Text:
Psalm 30:5:
“For his anger endureth but a moment; in his favour is life: weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning.”
Theme:
Just A Little While Longer
Introduction:
- The Book of Psalms is the 19th book of the Old Testament and 2nd of the books of poetry. It is known to be the longest book of the bible with 150 chapters and contains the longest chapter of the bible, the 119th chapter of Psalms. Psalms is also organized in five divisions.
- Primarily, the author is David, the God-Appointed King and originator of the Davidic line of Kingship and rule in Israel.
- Psalms is a book of praise and song consisting of verses that were rhythmically relayed in song as in poetry.
- Psalms can be divided into 6 classes based on their content:
- Hymns of praise to Jehovah
- Temple hymns
- Religious and moral songs of a general character
- Elegiac psalms, that is, lamentations, psalms of complaint, generally united with prayer for help
- Messianic psalms
- Historical psalms
- This passage of scripture, the 30th chapter, that serves as our text is a portion of the First Book or Division of the Psalms.
- David wrote this Psalm to highlight the “breakthrough” nature of God’s character and presence
“For his anger endureth but a moment; in his favour is life: weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning.”
- The old gospel hymn sums it up the meaning of our text….
Hold on just a little while longer
Hold on just a little while longer
Hold on just a little while longer
Everything will be alright
- In summary, we know that it may not seem alright now, but there is coming a time that “everything will be alright”!
- There’s NOW and then there’s THEN
- My NOWs are combated by the promise of His THENs
- We just have to hold on JUST A LITTLE WHILE LONGER!
Body:
- First of all there IS a TRANSITION or CHANGE
- For every believer there has to be a change…a difference…a transition from THEN to NOW
- As the old hymn, Amazing Grace, says, “I once was blind but now I see”!
- Every believer hopes in anticipation of a change…a difference…a transition from NOW to THEN
- As the scripture says in 2Corinthians 5:1, “For we know that if our earthly house of this tabernacle were dissolved, we have a building of God, an house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens.”
- For every believer there has to be a change…a difference…a transition from THEN to NOW
- Our text gives two dichotomies for the transition from NOW to THEN
- God’s anger to God’s favor AND Nighttime to Morning
- God’s anger to God’s favor è “For his anger endureth but a moment; in his favour is life:”
- God’s ANGER
- Brought about by SIN à Psalms 90:7-9, “For we are consumed by thine anger, and by thy wrath are we troubled. Thou hast set our iniquities before thee, our secret sins in the light of thy countenance. For all our days are passed away in thy wrath: we spend our years as a tale that is told.”
- God’s FAVOR
- Jesus, the Christ is the object of God’s favor à Luke 2:52, “And Jesus increased in wisdom and stature, and in favour with God and man.”
- Through Spiritual living and wisdom, in Jesus, we attain God’s Favor à Proverbs 8:35, “For whoso findeth me findeth life, and shall obtain favour of the LORD.”
- God’s favor is the source of God’s mercy à Isaiah 60:10, “And the sons of strangers shall build up thy walls, and their kings shall minister unto thee: for in my wrath I smote thee, but in my favour have I had mercy on thee.”
- What brings about the transition
- God’s MERCY makes His anger temporary à Isaiah 54:8, “In a little wrath I hid my face from thee for a moment; but with everlasting kindness will I have mercy on thee, saith the LORD thy Redeemer.”
- Anger averted through Jesus, the Christ à Romans 5:1, “Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ:”
- God’s ANGER
- Nighttime to Morning è “weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning”
- Nighttime à It’s DARK
- When you can’t see your way, it’s nighttime!
- When no matter what you co you are tired and can barely stand up, it’s nighttime!
- When the flesh is making more noise than the spirit within, it’s nighttime!
- When you can’t see God, it’s nighttime!
- Morning à It’s MORNING TIME
- When the light has appeared out of the darkness, it’s morning!
- When a way has appeared out of no way, it’s morning!
- When your living now has life and death is not an option, it’s morning!
- When you have risen above that which seemed to hold you down, it’s morning!
- What brings about the transition
- The S-U-N à When the sun comes out, there can be no more nighttime!
- The S-O-N à When we let the SON come out in our lives, there can be no more sin…death…darkness!
- John 8:36, “If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed.”
- Nighttime à It’s DARK
Conclusion:
- Through these dichotomies are the primary indication of the transition is the change in US è From WEEPING to JOY
- WEEPING à We sometimes have to CRY
- He knows our tears à Psalms 56:8, “Thou tellest my wanderings: put thou my tears into thy bottle: are they not in thy book?”
- But don’t worry about the tears! It has been said that…
- Whenever a tear falls God dispatches and angel from Heaven to go down get that tear before it hits the floor. Then the angel takes that tear up to Heaven and puts it under the Holy Ghost microscope and finds the very problem in the life and reason for the pain through that tear. So, before you even get up off your knees, before you even say amen, what you have prayed for is already done!
- Eventually there will be no more tears!
- Revelation 7:17b, “and God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes.”
- JOY à Now we have JOY
- For His saving our souls à Isaiah 61:10, “I will greatly rejoice in the LORD, my soul shall be joyful in my God; for he hath clothed me with the garments of salvation, he hath covered me with the robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom decketh himself with ornaments, and as a bride adorneth herself with her jewels.”
- Unspeakable, because He loves us à 1Peter 1:8, “Whom having not seen, ye love; in whom, though now ye see him not, yet believing, ye rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory:”
- That is our strength à Nehemiah 8:10b, “for the joy of the LORD is your strength.”
- We get to this joy by enduring JUST A LITTLE WHILE LONGER!
- WEEPING à We sometimes have to CRY
Hold on just a little while longer
Pray on just a little while longer
Sing on just a little while longer
Serve on just a little while longer
Preach on just a little while longer
Love on just a little while longer
Cry on just a little while longer
Moan on just a little while longer
Shout on just a little while longer
- It is worth it!!!!
- James 1:12, “Blessed is the man that endureth temptation: for when he is tried, he shall receive the crown of life, which the Lord hath promised to them that love him.”
- Matthew 10:22, “And ye shall be hated of all men for my name’s sake: but he that endureth to the end shall be saved.”
- John 6:27, “Labour not for the meat which perisheth, but for that meat which endureth unto everlasting life, which the Son of man shall give unto you: for him hath God the Father sealed.”
- We can make it!!!
- Hebrews 12:2, “Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.”
- So hold on JUST A LITTLE WHILE LONGER
“For his anger endureth but a moment; in his favour is life: weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning.”
- Endure the PAIN
- Endure the RIDICULE
- Endure the CONFUSION
- Endure the FATIGUE
- Endure the STRUGGLES
- Endure the LONELINESS
- Endure the ABUSE
- Matthew 5:12, “Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you.”
- As Jesse Jackson always said, THE MORNING COMETH!!!!!!
- When we can …..
We just have to hang on JUST A LITTLE WHILE LONGER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
#357
