It Is Better – 24th February 2008 pm
Have you ever wanted to have something better? Maybe you’ve found yourselves asking for the following:
• I want a better home
• I want a better Job
• I want a better car
• I want a better holiday
• I want a better life
Here are some better things found in the Book of Psalms.
I. Better Wealth – Psalm 37:16-17
All too often in our materialistic culture we put the emphasis in the wrong place. We think that money can buy happiness. The wicked man’s prosperity, however, is just an illusion. It is like the pot of gold that is supposedly found at the foot of the rainbow.
When General Booth asked Cecil Rhodes, the wealthiest man in the world in his day, if he was a happy man, the South African gold and diamond magnate replied, “Me, happy? Good heavens, no!” (Lottery winners – suicide & misery)
Psalm 119:72 The law of thy mouth is better unto me than thousands of gold and silver.
It is after all a matter of priorities. In which world are we investing? Where do we most want to succeed, in the world of business, or in the world of Bible? The psalmist had a better treasure in his Bible than in all the gold in the world (we’ve already seen that gold doesn’t make you happy). He had made his decision, he knew which world he was living for. His treasure was in heaven.
Matthew 6:19-21 Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal: [20] But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal: [21] For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.
What is your priority your possessions on earth or your treasure in heaven?
C.T. Studd was a wealthy Englishman who sold his entire estate, gave the money away, and then went to the mission field to serve Christ. He summed up what motivated him in these words: "Only one life, ’twill soon be past. Only what’s done for Christ will last."
The question is not whether or not you should store up treasures for yourself. That answer to that is—yes, you should! The whole issue hangs on the issue of where you are going to store them, on earth or in heaven.
Jesus says hoarding your treasures on earth is foolish, but hoarding your treasures in heaven is smart.
The exciting thing is, when we give to God, we really don’t lose anything at all; we are simply pushing it on ahead. We are making an investment in the building up of God’s kingdom now that will pay back vast eternal riches to us as dividends later on.
This fact is beautifully illustrated in the story of a sailor who was shipwrecked on a South Sea island. He was seized by the natives, carried shoulder-high to a rude throne, and proclaimed king. He learned that according to their custom the king ruled for a year. The idea appealed to the sailor until he wondered what had happened to all the previous kings. Then he learned that when a king’s reign ended, he was banished to a lonely island to starve to death. So, knowing he was king for the year, this sailor began issuing orders. Carpenters were to make boats. Farmers were to go ahead to this island and plant crops. Builders were to erect a home. When his reign finished, he was exiled, not to a barren isle, but to a paradise of plenty.
II. Better Care – Psalm 63:3
David’s life was threatened and he was in extreme danger. He walked in the valley of the shadow of death. But all thought of danger faded before the thought of God’s grace, His loving-kindness. God doesn’t just offer us kindness but loving-kindness. He doesn’t offer us mercy, but tender-mercy.
Psalm 23:4 Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.
The Lord’s Presence – Thou art with me. So far, David has been using the third person singular to describe the journey. “He leadeth… He makes me lie down… He restoreth my soul… He leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for His name’s sake.”
Suddenly, death looms on the horizon and David no longer talks about the Shepherd, he talks to the Shepherd, Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death , I will fear no evil: for Thou art with me.
Notice something else, this is only the valley of the shadow of death. The shadow of a dog cannot bite, the shadow of a sword cannot kill, the shadow of death cannot harm the child of God. Where there is a shadow there is a light – Jesus (light of the world)
The Lords Protection – Thy rod and Thy staff they comfort me. Eventually everyone of us will come to the waters of death. Who will be there for you. For the child of God, we will look up and see our Shepherd there, rod and staff in hand. He will see us safely over, no foe can daunt us even in the hour of death – absent from the body – present with the Lord.
Precious as life is, it is a barren desert without the grace and loving-kindness of God. It is better than life because it secures for us the life to come, life in a new dimension of eternal bliss.
III. Better Fellowship – Psalm 84:10
David tells us that he had rather be the lowly door keeper in the House of God than to enjoy all the wealth and luxury of evil. In other words, David says that he would rather be found serving the Lord than serving the Devil! I say "Amen" to that! The Bible makes it clear that every saint of God has a special place of ministry and service to the Lord, 1 Cor. 12:7-12.
