It's Off To Work We Go - Preached at GGC, March 11, 2012

It's Off To Work We Go

Introduction:

In the 1970s, the brother and sister duo called “The Carpenters” sang a song entitled, “Rainy Days and Mondays”. While the song is actually a love song, I find one line quite descriptive of what we feel deep inside us when its raining or when its Monday. It is the line in the chorus that goes “rainy days and Mondays always get me down.” Why is it easy for us to relate to this line? It's because that's what we feel like in relation to either going to school or going to the office. During the rainy season, when rain is pouring down early in the morning, we don't feel like going to work because the weather is cool and we just want to lie in bed a bit longer. Besides, its so inconvenient to go to school or to the office when its raining because you're sure to get wet, especially if you're commuting. Who among you likes the feeling of wet socks throughout the day? Now, regarding Mondays, some people drag themselves to work on that day because its the start of a new working week, after a day or two of rest and fun. Its during the weekend that we get to sleep longer, probably play sports, go to the mall, or even go on an out-of-town trip. For some people, they probably wish that they could just do those things all day long and for every single day of the week. Thus, Monday, being the start of the work week, is also the lowest point of the week for them. It is the day that they don't have much energy. Some people have rightly surmised that when one doesn't enjoy studying or working, then Mondays and rainy days will definitely get such people feeling down and depressed.

There's another song, this time from a 1937 Walt Disney animated movie entitled, “Snow White and the Seven Dwarves” which features the seven dwarves singing a song entitled “Heigh Ho”. At the start of the song, the dwarves sang about digging in the mines the whole day through, and that they enjoy what they're doing, even though they have no idea why they're digging them from the mines in the first place. However, the attitude of the dwarves toward work is something to be admired, for they enjoyed what they were doing. In another scene, as the dwarves were beginning their workday at the mine, they were singing Heigh Ho, Heigh Ho, its off to work we go. They were happy about going to work.

We could say that these two songs depict the attitude of people towards work. Some enjoy working, others dread it. Some look forward to Mondays while others prefer that everyday be Saturday or Sunday. Today, we continue our study on the Book of Proverbs and we will look carefully at the subject of work. This is an important subject because all of us do work – if not in an office, then probably in a school environment as students, studying and doing homework. Thankfully, Proverbs has a lot of wonderful teaching regarding work and our attitude towards it. But before we look at what Proverbs has to say, let me just briefly share with you what theologians or Bible scholars call as the “theology of work”.

On the very first page of the Bible, we learn that God is a God who works. He created the heavens and the earth, and everything in them, in six days. On almost all occasion, immediately after he had finished creating something, God would comment that his work was good. When he created Adam, he put Adam to work. In Genesis 2:15, we find the Lord giving Adam the task of tending the garden or to be a gardener. The implication, according to some Bible commentators, is that God designed the garden of Eden in such a way that it will flourish when man is cultivating and tending it. Adam was also tasked to name all the animals (Genesis 2:19) that were brought before him by God. God allowed Adam to participate in making what was a perfect creation become even more beautiful. God had intended for work to be something that brought joy and pleasure for Adam. Unfortunately, when Adam and Eve ate of the forbidden fruit and sinned against God, the ground was cursed, making it hard for Adam and Eve to work productively. Notice that it is not work itself that is cursed, but rather, the ground on which they would work on. What used to be a delight when they were still in the garden became drudgery because of the conditions that would surround work.

Although all of us don't work in farms, but we must admit that work is difficult even in an office environment. Being productive and profitable are difficult things to do. Yet, the fact remains that God has mandated work to be the primary means by which are enabled to survive physically. Unfortunately, we have wrongfully equated work with the curse, thus we want to avoid working as much as possible. The Book of Proverbs will actually straighten us out by helping us to see the wrong attitude we bring towards work and by pointing to us what right attitude we must have when we go to the office or the workplace.

Wrong Attitudes We Should Never Bring to Work

What are some of the wrong attitudes that we bring with us to work, according to the Book of Proverbs? I want to share with you three wrong attitudes we must never bring with us to work. There are probably more but I will limit myself to three, in the interest of time.

A. Laziness

Laziness is one of the most prevalent negative attitude in our society. It is so prevalent that here in the Philippines we have a folklore whose main character is named Juan Tamad. I confess that there are numerous moments when I feel lazy; that I would prefer to do something else other than be in the office. There are moments when I want to say something like, “I'll do it later” or “I'll do it someday”. So, why is laziness a wrong attitude that should never be brought to the workplace? Let's look at what Proverbs has to say about laziness. Because of the time, I will just point out three major reasons why laziness needs to be avoided.

(1) Laziness brings poverty and ruin

How long will you lie there, O sluggard? When will you arise from your sleep? A little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to rest, and poverty will come upon you like a robber, and want like an armed man.

Proverbs 6:9 - 11

I went past the field of a sluggard, past the vineyard of someone who has no sense; thorns had come up everywhere, the ground was covered with weeds, and the stone wall was in ruins. I applied my heart to what I observed and learned a lesson from what I saw: A little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to rest — and poverty will come on you like a thief and scarcity like an armed man.

Proverbs 24:30 – 34

When all you want to do in life is to rest and do nothing, before you know it, you will end up becoming poor. The logic here is simple. If you go out and work, you have income. If you have income, you can provide for your daily needs and save some money for emergency purposes. If you are lazy and you refuse to work, then there is no income. What you have will be spent until you have nothing. Laziness can make you poor.

(2) Laziness brings disgrace

He who gathers in summer is a prudent son, but he who sleeps in harvest is a son who brings shame.

Proverbs 10:5

In an agricultural economy like that of Israel in Solomon's time, harvesting was usually done during summer. Every father would want for his son to help out in the farm by helping gather the harvest. But if his son chooses to sleep during the harvest time, this could cause the loss of the harvest and bring poverty to the whole family, if the father does not have enough workers to get the job done. If the family becomes poor as a result of the son's laziness, then he is the one to blame for bringing shame to the family, for making the father “lose face”. The laziness of the son will also give the people who see and know him a bad taste in their mouths as well as a negative impression towards the son.

3. Laziness is irritating to others

Like vinegar to the teeth and smoke to the eyes, so is the sluggard to those who send him.

Proverbs 10:26

If you have someone who is lazy who works with you or is your classmate, you know how irritating they can be. In Proverbs 10:26, the context is work. The employer sends the sluggard or the lazy person on an errand. The irritation comes because the lazy person makes no attempt to come back immediately or he does a very poor job because he has the mentality of “puede na 'to”. I am sure some students have experienced this when they have a lazy classmate who joins his or her group for a project or when writing a group thesis. They're the kind who actually don't do much to help but they'll take the credit if the project passes or if the thesis passes the scrutiny of the panel interviewers. If the project is a flop or the thesis is given a failing grade, the lazy people are the ones who'll blame you for the failure. Laziness is an irritating thing that one has to deal with in school and in the workplace.

B. All Talk But No Action

All hard work brings a profit, but mere talk leads only to poverty.

Proverbs 14:23 [CLICK]

The second wrong attitude we must never bring to work is that of being “all talk but no action”. Have you ever met people who have lots of bright ideas but can't get anything done with it? It is because such people are mere talkers. They like to talk and talk about work but they don't get anything done. There is nothing wrong with expressing your ideas, but at the end of the day, you have to get something done. You have to put your ideas into motion. One thing I admire about entrepreneurs is that they know how to put their plans into action. They don't just share their ideas verbally, but they use their talk to get people to invest in their ideas and then they put in the hard work in order to make sales and bring in the profits. Contrast that with some people who talk a lot about their plans of becoming rich but do nothing to move toward that direction.

100. Excuse Makers

The third wrong attitude is somewhat related to laziness. It is the wrong attitude of always making excuses or always giving reasons why something should not be done. In Proverbs 22:13 we find this - -

The sluggard says, “There is a lion outside!” or, “I will be murdered in the streets!”

We probably have these kinds of people in the workplace. They are the kind who are unwilling to take risks in order to gain profit or to rise up the corporate ladder. They would say things like, “its impossible” or “I can't do it”, when clearly it is something that is possible and doable. We bring the same attitude to church. When some people are asked to pray, their excuse is, “I don't know how”, even though they've been Christians for more than ten years already. When you ask them to help in a ministry, they also say “I don't know how” or “let the pastor do it” as a convenient excuse from having to serve the Lord. We should never bring the wrong attitude of always making excuses to our work or to our studies. We must learn to take responsibility and do what can be done on our part.

Right Attitudes We Should Bring To Work

Having looked at the wrong attitudes of laziness, mere talk and no action, and excuse-making, let's now look at the right attitudes we should always bring to work. Again, because of time constraint, I will limit myself to three right attitudes for us to work with.

