Sermon – “Do Not Fret”

Of David. 1 Do not fret because of those who are evil or be envious of those who do wrong; 2 for like the grass they will soon wither, like green plants they will soon die away. 3 Trust in the Lord and do good; dwell in the land and enjoy safe pasture. 4 Take delight in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart. 5 Commit your way to the Lord; trust in him and he will do this: 6 He will make your righteous reward shine like the dawn, your vindication like the noonday sun. 7 Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him; do not fret when people succeed in their ways, when they carry out their wicked schemes. 8 Refrain from anger and turn from wrath; do not fret—it leads only to evil. 9 For those who are evil will be destroyed, but those who hope in the Lord will inherit the land. 10 A little while, and the wicked will be no more; though you look for them, they will not be found. 11 But the meek will inherit the land and enjoy peace and prosperity. 12 The wicked plot against the righteous and gnash their teeth at them; 13 but the Lord laughs at the wicked, for he knows their day is coming. 14 The wicked draw the sword and bend the bow to bring down the poor and needy, to slay those whose ways are upright. 15 But their swords will pierce their own hearts, and their bows will be broken. 16 Better the little that the righteous have than the wealth of many wicked; 17 for the power of the wicked will be broken, but the Lord upholds the righteous.

10 So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand. 11 “All who rage against you will surely be ashamed and disgraced; those who oppose you will be as nothing and perish. 12 Though you search for your enemies, you will not find them. Those who wage war against you will be as nothing at all. 13 For I am the Lord your God who takes hold of your right hand and says to you, Do not fear; I will help you.

42 They were faithful in listening to the teaching of the missionaries. They worshiped and prayed and ate the Lord’s supper together.

3 Then Samuel spoke to all the house of Israel, saying, “If you return to the Lord with all your hearts, then put away the foreign gods and the Ashtoreths[a] from among you, and prepare your hearts for the Lord, and serve Him only; and He will deliver you from the hand of the Philistines.” 4 So the children of Israel put away the Baals and the Ashtoreths,[b] and served the Lord only.

20 Those who are of a perverse heart are an abomination to the Lord, But the blameless in their ways are His delight.

²² Lying lips are an abomination to the Lord, But those who deal truthfully are His delight.

25 Yes, the Almighty will be your gold[c] And your precious silver; 26 For then you will have your delight in the Almighty, And lift up your face to God.

28 Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. 29 Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.

