December 30, 2018 NOTES NOT EDITED
The After Christmas
Santa
Psalm 16:8-11
SIS—God has greater gifts for 2019 than what
Santa brought in 2018.
Well, Christmas has
come and gone. Did you get everything
you wanted for Christmas? Have you
braved the mobs at the mall for the
“after-Christmas sales” to get in on the great bargains? What if I told you that Santa Claus decided
to do it all over again? What if I told
you that you could still ask for and get what you wanted for Christmas? Here we are on the doorstep of a “New
Year.” If you could have what you wanted
for the New Year – if you could climb up on old Santa’s lap for another go ‘round,
what would you ask for. Our text this
morning has some great suggestions for a New Year’s Wish list.
Our text, Psalm 16,
was one of the most popular psalms of the apostles. Peter
quoted from it at Pentecost, as an Old Testament promise of the resurrection
(Ac 2:25-31). Paul also quotes it in the Book
of Acts for the same reason (13:35).
Why was this psalm so popular?
Simply stated, it addresses the deepest needs of human kind: the need
for stability, confidence, and companionship.
Let’s read that Psalm together beginning in verse 8:
8 I keep the Lord in mind
always. Because He is at my right
hand,
I will not be shaken. 9 Therefore my heart is glad
and my spirit rejoices; my body also rests securely. 10 For You
will not abandon me to Sheol; You will not allow Your Faithful One to see decay. 11 You reveal the path of life to me; in Your presence is abundant joy;
in Your right hand are eternal pleasures.
This Psalm addresses
three important human needs. They are a “wish list” of sorts for the New Year. I want to ask you four important questions as
you think about what you want for the New Year.
1. First, would you like the STABILITY
that God offers? (V 8)
8 I keep the Lord in mind
always.
Because He is at my right hand, I will not be shaken
Because He is at my right hand, I will not be shaken
Over four decades ago
Alvin Toffler wrote a disturbing and insightful book about the future entitled,
Future Shock.
Toffler foresaw many of the technological and political events that
are taking place today–most of which are foreboding and not so good. Toffler envisioned a world in chaos from
changes taking place at breakneck speed.
Toffler envisioned a global
community that would be in economic and political turmoil. Toffler predicted the pressures that such
great change would bring on individuals.
In light of the tremendous turmoil and change that he saw coming,
Toffler suggested that people would need “stability zones” in their lives to face the tremendous
changes.
But, perhaps three
millennia before Toffler, the Psalmist had already predicted man’s need for the
stability God offers. The Psalmist realized the need for a level place in life
that offered rest. The words, “I keep” (I have set, NIV) means to “make level or even.”
In this bumpy
rollercoaster ride we call life, we need “level spaces” where we can catch our
breath and reorient our lives. We are
like a delicate
Grandfather Clock that will not run unless it is even and level. I was reading about a family that purchased
just such a clock. It was expensive and
majestic, but it would not keep the correct time. In frustration, the father did what all good
father’s do when a new item won’t work—he took out the instructions and read
them. The instructions said, “You must level the clock before it will run.” It took the father three months to level
the clock so that it would keep the right time.
A level, even,
balanced relationship with God provides the stability that allows our lives to
run properly. Some of your lives are not
running properly because your relationship with God is “out of balance.” Your
commitment to God is not level and even, so your life does not run right.
When problems or
crises come, and the waves of life crush in upon your life, an even
relationship with God will provide stability, so that you will not be shaken
and sunk.
I ask you, would you like the
stability God offers?
2. Second, would you like the confidence
God provides (v9)
9 Therefore my heart is glad and my spirit rejoices;
my body also rests securely.
How confident are you
about the future? Stability is who you
are; confidence relates to how you operate.
We live in a world
teetering on the brink of disaster. Congress
and the President seem content to hit the accelerator as we approach the
“Fiscal Cliff.” Nobody is quite sure
what disasters are waiting for the U.S. at this “Cliff,” but I can’t imagine it
will be good. Our nation’s economy is shakier than Grandma on a
skateboard. The Stockmarket looks like a
roller-coaster ride at Six Flags.
Globally,
the situation is no better. India, Pakistan and Iran continue rattling
their sabers – their NUCLEAR SABERS. North
Korea remains a nuclear threat to the world.
We cannot afford to hide our head in the sand. We must face the day before us. Are you ready? Are you confident? Does your confidence lead to joy and
gladness, as did the Psalmist’s? Even if you could hear death at your doorstep
– are you confident? The Psalmist said,
9 Therefore my heart is glad and my spirit rejoices; my body also rests
securely. 10 For You will not abandon me to Sheol; You will not
allow Your Faithful One to see decay.
