But God...Is My Strength
Notes
Transcript
Handout
(S1)
Singing a song—How well do you pay attention to the words?
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Words of the Psalms are songs of the heart—They come from most intimate, conflicted, trying, thoughtful, delicate, deep places of the human spirit. In them, one can hear the rolling unpredictable seas of human emotion, along with the depth, power and unlimited expanse of a majestic God.
“Theme of the Psalms: God is to be praised in every circumstance of life; and this because of His faithfulness in the past, which is a guarantee of His faithfulness in the future.” Through the Bible Book by Book, Part Two
Psalm 73 is all of that and more. Attributed to the musings of Asaph—A chief musician of King David, in charge of music in the house of the lord (1 Chron. 6:31)
The whole of the Psalm can be best expressed and outlined in 3 parts (stanzas).
— The first; gives us some context as to his faith in God...
— The second; reveals the conflict of his own faithfulness with the unfaithful around him...
— The third, establishes the foundation upon which he continually relies...
Theme of his song—6X’s he references the heart
(S2) — The heart of the matter is...a matter of the HEART!
— Heart as the inner being of ones whole self—seat of all our emotions
— The most trusted part of the human body—The most vulnerable to deception
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The heart can lead us to Lust in the name of love — To achievement in the name of success — To greed in the name of desire
When trusted alone, the heart will fail. But, when one gives their whole heart to God...he faileth them not!
This ticker is not going to last forever...
Dad—Lungs—Heart
For this psalmist…his song...The heart of the matter is, WHO has his heart!
(S3)
26 My health may fail, and my spirit may grow weak, BUT GOD...remains the strength of my heart...
CHALLENGE—listen/look more closely not only to the words, but to the flow of his thoughts, as they express a lived human reality of every believer.
2 Chronicles 29:30 “King Hezekiah and the officials ordered the Levites to praise the Lord with the psalms written by David and by Asaph the seer. So they offered joyous praise and bowed down in worship.”
Whose song are you singing? Have you given your full heart to God?
SERIES—BUT GOD—PRAY
(S4)
3 STANZAS—3 WAYS TO TRUST GOD WITH YOUR WHOLE HEART
The first stanza of his song
I. His CONFIDENCE in God’s goodness…to the PURE in heart
I. His CONFIDENCE in God’s goodness…to the PURE in heart
1 Truly God is good to Israel, to those whose hearts are pure.
truly— An expression of known truth...Certainty of fact…two ways
1. His Confidence is from his known EXPERIENCE of God
One of my seminary professor said it this way, “When you know in your knower that you know.” J.G.
First glance across the room—he/she is the one
Jesus’ own words—to the religious teacher who doesn’t get it
John 3:10–11 “Very truly I tell you, we speak of what we know, and we testify to what we have seen
Like Jesus, the psalmist confidence is not his opinion or an expression of his feelings, but his and his peoples known experience with God.
How has your known experience with God given you confidence of God’s goodness?
2. His confidence is in God’s promise to the PURE in heart.
To be right with God—morally; in thought and deed, and to be spiritually aligned...
Job asks the question of God—can anyone be pure in heart?
None of us can be right with God on our own. Only God can make that happen
— In Jesus He did—The pure in heart are cleansed by the blood of Jesus.
(S5)
The psalmist’ confidence is in how God sees him not how he sees himself.
28 “BUT as for me, how good it is to be near God! I have made the Sovereign Lord my shelter, and I will tell everyone about the wonderful things you do.”
Are you confident in God’s goodness or your own? Is purity of heart your desire?
(S6) — The second stanza of his song
II. The DOUBT in his heart due his present afflictions
II. The DOUBT in his heart due his present afflictions
2 But as for me, I almost lost my footing. My feet were slipping, and I was almost gone. 3 For I envied the proud when I saw them prosper despite their wickedness.
He raises the age old question—Why does it seem that bad people prosper and good see trouble?
vs’ 4-14.
We don’t have to look far to see those who have achieved great wealth/success in scrupulous fashion
“The Bible asserts that God rewards the righteous and punishes the wicked. What happens, however, when this “theory” is challenged by practice? Too often we see the wicked prospering. Dictators strut across the stage of history raping and pillaging like barbarians. Financial empires are built on the backs of the poor and hungry. As in the TV soap operas, villains seem to win in the end, leaving honest and upright people in the dust. Where then is the goodness of God when Job is covered with boils?” The Preacher’s Commentary Series
The song writers honest, heartfelt, moving confession of doubt is fueled by his envy...
