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“The Builder”
In an anonymous poem called “The Builder,” we are reminded of our opportunity to build up or tear down one another:
I saw them tearing a building down,
A group of men in a busy town,
With hefty blow and a lusty yell,
They swung with zest, and a sidewall fell.
Asked of the Foreman, “Are these men skilled?
The kind you would hire if you had to build?”
He looked at me, and laughed, “No, indeed!
Unskilled labor is all I need.
Why, they can wreck in a day or two,
What it has taken builders years to do.”
I asked myself, as I went my way,
“Which of these roles have I tried to play?
Am I a builder with rule and square,
Measuring and constructing with skill and care?
Or am I the wrecker who walks the town,
Content with business of tearing down?”
“Rest” 05.03.11
Scripture
2 Samuel 7:9-11 (NASB)
“I have been with you wherever you have gone and have cut off all your enemies from before you; and I will make you a great name, like the names of the great men who are on the earth. 10 “I will also appoint a place for My people Israel and will plant them, that they may live in their own place and not be disturbed again, nor will the wicked afflict them any more as formerly, 11 even from the day that I commanded judges to be over My people Israel; and I will give you rest from all your enemies. The Lord also declares to you that the Lord will make a house for you.
Observation
Here God brings to David’s memory His promise to give His people rest! God promised Israel that the LORD would bring them into a state of rest and that He would cut off all their enemies. God promised that He would remove from Israel everything thing that robbed them of their rest. The bible says that the LORD is the Lord of peace. Jesus Christ is the Prince of Peace, and God gives the ‘peace that surpasses all human understanding.’ God promised peace and rest to the nation of Israel. God’s plan was to bring Israel into a place of rest from all her enemies. God also declared that He would make them a house. In other words, He would become their place of rest. As they dwelt in the land of promise, they would find rest and as they remained in that place, they would abide in His rest.
Application
When God saved me, His plan from the start was to bring me into a place of true rest – a place where He had destroyed all my enemies: my flesh, the world and the devil. God has created a dwelling place for me to abide in. That place is the perfect place of rest, the perfect and never ending state of total peace. As I abide in Christ, I am abiding in that place of rest. That place where I dwell in the presence of God’s eternal peace. I note here also that it is God alone who gives this peace. It doesn’t come from the enemies. It doesn’t come from making peace with the world, my flesh or the devil. True peace can only come from God. False peace is all the world has to offer. The world’s peace is temporal and predicated upon external circumstances, but God’s rest/peace is predicated exclusively upon His promises. It’s internal, completely disconnected from life and external problems I face in life. It’s amazing that that is possible, but it is and that’s God’s promise to me not only today, but for every day of my life! Total 100% rest and peace in and through every trial that life may bring my way. God is peace. He is love and He is rest. The bible tells me to “see to it that I fail not to enter into this rest” (Hebrews). If I am lacking rest in my soul, I need to draw near to God and He will draw near to me. Read it again! God says that HE will bring TOTAL REST from ALL my enemies today. My enemies include everything today that threatens to rob me of God’s perfect rest. Give them to Jesus in exchange for His perfect rest.
Prayer
Father today I thank You for Your perfect rest, the peace that only You can give my heart. You tell me in Your Word, “I will keep his mind in perfect peace, who’s mind is stayed upon Thee”, and today Lord I choose to keep my mind fixed upon You. Not upon the enemies of rest. Not upon those issues that stress me out and cause me to doubt Your great love. Today Lord I choose to abide in Your rest. I choose to abide in your rest. I’m Yours and Your rest is my reward for choosing to believe You and dwell in Your holy presence. I love You! In Jesus’ name, amen.
“Moving On!”
Scripture
Matthew 12:13-15 (NKJV)
13 Then He said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.” And he stretched it out, and it was restored as whole as the other. 14 Then the Pharisees went out and plotted against Him, how they might destroy Him. 15 But when Jesus knew it, He withdrew from there. And great multitudes followed Him, and He healed them all.
Observation
Jesus had just healed the man with the withered hand and the Pharisees response was one of hatred. They hated God and they rejected His Messiah. In their own minds they were really something special. In their own minds they really thought that they had it going on. But in the end, they really proved that they neither loved nor knew the God. Only a man who loves God is merciful, compassionate towards others, and desires the best for others. Paul said in 1 Corinthians 13, 4 Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up; 5 does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil; 6 does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth; 7 bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. 8 Love never fails. Only a man who knows God can display His love for others. In this situation, the Pharisees proved who they really loved – themselves, and they were listening to the father of lies.
