Now you remember we saw verses
1 through 4 last week. This psalm deals primarily with
God's people. But the man that feareth the
Lord and delighteth greatly in his commandments, of course,
is both Christ and us, as we saw. And in verse 2, the seed
of God that shall be mighty upon the earth, that's both Christ
and us. And we see in verse 3 that true wealth
and riches are in the house of God's people. And his righteousness endures
forever. Our righteousness can't fail this time. Adam's could and did, but ours
can't. Our righteousness endures because
it's the very righteousness of God in Christ. Can't fail, can't
fall. And the light in the darkness,
what a beautiful picture that is. Our Lord is three things. He's gracious, He's full of compassion. That word there is love. The
root word is love. And He's righteous. He's righteous. And, in verse 5, It says, a good
man showeth favor and lendeth, and he will guide his affairs
with discretion. There's three things about the
people of God. God is described in three ways
in verse four, gracious, full of compassion, and righteous.
And we're described in three ways in verse five. First of
all, let's look at the first three words here in verse five.
A good man. I've heard preachers say, and I've said it before myself, I'm
sure, whether I qualified it properly or not, I don't remember.
But I know what people mean and preachers mean when they say
that there are no good men. I understand that statement. But it's not a scriptural statement.
We need to learn to speak according to the Word of God. To say there
are no good men is directly in opposition to God's Word. I mean
clearly, we're looking at it right now. In order for our language to
be scriptural, it's got to be consistent with the entire Word
of God. Not with one scripture here or
another there. The Bible does say there is none
good, no not one, but that's not all the Bible says on the
subject of man and righteousness or lack thereof. Let's not be
guilty of taking scripture out of context like everyone who
doesn't know the Lord is guilty of and we're prone to as well
in our flesh. For example, people take John
3.16 and say by that that God loves everybody, but John 3.16
isn't a Bible. This whole book is a Bible, the
Bible. And it also says in this book
in Psalm 5.5 that God hates all workers of iniquity. So we have
to discover in the Word by studying to show ourselves approved, just
saying something or taking a verse out of context and making a statement.
There are a lot of rationed and hasty statements made regarding
God's truth in the scriptures. But if we're going to be approved
under God, we're going to have to study and find out in what
sense God hates and loves. Does God love sinners and hate
sinners? Clearly so. I certainly want to be a sinner
that he loves, so I'd like to get to the bottom of it, wouldn't
you? I'd like to find out how it is that God can love sinners,
and why he hates them. So likewise here, in our text,
on our subject here tonight, if the Bible says there are no
good men, and then talks about a good man, and in so many places
in the scripture it does that, We need to discover what that
means. Let's get to the bottom of it.
Our Lord appeared to the apostle Peter in a dream and taught him
a great truth in Acts chapter 10. Let's turn over there please.
Acts 10 and verse 9. Talking about a good man. Is
there such thing as a good man? Well, we know our Lord Jesus
Christ was a good man. But as we've seen in this chapter
already, the man who fears God and delights in his commandments
is Christ. No question about that. He said,
I have meat to eat that you know not of. This world doesn't know
about the fact that my meat is to do the will of him that sent
me. He delighted in the commandment of his God, in the law of his
father. He said, I do always those things that please the
Father. He was the only one that could say that. But the Apostle
Paul was also able to say, I delight in the law of God after the inward
man. I'd say that qualifies him for that statement in Psalm 112,
wouldn't you? By God's grace, he was one of
those men that delights in the law of God and feared God. Also, when he talks about his
seed, that's Christ. Paul said the reason he didn't
say seeds is because he was talking about Christ when God made that
covenant with Abraham. He said your seed shall be as
the sands of the seashore and as the stars of heaven. He said
seed and not seeds because it's Christ. But in the same context
that Paul said that, He said, if you are Christ's, apostrophe
S, if you belong to him, if you have the faith that Abraham had,
the faith that God gave Abraham, if he gave it to you too, then
