In God We Trust

Psalms  •  Sermon  •  Submitted   •  Presented
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Call to Worship

[Passage]
Stand to sing first hymn/song.
Prayer list.
Join in singing second song.

Introduction

ATTN: “Hello? Can you hear me?!”
It was a blistering hot day. Temperatures were somewhere around 130 degrees. My ship had just been moored and I was helping some guys set up audio equipment on the pier. It was 2019 and we were in Aqaba, Jordan, about five months into my first deployment. The audio guys were among the few people on the ship who had the opportunity and capability to call back to the States. One of my friends, who was in charge of setting up the equipment for an event offered to let me borrow one of these special phones if I gave him a hand. Easy day!
Once the speakers, amplifiers, and auxiliary cables were ran, mics were checked, sound system operational, I got the nod. My buddy passed me a phone and said, “enjoy!” I did. Within minutes, my voice was heard around the globe, and a young bride would be overflowing with joy. My wife & I had not even been married a year. Tears ran down my face when I heard her voice. We were both so excited to share this special moment together.
It wasn’t long before our signal began to cut in-and-out. Sound would lag and we would accidentally talk over each other in between the unplanned pauses. Soon, all I heard was a click.
“Hello? Can you hear me?!”
We all need a behavior change. Sin creates distance and distortion in our relationships.
In Psalm 4, David tells us that God responds to the prayers of the repentant.
But how does God respond to your prayers?
Sermon Idea: God Responds to the Prayers of the Repentant
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How Does God Respond to the Prayers of the Repentant?
Here are four offerings:

…He Offers Us Grace (4:1)

Context

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1 Answer me when I call, O God of my righteousness!

You have given me relief when I was in distress.

Be gracious to me and hear my prayer!

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Explain

Answer me
You have helped me before, so I know you can do it again!
Proverbs 15:29 tells us that “The Lord is far from the wicked, but he hears the prayer of the righteous.”
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Righteousness
David rightly recognizes the source of his righteousness.

Tsedeq

The word tsedeq refers to what is right; it can mean righteousness (132:9) or justice (Lev 19:15). Job used tsedeq to refer to his vindication or declaration of righteousness (Job 6:29). In the Psalms, tsedeq often refers to God’s righteous or just judgment (Psa 9:8; 96:13).

Generally speaking, in relation to God, “righteousness” can refer to a divine attribute or to a divine activity, while in relation to human subjects, “righteousness” primarily denotes a legal and social status or a moral state.

Distress
During times of hardship, God has shown himself faithful to David before.
Current Context:
Exalting Jesus in Psalms 1–50 Now I Lay Me down to Sleep (Psalm 4)

The rebellion and treason of Absalom may again be in the background as it was in Psalm 3.

Gracious
David appeals to God’s character in hopes that God will answer his prayer.

Grace refers to the condition of being given or shown favor, especially by someone in a position to exercise goodwill by meeting a particular need. Grace can also refer to the manifestation of such a disposition of kindness in the form of material benefaction, including the giving of gifts, the approval of one’s request, the granting of freedom or mercy, and the deliverance or salvation from evil or harm.

Hear
As a result of God’s righteous character and graciousness toward David, he petitions God to hear and answer him in his current situation.
God Amnesia.
Shortly after God led the Israelites from Egyptian slavery, they forgot him. They forgot the ten plagues that smote their enemies and spared them; they forgot how they had walked through the Red Sea on dry ground, and how the waves crushed their persecutors behind them. How could you forget that?!
Sometimes when God does amazing works in our lives—safe travel, healing, provision—we forget that God can do it again.
PFF: God relieves our distress!
Jesus intercedes for us from heaven.
The Holy Spirit helps us too (Rom. 8:26-27).
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… He Offers Us Forgiveness (4:2-5)

2 O men, how long shall my honor be turned into shame?

How long will you love vain words and seek after lies? Selah

3 But know that the LORD has set apart the godly for himself;

the LORD hears when I call to him.

4 Be angry, and do not sin;

ponder in your own hearts on your beds, and be silent. Selah

5 Offer right sacrifices,

and put your trust in the LORD.

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Explain

Shame and Deceit
The Psalmist’s adversaries had brought shame to his name.
Sin corrupts the way we view the world.
We can mistakenly see godly people as insensitive bigots.
Rather than speaking kindly of them, we slander them.
Some talk this way of certain preachers out of theological disagreement.
This is how many view Christians in Europe today, and sometimes in America too.
Has anyone ever spoken wrongly of you, even though you did what was right?
Pattern of Repentance
Emotion > Reflection > Repent
This flow of thought runs contrary to our sinful desires.
We want to be in control; we want to set things right ourselves!
To do nothing about our problems is irresponsible.
Calling upon God to act on our behalf is doing something.
Be Angry

The psalmist instructs his enemies to fearfully refrain from sin. The Hebrew word used here, ragaz, means “to tremble,” usually from fear (99:1; Exod 15:14; Mic 7:17).

Jesus taught about anger in his earthly ministry.
In reference to the Decalogue, he taught that “everyone who is angry with his brother will be liable to judgment; whoever insults his brother will be liable to the council; and whoever says, ‘You fool!’ will be liable to the hell of fire” (Mt. 5:22).
Anger is equated to murder in the eyes of King Jesus, and it is he who knows the inner thoughts and intentions of our hearts and judges us.
Paul echoes this psalm in Ephesians 4:26–27: “Be angry and do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger, and give no opportunity to the devil.”
Victoria & I never go to bed angry, but stay up and talk it out for as long as we must.
We once had an argument—I cannot remember what about, but I do recall it being petty—and out of frustration, I quietly left the house. It was nighttime and we have a well-lit walking trail outside our home. She knew that I like to distance myself when I am upset so that I do not say anything hurtful and so I can pray through my feelings with God. But this time, the enemy got inside her head and planted seeds of worry. “What if he’s left to be with another woman? What if he is not coming back? What if…?”
When I came back inside, she was fast asleep. I had no idea what battle, what warfare she had endured in those few short minutes I was gone; it was maybe half-an-hour. When we got up the next morning, she was still livid with me. Who could blame her?
We talked and prayed through it, and God taught me a powerful lesson: always prayerfully seek reconciliation so that the enemy cannot advance on our marriage and divide our house. “What therefore God has joined together, let not man separate” (Mk. 10:9).
Ponder in your own hearts

The psalmist encourages his enemies to meditate quietly on their beds instead of sinning (Ps 77:6).

