So do you know someone who always has to get the last word in? Yeah. Did you just elbow somebody next to you? Um We all have at least one person, right? One person that, you know, in any argument, they've just got to get the last word in and sometimes that person's in the mirror, right? You know, some, sometimes it's us. Um I, I saw a zinger of a last word in an argument. Somebody was saying uh to a friend, they said, look, man, your secrets are always safe with me because I'm never listening to you anyway. Yeah. Yeah. That's a good last word. You know, you're done. But what is it about the last word? Why is it that there is this obsession with getting the last word? Well, some psychologists say it's born out of anger or arrogance or ignorance or, or a desire to have power and, and dominance in a situation. And in a conversation, other people say that sometimes having the last word can be a positive thing because we actually are listening like we're paying attention to everything that's going on and, and we're listening to the point that when it's done. We summarize what was said and we really offer something to help a, a way that we can actually help. But what about those moments when we're looking for the last word? Like we want the last word, like we're in the middle of a, a situation with someone or, or a conflict or some type of trial or, or problem and we want the last word, we want the answer. We want the solution. Is there a last word for moments like that when it feels like we are about to lose our mind when we are scared to death, when we are super frustrated, is there a last word for those moments? There is it, it may not be the last word we think about, but there is a last word for the hardest moments and the darkest moments in life. And what is it? Well, we're going to try to find out this morning. Our message today is this is the day, this is the day and we'll be walking through psalm 74. And the psalmist begins like this in verse one, God. Why have you rejected us forever? Interesting way to start off a song, right? A prayer to God. God. Why are you rejecting us? But this is real, this, this is raw, this is, this is real raw emotion and none of us like feeling rejected. We don't, we don't like being rejected by our spouse, by our parents, by our kids. We don't like being rejected at the tryouts. We don't like being rejected for the promotion. We don't like being rejected at the polls. We don't like being rejected at the ATM. We don't like being rejected if we give advice or if we give an order or if we give instructions or if we give someone time and energy and effort. We don't like being rejected. But the psalmist was not just being rejected in his mind. He was being rejected by God and not just Him. All of the people of God felt like they were being rejected by God, that God was rejecting them, that he wasn't keeping his promise that He wasn't protecting them, that he wasn't taking care of them. Have you ever felt that way? Have you ever felt that way about about your family or, or your friends or, or your country or your health? You ever felt like God? You know, where are you, God? What's going on? God? What's happening? God? Why are you allowing this to happen? So this is real and raw. It's a real raw reaction to what is actually happening and what is actually happening? What's, what's going on here? Well, we're going to see that in just a moment but, but first we need to see a few more rs that the psalmist is throwing out. Look at verse one again. Continue in verse two. God. Why have you rejected us forever? Remember your congregation, which you purchased of old which you have redeemed to be the tribe of your inheritance. This is a real raw reaction to this sense of being rejected. And the psalmist says, God, don't you remember where you're redeemed? Now, did God really forget? Was God stressed out? Had too much on his plate? Could, couldn't remember all the details. Did, did God have COVID brain and and couldn't, couldn't put the pieces together. No, no. The psalmist is, is pleading in prayer. God. God, don't you remember? 727 years ago? You rescued us from slavery and death, don't you remember? We weren't a people but now we're your people, don't you remember God? We had no hope in this life or, or in any life. But now we have you, God, don't you remember what, what's happening? God? Where are you? Why are you allowing this to go on? I dare say we've all had a moment like that. We, I got what's going on? Why, why are you allowing this to happen? And why were they feeling so rejected? What, what was happening? Listen to verse three some more hours. Step toward the irreparable ruins. The enemy has damaged everything in the sanctuary. Your adversaries have roared in the midst of your meeting place in second Kings 25. We, we find the, the details of what the psalmist is writing about. We, we're fairly certain that this is a reference to 586 BC when, when the king of Babylon came and destroyed the temple, it was destruction, laid the sanctuary of God in ruins. Now, imagine if we had gotten here this morning and our, our beautiful sanctuary