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[0:00] O God, you are my God, earnestly I seek you.! My soul thirsts for you. My body longs for you in a dry and weary land where there is no water.

[0:12] ! I've seen you in the sanctuary and beheld your power and your glory. Because your love is better than life, my lips will glorify you. I will praise you as long as I live.

[0:25] And in your name I will lift up my hands. My soul will be satisfied as with the richest of foods. With singing lips my mouth will praise you.

[0:35] On my bed I remember you. I think of you through the watches of the night. Because you are my help, I sing in the shadow of your wings. My soul clings to you. Your right hand upholds me.

[0:49] They who seek my life will be destroyed. They will go down to the depths of the earth. They will be given over to the sword. And become food for jackals.

[1:00] But the king will rejoice in God. All who swear by God's name will praise him. While the mouths of liars will be silenced.

[1:10] Would you open your Bibles to Psalm 63 if you don't have them still open there? There are some things that are better than other things.

[1:23] And there's a whole category of Proverbs that are that kind, that sort of comparison. Organized around this principle of something being better than something else.

[1:40] Out of the many I just selected two examples. Better to live on the corner of a roof than to share a whole house with a quarrelsome wife.

[1:51] A comparison. One's better than the other. Better to meet a bear robbed of her cubs than a fool in his folly.

[2:03] Well, that sort of thing is put before us many places in Scripture. Better is a word of comparison, isn't it?

[2:14] We look at one thing. And we compare it with another thing. And we determine that one is superior to the other. One is more to be desired than the other.

[2:26] We have a similar statement in verse 3 of Psalm 63 where David says to the Lord his God, Because your love is better than life, my lips will glorify you.

[2:43] Two things being compared here. Notice them. Your love, my life. And we want to look at this verse tonight and ask, How is God's love better than life?

[3:00] As David says that it is. Now we look at the title of the psalm and we learn from it that David is in the desert of Judah. Now he's not there for a vacation at some Palm Springs resort.

[3:15] He's in the desert of Judah running for his life. He's been running for his life in the desert of Judah other times as well. When he was being chased by Saul before he became king.

[3:27] But verse 11 of this chapter tells us he is king. So it wasn't one of those times, many times when he resorted to the desert to flee from Saul.

[3:38] Rather, it appears to be the time that he took to the desert when his own son Absalom revolted and sought to drive David from the throne.

[3:48] And came into Jerusalem with his army and drove David out. And David's running for his life into the desert of Judah. And here the environment of the desert forms a fitting picture of the condition of his own heart.

[4:07] He says, My soul thirsts for you. My body longs for you in a dry and weary land where there is no water. Just as the land of the desert is parched and barren and is unsatisfied.

[4:24] It is a state of continual longing for water. So David says, My soul as well as my body is thirsting for you, my God.

[4:36] With an insatiable desire that refuses to be satisfied without some fresh fellowship with you. Some sense of enjoying you here in this wilderness experience.

[4:52] Verse 1, he says, O God, you are my God. Earnestly I seek you. He's longing for fellowship with God. He's thirsting to have God-felt communion with his Lord.

[5:06] There in the desert, he mentions something that he doesn't have. And then something that he does have. The thing that he doesn't have is access to God's sanctuary in Jerusalem. Notice verse 2, I have seen you in the sanctuary and beheld your power and your glory.

[5:23] Past tense. I can't see you in your sanctuary out here. The sanctuary is back in Jerusalem where you revealed yourself to me.

[5:35] But he now remembers those days. And he can remember how God showed himself to him in the sanctuary. Both revealing his power and his glory. And it's that that he misses.

[5:46] Not just the sanctuary, but God's revealing of his power and glory in it. And how blessed to know that God's power and glory are not limited to his sanctuary.

[5:59] That he's the same God to me in my desert as he is in the very sanctuary. A God of power and glory to be enjoyed by all who thirst after him.

[6:11] That's what he doesn't have, access to the sanctuary. But what he does have is God's love. Access to the God of the sanctuary and his loving kindness.

[6:23] So David confesses, your love is better than life. Now this is not an easy comparison.

[6:33] It's not like the comparison of a good thing with a bad thing. It's not saying good is better than bad.

[6:44] Pleasure is better than pain. Heaven is better than hell. Some obvious comparison of opposites or of one good thing and one bad thing. For both life and love are good things.