A. Realize That Work is God's Primary Way of Supplying Our Needs

Whoever works his land will have plenty of bread, but he who follows worthless pursuits lacks sense.

Proverbs 12:11 (ESV)

We hear that some among you are idle. They are not busy; they are busybodies. Such people we command and urge in the Lord Jesus Christ to settle down and earn the bread they eat.

2 Thessalonians 3:11 – 12

God has ordained that work is the primary means by which He supplies us with our everyday need. Now, you may argue that God did allow manna to fall from heaven in order to feed the Israelites in the wilderness and he did send quails to them for meat, but we forget that they still had to do the work of gathering the manna and the quails. God is a gracious good who supplies all our needs but don't expect that his provision will always be miraculous. Adam and Eve, before they were kicked out of the Garden of Eden, had to work for their food. If they wanted something to eat, they had to reach out and take hold of a fruit from a tree.

I am the kind of person who does not believe in the idea of welfare. Now, I am not talking about our welfare fund which is used to help people in need; rather, I am talking about people who choose unemployment knowing that they're going to receive welfare checks from the government. We see this in the States; people who have lost their jobs stop looking for employment because the welfare system is paying them. That is downright wrong and against God's plan that work is His primary means of supplying our needs. While we are able to, we should work.

B. Grow Your Skills

Do you see a man skillful in his work? He will stand before kings; he will not stand before obscure men.

Proverbs 22:29

The second thing we should bring to our work is the attitude of growth. In Proverbs 22:29, the man who is skillful with his work will eventually rise in the ranks. It must be our aim to improve our skills at work. Now, understand that the goal is not about getting a promotion. A promotion for being proficient with your skills is the result. Your goal should be because you want to give your very best when you work. Thus, it is important to grow your skills. When you grow your skills, you become better at work. When you become better at work, your employer will notice you and will give you greater opportunities to grow further in the workplace.

A TV show I like watching is the TLC show “Cake Boss” which features a baker named Buddy Valastro. What I enjoy about the show is that Buddy and his team are challenged each week to make beautiful cakes, and they rise to the occasion by coming up with beautiful cakes. It is no wonder high profile people have Buddy make their cakes such as when Haagen-Daaz celebrated its 50^th anniversary. He also made a cake in the shape of a car for a Baker's Convention. If Buddy never grew his skills when he started as a baker, then he would never be able to bring the bakery business to where it is now. He would never be popular with couples who want a perfect wedding cake, or with organizations who want a spectacular cake for an important occasion.

100. Be Diligent

Finally, be diligent when you work. In Proverbs 10:4 we read, “Lazy hands make a man poor, but diligent hands bring wealth. ”. What is diligence? Diligence simply means we must be industrious or hardworking. It means we must put concentrated effort to what we are doing. We must give of our very best when we work or study. When we are focused and we work hard, we will prosper. When a student studies hard and prepares well for his exams, he will most likely ace the exams or at least pass it. When an employee is industrious at all times and not just when the boss is around, he will be able to do much and he will prosper greatly. Furthermore, a diligent person is many times more likely to be promoted.

Many of the successful entrepreneurs in the Philippines became wealthy because they worked hard. Those who hold positions of power in big corporations came to that post because they worked hard in their younger years. Diligence in both work and study will bring success. Be diligent in whatever you do.

Conclusion:

When you go to the workplace or to school, what attitude do you bring with you?  Are those attitudes negative or are they positive? Are we lazy, always talking but not doing anything, and always making excuses, or are we diligent, always aiming for improvement with the mindset that work is God's primary way of providing for our needs? I hope that it is the latter mindset that you have.

To conclude, let me remind you of what Paul says regarding work. It's found in Colossians 3:23 - -

Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men.

Remember that what you do, whether in the office working or in the classroom studying, is all about bringing glory to God. Let everything we do be marked by excellence because this brings pleasure to God.

Be Truly Wise! - Preached on March 4, 2012

Be Truly Wise!

Proverbs 1:1 – 7

Introduction:

What makes a person wise? We all have our ideas of the things that makes a person wise. To begin, I would like for you to take a short quiz that I got from the internet to gauge how wise you really are. Simply answer “yes” or “no” for each question.

1. Do you have one or more undergraduate degrees (Bachelor's Degree)?
2. Do you have one or more postgraduate degrees (Masters, Doctorate)?
3. Have you ever, or do you currently, attend a “prestigious” school?
4. Do you run a large company?
5. Do you have gray hair?
6. Do you have a large vocabulary base?
7. Do you have lots of life experiences?
8. Are you full of opinions which you voice?
9. Have you read lots of books?
10. Have you ever written a book or a blog?

If you answered “yes” to any of these questions, the world considers you to be wise. However, there is a vast difference between a person who is considered wise by the world, and a person who is wise according to the standards of the Bible and in the eyes of God.

This morning, we begin our study on the Book of Proverbs. It is a beautiful book full of wise sayings. The book has mainly been attributed to Solomon, as mentioned in Proverbs 1:1. However, other parts were written by people such as King Lemuel and Agur. It is also possible that Solomon may have penned some of the proverbs and collected and compiled the many sayings he has heard from wise, godly people and these are preserved by faithful men in the form we have today. There is evidence also that during the reign of King Hezekiah, the proverbs of Solomon were recorded and compiled by scribes (Proverbs 25:1).

According to the Bible, Solomon was the wisest man to have ever lived. If you have read the book of 1 Kings, you will surely remember that King David had chosen Solomon to be his successor. In chapter 3 of 1 Kings, Solomon had a dream where he heard God asking him to ask for whatever he wanted. Solomon could have asked for great power or for vast amount of wealth; however, he asked God to give him the ability to discern between good and evil and an understanding mind to govern the people. Because of Solomon's request, God granted him a wise and discerning mind. This may explain why he was fascinated with wise sayings such that he wrote and compiled the Book of Proverbs.

Although we may never have the mind of Solomon nor score very high on an IQ test; we can have a wise and discerning mind. This morning's passage tells us the reason why we should study the Book of Proverbs, who should strive for wisdom, and the key or the verse that will guide us in understanding the Proverbs.

Before we go right to our study this morning, let us define first what a proverb is. According to the dictionary, a proverb is a short saying that states a general truth or piece of advice. This truth is based on common sense or the practical experience of humanity. Now, while each saying in the Book of Proverbs may be making an important point, we need to realize that the individual sayings don't summarize or capture all truth. When we read the book of Proverbs, we must not read each proverb in isolation but we must remember that these statements must be used to interpret each other.

Why Study the Book of Proverbs?

Why study the Book of Proverbs? To answer this question, we need to look at the reason why Solomon wrote and compiled different sayings into a book. The reasons are given to us in verses 2 & 3. According to verses 2 & 3, the Proverbs were written for helping people to attain wisdom and discipline; for understanding words of insight; for acquiring a disciplined and prudent life, doing what is right and just and fair. In the interest of time, we will not go deep into the meaning of each phrase, but I will try to explain as simply as possible what they mean. Let's understand first what the word “wisdom” mean here. “Wisdom” in the Book of Proverbs is not about understanding philosophy. It is not limited to simply knowing facts about the world. It is not just about generalizations that come out of one's experience. Instead, someone rightfully suggests that wisdom is to see who God is, see how He rules the world, and respond accordingly. In other words, if you want to have wisdom, you have to know God personally, study carefully what he is doing, and follow after his pattern.

Discipline, according to a Bible scholar, means correction which results in education. Sometimes you and I need to undergo discipline in order for us to learn important lessons in life. We need to be rebuked or corrected in order for us to learn something. The next point is to understand words of insight, which means to be able to discern what is being taught or said to the point that one can tell what is of prime importance and what is secondary. The disciplined and prudent life means having the ability to govern oneself by the use of reason instead of simply relying on one's emotions or impulses. Doing what is right, just and fair simply means that we express God's standards of holiness in how we live and in how we treat others.

Solomon has given us so many reasons for studying the Book of Proverbs. It is obvious that the book is intended not just to store up intellectual knowledge, but for practical and for godly living. Solomon intended for the book to help us know God and his ways. I think the same is true when we talk about the Bible as a whole. The Bible is the Word of God and it has never been intended just for scholars to study, dissect and write papers about; the Bible was intended for ordinary people like you and I to gain insight into who God is, how we can have a relationship with Him, and how we can follow him faithfully. What is unfortunate is that we approach the Book of Proverbs and the entire Bible as if it holds no practical relevance to us.

