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The River ChurchSermons

Josh Combs · 21 Jun 2026

Josh Combs · Sunday, 21 June 2026 · 39:57 · 3,978 words

There is no public page for this message yet — the transcript below is the whole of it.

Psalm 90 forms the heart of this message, which contrasts God’s everlasting nature with humanity’s fleeting existence. Moses’ prayer teaches that life is short, like grass that withers, and that sin makes us dust before a holy God. The sermon urges listeners to number their days, pursue wisdom, and invest their time and money in eternal work rather than temporary pursuits. It also calls those who have not trusted Christ to do so now, and challenges believers to stop squandering their years on meaningless goals.

What this sermon is about

Ranked by keyness against every other sermon in the corpus. Each one is a word this sermon actually said — nothing here was written by a model.

everlasting 24 moses 24 dust 14 fleeting 9 time 37 year 26 foundation 9 day 25 pickleball 4 ambition 5 psalm 18 verse 36

Topics

Salvation 2 The Gospel 1 Sin 1 Judgment 1 Prayer 1

Scripture referenced 28

Verified against the transcript. A reference the recording does not support is never listed here.

Psalms 90 0:38 Psalms 90 1:42 Psalms 90 4:05 Deuteronomy 33:27 6:51 Psalms 90 8:46 Genesis 2 8:56 Genesis 2 8:56 Genesis 3 9:51 Genesis 3 9:51 Genesis 3:19 10:08 Psalms 90 10:20 Psalms 103:14 10:35 Psalms 103:4 11:34 2 Peter 3 11:48 Psalms 89 18:30 Psalms 89:47 18:30 Psalms 39 18:47 Psalms 39 18:47 Psalms 39:4 18:47 Psalms 90 19:25 1 Corinthians 3 25:49 1 Corinthians 3:10 26:10 Romans 10:9 26:57 Psalms 90 31:59 Luke 12 31:59 Luke 12:16 32:39 Luke 12:19 33:41 Psalms 90 34:18

Transcript

Every word, as spoken, with the second it was said. Each word links to its own entry in the index.

Pre-service announcement — 14 lines, 0:38. Excluded from every count and search on this site, kept here so nothing is hidden.

Hey everyone, my name is Dave Hudgens.

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Thanks again for joining us

and we hope that you are blessed by today's message.

The Bible says,

A prayer of Moses, the man of God.

Moses is one of those great heroes and titans of the faith.

His story is in the Old Testament,

primarily in the book of Exodus.

And it tells the story of how God would use

this incredible man to free his people from slavery,

lead them across the parted Red Sea

to the base of Mount Sinai.

God's actual presence would descend on that mountain

and Moses would walk up into that mountain

to meet with God.

And the Bible says he met with God face to face

as a friend meets with a friend.

Just an extraordinary person.

Here, Psalm 90 gives us a prayer that Moses prayed.

And Moses lived generations before David or Asaph,

the guys who wrote many of the Psalms.

And so this is likely to be the oldest Psalm

in the book of Psalms.

Moses is called there the man of God.

He is called that multiple times in the Old Testament.

Once in the book of Joshua, once in the book of Ezra.

He's the man of God.

Without doubt, Moses' life, although it was imperfect,

Moses belonged to God.

It was a man who belonged to the Lord.

Just as a pause here before we jump into the Psalm,

as a man, who do you belong to?

What is the simple one phrase summary of your life?

For Moses, he is simply called the man of God.

Let's look at his prayer, verse one.

Moses says, Lord, you have been our dwelling place

in all generations.

Before the mountains were brought forth,

or ever you had formed the earth and the world

from everlasting to everlasting, you are God.

That's a key phrase that we'll see repeated

at the end of the Psalm.

You are God.

One writer said, we are gods to command,

though he is also ours to enjoy.

Moses is praying to God and he's saying, you are God.

You are the boss.

You are Lord.

You are the one.

You are the one who controls and commands our lives.

You are God.

Just before that, Moses says,

from everlasting to everlasting, you are God.

