WEBVTT 00:00:05.610 --> 00:00:06.232 Hello everyone. 00:00:06.232 --> 00:00:07.233 This is Pastor Damian. 00:00:07.233 --> 00:00:10.228 You're listening to Sermon Audio from New City, orlando. 00:00:10.228 --> 00:00:14.791 At New City, we believe all of us need all of Jesus for all of life. 00:00:14.791 --> 00:00:18.809 For more resources, visit our website at newcityorlandocom. 00:00:18.809 --> 00:00:19.711 Thanks for listening. 00:00:20.120 --> 00:00:21.786 Please join me in the prayer of illumination. 00:00:21.786 --> 00:00:32.030 Heavenly Father, may your word be a lamp to our feet and a light to our path, through Jesus Christ, our Lord, amen. 00:00:32.030 --> 00:00:35.950 Our scripture today is Psalm 37. 00:00:35.950 --> 00:00:40.049 Fret not yourself because of evildoers. 00:00:40.049 --> 00:00:47.572 Be not envious of wrongdoers, for they will soon fade like the grass and wither like the green herb. 00:00:47.572 --> 00:00:50.984 Trust in the Lord and do good. 00:00:50.984 --> 00:00:54.332 Dwell in the land and befriend faithfulness. 00:00:54.332 --> 00:00:59.530 Delight yourself in the Lord and he will give you the desires of your heart. 00:00:59.530 --> 00:01:02.344 Commit your way to the Lord. 00:01:02.344 --> 00:01:05.191 Trust in him and he will act. 00:01:05.191 --> 00:01:11.733 He will bring forth your righteousness as the light and your justice as the noonday. 00:01:11.733 --> 00:01:16.650 Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him. 00:01:16.650 --> 00:01:24.501 Fret not yourself over the one who prospers in his way, over the man who carries out evil devices. 00:01:24.501 --> 00:01:27.965 Refrain from anger and forsake wrath. 00:01:27.965 --> 00:01:31.507 In just a little while, the wicked will be no more. 00:01:31.507 --> 00:01:47.783 Though you look carefully at his place, he will not be there. 00:01:47.783 --> 00:01:53.256 But the meek shall inherit the land and delight themselves in abundant peace. 00:01:54.459 --> 00:02:03.484 The wicked plots against the righteous and gnashes his teeth at him, but the Lord laughs at the wicked, for he sees that his day is coming. 00:02:03.484 --> 00:02:12.133 The wicked draw the sword and bend their bow to bring down the poor and needy, to slay those whose way is upright. 00:02:12.133 --> 00:02:17.445 Their sword shall enter their own heart and their bows shall be broken. 00:02:17.445 --> 00:02:28.844 Better is the little that the righteous has than the abundance of many wicked, for the arms of the wicked shall be broken, but the Lord upholds the righteous. 00:02:28.844 --> 00:02:34.985 The Lord knows the days of the blameless and their heritage will remain forever. 00:02:34.985 --> 00:02:38.450 They are not put to shame in evil times. 00:02:38.450 --> 00:02:44.307 In the days of famine they have abundance, but the wicked will perish. 00:02:44.307 --> 00:02:50.646 The enemies of the Lord are like the glory of the pastures they vanish like smoke. 00:02:50.646 --> 00:02:51.650 They vanish away. 00:02:51.650 --> 00:02:55.468 The wicked borrows but does not pay back. 00:02:55.468 --> 00:03:07.728 But the righteous is generous and gives, for those blessed by the Lord shall inherit the land, but those cursed by him shall be cut off. 00:03:08.868 --> 00:03:13.955 The steps of a man are established by the Lord when he delights in his way. 00:03:13.955 --> 00:03:22.644 Though he fall, he shall not be cast headlong, for the Lord upholds his hand. 00:03:22.644 --> 00:03:29.155 I have been young and now am old, yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken or his children begging for bread. 00:03:29.155 --> 00:03:34.451 He is ever lending generously and his children becoming a blessing. 00:03:34.451 --> 00:03:43.045 Turn away from evil and do good, so shall you dwell forever, for the Lord loves justice. 00:03:43.045 --> 00:03:45.373 He will not forsake his saints. 00:03:45.373 --> 00:03:47.600 They are preserved forever. 00:03:47.600 --> 00:03:50.527 But the children of the wicked shall be cut off. 00:03:50.527 --> 00:03:55.044 The righteous shall inherit the land and dwell upon it forever. 00:03:55.044 --> 00:04:00.221 The mouth of the righteous utters wisdom and his tongue speaks justice. 00:04:00.221 --> 00:04:03.647 The law of his God is in his heart. 00:04:03.647 --> 00:04:06.373 His steps do not slip. 00:04:07.699 --> 00:04:11.390 The wicked watches for the righteous and seeks to put him to death. 00:04:11.390 --> 00:04:18.012 The Lord will not abandon him to his power or let him be condemned when he is brought to trial. 00:04:18.012 --> 00:04:24.312 Wait for the Lord and keep his way, and he will exalt you to inherit the land. 00:04:24.312 --> 00:04:27.622 You will look on when the wicked are cut off. 00:04:27.622 --> 00:04:37.226 I have seen a wicked, ruthless man spreading himself like a green laurel tree, but he passed away and behold, he was no more. 00:04:37.226 --> 00:04:40.834 Though I sought him, he could not be found. 00:04:40.834 --> 00:04:51.127 Mark the blameless and behold the upright, for there is a future for the man of peace, but transgressors shall be altogether destroyed. 00:04:51.127 --> 00:04:54.240 The future of the wicked shall be cut off. 00:04:54.240 --> 00:04:57.908 The salvation of the righteous is from the Lord. 00:04:57.908 --> 00:05:01.113 He is their stronghold in the time of trouble. 