I Am Continually With You - Part 1 of 2

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As you can see there are 28 verses in the 73rd Psalm.

There is no way that we could adequately explore all that is in this very wonderful passage, so we just look at certain parts of it than what the put emphasis on that which is in our text verse 23 Psalm 73 and the 23rd verse. Nevertheless, I am continually with the bow has holding me by my right hand, a subject I am continually with you how reassuring. What a comforting promise. The Lord tells us that he is continually with us.

The Lord doesn't just enter one's life to be there for a short time, even during the seasons when we may be experiencing down for fear spiritual wholeness and somehow I feel that the Lord has withdrawn from us. He still is with us. I am continually with you, the writer of this Psalm is a syphilis one that wrote a number of songs and was the leader. It seems of the musicians as they sang praises to God in the temple of olden times. He starts out with wonderful truth, truly God is good to Israel, even to such as are of the clean heart. So although he described some of the difficulties with which he is struggling some of the questions that plagued him acknowledges God is good and he concludes this by saying that it is good to draw near to God.

So whatever we find between the first and last verses we know that this man, though he was struggling and not turned away from God had not given up on God acknowledges that God is good and that it is good to seek him.

But when we begin with the second verse we see that the psalmist is faltering, but as for me, my feet were almost gone.

My steps had well nigh slipped.

Yes, God is good to Israel.

God is a good God and he's good to his people, but I had some problems myself. Cessation of my feet were almost gone didn't say I had departed.

He didn't say I had given up whatever she had thought about it. It's not like it struggled with these issues to the point that he could hardly keep going. My steps had well nigh slipped. What was his problem. For I was envious at the foolish when I saw the prosperity of the wicked for their no bands in their death, but their strength is firm. They are not in trouble as other men, neither are they playing like other men. Therefore, pride compresses them about is a chain and violence covers them as a government. Their eyes stand out with fastness they have more than heart could wish their corrupt and speaking wickedly concerning oppression and speak loftily to set their mouth against the heaven and their tongue walked through the earth.

Therefore, his people return together and waters of a full cup are wrung out to them and they say how does God know and is there knowledge in the most high. The whole these are the ungodly, who prosper in the world. They increase in riches. He is looking at a situation that disturbing. It says the wicked seem to prosper people that do not honor God. People that are not living an upright life.

I look at them and they don't seem to have the same troubles that I have are the troubles that godly people have this just doesn't compute.

Why is it that the wicked seem to prosper and the righteous suffer now consideration of these issues is not limited to this song you find all of this discussed at great length in the book of Job, you find confronted in other parts of the Scripture, and I daresay that most of us at one time or another have at least had some question in our mind regarding the issue, particularly if you have observed the specific case you've known of somebody who has been a very wicked person.

Maybe someone who is very deceitful and someone whose cause great harm to others, and you look at them and see that apparently all I would appearance everything goes well for them. They don't seem to have any particular troubles there prospering.

They may be wealthy and getting more wealthy as the days pass, they may have positioned in prestige and all that seems to be well in place is out. I don't get it out. I thought CN had some consequences. I thought of people rebelled against God's people did the wrong thing that ever have to suffer for an understanding is that there they're not in trouble as other men do not plagued like other men, and therefore there for the pride. Pride compresses them about covers them violence covers them as a garment because things seem to go well they take advantage of the situation. Whatever place of influence in prestige and power they occupy the user to their own advantage. So there controlled by pride and pride sometimes leads them to violence. That is to dealing more harmful even to others. They may have taken advantage of Sullivan Prince singly got by with their going to do it again maybe expanded the next time around. They're not in trouble or not plagued her for the pride and he says there's no bands in their death word. The chair translated bands comes from a Hebrew word that speaks of something being in a not and by definition he seems to be saying even their death is not like it is with some of the righteous.

Some of the righteous people seem to have long-term illnesses. They they have a naughty death. They have a death full of complications and problems, and they think they suffer and they go through a lot of hardship as a disease ungodly people when they die there gone the minute it's quickly over there no bands in their death.

They have what appears to be a prosperous, successful life, and even an easy path, and so a success that I don't understand.

If God is powerful, why doesn't he intervene if God is loving it looks like he would do something. In fact, there have been those that have argued that it would be impossible for God to be absolutely powerful and totally loving because they say if he had all power, then he would be able to stop whatever suffering whatever hardship, whatever inequities are out there and if he is all loving, then love would surely moving to do it well.

