July 20, 2011

“I cry aloud to the LORD; I lift up my voice to the LORD for mercy! I pour out before him my complaint; before him I tell my trouble. When my spirit grows faint within me, it is you who watch over my way. In the path where I walk people have hidden a snare for me. Look and see, there is no one at my right hand; no one is concerned for me. I have no refuge; no one cares for my life. I cry to you, LORD; I say, “You are my refuge, my portion in the land of the living.” Listen to my cry, for I am in desperate need; rescue me from those who pursue me, for they are too strong for me. Set me free from my prison, that I may praise your name. Then the righteous will gather about me because of your goodness to me.”    Psalms 142

Some of your know that this Summer I am doing a sermon series entitled “Summer In the Psalms”. This week I am focusing on Psalm 142. Some have called this chapter “the cry from the cave” because that is where the Psalmist found himself as he fled from King Saul.

As I studied this portion of Scripture I saw something that I didn’t find in any of the commentaries I have referenced. The obvious theme is that of loneliness and isolation of being trapped in a cave. Certainly that is the case but I asked myself, “Why is he in the cave? Is he a trapped there as a helpless victim? What was he doing in that cave?”

That is when I realized that this Psalm is not primarily a lesson on loneliness but it is an illustration of what it means to be committed.

How so?

David found himself in that cave because of his commitment to God. His commitment to God made him a giant-killer and a hero among his people. That popularity didn’t sit well with King Saul who became jealous of David and insecure about his throne. This apostate King saw the godly David as a threat who had to be eliminated. As a result, David had to run for his life.

If David had not been committed to the Lord he could have surrendered to Saul and saved himself a lot of trouble.

Commitment can put you in a cave at times. When you stand for what is right and true in a fallen, immoral, and godless world you can face ridicule, rejection and vicious attacks on your reputation. It can be lonely standing for what you believe in a politically correct culture.

The fact is, commitment is a trap. I say that because making a commitment means that you have eliminated every other option. You are a prisoner to your choice. But commitment is the only trap that leads to freedom! So David was trapped in the cave because of his commitment to obey and honor his God. He had no “plan B”.

A contemporary example of a good man who has been trapped by his commitment to honor God is Judge Roy Moore from Alabama. Some of you may remember him and may have wondered what Judge Roy Moore has been doing since he was removed from the bench for refusing to remove the Ten Commandments from his courtroom wall. Judge Moore was sued by the ACLU for displaying the Ten Commandments in his courtroom foyer. He has been stripped of his judgeship and now they are trying to strip his right to practice law in Alabama! But Roy Moore remains unbowed and not intimidated.

If you are totally committed in your Christian faith there will be times when you feel trapped. When you are totally committed in your marriage there will be moments when you feel trapped. Any important commitment will be the same – because you are by your own choice! In fact, if you never feel trapped you are probably not committed.

Over the next few days I will share some stuff from this Psalm that will help you understand what to do when you feel trapped.

Stay tuned!

July 19, 2011

"I cry aloud to the LORD; I lift up my voice to the LORD for mercy. I pour out before him my complaint before him I tell my trouble. When my spirit grows faint within me, it is you who watch over my way. In the path where I walk people have hidden a snare for me. Look and see, there is no one at my right hand; no one is concerned for me. I have no refuge, no one cares for my life. I cry to you, LORD; I say, “You are my refuge, my portion in the land of the living.” Listen to my cry, for I am in desperate need; rescue me from those who pursue me, for they are too strong for me. Set me free from my prison, that I may praise your name. Then the righteous will gather about me because of your goodness to me."   Psalm 142

Over the years as I have worked and worshipped in the church I have become convinced that one of the most essential components of faith is also one of the most misunderstood. What is that essential? It is commitment.

The misunderstanding centers around the notion that you can be "sort of" committed or "mostly committed". That makes about as much sense as believing you can be "sort of" pregnant or "sort of" sky-diving.

Commitment means "devotion to a cause or a person" or "loyalty given to a cause or a person" or "joining exclusively to a cause".

