Troubled Times!

Psalm 9:17-20, the churches greatest objective is to point people to the reality of who they are against the backdrop of a holy God, so these people would fear and turn to God! Their persistent fighting against God is of no avail, they fight a losing battle, surrender is the only logical move. People either bend the knee now by faith, or bend the knee then by force!

Season

Psalm 9:9, 13; 10:1, Injustices on every side, indifference towards sinful mankind on the part of God, the success of sin, David is discouraged, deflated, despairing, and debilitated. He takes the entire Hebrew alphabet and compiles two psalms, Psalms 9-10, attempting to make sense of it all, remain hopeful through it all, and be encouraged in spite of it all, cf. 2 Timothy 3:1-5, is a New Testament counterpart.

Today’s attack is not a direct, but rather an indirect attack. Church goers have become so Biblical illiterate, they have reduced themselves to a place of believing anything that might be appear remotely like truth.

Practical atheism, living like there is no God.

Gnosticism, body is evil, our spirit is good; dualism. Anything done in the body, even the grossest sin, has no bearing on life, life exists in the spirit.

Moralistic Therapeutic Deism, there is a god who watches over everything. This god wants you to be good, nice, and fair. The goal in life is just be happy. You don’t need God unless it is to fix your problems. All good people go to heaven.

Liberation Theology, interpret the bible through the poor. We must work towards a just society through political and social change. All church doctrine must be birthed out of perspective.

Agnosticism, God cannot be known or prove God actually exists!

Marxism, CRT, Wokism, progressivism. What were at one time a “theory,” has now become indoctrination and a new age “theology.”

Statement

God is working out his eternal purpose, not only in spite of human and satanic opposition, but by means of them. —A W Pink.

Study Objective

Answer the question, how do Christians live within the framework of two worlds; hostility and hope?

Learn to live confidently in the fact that God will have the final word in the end.

To understand that judgment ultimately rests in the hands of Jesus.

Supposition

How does the individual Christian remain encouraged in and hold up under troubling times? David suggest three approaches when feeling the pressure of the times we find ourselves in.

I. Refuse to become Distracted, Psalm 10:1, 13.

Why do we feel that all the talking we do about the bad stuff happening in our culture will actually make a difference and somehow change everything? Have we lost sight of the fact that our culture does what it does because that’s how sinful people act and think. People sin because their sinners, they are not sinners because they sin.

The believer becomes hypnotized by the swinging pendulum of media, turns into an armchair analysts, and looses sight of the fact we are living in a God-denying, God-hating, God-rejecting world! This is what the world looks like without God!

David’s Perplexity, Psalm 10:1.

David is confused! It looks like evil is winning, Christians are loosing. Evil people are prevailing, God’s people are under immense pressure, innumerable problems, and inconsolable pains. A lot of bad stuff is happening, and God is doing nothing about it. God’s people are suffering, and God seems checked-out.

God’s people have to remain focused! Christians cannot become consumed with what God is and is not doing. Colossians 3:2 Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth. 2 Timothy 2:23 Have nothing to do with foolish, ignorant controversies; you know that they breed quarrels.

David’s Problem, Psalm 10:2-11.

God’s people must not become concerned with what everyone else is doing and not doing! David’s problem is people are living like there is no God! Cf. Isaiah 5:20; Romans 1:32.

People living self-absorbed lives, Psalm 10:2-7, ego-driven, proud, prosperous, possessed of a pious confidence, Psalm 10:5-6. Arrogant, no concern or value for life, preying on the week and defenseless of society, Psalm 10:8-11. They have big mounts, arrogant, bragging about sin, flaunting it, Psalm 10:3. Living without restraints, without any accountability, Psalm 10:4-5,11.

What is wrong with people, they’re insane! Psalm 10:14.

We cannot permit ourselves to get to the point where we are asking the question, what’s the point?

The answer is not Reform, it is Redemption at the individual level not a societal level. When the church gets a burden again for the unsaved, and goes after the lost with reckless abandonment, only then will a society be transformed.

False ideas are the greatest obstacles to the gospel. We may preach with all the fervor of a reformer and yet succeed only in winning a straggler here and there, if we permit the whole collective thought of the nation or of the world to be controlled by ideas which, by the resistless force of logic, prevent Christianity from being regarded as anything more than a harmless delusion. —John Gresham Machen (Essay on “Christianity and Culture” published 1913.)

Secularism continues to remove any semblance of the Christian religion from society leaving it open to multiple false ideas without logic resisting, leaving people to live any way they want, and the church and the Christian posing no threat! The gospel can never clearly be presented due to wading through countless arguments, clearing objections and false ideas.

The gospel, the good news about Jesus Christ, makes little to no sense now! When people live self-absorbed lives, and believe every lie of media outlets. People view Christ dying on the cross as a victim like they are; oppressed and oppressor societal construct, or as here recently, a refugee “who gets us”, rather than a Savior who died to “Save Us! “Nobody wants to be preached to or pressured!” —He Gets Us!

II. Reach a point of Desperation, Psalm 10:12; 9:19.

David becomes desperate for God’s presence, Psalm 10:12; 9:19.

David becomes desperate for a move of God!

David is desperate for God to do something, take action! God needs to show up for things to change and people to change. Only God can bring people to view their lives differently, Psalm 9:20, and the stop doing the things they do, Psalm 10:18.

David becomes desperate for a fresh perspective of God, Psalm 10:14-16; 9:7-10.

God has not checked out when it comes to the craziness of our culture, Psalm 10:14.

God has the power to break the power of sin on people’s lives, Psalm 10:15.

