Confessions of a Worship Leader - Pastor Daniel Batarseh

If you have your Bibles. Please meet me in the Book of

Psalms chapter 73. On a personal level.

Psalms 73 · chapter mention

This song has been something that's been on my heart all

week. It seems and just recently, I'm

hearing that, a lot of people are being drawn to this song.

I see all the guys nodding their heads because I'm thinking that

this is what you spoke about last night.

The men's meeting Psalm 73 is going to be different type of

message. We're not going to take main

points out of this necessarily. We're just going to kind of go

verse by verse and see what the Lord has in mind concerning this

song, why he's given it to us. But it's very important to

understand who here is speaking. And if you look at your Bibles,

it says, right there in verse 1, that this is a Psalm of asaph

asaph. Now, before we move on, we have

to ask ourselves. Who is this person ASAP?

Who is this individual? That is writing this song.

And by the holy spirit's inspiration, we know that asaph

is mentioned in other portions of scripture and you don't have

to turn there, but there's one here in first Chronicles 25:1

1 Chronicles 25:1

and it tells us that David and the chiefs of the service also

set apart for the service, the sons of asaph.

And if human and I've just showed you 'then who prophesied

with Liars with Harps and with symbols.

So right there, in that simple verse.

And another verse in first Chronicles, we realize that

asaph is a special individual. He's not just this random

character that is writing a song that has found itself on the

Bible. This man has been set apart.

Who lived under the reign of King, David himself to be a

minister and a specific type of Minister First Chronicles.

Six tells us that he was set apart to do what to lead.

The people of God In Worship. He was a man that was gifted by

God to write to create Tunes with a heartbeat that gives

glory to the Lord. This was an individual that was

gifted to create not only with the mind but we just even read.

who prophesied who had the ability by the spirit to create

something and to declare something with instruments, that

would declare the glories of God.

If there's a title for this message, it would be this

Confessions of a worship leader. Confessions of a worship leader,

let us feel the way to understand that this man is a

spiritual leader. Let us understand that this

person has been given a Divine task.

To minister unto God and to minister unto the people of God,

that his life, and his days were set apart for such a purpose.

And if there's anything else that we can add to this person

concerning his characteristics. If there's any detail that the

Bible has given us surely it, is found in this Psalm, surely it

is found in this beautiful song, I'm so glad that the Bible gives

us honest text. I'm so glad that the Bible gives

us stories of real. People who really live for a

real God and went through real Relations so that we can relate

to them. And that's what asaph is

experiencing here. If there's one thing that we can

know about him, it is this that he has come at one point in his

life into a crisis moment with his faith.

That's what the song is. All about, a worship leader, who

serve God, love God adored, God, believe God.

But at one moment, he had a humble confession, because his

soul went into turbulent mode. His faith was being challenged

in such a way that as we read, we realize that if he had gone

further, he would have crashed and burned and his relationship

with God. And if we can sum up what this

Soul commotion is all about. If we can sum up what Psalm 73

really boils down to it, is this that asaph made the observation

in his life that the Wicked, the unbelieving seem to have a

better life than the righteous. That those who reject God mock

God. Rebel against God.

Seem to experience more joy. More thrill.

Equal, if not more prosperity. Than those who have committed

themselves to live for the Lord. And this was bugging him.

This is tormenting him. This was challenging him.

To really think is this whole Jesus thing worth it?

So we read in verse 1, a Psalm of asaph.

Look what he says here. Truly God, is good to Israel, to

those who are pure in heart us. That's a good start.

Because he confesses that he does have a knowledge of the

goodness of God. This is a person who knew the

goodness of God, who experienced the faithfulness of God, who

wrote about the goodness of God, who sang, who taught in some

sense. The people of God that God in

fact is good and he's not just good.

In general, it says here to those who are pure in heart.

Meaning, those who have set their lives apart to honor, God

and serve God and walk in his ways.

Surely God is Get to them. And he knew this, he really did

like many people in the church. That know.

God is good, God is good. All the time all the time, God

is good. He knew it and he sang it and

he's not saying it sarcastically necessarily but he's about to

admit now with that truth is another truth that he did not

fully grasp that truth with all of his heart.

God is good, Shirley to those who are pure in heart, but

that's a big word. Something happens.

But as for me, but as for me, my feet had almost stumbled.

My steps had nearly slipped so saying, as much as I know that

God is good. At one point, I felt my feet

drifting another Direction. Now notice he didn't say, my

feet had slipped isn't say, I did stumble.

He said nearly, he said almost And so, he's inviting us into

what was going on into his heart.

