Our text for this morning is taken from Psalm 67. We'll be dealing with those verses along with, more briefly, Luke 24. If you'll turn to Psalm 67 and then turn over to Luke 24, we'll read a few verses there as well. As you do, I'll just comment that I became very interested in Psalm 67 while I was a student and intern among you back in 2004, seeing its message represented throughout the various pages and books of the whole Bible. And then more recently found myself back in Psalm 67 when asked by the Logos West organizers to speak on the topic of missions. My goal for this morning was to take that hour's worth of material and put it into a more sermon-sized form for your consideration. And let me just also mention that our men's Bible study this fall, Lord's Willing, will be dealing with the great commission of our Lord Jesus Christ, dealing with the ideas and themes of Psalm 67, Matthew 28, Luke 24, and the many other passages that speak about the great mission of our God through His covenant people. Before we read together, let's ask God to bless His Word for us. Our dear Father, we do give thanks that as we are called forth to live as your people, you call us to come and remind us about who we are and more clearly what it is we're to do. We ask, dear Lord, that as we read your Word, we would indeed be reminded of your truth that we would have clarity brought to our faith and a more clear purpose for our life and living. Dear Lord, may the truths of Your Word be empowered by the presence of Your Holy Spirit within us so that You would be honored in our lives, dear Lord, and that those You've called us to serve, our families, our friends, and our neighbors, that they would receive Your blessing through us. For Jesus' sake we pray. Amen. Psalm 67 May God be gracious to us and bless us and make His face to shine upon us that Your ways may be known on earth, Your salvation among all nations. May the peoples praise You, O God. May all the peoples praise You. May the nations be glad and sing for joy for You rule the peoples justly and guide the nations of the earth. May the peoples praise you, O God. May all the peoples praise you. Then the land will yield its harvest and God, our God, will bless us. God will bless us and all the ends of the earth will fear Him. And then in Luke chapter 24, following the resurrection of Jesus Christ, He comes to His disheartened and rather confused disciples and reminds them that the Scriptures that they had known and learned as children. The Word of God that they have come to love in the Old Testament all pointed to Him, to His life, His death and resurrection. Jesus wanted them to understand just how significant and how full of a mission that He came to secure for His people. And He says to His disciples while they're waiting for Him in Jerusalem, Peace be with you. Verse 45, And opened their minds so that they could understand the Scriptures. He told them, This is what is written, that Christ will suffer and rise from the dead on the third day, and repentance and forgiveness of sins will be preached in His name to all nations beginning at Jerusalem. You are witnesses of these things and I am going to send you what my Father has promised, but stay in the city until you have been clothed with power from on high. And when He had led them out to the vicinity of Bethany, He lifted up His hands and blessed them. And while He was blessing them, He left them and was taken up into heaven. Then they worshipped Him and returned to Jerusalem with great joy, and they stayed continually at the temple, praising God. Last week, our federation assembled for its seventh synod. Its seventh synod. 180 delegates from churches across North America with representatives from other Reformed denominations around the world, including Scotland, Congo, Indonesia. And I couldn't help but think that the prayer, the vision of Psalm 67 is being realized, along with the great commission of our Lord, given in Matthew 28 and Luke 24. The good news is going forth to all the peoples of this world. The good news that is so easy to forget. The agenda for Synod was 500 pages long. Overtures, appeals, reports, all dealing with the various priorities of our churches. Everything from websites to doctrinal statements, including budgets, songbooks, liturgical forms, pastoral concerns of various kinds. And beyond the Synod, of course, is the crucial work of every believer in the home, school, work, in society. Our vocations are so crucial to sustain the local ministry of our churches and the mission of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. I was thinking and being reminded while considering these things of just how difficult it is to be the church of Christ. It's a lot of work. And in the midst of our busyness, it's easy to forget why we're here. It's easy to forget the good news that we bear. Psalm 67 is a good reminder. It reminds us that God is committed to bless His people. It reminds us that His blessing is intended for a great purpose. a