Our study today, it comes from Psalms 90. If you want to look on Psalms 90. And as you're turning there, let's praise God's blessings upon his word. Let's pray. Lord, we thank you for your word. And we ask, Lord, that you'll be with us now. And Lord, I just pray that I'll be faithful to teach your word and proclaim your word. and we ask your will be done in every heart, we ask in Jesus' name, amen. Psalms 90, and we'll read verses one through 11. Psalms 90, beginning of verse one. Lord, you have been our dwelling place in all generations. Before the mountains were brought forth, wherever you had formed the earth and the world, from everlasting to everlasting, you are God. You return man to dust and say, return, old children of man, for a thousand years in your sight are but as yesterday when it is past or as a watch in the night. You sweep them away as with a flood. They are like a dream, like grass that is renewed in the morning. In the morning, it flourishes and is renewed. In the evening, it fades and withers. For we are brought to an end by your anger. By your wrath, we are dismayed. You've set our iniquities before you, our secret sins in the light of your presence. For all our days pass away under your wrath. We bring our years to an end like a sigh. The years of our life are 70 or even by reason of strength 80, yet their span is but toll and trouble. They are soon gone and we fly away. Who considers the power of your anger and your wrath according to the fear of you? Psalms 90, written by Moses, the man of God. It's the oldest of the 150 Psalms. It's the oldest Psalms written by Moses. It is believed to be written by Moses during the time of the wilderness journeys of the children of Israel. The Psalm 90 is a prayer of Moses. that he prays. And I believe also he teaches the people of Israel to pray this prayer. Now, it's best understood when you recall all the things that happen with the people of Israel. Now, Moses, by the mighty hand of God, led the people out of Egypt to the promised land. And another description of the promised land is the land flowing with milk and honey. Now, along the way, the people complain. They murmured, they bickered, they almost stoned Moses to death. They wished they would go back to Egypt. They liked it comfortable back in Egypt where they were slaves. They sometimes didn't have water, they didn't have food, but God brought manna down and God instructed Moses to go to a rock at Mount Horeb. Moses with his rod, he struck the rock and from that rock came water. And God was still angry with the people on many occasions. They wanted to go back to Egypt. They didn't like living in tents. They wanted something more permanent to live in. So because of the rebellious ways, God sent poisonous snakes into the camp. Many people were bitten by these snakes. Many of them died. Moses interceded for the people, and God instructed Moses to take a brass and make a brass snake and put it on the pole. And everyone who looks at that brass serpent on that pole would be healed of the snake bite. Then Do you remember when they were about to go into the promised land? Moses sent out 12 spies to check out the land and bring back a report. 12 men went out. Their purpose was to gather some information to see how things were in the promised land. When they came back, Ten of the twelve gave a bad report, a negative report. They said the cities are fortified and there's giants in that land. We cannot go. And it created lots of people being displeased about this. Two of the twelve, Joshua and Caleb, said we can go in. God will be with us. But the majority of the people made others to be discouraged. And so God said, listen, I'm going to turn you around. You're going back into the wilderness. The spies were out there 40 days checking out the promised land. So 40 years you will be in that wilderness and everyone 20 years and older are made. Those that are above 20 years will die in the wilderness, but your children will grow up and they will go into the promised land. Now Psalms 90. is a prayer that Moses prays. And it really relates to us because we live in a world like a wilderness. Our world is a wilderness of great danger, tolls and trouble. It's not this world is not really our final home. We're making our way to the promised land. But in this prayer, we find some help. to help us focus on what is the most important thing to focus on. And that's why I was a look at this. Psalms can be divided in two parts. Part one is Moses prayer and reasons for the prayer, some prayer reasons, and then in verses 12 to the end is prayer request. So this morning I wants to focus on the reasons to pray why we should pray. And very simply, here it is. We should pray because of the place we live, the person we serve and the passing of our days. Number one, we should pray because of the place we live. And I want to begin there in verse one. He says, Lord, you have been our dwelling place in all generations. The people of Israel who were first acquainted with this prayer of Moses, they lived in tents. They did not have a permanent house. They wandered from place to place. They would put their tent up. And then when it's time to move, they take the tent down, pack up the tent. They move another distance and put their tent back up. And a tent is not a permanent thing to live in. Just like their ancestors, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob wandered from place to place and lived