Destination: Fearing God.
Notes
Transcript
Summary: The writer shows us His hatred toward double minded evildoers, the consequences of going astray from His statutes, & gives us the directions to the FEAR OF THE LORD.
Summary: The writer shows us His hatred toward double minded evildoers, the consequences of going astray from His statutes, & gives us the directions to the FEAR OF THE LORD.
113 I hate the double-minded, but I love your law. 114 You are my hiding place and my shield; I hope in your word. 115 Depart from me, you evildoers, that I may keep the commandments of my God. 116 Uphold me according to your promise, that I may live, and let me not be put to shame in my hope! 117 Hold me up, that I may be safe and have regard for your statutes continually! 118 You spurn all who go astray from your statutes, for their cunning is in vain. 119 All the wicked of the earth you discard like dross, therefore I love your testimonies. 120 My flesh trembles for fear of you, and I am afraid of your judgments.
1. Believers should hate the sin of being double-minded and combat it with a love for God’s Word, (113-114)
1. Believers should hate the sin of being double-minded and combat it with a love for God’s Word, (113-114)
The writer reflects the thought of God against those who are double minded.
This word here describes somebody who is fickle, who cannot decide what they believe. They are divided in their loyalties.
This person stands in direct contrast to Ps. 86.11
11 Teach me your way, O Lord, that I may walk in your truth; unite my heart to fear your name.
We see this in the story of Elijah as he speaks to King Ahab, and the nation of Israel… 1 Kings 18:21
21 And Elijah came near to all the people and said, “How long will you go limping between two different opinions? If the Lord is God, follow him; but if Baal, then follow him.” And the people did not answer him a word.
He accuses the nation of limping between these two opinions not being able to decide between Yahweh or Baal! (Bale)
We continue to see this in 2 Kings 17:41 where it says,
41 So these nations feared the Lord and also served their carved images. Their children did likewise, and their children’s children—as their fathers did, so they do to this day.
Double-mindedness is the foundation by which sin is born.
For the Christian…This thought of wanting to follow God, wanting to have what God promises and wanting to be in relationship with God, but then also wanting our own fleshly desires and thinking that we are not at all times in need of God and His grace.
This is where sin is born.
This is where idolatry is born.
This is the location where evil doers are produced.
You think of any sin that has ran through the world and if you seek to find it’s foundation, and in that foundation you will find doublemindedness.
Seeing and knowing God through either His word or through creation, and wanting glory for yourself.
We who are believers are not free from this possibility.
We enter into the realm of being doubleminded as we entertain the fear of man—-> being worried about what man may think or do as opposed to what God thinks.
How many of your choices are steered by the influence of a fear of man mentality as opposed to a fear of God.
We enter this realm when we worship at the altar of MAN…
cultural business,
keeping up with the joneses,
relationships (not wanting to break off a relationship by standing up for God),
or self (pride),
the altar of people pleasing instead of God pleasing…
The fear of man is not simply the fear of the harm that men may do to us. Surely the fear of harm partly drives our desire to be approved by men. However, most properly, the fear of man is, as Bunyan put it, "the fear of losing man's favor, love, goodwill, help, and friendship." Simply put, it is "an idol of approval." We seek to avoid persecution because of "idols of approval," "comfort," or "pleasure." These idols lead us to compromise in order to gain approval—to give in to wickedness in order to gain acceptance and peace. It puts us in a vicious cycle of idolatry. Miserable though it is, the fear of man is the soul's default setting.
This double mindedness is something we as God’s people must repent from. It is a sin that just as the writer states, we must hate.
Jesus speaks to this in Matthew 6:24 saying,
24 “No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money.
James speaks of this in James 1:8
6 But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind. 7 For that person must not suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; 8 he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.
8 Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded.
10 For am I now seeking the approval of man, or of God? Or am I trying to please man? If I were still trying to please man, I would not be a servant of Christ.
David in verse 114 describes to us how we correct our direction from this doublemindedness, and redirect ourselves back to an understanding that nothing else can provide the protection and safety that only God can give.
114 You are my hiding place and my shield; I hope in your word.
We must wage war against the double minded within others and ourselves as we walk in this faith life together. . There is no reason to allow the fear of man to creep into our daily routines of life.
It is He, our God and King who provides David a hiding place and a shield. And this is all done and encouraged by HIS WORD.
It is GOD’S WORD that preserves us. It is GOD’S COVENANT PROMISES that offers this protection and safety.
There is nothing else that provides this.
A few of the commentators I was reading emphasized the words of “hating” the double-minded and “loving” His law.
One commentator said,
These two verbs are antithetical, but they are also words that include acts. To “hate” includes the idea of rejecting, and “love” the idea of choosing. Goldingay suggest interpreting them as “being against” and being dedicated to”.
