The Church of Eleven22 - Wk 7: As the Deer

Episode Date: June 5, 2022

5 Why are you cast down, O my soul, and why are you in turmoil within me? Hope in God; for I shall again praise him, my salvation 6 and my God. – Psalm 42:5-6 In the dark night of the soul, our only hope is to look to the Light of the World.

Church, welcome to a heavy one. Grab your Bible, Psalm 42. Even if you normally don't play along with me, grab the Bible that is in front of you and open to the page that has Psalm 42 on it because I need you to see the words of God right there in your face. If you don't have your own Bible

or the Bible that you have, looks like King James wrote it. It's all these and the aisles except after thine. Then feel free to take this one home, okay? The one that you have there in front of you. As we study the Psalms, man, the title of this one according to the Bible is this why are you cast down oh my soul you see I think that the point of the Psalms are to wean us off of the temporary things of this world

that we would cling only to Jesus Christ to wean us off money to wean us off comfort to win us off of our just own temporary desires so that we would know that the only hope that we have is the person and work of Jesus Christ. And if your life is just awesome right now, man, praise God for you and your life. Honestly, my life's going real good. I mean, it really is. And so if everything's kind of up and to the right, just had a great week, I got asked to preach at this organization called One Hope and their headquarters is in Fort Lauderdale. And Gretchen looks at my calendar. She looks at my itinerary. And like when my friend, J.D. Greer invites me to come preach in Rale, she's like,

God bless your ministry in Rale. But when I get invited to Fort Lauderdale, then we go in three days early to pray over the situation to make sure that I can deliver God's word as I'm supposed to. So I've had a wonderful week, okay? So if it's you, man, if life is good, praise God, you should sing songs and praise. That's what the Bible says. But you're going to want to bookmark this one. And I'm believing that this message is for somebody specifically and quite honestly,

it's for all of us at some specific time in our life. Because if you've lived just a little bit, you've gotten to this place where you say to your soul, why are you cast down, oh, my soul? This is going to be a heavy one. And then it says to the choir master. Amascal. Now, amaskel is not even a translated word.

It's a transliteration of a Hebrew word, because we don't know exactly what that word is. I love it that the Bible has words that we don't even know what they are, and God's like, cool, put it in there. because there's no way you're going to be able to understand everything that God says. That's just how it goes. But this word is very similar.

See, in ancient Hebrew, they didn't have vowels. Did you know that? It was just consonants. So it could be a little difficult to know which kind of words you're talking about here, right? Because if you just think about it, a vowel can make all the difference between two words. Now, if everybody went to bad words there, then welcome to my mind. Okay, that's where my mind went too. And so, but this word, it comes, it's similar to a word that means to instruct.

So to the choir master, give an instruction. This is going to be what's called an efficacious psalm. That means it's effective, that the Psalm writer is going to give us instructions on what do you do when your soul feels downcast. That's what a masel might be. And the people that wrote it, the sons of Korah, Korah, according to Second Chronicles 2019, were the people. like a subcategory of the Levites of the priest, and what their job was to do is to stand up in the sanctuary and to lead loud singing is literally what it says, lead loud singing, which is a pretty beautiful description of what the Psalms are. They instruct us, they get into our head, and that we're supposed to sing, they get into our hearts. When you rightly read the Psalms,

you're supposed to think and feel, not or. And man, maybe it was just me, but I didn't get saved until pretty late, like I'm in high school. And then when I was trying to find a church to get plugged into, at the camp I was at, I felt like we would think and feel. They would teach the Bible, and we did stuff that made us feel like we were alive. And then when I was looking for a church, I could only find churches that they could think, or they could feel. You know what I'm talking about.

You go to those thinking, you've been to those thinking churches? And it's incredible, man. Everything they teach is accurate and it's right, and they quote dead people all the time, but it feels like a funeral because it doesn't feel like

anything's alive in here. Anybody alive in here? Hello, that's what it feels like. But then there were some other times I went to some places and they could feel all the things. They felt things and blamed it on God

that God has never even felt. You understand? don't say it. Well, part of the reason we dive here in the scriptures is because what the Psalms is going to do is engage the heart, the mind, the body, and the soul. We're going to instruct. It's going to be some stuff to think about. And we're going to sing loud. And then he starts out. I love this song. Not just because it talks about deer. But I do love deer. But not like you love deer. And we met, man, the evangelical. world has just messed this one up so stinking bad.

I'm so glad the shanes redid it. It's as the deer pants for flowing stream, so pants my soul for you, God. But when I was at camp, I heard, As the deer panteth fall, the water so my soul long, What? Apparently you've never seen a deer pant.

