Take Care How You Listen – Part 3
Luke 8:4-21 (16-21)
July 15, 2018

If you’ve been with us over the last few weeks
You know that we are in the middle of a VERY DIRECT
AND CONFRONTATIONAL SERMON that Jesus preached.

It actually began as a sermon of judgment
And has become a sermon packed with a very sobering warning.

It is a sermon about the importance of listening.

We’ve already walked through the first 3 points, but it’s important to hit them again quickly to maintain our continuity.
#1 THE PARABLE GIVEN
Luke 8:4-8

This was the initial sermon, and it was nothing but a farming analysis.
• On a spiritual level it was absolutely incomprehensible.
• On a practical level it was relatively unbeneficial.

All Jesus did was explain the common woes of farmers.
• Some seed lands on the foot path and the birds eat it
• Some seed lands on rocky soil and it withers
• Some seed lands in the weeds and it is choked
• Some seed lands in good soil and you get a crop

THAT WAS IT.
And that would have been all of the sermon
Had His disciples not pressed Him for more.

For in fact the sermon of Jesus had but one purpose
Which was to separate those who desired truth
From those who did not.

• Those who didn’t care about truth, would have been content with not understanding and would have gone home with nothing.

• Those who desired the truth determined to stay and dig deeper until Jesus made the point plain.

Which is what we saw next.
#2 THE PARABLE QUESTIONED
Luke 8:9-10

There we see that there were some in the crowd who wanted more.
They were willing to dig deeper.

And if you read this alongside Matthew’s gospel you find that the crowd
HAD TWO QUESTIONS.
1) Why did You speak in a cryptic parable?
2) What does it mean?

Well, both Matthew and Luke reveal the purpose behind preaching in parables.
• The purpose was to hide the truth.
• The purpose was to make the truth incomprehensible.

It was a form of judgment.
Where Jesus takes a group of people who would not listen to truth
And eventually determines to no longer give it to them.

We saw this played out most clearly in Isaiah’s ministry.
Both in his commissioning in Isaiah 6 and later in his ministry.

In fact Jesus quoted from the commissioning of Isaiah when He said:
(10) “And He said, “To you it has been granted to know the mysteries of the kingdom of God, but to the rest it is in parables, so that SEEING THEY MAY NOT SEE, AND HEARING THEY MAY NOT UNDERSTAND.”

It was judgment.

Which forced us to consider the terrifying reality:
What if God purposely hid the truth from you to keep you from hearing it?

That is terrifying since hearing and believing the gospel
Are essential for salvation.
That would be the ultimate form of earthly judgment.

And yet that is precisely what Jesus did with this crowd
Who had thus far ignored everything He had told them.

But the disciples were different.
• Not different in their comprehension (they didn’t get it either)
• But different in their desire.

So they ask Jesus what the parable meant.
They wanted the truth, they wanted it explained.

And that is what we saw last week.
#3 THE PARABLE EXPLAINED
Luke 8:11-15

Jesus cracked the riddle when He said “the seed is the word of God”

And all of a sudden it became clear.
• The farmer isn’t a farmer, he’s a preacher
• The seed isn’t seed, it’s God’s word
• The dirt isn’t dirt, it’s the human heart

And we saw the various responses to the gospel when it is proclaimed.

Some are hard (like the path)
• They aren’t interested and even though they hear it, they ignore it, and the devil helps them forget it or contradict it.

Some are shallow (like the rocks)
• They are all emotional, they don’t count the cost, they want salvation for the benefit only and when persecution or temptation comes, they leave.

Some are divided (like the weeds)
• They can’t give their heart fully to Christ because they have other idols already there that they are unwilling to part with. The result is no fruit.

Some are good soil.
• They aren’t shallow in their commitment they aren’t fickle with their love. They surrender it all for Christ and they produce fruit.

And upon understanding that parable we began to recognize
That while hearing the truth is certainly important,
More than just hearing is required.

All four of those hearts heard the word. They all went to church.
But only 1 of the 4 ended up being saved as a result.

It’s a serious point and it forced us to begin to examine our own hearts
Have I listened to the truth, counted the cost of the truth, and valued the truth?

And this morning we continue to get that opportunity because the Lord is now winding down His sermon with the all-important application portion of the sermon.

The Parable Given, The Parable Questioned, The Parable Explained
#4 THE PARABLE APPLIED
Luke 8:16-18

What Jesus is doing here is cutting off all excuses and all arguments.

Prevalent in Jesus’ day and also prevalent in our day
Is the problem of FALSE ASSURANCE

We actually talked about it last time.
James 1:22 “But prove yourselves doers of the word, and not merely hearers who delude themselves.”

It is a potent verse that reminds us that hearing is not enough.
• If we think we are Christians simply because we’ve heard the truth (and
possibly because we can regurgitate it) then we are sorely mistaken.

Hearing must be accompanied with obedience.
If we hear but don’t obey and yet still think ourselves to be a Christian
James says we have deluded ourselves.

AND THIS SORT OF THING HAPPENS.
Galatians 6:3 “For if anyone thinks he is something when he is nothing, he deceives himself.”

1 John 1:8 “If we say that we have no sin, we are deceiving ourselves and the truth is not in us.”

People continually like to convince themselves they are saved
Based upon their own criteria as opposed to God’s.

We see this in people like the man mentioned in Matthew 7
Who was convinced he was saved because prophesied in the name of Christ, worked miracles, and cast out demons.

But that wasn’t God’s criteria, that was his criteria.

God’s criteria is clear. It has always been the fruit of righteous obedience.

TURN TO: Isaiah 5
(I hope you are familiar with this chapter, but if you are not let’s introduce you)

It is called the song of the vineyard.
It is foundational because Jesus appeals to it in His preaching.

The song is easy to understand.
• We have a vineyard owner (God)
• And we have a vineyard (Israel)

And the first 2 verses explain all that God did in order to make His vineyard fruitful, and yet it was not.

And the question then arises in verses 3-4 “What more was there to do for My vineyard..?”

And the implication is “Nothing”.
It wasn’t Your fault.

So, God pronounces judgment on the vineyard.

The question is, what did the vineyard not give the vineyard owner that he desired? And the answer is “fruit”

(7) “For the vineyard of the LORD of hosts is the house of Israel And the men of Judah His delightful plant. Thus He looked for justice, but behold, bloodshed; For righteousness, but behold, a cry of distress.”

We learn there two important things.
1) The necessity of fruit (without it God judges)
2) The description of fruit (OBEDIENCE: justice & righteousness)

Now, TURN TO: John 15
And you hear Jesus make a very bold statement.
“I am the vine”
That is His way of saying,
That He is everything that God intended for Israel to be.
They failed, they were judged, but Jesus perfectly fulfilled
The justice and righteous obedience which God looked for.

And the only way we can now produce the fruit which God demands
Is if we are “in Him”.

And we know we are “in Him” by one defining characteristic.
(READ 1-6)

There again it is the importance of fruit.

And this isn’t the only place we learn this.
Luke 13:6-9 “And He began telling this parable: “A man had a fig tree which had been planted in his vineyard; and he came looking for fruit on it and did not find any. “And he said to the vineyard-keeper, ‘Behold, for three years I have come looking for fruit on this fig tree without finding any. Cut it down! Why does it even use up the ground?’ “And he answered and said to him, ‘Let it alone, sir, for this year too, until I dig around it and put in fertilizer; and if it bears fruit next year, fine; but if not, cut it down.'”

Or how about an object lesson from Jesus?
Matthew 21:18-19 “Now in the morning, when He was returning to the city, He became hungry. Seeing a lone fig tree by the road, He came to it and found nothing on it except leaves only; and He said to it, “No longer shall there ever be any fruit from you.” And at once the fig tree withered.”

Something you should know about fig trees is that
• They put on figs before they put on leaves.
• So a fig tree with leaves is broadcasting, “I have figs”.

However this was a lying fig tree.
• It was a hypocrite.
• It was also a picture of Israel.
• And Jesus cursed that fig tree (which would soon happen to Israel)

So I hope you’re getting the point.
Fruit is the absolute expectation of God.

AND THEREFORE FRUIT IS ALSO THE CHIEF INDICATOR OF SALVATION
(It proves you have listened to Christ and are now “in Him”)

And that is what we just saw in the parable of the soils.
• 3 soils produced no fruit, they were failures
• 1 soil produced fruit, it was a success

But regardless of the clear truth
It is inevitable that PEOPLE WILL ARGUE with it.

And probably one of the most common is:
I’M SAVED I JUST DON’T SHOW IT.
It is people who claim salvation in spite of a lack of fruit.

I’m a Christian.
• I may not talk like a Christian
• I may not give like a Christian
• I may not fellowship with other Christians
• I may not pray like a Christian
• I may not live like a Christian
But I’m a Christian

It’s the absurdity of a field with no crop
Adamantly arguing that it’s still acceptable.

And that is what Jesus addresses here.
He is addressing the problem of a field with no fruit that still insists on claiming salvation.

Jesus has 3 matter of fact statements for that person.
1) YOU WOULDN’T DO THAT (16)
In short, no one who has fruit would hide it.

(16) “Now no one after lighting a lamp covers it over with a container, or puts it under a bed; but he puts it on a lampstand, so that those who come in may see the light.”

Obviously you recognize that Jesus has now shifted His analogy.
Here He references light instead of fruit.

But He does this for a reason.
• He does this because of a fundamental belief Israel had about
themselves.

Namely that they believed themselves to be the light to the world.

Do you remember Paul addressing them in Romans 2?
Romans 2:17-24 “But if you bear the name “Jew” and rely upon the Law and boast in God, and know His will and approve the things that are essential, being instructed out of the Law, and are confident that you yourself are a guide to the blind, a light to those who are in darkness, a corrector of the foolish, a teacher of the immature, having in the Law the embodiment of knowledge and of the truth, you, therefore, who teach another, do you not teach yourself? You who preach that one shall not steal, do you steal? You who say that one should not commit adultery, do you commit adultery? You who abhor idols, do you rob temples? You who boast in the Law, through your breaking the Law, do you dishonor God? For “THE NAME OF GOD IS BLASPHEMED AMONG THE GENTILES BECAUSE OF YOU,” just as it is written.”

Paul is there addressing the false assurance of the Jews.
• Namely that they believed themselves to be saved when they were not.
• And in listing their false-assurances Paul mentioned that they were confident that they were “a light to those who are in darkness”

Now, let me carry this for you a little more.
Because this is one of the most misapplied verses in the Bible.

TURN TO: Matthew 5

Remember the Sermon on the Mount?
It starts with the beatitudes where Jesus exposes a truly righteous heart.

You need to know that the purpose of Matthew 5 is CONDEMNATION.
• Jesus is exposing the Jews as those who are not righteous.
• (See the “You have heard…but I say” sermons)

And early on in that sermon we read:
(VERSES 13-16)

And for years the church has sort of laid claim to that verse
And used it as a describer of what we are.

And that’s not totally false,
Since as believers we are to shine as lights in the world.

But the immediate application there was to Israel.
And in those verses Jesus is being SARCASTIC.
• Because you have people there who think themselves to be salt and light and
yet they are a people without flavor and who don’t shine.

Jesus is exposing their false assurance,
Just as He does in the rest of the chapter.

I point that out, because that is the same thing He is doing here.
He is confronting people who claim to be legitimate and yet have no fruit.
People who say, “It’s there I just hide it.”

And Jesus says, “IMPOSSIBLE”
“NO ONE after lighting a lamp covers it over with a container, or puts it under a bed; but he puts it on a lampstand”

I mean to turn on the light and then cover it totally defeats the whole purpose.
That is absurd.

If you light a lamp then you display the light.
“so that those who come I may see the light.”

And the application is also simple.
If you had it, you’d shine it.

If you had fruit you’d display it.
You most certainly wouldn’t have and just keep it private.

No one does that.

You could also there make a pretty solid point about
THE EVANGELISTIC FAITHFULNESS of genuine believers.

People who have been transformed by Christ share Christ.

We live in a day when people love to share every experience they have.
• People see a movie they Facebook how awesome it was.
• People go on vacation they post pictures.
• People eat good Mexican food, they tell their friends.

You get the idea…that’s just what we do.
And the notion that someone would be forgiven of all their sin,
And transformed by the indwelling Holy Spirit
But keep it private is just an absurd notion.

NO ONE HIDES THEIR LIGHT.

You wouldn’t hide it
2) YOU COULDN’T HIDE IT (17)
“For nothing is hidden that will not become evident, nor anything secret that will not be known and come to light.”

Just in case we’re dealing with a really argumentative person,
Jesus continues.

He says “Fruit is essential”
This person says, “I have it, I just don’t show it.”
Jesus answers, “You wouldn’t do that”
And this person says, “Yes, I do”
And Jesus responds, “Well, that’s impossible”

For one thing, everything is revealed.

Moses said:
Psalms 90:8 “You have placed our iniquities before You, Our secret sins in the light of Your presence.”

Solomon said:
Ecclesiastes 12:14 “For God will bring every act to judgment, everything which is hidden, whether it is good or evil.”

Paul said:
Romans 2:16 “God will judge the secrets of men through Christ Jesus.”

1 Corinthians 4:5 “Therefore do not go on passing judgment before the time, but wait until the Lord comes who will both bring to light the things hidden in the darkness and disclose the motives of men’s hearts; and then each man’s praise will come to him from God.”

