Right Living in a Wrong World
Psalm 37:16-26
I want to lay out for you what the next week or so holds for us here at Maysville Baptist Church. This Tuesday the leadership of our church will gather in one of three locations for a time of sharing what we believe the Lord is going to lead us to commit over the next three years. And that commitment is over and above the tithe to the "What Matters Most" Campaign. Some may say that they will just give their tithe or part of their tithe to the "What Matters Most" Campaign. Can you imagine if every person did that? Our daily ministries and ongoing needs would be immediately halted and we'd be in a real mess! So that's why we share the tithe is for the ongoing ministries and daily needs of Maysville Baptist Church and that over and above that we will ask you to give. But many of you may wonder still, "What Matters Most?" Next Sunday morning at 10 a.m., and remember to set your clock ahead one hour, we're going to have a wonderful time of celebrating God's faithfulness and goodness, of committing a three-year pledge, and then eating (can I get a witness?!). It's a must not miss Sunday and celebration.
Now, I know that when a challenge is given, especially in regards to finances or something way outside our comfort zone, things can get a bit uneasy. I understand that. That's why we are going to look at Psalm 37. David is the author of this incredible psalm and what he shares is something that every person in this room needs to hear. I've entitled the messages from this psalm, "Living Right in a Wrong World". That's what David tells us to do. Yes, even when wrong seems to triumph in this world we live in; it's still worth it to live right. What then does right living look like? This evening I'll introduce this psalm and I'll deal with the issue that eats at a lot of people today - why bad people seem to get all the breaks and good people get all the bad. But David shows us some very important points that we cannot get away from if we are to live right in a wrong world - especially in the area of our treasures and giving.
Psalm 37:16-26
37:16 A little that a righteous man has [Is] better than the riches of many wicked.
37:17 For the arms of the wicked shall be broken, But the LORD upholds the righteous.
37:18 The LORD knows the days of the upright, And their inheritance shall be forever.
37:19 They shall not be ashamed in the evil time, And in the days of famine they shall be satisfied.
37:20 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.
37:21 The wicked borrows and does not repay, But the righteous shows mercy and gives.
37:22 For [those] blessed by Him shall inherit the earth, But [those] cursed by Him shall be cut off.
37:23 The steps of a [good] man are ordered by the LORD, And He delights in his way.
37:24 Though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down; For the LORD upholds [him with] His hand.
37:25 I have been young, and [now] am old; Yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken, Nor his descendants begging bread.
37:26 [He is] ever merciful, and lends; And his descendants [are] blessed.
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The Protection of the Righteous vv 16-20
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God's protection over the righteous is constant. Notice three time periods that David speaks of,
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Present vv 16-17. David makes an important statement that not many seem content to believe, "A little that a righteous man has is better than the riches of many wicked." Solomon made the very same point when he said, "Better is a little with the fear of the Lord, than great treasure with trouble." And even the "writer of the letter to the Hebrews, after documenting all the incomparable wealth that the believer enjoys in Christ, adds: "Be content with such things as you have, for He Himself has said, 'I will never leave you nor forsake you'" (Hebrews 13:5).1
Notice what David says of the future of the wicked - his arms shall be broken. That is, the way that he made his fortune will no longer be able to make him a fortune. My, how many need to understand this fact today. Some will work and work and work, even at the expense of worship of their Lord, at the expense of their family all for the sake of a dollar, and then it can quickly be wiped out. Yet some will reference a time just like we are experiencing now to say that we never know when the work will stop. So, while there is work, we need to get it. That's not true. When your priorities get out of whack all for the sake of work, you've got your priorities messed up and it will come with consequences. Regardless of what the conditions are like, you keep your priorities right and you'll be a living witness to this psalm - God's blessing even your little and upholding you even when the wicked loses it all.