At one point that I'll do for a moment for a long moment, he was

walking with god with both feet planted on the Narrow Path,

walking with him day by day, serving him, he began to feel

the right foot Magnetize towards the world and say you know what,

maybe I can do this thing with one foot in the world and one

foot in God, or maybe he felt both feet, wanting to just stop

walking forward and perhaps just turn around all together and do

what. Let me just get a little bit of

this world and get out long enough and maybe just walk back

with God again. Or perhaps he was fully

convinced. You know what, I don't even know

if I want to walk this walk anymore.

I'm tired. I'm doing a pros and cons list

of my mind right now. I'm leading worship every

Sunday, but I'm seeing something else with the people around me

that are doing other things throughout the week and it seems

like this is a really worth it. So why don't I just walk out on

this whole thing completely? And we don't know how long that

this man has been going with this stop paddle.

We don't know how much he was really thinking this or how long

rather but it proves something to us, doesn't it all pay

attention to this truth? It proves something to us that

even faithful truth believing devoted followers of God.

And dare, I say even spiritual leaders and faithful

communities. Can sometimes feel like they

want to give up. And this person was tempted to

walk into a different direction. and if we're honest with

ourselves, maybe at one point you and I have been tempted with

that thought. At one point, maybe for

different reasons. Maybe not for this reason but

for different reasons maybe like Elijah you felt like you were

all alone in your pursuit of faithfulness.

Here I am God. I'm the only Prophet here in

Israel that standing for you and I have a bounty on my head.

What's going on? Take my life now.

No. Okay, Jeremiah.

Here, I am serving you serving you serving you.

My friends are making fun of me. They think I'm holier than now.

Think I'm taking this too seriously.

Take me out, God. Or maybe just like ASA, you've

come to the conclusion. I won't point in your thinking

that the really is no benefit. To living for God.

There's no advantage. Because when I compare my life,

as a righteous man, in Christ to those who willfully disobey and

walk away from relationship with him, it seems like I'm paying a

higher price than they are. It seems like there's more

blessing for them and there's more reproach for me.

It seems like people are walking a war where I'm walking and

rebuke, people are walking and prosperity.

And here I am in doing persecution.

And here I am trying to sacrifice and there's the world

living in self-gratification. Have you been there?

If so, take heart. Because this is a hopeful text

for us. He says, in verse 3 for I was

envious of the Arrogant. This is why he almost slipped

when I saw the prosperity of the wicked.

So you know what was happening to ASAP again?

We don't know that the period of time he was in during this, but

we can imagine when he was going through, there he is, looking at

the world, looking at his relatives, looking at his

friends that he knew in high school and college.

Now, he looks at his life. It looks back.

He sees their businesses prospering.

He sees that they're making memories with their families.

He sees the joy that they are clearly displaying.

He looks back at his life. He goes on Facebook.

He goes on Instagram, he checks out Snapchat, and he sees the

stories and he sees the laughs, and the memories and he looks at

his account and looks at his life.

And then throughout that time, something begins to ruin his

heart. Angie.

Envy a mixture of emotion, a mixture of discontentment and

resentfulness towards those who seem to have an advantage that

he himself, could not have in his own life because of his

dedication to God. So what does he do?

He feels like he's missing out. He feels like again.

There's no, this, there's no advantage to this.

I really can't find how many different than the world.

I really can't find why obeying God does produce a greater sense

of life. When those who seem to

completely, not just disobey God of a mock, God seemed to be just

Okay. What did a safe?

See what were the things that he observed over the things that he

calculated throughout his life. Well, verse for down tells us

For they have no pangs until death.

Their bodies are flattened fat and sleek.

And he and this language fat and Sleek means your prosperous, you

were healthy. You were whole you were well and

so what is he observing? I see that the wicked are going

through life and it seems like nothing is afflicting them.

That there's no disease falling upon them that there's no plague

coming in their life. It just seems like everything is

fine. And here are some Christians

that are Faithfully serving God and they're burning with cancer.

Here's some people that have set it apart in their minds and

hearts to live for the glory of God.

And their health is betraying them day by day and hear the

wicked living in perfect health, until their dying breath.

How can this be? And not only that, but a sub

Shirley had observed. If you have a different

transition, you'll notice that talks about how they have no

pain in death. That when they come even to the

point of death, there seems to be no anxiety of the wicked.

There seems to be no fear. There seems to be no worry of

the unknown, when it comes to the afterlife, they seem to slip

right into death and everything seems to be just okay?

