This is one of 12 Psalms that
have Asaph, the Psalm of Asaph as its heading. This begins the first of 11 in
a row, and the other one, the 12th one, is Psalm 50. Whether
Asaph actually wrote these Psalms himself, or whether they were
written by David, then given to Asaph, to sing in the worship
of God, because the title of several of them tell us the Psalm
of Asaph, the chief musician. They're directed to him. I really don't know, not sure,
if he himself wrote them or David. It doesn't really matter. One
thing is certain, though. One thing is pretty plain. It was written by a believer.
It was written by a believer. It was written by a child of
God. Warts and all, as we say. There's
no cover up here. This self-portrait, if you will,
is painted with the brush of confession. true reality, how
things are with the child of God. It's a heartfelt confession
of his sin, his sin of envying the wicked. Imagine that. But it's also a confession, an
admission of God's grace. You have both here, don't you? The writer's sin, but God's amazing
grace that forgives his sin. You have his confession, the
essence of his trial in which he consisted, but he also emerges
with a triumph. Where sin abounded, that's not
the end of the story, is it? Grace doth much more abound. The subject of this psalm is
that age-old stumbling block, the God's people. The present
prosperity of the wicked, and at the same time, side by side,
the sorrow of the godly. This is what the writer describes. This was the nature of his temptation. He envied the ungodly. He even said, I've washed my
hands, or rather my heart in vain and washed my hands in innocency. We've all been there. Have we
not? Is there any believer here that
can plead not guilty to not falling into the same temptation, envying
the ungodly and asking, why? Why? Why do those who don't give
God a thought, that have no concern for their own souls or God's
glory, no concern for God's grace or mercy, feeling they have no
need of it, why do they seem to prosper in this world? And
at the same time, those who serve God in the midst of a crooked
and perverse generation seem to have trial after trial after
trial. That's the nature of this temptation. A temptation that the writer
very much yielded to. Did he not? In verses 2 through
14 is the record of how he felt in retrospect. He's writing and
saying, this is how I felt at the time. Honestly, It was painful,
but he confessed, this is how I felt. But in verse 1, notice what he
says. Truly, truly, surely, as a matter
of fact, God is good to Israel. God is good to his people, as
Mike pointed out in the reading. to his chosen, his people, his
elect. God is good. Do you notice how
the psalm, or rather let's notice how it concludes as well. The
psalm in verse 1 begins with that blessed affirmation. God is good. God is good to me. Then what should I do? What should
I do? What's good for me to do? Have
you ever noticed when you're sick, everybody knows what's good for
you? You ever notice that, Chuck?
If you've got an ailment, everybody's got the cure. The psalmist says, what's good
for me? It's good for me to draw near
to God. That's what's good for me to
do. My father would often say to me, son, if you know what's
good for you, if you know what's good for you, you'll do what
I tell you. And our heavenly father knows
exactly what's good for us. It's good for me to draw near
to God, to put my trust in him. Oh, that's a lesson worth learning,
is it not? Another thing my father would
say to me, son, if you can't listen, you're gonna feel. Old-fashioned. He was old-fashioned.
If you can't listen, you're going to stand in the corner and count
to ten, dude. That wouldn't hurt me. Man, I'd
have been glad to do that. I'd have done that all day long.
No, son, if you can't listen, you're going to have to feel.
And our Heavenly Father did that very thing to his child here.
He made him to feel. The psalmist was made to feel
his foolishness and his sin, his horrible sin of envying the
wicked, those who do not know God. He was jealous of them. Imagine that. It's sad, but it's
true. Notice what he says. Until I
went into the sanctuary of God, verse 17, then understood I their
end. The end of the ungodly is the
very soon and very quickly and suddenly and unexpectedly to
be cast down to utter darkness. That's the end of the wicked.
No matter how much of this world they have, no matter how much
they seem to prosper, this is the best they're ever going to
have, Louis. This is the best world they're
ever going to have. Oh, but what's the end of the
godly? Afterwards, afterwards, you'll
receive me to glory. Afterwards, after this brief
time, after my pilgrimage here is ended, you'll receive me to
glory. The rich man, the rich man had
much more cause to envy Lazarus, didn't he? If he'd had his right
mind. Much more reason, much more cause
to envy Lazarus than Lazarus did to envy him. But notice even
in the very act of such foolish and untrue thoughts, we have
this blessed word in verse 23. Look at it. Nevertheless. Nevertheless. I'll tell you what. That sure is good news to this weak, foolish, envious sinner
that stands before you. Nevertheless, that's a good definition of grace,
isn't it? I thought about this so much.
