Good morning.
There are many verses, like the one we just read.
We are individuals in this world, we are told by our culture. Oh, I'm sorry. If you're two to four, get out of here.
Throughout those doors, I just completely forgot about it. They don't want to hear me anyway. I'm sure you all do.
Now, the idea of forgetting who we are as individuals, and moving on to just thinking of ourselves as simply servants of God, like Jesus thought of himself, is a good Christian principle. However, there are other verses that seem to indicate to us that forgetting who we are as individuals, not going inward, sometimes can be a problem as well. There's the idea of balance in Christianity, not going to one extreme or the other, but somewhere in the happy medium, finding a balance, finding an equilibrium of not being self-absorbed about who we are, but also not forgetting to neglect ourselves when it comes to who we are as individual beings.
We've all got thoughts and experiences that shape who we are on the inside, things that either try us or test us or encourage us to keep growing in Christ. And so we're trying to find that happy balance between, again, not being self-absorbed and also not forgetting to neglect looking inward sometimes to be able to see who we are on the inside, what our soul is truly comprised of. To illustrate this, I want to go to one of my favorite passages of the New Testament.
And I think I say that every time I read a passage of the New Testament, but this one always stuck with me because as a brand new convert, 16, 17-year-old kid who said, I want to be a preacher when I grow up, which was apparently a year later, 1 Corinthians, Chapter 9, there's a lot of context around Chapter 9, but if you just jump towards the end here, verses 24 through 27, now I'm not opposed to getting a tattoo, personally. It's not my generation. I didn't get the gauges when I was big.
I didn't wear a spiky belt when I was a kid. I wasn't that kind of kid. But if I had ever considered getting a verse somewhere on my physical body, this would be the verse, just for what that's worth.
Chapter 9, verse 24. Do you not know that in a race, all the runners run, but only one receives the prize? So run that you may obtain it.
Every athlete exercises self-control in all things. They do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable. So I do not run aimlessly.
I do not box as one beating the air. And then verse 27, but I discipline my body and keep it under control, lest after preaching to others, I myself should be disqualified. If you ask the apostle Paul, what is the primary role for him in his life after his conversion, it was to preach the gospel, to not be ashamed of the gospel of truth.
There was the power unto salvation to all who believe, the Jew first, but also to the Greek. That was the mission of the apostle Paul, to preach the gospel. But it would not be wise of him to preach the gospel and neglect sometimes looking inward and seeing who he was and what he was doing.
And as today, many of us are thinking about the idea of graduation, the idea of maturing, of becoming men and women out there in the world, among other men and women. This morning, what I want to do is look at a Psalm together, Psalm 39, and see how even the great King David, when he was worshiping God, would sometimes reflect and look inward to see who he was, what he was thinking, what he was doing, and most importantly, all of that in light, that God is always watching over him. And the same thing is absolutely true of us today.
God is with us, he is in us, he is among us, and we as individuals sometimes need to go inward and see who we are in light that God is always present. Let's turn to Psalm 39 together. Now, this is not a very long Psalm, it's all 13 verses.
I could just read through the whole thing with you and be done and sit down and y'all can go have some finger foods. But if you bear with me just for a moment, I want to break down what we find in the content of this Psalm and see the movements that David wants us to walk through as we read this song together. So Psalm 39, pretty confident, I'll say before I make a fool of myself, that the actual verses are readable by you in the seats today.
I tried really hard. Psalm 39, let's just read verses 1 and 2. I said, I will guard my ways, that I may not sin with my tongue.
I will guard my mouth with a muzzle, so long as the wicked are in my presence. I was mute and silent. I held my peace to no avail, and my distress grew worse.
Now, I'm not sure about your own life experiences, but sometimes you just know when someone that is around you has a lot to say, and none of it is very worthwhile. A lot of people talk to kind of fill the silence or the void, and they seem to love the sound of their own voice. It's not me, despite what you may think.
And so you've got this situation that David is painting for us. He's around a bunch of other people, and he describes them as people being wicked. And he's trying to keep his mouth shut.
I don't know if you've been there before, but that's the most difficult thing to do. When someone that needs advice, and you have the advice, and you know what they need to hear, they're not going to listen to you anyway, but you try to keep your mouth shut and just be silent and be quiet and be patient. It's a very difficult situation David finds himself in in this moment.
And then we move on to verse 3. Verse 3, my heart became hot within me. Now, a few times that particular phraseology is used in scripture.
One moment is when the idea of Job, he has this thought, he has this feeling, and his heart just becomes hot within him because he's frustrated. You also see it in the book of Jeremiah. Jeremiah was given the word of God to preach to a people that would not listen to it, and he didn't want to talk about it anymore.
And after a time, he just felt this fire within himself and his bones, he describes. I couldn't keep silent about what the word of God had to say. And finally, this last illustration of my heart became hot within me is when Jesus was resurrected, and he was walking along two people that knew about the times of Jesus and what was going down that day in Jerusalem.
They were just so discouraged because they thought that this Jesus was the Messiah. Little did they know that Jesus was walking with them on the road to Emmaus. And so Jesus began to talk about all the scriptures that Jesus actually fulfilled in going to his death, being buried in a tomb, and then being resurrected.
