Thursday
Evening Bible Study
February
11, 2016
Introduction
Do people see Jesus? Is the gospel
preached? Does it address the person who is: Empty, lonely, guilty, or afraid
to die? Does it speak to the broken hearted? Does it build up the church? Milk
– Meat – Manna Preach for a decision Is the church loved? Target 3300 words Video
= 75 wpm
The English word psalm comes from a Greek word that means “a poem
sung to musical accompaniment”, or in particular, “stringed instruments”.
The Hebrew name is tehillim, which means “praises.”
The book of Psalms is the hymnbook of God’s people.
It’s also the “Him” book as well. It’s all about Jesus.
The writer of Hebrews quotes from
Psalm 40:8 when he writes,
(Hebrews 10:7 NKJV) Then I
said, ‘Behold, I have come— In the volume
of the book it is written of Me— To do Your
will, O God.’ ”
The author was talking about Jesus.
We’re going to see a lot of Jesus
in the Psalms.
Soul Music
Music touches the soul. It’s “soulish” in nature. It touches the emotions.
We’re going to find every kind of emotion possible expressed in the Psalms.
For every sigh there is a Psalm.
For most of us, this is what makes
the Psalms so wonderful. We can identify. We can relate.
If we were honest, even darkest
most depressing Psalms describe the very things we go through day by day.
It is my prayer that as we continue
on this journey through the Psalms, we won’t just look at these songs
academically, with our mind, but that we may also grow as worshippers.
A Psalm of David
This was a psalm written when David was an old man:
(Psalm 37:25 NKJV) I have been
young, and now am old…
These are principles that are tested and true. These aren’t the fanciful
ideas of a young dreamer who hasn’t experienced life.
They say there are three signs of old age. The first is your loss of
memory. I forget the other two.
Illustration
A bald, wizened little man was rocking in a chair on his porch, smiling
happily. A passerby, charmed by his smile, came up to him and said, “I couldn’t
help noticing how happy you look. What’s your secret for a long happy life?” “I
smoke three packs of cigarettes a day,” he said with a toothless grin. “I drink
a case of whiskey a week, eat fast food, and never exercise.” “No way! How old
are you?” “Twenty-six.”
Illustration
The department manager is a wise, friendly old man, and one day, during an
interview in his office he was asked, “Sir, what is the secret of your
success?” He said, “Two words.” “And, sir, what are they?” “Right decisions.”
“But how do you make right decisions?” “One word.” He responded. “And, sir,
what is that?” “Experience.” “And how do you get experience?” “Two words.”
“And, sir, what are they?” “Wrong decisions.”
We’re going to learn some golden lessons from an old, wise man who has some
experience.
37:1-40 When the Wicked Prosper
:1 Do not fret because of evildoers, Nor be envious of the workers of
iniquity.
:1 Do not fret because of evildoers
One of the difficult things about following the Lord is watching a godless,
wicked unbeliever becoming rich and prospering in life.
How did David learn to deal with the prosperity of the wicked in his life?
The Psalmist Asaph wrote,
(Psalm 73:2–3 NKJV) —2 But as for
me, my feet had almost stumbled; My steps
had nearly slipped. 3 For I was
envious of the boastful, When I saw
the prosperity of the wicked.
:2 For they shall soon be cut down like the grass, And wither as the green
herb.
David once compared the righteous
person to a tree:
(Psalm 1:3 NKJV) He shall be like a
tree Planted by the rivers of water, That brings forth its fruit in its season, Whose leaf also shall not wither; And whatever he does shall prosper.
In contrast, the wicked person is
not like a sturdy tree, but weak grass that will wither and fade.
:3 Trust in the Lord, and do
good; Dwell in the land, and feed on His faithfulness.
