Rest In The Lord
Psalms 37
There are many who fall by the wayside everyday because they find it impossible to believe God would allow the wicked to prosper while the Christians suffer.
To many, these things lead to doubt and frustration.
Satan will use these things to tempt us into sin.
The Lord will not hold us accountable for the suggestions that the Devil makes, or those thoughts that our evil hearts produce but God will hold us accountable if we yield to that sin or act on that evil thought!
We must lay hold to integrity and moral soundness and remain incorruptible.
There is no greater passage in the Bible in teaching this than the Book of Job.
Incorruptible means not being subject to decay!
Two weeks ago we saw that unconfessed sin was leading King David to the point of decay.
When we are so easily troubled because we see the wicked live a life of prosperity and we have forgotten that our sins have been forgiven and true riches await those that make it into God's Heaven and we will never spend one moment in the Burning Lake of fire, then it can also lead us to that same point of decay!
Earthy rewards are not the payment for spiritual work, spiritual work brings Heavenly rewards!
To expect earthly rewards for the work of God will only weaken our faith!
God is not dealing harshly with us when He does not make us rich!
There is a great bit of difference between a need and a want!
We can rejoice when we know we are redeemed by the blood of Jesus!
We can only rest when we understand the truth of God!
Let's Begin.
*****Psa 37:1 A Psalm of David. Fret not thyself because of evildoers, neither be thou envious against the workers of iniquity.
Psa 37:2 For they shall soon be cut down like the grass, and wither as the green herb.
Again another Psalm of David.
Not only was David King of Israel, and a man after God's own heart, God used the experiences of David to teach us many valuable lessons.
We must accept that every Word in the Bible was inspired by the Holy Spirit but when that writer had experienced those things that they had written, we can more easily relate those things to our own lives.
It is the object of God's Word to teach us the means of salvation but also how to walk in the ways of the Lord in this life!
One of the greatest problems to the Christian is when they try to answer the question of "why God's people suffer while the wicked seem to succeed"?
They say why would God allow such a thing?
This is what the word "fret" has as it's meaning!
The purpose of this Psalm is to answer this question.
To "fret" is to worry, to fume, to have heart-burn, to become irritated and it is in fact a form of jealousy!
We are not to be jealous of evildoers who seem to prosper because of their evilness.
We are also not to be envious of their apparent success.
Envy will only add to jealousy hate, and uneasiness, and it shows to that wicked person that he is superior to you!
Pro 3:31 Envy thou not the oppressor, and choose none of his ways.
Pro 3:32 For the froward is abomination to the LORD: but his secret is with the righteous.
How does God describe these evil doers?
They are as the grass that we mow weekly during the cutting season.
The destruction of ungodly people will be speedy, it will be sudden, and it will be sure!
What is the truth about herbs?
The herb is not like a tree, the herb dies to the root every year. The herb dries up once it has produced it's fruit and dries up in the sun.
All the glory of wicked and evil people will end at their death and they are soon forgotten.
Inside every "Born Again" child of God there lives a soul that knows that true life will be eternally spent with the Lord!
This true life begins when we trust in the Lord.
How do we obtain true riches?
*****Psa 37:3 Trust in the LORD, and do good; so shalt thou dwell in the land, and verily thou shalt be fed.
Psa 37:4 Delight thyself also in the LORD; and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart.
Psa 37:5 Commit thy way unto the LORD; trust also in him; and he shall bring it to pass.
Psa 37:6 And he shall bring forth thy righteousness as the light, and thy judgment as the noonday.
Psa 37:7 Rest in the LORD, and wait patiently for him: fret not thyself because of him who prospereth in his way, because of the man who bringeth wicked devices to pass.
1) We are commanded not to fret ourselves because of evildoers.
2) We are now commanded to trust the Lord.
The Bible is a book of commandments and not a book of suggestions!
God says the cure to "fretting" is "faith"!
Faith means we can see things as they really are.
God says the remedy for "fretting" is "doing good"!
That word "verily" means "the truth is".
The truth is that God will not only feed His people with bread, but more important God will feed His people with "His Truth"!
How will the evil doer be fed?
Isa 44:20 He feedeth on ashes: a deceived heart hath turned him aside, that he cannot deliver his soul, nor say, Is there not a lie in my right hand?
Jer 23:15 Therefore thus saith the LORD of hosts concerning the prophets; Behold, I will feed them with wormwood, and make them drink the water of gall: for from the prophets of Jerusalem is profaneness gone forth into all the land.
They will feed on ashes and wormwood and gall!
3) We are now commanded to delight ourselves in the Lord!
We are to make the Lord the joy of our lives!
Those that are evil get joy from doing evil things which will bring them no reward at their death.
Remember how David has used the word "my"?
