I’m going to start this message stating the obvious, in a very emphatic manner, and I’m doing it this way because I believe that in essence I’m engaging in spiritual warfare this morning. I’m taking out the sword of the spirit as it were, to combat what our the enemy is promoting in people’s live. And then I will follow it up with a statement with an argument that is intended to state perhaps what is not so obvious to us:
Here it is:
The devil is a liar!
Jesus said of him that…
John 8:44b When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies. -NIV
Ok, now that I’ve done that, let me present to you an argument that is not so obvious to us, though it should be.
His #1 lie – God is a killjoy!
Let me express a few variations of that..
a) Christianity is a drag!
b) To be a Christian means you are to live a deprived life!
c) God’s will is to withhold from you a good life!
d) If you live for God it will be a pleasureless life!
e) If you follow his rules, you will miss out on true enjoyment in life!
f) Therefore don’t commit your life to God, if you want to be happy!
g) Make a deathbed confession, but don’t commit your life to Him now!
h) For is you give your life to Him right here and now, you will miss out on all THE FUN!!
You know what I say to that?
LIE!!
You may be thinking, where did you get this idea? Is that in the bible? It is! Essentially it is the oldest lie in the book, because it is the original lie, that when believed it threw all of God’s creation out of kilter, if I could put it that way! I’ll give you the abbreviated version. Many of you now the story:
Genesis 3:1 The serpent was clever, more clever than any wild animal God had made. He spoke to the Woman: “Do I understand that God told you not to eat from any tree in the garden?”
2-3 The Woman said to the serpent, “Not at all. We can eat from the trees in the garden. It’s only about the tree in the middle of the garden that God said, ‘Don’t eat from it; don’t even touch it or you’ll die.’”
4-5 The serpent told the Woman, “You won’t die. God knows that the moment you eat from that tree, you’ll see what’s really going on. You’ll be just like God, knowing everything, ranging all the way from good to evil.” – The Message
Genesis 3:6 When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it. She also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it -NIV
Genesis 3:7 Immediately the two of them did “see what’s really going on”—saw themselves naked! They sewed fig leaves together as makeshift clothes for themselves. 8 When they heard the sound of God strolling in the garden in the evening breeze, the Man and his Wife hid in the trees of the garden, hid from God– The Message
Point: And the fruit wasn’t very pleasant at that point was it?
Point that I am making is a point that Jesus makes in one statement very clearly for us to see:
John 10:10 The thief comes only in order to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life, and have it in abundance [to the full, till it overflows].-AMPC
And because unfortunately the majority of people do not believe this. What the devil leads people to do is too lead people to indulge in…
Hebrews 11:25b the pleasures of sin for a season -KJV
Hebrews 11:25b the fleeting pleasures of sin. -NLT
I’ll use a graphic illustration and move to a more familiar applicable one. He will lead them use illegal drugs like crack cocaine, and they will take a hit off that crack pipe for a fleeting moment of pleasure, only to experience the need to take another one in a few minutes in order to experience that fleeting pleasure again and again and again until they become addicted, and place themselves and their lives, their loved ones in a place of financial ruin.
Or to go out to the local watering hole in order to get drunk, to “tie one on.” Downing drink after drink after drink, until the become inebriated, only to wake up the next morning with a terrible hangover, seeing that the usage of alcohol is not so pleasurable anymore.
Let me use a more civil, familiar illustration, and let the devil off the hook just for a moment. James says…
James 1:14 But each one is tempted when he is drawn away by his own desires and enticed.-NKJV
You go out and finally buy that dream car, that brand new car, only to discover a few years into that payment book that they hardly made a dent it, the novelty of it wears off when they have to pay for the upkeep and maintenance, and the inevitable repairs that come in time. And a few nick’s dings and pings, make the new car ownership experience not so pleasurable anymore.
Or you plan a vacation but each vacation must come to an end and in several weeks time it seems like you never went, or you buy that home, but it is a struggle to keep up the payments or the maintenance of it, and after awhile you discover it no longer serves you, but your serving it!
Or maybe you get that dream job, that a few weeks or months into the experience you wake up and discover that it is not a dream anymore! And the point being this, the things that we thought would bring us pleasure, didn’t do so for very long!
The wisest man who ever lived outside of Jesus discovered it!
Ecclesiastes 2:1 I said to myself, “Come now, I will test you with pleasure to find out what is good.” But that also proved to be meaningless. 2 “Laughter,” I said, “is madness. And what does pleasure accomplish?” 3 I tried cheering myself with wine, and embracing folly—my mind still guiding me with wisdom. I wanted to see what was good for people to do under the heavens during the few days of their lives.
4 I undertook great projects: I built houses for myself and planted vineyards. 5 I made gardens and parks and planted all kinds of fruit trees in them. 6 I made reservoirs to water groves of flourishing trees. 7 I bought male and female slaves and had other slaves who were born in my house. I also owned more herds and flocks than anyone in Jerusalem before me. 8 I amassed silver and gold for myself, and the treasure of kings and provinces. I acquired male and female singers, and a harem as well—the delights of a man’s heart. 9 I became greater by far than anyone in Jerusalem before me. In all this my wisdom stayed with me.
10 I denied myself nothing my eyes desired; I refused my heart no pleasure. My heart took delight in all my labor, and this was the reward for all my toil. 11 Yet when I surveyed all that my hands had done and what I had toiled to achieve, everything was meaningless, a chasing after the wind; nothing was gained under the sun. -NIV
Ecclesiastes 2:17 So I hated life, because the work that is done under the sun was grievous to me. All of it is meaningless, a chasing after the wind. -NIV
And as I stated in my opening remarks this Psalm is a bit of a tie in to the first Psalm that we looked at last week, around the theme that I tried to develop around the title of how to live “a happily ever after life.” I believe that this Psalm point us to the fact that we can experience pleasures in this lifetime, that exceed anything the world has to give.
