Immoveable Christian Life

The Immovable Christian Life

Intro: Last Sunday night I preached on;

the unshakable God in a shaky world

So how can we be more like the unshakable God in this shaky world we live in?

Text: Psa. 62:1-12

Psa. 62:2, 6 Section 1

1  Truly my soul waiteth upon God:

From him cometh my salvation.

2  He only is my rock and my salvation;

He is my defence; I shall not be greatly moved.

3  How long will ye imagine mischief against a man?

Ye shall be slain all of you:

As a bowing wall shall ye be, and as a tottering fence.

4  They only consult to cast him down from his excellency:

They delight in lies:

They bless with their mouth, but they curse inwardly. Selah.

Section 2

5  My soul, wait thou only upon God;

For my expectation is from him.

6  He only is my rock and my salvation:

He is my defence; I shall not be moved.

7  In God is my salvation and my glory:

The rock of my strength, and my refuge, is in God.

Section 3

8  Trust in him at all times; ye people,

Pour out your heart before him:

God is a refuge for us. Selah.

9  Surely men of low degree are vanity, and men of high degree are a lie:

To be laid in the balance, they are altogether lighter than vanity.

10  Trust not in oppression,

And become not vain in robbery:

If riches increase, set not your heart upon them.

11  God hath spoken once;

Twice have I heard this;

That ||power belongeth unto God.

Section 4

12  Also unto thee, O Lord, belongeth mercy:

For thou renderest to every man according to his work.

Referring to his physical sufferings a missionary once wrote that his burden, “may look to some outsiders like a tombstone hung around his neck, but in reality it is only the weight necessary to keep a diver down while he is collecting pearls.”

Afflictions are weights,

But they are not sent to crush us, but only to enable us to gather the precious pearls of divine truth, and wisdom adding to our rich store of Christian joy and experience.

David was a man of many afflictions, yet he learned many precious truths and passed them on to us.

There are 4 sections in this 62nd Psalm

(1) He speaks to his enemies. 1- 4

(2) Then to himself, 5–7.

(3) To his friends, 8–11.

(4) Then to the Lord, 12.

When David thought about his enemies he didn’t feel sure in himself , and his feelings were right; his capabilities were not enough in himself !So he said;

“… I shall not be greatly moved.”

He was “afraid” not to serve even though he felt like he was not enough

But then he shouts, V.6 “I shall not be moved.”

There is only one word different between these two statements.

But what a difference!

When David got his mind off his enemies and began to think about the God he served.

David begins to speak to himself in V.5

“My soul, wait thou only upon God; for my expectation is from him.”

Some think we should be moved by the physical circumstances.

David said in V.6

“He only is my rock and my salvation: he is my defence,”

Notice David reminds himself of his Personal relationship with God!

I.OUR ADVERSARY SATAN SEEKS TO MOVE US.

2 Sam. 24:1.

A. “And again the anger of the Lord was kindled against Israel, and he (Satan) moved(H(soot) David against them to say, Go, number Israel and Judah.”

The Complete Word Study Dictionary: Old Testament (5496. סוּת sûṯ)

A verb meaning to incite, to entice, to mislead. It has the sense of stirring up persons with the intention to get them to deviate, to act with destructive,or harmful purposes; to incite people to be evil, to lead them astray.

Also used of getting a person to concede or agree to something in a neutral or positive way.

David ordered Joab to number them.

B. But David’s heart smote him.David said- “I have sinned,”

C. The devil is forever trying to move us to disobey God.

So, What chance have we against this deceiver?

1 Pet. 5:8,9

8 Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour:

9 Whom resist stedfast in the faith, knowing that the same afflictions are accomplished in your brethren that are in the world.

James 4:7

Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.

D. Psa.21:7 “For the king trusteth in the Lord,

and through the mercy of the most High he shall not be moved.”

