to the book of Psalms and to Psalm number 15. Psalm 15, and we're going to read the entire Psalm, which is from verse 1 through verse 5. So, Psalm 15, verses 1 through 5. was almost two years ago that we finished our previous series in the Book of Psalms when we went through this first section of what is known as Book 1 of the Psalms and we finished up at verse 14. Lord willing, we will recommence our studies in the Book of Psalms this evening and continue on Sunday evenings for the next few months. So, we come to Psalm number 15. Let us hear the Word of God. O LORD, who shall sojourn in your tent? Who shall dwell on your holy hill? He who walks blamelessly, and does what is right, and speaks truth in his heart, who does not slander with his tongue, and does no evil to his neighbour, nor takes up a reproach against his friends, in whose eyes a vile person is despised, but who honours those who fear the Lord, who swears to his own hurt and does not change, who does not put out his money at interest and does not take a bribe against the innocent. He who does these things shall never be moved. Amen, and so far again, God's holy, inerrant and infallible words. The last time we looked at the book of Psalms, we noted that Psalms 1 and 2 form a systematic introduction to the whole book of the Psalms. Both Psalms 1 and 2 give an idealized portrayal In Psalm 1, the person of God's choice is godly. He delights in God. He lives by divine instruction. He is wise and he is not affected by evildoers. Similarly, in Psalm 2, the messianic servant of God's choice is of the house of David. He is adopted to be the son of God. He lives up under wisdom principles to divine instruction. Because of that he is wise and he subdues evildoers. But it is not long after Psalms 1 and 2, as we get into Psalms 3 and following, that we discover, along with the rest of the Scriptures, that the best of the godly Israelites And even those of David's dynasty were unable to bring in this state of blessedness and peace to which Psalm 1 and 2 witness. But nevertheless, these two introductory Psalms of the Psalter act as God's encouragement to each person to live wisely. They encourage men and women and boys and girls to trust in God by cultivating hope in one who would be able to satisfy all of that which is spoken of in Psalms 1 and 2. One who would bring in God's blessings even to a fallen rebellious world. Now as we come to Psalm 15 this evening we find here a pattern of question and answer. O Lord, who shall sojourn in your tent? Who shall dwell on your holy hill? And then a whole series of answers from verses two through five. Now this pattern of question and answer may very well be modelled on what took place at certain sanctuaries in the ancient world. As the worshipper came to the holy site, then he would ask the terms of admittance. And the priest of that religion would make reply. In order to be granted access into the holy place, into the presence of the deity, you must do this, and this, and this, and this. But here as we find this pattern in Psalm 15. Whilst, according to that pattern of the ancient world, we might have expected an answer to the question of who shall sojourn in your tent, who shall dwell in your holy hill, to have been some list of religious and ritual requirements. Here, strikingly, the answer from the Lord is moral, ethical, The words of God are designed to search the consciences of those who seek the presence of God. It is not some list of mere ritualistic compliance. So what do we find here in Psalm 15? We find this. Psalm 15 addresses the question of what God expects of all who desire to live in His blessed presence, and calls for a response of godliness as the way of wisdom. Psalm 15 addresses the question of what God expects of all who desire to live in his blessed presence, and calls for a response of godliness as the way of wisdom. Well, as we seek to unpack that summary this evening, we're going to do so under three headings. First of all, a thematic question. Secondly, a detailed response. And then thirdly, the divine promise. So, a thematic question, a detailed response, and the divine promise. So, first of all then, the thematic question, verse 1. O Lord, who shall sojourn in your tent. Who shall dwell on your holy hill? Now the psalmist here begins with a single question, though it is asked in two different ways. So the repetition of the who here is not so much a question of the identity of those who would enter into God's presence, as it is of what kind of person may enjoy his sonnership. He's not asking the question of who in order to say what is the name of the person, how do we identify them, as it were this one from that one, but rather he's asking concerning what kind of person will be permitted access into the presence of God to have fellowship with Him. And so if a person is to enter the special place in which God's presence is symbolized, and symbolized the presence of God in the most intimate way, the tent or temple as it became in the city of Jerusalem, on the holy mountain, namely Zion, what must that person be like? That's the theme of the question. What kind of person will be permitted to access fellowship with the Holy Gods? Now, the verbs that are used here are very significant. The verbs to live, the verbs to