00:05:01.113 --> 00:05:04.329 The Lord helps them and delivers them. 00:05:04.329 --> 00:05:10.247 He delivers them from the wicked and saves them because they take refuge in him. 00:05:10.247 --> 00:05:11.791 This is God's word. 00:05:13.540 --> 00:05:14.242 Well, good morning. 00:05:14.242 --> 00:05:17.708 My name is Eric Stites. 00:05:17.708 --> 00:05:21.855 I'm the co-founder of Crosstown Ministries. 00:05:21.855 --> 00:05:30.848 Folklore is that at one point I was a pastor here at New City a long time ago, but it's truly an honor to be here. 00:05:30.848 --> 00:05:42.404 Crosstown Ministries, located in the Paramore community, creating and cultivating a gospel environment where loved people love people that's what we're about. 00:05:42.404 --> 00:05:44.889 I want to say, first of all, thank you. 00:05:44.889 --> 00:05:47.805 I've been up here in the last few weeks. 00:05:47.805 --> 00:05:49.411 You've heard different announcements. 00:05:49.411 --> 00:06:01.586 You guys have provided different supplies for our summer camp, provided fun moments for our summer camp over the past month, and this week camp comes to a close. 00:06:01.586 --> 00:06:04.632 So I want to say thank you for that, but also just thank you. 00:06:04.632 --> 00:06:12.463 I'm here because I'm also a kingdom partner with New City. 00:06:12.463 --> 00:06:20.100 Crosstown Ministries is, and so more than even this summer, a huge thank you for your support of this ministry over many, many years. 00:06:20.100 --> 00:06:23.728 This year is significant for us as well. 00:06:23.728 --> 00:06:42.540 For those of you who don't know um, we purchased the building um and we'll be moving into that building, and so you'll be hearing more about moving day and helping us um do all of that to get ready, and so, uh, just very encouraging all the things um that are that are happening right now in our midst. 00:06:42.540 --> 00:06:52.483 But uh, first and foremost, I just want to have the opportunity to say thanks, so we appreciate you all as I begin this morning. 00:06:53.146 --> 00:07:07.071 Last week I had the privilege of being in Colorado, and though it's really hot here, it's actually hot over there too, and you're a mile closer to the sun, so it feels that way. 00:07:07.071 --> 00:07:11.173 So I thought I was going to get some relief, but I didn't. 00:07:11.173 --> 00:07:21.603 Anyway, I was there with Desire Street Ministries, a group of ministries with like-minded hearts, and they bring us out once a year to get to retreat. 00:07:21.603 --> 00:07:22.644 And so we were there. 00:07:22.644 --> 00:07:30.956 And while we were there, someone had the bright idea of hiking a 14,000 foot mountain, also known as a 14er. 00:07:30.956 --> 00:07:45.588 There's several of them in Colorado, and so me and Sam, my oldest son, decided at 8 pm the night before this little trek was about to happen, that sure, why not? 00:07:45.588 --> 00:07:48.021 We'll go Now. 00:07:48.062 --> 00:07:59.533 If you know anything about this type of thing, that was pretty dumb, because you don't engage in this type of hiking without at least a little bit of a preparation, of which we had none. 00:07:59.533 --> 00:07:59.880 Why? 00:07:59.880 --> 00:08:00.886 Because you can't breathe. 00:08:00.886 --> 00:08:05.286 There's no oxygen that high. 00:08:05.286 --> 00:08:07.973 That's why you don't do it. 00:08:07.973 --> 00:08:11.685 A little cross-cultural joke here. 00:08:11.685 --> 00:08:13.149 This is the stuff white people do. 00:08:13.149 --> 00:08:17.482 All right, you're welcome. 00:08:18.043 --> 00:08:23.533 All right, so we get up at 4 am, get to the trail at 5 am. 00:08:23.533 --> 00:08:29.168 Mind you, again, I'm not prepared, didn't even get the right rest the night before. 00:08:29.168 --> 00:08:31.867 I don't have the right gear. 00:08:31.867 --> 00:08:37.212 I'm wearing old workout shoes that are worn out, have no traction. 00:08:37.212 --> 00:08:41.090 I'm wearing sweatpants and a hoodie. 00:08:41.090 --> 00:08:44.330 I'm not prepared for any of this. 00:08:44.399 --> 00:08:49.248 Meanwhile, you get on the trail and people look like they've prepared for this thing their whole life. 00:08:49.248 --> 00:08:59.344 So they have, you know, the backpack with, like the water coming out, and hiking boots and the right pants that you know tear off when you get too hot and all this type of stuff. 00:08:59.344 --> 00:09:04.094 And so a little intimidated there at the beginning. 00:09:04.094 --> 00:09:09.725 And so a little intimidated there at the beginning. 00:09:09.725 --> 00:09:10.386 So we start the trail. 00:09:10.386 --> 00:09:12.455 The beginning of this trail looks like any trail you've ever seen. 00:09:12.455 --> 00:09:18.674 Honestly, it would be something you could see in Florida, where you just walk in and you're just walking into trees. 00:09:18.674 --> 00:09:22.147 You have no idea where this is all heading. 00:09:22.147 --> 00:09:28.264 You have no idea you're heading to the top of a 14,000-foot mountain and might regret every step you take. 00:09:28.264 --> 00:09:34.143 So the first mile of what would be a nine-mile hike and this was supposed to be the easy part. 00:09:35.865 --> 00:09:42.802 Me and a group of others were already done and couldn't breathe and I thought, well, this is not going well. 00:09:42.802 --> 00:09:48.693 And so we keep going, we take breaks. 