Psalm 53: The Foolish and the Forgiven

Well this morning we continue on in our sermon series in the Book of Psalms our last psalm for this summer. We'll go back to Luke next week looking at Psalm 53 Psalm 53 is interesting in that it is almost identical to Psalm 14 just a very few slight changes almost The Identical song. What's a little disconcerting is I preached that song but have no recollection of it. Sorry. Let me just make sure I'm tighten up their dry. I did these notes. I couldn't remember but there was both Psalm Psalm 14 and 53. Powerfully describe the condition of mankind and they do so calling mankind Humanity foolish corrupt God rejected centers. And that's what we are. We are corrupt sinners. Coo Merit God's wrathful judgment, and that's what we will face. That is unless we Avail ourselves of the Salvation he offers which Psalm 53 speaks about here is my main idea here is how I'd articulate the main idea of Psalm 53 humanity is comprised of corrupt sinful. No good doing God deniers and are therefore fools God will judge them as such unless they become his people there by experiencing his salvation. Let me say that again humanity is comprised of corrupt sinful. No good doing God deniers and are therefore fools. God will judge them as such unless they become his people and thereby experienced his Salvation. Let's take a look at some 53 and we'll see those themes and ideas as we read through it.

To the choirmaster according to the mahala's a maskil of David. The fool says in his heart. There is no God. They are corrupt doing abdominal iniquity. There is none who does good. God looks down from heaven on the children of man to see if there are any who understand who seek after God. They have all Fallen away together. They have become corrupt. There is none who does good not even one. Have those who work evil. No knowledge who eat up my people as they eat bread and do not call upon God. There they are in great Terror where there is no Terror for God scatters the bones of him who encamps against you you put them to shame for God has rejected them. Oh that salvation for Israel would come out of Zion when God restores the fortunes of his people. Let Jacob Rejoice let Israel be glad let's pray. father God I pray that you would help us this morning that you by your spirit would help us with this song which speaks so clearly

and perhaps to our ears father God harshly. About our condition apart from you.

I pray father God you would help us. to hear your word Trusting it as your Revelation despite how we might feel about what it says. Despite what our experience might try to convince us of. I pray you would help us to submit to your word. And father God, I also pray that you by your spirit. Would help us this morning to Rejoice greatly in the Salvation that's found in Jesus Christ the remedy for our condition.

And then father God as we move to celebrate that at your table, I pray that you would pour out your grace on us. Play this in Christ name. Amen.

Psalm 53 starts with a premise a premise about foolishness Humanity as a whole is comprised of corrupt sinful no good doing God deniers and are therefore fools. The fool says in his heart. There is no God. They are corrupt doing abominable iniquity. There is none who does good. You see Humanity human beings are corrupt.

And we're fools. That's what God's word says the fool is corrupt and the source of his corruption is that he does not believe in God.

Now this corruption is primarily at a moral and spiritual level but really extends to every aspect of our life. The word corrupt is an interesting word that means to spoil and to be ruined is not that we were always that way or meant to be that way. It's that Humanity has been spoiled or ruined.

like milk that goes sour it cannot be fixed. But the evidence of its sourness is in the tasting I think many of us may have had that experience of pouring ourselves a cup of milk. That has been in the fridge just a little too long. how quickly taking a drink and realizing not before it got into our mouths that it was ruined. You see the evidence is there that we might not always see it. But God's word is clear God's revelation is clear humanity is guilty of horrendous sin or what it calls abominable iniquity. That is Humanity's actions amount to be in being an Abomination before God. Something that God Lowe's something that God abhors.

These are our actions as Humanity.

Is first verse and the ones that follow us tell us that no human does good. No, Schumann does good. And I know we here that we think of what what about the nice dude that I did too. So and so what about my friend who serves in the soup kitchen or what about so-and-so who made a meal for this family to help them we think about these things but we need to understand that even seemingly Good Deeds are not good because they are not done in space and they are not done for God's glory and they certainly have no merit in terms of our salvation.

And it's not like Psalm 53 is unclear about this. Not one. Not a single solitary Soul. Does this note human be? apart from God's work in their life

and Psalm 53 is equally clear. We are fools. The mark of a fool one commentator said is not intellectual deficiency, but aggressive ungodliness.

There is no God is the Creed that the fool consciously or unconsciously lives his life by. At the core of his being at the core of his heart the fool denies God and this foolishness is a universal condition.

Despite what we may think or feel?

That's a hard word, but it's clear again. I'm use this week thinking about this being a song. This is the song that they're singing likely to instruments.