That's not what that deer is doing, man. The deer's not in a ballet. He's not. I'm sorry, a cantata, if you're a Baptist. No, the writer of this song starts out with this animalistic picture of what utter desperation feels like. Let me tell you why Deer Pan.

deer pant for my extensive knowledge seriously for at least three reasons one they're chasing after something and they can't catch it it's usually a girl deer okay which is a sermon in and of itself that will leave you eye and dry but that's a different sermon series or he's fighting and usually it's fighting over a girl deer see the same sermon series or somebody like me or you are in the woods chasing after the deer trying to kill it and eat it and put it on the bathroom wall here at our church. That's what you're trying to do. I don't know if you've ever been chased like this. Like chased for your life.

Deer don't just casually stroll through the woods panting. It's not what they do. And so the way he starts this thing out is what he's saying is, God, I am desperate for you. I've been running, I've been fighting, I've been chasing. Somebody is after me. The enemy is after me. He's trying to kill me and like a deer that feels like he's going to die and just about can't get his breath like a deer pants for and longs for and yearns for some water.

My soul yearns for you. That's a little different than the little kitschy camp song, isn't it? This is where he starts. You're going to probably need a helmet and a cup for this one because this is the beginning. Let me ask you this. You ever been there? you've been at a place in your life where you look to God and you're like, Lord, you're my only hope.

Everywhere I turn, I'm disappointed, I'm desperate, there's a fight. You're my only hope. Sometimes it comes out of nowhere, doesn't it? I mean, you find out your husband has a porn addiction and you're like, what, what? Or you find out she cheated on you, she's leaving. For the first time in your life,

you encounter this category, of divorce, and you're like, not us, no way. You kid? It's one of the hardest things, man. You raise them in church, you think you do all the things, and now they're off just acting a fool. Then you get all introspective. Every parent's like, is this me, God?

Is this me? How did I mess this up? Is this me? Or it's a physical thing? Go to the doctor. You get that scary word. trauma, sometimes it's in here, it's depression. You begin to entertain thoughts that you never dreamed

you would entertain before. Have you ever been there? I think this writer is there. One phrase for this is called spiritual depression. I didn't make it up. Martin Lloyd Jones wrote an entire book just on Psalm 42 called spiritual depression. And he says, this is where the writer is

as the deer pants for flowing streams. pants my soul for you, oh God. He's in a place of spiritual depression. My question, unless, is this, how do you respond when you're hurting? How do you respond when you find yourself in a place of desperation, when you feel abandoned, when you feel like you've been chased, when you feel like somebody's trying to kill you, when you look at your soul and it's downcast, how do you respond? I got some really scary news. The only thing that will come out of you is what is in you. And the thing that you run to hardest and first and most

when you are in the deep, dark places of the soul, is your functional savior. So do you run to him? This is what this Psalm writer does. Now you're going to see it in a minute. He's going to be all over the place. So how do you respond? Do you lash out at others?

Because that's the American way, man. When something happens, we need to be. to know who to blame and who to sue, period. Like, we can't even take 24 hours to just weep with those who weep and lament with some people and cry over a tragedy before immediately we just have to blame and sue and point out whose fault is this. One of the things you're going to see in this Psalm, there are going to be some Psalms where the Psalm writer does a thing that puts him on a path that leads to a place where

He needs God to come in and rescue him. You're not going to see it in this song. This thing, whatever he's going through, he doesn't mention it specifically. It happens to him. And he says, God, in this desperate situation, my soul is desperate for you. So what do you do?

Do you turn to drugs? Do you just self-medicate? Do you go dark? That's how a lot of people respond. Like, oh, I know what I'm going to do. Nobody's ever going to hurt me again. and so I am just going to put myself in my own little self-prison and just hide here. Do you run?

Let me tell you two of the favorite things the enemy will throw at you when you go through pain so that he can take you out. Lies in isolation. He's going to lie to you, and he's going to tell you the people that have loved you all your life, you can't trust those people, and the best thing you can do is isolate yourself. This is why Peter says, we have an enemy, and he prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. He always devours the isolated one.

Do you isolate yourself? I can tell you what I do. It's terrible. Man, I just, when I feel backed into the corner, man, you bring it on. I just defend. I typically don't pick fights. I used to a lot, but now I met Jesus, okay,

so things are getting better. But, man, I'm more of like a, you punch, I counter punch. You know what this psalmist does here? He cries out to God. And you can see, man, he ain't faking it. He says, that's the deer pants for flowing stream. So pants my soul for you, oh God.

My soul thirst for God, for the living God. When shall I come and appear before a God? Literally in Greek, it says this. When shall I come and see your face? Now, everybody in the Old Testament was left a little bit angsty about this because there's not a good Old Testament answer. I mean, Moses is like, God, show me your glory, I'm going to see your face. And God's like, you can't handle my face.

It'll kill you. Because he's an almighty just judge. And the Lamb has not been slain yet for the forgiveness of our sin. And so that does not get to happen yet. But guess what? As post-resurrection believers, we understand that through the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ, you and I, we get to appear before God. We get to come and see him face to face. You see, in the Old Testament, he kind of watched over his people. And then in the

Gospels, the word becomes flesh. Jesus shows up on the scene and walks beside his people. And then on the day of Pentecost, this is even better for us. Then Jesus is going to ascend at the right hand of God, the Father, and whoever believes in Him, the Spirit of God is going to live with in his people. And even better than that, or just as good as that, coming right alongside when Jesus says, hey, I'm going away, but it's good that I go away because you're going to do even greater things than I do. That doesn't mean greater in intensity.

