WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:02.399 Let us go before the Lord and ask him for the 00:00:02.399 --> 00:00:06.240 blessing of the preaching of his word. Our God 00:00:06.240 --> 00:00:08.619 and our Father, we thank you for sending your 00:00:08.619 --> 00:00:11.699 Spirit to give us life and to empower us for 00:00:11.699 --> 00:00:15.039 the call you have given us to carry your words 00:00:15.039 --> 00:00:17.899 of life to the ends of the earth. Please allow 00:00:17.899 --> 00:00:20.739 the words of my mouth and the meditations of 00:00:20.739 --> 00:00:23.199 all our hearts to be acceptable in your sight. 00:00:23.579 --> 00:00:26.719 O Lord, our rock and nearest kinsman redeemer, 00:00:26.800 --> 00:00:32.340 Jesus Christ, our risen Lord. Amen. Today's sermon 00:00:32.340 --> 00:00:38.679 text is going to be out of Psalm 37. I've often 00:00:38.679 --> 00:00:42.700 said that, as we know, the book of Proverbs is 00:00:42.700 --> 00:00:45.880 the book of wisdom. Certainly all of God's word 00:00:45.880 --> 00:00:48.240 is wisdom, but it's particularly focused on that. 00:00:49.320 --> 00:00:52.520 But I've often said that the book of Psalms is 00:00:52.520 --> 00:00:57.840 the book of maturity. It's the book to maturity. 00:00:58.320 --> 00:01:03.579 And so I want us to keep that in mind, that the 00:01:03.579 --> 00:01:07.359 book of Psalms helps us to have a right understanding 00:01:07.359 --> 00:01:10.379 of reality, and it helps us with our maturity. 00:01:11.099 --> 00:01:14.060 One other thing I want to say before we read 00:01:14.060 --> 00:01:19.319 the text, and that is this. In this portion of 00:01:19.319 --> 00:01:22.980 Psalm 37, verses 1 through 11, well really throughout 00:01:22.980 --> 00:01:28.879 the whole chapter of Psalm 37, God's covenant 00:01:28.879 --> 00:01:35.060 name Yahweh appears 15 times. 15 times in 40 00:01:35.060 --> 00:01:39.000 verses. That's significant. And this is what 00:01:39.000 --> 00:01:42.540 I want you to think every time you hear God's 00:01:42.540 --> 00:01:46.819 covenant name. I want you to think about this. 00:01:47.319 --> 00:01:50.859 Because of the work of Jesus Christ, we are in 00:01:50.859 --> 00:01:54.319 covenant with the Lord. So every time you hear 00:01:54.719 --> 00:01:57.260 The name Yahweh, what you should be thinking 00:01:57.260 --> 00:02:00.000 is, ah, that's my covenant God because of Jesus, 00:02:00.159 --> 00:02:02.780 because of his mercy and his grace and his work 00:02:02.780 --> 00:02:08.060 on the cross. So Psalm 37, beginning of verse 00:02:08.060 --> 00:02:12.780 one, a Psalm of David. Do not fret because of 00:02:12.780 --> 00:02:16.680 evildoers, nor be envious of the workers of iniquity, 00:02:17.039 --> 00:02:19.800 for they shall soon be cut down like the grass 00:02:19.800 --> 00:02:23.610 and wither as the green herb. Trust in Yahweh 00:02:23.610 --> 00:02:27.490 and do good. Dwell in the land and feed on His 00:02:27.490 --> 00:02:30.830 faithfulness. Delight yourself also in Yahweh 00:02:30.830 --> 00:02:33.909 and He will give you the desires of your heart. 00:02:34.590 --> 00:02:37.949 Commit your way to the Lord. Trust also in Him 00:02:37.949 --> 00:02:41.229 and He shall bring it to pass. He shall bring 00:02:41.229 --> 00:02:45.050 forth your righteousness as the light and your 00:02:45.050 --> 00:02:49.009 justice as the noonday. Rest in Yahweh. and wait 00:02:49.009 --> 00:02:52.870 patiently for him. Do not fret because of him 00:02:52.870 --> 00:02:56.689 who prospers in his way, because of the man who 00:02:56.689 --> 00:03:00.990 brings wicked schemes to pass. Cease from anger. 00:03:01.469 --> 00:03:06.469 Forsake wrath. Do not fret. It only causes harm. 00:03:07.469 --> 00:03:10.830 For evildoers shall be cut off, but those that 00:03:10.830 --> 00:03:14.389 wait on Yahweh, they will inherit the earth. 00:03:14.759 --> 00:03:17.060 For yet a little while, and the wicked shall 00:03:17.060 --> 00:03:20.500 be no more. Indeed, you will look carefully for 00:03:20.500 --> 00:03:26.080 his place, but it shall be no more. But the meek 00:03:26.080 --> 00:03:29.800 shall inherit the earth, and shall delight themselves 00:03:29.800 --> 00:03:34.740 in the abundance of peace." These are the words 00:03:34.740 --> 00:03:38.919 of Almighty God. Receive them in your hearts. 00:03:41.460 --> 00:03:45.199 We are continuing our foundation series. These 00:03:45.199 --> 00:03:48.340 are Christian foundations. This is during the 00:03:48.340 --> 00:03:52.560 time of the Pentecost season, which turns back 00:03:52.560 --> 00:03:54.800 to green. And so we're growing in Christ. We're 00:03:54.800 --> 00:03:57.680 growing. We're maturing as the church, as the 00:03:57.680 --> 00:04:01.400 people of God. And so our sermon title today 00:04:01.400 --> 00:04:08.639 is Trust God and Do Good. Trust God and Do Good. 00:04:08.939 --> 00:04:11.039 Now, of course, good could be defined in many 00:04:11.039 --> 00:04:13.699 ways, but scripturally, I think for the Christian, 00:04:13.979 --> 00:04:17.660 good is defined by two things, right? The fruit 00:04:17.660 --> 00:04:22.199 of the spirit. Love, joy, peace, long -suffering, 00:04:22.259 --> 00:04:24.100 kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, 00:04:24.360 --> 00:04:27.540 self -control, right? So that's one part. And 00:04:27.540 --> 00:04:31.540 the other part is how in which we do that, and 00:04:31.540 --> 00:04:38.100 that is this. Faithfulness in our post. faithfulness 00:04:38.100 --> 00:04:41.740 in our post. Doing good is to see the fruitfulness 00:04:41.740 --> 00:04:43.839 of the fruit of the Spirit developing in yourself 00:04:43.839 --> 00:04:47.060 and in others in whom are your responsibility. 