Sermon(Ps 42): Long for the Lord earnestly

The original Korean text: https://blog.naver.com/stevision/50025286697

 

 

 

Scripture reading: Ps 42

 

>> 1 As a hart longs for flowing streams, so longs my soul for thee, O God. 2 My soul thirst for God, for the living God. When shall I come and behold the face of God? 3 My tears have been my food day and night, while men say to me continually, "Where is your God?" ... 5 Why are you cast down, O my soul, and why are you disquieted within me? Hope in God; for I shall again praise him, my help ... 8 By day the Lord commands his steadfast love; and at night his song is with me, a prayer to the God of my life. 9 I say to God, my rock: "Why hast thou forgotten me? Why go I mourning because of the oppression of the enemy?" 10 As with a deadly wound in my body, my adversaries taunt me, while they say to me continually, "Where is your God?" 11 Why are you cast down, O my soul, and why are you disquieted within me? Hope in God; for I shall again praise him, my help and my God. <<

 

The sons of Korah, who were the sons of Levi, were the choir members of the temple. Judging from the explanation 'a Maskil of the Sons of Korah' and verse 4, this biblical text seemed to be written by one of the sons of Korah. “These things I remember, as I pour out my soul: how I went with the throng, and led them in procession to the house of God, with glad shouts and songs of thanksgiving, a multitude keeping festival. (v. 4)” The writer of the psalm of today was expelled by his enemy to a place where he could not go to the temple, and he suffered all kinds of oppressions and taunts from the enemy, and shed tears. “My soul is cast down within me, therefore I remember thee from the land of Jordan and of Hermon, from Mount Mizar (v. 6)” - this verse shows us that this man was cast out from the priesthood by his enemy and was wandering from place to place, and remembered the worship he attended at the temple before and God's love he received. What really bothered this man was the taunt they uttered. They asked, "You're a devout believer. Then where is your God? Why do you live so (so miserably)? (v. 10)"

 

Brethren, don't drive people out of the temple (the church). In particular, if you slander a man of high rank and drive him from the church, it will bring severe disgrace and suffering on the deported man. A believer having low position such as a jibsa (a deacon) can attend another church he wants if he has had trouble in the church. But a janglo (an elder), a jundosa (an evangelist), and a pastor can not find easily another church to attend if they are driven from the church. One of the evils of the Korean church is to dismiss jundosas (evangelists) so easily. People use a disposable product once and throw it away. Many churches use evangelists as one-year supplies. Do not try to freshen the church by replacing the evangelist with another after using up all his virtues, charm and energy when you get bored and tired of him. When Saul oppressed David and tried to find out and kill him, David was unable to attend the public worship, and he sighed for grief and supplicated God for help. God heard David's groan and punished Saul, who had prevented David from coming to God. Listen to the earnest cry of the psalmist. “As a hart longs for flowing streams, so longs my soul for thee, O God. (v. 1)” When a man has a desire to worship God, but another man interrupts it, then his love for God arises twice as much as before. Wouldn't God grant a man his dearest wish to meet God? Would God let the enemy go unpunished who prevents someone from coming to him?

 

What we must learn from the psalmist today is to hope for God more in times of trouble. Some people leave God when they are suffering. They sever relations with the church and God, thinking, 'How can this happen to me if God loves me?' Some of them don't go to other idols or to other religions, but live alone. Some people don't turn their back on the church, but have lost all love and trust in God, and only a sardonic laugh arises like winter winds in their heart. Sometimes they completely seal up the mouth and they don't even pray at all. They don't feel like praying at all when they think of the God of little help. But, my brethren, think of what happened yesterday and today. You can see that God has been comforting you who are depressed, in one way or another. Brethren, take a good look. Open your eyes wide. Let your ears be attentive. Evidently, God is consoling you through people around you and through words of the sermons. Sometimes, taking a close look at the friendly words or even a small gift from a close friend, you can see that God is trying to comfort you through them. ‘Don't get me wrong, my son. I am so sorry that it happened to you. Why do you get me wrong and hate me?’ Of course, even then, a servant of Devil stabs him with a sharp dagger of words, “How abject you are! You've been a good Christian. But where is your God who can help you?” Brethren, incline your ears not to Devil's mockery but to God's consolation.