So he was explaining the scriptures to these two guys at this house when they were on the way to Emmaus. When Jesus revealed that he actually was the Lord, he vanished. And the people said to each other, the two individuals, didn't our heart burn within us when he was explaining to us the scriptures?
Now this is not that. It's not quite as pious. My heart became hot within me as I mused, as I thought about what to say, what to do.
The fire burned and then I spoke with my tongue. I tried to keep my mouth shut and I tried really, really hard to keep that fire within me, but eventually it just came out. And sometimes we do that too.
If you can't relate to that, God bless you. All right? You're better than most of us.
That's David just simply recounting a moment in which he was surrounded by people that were wicked, not doing the Lord's will. He tried to keep his mouth shut, and yet finally he just gave in and just spoke what he wanted to say. Because of that, that caused David to go inward.
He saw his actions. He knew what he wanted to do, but he gave in to that temptation of speaking when he should have been silent. That caused him to look inward and say, what is this life anyway?
What is this thing all about? What are we doing here? Which is a great question.
If you've never had that, what are we doing here anyway moment, maybe you've never thought about the idea that life is just strange. You never asked to be here. I never asked to be here, and yet someday we're just going to preschool, and then we're going to primary school, and then we're learning things from people that tell us to sit down and be quiet, and then we grow up, and we get to high school somehow, and people say, what do you want to do with the rest of your life?
Like, what in the world are you talking about? What is this thing that we're all in? What is this?
So David tries to figure out what this whole thing is all about in verses 4 through 6. Oh, Lord, make me to know my end. And what is the measure of my days?
Let me know how fleeting I am. Behold, you've made my days a few hand breaths. How wide your hand is is the meaning there.
And my lifetime is as nothing before you. Surely all mankind stands as a mere breath. Surely a man goes about as a shadow.
And surely for nothing they are in turmoil. Man heaps up wealth and does not know who will gather. Now for me, when I was 16, 15 years old, they had asked me what I want to do with the rest of my life.
And my answer was, what in the world are you asking me? What are you talking about? Because it seemed just preposterous that my goal in this life that I'm in is just to go to a college and get four more years of education and then get a job somewhere making some money and then buy a house and find a wife and get a dog and have children.
All these things to me as a 15 year old, 16 year old, just didn't make any sense. I didn't know what life was, much less, that's what I'm thinking I'm told about what life's all about is getting all these things, it just seems silly. So my answer was, I guess I'll just join the military, I'll join the Navy, because the Navy was big in Virginia.
Then I'll go do that and figure it out and be told what I'm supposed to do and apparently shining shoes is very important, so that's life. David, it seems like in this text, is feeling a similar kind of way. Just taking a moment of his experience of just trying to keep his mouth shut before people that were just ignorant and wicked, and he couldn't even do that.
So he's saying, God, what is this life that we're in? What is this experience all about? Now if we look into verses 4-6, I think this is the real kicker of this particular psalm, because it kind of just takes a left turn.
You have an experience he went through, couldn't keep his mouth shut, and then he goes into this whole dirge about the idea of what life is, and it's so short, and does it really have any meaning or any purpose behind it? And a lot of other verses are similar to this. Over in Psalm 90, verses 10 and 11, the years of our life are 70, or even by reason of strength, 80, yet their span is but toil and trouble.
So he's kind of stuck in that rut still. They are soon gone, and we fly away. Who considers the power of your anger and your wrath according to the fear of you?
So, verse 12, teach us to number our days, that we may get a heart of wisdom. Allow us to realize that while we're stuck in this thing called life that we're all experiencing and going through, keep in the back of our minds the idea that our days, literally, are numbered before God, so to use our time with wisdom while we're here. Also in Psalm 90, verses 2-4, before the mountains were brought forth, or you ever formed the earth and the world from everlasting to everlasting, you are God.
That's the whole point of God saying, what are we before you? You've never had a beginning, you'll never have an end. We have a beginning, and apparently we go on forever with you somewhere.
But what are we in comparison to how great you are? Verse 3, you return man to dust and say, return, O children of man, for a thousand years in your sight are but as yesterday when it is past, or as a watch in the night. We long and we wait and we patiently hope for a moment that God doesn't really experience in the same way.
This idea of being frustrated with how long our life seems, but also how short it sometimes seems. We also find this in the Book of James, Chapter 4. Come now, you who say, today or tomorrow we'll go into such and such a town, spend a year there and trade and make a profit.
It's a good idea, making plans for the future. There is a problem though, James says, Verse 14, yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring. What is your life?
You are but a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes. Instead, you ought to say, if the Lord wills, we will live and do this or that. So we're in good company then, thinking about introspectively the idea of what our life even is.
In comparison to a great and awesome immortal God that we serve. We go back into our text of Psalm 39, picking up verses 7 through 11. We've had the moment where he tried to keep his mouth shut but couldn't.
Then he gets frustrated and disappointed with himself and tries to figure out what life's all about. And then we move on to this, verse 7. And now, O Lord, for what do I wait?
My hope is in You. I'm waiting for You, God, to help me. Verse 8, deliver me from all my transgressions.
