A Plea for God's Help

Good morning. As Chris alluded to in his prayer, Jim Franks and I have been at our national

gathering for our church this past week and just got back last night, and so it's our

joy to welcome Jason Tippetts to come and bring God's Word to us this morning. So Jason,

I invite you to come up and join me here. Jason has been a pastor here in Colorado Springs

in our city for many years at one of our sister churches, Westside Presbyterian Church, and

has just recently begun a transition away from Westside to begin a new church plant in Buena

Vista, Colorado. And so we're excited for Jason as he begins to continue the work that we love,

which is to expand the gospel here in Colorado. And so thank you, Jason, and welcome. Thank you.

It's okay if I move this? If you said no, I didn't hear you. Well, thank you for allowing me the

privilege to—is this on? It is okay. It's a new place. I can't ever tell, and everything's

distracting to me, okay? So you might have to be a little gracious. It's really—it's great to be

here this morning. I know a lot of guest pastors say that. I mean it. I'm not sure if they do, but

I have been—we—your church has allowed us as Westside to use your building for several things,

so I've been here doing a funeral for ordination service, been here for Presbytery. I was with you

for your Good Friday service. This is the first time I've been here on a Sunday morning, so it is

really great to be here, and it's wonderful to join in other communities and worship and just see the

differences and take joy in the differences. This morning, we're going to look at Psalm 4. So if you

have your Bibles, I encourage you to turn there. God, in His good mercy and kindness, put Psalm 4 in the

easy place to find, right before Psalm 3 and Psalm 5. So if you can find those two, it just like turn a

little page. There's a couple pages. It's right there. Sorry. This morning in this Psalm, this Psalm has to do

with suffering, and as you and I have lived in this world, we know that suffering is everywhere.

Specifically in this Psalm, it's the suffering of really of David being slandered by the people

around him. There's no historical story that we know. This is exactly when this happened. Like in Psalm 3,

when Psalm 3 is about when David was fleeing from Absalom. This one here is just general. David feels

discouraged and despair because he has been slandered. And there's something about a love-hate relationship

we have with slander. At some level, we hate it because we hate to be slandered, but then if we're

really honest, we understand at some other level, we enjoy slandering other people because it brings us

some comfort, sadly. And so sometimes we do that for comfort. But let's look at this Psalm together.

Psalm 4, let me read this.

Answer me when I call, O God of my righteousness. You have given me relief when I was in distress.

Be gracious to me and hear my prayer. O men, how long shall my honor be turned into shame?

How long will you love vain words and seek after lies? Selah.

But know that the Lord has set apart the godly for himself.

The Lord hears when I call to him. Be angry and do not sin. Ponder in your own hearts,

on your beds, and be silent. Selah.

Offer right sacrifices. Put your trust in the Lord. There are many who say,

who will show us some good? Lift up the light of your face upon us, O Lord. You have put more joy

in my heart than they have when their grain and wine abound. In peace I both lie down and sleep.

For you alone, O Lord, make me dwell in safety.

In this Psalm, there's really a simple structure of David pleading for God's help.

David addresses his enemies who are slandering him and being very hurtful to him.

And then there's the expression of David's security in God.

We'll begin with the beginning. David pleading for God's help.

Have you, what was the place like in your life where you pleaded for God's help?

When you knew there was really nothing you could do besides trust in God's goodness and his character

and his promises. As David begins in the Psalm, we see this progression of him pleading.

And at the end, he finds comfort.

David boldly goes before God and pleads for God to answer for two reasons.

Because God is the God of his righteousness.

It says, God of my righteousness.

And he gives relief and grace.

Our struggle many times comes when we have this great, wonderful painting of the relief we want God to give us.

And the grace we want God to give us to relieve us of whatever burden or struggle we are in.

And we're probably very polite and we tell God, if you do this, if you give me this temporary thing,

everything's going to be better. I'll find some comfort.

So God, if you would just fix this, it would be okay.

But that's not at all what David is doing in the Psalm.

Because we see where he lands is not a place of him saying,

God, thank you for killing everyone who hates me.

Now life will be pleasant.

But he lands at a place of finding joy and peace in God above all things.

And David is very bold as he calls upon God.

God of my righteousness.

We all have different terms we're called.

If you have children and you're a parent, you're called father or mother.