had been burned to the ground. It just burned out. I mean, that, that'd be terrible. You know, that, that would hurt. But imagine if we arrived this morning and the beautiful sanctuary was destroyed because an army had invaded America had come into South Carolina, destroyed the building and took our family and friends and us prisoner. That's a different feeling, right. And that's exactly the feeling that the psalmist is in the middle of and all the people. This is what was happening in their life. This rant, so to speak, this, this sense of rejection. This raw reaction is because an enemy has roared down, rained down ruin on God's place and on God's people, the nation as a whole was under ruin. They were overwhelmed with rejection and they felt like God wasn't remembering that they were his redeemed people. About 494 years ago, Martin Luther was writing and, and he wrote this line and though this world with devils filled should threaten to undo us. So 494 years ago, there was a Christian going man, the world's going to hell in a handbasket. These politicians are crooked and, and the people in charge are not doing the right thing and, and the economy is awful and, and everything's terrible. And then about 335 years after that, Henry Longfellow wrote his words. He bowed his head in despair and he goes, you know what? There is no peace on earth and about a gazillion other times and a, a gazillion other ways from the Garden of Eden to right now in this moment, there have been Christians and non Christians alike that have looked up to the sky and screamed out God. Where are you? And what are you doing? God? Why are you letting this happen? So is there an answer? Does, does the enemy get the last word? When the middle of His real and raw reaction to ruin and rejection? There is something that the psalmist remembers. He remembers that he and the people will refuse to forget God. Listen what he says in verse 12. Yet God is my king from long ago who performs acts of salvation in the midst of the earth. Have you ever had a time in life when everything was going wrong? Maybe that time is now, maybe that's how you feel about what's happening in life right now. Your your spouse is, is driving you up the wall. Your parents are, are driving you crazy. Your kids are driving and driving when your kids are driving, it's super stressful. Ok. Your teacher is, is overbearing, your boss is over critical. Your work is overwhelming, your finances are overdrafted. This moment when everything seems to be falling apart. That's where the psalmist is. All the things are happening, all the terrible things, all the emotions, they're all wrapped up in this one moment and in the middle of this real and raw rant of, of feeling, rejected his heart and his mind, remember something. And he reminds himself and he reminds the people and he's reminding us that the one true, most high sovereign God is the one true most high sovereign king of the universe. There is no one who reigns higher than God. He is God and there is no other. And then he says that God is doing something, not just that he did something long ago, but that He is still doing something and he is still doing it right now. And what is it? God is doing what he is performing acts of salvation in the midst of the earth, the psalmist and all of God's people, they were experiencing ruin and rejection. Everything seemed to be falling apart. Disaster and desolation has come their way. But they remembered not to forget God. They remember that He is God and there is no other and they remember that He is still saving G Campbell Morgan put it this way. The man of faith is never blind to the desolation. He sees clearly all the terrible facts. There's some terrible facts in the world right now, right? There are, there's always been some terrible facts in the world. He sees clearly all the terrible facts, but he sees more. He sees God. Therefore, his last word is never desolation. It is rather salvation. Dickerson, no matter what happens in our lives to be in Christ means that no matter how awful our spouses or our parents or our kids, or our boss or our teachers or our politicians are, no matter how bad the government or our nation or your job or your health ever gets the last word over your life. Christian is salvation and nothing and no one can ever change that no matter what the last word over your life, dear Christian is salvation. So this week when all the things happen and they will, when something goes wrong at work, something goes wrong in your home, something goes wrong with your health. Nothing can change the fact that in Christ, the last word is salvation. And how do we know that's true. Listen to verse 16, yours is the day. Yours also is the night you have prepared the light and a sign. What, what an amazing line in the middle of his world falling apart. He says, wait a minute self. This day belongs to God, the night belongs to God. He gives birth to light. He gives birth to the night. We graciously and boldly proclaim that the very first sentence of the Bible is not only true, but it is full of hope and joy and love and happiness. And