How Great Is Our God
Psalms 8
August 26, 2018

You are probably aware that
Our society is greatly a society in love with our selves.
We are as self-absorbed as any society ever in the history of the world.

In 2009 there was a book written called “The Narcissism Epidemic” by Jean Twinge and Keith Campbell. They wrote:
“Perhaps nowhere in human history has human pride run freer, and we all see it, to our shame, than on the internet with the “me” generation. It began with blogs and myspace, then came facebook, which now has 5 hundred million users worldwide (as of 2018 that number is over 2 billion). And of course there is youtube which blatantly invites us all to “broadcast ourselves”. And twitter has given everyone the chance to broadcast a running commentary on their lives. It gives the illusion that there are dozens, perhaps even hundreds of people, who really care what you’re doing right now.”

You know it and I know it, we live in the land of “selfies”
• Constantly promoted are things like “self-love” and “self-care”
• Advertising for years has played to this dilemma constantly telling us to “Have It Your Way” and “Just Do It” and “Because You’re Worth It”

We might expect that from an unredeemed world,
This has even swept into the world of Christianity.

Probably nowhere more noticeable than in the realm of Christian music:

In 2011 a band Mikeschair released their hit song “Someone Worth Dying For”
“Am I more than flesh and bone? Am I really something beautiful? Yeah, I want to believe, I want to believe that I’m not just some wandering soul That you don’t see and you don’t know Yeah, I want to believe, Jesus help me believe That I am someone worth dying for.”

Or Hillsong’s “What A Beautiful Name”
Which sought to teach us: “You didn’t want heaven without us, so Jesus you brought heaven down.”

Or the Avalon song released in 2000 which taught us:
“We were the reason that He gave His life, we were the reason that He suffered and died”

The obvious problem is that it makes Christianity
About the worth of the sinner instead of the worth of the Savior.

It just reflects the self-love of our culture, now infiltrating the church.

And based on that love of self
It certainly makes sense why we would develop music
All about why God would want to save us,
“I mean look at us, we’re cuter than the puppies on the Sarah McLachlan commercial.”

Why wouldn’t God do whatever it takes just to have a relationship with us?

After all, He’s often described as eternally lonely, desperately wanting (even needing) a relationship with you.

After all, it was Max Lucado who taught us in his book “God So Loved You”
“On the eve of the cross, Jesus made his decision. He would rather go to hell for you than go to heaven without you.”

You get it right?
It’s all about the worth of the sinner.

Well let me be the first to tell you
All of that makes for HORRIBLE CHURCH MUSIC.
• That’s one of the reasons we study the Psalms.
• These are God-Inspired (God-breathed) worship songs that God gave for the
church to sing.

And in them you most certainly won’t find any songs
About how great or worthy or loveable or important man is.

You will however find the very heart of worship music,
Which is the glory of God.

That is what we find here in Psalm 8.
• It has been widely titled as “The Astronomer’s Psalm”
• It could certainly be called “The Humans don’t deserve saving, but God did it anyway Psalm”

This Psalm does nothing to inflate the human ego,
But rather magnifies the majestic God of the universe
Who chose to elevate men who most certainly didn’t deserve it.

I just called it (to be nice) “How Great Is Our God”

Let’s work through it together.
• 4 things David recognizes about God

#1 GOD’S UNLIMITED DISPLAY
Psalms 8:1

Now before we get to the specifics about God’s display of majesty,
We do first recognize that this Psalm comes with bookends.

Verse 1 begins and Verse 9 ends with the same phrase.
That’s how you know what the song is about!

“O LORD, our Lord, How majestic is Your name in all the earth”

Just a brief explanation of what is being said here.

“LORD” is the covenantal name of God.
• You’ve also heard it as Yahweh.
• It was the name that the Jews so revered that they wouldn’t even say it out loud,
• Thus they called Him “LORD”. (For your benefit, it’s often translated in all caps)

David is addressing this Psalm to the “LORD”

David also calls Him “our Lord”,
• That is the word ADONAY, which is a title only used of God which designates God as our God and Lord and master.

So obviously David is referencing the God of the universe,
Who also happens to be our God.

If you want more there go and study Psalms 95
(since it will be a couple of years before we get there)

And then David makes the statement of the Psalm.
“How majestic is Your name in all the earth”

You should simply know that the reference to God’s “name”
Is the reference to His character and His attributes.

It is all that God has revealed Himself to be.

Entire sermon series have been preached on these names, but I can give you a brief explanation to help you see what we mean.

You were already exposed to YAHWEH, which is the covenantal name given to God. It speaks of his eternal and unchangeable nature.

Beyond those, you’ve heard:
YAHWEH YIREH (Jehovah Jireh) which is the name Abraham gave when finding the ram caught in the thicket, “The Lord Provides” (Genesis 22:14)

YAHWEH NISSI which is a name coming from Moses as the Israelites went into battle, “The Lord is My Banner” (Exodus 17:15)

YAHWEH ROHI is the famous name given by David, “The Lord is My Shepherd” (Psalms 23:1)

YAHWEH SHALOM is a name ascribed by Gideon, “The Lord is Peace” (Judges 6:22-24)

YAHWEH SHAMMAH was given by Ezekiel after witnessing the glory of God depart from the temple and then through a vision, seeing Him return, Ezekiel ascribed this name, “The Lord is There” (Exodus 48:35)

YAHWEH TSIDKENU came from Jeremiah as he lived amidst a wicked people, “The Lord is Our Righteousness” (Jeremiah 23:5-6)

YAHWEH MEKADESH comes from Moses, “The Lord who Sanctifies You” (Lev. 20:8)

YAHWEH ROPHA also comes from Moses, “The Lord who Heals” (Exodus 15:26)

Beyond those names, we are familiar with:
YAHWEH SABAOTH – “The Lord of Hosts” or God of angel armies

EL ECHAD – “The One God”
EL ROI – “The God who Sees”
EL ELYON – “God Most High”
EL SHADDAI – “God Almighty”
EMMANUEL – “God With Us”

All of those names give insight into who God is,
And how God reveals Himself to His people.

When David says, “How majestic is Your name in all the earth”
He is saying,
• “How amazing You are God!”
• “How Great Thou Art”
• “How Great Is Our God”

This is also the implication in the Model Prayer when Jesus commanded:
Matthew 6:9 “Pray, then, in this way: ‘Our Father who is in heaven, Hallowed be Your name.”

• As you pray, take a moment and hallow all that God is.
• Recognize His greatness.
• Contemplate exactly who it is you are coming before.

David is doing that.
• This Psalm begins and ends with that statement of exaltation.
• This Psalm is all about the unmeasurable magnificence of God.

That is what is implied in the statement “How majestic”.
It is undefined, it is incalculable, it is beyond comprehension.
We get that.

But THE QUESTION of the Psalm is – Why do you say that David?
• Why do you say that God is so majestic?
• Why do you say that God is so great?

Good Christian music should fill both of those roles.
It should extol the greatness of God and explain why we think that.

Well here is why David thinks that.
It’s his first reason.

GOD’S UNLIMITED DISPLAY
“Who have displayed Your splendor above the heavens!”

The “heavens” David speaks of is the first heaven which we see by day,
And he is referencing what is above that.

We know that because in verse 3 David references what he is looking at, “The moon and the stars, which You have ordained;”

That is why they often call this “The Astronomers Psalm”
David is out gazing into the star-filled night.

And that alone is enough for David to stop
And talk about the majesty of God.

Do you want to know something about the majesty of God?
Then look at the stars.

Want some help?

First of all, they were created by God.
Genesis 1:16 “God made the two great lights, the greater light to govern the day, and the lesser light to govern the night; He made the stars also.”

They are magnificent to us, but even more magnificent
When you learn things like the fact that our sun is a star.
That should tell you something of the magnificence of a star.

Then we learn things like, most of the stars in the heavens
Aren’t even visible from earth, even with powerful telescopes.

They are literally an unlimited display.
A ball of light and power and beauty and they are without number.
And God made them all.

Not only that, but He named and sustains them.
Psalms 147:4-5 “He counts the number of the stars; He gives names to all of them. Great is our Lord and abundant in strength; His understanding is infinite.”

To know the names of every star, how incredible is the intellect of God?

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

God sustains those stars as well.
Often people speak of “falling stars” but those aren’t stars.
Those are meteoroids falling into the earth’s atmosphere and burning up.

The stars God made, are all there, every single one of them.

In fact, they are sign of God’s faithfulness.
Jeremiah 31:35-37 “Thus says the LORD, Who gives the sun for light by day And the fixed order of the moon and the stars for light by night, Who stirs up the sea so that its waves roar; The LORD of hosts is His name: “If this fixed order departs From before Me,” declares the LORD, “Then the offspring of Israel also will cease From being a nation before Me forever.” Thus says the LORD, “If the heavens above can be measured And the foundations of the earth searched out below, Then I will also cast off all the offspring of Israel For all that they have done,” declares the LORD.”

They are a fixed order which will not depart and cannot be measured,
And that is a sign of God’s faithfulness to His people.

They won’t move until God Himself moves them in the end times.

The stars are also a means by which God measures His own goodness to humanity.
Genesis 15:5 “And He took him outside and said, “Now look toward the heavens, and count the stars, if you are able to count them.” And He said to him, “So shall your descendants be.”

And of course that phrase is repeated many times over.
It is God’s way of saying to Abraham
That His grace and goodness is without limit.

Stars are brilliant indicators of the limitless majesty of God.

And yet, even stars fall short of His glory.
Job 25:4-6 “How then can a man be just with God? Or how can he be clean who is born of woman? “If even the moon has no brightness And the stars are not pure in His sight, How much less man, that maggot, And the son of man, that worm!”

Compared to God the moon and the stars have no brightness at all.

And that’s just a brief glimpse of what David is talking about here.

“O Lord my God, when I, in awesome wonder, consider all the worlds Thy hands have made. I see the stars, I hear the rolling thunder, Thy power throughout the universe displayed. Then sings my soul, my Savior; God; to Thee, How Great Thou Art! How Great Thou Art!”

That is what David is doing.
And His point is that God has put His majesty on tremendous display!

And even from the New Testament we know that
This revelation reveals to us enough about God
That even the pagan born in the remotest parts of the earth
Is condemned by it.

Romans 1:20 “For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood through what has been made, so that they are without excuse.”

The great “invisible attributes” of God
The “eternal power” and “divine nature” are “clearly seen” there.

David certainly could, and for that he is singing
“How Great is Our God”

Now, I am aware that “science” (we should say “fallen science” or “deceived science” or “dishonest science”)
Seeks to give other explanations to the wonder of creation,
But as David points out, their arguing is pointless.

God squashes the atheist argument continually.

You’ve seen God’s Unlimited Display
#2 GOD’S UNDENIABLE DEFENSE
Psalms 8:2

This is how God continually squashes the atheist
And defends Himself in a fallen world,
It is also the second reason David cries out, “How Great Is Our God”.

How does God defend Himself from those who would seek to argue away His existence and explain away His creative power?

He does it through the mouths of infants and babes.

“From the mouth of infants and nursing babes You have established strength because of Your adversaries, to make the enemy and the revengeful cease.”

I found this both remarkable and hilarious!

Look at a child, talk to a child.
• You may have indeed spent time in your life teaching children truths about God, but I’m willing to bet that you’ve never had to enter into a debate with a child about whether or not God was real.

• The only exception would be a child who has already been taught by the enemy.

But a child with no “education” or “brain washing”,
I’ll tell you how they come from the womb.

They are born with a knowledge of God.
They know He is real.

It must frustrate the enemy to no end,
To know that he must continue his work of deception ever harder because every time a child is born, the burden falls to him to disprove what that child already knows; that God is real.

You say, how can you say that?
How can you say that children know that at birth?

Because God wove that knowledge into the very fabric of their DNA
Romans 1:18-20 “For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men who suppress the truth in unrighteousness, because that which is known about God is evident within them; for God made it evident to them. For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood through what has been made, so that they are without excuse.”

The issue is not that men don’t know about God,
It’s that through deception and their own sinful desires,
They refuse to honor Him as such.

• Today we have Atheists who deny the existence of God
• We have Agnostics who just sort of claim they don’t know if He is real or not.

Neither of those actually exist.
What they should actually be called is “Anti-Theists”.
They know there is a God, they’ve just chosen to rebel against Him.

God placed that knowledge in their heart; they were born with it.

Not only that, but God also imprinted His Law in their hearts.
Romans 2:14-16 “For when Gentiles who do not have the Law do instinctively the things of the Law, these, not having the Law, are a law to themselves, in that they show the work of the Law written in their hearts, their conscience bearing witness and their thoughts alternately accusing or else defending them, on the day when, according to my gospel, God will judge the secrets of men through Christ Jesus.”

That is called the conscience.

Point is, every child born knows of God
And knows of His righteous standards.

And this is a continual and baffling defense to a world that seeks to deny Him.
• That’s why atheists have to work so hard.
• That’s why the devil has to prowl around seeking someone to devour

The work falls to them.
And David marvels at that.

You may remember that Jesus quoted this verse as a testimony to His own deity.
Matthew 21:14-16 “And the blind and the lame came to Him in the temple, and He healed them. But when the chief priests and the scribes saw the wonderful things that He had done, and the children who were shouting in the temple, “Hosanna to the Son of David,” they became indignant and said to Him, “Do You hear what these children are saying?” And Jesus said to them, “Yes; have you never read, ‘OUT OF THE MOUTH OF INFANTS AND NURSING BABIES YOU HAVE PREPARED PRAISE FOR YOURSELF’?”

The children naturally praised Jesus.
I love that when the Pharisees are shocked by this and ask Jesus if He hears them (presumably that He should be shocked at such blasphemy).

Jesus just says, “Yes, I hear them. What do you expect, they’re children, and children know who God is. Sorry…”

And that also causes David to sing, “How Great is Our God”

Not only has He created the splendor of the heavens
And put Himself on display there,
But He has also poured the knowledge of Himself
Into every human heart.

That is greatness isn’t it!

But even those AREN’T THE MAIN REASONS
For this song of how great God is.

God’s Unlimited Display – God’s Undeniable Defense
#3 GOD’S UNMERITED DECISION
Psalms 8:3-8

Now here is where David hits the crescendo of unmitigated worship.

He says, (3) “When I consider Your heavens, the work of Your fingers, The moon and the stars, which You have ordained;”

• When I think about your majesty spread all over space
• And then I think about how You have poured knowledge of Yourself into every human being and made Yourself known to him,

Then I have a question.
(4) “What is man that You take thought of him, and the son of man that You care for him?”

This is where David’s mind is blown.
God it just doesn’t add up.
I don’t get why You would take such interest in man.

That’s a far cry from “something worth dying for”
Or “we are the reason” isn’t it?

David says I just don’t get it.

Presupposed here is David’s doctrine of man.
And it is important for you to have a right doctrine of man.

