Bible Study: Transformation

Bible Study

Psalm 37 feels more like a proverb than a psalm. It feels like David, as an older man (37:25), is sharing some much-needed wisdom with a younger generation. This quality might be why this psalm includes so many wellknown and much-loved verses.

25 I have been young, and now am old; yet have I not seen the righteous forsaken, nor his seed begging bread.

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Transformation

Psalm 37 V1 Fret not yourself because of evildoers; be not envious of wrongdoers!

Guard our hearts.

Don’t get worked up because of evildoers..

David says Do not fret - three times in this psalm (vv. 1, 7, 8)

We are called to stop looking at the prosperity of others, comparing it to our own lives, and allowing any sense of injustice to eat us up. Comparison inevitably leads to coveting. This is why David immediately says, “Do not envy those who do wrong”

Envy is the feeling of discontent when we want something someone else has. If we allow envy to germinate in our hearts, it will then lead to competition. The anger and agitation will eventually lead to “harm”

V8 Refrain from anger and turn from wrath;

do not fret—it leads only to evil.

It is a process that will pull us away from a godly and content heart toward worldliness. It manifests itself in so many ways.

Pslam 37: 2 v2 for like the grass they will soon wither, like green plants they will soon die away

How do we avoid the comparison?

David is saying….” Hey, look at the big picture”

When you see the “wicked prospering”, you are only seeing a part of the picture. - perspective….How do you see it?

It doesn’t last long.

compare: sinful desire, New Car feeling, new Job.

In Luke 16, Jesus Gives the Parable of the rich man and lazarus

When the poor man died and was taken to heaven (“Abraham’s side”) while the rich man died and was taken to hell. The rich man called out for mercy

The rich man, like those in Psalm 37, appeared to be blessed, but he soon perished.

David wants us to see the whole picture and realize that

the life we tend to covet is not the life we really want.

PSALM 37:3 - zTrust in the Lord, and do good, dwell in the land and befriend faithfulness (Be Steadfast)

Stop looking at everybody else and being bothered.

You just keep walking by faith, do good, be faithfulness unto, and God will reward you in due time!”

Instead of getting agitated, worked up, upset…..

We can get so caught up here, that we miss what God has for us.

David also gives intrusions through the 37 psalm on how to do it….Its Rich. Reads like a proverbs.

Psalm 37 is filled with positive commands to replace the the feeling of wanting to conform or have that which is not for you.

Psa 37:3

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Trust in the LORD, and do good;

dwell in the land and befriend faithfulness

Psa 37:4

Delight yourself in the LORD,

and he will give you the desires of your heart.

Psa 37:5

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Commit your way to the LORD;

trust in him, and he will act.

Psa 37:27

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Turn away from evil and do good;

so shall you dwell forever.

Psa 37:34

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Wait for the LORD and keep his way,

and he will exalt you to inherit the land;

you will look on when the wicked are cut off.

PSALM 37:4

bDelight yourself in the Lord,

and he will cgive you the desires of your heart.

Christians are to be different from society

God is unchanging.

Hebrews 13:8

We should experience a progressive transformation of life by the renewing of our mind

Prayer Reading and reflection on God’s Word Worship

Titus 1:15 - To the pure, all things are pure, but to the defiled and unbelieving, nothing is pure; but both their minds and their consciences are defiled.16 They profess to know God, but they deny him by their works. They are detestable, disobedient, unfit for any good work.

John 15:18-20 - The Hatred of the World

The Hatred of the World

18 "If the world hates you, know that it has hated me before it hated you.

19 If you were of the world, the world would love you as its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you.

20 Remember the word that I said to you: 'A servant is not greater than his master.' If they persecuted me, they will also persecute you. If they kept my word, they will also keep yours.

When you have an experience, such as you are not gentle, you are a lover of money or some other sin, the appropriate thing to do is to bring the scriptures to bear on that experience. This can be a little confronting as the word of God exposes things – it is light. So often the next thing that happens is that we struggle. We know what is right – but will we do it? Will we let our feelings get the better of us and do what we feel like doing? Will we justify what we are doing to our self – it’s not that bad, my character is not gentle and I can’t help how God made me. I’m not quarrelsome; I just like a good debate. As this happens we can do one of three things:

1. Say no to the truth and persist in what I am doing.

2. Say yes to the truth and take a left turn – that is the wrong turn and this will be explained in a moment.

3. Or say yes to the truth and turn the right way – turn right.

Humility precedes repentance and confession. I need to acknowledge that I am wrong. And when we humble ourselves, the Holy Spirit also empowers us to be and to do what we could never do on our own. He is at work in me again. He is transforming me.

The Holy Spirit causes his fruit to grow in me. Self-control is one of the characteristics of the fruit of the Holy Spirit. We are not condemned to spend our lives in a losing struggle against the old patterns of behaviour. There is a great paradox here – we are strong not because we are strong but because we are weak, and under the Holy Spirit we humble ourselves admitting we cannot do it on our own.

This is where the left turn option comes in. If we had gone to the Bible, seen what was wrong and then turned left directly to self-control under your own power. It is the Nike option “Just do it”. It has some “advantages” – it allows you to stay on the side of truth and to preserve your independence. But it is a real mistake. It is the route of the flesh rather than the route of grace, the left turn option.

Now the other element is community, which is dealt with in more depth in another series of studies. Suffice to say, a Christian must have an environment where he or she can go and talk openly about how things are going in this matter of following Christ. It needs to be a place where one can get personalized attention, and give it to others. This transformation process is characterised by struggle. No-one can stick at it day after day, year after year, if they attempt to go it alone. Our community can encourage us when we are down and we can encourage others to keep turning right.

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John 3:20-21 - 20 For everyone who does wicked things hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his works should be exposed. 21 But whoever does what is true comes to the light, so that it may be clearly seen that his works have been carried out in God.”

Galatians 5:16-25 - 16 But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. 17 For the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh, for these are opposed to each other, to keep you from doing the things you want to do. 18 But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law. 19 Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sens*uality, 20 idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, 21 envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. 22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.

James 1:2-4 Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, 3 for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. 4 And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.

The transformation of believers in the midst of the unbelieving world is vital to the expansion of the Kingdom of God into the world.

God is deeply committed to our transformation into Christ-likeness. As we respond to His work our worldview, values, and behaviour are deeply impacted.

We are changed from the inside out. In our transformation there are certain things only the Holy Spirit can do, and there are certain things He has given us to do.

Only the Holy Spirit can create in our hearts the desire to obey God, a new heart - but He doesn’t obey for us.

We must do that. However, we can do that only as He gives us the enabling power to obey.

We are responsible to clothe ourselves with Christlike character, but we are dependent on God’s Spirit to produce His “fruit”.

We cannot make one millimetre of progress in our transformation apart from the powerful working of the Spirit as we remain connected to Jesus, like branches to a vine. And God, the Master Gardener, will prune us for our good that we may share in His holiness.