Book of Psalms - Psa. 18, Vs. 18-22 (08/20/2023)

Where's Matthew eat sue today.

All right, well good morning

point the mic down just a little.

Is that better.

All right.

Well, it's been a been a minute since I've done Sunday school.

Ben's been covering for me because I've been gone a lot

Out of state last weekend and glad to finally get back in here

and get back to it Roll the sleeves up here and go to work.

We're gonna be in Psalm chapter 18 we started this Psalm by looking at the

background before we Before the psalm was written and we looked at

just how difficult David's life was.

It's not a very not a very easy life by any means definitely a blessed one by

many means.

But We see that this psalm was written when the Lord finally

gave David rest from his enemies When

he's delivered from his enemies and from the hand of Saul and Basically all of

his enemies are at this point vanquished and

We see David start the song with I will love thee and So

regardless of all of the punishment that he received from the Lord he had a

resolution to continue to love the Lord and So then we see

him talk about the deliverance that he experienced from his enemies at the hand of the Lord

and we see Just his complete dependence on God for

that deliverance.

We then got into Kind of the picture of what it what it looked like for God

to come running to save him and we also Kind of showed the parallel between

David and Jesus because this is this is a picture David is a type or picture of

Jesus and so when you imagine Jesus writing the psalm or Saying

or reciting the psalm David's the one who wrote it.

Of course, but they're the the words of God.

When you think of Jesus Saying the words of this psalm It's pretty powerful

picture of God coming to running to to deliver his son from

his enemies and So we've kind of been looking at like we have so many of the

Psalms this is a parallel between David and

Jesus and So we got to the point I think it was a verse 18 I

think it was where we we stopped last time.

Might have been verse 19 Where basically

we we were going to start transitioning from

like the deliverance to The reason for it, I

guess you could say What we're gonna do today is we're gonna get into

Verse 18, that's where we're gonna start.

So we are gonna be backtracking just a little bit here

and this will this will kind of give us a little bit Better idea of the flavor of the psalm as I

like to say.

So starting in verse 18, this is kind of a recounting of

the contrast between David's enemies and David's

Deliverer, so they prevented me in the day of my calamity.

But the Lord was my stay.

It's showing contrast between the enemies between David's enemies and David's Savior.

Same for if it was Jesus it's the contrast between Jesus's enemies and his Father in heaven

who comes to to deliver him and Raise him from the dead.

But I want us to also look at this from a very personal application standpoint.

And so for us Just think of the contrast between your enemies

and God.

The word prevented means to stand in front or to be to be in

front of to face it's as if.

It's as if they are opposing right so like if you were if you were to try and cross a bridge

remember the the old The old fairy tale of the three billy goats gruff, right?

And you don't remember that oh man, so maybe I'm just showing my age

Fairy tale these three billy goats that are basically

Guarding a bridge and I just imagine Walking up to a bridge and you

try to cross it and something Stands in your way.

It doesn't even have to say anything right you could if somebody were to be walking and you were to walk and just kind

of Oppose them like stand where you're face -to -face with them.

They would automatically feel threatened.

Like wait a minute.

You don't want me to go this way.

It's an opposition and that is what this means when David writes they

prevented me.

It's like they stood in front like you're not going anywhere.

And it's in the day of my calamity the word for calamity is burden or

disaster.

In other words They are a part of the problem.

Maybe you're experiencing a difficult time.

Sometimes you go through stuff right and when you go through stuff When you're at your

low You you tend to find out who's for you and who's against you.

I remember training in jiu -jitsu.

I Was doing my black belt training.

I have a lot of memories of that.

It was only about a week In my in my black belt I

Say my black belt training but it was more like a week of testing to see if I was going to be

allowed to wear the black belt, right and I Remember it was

me and one other guy Jonathan Myers still Facebook friends with him, but

he and I were.

We'd been in jiu -jitsu together for years and years and years probably

close to Seven eight years together or something like that and

We'd had lots of classmates Throughout the years and he and I were the only two out of all the classmates

that were actually at this point training for our black belts and our sensei

was just Demolishing us.

