Psalm 53. We continue our sermon series in the
summer of Psalms looking at a faithful, loving,
and kind of justice -filled God. A God who is
our justice. And friends, we just saw what I
deem a beautiful and sacred moment in the life
of Munster Church. The casting of lots for elders
and deacons. The connection I made in the beginning
of this message, in the beginning of the week,
was this process was not just a formality, but
a reminder that our leaders are called by God.
And our response is faithfulness and accountability.
The one thing in orientation that these five
will hear is that it's not about perfection,
but it's about pursuing holiness. And that pursuit
is so important in our life. That we all should
be pursuing holiness. But pastor, I can't be
holy. I'm a sinner. So why should I even try?
Friend, grow up. It's the call of God. Be holy
as I am holy. That should cut from the very top
of everything we should do in life. Holiness
has always been the call. And grace is by means
that we can be that way. That the world will
see the Jesus we live out. Not our holiness and
our self -righteousness, because that's only
going to lead to hypocrisy. It's because of the
grace that we have been saved through faith.
Not by our own works, a gift from God. And who
are we to take advantage of that gift? As we
move forward, we are reminded that leadership
in the church is not a matter of human wisdom
or preference, but a divine calling. Whether
it's teaching the kids in Lighthouse or during
coffee break or being on council at Munster Church.
A divine calling. A divine calling that is worth
the attempt to be holy and live it out faithfully.
Faithfulness is part of the call. However, as
we look today at Psalm 53, kind of as the last
couple of Psalms have been giant wah -wahs when
it comes to the hard things of life. It is a
stark contrast. A stark contrast for what we
just saw in the casting of thoughts. We live
in a world by nature that has rejected God's
authority and wisdom. The psalm opens up with
a powerful declaration of the foolish who reject
God and his truth. It calls us to reflect on
the reality of sin. How it affects not just individuals
but entire communities, churches. And the invitation
to return to the faithfulness before God. And
there's the key, friends. The invitation to return,
to take the 180 of what we call repentance and
turn before God. Today, as we examine this psalm,
we will see both the devastating consequences
of rejecting God and the hope of restoration
through faithfulness. This psalm is a challenge,
not only to the world around us, but to each
of us personally. as members of the body of Christ,
to live in repentance, integrity, and the accountability
in our community. So we're going to start. Psalm
53, the first three verses. I titled this section,
The Foolishness of Rejecting God. And there's
a lot of words I think I could use. A lot of
it, again, I'm looking at myself first. But the
Bible really calls it foolishness. And in the
Hebrew and even in the Greek, it means something
really drastically different. Because what do
we think of when we think of the word foolishness?
Go ahead, somebody, anybody. When we think of
foolishness, what do we think of? Hmm? I don't
know if we're allowed to say that in church.
Yeah, stupidness. Thank you, Nikki. Okay. Anybody
else? Naive, sure. Maybe immature. That's not
necessarily fair because maturity is something
that we grow in, but once we kind of hit some
levels of maturity, the foolishness is to go
back to being immature. How do I know? It's me.
But understand that. Anybody else? Foolishness.
What comes to mind? Silliness. Thank you, Ron.
Yes. Silliness. I don't know why you had to look
at your neighbor when you said that, but that's
awkward. Anyone else? Crazy. Sure. The craziness.
Because what's crazy? The craziness is that we
see the path forward, we see the good things
promised, and the grace to really walk it, and
we decide to do the opposite. A psalm that, and
I don't have it with me right now, but as a dog
returns to his vomit, so we return to our sin.
That is foolishness. Right? How many people,
it's going to be gross, but deal with it. The
Bible said it first. Right? How many people would
have a meal, regurgitate it, and then go, I'm
going to eat that again. Hey, the Bible said
it first. Right? Like, who would do that? Not
too many people would do that. And there are
people that will still try to justify that. But
the Bible calls that foolishness. The psalm now,
starting with verse 3, says this. The fool says
in his heart, there is no God. They are corrupt,
doing abominable iniquity. There is none who
does good. God looks down from heaven on the
children of man to see if there are any who understand,
who seek after God. They have fallen away. Together
they have become corrupt. There is none who does
good, not even one. What if we put that on our
sign on Ridge Road? How inviting would that look
like as a church, right? Nobody can do good in
front of God. Come and join us in worship at
930 on Sunday mornings. It would be a hard conversation.