00:04:47.800 --> 00:04:51.139 And you do all that by standing at your post. 00:04:52.879 --> 00:04:56.680 We should walk, live, and be led by the Spirit 00:04:56.680 --> 00:04:59.680 in order to have the fruit of the Spirit flourishing 00:04:59.680 --> 00:05:04.250 in ourselves and others. And again, additionally, 00:05:04.449 --> 00:05:08.050 God's people must stand faithfully in our specific 00:05:08.050 --> 00:05:12.689 fiefdom. What's a fiefdom, you say? Well, back 00:05:12.689 --> 00:05:14.689 in medieval times, there was a big lord of the 00:05:14.689 --> 00:05:18.490 manor. He had all this land. And he would give 00:05:18.490 --> 00:05:22.790 out a portion and say to this man and this family 00:05:22.790 --> 00:05:25.149 over here and that person over there, here, here's 00:05:25.149 --> 00:05:28.310 your allotments. Here's what you're given to 00:05:28.310 --> 00:05:33.300 do, your area to make grow and flourish. Christ 00:05:33.300 --> 00:05:37.040 Jesus is the Lord of all the earth, and He has 00:05:37.040 --> 00:05:41.319 given you all. Children, look up here. Every 00:05:41.319 --> 00:05:43.500 man, woman, and child in here has been given 00:05:43.500 --> 00:05:48.399 allotment in the kingdom of heaven, and so too. 00:05:49.800 --> 00:05:52.240 As Jesus is the King over all things of heaven 00:05:52.240 --> 00:05:54.459 and earth, He has graciously given each one of 00:05:54.459 --> 00:05:59.399 us a piece of His kingdom to manage. Our realm 00:05:59.399 --> 00:06:03.620 is an allotted portion in Jesus' kingdom, and 00:06:03.620 --> 00:06:07.019 we are to faithfully stand our post, take dominion 00:06:07.019 --> 00:06:12.860 over it, and be fruitful. If we are to have the 00:06:12.860 --> 00:06:16.759 mind of Christ and are conformed to Christ Jesus, 00:06:17.180 --> 00:06:22.420 we should stand steadfastly in our post and live 00:06:22.420 --> 00:06:27.379 with the fruit of the Spirit abundantly flowing. 00:06:27.709 --> 00:06:32.930 from us. That's just the setup. Here are the 00:06:32.930 --> 00:06:35.910 three things that I would like you to consider 00:06:35.910 --> 00:06:39.670 as your lenses as we look at Psalm 37, this portion 00:06:39.670 --> 00:06:44.610 of it. As Christians, we are not to fret or be 00:06:44.610 --> 00:06:49.750 envious. As Christians, we are not to fret or 00:06:49.750 --> 00:06:56.290 be envious. Second, we are to trust in the Lord 00:06:56.540 --> 00:07:00.660 and do good. We are to trust in the Lord and 00:07:00.660 --> 00:07:08.540 do good. And finally, in God's sovereignty, the 00:07:08.540 --> 00:07:13.420 meek will inherit the earth. In God's sovereignty, 00:07:13.959 --> 00:07:21.720 the meek will inherit the earth. Psalm 37 sets 00:07:21.720 --> 00:07:25.069 the standard of how to walk in maturity in the 00:07:25.069 --> 00:07:27.910 circumstances in which we as Christians find 00:07:27.910 --> 00:07:32.230 ourselves in. Right now across this room, many 00:07:32.230 --> 00:07:37.069 people are undergoing good times, prosperous 00:07:37.069 --> 00:07:41.629 times, and there are others who are not living 00:07:41.629 --> 00:07:45.370 in peace and who are clearly undergoing hardships 00:07:45.370 --> 00:07:50.600 and difficulties. How are we to walk When we 00:07:50.600 --> 00:07:53.879 both see and experience hardship and suffering 00:07:53.879 --> 00:07:59.980 Especially when we see the wicked prospering 00:07:59.980 --> 00:08:05.639 Right now Amongst us different experiences and 00:08:05.639 --> 00:08:07.339 maybe you say I'm kind of in the middle. I've 00:08:07.339 --> 00:08:10.860 got some hardships. I have some blessings Right, 00:08:10.980 --> 00:08:13.939 but Lord why are those wicked people prospering? 00:08:13.939 --> 00:08:17.180 Why are those who were scheming against you and 00:08:17.180 --> 00:08:21.199 against your people? Why are they prospering? 