Sermon by Mark Dever at Trinity River Baptist Church on June 8th, 2025
Psalm 143
We live in a world that is full of messages; the messages of our world are not often true in the deepest sense.
Our circumstances show us the limitations of our power in this life. We cannot be self sufficient or independent from God.
We are often presented with a faith that is centered far more on ourselves than God.
We live in a desert filled with billboards of sparkling water; we are a people that is THIRSTY for mercy thirsty for justice thirsty for peace thirsty for hope. What we fail to see so often is that we are actually thirsty for God.
Pray humbly (verses 1-2), honestly (3-4), thankfully (5-6) and desperately (7-12)
Modern pastors flatter their listeners - faith is NOT self confidence.
We must know the truth about ourselves and God in order to rightly come to him in prayer. We have zero standing with Him by nature. Our only hope of God listening to us positively is Jesus.
Life is fragile. We are fragile. Go to the Lord and tell Him the truth. My *perception* of the truth or reality of my circumstances doesn't offend God. It isn't silly to tell God how sad we are! We articulate this in order to bring glory to God. We need to capture our sorrow in prayer!
"Enemy" - enemy to the world, to the flesh and to the enemy; those opposed to God (Romans 5:10). There is no such thing as spiritual neutrality.
With a God as good as ours, memory helps faith. Remembering what the Lord has done is so helpful! We are no different than David in the Psalms; reflection on God helps us to grow in prayer. Remembering (5-6) stirs up desire for the more we know God the more we love Him.