God's People Are Built Different

Good morning Port City Church, our scripture reading this

morning is from Psalm 112 in the Bible's Under your Seats.

That is found on page 477. Psalm 112 says praise the Lord.

Blessed is the man who fears the Lord, who greatly delights in

his commandments. His offspring will be mighty in

the land. The generation of the upright

will be blessed. Wealth and riches are in his

house, and his righteousness endures forever.

Light dawns in the darkness for the upright.

He is gracious, merciful, and righteous.

It is well with the man who deals generously and lends, who

conducts his affairs with justice.

For the righteous will never be moved.

He will be remembered forever. He is not afraid of bad news.

His heart is firm, trusting in the Lord.

His heart is steady. He will not be afraid until he

looks in triumph on his adversaries.

He has distributed freely. He has given to the poor.

His righteousness endures forever.

His horn is exalted in honor. The wicked man sees it and is

angry. He gnashes his teeth and melts

away. The desire of the wicked will

perish. This is the word of the Lord.

Good morning Port City family and friends.

How are we doing? Good, good, good.

Well, my name is Ron and I am one of the pastors here.

And if you are new with us, I want to take a moment to say

welcome. So glad that you have decided to

worship with us this weekend at Port City.

We believe that we were created by with God or by God with a

purpose on purpose and to fully, you know, embrace that purpose

is when we come into relationship with God.

And so we gather each Sunday to really fix our eyes on Jesus to,

you know, encourage one another to spur each other's own.

We are not trying to perform here.

We're not trying to impress anybody here.

We are recognizing that we have a great need, but we also have a

great Savior. And so if you do not have a

church home, we would love for you to consider Port City.

We have an event coming up in two weeks.

It's called Starting Point. And that is where it is an

opportunity for you to come and learn more about who we are,

meet our leaders and, and ask any questions that you have.

And so we would invite you to consider that.

Before I get started, I want to take a moment to say Happy

Father's Day to all of the fathers.

We are incredibly, I am incredibly thankful for the

godly examples in this room and the ways that you lead your

family. And so I'm so encouraged.

I hope you will be blessed today.

Can we just go to the Lord in prayer really quickly?

Father, I thank you so much for this opportunity to declare your

word. Father, your word is true.

God, I have nothing of eternal value for the folks in this

room, but you do. And God, your word is alive and

it speaks to our very heart. And so, Father, would you Get Me

Out of the way this morning? God, would you speak through me?

God, would you allow me to declare the word faithfully and

clearly? May I decrease that?

You might increase. It's in your beautiful name, I

pray. Amen.

All right, so you have probably heard the phrase built

different. All right.

OK, So what that means, if you haven't heard it, it just means

that there is some something that is unique about a person.

There's some quality or trait that they have sort of

exceptionally or they, you know, maintain exceptionally well.

You know, I think about maybe the older generation would refer

to the younger generation and say that they are built

different because of their intuitive ability to work

technology. All right, I know nothing makes

me feel older than when I can't figure something out.

But then I give it to one of my kids and they just like in

moments figure it out, right? You know, I have, I have worked

in many schools over, over over 2 decades if you include my

student teaching. And I've worked many, many

places, seen a lot of schools. But when I first moved to

Norfolk, one of the things that I said quite often was these

students are built different. They're they're built different.

You know what one example that I think really does capture this

idea of built different is the Olympic swimmer Michael Phelps.

OK, so don't know if you know about Michael Phelps, but he's

the most decorated Olympian. He is known to be the the

world's greatest swimmer. And guys, this man is physically

built different. All right now listen, I'm not

trying to knock his work ethic, like he had a work ethic that

was different. This man swim every single day

for five years, 365 days. He was in the water.

So so he worked hard, but he also had a physical kind of, you

know, specimen, if you will, that just was he was made for

the water, right. Let me let me tell you a couple

things about it. He had a 6/4.

He was 64, but he had a 6-7 wingspan all right.

He had his long arms and feet. He was also double jointed.

And so when he was moving throughout the water, he was

almost like he he was kind of almost like had flippers like a

often. I mean, this man was

unbelievable. And if that wasn't enough, he

had a condition that made his body produce significantly less

lactic acid. I don't know what that means,

but here's what it means. All right.

He has less muscle fatigue and he recovered faster.

So it gave him an advantage even that way.

So this man was truly built different.

Well, in Psalm 112, it outlines a man who is also built

different and it is built different not in terms of

genetics like like our our physical appearance or, or

giftedness, but rather it's so it's this person is built

different because of grace. See, when I'm talking about this

person, the greatness in the this person that Psalm 112

describes, it is not the greatness defined by the world.

The world defines success, strength and status as the means

for how great a person is. But here in Psalm 112, it shows

us that in God's Kingdom, greatness looks like godliness.

