Partly based on C.H. Spurgeon exposition of Psalm 37
Preached at Clevedon Baptist Church 29/Sept/09
In our series on Financial Freedom, our pastor has touched on many practical aspects; that unless we have a correct view of work, giving and debt we will not be able to serve the Lord fully and fully understand God’s purposes.
As I started to prepare this sermon, I was lead to psalm 37 and this Psalm spoke to me, so powerfully, that I felt that I must preach on it this evening. I have been greatly aided by the excellent commentary of Spurgeon. In this Psalm David outlines the principles by which we should live our lives. These principles are so universal, so important, so deep and practical that if we are able to live by them I believe that we would find all the answers we will ever need to the problems of our finances. Listen to the first verses,
1Don’t worry about the wicked
or envy those who do wrong.
2For like grass, they soon fade away.
Like spring flowers, they soon wither .
The psalm opens with this first principle. “Don’t envy those who do wrong” There are times in life when things can take a turn for the worse. You may have lost your job due to no fault of your own; finances are tight. You may find yourself in bad health and you are unable to do the things you used to do. Perhaps someone close to you may have died and you feel the loss greatly. Your relationships with your family may be strained; your marriage may be on the point of braking, your relationship with your children may have soured, as they want to follow their own paths.
At these times it is easy to look around and see an unbeliever who is utterly devoid of any religious feeling toward God. This person doesn’t attend church; they have a lifestyle that is completely at odds with the Gospel. St Paul describes these type of people who are becoming more common in these last days, they’re self-absorbed, money-hungry, self-promoting, stuck-up, profane, contemptuous of parents, crude, coarse, unbending, slanderers, impulsively wild, savage, cynical, treacherous, ruthless, bloated windbags, addicted to lust, and allergic to God . And do you know what is worse that this? They’re wealthy, they’re having fun and it appears that they are actually prospering.
At these times we need to listen to this first principle “don’t worry about the wicked or envy those who do wrong” Don’t let yourself get tied up in knots, inside. Don’t get angry. Do not get depressed. It is very easy to let yourself get jealous or envious. You see these people driving around in the large and expensive cars, they live in the large and expensive homes; always jetting off to some exotic location; they seem to have money to burn. And you, you who are trying to be faithful to God, are going through all these troubles.
It easy to slip into their way of thinking, you can build up credit card debts, you start spending beyond your means. And before you know it you’re really in trouble. You’ve become a slave to those debts. Wow, it is at these times of trial when that old sinful nature of ours starts to raise its voice; we start to envy the rich and the famous. If only I had a small part of what they have.
The devil is sure to be at hand with false reasoning. He has honey dripping from his tongue; for his arguments can be sweetly deceptive as he tries to lead you astray. He tries to persuade you that happiness, popularity and fulfilment comes from having stuff, from wealth and riches. He tries to convince you that to be a ‘somebody’ in this life you need loads of money. And let’s face it, it’s a powerful argument. We should be turning away in horror but at these times our eyes are only half open to God.
But listen “2For like grass, the wicked soon fade away”; or as the AV puts it “For they shall soon be cut down like the grass.” As wonderful and beautify as this life can be remember this: this life is not all there is; and death can come suddenly. The unrepentant wicked shall find a sudden, a sure, an irretrievable end with the judgement of God; while you, believer, will live beyond death. You will live with God forever.
If I may paraphrase John Bunyan: ‘the wicked have their good things first and they are soon over, but the righteous have there good things last, and they get to keep them forever’
What future do the evil have? Can you really envy this future? No. What future do the righteous of God have? Can you possibly think you can do without this? For I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us . Consider these two options; on the one hand we have momentary pleasure, followed by death and destruction - fading away like the grass - and on the other hand we have an eternal glorious life, the joy that wipes away every tear and heals every hurt; the loving presence of our God. Therefore
3 Trust in the Lord and do good.
Then you will live safely in the land and prosper.
This is the second principle; “Trust in the Lord” Faith cures worrying and envying. Faith, trusting in God, helps to clear your mind and opens up your eyes to see things as they really are. “And do good” True faith is actively obedient. Help others, be kind and compassionate, work for charities, getting involved in the life of the church, talk to others about Jesus, and do good. This is the best medicine; the best cure for worrying about your life. There is a joy in holy activity; it can drive away any lingering thoughts of discontentment.
