God's Love Never Stops | Psalm 118

Playlist

David MarvinAug 8, 2021

Summary

Have you ever listened to a song over and over again, and then came to realize it had much deeper meaning than the first few times you heard it? As we close out our Playlist series, David Marvin walks us through Psalm 118, what it says about God, and how it was relevant to the days leading up to Jesus’s death on the cross.

Key Takeaways

  • Psalm 118 was a familiar hymn that every Hebrew would have known and is one of the most quoted psalms in the New Testament.
  • Psalm 118 was the soundtrack to Jesus’s last week on earth
  • We serve a God who comes through for His people.
  • God’s love never stops.
  • God operates under a covenant-keeping love, which never ends.
  • God provides lasting security.
  • Security that comes from temporary things will always be temporary.
  • One of the ways we develop trust and confidence in God is through obedience to Him.
  • God’s victory is certain.
  • Psalm 118 has always pointed to Jesus, and His Jewish followers eventually had clarifying moments of realizing it was about Him.

Discussing and Applying the Sermon

  • How have you experienced God’s never-ending covenant love?
  • What things of the world are you tempted to turn to for security, and who can hold you accountable to trusting in God instead?
  • Name some practical ways that you can live with the confidence that you have sure victory when you come to faith in Christ.
  • Suggested Scripture study: Hebrews 13:6; Jeremiah 17:7-8; Exodus 15:2; Luke 19:37-40; Matthew 21:15-16; Matthew 26:26-30

Welcome, friends in the room and everybody online. My name is David Marvin. I lead The Porch on Tuesday nights. We are continuing this series Playlist. Why did we call it Playlist? Because we're looking at the book of Psalms, which was the playlist for the nation of Israel. In other words, there was no Spotify back in the day. They would go to the book of Psalms, and that was a collection of songs they would sing.

We've been going week by week. Today we are continuing and wrapping that series up and looking at one incredible psalm. It's Psalm 118. I'm going to read through it and then give us some traction for where we're going. So, if you have a Bible, flip open to Psalm 118. Let me start in verse 1.

"Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; his love endures forever. Let Israel say: 'His love endures forever.' Let the house of Aaron [the priests] say: 'His love endures forever.' Let those who fear the Lord [Jewish converts] say: 'His love endures forever.' When hard pressed, I cried to the Lord; he brought me into a spacious place. The Lord is with me; I will not be afraid. What can mere mortals do to me? The Lord is with me; he is my helper. I look in triumph on my enemies.

It is better to take refuge in the Lord than to trust in humans. It is better to take refuge in the Lord than to trust in princes. All the nations surrounded me, but in the name of the Lord I cut them down. They surrounded me on every side, but in the name of the Lord I cut them down. They swarmed around me like bees, but they were consumed as quickly as burning thorns; in the name of the Lord I cut them down.

I was pushed back and about to fall, but the Lord helped me. The Lord is my strength and my defense; he has become my salvation. Shouts of joy and victory resound in the tents of the righteous: 'The Lord 's right hand has done mighty things! The Lord 's right hand is lifted high; the Lord 's right hand has done mighty things!' I will not die but live, and will proclaim what the Lord has done. The Lord has chastened [disciplined] me severely, but he has not given me over to death." Then the psalm moves into "We Are the Champions" from Queen here.

"Open for me the gates of the righteous; I will enter and give thanks to the Lord . This is the gate of the Lord through which the righteous may enter. I will give you thanks, for you answered me; you have become my salvation. The stone the builders rejected has become the cornerstone; the Lord has done this, and it is marvelous in our eyes. The Lord has done it this very day; let us rejoice today and be glad.

Lord, save us! Lord, grant us success! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord. From the house of the Lord we bless you. The Lord is God, and he has made his light shine on us. With boughs [branches] in hand, join in the festal procession [parade] up to the horns of the altar. You are my God, and I will praise you; you are my God, and I will exalt you. Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; his love endures forever." It ends where it began.

