Psalm 73

That you are here with us, if you have your bibles, if you'll

turn with me to some seventy three p. Seventy three this morning. Have

you ever had a time where you almost slipped, you almost fell. Just

the other day, we were in Brandy's parents house and I was to have

a kind of a screened in back porch and I was kind of in the

back of the house and the screened in porch and have like two or three

steps from the screen room porch going back into the house. And I was

walking up those steps and actually the whole family, where I think, was

in the back and they were all sitting in the chairs watching TV. And

I just for some reason just took the step wrong. I kind of stepped

the wrong way and almost fell. I was actually falling back from the steps,

and they were all watching me. It's kind of like slow motion.

And I did fall back, but I caught myself, but I almost fell.

I mean it was very close to see other Sunday I was here and

I think I was walking around the little bit and I almost slipping on a

cord. If every time that you've almost fell, maybe you had some shoes

on that you were a little too slow, and you're almost fell by.

I want you to think about physically you may have done that, but spiritually,

spiritually, has there ever been a time in your faith that you almost

slipped, You almost fell away from the Lord, You almost fell away from

your faith, you almost turned away from your faith. Well, today,

as we come to this Psalm Psalm seventy three, the Psalmist writes and confesses

of a time that he almost slipped, and not physically, hear a spiritual

slip, that he almost slipped away from the Lord. Now there may be

a time for you today, and you may think, as I told you

that as we started this morning, you may have thought of a time and

maybe nobody knows in this room how you almost gave into something, how you

almost slipped, you almost felled spiritually in a huge way. No one in

this room even knows that that almost happened. And you would have been petrified,

or you would have been horrified if someone would know how you almost fail.

Well today, in Psalm seventy three, the Psalmist doesn't it is not

he doesn't keep it secret. Today, he actually confesses how he almost failed.

As you come to Psalms, as we've been doing a series in psalms

over this last month, and we come to our last one today, Psalm

seventy three. There's different there's seven different types of psalms. So there's hymns,

there's messianic psalms, as we just mentioned earlier. But as you come

there's there's like I said, there's hymns, there's there's all these different types.

But one type of psalm is a psalm of wisdom, and wisdom psalms

are psalms that in these psalms they gives observations of life. They talk about

especially how man and man's relationship with God. And as we come to Psalm

seventy three, asp is the writer here. If you were reading, if

you hope that you're a part of our Bible reading plan, we have an

app if you want to look, and I encourage you to check that out.

We have an app for our church, but Test the Baptist Church,

and so you can go in your Google Player, Apple, whatever it is,

and you can find that app, and we have a Bible reading plan

in that app. And if you were following on this week, we read

actually First Chronicles sixteen, and First Chronicle sixteen tells us that David, the

King appointed levites to lead and worship. And these levites, some were choir

directors. In the very head scripture would tell us in First Chronicles sixteen seven

in Tuesdays reading, actually that David appointed first, he appointed Asof, and

Asof was the chief. He was a chief choir director. He was chief

worship leader. And in First Chronicles sixteen thirty seven says, so David left

Asof and his brothers before the ark of the Covenant of the Lord, to

minister regularly before the arc each day. So every day Asub was the choir

director, he was a leader of worship. He led Israel in worship,

He led Israel in caring for the ark of the Covenant. He commanded from

David. David commanded him to lead the congregation, to invoke, to lead

a congregation and songs of praise and thanksgiving. So this is a ministry leader,

This is a worship leader. And this worship leader in Psalm seventy three

confesses how he as even as a worship leader, even as a man of

God, even as a levite, even as from the tribe of priest.

You're a priest, a levi at a worship leader, says, you know,

I almost slipped, almost felt And here he describes how he almost spiritually

slipped. You know, Asip today in this passage, wants you. He

confesses today, he tells you, and you and I his struggles today because

today, in this psalm, he wants you and I to identify with his

struggles. You know, sometimes as we come to church, we kind of

put on these masquerades that we've got it all together spiritually, I've got it

all together. And Asip wants to let that guard down. He wants you

to see, as a worship leader, there's times that even I as a

priest, even as a pastor, I've struggled. And these are the struggles

that I have had. And today he wants you to see his struggles.

He wants to identify the struggles. And today he wants you to see in

the midst of his struggles the goodness of God. He wants you to see

in the midst of his struggles, in the midst of him almost slipping.

He wants you to see what kept him from falling. I called myself this

week, Asip wants to show you what kept him from falling. So let's

read this Passage's beautiful Psalm of wisdom. He writes about thirteen different psalms in

scripture. This is the very first one of years about I think twelve,

Starting verses seventy three, he goes on all the way to eighty three.