It was it was a really rough week.

And I remember at one point in that week.

I was doubled over.

Try just I wanted to throw up but there was nothing to throw up.

So I was just like dry heaving my buddy was next to me.

He was dry heaving and it was just a really low point for us

and sensei told us He said David Look over at

Jonathan.

That's how I looked at him and he's like he bout to throw up his guts, man

and He's like Jonathan.

Look at David and I liked it.

He looked at me and And he goes.

This is when you know who you can trust.

When they can see you at this level and they still be your friend.

That's like, okay.

Yeah.

And it's kind of like David is at his point of calamity.

This is a a point of disaster is how he's describing it.

And he is seeing people opposing him, right?

They are preventing me so he's learning who his friends and who his enemies are if you'll remember

we looked back at David's Kind of kind of snapshot his

life of all the troubles He had been having and at one point his own son rises up against him

and many of his friends rise up against him his trusted advisors and it's

just.

It's just absolutely devastating to him.

What's he learning?

He's learning who's on his side and who's not and in his day of calamity that's.

That's when he starts to see who's preventing him.

But there's also a contrast here, right like They prevented me in the day of my calamity,

but the Lord was my stay.

If you look up the word stay it kind of means staff.

Staff or supporter.

I think it's a great picture because if you envision a staff, what do you think of?

When you think of a staff a Long rod, how do you how would you use a staff?

Okay, you could use it as a weapon.

Definitely, right like I have a bow staff.

That was my weapon of choice because I wanted to be able to use any Broomstick I could find.

So you could use that as a weapon, but you mentioned something aside from weapony.

Aside from a weapon weaponing.

So yeah, I am my father's my daughter's father Abby Kate has funny words that she makes

up and and so I just made up the word weaponing.

You mentioned something aside from using it as a weapon first, what was the first thing you mentioned an

Aid in walking.

How would a staff aid you in walking?

Support right which means you do with what with the staff.

You lean on it.

Now if I handed you a staff or a walking stick and

It was cracked.

And you saw that it was cracked.

What would you do with it.

Maybe not lean on it.

Right and and so what I love about the fact that this says but the Lord was my stay in the

word stay Can mean staff it shows That there's

trust right because you have to trust a staff in order to lean on it.

You have and you trust it with a lot of weight, right?

Like if if If Ashton were to use a staff to go walking because she's

she's got a baby in the tummy right now.

Like she might need a little extra help.

Okay something to lean on.

She would be putting a lot of trust in that stick because not only would she be concerned about her

own Well -being but also Well -being of her baby boy who's inside her

so like there is a lot of trust that goes into something As simple as a stick or

a staff, but I don't think it's by any accident that the Lord used a word that means staff

to say He's David's stay his support.

So To say that the Lord is my stay which means staff is to say that he is the one

I can trust in Times of trouble which David is talking about his times of trouble.

The enemy is against me.

But God is for me.

There is a starting place.

I Really sure I've got a

I've got a funny note in here that oh, I know what that's supposed to be.

I think Better change my

note so that I don't forget it in the past.

Okay, so there's a starting place for deliverance basically.

Who's doing the delivering for David by the way the

Lord, right?

He's the one that does the delivering.

But David plays a part.

There's still like this is one of those examples where there's the sovereignty of man or sovereignty of God and the

responsibility of man.

There's there's always that they kind of go hand in hand.

What is David's part when it comes to being delivered?

It's pretty much it right.

When when Someone is drowning like you see When

they have floods and stuff and it's all over the news, you know an entire town under water and you see

the rescuers Coming down with a helicopter on a on a line they're

reaching out and Doing all the work to save someone who's completely helpless in the middle of the water and

they're gonna get swept away.

But that person still has something they have to do.

They've got to let go of Whatever it is that is holding them above the water at the moment so

that they can hold on to the deliverer.

All right.

So there's a level of trust that someone who's being saved displays

when they're being saved.