At present this is a point where some of you are. Are you going to be known as a man who clung to God's Word and ways, or to your own thoughts? But God also promises protection,
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In the future v 18. This is a verse that puts everything into perspective. "The Lord knows the days of the upright, and their inheritance shall be forever." Here is where the true perspective comes out - now or eternity. Many will say that they are just trying to make it day to day. Friend, before you go any further in this day or any day, you need to decide if you want this day to count in eternity or if it's going to be eternally wasted. When a righteous man lives righteously, then his inheritance - what he did for his Lord - will last forever. What's the big deal about that? Believer, you will get to enjoy forever and ever what you do for the Lord now; and you'll have something to lay at His feet. Peter called our inheritance incorruptible, undefiled and that does not fade away, and it's reserved in heaven for us! (1 Peter 1:4) Believer, don't you think that when you get to heaven with nothing to enjoy or give that you'll be okay with that and that God will be pleased. "Well, I'm just glad I made it preacher." You'll not be near as glad as if you lived for Him now and lived today with eternity in view! Everyone will know that you lived for today and not for eternity.
That's why I don't back down, nor am I ashamed to compel you to live for what is to come. Send your treasure on ahead! Heaven is the place where moth, dust, and rust won't destroy and where thieves can't steal it. But someone else will own or have what you currently possess. God promises to protect the righteous in the present, the future, and also,
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In times of crisis vv 19-20. David says that the righteous will not be ashamed, not IF the evil time or days of famine come, but WHEN they come. How can that be? You see, the righteous "have the hidden spiritual resources to see them through. In days of scarcity they enjoy a special kind of abundance. First of all, they have learned to live sacrificially, so that they do not feel deprived when the meal barrel is low. But also they have the Lord, who is able to spread a table in the wilderness. They have the privilege of seeing God provide for them in miraculous ways, and there is a special, secret-sweet flavor to all such manna from heaven."2 These are the ones that won't blame God when tough times come and they have nothing, but will be grateful for even the smallest of things because God was faithful to see them through.
But what about those focused on satisfying self? David says that in a crisis, the wicked will perish, the enemies of the Lord, though they may seem to have it all together and their condition is beyond the description of words, but one day can change it all - like a smoke that is present for a moment; it's not long before it is completely gone.
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Life happens to both the righteous and the unrighteous. But an incredible blessing of those that have placed their trust and live in dependence upon the Lord in the good times will also see His protection over them in the bad times. And what they do and how they live will have an eternal impact. But also notice that David speaks to,
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The Provision of the Righteous vv 21-22
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David contrasts the actions of the righteous and unrighteous, particularly in relation to others. When it comes to others, the wicked will borrow and will not repay. One commentator expressed it like this, "This may mean that he is careless about paying back or cannot. But with all his money, why can't he repay? The answer is that he is always over-extended. In his greed for money he speculates. When he loses, he borrows to cover his losses. It's the old story of borrowing from Peter to pay Paul. He builds his empire on credit and then, when reverses come, he grows desperate to prop up his sagging fortunes. Behind the outward veneer of prosperity lies financial chaos."3
But the righteous are different. They show mercy and give. That is, "they are incredibly generous, always finding it more blessed to give than to receive. They have proved that if a believer really wants to give, he will never lack the means to do it."4 Paul put it like this to the church at Corinth (2 Corinthians 9:8), "And God is able to make all grace abound toward you, that you, always having all sufficiency in all things, may have an abundance for every good work."
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David also contrasted the consequences of the righteous and unrighteous as they related to others v 22. In fact, we get a little taste of the beatitudes in the first part of v 22 as David said, "for those blessed by Him shall inherit the earth." Jesus said (Matthew 5:5), "Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth." Who are those that are blessed by the Lord? It's those that have chosen to live righteously! Please understand something here before I go any further. Even righteous living doesn't mean that you will be free from strains and stretches and outright catastrophe. This is anything but health and wealth. What David is sharing here are principles and the long range. Even Job, if you were to take a snap shot of his life when the bottom fell out, you would say that David had missed it. But, as you look at his life in full, you see that what David penned here is true. It's true friend, the righteous shall inherit the earth. And it's just as true that the wicked (those that are cursed by God) will be cut off.
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Whether one is righteous or wicked hinges on their relationship to the Lord. "Those who have been justified by faith are blessed by the Lord; they will possess the land. Those who have refused God's offer of salvation have put themselves in the unenviable position of standing under His curse; they will be destroyed."5 Friend, I want you to understand that you can never give your way to heaven. You can be generous and not be a believer. You can be stagnant in your walk with Christ and be selfish. But you cannot be selfish and be growing. Growing believers are generous believers.
