God Answers with Peace - Psalm 4:1-8

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Psalm 4 God Answers with Peace 2019-06-02 Having been called by God, God hears and answers our call “Sticks and stone may break my bones, but words will never hurt me.” This is a little playground poetry. Perhaps you were taught this as a child. Maybe you’ve even taught it to your child. But, if we’re honest, as much as we might hope it is true, we know it isn’t. Words do hurt. Things spoken can cause great damage. The damage may not always be physical and visible, but the hurt, the heartache, and the division caused by words is immense. Proverbs 12:18 “There is one whose rash words are like sword thrusts, but the tongue of the wise brings healing.” James 3:5–6 “How great a forest is set ablaze by such a small fire! And the tongue is a fire, a world of unrighteousness. The tongue is set among our members, staining the whole body, setting on fire the entire course of life, and set on fire by hell.” What are we to do when verbal swords thrusts are made at us? When verbal darts are aimed at us? These can be very upsetting and distressing. Scripture Passage: Psalm 4:1-8 But in this Psalm, David was dealing with just such an occasion. Having been called by God, God hears and answers our call In Times of Distress, Call Out to God (v.1) 1. v.1a “Answer me when I call, O God of my righteousness.” - The Psalmist calls out to God. This isn’t a demand, but a plea. David is in distress in this psalm. Many commentators link this psalm with Psalm 3, where David has been run out of Jerusalem by his own son, Absalom. We can’t be certain that is the context of Psalm 4, but nevertheless we do have evidence of trial, distress, of enemies. And in this, he calls out to the God of his righteousness. 1. David calls out to the “God of my righteousness.” In this he acknowledges God as the source of righteousness; that God is righteous and that God makes righteous. It is to this righteous God that David is inclined and prays, looking for help and grace and mercy. 2. Haven’t you found that, in times of distress, people then call out to their God? Sometimes it’s the God of their fathers, which they unfortunately haven’t known as their own God. Other times it’s the god of their own making, carved and fashioned in their own image, like the idols the Prophet Isaiah describes in Isaiah 44. 3. In times of distress, where or what are you inclined to? What’s that thing or where is that place you turn to for solace and comfort, for support and coping? It might be substances that dull the pain for you. It could be food or shopping or internet sites or exercise or work to distract you. But turning to these things for comfort and coping will only multiply troubles. Would you fix a cracked dish with a hammer? Can you satisfy your thirst with a cup of gravel? 2. v.1b “You have given me relief when I was in distress.” - The language conveys being in a tight and constricted place. Have you felt this before? Having distress in your life that feels like it’s constricting around you? Maybe even causing tightness in your chest? David says that it has been the Lord that has taken him in times like that and made him feel relaxed and comfortable. From a narrow and treacherous trail to a broad place with good footing. 1. The Psalmist bases his present request on God’s past faithfulness. It’s always a good practice to recount the past faithfulness of God. Transition: He first speaks to God, and only then is he ready to speak to men. In the next five verses he addresses those who are opposing him and causing him distress, and he shows that… In Times of Upset, Have Confidence in God (vv.2-5) 1. v.2 “O men, how long shall my honor be turned into shame? How long will you love vain words and seek after lies?” - Men were seeking to upset the kingdom of Israel, turning it upside down and doing what was right in their own eyes. 1. Here we see the trouble David was in. Where Psalm 3 was primarily about physical threat and trial, Psalm 4 is more about the trial of rejection, disapproval, of a marred reputation and a struggle for identity. Men were taking David, the God-appointed and God-anointed king of Israel, and despising him, listening to empty words and lies spoken about him. 2. v.3 “But know that the LORD has set apart the godly for himself; the LORD hears when I call to him.” - But just as we saw in v.1 that David called out to the Lord in his distress, he also steels his soul’s confidence in God in times of upset. He remembers that his being set apart is not the work of men, but a divine work of God. And because David knows that his setting apart is from God, he is confident he will be listened to by God. 1. You probably know more about this than you think. Don’t you have things set apart for yourself? Items precious to you, that you give special attention to? Those dishes kept away from the ordinary tableware for daily use, those pieces of jewelry passed down from your grandmother, or that old set of wrenches inherited from your grandfather. In many cases the value isn’t even intrinsic to the items. I pulled an old MTB pedal out of a box this week while I was putting a bike together for Charis. Yes, a pedal, with no mate. I’m not keeping it because it’s precious metal, or because one pedal is going to do me any good. I’m keeping it because it’s a reminder of a horrendously wonderful mountain bike ride with Seth years ago, where we hiked our bikes through a seemingly endless amount of blowdown, all the while being tormented by possibly the most mosquitoes I’ve ever encountered in my life. Then, when the trail finally cleared and we could ride again, I discovered that I had lost a pedal during our hike-a-bike, and there was no way I was going back into the lair of the mosquito to find it. 2. Listen to this, brother and sister - you are precious to God and he has chosen you as the object of his affection. There’s nothing inherently in you that would cause God to treat you so kindly. In fact, God loves us in spite of us. While we were enemies Christ died for us. But you have been set apart as God’s chosen and precious possession. Amazing, isn’t it? 3. From this understanding comes our confidence. “The LORD hears when I call to him.” This is grace upon grace. 