You ain't bringing dead people back and walking on water. No, no, no. But greater in volume, wherever the church is, there is the body of Christ with the spirit of God living in you and the body of Christ surrounding you. so when you find yourself in a desperate situation, please, please, please let the body of Christ be the body of Christ to you and wrap his arms around you. Look, man, I get it, I get it. Church hurt. I've been doing it's 30 years, there's a new word now called church hurt. I'm not saying it don't hurt. And I'm not saying churches don't hurt people.

Of course they do. They're full of sinners. You know how I know? I work at one. Oh, it's full of sinners. And for sure we're going to let you down. I'm not even talking about our wonderful staff. Sure, maybe they'll do good. I personally am going to hurt your feelings, let you down, not meet your expectations. Welcome to earth. That's just you're surrounded by sinners.

But let me tell you what the disciples did not do, okay? And I'm not trying to minimize the pain that you've been through. I'm just saying, don't give up on Jesus because one of his disciples didn't do what the disciples are supposed to do. When Judas betrayed Jesus, the other disciples do not deconstruct their faith because Judas is a fraud. They don't. And when Peter denies Jesus, the rest of the disciples, I thought, well see, I knew he was a hypocrite. Do you know what Jesus does with Peter? Puts him in charge of the whole thing. And he's the biggest screw-up of them all. That means there's help for you and me. So, when shall I come and appear before God? Now it takes a turn,

verse three, my tears have been my food day and night. Boy, there's a line. My tears have been my food day and night. Now, one of the things I try to do is just stay in my lane, okay? The Bible has truth for all aspects of life, but I am primarily trained into theology, not psychology. But if you look here, man, he's got a loss of appetite and he ain't sleeping. You can't be eating your tears day and night if you're sleeping at night. These are classic signs of clinical depression. One of the things that you must do, and I read this in Martin Lord John's book, is make sure you take care of yourself physically, especially when you're going through that dark night

of the soul. If you'll remember, we spent two years on the Shama, Shama Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one, and you shall love the Lord of your God with all your heart and all your mind and all your soul and all your strength. You don't have a body, you are a body. We are integrated human beings. We are just one whole person, and regardless of what you're going through, especially if it's like a mental depression, a spiritual depression. You've got to attack that thing with your heart. That means relationally. With your mind, you should probably go see a counselor or somebody that's a pro, not me.

With your soul, you better be in church crying out to God. Has the dear pants for water, God, my soul, pants for you and strength. There's no shame in going to see doctors and doctors prescribing things for you because there are physical things in you broken. You see, he says my tears have been my food day and night. While they say to me all the day long, where is your God? I mean, it's one thing to be tormented on the inside. This brother is also being tormented on the outside.

You see, there are so many people that expect God to be at our beck and call. And when he doesn't do what we think he ought to do, then the question is, well, where is our God? It's like the angry thief on the cross. I talked about this last week. There's a thief on the cross. He deserves to be there, and he begins to rail at Jesus saying, if you are, who you say you are, then do this. By the way, first of all, who in the world do you think you are

to give commands to the Almighty sovereign king of the universe? If the measure of did he hear my prayer or not is, did he do what I told him to do? that you need to rethink who's in charge. And see, he comes with its own agenda. If you are, who you say you are, then save yourself and us with you. And in that moment, that man could have said,

where is your God? Now, the psalmist is going to ask us a few times. Himself in a little while, he's going to say, why have you abandoned me? And you know what's very interesting. God never shows up in the psalm and thumps him in the head. Well, if you thunk him in the head,

he'd be dead. You know what I'm saying. It never goes like, how dare you ask me that? It's unbelievable. He just allows him to just pour out his soul. My tears have been my food day and night. While they say to me all the day long, where is your God? Verse four, these things I remember.

I pour out my soul. Let me just stop right there. This guy's going to be all over the place, okay? One minute he's praising God, and the next minute he's like, where are you? But you know what? You can tell if you read the Psalm, one thing he ain't doing, he ain't faking it. He ain't pretending. He's not putting on his theological talk. And think about it, he's writing the Bible. You might have a little pressure to be like, I probably should get this right. He's poured, the whole Psalm, he pours out his soul. Let me just say this,

man, the fake you's doing just fine. People have been faking it at church for long enough. I mean, honest of goodness, it could be one of the fakesest places on the planet, which is crazy because we sit under the cross of Jesus Christ and the cross of Christ has outed every single one of us. Who needs to fake it when the almighty sovereign king of the universe puts on flesh, lives a perfect life, gets on the cross and says, I'm doing this so that if you will believe that what I'm doing counts for you, I'll take all your sin, you'll get all of my perfection. So what do you have to hide? Yeah, he pours out his soul. He says, these things I remember as I pour out my soul.

