Good morning. Glad to be back. It's good to go. It's good to come back. It's good wherever we are. We have saints to be with. It's always good. This morning, turn to Psalm 94. I've been itching to preach a psalm for several months. We had a pretty good run in John. I think we had eight uninterrupted weeks, and then I was gone, too. Psalm 94 today, and then we'll be back. Lord willing, John 15, next week, abiding in the vine. Started working on that. What a gift, scripture. What a gift. This psalm has got some themes. It talks about the vindication of the righteous, Talks about the presence of evil, talks about the omniscience of the Lord, all sorts of things that we'll unpack together this morning. But the real backbeat, I think the telos, the end, the direction, the big idea, is that God will not forsake his people. And that is the title this morning. God will not forsake his people. You'll see that in Psalm 94 all over. It's true, is it not? There are many evils in this fallen world. And those who consistently traffic in them appear from our perspective to do so with impunity. No threat restraining their behavior. They're not constrained in their evil doings. They don't think there is a God. They don't think he knows. They don't think there's a day of reckoning, and the psalmist is gonna clear that up. We know already. I hope they will learn it. They're foolishly unconcerned about future consequences for their behavior. We see that all around us, do we not? It's just audacious and arrogant, the behavior of people. And driving more particularly to the point where God will not forsake his own, The psalmist is essentially telling his Lord, your people suffer from the behaviors of these wicked ones. Your people are being ground under their boot. And so the psalmist, we don't really know who he is. It's not inappropriate for him to call out and ask his God for help to deliver his people. and care for them as only he can. This is a psalm which Charles Haddon Spurgeon described in the following way, quote, another instance of a good man perplexed by the prosperity of the ungodly, cheering his heart by remembering that there is, after all, a king in heaven by whom all things are overruled for good. Do we say amen? You guys love the word, that's what I love about you, it's so wonderful to preach to you, because you love the scripture. You believe in its authority, you believe it's God's word, and we know, as students of the word, that all adversities, all wickedness, indeed and shall, and always remain, overruled by good, at the consummation of all things. So with no further ado, I invite you to stand, let's read this psalm together, As I like to say, we stand on our feet and we bow in our hearts to the authority of scripture. We honor the word by standing and we're revered in our hearts. This is God's word for us together this morning. The Lord will not forsake his people. Oh Lord, God of vengeance, oh God of vengeance, shine forth. Rise up, O judge of the earth, repay to the proud what they deserve. O Lord, how long shall the wicked, how long shall the wicked exult? They pour out their arrogant words, all the evildoers boast. They crush your people, O Lord, and afflict your heritage. They kill the widow and the sojourner and murder the fatherless. And they say, the Lord does not see. The God of Jacob does not perceive. Understand, O dullest of the people, fools, when will you be wise? He who planted the ear, does he not hear? He who formed the eye, does he not see? He who disciplines the nations, does he not rebuke? He who teaches man knowledge, the Lord, knows the thoughts of man, that they are but a breath. Blessed is the man whom you discipline, O Lord, and whom you teach out of your law, to give him rest from days of trouble until a pit is dug for the wicked. For the Lord will not forsake his people, he will not abandon his heritage, for justice will return to the righteous and all the upright in heart will follow it. Who rises up for me against the wicked? Who stands up for me against evildoers? If the Lord had not been my help, my soul would soon have lived in the land of silence. When I thought, my foot slips, your steadfast love, O Lord, held me up. When the cares of my heart are many, your consolations cheer my soul. Can wicked rulers be allied with you, those who frame injustice by statute? They band together against the life of the righteous and condemn the innocent to death. But the Lord has become my stronghold. And my God, the rock of my refuge, he will bring back on them their iniquity and wipe them out for their wickedness. The Lord our God will wipe them out. This is the reading of the word of God. You may be seated. It's quite a thing to say the reading of the Word of God. That just connotes authority and truth and condescension. What I mean by that is he's pleased to give us language to know his will. The Word of God. this morning to people who are at times buffeted. The word of God to buffeted people, encouragements from the word of God. This is what we're about this morning. Note takers, here are the sub points. First seven verses, supplication amidst difficulty, verses one to seven. Supplication amidst difficulty. Second, warnings to the wicked, verses eight through 11. Warnings to the wicked. Thirdly, blessed promises, verse 12 to 16. And lastly, fourthly, comforts of eternal truth, verses 17 to 23. If this helps you to remember, by all means, write these down. If you didn't get them, I'll give them to you later. Here we go. Supplication amidst difficulty. Reading the first opening verses once more. 