And that is why I would like to entitle this message to you in the following manner…
You Can Experience Pleasures Forevermore!
And my proposition to you from this Psalm is this:
Christianity is not pie in the sky in the sweet bye and bye!
Eternal life is not only a quantity of life but a quality of life that you began to experience the moment, that you trust in Jesus Christ!
And Jesus said the basis of it is based on the following:
John 17:1b Father, the hour has come. Glorify and exalt and honor and magnify Your Son, so that Your Son may glorify and extol and honor and magnify You. 2 [Just as] You have granted Him power and authority over all flesh (all humankind), [now glorify Him] so that He may give eternal life to all whom You have given Him. 3 And this is eternal life: [it means] to know (to perceive, recognize, become acquainted with, and understand) You, the only true and real God, and [likewise] to know Him, Jesus [as the] Christ (the Anointed One, the Messiah), Whom You have sent. -AMPC
Point: This life is based on knowing perceiving, recognizing and becoming acquainted with, and understanding the truth and reality about God!
Perhaps a variation of that could be – Father it is to know you, and all that you are, and all that you graciously give to your people!
And so I would like to make this BOLD proposition to you from this Psalm this morning that…
A study of the 16th Psalm will uncover for us the biblical basis and blueprint for us to experience the promise of ‘‘pleasures forevermore” right here and right now, regardless of our earthly circumstances!
Anybody interested? This really has all to do with 10 of God’s immutable qualities and 2 particular responses to it…
Ok the first reality about God that this Psalm put initially before us is the reality of….
I. God’s Preservation:
Q: How does this life begin? How does this Psalm begin?
Well it starts with a petition….
A) Petition:
1. Of what?
B) Preservation!
Psalm 16:1a Preserve me,
C) Personal Plea!
1. Preserve- ???????????? (ša·m?·rê·nî)
a) To keep guard, give heed, have charge, protect, save, watch, be a watchman!
b) To keep, retain, treasure, celebrate, preserve!
2. Why would I pray that?
a) Jesus taught us something about prayer:
Matthew 6:9 “This, then, is how you should pray: -NIV
Matthew 6:13 And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.’- NIV
D) Point?
1. There is an adversary out there called the devil!
a) Who wants to bury you with the cares of this world!
1 Peter 5:7 Casting the whole of your care [all your anxieties, all your worries, all your concerns, once and for all] on Him, for He cares for you affectionately and cares about you watchfully. 8 Be well balanced (temperate, sober of mind), be vigilant and cautious at all times; for that enemy of yours, the devil, roams around like a lion roaring [in fierce hunger], seeking someone to seize upon and devour. 9a Withstand him; be firm in faith [against his onset—rooted, established, strong, immovable, and determined], -AMPC
E) Person?
1. Petitioning?
Psalm 16:1b O God, -ESV
2. God - ????? (’êl)
a) The Most High God!
b) The GREAT I AM – God Almighty!
c) There are times that God wants us to be reminded of that!
Genesis 17:1a When Abram was ninety-nine years old, the LORD appeared to Abram and said to him, “I am Almighty God _NKJV
F) Perspective?
Psalm 16:1b for in you I take refuge.
1. Refuge - ????????? (?a·sî·?î)
a) Seek refuge, flee for protection
b) Put my trust in
c) Confide or hope in
Psalm 32:7 You are my hiding place; you will protect me from trouble and surround me with songs of deliverance.-NIV
Psalm 46:1 God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.-KJV
Heidelberg Theological Seminary - God is the Preserver of the Faith and the Faithful - It is our sovereign, covenant God who preserves His people. This preservation does not begin only at the point when man becomes a Christian. It began before the foundation of the world when all of God’s redemptive purpose was laid out – when the fall of our first parents Adam and Eve was ordained, when man was elected, and when Christ was foreordained to be the Savior. It was before the foundation of the world that God entered the names of the saved into the “Book of Life.”
Heidelberg Theological Seminary - God is the Preserver of the Faith and the Faithful -All of history displays the preservation and unfolding of God’s redemptive plan and purpose. The people of God are the focus of this plan – the apple of God’s eye. They are cared for and preserved in miraculous ways.
G) Paul:
Acts 27:1 Once safely on shore, we found out that the island was called Malta. 2 The islanders showed us unusual kindness. They built a fire and welcomed us all because it was raining and cold. 3 Paul gathered a pile of brushwood and, as he put it on the fire, a viper, driven out by the heat, fastened itself on his hand. 4 When the islanders saw the snake hanging from his hand, they said to each other, “This man must be a murderer; for though he escaped from the sea, the goddess Justice has not allowed him to live.” 5 But Paul shook the snake off into the fire and suffered no ill effects. 6 The people expected him to swell up or suddenly fall dead; but after waiting a long time and seeing nothing unusual happen to him, they changed their minds and said he was a god. – NIV
The second reality that is my source of everlasting pleasures in Him has to do with…
II. God’s Power!
Psalm 16:2a I say to the LORD,
A) Power?
1. LORD - ????????? (Yah·weh)
a) The creating and sustaining God!
Romans 1: 20 For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse.- NIV
i. Creation is a testament to His Power!
B) Point?
Hebrews 11:3a By faith, we see the world called into existence by God’s word,- The Message
1. God created the world out of nothing, simply by the power of His Spoken Word!
Genesis 1: 3 And God said, “Let there be”….and there was….- NIV
2. God not only created the world by simply speaking a word, but he sustains the world by His Word.
Hebrews 1:3a 3 The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word. -NIV
Albert Barnes - The phrase “word of his power” is a Hebraism, and means his efficient command. There could not be a more distinct ascription of divinity to the Son of God than this. He upholds or sustains all things - that is, the universe. It is not merely the earth; not only its rocks, mountains, seas, animals and human beings, but it is the universe - all distant worlds. How can he do this who is not God? He does it by his word - his command. What a conception! That one simple command should do all this!