:3 Trust in the Lord, and
do good
Lesson
Faith and action
It’s not “trust” and “snooze”, but trust and obey
James writes,
(James 2:14–20
NKJV) —14 What does it profit, my brethren, if someone says he has
faith but does not have works? Can faith save him? 15 If a brother
or sister is naked and destitute of daily food, 16 and one of you says to them, “Depart
in peace, be warmed and filled,” but you do not give them the things which are
needed for the body, what does it profit? 17 Thus also faith by itself, if it
does not have works, is dead. 18 But someone will say, “You have faith, and I have works.” Show me
your faith without your works, and I will show you my faith by my works. 19 You believe
that there is one God. You do well. Even the demons believe—and tremble! 20 But do you
want to know, O foolish man, that faith without works is dead?
The issue isn’t whether or not we’re saved by faith or
works. We are saved by a faith that works. If we truly trust in the Lord, it
will result in action in our lives.
There is a place
for trusting and watching God work. But there is also a time when we trust and
go to work.
A real faith is a
faith that will produce changes in our lives.
:3 feed on His faithfulness
feed on – ra’ah
– to pasture, graze, feed; to associate with, be a friend of (meaning
probable)
ESV – “befriend faithfulness”, or
“feed on faithfulness”, or “find safe pasture”
:4 Delight yourself also in the Lord,
And He shall give you the desires of your heart.
:4 Delight yourself also in the Lord
Some people think that God is just the big genie in the sky.
Illustration
A man is walking down the beach and comes across an old bottle. He picks it
up, pulls out the cork and out pops a genie. The genie says, “Thank you for
freeing me from the bottle. In return I will grant you three wishes.” The man
says “Great! I always dreamed of this and I know exactly what I want. First, I
want one billion dollars in a Swiss bank account.” Poof! There is a flash of
light and a piece of paper with account numbers appears in his hand. He
continues, “Next, I want a brand new red Ferrari right here.” Poof! There is a
flash of light and a bright red brand-new Ferrari appears right next to him. He
continues, “Finally, I want to be irresistible to women.” Poof! There is a
flash of light and he turns into a box of chocolates.
Rather than being a verse that makes God your big genie, I do believe this
verse is saying that if we put God first in our life, we will find that He will
give us new desires, desires for the right things. And those prayers are prayers He answers.
Lesson
Wanting the right thing
Illustration
Think of the last thing you prayed about—were you devoted to your desire or
to God? Determined to get some gift of the Spirit or to get at God? “Your
Father knows what you need before you ask him.” The point of asking is that you
may get to know God better. “Delight yourself in the Lord and he will give you
the desires of your heart.” Keep praying in order to get a perfect
understanding of God Himself.
-- Oswald Chambers
in My Utmost for His Highest. Christianity Today, Vol. 41, no. 6.
What if God doesn’t give you what you ask for? Are you disappointed? What
was more important to you in the first place, getting the thing or getting more
of God?
Be willing to rethink some of the things on your prayer list.
Prayer should not be about God getting your will done. Prayer ought to be
about us getting in line with God getting His will done.
I find that sometimes as I pray for people I think too much about what I
think ought to be done in their lives. What if God has a different plan?
Look at the verse again. What gets your attention in this verse? Is it the
delighting in the Lord, or is it getting the stuff?
:5 Commit your way to the Lord,
Trust also in Him, And He shall bring it to pass.
:5 Commit – galal – to
roll, roll away, roll down, roll together
Spurgeon: “Roll the whole burden of life upon the Lord”
That’s not always easy because sometimes it seems as if life is rolling
over us.
Peter wrote,
(1 Peter 5:7 NKJV) casting all
your care upon Him, for He cares for you.
:6 He shall bring forth your righteousness as the light, And your justice
as the noonday.
:7 Rest in the Lord, and wait
patiently for Him; Do not fret because of him who prospers in his way, Because
of the man who brings wicked schemes to pass.
:7 Rest – damam – to be
silent, be still, wait, be dumb, grow dumb
I wonder if sometimes we just talk too much before God and we need to learn
to quiet ourselves down and be silent before Him.