And we could read about how in the judgment the books are opened
And everything is brought to light.
God exposes everything.

But even beyond that Jesus isn’t just speaking about the judgment here.

Jesus is talking about today,
And the fact is, you can’t even hide it today.

Matthew 12:33-37 “Either make the tree good and its fruit good, or make the tree bad and its fruit bad; for the tree is known by its fruit. “You brood of vipers, how can you, being evil, speak what is good? For the mouth speaks out of that which fills the heart. “The good man brings out of his good treasure what is good; and the evil man brings out of his evil treasure what is evil. “But I tell you that every careless word that people speak, they shall give an accounting for it in the day of judgment. “For by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned.”

It’s the old Adrian Rogers quote:
“What’s down in the well, comes up in the bucket.”

It is obvious and apparent.
You know people by their fruit.

The book of 1 John is especially insightful here.
Here are a few:
1 John 2:3-4 “By this we know that we have come to know Him, if we keep His commandments. The one who says, “I have come to know Him,” and does not keep His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him;”

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

1 John 3:7-10 “Little children, make sure no one deceives you; the one who practices righteousness is righteous, just as He is righteous; the one who practices sin is of the devil; for the devil has sinned from the beginning. The Son of God appeared for this purpose, to destroy the works of the devil. No one who is born of God practices sin, because His seed abides in him; and he cannot sin, because he is born of God. By this the children of God and the children of the devil are obvious: anyone who does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor the one who does not love his brother.”

1 John 4:20 “If someone says, “I love God,” and hates his brother, he is a liar; for the one who does not love his brother whom he has seen, cannot love God whom he has not seen.”

1 John 5:1-3 “Whoever believes that Jesus is the Christ is born of God, and whoever loves the Father loves the child born of Him. By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and observe His commandments. For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments; and His commandments are not burdensome.”

It’s just obvious.
Even if you wanted to hide it, you couldn’t.

And in fact, you may think you’re fooling a lot of people.
In reality you’re most likely just fooling yourself.
As James said, you have deluded yourself.

Think of it like this.
If I were to take you to the zoo and we approached the elephant exhibit; and one of the elephants was dead and the other was alive, do you think you could tell the difference?

Well the unredeemed are spiritually dead, and the fruit is fairly obvious.

What is the point to all of this?
Well, examine your fruit.
Then look at the fruit, and know your heart

Examine whether or not you are that good soil that produces fruit.
If you’re not producing fruit then quit convincing yourself that your saved.

That is the point Jesus is making.
• If you had light you wouldn’t hide it.
• If you had light you couldn’t hide it.

And then there’s one more.
3) YOU SHOULDN’T HIDE IT (18)

(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.”

Now we know that you can’t and you won’t,
But even if you could, then you shouldn’t.

First here Jesus gives the point to the entire section.
“So take care how you listen”
• This whole sermon has been about the importance of listening to God’s truth.
• This whole sermon has been about hearing and obeying what God has to say.

A failure to do that produces a lack of fruit.

And if you don’t have fruit, can I remind you of the problem?
You’re not getting any more truth.

That’s why even if it were possible (and it’s not) for you to hide your light.
YOU SHOULDN’T DO IT.

“for whoever has, to him more shall be given; and whoever does not have, even what he thinks he has shall be taken from him.”

Every Sunday as a child we’d eat at my grandmother’s house,
And when I was young my mom would always fix my plate.

And you know how it is for young boys.
Heavy on the rolls, potatoes and gravy, light on the vegetables.
But if you have a good mom like I do,
You know that you’re getting some of those vegetables.

Also, when she puts those potatoes on your plate, you first thing you say is, “Can I have some more of those?”

And every boy in here knows what his momma says.
“Eat what you’ve got and then you can have some more.”
(painful words to a growing boy)

She wasn’t trying to starve me. She’d gladly give me more.
She was just making sure I dealt with what I had first.

NOW DO YOU UNDERSTAND JESUS?

It CIRCLES BACK TO THAT FIRST PROBLEM we talked about
With people who were not granted the right to hear the truth.

Do you know why they were not granted the truth?
• Because they hadn’t done anything with the truth they had.

Do you know how we know they hadn’t done anything with the truth they had?
• Because they had no fruit.

So even if you could hide it, you shouldn’t.

Because the Lord graciously gives more
To those who take the truth He presents,
But those who don’t,
He takes away even what they think they have.

DO YOU SEE THE DANGER HERE?

“So take care how you listen”

FARMERS DON’T KEEP TENDING FRUITLESS FIELDS.

Can I point you again to what Jesus said?
John 15:1-2 “I am the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser. “Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit, He takes away; and every branch that bears fruit, He prunes it so that it may bear more fruit.”

Fruitful trees get pruned.
They get more attention to increase their fruit.

However:
John 15:6 “If anyone does not abide in Me, he is thrown away as a branch and dries up; and they gather them, and cast them into the fire and they are burned.”

Fruitless trees get burned.

It really is quite simple.
• You must listen to what the Lord has to say.
• You must accept it.
• You must obey it.
• You must produce the intended fruit.

That is the Parable Applied.

The Parable Given, The Parable Questioned, The Parable Explained, The Parable Applied
#5 THE PARABLE ENFORCED
Luke 8:19-21

Here is a story that is so fitting
It’s just as an exclamation point on the end of the sermon.

Jesus is preaching and the crowd is listening to the sermon.
• And at that moment His family arrives, but they can’t get to the Lord.
• And so the word is passed up through the crowd to Him.

(20) “Your mother and Your brothers are standing outside, wishing to see You.”

And we see His answer.
(21) “But He answered and said to them, “My mother and My brothers are these who hear the word of God and do it.”

No, Jesus was not being disrespectful to His mother.
Fast forward to the cross, Jesus cares for His mother.

Rather, Jesus was using their request
To drive the final nail in the coffin here.

He is talking about spiritual life and spiritual relationships.
• And we don’t identify the children of God by their allegiance to outward ceremony.
• Coming to this building every Sunday does not make you part of the church.
• Having your name on the ledger in the office does not make you a member of the church.
• Even being baptized does not make you a member of the church.

Those things may make you a member of First Baptist Church of Spur
But they do not make you a member of “The” Church.

Membership of the true church is a spiritual one.
• It is a fellowship that transcends physical ties.
• It is a fellowship that transcends common answers to common questions.

The fellowship of the true church is a spiritual fellowship
With one overarching and unifying characteristic.

“My mother and My brothers are those who hear the word of God and do it.”

It can’t be any clearer.
True Christians listen to God and do what He says.
Failure to listen or Failure to obey; both prove a lack of salvation.

This is why we stress over and over
“Take care how you listen”

And friend all we can say at this point is that
IT IS IMPERATIVE THAT EACH ONE EXAMINES HIS HEART.

• Do you delight in the word of God?
• Do you study it?
• Do you read it?
• And when God’s word gives direction to your life, do you obey it?

THAT’S THE CRITERIA.
If it’s not you, then it’s time to repent of your sin,
And run to Jesus in full submission.

• Trust in His atoning work to forgive you for your pride and arrogance to fail to listen to God.
• Submit to Him as your Lord and do what He says.

And in so doing enter the family of God.

“He who has ears to hear, let him hear”

The Blessing Upon God’s People
Psalms 3
July 8, 2018

Tonight we look at the 3rd Psalm.
It has been often referred to as “The Morning Psalm” since this Psalm spans the course of David’s night into David’s morning.
• He took his request to God, slept, and then awoke in confidence.

For many it has epitomized the statement made in Psalms 30:5
Psalms 30:5 “For His anger is but for a moment, His favor is for a lifetime; Weeping may last for the night, But a shout of joy comes in the morning.”

This Psalm has also been many times seen as a foreshadowing of Christ.
• Both Augustin and Luther saw this Psalm almost exclusively about Christ, seeing in particular vs 5 as a picture of Christ’s death and resurrection.

• Spurgeon regarded it a picture of the suffering of Christ as he accounted that as David fled from Jerusalem across the brook Kedron, so also did Christ cross the brook into the Garden of Gethsemane.

And I certainly have no problem with any of those observations
Since certainly we are aware that all of Scripture points to Christ.

And then we also find a familiarity with this Psalm in the choral arrangement so many have become familiar with called “Thou O Lord” which I believe has even been sung in our church.

What we have here is a glorious and encouraging Psalm.

It is certainly a song for the church.
As it boasts of the great nature of our God as a gracious deliverer.

It is a song which David learned of the Lord in the midst of great affliction
And therefore a song which David taught to the congregation
For them to sing at the same time.

While this is a song that can most certainly be sung during moments of exaltation, it is primarily a song to be sung while in the midst of adversity.

It is a song meant to give peace and rest and hope to God’s people
In the midst of their trials because,
As David says in the last line,
“Salvation belongs to the LORD; Your blessing be upon Your people!”

OUR GOD SAVES.
And we, as His people, dwell under that blessing of salvation.

Tonight we see the back-story to that song,
And the effect it has upon those who sing it.

We’re going to break this Psalm down into 4 points.
#1 THE TRIAL
Psalms 3:1-2

Before we even get into the text we must first take note of the subtitle.
“A Psalm of David, when he fled from Absalom his son.”

This third Psalm does us the great favor of
Granting us the context in which it was inspired,
And this one was forged during the flight of David from Absalom.

Allow me to quickly refresh you on the backstory.

As you know, David had several sons.
• His oldest was Amnon, then Chileab, and the third was a boy named Absalom.

We are also told that Absalom had a sister.
2 Samuel 13:1 “Now it was after this that Absalom the son of David had a beautiful sister whose name was Tamar, and Amnon the son of David loved her.”

• This love that Amnon had for Tamar quickly turned into frustration because he wanted to be with her.
• In his frustration he devised a scheme to pretend illness and when David would come to check on him,
• He would ask David to send Tamar to come and take care of him, and David in fact did.
• When Tamar arrived Amnon raped her.

Scripture then teaches that after he disgraced her, he then hated her.
2 Samuel 13:15-17 “Then Amnon hated her with a very great hatred; for the hatred with which he hated her was greater than the love with which he had loved her. And Amnon said to her, “Get up, go away!” But she said to him, “No, because this wrong in sending me away is greater than the other that you have done to me!” Yet he would not listen to her. Then he called his young man who attended him and said, “Now throw this woman out of my presence, and lock the door behind her.”

• And what follows is really a tragic story.
• And quite honestly much of the blame falls on David.

2 Samuel 13:20-22 “Then Absalom her brother said to her, “Has Amnon your brother been with you? But now keep silent, my sister, he is your brother; do not take this matter to heart.” So Tamar remained and was desolate in her brother Absalom’s house. Now when King David heard of all these matters, he was very angry. But Absalom did not speak to Amnon either good or bad; for Absalom hated Amnon because he had violated his sister Tamar.”

David heard about it, did nothing, and so you have now
Absalom who is just sort of fuming over the entire event.

• A period of 2 years passes and Absalom comes up with a plan to invite the kings sons to go with him to the sheepshearers.
• It was then that Absalom commanded his servants to kill Amnon, and they did.

• Absalom then fled to Geshur where he lived for 3 years,
• Although the Scripture says that David mourned for him every day and even longed to go to him, but he never did.

• Finally Joab (David’s chief general) devised a plan to get David to see the need for reconciliation and invite Absalom to come home, and David did.

• But even upon inviting him home David would not permit Absalom to come and see his face.

And scripture records.
2 Samuel 14:28 “Now Absalom lived two full years in Jerusalem, and did not see the king’s face.”

That’s now 7 years since Amnon raped Tamar,
And 5 years since David has seen Absalom. Things are festering.

• Finally Absalom has enough and basically demands a meeting with his father, which he gets and it appears that the two reconcile.

What actually happened is that Absalom used the meeting
To catapult himself back into the limelight
And to gain for himself some authority.

He hated his father and set out on a mission to win the hearts of the people of Israel over to himself, which he did. (You can read about all of this in 2 Samuel 15)

And on one fateful day Absalom had those faithful to him declare him king publicly and when David heard of it, he was forced to flee,
For he knew that Absalom would enter Jerusalem and kill him.

2 Samuel 15:13-14 “Then a messenger came to David, saying, “The hearts of the men of Israel are with Absalom.” David said to all his servants who were with him at Jerusalem, ” Arise and let us flee, for otherwise none of us will escape from Absalom. Go in haste, or he will overtake us quickly and bring down calamity on us and strike the city with the edge of the sword.”

Now, I give you the full story there for a couple of reasons.
1) I want you to know the story of David fleeing from Absalom so you’ll see the context.
2) I want you to see that David wasn’t exactly innocent in the story.

If you were to sit back as an unbiased third party
With the task of rendering judgment on the situation
I’m not sure you’d be able to just see David as this undeserving victim.

But that is important to understand because in this Psalm
We have this same David is crying out to God for deliverance.

But he cannot cry out for deliverance based upon his merit or innocence. That we are sure of.

And that’s not what David bases his appeal upon.
David cries out to God based on God’s sovereign grace,
And upon God’s faithfulness to the people He has chosen to save.

Now, that is good news for you and me.
• Many times in our afflictions we may actually feel that we have no right to cry
out to God for deliverance,
• After all, it may even be that it is our own conduct that has produced some of
our struggles.

