What we are in Psalm 4 tonight, and of course, you're gonna find it helpful to follow along, Psalm 4. This is the word of the Lord. To the choir master with stringed instruments, a Psalm of David. Answer me when I call, O God of my righteousness. You have given me relief when I was in distress. Be gracious to me and hear my prayer. O men, how long shall my honor be turned into shame? How long will you love vain words and seek after lies? Selah. But know that the Lord has set apart the godly for himself. The Lord hears when I call to him. Be angry and do not sin. Ponder in your own hearts on your beds and be silent. Selah. Offer right sacrifices and put your trust in the Lord. There are many who say, who will show us some good? Lift up the light of your face upon us, O Lord. You have put more joy in my heart than they have when their grain and wine abound. In peace, I will both lie down and sleep. For you alone, O Lord, make me dwell in safety. This ends the reading of the very words of God. You may be seated. Well, this psalm is about God's light. There's a light that shines from God and that we need to seek after. Now, I was thinking about this line, ponder in your own hearts on your beds and be silent. You know, there are many days when you might not get a minute alone until you lay in bed at night. You might have responsibilities with work, with kids, with relationships, anything else going on that day. And the first time you might have an opportunity to think or ponder anything significant that day might be when you lay in your bed. And I don't know about you, but if you've ever been so tired at the end of a day and yet you still can't fall asleep because you think about trying to catch your mind up to everything that happened that day or everything that was said that day or everything that you regret saying that day. And David gives us something to ponder here when we're alone. And when we think about our problems in life and we wonder what the answer to our problems is, well, David says that only the light from the face of Christ can bring you righteousness and joy and peace. That's the answer to your problems. Romans 14, 17 says, the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking, but of righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. So those are kind of our three points tonight. If you think about the blessing that comes from the face of Christ to his people, think about the blessings of righteousness, joy, and peace. Kind of like love, joy, and peace as well, because love fulfills the law. So for righteousness, we'll be looking at verses one through five. for joy, especially in verses six through seven, but really the whole Psalm, and then peace, especially in verse eight. Let's consider the righteousness that you can have in Christ. So the first thing I wanna point out here is verse three. David says, the Lord has set apart the godly for himself. That is that God had set apart David for himself. God had chosen David to be the king of his people because of David's faithfulness. So if you love that doctrine of unconditional election as you should, what this psalm actually starts with is conditional election, okay? So God had set apart David because he was a man after God's own heart to be the king of his people Israel. And if you remember Samuel went to the house of Jesse. and looked over all of Jesse's sons. And apparently he had some impressive sons, because every time Samuel would think, surely this is the man. Surely this is the man. He went through all of Jesse's sons. David was the youngest son. And by the world standards, the previous sons would have been chosen. And yet Samuel says, the Lord keeps telling Samuel, this isn't the one. And a man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart. And so God had looked at David's heart and set him apart to be the king over his people. And think about how incredibly generous that was for God to do. Because remember when Israelites asked God for a king, it was because they were rejecting God's kingship. It was actually a rebellion when they asked God for a king. And so God gives them Saul at first. who starts off well but then is not a godly king in the end. And yet God is so generous that God gives him another king, David, who is a man after his own heart. So although they rejected God's rule over them, which is the best thing that can happen to anyone, he still reestablishes his rule over them by his representative, by giving them a man after his own heart. Right? And we need to remember that today as we think about how God has set up Jesus Christ to be our King. Okay? So God has given us a King who's far more righteous than what we deserve. And even if you think about that name, Jesus Christ, and kids, I don't know if you know this, I didn't know this for a long time, but Jesus Christ is not a last name and a first name. Jesus Christ, the word Christ means that God has set apart Jesus the godly one for himself. So he's the anointed one, he's the chosen one, he's the right man for the job that God chose to be the king over his people. So God gives his people a king far more righteous than the one they deserve. And so because Jesus was chosen for his righteousness, we can actually be chosen even though