So he's thinking back and his memory makes how I would go with the throng and lead them in procession to the house of God with glad shouts and songs of praise, a multitude-keeping festival. Here's what he's saying. He's saying as I look around my current circumstances, I begin to say, where are you, God? Where are you? Because if I were you, I would be doing this differently. And in case you haven't come up with a good idea, I have laid before you my prayer request. So if you'll just run my play, things will get better. Take care of my enemies, heal the sick, whatever the thing is, okay?

But he remembers, he remembers the time of God's faithfulness in his life. You see, oftentimes you can tell where God's faithfulness in his life. Oftentimes, you can tell where God is going by where God has been. Oftentimes when you can't see the future, which is never, ever, ever can you see the future, you can trust God's faithfulness going forward because of how faithful he has been up to this point in your life. Back to deer hunting. It's a deer psalm, so right from the book. I've taught you this before, but I didn't see anybody write it down last time I've talked to you this. when you shoot a deer especially if you're bow hunting they're going to run off okay makes a loud noise

mule kick and even if you just double on them perfect then they're going to take off and then you blood trail a deer and when you blood trail a deer unless it's just super obvious then one of the things that i like to do they sell this tape stuff in the sporting goods store that's like a lot of money so i just take toilet paper with me okay multi-use and so while you're there when you see a spot of blood, all you do is take a little piece of toilet paper and you put it on the tree, all right? And when it rains, it all goes away because it's biodegradable, see? And so, sometimes what's happening is this deer is running and you're trailing it and it's easy and you're marking it and you're marking it and you're marking it and then you get to a place and you can't see the

evidence of where the deer's going. So you know what you do? I don't see anybody writing this down. I turn, you turn around and most often you can tell by where the deer has. been, it is the greatest predictor of where the deer will go. This is what the psalmist is saying. So, God, even though I don't see you right now and I don't feel you right now and I don't understand what's happening in my life right now, as I look back over my life, you have always been good to me and you have always shown up in the moment for me. Now, I want you to see the thing that he remembers.

These things I remember as I pour out my soul, how I would go with the throng. and leave them in procession to the house of God with glad shouts in songs of praise, a multitude-keeping festival. You know what he remembered? He remembered worship services. He remembered the gathering of the saints. He remembered corporate worship.

You see, there's so many churches right now that have such a thin view of how important what we are doing right now is. I mean, what do you think this is? You think this is just for me to entertain you and give you some information? Cool, man, just watch YouTube. You think it's just to hear a couple good songs you like because you like that kind of music? Yeah, man, just download some music.

That's not what it is. Do you understand the supernatural nature of what happens when the saints of God gather together and worship God? You realize what's happening? Worship is war, man. And we get in here, and I can tell you're not in your life. Okay. You realize what's happening here, man. God shows up in this place.

God is worshipped in this place. The gospel is proclaimed in this place. Souls are saved in this place. Chains are broken. Marriages are put back together. Depression is put away. I'm telling you, miracles happen here. Don't ever give up on the meeting of the saints.

It matters more than I can describe to you. It is such a big deal. man when I've hit some dark places I've told you this when I went on that sabbatical last year again I'm so gracious to the church for that gift but it was terrible I mean my

for a bunch of reasons but I don't think I'm a good lap dog I think I'm more of a work dog so we're going to do it differently going forward but man we're just this me and my best friend and a bunch of our friends went hunting in Scotland Brad Bowen I've told you this before he built this church he built all of our campuses basically

and we go marching up into the highlands me and my buddy and he has a heart attack goes to be with the lord in fact that place i was preaching this week in fort lauderdale pompano beach exactly his grave site is two miles away from where i was preaching so after i got done talking to all these ministry folks about don't waste your life whatever you do leverage everything you have for the glory of god i could not help but think that my best friend whose body's laying two miles from here from the moment he met Jesus for the last like 12 years of his life, he didn't waste a minute, man. He didn't waste a minute.

But when all that happens, of course you ask why or God, what are you doing? I wish God would send me a long list of people that he was planning on taking out. I've got a few I would like to add and a couple I'd like to subtract from the list. That's just me, man. But man, when Bradley went to be with the Lord, you know what all I could think about? I mean, praise God, I wasn't preaching then. All my friends were lined up to preach. And all I wanted to do, and I know I work here.

I had these plans of visiting all these other churches. I didn't want to go to anybody else's church. I wanted to come in here with you. I wanted to sing the songs. I wanted to hear the word. Leonce was preaching the first week I got back, man. I have no idea what he talked about. I don't even care.

I know we was preaching about the Bible, and I was sitting over there, and all I could think about is, can we get to that last song so that I can get down there on the altar and just pour out my heart and soul to God. And look, man, for about four or five weeks, I did not sing a song.

