Turn back to Psalm 73. Psalm 73. The title of the message this evening
is, What's Good for Me? What's Good for Me? Look beginning with verse 1. Truly, God is good. Men frequently make that statement. They put it on t-shirts. They write it on cups. They just put
it about everywhere. God is good. And he is. is because men do foolish things
doesn't change the fact that God is good. Scripture says that he maketh
the sun to rise on the evil and the good. He sendeth his rain
on the just and the unjust. I think what men say when religious
folks, when they're saying God is good, what they mean is this, He helped me do something I wanted
to do. We had a sale and we raised enough
money to do this, God's good. Typically when they say it, they're
tying their actions together with God's. Well, God's goodness has nothing to
do with man's actions. Same is true in salvation. God
saving his people, that has nothing to do with what man does. It's
actually in spite of what man does. And I know that's true because
when things don't go man's way, they stop saying, God's good. They find something else to blame
it on. When trials come, when sickness
comes, when death comes, they find another explanation as to
what's going on. God's goodness, it's who he is. Not only is he good, All that
he does is good. All that he does is just. All
that he does is right. And all that he does is for the
good of his people. That's what scripture declares. We've read that recently. We
know. We know that all things work
together for good. to them that love God, to them
who are the called according to his purpose. In all that happened
to Job, he said, the Lord gave, the Lord hath taken away, blessed
be the name of the Lord. Back in 2 Samuel, you'll remember
this, David and his men, they came to a place called Behiram. And a man named Shimei come out
and he began throwing rocks and cursing David. And imagine this, David's surrounded
by all these men, his servants, Abishai, who's the chief among
them, and he said, who is this dead dog to curse my king? And he was prepared to go over
and just take his head off. And David stopped him. I feel like that would have been
hard to do, but David stopped him. And he said, let him curse. Go ahead and let him curse, for
the Lord hath sent him. This is of the Lord's hand. Whatever the situation, whatever
the circumstance, times of trial, times of blessing, times of heartache,
times of joy, God is truly good. Listen to what's being said here
in our text. Truly God is good. to Israel. He's good to a particular people. That's a reference to his church,
to his elect. And you know, this infuriates
the natural man. Turn with me over to Luke chapter
4. Luke chapter four. Look at verse 25 of Luke four. He said, I tell you of a truth.
Many widows were in Israel in the days of Elias, when the heaven
was shut up three years and six months, When a great famine was
throughout all the land, but unto none of them was Elias sent,
save unto Sarepta, a city of Sidon, unto a woman that was
a widow. All those people in that place,
how many? We don't know, but we do know
this. The Lord was pleased to send
his servant to one. He was pleased to show mercy
to one. In spite of who and what we are, that should truly amaze us that
he would have mercy on any, even one. Read on, it says, and many
lepers were in Israel in the time of Elisha the prophet. And none of them was cleansed,
saving, naming the Syrian. He's pleased to show mercy to
one. He's pleased to heal one. You would think that would cause
our hearts to just rejoice, that he would save any. But they that were in the synagogue,
these are religious people, they that were in the synagogue, when
they heard these things, they weren't filled with joy, were
they? They were filled with wrath and
they rose up And they thrust him out of the city, and they
led him to the brow of the hill whereon their city was built.
It wasn't enough that they just run him out of town. They wanted
to throw him over that hill head first. The natural man hates God. The natural man hates a God who
saves. We see that right here. And they were truly angry, weren't
they? More than just kind of shaking their head and saying,
I don't believe that. They wanted to cast the Lord
over a hill. God saves whom he will. He's going to have mercy on whom
he will have mercy. And I tell you, as much as it
upset those folks, I tell you who it, I'm confident, it didn't
upset. It didn't upset that widow woman,
did it? Hm? Naaman, once he got over himself,
it didn't upset him either, did it? No. In the book of Exodus
33, Moses said this. He said, I beseech thee, show
me thy glory. And he said, I'm going to make
all my goodness pass before you, and I'm going to proclaim the
name of the Lord before thee, and I'm going to be gracious
to whom I'll be gracious, and I'm going to show mercy to whom
I will show mercy. Read those first few words again. Truly, God is good to Israel. And that's even more amazing
when you consider who Israel is. The children of Israel, they
continually broke God's law. They rebelled against God. They
rebelled against his servant Moses. They worshiped false gods. They constantly murmured and
complained against God who delivered them. How many times did they
say, why didn't you just let us die in Egypt? And yet he delivered them out
of Egypt. He brought them through the Red
Sea. What a miraculous deliverance.
