Come Inside and See What Happens
Illus. Last January our family went to Disney World. The kids loved it until we took them on one particular ride. Jordan was a little apprehensive when he read the name, “The Tower of Terror”. But I said to him, “Just go inside and see what happens.” He went inside and his attitude about Disney was forever changed! (describe ride) He was fearful, apprehensive, and didn’t trust anything I said for the rest of the trip!”
Psalm 73:1-3
How many of you had a problem free week this past week? You never had a moment when something challenged you or stressed you out?
•Had more than enough money to pay all your bills.
•Everyone in your family was strong and healthy.
•This past week you realized your life is great, couldn’t be any better.
•In fact, when you walked into this place today with your life just as it should, be in every way, you thought to yourself, I am so together, I ought to be bringing the message this morning!
•Your life is perfect, and so are you. Anyone feel like that describes them this morning?
The Psalmist in Psalm 73 has a problem. He knows his life is not as it should be. In fact, he describes the severity of the problem like this, “My feet almost slipped. My steps nearly went astray.”
A problem in his life nearly caused Him to fall away from God. And he goes on the describe the problem.
“I envied the arrogant; I saw the prosperity of the wicked.”
How many of you had an envy free week this week? The thought of being jealous of someone else never entered your mind.
•Never occurred to you to think, “I wish I had that person’s job, status, marriage, personality, waistline, hairline, or bottom line.
•You are the picture of contentment, with the things of your life, the relationships in your life, pretty much everything about your life is just the way you want it to be.
Does this sound like anyone here this morning?
Or maybe, there is someone listening to me right now, who walked into this building and you had a problem you couldn’t solve, you had a knot in your stomach you’ve been carrying around for days.
And maybe, this morning, something has happened inside you. Maybe you felt a kind of hope well up inside of you here this morning. Maybe you started to think that this God the choir was singing about, and this God who is so great, could actually make things different in your life. Maybe someone remembered the words of Paul, who while in prison wrote, “I can face all things in Christ, who strengthens me.”
Just maybe the thought was birthed inside you, that the God who delivered Daniel from the lion’s den, and David from Goliath, could also deliver you from the problems that that are on your mind today.
And maybe the thought came to you that deliverance is going to come your way. Maybe not today, and maybe not tomorrow, but now you believe it’s coming. And maybe all this has happened simply because you came into this place today!
You came to church today, and here’s what happened…you got ambushed by God! And you are not quite the same as you were just an hour ago.
That’s because when we worship, something happens!
When we come inside the house of God, and experience something of God, the love of His people, the sense of belonging, here’s what happens…
…Our hearts get full of joy!
…we become more grateful for what we have.
…We get filled up with confidence and hope because we’re reminded that God is mighty, and awesome, and amazing.
…And we’re humbled.
…and we get excited about others knowing this God whom we love and serve.
…and we start looking forward to that day when we’ll see Him with our own eyes. And will spend eternity in His presence.
When we worship all of that happens. BUT…
When we stay away from the house of God, and our mind is away from God Himself, then…
•we become anxious about tomorrow.
•we envy people who have what we don’t.
•we develop a sense of entitlement, “I ought to have this.”
•And it chokes off our gratitude.
•we become negative and judgmental towards other people.
•we get discouraged and easily defeated by setbacks.
That’s the none-worshipping mind.
I don’t think there is a clearer example in all of scripture that shows us the difference between the none-worshipping mind, heart and life and the worshipping mind, heart and life, than Psalm 73.
We’ve already seen the first 3 verses,
Verse 4… I don’t think most of us could honestly have that on our headstone. “He had an easy time, then he died.”
He’s not describing my life. He’s describing the kind of people who end up on GQ or Esquire magazine covers.
We look at them and see their airbrushed perfection. No blemishes, no wrinkles, no fat! Their bodies are well fed, in shape!
Verse 5… They’re life doesn’t have trouble like ours. They don’t have the problems I have. They’re leading the good life!
Verse 6…Because everything is turning out so well for them, “Pride is their necklace”. They flaunt their pride, the way people are proud of their jewelry.
They’re proud and arrogant. They think they have life figured out.
Verse 7… “Their eyes bulge from fatness.” They don’t know hunger. They don’t know need. They have everything they want and need, and plenty of it. Whatever they imagine, they can have!
Verse 9…And they brag about their life. They boast before heaven and they boast before the people of earth!
Not just that, verse 10… “Therefore, precisely because their lives are turning out so well, His people turn and drink in their overflowing waters.” They drink it all in.
Instead of them being the objects of moral judgment, they are envied and praised! Not just by anyone but by His people. God’s people. The church!
These godless people have become role models for the church.
Sound familiar? Check out the people you listen to on the radio, CD’s, the shows you watch, the people we cheer for on the football fields, and the basketball courts, how many of them are anti-Christian in their life, in their lyrics? Yet we put up posters of them, and pay for their CD’s and their DVD’s and watch their shows, and support their godless lifestyle. And even worse, we idolize them for their success!
These are the people the Psalmist was watching. They’re godless but they’re successful. He looked at them with envious eyes. He wanted what they had! God’s people were looking at them and saying, “They know how to live! They’re our role models.”
Worst still, they openly mock God. Verse 11…
They say, “How can God know? Does the Most High know everything?”
