-Sung Psalm- 110-----This is how Jesus reads Psalm 110 in Matthew 22------Now while the Pharisees were gathered together, Jesus asked them a question, saying, 'What do you think about the Christ- Whose son is he-' They said to him, 'The son of David.' He said to them, 'How is it then that David, in the Spirit, calls him Lord, saying, -The Lord said to my Lord, sit at my right hand, until I put your enemies under your feet-- If then David calls him Lord, how is he his son-'- -22-41-45-----Think about what Jesus is saying- In one sense, yes, the Messiah is the Son of David. But in the ordinary manner of sonship, the father has more honor than the son - if for no other reason than that a son submits to his father - honors his father - so no matter how great a son may become, he will never be greater than his father-----But what Jesus is teaching the Pharisees is that the Messiah - the Christ - is more than just the -Son of David- - he is also the Son of God - because even David calls the Messiah -my Lord.- And while a father may love his son - and honor his son - and praise his son - a father does not call his son -my Lord------In Psalm 108 we heard David's assertion that God's promises have not failed - even the Exile does not cancel the promises of God- He will be faithful-----In Psalm 109 we heard about how the Son of David identifies himself as the -poor and needy- - the one who is falsely accused and betrayed by his close friends - how Jesus was betrayed by Judas-----Now in Psalm 110 we hear about the eschatological future of the Son of David - the Son who is David's Lord-

How do we sing these words- Psalm 109 asks God to destroy someone-s life-----But every court house in America does this every day- Every day there are people who are sentenced to jail - some sentenced to death - whose families will undergo precisely what the Psalmist speaks of. When someone is guilty of a serious crime, we expect that their life should be ruined.-- --Psalm 109 is not talking about petty neighborhood squabbles- Psalm 109 is talking about a serious conspiracy to destroy an innocent man.----Some think that verses 6-19 are the Psalmist-s prayer against the malicious accusers. Others think that verses 6-19 are the accusers- curse against the Psalmist. In one sense, it doesn't really matter - since verse 20 then asks God to do to the accusers what they want to do to him-----So there is no way to get around the difficulty of the language in this song-----In Acts 1 the apostle Peter will apply verse 8 to Judas- -may another take his office.-----Judas is the best example of what Psalm 109 is talking about. Judas sought to do to Jesus all that is in verses 6-19. So, when verse 20 asks God to do to the malicious accusers all that they had wished upon him, it is fitting that Peter applies this part of the curse to Judas.----And then verse 31 makes it clear that we can sing this song too - because while Jesus is the Son of David who is the singular voice of the Psalm - Jesus assures us in verse 31, that God will stand at the right hand of the needy one - not just himself - but all who flee to him for help-

As we saw this morning, the four stories of Psalm 107 all speak of the LORD-s deliverance - and calls the people of God to -thank the LORD for his steadfast love.-----Psalm 108 can be seen as a case study of Psalm 107. Remember what we saw this morning in Psalm 107 - -Some wandered in desert wastes, finding no way to the city to dwell in- hungry and thirsty, their soul fainted within them. Then they cried to the LORD in their trouble, and he delivered them from their distress. He led them by a straight way till they reached a city to dwell in. Let them thank the LORD for his steadfast love, for his wondrous works to the children of man- For he satisfies the longing soul, and the hungry soul he fills with good things.-----But what if you don-t see it- Even after the Exile, Judah was a small, weak, helpless nation-----In the same way, while Jesus has won the great victory over his and our foes - we still find ourselves wondering -Has God rejected us-- But Psalm 108 reminds us that salvation belongs to the LORD - and his steadfast love and faithfulness truly endures forever-

Today we are starting a series on Book 5 of the Psalms. Psalms 104-106 conclude Book 4 --with a series of historical Psalms that recount the history of God-s people from Creation to the Exile. ----Many have noticed that Psalm 107 fits well with this pattern - as Psalm 107 is all about return from Exile.----Just like Psalm 89 -at the end of Book 3-, Psalm 106 -at the end of Book 4- states the problem that still remains------Save us, O LORD our God, and gather us from among the nations, that we may give thanks to your holy name and glory in your praise.-----Book 4 recognizes that the exile isn-t over yet - we have seen the hand of God in the midst of the exile - so we know that the LORD reigns - that his rule is over all things.----But we are still waiting...----And so Book 5 begins with Psalm 107 - a song that answers Psalm 106 - Psalm 106 ended -Save us, O LORD our God, and gather us from among the nations, that we may give thanks to your holy name and glory in your praise.-----Psalm 107 begins- -Oh give thanks to the LORD, for his is good, for his steadfast love endures forever- Let the redeemed of the LORD say so, whom he has redeemed from trouble and gathered in from the lands, from the east and from the west, from the north and from the south.--- --And then the four stories of Psalm 107 all speak of the LORD-s deliverance - and calls the people of God to -thank the LORD for his steadfast love.-

-Sung Psalm- 86-----Deuteronomy 24 lays out some of the basic principles of economic justice. Verses 19-22 talk about one of the ways that Israel should provide for the poor. When you reap your harvest, when you beat your olive trees, when you gather the grapes - don-t harvest everything. Leave some in the field, on the trees, on the vines.----Why-----So that the poor can come and glean. Notice that this is a system of poor relief that requires the poor to work. A poor widow - like Ruth - could gather sufficient food, but only if she was willing to go out into the fields and work for it-----In our day, it-s a bit more complicated- If a poor person needs a car, he can-t go to GM and assemble leftover parts-----But if you think about it, used cars function in much the same way. If a poor person goes out and works for a few weeks, a few months, he can generally afford a used car.----But Israel frequently failed to put these principles into practice. Our Psalm of response, Psalm 86, reflects on the problems that occur within the church in this area. When David speaks of the -insolent men- who rise up against him he is talking about his fellow Israelites-----The Man of Lawlessness - the mystery of lawlessness - arises from within the church. And we often need God-s grace and mercy to deal with us.

