The Gospel in a Nutshell
Romans 1:3-7
July 29, 2007

Two weeks ago, we began a study of Paul’s letter to the Romans.
The reason, as I told you then, is to help us better understand the gospel.

There are many in our churches even today,
Who do not understand the gospel, and could not share it.

As we went on our Men’s Retreat
The last night we began to visit about what true salvation is.

And we realized that in the room of ten men.
7 of us had made child hood professions that were not genuine.
7 of us were truly saved later in life.

That is not to say children cannot be saved.
But the point became apparent to us all.

There has spread throughout our churches a dangerous problem.

MANY IN CHURCHES HAVE FAILED TO TAKE THE TIME
TO TRULY UNDERSTAND THE MESSAGE OF THE GOSPEL.
As a result, people are preaching an incomplete gospel message, And people are responding to this incomplete gospel message.

We are studying Romans to learn the message of the gospel,
So that we may accurately apply it to our own lives,
And then accurately preach it to others.

For a church that is confused about the gospel, is in a world of hurt.

WHY?
Romans 1:16 “For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.”

Romans 10:14 “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?”

It is apparent, we must be accurate in regards to the gospel.

We have already seen two points about the gospel.
“The Preacher of the Gospel” (verse 1)
“The Promise of the Gospel” (verse 2)

This morning we take the next step,
And take a brief look at what the gospel really is.

I want to give you “The Gospel in a Nut Shell”.

And there are three things we see here in these 5 verses.
#1 THE PERSON OF THE GOSPEL
Romans 1:3-4

let’s break this point down into two points.

1) THE SUBJECT (3a)
“concerning His Son”

These three words set the boundaries and parameters
By which we measure everything that claims to be the gospel.

If it is the gospel, then it is about Jesus.

If you desire to be a preacher of the gospel, then that means you are a preacher of Jesus, for the gospel is about Him.

It seems our churches, our pulpits, even our daily conversations, Are filled with all sorts of topics,
But if it is not concerning Jesus, it is not the gospel.

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

But in that letter Paul had already said something else.
1 Corinthians 2:1-2 “And when I came to you, brethren, I did not come with superiority of speech or of wisdom, proclaiming to you the testimony of God. For I determined to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ, and Him crucified.”

Paul had already said that he preached, “Jesus Christ, and Him crucified.” Later he said, “woe is me if I do not preach the gospel.”

He had also already said:
1 Corinthians 1:17 “For Christ did not send me to baptize, but to preach the gospel, not in cleverness of speech, so that the cross of Christ would not be made void.”

To Paul, preaching Jesus was preaching the gospel,
And he would be a fool to stray from that.

But it seems like we continually stray from that.
Much of our evangelism today has become
Surface, superficial, light hearted, pleasant, and ineffective.

That style of religious flattery and attraction is eternally ineffective, because the calling of the gospel is not to make friends.
The calling of the gospel is to make disciples.
Matthew 28:18-20 “And Jesus came up and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”

The point is that when we go, we must preach Jesus.
We are not just inviting people to church…
We are not just trying to make people feel comfortable…
We are telling people they must fully submit their lives to Jesus Christ.

The gospel is all about Jesus.
Acts 4:12 “And there is salvation in no one else; for there is no other name under heaven that has been given among men by which we must be saved.”

If it’s not about Jesus, then it’s not the gospel.
For the gospel is “concerning His Son”.

But let’s dig a little deeper than that.

We see the subject
2) THE SPECIFICS (3b-4)
“who was born of a descendant of David according to the flesh, 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,”

It is true that the gospel is about Jesus,
But today (as we have noted) there are people
Who preach a different Jesus than the Biblical Jesus.

So Paul gets a little more specific about the Jesus that we are preaching.
Now these two specifics do not focus so much on what He did,
But on who He is.

If you fail to correctly understand who He is,
Then what He did loses it’s power.

So Paul wants you to see specifically who He is.
“who was born a descendant of David according to the flesh”

Now let’s just take that statement at face value.
When Jesus was born, He was born in the kingly line of David.

In that, it is apparent, that Jesus was a human (he was born),
And that He has the right to set upon the throne of Israel.

If you look at the two different lineages of Jesus.
Matthew 1 is Joseph’s lineage…
Luke 3 is Mary’s lineage…
You will find that Jesus was of David’s line from both His parents.
Jesus is the rightful King, and Jesus was fully human.

He knows what it is like to be a human.
He knows our pain, He knows our frustrations, He knows our joys.

And that is important to understand.
Hebrews 2:17-18 “Therefore, He had to be made like His brethren in all things, so that He might become a merciful and faithful high priest in things pertaining to God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people. For since He Himself was tempted in that which He has suffered, He is able to come to the aid of those who are tempted.”

He faced temptation…
He faced tragedy…
He suffered pain…
He experienced death…

He was fully human.
But that is not the only thing Paul wants you to realize.

(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,”

Of course, after Jesus died, 3 days later, He rose from the dead.
John 2:19-21 “Jesus answered them, “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.” The Jews then said, “It took forty-six years to build this temple, and will You raise it up in three days?” But He was speaking of the temple of His body.”

In John 2 Jesus laid down the challenge,
In John 20 Jesus put His money where His mouth was.

He stepped out of His own tomb.
And when this happened Paul said it revealed something.
“who was declared the Son of God with power”

That word “Son” translates HUIOS (hwee-os)

An interesting fact, if you could read John’s gospel in the Greek.
He never uses this word to describe anyone but Jesus.

When speaking of other humans he always uses the word TEKNON

Now here is the difference.

TEKNON gives prominence to the fact of birth.
(This child was born a child of their parent.)

HUIOS does not stress birth, but rather the character of the relationship.

A TEKNON is the child of the father, a HUIOS is just like his father.
(“A chip off the old block”)

WHICH IS WHAT WE LEARN OF JESUS.
He was NOT born of God as we are. Jesus was BORN GOD.

Hebrews 1:1-3 “God, after He spoke long ago to the fathers in the prophets in many portions and in many ways, in these last days has spoken to us in His Son, whom He appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the world. And He is the radiance of His glory and the exact representation of His nature, and upholds all things by the word of His power. When He had made purification of sins, He sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high,”

Colossians 1:15 “He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation.”

And that is why Jesus would say to Thomas.
John 14:9 “Jesus said to him, “Have I been so long with you, and yet you have not come to know Me, Philip? He who has seen Me has seen the Father; how can you say, ‘Show us the Father’?”

The message of the gospel is that Jesus is fully God.
And just in case you had trouble grasping that,
Paul says there is one event that should solidify it.

“was declared the Son of God with power by the resurrection from the dead”

“power” translates DUNAMIS
It is where we get our word for dynamite.

In other words, the resurrection is extremely powerful evidence
That Jesus is indeed God.

That helps us see who Jesus is.
He is fully man, He is fully God.

He is so much man that He can identify with us,
And so much God that He can save us.

It is the mystery and the miracle of the incarnation.
God veiled in Humanity

Matthew 1:21-23 “She will bear a Son; and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins.” Now all this took place to fulfill what was spoken by the Lord through the prophet: “BEHOLD, THE VIRGIN SHALL BE WITH CHILD AND SHALL BEAR A SON, AND THEY SHALL CALL HIS NAME IMMANUEL,” which translated means, “GOD WITH US.”

And this is the person of the gospel.
He is the subject of our preaching.

We can talk about all sorts of good things,
But if our preaching is not saturated with the God Man, Jesus Christ, Then we are not preaching the gospel.
He is the Person of the gospel, it is all about Him.

But the gospel is not just informative in nature.
It’s not just meant to serve as an encyclopedia.
The gospel is also loaded with purpose.

There is a reason why the gospel preaches Jesus.

#2 THE PURPOSE OF THE GOSPEL
Romans 1:5

Now Paul begins this verse again explaining to you
WHY HE IS PREACHING THE GOSPEL.

“through whom we have received grace and apostleship”

In other words, it is Jesus who gave us “grace” (ability)
And “apostleship” (authority) to preach this message.
Jesus Himself had commissioned the apostles to carry this message.

BUT WHAT WAS IT’S PURPOSE?
“to bring about the obedience of faith among all the Gentiles for His name’s sake,”

WHAT IS THE PURPOSE OF THE GOSPEL?

Immediately someone would say “obedience”.
That is a noble answer, but that is not the purpose of the gospel.

Someone would then work their way down the verse and say, “faith”.
That too is a noble answer, but still not the purpose of the gospel.

WHAT IS THE PURPOSE OF THE GOSPEL?
The glory of Jesus.

Paul does all that he does “for His name’s sake.”

The purpose of preaching the gospel,
Is so that Jesus will be glorified.

It is our desire to exalt, and glorify Jesus more than any other,
And to do that, we preach the gospel.

WELL HOW DOES THE GOSPEL GLORIFY JESUS?
It leads to faith.

Romans 1:16-17 “For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, “BUT THE RIGHTEOUS man SHALL LIVE BY FAITH.”
Romans 10:17 “So faith comes from hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ.”

The gospel leads to faith, AND WHAT DOES FAITH LEAD TO?
Obedience.

In fact, if faith doesn’t have obedience,
Then the Bible tells us it is not real faith.
James 2:18-26 “But someone may well say, “You have faith and I have works; show me your faith without the works, and I will show you my faith by my works.” You believe that God is one. You do well; the demons also believe, and shudder. But are you willing to recognize, you foolish fellow, that faith without works is useless? Was not Abraham our father justified by works when he offered up Isaac his son on the altar? You see that faith was working with his works, and as a result of the works, faith was perfected; and the Scripture was fulfilled which says, “AND ABRAHAM BELIEVED GOD, AND IT WAS RECKONED TO HIM AS RIGHTEOUSNESS,” and he was called the friend of God. You see that a man is justified by works and not by faith alone. In the same way, was not Rahab the harlot also justified by works when she received the messengers and sent them out by another way? For just as the body without the spirit is dead, so also faith without works is dead.”

We applaud the men of old for their great faith, and rightly so.
But if Noah hadn’t built the boat, would his faith have been real?
If Abraham hadn’t left Ur, would his faith have been real?
If Moses hadn’t left Egypt..?
If Rahab hadn’t hung the scarlet cord…?
If Joshua hadn’t marched around the wall..?

If you don’t obey..?
If you don’t follow..?

You see, faith without works is dead.
That is also why Jesus used obedience
As the chief criteria and evidential fruit of saving faith.

Matthew 7:24-27 “Therefore everyone who hears these words of Mine and acts on them, may be compared to a wise man who built his house on the rock. “And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and slammed against that house; and yet it did not fall, for it had been founded on the rock. “Everyone who hears these words of Mine and does not act on them, will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand. “The rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and slammed against that house; and it fell — and great was its fall.”

Romans 2:12-13 “For all who have sinned without the Law will also perish without the Law, and all who have sinned under the Law will be judged by the Law; for it is not the hearers of the Law who are just before God, but the doers of the Law will be justified.”

That is why Paul calls it here “the obedience of faith”

And it is this obedience by all men that brings glory to Jesus.
WHICH IS THE PURPOSE OF THE GOSPEL
Isaiah 49:5-6 “And now says the LORD, who formed Me from the womb to be His Servant, To bring Jacob back to Him, so that Israel might be gathered to Him (For I am honored in the sight of the LORD, And My God is My strength), He says, “It is too small a thing that You should be My Servant To raise up the tribes of Jacob and to restore the preserved ones of Israel; I will also make You a light of the nations So that My salvation may reach to the end of the earth.”

That is the purpose of the gospel.

It is NOT to make this church bigger…
It is NOT simply to allow people to go to heaven…

The purpose of the gospel is to turn sinful, wicked, obstinate people Into obedient, submissive, devoted followers of Jesus Christ.

THAT THEN BRINGS GLORY TO JESUS.