power and majesty and meaning and purpose. And what is that first line, first sentence of the Bible? Genesis 11 in the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. Now you may not believe in that sentence and we can't make you believe in that sentence, but we would graciously plead with you. Go hit the internet, read everything you can about how the world came to be from science, from heaven, from earth, from nature, from the Bible, read it all. And we would pray that God in His mercy might help you discover the power and the majesty that He is the one true creator God. And that matters because if your heart is able to embrace and and let's just be truthfully. If your heart and your mind are able to embrace that God is the creator of all things that in the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. If you believe that, then then things change. Because believing that means that in the first chapter of the Bible, you would also discover in those first few chapters. Really, you would discover that there was light before there was sun, there was light before there was day and that light emanates from the very nature and character of God. So that means that before there was the first day with the sun, there was light and all of that light came from the character and nature of God, meaning he created the first day, he's created every day since he owns all of the days. And he will create and own every single day until days as we know them on this earth are done. And that really, really helps that, that truth, the simplicity, even though, even though it sounds bewildering at times to our minds, the simplicity of that truth is really, really helpful when your life is in ruins. When you are experiencing disaster, desolation and rejection. Because that truth about God being the creator God means that, you know, and can remember in any moment that without a shadow of a doubt, believing in that God and in His son, Jesus means there will be light because the last word in your life will be salvation. This week, Queen Margareta, the second of Denmark announced her abdication of the throne. She became queen when in 1972. Uh so she has been queen now for, you know, more than five decades here, five decades. So at 83 she's, she's leaving the throne. She's ending her reign. She's handing it off to her son. The days of her reign will be no more. That will never happen with God. Never 100 and 30 years ago, Charles Spurgeon was writing about verse 16 in Psalm 74. And he said this, yes, Lord, thou dost not abdicate thy throne when the sun goeth down, that's some good old English right there, God, when the sun goes down you don't when the sun sets God's reign doesn't end when the sun rises. God's reign doesn't begin. He's never not reigning. He's never not on his throne. He's never, not in charge. He's never not ruling. He's never not in power. His power never ceases. And why does that matter? Spurgeon goes on? This is very sweet to me when watching through the midnight hours are tossing to and fro in anguish. Ever been there. I woke up in the middle of the night. Can't go back to sleep because your mind is overwhelmed with fear or anger or worry or stress. They were tossed and turned in the middle of the night or sometimes in the middle of the day, I have some of you did it last night. So, so what does the fact that God never abdicates His throne have to do with our tossing and turning? Spurgeon goes on. There are precious fruits put forth by the moon as well as by the sun. In other words, in the darkness and the light, when you are with God, there is fruit, period exclamation point, we may not always see it, but it's there in the darkness and the light, the sunrise and the sunset in the terrific moments. And in the tragic moments to be with God means there is fruit to be had. And Spurgeon goes on. He says, may my Lord make me to be a favored partaker in them. I love that take Him in, in the moment, take the hope, take the love, take the happiness, take the power and the beauty and the, the meaning and the purpose. Take a hold of each day, each night, each breath, take a hold of each moment. There is so much fruit to be found with God in every moment, especially in the dark, in the darkest moment sometimes is is where the most fruit can be found. Why? Because when there is no sun, there is still light, there is no darkness for God. He is always like the day is his, the night is his and nothing and no one can change that nothing. This is the day that the Lord has made. This is the day that the Lord reigns. This is the day that God saves. This is the day that you really can put your full trust in Him. And we need to know that. Why do we need to know that? Listen to verse 23. Do not forget the voice of your adversaries, the uproar of those who rise against you, which ascends continually. I can tell you in 30 years of doing marriage counseling. Um Those two verses sometimes feel like marriage. You know, because we way too often see our spouses or our parents or our kids as enemies and we feel they taught continually. He want change, she want change, they want