He, surely has made that observation more than once and

it bothered him. How is it that they don't have

hope for the next life and they can die with such ease.

How they can land their deathbed and not Wonder cry out.

Do not assume that every person who is outside of Faith dies in

a panic. I remember one time being at a

wedding and I bumped into an individual that didn't know very

well, but I knew enough of him to know that he did not love

God. In fact, he blasphemed God He

was a wealthy individual, he had money, he had jewelry.

I before meeting this person, I had heard from another person

that he had gotten really, really sick.

I mean, very sick. And so when I saw this person at

the wedding, we began to converse and catch up.

And I had brought up the point that I heard that you were

really ill. I won't point that you're still

almost recovering and he said, yeah, he began to describe how

it just happened. All for a sudden where this

disease has struck in him and he had lost all this weight and

bleeding, and all these different things, and he's in

the hospital for weeks and months and huge show me even the

pictures on his phone of things that I don't even describe this

morning. And talking this person, I know

where he stands with God, and I thought to myself, as he's

explaining it. Wow.

Lord. You're So merciful that you're

wounded. This person to surely wake him

up and help him realize that life is short.

That your house, your car is your jewelry means nothing.

And so letting him speak. Let him speak.

I finally wanted to ask him because he had brought up the

point that he had almost died. They had come to the place of

death. Death's door was right there one

night in his hospital bed. And I was excited when he

brought that up because I wanted to bring up the point.

That there's hope in death, that you don't have to fear death,

that you don't have to worry about what's gonna happen when

you die, if you have Christ. And so I brought up the

question, Were you afraid? Did you have this sense of the

unknown? Especially in that time when you

were facing death? And you know what I was

expecting? Oh yeah, you have the answers.

Oh yeah, I sought God. Oh, yeah, I really wanted to

know how I can have hope in the next life.

And as I was anticipating that answer, as I asked it with such

excitement, he looked at me, he said, no.

I'm not afraid of death. So I said, hold on.

Did I ask the right question? You're not afraid of death.

Do you not know what's going to happen after you die?

No. In fact, I'm ready to stand

before, God. That's myself, man.

No, you don't know what you're talking about.

That's all the conversation ended.

I thought to myself. How can somebody who has no

hope? Have such confidence.

It's amazing what false peace can do.

False peace can take you to death itself and convince you

that there isn't a living God that you will face. he says here

in the next verse, They're not in trouble as others are there,

not stricken like the rest of mankind.

Those who live outside of Faith seem like they have trouble free

lives again, they go through life.

Their success. There's little consequence to

their sinful actions in the Rebellion against God, they

still have good times. They still travel, they still

have nice homes and nice families, successful kids that

go on to be educated and there seems to be little turbulence in

their lives. And here I see Christians,

Christian teenagers that have given their lives to Christ when

they were invited to a youth group, but day by day, they go

home to an abusive father. And abusive mother, I see

Christians struggling to get by another day financially.

I see Christians parents who have wayward children that kids

that are wasting their lives and Brokenness and sin.

And I see others that they're not Christians and their kids

are for honest, better than those of Christian households in

terms of success and prosperity and all that good stuff.

I don't get it. How does this make sense?

Brothers and sisters. We cannot make the mistake with

our faith. That the psalmist has made and

that even jobs friends have made when they came to try to comfort

him and failed miserably. They came with a theology.

That's called retribution, theology, or retribution

principle and idea, is this that if you do good God will do good

to you. And if you do evil God will

allow evil in your life. And though we have principles

and promises about walking with the lord, it's not as simple as

that realize that when jobs friends came to him they were

trying to get it out of him that he had sinned in his life joke.

You can't lose your family, you can't lose your business.

You can't lose your health and less, you've allowed sin in your

life. Cough it up.

That's what the Book of Job is all about.

That's what we have to be very careful of taking theology, out

of the Book of Joel, because a lot of the things that these

friends said were wrong, A lot of it was true but they were

implementing truth in a wrong way and so this whole dialogue

jobs friends might come on man the sooner the better you get

back right with God God is going to do good to you and Joe saying

I'm right? I don't have anything.

I can't think of anything that I'm wrong for here.

The other disciples in John chapter 9.

John 9 · chapter mention

They see a man born blind. They said hey Jesus have a

question for you. What happened did this man

sinned or his parents sin that he should be born this way.

You know what? Jesus says wrong, both of them

are wrong. Neither him nor his parents.

He's not paying the consequence for his own sin.

And this matter, nor is his parents for his parents, in,

this has happened to him at the glory of God.