But thankfully God’s deliverance has never been based upon our merits,
But rather upon His grace.
God delivers those whom He has chosen to save
And He does so even though they are unworthy of it.

Well, that’s the backstory, let’s move into the text now.

We’re looking at “The Trial”. David is running for his life.

And here is how David describes it to God.
(1-2) “O LORD, how my adversaries have increased! Many are rising up against me. Many are saying of my soul, “There is no deliverance for him in God.” Selah.”

First we see that David recognized that he faced A SIZEABLE FOE.
“how my adversaries have increased”

This was certainly true since Absalom had done a masterful job at winning the hearts of the people away from the king.

Absalom was extremely popular among the people.
• He was young
• He was handsome
• He was hands on (meeting the people face to face and rendering judgments)

Absalom posed the most formidable threat that David had faced yet.

There were indeed “Many” who were against David.

Added to the sting was the confidence that they had THAT GOD WOULD NOT DELIVER DAVID.
(2) “Many are saying of my soul, “There is no deliverance for him in God.”

Not only could David see the dilemma, David could also hear the rumors.
And the rumors where simple.

• God has no interest in delivering David.
• David has blown it.
• He’s been a bad King
• He’s been a bad father
• God is giving David what he deserves

One of those attacks is actually witnessed in the story.
As David flees:
2 Samuel 16:5-8 “When King David came to Bahurim, behold, there came out from there a man of the family of the house of Saul whose name was Shimei, the son of Gera; he came out cursing continually as he came. He threw stones at David and at all the servants of King David; and all the people and all the mighty men were at his right hand and at his left. Thus Shimei said when he cursed, “Get out, get out, you man of bloodshed, and worthless fellow! “The LORD has returned upon you all the bloodshed of the house of Saul, in whose place you have reigned; and the LORD has given the kingdom into the hand of your son Absalom. And behold, you are taken in your own evil, for you are a man of bloodshed!”

• Obviously there was a disgruntled relative of Saul who took the opportunity to
assault David.
• His accusation was against David for his bloodshed in the way he treated
Saul’s lineage.

And that’s just one accusation.
• It seems that Uriah the Hittite’s relatives could have thrown stones at David there as well.
• It seems that Absalom’s friends could have thrown stones at David for the way David handled that whole affair.

THE POINT BEING, that David was not an innocent man,
• On the day that he fled there were many who took the opportunity to point out to David that he was just getting what he deserved.

And David is voicing this to God.
“God, I’ve got more enemies than I’ve ever had, and they’re even saying that You are one of them.”

And then we read “Selah”
Which is a term indicating the need for a pause for reflection.

Ponder that for a moment.
• We have a man on the run,
• Hated by many,
• And being told that God is angry at him too.

And it’s not all that far-fetched.
David is going to have a tough time appealing to God for deliverance
Based upon his own righteousness.

The Trial
#2 THE TRUTH
Psalms 3:3

The truth is that David doesn’t deserve deliverance.
The truth is that David isn’t worthy
The truth is that David probably deserves to be alienated by his family and deserted by his God.

BUT THAT IS NOT THE KIND OF GOD THAT OUR GOD IS
• Our God is not the kind of God that treats us as we deserve, He treats us according to grace.
• Our God is not the kind of God that deserts us when things get tough.
• Our God is not the kind of God who is influenced in His feelings toward us based upon the accusations of others.

That’s just not the God we serve.

Instead, David reveals the kind of God we serve.
“But You, O LORD, are a shield about me, My glory, and the One who lifts my head.”

Again, David DOESN’T say, “Many are against me, and many say that You are leaving me, but I don’t deserve that!”

He says, “Many are saying that You have deserted me, but that’s not who I know You to be.”

I know You as: “a shield about me”
I know You as: “My glory”
I know You as: “the One who lifts my head”

And let’s look at those statements for a moment.

David sees God here in three roles.
1) MY DEFENSE
“a shield about me”

The word for shield here is an interesting one.
It is NOT THE WORD used of a shield that a soldier would use in battle.

It is the word God used in His confrontation of Job to describe the scaly ARMOR OF A CROCODILE.
Job 41:15 “His strong scales are his pride, Shut up as with a tight seal.”

This is an all-encompassing, totally covering shield of protection.
Above – Below – In Front – Behind; TOTAL

Contrary to what David had been told, God is not a deserter.
• Nor is God One who changes His mind toward His people based on
outside accusation.

Scripture calls God our defender.
He is often described as a fortress, as a hiding place, as a refuge, as a rock

In our trouble we don’t run from Him, we run to Him.
Consider the truth Paul reminded us of in his letter to the Romans.
Romans 8:31-33 “What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who is against us? He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him over for us all, how will He not also with Him freely give us all things? Who will bring a charge against God’s elect? God is the one who justifies;”

• That is not a God who casts us out when we fail, or when we face accusation.
• That is a God who knows the worst about us and justifies us anyway.

• He is not One of our adversaries.
• He is our defense. He is our shield.

Certainly that is not deserved, but that is why we say it is by grace.
David wasn’t trading on merit here,
He was trading on the gracious nature of God.

And He knew God was his defender, not his enemy.

My Defense
2) MY DIGNITY
“My glory”

Glory is the word KABOWD (Ka-vode)
It is the word used to speak of God’s glory.
It is a word that actually means “weight”.

Referring to God, it is the full manifestation of the sum total of all He is,
And therefore it refers to the full honor that He deserves.

For David it is a word that refers to his abundance,
His honor, and his glory.
That’s why we call it his dignity.

David understood that his worth and his value and his glory
Was not based upon his inherent goodness or ability,
But rather his worth and value and glory
Had been assigned to him by God.

God reveals David’s worth, just as God reveals our worth.

For example:
1 Peter 1:17-19 “If you address as Father the One who impartially judges according to each one’s work, conduct yourselves in fear during the time of your stay on earth; knowing that you were not redeemed with perishable things like silver or gold from your futile way of life inherited from your forefathers, but with precious blood, as of a lamb unblemished and spotless, the blood of Christ.”

Our value is not assessed by our own merits or abilities,
But rather by the value that God places on us.

One of the hardships David faced was not only a physical threat of death, BUT ALSO a character assassination and a plot to totally humiliate him.

Absalom didn’t just run David out of Jerusalem, he also sought to totally discredit him.
2 Samuel 16:20-22 “Then Absalom said to Ahithophel, “Give your advice. What shall we do?” Ahithophel said to Absalom, “Go in to your father’s concubines, whom he has left to keep the house; then all Israel will hear that you have made yourself odious to your father. The hands of all who are with you will also be strengthened.” So they pitched a tent for Absalom on the roof, and Absalom went in to his father’s concubines in the sight of all Israel.”

It wasn’t just about removing David from the throne,
It was also about removing David from the hearts of the people.
They sought to ruin his clout; his reputation.

But David understood that his worth and glory were given to him by the LORD, and therefore only the LORD could take it away.

Isn’t that some of what we learned last time as we looked at Psalms 2 when David listened to the nations conspiring against him?
Psalms 2:7 “I will surely tell of the decree of the LORD: He said to Me, ‘You are My Son, Today I have begotten You.”

David wasn’t worried about Absalom stealing his glory,
Because David’s glory didn’t come from people or from Absalom,
It came from God.

God is the One who glorifies.

My Defense, My Dignity
3) MY DELIVERER
“the One who lifts my head.”

The verb there is a word that means “to be high or exalted”

It is God who determined that David would be exalted.
God was for him, not against him,
And David knew that God would deliver him.

NOW, THIS IS OUR GOD.

And the overarching truth here that David is communicating is this:
GOD DELIVERS HIS PEOPLE
• And it really isn’t even about that His people deserve it.
• God delivers His people because they are His people and He has determined
to deliver them.

Now that may cause some pause in some,
Because instantly people will begin to think about
All the instances in which it seems like God didn’t deliver.
• We think of illnesses that lead to death
• We think of persecution that allows physical torment
• We think of suffering that continues

And people say,
“Well God didn’t deliver that person.” Or “God didn’t deliver me.”

But perhaps that’s because we fail to understand
The deliverance that God promises.

Let me give you a human example.
Take Paul for example:

We are aware of his suffering, he actually gives a synopsis to the Corinthians:
2 Corinthians 11:24-28 “Five times I received from the Jews thirty-nine lashes. Three times I was beaten with rods, once I was stoned, three times I was shipwrecked, a night and a day I have spent in the deep. I have been on frequent journeys, in dangers from rivers, dangers from robbers, dangers from my countrymen, dangers from the Gentiles, dangers in the city, dangers in the wilderness, dangers on the sea, dangers among false brethren; I have been in labor and hardship, through many sleepless nights, in hunger and thirst, often without food, in cold and exposure. Apart from such external things, there is the daily pressure on me of concern for all the churches.”

Clearly Paul walked through an enormous amount of suffering.

However, I want you to consider what Paul wrote at the end of his life,
Shortly before he was executed.

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!”

2 Timothy 4:16-18 “At my first defense no one supported me, but all deserted me; may it not be counted against them. But the Lord stood with me and strengthened me, so that through me the proclamation might be fully accomplished, and that all the Gentiles might hear; and I was rescued out of the lion’s mouth. The Lord will rescue me from every evil deed, and will bring me safely to His heavenly kingdom; to Him be the glory forever and ever. Amen.”

We could probably add to those the statement at the beginning of his second Corinthian letter:
2 Corinthians 1:8-11 “For we do not want you to be unaware, brethren, of our affliction which came to us in Asia, that we were burdened excessively, beyond our strength, so that we despaired even of life; indeed, we had the sentence of death within ourselves so that we would not trust in ourselves, but in God who raises the dead; who delivered us from so great a peril of death, and will deliver us, He on whom we have set our hope. And He will yet deliver us, you also joining in helping us through your prayers, so that thanks may be given by many persons on our behalf for the favor bestowed on us through the prayers of many.”

TWO THINGS ARE CLEAR
Paul suffered in life and Paul claimed to have been delivered every time

Could it be that God’s deliverance comes in different forms?
• Sometimes it is a physical deliverance from harm.
• Sometimes it is a physical deliverance out of harm.
• But sometimes God’s deliverance is simply a deliverance that leaves you in harm, but somehow it’s ok.

Clearly Paul had that 3rd type of deliverance.
That is also the kind that David is about to receive.
LET ME SHOW YOU.

The Trial, The Truth
#3 THE TESTIMONY
Psalms 3:4-6

Now please notice that a tense change has occurred.
In verses 1-3 David spoke in present tense.
• It reflected his cry and declared faith in God during his trial.

However, when come to verses 4-5 David is speaking in past tense.
• He is speaking of a previous conversation with the Lord.

What you will see is that David started this Psalm on the night before,
Went to bed and woke up to finish it.
And now, he is recounting the conversation he had the night before.

And he says, “I was crying to the LORD with my voice,”
• That is in reference to the first 3 verses.
• David reiterates that in his great affliction he was laying it all out on God.

“was crying” indicates an ongoing appeal
“with my voice” indicates the intensity, for it was more than a silent meditation

David spent the evening beseeching the LORD
And crying out in faith to Him.

And David reveals; “And He answered me from His holy mountain. Selah.”

David says, GOD ANSWERED!
• He even answered “from His holy mountain.”
• To which David includes another “Selah” or ponder that!

The God of heaven, took the time to answer me in the midst of my affliction.
He did not abandon me as my accusers had said.
God answered me.

Now, what David does not include is God’s answer.
We don’t know what God told him.

• Maybe, “Don’t worry”
• Maybe, “Just trust Me”
• Maybe, “I’m about to deliver you back”

We don’t know.

What WE DO KNOW IS the effect that God’s answer had on David.

(5) “I lay down and slept;”
That’s pretty remarkable considering that Absalom was after him to kill him.

In fact,
There was a counselor in Israel named Ahithophel who had been David’s counselor and his advice was considered genius.

2 Samuel 16:23 “The advice of Ahithophel, which he gave in those days, was as if one inquired of the word of God; so was all the advice of Ahithophel regarded by both David and Absalom.”

Absalom called for Ahithophel for counsel
And do you want to know what his counsel was?

2 Samuel 17:1-3 “Furthermore, Ahithophel said to Absalom, “Please let me choose 12,000 men that I may arise and pursue David tonight. “I will come upon him while he is weary and exhausted and terrify him, so that all the people who are with him will flee. Then I will strike down the king alone, and I will bring back all the people to you. The return of everyone depends on the man you seek; then all the people will be at peace.”

• Ahithophel knew that David fled without being able to prepare.
• He knew David would be scattered, tired, and extremely vulnerable and there
would be no time like the present to attack him.

Certainly David knew the same.

In fact as David fled, he had prayed;
2 Samuel 15:31 “Now someone told David, saying, “Ahithophel is among the conspirators with Absalom.” And David said, “O LORD, I pray, make the counsel of Ahithophel foolishness.”

David knew if they listen to Ahithophel,
They’ll pursue me and kill me before I have a chance to regroup.

MY POINT?
THIS WAS NO TIME FOR SLEEPING.

• You would have had to be on extreme alert,
• And yet after God answered David, David says, “I lay down and slept.”

And now that he has awakened the next morning,
He picks up his pen and continues the Psalm.
“I awoke, for the LORD sustains me.”