THIS IS ANOTHER WAY THE GOSPEL GETS PERVERTED.
First, a perverted gospel messages
Says nothing all about who Jesus is,
But secondly it doesn’t require saving faith;
The kind of faith that is evidenced by obedience.

We seem to think that if we talk about heaven, and forgiveness,
And then tell people to accept it,
That we have preached the gospel, and we are making converts.

WRONG!

A true convert is measured by their love and obedience to Jesus Christ.
If they have not left a life of sin and turned to follow Jesus,
You have not made a disciple.

The purpose of the gospel is simple.
“to bring about the obedience of faith among all the Gentiles for His name’s sake.”

So first, the person of the gospel
Second, the purpose of the gospel
#3 THE PEOPLE OF THE GOSPEL
Romans 1:6-7

And here is where Paul gets personal.
For he wants the Romans to know that he is not just telling them to examine their preaching, but to first examine their lives.

“among whom you also are the called of Jesus Christ;”

WHAT DOES HE MEAN “CALLED”?
(7) “To all who are beloved of God in Rome, called as saints:”
Now please notice that Paul did not say, “called as sinners”

Yet in the church today, you would think that is what God called us to be.
NO, HE CALLED US AS SAINTS.

We were sinners.
1 Corinthians 6:9-11 “Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived; neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor homosexuals, nor thieves, nor the covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers, will inherit the kingdom of God. Such were some of you; but you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and in the Spirit of our God.”

Ephesians 2:1-7 “And you were dead in your trespasses and sins, in which you formerly walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, of the spirit that is now working in the sons of disobedience. Among them we too all formerly lived in the lusts of our flesh, indulging the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, even as the rest. But God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in our transgressions, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), and raised us up with Him, and seated us with Him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the ages to come He might show the surpassing riches of His grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.”

NOW LISTEN CLOSELY
(some of you will scorn this)
I am not a sinner. Now I used to be.
But not any more. Now I am a saint.

That doesn’t mean I don’t sin. I do sin.
But that is not who I am.

Thanks to the blood of Jesus, I am a saint.
And if you have yielded your life to Jesus, so are you.

THAT IS YOUR CALLING.
“Such were some of you; but you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and in the Spirit of our God.”

PAUL WANTED THE ROMANS TO KNOW THIS
You have been called as saints.
And before you start examining your message,
Start examining your life.

If your life is still characterized by sin, then you have not accepted the message of the gospel.

THE PEOPLE OF THE GOSPEL ARE THOSE WHO
HAVE HEARD THE MESSAGE, HAVE REPENTED OF THEIR SIN, HAVE BEEN GIVEN NEW LIFE IN CHRIST,
AND NOW WALK IN OBEDIENCE TO HIS COMMANDS.
Is that you?

In the church we have come to embrace this “defeatist attitude” where sin is inevitable.

If sin is inevitable, then the death of Jesus wasn’t very powerful.

DO NOT FALL INTO THE MINDSET THAT SIN IS INEVITABLE,
OR THAT SIN IS ACCEPTABLE.

Neither is true.
First apply that to your life, and then apply that to your message.

The gospel does not allow sinners to stay in sin.
The gospel leads to the obedience of faith.

That is the gospel in a nut shell.
Jesus came, Jesus saves, so you will obey and glorify Him.

Ephesians 2:8-10 “For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them.”

My first question to you this morning, is:
IS THAT YOU?
And is that the message you are preaching?

THAT IS WHAT PAUL WANTED FOR THE ROMANS.
(7) “to all who are beloved of God in Rome, called as Saints: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.”

“Grace” = the ability to do right.
“Peace” = the consequence of doing right.

He wanted them to have it, and that is what I want for you.

This morning, give your heart to Jesus Christ,
And preach the message of the gospel
To the world around you.

Insight into a Missionary Heart – Pt. 1
Romans 1:8-10
July 29, 2007

This morning we finished the introduction to the book of Romans.
And Paul laid a very important and insightful foundation for this book.

It is about the gospel, and not just any gospel, but “the gospel of God”, the one “promised beforehand through His prophets”, the one “concerning His Son”, who was the God Man, and the one meant “to bring about the obedience of faith among all the Gentiles for His name’s sake.”

And Paul gave us tremendous insight there in those first 8 verses.

Tonight we actually begin the letter.

You will remember in verse 1, Paul said,
“Paul, a bond-servant of Christ Jesus, called as an apostle, set apart for the gospel of God,”

And if you will recall we talked about:
The Man
The Ministry
The Message

And Paul gave us an overview.
Well tonight, we are going to look a little deeper
Into what made this great apostle tick.

Tonight we gain some insight, not only into Paul, but also into WHAT IT TAKES TO BE A GREAT MISSIONARY

And of course, Paul set the standard for missionary work.
He embarked on three missionary journey’s, wrote more than half of the New Testament and planted numerous churches and eventually was martyred for Christ.

So tonight we are going to begin our look at what this man tick.
I asked you during that first sermon in Romans,
“WHAT TYPE OF PERSON DOES GOD USE TO PREACH THE GOSPEL?”
Or
“WHAT TYPE OF PERSON PREACHES THE GOSPEL?”

Tonight we are going to begin looking at that a little deeper.
And there are 5 things we see in our text tonight that help us understand what it means to have a missionary heart.

#1 HIS PRIORITY
Romans 1:8a
“FIRST, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for you all, because your faith is being proclaimed throughout the whole world.”

It is by no mere coincident that Paul used that word there.
“First”

He was letting the Romans see of first importance what mattered to him, and
What do we find Paul doing first, but giving thanks?

He was dedicated to thankfulness.

If I were writing this letter, I might have started off with pointing out how the Romans needed to straighten up, or maybe with a theological dissertation, or maybe a report on how I was doing.

And certainly Paul will get to those things in this letter, but he made it clear that before he did anything else, he first wanted them to know that he was grateful.

HE WAS GRATEFUL FOR WHAT HAD ALREADY OCCURRED.

If you will remember we talked about this in regard to worship.
A vitally important part of worship is gratitude.

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

If you will remember Paul taught us the motivation for worship, “by the mercies of God.” In other words, we are motivated, not to get something new, but because of what God has already done.

Paul could have immediately started in on how this church could be better, or stronger, or bigger, or more effective, but he didn’t. In stead he first offered thanks that there was even a church there at all.

SOME TIMES WE CAN GET SO TASK AND GOAL ORIENTED THAT WE ARE NOT GRATEFUL FOR ANYTHING BUT THE BIG THING.

An attitude like that can discourage you quickly.

FOR EXAMPLE:
We send a team on mission, and we can easily get caught up in that team having success, and winning people to Jesus, and growing the kingdom. Paul would have first been thankful that there was even a team going.

What we must remember is that every step taken is by God’s grace.
Before we get so ambitious to conquer the world, first be thankful that He saved you, and that he called you, and that you were able to respond, and that others responded, and that there is an opportunity.

All of this was by God’s grace, don’t forget to thank Him for that.

So while we are ambitious, don’t forget to be thankful, for in all truth, God has already done more than we deserve.

When we aren’t thankful, we set ourselves up for disappointment.
In fact, the opposite of thankfulness, is greed.

A greedy person is greedy because he can’t see how good he already has it.

Learn to recognize what God has done and be grateful,
Because it is more than we deserve.

And this really was a staple in Paul’s ministry.
Lenny pointed this out in Sunday School this morning.

Philippians 4:6-7 “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”

Colossians 3:15-17 “Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body; and be thankful. Let the word of Christ richly dwell within you, with all wisdom teaching and admonishing one another with psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with thankfulness in your hearts to God. Whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through Him to God the Father.”

Colossians 4:2 “Devote yourselves to prayer, keeping alert in it with an attitude of thanksgiving;”

1 Thessalonians 5:17-18 “pray without ceasing; in everything give thanks; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.”

I think you see the point.
But a great missionary heart takes nothing for granted.
He is not so ambitious that he can’t see
What God has been doing for him all along.

So don’t miss the priority of a missionary heart, and that is to constantly keep track of all that God has done and to be thankful.

First his priority
#2 HIS PERCEPTION
Romans 1:8b

“First, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for you all,”

This again, I think teaches us a lot.
WHY DIDN’T HE THANK THE ROMANS FOR THEIR FAITHFULNESS?
WHY DIDN’T HE THANK THEM FOR STANDING STRONG?

Because Paul understood two things.
1) THE SOVEREIGNTY OF GOD
2) THE SALVATION OF JESUS
Instead of thanking the Romans for their faithfulness, Paul thanked God, because Paul understood that the only reason they were there and faithful was because of God’s sovereignty.

1 Corinthians 3:6-9 “I planted, Apollos watered, but God was causing the growth. So then neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but God who causes the growth. Now he who plants and he who waters are one; but each will receive his own reward according to his own labor. For we are God’s fellow workers; you are God’s field, God’s building.”

John 6:44 “No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him; and I will raise him up on the last day.”

And Paul said he thanked God “through Jesus Christ” because he knew that not only was it God’s sovereignty, but Jesus sacrifice that allowed this church to be who they were.

They could not have been strong on their own.
John 15:4-5 “Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself unless it abides in the vine, so neither can you unless you abide in Me. “I am the vine, you are the branches; he who abides in Me and I in him, he bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing.”

Paul knew their success was not a result of human achievement,
But was a result of the working of God,
And so he gave credit where credit was deserved.

Sometimes I think we get too eager to accept credit for our success, or to attribute success to the receptiveness of the people. And while there is a definite human element involved in salvation, we must not forget that it is all a result of the working of God.

Mark 4:26-29 “And He was saying, “The kingdom of God is like a man who casts seed upon the soil; and he goes to bed at night and gets up by day, and the seed sprouts and grows — how, he himself does not know. “The soil produces crops by itself; first the blade, then the head, then the mature grain in the head. “But when the crop permits, he immediately puts in the sickle, because the harvest has come.”

Given Sporadically
Grows Supernaturally
Gathered Suddenly

The only reason that seed did anything was because of the supernatural work of God. That parable accurately illustrates how little we really do
In regard to winning the lost into the kingdom.

And Paul was perceptive of that.
He didn’t fail to give thanks,
And he didn’t fail to give thanks were thanks was due.

That is the heart of a missionary.

His priority His perception
#3 HIS PRAISE
Romans 1:8c
“because your faith is being proclaimed throughout the whole world.”

And here we see what it is that causes a missionary to rejoice.
Paul is happy, Paul is rejoicing that their faith is not stagnant, but that it is proclaimed throughout the whole world.

This could of course mean that they were a mission’s active church,
But mostly I think it reveals that people were encouraged by their faithfulness.

We aren’t told specifically what, but we can estimate what sort of struggles a church that was planted in Rome must have faced.

Rome was the death place of both Peter and Paul.
It was Rome that ran Christians into the coliseum and fed them to the lions.
This was no easy place to serve Christ.

And yet they were so faithful that it encouraged others.
I wonder if it might have been the Romans that Peter referred to.

1 Peter 5:8-9 ‘Be of sober spirit, be on the alert. Your adversary, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. But resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same experiences of suffering are being accomplished by your brethren who are in the world.”

And this is the type of encouragement that the church in Rome is obviously offering.

Not only that, but it reinforces what we spoke of this morning, that saving faith is accompanied with obedience.

The world was not encouraged because they “believed”, but because they obviously obeyed.

And this was the reason Paul rejoiced as well.

And I can say this is well.

THER IS NO GREATER FORM OF ENCOURAGEMENT TO A MINISTER THAN THE FAITHFULNESS OF THE FLOCK.

3 John 4 “I have no greater joy than this, to hear of my children walking in the truth.”

A minister is encouraged when his flock is faithful.
For one, it lets the minister know that he is not wasting his life.

2 Corinthians 3:1-3 “Are we beginning to commend ourselves again? Or do we need, as some, letters of commendation to you or from you? You are our letter, written in our hearts, known and read by all men; being manifested that you are a letter of Christ, cared for by us, written not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of human hearts.”

