“Have A Healthy New Year”
Psalm 26
INTRODUCTION: The new year is almost upon us. We often greet each other, “Have a healthy and prosperous New Year!”
Tonight, I want us to take a look at having a “Healthy New Year”. Sometimes we need an annual SPIRITUAL check-up, just like we need an annual PHYSICAL check-up.
I couldn’t be a Doctor. Besides the blood & needles & sharp scalpels … there’s all those sick people! How depressing! Sick people all day long … you can’t get away from them. When you go to your office, they’re there waiting for you! If you go to the hospital, they’re there! You get them well, and they turn around and get sick all over again! Even Jesus said in Mt. 9:12 – “They that are well need not a physician, but they that are sick.”
Doctors see you at your worst, and hear all your aches, complaints, pains & physical ailments. When they see a patient on the street or in a restaurant, they want free medical advice. How depressing!
Just once, I would like to make an appointment with my Doctor … sit down in the examining room … and, when he asks what’s wrong, say “Nothing … I just wanted to stop by and cheer you up!” But, at his prices, I think I’ll just go to him when I’m sick!
This is what David is doing in Psalm 26. He’s going to the Great Physician, and he’s getting a SPIRITUAL check-up … only to find out … that he’s spiritually fit! David has been taking preventative medicine for his soul. He has found the remedy for sin, and he has applied it to his heart & life.
David was a man after God’s own heart. He wanted to please God in everything he did. He didn’t always do it … but that’s what he always wanted to do. God honored that desire of David’s heart … just like He will honor your heart if you have that desire.
Let’s take a look at David’s chart … and see how we can have a HEALTHY New Year.
26:1 – “Judge me, O Lord” … THEN … 26:2.
How many of us would ask God to do that? Only one who is right with God … in fellowship with Him … confessed up … repented of all known sin … with a clear and clean conscience … can say this.
This is like taking a test. I never liked “pop tests” … where the teacher surprised you with a test when you weren’t ready. I called them “sudden death”! I liked to know when a test was coming. To do good on “pop tests”, you have to know the material and be ready at all times.
We don’t want the Lord to examine our heart if we aren’t ready … if we know there is un-confessed sin in our life. David was ready for God’s test … any time. He knew his heart was right with God. He’s not afraid for God to examine his heart … to test him.
Have you come to this place in your life … that you can ask God to examine your heart? David said “judge me … examine me … test me”. David could stand before God with a clean heart and a clear conscience … and open his soul to God.
HOW could he do this? WHY is he able to go to the Great Physician HEALTHY instead of SPIRITUALLY SICK?
26:1 – “I have trusted also in the Lord”. David knows that victory over sin & temptation … and the peace of God … only comes FROM GOD. It wasn’t his “trust” that gave him the victory … it was his trust in the LORD.
David trusted God to keep him from “back trouble”. How many of you have “back trouble”? NOTICE what David said in 26:1b … “therefore I shall not slide” … “backsliding”. David knew that as long as he trusted in the Lord, God could keep him from sliding back into sin. As son as he started looking to his own strength … trusting in himself … he would start to slide backward.
26:3a – What did David see when he looked at God’s faithfulness to him? He saw God’s “loving-kindness”. Has God been good to you this past year? AMEN? You may have experienced some tragedies … some hard times … some disappointments. BUT … it could have been worse! If it wasn’t for God’s loving-kindness … His grace & mercy … the Devil would have had a hey-day in your life. When you are Spiritually healthy, like David, you will see the positive side of everything that God allows in your life.
26:3 – “I have walked in THY truth.” Compare with 26:1 – “I have walked in MINE integrity.” In 26:1, as far as he knew, he was walking the way he should. His walk equaled his talk … he didn’t do 1 thing & believe another … he practiced what he preached. He could say with the Apostle Paul in Acts 23:1 – “I have lived in all good conscience before God until this day.”
BUT … some people can be walking in their own integrity … BUT … still not walking in God’s truth. Let me explain. In their own minds, they might be doing what THEY THINK is right. BUT … in God’s mind, they aren’t walking according to His truth. They might be justifying their own sins within their own conscience and mind. They might not see their sin as a sin. They might not see their faults, failings & shortcomings as God does … or as others around them see it. There might be sin present in their lives without their acknowledging it. Have you ever known anybody like this?
That’s why David adds in 26:3 – “I have walked in THY truth.” It’s important as to how GOD sees our life … NOT how WE see our life. We may not see our symptoms of sin … but God does. That’s why we need to go to the Doctor. He might see something that we miss. Have you ever known someone who THINKS he has something wrong with him? BUT … refuses to go to the Doctor because he doesn’t want to know for sure? What happens? His condition worsens.
David could say, “I have walked in THY truth.” NOT JUST, in what I think is right … but in what GOD thinks is right.
There are many standards today for right/wrong.
o Peer pressure sets one standard.
o Parents may set a standard for us.
o Society may set certain standards of behavior.
o Religion sets standards for conduct and belief.
BUT … there is only ONE STANDARD by which we will all be judged … GOD’S STANDARD. We need to say along with David: “I have walked in THY truth.”
26:4-5 – David tells us HOW he was able to stay SPIRITUALLY healthy. David separated himself from the ways and influence of the wicked. Much of our sinful actions are determined by outside influences. While it is true that our heart is “deceitful above all things and desperately wicked” (Jer. 17:9) … it is the influence of others that often drives us to commit these sinful acts.