Application
Christ is all about love, mercy and Forgiveness. For those who take a stand against these things, they take a stand against the Lord Himself. I am amazed here at the separation between good and evil. Jesus did a very good thing in healing this man’s withered hand and yet it was a tremendous conviction to those who were there. It must have been convicting to them to see how merciless they were, which resulted in their desire to kill Christ. Conviction either produces repentance, or a desire to harm the person who God uses to bring the conviction – in this case Christ Himself. What Jesus did convicted them because it’s easier to act ‘religious’ than to actually love another person enough to show them mercy and compassion. Too many people today think of themselves in favor with God, yet their hearts reveal a lack of mercy and compassion for others. God condemns these types of attitudes. As they say “You only love God as much as you love the person you love the least.” Jeremiah the Old Testament prophet once put it so eloquently in Jeremiah 17:9 “The heart is deceitful above all things, And desperately wicked; Who can know it? It’s easy to hide behind the facade of religion, but the true act of love is seen through the actions of mercy. In John’s Epistle he says 1 John 4:20-21 If someone says, “I love God,” and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen, how can he love God whom he has not seen? 21 And this commandment we have from Him: that he who loves God must love his brother also.
One of the interesting observations I note here is that Christ didn’t fight with those who attacked Him…he just moved on! I think that one of the devil’s greatest distractions to those following the Lord, is the constant battle to stop; engage in battle with others and seek to defend yourself. Jesus didn’t do that…He just moved on! I believe that if Christ had stopped and argued with these accusatory Pharisees, He would have not only been wasting His time, He would actually have been giving validity to their cruel accusations. I also note here from this text, that when Christ moved on, those who were with Him followed Him, and He healed them all. Battles are tough and they take a toll on all who are involved. Physically, emotionally and spiritually, and after every trial, we need to be healed. One of the greatest ways to get discouraged is to dwell in the battle and not keep moving forward following Jesus. When I choose to keep moving and not engage the enemy, Christ heals my heart. God has the power to heal the hurts of those who inflict damage from a lack of mercy.
Prayer
Father today I thank You for the gift of mercy. Make me a merciful Christian. Help me to remember that ‘with the mercy I give others, You will one day judge me with’. I love you and I thank You for the love that You put in my heart, even for those who seek my harm. God keep my eyes on You alone, don’t let me become distracted in the battle, but keep me moving forward and may I always realize that only You can heal my hurts. May I always be slow to anger. May I always give people the benefit of the doubt and an opportunity to make things right, even as You do for me. May I always be ready to completely forgive those who trespass against me. Fill me with Your love today. Not the love the world knows – to love those who love them, but Your love – the love that loves the unlovely. The love that can still be merciful to the unmerciful. The love that forgives those who won’t forgive me. May I follow hard after You Lord and may you guard my tongue, my thoughts and my responses to everyone I see today. I love You and thank You Lord that You will never leave me nor forsake me! I praise You Lord that ‘since You are for me, nobody can stand against me!’ In Jesus’ precious name I pray, Amen.
“Obedience!” 1 Samuel 15:17-19
Scripture
1 Samuel 15:17-19 (NASB)
17 Samuel said, “Is it not true, though you were little in your own eyes, you were made the head of the tribes of Israel? And the Lord anointed you king over Israel,
18 and the Lord sent you on a mission, and said, ‘Go and utterly destroy the sinners, the Amalekites, and fight against them until they are exterminated.’
19 “Why then did you not obey the voice of the Lord, but rushed upon the spoil and did what was evil in the sight of the Lord?”
Observation
God had chosen Saul to be the first king of Israel becasue Israel no longer desried to be ruled by God through a prophet. So God gave them Saul. God’s first commandment to Saul was to utterly destroy every man, woman, child and beast of the nation of the Amalekites. Saul was not a man who feared God, but rather he was a man who feared those whom he led and the end result led him to disobey God’s commandment. What Saul did could not be reconciled. He could not undo his disobedience and he was forced to suffer the horrific consequences of his disobedience. The Amalekites were a wicked people who flanked the nation of Israel as they traveled through the wilderness on thier way to the Promised Land. The Amalekites attacked Israel from the rear, destroying the elderly, women and children and now this was God’s time to repay King Agag and his followers, but Saul failed. He became ‘big in his own eyes’; Saul began to ‘believe his own press’, and as a result he didn’t fear the Lord and ended up disobeying God’s commandment to him. When a man begins to listen to the praises of men, pride sets in which the Bible tells us leads to destruction which is what we see in the life of Saul.