The Lord is my light, my salvation, my strength, my rock, my fortress, my high tower and my deliverer!
This is the way we need to use the word "my" when it comes to the Lord!
We must have a personal relationship with Him!
What are the facts?
Those who delight in the Lord only delight and ask for the things that please Him and Our God delights in fulfilling those desires!
Joh 14:14 If ye shall ask any thing in my name, I will do it.
How can these things come about?
4) We must commit ourselves to the Lord and not to the ways of this world.
We must roll the burden of our life over to the Lord!
1Pe 5:6 Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time:
1Pe 5:7 Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.
When we place our trust in the Lord, why in the world would we want to interfere and not leave the results in His hands.
The more we fret the worse we will be, the more we trust the Lord the better off we will be!
The Lord is the Judge of all this Earth!
Abraham asked the Lord this question.
Gen 18:25 That be far from thee to do after this manner, to slay the righteous with the wicked: and that the righteous should be as the wicked, that be far from thee: "Shall not the Judge of all the earth do right"?
We can know that the Lord is the Righteous Judge of this Earth and can only do what is right!
How will He judge the righteous who remain in the light of the Lord?
Each believer is as the noon of day when there is not even a shadow of darkness!
We must not fret because of evil doers.
We must trust in the Lord.
We must delight ourselves in the Lord.
We must commit ourselves to the Lord.
5) And then we can rest in the Lord.
This is also a command and not some suggestion.
Psa 46:10 Be still, and know that I am God: I will be exalted among the heathen, I will be exalted in the earth.
God will never act before it is time to act but we can also be sure to know that God will never be late, He will always be on time!
We must never forget the intent of the Lord.
Jas 5:7 Be patient therefore, brethren, unto the coming of the Lord. Behold, the husbandman waiteth for the precious fruit of the earth, and hath long patience for it, until he receive the early and latter rain.
I have said it before, that lost soul the Lord is waiting on could be one of our own family members.
We will certainly see the unrighteous prosper in this world but that is all they have!
We will certainly see that the rich get richer and the poor get poorer!
We simply must help those we can, especially those of the true Church and cease from our anger at these things.
God's "Grace", through the Lord Jesus Christ is still the only answer to all life's problems!
*****Psa 37:8 Cease from anger, and forsake wrath: fret not thyself in any wise to do evil.
Psa 37:9 For evildoers shall be cut off: but those that wait upon the LORD, they shall inherit the earth.
We must believe that nothing can ever happen to us apart from the knowledge, the presence, and the love of God!
And we must know that God only wants good things for us, things that will make us better suited for His use!
What is the truth of God?
Rom 8:18 For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.
When we see these things happen around us, we can either get angry at those that are so prosperous in their evil, or we will get angry at God.
To be angry at the world is madness, to be angry at God is insanity. Then the answer must be for us to forsake being angry!
We can live and rejoice with life when we trust that the Lord only does the right things for us and we need to avoid anything that even gives the appearance of being evil.
Anger will simmer and burn until reaches a point of explosion which will lead to sin.
Eph 4:26 Be ye angry, and sin not: let not the sun go down upon your wrath:
Eph 4:31 Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all malice:
We must remember those that reject the Word of God will suffer a terrible judgment.
What is the truth of the Word of God?
Luk 16:22 And it came to pass, that the beggar died, and was carried by the angels into Abraham's bosom: the rich man also died, and was buried;
Luk 16:23 And in hell he lift up his eyes, being in torments, and seeth Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom.
But those who are patiently waiting on the Lord even in this life will have the most of real enjoyment and in the ages to come the glory and triumph of the glory world.
John Bunyan wrote: "Passion" has his good things first, and they are soon over. "Patience" has his good things last, and they last forever.
What is the truth of the Word of God?
*****Psa 37:10 For yet a little while, and the wicked shall not be: yea, thou shalt diligently consider his place, and it shall not be.
The average life span in some places in this world may have increased to over 70 years but that is still a short time. Many who live the lifestyle of the rich and famous do not live that long. The glitter of the wicked is not true gold!
There are many a building which carry the name of some famous person but that person has already perished. We may consider their place in society but they themselves are long gone.
His house is empty, his chair at the office is empty, his estate belongs to someone else or is without an owner. They are gone and will be soon forgotten!
But this is not so for those that love the Lord.
*****Psa 37:11 But the meek shall inherit the earth; and shall delight themselves in the abundance of peace.
It is those of "faith" that above all others, can enjoy life.
The "meek" are all those that have submitted themselves to the divine will of God!
Our meekness comes from the "Grace" of God through the Lord Jesus Christ which the world simply cannot understand.
What is the truth of the Lord our God?
Isa 55:8 For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the LORD.
Isa 55:9 For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.
Those that have been justified by faith will always be the enemy of those that will not submit to the Lord.