So, why should we study the Book of Proverbs? It is because the book will help us become wiser by God's standards, when complimented with a growing relationship with the Lord. Studying and applying the lessons of Proverbs will help us in how we relate with God and with other people. The lessons of Proverbs will help us in our decision-making, helping us to do things God's way rather than our way.

Last Sunday, I had the privilege of talking with Rev. James Taylor IV. When I shared that the church was doing the series on Proverbs, he told me that Billy Graham made it a point to read 5 Psalms and 1 chapter of Proverbs every day. It is no wonder that Billy Graham has a wonderful demeanor and he relates very well with people. It is because he studied the Book of Proverbs and he applied the lessons to his life. We can become just as wise in God's eyes as Billy Graham is. Study the Book of Proverbs, study God's Word, and put it into practice everyday.

Who Should Strive for Wisdom? 

The second question answered by Solomon in today's passage is this: Who should strive for wisdom? Who must aspire to become wise in God's eyes? For Solomon, the answer is simple: Everybody must strive to become wise. No one should ever think that he has it all and he has no need to progress further. Let's look at verses 4 to 6 to see who are the people mentioned who need wisdom.

In verse 4, the simple and the young are mentioned. Who are the simple?  When someone is called simple, it doesn't mean that they are stupid or that they are idiots. Rather, the word simple means someone who is naïve or someone who is easily swayed by what people say and by what are popular trends. In one translation of the Bible, they are called uneducated. We could say that the simple person is like a blank slate; if they are taught properly, they can become wise. However, if he falls under the sway of an evil or foolish person, he will become a fool.

The young are mentioned together with the simple because young people are also like blank slates that need to be filled with the right things. They need direction in life, they need challenges to become better people, they need instruction and discipline. The young includes children, teenagers, and young professionals. Because the young are impressionable, they need to taught wisdom from God's Word and how they should apply it in their lives.

Both the simple and the young, they need to attain wisdom. If they want to be able to govern their lives rationally and biblically rather than be swayed to and fro by the winds of changing opinion and philosophy, then they have to become wise in the eyes of God. Thus, the young and the simple will learn much from studying Proverbs and the Bible as a whole.

In verse 5, the wise and the discerning are then mentioned. These are the people who have become men and women filled with wisdom because they have diligently applied what they studied into their lives. However, the process of becoming wise never ends. Even those who have walked long and faithfully with the Lord needs guidance everyday. You see, God's wisdom is without limit. We can still learn more everyday. The wise and discerning are encouraged to strive for wisdom so that they can understand things that are more difficult as listed in verse 6.

The path to becoming like Jesus Christ has no end. Everyone needs to keep on growing; everyone needs to become wiser than he is right now. Once a person thinks that he has already matured spiritually, when he deems that he is already wise, then that is the beginning of his downturn. The person who keeps striving to grow in godly wisdom will become wiser; the person who ceases to grow in godly wisdom will stagnate.

The Key to True Wisdom

Finally, let us look at the key to true wisdom. The key is found in verse 7 and this helps us to understand the book of Proverbs. Verse 7 reads: “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and discipline.”

What exactly is meant by the phrase, “the fear of the Lord”? The fear of the Lord is a relationship with God based on reverence; it is to humbly submit ourselves to him, acknowledging our inadequacies and our finiteness while magnifying God as being all-powerful and all-knowing, and that his ways are the best. When we know how to humbly submit to God and respect Him for who He is, that is the fear of the Lord. When we have the fear of the Lord in us, then that is how knowledge or wisdom will come about. It serves as the beginning of becoming truly wise.

The contrast is in the second part of verse 7 where we read that fools despise wisdom and discipline. Foolish people have a bad evaluation about themselves. They think they're so intelligent or street smart, but foolish people don't want anything to do with God's ways and God's laws. They want to go their own way. They think they can be wise without God, but as the verse clearly states, wisdom and knowledge begins with the fear of the Lord.

This may lead to a question in our minds: What about those people who may not know the Lord but they follow what the Book of Proverbs teaches? While such people may be morally upright, they have missed the point of what the book is all about. You see, the goal of studying and practicing the teachings of the Book of Proverbs is not about making us good people in the eyes of our neighbors or to make us outstanding citizens of the country, although it will result to these things. The goal of the Book of Proverbs is to make us holy to the Lord, to make us Christ-like. If we approach Proverbs with the mindset of simply getting information or practical insight without reverence for God and the goal of becoming like Christ, then we've missed the point of the book.

The key to true wisdom is the fear of the Lord. We must personally know the Lord by entering into a relationship with Him. We must acknowledge him as being all- knowing and all-powerful. We must humbly submit to Him. That is the fear of the Lord. Without the fear of the Lord, the Book of Proverbs become nothing more than a collection of nice, moral sayings. The same is true when we approach the entire Bible. Without the fear of the Lord, the Bible becomes nothing more than just a book that contains history, law and moral teachings. Approach the Book of Proverbs and the Bible as a whole with the fear of the Lord.

Conclusion:

This morning, we've learned that the Book of Proverbs was written to help the naïve, the young, the wise and the discerning to know and put the wisdom that comes from God and put it into practice. We've also learned that the key to understanding the book of Proverbs lies in the Proverbs 1:7 – the fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge. True wisdom comes about when we acknowledge God for who He is, when we come before Him in humility, confessing that he knows everything and we need to learn from Him. Without the fear of the Lord, the Book of Proverbs and the entire Bible would become nothing more than just a plain book. Without the fear of the Lord, we will miss the whole point of the Book of Proverbs.

I hope that we will take the challenge of reading the Book of Proverbs, one chapter a day, for this whole month of March, together with our reading from the Psalms. If you haven't started reading the book of Proverbs yet, you can still catch up. My prayer for you all is that, as you read this wonderful book with the fear of the Lord in mind, you will grow in wisdom that translates to practical holiness.

God's Unfailing Protection - Preached on February 26, 2012

God's Unfailing Protection 
Psalm 36

 Introduction: 

Who among you have ever experienced being threatened with physical harm?  Well, I have. It happened many years ago, when I was not yet a pastor and in my early 20's. It had something to do with a subordinate at work. This subordinate threatened me for something that had happened that was clearly not my fault, but the fault of an outside company. The threat came in the form of a raised fist and a bit of verbal abuse as well as some threatening words similar to saying “masasaktan ka sa akin.” Looking back, I will admit to you that I felt fearful because my physical security was threatened. Yet, I was confident of one thing during that tense moment – God will protect me, and He did! In fact, after a few weeks, this subordinate and I were on good terms again.

Maybe some of you have gone through even more tense moments where possible harm may have fallen on you, but God protected you throughout the situation. As we study through the Psalms, we learned that King David also experienced threats against his life. The threats came primarily from King Saul who wanted to keep David away from grabbing the throne, even though God had already destined for David to be king; and from the neighboring countries who wanted to conquer and oppress Israel. David also experienced threats against his life when his own son, Absalom, rebelled against him and even chased after him. Throughout those tense moments of his life, David experienced time and again God's deliverance. Indeed, God's protection over us is unfailing.

In today's Psalm, Psalm 36, we will learn more about the God whom we can trust for our protection – why we should trust God in our time of crisis. We will examine God's key attributes or character and understand why we can have confidence in God, that he will protect us. We will also learn from the passage the anatomy of the wicked – why do the wicked do what they do, especially towards God's people? Finally, David instructs us on the right way to pray when facing threats from our enemies.

First, lets look at what I would call as the “Anatomy of the Wicked.” Why the wicked do the things they do, and why they are against God and His people.

The Anatomy of the Wicked 

In verses 1 to 4, David described for us what the wicked are like. There are five things mentioned about the wicked.

 (a) They don't fear God

The first thing to note about the wicked is that they have no fear whatsoever towards God. The wicked are not necessarily atheists who says there is no God. In fact, a person can be religious and still be wicked. According to an Italian sociologist named Alessandra Dino, many members of the Mafia in Italy are connected to the Catholic Church and would call themselves as good Catholics. They would even sit in the front pews of the church and be in the front of religious processions in order to make themselves look like role models of religiosity. Yet, they commit numerous crimes that would make anyone shudder in fear. You can take that scene and apply it to many people who come to church, be it Catholic, Protestant or Evangelical. They believe in God but they don't fear God. They do not have a sense of awe and respect for God as being the Supreme Being. They simply compartmentalize faith as being a section of their lives. They don't fear God because they think that God will not interfere with what they're doing. They go through the motion of being religious but they are not truly changed or transformed by the grace of God, which explains why they are not afraid of God, of what God can do to them.

