The Saints Portion
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Stephen asked me to preach this Sunday about 4 weeks ago, I have spent about three and a half of those weeks trying to figure out what to speak on. I started with and then went to about a dozen other text before returning to – I pray that God will be with us this morning and that he will use his word to magnify his glory in the hearts of all of us this morning.
is a Psalm of Asaph, Asaph was the lead worship leader for King David. He is responsible for and .
is Asaph telling his story about how his envy of the wicked clouded his vision of God’s supreme worth and guaranteed future.
The Psalm goes back and fourth between retrospective telling of the story to a present explanation of the story.
There are 3 distinct movements in this psalm,
The struggle 2-15
The sanctuary 16-20
The worship 21-28
My Desire is that through the message this morning we will discover 2 things:
That the person of Jesus Christ is WORTHY of our affection.
And that Jesus Christ is the ONLY thing worthy of our affections.
Lets Pray:
Last Sunday:
Last Sunday:
pastor Zach Preached on
And in this sermon he challenged us that if we are to live faithfully before God a death must occur.
They were unable to worship in the temple
A death to an evil legacy
Their fellowship was different
A death to sinful habits
They knew they were being punished for their unfaithfulness to God and his covenant
A death to anything that would seek to be exalted above God.
And its only through dying to sin and self that we experience the power of the resurrection - for without a death there is no resurrection.
When Zach was done preaching, we then sang the song All Glory Be To Christ and we renewed our covenant with Christ by taking communion together.
We then sang the song Hallelujah What a Savior - where we prised Jesus for his goodness and his faithfulness!
You were then sent with a benediction to go in confidence that Jesus is King of Kings and Lord of Lords, and that he has an eternal dominion.
You then went home after church:
feeling good, encouraged, convicted, and confident that God is indeed good to his people
When you got home you realized that you forgot to set the timer on the crock pot dinner you had planned.
You would order food for dinner, but you have been trying to be careful on how much money you spend eating out.
You open the fridge and remember that you were waiting to go shopping until after you got paid.
The chief’s game is playing in the background and you see a commercial about the new 2019 SUV, and you start to think, man, “I wish we could have a car like that.”
“Why is it that the Johnsons down the street were able to get a new minivan and a new truck, and we are stuck with this old car that we are nickel and dimming to keep it running.”
You then see a delivery car pull up to the Johnson’s house delivering enough food to feed a village.
“It must be nice” you think. The Johnson’s eat out all the time
The Johnsons are anything but a christian family, they have the Darwin fish on the back of their brand new mini-van next to a Coexist sticker.
Your friends with mrs. Johnson on Facebook and she is always reposting blogs and quotes supporting planned Parenthood and the LGBTQ+ agendas
They live in open rebellion to God’s holiness and kingship, yet they seem to be blessed beyond measure.
everything goes right for these people
You know for a fact that mr. Johnson drinks more than he should and drives when he’s had to much, but never gets in trouble
Their kids are super spoiled, but they are the top students in their class
Mrs. Johnson is always flaunting her new Pintrist worthy home decore on facebook
And your day which started great, is now ruined.
only a couple hours earlier you were so encouraged by the sermon and the singing, you were confident of God goodness toward his people.
But by Sunday night you went to sleep stewing and fussy, “life is not fair”
And it was these feeling that set your path for the week… It was not God’s goodness toward you, rather it was the prosperity and ease of life for those who don’t love God that caused your week to be one of discouragement and frustration.
Well, you’re not alone in that sort of week and that kind of struggle. This morning we are going to be looking at , Where we see Asaph going through a very similar sort of week
Asaph was the worship leader for King David. He is responsible for and .
He was a faithful man of God,
The bible tells us that he was not only a great worship leader, but also a great theologian
He was a great father, his children were faithful to God in their lives
Asaph was truly a man of God.
As we look at we see it telling of a difficult period of time in Asaph’s life. As i’ve studied this see a structure that could be a telling of his previous week.
is Asaph telling his story about how his envy of the wicked clouded his vision of God’s supreme worth and guaranteed future.
