I. EXORDIUM:
Do you have confidence in yourself?
No. Only on JESUS.
Jeremiah 17:5-8 (Amplified Bible)
Thus says the Lord: Cursed [with great evil] is the strong man who trusts in and relies on frail man, making weak [human] flesh his arm, and whose mind and heart turn aside from the Lord.
For he shall be like a shrub or a person naked and destitute in the desert; and he shall not see any good come, but shall dwell in the parched places in the wilderness, in an uninhabited salt land.
[Most] blessed is the man who believes in, trusts in, and relies on the Lord, and whose hope and confidence the Lord is.
For he shall be like a tree planted by the waters that spreads out its roots by the river; and it shall not see and fear when heat comes; but its leaf shall be green. It shall not be anxious and full of care in the year of drought, nor shall it cease yielding fruit.
II. AUDIENCE PROFILE:
Believers/unbelievers
III. OBJECTIVES:
To show that GOD destroys unbelievers who have rejected Him and prolongs the life of spiritual men who continues to trust Him.
IV. TEXT:
Psalms 55:23 (Amplified Bible)
But You, O God, will bring down the wicked into the pit of destruction; men of blood and treachery shall not live out half their days. But I will trust in, lean on, and confidently rely on You.
V. THESIS:
Praise, worship, glorify, adore, bless, honor, acknowledge and thank You very much LORD JESUS for You will destroy the unbelievers who rejected You but I will continue to trust in, lean on and have my confidence only in You.
VI. TITLE:
Untimely death to natural men but trust to spiritual men
VII. EXPLICATION:
A. Authors: Authorship of many is uncertain, generally attributed to King David.
B. Date written: c. 1440 to 450 B.C. ( From Moses to Ezra)
C. Purpose: 150 songs to praise and worship GOD
D. To whom written: Sometimes to GOD, sometimes to author
E. Main Themes: praise and worship, prayer and praise
VIII. MAIN BODY:
Psalms 55:23 (Amplified Bible)
But You, O God, will bring down the wicked into the pit of destruction; men of blood and treachery shall not live out half their days. But I will trust in, lean on, and confidently rely on You.
Psalms 55:23 (King James Version)
But thou, O God, shalt bring them down into the pit of destruction: bloody and deceitful men shall not live out half their days; but I will trust in thee.
A. Natural men will not live half their days for GOD will destroy them
"But You, O God, will bring down the wicked into the pit of destruction; men of blood and treachery shall not live out half their days."
Psalms 7:15-16 (Amplified Bible)
He made a pit and hollowed it out and has fallen into the hole which he made [before the trap was completed].
His mischief shall fall back in return upon his own head, and his violence come down [with the loose dirt] upon his own scalp.
Psalms 58:9 (Amplified Bible)
Before your pots can feel the thorns [that are placed under them for fuel], He will take them away as with a whirlwind, the green and the burning ones alike.
Psalms 59:12-13 (Amplified Bible)
For the sin of their mouths and the words of their lips, let them even be trapped and taken in their pride, and for the cursing and lying which they utter.
Consume them in wrath, consume them so that they shall be no more; and let them know unto the ends of the earth that God rules over Jacob (Israel). Selah [pause, and calmly think of that]!
Proverbs 15:11 (Amplified Bible)
Sheol (the place of the dead) and Abaddon (the abyss, the final place of the accuser Satan) are both before the Lord—how much more, then, the hearts of the children of men?
Proverbs 27:20 (Amplified Bible)
Sheol (the place of the dead) and Abaddon (the place of destruction) are never satisfied; so [the lust of] the eyes of man is never satisfied.
Isaiah 38:17 (Amplified Bible)
Behold, it was for my peace that I had intense bitterness; but You have loved back my life from the pit of corruption and nothingness, for You have cast all my sins behind Your back.
ILLUSTRATION: The natural man drinks liquor and smokes but he never know that those vices will kill him slowly, making his life span shorter. While the righteous, spiritual man is careful about eating healthy foods and exercises, makes his life longer.
