Sermon Outline:
Confidence (vs 1-3)
Admission (vs 4)
Schemers (vs 5-8)
Betrayal (vs 9)
Request (vs 10-12)
Sermon Content:
Ill:
• One day, a mother explained to her five-year-old daughter;
• That if she chose to disobey her, she would have to live with the consequences.
• The little girl looked terrified and said:
• “Please don’t make me live with the Consequences. I want to live here with you!”
• Well, unbeknown to that little girl,
• We all live with the consequences of the choices and decisions that we’ve made.
Quote:
• Robert Louis Stevenson (Scottish Essayist, Poet and Author, 1850-1894)
• "Everybody, sooner or later, sits down to a banquet of consequences.”
BACKGROUND:
This psalm was written by a king who had to live with the consequences of his actions.
• David the king had committed the sin of adultery with a woman called Bathsheeba.
• When Bathsheeba became pregnant;
• David tried to cover up that sin by arranging for her husband Urriah;
• To be placed on the front line in battle, knowing he would be killed.
• Although in time David would realise his folly and later repent of his sin;
• (You can read about it in Psalms 51&52):
• He STILL had to live with the consequences of his foolish actions;
Question: What were those consequences?
Answer:
• Nathan the prophet told him (2 Samuel chapter 12 verse 10);
• That his sin was forgiven, but…“The sword will never depart from your house”.
• David had wrecked a man’s home and family;
• Now he would experience his own home and family in turmoil.
• That turmoil would reveal itself most clearly and painfully;
• In his son Absalom.
Ill:
• Absalom was the third and favourite son of Davidson of David,
• With his wife Maachah, daughter of Talmai (1 Chronicles 3:2, 2 Samuel 3:3)
• 2 Samuel chapter 14 verse 25 describes Absalom;
• ‘As the most handsome man in the kingdom’.
• Absalom decided to rebel against his father;
• And he made a bid for the throne – wanting to be crowned king.
• He built support for himself among the common people;
• By promising justice for all.
• His plan of betrayal seemed to work well as all Israel and Judah flocked to his side,
• And David, with only a handful of supporters was forced to flee and hide.
• You can read the sad story of events in 2 Samuel chapters 11-16.
Note:
• So the background to this Psalm is believed to be the rebellion of Absalom:
• Yet despite the sad and sordid circumstances to this Psalm;
• Notice that it starts off positively with a note of praise.
(1). Confidence (vs 1-3)
Blessed are those who have regard for the weak;
the LORD delivers them in times of trouble.
2 The LORD protects and preserves them—
they are counted among the blessed in the land—
he does not give them over to the desire of their foes.
3 The LORD sustains them on their sickbed
and restores them from their bed of illness.
Ill:
• Rev.Martin Niemoeller was one of Adolf Hitler’s least favourite people,
• Rev. Niemoeller was placed in prison and summoned to a special court.
• He was as you might expect afraid.
• He had no idea what to expect!
• But according to the writer Francis Gay,
• As he was taken along the seemingly endless corridor to the courtroom,
• He heard a low voice speaking in Lating.
• The voice was quoting in the Latin version of the Bible.
• The voice was quoting a verse from the Book of Proverbs:
• "Nomen Domini Turris fortissimo."
The voice was actually one of the guards who was passing on a message to Martin Niemoeller:
• It was a message that only the two of them were able to understand.
• He was passing on a verse of encouragement – Proverbs chapter 18 verse 10.
• "The name of the Lord is a strong tower.
• The righteousness runneth into it, and it is safe."
• They words instantly dispelled Niemoeller’s fears ;
• And renewed again his confidence in God.
Like Niemoeller the Psalmist had an undergirding source of confidence:
• An assured trust in the person, the power, and presence of the Lord
• And not even his difficult circumstances will rob him of that certainty!
Notice:
• God is always on the side of those who cannot defend themselves;
• We see this often throughout the Bible;
• God values the orphan, the widow, the foreigner abroad in a strange country.
• God is always on the side of those who cannot defend themselves;
• That truth is illustrated in verse 1 which starts the psalm off with the words:
• “Blessed are those who have regard for the weak”;
• “You, LORD God, bless everyone who cares for the poor”,
• ill: The word “Blessed” simply means;
• “Happiness, contentment, joy & peace, many times over”.
• ill: It is very similar to the words of Jesus in his sermon on the mount;
• Matthew chapter 5 verse 7: “Blessed are the merciful for they will be shown mercy”.
• How we respond and treat people is how people will respond and treat us;
• ill: Boomerang – what goes out will return.
• ill: “Whatever we sow” – good or bad – “we will reap”.
• Quote:
• "Often it is by lifting the burdens of others do we lose our own".
The psalmist is confident that:
• Blessing awaits those who imitate the Lord;
• How we respond to the weak and poor and the needy;
• Will in part determine our blessings from God.
Note: Verse 3: “The LORD sustains them on their sickbed”
• This is a great picture of God as the loving physician:
• He is pictured at the bedside of the ill patient.
