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Who Is God? – Part 2
Acts 17:16-31 (30-31)
D-Now Sermon 2
October 24, 2020

Last night we started our look at Acts 17.
Paul had been run out of every other town in Macedonia and so he ended up in Athens where he was “provoked” at the blatant idolatry and immorality that was going on all around him.

• When he couldn’t take it anymore, he started preaching in the synagogue and in the city square.
• He was preaching about Jesus and the resurrection.
• He eventually caught the attention of some of the local philosophers who called him an “idle babbler” and accused him of teaching “strange things”.
• They took him to the Areopagus where they intended to debate him and humiliate him.
• And it was there that Paul begin to explain to them who God is.

We saw the first point of his sermon:
#1 GOD’S DISTINCTION
Acts 17:22-29

Namely what makes the God of the Bible different from the gods in Athens
(And ultimately from every other so-called god in the world.)

1. He is Creator, not created
2. He is Sovereign, not destitute
3. He is Involved, not indifferent
4. He is Living, not dead

In short, He is the highest and preeminent God of the world.
• There is none other like Him.
• He has full power and authority.
• He can do whatever He wants.

Isaiah 43:13 “Even from eternity I am He, And there is none who can deliver out of My hand; I act and who can reverse it?”

No other god can make such claims.
He alone is the One True God.

And He is the God the people of Athens KNEW NOTHING ABOUT.
• That is a testimony to their ignorance
• That is a testimony to their apathy
• That is a testimony to their wickedness

These sinful men had ignored the God who created Him,
They had not sought Him, so they had not found Him,
And they did not know Him.

THAT IS A SIN.
That is to totally miss the point of why you were created.

But that was Athens.
And so Paul just revealed to them who God is.

God’s Distinction
#2 GOD’S DECLARATION
Acts 17:30-31

Now that you know who this God is,
It is also important to know what this God’s message is
For those He has created.

• Have you ever wanted a short summary of God’s message for you?
• Have you ever wondered if God were to open the heavens and give you a tailor-made sermon, what would it be?

Well here it is.
REPENT!

Now, let’s break down what Paul has to say a little more
To make sure we have a good understanding of it.

There are 4 things we want to talk about here.
1) GOD’S PATIENCE (30a)
“Therefore having overlooked the times of ignorance…”

That’s an interesting statement.
What does Paul mean?

Namely that GOD HAS NOT IMMEDIATELY JUDGED MEN
As they deserved to be judged.

• The people of Athens have been living in full-blown idolatry.
• They have given God’s glory to graven images.
• They have participated in sexual immorality as they worshiped those gods.
• They have failed to honor God or give thanks to Him.

YET…
He has not destroyed them for it.

Psalms 103:8-10 “The LORD is compassionate and gracious, Slow to anger and abounding in lovingkindness. He will not always strive with us, Nor will He keep His anger forever. He has not dealt with us according to our sins, Nor rewarded us according to our iniquities.”

They were terribly sinful and idolatrous,
But God understood that they didn’t know any better.

They had been taught wrong.
• That DOESN’T make their sin OK, but it does explain God’s patience.
• It DOESN’T mean judgment wouldn’t come, but it explains God’s patience.

They weren’t totally without excuse since they did have creation,
But still God was patient
Understanding that they had been taught wrong all their lives.

Here were people who had grown up in Athens and had been taught since they were children
• That Zeus was a powerful god
• That Eros controlled their love life
• That all these other gods guided their life.

AND BECAUSE THEY WERE IGNORANT,
God had patiently overlooked their sin and allowed them to live.

And God has done that for more people than just the people of Greece.
The history of humanity has been one of continual rebellion against God.

The very first humans ever created
• Broke the only command they had from God which was to not eat from the tree
of the knowledge of good and evil.
• And every human since has followed in their path.

Not only do we see the sinfulness of Israel in the Old Testament,
But we are introduced to people like the Amorites or Philistines
Or the Moabites or the people of Jericho.

• People who burned their children in the fire as an offering to the false god
Molech.
• People who crammed babies into jars and mortared them into the wall that
surrounded Jericho as a sacrifice to the wall gods.
• People who committed acts of sexual immorality and grotesque living.
• People who lied and murdered and stole and blasphemed.

But more than anything people who failed to give God the glory He deserved for creating them and sustaining their lives.

History is full of people
Who rebelled against the God who created them.

In fact, the apostle Paul put together A COMPILATION
Of Old Testament passages where God revealed
What He thought about the behavior of humanity.

Romans 3:10-18 “as it is written, “THERE IS NONE RIGHTEOUS, NOT EVEN ONE; THERE IS NONE WHO UNDERSTANDS, THERE IS NONE WHO SEEKS FOR GOD; ALL HAVE TURNED ASIDE, TOGETHER THEY HAVE BECOME USELESS; THERE IS NONE WHO DOES GOOD, THERE IS NOT EVEN ONE.” “THEIR THROAT IS AN OPEN GRAVE, WITH THEIR TONGUES THEY KEEP DECEIVING,” “THE POISON OF ASPS IS UNDER THEIR LIPS”; “WHOSE MOUTH IS FULL OF CURSING AND BITTERNESS”; “THEIR FEET ARE SWIFT TO SHED BLOOD, DESTRUCTION AND MISERY ARE IN THEIR PATHS, AND THE PATH OF PEACE THEY HAVE NOT KNOWN.” “THERE IS NO FEAR OF GOD BEFORE THEIR EYES.”

It is clear that all of humanity has offended God
And deserves His punishment for failing to honor Him
As God and submit to Him as Sovereign,
But God has been patient because He understood they were ignorant.

But the point Paul will make is that this patience will not last forever.
God’s patience will come to an end.

There are many today who assume that
Because God has not judged that He will not judge
And that is a foolish assumption.

He most certainly will judge those who defy Him.

And based upon that reality Paul has a message for the people of Athens, (who by the way are no longer ignorant of God)
Since Paul has just told them about Him.

After discussing His Patience
2) HIS TARGET AUDIENCE (30b)

“God is now declaring to men that all people everywhere…”

I just want to make sure you are aware who this message of God is for.
• Do you fall under the category of “all people”?
• Do you fall under the category of “everywhere”?

This is not a message just for the people of Athens.
This is a message for every human being who dwells upon the earth.

And so we move to the 3rd point
3) HIS ADVICE (30c)

“God is now declaring to men that all people everywhere should repent”

We all agree that we are “all people” and we fall under the category of “everywhere”,

The next question is: WHAT DOES GOD WANT YOU TO DO?
“REPENT”

Now let me explain that word real quickly.
The Greek word is METANOEO
It literally means “to change one’s mind”

That is, to think differently about your LIFE,
Your CHOICES, your DESIRES, and especially your SIN.

It DOES NOT mean to simply “say you are sorry”.

The writer of Hebrews wrote about Esau who despised his birthright in the Old Testament saying:
Hebrews 12:17 “For you know that even afterwards, when he desired to inherit the blessing, he was rejected, for he found no place for repentance, though he sought for it with tears.”

He cried, but he didn’t repent.

Let’s give it a relevant analogy.
Let’s say a coach had a non-tolerance policy for underage drinking.
• If you get caught drinking, you get kicked off the team.
• And let’s say a player gets caught drinking.

• He might cry to the coach…
• He might say I’m sorry…
• He might be willing to run laps, or whatever…
• But all the while still in his mind like drinking alcohol.

He may hate the consequences, but he doesn’t hate drinking.
That is not repentance.
That is forced submission due to consequences.

Repentance is a change of mind.
• It is not simply to stop sinning, but to think differently about the sin.
• It is not simply to stop offending God, but hate that you ever offended Him in the first place.

DOES THAT MAKE SENSE?

Paul says that “God is now declaring to men that all people everywhere should repent”

ARE YOU READY TO BRING IT HOME?

That means that God wants you to do what? Repent

God’s message for you is that
You should change your mind about the way you live.

Not just say “sorry”…
Not just cry about consequences…
But change your mind.

LET’S BRING IT EVEN FURTHER.

Do you know why God is calling you to repent?
BECAUSE YOU HAVE OFFENDED GOD

• You have broken His commands.
• You have failed to worship Him as He deserves.
• You, the dirt, created by God for Him have failed to fulfill the purpose for which you were created.

You took the life that He gave you
And used it for your own glory and satisfaction
Instead of using it for His glory and satisfaction.

You HAVE NOT DONE what He has told you to do.
You HAVE DONE what He has told you not to do.
You, as the clay, have told the Potter to get lost.

Romans 3:23 “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,”

Should we consider some examples?

How about perverse speech?
Ephesians 5:4-5 “and there must be no filthiness and silly talk, or coarse jesting, which are not fitting, but rather giving of thanks. For this you know with certainty, that no immoral or impure person or covetous man, who is an idolater, has an inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God.”

• The Bible says not to talk about filthy things.
• The Bible says not to talk dirty.
• This includes foul language, dirty jokes, sexual innuendo, etc.

If you have done that, you have deliberately defied the God who created you.

How about sexual immorality?
1 Thessalonians 4:3 “For this is the will of God, your sanctification; that is, that you abstain from sexual immorality;”

• We could talk about pre-marital sex, or looking at pornography, or according to Jesus simply lusting after someone.
• It could be flaunting your body so as to attract people sexually to your body.

If you have done that, you have deliberately defied the God who created you.

How about disobeying or disrespecting your parents?
Ephesians 6:1-3 “Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. HONOR YOUR FATHER AND MOTHER (which is the first commandment with a promise), SO THAT IT MAY BE WELL WITH YOU, AND THAT YOU MAY LIVE LONG ON THE EARTH.”

• We could talk about the old “eye roll” we give to parents, or arguing with them,
• Or disrespecting them, or breaking their rules, or lying to them.

If you have done that you have deliberately defied the God who created you.

How about idolatry?
Colossians 3:5-6 “Therefore consider the members of your earthly body as dead to immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and greed, which amounts to idolatry. For it is because of these things that the wrath of God will come upon the sons of disobedience,”

• We are talking about anything that becomes more important to you than God.
• Here it is loving money, it could be your time, it could be your reputation, it could be pleasure.

If you have done that, then you have deliberately defied the God of the universe.

How about loving the world?
1 John 2:15 “Do not love the world nor the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him.”

• This could be stuff of the world, this could be the pleasures of the world,
• This could be the desires of the world, the mindset of the world, etc.

If you have done that, then you have defied the God of the universe.

How about failing to make God a priority?
Hebrews 10:24-25 “and let us consider how to stimulate one another to love and good deeds, not forsaking our own assembling together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another; and all the more as you see the day drawing near.”

• That is simply a command to go to church and fellowship with God’s people.
• Skipping church, failing to fellowship, not encouraging other believers.

Do you do what God has commanded there, or do you deliberately defy Him?

Want to see a list of what we’re talking about?
Romans 1:28-32 “And just as they did not see fit to acknowledge God any longer, God gave them over to a depraved mind, to do those things which are not proper, being filled with all unrighteousness, wickedness, greed, evil; full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, malice; they are gossips, slanderers, haters of God, insolent, arrogant, boastful, inventors of evil, disobedient to parents, without understanding, untrustworthy, unloving, unmerciful; and although they know the ordinance of God, that those who practice such things are worthy of death, they not only do the same, but also give hearty approval to those who practice them.”

Have you ever done any of the things on that list?
Then you have deliberately defied the sovereign God who created you.

You, as the clay, have risen up in opposition to the potter.

And you may say, “But I didn’t realize that in all that sin I was offending God. I didn’t know I was defying Him, I just thought I was having a good time.”

(30) “Therefore having overlooked the times of ignorance, God is now declaring to men that all people everywhere should repent,”

MAYBE YOU WERE JUST IGNORANT.
And even though you sinned, God did not immediately judge you.

But you are no longer ignorant.
• Now you have been told.
• And Paul says, you “should repent”

You should change your mind about the way you view sin.
Sin is not just a good time, it is not just something everyone does.
• Every sin is a direct act of insubordination to the Sovereign God of the
universe who created you.
• Every sin is a direct defiance of His commands and His authority.

You should change your mind about the way you view it.

Change your mind about dirty jokes, about sexual immorality,
About drinking, about disobeying your parents, about skipping church,
About greed, or lying, or any other sin.

It is an offense to God.

And by the way, this is NOT AN ISOLATED MESSAGE.

When John the Baptist arrived (the forerunner for Jesus) he said:
Matthew 3:2 “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”

Jesus came shortly thereafter and His first sermon:
Matthew 4:17 “From that time Jesus began to preach and say, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”

And throughout His ministry, this was Jesus’ message:
Matthew 11:20-21 “Then He began to denounce the cities in which most of His miracles were done, because they did not repent. “Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the miracles had occurred in Tyre and Sidon which occurred in you, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes.”

Matthew 12:41 “The men of Nineveh will stand up with this generation at the judgment, and will condemn it because they repented at the preaching of Jonah; and behold, something greater than Jonah is here.”

Luke 5:32 “I have not come to call the righteous but sinners to repentance.”

Luke 13:2-5 “And Jesus said to them, “Do you suppose that these Galileans were greater sinners than all other Galileans because they suffered this fate? “I tell you, no, but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish. “Or do you suppose that those eighteen on whom the tower in Siloam fell and killed them were worse culprits than all the men who live in Jerusalem? “I tell you, no, but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish.”

When Jesus sent the 12 out on mission, He gave them orders of what to preach:
Mark 6:12 “They went out and preached that men should repent.”

Luke 24:47 “and that repentance for forgiveness of sins would be proclaimed in His name to all the nations, beginning from Jerusalem.”

