Life is Brief; God is Eternal

[0:00] You have taken me up and thrown me aside. My days are like the evening shadow.! I wither away like grass. But you, O Lord, sit enthroned forever.

[0:12] ! Your renown endures through all generations. You will arise and have compassion on Zion. For it is time to show favor to her. The appointed time has come.

[0:24] For her stones are dear to your servants. Her very dust moves them to pity. The nations will fear the name of the Lord. All the kings of the earth will revere your glory.

[0:36] For the Lord will rebuild Zion and appear in his glory. He will respond to the prayers of the destitute. He will not despise their plea. Let this be written for a future generation.

[0:50] That a people not yet created may praise the Lord. The Lord looked down from his sanctuary on high. From heaven he viewed the earth. To hear the groans of the prisoners.

[1:01] And release those condemned to death. So the name of the Lord will be declared in Zion. And his praise in Jerusalem. When the peoples and the kingdoms assemble.

[1:13] To worship the Lord. In the course of my life he broke my strength. He cut short my days. So I said do not take me away, O my God.

[1:23] In the midst of my days. Your years go on through all generations. In the beginning you laid the foundations of the earth. And the heavens are the work of your hands.

[1:36] They will perish. But you remain. They will all wear out like a garment. Like clothing you will change them. And they will be discarded.

[1:46] But you remain the same. And your years will never end. The children of your servants will live in your presence. Their descendants will be established before you.

[1:59] Well in Psalm 102. Two great realities collide. They intersect and come together.

[2:12] Each of them on their own is difficult to deal with. Each of them on its own hits us with different powerful emotions.

[2:23] But taken together. They are even more complicated. As we watch them wrestle with each other. In one corner you have man's frailty.

[2:37] You have man's frailty. His fleeting mortality. And then on the other hand. And in the other corner. Is God's eternity. And that is what we are going to be talking about this evening.

[2:50] In all of our songs this evening. Except for the doxology. We made reference. We sang. That our God is eternal.

[3:02] He is eternal. And so this is man and God. At sort of at their extremes. We are flying away. Our lives are quickly over.

[3:14] How brief our lives are. And God is the same forever. And ever. Well. Last Saturday morning.

[3:25] If you were in Hawaii. The people of Hawaii all of a sudden came face to face. With their death. A text. An emergency.

[3:36] A text from the state emergency system was sent out. And it said ballistic missile threat inbound to Hawaii. Seek immediate shelter.

[3:47] This is not a drill. And people turned on their TVs. To see the very same warning. I heard an interview with one of the state representatives from Hawaii.

[4:04] And he huddled with his children. In the bathtub. For an agonizing 38 minutes. Until the false alarm message went out.

[4:16] And they did this interview with him. And he described that at the time. They were terrified. And this little eight-year-old said.

[4:27] Are we at war? War. And he had to say. Yes. We're at war. But when it was all over. Immediately there was relief.

[4:38] Relief. You can imagine. But then relief. Soon turned. To fury. He was furious.

[4:51] And I asked myself. Why? Why would he be furious? Furious. I mean. I can imagine myself being furious. In those situations. But why? Why would he be furious? Why would I be furious?

[5:02] I mean. It was a mistake. It was all over. It was a relief. And yet. I think he was furious. And that this is not a drill. Because he was suddenly.

[5:17] And shockingly. Confronted. With just how quickly. His life could be over. How quickly. It could just like that. Be over. And.

[5:30] When it turned out all to be. A mistake. Not true. He was angry. But. Why so mad?

[5:42] Why so angry? He's going to die someday. Whether by missile strike. Or by something else. He's going to die someday. And in the big scheme of things.

[5:54] He only has a few years left. I don't know anything about him. I don't know his age. But in the big scheme of things. His life will soon be over. And it's not like he's going to dodge it. Man's life.

[6:06] Is brief. And it is fragile. That's what you see in Psalm 102. Life is brief. And it's always perilously close to the edge. To falling away.

[6:18] To being cut short. And so. Really. That's the problem. The trouble that we. I want to talk about this evening. How. How do you live with that? Pretty much.

[6:30] The normal way that we live with that. Is just to not think about it. Don't we? We just put it off. And don't consider it. Don't let it hit us.

