The text for the sermon this morning comes from Psalm 67. Psalm 67 will be our Psalm of the Month this month. We will be singing it every Wednesday and encouraging our children to memorize it. I decided to make this our Psalm of the Month because Psalm 67 is beautiful psalm that expresses our prayer with this church planting effort. Our prayer is that all the nations of the earth would sing praises to God, that they would be glad and joyful in our Savior. So, let's hear God's word as we find it in Psalm 67. God be merciful to us and bless us and cause His face to shine upon us, that your way may be known on earth, your salvation among all nations. Let the peoples praise you, O God, let all the peoples praise you. Let the nations be glad and sing for joy, for you shall judge the peoples righteously and govern the nations of the earth. Let the peoples praise you, O God, Let all the peoples praise you, and the earth shall yield her increase. God, our own God, shall bless us. God shall bless us, and all the ends of the earth shall fear him. Do you long to be blessed by God? So, what would such a blessing look like? Would it mean having a high-paying job? Would it mean having a loving spouse and lots of children? Would it mean to have a life without trouble, without pain, without sickness? And what are the reasons you want to be blessed by God, so that you can live a happy, joyful life? Well, the idea of blessing is central to the theme of Psalm 67. This psalm is what we might term a harvest psalm. We read in Psalm 67, verse six, then the earth shall yield her increase. In other words, the earth shall give up her produce. Now in the Old Testament, there was a direct connection between the temporal blessings of the nation of Israel received and the favor of God. Thus we read in Leviticus 26, verses 3-4, If you walk in my statutes, and keep my commandments, and perform them, then I will give you rain in the season, the land shall yield its produce, and the trees of the field shall yield their fruit. If Israel was receiving these temporal blessings, these tangible blessings of good harvests, it meant also that Israel was being a blessing to the nations around them. For they were causing the nations around them to ask certain questions. One of those questions would be, Who is the God of Israel that He blesses them so abundantly? And Israel would be able to respond in answer to that question by saying, The Lord God Almighty, the Lord Jehovah, the Creator of heaven and the earth, He is the God who has blessed us. Believe in Him. While Psalm 67 is about blessing, the desire for blessing is quite unique from the way that most people think today about blessing. The psalmist longs for God to bless His people so that they can, in turn, be a blessing to the nations by pointing to who their God is. And this blessing is not necessarily the stuff of this life, a good job, a happy family, a nice car. Rather, the true blessing for the peoples is God himself. Really, the heart of Psalm 67 and cry out to Him, Praise! I want us to consider Psalm 67 this morning as God calling us, as the people of God, to pray for the blessing of knowing God. Today is a joyful day for the Oklahoma City Reformed Presbyterian Church. It is the start of a brand new church planting effort. It is the start of weekly worship here in Oklahoma City. As we start regular worship here, let us pray that God Himself would bless us and would go with us, so that the nations of the earth would join us in worshiping Jesus Christ. Church, you are to pray for blessing. You are to pray that God would bless His people. merciful to us and bless us, and cause his face to shine upon us." This prayer that we find in Psalm 67 was a prayer made specifically for the nation of Israel, which was the Church of the Old Testament. Just as the psalmist prays for the Church, so we too ought to pray for the Church to be blessed. And this prayer for blessing is built upon the Aaronic blessing found in verse 6. This is the blessing you probably are most familiar with, as pastors typically pronounce it at the end of the worship service. In that blessing, the priests were supposed to say to the people, The Lord bless you and keep you. The Lord make His face shine upon you and be gracious unto you. The Lord lift up His countenance upon you and give you peace. In saying this, the priests were putting the Lord's name upon the children of Israel, and God would bless them because of that. For the covenant people of God, for those who believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, there is a blessing in having God's name invoked or placed upon you. This blessing is not because of anything you have done or merited. It is because of the grace of God. Thus, the prayer in Psalm 67 starts with the psalmist asking God to be merciful. He says, God be merciful to us. Mercy must be present before God can bless. That's because we are sinners. We, from a judicial standpoint, do not deserve the blessing of God. In fact, sin bars us from the blessing of God because sin fractures our relationship with God. God's eyes are too pure to look upon sin. Sin means that we deserve only God's wrath and curse. but it is because of God's mercy being displayed in Jesus that He blesses us. And I cannot highlight this enough. For those who are outside of Christ, there is only wrath and a cursing. Even those temporal blessings they might receive, rain falling upon their crops, the happy marriages they might enjoy, the wealth and prosperity they have, Those temporal blessings are meant to drive the sinner to behold and consider the goodness of God, to consider the character of God. And thus we have Paul saying in Romans 2 verse 4, he asks the question of the unbelieving sinner, do you despise the riches of his goodness, forbearance, and non-suffering, not knowing that the goodness of God leads you to repentance. Unbelievers fail to recognize with thanksgiving that God has provided them with so many blessings, so