The concluding verse, verse 28, summarizes the new vision the speaker obtained in verses 23-25 and, what is more important, it serves as a clearer definition of what it means that God is good to the pure in heart (vs. 1). Publisher's summary: Confraternities were the most common form of organized religious life in medieval and early modern Europe. I heard a sermon last Sunday on Psalm 73. Sometimes things change very quickly, even here on earth, dont they? He said in :3, For I was envious of the arrogant He said the wicked in his land seemed to prosper, and he was jealous of them. He tells it all in v. 13: Did I purify my heart and wash my hands in innocence for nothing? In fact, God offers this invitation in Isaiah 43:26: "Take Me to court; let us argue our case together. Sexual Lust (Tie) There are a million of these kinds of questions. There he was reminded of God's attributes, character and power. ", Envy is the tendency to compare yourself with someone else in a way that leaves you feeling deprived. At least that seems to be the meaning of the emphatic summary conclusion of the lengthy description of the wicked in verse 12, which echoes verse 3 and, together with it, frames verses 4-11: Look (hinneh) at the wicked always at ease, they increase their wealth. 5 stars; 4 stars or more; 3 stars or more; Any Rating . Join Plus; Plus . We're sorry, an error occurred. But in the end, God allows Asaph to regain a proper perspective. Recognize it? But because there is an eternity, what happens in this life is not even a speck on the timeline of eternity, and we know that things will be different there. His big concern is immediate gratification. One of the sweetest, finest men I have ever known is in Norwalk hospital. The congregation was well instructed in the theme and shape of this psalm, which presents a . But from the perspective of eternity, from the point of view in worship, there is a quick ride to the bottom. But it WILL change suddenly and even more dramatically, the moment they enter eternity. Psalm 25:1-12 God Of New Beginnings. Youll only regret it if you do. (John 3:16 sermon), "The Message of the Cross" (I Cor. He's on the edge of throwing in the towel. Job had questions like this, didnt he? Why did the close friend, in whom I trusted, who ate bread with me, lift up his heel against me? I would urge you to follow his example, tracing the results your words and actions have on your family, friends, lost acquaintances, and church. So why am I serving God? Panic, Conclusions, Denomination: God is NOT insane; it IS worth it to serve Him, literally no matter what the cost. With an eternal perspective, everything looks different. Vs. 17 certainly leaves us wanting more. Still, in v. 15, he stops to consider the impact his next steps will have: "If I had said, 'I will speak thus,' I would have betrayed your children." He didnt understand what was happening to him: This Psalm is his very personal testimony. He was evil. His eyes were locked in on the prosperity of the wicked and he was overcome with envy. Psalm 73 is the first psalm of Book III of the Psalter. In :11 he says they say: How does God know? According to the twice repeated expression "Happy are those," in verses 1-2, divine forgiveness of sins is the gateway to happiness. (Psalm 41:9), Listen, the real Bible not just the feel good parts of the Bible that get quoted in a lot of our devotionals the real Bible is FULL of these REAL, honest, hard questions that Gods people have brought before Him. o ^Like Psalms 37 and 49, this psalm is a wisdom psalm, designed to instruct the . When they came to the elephants, the zoo keeper wanted them to have more than a verbal description, so he allowed them each to feel the elephant. He says, there are wicked people in the world, whom you would THINK God would be punishing, but instead they are not only not being punished, they are succeeding; they are prospering. It refers first of all to God. And they show us that we can be HONEST with God; we dont have to hide in some kind of fake spirituality and hold any of our questions back from Him. Scripture: Psalm 73:21-26. ( Psalm 73:1-3) The contradiction between the goodness of God and the prosperity of the wicked. Using the imagery of clothing in this verse, the psalmist boldly engages in shrewd moral and economic criticism.22 According to this verse, the affluent are well-off because of pride and violence. The speakers extensive description of the wicked in verses 4-12 suggests that he was a careful observer and that he has been intensely occupied with the problem.19 His detailed description consists of two parts, verses 4-6 and 7-11. According to verse 18, God will place the wicked on the slippery slope that the psalmist almost experienced (vs. 2). read more, Scripture: BOOK III Psalms 73-89 -A psalm of Asaph. 15-16; 17-20; 21-22; 23-26; and 27-28. He was used more by Satan than perhaps anyone else in his lifetime. Maybe you're still struggling with the injustice you've been dealt and you've felt your commitment to God wane because of it. But the NRSV translation of this clause shows that the clause could also mean that the psalmist is restored to his honor. May Gods word continue to bless your life! The Psalms, maybe more than any other part of the Bible, help us to explore the depths of our hearts. He kept his faith, but I lost mine. Listen to his confession in v. Asaph was one of three directors who worked under King David. Psalm 26 A Life Of Integrity. Verses 21-22 are a flashback on his traumatic experience reported in verses 2-16.36 In these verses he admits that when his heart and kidneys were poignantly disturbed (vs. 21) about the shalom of the wicked, he was stupid and lacked understanding (vs. 21ab).37 For all practical purposes, he confesses that his envy of the arrogant (vs. 3) was completely wrong. Change). Consequently, the solution of the psalmists heart-rending problem transcends human wisdom. Envy means "I want what you have." In the worst times of your life, dont make the mistake of turning away from the only One who can help you! But in worship we see from God's infinite perspective. Anybody here know what I'm talking about? 9. He says God is good; I know that . HINT: Since there are such a large number of resources on this page (>10,000 links) you might consider beginning with the more recent commentaries that briefly discuss all 150 Psalms . 