If you are an aunt, you're called an aunt.

If you have these other names that you know, when you hear that name, you listen in a certain way.

When that human is pleading with you.

We have several kids in our neighborhood.

And the first day we met one of these little kids, I told him my name was Superman.

So for the last year, he calls me Superman.

And so one, it just helps me feel like I'm a, like every day I just feel a little bit better.

But it's, I know when he's calling out Superman, I know who he means.

So David here is calling on, he says, the God of my righteousness.

David is claiming what God has promised.

God has promised righteousness.

Which really, we see the whole Bible, we see it's Christ.

That's the real promise.

David is not saying, God, I'm calling on you because I am righteous.

He is claiming God's righteousness because God has graciously extended his righteousness

and put David in a place of the family of God where David can receive comfort and peace and joy and rest

in a way that does not mean that his temporary circumstances are changed.

But in the midst of his circumstances of being slandered and hated by people,

there is still peace and rest.

David is not claiming that he has done good and he's not claiming to try to leverage his goodness

toward God to make God do something.

Because as much as we really want to believe the gospel, like the free grace of God,

that you are embraced more by God than you can ever, ever understand,

and you cannot be any more loved by God.

As much as we want to believe that, there's a part of us that is always thinking,

well, if I'm more obedient, God will bless me more.

And sometimes it's hidden deep.

Sometimes we're just really clear about it.

And we just get angry.

Because we're slandered or we suffer.

And our thought is, God, how could you do this to me?

God calls us to plead to him.

And part of pleading is being honest.

And it's being honest with that economy that you secretly have in your heart toward God.

Thinking, if I just do all these things right,

I can really experience heaven on earth and I'll get all the blessings I would ever want here.

But that's not God's promise.

God's promise is, when you are slandered,

when you are hurt,

when you grieve,

when you are broken,

God meets you.

So the psalm begins with David pleading,

and then God addresses his enemies.

David appeals to his enemies,

really for their good sense.

He's almost saying,

will you please stop?

Do you not know what you're doing?

It's hurtful.

It's destructive.

And in a way, he's pleading for them to stop.

He's pleading for their general good understanding of humanity.

Basically, let's just be fair to each other.

Can you stop?

He's asking them to be mature.

But David is confident that God will answer him when he calls,

because the Lord has set apart the godly for himself.

The Lord has set apart the godly for himself.

Which means,

if you trust in Christ,

God has you.

It does not mean you will not suffer.

It means in the midst of your suffering,

you can be convinced that God holds you,

and he will never let you go.

Even when you are being slandered.

But in the same way,

you are gods,

because of the work of Christ,

even when you slander others.

Because sadly,

we still have this sinful, selfish part of us.

Even us who are resting in Christ,

and we are hurt,

and our first thought is,

I'm going to hurt back,

and then it's fair.

Because that's the old economy we really like.

And that's how we treat God in the gospel.

But that's not how God treats us.

We've all been there.

Someone slanders you,

and you slander them back.

I'm sure you do it more politely,

more tactfully maybe,

more maturely,

or what we do,

is we have these fantasy arguments in our head.

Where we,

someone has slandered and hurt us,

and we have this fantasy argument in our head with them.

You know what's amazing in these?

You always win.

Don't you?

Like never at any point

have you had those fantasy arguments,

and you're like,

oh, they got me.

It's more hurt.

But in the fantasy argument,

it is us extending hurt.

You hurt me,

I'll hurt you.

What David is doing here as he is slanders,

he is pleading to God

that God would deal with his enemies.

But what God does

is God deals with David.

God matures David

through this process.

We don't have access to what God did with those enemies,

how God answered this plea.

We don't have an answer to that.

But we do know that God dealt with David.

I remember over 20 years ago,

I worked at a camp here in the mountains

during the summers in college,

and one of the things

they said over and over and over

was talk to and not about.

Talk to and not about.

That's one way that helps

when there is conflict,

when there is slander,

is talk to and not about.

It doesn't mean

when you talk to the person,

your fantasy argument

is going to actually happen

and that person is going to be shut down.

What happens in that,

if you do talk to and not about

and you deal with it in a biblical way,

is you're giving God,

allowing God this great opportunity

because you are following the pattern

of how to deal with conflict and hurt.

After David has introduced God

as righteous and gracious,

he is showing that people

fall into really only two categories.