God does have the power God can orchestrate whatever events are pleasing in his sight, he can intervene wherever hitches pleasure to intervene. He is a God of love, but obviously it is within the sovereign purposes of God that his people sometimes are afflicted that they sometimes go through suffering that they endure persecution Jesus was the only perfect man to ever live. As you well know, but look what he faced in his life. He had many opponents. They criticized him and condemned him throughout his ministry. They ultimately cried, crucified and crucified, nailing to a cross spit in his face that is finding was because Jesus had any false failings or sins, but was because evil men were displaying the depravity of their nature, in the presence of one who was perfect how Jesus said they that live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution. So if you're a true follower of Jesus Christ. You may at times experience some of that same kind of treatment. Does that mean that God was not powerful enough to intervene.

No. In fact, Jesus said he could have called down legions of angels and withstood those that come that came to take him captive. He had the power, but it was love that sent him to the cross because he came to save his people, and it was necessary that he died in order to secure them. See, the problem was that Jesus was looking at this situation from the standpoint of human reasoning and anytime you start trying to figure out spiritual things on the basis of human reasoning you're going to wind up with the wrong answer and multitudes do that today even in many Christian bookstores. You can find volumes that are represented as being biblical and Christian and yet find some of the most unchristian concepts imaginable because there is a failure to recognize that God in his sovereignty is at work even in the midst of our trials and sufferings. Failure to look on things from the proper perspective, which indeed was the fault of the psalmist. Here he was trying to figure it all out. He was trying to reason it out in human terms, this just doesn't make sense to me. I out. I will be able to understand everything I want to be able to explain everything I tell you upfront there something you're not going to ever understand. Deuteronomy 29 says the secret things belong to God, and what you try to open up God's secret box you're already inviting trouble because you're not going to be able to get everything all figured out. Well, not only was he trying to resolve these difficulties. From the standpoint of human reasoning and logic. But he was sinful in his attitude because he admits that he was envious he was envious.

I was envious at the foolish when I saw the prosperity of the wicked. I saw what they had not compared to what I've got than they had a lot more said in my human nature that's not fair. I just don't seem right is ever been a little bit let carnality cross your mind, you look around and see the jobs that some people have been thinking while I work a lot harder than they do. They get paid four times what I get paid. Is that fair people don't ever go to church maybe use God's name in vain to say I just can't.

I can't figure that out that's that's difficult for me to deal with or you say you know I'm I struggled for everything I put everything I get I have to work hard for other people. Just whatever the touch turns to go. Just every investment they make it successful. People die and leave monies to Christmas and all kinds of things happen there just prospering all the time and here I am struggling and it doesn't happen for me.

But around other people receive a just got good health and here I am with my weaknesses in my infirmities, and so you you you look at them and and and your English why say client want to find they have that and I don't and in essence when you're thinking that you're saying you know I really do deserve it.

They don't but I do and you see in me is a sin. Now in the can come not only in your view of the ungodly, Jesus was talking about those that were ungodly people who did not honor God and serve God and when we see that we know that obviously was improper and wrong outlook that he was having, but what you get. You can have that speak we get to the same sin not just as you look at the wicked, but as you look at others of God's people. You can look around people over trying to serve the Lord. This is you're trying to serve the Lord in shape. I don't understand their life seems to be a lot easier than mine. Why is that, especially when you're putting forth a special effort. You may reach the place in life and same lot.

Had my faults and failings, but I will be closer to the Lord and I've ever been before. I'm going to try to walk more closely with him. I want to try to be more diligent, I'm going to be more faithful you do try to pray more you try to see right and right in the midst of all that there's nothing wrong with praying more, be more diligent and more committed, but if you feel like your earning points there not want to obligate God to make your life easier your approach and with the wrong spirit because the services to be rendered out of love for the Lord. But if you put forth all that effort and downbeat feel like that was all said and I really feel like I'm a little more spiritual than somebody else and why is it that I have so many problems and they don't ask and be you don't like what they've got. You don't think that's fair for them to have it and as a matter fact you want to sin.

So as long as your thinking sinfully you're never going to be able to think through things in a clear, godly fashion so that you can make the right choices and decisions that will be to his praise in his honor. So when you're comparing somebody else's health or wealth or prosperity and your resentful you're saying God is not treating me as I thought he should really felt with some of the sacrifices I've made with some of the commitments I've made, the Lord just make it a little easier for me.