A missionary heart is one that is encouraged when people are faithful to the Lord.

But what is even more amazing to me about Paul here is that Paul did not plant this church. These were not “Paul’s Children in the Lord”.

And yet Paul is still rejoicing at their faithfulness.

THE HEART OF A MISSIONARY BEATS FOR THE KINGDOM,
NOT FOR PERSONAL GLORY.

Listen to some of these statements by Paul
2 Corinthians 12:15 “I will most gladly spend and be expended for your souls. If I love you more, am I to be loved less?”

Philippians 1:21 “For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain.”

Acts 21:10-14 “As we were staying there for some days, a prophet named Agabus came down from Judea. And coming to us, he took Paul’s belt and bound his own feet and hands, and said, “This is what the Holy Spirit says: ‘In this way the Jews at Jerusalem will bind the man who owns this belt and deliver him into the hands of the Gentiles.'” When we had heard this, we as well as the local residents began begging him not to go up to Jerusalem. Then Paul answered, “What are you doing, weeping and breaking my heart? For I am ready not only to be bound, but even to die at Jerusalem for the name of the Lord Jesus.” And since he would not be persuaded, we fell silent, remarking, “The will of the Lord be done!”

A great missionary heart is one who rejoices in the big picture, not just one who rejoices in his own success.

There is no room for bitterness or jealousy in a missionary heart.

I can show you a negative example of this in Scripture.
TURN TO: LUKE 9:37-56

But of course Paul displayed a true missionary heart.
He rejoiced over their faithfulness, even though it was not because of something he had done.

His priority, his perception, his praise,
#4 HIS PURPOSE
Romans 1:9a

Now if you will notice, Paul sort of crams this point in there.
It doesn’t really have anything to do with the point he is making.

This statement is sort of thrown in there FYI.
“God, whom I serve in my spirit in the preaching of the gospel of His Son”

It doesn’t really have anything to do with why he is thankful, or why he is rejoicing, or why he is praying for them.

But it is necessary to be in this list.
Because a missionary heart must have a sense of purpose.

And here Paul mentions his purpose is to serve God.
And Paul does that by preaching the gospel.

Now you may or may not be a preacher.
1 Corinthians 12:14-18 “For the body is not one member, but many. If the foot says, “Because I am not a hand, I am not a part of the body,” it is not for this reason any the less a part of the body. And if the ear says, “Because I am not an eye, I am not a part of the body,” it is not for this reason any the less a part of the body. If the whole body were an eye, where would the hearing be? If the whole were hearing, where would the sense of smell be? But now God has placed the members, each one of them, in the body, just as He desired.”

You may have a different gift and purpose.
Paul was a preacher, and in order to be faithful, he had to preach.

We heard what he said this morning.
1 Corinthians 1:17 “For Christ did not send me to baptize, but to preach the gospel, not in cleverness of speech, so that the cross of Christ would not be made void.”

1 Corinthians 2:1-2 “And when I came to you, brethren, I did not come with superiority of speech or of wisdom, proclaiming to you the testimony of God. For I determined to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ, and Him crucified.”

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

He even enlisted prayer to help him be faithful to this purpose.
Ephesians 6:19-20 “and pray on my behalf, that utterance may be given to me in the opening of my mouth, to make known with boldness the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains; that in proclaiming it I may speak boldly, as I ought to speak.”

A MISSIONARY HAS A SENSE OF PURPOSE
AND IS EAGER TO SERVE GOD BY FULFILLING HIS PURPOSE

Romans 12:6-8 “Since we have gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, each of us is to exercise them accordingly: if prophecy, according to the proportion of his faith; if service, in his serving; or he who teaches, in his teaching; or he who exhorts, in his exhortation; he who gives, with liberality; he who leads, with diligence; he who shows mercy, with cheerfulness.”

That is a missionary heart, that does what he can to the best of his ability,
And he does it because he is serving the Lord.

His priority, His perception, His praise, His purpose
#5 HIS PASSION
Romans 1:9b-10

Now I think this point really drives home the essence of a missionary heart as good as any in Scripture.

Just look at the wording Paul used.

“how unceasingly I make mention of you”

You get the idea that Paul is literally chewing God’s ear off about the Roman people. We don’t know what Paul specifically prayed for them, but we do know he prayed for them.

And he did it “unceasingly”

“always in my prayers making request”

Here, not only is Paul praying unceasingly, but every time he prays, he mentions the Romans, and here we learn that he is requesting something of God every time he prays.

Paul is relentless in pleading with God about something.

“if perhaps now at last by the will of God I may succeed in coming to you.”

Now look at that statement, for it gives us great insight into Paul’s heart.

Here is a man who never stops praying, and every time he prays he is asking God if he can finally go to the Romans.

And notice he says, “at last”, kind of makes you think he is disappointed every time he has not been allowed to go.

Notice he uses the word “succeed in coming to you.”

That makes me think that he has even tried to come several times and has been thwarted in his plans.

THE POINT:
A TRUE MISSIONARY IS NOT WAITING ON GOD TO FORCE HIM,
HE IS COUNTING ON GOD TO STOP HIM.

And even seems to be discouraged only when he is not allowed.

I mean look at Paul’s life.
Acts 16:6-10 “They passed through the Phrygian and Galatian region, having been forbidden by the Holy Spirit to speak the word in Asia; and after they came to Mysia, they were trying to go into Bithynia, and the Spirit of Jesus did not permit them; and passing by Mysia, they came down to Troas. A vision appeared to Paul in the night: a man of Macedonia was standing and appealing to him, and saying, “Come over to Macedonia and help us.” When he had seen the vision, immediately we sought to go into Macedonia, concluding that God had called us to preach the gospel to them.”

Philippians 1:8 “For God is my witness, how I long for you all with the affection of Christ Jesus.”

1 Thessalonians 2:18 “For we wanted to come to you — I, Paul, more than once — and yet Satan hindered us.”

1 Corinthians 16:5 “But I will come to you after I go through Macedonia, for I am going through Macedonia;”

As far as Paul is concerned,
The command to go has already been issued,
And unless God reaches in and stops him, he is going.

And that is a heart that beats missions isn’t it?

I mean we pretend like we want to go, and then act so disappointed if we don’t get the opportunity.

And I only condemn myself here.
I would be lying if I told you I’d never been relieved when someone wasn’t home when I knocked on their door.

Paul on the other hand was heavily discouraged.
You get the feeling that nothing could stop him (accept God)
From spreading the gospel.

And that is really echoed in this statement here.

”For God, whom I serve in my spirit in the preaching of the gospel of His Son, is my witness as to how unceasingly I make mention of you, always in my prayers making request, if perhaps now at last by the will of God I may succeed in coming to you.”

In verse 11, he will throw in and “I long to see you.”
In verse 13, he adds, “often I have planned to come to you”
In verse 15, he adds, “I am eager to preach the gospel to you also who are in Rome.”

I mean this guy wants to go.
THAT IS A GREAT MISSIONARY HEART.

He is first of all thankful for all that God has already done.
He is perceptive that it is God who has done it all.
He is rejoicing at every advance of the kingdom no matter if it was because of him or not.
He is committed to serve God in whatever area God has equipped him.
He is passionate about going, until forced to stop.

It’s no wonder Paul was such a successful missionary.
With a heart like that, who wouldn’t be?

That is a missionary heart.
HOW IS YOUR HEART?

Matthew 28:18-20 “And Jesus came up and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”

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

John 20:21 “So Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you; as the Father has sent Me, I also send you.”

Maybe tonight, it is time to allow God to change your heart, so that it beats totally for Him.

WHAT TYPE OF PERSON PREACHES THE GOSPEL?
The person that really wants to.

Pray

The Lord Knows How To Rescue The Godly
Psalms 28
February 24, 2019

I want to begin our study tonight by first having you Turn to: 2 Peter 2.

At its base, 2 Peter 2 is about false prophets.
Peter outlines their danger and their schemes and even how to spot them.

But Peter also talks about the CERTAINTY OF THEIR JUDGMENT.
In fact, in verse 3 Peter says, “their judgment from long ago is not idle, and their destruction is not asleep.”

The idea of course being that
• Despite the fact that it appears that they are operating free from recourse, don’t be deceived.
• God sees everything they are doing, God is keeping record of everything they are doing, and God will absolutely judge them accordingly.

And to further inforce that reality, Peter gives some historical evidence.

(READ 4-10a)

Here Peter lays out his evidence that
God most certainly knows how to judge the wicked
And how to save the righteous who live in their midst.

We know He will judge the wicked because:
• (4) He “did not spare angels when they sinned, but cat them into hell…”
• (5) And He “did not spare the ancient world…when He brought a flood upon the world of the ungodly”
• (6) And He “condemned the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah to destruction by reducing them to ashes”

Point being God knows how to judge the wicked.

But Peter also points out that
God knows how to deliver the righteous who live in their midst.

And we know He will deliver the righteous because:
• (5) He “preserved Noah, a preacher of righteousness, with seven others”
• (7) He “rescued righteous Lot, oppressed by the sensual conduct of unprincipled men (for by what he saw and heard that righteous man, while living among them, felt his righteous soul tormented day after day by their lawless deeds)”

And then in summary Peter says:
• (9) “the Lord knows how to rescue the godly from temptation, and to keep the unrighteous under punishment for the day of judgment.”

I’ve always found that to be both an enlightening and encouraging verse.
Namely because
• We live in the presence of wicked men who do things that provokes God.
• We are grieved by their conduct
• We even dread the judgment that they invite
• We have no control over their behavior (the way they vote, etc.)

IT IS GRIEVOUS TO LIVE WHERE WE LIVE AT TIMES
BUT THAT’S NOT NEW

Peter said that Noah was “a preacher of righteousness”.

Can you imagine his frustration?
• He lived in a world where he alone walked with God.
• He lived in a world where he alone was found pleasing to God.

At least we have a place of peace
Where we gather and fellowship with one another.
Beyond that, there are other believers in our town
That we fellowship with on a daily and weekly basis.

But Noah was it.
He continually preached righteousness,
But we know his preaching was ignored,
For no one besides his family was saved.

We think about Lot.
I can hear echoing in my mind Lot’s pleading with the vile men at his door, “Please my brothers do not act wickedly”

• And yet, they called him a judge and tried to crush him inside his own door.
• Even Lot’s wife lusted for the things of Sodom.
• Even his future son-in-laws had no interest in leaving.

Lot was alone, and Peter said that he “felt his righteous soul tormented day after day by their lawless deeds.”

What is more, those men were told of the coming judgment of God.
God told Noah He was going to flood the earth.
God told Lot He was going to destroy Sodom and Gomorrah.

One can only imagine the anxiety
That might accompany such knowledge.

And yet Peter made it clear that “the Lord knows how to rescue the godly from temptation, and to keep the unrighteous under punishment for the day of judgment.”

Well I give you that truth as sort of a backdrop for our Psalm tonight
Because it appears to me that David is walking in similar circumstances.

Let’s just look at a few things that appear to be obvious to us.

For starters, the Psalm makes it apparent that David must live among wicked people.

After all in Verse 3 he pleads “Do not drag me away with the wicked”
That is really the main request of the Psalm.
Everything else comes really as secondary to that main request.

It paints the picture that when God comes through and begins pulling the wicked from their life of supposed safety and casting them into judgment
THAT GOD NOT MAKE A MISTAKE AND GRAB DAVID TOO.

It would be like Noah saying, “You make sure and give me time to get in that boat before you unleash the flood”

It would be like Lot saying, “Give me time to get out of the city before the fire falls.”

David must be in their midst.

It is also apparent that David knows that these wicked will most certainly be judged by God.

In verse 5 we read: “Because they do not regard the works of the LORD Nor the deeds of His hands, He will tear them down and not build them up.”

If you want a little more backdrop to this,
David spells out their wickedness in verse 3.

