Sermon
Lanier Christian Church
April 10, 2016 David Simpson
“Guide Me With Your Counsel” SLIDE #1
Psalm 73
Faith surprised me a few years ago with a visit to the Fox Theatre to see David Copperfield, the magician. It was a fascinating show, with his slight of hand and illusions of various types. His concluding act was to have a dozen or so in the audience come up on the stage, sit on a platform, and then a curtain drops and “poof” they disappear!
Well, as you know with any magician, he makes you think one thing is happening when something else is actually taking place. In other words, what appears to be is not what is.
And, sure enough, after the performance, as we were leaving, we walked by the side exit door to see some of those people that had disappeared walking out the door!
What appears to be is not always what is. We approach God in the same way. We view our circumstances through the eyes of our pain, or jealousy, or envy, or hurt, or loss, or regret, or sin and we often do not get a true picture. What appears to be is not always what is.
I went to a minister’s seminar on one occasion and heard an area counselor speak about how to help people caught up in various difficult situations in life.
At one point he said a lot of people have misconceptions about what is really going on. There is paranoia due to chemical imbalance or childhood trauma or some other factor. And he said, in many cases (outside of those requiring medication), talking out your problems, refocusing on a more hopeful and realistic view, and then completing some homework assignments would propel you forward with a better attitude and perspective. But, as a Christian counselor, he said, God must be first!
When it comes to spiritual challenges, we find that God stands ready to guide us with His counsel. Look at Psalm 73:24…”You guide me with your counsel…”
Let’s begin today by understanding that….
1. Sometimes our attitude is wrong… (v.1-15) SLIDE #2
When it comes to spiritual matters, our attitudes and perspectives are often wrong and we need a counselor, none other than God himself! Psalm 73 was written by Asaph. He was the chief of King David’s musicians. It was his duty to help with the worship in Jerusalem each week. He is credited with writing at least twelve psalms, and this one is one of his most personal of songs. It shows that even someone who leads in worship, often wrestles with his understanding of God. The psalmist Asaph started out his song with a positive, accurate portrayal of God: “Surely God is good to Israel, to those who are pure in heart.” (Ps. 73:1)
Then, his tone and attitude changes drastically: “But as for me, my feet had almost slipped; I had nearly lost my foothold. For I envied the arrogant when I saw the prosperity of the wicked. They have no struggles; their bodies are healthy and strong. They are free from the burdens common to man; they are not plagued by human ills.” (v.2-5)
Asaph was really struggling with a bad attitude! He had almost slipped and lost his confidence in God. Most of us have been there before. Someone gets a promotion that doesn’t work as hard as we do, Someone is recognized and we are overlooked, Someone prospers and we do without, Someone indulges in one sinful behavior after another and seems happy and well all the time, while we strive to remain faithful and struggle with illness and challenges.
At times like that, it’s very easy to view God in a bad light… To see Him as less than caring. “Why try?” we often say. Asaph whined in v.13: “Surely in vain have I kept my heart pure; in vain have I washed my hands in innocence.”
When we are envious, we have crossed the line into a very bad attitude and it sours our whole disposition. We even begin to doubt God and our allegiance to Him. But we need the reminder that Asaph started with. A foundational truth that Asaph could return to when he wavered….”God is good….” (v.1)
His struggle with envy and a bad attitude was his problem, not God’s problem. He really couldn’t blame God or anyone else.
And all the while, Satan is planting this thought in his head and ours:
“The cost of following God is not worth it.” But, that's one of his lies!
Paul wrote in 2 Corinthians 4:17-18 SLIDE #3 - “For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.”
When we have a bad attitude, our focus is all wrong. We are looking at the wrong things and the wrong people. We must refocus with faith filled eyes…to see what is unseen…to focus on the eternal values of God that really matter, and not get bogged down in temporary circumstances that hold little value.
Which leads me to the second point…
2. Sometimes our attitude is wrong…and needs correction by God…(v.16-24) SLIDE #4
Asaph started thinking about his bad attitude…his envy and inaccurate perceptions. He says in v. 16 – “When I tried to understand all this, it was oppressive to me till I entered the sanctuary of God; then I understood….”
When we take some private moments to worship God it is amazing how He can clear our heads and straighten out our attitudes!
Our attitudes are often very much like Asaph when he says in v.21,22 – “When my heart was grieved and my spirit embittered, I was senseless and ignorant; I was a brute beast before you.”
I grew up with different expressions to describe what he was saying here. (Didn’t use “brute” because that was a cologne!) But we had phrases to describe the bitterness and sour attitudes…. “You’re acting like an old goat…” or “You’re as stubborn as a mule.” Some of you may use more crude expressions…but you get the idea!
