July 31, 2016 But Yet, God! by Pastor Josh Sheldon

Psalm 62: The Voice of Experience and Quiet Trust in God

Our text this morning is psalm number 62 which you'll probably find on page 479 in your pew bible if you're following along with that. Psalm number 62 to the choir master according to Jeduthun, a psalm of David.

For God alone my soul waits in silence. From him comes my salvation. He only is my rock and my salvation my fortress. I shall not be greatly shaken. How long will you attack a man. To batter him like a leaning wall a tottering fence.

They only plan to thrust him down from his high position. They take pleasure in falsehood. They bless with their mouths but inwardly they curse. Selah. For God alone oh my soul wait in silence. For my hope is from him.

He only is my rock and my salvation my fortress. I shall not be shaken on. God rests my salvation and my glory my mighty rock. My refuge is God. Trust in him at all times. Oh people pour out your heart before him.

God is a refuge for us. Those of lowest state are but a breath. Those of highest state are a delusion. In the balances they go up. They are together lighter than a breath. Put no trust in extortion. Set no vain hopes on robbery.

If riches increase. Set not your heart on them once. God has spoken twice I have heard this that power belongs to God and that you oh Lord to you oh Lord belong steadfast love. For you will render to a man according to his work is the word of the Lord.

David's Experience of Adversity and Deliverance

We have just heard the voice of experience. We've just heard David Israel's shepherd tell us about this way to handle the adversity that comes upon us because of the slandering and the malicious talk of men behind our backs as it were.

This is the voice of experience. Is not someone who just pats you on the back and says in a flippant way gee I know you can handle. I will pray for you. This is someone who's been through it someone who had taken upon himself or had heard himself these slanderings this malicious talk men trying to knock him down like a tottering fence as it were to give it just that last kick and it's going to fall all the way over.

He knows what that's like. He also knows what it's like to see the deliverance of God. To wait on the Lord to gain his answer. To see what God would have him to do even if sometimes what God would have him do is nothing but to wait forever on him as it were.

For vengeance is mine says the Lord. You know in first in second Corinthians when Paul opens up that letter he speaks of us giving comfort to those who need comfort with the comfort by which we ourselves have been comforted again.

It's the voice of experience. Not that if I have cancer and you never have had anything like that or ever never known anyone had anything like that. You cannot comfort me. You certainly can. You can pray with me.

You can show me in the scripture that God is good. That God brings all things to good for those who love him. You can comfort. And yet there's a depth that comes. Is there not if someone comes along to you and has gone through and patiently waited for the Lord and seen the seeing the Lord's deliverance for the same thing that you're going through.

There is a special depth to. They're not a special quality. I won't say that but a special depth to it. The voice of experience helps us. And here in this psalm David's long experience with adversity is an encouragement for us to have this quiet and faithful expectation on God that God will act.

God will act against our adversaries. God will act in our behalf. God will act for us. He doesn't just say wait quietly for God. He doesn't just say be still. He says that. But he says it from experience.

He says that saying I have been through this I know what it's like. If you're going through this the sort of things that we're going to read about in this psalm then this psalm is for you to know how to get through it.

If you haven't I wish no ill upon you but prepare yourself for all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will be persecuted. They will go through this. And Lord willing this psalm will prepare you.

We don't know the situation that led up to this psalm like the one we did last week the one we preached last week psalm 39 a psalm of jeduthin one of three psalms of jeduthin 39 62 and Lord willing next week number 77 the three psalms that were arranged by jeduthin a choir master appointed by David.

It's David's psalm arranged by jeduthin. And we have no historical context here in any of the three psalms last week's 39 this week 62 next week 77. We don't know what led to them but we do know that this psalm like psalm 39 last week recommends something very similar is silence recommends silence before the Lord.

Psalm 39 taught us not to speak with our tongues until our spirits are settled down. While our spirits are agitated we don't want to use our lips and add sin to sin in psalm 39 it was our own transgressions that were causing causing us trouble in this psalm this morning.

It's the sins of others that are to be met with this quietness. And here in psalm 62 is not the tongue though that is still recommended usually but it's not the still tongue that he is telling us to have but a tranquil and confident spirit to be calm in the Lord.

To trust that the Lord will render to each according to his works. To trust that God who is sovereign will see you through and will in the end do what is right. Here we find King David being attacked being slandered being plotted against his downfall being wished for.