He brought them out with a mighty hand. He led them by day and
by night. He continually provided for their
needs. Everything they needed. That
water that flowed from that rock, that rock was Christ. The manna,
the quail, Everything they needed, and all this for a stiff-necked
people. Truly, God is good to Israel. What about spiritual Israel? Are we that much different? We've broken God's law. I've broken God's law. We're guilty. What are we guilty? We're guilty of sin. We've sinned
against God. Sin in Adam. Sin in ourselves. We're described as dead in trespasses
and sin. deserving of God's wrath, deserving
of eternal punishment. Yet God is good to Israel. God the Father, He chose a people in Christ from
all eternity. God the Son, He redeemed us. In the fullness of time, God
sent forth his son, made of a woman, made under the law to redeem,
to redeem them that were under the law. And by his life and
death, he satisfied God's wrath. He justifies his people in the
sight of Almighty God. God the Spirit quickens. quickens and gives life. Can we enter into these words
together with the psalmist? Truly, God is good to Israel. Let's read on. It says, even
to such, or as of a clean heart. Now by nature, Not one of us
has a clean heart. Jeremiah says this, the heart
is deceitful above all things, desperately wicked. Who can know
it? Don't have a clean heart, don't
have a clean anything. Psalm 53, we read that every
one of them has gone back, they're all together become what? Filthy. There's none that doeth good,
no, not one. David prayed this. He said, he
knew that. He said, give me a clean heart. Create in me a clean heart. Renew a right spirit within me. I tell you this, if a man's heart
is clean, you rest assured God put it there. He said, a new heart will I give
you. Truly, God is good to Israel,
to such as are of a clean heart. Look at verse two. But as for me, as for me, we're not so good,
are we, huh? That's quite a contrast. That's
a whole different story. As for me, He said, my feet were
almost gone. My steps had well nigh slipped. Why didn't they? He said, nigh.
Why didn't they? Listen, apart from Christ, we
would fall 1,000 times a day. How is it? Scripture says we're kept. The
believer is kept by the power of God, kept by his grace. Jude 1 verse 24 says, now unto
him that is able to keep you from falling and present you
faultless. Faultless before the presence
of his glory with exceeding joy. Read on Psalm 73 verse 3. He said, I was envious. I was
envious at the foolish. When I saw the prosperity of
the wicked, the psalmist said, I envied the
foolish. I desired to have what the foolish
man had. I desired what to have the godless
man have. I find these words so comforting.
I find it so comforting when I see men in the scripture struggle
with the same things I struggle with. I ask you, you don't have to
raise your hand, but have you ever been envious of the foolish? Oh, that the Lord would make
us content. Like Paul said, I've learned
in whatsoever things, whatever state I am, therewith to be content. I hope I can say that someday. He said there's no, here's some
reasons why I envy him. He said there's no bands in their
death. There's no pain in their death. But their strength is firm. They're
not in trouble as other men. They're not in sorrow as other
men. Not plagued like other men. But in time, pride compasses
them about as a chain, and violence covers them as a garment. Their
eyes stand out with fatness. They have more than their heart
could wish. They're corrupt. They speak wickedly
concerning oppression. They speak loftily. Isn't that what the scribes and
Pharisees did? Standing out there on the street
corner, hoping everybody would walk by and just hear them talking.
They speak loftily, but listen to who they're talking about.
Not speaking loftily of the Lord, they're speaking loftily of themselves. They speak in pride. They raise
themselves as equal with God. Isn't that what man does? I tell you, if he has an equal
say in his salvation, that's exactly what he's doing. They have low thoughts of God
and high thoughts of themselves. Verse 9, they set their mouth
against the heavens. Their tongue walketh through
the earth. Therefore his people return hither,
and the waters of a full cup are wrung out to them. And they
say, how does God know? Is their knowledge in the most
high? They question God's sovereignty. Behold, these are the ungodly
who prosper in the world. They increase in riches. They
increase in strength. That's kind of counter to what
false religion says. They speak of a health and wealth
religion. I heard a man a while back said
he gave him, I still don't understand this, he said he gave himself
out of debt. I think that might have been
just a way to get others to give him out of debt. He gave him. They increase in riches. the
ungodly. Behold, the ungodly, they're
the ones who prosper in the world. They're the ones increasing in
riches. And you know, it's easy. Oh,
it's so easy to be taken up with the things of this world. There's
just so much out there that catches our eye. But those things are
temporal. They're fleeting. Our Lord said,
what is a man profited if he gained the whole world, if he
gains everything this world has to offer, and yet lose his own
soul? Let's read on. Verse 13. Verily, I have cleansed my heart
in vain. I've washed my hands in innocency. For all day long, I've been plagued
and chastened every morning. There's no doubt about it, the
believer is tried. The believer is tested. David
wrote in Psalm 119, he said, it's good for me. It's good for
me. What? That I've been afflicted. God's word says if we're without
chastisement, then we're not sons. God's people are tested. Verse 16, he said, when I thought
to know this, it was too painful for me. And then look at verse
17. Until I went into the sanctuary
of God, and I understood their end. Sometimes times of trouble
and despair tend to drive us away from the worship of God. But truly, it should be driving
us in the other direction, to Him, to Him. He said, I went into the sanctuary
of God. You know it's in the sanctuary.