dwell. Really, they are synonyms of the same thing. They point to the idea of residence. They're really pictures for asking the question, who will have communion with God? It's not some idea of brief encounter, but that idea of sustained fellowship, living in the presence of the Holy God. John Calvin summed it up in this way, he says, those only have access to God who are his genuine servants and who live a holy life. The idea is in the presence, dwelling, living, communion with the holy gods. Well, if that is the thematic question, then to that question, God gives a detailed response in verses 2 through 5a. Now the portrait here is not an exhaustive catalogue, even from the perspective of moral ethical factors. If we want to give an exhaustive answer to this question, then we would have to consult many of the passages in the scripture. Some in the book of Psalms themselves. Psalm 24, for instance, which, Lord willing, we will come to. It's a point in the future. Or parts of the prophets, like Isaiah chapter 33, for instance. As well as the New Testament Scriptures, as we think of the teaching of our Lord in the Beatitudes, in what we call the Sermon on the Mount. Or in that great chapter of the Apostle Paul in 1 Corinthians 13, for instance. So here, we do not find an exhaustive list But nevertheless there is sufficient here to describe that the man who will be granted access is above all a man of integrity. A man of integrity. Now we could spend some considerable time working in detail through these requirements that God demands. One by one. I don't intend to do that this evening. But rather, I would like to seek to group them together and to describe them in summary fashion. First of all, we see that the man who will dwell with God in communion with Him is true in character. Verses 2a and 2b. He who walks blamelessly and does what is right. Really the first two parts of verse two are two ways of saying the same thing. The way to live, to walk a blameless life is to do what is righteous. The word blamelessly here is perhaps a little over negative in the English language for the Hebrew word. The Hebrew word tamim implies more rather positive things, that which is whole. That which is wholehearted, that which is sound. Where the second term, that which is right, is of course repeated again and again in the Old Testament as the basis for all Old Testament morality. It is to walk in wholeness and soundness and to do right things. But not only is he to be true in character, secondly, he is to be restrained in his language. Verses 2C-3. He is to speak truth in his heart, who does not slander with his tongue and does no evil to his neighbour, nor takes up reproach against his friend. Here again, speaking truth emphasises what is sure, and what is trustworthy, not just simply that which is factually correct, though of course that is assumed. Again, here the word for slander has a background of that which goes around, that which tries to spy things out or to spread them abroad. We know what it means in our own language to slander someone, to speak untruth about them. And then in the last clause here, to take up a reproach can either mean to pass a slur or to pick up something which is discreditable and pass it on. The sense is of raking things up unnecessarily in order to cause difficulty and strife and contention for one's friends. And so, in many ways, this reference enlarges on the theme that we find in the book of the Proverbs, in Proverbs 10 and verse 12, where the writer of the Proverbs says, hatred stirs up strife, but love covers all offences. This man is restrained in his language. Now, bear in mind why this is emphasised here. It's in the context of one who seeks to come into the presence of God in order to worship Him aright. When we shine the light of the New Testament Scriptures, particularly from the book of James, chapter 3, you remember, and from verses 10 through 12, we see some great insight here where James reminds us how can it be that the tongue of the same one who at one time slanders and curses his brother, In the next breath, he's using that same tongue to seek to praise God. If we would dwell in the presence of God, if we would seek communion with Him, we speak truth in our heart, we do not slander with our tongue, we do no evil to our neighbour, we do not take up reproach against our friends. But then thirdly, we see that he is clear cut in his allegiance. Verse 4a. In whose eyes a vile person is despised, but who honours those who fear the Lord. Now in the previous points, we might be tempted to think that what is being said here is that evil is just simply covered over and we just don't notice it. We shut our eyes to another sin. That is not what is being said here and that is clear from verse 4. Glaring faults and sins are to be noted and to be detested. In whose eyes a vile person is despised. Whilst in the same way true godliness is to be evident and esteemed. He honours those who fear the law. Now again, when we first look at this verse, if we were to read it in isolation, you may think that it is somewhat of a pharisaical, self-righteous spirit here. He's judging everybody who is wrong and he is deciding who's right and affirming them. But the issue here is loyalty. It's a clear statement of loyalty. To be on the