00:09:48.693 --> 00:09:53.109 But about in the second mile there was a few of us that you know. 00:09:53.109 --> 00:10:01.304 I looked around and saw someone struggling and honestly panicking because they couldn't breathe and they weren't really talking, to say, hey, can you guys stop? 00:10:01.304 --> 00:10:03.633 And so I said, hey, listen, I'm going to help you. 00:10:03.633 --> 00:10:05.659 I'm joking a little bit. 00:10:05.659 --> 00:10:09.812 I've done some difficult hikes so I kind of at least know a little bit about what I was doing. 00:10:09.812 --> 00:10:22.806 And so I said I'm going to intentionally help you guys Let the rest of the group go ahead and I'm going to make sure we're proactive and intentional and all we're going to do is we're going to commit ourselves to a way right now. 00:10:23.706 --> 00:10:25.349 We're going to commit ourselves to a way. 00:10:25.349 --> 00:10:41.211 Right now we're going to commit ourselves to hiking about 50 steps, stopping catching our breath, taking another 50 steps, stopping catching our breath, and that's the only way this is going to work, or you and I aren't going to make it to the top of this mountain. 00:10:41.211 --> 00:10:49.114 And so this is exactly what we did, and I don't really know how long this took Sam would probably tell you better because he was in the group ahead. 00:10:49.114 --> 00:10:53.427 So they kept looking back at us like, oh, I feel sorry for them. 00:10:53.427 --> 00:10:56.702 They're like at the top and we're like five hours behind them basically. 00:10:56.702 --> 00:11:06.921 And so I think for maybe four to five hours no exaggeration there this is what we did, one step at a time, and I kept asking everybody, hey, are you guys all right? 00:11:06.921 --> 00:11:09.410 And one guy just kept saying yes, I'm determined. 00:11:09.410 --> 00:11:13.807 And he would point, because I'm going up there, that's where we're headed. 00:11:13.807 --> 00:11:20.083 I said all right, and at that point we didn't even really know where we were going, couldn't even see the top of the mountain. 00:11:20.083 --> 00:11:32.729 It looked a little bit like this, so you can see, there's a path, there's people and not really sure where the top of the mountain was, and we just kept hoping it's got to be over there somewhere. 00:11:32.729 --> 00:11:34.927 And we kept going and kept going. 00:11:35.500 --> 00:11:38.931 And so the last part of this thing is switchbacks. 00:11:38.931 --> 00:11:47.491 Now, if you've ever done hiking before, switchbacks are there supposedly to be your friend, because the idea is you can't go straight up, so you're going to go, like this, up the whole thing. 00:11:47.491 --> 00:11:50.903 So you walk about what feels like 10 miles to go one mile up. 00:11:50.903 --> 00:12:01.504 And so we get through this one tiny little switchback at a time and we get to the top of this plateau and there's a view, but we still weren't at the top. 00:12:01.504 --> 00:12:03.147 We weren't at the top yet. 00:12:03.206 --> 00:12:04.187 So I get a phone call. 00:12:04.187 --> 00:12:08.673 I don't know how that worked, but I got a phone call and it was Sam. 00:12:08.673 --> 00:12:16.730 He said I didn't get it, so it was a voicemail later, but Sam says hey, dad, we're at the top. 00:12:16.730 --> 00:12:22.822 I hope you make it All right, sam, I'm working on it, buddy. 00:12:22.822 --> 00:12:34.293 So at that point I'm not going to lie I left the straggling group behind because I said it's time for me to put on the gas and get here. 00:12:34.293 --> 00:12:39.522 So I had a lot left in the tank because we've been going pretty slow, and so I literally ran up the rest of the mountain. 00:12:39.562 --> 00:12:46.094 Now this part of the mountain is boulders, no path, there's no way, there's no defined way of how to get to the top. 00:12:46.094 --> 00:12:52.006 And about halfway up, the rest of the group's coming down and I saw Sam and I said Sam, will you please go to the top with me? 00:12:52.006 --> 00:12:55.330 Will you turn back around and do this again, basically. 00:12:55.330 --> 00:13:44.053 And so, sure enough, sam being the 12 year old, with all the youthfulness, turned right around and went up to the top, and so this is what was at the top, all right, so Mount Yale, 14,000 feet, now, of course, like any picture doesn't do it justice, um, but we were on top of the world, um is what it felt like, and uh and so, uh, as we, as we stood there, um, we took it in, we took in the view that we had, and all I can say is, when I got to the top and we looked around, I had a new set of glasses on for the world, right, there's a way in which, you know, five or six hours earlier, we were looking up at peaks that now we were looking down at. 00:13:46.980 --> 00:13:50.366 We were looking up at peaks that now we were looking down at, literally seeing for probably hundreds of miles in every direction. 00:13:50.366 --> 00:14:01.123 And so what I knew is that when I got there, I had this new set of glasses on, and if I had had these glasses on when I started this whole thing, it would have changed how I walked through the whole thing. 00:14:01.123 --> 00:14:12.428 You see, the end determines how you walk through the beginning, and so I would have known that I'm not just walking to walk. 00:14:12.428 --> 00:14:17.107 I'm not just breathless to be breathless, I'm not stopping and starting just to wait. 00:14:17.107 --> 00:14:22.183 I was committing myself to a way because I knew what was coming at the end. 00:14:23.666 --> 00:14:25.048 So what about you? 00:14:25.048 --> 00:14:29.894 What glasses do you have on today? 