in tents. Hebrews 11 and 8 says, By faith, Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to a place that he was to receive as an inheritance. And when he went out, he did not know where he was going, but by faith, he went to live in the land of promise as in a foreign land, living in tents with Isaac and Jacob, heirs with him of the same promise. He was looking forward to the city. They had foundations, whose designer and builder is God. But on earth, they lived in tents. A tent might do for a little while, but it's a poor choice for a permanent dwelling place. So when we pray to the Lord, we pray to God in heaven, and we say this, verse 1, have been our dwelling place in all generations. And that's the truth. From generation to generation to generation, God's people have found that the Lord God of heaven is truly their dwelling place. Their dwelling place. And if you skip over to Psalms 91. In Psalms 91 in verse 1 it says, He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will abide in the shadow of the Almighty. And I will say to the Lord, my refuge, my fortress, My God in whom I trust. So here's the question. Where can you go to find real protection and comfort? There's only one place that is safe and the real protection. It's in the Lord Jesus Christ. He is our dwelling place. Dwelling place tents. Tents are not sustainable. And really, even our house is not sustainable. How many of you, you've maybe got some plans to work on your house? There's always upkeep. There's painting to do. You've got to replace rotten wood. You've got to replace shingles. There's always things to do. Your house is not sustainable. There's termites, there's tornadoes, there's floods that take houses down every year. That's why Jesus said in Matthew 6, 19, Do not lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven where moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. The dwelling place we call a house will not last. " Is that sad? Let me go a further step of that. Our bodies are not sustainable. Okay? They will wear out. You can get replaceable parts, but I tell you, when they say, they pronounce you dead, you ain't coming back. Your body is not sustainable. But thank the Lord, thank the Lord, Our body is not the dwelling place for our soul. The Bible says absent from the body, present with the Lord. Our body is not sustainable. And even Jesus said, Jesus said in Matthew 8 20, he said, foxes have holes, birds have nest, but the son of man has nowhere to lay his head. The earth is not our real dwelling place. Our soul finds no resting place in this world. Only in the Lord Jesus Christ do we have a permanent dwelling place. And so we pray. because of the place we live. We've got a good place. We've got good reasons to pray. We have a place at the throne of grace. We have a dwelling place in the heavenlies. Our life is hid with Christ. The Bible says in Colossians 3 and 3, For you have died and your life is hidden with Christ in God. That's where we're dwelling. I mean, when Jesus died on the cross, We were crucified with Him. When Jesus was buried in a tube, we were buried with Him. When Jesus was raised from the dead, we were raised with Him. When Jesus ascended back to the Father, we ascended and we are seated with Him in the heavenlies. That's what the Bible says. Paul said in Galatians 2 and 20, it says, I've been crucified with Christ. It's no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. In the life I now live in the flesh, I live by the faith in the Son of God who loved me and gave himself for me. Colossians 2, 12, having been buried with him in baptism, which you were raised with him through faith and the powerful work of God who raised him from the dead. And Ephesians 2 and 6, he's raised us up with him. Listen, he seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus. We can pray with assurance, with confidence, with boldness, because the position from where we pray is a dwelling place of the Lord. There's another big reason why we pray in verse two. That's because of the person we serve, the person we serve, and who is that? That's God Almighty. In verse two, he says, he says, before the mountains were brought forth or ever you formed the earth and the world from everlasting neverlasting, you are God. We can pray this morning because of the person we serve. Who do we serve? The creator God. He made all the mountains. He made the valleys. The Bible says in Genesis 1 and 1, in the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. Now it's useless to pray to an idol of stone. It's useless to pray to an idol of gold or an idol to some religion. There are statues of Buddha that are popping up all across America. I don't know if y'all know this or not. Three and a half, three and a half million Americans are ascribing to the religion of Buddhism. It's growing. Buddhists do not believe in the creator God. And we don't pray like they do either. When you pray, you've got to connect with your inner person. You've got to connect with your inner potential. Listen, I believe what Paul said, I know that in me that is in my flesh dwelleth no good thing. I don't pray to my inner person. I pray to the outside. I pray to God, my creator. We pray to a supreme being. who is outside of us. The God who made heavens and the earth. And we pray to Jesus. Jesus, by the way, he's God. John 1, 2 says, in the beginning, he was in the beginning with God. All things were made through him