Intro:
1. “One penalty of living near God is keen pain from low lives. The ears that hear God’s Word cannot but be stunned and hurt by the babble of empty speech. This Psalm is profoundly melancholy, but without a trace of personal affliction. The psalmist is not sad for himself, but sick of the clatter of godless tongues, in which he discerns the outcome of godless lives. His complaint wakes echoes in hearts touched by the love of God and the visions of man’s true life. It passes through four clearly marked stages, each consisting of two verses: despondent contemplation of the flood of corrupt talk which seems to submerge all (vv. 1f); a passionate prayer for divine intervention, wrung from the psalmist by the miserable spectacle (vv. 3f); the answer to that cry from the voice of God with the rapturous response of the psalmist to it (vv. 5f); and the confidence built on the divine Word, which rectifies the too despondent complaint at the beginning, but is still shaded by the facts which stare him in the face (vv. 7f).” [CBL]
2. We are going to have to deal with a world that has gone mad! This Psalms gives us some helpful hints at playing spiritual survivor man.
3. How the Godly Survive in an Ungodly World.
Trans: Psa. 12
I…FIRST, THE DESPAIR. 1
A. The Crying for Help.
Help, LORD – yasha, means “to be open, wide or free. In other words, when one has plenty of room in which to move, he feels safe and secure. Help means here to be delivered, saved, or preserved. The personal name “Jesus” is derived from this same root.
“The cry for help abruptly beginning the Psalm tells of the sharp pain from which it comes. The psalmist has been brooding over the black outlook until his overcharged heart relieves itself in this single-worded prayer. As he looks around, he sees no exceptions to the prevailing evil. Like Elijah, he thinks that he is left alone, and love to God and men and reliableness and truth are vanished with their representatives.”
Trans: Our Lord Jesus has helped or saved us spiritually from our sins; as well as physically from our adversity. Either by changing us or by changing our circumstances.
Notice the key is prayer – this is a prayer. Ja. 1:2-5
Gordon, “Prayer is insisting upon Jesus victory and the retreat of the enemy on each particular spot. The enemy yields only what he must. He yields only what it taken. Therefore prayer must be persistent. He continually renews his attacks, therefore the ground taken must be held against him in the Victors name…The greatest agency put into man’s hands is prayer. And to define prayer adequately one must use the language of war. The earth is in a state of war.”
B. The Ceasing of the Holy.
For the godly ceased… - godly here means “saint or holy one.” At times it does seem like the godly have ceased.
Prior to 1965, television shows portrayed businessmen as good guys twice as often as bad guys, as Michael Medved shows in Hollywood vs America. In the 1970s, this ratio was reversed; two villains for every good guy. Today, big business has become television's favorite villain. Medved quotes an exhaustive analysis of prime time television by the sociologists Richter, Richter and Rothman which concludes, "By 1980 a majority of the CEO's portrayed on prime time committed felonies." Respectable businessmen were by then committing 40 percent of the murders on prime time television, and 44 percent of vice crimes like drug trafficking and pimping.* Michael Medved, Hollywood vs America: Popular Culture and the War on Traditional Values (New York, Harper Collins, 1993).
One the other hand Satan caused David to buy a lie! David felt as if he alone was serving God, but he was more alone then Elijah (1 Ki. 19:14,18). Why does Satan work so hard to get us to think that we are the only godly one’s on the planet? Because we are never effective when in isolation. We not only need prayer but fellowship.
Application Bible: “Living for God in a deceitful world can be difficult and lonely. At one time the great prophet Elijah felt so lonely he wanted to die. But God told him that there were 7,000 other faithful servants (1 Kings 19:4, 14, 18). We are never alone in our battle against evil. When you feel alone, seek out other believers for strength and support.”
David’s despair caused him to pray and unfortunately he had been convinced the he was alone. The key is proper focus.
I few times driving across those mountains I was scared to death. The problem was I was look at those treacherous vallies. Then I changed my focus – I kept my eyes on the road and put on some music. As long as I refused to look to the right or to the left I did fine.
The secret is to stay focused on Christ, refusing to get preoccupied with the obstacles. That requires a healthy prayer life and a healthy relationship with fellow believers.