There's either,

you are either receiver of God's grace

or you are a seeker of this world.

It's just a summary of the two categories

of where people fall in this world.

And David goes on in verse four

and he says,

be angry and do not sin.

Ponder in your hearts

and on your beds

and be silent.

Another way to translate this,

which I think fits better

and I'm not the only person

to think that.

Other commentators think that

and I might even have a footnote

in your Bible

that the word,

where it says be angry,

it's also translated tremble.

And it uses this

in Psalm 18 verse seven.

So if you read it that way,

tremble and do not sin.

Ponder in your hearts

and on your beds

and be silent.

What is David calling

his enemies here to do?

To tremble,

to ponder in their heart

while they're in their bed

and to be silent.

I think that's really good advice

for all of us

to have time where we separate

and we ponder.

We live in such

a distracted world

that we don't think

this is worthwhile time anymore.

If someone is to say,

all right,

next week you need to have

three hours

where you just rest.

You're not on your phone,

you're not reading a book,

you go for a walk

and you're just really

wasting time.

That's what we call it

as Americans.

You're just wasting time,

you're not being productive.

For many of us,

it's just frustrating

and it's hard.

There's a book I'm reading

and I say that very liberally.

I think I've had this book

for six weeks

and I'm in chapter three,

but it's really good, okay?

But I did open it recently.

It is called

Disruptive Witness

and it talks about

as Christians,

as the people

and family of God,

what we want

and we see it

in the Great Commission

is we want people

to know Christ.

We want people

who don't know Jesus

to be introduced to Jesus

and to grow in

what it means

to walk with Jesus.

That's one of the things

we really want.

But what happens is

when we're communicating

the gospel,

we're communicating it

in a way

that we assume

that everyone thinks

deep and thick

about this world.

That we all spend time

pondering the question,

why are we here?

But what happens is

many people in this world,

they don't ask that question.

I was talking to a friend recently

and he works in real estate

and he was asking someone

in his office,

he asked them,

what do you think it means

to live in the fullness

of your humanity?

And the person's office

was like,

what?

It doesn't make any sense.

But as Christians,

we are called

to live thick lives.

Our struggle is

we many times

choose really thin lives.

and the thinness

of our life is

you hurt me,

I'll hurt you.

You slander me,

I will slander you.

It's the thinness

of life.

But we're called

to live thick lives

built on a completely

different foundation.

So we are to ponder,

to stop,

and to wrestle

with the claims of God.

But we are too distracted

to make the time

to do that.

You're in your car,

what do you do?

Turn the radio on.

Everywhere we go,

there's music.

I'm not a big music fan.

So I like to turn music off

and just have it be quiet.

But I have four kids,

another on the way.

Sometimes I do want

to turn it up

because it's just quieter.

We're all listening

to the same thing.

But we don't spend

a lot of time

pondering.

And maybe that is

a step you could take

to live a thick life

in the midst

of your suffering.

that you take time

to ponder.

That you take time

to think.

That you take time

with God's word.

And not stick to your

read the Bible

in a year plan

where you're plowing

through stuff

so at the end of the year

you can check the box.

But take time

and take something small

from scripture

and ponder

and meditate

on the good things

of God.

Sit in the beauty

of his creation.

Aim to live

a thick,

deep life.

Because when we aim

for that,

for the richness

of life,

when there is suffering,

when there is slander,

when there is hurt,

we are equipped

to deal with that

much better

than if we just

live a thin life.

And try to do

everything we can.

There is this

fascination

in our culture

with the next

thing.

And I think

that is why

we don't,

that is why I don't

sit and ponder

more.

Because I am too

focused

on what is

the next thing.

And what do I

need to do

to accomplish

that next thing?

Instead of sitting

and resting

to have time

to ponder.

So verse 4,

be angry

and do not sin.

Again,

tremble

and do not sin.

Ponder

in your own hearts

on your beds

and be silent.

And this does not

mean that you

lay in your bed

and tweak

your fantasy

argument

to really

attack the other

person.

It is that you

sit

and you remember

God's goodness

to you.

And who you are

as a child

of God.

And the blessings

that you have

that can never

be taken away

no matter what

anyone

says about you.

even in the

midst of real

suffering,

of slander,

of hurt,

but in your

grief,

remembering God's

promise that he

will never leave

you nor forsake

you.