Application
I am a nobody, chosen by God merely by His grace to accomplish a specific plan. I am a nobody and I will always be a nobody and I’m totally ok with that! In fact I love it! It removes all pressure from my life to have to try to live to impress anyone. I can’t imprress anyone and I must only live in the fear of the Lord, obeying the call of God upon my life. When I don’t fear man, I can and do freely preach the Word of God and let the ‘chips fall where they may’. Many people don’t like me, and many more will come down the pike, but praise God, I don’t care! The fear of the Lord sets my heart free from the fear of what man thinks of me! Praise God what joy He gives me as I live humbly in obedience to all He calls me to do. When and if my Lord ever accomplishes anything ‘great’ through my life, I’m still just a nobody, saved by grace, in love with Jesus Christ my Lord and Savior! What a God! What a King! What a Savior! God jealously desries my fellowship, love and obedience – not to make me a slave, but to daily teach me how to live in total victory!!! ‘When a nobody becomes a somebody in their own mind, he or she then begins to walk on a path that leads to uselessness in the hands of The One True Living God!
Prayer
Heavenly Father, I pray that You would guard my heart today! I embrace being a nobody so that You might be everythhing. Keep my eyes off myself today. Keep my eyes of seeking the attention of others and living in fear of what man may think. Cause me today to live in the fear of the Lord, which will produce a life of love and obedience to You! Thank You for forgiving me and saving me from the debt of all my sin. Thank You for the call of God upon my life. May I today live in total obedience as a demonstration of my love for You! As You said Lord, “If you love Me, keep My commandments.” I love You Lord, and today I seek to keep Your commandments as a result of having experienced Your amazing grace upon my life! I love You and delight in surrendering my will to You today! In Jesus Holy name I pray, Amen!
“Choosing To Rejoice!” 2 Corinthians 13:11
Scripture
2 Corinthians 13:11 (NASB)
11 Finally, brethren, rejoice, be made complete, be comforted, be like-minded, live in peace; and the God of love and peace will be with you.
Observation
Paul now ends his 2nd letter to the church of Corinth with an exhortation on how to live. They are to rejoice! And Paul doesn’t say “When things are good”-but rather just “Rejoice!” Paul also states that they are to be made “complete” or “mature”. They are to be growing and maturing in their faith. They are also to be comforted, or to “take comfort” that they are living in joy and maturing spiritually. Paul also says that they are to be like-minded, which can only take place when believers fix their hearts upon the Lord. The end result of being like-minded produces peace between man and God and among men. Paul says they were to live in peace. Literally they were to dwell in the state of peace which can only come from God via His methods – as Paul states within this verse. The fruit of the Spirit is made manifest when believers obey God’s Word. God’s love and peace is with all who live in obedience.
Application
Today I must rejoice in all things, through all things and in spite of many things. My job is not to ‘right the world’, because only God can do that and only in His time. My focus today is to be given to joy, grow in my faith, be content in Christ, abide in fellowship with like-minded believers and chose to live in peace! As I choose to this and obey God, HIs love and peace will abound upon my life today! Focus on these things and my life will be made complete!
Prayer
Father today I choose to love You and obey You in all things. I choose to ignore all that the world has to offer that would lure me away from Your love and Your peace and would lure me away from total devotion to You. You alone are my Lord, my God and my satisfaction. May I take joy in serving You. May my day be so blessed as a result of following You! Thank You for the plans You have for me! By faith I receive YOur blessings upon my life!!! Amen.
“Helping Children Understand Water Baptism”
Helping Children Understand Baptism
Teaching Kids About Baptism
Candidates for Baptism
Before being baptized, a child should be old enough to understand the gospel of Christ. A candidate for baptism has also repented of his sin and placed his faith and trust in Jesus Christ as his Savior and Lord. The desire to obey the Lord Jesus in this matter validates his conversion experience. Jesus said, “‘Whoever has my commands and obeys them, he is the one who loves me’” (John 14:21a) Jesus said, “‘Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these’” (Matthew 19:14)
Bearing this in mind, my personal belief is that it can be helpful to wait a while before baptizing a child if he or she is quite young at the time of salvation. This helps to establish in the child’s mind that the act of baptism is not what saves, but the sacrifice and grace of Christ.