He describes them as “those who work iniquity, Who speak peace with their neighbors, while evil is in their hearts.”

That is to say that they are liars.
They flatter men for the sake of gaining and advantage.

(Oddly enough that was one of the things Peter said the false prophets do as well)
2 Peter 2:3 “and in their greed they will exploit you with false words; their judgment from long ago is not idle, and their destruction is not asleep.”

Jude said it like this:
Jude 16 “These are grumblers, finding fault, following after their own lusts; they speak arrogantly, flattering people for the sake of gaining an advantage.”

Even in the Old Testament we have similar references to the false prophets:
Jeremiah 6:13-14 “For from the least of them even to the greatest of them, Everyone is greedy for gain, And from the prophet even to the priest Everyone deals falsely. “They have healed the brokenness of My people superficially, Saying, ‘Peace, peace,’ But there is no peace.”

It just speaks of a broken and corrupt society.
Lies prevail, integrity is gone.
People will tell you anything for the sake of pulling one over on you.

Jeremiah also described his peers like this:
Jeremiah 9:2-6 “Oh that I had in the desert A wayfarers’ lodging place; That I might leave my people And go from them! For all of them are adulterers, An assembly of treacherous men. “They bend their tongue like their bow; Lies and not truth prevail in the land; For they proceed from evil to evil, And they do not know Me,” declares the LORD. “Let everyone be on guard against his neighbor, And do not trust any brother; Because every brother deals craftily, And every neighbor goes about as a slanderer. “Everyone deceives his neighbor And does not speak the truth, They have taught their tongue to speak lies; They weary themselves committing iniquity. “Your dwelling is in the midst of deceit; Through deceit they refuse to know Me,” declares the LORD.”

Jeremiah said “I just wish I could escape this awful band of liars I live among.”
God even chimes in to say, “Through deceit they refuse to know Me”

And that is what David is also referring to. They are just lying people who are nothing like God.

They obviously don’t fear God or else they wouldn’t be so deceptive.

When God gives His famous rundown of the wickedness of man in Romans 3. Even there we read:
Romans 3:13 “THEIR THROAT IS AN OPEN GRAVE, WITH THEIR TONGUES THEY KEEP DECEIVING,””THE POISON OF ASPS IS UNDER THEIR LIPS”;

God just said they are liars!

What do we read about the ministry of Jesus?
John 2:23-25 “Now when He was in Jerusalem at the Passover, during the feast, many believed in His name, observing His signs which He was doing. But Jesus, on His part, was not entrusting Himself to them, for He knew all men, and because He did not need anyone to testify concerning man, for He Himself knew what was in man.”

Jesus knew they were liars,
And just because they said they believed, didn’t mean a thing.

TURN TO: JOHN 8

(Read 28-30)
There are some more of those believers.

But notice Jesus’ response to them again:
(Read 31-32)
• It’s as though Jesus said, “We’ll see if you really believe or not”
• He was kind of taking a “talk is cheap” mentality.

That statement obviously offended them because they started arguing with Him.
(Read 33)

Now there is quite an argument that ensues where Jesus reveals to them
That they are not actually Abraham’s descendants.

But look at what He says later:
(Read 44)

Jesus knew them.
• He knew their talk was cheap.
• He knew what they were really about.

What is more, He knew they were nothing like God,
But were instead of their real father; the devil.
It was just the grief of living amongst a sinful people.

And that is where David obviously is when writing this Psalm.

He is living among “the wicked…who work iniquity, who speak peace with their neighbors, while evil in their hearts.”

And since David knows that’s the kind of people they are, he also knows that God is going to judge them for it.

(5) “Because they do not regard the works of the LORD nor the deeds of His hands, He will tear them down and not build them up.”

David knew that God was going to judge them
Because they were nothing like Him.

They had obviously paid no attention to who God was and what God demanded.
• God is truth
• God never lies
• God is full of integrity in all things

And these people just willfully disregarded God’s demand for integrity
And instead chose to participate in the type of behavior that offended Him

David knew that God would “tear them down and not build them up”

Which is to say, God will crush them for the purpose of judgment, not renovation.

And we read that don’t we?
Revelation 21:8 “But for the cowardly and unbelieving and abominable and murderers and immoral persons and sorcerers and idolaters and all liars, their part will be in the lake that burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death.”

Revelation 22:15 “Outside are the dogs and the sorcerers and the immoral persons and the murderers and the idolaters, and everyone who loves and practices lying.”

Even as kids we used to say, “Liar, liar, pants on fire”

We know God judges liars.
We know their day is coming.
So did David.

And we also notice that David agreed with that.
(4) “Requite them according to their work and according to the evil of their practices; Requite them according to the deeds of their hands; Repay them their recompense.”

• Jeremiah wished he could just get away from them all.
• David here says that he fully understands that these men deserve judgment.

It is another one of those imprecatory prayers.

And we don’t miss the point to that.
• David isn’t asking for God to destroy them because they lied to David, or even because they lied about David.

• David recognizes the justice of their judgment because they offend God by totally choosing a lifestyle that is 100% contrary to His.

• David just understands that if you live your life in violation of God’s Laws then you will rightfully suffer judgment as a result.

• And because David believes God has the right to defend His own nature, He is fully on board with God bringing judgment.

I mean those things are pretty obvious to us.
• He lives among wicked men.
• They are men who have offended God.
• He knows God will judge them for that.
• And He agrees that they deserve it.

His one request is that
God doesn’t fail to recognize that there is still one righteous person living in their midst and that God not just indiscriminately nuke the whole place.

That is the main request:
(3) “Do not drag me away with the wicked”

Now, just from that standpoint, let me ask you:
CAN YOU IDENTIFY WITH DAVID?

I think many in the church today can.
As we referenced even last Sunday night.
• We live in a nation that murders babies inside (and apparently outside) of the womb.
• A nation that pushes abortion, not only to defend the ease and freedom of our sexual immorality, but also because apparently harvested organs from these innocent babies are worth a lot of money.
• We are a nation that has moved way past atheism or agnosticism. We don’t just have people who claim to not believe in God. We live in a nation of people who have made it their ambition to utterly defy Him.
• We see the dishonesty of our political system and new media.
• We see the obvious lust for sexual immorality that reaches from our Jr. Highs even to our nursing homes.
• We see the infatuation with homosexuality, and other perversions like even denying the very gender of a person.
• Pornography is a thriving industry
• My family watches shows on “Vid-Angel” which is a venue that edits foul language and immoral scenes out of movies and TV shows and they are currently in a massive lawsuit with companies like Disney of all people who don’t’ want someone being able to bleep out a cussword or cut out a nude scene.

And here we are as believers who live in this cesspool.
Our kids go to school where sexual immorality is commonplace.
Many of you work in atmospheres where the language is atrocious.

And like David we know that “because they do not regard the works of the LORD nor the deeds of His hands, He will tear them down and not build them up.”

I mean we know that is true.
And like David, WE EVEN SEE THAT GOD IS RIGHT IN DOING THIS.

Would anyone in this room willfully stand up to be the defense attorney for the United States of America before God?

Would anyone in this room volunteer to be the one who defends their actions before God?

Of course not.
We know what is deserved and we know what is coming.

But to that end, I can certainly understand David’s prayer:
“Do not drag me away with the wicked”

What that prayer actually indicates is
MORE than just a man who wants to be spared judgment.

• It is a man who with every fiber of his being rejects the sinful culture in which he lives.
• It is a man who wants desperately not to be a part of them, or to be influenced by them.
• It is a man who may be here to preach the gospel to them, but who does not want any further association.

He openly wants to take his stand in the midst of a wicked people
And declare that he’ll have no part in it.

NOW THAT IS DAVID’S PRAYER.
I think that’s a fitting prayer.

But obviously that prayer represents THE MIDDLE of this Psalm.

So let’s back up for a moment and look at the rest of it.

If you want an outline, we might call verses 3-5:
#2 THE SUBSTANCE OF HIS PRAYER
Psalms 28:3-5

Now let’s back up and look at the first 2 verses, which we might call:
#1 THE SERIOUSNESS OF HIS PRAYER
Psalms 28:1-2

(1-2) “To You, O LORD, I call; My rock, do not be deaf to me, For if You are silent to me, I will become like those who go down to the pit. Hear the voice of my supplications when I cry to You for help, When I lift up my hands toward Your holy sanctuary.”

Certainly we don’t overlook the fact that David refers to God as “My rock”

Later in the Psalm he’ll also call God
“my strength” “my shield” “their strength” “a saving defense” and “their shepherd”

All of those titles represent salvation.
• He sees God as his “rock” in the midst of the storm.
• He sees Him as his “strength” in battle.
• He sees Him as his “shield” from the enemy’s fiery darts
• He sees Him as his “saving defense” from the opposition
• He sees Him as his “shepherd” who uses His rod and staff to deliver.

We understand the titles that David is using.

But more than that, the first two verses have a very distinct feel,
And that is a feel of DESPERATION.

Our eyes fix on the statement, “For if You are silent to me, I will become like those who go down to the pit.”

“the pit” would be judgment…where the wicked are headed.

And David says, “If You don’t hear me, and make a distinction for me, then I’m just going to be counted as one of the wicked and cast into the pit like everyone else.”

And in a simple sense you know that’s true.
If God doesn’t hear your cry and intervene on your behalf,
What hope of salvation do you have?

Our very hope of salvation hinges not upon our repentant heart,
Or even the sincerity of our faith,
But rather that God would hear us when we cry, and mercifully answer us.

We want mercy in response to our cry
We want grace in response to our faith
But if God didn’t hear sinners, who cares if they are repentant or not.

But David is here desperate for God to hear.
“Hear the voice of my supplications when I cry to You for help, When I lift up my hands toward Your holy sanctuary.”

That’s an interesting statement.
• I think it’s interesting, because David must have referenced it often.
• In fact, after David’s death and Solomon built the temple, and then prayed to dedicate it, I want you to hear his prayer.

TURN TO: 1 Kings 8:22-53

I know that’s lengthy, but you hear that same request coming from him.
• God, we need Your presence
• We need Your willingness to hear us

• Otherwise how will we repent?
• Otherwise how will we find forgiveness?
• Otherwise how will our circumstances change?

It’s just desperation that God would hear us when we call.

David here is LIKE A CAPTURED PRISONER OF WAR in an enemy camp.
• He’s locked in a cell in the midst of their prison and he knows that his home country has scrambled F18 fighter jets to come and destroy this place.

• His urgent plea is to first get word to his own people not to blow that place up until you get me out!

That’s a pretty urgent request!
God You have to hear me!

“Do not drag me away with the wicked”

David’s desperation reveals to us that
• David undoubtedly believes that God is going to judge the wicked.
• David believes that he can appeal to God and God can and will hear him to save him from that fate.

Perhaps the reason our prayers lack desperation is because we don’t really believe God will do what He said He will do.

Perhaps we don’t really believe that God knows how to keep the wicked under punishment and how to save the righteous from their midst.

Well David believed that, and so he was desperate to get through to God.

So in those first 2 verses you see THE SERIOUSNESS OF HIS PRAYER
And then in verses 3-5 you see THE SUBSTANCE OF HIS PRAYER

Well now let’s look at the end, which we could call:
#3 THE SATISFACTION OF HIS PRAYER
Psalms 28:6-9

(6-9) “Blessed be the LORD, Because He has heard the voice of my supplication. The LORD is my strength and my shield; My heart trusts in Him, and I am helped; Therefore my heart exults, And with my song I shall thank Him. The LORD is their strength, And He is a saving defense to His anointed. Save Your people and bless Your inheritance; Be their shepherd also, and carry them forever.”

Well it’s easy to see why David is so happy.
“He has heard the voice of my supplication”

David got through!
• He may still be a prisoner in that camp…
• He may still be living among the wicked…
• They may still be marked for judgment…
• But somehow God has made it clear to David that he will not be judged with them.