Probably would get people's attention. Someone
may even take a bat to it, only proving the point.
But understand that this psalm begins with a
declaration of foolishness. For those who say
in their heart there is no God. This claim is
not merely intellectual, though it sounds like
it. It's moral. All right, I brought up the word,
so let's talk about it. The moral nature of the
believer. A moral, the moral believer lives moral
lives. Well, Pastor, moral sounds very earthly.
Absolutely it does. Yet, the entire world, right,
the entire world, in essence, abides by the Ten
Commandments. You can try to fight it culturally,
however, but those Ten Commandments, I'm not
talking about the rest of the Levitical Code
or the law, even though a lot of the world still
follows or looks to those. Those Ten Commandments
really kind of cut to the quick, doesn't it?
Like, I don't know too many cultures that as
a whole go, no, it's okay to murder. Do not murder.
No, we're going to murder. Do not commit adultery.
No, we're going to commit adultery. Do not lie.
No, we love lying, so we're going to continue
to do it. If you look at a world... that is going
to operate the opposite of the Ten Commandments.
The worlds that come to mind is Las Vegas, right?
Is Paris, is Tortuga, right? That's a make -believe
one from the Pirates of the Caribbean. Okay,
I'm a nerd, it's fine. But really, if you look
at it, it was Corinth at the time. And we're
going to get there in two years, I believe. Which,
I like that one, I may bring it sooner. But the
idea of Corinth, I mean, it was unbelievable
that there are people that, and here's the rub.
There are people that are going to stand up here
as a believer and say, I love the Lord. I love
Jesus. He is my Lord and Savior. But I'm going
to do the exact opposite of what God has told
me not to do. That's the foolishness of what?
The Garden of Eden. Isn't it? You can eat any
other thing except that one tree. I don't know
how many. So let's just say there are 12 trees.
There's probably more in Eden. I was not there.
Neither were you. But God said, this one you
cannot eat. And just that snake, right? Surely
you won't die. There's something there. And so
let's go a little further. Surely the Lord's
not going to hate you if you do this little sin
on the side, right? Surely, you know, you're
going to think these things about this person.
That's okay. You're not going to die. God's going
to ultimately forgive you. One of the greatest
tactics of Satan is for you to buy into cheap
grace. I've talked about that many times. You
want to really talk about it, go to Dietrich
Bonhoeffer. He talks about cheap grace all the
time. But the fool here is not someone simply
lacking knowledge, but someone who is actively
rejecting the truth of God's existence and rule.
This denial leads to a society that is morally
bankrupt, where corruption and evil spread unchecked.
The fool in rejecting God also rejects the moral
foundation that sustains human flourishing. Because
if you're going to go ahead and take all those
Ten Commandments and break them, the first thing
that happens outside of loss of life is the breaking
of trust. Right? You have that. You have that
with the people closest to you. You have that
in the organizations you work in, the churches
you're in. If all of a sudden all you did was
get lies, From leadership or whatever. What would
it look like if one of the things that, and she
doesn't do this, it's just a sermon illustration.
You know, I'm not going to put it in Lighthouse,
I'll put it in Catechism. Right? That what if
we just taught your kids to lie in Catechism?
And said that it was okay. There's one little
saying of Jesus that kind of creeps up in the
back of my mind that terrifies me. Anyone want
to guess what it is? With the illustration of
teaching in Catechism? This goes for anybody
that has ever been in a teaching role in the
Bible. I'm sorry, I'm not. I'm bringing it to
you via God's word. For Jesus says it's, nope,
better to tie a millstone around your neck and
just hang out? Nope. What do you do with it?
Jump off a cliff, right, doubles down than it
is to mess with the faith of a child. New elders,
how are you feeling? But we're going to work
on this together. We're going to walk this through
as faithfully as we can. Lord's Day 3 of the
Hyderabad Catechism reminds us that the fall
into sin has affected every aspect of humanity.