many of these temporal blessings, and if they fail to have faith in Him, those blessings will become a curse to them. Psalm 73 speaks to this point as well. In Psalm 73, Asaph looks at all the blessings that the wicked receive, and he is troubled. He wonders, how can God, who is holy and just, how can God allow the wicked to prosper so much in His life? But then remember that God, in giving them these blessings, was calling them to repentance and faith in Him. Asaph says in Psalm 73, verses 18-19, Surely you set them, that is, you set the wicked, in slippery places. You cast them down to destruction. Oh, how they are brought to desolation as in a moment. They are utterly consumed with terrors. You see, the true blessing of the Lord is not displayed in how many figures there are in your paycheck. The favor of the Lord is not shown in how many children you have, or if you have any at all. The favor of the Lord is not shown in whether you have a spouse or not. A single person living in crippling poverty, without any friends or family, without a home or a job, can know the favor of God and His true blessing. This is because the true blessing It is heaven God himself. Yes, we can know the blessing of God through things like jobs, friends, and family. But those blessings are meaningless apart from relationship with God. In fact, if there is no relationship with God, those blessings become a curse. And this comes out in our text. The psalmist, when he prays for God to bless them, does not say, bless us by granting us everything we wanted, without pain and trial. No, he says, bless us by causing your face to shine upon us. This is a statement of relationship. The idea of God causing his face to shine upon us has that idea of communion. It has a notion of the character of God being revealed in grace to his people. You think about a person's face, their character is in their face. After all, when you think of somebody, you immediately think of their face. And I think that's all been an annoyance for us as we've gone through a time of COVID and everyone having to be masked. You don't have that same level of relationship. You don't see their face. You don't see their character. We picture who people are by their face. So, we pray for God to bless us by having His face shine upon us, by having His countenance shine upon us. We are praying that God would show us His gracious character. that God would have relationship and fellowship and communion with us, that God would set his face towards us for good and not for judgment as we deserve. And so let us pray to that end. Let us pray that God would bless us, that he would bless us by causing his face to shine upon us. that we would know the blessing of God himself. Let us also pray for worship. By this I mean, let us pray that God would be at work in us in such a way that the nations of the world would be brought to worship God. In Psalm 67 verses 1-3 we read, God be merciful to us and bless us and cause his face to shine upon us. Why are we to pray that? It is not so that we can fulfill our selfish desires and wants. It is rather so that your way, God's way, may be known on the earth and His salvation among all nations. Our prayer should be that God would reveal Himself and His salvation to all the nations of the earth, through the means of His people. And we should pray this for the ultimate end, not of the worship of ourselves, not of the praise of ourselves, but of the praise of God. And that's why the imperative there is in verse 3, Let the peoples praise you, O God, let all the peoples praise you. And this idea of God using His people as a means of blessing the nations is very important for us to consider, and is borne out in numerous passages in scripture. And especially I want to look at Exodus 19, verses 5-6. In Exodus 19, verses 5 and 6, the people of Israel are gathered outside of Mount Sinai. They have been freed from the bondage of slavery that they endured in Egypt, and they are about to receive the Ten Commandments from the Lord. But before they receive the Ten Commandments, the Lord tells His people that, You shall be a special treasure to me above all people, for all the earth is mine. And I want to highlight this verse. And you shall be to me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation. There was something exceedingly a priest as being someone who just offers sacrifices. But there is much more to a priest. And to do that, we need to jump to another passage of Scripture, Genesis 14, where we have the first mention of a priest in Scripture. In that chapter, Melchizedek, who is called a priest of God Most High, meets with Abraham, who is the father of the people of Israel. And we read of what Melchizedek does in Genesis 14, verses 9-20. We read there that he blessed Abraham and said, Blessed be Abram, of God most high, possessor of heaven and earth, and blessed be God most high, who has delivered your enemies into your hand. Melchizedek blessed Abraham as a priest. And so from Genesis 14, of a priest was to bless people. This is further confirmed in Numbers 6, where we read of the Aaronic blessing, where the priests were to pronounce blessing upon the people. And to go back now to Genesis 19 verses 5-6, when God says that Israel shall be to me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation, He is saying that Israel is to be a blessing to the nations. A kingdom of priests must be a kingdom of people blessing. And this is the duty of the Church in the New Testament age as well. 1 Peter 2 verse 9, echoing the language of Exodus 19, says that you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people. Why do we have this identity of a royal priesthood? It is to be a blessing to the people by being a witness. It is to encourage people to praise God. Peter continues in 1 Peter 2, saying that you may proclaim the praises of Him who calls you out of darkness into His marvelous light. As you live as a priest in this New Testament age, you