side of the God of the covenant. whose law is clear, defining what is right and defining what is wrong. And so, when he sees someone breaking the law of God, then he has no allegiance to that person at all in what he is doing and what he is saying. But on the other hand, when he sees those who fear the Lord, he honours them. For he sees them on exactly the same side as he himself would be in honouring God himself. And so here this man is not comparing himself with others in a self-righteous way, but stating his conviction and his loyalty, declaring what he admires and where he stands. So his true character, restrained in his language, clear-cut in his allegiance, And lastly, under this heading, he is honourable in all of his dealings. Verse 4b and 5a. Who swears to his own hurt and does not change. Who does not put out his money at interest and does not take a bribe against the innocent. Two examples are laid out for us here. First, keeping promises. even when that costs, who swears to his own hurt and does not change. Now this does not mean that there is a universal binding principle that oaths cannot be repudiated when they are plainly seen to be wrong and mistaken. Proverbs 6, 1 through 6 indicates that this was allowed And so it's not trying to set again a universal principle in place here. But rather what it is saying, it is forbidding the going back on a good promise because it is found to be inconvenient. That it's going to cost something to fulfil it. If this man would seek to have access to the presence of the Holy Gods, he must be honourable in his dealings. Fulfil. his promises even when it is of cost to himself. And then secondly he needs to have integrity with regard to financial matters. Now the Old Testament is strongly opposed to the two things that are referred to here. Lending on interest and accepting bribes. The reason for the first was that A fellow Israelite who comes to you for a loan does so because he was destitute. And so to charge him interest was only to add to his hardship and to his suffering. And for that reason, God forbade it. That you were not to add to the suffering of your fellow Israelites when he was in great need by charging interest on any loan that you might give him. But again, to show that this wasn't a universal principle, lending of money with interest was permitted in the case of foreigners, since it was assumed that the loan would be for some commercial venture, for a building up of a business or a project that was already flourishing and prospering and simply perhaps needed more capital in order to grow it further. The issue here is, again, amongst the covenant people of God, not to be exploiting our fellow brother when he is in need. Again, when it comes to bribes, then these are forbidden. Accepting a bribe against the innocent here is connected, of course, with the giving of evidence and making judgement in court. Even to our very own day, this is still a possible source of generating income, isn't it? Witnesses can be bought. Judges could be bought. This was no different in the day of the ancient Israelites. But God again had forbidden it. Justice was to prevail. In the giving of evidence and making judgments, if a man was to be upright, to have integrity, to have access and communion with God, He was not to behave in this way, even if in the short term he might prosper himself financially by taking a bribe to give false witness or to find a case for the one who paid him. Again, when we come to the New Testament in these matters, the New Testament summarises all of this under the heading of love your neighbour as yourself. which if a man was to do this, fulfills these conditions. These are not the acts of love, are they? But rather the acts of self-centeredness if a man is to do those things which are forbidden and to neglect those things which he ought to do. So much for the Lord's detailed response. A man of integrity in all these areas. That leads us in the third place to the divine promise. The divine promise. He who does these things shall never be moved. He who does these things shall never be moved. Now notice here that this promise does not merely concern itself with security or freedom from trouble. Freedom from suffering, from oppression. Indeed, the righteous were often shaken in that sense, in a literal sense in this world, often to the great rejoicing of their enemies. If you think of the Israelites as they went through their generations, often they were, by God's decree, at the mercy of their enemies. They were shaken because of their sin and of the Lord's chastisement. Other times they were persecuted simply because they were testifying to the truth of God. But God permitted their enemies to persecute them. And so the promise is not one of simple deliverance from all sufferings in this world. He who does these things shall never be shaken or never be moved is not some unqualified promise of comfort and security and peace in all things in our circumstances of this world. Rather, the promise pertains to a more fundamental stability that's again indicated back in verse 1. Who may sojourn, who may reside in your tent? God's answer, the righteous person. And come what may, he would not be shaken from that residence in the divine presence. Yes, he may have to handle various