Endangered Reputation

Endangered Reputation

Text:  Psalm 7

Big Idea:  God fights for the righteous.

Purpose:  To reassure people that God is not the cause of suffering, but the One who fights to relieve suffering.

Introduction:

Things can get out of hand rather quickly:

            Rob was talking with his friends about spring sports

                        -had thought of trying out for the baseball team

                        -but decided he didn’t like baseball as much as track

                        -when asked by a friend, said, I don’t like playing baseball

            It was an innocent statement

                        -that was twisted

                        -some reported Rob thought baseball was boring

                        -others said Rob thought people, who played baseball, were foolish

                        -still others thought Rob hated the guys on the baseball team

            Before Rob had a grip on what was happening

                        -four of his friends from the baseball team were very angry with him

                        -and decided that they would no longer invite him

-to join them for weekend activities

Does this sound silly?

Does this sound unrealistic?

More than likely – it has happened to you

            -a story has been started

            -someone took something you said the wrong way

                        -you meant it innocently, perhaps even joking

                        -and someone was offended

You have had someone angry at you – for something you didn’t do

            -and maybe, you have had someone wishing you harm

                        -even though you were innocent

They misinterpreted your intentions

            -you were trying to offer help – and ended up being attacked

Others started speaking about you

            -saying things that were not true

            -isolating you, and making you feel ousted

I say this has probably happened to you

            -because it is far too common

            -we suffer, despite our innocence

If you have experienced this

            -this prayer of David may have something to teach you

            -about turning to God, asking for wrongs to be made right

            -and experiencing some kind of reassurance

Sermon Body:

Movement 1:  *God responds to a variety of prayers.

            He listens to us when we confess our sin, and when we ask for help

            The Psalms are filled with prayers on a variety of occasions

                        -and on this occasion, David sang to God

                                    -on account of a man of Benjamin

                                                -who seemed to be attacking him

            We are not sure what incident this is referring to:

(Intro says regarding Cush the Benjamite)

                        Could possibly be from 2 Samuel 20 – a Benjamite rebels

                        Could refer to Saul’s family – whose father was Kish (Benjamite)

            Regardless, David turns to God – asking for help

                        With a very different tone than the first prayer of Psalms – in Psalm 3

*Sometimes we pray to confess our guilt.

-and we ask for mercy.

-In Psalm 3 – David was certain of his guilt

            -and turned to God

            -not knowing how God would answer his prayer

*Sometimes we pray to beg for justice.

-because we believe we are innocent

-we have not done what we are accused of doing

            -people are opposed to us – based on unjust grounds

The nature of false accusations - a commandment

            False accusations are a serious matter

                        -a commandment that we should not bear false witness

                        -it can ruin a reputation, cause people to turn against others

Movement 2:  *David's prayer is a model of asking for justice.

*Prayer of Psalm 7:

First two parts form a double claim: - calling to God

1.  Call to God for refuge. (v. 1-2)

-Psalmist faces a serious threat - someone wants to tear his flesh

-destruction awaits - Psalmist is fearful of this person's anger - though unjustified

2.  Declaration of innocence. (v. 3-5)

-This is hard for us to grasp

-if we have learned reformation theology, we know one of the principles

-is total depravity

-which can lead us to the conclusion that we deserve any evil

Allow me to correct that view

Yes - we are sinful

Yes - we deserve God's judgment

Psalmist was willing to face God's judgment - see Psalm 3 - didn't know whether God would rescue

However - Psalmist fears an enemy

-who has no reason to be so upset

-and the Psalmist claims his innocence

He says, if I have done any of this

-duped my friends

-unjustly ransacked my enemies

(interesting, there are different standards for friends and foes)

POINT HERE:

-Reformed People are prone to a flaw

If we believe:  God is sovereign (which we do)

And we believe: People are sinful (which we are)

We can wrongly conclude - We deserve anything bad that happens

            (Note, this is not reformed, nor biblical teaching – but a common conclusion)

-and we end up turning a blind eye to suffering - it is their own fault

-they must have done something to deserve

-God is in control, so He must want them to suffer this

MAYBE - God wants us to have compassion

Maybe - God wants us to cry out to Him - to lift the burden

We should not be too quick to accept sin, evil, and suffering

3.  Asking God to Act. (v. 6-9)

Rise up,O God, in your anger

-point here - God's anger - is against the unrighteous

-not against those who suffer

We see this in the book of Revelation

-wrath - poured out on those who oppose Christ

-trials and tribulation - for those who know Christ

Psalmist wants God's anger to be known

-and carried out against his foes

David wants the crowds around God - to hear judgment

Application to gossip

-when you have been wronged - and people blame you

-human instinct - for all to know - I was just

-I was blameless, I was slandered

4.  Assurance that God will act. (v. 10-13)

-Psalmist says that God is His shield

-and we get a picture that could strike terror into a heart

-God as a warrior - wrathful, weapons in hand, ready to attack

Why isn't this a comfort to David?

-because he is convinced God is on His side

-rather than God being the one who is persecuting

5.  Danger coming to the wicked.( v. 14-16)

-imagery - conceive, pregnant, gives birth to evil

-again - the bad guy is over there

Who started it - He did - the evil one

-David is pointing a finger at wickedness

and saying - What goes around comes around

Notice - the Psalmist is not praying for excessive damage to come to enemies,

but only that the enemy receives the full affect of the evil that he(she) started.

Dig a hole - fall in

Trouble he starts - comes back to him (on his head)

6.  Thanksgiving. (17)

-Psalmist ends with praises to God

-Assurance, before God has acted

Because we know God will act for His people

Movement 3:  *God is our shield.  (He protects).

*God is our defender (He fights for us).

There will be times when we face the scorn of others.

            -unjust as it may be, we will face it

            -It has happened to many – unfairly, and they have cried out

            -to the slave – before slavery abolished – cried to God

            -to the victim of crime –

            -to the one falsely slandered –

                        They know the desire for justice

                        They understand the longing for a shield and defender

When we face those moments

            -be assured

            -we have a God

            -who will protect

            -who will fight for us

In fact

            -Jesus Christ – took that fight to the cross

            -where it looked like we were defeated

            -but, instead, we found life 

Conclusion:

You can turn to God with you cry for justice

You can ask Him to be your shield and defender

And in Him

            -you will find the peace, reassurance, and justice

            -that will fulfill your heart’s desire.