Summer of Psalms, and there's not a really good
bridge to this because this is not a fun psalm
to dive into. I could have probably picked a
better one, but we're going to go through this
the way that it is written. Again, the Summer
of Psalms. The psalms are kind of written in
five books to mimic the Torah. Genesis, Exodus,
Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy. And we are
now back into book two. We started with Psalm
50 two weeks ago. Pastor Brian brought Psalm
51. And Psalm 52... is really about hurt and
pain. This is a psalm of David, and this is kind
of a cry out after David has been wounded, after
David has been hurt, kind of emotionally. And
we're going to kind of work through all of that,
but kind of the reflection I want us, the mindset
I want us to get into this morning as we dive
into this psalm. I wrote this, and... This was
a really weird week to write a sermon. I did
my best to start thinking about it while I'm
in God's beautiful creation, where we were in
Utah and in Arizona and Nevada. But it was really
hard because I knew that this psalm wasn't really
a fun psalm. And so trying to kind of work through
all of that, be present with family, thinking
about all the deaths that we've had in the last
week and a half. The reflection that I kind of
landed on, I'll just read it. The world is full
of injustice, and it often seems that the wicked
prosper while the righteous struggle. In our
personal lives, we may face betrayal or encounter
people who use their power and influence for
selfish gain. And in this psalm, David reflects
on such a betrayal. The psalm is really directed
at the hurt that Doag the Edmonite, who sought
to kind of harm David for his own gain. So this
was someone David knew. There was a relationship
kind of there. And so there's a hurt and a pain
there. The psalm offers a profound kind of a
way that we can meditate on the justice, not
only in the world that's bad, but a justice of
God that is good. And the understanding that
God is good, we can say it all the time, right?
If someone, you know, maybe you grew up in a
church that would say it all the time, if they
say, God is good. All the time. Four of you.
Good job. All the time. But what happens when
you're not feeling it? What happens when you
understand it, maybe kind of in your mind, but
in your heart, you kind of have the conversation
of, if God is good, then why does blank happen?
And as a pastor, I get asked this all the time.
Why would a good God let bad things happen and
all of those things? So as we dive into Psalm
52 this morning, we're reminded not only of God's
justice but also of his steadfast love. That
in those times when you have been betrayed, you've
been hurt, you're trying to build up trust or
whatever that looks like. Or maybe trust has
just been completely wiped out. That God's love
is steadfast. And that's important to understand.
That's an important thing to kind of allow yourself
to be. Kind of born anew in that understanding
that steadfast love is one of the greatest things
we can receive in life. Because a steadfast love
loves regardless of circumstance. Regardless
of if there's a love back. That's that covenant
love that we've talked about. That covenant we
talked about with the sacrament of baptism. So
as we explore this psalm, we will see God's justice
kind of contrasted with the deceitful schemes.
of a wicked world. And again, like I said, I'd
love to just do a fun psalm, you know, about
fathers or golf or whatever, but those don't
necessarily exist. And we're in this. But how
can we, as a community of faith, be called to
live in response to a steadfast love of the Father
when the challenge is our love? We tend to have
our love be conditional, if we're being honest.
And it's really hard to give unconditional love.
But let's talk first about the deceit of the
wicked that David is feeling. So we're going
to be in the first four verses of Psalm 52. Again,
we use the ESV, but feel free to, on your Bible
app or the Bible you brought, whatever version
you have is fine. But starting with verse 1.
Why do you boast of evil, O mighty man? The steadfast
love of God endures all day. Your tongue plots
destruction like a sharp razor. You worker of
deceit. You love evil more than good and lying
more than speaking what is right, Selah. You
love all words that devour, O deceitful tongue.