*****Psa 37:12 The wicked plotteth against the just, and gnasheth upon him with his teeth.
The Atheist say there is no God, so why do they attack those that do believe?
In reality most of them just hate the fact there is truly a righteous God.
Many others just say that there simply cannot be a personal God.
And all others place their faith in false gods!
As Christians we are simply to tell others about salvation through the Lord Jesus Christ and then stand our ground on these facts!
We are not at war with the world! God gave every one the gift of choice!
God wants us to have an informed choice so that there will not be any excuses at the judgment seat.
What will God do when He hears the excuses of the wicked?
*****Psa 37:13 The Lord shall laugh at him: for he seeth that his day is coming.
We know that the Lord is full of mercy and grace so laughing seems out of His true character, yet here it is.
The Hebrew word saw-khak is used here and it means a mocking laugh.
God will not allow for excuses and He will have heard them all at the White Throne of Judgment.
God's mocking laughter occurs only after those wicked have conclusively rejected His love and mercy, and then continued in their arrogant rebellion against the Word of God.
Pro 1:24 Because I have called, and ye refused; I have stretched out my hand, and no man regarded;
Pro 1:25 But ye have set at nought all my counsel, and would none of my reproof:
Pro 1:26 I also will laugh at your calamity; I will mock when your fear cometh;
It seems that most pulpits refuse to preach the truth of these scriptures.
Things will be different for those that love the Lord!
*****Psa 37:18 The LORD knoweth the days of the upright: and their inheritance shall be for ever.
Psa 37:19 They shall not be ashamed in the evil time: and in the days of famine they shall be satisfied.
God may have laughed at those who reject Him but those that love Him have a bright future!
There is not one thing that lies in our future that God is not already aware of and is already preparing us for it before it comes!
To know the Lord Jesus Christ as your personal Savior means to have an inheritance laid up in Heaven that will last forever!
For ever means one day we will wake up in glory and there will never be another day. That day will just continue unending!
Rev 22:5 And there shall be no night there; and they need no candle, neither light of the sun; for the Lord God giveth them light: and they shall reign for ever and ever.
For this reason we do not have to be ashamed that we are not as prosperous as those that refuse the Lord Jesus here in this life.
We do not have to be disappointed because we cannot obtain all our desires in this life.
God is not just a friend on the sunny days, God is our friend even on the cloudy days!
When God's providence is our inheritance in this life, we need not worry about tomorrow. God already knows what we need for tomorrow!
*****Psa 37:23 The steps of a good man are ordered by the LORD: and he delighteth in his way.
Psa 37:24 Though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down: for the LORD upholdeth him with his hand.
What is it like to be in the Army of God? The Lord delights in the ways of all those who "themselves" delight in the Lord!
As a babe who delighted it's parents with those first steps, so it is with the Lord when we begin our walk with Him.
As our walk becomes more and more secure as time passes by, the Lord's smile also broadens.
Pro 3:6 In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.
God knows that the path of each Christian is not always an easy road and God understands we will fall on occasion.
Job lost everything he had and Job was a very rich man.
Joseph was treated as a slave and then put in prison.
Jonah was cast into the deep in the belly of a whale.
The child of God need fall only as far as his knees to brought back up again!
The troubles in this world may bring us down to our knees, death may bring us to the grave, but we will never go lower than this because our true life is up!
It is God that holds on to His children through Jesus Christ!
Joh 10:28 And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand.
Joh 10:29 My Father, which gave them me, is greater than all; and no man is able to pluck them out of my Father's hand.
Joh 10:30 I and my Father are one.
*****Psa 37:25 I have been young, and now am old; yet have I not seen the righteous forsaken, nor his seed begging bread.
Psa 37:26 He is ever merciful, and lendeth; and his seed is blessed.
David adds a personal testimony in his own observations in serving the Lord but this is nonetheless a true statement!
The Lord will reward those that obey Him!
The Lord will never forsake His children!
The true children of God will never be beggars when they remain in the congregation of the faithful!
How can this be true?
*****Psa 37:27 Depart from evil, and do good; and dwell for evermore.
Psa 37:28 For the LORD loveth judgment, and forsaketh not his saints; they are preserved for ever: but the seed of the wicked shall be cut off.
The path way of the Christian is stay off the path of evil!
The path way of the Christian is cease to do evil and learn to do good!
It is very important for us to maintain good works after our salvation!
Tit 3:14 And let ours also learn to maintain good works "for necessary uses", that they be not unfruitful.
Good works are all those works that grow out of our supreme love of God!
It is a fact that there will some children of God who will have certain needs from time to time and it is the congregation of the faithful who are to provide that need!
Gal 6:10 As we have therefore opportunity, let us do good unto all men, especially unto them who are of the household of faith.