This is a reality that we as believers must continually do in our walk with Jesus. This putting off and putting on. (I’ve been studying a lot about this as I have started in on Biblical Counseling Certification…)
1 If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. 2 Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth. 3 For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. 4 When Christ who is your life appears, then you also will appear with him in glory. 5 Put to death therefore what is earthly in you: sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry. 6 On account of these the wrath of God is coming. 7 In these you too once walked, when you were living in them. 8 But now you must put them all away: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and obscene talk from your mouth. 9 Do not lie to one another, seeing that you have put off the old self with its practices 10 and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge after the image of its creator. 11 Here there is not Greek and Jew, circumcised and uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave, free; but Christ is all, and in all.
12 Put on then, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, 13 bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. 14 And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony. 15 And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful. 16 Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God. 17 And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.
2. Believers desire a separation from evil doers so that they can follow God’s commands. (115)
2. Believers desire a separation from evil doers so that they can follow God’s commands. (115)
We see here the only time in Psalm 119 where the writer directly addresses his evil adversaries.
They seem to be pressuring him to disobey God’s commands, or even pressuring him to be doubleminded as they are.
He commands them… to leave him alone!
Depart from me, and calls them out as evildoers, seeing them for who they really are.
I feel as though there has been times where we have misunderstood the phrase, “We are in the world, but not of it.”
I feel as though we have heard this well meaning phrase in a way to say, well it’s ok to be in the world. We’re in the world, we have the freedom in some cases to be in the world/of it. In some parts of life, acting as though it’s ok to be in the world… or really by our actions showing that we think it’s ok to be OF THE WORLD.
We forget that from John 17 where this phrase is taken… that Jesus mentions…
18 As you sent me into the world, I also have sent them into the world. 19 I sanctify myself for them, so that they also may be sanctified by the truth.
There is this sense of being in the world… we are definitely be in the world.
That’s where God has placed us.
WE can’t allow ourselves to become so monkish to where we are under a rock and don’t know anything that is happening around us.
Or not know anything of about our neighbor’s or their world… (when was the last time you spoke to your neighbor? )
This is a dangerous place to be.
We have been placed in this world where God has us in this time for a reason. It’s a divine appointment if you will.
ALL FOR THE PURPOSE OF BRINGING THE GOSPEL TO THE LOST.
NOT JUST FOR THE SAKE OF BEING IN THE WORLD….
AS LONG AS WE UNDERSTAND THIS DISTINCTION…
Should I got on sinning? By no means! Paul Says… How can we who died to sin still live it in?
But we are also,
Not to be of the world…
If there is something within this life, wether that is others who are double minded within the church, those outside the church who are trying to influence us away from God, or maybe it’s our own fleshly desires.
AGAIN…We are to put these things off so that we may draw closer to the observance of God’s commands and put God’s Word on in replacement.
Jesus’s assumption in John 17 is that those who have embraced him, and identified with him, are indeed not of the world. And now his summons is our sending — we are sent into the world on mission for gospel advance through disciplemaking. Jesus’s true followers have not only been crucified to the world, but also raised to new life and sent back in to free others. We’ve been rescued from the darkness and given the Light not merely to flee the darkness, but to guide our steps as we go back in to rescue others.
So let’s revise the popular phrase “in, but not of.” Christians are not of this world, but sent into it. Not of, but sent into.
3. Believers pray for God to sustain them by His word because he opposes the wicked (116-119)
3. Believers pray for God to sustain them by His word because he opposes the wicked (116-119)
The Psalmist now turns to prayer.
There are two verses in which he makes petitions to the Lord and then two verses where he expresses his confidence in God’s Justice concerning these wicked enemies.
V. 116:
116 Uphold me according to your promise, that I may live, and let me not be put to shame in my hope!
This petition to the Lord appeals to God’s promises and covenant God has made to His people.
That He may live!
Parallel to this petition is his request not to be put to shame because of this hope that is found in God’s promises.
This is much more than being embarrassed or made to look silly. This word used here is used for humiliating defeats at the hands of enemies.
He does not want to be so humiliated and have his belief in God’s Word seriously discredited.
The writer understands here that if he is shamed, then God’s honor will also be shamed.
It is the Glory of His God that he is worried about and for those in opposition to him to take God seriously.
There is this hope in the promises of God that they will be fulfilled.
V. 117
117 Hold me up, that I may be safe and have regard for your statutes continually!
We see him pray again in a similar way and he ask for divine help!
He knows, that if the Lord sustains him in his faith, he will eventually be delivered from his enemies.
He again affirms his thoughts of God’s statutes. To have regard is this acceptance, kind of like when God accepted the offering of Abel over Cain’s in Gen. 4.
David pays attention to God’s statutes because they are HIS LIFE.
FOLLOWING HIS TWO PETITIONS, the psalmist makes two observations that express his confidence and expectation of deliverance.
V.118: God rejects those who reject Him.
Those who wonder away from His statutes, those who have complete disregard or disobey what God says to be truth.
