Sermon Psalm 22:25-31 “When You Fear the Future”

 Rev. Jeffrey T. Howard
Sermon Psalm 22:25-31 “When You Fear the Future”
Presbyterian Church of Easton
May 2, 2021

Video of our Worship Service

We are continuing today with our look at the Book of Psalms.  This book is filled with the most beautiful ancient poetry and tells us so much about God.  I hope you are enjoying all of this.   Let’s pray.

Holy God, we approach you in worship today in gratitude for the blessings we have received and in the hope for the glorious future, you have planned for us in your kingdom.  Give me the gift of preaching today so that I may communicate this hope to the congregation.  And open their minds to receive this wonderful gift of hope from you.  We pray this with your Son and our Lord, Jesus the Christ.  Amen.

Psalm 22:25-31
25 From you comes my praise in the great congregation;
    my vows I will pay before those who fear him.
26 The poor shall eat and be satisfied;
    those who seek him shall praise the Lord.
    May your hearts live forever!
27 All the ends of the earth shall remember
    and turn to the Lord;
and all the families of the nations
    shall worship before him.
28 For dominion belongs to the Lord,
    and he rules over the nations.
29 To him, indeed, shall all who sleep in the earth bow down;
    before him shall bow all who go down to the dust,
    and I shall live for him.
30 Posterity will serve him;
    future generations will be told about the Lord,
31 and proclaim his deliverance to a people yet unborn,
    saying that he has done it.

Psalm 22 is a familiar one for us.  You may remember that we talked about it just a few weeks ago on Palm Sunday.  The opening lines of this psalm were spoken by Jesus from the cross, “My God, My God, Why have you forsaken me?”  These words were probably written by King David after a military defeat.  He must have wondered where God went to during a disastrous battle.  We too often wonder where God is when we need him and he seems to be nowhere in sight.  The experience of the absence of God is frightening because without God we have little control over the present and no control at all over the future.  Only God knows the future and has control over it.  So we need God to calm our fears about the future.

That is what is happening at the end of the psalm.  God is calming our fears about the future.  God is telling us not to fear the future because he is in control.  And if God is in control then everything will turn out alright.  What we need is the gift of faith so that we can trust God with the future and leave our worries behind.  And when we receive this gift of faith, and worries of the future leave us, we just can’t help but jump up and down and praise God.  So let’s look at the promises of the future that God made to David which results in faith and praise for God.

25 From you comes my praise in the great congregation;
    my vows I will pay before those who fear him.

This section of the psalm begins with a promise.   This is common in the psalms.  Essentially a contract is being offered.  God will bless the psalmist.  And the psalmist promises to do something for God.  And this something, praise and a sacrifice will be done in the midst of the congregation in worship.

We too must remember that God blesses us richly every day.   And in thankful response to those blessings, we need to use our resources to care for people in our community and the church.  Let’s go back to the psalm.
  
26 a The poor shall eat and be satisfied;
   
The first thing we know is that the future will be characterized by justice and righteousness.  This means that everyone will receive their daily bread and no one will go hungry.  This aspect of the Kingdom of God has been partially accomplished.  Here in Easton, the poor receive Food Stamps and other forms of support.  The area churches supplement these benefits with programs of their own.   At this church, we support organizations that distribute food, including the Talbot Interfaith Shelter, and we have grocery store cards for anyone who comes into our doors looking for food.  As you can see the prediction of the Psalmist that the poor will be fed and satisfied is partially being met here in Easton and the churches still have more work to do.

 26 b   those who seek him shall praise the Lord.
    May your hearts live forever!

The second thing that we know about the future is that everyone who wants to know God will be filled with praise.  This too is happening in Easton as many churches are reopening their doors for worship and praise every Sunday.  We are here, every Sunday at 10 to worship and praise our creator God.  But this part of God’s kingdom is also only partially met in Easton.  Although there are many churches in our community not everyone who is longing for God in Easton comes to worship.  This is our great opportunity as we go about our daily lives in this town to invite people we meet to come here for praise and worship.  Believe it or not, there are still many people who would love to come to church, but no one has invited them.  This is a golden opportunity for us to grow this church.

27 a All the ends of the earth shall remember
    and turn to the Lord;

The third thing that will happen in the future is that all who have known God and worshiped God but have fallen away will remember God and return to the church.  We all know people who used to come to church but stopped.  God’s promise is that no matter how far someone has drifted away, God’s love is so powerful that they will be pulled back.  This is our great hope for our children who have wandered away from the church.  God still loves them and will find a way to bring them back to the church and to the saving grace of Jesus Christ.  Just keep praying for your children and grandchildren and great-grandchildren that God will give them the gift of faith and the need to praise God in worship.  

27 b and all the families of the nations
    shall worship before him.

The fourth prediction, for the future in this psalm, is that God will give the gift of faith to all the families of the earth.  This will result in universal worship and praise of the Lord our God.  Of course, this has yet to occur.  Although faith is rapidly increasing in parts of the world including South America and Africa there are still large areas where the faith is present in only small portions of the population.  And faith is decline here in America.  This is why the church must continue its missionary work among people who have yet to hear and receive the gospel.  It is vital that the church continue and expand this effort to bring about the conversion of all the people of the earth to the true faith in Jesus Christ.

28 For dominion belongs to the Lord,
    and he rules over the nations.

The fifth prediction for the future is that God will have dominion over all the governments on earth.  Although the Kingdom of God is our ideal we are still waiting for it and it has not yet arrived.  Few, if any, governments on the earth put God at the center of their policies.  Many, like the current United States government, believe in a wall between church and state.  But we know that one day all the kings, premiers, presidents, and dictators will bow down to the one true God.  And on that day the Kingdom of God will be firmly established for eternity.

29 To him, indeed, shall all who sleep in the earth bow down;
    before him shall bow all who go down to the dust,
    and I shall live for him.

The sixth promise for the future in this psalm is that those who have died will be given the opportunity to worship God.  This is why we say in the Apostles Creed that Jesus Christ “descended into hell”.  The saving grace of Jesus Christ extends even to the souls of the departed who may one day bow down in worship.  This gives us great hope that those loved ones who have died without ever receiving the gift of faith will one day receive that gift and join us in heaven worshiping and praising God.

30  Posterity will serve him;
    future generations will be told about the Lord,
31 and proclaim his deliverance to a people yet unborn,
    saying that he has done it.

And the final promise of the Psalm is that future generations will be told about God and Jesus Christ.  That is our mission as the church.  We are here to proclaim the gospel, generation after generation until everyone has been brought to salvation through Jesus Christ.  Our work with children is especially important because this is how we ensure that praise and worship of God will continue into the future.  And this is the work of mothers and grandmothers and Sunday School teachers.  You have the responsibility of teaching your children about God so that they might receive the gift of faith and bow down in worship to almighty God. 

So according to David, we have no reason to fear the future.  In the future, the poor will be cared for.   Those seeking God will be filled with praise.   Those who have fallen away will return to the faith.   Everyone in the world will hear the gospel and respond in faith.  God will rule the world in justice and righteousness. Even those who have died will have the opportunity to respond to God’s gifts.  And the generations that follow us will continue to praise and worship God.  With this good news about the future, what is there to fear?  Let’s pray.

Heavenly Father, we thank you and praise you for the glorious future you have ordained for us.   We pledge to work for the advancement of your kingdom and Earth with our tithes to the church and service to the community.  Bless us, our church, and our families as we live into your promises.   This we pray in the name of our Lord, Jesus Christ.  Amen.