It looks like resiliency, it looks like generosity, it looks

like joy in the face of adversity.

It really looks like being shaped not by comfort, not by

the culture, but being shaped by the character of God.

And so our main idea this morning is God's people are

built different not because of their strength, but because of

their Savior. And so this is the second sermon

of the summer in the Psalms series.

And last week, Pastor Tanner kicked us off.

And so if you did not, if you weren't here and didn't hear

that sermon, I would encourage you to go back and check it out

for a couple reasons. One, it was a really good sermon

2 Psalm 111 and Psalm 112GO hand in hand they there there's a lot

of similarities that they have the same structure.

Both are acrostics and really what Psalm 111, what it showed

us. It showed us that God's

character and his works the the works of God and then Psalm 112,

it focuses on the character of the person who has who fears the

Lord and pursues God. In other words, let let me say

that better. So again, Psalm 112 focuses on

the character and the life of the person who fears God and

whose life reflects him. So Psalm 111 was about God, his

character. Psalm 112 is about the person

who follows that guide that Psalm 111 spoke of.

And so we're going to take a closer look at each of the

verses and I'm going to kind of describe and point out how God's

people are built different. Alright, so first point I want

to make is God's people are built different because they are

.1 rooted in reverence. Verse one says praise the Lord,

blessed is the man who fears the Lord, who greatly delights in

his commandments. So this is where it all begins,

right? It begins with not pride, not

performance, but a healthy fear of the Lord.

And when I say fear, I'm not not afraid, not terror, but rather

it is reverence. It is an all that leads to

trust. You know, I loved my dad, but I

feared my dad. I feared my dad because of, you

know, I, I had a a reverent awe of of what he could do once he

got that belt, you know, just kidding.

No, I had a, you know, there was, there was a, you know, he,

he help me to, to understand. Like, hey, listen, I'm your dad.

I love you. I do all these things.

But you know, you, you, there's a level of respect, a level of

trust that you should have when you sort of approach me and you

know, you know, when I think about this idea of fear, you I

think often like fear and delight.

We don't use those together, but I do think they're kind of

suicides of the same coin. What I mean is what you, you

know, you see what you fear the most often reveals what you

value the most. In other words, your deepest

delights can also uncover your deepest fears and vice versa.

So, for instance, what I mean is if you fear rejection,

oftentimes you're going to chase approval.

If you fear failure, you're oftentimes are going to chase

success. And so I know for me personally,

before Christ, those things absolutely plagued my life.

I was constantly driven and consumed by the opinions of

others and my performance and never felt like anything was

ever good enough. But when my fear was rightly

placed and I've allowed what God said to define who I am and my

worth and my value, then everything else begin to change

And see that's the problem in our sin.

We fear, I think we fear man more than we fear God because

and, and oftentimes that is the case.

It's because we're acting as God, right.

So we everything we are pursuing, you know, we're

fearful of losing the things that will puff us up, that will

make us feel like, you know, we're worthy.

But when you have a fear of God, you will begin to delight in his

word. That's what it says.

It says blessed is the man who fears the Lord, who greatly

delights in his commandments. What you fear shapes what you

delight. And when you fear the Lord, his

word becomes your joy. His word is it becomes not just

a a filter for seeing the word world, but it becomes reality.

And it gives us great purpose and it gives us great hope in

the midst of the brokenness that we see all around us.

But if we're being honest, sometimes we don't delight in

God's word. Maybe we need to be reawakened

or, or reminded or encouraged. But you know, if we've gotten in

that place, you know, this is not to, to guilt you, but it is

to say, you know, I, I think the proper response would be to

acknowledge, to, to confess, to repent, to believe, to

acknowledge where you are. But the reality is, is, you

know, when we are delighting in other things, those things won't

satisfy us. We are made to delight.

We wake up delighting. We wake up choosing to delight

in the lights that we got from the previous day.

We choose to delight in, you know, the entertainment.

We choose to delight in the affirmation of others.

So we are delighting the the question is where are we

delighting? What things are we finding

delight in? And God wants us to delight in

him. He wants us to want him.

Pastor Tanner, again, he unpacked a lot of that last

weekend, so I want to encourage you to go back and listen to

that if you haven't. Second point I want to make from

this text is that God's people are built different because they

are stable and a shaky world. They have stability.

I get this from first verses 6 through 8.

It says for the righteous will never be moved.

He will he he will be remembered forever.

He is not afraid of bad news. His heart is firm, trusting in

the Lord. His heart is steady.

He will not be afraid until he looks in triumph over his

adversaries. Guys, you know, it is we don't

have to look far for reasons to, you know, be to be afraid, you

know, and if, if it's up to us right, then there's there's a

lot of then it leads us to despair.