The Psalm goes back and fourth between retrospective telling of the story to a present explanation of the story.
One of the great values of the book of Psalms is that we have Godly men who are honest and transparent and do not hesitate to openly confess their struggles and failures. This book, and this Psalm particularly, have been of great comfort to the people of God since before the time of Christ!
So imagine Asaph telling you about his week, starting at the benediction of last weeks sermon.
Look with me at:
Truly God is good to Israel, to those who are pure in heart.
73:1 Truly God is good to Israel, to those who are pure in heart.
One of the great values of the book of Psalms is that we have Godly men who are honest and transparent and do not hesitate to openly confess their struggles and failures. This book, and this Psalm particularly, have been of great comfort to the people of God since before the time of Christ!
Truly God is good to Israel (God’s covenant people)
Truly God is good to his people
However the scriptures tell us that we are taken into a kingdom, which already contains such people as Abraham Isaac, Jacob, David and Asaph!
The mystery that was revealed to the apostles in the NT was that Gentiles are now fellow-heirs and citizens in the Kingdom along with Israel.
He is faithful to his covenant people,
It is important then for us to believe that when Asaph says, “Truly God is good to Israel” that we are apart of this same expression of God’s goodness!
Over and over in the bible we see God’s goodness expressed toward his people
We see many accounts in the OT of non-Jewish people being grafted into the people of God. We see Moses’ wife Zipporah, and father-in-law Jethro (both Ethiopian), Rehab, Ruth, Uriah the Hittite, One of the two faithful spies Caleb, the Ninevites etc.
And if you are a follower of Christ, you have story after story of God’s goodness to you.
The fact that you are here this morning, singing with the people of God, without the fear of persecution, is nothing less than God’s goodness toward you.
To those who are pure in heart
All those whom God has called as his own, those who believe in Christ, or the promise of Christ, God purifies. He washes our away our guilt and shame and calls us his children.
Vs. 2-14
After his anchored and confident proclamation of God’s goodness to Israel, Asaph begins to tell us about his past week.
2 But as for me, my feet had almost stumbled, my steps had nearly slipped.
It is important to remember that Asaph is telling this story retrospectively – in that he giving his testimony about how he almost cursed God and left the faith.
Though Asaph heard the benediction from last week sermon, That God is good to Israel, his week takes a very different path.
Lets look and see why Asaph had almost stumbled:
Monday: envy of the wicked
Monday: envy of the wicked
Monday: envy of the wicked
Monday: envy of the wicked
Asaph started to realize that he was sick and tired of the wicked living such easy lives.
1. The prosperity of the godless
He he wanted the new cars
he wanted the new clothes
2. The struggle of the godly
He wanted the vacations that his unbelieving neighbors had.
3 For I was envious of the arrogant when I saw the prosperity of the wicked.
v.3
Envious of the arrogant
The seed of envy produces bitterness
Last season Tom Brady made attempted 581 passes – by which he earned just over $35,000 per PA
$35,000 per pass attempt! In just a couple throws he could pay for my kids to go to college
In just a couple throws he could pay off my house
Its hard to not be envious of people with so much money
Asaph began to really observe the wealth and prosperity of the wicked, and it led him down a path toward destruction.
he goes on...
4 For they have no pangs until death; their bodies are fat and sleek. 5 They are not in trouble as others are; they are not stricken like the rest of mankind.
Asaph is not only troubled that the wicked are rich, but they also don’t seem to suffer like others do
This psalm was written somewhere around 1000BC.
During this time death was often a very painful process due to disease and infection –
Asaph is envious because it seems to him that God is allowing the wicked to die with no pain or suffering while the people of God are suffering in their deaths.
Often times we look around our world and see the people of God suffering while those who reject and rebel against God seem to prosper!
Churches that preach the gospel struggle financially, while prosperity gospel churches have more money then they know what to do with.
You feel defeated because your vacation is to go visit the in-laws, while the Johnsons go on 3 cruses a year.
Asaph feet are slipping, he is stumbling in his walk with God when he see’s the prosperity of the wicked and the suffering of the godly.
And its only monday.