May be displayed through it. You come to Acts chapter 28,

Acts 28 · chapter mention

verse forward, Paul in that ship were abandoned.

And they were, there's a shipwreck and they found

themselves on the island called Malta.

And as they're preparing a fire, because it was called a Viper

comes in snaps on his hand and it's hanging there.

And let me read this. Look at the conclusion that

these And people were thinking, when the native people saw the

creature hanging from his hand, they said to one another, no

doubt. This man is a murderer though.

He has escaped from the sea justice has not allowed him to

live. So you have Jesus disciples, you

have jobs friends, you have this psalmist, you have even people

in a pagan society that believe this idea of God you walk with

God. Everything will go, right?

You don't walk with God, everything will go wrong.

And it's not that easy, it's not that simple, it's much more

complicated than that. And if you and I believe that

kind of idea, you know what we're going to do is a

consequence many things and here's one of them, we will fail

to realize how God packages His blessings in different ways.

Yes, God can bless you with good things and God is blessing us

when it comes to health and when it comes to things, the Bible

says every good and perfect gift comes from above, that's true,

but don't limit it to that don't limit how God expresses His

blessings with things going well in your life, just hear this

verse. Look what the psalmist said in

the Book of Psalms, 119 verse 71, it is good.

Psalms 119:71

Look what he says. This is powerful, it is good for

me that I was afflicted. Are you sure it is good for me

that I was afflicted. That I might learn your

statutes. So this man experienced some

kind of Affliction, some kind of pain in his life, something and

you read the rest of that Psalm you realize, this is a man of

God, who loved the word of God, who said, Thy word is a lamp

unto my feet? I don't walk without your word,

I seek your Counsel day by day and at one point he was

afflicted and he says it was good for me.

God packages blessing of my life with Affliction because it

brought me even closer to his word.

Brought me closer to his presence.

Brought me closer to the knowledge of him.

If you're being Afflicted in one way or another right now know

this, if you're a believer in Christ, you may not see the

blessing now. But wait till you come on.

The other end. You'll realize that this

psalmist I was afflicted. I didn't see it, maybe during

it, but I see it now and I say, oh, it was good for me that I

was afflicted. We see in verse 6, Psalm 73,

therefore pride is there necklace violence, covers them

as a garment, their eyes swell out through fatness their hearts

overflow with Follies. So we see here that these Wicked

people who are living autonomous independent apart from God Lives

realize, hey, we're not living for God.

And look at all the good things that are happening to us and

because of that failure to see, as we're going to find out in a

moment that got indeed was watching and he was keeping

those. What does he do?

One of the wicked, do they have more wickedness to their lives?

They indulge themselves a more iniquity.

They fail to see the consequences of sin.

They don't immediately see the interventions of God's

discipline and judgment and they go, you know what, let's do some

more evil. You know what the psalmist is

saying? Come on.

Sure, I am swatting away Temptations like flies for my

workplace in my high school. Here, I am fighting a war

against my flesh. It seems every hour here, I am.

Truly trying to live. Holy And here these people

drinking sin, like water. And everything seems to be going

fine. His Holiness worth it.

Look, this is why he says in verse 13.

Look at verse 13. Your Bibles please.

All in vain, have I kept my heart clean and wash my hands in

innocence. For all the day long I've been

stricken and rebuked every morning.

It's not worth it. I'm trying to compare your, I'm

living with God, I'm living for God and they're not and they're

not only being blessed. This seems maybe even more

blessed than me. Am I wasting my time here?

Am I really wasting my time doing this?

What advantage do I have is a Godly Man.

They're boasting in their sin. They seem to be getting away

with it. They seem to, in fact think they

have God's approval to some degree.

What I'm about to say is not going to be very politically

correct. Hold tight in 2015.

Ireland. Legalize same-sex marriage.

And interestingly enough that day, the voting polls were open

to legalize same-sex marriage. A double rainbow appeared in

Dublin. and as it appeared, it was fuel for those who would

oppose God's idea of marriage? To all the more rejoice in that

decision and it gained the attention of the world.

Let me read to you, what the huffing Huffington Post said.

As Ireland, headed to the polls, to vote on legalizing gay

marriage. Mother Nature seemed to

acknowledge the importance of the occasion.

With a number of rainbows, some of them Double Rainbows that

were captured by Twitter users in the days, leading up to

Friday's vote. Now let me read you a couple

tweets that were kind of viral. There's one man who said there's

a big gay rainbow over Dublin. If that's not Jesus giving the

yes vote, I don't know what is Here's another one, there's a

rainbow over Dublin. Currently very appropriate.