00:08:22.939 --> 00:08:27.180 That's the question we're looking at. Psalm 37 00:08:27.180 --> 00:08:29.879 is set up into four sections. The first section, 00:08:30.500 --> 00:08:32.700 verses one through 11, we'll look at today. The 00:08:32.700 --> 00:08:36.639 second section is verses 12 through 20, and it's 00:08:36.639 --> 00:08:39.559 a deep dive into the wicked schemes and plots 00:08:39.559 --> 00:08:44.620 against the Lord and his people. The third section 00:08:44.620 --> 00:08:47.559 is verses 21 through 24, and it compares the 00:08:47.559 --> 00:08:51.279 righteous and the wicked with the central theme, 00:08:51.299 --> 00:08:55.019 which is this. The steps of a good man are ordered 00:08:55.019 --> 00:08:59.320 by Yahweh, and he delights in his way. Though 00:08:59.320 --> 00:09:03.320 he fall, he shall utterly, he shall not be utterly 00:09:03.320 --> 00:09:07.600 cast down, for Yahweh upholds him with his hand. 00:09:07.639 --> 00:09:11.830 And remember, we hear that, we think, ah. because 00:09:11.830 --> 00:09:14.350 of the work of Jesus. Every time you hear Yahweh, 00:09:14.649 --> 00:09:18.649 that's Jesus' work. He's our covenant God. The 00:09:18.649 --> 00:09:22.389 final section, verses 25 through 40 is this, 00:09:23.210 --> 00:09:26.649 is David, who we now know is an old man, and 00:09:26.649 --> 00:09:30.970 so now with his closing thoughts are with observation 00:09:30.970 --> 00:09:34.830 and admonition to these eternal truths. And here 00:09:34.830 --> 00:09:38.220 the very end of Psalm 37. But the salvation of 00:09:38.220 --> 00:09:41.580 the righteous is from Yahweh. He is their strength 00:09:41.580 --> 00:09:44.320 in the time of trouble. And Yahweh shall help 00:09:44.320 --> 00:09:46.659 them and deliver them. And He shall deliver them 00:09:46.659 --> 00:09:51.960 from the wicked and save them, because they trust 00:09:51.960 --> 00:09:56.700 in Him. Now our passage this morning begins in 00:09:56.700 --> 00:10:00.279 verse one. It says, do not fret because of evildoers, 00:10:00.500 --> 00:10:02.820 nor be envious of the workers of iniquity, for 00:10:02.820 --> 00:10:06.210 they shall soon be cut down like the grass. And 00:10:06.210 --> 00:10:09.830 wither is the green herb. Now every one of us 00:10:09.830 --> 00:10:12.450 want to see the wicked cut down in one of two 00:10:12.450 --> 00:10:17.070 ways, right? I hope for all of us it is our first 00:10:17.070 --> 00:10:20.590 desire that people be cut down by being transformed 00:10:20.590 --> 00:10:26.029 and brought into the kingdom of heaven. But if 00:10:26.029 --> 00:10:30.590 not, we ask that the Lord convert them or remove 00:10:30.590 --> 00:10:34.889 them. But for those that are wicked and are rebelling 00:10:34.889 --> 00:10:40.669 against God, they will be cut down. You know, 00:10:40.730 --> 00:10:43.970 the base sinful position of all men is to fret 00:10:43.970 --> 00:10:47.809 and to envy. If you're uncertain of that, look 00:10:47.809 --> 00:10:49.690 at your children. When they're real small, you 00:10:49.690 --> 00:10:53.450 can see this real evidently. What happens? They 00:10:53.450 --> 00:10:55.649 become agitated and disturbed. They're fretting. 00:10:55.649 --> 00:10:58.389 They're moving and flailing around. Why? They're 00:10:58.389 --> 00:11:03.649 agitated. How come? because they're envious of 00:11:03.649 --> 00:11:06.830 those around them. Whether the person, that child, 00:11:06.830 --> 00:11:10.389 their brother or sister, is doing good to them 00:11:10.389 --> 00:11:14.769 or not, in some fashion they become envious. 00:11:16.809 --> 00:11:19.309 And it's interesting, Webster's 1828 dictionary 00:11:19.309 --> 00:11:26.250 says this, that to fret is to corrode, to gnaw, 00:11:26.549 --> 00:11:31.879 to eat away as a worm Fret or eats away the plank 00:11:31.879 --> 00:11:39.740 of a ship to wear away to chafe What is it that's 00:11:39.740 --> 00:11:43.259 going on in your life that's eating away at you 00:11:43.259 --> 00:11:49.600 that's causing you to chafe To not to be not 00:11:49.600 --> 00:11:56.460 at to be disturbed Dearly beloved God directs 00:11:56.460 --> 00:12:02.399 our lives all history is God's story. We have 00:12:02.399 --> 00:12:05.639 been graciously given a place in God's story 00:12:05.639 --> 00:12:09.559 and as we go along we see the sins of our fathers, 00:12:10.820 --> 00:12:14.360 the civil magistrate, the wicked, the rebellious 00:12:14.360 --> 00:12:18.179 anarchists who at every turn are plotting and 00:12:18.179 --> 00:12:22.960 scheming to destroy God's people and the whole 00:12:22.960 --> 00:12:28.419 world if they could. One thing that can overwhelm 00:12:28.419 --> 00:12:32.860 us and cause us to fret and to be eaten up is 00:12:32.860 --> 00:12:41.460 that we see these evildoers prospering and Because 00:12:41.460 --> 00:12:46.539 of that we're tempted to become envious What 00:12:46.539 --> 00:12:52.200 do we worry over And become agitated over and 00:12:52.200 --> 00:12:55.940 yes even disquieted in your soul, what is it? 00:12:55.840 --> 00:13:00.740 that's disturbing you. What drives you to envy 00:13:00.740 --> 00:13:06.879 and discontent? God lovingly through the psalmist 00:13:06.879 --> 00:13:10.580 here, that's David, gives us a correction on 00:13:10.580 --> 00:13:14.179 our misunderstanding of reality. Here, he is 00:13:14.179 --> 00:13:17.080 straightening us out. We can't perceive what 00:13:17.080 --> 00:13:23.679 he's doing and what his plan is. But God gives 00:13:23.679 --> 00:13:29.799 us clear direction. clear reality. God knows 00:13:29.799 --> 00:13:33.340 the end of history and the story around all of 00:13:33.340 --> 00:13:37.720 us and he tells us that evildoers will soon be 00:13:37.720 --> 00:13:41.620 cut down like the grass and they will wither 00:13:41.620 --> 00:13:46.200 away. And you know, we look at that, we hear 00:13:46.200 --> 00:13:50.639 those words and we go like, I wish it would happen 00:13:50.639 --> 00:13:54.679 sooner. I wish God would get it done already. 