And the disciples never abandoned that message.

When Peter preached at Pentecost:
Acts 2:38 “Peter said to them, “Repent, and each of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.”

During Peter’s second sermon in Jerusalem:
Acts 3:19 “Therefore repent and return, so that your sins may be wiped away, in order that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord;”

During Peter’s third sermon in Jerusalem:
Acts 5:31 “He is the one whom God exalted to His right hand as a Prince and a Savior, to grant repentance to Israel, and forgiveness of sins.”

When Paul preached:
Acts 20:21 “solemnly testifying to both Jews and Greeks of repentance toward God and faith in our Lord Jesus Christ.”

Acts 26:20 “but kept declaring both to those of Damascus first, and also at Jerusalem and then throughout all the region of Judea, and even to the Gentiles, that they should repent and turn to God, performing deeds appropriate to repentance.”

And certainly here in Athens.
“God is now declaring to men that all people everywhere should repent”

Let me ask you again: WHAT IS GOD’S MESSAGE FOR ALL HUMANITY?
REPENT!

The Sovereign and All Powerful God
Has been offended by the people He created and they must repent.

BUT PAUL ISN’T DONE
The sermon continues and Paul explains why you should repent.

His Patience, His Target Audience, His Advice
4) HIS REASON (31)
“because He has fixed a day in which He will judge the world in righteousness through a Man whom He has appointed, having furnished proof to all me by raising Him from the dead.”

Why should you repent?
“Because [God] has fixed a day in which He will judge the world in righteousness”

Did you notice that “fixed a day” part?

The Sovereign God, who is in control of all things,
Has already set the day on His calendar.

You and I don’t know when the end will come, but God does.
He’s already picked the day.
We’re flying at it at the rate of 60seconds per minute.
It’s coming.

And He is now warning humanity that the day is coming
And they should get ready for it by repenting.

Paul even makes clear what GOD’S STANDARD of judgment will be.
What criteria will God use to judge the world?

“He will judge the world in ____________”

• When judgment comes, God will not grade on the curve.
• When judgment comes, it won’t be 70% passing.
• When judgment comes, it won’t be more bark than bite.

At the judgment all men will be judged
By God’s perfect standard of righteousness.
All of those commands that He gave.

He will measure your life by those commands.
• Did you obey them all flawlessly? Then you get to go to heaven.
• Did you break even one? Then you will be judged as rebel and an enemy.

God will judge in righteousness.

HOW DO YOU KNOW THAT PREACHER?

Because thus far, there has only ever been one human
Who escaped judgment on His own.

The Bible is clear:
Romans 6:23 “For the wages of sin is death…”

If you are deemed a sinner by God then your penalty is death in hell.

So far, in all of history,
There has only been One whom God deemed not guilty.

Do you know who that was?
Jesus

How do you know God declared Him not guilty?
“having furnished proof by raising Him from the dead.”

Why did God raise Jesus?
Because Jesus was sinless.

Had God done this for anyone else? No (not raised never to die again)

That means no other man has ever achieved righteousness before God.
Even the best men you can think of.

So what does that about God’s righteous standard of judgment?
He is strict isn’t He?
Perfect or bust.

Now do you understand why God is telling all men to repent?

Because through repentance and faith in Jesus
God grants forgiveness of sins.

IN FACT,
Through repentance and faith in Jesus, God grants JUSTIFICATION.

That means when sinful men repent and place their faith in Jesus,
God declares them righteous even though they are not.

To that truth David said:
Romans 4:7-8 “BLESSED ARE THOSE WHOSE LAWLESS DEEDS HAVE BEEN FORGIVEN, AND WHOSE SINS HAVE BEEN COVERED. “BLESSED IS THE MAN WHOSE SIN THE LORD WILL NOT TAKE INTO ACCOUNT.”

IT IS CALLED THE GOSPEL.
And it is also the sovereign plan of God.

God determined to send His only begotten Son into the world.
• That His Son might perfectly obey all of His commands.
• That His Son might pay the penalty for the sin for all those who believe.

It was our main point last year, if you were herE.
2 Corinthians 5:21 “He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.”

God treated the sinless Jesus as if He had lived my life,
So that He could treat me, the sinner, as though I had lived Jesus’ life.

It’s called being “In Him” or “clothed in the righteousness of Christ”

A WEEK FROM TODAY IS HALLOWEEN.
Kids will take to the streets and they will wear costumes to look like someone else.

I would tell you that you also need a costume.
You need to be dressed as someone else when you stand before God.
You need to be dressed in the righteousness of Jesus.

That happens when we repent of our sin and place our faith in Jesus.

EXAMPLE
I’ve read you several passages from Isaiah as we’ve looked at the sovereignty of God.

Let me show you the passage where the people of Israel
Heard what Isaiah was saying and repented.

TURN TO: Isaiah 64:5-8 “You meet him who rejoices in doing righteousness, Who remembers You in Your ways. Behold, You were angry, for we sinned, We continued in them a long time; And shall we be saved? For all of us have become like one who is unclean, And all our righteous deeds are like a filthy garment; And all of us wither like a leaf, And our iniquities, like the wind, take us away. There is no one who calls on Your name, Who arouses himself to take hold of You; For You have hidden Your face from us And have delivered us into the power of our iniquities. But now, O LORD, You are our Father, We are the clay, and You our potter; And all of us are the work of Your hand.”

Did you pick up on what they said?
• God, You like a man who rejoices in righteousness.
• That’s why You were angry at us, because we sinned.
• We don’t deserve salvation.
• Every good thing we’ve done was actually filthy in Your sight.
• But if You will forgive, we will submit our lives to You.

You are the Potter, we are the clay.
We are finished with our rebellion and we want to be forgiven.

• We are sorry for our sin, we hate that we offended You.
• We denounce our own goodness because it wasn’t good enough.
• We run to Jesus who alone was good enough.
• And we totally submit all that we are to You, THE ONLY SOVEREIGN

The New Testament teaches the same:
Romans 10:9 “that if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved;”

LISTEN TO ME STUDENT.
You must grasp this truth.

• God is Sovereign, He is the Creator of all things.
• And because He is the Creator, He is also the Judge.
• And He will judge all who defy His commands.

But this Sovereign God, who can do whatever He pleases,
Has determined that He would be first and foremost a Savior.

Instead of judging sinners, He prefers to save them.
• And so for a time He patiently endures.
• And while He endures He calls for them to repent.
• He tells them to trust in Jesus.

AND IF THEY DO, THEY ARE SAVED.
IF THEY DO NOT, then there is no other option
But to stand before the Sovereign God whom they have offended.

This is the message the whole world must hear.
This is the message you must hear.

Today I ask you flat out.
• Have you ever repented of your sin?
• Have you ever told God you were sorry, not just because you got caught, but because you realized you offended Him?
• Have you ever seen that your good deeds are not good enough?
• Have you ever recognized that Jesus is good enough?
• Have you ever placed your faith in Him and submitted to Him as your Lord?

If you have not, I’m asking you to do that tonight.
Grab an adult – go to your small group leader – but run to Jesus!

Download Here:

Who Is God? – Part 1
Acts 17:16-31 (16-29)
D-Now Sermon 1
October 23, 2020

This weekend, our theme is “The Only Sovereign”.

It is our goal and hope to give you just a taste of who God is
And what it means that He is sovereign
And what that means for your life.

Charles Spurgeon said, “The Sovereignty of God is the pillow on which the Christian rests his head.”

What he means is that even though we live in a crazy world,
It is the knowledge that God is in control of all things
That allows us to have peace and rest anyway.

Now, you may be looking at me tonight and saying,
“What the heck is sovereignty?”

And that’s ok, that’s exactly what we want to show you this weekend.

And to do that we’re going to look tonight and again tomorrow morning at Acts 17.

Just a little background.
• The book of Acts shows us 3 missionary journeys that the apostle Paul took.
• On Paul’s 2nd missionary journey God directed him into the region of Macedonia
• In a Bible sense, this is where the Thessalonians lived and the Philippians
• Today you know it as Greece.
• When Paul went, he had trouble in Philippi getting arrested for casting a demon out of a girl, but he had even bigger trouble in Thessalonica having to escape out of that town.
• He went down to Berea but the Thessalonians followed him and so he had to flee by himself and he ended up in Athens.

You are familiar with Athens
• Athens being the home of ancient philosophers like Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle. (all who had been dead now around 400 years).
• And you are likely familiar with Greek mythology and their various Greek gods like Zeus and Aphrodite and Apollo and Artemis and Poseidon

Well this is where Paul ended up.
Athens holds almost a romantic and sentimental place in people’s history. (People love the philosophy and mythology and sort)

But know this.
• Athens was a satanic city.
• Instead of truth they followed human reason.
• Instead of God they worshiped idols.

They were the most deceived people on the planet.
By their own admonition they did not know who the one true God was.

And that is what Paul is about to explain to them.
He is going to show them who God is.

I want to sort of give you the setting of his visit.
(READ 16-21)

That sort of paints the picture of the scene that is about to unfold.

“Now while Paul was waiting for them at Athens, his spirit was being provoked within him as he was observing the city full of idols.”

In short, Paul couldn’t handle what he was seeing.
• There were idols everywhere.
• People worshiping false gods everywhere.
• (And we won’t even talk about what some of that worship looked like)

It was grotesque and sickening to Paul.
I think you’d almost have to liken it to a Christian’s disdain for the Las Vegas strip
Or Bourbon St during Mardi Gras.

It was vile, it was sinful, and just the sight of it offended Paul.

But what likely offended him more than any of it
Was the fact that people were giving God’s glory to false gods.

Isaiah 42:8 “I am the LORD, that is My name; I will not give My glory to another, Nor My praise to graven images.”

Isaiah 48:11 “For My own sake, for My own sake, I will act; For how can My name be profaned? And My glory I will not give to another.”

You’ve probably heard before that
The Bible says that God is a “jealous God”

• Some people have balked at this since jealousy is also called a sin in the
New Testament.
• How can God command us not to be jealous when the Scripture says that
He is jealous?

There’s one major difference between our jealousy and God’s jealousy.
We are jealous for and desire what we do not deserve.
God is jealous for what He does deserve.

The Bible tells you not to be jealous out of envy
Because you want something you don’t have,
But God most certainly deserves all the glory and He demands it.

He does not share His glory.
And Paul is provoked with jealousy for God

And he cannot be silent about it.
• So he went into the synagogue and started preaching to the Jews,
• And he went into the market place every day and started preaching to the people of Athens.
• He was stirring it up.

And that’s when some of the philosophers showed up.
(18) “And also some of the Epicurean and Stoic philosophers were conversing with him. Some were saying, “What would this idle babbler wish to say?” Others, “He seems to be a proclaimer of strange deities,” — because he was preaching Jesus and the resurrection.”

• We won’t get into the beliefs of the Epicurean and Stoic philosophers,
• It’s enough for you to know that they took issue with Paul and thought him to be a buffoon.
• “What would this idle babbler wish to say?”
• “He seems to be a proclaimer of strange deities”

We are told it’s because Paul “was preaching Jesus and the resurrection.”

• Certainly then we know Paul was preaching that Jesus rose from the dead and
thus He is the conqueror of death and the Savior.
• But later as Paul goes deeper into his sermon you’ll find that he was also
preaching Jesus’ resurrection as an indicator that He is God’s righteous
standard of judgment.

So Paul wasn’t just standing in that marketplace
Telling people they could have eternal life.
Paul was preaching about judgment
And God’s standard of judgment who is Jesus.

It is also clear that these people had no clue what he was talking about.
• This notion of resurrection and judgment was all new to them.
• (20) “you are bringing some strange things to our ears.”

So these philosophers took issue with Paul and they challenged him.
• And they took him to the “Areopagus” to have it out with him.

Don’t misunderstand, they aren’t interested.
• The “Areopagus” was the same place Socrates was condemned.
• No, their goal is to debate him and humiliate him.
• If you’ve ever watched News station TV where they bring in people just to expose and humiliate them…that’s what is happening here.

So Paul is in this worldly city that doesn’t know God and is full of idolatry.
He has irritated the pagan philosophers.
He has been called to explain himself before the city.

And Paul’s sermon will have 2 main points.
1) GOD’S DISTINCTION (why He is different from all your other gods)
2) GOD’S DECLARATION (what He wants from you)

But it is fitting for us tonight to begin our weekend
By seeing what makes God different
From all the other “gods” in the world.

So let’s look at this first point.
#1 GOD’S DISTINCTION
Acts 17:22-29

In short, Paul wants to show them the God they know nothing about.

(22-23) “So Paul stood in the midst of the Areopagus and said, “Men of Athens, I observe that you are very religious in all respects. “For while I was passing through and examining the objects of your worship, I also found an altar with this inscription, ‘TO AN UNKNOWN GOD.’ Therefore what you worship in ignorance, this I proclaim to you.”

Paul nails them right off the bat.
• He acknowledges their spirituality “very religious”
• He exposes their ignorance “an altar…TO AN UNKNOWN GOD”

By their own admonition they don’t know all the gods.
By their own admonition they are ignorant of certain deities.

And so Paul says, “Therefore what you worship in ignorance, this I proclaim to you.”

And with that Paul is about to give what makes the God of the Bible
Totally different and distinct from every other god.

Do you want to know how the God of the Bible is different from Allah?
Do you want to know how the God of the Bible is different from Buddha?
Do you want to know how the God of the Bible is different from the 750 Hindu gods?
Do you want to know how the God of the Bible is different from Greek mythology?
Do you want to know how the God of the Bible is different from Loki or Thor?