Tuesday: the wicked flaunt their evil
Tuesday: the wicked flaunt their evil
not only do the wicked seem to prosper, but they actually flaunt their evil
Checking out a dillions after shopping, you see racks of magazens of celeberties flaunting their lifestyle.
Movies depict people who live in lavish homes and who are unfaithful to their spouses, dishonest with their money, perverted in their view of morality, and all of this is celebrated as good.
And it was no different in Asaph’s day..
6 Therefore pride is their necklace; violence covers them as a garment. 7 Their eyes swell out through fatness; their hearts overflow with follies.
They where pride like a necklace;
Because they live lives of ease and prosperity they believe this is reason for them to boast.
Not only do they wear pride like a necklace, but they cover themselves with violence
The term for Violence is the Hebrew word, hamas, which can refer to injustice or exploitation in addition to physical violence.
so they not only flaunt their own evil and success, but they also act violently toward those who are not prosperous.
These are the ones who seek injustice, those who promote systemic racism, those who are willing to exploit the vulnerability of the poor in order to add a few cents to their own pockets.
Yet, when Asaph saw these people, he was jealous, he was envious.
Though their hearts were full of foolishness, Asaph wanted their lifestyle - it seemed easier, it seems more comfortable.
Asaph goes to bed on Tuesday in great turmoil, feeling so far from God, far from that benediction from Sunday - No longer does he really feel like God has been good to Israel. It seems like God has been good to the wicked.
He wakes up on Wednesday and the week continues to get worse
Wednesday: the wicked speak evil
Wednesday: the wicked speak evil
Asaph’s frustration is amplified on Wednesday when he wakes up and checks the news
The headline of the news article is the wicked ones mock and threaten God and his people - not only the article goes viral… look at verses 8-9
8 They scoff and speak with malice; loftily they threaten oppression. 9 They set their mouths against the heavens, and their tongue struts through the earth.
The wicked speak against God’s people and even God himself. The scoff at God’s people saying that Christians are:
intolerant toward the oppressed
7 Their eyes swell out through fatness; their hearts overflow with follies. 8 They scoff and speak with malice; loftily they threaten oppression. 9 They set their mouths against the heavens, and their tongue struts through the earth.
Telling God’s people that they don’t care about women’s rights
telling God’s people that they are biggets and racists, and that they are going to be on the wrong side of history.
They mock God’s people as being close-minded and backwards
They threaten God’s people by saying they have to conform to their agenda or they won’t be able to get jobs at the local shopping stores or coffee shops.
They mock God and the bible saying that YHWH is not powerful, he can do nothing to stop them.
Asaph goes throughout his day feeling embarrassed to even call himself a christian.
If Christians have this sort of reputation, if people at work believe that what the wicked are saying is true, how will he show his face at the office.
By the end of the day Wednesday, Asaph is worn out, he begins to feel a burden that he no longer wants to carry.
He is tired of being called names, and being identified with people who are constantly fighting the current of the culture.
Maybe Asaph is thinking (Andy Stanley)
If I don’t talk about the controversial things maybe it will be easier
I mean, the Old Testament is kind of archaic, and the rules seem really outdated
Maybe if I unhitch from the Old Testament people will find me less resistible.
Perhaps Asaph listened to some Andy Stanley sermons hoping to find some direction before he went to sleep that Wednesday night.
Thursday: the wicked deceive
Thursday: the wicked deceive
Asaph wakes up on Thursday morning, and heads to the church for worship practice.
When he gets there he hears his volunteers talking about the viral news article, that mocked God and his people.
Asaph expected to have a long conversation with the people about how evil it was, and how Christians need to pledge their allegiance to King Jesus and not these wicked rulers.
But instead he hears his volunteers praising the article…
He hears the people of God finding no fault with what was said
He even hears them doubting whether or not God even knows what he’s doing
10 Therefore his people turn back to them, and find no fault in them. 11 And they say, “How can God know? Is there knowledge in the Most High?”
10 Therefore his people turn back to them, and find no fault in them. 11 And they say, “How can God know? Is there knowledge in the Most High?”