1. The world rejects and upsets and loves vanity and listens to lies, but the Lord sets apart the godly and listens. Who do you turn to? Whose approval are you seeking? 3. v.4 “Be angry, and do not sin; ponder in your own hearts on your beds, and be silent…” - He is still speaking to his enemies. This verse is a little like handing someone a grenade. It must be handled carefully. Encouraging someone to be angry is a dangerous venture. We all tend to think our anger is just. But what can we be justly angry about? Sin. That’s the context here. Other English translations say “Tremble and do not sin” or “Stand in awe, and sin not.” The idea is agitation and trembling over sin, especially your own. David is preaching to his enemies, calling them to consider their own sin and to stop. Look at the confidence of David! 4. v.5 “Offer right sacrifices, and put your trust in the LORD.” - Then, having called his enemies to tremble over their sin, he calls them to offer sacrifices acceptable to the Lord and to trust him. 1. Psalm 51:17 “The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise.” David is doing the work of an evangelist. What confidence! He is preaching to his enemies, calling them to repentance, to have broken hearts restored and mended by faith. This is the gospel! Transition: In David’s time of distress he called out to God. Then, even in a time of turmoil and upset, he exhibits great confidence in God. We finish this morning by seeing that… In Any and All Times, Our Greatest Reward is God (vv.6-8) 1. v.6 “There are many who say, ‘Who will show us some good?’” - Isn’t that an honest assessment of what people are after? The question, though, is what is good? We spoke earlier of substances or food or shopping or internet sites or exercise or work; these things that can serve as functional saviors for us, gods of our own making to help us cope, but can never satisfy. David is after something great. David knows the greatest good is the light of the Lord’s presence upon him. Because of that he doesn’t need to look to the temporal and material, but he looks to the eternal Lord. David knew the greatest prize, the greatest reward, was the presence of God. 2. v.7 “You have put more joy in my heart than they have when their grain and wine abound.” - The bonus at work, the big tax refund, or the new line of credit so you can pretend like you have lots of money. No, what brought David the greatest joy was the presence of the Lord. 1. I had a conversation at my work’s lunch table this week that led to an opportunity to share about my trip to Burkina Faso West Africa in 2008. There were many things that made an impression on me, but chief among them was the joy these believers had, even though they were living with such lack of daily necessities. They were even generous. 3. v.8 “In peace I will both lie down and sleep; for you alone, O LORD, make me dwell in safety.” - What is the result when we call to God in times of distress, have confidence in God during times of upset, and look to God as our greatest reward? Peace. 1. Peace - The Hebrew shalom. Completeness, soundness, well-being. 2. Numbers 6:24–26 “The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you; the Lord lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace.” Conclusion: David was set apart by God and for God. In distress and upset he looked to God, calling out to him and trusting in him. In the trials and challenges of your week, I encourage you to look to the Lord, to call out to God and gain this great perspective of David. y l i m Fa 23-25 Table Talk June 2, 2019 GOD’S TRUTH Having been called by God, God hears and answers our call! Family Discussion 1. Have you had difficult days? Days that leave you tired, afraid or despairing? What do you do in response? 2. Did you know that your response to hardship reveals where your faith is? Did you know your response to your own sin reveals where your Hope is? Did you know your response to affliction reveals where your true joy is? Consider the Scriptures listed in #2 of the Table Reading. Do these truths reflect your heart? 3. Read Psalm 4 as a family. In this prayer can you identify what David’s affliction was? Who made him righteous? Who was his faith in? Where did his hope lie? Where was his joy found? What gave him peace? Do you share David’s testimony in this chapter concerning our Lord? Do you share in similar affliction (vs 2)? Be encouraged by David’s example in prayer. 4. consider, the answer to all these questions lie in only one place. Where might that be? ……The person of Jesus Christ, our Savior, our Lord. Read Hebrews 12:1-2. Be encouraged by the example of Jesus himself, offer right sacrifices and put your trust in the Lord! Key Verse “Answer me when I call, O God of my righteousness! You have given me relief when I was in distress. Be gracious to me and hear my prayer!” Psalm 4:1 ESV TABLE READING Lead your kids into God’s Word... 2. Romans 8:18-2 Corinthians 4:7-11; 1 Timothy 1:12-16; Romans 8:24-28 3. Psalm 4:1-8 4. Hebrews 12:1-2 Scripture Memory: Psalm 1:1-2 “And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise. You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.” - Deuteronomy 6:6-9 (ESV)
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