Psalms 33:9 For He spoke, and it was done; He commanded, and it stood fast. -NASB
C) Personalize!
Psalm 16:2b “You are my Lord;
1. Lord - ???????? (’a·?o·nay)
a) My lord, master and ruler
D) Perspective?
III. David’s Preference (Davidic Response to God’s Preservation and Power)
Psalm 16:2b I have no good apart from you.”
A) Perspective?
1. Have no good
Psalm 16:2b I say to the LORD, "You are my Lord; apart from you I have no good thing."-ESV
2. Am no good
Psalm 16:2b My goodness is nothing apart from You.-NKJV
Mark 10:18b Jesus answered. “No one is good—except God alone.
3. YOU ARE MY ULTIMATE GOOD!
Psalm 16:2b I have no good besides You.- NASB
Albert Barnes - I have no source of good of any kind - happiness, hope, life, safety, salvation - but in thee. My good is not without thee…..He renounced all other gods, and found his happiness - his all - in Yahweh.
4. The greatest good I have is - YOU!
Herman Bavinck - God, and God alone, is man’s highest good.
Jonathan Edwards- The redeemed have all their objective good in God.
Jonathan Edwards- God himself is the great good which they are brought to the possession and enjoyment of by redemption.
Jonathan Edwards- He is the highest good, and the sum of all that good which Christ purchased.
Jonathan Edwards- God is the inheritance of the saints; he is the portion of their souls.
Jonathan Edwards- God is their wealth and treasure, their food, their life, their dwelling place, their ornament and diadem, and their everlasting honor and glory.
B) Point?
Psalm 42:1 As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for you, my God. 2 My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When can I go and meet with God? -NIV
Charles Spurgeon - All my nature, my inmost self. Thirsteth. Which is more than hungering; hunger you can palliate, but thirst is awful, insatiable, clamorous, deadly. O to have the most intense craving after the highest good!
CS Lewis – “We are half-hearted creatures, fooling about with drink and sex and ambition when infinite joy is offered us, like an ignorant child who wants to go on making mud pies in a slum because he cannot imagine what is meant by the offer of a holiday at the sea. We are far too easily pleased.”
1. But the next is like it!
IV. God’s People
A) People?
Psalm 16:3a As for the saints in the land,
1. SaintS -????????????? (liq·?o·wo·šîm)
a) Sacred, holy, set apart
B) Point?
1. Only two kind of people in the world.
a) Saints
b) Aint’s
C) Perspective?
Psalm 16:3b they are the excellent ones,
1. Excellent - ????????????? (w?·’ad·dî·rê)
a) Great, majestic, nobles, chieftains.
1 Peter 2:9a But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, -NIV
D) Pleasure?
Psalm 16:3c in whom is all my delight.-ESV
1. David delighted in God’s people!
2. Paul and the apostles delighted in God’s people.
1Thessalonians 2:19 For what is our hope, our joy, or the crown in which we will glory in the presence of our Lord Jesus when he comes? Is it not you? -NIV
Acts 2:42b They shared their lives together. They ate and prayed together. -NIRV
Acts 2:44 All the believers were together. -NIRV
Acts 2:46 Every day they met together in the temple courtyard. They ate meals together in their homes. Their hearts were glad and sincere. 47 They praised God. They were respected by all the people. Every day the Lord added to their group those who were being saved.-NIRV
Matt Merker [9 MARKS] - A local church is an assembly. If a church never meets, it is no church at all. We easily take this truth for granted. The time of the worship meeting is often the first piece of information a church provides on its marquee or website. “Join us this Sunday at 10:30! All are welcome!” Meeting, however, isn’t just something churches do. A meeting is, in part, what a church is. God has saved us as individuals to be a corporate assembly.
Matt Merker [9 MARKS] - What does the New Testament teach us about the local church assembly?
Matt Merker [9 MARKS] - First, we see that churches regularly gather. Paul uses phrases like “when you come together as a church” and “the whole church comes together” (1 Cor. 11:18; 14:23).
Matt Merker [9 MARKS] - Second, a church assembly is a distinct event. This is evident because Paul provides specific instructions on what believers should do “in church”—that is, in the church meeting. “In church I would rather speak five words with my mind in order to instruct others, than ten thousand words in a tongue” (1 Cor. 14:19)
1 Corinthians 14: 26 What then shall we say, brothers and sisters? When you come together, each of you has a hymn, or a word of instruction, a revelation, a tongue or an interpretation. Everything must be done so that the church may be built up. -NIV
Matt Merker [9 MARKS] - Third, even large churches met as one body in the New Testament era. Thousands of believers belonged to the congregation at Jerusalem, yet they met “all together in Solomon’s Portico” (Acts 5:12).
Matt Merker [9 MARKS] - Fourth, the New Testament writers instruct churches to do activities that can only be done by meeting together: teaching and admonishing one another; singing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs (Col. 3:16); reading Scripture publicly (1 Tim. 4:13); encouraging one another (Heb. 10:24–25), and sharing the Lord’s Supper (1 Cor. 10:17, 11:18, 33). None of these can happen in a vacuum.
Matt Merker [9 MARKS] - Fifth, church discipline is an act of the gathered congregation. Jesus envisions “the church” as a whole, the ekklesia, speaking to the unrepentant sinner. In order to do this, they must be “gathered” in his name (Matt. 18:17, 20). Paul echoes this language as he instructs the Corinthians to implement church discipline: “when you are assembled [same Greek word as gathered in Matt. 18:20] in the name of the Lord Jesus” (1 Cor. 5:4).
