Open your Bible with me tonight
to the 11th Psalm. Psalm 11. I have no idea why, but I was
awakened very early this morning with the third verse of this
Psalm on my heart. I'm sure there's a reason. I
don't know whether the Lord's preparing me for some great trial,
or preparing one of you for some great trial, or preparing us
for some great trial. I don't know. But I'm certain
He's giving me a message for you tonight. Psalm 11, verse
3. If the foundations be destroyed, what can the righteous do? If the foundations be destroyed,
that's my subject. If the foundations be destroyed,
what can the righteous do? If the roof is blown off your
house in a tornado, It'll cause you trouble and expense, maybe
even some pain and sorrow. But there's no cause for great
grief, no cause for despair. The foundation is secure. If
one of the walls of this building would be torn off in a storm,
it would require time and labor to repair it. But it could be
replaced soon enough. Indeed, once we saw this building
collapse like a pile of toothpicks in a freak winter storm, But
the foundation was still secure and the walls were soon erected
again. But if by some terrible earthquake,
some terrible shaking of the earth, the very foundation of
the building is destroyed, then everything is ruined. Everything
is ruined. This was David's fear as he expressed
it in this psalm. Perhaps the psalm was written
during that time of Absalom's rebellion. Perhaps during the
time that Ahithophel betrayed him. I don't know. But David
was experiencing some very great, great trouble. A terrible time
of fear for him. Not for himself only, but for
the nation and for the people of God. It appeared to this servant
of God, that the very foundations of the kingdom were trembling. And he cried out to God, if the
foundations be destroyed, oh God, if the foundations be destroyed,
what can the righteous do? Let's think about that for a
little while. We are living in troubling, perilous times. Any rational, reasonable man
who's concerned about the problems facing our nation and the world
recognize what a terrible time we live in. I know nothing at
all about economics, but I've got enough sense to know the
terrible economic instability of this age. I live through the
racial tensions of the South during the racial turbulence
of the 50s and 60s, and I've never seen racial tension like
it is today. I've never seen it. The Islamic
terrorism, and that's what Islam is. Let folks say what they want
to to be politically correct. Islam is a religion of terror.
It always has been, and it always will be. The Islamic terrorism
of this day keeps everybody uneasy everywhere in the world. political
unrest is such that it wouldn't surprise me if tomorrow morning
we awakened the news that World War III had begun. This generation
not only has to deal with those troubling things in that nature,
but we live in an age of social moral evil that is utterly unparalleled
in time. The things that we see every
day now, Just common occurrences every day now were things that
weren't even dreamed of 50 years ago. Things that hadn't even
come to people's minds. Baddest things were the evils
facing this generation. Just boggle my mind. Infidelity is expected in every
realm of life. It's just expected. You expect
our politicians not to be true to their word. Isn't that a shame? We expect men who are elected
to be statesmen not to be true to their word. Both conservative
and liberal. We just expect it. We don't expect
them to tell the truth. Ever. Do you? Do you? I don't ever expect them to tell
the truth. Infidelity in relationships,
lack of loyalty, lack of faithfulness, lack of trust, Fornication is
as common today and is accepted today as used to be kids used
to sneak around the house when they were 15 years old and smoking
a cigarette. These days it's just expected.
Just expect it. Well, everybody does that. Everybody
does that. I recall years ago I got a letter
from a fellow, When Faith was Faith and Doug were engaged and
he said he said in his country It's just common even for Christians
to live together for a while And I wrote it back. I said not
Christians. No, it's it's common for infidels to be not Christian
No, no believers don't behave like that believers don't live
like that. That's not a way of life for
believers That's way of life for the heathen for the ungodly
Adultery just as common as instinct sodomy And that's what we're
dealing with. Not gays, but sodomites. Sodomites. Sodomy. It's promoted. Not just accepted, but promoted.
In every realm of life. And if you don't accept it, you're
considered hateful and mean and bigoted. Someone who's just got
a warped mind. These things are horrible. Evil.
Abortion. It's just common. It's common. These days, You get put in jail
for kicking a dog, and the government will pay you to kill your baby.