I think is are written by Aceps. So let's read this together. So

long psalm. Hang in with me, because I think it's very important for

you to see it as a whole. Say, let's stand on, listen,

read God's word together. This is the word of the Lord's Psalm seventy

three, a psalm of Aceth, starting a first one, and listen the

way he says. Truly, God is good to Israel, to those who

are pure in heart. But as for me, my feet almost stumbled,

my steps nearly slipped for hours, envious over the arrogant, and when I

saw the prosperity of the wicked, for they had no pangs until death.

Their bodies are flat, fat and sleek. They're not in trouble as others

are. They're not stricken like the rest of mankind. Therefore, pride is

their necklace, and violence covers them as a garment. Their eyes swell out

through fatness, and their hearts overflow with follies. They scoff and they speak

with malice lawfully, they threaten oppression. They set their mouths against the heavens.

Their tongues struck through the earth. Therefore his people turned back to them,

and find no fault in them. They say, how can God know?

Is their knowledge in the most high? But these are the wicked,

always at ease, and they increase in riches. Verse thirteen, he says,

all in vain, I have kept my heart clean. I washed my

hands in innocence, And for all the day long I've been stricken, we

rebuked every morning, And as if I will speak thus, I would have

betrayed this generation of your children. But when I thought of how to understand

this, it seemed to be a weirdisome task. Until I went into the

sanctuary of God. Then to I discern their end. Truly, you set

them in slippery places, and you make them fall into ruin. How they

are destroyed in a moment, swept away utterly by terrors like a dream.

When one awakes, Old Lord, when you rouse yourself, you despise them

as phantoms. When my soul was embittered, when I was pricked in the

heart. I was brutus and ignorant. I was like a beast towards you.

Nevertheless, I'm continually with you. You hold my right hand, You

guide me with your counsel, and afterwards you will receive me with glory whom

I whom have I in heaven but you, And there is nothing on earth

that I desire beside you. My flesh and my heart may fail, But

God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever. For behold,

those who are far from you shall perish, and to put it into everyone

who is unfaithful to you. But for me it is good to be getting

near to God. I've made the Lord my refuge that I might tell of

all of your works. Let's pray together. Father, I thank you Lord

for today, or I pray today as we look into the confession of Aceph

this morning, as we hear his struggles, as we see how he confesses,

how he almost slips, and God, well we see your goodness and

how God you kept him from failing. Today, Lord, I pray today

that we as believers as or maybe here as those who are watching or listening

today may be unbelievers. God, today I might I pray that we might

hear your word. And God, I pray today that you would speak.

Lord. Do we come together as a body of believers and one accord,

and that's to hear you God today, not hear me. And so God,

I pray you would speak. Lord. You know today how much I

need you, how much I need your strength. Lord, how much I

need you to feel me that you might pour me out. So Father,

may I decrease it, May you increase. God, May you feel me

that you might pour me out? And God, may the words that I

declare not be my own but would be yours. Lord. So Lord speak

through me today. Lord, I need you. Lord, We need you

today. God give it hearts to hear, and minds and actions to obey

and respond the Lord to you. Lord, may your spirit work in and

through us today. In your name, we pray, Amen, you may

be seated as Ace of starts this psalm, he really starts with two confessions.

Again, he's again, this is what the whole song is about.

Here's a worship leader and he's he's writing this psalm as a salm of wisdom

to kind of just say hey, as a as a worship leader, this

is what I've struggled with. This is something I struggle with the past,

and I want you to see what I struggled with and how God help me,

how God kept me from falling. And so he kind of starts out

with this confession. He says in verse verse one of this Psalms, he

says, truly, God is good to Israel. It's the first confession here.

He just starts out, God is good. It's kind of the song

that we just saying the goodness of God. God, You've been faithful,

right, And he says these words. Just listen, Truly God is good.

He's good to Israel, to those who are pure in heart. He

just starts by just making a first statement before I start. We just say

God is good to those God is good to his people, and God is

good to those who are pure in heart. And then he he gives a

confession, talks confesses firstly about God. His second confession is about himself.