Not only are the people of God deceived by wicked, but now they are doubting if God knows what is best for the world.
The word for knowledge is best understood as wisdom or discernment.
Maybe we should reconsider how the bible applies to life
Maybe we should only listen to the New Testament, because that seems to be acceptable to the world.
Maybe God’s views on marriage and family, and sexuality and race, and justice and injustice are no longer helpful.
Asaph goes home that night with lots of doubts and questions
if the people of God are turning toward these wicked people and finding no fault, maybe he is the one with the wrong perspective. Maybe Asaph is the one who is actually deceived.
Friday: am I just a fool?
Friday: am I just a fool?
When Friday come Asaph is wondering if he is just a fool...
Asaph goes throughout his day on Friday thinking, and questioning.
Maybe this Christian life is not really the best path
Maybe devotion to God is really just a crutch
Maybe the wicked have it figured out and i’ve been living my life in vain.
ps 73.
Maybe faith and science really are opposed
Maybe faith is just about the idea of God and not really about life and practice
12 Behold, these are the wicked; always at ease, they increase in riches. 13 All in vain have I kept my heart clean and washed my hands in innocence.
Friday goes quick for Asaph as he hopes the weekend will bring some relief.
Then Saturday morning comes and he starts to think about this whole week and wants to know how to understand whats been going on,
Saturday: how do I understand this?
Saturday: how do I understand this?
Asaph begins to think back through this week, through this whole psalm, and he wants to know how to understand God’s purpose in blessing the wicked
14 For all the day long I have been stricken and rebuked every morning.
ps 73
Everyday of the week has been miserable for Asaph, he has felt stricken and rebuked each and every morning.
Not knowing how to process his doubts and being afraid of the damage it could cause makes things worse.
15 If I had said, “I will speak thus,” I would have betrayed the generation of your children.
Asaph realizes that he cannot speak what he feels, for his feeling were so brutal toward God that to speak thus would have been to betray the generation of God’s children.
He would have crushed their faith if he told them about the anguish he had been in this last week
So he goes to bed on Saturday night feeling the weight of everything
16 But when I thought how to understand this, it seemed to me a wearisome task,
ps 73
Trying to figure out why God would bless the wicked with prosperity
Why he would allow the wicked to live easy lives
why he would let the wicked get away with evil and violence
Why would God allow the wicked to speak the way they do and even deceive God’s people
He had questioned his own loyalty to God, and was wondering if everything he had been living for was in vain.
And not only that, but he has to get up and lead worship the next morning.
How many of you can identify with the type of week Asaph had?
This psalm is beautiful because it is not afraid of the rawness of the Christian life.
Often times we think of the Christian life as a summer day at the splash pad, or a walk in the park.
then when life is difficult or hard, we like Asaph wonder if we have done something wrong, or if a relationship with God is really the answer for life.
As a pastor I’ve had countless conversations with people who are struggling through life, confused because the Christian life is not what they thought it would be.
The advice I give is calling people back to faithfully walking with God
Saying your prayers
reading your bible
confessing sin
Singing songs
Living in community.
These habits and liturgies are what God uses to encourage his people and to help them see clearly what is happening in the world.
And this is what happens to Asaph
Sunday morning comes, he gets ready for church, and heads to the sanctuary.
He goes to church with all his doubts, with all his concerns, with all his weariness, he comes to the sanctuary of God.
And what we see is that Asaph tells us how the church service saved him from falling into destruction.
After a week of doubting, being envious, confusion, despair, disappointment, and anger, Asaph walks into to Church. And the first thing he experiences is the call to worship
The Call to Worship:
The Call to Worship:
God brought him into his sanctuary, as he does us each and every week.
And coming into the presence of God, YHWH was faithful to bring clarity to Asaph’s confusion.
ps 73 16-17
17 until I went into the sanctuary of God; then I discerned their end.
18-
Ps 73
V.7 - Whatever their foolish hearts desire they have the means to attain
8 They scoff and speak with malice; loftily they threaten oppression. 9 They set their mouths against the heavens, and their tongue struts through the earth.