II. SIN SEEKS TO MOVE US.

A. Joseph’s brothers were “moved with envy” when they sold him.

Acts 7:9,10

9 And the patriarchs, moved with envy, sold Joseph into Egypt: but God was with him,

10 And delivered him out of all his afflictions, and gave him favour and wisdom in the sight of Pharaoh king of Egypt; and he made him governor over Egypt and all his house.

B. Sin can get such a hold on us until we’re moved with envy or jealousy or anger or some other emotion! Emotions are natural we all have them but when we allow them to control our actions they become sin!

C. Sin separates us from God.

Isa. 59:2.

1 Behold, the LORD’s hand is not shortened, that it cannot save;

Neither his ear heavy, that it cannot hear:

2 But your iniquities have separated between you and your God,

And your sins have hid his face from you, that he will not hear

Iniquity - is not just sin it is knowing what is right and deliberately doing wrong anyway!

D. James 1:15

Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death.

III. AFFLICTIONS SEEK TO MOVE US.

A. Paul sent Timothy to visit the church at Thessalonica lest any of them should be moved by their afflictions.

1 Thess. 3:3,4

3 That no man should be moved by these afflictions: for yourselves know that we are appointed thereunto.

4 For verily, when we were with you, we told you before that we should suffer tribulation; even as it came to pass, and ye know.

B. The Thessalonians were having a tough time because of persecutions and sorrows.

Also Isaiah 48:10

10 Behold, I have refined thee, but not with silver;

I have chosen thee in the furnace of affliction.

C. Troubles, trials, persecutions try to move all of us.

D. Psa.55:22 “Cast thy burden upon the Lord, and he shall sustain thee:

he shall never suffer the righteous to be moved.”

E. Psalm 34:19

Many are the afflictions of the righteous:

But the Lord delivereth him out of them all

IV. EVEN FRIENDS SOMETIMES TRY TO MOVE US.

A. In Acts 20, Paul, believing himself to be in the will of God, was on his way to Jerusalem, but his friends tried to stop him. He said,

Acts 20:22-24

22 And now, behold, I go bound in the spirit unto Jerusalem, not knowing the things that shall befall me there:

23 Save that the Holy Ghost witnesseth in every city, saying that bonds and afflictions abide me.

24 But none of these things move me, neither count I my life dear unto myself, so that I might finish my course with joy, and the ministry, which I have received of the Lord Jesus, to testify the gospel of the grace of God.

B. Many times friends mean well but they advise us wrong. If you listen to friends and loved ones instead of God and his word you will soon be moved.

C. One man was told, “The whole world is against you.” But He replied;

“Then, I am against the whole world.”

D. Col.1:23 “Be not moved away from the hope of the gospel …”

E. 1 Cor. 15:58: “Be ye stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord …”

F. Psa. 15:5: “He that doeth these things shall never be moved.” What things?

1  LORD, Who shall abide in thy tabernacle?

Who shall dwell in thy holy hill?

2  He that walketh uprightly, and worketh righteousness,

And speaketh the truth in his heart.

3  He that backbiteth not with his tongue,

Nor doeth evil to his neighbour,

Nor taketh up a reproach against his neighbour.

4  In whose eyes a vile person is contemned;

But he honoureth them that fear the LORD.

He that sweareth to his own hurt, and changeth not.

5  He that putteth not out his money to usury,

Nor taketh reward against the innocent.

He that doeth these things shall never be moved.

G. 2 Pet. 1:10: “If ye do these things, ye shall never fall …” What things? Vrs 5-7

5 “Add to your faith virtue; and to virtue knowledge;

6 And to knowledge temperance; and to temperance patience; and to patience godliness;

7 And to godliness brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness charity. V. 5–7.

CONCLUSION:

Nations are being moved,

Politicians are being moved

Churches are being moved

Individuals are being moved

But by the grace of God I shall not be moved.

Joshua 24:15 (KJV 1900)

And if it seem evil unto you to serve the Lord, choose you this day whom ye will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the flood, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.