I have a movie reference because I like to put movie references, but There are

several movies that do this where there's a scene where the the hero says do you trust me?

Right, the first one that came to mind for me is a cartoon Aladdin remember Aladdin and

Aladdin and Jasmine Jasmine are running from the Royal Guard and now they're running on like rooftops

and they're cornered because they've run out of rooftops to jump to and Aladdin says do you trust

me?

And she's like, yes.

He's like up on the edge of the building and he just reaches out his hand and he's like, do you trust me?

And she's like, okay.

Yeah, and she grabs his hand.

And he's like jump so they jump off the building and they land in like some haystacks or something.

But there was that that question first do you trust me if you do leave this place that's

that seems like okay I might be caught by the enemy, but at least I'm not falling to my death, right?

I'm gonna ask you to do something that seems like falling to your death and Will be saved right?

Someone who's being saved from a raging river let go of the stick that feels

like it's keeping you alive and Hold on to me and I will I'll save you

so that is very similar To what man experiences with God.

God says I know you've got rules and regulations and

laws and Principles and things of that nature and you've got a

will and You might even think that with all of that you can work your way to heaven.

You can't it's the stick that's gonna get washed away in the flood all the laws and

Fundamentalist things out there that you think you can work your way to heaven with.

You can't there's nothing that you can do.

You're hopeless.

You need a deliverer.

Well, David a Man after God's own heart has always been pretty good at recognizing that

in fact some might say he's a little bit Dramatic when it comes to his

problems and and God delivering him from his problems.

He when he describes his problems.

There is no lack of drama in his wording, you know.

I mean, he says the day of my calamity.

That's pretty dramatic, right?

Even though he didn't come to ruin.

When he talks about you know, even though there be 10 ,000 people

Round about me, you know, I will not fear and There may

not actually be 10 ,000 but it feels like that to him.

So David sometimes uses some hyperbole when he when he's writing these Psalms.

This is his day of calamity.

But the Lord is his stay.

Trust is a firm belief in the reliability of a thing.

Our part is to trust that God has plan and that plan is reliable there's nothing else we can

do really and If you think about the idea of

trust We can't even really do that unless the Lord gives us the ability to trust him.

So verse 19, he brought me forth also into a large place.

He delivered me because he delighted in me All right.

So in times of calamity like David has found himself in.

It feels as though the enemy who prevents you is closing in.

Like disaster is looming.

How many of you have ever experienced something where it was a stressful

situation that you were dreading?

The outcome from All right dreading the outcome

that we call anxiety.

It feels like disaster is looming it it feels a lot like

pressure.

Does it not like the spiritual battle part of

Life has a lot to do with pressure.

People experience pressure all the time and we deal with pressure in different ways.

Some confront this pressure.

With determination, you know, they get real determined to overcome the pressure.

Others experience dread and just anxiety and hopelessness and sometimes they

even get to a point of apathy.

Even the most determined people when pressed upon long enough.

They might start to succumb to the contracting feeling of anxiety.

And it's it kind of feels that way.

That's why we say things like Being stuck in a bad situation, right?

I'm stuck.

It's like you're bound.

Caught in a bind we say it's another phrase we use right like I've been caught in a bind.

It's not necessarily that you are tied up.

Which is what a bind is but we say that because the situation feels

like it's Closing in on us.

It's tied you up.

Yeah, I'm all tied up at the moment.

That's another great one pop.

I'm all tied up at the moment I'm stuck in a bind.

Yeah when it comes to finance it when finances are tight.

We call it tight right and the finances are tight, but really all it is finances are low.

They don't get tight they get low.

But it feels tight because the situation is in closing in on us if it's pressure is all it

is.

Let me ask you this have you ever gone through something stressful and gotten it behind you.

Like the stressful thing the pressure was behind you what was that feeling like.

Relief right.

How do we describe that relief freedom, okay, how

else.

Yes, I got a weight off my chest or a weight off my shoulders you see now if you have weight.

There's the pressure and it's closing in it's like bearing down on you that's

why we say things like You have loose my bonds.