Well Paul is about to tell you.

He will give you 4 distinctions,
These are the things that set God apart.

1) HE IS CREATOR, NOT CREATED (24a)
“The God who made the world and all things in it…”

TURN BACK TO GENESIS 1

Genesis 1 may be the most important chapter in the Bible.

We learn many things about God from creation.
(power, grace, redemption, transcendence, faithfulness)

But of most importance is that being Creator
Gives Him first place in everything.
He is the Potter, everything else is the clay.

Let’s just read the first 5 verses.
Everything you see was created by God.

Moses says “the earth was formless and void, and darkness was over the surface of the deep”
• “formless” is TOHU it means confusion
• “void” is BOHU it means emptiness.

“the earth was TOHU and BOHU”
• But God gives order to chaos
• God gives purpose to emptiness
• God shines light into darkness

God redeems what is useless and broken.
You literally have redemption in the first 2 verses of the Bible.

And notice the power of God.
How did God create light? (and notice light came before the sun; day 4)

He told it come.
• And it is the same throughout creation. (3, 6, 9, 11, 14, 20, 24, 26, 29)
• God’s word is the power for new life.

In just 6 days God alone created everything.
And the Bible is very quick to remind its readers of that.

Isaiah 45:12 “It is I who made the earth, and created man upon it. I stretched out the heavens with My hands And I ordained all their host.”

Isaiah 45:5-7 “I am the LORD, and there is no other; Besides Me there is no God. I will gird you, though you have not known Me; That men may know from the rising to the setting of the sun That there is no one besides Me. I am the LORD, and there is no other, The One forming light and creating darkness, Causing well-being and creating calamity; I am the LORD who does all these.”

Isaiah 40:26 “Lift up your eyes on high And see who has created these stars, The One who leads forth their host by number, He calls them all by name; Because of the greatness of His might and the strength of His power, Not one of them is missing.”

God created everything.
• He is the first, there are none before Him.
• He was not created, He is eternal.
• He has no beginning and He has no end.

No other god can make such a claim.

Isaiah 44:6-8 “Thus says the LORD, the King of Israel and his Redeemer, the LORD of hosts: ‘I am the first and I am the last, And there is no God besides Me. ‘Who is like Me? Let him proclaim and declare it; Yes, let him recount it to Me in order, From the time that I established the ancient nation. And let them declare to them the things that are coming And the events that are going to take place. ‘Do not tremble and do not be afraid; Have I not long since announced it to you and declared it? And you are My witnesses. Is there any God besides Me, Or is there any other Rock? I know of none.'”

Jeremiah 10:11 “Thus you shall say to them, “The gods that did not make the heavens and the earth will perish from the earth and from under the heavens.”

Paul could look around Athens and every single one of their deities
Was first imagined in the human mind
And then chiseled out of rock with a human arm.

They were all created.
They were all invented.
But not the God of the Bible.

He stands apart as the Creator of all things.
• He is the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end.
• The One who formed you and the One who will judge you.

That makes Him distinct from every other god.

He is Creator, not created
2) HE IS SOVEREIGN, NOT DESTITUTE (24b-25)
“since He is Lord of heaven and earth, does not dwell in temples made with hands; nor is He served by human hands, as though He needed anything, since Him Himself gives to all people life and breath and all things;”

• Paul looked around at all those temples that filled Athens.
• And he looked at all those worshipers taking their offerings in in order provide for their deities.

To this day you can see Hindus shoving food
In the mouths of their statues to “feed” their deities.

And Paul notes how small and puny their gods are.

You couldn’t fit the “Lord of heaven and earth” in one of those temples.
The God of the Bible couldn’t cram His big toe into that place.

Matthew 5:34-35 “But I say to you, make no oath at all, either by heaven, for it is the throne of God, or by the earth, for it is the footstool of His feet, or by Jerusalem, for it is THE CITY OF THE GREAT KING.”

You say, “But didn’t God have a temple?”
• Yes, but have you ever heard from the man who built it?

Solomon built the first temple and here is what he said when he finished it.
2 Chronicles 2:5-6 “The house which I am about to build will be great, for greater is our God than all the gods. “But who is able to build a house for Him, for the heavens and the highest heavens cannot contain Him? So who am I, that I should build a house for Him, except to burn incense before Him?”

Solomon knew God would never be able to fit in this temple,
It was just a ceremonial place where worship could occur.

Listen to this description of God.
Isaiah 40:12 “Who has measured the waters in the hollow of His hand, And marked off the heavens by the span, And calculated the dust of the earth by the measure, And weighed the mountains in a balance And the hills in a pair of scales?”

How big is God?
He’s bigger than anything the people of Athens could imagine.

And He most certainly
Is NOT dependent on people to provide for His needs.

He is not “served by human hands, as though He needed anything.”

Psalms 50:10-12 “For every beast of the forest is Mine, The cattle on a thousand hills. “I know every bird of the mountains, And everything that moves in the field is Mine. “If I were hungry I would not tell you, For the world is Mine, and all it contains.”

I can assure this that God is not some needy god
Depending on you or me for His well-being.

Isaiah 40:28-29 “Do you not know? Have you not heard? The Everlasting God, the LORD, the Creator of the ends of the earth Does not become weary or tired. His understanding is inscrutable. He gives strength to the weary, And to him who lacks might He increases power.”

God doesn’t need you to feed Him
Or take care of Him or let Him take a nap.

GOD IS NOT DESTITUTE, HE IS THE SOVEREIGN.
“He Himself gives to all people life and breath and all things.”
• When was the last time you gave a second thought to making sure God had food to eat or water to drink?
• When was the last time you gave a second though to wondering if God needed your protection?

We don’t do that for Him, He does that for His creation.
Matthew 10:29 “Are not two sparrows sold for a cent? And yet not one of them will fall to the ground apart from your Father.”

• It is God who provides for you.
• It is God who is keeping your heart beating at this very moment.
• It is God who sends rain on the just and the unjust.
• It is God who keeps this earth in orbit.
• It is God who sustains life.

All of these other pathetic gods in Athens
Needed someone to take care of them, but not the true God.
He is sovereign and totally self-sufficient.

He is Creator, not created
He is Sovereign, not destitute
3) HE IS INVOLVED, NOT INDIFFERENT (26-28)
“and He made from one man every nation of mankind to live on all the face of the earth, having determined their appointed times and the boundaries of their habitation, that they would seek God, if perhaps they might grope for Him and find Him, though He is not far from each one of us; for in Him we live and move and exist, as even some of your own poets have said, ‘For we also are His children.’”

I hope you notice how involved God is in every aspect of your life.

Do you see that God created every human being?
(26) “He made from one man every nation of mankind to live on all the face of the earth”

God created you.

Do you see that God determined when you would live and where you would live?
(26b) “having determined their appointed times and the boundaries of their habitation.”

God sovereignly determined you,
WHEN you would live, and WHERE you would live.

Psalms 139:16 “Your eyes have seen my unformed substance; And in Your book were all written The days that were ordained for me, When as yet there was not one of them.”

YOU ARE NOT AN ACCIDENT,
• You were specifically designed by the Creator exactly as you are.
• He formed every part of you.
• He inserted you into life at His divine time.
• He planted right where He intended to put you.

You are not an afterthought to Him.
He is not indifferent to you.

None of those false gods created you, or ordained your days, or knows your name (mostly because they aren’t even real)
• Allah doesn’t know your name
• Buddha doesn’t know who you are
• The Hindu gods have no clue what you’re like

But the Bible says the God who created you
Knows the number of hairs on your head.

THE TRUE GOD KNOWS EVERYTHING ABOUT YOU
• Every word you’ve spoken
• Every thought you’ve thought
• Every deed you’ve done

Psalms 139:1-6 “O LORD, You have searched me and known me. You know when I sit down and when I rise up; You understand my thought from afar. You scrutinize my path and my lying down, And are intimately acquainted with all my ways. Even before there is a word on my tongue, Behold, O LORD, You know it all. You have enclosed me behind and before, And laid Your hand upon me. Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; It is too high, I cannot attain to it.”

He is intimately acquainted with you.
He is not distant and He is not aloof

But why would God make me like this?
Why would God put me where He put me?
• Why am I fat?
• Why am I skinny?
• Why am I slow?
• Why am I sickly?

Why did God make me like He made me and put me where He put me?

Do you want to see the answer?
(27) “that they would seek God, if perhaps they might grope for Him”

You were intricately designed, meticulously created,
Purposely placed for one overarching reason,
AND THAT IS THAT YOU WOULD SEEK GOD.

• You were created to know Him.
• You were created to fellowship with Him.
• You were created to be an instrument of His glory.

Everything about your life was perfectly ordained
So that you might know and glorify the God who created you.

1 Corinthians 8:6 “yet for us there is but one God, the Father, from whom are all things and we exist for Him; and one Lord, Jesus Christ, by whom are all things, and we exist through Him.”

You were created by God and for God.
You were created to seek Him.

And here is what is remarkable.
• You aren’t just supposed to seek Him,
• You are supposed to “find Him,
• And we are told that He is not far from each one of us;”
• He is not distant.

We call it REVELATION
If it wasn’t for God choosing to reveal Himself we could never know Him.

We live inside of space and time, He lives outside of space and time.
If He didn’t want you to know Him you couldn’t.

But God has chosen to reveal Himself.
God has chosen to let you find Him.

Things like creation:
Psalms 19:1 “The heavens are telling of the glory of God; And their expanse is declaring the work of His hands.”

Things like the Scripture:
Psalms 19:7 “The law of the LORD is perfect, restoring the soul; The testimony of the LORD is sure, making wise the simple.”

Things like Jesus:
John 1:18 “No one has seen God at any time; the only begotten God who is in the bosom of the Father, He has explained Him.”

God wants you to know Him.
He has revealed Himself over and over and over.
It is why you were created.

You can’t say that about false gods.
(they can’t reveal anything)
Psalms 115:4-8 “Their idols are silver and gold, The work of man’s hands. They have mouths, but they cannot speak; They have eyes, but they cannot see; They have ears, but they cannot hear; They have noses, but they cannot smell; They have hands, but they cannot feel; They have feet, but they cannot walk; They cannot make a sound with their throat. Those who make them will become like them, Everyone who trusts in them.”

There used to be a Chinese restaurant in Lubbock that had a big Buddha statue in the lobby. I went in there once and slapped that Buddha.
Do you know what he did? NOTHING

They aren’t real and they can’t reveal themselves to you.

But God created you to know Him.
To seek Him
And to find Him
Matthew 7:7-8 “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. “For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened.”

He is not some distant god that you cannot know.
He is involved in every detail of your life.

(28) “for in Him we live and move and exist, as even some of your own poets have said, ‘For we also are His children.’”

We are actually created in His image.

His distinctions over other gods?
He is Creator, not created- He is Sovereign, not destitute- He is Involved, not indifferent

4) HE IS LIVING, NOT DEAD (29)
“Being then the children of God, we ought not to think that the Divine Nature is like gold or silver or stone, an image formed by the art and thought of man.”

And Paul now comes full circle.

He could look around and see all these statues
Of carved idols and painted gods
And Paul says, the real God IS NOTHING LIKE ALL OF THESE!

HE IS FAR ABOVE THEM ALL.

Isaiah 40:18-25 “To whom then will you liken God? Or what likeness will you compare with Him? As for the idol, a craftsman casts it, A goldsmith plates it with gold, And a silversmith fashions chains of silver. He who is too impoverished for such an offering Selects a tree that does not rot; He seeks out for himself a skillful craftsman To prepare an idol that will not totter. Do you not know? Have you not heard? Has it not been declared to you from the beginning? Have you not understood from the foundations of the earth? It is He who sits above the circle of the earth, And its inhabitants are like grasshoppers, Who stretches out the heavens like a curtain And spreads them out like a tent to dwell in. He it is who reduces rulers to nothing, Who makes the judges of the earth meaningless. Scarcely have they been planted, Scarcely have they been sown, Scarcely has their stock taken root in the earth, But He merely blows on them, and they wither, And the storm carries them away like stubble. “To whom then will you liken Me That I would be his equal?” says the Holy One.”

God asks, if you were to carve an image of Him what would it be?
Because whatever you pick would be a slap in the face to Him.

Would you really compare God to an ox or an eagle or even a man?
Any image you make of Him is a tremendous insult to Him.
He is higher than all of that!

Jeremiah 10:1-16 “Hear the word which the LORD speaks to you, O house of Israel. Thus says the LORD, “Do not learn the way of the nations, And do not be terrified by the signs of the heavens Although the nations are terrified by them; For the customs of the peoples are delusion; Because it is wood cut from the forest, The work of the hands of a craftsman with a cutting tool. “They decorate it with silver and with gold; They fasten it with nails and with hammers So that it will not totter. “Like a scarecrow in a cucumber field are they, And they cannot speak; They must be carried, Because they cannot walk! Do not fear them, For they can do no harm, Nor can they do any good.” There is none like You, O LORD; You are great, and great is Your name in might. Who would not fear You, O King of the nations? Indeed it is Your due! For among all the wise men of the nations And in all their kingdoms, There is none like You. But they are altogether stupid and foolish In their discipline of delusion — their idol is wood! Beaten silver is brought from Tarshish, And gold from Uphaz, The work of a craftsman and of the hands of a goldsmith; Violet and purple are their clothing; They are all the work of skilled men. But the LORD is the true God; He is the living God and the everlasting King. At His wrath the earth quakes, And the nations cannot endure His indignation. Thus you shall say to them, “The gods that did not make the heavens and the earth will perish from the earth and from under the heavens.” It is He who made the earth by His power, Who established the world by His wisdom; And by His understanding He has stretched out the heavens. When He utters His voice, there is a tumult of waters in the heavens, And He causes the clouds to ascend from the end of the earth; He makes lightning for the rain, And brings out the wind from His storehouses. Every man is stupid, devoid of knowledge; Every goldsmith is put to shame by his idols; For his molten images are deceitful, And there is no breath in them. They are worthless, a work of mockery; In the time of their punishment they will perish. The portion of Jacob is not like these; For the Maker of all is He, And Israel is the tribe of His inheritance; The LORD of hosts is His name.”