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. Opening observation. I was just captured by this. I told the guys who were praying for this service a little bit ago, this is not in my notes. I was, I've read this psalm a bunch of times this week, thinking on it. The vengeance of God, the God of vengeance, the psalmist asked that it would shine forth. It's like the just judgment of God, perfectly holy, shines forth. It cleanses and illuminates and chases away all that is dark and wicked. Shine forth. It's quite a way to think about judgment, isn't it? It's cleaning the slate. All the nonsense that was written on the chalkboard, maybe foul language, vulgar speech, it just cleansed and made spotless. Shines forth. Its brilliance obscures that which is dark and wicked. You can't even see the dark and wicked anymore because of the illuminating agency of the perfect and holy and just judgment of God. This is a good way to pray. Great way to pray. And then the other theme that's here is this theme of our impatience as those who are abused by the wicked and see others maybe weaker than we are being abused by the wicked. And we want to pray in an imprecatory style, Lord, Go get them. We're calling, just like that. Get them. 9-1-1, Lord, hotline to heaven. Get those bad guys. We've got to be careful there. While we know He's just, and we know He's holy, and we know at some point He will do these things, maybe it's not always appropriate or best for us to say, tune them up, Lord. Maybe what might be most appropriate and best is we look at our own hearts and see how well we're doing in the holiness department. I think that would be a healthy posture of humility, and yet still praying for his kingdom to move forward, that his agenda would be accomplished. I think that's a good balance. We have to remember that retribution and punishment That is God's prerogative. It's His alone. In the Old Testament, we learn in Deuteronomy 32, these words, vengeance is mine and recompense. This is the word of God from the mouth of Moses. Vengeance is mine and recompense. For the time when their foot shall slip, for the day of their calamity is at hand, and their doom comes swiftly. Remember, God doesn't reckon time as we do. You were impatient that that doom hasn't fallen as yet. God is above time. We're stuck in it. For now, soon, if we know Christ, we'll be gathered to eternity. Even if you don't know Christ, you'll be gathered to eternity. It's a question of where will you live, with him or without him? Vengeance is mine and recompense, God tells us. The timing is his, we should be comforted. That theme is given to us in the New Testament as well, Romans chapter 12, verse 19. Never take your own revenge, beloved, but leave room for the wrath of God, for it is written, vengeance is mine. I will repay, says the Lord. I've got it. I know all about what's going on here. I'll take care of business. I'm God. I know about all of it. But oh, how hard it is at times for people like you and I, and even for the psalmist of Psalm 94. Isn't it interesting, Phil read Psalm 92 and 93, and I'm preaching Psalm 94. We never talked about that, Phil. Once again, the Lord. But it's hard at times to restrain ourselves. We want justice, and sometimes we're frustrated by not seeing it. Verse three illustrates this. How long shall the wicked, O Lord, how long shall the wicked exult? It's not only just that they're wicked, but they're preening and prideful about what they're, they're exulting in it, they're delighting in it. The wicked thing is called good. And the good thing is called wicked. Oh, how everything's turned upside down. Suffering, the wicked is exulting and the psalmist is impatient about this. And he's like, Lord, how long are you gonna let them get away with this? When will you do business? Show yourself mighty and strong. How long, dear Lord, will you let your people be mistreated by these people? how readily you and I can identify in a self-righteous fashion with a psalmist. Let's just be careful there, okay? I've already given you a warning. Reflect on our own failings. We'll do a lot, probably, in the department of good and tempering our desires for the judgment and justice of God on others that we deem less worthy than ourselves. perhaps will be led to pray a little more fervently for their conversion. For more of what God is currently extending, I call it an ongoing mercy. He lets them breathe despite their wickedness. He lets them continue to live in the hope that someone may perhaps share with them the word of truth. Maybe we are those someones. Right? Right? We have to go carefully when we get into imprecatory mode. And yet we all wonder how long. All of us at times are concerned and curious, befuddled by the apparent triumph of evil in this world. And I'm here to tell you on the authority of God's word, we can rest assured, at just the right time, the Lord will end this. This temporary season of exaltation over depravity will end. All delight in wrongdoing will end. And if we look ahead, even at our own psalm, recall verse 23. We learn there again, God will wipe them out for their wickedness. The Lord our God will wipe them out. He says