The Ultimate Why

[0:00] Kids are really inquisitive, right? They hit the stage where they ask why for everything. I'm like, why should I eat broccoli? Because it's good for you. Why? Because, you know, it has lots of nutrients. Why? Et cetera, et cetera, right? And I was saying to my friend how like without God, the ultimate why for me would probably be because I said so, right?

[0:25] Right? Because I don't know. I don't have any other reason apart from that. But that's very shaky foundation, right? To have an answer for why because that ultimately depends on whoever's talking. But with God, the why ultimately boils down to who God is and what he wants and what he's done. And so I was telling my friend, you know, that's what I would tell my kids when I explain the ultimate why. And for us as Christians, when we come to God in prayer, our ultimate why is Jesus. He's our ultimate foundation for why God should do something for us. When we ask God to help us, to provide for us, to save us. And if God were to ask us, why should I help you? Why should I provide for you? We can confidently answer because of Jesus because of Christ, who he is and what he's done. And the Psalms are full of cries to God for help.

[1:22] We've been reading a lot in 119 and just throughout the Psalms. But, you know, as we read these things, we can remind ourselves that it's ultimately Christ who is our foundation for why God should answer our cries. So let's dive into this passage. We see three actors here or like, you know, people mentioned, people moving in this passage. There's God, the psalmist, and the wicked. So God is the one to whom the psalmist is appealing. God is great in mercy. That's in verse 156. 159, God gives steadfast love. Verse 160, God is righteous in his rules. So this is who God is. And the psalmist is appealing to that. So that's one person here. Another person is the psalmist himself who's crying out to God to deliver me. That's verse 153. Give me life. That comes up in multiple spots. 154, 156, 159.

[2:19] The psalmist doesn't forget God's law and he does not swerve from God's testimonies. He loves God's precepts. And this is unlike the third actor here, the wicked. The wicked don't seek God's statutes.

[2:31] They don't keep God's commands. They don't care about God at all. And the psalmist says that he looks upon them with disgust. Not that the psalmist is without sin. He appeals to God that in his mercy, God will give him life. That God would see that the psalmist is genuine and earnest in pursuing God. So, you know, when the psalmist is saying, like, look upon him, it's not so much because I'm perfect, right? But because he's genuine in heart. It reminds me of a couple places in scripture. One is in Luke 18, where it's the parable of the persistent widow. And she's going after that unjust judge for justice. And she keeps, she's just like persistently pursuing him, right? That shows her earnestness. There's also Genesis 32. If you guys remember the story of when Jacob wrestles with God, God appears to him before Jacob sees his brother Esau and he's afraid of meeting him.

[3:32] And before God goes, Jacob holds onto God and says, I will not let you go unless you bless me, right? Which is a pretty bold thing to say to God. And Jacob's saying, like, you have to give this to me, right? I'm asking you for this. I won't let you go. And the psalmist says the same thing, right? Like, please, please give me life. He keeps repeating it. So I think about, like, that ask, what did the, what did the psalmist want when he asked for this? I mean, what do we think he asked when he thought about giving him life, right? And we can ask ourselves that too. Like, what do we think of when we think of life? If we're to ask God, give me life. One definition is found in John chapter 17, verse 3. It says, and this is eternal life, that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent. So we find, find life in knowing God. And we're reminded that this life is only possible because Jesus' life was taken away. Verse 157 says, many are my persecutors and my adversaries, but I do not swerve from your testimonies. We've been going through Luke, and we remember easily

[4:50] Jesus came across the Jewish leaders, Roman soldiers who despised him, mocked him, Pontius Pilate, who didn't care about him. They were all against Jesus, but Jesus didn't turn, he didn't run, but he stayed true to God's plans for him. Verse 158 says, I look to faithless with disgust. The psalmist is saying this about the wicked, but we also know that God looked on Jesus with disgust because of our disgust and sins. So yeah, it's because of Jesus. God doesn't see my mistakes, my rebellion against him. When he looks upon me, I'm forgiven. We're forgiven because of Christ.

[5:33] Christ's righteousness because it belongs to us. So, you know, we're about to come to prayer, come to God in prayer. Why should God listen to us? Why should God listen to me? It's because Christ is perfect. He's righteous. Jesus deserves God's blessing, and we belong to Christ, so we deserve God's blessing in him. Why should God have compassion upon me when I'm miserable?

[5:57] It's because Jesus has made peace between us and God, between me and God, and I have access to God's heart of mercy. Why should he give me life? Because Jesus came to give life abundantly, and I cling to Christ. So as I think about application, a few questions that came to mind are, what are some things that your heart desires right now? So what are some of the desires of your heart?

[6:30] What are ways that you're crying out to God to give you life? And then, as you think about that, you know, one thing we can do is examine our hearts to ask if we're defining life the same way that God is defining it, and see if our desires are good and right and wise. And if they are, if we find that our desires are within God's will, we can stand upon Christ. We can go to God and give him no rest until he gives it to us, just like Jacob, and until he blesses us and gives us the desires of our hearts. So with that, let's sing a song, and let's pray.

[7:09] Yeah.