How wonderful he is. And I’m glad that that last course was not speaking only to me because how could that course not speak to all of us speak to our hearts to think how great is the Lord how great is his mercy. I’ll tell you how great his mercy is that is save the wretched sinner like me how I love you is what Paul says wretched man that I am but that’s how great his mercy is a man God is so wonderful so kind you know this small if you looked up and saw Gary laughing. You know many times it’s middle the way towards the end of the week but the Lord spoke to me early in the week actually Sunday as I was reading and gave me the topic of this week’s sermon and so Monday early on we got to prepare and as Gary can probably test of this being a pastor you know sometimes you feel better about the message that you’re about to bring forth than others and I felt really good about this message so I came and said that or by Gary and he said Say no title your message to them I tell you right now I don’t like it. Do not fret he said because you’re going to step in on my toes. So that’s what we were talking about this morning do not fret so I’m not going to be steppin on just your toes on the B. step and probably on my own toes and Karen’s toes do not fret Laughter is good for the soul brothers and sisters. Songs thirty seven one through sixteen hear the word of the Lord and it starts right out with do not fret because of evildoers nor be envious of the workers of iniquity for they sow shall soon be cut down like the grass and wither as the green herb. Trust in the Lord and do good to well in the land and feed on his faithfulness the light yourself also in the Lord and He shall give you the desires of your heart commit your way to the Lord trust also in Him and He shall bring it to pass he shall bring forth your righteousness as the light and your justice as the noonday rest in the Lord and wait patiently for him do not fret because of him who a prosperous in his way because of the man who brings wicked schemes to pass cease from anger and for sake wrath do not fret it only causes harm my get back to that for evil doers shall be cut off but those who wait on the Lord they shall inherit the earth for you had a little while and the wicked shall be no more Indeed you will look carefully for his place but it shall be no more but the meek shall inherit the earth and shall the light themselves and the abundance of peace the wicked plots against the just and gnashes out him with his teeth the Lord laughs at him for he sees that his day is coming. I’m a pause here for a second because you know what that’s all we can say whenever wickedness or comes against us your day is coming the wicked have drawn the sword and have bent their bow to cast down the poor and needy to slay those who are of upright conduct their sword so enter their own heart and their abode shall be broken. A little that a righteous man has is better than the riches of many wicked glory to GOD May God had His blessings to the hearing and reading of His Holy Word let us pray Heavenly Father we do thank you so much for your words Father we thank you that your word here this morning is very clear that we’re not to worry. And fret but to trust in you and father I just pray that your spirit will be upon us today that you would speak to our hearts and our minds and Father God that they would be fully open and surrendered to what you have forced today but not just today father let us every day depend on you that is severed a look to you because we know that you are faithful that you are always there that you will speak to us that you will guide us did you will hold us up father whenever we are weak and fall or again just let your name be glorified a little high today in Jesus’ name amen. So I’ll ask the question and I would imagine almost every hand will go up have you ever fretted about something. I see has a nod Nancy Reagan these little ones may not have. But. We’ve probably all Fred it a little bit so I want to clarify something exactly what does it mean to fret. It means to be vexed to be annoyed to be troubled to be anxious about something that’s when it when I think of Friday nights what comes to my mind immediately is to be anxious or distressed or an easy about something you know if you live down on the shore and the weatherman said there is a hurricane coming your way. You’re you’re most likely going to leave but why you’re going you’re going to be anxious or distressed about when you get home is your home going to still be there. You may be anxious about are they going to be able to get that medicine in that port you might fret and worry about that a little bit you may be anxious about that waiting to hear from the doctor that report from the test you just had there are so many things that we can be anxious about and worry and fret about we worry and fret about the unknown. See that’s the problem it’s the unknown. But my friends God knew us when we was in our mother’s womb we only know today. And yesterday we know what happened yesterday we don’t know what tomorrow is going to bring We don’t know what the next hour may bring but who does God does and God is telling us the not to fret but now the Hebrew meaning of the word as it’s used in songs thirty seven is while the word is called rock and it means to grow warm now I’m not talking about the warmness as you walk outside on this not nice hot sunny day and it warms you from the outside. It’s grow warm from inside it means to blaze up with anger it means to burn with then or and be displeased that’s what he’s talking to solace is talking about here do not burn with anger so you see I’m not going to be released on my step and as a little bit but it’s not the exactly the same as worrying does not what David is referring to here do not burn with anger and you know there may be many things in this light that cause us to blaze up you know you see an injustice happen and you might blaze up with you’re going to you Mike Well it’s righteous anger. We can say but there are many things that might happen in our communities that cause us to blaze up with anger we might watch to news and see the threat of terrorism in a might call you know we’ve seen what happened in Spain it might cause us to blaze up with anger and they are a horrible thing. I’m sure that we’ve all had times in our lives hard times or something or someone some situation that has caused us to grow angry. I have been angry at times just blaze up with anger. So I’m going to get back to the fretting in the end but I’m going to take sidestep a little bit that verse also said nor be envious do not fret nor be envious and the problem with fretting or envy is this whenever we are given to either one of these it is usually going to hurt ourselves more than it hurts the person or the situation that we are angry or envious about. The all moody once told this fable. Of an eagle who was envious of another eagle that could fly higher and better than he could one day the bird so a sportsman with a bow and arrow and he said to him I wish that you would bring down that eagle the man said Well if I only had a feather for my arrow I could do it so the old bird eagle just plucked out a feather and said here so the man shot the arrow but it didn’t quite go high enough so the Word says Piers another feather he shot again and another feather in shot again and another feather until finally that envious bird could not fly. What the Dysport sman do took advantage of the situation and turned to that