Psalm 73 Part 1

Have you ever been let down by someone you really respected? Maybe someone in church, someone you looked up to, and when they messed up, it hit you harder than you expected. It’s easy to get distracted and to start pulling back. Sometimes we put too much weight on people’s opinions instead of keeping our focus where it belongs. Today, Pastor Dr. Timothy Brown reminds us of something important: we’re not following people, we’re following Jesus.

Transcript

SPEAKER_01 0:02

Welcome to Truth for Transformation with Dr. Timothy Brown. You're about to hear a message from God's Word filled with biblical wisdom, practical insights, and life-changing truths. A message designed to inspire your faith and give encouragement.

SPEAKER_00 0:21

There is no such thing as a perfect church. We are sinners saved by the grace of God, right? And so what happens is people, instead of focusing on God and why we're here to worship God, we get distracted by the examples that go astray. And it's easy, I've done it before. I've had so many people in my life that I looked up to and respected go astray. But you know what I've tried to remind myself, I'm not following them, I'm following who? Jesus.

SPEAKER_01 0:52

Have you ever been let down by someone you really respected? Maybe someone in church, someone you looked up to. And when they messed up, it hit you harder than you expected. It's easy to get distracted and start pulling back. Sometimes we put too much weight on people's opinions instead of keeping our focus where it belongs. Today, Dr. Timothy Brown reminds us of something important. We're not following people, we're following Jesus. Prepare your heart, open your mind, and get ready to embark on a journey of faith with Dr. Timothy Brown in the book of Psalm chapter 73 with today's edition of Truth for Transformation.