There's an unbeliever's saying that "you can't put a good man down" which is true for the righteous, not a good man according to the law, a good man according to the imputed righteousness of GOD.
1 Timothy 4:8 (Amplified Bible)
For physical training is of some value (useful for a little), but godliness (spiritual training) is useful and of value in everything and in every way, for it holds promise for the present life and also for the life which is to come.
Psalms 32:1-2 (Amplified Bible)
[A Psalm of David.] A skillful song, or a didactic or reflective poem. BLESSED (HAPPY, fortunate, to be envied) is he who has forgiveness of his transgression continually exercised upon him, whose sin is covered.
Blessed (happy, fortunate, to be envied) is the man to whom the Lord imputes no iniquity and in whose spirit there is no deceit.
Romans 4:8 (Amplified Bible)
Blessed and happy and to be envied is the person of whose sin the Lord will take no account nor reckon it against him.
Think of it, if eternal life has already been deposited in us, before the actual event of it, also the same with eternal death, these unbelievers are already experiencing and reaping the fruits of eternal death in themselves.
Job 15:32 (Amplified Bible)
It shall be accomplished and paid in full while he still lives, and his branch shall not be green [but shall wither away].
Proverbs 10:27 (Amplified Bible)
The reverent and worshipful fear of the Lord prolongs one’s days, but the years of the wicked shall be made short.
Ecclesiastes 7:17 (Amplified Bible)
[Although all have sinned] be not wicked overmuch or willfully, neither be foolish—why should you die before your time?
Matthew 27:4-5 (Amplified Bible)
Saying, I have sinned in betraying innocent blood. They replied, What is that to us? See to that yourself.
And casting the pieces of silver [forward] into the [Holy Place of the sanctuary of the] temple, he departed; and he went off and hanged himself.
They have remorse upon remorse because they rejected the WORD OF THE LORD. I'm sure in this life that many times they have heard the gospel, but they never accepted JESUS in their life, thinking they will get along well with their own "personal" religion and beliefs but no, they will end up in hell just like anyone else who rejected the LORD JESUS as their LORD and SAVIOR.
B. Spiritual men will continue to trust GOD
"But I will trust in, lean on, and confidently rely on You."
We're talking about longevity for the spiritual man but natural man have short life span.
Psalms 94:13 (Amplified Bible)
That You may give him power to keep himself calm in the days of adversity, until the [inevitable] pit of corruption is dug for the wicked.
While GOD is busy working for peace and deliverance for the spiritual man, the natural man dies early before his time.
Calling unto the LORD will make our life span longer.
Psalms 91:15-16 (Amplified Bible)
He shall call upon Me, and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble, I will deliver him and honor him.
With long life will I satisfy him and show him My salvation.
Because we live in the wisdom of GOD.
Proverbs 3:16 (Amplified Bible)
Length of days is in her right hand, and in her left hand are riches and honor.
One of my favorite verse in trusting GOD only is:
Psalms 25:2 (Amplified Bible)
O my God, I trust, lean on, rely on, and am confident in You. Let me not be put to shame or [my hope in You] be disappointed; let not my enemies triumph over me.
When we trust GOD, we trust, lean on, rely on, and am confident in Him. NO more self-confidence, our confidence is based on JESUS CHRIST Himself who will never allow us to be placed in shames, disappointments, or disgrace, plus a bonus: our enemies will never, ever, in any way triumph over us, even if they are countless, more than us.
Psalms 91:7-8 (Amplified Bible)
A thousand may fall at your side, and ten thousand at your right hand, but it shall not come near you.
Only a spectator shall you be [yourself inaccessible in the secret place of the Most High] as you witness the reward of the wicked.
IX. CONCLUSION:
Praise, worship, glorify, adore, bless, honor, acknowledge and thank You very much LORD JESUS for You will destroy the unbelievers who rejected You but I will continue to trust in, lean on and have my confidence only in You.