purpose beyond even ourselves and our assembly. It reminds us of that exciting plan that God is unfolding, including all of us, together with the peoples of every tribe, tongue, and nation, every time and place throughout history and around the world. As we consider Psalm 67, let's begin with verse 1. We'll have three points. I don't think they're in your bulletin. And we'll consider the petition of this psalm, the purpose of this psalm, and the plan. And the third point may be just a little bit longer than the first two if you're taking notes. Beginning with verse 1, take a look at the petition of Psalm 67. May God be gracious to us and bless us and make his face to shine upon us. If we might read these words in a different context, we might see three petitions in this psalm. Like the Lord's Prayer has seven petitions, we might see here three petitions. And yet, finding these three words, God be gracious to us, bless us, and make His face shine upon us. Finding these three words in one verse at the beginning of a poetic expression of prayer, it's more helpful for us to see these three things expressing one central concern or one primary petition. Seeing that central word representing the whole. A petition for God's blessing. A petition for God's gracious blessing upon His people. And it's a rather bold prayer, isn't it? Oh Lord, be gracious to us and bless us and make Your face shine upon us and yet there's good grounding for this boldness good reason to go to the Lord and ask for the riches of His blessing it's very possible that Genesis 3 and the promise of God to Adam and Eve may be in the background of this psalm and yet more likely we have the promise of Abraham in Genesis 12 as God promises Abraham as he's looking for a land to call his home, that through him all the families of the earth would be blessed. Certainly in the background of Psalm 67 is this promise to Abraham and that promise is then likewise proclaimed to the Israelites, the descendants of Abraham. And number six, that high priestly blessing which we've come to know so well, the Lord bless you and keep you and make his face shine upon you and be gracious to you, right? That promise to Abraham is then proclaimed to his descendants through the priestly ministry as they enter the land. And then as the people dwell within the land, they take those promises of God and they boldly come before the throne of grace and say, Dear God Almighty, bless us because You promised to bless us. Because you proclaim that blessing to us through your ministers. And now as we inhabit the land and as we are faced with so many difficulties, bring that blessing upon us, your people. And so we see God's promise to Abraham is proclaimed to his people and then the people respond with prayer for that blessing to be realized among them. A blessing that would strengthen their faith. A blessing that would bring prosperity to their families, businesses, and as we see in verse 6, the whole of their land. The richness of their land representing the good favor of God and giving them confidence that God would indeed continue to bring blessing upon His people. this prayer might remind you, at least it did for me, of another famous prayer, the prayer of Jabez. A number of years ago, it became a rather remarkable phenomenon among the churches. That prayer we find in 1 Chronicles 4 when Jabez considers his state and he righteously appeals to God. When he looks to God and says, Dear Lord, bless me. Extend my boundaries and keep me from harm. There's parallels, there's similarities between the prayer of Jabez and Psalm 67, isn't there? Both of them appeal to the Lord, petition the Lord for His blessing. And yet I hope you notice that there's a remarkable difference between these prayers. And that difference is in the purpose. The purpose of the prayer of Jabez is that God would make His name great. Would make the land and prosperity of Jabez great. That's the stated purpose of the prayer of Jabez where Psalm 67 calls us beyond ourselves. It calls us to embrace a global vision for the mission and glory of God among the peoples. That is the purpose of Psalm 67. A far better model for us to consider as we think about praying to the Lord as the people of God. We might paraphrase the purpose of Psalm 67 by saying, O Lord, would you bless us so that your kingdom would come. If there is a central passion and driving desire behind this prayer, it's for the extension of God's glory and kingdom beyond the families of Israel, beyond the nation of Israel, to all the peoples, to all the nations of this world. And the point is made repeatedly and with beautiful poetic expression beginning with verse 2. We see how it builds. O God, bless us that Your way may be known on the earth. Your saving power among all nations. The knowledge of God, the good news of His salvation would extend beyond the present people to all peoples. We see that in verse 3. Let all the peoples praise You, O God. Let all the peoples praise You. A refrain