The God Who Covenants - Part 2

Bryan Chapell: God has said, this is not based, the gospel, upon what you do. It's based upon His mercy, His heart, not your actions. And for that reason, when God says to His people, I will bless my people, I will call my people, I will use my people, that calling is irrevocable.
Guest (Male): So glad you joined us for today's Unlimited Grace, the audio broadcast ministry of pastor and author Bryan Chapell. In today's episode, Pastor Bryan shares the second half of a lesson from Psalm 132. Dr. Chapell investigates a psalm for a distressed people designed to remind them of the divine promise of God. You can find this lesson and many others when you visit unlimitedgrace.com. And while you're there, look for Pastor Bryan's book, The Promises of Grace. Dr. Chapell offers a careful look at the beauty of grace and all it brings to believers. Let's hear now from Dr. Bryan Chapell as he shares the second half of the lesson, The God Who Covenants.
Bryan Chapell: We're now in the fifth book of the Psalms. The Psalms are divided into five different books. The fifth book was collected during the time of Israel's exile. They are slaves. They're not singing at the temple anymore. They are imagining days long ago when the festivals allowed them to ascend the temple mount, and they would sing of the glories of God from whom they turned. And in idolatry now, they are in Babylon, remembering Israel. But when they remember, they remember a God who is binding Himself to them, not on the basis of what they did, but on the basis of the mercy in His own heart. A covenant-keeping God who would not turn because they did not meet the conditions. No, the conditions of the covenant were the grace of God. And for that reason, they could still sing. Let's stand and consider these words of Psalm 132, a psalm for a distressed people who would remember a divine promise. Remember, O Lord, in David's favor, all the hardships he endured. How he swore to the Lord and vowed to the mighty one of Jacob. I will not enter my house or get into my bed. I will not give sleep to my eyes or slumber to my eyelids until I find a place for the Lord, a dwelling place for the mighty one of Jacob. A faithful walk believing that God was not done was taught to Juliet Luu Wait's family in the unfolding months. After Saigon fell, the family that survived was taken to Guam to await resettlement somewhere. And there, through miraculous steps, they found out that the helicopter that had been blown out of the sky did not have any of their family members. The family was reunited, but in Guam, little was provided—a bowl of rice and a carton of milk for a whole family each day. Juliet writes of her mother, she began to share her portion of rice with her ill sister until her mother dropped to 90 pounds in weight. Still waiting, still waiting. What would happen? They wanted to go to the United States. Some of you will recognize these words, but anti-war and anti-Vietnam sentiment were so strong nobody wanted the refugees at that time. But she writes, far away at a small Baptist church in Lafayette, Indiana, some Christians were convinced that God's heart was for those that nobody wanted. And that little church committed to sponsoring a refugee family. They opened their hearts and their homes to this strange family from a strange land that everybody wanted to forget. And in doing so, that church was also on their own faith walk. We believe that God is not done. We believe that He can use us. We believe that God's power and presence are yet at work. He will restore His purposes because He is a covenant-keeping God. What He has promised He will fulfill, and because we believe that, we have a passion for God who has a passion for His people. And it is that passion that moved that church to provide for people that they did not know, did not deserve the provision, did not in any way qualify for it. That church, that little church in Lafayette, Indiana, believed that Aaron's staff had budded for a reason and that it was still intended to bud for the flourishing to the nations of the mercy of God. What does faithful memory and a faithful walk lead to? It leads to faithful prayer. That's what that passion for God ultimately becomes. It's reflected in verse eight. These people in exile pray, "Arise, O Lord, go to your resting place, you and the ark of your might." We think about that meaning settled down in some way. Go to your resting place. But if God, represented in the ark, would actually rest among the people of God, what would that mean? It would mean the power and the presence of God were yet again in Israel. We pray that too. God, bring your power and your presence here. Rest among us because we know when you rest among us, we are animated for you. We recognize your