II. NEXT, THE DECEIVER. 2-4
A. The speak Falsely. 2a
they speak idly- it means “nothingness, emptiness, vanity, falsehood.” It speaks of something that is not really real or true.
Mark Twain once said, “The principle difference between a cat and a lie is that a cat only has nine lives.”
Oliver Wendell Homes said, “Sin has many tools, but a lie is the handle that fits all of them.”
We are living in days where everyone seems to speak falsely. Can you really imagine an honest politician? An honest television commercial? An honest Judge?
A quote from an Atlanta newspaper, a city once known as the "Hub of the Bible Belt." It tells of the arrest of five young preachers from the Baptist University of America for preaching on a downtown street of Atlanta. The charge was "disorderly conduct." A curious aspect of the arrest was noted by eyewitnesses. The arresting officers "made no attempt to arrest those on the street who were smoking marijuana, consuming alcoholic beverages, or a young woman clad only in panty hose and a see-through blouse." (Temple Times, Atlanta, GA)
B. They speak Flattery. 2b
Flattery – someone who says one thing to your face, and another thing behind your back.
Stowell, “Flattery differs from genuine praise or compliment because of its motive. Flattery is a compliment shared to manipulate another for personal gain. People do it for attention, if I tell you what a great job you did in Sunday school discussion, you will pay attention to me. Solicitation – we might flatter other people about their attractive clothes in hopes that they will return the compliment. Seduction – immoral, unethical, cruel and damaging partnership have often been sealed in a flatterers parlor. To gain favor. The sin of flattery is linked with godlessness, faithlessness, oppression, pride, wickedness, and all that is vile.” See Prov. 29:5
"Smiling Faces Sometimes"
Undisputed Truth
Beware of that pat on the back,
It might just hold you back
Smiling faces sometimes they don't tell the truth
Smiling faces tell lies and I got proof
Many successful artists surface as a result of good timing and wise pairing of talent. By the 1970s, Motown Records had become a hugely successful enterprise, enough to experiment with new sounds and artists. Primarily a brainchild of Motown's innovative producer Norman Whitfield, the group Undisputed Truth featured psychedelic guitar work and socially conscious lyrics on their records.
Joe Harris was the group's lead singer, joined by Billie Rae Calvin and Brenda Joyce (who had previously sung with the Delicates). Their biggest hit, "Smiling Faces Sometimes," rose to the Top 3 on the pop charts in 1971.
Considered "psychedelic funk," the song's powerful lyrics created a mood of cautious urgency. Though considered by many as a one-hit wonder, the group had other charted releases on the Gordy label (named for Motown founder Berry Gordy Jr.), though none matched the success of "Smiling Faces Sometimes." When producer Whitfield left to start his own label, the group followed him but had little success and soon faded from public view. Their hit tune is memorable for its male-female counterpoint and biting lyrics.
46
What could be wrong with smiling faces? Isn't that the universal symbol of nice-ness and goodwill? You even see them on your e-mail. But this song reminds us that smiling faces can be a front for bad motives.
Jesus encountered that when the Pharisees came to him with trick questions. They opened with flattery: "'Teacher,' they said, 'we know how honest you are. You teach the way of God truthfully. You are impartial and don't play favorites'" (Matthew 22:16). You might think they were nominating him for office! But no, they were swooping in for the kill. Of course, those smiling faces didn't dupe Jesus, who saw them as the hypocrites they were.
Sometimes we get the idea that friendship is just a matter of smiling and telling people what they want to hear. Scripture says otherwise. "Don't just pretend to love others. Really love them. Hate what is wrong. Hold tightly to what is good" (Romans 12:9). If a fellow Christian is overcome by sin, "you who are godly should gently and humbly help that person back onto the right path" (Galatians 6:1). As a proverb states, "faithful are the wounds of a friend" (Proverbs 27:6, kjv).
We should all watch out for flattery from others that hides bad motives. We should also avoid issuing such flattery ourselves, instead "speaking the truth in love" (Ephesians 4:15, niv). We show greater love when we say what people need to hear, not just what they want to hear. [Complete book of pop music…]
This world is run on deception! Speaking falsely and with flattery is how the game is played in our society.
