4/5 Fundamental Thoughts - Sermons

[1] A Morning Prayer

Psalms 5:1-12   Give ear to my words, O LORD, consider my meditation.  (2)  Hearken unto the voice of my cry, my King, and my God: for unto thee will I pray.  (3)  My voice shalt thou hear in the morning, O LORD; in the morning will I direct my prayer unto thee, and will look up.  (4)  For thou art not a God that hath pleasure in wickedness: neither shall evil dwell with thee.  (5)  The foolish shall not stand in thy sight: thou hatest all workers of iniquity.  (6)  Thou shalt destroy them that speak leasing: the LORD will abhor the bloody and deceitful man.  (7)  But as for me, I will come into thy house in the multitude of thy mercy: and in thy fear will I worship toward thy holy temple.  (8)  Lead me, O LORD, in thy righteousness because of mine enemies; make thy way straight before my face.  (9)  For there is no faithfulness in their mouth; their inward part is very wickedness; their throat is an open sepulchre; they flatter with their tongue.  (10)  Destroy thou them, O God; let them fall by their own counsels; cast them out in the multitude of their transgressions; for they have rebelled against thee.  (11)  But let all those that put their trust in thee rejoice: let them ever shout for joy, because thou defendest them: let them also that love thy name be joyful in thee.  (12)  For thou, LORD, wilt bless the righteous; with favour wilt thou compass him as with a shield.

Introduction: This Psalm is the first Psalm in the Book of Psalms to contain an imprecatory prayer.  (A prayer that asks for evil to befall a person.)  King David though he was a King, he knew he was subject to the God in Heaven an Higher Authority.  David knew that Authority. 

              King David knowing God, knew he was a sinner, he also knew God made all things possible.

I.            GETTING OFF TO A GOOD START.                             (vv 1-3)

          A.           The Plea To Be Heard.                                                (v 1)

                                    “…Give ear to my words... consider my meditation …"

                             1.           In (v 2) King David asks God to

                             “…Hearken unto the voice of my cry ….”

              B.           The Person To Whom He Prayed.                              (v 2)

                             "…my King, and my God, for unto thee will I pray…"   

C.           The Priority Of His Prayer. “…in the morning…”   (v 3)

II.           GODLINESS IN OUR LIVES.                                            (vv 4-6)

A.              Pleasure Of Sin Does Not Appeal.                              (v 4)

Psalms 5:4  For thou art not a God that hath pleasure in wickedness: neither shall evil dwell with thee.

             

B.           Presence Of Sin Is Not Endured.                                (v 5)

Psalms 5:5  The foolish shall not stand in thy sight: thou hatest all workers of iniquity.

B.              Punishment Of Sin Is Sure.                                         (v 6)

                                    "Thou shalt destroy them that speak leasing:"             

             

              1.           Leasing = Deceitful, falsehood; lies

                                          

Romans 6:23  For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

III.         GRACE AT THE HOUSE OF GOD.                                       (v 7)

A.           Coming To The House Of God.

                             "I will come into thy house"                            (v 7)

Joshua 24:15  And if it seem evil unto you to serve the LORD, choose you this day whom ye will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the flood, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD.

B.           Claiming God's Mercy.

                             "…in the multitude of thy mercy…"            (v 7)

C.           Communing With God. "in thy fear will I worship"      (v 7)          

Deuteronomy 10:12 And now, Israel, what doth the LORD thy God require of thee, but to fear the LORD thy God, to walk in all his ways, and to love him, and to serve the LORD thy God with all thy heart and with all thy soul,

1.           We are to:

              a.           Fear the Lord / Reverence Him

              b.           Walk in ALL His ways

              c.            To love Him

              d.           To serve Him

2.           How?

          a.           With ALL you heart and soul.

IV.         GUIDANCE AVAILABLE TO BELIEVERS.                         (v 8)

A.            Appeal For Guidance.

                           “Lead me, O Lord in thy righteousness”      (v 8)

Isaiah 1:16-18   Wash you, make you clean; put away the evil of your doings from before mine eyes; cease to do evil;  ¹⁷Learn to do well; seek judgment, relieve the oppressed, judge the fatherless, plead for the widow. ¹⁸Come now, and let us reason together, saith the LORD: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool.

1.           In order to obtain our righteousness, Isaiah says first we must:

              a.           Cleanse ourselves

              b.           Put away evil from His eyes

                             1.)          Remove idols

              c.            Cease to do evil

              d.           Learn to do well

2.           Seek judgment

a.           He is asking Israel to get it over with, come on I will judge you now.

3.           But in (v 8) He makes one last attempt at salvation.

C.           A Way Provided. “…make thy way straight”

Isaiah 30:21    And thine ears shall hear a word behind thee, saying, This is the way, walk ye in it, ...

V.           GODLESSNESS OF THE LORD'S ENEMIES.                     (v 9)

A.           The Uncertainty Of Their Actions.

                             "…no faithfulness"                                          (v 9)

Psalm 37:12-15  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.  ¹⁴ The wicked have drawn out the sword, and have bent their bow, to cast down the poor and needy, and to slay such as be of upright conversation. ¹⁵  Their sword shall enter into their own heart, and their bows shall be broken.

B.           The Source Of Their Wickedness is their "inward part" and "…their throat is an open sepulchre; they flatter with their tongue."

              1.           Stubbornness

              2.           Madness

              3.           Depravity

              4.           Extortion and Excess

              5.           All evil

              6.           Unbelief and covetousness

VI.         GOD'S JUDGEMENT ON HIS ENEMIES.                       (v 10)

A.           The Result Of Their Wickedness.

                             "…destroy thou them"                                 (v 10)

B.           The Reason For Their Judgment. "by their own counsel"

Proverbs 3:5   Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.

C.           The Reaction Of The Sinful. “they have rebelled”

Jeremiah 32:33  And they have turned unto me the back, and not the face: though I taught them, rising up early and teaching them, yet they have not hearkened to receive instruction.

VII.        GLADNESS BECAUSE OF HIS PROTECTION.        (vv 11-12)

A.           Because Of The Believer's Faith.                             (v 11)

                                                                        "trust in thee rejoice:"

Psalm 118:8  It is better to trust in the LORD than to put confidence in man.

Proverbs 3:5 Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.

B.              Because Of The Lord's Faithfulness.

                             "…thou defendeth them…"                           (v 11)

Isaiah 31:4-5  For thus hath the LORD spoken unto me, Like as the lion and the young lion roaring on his prey, when a multitude of shepherds is called forth against him, he will not be afraid of their voice, nor abase himself for the noise of them: so shall the LORD of hosts come down to fight for mount Zion, and for the hill thereof.   ⁵As birds flying, so will the LORD of hosts defend Jerusalem; defending also he will deliver it; and passing over he will preserve it.

C.              Because Of The Lord's Favor                                   (v 12)

                             "… wilt thou compass him as with a shield…"            

Psalms 61:3-4  For thou hast been a shelter for me, and a strong tower from the enemy.  (4)  I will abide in thy tabernacle for ever: I will trust in the covert of thy wings. Selah.

Psalm 33:20   Our soul waiteth for the LORD: he is our help and our shield.  

CLOSE:  We see in this last set of verses, God is watching us, not to catch us in sin, but to direct our paths, to help us to continue looking for His Mercy.  He wants us and all sinners delivered from death and damnation.

He wants us to rejoice in our salvation / He wants to feed us, protect us.  

We cannot do it ourselves.  It is not possible.

---

[1] adapted from “Handsfuls On Purpose” Smith-Lee, Eerdmans Press Vol. VII page 86