Pure In Heart?
Psalms 73
May 31, 2020
In some ways it almost feels to me like we could skip this Psalm
Because I feel like we reference it so much.
It is such a great Psalm, specifically in the way it addresses
What is such a common temptation in most of us.
• It addresses thoughts that perhaps we have all had at one time or another.
• It addresses the bitterness that at times we may feel.
• It addresses the perception that gaining Christ is too costly & not worth it.
This is a real issue and a real tension in Scripture.
Even men and women of God wrestled with this.
• For we hear Christ telling us to forsake it all to follow Him.
• And we clearly see some people who are not willing to do it because it seems too costly.
Most recently in Luke’s gospel we’ve looked at the Rich Young Ruler
And saw him “do the math”.
He weighed the offer of Jesus in one hand and the value of his wealth in the other
And determined that Jesus demanded too high of a cost.
This rejection actually led the disciples to ask:
Matthew 19:27 “Then Peter said to Him, “Behold, we have left everything and followed You; what then will there be for us?”
It’s a fair question.
In order to follow You, we’ve lost jobs, we’ve lost relationships,
we’ve lost our reputation, we’ve lost possessions.
Did we make the right decision?
Matthew 19:28-29 “And Jesus said to them, “Truly I say to you, that you who have followed Me, in the regeneration when the Son of Man will sit on His glorious throne, you also shall sit upon twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel. “And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or farms for My name’s sake, will receive many times as much, and will inherit eternal life.”
Jesus said, “Yes, you absolutely made the right decision.”
And this was a constant battle Jesus seemed to fight in His preaching.
• He talks a lot about money.
• He talks a lot about earthly treasure vs heavenly treasure
• He talks a lot about valuing tomorrow more than today
You can feel Him struggling to get people to let go of what they can see and grab ahold of what they can’t see.
It’s the very essence of the faith that He routinely calls for.
Because it’s the very faith God desires.
Hebrews 11:13-16 “All these died in faith, without receiving the promises, but having seen them and having welcomed them from a distance, and having confessed that they were strangers and exiles on the earth. For those who say such things make it clear that they are seeking a country of their own. And indeed if they had been thinking of that country from which they went out, they would have had opportunity to return. But as it is, they desire a better country, that is, a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God; for He has prepared a city for them.”
God is looking for those who will let go of this country to seek a better one, and that is the same struggle Jesus faced in His ministry.
So Jesus went about preaching.
• He called men to lose their lives.
• He called men to leave their fortunes.
• He called men to abandon their relationships.
And He called them to do it with a promise that
The treasure He had was far more valuable and worth it.
We read them even this morning, but I love them.
Matthew 13:44-46 “The kingdom of heaven is like a treasure hidden in the field, which a man found and hid again; and from joy over it he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field. “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant seeking fine pearls, and upon finding one pearl of great value, he went and sold all that he had and bought it.”
• He is absolutely honest in those parables about the cost of the kingdom.
• Both of those men gave all that they had to obtain the kingdom.
And yet, His real point is about the value of the kingdom,
Because both of those men (who had seen and were able to assess the value)
Quickly made the deal because they knew it was a good one.
AND THAT IS WHAT JESUS IS PREACHING.
But from a human perspective, as those who have never seen heaven,
SOMETIMES IT’S A HARD ROAD TO TRAVEL.
• Sometimes we get caught wondering if we’re on the right path.
• Sometimes we wonder if we’ve made the right decision.
And so we love Psalms 73
Because here Asaph voices that complaint
That if we’re honest we’ve actually thought before too.
Most of the time we talk about Psalms 73 under the heading that
“All That Glitters Isn’t Gold”
That’s a good heading because Asaph was reminded of that very truth.
By the end of the Psalm he learns that everything he was assessing value too
Wasn’t worth nearly as much as he thought.
But in reading the Psalm and preparing to preach it again,
The verse that struck more than the others this time was verse 1.
“Surely God is good to Israel, To those who are pure in heart!”
We have a similar promise to that in the New Testament.
Matthew 5:8 “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.”
Well Asaph begins this Psalm
By making sure you and I understand that
The underlying issue he is discussing is that of being “pure in heart”
The point of the Psalm is that Asaph wants you to know
That God desires those who are pure in heart,
And yet he’s going to tell you of a time when he wasn’t.
And he’s going to tell you
How God brought him back to the place where he was.
To help us understand it better.
Asaph here directly links being “pure in heart”
To our mindset regarding worldly wealth.