This is the real God.

We could spend so much more time on every one of those realities,
But I simply tonight want to give you a brief picture of what we mean
When we say that GOD IS SOVEREIGN.

He is the Creator
He is In control over all things
He is Involved in your life
He is Living and the source of life

And He refuses to give His glory to any other made up god.
• He refuses to let some other god take credit for your life.
• He refuses to let some other god be the object of your worship.

He created you to know Him and to worship Him.

And I’ll tell you that the biggest sin of humanity
Is that the creature (us) whom God formed out of the dirt,
Would dare to defy the God who created him.

Romans 1:18-23 “For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men who suppress the truth in unrighteousness, because that which is known about God is evident within them; for God made it evident to them. For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood through what has been made, so that they are without excuse. For even though they knew God, they did not honor Him as God or give thanks, but they became futile in their speculations, and their foolish heart was darkened. Professing to be wise, they became fools, and exchanged the glory of the incorruptible God for an image in the form of corruptible man and of birds and four-footed animals and crawling creatures.”

God demands glory from all of His creation, and that includes you.
And since He is the God who created You,
And who is intimately acquainted with all your ways,
It is wise that you do so.

Tonight I just want to begin by stretching your understanding of God.
• He is not some secondary thought to your life.
• You were created by Him and for Him.
• Tonight for the first time perhaps you should consider that.

Download Here:

A Prayer Of David – Part 2
Psalms 86 (8-17)
October 18, 2020

Last week we began our study of this remarkable Psalm.
It is simply called “A Prayer Of David”

And we noted that this can seem like sort of an uninspiring title.

But when we factor in
• That David was a man after God’s own heart.
• That David was an inspiring man of faith.
• That David saw answered prayer after answered prayer.
• That David was blessed with the kingly line.
• That God never turned away from David despite his sinful descendants

It is intriguing that we have the ability to read a prayer of David.

We said that perhaps we should call this “A Routine Prayer of David”
Since it doesn’t come with any known context or situation.
It is simply the routine way in which this man of God prayed.

As we began to study it last week
We saw that the very things we are taught about prayer in the N. T.
Seem to have already been implemented by David here in the O. T.

We started looking at the first point of the Psalm last time.
#1 HIS EXPLANATION FOR APPROACHING
Psalms 86:1-10

We said, that in these ten verses David is answering two basic questions.
1) Why God should answer his prayer.
2) Why he comes to God and no one else.

We looked at those reasons David gave
For why God should answer his prayer
And what we realized is that David’s explanation
Is clearly echoed in the New Testament.

For example, David gave 4 reasons why God should answer him, and they all had to do with his attitude.

In short, David didn’t believe God should answer him
Based upon his ability to pray, or his many words, or anything like that.
It wasn’t his posture, or his eloquence,
Or his strict adherence to some orthodox code.

No, David knew that it was because of his heart before God
That God should answer.

That alone echoed what Jesus taught:
Matthew 6:7-8 “And when you are praying, do not use meaningless repetition as the Gentiles do, for they suppose that they will be heard for their many words. “So do not be like them; for your Father knows what you need before you ask Him.”

David knew that.

Instead, David expected God to answer his prayer
Based upon the attitude with which he approached God.

Things like:
HUMILITY
(1) “Incline Your ear, O LORD, and answer me; For I am afflicted and needy.”

• Isaiah taught us that the Lord dwells with the broken and contrite heart.
• The New Testament reminds that God gives grace to the humble.
• Jesus said that the poor in spirit are blessed and receive the kingdom of heaven.

David understood that.
He expected God to answer because he approached God in humility.

GODLINESS
(2) “Preserve my soul, for I am a godly man; O You my God, save Your servant who trusts in You.”

• What David was revealing here is that his desire was to serve and please God.
• He was NOT CLAIMING sinless perfection, but rather a desire to see God’s will done in everything.

And we are clearly taught in the New Testament that when
“we ask anything according to His will that He hears us”.

Jesus reminded over and over that He will answer prayers in His name
(or according to His will)

David knew that and so he expected God to answer.

PERSISTENCE
(3) “Be gracious to me, O Lord, For to You I cry all day long.”

David understood that God honors this type of faithfulness.
• We certainly remember Jesus’ teaching on the persistent widow who refused to leave the unrighteous judge without justice.
• And Jesus promised that God, who is righteous, would respond quickly to those who persist as she did.

David knew that.
He wasn’t going anywhere; he expected God to answer.

TRUST
(4) “Make glad the soul of Your servant, For to You, O Lord, I lift up my soul.”

• David was a saved man.
• He had surrendered his soul to the Lord.
• And thus he was justified; declared righteous; clothed in Christ.

And we are promised that “the effective prayer of a righteous man accomplishes much.

David knew that.
And so he expected God to answer him.

But that was only half of David’s explanation for appearing before God.

The other question David answered was
Why he chose to come before God and not someone else.

We saw his first 3 reasons last time.
BECAUSE GOD IS GOOD
(5a) “For You, Lord, are good”

• Good is not a word that should be thrown around lightly.
• “Good” in the Bible means perfect, unable to be improved upon, in no need of renovation.
• God alone fits the description.
• And David says this is why he prays to God alone.

Jesus would say:
Matthew 7:7-11 “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. “For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened. “Or what man is there among you who, when his son asks for a loaf, will give him a stone? “Or if he asks for a fish, he will not give him a snake, will he? “If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give what is good to those who ask Him!”

This is exactly why David approached God.

BECAUSE GOD IS MERCIFUL
(5b) “and ready to forgive”

• It is absolutely futile and pointless for us to approach God if He is not merciful.
• Since we are sinful, and continue to sin, we can never expect to be heard if God does not show mercy.

But David knew he could approach God
Because God forgives and hears sinners when they repent.

BECAUSE GOD IS LOYAL
(5c) “And abundant in lovingkindness to all who call upon You.”

• David went to God because he was in a covenant relationship with God.
• He had called upon the name of the Lord.
• As a result, he was saved and in a relationship with God.

And God is fiercely loyal to those He is in covenant with.

Jesus asked:
Luke 18:7 “will not God bring about justice for His elect who cry to Him day and night, and will He delay long over them?”

Certainly God will answer the prayer of those He is loyal to.
And this is why David comes to God.

David wasn’t even done giving his reasons for approaching God,
But just at those 3 he had to stop and make a statement of confidence.

(6-7) “Give ear, O LORD, to my prayer; And give heed to the voice of my supplications! In the day of my trouble I shall call upon You, For You will answer me.”

Just the recognition that God is good, God is merciful, and God is loyal
Was enough to cause David to pause
And confidently state that God would answer.

Well, that’s where we left off last Sunday night.
TONIGHT WE CONTINUE.

David is not yet finished explaining
Why he goes to God and God alone in prayer.

There are 3 more reasons which David will give.
You see them in verses 8,9, &10

(8) “There is no one like You among the gods, O Lord, Nor are there any works like Yours.”

David’s reasoning for approaching God here is clear.
GOD IS UNIQUE.

David comes to God frankly because no other god can do what God does.
• Has any other ever brought plagues those on Egypt?
• Has any other god ever rained manna from heaven or parted the sea?
• Has any other god been able to save?

Isaiah 44:6-8 “Thus says the LORD, the King of Israel and his Redeemer, the LORD of hosts: ‘I am the first and I am the last, And there is no God besides Me. ‘Who is like Me? Let him proclaim and declare it; Yes, let him recount it to Me in order, From the time that I established the ancient nation. And let them declare to them the things that are coming And the events that are going to take place. ‘Do not tremble and do not be afraid; Have I not long since announced it to you and declared it? And you are My witnesses. Is there any God besides Me, Or is there any other Rock? I know of none.'”

Immediately following that passage you may remember that God goes on to give a scenario of a foolish man
• Who cuts down a tree,
• Chops up the firewood,
• Starts a fire and cooks his food
• And then looks at a spare chunk of wood and carves it into an idle.

It is foolishness.
No other can do what God does.
No other has His skill set.

So why would David take his request anywhere else?
GOD IS UNIQUE.

But there’s more reason why David appears before God.
(9) “All nations whom You have made shall come and worship before You, O Lord, And they shall glorify Your name.”

We might say here that GOD IS INEVITABLE

We’ve read the promise.
Isaiah 45:23 “I have sworn by Myself, The word has gone forth from My mouth in righteousness And will not turn back, That to Me every knee will bow, every tongue will swear allegiance.”

Philippians 2:9-11 “For this reason also, God highly exalted Him, and bestowed on Him the name which is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus EVERY KNEE WILL BOW, of those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and that every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”

The point David would make here is:
• Why would he spurn God in order to go to another god?
• Why would David risk offending God by crying out to some other deity?
• Why would David risk offending God by seeking deliverance from men?

David knows that sooner or later
Everything and everyone is coming to God.

Certainly when we pray, we are told to “Hallow God’s Name”
But we also understand that prayer
Just in and of itself is a form of worship.

We are submitting ourselves before One more wise
And One more power in order that He might deliver.

That is another reason David is here.
DAVID WON’T GIVE THAT GLORY TO ANOTHER.

And there is one more that David lists.
(10) “For You are great and do wondrous deeds; You alone are God.”

How else can you say it?
David comes here because GOD IS THE ONLY GOD.
• We are not in the business of praying to humans.
• We are not in the business of praying to sticks or stones or phantoms of the imagination.

Only God hears prayer.
Only God answers prayer.
So we pray only to God.

Isaiah 43:8-13 “Bring out the people who are blind, even though they have eyes, And the deaf, even though they have ears. All the nations have gathered together So that the peoples may be assembled. Who among them can declare this And proclaim to us the former things? Let them present their witnesses that they may be justified, Or let them hear and say, “It is true.” “You are My witnesses,” declares the LORD, “And My servant whom I have chosen, So that you may know and believe Me And understand that I am He. Before Me there was no God formed, And there will be none after Me. “I, even I, am the LORD, And there is no savior besides Me. “It is I who have declared and saved and proclaimed, And there was no strange god among you; So you are My witnesses,” declares the LORD, “And I am God. “Even from eternity I am He, And there is none who can deliver out of My hand; I act and who can reverse it?”

Would you really then go and pray to one who is not God?

Of course we see the foolishness in that.
• We remember those foolish prophets of Baal, leaping on the altar, cutting themselves, and babbling constantly to be heard.

But you see at the outset of this prayer,
David is giving an explanation as to his appearing.

He’s revealing why God should answer.
• Humility
• Godliness
• Persistence
• Faith

He’s revealing why he has come to God.
• You are Good
• You are Merciful
• You are Loyal
• You are Unique
• You are Inevitable
• You are God

That is David’s Explanation for appearing.
And we learn so much there regarding confidence in prayer.

When we pray, we are praying to the real, true, and powerful God
Who mercifully hears sinners and who has promised to answer
The prayer of those who approach Him the right way.

And that is David’s Explanation for Approaching.
#2 HIS SUBMISSION TO GOD’S WILL
Psalms 86:11-13

I love this prayer.
• This is the type of passage that should be painted on walls.
• This is the type of prayer that really captures the heart of Christian devotion.

Now FIRST let me just point out to you that
We are now 10 verses in and David still hasn’t listed any request.

WE STILL DON’T KNOW WHAT DAVID WANTS.
• He was first simply captivated with praise and exaltation of the God who
answers prayer.
• And now he moves to a statement of his own submission.

This is the “Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven” part.
This is the “Not My will but Yours be done” part.

This is where David comes to God
And reminds God what is NOT ON THE TABLE here.

Even if God doesn’t grant the request it doesn’t change these things.

(11) “Teach me Your way, O LORD; I will walk in Your truth; Unite my heart to fear Your name.”

Before he gives the request he first reminds God that
HE IS DEVOTED TO GOD REGARDLESS OF THE ANSWER.

When you present a request to God…
When you have a desire for Him to fulfill…
IT IS TRUE THAT HE MAY GRANT THAT REQUEST.
But we also know that He may have
A more sovereign and glorious purpose in denying the request.

And David leaves that on the table.

Perhaps God will give David what he asks for.
Or perhaps this will be a teaching moment for David.

Either way, David is all in.
“I will walk in Your truth”

And the acknowledgement is that
David wants his heart to be totally committed to God regardless of the circumstances.

“Unite my heart to fear Your name.”

James 1:5-8 “But if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all generously and without reproach, and it will be given to him. But he must ask in faith without any doubting, for the one who doubts is like the surf of the sea, driven and tossed by the wind. For that man ought not to expect that he will receive anything from the Lord, being a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.”

• Those who are not devoted…
• Those who not trust…
• Those who doubt and vacillate…
James said they can’t expect to receive anything from God.

That isn’t David.
He longs to be resolute in his faithfulness to God.