temporal sufferings, having things of this world shaking around him, but in terms of dwelling in the presence of God, from that he would never be removed or shaken. Thus here the answer of Psalm 15 sets a very useful perspective for the experience of the many psalmists and of ourselves here as professing Christians. Particularly, and we find ourselves in circumstances that promoted many of the psalmists to write the lament, to express the reality of their suffering in this world, even as they sought to be men of integrity and loyal to the Lord fearing him. You see again from a human perspective the psalmists were constantly shaken by their experiences of human oppression and the changing circumstances of life. And so it was in the midst of those circumstances they composed their many laments. You remember them that we've come across already. How long, O Lord, before you ultimately deliver us? How long must we suffer in this way? Physical sufferings of mind and body. Sufferings of opposition from evil men. Constant theme of the Psalms. So often they found themselves in those very circumstances, didn't they? But how would it be possible for them in the midst of those circumstances, to have them transformed such that a lament then becomes a statement of confident praise. Because we find that too in the book of Psalms, don't we? The Psalms are not all laments. There are many, but they're not all laments. We do find the psalmist able to confidently praise God for his deliverance. Well the possibility of that transformation from lament to confident praise lies in the fact that the psalmist knew something of this unshaken, unmoved position of dwelling in the presence of God. Even though in his temporal circumstances all around him they may be shaking and being moved. You see, the secret to it all, the centre of it all, is the presence of God. The one who sojourned in God's tent. Pulling on the idea of the ancient world, to dwell in the tent was to have the hospitality and the security of the one who owned that tent. If you took somebody into your home in the ancient world, you guaranteed their safety. with everything that you were and everything that you have. All of that is an obligation to them. We're picking up on that picture here. If this is God's tent, then he provides that ultimate security, even if in the world in which we live at present, the circumstances are howling all around us. What does this all have to say to us this evening? We're thinking here about access into the presence of God, who may worship him and how may they do so right. As we think about that, we reflect that in the history of Christian worship, there have emerged two extremes towards which the Christian worshipper may be tempted to gravitate. On the one hand, there have been times when The holiness of God has been stressed so powerfully and exclusively that any mere mortal might have felt it impossible to approach God in worship. How might a mere mortal, such as I am, approach this God and live? If all that I know of God is His inordinate power and majesty and glory, and the fact that he is holy and I am not. But on the other hand, the open access to God has sometimes been so exclusively stressed to the neglect of God's power and holiness that admission to God's presence becomes a thoughtless and casual matter. It's simply my right. I do so whenever I please. I don't really have to give any thought to it. And of course, between these two extremes, between these two poles, there is the proper biblical balance. There is indeed access to the Holy God through his son Jesus Christ. It is the great privilege of the child of God. But it must be taken up carefully and never casually. We don't assume It is our right, simply because of who and what we are by nature. But I can do it when I like, how I like, as often or less as I like. But rather it is to be taken up with appropriate preparation and reverence according to God's commandments. Yes, God is holy, but that does not mean His children cannot approach Him and live in His presence. but on the other hand we don't so focus upon that great privilege that we think that God is simply just like one of us with whom we choose to hang out when it pleases us. And so Psalm 15 here provides that biblical balance a guide for the access of the child of God to the presence of God. It reflects the wisdom as we reflect upon the requirements that are pre-supposed of the one who would come and worship God aright. At the same time as we read this detailed response of God in verses 2 through 5, we reflect upon the great moral substance here of what it means to be a man of integrity. What is that God demands here, ethically, of those who are to be allowed to live in his presence. You see, there may be many who have earnestly sought to meet the requirements, to have the moral integrity that God demands here. But the reality is that since the fall of Adam, none can claim successful accomplishment, can they? Think about yourself here this evening. Read again through 2 through 5. Can you say that this is true of you? Personally? Perfectly? Perpetually? None of us can, can we? And so, because of that, Psalm 15 could effectively become a barrier, closing off all from worship, from living in the presence of God. Since none qualify fully. None may come into the presence of God. None may worship. None may have communion with Him. So, do we stop there this evening? Say, well, that's just the end of the story. God demands and we can't satisfy it. So, that shuts us out of the presence of God forever. Who shall sojourn in your tent? Who shall dwell on your holy hill? The man who is like this. What kind of man? This kind of man. And that is not us. That's bad news, isn't it? All are now shut out from the presence of God. But what transforms the psalm from a barrier to a gateway is the knowledge of the One who did meet those requirements for us. so that again the way into the presence of God is opened. Hebrews 10 and from verse 19. Hebrews 10 and verse 19. Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the holy places by the blood of Jesus, by the new and living way that He opened for us through the curtain, that is through His flesh, And since we have a great high priest over the house of God, let us draw near with a true heart and full assurance of faith, with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water. Think for a moment about our Lord Jesus Christ. He walked blamelessly, did he not? He did what was right and spoke truth in his heart, always. He did not slander with his tongue. He did no evil to his neighbour, nor took up a reproach against his friends. In his eyes, a vile person was despised. And he honoured those who feared the Lord. He swore to his own hurt, did he not? even to the cost of his very life, to fulfil that which he had pledged to do for his children. And he did not flinch from it. Yes, he prayed in Gethsemane, Lord, Father, if it is possible, take this cup from me. But nevertheless, not what I will, but what you will. He did not put out his money at interest. He didn't seek to exploit those who were in great need. He did not take a bribe against the innocent. And yet, though he did all these things personally, perfectly, perpetually, as the faithful servant of the Lord, he was not kept unmoved, was he? and moved in that sense of that guaranteed place in the presence of God to enjoy His divine favour. For when the cup of the Lord's wrath was given him to drink, he was shaken from that residence in the divine presence. The great cry of dereliction from the cross, My God, My God, why have you forsaken me? He was the ultimate man of integrity, who had the right to be granted access to the presence of God. Who shall sojourn in your tent? Who will dwell on your holy hill? This kind of man. Is that not Jesus Christ? And yet, for our great sakes, my God, my God, why have you forsaken me? He underwent the great wrath of God. That sense of the dereliction of the favour of God for those who had no right, who were shut out from that presence. So that we might receive this promise. That we might never be moved again from the presence of God. And so it is that as we now seek to worship God as he has commanded, we must take note of this. Not to seek to meet it in order to merit our access, but to do it now out of our gratitude and thankfulness for one who did it perfectly, even though yet we still cannot do it perfectly. We must live in such a way that we do consider what God says here. That we do prepare to come into His presence and prepare for worship with integrity and not hypocrisy. Now yes, we will still fail in this world. As we fail to do these things perfectly, it causes us to realise again and again our great need for the One who did it all for us. And so that forgiveness might be granted us when we cannot yet perfectly comply. Failing to have fulfilled the conditions. We require that forgiveness so often, don't we? Before we can enter the presence of God. But the great thing this evening is we will never be ultimately barred from that presence. Because the way has been made open for us. through His blood, through His flesh. He was shaken so that we might never be from the presence of God. It's only then, when we understand those things, do we fully realize that this great privilege which is the child of God, to sojourn in the tent of God, to dwell on His holy hill forever and ever, may never be casually exploited, but rather is taken up with great gratitude and thankfulness, with great reverence, with fear of God rightly in our hearts, knowing that in Christ the Holy God and His presence is not any longer inaccessible, closed off to us, but rather it is an open invitation. Come, dwell in the tent of God forever and ever. Come, dwell on my holy hill. Live in my presence forever and ever. Know the divine favour of what it is to live. O Lord, who shall sojourn in your tent? Who shall dwell on your holy hill? He who does these things shall never be moved. It was not our doing that merited our access. It was Christ's. And because He merited it, then we, by His grace and mercy, seek to follow in His steps, walking blamelessly by the grace of God, doing what is right, speaking truth in our hearts, not slandering with our tongues, doing no evil to our neighbour, not taking up reproach against our friend, in whose eyes a vile person is despised, but who honours those who fear the Lord, who swears to his own hurt and does not change, who does not put out his money at interest, and does not take a bribe against the innocent. May God so help us. Let's pray.