It is common at the beginning of a ministry year to consider things like mission and vision of a church. In many ways, that's what we're doing in this sermon series leading up to our 50th anniversary. Often, pastors will preach on passages like the Great Commission, or the Great Commandment, or the Great Requirement. Encouraging the church to love God more and love their neighbors as themselves. As a result, to go out and witness for Jesus Christ. And we need that. We need that in our church, we need that in our city, we need that in our province, we need that in our country. In this passage, we see the psalmist's praise for God's blessing to be experienced by God's people, so that all the world would know and see their blessedness and turn and worship the one true God. This text inverts our paradigm of mission being focused on our work, but instead focuses on asking God to work. This does not mean that we are to be complacent. No, we like the psalmist are to ask God to work and then reflect God to other people. This reflection of God is where the mission of God starts. We see this all the way in the beginning of the Bible in Genesis chapter 1, where humanity was told and given the blessed reality of imaging God. We know as the story of Genesis moves forward, that the image of God is marred by sin, and that relationship with God which existed in innocence is broken. We are left looking for redemption. But God with the failure of humanity did not stop there. Instead, from Genesis to Revelation, we read of a God who is on mission to dwell with humanity, that he would be known by all people. This is why the psalmist can say in one set that this is the greatest need of the world for them to know God, to praise God, enjoy God, and fear God. It is a restoration of God's goal in creation. While making a list of why God should bless us, we likely are not putting down on the list a means of witness at the top of the list. Often, we ask for God's blessings like peace, like food, like wealth, as an end in themselves, thinking that if we get what we want, then God is giving us what he wants. But in God blessing his people, he has a greater goal in mind, is greater than simple satisfaction of our wants and needs. God is on mission, even in blessing his people, and his intent is blessing the world. As he blessed his people Israel then, and now he blesses his church, that blessing is to spill over to the world. That the world would see the gift that points to the giver. That the blessing points to the blesser. In this psalm we see that God blesses his people so that the whole world would be blessed. As a church who looks back on their past and looks forward to its future, this psalm reorients not only how we view blessing, but also how we view ourselves. So let's look at this text in three parts. The request for blessing, the reasons for blessing, and the result of blessing. Look at me at point one and in verse one, the request for blessing. The psalm, unlike the psalm that we looked at last week, does not tell us who it's written by. Instead we are told that it's written to the choir master or chief musician of Israel. Meaning that it was given to the choir master of Israel so that all of God's people would sing this song. So that through their singing and collective requesting of God to bless them, God would not just bless them, but he would bless the whole world. The psalmist begins with telling us in verse one that God's blessing is tied to God's graciousness. It's because God is gracious that he blesses. In some ways this is a two-fold request. God may you be gracious and may you bless us. In this request for God to be gracious, the psalmist is asking for God to be charitable. Some translations actually translate this word gracious as merciful as we sung earlier in the service. That God would even have a sense of pity towards his people. Getting at the idea that God is giving charity not because we deserve it, but instead because we desperately need it. This is a form of charity that we cannot gain or produce by any other means. Some religions teach that you can gain God's favor by saying specific words or doing particular tasks. It's as if we can manufacture blessing in life. What we see is that God's blessing comes from unmerited favor, his divine charity. It's something that he gives as a gift. And we have the great privilege of simply asking God for this gift. Not just for ourselves to experience it, but for the whole world. This means that we can pray that God shows us his unmerited favor. Not because we deserve it, but because he is generous and gracious to give it. One of my old pastors used to say in prayer, we're not asking God to do things that we can do for ourselves. We're not asking God to tie our shoes or scratch our back. We're asking God to do what only he can do. You and I cannot give divine charity. We cannot cause people to worship God. I can't make people feel joy or no equity, but God can. And so we ask him. We ask God, the psalmist does. That God be gracious to us and bless us and have his face shine upon us. If you have been at Bedford or any Reformed church for any amount of time, these verses or verse one may sound very familiar to you. And you might say, isn't this what you might say at the end of a service sometimes in addiction? If you were to think that you're right. This is very similar to Numbers chapter six verses twenty two to twenty four, the Aaronic blessing. We do read that at the end of our services time to time. But verse one is not the same as Numbers six. Commentators do believe that verse one is referring to Numbers chapter six. Commentators just end at noting their similarities and and keep it there. And I don't want to spend too much time on my speculation as to why I believe this psalmist may be repeating these words. But one thing stuck out to me. Numbers six twenty two to twenty four is a priestly blessing. It is a blessing that is said over Aaron and the high priest and his sons. Aaron, the high priest and his sons. The priests were those who are set apart to mediate and represent God's presence to the rest of God's people and the world. They were to be served. They were to be serving as intermediaries. If you read Exodus nineteen, you'll see that God set apart the people of Israel to be a kingdom of priests, that they would be participating in this intermediary function. The New Testament picks this up with the Apostle Peter in