Solomon wrote,
(Ecclesiastes 5:2
NKJV) Do not be rash with your mouth, And let not your heart utter
anything hastily before God. For God is in heaven, and you on earth; Therefore
let your words be few.
:7 wait patiently – chuwl –
to twist, whirl, fear, tremble, travail, be in anguish, be pained
But the form of the word is taking this meaning and turning it inward
(reflexive), carrying the idea of:
(Hithpolel) writhing, suffering torture (participle); to wait longingly
Don’t think that all “waiting” on the Lord is peaceful and calm. Some of it
carries a bit of pain and anxiety.
Paul writes of “laboring fervently”, “agonizing” in prayer.
(Colossians 4:12
NKJV) Epaphras, who is one of you, a bondservant of Christ, greets
you, always laboring fervently for you in prayers, that you may stand perfect
and complete in all the will of God.
:8 Cease from anger, and forsake wrath; Do not fret—it only causes
harm.
:8 Cease from anger, and forsake wrath
Lesson
Deal with anger
This is very similar to what David wrote in Ps. 4:4 and what Paul then
quoted from in writing to the Ephesians:
(Psalm 4:4 NKJV) Be angry, and do not
sin. Meditate within your heart on your bed,
and be still. Selah
(Ephesians 4:26–27
NKJV) —26 “Be angry, and do not sin”: do not let the sun go down on your
wrath, 27 nor give
place to the devil.
I think it’s pretty hard to go through life and not ever
be angry.
Video: Hulk vs. Ant-Man – Coke Mini
While you may want Hulk to be on your Avenger Team to
fight galactic bad-guys, is this the fellow you want to be married to at home?
Illustration
A tough old cowboy from South Texas counseled
his grandson that if he wanted to live a long life, the secret was to sprinkle
a little gun powder on his oatmeal every morning. The grandson did this
religiously to the age of 103 when he died. He left behind 14 children, 30
grandchildren, 45 great-grandchildren, 25 great-great-grandchildren, and a 15
foot hole where the crematorium used to be.
Anger is like that
gunpowder. It might seem like a little
everyday isn’t all that bad, but it can build up to some pretty big problems.
The problem is not experiencing anger, but
in what you do with anger.
If you’re angry but you try to hide it or not deal with
it, we learn from observing human nature that our anger can turn into
depression.
Sometimes the problem isn’t in concealing our anger, but
in how we express it, or what we do as a result of our anger.
That’s when we “sin”, when we hurt others with our anger.
Learn how to vent your anger in healthy ways – like talking about it or
exercise.
When you don’t deal with your anger properly, you are giving a foothold to
the devil in your life.
It’s like an army establishing a beachhead in a foreign
country from which to launch attacks.
:8 Do not fret—it only causes harm
fret – charah
– to be hot, furious, burn, become angry, be kindled
(Hithpael) to heat oneself in
vexation
David isn’t talking here about being anxious or worried, but he continues
to talk about anger. Here’s it’s the idea of stewing in your anger.
:9 For evildoers shall be cut off; But those who wait on the Lord, They shall inherit the earth.
:10 For yet a little while and the wicked shall be no more;
Indeed, you will look carefully for his place, But it shall be no more.
:10 the wicked shall be no more
Lesson
Out-live them
I remember years ago hearing an older pastor give advice to younger pastors
about how to handle your “enemies”.
He said, “Just treat them like God does … out live them.”
In a different kind of context, Jesus said,
(Matthew
24:13 NKJV) But he who endures to the end shall be saved.
That requires patience and endurance.
Be careful about waging war against people you don’t agree with.
You don’t have to let them walk all over you, but you do need to be patient
with them.
God will take care of their “end”.
Illustration
Years ago, when we were still a young church, we went through a couple of
large splits.
I’m sure that part of the reason for the splits was my own
inexperience as a senior pastor.
Yet I don’t think it would be right to say that it was all
my fault.
There were some willful individuals who did not like some
of my decisions, and they chose to not only leave the church but to take others
with them.