-Sung Psalm- 33-----Last time we heard Paul explain how the Man of Lawlessness will come before the end - but also that between now and then the mystery of Lawlessness is already at work.----This is why every generation has thought that -this must the end-- Because we can always see the Mystery of Lawlessness at work - and we can always see potential candidates for the Man of Lawlessness rising up and putting themselves forward-----And we saw last time that there is one who restrains the Man of Lawlessness -Revelation 12 tells us that this is the archangel Michael- - so that the gospel may go forth with great power in the present age.----In one sense verses 9-12 are talking about the coming of the Lawless One - and yet the principle can be equally applied to what happens now - when only the Mystery of Lawlessness is at work.----The false signs and wonders that characterize the Man of Lawlessness can be seen in lesser form even today. We all can see around us that there are still strong delusions that lead people astray.-- --And for the evidence of that, just consider how often people today take pleasure in unrighteousness.----Just consider how often you take pleasure in unrighteousness- Every time I sin, I am believing a lie- I am believing that somehow, if I do this thing that is wrong it will make my life better - it will make me happier - it will bring all sorts of good things into my life-----Is that true- Does pornography, for example, make this world a better place- Does it make you a happier, wiser, kinder person- Does it bring joy and peace to those around you-----If you believe the truth, then you will take pleasure in doing the truth.

-Sung Psalm- 49-----When I was younger I used to think that there would come a day when I -arrived- at a stable and mature way of life. But now that I am well past halfway through my earthly sojourn - and now that I have been intimately acquainted with the joys and sorrows of more than 100 families as their pastor - I can tell you with all confidence that your pastors, your elders, your deacons - and all of you - are still a mess-----At the same time, I want to assure you that there is a day when you will arrive at a stable and mature way of life-----And that is what Paul is driving at in his prayer at the end of chapter 1 - and in his exhortation here in chapter 2-----Because at the end of chapter 1, Paul had said that Jesus will come on that day to be glorified in his saints, and to be marveled at among all who have believed... and so Paul prays to that end - that our God may make you worthy of his calling and may fulfill every resolve for good and every work of faith by his power, so that the name of our Lord Jesus may be glorified in you, and you in him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ-----But the fact that you won-t -arrive- until -that day- - doesn't mean that what you do now is irrelevant-----Far from it- How you live now is based on how that day shapes your life- Will you live a life of faith, hope, and love- Or will you live a life of unbelief, despair, and fear-----Because that-s really Paul-s whole point in 2 Thessalonians- That-s why Paul emphasizes the Day of the Lord - and how the Day of the Lord shapes our life and conduct today.----And Paul starts off by correcting some misunderstandings that were flying around in his day...

-Sung Psalm- 94-----Last week we saw from the prophet Joel three themes regarding the vengeance of God------ First, we saw that God avenges grievous wrongs against his people - and that he does this because when the wicked attack the people of God, they are actually engaging in self-destructive behavior, because salvation comes to all the earth through the people of God------ Second, we saw that God-s vengeance is proportional. The punishment fits the crime. He gives to each according to his deeds.----- Third, we saw that God-s vengeance will be fulfilled in the Day of the Lord. There are partial judgments that happen throughout history. But on that final Day, God will make everything right.-- --These three themes recur throughout the bible-s teaching on God-s vengeance. We see them again in Psalm 94 - our song of response.----Psalm 94 identifies the LORD as the -God of vengeance,- reminding us again that vengeance is not bad rather, we are bad at vengeance- But since God is the holy Judge of all the earth we can trust him to bring just vengeance to all the earth.----And his judgment is proportional- -repay the proud what they deserve-- -he will bring back on them their iniquity and wipe them out for their wickedness- ----And there is a time when he will make all things right in the end.

-Sung Psalm- 59-----In 2 Thessalonians 1, Paul will talk about how Christ is coming 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.-----But in order to understand what Paul is doing there, we need some background-----How should we think about vengeance------Vengeance is mine, says the LORD, I will repay.- -Dt 32, Rom 12, Heb 10- And so we should not take revenge on those who harm us.----But that does not mean that vengeance is bad. After all, remember what God says- Vengeance is mine, says the Lord. The reason why we are not supposed to take vengeance is not because vengeance is bad - it is because we are bad at vengeance-----We tend to overdo it. If you hit me with a stick, I-ll hit you harder with a bigger stick.----Everything escalates and the next thing you know, everyone is dead.----Think about all the books and movies that focus on the theme of vengeance. The question always comes up - when is it going to end- How is it going to end- The cycle of vengeance can never stop by itself. He killed my brother - so I have to kill him - and then someone will come after me-----And so many people suggest that the solution is to give up on justice. Let it go. Everyone makes mistakes-----Seriously- Does anyone believe that the right answer to the Catholic church-s sexual abuse scandal is -Hey, just let it go - everyone makes mistakes----- NO-- There are children-s lives at stake-----And so yes, we should pursue justice in this life - but with the caveat that we will not attain perfect justice here. We need to do the best we can - and then leave the rest to God.

Associate Pastor Joel Irvin continues his series on Amos.----Outline-----A. Vision of the Locusts -7-1-3-----B. Vision of the Fire -7-4-6-----C. Vision of the Plumb line -7-7-9----- a. Prophet of God versus Priest of the King -7-10-17-----D. Vision of Summer Fruit -8-1-3-