Commitment begins when a person chooses to become devoted to a cause or to a person and in so doing excludes or subordinates all other loyalties to that choice. In truth, whatever you are committed to is your god. But in this case, the Psalmist is talking about making a commitment to trust God for salvation and becoming devoted to Him. But now that we are on the other side of the cross, that commitment is to be devoted to God through trusting Christ to deliver you from your sins,

That commitment should be made as a decision of the will because you understand He is the only Way to God and therefore, the only hope for Heaven. When you make that decision in that way you give your loyalties completely to Him and eliminate all other options. Jesus said, "Any man having put his hand to the plow and looks back is unworthy of the Kingdom of God."  God said, "You shall have no other gods before me."

Commitment requires you to be all in for Christ. Faith is a plunge from whatever you trusted before into a total hope in the grace of God.

You are either fully committed or you are not committed at all. Are you committed?

July 18, 2011

"I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day—and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing."  II Timothy 4:6-8

I was channel surfing yesterday afternoon after church service, followed by speaking at the nursing home. Through the wonders of remote control I was alternating between the NASCAR race in New Hampshire, the British Open, the Women's World Cup Soccer match - and an occasional doze.

In the golf event, Phil Mikelson made a charge on the front-nine to get himself back into a tie for the lead. But on the back-nine he began to falter, and then he began to struggle and then he pretty much lost his touch or feel or something but his game fell apart.

Phil Mickelson had a very realistic opportunity to win the world's most prestigious golf tournament and he couldn't finish it. You can't win if you can't finish.

Then, for the next two hours I watched to World Cup final match between USA and Japan. From the very first kick of the game the USA team dominated play. They had several real good shots on goal that just barely missed them. Late in the first half they scored on a beautiful goal to go up 1-0 and looked to be in command. However, while trying to run the clock out in the first half they had a careless moment to give an easy goal to Japan. Despite outplay the Japanese team, Team USA went to the lockeroom with a tie. They failed to finish the first half well. Their dominating play continued through the second half but they failed to finish on some scoring opportunities ending the game tied. Scoring late in the extra-time period, it looked as though the World Cup would be theirs. But, once again they saw the Japanese team get a game-tying goal in the final minutes. Ending in a tie, the winner would be decided via the penalty kicks. One final time the USA girls were unable to finish and they lost a heart-breaker to Japan. It did not matter that the Americans had played better soccer than the ladies from Japan, what mattered is they couldn't finish. Winners know how to finish well.

Paul, writing to his young ministering partner Timothy, testified that he had completed what God had called him to do and was now ready to finish well. In Hebrews 12:1-2 he shares his plan for finishing well - "Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. "

This aged apostle knew that to finish well he could not afford to take His eyes off Jesus for even a moment!

Are you determined to finish well? What is your plan to make sure you do? Have you fixed your focus squarely and exclusively on Jesus?

July 17, 2011

You and I were born into a troubled world with a world of troubles! Your family had troubles as you were growing up. When you were old enough to go to school your math teacher gave you problems. As you went out onto your own you inherited your own troubles and did your best not to create new ones. You go to work and find troubles and then you come home and find other troubles. Then you turn on the news to hear about the troubles all around the world. You go to church on Sunday only to find out there are problems there! There is only one place you know that doesn’t have troubles but the problem is you have to die to get there!

Before we go any further, let’s pause to define what we mean by “troubles”. In verse one of Psalm 46 it says, “God is our refuge and strength, an ever present help in trouble” – the word for trouble literally means – “a tight place”. Ever been in a tight place? For someone who is claustrophobic tight places mean big trouble!

I THINK THERE ARE THREE MAIN CAUSES OF TROUBLE:



1) Not Obeying God’s Word

2) Obeying God’s Word

3) Fallout And Shrapnel From A Fallen World


SEVERAL WAYS WE TRY TO DEAL WITH TROUBLE:


1) Try to minimize them away

2) Try to medicate them away

3) Try to meditate them away

I like what the Psalmist did – rather than minimize the trouble or medicate himself, he MAXIMIZED HIS GOD in the face of trouble! The 46th Psalm reflects that and as we continue our “Summer In the Psalms” series. Here is a guy who had a lot of troubles but who through those troubles came to understand that he had a REALLY BIG GOD!