God met Asaph in the sanctuary of God.
V.8 - They belittle people, they dehumanize people, and threaten oppression upon those who are unable to defend themselves
V.9 - Not only do they speak with malice to the people of God, but they have the audacity to set their mouths against God himself!
16 But when I thought how to understand this, it seemed to me a wearisome task, 17 until I went into the sanctuary of God; then I discerned their end.
Asaph’s The frustration is amplified on Wednesday, These people are cursing the God who has given them all they have, yet God continues to allow them to prosper
When Asaph came into the presence of truth, he started to see clearly. He started to understand the telos of the wicked. He gain a godly perspective of the wicked and of all his turmoil
10 Therefore his people turn back to them, and find no fault in them.
QUESTION: When you feel the weight of the world on your shoulders, when you have that knot of dissatisfaction in gut – when you find yourself envying the lives of those who are not followers of Christ – Where do you go?
· The people of God are seeing the ease of life of the wicked and have begun to pursue that lifestyle rather than following in devotion to God!
· The American Dream!
Asaph went to the sanctuary of God – the temple. This is the place God reserved to meet his people in worship. The temple or the tabernacle is where God’s presence dwelt
11 And they say, “How can God know? Is there knowledge in the Most High?” 12 Behold, these are the wicked; always at ease, they increase in riches.
11-
We must rush to the presence of God when we feel the sin of envy or bitterness beginning to fester in our hearts.
13 All in vain have I kept my heart clean and washed my hands in innocence. 14 For all the day long I have been stricken and rebuked every morning. 15 If I had said, “I will speak thus,” I would have betrayed the generation of your children.
ps 7
We take them to the only one who can bring truth and clarity into our thinking.
His life of purity seems unrewarded
The psalmist despairs that his observance of God’s ways has been futile
Is it worth it? Asaph wonders if his pursuit of holiness is worth it when his wages received for such a pursuit comes in the form of affliction
He strived to keep his heart pure before God… and for what? Pain, suffering, misery?
o He strived to keep his heart pure before God… and for what? Pain, suffering, misery?
Asaph goes on to explain the plight of the wicked, which he was blind to throughout the week.
He beginning to wonder, “maybe they do have it all figured out… maybe I should just chase those things that will bring me happiness.
o He beginning to wonder, “maybe they do have it all figured out… maybe I should just chase those things that will bring me happiness.
o We live in a culture where consumerism runs unleashed in hopes of capturing our affection. We are told if we spend our money on “such-and-such” a product we will feel fulfilled and happy – We all know that materialism will never bring joy, however when you see those Apple commercials, or new car commercials, we often begin to think “maybe that will fill the empty void I feel inside.”
We live in a culture where consumerism runs unleashed in hopes of capturing our affection. We are told if we spend our money on “such-and-such” a product we will feel fulfilled and happy – We all know that materialism will never bring joy, however when you see those Apple commercials, or new car commercials, we often begin to think “maybe that will fill
in vain I have kept my heart clean The psalmist feels that he has been loyal to God for nothing
§ 14-15
Asaph feels like he himself is constantly plagued with problems.
73:14 I have been stricken - The idea of being “stricken” and “rebuked” is implicitly connected to God’s discipline (, For the Lord disciplines those he loves, as a father the son in whom he delights).
18 Truly you set them in slippery places; you make them fall to ruin. 19 How they are destroyed in a moment, swept away utterly by terrors! 20 Like a dream when one awakes, O Lord, when you rouse yourself, you despise them as phantoms.
The psalmist implies that, in addition to failing to punish the wicked, God also treats the righteous badly.
He also feels as if he has to carry this burden alone because he is afraid if he “unloads” on others he would be so convincing that he would lead God’s children astray.
The Sanctuary
The Sanctuary
Asaph ends his rant about the ungodly and begins to talk, again retrospectively, about how he dealt with such strong emotions toward God and the ungodly
16 But when I thought how to understand this, it seemed to me a wearisome task,
17 until I went into the sanctuary of God; then I discerned their end.