It is hard to hear God when we surround ourselves with noise.
Silence and Solitude.
A few years ago, I had interviewed several Navy Chaplains to inquire about their ministries. One of the questions I had asked them dealt with their daily practice of Donald Whitney’s Spiritual Disciplines. These include things like prayer, Scripture reading, memorization, journalism, fasting, and meditation to name a few. The two disciplines these Chaplains struggled with—myself included—was solitude and fasting. In America, we love our food and entertainment!
Pertaining to Psalm 4, however, solitude is something that we need, but rarely consciously desire it. When we get a moment of silence, how quickly do we reach for our phones or TV remote? We cannot stand letting our minds go blank, or worse, thinking about our feelings! As men, we hate that! Some of you ladies, I’m sure, would love it if we could put down the screens and spend some time being present. It’s hard to do when our sinful nature and culture have conditioned us.
The point is this: we can all use some time to reflect on our lives.
Selah
Exalting Jesus in Psalms 1–50 Flee that Which Is Sinful (4:4)

It is always wise to sleep on things before acting, no matter what it is. Selah! Pause and meditate on that.

Offer sacrifices

After meditating, the psalmist’s enemies should repent by offering sacrifices of righteousness and putting their trust in Yahweh.

Repentance
This idea of repentance means turning away from sin and towards God.
It involves aligning our desires with his.
It means disproving with him of our sinful ways.
It means approving with him of how we ought to live before him and others.
The Lexham Bible Dictionary Repentance in Hebrew

In theological contexts, the implication is to turn from a road characterized by rebellion toward God and to a road characterized by obedience. The emphasis is upon actions that necessarily proceed from turning one’s orientation toward God.

Jesus’ half-brother tells us in James 5:16 to “confess [our] sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working.”
The author of Hebrews 10:10 tells us that by God’s will, “we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.”
This is why we no longer offer animal sacrifices like the ancient Israelites.
Jesus, our Passover Lamb, died to atone for our sins once and for all (Rm. 6:9-10).
Sanctification
Paul describes what this sanctification looks like in Romans 12:1–2: “I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.”
Trust in the Lord
Believe that God will do something.
God is not some invisible man in the sky, disconnected from his creation.
In fact, he has been actively interacting with mankind since Creation!
Moreover, he left heaven behind to dwell among us in Jesus Christ (Jn. 1:14)!
We can trust the atoning sacrifice of Jesus Christ on our behalf because God raised him from the dead (1 Cor. 15:3-8).
PFF: God has set us apart and calls us his children (Rom. 8:14-17)!
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…He Offers Us Joy (4:6-7)

6 There are many who say, “Who will show us some good?

Lift up the light of your face upon us, O LORD!”

7 You have put more joy in my heart

than they have when their grain and wine abound.

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Explain

Light of your face
OT Benediction (Num. 6:26).
It represented having God’s favor and salvation (Ps. 80:3, 7, 19).
Peter powerfully writes that “the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous, and his ears are open to their prayer. But the face of the Lord is against those who do evil” (1 Pt. 3:12).
Joy in my Heart
Salvation is a good reason to rejoice!
David writes in Psalm 51:12, “Restore to me the joy of your salvation, and uphold me with a willing spirit.”
Habakkuk 3:18 celebrates the same: “yet I will rejoice in the Lord; I will take joy in the God of my salvation.”
Grain and Wine
This is the result of a successful harvest.
Have you ever worked overtime? Maybe you did a little dance at the end of the long week shouting, “Payday!”
This meant you could pay the bills, or maybe go on that trip, or build that savings account, or buy that new phone, car, or thing you needed!
These are all good things and worthy of celebration! Yet the Psalmist here explains that the joy of knowing the Lord’s salvation is greater than having material abundance.
PFF: God is a Giver of Joy!

…He Offers Us Security (4:8)

8 In peace I will both lie down and sleep;

for you alone, O LORD, make me dwell in safety.

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Explain

Lie Down
To sleep and to reflect.
Recalls Psalm 3:5 “I lay down and slept; I woke again, for the Lord sustained me.”
Maybe you did this after working all that overtime! Daily rest is a gift from God. It helps us recharge and gives us the energy we need to do what is required of us each day.
Safety
God provided safety for Israel when they kept is commandments (Lv. 25:18).
This does not mean that bad things will not happen.
We are broken people living in a broken world.
Paul offers this remind in Romans 8:18: “For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us.”
And in Romans 8:32, that “He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things?”
Our eternal safety is secure in Christ.
PFF: God gives us rest and safety!

Conclusion

Reiteration

God Responds to the Prayers of the Repentant
He Offers us...
Grace (4:1)
Forgiveness (4:2-5)
Joy (4:6-7)
Security (4:8)
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Application

As you go this week, I challenge you do this one thing.
Write down three things that God has done for you this year.
Because God answers prayer, we can trust him to respond when we faithfully repent.
Gospel Invitation.
Closing Prayer.
Stand for Worship.

God Bless You

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