Now, if there's not something wrong with that, in your mind,
something's wrong with your mind. That's just, I can't imagine
folks thinking otherwise. At the same time, some of you
have personal, domestic trials and difficulties, which appear
to your own eyes to be greater than the trials of the world
at large, and I understand that. Without question, the greatest
evils of the age are found in the religious world. In fact,
if you read the first chapter of Romans and the second chapter
of 2 Thessalonians and read them with your eyes open, you can't
help but to understand that the things I had just been speaking
of are the fruit of will worship. They are the fruit of free will,
Arminian works religion. They're the fruit of men and
women worshipping themselves. That's what Arminianism is. That's
what free willism is. That's what works religion is.
It is man worshipping himself. Worshipping his own might, his
own power, his own goodness, and his own will. Man worships
himself, changing God into what man is and something lower than
man. And so he elevates himself above
God and God gives him over to a reprobate mind to do the evil
we see all around us. Spiritual wickedness abounds
everywhere. Heresy abounds in the professed
church. Therefore, wickedness abounds
in the streets. What the end of these things
shall be, I don't know. I just don't know. I don't pretend to know and I
won't guess. But just suppose the most fearful
tragedy you ever imagined were actually to come to pass. What
would you do? What could you do? This is the
fearful apprehension David formed in his mind. He cried out to
God, if the foundations be destroyed, what can the righteous do? Now
let me approach this question and this subject with four things. First, our text speaks of a righteous
people. This psalm, like all the scriptures,
divides the whole human race into just two categories. This
congregation. Divided into two categories Your
family and mine is divided into two categories Nothing in between
just these two categories righteous and wicked Righteous and wicked
Everybody on this earth meets one of those two characters righteous
or wicked Righteous or wicked look at the psalm with me verse
1 In the Lord put I my trust. How say you to my soul, flee
as a bird to your mountain? For lo, the wicked, the wicked
bend their bow. They make ready their arrow upon
the stream, that they may privately shoot at the upright in heart. If the foundations be destroyed,
what shall the righteous do? What can the righteous do? The
Lord is in his holy temple. While the wicked shoot at the
upright. While the wicked bend his bow and make the righteous
his mark. The Lord's in his holy temple.
The Lord's on his throne. His throne is in heaven. His
eyes behold. His eyelids try the children
of men. These things come to pass because
the Lord trieth the righteous. But the wicked and him that loveth
violence, the wicked do, you know. The wicked, and him that
loveth violence, God's soul hateth. The Lord's soul hateth the wicked. Him that loveth violence, the
triune Jehovah hates. Upon the wicked he shall rain
snares, fire, and brimstone, and an horrible tempest. This
shall be the portion of their cup. If you're here without Christ,
what you just heard and read ought to make you tremble. If
you had good sense, it would make you tremble. If you could
hear, it would make you tremble. If you could hear God's voice,
it would make you tremble. But you won't hear unless he
gives you ears to hear. This shall be the portion of
their cup. For the righteous Lord loveth
righteousness. His countenance doth behold the
upright. All men by nature are wicked. That's the right word to describe
our race. Not good, wicked. Not righteous,
wicked. Not upright, wicked. Not basically
good, wicked. That's the way God describes
humanity and that's the way you and I would describe humanity
if we were honest. Man by nature is wicked and the
wicked are always oppressors and persecutors. Give them opportunity
and you'll see. destroyers of others, especially
the righteous. The way they improve themselves
is by trampling on others. The way they get for themselves
is by taking from others. The way they try to make themselves
look good is by making others look bad. Turn to Romans chapter
3. Preaching through this third
chapter of Romans, I actually said very little concerning these
verses, but don't you look at them. Romans chapter 3 verse
10. Paul has been describing the
wickedness, the depravity, the corruption of both lost men without
a Bible and lost men with a Bible. Lost men without religion and
lost men in religion. And here's how he describes them.
Both the religious and the irreligious who don't know God. As it is
written, there is none righteous. No, not one. What does that mean? There is none that understandeth. There's none that seeketh after
God. They are all gone out of the way. They are together become
unprofitable, not worth two cents. There is none that doeth good.