[7:01] And so he's bringing two good things together in a comparison. And he's saying one is superior than the other.

[7:12] Life is a good gift of God, isn't it? We rejoice in the gift of life. We celebrate it every birthday, don't we? In our families. God has given another year of life.

[7:24] And so we rejoice in him for it. He breathed into the lifeless body of Adam, the breath of life. And he became a living being. Or as Acts 17.25 says that God is not in need of anything.

[7:40] Instead, he himself gives all men life and breath and everything else. Life is his gift. It's one of the choicest earthly gifts, isn't it?

[7:52] It's a most treasured gift. We treasure life so much that we go to great ends to preserve it. Think of the whole medical community. What is it?

[8:04] But a testament to how much we value life and seek to preserve it. We eat and drink. We exercise and diet.

[8:15] We take medicine. We go to doctors to preserve life. We're careful. We wear seat belts. We refuse to text and drive. Don't we?

[8:26] And we give up harmful habits. Why? Because life is precious. And we want to preserve it. Life is a good thing. And David is not saying otherwise.

[8:39] Think of the tenacity with which men hang on to life when it is threatened. Even willing to part with a limb in order to preserve life.

[8:49] I've read of a mountain climber who got his arms stuck in a mountain. of a logger who got his arm stuck logging and of a house owner, a homeowner who was in his basement cleaning his furnace and got his arm stuck in the furnace and was all alone for days.

[9:11] And all of those men concluded that it would be better to lose a limb than to lose life. Life is precious. We regard it highly.

[9:22] We highly value and treasure it. And here David himself is going to great lengths to preserve his life.

[9:36] He's left home. He's given up the palace. He's on the run. He's living in harsh conditions to spare his life.

[9:49] So he does not despise life as a worthless thing, but treasures it as a valuable gift from God. So David wants us to know life is good, but God's love is better still.

[10:03] And I think that lifts God's love even higher, that he's not contrasting it with something bad, but rather with something very valuable. Life is good.

[10:14] God's love is better. So we want to know how is God's love better than life. And before we answer this, we need to be clear on the love of God that David is speaking of.

[10:26] You know, there are two kinds of God's love. There is God's love. There is God's love. There is God's general love. There is God's love. His universal love for all his creation, all that he has made. The scriptures are very clear.

[10:39] David himself weighs in on this kind of love in Psalm 145, verse 9. The Lord is good to all. He has compassion on all he has made.

[10:50] Verse 17, the Lord is righteous in all his ways and loving toward all he has made. This is that general universal love.

[11:01] The Lord Jesus talks about this kind of love that God has even for his enemies, who if they do not repent, he will send to hell. He has this kind of love for them.

[11:13] Even though they do not love him and refuse to do so. It's a love that moves him to do good things for them. Jesus says he causes his son to rise on the evil and the good.

[11:30] And he sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. This is the love of God for all that he's made. He does good things to all his creatures. The apostle Paul says the same thing.

[11:42] To pagan, idol-worshiping people at Lystra. In Acts 14, 17, he says of God, He has shown kindness by giving you rain.

[11:54] Rain from heaven and crops in their seasons. He provides you with plenty of food and even fills your hearts with joy. This is God's love for all creatures.

[12:07] But then there's a second kind of love. It's God's special love for his own people. His people in covenant with him. This is the love David speaks of here in our text.

[12:21] It's the love coming from the one that David can call my God. You see that in verse one? Oh God, you are my God. Now that's the language of the covenant.

[12:33] God has made a covenant with his people in which he says to them, I will be your God. You will be my people.

[12:44] A relationship established by God's covenant in which he commits himself to us. Saying I'm your God. And I regard you as my people.

[13:00] That's the love that David speaks of here. The love of those who are in that saving relationship with God through Jesus Christ.

[13:12] It's the love of a God who has chosen me to belong to him forever. And who's given himself to belong to me forever. It's the love of my God who has taken me under the shadow of his saving wings.

[13:28] Verse seven. It's the love of a God who upholds me with his right hand. Verse eight. It's this special love that God has for his own children.

[13:41] Fathers and mothers have a special love for their own children. They may even be in an occupation that they've chosen. They love children so much that they they're in an occupation of serving and teaching or helping children.