One person in particular took our church directory and
called people up and asked them if they were still attending that “cult” (how
they referred to us).
One of my assistant pastors got caught up in the mess and
left as well.
It was all tremendously hurtful.
It was around that time that I heard that advice of the older pastor to
“out live” your enemies, and I made that my goal.
Now, some fifteen years later, I’m still here, the church
is still here, thriving, and doing quite well.
I’ve learned lots of lessons, and I hope all those
involved have learned some lessons as well.
Learn to out-live your problems.
:11 But the meek shall inherit the earth, And shall delight themselves in
the abundance of peace.
:11 the meek shall inherit the earth
Jesus quoted this in the Sermon on the Mount:
(Matthew 5:5 NKJV) Blessed are
the meek, For they
shall inherit the earth.
:12 The wicked plots against the just, And gnashes at him with his teeth.
:13 The Lord laughs at him, For He sees that his day is coming.
We may cringe and shrink back from plotting wicked people, but God just
laughs at them.
He knows what’s in store for them.
Don’t forget God’s nature.
(Exodus 34:6–7 NKJV) —6 And the Lord passed before him and proclaimed,
“The Lord, the Lord God, merciful and gracious,
longsuffering, and abounding in goodness and truth, 7 keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression
and sin, by no means clearing the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the
fathers upon the children and the children’s children to the third and the
fourth generation.”
He is gracious and kind, but to
people who reject Him, He will not allow their sin to go unpunished because He
is not only gracious, but just.
:14 The wicked have drawn the sword And have bent their bow, To cast down
the poor and needy, To slay those who are of upright conduct.
:15 Their sword shall enter their own heart, And their bows shall be
broken.
:16 A little that a righteous man has Is better than the riches of
many wicked.
:17 For the arms of the wicked shall be broken, But the Lord upholds the righteous.
:18 The Lord knows the days
of the upright, And their inheritance shall be forever.
:18 their inheritance shall be forever
Lesson
Eternal riches
Sometimes the thing that we struggle with in this life concerning the
wicked is the issue of wealth.
The world has trained us to think that our personal worth is somehow related
to our net worth.
Why should we stress so much over gold in this life when we are going to
one day be walking on streets of gold?
Illustration
Francis Chan’s rope illustration
I’ve used the video of Francis Chan doing his rope
illustration several times.
I couldn’t find a very long rope in the garage, but I did
find a long extension cord.
The idea is that the extension cord is a sort of time
line, and the very small part at the beginning of the rope is representative of
our time on this earth, while the remainder of the cord is a picture of our
time in eternity.
Why do we spend so much time worrying about how
comfortable we are on the short end of the extension cord while we ought to be
concerned about how we’re going to do in the much longer end?
What we do on this side of death will impact what life is
like on the other side of death.
It is not wrong to be wise in your finances on this side of death.
It’s not wrong to have some wealth left over at the end of your life.
(Proverbs
13:22a NKJV) A good man leaves an inheritance to his children’s children…
Yet think about putting the kind of time and investment into your heavenly
savings account that you do your earthly.
Jesus said,
(Matthew 6:19–21
NKJV) —19 “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and
rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal; 20 but lay up
for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and
where thieves do not break in and steal. 21 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
Our account in heaven is based on how God will reward us
for what we’ve done with our lives on this earth.
There will be a day when you
receive payment in God’s kingdom for what you’ve done in this life.
Jesus told a parable about a
wealthy man who entrusted his money to his servants while he went on a long
trip.
When he came back,
he called his servants to give an account of what they had done with what he
had entrusted them with.
(Matthew 25:20-21 NKJV) —20 “So he who had received five talents came and brought five other
talents, saying, ‘Lord, you delivered to me five talents; look, I have gained
five more talents besides them.’ 21 His lord
said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant; you were faithful
over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things. Enter into the joy
of your lord.’
Invest in your heavenly bank account.