Very few wicked men ever leave any help for their own children!
Not one wicked man will influence his children to obey God and most of them will also fall into the same snares of the Devil!
*****Psa 37:29 The righteous shall inherit the land, and dwell therein for ever.
There is only one place that is forever!
Rev 21:1 And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea.
There is only one inheritance!
Rev 21:7 He that overcometh shall inherit all things; and I will be his God, and he shall be my son.
This is the paradise of the believer, so who could be so foolish to turn down such an opportunity as this?
*****Psa 37:30 The mouth of the righteous speaketh wisdom, and his tongue talketh of judgment.
Psa 37:31 The law of his God is in his heart; none of his steps shall slide.
What are the characteristics of a righteous man?
Their thoughts are good because their heart is right with God.
Their words are good because they have an understanding of the Word of God and the "Gospel" of Jesus Christ.
Their works are good because they take action guided by the Holy Spirit.
Col 4:6 Let your speech be alway with grace, seasoned with salt, that ye may know how ye ought to answer every man.
How do we find that certain rest for our souls?
Jer 6:16 Thus saith the LORD, Stand ye in the ways, and see, and ask for the old paths, where is the good way, and walk therein, and ye shall find rest for your souls. But they said, We will not walk therein.
*****Psa 37:32 The wicked watcheth the righteous, and seeketh to slay him.
Psa 37:33 The LORD will not leave him in his hand, nor condemn him when he is judged.
It is sad but it is also a fact, if it were not for the laws in most lands, we would see a complete massacre of the followers of Jesus Christ!
Even when Christians cannot be just killed because of laws, their testimonies will be slandered, what they own will be taken away from them, and many will attempt to destroy the way they live.
1Pe 5:8 Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour:
We are foolish to not believe that this true!
God may allow us to be in the enemies hands for a period of time, such as Job, but God will not leave us there!
By the providence of God, temporary injustice may be tolerated for awhile but but those that love the Lord will be justified by their faith.
Rom 5:1 Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ:
Rom 5:2 By whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God.
It takes a little patience!
*****Psa 37:34 Wait on the LORD, and keep his way, and he shall exalt thee to inherit the land: when the wicked are cut off, thou shalt see it.
That word "wait" is easy to say but it is hard to carry out.
Waiting is a line that extends from the heart of the believer by faith in a great desire to be with the Lord, Our God!
There will not be even one "Born Again" child of God that will stand in judgment before God at the "White Throne" seat of judgment but they will be there to witness the judgment of the non-believers.
We may also witness the ruin of many of our foes while we remain alive.
What will God do to the wicked?
Psa 52:5 God shall likewise destroy thee for ever, he shall take thee away, and pluck thee out of thy dwelling place, and root thee out of the land of the living. Selah.
*****Psa 37:35 I have seen the wicked in great power, and spreading himself like a green bay tree.
Psa 37:36 Yet he passed away, and, lo, he was not: yea, I sought him, but he could not be found.
God's people are to be fruitful trees producing fruit season after season.
The wicked on the other hand spread themselves out as a luxurious overbearing shrub that can only grow locally and all signs of it will perish when it dies. There will be no evidence that it ever existed.
In the New Heaven and New Earth, there will be no evidence that anything wicked ever existed!
*****Psa 37:37 Mark the perfect man, and behold the upright: for the end of that man is peace.
Psa 37:38 But the transgressors shall be destroyed together: the end of the wicked shall be cut off.
Who is a perfect man?
Mat 22:37 Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.
Mat 22:38 This is the first and great commandment.
Mat 22:39 And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.
Mat 22:40 On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.
The perfect man will be obedient to these two commandments!
The perfect man will know who his neighbor is.
Mat 5:44 But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you;
Mat 5:45 That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust.
To do these things is the closest we can get to being perfect while we are still living on this Earth and we are commanded to do this also!
Mat 5:48 Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect.
But we are not to be wimps! Jesus Christ was no wimp, He was still 100% a real man while still being 100% God!
All the wicked have the same fate which is destruction and in the end will be cut off!
Their time will be shortened. their happiness will be ended, their hopes will not be fulfilled and their execution will be eternal.
*****Psa 37:39 But the salvation of the righteous is of the LORD: he is their strength in the time of trouble.
Psa 37:40 And the LORD shall help them, and deliver them: he shall deliver them from the wicked, and save them, because they trust in him.
This is the "Doctrine Of The Bible"!
Salvation can only come by the Lord!
The Lord not only delivers us in the end, He will also deliver us along the way!
The Lord must be the object of all our faith and all our trust!
The Lord will help, the Lord will deliver, and the Lord will save all those that trust in Him and His Word!
And knowing all these things we can "Rest in the Lord"!
Questions?