The Definition of Baptism
What does the word baptism mean? Baptism is a transliteration of the Greek word baptisma, or baptizo, the verb. It means “to plunge under, dip completely under, or immerse in water.” Baptizo was used in the cloth dying trade as the cloth had to be totally immersed as part of the process. The dye could never have been rinsed out of the cloth by a mere sprinkling. There is a Greek word for sprinkling, but it was never used in conjunction with baptism. All New Testament lexicographers translate the word baptism as “immerse,” “dip,” or “plunge.” It is also interesting to note that nowhere in the scripture was water brought to someone who wanted to be baptized. They were always taken to a place where they could be completely submerged.
The History of Baptism
“Then Jesus came from Galilee to the Jordan to be baptized by John. But John tried to deter him, saying, ‘I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?’“Jesus replied, ‘Let it be so now; it is proper for us to do this to fulfill all righteousness.’ Then John consented.“As soon as Jesus was baptized, he went up out of the water. At that moment heaven was opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and lighting on him” (Matthew 3:13-16).
Jesus is our example for baptism. He did this to show us that baptism is important and something believers should do. God put His seal of approval on Jesus and the ordinance of baptism by the appearance of the Holy Spirit in the form of a dove and by saying, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.”
Explaining Baptism to Kids
Many young children think that baptism saves a person. Children see people being baptized, but they can’t see a person’s transformed heart when he or she is saved.
Children have a hard time with symbolism because they take everything literally. They automatically think that baptism washes away the person’s sins. We adults must accept the fact that if children are to understand baptism, we must commit to teach them about it. Baptism is an act of obedience that symbolizes or shows two things: the story of Jesus and the story of a person’s salvation.
I like to explain baptism to kids by emphasizing that it does not save a person. I drive this point home by briefly telling the story of the thief on the cross. He believed while dying. He could not get off the cross to be baptized, but Jesus told him that he would be with him in Paradise, (heaven) that day.
Two Reasons For Baptism
In baptism, we follow the example of Jesus. Jesus was baptized even though he had never sinned. He did this to set the example for us. Tell the story of Jesus’ baptism in Matthew 3:13-16.
The Bible commands believers to be baptized. A Christian is baptized in order to be obedient to God. Acts 2:38 says, “Peter replied, ‘Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.’” (I always point out that repentance comes before baptism in this verse.) Repent = to change your mind about sin; to turn away from sin and turn to God. “Your Christian Uniform” illustration:
Children may benefit from the following analogy – “How many of you have ever seen a policeman, or nurse, or soldier? All of these people have special clothes, don’t they? The policeman’s uniform doesn’t make him a policeman; he wears his uniform because he is a policeman. It’s the same way with baptism. Baptism doesn’t make you a Christian, but you are baptized because you are a Christian. In a way, baptism is like putting on your Christian uniform.”
Symbolism of Baptism
As we go under the water and come up, we act out the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus. Baptism is also a visual picture of what has happened to us. We have died to our old way of thinking and living and are raised to walk in a new way of life, a Christian life. We identify with Jesus through this experience. When we are baptized, we say to the world, “I am a follower of Jesus Christ.” These verses clearly point to the symbolism of baptism: “Or don’t you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life. “If we have been united with him like this in his death, we will certainly also be united with him in his resurrection” (Romans 6:3-5)
“…having been buried with him in baptism and raised with him through your faith in the power of God, who raised him from the dead” (Colossians 2:12). “You are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus, for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ” (Galatians 3:26-27).
Scriptures Concerning Baptism
“‘Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age’” (Matthew 28:19-20).
“Peter replied, ‘Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. The promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off—for all whom the Lord our God will call.’
“With many other words he warned them; and he pleaded with them, ‘Save yourselves from this corrupt generation.’ Those who accepted his message were baptized, and about three thousand were added to their number that day” (Acts 2:38-41). “‘And now what are you waiting for? Get up, be baptized and wash your sins away, calling on his name’” (Acts 22:16)
Philip and the Ethiopian
In every case in the New Testament when people became believers, they were baptized immediately. (It is good to note however, that in all of these cases the candidates for baptism were adults.) Baptism is an outward sign of belief in Jesus. You may illustrate this to children by telling the story of Philip and the Ethiopian eunuch found in Acts 8:26-40.
