Essentials Of The Faith / Sunday Morning Bible Study / Summer Psalms

Psalm 15  08/26/01

Introduction: I have been riding my motorcycle down along the Long Branch beach area near West End.  Have you seen the new development they are constructing? Gorgeous ..and expensive I bet. It has replaced an area of Long Branch that needed a face lift. More than likely many of the homes failed to meet building codes and were torn down.  A community has the right to say 'If you want to live in our town, then you must submit to certain standards.'

     Those who live in a condominium or townhouse development also know what I am talking about. There are regulations, standards of what you can and can't do to your home. If you choose to live there you must abide by the regulations and standards.

Explanation: What about heaven? If we desire to spend our eternity in God's heavenly city, must we abide now by any standards or regulations?

     There are those, even within some churches, who would say, no. God loves everybody and would never say no to anyone who wants to live eternally in His presence. He would never place standards or regulations upon them, especially ones they might not be able to live up to.

    We know that is not true. God, in His Word, tells us that  obedience to His standards and regulations is necessary, is a prerequisite for life in the presence of God. We also know that we are not good enough to live up to the strict standards and must trust in Christ's perfect obedience to them, if we hope to live forever in God's holy presence.

     And that is the problem. We often ONLY depend on Christ's perfect obedience and think we have no personal responsibility to live holy lives in obedience to God's standards. We want the pleasure and blessings of God's presence, w/o the responsibility to live up to His standards. And that is a deadly mistake.

    John 14:15 says 'If you love me, you will keep my commandments'. What all this means then, is our professed love for God must be evidenced by obedience to God's standards for the blessing of life in God's eternal presence.

     If we willingly refuse to repair our spiritual house, which is our lives before God and humanity, then it may be an indication that in our heart of hearts we truly do not love the Lord. Therefore will not be permitted to live in God's holy city. Eternal life, dwelling in the presence of God, is not for the lazy or rebellious. Hard words, I know. Please, don't misunderstand me. I am not trying to reduce  Christianity to a list of do's and don'ts. That's our nature, isn't it.? Give me a list to follow....a 'honey do list' if you will, for entrance into God's eternal presence. That's our way. God's way, is based on the heart!

     Jesus in, Luke 10:27 said 'You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind, and your neighbor as yourself'

     The idea in our text this morning is not to provide a list of things to do, to be 'right' with God. But a description of one who truly loves the Lord. And that was David....is it you?

Trans: Open you Bibles to Psalm 15 where we will each ask God what the person is like who can live in His presence for all eternity.

I. The Question Posed (Ps. 15:1)
Read: Psalm 15:1
     David, loved God with all his heart. He vigorously pursued God's friendship.  That's why he wrote  our Call To Worship this morning      Ps. 24:7

    'One thing I have asked from the Lord, that I shall seek: That I may dwell, in the house of the Lord, all the days of my life. To behold the beauty of the Lord, And to meditate in His temple.'

     Yet, David still questioned his own relationship with God. Because he knew that not everyone will be able to enjoy God's eternal presence and he wanted to be one who did.  He loved the Lord so much, he wanted to know of the kind of life that was pleasing to God. David wanted to live that life, not just out of duty, but out of love.

         -Who may abide in thy tent?
         -Who may dwell on thy holy hill?

    David is not asking 'Who can attend church?' or 'Who can serve on this or that committee?' It is much deeper. David is asking 'Who can enjoy the blessing of sweet fellowship with God?'

Trans: How does God answer? By giving a description of the lives of the citizens of Zion, God's eternal dwelling place. Turn to vs 2 where...

II. The Answer Provided (Ps. 15:2-5a)
    A. In General Terms (vs 2a)
Read: Ps. 15:2a
        -The one who walks uprightly
             The NIV says 'He whose walk is blameless' Blameless and uprightly means complete, sincere. An upright or blameless person in their heart of hearts desires to live a life that is pleasing to God.  Where sin once crippled us and caused us to walk bent over under the burden of sin, we can now walk upright by the shed blood of Christ on Calvary removing that heavy burden of sin. And when we walk uprightly and blamelessly, we can then do works of righteousness.

        -The one who works righteousness
             This means we live in a just or discerning way. We don't talk about, or think about right living, we do it. We now choose to do those things that are pleasing to God, because He has removed our bondage to sin and our love for Him motivates our actions.

Trans: That's the general description. God now gets specific. Each of the following is a description of the character  qualities for the godly person. They are a test? We are supposed to look for these in our own lives. If we score well, we prove to ourselves that we are living in an ever deepening relationship of integrity with God. If we score poorly, then we know that there is more to be done.

     On this test, our actions toward others speak loudly as to the quality of our heart toward God. Think about that as we briefly examine each description of the one who will dwell in the blessing of God's eternal presence.

    B. In Specific Terms (vs 2b-5a)
Read: Psalm 15:2b-5a

Who may dwell in God's presence?
     -The one who speaks truth in his heart

         Why? Because there are no phonies on God's holy hill. This is a person whose prayers, professions and promises made to God, come from a heart that fully believes them.  Some profess beliefs that they just don't hold, make promises to God they never intend to keep and pray as if God isn't listening or will act. We must not only speak the truth, we must believe it as well. Those who don't are called hypocrites.

Who may dwell in God's presence?
     -The one who does not slander w/ his tongue
     Slander is the malicious, intentional defamation of someone behind their backs. It is spreading lies about someone with the intent of hurting them or damaging their reputation. May it be said at our funerals that 'I never heard him/her say a bad word about anyone'

 How are you doing so far?       Who may dwell in God's presence?
     -The one who does not do evil to his neighbor
         This means we do nothing willingly to offend or grieve anothers spirit. Nothing to injure their body, livelihood or family relationships. Our intent is only and always good for others.