Sin loves company … AND … the more people involved in the act of sin, the easier it is to commit it … and justify it. How many times have you heard, “But, everybody else is doing it!” Not for David! He’s going to stay away from people that turn his heart away from God.
26:6 – David sees another key to good SPIRITUAL health … hand-washing. David came to the house of worship with INNOCENT HANDS. Why do people stay away from church today? PERHAPS, it’s because of a guilty conscience. YET, what better place to come, with guilty hands, and receive cleansing!
26:8 – David gives another sign of a Spiritually healthy Christian … a love for God’s house. Those who love God, will have a love for God’s house … and be in Church. It is ONE THING to shun evil companions (that’s negative goodness) … it is ANOTHER THING to shun God’s house. The way to bring joy and fulfillment to your life is to do what David did … 26:8
Why was this so special and important to David? 26:7. To David, worship was a POSITIVE experience … not just NEGATIVE living (shunning evil companions). He LOVED to go to God’s house, because there, he could proclaim in PUBLIC, what God had done for him in PRIVATE. Psalm 122:1 – “ I was glad when they said unto me, Let us go into the house of the Lord.” This is one of the VITAL SIGNS of good spiritual health.
26:9-10 – David has a request for the Lord. Being in sound Spiritual health, David can come to God with his requests. David is saying, “When the day of harvest comes, GATHER me in with the Godly.” There are only 2 types of “harvest”. … the wheat and the tares. There are only 2 types of people … lost and saved. Only 2 ways … God’s way and the Devil’s way. Only 2 destinies … Heaven & Hell. Psalm 1:6 – “For the Lord knoweth the way of the righteous: but the way of the ungodly shall perish.”
David knows which harvest he will be gathered into. God knows who belongs to his fold. He knows your name … how many hairs are on your head … the thoughts & intents of your heart. 2 Tim. 2:19 – “The Lord knoweth them that are his.” We can’t tell the wheat from the tares … but God knows.
What lies ahead for David (and us), if we are Spiritually healthy Christians … after God’s own heart? 26:11. “as for me” … David isn’t going to let anyone drag him down, and ruin his Spiritual health. He knows that the wicked are infected … and he’s going to stay away from them. He knows that it is God’s mercy that will keep him from iniquity.
26:12a – David gives another VITAL SIGN of Spiritual health … a good foothold on the Rock … not on a slippery slope. He knows that slipping on sin, will ruin his relationship with God – 26:12b. David wants to stay away from slippery places … there’s a danger of falling.
CONCLUSION: How concerned are we about our health … Spiritually speaking? Everyone wants to have a healthy and happy New Year. David shows us how.
For our PHYSICAL ailments, we will try miracle cures. Why don’t we go to the God of miracles for our SPIRITUAL ailments?
For our PHYSICAL ailments we will follow the Doctor’s orders. Why don’t we follow the orders of the Great Physician for our SPIRITUAL ailments?
After all, our body will 1 day turn to dust … but our soul is eternal! We exercise, diet, take vitamins to keep in good physical shape. BUT … too often, we neglect our Spiritual health. Matthew 16:26 – “For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?”
Let’s spend this coming year, as concerned about our SPIRITUAL health, as we are about our PHYSICAL health. AND … when we do … we might come to find out … THAT … our PHYSICAL health will improve too!
Jesus is the Great Physician. Have a healthy and happy New Year!
STAND – PRAY
OUTLINE FOR HANDOUT:
“Have A Healthy New Year - Psalm 26
INTRODUCTION: We need an annual SPIRITUAL check-up, just like we need an annual PHYSICAL check-up.
- David is getting a spiritual check-up from the Great Physician.
Let’s take a look at his chart:
26:1 – “Judge me, O Lord” … then 26:2
- David was ready for God’s test … God’s examination of his heart … at any time.
WHY was he able to go to the Great Physician spiritually healthy?
26:1 – “I have trusted also in the Lord.”
- David trusted God to keep him from “back trouble” … back-sliding.
26:3a – David saw God’s “loving-kindness” in his life … the positive side of everything that happened to him.
26:3 – “I have walked in Thy truth.” – 26:1, Acts 23:1
- You can walk in your own integrity … BUT not in God’s truth.
- We can justify our walk, and not see our faults like God does.
- The Great Physician sees things in our heart we don’t see.
- We will be judged by only 1 standard … GOD’S standard.
26:4-5 – Much of our sinful actions are influenced by outside influences.
- David is going to stay away from people that turn his heart away from God.
26:6 – Another key to spiritual health … hand-washing.
- David came to God’s house with innocent hands.
26:8 – Another key to spiritual heath … a love for God’s house.
- Why was this so important to David? 26:7
- He could proclaim in public what God had done in private – Psalm 122:1
26:9-10 – Being in sound spiritual health, David could make requests to God – Psalm 1:6, 2 Timothy 2:19 - God knows the wheat from the tares.
26:11 – David stays from the wicked … they are infected.
26:12 – Back-sliding will ruin his relationship with God.
CONCLUSION:
- Go to God for “miracle cures”.
- Follow the orders of the Great Physician – Matthew 16:26
- Spiritual health leads to physical health.
PRISCILLA BAPTIST CHURCH – Ray Scott, Pastor