 (b) They are spiritually blind

The second thing about the wicked is that they are blind when it comes to their spiritual condition. In verse 2, we read that the wicked flatters himself too much to detect or hate his sin. What this means is that the wicked feels smug or he feels proud of the fact that he can do anything he wants and get away with it. As he feels more confident that he can get away with sin, the more he is blind to the fact that his wicked deeds have dire consequences. As he continues in the path of wickedness, he becomes numb to the dictates of conscience, no longer feeling guilty of doing wrong, but relishing it instead.

(c) His speech is corrupted

The wicked are known for their corrupt speech. The adjectives used to describe the words that come out of their mouths are the words wicked and deceitful. They use their words to hurt people by slander and gossip. They do not keep their promises but they lie shamelessly just to get what they want. They use profanity to address people and to bring them down. They use words to manipulate and abuse people and make them do what they desire happening.

 (d) He ceases to be wise and to do good

 By allowing himself to go deeper into sin, the wicked actually ceases to be wise. In the Bible, the wise man is evidently the one who fears and follows God. The wicked, though, wants nothing to do with God, but he chooses instead to follow the philosophies of this world and the advice of bad counselors, thus he forfeits on the possibility of gaining real wisdom. He has become a real fool.

He has also ceased to do good. Because he has chosen to have nothing to do with God, he goes his own way and does what he pleases. He will not obey God and his law at all; he chooses to obey himself, to follow the promptings of his corrupt heart; To do what he wants, what pleases him, not what is beneficial for others and what gives glory to God.

 (e) His mind meditates on evil

 Finally, the wicked do not set their mind on the things of God, but they use their minds to think of evil schemes and he is determined to see these schemes come true. We, as Christians, are commanded to meditate on God's Word, to think of God, and to reflect on his promises. For the wicked, however, they meditate only on their wicked plans and how they can make it happen. They have no place for God in their minds. Their thoughts are corrupted and all they think of is doing evil.

With all these descriptions of a wicked person, an ordinary person may think that following God is a lost cause. Many will say that to follow Jesus is not worth it because of the opposition they will surely face, and that this opposition will surely overwhelm them. However, as one continues to read this Psalm, he will find that this is not the case. You see, when you trust in God, you're not getting a religion but you are entering into a relationship with a God who is described with superlatives. When you put your trust in God, you are having a relationship with the God who is over and above all things, even above those who plot evil against us.

The Character of God 

I want for us to now look at God's character for us to know why we can trust Him, why we can be assured of His protection over us. There are four attributes of God mentioned here and all of them are described with the superlative. Now, when we talk about superlatives, we think of grammar. Let's take for example the word “great”, the superlative for “great” would be “greatest”. Sometimes, we use the word “very” to make a superlative, like “I am very hungry.” Now, in the passage, David described God in the superlative, but it is not seen in the grammar itself but in the picture or imagery used to describe the attributes of God. Let's examine each of these attributes.

 (a) Steadfast Love

God is love (1 John 4:8) and He deals with His children, His people according to His love. When God loves us, he is not fickle as to keep changing his mind, whether or not he truly loves us. When he says he loves us, he means it. He is not the kind of being who will say He loves us and then detracts from what he said. He will show love to us consistently. He has also promised us that nothing can ever separate us from His love, according to Romans 8. In Lamentations 3, we are told that God's steadfast love never ceases. David described God's love in the superlative by saying that it extends to the heavens. Try to imagine how far the heavens are from the earth and you get the idea of the magnitude of God's love. Eugene Peterson's translation of this verse is even more beautiful. In his paraphrase version of the Bible, he described God's love as being meteoric. That is how much God loves his people, his children. Its beyond compare and comprehension.

The wicked can plan all the evil they want to do against us, but God will continually shower his love on us. He will do everything to show us his love.

(b) Faithfulness

 Not only does God show us extravagant love, he also shows us his faithfulness. Before I describe the faithfulness of God, let me talk about the superlative used here. God's faithfulness is compared to the skies. When you talk about the skies, it is so vast and it looks infinite. When we look up into the sky at night, we can only see so much but when you ask astronomers about the skies, they will tell you that it is so vast that they haven't even explored half of what's out there. Now, faithfulness is all about loyalty. When we say that God is faithful, it means he is loyal to us, he is committed to us. It means He will not abandon us to our enemies but he will stay by our side. In 2 Timothy 2:13, Paul wrote that God remains faithful, even if we are faithless. Faithfulness also means that what God has promised us, he will surely keep. According to author Herbert Lockyer in his book, “All the Promises of the Bible”, there are around 8000 promises listed in the Bible. I don't know how he arrived at this number, but regardless of how many there are listed, what is more important is that God keeps them all. This includes his promise of protection over us. In Psalm 91, we are promised that God will protect his people from the attacks of the enemy and that no harm will befall us. Because God is faithful, we can be certain that he will protect us.

 (c) Righteousness

The third attribute of God mentioned here is his righteousness. Now, righteousness simply means that God always does what is right. We could say that righteousness is the natural expression of God's holiness. Since God is a holy God, then he will be opposed to all sin, and that opposition to sin must be demonstrated in his treatment of people. When we read that God is righteous or just in the Bible, we are being assured that his actions toward us are in perfect agreement with his Holy nature. The righteousness of God is evident in the way He consistently acts in accordance to his own character. What this means for us as believers is that God will be consistent in his administration of justice. He will surely reward those who fear Him and follow Him and he will punish those who spurn His grace and who act wickedly towards others. He will never go against his nature. He will never be on the side of sin, but he will always be on the side of those whom he had made righteous, namely all who have repented of their sins and are following Jesus Christ.

The attribute of righteousness is compared to the mighty mountains. When you think of mountains, you think of high peaks such as Mt. Everest or Mt. Kilimanjaro. Righteousness is like the mighty mountains because they can't be moved. God cannot and will not go against his nature. You can never convince God to do wrong or to side with evil. He will stay firm, like a mountain stays firm amidst the flood and the earthquake. If you revere God, if you follow the Lord Jesus Christ, then you can be assured that God will protect you because he is righteous, he will be consistent with his character, and he will always side with those who follow Him.

 (d) Justice/Judgment

The fourth attribute mentioned is translated as justice in the NIV. In other versions, the word is judgment. While righteousness refers to God's nature, justice is how God acts based on his righteousness. When God judges people, it will always be fair. He will never pervert justice in order to side with someone. He cannot be bought with bribery. Furthermore, because of God's omniscience, he knows every detail of our lives such that we cannot conceal anything from him. His omnipotence ensures that he can enforce his verdicts. The wicked may scheme evil, they may think evil thoughts, but God knows what they're thinking. He knows every detail of their plans, and God is ready to judge them for their corruption.

The justice of God is compared to the deep sea. The deepest part of the ocean is the Marianas Trench with a depth of around 10 kilometers or 10,000 meters or around 30,000 feet. God's justice is something we can never fathom with our finite minds. Our concept of justice is limited, but we can trust that because God's justice is based on his righteousness, on his omnipotence and omniscience, he will always decide fairly.

 Conclusion: 

Because of these attributes of God – his love, faithfulness, righteousness, and justice, what we can and should do is trust Him when it comes to the issues of protection and provision. In verses 7 to 9, David talked about how God brought delight as well as security to the lives of His people. In verses 10 and 11, David prays to God, asking Him to continue to show his love and righteousness to his people. He also asked that the wicked will not prevail over him. In the end, David proclaimed with confidence that the wicked have been defeated completely. He has seen God delivering him from his enemies before, he is confident God will do it again.

We all will face people who act wickedly towards us. The question we need to ask ourselves is this: Do we trust God enough that he will deliver us from evil? I hope we all realize that the answer is “yes”. God will deliver his people from evil. It may not necessarily be a physical deliverance, but it is first and foremost a spiritual deliverance where God preserves our soul from the evil plans of Satan which is usually put into action by wicked people. God helps us to overcome temptations by keeping us in the right path. God's deliverance also comes when we are able to respond to evil by shining God's light of goodness. God's deliverance also comes in physical form, although it doesn't always turn out that way. What is important is that God promises to protect and to provide for his people. Are we willing to trust that he can and he will? David trusted God; how about you? How about me? Are we willing to trust God?

Conquer Your Fears - Preached at GGC February 12, 2012

CONQUER YOUR FEARS
Psalm 27

Introduction:

Who among you are not frightened of anything at all? It is evident by your response that there are things that frightens you or causes insecurity in you. Some of the things we are frightened or concerned about may sound downright trivial to many people but it is a big issue for you. For example, some people are afraid of spiders, cockroaches, mice and other household pests. Others are afraid of things like heights, flying on an airplane, or being in a crowded place. Some of our fears are common, such as the fear of failure in school or in the business world and the fear of speaking in public. For many here, we are concerned about things like our physical safety and our financial security and these things sometimes can cause fears in us. We all are afraid of something or someone at some point in our lives. I am not exempted when it comes to fear. I also go through moments of uncertainty as well as fear.