“Then you will live safely in the land”. God is reminding us of his promise to the people of Israel, trust in the Lord and you will enter the Promised Land; that land flowing with milk and honey, that place of blessing. You see our outward life depends on our inward life. When you have got heaven in your heart, you will have heaven in your home. When you have got heavenly thinking in your mind you will see things differently, you will start to see heaven in your life.
And you will prosper. This is a promise; you will discover that this way of living has more happiness, more contentment and more fulfilment than any other.
4 Take delight in the Lord,
and he will give you your heart’s desires.
This is the third principle. First, we have been told not to worry, secondly we are commanded to actively trust, and now we are told to take delight in the Lord. Praise Him, worship Him, love Him. In the fourth century AD Bishop Gregory of Nazianzus put it, amazingly, like this “think of God more often than you breathe”. Make God the centre of your thoughts. Some people take delight in obtaining wealth and power. Some people delight in having sexual relationships with as many different people as they can. Some people waste their lives on drink or drugs. Don’t you worry about them; don’t give their way of life a moments thought. You, oh child of God, take delight in God, meditate on His word, spend time in His presence in prayer, breath in His Holy Spirit, and above all imitate Jesus.
“and he will give you your heart’s desire”. What a promise, what a promise, God shall satisfy our deepest, innermost, heart’s desire. Is this not enough to bring a tear to your eyes; serving God is not just about sacrifice; deep and lasting joy is what God promises us! Jesus came that we might have his joy a complete, full and overflowing joy . Do I hear an Amen?
5 Commit everything you do to the Lord.
Trust him, and he will help you.
6 He will make your innocence radiate like the dawn,
and the justice of your cause will shine like the noonday sun.
“Commit everything you do to the Lord.” Give over the whole burden of your life to God. Cast all your cares on Him for He cares for you. Don’t just stop with your current worries; go on cast all your cares, every last one on Him. Throw away all your anxious thoughts, resign yourself to His will; submit the whole of your life to Him. Lay yourself completely into His hands. And this is the fourth principle: Commit everything you do to the Lord.” How blessed, how satisfied, how content would we be if we lived every day by this; “Trust him, and his will make it come true”
Let us consider the picture of a farmer, who ploughs the field and sows the seed but then leaves the harvest to God. What else can he do? He cannot make the sun shine or bring the rain. It is wise for him to realise that some things are outside his control; and this is true for all of us. When we have obediently trusted God we must leave the results in his hands and expect the promised blessing.
7 Be still in the presence of the Lord,
and wait patiently for him to act.
Don’t worry about evil people who prosper
or fret about their wicked schemes.
“Rest in the Lord”; this is the fifth principle, and this require a lot of grace to carry it out. To quiet your soul, to be silent before the Lord, to wait with holy patience for the time of His choosing, that time when He will clear up your difficulties – this is what we should all aim to do. “and wait patiently for him to act” Time is nothing to God and let it be nothing to you. God is worth waiting for. God is never too early and His is never too late.
When we watch some film, sometimes we must wait until the last few minutes to find out what will happen. We must wait to find out how the storyline will twist and turn and finally resolve itself. We should, rest in the Lord and wait patiently. We must not prejudge how things will turn out in the great story of life; have hope and faith to trust Him.
10 Soon the wicked will disappear.
Though you look for them, they will be gone.
11 The lowly will possess the land
and will live in peace and prosperity.
You who are poor and humble shall possess the land. Not the rich, not the proud and arrogant, not the self-absorbed and money hungry, but as Jesus reminded us God blesses those who are humble, for they will inherit the whole earth . The poor shall ‘possess the land’ and this means taking hold of the inheritance that comes to us because we believe in Jesus. It is a spiritual inheritance that cannot be accepted without faith in Jesus.
Even if you suffer, the comfort that God provides is greater and richer than any trouble you face. “And you will live in peace and prosperity”. If it’s peace you love then peace you shall have. God may not give you an abundance of gold, but an abundance of peace He has promised, and this will serve you better. At the end of time, when universal peace shall fill the new heavens and earth, the full prophetic meaning of these words shall become clear.