In fact, if your doctrine of man is wrong,
You’re doctrine of God will never be right either.

Let me remind you just a moment about man.

We already heard Bildad in Job 25 call man a “maggot” and a “worm”.
Those really aren’t that far off.

Let’s talk about man for a moment.

We certainly know that man, like the stars, was created.
• But unlike the stars, we know exactly what man was created from.
• We know what raw materials God used…DIRT

Genesis 3:19 “By the sweat of your face You will eat bread, Till you return to the ground, Because from it you were taken; For you are dust, And to dust you shall return.”

And the fact that man will return to dirt speaks volumes of his frailty and insignificance.
James 4:14 “Yet you do not know what your life will be like tomorrow. You are just a vapor that appears for a little while and then vanishes away.”

Psalms 144:3-4 “O LORD, what is man, that You take knowledge of him? Or the son of man, that You think of him? Man is like a mere breath; His days are like a passing shadow.”

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

He is hardly significant or hearty.
No wonder the common analogy from God about man was “sheep”.

Beyond that the ignorance of man is well document. We aren’t the sharpest knives in the drawer.

David even confesses in Psalm 139 about God’s works.
Psalms 139:6 “Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; It is too high, I cannot attain to it.”

Job 37:5 “God thunders with His voice wondrously, Doing great things which we cannot comprehend.”

Psalms 94:11 “The LORD knows the thoughts of man, That they are a mere breath.”
That is to say, “they are hot air”

How about regarding the knowledge of God?
John 1:10-11 “He was in the world, and the world was made through Him, and the world did not know Him. He came to His own, and those who were His own did not receive Him.”

John 14:17 “that is the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it does not see Him or know Him, but you know Him because He abides with you and will be in you.”

1 Corinthians 2:14 “But a natural man does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually appraised.”

In other words, for all the things that we know and have “figured out”,
Man never figured out how to get to God.
If God hadn’t caused man to know, they wouldn’t know.

God had to literally “spell-it-out” for us.
Man is not intelligent.

But I’ll tell you what they are: they are rebellious!
Genesis 6:5-6 “Then the LORD saw that the wickedness of man was great on the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. The LORD was sorry that He had made man on the earth, and He was grieved in His heart.”

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

And because of this, we are even called enemies of God.
Romans 5:10 “For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life.”

And if being called enemies isn’t bad of enough.
Jesus refers to mankind as “sheep”, “vipors”, “stubborn”, “obstinate”, “foolish”, “wicked”, “evil”, etc.

Certainly Paul had a handle on what we are:
Titus 3:3 “For we also once were foolish ourselves, disobedient, deceived, enslaved to various lusts and pleasures, spending our life in malice and envy, hateful, hating one another.”

Ephesians 2:1-3 “And you were dead in your trespasses and sins, in which you formerly walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, of the spirit that is now working in the sons of disobedience. Among them we too all formerly lived in the lusts of our flesh, indulging the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, even as the rest.”

Perhaps Solomon gave the best summation of humanity:
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.”

They are just puny, ignorant, wicked, insignificant, maggots in the dirt.
It’s like showing up at a garage sale after lunch,
There’s just nothing there of any value at all.

And David knows this, which is why His mind is currently blown.

With you being God, and man being man, why do you care?

Well you say, what do you mean David?
What has God done for man that has so blown your mind?

Aside from the fact that
God revealed Himself to man in creation and the heart,
There is also the little fact that above all of His creation,
God chose man to be the pinnacle. God elevated man to the top.
God set glory on man.

(5-8) “Yet You have made him a little lower than God, And You crown him with glory and majesty! You make him to rule over the works of Your hands; You have put all things under his feet, All sheep and oxen, And also the beasts of the field, The birds of the heavens and the fish of the sea, Whatever passes through the paths of the seas.”

David saw that God had given man dominion.
And he couldn’t figure out why.

• Certainly we remember God giving Adam charge and the right to name all the animals.
• And even now David sees that man rules the earth, and not lions or hippos or horses or gorillas.

WHY?
It’s not because we’re stronger or smarter or nobler.
We already established that.

Why would God give man dominion over all things?
And there is only 1 possible answer: GRACE

It is because, He is “our Lord” which David announced in verse 1.
He has set His favor on us,
And chosen to do for us what we do not deserve.
AND THIS BLEW DAVID’S MIND.

But I’ll go you one even greater than that.
David marvels that God has put unworthy and insignificant man in charge of all things,
But if you’ll remember, the writers of the New Testament
Saw a problem with that.

Hebrews 2:5-8 “For He did not subject to angels the world to come, concerning which we are speaking. But one has testified somewhere, saying, “WHAT IS MAN, THAT YOU REMEMBER HIM? OR THE SON OF MAN, THAT YOU ARE CONCERNED ABOUT HIM? “YOU HAVE MADE HIM FOR A LITTLE WHILE LOWER THAN THE ANGELS; YOU HAVE CROWNED HIM WITH GLORY AND HONOR, AND HAVE APPOINTED HIM OVER THE WORKS OF YOUR HANDS; YOU HAVE PUT ALL THINGS IN SUBJECTION UNDER HIS FEET.” For in subjecting all things to him, He left nothing that is not subject to him. But now we do not yet see all things subjected to him.”

The writer of Hebrews just called it like it is.
• Psalm 8 says “You have put all things in subjection under His feet”,
• But we don’t see it that way today.

The Bible may say that man hos dominion, but creation is still a dangerous place for man.
• Wild animals will kill him
• The ocean will kill him
• The mountains will kill him
• The desert will kill him
• Bacteria and disease will kill him

What gives?
And you know the answer.
Adam transgressed against God, and the usurper stole his dominion.

God told Adam that if you eat of that fruit you will surely what? DIE

And there you have it.
Man has to die.

But the writer of Hebrews saw another startling reality there.
We don’t currently see all things subjected to man, but…
Hebrews 2:9 “But we do see Him who was made for a little while lower than the angels, namely, Jesus, because of the suffering of death crowned with glory and honor, so that by the grace of God He might taste death for everyone.”

We don’t see all things subject to man, but we do see Jesus.
Who came as a man and suffered death for all of us.

In short, He came and paid Adam’s death.
So that through Him, we can regain our rightful position.

In fact, Paul quotes this verse twice in his epistles, and both times Paul applies the verse to Jesus.

1 Corinthians 15:27-28 “For HE HAS PUT ALL THINGS IN SUBJECTION UNDER HIS FEET. But when He says, “All things are put in subjection,” it is evident that He is excepted who put all things in subjection to Him. When all things are subjected to Him, then the Son Himself also will be subjected to the One who subjected all things to Him, so that God may be all in all.”

Ephesians 1:22 “And He put all things in subjection under His feet, and gave Him as head over all things to the church,”

So what are we driving at here?

Well, first of all,
• It should blow your mind that God ever chose to put man in charge of all things.
• It should blow your mind that the God of galaxies would think so much of some man that He formed out of the dirt, that He would promote him above it all.

That should blow your mind.

But it should blow your mind even more
• That when that man rebelled against God and despised his glorious role that God was still gracious enough to send His own Son to redeem man back to that original position.

That is mind-blowing!

Not only did God choose a piece of dirt and give him glory,
But when that dirt acted like dirt, God did not give up on him.
Instead God paid a high price to redeem him.

And if you read that and suddenly your mind
Is filled with thoughts about the value of man,
Then you don’t have a clue how to read the Bible.

David is not mesmerized at how valuable man must be.
• He knows how valuable man is – nil
• David is mesmerized at how gracious God is.

And that brings us back to the start, and also the final point.
#4 GOD’S UNFATHOMABLE DESIGNATION
Psalms 8:9

• Maybe you had trouble singing about the greatness of God’s name in vs 1.
• Maybe the sum total of how He revealed Himself was less than amazing to you when we started this Psalm.

But now,
• After learning the splendor that is God’s through creation…
• After learning the decision of God to make Himself known to all men…
• After learning of God’s grace to elevate man and then redeem him after he stumbled…

How majestic do you think God is now?
His majesty is unfathomable…
“How Great is our God?!?”

Can you answer that?
Can you ascribe a value to Him?

• When you become aware that He is the God who provides, and shepherds and heals and sanctifies…
• When you find in Him righteousness, and a banner, and peace, and One who is there…
• When you grasp that He is the God of angel armies, and One God, and the God who sees, and God Most High and God Almighty…
• When you see that even as that He became God with us…

Can you ascribe a level of majesty to His name?
Neither could David.

So He sang, “O LORD, our Lord, How majestic is Your name in all the earth!”

And I just remind you tonight:
Don’t let living in a world that thinks man is the center of it all,
Confuse you as to who deserves all the glory.

None of this is about the worth or value of man.
It is all about the greatness and majesty of our Great God.

Sent By Jesus
Luke 9:1-9 (1-2)
August 26, 2018

It is always amazing to me how the Lord
Seems to fit together His message for the church.

• I prefer not to engage on individual studies that follow topics of interest or even
my own personal soap boxes.
• I just like to study through books of the Bible so that the Lord has
opportunity to communicate whatever He desires to His church.

And in studying books of the Bible like this I’m always encouraged.
• We at times study topics we might not otherwise choose
• We certainly study texts that I would skip where it up to me

But I’m encouraged how the Lord always seems to bring it all together

Just last week, we took a break from our normal study
To commission our students and teachers back
Into the great mission field of the public school system.

We talked about the “How To” of missions.
Listening to Paul instruct Timothy in regard to a practical way to get back in the saddle and once again preach the word.

And now this morning we return to the gospel of Luke
And it’s as though THE LORD REINFORCES THAT MESSAGE AGAIN
As we approach Luke 9.

If we saw “How To” last week,
Then I think this week we can accurately call it the “What To”.

Paul told Timothy HOW TO do it.
Here Jesus tells the 12 WHAT TO do.

There’s NO AMBIGUITY from our Lord in regard to our mission.
For all the times that He speaks somewhat cryptically in parables,
He does not do that in regard to our mission.

Jesus speaks clearly as to what we are to do.
It is encouraging to us to be able to listen to what He told the 12.

FROM A CONTEXT STANDPOINT:
You are also familiar with where we are in Luke’s gospel.

Jesus has already issued a very solemn warning
To the region of Galilee.

We heard that parable of the soils and we heard that warning:
Luke 8:18 “So take care how you listen; for whoever has, to him more shall be given; and whoever does not have, even what he thinks he has shall be taken away from him.”

Jesus reminded the people of Galilee that a failure to value the truth
Can quickly result in a failure to receive the truth.

And we even saw that being practically played out.
• Jesus left the crowd and took the disciples to the region of the Gerasenes.
• And when Jesus returned His miracles were sort of hidden.
• Not many were allowed to witness the raising of the girl from the
dead.
• Really the only reason Jesus publicly healed the hemorrhaging
woman was to be able to speak about her faith.

We’ve seen Jesus sort of pull away from the crowds
And invest in the disciples.

WHAT IS CLEAR IS THAT GALILEE IS IN DANGER.
At this point Jesus is only about 18 months from His crucifixion
And He is about to leave Galilee behind for good.

Luke 9:51 “When the days were approaching for His ascension, He was determined to go to Jerusalem;”

It’s almost over for Galilee.
• They had been given over a year of unprecedented access to God incarnate.
• He stood right in front of them.
• He was the valuable seed being sown.

But for those who were rejecting it,
They were in great danger of losing it all together.

And yet this is where THE HEART OF OUR LORD really shines.

Certainly He is frustrated with their overall lack of belief,
But He is not quite ready to just write them off completely.

So the Lord has just a couple more plans.
• Here in chapter 9 He’s going to send out the 12 to cover the region again.
• And then in chapter 10 He’s going to send out the 70 for one final mission.

It is a definite endurance and patience by the Lord.

It reminds me, honestly,
Of that missionary heart you see in the APOSTLE PAUL.

If you will remember he dealt with the same frustrations of rejection
In his ministry among the Jews.

When preaching at Pisidian Antioch, the Jews rejected and Acts records:
Acts 13:46-47 “Paul and Barnabas spoke out boldly and said, “It was necessary that the word of God be spoken to you first; since you repudiate it and judge yourselves unworthy of eternal life, behold, we are turning to the Gentiles. “For so the Lord has commanded us, ‘I HAVE PLACED YOU AS A LIGHT FOR THE GENTILES, THAT YOU MAY BRING SALVATION TO THE END OF THE EARTH.'”

He’s done with the Jews, he’s going to the Gentiles.

Which is why we read in the very next chapter:
Acts 14:1 “In Iconium they entered the synagogue of the Jews together, and spoke in such a manner that a large number of people believed, both of Jews and of Greeks.”

And again in:
Acts 17:1-3 “Now when they had traveled through Amphipolis and Apollonia, they came to Thessalonica, where there was a synagogue of the Jews. And according to Paul’s custom, he went to them, and for three Sabbaths reasoned with them from the Scriptures, explaining and giving evidence that the Christ had to suffer and rise again from the dead, and saying, “This Jesus whom I am proclaiming to you is the Christ.”

He has to flee from there and lands in Berea
Acts 17:10 “The brethren immediately sent Paul and Silas away by night to Berea, and when they arrived, they went into the synagogue of the Jews.”

Even later when Paul preaches in Corinth:
Acts 18:5-8 “But when Silas and Timothy came down from Macedonia, Paul began devoting himself completely to the word, solemnly testifying to the Jews that Jesus was the Christ. But when they resisted and blasphemed, he shook out his garments and said to them, “Your blood be on your own heads! I am clean. From now on I will go to the Gentiles.” Then he left there and went to the house of a man named Titius Justus, a worshiper of God, whose house was next to the synagogue. Crispus, the leader of the synagogue, believed in the Lord with all his household, and many of the Corinthians when they heard were believing and being baptized.”

There is that same frustration, but you can see he didn’t go far.

And again later:
Acts 19:8 “And he entered the synagogue and continued speaking out boldly for three months, reasoning and persuading them about the kingdom of God.”

THE POINT IS that Paul was certainly frustrated with the lack Jews,
More than once he wanted to wash his hands of them,
But something in him would not let him quit.

To the Romans he would write:
Romans 9:1-3 “I am telling the truth in Christ, I am not lying, my conscience testifies with me in the Holy Spirit, that I have great sorrow and unceasing grief in my heart. For I could wish that I myself were accursed, separated from Christ for the sake of my brethren, my kinsmen according to the flesh,”

The reason Paul felt that way is because He had the Spirit of Christ inside Him.
THAT IS EXACTLY THE HEART OF JESUS.
• He is grieved
• He is frustrated
• He has warned them
• But He is not yet ready to just write them off

He’s sending out the 12.

It also reminds me of the admonition that the Lord gave to the apostle John as he was stranded on Patmos receiving the Revelation.

