Sermon notes from Sunday 5 August 2018 am
Psalm 37 verses 1 - 11
The Psalmist in this Psalm talks of a tremendous exercise, a personal exercise, he cannot do it for anyone else. This is an exercise you must do today. You have to commit your way unto the Lord as I have to commit my way to the Lord. It is a wisdom Psalm, it reflects all that which concerns man and his relationship with God. The one who sustains life tells us in verse 1 "fret not thyself." If this message was merely that we are not to be worried or overly concerned then you would might say "that is alright for you to say, you don`t know the pain and burdens I have." What is the exercise the Psalmist has - commit they way unto the Lord. This psalm is looking foward. This is the moment God has given unto you and I. He asks us to commit our way unto him. This little verse could have the heading "business with God." As I rose today I wondered what this day would mean. Is it just a day to come in, sing a few hymns, hear a message and everything is normal?
It is a daily exercise. Is this a day to do business with God? This exercise is a daily exercise. The word "way" is used many times in scriptures and has different meanings. It could be a well trodden way. You have been on the road a long time as a Christian or perhaps only for a short time. The psalmist encourages us to commit our way to him. Another thought is a mode of life you are on. Maybe you have trodden the path for many years. Maybe as you open your life up to him the Lord is saying "this what I want you to do today." This today will be your task in life. I shall commit whatever I am doing today, bring it to him daily, ask the Lord "what does this day mean to you today Lord?" Do not fall into patterns of yesterday. Let`s make this a new day with the Lord. Jesus speaks of daily needs to his disciples. These were men similar to us. When Jesus told them to follow him they dropped everything and followed him. They gave up their daily income, social outlook, all to follow a lonely Galilean. No income meant they could be hated by the enemy at any time. You still need to eat, be clothed, who will look after all these things? When they brought this nee to the Lord he taught them "give unto us our daily bread." Not "Lord make sure we are well catered for next week." This is a daily journey we are on. No guarantee of tomorrow. We need to come day and daily to the Lord. We do not know what a day may bring forth. Maybe today you are looking forward to something in the future. Have you made your peace with God? Have you come to the Lord, confessed you are a sinner, need his grace, mercy and forgiveness? Have you invited him into your life to be your Saviour? Do you come to him on a daily basis? James corrected those of his day - business men - would profit themselves, would go down into the city, stay there for a year, move on to another city. James 4 verse 14 "whereas you know not what shall be on the morrow for what is your life it is even a vapour that appeareth for a little while and then vanisheth away." You know not what a day may bring forth. Your boasting is evil but now you rejoice in boasting. All such boasting is evil. Have you brought all your needs to the Lord daily? Hve you stopped for a moment and said "Lord I am bringing this day before you, all the activities of my hands before you." Commit your way to the Lord. it is a daily thing.
It is a definite exercise. The Lord desires our coming to him today that we might receive guidance and help. In Acts 16 we read of a man renowned for the preaching of God`s word, knowing God`s mind and will. Here he is wondering what his the next step should be. Maybe Phrygia and then he thought of Asia. Sensitive to the prompting of the Spirit, realised the doors were being shut to these 2 places. He was waiting on the Lord asking him what way to go. We need to be careful, serious about knowing the will of God in these days. Remember Lot - backsliding doesn`t happen instantly nor does coldness. Lot was brought up under a godly influence of his uncle Abraham, he showed him things that were right and wrong. God had blessed them so well - flocks and riches, land, couldn`t divide themselves. Abraham and Lot decided to separate. Abraham told Lot to choose where he wanted to go. He lifted up his eyes and saw this profitable land all around him. It suited his flocks so well. Never once did he say to God "Lord I am committing my way to you, this is the land that would suit me perfectly." We can be so guilty of that, this is the life that suits me, that I am happiest with. Maybe the Lord has something else. Lot was happy with that well watered ground. Remember what happened to him. That ground was toward Sodom. He set up his tent, looked down into Sodom but never once talked to the Lord about where he was or if this was God`s will. Before long he was in Sodom "the most wicked people in all the earth." Here was this man living in midst of all this sin. One day God would judge it. Then he is not only looking towards Sodom but then living in Sodom. He is now on the ruling board in Sodom. Backsliding doesn`t happen instantly, it begins with a lackadaisical attitude towards God. What is happening in our lives? Just as Lot allowed things to come into his heart. For so long he followed Abraham. Peter himself - when Jesus was arrested "he followed afar off" when Peter was standing outside the Judgment Hall. Then he was sitting at the fire listening to others talking. They told him he was one of them and he denied it. He followed afar off then he denied him to others until he was nowhere with God. "Commit they way unto the Lord." A definite exercise. Remember the 2 on the road to Emmaus. Jesus drew nigh and walked with them. They didn`t recognise him. They were caught up in their own pain and heartache and in that moment they didn`t recognise that the Lord was in their midst and walking with them. They had all these other things on their mind. In Psalm 37, Psalm 49 and Psalm 73 the Psalmist has this thought on his mind there is no justice in this world. He saw those prospering above other men. In Psalm 73 Asaph goes into the house of the Lord and sees the end of the wicked. Sometimes we get caught up with looking at others, see them with no concerns as others, getting on quite well themselves. The Lord drew alongside these 2 disciples, they lifted their voices and asked him "are you only a stranger here, do you not know what things have been happening here?" "What things?" he responded. Did he not know of these things. He knew all about them, all the things that were burdening them. He wanted the 2 on the road to tell him everything. It is one thing to have a burden but another thing to bring it to the Lord. Tell him about it, commit they way unto the Lord.
A devotional exercise. I have to commit my way to the Lord. I am worshipping him. I am placing my full trust in him, to listen and hear and be able to do. It is a demonstration of our trust in him, the God of all creation. Job was asked to travel a lonely road. Job had lost everything. One day he got up, all was well, he went to pray for his famly but before the day was out he had lost everything, his crops, his herds, his flocks then his family. Then he lost his health. Job was full of boils. He had to take a piece of tile and scrape himself yet Job could say "he knows the way I take." That is a tremendous confession. Why did the Lord know? Because Job lifted his heart to the Lord and committed it to him. The Lord was listening to him. Abraham had to travel a similar hard road. He was told to take his son as a sacrifice. He staggered not at the promise of God because he knew God was able to raise his son to life again. It is a devotional exercise - do not hold your life back but bring it to the Lord.
It is a dependable exercise. As we commit our way to the Lord he can bring it to pass whatsoever is in your hand today.
No comments:
Post a Comment