16 It is better to be godly and have little
than to be evil and rich.
The wicked never have enough, they are never satisfied. But the godly are content with the little they have; they are in a better position.
21 The wicked borrow and never repay,
but the godly are generous givers.
Giving and borrowing often prove to be opposites. It is hard to give freely when debt overwhelms you. Scripture says the wicked borrow and do not pay back. They cannot or will not; because of the extravagance of their lives; because they neither care to, nor want to live any other way. All they see is their own needs and wants.
As believers, we should avoid getting into debt; and if we have debts, we should seek to repay these debts as soon as we are able. In this modern western world ‘leading and debts’ are all around us. I take the biblical view of debt to mean simply this: if you owe more than you own, then you are in debt. A mortgage on a house is not necessarily a debt here, as the house is hopefully worth more than the mortgage. Therefore, in principle, you could be free from this arrangement by selling your home; and remember you do need somewhere to live. Nevertheless, if God called to move to another place, to go off and become a missionary somewhere else in the world then you could do this, after you sold your house.
However, if you owe more than you own, then these are debts that bind you, that ensnare you. The only escape may be to pay back the money you owe, little by little, over a large period of time. You will have to work hard to earn money and you will not be as free to serve God.
And there is another consequence of debt. The psalm says ‘the godly are generous givers’ Godliness is shown by the fruit of generous giving. Thus, real debts are like the chains of slavery that will restrict your actions, debts curtail your freedom, they make it very hard to give, and they can restrict what you can do for the Lord.
23 The Lord directs the steps of the godly.
He delights in every detail of their lives.
24 Though they stumble, they will never fall,
for the Lord holds them by the hand.
As a parent we look at our children as they take their first steps and we are interested in every wobbly effort to stand and walk. We naturally take delight in every detail of their lives. We are, by nature, not as loving as God. Our Father God directs every step we take. He guides us. He takes delight in every detail of our lives. Doesn’t this just blow your mind? He loves to view your holy efforts as you press forward to heaven. In the trials and in the joyous moments Jesus is with us, our Father God looks down from above, and God the Holy Spirit is within our hearts. God delights to be our sympathetic companion.
‘Though you stumble’ Disasters and apparent misfortune may lay you low. You may even, if you are holy enough, be striped of everything like Job; or like Joseph you may spend years in prison; or like Jonah you may be cast into the depths of the sea. ‘Though you stumble, you will never fall’ you may be brought to your knees but God has promised that you will not be crushed completely. No saint shall fall finally or fatally. Sorrow may bring us to the earth, and death may bring us to the grave, but lower than this we cannot sink. And from this lowest place we shall rise to the highest place.
‘for the Lord holds you by the hand’ or KJV puts is like this ‘for the Lord holds you by his hand’. God take you by the hand, placing your hand in his. Even in our stumbling God sustains us. Where His grace doesn’t keep you from going down; His grace shall save you from staying down. In the end Job had his wealth doubled, Joseph was raise to reign over all Egypt and Jonah was safely placed on dry land. Believers do not rise, after they stumble, because they are strong, or wise, or even praiseworthy. They rise, after every stumbling, because God is their helper, holding them by his hand.
26 The godly always give generous loans to others,
and their children are a blessing.
27 Turn from evil and do good,
and you will live in the land forever.
As a summary, David repeats the theme that the believers should be generous givers. This is our calling; this is how God wants us to live. Free from debts, free to serve. Your way of life will be followed by your children; they shall be a blessing to others. Don’t be led into an evil or wicked way of living. You, oh child of God, do good. Then you will live in the promised land of prosperity forever.
In conclusion, we have five principles of a full and free life,
(i) Don’t you worry about or envy others, especially those who are wicked.
(ii) you just trust God and do good.
(iii) Delight yourself in God; meditate, think about Him as often as you can.
(iv) Commit everything you do to the Lord. Place your whole life in His hands
(v) Rest and wait for God’s timing, wait for His answers.
And we have five blessings God has promised us
(i) He has promised safety and spiritual prosperity
(ii) He has promised to give us our heart’s desire
(iii) He has promised to guide our steps
(iv) He has promised to raise us up when we stumble.