Revelation 10:8-11 “Then the voice which I heard from heaven, I heard again speaking with me, and saying, “Go, take the book which is open in the hand of the angel who stands on the sea and on the land.” So I went to the angel, telling him to give me the little book. And he said to me, “Take it and eat it; it will make your stomach bitter, but in your mouth it will be sweet as honey.” I took the little book out of the angel’s hand and ate it, and in my mouth it was sweet as honey; and when I had eaten it, my stomach was made bitter. And they said to me, “You must prophesy again concerning many peoples and nations and tongues and kings.”

You remember that incident.
• Where John was called to digest the truths of God’s coming judgment.
• And then John was commanded to “prophesy again”.

Don’t give up just yet. Tell them again.

That is the Lord here.
And we see in that His PATIENCE and His DESIRE.

Certainly one could say that He has done enough
He could document enough rejection
To justifiably wash His hands of the entire region.

And yet He continues.

He is like that prodigal father we will see in a few chapters
Who is eagerly watching for the return of His son.

There’s good encouragement in that for us.
PRESS ON

WELL THAT IS WHAT WE HAVE OCCURRING HERE.

WHAT LUKE DOES NOT RECORD
• Is that after Jesus healed the hemorrhaging woman and raised Jairus’
daughter
• He then went one more time back to Nazareth.

One more time (even after they tried to kill Him last time)
He returns and again they reject.
In fact, it was there that Scripture records Jesus
Marveling at their unbelief.

And after leaving Nazareth He started again through Galilee,
BUT TIME IS RUNNING OUT.

At this point Jesus is the only preacher.
• He is the only miracle worker.
• If you want to hear the gospel, He is the only One you can hear it from.

And so now Jesus is about to multiply His preaching efforts.

He has modeled for the disciples exactly how He does it.
• They’ve heard Him preach
• They’ve seen Him work miracles
• They’ve seen Him cast out demons

Now He’s about to further their education
By sending them out on a little internship.

On one hand, He’s granting salvation one more time to the stubborn region of Galilee.

On the other hand He is continuing to train His disciples for the ministry that will soon be their full time.

What we see in this text are
THE SPECIFICS OF WHAT CHRIST WANTS THEM TO DO.

There are 5 things I want you to see here.
#1 THE CALL
Luke 9:1

Here we read that “He called the twelve together”

This is really a unique thing for the ministry of Jesus.
• Up until now the “disciples” of Jesus have been a large group.
• He already named these 12 as apostles,
• But here He is about to further distinguish them from the rest.

And He first distinguishes them by the power He gives them.

He “gave them power and authority over all the demons and to heal diseases.”

Matthew includes “raising the dead” and “cleansing lepers” in his list.

I like the distinction “power and authority”
• “power” without authority makes you a rogue or a renegade.
• “authority” without power makes you frustrated.

Jesus gave the disciples both.
He just promoted them totally above even the angelic rank.
They now had full authority and ability to command even demons.

What you are picking up on here is that Jesus just gave the apostles
The same power and authority that the Father had given to Him.

These men now have the power and authority of Jesus.
They can walk around Galilee and do the same things He did.
• What Jesus did in the boat with the raging storm, now they can do.
• What Jesus did in Gerasa with the demoniac, now they can do.
• What Jesus did with Jairus’ daughter, now they can do.

He called them and He equipped them.

WHY?
#2 THE COMMAND
Luke 9:2

Now you see that He has equipped them
So that they can fulfill their specific command.

What is the command?
• “proclaim the kingdom of God”
• “perform healing”

FIRST, AND PRIMARY, is that they are to go out as preachers.
• They are to “proclaim the kingdom of God”

Certainly this is before the cross or the resurrection.
Certainly this is before the Holy Spirit.
SO WHAT ARE THEY PREACHING?

Namely that God has a kingdom and you must enter it.

And Jesus has already made it abundantly clear who gets to enter it.
• It is the poor in spirit, it is the humble, it is the outcast, and the beggar.
• It is those who are broken over sin, and desire repentance.

It is in essence THE MESSAGE OF JOHN THE BAPTIST
Who told me to “repent for the kingdom of heaven was at hand”.

This is what Jesus has called them to do.
• To go from city to city and village to village
• Declare to men that God’s kingdom can now be entered
• It is entered through repentance.

This has been the message of John
This has been the message of Jesus
This is now the message of the apostles

Mark 6:12 “They went out and preached that men should repent.”

The implication is yet again obvious.
GOD HAS A KINGDOM AND YOU ARE NOT WORTHY OF IT.
GOD HAS A KINGDOM BUT YOU ARE NOT WELCOME IN IT.

In order to enter that kingdom,
You must confess your rebellion to God, ask for His forgiveness,
And humble yourself under His sovereign hand.

This is the message.
It’s always been the message.

AND THIS IS PRIMARY.
We have seen that too.

• John the Baptist didn’t work any miracles, all he did was preach.
• And while Jesus came working miracles, it was not hard to see His priority.

Luke 4:42-44 “When day came, Jesus left and went to a secluded place; and the crowds were searching for Him, and came to Him and tried to keep Him from going away from them. But He said to them, “I must preach the kingdom of God to the other cities also, for I was sent for this purpose.” So He kept on preaching in the synagogues of Judea.”

That is what He did.
Going everywhere He could preaching that men should repent of their sin
That they might be able to enter God’s kingdom.

And just as He does with us today,
Jesus commanded the apostles to go and preach.

There’s really no way around it.
• We are here to preach.
• You are here to preach.

1 Peter 2:9-10 “But you are A CHOSEN RACE, A royal PRIESTHOOD, A HOLY NATION,A PEOPLE FOR God’s OWN POSSESSION, so that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who has called you out of darkness into His marvelous light; for you once were NOT A PEOPLE, but now you are THE PEOPLE OF GOD; you had NOT RECEIVED MERCY, but now you have RECEIVED MERCY.”

1 Peter 3:13-16 “Who is there to harm you if you prove zealous for what is good? But even if you should suffer for the sake of righteousness, you are blessed. AND DO NOT FEAR THEIR INTIMIDATION, AND DO NOT BE TROUBLED, but sanctify Christ as Lord in your hearts, always being ready to make a defense to everyone who asks you to give an account for the hope that is in you, yet with gentleness and reverence; and keep a good conscience so that in the thing in which you are slandered, those who revile your good behavior in Christ will be put to shame.”

This is God’s ordained means
Through which He will draw the elect to Himself.
Go preach the gospel.

• Jesus didn’t tell the 12 to set up a camp meeting
• Jesus didn’t tell the 12 to organize a carnival
• Jesus didn’t tell the 12 to try and draw in unbelievers and make them feel welcome

I heard the statement from a pastor again this week.
He as organizing an event and he said, “Because there’s just a lot of people that will never come into our church.”

That’s true!
It’s always been true.

In their sinful, unredeemed state,
They have no interest in coming into a sanctuary
Where we will worship God and listen to His word for an hour.

They aren’t coming.
So we are called to go to them.

AND LET ME ASK YOU, who do you think God should lean on here?
• Is it more likely that rebellious sinners will obey God’s command to come to
worship,
• Or is it more likely that God’s submissive followers will obey His command
to go to the lost?

THEY AREN’T COMING.

That is why verse 2 says, “He sent them out to proclaim the kingdom of God”

It ALSO SAYS He sent them “to perform healing”.
This is why He gave them the power and authority mentioned in verse 1.
He wanted them to heal, so He gave them the power to heal.

And don’t let this blow up your doctrine.
Charismatics today would read a verse like this
And then tell everyone in the congregation
That they should also be healing everyone’s diseases.

(Funny, I’ve never heard them get quite so definitive on verse 3 where Jesus tells the disciples to go without any of the world’s comforts…that one isn’t publicized quite so much)

But what do we do with that?
It’s very simple, and we’ve mentioned it many times.

THIS WAS THE APOSTLE’S CREDIBILITY.
If two preachers are in town and they are both telling you how to enter God’s kingdom, which one are you going to listen to?

Well, the one who can raise the dead.

That is why Jesus gave this authority to the apostles.
And I remind you that it was unique to them.
• We don’t have these abilities any longer.
• Many of the great men of Scripture never had these abilities.
• When Timothy had stomach problems Paul told him to drink wine, not heal his stomach.

So why the miraculous power?
It was validity for them.

And for them alone.
2 Corinthians 12:12 “The signs of a true apostle were performed among you with all perseverance, by signs and wonders and miracles.”

Paul there was fighting for vindication of his ministry against a group of false apostles who had come in and tried to steal the Corinthians away.

Paul merely points out that unlike them,
God had born witness to his ministry.

Hebrews 2:3-4 “how will we escape if we neglect so great a salvation? After it was at the first spoken through the Lord, it was confirmed to us by those who heard, God also testifying with them, both by signs and wonders and by various miracles and by gifts of the Holy Spirit according to His own will.”

Notice even the writer of Hebrews says that
“God also testifying with THEM” (not us)

Jesus gave the apostles the ability
To do all these miraculous things to validate them.

WELL WHY DOESN’T HE GIVE IT TO US?
Seems like that might be important.

BECAUSE WHAT JESUS GAVE US
IS MORE POWERFUL THAN WHAT HE GAVE THEM.

What did Jesus give us?
THE WORD (the New Testament; the apostles teaching)

And the revealed word of the New Testament
Is much more effective and powerful
Than the ability to work signs and wonders.

You want proof?
Remember the rich man who died and went to Hades and was in torment?
• He begged Abraham to send Lazarus to give him relief…
• He then begged Abraham to send Lazarus to his brothers so that they would repent and believe…

Remember Abraham’s answer:
Luke 16:29-31 “But Abraham said, ‘They have Moses and the Prophets; let them hear them.’ “But he said, ‘No, father Abraham, but if someone goes to them from the dead, they will repent!’ “But he said to him, ‘If they do not listen to Moses and the Prophets, they will not be persuaded even if someone rises from the dead.'”

So did Abraham just not care about this man’s brothers?
• I don’t think that’s it.
• This man’s brothers were descendants of Abraham; they were his great-great-great (you get it) grandsons.

So why was Abraham so unwilling to work the miracle for their salvation.
BECAUSE ABRAHAM KNEW THEY ALREADY HAD SOMETHING BETER.

Abraham in effect told the man that
They already had a more powerful witness.
They had the very word of God.

We’ve talked about this issue before:
TURN TO: DEUTERONOMY 13:1-5

How can that be?
• If we are supposed to recognize a genuine prophet by his fulfilled prophecies
or miraculous signs,
• Then how is it that we are supposed to recognize a false prophet who can work
miracles?

And the answer was clear.
By God’s revealed word.

The message of that false prophet was specific, he said to go and worship other gods, and then he worked a miracle.

The children of Israel should know better
Because at this point they already had the Mosaic Law
Which specifically forbid worshiping other gods.

THE POINT?
The revealed word trumps the miraculous sign

When there is no revealed word available
Then miracles and powers are valuable,
And that is why Jesus gave them to the apostles.

But even more powerful than those miracles
Are the revealed word of God, which the apostles left for us.

YOU NEED TO UNDERSTAND THIS BELIEVER.
YOU NEED TO UNDERSTAND WHAT YOU HAVE AT YOUR DISPOSAL.

We can talk all day about the amazing nature of miracles…
We can talk all day about how much miracles glorify God…
We can talk all day about how beneficial miracles are to leading the lost to God…

But tell me of a miracle that can do this:
Hebrews 4:12-13 “For the word of God is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword, and piercing as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart. And there is no creature hidden from His sight, but all things are open and laid bare to the eyes of Him with whom we have to do.”

Tell me of a miracle that can dissect between the thoughts and attitudes of the heart and lay a man’s sin to bear before God.

HERE’S THE SIMPLE POINT.
Jesus gave this power to the apostles (and only the apostles; at least in a permanent sense) because they had no written authority to stand on.

But we now have the authority of their words.
It’s called the New Testament and I’m telling you
I wouldn’t trade 1 verse of the New Testament
For the most spectacular miracle ability in the world.

Would it be nice to have the power to heal the sick? Absolutely
Would it be nice to be able to cast out demons? Of Course

But read your New Testament.
Most of the people Jesus healed, and most of the people Jesus delivered,
Died lost in their sin and went to hell.

MEN DON’T BELIEVE AFTER SEEING SIGNS.

But Scripture makes a promise regarding the word:
Romans 10:17 “So faith comes from hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ.”

Or how about:
Isaiah 55:11 “So will My word be which goes forth from My mouth; It will not return to Me empty, Without accomplishing what I desire, And without succeeding in the matter for which I sent it.”

So you may not have power to work miracles,
But you do have the more powerful word of God!

Listen to Peter:
2 Peter 1:16-19 “For we did not follow cleverly devised tales when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we were eyewitnesses of His majesty. For when He received honor and glory from God the Father, such an utterance as this was made to Him by the Majestic Glory, “This is My beloved Son with whom I am well-pleased” — and we ourselves heard this utterance made from heaven when we were with Him on the holy mountain. So we have the prophetic word made more sure, to which you do well to pay attention as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star arises in your hearts.”

There Peter speaks of the day when he saw Jesus transfigured.
He had a great vision!

And yet, he says, “Do you want to know what’s more powerful than that? Do you want to know what’s ‘more sure’ than that? We have ‘the more sure prophetic word’!”

DOES THAT MAKE SENSE?
Do you understand now why Jesus empowered them with miracles and not us in that way?

He was granting them validity to their message.
We have that same validity, every time we quote from the New Testament.
Every time we quote the Bible
We have at our disposal power even greater than that.

BUT THERE’S ANOTHER ELEMENT HERE
Besides validity to why Jesus told them “to perform healing.”

If the issue were only validity then there is any number of ways
That they could have accomplished that.

• Satan tried to get Jesus to throw Himself off the temple; that would’ve done it.
• The disciples wanted to call down fire.

But the specific display they were to put on at the command of Jesus
Was one that was beneficial to people.

They were told to heal.
They were told to cleanse.
They were told to cast out demons.
They were told to raise the dead.

There is an element here to what Jesus is commanding
That deals with compassion.

And this is so important.
Jesus just endowed 12 men with supernatural power
• And He told them to go and preach a message of repentance
• Because those people had fallen short of the glory of God and were under divine wrath.

It would have been real easy to disassociate with those people.
To make sure they didn’t,
Jesus also commanded them
To get up close and personal with their suffering.

• Listen to their stories…
• Look into their eyes…
• Hear that broken mother talk about her child’s illness…
• Grieve with that broken father whose son is demon possessed…
• Look at the struggle of the lame man…

The disciples needed power to validate their message.
They needed this specific power to activate their compassion.

And even since that day the two have gone hand in hand.

There are two great motivators for evangelism,
And I think there will forever be a great mystery
As to which motivates us the most.

One reason we preach is the glory of God.
He has been offended by His creation and yet offers salvation through His Son, and He deserves to be glorified for that.

The other reason we preach is for the love of sinners.
They are under divine wrath and headed for judgement and must be warned.

And you’ll have a tough time telling me
Which of those motivations was more inspiring to Jesus.
He certainly preached for the glory of God.
He certainly preached out of love for sinners.