Sin is not simply what we do. It is something
that has corrupted us deeply. It affects our
hearts, our minds, and our wills. What Lord's
Day 3 reminds us is this sin leads to and can
continually to a rejection of Not just in thought,
but in action as well. In rejecting God's authority,
humanity lives as though it was autonomous. Oh,
and there are some of you that love that word.
I love to be my own self. I'm my own individual.
No one's going to tell me what to do. No one's
going to tie me down. No one's going to hold
me down. I think that's a song. You know, we
have that individualistic mentality. Or the believer.
You cannot live that way. You cannot live that
way. It is incompatible with the word of God.
How in the world can you be dependent on someone
when you want to be dependent on no one? Because
there's a recognition of the fact that you're
a sinner. So if you're a sinner, you need someone.
You need a savior. You're not it. I'm not it.
The person in front of you isn't it. The person
behind you isn't it. Those three new elders and
two new deacons aren't it. Jesus is it. Psalm
53 calls us to confront the foolishness of rejecting
God in our lives. While this denial is most often
apparent in the world, we must also reflect on
how we as the church may subtly reject God's
rule in our actions and in our attitudes. Real
quick, for lunch and a conversation with Pastor
Jim, what are the three marks of the true church
when it comes to the Belgic Confession? One of
the confessions we use to help us interpret our
scripture. Anyone understand or anyone want to
guess what those three are? Biblical preaching,
I'm going to say it's a true preaching of the
gospel. So I think you're kind of saying that.
We could just get apps. What? You can't just
say sacraments. That's not the answer. Someone
help Nikki with sacraments. The pure administration
of the sacraments. All right, so Roger's paying.
Good job. He helped you out. And what's the third
one? Super exciting. Church discipline. Well,
why do we use the marks of the true church? Because
as a believer, as a reformed believer, We can
look at the Heidelberg Catechism who's standing
on the word of God, right? Standing on the word
of God. Without the word of God, our confessions
mean nothing. But you should be able to walk
into a church and be able to find out real quick
whether they're a true church or not. Do they
have the pure preaching of the gospel? A pure
understanding and a pure use and administration
of the sacraments? And when things arise, do
they use church discipline? This isn't a disciplined
sermon. This isn't a sacrament sermon. This is
a gospel sermon, because all of them should be.
But that's all part of what it means to live
as a non -foolish believer. This rejection is
often not an outright denial of God, but a subtle
shift into what we prioritize in life. The fool
prioritizes self, my own desires, right? My own
preferences are wisdom above God's word. Friend,
you don't have wisdom above this. So stop trying.
If you're trying to live higher than God's word,
I don't think that's compatible, right? As we
see the election of elders and deacons, we're
reminded that leadership is rooted in God's truth.
The integrity of the church depends on recognizing
that our lives, our decisions, and our actions
must be accountable to him. That the church is
called to be a community of the faithful. A community
of those that are striving just cross -eyed,
right? Just searching after God in all things.
Are we going to get in each other's way? Absolutely.
Are we going to make a mess of it? Probably.
But if we're doing it that way, then the grace
of God is also there. to meet us on our left
and on our right. Because sin has an impact.
When there's sin, it separates. It hurts. It
can devastate. But if it's done, if discipline
and forgiveness and all of those things, the
sacraments, the gospel is done in the right way,
let's play this out quick. This is a rabbit trail,
right? What do we do when I remember the last
Sunday of every month? We try to do what in the
service? Prep Sunday. Stop answering all the
questions, Nikki. Give other people an opportunity.
Prep Sunday. Does anyone know what Prep Sunday
is? When we do communion, Prep Sunday is the
reading of the... Wow, I'm going to make some
notes. We've got to go over some of these things.
Prep Sunday is the reading of the Ten Commandments,
or sometimes I pick one or two to kind of talk
through. It is that time that we're preparing
our hearts to come to the table. It's why we
do it. We try as best we can to do it every last
Sunday of the month to prepare our hearts and
our minds. What that isn't is, oh, that's the
window of the month or the year that you get
to get all your sins forgiven so you can come
to the table, only to then start sinning afterwards.