[6:40] But. Sticking your head in the sand. Is not the Bible's way. Of dealing. With our. Brevity. And our mortality. Instead. It points us to a very strange.

[6:52] Very peculiar. Comfort. It points us to the fact. That God is eternal. God is eternal. And that's what you see in Psalm 102. As Pastor John said.

[7:03] We started this. A series two weeks ago. On God's attributes. And our problems. And the idea. Of the whole series. Is that. We. Have. Problems.

[7:13] We have. All kinds of troubles. And yet. In every single case. There is hope. There is. Security. There is. Grace.

[7:24] In who. God. Is. The name of the Lord. Is a. Is a strong tower. And the righteous. Run into it. And the name of the Lord. Is just. Who God is.

[7:36] What he's like. They. They run into it. And there we find help. And. In the gospel. All of God.

[7:48] Is for all of us. Every attribute. Is for. Our. Good. In love. Every single. Attribute of God. Is now. Bent.

[7:58] Toward. Us. And toward. Helping. Us. Us. And so. The question. Is. Is. Who is God. For you. And tonight's answer. Is. Is. God. Is. The eternal. One.

[8:09] That's who he is. For you. He's eternal. And so. Let's look at. Psalm 102. We're not going to. Go through the entire. Psalm. Or anything. But. As you see. It's the prayer.

[8:19] Of an afflicted man. And we don't know. Who wrote it. We don't know. The occasion. Of it being written. But we do know. That whoever it was. And whatever the situation is. We can relate to him.

[8:31] We can understand. What he's saying. We have a foot. Into. The room. Where he's at. He isn't talking about. Something I don't know about. He's not talking about.

[8:42] Something you don't know about. Yet. There might be differences. In extreme. In situations. In circumstances. But. We all get. What he's saying. We all have felt that.

[8:53] Of. Life is getting. Away from me. And he's living. In a very human. He's living. In a human life. In this world. And it's brief. And it's fragile. And.

[9:04] That's what. You see. First. You can see it. In verse three. For my days. Vanish. Like smoke. You start the fire.

[9:17] The smoke. Goes up. And. It vanishes. Smoke. Isn't. Solid. To begin with. Is it. Because you can't. Go. And grab.

[9:28] A. A handful. Of smoke. You can run through it. You can get it in your eyes. But you can't grab a hold of it. It's not solid. And yet. How quickly. It disappears. And so. James says.

[9:38] What is your. Life. We imagine. Our lives. To be such. Solid. Firm. Long. Lasting. Things. And yet. The bible's perspective. And god's perspective.

[9:49] Is. You're no more than a mist. Your life is a mist. That appears for a little while. And then vanishes. And that's. That's the universal testimony.

[9:59] Of scripture. Life is brief. What is your life? It's a mist. Listen to the word of God. And.

[10:11] Children. Young people. This might. Not feel. Right. It might not feel. True. But. It really is true. It might not seem real.

[10:23] But listen to it. Because it is. Psalm 39. Show me. Oh lord. My life's end. And the number. Of my days. Now.

[10:34] Just. I want to pause there. For a second. We can imagine. That our lives. Are just going to go on. And on. And on. There's a set number. Of days. And today.

[10:46] You just put one of those numbers. In the books. Show me the number. Of my days. Let me know. How fleeting. Is my life. You have made my days. A mere hand breath. That.

[10:58] Wide. The span. Of my years. Is. As nothing. Before you. Each man's life. Is but a breath. Man. Is a mere phantom.

[11:08] As he goes. To and fro. He bustles about. But only in vain. He heaps up wealth. Not knowing. Who will get it. And so. Hustle. And bustle. That's our lives. Keeping up wealth.

[11:20] Going to work. Saving. What is the stock market doing? I've got to save. I've got to invest. I've got to buy this. I've got to buy that. And. And. What the psalmist says.

[11:30] Is how. Meaningless it is. It's a phantom. It's a ghost. Running around. Doing this. And in the end. What seemed. And felt. So vital.

[11:41] And so urgent. Is nothing. It's over. Just like that. Psalm 78. 39. The Lord remembered. That they were.

[11:52] But flesh. A passing. Burning. Breeze. That does not return. So you're outside. And the breeze hits you. And it's gone.

[12:04] That's your life. Psalm 90. I could have. Chosen Psalm 90. But Psalm 90.

