Total Commitment to God
Psalm 37.1-13
Thompson Creek Baptist Church
July 22, 2007 (AM)
Psa 37:1-13 Fret not thyself because of evildoers, neither be thou envious against the workers of iniquity. (2) For they shall soon be cut down like the grass, and wither as the green herb. (3) Trust in the LORD, and do good; so shalt thou dwell in the land, and verily thou shalt be fed. (4) Delight thyself also in the LORD; and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart. (5) Commit thy way unto the LORD; trust also in him; and he shall bring it to pass. (6) And he shall bring forth thy righteousness as the light, and thy judgment as the noonday. (7) Rest in the LORD, and wait patiently for him: fret not thyself because of him who prospereth in his way, because of the man who bringeth wicked devices to pass. (8) Cease from anger, and forsake wrath: fret not thyself in any wise to do evil. (9) For evildoers shall be cut off: but those that wait upon the LORD, they shall inherit the earth. (10) For yet a little while, and the wicked shall not be: yea, thou shalt diligently consider his place, and it shall not be. (11) But the meek shall inherit the earth; and shall delight themselves in the abundance of peace. (12) The wicked plotteth against the just, and gnasheth upon him with his teeth. (13) The Lord shall laugh at him: for he seeth that his day is coming.
I want us to see four things concerning commitment to God from this Psalm of David.
I. The Committed Life is one of Trust.
In v. 3, David said “Trust in the Lord”; in v. 5 he said “trust also in him.”
God wants us to trust Him. God is worthy of our trust! Folks, trust is faith in action!
Where is your trust this morning? Is it in yourself or your fellow man or are really putting your trust in God.
II. The committed life saves us from worry.
Jesus reminded us that God the Father feeds the birds of the air, and we are better than the birds, so why worry?
The root meaning of the word worry, is to wear away by friction. The Bible forbids worry, David in this Psalm, has told us to “Fret not thyself” twice!
Don’t worry about every little thing that goes on in your life. If you do, you are not putting your trust in God and therefore you are not totally committed to God.
III. The committed life saves you from envy,
In v. 1, David tells us to “neither be thou envious”. Don’t be jealous.
You will be a lot happier if you are not jealous of the possessions of someone else.
It is such a comfort to be satisfied with one’s portion. Envy is the rottenness of the bones. Covetousness or envy, leads to resentment and bitterness.
Be satisfied with the blessing that you have, and don’t covet the blessings of others.
IV. The committed life is one of Joy.
Verse 4—Delight thyself also in the Lord! The truly committed life becomes a joy, because you know that God is on your side, no matter what comes your way.
Paul told us to “count it all joy”. That is the key to living a joyous life, counting everything that God gives you and allows you to go through as a joy!
Being totally committed to Christ, will apparently bring opposition and trouble to your life.
Being totally committed to God may even cause you some trouble out of the very people that are supposed to be on your side.
Look at what David had to say in verses 1-2. Don’t worry about them. Don’t be envious because Satan is blessing them. (You see, God is not going to bless a worker of iniquity.)
It might look like it on the outside, but it is really Satan blessing his workers, to make it look like they are the ones truly following God.
Verse 2 gives the fate of those who work iniquity and cause God’s children trouble—They will soon be cut down like the grass and wither as the green herb.
God is not going to allow them to continue to persecute you and cause you trouble.
He will take care of your enemies, even if they are a member of the church.
They will be cut down in God’s time! In the words of Jesus, “Who hath ears to hear, let him hear!”
Again in vv. 8-13—We are told to not worry about those who are against you! Don’t worry about the ones who seem to be getting ahead in life because of the tales they are telling and the iniquity that they sow.
The evil doers will be cut off, and if you continue to wait on the Lord, you will be rewarded.
Verse 10—For a little while the worker of iniquity will be on top, and one day you are going to be looking for that person, and they are not going to be found.
But the committed, the meek, the one who doesn’t retaliate in anger and malice, but retaliates in love, will be blessed and will have peace in his heart.
Now listen to what the Psalmist says:
(12) The wicked plotteth against the just, and gnasheth upon him with his teeth. (13) The Lord shall laugh at him: for he seeth that his day is coming.
You see, you can talk about the committed Christian all you want to.
You can defame him all you want to.
You can plot against him all you want to.
You can run him down all you want to.
But the Bible says,
The Lord will laugh at him because he sees that his day is coming!
Committed friends, Don’t worry about the junk that is going on behind the scenes.
Don’t worry about what somebody else is saying about you or how they are trying to hurt you or your ministry,
God is laughing at them, because their day is coming.
God is telling us here through King David,
Don’t fret, don’t worry, don’t envy, don’t be jealous...you just keep on keeping on,
You keep running the race that I have set before you and don’t worry about the traps the workers of iniquity have laid in the way.
I will show you the way around them, the way over them and even the way under them and you will inherit the earth and you will have an abundance of peace!
But their day is coming, and there “sword shall enter into their own heart and their bows shall be broken” (v. 15). “There arms shall be broken” (v. 17).
It sounds to me like the Lord is going to give those committed to him peace that passes all understanding,
but to the workers of iniquity that go up against his children, they aren’t going to have a peace that lasts, because “he seeth that his day is coming!”
Committed friends, let me give you some more comfort...vv. 23-24—
Psa 37:23-24 The steps of a good man are ordered by the LORD: and he delighteth in his way. (24) Though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down: for the LORD upholdeth him with his hand.
Those of you that want to do God’s work and His will—Don’t worry!
Those of you that want to see this church move forward—Don’t worry!
Those of you that are feeling the pressure of Satan’s workers of iniquity—Don’t worry!
If there are any workers of iniquity here today—My advice to you is—WORRY!
For God seeth your day is coming!
Christian friend, don’t give up hope. Put your faith into action and Trust in the Lord!
Satan is already defeated, and whether his workers realize it or not, they are already defeated too.
In Christ Jesus, we are more than conquerors, we are VICTORS!
God has never broken a promise, and if we stay committed to Him, the promises we have heard today from His Holy Word, will come true.
Opposition lasts for a season, but look how strong in the Lord you will be when you stand firm and come out on the other side!
Let me give you yet some more comfort this morning:
Psa 37:37-40 Mark the perfect man, and behold the upright: for the end of that man is peace. (38) But the transgressors shall be destroyed together: the end of the wicked shall be cut off. (39) But the salvation of the righteous is of the LORD: he is their strength in the time of trouble. (40) And the LORD shall help them, and deliver them: he shall deliver them from the wicked, and save them, because they trust in him.
Put your trust in the Lord and everything will be alright!
Committed Christians:
1-Help comes from the Lord!
2-Deliverance comes from the Lord!
3-Salvation comes from the Lord!
4-Peace comes from the Lord!
5-Our strength comes from the Lord!
Trust in the Lord and the power of His might and you will succeed in ministry while on the earth! No matter what or who opposes you!