change. They're impossible. That's just real. And if you feel that way. You're not alone. I have 30 years in five states to back it up. There's a lot of people that we feel that way and, and there's never been a time where the world was perfect, except in the Garden of Eden and the only thing that changed that was sin. And so this picture sounds super crazy. Depressing at first glance. Right. So, wait a minute. So the adversaries of God only taunt and roar and ruin continually. Well, great. Well, how am I supposed to win? What, what am I supposed to do? How, how can I deal with this? How do we turn down the volume of the loud roars of the enemy and the enemies of God? Well, there's really kind of only one way to do it and it's exactly what the psalmist did we remember that God is the king from long ago and that he's still the king. And we remember that there has never been a millisecond where God is not performing acts of salvation on the earth. It's never happened. I can tell you from personal experience. Even this week. I can be standing in a moment and I can get a text of tragedy and I can get a text of triumph. And as a human being, as a pastor, I will tell you that's a hard moment because I've got to at the same time, weep with someone and laugh with someone and it feels hypocritical sometimes. But the reality is in the universe. There are moments where everything is falling apart and then somewhere it's not somewhere salvation is springing up because God still saves God, still redeems. So we remember what the psalmist remembers. We remember that God is our God from long ago. And it doesn't matter that our culture tells us that our God is silly or dumb or archaic or ancient or that His truth is, is useless and it doesn't apply. It's always applied because no one in this room is holy. Holy, holy and no one in Washington DC is holy, holy, holy. And no one in Seattle or San Francisco or Singapore or Russia or any other place on the planet is holy, holy, holy, only God is holy, holy, holy. So when we don't understand, we don't get to say you're not holy. He is and we can trust that when none of it makes sense or even when we fight against it because he is the king from long ago and he never stops working and he gets the last word even on our worst and most troubling day in our most tragic moments, we, we can still preach to our souls. We can say to our souls this, this is the day, this is the day that belongs to God and nothing can change that and nothing can take this day away from Him and Christian, if that's true and we are his, that means nothing. And no one can take us away from him. So, if he owns the day we can trust him with our lives. Sounds great. What does it look like in real life? Carolyn's dad died 13 years ago. The one thing she remembers the most about her dad is how much he sang. He was just always singing and he was always singing songs about God. No matter what he was doing, he could, you know, be in his workshop, he could be riding down the road, he could be in the kitchen. I mean, he was just always singing songs about God. And the song that he sang the most that she remembers the most was the song. It is Well with my soul written by Horatio Spafford. Now, Stafford wrote that song with, with Purpose on November 22nd, 1873 his daughters and his wife were traveling across the Atlantic Ocean and at two o'clock in the morning, uh their ship collided with another ship and all four of his daughters died in, in the crash. And he wrote this song as a reflection of his pain and also the hope of what he experienced in that moment. But that song title in of itself sounds a little pie in the sky, right? It is well with my soul. I mean, come on. I mean, how in the world is it going to be well with my soul when I'm in a moment of extreme anger, extreme fear. Extreme heartbreak. How in the world could it be possible that in ruin and rejection and disaster and desolation, it would be well with my soul. How well Carolyn gives us some helpful tips to move us in that direction. From an article a few years ago, the Tyler of her article is whatever my lot embracing the day God has made. Not the day I want, not the day I wish, but the day that God has made and, and these are her four tips. The first one is this, don't wish for yesterday. This is what she says. Wishing for the good old days or longing for the way things used to be will smother God's gifts of joy for today. Smother longing for the good old days can smother the joy that God's trying to give us right now. She goes on nostalgia is often a cover for discontent for dissatisfaction with God's good gifts in the present. We often forget that yesterday had its sorrows too and we are also prone to forget the sustaining grace of God that carried us through those sorrows man. I wish things were like they used to be. Well, you know what? It was bad back then too. There, there's always been sin, things have always been awful. There is nothing new under the sun, but we don't believe it. We're convinced that now is the worst. Second, don't long for tomorrow. She says, I love this. She says, we tend to think. Well, when