Let's Pray!
Psalms 37
There are many who fall by the wayside everyday because they find it impossible to believe God would allow the wicked to prosper while the Christians suffer.
To many, these things lead to doubt and frustration.
Satan will use these things to tempt us into sin.
The Lord will not hold us accountable for the suggestions that the Devil makes, or those thoughts that our evil hearts produce but God will hold us accountable if we yield to that sin or act on that evil thought!
We must lay hold to integrity and moral soundness and remain incorruptible.
There is no greater passage in the Bible in teaching this than the Book of Job.
Incorruptible means not being subject to decay!
Two weeks ago we saw that unconfessed sin was leading King David to the point of decay.
When we are so easily troubled because we see the wicked live a life of prosperity and we have forgotten that our sins have been forgiven and true riches await those that make it into God's Heaven and we will never spend one moment in the Burning Lake of fire, then it can also lead us to that same point of decay!
Earthy rewards are not the payment for spiritual work, spiritual work brings Heavenly rewards!
To expect earthly rewards for the work of God will only weaken our faith!
God is not dealing harshly with us when He does not make us rich!
There is a great bit of difference between a need and a want!
We can rejoice when we know we are redeemed by the blood of Jesus!
We can only rest when we understand the truth of God!
Let's Begin.
*****Psa 37:1 A Psalm of David. Fret not thyself because of evildoers, neither be thou envious against the workers of iniquity.
Psa 37:2 For they shall soon be cut down like the grass, and wither as the green herb.
Again another Psalm of David.
Not only was David King of Israel, and a man after God's own heart, God used the experiences of David to teach us many valuable lessons.
We must accept that every Word in the Bible was inspired by the Holy Spirit but when that writer had experienced those things that they had written, we can more easily relate those things to our own lives.
It is the object of God's Word to teach us the means of salvation but also how to walk in the ways of the Lord in this life!
One of the greatest problems to the Christian is when they try to answer the question of "why God's people suffer while the wicked seem to succeed"?
They say why would God allow such a thing?
This is what the word "fret" has as it's meaning!
The purpose of this Psalm is to answer this question.
To "fret" is to worry, to fume, to have heart-burn, to become irritated and it is in fact a form of jealousy!
We are not to be jealous of evildoers who seem to prosper because of their evilness.
We are also not to be envious of their apparent success.
Envy will only add to jealousy hate, and uneasiness, and it shows to that wicked person that he is superior to you!
Pro 3:31 Envy thou not the oppressor, and choose none of his ways.
Pro 3:32 For the froward is abomination to the LORD: but his secret is with the righteous.
How does God describe these evil doers?
They are as the grass that we mow weekly during the cutting season.
The destruction of ungodly people will be speedy, it will be sudden, and it will be sure!
What is the truth about herbs?
The herb is not like a tree, the herb dies to the root every year. The herb dries up once it has produced it's fruit and dries up in the sun.
All the glory of wicked and evil people will end at their death and they are soon forgotten.
Inside every "Born Again" child of God there lives a soul that knows that true life will be eternally spent with the Lord!
This true life begins when we trust in the Lord.
How do we obtain true riches?
*****Psa 37:3 Trust in the LORD, and do good; so shalt thou dwell in the land, and verily thou shalt be fed.
Psa 37:4 Delight thyself also in the LORD; and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart.
Psa 37:5 Commit thy way unto the LORD; trust also in him; and he shall bring it to pass.
Psa 37:6 And he shall bring forth thy righteousness as the light, and thy judgment as the noonday.
Psa 37:7 Rest in the LORD, and wait patiently for him: fret not thyself because of him who prospereth in his way, because of the man who bringeth wicked devices to pass.
1) We are commanded not to fret ourselves because of evildoers.
2) We are now commanded to trust the Lord.
The Bible is a book of commandments and not a book of suggestions!
God says the cure to "fretting" is "faith"!
Faith means we can see things as they really are.
God says the remedy for "fretting" is "doing good"!
That word "verily" means "the truth is".
The truth is that God will not only feed His people with bread, but more important God will feed His people with "His Truth"!
How will the evil doer be fed?
Isa 44:20 He feedeth on ashes: a deceived heart hath turned him aside, that he cannot deliver his soul, nor say, Is there not a lie in my right hand?
Jer 23:15 Therefore thus saith the LORD of hosts concerning the prophets; Behold, I will feed them with wormwood, and make them drink the water of gall: for from the prophets of Jerusalem is profaneness gone forth into all the land.
They will feed on ashes and wormwood and gall!
3) We are now commanded to delight ourselves in the Lord!
We are to make the Lord the joy of our lives!
Those that are evil get joy from doing evil things which will bring them no reward at their death.
Remember how David has used the word "my"?