we're unrighteous. We can be set apart for God although we're unrighteous. And it's all through the right sacrifice. Look at verse four again. Verse five, offer right sacrifices and put your trust in the Lord. So Titus 2.14 says that Jesus gave himself for us to redeem us from all lawlessness and to purify for himself a people zealous for good works. So Jesus was chosen based on his righteousness and he gave himself up as a sacrifice to make a people who formerly were lawless to be able to be set apart for God, to purify a people for himself. And in that way, you could say that Jesus's conditional election enables our unconditional election. So think about that, and by the way, often in the Psalms, you'll see a line like that, the Lord has set apart the godly for himself. David's saying, God chose me because I'm godly. And you think that that just directly contradicts New Testament theology. And you will be hung up on that if you don't understand that the Psalms are about Christ, are primarily about Christ, and they foreshadow him. So we talked about how Isaiah is quoted in what every paragraph in the New Testament quotes Isaiah. Well, at least every other paragraph quotes the Psalms then. And every time the apostles quote the Psalms, I promise you, every time the apostles quote the Psalms, they always apply it to Jesus and especially to his redemptive work. So when you see a line like that, the Lord has set apart the godly for himself. Remember who Jesus is and what that means. Verse two, look at verse two. David says, how long shall my honor be turned into shame? So David's honor as the king of God's people is that God has set him apart for his faithfulness. So when David's opponents here contend against David or construe his honor as shame, they're actually contending against God. And by the way, this is why David would never hurt Saul or raise his hand against Saul to kill him, because he always said, I won't lift up my hand against the Lord's anointed. And Saul's honor came from the fact that God had chosen him for that position. So in the same way, if you think about how God has set up Jesus to be our king over us, when people construe his honor as shame, or when people don't revere him for the way that he said he should be, when people say, oh, he was just a great teacher, or he's a great example, or anything other than the truth of what he said about himself, they're actually contending against God. And there are many religions in the world today that claim to be following the one true God. But if they don't teach and they don't believe what Jesus said about himself and his honor, then they're not following God. So if you think about Jews or Muslims or Jehovah's Witness or Mormonism or any other religion, a lot of these religions will be claiming to follow the one true God. What they're actually doing is construing Jesus' honor as shame by not recognizing him for who he is and contending against God Let's look at verse 1 again and how David says, answer me when I call, O God of my righteousness. So even David, he recognizes that his righteousness comes from his righteous God. If you remember in Exodus chapter 34, Moses had been up on Mount Sinai and he had seen the way he had been with God. And God had lifted up his countenance on him and Moses' face shone as a reflection of the glory of God. And Moses' face shone so brightly that when he came down the mountain, the people couldn't take it and they asked him to cover his face with a veil. Because they couldn't handle the way that his face shone. And yet today, The Bible says that we have the Spirit of God, and in 2 Corinthians 3, it says that we all, with unveiled face, behold the glory of God, the glory of the Lord, and we're transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. So we are actually beholding God's face, well, with unveiled faces, and being transformed more into His likeness, and His righteousness becomes our righteousness when we trust in Christ. And you can't get this righteousness anywhere else apart from the light that is in Christ. So look again at verse four. Why do you think David says, be angry and do not sin? Well, it's because a man's anger does not produce the righteousness that God requires. You can't get this righteousness anywhere else apart from Christ. Anger is kind of like drinking alcohol. It's not a sin, but it usually leads to sin. And David here is saying a man's anger does not produce the righteousness that God requires. You can only get it by trusting in Christ. If you would turn with me to Ephesians chapter 4 and start in verse 24, Paul actually really deals with this psalm at length here, not just in the direct quote. that you'll hear, but listen to this, and put on the new self created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness. Therefore, having put away falsehood, let each one of you speak the truth with his neighbor, for we are members of one another. Be angry and do not sin. Do not let the sun go down on your anger and give no opportunity to the devil. Let the thief no longer steal, but rather let him labor, doing honest work with his own hands so that he may have something to share with anyone in need. Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up. Fits the occasion that it may give grace to those who hear So Paul is saying something very similar as he picks up on David's psalm here He's saying if you would just stop loving lies If you would let no uncorrupt no corrupting talk come out of your mouths and only speak what's good for building each other up he's saying if you would just ponder this and and be kind to each other and forgive each other and recognize that good and righteousness can only come from God. He calls them to this quiet reflection kind of in recognition that they do know this as true and they suppress it through their own sin and through anger but there is a sense that everyone knows Christianity is true or at least everyone knows that there's a God and that his eternal power divine nature are seen through what He's made and yet suppress the truth through unrighteousness. And so what David is calling his opponents to do here is just go back to a quiet reflection and recognize that truth of who God is. It's like there's this light that's shining and it's so obvious that anyone, anyone would see this if they would just stop loving lies and look to Christ. Next let's look at the joy that is offered in Christ. Look again at verse 7. He says, So David's actually not jealous. David sees the wicked feasting on grain and wine and it abounds. They have some kind of a sense of joy that he's comparing his joy to, and he's saying he's not jealous of their joy because God has given him a greater joy. So David is looking forward to a table, a better table and feast that God's preparing for him in the presence of his enemies. And he looks out and he sees the unbelievers and how they use drunkenness or gluttony to kind of distract themselves from the cares of this world. And he's not jealous of that. And you know, every drunken party is kind of like this parody. of the feast that David is looking forward to. There's a joy in it, not a joy, but there's a cheap thrill that can come from sin that's a parody of the joy that God had given to David, right? It's like Skillet said, you're better than drugs. And David is not jealous of the wicked's feast because he knows that, you know, they're trying to distract themselves from the cares of this world and yet you wake up The next day and the cares of this world are back and just throb in your head harsher than they ever had before. So life's problems don't fade. Life's problems do not go away and don't fade apart from Christ. I was thinking about when I was a kid and I went to this ice cream stand and I ordered some ice cream because the picture of the ice cream was this ice cream sundae with, you know, chocolate syrup and all the toppings, everything you could want. And then when I got my order, it was just this tiny plastic container with a little bit of vanilla ice cream in it. And I said, well, this isn't what I ordered. I ordered that. And he said, that's just a picture. And that's what sin is like. Remember that when you're tempted. Remember that when you're tempted. The last time you sin, he said, this is what was promised, and this is what was delivered. It doesn't add up, right? That's what any other kind of joy is like if it's not the joy that comes from Christ. And so you have seen, you have met lost people from all walks of life that are looking for their good or their joy anywhere else. And it's kind of like they're saying, who will show us some good? Who will show us some good? You can find people looking for their joy in money or in physical pleasure or in status symbols of any kind, right? Or even the weirdest things, you know, I've heard people who claim not to believe in God will take their comfort, will seek their joy, saying things like, well, I just know, you know, my dead relative is watching over me and I'm gonna be okay. And people are looking everywhere else for joy or for good or comfort in life, right? It's like you're running through your house, you're late for something, you're looking for your hat, and you'll never find it because it's on your head. You look through all the rooms, you'll never find it because it's on your head. And David is saying, stop loving lies and just ponder this. There's a light from the face of Christ, it's just obvious. And so if you lack joy, David gives you the solution here. Put your trust in the Lord, verse five. If you lack joy, put your trust in the Lord. If you remember when Jesus was teaching about bread and wine, Jesus taught the crowds that they needed to eat his body and drink his blood. And many people left when Jesus said that, because it was a very hard saying. And Jesus turned to his disciples and asked them if they were planning to leave too. And they said, where else would we go, Lord? You have the words of eternal life. There's nowhere else that you could find your joy or find good. There's no other kind of bread and wine that could satisfy you than what Jesus offers. So let's look, too, at the peace that comes from the face of Christ. Look at verse 8. The Bible says, you alone, O Lord, make me dwell in safety. So there's a peace and there's a security that can only be found in Christ. And David is resting in that. It's kind of like, I will both lie down and be able to fall asleep because of trusting in the Lord. I think of