I finally graduate, then I'll be happy. Well, if I get married, then I'll be content if I have a baby, then my life will be complete. When I get through mother and the little ones, then I'll feel rested. If I survive my life with teenagers, then I'll be free when I get through this trial, then my life will be good. That ain't true. Is it? I mean, we all know that. Right? Bless. I, I was talking to a young dad not long ago and I, I told him, I said, man, I really thought when my kids got to be, you know, now in their early twenties that, you know, raising kids would be easier. No. Holy cow. It's harder than it's ever been, you know, and he just looked at me II, I mean, I just bless. I said, no, no, I mean, it's still all fun. But I said, you know, it's, it's, it's, it's still tough, it's still tough. And remember the words of Jesus do not worry about tomorrow because tomorrow will have its own worries. So, so whatever the trouble of today is, it may not be there tomorrow, but there'll be some different trouble. So don't wish for yesterday. Don't long for tomorrow. Third. She says this live expectantly today, love it. She says if we are living for the future or pining for the past, we will be crippled by today's trouble and we will wind up. Bereft. That's a good word. We never use. It means deprived. We'll be deprived of today's blessings. We'll miss God today because we're longing for what he did tomorrow. Or we're hoping he'll do something else, longing for what he did yesterday. We're hoping he'll do something else tomorrow and we'll miss him today. Don't miss him today. Don't miss him today. And then fourth, she says, remember the greatest day ever. What's the greatest day ever? I mean, how would you answer that question? I mean, I've had some good days, you know, I've had some great days with my family. I had some really unique birthdays with, with all of my kids. Um I mean, I, I, I've had some fun with my friends from high school and college. Um I've had some great moments at church. I've had some great moments at, at ball games. I've, I've had some great meals at some great restaurants, you know, I mean, I've had some great stuff but, but the greatest day ever. Ho how would you describe the greatest day ever? Well, Carolyn says she may not have caught it when her dad was singing it when she was growing up. But she gets it now because her dad was always singing to her about the greatest day and the greatest day according to Spafford goes like this, my sin. Oh, the bliss of this glorious thought, my sin. Not in part, but the whole is nailed to the cross and I bear it no more. Praise the Lord, praise the Lord o my soul. The greatest day ever is the day that Jesus of Nazareth, the son of God, the Christ, the messiah suffered and bled and died on the cross to absorb and pay the full price, the full penalty penalty of my sin and your sin. And then, then he guaranteed that that day was all it was supposed to be by rising from the dead. Just a few days later. The greatest day is the day that Jesus made a way for it to be possible for me and for you and for every other human being ever to put their trust in him and never bear their sin again. The greatest day is the day of salvation. The greatest day is the day of salvation. It's not your wedding. It's not when your kids are born. It's not when your team wins. It's not when your politician wins. It's not, those are all fantastic. They're not the greatest day. The greatest day is the day of salvation and nothing compares nothing. So, have you had the greatest day ever? Have you truly received the salvation of Jesus Christ? If so it matters. Listen again to G Campbell Morgan, the man of faith is never blind to the desolation. He sees clearly all the terrible facts. Look Fox News Max C NBC CNN. Whatever you follow, they're going to let you know all about the terrible facts. Ok? You're going to hear them. Some of you are going to blow up talk radio tomorrow. You can't get a, you will try to get more talk radio than you will try to get God tomorrow. I don't mean that mean, I'm just saying we all know this is the reality for some people. We are addicted to news and information, all the terrible facts. They're out there. They're, they're all waiting for you. Ok? We don't ignore them. We don't act like they're not terrible. We don't act like they're not there. We look for ways to engage. He sees clearly all the terrible facts, but he sees more. He sees God. Therefore, his last word is never desolation. It is rather salvation. As we launch into a brand new year, let us resolve to see more, to hear more, to see and hear and know that the last word belongs to God and God alone. And the last word over the life of someone who is believing in and yielding to and relying on and trusting in and clinging to Jesus. The last word is salvation. The last word is salvation. There is no greater news for any new year than the last word over your life being salvation. So we could say that the greatest question ever is about the greatest day ever. And so that question would simply be this, what will be the last word over your life?