Steps along Life’s Journey
A Step that Stands – Sermon 3
Psalm 73
What causes us to stumble along Life’s Journey
Viewing life through the eyes of sin
Viewing life from the perspective of Satan
What enables us to Stand Firm along Life’s Journey
Viewing life through the eyes of Faith
Viewing Life from the perspective of the God
Then we understand
the eternity of the wicked
the sinfulness of ourselves
the Mercy and Grace of God
Slide
Intro
Life isn’t fair. Have you ever heard those words before?
I am sure that you have. Either you have said those words yourself or you have had it said to you.
And those words are said because, on nearly a daily basis, we can see things that just aren’t fair, at least according to what we can see.
And it is often more than just being unfair. It seems there is injustice all around.
Turn on the news and we see innocent people, kids, killed in drive by shootings while the shooters remain free.
In our neighborhoods and families, we see those who are good people get cancer, while those who live hard partying lives often seem to live long lives.
In Hollywood, we often see those who live lifestyles that are focused on looking good and having money, seemingly getting all of that and more and being able to do what they want and vacation and when they want, all while they live lives that less than glorify the Lord.
In contrast to that, it seems those who are Christians who are striving to live a godly life, face more difficult circumstances.
Walk into any church and you can find prayer lists filled with people
who have cancer or other illnesses,
who have lost or are in need of a job
who are struggling in marriage relationships
Or maybe you pray about a situation and God doesn’t seem to answer you, but others get what you prayed for without prayer, without asking, even in spite of how they live.
What is going on with that? I thought God, if He is truly Sovereign, would be able to bless the righteous and do justice to the wicked.
So often from what we see, that doesn’t seem to be the case.
Have you ever thought about that and wanted to scream, “Where are you God? Are you even there?”
Well, if you have, you aren’t alone.
In fact, even some of the biblical writers have had some of these same concerns and expressed them in the pages of Scripture.
Today we are continuing our series, “Steps along Life’s Journey” and we are going today look at “A Step that Stands.”
Slide
There will be times in our life when circumstances and events are being used to get us to stumble, to fall back, to maybe even give up on following after the Lord.
It is in those times that we need to recognize that having victory in the moment, is not necessarily found in a step that advances us forward, but in not losing ground, in standing firm at the point the Lord has already brought us.
Sometimes the victory is in still standing after facing situations like this.
Turn with me to Psalm 73.
Slide
We are going to read this Psalm written by Asaph (ah sahf). Asaph was a worship leader under King David. He was a leader among the Israelites, and a godly man.
In this Psalm, Asaph speaks in very real and personal terms as he reveals his struggle with what he is seeing with his eyes and experiencing himself.
I find it so helpful that I can go to God’s word and find other real people who had similar struggles and find help to express my feelings through Scripture and know that God still cares for me.
So let’s read the first part of this psalm and see if we can relate to some of the things Asaph sees or has experienced and see if we can discover why he and we have these struggles.
Psalm 73
1 A psalm of Asaph.
Surely God is good to Israel,
to those who are pure in heart.
2 But as for me, my feet had almost slipped;
I had nearly lost my foothold.
3 For I envied the arrogant
when I saw the prosperity of the wicked.
4 They have no struggles;
their bodies are healthy and strong.
5 They are free from the burdens common to man;
they are not plagued by human ills.
6 Therefore pride is their necklace;
they clothe themselves with violence.
7 From their callous hearts comes iniquity;
the evil conceits of their minds know no limits.
8 They scoff, and speak with malice;
in their arrogance they threaten oppression.
9 Their mouths lay claim to heaven,
and their tongues take possession of the earth.
10 Therefore their people turn to them
and drink up waters in abundance.
11 They say, "How can God know?
Does the Most High have knowledge?"
12 This is what the wicked are like--
always carefree, they increase in wealth.
13 Surely in vain have I kept my heart pure;
in vain have I washed my hands in innocence.
14 All day long I have been plagued;
I have been punished every morning.
15 If I had said, "I will speak thus,"
I would have betrayed your children.
16 When I tried to understand all this,
it was oppressive to me
Let’s stop there a moment and pray.
Ok, Asaph starts out his psalm proclaiming an intellectual truth, Something he knows in his head, that God is good to those who are pure in heart.
If you are a Christian, you have probably been taught that and believe that.
I have been and I do intellectually believe that to be true.
Maybe you are not a Christian here today, and you don’t necessarily believe that.
“How can God be good when the innocent suffer?”
“How can God be good when the wicked prosper?”
“How can God be good when I want to follow Him, but am experiencing so much pain that it is hard to glorify and worship Him!”