So before time began,

which is a major theme in Psalm 90, time.

Before time began, Genesis says that in the beginning,

God created the heavens and the earth.

You and I know no other existence other than being in time.

We cannot make time.

We cannot make time go faster.

We cannot make time go any slower.

We cannot stop time.

We cannot reverse time.

We are stuck as humans in perpetual forward motion

at the same rate of time from the moment we are born

to the moment we die.

God, on the other hand, Moses said,

is from everlasting to everlasting.

So maybe here in the middle, we can imagine this is time.

So here's the beginning.

Beginning of time, and we're moving forward in time.

Before time began, God existed in eternity past.

And when time comes to an end, God will still be there.

So Moses says, from everlasting to everlasting, you are God.

Isaiah, the prophet, says of God

that he declares the end from the beginning.

So God is not in time.

God is outside of time.

A.W. Tozer, a great writer,

in his wonderful book called Knowledge of the Holy,

says that God appears at time's beginning

is not too difficult to comprehend,

but that he appears at the beginning

and at the end of time simultaneously

is not so easy to grasp, yet it is true.

So God is outside of time in existence

and awareness and understanding

that we can only scratch the surface of understanding.

Moses says, from everlasting to everlasting, you are God.

In verse two, he says,

before the mountains were brought forth,

or ever you had formed the earth and the world.

He says of God, not only are you God,

not only are you eternal,

but you're also the creator of all that we see.

You formed the earth.

You formed the world.

You brought forth, you birthed the mountains,

the mountains that are, you spoke them into being.

And in verse one, he says of God,

you have been our dwelling place.

In Moses' final sermon, his farewell to his people,

he says in Deuteronomy 33, 27,

he says the eternal God is your dwelling place.

Again, A.W. Tozer says, since God is eternal,

he can be a continue, he can continue forever

to be the one safe home for his time-driven children.

Hope that you were encouraged by that

because as the scripture says,

Jesus Christ is your dwelling place.

Jesus Christ, the same yesterday, today, and forever.

You have an eternal home.

And that home is not just heaven.

That home is with the Lord.

That is the dwelling place that we have.

Verse three, Moses says, you return man to dust.

You say, return, O children of man,

for a thousand years in your sight are but as yesterday

when it is past or as a watch in the night.

A watch in the night.

A watch in the night.

or four-hour period of nighttime. Verse 5, you sweep them, meaning mankind, you sweep them away

as with a flood. They are like a dream, like grass that is renewed in the morning. In the morning,

it flourishes and is renewed. In the evening, it fades and withers. For we are brought to an end

by your anger, by your wrath. We are dismayed. Look at the contrast in the end of verse 2 to

verse 3. God is from everlasting to everlasting, but in verse 3, mankind is rightly associated

with dust. So temporal, so fleeting. Hold your spot in Psalm 90 and go back to the first book

of the Bible, Genesis. Genesis chapter number 2. Genesis 2-7. Genesis 2-7. Here is the creation

account of day 6. Then the Lord God formed the man of dust.

From the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living

creature. Here is God scooping up dirt from the ground, molding it and shaping it, and that is

what humanity is made of. Sin comes into the world in chapter 3. Go over to Genesis chapter 3.

Now in verse number 19, sin comes in. The beauty, the perfection that God had created is marred,

By sin and part of the punishment, verse 19, God says directly to the man,

by the sweat of your face you shall eat bread till you return to the ground. For out of it you were

taken, for you are dust, and to dust you shall return. Let's go back to Psalm 90. God is from

everlasting to everlasting. Humanity, just dust. Psalm 103.14 says, for he knows our frame,

he remembers that we are dust.