And David breaks out in praise!
“The LORD is my strength and my shield; My heart trusts in Him, and I am helped; Therefore my heart exults, And with my song I shall thank Him.”

David is singing because he knows God has not overlooked him.
He knows God has not forgotten him.

He knows what Lot found out on the day that Sodom was destroyed.

That angel grabbed Lot by the hand:
Genesis 19:15-22 “When morning dawned, the angels urged Lot, saying, “Up, take your wife and your two daughters who are here, or you will be swept away in the punishment of the city.” But he hesitated. So the men seized his hand and the hand of his wife and the hands of his two daughters, for the compassion of the LORD was upon him; and they brought him out, and put him outside the city. When they had brought them outside, one said, “Escape for your life! Do not look behind you, and do not stay anywhere in the valley; escape to the mountains, or you will be swept away.” But Lot said to them, “Oh no, my lords! “Now behold, your servant has found favor in your sight, and you have magnified your lovingkindness, which you have shown me by saving my life; but I cannot escape to the mountains, for the disaster will overtake me and I will die; now behold, this town is near enough to flee to, and it is small. Please, let me escape there (is it not small?) that my life may be saved.” He said to him, “Behold, I grant you this request also, not to overthrow the town of which you have spoken. “Hurry, escape there, for I cannot do anything until you arrive there.” Therefore the name of the town was called Zoar.”

Abraham had prayed regarding Sodom:
Genesis 18:25 “Far be it from You to do such a thing, to slay the righteous with the wicked, so that the righteous and the wicked are treated alike. Far be it from You! Shall not the Judge of all the earth deal justly?”

And God certainly honored that prayer.
He would not rain fire on Sodom until that one righteous man was out.

He would not flood the earth until He had shut the door on that ark for Noah.

To read it again:
2 Peter 2:9 “the Lord knows how to rescue the godly from temptation, and to keep the unrighteous under punishment for the day of judgment,”

DAVID KNOWS IT TOO.
In fact, he took that knowledge and
He wrote a song for his own congregation to sing.

It’s a short little chorus and it is found in verses 8-9
“The LORD is their strength, And He is a saving defense to His anointed. Save Your people and bless Your inheritance; Be their shepherd also, and carry them forever.”

David wanted to assure his people that
• Despite living in a vile and wicked world and one that is marked for a certain judgment.
• David wanted the congregation to know that The Lord saves His anointed.
• He saves them and He blesses them.
• He is their shepherd and He carries them forever.

And incidentally, we know that is true as well.

Even during the most horrific judgments in the Bible, God spared His own.
• We already witnessed the flood and Sodom and Gomorrah.
• But what about in Egypt when God spared His own through the Passover.
• What about when the rabble rose up against Moses and Aaron and the LORD intervened on their behalf?

Do you remember the story of the exile?
How God wiped out Jerusalem…

Before He did Ezekiel 9 says that before God sent executioners into the city He first put a mark on the forehead of the righteous

Ezekiel 9:4-6 “The LORD said to him, “Go through the midst of the city, even through the midst of Jerusalem, and put a mark on the foreheads of the men who sigh and groan over all the abominations which are being committed in its midst.” But to the others He said in my hearing, “Go through the city after him and strike; do not let your eye have pity and do not spare. “Utterly slay old men, young men, maidens, little children, and women, but do not touch any man on whom is the mark; and you shall start from My sanctuary.” So they started with the elders who were before the temple.”

And while none in Ezekiel are named.
LOOK AT:
Jeremiah 39:11-18 “Now Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon gave orders about Jeremiah through Nebuzaradan the captain of the bodyguard, saying, “Take him and look after him, and do nothing harmful to him, but rather deal with him just as he tells you.” So Nebuzaradan the captain of the bodyguard sent word, along with Nebushazban the Rab-saris, and Nergal-sar-ezer the Rab-mag, and all the leading officers of the king of Babylon; they even sent and took Jeremiah out of the court of the guardhouse and entrusted him to Gedaliah, the son of Ahikam, the son of Shaphan, to take him home. So he stayed among the people. Now the word of the LORD had come to Jeremiah while he was confined in the court of the guardhouse, saying, “Go and speak to Ebed-melech the Ethiopian, saying, ‘Thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel, “Behold, I am about to bring My words on this city for disaster and not for prosperity; and they will take place before you on that day. “But I will deliver you on that day,” declares the LORD, “and you will not be given into the hand of the men whom you dread. “For I will certainly rescue you, and you will not fall by the sword; but you will have your own life as booty, because you have trusted in Me,” declares the LORD.'”

Or we could go to the very end in the Revelation before God unleased that demonic army from hell and blasted those 7 trumpets, we read:
Revelation 7:1-3 “After this I saw four angels standing at the four corners of the earth, holding back the four winds of the earth, so that no wind would blow on the earth or on the sea or on any tree. And I saw another angel ascending from the rising of the sun, having the seal of the living God; and he cried out with a loud voice to the four angels to whom it was granted to harm the earth and the sea, saying, “Do not harm the earth or the sea or the trees until we have sealed the bond-servants of our God on their foreheads.”

And then we read about those demonic beings:
Revelation 9:4 “They were told not to hurt the grass of the earth, nor any green thing, nor any tree, but only the men who do not have the seal of God on their foreheads.”

Do you see it there as well?

WHAT’S THE POINT TO ALL OF THIS?

Your righteousness and your dependence upon God matters.
• Even if it feels like you are the only one.
• Even if it feels like you aren’t making a difference.

I’m sure Noah and Lot and Jeremiah all felt that their righteousness was pointless, UNTIL the day of the judgment and then how precious it was.

David knew this and so not only did he hold to his integrity,
But he would not rest until he had cried out to God
For confirmation that he would not be destroyed with the wicked.

Well the answer is, we won’t, if we are the Lord’s.

So don’t walk the path of the wicked.
• Stand for the Lord amidst the opposition.
• Preach righteousness to your wicked world.
• When your righteous soul is tormented by the ungodliness around you, warn your brothers not to act wickedly.

CLING TO GODLINESS LIKE THAT SCARLET THREAD IN RAHAB’S WINDOW

The Basis For Christian Joy – Part 4
Luke 10:17-24 (21-22)
February 24, 2019

We are in Luke 10 where we are talking about the necessity of Jesus,
But in that we have narrowed our focus even more
To talk about THE BASIS FOR CHRISTIAN JOY.

We’ve seen the first 2 and we’ve begun looking at the 3rd.

It all began with the attitude of the 70 when they returned from their mission rejoicing.
#1 SPIRITUAL AUTHORITY
Luke 10:17-19

They rejoiced that the demons were subject and Jesus confirmed it.
• They were subject
• He saw Satan losing battle after battle
• And He promised that Satan would not be able to claim them back

Certainly we rejoice in Spiritual Authority

#2 SECURE SALVATION
Luke 10:20

Building off of the point that nothing will injure one of the elect
Jesus gives the 70 an even greater reason to rejoice.

“rejoice that your names are recorded in heaven”

And we discussed that.
• It is the list of those “enrolled in heaven” (Heb. 12:23)
• It is the “book of life” (Rev. 17:8; 20:15)
• It is the “Lamb’s book of life” (Rev. 21:27)
• It is the “book of life of the Lamb who was slain” (Rev. 13:8)
• And we learned that it was written “before the foundation of the world” (Rev. 13:8)

Jesus commanded the 70 to rejoice in the fact that God had chosen them for salvation and that God had made that salvation absolutely secure.

That’s definitely a reason for Christian rejoicing.

And then, as we noted last week, that reality led to a 3rd reason for Christian rejoicing, and one that even Jesus participated in.

#3 SOVEREIGN GRACE
Luke 10:21-22

While Jesus certainly rejoiced over various things in His life,
This is THE ONLY PLACE where His rejoicing is specifically mentioned.

“At that very time, He rejoiced greatly in the Holy Spirit, and said, “I praise You, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that You have hidden these things from the wise and intelligent and have revealed them to infants. Yes, Father, for this way was well-pleasing in Your sight.”

That’s the portion that we started looking at last time.
Namely because it is a seemingly peculiar statement and reality.

• It doesn’t initially shock us that Jesus “rejoiced greatly in the Holy Spirit”
• Nor does it initially shock us that Jesus is praising the Father.
• Nor does it shock us that Jesus praises the Father for revealing these things to
infants.

The shocking part is that Jesus actually praised the Father for
Hiding “these things from the wise and intelligent”

That sounds so backward to our typical thought process.

So we spent most of our time last week in 1 Corinthians 1-3 where we gained a little more insight into specifically what was going on.
And not to rehash the entire study, we learned some very important things.

Man in his “wisdom” had failed to honor God as God deserved.

It is alluded to in 1 Corinthians, it is expressly stated in Romans.
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.”

Man was determined to produce salvation
Through his own means and according to his own plan.

If you keep reading Romans you learn:
Romans 1:22-23 “Professing to be wise, they became fools, and exchanged the glory of the incorruptible God for an image in the form of corruptible man and of birds and four-footed animals and crawling creatures.”

Specifically man ran into idolatry.
They replaced the true God with one they made themselves.

They replaced God with one they thought could to a better job.
God therefore determined to make a mockery
Out of this so-called wisdom which rejected Him.

AND THAT IS WHAT GOD DID
By making the message of salvation something TOO FOOLISH
For these “intellectual” minds to accept.

• Jews want powerful signs
• Greeks want mysterious wisdom
• God gave neither what they wanted. Instead He gave the cross.

• The cross appeared too weak to the Jews
• They cross appeared too foolish to the Greeks
• And they would not believe it, and as a result they ended up condemned.

And in that God made their supposed wisdom foolishness
Because it landed them in judgment.

God hid the truth from them by making it unacceptable to them
And ultimately shamed them
By letting them have the result of their own wisdom.

Which is also what Romans teaches:
Romans 1:24-25 “Therefore God gave them over in the lusts of their hearts to impurity, so that their bodies would be dishonored among them. For they exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen.”

They didn’t want the truth, so God didn’t let them see the truth.
Instead He gave them the lusts they craved for
And ultimately they ended up in judgment.

And let me point out again.
JESUS PRAISED GOD FOR THAT!

If it shocks you that Jesus would praise God for that,
Then you have failed to grasp the love that Jesus has for the Father.

He is passionate that God get the glory He deserves.
JESUS PRAISED GOD FOR DEFENDING HIS GLORY

But Jesus also praises the Father for “revealing [these things] to infants.”

That is the ignorant or the foolish or the uneducated.
Those who do not trust in their own intelligence as sufficient for salvation
• God chose to let them know the very deep things of God.
• God chose to reveal His very heart to them.

And as we saw in 1 Corinthians 2, God did that through the Holy Spirit.
Which is why Jesus “rejoiced greatly in the Holy Spirit”

1 Corinthians 2:12 “Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, so that we may know the things freely given to us by God,”

When we weren’t smart enough to get it on our own,
God chose to reveal it to us, for His own glory.

1 Corinthians 1:26-31 “For consider your calling, brethren, that there were not many wise according to the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble; but God has chosen the foolish things of the world to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to shame the things which are strong, and the base things of the world and the despised God has chosen, the things that are not, so that He may nullify the things that are, so that no man may boast before God. But by His doing you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, and righteousness and sanctification, and redemption, so that, just as it is written, “LET HIM WHO BOASTS, BOAST IN THE LORD.”

God saved the foolish that He might be glorified;
That He might be honored as God.

And Jesus praised the Father for this.

So, we basically pointed out last time exactly what God did.
• Hid the truth from some
• Revealed it to others through His Holy Spirit
• And Jesus rejoiced in this and praised God for it.

AND CORPORATELY WE CALLED IT SOVEREIGN GRACE
And that’s such an important term.

But as we said, there are many who hate this term.
• There are many who reject it altogether and simply say that God doesn’t do
this sort of thing.
• Others hate any notion of it.