The Psalmist looked
into his future and faced the greatest enemy a mortal can face–death. For the Jews, death was a dark and
unconscious sleep in a place called Sheol. For a Jew the worst possible outcome in
the face of death was to be “Forgotten by
God.” Yet, this Jew, the Psalmist was
confident that even in Sheol, God
would remember him. When life presses in
upon you through sickness, sadness, or perhaps the thought of death, would you
like the confidence that God provides?
When your financial situation is not what you
wished it were and you find it harder and harder to make ends meet, are you
confident that God will not forget you?
When your children stray off
the path you wish for them, are you confident God will not forget you? When you and your spouse sailing rough seas, are you confident that God will not
forget you?
Job, the Patriarch
was confident God would remember him.
(Job
19:23-25) 23 I wish that my words were written down,
that they were recorded on a scroll 24 or were
inscribed in stone forever by an iron stylus and lead! 25 But I
know my living Redeemer, and He will stand on the dust at last.
Job had lost
everything, family, money, and health. But, in all of his loss, he found
confidence in God. Paul, the Apostle,
was confident God would not forget.
(Phil
1:6) 6 I am sure of this, (“being confident,” NIV) that He who
started a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.
“Being
confident” is a
very important concept in the Word of God, especially as Paul viewed it. The way Paul phrased this verse as the Holy
Spirit impressed upon his heart is very significant. Literally it means, “I was once persuaded to trust God and God continues to persuade me
daily, and will always persuade me in the future that I can trust Him fully.”
One of the greatest
coaches to every walk on a college football field was Lou Holtz of the Arkansas Razorbacks. One time he made this comment: “I have a lifetime contract. That means I can’t be fired [part way] through the game if we’re ahead and
moving the ball!” Holtz was never
fired because he always seemed to perform.
He was confident because of His performance. It made him a great coach, but confidence
based upon performance will never cut it eternally.
Our confidence is in
God. It is resolute and absolute. Our trust in God can provide the kind of
confidence that even death, itself, cannot shake. Have you ever watched a superhero on TV. They take every thing the enemy can fire, and
they just keep on moving forward. They
cannot be shaken or stopped. That’s the
kind of confidence that faith in God provides.
Confidence is the
primary ingredient to success. Confidence feeds the imagination and breeds
ingenuity. Nothing ever happens of great
value until someone is confident enough
to try–to step out on thin ice, or break new ground. Without confidence, we cannot breed great
leaders because the fear of failure will stymy creativity and stop
ingenuity.
All great achievers,
whether in sports, medicine, or industry have one thing in
common: a I-believe-I-can attitude.
You will never
succeed unless your heart has a confident connection with God. Then, you must avoid short-circuiting that
confidence you feel in your heart by allowing your lips to commit treason.
Verse 9 tells us that confidence affects
the tongue, 9and my tongue
rejoices. (LXX has “tongue.” Peter quotes this in Acts 2:25ff).
It is treason for any
professing Christian to use the words,
“I can’t.” The Bible teaches us the opposite. It says, “I
CAN do all things through Christ who gives me
strength.” (Phil. 4:13)
3. Would you like the
companionship God offers? (V10)
10you will not abandon me.
Have you ever been
lonely? Are you lonely now? When
everyone else was enjoying the festivities of the Christmas season, did you
feel like an old discarded shoe? If you
have ever felt loneliness, you know how painful it can be. To feel abandoned causes great distress and
fear.
A few years ago, a doctor was asked what he thought was the most devastating
disease facing people today? His answer
was startling. He said, “Loneliness.” Despite the fact that we are most often
surrounded by crowds, even on the freeway; and, despite the fact that most people
live in neighborhoods and communities, the number one disease facing people,
according to that doctor, is loneliness.
God made us to be
social creatures. He, Himself, said: “It is not good for man to be alone.” God created us to have fellowship with Him
and with others. God created us for
companionship.
I remember reading a
very touching story. A man had decided to visit
his older brother. His older brother
lived alone. He had few, if any
friends. He was wealthy and lonely. While visiting the younger brother ran short
of cash and borrowed 50
bucks. He was going to pay it
back 5 dollars a week
after he got home. Every week the
younger brother wrote a nice letter to his lonely older brother and put in a
check for 5 dollars. The older brother
wrote and said how much he enjoyed getting the letters (he never mentioned the
money). The younger brother had never
written much before. This went on for 10
weeks until the last letter and check for
5 bucks was mailed. The week after
that check was mailed the younger brother received an envelope from his older
brother: in it was a check for 50 bucks! The older brother did not need the
money – he needed the company!
