The Deceitfulness of Wealth
Psalms 49
September 15, 2019

Surely everyone in here has heard of Bruce Lee.
In 1969 Bruce Lee wrote himself a letter.

My Definite Chief Aim

I, Bruce Lee, will be the first highest paid Oriental super star in the United States. In return I will give the most exciting performances and render the best of quality in the capacity of an actor. Starting 1970 I will achieve world fame and from then onward till the end of 1980 I will have in my possession $10,000,000. I will live the way I please and achieve inner harmony and happiness.

Bruce Lee
Jan. 1969

Four years later, he was dead.
https://qz.com/932799/bruce-lee-achieved-all-his-life-goals-by-32-by-committing-to-one-personality-trait/

Perhaps that sounds strangely familiar
To another story we have recently read.
Luke 12:16-21 “And He told them a parable, saying, “The land of a rich man was very productive. “And he began reasoning to himself, saying, ‘What shall I do, since I have no place to store my crops?’ “Then he said, ‘This is what I will do: I will tear down my barns and build larger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods. ‘And I will say to my soul, “Soul, you have many goods laid up for many years to come; take your ease, eat, drink and be merry.”‘ “But God said to him, ‘ You fool! This very night your soul is required of you; and now who will own what you have prepared?’ “So is the man who stores up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God.”

What you have in both cases were men
Who fell prey to the deceitfulness of wealth.

Wealth held for them an allusion of ease and comfort.
• The foolish farmer would say to his soul, “Soul, you have many good laid
up for many years to come; take your ease, eat, drink and be merry.”

• Bruce Lee would expect nothing less. “I will live the way I please and
achieve inner harmony and happiness.”

BOTH DIED SHORTLY THEREAFTER.

Wealth had deceived them into the belief that it
Was the secret to happiness, peace, comfort, and security.
HOW WRONG IT PROVED TO BE.

WEALTH IS IN FACT A DECEIVER.
In 2005, 60 minutes correspondent Steve Kroft interviewed Tom Brady after he won his 3rd super bowl.

Here is what was said:
BRADY: …There’s times where I’m not the person that I want to be. Why do I have three Super Bowl rings, and still think there’s something greater out there for me? I mean, maybe a lot of people would say, “Hey man, this is what is.” I reached my goal, my dream, my life. Me, I think: [Religious Exclamation], it’s gotta be more than this. I mean this can’t be what it’s all cracked up to be. I mean I’ve done it. I’m 27. And what else is there for me?
KROFT: What’s the answer?
BRADY: I wish I knew. I wish I knew…
https://calvarychapelbiblecollege.com/home/theres-gotta-be-more-than-this-tom-brady/

It is just another testimony of one who expressed
The same sentiment that we see in Scripture
That success and money never produce
The satisfaction that they promise.

It is the DECEITFULNESS OF WEALTH.

Jesus preached a parable about the heart typified by four types of soils.
One soil Jesus spoke of was depicted as WEEDY SOIL.

• It was a man who heard the word of God, but the weeds in his heart choked
out the message he heard and he never produced any fruit for eternity.

Specifically Jesus stated it like this:
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.”

That man was plagued by “the deceitfulness of wealth”

He obviously reached a point in life
Where he was convinced that his earthly wealth
Was of more value that eternal hope.

He rejected the gospel message he heard
For the opportunity to keep his earthly wealth.
HE WAS DECEIVED.

We saw this same problem in our often discussed man known as The Rich Young Ruler.
• That was the man who was told by Jesus that he lacked one thing in
order to achieve salvation.

Luke 18:22-23 “When Jesus heard this, He said to him, “One thing you still lack; sell all that you possess and distribute it to the poor, and you shall have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me.” But when he had heard these things, he became very sad, for he was extremely rich.”

Like the weedy soil he was taken in by the deceitfulness of wealth
And the gospel message was choked out of his life.

It is called the deceitfulness of wealth
This deceiver kept more than one person out of the kingdom of heaven.

Paul even warned that some who are seeking life
Can be PULLED AWAY by it.

1 Timothy 6:9-10 “But those who want to get rich fall into temptation and a snare and many foolish and harmful desires which plunge men into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is a root of all sorts of evil, and some by longing for it have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.”

Gehazi, the servant of Elisha, comes to mind here.
• Elisha healed Naaman the leper and Naaman wanted to compensate Elisha.
• Elisha refused, but Gehazi saw an opportunity.
• Gehazi chased Naaman and basically said Elisha needs the money after all.

But the Lord revealed all that happened to Elisha.
2 Kings 5:26-27 “Then he said to him, “Did not my heart go with you, when the man turned from his chariot to meet you? Is it a time to receive money and to receive clothes and olive groves and vineyards and sheep and oxen and male and female servants? “Therefore, the leprosy of Naaman shall cling to you and to your descendants forever.” So he went out from his presence a leper as white as snow.”

THE DECEITFULNESS OF WEALTH RUINED GEHAZI’S LIFE.

It’s no wonder then that Paul would give the FINAL WARNING to Timothy:
1 Timothy 6:17 “Instruct those who are rich in this present world not to be conceited or to fix their hope on the uncertainty of riches, but on God, who richly supplies us with all things to enjoy.”

And there we get ANOTHER CHARACTERISTIC of wealth.
Not only is it deceitful, but it is also UNCERTAIN.

Jesus Himself taught us that moths eat it, rust devours it, and thieves steal it.

It just never proved itself to be a satisfactory source of security.

Proverbs 23:4-5 “Do not weary yourself to gain wealth, Cease from your consideration of it. When you set your eyes on it, it is gone. For wealth certainly makes itself wings Like an eagle that flies toward the heavens.”

Part of the deceitfulness of wealth is its uncertainty.

When talking about money in Luke 16 Jesus spoke of a shrewd manager and how he wisely used wealth for future purposes.

But listen to what Jesus said:
Luke 16:9 “And I say to you, make friends for yourselves by means of the wealth of unrighteousness, so that when it fails, they will receive you into the eternal dwellings.”

Did you catch that “when it fails” part?

It’s just so deceptive; it is not certain.
And yet so many hold out hope and pursue it
Like it is the chief source of satisfaction.

Psalms 49 is a song about that foolish mentality.
It is a song about the deceitfulness of wealth.

We can break the song down into 4 parts.
#1 THE RIDDLE ANNOUNCED
Psalms 49:1-4

We are first made aware of THE AUDIENCE to whom this song is given.
(1-2) “Hear this, all peoples; Give ear, all inhabitants of the world, both low and high, rich and poor together.”

Much of the Bible is specifically addressed to the redeemed, or to the elect of God. This passage is addressed to EVERYONE.

The message about how deceitful wealth can be
Is for the redeemed and the unregenerate.
It is for the lost and the saved.

The Psalmist specifically announces that
It is for both the “rich and poor together”

We mentioned recently in our Sunday morning study in Luke 12
That greed and the deceitfulness of wealth is not limited to the wealthy.

Jesus taught us:
Luke 12:15 “Then He said to them, “Beware, and be on your guard against every form of greed; for not even when one has an abundance does his life consist of his possessions.”

We know that greed comes in many forms.
• Hoarding is a form of greed, like the foolish farmer who tore down his barns to build bigger ones.
• Coveting is a form of greed, like the man who interrupted the sermon of Jesus to demand that his brother share the family inheritance.
• Worry is a form of greed, like the world in general who are consumed only with obtaining the basic necessities of the body.

You don’t have to have money to be consumed with money.

When we think of the greedy
• We often have this mind’s eye of the man in his bank vault swimming in his gold coins surrounded by luxury and surplus.

But it is far from simply a problem of the rich.
• You can see greed on full display simply by going to Allsups and watching the poor stand in line to buy lottery tickets in hopes of getting their next big break.

Agur saw the danger of greed in both poverty and riches:
Proverbs 30:7-9 “Two things I asked of You, Do not refuse me before I die: Keep deception and lies far from me, Give me neither poverty nor riches; Feed me with the food that is my portion, That I not be full and deny You and say, “Who is the LORD?” Or that I not be in want and steal, And profane the name of my God.”

The greed problem is for everyone.
Everyone needs to hear this song.

The Psalmist announces that he has A RIDDLE FOR THE WORLD.

(3-4) “My mouth will speak wisdom, And the meditation of my heart will be understanding. I will incline my ear to a proverb; I will express my riddle on the harp.”

He has something that he wants every inhabitant of the earth
To consider or to contemplate.

He has announced his riddle.
#2 THE RIDDLE STATED
Psalms 49:5-6

“Why should I fear in days of adversity, when the iniquity of my foes surrounds me, even those who trust in their wealth and boast in the abundance of their riches?”

The Psalmist asks: What is the purpose of fearing the success of his enemies in the evil day?

Perhaps I can shed a little more light on the subject.

The word for “fear” here is YARE
It is the most commonly used word
Because it so often refers to “the fear of the LORD”
Sometimes you will even see it translated as “reverential awe”

Just to give you some perspective,
Let me give you some other words for fear that are NOT used here.

MOWRA, which means “terror”
Deuteronomy 11:25 “No man will be able to stand before you; the LORD your God will lay the dread of you and the fear of you on all the land on which you set foot, as He has spoken to you.”

PACHOD, which means “dread”
Exodus 15:16 “Terror and dread fall upon them; By the greatness of Your arm they are motionless as stone; Until Your people pass over, O LORD, Until the people pass over whom You have purchased.”

MACAN, which means “to melt”
Joshua 14:8 “Nevertheless my brethren who went up with me made the heart of the people melt with fear; but I followed the LORD my God fully.”

Those are all words that speak of a person who is afraid of something.

The word the Psalmist uses is NOT one of those.
• He uses the word common for fear of the LORD.
• He uses the word that speaks of awestruck wonder.
• He uses the word that speaks almost of worship and adoration

And I think that sheds some light on this riddle.
• He is speaking about “days of adversity”
• He is speaking about being surrounded by his foes.
• And his foes are rich and they “trust in their wealth”
• And his foes “boast in the abundance of their riches”

The idea is that his foes are certain that they will overcome him
Because they have more resources than him.

And at that moment he is in
Awestruck wonder at the power of their wealth.
“If I could just get my hands on some wealth
Then I would not have to fear my enemies”

Certainly being afraid is involved but there is also
An element of being awestruck and the significance and power of wealth.

In that famous Psalms 73 we see Asaph with that same sense of awestruck wonder:
Psalms 73:3-9 “For I was envious of the arrogant As I saw the prosperity of the wicked. For there are no pains in their death, And their body is fat. They are not in trouble as other men, Nor are they plagued like mankind. Therefore pride is their necklace; The garment of violence covers them. Their eye bulges from fatness; The imaginations of their heart run riot. They mock and wickedly speak of oppression; They speak from on high. They have set their mouth against the heavens, And their tongue parades through the earth.”

He just saw the wicked and their riches and was in awe of them.

But the Psalmist here is asking why do we do that?
“Why should I fear in days of adversity, when the iniquity of my foes surrounds me, even those who trust in their wealth and boast in the abundance of their riches?”

That’s the riddle.
That’s the question he wants you to ponder.
That’s the reality he wants you to consider.

• Why are we so prone to think so highly of riches?
• Why are we so prone to see wealth as being of such power?
• Why are we so afraid of those who are rich if they oppose us?

The Psalmist asks, “Why is that?”

That’s the riddle announced.
#3 THE RIDDLE EXPLAINED
Psalms 49:7-15

Here the Psalmist answers the riddle.

Now, just for clarification purposes,
His MAIN ANSWER to the riddle is found in verse 12.
That’s the key verse (repeated in verse 20)

(12) “But man in his pomp will not endure; He is like the beasts that perish.”

So obviously the answer to the riddle is that
You should not fear or be in awe of those who are rich.

But let’s examine that statement a little further
Because the Psalmist spends verses 7-11 explaining it.

The Psalmist mentions “man in his pomp”

Let’s talk about that.
The Psalmist shows you what he means.

LOOK AT VERSE 6.
They are “those who trust in their wealth and boast in the abundance of their riches”.

That is “man in his pomp”

Look at verse 11
“Their inner thought is that their houses are forever and their dwelling places to all generations.”

It is just a man who thinks awful highly of himself because he has money.
• He thinks his wealth is a sort of security for he trusts in it.
• He thinks his wealth is a sort of status for he boasts of the abundance of it
• He thinks his wealth will never fail him seen in the fact that he thinks his house will be forever the land will always be his.

It’s just pomp
It’s just pure arrogance

That is how the psalmist sees these people.

But he also says that “man in his pomp will not endure”

If you look down to verse 20 where he restates this statement, he shifts it a little.
(20) “Man in his pomp, yet without understanding, is like the beasts that perish.”

Obviously there the lack of understanding is seen in the fact that
HE DOESN’T REALIZE HOW TEMPORARY IT ALL IS.
He doesn’t understand that his wealth will not endure.

He just doesn’t understand how weak and useless wealth actually is.

BUT THE PSALMIST DOES.
Look at what the psalmist has to say about wealth.

(7-9) “No man can by any means redeem his brother Or give to God a ransom for him — For the redemption of his soul is costly, And he should cease trying forever — That he should live on eternally, That he should not undergo decay.”

That is sobering isn’t it?
And what a message for the church today.
Money has no power to redeem.

It’s remarkable that churches should put such a high stock
On budgets and financial security and cd’s
And the purchasing of insurance.

To what end?
Do any of those things aid in the redemption of the lost?