Psalm 3 and Psalm 4 both have this idea, right? If you remember from Psalm 3. And it's like when Jesus was asleep in the boat and there was a very violent storm and the disciples were legitimately afraid that they would actually die and drown in the storm because the waves were so big. But Jesus was just asleep. Because Jesus perfectly trusted whatever was going to happen to him in life was going to be the Lord's plan. And then furthermore, they woke up, Jesus, And they were basically saying, answer us when we call. Can't you see that we're in distress? Can't you see that we're about to drown? And Jesus did not turn around and pray to God and say, answer me when I call in my distress. Jesus just looked to the waves and said, peace, be still. And that's the kind of king that we need over us. It's furthermore, not that he only trusts in the Lord, but that he is the Lord and that he can make us dwell securely There's the king that God had chosen for his people, that is David. He chose a man after his own heart to bless his people with. And then there's Jesus, who actually is God, who's ruling over his people after his own heart. And Jesus is God himself reigning over his people as king. You know, David alludes to, very strongly, to Leviticus chapter 25, starting in verse 17. And it tells the people how to dwell in safety. If you would turn there, Leviticus 25, 17. You shall not wrong one another, but you shall fear your God, for I am the Lord your God. Therefore you shall do my statutes and keep my rules and perform them. And then you will dwell in the land securely. The land will yield its fruit and you will eat your fill and dwell in it securely. And if you say, what shall we eat in the seventh year if we may not sow or gather in our crop? I will command my blessing on you in the sixth year so that it will produce a crop sufficient for three years. So God's telling his people how to dwell securely. It's easy, you just obey everything. and then you'll dwell securely. You just do my statutes and keep my rules. And then you'll have your harvest feast, right? Then the land will produce and you'll have the grain and the wine that you need. And yet God's people didn't dwell securely because they didn't obey his statutes. And if you think about how we haven't obeyed God's statutes, then how are we going to dwell securely as well? Well, you know, Jesus is the only one who actually did all of God's rules and statutes and performed them and obeyed them and therefore earned the right to dwell securely and to have peace and to have grain and wine that abound. Jesus earned that for himself. And Jesus completely gave that up. If you think about Jesus's life, especially the end of his life, it was not marked by feasting and grain and wine and peace and security. So Jesus can even say on the cross, that dogs encompass me, a company of evildoers encircles me. They have pierced my hands and feet. I can count all my bones. They stare and gloat over me. So Jesus was stripped and gaunt and bleeding on the cross. He was not in peace and security and feasting with grain and wine, right? And Jesus gave up his blessing that he had earned to give to people who had not followed God's statutes so that they could dwell securely. And that's what David is talking about here. He says, for you alone, O Lord, make me dwell in safety. And I think that's part of why David is so gentle with his enemies here. Look, the only really thing that he says against his enemies is, be angry and do not sin, ponder in your own hearts, on your beds, and be silent. Look how gentle that is, especially compared to Psalm 3 or Psalm 5. David is being very gentle with his enemies here in this psalm, and telling them there's a peace that you could have if you would only trust in Christ. There's a peace you could have if you would only trust in Christ. Because without Christ, the default is not to have peace. Not to have peace with one another, and not to have peace with God. Remember Titus says that before Christ, you know, we are hated by others and hating one another. Not living in peace. That's what's natural and that's what's normal in the world. Hated by others and hating one another. When I was a little kid for part of my homeschool, I was watching this documentary on National Geographic or History or something and it was about Scotland and And it was about the warring clans in Scotland. And I knew that my ancestors were from Scotland. And basically, all these people would do was fight against the other family or the other village or the other clan. And there were hatred and blood feuds all around. And I thought, were we even the good guys? And no, we were not. We were not the good guys. Right, because that's what's natural and normal in the world, hatred and strife. And there's a peace that can only come from Christ. And I'm not saying that, you know, peace with other people is the peace of Christ. But I'm just saying that there's a, there's, unless you have Christ, you can't have peace. You can't have peace apart from Christ. So there's an aloneness of Christ or an onlyness of Christ. David says, for you alone, O Lord, make me dwell in safety. Jesus is the only way to dwell in safety and to have peace. When they say, who will show us some