David’s approach is summarized in verse 10 -- “Be still and know that I am God, I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.’ The Lord Almighty is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress.” -- and then detailed throughout the rest of the chapter, so lets jump in and get started!

"God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea, though its waters roar and foam and the mountains quake with their surging. There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God, the holy place where the Most High dwells. God is within her, she will not fall; God will help her at break of day. Nations are in uproar, kingdoms fall; he lifts his voice, the earth melts. The LORD Almighty is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress. Come and see what the LORD has done, the desolations he has brought on the earth. He makes wars cease to the ends of the earth. He breaks the bow and shatters the spear; he burns the shields with fire. He says, “Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.” The LORD Almighty is with us the God of Jacob is our fortress."

I. BE STILL – God Is Your Refuge! Vv. 1-3

When you are troubled and under pressure or in pain you really need to be careful what you say. Don’t allow your pain or frustration to cause you to speak for you. That never turns out well and the last thing you need in troubled times is more trouble from self-inflicted wounds!

As your mother told you hundreds of times – “IF YOU CAN’T SAY SOMETHING NICE DON’T SAY ANYTHING AT ALL!” – Be still and know that He IS God!

God is a refuge! A refuge is a shelter – a safe place – a place of rest………


A. God Is A Personal Refuge, V. 1 – “God is our refuge…..”

(God = “Elohim” = Triune God)

B. God Is A Present Refuge, V. 1b – “…a very present help in trouble”

(VERY Present = Immediate)

C. God Is A Permanent Refuge, V. 2

(Four “Thoughs” = PERMANENT)

The Psalmist David is urging you to be the strong silent type – YOU BE SILENT AND KNOW THAT HE IS STRONG!



II. BE STRONG – God Is Your River! Vv. 4-7


A. It Satisfies, V. 4a – “There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God”



B. It Sanctifies, V. 4b. – “the holy place where the Most High dwells.”



C. It Strengthens, V. 5 – “God is within her, she will not fall”



D. It Stands, Vv. 6 – 7 – “The Lord Almighty is with us…..”



WHEN TROUBLES COME AND ENEMIES MASS AGAINST YOU TO ATTACK – YOU HAVE A REFUGE – God Is Your Refuge



WHEN TROUBLES COME AND ENEMIES MASS AGAINST YOU TO ATTACK – YOU HAVE A RIVER – HOLY SPIRIT



III. BE SURE – God Is Your Ruler, Vv. 8-11



How do you get to be sure that God can help you through troubles?



That’s RIGHT! When you see Him bring your through trouble!



How many of you have seen God bring your through trouble?



David says if you want to be sure Who God is:



A. Behold! - Vv. 8-9 – “Come and see what the Lord has done, the desolation he has brought on the earth. He makes wars cease to the ends of the earth. He breaks the bow and shatters the spear; he burns the shields with fire.”



Moses beheld………

Joshua beheld……..

Hezekiah beheld…..



B. Believe!, Vv. 10-11 – “He says, ‘Be still and know that I am God, I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.’ The Lord Almighty is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress.”

a. Believe In His Person

b. Believe In His Plan – “I will be exalted among the heathen”

c. Believe In His Presence – “The Lord of hosts is with us”





ARE YOU FACING SOME TROUBLES RIGHT NOW?



DON’T MINIMIZE THEM – DON’T MEDICATE THEM



MAXIMIZE YOUR GOD!



BE SILENT

BE STRONG

BE SURE



YOU SAY, “PASTOR BRAD, HOW CAN I DO THAT. YOU DON’T KNOW HOW MUCH I AM HURTING!”



THREE GOOD REASONS:



God the Father is your Refuge!



God the Holy Spirit is your River!



God the Son is your Ruler!




I CORINTHIANS 10:13


ROMANS 8:28

“Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.” II Corinthians 4:16-18

WHAT IS TROUBLE TO YOU  IS A TEST TO GOD! WHEN YOU ARE IN TROUBLE YOU JUST WANT TO GET OUT BUT GOD HAS SOMETHING HE WANTS TO GET OUT OF YOU! AND IF YOU WILL BE FAITHFUL IN YOUR TROUBLES YOUR TEST WILL BECOME A TESTIMONY FOR YOU!