[12:15] Men's whole life. Is like the grass. In the desert. It springs up. In the morning. And it is gone. By the evening. Seventy. Or eighty years. If you have strength. And then he adds.

[12:27] But they quickly pass. And that's what you see. In Psalm 102. My days vanish. Like smoke. Verse 11. My days are like. The evening shadow.

[12:40] I wither away. Like grass. And so you can go outside. In the evening. On some sunny day. And you can see. The shadows. As the sun goes.

[12:51] In the west. As the shadows get. Longer. And longer. And longer. And yet. Soon. They start to fade. And then you can't see them anymore.

[13:05] And think of what a shadow is. Again. You can't. Get your hands on it. You can't move it around. It's so. Incomporeal.

[13:16] So empty. So thin. So unsolid. It's brief. And it's fragile. And that's our lives. I read a book on cancer.

[13:30] Several months ago. It was like the anti-cancer life. I think it was what it was called. And as I read. I was. I was terrified. And I was amazed. That we all.

[13:42] Have cancer cells in our bodies. We all have. Microtumors. And as long as your immune system. Keeps those. Microtumors in check. As long as the environment is okay.

[13:53] As long as. All the proteins. And all the DNA. Are working just fine. And none of those. Microtumors. Will grow. And cause any sort of problem. They pose no risk at all.

[14:04] But if something should change. And it is possible. That your immune system. Actually. Gets programmed. By these cancer cells. To. Start fighting for them.

[14:15] Instead of against them. And if that should happen. Or. If the environment should change. One or two. Or three. Too many cheeseburgers. And fries. And coke. And.

[14:27] Those microtumors. Explode. And they. Become what we call cancer. And then. And then. In a different book. Or. I don't remember where.

[14:38] I heard this. But. When does. Heart disease. And vascular disease. Begin to show itself. So. When do your veins. Begin to. Get sick.

[14:49] And start to wear out. 55. Or 60. I was. Totally shocked. By age 10. Age 10.

[15:01] A 10 year old. American boy. Eating the American diet. Right. Already. Is beginning to suffer. The first effects. Of heart disease. And that's human life.

[15:13] Brief. And fragile. And it's not just. Cancer. And heart disease. It's germs. And flus. And accidents. It is flu season.

[15:25] And you say. Oh. I have a good immune system. You know what kills you. When you get the flu. Generally. It's your own immune system. Teenagers imagine.

[15:38] Themselves indestructible. But teenagers. Are in more. Car accidents. And suffer more. Fatal car accidents. At a greater rate. At any rate. Than others. And their bodies.

[15:50] As strong. And healthy. And. As indestructible. As they are. Are no match. For metal. And concrete. And glass. And then we can mention.

[16:01] All the psychological. And mental distresses. That men can undergo. And. All that to say. Time. Bears all of its children away.

[16:14] And so you're born. And like Moses. You're put into a river. But it's not. The slow moving. Nile. As it's now. A big.

[16:25] Wide delta. As it makes its way. Into the Mediterranean Sea. You're not put into that river. Where it's slowly moving past. All the reeds. That it would have been. Somewhat safe. For Moses's mother.

[16:37] To put him there. You are born. And we are all thrown. Into the Niagara. And we're quickly rushing. Over. The edge. And that's the human. That's the universal.

[16:48] Human condition. It doesn't matter. If you're saved. Or unsaved. It's old. Young. Rich. Poor. Man. Woman. It's not anything. That anyone. Can change.

[17:00] And that's. And then how do we feel about that? Well we would like to somehow change that. But nothing works. Nothing can. We can do nothing.

[17:10] Or we can stop doing nothing. Something. That would make it. So that our lives aren't quickly over. And it's frustration. And that's Ecclesiastes.

[17:21] These. Death brings the end to all of our plans. Death. Puts frustration at the very core. Of human society. And our own lives. And you can't outthink it.

[17:34] You can't outthink it. But actually. Sometimes knowing. Makes it even feel worse than before. You can't outwork it. You can't outfun it. You can't outspend it. You can't outreligion it.

[17:45] It's this frustration. And it's sadness. And it's fear. Because of how powerless we are. I mean we are seated.

[17:59] With our own death. We can't keep ourselves alive. And we can't stop a single arrow. Of all the arrows that are being shot at us. And so how brief.