00:14:29.894 --> 00:14:33.465 Do you only see the here and now? 00:14:33.465 --> 00:14:40.125 Do you just see the trees and the path and you wonder well, maybe it's just time to turn around because this isn't worth it. 00:14:40.125 --> 00:14:43.352 Maybe it's time to just give up. 00:14:43.352 --> 00:14:45.606 Maybe you think I don't know where this is going and it doesn't seem worth it. 00:14:45.606 --> 00:14:45.900 Maybe it's time to just give up. 00:14:45.900 --> 00:14:48.322 Maybe you think I don't know where this is going and it doesn't seem worth it. 00:14:48.322 --> 00:14:51.931 Well, I want to encourage you this morning. 00:14:51.931 --> 00:15:05.432 I want to give you a different set of glasses to see that, as a believer, your future hope, my future hope, shapes how you live your present life, and this is the summary of Psalm 37. 00:15:05.432 --> 00:15:12.215 See, psalm 37 lives in that collision between the here and now and the there and then. 00:15:12.215 --> 00:15:19.682 It teaches us that when we can't see where all this is heading, we need to get a new pair of glasses because we're not seeing it right. 00:15:19.682 --> 00:15:27.995 So I want to encourage you all today take out your scriptures, let's put on a new set of glasses. 00:15:32.299 --> 00:15:34.703 So the first point this morning is looking back, David's reflections. 00:15:34.703 --> 00:15:38.309 Looking back on David's reflections. 00:15:38.309 --> 00:15:39.991 So we're gonna go all the way back to the beginning of the Psalm. 00:15:39.991 --> 00:15:40.754 You guys have been here. 00:15:40.754 --> 00:15:43.488 If you've been here, you know we've been preaching on the Psalm for about four weeks. 00:15:43.488 --> 00:15:46.203 What else could we possibly say? 00:15:46.203 --> 00:15:52.717 Right, and I'm going to go all the way back to the beginning of the psalm, because the beginning of the psalm is not fret, not yourself. 00:15:52.758 --> 00:15:58.288 The beginning of the psalm is of David, of David. 00:15:58.288 --> 00:16:01.232 You see, he's writing as an older man. 00:16:01.232 --> 00:16:09.346 He says in verse 25, I was young, but now I'm old, and so this whole Psalm is a reflection on his whole life. 00:16:09.346 --> 00:16:12.130 And he's dropping wisdom on the youngins, letting them know what the truth is. 00:16:12.130 --> 00:16:16.485 No cap, you're welcome. 00:16:16.485 --> 00:16:17.606 My kids are sitting right here. 00:16:17.606 --> 00:16:18.448 That was all for them. 00:16:18.448 --> 00:16:21.433 They don't even realize what I just said because they're not paying attention. 00:16:21.433 --> 00:16:24.849 But that's true. 00:16:24.849 --> 00:16:25.750 All right, sam, heard me. 00:16:25.750 --> 00:16:26.884 All right, that's Gen Z for you. 00:16:26.884 --> 00:16:28.524 No cap, I'm not lying. 00:16:28.524 --> 00:16:29.489 Okay, that's what that means. 00:16:30.740 --> 00:16:45.707 So if I was to summarize this whole reflection, it's just that your future shapes your present, and David is looking to a day in his life that has not yet come, but he is looking to that day with absolute certainty that it will come at some point. 00:16:45.707 --> 00:16:54.370 And so, simply put, when he looks at his whole life, it looks like the fight between righteousness and wicked is happening and the wicked are winning. 00:16:54.370 --> 00:16:56.378 And so in here now. 00:16:56.378 --> 00:16:57.461 It just doesn't seem fair. 00:16:57.461 --> 00:17:02.106 But the Lord is giving David a new set of glasses. 00:17:02.106 --> 00:17:07.815 If you read through the Psalm 12 times, david a new set of glasses. 00:17:07.934 --> 00:17:16.583 If you read through the Psalm 12 times, the word will shows up not like my life is my will, but will like something will happen. 00:17:16.583 --> 00:17:20.641 It's both a certainty that it's going to happen and he's acknowledging that it hasn't happened yet but it will in the future. 00:17:20.641 --> 00:17:23.226 David is future focused. 00:17:23.226 --> 00:17:37.430 As David looks back on his life and shares wisdom, he is saying if you don't have an absolute truth type of understanding of the future, your life right now is going to feel like pure chaos and you'll make decisions out of that chaos. 00:17:37.430 --> 00:17:45.092 But if you know the future that is coming, you'll walk through this life in peace and making sound decisions. 00:17:45.092 --> 00:17:46.340 So what is that future? 00:17:46.340 --> 00:17:47.944 How do we get there? 00:17:47.944 --> 00:17:55.806 Well, it's certainly not rooted in David, and he knows that it's not rooted in his ability to make something happen. 00:17:55.806 --> 00:18:00.143 It's rooted in the Lord and his attributes, who he is and his actions, what he will do. 00:18:00.143 --> 00:18:03.528 Because it says over and over again what he will do, because it says over and over again. 00:18:03.528 --> 00:18:15.000 By summary, I would say that the righteous no-transcript. 00:18:15.000 --> 00:18:19.067 And so, knowing all that, it changes how David lives in each moment. 