Learning How to
Psalm 37:23-28
DATE: 4
May, 2008 AM
PLACE:
BBC Ballincollig
I.
Introduction (Psalm
40:8)
A.
New theme this
B.
Learning to Trust the Lord
and Delight in His Will
C.
Background to Psalm 37
1.
2.
He calls us to go from
Fretting to Resting – from worry to rejoicing
3.
He challenges us to not let
anger and bitterness take root, but rather to fear God, and trust God enough to
let HIM do what we cannot towards those who hurt us
4.
You see, we are like sheep –
we are not good trackers – we get lost easily, and need a good shepherd! Amen?
And a kind of shepherd that can not only lead us, but save us (Isa 53:6)!!!
5.
He reminds us that there is a
whole different way to live as a believer in the Bible
6.
And it shows in our
D.
True religion overflows with
happiness and joy. The ungodly never look upon Church as a joyful thing;
1.
to them it is service, duty,
or necessity, but never pleasure or delight.
2.
If they are religious at all,
it is either that they may gain from it, or else because they are just afraid of
not doing it.
3.
The thought of delight in
religion is so strange to most people, that no two words stand further apart
than "holiness" and "delight."
4.
But believers who know Christ,
understand that delight and faith are so blessedly united, that
the gates of hell cannot prevail to separate them.
5.
They who love God with all
their hearts, find that His ways are ways of pleasantness, and all His paths are
peace.
a.
We fear not God because of any
force
b.
Our faith is not a fetter
around our neck
c.
Our profession is no bondage
d.
We are not dragged to holiness
e.
Nor are we driven to duty
f.
No, our faith is our pleasure,
our hope is our happiness, our duty is our delight.
E.
Do you want to know how that
could ever be true? It only happens when we start to allow the Lord to direct
our steps – to lead our lives! That is when we find out that God is good!
II.
Message – Letting God Lead!
A.
God Only Knows the
1.
As with Joseph
a.
Young Joseph was supposed to
be great – supposed to be Prime Minister of Egypt
b.
But couldn’t have figured the
path to that position
c.
God had every step laid out
for him
1)
Allowing his mean brothers to
sell him off into slavery
2)
Allowing
3)
Then Pharaoh hearing about him
and putting him in charge of everything and everyone
4)
Who would have known that God
was so smart?
2.
As with Abraham
a.
God called him to leave his
family and home to follow God’s will
b.
Brought him to a land he had
c.
Satan tried to turn his steps
away from God’s will by drving him into
d.
But Abraham knew where he
belonged – back where God had directed his steps to – THE PROMISED LAND
3.
As with Young
a.
Youngest of 8 boys
b.
The oldest were successful,
good looking, popular
c.
d.
Where could
e.
Yet God
4.
Whatever steps you have been
taking up until this point in your life, know this… God was always in the
background, working at directing you to this place, right now in your life – and
more than that, He is directing you on the best path. In other words, there is
NO OTHER BETTER PATH TO TAKE, THAN GOD’S WILL!
a.
There are no accidents with
God…
b.
Only destinies – only perfect
goals!
c.
The devil tries to convince us
that God leads us in dumb directions, and to dead-end streets – but that is the
5.
God has smartly laid out the
steps you should follow, and then calls you and I to follow
a.
Kind of like the
“choreographers” who lay out exactly where an actor is supposed to stand, and
run, and where to stop, etc
b.
They do it with dances –
perfectly choreographed!
c.
How much more with
Christians!!! We are not DIY believers! We are followers, who seek to match our
Lord’s responses to every one of life’s situations
B.
God is Worth Trusting Completely
(Psalm 37:23) – “Delighteth”
1.
A Yielded Christian learns to
2.
What does that mean?
a.
Joseph could have grumped
around all day and blown his future
b.
c.
Abraham could have been like
d.
You know, if you trust
something, you won’t worry about it
e.
If you trust a pilot, and the
manufacturer of an airplane, you will enjoy the flight
3.
Hey… God does not often show
us the end of our path, just the steps we should take (Ps 119:105) – God gives
us His word like a torch to light up the steps already laid out for us
4.
The steps we take are laid out
by none-other than Jesus Christ (1Pet 2:21-23)
a.
When we are hated, we follow
Jesus’ steps and bless
b.
When we suffer, we follow
Jesus’ steps and do not seek revenge
c.
When we find it hard going on,
we follow Jesus’ steps and pray
d.
When we are misunderstood, we
follow Jesus’ steps and try again
5.
And do you know what is so
neat about all this?... Jesus
6.
Listen to a little man, in a
sinking ship, surrounded by 253 fearful, weeping men in a storm (Acts 27:13-25)
“I believe God” More than the storm!
