Psalm 15
“LORD, who may dwell in your sanctuary? Who may live on your holy hill? He whose walk is blameless and who does what is righteous, who speaks the truth from his heart and has no slander on his tongue …
“Who does his neighbor no wrong and casts no slur on his fellowman, who despises a vile man but honors those who fear the LORD, who keeps his oath even when it hurts …
“Who lends his money without usury and does not accept a bribe against the innocent. He who does these things will never be shaken.”
Psalm 15:1, 4a
“LORD, who may abide in Your tabernacle? Who may dwell in Your holy hill? He … who keeps his oath even when it hurts …”
I remember the first time I really saw that phrase in Psalm 15:4 -
“He …who keeps his oath even when it hurts …”
I thought, “Now, that is integrity!”
But, how would that play out in everyday life?
What if you were a 13 year old boy who had been taught the concept of righteousness where, “… he who swears to his own hurt and does not change …” is a way a Christian lives to honor God. And, you have a part time job making about $10-$15 dollars a week and you buy a little old dirt bike for $100 and the seller let you pay $25 with a promise to make three more payments of $25. Then before you get it home the engine seized up. Would you make the payments anyway? Or would you drag the bike back and demand a refund and refuse to pay any more? Would you keep your oath even when it hurts?
Remember, you made a promise with no strings attached so in essence you “swore to your hurt”, to your financial loss.
Would you change the deal, give the bike back and refuse to make the remaining payments or would you take the loss and pay what you promised?
What if you were the best shortstop in the major leagues and the year before you had signed a 10 year contract for $10,000,000 and this year the third best shortstop in the major leagues had just signed a 10 year contract for $13,000,000. Would you honor the contract you signed or demand a renegotiation?
What if you said to God that you would follow Him faithfully for the rest of your life, putting His desires ahead of yours and you were faced with a tough decision?
This presidential election (2012) provides us with just such a choice:
One candidate when backed into a corner claims to be a Christian and yet
He supports abortion on demand
He supports legitimizing homosexual marriage
He is pursuing the intrusion of government into the church through the courts in order to force churches to pay for health insurance that would provide coverage for abortions and birth control
The other candidate is not a Christian although the Mormons claim to be a part of the wider Christian community many of their beliefs are in disagreement with the Holy Bible and yet
He supports protecting the lives of unborn children
He supports the protection of Biblical marriage
He supports the protection of religious freedom
How do you make such a decision?
OK. Let’s take politics out of it, OK? And, let’s refocus on the Holy Scripture that we started out with.
Psalm 15:1, 4a
“LORD, who may abide in Your tabernacle? Who may dwell in Your holy hill? He … who keeps his oath even when it hurts …”
Let’s say that you’re looking for a job and in spite of the present economy you get two job offers.
Job #1 - Pays $50,000 per year and has great benefits.
The company openly supports the homosexual agenda with funds and setting up food and drink stands at gay pride rallies.
The company claims to be open minded and tolerant but you have been told by people who work there that if you have an opposing point of view you’d better keep it to yourself and you must keep your religion to yourself as well.
Job #2 - Pays $40,000 per year and has fair benefits.
The company is silent on the moral issues of the day.
As you walk through the building for interviews you see indications in people’s cubicles of a variety of personal values both political and religious.
Now, here’s the thing; you’ve prayed and prayed as to which one you should take but God is not giving you any clear indication in prayer.
You know that the Bible says to provide for your family and both opportunities would accomplish that goal with Job #1 coming out $10,000 per year ahead on that one.
You know what the Bible says about sexual sin and by working for Job #1 you would indirectly be supporting the agenda of a group seeking to undermine the Biblical structure of marriage and the family. And you know that in that company you would not be able to openly speak about your faith in Christ.
You know that in Job #2 you would make enough to care for your family but at a much lower salary, you would not be knowingly supporting a company which endorses and supports an immoral lifestyle and you would be able to speak openly about your faith in Christ whereas in Job #1 you would have to covert about your witness.
Now, remember, you’ve prayed and prayed as to which job you should take but God is not giving you any clear indication in prayer.
However, you do know and love the Word of God and you believe that God speaks through His Holy Word directly to us as His adopted children.
You know where God stands with relation to marriage, the family, sexual immorality and witnessing for Christ.
You also know that there is a loss of $192.31 in gross pay each week if you take Job #2.
What do you do?
Psalm 15:1, 4a
“LORD, who may abide in Your tabernacle? Who may dwell in Your holy hill? He … who keeps his oath even when it hurts …”
“He who swears to his own hurt and does not change …”
As Christians we have sworn or made a commitment with our very lives and immortal souls to love God and follow Him faithfully regardless of the consequences here on earth.
As Christians we have dedicated our lives to Christ and to living holy lives and are committed to do so in spite of the financial consequences.
Is that going out on a limb? Is that asking just too much?
Is that just ridiculous and totally against common sense?
As Larry Burkett often asked people calling into his radio show,
“Do you really trust God or do you just say that you trust God?” Good question, isn’t it!
Let’s take a look at this Scripture
Matthew 5:25-33
“Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes?
“Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?