Thankfully, there are times when we realize we are wrong and need correction. Other times, someone courageous enough to confront us can tell us to straighten up. I remember more than 25 years ago having a preacher friend straighten me out after hearing my bad attitude for a few minutes. We were riding in the car near the Library downtown and I can still picture him saying this, because he interrupted me in mid sentence and said: “Man, you just need to quit dragging your….(gluteus maximus)….around!”
That began a correction that I needed and I believe it was a divine intervention to get me refocused on the right track.
I like Asaph’s phrase in v. 17 about “entering the sanctuary.” He encountered God in worship, maybe literally in the temple. I am all for worship together every Sunday with our brothers and sisters in Christ and feel it is absolutely vital for a healthy relationship with God and each other, but I am also aware that we should worship God throughout the week, and sometimes we just need that moment alone – just God and me – where we can lay it all on the line and seek His advice and counsel for our situation.
I really enjoyed the movie: “Facing the Giants.” This movie, made by a church in Albany, GA debuted in theaters around the country ten years ago. It tells of a football coach and his wife that encounter a lot of life challenges. At one point in the movie, the coach is so frustrated and confused about what God is doing that he just takes a moment, early one morning, goes outside his home into a wooded area, stands in the sun and reads his Bible, and then lifts his hands in prayer, seeking God as the answer to his every need.
Sure enough, God provided for his needs in a marvelous way.
I need to do the same thing. I bet you do too. To take a moment or two each week and get alone with God and read His word, and open yourself up to his leading. To get outside if you can. To get alone if you can. To be completely transparent and seek God in His sanctuary.
If you do that, then you will understand the meaning of what Asaph says next: (v.23,24) “Yet I am always with you; you hold me by my right hand. You guide me with your counsel, and afterward you will take me into glory.”
When we truly worship God, we realize that he really is with us. That he holds us up with His right hand. He guides us with his counsel. He helps us see the error of our ways. The misguided thinking. The bad attitudes. He helps us to gain a more eternal perspective and correct the error of our thinking.
3. Sometimes our attitude is wrong…and needs correction by God…who realigns our thinking and strengthens our heart. (v.25-28) SLIDE #5
When we look into the mirror of our hearts and see that we really are wrestling with an attitude problem, and bitterness and envy have set in, we need to see that as a warning light that points us to turn to God.
When the warning light comes on in the front dash of our cars, we usually do something about it and get it into the shop to find out what is going on. In my case, I have had the “needs maintenance” light come on in my car at times, and I still don't take the time to find out what is wrong. That is not good!
And yet that is exactly what many of us do with our lives. There is a problem with our attitude. We know it’s not right, and yet we continue on with no desire to change. Ever had a car out of alignment? I have. It doesn't ride good. The tires start wearing on the edge. When you have it aligned at the shop all is better!
Almighty God can realign us and give us a smoother more satisfying attitude if we seek His counsel and His correction. When everything else is collapsing around us, God isn’t. When our health fails, God doesn’t. When our friends and family disappoint, God remains faithful. When the wicked seem to flourish, God is still in control.
Asaph said (v. 26) – “My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.” God can be our strength if we let Him. "Portion" is another word for his reward or his inheritance. There is no greater reward than the one God offers, because it lasts forever. When others seem to be getting their reward now, just remember, yours is on the way!
If we truly seek God’s counsel, he will give us the therapy we need to conquer our bad attitudes, to correct our misconceptions, and to renew our behavior. He’s just like a good doctor or mechanic or repairman. When we find someone who can fix something that was broken, and they do a great job, we tell others about them.
The psalmist did just that: SLIDE #6 (v.28) “I have made the Sovereign Lord my refuge; I will tell of all your deeds.”
Don’t keep quiet when God changes your life. Tell others about him!
When He strengthens your heart and realigns your thinking, praise Him and tell others! There are a lot of broken lives around us every day limping from day to day and they simply need first and foremost, the greatest counselor in the world…Almighty God.
CONCLUSION
A small boy was in his sand box playing and digging in the sand. He finally struck a rock as he dug in deeper. He kept on digging and found it to be a huge rock that he could barely move. He struggled and fought to get the rock out of the box. With one final effort he used all his strength to get the rock out of the box. All it did was roll back and smashed his fingers. So he just sat there and cried. All of a sudden he felt a big shadow come over him. As he looked up through his tear filled eyes he saw his dad. He explained to his dad that he used everything he had to get the rock out of the box but failed. His dad said, “You did not use everything you had. You did not ask me to help”.... (Illus. from Dennis Jones)
I would like you to know this morning, without any doubt in your mind, that God is near to you in all situations and at all times. He is good, but He does want to correct our misguided thinking and realign our lives, and strengthen our hearts, that we might praise His name.
Come to Him today and give him your life!
