April 22, 2018 10:30 AM
Rev. Jeremy B. Stopford, Pastor

TODAY’S FUNNY: “Rich Man In Heaven”

A wealthy man died and went to heaven. He was met at the Pearly Gates by Saint Peter who led him down the streets of gold.
They passed mansion after mansion until they came to the very end of the street. Saint Peter stopped the rich man in front of a little shack.
“This belongs to you,” said Saint Peter.
“Why do I get this ugly thing when there are so many mansions I could live in?” the man demanded.
“Well,“ Peter replied, “We did the best we could with the money you sent us!”.

INTRODUCTION: “God is good!”

We often exclaim in a most proud and thankful way when referring to when things are going overwhelmingly great! In fact, the only time the phrase “God is good” appears in our NIV Bibles is right here in Psalm 73:1! It is as if God has an exclusive “in” when it comes to goodness. And we are often on PRAISE ALERT when things are going our way. But what about when everyone else who has no use for God are getting in on the good life? What is the point, then, in following the Lord at all? Ps. 73 tells us! In fact, there are at least 3 words which are the heart of this psalm. Perhaps they are the heart of your following of the Lord, too. PRAYER

#1 “BUT” (184 times in Psalms alone)

Verse 2, Asaph (v.1) says that God is good to Israel, to those who are “pure in heart”. That phrase should sound familiar! In the Sermon on the Mount in what has become known as the “Beatitudes” (or, as Dr. Warren Wiersbe wrote, the “BE-Attitudes”), the Lord Jesus uses this phrase to make an eternal point. Matthew 5:8 says, “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.” They are “blessed” = HAPPY! And the “pure in heart” will see God. How? All the available translations I have access to simply say the pure in heart will see God, except for one translation. Eugene Peterson’s “The Message” is very helpful, “You’re blessed when you get your inside world—your mind and heart—put right. Then you can see God in the outside world.” (the world in which we all live). So Asaph starts this psalm out on a wonderful, lofty, and exuberant high note!

Then comes v. 2, the dreaded “but”: “BUT as for me…”. What happened? The “BUT” forms a contrast from the blessing of seeing God in display in his life, to seeing those who are high-minded and successful, BUT have no use for God in their lives. It’s as if Asaph will soon say, “why bother loving, trusting, worshiping the true God?” Today he would say, “you say you love Jesus as your personal Lord and Savior. You say He died for your sins on the cross. BUT there are many who don’t say they love Jesus – except perhaps to swear – and they are seemingly HAPPY, too! What’s the use?
Is Asaph where you are today? If so, you will find this to be a good psalm!

v. 25-26 Beginning with v. 23, the psalmist has an exclamation of praise! Look at his foundational verses (vs. 23-24). Here is an OT passage where the writer has a confidence that God will one day take him to glory. There is no mention here of “works”; there is no mention of “if I do more good deeds than bad deeds, God’s scale of justice will HAVE to go my way.” Rather, Asaph’s entire eternal trust is in the Lord, alone! And note vs. 26: Asaph’s flesh and heart may fail. He may have absolutely no physical, emotional, and mental ground to stand on. BUT God is his strength: literally, that means God is his ROCK – his foundation. Outward circumstances did not matter – Asaph had an internal trust which gave him – what was that in v. 1? – a happy face!

v. 28 But wait, there’s more! Asaph shows that God is a personal God. “As for me” – Asaph has learned that God is not a far off. He is personal. God is near. And because of that, Asaph will tell the whole world!

Eph. 2:4 Read vs. 1-4, a wonderful comparative in contrast to what we were without the Lord Jesus, and what God did to draw us to Himself! He has done that for you! Do you trust Him?

#2 “SURELY” (28 times in Psalms)
v. 1 Truly. No doubt about it! (Message!) What should be of interest to us is that Asaph – under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit – used the word “Elohim” as the name for “God” in verse 1. “Elohim” basically means “strength” or “power”. But also of interest is that “Elohim” is a plural noun. The essence is of a plurality in unity. So the Trinity is at action here when He is good to Israel!

v. 13 Asaph is using the same word as found in v. 1. Let’s read it that way: “Truly. No doubt about it!” I have kept my heart pure for empty reasons. Asaph is discouraged as he watches those without God finding happiness, but without God. He is making a declaration based upon his observance of OUTWARD EVIDENCE, but NOT upon the evidence of the heart – which evidence only God can see.

v. 18 And then comes what I call the “banana peel” effect. Asaph realizes that those who have no use for God really don’t have any foundation. Their lives aren’t governed by the eternal, but by the heart which “is deceitful and desperately wicked” (Jeremiah 17:9). They are living on a slope and have no control over their future, nor of their downfall. And that is “truly. No doubt about it!”.
I like the familiar uses: “SURELY goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life. And I WILL dwell in the house of the Lord forever.” (Ps. 23:6)

And, after the Lord Jesus tells His disciples of all time what He wants us to do with our lives – reproduce through the cross and teach all who come our way – He makes this “Truly! No doubt about it” promise: Matt. 28:20b, “And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” Jesus’ presence enables the disciple of Christ to do anything and in any place which Jesus wants the child of God to do! Truly! No doubt about it!

#3 “TILL” v. 17 (11 times in Psalms)
This last word forms the center of the heart of Asaph’s wonderful psalm. He remembers (v.1) his foundation: God is good all the time! But for a brief moment, he takes his eyes off of the foundation and looks at the reality of the world around Him. He looks at people. He looks at their seeming success. He looks at circumstances. He moans. He mourns. Perhaps he even gets angry when he thinks others who have no use for God seemingly are getting it all, and Asaph is getting nothing.

“Till” (v. 17). This, like “but”, is a word of introductory contrast. Read vs. 15-16 before it, and then add “Till”. Till what? Till he sees their final destiny. Their eternity is empty. And if their eternity is empty, what is their present day value as well? EMPTY!

Solomon would use this same imagery in Ecclesiastes when he wrote, “vanity of vanity, all is vanity”. “Vanity” means “emptiness”. So what he is really writing is “emptiness of emptiness, all is emptiness.” What is? The look at life without looking through the eyes of the presence of the living God.

I like what Gen. 32:24 shouts out about Jacob’s change in focus, “So Jacob was left alone, and a man wrestled with him till daybreak.” Jacob later realized he had wrestled with the Captain of the Lord’s armies, the King of kings Himself – even the Lord Jesus. And note that that wrestling had a time limit – daybreak. The wrestlings of our lives will not be forever. They have a purposeful time frame, one which is designed to make us like Christ in character and purpose.

CONCLUSION So, God is good all the time – Really!

BUT have you had a pity party lately, I mean a real deep down boo hoo pity whoa is me party? One that looks at others, sees their successes yet without any use for the living God, and wonder where the goodness of God is? Asaph said, “consider their final destiny”. Then you will shout Truly! No doubt about it! God is good all the time!

Really!

Now, Pray…