KEEPING OUR COOL

Keeping Our Cool!

RF, August 20, 2017

CONNECT At our men’s breakfast yesterday, there was an extended discussion of the recent events in our county… Many people are in a state of emotional turmoil and mental confusion concerning the state of our nation…

TENSION What is our response as Christians to all the recent events here in our country?

SOLUTION The Bible holds the answers to how we “can keep our senses when everyone around us is losing theirs!”

INSTRUCTION The Bible will tell us things we need to hear; will show us things we need to see; will teach us things we need to know; and explain things we need to understand!

Romans 15:4 (NKJV) For whatever things were written before were written for our learning, that we through the patience and comfort of the Scriptures might have hope.

II Timothy 3:16-17 (NKJV) All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.

When things are confusing and our emotions are raging, I have found that the Psalms speak so clearly. They touch us in our soul: our mind, our will, our emotions.

Listen to these laments…

Psalm 2; Psalm 3; Psalm 4

The Psalm are so very practical. As I prayed and thought about this week, I looked again at Psalm 37. Let’s look at it today and take home its wise counsel and steps of direct action.

Psalm 37:1-40 (NKJV)

The Heritage of the Righteous and the Calamity of the Wicked

A Psalm of David.

 Psalm 37:1-2 (NKJV) Do not fret because of evildoers, Nor be envious of the workers of iniquity. ² For they shall soon be cut down like the grass, And wither as the green herb.

Fret is usually thought of as worry. In this passage is means “to burn with angry or be enraged!”

Envious here means “to envy, be jealous; to get heated, become excited; to annoy, torment, hurt; to rebel, fight for.”

Why? Their judgment is coming!

Psalm 37:3-4 (NKJV) Trust in the Lord, and do good; Dwell in the land, and feed on His faithfulness. ⁴ Delight yourself also in the Lord, And He shall give you the desires of your heart.

We need to do what we can do as the Lord leads us, but we have to trust Him to make it happen! How? We meditate on His faithfulness, his loyalty. We delight ourself in Him.

Psalm 37:5-6 (NKJV) Commit your way to the Lord, Trust also in Him, And He shall bring it to pass. ⁶ He shall bring forth your righteousness as the light, And your justice as the noonday.

Commit means “to roll over onto”. What a picture of giving God our cares and worries. We wait on Him to make things right!

Psalm 37:7-8 (NKJV) Rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for Him; Do not fret because of him who prospers in his way, Because of the man who brings wicked schemes to pass. ⁸ Cease from anger, and forsake wrath; Do not fret—it only causes harm.

Rest means “to be still”.

Psalms 46:10 (NKJV) Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth!

Exodus 14:13-14 (NKJV) And Moses said to the people, “Do not be afraid. Stand still, and see the salvation of the LORD, which He will accomplish for you today. For the Egyptians whom you see today, you shall see again no more forever. The LORD will fight for you, and you shall hold your peace.”

II Chronicles 20:17 (NKJV) “You will not need to fight in this battle. Position yourselves, stand still and see the salvation of the LORD, who is with you, O Judah and Jerusalem!’ Do not fear or be dismayed; tomorrow go out against them, for the LORD is with you.”

Matthew 11:28 (NKJV) Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.

Psalm 37:9-11 (NKJV) For evildoers shall be cut off; But those who wait on the Lord, They shall inherit the earth. ¹⁰ For yet a little while and the wicked shall be no more; Indeed, you will look carefully for his place, But it shall be no more. ¹¹ But the meek shall inherit the earth, And shall delight themselves in the abundance of peace.

Jesus quoted this in the “Sermon on the Mount”…

Matthew 5:5 (NKJV) Blessed are the meek, For they shall inherit the earth.

Meekness is not weakness. Moses was called the meekest man whoever lived. Jesus displayed meekness.

Matthew 11:29 (NKJV) Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle (meek) and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.

Meekness is a fruit of the Spirit…

Galatians 5:22-23 (NKJV) But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness (meekness), self-control. Against such there is no law.

Meekness is seeing ourself as God sees us. It is seeing our inability and God’s ability! We can’t change anything but God can change everything!

Psalm 37:30-31 (NKJV) The mouth of the righteous speaks wisdom, And his tongue talks of justice. ³¹ The law of his God is in his heart; None of his steps shall slide.

These things are key…

1.     Speak wisdom

Proverbs 9:10 (NKJV) The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom, And the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.

Colossians 3:16 (NKJV) Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom, teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord.

James 1:5 (NKJV) If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him.

How do you know you have God’s wisdom?

James 3:14-18 (NKJV) But if you have bitter envy and self-seeking in your hearts, do not boast and lie against the truth. This wisdom does not descend from above, but is earthly, sensual, demonic. For where envy and self-seeking exist, confusion and every evil thing are there. But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, willing to yield, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality and without hypocrisy. Now the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace.

One word of advice… if you don’t know what to say, keep your mouth shut!

Proverbs 17:28 (NKJV) Even a fool is counted wise when he holds his peace; When he shuts his lips, he is considered perceptive.

Proverbs 29:11 (NKJV) A fool vents all his feelings, But a wise man holds them back.

2.     Speak justice

Psalms 72:4 (NKJV) He will bring justice to the poor of the people; He will save the children of the needy, And will break in pieces the oppressor.

Isaiah 58:6-7 (NKJV) Is this not the fast that I have chosen: To loose the bonds of wickedness, To undo the heavy burdens, To let the oppressed go free, And that you break every yoke? Is it not to share your bread with the hungry, And that you bring to your house the poor who are cast out; When you see the naked, that you cover him, And not hide yourself from your own flesh?

Amos 5:24 (NKJV) But let justice run down like water, And righteousness like a mighty stream.

Micah 6:8 (NKJV) He has shown you, O man, what is good; And what does the LORD require of you But to do justly, To love mercy, And to walk humbly with your God?

James 1:27 (NKJV) Pure and undefiled religion before God and the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their trouble, and to keep oneself unspotted from the world.

3.     Speak the Word

Psalms 119:13 (NKJV) With my lips I have declared All the judgments of Your mouth.

I Corinthians 2:13 (NKJV) These things we also speak, not in words which man’s wisdom teaches but which the Holy Spirit teaches, comparing spiritual things with spiritual.

Hebrews 4:12-13 (NKJV) For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. And there is no creature hidden from His sight, but all things are naked and open to the eyes of Him to whom we must give account.

Notice that the law was in his heart. We must internalize the Word for it to be effective.

People don’t need to hear what you think! They need to hear the Word!

Psalm 119:89 (NKJV) Forever, O Lord, Your word is settled in heaven.

Isaiah 40:8 (NKJV) The grass withers, the flower fades, But the word of our God stands forever.”

ACTION STEPS

1.  Word more than world!

1 Corinthians 2:6–7 (NKJV) However, we speak wisdom among those who are mature, yet not the wisdom of this age, nor of the rulers of this age, who are coming to nothing. ⁷But we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, the hidden wisdom which God ordained before the ages for our glory,

2.  Prayer more than worry!

Philippians 4:4–7 (NKJV) Rejoice in the Lord always. Again I will say, rejoice! ⁵Let your gentleness be known to all men. The Lord is at hand. ⁶Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; ⁷and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.

3.  Listen more than talk!

James 1:19–20 (NKJV) So then, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath; ²⁰for the wrath of man does not produce the righteousness of God.

Illustration: Bird in a plop story...

INSPIRATION

Psalm 73:16–17 (NKJV)When I thought how to understand this, It was too painful for me— ¹⁷Until I went into the sanctuary of God; Then I understood their end.