God clearly approves Now, look at Psalm 73 verse 11.

Psalms 73:11

And they, the wicked say. How can God, no?

Is there knowledge in the most high?

You know what they're saying? Against God.

God doesn't really know what's right for us.

God's standard isn't really the only standard God has to update

with our culture. God has to keep in touch with

how we're developing. And in light of that example,

that's exactly what they were thinking.

God approves of this sin, God approves of this shift in our

understanding of traditional marriage. and I read one comment

that I thought was Was totally right.

And as a response to that that the double rainbow wasn't a sign

of double approval. It was a sign of God, reminding

himself, ee not to judge the world.

The Wicked, the wicked. Have made a God in their own

image. Because they fail to see the

immediate Act of God's judgment and God's discipline.

Actually believe that, he's maybe even approving of their

lifestyle. And I can name off different

since here but let's continue and we can go on through the

rest of the song trying to see what was weighing down, Aesop's

heart. But what we see next in the

transition of the psalm is where we want to give most of our

attention. He says here in verse 16 but

when I thought how to understand this It seemed to me a wearisome

task. In other words, I've been

dealing with this internally. In such a way that I couldn't

really express it to anybody. I mean, I'm a spiritual leader

here. I'm the guy leading the songs.

I'm the guy encouraging others to continue in the faith.

But if I'm honest with you, I don't understand what benefit I

have living Fram. I'm trying to make sense of it.

I'm really trying to weigh it out and I can't seem to come to

a conclusion. So what do you and I do when we

feel like the world are circumstances, whatever it may

be seems to pull us and trip us and have us walk a different

direction. Well, let's see what the

psalmist did verse 17 until I went to the sanctuary of God.

This bothered me. This was eating me up inside.

But everything changed. When I made one decision, when I

chose to come to church on Sunday morning.

When I chose to, even in my doubts, even in my turmoil, even

in my frustration, I chose to come to meet with God.

Because I'm not getting answers from myself.

And I know myself enough to say that I've lied to me more than

anybody else. So where can I go to find some

answers? You go to where truth is

proclaimed. And he goes with a presence of

God dwells. He goes with truth is known and

he learned something. He was reminded of something.

Because this is where you and I are reminded of Truth.

This is where you and I are. So bird from Temptation, are

cleansed from our own thoughts that are telling us, otherwise,

and seem to even mix it with emotion and other people trying

to pull us into a different lifestyle, or different way of

living. This is where we get relined, by

the word of God. No wonder the devil wants you

and I to skip church, especially church that proclaims the truth

wholeheartedly and without compromise.

But he chose to go. And when he came, he learned

something very quickly, we don't have to read about from Verse 18

to 22, he came to the realization.

That these present realities of the wicked and even the

righteous are not permanent realities.

They're not permanent now. If I would encourage you to turn

to reverse, it would be this one.

Psalms 50 Psalms 50 just to read something.

Beginning in verse 16. What did asaph learn?

I'm sure he learned something here.

What we read in verse 16 but to the wicked God says what right?

Have you to recite my statutes, or take my Covenant on your

lips? God is speaking in this Psalm

God is speaking to the wicked in this text but when he says for

you hate discipline and you cast my words behind you, if you see

a thief, you are pleased with him and you keep company with

adulterous verse 19, you Give your mouth free rein for evil,

and your tongue frames deceit. You sit and speak against your

brother. You slander your own mother son.

He's describing different sins, different behaviors that are,

contrary to the heart, of God, to the will of God to the

Holiness of God. And what does he say?

In verse 20? What is God say, in verse 21,

these things you have done and I've been silent.

You thought that I was one like yourself. but now I rebuke you

and lay the charge before you You know what God is saying?

This is God speaking in that saw me, you know what he's saying?

I'm I kept notice of all the things that you're doing, and

I've been silent. But here, this very carefully,

please don't do this in your life.

Please, please, please hear me very carefully.

Do not make the mistake of assuming that God's.

Patience is the same as his approval.

Can I say that one more time, many people who are living in a

pattern of sinful, Behavior are assuming that God's apparent

silence. Is him really accepting what's

going on? And he says, in that Psalm, I

have been silent. And his silence is not a sign of

his approval. His silence is a reflection of

his long-suffering and patience that even in your pattern of

willful Rebellion against God, that you would realize that at

one point that this is wrong. I'm sinning against him and I

want to live for Christ. So then you have people in

Ireland in 2015, that have assumed that the Silence of God

was his acceptance. And yet people day-by-day

looking at their lives thinking nothing's going wrong.