That is what

adds to the

richness

of our life.

life.

But our

tendency is to

live this

thin,

reactionary

life.

And as

you,

as we grow

as people,

we begin to

realize that

our retaliation,

our reaction

in slander

or anger

never ever

accomplishes the

peace that we

want.

Never.

But there's

something about

anger as a

feeling that I

think it's one

of the most

desired,

like reactionary

feelings.

Because there's

something about

anger that we

feel in control.

So when someone

hurts you or

slanders you,

when you are

walking through

suffering,

understand you

have a choice.

You can go down

the path of

anger,

which feels

much better

than the

other one.

Because you

feel in

control,

you feel

powerful,

you feel

like you

are the

only person

that's just.

The other

avenue is to

feel brokenness.

Which part of

brokenness feels

out of control.

In some way it

feels more

hurtful.

In some ways it

feels like this

open pit that

you could

step into and

you feel like

you could never

ever come out.

But if we

choose the path

of brokenness,

then we see in

scripture who is

God near to?

The broken

hearted.

It doesn't say

in the Bible

God is near to

those who are

angry and

retaliate well.

It is God is

near to the

broken hearted.

So when you

are slandered,

feel the

brokenness of

that.

Feel the

brokenness with

the thickness

of life

that God will

never leave

you nor

forsake you.

Because you

can be broken

not only of

the sin of

being slandered,

you can feel the

brokenness of the

one who slandered

you and the

state that their

life is in.

And then David

commands his

enemies, offer

right sacrifices

and trust in the

Lord.

He is calling his

enemies to

come and know

the goodness of

God.

Offer right

sacrifices.

A part of that

is confession

and repentance.

repentance.

Returning to

a right

relationship with

God where

God would

become their

righteousness.

Because it is

only by faith

that we receive

his

righteousness.

It's not being

more righteous.

And even the

worst enemy of

God can receive

his righteousness.

So that

opportunity,

that situation

like this one

when David

is being

slandered

against,

just like this

situation that

you may be in

now or maybe a

close memory in

your mind where

you are slandered,

it is an

opportunity for

someone to

understand the

mercy and grace

of God.

But if you

choose anger

and retaliation,

you are doing

opposite of

what that

opportunity could

open.

David's view

of his

enemies

changes in

the psalm.

He wants

them to know

the path

of life.

And I think

that's where

we can see

God working

in our heart

in those

situations.

situations.

And I

think we've

all been

there where,

again,

you have been

hurt and you

just want to

retaliate and

squish that

person.

But your

heart grows

more in the

direction of

brokenness.

grace.

And you

begin to have

compassion on

that person.

We see there,

that's a great

growth and

maturity in

life and

understanding

relationships.

God,

David wants

them to

receive God's

grace.

grace.

There's a way

of receiving

relief when

we are in

distress.

There's a way

to grow in

confidence in

our creator and

redeemer when

we are in

hurt.

It is the way

of grace.

We all want

to be heard.

We all want

to have peace.

We all want

to have rest.

But this

psalm shows

us it is

not, those

are not

circumstantial

things.

To have

peace and

rest and

joy are

not based on

what is

presently going

on in your

life.

If they

are, you

are choosing

the thin

life.

The thick

life.

is

understanding

that only

that joy

and peace

and comfort

comes in

understanding

God's

promises.

So what

does God

provide in

the midst

of suffering

that nothing

else provides?

what is

there in

how God

relates to

humanity

that is

drastically

different than

anything else

this world

provides that

they would

call peace?

Things this

world provides

that are called

peace may be

a gated

community,

may be a

better security

system,

may be kids

that are

well-educated

and productive

members of

society.

We could

say that

would bring

a level

of peace

but that's

not at

all the

peace that

David is

talking about.

David ends

this,

so you have

put more

joy in

my heart

than they

have when

their grain

and wine

abound.

In peace

I both

lie down

and sleep

for you

alone,

O Lord,

make me

dwell in

safety.

I think

the general

nature of

the psalm

helps us

to implant

this in

our own

life.

When we

read Psalm

3,

David fleeing

from Absalom,

there's something

of history

where we

think like,

I don't

really know

what to do

with this.

Someone's

chasing me,

someone's

really not

chasing me

right now.