good? Well, there's only one who can show you some good. And Jesus said, I am the light of the world. Jesus said, I am the way and the truth and the life. Jesus said, no one comes to the Father except through me. No one can be reconciled to the Father or have peace with God apart from the blood of his cross. That's the only way to obtain peace. Even Isaiah chapter 8, remember it says, if you don't have the light from God's word, you will have no dawn at all. You will have no light at all if you don't have the light from God's word. You'll have no hope in the upcoming judgment if you don't have the peace that comes from God. You'll only have these mediums and necromancers that chirp and mutter. And there's so many people today that do not have the Word of God or the light from God. They're lost in pagan superstition and darkness apart from God. But we do have the Word of God. We do have the light that comes from God. And Isaiah 8, of course, flows right into Isaiah 9. And if you remember Isaiah 9, it says, the people dwelling in darkness have seen a great light. And the Bible says of the increase of his government and peace, there will be no end. And so this light shines out in the world in God's compassion and saves people from that default of darkness and hatred and violence and sin. And Jesus is the Prince of Peace, it says there in Isaiah 8. For you alone, O Lord, make me dwell in safety. He's the Prince of Peace. You can't have any kind of peace apart from Him. And that's the same with righteousness and it's the same with joy. So in conclusion, remember that. You can look to no other. No one else can show you some good. There's a righteousness and a joy and a peace that can only come from Christ. And you can have that now, right? You can be in distress as you are now. In life, there's always one more problem. So if you're looking forward to this problem being fixed, there's going to be another problem that's come after it. You're in distress. Verse 1, David's been in distress before. Apparently, he's in distress again because he says, answer me when I call. And even in the midst of that distress, look at verse 7. You have put more joy in my heart. So you can be in distress and have joy at the same time, verse one and verse seven. You can be depressed and have joy at the same time, even here and now through Christ, right? And yet there's a time and a day that is coming and that we look forward to when we will really have the love and the joy and the peace of Christ, right? And there's a time that's coming when you will be always learning and always come into a greater knowledge of the truth. Because really these things are inexhaustible. You don't turn into, you don't have the same knowledge that God has when you get to heaven. You don't become all knowing when you get to heaven. There are unsearchable riches and depths of who Christ is and of his righteousness and joy and peace. And Ephesians 3 even says there are unsearchable riches in Christ. And Paul prays that we would comprehend the breadth and the length and the height and the depth. of the love of Christ, which surpasses knowledge. And ultimately, it surpasses knowledge. You can never come to a full knowledge and understanding of this righteousness and love. There will always be more in Christ. There will always be a greater blessing in Christ when you live with Him forever. And ultimately, you will never be independent of that either, really, if you think about it. fundamental, is that the creature can never be independent of the creator. Even in heaven, even when we get to heaven, we depend on the light from the face of Christ. So if you remember that great city, the New Jerusalem, and there is no sun, and there is no moon, because the light from the face of Christ gives the light to that city. So we'll always completely and perfectly depend on that light and on who God is. You know, David is praying that God would bless us in that way. David's praying that God would lift up the light of His face upon us. And of course, he's quoting maybe the most famous blessing in the Old Testament, right, in Numbers 6, when it says, And as a psalmist, I think this is Exactly what Pastor Matt was saying is that there's the psalmist that is the Spirit of Christ is praying for his people and that God would bless his people. So do you think that he'll get what he asked for in prayer? Or you said is there anything to fear if the Lord is praying for us? And the answer is no. The Bible says the prayer of a righteous man has great power and it's working. So if you think about the righteous man who's praying for you, there's great power in that working, and you will receive these blessings that he's praying for you for. You're gonna have the face of God shine upon you and give you peace. So remember that when you're in distress, when you're in trouble, and you know you're gonna get out of this trouble and into the next trouble, and you're on your beds pondering life, Remember that Jesus is praying for you and be encouraged in that. Let's pray. Heavenly Father, I pray that we would remember Jesus to look to Him and to what He has accomplished. And I pray that Your Spirit would be with us and that You would lift up the light of Your face upon us. Amen.