I thought that things would would be going more in my favor. At the present time at that brings it to some wrong conclusions. And so in verse 13 he says, verily, I have cleanse my heart in vain and washed my hands in innocence. He, for all the day long have I been plagued and chastened every morning.

What's the conclusion when a self looks at the situation when he's consumed with envy 20s questioning God when he cannot understand he cannot figure things out.

Well, what's the use. There's a familiar phrase that Satan may have encouraged you to mull over your minds at times very been there that what's the use. Anyway, why even tried to serve the Lord because I try and I still have a hard way to go. I try and somebody misunderstands me criticizes me misrepresents me have cleanse my heart in vain. Wash my hands and there's no need, I might as well just give up this forget about going to church. Forget about trying to serve God. Just go on and hope for the best. Apparently a self who is a leader now of one who is recognized because he's he's a writer of songs and he's directing many of the singers as they leave in the worship in the temple, and if this man left the service of God that would had a devastating impact wouldn't wouldn't have just been hidden in his own sin. His own departure, but his influence the influence it had on so many people would now been the negative wanted to been very discouraging to others.

So when he says, is for me. My feet were almost gone. My steps had well-nigh slipped.

I was just about ready to give up.

I was about ready to step out of the way I was saying there's just no use in trying to serve God because it hasn't gotten anywhere. See one of the underlying problems in this line of thinking is that which is prevalent in the religious world today where there are the health, wealth and prosperity advocates. It will tell you that if you really commit yourself to following Jesus Christ.

Things are going to go better for the basically God wants all of his children to prosper materially physically in every way. We know that God loves his children. He's able to heal any disease. No matter how great it is. But it's not always. His sovereign pleasure to heal every disease if he did one bit about a time.

All of us all is about our diseases and infirmities peeled would live on and on but it's a part of the men once to die, so death is going to come but Miss Manners teetering on the brink. He's very discouraged because his thinking is not right. His attitude is sinful, but now we come and see the psalmists changing something something different this transpiring now. He says in verse 21. Thus, my heart was grieved and I was pricked in my range, so foolish was I ignorant I was as a beast before the there's a confession here to repentance. My heart was green, but I realize where I'm going with my thinking when I realize that I was questioning and challenging the acts of the sovereign God of heaven now, but what about this change when you see back in the 16th verse, when I felt to know this. It was too painful for me until I went into the sanctuary of God then understood either end surely about it. Set them in slippery places now passes them down into destruction. How are they brought into desolation, as in a moment.

They are utterly consumed with terrors as a dream when one awake us.

So, old Lord, when thou awake us now shall despise their see as he struggled with all of these issues as he contemplates it from the standpoint of human reasoning, as he is overcome with the spirit of envy. He now goes to the sanctuary of God goes to God's house. He goes to the place of worship and their comes to grips with a new perspective. It is in the sanctuary that he began to see things from God's point of view I made all the difference in the world wasn't human logic and reasoning.

In the longer he's coming to see the truth about the issue. It turned him from himself from emphasis on himself. Focus on self, his sinful worldview to praising God and thanking God for his mercies to see one. When we worship we then center our vision not on what's around us, not on other people not on our problems not on what they've done to us what they said about us and how we think they're getting by with something they shouldn't. We are focusing on God. The patient was consumed with people before he went to the sanctuary, consumed with these people that were ignoring God, but get prospering consumer. These people that he envy because they had a better easier life than he had, but now he goes to the sanctuary. He worships he worships God and so his focus and center is now on God's all the wicked in a different light to begin with. He said that Hess put them in slippery places. They may look secure. Now everything may look fine. It looks like it's all going their way. Yes there prospering. But as the book of Deuteronomy says their foot show slide in due season, and here he says they're standing in slippery places there standing but there ready to go down. Payday is coming. It may not be tomorrow may not be next week. It may not be where you will be able to observe it but payday is coming, the wicked will ultimately suffer the consequences of their action, God will be with them. Those who are not his children shall finally be cast away. Not to be annihilated but to suffer his wrath forever. I gave him a different outlook. They're going to perish, so why should I envy somebody that's about to go down. What a wonderful promise and how we can treasure it in a time of crisis as we are living through such a difficult time at the present. Nevertheless, I am continually with the Bauhaus holding me by my right hand. The promise that the Lord is with us matter how deep the trial how great the sorrow we have hope and confidence in him.

He is the source of our help and our salvation.

Hope you will join us again next time for the Baptist Bible. I tuned them. This is Lucero Bradley Junior beating you goodbye and may God bless you see all the reading and day and the G and in all