[13:56] And yet they love their own children. With a more special love than they love other children.

[14:07] And so does God. It's a special love for his own family. Family. And this is the love then that David is glorying in. So at last we come to our question.

[14:18] How is God's love better than life? Let me just mention three. You could perhaps double that list as you think about this question yourself.

[14:31] But I want to give you three ways that God's love is better than life. Number one. God's love outlasts life. God's love lasts longer than life.

[14:42] We're talking about longevity here. How long is life? Well, Adam lived 930 years. Abraham 175 years.

[14:56] David 70 years. For us. 81 years if you're a female. 76 if you're a male.

[15:08] Psalm 90 says 70 or 80. If we have the strength. How long is life? The important thing is to see that it ends. However long it is.

[15:20] It's short in the scale of eternity, isn't it? It's. But a. Quickly passing vapor. How long is God's love for his own?

[15:33] In dozens of places, the Bible testifies that his love is everlasting. Everlasting. Everlasting. Jeremiah 31.3. The Lord appeared to us in the past saying, I have loved you with an everlasting love.

[15:48] David wrote Psalm 136. It has 26 verses in it. And every single verse ends with the phrase, his love endures forever.

[16:04] His love endures forever. 26 times he says that. He's impressed. He's impressed. With the longevity. Of God's love.

[16:14] That's one reason it's better than life. But we turn to Psalm 103. Another Psalm of David to see these two brought side by side.

[16:25] Again, as they are done here. Psalm 103. Brings together a comparison.

[16:37] Of contrast between life and God's love. It's like the two are put in a balance. And on one side of the balance is. Is life.

[16:48] Man's life. And the other side of the balance is God's love. And these two are brought together here in Psalm 103. David is glorying in God's love for his own.

[16:59] He speaks of it. As outlasting life. Psalm 103 verse 13 and 14.

[17:11] As a father has compassion on his children. So the love. The Lord has compassion on those who fear him. For he knows how we are formed. He remembers that we are dust.

[17:22] Here's his compassion. His love. That he has. For his own. His own. Who fear him. And now he comes to speak. And to compare. Our life.

[17:33] To his love. Verse 15. Many places. The Bible speaks of the brevity of life. And that's what David is doing here.

[17:43] In verse 15 and following. We read. As for man. His days are like grass. He flourishes like a flower of the field.

[17:54] The wind blows over it. And it is gone. And its place remembers it no more. Now when we speak about grass. We think about that green stuff out there.

[18:05] And the Lord's been raining on it at least once a week. All summer long. And it just keeps growing. And we keep mowing. And we think that what's so brief about that. But in. Palestine.

[18:17] Indeed the Bible speaks other places of grass that has its start in the morning. And the sun burns it before the day is over. It's very brief. Grass.

[18:28] And it's gone. The flowers. There they are. Shining in their glory. And just. A breath of wind. Passes over.

[18:40] And it's gone. And its place remembers it. No more. You see the brevity. The shortness. Of life. Verse 17.

[18:53] But. Here's the contrast. But. From everlasting. To everlasting. The Lord's love. Is with those who fear him.

[19:06] So when your life here is over. God's love for you is not over. That's what he's saying here in Psalm 103. Your life is going to be over. Like that grass. And like that flower.

[19:16] But you need to know for your encouragement. When your life is over. God's love. Is not over. When you die. He goes on loving you. All of you.

[19:28] All that you are. Body and soul. He. He goes on loving your body. Preserving it. Keeping it. Until his return. When he will raise it.

[19:39] In glory. To be reunited. With the other part of you. Your soul. Yes. He loves your body. And he goes on loving it. Even after. Your life is over.

[19:51] He loves your body. With an everlasting love. And loves your soul. The same. And takes it immediately. Into his presence. When your life is over.

[20:01] Where there is fullness of joy. And pleasures. Forevermore. One day. Not too. Far in the future. My life here. On earth. Is going to end.

[20:14] But God's love for me. Will never. Come to an end. Rather. It will just be starting. To unfold. Itself. To me. In new. And breathtaking.

[20:26] Chapters. New. And breathtaking. Ways. New expressions. Of that love. That will never. End. The streams. On earth. I've tasted. More deep.

[20:36] I'll drink. Above. So it's a love. That will never. Stop doing me. Good. For all eternity. And it's the same.