2 But as for me, my feet came close to stumbling, My steps had almost slipped. In fact, someone pointed out that over the past 20 years at the Oscar ceremonies, Harvey Weinstein had been publicly thanked in the Oscar speeches as many times as God! 1. (616) 526-6088 worship@calvin.edu, On the campus of Calvin University and Calvin Theological Seminary, See our related website, Zeteo Preaching and Worship. heard sermons, made prayers, received sacraments, given alms, avoided sins, resisted temptations, withstood lusts, appeared for Christ and his cause and servants in vain": yea, his heart . Your Emotions Matter to God Learning from the Bible's Songbook. Four promises from God in this passage: 1. Some of us today might ask those same kinds of questions: You might say, I have always gone to church, and tried to do everything right, but yet I have all this trouble right now but my brother, or my friend, who never goes to church, and never thinks about God, has this great job, a nice home, and none of the troubles I have. . Browse by letter: A. Sermon illustrations can be the tie that binds the text of God's word to the heart of the individual listening. Yet most people today have never heard of John Gill. The visit he made: ", Building Your Life On The Rock (Matthew 7:24-27 sermon), "This Is My Story: The Woman At The Well" (John 4:1-42 sermon), "The Greatest Verse in the Bible?" or why have I looked for sympathy but there was none. (Psalm 69:20) Asaph takes his raw deal to the right place and finds out that he didn't have it bad after all. You are an awesome preacher! The answer is that these verses serve as a rhetorical foil for the passionate protest that follows in verses 13-14. The first correction concerns the fate of the wicked in verses 18-20, which is introduced with the emphatic particle surely. In somber language he describes at length what was already introduced in summary fashion in Psalm 1:6b.34 Unlike Psalm 1:6b, however, God is directly involved in their destruction. Moreover, Psalm 73:28 also repeats the important theme of Gods nearness (Ps 34:18) and the key refuge metaphor (Ps 34:8, 22). Because he was blinded by envy, he admits emphatically that he did not recognize that, in spite of his brutish behavior, he was always with God (vs. 23a), an admission that represents the flipside of Gods promise to the patriarchs, I will be with you always. And, more importantly, in the temple he discovers that Gods right hand has a tight grip on him (vs. 23b). Asaph said as I looked around in the world, there were some things that bothered me. Gluttony Put yourself in the position to where you can hear from God. I have made the Sovereign LORD my refuge; I will tell of all your deeds. Why is God blessing them instead of judging them?". What is worse, according to verse 11, the wicked are very cavalier about God. As the truck crawled through that downtown region, with crowds looking on, the whale exploded. Thats the message of Psalm 73. It literally means peace with God such that your life is fulfilled, tranquil, and complete. Your sermons are simple but complex with a very good end lesson. Several times in recent months I have had individuals say to me: Pastor, that message today was for me! Do you ever think to yourself, "Does it pay to serve God? D. The book of Job and Psalm 37 deal with the same problem, but in this life; Psalm 73 deals with it in light of Matthew 25. These godless people, they live on easy street! Hugh Hefner may well have been one of the most evil men in the world in the last generation. But despite his efforts to serve and honor God, his life was marked by difficulty. He became depressed. We do things that brought regret and heartache because we didn't stop to consider the consequences of our words and choices. God is waiting to talk with you. Psalm 73 moves from radical doubt to a robust reaffirmation of faith. (ESV). Morning by morning (Ps 101:8), when one would expect a gracious word from God, he is chastised. Tag Archives: Psalm 73 sermon "The Man Who Almost Gave Up His Faith" (Psalm 73 sermon) Posted on 2018/03/12 by Shawn Thomas. The poet introduces his honest confession with the emphatic contrastive phrase But, as for me. This phrase introduces the yes, but factor. In addition to the important connections between Psalm 73 and Psalms 1 and 2, Psalm 73 also shares important themes with Psalm 34. Those who are far from You will perish; You destroy all who are unfaithful to You. God, I was like an animal. Whitney Hand was one of the best womens basketball players who ever played for the University of Oklahoma, and she is also a Christian. Even though these words were written 3000 years ago, they might as well have been written today. History is not going to end with secular humanism on the throne. Summary: To the ancient writers the word glory meant praise, splendor, brightness, majesty, honor and dignity. You can sense this music director's relief when he comes to worship. A sermon on Psalm 73 should also highlight that there is something very unique about going to church that defies the limits of human wisdom. God is the Christian's inheritance as the refuge of his conscience. Scripture: Psalm 73. They wear a power-hungry, cutthroat, cynical attitude like a coat. Survey respondents noted that temptations 15 Outstanding Quotes To Recharge Your Preaching. Thats like Asaph here. While the first half of the Psalm is marked by a man-oriented perspective, he now sees things from a God-oriented perspective. read more, Scripture: He could see both God's judgment of sin as well as God's solution offered to sinners. The centrality of the worship experience (cf. How they are destroyed in a moment! "You are guiding me with your counsel," he said . Surely God is good to Israel, to those who are pure in heart. God has SO much to say to us and so many of us are getting so much out of His word every day. Psalm 50:1-5 A psalm of Asaph. God is most glorified in us when we are most satisfied in him Learn more about Desiring God . Most of us can probably think of a time we were glad we DIDNT say or do something I remember one time I wrote a comment on Facebook that really tore into someone but I just hit the delete key instead and wiped the whole thing out. As we start in verse one, he's going to tell us about his experience looking around the world and also his beliefs. 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