00:13:57.960 --> 00:14:00.600 But God doesn't do it that way. He's got His 00:14:00.600 --> 00:14:03.539 plan. He's got His story. He is telling you, 00:14:04.159 --> 00:14:07.620 don't fret. Don't be covetousness. Don't be full 00:14:07.620 --> 00:14:11.840 of covetousness and envy. Don't worry about what 00:14:11.840 --> 00:14:14.720 they're doing. Proverbs chapter 24 has often 00:14:14.720 --> 00:14:20.200 been associated with this chapter in Psalms because 00:14:20.200 --> 00:14:23.720 here are these several verses. In Proverbs chapter 00:14:23.720 --> 00:14:26.759 24, it begins with this. Do not be envious of 00:14:26.759 --> 00:14:31.259 evil men. nor desire to be with them. For their 00:14:31.259 --> 00:14:34.320 heart devises violence and their lips talk of 00:14:34.320 --> 00:14:38.220 troublemaking. Through wisdom a house is built, 00:14:38.799 --> 00:14:43.860 and by understanding it is established. By knowledge 00:14:43.860 --> 00:14:47.039 the rooms are filled with all precious and pleasant 00:14:47.039 --> 00:14:52.659 riches. Do not fret because of evildoers, nor 00:14:52.659 --> 00:15:00.659 be envious of the wicked. Also, down if you drop 00:15:00.659 --> 00:15:04.039 down, verse 20, for there will be no prospect 00:15:04.039 --> 00:15:07.320 for the evil man, the lamp of the wicked will 00:15:07.320 --> 00:15:11.879 be put out. God makes it very clear that through 00:15:11.879 --> 00:15:15.500 wisdom and true understanding that a house is 00:15:15.500 --> 00:15:20.620 established and built. Dearly beloved, the wicked 00:15:20.620 --> 00:15:26.620 have no future. Their lamp will be put out by 00:15:26.620 --> 00:15:31.519 God. Don't envy or be discontent in another's 00:15:31.519 --> 00:15:36.179 prosperity or superiority or perceived superiority. 00:15:41.720 --> 00:15:44.379 Their time, the wicked's time, all those that 00:15:44.379 --> 00:15:47.740 are plotting against God and his people, their 00:15:47.740 --> 00:15:53.279 time is short. Proverbs 3 .31 tells us, do not 00:15:53.279 --> 00:15:57.179 envy the oppressor and choose none of his ways. 00:15:58.029 --> 00:16:01.629 For the perverse person is an abomination to 00:16:01.629 --> 00:16:04.649 Yahweh, but his secret counsel is with the upright. 00:16:07.309 --> 00:16:11.309 Our hearts often go and look at all the plots 00:16:11.309 --> 00:16:14.950 of the wicked, and we see how they thrive and 00:16:14.950 --> 00:16:19.950 they're having success. And our envy presents 00:16:19.950 --> 00:16:26.590 itself by becoming discontented. We churn in 00:16:26.590 --> 00:16:29.309 a consuming way and we look for vengeance in 00:16:29.309 --> 00:16:34.809 some fashion The sinner is not an object of envy 00:16:34.809 --> 00:16:39.950 or vengences wait for God and his vindication 00:16:39.950 --> 00:16:45.049 The Bible is full of true stories that show that 00:16:45.049 --> 00:16:49.049 the plots of the wicked Lay that that are that 00:16:49.049 --> 00:16:54.059 are done against God are laid aside by God's 00:16:54.059 --> 00:16:57.019 sovereign plan, and all their wicked schemes 00:16:57.019 --> 00:17:00.659 come back upon them. As Proverbs tells us in 00:17:00.659 --> 00:17:04.619 chapter 26, whoever digs a pit will fall in it, 00:17:04.660 --> 00:17:07.259 and he who rolls a stone will have it roll back 00:17:07.259 --> 00:17:11.740 on him. Proverbs 28, 10, whoever causes the upright 00:17:11.740 --> 00:17:14.680 to go astray in an evil way, he himself will 00:17:14.680 --> 00:17:18.359 fall into his own pit, but the blameless will 00:17:18.359 --> 00:17:24.480 inherit good. Let us consider together that the 00:17:24.480 --> 00:17:29.000 greatest plot against God and Man was carried 00:17:29.000 --> 00:17:33.779 out by some great scheming and evil men two thousand 00:17:33.779 --> 00:17:36.700 years ago when they brought false charges against 00:17:36.700 --> 00:17:41.440 Jesus and they killed him and They thought they 00:17:41.440 --> 00:17:44.559 had won what looked like the greatest strategy 00:17:44.559 --> 00:17:50.640 tragedy of all time That all the schemes of Satan 00:17:50.640 --> 00:17:53.660 and all his minions and all those who rose up 00:17:53.660 --> 00:17:58.859 to conspire against God and what happened Men 00:17:58.859 --> 00:18:02.920 were delivered from their sins and it becomes 00:18:02.920 --> 00:18:09.900 a victory And the wave is growing And his kingdom 00:18:09.900 --> 00:18:12.160 is growing throughout the world and throughout 00:18:12.160 --> 00:18:18.069 history You know, they plotted to keep men trapped 00:18:18.069 --> 00:18:21.069 in sin so that they could maintain themselves 00:18:21.069 --> 00:18:24.150 and their families. This is what their focus 00:18:24.150 --> 00:18:26.950 was. And you see this all through scripture. 