[20:46] With loved ones. Who have died. In the Lord. They're no longer. With us. In life. But they are. With him. In love. God.

[20:58] Still loves them. And is loving them. This life. Will end. His love. Will never end. And that's. One thing. That makes. God's love. Better. Than life.

[21:11] What good is it. To have lived. To be even. A hundred years. Old. If you've never. Tasted. The love of God. For his own. To go to.

[21:28] An eternal hell. Where there's not. A drop. Of God's love. And to all. Together. Miss heaven. Which is. A world. Of love.

[21:39] Well the second. Way. That God's. Love. Is better. Than life. Is that God's. Love. Is more. Certain. Than life. It not only. Outlasts. Life. It's more.

[21:50] Certain. It's more. Sure. Than life. So you have. Life. Today. Don't you. You're breathing. Your heart's. Beating. You. Have life. This moment. But will you.

[22:00] Have it. Tomorrow. Oh. That's a good. Question. You simply. Do not know. Proverbs. Twenty. Seven. One. Do not boast. About tomorrow. For you do not know.

[22:11] What a day may bring forth. So God. Gives you. Life. And breath. The very. Breath. That you're presently. Living on. Will soon. Be spent.

[22:22] And you don't know. If you have another one. Very. Much. Uncertainty. Life. Is uncertain. At best. It can end. At any moment.

[22:32] You don't know. When. What is more. Unstable. And uncertain. Than life. So we. We learned.

[22:42] This past. Week. Of a 22 year old. Young lady. On her way to Ohio. To visit her boyfriend. And she. Was killed. In a car accident.

[22:57] Unannounced. Unexpected. End. Of life. Visit.

[23:08] A cemetery. And do the math. On the gravestones. And learn. That not all. Make it to 70. Or 80 years. Some are cut down.

[23:21] In youth. Cut down. Early. In life. And so James says. Listen. You who say. Today or tomorrow. We will go into such a city.

[23:32] And. And continue there a year. And carry on business. And make money. Making plans. For.

[23:43] Today. And tomorrow. And even up to a year. Why you do not even know. What will happen tomorrow. What is your life. You're a miss. That appears for a little while.

[23:54] And then vanishes. It's not only is life short. It's uncertain. We cannot be sure about it. Well what about God's love. Well there's nothing more certain.

[24:05] Is the answer of the Bible. You can bet your life on that. Your uncertain life. On the. Fact that God's love. Is. Certain. It's sure.

[24:17] It's steadfast. It will be there for you today. All day. It will be there for you tomorrow. All your tomorrows. What does David say. The same David.

[24:28] In Psalm 23. Six. Surely. That's a word of certainty. Isn't it. He's certain about something. What is it. That goodness. And love.

[24:39] Goodness. And love. Goodness. And mercy. Steadfast love. Will follow me. All the days. Of my life. He's certain. Of that. And. And. And when it's. Followed me.

[24:50] All the days. Of my life. And my life. Here is gone. Because life. Is short. God's love. Will go on. For I will dwell. In his house. Forever. And ever.

[25:01] He is certain. Of God's love. All the days. Of his life. And then. Forever. He's very uncertain. About many things.

[25:11] Including his own life. There was a time. When David said. As surely. As the Lord lives. There's only a step. Between me. And death. I have my life.

[25:22] Threatened all the time. I never know. Whether this is the step. That will bring me to death. I live on the edge. That much. There's just a step. And could this be it. He's very uncertain.

[25:32] About it. But he's very certain. About God's love. Love. So however many days. Of life. He has the good shepherd's love. Will surely follow him.

[25:44] Each one. And then on. Into eternity. And David was a man. With many enemies. And they were often. Triumphing over him. He was often. On the short end.

[25:54] Of things. And. And in Psalm 13. It's that way. Again. The enemies. The enemies. Are triumphing. And David's saying. How long will this go on. That my enemies. Triumph over me.

[26:04] And. And they're licking. Their chops. Just counting on him. For supper. And he says. But I trust. In your unfailing love. My heart rejoices. In your salvation.

[26:17] Your unfailing love. There's certainty. Isn't it? Our love is failing. Those who love us best. At times. Are failing. In their love.