• Continuing, sustaining, dispensing tender, loving care;
(2). Admission (vs 4)
“I said, “Have mercy on me, LORD;
heal me, for I have sinned against you.”
Ill:
• Four preachers met for a friendly gathering.
• During the conversation one preacher said,
• “People come to us and pour out their hears, confess certain sins and needs.
• Let’s do the same, after all. Confession is good for the soul.”
• In due time all agreed.
• One confessed he liked to gamble and would at times sneak to the betting shop.
• The second confessed to liking to drink and at times would get a bit merry.
• The third one confessed to liking to play cards.
• When it came to the fourth one, he wouldn’t confess.
• The others pressed him saying,
• “Come now, we confessed ours. What is your secret or vice?”
• Finally he answered,
• “It is gossiping and I can hardly wait to get out of here.”
Often in the Old (and at times the New) Testament sickness and sin are linked together;
• Many believed if you were sick it was because you had sinned.
• Or maybe as the result of your sinful actions.
Ill:
• At times there may well be a measure of truth in that belief.
• The alcoholic is going to cause his body all sorts of problems by his drunken lifestyle.
• The experts tells us that alcohol abuse damages almost every organ in the body,
• A classic example of how a drunken lifestyle brings on sickness.
BUT not all sickness is the result of sin:
• Sadly that belief grew and developed;
• So that by the time of the New Testament it was fully established.
• That sickness and disability were the result of sin.
Ill:
John chapter 9 - Jesus and the blind man.
“As he went along, he saw a man blind from birth. 2 His disciples asked him, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?”
3 “Neither this man nor his parents sinned,” said Jesus, “but this happened so that the works of God might be displayed in him.””
We are not told if the psalmists sickness was the result of his sin:
• We are told he confessed his sin to God;
• And ill or not it is always good practice to ‘keep short accounts’ with God.
• And in the right context - Quote: ‘Confession is good for the soul’
(3). Schemers (vs 5-8)
5 My enemies say of me in malice,
“When will he die and his name perish?”
6 When one of them comes to see me,
he speaks falsely, while his heart gathers slander;
then he goes out and spreads it around.
7 All my enemies whisper together against me;
they imagine the worst for me, saying,
8 “A vile disease has afflicted him;
he will never get up from the place where he lies.”
Ill:
• Retired Glasgow-born actor Arthur Ferguson lived in the 1920’s.
• He has to be one of life’s great salesmen.
• One summer morning in the 1920s he stood idly in London’s Trafalgar Square.
• He watched, an obviously well-to-do American;
• Began admiring the statue of Admiral Lord Nelson and the column it rested on.
• Struck with a sudden inspiration,
• Ferguson put his remarkable selling ability to work and “sold” Nelson’s column to the American for about $30,000—lions included!
• Not one to rest on his laurels, Ferguson went on from there;
• He sold the famous clock Big Ben to another American for $5,000;
• And took $10,000 from yet another as down payment on Buckingham Palace.
• By the time justice caught up with him,
• Ferguson had added the Eiffel Tower and the Statue of Liberty;
• To the list of his amazing “sales”!
• Furguson was jailed for five years,
• A rather small price to pay for the fortune he had made.
• He was released in 1930, and moved to Los Angeles;
• Where he lived in a lap of luxury until he died in 1938.
In real life nobody likes a schemer – especially if you are the one who got ripped off!
• The psalmist says visitors came calling to see how he was;
• ill: they may bring grapes and flowers with them,
• But as soon as they leave his presence;
• Verse 5: they smile to his face but behind his back they ‘can’t wait for him to die!’
• All they do is slander and gossip and ‘kick him while he is down’.
• There reason for visiting was not to enquire about his health;
• But verses 6-8 say to get gossip and information about him.
• Now if that situation sounds bad;
• It is about to get even worse!
(4). Betrayal (vs 9)
9 Even my close friend,
someone I trusted,
one who shared my bread,
has turned against me.
Ill:
• No treachery is worse than betrayal by a family member or friend.
• Julius Caesar knew such treachery.
• Among the conspirators who assassinated the Roman leader on March 15, 44 B. C.
• Was Marcus Junius Brutus.
• Caesar not only trusted Brutus,
• He had favoured him as a son.
• According to Roman historians, Caesar first resisted the onslaught of the assassins.
• But when he saw Brutus among them with his dagger drawn,
• Caesar ceased to struggle and, pulling the top part of his robe over his face,
• And he asked the famous question, “You too, Brutus?”
Absalom was David’s third and favourite son:
• Alongside Absalom the rebel and usurper was Ahithophel;
• Ahithophel was grandfather of Bathsheeba
• He was formerly one of David’s best friends and a trustworthy counsellor.
• In 2 Samuel chapter 15 verse 31;
• When David heard the Ahithophel had joined the conspirators, he groaned:
• “O Lord, turn Ahithophel’s counsel into foolishness”.
• We do not know how God answered the prayer of David;
• But this verse shows us the hurt that David was experiencing.