Matt Merker [9 MARKS] - What’s the picture? A church is a blood-bought people, devoted to the worship of the one true God. They’re set apart from the world. They’re committed to serve one another and love their neighbors. And they do all this by assembling together in space and time.
Basic Training: Discipleship for Christian Women - Michelle Lesley - 7 Reasons Church is Not Optional and Non-Negotiable for Christians-
1. God Says So
a) Just in case the entirety of the Bible isn’t clear enough that God wants His people meeting together for fellowship, worship, and the Word, He says so very bluntly in Hebrews 10:24-25:
And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.
The HCSB puts it this way: “not staying away from our worship meetings, as some habitually do,” and NASB says: “not forsaking our own assembling together.” God says we are not to neglect, stay away from, or forsake, the meeting of the church body. For anyone who claims to be a Christian, that reason alone ought to be good enough. When God tells us to do something, we do it. Period.
2. The Church is God’s Plan for Christians
God doesn’t need or want your help devising the best methodology for your life and growth as a Christian. He already has a plan. He already established that plan. That plan is the church. There’s no plan B or any cafeteria-style options. If you’re a Christian, God’s plan for you is to be a faithful part of a local body of believers. The Bible never suggests that it’s OK for you to be a “Lone Ranger Christian.” There are no explicit statements to this effect, nor even one example of a New Testament Christian who lived life apart from the church. The New Testament assumes Christians will be part of a church.
3. Jesus Values the Church
You claim to love and follow Jesus, right? Well, Jesus founded the church. Jesus is the head of the church. Jesus loves the church. Jesus died for the church. Jesus is the Savior of the church. Jesus nourishes, cherishes, and sanctifies the church. How could anyone claim to love and follow Jesus and yet cavalierly toss aside something He values so much that He laid His life down for it? If you really love Jesus, you’ll value the things He values, and, clearly, He values the church.
4. Being Joined to the Church Is an Indicator of Salvation
First John 2:18-19 makes no bones about it. Forsaking the church is an indicator that you’re not saved: …now many antichrists have come…They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would have continued with us. But they went out, that it might become plain that they all are not of us.
Want to make it plain that you’re not of Christ? Step one is to leave the church.
5. The Church is the Dispensary for the Word and the Ordinances
The preaching and teaching of God’s Word. Baptism and the Lord’s Supper. In order to preserve their purity and sanctity, God established a hierarchical structure of ecclesiastical authority and placed the responsibility for administering Scripture and the ordinances with the church, not isolated individuals.
6. The “One Anothers”
Love one another. Comfort one another. Forgive one another. Serve one another. Bear one another’s burdens. Confess your sins to one another and pray for one another. Have you ever stopped to think which people “one another” is referring to? It’s easy to see when you look at these verses in context. It’s our brothers and sisters in Christ. All of the New Testament “one anothers” are written to the church. You need brothers and sisters to minister the “one anothers” to you, and your brothers and sisters need you to minister the “one anothers” to them. We cannot properly carry out the “one anothers” outside the church because they were meant to be practiced first and foremost within the church.
7. Sheep Need Shepherds
The Bible often uses sheep as a metaphor for God’s people. And since we know that God is the author of Scripture, we know God handpicked that metaphor to describe us. Ever notice that God never describes a sheep wandering off on its own as though that were a good thing?
All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned—every one—to his own way; Isaiah 53:6a
When he saw the crowds, he had compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. Matthew 9:36
What do you think? If a man has a hundred sheep, and one of them has gone astray, does he not leave the ninety-nine on the mountains and go in search of the one that went astray?
Matthew 18:12
Sheep who leave the flock to make their own way in the world are in danger from wolves, the pitfalls of sin, and any number of other perils, especially the trials and tragedies of life. I can’t tell you how many e-mails I’ve received from distraught Christian women in dire personal circumstances who desperately need pastoral counsel. Sadly, when I tell them I’m not equipped to help them with such a complicated problem from so far away and that they need to make an appointment with their pastor for one on one, face to face counseling, the response is often, “I haven’t been going to church. I don’t have a pastor.”
We need the protection of the sheep pen, the brotherhood of the flock, and the leadership of our shepherds, our pastors, to help guide us. God knew we needed those things. That is one reason He established the church and created the position of pastor. Christ is our Good Shepherd, but until He returns, He has appointed godly men to watch over and protect the flock in His absence:
When they had finished breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon, son of John, do you love me more than these?” He said to him, “Yes, Lord; you know that I love you.” He said to him, “Feed my lambs.” He said to him a second time, “Simon, son of John, do you love me?” He said to him, “Yes, Lord; you know that I love you.” He said to him, “Tend my sheep.” He said to him the third time, “Simon, son of John, do you love me?” Peter was grieved because he said to him the third time, “Do you love me?” and he said to him, “Lord, you know everything; you know that I love you.” Jesus said to him, “Feed my sheep.
John 21:15-17
You can’t shepherd yourself. That internet pastor you listen to – even the most doctrinally sound one – can’t shepherd you. You need to be part of a flock led by a shepherd who knows you and cares for your soul.
Do you take joy in gathering regularly with your brothers and sisters in Christ for worship, the Word, the ordinances, building one another up, and serving one another? If not, the solution is not to leave the church. The solution is to examine your heart against Scripture to discover whether or not you’re truly saved, and then to find a church you can pour yourself into. Christ has given believers the local church as a blessing and a benefit, not a burden and a bore. Love and embrace this precious gift He has lavished on you.
Going to church could help you live longer, study says - Carina Storrs CNN
Many Americans say they attend church because it helps them stay grounded and gives them spiritual guidance. A new study suggests that regular attendance may also help increase their lifespan.
Going to church could help you live longer, study says - Carina Storrs CNN
Researchers looked at data on nearly 75,000 middle-age female nurses in the United States as part of the Nurses’ Health Study. The participants answered questions about whether they attended religious services regularly… The researchers found that women who went to church more than once a week had a 33% lower risk of dying during the study period compared with those who said they never went.