00:18:20.336 --> 00:18:39.200 Now, as we reflect back on David's life, I want to just acknowledge something real quickly in the Psalms that honestly sometimes bothers me it's a little bit of an elephant in the room and that is that David writes in this kind of black and white type of way where he's able to somehow basically say, hey, there's righteous people and there's wicked people, and I'm going to let you know what happens to both. 00:18:39.200 --> 00:18:45.941 But it kind of begs this question like, well, who are those people, who are the righteous and who are the wicked? 00:18:45.941 --> 00:18:51.865 And it'd be easy to assume that David just says well, I'm the righteous one, I'm writing the story right. 00:18:51.865 --> 00:18:56.178 But when you look carefully at Psalm 37, it's very interesting. 00:18:56.178 --> 00:18:59.025 David actually never claims to be either one. 00:18:59.025 --> 00:19:07.757 What David does claim is to be an observer of life. 00:19:07.757 --> 00:19:08.459 I've seen this happen. 00:19:08.459 --> 00:19:09.641 I've seen that the righteous are not forsaken. 00:19:09.641 --> 00:19:10.823 I've seen what happens for the wicked. 00:19:10.823 --> 00:19:12.385 Why? 00:19:12.385 --> 00:19:17.634 Well, if you know David's story, you know good and well he knows that he's been a part of the righteous and the wicked story. 00:19:17.634 --> 00:19:20.217 You know good and well he knows that he's been a part of the righteous and the wicked. 00:19:20.217 --> 00:19:21.156 So what's David's life? 00:19:21.277 --> 00:19:25.980 Let's take just a quick look back over his life as he writes Psalm 37. 00:19:25.980 --> 00:19:27.320 What is he possibly talking about? 00:19:27.320 --> 00:19:35.365 So we know, david the giant slayer kills Goliath, and no one else in Israel would do that. 00:19:35.365 --> 00:19:36.446 Everyone was too scared. 00:19:36.446 --> 00:19:42.191 And so King Saul, at the time, when he sees David do this, he praises him for it. 00:19:42.191 --> 00:19:54.397 He brings them into close, gives them a high rank in the army. 00:19:54.397 --> 00:19:55.700 And then what happens? 00:19:55.700 --> 00:19:59.826 Women start giving praise to David and Saul, but they give David a little bit more praise. 00:19:59.826 --> 00:20:00.929 Right, so Saul killed his thousands. 00:20:00.929 --> 00:20:04.775 Raise, right, so Saul killed his thousands, but David, he killed his tens of thousands. 00:20:04.775 --> 00:20:09.737 And what happens? 00:20:09.737 --> 00:20:10.961 Saul said I ain't having any of that. 00:20:10.961 --> 00:20:12.627 So jealous and envy stir up in Saul's heart, and so he fears David. 00:20:12.647 --> 00:20:16.759 And so what this sets off is this whole long story of Saul pursuing David and David going on the run. 00:20:16.759 --> 00:20:28.038 And so you can see in this way where some of Psalm 37, that tension of I'm trying to do the right thing and yet it seems like even my friend is against me. 00:20:28.038 --> 00:20:31.807 And so, multiple times, david has the opportunity to take Saul out. 00:20:31.807 --> 00:20:33.036 You know this story right. 00:20:33.036 --> 00:20:52.047 There's this one time when Saul's in a cave going to the bathroom and David's in the cave as well and has this moment he could take him out, but instead he realizes no, this is not right, and so I'm not going to do it, cuts off a piece of the robe and lets him know hey, I was this close. 00:20:52.047 --> 00:20:56.742 And then again it happens where David had a moment to take Saul out. 00:20:56.742 --> 00:21:09.805 While he's in his camp asleep Nobody was defending him goes and steals the sword that's right by his head, but instead of killing Saul, he takes the sword with him and lets him know once again, I had the opportunity to take you out. 00:21:09.805 --> 00:21:15.503 And David's own words were the Lord rewards everyone for their righteousness and faithfulness. 00:21:15.503 --> 00:21:21.962 All right, so in all these moments you can see David seems to be on that righteous side. 00:21:23.366 --> 00:21:33.044 Crazy thing the very next chapter of scripture, when you're reading David's story, opens with these scary words and David thought to himself. 00:21:33.044 --> 00:21:35.559 And what happens after that? 00:21:35.559 --> 00:21:46.580 What happens after that is David devises this plan that he's gonna go hang out among the Philistines, the very same people where Goliath came from, the very same people that seem to be the thorn in Israel's side. 00:21:46.580 --> 00:21:53.042 David's like, hey, saul's gonna keep pursuing me, so I'm gonna go hang out with these people, hide out for a little while until Saul forgets about me. 00:21:53.042 --> 00:21:55.298 And that's exactly what he does. 00:21:55.298 --> 00:22:05.509 So much so that the scripture says he became so obnoxious to his people, the Israelites, that he, talking about David, will be my servant for life. 00:22:05.670 --> 00:22:15.621 That's where David ended up, a chapter after realizing the righteousness that the Lord rewards everyone for their righteousness and faithfulness. 00:22:15.621 --> 00:22:31.785 So in one chapter, he goes from the hero of trusting the Lord and to deliver him from the hands of his enemy to running away in fear, not trusting the Lord, thinking to himself Can't you hear the tension of Psalm 37? 00:22:31.785 --> 00:22:39.084 The Lord is going to uphold the righteous and take down the wicked, but right here, right now, david's like I don't see that happening. 