power, your presence. And when we do, we have a passion for your purposes. It's verse nine, "Let your priests be clothed with righteousness, let your saints shout for joy." Lord, we want you not just to rest, to be present and powerful among us. Make known your salvation. The priests' robes white showing the purity that the blood would accomplish. God would sanctify and purify a sinful people. Lord, be present among us, powerful among us, and show your righteousness to the nations so that, verse 10, "For the sake of your servant David, do not turn away the face of your anointed." God, don't let your anointed, your anointed people or your anointed king, be put to shame. Don't let their faces be turned away. Lord, provide your rest among your people, your righteousness, but ultimately your rule. God, don't let us be put to shame. Let us believe that you are still working, you still have a purpose for your people. And the reason those people long ago in slavery or even we this day would pray for the restoration of the power and purposes of God among us is that we are willing to ask great things of God because we believe He will accomplish great things for His own namesake. My passion is for His passion, and His passion is His salvation for His people. And so we say, God, if this is really what you're doing, if you're not done, if Aaron's staff is intended to bud even yet again, make us a part of it. Come rest here. Come be a part of us. Come God, make power and presence and salvation known in this place that we might be a part of your great purposes as you intend. And when that passion fills God's people, other people know that passion too. Juliet Luu Wait wrote this about her family. My mother's family knew nothing of Jesus or the church when they lived in Vietnam. But as they were welcomed by this community in Indiana, they were encountering the generosity of God that they had never before witnessed. My mother would say, my country was full of hardness, but in Lafayette, Indiana, we experienced kindness such as we had never known. Despite the fact that my grandfather could not understand the language, he longed to be in church every Sunday. And my aunts and uncles who were welcomed into the youth group wanted to come again and again to learn about the Jesus that was in that place. Amazing that what God is saying to a people again who are in slavery, who are destitute, remember my covenant. I remember it. And as you pray to me, I will be powerful and present in your place, and I will bring the budding of the nations to your very doors. You are not out of the game. It's not just for the people in Lafayette, Indiana. It's for the church of Jesus Christ in Peoria, Illinois, to remember our God is a covenant-keeping God. He has plan for His power and presence to be known among the nations, and He is using those who have a passion for Him to spread His passion far and wide. He's not done. That's what we do when we read through the scriptures. They are the historical markers that we see on our own life's journey to be reminding. God did wonderful things in that place. Why did He do them? To remind us He can do wonderful things now as we would yet believe that He is calling to a people, to this people, to us, to yet be His power and presence today for the world around us. Ultimately, we have that passion when we begin to understand His passion for us. That's the way the gospel works. I don't somehow earn His love. I more and more begin to perceive the amazing magnitude of His grace. And when that magnitude of His grace has captured my heart, I begin to respond in love and affection because love is far more powerful than greed or guilt. It's my heart responding to the passion of God with passion for God.
Guest (Male): You're listening to Unlimited Grace, the audio broadcast ministry of pastor and author Bryan Chapell. Have you thought about the fullness of God's grace and the role that it plays in your life? You can hear and understand that you are saved by grace. But what other spiritual benefits can an understanding of God's grace reveal? And what has God promised to believers that His grace will provide? In the book, The Promises of Grace, Pastor Bryan offers a careful look at the beauty of grace and all it brings to you as a believer. God's word does not promise more money and fewer headaches, but His grace provides a confidence in our relationship with Him. Pastor Bryan wants to help you focus on the promises that you can expect God to fulfill—promises of assurance of God's love, peace of conscience, joy in the Holy Spirit, and perseverance in trial. You can request your copy of The Promises of Grace when you go online at unlimitedgrace.com or by calling 844-41-GRACE. That's 844-414-7223. And now, more from Bryan Chapell on today's Unlimited Grace.