C. Lastly, they speak Folly. 4
Consider the toad, for instance. What an ugly creature it is—squat, clumsy, covered with rough warts, a denizen of two worlds. Its skin carries poisonous liquid which it exudes when attacked. Its chief weapon of offense is its tongue which is attached to the front of its mouth. When the toad sees its prey it sticks out its tongue with a motion too fast to be seen. But, what is of special interest about the toad is a balloon like sack attached to its throat. When it wishes to trumpet its presence, it fills this fleshy bag with air which it then forces across its vocal chords, making them vibrate.
That is the bellowing one can hear at night near a lake. What a picture of man in his sin! Is not this the picture David has been painting for us in this psalm? Man, engineered by God for two worlds, but fallen and squat and ugly in his sin, full of poison so quickly released when attacked, and with a tongue swift and ready to seize upon others and destroy them.
As God on His throne looks down He sees the man of guile, particularly the coming man of guile, the beast, and He sees a toad. He sees a denizen of two worlds, a man with a heart and a heart, a man with a human origin as "the beast of the sea" and a man with a hellish origin as "the beast out of the abyss." He sees a man full of poison and with a deadly tongue. But He also sees a bloated windbag. [John Phillips Commentary Series]
Josiah Holland offers this classic call to men to rise up and be men of God:
GOD, GIVE US MEN! A time like this demands;
Strong minds, great hearts, true faith and ready hands;
Men whom the lust of office does not kill;
Men whom the spoils of office cannot buy;
Men who possess opinions and a will;
Men who have honor; men who will not lie;
Men who can stand before a demagogue
And damn his treacherous flatteries without winking!
Tall men, sun crowned, who live above the fog
In public duty and in private thinking;
For while the rabble, with their thumb worn creeds,
Their large professions and their little deeds,
Mingle in selfish strife, lo! Freedom weeps,
Wrong rules the land and waiting Justice sleeps.
[Chuck Swindoll, Rise & Shine, p. 212-213]
III. THIRD, THE DELIVERER. 5-7
A. His Perception. 5
1. He knows about our Lack.
2. He knows about our Longings.
Ex. 1:8-11; 2:23-25; 3:7-8.
Spurgeon, “Their cry came up unto God. When it rose up, sharp, and shrill, and intense, it burst through the gates of heaven and came up to God. And God Himself seemed to stop and say, “What is that? It is the cry of the seed of Abraham in Egypt.” Oh poor soul, when your cry comes up from the depth of you very soul, then God will stop and say, “What is that?” The point – God cares!
B. His Promises. 6-7
Words of the LORD…You shall keep them- in contrast with man’s words, God’s words are always true.
God’s Word is vital for surviving in this godless world. David Adeney testified, “I discovered the power of the Word of God in my own life during a time of depression when I was strongly tempted to give up. Almost in desperation, I turned to John’s Gospel and read it all through at one sitting. God spoke to me through it and I realized again that faith comes through the hearing of the Word of Christ.”
IV. Last, the Disaster. 8
It is when we lower the standards and reward vileness, which is more than common place in our Nation these days.
Arnold Toynbee said, “Of the 22 civilizations appearing on the stage of world history, 19 of them collapsed when they reached the present moral condition of the United States.”
Paul Saltman, “We must demand, not just of scientist but of every human being on this earth, that they begin to understand that we cannot replace the Ten Commandments with the first ten Amendments, or with ten principles of physics, and somehow come out whole. We have to demand that each person, being to understand, the nature of the values and words and ethics by which he or she lives in society.”
Steve Muller, “Failure to rally around a set of values means that we are turning out highly skilled barbarians. Society as a whole is turning out barbarians because of the discarding of the value system it was built on. To restore its lost value system, America would have to return to its faith in God.”
Con:
1.How are we going to survive in a godless society?
2.Pray to God for his help; Fellowship with God’s people; remember that God cares; and get into God’s Word; If we would really begin to do this we would again be sharing our faith and having a positive impact on this Nation.
3. I came across this prayer:
“Our Heavenly Father,
Help me to see what is important
And what is unimportant in life.
Help me to use my time
For those things that are important.
Help me to be spiritually vigilant
That I might not lose my spiritual liberty
To carelessness and sin.
At the same time, I know that
“unless the Lord guards the city
The watchman keeps awake in vain”
So protect me, Lord.
In our Saviors name. Amen.”
Johnny A. Palmer Jr
