WISDOM FOR WHEN THE WICKED WIN AND THE FAITHFUL FALTER

WISDOM FOR WHEN THE WICKED WIN AND THE FAITHFUL FALTER Psalm 73 July 9, 2000 Given by: Pastor Rich Bersett [Index of Past Messages] Tuesday morning, April 20, 1999, Craig Scott and his friend Isaiah entered the library. Right behind them entered two fellow students, armed with semi- automatic weapons. Craig watched in horror as one of them shot his friend, Isaiah who died before he hit the floor. Several students died in that room, while Craig and the others hid or lay still pretending they were dead. After a difficult and frightening escape, they met in a safe place outside the building and began to pray for their fellow students. With one eye open to see which students were able to escape the killers. One at a time they saw students for whom they were praying come out of the school building. As they came out Craig commented on how God had answered their prayers. Craig's sister did not come out. She died that day. Most made it out alive; others didn't. Along with that small group of believers, Craig prayed, and it looked as though his prayers were being answered, except the prayer that was most personal and important to him-the prayer for his sister. The most talked about incident was the case of Cassie Bernall, who, when asked by one of the gunmen if she believed in God, answered a simple "Yes," and was shot to death. Who would ever have expected a case of martyrdom in the seemingly safe halls of Columbine High School in Littleton, Colorado? Questions leap to mind, like, "How could God allow such a thing? Is there any rhyme or reason in these things, when good kids are murdered?" We also remember the blood bath at Heath High School in Paducah, where students met for prayer and were shot to death by another maniacal kid with a gun. And the deaths of so many in the Baptist church in Texas. Concerns arise about safety in the schools, how some kids can be so disturbed that they kill other kids, why they can get their hands so easily on weapons, whether this is all a well-orchestrated attack by Satan on believers, and how much farther it will go. And you'll remember the account of the wealthy, philanthropic businessman. He had it all-a beautiful wife, ten wonderful, grown children, a thriving and profitable business. He loved God and served Him faithfully. Then all hell broke loose on him. First he was robbed by four bandits who got nearly everything. Next, everything else he owned was burned up in a fire started by lightning. Then there was another robbery with all but one of his employees being killed-by now he'd lost everything. Last, his children and their families were all together at a family gathering when a freak accident occurred. The house where they were meeting suddenly collapsed and every man, woman and child was crushed to death. Within days he himself came down with a horrible infectious disease that created painful, itching, oozing sores all over his body. His wife threatened to leave him and three of his best friends came to see him and asked him what terrible sin he had committed that he was treated this way by God. And this was a man about whom God had said, "He is a perfect and an upright man." Job cried out in some of the most moving words in the entire Bible, "Why was I even born to come to all of this? I wish I had been born dead and then buried never to see the light of day. Why does God let me live when life is miserable and so bitter?" (Job 2) The Psalmist came to that same point of despair. The words are recorded in Psalm 73:13-16: "Surely in vain I have kept my heart pure; in vain have I washed my hands in innocence. All day long I have been plagued; I have been punished every morning… When I tried to understand all this, it was oppressive to me." Do you ever wonder "Where is God in all this mess?" The title of one of James Dobson's books is "Where Is God When It Hurts?" Sooner or later each of us comes to a time in our lives when we honestly wonder these things. One author calls that crisis the "intersection of contradiction" in life. The good suffer; the wicked prosper; what's the sense of it all? Maybe you're in such a season yourself-a time when the reality of evil hits you in the face. You come to a new level of appreciating what author M. Scott Peck said-that LIFE IS HARD! When such times of trial come and the pain and suffering are so great that remaining faithful to God and living a life that pleases Him seems impossible and purposeless, what do you do? When you say with the psalmist, "The wicked are always carefree, they increase in wealth-I envy the arrogant when I see their prosperity. They scoff at God and mock His followers, and they keep doing well!" Why is it that the wicked seem to always win, and the faithful always feel they are faltering? (see verses 1-12) Focus with me on verses 16-17. "When I tried to understand all this, it was oppressive to me…until I entered the sanctuary of God. Then I understood their final destiny." When it really hurts, folks. When it's so bad in your life that you have nothing but questions and complaints, where do you turn? When you've done the right thing and friends betray you; when loved ones let you down at the very time you are trying to serve them; when financial calamity strikes right after you committed to increase your giving to the Lord; when depression has a stranglehold on your soul; when you made a morally right decision and lost your job for it; when you have given of yourself to the point that you have nothing left to give, and your kids turn and hurt you; when you are defeated and your enemies are winning; WHERE DO YOU TURN? YOU RUN TO HIM! Our teacher in this text says plainly that the only place where things make sense when all seems like nonsense, is in the presence of the