But when we have a God who is in control but also is sovereign

over all things, we have an opportunity to have great hope.

See, God's people are built different because their security

does not come from circumstances or things being just right.

They trust in God through the storms, through the losses,

through the uncertainty to say that they are haven't they're

not afraid or they don't fear bad news.

That does not mean that they are exempt from it.

We're we're not immune to the bad news.

We're just not moved by it in the same way the world is.

See, the world panics when money's lost or, you know, or,

you know, something doesn't go the way that they expected.

A tragedy again. And I'm not saying that those

things should not, you know, we shouldn't grieve those things

that there's not real emotion. The song speaks to every emotion

that we can feel. But at the end of it, you know,

at the end of the day, we understand that God is our

anchor. God is the one who's holding us

and we are firm in him. So it's not because life is

easy, but because God is unchanging.

He's faithful through it all, regardless of what the

circumstances. The circumstances don't

determine the character of God. God's character determines the

circumstances. And ladies and gentlemen, we can

trust them. We can trust them.

And so we have this firm foundation in Jesus.

And so again, God's people, we don't crumble at at headlines

when they get heavy. We don't fold under family

stress or life's unexpected turns.

We have something deeper that is anchoring us and it is the

unchanging promises of God. God's people, they don't crumble

under pressure. They trust God through it.

Like Michael Phelps, you know he had great endurance for the

water God's people has. They have great endurance for

suffering because Christ is their anchor.

Let's continue on. God's people, thirdly, are built

different because they are marked by mercy and generosity.

Marked by mercy and generosity. Read verse verses four and five

with me. Light dawns in the darkness for

the upright. He is gracious, merciful and

righteous. It is well with the man who

deals generously and lends who conducts his affairs with

justice. Jump down to verse 9.

He has distributed freely. He has given to the poor.

He has his righteousness endures forever.

His horn is is exalted and honored.

Guys, we live in a in a culture that is all about self

exaltation, self promotion and gaining every squeezing

everything we can get out of this life.

But here we see that God's people are built different

because they don't hoard God's blessings, but they share it and

their very lives begin to reflect the heart of God.

They are characterized as being generous.

They're just, they're gracious. All of this flows from the

character of God. And this is what we have been

shown in the the gospel. See, Greta did an incredible job

in the intro just setting this up.

We don't do these things in order to get God's love.

We can't earn it in our in ourselves.

We can never be good enough. But because God is loving,

because he is gracious, because he is merciful, because he

forgives us, then we can be unto others as he has been to us.

The order matters here because listen, I, I felt really bad

many times and I've tried to make things right on my own and

you know, the, the, the that lasts for just a little bit when

I do it in my own strength. We apart from Jesus working in

my life, I can't, I can't be unto others as he has been to

me. And so again, we're not doing,

we're not being generous because we are trying to earn God's

favor, but rather because he has been generous with us.

We, we received it in a self-centered world.

God's people, they live in salt and light.

They are givers in a culture full of takers.

We're not built to take, but to give, because God is our giver.

When I think about Michael Phelps's body, you know he again

his, his, the way he is built, it propels him forward and he

moves through the water at speeds that you and I could

never right. But God's people, we are

propelled, but we're propelled outward, right?

Our our works, our deeds is to be a reflection of who God is in

Norfolk into the ends of the world.

And so the 4th point is that God's people are built different

because they leave a lasting legacy.

Verses 2 says or verses 2 and three say.

His offspring will be mighty in the land.

The generation of the upright will be blessed.

Wealth and riches are in his house, and his righteousness

endures forever. Verse 6.

For the righteous will never be moved.

He will be remembered forever. And then verse 9 again, I'm

going to read this one. He has distributed freely.

He is given to the poor. His righteousness endures

forever. His horn is exalted in honor.

See, the world leaves a legacy, not of possessions, but a faith.

The righteous, you know, is is focused on God's people are

built different because they are living.

They're focused on living for what will last.

Not trying to store all the treasures here, trying to get

everything out of this life, but rather they are fixed on what is

to come and that that is eternity with God.

You know our lives matter not because we are important, but

because we are a part of God's eternal story.

And again, Pastor Tanner referenced this and spoke on

this last weekend. But we are a part of God's

story, and we fit in to what God is doing in the world.

And so there's an invitation for us to not just live for self,

but to live for Him. And in so doing, we actually

will live a better life than than we could ever imagine,

right we? And not only do we enjoy, right?

It is for our good, but it also is for the good of others.

And there is a a legacy that lives beyond our time here.

In honor of Father's Day, I want to take a few minutes to speak

to the fathers from these verses that I just read.

So I'm going to read the verses again.

Verse to his offspring will be mighty in the land.

The generation of the upright will be blessed.