Now, while some positions are more visible than others, none is any more or less valuable than any other position in the body of Christ. The greatest thing a man can say is that he is being faithful to the task God has called him to. If I had one day to live I would want to be found in my place of service doing what the Lord has called me to do! (Note: He just wants to be in the door, where he can look in every now and again and see the Lord at work.
The words "my God" seem to imply a sense of devotion to God. David is saying that he wants to be found in his place, surrendered to the perfect will of God for his life because it is a better place. In other words, he wants to die on the battlefield faithfully serving the Lord who sought him and bought him out of sin and destruction.
If I had just one day to live, I’d want to live it still surrendered to the Lord’s will for my life. There is no higher calling than that of simply being what the Lord wants you to be! When the Lord is "My God" all of His things will become exceedingly precious to me and I will want to be near Him at all times!
David is telling us by his decision that he believes the Lord’s worst is still better than the devil’s best! You see, the surrendered saint has learned something that the world never gets a handle on, "all the devil’s apples have worms!" Nothing is more satisfying that serving the Lord and knowing that you are in His will. If I had but one day to live, I’d still want to be found in my place serving my sweet Lord! What about you?
IV. Better Trust – Psalm 118:8-9
Who do you trust? Friends? Monarchy? Government?
Suppose the Lord put His confidence in Simon Peter, “Lord, though all men forsake Thee, yet will not I,” Peter said. Jesus knew he would.
What about Herod and Pilate, surely the Lord could put His confidence in them. Nobody could trust Herod Antipas, he was the treacherous son of Herod the great who had massacred the male children of Bethlehem.
The Lord was certainly not going to put His confidence in Pilate. Pilate undoubtedly wished Him well and no doubt would have released Him had it been convenient for him. However, he was more concerned about being Caesars friend than in doing what he knew was right. The Lord was not going to put His trust in man.
So what about us? Who do we trust? Do we put our confidence in man or do we trust the Lord?
19 times we are told in the Bible to “trust in the Lord”
Proverbs 3:5-6
Trust here in the Hebrew means to be confident, to be bold. An example would be like when you go to bed tonight, you lie down trusting that the bed will fully support your weight. Kids will run and jump into bed, and then when you get older you just fall into bed, but either way you don’t give it a second thought. You don’t keep one foot on the floor so that you can get up if the bed won’t support you. You put all of your weight on the bed.
When you put your trust in God, you put all your weight on Him. And that is why God says in our text, “with all your heart”. You either give Him all your trust or none at all. Half hearted trust is like wholehearted doubt. But did you ever ask yourself why you don’t give God your complete trust? Ask yourself, has He ever given you a reason not to trust Him.
I think about a parent raising a child, especially a teenager. You want to trust them but if they give you any reason not to, like you catch them lying to you or something. Then it makes it hard to trust them. But God never has or will never let you down. He has never forsaken you or mislead you. So we should be confident that He is only after our best interest (Even though you might not understand His will) and we should be able to give Him our full trust.
That is why the verse finishes with “And lean not unto thine own understanding”. So you have to ask yourself, am I going to trust God or am I going to lean on my own understanding.
Think about instances we read about in the Bible. When a little boy named David was getting ready to go up and fight someone who was 9’9” tall. King Saul went and brings his own armour and puts on David and Saul was a full-grown man and David says, “Look Saul, I can’t even walk in this”. So I’m sure that Saul was thinking let me see if I can find one your size. But David said no I don’t need them. I trust in the God who killed the lion and the bear to protect me more than I do your fancy armour.
So David went out and chose five smooth stones and he took his sling to go out and face this giant and he took one stone and stuck him in the forehead and killed him. Now that was not under nobody’s understanding, just David trusting in God.
You have Noah building a boat in the middle of the desert without a drop of water in site. And can you imagine how the neighbours mocked him for 40 years? Nobody understood what he was doing, not even his family, and not even Noah. He simply trusted in God and did what God had given him to do. And because of his trust, he and his family were saved from the flood.
Can you imagine the thoughts of Joshua’s army when the battle plan to destroy Jericho was to simply march around the city and blow horns? I can imagine by the third day of doing this, many probably thought that Joshua had been out in the sun too long because of their own understanding. But on that seventh day they marched around that city and blew their horns and then he gave the command to shout and the city fell inward and the city was theirs. Joshua didn’t understand but simply trusted in God.
And that is what King Solomon, the wisest person to ever live, is telling us to do. Trust in God, don’t lean on what you think is best. Just obey Him and do as He says. There might be times in our lives that don’t make sense and we don’t understand but we must simple trust God.