Now, to give us some traction for the incredible context of this song, if I were to ask, "What is the greatest movie soundtrack of all time?" what would people say? Braveheart, The Lion King, Forrest Gump… Hot take. All right. I put together what I think is at least in the top… They have to be in the top 10 of greatest soundtracks behind movies.

Because we're wrapping up this series, it felt relevant to play some of them, so our tech team is going to play some. This is a more recent one, but here is what I would say has to be on the top list. By the way, if you're watching online, because of copyright you must be present to win, so you can't hear it, but everyone in the room… Give it to them.

[Song]

The Greatest Showman. It's a recent one. It's the moment everyone realized, "Man! Zac Efron can sing. Wow!" So many great hits from that soundtrack and the movie. Here's an oldie but a goodie from another movie that is just a classic. Here we go.

[Song]

Oh yeah. Tarzan, man. Phil Collins. He went hard, harder than he had to for us on it, and he did it. So many great songs on that movie soundtrack. Then I think maybe one of the greatest of all time… You have to put it up there next to The Sound of Music, coming straight out of Elton. Give it to them.

[Song]

This is turning into date night for you people. Okay? What does that have to do with what we're covering? Well, Psalm 118, believe it or not… If you were going to put a soundtrack to one of the biggest holidays that was celebrated by the nation of Israel, which is Passover, Psalm 118 would have been the pinnacle song on that soundtrack.

Why do I say that? Because every year at Passover, which was the celebration of God rescuing his people… They were slaves in Egypt, and Pharaoh would not let his people go, and Moses went up to him and said, "God says, 'Let my people go.'" Ten plagues. Eventually, they were let go, and they would celebrate Passover every single year where God passed over the firstborn son in every home that had the blood of a lamb marking its doorposts.

So, for thousands of years, even today, the nation of Israel and Jews today celebrate Passover. It's a huge, huge celebration amongst them. At the end of Passover… In other words, the celebration is not done until we sing the Egyptian Hallel, which is Psalm 118. Even today, if you attend a seder, at the end of the seder they will sing Psalm 118, the Hallel.

Not only would it be the soundtrack for, arguably, the most important celebration of the nation of Israel; it would be the soundtrack to the most important week in human history, which was the final week of Jesus on the planet. Why do I say that? Because this song and lyrics from this song would bookend the beginning and end of Jesus' final week.

When he walks into town on Palm Sunday… You remember the story. They'd come outside. Jesus is walking in. They have palm branches everywhere, and they begin shouting lyrics from this song. "Hosanna!" which means "Lord, save us." "Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!" You probably have heard those words or song lyrics before. There are crowds around, and they're shouting this song.

Then we're told that at the end of the Last Supper, which was Passover, Jesus, in Matthew 26:30, sang a song, a hymn, before he headed out to be crucified, which would have been, as it has been for thousands of years, Psalm 118. When you think about it, this is one of the most sang songs in history. For thousands of years, every year, at the celebration of Passover, they're getting together and singing this song.

It's a psalm that is one of the most repeated or quoted chapters in the Old Testament in the New Testament. Only one chapter is quoted more times than this song. In other words, when you look at the writings of Peter, Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, when you look at the writings of Paul, over and over they quote lyrics from this song. It was a big deal to the early church and to the writing behind it. As we're going to see and explore why it was such a big deal, it'll begin to make sense.

Originally, it was a celebratory song, celebrating Passover and reminding the nation of Israel, as they sang together, "Our God comes through for his people." So, I want to look at three reasons the song lays out God is a God who comes through for his people. We're going to walk back through and look at three different ideas, and I'm going to start in verses 1-4 and look at the first chorus, if you will, of the song.

He says this: "Give thanks to the Lord , for he is good; his love endures forever. Let Israel…" He begins to move into almost like Outkast's "Hey Ya!" where he goes through different groups of people. He's like, "All right. Where are my Jews at? Let me hear it from you! His love endures forever." And they're yelling back, "His love endures forever."