Dads, I got a question for you or or statement first, then a

question. Your greatest legacy, and I know

I need this, it does not come from your career, but it comes

from your character. See kids, your kids, they don't

just inherit traits, right? Your genes, right?

Many of the kids I know who belongs to who because they look

like them, right? But they also inherit patterns,

what they see in your life. And so my question to you is,

are your kids inheriting faith or fear?

Are they seeing displayed worship or worry?

Are are are they seeing chaos or a consistency in your life?

Verse 3 says wealth and riches are in his house and his

righteousness endures forever. Guys, I'm in education all

right. So I, I may not ever be able to

leave $1,000,000 for my kids, but I can leave a model of how

to fear the Lord. Are you investing in what doors

endures forever? Real wealth isn't just in the

bank account, but it is the legacy of righteousness that we

can live. Dads, you don't need to be

perfect, just present, prayerful and pursuing God.

Verse 6 says the righteous. Righteous will never be moved.

He will be remembered forever. Dads, when you're gone, what

will your children remember? A steady man who wasn't moved by

bad news or a man who trusted God even when life didn't make

sense. Our children are watching how we

handle crisis, how we resolve conflict, how we depend on God

and prayer, our generosity or the lack thereof.

Give them memories of a man who stood firm.

Your children won't always do what you say, but they will

remember how you stood. Lastly, I want to read verse 9.

He has distributed it freely. He has given to the poor.

His righteousness endures forever.

His horn is exalted and honored. Dads, are you modeling a life of

generosity and compassion? Kids need to see dads who don't

just give, who give not just of their money, but of their time,

of their patience, of their wisdom, of their forgiveness.

Teacher, teacher, children to serve and sacrifice.

Now I know if I was hearing that in the audience, I'd be like,

Dang, I ain't doing none of that.

No, I'm doing, I'm doing some of that.

But guys, that is not to to guilt you.

Listen, we don't become this guy because of willpower.

We don't we need the grace of God and the mercy of God to

become this, but God is making us that and he can.

Jesus gave freely, he endured the cross and now he builds men

of honor who reflect him, who mirror him.

So, so pursue him, seek him and he will do these things.

And if he doesn't, his grace is sufficient where you are weak.

He, he is strong and and he will, you know, he, he covers,

he covers our failures. So it's not about perfection.

It's about us, you know, pursuing the Lord.

All right, let's work toward a close.

Listen back to Michael Phelps. Listen his records.

Maybe one day we'll be broken, but God's people leave a legacy

that will not be erased, that will go on until into eternity.

And so the world leaves trophies that God's people leave.

Testimonies, guys, as we work toward a close, you know, again,

Michael Phelps, he was built for medals.

You were built by God for his glory, not by merit, not by

effort, but by grace. So are you built on fear, on the

fear of God or the fear of man? Are you stable and storms are

shaking by them? Are you a giver or a taker?

Are you living for trophies or for testimony?

See Psalm 112. It paints a picture of a person

who fears the Lord, delights in His commands, stands firm in

trials, is radically generous, and leaves a legacy of

righteousness. Jesus is the perfect fulfillment

of that picture. Jesus feared the Lord perfectly.

He delighted and doing the Father's will even when it cost

him his very life. Jesus stood firm through

rejection, through betrayal, even death.

Jesus gave radically not just his resources, but his very

life. Jesus left a legacy that cannot

be erased, and it's an eternal 1.

And through him, through Jesus, we too are being built

different. See, Jesus didn't just model

Psalm 112, He embodied it, and He's the ultimate man.

And it is through faith in Him that we are being made into his

image, that we are being redeemed, that we are being

restored. And His Spirit is what empowers

us to live these things out, not our effort.

It's not by strength, but it is by his grace.

Jesus was built different, and now through His Spirit, He is

building us differently too. So let's be the people who are

fearless, who are firm, who are generous and faithful.

Not for applause, not because we are trying to be great for

ourselves, but for the glory of the God who made us.

Will you guys pray with me? Father, I thank You that You did

not recruit us because of our own personal greatness, because

if that was the case, I would not be in your family, I would

not be one of your children. But God, I thank you because of

your great love, because of your great mercy, because of your

great grace. God, I am made into one who is

built different. God, I thank you that by your

Spirit we can be these things. Lord, I pray that for any person

who's under the sound of my voice, who has not trusted in

Christ, who does not fear Godfather, I pray that you would

awaken them to see God who you are, God that you are real, God

you are Creator, you're in control, and God you are lover

of their soul. And so, Father, I pray would

they respond into faith and trust this morning and and for

the believer, Father, I pray that you would continue to build

us up God continue to make us a people, a Psalm 112 people that

are built different for the good of Norfolk.

In the glory of God, I see your beautiful name.

We pray. Amen.