I love the balance of the statement Paul made in regard to the gospel message.
2 Corinthians 5:18-21 “Now all these things are from God, who reconciled us to Himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation, namely, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and He has committed to us the word of reconciliation. Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were making an appeal through us; we beg you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.”

On one hand we are “ambassadors for Christ” – it’s all for Him.
On the other hand “we beg you…be reconciled to God”

You see both there.
This is what Jesus told the disciples to do.

Both motivations must be there,
And Jesus ensures that they will both be there with His disciples.

So, take just what we’ve seen so far
And you’re already getting a pretty good indication
Of what we are to do.

• We are to go to the lost and proclaim the gospel to them,
• Standing on the authority of the apostles teaching,
• And being compassionate to the plight of sinners.

Go do that.

We’ll stop there this morning, and pick back up next time with the rest.

A Prayer For Vindication
Psalms 7
August 19, 2018

I’ve titled this Psalm “A Prayer for Vindication”.
What else could you call it?

In verse 8 David prays, “Vindicate me, O LORD, according to my righteousness and my integrity that is in me.”

And upon reading that phrase we are suddenly filled
With so many red flags, and ready rebukes.
How could David pray such a thing!?!

First of all, asking for vindication!
Seriously, doesn’t he know the crowning jewel of the Christian life is forgiveness?

Secondly, toting as the basis for vindication his own righteousness and his own integrity!
Does David actually think that we don’t know who he is?
• We know about this man and his failures.
• We know how he blew it with his sons…
• We know about the time he numbered the people in arrogance and brought a plague…
• We know about David’s affair with Bathsheba and the murder of her husband…

Would David seriously have the audacity to pray for vindication
According to his righteousness?

And yet – THERE IT IS
Printed with black ink right there on white paper.
Included in the sacred Scriptures
As a song for the church is David’s prayer for vindication.

Based upon the current trends of Christianity I’d almost be willing to guess that you would’ve never considered praying such a prayer.

(Or at least you wouldn’t admit to it in the presence of the congregation
For fear of sounding “Un-Christian”)

That’s what makes studying Psalms like this so important.

We already introduced this concept of Imprecatory Psalms a few weeks back when we looked at the 5th Psalm.

• You’ll remember it as the Psalm for Battle where David arose and presented his requests before God

• He knew that God took no pleasure in wickedness and David had an enemy who was just that.

So David’s prayer blew our minds:
Psalms 5:10 “Hold them guilty, O God; By their own devices let them fall! In the multitude of their transgressions thrust them out, For they are rebellious against You.”

That again was another one of those seemingly “Un-Christian” prayers.

And yet here we are, only 2 Psalms later,
Addressing that same issue yet again.

What is the Christian supposed to do with the Imprecatory Psalms?
I told you then, and I tell you again now – WE PRAY THEM!

Your other option is to assume that the God who inspired them
Has somehow changed and that this portion of His word has expired
And should now be removed from your Bible.

Not at all…

What I actually think it reveals is a great ignorance
That our culture has of the true character of God.

In fact we could even say that it reveals the great ignorance
That the present day church has of the true character of God.

It has become clear to me that today’s church
Does not get their doctrine from a study of the Scriptures,
But more likely they get it from social media
And from (so-called) Christian music.

• If it has a catchy beat…
• If it rolls well off the tongue…
• And if it matches what I feel…
• Then that must be a good Christian song!

We learn it, we sing it, we digest it, and our doctrine of God changes.

The proof of this is seen today in the fact that
Christianity no longer recognizes a God of judgment
Or a God of vindication or a God who hates wickedness.

• Certainly those aren’t popular ideas of God today,
• So they are commonly omitted from Christian media
• And the average Christian (ignorant of the Scriptures) never hears about them.

But turn off your radio and open your Bible
And you might just find a different God than the one you hear sung about.

That’s not to condemn every doctrine that is broadcast on Christian radio.
For sure some are accurate, it’s just that there’s an IMBALANCE.

• We hear songs of grace and mercy and forgiveness…
• We hear songs of God’s love and God’s patience and God’s desire for men to be saved…

And surely we have no problem with those realities,
It’s just that it seems that the pendulum has swung too far.

It has reached the extreme where
If a person were to attend a church meeting and pray (as David does)
“Hold them guilty O God”
“Vindicate me according to my righteousness”
That the entire room would gasp in disbelief.

Quick to our rebuke would be the masses
Who would piously remind us:

Jesus said to turn the other cheek!

And of course that is true!
Matthew 5:38-39 “You have heard that it was said, ‘AN EYE FOR AN EYE, AND A TOOTH FOR A TOOTH.’ “But I say to you, do not resist an evil person; but whoever slaps you on your right cheek, turn the other to him also.”

The believer is absolutely commanded to be meek and forgiving and mild.
We are absolutely commanded to suffer even when we do what is right.

THAT IS A CLEAR COMMAND.

But can I tell you what that verse does NOT say?
Just because Jesus tells us that we must turn the other cheek
Does not mean that our Heavenly Father
Is ok with His children being slapped.

CERTAINLY we do not take our own revenge.
But can I remind you of the rest of that command?

Romans 12:19 “Never take your own revenge, beloved, but leave room for the wrath of God, for it is written, “VENGEANCE IS MINE, I WILL REPAY,” says the Lord.”

And to many even that notion sounds wrong,
That we would embrace the judgment of the wicked at all.

After all, we all know about Jesus on the cross:
Luke 23:34 “But Jesus was saying, “Father, forgive them; for they do not know what they are doing.” And they cast lots, dividing up His garments among themselves.”

(A prayer that even Stephen echoed at his own stoning)

And so are we to assume then that Jesus categorically refused God’s retribution or vindication of any kind?

If we are to assume that then we’re going to have a tough time explaining some of the other things He said:
Matthew 11:20-24 “Then He began to denounce the cities in which most of His miracles were done, because they did not repent. “Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the miracles had occurred in Tyre and Sidon which occurred in you, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes. “Nevertheless I say to you, it will be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon inthe day of judgment than for you. “And you, Capernaum, will not be exalted to heaven, will you? You will descend to Hades; for if the miracles had occurred in Sodom which occurred in you, it would have remained to this day. “Nevertheless I say to you that it will be more tolerable for the land of Sodom in the day of judgment, than for you.”

Jesus didn’t torch their cities, but He knew it was coming.

Or consider this confrontation of the Pharisees:
Matthew 23:29-33 “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you build the tombs of the prophets and adorn the monuments of the righteous, and say, ‘If we had been living in the days of our fathers, we would not have been partners with them in shedding the blood of the prophets.’ “So you testify against yourselves, that you are sons of those who murdered the prophets. “Fill up, then, the measure of the guilt of your fathers. “You serpents, you brood of vipers, how will you escape the sentence of hell?”

That sounds definitely like a promise of vindication and retribution.

Did Jesus attack them on earth?
No, He was meek and mild and like a lamb led to the slaughter,
But that did not mean that He did not expect His Father to vindicate Him.

Consider:
1 Peter 2:21-23 “For you have been called for this purpose, since Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example for you to follow in His steps, WHO COMMITTED NO SIN, NOR WAS ANY DECEIT FOUND IN HIS MOUTH; and while being reviled, He did not revile in return; while suffering, He uttered no threats, but kept entrusting Himself to Him who judges righteously;”

• Jesus didn’t take His own revenge.
• Jesus didn’t offer His own judgment.
• But He most certainly trusted that God would.

The reality is that our current Christianity
Has desperately tried to eliminate the message
That God is the Judge.

Isn’t that true?
Everyone loves to speak of God being the Savior and the Good Father,
But no one sings about God being the Judge of all the earth.

• One casualty to that omission is that it obviously blasphemes God since it strips Him of authority that is obviously His.

• Another obvious casualty is that sinners no longer fear God and therefore see no need for salvation. (That discussion is for another time)

• The other casualty is that Christians no longer understand that their God will vindicate them when they suffer righteously.

This is one of the reasons meekness is so hard for the present day believer.
• They are afraid that if they are meek then no one will make things right.

This is why forgiveness is so hard for the present day believer.
• They are afraid that if they forgive, no one will vindicate them.

They are afraid that if they don’t take their own revenge
Then justice will never have its day.

That is the casualty of losing sight of the fact
That God is a righteous judge.

Scripture promises that we can be meek and forgiving and submissive because God does vindicate His people.

Listen to Moses speaking to the children of Israel, just before his death.
Deuteronomy 32:36 “For the LORD will vindicate His people, And will have compassion on His servants, When He sees that their strength is gone, And there is none remaining, bond or free.”

Listen to Isaiah as he pleads for Israel to trust God
Isaiah 51:7-8, 21-23 “Listen to Me, you who know righteousness, A people in whose heart is My law; Do not fear the reproach of man, Nor be dismayed at their revilings. “For the moth will eat them like a garment, And the grub will eat them like wool. But My righteousness will be forever, And My salvation to all generations…Therefore, please hear this, you afflicted, Who are drunk, but not with wine: Thus says your Lord, the LORD, even your God Who contends for His people, “Behold, I have taken out of your hand the cup of reeling, The chalice of My anger; You will never drink it again. “I will put it into the hand of your tormentors, Who have said to you, ‘Lie down that we may walk over you.’ You have even made your back like the ground And like the street for those who walk over it.”

Or even travel to the New Testament.

Listen to Jesus make a promise to faithful and persecuted believers.
Matthew 10:24-26 “A disciple is not above his teacher, nor a slave above his master. “It is enough for the disciple that he become like his teacher, and the slave like his master. If they have called the head of the house Beelzebul, how much more will they malign the members of his household! “Therefore do not fear them, for there is nothing concealed that will not be revealed, or hidden that will not be known.”

Listen to Paul speak to the Colossians
Colossians 3:1-4 “Therefore if you have been raised up with Christ, keep seeking the things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your mind on the things above, not on the things that are on earth. For you have died and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ, who is our life, is revealed, then you also will be revealed with Him in glory.”

Listen to Jesus promise the church at Philadelphia:
Revelation 3:9 “Behold, I will cause those of the synagogue of Satan, who say that they are Jews and are not, but lie — I will make them come and bow down at your feet, and make them know that I have loved you.”

And listen to heaven as God’s vengeance is poured out:
Revelation 16:4-7 “Then the third angel poured out his bowl into the rivers and the springs of waters; and they became blood. And I heard the angel of the waters saying, “Righteous are You, who are and who were, O Holy One, because You judged these things; for they poured out the blood of saints and prophets, and You have given them blood to drink. They deserve it.” And I heard the altar saying, “Yes, O Lord God, the Almighty, true and righteous are Your judgments.”

Do you get my point?

Certainly as believer we go the extra mile,
And turn the other cheek, and never take our own revenge,
And we forgive those who trespass against us.

This was the model of our Lord, and this is our divine command.

But here we are talking about our prayer life.
• Here we are talking about the spiritual battle we fight.
• Here we are talking about the language of the church as she privately appeals
to her God and Savior.

And here we learn that
The believer has every right to cry out to God for vindication!

Let’s work through this Psalm together.

I’m just going to break it down into 2 main points.
• What we have here is something similar to that of a courtroom scene.
• David is approaching the bench and making his appeal before the most righteous Judge to ever take his seat.

And David, in full awestruck honor of this Judge, makes his appeal.

It is a model picture of praying for vindication.
#1 HIS CASE
Psalms 7:1-11

We are aware that this heading does in fact give us the context, though it is difficult since Scripture doesn’t seem to include the specific story.

“A Shiggaion of David, which he sang to the LORD concerning Cush, a Benjamite.”

“A Shiggaion” was a highly emotional song to the Lord.
And this one was regarding “Cush, a Benjamite”

As I said, that’s difficult because we don’t know who he’s talking about.
Spurgeon wondered if it might be “Kish a Benjamite”
And that’s not far-fetched since Hebrew has no vowels, only consonants.

If that is so, then we could be talking about the father of Saul
Saul was called “the Son of Kish” and was of the tribe of Benjamin.

It could be that David is frustrated that
Despite his decisions not to persecute or oppress Saul
That he is still being provoked against David.

David, as you know (like the believer), has been forbidden from touching God’s anointed or from taking his own revenge.

And even when David has Saul in his grasp,
He chose twice to let him go, and yet Saul still rages after him.

David can’t take his own revenge,
But he can most assuredly pray for the Lord’s vindication.

Here he is presenting his case.

Let’s break this down just a tad farther.
1) HIS APPROACH (1-2)
“O LORD my God, in You I have taken refuge; Save me from all those who pursue me, and deliver me, Or he will tear my soul like a lion, Dragging me away, while there is none to deliver.”

Here we are instantly reminded of David’s faith.
• He isn’t coming to God because He has heard that God is a fierce bounty hunter.
• He is coming to God because all of His trust is in God.
“in You I have taken refuge”

David purposely didn’t kill Saul
Because he had believed that such an action would dishonor God,
And David had chosen to trust God.

What is also clear is that despite David’s meekness, he was under attack.

So, still not willing to deal with Saul himself, David approaches God:
“Save me from all those who pursue me, and deliver me,”

• Do you note the boldness with which he approaches the throne?
• Do you note the confidence with which he appeals to God?

David’s job had been submission to God.
God’s job was the salvation of David.
So David, in his submission, now runs to God asking for His salvation.

Most notably because THE STAKES ARE HIGH.
(2) “Or he will tear my soul like a lion, dragging me away, while there is none to deliver.”

This is shepherd talk from David.
• He knows that a sheep without a shepherd is easy pray for a lion.
• Sheep need constant care from their protector.

David is the sheep, and the LORD is his Shepherd.
David is no match for the lion that lurks, and so he is bleating like a sheep
That his Shepherd might come running.

Certainly, thanks to the New Testament, we fill in the gaps even more.
And we read what Peter had to say:
1 Peter 5:8 “Be of sober spirit, be on the alert. Your adversary, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.”

And in our defense, WE HAVE BUT ON OPTION,
And that is to approach the throne of our God that He might deliver.
That is what David does.

2) HIS ARGUMENT (3-5)
“O LORD my God, if I have done this, If there is injustice in my hands, If I have rewarded evil to my friend, Or have plundered him who without cause was my adversary, Let the enemy pursue my soul and overtake it; And let him trample my life down to the ground And lay my glory in the dust. Selah.”

David begins by stating his plea before God,
And it is a clear and resounding “Not Guilty!”

• That does not mean that David is claiming sinless perfection in his life.
• Most certainly not, many other Psalms will reveal that David knew he was sinful before God.

Rather, David is coming before God and in this case declaring innocence.

And he boldly states it by calling down a curse on his head
If God should find him otherwise.

“If I have done this, if there is injustice in my hands, if I have rewarded evil to may friend, or have plundered him who without cause was my adversary, let the enemy pursue my soul and overtake it; and let him trample my life down to the ground and lay my glory in the dust.”