"All right. Where are all of the priests at? Will the real priests please stand up? Let them hear it. His love endures forever. Then, in case I missed anybody, if you're not Jewish and you're not a priest, you must just be a convert to Judaism. Let me hear it from you, people. His love endures forever." It's hype. It's pep rally. He's going across the room. "I want everybody… Now you. Let me hear it from you. Now, ladies, let me hear it from you." He's just going through.

It's difficult to miss. He's trying to emphasize a clear characteristic about God: his love endures forever. If you think of songs that are so familiar… You grew up and you always sang them. The minute the nation or people would even hear some of the words, "His love endures…" they could have finished the sentence. It would be similar to this. If I were to say, "Sweet Caroline…"

Congregation:"Bah, bah, bah!"

David: Boom. The same with this. They would have heard it. They grew up as little boys singing the song. "His love endures forever!" It immediately came to mind. It was a classic song. The first idea that is hammered home by the author, who is likely David, is God's love never stops. God comes through for his people, and he's a God whose love for his people never stops and is worth celebrating.

  1. God's love never stops. He uses a really interesting word for love. In English we primarily have one word for love, and that can kind of dilute… "I love my wife. I love my kids. I love chocolate." But in different languages and in Hebrew, there are different words for love. He uses a really interesting one. It's the Hebrew word checed. It's a word that means covenant-keeping love.

The covenant-keeping love of God for his people, which was the nation of Israel and now, as believers in Christ through Jesus, is us… It never ends. It never stops. There's nothing the people of God can do to stop God in his unending, covenant-keeping love. What's a covenant? A covenant is an important idea to understand because it's different from a lot of other relationships we have.

A covenant is one that is only breakable through death. It's not conditional. There are no stipulations. It's distinct from a contract, if you will. What's a contract? A lot of us are in contracts with our phone, mobile service, provider. AT&T…that's a contract. Your Spectrum or your Internet or U-verse. Contracts have stipulations and conditions where if you don't keep your end of the bargain, if you don't pay, or if I just don't like your service or if I can find a better deal, I'm out.

Different from that is a covenant. The writer of this psalm is saying God has entered into a covenant with his people, and that covenant is marked by a love that is unstoppable. No matter what his people do, his love never ends. The closest imperfect example would be the type of relationship you enter into in marriage. You enter into a covenant.

If you're married, you stood before your spouse and said, "Until death do us part. If things get better, if things get worse, if you go crazy and run to the Himalayas, I'm coming after you. There is nothing that can stop me from loving you." The writer of the psalm says that is how God is. You can know your God will never break his covenant and his love for his people.

Then he continues, and verse 5 says, "When hard pressed, I cried to the Lord... " It goes from different groups singing to a single singer stepping up to the microphone. He's like, "Let me tell you a story. When I was hard pressed, I cried out to the Lord, and he brought me into a spacious place. When I was overwhelmed…I felt suffocated, I felt trapped…I cried out to God, and he delivered me."

"The Lord is with me; I will not be afraid. What can mere mortals do to me?" It's a verse that's quoted in Hebrews, chapter 13. "The Lord is with me; he is my helper. I look in triumph on my enemies. It is better to take refuge in the Lord than to trust in humans. It is better to take refuge in the Lord than to trust in princes."

The author begins to describe… "I have discovered putting my confidence, my trust in God brings about security and protection in my life. He's a better thing to trust in than people (they're going to let you down), than princes, than your own abilities, than yourself. Put your trust in God if you want to find security in this life. Not in circumstances, not in what you face, not in yourself, not in a relationship. There's only one place that can provide lasting security."

  1. God provides lasting security. He's like, "It's better to trust in him than trust in people or in princes or in stuff or in things or in a job or in your health. Put your confidence in God. He's in control. He loves me. That's where I find security." It's a pretty simple but important truth. How much of life is spent looking for security in shaky places, things that ultimately are going to change or can let you down and can fall apart?