July 16, 2011

"He says, 'Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.” The LORD Almighty is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress.'"  Psalm 46:10

If problems were hundred dollar bills we'd all be millionaires, right? Our nation could use more millionaires with the financial problems it faces.  We have debt-ceiling problems and the people who are supposed to solve them have problems getting along and are afraid of creating political problems if they don't solve the problem in the right way.

Have you had a problem this week? Has the whole week been a problem? Has your problem been the least of your problems?

You and I were born into a world of problems. When we were growing up our parents had problems. When we got old enough to go to school the math teacher gave us problems. As we went out on our own we inherited our own problems and tried not to create additional ones. We go to work and find problems. We come home and find problems. We turn on the news and here about all the problems in DC and all over the world. We go to church on Sunday and find out it has problems. There is only one place we know about that has no problems but the only problem is we have to die to get there!

 

David, the Psalmist, was familiar with problems. When he was a shepherd he had lion and bear problems but God helped him solve them. As a teen-ager he had a giant problem and God helped him bring down Goliath. As a young adult he has king-sized problems as the jealous King Saul was chasing him.

Having been faced with real problems he had to learn some real solutions - and he did! In Psalm 46 he shares his three step approach to dealing with problems:

Be Still, Vv. 1-3

“God is our refuge and strength, an ever present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea, though its waters roar and foam and the mountains quake with their surging.

When you are hurting and under pressure you really need to be extra careful what you say! You don't want to allow your pain or your frustration speak for you. That never turns out well and the last thing you need in troubled times is more trouble from self-inflicted wounds or wounding others.

Like your mother told you hundreds of times, "If you can't say something nice don't say anything at all!" Good advice!

Be Strong, Vv. 4-7

 

"There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God, the holy place where the Most High dwells. God is within her, she will not fall; God will help her at the break of day. Nations are in uproar, kingdoms fall; he lifts his voice, the earth melts."

 

Don't speak out in anger or frustration or pain, but be still and know Who God is! It is far better to be silent in faith than to speak out in frustration!

 

What David is urging here is for you to be the strong silent type! If you know Who God is then act like it! Don't panic but praise!

 

Know that God is stronger than your troubles and you can draw from His strengths while you struggle with trouble. Know that His faithfulness and His strength and His grace and His goodness are more real than the troubles you are facing at any given moment.

Be Sure, Vv. 8-11

 

"Come and see what the Lord has done, the desolation he has brought on the earth. He makes wars cease to the ends of the earth. He breaks the bow and shatters the spear; he burns the shields with fire. He says, ‘Be still and know that I am God, I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.’ The Lord Almighty is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress.” 

When trouble comes it helps if you are sure just Who your God is! The Psalms mentions a couple of ways you can be sure:

     Behold, Vv. 8-9

This Psalm was written shortly after God defeated 185,000 of the mighty Assyrians as they threatened the City of God. He sent one angel to destroy the fierce enemy and all those in Jerusalem know about it. They had beheld the power of their God! He is a God Who surely can deliver you in times of trouble!

     Believe, Vv. 10-11

a. Believe in God's Person - "Be still and know that I am God"

The Psalmist uses God's favorite name for Himself - "I AM"! It was the "I AM" Who delivered the Jews out of Egypt by the plagues. It was the "I AM" Who led them through the Red Sea and destroyed the Army of Egypt. It was the "I AM" Who spoke the commandments to Moses on the sacred mount.

b. Believe in God's Plan - "I will be exalted among the heathen, I will be exalted in the earth."

God's plan is to glorify Himself in everything that troubles His people. He allows trouble to come with His permission and when His purpose is fulfilled in His power He will deliver them - just like He did with the Assyrians. All the world heard of them and all the world trembled!

c. Believe in God's Presence - "The Lord of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our refuge."

"The Lord of hosts" refers to God's authority over the angels. God is an omnipresent God and wherever He is all of His angels are there as well!

Your God is a God of refuge in your time of trouble. You can retreat to Him and hide in Him and be safe untile you are delivered from your enemy!

In closing, consider this. Who says when trouble has come? What do we mean by trouble? The word used in the original language means to "be in a tight spot". But think about it. If God has put you in this tight spot it might actually be the right spot for you and what you call trouble - He might call a test!

