"Candid confession and Christlike Contentment"

Read Psalm 73

Candid confession, builds Christlike contentment.

Hook

Question - How many times have you told a friend. I came perilously close to spiritually messing up?

How many times have you told someone else that spiritually you almost got yourself stuck in a sinful situation?

How many of you would go on social media and advertise to everyone that you came really close to having a spiritual failure?

Illustration - I was visiting Jone Willaford in the hospital several months back. While I was in her room a relative called her cell phone. I think it was her twin sister. I jokingly said to Jone, Ask her if she has any sin she would like to confess that we can pray for her for.

Her sister responded, “None at this time.” We laughed. It put her sister awkwardly on the spot.

-No one wants to tell others about their sin, especially if they don’t know the person.

In this Psalm - Asaph - the author - confesses His struggle with sin and temptation.

He gives a “Candid Confession”

Who was Asaph?

Asaph was a worship leader that David put in charge of leading worship at the Tabernacle.

The place of sacrifice and worship. The place that God’s presence resided.

Asaph was respected buy David and respected buy the levites & Priests.

You can see why. He didn’t care what other people thought. He was willing to not only confess his sin publically, but make a song out of it and put it in Israel’s song book, called the Psalms.

If it was going to help someone grow spiritually and bring glory to God - he would share his sin struggle with hundreds of thousands of his people.

What Asaph knew that God wants you to discover today is that...

Candid confession, builds Christlike contentment.

What was Asaph’s problem???

Transition - Asaph saw the sin of the godless and was envious.

He saw the envied “The Web of the Wicked”

Vs. 1-15, “Web of the Wicked”

Read with me verse 1 through 3.

What do we see in verse 1.

vs. 1, God is good to His people who are pure in heart.

Matthew 5:8 ESV

8 “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.

There is a blessing from God in keeping the intentions of your heart pure.

In Asaph’s song about himself he confesses that He fails in keeping his heart pure.

vs. 2-3, Confession of sin - He was almost done. He was slipping into sin.

Asaph’s problem was that he was envious of the pride and prosperity of the wicked.

verses 4-15 give this description of the sinful.

It appears to Asaph that the sinful are doing what they want and nothing bad is happening to them.

-There is no immediate consequence for the wicked.

-So Asaph’s temptation is to .... get as close to sin as possible.

Maybe this is you right now. You want to get as close to sin as you can.

Stool Illustration - Getting as close to sin as possible.

-So we investigate, dance around it, dare ourselves to touch it.

-The problem is that when we play close to the line, we eventually fall over it.

-Asaph confesses that slips into the sin of envy.

-But reading between the lines it almost seems that at least in heart he got into some sin.

-We see that Asaph at least sins in His heart.

Transition - But there is a question that Asaph’s Struggle begs.

He was envious of the wicked because the wicked don’t seem to have any immediate consequences for sin.

“Why does God not immediately strike at the godless?

Why is God so patient?

-This is a side point, extra not addressed directly in our passage.

Why do we see a …?

Willing restraint of God

Psalm 37:7-10, God has a plan, be patient

God says, Be patient. The evil doers will be cut off from God’s grace. God has a plan.

Romans 2:4-5, God is patient, wrath is being stored up.

God’s patience is meant to lead to repentance.

In the mean time, God’s wrath is being built up.

2 Peter 3:9-10, God is patient to give time for someone to come to salvation. In the right time, God’s judgement will come.

The temptation for the Christ Follower is to fall into the trap of thinking that there will not be consequences for sin.

Illustration - Like in elementary school when the teacher leaves the room. One boy throws his pencil at his friend. No one gets in trouble (the teacher is gone) - before you know it all the students are throwing pencils all around the room.

Except that one kid who tells on everyone when the teacher comes back.

If you were that kid who was a tattle tale, we all know who you are.

We tend to think that God is not looking and that everyone can get away with their sin.

And so we lose our godly fear of judgment.

Without a godly fear, you tend to think sin is not a big deal.

-What you are tempted to do is mild compared to most people.

-You quickly and easily do what’s wrong. You sin.

-I wonder what temptation is in your life that you don’t think is a big deal?

Pause

-Here in our passage is Asaph. He confesses his temptation and his sin of envy for all to see.

This guy was bold & loving.

As long as it would help someone else spiritually, He was willing to embrace the humility of making a song for others to sing about his sin and temptation.

Candid confession, builds Christlike contentment.

This guy loved God and God’s people. He made a candid confession

Transition - In the midst of Asaph’s temptation, their was a grace that he experienced.

-Asaph stopped and thought about his sin and temptation.

-Asaph thought about where His selfish heart was leading Him.

Vs. 16- 17, Wisdom of the godly

read verses 16-17

Asaph took some time to think about it.

& where did He go to receive Godly wisdom?

I don’t want you to miss this.

Slap the pulpit -

-He went to sanctuary of God. He went to the Tabernacle where God was worshiped.

-It was there as He asked for God’s help to discern, that He gained wisdom.

look at the process starting in verse 16.

-He stopped and thought about what was happening.

Read vers 16

-God gave Asaph the grace to stop and consider what was happening in himself spiritually and to really think about what was happening in the lives of those who did not follow God.

-When he stopped and tried to figure it out for himself, he was stumped. He didn’t have it in him.

-You say he didn’t understand because he was a simple uneducated man.

NO! He was hand picked by the king to write music for the worship of God and to lead others.

-Asaph was an intelligent capable man.

Where did He get this Wisdom and discernment from?

-He got it when He sought the Lord.

-Vs. 17, He went to the sanctuary of God.

-He went to God’s presence.

-When He sought God, God gave Him wisdom.