And listen to what he says a verse two. But as for me,

listen what he says. But as for me, my feet almost stumbled,

my steps have nearly slipped. He he says, God is good, but

man is unsteady. Asap as I said, as a worship leader, and

he's saying, listen, I am in charge. David appointed me as a

priest, as a Levi to lead in worship. I daily has to lead

people to sing songs of praise, to say Hallelujah to the Lord, to

leave people daily to get thanksgiving to the Lord, leading them to worship the

Lord. And I'm telling you, as a worship leader, I'm unsteady as

that song says, and I've told you for it is one of my favorite

bed own vision. Prone to wonder Lord, I feel proem to believe the

God I love. Asip says, God is good. But I'll tell you

I'm understanding. I struggle. And so then he starts confessing what he struggled

with. And listen what he says. In verse three, he confesses and

the title of my sermon today is is foolish envy and God's Goodness? For

Asip his struggles with envy, and this is what he says. I want

you to see the things that he the envy that he struggles with. And

he confesses this to you, to you, and I he says, for

I was envious of the arrogant when I saw the prosperity of the wicked was

the first part of the envy that he struggles with. He struggles with envy

of others. And as you come to this passage of scripture broken into three

different sections, and as he starts describing his confession, it actually starts with

talking about what he sees in others. Actually the pronoun from verse three on

to twelve, or actually verse four to twelve, he uses the word.

He uses the pronoun day day day. He's talking about others constantly, and

then you'll see it starts changing later on. But his eyes, his eyes

are on others, what's happening to others, what others have in their life,

And that's his struggle. He struggles with envy. God, these others

have things that I don't. He is envious of those. And so this

first envy he struggles with is that envy. He seeks temporal success and freedom,

and that is envy, right. Envy seeks temporal success, temporal success

in this life. Envy seeks temporal freedom, right, freedom of consequences of

sin. And that's what he describes here. He says in verse three four

hours envious of the arrogant. When I saw the prosperity of the wicked.

This is the imagery the prosperity, the wicked prosper And this is what he

says. For they have no pains until death. Their bodies are fat and

sleep. They are not in trouble as others are. They are not stricken

like the rest of mankind. Therefore, pride is their necklace, and violence

covers them as a garland. Their eyes swell through fat and theirs. Their

hearts overflows with follies. They scoff and they speak out malice. They're lowfully,

and they threaten depression. They set their mouths against heavens. Their tongues

struck through the earth. Therefore people, therefore His people turned back to them,

and they find no fault in them. And they say, how can

God know? Is their knowledge in the most high imagery? He says,

what is it looking at all? These? Are they? They? They

look at verse five, You could see their verse seven eight they verse nine.

Day it's he's looking at the prosperity of the wicked in this earth,

in this world, and and acephis saying, I struggle, I struggle with

what the wicked of this world and how they prosper and listen what he says.

They very first thing, he says, they don't have any trouble.

Verse four says, listen to what says For they have no pains until death,

and their bodies are fat and sleek, that they don't have any troubles.

It seems like everything goes well for them. This imagery for trouble in

verse five, for they are not in trouble, is the word actually for

burden or toil in scripture, that term burden or toil it's actually used for

the burden or toil of work. It means what someone does for a way

of life. It's what someone does in order to provide for their family.

So if you take that imagery of verse five, they are not in trouble

as others are, it means they don't have aving trouble with finances. Man,

they don't struggle with providing for their family and having what they need for

this life. They don't have being trouble with death and pains or sickness.

But they don't have trouble with their finances and getting what they need for this

life. It seems like everything comes easy for them with their health, and

everything comes with easy for them with their finances. They don't struggle with the

burdens that common people struggle with. They're successful, they're not striking like the

rest of mankind. They don't have any struggle struggle. But also verse six

through eleven, it seems like they're free from consequences of sin. It seems

like they're get away with the things that they do. They live sinful lives,

and they're not consequences to their sin. They don't have consequences and their

health because of their sin. It doesn't seem like their sin is giving consequences

to their causing a burden for them financial. It seems like there there's no

consequences for their sins and all Verse sixties says therefore, pride is their necklace.

The idea for a necklace was a token to dignity in Scripture. The

dignity for these, the evil for the wicked, is their pride and their

self importance. Their their dignity is in themselves. Verse seven says that their

eyes swell swell through fatness, and their hearts overflow with follies. The idea

is in their hearts constantly or scheming and plotting and planning more and more evil

Scripture says that the height of their simple nature is Verse eleven, The Bible

says, and they say, how can God know? And there's and there's

not, and is their knowledge and the most high the height of theess wickedness

of this world, as they say, really, does God really know what

I'm doing? And listen to me? Verse eleven says, and does God

even know? And want God even do anything about it? The height of

their pride and their arrogance is a scoff at God, God, you don't

really know or care what I'm doing, and God, you won't do anything

about it? And he says a success I struggle. I struggle with envy.