No, not one. Their throat is an open sepulcher. Their throat's full of death. The words that proceed through
their larynx and come through their mouths and spit out their
teeth are full of death. But you don't. With their tongues,
they learn and practice deceit. The poison of asp is under their
lips. Gossip and slander is the way
they live. whose mouth is full of cursing
and bitterness. Oh, they may say the Lord bless
you, but the mouth is full of cursing and bitterness. They
may speak smooth things in your face, but the mouth is full of
cursing and bitterness. How come? Cause they'd kill you
if they got a chance. The feet are swift to shed blood.
Destruction and misery are in their ways. And the way of peace
have they not known. There's no fear of God before
their eyes, the wicked. But our text also speaks of the
righteous. The righteous are God's saints,
God's elect men and women who are born again by God's spirit,
washed in the blood of Christ, made the righteousness of God
in him. Those who are justified freely by his grace, sanctified,
born again by his spirit. made to be the upright in heart,
he speaks of in verse two. The righteous are not only righteous
before the law, being sanctified by his grace, they are upright
in heart, made new creatures in Christ, and they walk uprightly. Look at verse seven. They are
the upright men and women who live uprightly, adorning the
doctrine of God our Savior in all things. I was talking to
a young man Just a couple of days ago, on one occasion recently,
had to chide some of his companions about their behavior and afterwards
felt a little uncomfortable. I said, don't feel uncomfortable.
Don't feel uncomfortable. Oh, no, don't feel uncomfortable.
We who are gods need to be encouraged all the time to walk uprightly. And seek by grace to walk uprightly
in this world. Use your words carefully for
the glory of God. Behave carefully for the glory
of God. Well, I don't want to be a old
stick in the mud. Well, just be a stick in the
mud. It won't hurt anybody else. Might help them. Might help.
Don't conform to the opinion of the crowd. Isn't it amazing? I've observed this. You have
too. It's nothing new to you. How quickly, how quickly that
which is contrary to what we know is right just sucks us in. Isn't that amazing, Lindsay?
And never sucked in by what we know is good. Never. The evil companions are corrupting. Be aware of that. Be aware of
that. And I don't suggest that we should isolate ourselves from
folks and live like hermits. Not at all. I'm simply saying
don't allow yourself to be governed in your behavior by what other
people do. Rather, seek by the grace of
God, by word and by behavior, to set the example of what others
ought to do. The righteous walk uprightly.
If you're a child of God, a believer, one of the righteous ones in
this earth, you're going to be faced with some disturbing trials
in this world. But God, the Holy Spirit, gives
us many, many words of promise and instruction in his word to
help us through the storms of life. So here's the second thing. God's servant, David, a faithful,
faithful man, a true believer, An example of faith. These words,
Don, are the words of a man who is held before us as an imminent
example of faith and faithfulness. David, a man after God's own
heart, found fear and faith in his heart at the same time. And
he raises a question of fear. When the Philistines took David
at Gath, he cried, What time I am afraid, I will trust in
Thee. Turn to that Psalm, Psalm 56.
Psalm 56. Hear the sweet singer of Israel,
who cried at the foundations be destroyed. What can the righteous
do? Expresses fear and faith. Look
in Psalm 56, verse 1. He says, Be merciful unto me,
O God, For man would swallow me up. He fighting daily oppressive
me. My enemies would daily swallow
me up. For they'd be many that fight
against me. Oh, thou most high. Then you
read Philippians 1 back in the office. And Paul warned us of
our adversaries and assures us of the sure triumph of God's
people over their adversaries. But they fight against us continually.
Verse 3, What time I am afraid, I will trust in thee. In God
I will praise his word. In God I put my trust. I will not fear what flesh shall
do unto me. If the foundations be destroyed,
what can the righteous do? What foundations? What foundations? Sooner or later, the foundation
of all civil government will crumble and be destroyed. Every
nation on this earth is temporary. I am a true-blooded patriot. I do not have any hesitancy in
stating that or in stating that I would go to war to defend this
nation at my age now where I called to do so. I'm a true-blooded
patriot. But this nation, like every other
nation, is just temporary. Raised up for the preservation
of God's elect and for the saving of God's elect, the preservation
of God's gospel and the spread of God's gospel. And when God's
done using it, he will tread this nation down as he has every
other. I'm no pessimist, but I try to
deal with things in reality. And I try to look at things and
deal with them as they really are. Justice in our land is perverted. Signs of decay are everywhere.