How much money can you give God for the salvation of a sinner?
• Let’s suppose at the judgment you see a dear friend standing before God and
he has never yielded his life to Christ.
• He is condemned as a sinner and God is about to cast him into the lake of fire.
• At that moment do you really suppose you can make a financial offer to God
for the salvation of your friend?

The Psalmist says you shouldn’t even try.
It can’t be done.

Do you remember the rich man in hades who was in torment in the flame?
• He couldn’t get Lazarus to dip his finger and water and touch it to his tongue.
• Nor could he get Abraham to send Lazarus to his brothers to warn them.
• His money was powerless in hell.

Redemption cannot be bought with money.

We are taught that THE PRICE OF OUR REDEMPTION
Took much more than money.

1 Peter 1:18-19 “knowing that you were not redeemed with perishable things like silver or gold from your futile way of life inherited from your forefathers, but with precious blood, as of a lamb unblemished and spotless, the blood of Christ.”

Puny little things like silver and gold could not redeem us from our sin,
It took the spotless blood of Christ.

How often do we sing it: “What can wash away my sin? Nothing but the blood of Jesus.”

Proverbs 11:4 “Riches do not profit in the day of wrath, But righteousness delivers from death.”

And here you have the Psalmist indicating that
The pompous man doesn’t seem to know that.
He doesn’t seem to realize that money can’t redeem.
He is “without understanding”

He is seeking and storing and protecting his money
Like he thinks it is his ticket out of hell. How foolish!

A church should learn the dangers there too.
I’ve been in a church that thought the sole purpose of their existence was to maintain a large enough savings account to be able to make sure they always existed as a church.

As if having money would help us save even one sinner.

• Tell me, was there ever a more competent preacher than Jesus?
• Was there ever One more convicting than Christ?
• How successful was Peter at the day of Pentecost? (3,000 souls)
• How successful was Paul at planting churches?
And how much money did they have?

It’s a foolish assumption to assume
That money has anything to do with redemption.

We even recall Simon the magician offering Peter money so that he might be able to impart the Holy Spirit, and Peter was clear to him:
Acts 8:20-23 “But Peter said to him, “May your silver perish with you, because you thought you could obtain the gift of God with money! “You have no part or portion in this matter, for your heart is not right before God. “Therefore repent of this wickedness of yours, and pray the Lord that, if possible, the intention of your heart may be forgiven you. “For I see that you are in the gall of bitterness and in the bondage of iniquity.”

How ignorant to be pompous about money
When it has absolutely no value in regard to redemption.

But that’s not all the Psalmist references.
(10) “For he [the rich man] sees that even wise men die; The stupid and the senseless alike perish and leave their wealth to others.”

What does he mean?
Well, wealth can’t save you, but maybe it can help you stay alive so that you never have to face eternity. WRONG!

Wealth won’t keep you from dying.
You can’t pay enough to escape the grave.

Hebrews 9:27 “And inasmuch as it is appointed for men to die once and after this comes judgment,”

Ecclesiastes 9:3 “This is an evil in all that is done under the sun, that there is one fate for all men. Furthermore, the hearts of the sons of men are full of evil and insanity is in their hearts throughout their lives. Afterwards they go to the dead.”

I don’t care how much money you store, you can’t evade death.
You will die and you will leave your wealth behind.

The foolishness is seen in the fact that
The rich see this and yet it doesn’t seem to sink in.

Many a rich man even made his fortune by means of inheritance.
• He got his money because some other rich man died and left it behind and yet
he doesn’t seem to realize that he too will die and leave it behind as well.

We know he doesn’t realize this because of the pomp we read about in verse 11.
(11) “Their inner thought is that their houses are forever And their dwelling places to all generations; They have called their lands after their own names.”

It’s as though they think they will live forever.
How foolish.

But that’s not the only thing the Psalmist references.
• Not only can money not save you…
• Not only can money not keep you from dying…
• But once you die, money won’t help you escape eternity.

(13-15) “This is the way of those who are foolish, And of those after them who approve their words. Selah. As sheep they are appointed for Sheol; Death shall be their shepherd; And the upright shall rule over them in the morning, And their form shall be for Sheol to consume So that they have no habitation. But God will redeem my soul from the power of Sheol, For He will receive me. Selah.”

Money won’t help them get out of the grave after they die.
They are “appointed for Sheol” and “Death shall be their shepherd”

• There is no redemption.
• There is no evading of death.
• There is no escaping of death.

Money won’t help them out at all.
Redemption, as the Psalmist reveals, is only by the hands of God.
(15) “For God will redeem my soul from the power of Sheol, For He will receive me.”

There will be those who will come flying out of that grave,
BUT IT WON’T BE THE RICH.
It won’t be those who have money who will be received by God.

It will be “the upright” whom God will receive, not the rich.

The rich will be stuck in death and everlasting torment
With no hope of escape.

Listen to James describe this final chapter of their existence.
James 5:1-5 “Come now, you rich, weep and howl for your miseries which are coming upon you. Your riches have rotted and your garments have become moth-eaten. Your gold and your silver have rusted; and their rust will be a witness against you and will consume your flesh like fire. It is in the last days that you have stored up your treasure! Behold, the pay of the laborers who mowed your fields, and which has been withheld by you, cries out against you; and the outcry of those who did the harvesting has reached the ears of the Lord of Sabaoth. You have lived luxuriously on the earth and led a life of wanton pleasure; you have fattened your hearts in a day of slaughter.”

How foolish it was to walk around in pomp and arrogance
Trusting in your wealth to be some sort of a savior.

The Psalmist speaks of how foolish it is.

In fact:
(12) “But man in his pomp will not endure; He is like the beasts that perish.”

I hate to burst a lot of bubbles here,
But the Psalmist reveals a truth that many people aren’t going to like.

Animals aren’t going to heaven.
The Psalmist here uses them as an example of rich people who aren’t going to heaven either.

The Psalmist reveals that beasts “perish”
And the pompous man who trusts in his wealth
Will “perish” just like them.

That’s what Asaph said as well:
Psalms 73:21-24 “When my heart was embittered And I was pierced within, Then I was senseless and ignorant; I was like a beast before You. Nevertheless I am continually with You; You have taken hold of my right hand. With Your counsel You will guide me, And afterward receive me to glory.”

Asaph said that when he was consumed with wealth
He “was like a beast” before God.

How foolish.

So are those who trust in their wealth and who boast in their riches.
They are not powerful, they are in great danger!

They will perish!
Psalms 73:18-20 “Surely You set them in slippery places; You cast them down to destruction. How they are destroyed in a moment! They are utterly swept away by sudden terrors! Like a dream when one awakes, O Lord, when aroused, You will despise their form.”

That’s pretty chilling isn’t it?
Well, that’s the riddle explained.

So the Psalmist wanted to know why people are in such awe of men
When they get rich like there is some great power in that.

Obviously any power that comes through wealth is a mere mirage.
IT only looks like power.

Whatever power it has, I can tell you what power it doesn’t have.
• It can’t redeem you from sin…
• It can’t keep you from death…
• It can’t release you from hell…

And if it can’t do those things then why are you in such awe of it?

That’s the Psalmist explaining the riddle.

One last point:
#4 THE RIDDLE APPLIED
Psalms 49:16-10

So now he gives us the new perspective we should have.

“Do not be afraid when a man becomes rich, when the glory of his house is increased.”

Same word, don’t be in awe of a rich man.
Don’t be awestruck by how great it must be to be rich.

(17-19) “For when he dies he will carry nothing away; His glory will not descend after him. Though while he lives he congratulates himself — And though men praise you when you do well for yourself — He shall go to the generation of his fathers; They will never see the light.”

• I know…I know it looks appealing.
• I know…men congratulate themselves for all their success.
• I know…men praise you when you are successful as though you’ve really accomplished something.

Can you fathom the unspeakable sadness of your funeral and all they can do is list all your earthly success and reveal all the money you made?

How sad is that?

Go to the funeral of that FOOLISH FARMER, that’s not a happy event.
• And yet, there is the heir just licking his chops to have the inheritance.

Go to the funeral of BRUCE LEE and just ask if it was all worth it?

The problem is all that earthly glory doesn’t go with you into eternity.
“His glory will not descend after him.”

In an instant you go from being a “somebody” to being a “nobody”
The citizens of hell could care less how rich you were.

For crying out loud they use gold for asphalt in heaven.

And so the Psalmist says, don’t admire or fear the rich man.

And again he sums up his point.
(20) “Man in his pomp, yet without understanding, is like the beasts that perish.”

All of that status us nothing but an allusion; a mirage. It isn’t real.
True riches are found in Christ and in Christ alone.

• Should we read again that parable of the treasure in the field and see the value of Christ?
• Should we read again that parable of the pearl of great price and see the value of Christ?

He is worth more than all the riches of this world combined.

Psalms 73:25-28 “Whom have I in heaven but You? And besides You, I desire nothing on earth. My flesh and my heart may fail, But God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever. For, behold, those who are far from You will perish; You have destroyed all those who are unfaithful to You. But as for me, the nearness of God is my good; I have made the Lord GOD my refuge, That I may tell of all Your works.”

Be Ready
Luke 12:35-40
September 15, 2019

If you’ve been with us the last few weeks you know that Jesus has been talking to us recently about the issue of greed.

• Greed expressed through coveting wealth (the man who interrupted Jesus)
• Greed expressed through hoarding wealth (the foolish farmer)
• Greed expressed through worrying about wealth

And Jesus has been very direct and matter of fact on these issues.

But this morning, if you’re following the sermon of Jesus,
It almost seems as though He just ABRUPTLY CHANGES THE SUBJECT.

He went from a warning about greed and in the very next breath
He starts talking about the second coming.

Transitions like that are always interesting and often difficult for me
Because it is important to me (as much as I can)
To have a good feel of the flow of the message in its entirety.

That being the case, let me give you my theory here
As an explanation for the abrupt change in direction.

I don’t think Jesus is changing direction at all.
I think it was that man in the crowd who interrupted Him who changed the direction and Jesus graciously answered Him and addressed the issue.

What you have in verse 35 is
Jesus returning to the theme that opened the chapter.

You have here Jesus returning to the original message of the chapter.

You will remember the setting and context.
Luke 12:1 “Under these circumstances, after so many thousands of people had gathered together that they were stepping on one another, He began saying to His disciples first of all, “Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy.”

• There was a massive crowd emerging and Jesus took the opportunity to address His disciples.
• And we talked about the warnings that Jesus gave to His disciples as this crowd showed up.

I want to bring those warnings back to the forefront this morning
Because I think Jesus is now returning to that message.

When that crowed showed up we got 3 warnings from Jesus to the disciples.
1) DON’T FAKE PIETY (1-3)

Very simply put the warning was in verse 1, “Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy.”

• Remember the Pharisees were those who loved the crowds.
• They loved the chief seats in the synagogues.
• They loved being called rabbi by men.

They loved the praise so much that they actually faked their love for God and their piety before Him.
• They prayed in public
• They announced their giving
• They neglected their appearance while fasting
• They lengthened their tassels and broadened their phylacteries

But it was all a show, it was all a sham.
And it was their love of glory from the crowd that prompted all of that.

So Jesus, as a crowd showed up,
Warned the disciples not to let the crowd do that to them.

Because someday your heart is going to be exposed.
(2) “But there is nothing covered up that will not be revealed, and hidden that will not be known.”

• There is coming a day when the very hidden motives of your heart are going to be exposed.
• If your ministry is nothing more than an attempt to gain glory for yourself, the day is coming when that will be exposed.

So serve Christ, but don’t do it out of hypocrisy so that you can just impress the crowd.
2) DON’T FEAR PERSECUTION (4-7)

We talked about a second effect a crowd can have on a servant of Jesus,
In particular IF THE CROWD GROWS HOSTILE.

A hostile crowd or a disagreeing crowd can cause a servant of Christ
To fear their persecution and back away from his or her convictions.

So Jesus reminded them not to fear the crowd, but rather to fear God.
(4-5) “I say to you, My friends, do not be afraid of those who kill the body and after that have no more that they can do. “But I will warn you whom to fear: fear the One who, after He has killed, has authority to cast into hell; yes, I tell you, fear Him!”

The point being of course that if you sell out for the crowd
You are still going to stand before God.

You are going to answer to God for how you serve
• So don’t let a crowd cause you to fake piety,
• But don’t let them motivate you with fear either.

You fear God. Don’t let the crowd intimidate you.

Don’t Fake Piety, Don’t Fear Persecution
3) DON’T FRET REJECTION (8-12)

Jesus began here by reminding of
The standard requirement for salvation.
(8-9) “And I say to you, everyone who confesses Me before men, the Son of Man will confess him also before the angels of God; but he who denies Me before men will be denied before the angels of God.”

Now we know that Jesus is NOT addressing the crowd here.
Jesus is addressing His disciples.

And so this is obviously NOT AN EVANGELISTIC MESSAGE HERE where Jesus is trying to get His disciples to confess Him. They already did.

Rather, He is reminding His disciples of
The non-negotiable standard required for salvation.

Men have to confess Jesus as Lord.

And if you read on, you will see that this confession
Is that which is prompted by the Holy Spirit’s witness.

• Remember when Peter confessed that Jesus was the Christ?
• Jesus told him flesh and blood did not reveal that to him, but His Father did

This is also the role of the Holy Spirit.
He reveals Christ.
He testifies of Christ.

Now, to some degree it was understandable that people who grew up with Jesus might have difficulty proclaiming Him as the Son of God.

• That is why Jesus said, “everyone who speaks a word against the Son of
Man…will be forgiven”

But when the Spirit of God testifies of Christ,
Now we are talking about supernatural revelation.