David knew that regarding Saul, he was innocent.
• He had never rewarded him with evil
• He had never plundered him, even though Saul had no cause to be his
adversary.

AND AGAIN WE STRESS that the behavior of a Christian
Must not mirror the request of the Christian in this instance.
David is praying for vindication, but David never went after it.

• David never justified attacking Saul…
• David never justified plundering Saul…
• David never said, “Well, I tried to do what is right, but he doesn’t deserve that anymore.”

How many Christians blaspheme their God through their behavior because they determine to take matters into their own hands?

• Forget slaves submitting to their masters, “I told my boss where he could
go!”
• Forget wives submitting to their husbands, “He should’ve met my needs!”
• Forget husbands loving their wives, “Well she should’ve quit nagging me!”
• Forget honor the king, “Well if Donald Trump wasn’t such an idiot”

Do you understand that if you take your own revenge then you have just rendered yourself unable to appear before this Judge?

David didn’t take his own revenge
And now he could stand before God and honestly say,
“I have left this matter for You to handle.”

Let me just remind you that
This is a legitimate prayer for vindication
But only for those who have legitimately obeyed God’s mandate
For how they treat their enemies.

David approached in faith
David argued in his own integrity
3) HIS APPEAL (6-11)

Well there it is!
And David pulls no punches.

“Arise, O LORD, in Your anger; Lift up Yourself against the rage of my adversaries, And arouse Yourself for me;”

Could it be any clearer?
Get up, be angry, and do it for me!

HOW COULD DAVID PRAY SUCH A PRAYER?
BECAUSE OF WHAT HE KNEW ABOUT GOD.

For ONE THING, David didn’t invent the concept of judgment, God did.
“You have appointed judgment”

• It was God who ordained that the wicked would be judged and the righteous would be vindicated.

For ANOTHER THING, God’s role as a faithful judge is a foundational role that He plays among His people.
(7) “Let the assembly of the peoples encompass You, and over them return on high.”

• David expected God to Judge, because God judging was fundamental to the way He governed His people.

“encompass” is a Hebrew word
That can mean “turn towards”

Which is David’s way of saying that
God’s propensity to judge Israel’s enemies
Is one of the things that keeps Israel turning to God.

Beyond that, and probably most importantly, DAVID KNEW GOD

He gives here 4 attributes about God,
And the church today would do well to remember them.

(8) “The LORD judges the peoples;”

• Have we forgotten that?
• Have we forgotten that every man will in fact give an account to God?
• Have we forgotten that God evaluates all men and returns their conduct upon
their own head without partiality?

God judges (even in a world “Judge nots!”) God still judges.

Which is why David prayed “Vindicate me, O LORD, according to my righteousness and my integrity that is in me.”

Again, David speaks of this situation.
But since God is the judge,
Then look at the situation and make a just ruling.

When you are in need of a judgment, you turn to the Judge.
David knew God is the Judge.

He also knew:
(9b) “the righteous God tries the hearts and minds.”

That is to say that David knew that God judged more than just behavior.
• God also judges men’s motives.
• God also judges men’s thoughts.

Jeremiah 17:10 “I, the LORD, search the heart, I test the mind, Even to give to each man according to his ways, According to the results of his deeds.”

Acts 15:8 “And God, who knows the heart, testified to them giving them the Holy Spirit, just as He also did to us;”

God will certainly condemn the wicked
Even if their wickedness has been concealed.

David knew that no fact eludes the gaze of God
And when He judges, He will get His judgment right,
For He judges all things.

That is why David could pray at the beginning of verse 9
(9) “O let the evil of the wicked come to an end, but establish the righteous”

He knew God alone was capable of such a feat
Because God could look at the heart and see with total accuracy
Who was wicked and who was righteous.

God knows what’s going on in the heart of man
And His judgments are always accurate.

Let me tell you something else David knew about God.
(10) “My shield is with God, who saves the upright in heart.”

David knew that when God took the throne to judge
And when God looked at the heart
THAT GOD NEVER CONDEMNED THE INNOCENT.

God “saves the upright in heart.”

That is why David brought this issue to God.
He knew that God would issue a righteous judgment.

God never condemns the righteous.

And that is yet another truth David knows about God.
(10) “God is a righteous judge, and a God who has indignation every day.”

• God never acquits the guilty.
• God is never amused with the wicked.
• God never laughs at iniquity.
• God never condones vileness.

God is a righteous judge and sin infuriates Him.
• He sits on His bench and He judges all men.
• He sees their hearts.
• And those who are righteous He acquits.
• And those who are guilty He judges and He judges with “indignation”.

That’s just theology right there.
That is the doctrine of who God is.

A righteous judge who sees the heart
And who always acquits the innocent
And who always condemns the wicked with fierce wrath.

AND SINCE DAVID KNOWS GOD
David refrains from taking his own revenge
And comes and presents his case before God.

Christian, that is how you do it.
• We do not take our own revenge…
• We do not withhold forgiveness…
• We do not rebel and stop our submission…

We do as Christ did.
1 Peter 2:21-23 “For you have been called for this purpose, since Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example for you to follow in His steps, WHO COMMITTED NO SIN, NOR WAS ANY DECEIT FOUND IN HIS MOUTH; and while being reviled, He did not revile in return; while suffering, He uttered no threats, but kept entrusting Himself to Him who judges righteously;”

We submit and we trust God to save and vindicate and judge.

And I have no problem praying that way to Him about it.
• God stop them…
• God silence them…
• God rise up and vindicate Your people…

THAT IS HOW DAVID PRAYED.

Now, one thing you WON’T FIND in this Psalm is GOD’S ANSWER.
We have no doubt that God vindicated David,
But we don’t know how or when He did it.

But what we do see is the confidence and peace that overtook David
When he was able to lay this burden before God.

You see David’s Case
#2 HIS CONFIDENCE
Psalms 7:12-17

Having left his case before God, while awaiting the verdict,
You don’t get any concern in the heart of David.

David is still convinced of 3 things because he knows who God is.

Look at the three things David is confident in.
1) THAT GOD DOES JUDGE (12-13)
“If a man does not repent, He will sharpen His sword; He has bent His bow and made it ready. He has also prepared for Himself deadly weapons; He makes His arrows fiery shafts.”

Now again, we hold out that very important clause.
“If a man does not repent”

This is one of the things we love about our God.
• He is a righteous God who has indignation every morning,
• And yet He is a merciful God that always leaves room for repentance.

Saul deserved judgment from God,
But Saul did not have to receive judgment from God.
Saul had the opportunity to repent.

And we never lose sight of that.
Even in our prayers for vindication, we always begin by asking that God would change the heart of our persecutor and lead them to repentance.

That is always our plea.
Even Jesus, who pronounced judgment on Jerusalem wept because they would not repent when given the opportunity.

Judgment was fitting but it was not preferred.
Maintain that balance.

But we also know that
God does not just allow sinners to shun forgiveness
And afflict His people forever.

To state it again.
God has commanded us to turn the other cheek, but that does not mean that He is ok with the wicked slapping His children.

THE WICKED MUST REPENT OF THAT.

And if they don’t “He will sharpen His sword; He has bent His bow and made it ready. He has also prepared for Himself deadly weapons; He makes His arrows fiery shafts.”

After this trial David was supremely confident of one thing.
Saul would either apologize or God would crush him.

Let it do your heart good to know that as a child of God,
Your Father will protect His children.
David had no doubt that God does in fact judge.

Let me show you something else David was confident about.
2) THAT THE WICKED WILL FALL (14-16)
“Behold, he travails with wickedness, And he conceives mischief and brings forth falsehood. He has dug a pit and hollowed it out, And has fallen into the hole which he made. His mischief will return upon his own head, And his violence will descend upon his own pate.”

The pagan religions confuse this with karma
It is actually the unfailing promise of a righteous God
That the wicked will not escape.

Galatians 6:7 “Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, this he will also reap.”

It is seen in that beautiful story of Esther.
Esther 7:9-10 “Then Harbonah, one of the eunuchs who were before the king said, “Behold indeed, the gallows standing at Haman’s house fifty cubits high, which Haman made for Mordecai who spoke good on behalf of the king!” And the king said, “Hang him on it.” So they hanged Haman on the gallows which he had prepared for Mordecai, and the king’s anger subsided.”

David knew that all the mischief conceived by the wicked
Will only destroy the wicked.

Do not let the fact escape your notice that
The only person Saul’s sword ever killed was Saul.

1 Chronicles 10:4 “Then Saul said to his armor bearer, “Draw your sword and thrust me through with it, otherwise these uncircumcised will come and abuse me.” But his armor bearer would not, for he was greatly afraid. Therefore Saul took his sword and fell on it.”

Saul’s mischief returned on his own head.
And David was confident of that fact.

He knew that not only does God judge,
But God sees to it that the wicked will fall.

One other thing David was confident in.
3) THE RIGHTEOUS WILL BE VINDICATED (17)
“I will give thanks to the LORD according to His righteousness And will sing praise to the name of the LORD Most High.”

While the wicked will be suffering
David knew that the righteous would be singing.

That is the picture here.
• David went to court and appeared before God.
• He presented his case before the righteous Judge.
• And now David sits out in the hall as the Judge sits in His chamber preparing to render His judgment, but David has no doubt how this will end.

Believer you are afforded that same confidence.
• God will vindicate you.
• And you can ask Him for it.
• You cannot pursue it by your own hand,
• But you most certainly can appeal to your Heavenly Father and the Righteous Judge to provide it for you.

To read once more:
Revelation 3:8-9 “I know your deeds. Behold, I have put before you an open door which no one can shut, because you have a little power, and have kept My word, and have not denied My name. ‘Behold, I will cause those of the synagogue of Satan, who say that they are Jews and are not, but lie — I will make them come and bow down at your feet, and make them know that I have loved you.”

How To Be Faithful in a Fallen World
2 Timothy 1:3-14
August 19, 2018

As you are aware this morning we are going to commission our teachers and students back again into the great mission field of the school system.

We understand that as the church we have an obligation
To proclaim Christ’s excellencies
Wherever we dwell, wherever we work, wherever we go.

And the school system is one of those areas that affects most all of us.
• Some actual work there as their occupation
• Others spend a lot of time volunteering and serving in extracurricular functions
• Many of us regularly attend school functions
• And a great many of us send our children there for many hours a year

Certainly anything that has such an influence
On our time, our families, our children,
SHOULD NOT BE OVERLOOKED AS A PLACE
Where we want to proclaim the truth of Jesus Christ.

And we try to remember this each year.

In fact last year, we reminded that like Ezekiel, we are all watchmen.
• We know the truths of judgment
• We know the way of salvation
• We are held accountable as those who know the truth

Surely everyone in here who claims to be a servant of Christ
Understands the mandate that is ours to share the gospel.

I HOPE YOU STILL UNDERSTAND THAT.
In fact, I’m going to trust that you do,
And that will allow us to move on to the next step this morning.

This past Wednesday night in prayer meeting Amy prayed that she knew she was going to get a “Beat Down” in the sermon this morning as she was reminded of the calling to share the truth even in the school.

But honestly, the goal this morning is not a beat down.
The goal this morning is a build up.

This morning we are looking at a “How To” text.

• Most of you are familiar with the setting of 2 Timothy which is all about encouraging a discouraged pastor.

• When you read 1 Timothy you find that Paul had left Timothy in Ephesus to straighten out a church that had lost it’s way.

• There were men there who were teaching strange doctrines, and Paul left Timothy to “fight the good fight” and right the ship.

• It must have been a terribly difficult battle because by the time we get to 2 Timothy, it is clear that Timothy has had enough and he wants to quit.

• This letter from Paul is a letter meant to challenge, encourage, and instruct Timothy how to get back in the saddle.

But more than just a “Rah-Rah” message of encouragement,
It is also a practical message of the specific steps
That Timothy should take in order to do that.

SO…
• If you have been redeemed by Christ
• If you understand that you are also under obligation to share the gospel
• If you are aware of exactly where the gospel must be shared
• But if you are timid or afraid or weak in obedience to that command

THEN THIS IS FOR YOU

It is encouragement from Paul, to Timothy,
About how to get over his fear and discouragement
And how to be the faithful steward that God had called him to be.

There are actually 5 very practical pieces of advice here.

If you struggle with confidence and boldness in your evangelism here are 5 practical things to do.
#1 FOCUS ON THE SPIRIT, NOT THE FLESH
2 Timothy 1:6-7

We’re going to come back to verses 3-5 in a moment,
But you do need to at least notice here that verse 5 reminds Timothy that Paul is in fact convinced of his salvation.

(5) “For I am mindful of the sincere faith within you, which first dwelt in your grandmother Lois and your mother Eunice, and I am sure that it is in you as well.”

Obviously if Paul is not convinced of Timothy’s salvation
Then this letter is a moot point.
But Paul believes that Timothy is in fact saved.

Which allows for what he says next:
(6) “For this reason I remind you to kindle afresh the gift of God which is in you through the laying on of my hands.”

• Because Paul believes Timothy to be saved,
• Paul knows that Timothy is in fact indwelt by the Holy Spirit
• And therefore does in fact have a spiritual gift.

If you are not familiar with the concept of spiritual gifts,
Let me give you a quick introduction.

1 Corinthians 12:4-7 “Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit. And there are varieties of ministries, and the same Lord. There are varieties of effects, but the same God who works all things in all persons. But to each one is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good.”

• While all believers are indwelt by the Holy Spirit as a work of regeneration,
• It is also true that in each believer the Holy Spirit sovereignly chooses to manifest Himself in a specific way.

• All believers have the Holy Spirit and therefore should demonstrate the fruit of the Holy Spirit.
• And in addition to fruit, they have a spiritual gift, which is a way in which the Spirit manifests Himself in the life of that believer for the common edification of the church.

This manifestation is called a spiritual gift.
• It is not a talent
• It is not earned
• It is absolutely supernatural
• It is the ability of the Holy Spirit made manifest in the otherwise powerless life of a believer.
• And you don’t get to pick it

Gifts are given through the sovereign prerogative of God.
1 Corinthians 12:11 “But one and the same Spirit works all these things, distributing to each one individually just as He wills.”

We don’t have time this morning to get into the gifts specifically,
Or to enter the discussion about the sign gifts,

BUT IT IS ENOUGH this morning for our purposes for you to understand
That God supernaturally gifts His children for ministry.

Ephesians 4:7-13 “But to each one of us grace was given according to the measure of Christ’s gift. Therefore it says, “WHEN HE ASCENDED ON HIGH, HE LED CAPTIVE A HOST OF CAPTIVES, AND HE GAVE GIFTS TO MEN.” (Now this expression, “He ascended,” what does it mean except that He also had descended into the lower parts of the earth? He who descended is Himself also He who ascended far above all the heavens, so that He might fill all things.) And He gave some as apostles, and some as prophets, and some as evangelists, and some as pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of service, to the building up of the body of Christ; until we all attain to the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a mature man, to the measure of the stature which belongs to the fullness of Christ.”