The psalmist is saying, "No, no, no. Put your trust in the only one who provides lasting security in this life." What do I mean? How many times are we, even as Christians, tempted to find security in different places and spaces? I work a lot with young adults, and I'll see the fact that they're looking to find security…

Or another way of saying it is "I'm insecure over the fact that I'm still single. I'm not okay unless I'm in a dating relationship. The fact that I'm not married yet I find kind of gnawing at me." It's reflecting putting your hope or finding your security in not princes but Prince Charming or Princess Charming, looking to other things to bring some sort of security.

Maybe that is not as prevalent in this room, but probably as prevalent, if not more, is finding security in something else that is going to bring shaky ground, which is money. I mentioned in Hebrews, chapter 13… It's funny. They quote this verse in the context of money. In Hebrews, chapter 13, it says, "Keep your life free from the love of money, for God has said, 'I'll never leave you nor forsake you.' So we say with confidence, 'The Lord is my help; I will not be afraid.'"

I'm going to be okay no matter what I face, whether I have a lot of money or I have a little bit of money. The psalm writer would say, "If you find security in how much is in your bank account or you're insecure because of how much is not in your bank account, you are putting yourself on shaky ground and destined to not experience lasting security."

In other words, peace or security that comes from temporary things will always be temporary. Maybe for you it's not money and that's not really your challenge. Maybe for you it's external appearance. As life goes on and gravity wins and we all get older, you find yourself unable to cope with the fact that external beauty is fading, which reveals some portion of the security you had was coming from how you look.

It can be a number on a scale that ruins someone's entire day because they've found security or are looking for security in how much they weigh. Maybe for you it's your career. This can play out in a couple of ways. People find security over how far along they are. You look at you, and you're successful. You have a company. You started it. There's something about you that just thinks more highly or you just have more peace and security. You're finding it in what you've accomplished.

Or, on the flip side, you look at your career, and it's not where you wish you were. You're about to be 40 or you're about to be 50 or you're about to be 60. You're not going to be able to retire when you thought you would be able to, and you think less of yourself because of that, because you found some part of your security in a career. It begins to make sense why the psalmist would say, "All of these grounds are shaky. Look to the only one who provides lasting security. Everything else, because it's temporary, will only bring temporary security."

You and I can walk in a relationship with God and have continual confidence when we find our security in him. He's in control. He loves me. He's not surprised about what I face. I can experience peace. I walk with him and have continual confidence. No matter what I face, no matter how much I make, no matter how healthy my kids are or how well behaved or successful, I'm okay.

It's not dissimilar to what the author is describing. What we have available is a continual source of security. About two years ago in our front yard, there were places where it would be continually wet. I'd go outside, and it hadn't rained for days, and the grass would be wet. I was so confused and began to go through exploring, like, "What is happening underneath here?"

They came out and checked the sprinkler system. They were checking for other sources of water. After several different people who came out and evaluated, it was discovered that there's a natural spring underneath our house, which quickly went from, "All right. How do we fix that?" to "Okay. Well, wave the white flag. We're now fighting God." We just said, "All right."

The guy was like, "Well, on the flip side, it's actually kind of a good thing, because your grass will always be watered. You don't need to water your lawn. Your neighbors are going to have to go out and spray or they'll have to put a sprinkler system on or they're going to have to go water their yard, and you're never going to have that problem because it's continually going to be connected to a source of what it needs."

Jeremiah picks up this idea and connects it to trusting not in self, not in people. Put your trust in God, and you'll have lasting security. You'll be connected to a source that provides you what nothing else can. He says this in Jeremiah, chapter 17: "But blessed is the one who trusts in the Lord, whose confidence is in him. They will be like a tree [or grass] planted by the water that sends out its roots by the stream. It does not fear when heat comes; its leaves are always green. It has no worries in a year of drought and never fails to bear fruit." No matter what it faces, it's okay.

There are people who live life, and they really are marked by this. There's a guy who was on our staff whose name was Jim, and he was having open heart surgery. I remember somebody asking him around that time, "Hey, are you nervous? It's a pretty big surgery. They're opening you up, and you're putting your life in somebody else's hands. Are you nervous?"

