The Uplifted Soul #2

So much anxiety so much resentment. Look what's happening to me what's going to happen in the future.

At what point do we get serious about trusting God like Scripture teaches us why David has expressed progress here in Psalm 24 this is the truth with the hungry founding pastor of truth Community Church in Cincinnati, Ohio were done is teaching God's people. God's word. I bill right when it comes to trusting God be great if there was an instruction manual that shows you exactly how to go about doing so well done. Green is here to tell you there is an today as he brings his series titled set apart for God to a powerful close will give you the final critical typical steps you need to take in order to be able to rest in God's promise to protect, guide, and provide for you in life, here is done with the second half of the message called the uplifted soul on the truthful go into verse eight you enter into a change of mood in the Psalm we see another kind of might say a positive aspect of his trusty CN. Fourthly, here you see a prayer of praise. A prayer of praise. The mood changes for the next seven verses David here beginning in verse eight. For a time is going to turn his attention away from himself and simply extol and magnify the character of God and this is a this is a statement of trust.

This is a statement of believing God to be who he is said that he is and honoring him accordingly and there is an element of trust in the what God has said about himself is true and you pray and you acknowledge that you pray. Accordingly, verses eight and nine with me good and upright is the Lord, therefore he instructs sinners in the way he leads the humble injustice, and he teaches the humble his way therein. Verses eight and nine.

He saying that God's character is just it is righteous, it is morally pure. He always does what is right. He never does what is wrong. And from that position of excellence. God is able to teach us the proper way to think in the proper way to live from the position of his goodness and uprightness.

He is able with perfection to instructs sinners in the way that they should go so as you and I contemplate the character of God. We realize we have a trustworthy source trustworthy heavenly father that we can go to and rely upon, into trust him. There are those who would teach you that doubt is a virtue, and that you know that to question God is a is a good thing as if it were a spirit of freethinking doubt is not a virtue.

Beloved, and if you're if you find yourself wrapped up in doubt here. What you need to do is not feed your doubt and justify them and and and certainly to proclaim them to other believers.

What you need to do is you need to come back to the character of God, so that the power Scripture and the power of the character of God would start to soften your doubt and drive it out rather than cultivated. Why would you want to live in doubt make any sense. And that's totally irrational. It suggests that God cannot be believed for what he has revealed himself to be. Doubt is a statement of distress. It says you may have said this, but I'm not so sure. Well, who appointed any man or woman or child to be the one who sits in judgment of God's revealed character and cast doubt upon it. All that's that's just rude and straight back to the words of the devil. In Genesis 3. That's the spirit of where that comes from nothing noble at simply echoing with the devil has God really said such and such. We welcome those who are teachable in their doubt because we can help you from God's word.

We we welcome those who say I'm doubting and I need help, we can help that what we're addressing here at this particular moment is that those who would justify themselves and be self-righteous in their doubt that is sin to be repented of not something to be congratulated why because it's fundamental to the character of God. That's why bursae look at it good and upright is the Lord therefore instructs sinners in the way he leads the humble injustice he's good he's upright, he's just what is there to doubt what is there to question in that what your circumstances are to your liking. That's again and will contradict the revealed word of God because our circumstances are less than what we had hoped for. In times gone by. Would you really would you really ascend to the chair of judging call God to give an account to you like that, would you sit in the courtroom of your own heart and say I think I will sit in judgment of God.

Now, beloved, that's a complete reversal of the order of the universe. That's not what we do in your struggles and your doubts in your discouragements and your failures. You come in you humbly trust God and you affirm things like David did Satan not Lord you're good you're upright you instructs sinners in the way and when you humble yourself like that you will be on the receiving end of God's faithful leading now notice this just kind of builds on what I just said in the next two verses.

Verses 10 and 11.

David acknowledges that you and I must actively pursue holiness.

If we want to live in that realm of God's loyal love verses 10 and 11 where he says all the paths firsthand all the paths of the Lord are lovingkindness and truth to whom to those who keep his covenant and his testimonies. He says for your namesake. Oh Lord, pardon my iniquity because it is great. He says he says God shows himself faithful to those who are who are keeping it we were walking in his ways. When you consciously depart from the ways of God and the sin and rebellion and disobedience on what basis do you claim anything any sense of of have any claim on the lovingkindness of God when you're actively rebelling against him were not passive in this we actively seek him. We actively pursue him. We actively trust him and it's and it's on a life like that, that God displays his loyal love to us, and in the midst of this trust for some of you. I know that what is about to come from verse 11 is going to be a great encouragement to notice beloved the David says. He says, pardon my iniquity, for it is great. My sin is deep and profound. Oh God, there is something significant for you to see here in your own struggle with sin.

Beloved David, let there be no doubt David is a man riding under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. David at writing is the king of Israel, David writing as a man after God's own heart. Writing is a man like that in the midst of that noble life.

He was conscious of sin. He felt sin keenly beloved as you grow spiritually, you are going to feel the weight of sin as you advance in holiness as you go closer into the light, as it were. You are going to find that there is more darkness exposed in your life and you recognize before.