Asaph is going to reveal that he was not “pure in heart”
Because God was not his one true and genuine love.
If he were forced to be honest, he also loved the world.
How do we know?
Because he was so embittered about not having it.
His lack of contentment demonstrated his lack of purity in heart.
Now, that’s a tough application to make out of the gate.
• To say that if you’re discontent…
• To say that if you envy the pleasures and possessions of the wicked…
• To say that if you want your fair share of the world…
• Then you are not pure in heart.
That is a harsh reality.
And yet, it is a true reality.
All throughout Scripture we are warned that perhaps the
Greatest idol we have in our heart is the idol of loving the world.
Colossians 3:5 “Therefore consider the members of your earthly body as dead to immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and greed, which amounts to idolatry.”
Paul says that greed “amounts to idolatry”
That is because desiring the things of the world
Indicates a heart that is not purely and wholly devoted to God.
It denotes a heart that is not pure.
Remember the parable of the soils?
Matthew 13:22 “And the one on whom seed was sown among the thorns, this is the man who hears the word, and the worry of the world and the deceitfulness of wealth choke the word, and it becomes unfruitful.”
• That was the man with a divided heart.
• The gospel wasn’t the only seed planted there, he also had “the worry of the world and the deceitfulness of wealth.”
In fact Jesus Himself said:
Matthew 6:21 “for where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”
Asaph echoes that by telling us is that
When we crave the things of the world,
It is an indicator that we do not have a pure heart.
And in truly humble fashion he’s going to tell you that
There was a time when he was right there with you.
But he’s also going to show you
How God delivered him from it and purified his heart.
That’s what this Psalm is about, and it is a classic gem.
We’ll break it down into 4 points tonight.
#1 THE ILLUSION OF EARTHLY PROSPERITY
Psalms 73:1-9
You see the basis for the Psalm
Asaph wants to talk about being “pure in heart”.
David has already mentioned it as well.
Psalms 24:3-4 “Who may ascend into the hill of the LORD? And who may stand in His holy place? He who has clean hands and a pure heart, Who has not lifted up his soul to falsehood And has not sworn deceitfully.”
Being “pure in heart” is important.
But Asaph is going to be honest and tell you
How that wasn’t always true of him.
(2) “But as for me, my feet came close to stumbling, My steps had almost slipped.”
And incidentally, by “stumbling” he is referring to apostasy.
• He nearly left the faith.
His issue wasn’t just momentary discontentment,
He almost reached the point where he said “I’m out of here”.
What happened that nearly caused Asaph to turn away from the faith?
(3-9) “For I was envious of the arrogant As I saw the prosperity of the wicked. For there are no pains in their death, And their body is fat. They are not in trouble as other men, Nor are they plagued like mankind. Therefore pride is their necklace; The garment of violence covers them. Their eye bulges from fatness; The imaginations of their heart run riot. They mock and wickedly speak of oppression; They speak from on high. They have set their mouth against the heavens, And their tongue parades through the earth.”
Asaph took a look at GODLESS PEOPLE.
• People who in verse 6 “pride is their necklace”
• People who in verse 6 “violence covers them”
• People who in verse 8 “mock and wickedly speak of oppression”
• People who in verse 8 “speak from on high” (boast)
• People who in verse 9 “set their mouth against the heavens”
• People who in verse 9 “their tongue parades through the earth”
In short, he started looking at godless people.
• He started watching people who gave no thought to God.
• He started watching people who boast and curse God.
• He started watching people who mock and cheat and lie.
Certainly all those things are expressly forbidden by God.
• He’s opposed to the proud…
• He calls for justice of the afflicted…
• He tells us not to boast…
Asaph looked at people who did exactly what God said not to do
And wondered how life was going for them.
And you know what he discovered?
THEIR LIFE IS GREAT!
(4) “There are no pains in their death, and their body is fat.”
• That is to say they’ve got plenty of food, and their body never seems to be in pain or struggle.
(5) “They are not in trouble as other men, nor are they plagued like mankind.”
• They’ve never had to sit and wonder where their next meal would come from.
• They’ve never had to sweat the car payment.
• They’ve never had to skip a medical appointment because they couldn’t afford it.
LIFE IS EASY
And this easy life only causes them to be more bold and outlandish
Against the commands of God.
And Asaph says (3) “I was envious”
• I wanted that easy life.
• I wanted that fat body
• I wanted the freedom to have whatever I imagined
• I wanted that pain free life
Now understand him here.