you are the seed and heirs according to the promise. You're Abraham's
seed. And you're included in that covenant that was made 6,000
some odd years ago. So here too, a good man. Well, that's Christ. No question
about that. And he's the firstborn. If Christ
is not good, then there is no goodness. If we have any goodness, it's
Him in us. But the Bible does talk about
good men. Look at Acts 10, verse 9. Here's
an example of it. On the morrow, as they went on
their journey and drew nigh unto the city, Peter went up upon
the housetop to pray about the sixth hour, And he became very
hungry, and would have eaten. But while they made ready, he
fell into a trance, and saw heaven opened, and a certain vessel
descending unto him, as it had been a great sheet knit at the
four corners, and let down to the earth, wherein were all manner
of four-footed beasts of the earth, and wild beasts, and creeping
things, and fowls of the air. And there came a voice to him,
Rise, Peter, kill, and eat. But Peter said, Not so, Lord,
for I have never eaten anything that is common or unclean. And
the voice spake unto him again the second time, what God hath
cleansed, that call not thou common. This was done thrice,
and the vessel was received up again into heaven. You say, well,
Chris, that's not talking about people. That's talking about
animals. No, it's talking about people. Because our Lord sent
this vision to Peter as he was traveling, and Cornelius had
been praying for a message from God. And God was going to send
Peter to Cornelius, which he does later in this chapter, chapter
10 of Acts. But before he did, he had to
teach Peter something. Because Peter wouldn't have gone
and preached to a bunch of Gentile dogs until God taught him, wait
a minute. Don't you call unclean what I
say is clean. He's talking about the Gentile.
He's talking about people, not animals. The animals were just
a picture, a vision to teach Peter a very important lesson.
When God cleans you, you're clean everywhere. When he washed his
disciples' feet, isn't that what he said to them? You're clean
everywhere. So we're talking about a good
man. When the Lord... If the Lord says you're good,
you're good. And he don't even have to say
it. If he just thinks it, you're good. He just considers you good,
you're good. So to say that there are no good
men without qualification is to call unclean what God has
cleansed. And so we can't just say that
without qualifying it. Without being clear about it.
So what we need to do is find out the answer to that ancient
Vital question that Job asked in Job 25 for listen to this
question. You talk about a question now
How then can man be justified with God or how can he be clean? That is born of a woman That's
a good question That's a good question now This is a question
that's necessary that we answer. Is there a good man? How can
that be? We need to know because if there are no good men in Now
we're all a bunch of goners. You're not going to meet God
unless you're good. Unless you're as holy as he is. You're never
going to see him. So we must be clean. We must
be good. We must be without blemish and without spot. And we know
how that happens. There's no use me dragging that
out and being cryptic about it. You know how that happens, don't
you? Revelation 1 5 John said Jesus Christ is the faithful
witness the first begotten of the dead The prince of the kings
of the earth and he loved us and washed us from our sins in
his own That's how a man's clean right there can he be clean that's
born of a woman how in the world the precious blood of God's Son
washes sinners clean Ephesians 5 25 husbands love your wives
even as Christ also loved the church and gave himself for it
that he might sanctify Make it holy and cleanse it with the
washing of water by the word that he might present it to himself
a glorious church Not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing
that it should be holy and without blemish. How'd that happen? He
gave himself for us He died in our place. He took the wrath
of God upon himself from my sin and yours if you're here. And God looks upon us in Christ. He was made sin for us that week. Not that we might argue about
what that means, but that we might be made the righteousness
of God in Christ. That's why he did it. that we
might be holy, that we might be saved, that we might be made
alive. That's why he did it. Now it's not a contradiction
for the word of God to say there are no good men and then to turn
around and say that there are good men. It's not a contradiction,
we just need to understand the difference. The difference is
Christ, the person of Christ. We just need to understand that. Men are not born bad and good.