first Peter chapter two and says that we are to be a royal priesthood. This psalm is highlighting a priestly activity, asking God to bless God's people and by extension bless the world. I think in some sense when we pray these words or sing these words, we are living out our priestly identity as Christians. When we share in this request for blessing, we're not just petitioners, we are participants so that the whole world will be blessed, that we would be blessed to be a blessing. In those words, point at the other cross reference of verse one references. Genesis chapter twelve. Abraham in Genesis chapter twelve is told that he will be blessed so that all the world will be blessed through him. This psalm is deeply steeped in these truths. So the psalmist prays for God's mission to bless the world would advance in and through God's people. As we're reflecting on these things, we must define the word blessed. Blessing is something that we use all too often. We use it all the time, but I really wondered, do we know what it means? Well, commonly say God bless you when somebody sneezes or even pop culture has co-opted the world blessed to simply mean good or to actually be a form of boasting in what they have over against someone else. In our series in Matthew and in the Proverbs, you might remember that we mentioned that there are two different words in our English Bibles that are translated as the word blessed. There's ashrae, which means happy or flourishing, and there's baroque, which is speaking of God's covenant blessing. Up until now, the time that I've preached to this church, we've only reflected on ashrae. But our text here is using the word baroque, God's covenant blessing. So what does it mean? One source that I found, phrase it this way, when we are asking for blessing, we are giving a statement of the word. Of good will, stead to another, which wishes God to restore his favor on others or a declaration of his inherent goodness. In blessing, we call for people to experience prosperity, peace, and fulfillment that was first known in God's original design. Do I need batteries? Can I just switch to this? Let me read this quote for us again. One source defined blessing this way. That blessing is a statement of good will that is said to another, statements of wishing for God to restore his favor on others or a declaration of his inherent goodness. In blessing, we call for people to experience prosperity, peace, and fulfillment that was first known in God's original design of creation, but has now been corrupted by sin. It's a very long definition, but in short, I believe that blessing is a callback to Eden, a well-wishing of the benefits that are found in life with God as they were supposed to be, knowing God's favor and his good fortune. And just as in Eden, the psalmist calls for God to be near to him, that God's face would shine upon them. What does that mean? We say those words. What does that mean? Is this some sort of glistening light from heaven? I mean, it could mean that. But more likely, it is referring to God's interaction with us, that he is interacting with us responsibly, not having his back towards us. Instead, he is responsibly looking, listening, loving, and providing. It is the posture of God's attentiveness and care towards us. It is like a child calling out to a parent and asking for their care and support. And we, like the psalmist, are crying out that God's people would know God's fatherly care. Just as you and I would be disrespected if someone had their back turned towards us and were throwing charity at us, so does this psalm highlight. That is not how God operates with his people. We are asking for God's attention. If our earthly fathers can respond with such care to their children, how much more will our Heavenly Father crane his neck to look at us and bless us? And, church, that is a blessing in itself, that the God of the universe has given us his attention, his awareness, and his favor. As a church, corporately and individually, we have been blessed in many ways. God has given us so much from resources to people, and we still ask him to bless us with more because we have a gracious Father in heaven. However, we must see that these blessings are not just to have an end in itself or to build ourselves up, to have a better reputation of any other kind. Their greater purpose is so that others would know the glory of God. That is what God is after. And this brings us to our second point, the reasons for blessing. In our second point, we look at the bulk of this psalm. The psalmist gives us four reasons why he requests God's blessing. The first one we see in verse 2, that God would be known. The second is repeated in verses 3 and 5, that God would be praised. The third is found in verse 4, that God would be enjoyed. And the fourth, in verse 7, that God would be feared. The psalmist tells us, the reason God's people experience blessing is so that God would be known, praised, and enjoyed, and feared by all people. Let's look at our first reason that God would be known. Look at verse 2 with me. The psalmist makes clear that God's people are blessed so that God's ways may be known on earth, specifically God's saving power. God blesses us as a means of witness to the world. So those who are around us, our friends, our families, our co-workers, would in some part experience and see a glimpse of who God is and what he's done and what he has promised. The greatest blessing that we have received over and above, material status, relationships, or societal blessings, if you are a Christian, is the forgiveness of sins and relationship with God. When the watching world sees a person who is free from guilt and shame, who have faith and trust in a sovereign God, who have satisfaction in life that only God can bring, it truly does make alarm bells ring. People ask, why are you so free? Why are you so calm? Why are you so happy? Why are you so kind? Why are you so gentle? Why are you so loving? Why are you so forgiving? Why are you so generous? These questions should be asked of us. And if they're not, we must ponder, has God's grace really changed you? The Apostle Peter in 2 Peter chapter 1 says that the fruit of faith should exist and be increasing in us. People should see the ways in which we speak and interact with them and that it should point to God's grace, salvation, and justice. For Israel, their blessing was more material. They experienced