The laws of the land are a farce. The moral fabric of the nation
is being eroded by those who ought to be building it up. Men
call good evil and evil good and really don't know the difference.
We live in an age of people whose consciences are seared as with
a hot iron. They just sear their consciences
as with a hot iron. And the leaders love it so. And the people love it so. The
priests and the prophets, the princes and the people love it
so. The foundation of financial economic
security will be destroyed rapidly. You can talk about it as a nation's
economic stability or your family's economic stability. It doesn't
take much for it to collapse. We've seen it over and over again
and yet, men, this is where stability is found. The fact is economic
security is really an impossibility. It's really an impossibility.
You know and I know people We had known well who had everything
fixed, everything fixed. And suddenly, just a little shift
in things and everything go, everything go. How often we've
seen the foundation of trust between friends crumble. You have and I have. David experienced
it. Paul experienced it. Our Savior
experienced it. And you and I experienced it.
Friends betray you. Friends break your heart. Friends
betray your trust. Friends betray your confidence.
And that's painful to deal with. But that's part of living in
this world. The foundation of domestic tranquility,
family happiness, at best, will only endure for a while. The rebellion of a son the waywardness
of a daughter, bring a loving father and a tender mother down
in grief. An unfaithful husband, an unfaithful
wife, willing to sacrifice their families, willing to sacrifice
their sons and daughters, willing to sacrifice the welfare of their
families on the altar of their lust. Destroy the fabric of happiness
and hope And if those things don't happen
Death will soon bring the family to dust Foundations will be destroyed
What I'm saying is this this world and all it provides This
world and all its happiness this world and all you pursue in it
This world and all you can get your hands on in it. This world
and all you can gather around you is marked for destruction. Learn to hold it with a loose
hand. Count it no more value today, David, than you will when
you have to leave it. It's all marked for destruction.
As the foundations of these things begin to crumble, many are sorely
vexed. And David asked the question,
if the foundations be destroyed, the very foundations of life,
the things for which, things there for which folks rightly
labor, things for which, for which folks rightly toil, we
care for our families, provide for our families, the care of
this world. If these things are destroyed, what can the righteous
do? And then it gives an answer of
faith. That's the third thing. Actually, David answered the
question in verse one before he asked the verse one. The Lord is in or in the Lord,
I put on my trust. How say you to my soul? Flea
as a bird to your mountain. The poor frightened bird As soon
as it's frightened, soars on high to flee from danger. And David says, why do you say
to me, flee as a bird to your mountain? I already did. I put
my trust in the Lord. I rest in him. You see, God's
people, like a frightened bird, take refuge in Christ, our rock. Our high tower. We take refuge
in him. The sooner, the better. The more fully, the more comfortably
we take refuge in him. He is a covert from storm and
from rain. The name of the Lord is a high
tower. The righteous runneth into it and is safe. This is
a world of trouble. pain and sorrow. Man born of
woman is a few days and full of trouble. But as the children of God, as
believers, you and I ought to be able to face the difficulties
of this world with peace. We ought to be able to do that.