If there is a God, surely he's fine with what I'm doing because

there's nothing to show for it. You know who wrote Psalm 50.

Look at verse 1. Asaph.

ASAP did learn something. ASAP did come to realization.

Okay? So just because things are not

happening. Wrongfully for the wicked,

doesn't mean that. God's approving of it means that

one day God will bring a receipt.

And people will have to make a payment unfortunately because

they refuse the one who made the payment for them.

The blessed savior Jesus Christ. And so what happens?

He reminds himself in God's house.

Again, that God's silence is not his approval, but it is the

expression of his patients. Do you remember the story of

Adam and Eve when they sinned against God?

Do you remember when God was looking for Adam?

Where are you, Adam? Notice how he's approaching Adam

if you read it. Carefully says he was walking.

He was walking. He was walking to Adam to face

Adam to discipline Adam. but if you read in Luke chapter 15 with

Luke 15 · chapter mention

the Prodigal Son and the son comes to his senses and he

realizes what he had done in Rebellion against his father.

He tries to muster up a speech and he says, you know, what I've

rebelled against God, I rebelled against my father, I'm going to

come to him and try to convince him.

Not to make me his son, but to make me a servant.

I rather be a servant than eat from the pigs.

And so he comes back, and before he can even say a word, you know

what, the father does read it carefully, he doesn't walk, he

runs, he runs towards the prodigal.

What does that mean? That God is slow to judgment and

quick to Mercy God, when it comes to judgment, when it comes

to discipline, he walks, he's slow to it.

But when I repented heart comes before, mrs.

I really want to get right with you.

He runs towards you and when he runs towards you I want to speak

to the product was in here. if you're in sin right now and you

know that you're in sin, Don't try to convince yourself even

though you know truth even though you walk with them I'm

one moment don't try to convince yourself and convince God for

that matter that you're not worthy of his full blessing.

Even though you knew that you were walking rebelling against

him because I want to let you know what happened.

When the product went back he didn't go back and convince the

father of the father so you know what?

Yeah, let me let me put you with the service.

The father said, go get the best robe.

Go get the best robe and we're going to celebrate the fact that

he come back. If you need to come back to God

today. No, this he's waiting with a

robe a ring and a feast and all of Heaven Will Rejoice the fact

that you've decided to walk with him again.

He's slow to judgement. He's so quick to Mercy.

Let me read this poem to you, we're going to close in a

moment. This poem is called a hundred

years from now. Pay, very close attention.

I know with all the phones ring in a Texan, the snapshots and

it's just right here, pay attention.

It will not make much difference friend.

A hundred years from now. If you live in a stately Mansion

or on a floating River, scowl if the clothes you wear are

tailor-made or pieced together, somehow if you eat big steaks or

beans and Cake, 100 years from now, it won't matter about your

bank account or the make of car, you drive for the grave will

claim your riches, and fame, and the things for which you strive,

There's a deadline. We must all meet and no one will

turn up late. It won't matter.

Then all the places you've been each one will keep that date.

We will only have eternity. What we give away on earth when

we go to the Grave, we can only save the things of Eternal worth

what matters, friend the Earthly gain for which some men always

bow for your destiny will be sealed.

You see a hundred years from now.

Poem by Walden Parker. And after being dealt with, by

God in the sanctuary of God. When he had received a Divine

standpoint, we need to receive the Eternal perspective on how

God will deal with all of mankind.

Both the righteous and the wicked.

He realized something I was wrong.

And he says, in verse 22, I was brutish and ignorant.

I was like a beast towards you. I've allowed my thinking to come

to such a place where I was like an animal.

My reason but here, this very carefully as we close The he did

not only come to that conclusion, after coming to the

house of God, he didn't come to the conclusion.

Only that God will eventually judge the wicked for their

Rebellion against him. No, no, it wasn't just a future

realization ASAP. Had a present understanding of

how really on a surface level. It seems like the wicked have a

better than the righteous. He couldn't be more wrong in

that either. Why, what is he saying verse 23?

Less. Nevertheless, I am continually

with you. You hold my right hand.

He goes, okay, I understand that there's going to be a judgment

to come. I understand that it's going to

be all dealt with and justice will prevail, but there's

something about now that I realize that he holds my right

hand, he holds my right hand we're talking about God holding

your hand. You don't hold the hand of a

stranger, I hope. This is familiar language.

This is intimacy. This is communion.

This is God saying and revealing to us through this that I'm

holding you I'm holding you, I'm leading you.