[18:11] And how fragile. And the question is. Is then where can we turn? If we don't want to stick our head in the sand. Which is what the world does. And pretend like death isn't going to happen to us.

[18:23] That this isn't the way it really is. Where do we turn? What hope do we have? When everything is so dangerous. And everything is so uncertain. And we are rushing off the edge.

[18:35] Well the psalmist looks away from himself. And what he can do. And he finds an eternal God.

[18:47] An eternal God. He throws out his anchor. And his anchor catches the eternal rock. And he's held up. So verse 11.

[18:58] Listen. My days are like the evening shadow. I wither away like grass. And then there's this pivot. But you.

[19:10] Oh Lord. Sit enthroned forever. You sit enthroned forever. Your renown endures. Through all generations.

[19:22] The first. And the last. And all between. So. What's my life? My life is as thin as a shadow. But God sits enthroned forever. I'm nothing.

[19:34] I'm fading away. And yet. Here he is. He's something. He's solid. He's long lasting. He's the eternal king. On his eternal throne. Forever alive.

[19:45] Forever ruling. From everlasting to everlasting. He is king. And so the psalmist puts. Man's brevity. And weakness. In God's eternity.

[19:56] He puts them together. And he does it again. In verse 23. You can look at it. And in here. He's using God's eternity. As actually an argument. Lord. Save me. My days are so short.

[20:07] Yours are so long. Don't cut me off. Before my time is up. Verse 23. In the course of my life. He broke my strength. He cut short my days. And so I said.

[20:19] Do not take me away. Oh my God. In the midst of my days. Your years go on through all generations. And then he begins. In the beginning. You laid the foundations of the earth.

[20:31] In the beginning. God created. In the beginning. God created the heavens and the earth. He is the alpha. He is the first.

[20:44] And then it goes on. And it says the heavens and the earth will perish. But you remain. He is the alpha. He is the mega. He is the first.

[20:55] And he is the last. And that's our God. We're grass. We're shadows. But he has no beginning. And no end.

[21:07] Verse 27. You remain the same. And your years. Will never end. John Calvin says about this.

[21:19] At first sight. This seems to be a far-fetched place to find consolation. At first. That seems a strange place to find comfort. He says this.

[21:31] It seems at first sight to be far-fetched consolation. For what benefit will come to us. From the fact that God. Sits immutable. Unchangeable.

[21:41] On his heavenly throne. When at the same time. Our frail and perishing condition. Does not permit us to continue unmoved. For a single moment.

[21:52] So there he is. Unchanged. Sitting on his throne forever. And here I'm rushing. To the end. But. That's only at first sight.

[22:05] That's not thinking hard enough. John Calvin says. So let's think for a moment. About God's eternity. His eternity.

[22:21] So. In the beginning. God created. It's interesting. With Albert Einstein. We learn something.

[22:33] We learn that. Without matter. There is actually no time. Time and matter. Go together. And.

[22:44] That is just an insight. Into. Something of how God created. Because when he created. Matter. In the heavens and the earth. He also began time. There was no time.

[22:57] There was no such thing as time. Before God made it. And so really. Properly. Speaking. We can't say. God.

[23:08] Dwelt. In eternity. Past. Because there was no time. For it to be past. But we talk about it. Because that's the only way. That we can think about it. But our God is.

[23:25] Can. Forever. Forever. The same. He. He came to Moses. And. Moses. Asked. Lord. Who should I tell. Them. Ascending me. And he said. I am.

[23:36] Who I am. And. Jesus said. Before Abraham was. I am. Not. I was. I am.

[23:48] And so. Our God is the living one. He has life. Within himself. And all creatures. And all things. Borrow life. From him. But he has life.

[23:59] Within himself. He does not take life. From anyone. But he gives life. To all things. He gives existence. To all things. And. And so. Think of that.

[24:10] It's easy. It's easier. Anyways. To think about. God. Never. Ending. Being. Because. Because that's the same. Kind of creature. That's the same. Kind of things.

[24:20] That we are. Beings. That we are. That's the kind of creatures. We are. The soul. Will never die. And. For. Eternity. In the future. We will live. As body.

[24:31] Soul. Creatures. In heaven. Or in hell. But body. Soul. Creatures. Never ending. But. On March 16th. 1979. I was born. And. And before that.

