"To Dwell with God means that we should live for God."
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Good Morning. Turn in your Bible with me to Psalm Chapter 15. Steve has already read this for us today, but now I want you to see this passage and what the Psalmist wants us to truly know?
Here in Psalm 15 we see that David is earnestly crying out to the Lord. We see here in his brief prayer that he desires to know God more, and to dwell in Yaweh’s presence. As David desires to be with God we see that only through the righteousness of Christ and what He has done can we as mankind truly enjoy God’s presence.
Psalm 15 begins with a question and ends with a wonderful promise. This Psalm that comes from David is a wisdom Psalm which deals with social ethics that are to come from those who are living righteously for God. To put all of this together for us today, the basic question to consider here is what does God require of His children? Or how does God want us to live as we dwell here on earth? The emphasis here is on righteous living. We as God’s children are to live a life of integrity and purity. There are of course things which we are not to do as well. However, God desires for us to be a people who live for Him and dwell in His presence. With that being said, when we do so we will not be shaken and can stand firm because our foundation is firmly planted with God and in God.
1. As Believers we should long for the Presence of God.
1. As Believers we should long for the Presence of God.
In Verse 1 David states the Question.
1 O Lord, who shall sojourn in your tent?
Who shall dwell on your holy hill?
The first repetitive question that we come to in verse 1 is who. But, this question is not so much about the identity of who the person is, but what kind of person can enjoy fellowship with God? Verse 1 also shows us two questions that the Psalmist is asking.
-Who shall sojourn in your tent? Who shall live in your tent O God?
-And Who shall dwell on your holy hill?
These questions show us that David longs for God’s presence.
What kind of person may enjoy God’s fellowship? The only people who have access to God or who can enter into the presence of God are His genuine servants. These are true believers. Those who live a holy life. Those who live wicked lives are excluded from fellowship with God. How do we know this? Paul writes about this in his letter to the church at Corinth.
9 Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality, 10 nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. 11 And such were some of you. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.
-So Who may be a guest in your tent?
-And Who may dwell in your tabernacle?
One of the things that we do know about the nation of Israel and their faith, is that the temple of God was of upmost importance. It was the central thing for Israel. The tent or tabernacle represented God’s dwelling place as the people of Israel moved from place to place after leaving Egypt. It reminded God’s people that if He did not move they did not move, and if God did not go with them they would have never entered into the Promise Land. So, the temple of God was where God dwelt.
4 There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God,
the holy habitation of the Most High.
6 but at the place that the Lord your God will choose, to make his name dwell in it, there you shall offer the Passover sacrifice, in the evening at sunset, at the time you came out of Egypt.
We know that God was seen as living in heaven as well as being present throughout creation. God’s spirit however was seen as being revealed and available in the temple. So, the temple has always been a special place for God’s people. This was also a place where the ark of the covenant was at, and where the high priest would enter into the holy of holies once a year and make an atonement for the people’s sin. Eventually Solomon who was David’s son built a permanent temple in Jersualem on God’s holy hill.
This psalm here is pointing us to a closeness or nearness to God. David truly desires to be in God’s presence more than anything else in life.
4 One thing have I asked of the Lord,
that will I seek after:
that I may dwell in the house of the Lord
all the days of my life,
to gaze upon the beauty of the Lord
and to inquire in his temple.
We too as believers should have a longing and desire to meet with God and to live for Him.
As a wisdom psalm, the purpose here is to help guide God’s people to live a life that is characterized by being holy, by justice and righteousness, so that believers may live in the presence of God.
The conclusion we see in verse 5 helps us to understand that those who live like this will never be shaken. This is why David is writing this, so that our response or the takeaway is to live a life of godliness which leads to wisdom. The reward of wisdom is God’s pleasure, His presence, and blessing in life. But the question is still here. Who exactly can enter into God’s presence?
2. As Believers we are to enjoy God’s Presence by Living for Him.
2. As Believers we are to enjoy God’s Presence by Living for Him.
2 He who walks blamelessly and does what is right
and speaks truth in his heart;
3 who does not slander with his tongue
and does no evil to his neighbor,
nor takes up a reproach against his friend;
4 in whose eyes a vile person is despised,
but who honors those who fear the Lord;
who swears to his own hurt and does not change;
5 who does not put out his money at interest
and does not take a bribe against the innocent.
He who does these things shall never be moved.
David now gives us an answer to the question that he asks in verse 1. This is one of the most important questions that we can answer here in this life. Who can enjoy God’s presence? David now provides us with 10 different characteristics of someone who can enjoy God’s presence and live for Him. Verse 2 gives us 3 positive conditions and verse 3 gives us 3 negative conditions. We then come to verse 4 and we are given 2 positive conditions and finally verse 5 gives us 2 negative conditions. Let us start with verse 2.
verse 2 shows us what a wise person does do. Wise people are characterized by being blameless, righteous and faithful. The wise person is known for being blameless. In other words there is no one who can find fault in this person, not that they are perfect but they have a desire to live in a right way so that they honor God by what they do and say. This person lives a life of integrity in relationship to God and others. They desire to please God. Noah was a man like this. Genesis 6:8
8 But Noah found favor in the eyes of the Lord.
And so was Abraham.
