the depths—the deepest part of my soul Jesus.
3. Thank God if you feel it from time to time in your life. It means God is working with you—He is not done with you—It means the callouses have been torn from your conscience.
ILL. Consider leprosy. One of the cruel facts concerning all forms of the disease is that it eventually causes peripheral neurological damage in the arms and legs, which causes sensory loss in the skin. People with long-term leprosy may lose the use of their hands or feet due to repeated injury resulting from lack of sensation. Yu burn your hand severely because you don’t have the sensation to pull it away from the flame. Infection sets in. You don’t feel that either. You either lose your hand to Gangrene or Gangrene takes your life.
--Sometimes, unfortunately, sin can be the same way. People are injured. Then they just keep getting sicker and sicker. Then one day, it’s too late.
4. Guilt is good if you will let it drive you to the cross of Jesus Christ where you can dump it.
5. That sinking feeling down into the depths is a wonderful thing if it awakens you to presence of the Master of the Sea. --I was sinking deep in sin, far from the peaceful shore, Very deeply stained within, sinking to rise no more, But the Master of the sea heard my despairing cry, From the waters lifted me, now safe am I
--My family was sinking!
--My good name among men was sinking!
--My destiny was sinking!
B. The word “depths” describes the “chaotic, confusing, complicated forces confronting human life with destruction, devastation, and death.”
1. These chaotic forces are sin—his sin and the sins of others
2. “Out of this deep mess which sin and stupidity—a lot of which is mine, has gotten me into, I cry out to you, my precious Lord Jesus!”
3. I would suggest, this would be a great time for you to finely comb through your accounts with God and see just what exactly is your part in the matter—your sin.
4. Forget about trying to explain it to others—They have already condemned you for the whole thing.
5. It will only look like you are trying to escape all blame. God will hear you out. He knows your heart. He’s the only One Who really matters anyway.
C. “Jesus, V2 Lord, hear my voice. Let your ears be attentive to my cry for mercy.”
1. I know I am a sinner. No one needs to convince me of the fact!
2. Matthew 11:19 ...Then the Son of Man (Jesus) came, enjoying life, and people say, ‘Look, a winebibber, a drunkard and a glutton—the bosom-friend of the tax-collector and the sinner.’...
--...the bosom-friend of...the sinner... Good God! That means me!
3. I’ve got a leg to stand on—a true friend in the heavenlies! –The Holy One of Israel during the current dispensation my Advocate with the Father—not my Judge!
II. JESUS, IF YOU KEPT A RECORD OF EVERYTHING I’VE DONE WRONG, I WOULDN’T HAVE A LEG TO STAND ON
A. V3 If you, LORD (JESUS), kept a record of sins, Lord, who could stand? 4 But with you there is forgiveness, so that we can, with reverence, serve you.
1. If you hope to get this sort of treatment from the world, forget it. From your job...forget it! From your friends...yes, unfortunately most of your friends...forget it! –With God’s grace, you may be able to keep those precious two.
--That’s just not how the world works my friend.
2. But with you (Jesus) there is forgiveness! (Verse) What a friend I've found, Closer than a brother, I have felt your touch, More intimate than lovers (Chorus) Jesus, Jesus, Jesus, friend forever (Verse) What a hope I've found, More faithful than a mother, It would break my heart, To ever lose each other
--Written by Martin Smith
ILL. A man, heavy with guilt, came tearfully, groveling before the Lord. He had no excuses for his actions—indeed, it was a wicked habit. It had plagued his mind for years. His plea, “Nolo Contendre” “I have no defense Lord. In fact this is the 19th time this month I have committed this very same selfish act.” And Jesus looked over with a look of bewilderment asking the penitent, “What do you mean 19th??”
--I resemble (resent) that remark!!!
3. This guy, this Psalmist, is convicted by the Holy Spirit—What a wonderful thing to be so aware of your sins as well as God’s gracious nature. You don’t have to put on an affront. --He is a “Come as you are” God. –A “Let me see what you got.” God. –“Let’s get it fixed” God
4. Ezekiel 36:26 (Message) I’ll remove the stone heart from your body and replace it with a heart that’s God-willed, not self-willed. I’ll put my Spirit in you and make it possible for you to do what I tell you and live by my commands.
--It’s that simple.
--I want you to fulfill your potential in this life!
--I don’t want your sin to keep your head below the water!