7.
Listen to Psalm 23:1-4
a.
The Lord is my Leader – He
takes very good care of me
b.
He makes me rest in great
places so I can recover and be strong again
c.
He leads me in only the right
paths, because His name is at stake, not just my safety
d.
Even in the
e.
Because He is with me all the
way
8.
Hundreds of times throughout
Scripture we are begged to trust in the Lord – to believe HIM instead of our
hearts – to rest in Him, instead of run away in fear of the unknown
a.
Prov 3:5,6
b.
This is not only for
Christians… none of us started off right with God. God starts off with rebels,
with people who are “off course” amen!
1)
Psalm 25:8,9 (but you got to
be humbled)
2)
Psalm 32:8
c.
Jesus came to “redirect” the
paths of all mankind
1)
Matthew 7:13,14
2)
2Peter 3:9
9.
You ever wonder why Christians
sing about God, and about life, and even sing joyfully about trials and sorrows?
Because we are trusting God!
10.
You ought to try it sometime –
yes we weep, yes we sorrow some nights, but joy seems to always come in the
morning!
C.
What About When We Fall? (Psalm
37:24)
1.
Reality Check… We mess up – we
always seem to fall, even when things are going so well!
a.
There is none perfect – “none
righteous, no not one” (Rom 3:10)
b.
We all fall. The devil pulls
thru g out from under us, and we tumble!
2.
But the Christian has
something in this verse that no one else has…
the inability to fail!
a.
There are no failures in
Christianity!
b.
Except in one area:
in giving up – that is when we fail!
c.
Don’t be surprised that you
fall – I’m not!
1)
Proverbs 24:16 – falls time
after time, and gets up again
2)
Psalm 34:19 – we are
constantly under spiritual attack, from every direction, but the Lord gets us
through it all
3)
Micah 7:8
3.
If you are not a born again
child of God, your only option, no matter how well you succeed in THIS life, is
to ultimately fail – lose it all
4.
But if you are saved this
morning… you have humbled yourself before the all holy God, and cried out for
mercy and for the free gift of forgiveness that Jesus Christ offers in full to
anyone who would just call on His name… no matter how many times you fall, and
trip-up, and mess up, and sin, and struggle… you CANNOT FAIL! You have already
won!!!
5.
Now, which would you rather
be?
6.
THAT’S WHY I AM A CHRISTIAN! I
hate being a loser!
D.
Our Children are at Stake
(Psalm 37:25-28)
1.
Looking back,
a.
He could testify that the Lord
had never abandoned him, that none of his fears were right – throughout all of
his life
b.
Even when living in caves, and
running from king Saul, with no lands or crops, and no shops or stores,
c.
Elijah was fed by ravens
d.
2.
Looking forward,
a.
The righteousness of a father,
and his strong faith in the Lord affects his children’s lives
1)
Protects them and blesses them
2)
Because they see their daddy
especially being merciful and helping people
3)
Look at the eternal security
of the believer (Ps 37:28)
b.
The sins of the father, and
their neglect of a walk with God also affect his children – this younger
generation is in for some serious hurt and sorrow because of the sins of their
parents
1)
Facing abandonment by God
2)
Facing financial ruin -
Begging
3)
Facing an eternity in hell –
“Cut off” from God!
3.
Live your life for more than
just now, and just your own life!!!
4.
That’s why it is so good
gentlemen…
a.
To spiritually lead your
family!
b.
To follow the Lord Jesus
Christ yourself!
c.
To not put off living in
obedience to the Bible, and do things God’s way
5.
That’s why it is so important
to get people following and obeying the Lord when they are so young and tender –
as we will talk about in the Child Dedications in just a few minutes…
III.
Application - How to Let God Lead Your Life
A.
Become a New Man (John 3:1-3)
1.
Good men are needed
a.
Good husbands
b.
Good workers
c.
Good fathers
d.
Good grandfathers
e.
Good brothers, uncles, cousins
f.
Good bosses, managers,
co-workers
2.
Pro 20:6
Most men will proclaim every one his own goodness: but a faithful man who
can find?
3.
They don’t “just happen!”
4.
2Cor 5:17 says a person needs
to become “new” – brand new!
5.
Why? Because… There is none
good but One – God
a.
So, “What makes a man become a
good man?”
b.
Well, a man does not become
good just because he does not use drugs, get drunk, chase women, or race cars.
c.
A man does not become a good
man just because he got money in the bank, or he has lots of degrees behind his
name.
d.
A man does not become good by
his own goodness because Isaiah 64:6 says …
6.
Every man has to be born again
– made good – made righteous before God, not just before men
7.