“Now an angel of the Lord said to Philip, ‘Go south to the road—the desert road—that goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza.’ So he started out, and on his way he met an Ethiopian eunuch, an important official in charge of all the treasury of Candace, queen of the Ethiopians. This man had gone to Jerusalem to worship, and on his way home was sitting in his chariot reading the book of Isaiah the prophet. The Spirit told Philip, ‘Go to that chariot and stay near it.’
“Then Philip ran up to the chariot and heard the man reading Isaiah the prophet. ‘Do you understand what you are reading?’ Philip asked.
“‘How can I,’ he said, ‘unless someone explains it to me?’ So he invited Philip to come up and sit with him.“The eunuch was reading this passage of Scripture: ‘He was led like a sheep to the slaughter, and as a lamb before the shearer is silent, so he did not open his mouth. In his humiliation he was deprived of justice. Who can speak of his descendants? For his life was taken from the earth.’ “The eunuch asked Philip, ‘Tell me, please, who is the prophet talking about, himself or someone else?’ Then Philip began with that very passage of Scripture and told him the good news about Jesus. “As they traveled along the road, they came to some water and the eunuch said, ‘Look, here is water. Why shouldn’t I be baptized?’ And he gave orders to stop the chariot. Then both Philip and the eunuch went down into the water and Philip baptized him. When they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord suddenly took Philip away, and the eunuch did not see him again, but went on his way rejoicing. Philip, however, appeared at Azotus and traveled about, preaching the gospel in all the towns until he reached Caesarea” (Acts 8:26-40).
“My Assignment” (Daily Devotions 2.18.11)
S – Scripture
“ From thirty years old and above, even to fifty years old, you shall number them, everyone who enters the service to do the work of the tabernacle of meeting.
31 And this is what they must carry as all their service for the tabernacle of meeting: the boards of the tabernacle, its bars, its pillars, its sockets, 32 and the pillars around the court with their sockets, pegs, and cords, with all their furnishings and all their service; and you shall assign to each man by name the items he must carry. Numbers 4:30-32 (NKJV)
O – Observation
Here again God is clearly spelling out the duties of each of the priest. Not only did God not call each priest to have to do all the work, but God also broke down each duty and assigned each work load by name to each of the priests. That way each day, each priest knew exactly what he was and wasn’t supposed to be doing. Just as important in what God had assigned each priest, was for them to realize what He had NOT assigned them to do. Every boat is designed to only hold so much load. No matter how large a boat maybe, if you over stress it, it will sink. Even the Titanic was limited in what it could haul and endure. Had God assigned all the priest ‘general duty’, the result would have been nothing but chaos and very few things would have been accomplished. Then ultimately none of the priests would have made it to age 50 (retirement then) because they would have burnt out from exhaustion.
A – Application
God has not called me to be everywhere to everyone. Today as I head back into the office, God has assigned to me by name, the specific ‘boards and sockets’ that I am to carry. I’m not called to carry the entire temple. Even Jesus had a very specific calling. His ministry was not to be everything to everyone, nor was it to be everywhere whenever someone called His name. Jesus let a lot of things go, and that was what enabled Him to end HIs ministry with the declaration “it is finished”. Now to me, that doesn’t sound right, because the way I think, ‘Lord, how could Your ministry be finished when there are so many people who still have never heard of You. And there are still so many people who need to be healed???” Yet, the Lord was able to say “It is finished” simply because He focused on and stayed true to His ministry. He didn’t live to impress people or seek to meet anyone’s approval. He just stayed focused, so at the end He could say “it is finished”. I’m also reminded of the Apostle Paul who at the end of his life declared “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Finally, there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give to me on that Day, and not to me only but also to all who have loved His appearing.” Hallelujah! That excites me to realize that today, God has called me to carry ‘my 5 boards’…not 6 or 7 boards, but just my 5. I need to stay focused on being the best ’5-board carrier’ that I can be. And when I walk out of the church, if I see other boards laying on the floor (projects undone; phone calls unmade; computers un-scanned), I just need to walk away and stay true to my God-given responsibilities. One step at a time, 5 little boards – nothing more, nothing less, nothing else. I may be able to carry 6 or 7 or even 10 boards for a while, but what will happen is, when I take on too much – I will burn out before my race has ended.