00:22:39.084 --> 00:22:47.154 I don't see it, so I'm going to take matters into my own hands, without God. 00:22:47.154 --> 00:22:49.746 And the story goes on. 00:22:50.096 --> 00:22:58.082 David continues to think to himself at different points in life, right Even after he's king, david decides when all the kings are out to war. 00:22:58.082 --> 00:23:11.642 The famous story right, he hangs back, sees a woman that he desires, and so he uses his power, his influence, commits adultery with her, then tries to cover it up with the husband. 00:23:11.642 --> 00:23:13.820 That doesn't work, and so he has the husband killed. 00:23:13.820 --> 00:23:21.045 Now where does that fall in the righteous and the wicked that David so easily separates in Psalm 37? 00:23:21.045 --> 00:23:26.646 Sounds more like the wicked lie in wait for the righteous, intent on putting them to death. 00:23:26.646 --> 00:23:34.000 So in one moment, david and Saul sound similar, and we could go on and on. 00:23:34.555 --> 00:23:41.088 My point is there's a couple of things from David's life, as he reflects on his own life, that we need to see. 00:23:41.088 --> 00:23:53.142 David knew what it was like to watch the wicked prosper, even as he did the right thing, even those who were supposed to be on his side and you know this friendly fire's the worst. 00:23:53.142 --> 00:24:01.742 And David felt that he also knew what it was like to have the Lord save him when he was making dumb mistakes. 00:24:01.742 --> 00:24:08.520 So he knew what it was like to be wicked, but then, like it says in Psalm 37, to have his steps established. 00:24:08.520 --> 00:24:12.842 Though he fall, he will not be cast headlong, for the Lord upholds his hand. 00:24:12.842 --> 00:24:13.805 What is that? 00:24:13.805 --> 00:24:16.882 God's grace? 00:24:16.882 --> 00:24:19.000 That's what David knew. 00:24:20.796 --> 00:24:23.305 And David knew, ultimately, that justice doesn't lie in his hand. 00:24:23.305 --> 00:24:25.441 It lies in the hands of the Lord. 00:24:25.441 --> 00:24:28.821 When he kept taking justice into his own hands, what happened? 00:24:28.821 --> 00:24:30.547 Big old mess. 00:24:30.547 --> 00:24:34.143 But when he entrusted it to the Lord, he waited. 00:24:34.143 --> 00:24:39.586 And so, through all this, david is showing us what a different pair of glasses looks like. 00:24:39.586 --> 00:24:58.124 You're living here and now, but you're looking forward, future focused, and so when he looks into the future, it doesn't make sense right now, but he sees all things being made right, justice being done for all the injustice, but it doesn't even happen in his own lifetime. 00:24:58.124 --> 00:25:03.919 So we look back, we look at David's life, his reflection. 00:25:03.919 --> 00:25:07.625 We get the tension of what Psalm 37 sets up for us. 00:25:07.625 --> 00:25:10.596 But now, what do you do in the meantime? 00:25:10.596 --> 00:25:13.644 What did David do in the meantime while he was waiting? 00:25:13.644 --> 00:25:20.188 What do we do in the meantime when you're waiting for the attention of Psalm 37 to eventually resolve itself? 00:25:20.188 --> 00:25:26.106 Well, that's the second point for today, which is you look now, commit your way. 00:25:26.106 --> 00:25:28.701 Look now and commit your way. 00:25:29.855 --> 00:25:38.048 Verses three through nine have a lot of commands, things like trust in the Lord, delight yourself in the Lord, be still before the Lord, wait for the Lord. 00:25:38.048 --> 00:25:43.903 Verse five, I think, sums it all up Commit your way to the Lord. 00:25:43.903 --> 00:25:46.501 And this is a summary of all the other ones. 00:25:46.501 --> 00:25:50.682 But you see, the word way is something we use as kind of like this abstract word. 00:25:50.682 --> 00:25:52.059 You know, commit your way. 00:25:52.059 --> 00:25:59.487 I don't know what that means, but in Hebrew that word's very physical, very tangible. 00:25:59.487 --> 00:26:01.422 It's the word we use for road. 00:26:01.422 --> 00:26:07.406 So in other words, commit the road of your life to the Lord. 00:26:07.406 --> 00:26:23.525 You see, the danger of all these commands trust in the Lord, delight, be still, wait is they become trite sayings that we put on bumper stickers and on our fridge magnets and we look at them occasionally and say, sure, trusting in the Lord, and they become meaningless. 00:26:24.807 --> 00:26:33.938 What we need to see is that what made David righteous, what made David a man after God's own heart and light of all the mess that he would make in his life, was not first the moral decisions he made. 00:26:33.938 --> 00:26:36.441 He made a lot of sinful, not first the moral decisions he made. 00:26:36.441 --> 00:26:40.125 He made a lot of sinful, evil decisions. 00:26:40.125 --> 00:26:47.845 He also made morally good decisions, but that's not what made him righteous. 00:26:47.845 --> 00:26:51.493 What made him righteous was committing the road of his life to the Lord. 00:26:51.493 --> 00:26:58.914 What made him righteous was seeing himself accurately, knowing who God made him to be, allowing his sin to be exposed. 00:26:58.914 --> 00:27:06.546 So when Nathan came up to him, tells him his whole story and parable to describe and get David to see what he had done. 00:27:06.546 --> 00:27:08.561 David says you should kill that man. 00:27:08.561 --> 00:27:10.020 And Nathan said you're right, it's you. 00:27:10.020 --> 00:27:13.558 And what is David's response? 