Who may dwell in God's presence?
     -The one who does not take up a reproach against his neighbor
         Do you truly believe the best about another or are you always suspicious?  When others begin to tell you something bad about someone, do you give the person talked about the benefit of the doubt?  Do you let what is said end with you and go no further? Or do you continue to listen for more juicy details and later tell a friend what you have heard?

 How are you doing now? Who may dwell in God's presence?
     -In whose eyes a reprobate is despised
         A reprobate is an ungodly person. The idea here questions our heroes, those we look up to. Kids, who are on the posters you hang up in your rooms? Adults, who are your TV idols, what shows can't you miss? Who are you sports heroes?  The person who walks uprightly and who works righteousness does not envy the ungodly.

Who may dwell in God's presence?
     -In whose eyes honors one who fears the Lord

Ill:  John Calvin and Martin Luther disagreed vehemently on many issues concerning just how far the Protestant Reformation should go. They disagreed on the use of hymns in worship and the nature of the presence of Christ in the elements of the Lord's Supper. Yet, Calvin said that although they disagreed deeply on many issues, he would acknowledge Luther as a choice servant of God.

     Do you show honor and respect to the Christians who disagree with you and to whom you disagree?
     Do you esteem them highly in love? Do you desire their friendship and conversation.
     Are you glad when you have the opportunity to do them good?
     Those who dwell with God, honor and respect those who fear and love the Lord.

 You still doing OK? Who may dwell in God's presence?
     -One who keeps his word

Ill: March 11, 1942 was a dark, desperate day at Corregidor. the Pacific Theater of War was threatening and bleak. One island after another had fallen to the Japanese. the enemy was now heading into the Philippines. Surrender was inevitable. As he stepped into the escape boat, Gen. Douglas Mac Arthur had only three words for his comrades - 'I shall return'
 A little over 2 ½ yrs later, Oct. 20, 1944 he stood, once again on Philippine soil after landing safely at Leyte Island and said 'This is the voice of freedom, General MacArthur speaking. People of the Philippines, I have returned!'
     MacArthur kept his word. regardless of the odds against him, he was determined to make his promise good.

     Have you ever accepted an invitation and then canceled it because something better came along.
     Have you ever made a promise and circumstances changed that made it very difficult to keep your word?  What did you do? If you are like most, you made excuses and broke your promise.

     We are not only guilty of this with others but with God as well. Think about it. Ever made any promises to God that were just too hard to keep? Well, Godly people keep their word, even when it hurts, even when it is difficult to do so.

 How about now, OK? Who may dwell in God's presence?
     -One who does not take advantage of the poor or take a bribe against the innocent.

     What this is saying is that godly people don't hit someone when they are down.  They don't take advantage of people who are going through a hard time. They don't look for how they can benefit from anothers misfortune. Godly people treat everyone the same, loving and honest way.

Trans: These are descriptions of those who can dwell in the blessings of God's eternal presence. And if that isn't motivation enough for us to reconsider our lifestyles, then what we read in vs 5b ought to be.

III. The Reward Promised (Ps. 15:5b)
Read: Psalm 15:5b

    A. The one who does these things will never be shaken
         Live a life of personal and spiritual integrity before God and others and you will not fall! That's a tremendous promise, for here and now.  Live this way, do these things and regardless of the circumstances that life brings, you will have the confidence, courage and stability that comes from the very heart and power of God Himself.

Conclusion
     Psalm 15 is given to us for the purpose of self-evaluation. So that we may live holy, just and righteous lives and thus be pleasing to God and be able to experience the blessing of fellowship with God.

     You may have been wondering about the fish tank. I bought this a few weeks ago. I absolutely love it! It sits on a table by the window in my office and I turn it on every day and enjoy it's beauty. It's colorful, there is movement and a soft bubbling sound that very calming. And do you know what's best about my new fish tank? I never have to clean it out. I never have to take a fish that died and flush it down the toilet. I never have to run back and forth to the fish store to get new fish. It beauty and pleasure w/o any responsibility. I love it!

 But isn't that what the Christian life is for many?

     They desire the blessings of God's presence w/o the responsibility of right living.

     They want the calmness God promises w/o obedience to God's Word.

     They want to live in God's holy city w/o maintaining their spiritual home.

     They want heaven w/o the burden of any standards or requirements for admission.

We are right back where we started.

     What remodeling do you have to do so that you meet the standards listed here to abide in the blessing of God's eternal presence?

     What areas of your life are not up to the code in Ps. 15?

     There is not one here this morning who can say, I am in full compliance with the standards of Ps. 15. And we need to do something about that. Our fellowship with God as individuals and as His church depends upon it. I am going to ask you to do something uncomfortable. As we sing the hymn 'Take Time to be Holy' take time with God, right now, to get you spiritual house in order.

     'Humble yourself before God and he will exalt you'. God's Word tells us. Admit to Him the areas your spiritual house is in disrepair. Confess your sin to God and allow Him to relieve your burden.

     You can come forward to kneel and seek God's face and forgiveness. 'Confess your sins one to another' 'Share your burdens with one another'.

     By coming forward you are saying that you desire the body of Christ to lift you up in prayer and to share the weight of  your spiritual burdens.

     Come, God is waiting to show His love.

                 Come, Christ is waiting to pour out His forgiveness.

                              Come, the Holy Spirit is waiting to fill you with the power and presence of Almighty God.