He saw 2 obvious truths.
1) There is a lifestyle that allows for earthly riches.
2) That lifestyle is not obtained through obeying God.
He knew that. He wasn’t trying to figure out a way to have both.
He could see that THE LINE WAS CLEARLY DRAWN.
And yet, he was about to cross it.
In fact he says “my feet came close”.
2 Peter 2:15 “forsaking the right way, they have gone astray, having followed the way of Balaam, the son of Beor, who loved the wages of unrighteousness;”
That was nearly Asaph.
He was captivated by the illusion of earthly prosperity.
#2 THE IGNORANCE OF GLAMORIZING THE WORLD
Psalms 73:10-16
I mention ignorance here because in a minute Asaph is going to tell you that when he was in this state of mind, that’s exactly what he was.
(21-22) “When my heart was embittered and I was pierced within, then I was senseless and ignorant; I was like a beast before You.”
That is to say, I didn’t realize what I was talking about back then.
But none the less you’ll see that Asaph was on quite a rant.
He mentioned all the godlessness and prosperity of the wicked
And notice now HIS ASSESSMENT.
• In verses 1-9 we got what he noticed.
• In verses 10-14 he’s going to tell you what he thought about it.
(10) “Therefore his people return to this place, and waters of abundance are drunk by them.”
He simply speaks of how alluring they are.
• There they are boasting
• There they are bragging
• There they are living it up
• And they keep returning to it because it’s fun!
Asaph sees that people are flocking to them, and joining in the revelry!
It’s sort of like the great gold rush.
• One guy runs out there and cries “Eureka!”
• And Asaph is watching more and more go out there too.
• And more and more are hollering “Gold!”
And he’s just sitting here, not going,
Watching people one by one run to them and enjoy life,
And it’s tearing him up.
The whole reason he won’t go is because God forbids it.
And maybe he’s even tried to talk some sense
Into some of these people who are running after the world,
But no sooner does he warn them that they are angering God,
Then do those people fire right back at him.
(11) “They say, “How does God know? And is there knowledge with the Most High?”
He tells them not to run after the world and thus offend God.
They say, “What does God know? His way is stupid!”
And it is apparent that Asaph watched these people
Walk off into their greedy desires
And he waited for lightning to strike them dead, but it never did!
AND SO HE LAMENTS.
(12) “Behold, these are the wicked; and always at ease, they have increased in wealth.”
Day in and day out he’s waited for his decision to pay off
And for God to make them regret what they did,
But it never seems to happen.
And so Asaph,
(In the ultimate moment of frustration)
Has a little conversation with himself.
(13-14) “Surely in vain I have kept my heart pure And washed my hands in innocence; For I have been stricken all day long And chastened every morning.”
That is close to stumbling isn’t it?
• He calls his commitment to God “vanity”
• He calls his attempts at being pure in heart “vanity”
All it has produced is struggle and hardship and difficulty every day.
He is saying, “I don’t think being pure in heart is worth it”
I don’t think being fiercely loyal to God is worth it.
That’s how close he came to stumbling.
And he just nearly made the confession.
But one thing stopped him.
(15) “If I had said, “I will speak thus,” Behold, I would have betrayed the generation of your children.”
Now understand, he still doesn’t get it,
But the one thing that kept him from running off with that crowd
WAS THE CHURCH.
He saw that he wasn’t alone in his commitment to God and in his struggles.
There were others who were also clinging to God in the midst of hardship.
And he didn’t want to betray them.
But he still doesn’t get it.
(16) “When I pondered to understand this, it was troublesome in my sight.”
That is to say that he has no answer.
He’s not going to follow them, but he doesn’t know why.
• He’s embittered
• He’s envious
• He’s angry
• And he wants answers.
The illusion of earthly prosperity, The ignorance of glamorizing the world.
#3 THE INTERVENTION OF HOLY GOD
Psalms 73:17-24
What a great word… “Until…”
• He was confused and angry.
• His only recourse was to stick with God’s people.
And it just so happened that in his fellowship
He ended up at “the sanctuary of God”
Instead of following the gold hunters,
He decided to accompany his friends
And go to church one more time.
And it was there that God opened his eyes and explained the truth.
“Until I came into the sanctuary of God; Then I perceived their end.”
All of a sudden he looked at the part of the equation he had yet to see.
In his previous assessment all he had looked at was their present,
He never thought to look at “their end”.