Well,

here,

there's this

general,

you are

slandered,

you are

in despair,

you are

hurt,

you do

not know

what to

do.

Where is

your comfort?

Your comfort

is in

Christ

alone.

But it's

taking those

steps to

live a

thick

life.

In this

Psalm,

there's no

answer given

to the

oppression

that David

is going

through.

There's no

answer given

for the

suffering

of David,

a child

of God.

There's no

answer given

how long

will David

suffer under

this.

No answer

given.

There's no

timeline,

there's no

reason,

and that's

frustrating.

Because when

we suffer,

if we at

least know

why,

then we

feel better.

Don't we?

There's a

part of us

that thinks,

if I know

why I'm

suffering,

I can

take it.

But God,

in his

providence,

many times,

I think

majority of

the time,

does not

give us

reasons for

our

suffering.

suffering.

But as

we understand

psalms like

this, we

see it

helps us to

live a

thick life,

being more

dependent on

Christ for

peace than

we are about

the security

system in our

home, or

how much

money you

have in the

bank.

nothing will

give you the

peace that you

truly long

for.

Nothing in

this world will

give you that.

It is in

Christ alone.

And if you're

here today and

you trust in

Christ, you

probably like me

when I listen to

sermons, I

nod like,

yeah, I

believe that.

Yeah, that's

probably true.

And then I

walk out the

door, and I

live my life, and

I get frazzled by

crazy things, and

I begin to live

with a whole

different economy

than the

gospel.

There is no

greater peace

than knowing

Christ.

And this is

something we have

to remind

ourselves of

every single

day.

And that's one

reason why we're

all here this

morning, is we

understand,

we need to be

together as

God's people.

And we need to

be reminded of

what is true,

because we

slowly start to

build our own

economy of how

do I earn

peace, how do I

earn joy, how do I

earn significance, how

do I stay away from

slander, how do I

hurt people who

hurt me the best

way I can.

you have put more

joy in my heart than

they have when

their grain and

wine abound.

It truly makes no

sense that David is

being slandered and

hurt.

hurt.

And he says, God, I

have more joy in my

heart than if I was

the wealthiest man in

this nation.

That is how, that is

what it means to walk

closely with Jesus.

when you can say, that

is all I have.

That is the only joy,

the deep, thick joy

that I have.

Now, there is joy in

a nice, hot cup of

coffee in the morning,

a beautiful sunset, a

hug from your family.

Those are truly joyful

things.

But it is not the joy

that David is trying to

root himself in.

In peace I both lie

down and sleep.

For you alone, O Lord,

make me dwell in

safety.

Sleeping is one of the

most vulnerable things

we do as people.

Isn't it shocking that

we live through our

day, like we do

whatever, all the

activity, we eat, and

then it comes nighttime,

like bedtime, like

seven.

And I may be getting

old.

7 p.m., and what do

we do?

We close our eyes, and

we sleep.

The most vulnerable

thing.

It's also fascinating,

animals do the same

thing.

They don't go to bed

at 7, but we sleep.

Who cares for us in our

sleep?

God does.

Every single night, you

go to sleep, and you

wake up the next day.

And I know you have

because you're here.

You went through that

vulnerable time.

You probably weren't

even stressed about it.

And here you are.

And that's a small

picture of God's

goodness.

God takes care of

his people.

And the great thing

is, the greater thing

than that is, if we

were to go to sleep and

not wake up the next

day, we are in the

presence of God, in the

fullness of joy.

And we have missed out

on nothing.

God is the only

being who truly

provides the joy that

you long for.

I encourage you to

live a life of

thickness.

Ponder and meditate

and rest in God's

goodness.

Because when turmoil

and suffering come,

and they will to all

of us, you will have

a thickness in your

life.

And you'll remember

that it is God who

really, truly cares

for you.

Won't you pray with

me?

Most gracious God,

we thank you that we

are here this morning.

We thank you that your

promises are true.

And God, we also

admit that we come to

you in such weak

faith.

We come to you and

want to distort the

grace you extend to

us.

And we pray that we

would not only know

your forgiveness, we

would experience it, and

you would increase our

faith.

That we would see the

beauty of knowing you

are the one who gives

us true joy, even

when we are on the

sharp end of

slander.

You are good, you

are faithful.

In Jesus' name we

pray.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.