That word should stand as a good definition of God's grace, God's
continual, unfailing, reigning, sovereign, sufficient grace. It's never the less. He giveth and He giveth and He
giveth more grace. Not because of me. No. My first experience, my first
awareness of God's grace to me was not because of me, but in
spite of me. That's what grace is. Nevertheless,
not because I deserve it. Oh, thank God that that's not
the foundation, that's not the reason. But in spite of me, he
giveth more grace nevertheless. But God, Mr. Fortner in one of
his many hymns wrote, but God in grace and power divine stepped
in to save my soul. I've heard preachers say, God
doesn't interfere with man's will. I'm glad that's not true. I'm so thankful that that's not
true. They don't know what they're
talking about. Thank God he interfered with our will. But God in grace
and power divine stepped in to save my soul. His gracious purpose
has prevailed, and he has made me whole. But God, but God, what
blessed words of grace, he broke my stubborn will. Throughout
the great eternal age, I'll chant his praises still. But God, never the less, never
the less. I am continually with thee."
Look at when this believer, let's look at that for a moment, verse
17. Look at when this believer, this
child of God was recovered from his trial and his great temptation. Verse 17, until, not until, I
went into the sanctuary of God, not until then did I understand. Not until then did I understand. Then I understood their end. He changes his place. He changes
his place. And then he changes his perspective. God has a way of getting our
attention, doesn't he? God has a way of getting our
attention. The psalmist now sees things
not through his misguided and misconception of things, but
he sees them now how they really, really are. You remember when
the king of Syria attacked Israel? And God, through his prophet
Elijah, would warn the king of Israel about the plans of the
attack of the Syrian army. And the king of Syria thought,
well, we have a traitor in the camp. And someone said, oh, no.
No, not so, king. We're true to you. It's that
prophet Elijah. Where is he? He's down in Dothan.
Well, let's just go get him. We'll shut him up. So he's standing
a great army down there. Elijah, Elisha was asleep, rather,
but his servant wakes up. Listen to this. I'm reading in
2 Kings chapter 6. And when the servant of the man
of God was risen up early and gone forth, behold, a host come
past the city, both with horses and chariots. And his servant
said unto him, he says to Elisha, Alas, my master, how shall we
do? It looks like we've come to the
end of the road. It's over for us. We are surrounded. We are surrounded. And this is
the prophet's answer to his fearful servant. Fear not. For they that be with us are
more than they that be with them." There's just Elisha and his servant
and they're surrounded. They're surrounded by an army
of soldiers and horsemen and chariots. And he tells his servant,
they that be with us are more. They're greater. They're greater.