00:18:27.089 --> 00:18:29.049 It's all about, oh, as long as it's not in my 00:18:29.049 --> 00:18:31.990 generation or it's not in my family, the masses 00:18:31.990 --> 00:18:36.930 don't matter. But God is faithful to his son 00:18:36.930 --> 00:18:41.529 and thus to us, his people, the church. God allowed 00:18:41.529 --> 00:18:45.630 Jesus to suffer and die, and the father vindicated 00:18:45.630 --> 00:18:51.329 Jesus. Jesus trusted the Father and did good 00:18:51.329 --> 00:18:55.109 in order to inherit the earth and all of its 00:18:55.109 --> 00:18:59.990 peoples. Do not fret or be envious of the wicked. 00:19:00.589 --> 00:19:02.910 If we're not supposed to do that, what then should 00:19:02.910 --> 00:19:07.650 we do? Verse 3 of Psalm 37 tells us, trust in 00:19:07.650 --> 00:19:12.269 Yahweh and do good. Dwell in the land and feed 00:19:12.269 --> 00:19:15.470 on his faithfulness. Delight yourself also in 00:19:15.470 --> 00:19:20.130 Yahweh and he shall give you the desires of your 00:19:20.130 --> 00:19:26.529 heart. Trust God and do good. Just like Jesus 00:19:26.529 --> 00:19:29.630 trusted the Father, we are to trust God knowing 00:19:29.630 --> 00:19:33.789 that he always keeps his word and is faithful 00:19:33.789 --> 00:19:42.509 and just. Earlier we mentioned That doing good 00:19:42.509 --> 00:19:46.529 is taking dominion Over our portion of the world 00:19:46.529 --> 00:19:50.049 and causing the fruit of the spirit to flourish 00:19:50.049 --> 00:19:54.950 While we stand at our post Dearly beloved your 00:19:54.950 --> 00:19:58.490 post is where God has sovereignly placed you 00:19:58.490 --> 00:20:03.549 each and every day In your marriage God has sovereignly 00:20:03.549 --> 00:20:09.009 put you in your marriage And some of you are 00:20:09.009 --> 00:20:14.700 going Others are like, man, it's really good. 00:20:15.940 --> 00:20:22.480 Sometimes the seasons ebb and flow. But God has 00:20:22.480 --> 00:20:24.319 sovereignly put you in your marriage. Look at 00:20:24.319 --> 00:20:27.640 your children. Some days you may feel run over. 00:20:29.859 --> 00:20:34.079 But God has sovereignly put you in there. Trust 00:20:34.079 --> 00:20:44.579 God and do good. Trust God. and do good. What 00:20:44.579 --> 00:20:47.019 about your varying vocations? Across this room, 00:20:47.019 --> 00:20:49.400 there's all these vocations represented here. 00:20:49.839 --> 00:20:53.059 Trust God and do good. God has sovereignly put 00:20:53.059 --> 00:21:00.220 you in that place. In sickness and health, in 00:21:00.220 --> 00:21:03.519 teaching and discipling your families. All of 00:21:03.519 --> 00:21:06.039 these things, all of the people that God brings 00:21:06.039 --> 00:21:09.240 in your path each and every day, that is a sovereign 00:21:09.240 --> 00:21:11.859 appointment. You might have thought you made 00:21:11.859 --> 00:21:23.579 it. Trust God and do good. We're to dwell in 00:21:23.579 --> 00:21:26.680 the land. That is the place where God has assigned 00:21:26.680 --> 00:21:31.880 us. We're told to dwell in that land. And we 00:21:31.880 --> 00:21:35.059 need to know this, that as we do this, dwelling 00:21:35.059 --> 00:21:37.880 there, even if the wicked are plotting and seemingly 00:21:37.880 --> 00:21:42.329 winning, We are told to delight ourselves in 00:21:42.329 --> 00:21:47.009 the Lord and He will give us the desires of our 00:21:47.009 --> 00:21:50.509 heart Now I know every one of you in this room 00:21:50.509 --> 00:21:55.410 has desires right now that you know are unfulfilled 00:21:55.410 --> 00:22:01.609 Trust God and do good believe God and then stand 00:22:01.609 --> 00:22:10.849 at your post Now sometimes we hear the verses 00:22:10.849 --> 00:22:14.069 like this, what about that person with corrupt 00:22:14.069 --> 00:22:21.470 desires? God's not gonna answer that. But he 00:22:21.470 --> 00:22:24.690 says, he'll give us the desires of our heart. 00:22:24.710 --> 00:22:28.170 When we delight in the Lord, we are given a new 00:22:28.170 --> 00:22:32.769 heart and a mind so we can actually have rightly 00:22:32.769 --> 00:22:38.920 ordered loves, affections, and yes. even desires. 00:22:41.920 --> 00:22:49.319 And when we trust God and do good, we stand at 00:22:49.319 --> 00:22:57.740 our post and we be faithful in it. We rest and 00:22:57.740 --> 00:23:01.880 God will give you the desires of your heart. 00:23:04.299 --> 00:23:07.519 Verse 5 tells us, commit your way to Yahweh, 00:23:07.619 --> 00:23:11.099 trust also in Him, and He shall bring it to pass. 00:23:11.660 --> 00:23:14.519 And He shall bring forth your righteousness as 00:23:14.519 --> 00:23:20.579 light and your justice as noonday. Instead of 00:23:20.579 --> 00:23:24.740 fretting and being full of envy, we are to commit 00:23:24.740 --> 00:23:29.319 our way to Yahweh, to the Lord, trusting Him. 00:23:29.549 --> 00:23:32.569 that as we take all that he has given us here 00:23:32.569 --> 00:23:35.970 on earth and Rearrange it thy will be done on 00:23:35.970 --> 00:23:38.890 earth as it is in heaven. He's giving you your 00:23:38.890 --> 00:23:42.549 portion And he's saying here's what you're gonna 00:23:42.549 --> 00:23:44.309 do you're gonna take that portion and you're 00:23:44.309 --> 00:23:46.450 gonna rearrange it so everything that you're 00:23:46.450 --> 00:23:50.730 responsible for Reflects the priorities of heaven. 