Andrew Fountain - A Psalm that will change your life

Psalm 90 starts out as one of the most depressing scriptures:

• “You live 70 yrs and die. If you live to 80 it will just be pain, and so on...”
• But by an extraordinary twist, which you need the handout to really see, everything is turned on its head.
• Make sure you view the handout here: nlife.ca/…les/Psalm90-text.pdf

Sermon Outline - A Psalm that will change your life

Download a PDF of the handout here: Psalm 90 handout

Psalm 90

A Prayer of Moses, the man of God

1. Introduction/summary:
   God is faithful—we can trust all our days and years to him
   Lord, you have been our dwelling place
   through generation to generation.
2. Before the mountains were born,
   or you had formed the earth

   from everlasting to everlasting you are God.
3. The Problem:
   Can an infinite God really care about mankind?
   You turn man back to dust
   and say “Return, O children of man.”
4. For a thousand years in your eyes
   is like yesterday that went by

   or like a watch period in the night.
5. You sweep them away to death’s sleep
   They are like the new grass grown up in the morning
6. In the morning it is fresh and grows up,
   by the evening it is withered and dry.

7. A. The effect of God’s anger:
   we are consumed
   Yes, we are consumed by your anger,
   and by your wrath we are terrified.
8. B. Our deeds are shown to God
   law and justice
   You have set our iniquities before you,
   our secret sins in the light of your presence.
9. C. Days and years of
   trouble & oppression
   All our days pass away under your wrath,
   we finish our years with a moan.
10. The length of our days is seventy years,
    or if we have strength, eighty;

    yet their best is but trouble and oppression;

    for they quickly pass and we fly away.
11. D. God’s anger
    Who knows the strength of your anger
    and your fury is what causes fear.
12. E. True wisdom: counting correctly
    and days measured out for him
    Teach us to count our days aright,
    that we may gain a heart of wisdom.
13. D’. God’s compassion
    this is the turning point (all grace)
    Relent O Lord, How long?
    and have compassion on your servants!
14. C’. Days and years of
    singing and gladness
    Satisfy us in the morning with your unfailing love,
    that we may sing for joy and be glad all of our days.
15. Make us glad for as many days as you have afflicted us,
    for as many years as we have seen trouble.
16. B’. God’s deeds are shown to us
    grace
    May your deeds be shown to your servants,
    and your splendour to their children.
17. A’. The effect of God’s delight:
    we are blessed and established
    May the delight of the Lord our God rest upon us,
    and establish the work of our hands for us,

    yes, establish the work of our hands.

(Andrew Fountain 2015-04-16)

• I’m so encouraged by this Psalm.
• To start with it seemed difficult to understand. Very negative and discouraging.
• We’ll see why it’s actually the opposite

So far so good. No problems with that.

• Here is the problem:
  Can an infinite God really care about mankind?
  We are at opposite ends of the spectrum of strength!
• Do you ever feel like this about God?
• v.7 starts with “we” and begins to tell our story
  • If you thought the first few verses were not that encouraging...

• How does this relate to us?

• Bring to God what you would like him to establish in your life
  • count it out to him
  • measuring them out to him
  • offer it to him
• Two kinds of lives
  1. Living every moment for ourselves
  2. Joyfully allowing God to define how our days are spent

Updated on 2019-08-04 by Andrew Fountain