[24:41] I was conceived. And I came into being. And. But. But. But there was a time. When I was not. And children. That's. Something that you need to remember. There was a time.

[24:51] When you were not. Your parents lived without you. And. Then you came on the scene. And you. They didn't. Think about you. You didn't exist.

[25:01] You only existed. As a thought. In God's mind. But. There was never. Ever. A time. That God did not exist. Because.

[25:13] He created time. We live in time. And even angels and demons. Are somehow bound. In some way. By time. But. The picture. The. The evidence.

[25:23] What the Bible says. Is that our God. Is the Lord of time. He is the creator. Of time. And. And you see that. Because. He's the one that makes.

[25:34] The sun and the moon. To mark off the heavens. To mark off the days. And the weeks. And the months. And the years. Whatever time is. Is. And don't ask me what it is. Because I can't really tell you.

[25:46] But whatever it is. God made it. And we are all subject to it. Time. Happens. To us. Since we began. This service.

[25:58] Now. 44 minutes. Time has. Happened. To us. And whether that has felt. Long. Or short. To you. Whatever it was. Time has now. Happened to you.

[26:09] And. And. We change. Because of time. We decay. We forget the past. Isn't that interesting? What was once the present.

[26:20] That we could. No way forget. Now we've. Forgotten it. And then we guess. At the future. But. Our God. Knows the end.

[26:32] All the way back. At the beginning. The whole thing. Is laid out. Before him. Now we grow weary. And tired. The weight. Of our years. Begins.

[26:44] To weigh upon us. And we get aches. That don't go away. They once used to go away. But now they're here. To stay. And then we get gray hairs. That don't.

[26:57] Go back to their old color. They just stay gray. Or they disappear. And time. Wears our hearts. And our lungs down. And time.

[27:07] Wears our mental. And our physical faculties down. You can read it. All in Ecclesiastes 12. The hands tremble. The back stoops. The legs shake.

[27:20] And that's just physically. Mentally. Names get harder to find. Easier to forget. Our ability to.

[27:31] To reason. And to consider everything. Begins to. Not. Work so well. And that's us. Time happens to us. But time does not happen to God.

[27:42] Not in any way like it happens to us. But. Rather. He happens to time. He creates time. And he. Ends time. And there he is.

[27:52] Undimmed by years. And we sang it in two of our songs. He is the ancient of days. The oldest. But yet. At the same time.

[28:03] The youngest. He's the oldest. He's this king with. A millions and millions of years. So to speak. Of wisdom. Built up. And experience.

[28:14] But. Yet. He has the vitality. And the youthfulness. And the vigor. Of the youngest. He doesn't grow weary. Or tired. He is always ready to go.

[28:24] His enthusiasm. And his zeal. Is not worn by age. He is not a jaded old man. He is not worn. He is the Lord.

[28:35] And so. His love. Is as fresh. And young. As it ever was. Remember in Revelation. Jesus says. You need to remember your first love.

[28:47] What that's like. That vitality. That vigor. That enthusiasm. That kind of love. You know what? God never loses his first love. Never loses his first love.

[28:57] For you. That's our God. The Lord of time. The Lord of life. Now how does that comfort us?

[29:09] Well. I think in the first place. It just helps us to think. That God is like that. It's comforting to know. That he is the king.

[29:20] Sitting on his throne. In throne forever. And he is very happy doing so. He is not at all worn out. There he is. Majestic.

[29:31] And alive. And full of life. As ever. He's not subject to change. But he's gloriously happy. Being God. Being the king.

[29:43] He's happy on his throne. And he's happy with life. And he is life. Matthew Henry. I think it was. Who said this. That the thought of God. Sitting eternally on his throne. Does us good.

[29:54] And makes us happy. Just because we love him. More than we love ourselves. You know. We're able to put up with a lot of. Of suffering ourselves. If we can see someone else happy.

[30:04] And I think. There's something to that. In this. That. It does us good. Just to think. You know what. Our God is eternal. And he is eternally happy.

[30:17] Sitting on his throne. He's forever happy. And I'm glad. Because. That just gets us off ourselves. To think that. I'm not the biggest reality. God is the biggest reality.

[30:28] That's good. But there's more comfort. If God is eternal. Then think about. How little. You truly. Weary. And tire him out. Just how strong.