SPEAKER_00 1:34

So we're gonna be in Psalm 73. And how many of you have seen the movie Unbroken? Louis Zamparini. It's an incredible story. He his backstory is he was kind of a rebellious teenager, and he made it to the Olympics and did really well until World War II started. So he joined the army, and uh he was doing okay until he got shipwrecked and he was on the sea, I believe it was for 47 days, and sharks came. So uh sharks were attacking him. All this was happening until he got rescued, but it was by the enemy troops, and so he found himself in captivity for two years. And so, if 47 days wasn't enough, two years, but his spirit was unbroken, and he decided he was going to persevere, and he had a lot of suffering until the war ended, and all of a sudden he went home. He's like, it's time to start life over, and life was good until he turned to drinking, and he began to drink himself to a point where his wife was really concerned, his kids were really concerned. And Zamporini, as the story goes, he got invited to does anybody know what he got invited to? A Billy Graham crusade. And his life was going downhill until he heard the gospel. That there is a God who loves you far beyond your wildest dreams, and he died on the cross. His name's Jesus. And Jesus rose again, and Zamparini accepted Christ, and he forgave all the people that tortured him when he was a hostage, and it all happened until he surrendered his life. So today I want to preach on one word. I don't know if I've ever preached on one word in 27 years. This one word is until. So if you're in Psalm 73, I want you to say until. So the basic framework, it's in your listening guide, it's Psalm 73, verse 17. And ASAP says, until I went into the sanctuary of God, then I understood therein. So just to kind of frame this passage, how many of you are struggling with what's going on in the world today? Raise your hand. How many of you are just tired of looking at the news? It's it's bad news. Well, God has sent this preacher from Appalachia from the mountains to give you some good news in a bad news world. And the good news is that whenever you get a paradigm shift, it changes your life. You are heading one direction, and all of a sudden there's a shift. So Asaph, the psalmist, is going to experience a paradigm shift. Someone say shift. So we're going to be in Psalm 73. We're going to start in verse 1. Truly, God is good to Israel, to such as are pure in heart. So he's framing this passage to say, hey, I'm about to share something negative. But before that, let me give you the summary. Here's my conclusion. God is still good. Even when the world around you is falling apart, God is still good. Even when it seems like people are going astray left and right, God is still good. No matter what's happening to you, God is still good. But notice his reality, verse 2. In verse 2, he says, but as for me. Have you ever been there? God is good, but I'm struggling. God is good, but I feel like quitting. God is good, but it's hard to still be a good husband, a good wife, a good grandmother. Have you ever been there? Asaph said, I know God is good, but as for me, my feet had almost stumbled. My steps had nearly slipped. So here's the thing, he didn't go astray. He said, I almost did. He said, I thought about leaving God. And by the way, Asaph was a worship leader. He's like, I thought about walking away from my faith. I thought about leaving my God almost. So what I want to do is preach on one word, and it's that word until. And I want to give you five mind-shifting, paradigm-changing realities that's going to change your life if you'll if you'll let him. Because I dare to say that the world is not going to get better, it's going to get worse until Jesus comes. Right? So, what's going to happen if you, like Asaph, take your eyes off of God, you're going to slip. You're going to trip. So the first reality is this Asaph would tell us, God is always good, but as for me, I almost slipped and I almost tripped until. Someone say the word until. So we're going to focus on that word until. So who is Asaph? A little bit of background about Asaph. First of all, he's a Levite and a musician. He's actually the chief musician. So Asaph would be the lead worship pastor for Israel. He was a contemporary of David. So he was a very important person. He was the lead worship pastor. He was a psalmist. He wrote 12 Psalms. And those psalms are Psalm 50 and Psalm 73 through 83. So to have 12 Psalms in the Bible, that's pretty important. He was a prophet. Now it's very rare for someone to be a worship pastor and a prophet. Now, what is a prophet? It's someone that speaks things about God, proclaims what God is doing, proclaims the word, and occasionally a prophet would predict things to come. So Asaph was a prophet. The reference to that is 2 Chronicles 29, 30. As I mentioned, he led the choir. How many of you missed choirs, singing choirs before? All right? Now choirs are hard to lead because you have so many people and you got to get them singing in unity, right? Got to get them singing together. So he had leadership abilities. He was a contemporary of David. So I want you to notice how this Psalm 73, it begins with a focus on the goodness of God, and it ends with a focus on the goodness of God. But in between, he's distracted, he's discouraged, he feels like quitting, he feels like giving up. And so what happens is when you ask the why question: why is God so good to the good, but why is he good to the bad? I mean, you get that scenario, he can understand God being good to the good. Biblically, we know there's none of us that are perfect or good, right? But good from a human standpoint. Asaph knew God is good to the good, but why is he good to the bad? Why is he good to those who are getting ahead that do not care about God? That was the question. So instead of focusing on the goodness of God in verse 1, he changes to focusing on the depravity of man. His perspective, his mindset completely change. How many of you have heard of Coach Jim Harbaugh? Coach Jim is an amazing coach, and he and his brother John are pretty famous for being NFL coaches, college coaches, uh, doing some great things. And so Jim had this saying that's always stuck with me, and my kids do it as a chant. So I'm gonna tell you the backstory and I may get my kids in this chant. So kids get ready on the front row. So Jim would say that his Jack Dad, his dad's name was Jack, that whenever they were growing up, he didn't know it at the time, but they were poor. So they didn't have a car. But for Michigan College football, that whenever you were a coach, they would give you a loaner car. It was called a dealer car. For those of you working in car business, you get a dealership car. They would let the coach use it. But sometimes they would get ready for school and the mom would take off of the car, so they'd be like, Jim and John would be like, Where are we going? Where's the car? He's like, We're gonna walk to school. And all of a sudden they would walk to school and he'd say, All right, each of you get a basketball, a hundred dribbles on the left hand, a hundred dribbles on the right hand, and they would be like making it instead of like drag, we have to walk to school, he would tell his kids, Who has it better than us? Let's hear it again, who has it better than us? So life would happen. And so Jim and John went back to their home growing up, and it was like this very impoverished house. And he began to think, How can my dad always say, Who has it better than us?

unknown 10:19

Nobody.

SPEAKER_00 10:20

And he realized it was perspective, right? It was perspective. And ASAP, what we're gonna see, not just for Jim Harbor, but for us, whenever we get our eyes off eternity and focus on the temporary, what happens is we lose perspective. What happens is we get discouraged. What happens is we can basically get bitter. And this will all happen until, someone say until. So look at verse 3. We're just going to go verse by verse as is our custom. He says, For I was envious of the boastful when I saw the prosperity of the wicked. For there are no pangs in their death, their strength is firm, they are not in trouble as other men, nor is they're plagued like other men. He's saying, Listen, I look at the lost people around me, and they're doing better than I am. I'm at the hospital more often, they're not, right? I'm struggling financially, they're not. So he, verse one, he went from the goodness of God to like the world around me is fallen. Have you ever been there? Like, it's easy to get caught up in the depravity of humans, right? And verse six, therefore, pride serves as their necklace. So, how many of you ladies have a nice necklace at home or wearing it today? Right? You think about this is the crowning jewels. So he's saying their crowning jewel is pride. So their virtue is their vice.

SPEAKER_01 12:07

You've been listening to Pastor Timothy Brown. We'll be right back with the message. But first, we'd like to share some exciting news with you. We're releasing Dr. Timothy's new book called Go After Jesus. This book is a fresh approach to discipleship and focuses on your identity in Christ as the launching pad for Christian growth. In Go After Jesus, Pastor Timothy paints the picture of the six identities for every follower of Christ. You are a speaker, a disciple, a friend, a fisherman, a warrior, and a lover. We're currently offering two free chapters of this book as a digital download. To get your free chapters, go to Dr. Timothy's website at drtimothybrown.org. Now let's get back to the rest of the message with Pastor Timothy.

