Don’t Wrestle Just Nestle! Series

SERMON OUTLINE:

(1). The Lord Can Be Trusted (vs 1-11).

(2). The Lord Understands Your Situation (vs 12-20).

(3). The Lord Blesses His People (vs 21-31).

(4). The Lord Judges The Wicked (vs 32-40)

SERMON BODY:

ill

• I would guess that we are all familiar with the Dutch Christian Corrie ten Boom;

• Who, along with her father and other family members,

• Helped many Jews escape the Nazi Holocaust during World War II;

• As a result she was imprisoned for it.

• Her most famous book, The Hiding Place, describes the ordeal.

• Corrie ten Boom had a number of well-known sayings;

• “Worry does not empty tomorrow of its sorrow, it empties today of its strength.”

• “Never be afraid to trust an unknown future to a known God.”

• “If you look at the world, you'll be distressed.

• If you look within, you'll be depressed. If you look at God you'll be at rest.”

• One of my favourites is: “Don't bother to give God instructions; just report for duty.”

• Corrie own favourite saying was; ‘Don’t wrestle just nestle!’

• When we are close to God, nestling in his love,

• We don’t have to wrestle with unresolvable issues.

• We can simply trust a loving God to do the right thing

• The theme of this psalm is ‘Don’t wrestle just nestle!’

• David the psalmist tells his readers again and again;

• Not to ‘fret’ or be ‘envious’ of those who choose to do wrong.

Note: Two things by way of introduction:

• FIRST: Psalm 37 is a wisdom Psalm, a teaching Psalm.

• It is hard to outline because it appears to be a string of short, unconnected sentences,

• It reads a bit like sections of the book of Proverbs.

• That may be because in the Hebrew language this psalm is an acrostic,

• Each of the Hebrew stanzas (roughly every two verses in the English translation).

• Starts with the successive letters of the Hebrew alphabet.

• SECOND: If your Bible has titles above the psalms;

• You will note that David is identified as the author

• Verse 25 tells us that he wrote this psalm late in life,

• He writes: “Now I am old”.

• So the psalm is written in his old age after a lifetime of reflection,

• And as David ponders and deliberates he writes down for us how God;

• Deals with both the righteous and the wicked.

(1). The Lord Can Be Trusted (vs 1-11).

“Do not fret because of those who are evil

or be envious of those who do wrong;

2 for like the grass they will soon wither,

like green plants they will soon die away.

3 Trust in the LORD and do good;

dwell in the land and enjoy safe pasture.

4 Take delight in the LORD,

and he will give you the desires of your heart.

5 Commit your way to the LORD;

trust in him and he will do this:

6 he will make your righteous reward shine like the dawn,

your vindication like the noonday sun.

7 Be still before the LORD

and wait patiently for him;

do not fret when people succeed in their ways,

when they carry out their wicked schemes.

8 Refrain from anger and turn from wrath;

do not fret – it leads only to evil.

9 For those who are evil will be destroyed,

but those who hope in the LORD will inherit the land.

10 A little while, and the wicked will be no more;

though you look for them, they will not be found.

11 But the meek will inherit the land

and enjoy peace and prosperity”.

Notice:

• In this section David gave one negative instruction; “Don’t fret”.

• In fact he says that three times in verses 1, 7 & 8.

• The word ‘fret’ means to ‘burn up, to get heated up’;

• David’s message was, ‘Be cool and stay cool’ – don’t become anxious!

• So David gave one negative instruction; “Don’t fret”.

• But notice he gives four positive instructions:

• Verse 3: “Trust in the Lord”

• Verse 4: “Delight in the Lord”

• Verse 5-6: “Commit yourself to the Lord”

• Verse 7: “Rest in the Lord”.

Ill:

• Early in his missionary explorations,

• David Livingstone was prevented by a local chieftain from crossing through his territory.

• After several days of futile bantering back and forth.

• Livingstone whipped out his revolver and demanded to go through.

• It was a move that Livingstone always regretted,

• For it was not in keeping with Psalm 37, which was his favourite Psalm.

David Livingstone often quoted Psalm 37 verse 5;

• e.g. When he gave a friend a Bible, he inscribed it with Psalm 37 verse 5;