Do you want to see God’s deliverance of David?
There it is.

God did not remove the threat,
God sustained David in the midst of it.

Many times we have spoken of that story with the disciples in the boat as the waves crashed, and Jesus was asleep.

Matthew 8:23-27 “When He got into the boat, His disciples followed Him. And behold, there arose a great storm on the sea, so that the boat was being covered with the waves; but Jesus Himself was asleep. And they came to Him and woke Him, saying, “Save us, Lord; we are perishing!” He said to them, “Why are you afraid, you men of little faith?” Then He got up and rebuked the winds and the sea, and it became perfectly calm. The men were amazed, and said, “What kind of a man is this, that even the winds and the sea obey Him?”

We’ve talked about how peculiar Jesus’ rebuke seems there.
“Why are you afraid, you men of little faith?”

And that seems strange because
• It seems like they did precisely what they should have done in the midst of
their peril.
• They ran to Jesus, woke Him up, and asked for salvation.

And yet Jesus rebuked them for having little faith.
What should they have done?

Apparently they should have laid down and taken a nap next to Jesus.

Well that’s precisely what David did.
• He rested in God’s sovereign providence
• That God had this entire event under control.
• And David was so confident that he went to bed in the full sustaining strength of the LORD.

And now, David is filled with confidence.
(6) “I will not be afraid of ten thousands of people who have set themselves against me round about.”

I don’t know what God told David, but one thing is certain,
IT WAS ENOUGH FOR DAVID.

He was no longer anxious – he was sleeping
He was no longer afraid – he was confident

God delivered David from his anxiety and from his fear.
HE IS THE GOD WHO DELIVERS HIS PEOPLE

And based upon that incident in David’s life,
David now has a song to teach the church.

• It is a song that encourages us to cry out to God in the midst of our afflictions.
• It is a song that encourages us to know that our God has the strength to deliver.
• It is a song that encourages us to know that our God does deliver His people.

That’s the final point of the Psalm.

The Trial, The Truth, The Testimony
#4 THE TRUST
Psalms 3:7-8

This is what David is proclaiming to Israel.
This is the song he is now singing.

“Arise, O LORD, save me, O my God! For You have smitten all my enemies on the cheek; You have shattered the teeth of the wicked.”

This is NOT a song of fear, hoping God will deliver.
• David knows that God’s deliverance is promised and already in the bank.
• His only cry now is to see it come to fruition.

This is similar to the way we look at the animosity of the world.
• We have no doubts that God wins.
• We have no doubts that God will crush every enemy under His feet.
• We don’t cry hoping He’ll do it.
• We cry knowing He’ll do it and with eagerness to see it.

This is the equivalent to us praying, “Amen, Come Lord Jesus!”
WE KNOW OUR GOD WILL DELIVER US

And that is based upon this final theological point.
(8) “Salvation belongs to the LORD; Your blessing be upon Your people! Selah.”

And look, we could take another hour just on the statement:
“Salvation belongs to the LORD”

We could speak of salvation being His EXCLUSIVELY;
• Namely that there is no other Savior.
We could speak of salvation being His PREROGATIVE;
• Namely that it is up to Him and He gives it graciously to whomever He wishes.
We could speak of salvation being His PERMANENTLY;
• Namely that no one can undo it if He decides to save.

There is a lot of theology packed in that statement.

God is the God who saves His people.
Not because they deserve it, but because He has determined to do it.
It is salvation by grace alone.
Certainly David understood that.

And what David wants the church to know is that
This blessing of salvation is upon the people of God.

That is why we call this Psalm “The Blessing Upon God’s People”

We live under the blessing of God’s salvation.
We live under the blessing of God’s deliverance.
• Do we deserve it? No
• Have we earned it? No
• Should we get to keep it? No

But we receive it because the God who owns salvation
Has determined to place it upon His people.

The only reason David had for confidence in the midst of this trial
Is because he knew that God had determined
To defend him, to glorify him, and to deliver him.

There is no other reason David could have slept in peace.

It is the same peace we rest in.
Romans 8:31-33 “What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who is against us? He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him over for us all, how will He not also with Him freely give us all things? Who will bring a charge against God’s elect? God is the one who justifies;”

• God has determined to save His people.
• God has determined to deliver His people.
• And even though we don’t deserve it, we are those people.

It is the blessing we live under.
God will deliver us.

“Selah” (Ponder on that)

Take Care How You Listen – Part 2
Luke 8:4-21 (11-15)
July 8, 2018

This morning we’re going to pick back up with
The text we began looking at two weeks ago.
Most quickly recognize it as the parable of the sower.

And as we pointed out last time, it is part of a greater sermon
Which Jesus preached on the importance of listening to God.

In fact, the real crux of the sermon comes in verse 18.
When Jesus says, “So take care how you listen;”

That’s the point.
When God speaks, you should listen to what He has to say.

We believe God’s word to be of the utmost value.
Psalms 19:7-11 “The law of the LORD is perfect, restoring the soul; The testimony of the LORD is sure, making wise the simple. The precepts of the LORD are right, rejoicing the heart; The commandment of the LORD is pure, enlightening the eyes. The fear of the LORD is clean, enduring forever; The judgments of the LORD are true; they are righteous altogether. They are more desirable than gold, yes, than much fine gold; Sweeter also than honey and the drippings of the honeycomb. Moreover, by them Your servant is warned; In keeping them there is great reward.”

His revelation is where we find restoration for our souls, wisdom, joy, enlightenment, holiness, truth, and reward.
There is tremendous value here.

Paul said the same.
2 Timothy 3:16-17 “All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness; so that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work.”

The point is simple, God’s word is valuable

HOWEVER we also recognize that
Just because God’s word is valuable
That does not mean it is always valued.

It is not always popular.
Sinful man does not like to hear what God has to say.

And we saw last time how even God’s people often refused to listen.
Isaiah 30:9-11 “For this is a rebellious people, false sons, Sons who refuse to listen To the instruction of the LORD; Who say to the seers, “You must not see visions”; And to the prophets, “You must not prophesy to us what is right, Speak to us pleasant words, Prophesy illusions. “Get out of the way, turn aside from the path, Let us hear no more about the Holy One of Israel.”

Amos 2:11-12 “Then I raised up some of your sons to be prophets And some of your young men to be Nazirites. Is this not so, O sons of Israel?” declares the LORD. “But you made the Nazirites drink wine, And you commanded the prophets saying, ‘You shall not prophesy!’

And of course that it is a sentiment we see even today.

2 Timothy 4:3-4 “For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but wanting to have their ears tickled, they will accumulate for themselves teachers in accordance to their own desires, and will turn away their ears from the truth and will turn aside to myths.”

In short, God should be listened to, but sadly He is often times ignored.
People do not take the time to listen to God.
And of course by that we are speaking of the time to read His word,
Or listen to His word being preached.

God speaks but men don’t want to hear it.

Because of that reality, we were forced to address a terrifying issue.
WHAT IF GOD DETERMINED TO HIDE HIS WORD FROM YOU?

That is to say, “What if God determined to no longer allow you the privilege of understanding His will?”

And last time we saw that GOD DOES indeed do this.

He certainly did it through Isaiah who was commissioned to go and render the people seeing but not perceiving and hearing but not understanding.

Isaiah 29:11-14 “The entire vision will be to you like the words of a sealed book, which when they give it to the one who is literate, saying, “Please read this,” he will say, “I cannot, for it is sealed.” Then the book will be given to the one who is illiterate, saying, “Please read this.” And he will say, “I cannot read.” Then the Lord said, “Because this people draw near with their words And honor Me with their lip service, But they remove their hearts far from Me, And their reverence for Me consists of tradition learned by rote, Therefore behold, I will once again deal marvelously with this people, wondrously marvelous; And the wisdom of their wise men will perish, And the discernment of their discerning men will be concealed.”

It is a reality prophesied again by the prophet Amos
Amos 8:11-12 “Behold, days are coming,” declares the Lord GOD, “When I will send a famine on the land, Not a famine for bread or a thirst for water, But rather for hearing the words of the LORD. “People will stagger from sea to sea And from the north even to the east; They will go to and fro to seek the word of the LORD, But they will not find it.”

God can become so fed up with a people who refuse to listen
That He will determine to no longer give them any truth
In a way that they can comprehend it.

And that is precisely what Jesus did
In the opening portions of His sermon.

If you will remember
• A large crowd gathered to hear Jesus and He gave them a farming sermon.
• It really wasn’t even a sermon on how to be a better farmer, it was more of a sermon about observations of farming.

#1 THE PARABLE GIVEN
Luke 8:4-8

He spoke of a farmer throwing seed and the difficulties he can expect in planting.
• Sometimes people cut across your field and make hardened paths that will not absorb seed or grow plants.
• Sometimes there’s giant rocks just below the surface that prevent the plant from getting adequate water and the plant dries up.
• Sometimes there’s lots of weed seed in the dirt and after a rain, before the seed has opportunity to sprout, the weeds show up and choke out the plant.
• And then sometimes it all goes as planned and you get a crop.

And then He dismissed the crowd,
And most of the crowd who weren’t concerned in any real truth
Just took that at face value and left.

He gave them truth, just not in a medium they could comprehend.
It was a form of the very judgment we’ve been talking about.

And the disciples picked up on it.

We read that they questioned Jesus. Which was our second point
#2 THE PARABLE QUESTIONED
Luke 8:9-10

The disciples wanted to know why Jesus would only give a farming story
And then leave it at that.

They didn’t understand it
The crowd didn’t understand it
And so they asked Jesus why.

His response was telling.
(10) “And He said, “To you it has been granted to know the mysteries of the kingdom of God, but to the rest it is in parables, so that SEEING THEY MAY NOT SEE, AND HEARING THEY MAY NOT UNDERSTAND.”

Jesus quoted from Isaiah and blatantly said that
He purposely delivered the sermon in the form of a parable
So that they would not understand what they just heard.

In short, they’d be accountable for having heard truth,
But there was no possibility of them responding to it.

Why did Jesus do it?
Because these people wouldn’t listen.
• Here was truth incarnate sitting in front of them and the people could care less.
• What is more, Jesus had preached all over their region and they had ignored.
• They weren’t interested in truth as Jesus just illustrated.
• And if they had no interest in listening to truth, He had no interest in bombarding them with it.

No wonder He gives the warning, “Take care how you listen”
These people wouldn’t and so they got nothing.

HOWEVER, there was a group who was interested in listening.
• They were not content with a farming story.
• They knew there was more truth there than they understood.
• And so they came to Jesus asking for an explanation.

They are described by that passage I read to you in Proverbs 2
Proverbs 2:1-5 “My son, if you will receive my words And treasure my commandments within you, Make your ear attentive to wisdom, Incline your heart to understanding; For if you cry for discernment, Lift your voice for understanding; If you seek her as silver And search for her as for hidden treasures; Then you will discern the fear of the LORD And discover the knowledge of God.”

They are at least showing the first steps of that
Because instead of leaving for Dairy Queen with the rest of the crowd
They have stayed behind for better understanding.

So to them Jesus gives the explanation.

The Parable Given, The Parable Questioned
#3 THE PARABLE EXPLAINED
Luke 8:11-15

In one statement the entire parable comes to life for us.
Without this statement it would be impossible for us to know what the Lord meant,
But now it is clear.

(11) “Now the parable is this: the seed is the word of God.”

And all of a sudden the map is clear.
Once you are given the legend, it all comes in to focus.
• The farmer isn’t a farmer, he’s a preacher
• The seed isn’t a seed, it’s the word of God
• The soil isn’t soil, it’s the people who hear the word

And so again we realize that Jesus is talking about
The importance of listening.

But you ALSO NEED TO UNDERSTAND here that
Jesus is taking His sermon even one step deeper.

We have already separated those who don’t hear from those who do.
Those who don’t hear have already left.
They got the parable, didn’t understand it and went home content
They’ll be characterized by the first type of soil Jesus explains.

But it’s not as though Jesus only speaks of 2 types of soil.
He doesn’t just list hard soil and soft soil.

THERE ARE FOUR.
And what we begin to understand is that
Of the 3 that actually press on for understanding
Only 1 of them ends up being acceptable.

That means it is possible to HEAR the word, UNDERSTAND the word, even RECEIVE the word AND STILL NOT BE ACCEPTABLE TO GOD.

The defining expectation for this soil is clear.
IT IS FRUIT.
We are not looking just for soil that takes the seed.
We are looking for soil that produces a crop.

Every farmer plants a seed for one reason only, and that is for a crop.
• If the seed produces a crop then it is a success.
• If the seed fails to produce a crop then it is a failure.

By that criteria we have here 3 failing soils and 1 successful soil.

And, because Jesus has given us the legend,
We know that these SOILS REPRESENT THE HUMAN HEART.
These soils represent the various responses to the gospel.

And I want to stress from the beginning.
ONLY 1 OF THESE SOILS REPRESENTS A SAVED PERSON

So this crowd has proven themselves a little better than those who went home early, but they are not necessarily all the way yet.

What we are going to do is
EXAMINE these 4 types of soils or hearts or responses or people
And learn what it actually means to listen to God’s word.

1 of these 4 listens the way Jesus intends, 3 do not.

Let’s look at them.
1) THE HARD HEARTED (12)
“Those beside the road are those who have heard; then the devil comes and takes away the word from their heart, so that they will not believe and be saved.”