Lord-specifically, in the "sanctuary of God." I take the "sanctuary to mean, in the context of worshiping God among His people. There have been times in my life, and yours, when we hurt so badly and we were so upset with God, that the last place we wanted to be was in His presence. And yet, ironically, that turns out to be the only place of healing for us. When pain reaches the point of madness, He is our sanity. When hurt brings us to absolute distraction, He is our focus. When depression brings us to self-loathing, He is our esteem. When circumstances drive us to anxiety, He is our peace. There was a loud squealing and whining in the garage. I opened the door to find Jake the cat with a week-old baby rabbit in his mouth, held fast by his sharp, feline teeth. With a strong sense of compassion I went to the rabbit's rescue. I caught the cat, soft-talked him into relaxing, wedged the hunter's jaws open and delivered the prey. I put the cat in the house and looked over the rabbit to see if I could help it. But it kicked and fought and continued to squeal. Finally it wiggled free, fell to the floor and ran out the open garage door. If I could have spoken rabbit-ese in that moment, I would have called out, "Don't run! I'm here to help you! If you leave you'll probably die-maybe I can help you!" But I couldn't, and I realized that I, the rescuer, was perceived in the moment of crisis, as the enemy. We often see God like that. When she was only 2 years old our daughter Heather became ill. I took her, feverish and sick to the doctor. A quick exam and a couple of prescriptions, then the devastating words, "She'll need a shot." When she saw the needle, she screamed, "No, daddy! No, daddy!" I held her while the sharp needle punctured her tender skin and delivered the healing antibiotic. All the while, my little girl screamed and cried, and held my neck. It was her only security in that moment of terror, and she knew it. FRIENDS, PAIN OUGHT TO MAKE US ACT MORE LIKE A SICK CHILD THAN AN INJURED RABBIT. Let me take a short sidetrack at this juncture. There are a lot of people who honestly believe God is their enemy that He is dedicated to hurting them. Among the unbelievers around us, most are convinced that He is out to get them, to judge them. No wonder they have a hard time coming to church services. Sure, they're preoccupied with the things of this world, too--things that keep them from even thinking about God. But that is their escape, isn't it? If God is my enemy, I will avoid Him by finding things that make me feel good-at least for the moment. But sooner or later, the toys and trappings of this life no longer satisfy, and those who ignore God come to realize these tricks and toys have let them down. It is then they will look for spiritual help. If God is still perceived as the one out to hurt them, fresh from the pain of their own disappointments, and more certain than ever, in their own minds, that God is REALLY angry with them now, the last place they will turn is to the church. UNLESS, we have done our job and have saturated their world with the GOOD NEWS that God loves them and is ready to accept them, forgive them and bring them into His family through the loving sacrifice of Jesus. My friends in Christ, how important it is to release this news into our community, so that when hurting people start asking the right questions they will have already heard the right answers! Now, back to my point for believers who are facing hardship. When, like a baby whose feeling attacked by a nurse with a needle, there is One to whom you can cling. God is able, willing and ready to sustain you when you hurt. Look at the closing verses of Psalm 73 (verses 28-29) and see the outcome of finding the Lord in the sanctuary: "Those who are far from you will perish; you destroy all who are unfaithful to you." First, the one who has lost hope in justice is reassured that, in the end, God ensures that justice is done. "But as for me, it is good to be near God. I have made the Sovereign Lord my refuge; I will tell of all your deeds." There is no greater calming assurance in time of trouble than the presence of the Lord. "Though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for You are with me. Your rod and your staff comfort me." I want to remind us of four immutable truths about suffering and hardship. 1. Hardship will come. Trials, temptations, difficulties and even persecution are an inevitable matter of course in our fallen world. In fact, as a believer, you actually become a more important target for the devil's harassment than you were before. The world, influenced as it is by the Prince of the powers of the air, frankly doesn't like you and your faith. "But, I'm a good person!" Rabbi Kushner said, "Expecting the world to treat you fairly because you are a good person is like expecting the bull not to charge you because you are a vegetarian! Hardships most often come as direct consequences of our stupidity or disobedience! So you may expect such trouble. To be forewarned is to be forearmed. The apostle Peter put the believers of the first century on alert that they were about to face trouble. "Dear friends, do not be surprised at the painful trial you are suffering as though something strange were happening to you. But rejoice that you participate in the sufferings of Christ, so that you may be overjoyed when his glory is revealed." (1 Peter 4:12-13) When suffering comes, it always seems unfair. And we are first tempted to say "Why me?" But preoccupation with such questions does you no good-it only delays the good God can and will bring out of the circumstances. And remember this, hardships are always inconvenient. Again, we want to ask the pointless questions like "Why now?" [Actually when would you rather schedule a hardship?] Hardships