Easily swept away, easily forgotten. I was chatting with one of my friends a couple weeks ago,

and he said there's a tombstone of a man whose last name is famous in this area, and the tombstone

has fallen on the ground, grass has covered it up, and there's only a handful of people that know

where it even is. Emperor, bleeding dust. Contrast couldn't be more stark, it couldn't be more

different. Verse 4, Moses says, a thousand years,

in your sight are, but as yesterday when it is past, or as a watch in the night. Peter even

quotes this in 2 Peter 3, he says, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand

years as one day. For us, a thousand years is hard to even wrap our brains around, and yet the Bible

is saying, for God, that's similar to like a day. At the end of our hallway, as I come out of my

room at my house, there's a clock, and below that is the day. And that's the day that we're

the month and the date. We'll switch these little metal things there. Frankly, it's an annoying

decoration to have to change every single day of the year. But I change it, and I come out,

and it reminds me. And this week, I thought, where has June gone? Wow, we're almost done with June.

That's depressing. That means December is coming. Darkness is going to fall on us again. It's just

fleeting. The Bible says a thousand years is like that to God. So different. He is from everlasting

to everlasting. We are going to be like that. We are going to be like that. We are going to be like that.

We are just dust. Verse 8, Moses says,

You have set our iniquities before you, our secret sins, in the light of your presence. So God,

you know that we're just dust. We've sinned against you. We are not eternal. Floods come.

Our life is but a dream, so fleeting. It's beautiful like grass in the morning. That's kind

of a, the sun is shining this morning. The fog across the field is beautiful. It's wonderful.

But the,

heat will come maybe in August and dry up the grass and it will be brown. It's here. It's

beautiful. It's gone in just a few weeks. That's our life. And we are also filled with sin. Verse

9, for all our days pass away under your wrath. We bring our years to an end like a sigh. The years

of our life are 70 or even by reason of strength, 80. Yet their span is but toil and trouble.

They are soon gone and we fly away.

One of the privileges I have as a pastor is talking to people in their final days. It makes

some times casual conversations at social functions, open houses or weddings or parties

a little heavier than people want because a pastor is a little bit morbid because we deal

with death so often. And it's not as if I'm super comfortable with it, but it is a common occurrence

in my life to speak with and have conversations with people who are facing death.

Moses wrote this 1500 years before Jesus lived. So we're beyond 3000 years ago. Moses penned this

prayer to God and he said, God, lifespan is about 70 years. Some people might even by strength live

up to 80 years. However long a person lives, they're going to have toil and trouble. It will

go by quickly and then they fly away. If you search right now for what is the,

life expectancy of human beings in 2026 in the United States, those are the numbers.

Men's life expectancy is somewhere in the seventies. Women live a little bit longer

because God's like, you dealt with that guy long enough. I'll spot you a few years. Okay.

So women get up into the early eighties a little bit, but that's it. I don't want to be morbid.

I want to speak directly to folks that are sitting in this room or watching online who are in their

sixties, seventies, eighties, and beyond. I want to speak directly to folks that are sitting in this room

Somebody dies at 75. We go super old, not young. Moses says it's soon gone. And he says in verse

12, because of that, because of the punishment of death, verse 11, who considers the power of your

anger and your wrath, according to the fear of you. So because of sin, we're all going to face

physical death. So because of the temporal, very temporal fleeting nature of life, verse 12,

Moses says, so teach us.

To number our days that we may get a heart of wisdom. Time, major theme in the book or in this

chapter. Verse one speaks of generations. Verse two, from everlasting to everlasting. Verse four

has years yesterday night. Verse five has morning. Verse six, morning and evening. Verse nine,

days and years. Verse 10, years. Verse 12, days. Verse 14, morning. Verse 15, days and years. Time.

If you turn to the Bible, you'll see that the Bible says that the Bible says that the Bible says that

turn back one chapter to Psalm 89 in verse 47. The psalmist says, remember how short my time is.

Like a little further, Psalm 39. Psalm 39 in verse four. Oh Lord, make me know my end. And what is

the measure of my days? Let me know how fleeting I am. Behold, you have made my days a few hand

breaths, just a few measurements. And my lifetime is just nothing.