And since these are gifts made available through God’s Spirit,
The believer must understand that the work done in the ministry
Is done through the Spirit’s power, not our own.

1 Peter 4:10-11 “As each one has received a special gift, employ it in serving one another as good stewards of the manifold grace of God. Whoever speaks, is to do so as one who is speaking the utterances of God; whoever serves is to do so as one who is serving by the strength which God supplies; so that in all things God may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom belongs the glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen.”

So, because of the reality of spiritual gifts,
Believers are obligated to serve according to the strength of the Spirit
And should not depend upon their own flesh as their source of strength.

To do ministry in your strength, glorifies you.
To do ministry in the strength which God supplies, glorifies God.

And this is where Paul begins his encouragement to Timothy.
“I remind you to kindle afresh the gift of God which is in you through the laying on of my hands.”

“the laying on of may hands” was the means in which Timothy was commissioned to use the gift that was recognized in him by the church.

1 Timothy 4:14 “Do not neglect the spiritual gift within you, which was bestowed on you through prophetic utterance with the laying on of hands by the presbytery.”

So very simply and briefly put.
• Timothy’s faith was evident to those around him.
• Timothy’s spiritual gift of preaching was also evident to those around him.
• As such, they laid their hands on him, so as to set him apart for the ministry of
preaching the gospel.

They affirmed that spiritual gift in him.

So, if you are keeping score,
• Paul is reminding Timothy that he is convinced that Timothy is saved,
• And that Timothy has a spiritual gift,
• (the rest of the letter makes clear that this gift is preaching.)

This means that Timothy has been supernaturally equipped by God
To handle the ministry which God has laid before him.

And to that end Paul gives this encouragement:
“I remind you to kindle afresh the gift of God which is in you”

“kindle afresh” is a Greek word that
“speaks of blowing on coals to rekindle a fire that is dying.”

In short, Timothy is to remember and look back to
That passion which God poured into him.

And this is how spiritual gifts are often made manifest.

If you are unsure as to your spiritual gift,
• I would ask you first, “What are you passionate about?”
• Secondly, I would ask the church, what they see in you. (Because it is often the church that recognizes that gift and affirms it in us)

And in the case of preaching (like with Timothy)
It would be a passion that God poured in to him
And one that the Holy Spirit is eager to use.

Consider Jeremiah:
Jeremiah 20:7-9 “O LORD, You have deceived me and I was deceived; You have overcome me and prevailed. I have become a laughingstock all day long; Everyone mocks me. For each time I speak, I cry aloud; I proclaim violence and destruction, Because for me the word of the LORD has resulted In reproach and derision all day long. But if I say, “I will not remember Him Or speak anymore in His name,” Then in my heart it becomes like a burning fire Shut up in my bones; And I am weary of holding it in, And I cannot endure it.”

• You can easily see Jeremiah’s fleshly frustration,
• But you also see that there is a gift and a calling and a fire in him that will not let him stop.

Paul knows this same type of fire is in Timothy, and he needs to revisit it.

I suppose one might ask at this point, “How do I do that?”
How do I kindle afresh my gift?

• Certainly it begins with repentance for having forsaken it…
• Certainly there is prayer confessing to God the need for His strength…
• But on an even more practical note – SERVE

Put your gift to use and you will find in that
A fulfillment and a satisfaction that is literally beyond you.

But Paul wants Timothy to focus again
On the fact that God has gifted him for this.

YOU AS WELL.
• Those of you who are redeemed who will head into the school tomorrow morning, God has also gifted you.
• Possibly with gifts of teaching or proclaiming truth or evangelism, but also with gifts of service and leadership and compassion.

RELY ON HIS STRENGTH AND USE YOUR GIFT

WHY?
(7) “For God has not given us a spirit of timidity, but of power and love and discipline.”

That word “timidity” in the Greek literally means “cowardice”

That fear and that trembling and that cowardice that you fear,
DID NOT COME FROM GOD.

Where did that come from?
That came from your flesh

Your natural flesh is cowardly and weak and selfish and enslaved to sin.
BUT GOD HAS REDEEMED YOU and set His spirit within you,
And HIS SPIRIT IS NONE OF THOSE THINGS.

The Spirit God gives is that “of power, and love and discipline.”

“power”
Acts 1:8 “but you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be My witnesses both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and even to the remotest part of the earth.”

“love”
Romans 5:5 “and hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out within our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us.”

“discipline” (i.e. self-control, no longer following the impulses of the flesh)
Galatians 5:16 “But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not carry out the desire of the flesh.”

And we could really talk a whole lot more just on these verses,
But THE FIRST PRACTICAL POINT I want you to understand
As you go into that school is that
You cannot succeed in your own flesh and by your own abilities.

You are too cowardly, you are too weak, you are too selfish,
And you are too enslaved…ON YOUR OWN.

But the God who has redeemed you has put fire in you
And power in you and love in you and discipline in you.
DRAW ON THAT

Rely on the Spirit, no the flesh
#2 CHOOSE SUFFERING OVER SHAME
2 Timothy 2:8

You clearly see the admonition of Paul here:
“Therefore do not be ashamed of the testimony of our Lord or of me His prisoner,”

It harkens back to that famous passage in Romans 1
Romans 1:16 “For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.”

It is a word that refers to embarrassment.

We know that the “testimony of our Lord” is NOT a message honored by the world.

• We are proclaiming life and hope and salvation through a man that the world saw condemned and crucified.

We also know that it is NOT a loved message, hence the fact that Paul was now a “prisoner” because of it.

And because of the mocking and scorn of the world, we are tempted at times to back away from the message.
• We omit the offense of the cross
• We omit the reality of judgment
• We omit the heinousness of sin

We don’t want to be shamed, we don’t want to be persecuted.

But Paul says, DON’T DO THAT TIMOTHY

Instead, “join with me in suffering for the gospel according to the power of God.”

Can I remind you of something that you probably already know?
• When you are called by God to share the gospel…
• When you are called by God to bear witness of Jesus Christ…

You are now stuck with only 2 options.
You will either obey Him, which opens the door to suffering
Or you will disobey Him, which will bring you shame

Think about it believer,
Can you remember a time when you failed to bear witness for Christ?
• Did that really make you feel good?

Of course not, there is shame in that.
We, like Peter, feel the need to go out and weep bitterly when we fail our Lord.

So take the other option which is to choose suffering over shame.
Make your mind up ahead of time.

You all know that I like to coach Little League Baseball.
Those who have played on my teams over the years know
We always have a motto. “Love Wins”

Love sacrifices self for the good of another
Perfect love casts out fear

We remind our boys and girls that in order to succeed as a team
You are going to have to face your fears
And sacrifice yourself for the good of the team.

And one thing I remind baseball players of religiously is this:
YOU CANNOT PLAY BASEBALL IF YOU ARE AFRAID OF THE BALL

You cannot play the game, the way the game is meant to be played
If you are afraid of the ball.

You must resolve yourself to the fact and overcome it.

You cannot play baseball with a fear of the ball
And you cannot serve Christ with a fear of suffering.
Doesn’t mean you will always suffer, but you must embrace the possibility.

Get that in your mind now.
Philippians 1:29 “For to you it has been granted for Christ’s sake, not only to believe in Him, but also to suffer for His sake,”

Suffering IS NOT peculiar.
Suffering IS promised.
Get that through your head right now.

God didn’t call you to a life of ease, He called you to a life of suffering.
The sooner you get that through your mind Timothy,
The sooner you will be able to serve Christ effectively and without shame.

Rely on the Spirit, not the flesh – Choose suffering over shame
#3 REMEMBER THAT GOD IS NOT ON YOUR MISSION, YOU ARE ON HIS
2 Timothy 1:9-11

Discouragement and frustration often occur in our ministries
When we just don’t see God doing what we wish He was doing.

As a pastor, I may expect
• Large crowds,
• Radical salvations,
• Maybe a radio broadcast, etc.

Maybe you expected that if you share
• All of your friends would be saved,
• Your co-workers would repent,

And like the movie “Facing the Giants”
• Revival would break out in your school,
• You’d get a new pickup,
• You’d get a raise,
• Your wife would get pregnant,
• And you’d win 2 state championships.

Wouldn’t that be great!
And if that’s God’s plan, then ABSOLUTELY.

But if that’s your plan, let me ask you to check it at the door.
We are not in the results department,
We are in the obedience department.

And that is what Paul is reminding Timothy of here.
I don’t know what sort of expectations Timothy had for his church,
But I think it’s safe to say that those expectations are not being met.

So Paul reminds Timothy very candidly here that
God didn’t call him in order to fulfill Timothy’s ministries.
God called Timothy to fulfill His own purposes.

Now there is a lot here that we just don’t have time to get into.
Verses 9-11 actually give a brief synopsis of the entire gospel.

But catch the high points with me.

Paul FIRST reminds that God “saved us and called us with a holy calling”
• We didn’t enlist God, God enlisted us.
• We didn’t set the expectation for God, God set the expectation for us

And THEN Paul reminds that God did not save us “according to our works, but according to His own purpose”
• Certainly we know that we are saved by grace and not works.
• But that’s NOT what Paul is talking about here.
• Paul is reminding Timothy that God did not save us FOR our works, God
saved us FOR His works.

It is NOT LIKE we were all students at MIT waiting for someone to come along and fund our projects, and God obliged. (NO)

We WERE LIKE students at MIT waiting for someone to come along and fund our projects…and God showed up, asked us to leave school, ditch our projects, burn our research, and go to work on His project.

That is what Paul reminds Timothy of.

If you are discouraged because God isn’t blessing your ministry like you expected then let it go.
GOD RECRUITED YOU FOR HIS PURPOSE,
Your job is simply to preach the gospel here at Ephesus,
Regardless of the outcome.

NOTICE that this “purpose and grace…was granted us in Christ Jesus from all eternity, [and] now has been revealed by the appearing of our Savior Christ Jesus, who abolished death and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel,”

Do you catch the point?
• God’s ministry began long before yours.
• He had a plan long before you entered the equation.
• He recruited you (and me) to fulfill His plan.

You are here to magnify God’s ministry
WHICH IS the salvation of the world, the abolishment of death,
And to bring life and immortality to men
Through the appearing, death, and resurrection of Christ.

You are here to magnify that purpose.

To which Paul says, (11) “for which I was appointed a preacher and an apostle and a teacher.”

Do you get that?
God isn’t sending you into that school so that you can build your ministry, (or even the ministry of this church.)
• It’s not so that you can help our youth group to get bigger.
• It’s not so that you can help add families to our congregation.

God is sending you into that school as one He has recruited
To make known His purpose of salvation through Jesus.

This has been God’s plan “from all eternity”.
This plan was “revealed by the appearing of our Savior.”
This is the plan for which we have been “appointed a preacher”.

If you have your own ideas and expectations about what God should do for your ministry, drop those at the door.

There is nothing but frustration and discouragement in expecting God to honor your plans.
• Go read some of those complaining prayers of Jeremiah.
• Go read about Elijah’s pity-party before God at Sinai because God didn’t do
what Elijah expected

EXPECTING GOD TO SERVE YOU INSTEAD OF YOU SERVING GOD
IS A PATHWAY TO DISCOURAGEMENT

Rely on the Spirit, not the flesh – Choose suffering over shame
Remember God is not on your mission, you are on His
#4 BE INSPIRED BY THE CONVICTION OF OTHERS
2 Timothy 2:12

This may seem like a secondary point,
But it is so helpful in our obedience.

This is a major theme that Paul brings to light in this letter of 2 Timothy.
I had hoped we would have time to travel through the book and look at each of these, but I just don’t think we will have time, so you may have to do this study on your own.

But in this letter Paul lists 24 people by name.
• 8 of them serve as positive examples for Timothy
• 8 of them serve as negative examples for Timothy
• 8 of them serve as current servants alongside Timothy

Let me give you a quick rundown.

POSITIVE EXAMPLES
Sincere Faith in Lois and Eunice
2 Timothy 1:5 “For I am mindful of the sincere faith within you, which first dwelt in your grandmother Lois and your mother Eunice, and I am sure that it is in you as well.”

Unashamed service in Paul (the verse here)
2 Timothy 1:12 “For this reason I also suffer these things, but I am not ashamed; for I know whom I have believed and I am convinced that He is able to guard what I have entrusted to Him until that day.”

Unashamed diligence in Onesiphorus
2 Timothy 1:16 “The Lord grant mercy to the house of Onesiphorus, for he often refreshed me and was not ashamed of my chains;”

Faithfulness in Jesus Christ
2 Timothy 2:8, 13 “Remember Jesus Christ, risen from the dead, descendant of David, according to my gospel…If we are faithless, He remains faithful, for He cannot deny Himself.”

Endurance in Paul
2 Timothy 3:10-11 “Now you followed my teaching, conduct, purpose, faith, patience, love, perseverance, persecutions, and sufferings, such as happened to me at Antioch, at Iconium and at Lystra; what persecutions I endured, and out of them all the Lord rescued me!”

Reward for Paul
2 Timothy 4:6-8 “For I am already being poured out as a drink offering, and the time of my departure has come. 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.”

Perseverance by Luke
And restoration to ministry by Mark (the former deserter)
2 Timothy 4:11 “Only Luke is with me. Pick up Mark and bring him with you, for he is useful to me for service.”

All of those are faithful examples that Timothy can be encouraged by.

NEGATIVE EXAMPLES
Apostates who abandon the faith like Phylegus and Hermogenes
2 Timothy 1:15 “You are aware of the fact that all who are in Asia turned away from me, among whom are Phygelus and Hermogenes.”

Heretics who distort the truth like Hymenaus and Philetus
2 Timothy 2:16-18 “But avoid worldly and empty chatter, for it will lead to further ungodliness, and their talk will spread like gangrene. Among them are Hymenaeus and Philetus, men who have gone astray from the truth saying that the resurrection has already taken place, and they upset the faith of some.”

Depraved and rejected men like Janes and Jambres
2 Timothy 3:8-9 “Just as Jannes and Jambres opposed Moses, so these men also oppose the truth, men of depraved mind, rejected in regard to the faith. But they will not make further progress; for their folly will be obvious to all, just as Jannes’s and Jambres’s folly was also.”

Opposition to truth like Alexander
2 Timothy 4:14-15 “Alexander the coppersmith did me much harm; the Lord will repay him according to his deeds. Be on guard against him yourself, for he vigorously opposed our teaching.”

And through those lists you get the implied encouragement.
You can either be faithful like me and Onesiphorus and Luke
Or you can be faithless like Phylegus and Philetus and Alexander

THE POINT IS, we get tremendous ENCOURAGEMENT
By how others have followed Christ.

Do you remember the faith chapter in Hebrews 11?
That great faith hall of fame we read about…

Do you remember the encouragement?
Hebrews 12:1 “Therefore, since we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us also lay aside every encumbrance and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us,”

Take encouragement from the convictions of others.