:19 They shall not be ashamed in the evil time, And in the days of famine
they shall be satisfied.
:20 But the wicked shall perish; And the enemies of the Lord, Like the splendor of the meadows,
shall vanish. Into smoke they shall vanish away.
:21 The wicked borrows and does not repay, But the righteous shows mercy
and gives.
:21 the righteous shows mercy and gives
Lesson
Give or take?
Are you a giver or a taker?
The wicked person gets a loan and doesn’t pay back.
People are giving to them, but not getting anything back.
The righteous person not only pays their debts, but they are givers.
It’s not wrong to get a loan, but when you have a loan, be sure to pay it
back. Even if you have to go through bankruptcy, be sure to eventually pay it
all back.
Paul wrote,
(Romans
13:8 NKJV) Owe no one anything except to love one another, for he who loves
another has fulfilled the law.
From time to time I have seen
people get involved in church with the attitude that the world owes them a
living, and since Christian people are supposed to be givers, then they are
going to be one of those people that are given to.
Christians are supposed to be
givers, and if you are a part of this church for any length of time, I pray
that you will realize that you too will be one who gives and not takes.
As a church, we
will help people who are a part of this body when they run into financial
difficulty, but we’ve learned over the years to put a limit on how much we will
help them.
It is not healthy
to expect the church to pay all your bills all the time.
Maturity as a Christian is about changing the direction that money flows.
(Ephesians 4:28
NKJV) Let him who stole steal no longer, but rather let him labor,
working with his hands what is good, that he may have something to give
him who has need.
You learn that instead of expecting people to give to you, you want to
learn to earn an income and give to those in need.
Giving isn’t just about money either.
When Peter and John entered the Temple one day, they were confronted by a
beggar asking for money. They didn’t have any money on them…
(Acts
3:6 NKJV) Then Peter said, “Silver and gold I do not have, but what I do have
I give you: In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, rise up and walk.”
:22 For those blessed by Him shall inherit the earth, But those
cursed by Him shall be cut off.
:23 The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord, And He delights in his way.
:24 Though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down; For the Lord upholds him with His hand.
:24 Though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down
David is not saying that a righteous person never has difficulty in their
life.
Righteous people will go through difficult times.
But in the end, God will carry them through.
:25 I have been young, and now am old; Yet I have not seen the
righteous forsaken, Nor his descendants begging bread.
This is the long view, from a man who has lived a long time.
:25 I have not seen the righteous forsaken
Lesson
Keep Trusting
The righteous man is the one who trusts in the Lord.
This is the advice of the aged David. Keep trusting the Lord. The Lord will
not let you down.
Did you see all the words that David has used for “trusting” the Lord?
Trust (vs.3)
Delight (vs.4)
Commit (“roll-off” vs.5)
Rest (vs. 7)
Wait patiently (vs.7)
Wait (vs.9)
There are going to be plenty of difficulties in life, but David says that
he’s learned that the only way to survive is to trust the Lord.
Think of who is writing this. At the end of his life, David has seen a life
full of difficulties.
He was the one who stood to face Goliath.
Most of his life he fought with the Philistines.
When David became popular, Saul became jealous and David’s
enemy became his own boss. He lived a life on the run, hiding out, a desperate
man.
After Saul’s death, David became king of the tribe of
Judah, but was at war with the rest of the nation for seven years.
After becoming king of all of Israel, he still had wars
with the enemies of Israel, such as Philistines, Moabites, Ammonites, etc.
His son Absalom rebelled against him and ran him out of
town.
He was betrayed by his close advisor, Ahithophel.
When Absalom ran David out of town, lots of people piled
on David, like Shimei, who stood on the side of the road, threw rocks, and
cursed David.
And yet now in his old age, David looks back and realizes that he has never
seen the righteous forsaken.
It is not easy to trust the Lord through difficulties.
But it is worth it.
:26 He is ever merciful, and lends; And his descendants are
blessed.