and without him was not anything made that was made. God created this vast universe, the numerous galaxies and all the stars and all the planets. The Bible says in Isaiah 40, 26, lift up your eyes on high and see who created these. He who brings out their host by number, calling them all by name, by the greatness of his might and because he is strong in power. Not one is missing. Somebody said, well, I know there's one missing. I saw a falling star the other night. It's not missing. God just put it somewhere else. The creation, the creation was not the results of evolutionary development over a period of billions and billions of years. It's God's work. It's the work of God's creation. Psalms 19 in one says the heavens declare the glory of God and the sky above it declares and proclaims his handiwork. Colossians 1 16 by him, all things were created in heaven and earth, visible and invisible with thrones or domains or rulers or authorities. All things were created through him and for him. We have good reasons to pray. We don't pray to some kind of cosmic force. We pray to a personal creator who create everything. And he knows exactly where you are and where I am. But also, verse two, he's the eternal God. He says from everlasting to everlasting, you are God. Our eternal God is from everlasting to everlasting because he is eternal. He never had a beginning. He never had a birth date. He'll never have an ending. He'll never have a death date. You'll never get a newsflash. Oh, we got some news, everybody. And wake up one morning, oh, God is dead. No, that's a lie. God, you can't kill God. He's from everlasting to everlasting. He's eternal. You'll never read God's obituary. Now, somebody may read my obituary, but here's the thing. If you know Christ as your Lord and Savior, You found a dwelling place for your soul, because this eternal God's going to give you something. Here's what he's going to give you. John 10, 28, I give them eternal life. How do you like that? Oh boy, I tell you what, everybody's trying to, oh, I'm going to exercise, I'm going to get in shape, and I'm going to take all these supplements, and I'm going to do a little nutrition. I'm going to, I'm going to try to live a long life. Hey, what about eternal life? Jesus said, I give them eternal life. They'll never perish. And no one snatched them out of my hand. My father has given them a greater than all. And no one is able to snatch them out of the father's hand. But also in verse three, our God, not only is he eternal, he's our creator. He is sovereign God. In verse three, he says, you return man to dust. He says, return old children of man. I mean, God is sovereign over his creatures. God is sovereign. What does that mean God is sovereign? That means He has total authority. He has absolute control over all things. And there is nothing in all creation that can oppose His will. Nothing happens that God does not know about. I mean, and when it's time to go, God says it's time to go. Verse three, you return man to dust. King James version says to destruction. Well, the destruction of what? The destruction and the decomposition, the deposing of your body, the destruction of your body. It's going back to the dust. I know y'all get excited about that when I talk about it, don't you? You're thrilled about that, aren't you? But the Bible says, and God says, return, old children of man. And when God says return, guess what? You're returning the dust. That's a decree by sovereign God. You can't stop that. Well, some people live a few years and they're gone. Some people who are young who pass away. And then there's some people who live pretty old. I've heard someone live to be 100. You may have heard someone who lived to be 110. The oldest person who ever lived and recorded in the Word of God was Methuselah. You know how old he was? 969 years old. He didn't make it to 1,000. I bet he was shooting for it. He didn't make it to 1,000. Let me ask you a question. What's 1,000 years to God? Well, he says in verse four what it is. Verse four, a thousand years in your sight, it's just like yesterday when it's passed. It's like a watch in the night, that's three or four hours. I mean, 969 years, that's a long time. I can imagine somebody coming up to Methuselah and saying something, hey, Methuselah, when are you gonna die? You ain't dying. But to God, Methuselah would have lived only a few hours in his eyes when he was judging things. We think, man, that's a long time, not to God. His time was really less than a day. But listen, our sovereign God, our Lord, He's beyond time as we know it. And let me say this, by the way. Time. You hear it stop at a stoplight? Don't tell nobody I did this. I didn't tell you this. I was at a stop sign coming out of Dollar Store. It was red. And then the other lights changed. They went through another cycle. Still red. What? I looked this way. I took off. I didn't have patience. But God is patient. And we have reasons to pray this morning because God, who has been around forever, and with His sovereign power to bring sinners to repentance, we pray to God who has power to change hearts, melt the cold, stony heart, and grant faith and repentance. As it says in 2 Peter 3, verse 8, don't overlook this one fact. Listen. With the Lord, one day is a thousand years, and a thousand years is one day. Then the Lord's not slow to fulfill His promise, some count slowness, but He's patient. He's patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance. We see God's sovereignty in bringing sinners to Himself. I'll tell you the most dramatic, the most catastrophic event is the world flood. Look at verse 5. Verse 5. You sweep them away as with a flood. Mankind stands upon the earth and God takes them out. They're gone in a flash. And all that's left is like a dream. It's like grass that's renewed in the morning. In the morning, it flourishes and it's renewed. In the evening, it fades and it withers. That's a reason to pray. But here's another one and hold on to this one. I'm going to give some verses on this one. I hope I can get through it. God is a vengeful God. Well, I thought God was a loving God. He is. I thought God was merciful. He is. But you reject the Lord Jesus Christ. There is a side to God we need to see in the scriptures. He is a vengeful God. Look at verse seven. I just want you to skim through there. You see the word anger in verse seven. We are brought to an end by your anger. You see the word wrath by your wrath. We see that. You see it also in verse nine. For all our days are passed away under your wrath. And then we see it again there in verse 11. Who considers the power of your anger and your wrath? Oh, let's don't talk about that. What's in the word of God? God, anger, wrath. We're brought to an end by your anger. Why? Why would God be angry? It's in verse 8. Here's the reason. It's verse 8. You have said our iniquities before you are secret sins in the light of your presence. God is angry with sin. That's why something's got to be done with a sin. God's wrath is poured out on sin. And it says in verse nine, for our days pass away under your wrath and we bring our years to an end like a sigh. I don't know quite what a sigh is. Is it a sigh? It's interesting because the King James says this, instead of saying sigh, it says we spend our years as a tale that is told. that a tale that is told, one source says that the Hebrew word that's used there isn't perfectly clear cut. It suggests a low sound, like a sigh or a murmur, a meditation, or even a brief thought, highlighting how quickly life passes, often with weariness. A tale that is told. I'm thinking, I guess, back in 1611, when the King James was written, a tale that is quickly forgotten. The meaning is this, is this, life is short. Life is short and fleeting and easily passes away, often with little profit. It's just a tale that's told, that's it, a sigh. Verse 11, who considers the power? Here it is. Who considers the power of your anger and your wrath? According to the fear of you here, Moses presents a question. Who considers who can know the power of God's anger and wrath as a true fear of God demands? Just as God demands fear and respect and reverence, his holiness, And his hatred for sin demands him to be angry and wrathful. God is vengeful toward all who reject his commands. All those who reject his son are in the pathway of God's wrath. There's some preachers that say, well, I don't want to talk about that because that offends people. They need to be hearing the truth. People don't think about that. God, the Bible speaks of God's mercy and God's grace, but also the Bible speaks of God's righteous anger and his wrath. Nahum in the Old Testament, Nahum 1 and 2 says the Lord is a jealous and avenging God. The Lord is avenging and wrathful. The Lord takes vengeance on his adversaries and keeps wrath for his enemies. Ezekiel 25, 17. The Lord is a jealous and avenging God. The Lord is avenging and wrathful. The Lord takes vengeance on his adversaries and keeps wrath for his enemies. Romans 12 and 19 says, Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it's written vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord. Psalms 94 and 1, O Lord God of vengeance, O God of vengeance, shine forth, rise up, O judge of the earth, repay to the proud what they deserve. We have good reasons to pray this morning. Because there are people we know who are in the pathway of God's wrath. I have loved ones that I pray for. And you tell them this, you share verses, they don't think of this. Jesus came to save the first time, the first time he came, he came to seek and to save that which lost. The second coming, he's coming as a day of judgment. Isaiah 63 and 1 speaks of Jesus coming. This is Jesus talking about Isaiah 63 and 1. Who is this who comes from Edom, in crimson garments from Bezra? He who is splendid in his apparel, marching in the greatness of his strength. It is I, speaking in righteousness, mighty to save. Why is your apparel red, and your garments like his who treads in the winepress? I have trodden the winepress alone, and from the peoples no one was with me. I trod them in my anger, trampled them in my wrath, their lifeblood splattered. on my garments and stained on my apparel for the day of vengeance was in my heart and my year of redemption had come. I look, but there was no one to help. I was appalled, but there was no one to uphold. So my own arm brought me salvation. My wrath upheld me. I trampled down the people in my anger. I made them drunk in my wrath and I poured out their lifeblood on the earth. It's exciting stuff to read, isn't it? This is a prophecy and you see the fulfillment of it in Revelation chapter 19 when Jesus comes back at the second coming. Here's what it says in Revelation chapter 19 verse 11. Then I saw heaven open, and behold, a white horse, the one sitting on it, is called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he