18 Truly you set them in slippery places; you make them fall to ruin.
19 How they are destroyed in a moment, swept away utterly by terrors!
20 Like a dream when one awakes, O Lord, when you rouse yourself, you despise them as phantoms.
Read 16-20
v. 16
16 But when I thought how to understand this, it seemed to me a wearisome task,
§ As he began to contemplate his reaction to the prosperity of the ungodly it weighed him down. He was unable to process such feelings of anxiety. He said it was a “wearisome task”
As he began to contemplate his reaction to the prosperity of the ungodly it weighed him down.
He was unable to process such feelings of anxiety. He said it was a “wearisome task”
v.17
17 until I went into the sanctuary of God; then I discerned their end.
Until I went into the sanctuary of God
This whole time he has been trying to deal with these feelings on his own.
He was relying on his own heart for direction –
That’s why he began to question if God was as good as what he sees the wicked enjoying
Asaph went to the sanctuary of God – the temple. This is the place God reserved to meet his people in worship. The temple or the tabernacle is where God’s presence dwelt
We must rush to the presence of God when we feel the sin of envy or bitterness beginning to fester in our hearts
What happened when Asaph entered the sanctuary of God?
He gained a Godly perspective of the wicked
“Then I discerned their end
v.18
18 Truly you set them in slippery places; you make them fall to ruin.
Truly you set them in slippery places; you make them fall to ruin
Look back at v.1 and 2
Vs. 1 Truly – Confidence in God’s justice
Vs. 2 It is not the believer that falls to ruin, it is the wicked
vs. 19 says, “How they are destroyed in a moment, swept away utterly by terrors!
19 How they are destroyed in a moment, swept away utterly by terrors!
v.19
Asaph finally see that the fate of the wicked it not their riches, their property, their ease in life, their authority, or their ability to possess whatever their hearts desire.
Rather their fate is one of destruction and damnation under the justice and wrath of God!
Vs. 20 says, “Like a dream when one awakes, O Lord, when you rouse yourself, you despise them as phantoms.”
V. 20
20 Like a dream when one awakes, O Lord, when you rouse yourself, you despise them as phantoms.
You know feeling when you wake up from a dream that seemed so real, so concrete, so vivid – yet when you awake the reality of your dream immediately begins to dissolve away.
§ You know feeling when you wake up from a dream that seemed so real, so concrete, so vivid – yet when you awake the reality of your dream immediately begins to dissolve away.
When we begin to feel envious toward the pleasures of the wicked it is because spiritually we are falling asleep –
we are not alert to the grace and faithfulness of God,
we become lazy in our study of scripture
we allow our hearts to become lethargic in worship
we become slothful in our prayer life
we become idle in our repentance
we become lone rangers in our sanctification
Yet when Asaph went before the Lord, God was faithful to awakened him from his spiritual slumber to see that the prosperity of the wicked is nothing more than phantoms which when compared to the reality of the glories of God are to be despised!
God Called Asaph into his presence to worship, and it was through worship that Asaph saw clearly those things that had tormented him the week before.
And as soon as Asaph see’s clearly he immediately recognizes his need to confess his sins
The Confession
The Confession
As Asaph began to see clearly he realized that he had lived this last week not trusting God
he realized that he had lived this last week not trusting God
he was not concerned with the glories of God
he was not convinced of the faithfulness of God
Asaph spent his whole week in whollowing in self-pity and arrogance
God showed him that he was acting brutish and ignorant
We see the confession in vv. 21-22
21 When my soul was embittered, when I was pricked in heart, 22 I was brutish and ignorant; I was like a beast toward you.
v.21-22
I love how honest Asaph is in his confession. (he does not take his sin lightly)
And Church, as soon as Asaph confessed his sins we see him being assured of his pardon.
Sin turns us into beasts
The Assurance of Pardon
The Assurance of Pardon
§ He was like a beast before God, brutish and ignorant. Like a beast thinking only of the present.