These represented the crowd that is already half-way to Dairy Queen.
They are the ones represented by the road.
They are depicted as hard and disinterested.

They were in church, they heard, they read what the Bible said,
They just had no interest in what they were hearing.

They are “those who have heard”
But that only means they were present when it was spoken.

They heard Jesus give the parable, but they did not comprehend;
And probably more telling, they didn’t care.

But instead of just saying that “they didn’t get it”,
Jesus goes FURTHER TO EXPLAIN precisely what happens.

He says what actually happens is “the devil comes and takes away the word from their heart, so that they will not believe and be saved.”

This is one of the insights Scripture gives us into spiritual warfare.
I know in our day spiritual warfare has almost been glamorized to some sort of mystic battle with hand waiving and candles and flopping and head slapping, etc.

But look, Satan’s objective has never been a circus,
It has always been deception.

Jesus told us pretty clearly:
John 10:10 “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy;”

For years I’ve heard prosperity preachers call the devil a thief
And then talk about how he steals cars and houses and promotions, etc.

But Jesus indicates here what he steals.
• He loves to steal the truth.
• He loves to steal the word from your heart.
• He loves to quiet the conviction that God brings.
• He loves to contradict the truth that God proclaims.

Remember him debating with Eve?
Genesis 3:4-5 “The serpent said to the woman, “You surely will not die! “For God knows that in the day you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.”

He appealed to her logic and her sense of self.
It was an effort to get her to eradicate the truth from her mind.

He loves to use the false wisdom and logic of our world
To turn people from the truth.

2 Corinthians 4:3-4 “And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing, in whose case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelieving so that they might not see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.”

He also loves to appeal to your sense of self.
God sends the truth which convicts you and condemns you and Satan loves to supply the argument.

Remember how the people responded to Isaiah’s preaching?
Isaiah 28:9 “To whom would He teach knowledge, And to whom would He interpret the message? Those just weaned from milk? Those just taken from the breast?”

Satan whispered in their ear,
“Who does he think he’s talking to? He can’t talk to you like that.”

That’s real spiritual warfare.
• He provides the argument for those who don’t want to hear it.
• He provides the distraction for those who don’t want to see it.
• And he helps you flush God’s word right out of your heart.

Next time you hear God’s word
And your mind is instantly flooded with worldly arguments
Or you’re tempted to get angry and offended;
JUST KNOW WHERE THOSE THOUGHTS CAME FROM.

Well that’s what the devil does.
• God gives the word,
• You’re not interested in what God has to say
• The devil makes sure to help you forget it.

Why does the devil do that?
Because that word will save you.
• It will convict your sin, and show you the judgment to come.
• It will drive you into holy terror and the need for reconciliation with God.
• It will point you to the all sufficient sacrifice of Jesus.
• And it will ask you to deliver all God desires from you which is faith.

And Satan is on a mission to make sure that message doesn’t sink in.

He is well acquainted with the missionary passage in Romans 10.
Romans 10:13-14 “for “WHOEVER WILL CALL ON THE NAME OF THE LORD WILL BE SAVED.” How then will they call on Him in whom they have not believed? How will they believe in Him whom they have not heard? And how will they hear without a preacher?”

So Satan’s goal is to stop you from hearing,
And if he can’t do that,
His goal is to quickly help you dismiss what you do hear.

Could you imagine a greater horror than for Satan to have helped you ignore what God had to say?

Well there are plenty of people who do fall into that category.
They are the hardened soil.
They hear, but it goes in one ear and out the other.

The Hard Hearted
2) THE SHALLOW HEARTED (13)
“Those on the rocky soil are those who, when they hear, receive the word with joy; and these have no firm root; they believe for a while, and in time of temptation fall away.”

Here is a type of person that was extremely prevalent in Jesus’ day
And one that is also extremely prevalent in our day as well.

They are the people who flock to Jesus,
But they do so with selfish motives.

First of all we recognize that they also hear.
Jesus says, “when they hear”

And unlike the hard soil, these people “receive the word”.
That is to say, they consent to it, they agree with it, they are not eager to push it away.

In fact Jesus goes on to add that they “receive the word with joy”

They are absolutely exuberant about what they’ve found.
To them, this message is truly good news.

But there is a problem.
“these have no firm root”

That is to say that there is no depth to these people.
• It is all on the surface,
• It is all superficial.
• It is merely emotional.

Now, don’t get me wrong, I tend to believe that hearing from God
Can certainly be an emotional ordeal, but that’s not all it is.

But that’s all it was for these people.
They were in this thing for the joy it produced.

The problem is “they believe for a while, and in time of temptation fall away.”

NOW FIRST LET ME ADDRESS the apparent problem of
Those who are called believers and yet who still fall away from the faith.

I must remind you that professing faith
Is NOT the same thing as possessing faith.

And just because people in Scripture claim belief,
Or are even for a time called “believers”
This DOES NOT always indicate those who are truly redeemed.

John 8:31 “So Jesus was saying to those Jews who had believed Him, “If you continue in My word, then you are truly disciples of Mine;”

These people are “believers” but Jesus simply says, “We’ll see”
Yes, those who believe are saved,
And yes you claim to believe,
But the proof is in the pudding.

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

John there speak of people who were part of the congregation
And claimed faith in Christ,
But they proved their profession of faith was false because they did not remain.

That is precisely the people we are talking about here.
We are NOT talking about true believers who fall away amidst temptation.

We are talking about false believers
Who prove they have no faith during the time of temptation.
These people were all emotion.

And as I said this was prevalent in Jesus’ day.
Notice the crowds flocking to Him…
See them love Him for His miracles…

But watch them when He starts preaching denial of self
And repentance from sin.

John 6:65-66 “And He was saying, “For this reason I have said to you, that no one can come to Me unless it has been granted him from the Father.” As a result of this many of His disciples withdrew and were not walking with Him anymore.”

Listen to the crowd cry “Hosanna!” at His triumphal entry
And then “Crucify!” at His trial.

Why the quick turn?
Because they were only in this thing for what they could get out of it.

They are easy to spot.
They come to Jesus for the satisfaction of their flesh,
Not for the crucifixion of it.

And that’s why I can confidently tell you that
We see this all too often today as well.

It is absolutely sickening how Jesus is peddled today in most venues.
He is often held up as the universal satisfier.
• He can fulfill every void your heart has.
• He can gratify every unmet desire.
• He can nullify every unfulfilled expectation.

He’s peddled as prosperity and healing and joy and value and importance
And self-esteem (even self-indulgence) and glory and prestige.

And people flock down the aisles in these emotion-driven services
Where they can get everything their flesh has ever wanted from Jesus.

The problem is, Jesus did not come to gratify your flesh, He came to kill it.
• He DID NOT come saying “Love yourself and follow Me”
• He said, “Deny yourself and follow Me”

And these people who are manipulated under false promises
Often times do come to Jesus with great joy and excitement.

But when following Jesus proves to be far more sacrificial
Than what they expected they are quickly done with Him.

But here we see the shallow hearted,
• Who never counted the cost of following Christ.
• They heard all the promises of blessing,
• They ignored all the promises of persecution
• In the end they proved to love themselves, not Christ.

The bore no fruit – they had no salvation.

The Hard Hearted, The Shallow Hearted
3) THE HALF HEARTED (14)
“The seed which fell among the thorns, these are the ones who have heard, and as they go on their way they are choked with worries and riches and pleasures of this life, and bring no fruit to maturity.”

Again we are dealing with a person who has “heard”.
They heard the message.

And the message even penetrated the heart.
• They were convicted.
• They were made aware.
• And it is apparent that they may have even wrestled with what they heard for a while.

The problem with their heart however is that it was filled with idolatry.
There were other seeds occupying space.
“and as they go on their way they are choked with worries and riches and pleasures of this life, and bring no fruit to maturity.”

That rocky soil individual accepted the call without ever counting the cost of following Christ.
And when the cost made itself evident they quickly rejected.

This weedy soiled person is not at all like that.
They are far more analytical than emotional.
They are counting the cost to a great extent.

THE PROBLEM is that they are unwilling to pay the cost that is required.

Remember this guy?
Matthew 19:20-22 “The young man said to Him, “All these things I have kept; what am I still lacking?” Jesus said to him, “If you wish to be complete, go and sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me.” But when the young man heard this statement, he went away grieving; for he was one who owned much property.”

• That guy heard the message.
• That guy understood the message.
• That guy discerned the message.
• The problem was that he rejected it because it cost too much.

And we see those people in our world today as well.
• For them God’s word is not hard to understand, it’s just hard to swallow.
• And rather than submitting to the God of the universe, they determine to keep their idols.

They love the flesh and they will not yield.
They are brought right up to the brink of salvation but ultimately reject it.

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

Contrary to some arguments the words that the writer of Hebrews uses here
Are NOT words which speak of salvation.

He speaks of temporary benefits of being exposed to God, God’s people, God’s word, God’s sovereignty, God’s Spirit, and God’s salvation.

They are given a full-blown taste.
But upon full understanding and enlightenment
They reject the offer of salvation
And choose rather to crucify Christ to themselves.

THAT IS A WEEDY HEART.
And any time a person hears and understands the word
But balks at the high commands that is what they reveal.

They have a heart that loves the world.
And that heart never produces fruit and is not saved.

AND THE OBVIOUS POINT being made by the Lord is that
Hearing is definitely important, but it’s obviously more than just hearing.

• You have to hear it…
• You have to receive it…
• You have to listen to what is being said…
• You have to obey it…
• You have to submit to it, not matter the cost…

THAT IS WHAT GOD IS EXPECTING.
He’s not just looking for people who can pass a knowledge test,
He’s expecting people who will do what He says.

Do we remember the warning from James?
James 1:22 “But prove yourselves doers of the word, and not merely hearers who delude themselves.”

A person who can hear the word but not do the word
And then think themselves to be a Christian has deluded their self.

Paul wrote:
Titus 1:16 “They profess to know God, but by their deeds they deny Him, being detestable and disobedient and worthless for any good deed.”

The first 3 soils are all people who have heard the word,
But they are also people who are not listening to what they are being told.
• They are either too hard hearted
• Or too shallow hearted
• Or too half hearted

But that brings us to the one Jesus is looking for.
4) THE GOOD HEARTED (15)
“But the seed in the good soil, these are the ones who have heard the word in an honest and good heart, and hold it fast, and bear fruit with perseverance.”

They hear, but they hear “in an honest and good heart”

“honest” which is to say not superficial like that rocky soil.
• They weren’t lying when they said they would follow.

“good” which is to say not a divided heart like that weedy soil.
• They were willing to devote their whole life to Christ.

And not only that,
But they “hold it fast, and bear fruit with perseverance.”
• They endure through the temptations.
• They endure through the persecutions.
• They do what God says no matter the cost.

They are committed to producing what God seeks to produce.
They will listen and they will obey and they will endure
Because they understand the objective is to please God not themselves.

This is why they love God’s word,
Because it tells them how to please God.

And the presence of their fruit is the indicator of their obedient heart.
God plants a seed of His word and their heart produces a righteous life.
And this is One Christ is looking for.

So now grasp the next round of application.
We already looked at the danger of not valuing God’s word.
• He might just quit speaking in a way in which you can understand it.

But you should also know that simply understanding God’s word is not the goal.
• The goal is valuing and obeying God’s word.
• Letting God’s word do its work in your life.

And if any of us should fall short of that goal
Then there is evidence that
We are still not listening as Jesus intended.

It may be that
• Our heart is too hard and needs to be broken.
• Our heart is too shallow and needs to contemplate what’s at stake.
• Our heart is too idolatrous and needs to be cleansed.

For what we are seeking is
A heart that is soft and faithful and committed
And one that understands the importance
Of allowing God’s word to grow and produce fruit.

1 Thessalonians 2:13 “For this reason we also constantly thank God that when you received the word of God which you heard from us, you accepted it not as the word of men, but for what it really is, the word of God, which also performs its work in you who believe.”

That is what we seek.
So again, “Take care how you listen”

“Wilderness University”
1 Kings 19:1-21 (1-4)

ELIJAH JUST WON A GREAT VICTORY.

Elijah had summoned all Israel to Mt. Carmel
And there engaged in a little showdown
Between himself and the 450 prophets of Baal.

Of course Baal did nothing, and then it was Elijah’s turn:

1 Kings 18:36-39 “At the time of the offering of the evening sacrifice, Elijah the prophet came near and said, “O LORD, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Israel, today let it be known that You are God in Israel and that I am Your servant and I have done all these things at Your word. “Answer me, O LORD, answer me, that this people may know that You, O LORD, are God, and that You have turned their heart back again.” Then the fire of the LORD fell and consumed the burnt offering and the wood and the stones and the dust, and licked up the water that was in the trench. When all the people saw it, they fell on their faces; and they said, “The LORD, He is God; the LORD, He is God.”

ELIJAH WON A MAJOR VICTORY!

And then we see something interesting.
1 Kings 18:46 “Then the hand of the LORD was on Elijah, and he girded up his loins and outran Ahab to Jezreel.”

It is obvious that Elijah has big plans for Israel.

But let’s take a time out for just a moment.
WHAT DID GOD ACTUALLY TELL ELIJAH THAT HE WAS GOING TO DO?
1 Kings 18:1 “Now it happened after many days that the word of the LORD came to Elijah in the third year, saying, “Go, show yourself to Ahab, and I will send rain on the face of the earth.”
And God did that.