And the envy that I struggle with is that our world and the people

of our world seem that they have success and seems like they don't have consequences

to their sins. He know, one struggles with envy of their success and

their lack and their freedom, with freedom of consequences of sin. And by

the way, this is our world that we live in right today? You

say it's not so today today. The number two best seller on New York

Times is a book by Britney Spears, The Woman in Me and in that

book, just like asif a musician confesses to her past. And in that

book she confesses that she was dating a boy named Justin Timbernake, and she

got pregnant at a very young age, and how he told her that he

didn't want the baby, so she had an abortion in her home. And

our world today celebrates her. We see her young people idolize I mean followers

that she have on Instagram and Twitter. People are buying her books. She's

the second best seller today. And our world looks to people, and our

world, with our celebrities and the world that we live in, we idolize

people who are full of evil, and in our world we look up to

them and we look to the assassins they have. We look to like they

don't get away, and we think that happiness is in these things that they

have. We think happiness is in these temporal things that they have, because

it's flaunted before our eyes every day of the week. And can I say

to you today, people here who are listening, it was not only a

struggle that you and I and I think our students particular in Instagram and Twitter

and TikTok and the music videos and all it's constantly put before your eyes to

seek the temporal successes of this world, to seek the temporal happiness of sin

and pride and self importance and doing what I want or doing what I contrive

in my heart and ace have said, struggled because I want to give it

into my own cravings. I want to give into my own successes. And

I see that others are doing it and they're getting away with it. I

caution you today to know that that was a temptation that was for Asa,

and that's still a temptation for us today. And if we lived in ignorance

and blindness to think that our world is not trying to attract us with that,

with the things that we see on our TV or we see on social

media, we're living in We're living a lie. We're living to not denial,

because reality is that is what the world is trying to entice us with.

And that's why Britney Spears's book is number two today. Secondly, what

you see he says, I was tempted. I almost slipped because I envied

the temporal successes and freedom of the wicked. Almost slipped because I sought temporary

comparisons. You see envying always seeks temporal successes and freedom, but envy also

seeks temporal comparisons. Look at verses four through twelve. The subject is day

day, day, day day. You know what he's doing. He's looking

out, he's watching the news, he's watching the TV. He's looking at

the commercials, he's reading the books. He see the popular of the world,

he see the wickedness of the world. And he's looking at them.

He's like, they've got all these things. Man, they're just getting away

with it. They're living life. They're living on top of the world.

They have it all, and it seems like they're sleep they're having no trouble.

They're not having the troubles that I'm having. They've got it all together.

And then in verse four thirteen, you know what he does. He's

looked for he's envied them. He's looked at their temporal successes. He's looked

how they're temporarily looks like they're getting away freedom from the consequences of sin.

And then the next section is this and this is very important because this is

really important for you and I. You know what he does, he starts

looking himself. Look what happens here in verse thirteen, he says. He

says, all in vain, I have kept my heart clean. Listen that

it's me, and I have washed my hands in innocence. For all day

long I have been I've been stricting. I've been rebuked every morning. And

if I had said I will speak thus, I would have betrayed this generation

of your children. And verse sues, But when I thought of how to

understand this, it seemed to me a we'resome task for him. He starts,

He's looked at them, and he seems the successes of the world.

He seems the successes of the evil of the world. He seems like they

get away with their sin. And then he looks at himself and he begins

foking his ining on himself. And envy creates a temporal comparison, and that

we look at others and then we compare others to us. What am I

going through? Okay, look at what they've got? Now look at what

I've got? What do I have? And Ace says, what do I

have? I'm stricken. I have troubles. Listen what he says in this

passage of scripture. He says, in verse fourteen, all the day long,

I've been stricken. Every day I have troubles. They have no troubles,

they have no burdens. I have full of troubles. Every day that

I seem like something's new. And only every day that I feel like something's

new, it feels like I'm being rebuked from my I feel like they get

away with their sin. I feel like every day I'm getting rebuked for the

things that I have done. We compare. He even first thing he struggles

with his envy, and this comparison comparing himself to others that he even begins

to doubt is the value of his sanctification. Of verse thirteen, He says,

all in vain, I've kept my heart clean. Is there's any value

of what I'm doing for the Lord? I mean, they're getting away with

it, and they're living in sin, and yet I'm trying to live for

God and I'm being stricken. I'm full of troubles. I feel like every

day it seems like something news coming against me. See doubts the value?

You know? Warden Wersby is a pastor, and he wrote some words about

this passage and about doubt, and I thought he was wise. He says

this about doubt, and he says, there's a difference between doubt and unbelief.

I think this is very important to hear me on this said, difference

between doubt and unbelief, and this is always says the difference between doubt and

unbelief. Doubt comes from a struggle of the mind, while unbelieved comes from

a stubborn will that refuses to surrender to God. Right, so here there's

two different things here. Doubt comes from a struggling mind struggling with the things

of God. Unbelief comes from a stubborn will that refuses to surrender to God.

An unbelieving person will not believe. A doubting persons struggles to believe the

things of God. Here As is not an unbeliever, No, he believes

in God. What is ASU's problem doubts He's doubting the goodness of God.