Well, I want to tell you whether you are a Christian or not, everyone has struggled at one point or another with the apparent unfairness and injustice in the world and what often seems to be in our own lives!
Here is this worship leader under the great King David struggling with these same things.
Look at what he says in verse 2
2 But as for me, my feet had almost slipped;
I had nearly lost my foothold.
God, I nearly bailed on you, I almost stopped following you because I am having difficulty reconciling a truth that I believe, that you are good, with what I see before my eyes, injustice and unfairness.
This is not some immature believer, but a godly leader who is saying this.
Maybe you have experienced this or are experiencing this right now. Maybe there is a situation in your life that God just doesn’t seem to be working in and you are wondering where God is and you’re thinking of walking away.
This morning, I am hoping that we can see 3 things through this Scripture.
First, you are not alone in your feelings. Others have felt this way in history.
Second, that we see some reasons that we may feel like this and
Third, that we would see how we can overcome that feeling and take a step that stands firm in the midst of these feelings.
First, we need to ask
What causes us to stumble along Life’s Journey?
Slide
Well, the things that cause us to stumble are the same things that caused Asaph to nearly stumble.
Notice that the crux of the problem is
what we believe in our head (there is a good God) and
what we see with our eyes (unfairness and injustice) don’t seem to match up.
Now the problem is either with what we believe or with what we are seeing.
Typically, we trust what we see more than what we believe, but sometimes it is hard for us to see everything.
I want you to check this video out. Unless we are truly focused and paying attention, it is hard to pay attention. You are going to see a video of 2 teams passing a basketball. They will be moving around, but see if you can tell me how many times the white team passes the ball.
Video – Awareness test part 1
How many times did the white team pass the ball? (13) How many said 13?
Ok, As you were watching, how many of you saw the moonwalking bear?
Video – Awareness test part 2
Slide after video
Sometimes even when we are paying attention, we don’t see everything, because we are paying attention to other things.
This is why it is so important to understand what it is we are focused on.
Asaph says in verse 3
Psalm 73:3 - For I envied the arrogant when I saw the prosperity of the wicked.
Asaph was focused on stuff and he was coveting their stuff.
His ability to see clearly was being affected by his own sin.
One of the things that causes us to stumble is
Viewing life through the eyes of sin
Slide
The tenth commandment tells us in Exodus 20:17 that you shall not covet.
That is exactly what Asaph was doing.
And when we are looking with sinful eyes, we are often missing other things that are really going on, because we are focused solely on one thing.
If we do not recognize the sin that is in our lives, and allow ourselves to be overcome with this sinful view, we not only set ourselves up to stumble, but we start to believe lies and we open ourselves up to
Viewing Life from the perspective of Satan
Slide
Look at the next verses
4 They have no struggles;
their bodies are healthy and strong.
5 They are free from the burdens common to man;
they are not plagued by human ills.
Now it may appear at times that many of the wicked have no struggles, but the fact of the matter is that everyone has struggles.
But when sin creeps into our lives, we now open ourselves to the deceptions of Satan to believe the lies that he tells us.
“They don’t have any struggles.”
“Their marriage is perfect.”
“Look at all they have and the way they live. “
“Is there really a God that allows them to live disregarding Him and they live the “good life” while you struggle in all aspects of life?”
“If you got rid of the wife or husband you have and got yourself a better one, your life would be better too.”
Those are lies. When we are viewing life through the eyes of sin, we start believing the perspective that Satan is trying to feed us.
The truth may be that
they do have a better financial situation than you.
They may have better health
They may have more fame.
But the lie is that they have no problems.
Whitney Houston
A timely example of this is Whitney Houston.
If we were to look at Whitney Houston’s life 2 weeks ago, there are some who might be thinking and saying what a great life she had.
She is beautiful, she can sing incredibly, she has money, she has fame. I wish I were her!
But our eyes would have been seeing only the superficial and not the reality of what was going on, the struggles with addictions, the failed and abusive marriage, the life that needed to be lived while medicated just to get through each day.
When we are viewing life through our own sinfulness, even when we see some things that are true, (they have fame, they have money) Satan lies and we believe the false conclusions he leads us to.
Look at the next verses of this psalm. They contain some truths, but then he believes a false conclusion.
Psalm 73:6-12
6 Therefore pride is their necklace;
they clothe themselves with violence.
7 From their callous hearts comes iniquity;
the evil conceits of their minds know no limits.
8 They scoff, and speak with malice;
in their arrogance they threaten oppression.
9 Their mouths lay claim to heaven,
and their tongues take possession of the earth.
10 Therefore their people turn to them
and drink up waters in abundance.