Feel like I could spread my wings and fly and that kind of stuff.

It's like all of a sudden you have room.

I we call it breathe.

I finally have a little breathing room.

That's another one.

We use like Finally have some breathing room and people talk like that when it comes to things like

again finances.

Well have finally have some breathing room money doesn't make you breathe.

The lack of it can keep you from breathing right but we say that because it's like.

What'd you say?

Oh, yeah, that's a funny.

That's a funny quote last night.

We were talking about a money situation.

With some other individuals and I was like man money's money makes people crazy and

Finn pipes up and says Money makes people rich.

He was like, yeah, it's five years old.

Just he couldn't believe uncle Dave got that so wrong he's like money makes people rich uncle Dave.

Was like, okay.

You got me there kid.

It was cute.

But yeah, we we talk about money as.

If like it you can just feel like it's closing in that there's a lack of money and when

you get some money.

Maybe more than you actually need it.

It's like, ah, I only have a little breathing room.

Got a little space well.

That's what this verse means.

He brought me forth also into a large space.

It's like the pressure That I was feeling God has released it from me.

And now I feel like I've got room right, I Can got breathing

room?

I've got the ability to to move around now.

So, what did David do to accomplish that breathing room

if anything just that.

There was nothing that he could do in and of himself.

Just trust that's why it says he brought me forth also into

a large place.

He did it.

He delivered me because he delighted in me.

So why does God provide all of All

of his needs in this scenario, why does God deliver him from his particular

Day of calamity give him a place of space some breathing room.

Why does he do it?

True yeah true that David.

David does try.

Does he always try.

Now he messes up sometimes.

Right.

So is it because of David's trying that the Lord delivers?

Delivers David.

Yeah, it's because he delighted in him not because of David's trying it's because

he delighted in him and this is where I like to just camp out for just a

second and dwell on that.

Think about that because these are verses that David wrote.

Knowing it being a man after God's own heart knowing the Lord and Understanding

the Lord's heart in many ways.

He writes these saying he did this because he delighted in me.

So David is in a place of reflection right now.

Going God delighted in me.

If you hear if you hear these words coming from the mouth of Jesus.

Makes total sense.

Right, like Jesus was perfect.

He was God's only begotten Son.

He never sinned.

He perfectly kept the law.

He loved everyone.

That he He showed everyone love.

I should say he showed everyone love.

I don't know that I would say he loved everyone, but he loved with a perfect love and

It's easy to hear Jesus say these words and go of course the Father delighted in

the Son.

I Get that as a dad.

It makes sense to me and my boy isn't perfect, right?

But I delight in that little guy Katie and I were talking about that on the way up here.

He's just super cool.

We love little Sam but think about yourself and

Think about the creator of the universe delighting in you that we don't tend

to Accept as easily doesn't make as much sense.

You know who it makes even less sense to any guesses.

Definitely the world.

I think that's a good answer because the world I don't know that the world even none even

knows it.

I So

that's a good example, they don't and they don't understand it.

They don't believe it.

They they don't understand it because they don't believe it.

I don't think it's the other right way around.

And here's why because there's another group that I'm thinking of that it makes less sense

to.

But they do believe it the angels.

Yeah, because think about the angels looking at these fallen beings.

The God of everything delights in these fallen

depraved humans and he works in them to change them.

Seems like a lot of work for a mostly useless being at least in their

eyes like what and Think about this is why I want to camp here for just a second.

I want to think about What must go on in the mind of an

angel?

When it comes to looking at us

they see us and We're just a paradox to them

like these people rejected God and He

delights in them.

I don't understand it.

Why does he like him so much?

You ever have you ever?

Have you ever Known somebody probably anybody in your life.

Can you think of something that they enjoy that you just don't understand why they enjoy it?

All right, pop doesn't understand why Mimi loves cucumbers so much.

He says cuz she's a fallen bee.

Here's an example last night we were talking about my video game collection and Katie and her

and her sister Are just kind of making fun of my My delight in video

games.

It makes no sense to them.

