Sermon Tone Analysis

Introduction: Visiting a newly-rich friend in the country, Wolcott Gibbs refused to be impressed by tennis courts, swimming pools, stables, and other forms of luxury.

Finally, returning to the house, the owner pointed to a magnificent elm growing just outside the library window and boasted, “That tree stood for fifty years on top of the hill.

I had it moved down here so on pleasant mornings I can do my work in its shade.”

Said Gibbs: “That just goes to show what God could do if he had money.”

Few of us can stand prosperity.

Another man’s, I mean.

- Mark Twain.

Doesn’t seem often that those who cheat and intimidate get what they want, and the nice guys finish last?

How do we deal with this sense of unfairness?

The Truth of this Psalm really is...

30 - Many are Going the Wrong Way.

David is giving us Wisdom in the form of a series of Proverbs - An Acrostic.

A. Vs.

1-8 - The Righteous must not fret over the wicked and trust God.

B. Vs 9 - Wait and inherit the Land

C. Vs. 10-15 - The Righteous will possess and the wicked’s plotting destroyed.

D. Vs. 16 - The little belonging to the righteous is better than the wealth of the wicked.

E. Vs. 17 - The Lord upholds the righteous

F. Vs. 18b - The Lord gives eternal life to the righteous

Finally, returning to the house, the owner pointed to a magnificent elm growing just outside the library window and boasted, “That tree stood for fifty years on top of the hill.

I had it moved down here so on pleasant mornings I can do my work in its shade.”

G. Vs. 19 - The righteous will recieve

H. Vs. 20 - The wicked will perish/vanish like smoke

G. Vs.

21 - The wicked take, and the righteous give.

F. Vs. 22-23 - The Lord blesses and guides the righteous

E. Vs. 24 - The Lord upholds the Righteous

D. Vs. 25-26 - God provides for the righteous.

Said Gibbs: “That just goes to show what God could do if he had money.”

C. Vs. 27-33 - The righteous will possess and the wicked’s plotting destroyed

B. Vs. 34 - Wait and inherit the land

A. vs. 35 - God destroys the wicked, but saves the righteous

Few of us can stand prosperity.

Another man’s, I mean.

- Mark Twain.

An Acrostic through the entire Hebrew Alphabet - Makes it easier to memorize.

Just recently my Visa card was stolen…Right now it’s everywhere I want to be. - Scott Ward.

1.

It can be difficult to stay determined and find things to be grateful for when the world around us is filled with individuals who seem to have so much success so easily, especially considering that some of their lifestyles go against God’s commands and actively engage in rebellion.

Their finances are great, their experiences seem enjoyable, and they don’t seem to have a care in this world.

In those moments of frustration, it is better to allow the Lord to do his job—judge righteously.

Our job is to live righteously, knowing that our eternal reward is better than anything we can experience on earth.

Gratitude to God for being the answer we need should be a lifestyle.

1.

In the Disney movie The Little Mermaid, Ariel learns that the grass isn’t always greener on the other side of the street.

She obtains her wish for human legs at the expense of her most prized possession: her voice.

She desperately longed for what others had, but lost what she had.

Like Ariel, we can become so focused on what we don’t have while longing for what others do and end up sacrificing blessings God has given us.

Our culture then produces this....

31 - https://abcnews.go.com/Business/craziest-moments-black-friday-shopping/story?id=27235620

32 - Chiastic Structure:

A. Vs.

1-8 - The Righteous must not fret over the wicked and trust God.

A - Vs. 1-8 The righteous must not fret over the wicked and trust God

B. Vs. 9 - Wait and inherit the Land.

B. Vs 9 - Wait and inherit the Land

C. Vs. 10 - 15 - The righteous will possess and the wicked’s plotting be destroyed.

C. Vs. 10-15 - The Righteous will possess and the wicked’s plotting destroyed.

D. Vs. 16 - It is better to be righteous and poor than wicked and wealthy.

D. Vs. 16 - The little belonging to the righteous is better than the wealth of the wicked.

E. Vs. 17 - The Lord upholds the righteous.

E. Vs. 17 - The Lord upholds the righteous

F. Vs. 18 - The Lord gives eternal life to the righteous.

F. Vs. 18b - The Lord gives eternal life to the righteous

G. Vs. 19 - The Lord provides for the righteous.

G. Vs. 19 - The righteous will recieve

H Vs. 20 - The Wicked perish and are like a vapor.

H. Vs. 20 - The wicked will perish/vanish like smoke

G. Vs.

21 - The wicked take, but the righteous are generous.

G. Vs.

21 - The wicked take, and the righteous give.

F. Vs. 22-23 - The Lord provides/guides the righteous, but cuts off wicked.

F. Vs. 22-23 - The Lord blesses and guides the righteous

E. Vs. 24 - The Lord Upholds the righteous.

E. Vs. 24 - The Lord upholds the Righteous

D. Vs. 25-26 - The righteous are not forsaken.

D. Vs. 25-26 - God provides for the righteous.

C Vs. 27 - 33 - The righteous will possess and the wicked’s plotting be destoryed.

C. Vs. 27-33 - The righteous will possess and the wicked’s plotting destroyed

B. Vs. 34 - Wait and inherit the Land.

B. Vs. 34 - Wait and inherit the land

A. Vs.

35 - 40 - God destroys the wicked, but saves the righteous.

A. vs. 35 - God destroys the wicked, but saves the righteous

An Acrostic through the entire Hebrew Alphabet - Makes it easier to memorize.

This Chaism brings us to the key theme of David’s Wisdom.

So What does David’s Wisdom Teach us?

What does David have to offer us?

33 - Trusting God’s Way is Best.

1. “Three times we are commanded not to fret (37:1, 7, 8).

The Hebrew word means to burn.

The verb is in the Hebrew reflexive stem which could be translated, ‘Don’t work yourself into a slow burn’ when you see evil men prospering.

Don’t let it get under your skin; it will only lead you into wrong (37:8).

One reason we get irritated when we see evil men getting away with their schemes is that we are assuming that we know how to run the world better than God does.