I'm comforting you, I'm with you and he's saying this in light of

the fact that he went through intense season of doubt, and he

still knew that even in my doubt of the goodness of God, even in

my false, convincing and the persuasion actually pulling me

away from him. God was still with me.

I praise God that in the moments of Despair Temptation

persuasion, whatever you want to call it that God doesn't crush

me in that moment. God doesn't look at me.

Say haven't I? Done enough for you.

Hasn't my son done enough for you?

Have you been to enough Bible studies?

Haven't you heard enough sermons out with you?

No, he says, I hold you, you're gonna get out of this.

You're going to realize soon enough.

Just come to the sanctuary of God.

Come into my presence, no matter how long it takes, watch how I'm

going to lead you out of this doubt.

I'm gonna lead you out of this false persuasion that your flesh

that your friends, that your family are trying to pull you

into, you hold my right hand. There's a stop there.

He says, in verse 24, you guide me with your counsel and

afterward you will receive me to Glory.

So it's not just this intimacy with God.

It's the fact that God and his children when he deals with you

and I he does not leave us in this life by ourselves.

He navigates you and me through this life day by day, he guides

us with his counsel, we have his word, we have the indwelling of

the Holy Spirit, I was having a conversation with a friend not

too long ago about. I don't know how we came to this

point but we were talking about growing up in the 90s.

I'm a 90s baby. And we're talking about how

great it was to grow up in the 90s as a child.

You know, like if you wanted to go hang out with your friend,

there's no such thing as texting them to come outside.

Oh no. You have to get on your bike,

you to go down the street, you have to face the parents at the

door and knock and ask. If whoever is that home?

No come back in a couple hours. I'll come back with my bike rain

snow summer. You played outside, you played

outside. And how do you know you're going

home? You have to go home when the

street lights start coming on. Okay, time to go.

Home. Dinner's ready?

And all these wonderful memories of growing up in the 90s.

But there is one thing we concluded that we're thankful

for that, we didn't grow up in the 90s without I'm thankful.

I was in a young adult in the 90s for one main reason no GPS

has Because I remember as a 90s kid sitting in the backseat of

my parent's car, and seeing how their map would cover. 3/4 of

the windshield, trying to figure out how to go to a specific

location risking our lives every single time.

And I know this sounds funny but hear me out talking with my

friend thinking to myself. Can you imagine what life was

like, without a GPS? Can you imagine trying to go

anywhere without punching it and address placing it on that

magnet driving and trusting that?

Wherever this lady's gonna take me is going to be where I need

to go. I thought to myself, What would

life be without a GPS? And here's a thought, how can

people live without God? I don't know how they do it.

How can you live through this life without being navigated by

him? How can you not have his

instruction to know how to deal with circumstance?

Not a deal with people that a deal with different things.

How can you go through this life without God's spirit indwelling

you saying, this is the way you should go walk in it.

No son. Don't go there circumstances,

people, spiritual leaders are also filled with the Holy Spirit

leading you and guiding you. Thank God for God.

You guide me with your counsel. And he doesn't do it.

Just partly. He doesn't do it.

Just in your younger years and then later on you become normal

and you just go through life. No, he says, I'm going to lead

you until I bring you into Glory.

There's not a season of life that he doesn't lead you.

If you want to cling to him he'll lead you And when you look

back from Glory, I can guarantee you this, you will see how he

has, truly LED you protected you, and whatever he needed to

do to make sure that you would along the way, be conformed to

the image of his son and touches many people for his name.

No wonder he explodes in verse 25.

Whom have I in heaven, but you Whom have I in heaven but you

and there is nothing on Earth. I desire.

Besides you, this is a different person than what we read from

verse for down. Whom have I in heaven but you

and you know what? I've come to this conclusion, no

matter what the wicked has, no matter what the righteous have.

I have this one thing and it is enough God himself Our faith.

If you claim to be a Christian in this place and you can't say

that, you have to ask yourself, some serious questions about the

temperature of your spirituality.

It's not about going to church on Easter and Christmas.

It's not about performing some sacraments, it's not about doing

this and doing that, and checking it off and having some

kind of insurance to get into heaven.

What is this Faith about where your heart is ravish and

captivated by Christ. You realize that he's forgiving

you for your sin and now he wants to walk with you day by

day. Do you have that?

Do you have that? You're not a Christian because

you have a cross around your neck and you're not a Christian.

If you got baptized as a baby, you're a Christian when you

realize that he paid for your sin and you've received them by

faith and he is, Lord of your life.

My Flesh and my heart May Fail. But God is the strength of my

heart and my portion forever and let's just conclude here, verse

27. Behold, those who are far from,

You Shall Perish, you put an end to everyone who is unfaithful to

you and look what he says in verse 28.