[26:28] But David. Finds. Unfailing love. In his God. So believers. Here's something. That we can always. Count on. Always. Trust in.

[26:38] Always. Rely on. Whatever is. Or is not. Going on. In my life. At present. I know. He loves me. I know. That his love.

[26:48] Will always. Do what's best. For me. And so. John says. We know. And rely. On the love. God has for us. We can rely on it. Because it's.

[26:59] Certain. It's reliable. Steadfast love. The apostle Paul knew. And relied on the love of God. And he says that this love. Is. Is what gives us confidence. And what makes us more than conquerors.

[27:11] Even in the great troubles. And trials of life. It's a love. That gave up his own son. For us. After all. It's no small love.

[27:22] And it. Is a certain love. It's a love. It's a love. It's a love that moved. The son of God. To lay down his life. For us. And so. Paul is thinking. About this great love. And. In Romans 8.

[27:34] In verse 35. And he says. Who shall separate us. From the love of Christ. Christ. That's a good question. Who shall separate us.

[27:45] From the love of Christ. And he's. Puts forward some of the. Things that would threaten. To do so. Things in his day. That he was facing.

[27:56] Shall trouble. Or hardship. Or persecution. Or famine. Or nakedness. Or danger. Or sword. You know.

[28:08] A sword might. End. Our life. But it won't end. God's love. It may separate us. From this life. But it can't separate us. From the love of Christ. Troubles and hardships.

[28:20] Might be able to separate you. From many comforts. In this life. But. Not from. The love of Christ. Who can separate us. From that.

[28:30] That. So here's the one. Great constant. In your life. With everything else. That's swirling. With change. Here's something.

[28:40] That doesn't change. And it constantly. Breathes peace. And joy. For those who know it. Jesus Christ. Loves you today.

[28:52] As much as he did. The day he died. On the cross. For you. His love is unchanging. He loves you today.

[29:02] As much as he did. The day he left his father's throne. In heaven. So I'm going on a mission. To save him. To save her. His heart is. All in with you.

[29:14] Brothers and sisters. As a brother was sharing with me. From. Jeremiah 32. And verse 41. I will surely. Plant you in the land. With all my heart.

[29:24] And soul. That's how God loves us. How does he command us. To love him. With all of our heart. And soul. How does he love us. With all his heart. And soul. All that God is.

[29:37] Is full of love. For us. His people. In fact. One writer says. He loves you so much. That he would. Die for you again.

[29:49] If it was necessary. It was not necessary. But the point is. His love is the same. What can separate us. Can any of these things. Separate us from his love.

[29:59] No. In all these things. We're more than conquerors. Through him who loved us. For I am convinced. That neither death. Nor life. These are all the things.

[30:10] That can't. Separate us from. God's love. They may separate us. From life. But not from God's love. Neither angels. Nor demons. Neither present. Nor the future.

[30:21] Nor any power. Neither height. Nor depth. Nor anything else. In all creation. Will be able to separate us. From the love of God. Which is in Christ Jesus. Our Lord. We ought to make our own lists.

[30:33] What can separate us. From the love. You put down everything. That worries you. Everything that threatens. Loss to you. Perhaps even loss of life. To you. Can it separate you.

[30:46] From the love of God. In Christ Jesus. Our Lord. No. That was. A fire. Burning. In the heart of the Apostle Paul.

[30:56] That's what made him confident. He could stare down his persecutors. He could stare down death itself. Knowing. God loves me. Certain love.

[31:11] Uncertain love. Man's love is. Uncertain. God's love is certain. These two loves. Can be. Illustrated by two different flowers.

[31:24] In God's. Family of flowers. You've got the daisy. And so. There's the distraught young lady.

[31:34] Wondering. Does he love me? And he's got the. She's got the daisy. And she's pulling the petals. He loves me. He loves me not. And she's working her way around. It's a very uncertain thing. The daisy.

[31:45] Kind of love. And that's man's love. Uncertain. Uncertain. Unstable. And then there's God's love. Somebody said it's.

[31:56] It's kind of like a tulip. He loved me even when I was totally depraved. For the tea. So there's nothing I can do. To make him stop loving me.

[32:12] He loved me so much that he unconditionally chose me. The you. Of tulip. And he loved me so much.