People will get exactly what they deserve! Psalm 9:7-8.

David becomes desperate for a persevering approach to challenging times, Psalm 10:17.

“Prepare,” means, “stable; firmness; solid footing to stand on; established so as not to be moved” Tenacity, keeping a firm grip on things; not easily pushed; course of action!

What guarantees that I will not get knocked off course by all that threatens and challenges my faith?

Christians must be sold out to God, Psalm 9:1-2.

Psalm 9:1. The problem is halfheartedness! Middle of the road Christians occupying middle of the road churches. 2 Chronicles 25:2 And he did what was right in the eyes of the Lord, yet not with a whole heart. Did some good, but not fired up, sold out, totally dedicated and determined. There is not such thing as a half-hearted Christian, as a Christian you’re either IN or you are OUT. David says, “I’m in!”

Three reason to go all in with God!

David said I’m In because God never Disappoints, Psalm 9:3-5.

David said I’m In because of God will go the Distance , Psalm 9:6-8; 10:16.

David said I’m In because I can Depend on God, Psalm 9:4, 9-10.

God will be there when I need Him the most, Psalm 9:9.

God will never forsake or fail me, Psalm 9:10.

Christians cannot stay silent about God, Psalm 9:11-12.

This is not the time to be silent for God or Jesus, but get loud about both.

The Church must get loud about Jesus! Sing about Him, shout about Him, share Him as much as possible, spread Him all over the place; the goodness and greatness of God! Romans 1:16, loud, bold, unashamed witness for Christ.

God is faithful to His nature! God will not turn a blind eye to sin, He seeks to avenge for offences, Psalm 9:12.

Christians must become serious about seeking God’s face, Psalm 9:13-18.

God’s people must get serious about prayer! Desperation will drive you to your knees! David desperately needed God’s help! We desperately needs God’s help!

David needs help with his own self, Psalm 9:13a.

His first prayer is one suitable for all persons and occasions, it breathes a humble spirit, indicates self knowledge, —C H Spurgeon.

Serious prayer is prayer of self evaluation. Before God can deal with the issues outside, God must deal with the issues inside. Before God can change our culture, God must change His people.

David needs help with his struggles, Psalm 9:13b-14.

David is struggling! David is sinking! David’s not feeling it, he needs God to give him a reason to praise.

“Gate,” signify “power,” This is getting the best of David! David wants his misery to turn to motivation, “gates of the daughter of Zion.” Just as his struggles are overpowering him, may they in turn empower him to remain positive about God! David does not want to make this about himself, make it a God thing!

David needs help sustaining hope, Psalm 9:15-18.

“Expectation,” Psalm 9:18, means “hope, outcomes; cords or rope.” Hope is all David has to hold onto. David needs God’s help to tighten the grip! Hebrews 6:18-20; Romans 8:24, David needs certainty despite realization.

There is no hope for the wicked! Psalm 9:17. Their world will come crashing down around them, they will hang themselves by their own rope, Psalm 10:2; 9:16-17. It will not end well for the wicked. This sustains David, God wins in the end! The wicked are digging their own hole, Psalm 7:15.

Refuse to become Distracted, Reach a point of Desperation, and Rest confidently in God’s Design.

III. Rest confident in God’s Design, Psalm 9:19-20.

Sin is an attack on God, Romans 2:8a “8 but to those who are selfishly ambitious and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness,

“Contentious,” a person who is wrapped up in their own lives; self-absorbed, 2 Timothy 3:2 For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy,

Self-seeking people who will not listen to God, not even remotely interested in God.

Obey unrighteousness, the road to hell is open antagonism toward the Lordship of Jesus.

God’s attitude towards sin, Romans 2:8-9 “ but obey unrighteousness, wrath and indignation. 9 There will be tribulation and distress for every soul of man who does evil, of the Jew first and also of the Greek,”

God becomes indignant, rage swelling within God, God’s anger will burst like a consuming fire, cf. Hebrews 11:27; Luke 4:28.

Wrath, reaching a level of fury. At this point, mercy and grace have ended. God is no longer tolerant.

Tribulation, personal suffering.

Anguish, means, “narrow” narrow confinement. God is angry, God is in a rage. People will be confined to the narrowness place called hell, cf. Matthew 25:41, 46; 13:42, 50; Revelation 20:15; 14:10; Matthew 3:12.

Jesus has been assigned to be Judge, John 5:22-23; Acts 7:31.

John 5:22-23 “22 “For not even the Father judges anyone, but He has given all judgment to the Son, 23 so that all will honor the Son even as they honor the Father. He who does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent Him.”

Acts 17:31 “31 because He has fixed a day in which He will judge the world in righteousness through a Man whom He has appointed, having furnished proof to all men by raising Him from the dead.””

Believer’s anticipate the return of Jesus to bring justice to this earth, Romans 12:19 Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves, but rather give place unto wrath: for it is written, Vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord. Cf. Matthew 16:27; Psalm 62:12; Isaiah 11:4; Psalm 96:13; Revelation 19:11; Jeremiah 32:19.

Jesus will return and set things right; truth will win in the end.

Believers wait. Believers do not loose hope! Isaiah 30:18 Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves, but rather give place unto wrath: for it is written, Vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord. Psalm 7:17 I will praise the Lord according to his righteousness: and will sing praise to the name of the Lord most high.

Take-Away

Turn to Jesus to be saved from sin, give Him your heart and life, before the time comes when it is too late. Now is the day of salvation, and now is the time to take the great gift of God to the world.

Christian are you serving half-hearted or are you all in? Are you serious about praying through these troubled times? Do we walk confident that God will set things right in the end?