They're all born bad. They're all evil. David said
in Psalm 51 5, I was shapen in iniquity and in sin did my mother
conceive me. That doesn't mean it was sin
for her to conceive. That means when she conceived
me, I was a sinner. I was in my sin. even then, shaping
in iniquity. And this also is a vital truth
now. It's important that we understand
that there are good men, but it's also important for us to
understand that there aren't any good men. If we're going to seek the remedy,
we've got to understand the problem, the disease, the sickness. The
problem is there are none good. No, not one. We are all by nature
the children of God's wrath, Just like everybody else, Ephesians
2, 3. But Christ is the difference. He himself is our goodness. That's why Paul had to qualify
when he said, there is dwelling in my flesh no good thing. There is in me, parentheses,
that is in my flesh dwelleth no good thing. And he had to
qualify that because Christ in us is our goodness, our righteousness,
our hope. Our life. But there are none
good by nature, but we're a new creation in Christ Jesus. There's
the difference. Look at it with me in Ephesians
chapter 2. Christ is the difference, and here's how it happens in
Ephesians 2. It's seen very clearly. Ephesians 2, 1. And you hath he quickened, made
alive, who were dead in trespasses and sins, when in time past you
walked according to the course of this world, according to the
prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in
the children of disobedience. You all did, all way, everybody,
from the beginning. Among whom also we all had our
conversation in times past in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling
the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature
the children of wrath even as others. Born in the sense of our perspective,
in the sense of our natural condition, born under God's wrath. Although
in Christ he loved us from the beginning and we just didn't
know it yet. But by nature, according to our nature, our flesh, children
of wrath just like everybody else, but God. Here's the difference,
who is rich in mercy for his great love wherewith he loved
us. That was in our text, wasn't it? He's full of compassion.
And as I told you, that word is love. Even when we were dead in sins
hath made us alive together with Christ. Christ is the difference. By grace are you saved. Christ
came and gave himself for us and rose from the dead and we're
quickened with him. We're alive because He arose
and hath raised us up together, verse 6, and made us sit together
in heavenly places in Christ Jesus, that in the ages to come
He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness
toward us through Christ Jesus. You see that? We're raised with
Him, we're seated in Him, and His grace is through Him. The difference is the Lord, Jesus.
For by grace are you saved through faith, and that not of yourselves.
It's the gift of God, not of works, lest any man should boast.
For we are his workmanship, and here's the part we're talking
about, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, new creation,
new creature, new nature, unto good works, which God hath before
ordained that we should walk in them. So how can none be good,
and yet some be good? The beautiful and simple answer
is Christ. But God raised you with Christ,
makes you to be seated in heavenly places in Christ, and bestowed
His grace upon you through Christ. Right there in Ephesians chapter
2. Christ for you, what He did for
you, Him for you, is your righteousness before God. Your justification
before God. Your salvation, Christ in you,
is your life in this world. Paul said, I'm crucified with
Christ, nevertheless I live, yet not I, but Christ liveth
in me. And the life which I now live
in the flesh, I live by the faith of the Son of God. I can't live
any other way now. Because he has given me his faith,
faith in his Son. I can't live any other way. I
live by the faith of the Son of God who loved me and gave
himself for me. So let's look at our text tonight
with that in mind. The good man. The good man. What does he do?
He shows favor and lends and guides his affairs with discretion.
Those three things in our first verse, verse 5. Now we're not without sin in
this world. never ever without sin, but neither are we without
Christ. By His grace, if we're His, we're
not without Him either. We're not without His Spirit.
We're not without the fruit of His Spirit. We abide in Him and
therefore bear fruit under God to His glory. And this is part
of it right here. The word showeth favor. The good
man showeth favor. You know what that means? You
look up the word for showeth favor. You know what it is? He's
gracious. That's what it just said about
God. That's right. It says the same thing about
me and you. We're His. Children of our Father. Gracious. And this is very interesting
now. As I said, verse 4 of our text describes God in these three
ways in verse 5. describes the good man in three
ways and they correspond to one another. God is what? Gracious. What are we? We show favor. We're
gracious to people. And what's the second word? Lended.