[32:23] That he took hell in my place. And. Went to the cross. Laid down his life for me. In the. L. Of limited atonement. Not just to make me savable.

[32:34] But to actually save me. He. He died for me. And he loves me. So much. He pursued me with an irresistible love. I couldn't refuse him.

[32:45] There was no way. Such is his love. And P. He loves me. Perseveringly. To the end.

[32:56] A love that will not let me go. That's a wonderful hymn. I wish the tune was easier to sing. Oh. Love that will not let me go. Every Christian. Should know something of the thrill of that.

[33:08] Phrase. Persevering love. So life is uncertain. God's love is certain. And that's. One reason. His love is better than life. One last one.

[33:21] We've seen God's love. Outlasts. Life. God's love is more certain. Than life. And thirdly. God's love sweetens.

[33:32] The whole of life. God's love sweetens. The whole of life. Life. Doesn't. Follow this. This logic. Life. Doesn't. Make. God's love.

[33:42] Better. But God's love. Does make. Life. Better. Life. Doesn't. Make. God's love.

[33:53] Better. But God's love. Does make. Life. Better. Therefore. God's love. Is better. Than life. When life. Is good.

[34:04] God's love. Makes it better. It's one thing to enjoy. God's. Good gifts. It's another thing. All together.

[34:14] To enjoy. God's love. In those gifts. God's love. God's love. God's love. God's love. No one can enjoy. The good things of this life. Like a Christian. No one can enjoy.

[34:26] The simple. Blessings. Of God's goodness. Like a Christian. I was. Being told of a group of girls. Who went to some.

[34:37] Ice cream shop. To. To have ice cream. Christian girls. And they thoroughly. Enjoyed themselves. In the ice cream. To the testimony.

[34:47] Of those. Who. Who were there. And thought. You guys. Would make a good advertisement. For this place. This is. A Christian. Being able. To enjoy. The good gifts.

[34:57] Of God. In a way that. The world cannot. You say. Don't they have taste buds. Sure they do. But they don't. Taste God's love. In all of his gifts.

[35:10] And so they miss out. But God's love. Makes even. The good things. Of life. Better. Christian can taste.

[35:20] God's love. In his food. And so he enjoys it. More than a non-Christian. He's able to sit down. To a table. Of good things. And know it flows. From God's love. And that gives. A deeper enjoyment.

[35:31] Of the blessing. And so he receives them. Not just as good tasting. Things. But. Gifts of God's love. Does that not improve? The enjoyment.

[35:43] And so his love. Sweetens every blessing. In life. That husband. That wife. Those children. Those parents. Gifts of God. Those friends.

[35:54] Your health. Your strength. A sunset. A sunrise. A day. A job. A vacation. A cold.

[36:07] A glass. Of water. Ice cream. Yes.

[36:18] When life is good. God's love. Makes it better. But then also. Life. Can be full of troubles. Life may serve up.

[36:30] Problems. And troubles. And when it does. God's love. Makes it better. Doesn't it? God's love. Makes it sweeter. Here in Psalm 63.

[36:43] David's running. For his life. Before his own son. Absalom. It's not a good day. As men would. Regard. Good days.

[36:53] And yet. Here is something. That sweetens. Even this. Terrible day. For David. God's love.

[37:03] Is like. An oasis. That finds him. In this desert. And. And he's able to say. In this. The desert of Judah. Running for his life. From his own son. That's trying to steal.

[37:14] The kingdom. Your love. God. Is better than life. If I should. End up. Dead. As a result. Of his. Overthrow.

[37:24] And his forces. Should meet me. I will still declare. Your love. Is better. Than life. Yes. Even in the troubles. The trials. Of life.

[37:36] We find. David. Gloring. In the love. Of God. And confessing it. Better than life. He. He finds it. A satisfying feast. For his soul.

[37:47] The richest. Of foods. The loving kindness. Of his God. Even on his. Worst days. Even when troubles. Multiply. And his life.

[37:57] Is threatened. In 1812. Adoniram. And Adon. Judson. Were two of the first. Missionaries. That the. The North Americans. Sent out. To the foreign. Shore.

[38:08] They spent. A brief time. In India. And then went on. To Burma. Their ultimate. Destination. Missionary. And while. In Burma. On this mission. Life.