are to proclaim the praises of God. One way that Israel, as the Church of the Old Testament, was to be a blessing to the nations was in their being witnesses of the character of God. They, by their words, were to make God's way known on earth. They were by their actions to declare God's salvation among all nations. And as they faithfully did this, the nations would respond in praise to God. We see this happening in small ways. When Rahab was saved before Jericho was destroyed. When Ruth declared to Naomi, thy God shall be my God. And when Uriah the Hittite fought battles of King David. These are all small ways that we see the nations of the earth joining with Israel to praise God. There was another way that Israel was to be a blessing to the nations. It was not just by being witnesses of the character of God. And to see this, we need to go to Genesis 12. Genesis 12 describes how God called Abraham out of the land of Haran. Now, Haran is in present-day Turkey. God called Abraham out of Haran and promised to bless him. Genesis 12, verses one through three, we read the Lord saying to Abraham, get out of your country, from your family and from your father's house, to a land that I will show you. I will make you a great nation, I will bless you, and make your name great, and you shall be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and I will curse him who curses you. And in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed." Notice once again that idea that the people of God are to be a blessing. God tells Abraham that you are a blessing. But I want to hone in on that last phrase, all the families of the earth shall be blessed." The greatest way that Abraham would be a blessing to the families of the earth would be in who would come from his line. When God says, in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed, God is speaking of a particular descendant of Abraham. He is speaking of Jesus Christ, of whom Abraham's son Isaac would be a type. Remember the history of God asking Abraham, commanding Abraham to offer up his son Isaac. Isaac was to be a declaration of how God would provide salvation for his people. But God would not provide salvation through Isaac. There would be another son who would come many years later, who would actually die. This brings us full circle once again to our text in Psalm 67. Read with me verse 2 once more, that your way may be known on earth, and your salvation among all nations. The way that God would make known his salvation to all nations would be through the descendant of Abraham, through the son of Abraham, the Lord Jesus Christ, who would not only be Savior of the Jews, but of the Gentiles as well, as Paul said in Romans 1, for I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God unto salvation, to the Jew first, and also to the Greek. Jesus Christ is the way of the Father. He is the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father but through Him. And so Israel was to specifically be a blessing to the nations by constantly pointing them, through the many animal sacrifices, to the only way that man could be saved from his sin. So much of Israel's history is dealing with this expectation of this Messiah. The offering of the sacrifices Those sacrifices couldn't save them. They pointed to the One who would save them. And this expectation of a Son coming and saving His people is already there in the opening pages of Genesis. When God says that the seed of the woman shall crush the head of the serpent, we have that first hint of a Son saving his people of God, making the way of his salvation known. When Eve had her first son, she named him Cain, which literally means acquired. Eve thought she had acquired the seed that would crush the head of the serpent. But when Cain murdered his brother Abel, it was clear that he wasn't that seed. When Eve had her third son, she named him Seth, which literally means appointed. Genesis 24 verse 5 says, She bore a son, and named him Seth, for God has appointed another seed for me, instead of Abel, whom Cain killed. Eve once again thought that Seth was to be that appointed seed. That Seth would be the one that would bless the nations of the earth. But it was not to be. And Israel, with every single son that was born, had the hope and expectation that that son would be the Messiah spoken of, that that son would be the seed who would crush the head of the serpent. But that expectation was not realized until Jesus Christ was born of the Virgin Mary. was to be a blessing to the nations of the earth by pointing them to the character of God and by pointing them to the Messiah who would come. In so doing, they were to make known the way of the Lord and His salvation. Oklahoma City Reformed Presbyterian Church, the way that you are to be a blessing to the nations around you is if you are witnesses of Jesus Christ to them. If you point them to their only comfort in life and in death, if you point them to the only way of salvation, being in the Lord Jesus Christ, you will be a blessing to them. And so do we. We have that glorious knowledge that men and women, boys and girls, will bow before Christ and worship the Lamb that was slain, that they will cry out with us, Let the peoples praise you, O God. Let all the peoples praise you. I can't help but think of the story of two Moravian missionaries who were called to serve African slaves on the islands of the Caribbean, the only way that these missionaries could serve these slaves was if they sold themselves into slavery. And as they boarded the slave ship that would take them to the Caribbean, never likely to see friends or family again, they cried out back to their friends on the shore. May the lamb that was slain receive the reward of his suffering. May that be our prayer, that the lamb slain would receive the reward of his suffering. May Oklahoma City Reformed Presbyterian Church be such a church that the lamb that was slain would be praised and honored, for he is worthy