That's not how that works. But Paul calls us
to look in the mirror, to be honest with where
we fall. So then we don't take communion unto
our damnation. More on that in probably another
sermon series. We do that because then we start
every month at the Lord's table where we receive
grace. A fool needs grace. How do I know? I've
lived 40 years like it. We need that grace. The
fool needs that grace. Because the community
of faith needs that grace. Because we need to
live out the example of forgiven sinners. Christianity
is the only world religion where to hold a membership
card, you have to be a sinner. Because guess
what? If you don't think you're a sinner, if
you think you're perfect and you're doing life
right, you don't need Munster Church. You really
don't need my words every week. You're good,
says the fool. And that's not to loft my words
up. That's any preaching. Because sin has an
impact. Verse 4 and 5. Sin has an impact. Have
those who work evil no knowledge? Who eat up
my people as they eat bread and do not call upon
God? There they are in great terror where there
is no terror. For God scatters the bones of him
who encamps against you. You put them to shame,
for God has rejected them. That's a hard thing
to read. Because some of you in your life, maybe
right now, you feel like God has rejected you.
But there's qualifiers to that, friend. God hasn't
rejected you because you've sinned this week.
God hasn't rejected you. God has made a way and
has called you to live a life of repentance.
But the best way that I can say it in 2025 to
church is you have people that just kind of look
at God as that grace, forgiveness ATM. That,
okay, I'll ask for it on Sunday. I'll be good
Monday. Maybe even Tuesday. But Wednesday? No
holds barred to sin. I'm going to dive into it.
I'm going to plan it. I'm going to enjoy it.
I'm going to worship it. It's going to become
a part of who? Who I am because I get to go through
the holy car wash on Sunday and just get dusted
up then for the rest of the week. You may think
you're clever. You may think you're sly. You're
not. You're a fool. That's not my words. That's
God's words. For he just said, for those that
continually do it, he's going to scatter their
bones. For they have rejected God. That's a hard
truth. But that's the impact of sin. For the
wages of sin is death. Why do we want that? Why
do we go, we think death's a better way, says
the fool. Sin does not only impact the individual,
but the entire community. Those who reject God's
rule are unable to see the harm they do not see,
the harm they cause to others. Their actions
perpetuate evil. leading to oppression and injustice.
This is why the psalmist laments the state of
the world. Friend, we could lament the state
of the world until Jesus comes back. The world
is a foolish place. My hope is one day the world
will turn to the people that say they're believers,
that are loving those who think they're unlovable,
seeing those who think they're invisible, clothing
the naked, feeding the hungry, whether physically
or spiritually. Baptizing. Matthew 25, Matthew
28. That's the church's mission. But the rejection
of God leads to widespread suffering and oppression.
Again, going back to Lord's Day 3, teaches us
that the fall has corrupted every human being,
leaving us in a state of total depravity. This
depravity manifests not only in individual actions,
but also in the systems and structures of society.
Ooh, you throw that one out, you're going to
get people attaching it left to right, right?
Elephant, donkey, all of those political things,
we'll attach to that all day with what we believe
is right. But if what you believe is right starts
with, because they're wrong, I... Stop. Friend,
you're a fool. You are looking to political systems
to give either justification for your life or
definition for your life. You don't need it if
you're a believer. Your life has already been
defined. But I don't like that, Pastor. I want
to define my own life. Okay, fool, go ahead.
As Munster Church, we're called to counteract
the effects of sin by living according to God's
word, seeking justice, building a community that
values the dignity of every person. In the light
of Psalm 53, let's commit to being a church that
reflects God's righteousness in our relationships,
One with another, the outside world, those that
come in for the very first time, or the 50th
first time, whatever it is. What does it look
like to live life as a repentant sinner who's
been given that new life? Because then that gives
us the greatest thing we have in this life. Hope.
For when we're stuck in sin, The fool longs for
hope like they long for water in the desert.