What do you do with your fears? Some allow themselves to become paralyzed by their fears such that they can no longer function normally, thus needing the help of psychiatrists and psychologists. Others talk themselves out of their fears by repeating mantras like “I am not afraid” or “There is nothing to fear but fear itself”. It is definitely unhealthy for us to let our fears overwhelm us and make us helpless. On the other hand, telling yourself that you are not afraid when you really are is just lying to yourself; to say that there is nothing to fear but fear itself is denying the fact that there are things that do cause legitimate fears in us.

So, how do we properly handle our fears? How do we conquer them? Today's passage, Psalm 27, is a passage that tells us the right way of conquering one's fears. As we all know, the passage is written by none other than King David. Many have the mistaken notion that David was never afraid of anything. After all, he had fought with lions and bears that were attacking his father's flock while he was a shepherd. He fought Goliath courageously. He served in King Saul's army and was highly praised by the women as having killed tens of thousands. Yet, when we read through the different Psalms written by David, we find that he experienced fear just like all of us here. He was not without fear. He had his fair share of apprehension and concerns. However, David had learned not to let his fear paralyze him, but to overcome his fear in a manner that pleases and brings honor to God. In today's passage, we find three things that David did in order to conquer his fears. In fact, these are the three things that God would want us to do when we are troubled by our fears. While it is true that some people may need professional help from counselors and psychiatrists in dealing with their fears, I believe that the Bible has given us the keys to conquering our fears; we only need to put them into practice in our everyday situations.

So, let's examine Psalm 27 and learn more about conquering our fears God's way. As I mentioned a bit earlier, there are three things we must remember to do if we want to conquer our fears the right way.

I. Know Who God Is

In the opening verse of Psalm 27, David makes clear who God is. In fact, he used three words to describe who God is. The Lord God is his light, his salvation, his stronghold. The word “light” appears around 34 times in the book of Psalms. Light here conveys the idea of life and hope; whereas if one mentions the word darkness, this would suggest death and gloom. The second word, “salvation”, appears over 70 times in the Psalms, mostly in connection with God's presence and help to the writers of the Psalms. The third word to describe God, “stronghold”, appears only nine times but it is suggestive that God is like a strong, impregnable fortress that cannot be breached by the enemy. Because God is the source of life and hope, he is the one who saves and helps us time and again, and he is the one we can totally count on when troubles come our way, David then confidently declares, “Whom shall I fear? Of whom shall I be afraid?”

The first reason why David was able to say with confidence that he was not fearful or afraid was because he knew who God was. Now, when I say that David knew who God was, I am not just talking about mere intellectual knowledge. It is very easy for people like you and I to say that God is light, salvation and stronghold. But real knowledge of God comes from a relationship with Him where we experience His working everyday. Knowing about God is an easy thing to do. All you have to do is pick up books that tell you who God is or listen to someone give a lecture about who God is. You can attend a worship service like this, listen to a preacher speak about God and you will leave the sanctuary with an added knowledge about God. You can even read the Bible to learn more about God. However, there is a huge difference between someone who knows about God and someone who knows God. David knew God personally as evidenced by his statement: The Lord is MY light, MY salvation, MY stronghold. He wasn't just mimicking what the temple priests and the religious leaders had taught him. He wasn't just repeating thoughtlessly what he probably learned as a child. He was expressing what he had personally experienced. If you look at verses 2 and 3, these statements about the enemy stumbling, of armies surrounding him, of wars breaking out against him, all these were not hypothetical statements but they reflected his personal experience of fearful things and how God delivered him in those situations. David knew God personally.

If you want to conquer your fears, you have to begin by knowing God personally. You need to believe in Him and start having a relationship with Him. When you believe in Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, not only will he save you from your sins, but what happens is that he also assures you that he will be ever present with you. He also promises to help us in our time of need. Without a personal relationship with the Lord, you can't call him your light, your salvation, your stronghold. Begin with this point – know God personally.

II. Pray Thoroughly

The second thing we all need to do if we want to conquer our fears is to express them to God through prayer. Look carefully at what David said that sheds light on how he prayed. In verse 7, he appealed to God to hear his voice when he calls, to be merciful to him and answer him. In verse 8, he talks about seeking the face of God. In verse 9, he appeals for God to not hide his face from him, or to turn him away. Furthermore, he asked not to be rejected or forsaken. In verse 11, he asked for the Lord to teach him the right way. In verse 12, he asked for deliverance from his enemies. Finally, in verses 13 and 14, he expresses confidence in God hearing his prayer and he tells himself to wait for the Lord in faith. From these, we can learn important lessons on prayer that conquers fear.

First, when we pray, remember that we are to seek audience with God. This is the idea behind the phrase, “Seek His face”. Prayer is not an act of recitation where we keep repeating something just like a mantra, hoping that it will turn out the way we want it; instead, prayer is all about coming before God, person to person, in order to present our request, our need.

The second thing we need to remember about prayer is that we need to be specific as to what we are asking for. David specifically asked God to deliver him from his enemies. Sometimes, when we pray to the Lord, we are quite vague as to what we're asking for. It is true, God knows what's on our minds and in our hearts; it is true also that when we cannot express ourselves well, God understands the groaning that comes out of our mouths; however, when we are able to articulate ourselves, why do we pray without being specific about what we're praying for? David asked the Lord for deliverance from his enemies, the source of his fear. What about us? What makes you fearful? Have you talked with God about it? If you are fearful about financial security, have you talked with God about it specifically? If you are concerned about the peace and safety of your family here in Manila, have you taken time to tell God what's in your heart about the matter? Be specific when it comes to telling God what you are fearful about.

The third thing about prayer is that we shouldn't just confine it to presenting our appeal for deliverance, but also to ask God if there is a lesson to be learned from what we're going through. Look at verse 11; David prayed to God, “Teach me your way, O Lord; lead me in a straight path because of my oppressors”. So often, when we pray for God's help, we simply end there. David's appeal for God to teach him His way is a good prayer we should be praying, especially when we are going through moments of fear and apprehension. It may be that God is going to use the situation we're facing in order to strengthen us. It may be that God will reveal something about ourselves through what we're going through. We miss out on the opportunities to learn from our trials and testings when we fail to ask God to teach us.

Finally, when we pray, do we learn to wait on God for the answers? In verse 14, David tells himself, “wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord.” Now, why did David tell himself to wait for the Lord? It is because, just like a lot of us here, we lack the patience and the faith to believe that God will answer our prayers. We hate waiting. I have said it before. We live in a time and age where we want everything to be instant. We want instant answers from God just as much as we want instant coffee, fast food, instant noodles. I think David here was reminding himself and all who would one day read Psalm 27 that we need to learn to wait on God when it comes to answering our prayers. When we learn to wait, we will see God work mightily. If we don't learn to wait, we may resort to trying to “help God” unnecessarily, causing us to mess things up. Remember Abraham the patriarch? Well, God promised him that He would make him a great nation, which of course meant that he would have children. Unfortunately, both Abraham and Sarah couldn't wait on God's promise; so they decided to “help God” by having a child through Hagar. That was a terrible mistake committed by Abraham. If he had only learned to wait on God, we wouldn't be seeing so much tension in the Middle East today. Likewise, if you want to avoid unnecessary tensions to yourself and to others, learn to wait on God. His timing is perfect. His plan for you is the best. We just need to wait for him to answer and bring his plans to fruition.

III. Commune With God Regularly

You are probably wondering, why did I leave out vv. 4 – 6? Actually, I decided to leave this as my last point because I strongly believe this is the most important thing necessary to conquer one's fears.

In verses 4 to 6, we find David expressing his desire to be in the presence of the Lord. To be specific, he desired to be in the physical place where God is worshipped, namely the tabernacle or the tent where God's presence is manifested. However, the desire to be in God's presence was more than just to be in the physical place of worship, but more about experiencing close and sweet fellowship with God. There were many moments when David could not visit the tabernacle because he was on the run from Saul as well as from other enemies, and he longed to visit the tabernacle; but even with the physical distance, David still worshipped God. I believe that, even though he could not come to the physical tabernacle, he was able, through his prayer and quiet time, to commune with God and to enjoy being in his presence.