AND WHEN A PERSON REJECTS THAT, THEY CANNOT BE SAVED.

So what Jesus is reminding the disciples of is this:
• The requirement of salvation is that a person believe the testimony of the Holy Spirit regarding who Christ is and thus make a public confession of Him.

That has to happen if people are going to be saved.
If they do that they are saved.
If they reject that they are lost.

DON’T LET YOUR DESIRE FOR SUCCESS
CAUSE YOU TO LOWER THAT STANDARD.

We see that sometimes.
• We want a person to be saved so badly, or we want validation for our ministry so badly that we will end up calling someone saved who inevitably doesn’t believe the testimony of the Spirit and who doesn’t publicly confess Christ.

That is to widen the gate.
Jesus said, “DON’T!”

You speak the message of the Holy Spirit
And don’t change it no matter the results.

As God told Ezekiel, “whether they listen or not” you tell them the truth.

And that was the sermon and train of thought that Jesus was on.
He was having a heart-felt discussion with his disciples
Regarding faithful ministry on earth.

• And then He was interrupted by the man wanting a fair share of his inheritance.
• And Jesus didn’t ignore the man.
• He answered the question and corrected his foolishness.

But then without missing a beat
Jesus now returns to His previous train of thought.

So I think we can just pick up there as well.
We can add a 4th point to that list.

1. Don’t Fake Piety
2. Don’t Fear Persecution
3. Don’t Fret Rejection
4. DON’T FALL ASLEEP

That is, don’t grow complacent or negligent about your work either.
And that encompasses Luke 12:35-40
Which is the passage we study this morning.

Jesus is clearly talking about His glorious return.
He is talking about The Second Coming.

And certainly that brings with it the idea and concept of JUDGMENT.

As one commentator put,
“When Jesus comes back, He ain’t coming back to preach.”

There is a judgment coming.
Matthew 16:24-27 “Then Jesus said to His disciples, “If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross and follow Me. “For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it; but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it. “For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul? “For the Son of Man is going to come in the glory of His Father with His angels, and WILL THEN REPAY EVERY MAN ACCORDING TO HIS DEEDS.”

Jesus is returning to this world to rule and to reign and when He does
There will be a payment made to men on behalf of how they lived.

Certainly this will be a judgment of the wicked
• As He will slay them with the sword that comes from His mouth,
But there will also be a judgment of the righteous by Christ.

2 Corinthians 5:10 “For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may be recompensed for his deeds in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad.”

Everyone will give an account.
• Those who received Him and those who rejected Him.
• Those who follow Him and those who forsake Him.
• Those who confess Him and those who crucified Him.

We will all answer to Him when He returns.

And it is this event that our Lord goes to next with His disciples.
He has just told them
• Not to by hypocrites
• And not to fear persecution
• And not alter their message just to please the crowds.

Now He tells them to do all those things in view of the coming judgment.

And this has always been GOOD ADVICE
For the preacher and for all followers of Christ.

Paul told Timothy:
2 Timothy 4:1-2 “I solemnly charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who is to judge the living and the dead, and by His appearing and His kingdom: preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort, with great patience and instruction.”

Certainly the command is to preach the word,
But THE MOTIVE is to preach in view of the fact that
Jesus will appear, set up His kingdom, and judge the living and the dead.

Even of himself, Paul said:
1 Corinthians 9:16 “For if I preach the gospel, I have nothing to boast of, for I am under compulsion; for woe is me if I do not preach the gospel.”

• Paul understood his divine mandate and calling to preach the gospel.
• It was a strong mandate for which he must give an account before the Lord
• So Paul actually said, “woe is me if I do not preach the gospel”

He was accounting for the judgment
If he fails to do what he was called to do.

And even of those who lead the church today we read:
Hebrews 13:17 “Obey your leaders and submit to them, for they keep watch over your souls as those who will give an account. Let them do this with joy and not with grief, for this would be unprofitable for you.”

There the writer of Hebrews refers to leaders in the church
As “those will give an account”

Peter said:
1 Peter 5:1-4 “Therefore, I exhort the elders among you, as your fellow elder and witness of the sufferings of Christ, and a partaker also of the glory that is to be revealed, shepherd the flock of God among you, exercising oversight not under compulsion, but voluntarily, according to the will of God; and not for sordid gain, but with eagerness; nor yet as lording it over those allotted to your charge, but proving to be examples to the flock. And when the Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the unfading crown of glory.”

There the focus is on the reward that is coming when Christ returns.

Paul said the same:
2 Timothy 4:7-8 “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the course, I have kept the faith; in the future there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day; and not only to me, but also to all who have loved His appearing.”

AND SO YOU GET THE POINT.
WE WILL GIVE AN ACCOUNT.
When the Lord returns judgment is coming.
There will be either punishment or there will be reward.

And every believer; every disciples
Should serve every day of his life in view of this coming judgment.

And that is really the focus of these 6 verses: BE READY

• (35) “Be dressed in readiness…”
• (36) “Be like men who are waiting for their master”
• (37) “Blessed are those slaves…[who are] on the alert”
• (40) “You too be ready…”

The point is obvious.
• Be ready for the second coming.
• Be ready for the day when Jesus returns to judge the living and the dead.
• Be ready for the King who will return to settle all accounts.

So let’s break this passage down a little this morning,
Just to help us understand it better.

4 points
#1 THE COMMAND
Luke 12:35

It’s clear
“Be dressed in readiness, and keep your lamps lit.”

“Be dressed in readiness” is literally translated “let your loins be girded”

In New Testament times you know they all wore that long tunic,
Sort of like a dress and it WASN’T CONDUCIVE TO MOVING QUICKLY.

If you needed to move or run you had to gird up your loins.
You had to take all that extra fabric and gather it up
And tuck it in your belt so that you could move faster.

And so the idea is simply that of being ready to move.

Jesus also says, “and keep your lamps lit”

The analogy here is
• “Don’t give in and go to bed”
• Don’t give up on Him returning.

If you’re expecting a return then be dressed for a return
And keep your porch light on for Him.

THAT’S THE ANALOGY.
And it would speak to a person who has
So given up on the return of Christ that he stops being ready.

And by that we mean, he stops living a life that is meant to please Christ.
To turn off the light and go to the darkness
Would mean to no longer worry about the life that pleases Christ
And just to start living like the world.

That is what Jesus is talking about.

It’s not all that different from what Paul said:
Romans 13:11-14 “Do this, knowing the time, that it is already the hour for you to awaken from sleep; for now salvation is nearer to us than when we believed. The night is almost gone, and the day is near. Therefore let us lay aside the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light. Let us behave properly as in the day, not in carousing and drunkenness, not in sexual promiscuity and sensuality, not in strife and jealousy. But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh in regard to its lusts.”

Or
1 Thessalonians 5:1-11 “Now as to the times and the epochs, brethren, you have no need of anything to be written to you. For you yourselves know full well that the day of the Lord will come just like a thief in the night. While they are saying, “Peace and safety!” then destruction will come upon them suddenly like labor pains upon a woman with child, and they will not escape. But you, brethren, are not in darkness, that the day would overtake you like a thief; for you are all sons of light and sons of day. We are not of night nor of darkness; so then let us not sleep as others do, but let us be alert and sober. For those who sleep do their sleeping at night, and those who get drunk get drunk at night. But since we are of the day, let us be sober, having put on the breastplate of faith and love, and as a helmet, the hope of salvation. For God has not destined us for wrath, but for obtaining salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, who died for us, so that whether we are awake or asleep, we will live together with Him. Therefore encourage one another and build up one another, just as you also are doing.”

You need to be ready for the Lord’s return.
• Don’t slack off and fall into immorality.
• Don’t grow apathetic and fall into the deeds of darkness.
• Don’t ignore your mission of proclaiming His truth.

We must always live as though Christ might return this very moment.
THIS EXPECTATION OF HIS RETURN
IS A STRONG MOTIVATION FOR CONTINUED FAITHFULNESS.

And so Jesus’ command is simple.
Be ready at all times and don’t fall back into some sort of skeptical apathy whereby you think the Lord won’t catch you.

The Command
#2 THE COMPARISON
Luke 12:36

Here Jesus gives an analogy of what our readiness should look like,
And we are compared to AN EAGER SERVANT.

(36) “Be like men who are waiting for their master when he returns from the wedding feast, so that they may immediately open the door to him when he comes and knocks.”

In New Testament times weddings weren’t as strictly scheduled as ours are today.
• You received an announcement of a wedding, but you didn’t know when it was.
• Then, when everything was prepared you received the formal invitation.
• The wedding feast itself could last up to a week, depending on the number of guests and how long the food lasted.

And so, when a man left for a wedding
No one knew with certainty when he might return.

And if you wanted to be a faithful servant to greet the master when he returned and to open the door to him
Then you had to be ready for him at basically all times.

But it’s even more than that.
The word “waiting” there is PROSDECHOMAI
It means “to look for with a view to a favorable reception”

It was the word used regarding Simeon
Luke 2:25 “And there was a man in Jerusalem whose name was Simeon; and this man was righteous and devout, looking for the consolation of Israel; and the Holy Spirit was upon him.”

It was the word used of Joseph of Arimathea
Mark 15:43 “Joseph of Arimathea came, a prominent member of the Council, who himself was waiting for the kingdom of God; and he gathered up courage and went in before Pilate, and asked for the body of Jesus.”

It was even used of Jesus
To explain why the religious leaders were so angry at Him.
Luke 15:2 “Both the Pharisees and the scribes began to grumble, saying, “This man receives sinners and eats with them.”

Jesus didn’t just tolerate sinners, He looked for them.
He was eager to do it.

Well, that is the mindset of this faithful servant here.
He is eagerly anticipating the return of his master.

AND THAT IS IMPORTANT TO GRASP.
Do you know what kind of servant eagerly anticipates the return of his master?

• The obedient kind.
• The kind that has done what he was supposed to.
• The kind that can expect to be rewarded.

1 John 2:28-29 “Now, little children, abide in Him, so that when He appears, we may have confidence and not shrink away from Him in shame at His coming. If you know that He is righteous, you know that everyone also who practices righteousness is born of Him.”

I think I’ve used the analogy before, but most of you will understand it.

My wife can be at home with our kids and doing her best
To mold them into useful contributors to society.

And there are days when things just don’t go according to plan and discipline is called for.

And Carrie will tell the kids, “Wait until your dad gets home.”

Now I have to tell you there’s not a warmer feeling in the world than to be a dad who walks into the house after a day of work only to see a couple of kids who are absolutely terrified at your presence.
They are full of dread and fear
Because they know my coming means judgment.

But suppose on that day my kids didn’t misbehave, suppose they did something really good.
• Maybe they cleaned their room, or mowed the yard, or baked me a cake or
something like that.
• And they are excited because they know they have done good

And Carrie says, “Wait until your dad gets home.”

Well that’s a whole different perspective isn’t?

So you understand then when I say that
The servant who eagerly awaits his master is the obedient kind.

• He knows that he has done what he was told to do,
• He knows he will receive the gratitude of his master.
• He is eager for his master to return.

And Jesus says that’s the kind of readiness we should have.
You should be ready for him like an eager servant.

One who can think of nothing more than anticipating the day when the master comes home to rejoice in the service provided.

The Command The Comparison
#3 THE COMPENSATION
Luke 12:37-38

Here is where Jesus spells it out.
“Blessed are those slaves whom the master will find on the alert when he comes;”

• Those slaves that didn’t sleep
• Those slaves that didn’t turn out their light
• Those slaves that didn’t forsake their duties.

Those slaves that stayed “on the alert.”
Those slaves that stayed ready.

Jesus says regarding the master, “when he comes; truly I say to you, that he will gird himself to serve, and have them recline at the table, and will come up and wait on them.”

Isn’t that remarkable!
The master will be so delighted in the faithfulness of his servant
That he will take upon himself the role of a servant and serve them.

Of course you know this was FORESHADOWED in the upper room:
John 13:3-5 “Jesus, knowing that the Father had given all things into His hands, and that He had come forth from God and was going back to God, got up from supper, and laid aside His garments; and taking a towel, He girded Himself. Then He poured water into the basin, and began to wash the disciples’ feet and to wipe them with the towel with which He was girded.”

The holy perfect Son of God and King of the world
Is here serving those who follow Him.

When Jesus returns He will honor and serve His faithful followers.

And it doesn’t matter how late it gets.
(38) “Whether he comes in the second watch (9pm – 12), or even in the third (12 – 3am), and finds them so, blessed are those slaves.”

• It doesn’t matter how late it is when He comes.
• It doesn’t matter how far he traveled.

He will immediately honor those servants who eagerly waited for Him.
It will be priority to Him.
He will compensate them for their service.

And the point thus far is a wonderful one.

The servant who has served Christ well
(faithfully proclaimed His gospel)
Can eagerly anticipate His coming
Because there will be an immediate reward.

We keep it in the context of Jesus’ sermon.
• The servant who has not faked piety, but has lived with proper motives.
• The servant who has not feared persecution, but has feared God more.
• The servant who has not fretted rejection, but has faithfully preached the
gospel.
• And the servant who has not fallen asleep, but has served Christ
continually.

That servant can eagerly anticipate the return of the Master
Who will rightly reward him.

And so when you live this life,
Keep serving Christ, stay ready, don’t turn out your light,
And just know that you’ve got a reward coming when you do.