“And why do you worry about clothes? See how the lilies of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these.
“If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will He not much more clothe you, O you of little faith?
“So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them.
“But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.”
“Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well?”
Seek to be a part of the kingdom of God and to be in right standing with Him and He will make sure that you are fed and clothed?
God says in this passage of Scripture that the pagans, the unbelievers run after or pursue these things with all of their might and rightly so because they do not have anyone they can trust in beside themselves.
However, God says, that we need to trust Him for our provision even if it means a difference of $10,000 per year in salary.
Have you ever heard of a litmus test? What is a litmus test?
A simple test for the acidity or alkalinity of a substance, using litmus paper.
In recent times the term litmus test has taken on the following meaning: A test that uses a single indicator to prompt a decision.
Illustration:
Federal judges. When federal judges or justices are nominated for the judiciary the come before a committee to see if they should be confirmed. Some of the people on the committee may have a litmus test for these candidates. For instance, a prospective justice might be embraced based on their history of support for abortion or for the right to life. Or, they may be embraced or rejected based on their stance on the constitution of the United States. Should it be interpreted based on its historical context or should it be open to revision by justices as times change?
These are other examples of litmus tests
An older person looking for a house might reject the house if it has lots of stairs.
A younger person might reject a vehicle because it is not cool enough.
What is the litmus test for Christians?
What is most important to the heart of a true disciple of Christ?
How would such a person weigh choices on the balance scale of decision?
What are the 10 commandments?
No other God
No images or idols
Do not dishonor the name of the Lord
Keep the Sabbath day
Honor your father and mother
No murder
No adultery
No stealing
No lying
No coveting
These are all moral requirements that naturally flow out of keeping the two great commandments of loving God and others - there is nothing in the Ten Commandments or the Two Greatest Commandments that indicate in the slightest sense that finances or the economy should be the litmus test of any decision we make.
Yet, when I hear Christians and even leaders in the Christian community talking about the upcoming elections, 99% of the time I hear, “It’s all about the economy.”
Now, I can see the economy being the litmus test for people who don’t know Christ as their Savior. They have no one to trust, no one to help other than the government. But it should not be that way in the body of Christ, the church!
Do you remember that the original chemical litmus test was a paper strip dipped into a chemical in order to test the properties of the chemical?
Well, we as Christians have our own litmus paper;
it is the Word of God! And, when we see something that needs to be evaluated we need to go to that paper, that book, the Word of God and see what the results are!
In this election there are economic issues and grave moral issues.
When we as Christians make the economy our litmus test for a presidential or congressional election are we not violating the first, second and greatest commandments?
Are we not making an idol out of our financial status violating the second commandment?
Are we not setting that idol of money up ahead of obedience to God and His holy will thereby violating the first commandment?
Are we not in essence saying to God I know in Your Word that You have said that You will care for me but I really don’t trust You to do so, therefore I am voting based on the economy instead of seeking to protect the lives of unborn children and seeking to protect the Biblical definition of marriage and the family?
You see, the second commandment in Exodus 20:4-6 says,
“You shall not make for yourself an idol in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below. You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God,
“punishing the children for the sin of the fathers to the third and fourth generation of those who hate Me, but showing love to a thousand generations of those who love Me and keep My commandments.”
You see, this is really not about politics at all! It’s about obeying what we know to be righteous according to God’s Holy Word. It’s about servants of the Most High God actually serving the Most High God.
Why has there not been an outcry from the church on these moral issues? Or, do we need an outcry?
What if?
What if we as Christians, on a day to day basis, spoke of our love for Christ and how He has saved us from sin and misery and given us a life of wonderful relationship with Him?
What if we fasted and prayed each day for the end to the slaughter of the unborn?
What if we shared the compassion and forgiveness of Christ with those who have participated in taking the life of an unborn child?
What if we, with tears, told a friend of ours that they could be free from the bondage and self loathing that comes with a sexually immoral lifestyle, homosexual or otherwise.
Why do we ask “what if?” because we all know that the people can only be changed by God Himself changing a person from the inside out. Once that change takes place and the laws of God are written on the heart the Holy Spirit will invoke the change and the obedient servant of the Lord will bring his will into conformity with the will of God.
What if, in addition to all of the other what if’s we were so in tune with Jesus and His Holy Word that making a righteous decision was the only natural choice?
What if our hearts were so knit with God’s heart that anything other than the harmony of total obedience was unthinkable?
What if? And, here is that natural outflow of this commingling of our love with His …
We are called by Christ to love Him with all of our hearts and to love others as we love ourselves. Out of that will naturally flow faithfulness to God and to His will as it is found in His Holy Word.
That love and faithfulness will transform the world one person at a time.
It is then, and only then, that the world will be transformed from what it is into what it could be by God’s grace.
It is then, and only then, that we will be living out what God has called us to in this world.
It is then, and only then, that we will find the convergence of these two great powers, love and faithfulness.
It is then, and only then, that we will find the peace of God that passes all understanding.
As it says in Psalm 85:10
“Love and faithfulness meet together; righteousness and peace kiss each other.”
The Lord’s Supper