P – Prayer
Father today, You load me up with my daily responsibilities. Guard me from those who’d seek to over burden me. Guard me from self-inflicted pressure to do too much. Help me stay focused on only the 5 boards You place upon my shoulders. Give me wisdom to know what my duties are and the courage to say ‘no’ when someone suggests adding another board. Thank You Lord that Your yoke is easy, and that Your burden is light. When I start to feel overwhelmed Lord, teach me to stop and pray, and ask You if I’m trying to do too much. Thank You for the warning signals that keep me from total failure. Guard my heart today, I love You! Amen
“Don’t Fret, Commit”
by Pastor Pete • on 1:07 PM • in Exhortation, Job Commentary Notes
Psalms 37 – (Supplement to Job 21 study)
Intro:
A. Let’s take our bibles and turn to the 37th Psalm
1. My sub title says:
“The heritage of the righteous and the calamity of the wicked”
B. Sort of a promise from God
1. And a REMINDER to David as HE ENCOURAGES HIMSELF in the LORD!
C. David would say things like:
“the Lord is able; the Lord will do it!”
D. And so David would encourage himself in the Lord
1. He would encourage his own heart in the things of God
2. As he does here in Psalm 37
1a A Psalm of David. Do not fret because of evildoers,
A. Fretting is actually worrying
1. There are words that express this common characteristic of man
B. In the New Testament, the word is translated “CAREFUL”
1. Which is actually “FULL OF CARE”
C. Be careful for nothing
1. Just as Paul said in – 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; 7 and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.”
D. So here we are exhorted really not to worry because of evildoers
1. Evildoers are consternation
Merriam Webster Dictionary defines CONSTERNATION as:
“Amazement or dismay that hinders or throws into confusion”
E. We are prone to fret over those that are troubling us
1. Maybe someone has got it in for you
2. They are doing their best to really get you in trouble
3. To make you look bad
4. Lying about you
F. What’s the BIBLE TELL us to do?
1. Don’t worry
2. Don’t fret concerning the evildoers
1b …”Nor be envious of the workers of iniquity.”
A. Asaph, the chief musician of David, wrote Psalm 73
1. And he spoke about his being envious when he saw –
a. “The prosperity of the wicked”
B. He almost tripped up over this issue
1. Sometimes when we see the workers of iniquity,
2. How foolish it is to be envious of their possessions,
a. The things that they have
b. Because the wicked are going to be cut off
2 For they shall soon be cut down like the grass, And wither as the green herb.
A. Life is but a vapor
1. It appears for a moment and then vanishes
B. And the time that you may be here on earth in comparison with eternity
1. Is just as nothing
2. It’s like a breath
C. And it’s amazing how people take this short time that we have,
1. And waste it so tragically
D. People who live for this life only are missing it completely
1. This life is nothing compared with eternity
2. And yet where we spend eternity…
a. Is being determined on how we live this life
“There’s only one life, it will soon be past. And only what you do for Christ is going to last. The rest is wood, hay and stubble. It’s going to burn.”
E. Second of the exhortations. Don’t worry.
1. The cure for worry is trust.
But we often think: “Why TRUST, when we can WORRY?!”
3 Trust in the Lord, and do good; Dwell in the land, and feed on His faithfulness.
A. If we trust in the Lord, the Lord will take care of us
Matthew 6:25-34 “Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink; nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing? 26 Look at the birds of the air, for they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? 27 Which of you by worrying can add one cubit to his stature? 28 So why do you worry about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin; 29 and yet I say to you that even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. 30 Now if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is, and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will He not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? 31 Therefore do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ 32 For after all these things the Gentiles seek. For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. 33 But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you. 34 Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.
B. If we trust in the Lord;
1. We will be fed by His faithfulness
4 Delight yourself also in the Lord, And He shall give you the desires of your heart.
A. I love this scripture
1. If we delight ourselves also in the Lord,
2. If the Lord is our delight, the joy of our life,
3. We just love fellowshipping with Him, consciousness of His presence
B. Just that delighting in the Lord
If you “delight yourself also in the Lord; he will give you the desires of your heart”
C. If I am delighting myself in the Lord,
1. If He is truly the joy, the delight of my life,
2. Then the desires of my heart are for Him and for the things of the Lord
5 Commit your way to the Lord,
A. So trust in the Lord
1. Delight in the Lord
2. Commit thy way unto the Lord
B. The focus of your life is on the Lord
1. That’s the whole secret is focusing yourself on Him.
“Seek first the kingdom of God, His righteousness.”