Again, it's not all that cheery, right? That's
not a fun psalm. the beginning of a psalm to
read. But what David is doing is David is introducing
us to Doeg, a wicked man who boasts of evil deeds
and his ability to harm others through his power
and authority. David, speaking more in kind of
lament, more kind of the poetry that is in these
psalms, beautiful way of writing, is that deceit
is the wicked's primary tool. And I think we'd
be honest that when we think about Satan, we
think about, you know, that fallen angel, Lucifer,
the power of evil, that deceit is huge. We saw
it. We go all the way back to the garden. Surely
you won't die taking God's words, right, the
two most perfect commands in the Bible, pre -sin,
for a cup of coffee and a conversation with Pastor
Jim. What are those two perfect commands that
we see pre -apple bite? Anybody? Jesse, you know
one of them. You guys do it every day. Work the
soil. Yes, you got it. I got it, right? He's
a farmer. That's why you should know that. Work
the soil, right? Go out and do it. Subdue the
earth. But before that, fill the world, right?
Be fruitful and multiply. Two most perfect commands
we get in a world without sin. But then it's
also you can eat of all of the fruits of the
garden except that one. Because if you eat it,
surely you will die. So what does Satan do with
deceit? Surely you won't die. So deceit enters
doubt. That the primary tools of evil people
is deceit and doubt. The wicked person, according
to the psalm, is one who exalts himself through
harmful actions. There's no true wisdom in this.
Instead, the psalmist paints a picture of someone
who is completely oblivious to the consequences
of their sin. They are just sin run amok. There's
no conviction. There's no confession. There's
no forgiveness. There's nothing. Their power
is based on deceit and malice. Doag the Ammonite
has betrayed his own people and sought to destroy
David. This figure represents the more significant
pattern in Scripture, the ways in which human
beings, in their pride and sin, use others to
further their own agendas. The wicked person
only has their agenda in mind. David, in contrast,
finds his hope and security in God, not worldly
power. And he was the king. He could have been
like Saul. and made it about him. That's why
he lost the anointing. David, one of the things
that we see in David's life is that there's a
revenant awe of God. He understands that God
is big and he is small, even when he messes up.
And that's another rhyme for another time. In
Lord's Day 24 of the Heidelberg Catechism, one
of the confessions that we read as a Christian
-informed church, we're reminded of what true
righteousness and where it comes from. It does
not come from human effort. but from faith in
Christ. The wicked in their arrogance and deceit
place their trust in their own abilities and
manipulations. But Christians are called to live
differently. We are not to rely on ourselves,
but on God's grace. So really, the challenge
as we start to break this down is to first examine
our own lives and consider whether we are subtly
or not so subtly relying on deceit or manipulation
to get our way. Do we speak with honesty or do
we twist the truth to take advantage? Friends,
we have that tension in us. We are totally depraved.
A simple definition of depravity is that we will
always be bent against God. That is inside of
us. But if you are in Christ, you are a new creation.
The old is gone, the new has come, and you can
fight that fight. And the church, as a community,
must stand as a place where truth is spoken and
love, where trust is built, and where there is
no room for manipulation. For the sake of our
unity, we must be intentional about creating
a culture of integrity, where every member can
thrive without fear of deceit or betrayal. Basically,
what that means is we should be able to trust
each other in church. It's one of the biggest
conflicts we have is when that trust is broken.
In one way or the other. Something said or a
rumor was started or something was done and trust
is broken. Yet we feel we can come on a Sunday
morning, praise God for who he is, but not forgive
the person across the aisle. Those are incompatible
with each other. 1 John tells us you can't have
a foot in the light and a foot in the dark because
if you do, the light doesn't know you. So how
are we doing in that? This means holding each
other accountable, practicing transparency, and
being faithful stewards of our relationships.
How are you doing in the relationships that God
has given you? Are some of your relationships
based on wicked things? Or are some of your relationships
founded in the truth? I hope it's the truth.
Because there's a justice to God in this. He's
going to hold us accountable for the relationships
that we have. And so in verse 5, in the justice
of God, we read, but God will break down you
forever. He will snatch and tear you from your
tent. He will uproot you from the land of the
living, Selah. The righteous shall see and fear
and shall laugh at him, saying, See the man who
would not make God his refuge, but trusted in
the abundance of his riches and sought refuge
in his own destruction. That's a hard truth.