it twice. Like if you didn't get it the first time, you're saying, no, I wasn't kidding. Wipe out means wipe out. I will erase them. That's sobering. None will ultimately get away with their wrongdoing. Do we believe that, church? We need to believe that. The exulting of the wicked is a vain self-applause. It is fueled and rooted by an apparent prosperity and success, not realizing that there is a terminus, that one day it'll end. It's a short-term exulting. And if it's unrepentant of, it will lead to their destruction. She caused us no joy, but only sorrow, because how quickly you and I could have fallen in that ditch had God not been merciful. Stayed in the ditch if he'd not plucked us out. Their lives shall quickly pass, and they will stand before the judge of all things. He is a just judge and a righteous judge, and they will have zero to defend themselves. the record will be revealed off to a Christless eternity. This is horrifying. But for now, the immediate context and the perspective of the psalmist, these wicked ones are unconcerned. They're oblivious to the rapid approach of that day of judgment. And in the meantime, they do what all unbelievers do, verse four. All unbelievers are experts at this. They pour out their arrogant words. All the evildoers boast. In other words, they're unrestrained in their speech and in their conduct. They speak words that are prideful and bold and rash and mocking. That sort of word is their common language. They do so because they consider themselves to be their own authority, beholden to none, writing the rules as they go, marching to the beat of their own affections, in subjection only to their own desires, self-exalters, cocksure in their conclusions, and as a result, contemptible in their behaviors. That's where they find themselves. I mean, you don't want to talk about being in a ditch. that's deep. Let me tell you about a place like the Grand Canyon. That's how deep they are. It's really bad. It's the same situation that many of us were in before we came to faith in Christ, amen? I remember. Asaph, the writer of Psalm 74, he writes of those who are characteristically displaying the evil of Arrogant speech and the conduct that comes with it. Verse five of Psalm 75. He warns him. He warns us today. Do not lift up your horn on high. Do not speak with insolent pride. For not from the east, nor from the west, nor from the desert comes exaltation. But God is a judge. He puts down one and exalts another. Words to take to heart. People here are in the most dangerous of positions. They're not even aware of it. You and I are not to be found imitating them in any way. And again, one more time, let's be quick to attend to the condition of our own souls before we point the finger at others. This is the psalmist writing about the world situation. This mixture of believing and not. and all the behaviors associated with it, and telling us we can trust in the wise timing, the wise judgment of that God who does all things well and right. But it's right for him to wish their wickedness be checked and eliminated. And he notes its destructive fruits in verses five and six. They crush your people, O Lord, and afflict your heritage, They kill the widow and the sojourner and murder the fatherless. I could spend the rest of our time just unpacking these departments, these different groupings that suffer because of wickedness. How cowardly it is to kill a widow. A single woman whose husband has died, they cannot defend herself. They do these things. The sojourner, The one out on walkabout, perhaps fleeing famine or persecution, has no home, no resources, and they pick on them, the most vulnerable. Maybe not even having a tent to live in and murdering the fatherless. Cowardly. The single mother with her children, we can extrapolate for the children yet to be born in the womb of that mother, they kill them too. We can identify with the concerns of the psalmist as he considers the violence that are done to the people of the Lord. Say, Lord, the saints are suffering. Please help them. They're your heritage. They're your own people. And he pleads, defend your own. Please, Lord, help them. And then we see in another place that that is God's plan. He will help them. Oh, will he help them. Deuteronomy 32. For the Lord will vindicate his people and will have compassion on his servants when he sees that their power is gone. When does our final power leave us? Last breath leaves the lungs. That heart finally just comes to rest. and the help is awaiting. The help is Christ on high at the right hand. We come, our souls, to the Father and the Son says, my blood covers this one, enter into your rest. Oh, that's help. The wicked are trapped in darkness. They say foolish and exceedingly dangerous things. None more so perhaps in the following verse. Verse seven, look at it with me. Can you imagine? And they say, the text tells us, the Lord does not see. The God of Jacob does not perceive. I just have to say out of the gate, how ridiculous that is. This is the sort of attitude, the sort of speech that's common to unbelievers of our own day. We all have heard them say such things. And it's terrifying to hear and should give us chills up and down our spines. That is a profound darkness. To say that the God who made the ear, made the eye, does not perceive or see, come on. That's gonna be unpacked for us in a deeper