Now, why is communing with God vital in winning over our fears? The obvious answer is found in verse 5. Spending time to commune with God leads to God keeping us safe during the day of trouble. The idea behind being hidden in God's shelter or being concealed under the cover of God's tent is actually a beautiful imagery where a host takes responsibility for the safety of his guest. As long as the guest stayed inside the tent of the host, he will do what it takes to keep that person protected. Communing with God is like staying in God's tent, where he takes responsibility for ensuring that we are safe from harm. He also sets us up upon a rock. This is a place that is inaccessible to our enemies. When we commune with God regularly, we are kept safe from things that threaten us and cause us to be fearful. A Bible commentator made this beautiful remark about the positive effect of communing with God: “He who lives nearest to God suffers least from temptation.” You want to be courageous amidst things that cause fears? Then spend time to be with God. You see, if our thoughts are fixed on God, when we let God have room in our hearts, then we are allowing less fears to have its place in it.

Another thing we can learn from this passage is that David sought communion with God not just during the days of trouble but he longed to be close to God everyday of his life. This truth is important because when we learn to spend quality and quantity time with God through prayer and letting God's Word penetrate our heart during the quiet, peaceful days, then it will establish us in order to victoriously face the days of trouble. By meeting with God regularly, we are building up our spiritual muscle, such that when the days of trouble come, we will not be afraid, for we have been in God's presence regularly.

So often, many among us do not take our quiet time and prayer time seriously. We are always in a hurry and the thing that suffers when we are in a hurry is our communion with God. We are not connecting with Him but we allow a lot of other things to take our time away. What we don't realize is that when we don't commune with God, when we don't take time to seek Him, then when the days of trouble come, we are going to be afraid. We are going to feel anxious and worried. We will be fearful at what our enemies and the enemy of our soul will do to us. Remember, take time to commune with God. When you do, you will be able to face your fears more confidently. It's not enough just to have a relationship with God when you accepted Jesus as your Lord and Savior; it's not enough to just be prayerful in your time of fear; you have to be strongly connected to God. Your close walk with God will help you to stand confidently against your enemies and will diminish your fears.

Conclusion:

The three successful and godly strategies for conquering your fears are: (1) Know Who God is, (2) Pray thoroughly and, (3) Commune With God regularly. If you have a relationship with the Lord, if you know how to bring everything to God in prayer, and if you spend quality and quantity time with God in communion, then you will find that your fears diminish as your confidence in God grows. I want to end by asking you to take notice of something – all three points have to do with God, how we respond and relate to God. Without God in the picture, I don't know how anyone could ever face life and even death with confidence. Don't ever go through life without God. Don't ever go through life relying on your own strength. Don't ever go through life running on an empty spiritual tank. Let me end by giving you a simple way of remembering today's lesson. Even if you don't remember the different points of the message, just remember this:

KNOW GOD = NO FEAR
NO GOD = KNOW FEAR

What's Your Foundation - Preached at GGC January 15, 2012

What's Your Foundation?
Psalm 11:1 – 7

Introduction:

In 1968, an earthquake with a magnitude of 7.3 on the Richter scale hit Casiguran, Quezon (now a part of Aurora province). This earthquake was so strong that around 268 people in Manila perished, 260 of them killed due to the collapse of the six-story apartment building called the Ruby Tower. Many structures were severely damaged during the earthquake, especially those that were located near the Pasig River. Now, the cause for the collapse of the Ruby Tower can be attributed to the use of substandard materials; however, the severe damage done to buildings located near the Pasig River can be attributed to poor foundation. Volcanologists call it alluvial deposits. Alluvial deposits are loose soil and sediments. They may look sturdy on the surface, but deep within, they are so loose, they will move at the slightest earthquake or flood. These deposits also come loose when there is rapid movement of water that causes the soil to loosen. In August 9, 2009, a six-story hotel building located beside a river in Taitung County, in eastern Taiwan, started leaning towards the river during a heavy typhoon and eventually fell down. When I looked at a video footage of the collapse, I noticed that the foundation on which the hotel was built upon was just soil. No wonder, when typhoon Morakot hit Taiwan with such intensity, the soil eroded and the hotel building just leaned over and fell.

Civil engineers, architects and building contractors all know that the foundation on which you build your house or your building needs to be sturdy, such that it can take any earthquake and flood without collapsing or falling. In fact, I think many would even recommend that you build on top of bedrock because bedrock will not erode like soil. Bedrock is a good foundation on which to build your house or building.

In this morning's Psalm, King David utters words not really intended as a prayer to God, but rather, as a declaration of confidence in God addressed to everyone who will listen. Although it is unclear as to what was the specific occasion for the writing of this Psalm, what is good about this Psalm is that it applies to all occasions when evil powers threaten the security and well-being of God's people. The Psalm begins with an affirmation of faith - “In the Lord I take refuge.” David makes clear that God is his shelter, his hiding place. However, there were people who gave counsel to David that ran contrary to his affirmation of faith. In verses 1b to 3, these so-called friends were advising David to flee like a bird to the mountains, for his enemies have surrounded him and they were ready to shoot arrows on him. In effect, they were telling him that it isn't practical to keep one's faith in God when you are surrounded by your enemies. There is no point in taking a stand for God or to believe that God will deliver you.

An interesting thought brought out by these so-called friends can be found in verse 3. Here we read, “When the foundations are being destroyed, what can the righteous do?” What is this statement all about? According to scholars, the idea behind the statement is that everything nations and typical people put their hopes on have failed. During David's time, kings and rulers put their hopes in their military might like the number of horses and chariots one has in his arsenal. In today's era, nations put their hopes in their stockpile of what are known as weapons of mass destruction. That is why people acknowledge nations like America and China as being powerful nations because of the size of their army as well as the number of planes, ships and nuclear weapons they have. Others trust in their wealth and economic strength. In David's time, wealth was measured in the amount of land, slaves and money that you possessed or in the amount of gold you have in the national treasury. Today, it is no different. We measure wealth by the number of people that are employed by us, by the number of businesses we own, by the amount that we have stored in banks and investment companies. Nations measure wealth by how much they have in their reserves and how much surplus they have. There are also people who trust in their positions. Back then, people aspire to be the leaders of their community or the leaders of the religious establishment. Powerful empires want to be known as the conqueror of other nations. David was in a position of power in King Saul's cabinet. In fact, we could say that he held a very high position, for he was a military commander as well as a court musician to the king. Today, we aspire to be the leaders of our industry or to be the head of our department. Some seek for public office not only because of public service but also for the ulterior motive of making a name for one's self. Nations want to be in the forefront of leadership in this world. Other foundations we build upon include our human relationships – our spouses, our children, our friends, our parents, our siblings. David was related to King Saul by virtue of his marriage to Michal, the daughter of Saul. In the eyes of some people, this would have seem like a marriage motivated by politics and, it may have bestowed a certain degree of respect for David. We also build our foundation on our careers and we pour all our effort, our time and energy into it. These are the things that lots of people build the foundation of their lives upon. Unfortunately, these things can be destroyed by others.

Although a nation may possess military might, it does not ensure victory. Germany and Japan were military superpowers during World War 2, and yet they were defeated in the end. Although a nation may be rich back then, but now it is bankrupt. Consider what is happening in the United States and in Europe. These nations used to be wealthy, but now they are heavily in debt. There are people who build their lives on the foundation of their financial wealth, but they will find that money does not really bring contentment and that it can easily be lost overnight. Those who build their foundation on their positions will find that one's reputation can easily be tarnished by one's indiscretion. There are those who build their foundation on their human relationships, thinking that it will be stable, but they soon find that spouses are not faithful to each other, children do not live up to your expectations, friends are not always loyal to you. Then there are those who build their lives on the foundation of their careers will find that job security can be threatened because the company goes bankrupt or you become redundant and not needed anymore in the company.

The so-called friends of David were calling on him to flee or to hide because the foundations around him were failing. The things that the nation depended upon for her security were being assaulted and destroyed. There was nothing that he could lean and depend upon. From the perspective of these bad advisers, they thought that one's life is built on the things that we've just mentioned – career, finance, relationships, position and might. Now that these things have failed David, it meant that he was easy target for his enemies.

David however affirmed his opening statement – in the Lord I take refuge. From verses 4 to 7, he spells out the reasons why his confidence, his foundation is in the Lord and not on the things of this world.

I. The Lord is still God and King (v. 4a)

The first reason why he is confident in God is found in verse 4. The Lord is still God and King. In other words, God is still sovereign. God is still in control of the situation. David states very clearly that God is still in his Holy temple, He is still seated on His heavenly throne. There is no one who can unseat Him from the throne. There is no one who can remove Him from His temple. David was telling his enemies and these bad counselors - “You know, the last time I checked, God is still seated on the throne and is still God.” The implication of the Lord still being God and King is that He is not a helpless being who watches the events of this world unfold but cannot do anything to correct the wrong; instead He is all powerful and He has everything under control. In fact, everything that happens here on earth is either the direct working of His hand or something that He allows to happen. What happens to us, the trials and testings we go through in life, the troubles that bug us, the losses that we go through, these are all under God's control. Even the attacks our enemy hurl our way are all allowed by God.