The Lord is my light, my salvation, my strength, my rock, my fortress, my high tower and my deliverer!
This is the way we need to use the word "my" when it comes to the Lord!
We must have a personal relationship with Him!
What are the facts?
Those who delight in the Lord only delight and ask for the things that please Him and Our God delights in fulfilling those desires!
Joh 14:14 If ye shall ask any thing in my name, I will do it.
How can these things come about?
4) We must commit ourselves to the Lord and not to the ways of this world.
We must roll the burden of our life over to the Lord!
1Pe 5:6 Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time:
1Pe 5:7 Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.
When we place our trust in the Lord, why in the world would we want to interfere and not leave the results in His hands.
The more we fret the worse we will be, the more we trust the Lord the better off we will be!
The Lord is the Judge of all this Earth!
Abraham asked the Lord this question.
Gen 18:25 That be far from thee to do after this manner, to slay the righteous with the wicked: and that the righteous should be as the wicked, that be far from thee: "Shall not the Judge of all the earth do right"?
We can know that the Lord is the Righteous Judge of this Earth and can only do what is right!
How will He judge the righteous who remain in the light of the Lord?
Each believer is as the noon of day when there is not even a shadow of darkness!
We must not fret because of evil doers.
We must trust in the Lord.
We must delight ourselves in the Lord.
We must commit ourselves to the Lord.
5) And then we can rest in the Lord.
This is also a command and not some suggestion.
Psa 46:10 Be still, and know that I am God: I will be exalted among the heathen, I will be exalted in the earth.
God will never act before it is time to act but we can also be sure to know that God will never be late, He will always be on time!
We must never forget the intent of the Lord.
Jas 5:7 Be patient therefore, brethren, unto the coming of the Lord. Behold, the husbandman waiteth for the precious fruit of the earth, and hath long patience for it, until he receive the early and latter rain.
I have said it before, that lost soul the Lord is waiting on could be one of our own family members.
We will certainly see the unrighteous prosper in this world but that is all they have!
We will certainly see that the rich get richer and the poor get poorer!
We simply must help those we can, especially those of the true Church and cease from our anger at these things.
God's "Grace", through the Lord Jesus Christ is still the only answer to all life's problems!
*****Psa 37:8 Cease from anger, and forsake wrath: fret not thyself in any wise to do evil.
Psa 37:9 For evildoers shall be cut off: but those that wait upon the LORD, they shall inherit the earth.
We must believe that nothing can ever happen to us apart from the knowledge, the presence, and the love of God!
And we must know that God only wants good things for us, things that will make us better suited for His use!
What is the truth of God?
Rom 8:18 For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.
When we see these things happen around us, we can either get angry at those that are so prosperous in their evil, or we will get angry at God.
To be angry at the world is madness, to be angry at God is insanity. Then the answer must be for us to forsake being angry!
We can live and rejoice with life when we trust that the Lord only does the right things for us and we need to avoid anything that even gives the appearance of being evil.
Anger will simmer and burn until reaches a point of explosion which will lead to sin.
Eph 4:26 Be ye angry, and sin not: let not the sun go down upon your wrath:
Eph 4:31 Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all malice:
We must remember those that reject the Word of God will suffer a terrible judgment.
What is the truth of the Word of God?
Luk 16:22 And it came to pass, that the beggar died, and was carried by the angels into Abraham's bosom: the rich man also died, and was buried;
Luk 16:23 And in hell he lift up his eyes, being in torments, and seeth Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom.
But those who are patiently waiting on the Lord even in this life will have the most of real enjoyment and in the ages to come the glory and triumph of the glory world.
John Bunyan wrote: "Passion" has his good things first, and they are soon over. "Patience" has his good things last, and they last forever.
What is the truth of the Word of God?
*****Psa 37:10 For yet a little while, and the wicked shall not be: yea, thou shalt diligently consider his place, and it shall not be.
The average life span in some places in this world may have increased to over 70 years but that is still a short time. Many who live the lifestyle of the rich and famous do not live that long. The glitter of the wicked is not true gold!
There are many a building which carry the name of some famous person but that person has already perished. We may consider their place in society but they themselves are long gone.
His house is empty, his chair at the office is empty, his estate belongs to someone else or is without an owner. They are gone and will be soon forgotten!
But this is not so for those that love the Lord.
*****Psa 37:11 But the meek shall inherit the earth; and shall delight themselves in the abundance of peace.
It is those of "faith" that above all others, can enjoy life.
The "meek" are all those that have submitted themselves to the divine will of God!
Our meekness comes from the "Grace" of God through the Lord Jesus Christ which the world simply cannot understand.
What is the truth of the Lord our God?
Isa 55:8 For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the LORD.
Isa 55:9 For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.
Those that have been justified by faith will always be the enemy of those that will not submit to the Lord.