way in just a moment. Let's look at this warning to the wicked, verses eight through 11. A warning to the loss that's rooted in the omniscience of God, where he tells him, understand, O dullest of the people, fools, when will you be wise? He's talking to the wicked ones, ones who say such amazingly foolish things. And the psalmist is beginning his efforts to correct the perspective of the wicked. And he's pulling no punches. And his speech is not confused. It's quite clear and it's right to the point. And he tells them what their souls most need to hear. You are sinners. You are defying God. You're shaking your fist at Him. And it's a losing battle. You're going to have your lunch fed to you. I mean, you're not going to stand up at the end of this fight. You're fighting power. You're messing with strength that you have no conception of. You are deeply foolish. This battle is lost already and wisdom will not ever be yours until you learn to fear the Lord. So knock it off. It's always how it is. When we defy God, we're in the posture of the fool. In the Psalms, it doesn't hold back. He tells them, wake up, fools. Stop being stupid. My God is intimately, fully acquainted with every aspect of your wicked behavior. Not a one of your deeds have escaped his notice. Wise up. And you just sense the urgency, the need for repentance, for a change of direction of mind, because judgment is right here. The sword is hanging by that silver thread, you know? And it just takes one little wind, and that sword is gonna come down, and it's gonna be over forever. And the psalmist then bolsters his argument by an appeal to creation activity. Activity, by the way, given by God alone. Verse nine. This is amazing language. He who planted the ear, does he not hear? He who formed the eye, does he not see? Planted the ear, which is powerful to me. I was thinking about the potter modeling clay, and that lump of clay that was you and I being wound, knit together by this, and he's planted the ear, formed the, I just, all the other things he did, endless things, was just demonstrate power of incredible scale. What's the psalmist doing? He's asking the wicked, he's like, do you think God's deaf? Do you think God's blind? Fool? Of course not. He made these things. How ridiculous it is even to think of such nonsense. You have these senses because he invented them. You think maybe he doesn't have powers that he gave to you? That's ludicrous. It's a very height of folly to imagine even for a moment that the author of hearing, the author of sight, has neither heard nor seen the evils those wicked people are about right now in this moment. What are you thinking of? You can just hear the incredulity in the voice of the psalmist. He says it's just inconceivable. that the creator of all things could somehow be unaware of any detail of any event occurring within the midst of the world that he has made? Because that's what it means to be sovereign, dear ones. You think you've got a secret little compartment that he can't access? You think you can entertain things in the quiet place of your home with the door closed and the light off that he's not aware of? Oh, please stop. That's just the pinnacle of folly. And these wicked ones that the psalmist is describing, to my mind's eye, they're the poster children for the New Testament description given them in Romans 1, and here it is. And since they did not see fit to acknowledge God, that's really what we're talking about, now you're over there, you don't even exist. I'm God and I do what I please, okay? But since they did not see fit to acknowledge God, here's their description, their situation. Situation is, God gave them up to a debased mind to do what ought not to be done. And here's their description then. They were filled with all manner of unrighteousness, evil, covetousness, malice. They're full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, maliciousness. They are gossips, slanderers, haters of God, insolent, haughty, boastful, inventors of evil, disobedient to parents, foolish, faithless, heartless, ruthless. Though they know God's righteous decree that those who practice such things deserve to die, They not only do them, give approval to those who practice them. In other words, misery loves company. Let's all die together. All go to hell in a handbasket together, arms linked. You and I should never be surprised at the evils that are all around us. for the simple reason that most of those around us deny the existence of the God of the Scripture. They have a God of their own speculative imaginings, and they're in a status of death so long as they hold those convictions. The psalmist then shifts his emphasis a little bit and mentions God's authority over the nations and individuals, and he's basically saying I will judge the nations and the cultures in each and every individual. Verse 10, he who disciplines the nations, does he not rebuke he who teaches man knowledge? So if God is lifting up and setting down the nations, he is also more than capable to take care of all the wicked individuals that make up those nations. He can do this and he will. He's not thwarted. by any energy and activity of wicked men. And He knows what's going on inside of our heads more than we do ourselves. All thoughts, verse 11, the Lord knows the thoughts of man, that they are but a breath. They are futile in this context. These