Now, I'm not just blowing smoke. I'm not just talking to sound
good. I'm telling you what I know is best for you and best for
me. As believers, we ought to be
able to face the most difficult things in this world with peace. Our faith in Christ ought to
give us confidence. I don't mean that we shouldn't
feel things. I don't mean that we shouldn't
hurt. I don't mean that we shouldn't cry when we're hurt. I mean that
we ought to, in the midst of trouble, walk before God our
Savior in peace. Our faith in Christ ought to
give us confidence in the face of calamity, assurance in the
face of adversity, and patience in the face of pain. Here are
some things the righteous can do when the foundations are destroyed. Are you listening? When worse
comes to worst, you can bear it with holy composure like God's
servant Job. Turn over to the book of Job,
Job chapter one. Let's turn back a few pages,
Job chapter one. Shelby and I were watching a
rerun of the Rifleman last night before we went to bed, and Luke
McCain I gave a very loose interpretation of Job, but basically pretty
good, pretty accurate. You know what Job experienced. You know his trouble. Oh, my. When he got through describing
Job's troubles, their new home had just been burned down by
some folks, and Mark was all upset with God, and he turned
around and looked at his daddy. He said, I guess our troubles
are just piddling compared to that old man's troubles. Well,
that's the reason they're written. Your troubles and mine are just
piddling nothing compared to what Job experienced. Just piddling
nothing. And this is what Job said. Job
1 verse 20. Job arose and ran his mantle
and shaved his head and fell upon the ground and worshipped. Oh God, teach me. In the midst
of pain, and heartache, and trouble, and adversity, and trial, to
worship. To worship. Suppose the banks
collapse. You may lose a little money.
But I hope your treasure isn't in that vault. Suppose some tragedy
strikes your home. I hope you won't become hysterical.
Nothing can harm your father's house. Do you understand that? Nothing, child of God, can harm
your father's house if these foundations of sand are destroyed.
Not only should we face it with holy composure like Job, we ought
to face it with submissive faith. Eli has two sons. were killed
by the hand of God. And Eli got report. And he said,
it is the Lord. Let him do what seemeth him good. I've read a lot and heard a lot
spoken about old man Eli and how he didn't do what he ought
to have done and he didn't. How he Didn't make his sons obey
him and he didn't he didn't command them when they were young and
he couldn't command him when they were old He was a he was a not a faithful
man. He was not a faithful man You
mama's and daddy's take a lesson make your children obey you make
them obey you it's senseless Absolutely cruel for a man or
a woman to have to tell a child do anything twice. It's cruel
to the child It's cruel to the child make them obey you For
much said about Eli. Oh, would to God I could compare
halfway with this man, Eli. He said, it is the Lord who killed
my boys. Let him do what seemeth him good. Whatever comes to pass is brought
to pass by our heavenly father. Did you ever notice as you read
through the scriptures and it came to pass? and it came to
pass. David, it came to pass just exactly
as God ordered it today. And when tomorrow's sun has set,
it shall come to pass just exactly as God has ordered it in every
detail of everything. Who is he that saith, and it
cometh to pass when the Lord commandeth it not? You find that
in Lamentations chapter 3. Doesn't matter whether it's a
president or a senator or Congress, a king or a prince, doesn't matter
who they are. Who is it that speaks a thing? And it comes
to pass if God didn't command it. Amos asked, shall there be
evil in the city? And the Lord hath not done it.
Will we ever learn to submit to God's will, to trust his providence? God teach me. When worst comes
to worst, we can cheerfully anticipate the best. This is not a matter
of speculation. This is a matter of certainty.
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 these troublesome times, we can do something else. We
can do what we know is right. You can do what you know is right. Be honest in your business. If
you have a hand to spare, help your brethren. Be a faithful
witness for our Redeemer. In all things, adorn the doctrine
of God our Savior. Oh God, help me today to honor you. I'm so inclined to that which
dishonors you. Help me to honor you in thought,
in word, and in deed. Right on my tongue, govern my
mind, hold the reins over my hands, and over my feet and graciously
force me in the path that honors you. That is the cry of my heart to
my God every day throughout the day, because I know I am disinclined
to that which honors him. and much inclined to everything
that dishonors him. If the foundations be destroyed,
what can the righteous do? We can, as God enables us, do
what righteous men ought to do. Turn to the book of Philippians
chapter 4. Philippians chapter 4. Here's something else we can
do. Though every earthly foundation is destroyed, we can commune
with Christ and learn to be content with Him. Philippians chapter
4, verse 4. Rejoice in the Lord always. And again, I say rejoice. Let
your moderation, your ease of spirit, your gentleness of spirit,
your peace of mind and heart be known to all being the Lord's
at hand. Be careful for nothing, but in
everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving that your request
be made known to God. And the peace of God, which passes
understanding. What a remarkable statement,
the peace of God, Nobody can explain because nobody can understand. I don't see how they could be
so peaceful. I don't understand how they could deal with that
like that. I don't understand how he could do that. The peace
of God that passeth understanding shall keep your hearts and minds. The word, Mark, is guard. Guard,
like a guard at a bank door. Guard at a prison door a guard
the peace of God like a century standing guard over the camp
will keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus finally
brethren Whatsoever things are true Whatsoever things are honest
Whatsoever things are just whatsoever things are pure whatsoever things
are lovely whatsoever things of good report If there be any
virtue If there be any praise, what on earth is he talking about?