Isn't it good to know that the God we trust is sovereign? Aren't you glad that he has everything under his control? Even when the human foundations are shaken and they lose their ground, God is still in control. When you lose money or your relationships are shaky, when your career is not blossoming as you want it or your position in life doesn't really give you an advantage, remember that God has everything in the palm of his hands. He is still God and King.

II. The Lord's Eyes Are Always Upon Us (vv. 4b - 5)

The second reason for David's confidence in God is found in the second half of verse 4 and also in verse 5. Here, we find that God's eyes are upon all people and he examines everyone.

Now, I want us to take note that the idea of God looking upon us is not just to “look at us” but it means much more. When God looks at us, it means that he looks upon us with close scrutiny. He is assessing all people, taking note of their character and of their conduct before others.

From the passage, we can also surmise that when God looks at the righteous in particular, he looks upon them with favor. It is because the righteous are those who trust in God and who fears God such that they will not go around doing evil deeds but will do those deeds that pleases God. God looks at the situation the righteous are going through and He intends to help them according to his might and will. God also sees the wicked, but his treatment of the wicked is different. In verse 5, God sees the wicked but he hates them. The wicked are those who refuse to trust God and turn away from their evil deeds. They have set their hearts and minds on opposing God. Their deeds are totally disagreeable to Him. What the wicked are doing against the righteous gets God very angry and very displeased. Thus, punishment awaits the wicked if they continue on the road of destruction.

Isn't it great comfort to know that the Lord is looking at all peoples, paying attention to what they're doing? It means nothing escapes his sight. Both the righteous and the wicked are closely observed by God. He looks at us with his favor and grace. He looks at us with the aim of helping us. But for the wicked, he looks at their deeds with the intent of judgment against them. So, even if we are going through moments of great trial and testing, when the wicked laugh and ridicule us, take heart, because God sees his people, loves them and cares for them.

III. The Lord is A Just God

Finally, the passage tells us another thing we need to know about God, and this is found in verse 7. In verse 7, we find that God is a righteous God, that He is a God who loves justice. Righteousness and justice are two words that we could say are virtually synonyms. When we say that God is just, we are saying that He always does what is the right thing consistently and without partiality. Since righteousness is a key attribute of God, He will act or treat people with righteousness or justice. His action will always be consistent with His character. He is the one who sets the standard of righteousness.

Because God is a God of righteousness and justice, He will not let evildoers get away with their sins. Remember what the enemies of David were plotting to do? They were planning to kill him. They wanted to kill God's anointed king. They wanted to go against God's plan for the nation of Israel by plotting to kill the man whom God has made king. This is nothing less than rebellion against God. Thus, God intends and will surely bring punishment upon the evildoers. The punishment is mentioned in verse 6 where David wrote, “On the wicked he will rain fiery coals and burning sulfur; a scorching wind will be their lot.” Those who plot evil against God and against His righteous people will not escape the fury of God. If they refuse to turn from their wicked ways and seek God, they will not escape God's wrath.

Blessing however belongs to the righteous. In the second half of verse 7, David wrote that upright men will see God's face. This means that those who have turned away from their sins and have trusted God will one day see God face to face in heaven. For the present, it means that the upright will be able to approach God, through prayer, with confidence and will be able to experience God's presence in their lives, almost like being with and seeing God in person. A second blessing, one that is implied by the text, is that God will vindicate the righteous from their enemies. He will be the one to correct all the injustices suffered by the righteous at the hands of the wicked. Now, this may or may not happen in our lifetime, but this is God's promise to us - The wicked will surely be punished for their ill treatment of the righteous.

What's Your Foundation?

This morning's message is entitled, “What's Your Foundation?” The enemies as well as the bad counselors of David thought that the foundations of his life were things like political and military power, financial and material wealth, positions and key relationships. Now that these things were crumbling before him, they advised him to flee. David however reminded them that his foundation wasn't built on these things. He did not build his life on shifting sand. Instead, he has built his life on the solid bedrock that is God. The reason why is because the Lord is and will always be God and King who reigns sovereignly. Second, it is because God's eyes are fixed upon his people, looking upon us with his favor and love and with the intention of helping us in our time of need. Finally, it is because the Lord is a just and righteous God who will act consistently with His character. He will punish the wicked and vindicate the righteous.

I want for us to now briefly look at the New Testament as we continue to answer the question, “What's Your Foundation?” In 1 Corinthians 3:11, Paul clearly tells us that no one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ, the second person of the Triune God, is the foundation on which Paul had built his life on. It is the foundation on which every true believer builds his life on. Aside from the person of Jesus Christ, we must also consider that the teaching of Jesus Christ is the solid bedrock on which we must build our life on. In Matthew 7:24 – 27, Jesus concluded the Sermon on the Mount by telling the people who have heard his teaching to put them into practice. Jesus knew and obeyed God's Word. We can do no less. When we choose to trust only in Jesus Christ for our salvation and strength, and when we put into practice the pure teaching of the Bible, we will be building our lives on a foundation that can never be shaken by the storms and the floods of life.

I would like to close this morning's message by singing a hymn that I think many are familiar with. It is the hymn, “The Solid Rock”, words written by Edward Mote and set to music by William Bradbury. Before we sing this song, let me just point to the refrain of this song – On Christ the solid rock I stand, all other ground is sinking sand. Is your life planted on the Solid foundation that is our Lord Jesus? As we sing this beautiful hymn, I pray that you will commit your life to being firmly built on the person of Jesus Christ, on what he has done for us, and on what he has taught us.

The Truly Blessed - Preached on January 1, 2012

The Truly Blessed
Psalm 1

Introduction:

I would like to first greet everyone a very Happy New Year. God has indeed been good to each of us here as well as to the church throughout 2011 and we look forward to what God will be doing in 2012.

I would also like to welcome you all to our series of studies on the Book of Psalms for the months of January and February and the Book of Proverbs during the month of March. Starting today and for 8 subsequent weeks, we will look into the Book of Psalms which has often been described as the hymnbook or songbook of the Bible. The Hebrew name is Tehillim, which means “praise”, while the Greek name is psalmoi which means “music of the lyre” or “songs sung to a harp.” The Book of Psalms has the most chapters among the books of the Bible with 150. Around 73 of the Psalms were written by King David. The other authors include musicians in the temple courts like Asaph and the sons of Korah. The longest Psalm is Psalm 119 which is devoted to describing the beauty of God's Law or God's Word. The most popular Psalm, in my opinion, is Psalm 23, which is a Psalm of great comfort to those who are going through hard times and through the valley of the shadow of death.

To start our series on the Psalms, we begin with the very first Psalm. We could say that the first Psalm is like the introduction to the whole book, and it is a Psalm that many people are familiar with. According to a commentator, the reason why this Psalm is placed first in the book was because, in its six verses it tells us briefly what many of the Psalms and many parts of the Bible tell us – that there are two different ways in which people can live their lives. They can choose to follow the way of the wicked or the way of the godly, and we will need to give an account for the choice we make. Let us explore this beautiful psalm and learn some important lessons that we can take home and apply.

First, I would like to ask you, what does a blessed man look like? Since we're starting the New Year and the Chinese wish to someone during the New Year is a wish for blessing and prosperity, I like for us to think about the question – what constitutes blessing for you? For the world, the picture of a blessed person is that he is financially rich, physically healthy, powerful or influential, well-educated, and has children. What I have just said is a true assessment. Consider the Chinese tradition where three statues are placed in one's home in order to bring threefold blessing to the household. The three statues represent longevity, prosperity and posterity. The Chinese believe that when you have all three, you are truly blessed. Other cultures most likely hold on to the same beliefs. However, there is something faulty or flawed about this idea. If our idea of a person being blessed is someone who has everything that life has to offer, then are we saying that the poor, the powerless, the uneducated, the sickly, and those who cannot have children are cursed? Are we saying that people who go through hardships in life are not blessed by God? If that is our line of thinking, then Jesus himself was not a blessed person because he was born to a poor family and he never received higher education. Jesus would not be a blessed person because he never got married and had children. Such wrong belief about true blessing is not only found in other cultures and religions. Sadly, it is also found in certain sectors of Christianity, through the preachers of the health and wealth gospel who lead people astray by saying that when you believe in Jesus, you will be blessed with material possessions and good health. If that is the case, how do we account for the faithful followers of Jesus Christ in Muslim and Hindu cultures who suffer loss of material possessions and even their lives, all because of their faith in Christ? Let me say it to you straight – you can't equate material prosperity with God's blessing.