That is not a sign that you are not a Christian. That is a sign of the sanctifying influence of the holiness of God on your life, awareness of sin is not a reason for you to doubt your salvation or to fall into despair, awareness of sin is a mark of spiritual life. When you feel your sin.

That's a mark that you're alive. It's those who are physically alive that feel the impact of pain in their body and so let me encourage you with this encourage and exhort you at the same time, for some of you stop collapsing into such heavy introspection.

When you feel the weight of sin on your life. Of course you're a sinner. Why do you think Christ died. If it was not a heavy significant matter, then Christ was really wasting his time at the cross. It took the eternal son of God, shedding his eternally valuable blood is infinitely valuable blood to redeem you from said let's not kid ourselves, and here we are all bile guilty sinners apart from Christ.

And when you start to recognize that, then rather than collapsing into this this deep inward looking look outward to the cross and say all praise be to the Lord Jesus Christ, that he offered himself for such a sinner as me.

I love him because of the greatness of the depth of his mercy.

See beloved.

Here's what you do for some of you. I know this is really important for you to hear when you're seeing sin. Some of you. You're just collapsing into that in word morbid well was me and all of that. I understand that what you need to do.

The point here is to grow in trust and the point of that kind of deep conviction when you have a tender heart like that.

What you need to do is let that conviction teach you to turn to God's grace to turn to the cross of Christ with an ever broader and deepening appreciation that he died for a sinner like you and then remembering that Psalm 25 is a Psalm of trust and then with that consciousness of the cross. Beloved, you trust him to keep his promise to forgive you. You walk in a confidence that that my Savior is sufficient even for my sin when he said it is finished, he meant that it that your sin was paid in full and you rest in that.

God I'm a sinner in need of pardon for your namesake.

I give myself over henceforth and forever more to be a vessel for you to display your glory. I'm done with myself. I'm done with my sin. I repent and turn to receive Christ, you done that, notice the beautiful balance to David's trust as he continues on here. We have seen a prayer of protection prayer for guidance. A prayer for pardon a prayer of praise that included a confession of sin.

David goes on.

Fifthly, and offers a prayer of fear. A prayer of fear. Here's what I want to see beloved for read these next few verses to set the stage for when you talk about a sufficient Savior. A complete trust in him to wash away all of your sin and to move forward with joy and and confidence.

There's always that that spiritual temptation or toward presumption toward carelessness. As a result, teachers who who would turn the grace of God into licentiousness. And if God has forgiven me that I'm in a sin all the more God likes to forgive San will let me send it out so that he can get what he likes, that's deplorable in the theology that has encouraged people in that camp come from Dallas seminary over past decades deplorable, God's grace does not make the converted man casual in his approach to God. David offers a prayer of fear. Look at verses 12 through 14.

He says who is the man who fears the Lord, he will instruct him in the way he should choose his soul will abide in prosperity and his descendents will inherit the land.

The secret of the Lord is for those who fear him, and he will make them know his covenant notice. Beloved, how the word fear brackets. These three verses verse 12. Who is the man who fears the Lord, the secret of the Lord is for those who fear him fear is the context of these three verses, just to remind you that that for the believer, the fear of God is this wholehearted life of humble worship you render in response to his saving mercy to you. The fear of God is, it can be summarized as loving obedience. There is this, there is the sense of of a responsiveness to the holiness of God that that willingly conforms life to his word and that seeks him rather than a casual response that so many are conditioned to what I prayed a prayer.

Now I can live life anyway that I want. There is nothing for people like that in this all it's the man who fears the Lord God will instruct the man who fears the Lord, who soul will abide in prosperity, in the context of the people of Israel will inherit the land. The secret of the Lord that the third, the riches of communion with God is reserved for those who fear him.

What I want you to see here from these three verses is simply this, in light of everything that we said David is not irreverent as he trust God, trusting God did not turn him into a comedian didn't turn him into a a spiritual clown and huckster trying to make people laugh.

No, quite to the contrary, David here is honoring God with humble love and worship while he rejoices in forgiveness while he confidently asks God for pardon of his sin and moves on.

Trusting that God has granted that it doesn't turn them into someone who goes right back to where he came from. Rather, there is this ongoing humility and dear and and and humble response where the totality of his being is responding to the totality of the character of God.

God's mercy did not loosen the reins on him to send still more God's mercy was that which drew him closer to God, wanting evermore, to be ever more compliant, trusting, obedient, righteous in his walk. And so while he's manifesting and displaying for us the character of God in this is manifesting a fear that is appropriate now.

Sixthly, David manifests his trust with a prayer for deliverance. A prayer for deliverance in the closing section of the song. David now pours out his heavy heart.

But notice that he is done. This only after he is first offered a prayer for protection for guidance for pardon a prayer of praise prayer fear.