*****Psa 37:12 The wicked plotteth against the just, and gnasheth upon him with his teeth.
The Atheist say there is no God, so why do they attack those that do believe?
In reality most of them just hate the fact there is truly a righteous God.
Many others just say that there simply cannot be a personal God.
And all others place their faith in false gods!
As Christians we are simply to tell others about salvation through the Lord Jesus Christ and then stand our ground on these facts!
We are not at war with the world! God gave every one the gift of choice!
God wants us to have an informed choice so that there will not be any excuses at the judgment seat.
What will God do when He hears the excuses of the wicked?
*****Psa 37:13 The Lord shall laugh at him: for he seeth that his day is coming.
We know that the Lord is full of mercy and grace so laughing seems out of His true character, yet here it is.
The Hebrew word saw-khak is used here and it means a mocking laugh.
God will not allow for excuses and He will have heard them all at the White Throne of Judgment.
God's mocking laughter occurs only after those wicked have conclusively rejected His love and mercy, and then continued in their arrogant rebellion against the Word of God.
Pro 1:24 Because I have called, and ye refused; I have stretched out my hand, and no man regarded;
Pro 1:25 But ye have set at nought all my counsel, and would none of my reproof:
Pro 1:26 I also will laugh at your calamity; I will mock when your fear cometh;
It seems that most pulpits refuse to preach the truth of these scriptures.
Things will be different for those that love the Lord!
*****Psa 37:18 The LORD knoweth the days of the upright: and their inheritance shall be for ever.
Psa 37:19 They shall not be ashamed in the evil time: and in the days of famine they shall be satisfied.
God may have laughed at those who reject Him but those that love Him have a bright future!
There is not one thing that lies in our future that God is not already aware of and is already preparing us for it before it comes!
To know the Lord Jesus Christ as your personal Savior means to have an inheritance laid up in Heaven that will last forever!
For ever means one day we will wake up in glory and there will never be another day. That day will just continue unending!
Rev 22:5 And there shall be no night there; and they need no candle, neither light of the sun; for the Lord God giveth them light: and they shall reign for ever and ever.
For this reason we do not have to be ashamed that we are not as prosperous as those that refuse the Lord Jesus here in this life.
We do not have to be disappointed because we cannot obtain all our desires in this life.
God is not just a friend on the sunny days, God is our friend even on the cloudy days!
When God's providence is our inheritance in this life, we need not worry about tomorrow. God already knows what we need for tomorrow!
*****Psa 37:23 The steps of a good man are ordered by the LORD: and he delighteth in his way.
Psa 37:24 Though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down: for the LORD upholdeth him with his hand.
What is it like to be in the Army of God? The Lord delights in the ways of all those who "themselves" delight in the Lord!
As a babe who delighted it's parents with those first steps, so it is with the Lord when we begin our walk with Him.
As our walk becomes more and more secure as time passes by, the Lord's smile also broadens.
Pro 3:6 In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.
God knows that the path of each Christian is not always an easy road and God understands we will fall on occasion.
Job lost everything he had and Job was a very rich man.
Joseph was treated as a slave and then put in prison.
Jonah was cast into the deep in the belly of a whale.
The child of God need fall only as far as his knees to brought back up again!
The troubles in this world may bring us down to our knees, death may bring us to the grave, but we will never go lower than this because our true life is up!
It is God that holds on to His children through Jesus Christ!
Joh 10:28 And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand.
Joh 10:29 My Father, which gave them me, is greater than all; and no man is able to pluck them out of my Father's hand.
Joh 10:30 I and my Father are one.
*****Psa 37:25 I have been young, and now am old; yet have I not seen the righteous forsaken, nor his seed begging bread.
Psa 37:26 He is ever merciful, and lendeth; and his seed is blessed.
David adds a personal testimony in his own observations in serving the Lord but this is nonetheless a true statement!
The Lord will reward those that obey Him!
The Lord will never forsake His children!
The true children of God will never be beggars when they remain in the congregation of the faithful!
How can this be true?
*****Psa 37:27 Depart from evil, and do good; and dwell for evermore.
Psa 37:28 For the LORD loveth judgment, and forsaketh not his saints; they are preserved for ever: but the seed of the wicked shall be cut off.
The path way of the Christian is stay off the path of evil!
The path way of the Christian is cease to do evil and learn to do good!
It is very important for us to maintain good works after our salvation!
Tit 3:14 And let ours also learn to maintain good works "for necessary uses", that they be not unfruitful.
Good works are all those works that grow out of our supreme love of God!
It is a fact that there will some children of God who will have certain needs from time to time and it is the congregation of the faithful who are to provide that need!
Gal 6:10 As we have therefore opportunity, let us do good unto all men, especially unto them who are of the household of faith.