Going to church could help you live longer, study says - Carina Storrs CNN
Women who regularly attended religious services also had higher rates of social support and optimism, had lower rates of depression and were less likely to smoke.
IV. Purity
A) Purity?
1. Spiritual purity! (David’s)
Psalm 16:4a The sorrows of those who run after another god shall multiply; -ESV
a) Free from Idolatry
i. god’s of today?
Christianity Today -Idolatry Is Alive Today: Why Modern Church Leaders Still Fight an Old Battle; Idolatry is still trying to work its way into our lives. By ED STETZER
Nothing New Under The Sun. Believe it or not, the most common warning about sin in Scripture does not deal with lying, gossip, adultery, stealing, or murder. The most common sin in all of Scripture that we’re told to avoid, reject, and move away from is idolatry. In fact, in the New Testament, 1 John 5:21 says, “Little children, guard yourselves from idols.” So apparently idolatry is still trying to work its way into our lives and distract us from worshipping and obeying God. Idolatry is not just a pagan issue. It is not just an Old Testament or Jewish issue. It is a human issue.
Ed Stetzer - When it comes to idolatry, the danger is not in an item… it is in us.
It was John Calvin who said our heart is an idol factory. In a fallen world, people constantly seek things they can worship, even though the Creator is before us in plain view. We are all looking for something to worship and serve. Idols come easy, but go hard. There is a consistent theme about idolatry throughout the Scriptures—and in our lives as well.
Ed Stetzer - In 1 Thessalonians 1:9-10, the Bible describes our new life, our new birth in Christ in this way: “You turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God.” Does becoming a worshiper of the one true God mean we no longer have to contend with the issue of idolatry? I wish it were that simple.
Ed Stetzer - Everything that is not of God raises itself up against God, even in the life of a Christian. So we constantly have idol pop-ups in our lives. We have to cast them down, but they will be there as long as we live here on earth. Be Troubled By Your Own Idols! Acts 17 tells the story of Paul in Athens, and how his spirit was “troubled within him when he saw that the city was full of idols” (Acts 17:16). It is a fascinating passage that we often miss. Are our spirits troubled within us because of the idols of our culture?
Ed Stetzer - Pastors, Preach Against Idols. Idols don’t leave on their own. In the power of the gospel, we have to tear them down-- to destroy them. We need to remove them from our lives and depart from them. Pastors need to identify and preach against idols.
B) Point?
1. What is an idol?
a) ANYTHING, ANYONE, THAT I PUT AHEAD OF GOD -PERIOD!!
Nancy Pearcey - An idol is anything we want more than God, anything we rely on more that God, anything we look to for greater fulfillment than God. Idolatry is thus the hidden sin driving all other sins.
Christianity Today - Putting God first: 5 modern-day idols we're in danger of letting take over our lives - Patrick Mabilog 23 April 2016
Idolatry looks completely different today from what it once was. Whereas there was a time when idols were inanimate figures and statues, today they can come in various forms.
1. Work.
2. Success.
3. Phones. Or tablets or whatever shiny piece of kit you carry around with you and can't stop checking every five minutes. If you're giving your electronic device more time and attention than your loved ones, something's wrong.
4. Image. In the age of Facebook and Instagram, we can be obsessed with projecting the image of the perfect life, perfect relationship, perfect kids, perfect holidays, perfect friendship group...Just choose your filter and in one click, your life can look like everybody else's dream come true. But the Christian faith is about the joy found in God, more than in ourselves or the things of this world. Let's make sure we're projecting this image to others more than anything else.
5, Materialism.
6. Sex.
7. Money. Ok so it's not exactly a modern-day temptation only, but the lesson remains the same. There is much value in money, but it is not the most valuable thing. That's why Jesus teaches in Matthew 6:24, "No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money."
Psalm 16:4c their drink offerings of blood I will not pour out or take their names on my lips.
Albert Barnes - That is, I will not in any way acknowledge them as gods, or render to them the homage which is due to God.
V. God’s Provision
Psalm 16:5 The Lord is my chosen portion
A) Portion – ????? -manah
1. A ration; a lot: part.
Psalm 16:5b and my cup;
B) Peculiar?
1. Concept – cup?
VII. God’s Providence
A) Providence?
1. Divine providence is the governance of God by which He, with wisdom and love, cares for and directs all things in the universe. The doctrine of divine providence asserts that God is in complete control of all things. He is sovereign over the universe as a whole (Psalm 103:19), the physical world (Matthew 5:45), the affairs of nations (Psalm 66:7), human destiny (Galatians 1:15), human successes and failures (Luke 1:52), and the protection of His people (Psalm 4:8). This doctrine stands in direct opposition to the idea that the universe is governed by chance or fate.
John Piper - The word “providence” is striking. It comes from the word “provide” which has two parts: “pro” (Latin: “forward,” “on behalf of”) and “vide” (Latin: “to see”). So you might think that “provide” would mean: “to see forward” or “to foresee.” But it doesn’t. It means “to supply what is needed; to give sustenance or support.” And so the noun “providence” has come to mean the act of “providing for or sustaining and governing the universe by God.”
Heildelberg Catechism - The almighty and everywhere present power of God, whereby, as it were, by his hand, he still upholds heaven and earth, with all creatures, and so governs them that herbs and grass, rain and drought, fruitful and barren years, meat and drink, health and sickness, riches and poverty, yea, all things come not by chance, but by his fatherly hand.
B) Point?
C) Perspective?
Psalm 16:5c you hold my lot.
1. My lot - ??????????? (go·w·ra·lî)
a) Portion (thing assigned by casting lots)
Proverbs 16:33 The lot is cast into the lap, but its every decision is from the LORD.