Before you go back to Psalm 90. What's the prayer? Prayer is God, you're eternal. I am not. I, my

lifetime is not eternal. My lifetime is fleeting. You are from everlasting to everlasting. I am

just dust. Lord, because of that, please don't let me waste my life. As a pastor,

see many people in their fifties, their ambition in life is to work real hard so they can do

nothing. Yeah, I'm going to work real hard over the next five years, 10 years. I'm going to work

and then just pickleball every day. There's nothing wrong with pickleball. Enjoy that. It's

great. And it's like, really? That's the ambition of your heart. Because the reality is if you reach

70, and this is not meant to be morbid or discouraging to anyone here who's 70, you are on

borrowed time. And pickleball is how you want to spend those years. You know, you know what older

people, I'm not going to call you old. I'll call you older. You know, older people love to do.

To demean the next generation. You know what the next generation could use? Hanging out with a few

70 and 80 year olds who are saying, just a heads up, you just graduated high school. And before

you know it, you're going to be 80. And you're going to go, what the heck happened? Everyone I

talked to is 65, 70, 75. They go, that went quick. And the Bible says it over and over again.

Your life is but a vapor. It's here one moment and it is gone. Let me know how fleeting,

I am. You are just dust. And yet we have believers who love Jesus, who know that God is

from everlasting to everlasting. Listen to me, squandering your best years. And you may not have

the energy of a 25 year old. That's okay. But you have the wisdom that they don't. I am so thankful

when I see older folks serving in our church. It brings me incredible joy. Every week Hawkins is at

the door, serves faithfully every week. My wife will tell me in her guest service meeting, when

she needs someone to pray, Bob is the first to volunteer. Bob has been part of this church for

decades. Sometimes Bob has a hard time standing, but he still shows up. Don't be mad at me. Arlene

is 80 and serves in student ministry. Something's wrong, I think. But how wonderful is that? She

has a hard time standing. And she has a hard time standing. And she has a hard time standing. And

she has a hard time standing. And she has a hard time standing. And she has a hard time standing.

Sleep in a little bit, play pickleball, golf, go for a walk. But if you retire from ministry in the

family of God, you are squandering treasure. Because after 70, you're on borrowed time. So

Moses says, verse 12, teach us to number our days, that we may get a heart of wisdom. Paul says in

the best use of time, because the days are evil. This isn't just for older folks. This is for every

person sitting here who knows Jesus. How will you spend your life? Hold your spot in Psalms. Let's

go to the New Testament. 1 Corinthians chapter 3. College student, I remember hearing this passage

for the first time. 1 Corinthians 3 verse 10. Paul says, according to the grace of God given to me,

like a skilled master builder, I lay

a foundation. Someone else is building upon it. Paul says, what he did is he came and he laid the

foundation of the gospel, the good news. The good news that Jesus died for our sin. Jesus was

buried. Jesus rose from the dead. And it's through what Jesus did that we can, our sins can be

forgiven and we can receive the gift of eternal life. He's like, I came in and I laid that

foundation. I preached the gospel. Romans 10, 9, if anyone confesses with their mouth that Jesus is

in their heart, God raised Jesus from the dead, they will be saved. That's the foundation. He says

that that's the base. He said, now other people are building on that. Let each one take care how

he builds upon it. For no one can lay the foundation other than that which is laid,

which is Jesus Christ. Now, if anyone builds on the foundation with gold, silver, precious stones,

wood, hay, and straw, each one's work, life, efforts, ambitions,

will become manifest for the day. And ESV capitalizes day because it's the day of judgment

will stand before God. That day will disclose it because it will be revealed by fire and fire will

test what sort of work each one has done. If the work that anyone has built on the foundation

survives, he will receive a reward. If anyone's work is burned up, he will suffer loss, though he

himself will be saved, but only as through fire. Here's the visual. The foundation,

is the gospel. Have you come to know Christ? Have you confessed Jesus as Lord, believed in your

heart? God raised Jesus from the dead. Have you been saved? That's the foundation. Now, what are

you doing with that? What are you building up with that? In verse number 12, you have different

building materials. Some we know would last through fire. Some would not. Gold, silver, precious

stones. They're going to last through fire. Wood, hay, straw will not. The way that the man, when I was in

college, laid it before us. He says, your whole life, you're going to be standing there and

everything you've done, all of your efforts, all of the things you've done will be sitting there in

front of you. And it's if God comes over and he puts a torch to it, lights it on fire to see what

lasts, to see what is eternal and what's there. Pause to think about my own life, but I hope that

you will do the same for you. What is there? This isn't you get to go to heaven or you get to go to

hell. What is there? This isn't you get to go to hell. What is there? This isn't you get to go to hell.