He's struggling to believe. He's doubting what God has done and the worth of

what he has done for God. I remember a student. I've always remember

this illustration because it's just so vivid in my mind because and I really do

believe many of us feel the same way. I had a student one time

in our youth group and she used to say. She say, Pastor Jonathan,

she says, I just don't I just don't know if it's worth it,

she said. I tell you, she said, the days it seems

like I do my devotions are my worst days. It seems like I get

up and I do my devotions, and it seems like everything it could go

wrong that day will go wrong. But the days that I don't do my

devotions and I don't really try, it seems like everything goes smooth. She

said. So sometimes I just wonder is it really worth it? And I

think the struggle of that young teenager, young in her faith is a struggle

that you and I feel at times. I remember, and I know I've

told you this story before. I remember when we were at I was my

first pastor, I was thirty one years old, and we'd been there just

a year, and and we were here are surrendered, surrendered to a pastor,

surrendered to the ministry, and now leading a church for the very first

time. And not long after being there, Brandy got ill. She got

sick, she got transversal at my alias, and she lost feeling on her

complete of her right side, and she had to learn how to walk again,

and we were questioning at that time when it happened, whether she had

the MS or in what would happen in the future with Brandy. And I

remember we were in the hospital and they were trying to they were doing different

testing and things to try to find out what was going on, and we

didn't know. She couldn't walk at that time, she couldn't really move her

arm and or use her arm. And I remember calling a pastor friend of

mine who had lost his wife to cancer. And I remember outside walking pacing

that sidewalk outside of McLeod Hospital, and I remember just thinking, God,

this doesn't seem fair. It just doesn't seem fair. God, I've seen

years old. I've given my life to ministry, to follow and to serve

you. I've left my family, I've uprooted my family, I've taken them

to serve in different churches, and I've given you my life. And God,

this is what I get my wife being sick. God, it just

doesn't seem fair. I thought, God, if I would do this for

you, then you should take care of me. So God, why am

I strickened? And that is asympt in this passage of scripture. God,

it just seems like they're getting away with everything. And God, I'm trying

to be holy, I'm trying to live for you God, and it doesn't

seem like all I get is trouble. He says in verse four. Listen

what he says. For all the day long, I have been stricken.

I've rebuked every morning God. Why am I I plagued? Why am I

being punished? God? If You're so good? Why am I struggling?

How to have ASoP in the midst of this? How did he not fall?

He even describes in this passive scripture. Look what he says, how

close he got. Verse fifteen says, if I had said I will speak

thus, I would have betrayed the generation your children. He says, you

know what if I would have said, if I'd have given in all those

people who were watching me, following me, and I was supposed to lead

in worship, I would have betrayed them. I would destroyed them. I

would destroyed their faith. He knew that God had called him to lead,

and his failure or him falling, would not only impact him, but he'd

impact a whole group of others who were following him. Can I tell you

just very free of charge in this message. Today, you're falling away from

the Lord. Not only impacts you, but it impacts a lot of other

people. It impacts your family, It impacts other generations after you. You

think you know a pastor today, and I really believe there's people in the

sound of my voice today, and you're struggling with something, you're about to

fall, and you're just about to give in. And you say, you

know what, Pastor, if I give in today, it won't hurt nobody

but me. I can tell you today, that's a lie from the pit

of hell today. If you give in it knowledge is going to destroy you,

but it will destroy your family and others who are watching you today.

So take heed today from the word of God to stand. So, how

you say to me, Pastor, I feel like I'm about to slip.

How do I keep from falling? Well, sure, says as describe what

he did. Now, listen to this boy. This is a good one

right here. This is a good preacher. This is a good word from

the word Lord, from the Lord. Today. Listen what he says verse

He says in verse sixteen. But when I thought how I'd understand this,

it seemed a wearisome task until I went into the sanctuary of God. You

know what he says he did. Man, I was struggling when I was

at my lowest low's and I didn't know what to do. I went to

church. I came into worship. Can I just say very quickly, there's

a lot of conversation today after COVID about online church, and I think the

Lord, there's some today or watching online who cannot physically come here today,

and so they're able to worship. And I thank God that they're able to

worship remotely today and watch TV or online. But there are those today who

can and they decide to stay at home, and I'm telling you out they're

missing out on a source of strength because God has equipped even in the Bible.

In Psalm seventy three, David, I mean, Asub says, how

did I find answers for the struggles of my life? I came to worship.

I came to worship, and I came to hear the word of God.