Acts 1:20 Peter said, “Here is what is written in the Book of Psalms. It says,
“?‘May his home be deserted.
May no one live in it.’ (Psalm 69:25)
The Psalms also say,
“?‘Let someone else take his place as leader.’ (Psalm 109:8)
21 So we need to choose someone to take his place. It will have to be a man who was with us the whole time the Lord Jesus was living among us. 22 That time began when John was baptizing. It ended when Jesus was taken up from us. The one we choose must join us in telling people that Jesus rose from the dead.”
23 So they suggested the names of two men. One was Joseph, who was called Barsabbas. He was also called Justus. The other man was Matthias. 24 Then the believers prayed. They said, “Lord, you know everyone’s heart. Show us which of these two you have chosen. 25 Show us who should take the place of Judas as an apostle. He gave up being an apostle to go where he belongs.” 26 Then they cast lots. Matthias was chosen. So he was added to the 11 apostles.
Steven Cole - Some Christians have used this method, but I would not recommend it. I would point out that if you do use it, you can’t go for two out of three if you don’t like the first result! You have to submit to God’s will as revealed the first time! That’s what the apostles did here. They weren’t voting for their favorite candidate. They were submissive to God’s will. They let Jesus, who chose the original twelve (Acts 1:2), choose Judas’ replacement.
VII. God’s Parameters!
A) Parameters?
1. A limit or boundary that defines the scope of a particular process or activity.
B) Perspective?
Psalm 16:6a The lines have fallen for me in pleasant places;
1. Pleasant places - ????????????? (ban·n?·‘i·mîm)
a) Pleasant, delightful, sweet, lovely, agreeable, delightful, lovely, beautiful
Psalm 16:6b indeed, I have a beautiful inheritance.
2. Is delightful. -?????????? (ša·p¯?·rah)
a) To be pleasing, beautiful, fair, comely, bright, glistening!
C) Picture?
Joshua 1: 4 Your territory will reach from the Negev Desert all the way to Lebanon. The great Euphrates River will be to the east. The Mediterranean Sea will be to the west. Your territory will include all the Hittite country. 5 Joshua, no one will be able to oppose you as long as you live. I will be with you, just as I was with Moses. I will never leave you. I will never desert you. 6 Be strong and brave. You will lead these people. They will take the land as their very own. It is the land I promised to give their people of long ago. -NIV
1. Territory predetermined.
Psalm 1:1 Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful. 2 But his delight is in the law of the Lord; and in his law doth he meditate day and night. 3 And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water,
2. Tree planted
a) What kind?
Isaiah 61 (NIV)
1 The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is on me,
because the Lord has anointed me
to proclaim good news to the poor.
He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted,
to proclaim freedom for the captives
and release from darkness for the prisoners,
2 to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor
and the day of vengeance of our God,
to comfort all who mourn,
3 and provide for those who grieve in Zion—
to bestow on them a crown of beauty
instead of ashes, the oil of joy
instead of mourning,
and a garment of praise
instead of a spirit of despair.
They will be called oaks of righteousness,
a planting of the Lord
for the display of his splendor.
W. H. Jackson. - God is His own gardener, and those who would know the blessedness of being "God's husbandry" are to be in all things submitted to God's hand. God chooses the position in which His trees are to be planted.
a) Oak tree facts:
i. A mature live oak can stand between 60 and 150 feet tall. The crowns of the largest oaks are nearly large enough to shade half of a football field!
b) Once planted, however, oaks do not like to be moved. Most oak seedlings quickly develop a primary tap root that descends deep into the soil
c) This extensive root system makes large mature trees very difficult to transplant successfully.
d) If you wish to transplant your young oak, you must act while it is a sapling.
D) Point?
1. Oak trees are not meant to be moved but to stay put!!
2. THE WAY IT SEE IT - GOD HAS SOVERIGNELY PLANTED ME IN A BEAUTIFUL PLACE, A BEAUTIFUL PLACE!
3. God expects us to bloom where He plants us!
4. GOD EXPECTS US TO STAY PUT!
1 Corinthians 7:10 To the married I give this command (not I, but the Lord): A wife must not separate from her husband. 11 But if she does, she must remain unmarried or else be reconciled to her husband. And a husband must not divorce his wife. .-NIV
1 Corinthians 7:17 Nevertheless, each person should live as a believer in whatever situation the Lord has assigned to them, just as God has called them. This is the rule I lay down in all the churches. 18 Was a man already circumcised when he was called? He should not become uncircumcised. Was a man uncircumcised when he was called? He should not be circumcised. 19 Circumcision is nothing and uncircumcision is nothing. Keeping God’s commands is what counts. 20 Each person should remain in the situation they were in when God called them. .-NIV
1 Corinthians 7:21 Were you a slave when you were called? Don’t let it trouble you—although if you can gain your freedom, do so. 22 For the one who was a slave when called to faith in the Lord is the Lord’s freed person; similarly, the one who was free when called is Christ’s slave. 23 You were bought at a price; do not become slaves of human beings. 24 Brothers and sisters, each person, as responsible to God, should remain in the situation they were in when God called them. .-NIV
1 Corinthians 7: 29 What I mean, brothers and sisters, is that the time is short. From now on those who have wives should live as if they do not; 30 those who mourn, as if they did not; those who are happy, as if they were not; those who buy something, as if it were not theirs to keep; 31 those who use the things of the world, as if not engrossed in them. For this world in its present form is passing away.-NIV
6. We get into a lot of trouble, when we moved ourselves!
a) Abraham, Noah, Moses, David, Gideon, Peter, Paul were not looking for God, or a new assignment from God, God came looking for them and reassigned them!