prosperity, victory, and peace. And the nations would see this and see that it was a mighty God who saved them and provided for them. If you look at the book of Joshua, you see this happen time and time again because the nation of Israel was a small nation with little resources. They could not succeed with simple effort or ability. But God graciously blessed them and it served as a testament to the nations for them to look beyond Israel and see the God of heaven, a God who is great, kind, loving, and powerful. For Israel then and for Christians now, these are the ways that God uses blessings to reveal himself to the world, that they would know him. And we participate in that. And this knowledge of God that they get to experience should lead them to praise God, which leads us to our second reason. God blesses us so the nations would praise him. What you can miss here is something that can often happen. People can separate theology from doxology and we just simply cannot do that. Theology is the study of God and doxology is the praise of God. If you really know God, it will lead you to praise because you know who he is. R.C. Sproul highlights that everyone is a theologian. The question is whether you are a good one or not. If our knowledge of the Triune God does not lead us to praise, there is a problem. And our hope is that as people interact with us, hear from us, that they would have a greater glimpse as to who God is. That there would be a corrective agent to their theology and the ways in which they err. The truth is that we are all worshippers, Christian or not. The question is what we worship. What we see here is that maximum joy and gladness is not found in worshipping other gods in self, money, relationships. It's found in worshipping the one true God. In worshipping God, we are doing what we are created to do and we are turning back to that creation ideal, living life with God. And as we witness, as we hope and we pray, we look to the nations and those around us to live out what they were created for just as we live that reality now so that they would know joy. Look at me at verse 4. That they would come to know gladness and sing for joy. As a result of rightly knowing God and praising God, the nations enjoy the rule of God. That God judges them and leads them. If you think back to Psalm 2, the nations actually rebel against this point that God leads them and is exalted over them. But what we see here is that this actually should lead them to joy. That there is a freedom in knowing that God is sovereign over our lives. That the be all end all of our lives is not our accomplishments or disappointments. That our striving in our lives is not what is to super intend our abilities and our wants. But instead it's a sovereign God who is ruling and reigning, leading and guiding. Though the nations are still ruled by God regardless of their knowledge and praise of Him, it only becomes a delight to them if they have a right relationship with Him, just as it is for us. We want this for our neighbors. We want them to know that they don't need to keep striving after when thinking that they are going to the be all end all of their lives. Instead they can see there is a sovereign God. The last reason that the Psalmist gives for asking for blessing is so that God will be feared. God being feared does not sound like a benefit to anyone. But fear and awe are the kind of emotion that come along with amazement taking place. It's appropriate. Especially when you realize that blessing doesn't always just come with laughter and smiles. It comes with shock and awe. Amazement that the God of heaven has taken notice of us, that He has turned His face towards us, that He has been gracious to us. If you are a Christian here today, be reminded of why God blesses. It's not just for a benefit for ourselves, but it's so that people would see and know and worship and enjoy God and fear Him. And so would we pray to that end that the world would see these blessings and know the living God. If you are a Christian, if you're not a Christian here today, I ask you to consider the amazing blessings of God. The ones you've heard about in this service, how there is a God who created all things, who is King of Kings, the one who forgives sins, who gives life, love, and laughter. All of these blessings point to Him. And I pray that you'd come to know them and praise Him for them and enjoy Him and fear Him because of them. Because all of these things point to Him. Let's look at our last point, the results of blessing. Look at me at verse 6. The psalmist turns to the blessings of the past, particularly a plentiful harvest. The earth has yielded its increase. Commentators believe that this is a harvest psalm, meaning that it was sung at the end of the harvest. Specifically, they think that this was sung at the time of Pentecost, where God's people would celebrate God's gracious provision and blessing. As the psalmist wrote this, they did not know that Pentecost would be associated with the reversal of Babel. That what would take place in Pentecost in the New Testament in Acts chapter 2 would be where the place where nations are present and are blessed. That the nations would come to know and praise and enjoy and fear God as they heard the good news of Jesus Christ. The psalmist was looking to a day where God had yet to bless the world. And he looked to the day, and we looked to the day that has already passed, that is solidified in God's greatest blessing, Jesus Christ, whose gospel is the power of God for salvation. In Jesus, God made himself known to the nations that his saving power was displayed. The one who gives gladness and joy, who will judge the living and the dead, the one who all nations are subject to, and he ultimately guides as he is enthroned on high. He is not only the blesser, but the blessing, the one whom the whole world is blessed by, the one who brought the nations near, and we pray that he will continue to as he comes again. We who sit in this room this morning, a congregation that is madely made up of Gentiles, in this we see that God has been faithful to answer this prayer and song, that the nations have come to know him, praise him, enjoy him, and fear him. And as you see this, would you have greater confidence to say with the psalmist, God shall bless us, he has blessed us, as we sing it afresh, may he continue to, using us as he sees fit, so that the world will be blessed by us. Let's pray.