-James 1:5 “5 If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him.”

Prov 9:10 “10 The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and the knowledge of the Holy One is insight.”

Here we see another confession from Asaph.

It was God who gave me wisdom.

Candid confession, builds Christlike contentment.

Pause

When & where do we experience a spiritually focused connection to God’s presence like this today?

2 times and places

-The first place, It happens when we gather on Sunday morning.

-When you gather on Sunday morning in your Sunday School class or small group...

-When you gather on Sunday morning in worship, you are confronted with the reality of the greatness of God.

-Your selfish perspective is challenged.

-This is one reason you are commanded in scripture to worship weekly with God’s people.

-WE focus together on God, his greatness and what He desires from us.

-Let me give a shout out to our Sunday School classes and small groups.

-I had one of our church members recently tell me. My Sunday School class has helped me grow even more than attending worship service.

-That wasn’t meant as a slam on corporate worship, that a testimony to the influence of real spiritual honest fellowship and study of their small group.

So, the first place you get supernatural wisdom is within the worshipful gathering of God’s people.

The second place you receive this wisdom is in your daily private worship. Your devotions. Your Quiet Time.

-Everyday you privately worship, you learn, you talk to God, and you evaluate your spiritual walk.

-You get out of worship what you put into worship. Your daily worship is vital.

Illustration - RCA Nipper the dog

All of us have seen this picture of the RCA dog

That iconic image, was taken from a painting by English artist Francis Barraud.

The dog, named Nipper, had been owned by Francis Barraud's brother, who had recorded his brother’s voice on a phonograph records.

After the brother died, Barraud inherited Nipper and the gramophone and records.

Whenever the records with Nipper's master's voice were played, the dog would sit in front of the gramophone listening to his master's voice.

That's a beautiful image of the relationship between Jesus Christ and us. He has gone away from earth, so we can no longer hear His physical voice.

But we sit in front of His Word, and kneel before Him in prayer, and listen for our Master's voice.

The Bible was given to be the voice of the Lord until He returns, and prayer is how we confirm what we believe He has spoken to our hearts.

It is through God’s Word that you are given wisdom and clarity over temptation. Pause.

Transition - So far we have seen,

The Web of the Wicked

The Wisdom of the Godly

Now ...

Vs. 18-20 & 27, Wreckage of the Wayward

Illustration - A friend of mine went to Sliding Rock, NC with a group of elementary boys from the church. They had a great time sliding down the friged water. He decides that instead of sitting and sliding, he will stand and surf down. You know what happened, half way down the feet went up, the head went down, he hit his forehead and it opened him up. A trip to the hospital and 5 stitches later, he was ok.

It is treacherous to stand and climb on wet rock.

At the beach when you go to fish the jetties, you are always looking for the slippery rocks that are near the water. If you slip and fall in, you are now facing waves pushing you up against sharp rocks covered in razor edges barnacles.

Slippery rocks are treacherous

-vs. 18, As part of the judgement of the spiritually wayward, God sets them in slippery places.

READ verses 18-20, & 27

-Standing in the slippery place on the water slide looks so fun, but for my friend with the stitches in his forehead, it ends in ruin.

-On the jetties fishing, the slippery rocks are the one closest to the water. It’s the best fishing spot. But, It brings destruction.

Application -

When you stand on the slippery rocks of temptation and sin - your heart attitude is “I’ve got this. I’m not going to get hurt. I can manage my sin and temptation just fine.

”Maybe you find yourself in this spot.

Maybe right now you are away from God.

You need to reach to God and candidly confess your sin.

Hear the Gospel we find in proverbs

Proverbs 28:13 ESV

13 Whoever conceals his transgressions will not prosper, but he who confesses and forsakes them will obtain mercy.

Jesus came to make a sacrifice for sin on the cross so that your sin could be forgiven.

It starts with you confessing your sin to God and turning from it.

Candid confession, builds Christlike contentment.

Transition - The great news is this. You have a gracious and unwavering Father.

Vs. 21-26, 28 - “UnWavering Father”

Read verse 21-26, 28

John Russell, Jeremiah Burroughs, “Christian contentment is that sweet, inward, quiet, gracious frame of spirit, which freely submits to and delights in God's wise and fatherly disposal in every condition.”

Candid confession, builds Christlike contentment.

a. vs. 21-22, Confession of Arrogance

-One of the hardest things to do is to admit we are wrong.

-It is one of the sweetest. From the spring of confession and humility comes healing and growth.

Here is where the contentment comes in...

b. vs. 25, There is no one like God

Read vs. 25

There is no one who can satisfy your soul like God can.

There is no substitute that will ever last.

There is plastic costume jewelry and then there is the beauty & hardness of diamonds.

Not only is God a God of beauty, but He is a God of strength

There is no one like our God.

c. vs. 26, God is my strength

read verse 26

Have your spiritual and emotional heart ever failed?

“Yes!”

There is an eternal strength that comes with God.

For the one who follows Christ He is your beauty and He is your strength.

In His strength He:

He willingly went to the cross.

He willing laid down His life.

He willingly endured the torture

He willingly despised the shame.

He willingly took on the weight of your sin on Himself.

He willingly became a sacrifice for your sin.

Will you willingly surrender yourself to Him?

Finally we see in verse 26

d. vs. 23 & 28, The nearness of the Father

Look at the confession of contentment in verses 23 & 28

Read vs 23 & 28

We see that through confessing temptation and sin and drawing near to God that Asaph is deeply satisfied to be in the presence of God.

Candid confession, builds Christlike contentment.

Will you right now flee from your sin?

Will you right now make God your strength of your heart?

Will your right draw near to God?

Will you right now make God your refuge?