And Elisha prayed. and said, Lord, I pray thee,
open his eyes that he may see. And the Lord opened the eyes
of the young man, and he saw, and behold, the mountain was
full of horses and chariots of fire around about Elisha. Greater is he that be with us
than all the enemies that we have against us. If God be for
us, who can be against us? Oh, open our eyes. Open our eyes
that we may see. A good verse along that same
line in the New Testament is 2 Corinthians chapter 4. For
our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for
us. God give me grace to believe
that and to act like I believe it. Verse 17 of 2 Corinthians
4, for our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh
for us. Our heavenly Father works all
things together for our good, even our light affliction, which
is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and
eternal weight of glory. While we look not at the things
which are seen, oh, open his eyes that he may see, but at
the things which are not seen, for the things which are seen
are temporal. but the things which are not
seen are eternal. Until I went into the sanctuary
of God, going into God's presence, he changed his viewpoint. Then
all that seemed to be confusion and chaos before was resolved. He before stood where he saw
too little. Too little to make an accurate
estimation of things. He saw too little to judge God's
dealings correctly. But God gave him a wider view
of things. And oh, how he changes his tune. Oh, God nevertheless changed
his tune. You know our solar system. standing
where we do. The planets appear to be without
any order, but if it were possible for us to view it from the sun,
the center of the solar system, viewing it from the center, we
would see all the planets moving in perfect harmony, perfect order
around the center, which is the sun. That's what happened to
the psalmist. He went into the presence of
God. And then he saw things from God's
perspective. He saw things as they really
are. And he said, man, I've been a
fool. I've been a fool to envy the
wicked. You remember William Cowper? There's a couple of his hymns
in our hymn book. Perhaps his most famous one is
God Moves in a Mysterious Way and that man, that man that wrote
this hymn suffered all of his life with bouts of deep, deep
depression, was hospitalized for it from time to time. But
he wrote, God moves in a mysterious way his wonders to perform. He
plants his footsteps in the sea, and he rides up on the storm
deep, deep in unfathomable minds of never failing skill. He treasures
up his bright designs and works his sovereign will. Ye fearful
saints, fresh courage take the clouds ye so much dread, or be
with mercy and shall break in blessings on your head. And then
he wrote, and this is what the psalmist did. Judge not the word
by feeble sense, but trust him for his grace. Behind a frowning
providence he hides a smiling face. His purposes shall ripen
fast, unfolding every hour. The bud may have a bitter taste,
but sweet will be the flower. Blind unbelief is sure to err
every time. Lean not upon the arm of flesh
or your own understanding. It will let you down every time. Blind unbelief is sure to err
and stand his work in vain. God is his own interpreter and
he will make it plain. Until I went into the sanctuary
of God, And when he had this change of mind, this change of
heart, his recovery took place. Hence, just a sidebar, so to
speak, the importance of public worship. He went to that place
where God said he would meet with people, that he would meet
with his people. He went into the presence of
God, just as he meets with us here. where two or three are
gathered together in his name. He said, there am I, there am
I in the midst of thee. Have you ever had someone tell
you, a professing Christian? I can serve God without attending
a place of worship. I can serve God without going
to church. Really, really, you can serve
God without meeting where his people meet. I sometimes want
to ask those folks, well, how are you doing it? How are you
serving God? What are you doing for God's
glory? What are you doing for the salvation of sinners? What
are you doing for the gospel sake? And the truth is, nothing. Absolutely nothing. It's with
the good reason that we're exhorted not to forsake the assembling
of ourselves together, as the matter of some is, but so much
the more. Why would anyone, why would anyone
who professes to know God, who professes to be a member of God's
family, not want to meet where the family meets? Get together
with the family. Oh, but most importantly, as
we quoted a moment ago, Public worship is vital to our souls
because he's promised to meet with us. Oh, my soul. How many times, children of God,
how many times have you come in here and if
you'd went by your feelings, you wouldn't have got out of
bed. Just don't feel like it. Press down. feel bad physically
or mentally, just press down. Oh, but how many times when you
went into the sanctuary of God, you left feeling so much better
than the way you felt when you came in. Because God in his mercy
and grace did exactly Our great shepherd did exactly what he
promised to do. Where two or three are met together
in my name, for my glory, I'll be in their midst. I'll meet
there with them. And you have felt him pick you
up in his arms, oh, the great shepherd of the sheep, and drop
a word in your heart and whisper in your ear, I'm never going
to leave you. I'll never forsake you. All is
well. All is well. And he does everything
well, does he not? From verses 18 to the end of
the psalm, we're told how things so much dramatically changed
for the psalmist. From that point on, his condition
is so much different. Compare the two. Compare the
two. The verses prior, beginning at
verse 2, What a blessed before and after picture. He's changed
his thoughts about God, about himself, about the wicked, and
he leaves the sanctuary singing a different tune. My father,
again, he used to say to me, if I would shrug about doing
something he would tell me had the stupidity to talk back, he'd
say, son, I'll bet I can change your tune. I'll bet I can change your tune.