--I want you to live at peace, peace with Me, Peace with yourself and peace with others!
--I think that is what sinner’s friend would say to you.
5. Exodus 34:6f “GOD, GOD, a God of mercy and grace, endlessly patient—so much love, so deeply true—loyal in love for a thousand generations, forgiving iniquity, rebellion, and sin. Still, he doesn’t ignore sin...
6. That was the Old Testament. Praise Him! He didn’t ignore it! He did something about it! He fixed it! He to us offered a Covenant with Himself based upon the blood of His own Precious Son. He paid the highest price Heaven could pay.
7. Imagine that, God Who owns everything, I mean everything, maxed out His account. He could pay no more for you. He would pay no less.
8. There is forgiveness with You Lord God. That is the only way we could have anything to do with you. But You call us to a higher sense of nobility:
--Service to the throne
--Worship
--Fellowship
--Even friendship with God
III. IN HIS WORD I PUT MY HOPE
A. v 5, 6 I wait for the LORD, my whole being waits, and in his word I put my hope. 6 I wait for the Lord more than watchmen wait for the morning, more than watchmen wait for the morning.
1. There are 3 words I want to key in on here. First, wait If you aspire to be a child of God--if you want anything good He’s got, you need to study this word thoroughly and be prepared for it, again, again, and again.
ILL. One of the songs I don’t like to sing, but sing with a smile anyhow is Yes,
He's an on time God, Yes, He is., He's an on time God, Yes, He is., He may not come When you want Him, But He's always Right on time; He's an on time God, Yes, He is.
I think I’ve heard a more accurate version: He ain’t never Early, But He’ll be there right Right On time...
2. Who’s time? God’s time. By the way, God doesn’t have a watch—remember that when all your watches start beeping around 12:00pm thinking it’s time for the preacher to quit.
3. God doesn’t have a watch and He doesn’t even have a calendar. Sorry about that cheif—He says He doesn’t need em. He told me He made the Sun, Moon and the Starry host—the farthest reaches of the Universe and doesn’t need some fellow by the name Casio telling Him what time it is.
4. God knows when—If you believe He loves you as much as He truly does—you’ll have to trust Him on this one.
B. The second word is hope. If you are going to place yourself at the mercy of a guy who won’t wear a watch, you’re going to have to develop a lot of hope.
1. Hope that He loves you. Hope that He truly wants what’s best for you. Hope that He has everything all figured out. Hope that He is in control of all things. Hope that God will take even the worst situations in our lives and turn them around for His good and our good.
2. Romans 8:26-28 (Message) Meanwhile, the moment we get tired in the waiting, God’s Spirit is right alongside helping us along. If we don’t know how or what to pray, it doesn’t matter. He does our praying in and for us, making prayer out of our wordless sighs, our aching groans. He knows us far better than we know ourselves, knows our pregnant condition, and keeps us present before God. That’s why we can be so sure that every detail in our lives of love for God is worked into something good.
3. Hope that He will do what He says He will do – His Word
C. 3rd word this is the object which we are encouraged to place our hope while we wait for God to rescue us from out of the depths.
1. How fortunate we are to have copious copies of His word scattered about all through our homes in all different versions, KJV, NIV...
2. How foolish to rarely search it for the promise which would be the very lifeline to pull us from the darkness of the depths into which we regularly fall.
III. ISRAEL, PUT YOUR HOPE IN THE LORD
A. v7, 8 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.
1. As is a common device in the Psalms, here the one in trouble transitions from a private prayer of repentance and plea for help, to a public proclamation of praise. Here he extolls the unfailing love of God and Salvation for mankind.
2. I tried Him and I found His promises are true. He’s everything He said that He would be. The finest words I know could not begin to tell, Just what Jesus really means to me.
3. “Let me tell you what Jesus did for me! I was in the depths—the very bowels of the Earth it seemed.
--The people I love, my future, my hope, even my very life seemed like it was slipping away and I had absolutely no control.
--Oh I had fault it the matter to be sure.
--But once the death spiral started, it was out of my hands.
--Out of the depths I cried to Him.
--Now I am out of the depths, standing on my own two feet in the strength He has given me.
--I could never have done it on my own.
4. Here is the opportunity for you to come out of your depths, from your dark situation.
5. Have you had enough? There is only one way out. Put your Hope in the unfailing love of Jesus, trust completely in His ability to redeem you and your situation.
6. Allow Him to redeem you from your sins