Well, because this passage absolutely drips with sovereign grace,
We need to take the opportunity and talk about it a little more.
Not just what it is, but why it is also a basis for Christian rejoicing.

And I suppose the best way to do that is to simply take a look at the two words.
1) SOVEREIGN

You can’t have Sovereign Grace if God is not sovereign.
And if you’ll notice Jesus is very quick to make sure you realize that.

In verse 21 Jesus identifies the Father as “Lord of heaven and earth”

“Lord” translates KYRIOS

Let me give you a few ways that word is defined.
• He to whom a person or thing belongs, about which he has power of deciding;
• Master, lord
• The possessor and disposer of a thing the owner;
• One who has control of the person,
• The master in the state: the sovereign, prince, chief, the Roman emperor

That is the word Jesus uses to describe the Father.
And Jesus qualifies it by adding that He is “Lord of heaven and earth”

That means that according to Jesus
God has absolute sovereignty regarding any decision
For everything in heaven and on earth.

He gets free reign to make any decision He desires to make.
God is the MASTER, the POSSESSOR, and the One who is in ABSOLUTE CONTROL of all things in heaven and on earth.

• That must include things like salvation…
• That must include things like whose name gets written in the book…
• That must include things like who gets the revelation and who does not…

And we cannot argue God’s right to do these things
Because Jesus is clear that He is the Sovereign Lord.

Now many would argue at this point that God is indeed sovereign, but…
IN HIS SOVEREIGNTY HE HAS YIELDED FULL AUTONOMY TO MAN.

That is to say that God has the right,
But He has opted to give man the full choice.

And yet Jesus just revealed to us that
God, in His sovereign prerogative actually chose to hide these things from some and chose to reveal them to others.

That doesn’t sound like passive sovereignty.
That sounds like active sovereignty.

And then of course some would argue that God may allow men to reject,
But this was never the plan nor is it what God wanted.
HE ALLOWS IT, BUT HE DOESN’T LIKE IT.

But then you have to read what Jesus said,
Namely that “Yes, Father, for this way was well-pleasing in Your sight.”

ARE YOU WITH ME HERE?
Verse 21 drips of sovereignty.

God did choose because God can choose
And God did choose what He wanted to choose.

He did what is well within His sovereign prerogative to do.

One thing we did not discuss is the content of what God revealed.
Jesus referred to “these things”

“You have hidden THESE THINGS from the wise and intelligent and have revealed them to infants.”

What are “these things”?

In a broad sense we could say they are truths of salvation.
But I think Jesus actually answers the question in verse 22.

“All things have been handed over to Me by My Father”

That’s really the pinnacle truth right there.
Namely that Jesus is the Messiah, the Christ,
The Sovereign Ruler of the world.

Remember Psalms 2?
Psalms 2:7-12 “I will surely tell of the decree of the LORD: He said to Me, ‘You are My Son, Today I have begotten You. ‘Ask of Me, and I will surely give the nations as Your inheritance, And the very ends of the earth as Your possession. ‘You shall break them with a rod of iron, You shall shatter them like earthenware.'” Now therefore, O kings, show discernment; Take warning, O judges of the earth. Worship the LORD with reverence And rejoice with trembling. Do homage to the Son, that He not become angry, and you perish in the way, For His wrath may soon be kindled. How blessed are all who take refuge in Him!”

Remember Peter preaching at Pentecost?
Acts 2:32-36 “This Jesus God raised up again, to which we are all witnesses. “Therefore having been exalted to the right hand of God, and having received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, He has poured forth this which you both see and hear. “For it was not David who ascended into heaven, but he himself says: ‘THE LORD SAID TO MY LORD, “SIT AT MY RIGHT HAND, UNTIL I MAKE YOUR ENEMIES A FOOTSTOOL FOR YOUR FEET.”‘ “Therefore let all the house of Israel know for certain that God has made Him both Lord and Christ — this Jesus whom you crucified.”

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

Jesus is head over “all things”

Want me to be more specific?

Well, listen to Jesus:
John 5:21-23 “For just as the Father raises the dead and gives them life, even so the Son also gives life to whom He wishes. “For not even the Father judges anyone, but He has given all judgment to the Son, so that all will honor the Son even as they honor the Father. He who does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent Him.”

Jesus said there that the “all things” would include things like
• “life” or salvation
• And things like “judgment”.
• He also includes that the Son is to receive the same honor as the Father.

So we are talking about the truth that Jesus is
God’s Anointed King, Savior, and Judge.

And that is essential information if you desire to be saved.
• In fact to be saved you must “confess with your mouth Jesus is Lord”
• You must “call on the name of the Lord”

So knowing that is pretty important.
Knowing who Jesus is, is pretty important.

FURTHERMORE WE KNOW THAT:
No one can know that unless God reveals it to them.

See verse 22 again:
“All things have been handed over to Me by My Father, and no one knows who the Son is except the Father,”

Paul reminded us that in order for a natural man to know that,
That God’s Spirit must read God’s mind and then reveal it to you.

In short:
If God does not reveal to you who Jesus is, then you cannot know it.

Didn’t Jesus tell this to Peter?
Matthew 16:15-17 “He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” Simon Peter answered, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” And Jesus said to him, “Blessed are you, Simon Barjona, because flesh and blood did not reveal this to you, but My Father who is in heaven.”

“Peter, you wouldn’t know that if God hadn’t shown it to you.”

Didn’t Jesus teach us that in John 6?
John 6:44 “No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him; and I will raise him up on the last day.”

John 6:65 “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.”

If God doesn’t show you, you can’t know Him.

And we saw that the Father actually hides that truth from some people
And reveals it to others by His own sovereign pleasure.

WE SAW THAT DIDN’T WE?
I mean, where just reading what Jesus said.

Well that’s where people throw a fit and start screaming, “NOT FAIR!”

TURN TO: ROMANS 9:14

• After making that infamous statement, “Jacob I loved, but Esau I hated”
• After revealing that before those boys where ever even born, and before they ever did anything good or evil, that God sovereignly chose that the older would serve the younger.
• Those boys had no say in it.

And Paul knew that people would cry, “Not Fair!”

(READ: Romans 9:14-18)
• Is God unjust? NO NEVER!

And then Paul quotes Genesis 25:23 that “I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion.”

Very important statement.
Let me tell you what it DOESN’T say.

“I will judge whom I will judge, and I will have cruelty toward whom I will have cruelty”

You know why?
• Because apart from God’s intervention, man is already condemned.
• God doesn’t have to do anything for man to be condemned, he is already condemned by reason of his rebellion.

And if God simply does nothing, then every single human goes to hell.

But if anyone is going to miss hell, and inherit eternal life
Then God will have to act.
He will have to intervene, and He did for some.

He chose to have mercy on some.
He chose to have compassion on some.

John 3:17-18 “For God did not send the Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world might be saved through Him. “He who believes in Him is not judged; he who does not believe has been judged already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.”

It is NOT like God took a list of neutral humans
• And started throwing some to the left and saying “hell”
• And some to the right and saying “heaven”.

NO.
• All were headed to hell.
• None had pleased God.
• None were good, none were righteous, not even one.

But instead of consigning the entire human race to judgment,
God, in His great mercy, reached in and chose to save some.
That’s not injustice, that’s mercy!

If God hadn’t done that then no one would be saved.
(16) “So then it does not depend on the man who wills or the man who runs but on God who has mercy”

But then Paul takes it ONE STEP FURTHER because that is clear, but we still haven’t addressed the hiding issue or the HARDENING issue.

So Paul says next:
(READ 17-18)

This time Paul reminds of what God did to Pharaoh.
That God raised Pharaoh up (that is brought him to power)

WHY? “to demonstrate My power in you”

God brought him to power so that
Through Pharaoh’s own rebellious heart
God would have opportunity to lay out the plagues
And put His power on display.

Had Pharaoh been a submissive man, you’d never have known about those powerful plagues or how much God loved Israel.

So there’s an instance there where God,
According to His own sovereign prerogative
Chose to save some, and to harden some.

(18) “So then He has mercy on whom He desires, and He hardens whom He desires.”

And to that again people cry foul!

So listen carefully now to Paul.
(READ 19-21)

And there’s the critical issue: HE’S GOD!
As God He has the right!

WE CALL IT SOVEREIGNTY.
• If He wants to save no one, He can save no one.
• If He wants to save everyone, He can save everyone.
• If He wants to save some, and harden others, He can do that too.

Now that’s the first aspect you need to grasp when we talk about SOVEREIGN GRACE. You need to get the “sovereign” part.

But let’s also talk about the second part:
2) GRACE

• Justice is you getting what you deserve
• Mercy is you not getting what you deserve
• Grace is you getting what you don’t deserve

And here we’re talking about GRACE.
Namely that God chose to reveal the truths about Christ to “infants”

Now, before you can fully understand the grace in what God did for you,
YOU FIRST have to understand that you didn’t deserve it.

A proper understanding of sovereign grace
Begins with a proper understanding of sinful man.

If you think man is basically good and deserving of salvation
Then you will always have a problem with election.
It will always appear to be unjust to you.
You will always view election as some twisted doctrine
Where God chose to keep good men out of heaven.

NOTHING could be further from the truth.

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

YOU MUST GRASP THAT.

When you talk about election, or sovereign grace
There is always the counter argument regarding MAN’S FREE WILL.

Free will means that a person is free to make any decision
According to the inclination of their heart or their will.

And in that case, IT IS TRUE, MAN HAS FREE WILL.
He is free to choose whatever he wants in regard to salvation.

But here is the reality – PAY CLOSE ATTENTION HERE
MAN IS FREE TO DO WHAT HE WILLS, BUT HIS WILL IS FALLEN.

What do I mean?
Namely that if you give sinful man
The freedom to do whatever he wants,
He will never choose to love God, or trust God, or follow Christ.

Sinful man will choose sin every time.
• “there is none who does good, not even one”
• “there is none who seeks for God, not even one”
• “there is no fear of God before their eyes”

AND THAT’S THE PROBLEM.
If salvation is a matter of man’s free will,
THEN EVERY SINGLE HUMAN WILL DIE AND GO TO HELL.
No one will, of his own free will, choose Christ.

If you think otherwise, then go back and read Romans 3:10-18.

YOU SAY, “But preacher, I chose Christ, I chose to love God, I chose to fear God and obey God. I remember making that choice. I remember that invitation, I remember that convicting sermon, I remember the internal battle. I remember choosing to obey. I sang, ‘I Have Decided To Follow Jesus’”

I KNOW YOU DID.

But the reason you did is because God first did a work in you.
• It was God who first showed you how sinful you were.
• It was God who first showed you how perfect Christ was.
• It was God who first regenerated your heart to cause you to fear Him.
• It was God who first regenerated your heart to cause you to desire Him.

His grace was at work long before you ever made a choice.

For an analogy purpose.
• Jesus called Lazarus out of the tomb, and Lazarus made a choice to obey.
• But before Lazarus even had a choice, he had to be made alive enough to
even hear when Jesus called.

THAT’S CALLED REGENERATION.
God chose to let the dead man hear.
And He could not have heard if God hadn’t chosen that.

That is what God first did for everyone who ever chose Him.
He “revealed these things to infants”

And it’s called GRACE
Ephesians 2:1-5 “And you were dead in your trespasses and sins, in which you formerly walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, of the spirit that is now working in the sons of disobedience. Among them we too all formerly lived in the lusts of our flesh, indulging the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, even as the rest. But God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in our transgressions, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved),”

And so let’s just be clear about this now.

If you are one of those whose name is written in the book of life,
Then that is something that God did for you.

• He took a dead sinner, who only wanted sin, and who deserved judgment, and
instead decided to give them grace.
• Grace in the form that He made them alive, changed their desires, and gave
them an inheritance instead of judgment.

He didn’t do that for everyone.
But He did that for some according to His sovereign pleasure.