He responded in a genuine way and said, "No. I'm not going to live one day longer than God has ordained, and I'm not going to live one day shorter than he has ordained, so no matter what I face, I think I'm going to be okay." He had this continual confidence of "God is in control. I believe that." He was marked by putting his trust in the only one who can provide lasting security.

That's one thing to walk through trials or be facing a surgery. How do we get there? The Bible says one of the ways we get there is by continually trusting or actively trusting and choosing to act according to what God says. It's one of the ways we trust God: by acting. "God, I trust how you say to date, I trust how you say to live, I trust how you say to parent, and I'm going to act in accordance with that." Apart from doing that, we don't flex the muscle, and we're not actively trusting it. It's like this.

When my kids were younger, we'd go to the pool, and I'd get in the pool, and both of them would get on the side, and I'd say, "Hey, you can jump in, and I'll catch you." How did I know if they actually believed I would catch them? It required not just them saying, "Oh yeah, I think you can," but jumping off the side of the pool. In other words, I'm sitting there with my son and daughter. My son, who does believe, is jumping. My daughter, who doesn't, is like, "I don't know if you can catch me." Until she leaves her feet, she's not trusting in her father; she's trusting in her footing.

In the same way, until we make the decision "God, I'm going to decide. I believe you're going to catch me. I'm going to pursue purity as I date. I'm going to give generously because you say to. I'm going to handle conflict like you call me to. I'm going to forgive people, not because I want to but because you say to. I believe you can catch me, and I trust you…" The more we do that, the more that trust grows and we experience increasing security, which the author of this psalm says you're not going to find anywhere else, but it's available and a continual source of it.

Then he transitions in verse 10 and says, "All the nations surrounded me…" He's telling this story. It becomes clear this is not a normal man who's telling this story. In other words, "All of the nations surrounded me" is not something an accountant says, where they're like, "All around me…" He's the king. He's the king of the nation. He's the king of Israel. He's telling this story. "I was surrounded on every side. "…in the name of the Lord I cut them down. They surrounded me on every side, but in the name of the Lord I cut them down." He hammers home the same idea.

"They swarmed around me like bees, but they were consumed as quickly as burning thorns; in the name of the Lord I cut them down. […] The Lord is my strength and my defense; he has become my salvation." Verse 14 is an interesting one. It makes sense why it was sung at the end of Passover. Verses 14-16 are quotes from Exodus, chapter 15, quotes from the oldest song in the nation of Israel's history. What do I mean by that?

Exodus 15, in case you haven't read it recently, is the moment after the nation of Israel was backed up against the Red Sea. They walked out of Egypt. They're like, "We're going to be free," and all of a sudden, they find themselves with their backs to the Red Sea and a group of Pharaoh's army chasing after them, and they have no hope. "What are we going to do?" God says to Moses, "Lift up your staff," and he parts the sea. They walk through on dry land.

They get to the other side. Pharaoh's army is still chasing after them. You have to think all of the emotions of going, "They are an army of horses and chariots and soldiers and weapons, and we are a bunch of slaves and farmers." As they get to the other side, the army that's pursuing them has water collapse on them, and the nation is saved. They burst out into song. The very first song in the nation's history is this verse that he quotes from the oldest song they had. It's a direct quote.

"The Lord is my strength and my defense; he has become my salvation. Shouts of joy and victory resound in the tents of the righteous…" He again quotes. "'The Lord 's right hand has done mighty things! The Lord 's right hand is lifted high; the Lord 's right hand has done mighty things!' I will not die but live, and will proclaim what the Lord has done. The Lord has chastened [disciplined] me severely, but he has not given me over to death."

It begins to make sense why it's a celebration of Passover. Of course. They're celebrating God delivering. Then the psalm takes a turn. It has been kind of moving up toward this. As I said earlier, it becomes that "We Are the Champions" part and begins to talk about a parade. "Open for me the gates of the righteous; I will enter and give thanks to the Lord . This is the gate of the Lord through which the righteous may enter. I will give you thanks, for you answered me; you have become my salvation." "God, you answered. You delivered. You are victorious."