will come, as a part of life in a fallen world, and as a part of in a kingdom in the crosshairs of the enemy's weapons. But you, believer, can be ready, knowing that God is fully aware and ready to hold you. 2. When hardships come God is still in control. Let's not be afraid of this truth, okay? We're often afraid that if we admit God is in control during difficult times, then it is the same as saying God apparently doesn't care. And that possibility scares us. We're afraid of giving any responsibility for letting bad things happen. But He does-if the book of Job teaches us anything it clearly exposes the truth that God is fully aware of what is happening when the devil wreaks havoc in this world and in our lives. And He is not biting His nails about it. The Bible affirms that God does allow the hardships that come to us, and He has a redemptive purpose in it all. That's the stuff of Romans 8:28 - He [really does] work all things together for the good of those who love Him and are called according to his purpose." To us, trouble lasts way too long. Time flies at Six Flags, but it crawls by in the waiting room! Some of you here this morning are in God's waiting room, and you're wondering if He will ever come to help you. Be assured of this truth-He is already there. And while it may seem severe at the time, that God should allow what is happening to continue so long, He has a great, loving purpose that is being served, both for YOU and for the KINGDOM. He asks us to trust Him in that. I read recently about how challenging it was in the 19th century to ship fresh North Atlantic cod fish from Boston to San Francisco. At that time the only way to ship the fish to the West Coast was to sail around the South American continent-a trip of months. And then, by the time they reached California they weren't fit to eat. Next the cod were placed in holding tanks full of water and shipped to California live. But the fish tasted pasty and bland, because they were inactive for so long. Finally someone hit on a good idea. "Why don't we put some catfish in with the cod?" They did and this time when the fish reached San Francisco they were in perfect shape and just as delicious as they were in Boston. Why? Because catfish are the cods' natural enemy, and when a few of them were let loose in the tanks with them, the cod were always alert and swimming around. God knows what we can take, and He knows what we need to continue staying alert and growing in the Spirit, and, even though some theologies are horrified by the thought, He will let hardship come our way. And He will make good out of it, both for us and for His kingdom. 3. The Lord always helps you through the hardship. The big question when someone says "The Lord will help" is "How and When?". The biblical answer is IN JUST THE RIGHT WAY AT JUST THE RIGHT TIME! Sometimes it seems the Lord waits until we give up in despair. Sometimes he waits until we pray (and pray desperately)! Sometimes He waits until we've actually forgotten about the hardship. Sometimes He waits until we're at the end of our rope-and the rope breaks. And as far a How, God's answers come in tremendous variety-each answer tailor made to the hardship. As I see it, there are three rules as to HOW and WHEN God brings his answers to bear during our hardships: 1. there are no rules, 2. it's hardly ever when or how you expected Him to answer, 3. it's almost always when you are weak, humbled and empty. 4. The Lord wants our trust. Jill Briscoe tells of the time when she had sent a note to her young son's teacher explaining he would not be in school the next day, because he had to go and get x-rayed. The next morning on the way to the clinic, his dad noticed David was as white as a sheet. He said, "What's the matter, son, are you frightened?" "Of course I'm frightened, dad!" "Why?" "Dad, I know what an execution is!" Job told his wife, "Shall we receive good from the Lord and not evil?" She told him he ought to curse God and die. His response: "Though He slay me, yet will I trust Him!" [One author called his wife "Mrs. Kevorkian," and suggested he understood why she was the only thing Satan didn't take from Job!] But what exactly are we to trust? We are to trust that the purposes of God in our lives ARE being worked out in ALL circumstances, no matter what! And what is His primary purpose, Christian? Some time ago, a few ladies met in a certain city to study the scriptures. While reading the third chapter of Malachi, they came upon a remarkable expression in the third verse: "And He shall sit as a refiner and purifier of silver (Malachi 3:3)" One lady proposed to visit a silversmith, and report to them on what he said about the subject. She went accordingly, and without telling the object of her errand, begged the silversmith to tell her about the process of refining silver. After he had fully described it to her, she asked, "But Sir, do you sit while the work of refining is going on?" "Oh, yes madam," replied the silversmith; "I must sit with my eyes steadily fixed on the furnace, for if the time necessary for refining be exceeded in the slightest degree, the silver will be injured." The lady at once saw the beauty, and comfort too, of the expression, "He shall sit as a refiner and purifier of silver." God sees it needful to put His children into a furnace; His eye is steadily intent on the work of purifying, and His wisdom and love are both engaged in the best manner for us. Our trials do not come at random, and He will not let us be tested beyond what we can endure. Before she left, the lady asked one final question, "When do you know the process is complete?" "Why, that is quite simple," replied the silversmith. "When I can see my own image in the silver, the refining process is finished."       [Back to Top]