He is not half-hearted.
He wants all weeds removed.
Matthew 13:22 “And the one on whom seed was sown among the thorns, this is the man who hears the word, and the worry of the world and the deceitfulness of wealth choke the word, and it becomes unfruitful.”

David wanted an undivided heart.
He wanted sincere commitment.
And he offers that to God regardless of the answer to his request.

It’s no wonder God took pleasure in answering the prayers of David.

And that’s not all.
“I will give thanks to You, O Lord my God, with all my heart, And will glorify Your name forever.”

We have often noted that the great sin of the wicked is that
They do not honor God as God or give thanks.

David certainly doesn’t want to be in their camp.
• No matter the circumstance…
• No matter the struggle…
• No matter the duration…
• No matter the answer…

David wants to be known for two things.
Gratitude and Worship.

That is a submissive heart isn’t it?
• Can you give thanks in all circumstances?
• Can you glorify God regardless of what happens?

David does.

No matter the answer:
• He’s not leaving
• He’s not growing bitter
• He’s not failing to worship

And then we see why.
(13) “For your lovingkindness toward me is great, And You have delivered my soul from the depths of Sheol.”

• Do you know why David will trust and be devoted no matter what?
• Do you know why David will give thanks no matter what?
• Do you know why David will worship no matter what?

Because David marvels in the value of his salvation.
God had saved him!

And if God never did another good thing for him, that’s ok,
God has already earned obedience, gratitude, and worship.

It is the sentiment of Job
Job 2:9-10 “Then his wife said to him, “Do you still hold fast your integrity? Curse God and die!” But he said to her, “You speak as one of the foolish women speaks. Shall we indeed accept good from God and not accept adversity?” In all this Job did not sin with his lips.”

It is what Paul taught:
Romans 12:1 “Therefore I urge you, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship.”

Paul DOESN’T tell us to present ourselves to God
In hopes of what God might do.
Paul tells us to present ourselves to God
In gratitude for what God has already done.

• How much does it mean to you that God saved your soul from hell?
• How much does it mean to you that God has clothed you in the righteousness of His Son?
• How much does it mean to you that God declared you innocent?
• How much does it mean to you that you have an eternal home in heaven?

It means the world to David.
It is so important to him that he’s not going anywhere
Regardless of how God answers.

This is the submissive heart of David.

• David wasn’t seeking to manipulate or strong arm God.
• There were no ultimatums there.
• There was also no ingratitude.

You get the feeling that more important to David
Than God answering his request
Was that God knew his devotion.

David has a request for God, but…
But it was more important to David
To worship God and declare his allegiance
Even than it was to have his request heard.

Isn’t that remarkable?
• God was no genie in a bottle to be used by David.
• God was the Sovereign to be worshiped and trusted and obeyed.

David simply wanted God to know that he was devoted.
Remember that in your prayer life as well.

David’s Explanation for Approaching
David’s Submission to God’s Will
#3 HIS OFFICIAL REQUEST
Psalms 86:14-17

Well now we finally are getting to the part of the prayer
Where David actually petitions this God he loves and serves.

The request doesn’t actually come until verse 17.
“Show me a sign for good…”

That’s the request.

According to verse 14, “O God, arrogant men have risen up against me, And a band of violent men have sought my life, And they have not set You before them.”

As we mentioned, it’s impossible to pinpoint when this might have been in David’s life since he seemed to always be in this predicament.

But because these men have risen up and now surround him
David’s request is that God would “Show me a sign for good…”

• David wants God to show up.
• David wants God to interject into the situation.
• David wants God to make His will known.

But even in the request
We can’t help but pick up still on David’s WORSHIP and HUMILITY.

(15-16) “But You, O Lord, are a God merciful and gracious, Slow to anger and abundant in lovingkindness and truth. Turn to me, and be gracious to me; Oh grant Your strength to Your servant, And save the son of Your handmaid.”

Lest it ever be assumed that David views prayer
As some sort of human command to a holy God,
David is clear where he stands.

We live in a day where the word of faith movement has taught people to basically demand to God what He will and won’t do.
We are told to “speak it” or declare it or claim it.

Now look, David clearly had confidence in God,
But it is also clear that David knew who was God and who was not.

And David is still in worship and awe of God.

And then finally the request.
“Show me a sign for good, That those who hate me may see it and be ashamed, because You, O LORD, have helped me and comforted me.”

• David wants a sign.
• David wants God to do something marvelous.

But I thought a wicked and evil generation craved a sign?

Well look again.
• David doesn’t want the sign to influence his faith. David already believes.
• David wants the sign for the sake of his enemies.

Remember this story?
2 Kings 6:15-17 “Now when the attendant of the man of God had risen early and gone out, behold, an army with horses and chariots was circling the city. And his servant said to him, “Alas, my master! What shall we do?” So he answered, “Do not fear, for those who are with us are more than those who are with them.” Then Elisha prayed and said, “O LORD, I pray, open his eyes that he may see.” And the LORD opened the servant’s eyes and he saw; and behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha.”

When Elisha asked for God to move it was that his servant might see.
It wasn’t a sign to get God to prove himself to me,
It was for God to defend Himself before the world.

Remember Elijah’s prayer on Mt. Carmel?
1 Kings 18:36-37 “At the time of the offering of the evening sacrifice, Elijah the prophet came near and said, “O LORD, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Israel, today let it be known that You are God in Israel and that I am Your servant and I have done all these things at Your word. “Answer me, O LORD, answer me, that this people may know that You, O LORD, are God, and that You have turned their heart back again.”

• The request for God to lite that fire wasn’t so God could prove Himself to Elijah.
Elijah already believed.
• That request was so that God’s doubters could see and know the truth about
God.

This is where David is coming from.

Before David are evil men whom David said,
(14) “have not set You before them.”

So David asks that God would set Himself before them.

Partly so that David would be vindicated
And partly so that God would be glorified.

This was simply a prayer of David.
It was the type of prayer David prayed all the time.

And we learn so much about prayer from it.

That we can expect God to answer prayer because
• He promised to answer the prayer of the humble, the godly, the persistent, and the elect.

We can expect God to answer prayer because
• He is good, and He is merciful, and He is loyal, and He is unique, and He is inevitable, and because He is God.

We learn that prayer is not a negotiating tactic
• Where we tell God, “If You’ll do this, then I’ll do this.” No, when we pray we come before God in humility, in gratitude, in worship, and in full submission.

And we learn that the requests we present to God may certainly be for our good, but they are also for His glory.
• Asking God to do something for you that does not glorify Him is to miss the point of prayer altogether.

Hopefully then, by looking one prayer of this great man of faith,
You are encouraged now
As you approach God in your own prayer life.

Download Here:

Betraying Jesus – Part 2
Luke 21:37 – 22:13 (4-13)
October 18, 2020

Well if you’ve followed along with us in Luke’s gospel
You know that last week, after two chapters explaining Jesus’ preaching, Luke has returned to his order of events.

Jesus announced
Luke 18:31-33 “Then He took the twelve aside and said to them, “Behold, we are going up to Jerusalem, and all things which are written through the prophets about the Son of Man will be accomplished. “For He will be handed over to the Gentiles, and will be mocked and mistreated and spit upon, and after they have scourged Him, they will kill Him; and the third day He will rise again.”

• When then saw Him approach Jericho where He gave sight to a blind man.
• We saw Him save Zaccheus and stay at his house.
• Then He traveled to Bethany where sat on a donkey’s colt and fulfilled the prophecy of Zechariah that the King could come in such a way.
• And Jesus paraded into Jerusalem at the Triumphal Entry.
• He would then enter the temple and clear it.
• He then commandeered the temple to preach His own gospel there.

What we said was that Jesus was securing a crucifixion.
He had entered that city to die there.

At the end of Luke 19 we saw a frustrating tension that had emerged.

Luke 19:47-48 “And He was teaching daily in the temple; but the chief priests and the scribes and the leading men among the people were trying to destroy Him, and they could not find anything that they might do, for all the people were hanging on to every word He said.”

• Jesus was teaching…
• The people were mesmerized…
• The chief priests wanted to kill Him…
• But they were powerless to do so because of the people…

From there Luke took 2 chapters to explain what Jesus was preaching.

And to show us the disdain that the religious elite had for Jesus
And the disdain that Jesus had for them.

But having concluded that section,
Luke has now returned to the chronological flow.

(21:37-2) “Now during the day He was teaching in the temple, but at evening He would go out and spend the night on the mount that is called Olivet. And all the people would get up early in the morning to come to Him in the temple to listen to Him. Now the Feast of Unleavened Bread, which is called the Passover, was approaching. The chief priests and the scribes were seeking how they might put Him to death; for they were afraid of the people.”

We are now right back to where we were at the end of chapter 19.
• Jesus is in Jerusalem.
• He is teaching the people.
• They are mesmerized.
• The chief priests want to kill Him.
• But they are powerless to do so because of the people.

It all reiterates that Jesus ISN’T going to die because they
Overpowered Him or Outsmarted Him or even Legally Condemned Him.

Jesus is going to die because of His own sovereign plan,
He will lay down His life for sinners.

John 10:18 “No one has taken it away from Me, but I lay it down on My own initiative. I have authority to lay it down, and I have authority to take it up again. This commandment I received from My Father.”

So while the religious leaders are at A TOTAL LOSS as to how they might kill Jesus, God already has a plan of exactly how it will be done.

And the plan is that Jesus will be BETRAYED

It was prophesied in Psalms 55
Psalms 55:12-14 “For it is not an enemy who reproaches me, Then I could bear it; Nor is it one who hates me who has exalted himself against me, Then I could hide myself from him. But it is you, a man my equal, My companion and my familiar friend; We who had sweet fellowship together Walked in the house of God in the throng.”

It was prophesied in Psalms 41
Psalms 41:9 “Even my close friend in whom I trusted, Who ate my bread, Has lifted up his heel against me.”

And it was prophesied in Zechariah 11
Where we even saw the price of the betrayal as thirty pieces of silver.

And we asked the question: WHY DID HE HAVE TO BE BETRAYED?

There are many prophecies about the Christ in the O.T.
• Virgin Birth
• Bethlehem Birth
• Donkey’s Colt
• Crucifixion
• Resurrection

And on one hand they are all important for the simple reason that
Their fulfillment assures us that Jesus is the prophesied Christ.

But they are important for more reasons than just as proofs or indicators.
• Virgin Birth – Son of God
• Bethlehem – City of David & Humble origin
• Donkey’s Colt – the coming King
• Crucifixion- to pay for sinners
• Resurrection – to vindicate holiness

They certainly all provide prophetic proof,
But they weren’t just random events God ordained to help us spot the Christ. They all had a purpose for why God ordained them.

SO WHY A BETRAYAL?
• Why not just let Him get captured, handed over to Rome and crucified?
• Why was a betrayal part of the divine plan?

The reason is because this betrayal was a small picture of a greater reality
AND PART OF GOD’S REDEMPTIVE PLAN FOR THE GENTILES

Jesus would not be captured by His enemies,
Jesus would be rejected by those He came to save (Jews).

John 1:9-13 “There was the true Light which, coming into the world, enlightens every man. He was in the world, and the world was made through Him, and the world did not know Him. He came to His own, and those who were His own did not receive Him. But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name, who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.”

This is where the betrayal becomes significant.

We are familiar with the sovereign plan of God regarding
Not only the salvation of Israel, BUT ALSO the salvation of the Gentiles.

Isaiah 49:6 “He says, “It is too small a thing that You should be My Servant To raise up the tribes of Jacob and to restore the preserved ones of Israel; I will also make You a light of the nations So that My salvation may reach to the end of the earth.”

• It was never the plan of God that Jesus would save only Jews.
• He was “the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.”

But why was it that the gospel was taken to Gentiles?
It was because the Jews rejected it.

Romans 11:19-20 “You will say then, “Branches were broken off so that I might be grafted in.” Quite right, they were broken off for their unbelief, but you stand by your faith. Do not be conceited, but fear;”

Because of Jewish unbelief (even betrayal),
They were broken off, and Gentiles were grafted in.
You see this reality continually in Paul’s ministry.

His death couldn’t just be the result of an uprising of His enemies,
Jesus had to be totally rejected by those He came to save.
Jesus had to be betrayed.

It had to be treason, treachery, and a rejection of God’s own Son.

AND LISTEN, ALL OF ISRAEL DID THAT.
Israel as a nation betrayed Him.
Israel as a nation rejected Him.
Judas is merely a picture of the nation as a whole.

He is a picture of one who Jesus CALLED, who HEARD the preaching, who SAW the miracles, and who BETRAYED and rejected Him anyway.

What Judas does on Thursday, all of Israel will do on Friday.
And this betrayal will open the door for Gentiles to be saved.

This betrayal will ALSO BE THE REASON that God will raise up for them a foolish shepherd (the Anti-Christ) to afflict them.

We looked at Zechariah 11 last week where they betrayed Jesus for 30 pieces of silver.

But if you read on, their betrayal brings a consequence.
Zechariah 11:15-17 “The LORD said to me, “Take again for yourself the equipment of a foolish shepherd. “For behold, I am going to raise up a shepherd in the land who will not care for the perishing, seek the scattered, heal the broken, or sustain the one standing, but will devour the flesh of the fat sheep and tear off their hoofs. “Woe to the worthless shepherd Who leaves the flock! A sword will be on his arm And on his right eye! His arm will be totally withered And his right eye will be blind.”

Because of Israel’s rejection of Jesus,
They receive a foolish shepherd who will afflict them during the tribulation
Until they finally turn and look on Him whom they have pierced
And are saved.