We NEED the
companionship of God. The companionship
of others is also of great benefit, but if you put your trust in human
relationships alone, you will be hurt.
Wise Old Solomon understood this.
He said,
(Prov
18:24) 24 A man with many friends may be harmed,
but there is a friend who stays closer than a brother.
That friend that
sticks closer than a brother is Jesus. As we sit on the portal of a New Year
peering off into the distance at the unknown circumstances of life, would you
like the companionship that God offers through Jesus Christ, His Son? Would you like to have Jesus as your BFF! for 2019 and the rest of eternity?
Life
is a sweeter journey when we have a
close companion to hold our hand. It is
sweetEST when that Hand is Jesus!
Would you like the
companionship that faith in God offers.
As you face the New Year,
full of uncertainties and full of promise, what would you like? Would you like the stability faith in God offers?
Would you like the confidence faith
in God offers? Would you like the companionship that faith in God
offers? If your answer is “yes,” then I
have a final question to ask you.
4. Would you embrace fully God’s
purpose for your life? (v 11)
(Psa
16:11) 11 You reveal the path of life to me; in Your presence is
abundant joy; in Your right hand are eternal pleasures
Most people would
like to add more days to
their lives. What the Bible
describes as prosperity is to add “more life to our days.”
That is, we must pursue the purpose for which God designed us. So few people ever find their true purpose in
life.
Purpose requires responsibility. I read a meme (info post on FaceBook) this week that said, “A disciple is someone who has moved from being the recipient of the church’s mission to being responsible for the church’s mission. That is every believer’s purpose in life—however varied the means might be for carrying it out.
Purpose requires responsibility. I read a meme (info post on FaceBook) this week that said, “A disciple is someone who has moved from being the recipient of the church’s mission to being responsible for the church’s mission. That is every believer’s purpose in life—however varied the means might be for carrying it out.
The phrase “path of life” refers to the coming of a new existence. It was a phrase used to designate the coming
of the seasons,
especially the coming of spring. It is a
phrase implying newness and freshness and effectiveness. I cannot tell you exactly how your
purpose in life works out, but I can tell you what it is NOT. Your purpose is NOT to pursue fame; it is NOT
to pursue fortunes; it is NOT to pursue pleasures. Your purpose is to pursue God passionately. How one does this comes in a myriad of ways,
but God is always at the center.
The Path of Life refers to the way of wisdom
and righteousness as opposed to the “Forbidden
Woman” that represents sin and folly. Proverbs 5:3-6 says,
3 Though the lips of the forbidden woman drip
honey and her words are smoother than
oil, 4 in the end she’s as bitter as wormwood and as sharp as a
double-edged sword. 5 Her feet go down to death; her steps head
straight for Sheol. 6 She doesn’t consider the path of life;
she doesn’t know that her ways are unstable.
I remember taking
many vacations and road trips as a kid.
One of the most important items secured in preparation for the trip was a “road map.” This was before smart phones and GPS. Dad would first of all pinpoint the
destination and circle it. Then, he
would trace the preferred route to get to our destination. We always got to where we planned – though
with five kids and the uncertainties of life, there was a few detours now and
then.
God has a purpose for
our lives – a path marked out for us that will get us to the Destination of
Blessing, and finally, Heaven’s shores.
You will never discover blessing until you get on the path of life God
has for you and beginning fulfilling God’s purpose for your life. The ancient Saint Augustine once declared the same thing as
the Psalmist,
"You
have made us for yourself, O Lord, and our heart is restless until it rests in
you."
CLOSE: Have you noticed that the Old Year is always
depicted in imagery as an Old Man close to
death, while the New Year is always
pictured as a baby, full of life? A baby has the promise of a full rich life
ahead. The New Year holds the promise of
stability, confidence, and companionship.
The New Year promises “fullness of
joy and eternal pleasures” if you would embrace fully the plan and purpose
for your life.
Why not climb back up
on Santa’s lap – that is the lap of Jesus –and tell Him what you
want for the New Year. Jesus is not only the child of
Christmas – Jesus is the “After Christmas Santa.”
There is no better
time than today, and no better place than here, to embrace fully God’s plan and
path for your life. It is a plan and
path that will “fill you with joy and
eternal pleasures” – stability, confidence and companionship.
Christmas isn’t about
a “day,” but it is about a relationship with God through Jesus Christ that
brings new gifts every day. Santa may go
back to the North Pole, but we can let Jesus be our North Star to guide us each
day of this New Year.