eagle and shot him. Does this not suggest that we should not be envious of someone else. Your took advantage that situation if you are envious of others the one you will hurt by your actions will be yourself you keep pluck and those feathers out and then the sooner or later you’re not going to be able to fly. You see the application there. The Lord is very clear that we are not to envy and we are not to fret. The most important reason that we as believers in God who are supposed to trust in Him should not be envious and should not fret is this that that negativism negativism will impact our relationship with God. Because we seriously you think about it we can become so consumed by these negative thoughts that they will consume our time when we should be thinking of Godly things instead of these negative thing I mean the situation with things going on around in the world or in our community can consume US consumer thoughts God does not want that to happen that’s why he tells us not to fret or not be envious but this to give it to him God says I got this I says I am God I am in control. In the Lord gives us step by step instructions of how to overcome fretting worrying Endy whatever you would like to call it. The very first of these instructions number one is to trust. Verse three said trust in the Lord do good that you may dwell in the land. Is says to feed upon his faithfulness. So we are to feed upon him upon his word in not all these things that we tend to worry and stress about all this envy that we have what others have and we don’t who cares what others have. But just be thankful for what the Lord provides trust in him to provide. You might say well I trust in him for my salvation yes. But more than that he wants to try he wants you to trust in him so completely that you will trust him with this life now. Not just that which is to come he wants you to trust him today with every area and aspect of your life God wants you to trust him for protecting your family God want you to trust him to provide the finances to buy the food you need to eat God want you to trust him to provide the shelter for over your head God want you to trust him with your thoughts he wants you to trust him with every single thing about your life completely that’s what God wants us to do there was a television program that preceded the one thousand nine hundred eight Winter Olympics and it featured blind skiers being trained for assault slalom skiing and you might think Well that sounds impossible but pair was sighted sighted skiers the blind skiers were taught on the flats how to make right and left turns and when they had mastered that task they were taken to the slalom slope with their sighted partners skied be skiing beside them shouting left and right left and right as obeyed the commands they were able to negotiate the course and cross the finish line depending soley on the sighted skiers. It was either complete trust or catastrophe. What a vivid picture of the Christian life in this world. We are in reality blind about the course we take. As I already said Who here knows what tomorrow is going to bring. We might have our hopes of what tomorrow is going to bring but we enter into morrow blindly true we enter into tomorrow blindly and who knows that God does so we need to listen to him shout left right straight left right straight or back up or stop whatever may be. But we have to listen and completely trust in him. Because he is the one that decided to be able to see Isaiah forty one ten through thirteen says fear not for I am with you. There’s more but I probably wouldn’t need to read anymore would I God says they’re not for I am with you what else do we need to know be not dismayed for I am your God I will strengthen you yes I will help you. I will uphold you with my righteous hand and you know this came to me just last night as I read this pause and again as you can see I will uphold you with my right hand. My friends word as the New Testament revealed that Jesus Christ is seated. At the right hand of God when we stand before God There’s only one way will be made to stand and that is through Jesus Christ and he says in the Old Testament I will upload you with my right hand and Jesus is at the right hand of God how I look to you that didn’t come to me the last night it got me excited I like getting excited about the Lord and about his word Bursa Levin says Behold all those who were incest against you shall be ashamed and disgraced that they shall be as nothing and those who strive with you shall parries you shall seek them and not find them those who can take. When with you those who war against you shall be as nothing as nonexistent as a non-existent thing for I the LORD your God will uphold your right hand saying to you fear not I will help you so all those that come against us there will be is nothing. They will be is nothing he is or God he says for I am your God how I love you the second focus is commitment commit he says commit your way to the Lord commitment or commit is defined as dedicated to a cause or an activity or it means an engagement or an obligation that restricts freedom of action it is an oath or a pledge. But you know I think the reason a lot of people hold back from believing in Jesus or committing their lives to him is they have a problem with that one description that says obligation that restricts freedom of action. I think that causes many people to avoid the lower because oh I’m not going to I’m not going to church I’m not going to give my life to him because I’ve got too many wild oats to sow yet I’ve got too many things I like to do that I want to do so I’m not going to do that because it restricts the freedom of action that I want. Well yes it does. As it should. You know. Whenever Karen and I sat down with a couple that is going to be getting married which Next week I do have a wedding to do we always sit down and talk with them about what a great of a commitment it is to enter into a marriage you cannot enter into marriage without having a great commitment but you know I believe that there are so many many people today that the only thing that they are committed to. Is an commitment. So much so that they have a unmarried contract that you can purchase for twenty four ninety five. And it it is said and it you just write out exactly who has what what belongs to who so that whenever the fun big fun ends and everything turns sour you don’t have to worry about anything because there it is it’s all down in black and white and on marriage contract if you will so the only thing they’re committed to is an commitment. And that’s sad. That is so sad because we should be committed to one another in marriage and we must be committed to God we must be willing to give up our own ways. And walk in His ways. Because he is God because he. Wants us to trust in Him He wants us to that doesn’t mean everything’s going to be easy whenever we decide to follow the Lord. But we know that he has our back that he will strengthen us that he will uphold us. The scripture reference for commitment. In Acts two forty two and this is the New Living Translation. Says all the believers devoted themselves devoted themselves to the Apostles teaching and to fellowship and to sharing e-mails including the Lord’s supper and to prayer and then in First Samuel seven three and four it says and then Samuel spoke to all the house of Israel saying if you return to the Lord with all your hearts then put away the foreign gods and asked tourists from among you and