11 They say, "How can God know?
Does the Most High have knowledge?"
12 This is what the wicked are like--
always carefree, they increase in wealth.
Those who are not following God, may scoff and speak with malice.
They may threaten and mock God.
But they will not always be carefree and increase in wealth.
We take the lie and draw an extreme and false conclusion and it leads us to believe a lie about God and about our own life.
Look what Asaph says in
Psalm 73:13-16
13 Surely in vain have I kept my heart pure;
in vain have I washed my hands in innocence.
14 All day long I have been plagued;
I have been punished every morning.
15 If I had said, "I will speak thus,"
I would have betrayed your children.
16 When I tried to understand all this,
it was oppressive to me
Asaph is saying, it isn’t worth it.
I strive to live a pure and holy life and what does it lead?
Pain, heartache, and confusion.
The unrighteous live an ungodly life and where does that lead?
To money and success and fame.
It is not worth it.
I am certain most of us have been there and thought this at one point or another.
The truth is though that our view has been distorted. We are seeing through the eyes of sin, probably selfishness or covetousness like Asaph, and we are seeing from the perspective that Satan is guiding us to by his lies.
Even if what was being said was completely true, that they have no problems and we do, we are only seeing snapshot of the present situation, not a complete picture.
Well, is this it?
Do we chalk it up to say well, I don’t get it, oh well?
When we are feeling like this, how can we keep taking steps on Life’s Journey in a way that glorifies the Lord?
Stand Firm
Well realize that there will be times that a step of victory, a step of faith, is not necessarily a step that takes new ground, but a step that doesn’t lose ground. A step that stands firm.
What enables us to Stand Firm along Life’s Journey
Slide
Is there anything?
Well, let’s see what Asaph says and does.
Psalm 73:16-17
16 When I tried to understand all this, it was oppressive to me
17 till I entered the sanctuary of God;
Something happens to Asaph right here.
He is seeing and not understanding all of these things, he says until, he entered the sanctuary of God.
Now Asaph was a worship leader. Was he not regularly going to the sanctuary of God, wasn’t he going to church?
I am sure he was. I am sure there are some here today that come here on a regular basis, that struggle with some of the thoughts that Asaph had.
But when we come before God with God’s people and open ourselves up to hear from God, when we have ears to hear, God works in unique ways.
Sometimes we come with hard hearts.
Sometimes people don’t come at all thinking, I don’t need to go to church to worship God, I can do that by myself out in nature or in my own home.
Now while there is truth to part of that, the reality is that you cannot truly worship the Lord by yourself UNLESS you are also worshiping God corporately with God’s people.
There is something unique that God does in us when we are open to hearing Him in the midst of corporate worship and teaching that typically does not happen apart from that.
That is why the author of Hebrews tells us not to give up meeting together as some are in the habit of doing (Hebrews 10:25).
When we enter into the sanctuary of God with God’s people, we come into His presence in a unique way and He helps us to truly see and begin
Viewing Life through the eyes of Faith
slide
As Asaph came into the presence of the Lord, God exposed the sin in his life so he could repent of it and be forgiven, and he could see with the eyes of faith.
When we start to view life through the eyes of faith, we can that start
Viewing life from the perspective of the Lord
Slide
It is from this perspective, that the things of this world begin to be seen in the proper way.
We will be able to view the pleasures of this world appropriately as well as the pains of this world.
A Bad day from our perspective AND God’s perspective
Have you ever had such a bad day, where nothing went right?
You woke up late and in a rush to get to work, you didn’t have time to make your lunch. You hop in your car and it won’t start. Now you have to run to catch the bus.
You finally make it to work only a little late, but with a lot of stress.
You figure you will make up what you missed by cutting your lunch a little short. You go to grab a sandwich at the sandwich shop and as they are serving it up, they drop it. The other person makes you a new sandwich, but now you have to eat on the run to make it back.
The day ends, and you get back on the bus to go home and you get a call and your phone dies.
After finally getting home, you walk in and see Jesus sitting on the couch.
A little agitated by all that you went through today, you ask Him, where He was today when everything seemed to be going wrong and you were suffering so much stress.
He says, I was here all along.
This morning the death angel was at your bed, so I sent another angel to battle him. I let you sleep through that.
Jesus goes on, “I didn’t let your car start this morning, because there was a drunk driver that was on the streets you take to go to work and he would have hit you if you were on the road.
The first person who make your sandwich was sick and I didn’t want you to catch what they had, because I knew you needed to be at work.
And I made your phone go dead because the person on the other end was going to give false witness about what you said on that call. I didn’t want to even let you talk to that person so you would be covered.