God used the instrument of his church and worship in his church to lead

us. And that's what happened to asup. Now, want you see what

happens to asup again? You remember this. His first his eyes were on

them, right next his eyes were on him. Now, how does he

find strength? He takes his eyes off of him, He takes his eyes

off himself. And what is he to do? He puts his eyes on

God. And this is what he says. I'm boo, I'm getting excited.

Ye'll better hold on. I may finished preech before twelve. Listen what

it says. He says, the verse seventeen. Until I went into the

sanctuary of God. Then I discerned their end. Truly. You set them

in simpler places, you make them fall into ruin, and how they're destroyed

in a moment, It swept away utterly by terrorists, like a dream when

one awakes. Oh Lord, when you rouse yourself, you despise them as

fountoins. When my soul was embittered, when I was pricked in the heart,

I was brutalsh and ignorant. I was like a beast to you,

he says, First, God, how did I know almost? How did

God you keep me from falling? How did what strength did I find?

He found his first strength in God's justice, in God's forgiveness. You know

he's been looking at them he's been looking at how they've gotten away. He

looks at their successes and how they seem like they're free in this life from

the consequences of sin. And he realized, as I've said before, right

now, that success and that freedom of consequences of sin is listened to me,

it's only temporary. When he goes into worship, he sees God and

he sees his holiness, and he recognized God is just and listen, and

God's time he will judge wickedness. And this is what he describes. He

describes God's judgment over the wickedness of this world. This is what he says.

Truly, you set them in slippery places. Hey, he says,

I almost slipped, I almost fell. He says, listen, there's coming

a day where those who are on top today will go to the bottom.

They're gonna slide and they will fall. And has this is what he describes.

You make them fall into ruin. They are destroyed in a moment.

They're swept away by terrors like a dream when one awakes, Oh Lord,

when you rouse yourself, you despise them as phantoms. Phantoms is like a

ghost that appears for a second, is gone. He says, those who

are on high today will after the judgment of God, we swept away in

a moment. God is just, and today they may the wicked in our

world today may seem that they're getting that they're having no trouble in this life,

and they seem that they're successful, and they seem like they God doesn't

know. They think that God doesn't know their sin. But I'm telling you,

God will arouse one day and God will judge the wickedness of this world.

And the Ace of sees that God right now. Sometimes I envy the

success of this world. It's just temporary. Sometimes I envy that they they

getting away with their sin. But they're getting away is only temporary. There

is consequences for sin, and there's consequences of sin on this life, and

there's consequences sin for eternity. So there's strength in God's justice. And I

love this part. He says, their strength in God's forgiveness. You know,

if you think about this imagery, what's happening for Ace acef has again

the first party was looking at them, them, them, them, Look

at what they've got, Look what I don't have. Look out they don't

have any troubles with their work and providing financially, and I'm having nothing but

trouble. They don't have any trouble with their health. Then I'm having nothing

but trouble with my health. It seems like they're getting away with your sin

and I'm being rebuked every morning. God, it just doesn't seem fair.

And then he first sees God, you are just, and God, you

will judge them. And then he looks at God and he looks at who

God is, and he's just, and that he is fair. So listen

to me today. Many times when we say to God, as I said

that day at the hospital, what we're questioning and what we're doubting is the

goodness of God. But we're doubting the justice of God. Or let's say

it this way of God. God, it doesn't seem fair. Can I

say you what? When he worshiped the Lord, he recognizes in eternity,

listen to me. In eternity we will see say and we will declare,

God, you are just, God, you are fair. The wicked got

what they deserved, and God I was received. I received and said what

not what I deserved, but I got grace, I received forgiveness, and

so God, how do I keep from stumbling? I set my eyes that

you are just and you're forgiven. You remember the passage in Matthew Matthew fourteen

Jesus is the disciples are in the boat and Jesus told them to go ahead

across the sea and that he would catch up. And they're out on the

sea and next thing you know, they see what a ghost or a fan

to him and they said, what is it? What is it out there?

And they oh, it's Jesus, right. And there's one courageous disciple

and his name's Peter right. And Peter says, Jesus, if it's your

will, call me out, then I might come and meet you, right.

And Jesus calls him out, and Peter gets out of the boat right,

and he begins walking, and he's walking toward Jesus. And the Bible

says, in Matthew twenty two, listen to me today, Matthew twenty two,

what happens Peter. Scripture says, he took his eyes off the Lord

and he began what when he saw the wind, he was what he was

afraid and he began to sink. And the Bible says he cried out the

Lord, Oh, Lord, save me. And Jesus reached down and grabbed

him what and lifted him up. And you know what Jesus said to him.

He said these words. Jesus reached out his hand, and he took

him and cried out, Lord, save me, and Jesus mute it.

Reached down, took out his hand, took hold of him, and said

to him, Oh, you of little faith, why did you what doubt?