:27 Depart from evil, and do good; And dwell forevermore.
You will see David repeating some of the same principles over and over
again but in different ways.
:28 For the Lord loves
justice, And does not forsake His saints; They are preserved forever, But the
descendants of the wicked shall be cut off.
:29 The righteous shall inherit the land, And dwell in it forever.
:30 The mouth of the righteous speaks wisdom, And his tongue talks of
justice.
:31 The law of his God is in his heart; None of his steps shall
slide.
:32 The wicked watches the righteous, And seeks to slay him.
:33 The Lord will not leave
him in his hand, Nor condemn him when he is judged.
:34 Wait on the Lord, And
keep His way, And He shall exalt you to inherit the land; When the wicked are
cut off, you shall see it.
:34 Wait on the Lord
Lesson
The Waiter
Some translations have here “wait for the Lord”, but I like the NKJV here,
to “wait on the Lord”
Not just waiting for God to do something, but waiting on Him.
Think of a good restaurant waiter (or waitress).
They “wait” on you.
They look to see what you require and hasten to do it.
One day at Polly’s, I asked our waitress how she knew to come and refill
our coffee cups.
She said that she kept an eye on her customers, and when she
saw them sipping from their cups and tilting their head all the way back, she
knew their cup was empty
How do you “wait” on the Lord?
Do you pay attention to what God is saying? Maybe write it down?
:35 I have seen the wicked in great power, And spreading himself like a
native green tree.
:36 Yet he passed away, and behold, he was no more; Indeed I
sought him, but he could not be found.
:37 Mark the blameless man, and observe the upright; For the future
of that man is peace.
:37 the future of that man is peace
Lesson
Peace ahead
Again, this is the “long view” of things.
This doesn’t mean that the “blameless” and “upright” man will not encounter
difficulty.
It means that in the end, His future will be one of peace.
Illustration
IN THE 1870s Horatio Spafford was a successful Chicago lawyer and a close
friend of evangelist Dwight L. Moody. Spafford had invested heavily in real
estate, but the Chicago fire of 1871 wiped out his holdings. His son had died
shortly before the disaster. Spafford and his family desperately needed a rest
so in 1873 he planned a trip to Europe with his wife and four daughters. While
in Great Britain he also hoped to help Moody and Sankey with their evangelistic
tour. Last minute business caused Spafford to delay his departure, but he sent
his wife and four daughters on the S.S. Ville Du Havre as scheduled, promising
to follow in a few days. On November 22 the ship was struck by the English ship
Lochearn, and it sank in twelve minutes. Several days later the survivors
landed at Cardiff, Wales, and Mrs. Spafford cabled her husband the brief
message, "Saved alone. What shall I do?"
When Horatio Spafford made the ocean crossing to meet his grieving wife, he
sailed near the place where his four daughters had sunk to the ocean depths.
There, in the midst of his sorrow, he wrote these unforgettable words that have
brought solace to so many in grief:
When peace, like a river, attendeth my way,
When sorrows like sea billows roll,
Whatever my lot, Thou hast taught me to say,
It is well, it is well, with my soul.
Though Satan should buffet, though trials should come,
Let this blessed assurance control,
That Christ hath regarded my helpless estate,
And hath shed His own blood for my soul.
Spafford saw the long view of things.
He knew that Jesus’ blood had assured he and his family of heaven, and
he found peace in the midst of great trouble and tragedy.
:38 But the transgressors shall be destroyed together; The future of the
wicked shall be cut off.
:39 But the salvation of the righteous is from the Lord; He is their strength in
the time of trouble.
:40 And the Lord shall help
them and deliver them; He shall deliver them from the wicked, And save them,
Because they trust in Him.
:40 And save them, Because they trust in Him
David is talking about salvation from his enemies, but we see here the New
Testament doctrine of eternal salvation by faith.
You and I are not saved by our good works, but we are saved by believing in
the gracious work of God, Jesus dying on the cross for us.