You need to be okay with that! (See I Corinthians 10:13 and Romans 8:28).

July 15, 2011

"There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God, the holy place where the Most High dwells. God is within her, she will not fall; God will help her at break of day. Nations are in uproar, kingdoms fall; he lifts his voice, the earth melts."   Psalm 46:4-6

When trouble comes your way, there is a refuge!

Also, when trouble comes there is a river!

What is the significance of that?

Rivers are life-giving bodies of water. They supply a steady and reliable source of water. Most great cities of the wold are situated near a river because of the fresh water supply the  river provides. Also the river provides recreational opportunities for boating, sailing, fishing and swimming. Rivers provide navigation and transportation to allow life-sustaining supplies to be delivered and items to be sent out in trade. The great rivers like the Potomac or the Mississippi or the Nile or the Amazon support and sustain great cities along its banks. In the Bible we are told that when God created Eden, the first paradise, He put a river in the midst of it. We know that there is a crystal river flowing in the midst of the New Jerusalem in Heaven.

Rivers are important! In times of trouble a river can provide a calming influence. Sitting on the banks of a river and watching the boats and barges drift by can be a very calming experience. Wading in the river or going for a swim in the river can be quite calming. It is a good place to retreat when troubles plague you.

While all these benefits are true of an actual river, there is also a spiritual symbolism here. Many have opined that the reference to a river here represents the Person and work of the Holy Spirit. I like that!

Get your mind and spirit around the thought that in troubled times you can flee to God the Refuge and to God the River. Or, take refuge in the Father and find comfort in the Holy Spirit!

Is God is your "Refuge" and He is also your River. Will you flee to Him? Will you hide in Him? Will you rest in your Refuge?

July 14, 2011

"God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea, though its waters roar and foam and the mountains quake with their surging."  Psalm 27:1-3

Trouble is all around us. Maybe it has you surrounded and you don't know where to turn.

I just got off the phone to a pastor friend whose wife is struggling with some serious physical problems and his church is struggling. He is understandably discouraged. Barbara and I wanted to assure him of our love and prayer support. I invite you to pray for him as well - God knows who they are.

The Psalmist was well acquainted with trouble and out of his troubles came most of the beautiful thoughts and words that have inspired so many for so long! You could sum up the 46th Psalm in this way - "Trouble? No Trouble!"

Why is that true?

Because you have a God Who is a refuge! What does that mean? How does that help?

First, it means that God is a personal refuge - "God is OUR refuge and strength....."

A refuge is a place to flee trouble. A refuge is a place of safety. A refuge is a place to hide. For the believer, God is that refuge! You can flee to Him and hide in Him in the day of trouble and be safe!

Furthermore, God is strong and His strength can become your strength because His IS a personal God!

Second, it means God is a present refuge - "an everpresent help in trouble."

Troubles come and go, but when God comes to you and when you flee to Him, He NEVER leaves! He will remain with you after the trouble has subsided. Where ever trouble might find you, God is already there! In fact, trouble has to get through Him in order to get to you and so if it gets to you He has allowed it because He knows that with His present strength you can handle it!

Third, it means God is a powerful refuge - "Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea, though its waters roar and foam and the mountains quake with their surging."

Your God is not only a personal God and a present God but He is also a POWERFUL GOD! When you flee to Him and hide in Him and there is nothing that can trouble you that will be more powerful than Him!

"Though the earth give way" - your powerful God CREATED the earth! So even if your trouble seems bigger than the world and though it seems your world has crumbled - He made the world and He can protect yours! If necessary He can put yours back together!

"and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea" - your powerful God CREATED the mountains AND the seas! Your powerful God can move and mountain and walk on the sea! So why should you be troubled by your troubles when you have such a powerful God?!

"though its waters roar and foam and the mountains quake with their surging." - trouble can rock your world and overwhelm you like an earthquake and a tsunami! But your powerful God will shelter you while He calms the storm! You may be wet and you may be shaken but you won't be harmed because your Personal, Present and Powerful God is your Refuge and your Strength!

Trouble? No trouble!