C. Focus in on the Lord
1. And as you focus in on the Lord,
2. He takes care of everything else
3. Life is glorious
D. It’s just wonderful joy when you’re focused on the Lord,
1. Committing your way unto the Lord
E. There is a REST in being COMMITTED to CHRIST
1. And you CANNOT always REST in FAITH
2. But there is ALWAYS REST in COMMITMENT
F. Because sometimes we seek to have faith for something –
1. That isn’t the will of God
2. And that puts me within an inner turmoil
G. I’m desiring something that the Lord doesn’t really want for me
1. And I am believing the Lord for it
H. There are a lot of people that are in this struggle of –
1. Trying to somehow generate faith
2. To get things to satisfy their own flesh.
3. And God knows better
4. And so they struggle
“Faith and prayer were never intended by God as instruments to accomplish your will on the earth. They were instruments by which God allows us to come in harmony with Him in the accomplishing of His purposes on the earth. And in that commitment to God’s will, there is rest. But not until then.” – Pastor Chuck Smith
I. So the Lord oftentimes allows the issues of life,
1. To come to the place where we can do no more
2. We’ve struggled with it,
3. We have come up against that spot where I can’t go any further
J. There’s nothing more I can do
1. I am helpless
K. I believe that many times the Lord allows us to come to that place –
1. Of the end of our resources
2. So that we might discover the unlimited resources of God
L. And so it’s always great when I am brought to that place of commitment,
1. Where I cease from my trying to work it out or figure it out
2. And I just say, Okay, Lord, whatever
3. You work it out
M. When you learn to turn it over to the Lord
1. Just hey, Lord, Your problem, You take care of it
2. You just rest because you know that He is able to take care of it
3. And He will take care of it
So “commit your ways unto the Lord,”
5b Trust also in Him, And He shall bring it to pass.
A. His will, He’ll bring His will to pass in the situation
1. So that whatever comes is what God wants
6 He shall bring forth your righteousness as the light, And your justice as the noonday.
A. God is for righteousness and God is for justice
1. And as I commit these issues to the Lord,
2. God will work it out in the right, just way
B. And if we are COMMITTED, then v7 is natural, we will -
7a Rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for Him;
A. REST is the natural result of commitment
1. And then David goes back to this FRETTING:
7b Do not fret because of him who prospers in his way, Because of the man who brings wicked schemes to pass.
A. Don’t fret over the evil
1. God will take care of them, too
2. We don’t need to fret over them
3. We don’t need to worry about them
B. God is going to take care of them
1. We are simply to COMMIT the EVIL DOERS to the LORD
8 Cease from anger, and forsake wrath; Do not fret–it only causes harm.
A. Don’t be stewing. Don’t be upset.
1. Not going to do any good to get angry over that situation
B. I have a tendency towards this
1. I read of some of the things that are going on
2. And I have a tendency to get angry, to get upset
C. I can read a newspaper and get pretty angry at the conditions of the world
1. But here the Lord says that we are to:
2. “Cease from anger, forsake wrath.”
D. I think that we need to do this quite often!
1. “fret not thyself in any wise to do evil”
2. Because many of us could easily get involved in a vigilante group
9 For evildoers shall be cut off; But those who wait on the Lord, They shall inherit the earth.
A. Recognizing that evil comes from Satan – it’s a spiritual thing
1. There’s a spirit of evil
2. We need to stand against it –
3. With the spiritual weapons that God has given to us which is prayer
B. I think that one of the greatest problems in our society today is that
1. Though conditions in the world around us are desperate,
“The church isn’t desperate before the Lord in prayer!”
