Filling The Hole (Psalm 42:1,2)

Introduction

I love sermons that are relevant to every single person in the audience. And this one is. And most of them are. Whether we see their relevance or not. I want to talk to you this morning about why you need God. And why everyone, without exception, needs God.

Now you may be thinking. I sometimes waver in doubt about the existence of God. The reliability of God’s word, whether I should believe in God. I’m not sure if I even believe God exists. Sometimes people sit at an audience like this and entertain those kinds of thoughts. Now I would be quick to say there’s ample evidence for belief in the existence of God. And I’ll talk more about that this morning. But allow me to illustrate why life is going to be unsatisfying without him. Either way.

Or a pretty cool car. A lot of options there. So you want something. This is true to your existence. As you get older, the price of your toys just goes up and up. So you want something. And you’re going to accumulate stuff. Most of you in this audience can accumulate stuff in your lifetime. Stuff that you really want. And you’ll be fortunate enough to get some of those things. But then something happens. That always happens. You don’t get that thing and say, boy, I’m done. That’s it. I got it. The dream. The thing I want it. It’s come to me. I’ll never want anything else ever again. In fact, you get to want something else pretty quickly. And I’m going to tell you that’s just life.

Life is like that. And you can have those things and accumulate those things and still think you need more. And there’s no amount of the things that you could accumulate and still feel this way about the things that you have. Something’s lacking. Something’s missing. You can have the massive television with the most brilliant display. With all of the 4K technology, and you can have that glorious image, and you can have high-speed internet. Millions of megabytes per second. I don’t think we can get it that fast. But I mean just megabytes upon megabytes, instantly streaming the internet. And look, if you get Hulu, your life’s going to change forever. At least that’s the way they seem to be advertising it. I’m not so sure. You can accumulate tons of friends, great friends, good friends.

The most awesome and beautiful spouse inside and out. But you still may feel ultimately that something is not as it should be.

1. Stop Living for the Gifts and Seek the Giver

Not what it could be. Something better is out there. And sometimes we think money is the answer for that. Or a great and wonderful family or friends, as I mentioned, exotic vacation, games of all kinds, apps for all of that, sports by just legion. There are so many sports you can follow. And if nothing into such a thing, but maybe a job. Maybe that’s the solution. And we try to keep filling the hole. Let’s talk about a biblical example that illustrates this common pursuit. David of all people. Despite his ascension from anonymity, from shepherd boy to a great warrior and mighty king, despite a glorious palace, a large kingdom, a growing family, and success by any measuring standards. Well, whoa, that’s a lot right there. Despite all of that.

David still wanted more. And then the story of Bathsheba unfolds. The downward spiral commences. Family conflicts occur. His own son, Absalom, steals away the hearts of the sons of Israel. And David has to flee all of those things. Flee all of those things for his very life. What a sad picture. That is. Remember we talked about David and Goliath just recently. Remember that glorious moment for David and then his ascension to king, and now he’s being run out of town on a rail. How inglorious that is. It is believed that it was in this moment, or a moment like it, because there are several songs attributed to David in this vein. At difficult and stressful moments in his life. And even if this particular psalm was not written as he was fleeing from his son Absalom, it was written in a very trying and difficult time in his life.

It is the desert psalm of Psalm 63. It was written when he was in the wilderness of Judah, according to its heading. And I just want you to notice the verse past the one that is listed, verse 9. But those who seek my life to destroy it will go into the depths of the earth. He has some very real adversaries, which are the underpinning of this time period in his life, and the writing of this psalm. But I want you to see where he goes in the psalm. O God, thou art my God. I shall seek you earnestly.

My flesh yearns for you.

Now that sounds very similar to what we have sung this morning. Good selection, Dean. Psalm 42, another psalm written at a difficult time in David’s life. He is in despair, according to verse 11. Why are you in despair, O my soul? My tears have been my food day and night, while they say to me all day long, where is your God? Here’s a righteous man experiencing troubled times, and his enemies are mocking him. Where’s your God? In the midst of all your trouble. But David says, as the deer pants for the water brooks, so my soul pants for you, O God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When shall I come and appear before God? I remember a lot of sermons in my past when I first started preaching, where I quoted Psalm 42, 1 and 2 and Psalm 63, 1 together.

Similar ideas. I thirst for God. There is the solution to my troubles. Verse 8 of chapter 42, the Lord will command his loving kindness in the daytime, and his song will be with me in the night. A prayer to the God of my life. I want to tell you, there’s some solutions for you. Right there in that verse. I will say to God, my rock.