They’re mocking God. Basically they’re saying, Why should I inquire of God, or live the way God says to live. After all. I’m doing pretty well on my own. I know everything I need to know?
The Psalmist says, “They’re wicked, and they openly mock God.”
What makes it worse is that I am trying so hard to be righteous…
Look at verse 12-13… I have tried to serve God and live His way…but what good is it doing? I’m not getting nicer clothes, bigger houses, better cars. I’m making all these sacrifices, for what?!?
Verse 14…I struggle! I have problems. Where’s the payoff?
Verse 15… Notice the importance of community here. “If I had decided to say these things out loud…”
He is living with all this doubt and conflict inside of Him. He’s not happy. But he hasn’t told anyone about it. I wonder how many of us are like that. How many of us have hurts and questions and conflicts raging inside, but we haven’t told a soul.
He goes on and tells why he has kept quiet. “I would have betrayed your people.” He’s thinking about his church family. His relationship to them is keeping him from taking this to the next level.
He doesn’t want to betray them. Maybe they are the only thing keeping him true here. Times resisted temptation as a youth, because I couldn’t bear to hurt my Dad. Betray him.
Verse 16… Powerless to understand it. Hanging on to his spiritual integrity by a thin thread. The unfairness of life and his unhappiness has led him to depression, discouragement. Hopeless!
But look at verse 17. This verse makes all the difference. “Until I entered God’s sanctuary.”
In God’s house something happened!
He practiced the discipline of assembly with God’s people. He came in, and saw what happened!
He engaged in worship. And He was changed!
“Then I understood their destiny.” “The way I was looking at things was changed.”
Worship is not about us, but we do get something in it!
See worship helps us get a new perspective!
Verse 18…He has a changed perspective. Why was I envious of them, they’re in the slipperiest of places! One heartbeat away from standing before a just God.
This is a great verse that explains, in a nutshell, why I am committed to evangelism. Because every person is one heartbeat away from eternity! On missed breathe away from standing before God, one heartbeat from giving an accounting for their life!
Your friends and neighbors and co-workers are one heartbeat away! And so are you. And so am I! Life is a slippery place. And verse 19 tells what the godless have to look forward to when the go to eternity.
In worship it was like this light went on. And the Psalmist recognized some things he hadn’t considered.
Verses 21-22… “I was like a brute beast against you.”
Illus. A friend in Erie who had a huge Irish Setter. Truman was not very discriminating when it came to chasing after female dogs. He didn’t much care what kind of dog she was, he was interested.
Truman was getting himself in trouble so my friend put in one of those invisible fences. Collar on dog. If crossed line gave him a shock.
Truman was a big dog. Bothered by shock but not nearly enough to dissuade him from pursuing a female dog!
They upped the voltage, yelp as ran thru fence.
Had a friend who had a pit bull. They bought another battery. Very powerful and overrode the regulator so it would give a much greater shock to the animal. My friend did the same for Truman. In fact, the shock was so great that the dog nearly passed out.
They thought, this will do it! My friend was outside, a female dog passed by, Truman turned his head to one side, like thinking about it. Turned and walked toward back yard. Stopped and began to run, as fast as he could after the female dog.
As he passed thru the barrier he let out a yelp and fell, but his momentum carried him to the edge of the street, past the fence. He lied there for a moment or two, then got up, shook the cobwebs out, and continued the chase!
He has done this several times since. And it’s never really worth it. He always comes back, alone. The relationships never last!
The Psalmist says here, “I was like a brute animal towards you.”
Psalmist says he was like Truman chasing after things that weren’t worth it. Violating God’s boundaries. After spending time in God’s presence, (slide) he was able to diagnose the condition of his heart!
He saw what he had become, and he knew he didn’t want to be like that!
Verse 23…Worship helps us remember…We’re not alone.
God walks with us. Why would we be envious of anyone whop doesn’t experience that!
Verse 24…Because He has worshipped God, (slide) He remembers that he has a new and lasting hope!
What if he hadn’t gone into the sanctuary?
What if he hadn’t experienced the presence of God in worship?
Interesting that from vs. 24 on the Psalmist talks directly to God.
Experiencing these truths:
•Gives Him a New Perspective on His life
•Awareness of the condition of His heart and life
•Reminds him that he has a new and lasting Hope
•And now an intimacy with God.
This week we will celebrate another Thanksgiving day.
I wonder, are you looking at others with an envious eye? Are you looking to, and lifting up the wrong people? Or are you thankful for what God has given you, done for you.
Verses 25-26… You are all I desire! Everything I have may one day end up on the side of the curb in the back of a garbage truck, my very body may falter, sputter and fail…but You God, You are the strength of my life. You are what matters most!
I love the next verse…verse 28…“As for me, God’s presence is my good! I have made the LORD God my refuge, so I can tell about all You do.”
And that is worship! Telling about all God has done! Telling him with our lips, our voices as we sing, our bodies as we live for him, our lives as we serve Him, our resources as we give to him, our talents as we offer whatever we can do, whatever skills we have for Him and His Kingdom and our time. Making ourselves available to Him.
All of this in response to what he has already done for us. All He has done is available to us thru His cross. His death on the cross for you and me. He died so we could have the life the Psalmist realized was His. And it can be yours too.
Praise band is coming and going to lead us in a closing song, “The wonderful Cross.” If God has spoken to you, touched your heart and life this AM, come as they sing, present yourself to Him this morning.