I tried to every time to show up to church. I know the songs. I pick them. Take that one out. Put this one in. I want to sing this one, okay? I can do that. You can't.

I can't. You can plant a church. Do whatever you want, okay? About five weeks, I couldn't get words just come out of my mouth. I would mad at God. But I would show up in the worship service and we would start to declare truth about God,

and I would open my mouth, nothing came out of my mouth, man, tears came out of my eyes. But I knew, I knew where I needed to be. I needed to be with the people of God, making much of God, sitting under the teaching of the Word of God, proclaiming the truth of God. And I know that God weeps with those who weep. I know that he met me every single time.

I couldn't even get the words to come out, but I just wanted to declare with his people in his presence that I know that he is God, even and especially when I don't understand what he's doing. He goes, I remember. Amen, don't give up on corporate worship. You hear people say, I don't need a church to be a Christian. I'll help you. Okay?

You might not need this church, but I don't know what book you're reading. It ain't the Bible. All right? That's like saying, I don't need a team to be a baseball player. Yeah, you're just a God. in tight pants carrying around a stick of wood if you don't have a team. You understand what I'm saying?

We were called to be a part of the body, a disconnected body party party. You know what happens to that? It's not good. It shrivels up and it dies. It stinks. It's gross. That is the Christian disconnected

from the body of Christ. He says, I remember going to worship. That's what he remembers. And then he says, why are you cast down on my soul? And why are you in turmoil within me? Now, isn't this crazy?

He makes all these incredible, theologically rich statements about the goodness of God and then right on the heels of it, but he looks at his soul and says, what's wrong with you, soul? And why are you in turmoil within me? You ever been there?

Like, you know the theological answers? You know that he's good. You know he's a good father. You know that he is actually. and all things for the good of those that love him and are called according to his purpose and you know all that here but there seems to be a disconnect from some of the words you know in your brain and what's going on in your soul this is where he is this is why the psalms are legit man so then look what he does i mean think about this together as a verse why are you cast down oh my

soul and why are you in turmoil within me hope in god for i shall again praise him here's what he's saying, he's saying, what's wrong with my soul? I'm desperate for you. I'm in need of you. I feel dry like I'm going to die. What is wrong with you, soul? And then he just tells his soul what to do. Hope in God for I shall again praise him.

Which means he isn't exactly praising him in the moment. I know what that means, man. Like I'm saying, I'm on the front row. I will praise him. But right now, I can't get the praise him. out of my mouth because the tears are just filling up my face. So he just tells us, he tells us so, you're going to hope in God. He says, I'm going to choose to hope in God. He puts his hope in God. Nowhere in the Psalm can I find a place where he asks God to change his circumstances. That's crazy.

So let me tell you what he's not saying. He says, he doesn't say he's putting his hope in his next scan. He's not putting his hope in what his spouse will or will not do. He's not putting his hope in other people. He's not putting his hope in his finances. He's not putting his hope in any temporary circumstance. He's putting his hope in the sovereign king of the universe. Proverbs 1312 says this. Hope deferred makes the heart sick. Man, if you lose hope, you're lost. Hope deferred makes the heart sick. I think I'd rather have a sick body than a sick heart. Hope deferred makes the heart sick See I think

I think when you're in that dark night of the soul I think you gotta stop spending so much time listening to yourself and you gotta start talking to yourself You know because we live in a world right now Where you just Just everybody just wants to share their feelings And feelings are fine I'm glad you have some But they make a terrible God

And we can spend a whole lot of time You ever notice how yourself will team up against yourself and speak nothing but negative things to yourself about yourself. You ever do that? You ever just say stupid stuff about yourself to yourself? I'm such a loser. I'm never going to stop this. You ever do that?

I would say stop doing that. Stop listening to yourself and start preaching to yourself the good news. You see, because your self-talk is rough, man. Because what you do not want to hear is you don't want your ears to hear, negative words coming out of your mouth because your brain might believe it and your heart might feel it and you could lose hope. It happens. So stop listening to yourself and you start talking to yourself. We'll come back to that because he's going to do it a few times. He says, hope in God, for I shall again praise him my salvation and my God. He's going to raise his eyes up over the horizon and he's going to

look out into eternity a little bit. Here's what he's saying, all right, just theologically speaking, philosophically speaking. If I can trust God for my eternity and my salvation, then can't I trust God with the temporary circumstances I'm going through right now no matter how bad they are? That's what he's saying. I'm going to hope in God, for I shall again praise him my salvation and my God. By the way, you want to hear this craziness right here? Do you know what the Hebrew word for salvation is? Yeshua. All you people who grew up Pentecostal, you were like, glory. You know what that means, okay. I don't have time to go through all. It's the Hebrew name for Jesus. Jesus's name in Hebrew is Yeshua. A thousand years before Jesus is even born. The sons of Korah are saying,

hoping God, for I shall again praise him, my Yeshua and my God. That's it, man. Put your hope in Jesus. That's how you'll see him face to face. He knows you, he gets you, and he has been through it. and he died to make all things new. Then he comes back to it. Here's the second time. My soul is cast down within me. Therefore, I remember you from the land of Jordan and Hermone and Mount Mazar.