They're treating him as though he is this reeling person. He's reeling under their withering fire. And the fact that there is no historical situation to this i think actually makes it a more powerful lesson for us because it applies to our life in general.

It applies to our life. And walking with Christ in every moment that we're walking for him wherever you are whatever your situation no matter what the temptation is with all the trials and all the attractions and all the tribulations that this world throws at you.

We have this. But yet God but yet despite all this but yet there is God. And the psalm as a whole is a prayer and it breaks neatly into sections. And the first one we would look at is verses one through four where we see that he keeps his innermost self quiet and calm.

He's marveling at the audacity of men and attacking someone whose rock is God. For God alone my soul waits in silence. From him comes my salvation. He alone is my rock of my salvation. I shall not be greatly shaken and right away we have here.

Do we not have a wonderful lesson. And simply this. Begin with God. Begin with God and not the circumstance. Start with God and not the hurt that you're receiving. Look first to the Lord. Whatever the issue and the your sins other sins persecution maybe just the normal everyday pressures of finances and relationships and children husband wife whatever it is start with God not the trial.

And the reason comes out at us crystal clear doesn't it is because he not the world he is the one who brings salvation. He is your rock from which you cannot be moved. Whatever it is whatever the trial is whether it's a trial like the one i just made named or whether it's men trying to knock you down like a tottering fence planning your downfall whatever the situation is God is greater.

And God is the rock. We preach this to ourselves which i believe David is doing here preaching to himself. We preach this gospel to ourselves. We are as immovable as the rock on which we stand. God's Word is powerful.

God's Word is forever cast in the heavens. God's Word never fails. We need to preach this to ourselves. We need to remind ourselves of this when we run into these trials we're stirred up like this when people are trying to knock us down for no other reason than what our walk with Christ our faith in him.

So begin here. Begin here. Right where the psalm begins it jumps right into it. Begin by preaching the gospel of God's salvation to yourself first and foremost. And this will quiet our souls. This will set our mind on things above where Christ is and is right where he starts out for God alone my soul waits in silence.

From him comes my salvation before any of the circumstance that has led him to write this psalm is named for us. But yet God start with him. And so then we're ready for the next couple of verses. If we're beginning with God we're ready for anything.

But we're ready here for the next couple of verses. How long will you attack a man to batter him like a leaning fence. They seem to hope there's just one more good kick and the whole thing is just going to collapse meaning him.

David you know the fence on the south side of our house is like that it got knocked down in a wind a few years ago. But it's not all the way down because our neighbor has a tree there and it kind of leans against them.

If that tree weren't there just one more kick and the whole thing would go down. And David's being perceived this way he's been looked at. Okay we we've knocked the four by four post down. They're kind of rotten.

We've got this thing leaning and tottering in different places. We've loosened the nails or whatever the case is. And just one more good shove. And we've got him. So David's enemies think they have him on the ropes.

Just one more slander one more innuendo one more reminder of what a great sinner he is or we are. One more accusation that cannot be answered. And this guy's just done. We're through. Is that right. Think of Zechariah chapter 3 where Joshua and Joshua's standing before the Lord and long come state and making accusations against him.

And Joshua's clothed in filthy rags. And it's almost as if the adversary is saying okay just one more. And he's going to have more than he can bear. He's going to fall down and be proven the sinner that I say he is like that a tottering fence.

Just ready for one more push. And all we need to hear is one more accusation against us. One more slander. Even if it's true really that this one doesn't walk rightly with Christ. This one doesn't follow the ten commandments this one didn't do this or that this one's a hypocrite.

And we shrivel up and we feel the attack and it hurts us inside. And we think okay just one more. I can take just one more of these comments in the lunchroom or in the neighborhood or wherever the case is.

But look at verse 4 it goes on. But yet they only plan to thrust him down from his high position. Maybe because of jealousy may possibly due to rivalries and palace intrigue. It could be that just because he is a man of God that others hate him.

As Jesus said if the world hates you know that it hated me before it hated you. But their only goal is to tear him down. And brethren whether it's you or me personally it is the church of God the church of Christ that goes through this the church of God that gets slandered so often they get such bad press in the media.