  1. God's victory is certain. The psalmist is singing over, "No matter what I face, no matter what we go through, God's people win." As Christians, we understand even more fully, because we know how this thing ends. No matter how bad things get, God's victory is certain. No matter how many theories integrate into culture or what political party is in control or pandemics or what happens, in the end God's victory is certain.

On the cross he defeated the power of sin, and one day he's coming back. He's going to make everything right and get rid of the presence of sin. God's victory is certain. The psalmist is singing it and praising God. "Because I'm with him, I'm guaranteed to win." It's not dissimilar to this. My son this past year played T-ball. The rules of T-ball have changed in the last couple of years. I didn't know this, but we showed up for the first game, and they began to walk through the rules.

The rule was every kid gets to bat, they hit, they go to a base. Just a single base. Then the next kid comes up behind them, and they go, and they hit, and the next kid goes to a base. They just go all the way around. Everyone gets to bat, everyone gets to score, because we're further creating problems for the future, but this is how they play.

Every kid is going through, which means the number of kids you have determines the number of points you'll score. Our team had more kids than every other team, so they would show up, and they knew they won before the game was even over. They were like, "One, two, three, four, five… We won!" Before it even happened, it's done. They won.

The psalmist is saying with God, you know (if you've trusted in Christ, this for sure applies) you win. We know how it ends. No matter what we face, no matter how dark it gets, no matter how bad it gets, God's victory is certain. It's beautiful. But where it goes next begins to reflect this psalm is about a lot more than just a king or the Passover meal. Passover is a lot more than just about Passover. It'll make sense why I say that.

Verse 22: "The stone the builders rejected has become the cornerstone…" The thing on which everything else is built and rests. This thing that was rejected has now become the thing the whole thing is built on. "…the Lord has done this, and it is marvelous in our eyes. The Lord has done it this very day; let us rejoice today and be glad. Lord, save us!" Which is the word hosanna. In other words, the phrase "Lord, save us" is hoshi'a-na, which is left in the version in the New Testament as hosanna, if you're familiar with that, which literally means "Lord, save us."

"Lord, grant us success! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord. From the house of the Lord we bless you. The Lord is God, and he has made his light shine on us. With [branches] in hand, join in the festal procession [parade] up to the horns of the altar. You are my God, and I will praise you; you are my God, and I will exalt you. Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; his love endures forever."

What do I mean by it becomes very clear why this psalm was so loved by the New Testament church? At some point they began to go, "This whole thing is about so much more than just an ancient king. I think we're in the presence of the one it has always been about." All four gospels record the moment when Jesus walked into town, and the crowd around him… Hundreds of thousands of people were in town for the Passover feast.

Everyone would come back and celebrate the Passover feast, hundreds of thousands of people everywhere. Jesus gets on a colt and begins to ride in on what we call Palm Sunday. Thousands of people gather around, and they break off palm branches, which was a mark of patriotism in the nation of Israel. They began to throw them at his feet, and they began singing Psalm 118. "Hosanna! Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!"

He's riding down as they're singing Psalm 118 around him. Pharisees, or teachers of the law, become indignant and say, "Jesus, rebuke them for saying that." Luke 19 tells us they said, "Rebuke them for saying that. That's reserved for the Messiah, for the King." Jesus says, "If they stop, even the rocks will begin to cry out. All of creation knows who I am." That's an incredibly arrogant thing to say…unless it's true.

He continues going farther. We're told in Matthew 21, eventually he gets off the colt, and he begins to heal some people who were around. He's healing people, and children begin to sing, "Hosanna! Hosanna! Hosanna! Blessed is he…" They're singing Psalm 118. It says the Pharisees, again, were indignant, saying, "Do you not know what they're saying? They're singing Psalm 118, the messianic psalm, to you." Jesus says, "Have you not read, 'Out of the mouths of babes and children I will bring forth praise'?" He is claiming to take the praise of God.