The Command, the Comparison, The Compensation
#4 THE CAUTION
Luke 12:39-40

EVERYTHING HAS BEEN REALLY POSITIVE here as Jesus addresses His disciples regarding His return, but there is ONE WORD OF CAUTION here.

(39) “But be sure of this…”

There is something you need to know.
And to illustrate the point Jesus gives an analogy of
A MAN DEFENDING HIS HOUSE.

“if the head of the house had known at what hour the thief was coming, he would not have allowed his house to be broken into.”

Jesus speaks of the sad reality of theft.
• In His day a thief would often times dig through the outside wall to come in and steal what he wanted from a person’s home.
• It certainly was not a quick way to break in, and if someone was prepared for it, it would be fairly easy to stop.

But the thief always had one advantage over the homeowner.
THE THIEF GOT TO PICK THE TIME.

Law enforcement officers would have such an easier time stopping crime if criminals would schedule when they are going to break the Law.
Of course they don’t’ because they don’t want to get caught.

So the only recourse for the home owner is simply to be alert at all times.
You just can’t let your guard down at all.

A thief might come at any time.

And Jesus uses that reality as an analogy.
(40) “You too, be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour that you do not expect.”

This is the one thing that Jesus and a thief have in common.
You don’t know when either of them will show up.

And so Jesus said, “You too, be ready”

“ready” there is HETOIMOS
And it actually means “prepared”

And that is an important distinction.
You might ask someone, “Are you ready to go on vacation?”
• And if you are just speaking about their desire to get away, they might say,
“Oh yes, I’m ready!”

But if you’re asking “Are you ready?”
In the sense of having made all the reservations and having packed all your luggage then the answer might be NO.

See a person can be ready without being prepared.

And we see this in our day.
• There are plenty of people who have hardships in life and struggles.
• Maybe they have an illness, maybe money is tight, maybe they don’t like the way they are treated.

And you can ask them “Are you ready for Jesus to come back?”
And they will say, “Yes”
If for no other reason than it promises something different.

But the better question is:
“Are you prepared for Jesus to come back?”

There will be plenty who are ready who will find they weren’t prepared.
Luke 13:23-29 “And someone said to Him, “Lord, are there just a few who are being saved?” And He said to them, “Strive to enter through the narrow door; for many, I tell you, will seek to enter and will not be able. “Once the head of the house gets up and shuts the door, and you begin to stand outside and knock on the door, saying, ‘ Lord, open up to us!’ then He will answer and say to you, ‘I do not know where you are from.’ “Then you will begin to say, ‘We ate and drank in Your presence, and You taught in our streets’; and He will say, ‘I tell you, I do not know where you are from; DEPART FROM ME, ALL YOU EVILDOERS.’ “In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth when you see Abraham and Isaac and Jacob and all the prophets in the kingdom of God, but yourselves being thrown out. “And they will come from east and west and from north and south, and will recline at the table in the kingdom of God.”

See those people were ready, but they weren’t prepared.
Do you understand the point?

A CHRISTIAN SHOULD BE BOTH.
• We are absolutely ready and eager to see our Lord because we serve Him
in a manner that pleases Him and we will gain a reward.

• But at the same time we are prepared to see our Lord because by faith we
have clothed ourselves in His righteousness and we know we are
accepted.

SO SIMPLY, LET ME ASK YOU THIS MORNING.

ARE YOU READY TO SEE JESUS?
• Are you excited and eagerly anticipating His return?

ARE YOU PREPARED TO SEE JESUS?
• By faith have you trusted in Christ and been clothed in His righteousness.
• Have you consented yourself to be His slave?

If you are not a slave of the Master
Then don’t expect to be well greeted by Him.
If you have not been a faithful slave of the Master
Then don’t expect a great reward.

BIBLICAL READINESS MEANS:
I have submitted my life to Christ to become His slave
And I am living my life focused on pleasing and serving Him.

That is what it means to be ready.
“for the Son of Man is coming at an hour that you do not expect.”

What a sobering reminder.
Remember Jesus told us:
Matthew 24:36 “But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father alone.”

No one knows when it will be.
It can be today.

But one thing you should also know is that God knows when it is.
God has already determined the day.

Consider this event from the great tribulation:
Revelation 9:15 “And the four angels, who had been prepared for the hour and day and month and year, were released, so that they would kill a third of mankind.”

It’s already on God’s calendar.
The year, the month, the day, and the hour when He’s letting them out.

And that’s just one aspect of His eternal plan.
The return of Christ has been set.

And the wise warning from Christ is BE READY
• Submit your life to Christ as His slave that you might be prepared by being clothed in His righteousness.
• And then serve Christ as a faithful slave so that you might be able to eagerly anticipate His return and the reward that will come with it.

BE READY

Revelation 22:12-21 “Behold, I am coming quickly, and My reward is with Me, to render to every man according to what he has done. “I am the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end.” Blessed are those who wash their robes, so that they may have the right to the tree of life, and may enter by the gates into the city. Outside are the dogs and the sorcerers and the immoral persons and the murderers and the idolaters, and everyone who loves and practices lying. “I, Jesus, have sent My angel to testify to you these things for the churches. I am the root and the descendant of David, the bright morning star. The Spirit and the bride say, “Come.” And let the one who hears say, “Come.” And let the one who is thirsty come; let the one who wishes take the water of life without cost. I testify to everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book: if anyone adds to them, God will add to him the plagues which are written in this book; and if anyone takes away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God will take away his part from the tree of life and from the holy city, which are written in this book. He who testifies to these things says, “Yes, I am coming quickly.” Amen. Come, Lord Jesus. The grace of the Lord Jesus be with all. Amen.”

The City Of The Great King
Psalms 48
September 8, 2019

Tonight we come to the 48th Psalm and I am inclined to agree with
Those who see Psalms 46, 47, and 48 as sort of a trilogy.

In Psalms 46 we ESTABLISHED GOD’S PRESENCE
The Psalmist set out to make sure that we understood the great benefit of the presence of God.

Psalms 46:1 “God is our refuge and strength, A very present help in trouble.”

Psalms 46:7 “The LORD of hosts is with us; The God of Jacob is our stronghold. Selah.”

Psalms 46:10-11 “Cease striving and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.” The LORD of hosts is with us; The God of Jacob is our stronghold. Selah.”

He wanted us to understand the very real benefit of the presence of God.
And so we took away from that chapter
A great AWARENESS of the presence of God.

In Psalms 47 we EXALTED GOD’S PRESENCE
The Psalmist carried us with prophetic eyes to the day when God is not only King in Jerusalem, but King over the whole earth.

Psalms 47:2-3 “For the LORD Most High is to be feared, A great King over all the earth. He subdues peoples under us And nations under our feet.”

And the mood of the day was that of ANTICIPATION
We rejoiced in the reality that one day our God
Will reign over all the earth and everyone will exalt Him.

So in Psalms 46 we Established God’s Presence in Awareness.
In Psalms 47 we Exalted God’s Presence in Anticipation.

And now we come to the final leg of the trilogy.
It is Psalms 48 where we ENJOY GOD’S PRESENCE IN ASSURANCE

That’s what Psalms 48 is all about.
It is about the enjoyment and necessity of the presence of God.

It is the inhabitants of the city of Jerusalem rejoicing
In the fact that their city is home to the great King.

Psalms 132:13-14 “For the LORD has chosen Zion; He has desired it for His habitation. “This is My resting place forever; Here I will dwell, for I have desired it.”

A lot of cities may boast a lot of attractions or benefits,
But none ever boasted of one like Jerusalem had.
They enjoyed in their midst the very presence of the God of the Universe.

This is a Psalm that tours the great city
And quickly comes to a recognition that its chief value is God.

And laying here for us is such an important message.
It is the reminder that the presence of God
Is our only security and attraction as well.

Even as we take inventory of the things we possess,
• Whether they be programs or buildings or savings accounts or ministries,
• None of them really mean anything apart from the presence of God.

So let’s work our way through this Psalm tonight as we see the sons of Korah enjoying the presence of God and the benefits He brings.

They begin with or Psalmist on his way to the Holy City
That he might worship God.

Perhaps we would see these first 3 verses as the chorus of the song.

(1-3) “Great is the LORD, and greatly to be praised, In the city of our God, His holy mountain. Beautiful in elevation, the joy of the whole earth, Is Mount Zion in the far north, The city of the great King. God, in her palaces, Has made Himself known as a stronghold.”

The opening declaration is obvious and fitting.

“Great is the LORD, and greatly to be praised,”
Later in verse 10 the Psalmist will say, “As is Your name, O God, So is Your praise to the ends of the earth.”

And that is certainly worth acknowledging.
• We ascribe greatness to God through the quality of the praise we bring.
• If God is great, then His praise should be great.
• If God’s name is great, then His worship should be great.

Jesus made it clear to the woman at the well:
John 4:23-24 “But an hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for such people the Father seeks to be His worshipers. “God is spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.”

I heard John MacArthur say it, but it was a point that stuck; that “When we gather to worship there is really only one seeker in the house.”

That seeker is the Father who is seeking true worshipers.
True worshipers are those who “worship in spirit and truth”

Their worship isn’t purely emotional, it is grounded in doctrine and theology and the depths of the understanding of God.

And their worship isn’t purely doctrinal, it is sung with a joyful heart and eager lips and there is much excitement and gratitude there.

God seeks those who bring both.
A true understanding of who He is,
And a pure emotional rejoicing in that understanding.

God certainly deserves nothing less.
THE PSALMIST DECLARES THAT AT THE BEGINNING.

“Great is the LORD, and greatly to be praised,”

And the Psalmist tells us where the LOCATION of this worship is to occur.
“In the city of our God, His holy mountain.”

So when you enter this city, and you ascend this temple mount,
Then know for what purpose you come.

• Come here not for business…
• Come here not to turn a prophet…
• Come here not to exalt yourself or improve your fame…
Enter this city for the purpose of greatly praising our great God.

Psalms 100:4 “Enter His gates with thanksgiving And His courts with praise. Give thanks to Him, bless His name.”

This is the call of the Psalmist in the chorus of this song.

And as he enters, you can hear the delight of his soul.
(2) “Beautiful in elevation, the joy of the whole earth, is Mount Zion in the far north, the city of the great King.”

This is just the generic praise of his heart
As takes in all that is around him.

• He approaches the city which was an ascent; a climb and as he climbs he marvels at the beauty of her elevation.
• As he examines the glory of the city he recognizes that in this city is the source of “joy of the whole earth”
• He sees at the northern part of the city sits Mt. Zion which holds the temple mount and his joy takes on a whole new feel as he realizes that this is far more than just a beautiful city.

This is “the city of the great King.”

Can you feel his excitement?
Can you sense his joy and enthusiasm?

• This is NOT a man who resented having to travel up to the city.
• This is NOT a man who reluctantly was pulled away from his worldly business to go and attend worship.

This is a man who eagerly came to worship God in Spirit and in truth.

And we could stop there and spend a moment in inward reflection
In regard to our own attitudes for worship.

We have seen far too many times in Scripture
How little God enjoyed the false worship of ungrateful worshipers.

To the hypocrites of Isaiah 1 God said:
Isaiah 1:14 “I hate your new moon festivals and your appointed feasts, They have become a burden to Me; I am weary of bearing them.”

To the legalists of Psalms 50 who were caught up in traditional ritual God said:
Psalms 50:13-14 “Shall I eat the flesh of bulls Or drink the blood of male goats? “Offer to God a sacrifice of thanksgiving And pay your vows to the Most High;”

To the apathetic of Malachi 1 who thought sacrificing was too much trouble God said:
Malachi 1:10 “Oh that there were one among you who would shut the gates, that you might not uselessly kindle fire on My altar! I am not pleased with you,” says the LORD of hosts, “nor will I accept an offering from you.”

You get the point, God is seeking eager worshipers who desire to gather and worship Him in Spirit and truth.

At the very least we can see that this man is such a worshiper.

But even in his generic worship,
He focuses in on one particular truth
That fuels the remainder of the Psalm.

And that truth is found in verse 3
“God, in her palaces, Has made Himself known as a stronghold.”

No doubt there are many great truths
That the Psalmist could focus on for the heart of this song.

He even alludes to some others.
• (9) “We have thought on Your lovingkindness, O God”
• (10c) “Your right hand is full of righteousness”

He could have written an entire song on those attributes too.

BUT TODAY, as he enters the city
And begins to contemplate the greatness of God,
THE ONE TRUTH that has captivated him is that
God has so defended this city that He has actually earned a reputation.

He “has made Himself known as a stronghold”

That is to say, God has so defended this city
That people know not to mess with this city because God is here.

And at this point the Psalmist begins to reminisce.

In his mind he goes to a former battle.
Most commentators have it narrowed down to 1 of 2 battles.
• Most either reference the day when the Moabites and Ammonites teamed up to
war against Jehoshaphat in 2 Chronicles 20.
• Or they reference when Sennacherib from Assyria attacked Jerusalem under
the reign of Hezekiah in 2 Kings 18.

It may have been that the Psalmist had both events in view
As he is just remembering the great deliverance of God of this city.

I do think, if we wanted to make a case however,
I’d go with the story of 2 Chronicles 20.

But let’s look at it for a moment to at least get a reference of at least one time when God did defend this city.

TURN TO: 2 Chronicles 20

(READ 1-4)
• There’s the context, the Moabites, Ammonites and some Meunites all teamed up to try and come topple Jerusalem.
• When Jehoshaphat heard he was afraid and he turned to seek God.

And one of the points to be gleaned here is that
Seeking God was very convenient
Since God’s temple was right there in the city.

