Psalm 37: 1-9
1 Do not fret because of those who are evil or be envious of those who do wrong; 2 for like the grass they will soon wither, like green plants they will soon die away.
3 Trust in the LORD and do good; dwell in the land and enjoy safe pasture. 4 Take delight in the LORD, and he will give you the desires of your heart.
5 Commit your way to the LORD; trust in him and he will do this: 6 He will make your righteous reward shine like the dawn, your vindication like the noonday sun.
7 Be still before the LORD and wait patiently for him; do not fret when people succeed in their ways, when they carry out their wicked schemes.
8 Refrain from anger and turn from wrath; do not fret—it leads only to evil. 9 For those who are evil will be destroyed, but those who hope in the LORD will inherit the land.
I believe God brings us all to moments in time in our lives that make us ask this question…Where are you God? I believe this question is amplified in our minds when we look around us and see those who defy God openly and those who cheat, lie, and steal seemingly get away with it….we want to know why this happening is?
If I went around the room this morning and asked you when was your day of questioning God…asking Where are you….I’m pretty sure most of you could come up with a specific time in your life where this was made real for you. So as we go through this message today, ask yourself this question….How did you deal with that question? What was your conclusion?
I want to share a couple of my memories that I have as I grew up and was brought to a place where this question became real to me.
The first time I remember ever wondering what God was doing was when I was in the 3rd or 4th grade, we were living in Colorado Springs, CO. and my parents were attending Nazarene Bible College and working full time jobs. My twin brother and I along with my little sister had to go to a baby sitter from time to time, so one of the other NBC students had a teenage daughter who would come over and watch us, or we would go to their house. When you’re are 8 or 9 years old, you don’t really pay attention to much to who is watching you….you just want to know what kind of games are available…but we really liked our new friend who watched us from time to time. She got the flu, I remember that we prayed for her…but she got worse, the flu settled in her heart, and at the age of 16 she died. I remember her parents and how heartbroken they were as a family, and as an 8/9 year old kid, I remember asking God why did he allow this Christian girl to die when there were so many bad people in the world who didn’t even care about Him?
That’s when the first principle that I want to share with you was reinforced in my mind by my parents and those who were teaching me about this Christian life….
1. This World is not our ultimate destination, we are just passing through. . 9 For those who are evil will be destroyed, but those who hope in the LORD will inherit the land.
One of the ideas that I believe we need to come to realize about the Christian life and how we are to approach our lives is this: True blessing has nothing to do with getting “things” or gaining “wealth” in this life. True blessing has everything to do with knowing Jesus Christ and inheriting everlasting life with Him in Heaven.
John 16:32-33…. Jesus is speaking to his disciples, letting them know that there will be trouble, but He has an answer….32 “A time is coming and in fact has come when you will be scattered, each to your own home. You will leave me all alone. Yet I am not alone, for my Father is with me.33 “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”
Jesus shares some important clues here for us….when he was going through this time of great trial, when all his friends ran and left him….he knew something very important that we all need to get ahold of…. “..for my Father is with me.” Jesus knew His Father, our Heavenly Father, was always with him, even when this trouble and trial and the Cross were in his near future.
Have you come to that place in your life where you know God the Father is with you, even during the tough times? Jesus then goes on to reassure his disciples by telling them the truth, He said, “In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”
Jesus has already went to battle for us, He has won the ultimate fight with sin and death and He came out the victor, and because we belong to Him, we have this same victory and we will share in this victory for all eternity. While we wait for that great reward, we live in a sin sick world that needs to hear about what Jesus has done for us….but many, many will live in sin and practice evil and will reject us and the message we have….but we need to see the big picture, we are just passing through, so we need to do all we can, while we still can for those who are lost.
Our passage says, “but those who hope in the Lord will inherit the Land.” In v. 9
As an 8/9 year old, I was taught that even though it was tragic and very sad that our friend died, she was a Christian, and she was in heaven and was enjoying the greatest gift that has ever been offered. Her name was Lisa; Lisa made it through to her inheritance…. How about you…will you focus on the problems and the injustice…or will you see the bigger picture and realize you have an inheritance waiting for you……that choice makes a world of difference in how we live.