And I I think with with something like that.

Well, it makes no sense.

There's at least a frame of reference for them.

Because they remember being kids and liking video games as kids.

It's a strange thing for a 40 year old middle -aged man to still like video games.

I'll readily admit I've got another 40 year old middle -aged man Friend who will

sometimes come over and play them and we look like or we sound like teenagers.

I think screaming at the television.

It cuz we'll really get into it and it's something that we just delight in it's just fun you know, I don't get to

do it very often because I'm All growed up.

I've got responsibilities but Others will look at that and they'll

say makes no sense.

I mean, I maybe if he was still 16 right if he was still

16, then then it would make sense.

But think about it from the Angels perspective looking at us.

They don't even have a frame of reference.

Like okay would have made sense back then they're just like

why like I Never would have liked these guys.

They are all messed up and God likes them.

It causes them to marvel.

They've got zero frame of reference as to why?

We get to like what's so special about us.

Anybody care to guess what it is.

That's so special about us.

Okay created in his image.

It's a pretty good answer but God doesn't delight in every human

and every human is created in God's image.

So What.

What do you mean by love gift?

Alright, so there it is.

The thing that makes us so special is That we are the recipients of the greatest love that

ever existed and that's it right like that.

The thing that makes us special didn't come from us it didn't originate in us it originated

with the father and To an angel they must go.

I don't get it.

But I do believe it so I will protect these weird people With

every ounce of heavenly power I can muster because they are super important.

Don't know why.

But they are God loves them.

You know and it it just makes me go wow, that's got to be a surreal thing for them

and the Bible talks about how they Desire to look into this thing this salvation thing

like they don't understand it.

But they do believe it and that's what's different between That group and the world the

world.

They don't understand it because they don't believe it, you know these guys

Don't believe it.

The angels don't believe it.

I mean they do believe it now I'm getting myself confused the angels do believe it and yet they still don't understand it.

Now think about us we believe it because the Lord gave us

that belief and We ourselves have a

frame of reference knowing That we are depraved.

Angels don't understand that because they don't even have that right?

But we have a frame of reference and what that causes us to do is glorify him.

Right that causes us to go.

Wow.

I actually kind of in a way understand it.

We don't fully understand it.

David and I were talking about this Yesterday or day before I can't remember the verse that we were

that we were looking at but It was something about oh, it was the verse that he quoted

last Sunday.

I wasn't here.

I didn't get to Be here for when he was talking about the dimensions of love.

But one of the things that Paul writes is that he he hopes that they I think it was the Corinthians

would understand or comprehend the height their depth or length or breadth

of love right and so It's something we can't fully

comprehend but we can better understand it than the angels can and That causes us

to glorify him which has got to really just throw the angels for a loop.

They go.

Whoa.

That depraved human being is now doing something right and something good because of something he did to them.

This is a powerful love like how does that work?

We got him.

We got to understand this more so.

Anyway, well, it's enough camping out there, but you get it like it's a really

Yeah

I love that.

So Ben Ben has a great

point.

He says it's the exact same thing that Satan does.

You know repeat for those of y 'all listening online Satan looks at this.

Doesn't understand it at all either and he accuses he's like no these they've messed up.

This makes no sense whatsoever and I Don't know

if it would be right to say he doesn't believe it.

He certainly rejects it.

He rejects it as being something good the angels See it believe

it and accept it even though they don't understand it.

Satan sees it believes it rejects it.

He's like yeah, that's wrong.

This this is wrong to do.

I think he looks at this and says that's not fair.

You know that that's unjust.

Oh, yeah, and so

Yeah, David is rescued because God delights in him.

Spurgeon calls it God's uncaused love nothing caused it

just was All right, so verse 20 The Lord

rewarded me according to my righteousness according to the cleanness of my hands hath he

recompensed me.

Okay, who's writing this song?

David is writing the psalm.

All right.

He says the Lord rewarded me according to my righteousness and cleanness of my

hands.

Was David righteous?

To a degree so did the Lord Reward David to a degree.