That's a young man or young woman in here saying, yeah, this was my ambition, but I want to spend my

life serving in ministry. Sign me up because the houses, the cars, money, the investment, it's all

dust. Jump down to verse 17. We'll just, we'll finish there. Moses says, let the favor of the

Lord, our God. So there's that bookend of the phrase. Verse two, you have, you are God. Now in

verse 17, the Lord, our God. So he's acknowledging who God is. Let the favor of the Lord, our God be

established. The work of our hands upon us. Yes. Establish the work of our hands. We'll just spot

in Psalm 90, go over to the gospel of Luke, Luke 12. Moses says, God, you have always been faithful

creator from everlasting to everlasting. And I am so fleeting dust grass that grows up and withers.

I'm gone so quickly. I've sinned against you my whole life. It's going to be 70 or 80 years.

Ballpark. What man's time will be? Some will get a little, get a little more. Some will get a little

less fleeting. It's filled with trouble. God teach me to number my days. Luke chapter 12, verse 16.

And he told them a parable. This is Jesus saying the land of a rich man produced plentifully. And

he thought to himself, what shall I do? For I have nowhere to store my crops. He said, I will do

this. I will tear down my barns and build larger ones. And there I will store all my grain and my

goods. Now you might want to pause here. Point of the parable is not the size of your barn. Okay.

Rich man says, I'll tear those down. I'll build bigger ones. I'll store that all up. And I will

say verse 19 to my soul soul. You have ample goods laid up for many years. Relax, eat, drink,

be merry. I don't want to be mean to anybody, but that sounds like the American dream of retirement.

But God said to him, fool, this night, your soul is required of you.

And the things you have prepared, whose will they be? Jesus says, so is the one who lays up

treasure for himself and is not rich. Here's the point. Psalm 90. Here's the point that Jesus is

making. We all have been allotted, given some time, some a little more, some a little less.

But if you're in this day, everyone's day has the same number of minutes. You don't get any more

than I do. We all get the same amount of minutes. How will you spend them? Will you take what

is temporary and transfer it into eternity? The money that you've been given. Some in the room

have a little more. Some in the room have a little less. God knows how much you have. God knows how

much he can trust you with. Money is very temporary. Will you take what is temporary, transfer that

investment into eternity? That's the question. Because you never know the night that your soul

will be required of you. You never know. Could be tonight. And you'll stand before God with all of

what you have invested in and constructed in. And you'll stand before God with all of what you have

invested in. He'll light it on fire and let's see what lasts in eternity. Ready. Sobering thought.

Maybe you're sitting here and you're not ready because you don't know the Lord. And you think,

oh, I'll handle that in my 20s, my 30s, my 40s. And God might say to you tonight, fool,

your soul is required tonight. Maybe you've never come to Christ. Maybe right here, right now,

you need to confess with your mouth, Jesus is Lord. Believe in your heart. God raised Jesus

from the dead. Maybe right now you need to be saved. Maybe you're sitting in here and you are

saved. You know the Lord. Your whole life, the efforts, the ambition, the things that you wake

up, dream about and work towards have no eternal value. That you repent to the Lord of that. Seek

him and say, Lord, how can I take what is temporary, my life, my money, all that I have and

invest it into eternal things. Let's pray together. Jesus, thank you for your word. But I often spend

so much energy and time, pointless things. God, I think about the song that I listen to sometimes. I

to build kingdoms to myself and influence for myself. And it's a sandcastle. God, it's the

building, training, investing in disciples. Thank you for the reminder of that this week.