You know what that word is? That's not talking about a business
transaction. Where you know, where we gain,
we, you know, like banks do. We'll read some scripture about
that in a minute. You know what that means? He's generous. Generous. What did it say about God? Full
of compassion. You see how they correspond to
one another? And look also with regard to
this at chapter 111 of the Psalms. Look at Psalm 111 verses four
through eight. And look at these three things
in God here. Some believe there in Psalm 112, verse five, four,
I mean, Psalm 112, four, that that's still talking about God
or that that's talking about, I'm sorry, I'm confusing it terribly,
but listen, let me start over. In Psalm 112, four, some believe when it's saying
he is gracious and full of compassion and righteous, it's talking about
the good man, talking about the child of God. I believe it's
talking about God, but I tell you this in Psalm 111. I know
it's talking about God Look at this some Psalm 111 for he hath
made his wonderful works to be remembered. The Lord is gracious
and Full of compassion. There's two of them right there
two out of the three right there. I'm clearly concerning God. Okay
We're about the third one read on verse five. He hath given
me unto them that fear him This is still the second one. He's
full of compassion He gives meat. He will ever be mindful of his
covenant. It's a covenant of grace, gracious and full of compassion. He has showed his people the
power of his works that he may give them the heritage of the
heathen. There's the generosity, the grace,
the compassion of God, giving. But look at this, verse seven,
the works of his hands are verity and judgment. You see that? What
was the third thing we're talking about? He orders his affairs
with discretion. Concerning God I believe in 112
for he's righteous The works of his hands are verity and judgment
all his commandments are sure they stand fast forever and are
done in truth and uprightness There's the third one right there.
You see that So whether that's talking about us or God in 112
for talking about God in 111 And the same the same three things
are said about us You see that? The man that fears God and delights
in his love, that's Christ and it's us. The seed, Christ and
it's us. These attributes, Christ and Christ in us. As he is, so are we because of
him. So these three things, they correspond
with one another. But notice in verse nine of Psalm
111 that he did something there. He went a step further and I'm
talking about a big step. This doesn't correspond in us
at all. This is him doing for us. He
sent redemption. We don't get in on that. He did
that all by himself because he wanted to. He sent it, he did
it what? For us. This is my body which is broken
for you. He sent redemption unto us. We don't have any part in that.
We don't imitate that. You remember in, I think it was
2nd or 3rd John, we saw how that we're imitators of Christ. That's what the word, we're imitators,
but not in that. We just receive that. We just
delight in that. And without that, all the rest
of this is impossible. without redemption there's no
new creation there's no new man there's no good man without redemption
without the shedding of blood there's no remission of sin the
reason we are gracious is because God is gracious not only are
we gracious like him not exactly like him not even close but in
the imitation of him like father like son in a sense is because he's gracious Ephesians 432 listen to this
be ye kind one to another tender-hearted forgiving one another even as
God for Christ's sake have forgiven you we forgive because He forgave And this lending as I said, it's
not a business transaction for gain turn to Luke chapter 6 I
want you to see this because this is one of the words that
That describes us now describes our Lord And also us Luke 6 31 Luke 6, 31. And as you would
that men should do to you, do ye also to them likewise. For
if you love them which love you, what thank have ye? For sinners
also love those that love them. And if you do good to them which
do good to you, what thank have ye? For sinners also do even
the same. And if you lend to them of whom
you hope to receive, what thank have you? If it's just a business
deal, you're going to make interest on it. That's not generosity,
that's just business. Sinners also lend to sinners
to receive as much again, but love your enemies and do good
and lend hoping for nothing again. That's what we're talking about
the good man. You know I started in verse 31
because I didn't, we don't dare start up above that surely. I
don't even want to read this part. Unto him that smiteth thee
on the one cheek, offer also the other. And him that taketh
away thy cloak, forbid not to take thy coat also. I don't even
know how to think like that, do you? Somebody takes my coat,
I'm going to pursue them to the bowels of the earth to get my
coat back, aren't you? God said, just let it go. The
Lord Jesus said, just let it go. I gave you that coat. I can
give you another one if I need for you to have a coat. It gets worse. Listen to this.
Give to every man that asketh of thee, and of him that taketh
away thy goods. Ask them not again. It's just
stuff. It's just stuff. Somebody steals
from you, you're going to win and he's going to lose. Just
know that. Know that and be fine with it. Well, I shouldn't have started
that early on there. That just it just kills me. And did you see the word love
in that passage? Those that love don't love those
just that love you. The word, as I said, for full
of compassion, describing God in verse four of Psalm 112 is
from the root word for love. What our Lord is teaching here
in Luke chapter 6 there is that His people don't love like this
world loves. What passes for love in this
world is something else now. They love those that love them.
