Sermon Tone Analysis

If Psalm 15 had modern day theme music to accompany it, it would be the song, “Who Are You?” by The Who.

Before the came up with 17 different iterations for CSI (CSI: Miami, CSI: New York, CSI: Cyber, CSI: Walmart), the original series borrowed the chorus of this song:

Who are you?

Who, who, who, who?

Who are you?

Who, who, who, who?

Who are you?

Who, who, who, who?

It’s a catchy tune.

It’s an even more important question, one that David seems to be asking himself; one that God seems to be asking each one of us, as we let this psalm search us.

If you have your Bible (and I hope you do) please turn with me to Psalm 15.

If you are able and willing, please stand for the reading of God’s Holy Word.

May God add His blessing to the reading of His Holy Word!

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This psalm gets right to the heart of the matter.

It begins with a question, with the question, really.

“Lord, who may dwell in your sanctuary?

Who may live on your holy mountain?”

This is the question that matters.

In David’s time, there was sort of a double ‘sanctuary’ and ‘holy hill’.

The ark of the covenant was in Jerusalem and worship took place there.

However, the tabernacle had been at Gibeon (about 5 miles NW of Jerusalem) and so sacrificial worship took place there.

David’s concern isn’t with geography, with a specific location.

His concern is with what should take place in Jerusalem and/or Gibeon—worship and communion with the Lord Yahweh.

Psalm 15 is markedly different than Psalm 14.

Last week, we looked at the depraved fool who said starkly, “There is no God.”

But here in Psalm 15 is one who desires God, who seems to think that nothing is quite so important as meeting the conditions for enjoying fellowship with God.

Sadly this is a priority we lose sight of all too often; we mix up what is most important.

There’s was a story a few years back about an orthopedic surgeon in Boston who was suspended from his medical practice and stripped of his license.

The cause?

Six hours into a spinal fusion procedure this surgeon told his colleagues in the operating room that he had to step out for a minute.

What was so urgent?

He had to go to the bank to deposit his paycheck.

Oddly enough, the board of medicine seemed to think that back surgery was more important than a bank deposit.

We tend to fall into similar trap.

We lose sight of the fact that most the matters we are most wound up about aren’t really that important.

Truth be told, family outings, sporting events, community activities, our media and video game obsessions, club and organization obligations are all a bunch of pretty trivial clutter.

Maybe this first line of Psalm 15 will wake us up and make us think about that which really matters.

The question is, in a word, “Who?” 10-11 times the word “who” is used (NIV), and it’s assumed a few more times as the conditions are ratted off.

“Who?”

Who can enjoy the fellowship and friendship of the Lord?

Well, verses 2-5 tell us.

And the verses seem to put themselves into a few neat categories for us.

Tendencies (v. 2)

The one who may enjoy fellowship with the Lord has certain tendencies, some typical ways they function.

Their walk is blameless.

The way they conduct their lives in a faithful manner.

“Blameless” doesn’t mean flawless or sinless; it doesn’t mean perfect.

It’s the way Abram was to live.

The Lord told Abram: “Walk before me faithfully and be blameless.”

This is basic covenant loyalty to the Lord.

Their walk, their way of life, their behavior and actions are in keeping with the Lord’s will and commands.

Their walk is blameless and it plays itself out externally—they do what is righteous—and internally—they speak the truth from their hearts.

Half of this is something others can observe.

The external, the doing what is righteous is something others can witness.

The internal is open only to the Lord’s scrutiny.

Only the Lord truly knows what’s going on in one’s heart.

This, then, is the tendency/the tone of life of the one who worships the Lord and will enjoy fellowship with him: they live out of heart surrender to the Lord and both the external and internal parts of their lives are consistent with that commitment.

Speech (v. 3)

“Oh, no.

Pastor’s gonna preach about our speech again—gossip, slander, unwholesome talk...”

Well, sort of, yes.

More significantly and far more searching is that the Bible speaks about our speech again.

And again and again.

For the one who will enjoy fellowship and relationship with God, their speech will be governed by restraint.

This, in a day and age where every thought, every cowardly criticism, every backbiting comment, every opinion is aired publicly on Facebook or Twitter or Instagram or Snapchat or whatever you crazy kids use these days.

We have lost all sense of restraint where our speech is concerned.

Restraint is not only good common sense, it’s biblical.

Let me give you a little tip: you don’t have to say everything that comes to mind.

You don’t have to comment on every single post you see.

You don’t have to fight every online battle.

The better part of self-control would have you do very, very little of that.

Just stop.

Especially if it’s not something you’d say directly to that person, it’s probably a bad idea.

Restraint is a characteristic of the one who will enjoy fellowship and communion with the Lord.

They won’t utter slander or wrong their neighbor or cast a slur on anyone.

Sounds pretty nice.

In their speech, the one who would dwell with God and live with Him does not mock or ridicule.

The word the NIV translates slur and other versions translate reproach or derision, is the same word used to explain the mockery Goliath heaped upon Israel and Israel’s God.

When you’re a giant, you can get away with some of this stuff, but you’re not going to mock God.

God will not be mocked or slurred; He will take no reproach.

The one who wants to be with the Lord on His Holy hill doesn’t mock or ridicule others because of their conditions or circumstances.

This verse explains what the would-be worshipper does not do.

Affections (v.

4a)

This one deals with just the first couple lines of verse 4 (verse 4a): Who despise those whose ways are vile, but honor whoever fears the Lord.

Their affections are set on those they despise and those they honor.

Now, this is the opposite of politically correct.

To despise anyone is a difficult stance to take.

But, it makes sense when you understand that the one who wants to be with the Lord cannot look with tolerance upon those who oppose the ways of the Lord.

The worshipper of the Lord has preferences, makes distinctions; they have affection for God’s people and distaste for those who oppose God’s people and God’s ways.

It’s always at this point that someone starts to think “Well, Jesus says, ‘Judge not’”—the most referenced and ill-quoted verse in the Bible.

After Jesus said, “Judge not,” (meaning stop it with the hypocritical judgment) He went onto tell those listening that they needed to make general judgments.

After “Judge not,” Jesus said,

In other words, the one who wants to fellowship with the Lord must make judgments, they must be discerning.

Disciples are called to make certain judgments (“Are they dogs or hogs?”).

There are things and people to honor, and things and people to despise, rough as that sounds.

Those who follow the Lord must have their affections settled.

Integrity (v.

4b)

The one who would worship and be with the Lord must be a person of integrity, as expressed by the last line of verse 4: they keep their oaths, even when it hurts (he who goes on oath to his own harm and does not change).