But Elijah is looking ahead.
He seems to have God’s plan figured out.
He has God’s plan all figured out.

HE IS ALSO DEAD WRONG
VERSES 1-2 “Now Ahab told Jezebel all that Elijah had done, and how he had killed all the prophets with the sword. Then Jezebel sent a messenger to Elijah, saying, “So may the gods do to me and even more, if I do not make your life as the life of one of them by tomorrow about this time.”

CAN YOU SEE THE LOOK ON ELIJAH’S FACE?

He was so certain he knew what God was doing…
He was so certain he knew what was coming next…
Why he was so certain that he even ran ahead of God…

HAS THAT EVER HAPPENED TO YOU?
A time when you ran so fast toward what you thought God was doing
That you ran right past Him?

If you have, you are not alone.

REMEMBER JAMES AND JOHN?
Luke 9:51-56 “When the days were approaching for His ascension, He was determined to go to Jerusalem; and He sent messengers on ahead of Him, and they went and entered a village of the Samaritans to make arrangements for Him. But they did not receive Him, because He was traveling toward Jerusalem. When His disciples James and John saw this, they said, “Lord, do You want us to command fire to come down from heaven and consume them?” But He turned and rebuked them, [ and said, “You do not know what kind of spirit you are of; for the Son of Man did not come to destroy men’s lives, but to save them.”] And they went on to another village.”

REMEMBER PETER?
Matthew 16:21-23 “From that time Jesus began to show His disciples that He must go to Jerusalem, and suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised up on the third day. Peter took Him aside and began to rebuke Him, saying, “God forbid it, Lord! This shall never happen to You.” But He turned and said to Peter, “Get behind Me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to Me; for you are not setting your mind on God’s interests, but man’s.”

Filled with confidence, puffed up on arrogance,
They sought out to fulfill what they assumed was God’s will.

Elijah did this when he ran to Jezreel.
AND HE QUICKLY LEARNED THAT HE WASN’T AN EXPERT ON GOD

So he is about to enter: “WILDERNESS UNIVERSITY”
(That is the name my mom gave it)

Neither went to college, but both received a degree.
1986 – my dad’s job was cutting back, and my mom was enrolled.
Later that year my dad was laid off, and he was enrolled.

For the next 3 years they never had a steady paycheck.
They earned a degree in trusting God.

The passage of Scripture that best explains it is found in Hebrews.
TURN TO: HEBREWS 12:1-11

We are referring to those times of trial and difficulty in life.
They are God’s form of education to make us who He desires us to be.

MANY HAVE ATTENDED THIS UNIVERSITY:
Moses spent 40 years in the wilderness & 40 days on Sinai…
The children of Israel spent 40 years wandering there…
Jesus even went there for 40 days after His baptism…
I entered “Wilderness University” in 2001 under the anxiety program.
(For about 8 months I was spiritually miserable as God was preparing me for ministry)

I CAN TELL YOU WHAT WILDERNESS UNIVERSITY WAS LIKE FOR ME
Zechariah 13:9 “And I will bring the third part through the fire, Refine them as silver is refined, And test them as gold is tested. They will call on My name, And I will answer them; I will say, ‘They are My people,’ And they will say, ‘The LORD is my God.'”

Remember when God did this to Isaiah?
Isaiah 6:5-8 “Then I said, “Woe is me, for I am ruined! Because I am a man of unclean lips, And I live among a people of unclean lips; For my eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts.” Then one of the seraphim flew to me with a burning coal in his hand, which he had taken from the altar with tongs. He touched my mouth with it and said, “Behold, this has touched your lips; and your iniquity is taken away and your sin is forgiven.” Then I heard the voice of the Lord, saying, “Whom shall I send, and who will go for Us?” Then I said, “Here am I. Send me!”

Eventually God sends all His children.
• It is a time of PURIFICATION
• It is a time of EDUCATION
• It is a time of PREPARATION

There are many reasons why we may go.
(punishment, refining, to be put on display) Elijah ran ahead of God

But regardless of why we enter, the command is the same.
James 1:2-4 “Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance. And let endurance have its perfect result, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.”

TODAY WE SEE WHAT IT WAS LIKE WHEN ELIJAH ENTERED.

We’ll understand more as we see Elijah attend.
#1 CONFUSION
1 Kings 19:3-8
Jezebel threatens his life and
ALL OF A SUDDEN WE SEE A COMPLETELY DIFFERENT ELIJAH.

(3) “And he was afraid and arose and ran for his life”

One would be curious if we are talking about the same Elijah.
• Is this the same guy that called Ahab the troubler of Israel?
• Is this the same guy that called out the entire nation of Israel?
• Is this the same guy who put his neck on the line on Mt. Carmel?
• Is this the same guy who openly mocked Baal?

The difference is that on Mt. Carmel he was following God,
In Jezreel he had run ahead of Him.

And now our courageous prophet is running for his life.

“[He] came to Beersheba, which belongs to Judah, and left his servant there.”

From the northern part of Israel to the southern part of Judah.
He has traveled to the extreme opposite end of the nation.

He dropped his servant there, and continued.
(4) “But he himself went a day’s journey into the wilderness…”

He runs the length of the nation
And then escapes a day’s journey into the wilderness.
And Elijah enrolls in “Wilderness University”

“[He] came and sat down under a juniper tree; and he requested for himself that he might die, and said, “It is enough; now, O LORD, take my life, for I am not better than my fathers.”

• He doesn’t understand what God is doing…
• He doesn’t understand why all this is happening…
• He doesn’t see any way out…

“WILDERNESS UNIVERSITY” is hard!

My parents have told me of similar times of despair.
DAD: “I wish I was a cow”
MOM: “God just take me out”

Those are the sentiments of many while attending “Wilderness University”

Job 3:1 “Afterward Job opened his mouth and cursed the day of his birth. “Why did I not die at birth, Come forth from the womb and expire?

(MOSES) Numbers 11:13-15 “Where am I to get meat to give to all this people? For they weep before me, saying, ‘Give us meat that we may eat!’ “I alone am not able to carry all this people, because it is too burdensome for me. “So if You are going to deal thus with me, please kill me at once, if I have found favor in Your sight, and do not let me see my wretchedness.”

Jeremiah 20:14-15 “Cursed be the day when I was born; Let the day not be blessed when my mother bore me! Cursed be the man who brought the news To my father, saying, “A baby boy has been born to you!” And made him very happy.”

Jonah 4:1-3 “But it greatly displeased Jonah and he became angry. He prayed to the LORD and said, “Please LORD, was not this what I said while I was still in my own country? Therefore in order to forestall this I fled to Tarshish, for I knew that You are a gracious and compassionate God, slow to anger and abundant in lovingkindness, and one who relents concerning calamity. “Therefore now, O LORD, please take my life from me, for death is better to me than life.”

GOD WAS STRETCHING THEM, LIKE NEVER BEFORE

WILDERNESS UNIVERSITY IS THAT DIFFICULT
My preacher growing up referred to it as
Being in “A Box Canyon” and there is no way out but God.

In the wilderness, there is no one and nothing but God,
And you either learn to trust Him, or you remain in the wilderness.
(Ultimately dying there like the children of Israel who refused to enter His rest)

ELIJAH IS THERE.
Elijah found out that ministry is easier
When it is all answered prayer and no death threats.

BUT PLEASE NOTICE THAT EVEN THOUGH IT IS HARD,
GOD HAS NOT LEFT ELIJAH.

(5-7) “He lay down and slept under a juniper tree; and behold, there was an angel touching him, and he said to him, “Arise, eat.” Then he looked and behold, there was at his head a bread cake baked on hot stones, and a jar of water. So he ate and drank and lay down again. The angel of the LORD came again a second time and touched him and said, “Arise, eat, because the journey is too great for you.”

We’ve all read the poem “Footprints in the Sand”
And how God carries us through our most difficult times.

GOD DID IT FOR ELIJAH, HE WILL DO IT FOR YOU.

And then notice:
(8) “So he arose and ate and drank, and went in the strength of that food forty days and forty nights to Horeb, the mountain of God.”

ELIJAH MAKES THE PROPER MOVE
When in the wilderness don’t run from God, instead seek Him out.

Many when under God’s discipline shut Him off,
Hoping to make the conviction stop.
That approach only leaves you in the wilderness.
GOD IS YOUR ONLY RELEIF

First Confusion
#2 COMPLAINING
1 Kings 19:9-10

To keep from glamorizing it too much.
Elijah did seek out God, but part of the reason is to complain.

God asks, “What are you doing here, Elijah?”
To which he answers:
(10) “I have been very zealous for the LORD, the God of hosts; for the sons of Israel have forsaken Your covenant, torn down Your altars and killed Your prophets with the sword. And I alone am left; and they seek my life, to take it away.”

“God, Your plan isn’t working!”

He is really discouraged as a servant of God.
(In fact, even after an encounter with God, Elijah asks the same question again – vs. 14)

WHAT ELIJAH DOESN’T REALIZE IS THAT
IT IS NOT GOD’S PLAN THAT FAILED, BUT HIS OWN.

GOD’S PLAN WAS NOT TO HONOR THE PROPHETS,
GOD’S PLAN WAS TO DRAW ISRAEL UNTO HIMSELF.

BUT HIS PRESENT HARDSHIP LEADS TO COMPLAINING

DAD: “Throwing Rocks at God”
Trust me, if you’ve never wanted to throw rocks at God,
You’ve probably never had Him put you through the ringer.

Jeremiah 20:7 “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.”

DON’T MISUNDERSTAND – complaining is not OK
Jeremiah 15:18-19 “Why has my pain been perpetual And my wound incurable, refusing to be healed? Will You indeed be to me like a deceptive stream With water that is unreliable? Therefore, thus says the LORD, “If you return, then I will restore you — Before Me you will stand; And if you extract the precious from the worthless, You will become My spokesman. They for their part may turn to you, But as for you, you must not turn to them.”

At “Wilderness University”
God sends you through a fire of purification.
And even the strongest have been known to complain.

DON’T MISUNDERSTAND
I’m not saying it is a bad place, or even a place to be avoided.

In fact, the Psalmist prayed to return:
Psalms 126 “When the LORD brought back the captive ones of Zion, We were like those who dream. Then our mouth was filled with laughter And our tongue with joyful shouting; Then they said among the nations, “The LORD has done great things for them.” The LORD has done great things for us; We are glad. Restore our captivity, O LORD, As the streams in the South. Those who sow in tears shall reap with joyful shouting. He who goes to and fro weeping, carrying his bag of seed, Shall indeed come again with a shout of joy, bringing his sheaves with him.”
I’m not saying it’s BAD, I’m just saying it’s HARD.

Hebrews 12:11 “All discipline for the moment seems not to be joyful, but sorrowful; yet to those who have been trained by it, afterwards it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness.”

Confusion, Complaining
#3 CONFRONTING
1 Kings 19:11-18

(11) “So He said, “Go forth and stand on the mountain before the LORD.”

ELIJAH NEEDED TO ENCOUNTER GOD
God’s presence is the only cure I know for a pity-party

And behold, the LORD was passing by! And a great and strong wind was rending the mountains and breaking in pieces the rocks before the LORD; but the LORD was not in the wind. And after the wind an earthquake, but the LORD was not in the earthquake. After the earthquake a fire, but the LORD was not in the fire; and after the fire a sound of a gentle blowing.”

First a STRONG WIND
Second an EARTHQUAKE
Third a FIRE
But God wasn’t in any one of those.

WHY DID GOD DO THAT?
To show Elijah that is not how He is working here.

That is how Elijah had expected God to respond.
BUT THAT IS NOT HOW GOD WAS WORKING
God was moving, but He was not a storm, He was in the “gentle blowing”

The revival God was bringing was real, but it was gentle,
It was subtle, it was seemingly slow, but it would be very effective.

The PURPOSE of “Wilderness University”
IS TO LEARN how God really is at work.

Hebrews 12:10 “For they disciplined us for a short time as seemed best to them, but He disciplines us for our good, so that we may share His holiness.”

Listen to Paul.
2 Corinthians 1:8-9 “For we do not want you to be unaware, brethren, of our affliction which came to us in Asia, that we were burdened excessively, beyond our strength, so that we despaired even of life; indeed, we had the sentence of death within ourselves so that we would not trust in ourselves, but in God who raises the dead;”

Elijah was a great prophet, but he had MUCH TO LEARN about God still.
I can tell you another class my dad attended.
DON’T SAVE YOUR MANNA
(Dad wanted to save horses, God stopped him)

LOOK AT WHAT JEREMIAH LEARNED.
Jeremiah 15:19-21 “Therefore, thus says the LORD, “If you return, then I will restore you — Before Me you will stand; And if you extract the precious from the worthless, You will become My spokesman. They for their part may turn to you, But as for you, you must not turn to them.”Then I will make you to this people A fortified wall of bronze; And though they fight against you, They will not prevail over you; For I am with you to save you And deliver you,” declares the LORD. “So I will deliver you from the hand of the wicked, And I will redeem you from the grasp of the violent.”