00:23:50.930 --> 00:23:54.170 That's what you're going to do committing yourself 00:23:54.170 --> 00:23:58.730 to the to the Lord and What are you gonna do? 00:24:01.710 --> 00:24:04.430 In His great faithfulness and mercy, He will 00:24:04.430 --> 00:24:07.910 bring our desires to pass and He will bring forth 00:24:07.910 --> 00:24:13.130 the righteousness of Christ in us. And it will 00:24:13.130 --> 00:24:17.009 be a light to others in your life. The light 00:24:17.009 --> 00:24:22.450 of Christ Jesus proceeding from you. And you 00:24:22.450 --> 00:24:26.910 will find your justice. What is this? It is vindication. 00:24:27.039 --> 00:24:30.339 at Noonday. It will be so vindicated that it 00:24:30.339 --> 00:24:36.960 will be as if nothing is hidden. Trust Him. Commit 00:24:36.960 --> 00:24:42.440 yourself to Him. This is of course Christ in 00:24:42.440 --> 00:24:51.160 His gospel. And it is revealed in us by our steadfastness 00:24:51.160 --> 00:24:56.940 and the faithful fruit. Verse 7 tells us rest 00:24:56.940 --> 00:25:00.079 in Yahweh and wait patiently for him. Do not 00:25:00.079 --> 00:25:03.079 fret because of him who prospers in his way, 00:25:03.460 --> 00:25:06.759 because of the man who brings wicked schemes 00:25:06.759 --> 00:25:12.059 to pass. We keep having these, it just keeps 00:25:12.059 --> 00:25:15.000 repeating itself. Why is this? Because he knows 00:25:15.000 --> 00:25:19.039 how we are. He knows our hearts. He knows that 00:25:19.039 --> 00:25:23.240 we have difficulty with this. We are to rest 00:25:23.240 --> 00:25:28.480 in God. Now this word rest here is a little bit 00:25:28.480 --> 00:25:31.099 different than some of the other Rests that you 00:25:31.099 --> 00:25:33.779 might find in the Hebrew language this one means 00:25:33.779 --> 00:25:37.720 to seemingly grow dumb and to hold your peace 00:25:37.720 --> 00:25:44.119 while patiently waiting on God That's a different 00:25:44.119 --> 00:25:49.119 kind of rest than we normally think about Right 00:25:49.119 --> 00:25:52.220 in this particular case, it's telling us to seemingly 00:25:52.220 --> 00:25:58.230 grow dumb That is what? There are all these things 00:25:58.230 --> 00:26:00.549 in your life each and every day that are screaming 00:26:00.549 --> 00:26:02.690 for your attention and most of them don't even 00:26:02.690 --> 00:26:07.430 matter and What one of the things that God is 00:26:07.430 --> 00:26:09.710 telling us right here in this passage is to say 00:26:09.710 --> 00:26:13.049 all those that are scheming around you All those 00:26:13.049 --> 00:26:16.289 who are plotting against God no matter how great 00:26:16.289 --> 00:26:20.250 they are. They're gonna all perish So what do 00:26:20.250 --> 00:26:25.180 you got to do? Treat that as what? I'm going 00:26:25.180 --> 00:26:27.900 to trust God even though it seems overwhelmingly 00:26:27.900 --> 00:26:34.319 I can't figure this out. And do what? Hold your 00:26:34.319 --> 00:26:38.960 peace while we wait patiently for God. And again, 00:26:39.000 --> 00:26:43.599 He told us not to fret. Do not churn with angst 00:26:43.599 --> 00:26:47.079 and become discontent. The psalmist continues. 00:26:47.140 --> 00:26:50.559 He connects these things here in verse 8. Hear 00:26:50.559 --> 00:26:54.490 me out now. I'm especially going to tell you, 00:26:54.609 --> 00:27:01.809 men, look up here. Cease from anger and forsake 00:27:01.809 --> 00:27:05.210 wrath. Do not fret. There's that word again. 00:27:05.670 --> 00:27:12.490 It only causes harm. Cease from anger. Forsake 00:27:12.490 --> 00:27:16.309 wrath. When God repeats a word again and again, 00:27:16.950 --> 00:27:21.430 we must pay attention. Do not fret appears three 00:27:21.430 --> 00:27:25.730 times in eight verses God is telling his people 00:27:25.730 --> 00:27:30.130 that he is Lord of the story all of the stories 00:27:30.130 --> 00:27:35.289 including your story The beginning and the middle 00:27:35.289 --> 00:27:41.690 and the end it's all his story Trust Him, not 00:27:41.690 --> 00:27:44.549 in blissful ignorance, but rather trust Him by 00:27:44.549 --> 00:27:47.569 completing the task, that mission that He has 00:27:47.569 --> 00:27:51.130 given you, to make disciples of all the nations 00:27:51.130 --> 00:27:54.849 by baptism and teaching them all that Jesus has 00:27:54.849 --> 00:27:58.730 commanded. Complete the mission of Christ and 00:27:58.730 --> 00:28:02.269 His Church from heaven to the whole earth so 00:28:02.269 --> 00:28:04.509 that the knowledge of the glory of the Lord will 00:28:04.509 --> 00:28:08.400 cover the earth as the waters cover... See now 00:28:08.400 --> 00:28:10.440 we think about that on the grand scale and we're 00:28:10.440 --> 00:28:13.079 like, I don't know how that works out. That's 00:28:13.079 --> 00:28:16.579 right That's not your portion. Your portion is 00:28:16.579 --> 00:28:24.920 what he is giving you to do And not fretting 00:28:24.920 --> 00:28:29.039 we are told to cease anger and forsake wrath 00:28:29.039 --> 00:28:33.470 when we become angry and seek vengeance This 00:28:33.470 --> 00:28:36.309 is real important. When we become angry and seek 00:28:36.309 --> 00:28:40.170 vengeance, we are bringing charges against God 00:28:40.170 --> 00:28:48.750 Almighty and His story. We are bringing charges 00:28:48.750 --> 00:28:52.029 against God for what He has allowed in His sovereignty. 