C. And I think the time has come when we need to recognize,
1. We are in a real spiritual battle
2. And we must begin to enter into this battle with
a. The weapons that the Lord has given us
D. But it isn’t going out in a vigilante group
1. To bomb the abortion clinics or whatever
E. It is getting together and praying
1. And through prayer, we tear down the strongholds of the enemy
2. How we need to pray!
F. LESS THAN 1/3 of 1% turned out for the ‘National day of prayer”
1. We had 4 people turn out for prayer here at CCB that day
2. And 2 of the people were ME AND CELESTE
3. And sadly, NO OTHER MEN TURNED OUT
G. The reason our nation is in such trouble is NOT BECAUSE:
1. The WORLD is ACTING like the WORLD
2. But because, i believe:
a. CHRISTIANS REFUSE TO PRAY!
H. WE DON’T NEED ANOTHER “REPUBLICAN TEA PARTY” organization;
1. What we need is for CHRISTIANS to get serious about PRAYER!
“They that wait upon the Lord” (Isaiah 40:31). We need to do that. “For evildoers shall be cut off but those that wait upon the LORD, they shall inherit the earth.”
10 For yet a little while and the wicked shall be no more; Indeed, you will look carefully for his place, But it shall be no more.
A. The wicked are going to be cut off
1. The bible promises that they don’t last
B. Most of the wicked people live like they will live forever;
1. But God promises that they shall BE NO MORE
C. At this point now,
1. David starts to make a contrast between the wicked and the righteous
11 But the meek shall inherit the earth (Jesus quoted this in Matt. 5:5), And shall delight themselves in the abundance of peace. 12 The wicked plots against the just, And gnashes at him with his teeth. 13 The Lord laughs at him, For He sees that his day is coming.
A. I get comfort in that too!
1. When i see the wicked & they just seem to be so blasphemous against God
2. I think, “Well man, your day is coming!”
B. Now i know that that isn’t a totally right attitude
1. I should be praying more for them
2. But nevertheless, God LAUGHS at them!
C. Many people live in sin, thinking either that:
1. “God doesn’t see them” OR
2. “God really doesn’t have a PROBLEM with their sin”
D. But Paul tells us that the WICKED are really just:
1. Treasuring up wrath for the day of wrath
2. They are going to ‘GET THEIRS’
3. The LORD is simply merciful in granting time to REPENT
14 The wicked have drawn the sword And have bent their bow, To cast down the poor and needy, To slay those who are of upright conduct. 15 Their sword shall enter their own heart, And their bows shall be broken.
A. The EVILDOER may seem powerful today;
1. But the day is coming when their SWORD shall enter THEIR OWN HEART
2. And God will remove them from that position of ‘POWER’
“DON’T FRET BECAUSE OF EVIL DOERS, GOD LAUGHS AT THEM, AND ONE DAY THEY WILL BE DESTROYED BY THEIR OWN DEVICES!”
B. Now I LOVE and OFTEN QUOTE this next verse:
16 A little that a righteous man has Is better than the riches of many wicked.
A. Paul said in 1 Timothy 6:6
1. “But godliness with contentment is great riches”
B. Want to know what real riches are?
1. Just walking with God and being content
C. Because those that possess so very much;
1. Quite often are not satisfied with what they have
2. They’re spending their whole life to get more
D. The contentment that I have as a child of God makes me rich
1. I don’t need anything
2. Godliness with contentment, that’s really rich.
“A little that a righteous man has is better than the riches of many wicked.”
17 For the arms of the wicked shall be broken, But the Lord upholds the righteous.
A. So again this contrast between the WICKED and the RIGHTEOUS
1. Arms of the wicked be broken: the Lord will uphold the righteous.”
18 The Lord knows the days of the upright, And their inheritance shall be forever.
A. The riches I have are forever
1. The eternal riches, the treasures that I’ve laid up in heaven,
2. They’re mine forever. I’m not taking it with me, I’ve sent it ahead
19 They shall not be ashamed in the evil time, And in the days of famine they shall be satisfied.
A. If you put the LORD 1st in your life;
1. In an evil time, he will take care of you! His promise!
20 But the wicked shall perish; And the enemies of the Lord, Like the splendor of the meadows, shall vanish. Into smoke they shall vanish away.
A. As the smoke ascends up David says;
1. “So is the wicked”
2. Their lives will just go up in smoke
3. They just VANISH, nothing left of them
Read Isaiah 57:1-2
a. What happens to the righteous and the merciful? (Verse 1)
b. What is it that no one considers when the good die? (Verse 1)
c. What things do the righteous enjoy in death? (Verse 2)
d. Is this perspective on death similar or different from that exposited by Job in
chapter 21? Explain why.