Bryan Chapell: Max Lucado talks about God's passion for His people this way. If God had a refrigerator, your picture would be on it. If He had a wallet, your photo would be in it. He sends you flowers every spring, a sunrise in the morning. Whenever you want to talk, He'll listen. He could live anywhere in the universe, but God chose your heart as the place He wants to live. Face it, friend, He's crazy about you. God has a passion for His people. And when I know that, when I experience that, I begin passionate about His purposes. I want others to know it. I want others to feel it and experience. That promise is that buoyant aspect of verse 11. God said He would not turn back. Do you capture that? We so often think of the gospel as some kind of a contract, right? You keep up your end, God will keep up His end. It's transactional. But God is saying, no, the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable. That God has said this is not based, the gospel upon what you do, it's based upon His mercy, His heart, not your actions. And for that reason, when God says to His people, I will bless my people, I will call my people, I will use my people, that calling is irrevocable. And because it is irrevocable, it gives us a willingness to stand even when the night looks dark. It gives us a willingness to move forward even when we don't see the purpose. It gives us the willingness to start over again when it seems like what we've done has failed and wasn't making progress fast enough. Why would we keep moving forward? Because God has a passion for His people. And He who will accomplish His purposes is calling us to that very purpose. What is it? Verse 13, "The Lord has chosen Zion, He has desired it for His dwelling place." It's just the reminder that God has chosen to make His people His residence. That God inhabits the praise of His people. I love some or sing when people from all over the congregation involve themselves back in the choir, and I think, is it just sentiment? No, it's the truth of scripture. God inhabits the praise of His people. That when we are praising from the heart, we all feel it. Here's God here in this place. And He knows all our sin and weakness and the fact that we yawn in the song sometimes. He knows all the messiness and the worst about us and still says, I want to be with you. I want to be in you. I want to put my residence here. And that knowledge of His residence has given us such a passion for Him that we in all of our weakness and sin want other people to hear the words. What does a God who wants His residence in you say? Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If any man hear my voice and open the door, I will go into him and dine with him. Why? Because He wants to be in our residence. He wants to be in our place. That's His passion for His people. And when I see it and know it, I want to express what He Himself has told me—not just about His residence, but about the rule that He intends for His people. I'm going to look at the last verses of this psalm very quickly, but I just want you to think in your own heart and mind, what do these words mean to you? For the moment, not for other people, what do these words mean for you? Verse 15, God says, "I will abundantly bless her," that is Israel, my people. "I will abundantly bless her provisions. I will satisfy her poor with bread." I know there's just a physical response, but do you see what God is saying? I will provide for people who cannot provide for themselves. He's making a promise of provision to those who are in slavery and saying, even for the poorest, the most destitute, I'll provide. What if you think there's no right for you to be in God's house? What if you think there's no way you can make up what you have done or has been done to you? God says, I'll make provision for those who cannot provide for themselves. It's my nature. What else does He say as part of this residence that He's establishing among His people? Verse 16, "Her priests I will clothe with salvation, and her saints will shout for joy." I will provide salvation to slaves. I'm going to provide for the priest again to have ministry to my people, and they will shout for joy. Now, at the time that God is making this known to them, remember they are enslaved for their own idolatry. We can be enslaved to idolatry, to pornography, to gaming, to careerism, to all kinds of things that enslave us in the moment. And God is saying, I can provide salvation for slaves. I can provide for those who cannot provide for themselves. I can provide salvation for slaves. What else? Verse 17, "I will make a horn to sprout for David. I've prepared a lamp for my anointed." Boy, that doesn't make sense to us. Listen, if you were in ancient Israel, an animal that had great dignity had the largest horn, right? Whether it's rhinoceros or antelope in the desert. If God says I will make a horn sprout, it's borrowing from the language of the prophets. I will make again a branch sprout from the root of Jesse. Here's the promise of one who comes, but I'm going to give that