He is worthy of blessing and honor. Let us pray for the worship of Christ. Finally, we are to pray for governors. While we are commanded in Scripture to pray for presidents, kings, governors, senators, and judges, it is a very good thing to pray for them When I say we are to pray for government, that's not what I am referring to. When I say that Psalm 67 calls us to pray for government, I am referring to the fact that our text calls us to pray for the government of Christ. In Psalm 67, verse 4, we read, O let the nations be glad, and sing for joy! For you shall judge the peoples righteously, and govern the nations of the earth. as referring to the government of Jesus Christ. One of the great salvation blessings is that even now, Christ is reigning over all countries and all peoples. This is something that we have noted time and again as we work through the Book of Acts together. Christ is reigning as the risen and ascended King. All authority has been given Him on heaven and on earth. He is advancing his kingdom of grace day by day. Christ reigns. And while European countries have turned their back on Christ and followed after atheism, Christ is still reigning over them. And he calls them to return to worship him. While Muslim countries have declared Christ to just be a prophet and denied His divine Sonship. Christ still reigns over them, and He laughs their rebellion to scorn. While the United States has taken Christ and fashioned Him according to their own image, removing His holiness and His wrath, making Him just to be a moral teacher, not the Creator and Savior. Christ still reigns over the United States and He calls this nation to repentance and faith in Him. As Christ reigns as ascended and risen King over all, He calls all people everywhere to repent of their sins and believe in Him. Let us as a church pray the rule of Christ to be submitted to. The nations of the earth would recognize that Christ alone is King, that governors and governments would see that they have their authority from God and from God alone. Government is not from the people, but government is from God. Let us pray that nations would bow their knees in submission to Christ's reign as Messiah, because when that happens, poured out. When that happens, sinners will know the joyful wonder of having Christ as king. Because Christ's reign is one of righteousness and justice. He is a king who sits and judges on his throne. And when someone turns in faith and repentance to him, he removes the judgment of death. and damnation, and instead judges him to be righteous for his sake, because he has purchased redemption for them. He has washed away the red scarlet nature of their sin and declared them to be pure and holy and righteous. Instead of a judgment of wrath and anger, he pours mercy and grace and love on those who believe in him. He is a king, as we sang earlier, who with majesty rides forth prosperously. He rides with truth, humility, and righteousness. And Psalm 2 says, blessed are those who put their trust in him. Do you want to be blessed this morning? Do you want your anxiety to go away? Do you want your sorrow to leave you? Do you long to know the assurance of faith? Put your trust in this great King, who reigns with justice and righteousness. Let us pray that the nations of the earth will be glad in such governance. Psalm 67 verse 4 says, Oh, let the nations be glad and sing for joy. Why is this? Why are they to be glad and sing for joy? Because Christ reigns. The hope of the people reigns. For unto us a Son has been given, and the government of the earth has been placed upon His shoulder. And His name is Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, the Everlasting Father, prince of peace. Of the increase of his government, there will be no end. And there will be no end to the peace as well. There will be no end to the peace that Christ brings to his people. So our prayer is that the government of Christ be one that people vow submission to. knowing that such government is wonderful in its mercy and beautiful in its justice. May the nations of the earth joyfully cry out in praise to God. May they sing for joy to the Lord, who omnipotent reigns. And may the character of the church be that people would grab hold of our sleeves and say, Let us go with you, for God is with you. May we, as a church, ever know the supreme blessing that Christ is with His people. Let us pray that God will bless us. And we can pray this with confidence. God will bless His people. The psalm moves from prayer to declaration. God be merciful to us and bless us. And he moves to declaration. Psalm ends saying, that the earth shall yield her increase. God, our own God, shall bless us. God shall bless us. And all the ends of the earth shall fear him. Church, let us know that our God will bless us. and let us rejoice in our Savior this day, placing our faith in the One who died for our sins. Let us know that this is not a wish or a maybe, but it is a certainty of God's Word that all the ends of the earth shall fear Him. What is the blessing of all peoples? the blessing of all peoples is the Lord Jesus Christ. It is God himself. And let peoples praise him. Let's pray. Praise be to you, our great and glorious God. Lord, we give you thanks that you have given us the blessing of yourself, that we have in you a beautiful salvation, that you have washed and redeemed us by your blood, that you have provided a way of salvation for us. Lord, we pray that you would bless us, that we would be a blessing to the nation by appointing them to the One who has blessed us, that we appoint them to the Lord Jesus Christ, the blessing of all peoples. Lord, we pray for worship. We pray that people would praise you from every tongue, tribe, and nation of this earth. And Lord, we pray for the government of Christ. We pray that men and women, boys and girls, would come to saving faith in Him and might know Christ to be their Savior and their King. We pray this in Christ's name.