The second principle that I have learned comes out of verse 1 in Ch. 37 of this Psalm…
2. What are you using to measure your life by? Be careful how you measure! V. 1-2
1 Do not fret because of those who are evil or be envious of those who do wrong; 2 for like the grass they will soon wither, like green plants they will soon die away.
This week in my math class, one of the questions was this: Estimate how many meters is the top of the white board in your classroom? It was a very simple question; it was testing to see if they understood how long a meter was.
The truth is this, if you are using the wrong measure, if you are using the wrong ideas to measure how you’re Christian life if going…..you are going to come up with the wrong answers…the wrong conclusions.
I will say, most of my 6th grade students came up with reasonable answers, most said two or three meters, considering we use meter sticks almost every week I was thinking they would be able to do this. I measured it and the top was just over two meters. I had some who said it was 5 meters….by the way a meter is just over 3 feet or one yard. I had some that said it was over 100 meters, and one that said around 1,000 meters….
Friends, if you are trying to measure your life based on the measure the World uses…such as possessions, financial gain, power, marital status, the list could go on forever….the things that the world says is success is not what God looks at as success. If you’re using the wrong measuring stick, you’re going to always come up with the wrong answer.
Verse one instructs us “Do not fret because of those who are evil or be envious of those who do wrong;”… I think when we look at possessions and things as a measure, we will easily fall into the trap of envy….wishing for what others have, thinking that it will bring happiness. Our happiness will never be found in some possession, or some amount of money….our happiness comes through knowing Jesus Christ and trusting in Him.
What happens to all those things we look at and think we need them? Verse two tells us…. 2 for like the grass they will soon wither, like green plants they will soon die away.
Last night at the Beast Feast, our speaker was Alex Kendrick, the writer, producer, and main character in Courageous, Facing the Giants, and others that we have watched. He gave his testimony, telling how he and his two brothers grew up making movies in the back yard, blowing up things, always getting in trouble for doing dangerous things just to get it on film. He also talked about the miracles that have happened over the years as they started producing these films. These awesome films have been produced by one church in Southern GA. They started with no money, they had to pray in the first $20,000 just to get the basic equipment to begin the ministry, God just started sending money to him for this project, because he wasn’t allowed to ask for it. The one statement that he made a couple of times that hit home….. “There is a big difference between good plans and God’s Plans.”
In other words, we make think we know what is best for us, but the truth is God’s plan for us is so much better, if we will just surrender our will to Him and give Him control of our lives.
If he is in control, we will not feel the need to compare ourselves to anyone else….the only thing we need to look at is this, are we totally surrendered to God’s plan for my life.
The plans that are not of God will soon wither, and pass away. But the plans that are from God will prosper and will bring a great reward spiritually to all that are blessed by it. Which one would you rather be a part of?
So Pastor, how should we live in this wicked and selfish world?
3. Live like Jesus with Passion for God so that His Light will Shine in the Darkness. V5-6
5 Commit your way to the Lord; trust in him and he will do this: 6 He will make your righteous reward shine like the dawn, your vindication like the noonday sun.
About 3 years ago, Nola and I came to one of those times in your life where you are forced to choose how you will proceed in life. I’ve shared it before, so I won’t go into the details, but a combination of events all collided at once it seemed….health, finances, future plans, failed dreams…and the question was real….God where are you in all of this? We are serving you, we are doing everything we know to do for you, yet it seems like everything that we care about is falling apart!
Have you ever been there? It brings you back to the basics of your Faith. It brings you back to that simple question. Am I going to trust God with my life or not? In our passage it uses the word, “Commit”…. Will you go all in with God, will you Commit yourself to the Lord even if you don’t understand what is going on around you? Will you trust in Him?
Nola and I told God….we still belong to you, do what you will and we will follow. I can tell you that God has never failed us, He has seen us through in every area that we were struggling in…God’s Grace is amazing.
When you come to those times of question, just recommit yourself to Live Like Jesus, be passionate about doing the Father’s Will and God’s Word says, it promises you this…. “He will make your righteous reward shine like the dawn, your vindication like the noonday sun.”
Trust in Him today, know that your righteous reward awaits you…and God will be with you no matter the situation.