Okay he almost almost exactly said what I was looking for almost

so.

Remember David is a type or picture of Jesus.

So if we think about Jesus saying this again, it makes sense, right according to my righteousness.

The Lord has rewarded me according to the cleanness of my hands.

But we know David's hands weren't clean.

He couldn't even rebuild the temple because he had too much blood on his hands.

All right, so it's this verse confuses a lot of people.

Because if you if you look at it from the perspective of David.

He's he doesn't have clean hands.

From man's perspective right from man's perspective.

He has no he does not have clean hands.

Didn't he commit adultery?

Didn't he murder the husband of his mistress.

Yeah.

So what's this about cleanness of hands?

He atoned for his previous sins via the high priest.

And And he kept his ordinances kept the law of Moses the best that he could.

The best he could was the best he could.

That was Pete.

So perhaps it's just David's understanding of the His

efforts to keep the law to atone for his sins when he did commit them or

again, it's deeper than that and it's just the Holy Spirit leading him to Understand.

Okay, so Ben Basically says it's one probably one of

two things either David is looking at his life and saying all right.

I have atoned for my sins.

I've kept the law of Moses as best I can Basically, I'm doing I'm a follower of

God, you know, I mess up sometimes but I'm a follower of God.

Or it's deeper than that and David through the Holy Spirit has some kind of forward -looking

Understanding of a much deeper doctrine, which is the doctrine of Imputation right like

somehow he understands that it's not really his righteousness, but it's the righteousness of God.

I think It's both.

I think Since the Holy Spirit is giving David these words to write

It's safe to assume that the Holy Spirit would

Would definitely have the how do I say this

properly it would definitely be Referencing when you talk about

righteousness like all righteousness, but God belongs to God, right?

So like the doctrine of imputation is bleeding out through every verse in the Bible,

so like This is definitely God's righteousness on

man but as David writes it.

He's also comparing his deliverer and His enemies

he's comparing himself and his enemies and if you look at his enemies these enemies have no desire to

follow God they have no desire to follow to keep his

commandments and.

So that's that's what is referenced in the next verse which we'll get to in just a second, but

basically David is clean and he is righteous not because of his

own doing but because of God's.

But because of the work of God when you look at David compared to his enemies.

That righteousness becomes his righteousness like it's the righteousness of God.

But it's that's part of the love gift.

That's what man receives when he receives love from the Lord.

He receives righteousness.

Right, and so now it's my righteousness.

Because God put it on me, right?

It's like If I gave you a Jacket, right?

This is my this was my jacket and I give it to Noah Noah.

Would say hey Emily, how do you like my jacket?

You're right.

It's my jacket and It was something that was a

gift but it becomes his the righteousness that we receive from Christ

Becomes our righteousness and David when comparing himself with his enemies is righteous

But it originated with the righteousness of God.

Um, does that make sense or did I just make that completely clear as mud.

And that's a that's a good thing to add to it so you got the two kinds of righteousness there's

basically positional righteousness that we have and That's the the jacket right.

God basically put the jacket on me.

And now I've got his righteousness that I'm clothed in but when you receive

that it should result in some experiential righteousness where

where you are.

Being sanctified and at this point in David's life.

He's gone through a lot of sanctification a lot of repenting of sins.

Atoning Basically praising the Lord for helping him get past them

and so he is definitely at that point in his in his life.

More experientially righteous.

Because of some of this, he has recompensed me.

Something that David did.

It's God turning him towards God.

Right.

Right, so.

So here's what's interesting.

It's a reward, right?

So the the verse here The Lord rewarded me

according to my righteousness.

Right and according to the cleanness of my hands hath he Recompensed me right.

So he then you said that the word recompensed means turn turn towards.

Cool.

So here's what's interesting.

God gives us righteousness and then he rewards us for the righteousness.

He gave us.

Tell me he's not a gracious heavenly father.

Like it'd be like if I gave Sam a present and been like Sam.

Because you have that present I'm gonna give you a prize.

You know, he'd love that.