You see? Doubts? Come? What When we take our eyes off

of Jesus and we get our eyes on others, and we get our eyes

on ourselves, we begin to doubt the goodness, the fairness, the justice

of God. But listen, when we set our eyes on the Lord,

when we set our eyes on Jesus, we see the goodness of God.

This is what he says. This is good. This is what he says.

When my soul was embittered, when my heart was pricked, I was

brutis and ignorant, he says, Lord, when I was struggling, when

I was grieved, when I was pricked in the heart, he says,

Before you, Lord, I was a brute before you, I was ignorant.

Lord, Before you, Lord, you were good, and you were

good to those who seek you. Lord, you knew I almost slipped.

Lord, you know I had thoughts and how I may even betray another generation.

And that was like a beast to you. Lord. But listen,

look at verse seventy twenty three. Nevertheless, I'm continually with you. You

were in my right hand. Listen to imagery, you hold my right hand.

They listened to me today. You know what kept Acipt from struggling.

You know what kept Acipt from falling. Just as Peter began falling in that

ocean. Listen to me, and Jesus reached down and grabbed him and picked

him up. Asu says, when I almost slipped, if I was a

brute to you, God, you reached down and you helped me. Lord,

by your right hand. God, you were the one to help me.

God. If it was left up to me, I would have slipped.

If it's left up to me, I would have fallen. God,

you were you the one who helped me. And God, I'm a root,

I'm arrogant, i am sinful, But God, you are forgiving.

God. And even though I am a sinner, God, you save me

and you hold me to today. What is my strength from falling when I

almost slipped. If that God is just and God's forgiving, He's forgiving me.

I wonder if you here today, if you're struggling. Man, you're

struggling with some of the things that's happened in your life. But why all

these things are happening to you today? And I tell you, at times

you just want to turn your back on the Lord. Times you just think

I'm just gonna give up on church. Just not worth it. It's not

worth it seeking the Lord's not worth it reading my Bible. It's not worth

it doing all these things. And today the Lord's reminding you. Listen.

I love you, and I'll forgive you. And listen today, if you

feel like you're almost falling, listen, listen to me. I want to

hold you. I want to be the one that holds you fast, not

on your strength and not on your might. I will be the one who

upholds you when the others that's sinful, wicked, slip and fall. God,

you choose to hold me up. And I'm just as sinful as they

are. Listen. He finds strength in God's justice and forgiveness. And lastly,

and I'll let you go. Maybe before twelve. His strength in God's

eternal presence. That is what he says. This is a powerful passage,

he says. Nevertheless, I'm continually with you. You hold my right hand.

Listen to imagery, You guide me with your counsel, and afterwards you

receive me to glory in whom in heaven But you, God, is there

nothing on earth that I desire Beside you. My heart and my flesh may

fail, But God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever,

he says. God. When I almost fail, God, I found strength

that you are just in your forgiving. But God, when I almost fell,

God, I found strength in your eternal presence. I love the imagery

here and said, listen to you guide me with your counsel. You receive

me into glory. Gives the imagery of the Lord holding him here. He

gives the imagery and only God holding him here on this earth. But God's

guiding him throughout this life with his counsel, he says. Not only God

you're you're holding me here. God, not all you're guiding me on this

earth. But one day in heaven, God, you will pick me up

and you'll put me. You'll set me in the eternity. You hold me

in eternity. He describes that in this earth he might slip and fall if

it was left up to him, But God, in turn, when he's

weak, God is his strength. Listen the verse twenty six. God is

the strength of my heart and my portion forever. God, my hope is

not in my strength. My hope is in your strength. God. My

hope is that you will hold me, and that God, you'll be with

me, and that you will guide me, You'll counsel me. God,

my hope is not in me. God, my hope is in your eternal

presence. I wonder for you today, what is your hope? Then?

What is your strength in today? Maybe you're looking for answers, you're looking

for hope, or you're looking for strength and maybe something of this world.

I think one of the greatest evils of this world today is social media.

And you know why, because social media thrives on comparisons. Every day,

putting somebody else before you that you are going to compare your life to their

family compared to your family, their things compared to your things. Every day

that's put before your eyes, and sometimes we follow the guidance and the counsel

of social media and finding happiness in the temporal things in this life and saying

instead of saying, God, you are my portion. God, I don't

want the things of others, or the happiness of others, or the success

of others, or the comfort of others. God, you are why I

want. God, and God, your presence in my life. That is

what I need. God. That is what will guide me. That is

what will counsel me now and through eternity. And so God, today,

my strength is in your presence. God. I need to sit before you

today. Lord, I need your counsel. I need your guidance. You

know to me as I close today. One of the hardest things about this

time of the year, Thanksgiving and Christmas and the holidays is loss. Unless

you know I lost my dad in day, and I tell you this week's

been hard. You know, Dad was just a constant figure in my life,

a steady presence, if you will. He was someone that I always

saw for counsel on guidance. And this week I have thought so many times

of Daddy. How did you fix the turkey? What was the rub that

you use? He uses smoke or how did you smoke it? How long

did you smoke it? And today I can't call my dad and talk to

him about that, and therefore I miss his presence. Every day. It

seems like I've thought about him, and every day I long to see him

again in heaven. But the reality is death is taking his presence from me,

and as a result, I've lost that guidance and I've lost that counsel.