So, what is true blessing? In Psalm 1, we can clearly see the people who are truly blessed by God. The passage says nothing about being financially rich as a result of God's blessing. It never says that we will be free from all illnesses. Instead, true blessing has everything to do in relation to our walk with God. Let's spend the rest of our time looking into the passage and understand the principles set forth by the passage. As I mentioned a moment ago, this Psalm tells us that there are two different ways of life that people live. The first way is the way of wickedness, while the second way is the way of the righteous.

The Way of Wickedness

In verse 1, the Psalmist declared that people are blessed if they do not follow the way of wickedness. Now, the way of wickedness is vividly described in verse 1 where a person sinks from one state to the next. The way of wickedness is where a person disregards having a relationship with God and the Word of God and chooses to follow the way of the world. A person is wicked because, first, he chose to walk in the counsel of the wicked, meaning, he chose to heed the advice of wicked people and do what they tell him to do. The second stage of wickedness is when a person stands in the way of sinners, meaning he longs to do what the wicked are doing. He even longs to be with them. The last stage of wickedness is when the person sits in the seat of mockers; he himself is now associated with wicked people and he is influencing others to sin with him. He is a mocker because he laughs and scorns at those who do not follow them. Their particular target for mockery will be the righteous.

The way of wickedness may seem attractive and even pleasing to the senses, but there are consequences for going down this path. The passage gives us three results of following the path of wickedness:

(a) An empty life

In verse 4, the wicked are described as being like chaff which the wind blows away. Now, what is chaff? Chaff is the dry, protective casings of the seeds of cereal grain. It is inedible and is usually thrown away or burned. Once the seeds are milled or pounded, the chaff is then separated by means of tossing everything into the wind. The seeds, being heavier, will fall to the ground, while the empty casing, which is lighter, will be blown aside. The ungodly, though they may enjoy the pleasures of this world, will soon realize that the life they're living is so meaningless and empty. They may look happy on the outside and even like they have achieved much in life, yet they generally have lingering feelings of loneliness and emptiness.

(b) No place among the righteous

In verse 5, we read that the wicked will not be in the assembly of the righteous when Judgment Day comes. The wicked may enrich themselves now and they may enjoy the pleasures of this world now while disregarding the condition of their souls, but one's life doesn't end with the grave. Instead, there is the afterlife where the souls of the dead will be consigned to its proper place. For the righteous, they will be enjoying a place which Jesus calls as Paradise. But for the wicked, they will not be found in that place, but they will be consigned instead to a place of hardship, often called hell, awaiting final judgment. The story of Lazarus and the rich man in Luke 16 illustrates very well this second result.

(c) They will perish

Finally, the wicked will have to stand before the Lord on the Judgment Day. On that day, they will have to give an account of what they've done and they will be judged for their deeds as well as for what they did with their knowledge of the Lord Jesus. In verse 5, it says that the wicked will not stand. This means the wicked will not be able to bear God's wrath. Then in verse 6, the wicked will perish. It means there will be an eternal punishment awaiting the wicked. When one reads Revelation 20, he will find that a terrible fate indeed awaits the wicked. They will be thrown into the lake of fire, which is known as the second death. The torment from the lake of fire will last for all eternity (Revelation 20:10).

The Way of the Righteous

We've talked about the way of the wicked and the result of such a life. Now, let's talk about the way of the righteous. Let me just briefly define what we mean when we say someone is righteous. A righteous person is someone who trusts only in God for his salvation. He is someone whose sins have been forgiven by God, through God's grace alone. He is someone who has a healthy fear and reverence for God such that he will obey God. When we turn away from our sins and trust Jesus as Lord and Savior, we are made right by God. Our sins are wiped away and we are made clean. Then, God helps us to be righteous by providing us with His Word and the Holy Spirit to guide us. The righteous will also give of his best to avoid associating and doing what the wicked are doing.

It is not easy living the righteous life. In fact, if we want to live righteously, we will be ridiculed and laughed at. But if we choose the way of the righteous, the blessings are tremendous. Consider what the passage mentions as our blessings.

(a) He will have a fruitful life (v. 3)

The righteous is compared to a tree that is planted beside the streams of water. Because it is near the water source, the tree is properly hydrated and nourished. This leads to fruitfulness. The Word of God is the stream of water. The righteous person is one who takes the time each day to delight in God's Word and to meditate on it. He thinks about how he can apply the Word of God into his life and he obeys the Word without hesitation. The result is that he will be fruitful. This fruitfulness will be seen in his character. In the New Testament, this fruitfulness of character is called the Fruit of the Holy Spirit. This fruitfulness is also seen in his good works and in his service to others. When we are taking time to be nourished by God's Word, we will not live a fruitless life.

(b) There is no withering of life (v. 3)

When the leaves of a tree starts to wither, it can mean a couple of things. One, the season is changing. The other is that the tree is drying up because of a lack of water and nutrition. I believe the author of the Psalm has the second idea in mind since the weather is Israel does not go into extreme freezing temperatures for long periods of time. During a season of drought, the trees that are farthest from a water source will soon have her leaves start withering and dropping off. However, a tree that is closest to the stream will remain green in color as the tree is hydrated. The person who takes the time to draw close to God and to meditate on His Word everyday will find that his life is renewed everyday. The person who chooses to obey God everyday will find that God will sustain him and give him strength. Now, this does not mean that we are free from the problems of life and from disappointments; what is does mean is that our relationship with God will remain fresh, and that we will become closer to Him each day.

(c) He will experience true prosperity (v. 3)

Third, the righteous person who maintains his close relationship with God, and who meditates on God's Word and obeys it, will find real prosperity in this life. Now, the prosperity that I am talking about is not about material wealth or even physical health. Instead, the prosperity comes about in that the righteous person finds life and work worthwhile and deeply satisfying. A life where God is in the center is a life worth living. Our outlook in life changes for the better. Sometimes God may add the bonus of material prosperity and physical well-being to the godly but this is an exception rather than an absolute rule. Nevertheless, the godly will feel contented because of his relationship with God. The righteous also knows that the wealth that truly matters is not material things but the treasures in heaven that Jesus talked of. The righteous knows that the health that truly matters in the end is one's spiritual health and not our physical health. The more he aspires for godliness, the more he profits from it (1 Timothy 4:8).

(d) He is under God's care (v. 6)

Fourth, the righteous is blessed with the promise of God's care and love. In verse 6, we read that the Lord knows the way of the righteous. The idea of “know” here is not just intellectual knowledge, but it is knowledge that connotes approval on the part of God, it is knowledge in the sense of a deep, personal relationship. The righteous is God's beloved, and he will do everything to attend to their needs and provide for them. God loves those who belong to Him and will never abandon them. God will help keep us on the right path when we strive to draw closer to Him each day.

(e) He will be among those who will be safe in God's presence (v. 5)

Finally, the righteous will stand in God's presence, free from condemnation. We find this idea in verse 5. While the wicked will surely be condemned, the righteous will receive their reward from God – spending eternity with God in heaven. They need not fear about their future or what will happen after they die. They will be with the Lord forever. Whatever hardships, trials and persecutions the righteous go through in this life is nothing compared to spending eternity with God. Furthermore, this reward can never be taken away from God's people. It will always be theirs because they trusted in God and in the Lord Jesus Christ.

Conclusion:

This morning, we have learned that there are two paths or roads in life. One is called the path of the wicked while the other is the path of the righteous. The Lord Jesus would later on talk about these two paths in the Sermon on the Mount where he talked about the narrow gate and the wide gate. The wide gate leads to destruction while the narrow gate leads to life everlasting. Jesus counseled his listeners to take the narrow gate, even if it is difficult and almost everyone else prefer to easy way. The path of the righteous is not an easy path to travel along, but it is the right way.

We are all left with a choice that we have to make – will it be the path of the wicked or the path of the righteous? We all know the results of following these two different paths. So, which will you choose? I hope and pray that everyone here will choose to walk in the path of the righteous. Real, lasting blessings are found along this path. To begin along this path, you need to start by getting right with God. If you don't have a relationship with God by trusting in Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, asking him to forgive your sins and give you new life, you can't be righteous at all. Start by inviting Jesus Christ to be your Lord and Savior. For those who already know Jesus as Lord and Savior, I invite you all to take the time to read, meditate and apply God's Word into your life. The Bible is God's instruction manual for us to follow. When we carefully follow what's written in it, we will truly be blessed by God.

As we start 2012, my prayer for all of us is that we will travel along the path of blessing that God has set for us.