Okay, I had to look this up. This is up north. When he was remembering his time at the temple, that's down south. I'm telling you, a bunch of people, a bunch of you have moved from the north down here. This is where Jesus lives. Well done, okay?

There's a bunch of y'all, a bunch of Yankees moved from up there, down here, meet Jesus. There's a bunch of people go from here, up there, and they lose salvation. You know what I'm saying? It's in the Bible, people. So what's happening is, he really was.

He used to be down near the temple and he was involved in worship, and now he's up way outside of where God's people are. Beware of isolation and pay attention to your environment. And then he says, deep calls to deep. Now there's all kind of like Hebraic double meaning in this.

And I think they're all true because the Bible is living and active. I mean, it always means more than we can just parse out in here in our little time together. You realize this, right? He's saying deep calls the deep. On one level, psychologically, it means this. The deep places in my soul that it's thirsting for you, call out to you, God, the deepest places that you have for me. I don't know the person that walks deeply with the Lord who hasn't walked through deep pain

and God used it to prune him. But it also literally is talking about water. When it says deep calls to deep, sometimes in the Bible in the Old Testament, the Bible used the word deep to describe the ocean. Like in Genesis chapter 1, God created heaven, the earth, and his spirit was hovering over the deep. And the deep represented chaos,

and God was bringing order to chaos. And if you've ever almost drowned, if you've ever been out there paddling around and the water's getting up right to your nose, this is what he feels like. It's a pretty good psychological description of what it feels like when you are gripped with worry and grip with depression

and grit with suicidal thoughts. Sometimes you feel like you're about to drown and you just can't keep your nose above water. You ever been there? That's where this guy is. Deep calls. to deep and the roar of your waterfalls, all your breakers and your waves have gone over me. He's saying, Lord, I'm drowning here, and I need your help.

I'm drowning here, and I need your help. But again, this is why I think there's a double meaning here. Because anybody that's ever been through it, you know this. On the one hand, in your current situation, you may feel like you're drowning as you look around you, but when you cry out to God, you realize, his love is an ocean and we're all drowning in it. Look, man, there's this song that I like to sing probably more than anybody else,

but I don't care, I told you already, I get to pick some of the songs. It's called How He Loves. It's about 12 years old. It came out and it hit right when we were getting going as a church, that's probably why it's just like etched in my soul. And we're going to come back, I'm going to tell you more about it in 11 more minutes,

but he says this, I think it's the second verse or something. He says, and it comes from this part of Psalm 42. and we are his portion and he is our prize drawn to redemption by the grace in his eyes. His grace is an ocean, we are all sinking. That when you feel overwhelmed, when you feel like your circumstances are like waves crashing in on you, any surfers ever been held under like that? Yeah, last time I went surfing, I don't really serve. I just ride waves.

And it's been a minute. And a hurricane was coming. And Ben Williams was like, let's go surf. that was Hebrew for I'm going to try to kill you in the water. That's what he's trying to do, man. What's wrong would that do? And he's like a little, don't let his boyish good looks fool you, man. He's super athletic.

He could serve. He grew up in Costa Rica, so he can't throw a ball, but he can surf. Junker takes me out there and look at me, man. I can't get on one of little potato chips you do. I got to have like a John boat. I'm out there just, I come down on this first one, and my head somehow hit the bore, and I came up, and then it was like the incredible Hulk.

and I thought I'm going to drown on a three-foot wave in Jacksonville. How embarrassing is that? It felt like God himself was just holding me under the water. I know, man. That's deep cause the deep. Yeah, man. But notice the prepositions here, deep cause the deep, the roar of your waterfalls,

all your breakers and your waves have gone over me. That God has been in charge of every single time that you have felt overwhelmed. because what he really wants to do is overwhelm you with the lavish love of the Heavenly Father. That's what he's talking about here. Says, by day the Lord commands his steadfast love. And in night his song is with me. A prayer to God of my life.

And I say to God my rock. Now it looks like he's turning the corner here, doesn't it? Come on, this is Bible. Start bad and good. That's where it looks like it's going. I say to God, my rock, why have you forgotten me? Why do I go on mourning because of the oppression of the enemy? Now, this prayer sounds schizophrenic.

Now, I know schizophrenia is like an actual thing you can be diagnosed with. I'm not making fun of that. I'm not belittingly. I'm just saying, I don't know what else to call it. Like one minute, he's like, my God, my rock. And the next one, he goes, where are you? I'm drowning. And he was in spite.

He was carried along by the Holy Spirit to write this prayer. down and then God for hundreds and now even thousands of years preserved it so that you and I would have it sitting on our lap in front of us and God goes this is how you should pray. Quit saying your prayers and pour out your soul to a heavenly father that loves you. And if it's important to you, it's important to him. And he weeps with those who weep and he rejoices with those who rejoice. Come on, you've been there. You're like, I believe in God, but I believe you need to be doing something different. this is what he's saying.