There's a full Lord nature to it, he doesn't just go to God and and and I spew it all out without regard to the character of God. The presence of the one with in whose presence he is. There's a sequence to it. Yet he does pour out his heart and beloved what I want you to see is is that it should be very encouraging for you and your discouragement to watch a man of God like David pour out his heart and express the weight of his discouragement honestly to God.

Look at verse 15 he frames it with a with another trustee introduces the section with another statement of trust.

He says my eyes are continually toward the Lord for he will pluck my feet out of the net.

It's as though we were in a trap and he he can't get himself out of it and he says, but on I'm looking to the Lord because he will deliver me from this snare that I find myself in at this current time in life. So David affirms his trust, but he also declares his trouble. Look at verses 16 through 18. He says turn to me and be gracious to me, for I am lonely and afflicted. The troubles of my heart, or enlarged, bring me out of my distresses look upon my affliction and my trouble and forgive all my sins. You see how descriptive this is laying it out.

Honestly, it's in the context of a request for God to act, turn to me, be gracious to me. Bring me outlook upon my affliction. Forgive all my sins to say, God, you've got to help me God bring me out.

That's not a statement of distrust. That's a statement of profound confidence that the God to whom you speak.

Is your God, who will care enough to act and the urgency of it is expressing adaptive of confidence that he will hear and act trust is not the absence of inner turmoil trust is the presence of conscious dependence on God. Verses 19 through 21. Look upon my enemies, for their many and they hate me with violent hatred. Guard my soul and deliver me.

Do not let me be a shame for I take refuge in you. Let integrity and uprightness preserve me, for I wait for these verses remind us that sometimes the the troubles.

The distresses are our human and external in nature enemies in human form and beloved Shirley.

The church of Jesus Christ needs this element of trust, the David express his needs and urgently today. You would think from reading social media and commentary by so-called Christians and even Christian leaders, but hostile political leaders and foreign enemies were in charge of our future. You would think from the panic and the distress in their voice over politics for crying out loud that human men were in charge of the universe. Shame on us when that's the portrait of Christ we give to the world when were so preoccupied with politics that that's what is predominantly coming out of our mouths. So much anxiety so much resentment. Look what's happening to me what's going to happen in the future do we get serious about trusting God likes Richard teaches us like David has expressed for us here in Psalm 25 where we say Lord look on my enemies and help me Lord there many they hate me, but Lord, I turn away from my focus on them and I ask you to guard me, deliver me, help me preserve me. Don't let me be ashamed. Don't let life unfold in a way that shows at the end of my trust in you was misplaced.

Oh God, guard me and help me in that manner, displaying your glory in your fidelity to those who put their trust in you, beloved, of course, there is hostility in the world to us. Of course the government is turning on us.

Of course, of course, of course. Of course we read our Bibles. Scripture explicitly tells us that the world will hate us first on 313 so why do we act like it's breaking news when we start to see particular manifestations of it and act like everything is collapsing around us mercy God have mercy on us for being so spiritually malnourished when there is a banquet in his word to teach us to trust him. Their resistance is just an occasion for you to trust God as you walk your Pilgrim pathway. That's it. This is just a context that God is graciously given to us to display the trust and confidence of which he is preeminently worthy, and to manifest by our trusting attitudes that he is great and there is something other than this world worth living for. He expands his vision in verse 22 and offers a prayer of intercession redeem Israel of God out of all his troubles. Out of all of the physical issues the spiritual issues everything that could possibly trouble your people. Oh God, I ask you to bring them out of all of it. A comprehensive statement of sympathetic prayer for that's trust Charles Spurgeon said Jesus is the Redeemer from trouble as well as the is a complete Redeemer and from every evil. He will rescue everything. Redemption by blood is finished. Oh God, send us redemption that's done green bringing our series called, set apart for God to a close.

You're on the truth pulpit friend if you'd like to find out more about this ministry, we invite you to visit the truth. Pulpit.com. You'll find this message there, along with all of Don's teaching resources and Don you covered all lots on the often confusing subject of trusting God what final bit of counsel might you offer to our listeners, especially given the way things are going in our world today. As society becomes more secular and hostile to Christianity and even as governments in some parts of the world become directly hostile to Christians and to the church and Christian thinking in Christian speaking, so we need to know an answer to this, my friend. Christian courage starts from having a deep knowledge of God and his attributes. You have to start there. When we know who God is, when we know who the Lord Jesus Christ is when we know that he is sovereign and he works all things together for good to those who love him and we know that he turns what men mean for evil.

He even works that out for good.

All of that begets courage in our hearts as we remember the deep love of Christ as he suffered for us at the cross. It gives us a desire to glorify him to honor him to be faithful to him and to be bold to please him, no matter the cost. That is the soil. My friend, in which the roots of Christian courage grow, don't start by trying to be courageous start by knowing God in the person of his son the Lord Jesus Christ. Thanks Don and friend that's going to bring our time together to a close for today. Remember to go to the truth.

Pulpit.com to get all of Don's teaching and help to study material that's the truth. Pulpit.com. I'm Bill Wright, inviting you to join us again next time you're on the truth pulpit has done green continues teaching God's people. God's word