In the entertainment world they usually can't or they don't actually come right out and express out and out hatred. At least not in so many words words because this diversity loving this offense this ridden society just can't do that even against Christians.

So they fall back on their only resource that weapon wielded by their prince the father of lies. They take pleasure in falsehood. They bless with their mouths. But inwardly they curse. They say well it seems like you're following a really good guy.

Jesus as was said you know he's like the greatest of all the buddhas and men like Mahatma Gandhi respected him so much he must be really fine. But isn't that lowering him too much for us. And if we fire back say no he is the son of God he's the eternal second person of the trinity who died for your sins.

Don't we receive that kind of derision in return for a plain statement of our faith like that. Here's an example of the kind of falsehood that I think the world delights in. Maybe the kind of thing David was going against in Psalm 62 wielded like this baton ram to knock us off our foundation.

And I read this in World Magazine responding to the massacre in Orlando on June 12th. ACLU lawyer Chase Strangio he wrote this. The Christian right has introduced 200 anti-LGBT bills in the last six months.

I have no idea if that's right. I don't have no idea if that's correct. I don't know who the Christian right really is. But he says that they've written 200 of these anti-LGBT bills in the last six months.

And people blame Islam for this meaning the massacre in Orlando. He says no you see it's the fault of the Christians. It's your fault. Never mind the cries of allahu akbar or anything like that. Never mind this man's post that showed his affinity for his loyalty to ISIS.

This man wrote as an ACLU lawyer a specialist in LGBT rights that it's your fault my fault. Grace Baptist Church's fault. It's the fault of we who follow Jesus Christ. Is this not verse three of our psalm to attack a man to batter him like a leaning wall in a tottering fence only planning to thrust him down from a high position taking pleasure in falsehood blessing with their mouth but inwardly cursing though I would say that the curse has come out in this case.

So no wonder David begins with God. No wonder David the voice of experience tells us start with God. We need to remind ourselves of something that he is our rock not our confidence in ourselves not our sureness and our ability to parse out the Bible.

He Jesus Christ he alone is our rock. And we need to start there whatever is coming at us. And the second thing we see in verses five through ten he describes his futility of attacking a man whose strength is the Lord and he calls us to complete trust to be vested in him in God.

Now verses five and six start with a particle as the same particle that was up in verses one and two and I didn't mention it then. But this particle is a two-letter Hebrew word and it's kind of an ah an ah sound and it means something like surely or but yet or certainly.

So it would go something like this. Certainly God alone for God alone my soul waits in silence. Certainly he only is my rock and my salvation. And now down in verse five for God alone excuse me for God alone oh my soul wait in silence.

It's an affirmation it's an exclamation on these things. Verses five and six start with this one and it makes sense because it's almost the same as verses one and two. But the order here between verses one and two and verses five and six is instructive.

They say almost the same thing. But there is just there's one difference and it's just one word. It's an all-important word. It's there in verse two but it's missing in verse six. Let me read these to you again.

Verse two. He only is my rock of my salvation my fortress. I shall not be greatly moved. Verse five. Excuse me. Verse six. He only is my rock and my salvation my fortress. I shall not be shaken. Did you see the difference in verse two.

It says. I will not be greatly moved. I will not be much shaken. I will be knocked around a little bit but i won't be shoved off the rock. The fence is going to lean a bit more but it's not going to go all the way down to the ground.

I won't be greatly moved. And then in verse six after preaching this gospel to himself after asking how long are you going to keep this up. How long is your hypocrisy going to continue. When are you going to stop and take a look at yourselves and see this inward cursing with the outward blessing.

And just this complete dissonance between what you think and what you're actually saying. How long are you going to continue like that. And as he thinks about this and thinks about waiting on god and god being his rock and god being his salvation he gets to verse six and he takes away that word greatly.

And what are we left with. I shall not be moved. Period. Once we preach this gospel to ourselves again and again remind ourselves of the redemption we have in jesus christ. Remind ourselves that he is our rock that he is our salvation that he is the unchangeable one impervious to storm to water to whatever.

Then we can take away that word greatly and just say then i shall not be moved. And i'm done. I won't be shaken at all in christ. You see in christ i'm no tottering fence on my own. It wouldn't take a mule to knock me over.

And almost all of you here know that i have ms and it's really compromised my balance. So it doesn't take a good mule kick to knock me over. Some of you seen the little kids tug on me and i can almost go over.