What David is doing here is declaring that God
will surely bring down the wicked. Pride cometh
before the... That's a guarantee, friends. And
we see that here. David is doubling down. Regardless
of how secure we feel in our wickedness, everything
in the dark will be brought to the light if there
is no forgiveness. If there is no confession
and forgiveness. God is the ultimate judge. And
the psalmist David in these verses contrasts
the transient power of the wicked to the eternal
power of God. Power in the world is based on
what? Contracts. Whether verbal or signatures
or whatever. Contrasts with interest and all
of these things. That's how the worldly feel
they have the authority when they have power
over people. Whether it's a contract, a position,
what have you. The world of the believer, that
should not be the case. And what David is saying
is those that are thirsty and addicted to that
authority and that power, that will be exposed.
That's where contrition comes in. It's one of
the key elements of David's life that we see.
That he is willing to bow the knee when he messes
up to a God that he cries out for forgiveness.
The message is clear, friends. No matter how
strong or influential someone appears to be,
God's judgment will ultimately prevail. So what
is, how am I going to say this? What's the cost?
What's the cost to live a contrite life? What's
the cost to live a life bowed knee to Jesus?
Well, the cost is you're going to define your
success differently. You're going to define power
and wealth differently. Again, wealth isn't a
bad thing. Just don't be a miser with it. Right?
If God has blessed you with riches, give back.
If God didn't, then serve. There are ways that
we can show our Christian faith in how we hold
our authority. I've said this a couple weeks
ago, and I forgot. I think it was in a sermon.
That if as elders or deacons, counselor or pastor,
I have to make a decision by saying, thus saith
the council. That's not a good card to play.
That means there's probably an issue in the relationship.
Council to church, church to council. Or pastor
to elder, elder to pastor, all of those things.
Or church member to church member. If we start
throwing this like a hand grenade, then we've
missed it and we are abusing our authority. We're
abusing the power we have in Christ. No matter
how strong or influential someone appears to
be, God's judgment will ultimately prevail. But
the text starts to speak of the hope that we
should have in our hearts. Even when we see injustice
in the world or feel overwhelmed that we think
evil is always winning, we can take comfort in
the fact that God sees all and will make all
things right. But here's the rub. It might not
be the right that you want to see. It might not
be the right that makes sure all of your wishes
come true. Why? Because as I've said before,
I'll say it again, God is not a genie in a bottle.
He's not just some riches ATM. He's not just
some blessing bank that he just gives, gives,
gives. When he says, when the scripture tells
us that he will make all things new, that is
in the eyes of the creator, not the creation.
And we have to remember that. We are not the
creators. We have a creator, and his way is the
best way. Again, from Lord's Day 24, speaks to
the fact that God has promised to judge the world
in righteousness. Christ's death on the cross
is the fulfillment of that, where we see sin
was punished and destroyed by Christ on the cross.
We look forward to the day when God's justice
will be fully realized and evil will be eradicated.
I picked that word specifically because we went
through the book of Revelation last year and
we saw how it worked. As believers, we are called
to live in the light of truth, trusting that
God will be the ultimate judge, not us. And some
of you don't like that because you love putting
on that robe. You love to have that gavel in
your hand, whether metaphorically or physically.
If you do that physically, then let's talk because
that's weird. But understand, we love to be the
judge. And if I had to guess, we judge in probably
the same way across the board. We do it because
we ultimately think we're better than that person.
Man, look at what their life is like. I'm so
glad that I'm better than that. And for the majority
of you, God bless you, you don't speak it. Some
of you do, and we've got to work on that. But
you think it. And in the Bible, that's the same.
Because God knows your heart. God knows your
thoughts. While we may not be able to bring about
justice on our own all the time, Psalm 52 reminds
us that God will bring justice in time. And it's
not a slanted justice. It is not a justice that's
going to follow this political party or this
political party or, again, what creation wants
it to be. No, no, no, no. God's justice is just
that, God's. And we should lean into that as
the best way. This truth should give us peace
as we face the injustices in the world. Whether
they're personal betrayals or systemic evils
in society, God's way will come to pass. How
do we do this as a church? What does that mean?
What is our response? It should be how we treat
others, right? This means not only addressing
sin in our own hearts, but also standing against
the injustice of the world around us. Justice
within the church is foundational, and we must
consistently seek to uphold fairness and honor,
accountability in our relationships one to another.