1 When Abram was ninety-nine years old the Lord appeared to Abram and said to him, “I am God Almighty; walk before me, and be blameless,
A blameless person desires to do God’s will and not their own as they walk here on earth. They are faithful.
The righteous person wants to do what is right and desires to live in a way that lines up with God’s expectations for them instead of the world’s ways.
Finally, the phrase, “speaks truth in his heart,” means that even his or her speech is pleasing to God. The wise are people of integrity in their relationships, activities, talk and walk.
To live in God’s presence we must do, think, and say what is right.
31 So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.
verse 3 now shows us what a wise person does not do.
-The first thing David mentions here is Don’t slander.
29 Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear.
Let me address this issue for just a moment. One of the major things in Pauls writings to Christians is how to be discerning. Discernment is the ability to tell the difference between what is pleasing to God and what is not. Many times our speech is not pleasing to God and others. It can be hurtful and divisive.
So often divisive people serve their own appetites despite that they are Christians. Many times divisive people will be suspicious of others, exaggerating others faults, misrepresenting others positions and trying to use their muscles to be an influence against others. We see this typically through slandering and gossip and other hurtful ways as well. God finds no pleasure in those who sow discord. Gossip is saying something negative with no edifying purpose, both to the individual being gossiped about and to the hearer. Gossip and slander are unloving. It does not build up but only tears down.
-The second area here is Don’t do evil to your neighbor. The word for neighbor here is comrade or friend. This is someone that you hang out with and know very well. The righteous person does not set out on purpose to hurt his neighbor or friend. The wise and righteous are people who are faithful and loyal.
-Finally, those who are righteous don’t take up a reproach against a friend. We are not to be critical of our neighbor. The wise do not initiate or rejoice in the reproach of their neighbor. They don’t say or do anything unloving toward others. One of the ways that we can take reproach against our neighbor is by being judgmental. Of course certain judgments are necessary but often we can assume that we are always right and dismiss others with a critical judgmental spirit.
45 The good person out of the good treasure of his heart produces good, and the evil person out of his evil treasure produces evil, for out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks.
So many times the temptation is to point out the faults of others in this regard, but this is just a form of judgmentalism. We need to realize that judgmentalism comes out of jealousy, selfish ambition, and boastfulness and this is not from God.
Verse 4 now provides us once again with some positives. A wise person has respect for others, in fact, they honor those who fear the Lord. The wise are those who respect the rights, gifts, and status of others. They don’t respond with hate or in a destructive way to express jealousy, judgmentalism, or power. They actually love their neighbor as they love themselves. A righteous person exercises care even with those who are unbelievers so that they may see Christ and come to know Him. The wise person does not seek favors from those who don’t know Christ since they are unreliable.
Verse 5 now show us that when the wise person makes a promise or vow they are true to their word. The practice of charging high interest was the point here. The Israelite was not to take advantage of another fellow Israelite who had fallen onto hard times.
3. As Believers God Promises us a way to come into His Presence.
3. As Believers God Promises us a way to come into His Presence.
5 who does not put out his money at interest
and does not take a bribe against the innocent.
He who does these things shall never be moved.
One of the great blessings that God promises to those who are His, to those who are wise in the Lord is that they will dwell with Him. Here is how David said it in Psalm 23.
6 Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me
all the days of my life,
and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord
forever.
Now this does not mean that believers don’t go through adversities or struggles in this life. We know through God’s Word and church history that many Christians have faced persecution including giving their lives for Christ. But, what this does help us to see today is that when believers live for God and live in His presence we will not be shaken.
8 I have set the Lord always before me;
because he is at my right hand, I shall not be shaken.
Christian, this is God’s promise to you. There is no way that we can earn God’s favor on our own. There is no way that any amount of good things that we do including what has been mentioned here in Psalm 15 can earn our own salvation. It is only because of the work of Christ, his life, death and resurrection that we can enter into the presence of God. There is only one man who met all the qualifications to enter into the presence of God and that is Christ.
Our problem today is that we are not just sinful people, but that we are sinful people to the very core. Paul said there is none righteous person, no not one. But God desires to restore us back to Him. So, because of what Jesus has done for us, because of Christ’s righteousness we as sinners can enter through faith into the presence of God.
Conclusion: How do we respond today to this Psalm? What is the takeaway as we continue to journey through this life. Well the first thing we must do is confess our need for God. Confess that Christ is Lord and Savior. Confess your sin to God and realize today how much you truly need His mercy. The book of Romans tells us to call upon the name of God and you will be forgiven of your sin and be made righteous. The next thing I want to encourage you with is celebrate the fact that Christ died for you and because of his righteousness we can come into the presence of God. Jesus is our only hope church. When we see ourselves as Christ see us, than we can rejoice and celebrate because of the goodness and mercy of God. Finally, we can take comfort in the fact that the righteous requirements of God’s law were met fully by Jesus. It’s not based on what we can do because we as humans will fall short in many ways. God’s love for us is based on the fact of the perfect atonement of Christ. We can take comfort today in the finished work of Jesus on our behalf.
(Close and Lead into Communion)