[38:18] Missionary. Service. Adoniram. Suffered the death. Of his. Wife. Remarried. Suffered the death. Of the second.

[38:28] Wife. He had known. Great sorrow. I think. Some of his. Children. As well. And then. When his. Coworker. George. Boardman. Died. He wrote.

[38:41] To. Boardman's. Grieving. Widow. Sarah. To console. Her. And this is what. He said. Wrote to her. You are now.

[38:52] Drinking. The bitter. Cup. Whose dregs. I am somewhat. Acquainted with. And though. For some time. You have been aware. Of its approach. I venture to say. That it is.

[39:02] Far. Bitterer. Than you expected. It is common. For persons. In your situation. To refuse. All consolation. To cling. To the dead. And to fear. That they shall.

[39:13] Too soon. Forget. The clear object. Of their affections. But don't be concerned. I can assure you. That months. And months. Of heart. Rending. Anguish. Are before you.

[39:24] Whether you will. Or not. Yet. Take the bitter. Cup. With both hands. And sit down. To your feast. You will soon.

[39:35] Learn. A secret. That there is. Sweetness. At the bottom. The sweetness. Of God's love.

[39:46] In our sorrows. Is that not why. Paul says. In Romans 5. That we rejoice. In our sorrows. Because we know something.

[39:57] We know that our sorrows. Produce. Perseverance. In perseverance. In character. In character. In character. Hope. And hope. Does not disappoint us. Because God's love. Has been poured out.

[40:09] Into our souls. By the Holy Spirit. Whom he's given us. And God is pleased. To especially meet us. In those low times. When our hearts are rent.

[40:21] And broken. And torn. And we feel. The pain. Of loss. And he comes near. And pours out. More of his love.

[40:32] Into our hearts. God's love. Is better. Than life. And when life. Is bad. And life is tough. And life is hard.

[40:45] He comes. And makes it sweeter. There is sweetness. At the bottom. You've. You who've walked. With God. Have. Know exactly. What I'm speaking of.

[40:56] God brings those. Times. When he sheds abroad. In our hearts. His love for us. By the Holy Spirit. Yes.

[41:07] On our bad days. Our worst days. God's love. Sweetens them. Even. When. We fall into sin. Even in our cold days.

[41:17] Even when our hearts. Stray from God. You may stray outside. Of his commandments. Commandments. Here's the path. Of his commandments. And we may stray.

[41:27] Outside of his commandments. But we cannot stray. Outside of his love. Wherever we go. There is his love. It will not end.

[41:38] That love may track you down.

[41:49] And discipline you. But it will not stop. Those whom I love. I rebuke. And discipline. Jesus says. In Revelation 3. 19. In the furnace.

[41:59] God may prove thee. Fence to bring thee forth. More bright. But can never cease. To love thee. Thou art precious. In his sight. Yes. Even in our falls. Into sin.

[42:10] It's the love of God. That comes in. It's sweetening. Influence. Upon our souls. So there's David. In Psalm 51. He's just coming out of nine months.

[42:24] Of a. Spiritual stupor. He's been out of it. Spiritually. He's committed adultery. He's committed murder.

[42:34] And he's been trying to cover it up. And deny it all. For nine months. And then. God in love. Sends Nathan the prophet.

[42:45] And says. You're the man. Now his heart is smiting him. And he comes before the Lord. In Psalm 51. And don't you love that song.

[42:56] Don't you pray it. Make it your own. How does it begin? Have mercy on me. Oh God. According. To your unfailing love.

[43:09] I've strayed far. From your commands. I've not got one inch. Outside of your love. Have mercy upon me. According to your unfailing love.

[43:22] What does David do. When God's spirit awakens him. To his sin. He doesn't spend a week. Groveling. In his sin. And thinking. I've got to feel. More sorry.

[43:32] About my sin. He doesn't spend time. Trying to. To do better. And work himself. Back into the love of God. He realizes. I've never got outside. Of his love. It's been his love.

[43:44] That. That followed me. With. Those smitings. Of conscience. It was his love. That followed me. With this prophet. Pointing his. Bony. Bony finger.

[43:54] At me. It's his love. That. Is still unfailing. God. Have mercy upon me. According to this. Unfailing love of yours. He comes fresh. From the pig pan.