He says that they’re deceitfulness, their betrayal is a breach of faith, or a lie. It’s a lie that they themselves have even believed.
They have suppressed the truth…
2. V.119: God causes the wicked to cease.
They are removed like dross which is the worthless material removed in the refining process.
How awful the judgment of being “put away like dross!” Look at Saul,12 when “put away”—going out, to harden himself in the sullen pride of despondency. Hear the fearful doom of Israel, “Son of man, the house of Israel is to me become dross; all they are brass, and tin, and iron, and lead, in the midst of the furnace; they are even the dross of silver. Therefore saith the Lord God—Because ye are all become dross, behold, therefore I will gather you into the midst of Jerusalem, as they gather silver, and brass, and iron, and lead, and tin into the midst of the furnaces to blow the fire upon it, to melt it; so will I gather you in mine anger and in my fury; and I will leave you there, and melt you.”13 But how should this justice of the Lord’s proceedings endear his statutes to us! It is such a sensible demonstration of their truth, bringing with it such a close conviction of sovereign mercy to ourselves—not less guilty than they! Add to this—If he were less observant of sin—less strict in its punishment as a transgression of his word—we should lose that awful display of the holiness of the word, which commends it supremely to our love, “Thy word is very pure; therefore thy servant loveth it.”14
We are thankful for His justice, because a good God must be a good judge.
We are thankful for His Holy Word, for by it He is able to judge righteously.
And we are also thankful for His mercy! Just as the commentator says… we are no less guilty.
We praise the Lord that we are counted among the pure who emerge through the smelting fire. And because of this we LOVE HIS WORD.
4. Believers stand in fear of the judge of the whole world (120)
4. Believers stand in fear of the judge of the whole world (120)
120 My flesh trembles for fear of you, and I am afraid of your judgments.
As we see in verse 120… the judgements of our God should enact within us this heathy fear of the Lord.
Instead of being double minded, instead of having this fear of man mentality within our lives which leads to this doublemindedness.
We should pursue this fear of God.
What does God think about what i’m about to do.
What does God think about what i’m about to say.
What does God think… (FILL IN THE BLANK)
NOT… “what does this person think.”
His judgements, and fear of God, to David is so much so that we see this physical tremble or shiver.
The translation of this word in the Hebrew is to have goose flesh!
Have any of you been in a place where your body was just shaking (good bumps)… in worry, in fear of something that is about to happen.
This is the state in which David finds himself in.
This is not a fear of being swept away by God but a overwhelmed and terrified feeling at the thought of divine justice on all the ungodly.
There is this good fear of the Lord that we want to arrive to.
When we love His testimonies,
when we have regard of for His statutes,
when we keep His commandments,
when we hope in HIs word,
We come to this place of fear because we know that God and His judgements are a reflection of His righteous character.
This reminds me of Paul's command to the saints at Philippi
12 Therefore, my dear friends, just as you have always obeyed, so now, not only in my presence but even more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling.
This proper fear is this motivating factor in one’s working out his or her salvation.
(Progressive sanctification)
Scripture says that our holiness has neared completion when find ourselves in this fear of God and HIs judgements.
1 So then, dear friends, since we have these promises, let us cleanse ourselves from every impurity of the flesh and spirit, bringing holiness to completion in the fear of God.
Let it be God and God only that we fear.
And let this be what drives us into becoming more holy today that I was yesterday and that become our normal process as we walk with the Lord.
Putting off the things of this world and putting on the things of God’s Kingdom.
Let us do this so much so to where even in death, fear of man has no hold in our hearts.
Conclusion
Conclusion
I was encouraged this last week by something I read in a commentary of Revelation.
It’s been something I have been reading over and over again trying to get a better understanding of as of late.
This section of commentary deals with Chapter 2:8-11 when speaking of the church of Smyrna.
at the end of this section of scripture John is told to write,
10 Don’t be afraid of what you are about to suffer. Look, the devil is about to throw some of you into prison to test you, and you will experience affliction for ten days. Be faithful to the point of death, and I will give you the crown of life.
About 60 years after John wrote these words to the church, there would be a man who would not be afraid of man, who had no ounce of doublemindedness in him, and was faithful to death.
He was their pastor. He name was Polycarp. It is said that he had been a disciple of John
He was greatly loved and respected by his people.
However, the citizens of Smyrna and their governmental officials didn’t share the sentiment.
In A.D. 155, Polycarp would be arrested, quickly tried, and martyred. He was burned at the stake and then stabbed to finish the job.
Here is the record of his death. This is the oldest account of a Christian dying for the Lord Jesus - outside of the NT. ..
Read the excerpt from pg. 50 of Christ-centered Exposition for Revelation.
Let us follow the directions of the writer in hoping in His Word, keeping His commandments, and loving His law & testimonies to arrive at the destination of FEARING OF GOD.