23 Nevertheless, I am continually with you; you hold my right hand.
23 Nevertheless, I am continually with you; you hold my right hand. 24 You guide me with your counsel, and afterward you will receive me to glory.
v. 23
Even in his ignorant state of mind, acting as a beast, God was still faithful to him
Listen to what he says, “Nevertheless, I am continually with you; you hold my right hand”
Verse 2 tells us that his feet had almost stumbled, his steps had nearly slipped
It was not that Asaph was able to keep himself from slipping - God was holding his hand!!
However, unlike the wicked in verse 18 who were falling to ruin, God was holding his hand!!
God’s faithfulness to his people is what keeps us from having the same fate as the wicked
Paul says in
10 Therefore I endure everything for the sake of the elect, that they also may obtain the salvation that is in Christ Jesus with eternal glory. 11 The saying is trustworthy, for: If we have died with him, we will also live with him; 12 if we endure, we will also reign with him; if we deny him, he also will deny us; 13 if we are faithless, he remains faithful— for he cannot deny himself.
10 Therefore I endure everything for the sake of the elect, that they also may obtain the salvation that is in Christ Jesus with eternal glory. 11 The saying is trustworthy, for: If we have died with him, we will also live with him; 12 if we endure, we will also reign with him; if we deny him, he also will deny us;
10 Therefore I endure everything for the sake of the elect, that they also may obtain the salvation that is in Christ Jesus with eternal glory. 11 The saying is trustworthy, for: If we have died with him, we will also live with him;
§ Therefore I endure everything for the sake of the elect, that they also may obtain the salvation that is in Christ Jesus with eternal glory. 11 The saying is trustworthy, for:
If we have died with him, we will also live with him;
if we endure, we will also reign with him;
if we deny him, he also will deny us;
if we are faithless, he remains faithful—
This is why we are able to declare over you that your sins have been forgiven.
It is because we serve a faithful God who forgives. You must always remember this, that if we confess our sins he is faithful and just to forgive your sins.
you are to go into the presence of God Almighty, before our great high priest Jesus, and know that even when you are faithless he is faithful to keep you, to hold you, to keep you from falling!
Asaph had such confidence in God’s forgiveness that he knew that God would receive him into glory when its all said in done.
Preaching of the Word
Preaching of the Word
24 You guide me with your counsel, and afterward you will receive me to glory.
v. 24
In the midst of life’s storms it is Gods word that guides us!
o In the midst of life’s storms it is Gods word that guides us!
Where do you go in the storm?
24 You guide me with your counsel, and afterward you will receive me to glory. 25 Whom have I in heaven but you? And there is nothing on earth that I desire besides you.
I know that many of you struggle with assurance of your salvation – especially when you are feeling like your feet are slipping in this life, when you feel like God has left you on paddle boat in the midst of the storm. What are you to do when you feel like you are about to sink?
Look to Jesus! Look to Jesus!!
24-25
Pray to him
Study it!
Read the Scriptures
Upon hearing the words of God, Asaph then cries out with a renewed mind and heart
Pray it!
Know it!
Sing songs of praise
Confess your sins
Do not be content until the word of God has change the very fabric of your being! And then study it more!
“whom have I in heaven but you? And there is nothing on earth that I desire besides you”
And do all of this as part of the body of Christ, do it in community!
You guide me with your counsel, and afterward you WILL receive me into glory!
When you are in that storm focus on the one whom in a single word is able to calm the wind and the waves! Look to Jesus!
Asaph eyes are now open again, he is awake from his spiritual slumber and he is seeing the world for what it is and is now calling out to God in worship!
Notice how Asaph outlook on life is now completely God centered – Whom have I in heaven but you?
25 Whom have I in heaven but you? And there is nothing on earth that I desire besides you. 26 My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.
25
25 Whom have I in heaven but you?
25 Whom have I in heaven but you?
And there is nothing on earth that I desire besides you.
26 My flesh and my heart may fail,
but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever
Asaph outlook on life is now completely God centered – Whom have I in heaven but you?
John Piper in his great book God is the Gospel asks this question,
“If you could have heaven, with no sickness, and with all the friends you ever had on earth, and all the food you ever liked, and all the leisure activities you ever enjoyed, and all the natural beauties you ever saw, all the physical pleasures you ever tasted, and no human conflict or any natural disasters, could you be satisfied with heaven, if Christ were not there”?