But he affirms in the end, hope in God, for I shall yet praise him, the help of my countenance and my God. Now back to Psalm 63. Back to Psalm 63, where he affirms, despite the difficulties of his present time, he says, Your loving kindness is better than life. My lips will praise you. Verse 3. And then notice verse 5, and I have these four words underlined. My soul is satisfied. Now remember where he is. He’s in the wilderness. But yet he says, My soul is satisfied as with marrow and fatness. I’m like filled up on the inside. And my mouth offers praises with joyful lips. Verse 11, the king will rejoice in God. Everyone who swears by him will glory for the mouths of those who speak lies.

They will be stopped. More on that in a moment. So what is David doing? David is telling us.

He’s telling us, stop living for the gifts and seek the giver. Here he is in his trial and difficulty, and his thoughts are not on the palace that he has lost or the kingdom that he has surrendered, but his need for God.

So often we are far too focused on the gifts rather than the giver.

And Psalm 63. Teach us that herein lies the answer for emptiness. This is what makes a person whole. Gives insight and hope. And leads a person successfully through the valleys of this life. You need God far more than you need any of the gifts of living in an affluent world.

2. Why You Need God: That's the Way He Made You

I want to ask two questions about that. The lesson will be yours this morning. And I know you may be asking this question. Okay, you still haven’t made your case. You’ve shown what David’s focus was when he lost a lot of stuff in those inglorious moments of his king and kingdom. But why? Why is it this way? Why should I listen to you as you tell me to stop focusing on the gifts and seek the giver? Why is that alone going to satisfy me? Why should that be the pursuit of my life? Here, this is deep. You ready for this? Big answer coming right here. Why do you need God? Because that’s the way he made you.

Ecclesiastes 3 and verse 11, God has made everything appropriate in his time, and it goes on to say in verse 11, God has said eternity in our hearts. I gotta say, I’ve moved that verse over. For over 30 years, trying to wonder about all the implications of that statement. What is exactly is Solomon is saying there in Ecclesiastes 3 and verse 11? And I don’t know if I can verbalize it very well.

But let me give it a shot here, something different than I’ve a different way than I’ve ever explained. What we do know is that God made us in his image. What is that about? I can’t exhaust all that means. God made you in his image. But we are the pinnacle of his creation. Of all the things that were created, man was given dominion and a unique and high place in all that God made. And going with that, he endowed us with a conscience, a wonderful creature of education within each one of us, where we are instructed about right and wrong and then make choices accordingly. Sometimes violating the conscience, but the conscience is an incredible thing in which God endowed us in our minds. And then there’s the capacity for worship.

Made to be in relationship with God. To know and be known by our creator. And with the capability of modeling the righteous attributes of God. Dogs can’t do that. As wonderful as they are. Well, I guess they are. Let me tell you something. All I know is I’ve been made in God’s image, that there is this capacity for eternal things, this need for a relationship with God. Without it, my life can’t be filled. I mean, you can try to stuff anything in there that you want with all the money that can be accumulated, and you’re not going to find what David had in Psalm 63. You’re not going to be there. Things were going wrong. But one thing was going extremely right. And that was his relationship with God.

And in his moment of crisis, he appealed to the one person he needed above everything else. And you can fight against that all you want. But to quote another Bible verse, you’ll just be kicking against the guns. Because this is the way he made you.

To be filled only in seeking a relationship with him. That’s why blessed are those who hunger and thirst after righteousness, for they shall be satisfied. Matthew chapter 5 and verse 6. What may feel like the right course in life, listen to this young people, what may feel like the right course in life may instead find us pitted against God. You will not fill the hole. Pursuing that. You cannot. And another thing that goes along with the design is that no matter how much you might want to pursue life without God, there’s this problem. And it becomes more real to me all the time. And as Mike read that letter from Tim and Tana to us. We cannot circumvent aging in our mortality. We’re going to have to grapple with that.

My good friend and fellow gospel preacher, Russ Bowman. Had a birthday this week, and he’s old. He turned 55. Double fives. I’m always right behind him about six to eight months, so I’ll be right there with him early next year. But you know, I like to make fun of the fact that he’s older than me. But one thing I noticed that I had not realized is when I saw on Facebook that Russ was turning 55, is that it was the 40th anniversary of the death of Elvis Preston. And so in my little message to Russ, I said, I didn’t realize that Elvis died on your 15th birthday. And he made a little comment in response to that. If Elvis were still alive, he’d be 82. Just look at Priscilla, and you can see why that would be so.

But she was younger than him. She looks good for right, so I’m not saying anything about it. But Elvis would be 82. Wow, what a hound dog.