thoughts are those thoughts that are entertained, that seek to push against His righteous agenda and His ways. The text is telling us He knows about these Knock it off, you'll fail. You're not hidden. Oh, friends, if your thoughts are characteristically wicked, you're in trouble. Run to Christ. Run to Christ. He'll give you a new heart as a result of that new thoughts. New thoughts. If your thoughts are characteristically wicked, you should be trembling with fear. Because this God who made you and me and everyone of all places and all ages, He knows all about you. All about you. And there's nowhere you can run from His presence. There's no place to go. And when He judges you on your thoughts, it will be a perfectly just judgment. You will have no court to appeal to. So run to Jesus Christ. Run to Him quickly. because your thoughts are but a breath. Your agenda is fluff. Your agenda is light and airy and temporary. It's of no eternal weightiness and consequence. It'll be blown away by the one who is all-powerful. We will deal with this one if we're outside of Christ, but oh, for in Christ, Christ dealt with it for us. Oh, that's the gospel. Thirdly, blessed promises, verses 12 and 13. Blessed is a man whom you discipline, O Lord, and whom you teach out of your law, to give him rest from days of trouble until a pit is dug for the wicked. Believe it or not, you who are in Christ, rest and relief is coming quicker than you think. Soon and very soon, we're gonna see the king. And when the hard things happen, his chastising hand, it's all good. You're being conformed to Christ. I'm wondering if this is the position of your heart, this quote from John Calvin. Here it is. One mark by which God distinguishes the true from the false, disciple, is that of his being ready and prepared to bear the cross and get this now, and waiting quietly for divine deliverance without giving way to fretfulness and impatience. Calvin continues, that man is blessed who has learned to be composed and tranquil under trials. The rest intended would then be that of an inward kind enjoyed by the believer even during the storms of adversity. Anybody having any little bit of success there? I have, not perfect. I think most of you have too. I beg your pardon, they never promised me a rose garden. Remember that one? It's prickly here. Jesus said, in this world you'll have trouble. Take heart, I've overcome the world. What Calvin has said is this, Temporal sufferings are to be held with the lens of an eternal perspective. The backbeat truths of future glories that will enable our perseverance to the very end. Our sufferings will come to an end and heaven shall be gained for the blood-bought ones. It's sure and certain. Sufferings here are the preparation for the gathering, the dwelling there. And we will soon have complete rest from days of trouble. But all in this life, we long for that rest. We long for that relief. Because at present, there are a number of adversities that we have to deal with. Friends, the rest is coming. There will be a sure and complete deliverance from the ravages of the fall. And there'll be relief from the evils of men who let you say it, They're slaves to sin, not the Lord God Almighty. But note well what happens to the rebels. And I hope there are no rebels with us this morning. I really hope that. Notice what the psalmist says. A pit is being dug and prepared for them. Doesn't sound good, does it? One more quote from Spurgeon. The mighty hunter is preparing the pit for the brutish ones. They are prowling about at this time and tearing the sheep. They will soon be captured and destroyed. Therefore the people, Lord, learn to rest in days of adversity and tarry the leisure of their God. Wicked men may not yet be ripe for punishment, nor punishment ready for them. Hell is a prepared place for prepared people, as, and get this, this is so good, as days of grace ripen saints for glory, so days of wantonness help sinners to rot into the corruption of eternal destruction. There's two different postures. Spurgeon also quoted a text from Augustine. Call me in the same text. Augustine wrote this. Behold, you have the counsel of God and the reason why he spares the wicked. The pit is being dug for this sinner. You wish to bury him at once. The pit is as yet being dug for him. So do not be in haste to bury him. That's interesting, isn't it? The psalmist is convinced that the Lord will do what is right at just the right time. The psalmist is also convinced that even he, in the midst of his troubles, he has not been abandoned. God has not forsaken him. Verses 14 and 15 prove this. For the Lord will not forsake his people, nor will he abandon his heritage. For justice will return to the righteous, and all the upright in heart will follow it. What's our takeaway? Simply this, it is inconceivable for you and I to think of God somehow abandoning us because we're his. He won't do that. This is taught in the Old Testament and in the New Testament. I'm thinking of 1 Samuel 12. In Samuel, his words to God's people, he says, for the Lord will not abandon his people on account of his great name. Because the Lord has been pleased to make you a people for himself. It was his prerogative to select a people, he will keep them. And then in the New Testament, incredible, these words of Christ Jesus, this is the will of Him who sent me, that of all He has