You know, I really struggle to be honest with you that come to

this morning, not come to this passage scripture. I have really up until

this morning, I gave every reason why I wasn't going to preach this sermon,

and I realized as I came to the end, this summer was for

me because as Acip struggles your pastor struggles, I struggle at times because I

want the presence of my father to guide me and counsel me. And today

this passage reminded me of me that my dad may be gone, but listen

to me, My strength is no longer in my earthly father. Listen today,

my strength is in my heavenly Father. That my heavenly father will never

leave. My heavenly Father will guide me, My heavely father will counsel me

and listen today and for all eternity. He will never leave me, he

will never forsake me. And today listen to me. I fish I find

strength today in my Lord. Today, would you say, Oh, Lord,

I'm struggling today. I almost slept today. God, help me find

strength in your forgiveness. God, you know what I am. You know

I'm a sinner. Today I need or be reminded of your forgiveness and me

and You're justice. God that you are fair. Today, God, I'll

find strength and your presence that right now, right ever I'm going through.

God, you want to guide me. You want to counsel me, and

God you want to walk with me. And God, not only you want

to walk with me today, you want to walk to me all through the

rest of my life, even in eternity. And God, you are all

that I need. Lord. Would you pray with me? Lord, We

thank you for this morning. And God, we are like ace of Lord.

We are just broken vessels. Lord, We're just sinners is desperately needing

you. God. God, we are like him and at times we struggle

with envy, struggle while others get away with things that we think in this

life. That and why we are afflicted. We struggle at times. Why

I so, Lord, and compare ourselves to others. But today I pray

we'd find strength in your word God, that God, today we'd find strength

that God you are just, and God you are gracious. God, we'd

find strength today that God you are good to those who seek you, and

that God you today are good, and that God your presence is before us.

Lord, your presence is right here in this room, right in this

moment, And God you want to be with us now and for all eternity.

So Lord, I pray today there would be those who would be real

honest today Lord, and say, Lord, I'm struggling today. Lord,

help me find strength in your forgiveness God today, help me find strength in

your presence today. God, wi you today hold me? Lord? Would

you today guide me? Lord? God, I need you to uphold me

today. Father, I'm weak. Lord. I pray that be those all

across this room today that would just be honest with you, Lord, stop

trying to operate in their own strength through their own power. But there be

those today that says, Lord, I am broken. God today, I

need your strength hold me today. Father, Pray there be those today said

Lord, be with me walk with me. Lord, I need you nor

I pray there'd be those today that it is the sound a sound of my

voice that are not believers. They do not know your forgiveness and reality is

there a lot like the earlier part of this passage scripture. They think that

Lord, you don't really know what they've done, and the God you really

don't care. Reality is, Lord, your judgment is coming for them.

And I pray they be those today that we say, Lord, I want

to know your forgiveness. Today, I want to know your presence in my

life. And I pray they be those who would pray a prayer of a

salvation and asking You, God to save them, to forgive them of their

sins, to cleanse them of their sins, that today they might have a

relationship with you God, today, a relationship that would be full of your

presence God, and that God, you would hold them Lord. So I

pray they be those today that would admit their sinner they believe that You came,

and you lived, and you died on a cross for their sins and

confess today their need for You as savior, confessor sins before you and surrendered

their life to You. Today, I pray there'd be those right now that

would do that. Do have a prayer today, praying Lord, if a

prayer of faith, praying that you would save them. Lord, lead us

now in this time invitation. I pray that maybe des those that need to

come to the altar and just just lay down some things before you. I

pray Lord, you lead them to do that. However, Lord, you

lead us. Lord, may we respond, Lord, I pray there are

those that I can pray with. Lord, you lead them to come.

Maybe those have questions about how they can be saved. Lord, I pray

you lead them to respond. Lord. May we respond now to you,

Lord God, We thank you for that you've brought us into this house and

worship today, that we might set our eyes on you, God, and

now that we have seen who you are through your word. God, may

we respond as as dead in worship and praise in response. In your name,

we pray, Amen, Jesus and all two fish