And then there’s this great American eclipse that Jay mentioned briefly, and I’ll mention briefly that’s going to happen tomorrow. Are you excited or what? You got your glasses ready? The first eclipse of its kind in 39 years in North America. In fact, I saw a clip from the Today Show in 1979. Jane Paulie and Tom Brocall and the little smile and chuckle as Tom Brocall said, I’m sorry I have to wait around until 2017 until we can do it again. Here we are. Tom Brocall. And then I ran across this little fact. If you bought those glasses, well, let me tell you better make sure your glasses are certified. I am not looking at the eclipse with glasses that are specially made for that.

Look, football season, Lord willing, is right around the corner, and I want to watch it. The eclipse is very temporary. There’ll be 11 or 12 college football games I really want to see this? Did you get glasses for your dog?

There’s been some talk about that. Two scientists at one say, oh, yeah, you need to equip your dog. But have you ever noticed this about dogs? They don’t look at the sun. If they did, they’d all be blind.

All of our dogs will be. And if you don’t go around like you do with your little kids, like we always had to do with Brett. Don’t look at the sun. Don’t look at the sun. Parents, you’ve got to teach your kids not to look at the sun. And they tomorrow might be a good place to start that. Okay. But you didn’t do that with your dogs. Quit it, Fido. Stop. How many times have I told you, stop looking at the sun? Dogs tomorrow are like, whoa. It’s an eclipse. Now you know why I bring that up? Isn’t that a marvel of God’s design? That all animals are not blind from looking at the sun? I don’t know. That impresses me. God built that in. Why aren’t they like us?

Jared Bowman suggested that maybe the sermon titled today should be Total Eclipse of the Heart. I think he’s preaching that up in Centerville. I don’t know. I don’t know. But here we are. Tom Brocol seems so far away. Here we are. So that’s the why. But there’s another important question that we need to conclude with this morning. God made us this way. That’s why we need to take God and fill the whole. I don’t know about you, but sitting there singing those songs this morning, those things fill me in a way that nothing else does.

And that’s why I’m going to be here tonight. Not because I get paid and I’ve got a sermon prepared to preach. That’s important, by the way. But because this fills me like nothing else.

3. How Does It Fill? It's About Relationship

But how? That’s an important question. How does it fill? Perhaps if we were convinced of how it fills us that we might be more motivated to seek the giver and stop seeking the gifts above all else. Simple answer. It’s about relationship. And I know that from Philippians chapter 4. Paul writes this from a prison cell. And he says to believers, look, there’s a reason to rejoice. There was a reason for him to rejoice. And regardless of their circumstances, there was a reason for them to rejoice. He said, What? Rejoice in the Lord always. And again, I say, rejoice. The Lord is near. You notice that? I love that little short statement, Philippians 4 and verse 5. Let your forebearing spirit be made known unto all men.

More on that tonight. Develop a forbearing spirit. But he says, the Lord is near. Don’t be anxious for anything. With prayer and supplication, along with thanksgiving. Make your requests unto God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension. You can’t understand, but that’s heaven. The peace of God which surpasses all comprehension shall guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. The how is relationship. I am now one and bonded to my creator and sustainer. He is my life and whole. That’s what David teaches us.

In Psalm 42 and Psalm 63. And he also teaches us that even when circumstances have gone very much awry. There is no one, there is nothing that can help us. As God can.

I know why I’m here. When I sit here among you and worship with you and sing these songs and lift up my soul to God, I know that’s why I’m here. I’m living in conjunction with the purpose of his design. I know my purpose.

So much fear.

Because God’s in control. My time here is only temporary. And guess what? All those people who think I’m the dumbest guy around because I believe in God. One day they’re going to wish they were me. They would do anything to trade places with me. Because a day of reckoning is coming, and we can perpetuate all sorts of evil and call it good. But God will bring a day of reckoning on all of that. And righteousness will be exalted in the end. And those who have practiced it. Beyond all of that, if that’s not enough, we have a great hope. That transcends any and all circumstances. And that’s what I love about the end of Matthew chapter 5 as he concludes the Beatitudes. It goes into the rest of the sermon.

And he talks about how those who are blessed who have received insults, those who are blessed who have been persecuted. He says, they shall receive the kingdom of heaven. He says, rejoice and be glad in verse 12. For your reward in heaven is great. You’re not the only one that’s ever suffered. Your reward in heaven is great. That’s the how. A relationship with God. What will forever and always be true?

Conclusion

Is everyone who comes to the truth will have their souls purified in obedience to that truth. And that’s how you arrive at a right relationship with the one that you need the most.

More on those verses tonight in 1 Peter chapter 1. Your soul is purified in obedience to the truth, and that’s your greatest need this hour if there’s sin on your account. Can we assist you? Let’s stand and say.