Elijah is learning here.
(VERSES 15-18)

Paul actually referred to those verses in Romans 11
Romans 11:1-6 “I say then, God has not rejected His people, has He? May it never be! For I too am an Israelite, a descendant of Abraham, of the tribe of Benjamin. God has not rejected His people whom He foreknew. Or do you not know what the Scripture says in the passage about Elijah, how he pleads with God against Israel “Lord, THEY HAVE KILLED YOUR PROPHETS, THEY HAVE TORN DOWN YOUR ALTARS, AND I ALONE AM LEFT, AND THEY ARE SEEKING MY LIFE.” But what is the divine response to him? “I HAVE KEPT for Myself SEVEN THOUSAND MEN WHO HAVE NOT BOWED THE KNEE TO BAAL.” In the same way then, there has also come to be at the present time a remnant according to God’s gracious choice. But if it is by grace, it is no longer on the basis of works, otherwise grace is no longer grace.”

Paul’s point was the same:
I don’t care how things appear, God is in control
And everything will work out according to His will.

THAT IS WHAT ELIJAH IS LEARNING
God had a plan for completely removing Baal from the land.

He would do it through Hazael, Jehu, and Elisha.
(Jehu actually turns Baal’s house into a latrine)

But Elijah had to get to a point of desperation
Before he was able to hear what God wanted him to learn.

GOD WAS EDUCATING ELIJAH AS TO HIS REAL PURPOSE
(That is the purpose of “Wilderness University”)

Elijah had run past God, it caused him CONFUSION
It brought about COMPLAINING
But here god CONFRONTS him and reveals his plan.
#4 COMMISSIONING
1 Kings 19:19-21

The commissioning really occurs back in verse 15, “The LORD said to him, “Go, return on your way to the wilderness of Damascus, and when you have arrived…”

AND ELIJAH OBEYS
(19) “So he departed…”

About a month and a half earlier Elijah was ready to quit,
Now Elijah is back in the saddle.
He graduated from wilderness university.

And that is another truth you need to learn.
THE ONLY DEGREE OFFERED IS A FAITH DEGREE

You cannot graduate from “Wilderness University”
Until you learn to hear God, and trust God.

Hebrews 4:1-3 “Therefore, let us fear if, while a promise remains of entering His rest, any one of you may seem to have come short of it. For indeed we have had good news preached to us, just as they also; but the word they heard did not profit them, because it was not united by faith in those who heard. For we who have believed enter that rest, just as He has said, “AS I SWORE IN MY WRATH, THEY SHALL NOT ENTER MY REST,” although His works were finished from the foundation of the world.”

Hebrews 4:9-11 “So there remains a Sabbath rest for the people of God. For the one who has entered His rest has himself also rested from his works, as God did from His. Therefore let us be diligent to enter that rest, so that no one will fall, through following the same example of disobedience.”

Elijah was no longer running ahead of God, but was now following Him.

THERE ARE SOME WHO HAVE ALREADY RECEIVED A DEGREE
FROM “WILDERNESS UNIVERSITY”

CONTINUE IN WHAT YOU LEARNED
God wants you to share in His holiness, don’t digress.

THERE ARE SOME WHO ARE PRESENTLY ATTENDING.
(In fact, I know of one from our Church right now)

Do what Elijah did:
Don’t run from God, seek Him out…
Learn from Him…
Trust Him unconditionally…

Hebrews 12:7-9 “It is for discipline that you endure; God deals with you as with sons; for what son is there whom his father does not discipline? But if you are without discipline, of which all have become partakers, then you are illegitimate children and not sons. Furthermore, we had earthly fathers to discipline us, and we respected them; shall we not much rather be subject to the Father of spirits, and live?”

For if you don’t exercise faith, you will never get out. – Children of Israel
THERE ARE SOME WHO HAVE NEVER ATTENDED
WILDERNESS UNIVERSITY.

If you are a believer your time is coming.
In fact, I expect to probably return some day,
As many of us do from time to time.

PACK AWAY WHAT YOU HAVE LEARNED FOR THAT DAY

It is a place where our relationship with God is strengthened.

This morning regardless of where you are,
I want you to learn from Elijah’s experience.

• DON’T RUN AHEAD OF GOD, FOLLOW HIM
• DON’T QUIT ON GOD, SEEK HIM
• DON’T REJECT GOD, TRUST HIM

Elijah did and he was a brand new prophet
With a brand new passion for ministry.

Hebrews 12:3-6 “For consider Him who has endured such hostility by sinners against Himself, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart. You have not yet resisted to the point of shedding blood in your striving against sin; and you have forgotten the exhortation which is addressed to you as sons, “MY SON, DO NOT REGARD LIGHTLY THE DISCIPLINE OF THE LORD, NOR FAINT WHEN YOU ARE REPROVED BY HIM; FOR THOSE WHOM THE LORD LOVES HE DISCIPLINES, AND HE SCOURGES EVERY SON WHOM HE RECEIVES.”

The Futility of Rebellion
Psalms 2
June 24, 2018

You may not have noticed,
But we are living in a day when political tensions run high.
People are as opinionated as ever regarding their thoughts of political leaders,
Certainly culminating in the President.

Perhaps people have always had an opinion regarding their leaders,
But with each day there seems to be
A growing willingness to voice those opinions publicly.
I remember as a kid, you just didn’t hear people (at least as the norm)
Disrespect the office of the President.

When I noticed the most major shift was during the presidency of Bill Clinton.
• It was then for the first time that I became familiar with a man named Rush Limbaugh who not only disagreed with the president, but who also had no qualms about mocking him and vehemently attacking him.

And honestly, what started there has only escalated.
• Regardless of the man…
• Regardless of his policies…
• Every president is attacked and not just politically, but even personally and certainly relentlessly.

And this despite the clear warning of Scripture.
Romans 13:1-2 “Every person is to be in subjection to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those which exist are established by God. Therefore whoever resists authority has opposed the ordinance of God; and they who have opposed will receive condemnation upon themselves.”

What Paul teaches us is that all authority
Is merely an extension of God’s authority.

And therefore insubordination on any level
Is actually a rebellion against God.

And that has grown to fit our world to a “T”.
I’ve often said it, but in our culture
THERE IS NO MORE UNACCEPTABLE WORD THAN “SUBMISSION”.

Our world hates it.
• They hate the notion of children submitting to their parents.
• They hate the notion of workers submitting to their boss.
• They hate the notion of wives submitting to their husbands.
• They hate the notion of submitting to the governing authorities.

And they hate all those things
Because they hate the idea of submitting to God.

And that is certainly the sentiment that is revealed in the 2nd Psalm.

In Acts 4 we learn that David is the one who wrote this Psalm,
• And it is a Psalm about how much David is hated by his enemies.
• It is also a Psalm about futile it is to disregard the authority that God is established.
• And then ultimately it is a Psalm of how futile it is to disregard God’s ultimate King, the Lord Jesus Christ.

That’s why we call this Psalm the futility of rebellion.
It is a Psalm revealing to us the utter stupidity of rejecting submission.

Let’s work our way through it and see what we can learn about God.
4 points
#1 A FUTILE PLAN
Psalms 2:1-3

It is a Psalm that begins with a question.
(1) “Why are the nations in an uproar..?

That’s not a question like it seems.
David is NOT asking, “Why would they do it?”
That is obvious: They are in an uproar because they hate God.

What David is asking is, “Why would they do something that is so stupid?”

“Why are the nations in an uproar and the peoples devising a vain thing?”

From David’s perspective we have the nations here
Planning something that cannot possibly work.

To be more specific:
(2) “The kings of the earth take their stand and the rulers take counsel together against the LORD and against His Anointed…”

It is basically equivalent of a United Nations meeting
Getting together and deciding that they are going to
Overthrow God and any leader whom God ordains.

It’s a planned mutiny about how they’re going to overthrow God and His appointed government.

In an immediate sense
• We’re talking about the enemies of Israel and those who would wage war with David.
• Take the Philistines or any of the other neighboring nations who sought to attack Israel and overthrow David and remove God’s people from the land of Canaan.

David pictures them all getting together and plotting
How they can attack Israel and annihilate them.

Their desire: “Let us tear their fetters apart and cast away their cords from us!”
• They are tired of being under Israel’s thumb
• They are tired of having to yield to Israel’s king
• They don’t want to put up with Israel’s God

And David bluntly asks, “Who would plan something so stupid?”
Who would really have the audacity to try and thwart
The sovereign God and His sovereign plan?

And would could certainly ask questions like that even in our day.
Who is really dumb enough to shake their fist at God and say, “I’ll do it my way and I’m not going to listen to you”?

It’s absurd when you think about it even in a general sense.

But of course, you are certainly familiar that
This Psalm is more than just a song of David,
It is also a prophetic picture of the hatred the world has for Christ.

When you read Acts 4
• You read of how Peter healed a crippled man
• The excitement of the people eventually caused Peter and John to be called before the Sanhedrin
• And threatened that they should no longer do anything in the name of Jesus.

After releasing the men, they went to the church and this is how the church prayed:
Acts 4:23-31 “When they had been released, they went to their own companions and reported all that the chief priests and the elders had said to them. And when they heard this, they lifted their voices to God with one accord and said, “O Lord, it is You who MADE THE HEAVEN AND THE EARTH AND THE SEA, AND ALL THAT IS IN THEM, who by the Holy Spirit, through the mouth of our father David Your servant, said, ‘WHY DID THE GENTILES RAGE, AND THE PEOPLES DEVISE FUTILE THINGS? ‘THE KINGS OF THE EARTH TOOK THEIR STAND, AND THE RULERS WERE GATHERED TOGETHER AGAINST THE LORD AND AGAINST HIS CHRIST.’ “For truly in this city there were gathered together against Your holy servant Jesus, whom You anointed, both Herod and Pontius Pilate, along with the Gentiles and the peoples of Israel, to do whatever Your hand and Your purpose predestined to occur. “And now, Lord, take note of their threats, and grant that Your bond-servants may speak Your word with all confidence, while You extend Your hand to heal, and signs and wonders take place through the name of Your holy servant Jesus.” And when they had prayed, the place where they had gathered together was shaken, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak the word of God with boldness.”

The early church saw the hostility of the rulers toward Christ
And saw it as a fulfillment of Psalms 2.

Furthermore they took encouragement from the fact that
Despite their raging they could not thwart the plan of God.

But the point is that this isn’t just a Psalm about
The hostility David faced
This is about the hostility that Christ faced.

We saw “the kings of the earth take their stand”
Luke 23:12 “Now Herod and Pilate became friends with one another that very day; for before they had been enemies with each other.”

We saw “the rulers take counsel together”
Luke 6:11 “But they themselves were filled with rage, and discussed together what they might do to Jesus.”

Their sole objective was the keep this Christ from ruling over them.

Jesus gave a parable about this very thing in Luke 19.
• It tells of a nobleman who was traveling and called ten slaves to himself and
gave them each 10 minas with which to do business while he was away.

However the sentiment toward the nobleman was hostile.
Luke 19:14 “But his citizens hated him and sent a delegation after him, saying, ‘We do not want this man to reign over us.’”

By the end of the parable we find the Lord’s response to those wayward citizens.
Luke 19:27 “But these enemies of mine, who did not want me to reign over them, bring them here and slay them in my presence.”

The point is: YOU WON’T WIN
Why would you even devise such a dumb plan?

And of course it’s not just that they did this to David
Or even to Christ when He came.

THEY’LL DO IT AGAIN.
Revelation 19:11 “And I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse, and He who sat on it is called Faithful and True, and in righteousness He judges and wages war.”

That of course is the second coming.
But the Bible also speaks of how the wicked will receive Him.

Revelation 19:19 “And I saw the beast and the kings of the earth and their armies assembled to make war against Him who sat on the horse and against His army.”

And it will be a stupid decision.
Why would you think you have the ability to reject what the sovereign God has determined?

It’s just a futile and foolish plan.

But it’s the plan, and you can see David’s confusion with it.

But beyond David’s response, look at God’s response.
#2 THE DIVINE RESPONSE
Psalms 2:4-6

“He who sits in the heavens laughs”

Psalms 37:12-13 “The wicked plots against the righteous And gnashes at him with his teeth. The Lord laughs at him, For He sees his day is coming.”

Psalms 59:8 “But You, O LORD, laugh at them; You scoff at all the nations.”

And this isn’t a humorous laugh, this is a mocking laugh.
“The Lord scoffs at them.”

Maybe you remember Goliath’s response when this little shepherd boy approached him with a slingshot…

1 Samuel 17:41-44 “Then the Philistine came on and approached David, with the shield-bearer in front of him. When the Philistine looked and saw David, he disdained him; for he was but a youth, and ruddy, with a handsome appearance. The Philistine said to David, “Am I a dog, that you come to me with sticks?” And the Philistine cursed David by his gods. The Philistine also said to David, “Come to me, and I will give your flesh to the birds of the sky and the beasts of the field.”

Of course we know that the Philistine’s confidence was sorely misplaced, but you do understand the disdain and the scorn and the mocking.

That is what God does to the wicked who have the audacity
To think they can overthrow His anointed.

And after God is finished mocking them, He will terrify them.
(5-6) “Then He will speak to them in His anger And terrify them in His fury, saying, “But as for Me, I have installed My King Upon Zion, My holy mountain.”

That is to say that
• God will declare His decision a done deal
• And God will also announce to them their defeat.