judges and makes war. His eyes are like a flame of fire, and on his head are many diadems. He has a name written that no one has known by himself. He is clothed in a robe dipped in blood, and the name of which he is called is the Word of God." That's the Lord Jesus. And the armies of heaven arrayed in fine linen, wide and pure, were following him on white horses. From his mouth comes a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations, and he will rule them with a rod of iron. He will tread the one prince of the fury of the wrath of God the Almighty. And on his robe and on his thigh he has the name written, King of Kings and Lord of Lords. These are inescapable truths. revealing the purpose for the Lord's second coming. And I would plead with you today, if you don't know Christ as your Lord and Savior, run to Jesus. He's the only dwelling place of safety. Run to Jesus. He came the first time to seek and to save. He's coming the next time to slay the wicked. Another verse I want to read to you, I'll move on, but listen, 2 Thessalonians 1 and 7. When the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven with his mighty angels, here it is, in flaming fire, inflicting vengeance on those who do not know God and on those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus, they will suffer the punishment of eternal destruction away from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of his mind. Our only hope, our only hope to be saved from coming destruction, the coming wrath of God is to run to the dwelling place, run to the Lord Jesus. That's our place of safety. Jesus said this in John three thirty six, it says this whosoever believes in the son has eternal life. Whosoever does not obey the son shall not see life, but the wrath of God remains or abides on him. And say, well, I don't, I don't sense it. I don't think I don't feel it, but that's true. That's what's happening. And that's why Paul said in second Corinthians five one, therefore, knowing the terror of the Lord, we persuade men We pray because of the place we live, our dwelling with the Lord. We pray because of the person we serve, our creator, the eternal God, the sovereign God, the vengeful God. But last thing, in verse 10, we pray because of the passing of our days. See it there in verse 10? The years of our life are seventy, or even by reason of strength, 80, yet their span is but toil and trouble. They are soon gone, and we fly away." Nobody knows how long they're going to live. It's estimated in the United States, 80% of Americans, 80% of Americans can expect to live to be 70. And if you reach the age 65, that percentage even goes up. The average life expectancy for women, and men, you might say, this is not fair. The average life expectancy for women is 81.1. Men, sorry, 75.8. That's all you're going to get. Of course, there's a lot of contributing factors that goes to play with all of that. But if you, by strength, and your constitution is strong, and you make it to 80, the scripture says, Oh, I made it to 80. Here's what the Bible says. Yet, your lifespan is but toil and trouble. I'm not 80. Sometimes I feel like it. Kind of reminds me when I get down on the floor, when something slides under the couch, and while I'm down there on my knees, I get to thinking, well, while I'm down here, is there anything else that needs to go on? There's a lot of pain getting down there, you know? If you make it to 80, your life is full of toil and trouble. We're more motivated to pray, at least we should be motivated to pray, because our days are passing. Our days are passing. Now, as a youth, you think, well, you know what? I got a long way to go. You're a young person. I've got a long way to go. I got a lot of life to live. Well, guess what? One of these days you're going to wake up one morning and you're going to say this, where did it all go? It's so fast. It gets faster. And it says there in our text, we read in our text, they are soon gone and we fly away. We pray because our days are few. Every day we wake up, it's another day closer to eternity. We pray because we must maximize our efforts to do what God's called us to do. We pray because we must not waste the precious time worrying over trivia matters and think about what's most important. The Bible says in Ephesians 5, 16, making the best use of your time because the days are evil. Soon we fly away. I like what Charles Spurgeon said. He said, he said, soon, soon the cable is broken and the vessel sails upon the sea of eternity. The chain is snapped and the eagle mounts to its native air above the clouds. We fly away. Some glad morning when this life is over, I'll fly away. To that home on God's celestial shore, I'll fly away. And here's the reason. I have a dwelling place. What about you? I have a home in heaven. What about you? Do you have a dwelling place for your soul? Are you in Christ? Do you have a house? For your soul, I pray, urge you, go to Jesus this very moment. Lord, we pray that that would happen. That dear soul that's yet to come to Christ. Oh God, move upon them, we pray in Jesus' name. Amen, amen. Let's stand together. We're gonna sing, Lord be glorified. so Give my life, Lord, before it dies, before it dies. Give my life, Lord, before it dies today. In our home, Lord, we glorify, we glorify. In our home, Lord, we glorify today. In that church, Lord, we glorify, we glorify In that church, Lord, we glorify today