I know one thing for sure he's talking about. Christ and all
that he is and all that he does, that pure and holy and virtuous
and pure, upright, think on these things. Set your minds on things
above. Set your affection on things
above. Set your heart on Christ. Think on these things. Look at
verse 11. Not that I speak in respect of
won't, for I have learned in whatsoever state I am therewith
to be content. I know how to be abased and I
know how to abound. Everywhere and in all things
I'm instructed both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound
and to suffer need. I can do all things through Christ
which strengtheneth me. The contentment of faith is something
that has to be learned. And it's learned with experience. The experience of trial. We learn everything by experience. Everything. If you didn't learn
it by experience, you hadn't got the lesson yet. I promise
you. We learn everything by experience. And here's the secret of happiness
in life. Turn back there, very familiar
text, Proverbs chapter three. Proverbs chapter three. Every time I get a chance, I
try to speak this word in the ears of
our grandchildren. and in yours. Verse 5, trust in the Lord with
all thine heart, and lean not unto thine own understanding.
In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths. If the foundations be destroyed,
what can the righteous do? You can trust God. That's what
you can do. Trust God. One last thing, very
briefly. Look back at our text, Psalm
11. There's a reason for our faith
in our Redeemer. This is much more than just philosophy.
This kind of behavior on the part of God's people is most
reasonable. We're told the Lord is in his
holy temple. The Lord's throne is in heaven. The foundation of God, stand
assured, though the world may crumble around us, the foundations
upon which we rest can never be destroyed. When peace like
a river attendeth my way, when sorrows like sea billows roll,
Whatever my lot, thou hast taught me to say, it is well, it is
well with my soul. Look at verse four. And understand
what the Lord our God is doing in all these woes. The Lord is
in his holy temple. The Lord's throne is in heaven. He's ruling the world for us.
when the foundations are destroyed. His eyes behold us. Look at that. His eyes behold. His eyelids try the children
of men. His eyelids try us. They behold
us like a father looks at his darling child. Like a husband
looks at his wife. always looking after us, always
watching over us, and yet always trying us. Because God hates
Jacob, because he hates the wicked, because he hates the reprobate,
God gives them everything to destroy them. Look at verse 5. The Lord trieth
the righteous, but the wicked and him that loveth violence,
his soul hateth. His very life hates. And God
heaps many things upon them, by which they run in excess of
rebellion with delight to hell, and their hearts are hardened
against them. but the Lord tryeth the righteous. Isn't that wonderful? By the
grace he imparts to us, the Lord Jesus both tries us and upholds
us. When God sifts his people as
wheat, as he did Peter, it's only to destroy the chaff and
purge it from the wheat. It's the only reason God sends
the trial. The only reason God sends the trial. Never to punish
you. Never to hurt you. Never to harm you. Only to make
you better. Only to improve you. But our
trials are things by which we are given more striking evidences
of our Savior's faithfulness, His love, His mercy, and His
grace. His patience and his forgiveness.
Go back and read the 32nd Psalm and the 51st Psalm. After David's
great trial in the matter of Uriah. And see what David learned
about God. When he was sifted this week.
By these trials. We have the most striking proof.
of our weakness, our unworthiness, our sin, our depravity, our corruption,
our unbelief. And Alan Kibbe, the more aware
you are of that about you, the better. The more aware I am of those
things about me, the better. And the more we see and know
these things, the more we cling to our Savior, by whose blood
and righteousness, by whose grace and power we are saved and kept
unto an inheritance incorruptible and undefiled that fadeth not
away. If the foundations be destroyed,
What can the righteous do? The righteous can believe God. The righteous can believe God. Amen.