That is what Paul is saying here to Timothy.
• Look at me!
• I suffer, but I’m not ashamed.
• It’s because I’m convinced that Jesus can guard what I’ve entrusted to Him.

And that’s great advice for you too.
• When you get in that school
• And you’re faced with hardship
• And your flesh wants to flee,
• Remember the convictions and faithfulness of others and let them inspire you walk in their steps.

It’s great advice to overcoming fear.

#5 FAITHFUL STEWARDS BEGIN AS FAITHFUL STUDENTS
2 Timothy 1:13-14

You recognize clearly the command of verse 14.

“Guard, through the Holy Spirit who dwells in us, the treasure which has been entrusted to you.”

You know what that “treasure” is, it’s the gospel.
1 Timothy 6:20-21 “O Timothy, guard what has been entrusted to you, avoiding worldly and empty chatter and the opposing arguments of what is falsely called “knowledge” — which some have professed and thus gone astray from the faith. Grace be with you.”

You understand the call to defend the gospel and to guard the gospel

But let me tell you the step that precedes that.
(13) “Retain the standard of sound words, which you have heard from me, in the faith and love which are in Christ Jesus.”

The word “Retain” there is from a Greek word
Which means “to consider” or “to cling to” or “to hold in the mind”.

Paul is telling Timothy that he needs to hold in his mind
“the standard of sound words” that he heard from Paul.

What is that?
It’s the gospel.

So what is Paul saying?
• Timothy, you need to preach the gospel to yourself every day.
• Timothy, you need to meditate and hold on to the gospel every day.

WHY?
SO THAT YOU WILL TREASURE IT.

Because if you treasure the gospel,
You’ll have no problem guarding it.
We naturally guard what is valuable to us.

If you want to guard the gospel, then learn to treasure it.
If you want to treasure the gospel, then focus on it daily.

It is the glorious truth of how God in His mercy
Redeemed sinners like me to Himself through the sacrifice of His Son.

2 Corinthians 5:21 “He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.”

Focus on that every day.
Become a student of the gospel
And the natural outflow will be to make you a steward of it.

Now, we had to fly through that way faster than I wanted to, but let me hit you the high points one more time.

These are the keys to be faithful and effective in your ministry of the gospel to the school or even in your own workplace.

1) Rely on the Spirit, not the flesh
• You have a gift, use it
2) Choose suffering over shame
• We are called to suffer, embrace that, and stop running from it
3) Remember God is not on your mission, you are on His
• Do what He called you to do, let Him sort out the results
4) Be inspired by the conviction of others
• You are not the first to run this race, run it like the faithful before you
5) Faithful stewards begin as faithful students
• Preach the gospel to yourself daily, so that you will treasure it, and then you will naturally guard it.

Those are the steps that need to be taken
To overcome discouragement and fear
As we go into the world to share the gospel.

But there is one more thing I want to show you.
We skipped verses 3-5 to get started.

Verses 3-5 represent the package
In which Paul delivered these truths to Timothy.

(3-5) “I thank God, whom I serve with a clear conscience the way my forefathers did, as I constantly remember you in my prayers night and day, longing to see you, even as I recall your tears, so that I may be filled with joy. For I am mindful of the sincere faith within you, which first dwelt in your grandmother Lois and your mother Eunice, and I am sure that it is in you as well.”

Paul didn’t slap Timothy in the face and tell him to “be a man!”

He presented it in a package of gratitude
(3a) “I thank God, whom I serve with a clear conscience the way my forefathers did, as I constantly remember you”

He presented his advice in a package of prayer
(3b) “as I constantly remember you in my prayers night and day”

He presented his advice in a package of eagerness and expectation
(4) “longing to see you, even as I recall your tears, so that I may be filled with joy.”

He presented his advice in a package of confidence
(5) “For I am mindful of the sincere faith within you, which first dwelt in your grandmother Lois and your mother Eunice, and I am sure that it is in you as well.”

We want to encourage our students and teachers in exactly the same way.
THIS MORNING WE WANT TO PRAY FOR THEM.

For Those Who Groan
Psalms 6
August 12, 2018

Tonight we embark upon the 6th Psalm,
And I’m going to tell you from the outset that we are going to look at it
A little differently than how it is historically viewed.

• I want to be upfront about that at the beginning so that you will know that my
take on this Psalm doesn’t necessarily match the traditional view here.
• And I mention that because I have tremendous respect for the traditional views
and don’t take straying from them lightly.

Throughout the history of the church this Psalm has been widely viewed
As the first of the “Penitent Psalms” of David.

That is to say that this is the first of David’s Psalms of repentance.
(The list includes Psalms 32, 38, 51, 102, 130, 143)

Even upon reading Charles Spurgeon’s notes on this Psalm
It is abundantly clear that he and his contemporaries
Saw this Psalm as a Psalm of David’s grief over his sin.

And I have no problem showing you why they say that.

There is no doubt that the Psalm shows David in deep emotional and even spiritual turmoil.
• (2) “I am pining away”
• (2) “my bones are dismayed”
• (3) “my soul is greatly dismayed”
• (6) “I dissolve my couch with tears”
• (7) “My eye has wasted away with grief”
(and many others)

It is clear that David is in spiritual torture.

The question of the Psalm is WHY?
Traditionally that question has been answered like this: “Because of his sin”

They read verse 1 which says:
“O LORD, do not rebuke me in Your anger, Nor chasten me in Your wrath.”

And the interpretation goes like this.
• David is aware that he has sinned;
• He knows that he deserves rebuke;
• He knows that he deserves chastening;
• His only request is that God do it out of grace and not out of anger.

That coupled with
• David’s request for God to “save me” in verse 4
• And David’s eventual demand that all who do iniquity “depart” from him.

Many have seen this Psalm as David in a deep state of repentance,
Crying out for forgiveness, and finally after much grief and despair,
Reaching a point where he is ready and eager to throw off
Every sinful influence from his life.

And that’s really the historical view.
So if you hold that view, just know that you are in very good company.

I want you to know it because, as I said,
I don’t take straying from a traditional view lightly.

But I don’t think that’s David’s heart in this Psalm.
I don’t think this is a Psalm of repentance.

For one reason,
David never mentions that his own personal sin is the reason for his dismay.

Contrast that with some of the other penitent Psalms.
Psalms 32:3-4 “When I kept silent about my sin, my body wasted away Through my groaning all day long. For day and night Your hand was heavy upon me; My vitality was drained away as with the fever heat of summer. Selah.”

Psalms 38:3 “There is no soundness in my flesh because of Your indignation; There is no health in my bones because of my sin.”

Psalms 51:2-4 “Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity And cleanse me from my sin. For I know my transgressions, And my sin is ever before me. Against You, You only, I have sinned And done what is evil in Your sight, So that You are justified when You speak And blameless when You judge.”

Psalms 130:7-8 “O Israel, hope in the LORD; For with the LORD there is lovingkindness, And with Him is abundant redemption. And He will redeem Israel From all his iniquities.”

And while Psalms 102, and 143 don’t specifically mention sin either,
They do allude to the fact that
God’s anger and judgment have fallen on the Psalmist.

Psalms 102:10 “Because of Your indignation and Your wrath, For You have lifted me up and cast me away.”

Psalms 143:2 “And do not enter into judgment with Your servant, For in Your sight no man living is righteous.”

But not this Psalm.

We know David is in extreme distress,
But he never says that it is because of his sin
Or God’s judgment upon him.

SECONDLY to assume that David is distressed over his sin, actually overlooks the clear statement David makes in verse 7.

(7) “My eyes has wasted away with grief; It has become old because of all my adversaries.”

This Psalm ISN’T about David’s distress over his sin before God.
This Psalm IS about David’s distress over
Having to live in a world of people who live in and love sin.

David’s distress is over dwelling among people
Who are against the righteous life that he desires to live.

And the Psalm ends as a song of hope for all who share his frustration

Because David prophetically announces
verse 10 “All my enemies will be ashamed and greatly dismayed; They shall turn back, they will suddenly be ashamed.”
• David doesn’t end with the victory of personal forgiveness.
• David ends with the victory of the day when the wicked are ashamed.

Now, that’s just a couple of the reasons I’m going a different direction with this Psalm than the church fathers did.

Now, as I told you, if you go that direction you’re in good company,
But I must also tell you, that I’m in pretty good company too.
In fact, Jesus agrees with me.

Look at verse 8.
(8) “Depart from me, all you who do iniquity,”

Jesus actually quoted this Psalm in one of His sermons.
And it most certainly was not in reference to His own desire to put away a sinful influence from His life.

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

When Jesus referenced this Psalm,
He referenced it in regard to all the phony, hypocritical, religiousites
Who went through the motions but who didn’t really love God.

And Jesus revealed that at the final judgment
When they begging and pleading for their souls,
He will actually quote to them Psalms 6:8, “Depart from me, all you who do iniquity,”

Jesus applied this Psalm to the satisfaction of the righteous
When they no longer must endure the fellowship of the wicked.

And that is why I call this Psalm: “For Those Who Groan”

What do I mean by that?
I am talking about that select few in this world
• Who have been redeemed from their sin,
• Who now hate their sin,
• Who long for the glory of Christ and His perfect reign,
• But who are presently stuck in a situation where sin abounds and brings
tremendous grief to their souls.

This is NOT A GRIEF because they don’t like the consequences that sin continues to bring on their world (though certainly they don’t).

This is a grief because sin is honored, their God is dishonored,
Their Savior is rejected, and yet they have been left in this world
As lights in the midst of the darkness.

It is the groaning of the righteous who must dwell among the wicked.

And Scripture is FULL of this reality.
Consider Paul writing to the Philippians:
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.”

Consider Jeremiah as he watched the wickedness of his nation around him:
Jeremiah 8:18-19 “My sorrow is beyond healing, My heart is faint within me! Behold, listen! The cry of the daughter of my people from a distant land: “Is the LORD not in Zion? Is her King not within her?” “Why have they provoked Me with their graven images, with foreign idols?”

Jeremiah 9:1-2 “Oh that my head were waters And my eyes a fountain of tears, That I might weep day and night For the slain of the daughter of my people! Oh that I had in the desert A wayfarers’ lodging place; That I might leave my people And go from them! For all of them are adulterers, An assembly of treacherous men.”

Consider Habakkuk:
Habakkuk 1:1-3 “How long, O LORD, will I call for help, And You will not hear? I cry out to You, “Violence!” Yet You do not save. Why do You make me see iniquity, And cause me to look on wickedness? Yes, destruction and violence are before me; Strife exists and contention arises.”

Even consider the righteous MARTYRS of Rev. 6 who dwell below the altar:
Revelation 6:9-10 “When the Lamb broke the fifth seal, I saw underneath the altar the souls of those who had been slain because of the word of God, and because of the testimony which they had maintained; and they cried out with a loud voice, saying, ” How long, O Lord, holy and true, will You refrain from judging and avenging our blood on those who dwell on the earth?”

And in reality this is a groaning of all believers
Who know this world dishonors our God and exalts what He hates.

Romans 8:23 “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.”

2 Corinthians 5:2-4 “For indeed in this house we groan, longing to be clothed with our dwelling from heaven, inasmuch as we, having put it on, will not be found naked. For indeed while we are in this tent, we groan, being burdened, because we do not want to be unclothed but to be clothed, so that what is mortal will be swallowed up by life.”

It is just that constant affliction of soul that
Has to live as a child of God in a world operated by Satan.

And beyond the obvious emotional and spiritual strain that this brings,
Scripture also references that many times that contrast
Results in actual persecution which is also a source of grief.

1 & 2 Peter say much to this regard as Peter writes to those who are suffering as the righteous in a wicked world.

1 Peter 4:4-5 “In all this, they are surprised that you do not run with them into the same excesses of dissipation, and they malign you; but they will give account to Him who is ready to judge the living and the dead.”

Peter knew the persecution that was occurring
Because people had been redeemed and no longer wanted sin.

The Hebrews certainly faced this:
Hebrews 10:32-35 “But remember the former days, when, after being enlightened, you endured a great conflict of sufferings, partly by being made a public spectacle through reproaches and tribulations, and partly by becoming sharers with those who were so treated. For you showed sympathy to the prisoners and accepted joyfully the seizure of your property, knowing that you have for yourselves a better possession and a lasting one. Therefore, do not throw away your confidence, which has a great reward.”

Jesus even warned of it
John 16:1-4 “These things I have spoken to you so that you may be kept from stumbling. “They will make you outcasts from the synagogue, but an hour is coming for everyone who kills you to think that he is offering service to God. “These things they will do because they have not known the Father or Me. “But these things I have spoken to you, so that when their hour comes, you may remember that I told you of them. These things I did not say to you at the beginning, because I was with you.”

And sadly at times this persecution even comes from
Those who you thought where redeemed brothers and sisters in Christ
Who later revealed themselves to be apostate:

Psalms 55:4-14 “My heart is in anguish within me, And the terrors of death have fallen upon me. Fear and trembling come upon me, And horror has overwhelmed me. I said, “Oh, that I had wings like a dove! I would fly away and be at rest. “Behold, I would wander far away, I would lodge in the wilderness. Selah. “I would hasten to my place of refuge From the stormy wind and tempest.” Confuse, O Lord, divide their tongues, For I have seen violence and strife in the city. Day and night they go around her upon her walls, And iniquity and mischief are in her midst. Destruction is in her midst; Oppression and deceit do not depart from her streets. For it is not an enemy who reproaches me, Then I could bear it; Nor is it one who hates me who has exalted himself against me, Then I could hide myself from him. But it is you, a man my equal, My companion and my familiar friend; We who had sweet fellowship together Walked in the house of God in the throng.”

What we are talking about is the groaning of the righteous.
• We are talking about that deep grief and lament poured into the soul of those who are redeemed
• Because they are forced to live in a world which dishonors their king
• And runs as fast as they can for depravity and wickedness.

And let me tell you that THIS SHOULD BE a grief and a groan
In the life of a believer.

This is tied up so clearly in the admonition to not love the world.
• We shouldn’t love the world, we should grieve over the world.
• We shouldn’t enjoy the passing pleasures of sin, we should lament sin.
• We should applaud godless behavior, it should grieve us to the core.

IT DID JESUS.
Mark 8:11-13 “The Pharisees came out and began to argue with Him, seeking from Him a sign from heaven, to test Him. Sighing deeply in His spirit, He said, “Why does this generation seek for a sign? Truly I say to you, no sign will be given to this generation.” Leaving them, He again embarked and went away to the other side.”

When approached about the demon-possessed boy His disciples could not cast out:
Matthew 17:17 “And Jesus answered and said, “You unbelieving and perverted generation, how long shall I be with you? How long shall I put up with you? Bring him here to Me.”

Mark 3:1-5 “He entered again into a synagogue; and a man was there whose hand was withered. They were watching Him to see if He would heal him on the Sabbath, so that they might accuse Him. He said to the man with the withered hand, Get up and come forward!” And He said to them, “Is it lawful to do good or to do harm on the Sabbath, to save a life or to kill?” But they kept silent. After looking around at them with anger, grieved at their hardness of heart, He said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.” And he stretched it out, and his hand was restored.”