Trading Places —“The 1983 comedy tells the story of an upper-class commodities broker (Aykroyd) and a poor street hustler (Murphy) whose lives cross when they are unwittingly made the subject of an elaborate bet to test how each man will perform when their life circumstances are swapped.
The psalmist admits his envy of the good life of the wicked has infected his heart...
(S7)
21 Then I realized that my heart was bitter, and I was all torn up inside. 22 I was so foolish and ignorant— I must have seemed like a senseless animal to you.
Translation—I was an idiot, a dumb cow before God
The psalmist’ words show us that our why questions…can come from a deep place of human insecurity
“Our insecurities can cause us to ask God why. Why am I like this? Why did you create me this way? Why don’t you make this situation go away? Especially when we’re wrapped up in our own perceived weaknesses and flaws, it can seem like God is far from us. https://www.tyndale.com/sites/unfoldingfaithblog/2019/01/10/yes-it-is-okay-to-ask-god-the-tough-questions
Recall Peter’s response to Jesus after receiving his calling…reveals his own insecurity
John 21:20–21 “Peter turned around and saw behind them the disciple Jesus loved—“What about him, Lord?””
I love Jesus’ reply...
John 21:22 “If I want him to remain alive until I return, what is that to you? As for you, follow me.””
The Psalmist admits that his feet were slipping, I was almost gone—His light had grown dim…but not been snuffed out.
(S8)
16 So I tried to understand why the wicked prosper. But what a difficult task it is! 17 Then I went into your sanctuary, O God, and I finally understood the destiny of the wicked.
Truth is we will never understand fully all things...Some questions will go unanswered...But a heart given fully to God is open to receiving more of God—to give them confidence when they doubt
What is the condition of your heart? Is it filled with envy, doubt…?God can use our insecurities, the times we doubt to draw us closer and deeper in relationship with Him
Jesus’ words to Peter...Just keep following me
His confidence in God’s goodness to the PURE in heart—The DOUBT in his heart — How the psalmist gains victory over his doubt
(S9)
III. The STRENGTH of his heart in God’s PRESENCE
III. The STRENGTH of his heart in God’s PRESENCE
23 Yet I still belong to you; you hold my right hand. 24 You guide me with your counsel, leading me to a glorious destiny. 25 Whom have I in heaven but you? I desire you more than anything on earth
Yet I still BELONG to you…Belonging to God—not in a sense of possession or ownership, but a sense of deep connection in God’s continual presence—no matter what I go through God will always be with me
1 Corinthians 3:23 “You belong to Christ, and Christ belongs to God.”
The strength of his heart comes from His trust in God’s continual presence, that which his heart alone could never do.
For the psalmist it was not the answer to the question....The heart of the matter is WHO had his heart
vs. 23-25
Three ways he gave God is whole heart...
(S10)
1. Give God your HAND
1. Give God your HAND
23 You hold me by my right hand.
Think of a child taking the hand of parent in complete trust
You receive God’s goodness when you give him your hand
To give God your right hand is to receive honor—Those who are right with God…are held up in honor...hold my right hand—indicates a place of favor/honor—as apposed to the left (dishonor)
Matthew 25:41 “41 “Then the King will turn to those on the left and say, ‘Away with you, you cursed ones, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his demons.”
Jesus heals Peter’s mother-in-law
Mark 1:31 “So he went to her bedside, took her by the hand, and helped her sit up. Then the fever left her, and she prepared a meal for them.”
Give your whole heart to God...
(S11)
2. Seek the WISDOM of God’s heart
2. Seek the WISDOM of God’s heart
24 You guide me with your counsel...
The people of God were lead by the counsel of God through his chosen leaders
— Abraham, Moses, David, prophets...
— Jesus got his counsel from God
— The disciples submitted themselves to the wisdom of Jesus’ teachings
The Bible is God’s heart poured out...
Third…is more of a proclamation
(S12)
3. Give God your whole heart and live in HOPE
3. Give God your whole heart and live in HOPE
24 and afterward you will take me into glory.
For the Psalmist it was a matter of the heart that gave him confidence even when he doubted because God was the strength of his heart.
(S13)
26 “My health may fail, and my spirit may grow weak, BUT GOD... remains the strength of my heart; he is mine forever.”
For God, the heart of the matter is WHO has your heart?
Romans 2:29 True circumcision is not merely obeying the letter of the law; rather, it is a change of heart produced by the Spirit.
Whose song are you singing? Have you given your whole heart to God?
Are you willing to give God your HAND—Seek the WISDOM of God’s heart—Give God’s your whole heart and live in HOPE?
For God, the HEART of the matter is, a matter of your heart? Will you give it to him today?