And then Jehoshaphat offers one of the great prayers of Scripture. It is certainly worth reading:
(READ 5-12)

• If you keep reading you will find that in response to Jehoshaphat’s prayer God sent Jahaziel with a word to Jehoshaphat that he should not be afraid for God was going to deliver him.

And that deliverance is seen:
(READ 22-24)
• So God delivered.
• He totally defended his city.

And that certainly fits what the Psalmist says in verse 4
(4) “For, lo, the kings assembled themselves, They passed by together.”

They all showed up to fight, but they would have no victory.
Spurgeon said they had veni, vidi, but no vici.
They came, they saw, but they did not conquer.

On top of that, the defeat at the hands of God was so severe that it sent a ripple effect throughout the other nations.
(READ 29-30)

Other nations heard of the great defeat
And they wanted nothing to do with Israel’s God.

And perhaps this is what the Psalmist referenced when he wrote:
(5-6) “They saw it, then they were amazed; They were terrified, they fled in alarm. Panic seized them there, Anguish, as of a woman in childbirth.”

Maybe that is exactly what the Psalmist is remembering on this day
When he attended the city of God for worship.

But then we find a rather obscure verse that almost seems out of place.
(7) “With the east wind You break the ships of Tarshish.”

That is a somewhat peculiar verse, however,
There is a reference to this very thing happening.

• If you continue following the story of Jehoshaphat you will find that although he had great faith he was also a man who too easily compromised with the wicked.
• First in 2 Chronicles 18 Jehoshaphat allied himself by marriage to King Ahab of Israel and that got him in a war he had no business being in.

And the Lord rebuked him for that.
2 Chronicles 19:2 “Jehu the son of Hanani the seer went out to meet him and said to King Jehoshaphat, “Should you help the wicked and love those who hate the LORD and so bring wrath on yourself from the LORD?”

But it seems Jehoshaphat did not learn his lesson fully.
• Because after the event of this great deliverance we read at the end of 2 Chronicles 20 that Jehoshaphat again made an unwise allegiance.

2 Chronicles 20:35-37 “After this Jehoshaphat king of Judah allied himself with Ahaziah king of Israel. He acted wickedly in so doing. So he allied himself with him to make ships to go to Tarshish, and they made the ships in Ezion-geber. Then Eliezer the son of Dodavahu of Mareshah prophesied against Jehoshaphat saying, “Because you have allied yourself with Ahaziah, the LORD has destroyed your works.” So the ships were broken and could not go to Tarshish.”

Now, I don’t know if that’s the event that the Psalmist is talking about
In 48:7 when he says,
“With the east wind You break the ships of Tarshish” But it’s possible.

And if that is the case then in verses 4-7 you have the Psalmist
Worshiping God as a deliverer and for 3 reasons.

1) HE PROTECTS AGAINST FOREIGN ENEMIES
“For, lo, the kings assembled themselves, they passed together.”
• That would have been Ammon and Moab and the Meunites.

2) HE PROTECTS AGAINST FUTURE ENEMIES
“They saw it, then they were amazed; they were terrified, they fled in alarm. Panic seized them there, Anguish, as of a woman in childbirth.”
• That would have been all the other nations who now wanted no part of fighting Israel.

And, if that story does indeed refer to Jehoshaphat’s blunder
3) HE PROTECTS AGAINST FOOLISH ENEMIES
“With the east wind You break the ships of Tarshish”
• That would be God protecting His city even from the foolish mistakes of his people to walk too close to evil.

Certainly God has worked that type of protection many times.
• We saw it several times during the wilderness wanderings,
• But even in the New Testament church we saw the Lord strike down Ananias and Sapphira.

But clearly here the Psalmist enters the city with a heart full of praise,
He reminisces first of the great security of the city
And praises God for making Himself known as such a great stronghold.

And upon remembering the great deliverance he says:
(8) “As we have heard, so we have seen in the city of the LORD of hosts, in the city of our God; God will establish her forever. Selah.”

That is the first verse of his song.
That is his first declaration.
• His soul was stirred by the great fortress of God as he entered the city, and his mind remembered the great deliverances God had worked.

And in jubilant praise the Psalmist cries out,
“You are exactly who we heard You were!”
• You are with us!
• You will deliver us!
• You are in fact a stronghold for Your people!

NOW THAT’S QUITE A WAY TO GO TO CHURCH ISN’T IT!
• To eagerly enter the city and climb the hill rejoicing that he has access to the very presence of God.
• And as he goes he reminisces on the great victories of God and worships him accordingly.

“Great is the LORD, and greatly to be praised”

And then as we read the Psalm we realize
The Psalmist then went and attended worship in the temple.

He went and drew near to God
And as he exits the temple his song of praise picks back up.

(9) “We have thought on Your lovingkindness, O God, In the midst of Your temple.”

• He walked into the temple marveling at how God had made that city a stronghold for His people.

And while there He was overwhelmed with such loyal love that God would have for His people.
• Of all the places where God could have caused His name to dwell, He chose us.
• Of all the people God could have chosen to deliver, He chose us.
• And even though we fail Him repeatedly yet He still remains loyal to us to be our God.

That’s a worship service isn’t it!
To enter His courts with praise and to meditate in His temple
On His great loyalty to His people.

And that reality causes him to burst forth in praise again.
(10) “As is Your name, O God, So is Your praise to the ends of the earth; Your right hand is full of righteousness.”

The idea there being “great”
As great is Your name is, so great is Your praise.

He’s just a man overcome with joy regarding the worship experience.
• He has contemplated the presence of God.
• He has contemplated the power of God.
• He has contemplated the loyal love of God.
• And he is once again singing in praise.

And yet, he still isn’t done.

Now the worship service is over,
But his heart is so full of the goodness of God for His people
That the Psalmist has a message for the city.

Look at it:
(12-14) “Walk about Zion and go around her; Count her towers; Consider her ramparts; Go through her palaces, That you may tell it to the next generation. For such is God, Our God forever and ever; He will guide us until death.”

Now the Psalmist is walking the streets of Jerusalem
And as he does he has a message for all those who are there.

• “Count her towers”
• “Consider her ramparts”
• “Go through her palaces”

He is just pointing out the great defenses of the city.
• “Look how tall those towers are”
• “Look how reinforced her walls are”
• “Look how protected her palaces are”

And that’s the first part of the message.
• Take a tour and walk around this city and look how strong it is.
• Look how defended this city is.
• And tell it to your kids about how this city was standing when you were a kid.

“tell it to the next generation”

Come back in 30 years and tell your grandchildren
That that tower was there when you were a kid.

But then tell them WHY that tower still stands.
Tell them what this fortress represents.

(14) “For such is God, Our God forever and ever; He will guide us until death.”

The Psalmist walked around and saw all the fortifications of the city and in them he saw an analogy of God.

He saw them as a physical illustration of God’s great defense of the city.
• Those towers aren’t our defense.
• Those walls aren’t our defense.
• Those palaces aren’t our defense.

In fact, it is God who has defended all of those things.

And the Psalmist is simply rejoicing again the great benefit of the presence of God.
• Because He is here, we are secure.
• Because He is here, we need not fear.
• Because He is here, we have assurance.

That is what the Psalmist learned
On the day he entered this city to worship the living God.

And there is plenty of great application in that for us.
• Certainly we learn about the anticipation of worship and entering His courts with thanksgiving and joyful praise.
• Certainly we learn about the necessity of meditating on God’s great wonders and all that He is accomplished on our behalf.
• Certainly we learn the expectation that we will go and proclaim those excellencies to all around us so that they may know the benefit of God.

But we must also recognize the main point of the Psalmist
And that is that this city is nothing and cannot endure
Without the presence of God.

God is all they really have.
• He is their stronghold.
• He is their defense.
• He is their main attraction.

And that is an important reminder to the church.
GOD IS WHAT WE OFFER TO THE WORLD.

The church today gets so confused trying to compete with the world in entertainment game or the sensational game.
• We want to offer music like the world offers music.
• We want to offer special effects like the world offers special effects.
• We want to offer entertainment or fun like the world offers those things.

It’s as though we seek to appeal to the very fallen nature of man
In hopes that if they like us better then maybe we can get them in church.

And in that we fail to use our greatest resource.

WE HAVE THE VERY PRESENCE OF GOD.

We alluded a moment ago to the story of Ananias and Sapphira and how God struck them dead in church for lying to the Holy Spirit.

Do you remember the result?
Acts 5:11-13 “And great fear came over the whole church, and over all who heard of these things. At the hands of the apostles many signs and wonders were taking place among the people; and they were all with one accord in Solomon’s portico. But none of the rest dared to associate with them; however, the people held them in high esteem.”

The result was that the people understood that God was in that place.
It terrified everyone because God was there.

In the early church the word on the street was
“Don’t go to that church, you might die.”
That’s a far cry from let’s go to church it will be fun.

That church didn’t have anything except the presence of the living God.

Paul appeals to that as well to the Corinthians.
Remember they were all caught up in speaking in tongues and the sign gifts and they all wanted to sing specials and get on the stage and have their version of “Corinth’s Got Talent”

And Paul scolded them and told them to stick to preaching the word.

And here’s why:
1 Corinthians 14:23-25 “Therefore if the whole church assembles together and all speak in tongues, and ungifted men or unbelievers enter, will they not say that you are mad? But if all prophesy, and an unbeliever or an ungifted man enters, he is convicted by all, he is called to account by all; the secrets of his heart are disclosed; and so he will fall on his face and worship God, declaring that God is certainly among you.”

Now that’s how church is supposed to work.
• When God is exalted by His people.
• And God’s word is clearly proclaimed.
• God makes Himself known.

It’s just a reminder that He is the greatest thing we’ve got going.
We are nothing and we cannot endure without Him.

Any one of us might leave this church and it will go on fine,
But if God leaves, it’s over.

And sadly Israel learned that the hard way.
They had the city which housed the living God and they took it for granted.

You can go read Ezekiel 8 and see how
THEY LITERALLY DROVE GOD RIGHT OUT OF HIS TEMPLE
Because they wanted other gods.

And when God left, their walls and their towers and their palaces were useless.
Ezekiel 11:22-25 “Then the cherubim lifted up their wings with the wheels beside them, and the glory of the God of Israel hovered over them. The glory of the LORD went up from the midst of the city and stood over the mountain which is east of the city. And the Spirit lifted me up and brought me in a vision by the Spirit of God to the exiles in Chaldea. So the vision that I had seen left me. Then I told the exiles all the things that the LORD had shown me.”

And history taught us that when God left, that city fell.

That is why Ezekiel ends with the rebuilding of that city.
• They talk all about the size of the city and the measurements of the city and
there are all sorts of details to sort through.
• But one detail about the rebuilt city takes precedence.
• There was one aspect that interested them more than any other.

Ezekiel 48:35 “The city shall be 18,000 cubits round about; and the name of the city from that day shall be, ‘The LORD is there.'”

They’re going to learn what matters.

TURN TO: MARK 13

(READ VERSE 1)
“As He was going out of the temple, one of His disciples said to Him, “Teacher, behold what wonderful stones and what wonderful buildings!”

Now, I sort of think perhaps that disciple was referencing Psalms 48.
Maybe he was doing what he had been taught to do in the Psalms.

But on that day Jesus blows his point all to pieces.
(READ VERSE 2)
“And Jesus said to him, “Do you see these great buildings? Not one stone will be left upon another which will not be torn down.”

Ouch!
• And of course from there Jesus teaches on the end times and how the whole place will be laid waste until He returns.

Jesus sort of turned Psalms 48 on its head right there.
EXCEPT HE DIDN’T.

What He said fit perfectly with the message of Psalms 48.
IT’S NOT THE BUILDINGS, IT’S THE PRESENCE OF GOD.

And Israel was running God right out of that temple as fast as they could.
And just like they learned in Ezekiel’s day,
They would learn again in Jesus’ day.

When you run God out of the temple
There’s not a defense in Israel strong enough to hold off the enemy.

Or even consider those churches in the book of Revelation.

Do we not see Jesus warning Ephesus if they don’t start valuing Him again then He’s going to take away their lampstand?

Revelation 2:4-5 “’But I have this against you, that you have left your first love. ‘Therefore remember from where you have fallen, and repent and do the deeds you did at first; or else I am coming to you and will remove your lampstand out of its place — unless you repent.”

Do we not see Jesus knocking on the outside of the church at Laodicea telling them that though they think they are rich they don’t have anything without Him?

Revelation 3:17-20 “Because you say, “I am rich, and have become wealthy, and have need of nothing,” and you do not know that you are wretched and miserable and poor and blind and naked, I advise you to buy from Me gold refined by fire so that you may become rich, and white garments so that you may clothe yourself, and that the shame of your nakedness will not be revealed; and eye salve to anoint your eyes so that you may see. ‘Those whom I love, I reprove and discipline; therefore be zealous and repent. ‘Behold, I stand at the door and knock; if anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and will dine with him, and he with Me.”

It’s just that continual warning.

Church that city of old only had one thing going for it
And that was the presence of God.

The same can be said for the church.
We have only one thing going for us, and that is the presence of God.

Now to that end,
• Do you see why the Psalmist is so excited to worship God for being present?
• Do you see why he is so excited to acknowledge the most important One there?

This Psalm really captures the heart of worship.
And it really sets our perspectives straight
As to our focus every time we gather.

“Great is the LORD, and greatly to be praised”

Do Not Worry – Part 2
Luke 12:22-34 (29-34)
September 8, 2019

As you know we are in the middle of a long segment in Luke’s gospel
Which comprises a sort of reactionary sermon by Jesus
To an enormous crowd.