(5). Requests (vs 10-12)
10 But may you have mercy on me, LORD;
raise me up, that I may repay them.
11 I know that you are pleased with me,
for my enemy does not triumph over me.
12 Because of my integrity you uphold me
and set me in your presence forever.
Question: When you feel that the world is against you – how do you respond?
Answer:
• For the believer the key is to pray!
• To go into the presence of one who is always for you and has your best interests at heart!
David prays for:
• His health to be restored.
• For the opportunity to ‘pay back’ his enemies ‘like for like’.
• This can be seen as David being vindictive;
• Or David the king wanting justice to take place!
• Having confessed his sin in verse 6 he is now able to say in verse 12:
• ‘Examine me’ let me know your presence day after day after day.
Note: Verse 13:
13 Praise be to the LORD, the God of Israel,
from everlasting to everlasting.
Amen and Amen.
• The one hundred and fifty Psalms were organised;
• By those who compiled them into five sections or books;
• Each of the five sections or books ends with a doxology.
• So it is believed that verse 13 is not part of the original Psalm;
• It is a doxology added to mark the end of the first group,
• The first book of Psalms - from Psalm 1 to Psalm 41.
• These same words are used to close all five sections of the Psalms;
• (Psalm 72:18-19 - 89:52 – 106:48, - 150:6)
(6). The Messianic Connection.
• Only one verse of this psalm can be described as Messianic;
• That is verse 9:
“Even my close friend,
someone I trusted,
one who shared my bread,
has turned against me.”
• Jesus quoted it and applied it to himself in John chapter 13 verses 18-19.
• And applied it to Judas Iscariot his betrayer.
• Notice that only part of the verse is quoted by Jesus in John chapter 13 verse 18-19:
• He omits the words: “Even my close friend, someone I trusted”.
• Jesus knew what kind of man Judas was;
• Judas may have fooled the other disciples – but he did not fool Jesus.
• Jesus knew all about him and therefore he did not fully trust him!
Note: Verse 9:
Quote: The King James Bible translates it:
“Even my close friend, whom I trusted, he who shared my bread,
has lifted up his heel against me.”
Quote: Common English Bible translates it:
Even my good friend, the one I trusted, who shared my food,
has kicked me with his heel - a betrayer!
In these translations the betrayer is pictured in very vivid way:
• It’s one thing to hit or punch someone with a fist.
• We know that the right combination of blows can knock someone unconscious;
• Or in rare cases even be fatal.
• But our legs are much more powerful than our arms.
• A kick strikes with more power and inflicts a deeper pain.
Ill:
• We have probably all seen news footage;
• Of rioters fighting the police or football hooligans or gang violence.
• Where someone is curled up on the ground,
• And those standing around kick at him and drive their heels into his body.
• It’s hard not to wince and grimace thinking about such abuse.
Verse 9 in these translations remind us that:
• Judas did not slap Jesus in the face or spit on him;
• That is what the members of the Sanhedrin did.
• Judas was not among those who whipped Jesus until the flesh was torn,
• Judas did not shove a crown of thorns into his head, or drive nails through his skin.
• That was the work of the Roman soldiers.
We are told that:
• Judas’ only physical contact with Jesus throughout the events that led to his death;
• Was to plant a kiss on his cheek in the Garden of Gethsemane,
• The kiss that turned Jesus over to the men who sought to kill him.
• But that doesn’t mean that kiss of betrayal was any less painful.
• We know from experience that we are most hurt by those who are closest to us.
• If a stranger insults us, we don’t give much attention to their words.
• They don’t even know us.
• If a long-time enemy attacks,
• Well again we might expect it – and we are prepared mentally for it.
• But when someone close to us turns on us, that wound runs deeper:
• The closer the relationship, the deeper our pain.
• And Jesus counted his disciples closer to him than his own family.
• All of them would forsake him before the night was over.
• And Judas would go that extra step and betray him to his enemies!
Note:
• There are three other passages in the Old Testament;
• That speak prophetically of the betrayer:
• Psalm 69 verse 2;
• (fulfilled: Acts chapter 1 verse 20)
• Psalm 109 verse 8;
• (fulfilled: Acts chapter 1 verse 20)
• Zechariah chapter 11 verse 12-13.
• (fulfilled: Matthew chapter 27 verses 9-10)
Like all good traitors:
• There appeared to be nothing in his character or behaviour;
• That hinted at his true spiritual condition,
• And amazingly Jesus never gave him away to the others!
• If anything, Jesus did all He could to rescue Judas.
• Certainly many of his teachings must have pierced the heart of Judas!
• The repeated warnings against love of money should have stopped Judas,
• But he did not heed them.
• Nor did Jesus’ denunciation of hypocrisy;
• Make any impact on this false apostle.
Note: Judas is a warning to us:
• You can become familiar with truth but not respond to it!
• To be a hearer only and not a doer!
• Judas is a warning to us:
• That you can be close to Jesus and yet at the same time be far, far away!