SPEAKER_00 12:52

If you had to characterize this person, it would be they're prideful, right? And some of you know people like that. Their virtue is their vice. Violence covers them like a garment. Verse 7, their eyes bulge out with abundance. They have more than their heart could wish. So this is not the fact, he's not saying that they're overweight. He's saying that their eyes bulge out, that whatever they see, they get. Whatever they want, they have. How many of you know people that get whatever they want? Does that make them really happy in the long run? All right? As one country music star used to saying back in the day, it's not having what you want, it's wanting what you have, right? The great theologian Cheryl Crow. Just kidding. That was a joke. You can laugh at that. Verse 12. Behold, these are the ungodly. This is a summary of his short-sighted temporary perspective. These are the ungodly who are always at ease. They increase with riches. So I want you guys to think about it. What happens when you're you're doing the right things? You're like, let's say you're following the Lord, you're going to church, you're serving the church, and all of a sudden your mind shifts from the goodness of God to the hypocrites in the church. How many of you have heard people say, I would go to church, but the church is full of, by the way, we got room for one more. We got room for one more. Here's the thing: there is no such thing as a perfect church. We are sinners saved by the grace of God, right? And so what happens is people, instead of focusing on God and why we're here to worship God, we get distracted by the examples that go astray. And it's easy. I I've done it before. I've had so many people in my life that I looked up to and respected go astray. But you know what I've tried to remind myself, I'm not following them, I'm following who? Jesus. And as long as the Lord allows me to be your pastor, I'm always going to tell you the focus is never on a person except the person of the Lord Jesus Christ. People come and people go in your life, but the Lord is the faithful constant. David said, Even if my father and mother forsake me, the Lord will what? He will raise me up. So I just want to encourage you in our world where these are the last days. Paul tells Timothy, in the last days, things are going to get worse. Read first and second Timothy. Things are going to get worse. So what you need to do is keep your eyes and your heart fixed and focused on the Lord Jesus Christ. So I want to give you by application seven potential pitfalls when you or I take our eyes off Jesus. And I want to frame this as you remember when Peter asked Jesus, hey Lord, if it's you, bid me to come, and he said, Come, and Peter does what on the water? He walks on the water. But as soon as he gets his eyes on the things around Jesus and not on Jesus himself, what happens to Peter? He sinks. And by the way, even if you're the strongest Christian here at Radiant Church, if for just a split moment you can take your eyes off of Jesus, you and I too will sink. You and I will suffer, just like Asaph. So we can relate with Asaph. God is good to Israel, but for me, I nearly slipped. I nearly tripped. So here's seven pitfalls, just really briefly. Envy will cloud your perspective. Whenever you're focused on someone's highlight reel instead of what's real, you will begin to envy. Asaph is struggling because the wicked are prospering and he's suffering. Bitterness will grow and thankfulness will shrivel. If you are focused on what you do not have and instead of what God has blessed you with, listen, it's going to change your perspective. Lori and I focus some on, we we watch some of these YouTubers that they have multiple kids. It's one of these reality shows. And one family has like five kids and they're living out in a tent. I'm talking about a tent with five kids. And they're like, we're in this together. They're doing worship together. And I'm like, most of us are struggling living in a house or a trailer. These people are in a tent, but their focus is solely on God. And I'm like, that's so inspiring, right? It's about your perspective. Hope will diminish and pessimism will flourish. If you see someone that's pessimistic, there's many factors. I don't want to oversimplify it, but one of the factors is that they're pessimistic because they've drank the poison of comparison. They're comparisoning their life with the Joneses and the neighbors and whoever else they look at and they're like, my life doesn't measure up. Stop comparing. You will eventually either stop going to church or you'll become inactive in God's kingdom work. So I've seen so many people, Lori and I recently had a conversation with a married couple that they're not in church. And they were saying they're not in church, and they gave this list of reasons. And the reality is it's easy to give reasons. But if you if you focus on the fallenness of man instead of the goodness of God, you will drive out of church. You will grow discouraged. Many of you have experienced that. The other application, instead of sharing your faith, you'll start sharing the latest gossip. How many of you know that Christians love gossip, right? You get the phone call. Have you heard? Did you hear? And it's like, instead of sharing gossip, we're called to share the great greatest news of all time. I don't want to share bad news. I want to be a herald of the gospel. I want to share the good news. And all God's people said, Amen and