GOD GOES TO COURT
Text: Ps. 50
Intro:
1. One place I am very uncomfortable with is a courtroom.
2. I've been called to jury duty a couple of times and it just gives a weird feeling in my stomach to be there.
3. Can you imagine being called into God's courtroom?
4. The Psalmist introduces the theme:
A. 3 names: Mighty One, God, the Lord
B. Speaks and summons the earth---as witnesses in the case
C. He operates from Zion, the holy city, where “His house” exists
D. His arrival is in great activity
E. It is the moment of accounting, v. 3, 4b, 6b
F. He judges His people
1. my consecrated ones, my godly ones (‘chesed’ ones)
2. those who made a covenant with me by sacrifice
G. This is an exam of the righteous, by the standard of their
agreement with God. Are you doing what you said you’d do?
I. THE FIRST CHARGE
A. My people Israel, I am God, your God
B. the offering of sacrifices:
1. I don’t rebuke your for your offering
2. But I don’t need them
a) every animal is mine
b) I know every bird in the field, and every creature
c) I am self-sufficient—“if I were hungry…”
d) I don’t eat the sacrifice
C. God is reminding them of who He is:
1. I am Sovereign, I know and have everything
2. I don’t need what you offer
D. this is insight into worship:
1. while it is to his praise and glory, it is more for us
Cf. Ps. 73 “when I entered into the sanctuary, then I knew”
2. He has his own choir, He can arrange whatever he desires…
3. the sacrifices of praise we offer, are more for us, than Him
4. He doesn’t want empty ritual, mechanized motion, heartless
worship---“I’ve done my duty”
E. What do I want?
1. sacrifice of thank offerings---be grateful, thankful
2. fulfill your vows—live genuinely, with integrity, in faithfulness,
“let your speech be yes, and not..”
3. call upon me n the day of trouble---trust me, not you or others
4. I will deliver you---I promise care for you
5. and you will honor me—you will lift my name up
6. cf. Micah 6:6-8
II. THE SECOND CHARGE
A. God calls to those who are “wicked”
1. they appear to be his people
2. what right do you have to recite my laws, to speak my
covenant?
B. charges:
1. you hate my instruction (break the 1st commandment) you
cast my words aside, you don’t listen, you think you know, you
won’t be taught.
2. you join with a thief & throw in with adulterers (break the 7th &
10th commandment) you not only do so yourself, you endorse
and support those who sin against me as well.
3. you use your tongue for evil, you speak to deceive (break the
9th commandment) you scheme and plot, you think about how
to sin
4. you speak against your brother (break the 5th and 9th
commandment) you slander, you cut down, you ruin
reputations of those of your family
5. you formed an opinion of me, that because I was silent I was
like you (break the 1st and 2nd commandment) You thought I
OK’d your behavior.
C. judgment:
1. you will not be unaware of your sins against me, I will list
them for you, you cannot claim ignorance
2. you will be held accountable
3. those who forget God will be torn to pieces, destroyed in
painful punishment
4. they will have no one to come to their rescue, they will stand
alone to answer for their behavior, which reflects their heart.
III. CONCLUSION
A. Honor God with sacrifices of thanksgiving---demonstrate an
honest and humble heart before God
B. This kind of heart opens the door to God’s salvation
Cf. Eph. 4:17-19---hard heart, dark understanding, ignorance,
separate from the life of God, futile
As opposed to rescue, help, not alone
IV. IDEAS TO CONSIDER
A. This Psalm contains many things to consider:
God’s judgment
Our accountability
The standard of judgment---our agreement with God
Lack of ignorance---He has told us what we need to know
Justice & fairness of God
Worship---what does God want?
B. Grace is a part of this psalm
1. God is concerned about his people
2. They are in relationship
3. He wants what is best for them
4. He calls them to a reminder of what he wants, he reminds
them of the basis for their relationship
5. He corrects them and gives them time to correct themselves
C. God calls us into a relationship and we agree to the terms and
commit.
1. God’s holds us accountable to those terms
2. We trust God to save in Christ
3. To take over and trust in ourselves is to break/renege on our
agreement.
4. This is Paul’s argument in Gal. “you started with faith, now you
want to take over and work your way to God?”
5. We are safest when we trust God, then offer him our lives in
accordance with our agreement
Concl. Song # 683---I am mine no more…