There's a third point that I want you to see,
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The Promise to the Righteous vv 23-26
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I want you to see some promises made to the righteous:
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Ordered steps v 23. A good man is a righteous man and David simply states that his steps are ordered by the Lord; they are established by the Lord on a foundation that is sure. And for the record, it's the way in which the Lord is delighted. Can you say that the Lord is delighted in the direction your life is going right now? If so, that's great reason to worship and give thanks to Him. If not, I'd get in that way which would cause Him to delight in you - NOW!
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Though one may fall, he'll not stay down (a failure) v 24. I often say that there is a difference between failing and failure. Everyone fails from time to time. David says, "Though he fall…." What does that mean? It means that honest mistakes will happen. It means that we are caught off guard and something happens. When the miscue happens, he's not going to be utterly cast down (a failure). Why is this the case? He understands that God is the God of second chances. He realizes that God's saving grace is His sustaining grace and that He will give Him the strength to go at it again. That's the God that we serve! There's another promise,
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Though things may be tight, he won't be found continually begging v 25. This is an incredibly encouraging verse. Here is David expressing a point that he's had a whole lifetime to reflect and review - and it's held true. "I was young, now I'm old, yet I've not seen the righteous forsaken (abandoned, left out, neglected), nor his descendants begging bread." As one black preacher put it, David said, "My hair has turned white… my eye sight has gotten dim… my steps has drawn short…. But guess what? ..... God is still keeping me!"
I want you to understand that David didn't say that he ate the best when everyone else had the worst. He didn't even say that his cupboard didn't get bare. He didn't even say that there were times when he needed someone to give him some assistance until his paycheck came in. But what he is saying is that through every event of his life, he never had even one moment that God didn't take care of him! In fact, he would probably say that in time, what he thought were times when he was given a raw deal, were really the times that God used to grow him up into a more mature man of God. In the testimonies you have heard and will hear, that's a recurring theme! We can trust Him!
That means that we can trust Him with our problems and our praises. We can trust Him with our lives and our loves. We can trust Him with our children and our checkbooks! Even when everything is uncertain, we can still trust Him! We can trust Him with and in everything! What a wonderful promise! But I want you to see one more,
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Children are blessed through the generosity of their parents v 26. Instead of begging, the righteous man is a generous donor and lends frequently. How might this happen? Maybe this explanation will help. "By following God's Word he practices industriousness, thrift and conservation. By working hard, shopping carefully, eliminating waste, and avoiding extravagance, he is able to stretch his funds and thereby to help others who are in need. His descendants become a blessing because they have learned these lessons thoroughly at home and follow them throughout their own lives."6
Most, if not all, parents will say this at one time or another regarding their children, "I want what's best for my children." I agree with you. That's my desire as well. But what I want you to understand is that begins with you living right in this wrong world. Show them what a faithful steward of the Lord Jesus Christ looks like. Do you want your children to grow up and be men and women of integrity? You be a man or woman of integrity. Do you want your children to be pure in their thoughts and deeds? That begins with you living a pure life. Do you want your children experiencing the best that the Lord has to offer? That begins with you living according to the standards of God's Word yourself. You be faithful to our Lord and your children will be impacted by your faithfulness. Do you want your children to have a growing, intimate and incredible relationship with Christ? They'll learn that relationship best from you. Do you have a relationship with Him?
Mom and Dad, what you do today will have a direct bearing on your children - good or bad. The Lord told the people of Israel (Exodus 34:6-7), "The LORD, the LORD God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abounding in goodness and truth, 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."
The challenges to each of this morning are multiple. First, I'm asking every one of you in this room to pray. Pray for/about what?
1. Pray about your walk with Christ. Would it be classified as a righteous walk?
2. Express your desire to the Lord that you want to be known as a righteous person in every part of your life - including the area of stewardship.
3. Pray for what it is that God wants you to do in the What Matters Most capital stewardship campaign. Ask God what He wants you to give over and above what you are already doing. And I invite each of you to come by next Saturday from 6 a.m. to 7 p.m. for a time of praying for you, your family and for others that will be here, that each and every person will understand the importance of their participation in What Matters Most.
4. Pray for your children. And then commit to back up your praying for your children with a godly life.
And there are some that need to respond in other ways this morning.