ouch. Eventually, compromise will start happening in your life when you focus is no longer on Jesus. Going back to Peter, you know, he walked on water, he got his eyes distracted. Fast forward to the Gospels. Do you remember, or not the Gospels, the Epistles? You remember in Galatians, Paul had to rebuke Peter? Why? Peter at one point in time became racist. You remember he didn't want to eat with the Gentiles. And Paul's like, listen, you are not being faithful to the gospel. For a moment, his eyes was off Jesus and on to cultural issues. So he's like, you got to focus on Jesus. And Paul rebuked Peter. So even the best leaders can go astray. Your spiritual life will suffer and your walk and witness will become ineffective. So here's the idea: God wants your spiritual life to flourish and to prosper. But Asaph, he's like, I looked around me and I was distressed. I looked within me and I was discouraged. But when I focused on the goodness of God, I was delighted. So do you want to be distressed? Do you want to be discouraged or do you want to be delighted? I was slipping and I was tripping until someone say until. Number three, the third paradigm shifting truth. I said, What's the use? And I was about to turn my back on God and his people until someone say until. So look at verse 13. You see Asaph struggling. Verse 13, he says, Surely I have cleansed my heart in vain, and I've washed my hands in innocence. For all day long I have been plagued and chastened every morning. The modern day equivalent is this. I was serving in the church, I was doing what's right, but I said, What's the use, God? Right? What's the use? Another one bites the dust, another one goes astray, another one fallen. But you know what God would have Asaph and us to look at? You're thinking about a temporary perspective. We need to reframe our mind and our focus on the goodness of God. Because here's what the truth is: if you focus on the goodness of God and you keep your eyes on Jesus, you're gonna make it to the other side. You're not gonna go astray. How many of you remember the old hymn song? I have decided to follow. No turning back. No turning back. And there's a phrase of the old hymn, and my mother still gives me the old hymn. I love the old hymns, by the way. One of the old phrases is, Though none go with me, still. So as the world gets darker, you should be brighter. As the world turns astray, you should follow closely. Don't let the world be an excuse for you not to be closer to Jesus. Paul says, whenever sin abounds, grace what? Superabounds. So listen, I'm going to receive the grace of God to live a godly, victorious Christian life in this world. Now I can't do it in my own strength, but I will do it by the power of the Holy Spirit. And by the way, what happens if you stumble? What happens if you trip? You get back up. There's the truth of God and there's the grace of God. Both are true. We hold both realities in our hands, the truth. There will be times where you will trip and you will sin and you will fall down. But the proverb says, a just person falls how many times? Seven times, but they get back up. So I'm here to tell someone today if you've fallen, get back up. If you've gone astray, turn your eyes and your attention back onto the realities of heaven. Asaf said, Man, I was focused on the goodness of God, but then all these distractions. Look at the conclusion in verse 21 about his temporary perspective. He says, Thus my heart was grieved, and I was so vexed in my mind. I was so foolish and ignorant. So I want to frame this picture into you in modern day terms. Your neighbor has a two and a half million dollar home, okay? Italian sports cars in the driveway, they travel the world with their supermodel spouse. But you, on the other hand, you live in a rundown house that has 1980s furniture, stained carpet. That's your existence. So when you put your feet in ASAF sandals, you're like, this neighbor over here curses God. I hear him say the Lord's name in vain. Look at me. I'm a worship leader and I'm struggling.

SPEAKER_01 23:17

We're glad you joined us on today's edition of Truth for Transformation with Pastor Timothy Brown. We're working our way through the Book of Psalms, the original collection of worship music. God knows how music can connect people to his heart. It can take us from knowing something about God into a place of knowing him deeply. It connects the mind to the heart. The psalms are an amazing how-to for worshiping God. You'll find calls to lift your hands, clap, bow down, sing, shout, and even dance. When did you last see dancing in church? Also, the psalms show us a wide array of what we can pray and sing to God about. We can celebrate God for his greatness, and we can call out and lament, asking God to deliver us. Sometimes we think we can't tell God how we really feel, but the Psalms show us that God can handle all our emotions. There are even psalms that call for God to bring justice against Israel's enemies. We hope today's message has led you closer to God. If you'd like to share your thoughts with us, ask a question, or just say hello, please find us on social media at Dr. Timothy Brown Ministries. You can also find us online at drtimothybrown.org, where you can connect and learn more about our ministry. Remember, it's through your support that this ministry is possible. Your giving fuels the mission. And being on mission for God is so important. To give, go to drtimothybrown.org. Thank you again for joining us on Truth for Transformation.