We already saw the first topic:
1) IN RESPONSE TO A GROWING CROWD
• Jesus saw the huge crowd and took the opportunity to warn His disciples with regard to ministering to large numbers of people.
• Namely, not to let the crowd influence your message.

2) IN RESPONSE TO A GREEDY REQUEST
• A man interrupted wanting Jesus to force his brother to share the family inheritance.
• Jesus rebuked the man
• And then delivered a sermon illustration on greed

Following that, Jesus has now turned back to His disciples
To address a hidden issue of greed, and that is worry.

I call WORRY a hidden issue with greed
Because it is COMMONLY OVERLOOKED AS A FORM OF GREED.

Jesus told us in:
Luke 12:15 “Then He said to them, “Beware, and be on your guard against every form of greed; for not even when one has an abundance does his life consist of his possessions.”

According to Jesus greed comes in many forms.
• We often think of hoarding as a form of greed.
• We often think of coveting as a form of greed.
• (One could throw in there gambling or theft or ambition in that category)

And yet often overlooked as a form of greed is worry.
Worry can be a form of greed,
Particularly when that worry focuses on physical or financial needs.

For worry at its core is still a manifestation
Of an unhealthy focus on material things.

And so it’s no surprise that
Jesus has now turned back to His disciples to address the issue of worry.

We started this section LAST WEEK, but did not complete it.
Allow me to recap where we’ve been.

There are 4 points to be made in this leg of the sermon. (We’ve seen the first two)

#1 A COMMAND TO OBEY
Luke 12:22-23

The command is clear, “do not worry”
“do not worry about your life, as to what you will eat; nor for your body, as to what you will put on.”

It is a direct command from the Lord
And therefore to disobey it is most certainly a sin.

And Jesus even gave some rational explanation to this command.
(23) “For life is more than food, and the body more than clothing.”

In short, the sole purpose and goal of this life and of this body
Is not see how long you can make it last
Or how good you can make it look.

We understand the purpose of life.
Romans 14:7-8 “For not one of us lives for himself, and not one dies for himself; 8 for if we live, we live for the Lord, or if we die, we die for the Lord; therefore whether we live or die, we are the Lord’s.”

We understand the purpose of the body.
1 Corinthians 6:19-20 “Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and that you are not your own? For you have been bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body.”

The body and life were both given as instruments
For the glory and service of God.

Perhaps a better way to say it is like this:
THE BODY IS NOT SOVEREIGN – GOD IS.

Too many people live their entire life,
Like the needs of the body are the ultimate needs of their existence.

You’d think the highest calling in the world
Is to take the best care of the body you can.

But the goal is to use the body and to use this life for the glory of God.
The goal is to use the body and to use this life for obedience to God.

Worrying about the things of the body
Only indicates that a person’s PERSPECTIVE has become distorted
And they are PRIORITIZING the wrong things.

So, “do not worry”

That is a command and Jesus certainly intended it to be obeyed.

#2 A CONSIDERATION TO OBSERVE
Luke 12:24-28

And you’ll remember that Jesus actually gave us 4 things to consider.
1) WORRY DISREGARDS YOUR VALUE
• Jesus spoke of the RAVENS which were classified even in the Old Testament Law an unclean bird.

“and yet God feeds them; how much more valuable you are than the birds!”

Jesus wanted you to consider your value to God
As one of His redeemed children.

If He will take care to feed a bird,
How much more would He care to feed you?
Don’t disregard your value.

2) WORRY DISPLAYS YOUR ARROGANCE

Jesus reminded that none of us even has the ability to “add a single hour to his life’s span”

Things like the length of life are under God’s sovereign control.
That is His responsibility, not ours.

When we abandon our responsibility (which is obedience)
And try to assume His responsibility it demonstrates an arrogance
That we have tried to control things that are beyond our ability.

And when you do that, it’s no wonder worry and anxiety come about.

Instead, leave the things that are God’s responsibility to God
And you focus on the things that are your responsibility.

“If then you cannot do even a very little thing, why do you worry about other matters?”

3) WORRY DENIES GOD’S GOODNESS

We saw how God is so good and faithful
To care for every element of His creation.

Whether that is things like mountain goats or deer,
Or even seemingly insignificant grass which is here today and gone tomorrow.

And yet God puts extreme detail and meticulous work
Into the beauty of a flower.
God is a faithful and meticulous caretaker of all of His creation.

And if He is a good steward, don’t you think He’ll take care of
The pinnacle of His creation which is man?

Of course He will.
“how much more will he clothe you?”

4) WORRY DEMONSTRATES LITTLE FAITH

And Jesus made this clear when He said, “You men of little faith!”

Worry is in effect a slap in the face to God.
It insinuates that either He can’t handle your problems
Or He won’t handle your problems.

So when you worry you are either accusing God
Of being too weak or too disinterested to help.

And those are just some of the things
That Jesus wanted you to consider regarding worry.

So, thus far as Jesus deals with the issue of worry we have seen:
A Command To Obey
A Consideration To Observe

This morning we want to move forward in our text and see what else we can learn from Jesus about worry.
#3 A COMPARISON TO OPPOSE
Luke 12:29-31

Jesus first restates the command.
“And do not seek what you will eat and what you will drink, and do not keep worrying”

You will notice there that while worrying can be a form of greed,
There are also VARIOUS FORMS OF WORRY.

Often times worry is purely thought of in terms of internal anxiety.
We think of worrying as someone just sitting in the corner
Wringing their hands, biting their lip, and just agonizing
Over where the money will come from.

But that is not the only way worry expresses itself.
Some people demonstrate their worry by EXCESSIVE SEEKING.

Which is why Jesus starts by saying, “And do not seek what you will eat and what you will drink”

There the worry is depicted by a man who just determined
To work longer and faster and harder to try and solve the problem.

He had nothing to eat, he had nothing to drink
And so his worry was revealed in the fact that
He totally preoccupied himself with his needs
And simply sought it that much harder.

Now, this is where BALANCE certainly must come in play.

Scripture is clear:
2 Thessalonians 3:10-12 “For even when we were with you, we used to give you this order: if anyone is not willing to work, then he is not to eat, either. For we hear that some among you are leading an undisciplined life, doing no work at all, but acting like busybodies. Now such persons we command and exhort in the Lord Jesus Christ to work in quiet fashion and eat their own bread.”

Certainly we understand that work is ordained by God.
• And incidentally work even precedes the fall as Adam was ordained as a
caretaker of the garden even before he fell into sin.
• And we know that work is the command of God and an important aspect of the
Christian life.

So the issue at hand here IS NOT a man who works too hard.

The issue is that when a man has a financial problem
That he sees work as his salvation.

It is the man who because of his physical needs
Has totally devoted his entire focus and priority to meeting those needs
And has lost sight of everything else.

Other things have now fallen to the side.
• Things like corporate worship…
• Things like witnessing…
• Things like benevolence and generosity…
• Perhaps even things like relationships and family…

HIS WORRY IS REVEALED THROUGH WHAT HE SEEKS EVERY DAY
(Perhaps instead of worry we would use the word PRIORITY)

You can see what matters most
(you can see what he’s most worried about)
because of what he constantly seeks.

And Jesus confronts that too.

And if you’ll notice He then tells us
Why we should not have an unhealthy preoccupation
With seeking or obtaining the things of the world.

(30) “For all these things the nations of the world eagerly seek;”

DO YOU CATCH THE COMPARISON?

When a child of God is totally preoccupied with getting the things of the world do you know who he is acting like?

HE IS ACTING LIKE A NON-BELIEVER.

That is the mindset of a lost person.
That is the mindset of the nations.

That is really as deep as the world’s thought process often goes.
They are totally preoccupied with meeting the needs of the body
And with obtaining the things of the world.

They “eagerly seek…all these things”

Listen to Paul’s account of a lost world:
Philippians 3:17-19 “Brethren, join in following my example, and observe those who walk according to the pattern you have in us. For many walk, of whom I often told you, and now tell you even weeping, that they are enemies of the cross of Christ, whose end is destruction, whose god is their appetite, and whose glory is in their shame, who set their minds on earthly things.”

Paul spoke of people who are consumed with the things of the world.
And Paul called them enemies of the cross of Christ.

It is not a flattering comparison to be compared to the world.
We are called to be different.

That is a comparison we should categorically oppose.
• There should be a definite DIFFERENCE in our ambition and their ambition.
• There should be a definite DIFFERENCE in our desires and their desires.
• There should be a definite DIFFERENCE in what we seek and what they
seek.

In fact if you continue on in that same passage Paul outlines that difference.
Philippians 3:18-21 “For many walk, of whom I often told you, and now tell you even weeping, that they are enemies of the cross of Christ, whose end is destruction, whose god is their appetite, and whose glory is in their shame, who set their minds on earthly things. For our citizenship is in heaven, from which also we eagerly wait for a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ; who will transform the body of our humble state into conformity with the body of His glory, by the exertion of the power that He has even to subject all things to Himself.”

Did you catch that from Paul?
“our citizenship is in heaven”

We aren’t overly concerned about the things of this world,
We are concerned about the things of heaven.

Might I suggest that this SHOULD BE THE PRIMARY DIFFERENCE between the redeemed and the unregenerate?

Paul said:
Galatians 6:14 “But may it never be that I would boast, except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world.”

We have a tough time claiming to have been crucified to the world
When obtaining it is our clear ambition.

The things of this world,
Even simple things like food
Should never been the primary focus of the believer.

Remember this story?
John 4:31-38 “Meanwhile the disciples were urging Him, saying, “Rabbi, eat.” But He said to them, “I have food to eat that you do not know about.” So the disciples were saying to one another, “No one brought Him anything to eat, did he?” Jesus said to them, “My food is to do the will of Him who sent Me and to accomplish His work. “Do you not say, ‘There are yet four months, and then comes the harvest’? Behold, I say to you, lift up your eyes and look on the fields, that they are white for harvest. “Already he who reaps is receiving wages and is gathering fruit for life eternal; so that he who sows and he who reaps may rejoice together. “For in this case the saying is true, ‘One sows and another reaps.’ “I sent you to reap that for which you have not labored; others have labored and you have entered into their labor.”

• Remember that was when Jesus had been talking to the woman at the well
and the disciples had gone into town.
• They thought they were there to buy food, but Jesus had actually sent them to
reap the fruit of the kingdom.
• Jesus said, “I sent you to reap that for which you have not labored”

Wow! Jesus, in His sovereign prerogative
Had a whole batch of His elect that lived in that Samaritan town.
And He sent His disciples into that town to reap that harvest.

All the disciples had to do was
Share the truth of Christ with them and they were coming.
Instead they focused only on food, and that is all they got.

NOW, THE ELECT WERE STILL SAVED, they left that town and came to Jesus, but the disciples missed the opportunity to be the agents that brought them.

And Jesus scolded them for it.

The point is that the world is focused on physical things,
We are supposedly those who have been crucified to the world
And now live like citizens of heaven.

COMPARISON TO THE WORLD
Is a comparison every believer should emphatically oppose
And work to disprove.

And Jesus even tells us why.
(30b) “but your Father knows that you need these things.”

That is to say,
Don’t disregard the knowledge and goodness of your heavenly Father.

Remember:
Matthew 7:9-11 “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!”

• Don’t you realize that your omnipotent father is well aware of the state of
your checking account?
• Don’t you know that your heavenly father is well aware of the state of your
pantry?
• Don’t you realize that He is your father, who has charged Himself with your
care and provision?

So why are you acting like an orphan of the world
When you are a child of the king?

God has adopted you into His family and seated you at His table
And you are acting like someone who has been locked outside.

He is “your Father” and He knows your needs.

Instead, Jesus says, (31) “But seek His kingdom, and these things will be added to you.”

Don’t be like the world preoccupied with the things of the world.
Be a child of God preoccupied with “His kingdom”

THE WORLD IS OUT THERE BUILDING BIGGER BARNS.
YOU SHOULD BE OUT THERE FOCUSING ON GOD’S KINGDOM.
Don’t miss the real treasure.

AND THIS IS SO OBVIOUS.

Think about when you go on vacation.
So you get a rent home on vacation and while you are there you realize that the rent house has a bad foundation.

Which of you is going to call a foundation company to come in and fixe the foundation on a home you don’t own and will only live in for a week?

None of you.
• You’d say, “That’s not my house”
• You’d say, “It’ll be fine. It will last long enough for us”

And yet, where we live now, this is the vacation home.
• This is the temporary home.
• This life is the vapor.
• This is the one we don’t keep.

And yet people continually live like this is the permanent residence.
That’s foolish.

You’ve got a better home, you’ve got a more permanent residence.
FOCUS ON THAT ONE.

Don’t be like the world.
That’s a comparison to oppose.

A Command to Obey – A Consideration to Observe – A Comparison to Oppose
#4 A CONCERN TO OVERCOME
Luke 12:32-34

Jesus has talked about worry from many angles.
But here He addresses the root behind it, and that is FEAR.

It is fear that God won’t come through.
It is fear that if I sacrifice this world for the next, it won’t be worth it.

And Jesus begins with a calling to overcome that fear.
(32) “Do not be afraid”

That is another way of saying “You’ve got nothing to worry about”

And it is even significant to see HOW HE ADDRESSES US.
“Do not be afraid, little flock”

It is an indication that God is well aware of the roles of our relationship.