And on this day God showed him where they were headed.
(18-20) “Surely You set them in slippery places; You cast them down to destruction. How they are destroyed in a moment! They are utterly swept away by sudden terrors! Like a dream when one awakes, O Lord, when aroused, You will despise their form.”
They’re happy today, but they won’t always be.
• They are “in slippery places” and they don’t even know it.
• They are headed to “destruction” and are totally unaware.
• It will come “in a moment!”
• And they will be “utterly sept away by sudden terrors”
Asaph said it’s like waking up from a dream.
• At one moment you’re happy in some sort of paradise reality.
• It’s not real, but it feels real.
• And then you wake up to find it was all just a dream.
Do you hear what he is saying?
Their present comforts and joys aren’t real, they’re an illusion.
These people will soon awaken
To find themselves in hell and in torment.
And there are any number of passages
Asaph could have heard in church that day.
Psalms 37:12-15 “The wicked plots against the righteous And gnashes at him with his teeth. The Lord laughs at him, For He sees his day is coming. The wicked have drawn the sword and bent their bow To cast down the afflicted and the needy, To slay those who are upright in conduct. Their sword will enter their own heart, And their bows will be broken.”
Psalms 49:16-20 “Do not be afraid when a man becomes rich, When the glory of his house is increased; For when he dies he will carry nothing away; His glory will not descend after him. Though while he lives he congratulates himself — And though men praise you when you do well for yourself — He shall go to the generation of his fathers; They will never see the light. Man in his pomp, yet without understanding Is like the beasts that perish.”
Psalms 52:5-7 “But God will break you down forever; He will snatch you up and tear you away from your tent, And uproot you from the land of the living. Selah. The righteous will see and fear, And will laugh at him, saying, “Behold, the man who would not make God his refuge, But trusted in the abundance of his riches And was strong in his evil desire.”
Psalms 62:11-12 “Once God has spoken; Twice I have heard this: That power belongs to God; And lovingkindness is Yours, O Lord, For You recompense a man according to his work.”
Psalms 92:5-7 “How great are Your works, O LORD! Your thoughts are very deep. A senseless man has no knowledge, Nor does a stupid man understand this: That when the wicked sprouted up like grass And all who did iniquity flourished, It was only that they might be destroyed forevermore.”
In the New Testament we remember those stories of Jesus.
Luke 12:16-21 “And He told them a parable, saying, “The land of a rich man was very productive. “And he began reasoning to himself, saying, ‘What shall I do, since I have no place to store my crops?’ “Then he said, ‘This is what I will do: I will tear down my barns and build larger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods. ‘And I will say to my soul, “Soul, you have many goods laid up for many years to come; take your ease, eat, drink and be merry.”‘ “But God said to him, ‘ You fool! This very night your soul is required of you; and now who will own what you have prepared?’ “So is the man who stores up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God.”
Luke 16:19-26 “Now there was a rich man, and he habitually dressed in purple and fine linen, joyously living in splendor every day. “And a poor man named Lazarus was laid at his gate, covered with sores, and longing to be fed with the crumbs which were falling from the rich man’s table; besides, even the dogs were coming and licking his sores. “Now the poor man died and was carried away by the angels to Abraham’s bosom; and the rich man also died and was buried. “In Hades he lifted up his eyes, being in torment, and saw Abraham far away and Lazarus in his bosom. “And he cried out and said, ‘ Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus so that he may dip the tip of his finger in water and cool off my tongue, for I am in agony in this flame.’ “But Abraham said, ‘Child, remember that during your life you received your good things, and likewise Lazarus bad things; but now he is being comforted here, and you are in agony. ‘And besides all this, between us and you there is a great chasm fixed, so that those who wish to come over from here to you will not be able, and that none may cross over from there to us.’
• Or we could even talk about that prodigal who thought the inheritance was the secret to happiness but how quickly it was over.
• Or we could talk about Lot’s wife or the rich young ruler.
We could listen to James:
James 5:1-6 “Come now, you rich, weep and howl for your miseries which are coming upon you. Your riches have rotted and your garments have become moth-eaten. Your gold and your silver have rusted; and their rust will be a witness against you and will consume your flesh like fire. It is in the last days that you have stored up your treasure! Behold, the pay of the laborers who mowed your fields, and which has been withheld by you, cries out against you; and the outcry of those who did the harvesting has reached the ears of the Lord of Sabaoth. You have lived luxuriously on the earth and led a life of wanton pleasure; you have fattened your hearts in a day of slaughter. You have condemned and put to death the righteous man; he does not resist you.”