But that's literal. That's my physical body in my spirit and in your spirit. If christ is in you you can't be knocked over at all. You can't be shaken off the rock that is him. Once i've set this gospel before myself once i've remembered jesus words i'm as moveable as the rock on which i stand which is him.

I'm as impervious to harm as the rock is to wind and water because of me. No because it is god that is the rock on which we stand. So now we can look at verse eight for a moment. And we look at verse eight.

I want you to notice that here is the heart of israel's shepherd. Listen to the spirit of the man who wrote the 23rd psalm as he says this to us. Trust in him at all times. Oh people pour out your heart before him.

God is a refuge for us. Now it's easy for a preacher to say right. That's just some platitude. That's some feel-good aphorism. Oh just pour your heart to him. Just sit down pray for a while and you'll feel better.

God will take care of it. No see it's more than that. This is the plea to you of a man who through hard experience has known god's deliverance. This is the man who had his enemy saw at his mercy but trusted in god rather than a sword.

This is the man whose facade was annihilated by nathan's parable whose public persona was made a shambles. Whose soul even at that moment sought after god and said i have sinned. This is the one who says to us trust in him.

Trust in him at all times. Oh people pour out your heart before him. God is a refuge for us. This is the voice of experience. This is the shepherd of israel who gave us the 23rd psalm. This is a man whose spirit has been refined in the furnace.

He says pour out your heart to him. Hold nothing back as peter says. Cast all your cares on him for he cares for you. The whole psalm is a call for us to rely upon god. To fall back on god to go to god.

And none other than god when these things come upon us. Not self-reliance. Not obviously looking to worldly ways as we'll get to in a few moments not going to the self-help section at the bookstore.

No god god alone. Trust him to hear you. Trust him to care for you. You ask when when do i do this. And i would say now is a good time if you're going through these sorts of things. Now is a really good time if you're not going through them.

Now is still a good time to prepare yourself for when they come when things are calm around you god's ear is in your direction. Say when if the world seems to be attacking you hating you blaming you for murders you didn't commit and didn't condone.

He's concerned that your hope and your trust stay fixed on him like a sacrifice of praise. Empty your heart at the throne of grace. That's what david is saying. And he knows what it is to do this. He knows what it is to face these things.

And again we can only guess at the situation that led to it. And i'm satisfied that there's no specific situation which strengthens the call of the psalm to trust in god. It's just a psalm that tells us in your whole life walking with christ trust in him at all times.

You people pour out your heart before him. Always. How do you know that you've cast your cares upon him. I mean it is something peter tells us cast your cares upon him for he cares for you. I think it's perfectly consistent with what david's saying here in psalm 62.

But how do we know. Is there a way to know that our cares have actually made it to the throne of grace. Well when our sleep is sweet it's because we are sure that our worries are where they belong with him.

When our speech remains scented with the gospel it's because god is preeminent in our thoughts. When we're driving home from work or from home to work and our thoughts are on christ and on glorifying him.

And all we do including at the office as we sit in our cubicles and do whatever we're paid for are our thoughts on christ. If so then i'd say you have at least good evidence that you have indeed cast your cares upon him and are trusting him with those cares.

Trusting God Instead of Man, Riches, and Worldly Ways

Why god. Why not man. That's pretty obvious pretty simple question any number of reasons. No end to the arguments in god's favor over and against trusting in men. But verse 9 if you look down one more from where we were a moment ago verse 9 kind of summarizes the whole question for us.

And david says. No. Don't look to man. Don't go that way. Stay on god. Whatever is going on stay on god however hard it is. Stay there. Pour out your heart to him. You don't see him but believe he is.

And he's a rewarder of those who diligently seek him. He says those of lowest state are but a breath. Those of highest state are a delusion. In the balances they go up they are together lighter than a breath.

The lowly man the peasant he's a breath the exalted man the one of power and influence he's a delusion a lie. All they set forward is an image a self-made exterior meant to impress others. If outwardly they might appear holy and pious inwardly they curse if they appear as friends.

In fact they are the ones trying to give that fence its final push. And david tells us much the same thing about them about their endurance as he did last week in psalm 39. The man is here for but a moment the word of lord stands forever.