He is not under some misconception that we are more capable than we actually are.
• He knows we are the “little flock”
• He knows our weakness
• He knows our frailty
• He knows that He is the shepherd
• And He knows the responsibilities that the shepherd holds

And here He says, “Do not be afraid, little flock, for your Father has chosen gladly to give you the kingdom.”

There are a couple of elements here that are important to the discussion.

One is that we see in this statement ABSOLUTE SECURITY.

We are certainly those who believe in the security of the believer,
Or better stated as, the preservation of the saints.

We believe that when God saves whom He chooses to save
That their salvation is permanent and cannot be lost.

John 10:27-29 “My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me; and I give eternal life to them, and they will never perish; and no one will snatch them out of My hand. “My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father’s hand.”

Salvation is secure based on the sovereign prerogative
And strength of our Shepherd.

And here is why that is important here.
It is hard to convince a person
To sacrifice this world and to store up treasure in heaven
When they have no assurance that they will ever see it.

That is one of the many horrible consequences
Of those who teach that salvation can be lost.

That sort of theology makes storing up treasure in heaven more of a gamble than wild future’s trading or betting on long-shots at the track.

Because I promise you a crippled horse
Has a better chance of winning the Kentucky Derby
Than you do of maintaining enough goodness to get into heaven.

And so Jesus assures the flock that they are secure.
“Do not be afraid, little flock, for your Father has chosen gladly to give you kingdom.”

God is going to give you the kingdom, and He isn’t unhappy about it.
He isn’t giving it begrudgingly.
He’s chosen “gladly” to do it.

AND THAT IS A SECOND IMPORTANT ASPECT HERE.

Why wouldn’t God be glad to give you the kingdom?
He already gave you His Son, why do you think He’d suddenly start having second thoughts now?

Romans 8:32 “He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him over for us all, how will He not also with Him freely give us all things?”

Of course He will.

So in order to alleviate the fear of worry Jesus reminds
That every penny you store up in heaven you will receive,
Because God has delightfully promised to give you the kingdom.

So now we approach the theology of the issue.
Let me ask you:
Do you believe what Jesus just said?

Do you believe that “your Father has chosen gladly to give you the kingdom”?
• Do you believe that as a redeemed child of God that you are certainly going to heaven when you die?
• Do you believe that your stay in heaven will be longer than your stay here?
• Do you believe what Paul said, that this body is just a temporary tent and we are looking forward to a permanent building from God?
• Do you believe that?

Then why do we live like this life is all we have?

Instead, Jesus gives you a better way to live
(33) “Sell your possessions and give to charity; make yourselves money belts which do not wear out, an unfailing treasure in heaven, where no thief comes near nor moth destroys.”

Do you hear Jesus telling you to literally put your money where your mouth is?

Do you really believe you’ll go to heaven for eternity?
Then why don’t you invest more there than you do here?

So the believer’s truest ambition…
The believer’s truest act of faith…
Would be to start investing in eternity.

HOW?
The answer here is by giving to charity.

But what if I don’t have anything to give?
Jesus would ask, “Do you have anything to sell?”

“Sell your possessions and give to charity”

Do you see that He is calling for the liquidation of wealth here
That it might be transferred into wealth there?

That’s a hard one to swallow isn’t it?
I think most of the time we end up RATIONALIZING commands like that one away as if to say, “No one does that. That’s not what He actually means”

It might surprise you
That more people do that sort of thing than you think.

I’ve been recently reading a book called “African Friends and Money Matters” written by David Maranz.

• I’m reading it obviously to help learn the distinct differences between American and African cultures as we seek to partner with the churches in Malawi. And I must tell you that the way they view wealth and money is drastically different than the way we view wealth and money.

• And most people would assume that since America is rich and Africa is poor that we do it correctly and they do it wrongly.

I want to read to you just a couple of excerpts
About the general African mindset regarding money.

“The giving, borrowing, and loaning of money and material goods demonstrate solidarity, generosity, and acceptance by society. In this chapter solidarity means “mutual economic and social support, hospitableness, putting group interest ahead of individual interest to the extent of showing a definite bias against individuality, and active participation in society.” In a word, it means interdependence rather than independence. It also means living in community rather than living in social or spatial isolation. These are some of the highest values in African cultures, essential to each person. In contrast, persons who refuse to share, give, and loan of their resources demonstrate a refusal to be integral members of society. Such persons are considered to be selfish, egotistical, and disdainful of friends, relatives, and even of those outside their immediate social circle.
Africans are basically content to be part of this sharing of resources. They consider this way of life to be superior to what they understand to be the Western way: individualistic and independent, with an overdeveloped sense of individual ownership. (Sometimes Africans complain of the burden of the system but end up strongly defending it, overall. They are not happy with those who abuse their generosity, but they put up with them. People are more important than possessions. That is part of being generous.) The African attitude toward things at this level of the economy has much to commend it for the way those who have resources share them with those who do not have them. This often strikingly contrasts with a typical Western attitude that tends to emphasize personal possessions and personal rights above responsibility to others.”
(Maranz, David E. [African Friends and Money Matters, Second Edition; SIL International, Dallas, TX, 2015] pg. 75)

The issue of STORING WEALTH or commodities is also addressed in Africa:
“Even food kept in a refrigerator can be considered surplus. Some African ethnic groups have a pejorative term for Westerners that means “people who put food in a refrigerator.” I have a friend who worked for an [National Government Organization] that provided him with a house furnished with a refrigerator. Once when I was with him we invited several friends in for a meal and ordered it prepared by a neighbor who had a tiny restaurant. We had a large amount of food left after the meal. I noted it would serve my friend for several meals if he put it in his fridge. He was almost scandalized at my suggestion. He said he would never do such a thing. Rather, he would return the food to the restaurant woman, who would have plenty of hungry people who would eat it.”
(ibid. pg. 98-99)

Now, certainly all I read to you there was
The African mindset regarding money.

And just because it is the African mindset DOES NOT MEAN
It is any more acceptable to the Lord than the American mindset.

For all we actually care about is God’s view of it.

BUT I READ THAT TO YOU BECAUSE
Sometimes we read statements from the Lord like
“Sell your possessions and give to charity”
And then we begin to explain why He certainly doesn’t mean what it says.

We sort of put our American spin on our interpretation.
And yet, as you can see, it might simply be an American spin.
An African would have no problem understanding that passage.

In contrast, let me give you the mindset of THE EARLY CHURCH.
Acts 4:32-35 “And the congregation of those who believed were of one heart and soul; and not one of them claimed that anything belonging to him was his own, but all things were common property to them. And with great power the apostles were giving testimony to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and abundant grace was upon them all. For there was not a needy person among them, for all who were owners of land or houses would sell them and bring the proceeds of the sales and lay them at the apostles’ feet, and they would be distributed to each as any had need.”

Can you see that perhaps it is nothing short of American greed
That has caused our culture to think wrongly about our surplus?

He told us to
• Overcome fear,
• Walk by faith,
• Believe that God will in fact give us the kingdom
• And to “Sell your possessions and give to charity”

I’m not saying it’s not hard.
I’m not even saying I do it well.
I’m just telling you what our Lord said.

But then Jesus goes on to give you more INCENTIVE to do such a thing.

Jesus calls the wealth of heaven “money belts which do not wear out”
That is to say, it’s not temporary or fleeting.

Someone once said, “Money talks; it says good-bye”
That’s often true.

Jesus said imagine if you could put your treasure
Into an account that never empties?

He also calls heavenly treasure “an unfailing treasure”

• Ever work all month, store what you’ve got, then sit down to work on the bills only to find out it wasn’t enough?
• Or ever get all the bills paid and then something out of the blue happens that costs more than you’ve got?

And all of a sudden you realize that your treasure failed to come through.

Heavenly treasure never does that.
It’s always enough. It never fails.
1 Peter 1:3-4 “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His great mercy has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to obtain an inheritance which is imperishable and undefiled and will not fade away, reserved in heaven for you,”

Jesus also says it is a treasure “where not thief comes near nor moth destroys.”

If you read it in Matthew’s gospel, there is a third added:
Matthew 6:20 “But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys, and where thieves do not break in or steal;”

In Bible times you measured wealth in 3 commodities.
Garments, Grain, and Gold

But each came with their own intrinsic problems.
• Moths would eat your garments
• Rust (mildew) would ruin your grain
• Thieves would steal your gold

But Jesus said in heaven that doesn’t happen.
Wealth there is totally secure wealth.

So in essence, He’s asking you
To take wealth you can’t keep and which is not secure
And transfer it to an account
Where you can keep it and it is secure for all eternity.

And the only thing you’ll need to make that transaction is faith.
You’ll have to overcome your fear and
Believe that God actually will give you the kingdom.

So do you have that faith?
That’s the question.

But as we stated at the beginning,
YOUR TREASURE IS NOT THE ONLY ISSUE HERE.

For someone might say, “Well, if I get to heaven without any treasure, o well, it’ll still be heaven.”

But your treasure is not the only thing hanging in the balance.
(34) “For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”

As we said at the beginning, the reason this is so important
Is because your treasure leads your heart.

I’ve heard a statement many times before,
But I happened to hear it again this past week.

Someone made the statement, “I want to go heaven, I just don’t want to go right now.”

(Now I understand human joking and kidding and figures of speech and things like that, so I’m not too hard on the person who said it)

But it does depict a backward mentality that is alive and well in America.
How could it be that we have a larger desire to be here
Than we do to be in heaven?

Paul said:
Philippians 1:21-24 “For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain. But if I am to live on in the flesh, this will mean fruitful labor for me; and I do not know which to choose. But I am hard-pressed from both directions, having the desire to depart and be with Christ, for that is very much better; yet to remain on in the flesh is more necessary for your sake.”

• Paul didn’t say, “I want to go to heaven just not today”
• Paul said, “Heaven would be so much better, but I understand I have fruitful labor to do here first”

Do you see the difference?

Paul’s mindset indicates a man
With way more treasure in heaven than he had on earth.
It’s no wonder his heart was already there.

THE POINT VERY SIMPLY IS THAT
• Not only do we have a command to obey.
• Not only do we have a consideration to observe.
• Not only do we have a comparison to oppose.

But church, we have a concern to overcome.
• We must overcome our fear of earthly suffering.
• We must overcome our fear of not being comfortable here.
• We must overcome our love of this world.

We must be those who leave the worries of the things of this world
And grab hold of the kingdom with both hands.

That is what sets us apart as different.
We must crush the idol of greed that seeks to dwell within our hearts
Because all it will do is cause us to be like that foolish farmer
Who had plenty on earth and nothing in eternity.

Take it from Jesus, you don’t want to be that guy.
• Better to sell your grain and your barns and give it all to the poor than to die rich in this life and bankrupt before God.

Philippians 3:17-21 “Brethren, join in following my example, and observe those who walk according to the pattern you have in us. For many walk, of whom I often told you, and now tell you even weeping, that they are enemies of the cross of Christ, whose end is destruction, whose god is their appetite, and whose glory is in their shame, who set their minds on earthly things. For our citizenship is in heaven, from which also we eagerly wait for a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ; who will transform the body of our humble state into conformity with the body of His glory, by the exertion of the power that He has even to subject all things to Himself.”

Our God Reigns
Psalms 47
September 1, 2019

Last Sunday night we looked at Psalms 46 and a reminder that
When God is with is there is nothing He cannot handle.

• His People Will Not Fear
• His City Will Not Fall
• His Works Will Not Fail

Most agree that Psalms 46, 47, & 48 tend to work together in a theme.

In Psalms 46 God announced the certainty of His earthly reign and exaltation.

He said:
Psalms 46:10 “Cease striving and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.”

It was a great promise.
• A guarantee that this whole earth is coming to Him.
• There is no chance that He will lose.
• There is no chance that Satan will overthrow Him.
• He is going to win.
• He is going to reign.
• He is going to be exalted.

Moving from that great announcement,
Psalms 47 is a Psalm of great anticipation.

The Psalmist begins to anticipate the glorious reign of God
And even to call people to rejoice as a result.

It is a Psalm that ponders how great it will be
When Jesus finally takes the throne and rules this world.

In order to study it, I tried for many hours to just come up with a sequential outline,
But I never found one that seemed to follow the pattern.

Instead TONIGHT I would rather show you
The 3 main truths that are woven throughout the Psalm.

• The Psalmist makes 3 distinct points as he anticipates the day God reigns,
• But they aren’t necessarily in sequential order.
• Rather all 3 truths are saturated throughout the Psalm.

And so we’re going to look at them like that,
But since it’s a short Psalm it won’t be hard
To still gain understanding and grasp the heart of the Psalmist.

The First Theme or Point of the Psalmist I want you to see:
#1 THE GLORIOUS REIGN
Psalms 47:2, 5, 7, 8, 9

Verse 2 says, “For the LORD Most High is to be feared, A great King over all the earth.”

You see there the announcement and anticipation
Of our God reigning as “King over all the earth.”

We are not here speaking
Simply of His sovereign authority over all things,
But rather the day in which He physically
Takes the throne of the earth and reigns as King over all things.

And we even understand from previous Psalms
That this is an announcement of the reign of Jesus.

Psalms 2:6-9 “But as for Me, I have installed My King Upon Zion, My holy mountain.” “I will surely tell of the decree of the LORD: He said to Me, ‘You are My Son, Today I have begotten You. ‘Ask of Me, and I will surely give the nations as Your inheritance, And the very ends of the earth as Your possession. ‘You shall break them with a rod of iron, You shall shatter them like earthenware.'”

We are talking about the reign of Christ on the earth.

It shows up again in
(5) “God ascended with a shout, The LORD, with the sound of a trumpet.”