[30:41] And how patient. He is with you. Deuteronomy 33. 27. The eternal God. Is your refuge. And underneath you.

[30:52] Are the everlasting arms. And so you get tired. And your life. And your strength. Begins to ebb away. But even down.

[31:03] To old age. God's everlasting arms. Are underneath you. In the full length. Of your days. As long as they might be. If he carries you. For 70 or 80 years. How long is that to God?

[31:16] Your life is like. A mayflies. To his. A mayfly is born. And lives. And dies. All in. A 24 hour period. Lives and dies.

[31:29] In a day. Now let's suppose. Your child wanted to have. A mayfly for a pet. Now normally. When you. When your child. Asks for a pet.

[31:39] What do you think? You think. Well they're excited. And they're willing. To work for that pet. And take care of that pet. Now. Now. But what. Is going to happen. When that cat. Is now 19.

[31:52] No longer a kitten. And they're old. Are they going to want. To take care of that. Cat. Dan Philpiss says. I know I'm going to take care of that cat. His wife brought in a cat.

[32:02] Like that. To the marriage. You ask yourself that. As a parent. You say. Are they going to get tired. Of taking care of that pet. It lives a long time.

[32:16] But if your child. Asks to. Have a mayfly. For a pet. You wouldn't worry about. Them getting tired. Of taking care of it. Well. All your whole life.

[32:27] Is so much less. Than even that. Compared to. To God's. Years. All your troubles. All your cares. The weight of your whole. Long life.

[32:39] Is nothing to him. Underneath you. Are they everlasting. Arms. You're brief. But he is from everlasting.

[32:50] To everlasting. And then if he's eternal. His promises. Are absolutely. Sure. They're.

[33:01] Unnegotiable. They're unassailable. They're absolutely. Positive. Sure. And that's what. Isaiah says. Right. All men are like grass. But your word.

[33:12] Is forever. It's because God. Is forever. So Isaiah 26. For. Trust in the Lord. Forever. For. The Lord. The Lord. Is the rock.

[33:23] Eternal. Forever. Trust. Belongs. To a forever. God. And Stephen. Charnock. Says this. Men may break. Their promises. Because they are made. Without foresight. We.

[33:33] Sometimes. End up. Having to break. Our promises. Not because we wanted to. But because. We just didn't see. What was going to happen. Something happens. That interrupts.

[33:44] Our plans. And we can't do. What we wanted to do. But God. Who inhabits. Eternity. Who looks down. Upon time. And foreknows. All things.

[33:55] That shall be done. Under the sun. It's all laid. Before him. Nothing can intervene. Or work. A change. In his. Resolves. Because the least. Circumstances.

[34:05] Were eternally. Foreseen. By him. He saw it all. Everything is laid. Before him. Yesterday. Today. Tomorrow. And every tomorrow. After that. Nothing can show up.

[34:16] On God's. Radar. That would somehow. Keep him. From keeping his promises. Because he already. Saw that thing. He saw that thing. Before. He ever made.

[34:27] The promise. It's already included. In his plan. It's already calculated. Into his promise. He already knows. Every wind and wave. That that little ship. Is going to face. And he has plans.

[34:38] And he has ways. Of saving you. And rescuing you. In it. So whatever. Wave crashes on. Your little. Boat. The rock eternal. Is driving the ship.

[34:49] And you are safe. Because he controls. The wind and the waves. And he knows. When everyone is coming. And so Isaiah says. Trust him forever. How foolish are we.

[35:00] When we don't trust. The Lord. Who's forever. How foolish. How impatient. But there's nothing. In heaven. Or on earth.

[35:11] That can make him. A liar. There's nothing. That can do that. He doesn't lack. Love. To keep his promises. He doesn't lack. Life. To keep his promises.

[35:23] Sometimes people. End up breaking. Their promises. Because they die. They don't have any more. Capacity. To keep their promise. But not God. He doesn't forget them.

[35:34] He doesn't lose interest. In those promises. Because they are as fresh. And new to him. As the very day. We first heard them. It would be something.

[35:48] If a man. Who was just married. Just walking off the altar. With his wife. Forgot. The vows. That he just made. Well God. And his promises.

[35:59] Are fresher. And newer. Than that. Because he's eternal. And so you can count on him. And you can trust him. You can trust him. In all your weaknesses. In all your promises.