God, it doesn't seem like you're listening to me right now. How do you pray? You should pray this way. And he says, as with a deadly wound in my bones, my adversaries taunt me. And while they say to me all the day long, where is your God? By the way, if all Jesus' followers always got rescued from the pit, then people would not follow Jesus because of Jesus. they would follow Jesus because they don't want to be in the pit. And Jesus will not be a means to our own self idolatry.

I can tell you, man, you really want to be a witness for the Lord? Then get crushed. Get crushed. Have your whole world fall apart and you still walk with him faithfully. And people say, I don't understand what you're doing. And you get to say, yeah, I don't really understand it either. But it is well with my soul. That's different, right?

That's what Paul talking about in Philippians when he says, be anxious for nothing but by prayer and supplication, make your request known to God, and the God of peace that transcends understanding will guard your heart and minds in Christ Jesus. And then for the third time, why are you cast down on my soul?

Three times he asked his soul this. Why are you cast down on my soul and why are you in turmoil within me? And then look at this. He keeps talking about it. to himself. I can't reiterate this enough. He preaches a sermon to himself, and it's short. And it's this, hope in God, for I shall again praise him, my Yeshua and my God. You have to keep talking to yourself. One sermon a week for me will never, ever be enough. And honestly,

100 sermons on podcast won't be enough. You have to learn how to preach to your own self. the enemy is a liar and I'm telling you my own personal experience not only does he lie out there in the world but he also lies in here in your head and he just I call him the whispers he just whispers those lies he whispers that condemnation

he whispers the anti-gospel God's over you you screwed it up again you'll never be enough you'll never be healed your marriage will never be fixed and it's your fault and you deserve it you ran your kid off. He'll just continuously whisper those lies. And so often we are so easily duped

to help the enemy preach those evil sermons to us and we began to believe the lies. He looks at his soul and he says, what's wrong with you, soul? And then he tells his soul what to do, hope in God. For I shall again praise him, my Yeshua and my God. Let me ask you this.

What do you do when your soul is downcast? You hope in God? and you worship your way through it. If you need something to preach to yourself, go to Romans 8. Let me give you a great word when you're depressed. A great word when you have these suicidal thoughts. A great word when you feel like on the inside, you were in turmoil. You look at your soul, you look at yourself, and you say to yourself,

all right, Joby, what then shall we say to these things? what things? That depression, that marital status, that financial problem, that thing that's gnawing in here. That's the things he's talking about. What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, then who can be against us?

He who did not spare his own son, but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things? Who shall bring any charge against God's elect? I can tell you who is the devil. God does not bring a charge against God's elect. And so when you hear those charges, you be like, shut up, man, shut up. You don't get to talk to me that way.

Do you know who my dad is? That's kind of what Paul is saying here. It is God who justifies who is to condemn. Christ Jesus is the one who died, more than that who was raised, who is at the right hand of God, who is indeed interceding for us. Did you realize that if you were a follower of Jesus and you are going through that dark night of the soul, in this very moment right now there is somebody praying for you? And his name is Jesus.

and for the last 2,000 years he has had the right ear of God and he is praying for you in this moment right now. It is Jesus that is interceding for us. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation or distress or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? Let me just add a few or addiction or divorce or depression.

As it is written, for your sake, we are being killed all the day long. We are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered. What does that mean? Because that's what it feels like? but the answer to the question of who shall separate us, shall any of these things separate us? And he answers it, no.

In all these things, we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels, nor rulers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of Christ Jesus, our Lord. Say that to yourself.

So what is Psalm 42 all about? Here's what it's all about. In the dark night of the soul, and it's hard to prescribe who that's going to happen to. In the dark night of the soul, our only hope is to look to the light of the world, Yeshua, Jesus. And I dare you, go back, here's some homework, and I want you to read Psalm 42

through the lens of the person and work of Jesus Christ. Because when he walked into the Garden of Gathrimony, he fell down on his face and he sweat, drops of blood. He talks to the disciples and he says, I feel, can you pray for me, boys? I feel like I'm going to die. That's what he said. Another way to say that is Jesus could have said,

oh, my soul, why are you downcast? Why are you in turmoil? When he went to the cross, he pushed up on his nail-pierced feet and he said, I thirst. He could have righted. said as the deer pants for streams of running water. My soul longs for you. Just like, just like the Psalmist says, where have you gone? How long were you? Forget me. Jesus pushed up on his nail

pierced feet and he says, my God, my God, why have you forsaken me? And the people in the crowd say, where is your God? You see, Jesus knows what it's like to walk through Psalm 42. But then he pushes up on his nail pierced feet and he says this, it is finished. You see, he is the fulfillment of what the Psalm writer in Psalm 42 was asking for, was praying for, was preaching to his soul about. He is the fulfillment of hope in God. For again, I will praise him, my salvation and my God. This Jesus is our salvation. And he walks into his church and he gives us this invitation. come to me all who are weary and heavy burden come to me all who have a soul spiritual depression come to me all who are in a desperate situation and if you look around at your circumstances you