VIII. God’s Precepts
A) Precepts
1. A general rule intended to regulate behavior or thought.
Psalm 16:7a I bless the Lord who gives me counsel;
2. Counsel - ?????????? (y?·‘a·?a·nî)
a) Advices, consults, counsels me.
i. How?
Psalm 119:98 Your commands make me wiser than my enemies, for they are my constant guide. -NLT
Psalm 111:10a The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom; all who follow his precepts have good understanding. -NIV
Psalm 19:7 The law of the Lord is perfect, refreshing the soul. The statutes of the Lord are trustworthy, making wise the simple. 8 The precepts of the Lord are right, giving joy to the heart. The commands of the Lord are radiant, giving light to the eyes. -NIV
Psalm 19:9b The decrees of the Lord are firm, and all of them are righteous. 10 They are more precious than gold, than much pure gold; they are sweeter than honey, than honey from the honeycomb. 11 By them your servant is warned; in keeping them there is great reward. The decrees of the Lord are firm, and all of them are righteous. -NIV
B) Point?
Psalm 16:7b in the night also my heart instructs me.
1. How does that come about?
Psalm 119:11 I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you. -NIV
IX. David’s Perspective!
A) Perspective?
Psalm 16:6c I have set the Lord always before me;-ESV
Psalm 16:6c I keep my eyes always on the LORD-NIV
Hebrews 12:2 fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God..-NIV
B) Provide?
Psalm 16:6d because he is at my right hand,
1. Right side of me (i.e. close to me, ready to protect and save me).
Psalm 16:6e I shall not be shaken.
C) Picture?
1. Shaken - ????????? (’em·mo·w?)
a) Totter, shake, slip!
Psalm 16:6e I shall not be moved – KJV
D) Point?
1. The average marriage in the United States lasts 8 years.
a) Christians?
Evangelicals Have Higher-than-average Divorce Rates, According to a Report Compiled by Baylor University’s Council on Contemporary Families - Feb. 5, 2014
WACO, Texas - Despite their strong pro-family values, evangelical Christians have higher than average divorce rates -- in fact, being more likely to be divorced than Americans who claim no religion, according to findings as cited by researchers from Baylor University. The research is part of a new report released by the Council on Contemporary Families.
2. The average stay at a church for a senior pastor is about four years.
3. Youth pastors last about three
KPA- Stat of the Week: A Nation of Quitters -Toby Graham / July 16, 2019
Approximately 3.5 million people in America, voluntarily leave their jobs every month. For perspective, that would be like the entire population of Los Angeles deciding to give their two-week notice at the same time—every month.
4. “Winners are not people who never fail, but people who never quit.”
a) Bible on that?
Galatians 6:9 And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not.
Philippians 3:14 I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.
1 Corinthians 9:24 Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize.
Numbers 23:19 God is not human, that he should lie, not a human being, that he should change his mind. Does he speak and then not act? Does he promise and not fulfill?
1 Samuel 12:22 For the sake of his great name, the LORD will not abandon his people, because the LORD wants to make you his people.
James 1:3 because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance.
Romans 5:3 And not only this, but we also exult in our tribulations, knowing that tribulation brings about perseverance.
Hebrews 12:3 For consider Him who endured such hostility from sinners against Himself, so that you won’t grow weary and lose heart.
Philippians 4:13 I am able to do all things through the one who strengthens me.
Warren Wiersbe -“Those times when you feel like quitting can be times of great opportunity, for God uses your troubles to help you grow.”
Woodrow Kroll -“Our quitting point is God’s beginning point.”
“When you feel like quitting: think about why you started.”
Revelation 2:7 “He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To him who overcomes I will give to eat from the tree of life, which is in the midst of the Paradise of God.” ’-NKJV
X. God’s Promise
Psalm 16: 9a Therefore my heart is glad, and my whole being rejoices; -ESV
A) Picture
1. Soul!
2. Body!!
Psalm 16:9b my flesh also dwells secure. -ESV
Q: Why?
B) Promise!
Psalm 16:10a For you will not abandon my soul to Sheol, - ESV
1. Sheol –?????????? (liš·’o·wl)
a) Underworld, grave, hell, pit, The OT designation for the abode of the dead, the place of no return, without praise of God, where the wicked are sent for punishment, the place of exile!
C) Point?
1. No annihilation of the soul
2. No soul sleep
a) Seventh-day Adventists teach
3. Jesus teach?
Luke 16: 19 “There was a rich man who was dressed in purple and fine linen and lived in luxury every day. 20 At his gate was laid a beggar named Lazarus, covered with sores 21 and longing to eat what fell from the rich man’s table. Even the dogs came and licked his sores. 22 “The time came when the beggar died and the angels carried him to Abraham’s side. The rich man also died and was buried. 23 In Hades, where he was in torment, he looked up and saw Abraham far away, with Lazarus by his side. 24 So he called to him, ‘Father Abraham, have pity on me and send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue, because I am in agony in this fire.’-NIV
a) No escape!
Luke 16: 25 “But Abraham replied, ‘Son, remember that in your lifetime you received your good things, while Lazarus received bad things, but now he is comforted here and you are in agony. 26 And besides all this, between us and you a great chasm has been set in place, so that those who want to go from here to you cannot, nor can anyone cross over from there to us.’
Psalm 16:10b or let your holy one see corruption -ESV
Psalm 16:10b or allow your holy one to rot in the grave. - NLT
D) PROOF?
1. Jesus!!
a) This Psalm was quoted by Peter on day of Pentecost
Acts 2: 22 “Men of Israel, hear these words: Jesus of Nazareth, a man attested to you by God with mighty works and wonders and signs that God did through him in your midst, as you yourselves know— 23 this Jesus, delivered up according to the definite plan and foreknowledge of God, you crucified and killed by the hands of lawless men. 24 God raised him up, loosing the pangs of death, because it was not possible for him to be held by it. 25 For David says concerning him,
“‘I saw the Lord always before me,
for he is at my right hand that I may not be shaken;
26 therefore my heart was glad, and my tongue rejoiced;
my flesh also will dwell in hope.