THIS IS ALL PART OF THE DIVINE PLAN
The betrayal is an integral part of God’s redemptive story.
And Judas is the embodiment of that betrayal.

So, as we said, understanding Judas is very important.
• He gives us great insight into those who are religious, but lost.
• He also gives us great insight into how God fulfills His sovereign plan through wicked men.

Understanding Judas is very important.
And that is what we began to do last week.

SO,
1. We are now back in the chronological flow.
2. We understand Jesus came to die.
3. He came to die through betrayal of the nation He came to save.
4. So that they would be temporarily broken off
5. So that Gentiles might hear the gospel
6. And Judas is the picture of that betrayal

And we are learning about Judas and why he betrayed Christ.

We saw the first point about him last week.
#1 THE CAUSE
Luke 22:3a

“And Satan entered Judas who was called Iscariot,”

I told you that in recent years Judas has started to receive sympathy among liberal theologians.
• There is the heretical “Gospel of Judas” which says he did what he did at the request of Jesus.
• There are people who now preach that he was saved in the end, primarily because he felt remorse and gave the money back.
• There are those who simply say that a loving Jesus would have saved Judas anyway.

NONE OF THOSE THINGS ARE TRUE.

Luke was very clear why Judas did what he did.
• He was not a victim
• He was not a pawn
• He was not merely misguided
• HE WAS LOST.

Like all lost people, he was a child of Satan and therefore a slave of Satan,
And therefore he did whatever Satan wanted him to do.

Judas WASN’T a saved man who fell victim to the scheme of the enemy.
• We saw that Jesus called Judas a devil back in John 6.
• We saw in John 12 that Judas was planning a betrayal before they ever even
entered Jerusalem or before Satan entered him.
• We saw that Judas was a thief even before he was a traitor.

Satan didn’t make Judas do anything he didn’t already want to do.
The will of Judas was captive to Satan as is true of all lost men.
And Judas merely became the chess piece Satan chose to use.

HE BETRAYED JESUS BECAUSE HE WAS LOST.

And it is a sobering reminder to all who PRETEND ALLEGIANCE to Jesus,
Who conspicuously hide amongst the redeemed,
That though the church may not easily identify you, Christ does.

It is NOT ENOUGH to associate with Jesus,
You MUST deny yourself and trust in Him.

“Hanging out with Jesus for 3 years did not save Judas,
And associating with the church will not save you.”

Judas is a tragic warning that even the religious
Can still be slaves and children of Satan strategically placed to do his will.

We saw that last week.

#2 HIS CRIME
Luke 22:3b-4a

“belonging to the number of the twelve. And he went away…”

When we think of the crime of Judas we think of the actual betrayal.
But before there was betrayal there was apostasy.

JUDAS LEFT.

1 John 2:18-19 “Children, it is the last hour; and just as you heard that antichrist is coming, even now many antichrists have appeared; from this we know that it is the last hour. They went out from us, but they were not really of us; for if they had been of us, they would have remained with us; but they went out, so that it would be shown that they all are not of us.”

That is exactly what Judas did.
• In Acts 1:25 Peter told the 120 that Judas “turned aside” from “this ministry and apostleship…to go to his own place.”

Judas was an apostate.
• For a time he was an incognito slave of Satan masquerading as a disciple.
• For a time he was an imperceptible imposter among the 12.
• But when the time came, he showed his true colors as an apostate.

Do you want to know how legitimate Judas appeared?

Look at the moment when Jesus exposed him as the traitor.

John 13:21-24 “When Jesus had said this, He became troubled in spirit, and testified and said, “Truly, truly, I say to you, that one of you will betray Me.” The disciples began looking at one another, at a loss to know of which one He was speaking. There was reclining on Jesus’ bosom one of His disciples, whom Jesus loved. So Simon Peter gestured to him, and said to him, “Tell us who it is of whom He is speaking.”

When Jesus announced that one of them would betray Him
Notice that NO ONE suspected Judas.

They didn’t say, “We knew it! Judas, we knew something wasn’t right about you.”

John 13:25-30 “He, leaning back thus on Jesus’ bosom, said to Him, “Lord, who is it?” Jesus then answered, “That is the one for whom I shall dip the morsel and give it to him.” So when He had dipped the morsel, He took and gave it to Judas, the son of Simon Iscariot. After the morsel, Satan then entered into him. Therefore Jesus said to him, “What you do, do quickly.” Now no one of those reclining at the table knew for what purpose He had said this to him. For some were supposing, because Judas had the money box, that Jesus was saying to him, “Buy the things we have need of for the feast”; or else, that he should give something to the poor. So after receiving the morsel he went out immediately; and it was night.”

No sooner did Jesus unmask Judas and send him out,
Than did the disciples fail to get it.

They just thought he was going to buy some groceries.

He blended didn’t he?

They had been on missionary trips with him.
Remember, Jesus earlier on had sent them out IN TWO’S.
We don’t know which disciple was paired with Judas on those journeys, but it’s obvious even that disciple didn’t see anything alarming.
• That means Judas preached
• That means Judas cast out demons
• That means Judas worked miracles
• They all were doing those things

He was an apostate imposter just waiting for his opportunity.

AND SCRIPTURE WARNS OF THESE PEOPLE.
Jude 4 “For certain persons have crept in unnoticed, those who were long beforehand marked out for this condemnation, ungodly persons who turn the grace of our God into licentiousness and deny our only Master and Lord, Jesus Christ.”

Later Jude will describe them.
Jude 11-13 “Woe to them! For they have gone the way of Cain, and for pay they have rushed headlong into the error of Balaam, and perished in the rebellion of Korah. These are the men who are hidden reefs in your love feasts when they feast with you without fear, caring for themselves; clouds without water, carried along by winds; autumn trees without fruit, doubly dead, uprooted; wild waves of the sea, casting up their own shame like foam; wandering stars, for whom the black darkness has been reserved forever.”

Does that sound like Judas?

2 Peter 2:17-22 “These are springs without water and mists driven by a storm, for whom the black darkness has been reserved. For speaking out arrogant words of vanity they entice by fleshly desires, by sensuality, those who barely escape from the ones who live in error, promising them freedom while they themselves are slaves of corruption; for by what a man is overcome, by this he is enslaved. For if, after they have escaped the defilements of the world by the knowledge of the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, they are again entangled in them and are overcome, the last state has become worse for them than the first. For it would be better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than having known it, to turn away from the holy commandment handed on to them. It has happened to them according to the true proverb, “A DOG RETURNS TO ITS OWN VOMIT,” and, “A sow, after washing, returns to wallowing in the mire.”

There is another fitting description.
• A man preaching freedom through Jesus while enslaved by the devil.
• A man who temporarily escaped the world to follow Jesus.
• But a man who like a dog returned to his vomit.

These are apostates and the Bible repeatedly warns of them in the church

I think John MacArthur gave the most fitting description of them
When he called them “Spiritual Terrorists”.

Like a modern day suicide bomber.
They dress like us, they act like us, they blend in with us,
Until the day they unleash their true colors and bring destruction on the church.

THE CHURCH AT PERGAMUM was rebuked by Jesus because they had apostates among them and they did nothing about it.
Revelation 2:14-16 “But I have a few things against you, because you have there some who hold the teaching of Balaam, who kept teaching Balak to put a stumbling block before the sons of Israel, to eat things sacrificed to idols and to commit acts of immorality. So you also have some who in the same way hold the teaching of the Nicolaitans. Therefore repent; or else I am coming to you quickly, and I will make war against them with the sword of My mouth.”

• Judas influenced the other disciples to complain about Mary’s act of worship when she poured the perfume on Jesus.
• These at Pergamum were also spreading their evil influence to participate in idolatry and sexual immorality.
• Jesus said, you had better do something about it or I will.

THE CHURCH AT THYATIRA was a church further down the road that revealed the devastating effects of what apostates could do to the church..
Revelation 2:20 “But I have this against you, that you tolerate the woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophetess, and she teaches and leads My bond-servants astray so that they commit acts of immorality and eat things sacrificed to idols.”

APOSTATES ARE DANGEROUS.
• And they are not there by accident.
• They are servants of Satan, planted in the fellowship, for the purpose of
defiling and destroying the body from within.

Their crime is that they confess for a while
But eventually show their true colors by denying their Lord and Master
And bringing as many casualties as they can with them.

That is why things like CHURCH DISCIPLINE are so important.

But perhaps this helps you understand Judas.
• He WASN’T some good ole boy who just got confused for a little while.
• Judas WAS a child and slave of Satan, purposely planted among the 12 so that he might deny and betray the Son of God.

THAT WAS HIS CRIME.

His Cause, His Crime
#3 HIS CONSPIRACY
Luke 22:4b-6a

“and discussed with the chief priests and officers how he might betray Him to them. They were glad and agreed to give him money. So he consented…”

We point out again what a shocking opportunity
This must have seemed like the chief priests.

For the life of them, they couldn’t figure out how to catch Jesus,
And now HERE COMES JUDAS.
• They didn’t have to approach him…
• They didn’t have to threaten him…
• They didn’t have to torture him…

He just showed up and volunteered and agreed to do it for money.
IT WAS ALL HIS IDEA.
And we also pointed out that the thirty pieces of silver was a pathetic price.

JUDAS WOULD HAVE DONE IT FOR NOTHING.
He hated Christ.
Because he was a child and slave of Satan.
He looked for the opportunity to fulfill the passions of his own evil heart.

And so it is fitting here to ANSWER THE QUESTION
As it relates to GOD’S SOVEREIGNTY ON THIS ISSUE.

There have been many over the years who have tried to pin this back on God.

That God was somehow unjust in punishing Judas,
Since after all God ordained that the Son of Man would be betrayed.

And they would blasphemously ask, “How can you ordain for Jesus to be betrayed, and then punish the one who does what You ordained?”

So let’s examine for a moment this question.

There are actually TWO CHARACTERS in the Bible who fit this dilemma.
One is JUDAS, the other is PHARAOH.
• God, in a sense, needed both of them.
• God, in a sense, ordained both of them.

Remember Pharaoh?
• God used his stubbornness,
• And even hardened his heart for a time to make him stubborn,
• As a means of being able to demonstrate His great wrath and power through the plagues.

Romans 9:17 “For the Scripture says to Pharaoh, “FOR THIS VERY PURPOSE I RAISED YOU UP, TO DEMONSTRATE MY POWER IN YOU, AND THAT MY NAME MIGHT BE PROCLAIMED THROUGHOUT THE WHOLE EARTH.”

If Pharaoh isn’t stubborn…
If Pharaoh consents to release the people…
Then we never get see God’s power in the plagues.
We never get to witness the first Passover.
We never get the story of the parting of the Red Sea.

Pharaoh’s rebellion was ordained by God
As the means through which God demonstrate His power
And glorify Himself for the salvation of Israel.

Now Judas, in many ways, fits the same mold as Pharaoh.

• Without Judas, Jesus is not betrayed.
• Without Judas, the chief priests don’t catch Him.

Judas’ betrayal was ordained by God
As the means through which God would send Jesus to the cross,
Save sinners, and glorify Himself as the Savior of mankind.

And people shout, “That’s not fair!”
“Poor Judas!”

What do we do with that?

Well, I mention Pharaoh because
UNDERSTANDING PHARAOH WILL HELP YOU UNDERSTAND JUDAS.

Romans 9:17-24 “For the Scripture says to Pharaoh, “FOR THIS VERY PURPOSE I RAISED YOU UP, TO DEMONSTRATE MY POWER IN YOU, AND THAT MY NAME MIGHT BE PROCLAIMED THROUGHOUT THE WHOLE EARTH.” So then He has mercy on whom He desires, and He hardens whom He desires. You will say to me then, “Why does He still find fault? For who resists His will?” On the contrary, who are you, O man, who answers back to God? The thing molded will not say to the molder, “Why did you make me like this,” will it? Or does not the potter have a right over the clay, to make from the same lump one vessel for honorable use and another for common use? What if God, although willing to demonstrate His wrath and to make His power known, endured with much patience vessels of wrath prepared for destruction? And He did so to make known the riches of His glory upon vessels of mercy, which He prepared beforehand for glory, even us, whom He also called, not from among Jews only, but also from among Gentiles.”

First of all, the Scripture says that God “raised…up” Pharaoh.

What does that mean?
It means God brought this man to power.

God took a man
• Who did not believe in Him,
• Who did not trust Him,
• Who did not love Him,
• And who did not love His people,
And yet God brought that wicked man to power.

God could have simply destroyed Pharaoh
Before he ever got a chance to afflict His people,
But God had a greater purpose in store.

God would use that wicked man, to demonstrate His saving power.

God “endured with much patience” that “vessel of wrath prepared for destruction” So that He might “make known the riches of His glory upon vessels of mercy.”

In other words, God tolerated that wicked man and let him stay alive, even bringing him to power for the purpose of showing the redeemed His glory.

And incidentally, Paul warned all of us about arguing about it.
“Who are you, O man, who answers back to God?”

And if you’ll realize it, Jesus did the same with Judas.
• He took a wicked man, a child of Satan, a slave of sin,
• But instead of destroying him, Jesus chose him to be one of the twelve,
• And endured him with great patience
• So that He might use him for a great purpose.

But even in that, there are
TWO THINGS YOU SHOULD KNOW ABOUT BOTH JUDAS AND PHARAOH.

1. Neither of them did anything they didn’t want to do.
2. Both of them had more than enough evidence to convince them to
do otherwise.

Isn’t that true?
• God didn’t make Pharaoh hate His people, Pharaoh did that on his own.
• God didn’t make Judas hate Christ, Judas did that on his own.