feel hopeless Jesus is saying come to me and put your hope in me now we're going to end a little differently and it's very dangerous and require an unbelievable amount of authenticity and an unbelievable amount of courage on your part if you would say hey man I know exactly what the psalm writer is talking about I might not use those exact words but I would say the same thing that my soul is downcast that I got a turmoil going on within me how I got thoughts I can't control. I got a situation that seems out of control. And I don't want to admit it, but I feel like I don't have hope right now.

And I want to want to put my hope in him. I'd ask you right now if you feel like you've lost hope. And you need to put your hope in God, whether you've been a Christian for 100 years or this is your first time here. If you would say that's you, I want to ask you to stand up. Right where you are. Amen. Amen.

And if you would say that your soul is downcast and you need to put your hope in God, would you stand up? Or maybe it's on behalf of a son, a daughter, maybe it's on behalf of a loved one, a husband, or a wife, or an ex-husband, or an ex-wife. And what you're hoping for is that God would move in a miraculous way in their life. Would you stand up for them? And what you're saying by standing is this, is that I'm not putting my hope in some temporary circumstance. and I'm putting my hope in Jesus. And I referenced the song called How He Loves. And a part of the reason I want to sing it is because of the story that goes behind that song.

It's a real famous song in Christian world. And a lot of people misunderstand the song because he says how he loves us. And the critics of the song say, no, it's all about us. Well, the guy that wrote the song, he wrote the first lyric. and then he had a friend show up at his house and they hung around that afternoon and they didn't do anything and they just talked to talk to talk to talk to talk and his friend got in the car and he played him that one line of the song and his friend was like that's a great song it's like it's not even a song it's like half a line he's like ah it's a great song and then that guy gets killed in a car accident that night and the dude that wrote the song

guy named John Mark he gets a phone call that his friend had died and his soul was downcast and he didn't necessarily like feel the love of God. And he couldn't like look around and everything was okay. It didn't feel okay at all. And it's it's in that environment where he chose to hope in God. It's in that environment that he wrote the words, oh how he loves us. Oh how he loves us. Oh how he loves us. Oh how he loves us. So every single one of you standing know this. Man he loves you. He loves you. He loves you. He loves you. He He loves you. He loves you so much that he wants to lavish his love upon you. And he knows what you're going through.

And his heart breaks as your heart breaks. But he wants you to know that Jesus knows exactly what you're going through. And he came and he died in your place. And he's the kind of savior that comes alongside you. And he weeps with you. And you can trust him. And you can put your hope in him. And he has demonstrated his love for you.

once and for all that Jesus came and died on the cross and he is worthy of our hope. If you're standing next to one of these people and it is appropriate, would you just put your hand on the shoulder on their elbow? Let's pray our good and gracious Heavenly Father, Lord, we declare we put our hope in you. And Lord, for those of us right now and things are going great, Lord, we praise you. We lift up our praise. And right now, God, for those whose circumstances feel like they're going underwater and they're overwhelmed. Lord, I pray that they would choose to just once again put their hope in you.

And the reason that they can is because we know beyond a shadow of a doubt, because what you did for us on the cross that you have demonstrated your love for us. Oh, how you love us. So God, I pray right now in a supernatural way, Lord, you would pour out your lavish love upon your people in this place. Lord, I pray for decades going forward when we would remember those times of your faithfulness. This would be one of those times.

God, I pray that chains of addiction would be broken. I pray that reconciliation would happen. Lord, I pray forgiveness at the heart level would be experienced. Lord, I pray that every single person would know that therefore now there is no condemnation

for those who are in Christ Jesus. God, I pray that you would overwhelm us with your love. Lord, I pray that you would mend hearts, and Lord, I pray that you would help lift up our eyes off of our temporary circumstances, and we could fix our eyes on you. And that we would know,

we would know that you hear our prayer, that you love us, that you answer our prayers. And that if we put our faith in you, then one day, one day, God, we know you may answer it the way we're praying it on this side, but we know for sure that one day when we see you face to face, you will wipe away every tear, and there will be no more morning

because we will be with you. God, we love you more than anything. We prayed in Jesus' name. Amen. If everyone would please stand, I said at the very beginning that this, the directions in this Psalm was that it was instructional, and it was from the sons of Korah, and what they did is that they sang loudly. So if you stood up, I'd invite you just come and pray.

Don't come along, bring somebody with you. Even if it's some random person, it's fine. Just feel like, come pray with me. The music is so loud, you can't hear what it's saying anyway. It'd be great, okay? But God can hear it. Come on. You come and pray, you come and pray.

And then we declare, we sing with everything we're made of, oh, how he loves. Let's respond.