[44:04] Fresh from nine months. Of hardened heart. And callous conscience. And he just throws himself. As he is. Upon God's unfailing love. Does that not make.

[44:16] God's love. Better than life. When it can. Turn even such. A day. Of repenting. To a day. Of glorying.

[44:27] And the love of God. That comes to us. Through Jesus Christ. Our Lord. My sin. Does not make God. Stop loving me. It rather.

[44:37] Makes me feel. The pain. Of his disciplining love. But it is love. Unfailing. And as I repent. I can throw myself. Upon.

[44:48] His unfailing love. Indeed. That makes his love. Better than life. Now such love. Demands a response. And David is quick.

[44:59] To give it. Because your love. Is better than life. My lips. Will glorify you. That's the response. My lips. Will glorify you. And it's what David. Is doing right here.

[45:10] In this psalm. He's telling us. How wonderful. God's love is. Have you noticed. How often. The psalms. Speak about God's love. I just did a quick.

[45:21] Count. And I don't know. That every. Verse is about God's love. Some of it's about man's love. But I think it's. Around a hundred times. Just with the word love. You take his loving compassion.

[45:32] And other words. Similar. It's. It's over the top. Hundred times. With love. What is that saying. To us. About the heart of David.

[45:44] It's saying. He treasured God's love. Your love is always before me. He says in one place. And it's not just something.

[45:55] He can bottle up. He's so impressed. With his love. He says forever. I will sing of the Lord's love. And I will. Not conceal your love.

[46:06] From the great assembly. God's love. Moves my lips. Moves my lips. To praise God. For his love. If a man loves his wife.

[46:16] If a man has a wife. He loves. He speaks well of her. To others. If a man has a dog. A car. A team. He loves. He. He can be heard. Praising them.

[46:27] To others. Why should it be any. Less. With our God. Can we enjoy his love. And not tell others. Of it. So that they too. Might come to know.

[46:38] That love. And rely upon it. And so David is found here. Glorying in God's love. We find him in many places.

[46:48] In the Psalms. Praise be to the Lord. For he has shown. His wonderful love to me. When I was in a besieged city. I was surrounded. I was a goner. But he showed his.

[47:01] Love to me. His unfailing love to me. When I was. In a besieged city. And when we praise him. For his love. God is glorified. My lips.

[47:11] Will. Glorify you. When we tell others. Of his love. God is. Glorified. When we sing of his love. God is glorified. When have you last.

[47:23] Cried to the Lord. For help. And found his. Wonderful love. Shown to you. Tell others about it. Tell your brothers and sisters.

[47:34] Wednesday night. Sunday morning. Sunday night. As you're talking. With each other. Tell them of God's. Wonderful love. Do your lips speak of God's love.

[47:46] In the good times. Tracing all those blessings. Back to his loving heart. Do you. Speak of his love. In the hard times. Even when my heart is aching. And more full of thirsting.

[47:56] After God. Than present enjoyment. Of God. Am I still speaking. Like David. Of his love. Being better than life. And when it comes.

[48:07] My time to die. And say goodbye. To this life. Will I still be able. To confess. Your love. Oh Lord. Is better. Than life.

[48:17] Let's pray. Thank you father. For this love. That we have been reading of tonight. That it is not just the imagination. Of our minds. But it's the revelation. Of scripture to us.

[48:29] And you've demonstrated it for us. In that while we were yet sinners. Christ died for us. And you've assured us. Over and over. That this love. Will never end.

[48:40] And it is sure. And it sweetens. All of life. We do confess. That we have not loved you. As we ought. Nor cared. That we are loved by thee.

[48:51] That the things of earth. Have filled our thoughts. And trifles. Of the passing hour. Forgive us. And help us. To treasure this love. That whether in good times. Or bad. We might. Be able to glory.

[49:03] In your love. And glorify you for it. As we speak of it. To others. And rejoice in it. It's such a deep love. It's such an amazing love.

[49:14] That it takes the Holy Spirit. To spread it abroad. In our hearts. So we ask you. Lord would you give us. The help of the Spirit. Would you give us power.

[49:25] Together with all your saints. To grasp. Just how wide. And long. And high. And deep. Is this love of God. For us. In Jesus Christ. And to know this love.

[49:36]  That surpasses knowledge. To be held in the grip. Of this love. We ask it in Jesus name. Amen.