• God showed Pharaoh more miracles than anyone on earth had ever seen up to that point, and still Pharaoh ignored them.
• Jesus showed Judas more miracles than anyone on earth has ever seen since, and still Judas ignored them.

Their conspiracy was used by God for His glorious purpose,
BUT IT WAS STILL THEIR CONSPIRACY.

Judas did what he clearly wanted to do
With absolutely no pressure from anyone other than his master Satan.

His Cause, His Crime, His Conspiracy
#4 HIS COMPLICITY
Luke 22:6b

“and began seeking a good opportunity to betray Him to them apart from the crowd.”

You see the plan.
• Judas is going to give up the itinerary of Jesus.
• Judas is going to give the map of the motorcade so to speak
• Judas is going to tell these men where they can catch Jesus and do away with Him without having to worry about the crowd revolting.

Now, by the way, that is what makes the next verses so interesting.
(READ 7-13)

You may have wondered why Jesus instituted such a bizarre and even mystical way of selecting the Upper Room.

• It was to keep Judas in the dark.
• No one, not even Judas, knew where the room was.

The reason?
Jesus wasn’t going to let Himself be arrested until after He took the Passover with His disciples.

He’s in total control isn’t He?
He won’t be arrested until He lets Judas leave
And until He goes to the well-known garden.

Don’t fail to see who is in control and sovereign in this.

But THE FINAL POINT we are making here is that
JUDAS WAS TOTALLY COMPLICIT IN ALL THAT OCCURRED.

Judas followed through.
John 18:1-3 “When Jesus had spoken these words, He went forth with His disciples over the ravine of the Kidron, where there was a garden, in which He entered with His disciples. Now Judas also, who was betraying Him, knew the place, for Jesus had often met there with His disciples. Judas then, having received the Roman cohort and officers from the chief priests and the Pharisees, came there with lanterns and torches and weapons.”

How much did he hate Jesus?

And you should know that JUDAS HATED JESUS
For the same reason all lost people hate Jesus.

John 3:19-20 “This is the judgment, that the Light has come into the world, and men loved the darkness rather than the Light, for their deeds were evil. “For everyone who does evil hates the Light, and does not come to the Light for fear that his deeds will be exposed.”

And in this sense, though the crime of Judas is heinous,
IT IS NOT UNIQUE.

There have been thousands upon thousands of Judas’ sense that day.

Hebrews 6:4-6 “For in the case of those who have once been enlightened and have tasted of the heavenly gift and have been made partakers of the Holy Spirit, and have tasted the good word of God and the powers of the age to come, and then have fallen away, it is impossible to renew them again to repentance, since they again crucify to themselves the Son of God and put Him to open shame.”

Those are people, who like Judas get every opportunity to believe.
• They get “enlightened”
• They get “a taste of the heavenly gift”
• They get to be a partial “partaker of the Holy Spirit”
• They get “a taste of the good word of God”
• They get “a taste…of the power of the age to come”

But still they fall away and choose to
“crucify to themselves the Son of God and put Him to open shame.”

Every conceivable benefit.
Like Pharaoh
Like Judas
Like Israel.

Romans 9:4-5 “who are Israelites, to whom belongs the adoption as sons, and the glory and the covenants and the giving of the Law and the temple service and the promises, whose are the fathers, and from whom is the Christ according to the flesh, who is over all, God blessed forever. Amen.”

But it’s not enough.

And in the end they reveal what JESUS KNEW ALL ALONG.

Matthew 7:21-23 “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven will enter. “Many will say to Me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles?’ “And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; DEPART FROM ME, YOU WHO PRACTICE LAWLESSNESS.’”

For those people, like Judas,
It would be better that they had never been born.

CHURCH THE WARNING IS SO INTENSE.
• Don’t be an imposter.
• Don’t just be a casual associate of the church.
• Don’t be a phony follower of Jesus.

Repent of your sin, beg Christ for forgiveness,
Trust in His righteousness and in His sufficient sacrifice,
And fully yield your life to Him.

There have always been imposters.
There have always been apostates.
But don’t let them be you.

Luke 22:21-22 “But behold, the hand of the one betraying Me is with Mine on the table. “For indeed, the Son of Man is going as it has been determined; but woe to that man by whom He is betrayed!”

Download Here:

A Prayer Of David – Part 1
Psalms 86 (1-7)
October 11, 2020

To title this Psalm simply “A Prayer of David”
Makes it sound a little insignificant.
I nearly called it “The Prayer of David” to make it seem a little more important.

Yet, since the Holy Spirit inspired the heading, I decided to leave it alone.

But to allow the heading to lull you to sleep
Regarding the magnificence of this Psalm would be a mistake.

I remember the first time I heard the story of George Mueller
• Who was an evangelist in the 19th century.
• I was most impressed by the fact that Mueller decided to never ask men for
anything, but to only ask God for the things he needed.

Story after story after story is told of times
When God remarkably answered Mueller’s prayers.

The most famous is of a time when the lady running his orphanage told him there was no food for the 300 orphans. He directed the lady to seat the children at the table, he prayed and they waited. As the story is told, in a moment there was a knock on the door from the local baker who said God had woken him up in the middle of the night and urged him to bake bread for the orphanage and he was there to deliver three batches. A moment later another knock was from a milkman whose cart had suffered a broken wheel and he needed to unload the mild since it would only spoil and he gave it to the orphanage.
https://www.christianity.com/church/church-history/church-history-for-kids/george-mueller-orphanages-built-by-prayer-11634869.html

I realize that over time stories can be dramatized a little,
But more than anything I was amazed by a man
Who saw no need in telling men his problems,
But simply told them to God and saw God provide for him his entire life.

Through prayer for God’s provision
• He was able to provide for over 10,000 orphans,
• Pay for their education
• And was even eventually looked down upon in society for raising the poor
above their proper status in England.
• He established 117 schools where he offered education to over 120,000 kids,
• And he never asked another human for anything.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_M%C3%BCller

Now, having told you the story of George Mueller,
If I said to you, “I have here a prayer of George Mueller”
Would you be interested in hearing how a man such as him prayed?

Of course you would.

So when I say, we have here “A Prayer Of David”
THINK THE SAME WAY.

• This is a man who is after God’s own heart.
• This is a man whom God selected to rule the nation.
• This is a man who conquered lions, bears, giants, kings, and kingdoms.
• This is a man who was the first in the kingly line of Jesus.

God never stopped blessing that line, despite the wickedness of some,
Simply because God was so committed to blessing David.

2 Kings 8:16-19 “Now in the fifth year of Joram the son of Ahab king of Israel, Jehoshaphat being then the king of Judah, Jehoram the son of Jehoshaphat king of Judah became king. He was thirty-two years old when he became king, and he reigned eight years in Jerusalem. He walked in the way of the kings of Israel, just as the house of Ahab had done, for the daughter of Ahab became his wife; and he did evil in the sight of the LORD. However, the LORD was not willing to destroy Judah, for the sake of David His servant, since He had promised him to give a lamp to him through his sons always.”

God was clearly devoted to this man who was after His own heart.

So when I tell you here we have “A Prayer Of David”
Perhaps now it brings a little more weight.

One might even consider calling this Psalm,
“The Model Prayer Of David”

Namely because this prayer DOESN’T COME WITH MANY SPECIFICS
That help us identify the context or the setting.

It is true that David recognizes arrogant opponents in verse 14,
But let’s be honest, I can’t think of many times in David’s life
When he didn’t have arrogant opponents who sought his life.

Rather than seeing this as a specific prayer to a specific problem,
I think it is better to see this as a model prayer
Which guided his prayer life in general.

Sort of like when the disciples asked Jesus to teach them to pray.

Matthew 6:9-13 “Pray, then, in this way: ‘Our Father who is in heaven, Hallowed be Your name. ‘Your kingdom come. Your will be done, On earth as it is in heaven. ‘Give us this day our daily bread. ‘And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. ‘And do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from evil. [For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.’]”

That prayer has formed a great model for our prayers.
• We see in it adoration of God,
• Submission to God,
• Petition to God,
• A request for mercy from God,
• Devotion to walk in the forgiveness that is requested,
• A prayer to be delivered from evil,
• And a desire to see God glorified in everything.

That prayer has offered us a tremendous model to follow.

Tonight, I think we are looking at David’s model prayer
And since he was a man after God’s own heart,
It comes to us with great interest.

This is how a man of God prays.

We could really outline this Psalm out nearly to every individual line.
I’m going to spare you that just so that it doesn’t get confusing.

So let’s simply break it into 3 main points and you’ll likely pick up on some of the more intricate sub points as we go along.

#1 HIS EXPLANATION FOR APPROACHING
Psalms 85:1-10

When you read those first 10 verses,
There are really two main points that David is making
As he seemingly explains to God why he has appeared before Him.

Imagine if you will,
David breaking into the heavenly throne room and God asking, “Why are you here?”

That is sort of what David is answering here in these first 10 verses.
He is explaining 1) Why he has approached God
And 2) Why God should listen to him.

And before we even get into the text,
I want you just to consider this for a moment.

Before David ever even bowed his head in prayer,
He obviously gave thought to who he was approaching.
He obviously gave thought to who it was, he was petitioning.

If you were given the right to go to the Governor’s mansion and petition the Texas Governor for something would you give any thought to the conversation ahead of time?
• Would you contemplate protocols?
• Would you formulate your argument?
• Would you explain your desires and why they should be considered?
• Would you have a plan at all?

What if you were granted to go before the President of the United States?
What if you were asked to make petition to the Supreme Court?
• Would you give thought to it ahead of time?
• Would you be able to explain why you were approaching them?
• Would you be able to explain why they should listen to you?

That is obviously a contemplation that David has already had.

Our Sunday school class saw this very thing this morning with Daniel.

Daniel 9:1-4 “In the first year of Darius the son of Ahasuerus, of Median descent, who was made king over the kingdom of the Chaldeans — in the first year of his reign, I, Daniel, observed in the books the number of the years which was revealed as the word of the LORD to Jeremiah the prophet for the completion of the desolations of Jerusalem, namely, seventy years. So I gave my attention to the Lord God to seek Him by prayer and supplications, with fasting, sackcloth and ashes. I prayed to the LORD my God and confessed and said, “Alas, O Lord, the great and awesome God, who keeps His covenant and lovingkindness for those who love Him and keep His commandments,”

Before Daniel every addressed God, he first “gave my attention to the Lord God to seek Him by prayer and supplications, with fasting, sackcloth and ashes.”

He first gave thought to exactly what he was about to do,
Who he was about to approach, how he wanted to approach him,
And what he would say when he got there.

This same reality is implied in Jesus’ model prayer when he tells us to say, “Our Father, who is in heaven, Hallowed be Your name.”

He’s reminding us to give thought to who we are addressing.

David has done the same.

And having done that, David now approaches God.
• And in the first 4 verses David actually gives 4 reasons why God should be willing to listen to him.
• They are easy to spot, just look at every time David says, “for” which is another way of saying “because”

AND THIS IS REMARKABLE.
After all, it was David who penned the famous 15th Psalm where he asked:

Psalms 15 “O LORD, who may abide in Your tent? Who may dwell on Your holy hill? He who walks with integrity, and works righteousness, And speaks truth in his heart. He does not slander with his tongue, Nor does evil to his neighbor, Nor takes up a reproach against his friend; In whose eyes a reprobate is despised, But who honors those who fear the LORD; He swears to his own hurt and does not change; He does not put out his money at interest, Nor does he take a bribe against the innocent. He who does these things will never be shaken.”

DAVID IS AWARE of the expectations that accompany approaching God,
So it is very interesting to us here
As David explains to God why God should hear his prayer.

(1) “Incline Your ear, O LORD, and answer me; For I am afflicted and needy.”

He tells God why God should listen and answer and the reason David gives is that he is “afflicted and needy”.

Isaiah said:
Isaiah 57:15 “For thus says the high and exalted One Who lives forever, whose name is Holy, “I dwell on a high and holy place, And also with the contrite and lowly of spirit In order to revive the spirit of the lowly And to revive the heart of the contrite.”

Isaiah 66:2 “But to this one I will look, To him who is humble and contrite of spirit, and who trembles at My word.”

• We know that “God is opposed to the proud, but gives grace to the humble” (James 4:6)
• We heard Jesus say, “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” (Matthew 5:3)
• Peter reminded us to “humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you at the proper time.” (1 Peter 5:6)

It is obvious that David is aware of that.
He comes to God, not with head held high, but with humility.
He comes in need.

According to this David believes that God should hear and answer him.

(2a) “Preserve my soul, for I am a godly man; O You my God, save Your servant who trusts in You.”

Some would read this and say, “So much for the humility part. If David is claiming to be godly, he obviously isn’t humble.”

That is to misunderstand what he is saying.
By calling himself “a godly man” David is NOT claiming perfection.

In a moment he will actually praise God for grace, mercy, and forgiveness.
What David IS INDICATING is that he is a “man of God” or a “man for God”.

Paul told Timothy:
1 Timothy 6:11 “But flee from these things, you man of God, and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, perseverance and gentleness.”

Obviously Paul was not insinuating that Timothy was sinless or perfect.
Paul was reminding Timothy of the purpose of his life.

Timothy was not a man of this world, he was a man of God.
Therefore Timothy should not walk in worldliness, but godliness.

When you read 1 and 2 Timothy
You see Paul reference this concept of godliness continually.

And that is what David means.
God, you should answer me because the purpose of my life is to live for you.