(v) He has promised us peace of heart that will last forever
I pray that we may be open to God’s word, His ways and His purposes. Amen
Preached at Clevedon Baptist Church 29/Sept/09
In our series on Financial Freedom, our pastor has touched on many practical aspects; that unless we have a correct view of work, giving and debt we will not be able to serve the Lord fully and fully understand God’s purposes.
As I started to prepare this sermon, I was lead to psalm 37 and this Psalm spoke to me, so powerfully, that I felt that I must preach on it this evening. I have been greatly aided by the excellent commentary of Spurgeon. In this Psalm David outlines the principles by which we should live our lives. These principles are so universal, so important, so deep and practical that if we are able to live by them I believe that we would find all the answers we will ever need to the problems of our finances. Listen to the first verses,
1Don’t worry about the wicked
or envy those who do wrong.
2For like grass, they soon fade away.
Like spring flowers, they soon wither .
The psalm opens with this first principle. “Don’t envy those who do wrong” There are times in life when things can take a turn for the worse. You may have lost your job due to no fault of your own; finances are tight. You may find yourself in bad health and you are unable to do the things you used to do. Perhaps someone close to you may have died and you feel the loss greatly. Your relationships with your family may be strained; your marriage may be on the point of braking, your relationship with your children may have soured, as they want to follow their own paths.
At these times it is easy to look around and see an unbeliever who is utterly devoid of any religious feeling toward God. This person doesn’t attend church; they have a lifestyle that is completely at odds with the Gospel. St Paul describes these type of people who are becoming more common in these last days, they’re self-absorbed, money-hungry, self-promoting, stuck-up, profane, contemptuous of parents, crude, coarse, unbending, slanderers, impulsively wild, savage, cynical, treacherous, ruthless, bloated windbags, addicted to lust, and allergic to God . And do you know what is worse that this? They’re wealthy, they’re having fun and it appears that they are actually prospering.
At these times we need to listen to this first principle “don’t worry about the wicked or envy those who do wrong” Don’t let yourself get tied up in knots, inside. Don’t get angry. Do not get depressed. It is very easy to let yourself get jealous or envious. You see these people driving around in the large and expensive cars, they live in the large and expensive homes; always jetting off to some exotic location; they seem to have money to burn. And you, you who are trying to be faithful to God, are going through all these troubles.
It easy to slip into their way of thinking, you can build up credit card debts, you start spending beyond your means. And before you know it you’re really in trouble. You’ve become a slave to those debts. Wow, it is at these times of trial when that old sinful nature of ours starts to raise its voice; we start to envy the rich and the famous. If only I had a small part of what they have.
The devil is sure to be at hand with false reasoning. He has honey dripping from his tongue; for his arguments can be sweetly deceptive as he tries to lead you astray. He tries to persuade you that happiness, popularity and fulfilment comes from having stuff, from wealth and riches. He tries to convince you that to be a ‘somebody’ in this life you need loads of money. And let’s face it, it’s a powerful argument. We should be turning away in horror but at these times our eyes are only half open to God.
But listen “2For like grass, the wicked soon fade away”; or as the AV puts it “For they shall soon be cut down like the grass.” As wonderful and beautify as this life can be remember this: this life is not all there is; and death can come suddenly. The unrepentant wicked shall find a sudden, a sure, an irretrievable end with the judgement of God; while you, believer, will live beyond death. You will live with God forever.
If I may paraphrase John Bunyan: ‘the wicked have their good things first and they are soon over, but the righteous have there good things last, and they get to keep them forever’
What future do the evil have? Can you really envy this future? No. What future do the righteous of God have? Can you possibly think you can do without this? For I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us . Consider these two options; on the one hand we have momentary pleasure, followed by death and destruction - fading away like the grass - and on the other hand we have an eternal glorious life, the joy that wipes away every tear and heals every hurt; the loving presence of our God. Therefore
3 Trust in the Lord and do good.
Then you will live safely in the land and prosper.
This is the second principle; “Trust in the Lord” Faith cures worrying and envying. Faith, trusting in God, helps to clear your mind and opens up your eyes to see things as they really are. “And do good” True faith is actively obedient. Help others, be kind and compassionate, work for charities, getting involved in the life of the church, talk to others about Jesus, and do good. This is the best medicine; the best cure for worrying about your life. There is a joy in holy activity; it can drive away any lingering thoughts of discontentment.