that then is picked up again in verse 5, which reaches a climatic expression, however, at the center of this psalm in verse 6 when it says, Let the nations be glad and sing for joy. You see, the people of God are not satisfied that the knowledge of God's salvation goes forth. They're not even satisfied that the praise of God comes from the lips of those who hear it. They long that there would be a deep-seated joy within those who receive the good news of God's salvation that would then respond in genuine praise and affection for the Lord God Almighty. A remarkable prayer for God's blessing that aims towards that purpose of extending His kingdom. You see, the faithful of old Israel knew that God's blessing was intended for the good of others and the glory of His name. The faithful also knew that this vision of God's kingdom would come through them. That's the plan of this prayer. The plan of Psalm 67 is that the kingdom of God would come through Israel, through Christ, and through His church. The plan of God that we see through Psalm 67 is that Israel was very, very important. But that Jesus Christ is absolutely essential along with the ongoing work of His people, the church. of today you know Israel saw that in seed form it's why they prayed this prayer because they believed that God's blessing and the kingdom of heaven would indeed come to all nations through them their faith and their life as the people of God was absolutely essential for the ongoing work of God in this world. Look at verse 6 again. The connection there between the land and God's blessing is very significant. It's better translated in the past tense. Verse 6, the earth has yielded its increase. Therefore, we have confidence that God will indeed bless us. It's important to see that because it's an echo of Leviticus 26 where the state of Israel's land is a direct reflection upon their lives and their relationship to God. In other words, as Israel's land flourished along with their families and their businesses and their relationships with other nations, as their land flourished, the people had a direct reflection upon their flourishing relationship with God. Peace in the land might reflect peace with God. Prosperity in the land might reflect faithfulness and fruitfulness with God. If the land was blessed, then the people had confidence that God and the kingdom of heaven was indeed advancing through them. Leviticus 27. brings a profound statement of that old covenant order. It's interesting that a recent Jewish theologian sees this same plan in Psalm 67. He says that this psalm is a prayer for salvation in the widest sense, and not for Israel only, but for the whole world. Israel's blessing is to be a blessing for all men. Here, in particular, the psalmist does more than adopt the high priestly blessing of Numbers 6. He claims for Israel the sacerdotal dignity, that is, Israel as the world's high priest. If Israel has the light of God's face, then the world cannot remain in darkness. Rather profound thoughts from a recent Jewish theologian seeing the crucial role of Israel and the unfolding plan of God to bring salvation to all peoples. And yet this plan falls far short, doesn't it? It falls far short because as another Jewish friend and now convert to Christianity has testified, The Lord God has made a new covenant with His people through the Messiah, the Lord Jesus Christ. God's plan for old Israel was that they would be a light to the nations indeed, but that they would be a preparatory light, a pointing towards the coming Messiah, the true Israel, who would come and win salvation, secure salvation for all who would believe in Him. And so this prayer of Psalm 67, just as Abraham foresaw, was to anticipate the coming of Christ. The blessing promised to Abraham. The blessing proclaimed by the priests. Even the land itself looked forward to the coming of Jesus and His kingdom. And that's what we find explained in Luke 24, isn't it? In Luke 24, we find that same message being explained by Jesus to the disciples. First to the disciples on the road to Emmaus. And then after He leaves those two disciples, He goes on to Jerusalem where the rest of His disciples are waiting for Him. And He says to that group, These are the words I spoke to you while I was with you, that everything written about Me in the law of Moses and the prophets and the Psalms must be fulfilled. And Jesus then opened their minds to understand the Scriptures, the Old Testament Word of God. And He says, Thus it is written that the Christ should suffer and on the third day rise from the dead and that repentance and forgiveness of sin should be proclaimed in His name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem. You are my witnesses of these things. And behold, I am sending the promise of my Father upon you, but stay in the city until you are clothed with power from on high. Then he led them out as far as Bethany and lifting up his hands, Jesus blessed his people. Brothers and sisters, the blessing promised