Those He did that for didn’t deserve it, but He did it anyway.
He revealed to them who the Son was so that they might be saved.

And if you are a recipient of that grace
Can you see why you should be rejoicing?

You could still be in judgment! You could still be headed to hell!

We can rejoice in that for the rest of eternity.

Now, at this point, I do want to say something else,
Just to avoid the confusion.

Just in case someone in here is starting to panic,
• “What if I’m not chosen?”
• “What if God didn’t pick me?”

Then let me say this.
Do you want to be chosen?
Then come and submit your life to Jesus Christ.

John 6:37 “All that the Father gives Me will come to Me, and the one who comes to Me I will certainly not cast out.”

If you want to come you absolutely can.

Well preacher, doesn’t that contradict the sovereignty stuff you just preached?
No, not at all.

Because the fact is this:
• If somehow this morning you know that Jesus is the Christ
• And you have also been made aware that you’re headed for judgment
• And you now desire to submit to Christ and be saved

If that is happening in your life, it’s only because God did that.
• He showed you who Jesus is.
• He showed you how badly you need Him.
• He is drawing you to Him.

So if you want to come, by all means.
God has never (and will never)
Refuse a repentant sinner who wants to be saved.

Because sinners don’t repent if God doesn’t cause it.
It’s all a matter of grace.
Every sinner saved is saved by grace alone.

And look, there’s still more here to this statement of Jesus that needs to be understood, but we’ll have to jump into that next time.

This morning I want you to understand the basis for Christian Rejoicing!

• Not only were the 70 commended for rejoicing in their Spiritual Authority.
• Not only were they commanded to rejoice in their Secure Salvation
• But Jesus Himself rejoiced in God’s Sovereign Grace

And church we should be praising God for this.
We should rejoice in this daily.

Regardless of your ups and downs.
Regardless of you trials and tribulations.

The God of the universe chose to be gracious to you
Even in the midst of your rebellion against Him.

• He gave you His truth
• He revealed it through His Spirit
• He showed you His Son, who also atoned for your sin
• He chose to take you from being an enemy and make you a son
• He gave you an inheritance in heaven where your name is written down permanently

REJOICE IN THAT!

How it must grieve the Father,
That He has done such a wonderful thing for His children.

AND INSTEAD OF PRAISING HIM for it and rejoicing in it,
They instead reject His sovereignty and say
“Any God who would do this is a monster.”

On the contrary!
Any God who would do what He did, is the most gracious Savior ever!

Jesus praised Him for this!
You should as well.

1 Corinthians 1:30-31 “But by His doing you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, and righteousness and sanctification, and redemption, so that, just as it is written, “LET HIM WHO BOASTS, BOAST IN THE LORD.”

A Song For Life
Psalms 27
February 17, 2019

So tonight we talk a little bit about life.
I know as a kid I always loved it when my parents would say,
“Well that’s just life.”

And we’ve heard them all.
• “Life isn’t fair”
• “Life is hard”
• “What can go wrong, will go wrong”
• “Eat right, exercise daily, die anyway”
• “Money talks, it says goodbye”
• “You have to be tough to get old”
• “No matter how bad things are, you can always make things worse”

The Bible even has one author in particular
Who made sure you picked up on just how hard life is.

Solomon said:
Ecclesiastes 1:14-15 “I have seen all the works which have been done under the sun, and behold, all is vanity and striving after wind. What is crooked cannot be straightened and what is lacking cannot be counted.”

Ecclesiastes 2:22-23 “For what does a man get in all his labor and in his striving with which he labors under the sun? Because all his days his task is painful and grievous; even at night his mind does not rest. This too is vanity.”

Ecclesiastes 4:1-3 “Then I looked again at all the acts of oppression which were being done under the sun. And behold I saw the tears of the oppressed and that they had no one to comfort them; and on the side of their oppressors was power, but they had no one to comfort them. So I congratulated the dead who are already dead more than the living who are still living. But better off than both of them is the one who has never existed, who has never seen the evil activity that is done under the sun.”

Ecclesiastes 5:13-17 “There is a grievous evil which I have seen under the sun: riches being hoarded by their owner to his hurt. When those riches were lost through a bad investment and he had fathered a son, then there was nothing to support him. As he had come naked from his mother’s womb, so will he return as he came. He will take nothing from the fruit of his labor that he can carry in his hand. This also is a grievous evil — exactly as a man is born, thus will he die. So what is the advantage to him who toils for the wind? Throughout his life he also eats in darkness with great vexation, sickness and anger.”

Ecclesiastes 8:14 “There is futility which is done on the earth, that is, there are righteous men to whom it happens according to the deeds of the wicked. On the other hand, there are evil men to whom it happens according to the deeds of the righteous. I say that this too is futility.”

Ecclesiastes 10:8-9 “He who digs a pit may fall into it, and a serpent may bite him who breaks through a wall. He who quarries stones may be hurt by them, and he who splits logs may be endangered by them.”

Ecclesiastes 11:8 “Indeed, if a man should live many years, let him rejoice in them all, and let him remember the days of darkness, for they will be many. Everything that is to come will be futility.”

Ecclesiastes 11:10 “So, remove grief and anger from your heart and put away pain from your body, because childhood and the prime of life are fleeting.”

Well, how’s that for a depressing way to start tonight?

LIFE IS HARD
• And that is to say nothing about the promise of persecution for a believer.
• Or the promise of suffering from God in order to sanctify us.

You get it.
Life is hard.
You struggle against it every single day.

The question is: HOW DO YOU FACE IT?

Well, that’s what this song is about.
It’s about facing the ever increasingly difficult journey of life.
And the song is good advice.

It’s all about who God is during life’s most difficult moments.
There are 4 stanzas tonight.

God is:
#1 MY CONFIDENCE IN ANXIETY
Psalms 27:1-3

When you read these first 3 verses from David you quickly pick up on David’s confident approach.

The emphasis in that first verse is on the words “The LORD is…”

It is similar to when we looked at the 23rd Psalm and saw
“The LORD is my shepherd”

The focus wasn’t so much on the fact that David had a shepherd,
But more so on the fact that the LORD was that shepherd.

That’s the same mentality here.
It’s not so much a focus on the fact that David has “light” and “salvation” and a “defense” as it is that THE LORD IS ALL THOSE THINGS FOR HIM.

“The LORD is my light and my salvation”
“The LORD is the defense of my life”

We’re talking about a person who is in good hands
If he can point to the LORD of heaven and earth as his personal deliverer.

David has the ultimate body guard here.

And so he rightly asks the questions,
“Whom shall I fear?” and “Whom shall I dread?”

I mean, good grief, if the LORD is the one who has your back and who stands as your defense, what enemy are you really afraid of?

And David follows this with a TESTIMONY OF PAST DELIVERANCES.
(2) “When evildoers came upon me to devour my flesh, My adversaries and my enemies, they stumbled and fell.”

• Maybe he refers to the lion and the bear that tried to steal his sheep
• Maybe he refers to the giant that tried to remove his head
• Maybe he refers to the King who tried to run him through with a spear
• Maybe he refers to the Philistines who tried to kill him in battle

Pick one and you find the same outcome every time.
The LORD delivered him.
David’s enemies “stumbled and fell”.

And based upon that reality David has a STATEMENT OF CONFIDENCE.
(3) “Though a host encamp against me, My heart will not fear; though a war arise against me, In spite of this I shall be confident.”

And so now you understand these first 3 verses.
• David is currently in a time of ease.
• At this very moment things are going pretty smoothly.

And yet David knows how life works.
• It may be good today and the bottom may fall out tomorrow.
• We know the nature of tragedy in life.

We call it the “What if’s”
Has Satan ever played that game with you?

It’s called “worry”
It’s called “anxiety”

It’s allowing the fear of what might happen
Or what could happen grip you as though it will happen.

You are aware the Bible has something to say about anxiety.
Philippians 4:6-7 “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”

Jesus spoke of it as well, especially in regard to money.
Matthew 6:31-34 “Do not worry then, saying, ‘What will we eat?’ or ‘What will we drink?’ or ‘What will we wear for clothing?’ “For the Gentiles eagerly seek all these things; for your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. “But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. “So do not worry about tomorrow; for tomorrow will care for itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.”

And we could talk quite a bit tonight if we were so inclined about the sin of worry.
Jesus says that worrying is a lack of faith.

And so you understand why the Bible says
Not to worry or to be anxious for nothing.

AND HERE YOU SEE HOW DAVID FIGHTS IT.

He knows at any moment the bottom could drop out.
• That’s just the nature of life.
• At any moment the phone could ring and your life could be different forever.

We live here every day.
You wake up every morning with the potential for tragedy.
SO HOW DO YOU HANDLE THE ANXIETY OF THAT?

Well I can show you how David did.
HE FOCUSED ON WHO GOD IS.

“light” that is “life”.
• God is the One who gives life.
• God is the one who gives abundant life.
• God is the one who gives hope and peace and joy in life.

And it’s the understanding that regardless of what you may face,
God can still give life in the midst of it.
(Joy and peace and hope and satisfaction)

“salvation”
• This of course reminds us that no matter what we may face, God has the power to deliver us out of it.
• He can heal, He can deliver, I’ve even heard of Him raising the dead if He so chooses.

“the defense of my life”
• Which reminds us that He also has the capability to keep the tragedy from ever occurring at all.

David knew this about God.
He is more than able to handle my hardships.

DAVID ALSO FOCUSED ON ALL THAT GOD HAD DONE.

Namely those VICTORIES against the “evildoers” and “adversaries”
And “enemies” that he mentioned in verse 2.

He knows that God is able to deliver
Because He’s done it so many times before.

And based upon those two realities, David says, “I shall be confident”
That’s the opposite of worry.
That’s the opposite of anxiety.

It doesn’t matter what I face, I will face it with confidence in God.

And this is how you face the anxiety of life.

Philippians 1:18-20 “What then? Only that in every way, whether in pretense or in truth, Christ is proclaimed; and in this I rejoice. Yes, and I will rejoice, for I know that this will turn out for my deliverance through your prayers and the provision of the Spirit of Jesus Christ, according to my earnest expectation and hope, that I will not be put to shame in anything, but that with all boldness, Christ will even now, as always, be exalted in my body, whether by life or by death.”

Do you hear the confidence there?
• I’m not gonna be “put to shame”
• “this will turn out for my deliverance”
• Paul knows who his God is.

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.”

There you have it again.
• “And He will yet deliver us”
• Paul isn’t worried about defeat, so why live in anxiety?

Romans 8:31 “What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who is against us?”

Paul may have even been thinking about this Psalm when he wrote that.

Or even when Paul knew HE WAS FACING DEATH:
2 Timothy 4:6-8 “For I am already being poured out as a drink offering, and the time of my departure has come. I have fought the good fight, I have finished the course, I have kept the faith; in the future there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day; and not only to me, but also to all who have loved His appearing.”

That sounds like a man filled with worry right there doesn’t it?

And all you are seeing is people who knew who God was
And knew what God had done.
And they walked in faith that He was still God.

They may sound overly simple, but it’s the reality.
2 Timothy 1:12 “For this reason I also suffer these things, but I am not ashamed; for I know whom I have believed and I am convinced that He is able to guard what I have entrusted to Him until that day.”

• So don’t worry about what tomorrow might hold
• Don’t be anxious about anything
• Just know who your God is and what He does and be confident in Him.

God is My Confidence in Anxiety
#2 MY CONCERN IN ADVERSITY
Psalms 27:4-6

Well now the situation has progressed.
• The first 3 verses just spoke of what could be if the situation arose.
• Now David speaks of “adverse conditions”

David can see the storm clouds on the horizon.
The conditions are right for things to go wrong.

And honestly, in America, we are here too.
I’m not a big politics guy as you well know.
I don’t follow closely the daily grind of political maneuvering and media propaganda.