“Then you will live safely in the land”. God is reminding us of his promise to the people of Israel, trust in the Lord and you will enter the Promised Land; that land flowing with milk and honey, that place of blessing. You see our outward life depends on our inward life. When you have got heaven in your heart, you will have heaven in your home. When you have got heavenly thinking in your mind you will see things differently, you will start to see heaven in your life.
And you will prosper. This is a promise; you will discover that this way of living has more happiness, more contentment and more fulfilment than any other.
4 Take delight in the Lord,
and he will give you your heart’s desires.
This is the third principle. First, we have been told not to worry, secondly we are commanded to actively trust, and now we are told to take delight in the Lord. Praise Him, worship Him, love Him. In the fourth century AD Bishop Gregory of Nazianzus put it, amazingly, like this “think of God more often than you breathe”. Make God the centre of your thoughts. Some people take delight in obtaining wealth and power. Some people delight in having sexual relationships with as many different people as they can. Some people waste their lives on drink or drugs. Don’t you worry about them; don’t give their way of life a moments thought. You, oh child of God, take delight in God, meditate on His word, spend time in His presence in prayer, breath in His Holy Spirit, and above all imitate Jesus.
“and he will give you your heart’s desire”. What a promise, what a promise, God shall satisfy our deepest, innermost, heart’s desire. Is this not enough to bring a tear to your eyes; serving God is not just about sacrifice; deep and lasting joy is what God promises us! Jesus came that we might have his joy a complete, full and overflowing joy . Do I hear an Amen?
5 Commit everything you do to the Lord.
Trust him, and he will help you.
6 He will make your innocence radiate like the dawn,
and the justice of your cause will shine like the noonday sun.
“Commit everything you do to the Lord.” Give over the whole burden of your life to God. Cast all your cares on Him for He cares for you. Don’t just stop with your current worries; go on cast all your cares, every last one on Him. Throw away all your anxious thoughts, resign yourself to His will; submit the whole of your life to Him. Lay yourself completely into His hands. And this is the fourth principle: Commit everything you do to the Lord.” How blessed, how satisfied, how content would we be if we lived every day by this; “Trust him, and his will make it come true”
Let us consider the picture of a farmer, who ploughs the field and sows the seed but then leaves the harvest to God. What else can he do? He cannot make the sun shine or bring the rain. It is wise for him to realise that some things are outside his control; and this is true for all of us. When we have obediently trusted God we must leave the results in his hands and expect the promised blessing.
7 Be still in the presence of the Lord,
and wait patiently for him to act.
Don’t worry about evil people who prosper
or fret about their wicked schemes.
“Rest in the Lord”; this is the fifth principle, and this require a lot of grace to carry it out. To quiet your soul, to be silent before the Lord, to wait with holy patience for the time of His choosing, that time when He will clear up your difficulties – this is what we should all aim to do. “and wait patiently for him to act” Time is nothing to God and let it be nothing to you. God is worth waiting for. God is never too early and His is never too late.
When we watch some film, sometimes we must wait until the last few minutes to find out what will happen. We must wait to find out how the storyline will twist and turn and finally resolve itself. We should, rest in the Lord and wait patiently. We must not prejudge how things will turn out in the great story of life; have hope and faith to trust Him.
10 Soon the wicked will disappear.
Though you look for them, they will be gone.
11 The lowly will possess the land
and will live in peace and prosperity.
You who are poor and humble shall possess the land. Not the rich, not the proud and arrogant, not the self-absorbed and money hungry, but as Jesus reminded us God blesses those who are humble, for they will inherit the whole earth . The poor shall ‘possess the land’ and this means taking hold of the inheritance that comes to us because we believe in Jesus. It is a spiritual inheritance that cannot be accepted without faith in Jesus.
Even if you suffer, the comfort that God provides is greater and richer than any trouble you face. “And you will live in peace and prosperity”. If it’s peace you love then peace you shall have. God may not give you an abundance of gold, but an abundance of peace He has promised, and this will serve you better. At the end of time, when universal peace shall fill the new heavens and earth, the full prophetic meaning of these words shall become clear.
16 It is better to be godly and have little
than to be evil and rich.