In other words, they do things for those who are able to do
something for them in return. Sounds a lot like me. But they
only do that. And Christ is teaching His people
here, my love is not like that. And you are not to love like
that. You're to have compassion on
those that despise you and will never do anything for you. Pray
for them. You're to be generous to those
that will never be able to give it back. And the third word about God
is righteous. And the corresponding thing about
his people there is that they will guide their affairs with
discretion. And the word there is judgment. They'll use judgment, sound judgment,
in the guiding of all of their affairs. This is interesting
now. Because this is talking about
what you're going to do tomorrow. You've got some affairs to take
care of tomorrow. How are you going to do them? Well, if you're
God's, you're going to do it with discretion or judgment.
Remember our Lord said to the Pharisees in John 7 24, judge
not according to the appearance, but judge righteous judgment. When you're handling your affairs
in this world, judge righteous judgment. How are we going to
do that? We're going to have to find out what God said, aren't
we? And if you look specifically at the context in which our Lord
said that, in John chapter 7 verse 24, He said to the Pharisee,
to the Jew, the religious Jew, don't judge according to the
appearance now, but judge righteous judgment. Judge according to
the justice and discretion and truth and teaching of God. Now
why did He say that to them? The Lord is teaching there that
he is the fulfillment of the law. They had accused him of
violating the law of Moses by healing on the Sabbath day. And
what he taught them there is that far from violating the law,
he is the fulfillment of the law. The whole purpose of God's law
was not to make men obedient, but because they are disobedient.
They're not obedient, they're disobedient. And the purpose
of God's law is not to condemn men. but to have mercy on them. The law is a schoolmaster to
bring us to Christ. Christ is the end of the law
for righteous. That's what he's teaching them
there. And so this word in our text means this, God's people,
the good man does all that he does, understanding that Christ
is all, that Christ is the end of the law, that Christ is everything. He's the purpose of everything.
His word is our light. His grace is our hope. His presence
is our peace and comfort. Don't ever make a decision or
a move without acknowledging the all-inclusiveness of Christ.
You look at that sometime there in Luke 7, and you tell me that
that's not what he's teaching them when he says, judge righteous
judgment. In order to make the right call
here, you're going to have to know who I am and what I did,
what I'm doing, and why. Do everything you do according
to that. Knowing who he is and what he does and what he has
done and what he is doing and what he will do Are you in on
that or are you just doing your own thing? Ordering your affairs
with discretion is doing them acknowledging him Doing them
for his glory doing them his way and not I did it my way Then let's look at verse 6 back
in our text in Psalm 112. Surely he shall not be moved
forever The righteous shall be in everlasting remembrance He
shall not be moved. It doesn't say it here Specifically
directly, but there's a reason why we shall not be moved. I
David said in Psalm 62 6 he only is my rock and my salvation He
is my defense and the word only is not to be missed there He
only is my rock and salvation. He only is my defense. I Shall
not be moved. I Just have one hope But it's
him. I shall not be moved Just have one one protection
One safety, one refuge. But it's Him. I shall not be
moved. We won't be tossed about, we
won't be moved by every wind of doctrine. Paul said don't
be tossed about with every wind of doctrine. Why? How is that
possible? It's a good thing that your heart
be established with grace, that's how. If your heart is established
with His grace, Paul said, I know whom I have believed, and I'm
persuaded. I'm grounded. I'm rooted and
grounded. You're not going to tear me up easy. Because our house is built upon
the rock, we shall not be moved. And we'll be in everlasting remembrance. People want them, you know, people
are going to remember my name, you know. I bet that old thief on the cross,
I bet not very many people remembered him very long after he was gone
in this world, do you reckon? But he said, Lord, you remember
me. That's all he cared about. And
that's all we care about. That's what delights our heart.