00:27:13.558 --> 00:27:15.224 No, it's not me. 00:27:15.224 --> 00:27:19.761 No, I've sinned against the Lord. 00:27:19.761 --> 00:27:24.517 This is what committing the road of your life to the Lord looks like. 00:27:25.459 --> 00:27:26.079 So what about us? 00:27:26.079 --> 00:27:28.785 I want to dig into how. 00:27:28.785 --> 00:27:29.446 How do you commit? 00:27:29.446 --> 00:27:31.496 What does this really mean? 00:27:31.496 --> 00:27:33.538 I don't want us to just say that. 00:27:33.538 --> 00:27:34.880 I want it to mean something. 00:27:34.880 --> 00:27:43.391 So one thing I want us to see is that in Psalm 37, the word Lord shows up 17 times. 00:27:43.391 --> 00:27:49.506 Now, the word Lord is the name that God has given to us. 00:27:49.506 --> 00:27:50.768 That makes him personal. 00:27:50.768 --> 00:27:55.079 It's not just God, it's the Lord. 00:27:56.343 --> 00:28:04.441 And I want to challenge you, because I think some of us know how to trust God, but we don't know how to trust the Lord, and I say that a little tongue in cheek. 00:28:04.441 --> 00:28:07.407 I know that you might say the same, but listen to what I'm saying. 00:28:07.407 --> 00:28:23.260 Some of us trust God like he's an abstract truth, like he's this big thing out there that's not really knowable, and when we think of him in that way, it's what turns trust and committing and delighting into a bumper sticker or a fridge magnet. 00:28:23.260 --> 00:28:29.705 We go through life, the ups and downs, and we know the truth in our heads, but it doesn't seem to matter for right now. 00:28:29.705 --> 00:28:51.241 Instead, the invitation is trust the Lord, the Lord who's given us his personal name, because he's a personal, knowable, alive today, approachable God, and this means he's intimately involved in the details of your life and my life, if we're aware. 00:28:52.974 --> 00:28:59.421 You see, I think self-awareness is one of the things that David was best at, and self-awareness is the key. 00:28:59.421 --> 00:29:02.962 If you don't know yourself, you can't commit your way to the Lord. 00:29:02.962 --> 00:29:07.940 Now, some of you are like that sounds like some modern psychological nonsense. 00:29:07.940 --> 00:29:12.088 I hear you, I hear you, but I'm in good company. 00:29:12.088 --> 00:29:17.296 One for all of you Calvinists, all right, you can't. 00:29:17.296 --> 00:29:22.267 Oh, my goodness, you can't laugh at that one, it's all right, he's okay. 00:29:29.694 --> 00:29:36.087 He said the beginning of the institutes in order to know God, you have to know yourself, like I see who's really, really Presbyterian, and in order to know yourself, you got to know God. 00:29:36.087 --> 00:29:44.159 So hey, at least I'm with Calvin, all right, but guess what? 00:29:44.159 --> 00:29:44.661 I'm also with scripture. 00:29:44.661 --> 00:29:46.026 You flip all the way back to the beginning of the book. 00:29:46.026 --> 00:29:53.587 Self-knowledge goes all the way back to the garden, when God made man in his own image, and that he made man naked and unashamed and said this was good. 00:29:53.587 --> 00:30:01.237 So the foundation of a relationship with God is coming to him with your whole self, with nothing in the way. 00:30:01.237 --> 00:30:03.603 This is what David did consistently. 00:30:03.603 --> 00:30:08.963 This is what it means to commit your way to the Lord so quickly. 00:30:09.003 --> 00:30:10.448 I just want to run through three things. 00:30:10.448 --> 00:30:20.507 I believe that scripture here in Psalm 37, gives us, shows us that we need to commit our emotions to him. 00:30:20.507 --> 00:30:27.442 And now you're like oh, all right, eric, I didn't even go to seminary for counseling, I promise All right. 00:30:27.442 --> 00:30:31.057 Emotions are all over the Bible. 00:30:31.057 --> 00:30:33.806 They're not good, they're not bad, they just are. 00:30:33.806 --> 00:30:39.022 What we do with them is what leads us astray, and so our emotions. 00:30:39.022 --> 00:30:41.460 Oftentimes we have a temptation with them. 00:30:41.460 --> 00:30:58.407 We either squash them so we don't feel anything until they come out in this volcano of brokenness, or we allow our emotions to run wild and make every decision for us out of brokenness, or we just try to fix the bad emotions and make them good, and that's all nonsense. 00:30:58.407 --> 00:31:02.819 The invitation from scripture is commit your emotions to the Lord. 00:31:02.819 --> 00:31:03.221 Why? 00:31:03.221 --> 00:31:05.605 Because they're a road to him. 00:31:05.605 --> 00:31:08.759 They're a road to him. 00:31:09.079 --> 00:31:11.910 What I love about the Psalms is they show us exactly how to do that. 00:31:11.910 --> 00:31:18.231 I love the Psalms because they give us permission to say things like where are you, god, why are you so downcast? 00:31:18.231 --> 00:31:19.015 To say things like where are you, god? 00:31:19.015 --> 00:31:20.936 Why are you so downcast, oh my soul? 00:31:20.936 --> 00:31:25.945 The Psalms give us permission to say why don't you dash their babies on the rocks right? 00:31:25.945 --> 00:31:28.390 And we look at that and say what is that about? 00:31:28.390 --> 00:31:35.171 That's called anger, and it's not actually happening. 