We're fools because we deny God the premise of this condition of humanity that Psalm 53 sets forth is really captured in a Doctrine that's often referred to as total depravity by theologians. Total depravity describes this idea that all Humanity has been spoiled has been corrupted by sin.

Here's Lorraine Wagner definition. Of the doctrine of total depravity this Doctrine which declares that men are dead in sin does not mean that all men are equally bad nor that any man is as bad as he could be more than anyone is entirely destitute of virtue nor that human nature is evil in itself nor that man's spirit is an active and much less does it mean that the body is dead what it does mean is that since the fall man rest under the curse of sin and that he is actuated by wrong principles and that he is wholly unable to love God or to do anything Meriden salvation. That's what Psalm 53 lays out before us and I want to encourage you this morning again, as you hear those words, which may be difficult to hear and difficult to wrestle with as you think about your own life as you think about people, you know. We have a tendency to elevate what we desire to be true over what God has revealed to be true. You see we don't want that to be true. Often times. We don't want that to be true in regards to humanity.

We don't want God to be the way the Bible says God is particularly when it comes to judgment and we certainly don't want to accept what God says about Humanity apart from God. But as I said in my prayer before I started we need to submit to what God's word says that we are foolish. We are corrupt. We are sinners and God and I are apart from his work in his life. We can do no Goods. That is God's revelation this morning. The song That's goes on to give evidence in support of that premise that we are foolish because of sin.

His first evidence is divine assessment. It's what God says about us. We seeing him verses 2 and 3. God declares all sinful human beings are fools. God looks down from heaven on the children of men to see if there are any who understand who seek after God. They have all Fallen away together. They have become corrupt. There is none who does good not even one.

The psalmist gives us God's assessment of our condition in support of the premise that he gave in verse 1 the Lord looks closely and with careful scrutiny, but his search is in vain as he looks for godly people. There are none who understand God looks closely for someone with wisdom, but they're only fools. He looks closely for someone who makes wise choices, but none can be found. There are none who seek God there are none who investigated inquire and search for and pursue. him not one. There are none who do good. They're all corrupt and their actions are the indication of this.

And if you go back to that sour milk that tainted corrupted milk idea. And understand that you could Brew yourself the best cup of coffee. You can get the best beans from the Blue Mountain in Jamaica or from Hawaii. The Kona beans that are world-renowned and you could use the method you prefer the most you could do a pour-over or drip or an Aeropress or make espresso with it make the best coffee in the world. But if you put sour milk in it, the coffee's ruined it's tainted. It's corrupt. Every single solitary human is that way. There's not even one all are fools all have gone. Wayward all are corrupt. None do any sort of good. That is meritorious before God. None. Nobody not even one.

Brothers and sisters this morning. We need to acknowledge. This truth is hard as it is to hear. We need to acknowledge that apart from God such was each one of us. Heard from God's work in our life through his spirit. That was us despite. What we feel despite what we experience despite what we desire to be true about us apart from God. That was us

the song That's goes on to give more evidence. He looks at not just Divine assessment. But Divine action God acts in such a way to support this idea that human beings are foolish and sinners God's actions indicate who the foolish are there those who he will judge because they are corrupt and because they practice Abominations Of those who work evil. No knowledge you eat at my people as they eat bread and do not call upon God there. They are in great Terror where there is no Terror for God scatters the bones of him who encamps against you you put them to shame for God has rejected them a song as good as a rhetorical question that restates the premise. Humans Beings demonstrate their own foolishness their own sinfulness by their evil works one of which is actually killing God's people They demonstrate their lack of belief in God their refusal to call upon him and to act contrary to his law. This foolishness has displayed in this idea that there are human beings who experienced great Terror when there's nothing to be afraid of very likely that this song was referring or thinking about one of the episodes and Israel's history in which this was seeing an event such as the story of Gideon and the 300 Man attacking the camp of the midianites were the midianites became terrified of Gideon in his army. Despite there being just a mere 300 men. This was a display of foolishness a display of lack of understanding. a display of sinfulness and separation from God this image of God scattering. The bones is a picture of God's enemies being destroyed in battle where by they couldn't be buried properly. It's a picture of God's enemies being shamed in their defeat. They are sending their corrupt fools and God will judge them. Pretty Stark song so far, isn't it? Pretty heavy song so far not unclear by any means. Any unclarity that we would have looking at Psalm 53 isn't clearly that we would bring to it. It speaks clearly about Humanity in Iron condition, but it doesn't end Edwards 5. praise God for the 6 verse of Psalm 53

I told you the main idea was that humanity is a whole is comprised of corrupt sinful. No good doing God deniers and are therefore fools. God will judge them and as such That's where we are so far far the worst five. but there was more to that my main idea God will judge them as such unless They become his people there by experiencing his salvation. See God's made his assessment. You are fools. God affirms this by his actions and those actions are judgment. But judgment is not God's only response and action in regards to the sinful foolishness of human being one of his responses is Raf resulting in judgment, but there is another response of God in regards to the plight of humankind. And that response is forgiveness.