He'd be like, yeah, okay.

Don't know why but I like this game daddy, right.

And that's how we should feel towards.

God is like he gave us Righteousness.

Wow, and now we get rewarded because he gave us that righteousness.

How do we get how do we?

Enjoy those rewards.

We got to walk in that righteousness, which is where the experiential righteousness comes into play.

Verse 21.

For I have kept the ways of the Lord and have not wickedly departed from my God in this verse.

You basically have a summation for Christian living this one verse

we must keep the ways of the Lord and in doing so

not wickedly depart from fellowship with him.

The only way that you can keep the ways of the Lord is to keep close to the Lord.

You can't keep the ways of the Lord without keeping close to him.

So these two these two phrases I have kept the ways of the Lord and have not wickedly departed from

my God.

It shows something that David does.

Which is there those are the actions, right?

The actions are.

The Experiential righteousness playing out.

I'm I'm keeping God's rules.

So to speak two greatest commandments love the Lord your God with all your heart mind soul and strength.

Love your neighbor as yourself, right?

All the laws and prophets hang on these two.

So if you if you are keeping those two you're keeping God's Commandments

you're keeping the ways of the Lord.

But then it shows something he's not doing.

He is not departing from the Lord so he's staying close right and what I love about

that is.

It challenges something that I've I have Been pondering and David and I've

pondered this quite a bit.

Like when you are in The the spirit right when you're in the spirit.

Being filled with the spirit is what we call it, right?

You're holding on to Jesus's hand.

If you metaphorically let go Right of Jesus's hand,

isn't that sin?

We tend to think well, that's that's sin if you if you let go.

Well.

But the new man the spirit cannot sin.

So how is it possible for us to let go and so David and I have kind of pondered that one of

our hypotheses has been.

With the the introduction of sin into man's experience.

We also received the second law of thermodynamics, which is everything heads towards disorder.

And So even on a spiritual level.

Perhaps that is is true to some degree like if you don't put energy

into Your your relationship with God.

Then that that relationship can decay to some degree.

It's like if you don't spend time with your wife.

Things just kind of fall apart.

Right if I'm gone, I was gone for what four days.

I five days.

If I if I'm gone for five days, like that's just not good, right?

And so.

That's one of our hypotheses this seems to challenge it just a little bit for me because

to not depart.

It's something that it doesn't sound like it's something that requires energy.

Just just stay.

Doesn't it sound like when you leave that requires energy.

Jenny was over last night.

She's needing to leave.

Procrastinating because she didn't want to go and get all of her stuff together and she didn't want to get Finn bathed

and finally when she got him bathed and she started getting her stuff together.

She was like, I don't understand how I think I'm packing light.

And then when I start packing up to leave it's like why did I bring my whole life with me, right?

Like she's she's got all this stuff and it requires a lot of energy for her to leave.

Right, and when we think of leaving and going anywhere, it's like well, we got to get dressed.

We got to brush our teeth and our hair.

We got to pile into the car and like there's a lot of energy.

But just staying.

Right.

I mean you can be lazy and just stay right?

Not leaving doesn't sound like it takes energy and

David is Saying I have kept the ways of Lord.

There's the energy but I have not wickedly departed from my God.

That doesn't sound like it takes energy.

Maybe.

Okay, now that's a good thought.

Pop pop says well the word wicked wickedly would would indicate some

intention.

I Like that David do you like that think about this?

Wickedly would require intention for God's people.

It would only work for God's people.

Because our natural state before God old things passed away behold all things become new or a natural state is

just a Wickedly like that's just that's no energy whatsoever, right?

But if God has Crucified the old man and now you are new.

All things become new now.

You are going to be making a conscious effort To go and do sin.

I Like that I will ponder it more it's a good thought

maybe that is where Energy is required to wickedly depart.

Hmm.

Good thought pop good thought.

But.

Exactly but that's a good thought there that we'll have to ponder more because

It may it may be that that's true.

But why does it seem that way.

Maybe because we're just so good at being in the flesh and the better we get at.

