When God gave us the psalms, He gave us a good gift. In the psalms we get to hear the greatest songs of all time. Songs written by real people living real lives and at the same time songs inspired by God. Songs that help us understand the character of God and how who He is connects to who we are and how we face life in this world. The psalms are a good gift, and in Psalm 138 David provides us with a song praise, hope and confidence in God. It’s a song about answered prayers and the faithfulness of God. A song of surety that God will finish what He has started in His people and in the world. It’s a psalm that should lead us to gratitude, renewed hope and strength for the difficult days of life.

All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work (2 Timothy 3:16-17). This is what we believe about Scripture, that it is the Word of God and that it is profitable – every part of it. And yet there are parts of the Bible that we may be tempted to move past quickly. There are some parts that are hard to understand. And there are other parts that make us uncomfortable. There are still other parts that seem unrelated to our daily lives. For many, Psalm 137 may fall into all three of these categories. And yet, Psalm 137 is a passage of Scripture that tells us much about God and about ourselves. It’s a psalm that exposes us to the seriousness of sin, calls us to a deeper devotion to God and reminds us of the reality of the judgment and justice of God.

Rejoicing in our Justification - Romans 5:1-11 (Baptism Sunday)

The aim and focus of Psalm 135 is pretty straightforward, it’s a call for the people of God to give praise to God. And yet most of us know that this is a call we all need to hear. Apart from Sunday mornings it can be easy to neglect our praise of God; and even on the Lord’s Day we can gather with hearts that are complacent or cool toward the greatness of God and the praise that He deserves. Thankfully, God has given us passages of Scripture like Psalm 135 to remind us of who He is, to awaken our hearts to see Him rightly and to encourage us to praise Him. For those who are familiar with the Scriptures, Psalm 135 may sound familiar. That’s because much of this psalm is made up of verses and phrases that are also found in other psalms or songs of praise in the Old Testament. It seems that the writer of this psalm compiled some of the great truths about God that had already been written, or that were well known among the people of God, and brought them together to spur the people of God on to the praise of God.

As we come to Matthew 7:24-29 we come to the final section of the Sermon on the Mount – this great sermon from our Lord. And this is a conclusion that we must not ignore. It’s a conclusion in which Jesus warns us of judgment and calls each of us to consider whether or not we are truly His. But this final paragraph doesn’t stand on its own, it’s a continuation of a four-part conclusion – and each part reveals a contrast. First, He speaks of two different paths (7:13-14) and then two different kinds of fruit (7:15-20). Third, He addresses two different professions of faith (7:21-23). Now, we read of two different kinds of builders who build on different foundations (7:24-27). As we consider this final contrast and this vivid illustration, we are being called to examine our lives. Are we among the wise who hear the words of Christ and obey or are we among the foolish who hear the words of Christ and ignore or reject them? Jesus helps us see that we all fall into one of these two categories and the end of each group is very different.

As we come to the end of this sermon from Jesus, He telling us about entrance into the Kingdom of God. And as He brings the sermon to a close, He has some hard things to say – things that may make us uncomfortable. In Matthew 7:21-23 Jesus tells us that on the day of judgment there will be some who are surprised to find that they are outside of the Kingdom of God. There will be some, who believed true things about Jesus, and who did good things in the name of Jesus, and yet they never truly became His disciples. The reality that Jesus describes is hard to consider – and yet we should be thankful for this warning. In these verses we learn more clearly what it does and does not mean to be a part of the Kingdom of God. Many have deceived themselves into believing they belong to God when they are actually far from Him. With that in mind, this warning is a kindness from Jesus that could save us from the danger of self-deception.

In Matthew 7:13-14 Jesus tells us about two paths and He calls us to enter the path with the narrow gate. This path is narrow and hard, but it’s the path that leads to life. In verse 15 Jesus issues a warning, but it’s a warning that is connected to the teaching of the two paths. Jesus wants us to know that there will be many who will come along and teach things that aren’t true. While there is only one path that leads to life – there will be those who suggest otherwise. In Matthew 7:15-20 Jesus calls on His people, those who are on the narrow way, to watch out for those who would teach things contrary to the truth. This is a call and a responsibility that must be heard and obeyed for the sake of those who would be led astray.

Most people are good people and good people go to Heaven. This is a common belief of many, if not most, in our society. Even those who have a general understanding of the work of Christ and of the Gospel can be guilty of slipping into this way of thinking. Talk of judgment and exclusivity can be uncomfortable, which leads many people to simply believe that only the worst of the worst will be judged after death. While this way of thinking is popular, it’s not consistent with the teaching of Christ. In Matthew 7:13-14 Jesus teaches that there are in fact two paths with two different destinations – one leading to eternal life and the other to eternal judgment. But contrary to popular belief, Jesus says that the path to destruction is wide, easy and well-travelled while the path to life is narrow, hard and less travelled.

In Luke 18 Jesus tells a story of a woman who was seeking justice but the judge who had the power to grant justice was wicked and coldhearted. However, Jesus says this woman was undeterred by the judge’s refusal to rule and continued to go and plead her case. She kept going and kept asking. She went and asked so much that the eventually the judge decided to rule in her favor. It’s a story that Jesus used to teach about the faithfulness of God to grant justice to His people when they ask; because surely, He is greater and will do more than this wicked judge. This story is recorded in Luke 18:1-8 and Luke introduces it this way: [Jesus] told them a parable to the effect that they ought always to pray and not lose heart. And this is a theme that we have reiterated throughout the New Testament. We have this call over and over: To pray constantly, continually and unceasingly. And this is a call that we have included in the Sermon on the Mount. In Matthew 7:7-12 Jesus encourages us to be persistent in our prayers and to pray expectantly – believing that God hears and answers our prayers.

As Christians God has called us to live our lives alongside one another. We are instructed to serve one another, pray for one another, encourage one another and work together for the sake of the Gospel. But of course, we are sinners and so this life together is not always easy. One of the sins that often creeps in and divides us is the sin of judgmentalism. We are prone to self-righteousness and pride and we are often tempted to be critical, condemning and harsh toward one another. To further complicate matters, often we excuse our behaviors under the guise of helping a brother or sister who is in sin. Thankfully, Jesus has gone to great lengths to help us see our sin and teach us how to rightly serve one another. As we continue our look at Matthew 7:1-6 Jesus warns us against hypocrisy. He shows us the difference between self-righteous judgmentalism and God-honoring accountability. He shows us the difference between sinfully judging and lovingly confronting or correcting a brother or sister. He calls us to love and to avoid the pain that comes when we fail to walk in love (Galatians 5:13-15).