Forgiveness through his salvation. The psalmist makes note of this and saw and verse 600 that salvation for Israel would come out of Zion when God restores the fortunes of his people. Let Jacob Rejoice let Israel be glad what the would there be to Rejoice about. What would there be to be glad about it verses 1 through 5 was all there was

The recognition that because of our sin because of our denial of who God is we Face his certain judgment there would be nothing to be glad about. It would be nothing to rejoice in but hear the song was called the people to be gliding to be rejoiced based on salvation coming out of Zion.

The situation for Humanity is dire. We are corrupt Senators who deny the existence of God by our actions. We face is raffle judgment. However, we can't escape his judgment just like we've learned in the catechism. We can escape it by becoming one of his people who experienced this salvation coming out of Zion or Jerusalem, and this salvation is a restoration and a cause for rejoicing and gladness. What is the Salvation coming out of Zion? Surely it is none other than Jesus Christ. Surely it is Jesus Christ. Who is the ultimate fulfillment of Psalm 53 surely? It is Jesus in his birth and life and death and resurrection and Ascension and eventual return who takes Humanity in this condition of being God deniers of being fools of being corrupted being painted.

And offers them a way to be reconciled to their God we see this in Romans chapter 3 verses 9 through 26 the Salvation Christ offers. It's a part of Paul's letter to the Romans and when she quotes you are some 14 or 53 verses 9 through 26 We've already charged that all both Jews and Greeks are under sin as it is written. None is righteous. No, not one. No one understands. No one seeks forgot all have turned aside together. They have become worthless. No one does good. Not even one their throat is an open grave that use their tongues to deceive. The Venom of asps is under their lips. Their mouth is full of curses and bitterness their feet are Swift to shed blood and their paws are ruin and misery and the way of peace they have not known there is no fear of God before their eyes.

And it goes on. Now we know that whatever loss does it speak to those were under the law so that every mouth may be stopped in the whole world may be held accountable to God for by works of the law. No human being will be justified in his in his sight since through the law comes knowledge of sin. Where's 21 but now the righteousness of God has been manifested apart from the law of the law and the prophets bear witness to it the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe but there is no distinction for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God and are justified by his grace as a gift through the Redemption that is in Christ. Jesus who God put forward as a propitiation by his blood to be received by faith. This was to show God's righteousness because in his Divine forbearance, he had passed over former send it was to show his righteousness at the present time so that he might be just and the justifier of one who has faith in Jesus.

Believers brothers and sisters we can apply Psalm 53 this morning as we come to the Lord's table in just a moment. We can come and celebrate enthusiastically that we are justified by his grace as a gift for the Redemption that is in Christ Jesus. Let us in a moment truly celebrate truly Rejoice truly be glad because our Savior Jesus Christ has brought salvation. He has restored our Fortune. He has removed us from the curse that fell on us because we were Sinners because we were foolish God deniers and he has brought us into his kingdom to be his people and experience salvation. You're here this morning, and you're not a believer. In a moment, I'm going to explain to you were going to ask you not to participate this morning as we take communion but to participate in a different way other than taking the emblems. As we do so I asked you to understand that despite how much you may not like to hear it despite how much maybe your experience points? Otherwise God's revelation is clear you as a sinner face God's displeasure and ultimately his judgment just the same as every human being has. And your life if you don't turn from your sins and believe in Jesus your life represents foolishness to God. Just like every one of ours did.

But there is salvation. When is we take communion? We would ask you to consider the Salvation that's offered in Jesus Christ this morning. Avail yourself of his saving work by turning from your sin and trusting in Him.

Let's pray. Father God we thank you for your word even when it's a hard word. We thank you Father God that you have spoken with Clarity on the condition of mankind apart from God's grace.

Father God we confess your word as true.

That is what we are apart from your work fools. fools who deny God and do a Bonneville iniquities We thank you for the truth in the clarity of your word. We also thank you for the hope that your word gives us and how we even install. M-53. You point to a great salvation coming out of Zion. Work that we recognize is that of Jesus Christ our Lord and savior. I pray father God is the most important application for the sermon for us today. That is we come now to your table. You would help us to celebrate and rejoice with gladness.

At our Salvation in Jesus Christ. It's in his name. We pray amen.