And he never lost that bet. He sure could change my tune. God our Father, in his mercy
and grace, changes our tune. The psalmist leaves the sanctuary. No longer does he envy the wicked. He pities them. He pities them. This is all they have. This is all they have. And it's
all going to be left behind. This is all they have. But as
Bobby sang a moment ago, we've got Christ. We've got Christ. We've got everything. We've got
everything that God Almighty can give. We have Christ. And Christ is all. And as she's
saying, that's why you may stand at the bed of a dying believer,
and their last words on leaving this world will be, Oh, welcome,
welcome, sweet scenes of grace. I'm going home. Christ is all. The psalmist no longer cries,
woe is me. Oh, no. He cries, God is good. God is good. God is gracious. The psalmist was like a ship
anchored. It may still be tossed about
with the waves or by the waves, but it'll never be set adrift. It'll never be set adrift from
the harbor. Nevertheless, Never, I like that
word, never, God says to his people, never, never less mercy,
never less grace. I'll never leave you. Sometimes, mid scenes of deepest
gloom, sometimes where Eden's bowers bloom, by waters still
or troubled sea, still tis God's hand that leadeth me. Apply this blessed word to nevertheless,
as the psalmist did in verses 23 and 24. Nevertheless of grace, Never divided. That's what, I
like Peter's arithmetic, don't you? He was a good mathematician.
In both of his epistles, in the first chapter, he writes, grace
and peace be multiplied to you. never subtracted, never divided,
never less, but grace and peace be multiplied to you. Look back,
if you will, a few pages here in the Psalms at Psalm 31. Psalm
31. Verse 22. An example of grace and peace
multiplied. For I said in my haste, I am
cut off from before thine eyes. Nevertheless, nevertheless, thou
heardest the voice of my supplications when I cried unto thee. Apply the word to God's, not
only God's promises, but his purpose. Nevertheless, God's
purpose standeth sure. Nevertheless, the foundation
of God standeth sure. Look at Psalm 106, the 106th
Psalm, verse 8. Nevertheless, he saved them because
they deserved saving. No, no. Nevertheless, he saved
them for his name's sake, for his glory, for his honor, Nevertheless,
he saved them for his namesake that he might make his mighty
power to be known. Applied the word to the promise
of his presence. It's nevertheless. Turn back
a few pages here in the Psalms to Psalm 89. Psalm 89, verse
33. I love this. I'm so thankful. As John taught this morning,
I'm so thankful, and he told you the truth. He painted a picture,
warts and all, when he said if God would leave him today, there's
no telling what he would be doing before the sun went down. And
that's just so, that's just so. Nevertheless, verse 33, of Psalm
89. Nevertheless, my loving kindness
will I not utterly take from him, nor suffer my faithfulness
to fail. Oh, thank God. His honor rests
on the promise of his presence, does it not? I'm often, are you
like this? I'm often like the disciples
on that stormy sea that night. Our Lord told him to get in a
ship and cross the sea while he stayed where he was. And we're told when the evening was
now come, his disciples went down into the sea and entered
into a ship and went over the sea toward Capernaum. And it
was now dark, and Jesus was not come to them, and the sea arose
by reason of a great wind that blew. a great wind that blew, and they
were afraid. He wasn't with them, and they
were scared. Man, their ship was being tossed
to and fro, completely out of their control. I read the other
day a story about a little girl who was terrified of the dark. Her daddy would put her in a
room at night, put her in her bed, turn out the light, Man,
she would cry and call for her mother, mommy, mommy. Her father would have to go get
her, bring her, put her in bed with them. Her mother told her,
said, daughter, don't you know it's dark in mommy's room, too? And the little girl snuggled
up to her and said, yes, mommy, I know. But you're with me in
this dark room. You're with me. Oh, it was now
dark, and Jesus was not come to them. But they see Jesus walking
on the sea. They see Jesus walking on the
sea, drawing nigh unto them, nigh unto the ship. And he said,
it is I. Be not afraid. Be not afraid. Oh, that's a sweet word of grace,
isn't it? Child of God, the waves may roll over your
head and you may feel, I'm going to drown. Oh, but he who ruleth
wind and water stands by you, stands by you. Be not afraid. Can you imagine how this sweet
word of grace must have sounded in the ears of David when Nathan,
the faithful prophet of God, came to him exposing his sin,
David's sin of adultery and murder? He thought he'd covered up. And
Nathan said, David, you're the man. You're the man. You've sinned against God. Nevertheless, he said, the Lord
has put away your sin and you won't die. You won't die. What sweet, amazing grace. Can you imagine how sweet the
word must have been to Peter when our Lord said, all of you
will leave me this night. You'll forsake me and I'll be
left alone. And Peter said, they will. But I won't. The others will, but I won't.