I don’t know what sermon Asaph heard in the sanctuary of God that day, but clearly it showed them truths such as these.
Worldly prosperity doesn’t last, and only a fool
Would seek that at the expense of godliness.
God opened Asaph’s eyes with the truth.
And if you’ll notice Asaph is filled with REMORSE and REPENTANCE.
(21-22) “When my heart was embittered And I was pierced within, Then I was senseless and ignorant; I was like a beast before You.”
• I was like a dumb cow.
• I was like a stray dog.
• I can’t believe I was so dumb.
But his tune has changed now.
(23-24) “Nevertheless I am continually with You; You have taken hold of my right hand. With Your counsel You will guide me, And afterward receive me to glory.”
He has now decided definitively to stay with God’s people.
All that glitters isn’t gold.
But notice there’s more there.
“You have taken hold of my right hand”
Asaph credits God with saving him from himself.
“I was about to leave, but You grabbed me and wouldn’t let me go.”
That is a great testimony to the preservation of the saints.
Jesus said no one can snatch them out of My hand,
And that is what we see here.
God would not let him go.
Do you see what Asaph realizes?
His poverty and his struggle was not about the cruelty of God.
It was about the salvation of God!
God didn’t give him all those worldly comforts
For the same reason you don’t let your toddler drink Mr. Clean.
It would’ve killed him!
Oh I know it looks good,
And people who have it sure seem like they’re having fun,
BUT THE END IS DEATH.
And while everyone was running happily too destruction,
Asaph realizes that God was holding him back from it all.
God refused to let Asaph run into that which would kill him,
Even though for a time it made Asaph angry at God.
THAT IS LOVE!
God was saving him.
• Asaph said you “hold” me.
• Asaph said you “guide” me.
• Asaph said you will “receive” me.
In God he has everything that the wicked in the world do not.
He has a FUTURE, he has a HOPE and he has SECURITY.
All of a sudden the joys and pleasures of the world
Don’t look so appealing.
God intervened and saved him from his foolishness.
And now Asaph understands.
#4 THE INVENTORY OF TRUE WEALTH
Psalms 73:25-28
He starts with a question:
“Whom have I in heaven but You?”
And the answer is: NO ONE & NOTHING.
• That is to say that nothing he could obtain in this life can go with him.
• Everything he could earn or collect here will stay here when he is gone.
Why spend a life gathering stuff that can’t go with you into eternity?
And since that is true, the second part of that verse makes so much sense.
“And besides You, I desire nothing on earth.”
Psalms 16:5-6 “The LORD is the portion of my inheritance and my cup; You support my lot. The lines have fallen to me in pleasant places; Indeed, my heritage is beautiful to me.”
Psalms 17:13-15 “Arise, O LORD, confront him, bring him low; Deliver my soul from the wicked with Your sword, From men with Your hand, O LORD, From men of the world, whose portion is in this life, And whose belly You fill with Your treasure; They are satisfied with children, And leave their abundance to their babes. As for me, I shall behold Your face in righteousness; I will be satisfied with Your likeness when I awake.”
He simply says that I’m going to pursue here what I can also enjoy there,
And that is only 1 thing. You.
And listen to his new declaration.
(He nearly made a bad one)
THIS IS HIS FINAL WORD.
(26-28) “My flesh and my heart may fail, But God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever. For, behold, those who are far from You will perish; You have destroyed all those who are unfaithful to You. But as for me, the nearness of God is my good; I have made the Lord GOD my refuge, That I may tell of all Your works.”
All I want is You.
All I need is You.
Asaph now rejects anything
That might pull his heart away from God
For God is his only treasure.
It’s a great Psalm.
But now let me ask you.
Do you now see what it means to be pure in heart?
• It is to have one true genuine love.
And it is important because only the pure in heart see God.
Psalms 24:3-4 “Who may ascend into the hill of the LORD? And who may stand in His holy place? He who has clean hands and a pure heart, Who has not lifted up his soul to falsehood And has not sworn deceitfully.”
Matthew 5:8 “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.”
This is a requirement for salvation.
And as you’ve seen in Scripture;
As you saw this morning in Zaccheus.
This was the evidence of the saved life.
They believed Jesus and so they let go of the world and ran to Him!
They removed the idols and cast out the weeds.
And they cried, “Take this world, but give me Jesus!”
That must be our cry too!