And then, in Isaiah 49, 15, it asks this question, can a woman
forget her sucking child that she should not have compassion
upon the son of her womb? Yes, she just might. But the
Lord said, I won't forget you. I won't forget you. In everlasting
remembrance. Verse seven, he shall not be
afraid of evil tidings. Does this sound like you? Are
you a good man? What does that got to do with being good? Everything. Because you see, we're good in
Christ. We're also safe in Christ. Evil tidings come. His heart
is fixed. Trusting in the Lord. Trusting in the Lord. Not trusting that everything's
gonna work out alright in this life. You see, that's the faith
of religion. We just gotta believe that everything's
gonna be alright. What if it's not alright? We'll
trust him anyway. Job said, though he slay me,
yet will I trust in him. Everything didn't turn out alright
in this life for Stephen, He died a horrible, brutal, gruesome,
painful death. But he beheld the Son of God
standing at the right hand of the throne of glory waiting to
receive him into his arms as he died. Trusting in his Lord. Not trusting that everything's
gonna be fine in this life. It may or may not be. But it's still gonna be fine.
Even if it ain't fine, it's gonna be fine. Because we trust in
him. not circumstances, not the winds
of change. This doesn't mean that a believer
is never afraid of anything, but just as we do not sorrow
as others who have no hope, neither do we fear as others who have
no comfort or peace. A fixed heart, his heart is fixed. That's the gift of God. It's
a great blessing to have a fixed heart. established upon the rock. Circumstances are not the basis
of our happiness and security anymore. It used to be that way. Are you happy? Well, everything's
just going so bad. Doesn't much matter anymore.
I mean, I like it when things are going good, what we consider
to be good, don't you? That's preferable to me. But Job was never blessed like
he was when things were going bad. Habakkuk said this in 317, although
the fig tree shall not blossom. No figs this year. It's a bad
year. Well, depends on how you look
at it. Neither shall fruit be in the vines. The labor of the
olive shall fail and the fields shall yield no meat. We're going
to go hungry. The flock shall be cut off from
the fold, and there shall be no herd in the stalls. We will
starve, sure enough. Yet I will rejoice in the Lord.
I will joy in the God of my salvation. The Lord God, you see, is my
strength. Not whether I have a good year or a bad year. The
Lord God is my strength, and he will make my feet like hands'
feet. He will make me to walk upon
man's high places. How is God going to do that if
we don't have any of the things that we need? How is God going
to give a son to those who can't have children? How does he do anything he does? I'm glad that he's not limited
to doing just what makes sense to us. or what we can figure
out. That wouldn't go very far, would
it? And when we think of death, if tidings of death come, the
doctor doesn't have good news. Evil tidings. We're not going to fear. Why?
We trust in him. We trust in the one that said,
he that liveth and believeth in me shall never die. We trust in the one that said,
though he were dead, yet shall he live. And if this flesh does die, if
you trusted in him, you just say what Paul said, won't you?
You know what Paul said? For me to live is Christ. To
die is gain. Are you trusting in him? Then
you can say that with him, can't you? To die is gain. And I always have to say this
whenever I quote that verse. What is gain? If to live is Christ,
what's better than that? More Christ. Me and Christ without my sin. Now, in verse 7. These four words
in verse seven there are key to the whole rest of the chapter.
I just want to close with a couple of thoughts now and really key
to the whole chapter before and after verse seven. Trusting in
the Lord. That's the key now. That's the
key. Wealth and riches in your house.
Are you trusting in the Lord? Trusting in the Lord Paul said
in Hebrews 6 19 that our hope in Christ is an anchor to our
soul both sure and steadfast both secure and enduring And
this is the establishment of my heart my heart is fixed and
look at the next verse His heart is established Anchored What's that? Paul said it's our hope in Christ
our high priest An anchor to our soul both sure and steadfast
He shall not be afraid until he see his desire upon his enemies
That's the establishment of a heart and the reason I don't fear that
Christ is the anchor of my soul No enemy can disturb me not even
death the last enemy that shall be destroyed is death So I'm
not gonna fear My desire is going to be had upon my enemies because
the battle is his. Not even my own sin can disturb
me or harm me. And this also is why I can freely
give. You see that? He hath dispersed.
The good man hath dispersed and given to the poor. By the way,
that's not necessarily giving to charities. You know what my
advice is on that. I don't recommend giving to charities.
That's not the same thing as giving to the poor. This world
will tell you it is. Oh, you don't give to the poor. You ain't
give to the martyr, Don? You don't give to the poor. Well, that
ain't the same thing. But he hath dispersed. He hath
given to the poor. He's generous. He's open-handed.