I don't know at what point it all began to click. Was it in those moments? This song they had heard their whole lives… I mean, these disciples grew up singing this song since they were little Jewish boys. For thousands of years they've sung it. They still sing it today. At what point did they begin to go, "I don't think I've ever understood what this song meant until now"? It's kind of like how, as a parent, there are songs you don't let your kids sing. Not even because they have cusswords.

You're just like, "I know you like that beat. You don't understand what that means." For us it's "Yummy" with Bieber. They're like, "'Yummy.' I love 'Yummy.'" It's like, "Yeah, you don't know what that means. We're not going to sing that song. Let's go back to 'Resurrecting.'" There are just songs that you're like, "I know, but you don't understand what that means." At some point, it had to have clicked. "We've been singing this our whole lives. I never understood what it means. This has always been about him."

When we first got married, we bought a TV, and the TV had 3D capabilities. It was 10 years ago, and it was like, "This is amazing. I'm going to sit at home with popcorn and watch movies in 3D. This is crazy." We get into our house, turn the TV on, and I put it in 3D mode, and I'm sitting there watching Gladiator… I can't even remember what we were watching, but everything was fuzzy. It was like, "Oh man! We bought a broken TV. This is worse than the normal experience of TV." Then I realize, "Oh! I'm supposed to put on the glasses." I put on the glasses, and everything that was fuzzy comes into focus.

What moment was it when the disciples had everything come into focus? They're singing this song. They grew up singing it. They're going to sing it at the end of the week. The moment of the Last Supper, where they finally get to the table and they're sitting around, moments before they're going to sing Psalm 118 and Jesus is going to go out…

Was it when he lifted up the cup and went through and said, "Passover. Not only is this song of Passover not about what you think it is; Passover is not about what you think it is"? There's a script in Passover when you go through it, even today. There's a script they would read, and they would go through. Jesus, as he was leading through, was supposed to take a cup and say a very specific line, but he didn't say the specific line, a line that all of them had heard their whole lives. They'd done Passover every year.

You're supposed to lift it up and say, "God, make us worthy to live in the days of Elijah as he prepares the way of the Messiah." He doesn't say that. He says, "This is about me. This represents my blood that will be spilled for you." Was it the moment when he took the bread and broke it and he didn't say what you say, which is, "This is the bread of affliction that was eaten by our ancestors in Egypt"? He says, "This is like my body that is about to be broken apart for you."

Or was it in the moment after eating when they sang Psalm 118, and Jesus, the Son of God, knowing what's about to happen, leans back against a pillow (as he would have…they sat), and sings, "The love of God never stops. The love of God never stops. The love of God never stops. It goes forever, even to the point of me coming to die on a cross, because the love of God never stops. I shall not die. I shall live. The stone rejected will be the stone on which everything rests."

Was it in that moment everything came into focus? They realized, "We've been singing this song our whole lives, and the one who is finally the Messiah is here. The one we've been waiting thousands of years for is here. The one who not just the song but all of Passover and all of life is about is here." Maybe it wasn't in that moment. Maybe it was the third day. We at least know they had not just 3D glasses but third day vision where everything came into focus. "He's the one. He's the Messiah. He's the one we've waited for. His love endures."

Jesus sings those words, displaying, "My love never stops; it never ends," words that still apply to you. Any person who says, "I am not going to reject the one I was made for, the one this song and life is about, which is Jesus. I'm going to build my life; I'm going to trust in what he has done" will experience the love of God, the security that comes with him, and the victory that is certain. Psalm 118. It's a good psalm because it's about a good God who would give his life because his love never stops. Let me pray.

Father, thank you for the incredible, beautiful truth. As Matthew 26:30 says, you got together, and the last part of your meal you sang that song, and you sang, "Your love endures forever. I shall not die but I shall live, and those who trust in him will never be put to shame." I pray for anyone who has never by faith made that decision, that today would be their day. I pray you would help those of us who have.

God, we have so many things fighting for our attention to find security in, to look to to find our worth. Would you help us to not put our confidence in shaky ground but in you? Thank you that your love never stops and you displayed the lengths you will go to know no end on that cross hours after you sang this song. We worship you now, amen.