The the verse could say something like surely just a breath. Are the sons of adam a lie. Delusions are the sons of men in the scale they go up to be measured and are found to be less than a vapor all together their whole substance just that mist that's gone as soon as it's exhaled.

So don't set your hopes there. Not there but only on god their ways. Their very existence is lighter than air. Don't set your store there. Verse 10 goes on. Put no trust in extortion. Set no vain hopes on robbery.

If riches increase set not your heart on them. Of course i'm not preaching to anyone who would extort another person or rob their home. And of course we would set our hearts on christ and not on riches of this world.

Worldly ways are not our ways. Riches are not our goal. And so extortion is even in our vocabulary. Robbery is no different as the apostle says. Let the thief no longer steal but rather let him labor doing honest work with his own hands so that he may have something to share with anyone in need.

There are many worldly ways of achieving our aims. The problem is that their aims are usually if ever they're not god's friendship with the world is enmity against god. So his point here is pretty clear is trusting in god isn't just praying and pouring out your heart and casting your cares upon him.

It is that but it's also doing things the way his scripture was set out for us obeying his commandments following his ways being like jesus in a word. Trusting in god is a condition of the spirit a condition of the heart.

The new heart that god gives you when he regenerates your soul and gives you faith to believe and repent. It's also an active doing. It's a doing or a refraining a doing of what he says to do and a refraining from what he says not to do.

And in whatever situation god's word is sufficient and complete and will tell us what that is. And i don't want to multiply the examples because we don't have the historical context of psalm 62 other than david's whole life being one where we know we're hearing the voice of experience here.

Friendship with the world is enmity against god. Do not follow their ways. Do not not just extortion. Do not just fail or abstain from robbery. Worldly ways are not god's ways. And look to his word. Look to his word first and foremost.

Trust in him by prayer. Trust in him by the actual doing of what he says to do. And third and finally verses 1 to 12. This is all grounded in the power and the immutability of god. God is powerful. God is unchangeable.

Once god has spoken twice i've heard that his power belongs to god. And that to you oh lord belongs steadfast love. What power is he speaking of. I go pretty far forward in the scriptures. But what is the power that is worked toward you if you believe in the lord jesus christ.

The apostle paul says in ephesians 1 that the power that god exerted in christ when he raised him from the dead is the same power he works toward you who believe in jesus christ whom he raised from the dead.

Power belongs to god. The power to trust him. The power to do his will. The power to read his scripture and believe it. Power belongs to god. But it is work towards you who believe in him through jesus christ.

God has spoken. He said this. The power belongs to him and it belongs to him also his steadfast love. And he finishes with. For you will render to a man according to his work. The power to see you through the steadfast and unchanging mercy of god who exerts his power on your behalf.

So alluding back to verse eight again trust in him at all times. Oh people when men try to knock you down. Trust in him. When you're lied about derided degraded. When your reputation is at stake because it is god's repute over which you're concerned.

Trust in him when you're being attacked. Yes then trust in god. His psalm has his origin in the forge of life. David speaks of what he knows by hard experience. He's not some neophyte with a novel idea.

It's no simple catchphrase. It seems to me that the lack of a hard and fast historical contact context strikes strengthens his psalm and the lessons it has for us. He said we can't tell ourselves that when we're tempted to count on the to count the fighting men or or the bank roll or any other earthly resource that god has used to be used for his glory.

That you should then we should trust in god. Trust in him at all times. Not just in a specific context that we can pull out of history. Like when david failed to trust in that business with basheba or counting the fighting men not one across that street is the forbidden fruit.

Married to another. Yes trust him. But trust before them. Trust in him at all times. I mentioned earlier that hebrew particle actually occurs six times. That ah sound i said it's. It's a but yet meaning but yet as opposed to anything else.

But yet but only this. Surely this verse one many noises are drowning out drowning out our focus. But yet wait on god. Verse two. Many alternative strengths or powers are proposed. But yet he only is my rock.

Verse five. Their threat is real but yet find rest in god. Verse six. As to any other strength but yet he will hold me fast. Verse nine. Men elevate themselves but yet they have no more substance than just a breath.

And verse 10 their conniving seems to pay off. But yet we must steer clear. So when do we trust god. I think the question would be better put when do we not trust god. I men won't change but neither will god.

Their derision will always be there to try and topple us down which is not us really. But christ is god thereafter. God though is completely unchangeable. So preach this to yourself. When the storms rise up say quiet my soul be still.