• The ascent there is to the throne.
• It is a picture of His coronation as King.
• It is the day He takes the throne.

He is seen as ascending in power and amid great pomp and pageantry.

In verse 7 we read, “For God is King of all the earth;”

In verse 8, “God reigns over the nations, God sits on His holy throne.”

And in verse 9 we see the former rulers of the world
Coming corporately to submit to this new reigning King.

“The princes of the peoples have assembled themselves as the people of the God of Abraham, For the shields of the earth belong to God; He is highly exalted.”

World rulers have taken a lesson from the people of God
And are coming before Him just like His worshipers do.

They see Him as the One who has captured all other defenses.
“the shields of the earth belong to God”

There are no rebels left with any defense against His rule.
• He alone reigns on the throne.
• He alone sits as sovereign over the earth.

And the Psalmist says: “He is highly exalted”

This is one of the main anticipations of the Psalm.
The Psalmist is focused upon
THE GLORIOUS REIGN of God upon the earth.

He is looking with His mind’s eye to the day
When Jesus sits on the throne of the world.

And we can certainly take a moment and anticipate that great day as well.
There is so much, particularly in the O.T., that speaks of that day.

I want to quickly show you some of them tonight,
If for no other reason, than to build your anticipation as well.

TURN TO: ISAIAH 24

Isaiah 24 DOES NOT begin with the reign of Jesus upon the earth.
Rather, Isaiah 24 reminds us of
The horrific condition of the earth in its present state.

Isaiah 24 reminds us how badly the earth needs a righteous King.

(READ 24:1-6)
It is a prophetic announcement of God’s coming judgment upon a sinful world.

The earth is spoken of as polluted,
But don’t misunderstand the terminology.

God is not referring to a melting polar ice cap
Or burning rain forests or polluted oceans.

Rather God is referring to the iniquity that has stained the earth.
Things like transgression, violation of laws, and broken covenants.

We could easily throw in the shedding of INNOCENT BLOOD since:
Numbers 35:33 “So you shall not pollute the land in which you are; for blood pollutes the land and no expiation can be made for the land for the blood that is shed on it, except by the blood of him who shed it.”

This is the state of the world
And we see God angry and ready to destroy it.

Look down to verse 19
(READ 24:19-23)

We see that the earth is in danger because its transgression is heavy.
And God is promising to punish it.

He has promised to come and rain judgment upon this world
And ultimately to redeem it from its sinful curse.

And this is not the only place this judgment is spoken of:
TURN TO: ISAIAH 63:1-6
• It is a picture of God coming in wrath and judgment to punish this sinful earth.

TURN TO: ISAIAH 10:33-34
• That is the concluding verses of a chapter in which we see God promising judgment on the wicked (here pictured by Assyria)

It’s just a reminder of the sinful present state of this world
And how badly we need a righteous King to reign.

Well God has promised to judge this world
And to set His King upon the throne.

And this King, and His righteous reign is seen in Isaiah 11.
TURN TO: ISAIAH 11:1-9

This is just a small picture, but you see the glorious reign He will have.
• A King not reigning in corruption but in righteousness.
• A King not motivated by lobbyists or popularity, but justice.
• A King who judge in fairness and righteousness.
• A King who will slay the wicked and remove sin from the earth.

This is the reign that the Psalmist is anticipating in Psalms 47.
• He is anticipating the day when Jesus is the “great King over all the earth”
• He is anticipating the day when Jesus “reigns over the nations.”
• He is anticipating the day when Jesus “sits on His holy throne.”
• He is anticipating the day when Jesus “is highly exalted”

And based upon the corruption and pollution of this world,
It is easy to anticipate and eagerly await that day as well.

• We certainly look with eager eyes to the day when Jesus will return and redeem this world from the curse.

• We certainly look with eager eyes to the day when Jesus will reign and rule in righteousness and fairness for the world.

It is an easy day to anticipate!
And that is one of the major points of this Psalm.
It is simply anticipating The Glorious Reign.

But there is a second point that emerges in the Psalm as well.
#2 THE GRACIOUS RESULT
Psalms 47:3-4

I love the thought process here.
The Psalmist cannot separate the reign of Christ
From the effect it will have on His people.

AND WE SHOULDN’T.

Part of our anticipation for Christ to reign
Is because of the promises He has made to us when He does.

Perhaps we start with the day when the Rich Young Ruler walked away sad from Jesus.

It was Peter, in all his honesty, who asked:
Matthew 19:27-29 “Then Peter said to Him, “Behold, we have left everything and followed You; what then will there be for us?” And Jesus said to them, “Truly I say to you, that you who have followed Me, in the regeneration when the Son of Man will sit on His glorious throne, you also shall sit upon twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel. “And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or farms for My name’s sake, will receive many times as much, and will inherit eternal life.”

It may have been a selfish question, but don’t act like it’s not a common one.
Everyone wanted to know, Peter is just the one to ask.

• Peter could see a world he had forsaken.
• Peter could see that he had left it all for Jesus.
• But it didn’t keep him from wondering, “what then will there be for us?”

And the answer of Jesus is wonderful!
“in the regeneration when the Son of Man will sit on His glorious throne, you also shall sit upon twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel.”

• Wow, that’s quite a promise.
• Peter, I’m going to make you and the other apostles my chief governors.
• You are going to reign with Me.

And not just you guys.
“everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or farms for My name’s sake, will receive many times as much, and will inherit eternal life.”

In short, the reign of Christ means benefits for His followers.

And you are aware of this.
It is not uncommon for us to read about our INHERITANCE.

Ephesians 1:10b-12 “In Him also we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to His purpose who works all things after the counsel of His will, to the end that we who were the first to hope in Christ would be to the praise of His glory.”

1 Peter 1:4 “to obtain an inheritance which is imperishable and undefiled and will not fade away, reserved in heaven for you,”

And this is also why many times we are not only referred to as saints or sons or believers, but also HEIRS.

Romans 8:17 “and if children, heirs also, heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him so that we may also be glorified with Him.”

Galatians 3:29 “And if you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s descendants, heirs according to promise.”

Galatians 4:7 “Therefore you are no longer a slave, but a son; and if a son, then an heir through God.”

The point being, we also have great anticipation of our Lord reigning upon the throne, because we know we will reap the benefits of that.

And let’s get a little more specific as to what we will inherit.
Matthew 25:34 “Then the King will say to those on His right, ‘Come, you who are blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.”

There Jesus reminds that there is a KINGDOM which we will inherit.

Matthew 5:3 “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”

Luke 12:32 “Do not be afraid, little flock, for your Father has chosen gladly to give you the kingdom.”

We are promised to be heirs of the kingdom.

And perhaps the greatest picture of this is found in:
Revelation 21:1-7 “Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth; for the first heaven and the first earth passed away, and there is no longer any sea. And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, made ready as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne, saying, “Behold, the tabernacle of God is among men, and He will dwell among them, and they shall be His people, and God Himself will be among them, and He will wipe away every tear from their eyes; and there will no longer be any death; there will no longer be any mourning, or crying, or pain; the first things have passed away.” And He who sits on the throne said, “Behold, I am making all things new.” And He said, “Write, for these words are faithful and true.” Then He said to me, “It is done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give to the one who thirsts from the spring of the water of life without cost. “He who overcomes will inherit these things, and I will be his God and he will be My son.”

There you see it again.
“He who overcomes will inherit these things”

We are talking about inheriting the kingdom of heaven.
We reign with Christ upon the earth.
All the benefits of the kingdom are ours.

Now notice the Psalmist.
(3) “He subdues peoples under us And nations under our feet.”

• They understood that no longer would they be the trampling mat of the world.
• Christ would come and reign over them and elevate them to the preeminent nation of the world.

(4) “He chooses our inheritance for us, The glory of Jacob whom He loves.”

It is here seen as Sovereign Grace.
• He chose us.
• And He chose our inheritance.

To read it again:
Luke 12:32 “Do not be afraid, little flock, for your Father has chosen gladly to give you the kingdom.”

We turn our backs upon this world of sin and corruption
And we step into a world of perfection and glory.

We leave behind this sinful world.
We inherit a glorious kingdom.
It is the hope of all those who trust in Christ.

In this world we are outcasts,
We are strangers and aliens.
But look to the day when Christ reigns,
And we reign with Him in His glorious kingdom.

We looked at Isaiah 11 a moment ago.
Well return to it and see the rest.

TURN TO: ISAIAH 11:10-12:6
• Do you see them all coming home?
• Do you see their enemies all cut off?
• Do you hear then the joyful song of chapter 12?
• Do you hear them rejoice for “great in your midst is the Holy One of Israel”?

Earlier we looked at Isaiah 24 and God’s judging a sinful world.
TURN TO: ISAIAH 25:1-9
• Do you see the benefit of those who are His?
• Do you see them defended?
• Do you see them in the banquet?
• Do you see the benefits of death removed along with reproach?

Earlier we looked at Isaiah 63 and the One from Bozra who came to judge the earth. Look at the result.
TURN TO: ISAIAH 65:17-25
• They are the benefits of those who inherit the kingdom.

And now you understand what Jesus meant when He said:
“everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or farms for My name’s sake, will receive many times as much, and will inherit eternal life.”

And the Psalmist just can’t help anticipating all of that.
He anticipates the glorious reign of Christ,
But he also anticipates reigning with Him.

As do we.
Romans 8:18-25 “For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory that is to be revealed to us. For the anxious longing of the creation waits eagerly for the revealing of the sons of God. For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of Him who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself also will be set free from its slavery to corruption into the freedom of the glory of the children of God. For we know that the whole creation groans and suffers the pains of childbirth together until now. And not only this, but also we ourselves, having the first fruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting eagerly for our adoption as sons, the redemption of our body. For in hope we have been saved, but hope that is seen is not hope; for who hopes for what he already sees? But if we hope for what we do not see, with perseverance we wait eagerly for it.”

THAT IS US.
• We suffer now, but we won’t suffer always.
• We were saved in hope.
• “we hope for what we do not see” and “with perseverance we wait eagerly for it.”

That is the mindset of the Psalmist as well.
The Psalm Anticipates The Glorious Reign
The Psalm Anticipates The Gracious Result

One more thing the Psalmist anticipates
#3 THE GLOBAL RESPONSE
Psalms 47:1, 2, 6, 7, 9

And it’s easy to see that the GLOBAL RESPONSE of all men
To the reign of Christ IS WORSHIP.

(1a) “O clap your hands, all peoples”
• That is give Him thunderous applause
• Give Him a standing ovation.
• Erupt in exuberant praise.

(1b) “Shout to God with the voice of joy”
• More than when an athlete pushes a pigskin across a goal line.
• Rise to your feet and exalt the great God who reigns.

(2) “For the LORD Most High is to be feared”

What a statement!
The King James says, “For the LORD Most High is terrible”

You may not like that terminology,
But did we not read when He will do this earth?

We laughed at youth camp
During a Q&A when a student asked John MacArthur about the believer’s responsibility to care for the environment.

He said, “If you don’t like what humans are doing to the environment, wait until you see what Jesus is going to do to it.”

There’s truth there isn’t there?
• He’s going to judge the nations.
• He’s going to destroy His enemies.
• He’s going to burn this world with fire.
• He’s going to extinguish sinners.

And the Psalmist calls for praise because of this.
The Psalmist says to applaud Him for this.
The Psalmist says to shout with a voice of joy because of this.

But it’s not just applause and joyful shouting.
(6-7) “Sing praises to God, sing praises; Sing praises to our King, sing praises. For God is King of all the earth; Sing praises with a skillful psalm.”

5 times the Psalmist there told us to sing the praises of God.

I’m just going to reiterated it again,
I do not understand believers who can have the audacity
To tell this King that they have no interest in singing to Him
When He so clearly mandates it.

But not just singing.
The Psalmist said, “Sing praises with a skillful psalm”

The word there for “skillful” is MASKIYL
It means “a song of contemplation”

That is put effort into it and think about what you are singing.
Contemplate who He is and sing accordingly.

To sing with depth and thought.
To sing of who He is and what He did.

This great God deserves the best singing we can give Him.
Songs that truly describe His glory and His work
And praise Him accordingly.

And you also see this worship in the fact that every single human presents themselves before His throne as His people to highly exalt Him.

(9) “The princes of the people have assembled themselves as the people of the God of Abraham”
• They are all there, they have come to worship Him.
• There are no factions wandering around chanting, “Not my King”
• Every knee is bowing…
• Every tongue is confessing…

TURN TO: ISAIAH 66:18-24

Do you see it there?
• Every nation, every person.
• They are all coming to worship and exalt the King.

Verse 23 says that “All mankind will come to bow down before Me,” says the LORD”

TURN TO: ZECHARIAH 8:20-23
• You see it again, people eager to come and worship the King.

TURN TO: ZECHARIAH 14:16-21
• And again, you go or else.
• It is not optional.
• Every person in global worship of this king.
• And the Psalmist anticipates that day.

In fact, because God has promised:
Psalms 46:10 “Cease striving and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.”

Since God has promised to be exalted,
The Psalmist in anticipation calls for it now.

• He calls for clapping today.
• He calls for shouting today.
• He calls for singing today.
• He calls for the nations to come and bow today.

And if you’ll think about it, this is who we are.
We are Gentiles who have come and surrendered to Israel’s King.

We have said that we do not want to wait until eternity,
We will start our singing now.
We will begin our worship today.

And this is what we do here tonight.
• We also anticipate His Glorious Reign
• We also anticipate The Glorious Result
• We also anticipate The Global Response