Mark 7:31-34 “Again He went out from the region of Tyre, and came through Sidon to the Sea of Galilee, within the region of Decapolis. They brought to Him one who was deaf and spoke with difficulty, and they implored Him to lay His hand on him. Jesus took him aside from the crowd, by himself, and put His fingers into his ears, and after spitting, He touched his tongue with the saliva; and looking up to heaven with a deep sigh, He said to him, “Ephphatha!” that is, “Be opened!”

Luke 19:41-42 “When He approached Jerusalem, He saw the city and wept over it, saying, “If you had known in this day, even you, the things which make for peace! But now they have been hidden from your eyes.”

Do you see the attitude of Jesus in this world?
• He wasn’t giddy…
• He wasn’t fascinated…
• He wasn’t drinking it up…
• He was grieved, He was heart-broken, He groaned

No wonder Isaiah said:
That He was “a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief.” (Isaiah 53:3)

And I might just go ahead and add that
This dissatisfaction with the evil world system
Is ACTUALLY A FRUIT of the redeemed.

In fact, even in the Old Testament
It was a sign to God of those who truly loved Him.

If you read Ezekiel 8 and 9
• You read first about gross atrocities that are occurring in Jerusalem by those who claim to be God’s people.
• Then you read about how God is going to send executioners into that city to kill everyone who dishonors Him in that way.

However, before God does send the executioners,
He sends a man to go through the city
And mark those who grieve over what is going on there.

Ezekiel 9:4 “The LORD said to him, “Go through the midst of the city, even through the midst of Jerusalem, and put a mark on the foreheads of the men who sigh and groan over all the abominations which are being committed in its midst.”

Peter reveals that this is why God saved both Lot and Noah in the days of their great destructions:
2 Peter 2:4-10 “For if God did not spare angels when they sinned, but cast them into hell and committed them to pits of darkness, reserved for judgment; and did not spare the ancient world, but preserved Noah, a preacher of righteousness, with seven others, when He brought a flood upon the world of the ungodly; and if He condemned the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah to destruction by reducing them to ashes, having made them an example to those who would live ungodly lives thereafter; and if He rescued righteous Lot, oppressed by the sensual conduct of unprincipled men (for by what he saw and heard that righteous man, while living among them, felt his righteous soul tormented day after day by their lawless deeds), then the Lord knows how to rescue the godly from temptation, and to keep the unrighteous under punishment for the day of judgment, and especially those who indulge the flesh in its corrupt desires and despise authority.”
• Lot was a man whose righteous soul was tormented
• Noah was a preacher of righteousness in a sinful society

Those where men who did not enjoy the passing pleasures of sin,
But rather grieved over it, and preached against it.

This was a mark of Christ.
This is a mark of those who follow Him.

And I know that’s a lengthy and pretty heavy introduction,
But I’m aware that there aren’t many sermons
Being preached on that topic today.

And I just sort of wanted to flood you with the facts
So that you would see that if you grieve over this world,
YOU’RE NOT WEIRD; YOU’RE REDEEMED.

And tonight I want us to look at Psalms 6 TO SHOW YOU
That if you grieve over this world, then do so with hope,
Because it won’t always be like this.

That is really the driving message behind Psalms 6.
• If you grieve over sin in the world like Lot or Noah…
• If you grieve over sin in God’s people like Jesus…
• If you grieve over sin in the church like Paul…
• If you suffer being treated as an outcast because you won’t join others in their sinful behaviors…
• If you inwardly groan for the day when Jesus Christ is honored…

Then this Psalm is for you.
It is a song for those who groan.

It is David’s testimony about his own personal groaning
And the hope he was given from the Lord
That his groaning would only be temporary.

It won’t take us long to look at this Psalm, so don’t groan.

4 points
#1 EXTREME DISMAY
Psalms 1:1-3

We already glanced at verse 1.
“O LORD, do not rebuke me in Your anger, Nor chasten me in Your wrath.”

And I pointed out to you that church tradition puts the focus on
The phrases “in Your anger” and “in Your wrath”

Indicating that I know I’m going to be rebuked,
Just don’t be angry when You do it.

I think that’s the wrong place to put the emphasis.
I think the word to emphasize is “me”.

That is to say,
“God, I know You are angry, and I know Your rebuke is coming, and I know Your chastening is coming, but don’t’ send it on me, I’m the one who loves Your truth.”

It would be similar to the prayer of Jeremiah:
Jeremiah 15:15-17 “You who know, O LORD, Remember me, take notice of me, And take vengeance for me on my persecutors. Do not, in view of Your patience, take me away; Know that for Your sake I endure reproach. Your words were found and I ate them, And Your words became for me a joy and the delight of my heart; For I have been called by Your name, O LORD God of hosts. I did not sit in the circle of merrymakers, Nor did I exult. Because of Your hand upon me I sat alone, For You filled me with indignation.”

That was Jeremiah looking into a face of an angry God and saying,
“Hey, don’t be mad at me, I’m on Your side!”

That is David’s request here.
• He is well aware that God has indignation at the wicked every morning.
• He is well aware that God’s wrath may soon be kindled.
• He is well aware that God may break forth in judgment at any moment
• And he wants to make sure that God knows that he doesn’t stand with everyone else.

In fact, David doesn’t rejoice over the pleasures of the world,
David laments them.

(2) “Be gracious to me, O LORD, for I am pining away;”
(The word there means “weak” or “feeble”)

“Heal me, O LORD for my bones are dismayed.”

“dismayed” translates BAHAL
It means “to be nervous” or “to tremble”

David is well-aware of the wrath of God, indeed it is a terrifying thing,
And he wants to make sure that God understands that
He doesn’t stand with other people in regard to the sin of the world.

This world runs to sin…
This world spurns God…
This world things lightly of judgment…
This world scoffs at the necessity of salvation…

All of that only flames the anger of God even more
And David, aware of that, says, “I’m not like them.”

(3) “And my soul is greatly dismayed;”
(same word – David is trembling in the inner man)

But the reason we know that David is not talking about his own sin is because he says, “But You, O LORD – how long?”

He DOESN’T SAY, “But You, O LORD – please don’t judge me!”

David wants the wrath of God to come.
David wants the judgment of God to fall.
He just wants to make sure that it doesn’t fall on him.

He is not the man who is loving sin,
He is the man who is dismayed over it.

Extreme dismay
#2 EXTREME DESPERATION
Psalms 6:4-5

The simple point here is that David understands that he is near to death.

WHY?
Well obviously it has to do with those “adversaries” he mentions in verse 7
Or those “enemies” he mentions in verse 10.

Jesus said they’d want to kill you.
Peter said they’d malign you.

It was happening to David.
He was a persecuted man in the midst of a sinful world.

And might I remind you that this is AN EXCELLENT INDICATOR
Of what type of person you are?

2 Timothy 3:12 “Indeed, all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will be persecuted.”

Paul wrote to the Philippians
Philippians 1:27-28 “Only conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that whether I come and see you or remain absent, I will hear of you that you are standing firm in one spirit, with one mind striving together for the faith of the gospel; in no way alarmed by your opponents — which is a sign of destruction for them, but of salvation for you, and that too, from God.”

And this is what David speaks of.
His decision to love God and not to follow the pattern of the world
Has landed him in hot water.

In fact, he’s convinced he is about to die.

So he prays:
(4) “Return, O LORD, rescue my soul; Save me because of Your lovingkindness.”

This is like the prayer of all those who are persecuted who wish that Jesus would split the sky this very moment and deliver.
• God, come help me!
• God come save me!
• God return and bring Your judgment now!

That is David’s prayer.
Don’t let them kill me.

(5) “For there is no mention of You in death; In Sheol who will give You thanks?”

That verse is confusing to some
For we know that those who die in the Lord now go to be with Him
And most certainly they are ever-praising Him.

What David is saying is
If God just lets the wicked kill every righteous person
Then there won’t be anyone left on the earth to praise Him
And give Him thanks and bear witness for Him.

Consider the prayer of Hezekiah when he learned he was near death:
Isaiah 38:18-20 “For Sheol cannot thank You, Death cannot praise You; Those who go down to the pit cannot hope for Your faithfulness. “It is the living who give thanks to You, as I do today; A father tells his sons about Your faithfulness. “The LORD will surely save me; So we will play my songs on stringed instruments All the days of our life at the house of the LORD.”

Hezekiah knew that if he died
Then he would no longer be an influence on earth for the glory of God.

Paul said the same thing:
Philippians 1:21-26 “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. Convinced of this, I know that I will remain and continue with you all for your progress and joy in the faith, so that your proud confidence in me may abound in Christ Jesus through my coming to you again.”

That is what David is saying as well.
God, don’t let them kill me
For then my influence on this world will be gone.

You can see that David’s opposition to the world
Has caused him extreme dismay
And put him in an extremely desperate position.

Extreme Dismay, Extreme Desperation
#3 EXTREME DEPLETION
Psalms 6:6-7

He is worn out isn’t he!
(6) “I am weary with my sighing; Every night I make my bed swim, I dissolve my couch with tears.”

That is a picture of the type of grief
That we as believers should feel as we observe this world.

The apostle Paul certainly felt it.
2 Corinthians 2:4 “For out of much affliction and anguish of heart I wrote to you with many tears; not so that you would be made sorrowful, but that you might know the love which I have especially for you.”

Acts 20:18-21 “And when they had come to him, he said to them, “You yourselves know, from the first day that I set foot in Asia, how I was with you the whole time, serving the Lord with all humility and with tears and with trials which came upon me through the plots of the Jews; how I did not shrink from declaring to you anything that was profitable, and teaching you publicly and from house to house, solemnly testifying to both Jews and Greeks of repentance toward God and faith in our Lord Jesus Christ.”

Romans 9:1-3 “I am telling the truth in Christ, I am not lying, my conscience testifies with me in the Holy Spirit, that I have great sorrow and unceasing grief in my heart. For I could wish that I myself were accursed, separated from Christ for the sake of my brethren, my kinsmen according to the flesh,”

2 Corinthians 11:28-29 “Apart from such external things, there is the daily pressure on me of concern for all the churches. Who is weak without my being weak? Who is led into sin without my intense concern?”

He knew what it was to weep for the sin of the world.
We’ve already read about Jesus weeping over Jerusalem.

This was the anguish of a believer who lived in a world that loved sin.
(7) “My eye has wasted away with grief; It has become old because of all my adversaries.”

“wasted away” is a Hebrew word that
Speaks of a face that has “become lean”
Or even a garment that was “falling apart due to wear.”

And David said, “Even my personal appearance is noticeable to the world around me.”
• I weep so much
• I lament so much
• I grieve so much
• That my face even shows the markings of grief.
• I look old, David says.

And to that we could just say that all the emphasis today is that
Believers should always look happy.
We’re all just supposed to walk around smiling like Joel Olsteen.

And certainly we are called to “rejoice always”.
We are called to count all our suffering joy.

But I also know this,
• The Bible speaks of Jesus grieving way more than it speaks of Him laughing.
• The Bible speaks of the apostle Paul weeping for more than it speaks of Him
joking around.

And that is David.
• He is overwhelmed with the offense that this world is to God.
• He is overwhelmed with the hatred he receives for not loving this world.
• He is overwhelmed with the grief he feels for a world that continuously
opposes what is right.

He doesn’t laugh about it, he weeps over it.
It is real to David!

DAVID GROANS THE EFFECTS OF SIN

And so I just tell you that if you do to, then you are in good company.
In fact you are in company with the holiest men who ever lived.

• If you hate the sin of this world…
• If you hate your own struggle with sin…
• If you groan inwardly and weep outwardly in your frustration of living in this sin-infested planet…

That doesn’t mean there is something wrong with you.
That’s just an indication of redemption.

But what this Psalm wants to make sure you understand
Is that your weeping won’t last forever.

This song ends with a mighty triumph!
#4 EXTREME DELIVERANCE
Psalms 6:8-10

David does a complete 180 here.
He goes from intense weeping to issuing a severe warning.

“Depart from me, all you who do iniquity,”

David boldly telling the wicked that
“No longer will he look upon or tolerate their wickedness.”

WHY?
“For the LORD has heard the voice of my weeping. The LORD has heard my supplication, The LORD receives my prayer.”

David’s prayer
• That God would return
• And rescue him
• And save him from this wicked and vile world
• Is a prayer request that God has promised to grant.

God revealed to David that regardless of how agonizing
This stay on earth may be, it will not be permanent.

God’s people will NOT forever be
A trampled mat at the doorstep of sinners.

(10) “All my enemies will be ashamed and greatly dismayed; They shall turn back, they will suddenly be ashamed.”

There will come a day,
When those who loved this world
Will be shocked to learn that judgment was real
And they are about to face it.

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

Does this Psalm make sense to you now?
It is exactly the Psalm Jesus was referencing.

Jesus was living in a day when wickedness abounded
And He was a tormented soul because of it.

The weeping of David here is the weeping of Christ.
• Can you hear Him weeping over the sin of Jerusalem?
• Can you hear Him sighing deeply over those who only wanted a sign?
• Can you see Him in anger clearing out the temple because it was a robber’s
den?
• Can you hear Him in agony in the garden?

What drove Him forward?
He knew that this circumstance of suffering was not permanent.
He knew that God would deliver and the wicked would be ashamed.

And Jesus, like David, even announced that to them.

And might I add, that Scripture recounts that final song as well.
Revelation 19:1-6 “After these things I heard something like a loud voice of a great multitude in heaven, saying, “Hallelujah! Salvation and glory and power belong to our God; BECAUSE HIS JUDGMENTS ARE TRUE AND RIGHTEOUS; for He has judged the great harlot who was corrupting the earth with her immorality, and HE HAS AVENGED THE BLOOD OF HIS BOND-SERVANTS ON HER.” And a second time they said, “Hallelujah! HER SMOKE RISES UP FOREVER AND EVER.” And the twenty-four elders and the four living creatures fell down and worshiped God who sits on the throne saying, “Amen. Hallelujah!” And a voice came from the throne, saying, “Give praise to our God, all you His bond-servants, you who fear Him, the small and the great.” Then I heard something like the voice of a great multitude and like the sound of many waters and like the sound of mighty peals of thunder, saying, “Hallelujah! For the Lord our God, the Almighty, reigns.”

This is a Psalm for those who groan.
• This is a Psalm for those who have a tormented righteous soul regarding this world in which we live.
• This is for those who long for the day of the return of Christ when the enemy is crushed and sin is no more.

In these days of grief and despair, sing this song.
• It foresees the day when you grief will be no more.
• It looks upon the day when King Jesus will reign and sin will never again flourish in the land.

John 16:33 “These things I have spoken to you, so that in Me you may have peace. In the world you have tribulation, but take courage; I have overcome the world.”