27 For you will not abandon my soul to Hades,
or let your Holy One see corruption.
28 You have made known to me the paths of life;
you will make me full of gladness with your presence.’
29 “Brothers, I may say to you with confidence about the patriarch David that he both died and was buried, and his tomb is with us to this day. 30 Being therefore a prophet, and knowing that God had sworn with an oath to him that he would set one of his descendants on his throne, 31 he foresaw and spoke about the resurrection of the Christ, that he was not abandoned to Hades, nor did his flesh see corruption. 32 This Jesus God raised up, and of that we all are witnesses. -ESV
E) Point?
1 Corinthians 15:17 And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins. 18 Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ are lost. 19 If only for this life we have hope in Christ, we are of all people most to be pitied. 20 But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. 21 For since death came through a man, the resurrection of the dead comes also through a man. 22 For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive. 23 But each in turn: Christ , the firstfruits; then, when he comes, those who belong to him. -NIV
1 Thessalonians 4:16 For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. 17 After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever. 18 Therefore encourage one another with these words.-NIV
F) Plea?
1. How can I be assured of this rapturous moment?
a) You follow:
XII. God’s Path
Psalm 16:11a You make known to me the path of life; -ESV
A) Path?
B) Person!
John 14:1 “Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me. 2 In My Father’s house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. 3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also. 4 And where I go you know, and the way you know.” 5 Thomas said to Him, “Lord, we do not know where You are going, and how can we know the way?” 6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.-NKJV
C) Promise?
Luke 23: 39 One of the criminals who hung there hurled insults at him: “Aren’t you the Messiah? Save yourself and us!” 40 But the other criminal rebuked him. “Don’t you fear God,” he said, “since you are under the same sentence? 41 We are punished justly, for we are getting what our deeds deserve. But this man has done nothing wrong.” 42 Then he said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.” 43 Jesus answered him, “Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in paradise.”-NIV
D) Paradise!!
1. Where is that?
2 Corinthians 12:2 I know a man in Christ who fourteen years ago was caught up to the third heaven. Whether it was in the body or out of the body I do not know—God knows. 3 And I know that this man—whether in the body or apart from the body I do not know, but God knows— 4 was caught up to paradise and heard inexpressible things, things that no one is permitted to tell. -NIV
Revelation 2:7a Whoever has ears, let them hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To the one who is victorious,
2. Victorious, -v????t? (nikonti)
a) Conquers, overcomes, prevails, subdues!
Revelation 2:7b I will give the right to eat from the tree of life, which is in the paradise of God.
Revelation 3:12 The one who is victorious I will make a pillar in the temple of my God. Never again will they leave it. I will write on them the name of my God and the name of the city of my God, the new Jerusalem, which is coming down out of heaven from my God; and I will also write on them my new name.-NIV
XII. God’s Presence!!!!
Psalm 16:11b in your presence there is fullness of joy; -ESV
A) Paradise!
Luke 23:42 Then he said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.” 43 Jesus answered him, “Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in paradise.”-NIV
B) Present?
Psalm 46:1 God is our refuge and strength, A very present help in trouble. 2 Therefore we will not fear, Even though the earth be removed, And though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea;
3 Though its waters roar and be troubled, Though the mountains shake with its swelling. 4 There is a river whose streams shall make glad the city of God, The holy place of the tabernacle of the Most High. 5 God is in the midst of her, she shall not be moved; -NKJV
Psalm 46:7 The Lord of hosts is with us; The God of Jacob is our refuge. Selah -NKJV
C) Promise?
Psalm 16:11c at your right hand are pleasures forevermore.- ESV
1. Ellen G. White was formerly a Methodist but later converted to Adventism wrote this:
Ellen G White – As Jesus opens before them the riches of redemption, and the amazing achievements in the great controversy with Satan, the hearts of the ransomed will thrill with more fervent devotion, and with more rapturous joy as they sweep the harps of gold; and ten thousand times ten thousand and thousands of thousands of voices unite to swell the mighty chorus of praise....The great controversy is ended. Sin and sinners are no more. The entire universe is clean. One pulse of harmony and gladness beats through the vast creation. From Him who created all, flow life and light and gladness, throughout the realms of illimitable space. From the minutest atom to the greatest world, all things, animate and inanimate, in their unshadowed beauty and perfect joy, will declare that God is love.
D) PTL!!!
Conclusion:
Do You Believe Can Experience Pleasures Forevermore Right Here And Now?
1. Have you asked Him to Preserve you?
2. Has His Power filled you?
Acts 1:8b You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you;
a) How? Ask!
Luke 11:13 If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!”
3. Do you prefer Him over all things?
4. Do you delight in gathering with His people?
Psalm 122:1 I was glad when they said unto me, Let us go into the house of the Lord.
5. Worship and adore His Purity?
Psalm 96:9 O worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness: fear before him, all the earth
6. Prefer His Provision?
Luke 4: 5 The devil led him up to a high place and showed him in an instant all the kingdoms of the world. 6 And he said to him, “I will give you all their authority and splendor; it has been given to me, and I can give it to anyone I want to. 7 If you worship me, it will all be yours.” 8 Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Worship the Lord your God and serve him only.’
7. Honor His Providence?
8. His Precepts?
9. His Perspective?
Matthew 6:19 “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal; 20 but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. 21 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
10. His Promise?
2 Peter 3:13 But according to his promise we are waiting for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells.
11. His Path?
12. His Precence?
1 Chronicles 16:10 Glory in his holy name; let the hearts of those who seek the Lord rejoice! 11 Seek the Lord and his strength; seek his presence continually!