The wicked never have enough, they are never satisfied. But the godly are content with the little they have; they are in a better position.
21 The wicked borrow and never repay,
but the godly are generous givers.
Giving and borrowing often prove to be opposites. It is hard to give freely when debt overwhelms you. Scripture says the wicked borrow and do not pay back. They cannot or will not; because of the extravagance of their lives; because they neither care to, nor want to live any other way. All they see is their own needs and wants.
As believers, we should avoid getting into debt; and if we have debts, we should seek to repay these debts as soon as we are able. In this modern western world ‘leading and debts’ are all around us. I take the biblical view of debt to mean simply this: if you owe more than you own, then you are in debt. A mortgage on a house is not necessarily a debt here, as the house is hopefully worth more than the mortgage. Therefore, in principle, you could be free from this arrangement by selling your home; and remember you do need somewhere to live. Nevertheless, if God called to move to another place, to go off and become a missionary somewhere else in the world then you could do this, after you sold your house.
However, if you owe more than you own, then these are debts that bind you, that ensnare you. The only escape may be to pay back the money you owe, little by little, over a large period of time. You will have to work hard to earn money and you will not be as free to serve God.
And there is another consequence of debt. The psalm says ‘the godly are generous givers’ Godliness is shown by the fruit of generous giving. Thus, real debts are like the chains of slavery that will restrict your actions, debts curtail your freedom, they make it very hard to give, and they can restrict what you can do for the Lord.
23 The Lord directs the steps of the godly.
He delights in every detail of their lives.
24 Though they stumble, they will never fall,
for the Lord holds them by the hand.
As a parent we look at our children as they take their first steps and we are interested in every wobbly effort to stand and walk. We naturally take delight in every detail of their lives. We are, by nature, not as loving as God. Our Father God directs every step we take. He guides us. He takes delight in every detail of our lives. Doesn’t this just blow your mind? He loves to view your holy efforts as you press forward to heaven. In the trials and in the joyous moments Jesus is with us, our Father God looks down from above, and God the Holy Spirit is within our hearts. God delights to be our sympathetic companion.
‘Though you stumble’ Disasters and apparent misfortune may lay you low. You may even, if you are holy enough, be striped of everything like Job; or like Joseph you may spend years in prison; or like Jonah you may be cast into the depths of the sea. ‘Though you stumble, you will never fall’ you may be brought to your knees but God has promised that you will not be crushed completely. No saint shall fall finally or fatally. Sorrow may bring us to the earth, and death may bring us to the grave, but lower than this we cannot sink. And from this lowest place we shall rise to the highest place.
‘for the Lord holds you by the hand’ or KJV puts is like this ‘for the Lord holds you by his hand’. God take you by the hand, placing your hand in his. Even in our stumbling God sustains us. Where His grace doesn’t keep you from going down; His grace shall save you from staying down. In the end Job had his wealth doubled, Joseph was raise to reign over all Egypt and Jonah was safely placed on dry land. Believers do not rise, after they stumble, because they are strong, or wise, or even praiseworthy. They rise, after every stumbling, because God is their helper, holding them by his hand.
26 The godly always give generous loans to others,
and their children are a blessing.
27 Turn from evil and do good,
and you will live in the land forever.
As a summary, David repeats the theme that the believers should be generous givers. This is our calling; this is how God wants us to live. Free from debts, free to serve. Your way of life will be followed by your children; they shall be a blessing to others. Don’t be led into an evil or wicked way of living. You, oh child of God, do good. Then you will live in the promised land of prosperity forever.
In conclusion, we have five principles of a full and free life,
(i) Don’t you worry about or envy others, especially those who are wicked.
(ii) you just trust God and do good.
(iii) Delight yourself in God; meditate, think about Him as often as you can.
(iv) Commit everything you do to the Lord. Place your whole life in His hands
(v) Rest and wait for God’s timing, wait for His answers.
And we have five blessings God has promised us
(i) He has promised safety and spiritual prosperity
(ii) He has promised to give us our heart’s desire
(iii) He has promised to guide our steps
(iv) He has promised to raise us up when we stumble.
(v) He has promised us peace of heart that will last forever
I pray that we may be open to God’s word, His ways and His purposes. Amen
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