 

Think of Jacob. Jacob was forced to leave the home altar because of his brother Esau, and to flee to a foreign land. He had to sleep in the wilderness. He layed his head on a stone and slept in the threat of wild beasts, but he dreamed of meeting God there. He awoke from his sleep and said, “How awesome is this place! This is none other than the house of God, and this is the gate of heaven. (Gen 28:17)” God didn't desert Jacob who had left the family altar because of his fearful brother, and he came in person to Jacob who slept alone in the wilderness. But what is truly amazing is that God promised a great blessing to Jacob who was alone in the wilderness. “I am the Lord, the God of Abraham your father and the God of Isaac; the land on which you lie I will give to you and to your descendants; and your descendants shall be like the dust of the earth, and you shall spread abroad to the west and to the east and to the north and to the south; and by you and your descendants shall all the families of the earth bless themselves. (Gen 28: 13-14)” God did not forsake Jacob who had been driven out of his home altar, but he himself came to the place where Jacob was and promised him to give the land where he lay to him and his descendants. Are you unfairly driven out of your place, and are you in the wilderness now? Haven't you ever thought if the place where you are now is your new blessed abode that God planed to give you? There is nothing left but to make the wilderness where you are the temple of God. Jacob erected the stone where he had lain, and poured oil on it and worshiped God. “So Jacob rose early in the morning, and he took the stone which he had put under his head and set it up for a pillar and poured oil on the top of it. He called the name of that place Bethel (the house of God) (Gen 28:18-19)” Are you alone in the wilderness now? Do not think that God didn't help you, but welcome him who has come to you, and make the place where you are the temple of God. Your love for God that is 100 times greater than before is your new temple. If you love God one hundred times more in the wilderness than before, the place will become your temple, and the gates of heaven will be opened to you, opening a new future of your life. “How awesome is this place! This is none other than the house of God, and this is the gate of heaven. (Gen 28:17)” If your love of God is aflame like fire although you are alone in the wilderness now, it is the evidence that God has come to you now, and that the heavens are opened to you.

 

The psalmist also had the faith of Jacob. When he was in the wilderness, he panted for God. “My soul thirst for God, for the living God. When shall I come and behold the face of God? (v. 2)” God responds to this longing so that this psalmist may have a firm hope for the future and sing praises to God. “Why are you cast down, O my soul, and why are you disquieted within me? Hope in God; for I shall again praise him, my help and my God. (v. 5)” Just as Jacob saw the face of God in heaven in his dream, and restored the hope of life and took courage, so this psalmist also saw the God, who had come to him, with the eyes of faith, and shook off all frustration, fear, and anxiety, and was filled with new strength and hope. So he sings praises to God. Hymns are songs to God. If God were not there, how could he give praise to God? My beloved brethren, are songs of praise coming from your deep heart? Your spirit knows that God has come to you, and is worshipping him. Is your heart full of joy and peace? You are full of joy and peace because God has received your spiritual worship and given you promises and blessings as gifts.

 

Faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen (Heb 11:1). If you are now exhausted from hard life and are alone in a place like wilderness, but trust in God with faith, and give praise to him with faith, then the contents of such faith will become your future reality. Brethren, read the Bible every day. Then you can hear the voice of God who directs you every day. Then you can hear God's comforting words to you every day. Brethren, sing hymns to God every day. Then Devil will flee a thousand kilometers away from you, and your foolish thoughts and unbelief will disappear, and peace and conviction will surround you. Brethren, pray to God every day. You can hear God's words falling on your heart during prayer. God himself says to us, "Call to me! (Jer 33:3)" Those who obey this word can receive God's help.

 

It is beautiful faith and true love for you to love God more in adversity. Perhaps God has allowed us to suffer so much in order to dig up the precious treasures hidden in us. The gem hidden in me is the true faith and love toward God. By the way, there are other treasures that we can get during our sufferings. It is God's unwavering love for me. And during our sufferings we find the faithfulness and great power of God. The psalmist sees God's >steadfast love< by day (v. 8). He prays to the God of his life at night (v. 8). However vehemently the foes attack the righteous in the daytime, the God of mercy will never allow them to break one of the bones of the righteous. I am not in the hands of my enemy, but in the hands of God, because he (God) is the Lord of my life and because he has made me his possession. Never can the enemy hurt me! Always confess to God, "You are the Lord of my life!" And be free from all fears!

 

“Why are you cast down, O my soul, and why are you disquieted within me? Hope in God; for I shall again praise him, my help and my God. (v. 11)” >To hope in God< is to pray to God earnestly in believing firmly that he is good and loves me and answers my prayer. To hope earnestly is to pray earnestly. In addition to this, let us praise God in confidence in our victory, in our faith. Then we will certainly overcome all the trials and adversities of today, and we will gain one hundred times more abundant blessings by securing a ground of life that is one hundred times wider than before. Oh, of course, in that case you and God's love will be one hundred times stronger than before.

 

May God's goodness and kindness comfort you and raise you up from all adversity. May you be blessed one hundred times more by hoping in and loving God more and more. I pray that, whenever you meet adversity, you will win by faith and widen your land of life one hundred times broader than before.

 

Chong Tack Kim

 

                                  - Dongtoma Sunshine Church -