BUT I WILL SAY THIS:
• America flaunts sexual immorality
• America fights for homosexual acceptance
• America aborts 3,000 babies per day
• America lives in defiance of authority in every level of authority (family,
government, workplace, church, etc.)

You just don’t live as a nation in such blatant defiance of God
Without judgment.
If you can’t see the storm coming your head is in the sand.

According to Romans 1, we’re already under judgment.

Well David wasn’t likely talking about the judgment of God here,
As much as he was referring to the uprising of enemies,
But the timing is the same.

David isn’t in trouble yet, but he can see it coming.

The question is: WHAT DO YOU DO WHEN YOU SEE THE STORM APPROACHING?

You’ll love David’s answer:
(4-5) “One thing I have asked from the LORD, that I shall seek: That I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, To behold the beauty of the LORD And to meditate in His temple. For in the day of trouble He will conceal me in His tabernacle; In the secret place of His tent He will hide me; He will lift me up on a rock.”

In view of the coming storm, David says, “I do one thing”
• I seek the LORD.
• I dwell in His house
• So I can gaze on His beauty
• And I can meditate on who He is

Really David?
• Don’t you think you should be rationing the perishable goods?
• Don’t you think you should be organizing the army?
• Don’t you think you should be finishing up the bomb shelter?

No, I just draw near to God.
GOD IS MY MAIN CONCERN, NOT THE STORM.

WHY?
“For in the day of trouble He will conceal me in His tabernacle; In the secret place of His tent He will hide me; He will lift me up on a rock.”

And so, even though David can see the enemy army approaching,
He’s not panicking, he’s drawing near to God.

(6) “And now my head will be lifted up above my enemies around me, And I will offer in His tent sacrifices with shouts of joy; I will sing, yes, I will sing praises to the LORD.”

• David continues to praise God.
• David continues to seek God.
• David continues to meditate on the goodness of God.

What a way to handle the coming storm!

But we see them today.
I think they call them “Doomsday Preppers”
• The people with secret bomb shelters
• And stockpiled food reserves.

But David finds it much more beneficial
To be in fellowship with the One
Who feeds the birds and clothes the fields.

Jesus gave an analogy that fits here.
Matthew 7:24-27 “Therefore everyone who hears these words of Mine and acts on them, may be compared to a wise man who built his house on the rock. “And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and slammed against that house; and yet it did not fall, for it had been founded on the rock. “Everyone who hears these words of Mine and does not act on them, will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand. “The rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and slammed against that house; and it fell — and great was its fall.”

Now that’s how your supposed to prep for doomsday.
You tie your house to the only thing that will withstand the storm.

YOU CLING TO CHRIST!!
• David says the same thing.
• I’m going to seek God.
• I’m going to “behold the beauty of the LORD”
• I’m going to “meditate in His temple”

And I’m going to let God handle the coming storm
And hide me as it passes by.

WHAT A GREAT WAY TO DO LIFE.

SO…
• When there is no trouble on the horizon, but only the potential of trouble, just place your confidence in God and don’t give in to anxiety.

• And on the day when the trouble emerges and it looks as though it could get bad, don’t lose your head, just draw near to God and let Him carry you through the trial.

He is My Confidence in Anxiety
He is My Concern in Adversity
#3 MY COMPANION IN ABANDONMENT
Psalms 27:7-10

Well the situation has escalated even more.
Now the trouble has hit and it is apparently so bad that
Everyone has deserted David.

He says in verse 10 “For my father and my mother have forsaken me.”

IT HAPPENS DOESN’T IT?

We saw it with Christ:
Mark 14:43-52 “Immediately while He was still speaking, Judas, one of the twelve, came up accompanied by a crowd with swords and clubs, who were from the chief priests and the scribes and the elders. Now he who was betraying Him had given them a signal, saying, “Whomever I kiss, He is the one; seize Him and lead Him away under guard.” After coming, Judas immediately went to Him, saying, “Rabbi!” and kissed Him. They laid hands on Him and seized Him. But one of those who stood by drew his sword, and struck the slave of the high priest and cut off his ear. And Jesus said to them, “Have you come out with swords and clubs to arrest Me, as you would against a robber? “Every day I was with you in the temple teaching, and you did not seize Me; but this has taken place to fulfill the Scriptures.” And they all left Him and fled. A young man was following Him, wearing nothing but a linen sheet over his naked body; and they seized him. But he pulled free of the linen sheet and escaped naked.”

Paul spoke of it:
2 Timothy 4:16 “At my first defense no one supported me, but all deserted me; may it not be counted against them.”

In fact Jesus even promised it would happen.
Matthew 10:21-22 “Brother will betray brother to death, and a father his child; and children will rise up against parents and cause them to be put to death. “You will be hated by all because of My name, but it is the one who has endured to the end who will be saved.”

And I feel certain that you have felt at least a taste of this sting as you have followed Christ.
• We’ve all lost friends…
• We’ve all lost allies…
• Some have even lost family members to this.

David is here feeling the sting of abandonment.

And so it only stands to reason that he runs to the LORD.
(7-9) “Hear, O LORD, when I cry with my voice, And be gracious to me and answer me. When You said, “Seek My face,” my heart said to You, “Your face, O LORD, I shall seek.” Do not hide Your face from me, Do not turn Your servant away in anger; You have been my help; Do not abandon me nor forsake me, O God of my salvation!”

You can hear David’s desperation.
God, everyone has left me, even my parents, don’t You leave me too!

But I also want you to see David’s commitment.
(8) “When You said, “Seek My face” my heart said to You, “Your face, O LORD, I shall seek.”

The implication here is that it WASN’T A NATURAL RESPONSE.
David is calling back upon a previous commitment that he made to God.

God had called David to seek His face,
And David had committed to do that.

And now that is hard!
It would be much easier to seek after those people who had deserted him
And try to rally the troops again.

But here David is expressing that he will honor his commitment
To continue to seek God’s face.

So here I am God – I’m seeking You – Don’t abandon me!

Now the beauty of it is that DAVID KNOWS HE WON’T.
(10) “For my father and my mother have forsaken me, But the LORD will take me up.”

Everyone may have left, but God won’t!

Isn’t that what Jesus promised?
Matthew 28:20 “teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”

The writer of Hebrews reminded those persecuted believers of the fact;
Hebrews 13:5b-6 “…for He Himself has said, “I WILL NEVER DESERT YOU, NOR WILL I EVER FORSAKE YOU,” so that we confidently say, “THE LORD IS MY HELPER, I WILL NOT BE AFRAID. WHAT WILL MAN DO TO ME?”

Jeremiah experienced it:
Jeremiah 20:10-11 “For I have heard the whispering of many, “Terror on every side! Denounce him; yes, let us denounce him!” All my trusted friends, Watching for my fall, say: “Perhaps he will be deceived, so that we may prevail against him And take our revenge on him.” But the LORD is with me like a dread champion; Therefore my persecutors will stumble and not prevail. They will be utterly ashamed, because they have failed, With an everlasting disgrace that will not be forgotten.”

And incidentally, let me read a little more of that passage where Paul spoke of everyone deserting him.
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.”

God never forsakes His own.
• It didn’t matter if He had to close the mouths of the lions for Daniel.
• It didn’t matter if He had to jump in the furnace with Daniel’s friends.
• It didn’t matter if He passed through the wilderness with the Israelites.

GOD NEVER LEAVES.

EVEN IN ISRAEL’S DARKEST HOURS.
• Think about the exile.
• We read in Ezekiel about how the glory of the LORD departed from the temple.

God’s presence left that temple, but it never left His people.

How do I know?
• Because I can read the book of Daniel.
• I can read the book of Esther.
• I can see how God never failed them.

And so even in life when it gets so hard that everyone leaves you,
You get to rest in the fact that
You have one companion who never will.

He is our Confidence in Anxiety
He is our Concern in Adversity
He is our Companion in Abandonment
#4 MY COURAGE IN AFFLICTION
Psalms 27:11-14

We spoke earlier about adversity.
What’s the difference between adversity and affliction?

ADVERSITY speaks of adverse conditions. A situation right for hardship.
AFFLICTION speaks the hardship being upon you.

Notice David here.
• He is already facing “the desire of my adversaries” (12)
• “False witnesses HAVE RISEN against me.”
• They “breathe out violence”

The storm is here.
The affliction is real.

It began in the first verses as a possibility.
It became a likely reality
And NOW IT IS HERE.

What do you do?

Here’s what David did.
(11) “Teach me Your way, O LORD, And lead me in a level path Because of my foes.”

David submitted to the LORD and simply asked for God to guide his steps.
• It is the opposite of arrogance.
• It is the opposite of pride.

God, I’m following You, guide me.

(12) “Do not deliver me over to the desire of my adversaries, For false witnesses have risen against me, And such as breathe out violence.”

As David follows, He also prays that God will deliver
As He has done so many times in the past.

But what is even more impressive is that
Even while David prays
You don’t get some sense of despair of panic.

In fact, David says he had the exact opposite of despair.

(13) “I would have despaired unless I had believed that I would see the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living.”

Isn’t that a great statement!
• I’m well aware of why non-believers despair.
• I’m well aware of why they are given over to anxiety and panic and gloom.

But believers need not dwell here!
• We have a God who delivers
• We have a God who never forsakes.
• We have a God who has promised to save.

And even “in the land of the living”
Meaning David isn’t just talking about eternity here.

He is counting on God’s earthly deliverance.

2 Corinthians 4:8 “we are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not despairing;”

And according to David
The reason we don’t despair is because we believe.
FAITH KEEPS US FROM DESPAIRING

“I would have despaired unless I had believed”

And so, the advice is clear and concise.
(14) “Wait for the LORD; Be strong and let your heart take courage; Yes, wait for the LORD.”

And what a great way to walk through affliction!

Consider the apostle Paul:
Acts 16:22-25 “The crowd rose up together against them, and the chief magistrates tore their robes off them and proceeded to order them to be beaten with rods. When they had struck them with many blows, they threw them into prison, commanding the jailer to guard them securely; and he, having received such a command, threw them into the inner prison and fastened their feet in the stocks. But about midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns of praise to God, and the prisoners were listening to them;”

• That’s just waiting on the LORD.
• That’s just trusting Him and praising Him and letting Him do what He does.
• There’s no despair
• There’s no anxiety
• Just faith

Isaiah 40:27-31 “Why do you say, O Jacob, and assert, O Israel, “My way is hidden from the LORD, And the justice due me escapes the notice of my God”? Do you not know? Have you not heard? The Everlasting God, the LORD, the Creator of the ends of the earth Does not become weary or tired. His understanding is inscrutable. He gives strength to the weary, And to him who lacks might He increases power. Though youths grow weary and tired, And vigorous young men stumble badly, Yet those who wait for the LORD Will gain new strength; They will mount up with wings like eagles, They will run and not get tired, They will walk and not become weary.”

• Just trust God.
• Wait on Him.

We don’t walk alone and we don’t walk without help.
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!”

There it is again.
“and out of them all the Lord rescued me!”

And if you’ll stop and take inventory you’ll see that
HE HAS DONE THE SAME FOR YOU.

That doesn’t mean He hasn’t allowed affliction.
Sometimes He even brings it.
But He never allows the affliction to have you.

HE DELIVERS, TRUST HIM.

WELL, THIS IS DAVID’S LIFE SONG

When you face life:

DON’T GIVE IN TO ANXIETY
• Focus on who God is and what He has done and don’t worry about tomorrow and the potentials that it could hold.

DON’T FOCUS ON ADVERSITY
• Focus on God and praising Him. He is the One who hides you in the midst of the storm. Don’t look at the giant, look at God.

DON’T FRET ABANDONMENT
• Though everyone should leave and forsake you, God never will. He promised.

DON’T FAINT IN AFFLICTION
• Wait on the LORD and be courageous. He never fails and He never abandons His own.

He is our CONFIDENCE
He is our CONCERN
He is our COMPANION
He is our COURAGE

He is the way we go through life.