A hope for definition, a hope for life, a hope
for direction, a hope for restoration. Whether
it's in a marriage, in a family relationship,
in your job, in that annoying neighbor next to
you, right? You hope for a lot of things. And
if we're being honest, some of us, our hopes
are more sinful than they are salvatic, right?
Especially about that annoying neighbor. You've
probably thought some things, right? I know my
wife has. No, I have as well. But understand,
like we can trip into that. Does anyone have
a couch I can sleep on? Because I already feel,
like I'm feeling it right now. Yeah, so just,
yeah, please just anonymously put it under my
door. Understand that hope for the fool is the
only thing they can cling to. But it's never
going to be in reach. If you're living life for
yourself. If you're rejecting these words. Because
verse 6 talks about hope. Where verse 6 says
this. Oh, that salvation for Israel will come
out of Zion. When God restores the fortunes of
his people. Let Jacob rejoice. Let Israel be
glad. Verse 6 presents a note of hope. I'm going
to end here. After the psalmist has detailed
the foolishness of the wicked and the devastation
that comes in rejecting God, he ends with a cry
for salvation. Oh, that the salvation for Israel
would come out of Zion. What does he mean by
that? He's longing for the restoration of God's
people historically, but for us, it's the hope
that only God can rescue us. From our folly.
You're not going to get it out yourself. To the
person who's been in that sin life, who's been
convicted and stops. What are you stopping? You're
stopping the foolishness. You're stopping the
destruction. You're stopping. And you're turning,
hopefully 180, not 360, because then you're back
here. Right? My math is good on that. Right,
Jeremiah? Thank you. 180. Actually, I'm going
to go here. 180 to the cross. Keep your eyes
on the cross, the author and perfecter of our
faith, as Hebrew says. Even the midst of the
darkest moments, when the wicked seem to prosper,
sin reigns, or you feel great in your sin. Because,
friends, sin doesn't always hurt, right? We love
it. But it will devastate in time. Everything
in the dark will be brought to the light. That
is the hope of the gospel. That though humanity
has rejected God, God has not abandoned us, but
promises to redeem and restore his people through
justice and love. One little word on that is,
you don't get to say what that restoration and
that hope looks like. You don't get to define
it, because the fool will define it in a foolish
way. The psalm concludes with a powerful reminder
that God ultimately will bring justice and salvation.
This salvation is not just a future hope, but
something that shapes how we live today. As we
reflect, maybe take time and reflect, how has
the Lord restored you? Looking back in your life,
how has the Lord restored you? He's probably
restored you in some amazing ways. Give testimony
to that. Hear yourself say it. Maybe then you'll
actually believe it. This life should lead us
to a life of repentance, gratitude, and accountability.
We are no longer slaves to sin, so stop acting
like one. Free to live in the truth and the justice
of God's kingdom. What does that mean for us
as a church? We'll get to the summer challenge
in a second. As a church, we are called to live
as a community that embodies the hope of restoration.
This means living out God's justice, working
toward reconciliation, and embodying the love
and grace that we have received. Just as God
has restored us, we're called to restore others.
Think about that for a minute. You are called
to restore others. Not out of your own personal
authority or power, because you don't have any.
We've laid that down. But our testimonies point
us to the cross. As we reflect on the restoration
that God promises, we are reminded. that our
salvation is secure in Christ. As a church, we
are called to live as a community that embodies
that hope. And Psalm 53 challenges us to recognize
the foolishness of rejecting God and to confront
the reality of sin in our lives. But it also
points us to the hope of salvation. So here's
our challenge for this week. This week, take
time to reflect on the ways that you may have
subtly rejected God's authority, or maybe not
so subtly, or fail to live in faithfulness to
his word, repent, commit to living out the light
of God's restoration, reflecting his love and
justice in all that you do. Because here's the
kicker, friend. You can't be about justice and
the ways of Christ and still do this stuff. We've
said it before, we'll say it again. First John
tells us, if your foot's in the light, And where
I'm at, there's light right here and there's
dark right here. What doesn't know you? The light.
Because what is that called? It's called hypocrisy.
How in the world can we teach that way? It doesn't
work. Restoration needs to take time, and we
need to reflect his love and justice in all that
we do. Let's pray.