You won’t follow the Lord
unless you know the Lord, personally, intimately, as your father, not just as
God in heaven!
B.
Listen to and Obey God’s Words.
1.
God HAS to be able to talk to
you, and lead you with clear, directions
2.
You will find God’s “orders”
in His perfect word (Psalm 119:133)
3.
We have a saying, “If God says
it, then… that settles it!”
C.
Pray and Ask God to Take the Lead.
Give Him the “wheel”
1.
He already wants to lead!
2.
He is just waiting for you to
yield and let Him lead
3.
Two leaders, make for a fight
– always – someone must yield
4.
Tell God daily, He can lead,
and you will follow
D.
Be Willing to Go Wherever, and Do Whatever God
thinks Best (Prov 3:5,6)
1.
This will be the hardest thing
you will ever do
2.
But even though it is “into
the unknown” it really isn’t! Because God knows what He is doing!
3.
This is where you trust Him,
and follow His steps that he begins to lay out for you
4.
Where will those steps lead?
Guaranteed to lead to the best kind of life
a.
Probably not most money, but
most joy
b.
Probably not most popular, but
most content
c.
Probably not most power, but
most answers to prayer!
E.
Praise a
1.
I think we drag on our journey
too long because we don’t take the time to count the miracles and blessings we
have experienced along the way!
2.
He feels welcome more with
grateful people than with grumblers!
3.
He inhabits the praises of His
people!
F.
Don’t be in a hurry.
1.
Don’t be in a hurry to make
something happen in your life. That will only lead to a mistake. Steps take
time. A baby never learns how to run first, they learn how to walk. Their steps
are clumsy and unstable. That is the same way we are too. Don’t be ashamed of
your “baby steps” you are taking right now. They will eventually lead to bigger
steps and take you places you’ve never been before.
2.
God will direct your steps and
show you what path you are to walk as you give Him control and desire what He
desires. If you are confused as to what to do in a decision you have to make,
take the time to find out exactly what God wants. Lay down all your pressures
and listen and wait for God to direct you into what path your feet are to walk.
G.
Lastly, Take a Step!
1.
We can go from one end of the
pendulum swing to the other. At one end we are in a hurry and step too quickly
into something, or on the other end, we never take a step at all.
2.
Sometimes fear grips our
hearts and it frightens us to do anything. We are afraid of making the wrong
choice. We are afraid of failing.
3.
But if God has shown you
something to do, step out in faith and take a step, even if you are afraid.
4.
God will meet you in your act
of faith and soon your fear will turn into strength to endure the unknown.
5.
It will feel awkward to step
out and do something you’ve never done before or walk where you’ve never walked
before.
a.
I am sure Peter, when He
stepped out of the boat onto the water, felt awkward. His flesh felt
uncomfortable because he never stepped onto water before. But Peter pushed past
his fear, and pushed past what his flesh felt like. He took the first step and
began to walk on water.
b.
Your flesh will scream at you
to STOP! Flesh wants comfort. Flesh wants its own way. But when we die to our
flesh and press onto what God has for us, we step into a repositioning of God.
c.
Joseph was thrown into a pit.
It was not at all the dream he had of his brothers bowing down to him. But what
looked like a demotion, God was making it his first step in his promotion.
d.
Remember baby steps lead to
bigger steps. It was a process Joseph had to go through to see the dreams from
God come to completion. In the meantime, he lived an upright life and loved the
Lord in all he did.
6.
What has the Lord told you to
do lately?
a.
Get saved? Today is the day to
do it!
b.
Go to someone and humble
yourself and say you are sorry about something?
c.
Go to someone and give them
your personal testimony and ask them to consider allowing Jesus Christ to save
them from their sins?
d.
Get faithful to church
attendance?
e.
Get into your daily Bible
reading and prayer time?
f.
What is God leading YOU to do?
7.
If you find yourself in sin,
or in the middle of some bad choices/steps, God is there waiting to help you.
God will show you where to step if you ask Him. But He is waiting for you to
repent and turn from your sin. You tie up God’s hands to help until you repent
and turn to God for His direction. He can pick you up from the wrong path, and
place you back on the right path, as you give Him back control of your life.
8.
Take one step at a time as the
Lord leads and directs you. Don’t get frustrated when you don’t see the entire
path in front of you. We are in a “faith-walk.” Each step is a step of faith!
But always know that God is always there to make sure we stay on the right path.
IV.
Conclusion
A.
God Only Knows the
B.
He is Worth Trusting
Completely
C.
God is Ready For When We Fall
D.
Our Children Are At Stake
E.
Will you Let the Lord lead
YOUR Life, or will you just stay stubborn and resist His perfect plans for you?
Craig Ledbetter | Pastor |