And maybe it's energy at first.

Ooh.

Okay, we got to have coffee talk because now I've got all kinds of good thoughts on how that might would work.

So no, it's put it in the notes.

We're gonna have some coffee talk on that for now think of it this way.

I Beseech you therefore brethren by the mercies of God that you present your bodies a living sacrifice

right, holy acceptable unto God.

For this is your reasonable service that phrase this is this is Romans chapter 12 that Romans think

that's Romans chapter 12.

This is your reasonable service means this is what's logical for you right, like that's that's

what's natural is to present your bodies a living sacrifice and

Because of that your natural state should be as a new creature in

Christ your natural state should be To be one with Jesus.

It is now no longer natural or reasonable or logical for you to return

to that which is dead.

We tend to do it still though, don't we?

Maybe that's why it requires energy so.

Good thoughts there, but we're running out of time.

So I got to wrap it up here.

So For

all his judgments were before me and I did not put away his statutes from me.

To wake up in the morning and to put on a pair of sunglasses.

If you do that or a pair of glasses of any kind what happens you now see the world

Differently through a different lens, right?

You see the world through those lenses and David is saying he is viewing the world through the lens of Scripture.

Right for all his judgments were before me.

That's the lens that I view the world through God's judgments the whole what would Jesus do

like that didn't come about in the 90s and David invented that long before.

Did the G the what would Jesus do in the 90s get Jesus invented it, right?

It's exactly right.

And so His judgments were before me and I did not put away his statutes

from me.

Spurgeon says that backsliders begin with dusty Bibles and go

into filthy garments.

So for sake of time, I think I think we'll

quit there because it's already 1057 but Wow, we didn't we only got through four verses.

I really thought I was gonna get a lot further than that.

When you when you begin this next week.

Ask yourself where your energy is.

What the lens that you are waking up and and looking at the world through is like are you are you looking at

the world?

Through God's judgments.

Thank him for that beautiful wonderful gift of righteousness because it gives you the ability

to look through that lens and Go.

Okay.

Now I'm going to make my actions Match what the lens says they should

match because when I do that, I'm going to be in my natural state.

My my new natural state is with the Lord.

My burden is easy.

My yoke is light right?

My yoke is easy.

My burden is light ahead that backwards.

My yoke is easy.

My burden is light.

That's that's just what is Natural, that's where the large spaces are.

That's where the pressure comes off.

The pressure comes off when you are walking in your new natural state.

But we are so accustomed to walking in the old natural state, which is in the flesh

that that in a sense becomes a comfort zone and we will go and put our energy back to the

comfort zone of Walking in the flesh.

And It will cause us to miss out on the blessing of walking in

experiential righteousness.

So when we confront that day of calamity right in the in our enemies

turn against us.

We will find ourselves going Instead of I

Am righteous.

I have clean hands.

If we will begin to look at ourselves the way that God sees us and view the world through that lens and through his judgments.

We will walk with experiential righteousness and we'll be able to boldly look at our enemies and

go.

You fall short, but I don't.

And so that's kind of the thought for today We have a long ways to go still on this

chapter, we're about halfway through.

So it's it's the longest psalm yet any other thoughts before we

close sure.

Yes.

It kind of make it makes sense.

Yeah, there was energy and doing something wicked there, right.

Adam wickedly departed from the Lord in that respect.

Yeah.

Yeah, yeah, I think you're right then.

Yeah, Adam wickedly departed.

He knewing he knowingly Ate of the fruit Eve was deceived but not

Adam.

Good thought.

That's that's true.

Alright, let's pray Heavenly Father.

Thank you for your word.

Thank you that it's truth.

Thank you for the lens of your judgments help us to walk.

With that lens always in front of us help us to keep your judgments before us and view the world

through that.

Through that lens of what would Jesus do?

Father, thank you for delivering us.

Thank you for giving us righteousness help us to walk experientially in that righteousness and

Help us to just do the very best we can with what we have right here right now.

We love you Lord.

It's in Jesus name.

We ask these things.

Amen.