You sit there humbled and say, I had no idea that all that was going on. I am so sorry God.
Jesus says, just learn to trust me more, in everything, the things you see as good and even the things that you see as bad. Remember, that my plan for you is always better than your plan for you
_________________
When we are trusting the Lord and seeing from His perspective, we begin to see the whole picture in ways that we can’t when we are viewing life through the eyes of sin and selfishness and from the perspective of Satan.
Instead, He helps us to begin to understand things from His perspective.
The Psalm goes on to say that when he entered the sanctuary of God and came into His presence , he began to understand more.
First, he began to understand
… the eternity of the wicked
Slide
Psalm 73:17-20
17 till I entered the sanctuary of God;
then I understood their final destiny.
18 Surely you place them on slippery ground;
you cast them down to ruin.
19 How suddenly are they destroyed,
completely swept away by terrors!
20 As a dream when one awakes,
so when you arise, O Lord,
you will despise them as fantasies.
While they may enjoy some earthly pleasures, this will be all they enjoy unless they repent of their sin and receive Christ as Savior.
Remember how in the beginning part of the psalm, the psalmist talked about how his foot had almost slipped. But now he sees the reality of the situation in that the wicked are the ones on the slippery ground.
When we see from God’s perspective and understand this,
we no longer envy the wicked or what they have, but
we pity and ache for the wicked and what they lack, eternal life.
Understanding and knowing the hope we have been given of eternal life, is going to help us stand firm in our life’s journey so when the time comes to move forward, we are not making up ground we had already covered, but are moving forward with new steps of faith.
But as we see from God’s perspective, we not only understand the eternity of the wicked, but also
… the sinfulness of ourselves
Slide
Psalm 73:21-22
21 When my heart was grieved and my spirit embittered,
22 I was senseless and ignorant; I was a brute beast before you.
Asaph saw his envy for the sin that it was and repented.
When we are in the presence of the Lord, we see our sin more clearly and can repent of it, Like Isaiah in Isaiah 6 when he saw the Lord. Probably the most godly man in Israel at the time, when he came into the presence of the Lord, he saw his sin for what it truly was and repented and said,
Isaiah 6:5 - "Woe to me!" I cried. "I am ruined! For I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips, and my eyes have seen the King, the Lord Almighty."
As we walk in faith and see from God’s perspective, we understand how sinful we are.
And as we understand and see our sin, we are given the promise of being cleansed as we confess and repent.
1 John 1:9 - If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.
Finally, as we see from God’s perspective, we begin to understand better,
… the Mercy and Grace of God
Slide
Psalm 73:23-28
23 Yet I am always with you;
you hold me by my right hand.
24 You guide me with your counsel,
and afterward you will take me into glory.
25 Whom have I in heaven but you?
And earth has nothing I desire besides you.
26 My flesh and my heart may fail,
but God is the strength of my heart
and my portion forever.
27 Those who are far from you will perish;
you destroy all who are unfaithful to you.
28 But as for me, it is good to be near God. I have made the Sovereign LORD my refuge;
I will tell of all your deeds.
God is good even when life doesn’t seem fair. It only doesn’t seem fair because we don’t see the whole picture as clearly as God does.
Even when we understand all this, when we face difficulties or we are disappointed in some circumstance, it will still be emotionally hard for us, but take heart in knowing that even in the midst of what you are facing, God is working things out in your life in accordance with his mercy and grace.
When we begin to understand that, it won’t take away all the pain and disappointment, but will help us get over it more quickly and stand firm in our faith.
Conclusion
Maybe the Lord has brought you here today because you have been facing some circumstances in your life that don’t seem fair or that it doesn’t seem like God is answering you.
I know He has for me. I needed this today. I needed to hear this and be in God’s presence with God’s people worshiping Him.
God is good, even when I don’t understand it all. Believe that and stand firm in Him.
Worship team come up
I am going to have the worship team come up and we are going to close in worship.
Hopefully, you have experienced the Lord’s presence as you have come here today.
Maybe you have come to church today feeling like Asaph, nearly falling back, nearly losing your footing of faith.
Take a step that stands firm today.
Whatever the circumstance or situation you are facing that has brought disappointment, confusion, or has stirred up feelings of unfairness, bring it to the Lord this morning declaring in faith that you are going to stand firm in faith in Christ.
Make the last verse of this song your prayer this morning.
It reads
Hosanna - Last verse
Heal my heart and make it clean
Open up my eyes to the things unseen
Show me how to love like you have loved me
Break my heart from what breaks yours
Everything I am for your kingdoms cause
As I go from nothing to …Eternity
Let’s stand and worship.