prepare your hearts for the Lord and serve Him only and he will deliver you from the. To the Philistines so the children of Israel put away the bales and as tourists and serve the Lord only we cannot serve two masters we must either serve the Lord or serve the world we must make a choice we cannot ride the fence we need to make a choice what side of the fence we want to be on you either for God or you’re against him you say well I’m not going to make a choice that is your choice you have chosen not to follow God. There was a missionary named David Livingston a very famous missionary. A missionary society wrote to him and ask Have you found a good road to where you are if so we want to know how to send other men to you. Well you may be Gary’s chuckle and he may have read this you know how Livingston responded. If you only have men that want a good road I don’t want them I want someone that’s going to come and help me if there is no road. It won’t be an easy path. But are you willing to follow God If there is no road if he calls you to go the rough path are you willing to take it. I pray so because you will know that he is with you on that path. The third focuses the light the first step I should say is to light verse four said the light yourself also in the Lord read out again the light yourself also in the Lord and He shall give you the desires of your heart you know we often talk about things that give God the light. That he delights in us when we are faithful to him. We know that that brings into light Proverbs eleven twenty says the prefer the perverse in heart or. Abomination to the Lord but the blameless in their walk are his the light so we know that we’re faithful that we follow his ways and we follow as commandments is the light to the Lord twelve twenty two says lying lips are an abomination to the Lord but those who deal faithfully are his the light so he delights in these things we delight in our children God the lights in US But verse that verse and song thirty seven says for us to delight ourselves in the Lord that’s different flip it around. The word the light. Here is a he were word that is only use and about a half a dozen times in the Bible the word means something delicate or solved that a person would enjoy. To take the light in Isaiah sixty six eleven uses it. As a nursing child who delights in his mother. Think about that for a moment. We are to do the light in the Lord as a nursing child the lights and his mother. I don’t know if that’s sinking in yet. But a nursing child in the arms of his or her mother. They are safe there is no greater place that they feel safety than in the arms of their mother is that not true. They feel comforted. In the arms of their mother. They are not fretting they are not envious they are not worrying because they are in the arms of their mother they are fed in the arms of the mother everything that they need that nursing child they have right there in the arms of their mother food. Safety peace contentment. The delight. My friends that’s what God wants of us. He wants us to know he has us in his arms and he will do all for us that that nursing mother does for her child. He will feed us he will give us peace he will strengthen us He will comfort us he will protect us God wants you to be that child in his arms his strong arms Amen. Now the light is not nearly merely a discipline when you did lighten something your thoughts are constantly turning to that thing. You think of it early you think of it often you think of it late you think of it all the time when you think of it it makes you smile when you think of the Lord does it make you smile a man I hope so. You do all that you do regarding it purely because it is your delight. Persons the light may be found in a number of things but I hope we find our delight in the Lord. That we find our peace in our confort in Him job twenty two twenty five to twenty six says yes the Almighty will be your gold and your precious silver for then you will have your delight in the Almighty and lift up your face to God we are to delight in God. Like gold or silver some precious treasure. We are to have a love relationship with the Lord our God The relationship that is a mutual delight. That’s muffed my point here. Not just that God will delight in us but the we will truly delight in him. That’s what God wants that’s what we should have. You know we can sometimes become so stressed was trying to please God. That we are enjoying it. He wants us to be he wants us to look to him is that friend that is closer than a brother. I want to share a couple different versions. My God had I’m so my last but last focused point is rest. Rest in and cease from anger. Save rest rest for last because we must first be able to trust we must be able to commit ourselves to Him We must be light in him before we will ever find rest. There is no way you can rest if you can’t do the other three we must rest so now I want to share a couple different versions The first is from The Message Bible. It says quiet down before God. Let that sink in it quiet down before God be prayerful before him don’t bother with those who climbed the ladder to elbow their way to the top that’s the message Bible my friends with you’re in a work place and your coworkers have elbowed you work on your way up the ladder or even if they stab you in the back trying to get their way up the ladder God says just quiet down don’t worry about them I want to tell you why we don’t worry about them because it shared in the beginning of our passage in thirty seven they are like the grass. Player at the grass that will be cut off in Withers in a dry ice. I don’t know about. Most of you but if you have a lawn that is any size if you’ve mowed your lawn and bought a tile and it needs rake by the time you get the push mower done if you have to do the weed whacker and that grass is already dried up it is dried up when you cut it off it was green and juicy but it is already dried up and a little bit in no time well that’s what God’s going to do to those that do evil that those that do wicked they will be mowed he’s got to get his mower out and mow them down. It’s not our job to mow them down but God will and then the Amplified Bible says Be still and rest in the Lord wait for him and patiently leading yourself upon him fret not yourself because of him who prospers in his way because of the man who brings wicked devices to pass. Be still and rest in the Lord. Find or delight in him commit our way to Him Trust in Him and rest in Him. There is no true true rest if there’s any doubt in our minds any doubt or unbelief. In the one true and living God. We cannot trust and we cannot rest in Him If we have any doubt that he is the one true God and Jesus Christ is our Lord and Savior Jesus says in Matthew eleven twenty eight twenty nine come to me all you who labor and are heavy laden and I will give you rest take my yoke upon you and learn from me for I am gentle and lowly in heart. I hope you’re relying on the Lord for your peace. And I hope you’re relying on his righteousness for your peace. Because if for a lot relying on our own righteousness. As for peace. If we think we can rely on our own righteousness for salvation we will never find true peace. Because it only comes to the Lord Jesus Christ. May we trust in him lean on him and learn not to worry and fret with our own lives and with that of our families they will know that the Lord has it the Lord is in control. They has the whole world in the palm of his hand. A man a man.