Peter, before the cock crows twice, you'll deny three times
that you even know me. You'll deny that you've ever
known me. Peter said, that's not possible.
That is not possible. If I'm willing to go with you
and die, would I deny you? And our Lord stands before the Sanhedrin, that kangaroo
court, as the sheep before his shears is done, so opened not
his mouth. And at the same time, Peter's
down there saying, I don't know him. The Lord is soon to lay upon
the Great Shepherd the iniquity of us all. And one says, I don't
even know him. I've never known him. I don't
know who he is. And Luke tells us at that moment
the cock crew and the Lord turned and looked at Peter. Not a word spoken. And then it all came crashing
down on Peter's head he remembered. He remembered the promise and
he ran out weeping bitterly. I can only imagine the torment
of Peter's soul and heart for those three days. Cause as yet
they knew not that he should rise again from the dead. Can
you imagine how Peter must have felt? and how the look of the Lord
must have burned into his brain when that third time he denied
knowing Him and the Lord turned and looked at him and Peter thought,
oh, I denied Him. I did what I said I wouldn't
do and I'll never be able to tell Him again how sorry I am.
Oh, what have I done? What have I done? Nevertheless, When the women came to the tomb,
those angels said, you go and tell his disciples and Peter
that he's going into Galilee just like he said he would and
he'll meet him there. Make sure you tell Peter especially. And Peter wrote afterwards, nevertheless. No, he said, oh, but the God
of all grace. The God of all grace who has
called us into his eternal glory by Christ Jesus after that you
have suffered a while, make you perfect, establish, strengthen,
and settle you to him be glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen. I can come a little closer home
than illustrating by the life of David or Peter. I can remember some years ago
thinking, just as what the psalmist says here, I was almost gone. I thought that I was almost gone. As he says in Psalm 107, oh the
billows had gone over my head, turn there for just a moment,
Psalm 107 verse 27. Here's how they're described.
Like those men that go down into the sea, that do business in
the great waters, they reel to and fro and stagger like a drunken
man and they're at their wits' end. Ever been there? As a believer, I've been there,
John. I was at my wits' end. I would go to God's Word and try to read a promise and my mind in such darkness
that I couldn't stay focused to the end of the verse. Couldn't
do it, Mike. Couldn't do it. I was at my wit's end. And I heard this blessed, nevertheless, I'm continually
with thee. Then they cry unto the Lord in
their trouble, and he bringeth them out of their distresses.
He maketh the storm a calm, so that the ways thereof are still. Let's wrap this up. Look again,
if you will, at the last two verses here in Psalm 73. Or,
I'm sorry, verses 23 and 24. I'm so thankful that God's love
and not our deservings are the rule of his grace, aren't you? Verse 23, it says, Nevertheless,
I'm continually with thee. Thou is holding me by my right
hand. Thou shalt guide me with thy
counsel, and afterward receive me to glory. I am continually
with thee." He speaks of the present. Then the past, you've
held me up. And the future, you'll guide
me. I declare with such a guide as the great shepherd of the
sheep will never be steered wrong, will we? And then he says, and
afterwards, afterward, you'll receive me to glory. Another
sweet word, afterward. Thank God there's an afterward.
Weeping may endure through the night. Oh, but afterward, afterward,
my soul, the joy Oh brother-in-law, the joy that's going to come
in the morning, the joy that's going to come that eternal morning
when all the sheep are gathered into the fold of the Great Shepherd
and they see His face, oh, afterward. Nevertheless, what rejoicing
in his presence when our banished grief and pain, when the crooked
ways are straightened and the dark things shall be plain. Nevertheless, I'm with you. In
his heart, in his eye, in his hand, what shall we say to these
things? It is good for me to draw near
to God. Oh, to grace, How great a debtor
daily we're constrained to be. The Psalms, many were songs,
as you know. Let's close our service by singing
a song, too, to the praise of our great God and Savior. Amen. Amen. God bless you.