00:31:35.171 --> 00:31:37.826 But David's showing us this is what it is to live with the Lord in the midst of all of that. 00:31:37.826 --> 00:31:48.597 So instead of I know I'm not supposed to be afraid, lord, I'm afraid right now. 00:31:48.597 --> 00:31:51.262 Instead of I know I'm not supposed to be angry, I want to rip that person's head off right now. 00:31:51.262 --> 00:31:56.682 Instead of I know I'm not supposed to be sad, lord, I kind of wish I wasn't here right now. 00:31:56.682 --> 00:31:59.310 Instead of I know I'm not supposed to be sad, lord, I kind of wish I wasn't here right now. 00:31:59.310 --> 00:32:05.455 Instead of I know I'm not supposed to be ashamed, lord. 00:32:05.455 --> 00:32:09.724 I'm so ashamed of myself instead of. 00:32:09.724 --> 00:32:15.969 I know I'm not supposed to hate Lord, I'm really struggling right now to love this person. 00:32:15.969 --> 00:32:16.912 I could go on and on. 00:32:18.160 --> 00:32:23.250 Derek Kidner, in his commentary on this psalm, calls this a deliberate redirection of your emotions. 00:32:23.250 --> 00:32:27.165 Deliberate redirection of your emotions. 00:32:27.165 --> 00:32:28.369 Where are they going? 00:32:28.369 --> 00:32:31.769 Commit your way to the Lord. 00:32:31.769 --> 00:32:34.445 Give your emotions to him. 00:32:34.445 --> 00:32:37.664 Now, men, men in the room, you're like dude, I don't know what you're talking about. 00:32:37.664 --> 00:32:39.611 Right now, I don't feel a thing. 00:32:39.611 --> 00:32:41.021 Yes, you do so. 00:32:41.021 --> 00:32:48.021 If I got in your car right now and we went on I-4 and I got someone to cut you off, I bet I could get you to be emotional. 00:32:48.021 --> 00:32:55.961 If we went to a game together and your favorite team was losing, I bet I could get you to be emotional. 00:32:55.961 --> 00:33:02.300 If I went up to you and disrespected you and your family, I bet I could get you to be emotional. 00:33:02.300 --> 00:33:04.204 You have emotions. 00:33:04.204 --> 00:33:05.808 Don't lie to yourself. 00:33:05.808 --> 00:33:11.906 You just need to dig deep and find out where they are and where they're directed and commit your way to the Lord. 00:33:11.906 --> 00:33:13.369 All right. 00:33:13.369 --> 00:33:17.945 So the second thing commit your emotions, commit your circumstances to the Lord. 00:33:18.079 --> 00:33:20.864 When we see the realities David is talking about in Psalm 37,. 00:33:20.864 --> 00:33:25.529 It's very tempting for us to take those circumstances into our own hands and make them right. 00:33:25.529 --> 00:33:29.203 Think about your own life, what you got going on. 00:33:29.203 --> 00:33:33.829 Where are the circumstances, where are the things that you want to see fixed? 00:33:33.829 --> 00:33:39.449 The temptation is to take them into your own hands and say I'm gonna fix this right. 00:33:39.449 --> 00:33:42.229 When you study David's life, you see two things happen. 00:33:42.229 --> 00:33:45.627 One David thought to himself. 00:33:45.627 --> 00:33:48.468 Two David inquired of the Lord. 00:33:48.468 --> 00:33:51.826 Two very different approaches and two very different results. 00:33:51.826 --> 00:33:57.224 When David thinks to himself, he commits adultery. 00:33:57.224 --> 00:34:04.905 When David inquires of the Lord, an army of the Lord marches out from balsam trees and takes out his enemy before he even has to do anything. 00:34:04.905 --> 00:34:08.253 It's a big, big difference. 00:34:08.880 --> 00:34:14.313 Are you going to take your circumstances into your own hands or are you going to wait on the Lord? 00:34:14.313 --> 00:34:16.807 Be still like David says. 00:34:16.807 --> 00:34:24.708 You see, for our American lives, waiting sounds ridiculous, but I'm here to tell you that waiting is working. 00:34:24.708 --> 00:34:28.568 We need to get better at the work of waiting. 00:34:28.568 --> 00:34:31.306 See, our culture is built on. 00:34:31.306 --> 00:34:33.456 I'm going to make things happen because I work hard. 00:34:33.456 --> 00:34:35.884 You will not cross me, because I'm going to fix that. 00:34:35.884 --> 00:34:37.728 That's American. 00:34:37.728 --> 00:34:44.070 Now, of course, I'm not talking about don't get a job because you're just waiting to feel motivated, and all that type of stuff. 00:34:44.070 --> 00:34:46.463 That's the generation underneath me. 00:34:46.463 --> 00:34:48.568 That's not good, all right. 00:34:48.568 --> 00:34:56.032 No, I'm talking about when you see an injustice, as David sees, you commit those circumstances to the Lord. 00:34:56.032 --> 00:34:58.106 You struggle with him in the weight. 00:34:58.106 --> 00:35:00.108 God, why aren't you doing anything right now? 00:35:00.108 --> 00:35:03.266 Why haven't you shown up to fix this? 00:35:03.266 --> 00:35:07.030 Rather than I got this, I'm gonna fix this on my own. 00:35:07.030 --> 00:35:09.905 Commit your emotions. 00:35:09.905 --> 00:35:10.989 Commit your circumstances. 00:35:10.989 --> 00:35:12.980 The last thing is commit your desires to the Lord. 00:35:13.099 --> 00:35:18.244 Verse four I love this verse, one of the most cherry picked verses in this whole thing. 00:35:18.244 --> 00:35:18.485 Though. 00:35:18.485 --> 00:35:24.190 Delight yourself in the Lord and he will give you the desires of your heart. 00:35:24.190 --> 00:35:27.668 Oh, that sounds so sweet, right. 00:35:27.668 --> 00:35:29.172 And so what do we do? 00:35:29.172 --> 00:35:32.228