root, that sprout, that horn to my people. I will give dignity to the despised. I will give once again significance to those who have lost hope in themselves. Dignity for the destitute. Who is that? My marriage has failed, my family has failed, they kicked me out of the company. Who is it? I have no pride left. God says I will provide your pride. You will be in my house, and I will be in your heart. I will give you dignity again, regardless of what has happened, regardless of what has been done. And verse 18, "His enemies," that is of the anointed, "I will clothe with shame, but on him his crown will shine." What's finally being promised? A crown for the savior. That the one who comes to rescue will rule. He'll dominate over all the other things—the enemies, the naysayers, the opponents, the people who look down on you, the parents who make fun of you, the child who no longer respects. Listen, somehow God is saying, I will provide dignity and I will ultimately defeat all God's and your enemies by the work of the savior who will come. It's hard for us to recognize that the one who wears the crown is being declared in the midst of warfare language. He will defeat His enemies and your enemies for your sake. He will provide for those who cannot provide for themselves. He will provide dignity for the destitute. He will provide salvation for slaves. But ultimately, what we're being told is He will fight for you. He is the king. He is the king who knows it all. He knows what's happened and what now needs to happen. And we as a people call upon Him. The reason we look at a July where we are talking about a Sunday after a Sunday after a Sunday of evangelism is not just because we want to think about a technique. It's because we want to pray, God, be powerful and present among us. We don't want our past to define us. We want to believe in a God who defines us. It's His covenant keeping. It's not our contract. It's His mercy that we want to move forward. And when we know that He's saying, not only will I provide, I'll fight for you, and I'll fight for those that you love, I'll fight for those who've lost hope in themselves. I am yours, I'm your deliverer, I'm your savior, and I will fight for you. What difference does it make? I want to go forward now. I want others to know, and I want them to know deep down of the God who knows the worst about them and still says, I will fight for you. It makes difference in their lives, and we must know that. Two weeks ago, I spent time with a friend in another state that I've known for a few years, and I'm not going to tell you his real name. He spends most of his life now in his non-working hours working with those who are addicted to drugs of various sorts. And the reason he's so good at it is that he was an addict for a long time. And I asked him just this last time, I said to him, "Nikki," not his name, "Nikki, what finally got you out of that life? I mean, so many rehab clinics, so many 12-step programs. What finally happened?" He said, "Bryan, I finally met somebody who would fight for me. I met a man who in the name of Jesus said, you call me any time of day or night. Whatever you need, you come. I will come, and I will fight for you." And he did. He didn't just fight my dealers, he fought my personal demons. He fought past my own betrayal. He just kept fighting for me. And it was knowing that there was someone who would fight for me that made me ultimately live for Jesus. What kind of a church do we want to be? I hope we're the church that says God doesn't love me because we've gotten good enough or you gotten good enough. God loves me because of His mercy. He is a covenant-keeping God. And when I know that, I want His passion for me to become my passion for His purposes. And I want His people to know. Listen, you're destitute, He can give you dignity again. You're a slave to whatever, He can give you salvation. But most of all, I want you to know He'll fight for you. This God will fight heaven and earth, the demons and all that must be fought, that God must rule and reign in your heart and you would know His peace because He is the God of the covenant.
Guest (Male): That's Pastor Bryan Chapell, and you've been listening to Unlimited Grace. If you've been blessed by this message and would like to hear more from Dr. Chapell, I would encourage you to visit unlimitedgrace.com. In addition to messages from Pastor Bryan, you can explore the many sermons, podcasts, seminars, and more available to you. Also, be sure to request a copy of the book from Dr. Bryan Chapell called The Promises of Grace. We'll send you a copy right away as our way of saying thank you for your most generous financial support. Once again, go to unlimitedgrace.com, or you can give by calling 844-41-GRACE. That's 844-414-7223. Please be sure to join us next time as once again we endeavor to put Christ at the center of our efforts so that lives might be transformed by His unlimited grace. This ministry is brought to you by Unlimited Grace Media and continues to be made possible with your generous financial support.