Whom have I in heaven but you?
And there is nothing on earth I desire besides you
For Asaph, he saw the superior worth of Christ above and beyond all the trinkets and tricks the world has to offer -
The prosperity of the wicked that Asaph had lusted after is like a dream that has faded to nothingness before the glory of God.
Are we in sin if there are things we see and want?
No! However the things we desire on this earth should never compete for the affections of the ineffable glories of God!
And the things we do desire we should seek to submit to his glory!
After being guided in worship through the word of God, Asaph then moves toward communion
Communion
Communion
As followers of Christ we are to rely on God in all things, he is our strength, he is our portion.
And when we take communion we are to realize that Jesus is the one who feeds us, he is the one who clothes us, he is the one who renews covenant with us.
like the saints of old, we break covenant with God when we
And we drink the cup to symbolize the covenant faithfulness of Christ, and as we eat the bread and drink the cup we proclaim his death until he comes.
Look what Asaph says,
25 Whom have I in heaven but you? And there is nothing on earth that I desire besides you. 26 My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.
Eating with Jesus is a reminder that he is all that we need. He is our portion. He has done all that needs to be done on our behalf. He now sends us filled with him into the world to declare his goodness.
26 My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.
ps
§ We know that “this” is wasting away – we know that our bodies are broken.
We are dealing with sickness, illness, chronic pain, cancer, arthritis, eye sight, all of which remind us that our bodies are failing
Turn with me to
16 So we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day. 17 For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison,
o So we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day. 17 For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison.
§ Do not lose heart! God’s plan is for us to remain in these broken, tattered bodies for a time – be we have HOPE that the future will be beyond all comparison!
Truly God is good to Israel, he is good to his covenant people. He is our portion he is all that we need.
You don’t need Tom Brady’s $35,000 a pass
You don’t need Tom Brady’s $35,000 a pass
You don’t need the riches of the world
You don’t need ease of life
You don’t need ease in death
You don’t need the prosperity the world holds a valuable
You don’t need the new iphone or a Pintrist worthy home
You don’t need that promotion at work
You don’t need those new shoes
You don’t need that new car
You HAVE GOD! He is your portion!
May you remember that God is your portion when come to take communion after the service.
Asaph then leaves the sanctuary of God with a renewed covenant, renewed mind, and a renewed strength, and with a benediction:
We see the benediction in 27-28
Benediction
Benediction
We see the benediction in 27-28
27 For behold, those who are far from you shall perish; you put an end to everyone who is unfaithful to you. 28 But for me it is good to be near God; I have made the Lord God my refuge, that I may tell of all your works.
v. 27-28
“For behold, those who are far from you shall perish; you put an end to everyone who is unfaithful to you. But for me it is good to be near God; I have made the Lord God my refuge, that I may tell of all your works.”
Asaph leaves church on Sunday knowing once again that God is good to Israel
He says, for me it is good to be near God
I have made the Lord God my refuge
That I may tell of all your works
It is only in God we will be free from the slavery of envy and wanting
Asaph leaves with a benediction to go and tell the world how good it is to be near God, how wonderful it is to have the Lord God as his refuge.
Now, May we go this week proclaiming these same truths
It is only in God that we will have true freedom to chase after the only thing that is satisfying – Christ Jesus which is beyond comparison
God is good to his people
He is our refuge
May we go knowing that nothing in heaven or on earth compares to Christ.
He is our treasure, he is our King. Let us go this week and walk the path of faithfulness trusting that he is holding our right hand and will not let us slip.
Lets Pray,
But for me it is good to be near God, I have made the Lord God my refuge. Whom have we in heaven but you? And there is nothing on earth we desire besides you, though our flesh and our hearts are failing, you God are our strength and our portion.
God awake our affections to you, let us despise the lusts of our hearts as phantoms before you. Let us come into your sanctuary and know that you are truly good to your people. God give us eyes to see that the eternal weight of glory you have promised is beyond all comparison, and let us always be proclaiming the beauty of your works.
Amen.