Can you echo David there?
Can you come before God and say,
“You should answer me because I live for you”?

This, by the way was a criteria
By which Jesus promised our prayers would be answered.

John 14:13 “Whatever you ask in My name, that will I do, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son.”

John 15:7-8 “If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. “My Father is glorified by this, that you bear much fruit, and so prove to be My disciples.”

1 John 5:14 “This is the confidence which we have before Him, that, if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us.”

• Those whose life is devoted to God…
• Those who pray according to the will of God…
• They are told to expect that their prayers will be answered.

David certainly expects his prayers to be answered
Because of his devotion to God.

That’s why he REPEATS THAT SAME POINT twice in verse 2, the second time saying, “O You my God, save Your servant who trusts in You.”

It is the same reason stated two different ways.
• You should answer me because I live for You, I am Your servant.
• You are my Master.

• David doesn’t honor God with his lips but keep his heart far away.
• David doesn’t say things and not do them.
• David is devoted to the Lord and His will.

And because of that, he expects that his Master will be for him
And will answer his request.
Very important.

(3) “Be gracious to me, O Lord, For to You I cry all day long.”

David knows what Jesus taught in Luke 18.
Luke 18:1-8 “Now He was telling them a parable to show that at all times they ought to pray and not to lose heart, saying, “In a certain city there was a judge who did not fear God and did not respect man. “There was a widow in that city, and she kept coming to him, saying, ‘Give me legal protection from my opponent.’ “For a while he was unwilling; but afterward he said to himself, ‘Even though I do not fear God nor respect man, yet because this widow bothers me, I will give her legal protection, otherwise by continually coming she will wear me out.'” And the Lord said, “Hear what the unrighteous judge said; now, will not God bring about justice for His elect who cry to Him day and night, and will He delay long over them? “I tell you that He will bring about justice for them quickly. However, when the Son of Man comes, will He find faith on the earth?”

You should answer me because I’m not going anywhere.
It is the faith that GOD CAN and GOD WILL.

He doesn’t go to God to see IF God can help
And then get frustrated because it has taken too long
And move on to another would-be savior.

No, David has faith, and he’s not leaving.
And because of this GOD SHOULD ANSWER,
Just as Jesus promised He would.

“will not God bring about justice for His elect who cry to Him day and night, and will He delay long over them? I tell you that He will bring about justice for them quickly.”

David was banking on that reality.

(4) “Make glad the soul of Your servant, For to You, O Lord, I lift up my soul.”

Simply here we see David’s extreme trust for God.
God, you should answer me in this request
Because I have already entrusted to You my greatest treasure, my soul.

You remember the blind man that Jesus healed.
Under interrogation he told the Sanhedrin:
John 9:31 “We know that God does not hear sinners; but if anyone is God-fearing and does His will, He hears him.”

The point the blind man was making was that
If a man won’t entrust his soul to God
Can he really expect God to be interested in less important things?

You WON’T trust your soul to God
But you WILL ask him to help you with money
Or with your sickness or you rebellious teenager.

It is hypocritical if you think about it.

David was no such hypocrite.
God I have entrusted all that is dear to me to You, and so I expect that You will answer me now.

James 5:16 “The effective prayer of a righteous man can accomplish much.”

So this is David’s explanation as to why God should listen to him.
• “I am afflicted and need” (humble)
• “I am a godly man…Your servant” (submissive)
• “I cry all day long” (devoted)
• “I lift up my soul” (faith)

Now if you’ll think about it,
You see all those same attitudes in the Beatitudes.
• “I am afflicted and needy” – “blessed are the poor in spirit”
• “I am a godly man…Your servant” – “blessed are the meek”
• “I cry all day long” – “blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness”
• “I lift up my soul” – “blessed are the pure in heart”

So you understand why David expects God to answer.
David has approached God in a manner which God has demanded.

NOW WE FOLLOW THAT EXAMPLE AS WELL.
We are taught those very truths throughout the New Testament.
• We are told God exalts the humble.
• We are told answers the prayer according to His will.
• We are told God responds to His elect who cry day and night.
• We are told the prayer of a righteous man accomplishes much.

And so we not only know how to approach God,
But also know why we can expect God to respond.

But for the New Testament believer, we have an even GREATER REASON
Why we can expect God to respond.

Because we don’t approach God clothed in our own righteousness,
But we approach Him clothed in the righteousness of Christ.

Christ is our High Priest through whom we draw near to God.

And the writer of Hebrews is clear about this.
Hebrews 4:16 “Therefore let us draw near with confidence to the throne of grace, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.”

• The writer of Hebrews says we go with confidence.
• We go boldly.
• Because we go in Christ.

Hebrews 6:19 “This hope we have as an anchor of the soul, a hope both sure and steadfast and one which enters within the veil,”

Christ is our anchor, and through Him, not only do we confidently approach the throne, but WE ARE ANCHORED THERE.

Through Christ we ALWAYS have access to the Father.
• Christ is seated at His right hand.
• Christ is inside the veil.
• We confidently approach God through Him.

Hebrews 10:19-22 “Therefore, brethren, since we have confidence to enter the holy place by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way which He inaugurated for us through the veil, that is, His flesh, and since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us draw near with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water.”

Because we go through Christ,
We go with a sincere heart and in full assurance.

Do you see that assurance in David? You do.
Was that the kind of assurance George Mueller had? Yes it was.

• Men who knew God
• Men who knew the promises of God
• Men who knew the requirements of God
• Men who knew the perfection of the Savior through whom they approach

And therefore men who had no problem explaining to God
Why He should incline His ear, answer them, preserve their soul,
Be gracious, and make them glad.

DAVID IS EXPLAINING WHY GOD SHOULD HEAR HIM.
• That is remarkable.
• That is the model for how David prayed.

This is “A Prayer Of David”
Perhaps we should call it “A Routine Prayer Of David”

It gives great direction to our prayer life.

AND YET, WE’RE JUST GETTING STARTED.

Because after David explains why God should listen to Him,
David moves on to his second explanation,
Which is: WHY HE CRIES ONLY TO GOD.

So supposing David entered the throne room and God said,
“Why are you here?”

Well David is going to explain
Why I keep coming to You with all my needs.

This, no doubt, is why George Mueller took his requests to God and not men.

And David is going to reveal 6 REASONS why he comes to God in prayer.
He gives 3 in verse 5 alone.

(5) “For You, Lord, are good”

There’s a word that gets WAY OVER USED TODAY.
It is the word God used when He finished creation.

Before sin stained this world:
Genesis 1:31 “God saw all that He had made, and behold, it was very good. And there was evening and there was morning, the sixth day.”

If you need a barometer by which to measure what God meant by declaring creation “good” then we only need to read the next two verses.

Genesis 2:1-2 “Thus the heavens and the earth were completed, and all their hosts. By the seventh day God completed His work which He had done, and He rested on the seventh day from all His work which He had done.”

When God proclaimed it “good”
• He meant that it could not be improved upon.
• There was nothing left undone.
• There was nothing that needed to be tweaked or renovated or updated.

It was “good”

Jesus uses that same definition when He is approached by the Rich Young Ruler.
Matthew 19:16-17 “And someone came to Him and said, “Teacher, what good thing shall I do that I may obtain eternal life?” And He said to him, “Why are you asking Me about what is good? There is only One who is good; but if you wish to enter into life, keep the commandments.”

When we are talking about “good” we are talking about complete,
Without flaw, unable to be improved, perfect, needing nothing

Often on Sunday night I’ll ask Carrie, “How were the sermons today?” Often times she says, “Good” and that usually bums me out. But now, I’m going to take it that she means they were flawless. And knowing Carrie, I’ll never get that assessment again.

But you understand here what David means
When he says “For You, Lord, are good”

I come to You because no one else is “good”.
• There is no other place to go like when I go to You.
• No one else is complete, flawless, perfect.

• Every other “savior” has a weakness…
• Every other “judge” has corruption…
• Every other “provider” has limitations…
• Every other “defender” has incompetency’s…

David gives there perhaps the best answer
Why going to God in prayer is always the best option
Over any other petition to any other person.

That’s the first reason David goes to God.

(5b) “and ready to forgive”

And David’s wording is glorious.
Not “willing to forgive” but “ready to forgive”

• God is merciful.
• God is long-suffering (patient)
• God is slow to anger.

I might add that if He weren’t we could never approach Him.
Every time we go before Him we go in need of mercy.

I love that song by Sovereign Grace Music called “Jesus Your Mercy”.
I love the line where the song says, “Jesus Your mercy is all my boast; the goodness I claim, the grounds of my hope. Whatever I lack, it’s still what I need most. Jesus Your mercy is all my boast.”
https://sovereigngracemusic.org/music/songs/jesus-your-mercy/

What a statement!
I don’t know what you think you need in life, but you should know that
YOU DON’T NEED ANYTHING MORE THAN YOU NEED MERCY.

If we believe what the Bible says when it claims:
• “There is none righteous, not even one” (Romans 3:10)
• “There is none who seeks for God” (Romans 3:11)
• “There is none who does good, there is not even one” (Romans 3:12)
• “There is no fear of God before their eyes” (Romans 3:18)
• “All have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23)
• “we too all formerly lived in the lusts of the flesh” (Ephesians 2:3)
• “we also once were foolish…disobedient, deceived, enslaved…in malice
and envy, hateful, hating one another” (Titus 3:3)

And if you believe what we read earlier in Psalms 15
That no one who is unrighteous can dwell with God.

Then you understand that
You don’t need anything worse than you need mercy.

Think about that the next time you go to God in prayer.
• What is it that drove you to your knees?
• What is your primary request on this day?

• Did you want provision?
• Did you want safety?
• Did you want your kids to make good decisions?

All of those are fine requests,
But did your request include repentance and a cry for mercy?

Even Jesus taught us to pray, “and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us.”

You need it.
David knows that.

But he also knows that God is “ready to forgive”.
• He’s not about to approach a deliverer who has no mercy.
• He’s not about to approach a savior who holds a grudge.

I’m coming to You God
Because You are good and you are ready to forgive.

(5c) “And abundant in lovingkindness to all who call upon You.”

By now you are familiar with the word “lovingkindness”.
It is that beautiful CHECED – God’s loyal covenantal love.

IT IS NOT simply universal unconditional love for the world
As many today like to assume.
As we told the youth a few weeks ago, and as RC Sproul has so faithfully explained.

• God does have a sort of Benevolent love for all man in that He wishes “good
will” for all men.
• And God does have a sort of Beneficent love for all men in which “He sends
rain on the just and the unjust”
• But His CHECED, His loyal covenantal love, His self-satisfying love (which
Sproul calls His love of complacency) that is only for those who “call
upon” Him.

God doesn’t save all men,
But He does save all those who call upon His name.

Those who call upon Him are saved by Him
And they enter a covenant relationship with Him
Like that of a marriage.

And God is fiercely loyal to all those He is covenanted to.
We see that clearly throughout history.

God seems to go the extra mile for Israel like He does for no one else.
IT’S because of His CHECED toward them.

Well David understands that.
He knows that God is loyal to Him.
• So why wouldn’t David go to God?

SO DAVID IS SAYING:
• I’m here because You are good like no one else is good.
• I’m here because You are merciful like no one else is merciful.
• I’m here because You are loyal like no one else is loyal.

That is why he is approaching God.

And when you put it like that, it causes us to wonder
Why any of us would ever approach anyone else.

A truth like that, no longer makes George Mueller extreme,
It makes him seem like the only guy who truly gets it.

Why would you take your needs to someone who isn’t good?
Why would you take your needs to someone who isn’t merciful?
Why would you take your needs to someone who isn’t loyal to you?

This just makes sense.

Now, there are 3 more reasons why David goes to God,
And he will list them in verses 8-10.

But first David reiterates His request.
(6-7) “Give ear, O LORD, to my prayer; And give heed to the voice of my supplications! In the day of my trouble I shall call upon You, For You will answer me.”

He again is asking God to answer, but do you notice the confidence there?
“For You will answer me.”

This is great!
Where do you think that confidence all of a sudden came from?
• Why, all of a sudden, in the middle of his explanation, does David bust out in this confident assertion?
• He’s going to return to listing why he only prays to God, but why pause that list to belt out this confident statement?

Can you see what listing the attributes of God
Has done for David’s confidence?

Jesus told us when we pray to begin by saying, “Our Father, who is in heaven, Hallowed be Your name.”
• Certainly we understand the necessity of praise.
• Certainly we understand the importance of honoring God as God and giving thanks.
• We get that.

But have you ever stopped to wonder the effect
That hallowing God’s name might have on you?

As you pray, when you begin to praise God
• For His goodness,
• Or His mercy,
• Or His loyalty,
• Or His provision,
• Or His grace,
• Or His care,
• Or His holiness,
• Or His justice…

As you begin to praise God for how good He is at all those things,
Does it not embolden your heart?
That you are precisely where you should be
Regarding whatever your current issue is?

Of course it does!

Why do you think Doctor’s hang their diploma or show you all the letters behind their names?
• Some may do it certainly for glory,
• But it is also meant to give you confidence that this guy knows what he is doing.

When you go to God, praise Him because He deserves it,
But you will also find that in praising Him
Your confidence in Him will soar and peace will abound.

That is what happened to David.
He hasn’t even finished listing all the great attributes of God as to why he prays to God and already David is filled with confidence that God is going to help him.

That is how you pray.

Well obviously we’re not going to get through this whole prayer tonight, we’ll pick it back up next time.
But I hope you are already encouraged by “A Prayer of David”