00:28:54.710 --> 00:29:02.099 And that undermines and harms us. It'll harm 00:29:02.099 --> 00:29:05.859 you and your mission. To be clear, I'm not saying 00:29:05.859 --> 00:29:09.799 walk around in a hapless and fatalist mentality. 00:29:10.900 --> 00:29:13.859 No, I'm not saying bury your heads in the sand. 00:29:15.079 --> 00:29:20.059 No, I'm calling you, as Christ is calling you, 00:29:20.859 --> 00:29:24.460 to be faithful to God. and his ongoing mission 00:29:24.460 --> 00:29:27.720 in your life with all the peoples and all the 00:29:27.720 --> 00:29:30.539 circumstances within your realm of responsibility 00:29:30.539 --> 00:29:35.339 and whomever else, God brings along to your path. 00:29:37.319 --> 00:29:40.440 We are not to ignore wickedness or evildoers, 00:29:40.539 --> 00:29:46.400 but do not become angry and emotionally consumed 00:29:46.400 --> 00:29:53.329 by that wickedness. Trust and obey. Now you're 00:29:53.329 --> 00:29:55.650 starting to see why we sang that song, right? 00:29:57.450 --> 00:30:01.589 Do what God has for you. Be faithful for what 00:30:01.589 --> 00:30:05.890 God has given you. And He will reward you with 00:30:05.890 --> 00:30:08.650 more responsibilities. Isn't that the biblical 00:30:08.650 --> 00:30:11.509 principle? Be faithful in little and you'll be 00:30:11.509 --> 00:30:16.029 given more. We want to see politics change. We 00:30:16.029 --> 00:30:17.789 want to see the world change. We want to see 00:30:17.789 --> 00:30:20.690 greater morality. Be faithful in your calling, 00:30:20.809 --> 00:30:25.569 in your portion. Don't be full of anger and angst 00:30:25.569 --> 00:30:31.329 be faithful and What will happen God will give 00:30:31.329 --> 00:30:33.470 you more responsibility perhaps some of you will 00:30:33.470 --> 00:30:36.210 even be called to leadership in your businesses 00:30:36.210 --> 00:30:41.049 and your vocation in your church and the civil 00:30:41.049 --> 00:30:44.769 magistrate we want to see different laws pray 00:30:44.769 --> 00:30:48.410 be faithful to your portion and Consider if I 00:30:48.410 --> 00:30:50.839 am faithful in my portion What else does God 00:30:50.839 --> 00:30:54.400 have me to do to restore biblical truth in the 00:30:54.400 --> 00:31:03.059 world? Be faithful in what you're doing and perhaps 00:31:03.059 --> 00:31:06.359 He will give you more responsibility. Perhaps 00:31:06.359 --> 00:31:09.299 you can even ask Him if you should seek more 00:31:09.299 --> 00:31:12.880 responsibility. But you must trust God and be 00:31:12.880 --> 00:31:19.230 faithful where you are right now. For a second 00:31:19.230 --> 00:31:21.950 time returning to the text for a second time. 00:31:21.950 --> 00:31:25.910 We see that God says that evildoers will be cut 00:31:25.910 --> 00:31:30.029 off But those who wait on the Lord shall inherit 00:31:30.029 --> 00:31:34.509 the earth all of you are familiar with Psalm 00:31:34.509 --> 00:31:37.930 2 and it says that God says of his son the father 00:31:37.930 --> 00:31:41.190 says of the son that if the son asks him for 00:31:41.190 --> 00:31:44.849 the nations as An inheritance he will give it 00:31:44.849 --> 00:31:51.200 to them inheriting the nations Jesus tells us 00:31:51.200 --> 00:31:54.700 in the Beatitudes in Matthew chapter 5 that the 00:31:54.700 --> 00:31:59.859 meek shall inherit the earth. Those who wait 00:31:59.859 --> 00:32:04.460 with restraint. That's what meekness is, restraining 00:32:04.460 --> 00:32:09.880 great power. Those who wait with restraint will 00:32:09.880 --> 00:32:15.609 inherit the earth. Think about Jesus. We know 00:32:15.609 --> 00:32:17.369 that Jesus said he could have called down 12 00:32:17.369 --> 00:32:19.910 legions of angels to deliver him and vindicate 00:32:19.910 --> 00:32:22.589 him right now and Every single one of us would 00:32:22.589 --> 00:32:28.250 have still been in our sins So he restrained 00:32:28.250 --> 00:32:32.170 himself that we might be delivered the meek inherit 00:32:32.170 --> 00:32:37.769 the earth And now for a third time God in verse 00:32:37.769 --> 00:32:41.730 10 says for yet a little while and the wicked 00:32:41.730 --> 00:32:45.359 shall be no more Indeed, you will look carefully 00:32:45.359 --> 00:32:47.359 for this place. You'll look for the wicked. You 00:32:47.359 --> 00:32:51.339 know, we think we know history. There have been 00:32:51.339 --> 00:32:53.339 billions and billions of people on this earth. 