to Abraham, the blessing proclaimed by the priests and prayed for in Psalm 67 has been paid for and graciously offered to us and the world by Jesus Christ. Everything hinges upon the life, death, and resurrection of God's Son. And though there may be many interesting insights and observations as we study the Old Testament, every interpretation falls short if it's not seen in its fulfillment. Jesus. If it's not seen in the light of God's Son and in the vision that He casts for His people as they live their daily lives as witnesses. That was God's plan. to reveal His kingdom through Israel, to bring the kingdom through Jesus Christ and then to extend that kingdom of heaven through us, even here today. You, the text says, you who have received the blessing of Jesus Christ are witnesses of these things to the world. It's why you exist today, To be a believer and witness of Jesus Christ. And this witness of Christ. Our confessions rightly prioritize, don't they? They rightly prioritize the ministry of the Word and sacrament, especially the preaching of the Holy Gospel. And yet, friends, just like Israel before, All of us are engaged with this witness. Though our politics, church buildings and land do not have the same significance as they did for Old Covenant Israel. Things have changed, right? Though our land, our politics, our civil structure, our prosperity does not have the same significance as it did for Old Covenant Israel. Even so, our daily activity, our vocations within the home, school, and workplace are themselves a reflection of the character of God. And at least in that sense, we are witnesses of God and our Lord Jesus Christ. And yet even more, I think, profound, we need to remember that our daily activity is used by God to maintain the infrastructure within which His kingdom is coming to the world. What all of us do, whether children, whether parents, at home, at school, going to college, is a maintaining of that infrastructure are so crucial for the gospel of Jesus Christ and the kingdom of heaven to go forth beyond us and into the world. Imagine a church without families. Imagine a local church without a trustworthy solution for the education of their children. Imagine a local church without businesses being blessed by our sovereign God to sustain what is necessary to pay for the various operations of the ministry. Or imagine a local church where civil servants do not maintain peace and good order. All of these things are at work within the hands of God to maintain the infrastructure through which his kingdom is coming to the world. Through you, Jesus says, the world will know. Towards a conclusion, a brief conclusion, I want to reflect with you on participation. The prayer of Psalm 67, its petition, its purpose, and its plan, It is our prayer. It should be our prayer. As one friend explained to me just last week, we are in the game. Those who've been baptized and Jesse making profession of faith, we're in the game. The question is, are you participating and how? For many, The prayer of Jabez is far, far more attractive, isn't it? Oh Lord, bless me, bless my family, my business. Enlarge my border and keep me safe. Amen. Friends, that falls so short. That falls so short of what God calls us to pray through Jesus Christ, of His purposes and His plan. We need to move beyond that kind of prayer of Jabez. We need to look beyond ourselves and keep the various priorities of our daily and so busy lives into perspective. Brothers and sisters, we need to embrace Psalm 67 and be active participants in its vision of a multi-ethnic and ever-growing kingdom of God. because that is why we're here. To take the good news and bring it forth to a needy world. And it will happen. By the power of Christ and through us, the world will know. And that beautiful vision of Psalm 67 and Revelation 7 will be a reality. Behold, a great multitude that no one could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes with palm branches in their hands and crying out with a loud voice, Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne and to the Lamb. And all the angels were standing around the throne and around the elders and the four living creatures, And they fell on their faces before the throne and worshipped God, saying, Amen, blessed and glory and wisdom and thanksgiving and honor and power and might be to our God forever and ever. Amen. And Amen. O Lord, our most gracious Father, we pray that You would indeed bless us. May Your face shine upon us, dear Lord. May Your good favor overflow within our lives so that in all of our vocations, at work, at school, in the workplace, at home, that in all of our vocations, we might be empowered to serve You and our neighbor and the strength that You supply. And in these ways, dear Lord, sustain a witness to the world, especially the ministry of the Word and the preaching of the Holy Gospel. May we never forget, dear Lord, in the busyness of life, why we exist. We pray these things in Jesus' name. Amen. Thank you.