Psalm 90

Order of Service

• Call to Worship — Psalm 113:1-3
• Hymn — O God, Our Help in Ages Past
• Prayer of Invocation
• Scripture Reading — Psalm 90
• Sermon
• Pastoral Prayer
• Benediction

---

Sermon Title: Numbering Our Days

Scripture: Psalm 90

I. The Eternity of God

A. Psalm 90:1-2 — Lord, you have been our dwelling place in all generations

1. Echoes of Genesis 1-2: God is older than the mountains, more ancient than the earth, the Creator of all things seen and unseen
2. John 1:2 — all things were made through him and without him nothing was made

B. God has dwelt with his people throughout redemptive history

1. In the garden, God walked with Adam in the cool of the day
2. For Israel: pillar of cloud by day, fire by night; thunder and thick cloud on Sinai; the presence filling the tabernacle
3. For the church: 1 Corinthians 3:16 — you are temples of God and the Spirit of God dwells in you; John 1:14 — the Word became flesh and dwelt among us

C. Application: Do our prayers begin with adoration of God for who he is?

1. Anxiety may be rooted in discontentment with the communion God offers through his Son
2. The God who loves you dwells within you in Christ by his Spirit — that ought to be enough

II. The Transience of Man

A. Psalm 90:3-11 — You turn man to dust and say, Return, O children of man

1. Echo of Genesis 3 — the curse: dust you are and to dust you shall return
2. 2 Peter 3:8 — with the Lord a day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day

B. Four images of human transience

1. A flood: life is swept away in a moment, without warning
2. Sleep: like a dream that vanishes upon waking
3. Grass: flourishes in the morning, cut down and withered by evening
4. A watch in the night: our entire lives are like a three-hour shift — brief, filled with monotony and toil

C. The cause of God's wrath: sin

1. Israel complained, reverted to idolatry, and revolted — an entire generation fell in the desert
2. Moses himself did not enter Canaan because of his sin at Kadesh (Numbers 20; cf. Exodus 17)
3. Death is the wages of sin; original sin has corrupted all humanity — total depravity
4. In Christ we are saved from the wrath to come, yet sin still clings closely; 1 John 1:9 — if we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us
5. The full measure of God's wrath against sin is seen at Gethsemane and Calvary — Jesus drank the cup to its dregs on behalf of sinners

III. Moses's Response: Six Petitions

A. Psalm 90:12 — So teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom

1. The foundational petition from which the others flow
2. Personal application: how seriously do we redeem the time, knowing we must give account before the judgment seat of Christ?

B. Psalm 90:13 — Return, O Lord; how long? Have compassion on your servants

1. The only right response to beholding God's eternity and man's transience is to cry out to God for mercy

C. Psalm 90:15 — Make us glad according to the days you have afflicted us

1. Moses asks for joy equal to his suffering
2. God has answered this petition beyond all measure in Christ
3. The believer's reward: never-ending communion with God — Revelation 21:1-8 — the tabernacle of God is with men; no more death, sorrow, crying, or pain
4. These present afflictions are light and momentary compared to the glory to come

D. Closing exhortation: be diligent to number your days; may the Lord grant us a heart of wisdom, that at the end we gain God himself through Jesus Christ