00:32:54.480 --> 00:32:57.000 And we have remnants of portions of history, 00:32:57.119 --> 00:32:59.839 and some of it's been written down. And I know 00:32:59.839 --> 00:33:02.779 some of it's been corrupted. But the truth is 00:33:02.779 --> 00:33:05.920 that there's been many wicked people, many influencers, 00:33:06.200 --> 00:33:10.019 many kings, many tribal chiefs. Many leaders 00:33:10.019 --> 00:33:13.640 in their community who plotted against God and 00:33:13.640 --> 00:33:19.160 did wicked, and nobody knows who they are. If 00:33:19.160 --> 00:33:22.299 I were to say, list 100 names of the most wicked 00:33:22.299 --> 00:33:25.539 people in the last 500 years, you might could 00:33:25.539 --> 00:33:30.079 do that. Maybe, maybe. I suspect after about 00:33:30.079 --> 00:33:35.319 10, most of us would be tapped out. You look 00:33:35.319 --> 00:33:41.569 for them, and you won't find them. God is assuring 00:33:41.569 --> 00:33:44.349 his people that the wicked will not prosper in 00:33:44.349 --> 00:33:51.269 the long term why? Because God is sovereign in 00:33:51.269 --> 00:33:56.250 this his story Verse 11 tells us that the meek 00:33:56.250 --> 00:33:59.349 shall inherit the earth and shall delight themselves 00:33:59.349 --> 00:34:03.609 and the abundance of peace now right now in your 00:34:03.609 --> 00:34:07.349 life, I Don't know a single person who says they 00:34:07.349 --> 00:34:12.539 have enough peace in their life And I talk to 00:34:12.539 --> 00:34:15.179 all of you. I don't know one person who says, 00:34:15.320 --> 00:34:17.500 it's all working out. I've got all the peace 00:34:17.500 --> 00:34:21.260 I need. It's totally sufficient right now as 00:34:21.260 --> 00:34:28.260 it is. The meek shall inherit the earth and shall 00:34:28.260 --> 00:34:32.360 delight themselves in the abundance of peace. 00:34:36.139 --> 00:34:39.119 We do not have to fret and become emotionally 00:34:39.119 --> 00:34:42.000 distraught and consumed about the wicked condition 00:34:42.000 --> 00:34:45.139 of the world. Jesus has delivered us from our 00:34:45.139 --> 00:34:48.699 sins and the Father has adopted us, his people, 00:34:49.079 --> 00:34:51.780 as his children. Romans chapter 8 verse 17 says 00:34:51.780 --> 00:34:55.139 this, and if children, that's us, then heirs, 00:34:55.579 --> 00:34:58.739 heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ, if 00:34:58.739 --> 00:35:01.699 indeed we suffer with him, that we also may be 00:35:01.699 --> 00:35:07.010 glorified together. When suffering comes, it's 00:35:07.010 --> 00:35:12.409 God's work of maturity in our lives. In maturity, 00:35:12.469 --> 00:35:16.170 we stay on task, the very mission that He has 00:35:16.170 --> 00:35:21.110 given us, to worship Him and to glorify Him in 00:35:21.110 --> 00:35:26.730 all that He has given us dominion over. The meek, 00:35:27.070 --> 00:35:31.409 those who in restraining great power will accomplish 00:35:31.409 --> 00:35:35.900 their mission. and shall inherit the earth. And 00:35:35.900 --> 00:35:40.320 yes, delight in the abundance of peace found 00:35:40.320 --> 00:35:46.400 in Christ Jesus. Dearly beloved, hear these center 00:35:46.400 --> 00:35:50.460 words from Psalm 37, speaking of the righteous. 00:35:51.300 --> 00:35:55.820 For those blessed by Him shall inherit the earth, 00:35:56.039 --> 00:36:00.420 but those cursed by Him shall be cut off. The 00:36:00.420 --> 00:36:04.000 steps of a good man are ordered. by Yahweh, the 00:36:04.000 --> 00:36:07.539 covenant God brought to us by Jesus Christ, and 00:36:07.539 --> 00:36:13.760 He delights in His way. Speaking of the righteous 00:36:13.760 --> 00:36:17.800 man, though he fall, he shall not be utterly 00:36:17.800 --> 00:36:23.679 cast down, for Yahweh upholds him with His hand. 00:36:23.980 --> 00:36:27.460 The hand of God is in your life in your story 00:36:27.460 --> 00:36:34.349 every single day. Dearly beloved in God's sovereignty 00:36:34.349 --> 00:36:38.489 the meek inherit the earth trust in the Lord 00:36:38.489 --> 00:36:43.949 and do good God upholds you all because he is 00:36:43.949 --> 00:36:48.429 drawn near to us in the gracious work of Christ 00:36:48.429 --> 00:36:56.429 Jesus He has given us he has marked us out in 00:36:56.429 --> 00:37:01.909 baptism and placed his name upon us So all of 00:37:01.909 --> 00:37:07.989 you, be at peace and delight in God's grace towards 00:37:07.989 --> 00:37:14.769 you all. Let us pray. Heavenly Father, we give 00:37:14.769 --> 00:37:18.250 you praise for the grace and mercy that you have 00:37:18.250 --> 00:37:21.590 bestowed upon us in Christ Jesus. We have been 00:37:21.590 --> 00:37:24.110 made strong in the promises of your word today 00:37:24.110 --> 00:37:27.590 from Psalm 37. Help us, we pray, to trust in 00:37:27.590 --> 00:37:31.449 you, to put away all fretting. envy, and anger, 00:37:31.989 --> 00:37:34.510 that we may stand our post and do good in the 00:37:34.510 --> 00:37:37.449 circumstances that you have given us. Let our 00:37:37.449 --> 00:37:42.489 hearts be full of your abundant love, joy, gratitude, 00:37:42.489 --> 00:37:46.750 and peace. We ask all this for Jesus' sake, who 00:37:46.750 --> 00:37:49.130 reigns with you and the Holy Spirit forever and 00:37:49.130 --> 00:37:50.369 ever. Amen.