given me, I lose nothing, but raise it up on the last day, for this is the will of my Father, that everyone who beholds the Son and believes in Him will have eternal life, and I myself will raise Him up at the last day. You want something encouraging and comforting, just chew on those two texts for the rest of your life. It'll be enough. But there's so many other encouragements. In verse 16, I think what the psalmist is doing is he's reminding himself of these truths. He says, who rises up for me against the wicked? Who stands up for me against evildoers? He's giving us the answer. It's God Almighty. He will do that for me. Ask yourself, is he doing that for you? Well, if you're in Christ, he's doing that for you right now. We'll continue to do so. We're so blessed, so amazingly blessed. There is no one, there is no thing that can stand before the power of the Lord. And that's the position his people find themselves in. We're safe. We'll be buffeted. We'll have trials. We will not be forsaken if we're in Christ. Lastly, lastly, some comforts. Comfort of eternal truth, verses 17 to 23. I'll just work through these quickly and we'll be done. Verse 17. If the Lord had not been my help, my soul would soon have lived in the land of silence. Think about all those things you faced in your life, you thought, oh my gosh, unless this is removed, I think I will die. And God's taking you through, just like the psalmist, endless deliverances over the course of our lives. Had it not been so, had we not been delivered, our lives at times would have been lost, or we would have wished they had just stopped going on. mostly self-inflicted, often at the hands of the wicked. Without the resurrection power of the risen Lord, we would leave this life to a silent grave. But we will go from this life and be gathered to a heavenly chorus. And the comforts continue in verse 18. If I should say my foot had slipped, Your loving kindness, O Lord, will hold me up. How many times has he put us back on the pathway, pulled us all out of the ditch, protected us from the pressures of wicked agendas? Despite our doubts, he kept us from being tripped up permanently, restored us. This is the faithful one, our God, the one who promises, I will never leave you, I will never forsake you. That's repeated in Deuteronomy, it's repeated in Hebrews. Hebrews says, the Lord is my helper, I will not fear. What can man do to me? All man can do to me is kill me, and I'll be instantly in the best place I could ever imagine. It's the best thing that could happen. Somebody kills us right now. That's good theology. You who might be shocked, don't be shocked. We'll feel that in the fullness. Another 10,000 millenniums. Because that's what we have and more. And 10,000 millenniums will be a drop in the bucket. You can't measure it. It's eternity. It'll be great. It'll be great. Blessings continue, verse 20. Can wicked rulers be allied with you? Those who frame injustice by statute. Oh, that sounds like modern day. Or more recent past days. I have a little better day right now. We'll see how derative it'll be. God is not an accomplice to the wicked. He doesn't partner with the wicked. He's not supportive of their activities. He's not in lockstep with them. His word tells us there's no fellowship with light and darkness. There's no partnering of good with evil. The futility of a holy alliance such as this is clearly articulated by the psalmist. He's not like the wicked. He doesn't like them. And if they don't repent, They're toast. There's plenty of woe and there's plenty of correction coming from those who call evil good and good evil, Isaiah 5, verse 20. Camp out there sometime. These are those who for now, verse 21 says, they band together against the life of the righteous and condemn the innocent to death. It's true that at times the saints of the Lord are martyred by evil men. It's happening in our own day and age. It's happened frequently throughout the whole course of recorded history. Do you realize that should the persecutions become intense, it could happen to us? And we ought not be shocked because even our King, the Lord Jesus, was not delivered out of his own affliction. and he went to a wicked cross and died for our forgiveness. And we ought to remember the good that was done from that cross work, the forgiveness that was granted to multitudes through the merit of Christ, received through his agony, his perfect fulfillment of the law, bequeathed to his own. The sad reality is that God does not always choose to immediately deliver his people from the sufferings of this life. He does not. But I want you to hold on to this. That there is always an eschatological and cosmic good which uses all temporal difficulties for the eternal glory of our God. Always. It's mysterious, it's one of the secret things, Deuteronomy 29, we know this. But hang on to this. Every life given for the glory of Christ is raised imperishable and is gathered to eternal excellencies. That life is promoted forever to glory, ever surrounded by perfect righteousness, beauty, joy, peace, on and into endless ages. It's a good place to be martyred, too. But this will not be so for the evil ones, and we'll conclude with these things. Consider verses 22 and 23 with me, the end of our psalm. For the psalmist, the Lord, has become my stronghold and my God, the rock of my refuge. This is the position of