Remember that god is your fortress your rock your silence. Oh my soul. Trust in him at all times. Oh you people pour out your heart before him. Remember that god renders to each one according to his works.

Galatians 6 7 says they will receive what is their just due. So when do we have to trust god as long as man is man. When do we trust god as long as god is god. I want to close with the last half of the final verse.

This is part and parcel with the whole of the psalm. And it's called to be unwavering in our confidence in god. He says. For you will render to a man according to his work. You see god is no respecter of persons.

He acts in accord with his nature. He acts in accord with his revealed will. Do not be deceived. Paul says in galatians do not be deceived. God is not mocked for whatever one sows that he will also reap.

This might be the hardest of all tests of patience and faith to wait quietly trusting in god to be the avenger and the arbiter of all wrongs. And he says that he will render to a man according to his work.

It strikes me that these works that are coming against him these works that are causing david to tell us to trust in god. Can't we read those and think of first corinthians 6 and say but such were some of you that if god rendered to each one according to his works where would we be.

We'd be condemned for all of sin and fall short of the glory of god. If god rendered to me what i deserve i wouldn't have had my breath this morning. I wouldn't be in existence now. But i'd be in existence in another place far worse.

You know god did render to one according to my works which is why i can stand here now. And lord willing he has rendered to one according to your works. Which is why you can sit here now and hopefully appreciate what i'm trying to say this morning.

He rendered to jesus christ according to our works. And nothing good that we've done. Of course without jesus no one does any good at all. Would you take my point says he made him who knew no sin to be sinned for us.

He rendered unto jesus our deeds. He put him on jesus our iniquities. All the times we tried to knock god down like a tottering fence all the times we thumbed our nose at him disregarded him disrespected him.

All that work it was rendered to you or to me or to anyone else today such as is deserved. Hell would have started quite some time ago. But he rendered it to jesus. His wrath was poured out. All his righteous anger at our sins has been delivered has been rendered has been judged has been punished and all in jesus christ.

And i say this. And you say well what does that mean to me. What that means to you is repent of all those works repent of your sin nature that led to those works and repent of those deeds that you did and thank god that they were put upon jesus christ on your behalf.

As paul says the son of god who died for me. And if you can't say he died for me then that's not faith in him. It's personal. It's apprehended one at a time. God will render according to your works. If those works were rendered on jesus christ then they've been answered by jesus christ.

If they'll be rendered to you you will answer for your works. And without going into a lot of detail i would just tell you your answer will be nothing. You have nothing at all to say and god will say depart from me.

You who practice lawlessness david tells us to wait on god is an exercise in faith a practice of faith. What does it mean to wait. It means to seek his will before we act. Maybe your detractors will be publicly shamed as peter did simon magis or paul did alimas.

But let that sharp response await the auditor review and ensure that it comes from the vault of god's word and not from the resource of our own flesh. Let it be from there from god's word from his revelation of himself that our words in response are withdrawn.

What is it to wait quietly on god. A quiet soul is one that is patient and confident. This one trusts god to give an answer. We've often been told that sometimes the answer is yes and sometimes it's no.

And sometimes god's complete silence is the answer. I have to tell you i'm personally not comfortable with that last option that god just hears our prayers and does nothing at all. Lets us go along and have no idea of his personal answer.

His one-on-one answer to you in this situation. Could that be what peter meant when he said cast your cares upon him for he cares for you. Could that mean what the apostle says this is we may boldly approach the throne of grace and there find help in time of need.

Could that be what david means when he says pour out your heart to him. Pour out your soul to him. That he just might not answer. I don't see that i don't appreciate that answer. That only tells us that if god is waiting that maybe he's not going to answer.

And therefore we take a non-answer as an answer. And i think that's illogical. And i think it's unbiblical. This psalm says that there's a certainty that he does hear. He will answer. He's full of steadfast love.

He's full of mercy. He loves god. Or he loves christ's children. He loves those for whom his son died. If your faith is in christ that's you. And jesus says that the love that god has for him for jesus christ himself is the love he has for those who are in him equals.

It's the same. Why trust him at all times. Because he answers at all times. Because he hears the individual at all times. It's not some mere hope. It's not just a happy wish. It's a certainty in god's nature.