How is that? Our Lord Jesus Christ said, freely
you have received. Now freely give. That's how it
happens. Because we trust in the Lord.
Well, what am I going to do if I give what I have? I'm going
to trust Him. That's what I'm going to do. So those words are key,
aren't they, to all of this. Freely receive and freely give. Do you trust Him? Those who don't trust Him hoard
what they get. And the reason that I can say,
look at what it says here. His righteousness endureth forever. The second part of verse 9. His
righteousness endureth forever. You know why I can say that?
Because I'm trusting in the Lord my righteousness. My righteousness endureth forever
because He is my righteousness. I'm trusting Him as my righteousness.
Now two things about the wicked, after all this about the good
man, about the righteous, from verse 1 we've seen it haven't
we? Last week, this week, all these things about the righteous
man, the good man, the one in Christ, the one who bears the
fruit of the spirit of Christ. Now just two things about the
wicked man. If you're not the good man, you're
the wicked man, there ain't anything in between. And there's just
two things about you, you're going to see God's blessing of
the good man. See that there? The wicked shall
see it. And it's just going to tear him
up. It's going to tear him up. There ain't nothing the wicked
hates any worse than to see a good man proud. That's why Cain killed
Abel. Right there. Why? Because God received Abel. Blessed
Abel. Accepted Abel in his offering.
And rejected Cain. He was mad at Abel. But it was
God, really, that he hated. But they're going to see God
blessing his people. Oh, and it's going to just tear
them up. Satan can't stand that, can he?
He saw how God had blessed Job and prospered him. He was such
a great man in the earth in every way. Blessed and rich and happy. And Satan had just been feeling
over that. And that's why God said to him,
have you considered my servant Job? Are you sitting there thinking
about Job and how you can get at him? And Satan's disciples are just
like him. His children are just like him. That's why David said, you prepare
a table before me in the presence of my enemies. What does he mean
by that? Right in their face. right in
their face. There are so many people, David
said, in this world that would rather see nothing than for me
to fall. And here I stand, and you did
it, God, right to their face. Right to their face. So they're
gonna see it, and they're gonna gnash their teeth. You reckon that'll be part of
why they're gnashing their teeth in hell? I know that they're going to
hate the Lord still in hell, aren't they? And his sheep. His blessing. His favor upon
them will just absolutely destroy their heart. And they're going
to melt away. And then the second thing about
them. What does it say about the good man again? Wealthy. Secure. Not afraid. Happy. Prosperous. Generous. What about
the wicked? All of his hopes, all of his
dreams are going to vanish away. Everything
he longs for, everything he fights for, everything he works for
is a shadow. He'll never be able to realize
it. He'll never be able to obtain
it. All of his pursuits, all of his
ambitions will end in defeat and disappointment. Their desire shall perish. And
again, let me just emphasize in closing, the difference is
Christ. The difference between the good man and the wicked man
is Christ. It's not a decision you make,
it's a person. The difference between selfishness
and generosity is Christ. The difference between fear and
peace is Christ. You remember when he appeared,
the door was shut, and he came in anyway. Yeah, I never have really thought
about that much before, but they say, you know, the Lord's outside
the door knocking, hoping you'll let him in. When the disciples
met together after his death, the door was shut. He came in
anyway. When he gets ready to come in, he's coming in. And
you know what he said? Peace be unto you. There's the difference
between fear and peace right there. A word from the master. The difference between happiness
and grief. You see that word grief with
regard to the wicked there? And everything about the good
man. prosperity, goodness, abundance. The difference between happiness
and grief is Christ. Out of my bondage, sorrow, and
night into that freedom, gladness, and light. Jesus I come. You see that? He's the difference. what we
were before by nature we read it there in Ephesians 2 by nature
children of wrath even as others we walked in darkness we walked
according to the course of this world according to the prince
of the power of the air bondage sorrow and night but he's our
freedom gladness and life out of my sickness into thy health
out of my want and into thy wealth out of my sin and into thy self I'm coming how about you? Oh,
by His grace, may we flee to Him. Let's pray together.