the psalmist. He is confident. He knows his God. His God is his stronghold, his refuge. He's also confident about certain things looming upon those who need to repent, the wicked. He will bring back on them their inequity and wipe them out for their wickedness. The Lord our God will wipe them out. So we have stronghold, refuge, wiped out, Wiped out. Two thoughts, two positions, two different outcomes for the two types of men that live upon the earth. And I'm not trying to sound cutesy, there are saints and there are aints. You're either in a state of grace or you're not in a state of grace. And the difference between your two potential outcomes is vast. Frightening to think upon. If you're in grace, you're numbered amongst the people of the Lord, and He will be your strength, and present, and future hope. But if you're not in a state of grace, if you are not one of His people, if you rejected the free offer of the gospel where Jesus says, come to me and have life, Come to Me, you who are weary and heavy laden, I'll give you rest." And if you refuse that, it's destruction. It's separation from all that's good. And this should be terrifying to you, if that's you. Run to Christ Jesus. I agree with God that he is holy and perfect and that you yourself are not. That your sin has become a barrier to your access to this holy being that gave you every blessing and delight you ever enjoyed. And he says, I provided a sacrifice. to pay the penalty for your sin. Trust in the merit of that sacrifice, and I will forgive you, and I will save you, and at the end of this life, I will gather you to myself. Agree with God. Agree with his assessment of who you are outside of grace, and agree with his assessment of who you are inside of his state of grace. Outside doomed, inside saved. Saved from destruction. So this morning as we wind it up, I think the psalmist has spoken very clearly to us. Simply this, do not doubt. There will be rest from these days of trouble. The judgment is coming, sure and certain. A pit is being dug for the wicked. Don't delight in that. Be terrified for them and offer them a handout. Tell them about Jesus. The Lord, in his kindness, will not abandon us, abandon his heritage. That's you and me. We're his heritage. You and me are in Christ Jesus. And in spite of all the evils that are swirling around and appear to go unchecked and unpunished, the Psalmist has told us justice will return to the righteous. The wrongs will be made right. There'll be a glorious end to the sorrow and suffering of this world. And you and I, who are the blood-bought ones, we will sing forever praises to God for his great wisdom and his marvelous deliverance extended to us, who are enabled to trust in the gospel of Jesus Christ, amen? Amen, let's pray. Lord, we look so forward to this great day when all evil is overruled by good and when we You're currently suffering and buffeted, righteous ones, at least at times, when we're fully vindicated and we're released from this place of persecution and suffering. And Lord, we pray in this moment for the persecuted church, because we don't feel that persecuted living here in this affluent, prosperous Bay Area. There are people in other places who are really, truly suffering. We lift them up and pray that the truth of this psalm would be theirs, that you would comfort them and secure them and give them the food that they need, the spiritual food they need to press on and continue. Lord, may our spirits be brightened and all of our hopes renewed as we regularly consider the truths contained in this text. Thank you for condescending to speak to us with words that we can understand your heart understand your mind, understand your plan, understand that even despite much that happens, which is mysterious, you've got it all well in control. Keep our noses in your book and we'll thank you in Jesus name. Our last hymn for today will be out of the Hymns of Grace number 353, O Church Arise. Hymns of Grace 353. Please stand and sing. so each faith will bow his head. If you are afraid and won't tell truth, I swear that if the devil's eyes are on you, fear will rise up He will fight with faith and power, and face the trials of every side. We know the outcome will stay the same. ♪ Eyes full of rich delight ♪ ♪ Revealing tips of patience ♪ ♪ Our Father who art in heaven ♪ ♪ Heaven and earth sing thee ♪ ♪ The Son of God is born in thee ♪ ♪ Son of God is born in thee ♪ As the snow is pulled away, and Christ emerges from the grave. His feet are on the treetops, and His tail the day, and we are the watchers of His way. As the snow is pulled away, and Christ emerges from the grave. His feet are on the treetops, and His tail the day, and we are the watchers of His way. As the snow is pulled away, and Christ emerges from the grave. His feet are on the treetops, and His tail the day, and we are the watchers of His way. His feet are on the treetops, and His tail the day, and we are the watchers of His way. His feet are on the treetops, and His tail the day, and we are the watchers of His way. His feet are on the treetops, and His tail the day, and we are the watchers of His way. His feet are on the treetops, and His tail the day, and we are the watchers of His way. His feet are on the tre the world Please receive the benediction. 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. Amen. You're dismissed. Yeah. Yeah.