That's the role of the church. But how do we
respond? Verses 8 and 9. But I am like a green
olive tree in the house of God. I trust in the
steadfast love of God forever and ever. I will
thank you forever because you have done it. I
will wait for your name for it is good in the
presence of the godly. A beautiful contrast to
how he started with the wicked. David declares
that he is like a green olive tree. Some of you
are like, what? Like, what does that mean? That
a green olive tree back in the day showed a fruitfulness.
That it was going the way the creator intended
it to go. So as people look at our lives, do
they see a ripe tree doing a job? Or do they
see a wicked tree that's decaying? That offers
bad grapes, bad olives, bad fruit. David can
declare this because he trusts in God's steadfast
love. Unlike the wicked who only rely on deceit,
the righteous person places their trust in God's
love because it's enduring and it's faithful.
It is unconditional where ours sets conditions
whether we like it or know it or not. The righteous
are not those who trust in their own power or
abilities but who trust in God's love. David
vows to praise God forever. Why? Why can David
say this? Why is David calling us? For this.
Why is he wanting us to understand this today?
He vows to praise God forever for his justice
and his love. This is a declaration of dependence
and trust. So let's kind of do the reverse psychology
then of that. That if someone is starting to
live a wicked life, it is because there is no
trust and there is no recognition of the godly.
I find that interesting because David sins. We
see it very publicly. We'll get to that when
we do the story of David later. But he knows
that his heavenly father is there, much like
our human fathers should be there for us today.
There's the Father's Day message. Fathers in
the room, spiritual fathers, mentors in the room,
are you loving those in your care in a steadfast
way? Someone's calling right now to answer the
question. Don't answer it. Like, that's the question.
As a father, do my sons know that I love them?
Period. Or do we put a comma there? Or a semicolon,
or whatever grammatical thing you do to continue
the sentence. Do we put conditions on that? Man,
I will love my boys if they don't drive me crazy.
How do you think that would go over? Not well.
Yep, good. Thank you, Joe. Do my boys know that
I love them? Period. Because if my love for my
boys is to mimic God's love, friend, that's God's
love for you. God loves you. Not if you do all
these things. Not if you come to church every
Sunday, you give all the money, you do all the
ministries, you become a cadet counselor, though
that's a good thing and you can love your boys
that way. Shameful plug. You're welcome, Colin.
But how does the world see the love of God coming
out of you? Do your friends know that you love
them? That's the church. I'm going to put it
on the church. Do people know the church loves
them? Or do we go, well, you gotta look like
us, you gotta smell like us, you gotta act like
us, you gotta, I don't see that. David doesn't
see that. The righteous person responds to God's
goodness with gratitude and worship, recognizing
that all they have comes from God. So what is
Psalm 52 really? It's an examination of our own
hearts. That we are to examine our hearts and
live in the light of God's justice and love.
Are the wicked going to prosper in this life?
Absolutely. But friends, we're not living for
this life. We're living for the next one in glory.
And for Munster Church, this means we must build
a community where honesty and trust is foundational.
We'll get to the challenge in a second. But we
are called to reflect God's justice and love
in every aspect of our lives. Not, oh, you've
got to believe what I believe and I'm going to
love you. You've got to act how I act and I'm
going to love you. If that's how you're going
to promote Munster Church, I'm going to ask that
you don't then. Because that's not how it's supposed
to be. The only kind of tenets we have of coming
here is you just have to wear clothes. And you
are welcome. We follow Burger King, right? No
shoes, no shirt, no service. So what does the
summer challenge look like? This week, make an
intentional effort to build a relationship with
someone in our church family. Oh, Jim, you said
this two weeks ago. Yeah, I did. How many of
you did it? I'll keep saying it, all right? Make
an intentional effort to build a relationship
with someone in our church family. Seek to understand
their needs. Share a meal. Cultivate a relationship
that can be based on trust. Let's be the kind
of community where integrity and love flourish.
Reflecting. That would have been terrible. Reflecting.
Let me say that again. Let's be the kind of community
where integrity and love flourish. Reflecting
the justice. and love of our good, good Father.
Amen. Let's pray. Father, for the fathers in
the room, we give you thanks.