But for me, it is good to be near God.

Different person. It's good to be near God and I

have made the Lord God my refuge.

It's another way of saying I've chosen though I don't understand

everything to its fullest capacity to trust in God to to

rely on his wisdom to rely on his timing to rely that he is in

control. And because of that I'm safe.

You and I have to make a conclusion that being with god,

without gold is better than having treasure without God.

You and I have to be convinced that being with God, in

sickness, is better than being without God and health you and I

have to come to the conclusion that being with God and

persecution, is being better than being without God and

having popularity, And that's the conclusion that he makes and

it doesn't end there. He says I will make God my

refuge that I may tell of all your works.

I'm going to let my life from this moment on readers of this

Psalm. Know the goodness of God, I'm

going to declare to the world that it doesn't matter what you

have or you don't have. If you have God you have

everything. I want to tell the world that

things may not make sense. We are legalizing things

concerning life, concerning everything that seems to be

against the word of God and it seems to be no intervention days

are only being darker and darker it seems.

But I'm gonna trust and tell everybody that one day.

God is going to clean up this mess.

I'm going to Claire, The Works of God.

Have you ever wondered what happened to Ace after this

point? Have you ever wondered what kind

of Legacy left? What kind of influence he

probably had based on that decision?

maybe we can't make strong conclusions, but if you read

this little obscure verse in the book of Ezra chapter 2, It's

Ezra 2 · chapter mention

when the Israelites were many years.

Many, many years after this song was written, were taken out of

Israel to go into captivity in Babylon and we're later brought

back into Jerusalem and there's this list of genealogies to keep

record of who from what descendant, came back to the

nation, and look what it says in Ezra 241.

I thought it was precious. Just a simple verse the singers,

the sons of asaph 128, the singers, the sons of asaph 128,

and I thought to myself, Here's a man who chose not to walk away

but chose to stay walking with him and could it be that the

result of his faithfulness? Was that his offspring for days

to come would serve God and live for God?

He's talking about 128, musicians, 128 ministers, 128,

people that as a result of perhaps this man making that

choice of standing firm would benefit from his faithfulness,

you have no idea what your Yes to God can do.

Do not just in your lifetime but Pastor lifetime.

I will tell of all your works. I will declare from generation

to generation how good God is. Despite this world falling apart

and maybe even thinking that their life is better without

him. I if I have any voice of have

any influence, I myself will stand on this truth.

He is enough. Do you know him this morning?

I'm not talking about you going to church, I'm asking if you

know him like the psalmist knew him if you don't.

Today can be your day. Today could be your day where

you come to that point where you say, maybe I've been religious.

Maybe I had this understand that God is there, but there is no

hint of real relationship with him.

I mean, you've been sitting here this whole time.

You're thinking I don't really fully get it, but I know I don't

have it. It can be yours because there is

a real God who? So loved you that he sent his

son because there's a Chasm. There's a separation between you

and God all Humanity, God, if sin and he sent his son to pay a

price and build a bridge between you and the father, he paid the

price, no matter what you've done in your life, it doesn't

matter how black it is. It doesn't matter.

The stains of sin on your soul, know this that he sees it and

he's not ready to You he's ready to forgive you he's ready to

come and cleanse you and I just cleanse you to bring you into

Glory but cleanse you so that you can have fellowship with him

in this life. He's here to take those burdens

away. He's here to tell you if you

receive him that you can walk through anything in this life

and no like what Jesus said that you will have trouble in this

world, but take heart, I have overcome the world take heart.

I've given you a peace that surpasses.

All understanding take heart that you can see all this chaos

and have this assurance that God is in control.

And it's an invitation that God makes to all men if they're

willing to Humble themselves and say I need this God, I need you.

And know this, when you ready to make that decision, when you're

ready to humble yourself, when you're ready to see what this

word says, is true about the human nature and how good God

is, and you come to that place, where you say enough is enough,

I Surrender my life to Christ, he won't walk towards you, he'll

run. He's waiting, but he's not going

to push himself on you. He's not going to force you.

He's gonna wait for you to come to that realization that you're

eating out of a pig's pain. And like that.

Prodigal son, you spent everything on the world, you

indulge yourself, you went to the bank and you're still empty

inside. And I father, you read in Luke.

15 did not run and chase his son.

He was waiting for him. All he needed.

All he needed was the son to term.

And once he did, he came after him.

Would you do that this morning? Would you do that this morning?

Let's pray. Let's pray.