Very few wicked men ever leave any help for their own children!
Not one wicked man will influence his children to obey God and most of them will also fall into the same snares of the Devil!
*****Psa 37:29 The righteous shall inherit the land, and dwell therein for ever.
There is only one place that is forever!
Rev 21:1 And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea.
There is only one inheritance!
Rev 21:7 He that overcometh shall inherit all things; and I will be his God, and he shall be my son.
This is the paradise of the believer, so who could be so foolish to turn down such an opportunity as this?
*****Psa 37:30 The mouth of the righteous speaketh wisdom, and his tongue talketh of judgment.
Psa 37:31 The law of his God is in his heart; none of his steps shall slide.
What are the characteristics of a righteous man?
Their thoughts are good because their heart is right with God.
Their words are good because they have an understanding of the Word of God and the "Gospel" of Jesus Christ.
Their works are good because they take action guided by the Holy Spirit.
Col 4:6 Let your speech be alway with grace, seasoned with salt, that ye may know how ye ought to answer every man.
How do we find that certain rest for our souls?
Jer 6:16 Thus saith the LORD, Stand ye in the ways, and see, and ask for the old paths, where is the good way, and walk therein, and ye shall find rest for your souls. But they said, We will not walk therein.
*****Psa 37:32 The wicked watcheth the righteous, and seeketh to slay him.
Psa 37:33 The LORD will not leave him in his hand, nor condemn him when he is judged.
It is sad but it is also a fact, if it were not for the laws in most lands, we would see a complete massacre of the followers of Jesus Christ!
Even when Christians cannot be just killed because of laws, their testimonies will be slandered, what they own will be taken away from them, and many will attempt to destroy the way they live.
1Pe 5:8 Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour:
We are foolish to not believe that this true!
God may allow us to be in the enemies hands for a period of time, such as Job, but God will not leave us there!
By the providence of God, temporary injustice may be tolerated for awhile but but those that love the Lord will be justified by their faith.
Rom 5:1 Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ:
Rom 5:2 By whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God.
It takes a little patience!
*****Psa 37:34 Wait on the LORD, and keep his way, and he shall exalt thee to inherit the land: when the wicked are cut off, thou shalt see it.
That word "wait" is easy to say but it is hard to carry out.
Waiting is a line that extends from the heart of the believer by faith in a great desire to be with the Lord, Our God!
There will not be even one "Born Again" child of God that will stand in judgment before God at the "White Throne" seat of judgment but they will be there to witness the judgment of the non-believers.
We may also witness the ruin of many of our foes while we remain alive.
What will God do to the wicked?
Psa 52:5 God shall likewise destroy thee for ever, he shall take thee away, and pluck thee out of thy dwelling place, and root thee out of the land of the living. Selah.
*****Psa 37:35 I have seen the wicked in great power, and spreading himself like a green bay tree.
Psa 37:36 Yet he passed away, and, lo, he was not: yea, I sought him, but he could not be found.
God's people are to be fruitful trees producing fruit season after season.
The wicked on the other hand spread themselves out as a luxurious overbearing shrub that can only grow locally and all signs of it will perish when it dies. There will be no evidence that it ever existed.
In the New Heaven and New Earth, there will be no evidence that anything wicked ever existed!
*****Psa 37:37 Mark the perfect man, and behold the upright: for the end of that man is peace.
Psa 37:38 But the transgressors shall be destroyed together: the end of the wicked shall be cut off.
Who is a perfect man?
Mat 22:37 Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.
Mat 22:38 This is the first and great commandment.
Mat 22:39 And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.
Mat 22:40 On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.
The perfect man will be obedient to these two commandments!
The perfect man will know who his neighbor is.
Mat 5:44 But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you;
Mat 5:45 That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust.
To do these things is the closest we can get to being perfect while we are still living on this Earth and we are commanded to do this also!
Mat 5:48 Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect.
But we are not to be wimps! Jesus Christ was no wimp, He was still 100% a real man while still being 100% God!
All the wicked have the same fate which is destruction and in the end will be cut off!
Their time will be shortened. their happiness will be ended, their hopes will not be fulfilled and their execution will be eternal.
*****Psa 37:39 But the salvation of the righteous is of the LORD: he is their strength in the time of trouble.
Psa 37:40 And the LORD shall help them, and deliver them: he shall deliver them from the wicked, and save them, because they trust in him.
This is the "Doctrine Of The Bible"!
Salvation can only come by the Lord!
The Lord not only delivers us in the end, He will also deliver us along the way!
The Lord must be the object of all our faith and all our trust!
The Lord will help, the Lord will deliver, and the Lord will save all those that trust in Him and His Word!
And knowing all these things we can "Rest in the Lord"!
Questions?
Let's Pray!