The point is that God isn’t the least bit concerned.
• He is not gathering His council in heaven hoping for a solution to the growing unrest of the wicked…
• He is not seeking generations of old to find out the best way to nullify the threat…
• He is not looking for some type of negotiation where they can all just coexist and get along…

All the plans of the wicked, and all the threats of the wicked
Are less than nothing before Him.

He NEVER makes His decisions based upon
The fear of some sort of uprising.

Our God is in the heaven’s He does whatever He pleases.
He is not concerned, He laughs
He does not negotiate, He declares His decision

Not only is this the response of God to the adversity David faced,
But it also the response of God to the adversity Jesus faced.

Even on the day when
• The Sanhedrin got together and conspired with Pilate
• And determined to kill Jesus and overthrow Him totally,
• God was never concerned in the least that they might somehow thwart His plan.

In fact, we read:
Acts 2:22-23 “Men of Israel, listen to these words: Jesus the Nazarene, a man attested to you by God with miracles and wonders and signs which God performed through Him in your midst, just as you yourselves know — this Man, delivered over by the predetermined plan and foreknowledge of God, you nailed to a cross by the hands of godless men and put Him to death.”

All they ended up doing is what God had already planned.
It was no threat to Him.

He laughs and mocks at the reasoning of rebellious humanity.

And David knew that.

In fact, listen to David recount God’s sovereign decree
#3 THE SOVEREIGN DECREE
Psalms 2:7-9

David says, “I will surely tell of the decree of the LORD:”

That is David’s answer to all the wicked who are plotting the mutiny.

David says, “Before you go and make some dumb plan to try and overthrow God’s King, perhaps you should know what the sovereign God of the universe has decided.”

Here is what God already decided is going to happen.

“He said to Me, ‘You are My Son, Today I have begotten You. Ask of Me, and I will surely give the nations as Your inheritance, and the very ends of the earth as Your possession. You shall break them with a rod of iron, You shall shatter them like earthenware.’”

What is David referring to?
It was God’s promise to David to make his line endure forever.

2 Samuel 7:12-16 “When your days are complete and you lie down with your fathers, I will raise up your descendant after you, who will come forth from you, and I will establish his kingdom. “He shall build a house for My name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever. “I will be a father to him and he will be a son to Me; when he commits iniquity, I will correct him with the rod of men and the strokes of the sons of men, but My lovingkindness shall not depart from him, as I took it away from Saul, whom I removed from before you. “Your house and your kingdom shall endure before Me forever; your throne shall be established forever.”‘”

Psalms 89:34-37 “My covenant I will not violate, Nor will I alter the utterance of My lips. “Once I have sworn by My holiness; I will not lie to David. “His descendants shall endure forever And his throne as the sun before Me. “It shall be established forever like the moon, And the witness in the sky is faithful.” Selah.”

Psalms 132:11 “The LORD has sworn to David A truth from which He will not turn back: “Of the fruit of your body I will set upon your throne.”

David knew that God had already determined
To cause his line to endure forever.
And because God had decreed that, no earthly conspiracy could undo it.

In fact, any attempts to try and overthrow David’s line
Would be utter futility and foolishness.

And of course again we see in this the fulfillment of the reign of Christ.

In fact Paul quotes from this Psalm as he preached in Pisidian Antioch
Acts 13:32-33 “And we preach to you the good news of the promise made to the fathers, that God has fulfilled this promise to our children in that He raised up Jesus, as it is also written in the second Psalm, ‘YOU ARE MY SON; TODAY I HAVE BEGOTTEN YOU.’”

Paul saw the resurrection of Christ as God’s fulfillment of Psalms 2:7.
It was at the resurrection where God undeniably declared
That Jesus was in fact His chosen Son and King.

Even if you kill Him, I’ll just raise Him from the dead.
• Do you see why the plan to overthrow Him is so pointless?
• Do you see why it is so futile?
• What can man do to thwart the sovereign decision of God?

God has chosen Christ and there’s nothing you can about it.

The writer of Hebrews also quoted this verse when speaking about the preeminence of Christ:
Hebrews 1:5 “For to which of the angels did He ever say, “YOU ARE MY SON, TODAY I HAVE BEGOTTEN YOU”?”

The point of the writer of Hebrews is that
Christ is more important than anyone.
God has done for Him what He has not done even for the angels.

He is God’s chosen and anointed king.
And according to the Messiah
“He made that very clear when He raised Me from the dead.”

Romans 1:4 “who was declared the Son of God with power by the resurrection from the dead, according to the Spirit of holiness, Jesus Christ our Lord,”

And because Christ is God’s chosen King
He was also made a promise from God.

“Ask of Me, and I will surely give the nations as Your inheritance, and the very ends of the earth as Your possession. You shall break them with a rod of iron, You shall shatter them like earthenware.”

• God has already offered to Him the world.
• God has already promised Him total dominion.
• It is a done deal and it was proven at the resurrection of Christ.

And so there again you find the point of the Psalm.
• Why would you scheme against what God has already determined to do?
• Do you really think you have any chance of victory here?
• Talk about needlessly beating your head against a wall!

It reminds me of the statement made to Saul on the way to Damascus when the Lord confronted him.

Acts 26:14 “And when we had all fallen to the ground, I heard a voice saying to me in the Hebrew dialect, ‘Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me? It is hard for you to kick against the goads.’”

The goads were the spikes placed behind the oxen while they plowed to keep them from kicking the farmer.
• You’d like to think that sooner or later the ox would learn to quit kicking them.
• You’re not going to win.

It reminds of the advice of Gamaliel who counseled the Jews to stop trying to overthrow the church.
Acts 5:38-39 “So in the present case, I say to you, stay away from these men and let them alone, for if this plan or action is of men, it will be overthrown; but if it is of God, you will not be able to overthrow them; or else you may even be found fighting against God.”

I mean who wins when they fight against God?

YOU GET THE POINT.
• This rebellion against David…
• This rebellion against Christ…
• Is just about the dumbest thing I’ve ever seen.

It puzzles David that they would make such a plan.
It actually causes God to laugh at their stupidity.

What kind of a fool seeks to overthrow the ordained ruler of God?

And based upon that comes the final point of the Psalm.
#4 THE SOUND ADVICE
Psalms 2:10-12

I really like this advice.

David looks to the counsel of men who are conspiring their rebellion and he says:
“Now therefore, O kings, show discernment;”

That’s a nice way of saying, “Don’t be stupid”

I mean if Leo came up to me tonight and said, “I’ve decided I’m going to become a professional wrestler”, I’d give him the same advice.
“What are you crazy? Don’t be stupid! They’ll kill you.”

David goes on to say:
“Take warning, O judges of the earth.”

That is to say, “Listen to reason”

And this is interesting here because
In this advice God is not asking for faith at all here.
• Many times God asks us to make decisions based on faith and not on sight.
• That’s not the type of decision being asked for here.

He is asking these men to make their decision based solely on sight;
Based solely on facts.

Just look at the situation.
It is you VS God…really?
Don’t do that.

Instead, here is the advice.
(11) Worship the LORD with reverence and rejoice with trembling.”

• Instead of rebelling against God, why don’t you try submitting to Him?
• Instead of seeking to cast off His cords, why don’t you try going where He
leads?

Quit attacking Him and start worshiping Him.
And you should do it in a fearful way.
You should do it in a reverent way.

Don’t you come before Him like some sort of half-hearted angry performer.
• You totally give up all your plans of rebellion,
• Fall on your face before Him and pledge your undying loyalty.

That’s what you should do.

And then
(12) “Do homage to the Son”

That is to say, submit yourself to God’s king.
This was certainly David, and it is certainly a prophecy concerning Jesus.

Literally there it is “Kiss the Son”
• As in bow and kiss His ring and pledge all that you are to Him.
• Enter His service.

THAT’S THE ADVICE.
Quit planning rebellion, and start submitting; because you can’t win.

Not only are you in danger of losing should you try to rebel,
You are ALSO in danger of just being found outside of submission.

See, it’s not just that God is upset at all those who attack Him.
God has a propensity to be upset at all those who refuse to worship Him.

Jesus said:
Luke 11:23 “He who is not with Me is against Me; and he who does not gather with Me, scatters.”

A lack of submission is also an offense to Him,
And if you keep doing it you’re going to anger Him.

Consider Romans 1:
Romans 1:21 “For even though they knew God, they did not honor Him as God or give thanks, but they became futile in their speculations, and their foolish heart was darkened.”

It’s not the presence of rebellion that has God angry,
It’s the absence of honor.

And that is the warning here too.
You need to worship God and submit to His King
And you need to do it QUICKLY because you’re about to anger Him.

Do it “that He not become angry, and you perish in the way, For His wrath may soon be kindled.”

Listen, you don’t want to mess with God.
You most certainly don’t want to make Him angry.

Do they not learn that in the final days?
Revelation 6:14-17 “The sky was split apart like a scroll when it is rolled up, and every mountain and island were moved out of their places. Then the kings of the earth and the great men and the commanders and the rich and the strong and every slave and free man hid themselves in the caves and among the rocks of the mountains; and they said to the mountains and to the rocks, “Fall on us and hide us from the presence of Him who sits on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb; for the great day of their wrath has come, and who is able to stand?”

On that day when God peals back the sky and the world sees His fury,
They’re going to wish they would have submitted to Him.
They’re going to wish they would have honored the Son.

I mean David’s advice here to these rebels is obvious stuff.
• Stop your rebellion
• You can’t win
• And you don’t want to anger God

And then comes one final statement.
“How blessed are all who take refuge in Him!”

This is the second “How blessed” we’ve seen in the Psalms.
We found out in Psalms 1 that the man who rejects the counsel of the wicked and who delights in God’s Law is blessed.

Here we find out that the man who takes “refuge in Him!” is also blessed.

AND HERE ARE THE OPTIONS.

You either take refuge in Him,
Or you must take refuge from Him.

It just paints such a clear picture of the absurdity of rebellion against God.
• What is mankind thinking to resist the authority of God?
• What is mankind thinking to resist the Lordship of Christ?
• What is mankind thinking to resist the commands of the Lord?

You can’t win, and it’s absolutely stupid to rebel.

And because of that, this Psalm is also a tremendous statement of CONFIDENCE on the part of those who have submitted to Christ.

Can you feel David’s confidence in this Psalm?
• Right now David is being conspired against, but he doesn’t seem too
concerned does he?

That’s because he is resting in the sovereign prerogative of God.

The early church was persecuted but they also rested in this Psalm.
They also took refuge in the sovereign prerogative of God.

And that is the encouragement for us church.
• So what if the world rages against Christ…
• So what if the world rages against God…
• So what if the world declares war on God’s truth…

Are we really concerned that somehow Islam might win?
Are we really concerned that the ACLU might actually eliminate God?
Are we really concerned that the millennial generation might actually abolish Christ?

NO…NOT EVEN A LITTLE
God wins!
Christ reigns!
It’s a done deal.

We rest in it, the wicked should repent because of it.

That’s the point of David in this great song of the church.
• We sing the absolute and total victory of Christ
• We sing the absolute and total sovereignty of God
• We boast in the unfailing authority of God

And we find encouragement there to continue on
And to confront the wicked
And to unequivocally tell them to repent or else.

That is Psalms 2.

But I also want to ask, since our study is of God here.
What do you learn about God from this Psalm?

• Well, we learn that He laughs at rebellion. He’s not concerned about it in the least.
• We learn that He is also merciful to rebels if they will repent and submit and worship Him.
• We learn that He will not relent forever, but that His time of anger will come and the wicked will perish.

But probably more than anything we learn that GOD IS SOVEREIGN

We see that God’s expectation that you will submit to Him
Is not contingent upon whether or not
You approve of what He decides.

He DOESN’T ASK humanity to look over His plan and see if it’s something they can live with.

He is God, and He makes the plan.
Humanity simply submits to it because He is God and He makes the plan.

And boy had humanity better learn this.
I was blown away after the elections this year with the phrase that began to ring out, “Not my president”.

Ok, I get it, you don’t like President Trump.
Ok, you won’t vote for him again.
That’s fine, that’s the way democracy works.

But the sheer FOOLISHNESS in making the declaration
“Not my president” is what we see here.

Because the reality for all those claiming that is: YES HE IS.
• He is your president.
• He is your commander in chief.
• You are under his authority.

But it paints the picture of foolish sinful people
Who think that just because they don’t like something
It means they don’t have to submit to it.

THAT IS A HORRIBLE MINDSET TO ADOPT.
When the fact is that there are things that you do have to submit to
Whether you like them or not.

Chief on that list is Christ who is God’s chosen King and who will reign.
And you will either take refuge in Him,
Or you will try to take refuge from Him.

But either way, the promise of Scripture will be true.
Philippians 2:10-11 “so that at the name of Jesus EVERY KNEE WILL BOW, of those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and that every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”

And again:
1 Corinthians 15:24-27a “then comes the end, when He hands over the kingdom to the God and Father, when He has abolished all rule and all authority and power. For He must reign until He has put all His enemies under His feet. The last enemy that will be abolished is death. For HE HAS PUT ALL THINGS IN SUBJECTION UNDER HIS FEET.”

The point is if you are in rebellion against God…
STOP YOU ARE IN DANGER

But if you are taking refuge in Him…
REJOICE YOU ARE BLESSED