[36:09] Find those promises. And lay a hold of them. Because they are absolutely sure. Because the one who made them. Lives forever. Loves forever. And knows all that you are going to face.

[36:22] Now. Last thing. Before we're done. And that's the question. This question. Where is Jesus? In Psalm 112. Where is Jesus?

[36:35] In this passage? Well. Isn't he in the first part? The afflicted man. That cries out. Before the Lord.

[36:47] We sing. Man of sorrows. What a name. Familiar. With suffering. And in the garden. Garden of Gethsemane. He felt his life.

[36:58] Coming to a sudden. And violent halt. His days cut short. Psalm 102. Talks about a man who can't sleep.

[37:10] He is so troubled. That's the idea of the owl. Sitting among the ruins. Owls. You know. Owls. Stay up all night. And that's.

[37:21] That was Jesus. His disciples slept. He was awake. And he prayed. Psalm talks about enemies taunting him.

[37:33] And it even talks about God and his great wrath. Taking him up. And throwing him aside. Jesus is the afflicted one in this psalm.

[37:46] The afflicted man. But then I. Then. We have to ask. Where is he in this psalm? Well. Hebrews 110.

[37:57] Says this. He says about his son. Remember in Hebrews chapter one. He's comparing the son to the angels. And he says in Hebrews 110. He says about the son.

[38:09] In the beginning. Oh Lord. You laid the foundations of the earth. And the heavens are the work of your hands. They will perish. But you remain. They will all wear out like a garment. And you will roll them up like a robe.

[38:21] Like a garment. They will be changed. But you remain the same. And your years will never end. Where is Jesus in Psalm 102?

[38:33] He's the afflicted man. And he is the everlasting Lord. And I said. In the beginning. That Psalm 102.

[38:43] Brings together. Two great realities. The brevity. And the fragility. Of man's life. The man is subject to death. And then. Then it talks about God's eternity.

[38:56] And Psalm 102. Brings those two things together. But in a much more profound way. Psalm 102. Brings them together. In one person. Our Savior. Our Lord.

[39:06] God. And so. He is the one who. Can sympathize with you. Because he knows. What it feels like to. Lament. Before God. And yet.

[39:18] He is the one whose years. Never end. So your Savior. Is. Both sympathetic. And able. To save you. And that's Jesus.

[39:28] Our merciful. Eternal God. And so. He brings together. Man's suffering. And God's eternity. And what happens. When this. God's. Eternity.

[39:38] And man's. Mortality. Come together. What happens. When we have. Our littleness. And our smallness. And God's bigness. Coming together. Well. What is amazing.

[39:49] Is we find. That God doesn't. Despise us. Or forsake us. Or consider us. Nothing. Instead. He has mercy on us. We find a God.

[39:59] Who saves us. Who loves us. So isn't that good. Who is our Savior. Oh. He's sympathetic.

[40:11] And yet. He is eternal God. And so. We can say. With Moses. After he. After he said. The eternal. God is your refuge.

[40:21] And underneath you. Are the everlasting. Arms. He says this. Blessed. Happy. Are you. Oh Israel. Who is like you.

[40:35] A people. Saved. By the Lord. Eternal God. Is for you. So Moses says. Who is like you.

[40:46] We should walk out of here. With a sense of privilege. That our God. Eternal. And magnificent. And holy. And amazing. As he is.

[40:57] Has stooped. To carry. Our death. And our mortality. And to rescue us. And so we can face death.

[41:07] We can face life's misery. Why? Because we have a mighty Savior. Afflicted man. Everlasting. Lord. Let's pray. We thank you God.

[41:25] That we can come. When we are. Distressed. And we can. Find in Psalm 102. Words. To bring to you.

[41:36] And we also. Thank you. That we go to. A rock eternal. Undimmed by years. Unworn. And unjaded. By time.

[41:47] And the weariness. Of this life. But you are forever. Alive. Forever. Reigning. On your throne. Happy. As the eternal God.

[42:01] So we thank you. We thank you. That you are our God. Who is like us. A people saved by the Lord. Help us to rejoice in that. And my prayer would be.

[42:14] That you would. Take some young person up. In your hand tonight. Make them realize. The brevity of their life. And have dealings with them.

[42:26] To save them. Pray this in Jesus name. Amen. Amen.