Don't make me the scorn of the fool. I am mute. I do not open my mouth because it is You who have done it.
Remove Your stroke from me. I am spent by the hostility of Your hand. When You discipline a man with rebukes for sin, You consume like a moth what is dear to him.
Surely all mankind is mere breath. He says, listen, I know I should have kept my mouth shut in that moment. And when I open my mouth, I don't want it to be my voice speaking.
I want it to be Your words instructing with wise counsel. I know that I make mistakes. I know that I sin before Your holy presence.
I need You to be my hope. I need You to be my deliverer. I need You to give me mercy and grace when I fail.
And folks, haven't we all been there? We do something that is dumb, something that is sinful before our holy God. If we are not taken aback and say, Lord, You know I'm fallible.
You know I mess up. You know I need You to be my hope, to be my deliverer, and to forgive me with that grace and mercy You have offered because of Your dear Son Jesus. That's how David is feeling here in this passage.
He's not strong enough to make it through this life without God as his guide. Verses 12-13. Hear my prayer, O Lord.
Give ear to my cry. And don't miss this. Hold not your peace at my tears.
David's feeling something here in this text. He says, Lord, I know how I am nothing. I know how I am nothing before your great and awesome presence and power.
And yet, I'm going through this life. I need you to be my hope. I need you to deliver me.
I need your help in this life, because I can't do it by myself. And he is moved with that emotion, praying to God with tears for God to be there. Here's how he thinks of himself.
What an interesting way to think about King David, of all people, saying this about himself, because, verse 12, part B, I am a sojourner, a traveler with you, a guest like all my fathers. He says, Lord, I'm just traveling through this experience. I'm going through this life, but I don't belong here.
I'm just passing through, and you are my guide. Verse 13, look away from me, and condemnation, that I may smile again before I depart and am no more. This life is fleeting.
This life is short. We make mistakes along the way. We need to be like David and ask for God to be with us.
And this transient thing called life, that we are all in the middle of experiencing right now. So we are looking inward, and seeing how we resonate with the idea of life seeming to be long, making mistakes along the way, but also knowing that God is with us. Knowing that He is so much greater and more powerful than us.
And He has extended His grace and His mercy to us, who make mistakes along the way, and to walk with us in this time that we are just traveling through. If you are looking at a summary of what we have covered so far, verses 1 and 2, surrounded by the wicked, one is to remain silent. As best as you are able, some folks have a harder time with this than others.
Tempted, David spoke, and he was guilty. The brevity of life is a constant reminder to us that the mistakes we make along the way can be forgiven and should be. Forgiveness will not deserve is requested.
And finally, the sorrow turns to joy. He wants to smile again at the Lord's forgiveness. Another way to look at Psalm 39, a pattern that you may pick up as you read through it, is very introspective because it's written from David's perspective.
And he's also talking about all the things that he does and a lot of who God is. He talks about in verse 1, his ways. Verse 2, his mouth.
Verse 3, his heart. Verse 4, his end. Verse 5, his days.
Verse 7, my hope. Verses 10 and 11, my transgressions. And finally, in verse 12, my prayers.
He's being very introspective, thinking about himself. And while we are told to deny ourselves by the Lord Jesus, that balance must be had. Again, not being self-absorbed, thinking all about yourself and I all the time, but also not neglecting to look inward and see who you're all about at the same time.
Some application for us. This is the closest thing I can get to a Dave's slide for you from Psalm 39. Mind your speech when you're around those that are outside of Christ.
We can do a lot of good by being good examples and teaching along the way, sowing that seed and so forth. But also be mindful how you talk about the church, how you talk about your Christian brothers and sisters around you, because the world's watching and they're wanting to see if it's genuine or if it's all make-believe. Secondly, no one is sinless, and keep that truth in focus.
If you think that you've surpassed all these sinful things in the world, better be careful, because we're all human, we're all fallible. That's why Jesus came in the first place. Life is as nothing in comparison to eternity, so make sure you're putting your efforts, your treasures in the right location.
It's not about that white picket fence or that dog you might get in the future. It's about the idea of who God is and wanting to be with him forever. Forgiveness is offered as a free gift through our obedience to God's Word.
And then finally, when we're forgiven of our sins, when God forgives us of our sins, folks, our life should be full of joy. Now, you may not have forgiven yourself inwardly, but when God has forgiven you, there is no condemnation. No condemnation to those that are in Christ.
Romans 8, verse 1. This morning, we think about the future, we think about our lives, why we're all here, what we're doing in this occasion. We look at Psalm 39 and see David thinking about himself, asking himself the same questions, and the conclusion that he reached was, God is with me, God be praised, God deserves our worship, as he does this very morning.
Amen? If anyone has a need to respond to the invitation, maybe it's been a few moments before you thought about yourself in light of God's word that you've maybe forgotten, that God's with you every step of the way, that he's been watching this whole time, that maybe there's a need for asking for forgiveness for something in your life. If you have a need, you can respond by coming forward.
We can all pray for you in just a moment, or you can see one of our elders at the doors. If you have a need, please respond now as we stand and we sing.