That's the place where God is glorified. In his sanctuary. It's the place where he's pleased
to be among his people. To dwell with his people. He
said where two or three are gathered in my name, I'll be in the midst
of them. It's where Christ is preached.
It's where he's revealed through the preaching of his word. That's wealth untold. The insearchable
riches of Christ. The sanctuary, it's where the
believer is fed. This is for the perfecting of
the saints. And listen, it's a place not
to be forsaken. We're not to forsake the assembling
of ourselves together. And it's a place where he hears
his people. Psalm 18.6, he said, in my distress,
I cried to the Lord. In my distress, I called upon
him. And he heard my voice out of
the temple, out of the sanctuary. I went into the sanctuary and
I understood their end. The end for the wicked, what
is that? Ruin, destruction, death. What about the righteous? Rest,
peace, salvation. Let's read on. Verse 18, surely
thou did set them in slippery places Thou cast them down into
destruction. How are they brought into desolation?
As in a moment, they're utterly consumed with tears. As a dream,
when one awaketh, so, O Lord, when thou awakest, thou shalt
despise their image. Thus was my heart grieved. I was pricked in my reins. Foolish
was I, ignorant. I was as a beast before thee.
Nevertheless, I'm continually with thee. Thou hast holden me
by my right hand. You know, he's promised to never
leave or forsake his people. Verse 24, thou shalt guide me
with thy counsel and afterward receive me to glory. Whom have
I in heaven but thee? There's none upon earth I desire
Beside thee, not even those things of the wicked we read of earlier. Verse 26, my flesh and my heart
faileth, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever. He only, he only is my rock and
my salvation. That's what scripture says, he
alone. Lo, they that are far from thee
shall perish, Thou hast destroyed all them that go whoring from
thee. Verse 28. But it's good for me to draw
near to God. I've put my trust in the Lord
God that I may declare all thy works. It's good for me. I remember my parents, like they'd
take you to the doctor and you didn't want to go, and what would
they say? It's good for you, right? They try to get you to
eat something you don't want to eat, something healthy, and
what do we say? It's good for you. I don't know about all those things. But listen, I do know this. God's Word says it. It's good
for me to draw near to God. To draw near to Him in worship.
To draw near when we wait on Him. Wait on the Lord. Wait on the Lord. Be of good
courage. He shall strengthen thine heart. We draw near to Him. Where's
He found? He's in His Word. We draw near
to Him in His work. We draw near to Him in prayer.
That's who we go to when we go into prayer. We draw near in faith, believing
God, resting in Him. He said, I put my trust in the
Lord that I might declare all His works. We draw near to Him
in Christ. We draw near to God through Christ. There's one mediator between
God and man, the man, Christ Jesus. It's good for me. Look with me at one more passage
of scripture. Turn to Hebrews chapter 10. Hebrews 10. Verse 19. Having therefore, brethren, boldness,
having liberty, having freedom, having confidence to enter in
to the holiest, to enter in to the presence of God himself. How? By the blood of Jesus. The blood of the Lord Jesus Christ,
by a new and living way, which he hath consecrated for us through
the veil, that is to say, his flesh. And having a high priest
over the house of God, Look what he says here. Let us draw near. It's good. It's good for me to
draw near, isn't it? Draw near with a true heart,
a new heart. We read back there in Psalm 73,
truly God is good to Israel even to such that are of a clean heart
and full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from
an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water. Let us
hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering, for he is faithful that promised. It's good. It's good for me. to draw near to God. James, in the book of James,
James 4, 8, it says this, draw near to God and he'll draw near to you. Good for me. All right, Isaac,
come lead us in a song.