Psalms 119:158 - Will I Go To Hell Because I didn't Go To Prison

This is the Truth Network treasurers of the hundred and 19. How delightful it is for my God gave me for the year 2020 is to delight and I certainly do delight in these verses of the hundred 19 Psalm is where in the ration section and today we get to dig into the hundred and 58 verse which is the anointing of the fear the Lord when it comes to the idea of the rage with a reddish again. I like to give that the general definition of the beginning to talk about it. It has to do with beginnings. It has to do with choices and headship like, like one of Riverhead's in one direction. This can continue to go that way that you know the head river ahead of the Nile River is kind of the idea and and so with this idea of the radiation and the head to go into the fear the Lord here, which is in English, I beheld the transgressors and was grieved because they kept not by word and you know this side of to be held are the ideas to see actually the word that is in Hebrew that starts with the ration has to do with seeing and so the interesting thing is for us to see. We have to make a decision that we are going to look at and so the beginning of seeing is making a decision to look in here this almost is made a decision to look at the transgressors and that word transgressor has to do sort of with this sinister idea, or someone that's hiding a bad motive and so you're actually looking at something that is been disguised in actually seeing the evil that was there and so he says I beheld the transgressors what he what he saying is I saw what evil they were up to, and he was grieved and because why because they kept not in which that word kept has to do with they didn't care one way or the other about by word meaning Amira meaning the word of God and and so the idea here. If this was somebody it was acting like they kept they cared about the word, but now he is seeing that they really don't care anything about the word of God and that is a very grieving thing especially with you. Think about the fear the Lord. In other words, he saying because he has a fear of the Lord. He kept the word of the Lord and because he understands that this is something that we ought to be in awe of and is extremely important to give an example of this. I was wondering, you know, when you look at your own life if you ever beheld transgressors and were grieved away in a letter that exactly look like one. Fortunately, it often looks like people in the church because they're acting like they really care about the word of God, but he says very clearly. If you love me you'll keep my commandments right and as you did under the least of these, you did on to me. Well, you know, the example I saw of this, the story I'll tell is my son have a counselor that was involved in all sorts of ministry at Calvary Baptist Church and then he went to seminary and so he was in seminary and in Raleigh and he was also at the time belong to a church there and he was teaching in that particular youth group and unfortunately and I do mean unfortunately he was caught in the back seat with one of the boys from his youth group which led to all sorts of horrible arrests and trials, and eventually he spent 13 years in prison and as it turned out, this young man was very good friends of ours. We actually had taken them on vacation and you know and sometimes obviously fear us, we might if I was a grooming. Our son in all sorts of things that went through our minds.

However, what grieved me so was at the point in time when he was captured, the church ran from this young man like nothing you've ever seen infected and only run from the young man himself. They ran from all the students that were involved as well. They didn't come to the trial they worn involved and they certainly not only did didn't associate with these people, any of the people that were involved ever again. I mean people that that that loved this friend of ours you know he never heard from him again. There was no discussion in whatever and and so as I beheld this. You might remember. You know when I was in prison when did you visit me right and and all these church people literally turn their back on this young man and turn their back not only on him but on every one of his victims, and I've never forgotten it like oh my goodness these people act like they care about people, but and I understand that these people made horrible mistakes in their horrible sinners. And yes, he went to prison. But yes we visited him in prison. We visit him in prison. All 13 years many many many many times at end in a walked with him through that and certainly he's been out of now on parole and meet me know. God doesn't turn his back.

If we go to prison if we make a horrible mistake.

These are things that I remember how grieved I was when this happened I actually did it show untrue. Talk live back then we had a live show that was on every day at 4 o'clock in the show that I did is will your pastor. Go to hell because he didn't go to prison by seven admit like oh my goodness it's one thing to visit prisoners that obviously you know need God. Everybody needs God, but what about the people to follow within your own church is that our responsibility to to be there friends is that our responsibility to have grace for the unlovable.

I mean, oh my goodness and and so when I beheld these transgressors which were in my opinion church people. I was terribly grieved because they didn't see that all my gosh yes he made horrible mistakes. And yes, he was paying for those mistakes and I wouldn't wish that on anybody in the world and that they would be affected by this in a bad way, but that doesn't mean we can't love on the people and continue to try to walk with them through whatever situation because really if it was your son which you turn your back on. I mean, that's the point and and I I wonder. I really wonder where I am missing it like where my transgressor I'm hiding the fact that I'm not doing is commandments where. Where does it actually work and so it's anything to pray because I want the fear the Lord, I want to be doing what it is that he would have me doing and there's no doubt. I mean, no doubt in my mind that one of the places he does some tremendous work is in prisons and I guess those people are in prison. A lot of times because they belong there and in your mighty remember my favorite story and radio was the Vietnamese pastor who was in prison and I remember thinking that all my goodness he was in the swamp and ministering to these people risking me and actually could very easily died in that swamp a God sent him as a pastor, delete the people that it stolen and raped in whatever reason they were in that person that they belong. The mayor, I get it. But God sent them a pastor because he's with you. He was leading people to Christ and that swamp and I've always thought it was such a beautiful picture but oh my goodness, do we think that in an American jail people can be led to Christ. We don't think in a marriage American jail people can recommit their life to Christ.

We don't get an American jail people can thicken repent.

If if if they've gone away from Christ. Like oh my goodness this is it's it's it's obvious when it's overseas. Maybe not so obvious when it's right in your backyard and you knew the person well unfortunately those of the people that when man when they see us turn our backs on them and unfortunately have another friend that was in ministry that recently this happened where he unfortunately got involved with something on his wife and everybody. I mean, gosh, how they all turn their backs on him. He repented got back together with his wife, but none of these people will talk to him and I'm like oh my goodness, oh my goodness this isn't what God has a musty 60, you know, it's a neat thing that is we get an idea to turn our eyes to see where our people saying the one thing but they're acting you know like another and how can we even help them.

How can we pray for those transgressors and I really believe that's what David is doing here. He was brief, not just their behavior but he was brief because they were missing out on the relationship with God if they would obey his command was