June 16 Sermon: Enduring Words
Dive into Psalm 12 as we explore the contrast between human deceit and God's pure truth. Discover the significance of divine justice and how God's flawless words sustain and protect us amidst life's chaos. Join us to understand why God's word remains our reliable source of truth and guidance.
Consider these questions as you listen to this message on Psalm 12:
How does Psalm 12 illustrate the contrast between human deceit and the purity of God’s word?
In what ways can we see the rarity of righteousness in today’s society, and how does it affect our spiritual lives?
What role does divine justice play in our understanding of God's protection over the faithful amid a deceitful world?
Transcript:
In our time, there are many things that we take for granted. I've used an example before, but I think about it regularly. We walk into a room, and we flip a switch, and we expect a light to come on. We just expect this. This is what we do. We reach into our pocket, and we can get information from all over the world, and we can communicate with pretty much anyone, anywhere. We just take this for granted. Technology has made our lives pretty simple compared to the way things were in times past. And really, I think we would all agree, it's truly a blessing that we don't have to labor over things at all that once were of a great concern for those who came before us. And arguably, one of the things that we maybe take for granted the most is clean water. In times past, finding good, drinkable water was the most important thing for us. It was difficult. And even if the water that you found looked good, people probably would have had to have done something, boil it or whatever, to make sure that they were not going to get sick. But we're at the point in our civilization where we are actually picky, and I would say some of us maybe, maybe myself included, we're a bit snobby about water. They used to have to worry about finding clean water, and someone might bring us a particular bottle of water, and I'm like, no, I don't like that one. I'd like that one. At what point did we become, for lack of a better word, snobby, about clean water? But water and having it to drink is really important. You know what happens if you drink water that you shouldn't drink. You know what happens. It isn't good. But thankfully for us, good, drinkable water is everywhere we go. We simply walk up to a tap, we flip it up, and we have abundance of water. We can drink to our heart's content. And what a blessing that is that it's something that we don't even have to think about. I mean, have you ever considered what it takes for us to have it? Probably haven't given it too much thought. You just, walk up to the tap or go to the store or somebody gives you a bottle of water and you drink it. Every day we drink water and we don't think about how it comes to us. But it is a bit of a process. You know, before it comes to us, it's gone through the process of sedimentation, coagulation, filtration, and disinfection. All of these are steps that ensure that it comes to us and provides us what we need, that it's safe. Well, much like the necessity that you and I have for pure, drinkable water, as the people of God, we have a deep need to be sustained and nourished by the pure Word of God. In a world where there's an abundance of noise and distraction going on around us everywhere, the pure Word of God stands and it endures as a way in which we are being, built up, as we are nourished by God. So today we find ourselves in Psalm 12 and we're going to consider these enduring, pure words of life and how it brings us through the chaos of the noise and the lies of the world around us. And now water is in bottles so it doesn't spill everywhere. Imagine if we would have had a glass there. That would have been bad. But anyway, so let's line out our points. Our points for today in this passage. First, we're going to consider the rarity of righteousness. The writer of the psalm laments what he sees going on in the world around him. There is so much evil. There are so many lies. And the psalmist basically declares that there is no righteousness to be found. It's a rare thing. Secondly, we find David once again giving us a song that assures us that there is no righteousness that God isn't blind to what's going on in the world. Even though we feel like there's no one else who understands or that the evil has overcome, David gives us this psalm to remind us that God is aware and He is in control. And finally, we see this psalm pointing us to the enduring and perfect Word of God. While the lips of humans are prone to deceit, we're going to see that the Word of God, God is truth. We're going to look at the contrast of that there. So, we're going to get into Psalm chapter 12 here and we're greeted by an idea that becomes familiar to you with even the slightest study of Holy Scripture. And the idea is that we need God to save us because people have abandoned the things of God. And this is a general theme throughout Scripture throughout Scripture, starting all the way back with the fall of our first parents back in the Garden of Eden. And it's still on display for us today. You've heard me say before and you're going to hear me say it again, the doctrine of total depravity, of original sin, of our fallenness, is the theological truth that is visibly verifiable. We can see it in the world. We can see the effects of sin everywhere, around us. The world is broken by sin. And because of this, we believe and we confess that we can't repair this problem on our own. In fact, we're creatures who are in rebellion against God and so, really, we're the problem. And the psalmist looks around and he sees the world in a terrible state and we see here that he feels as though there is no, no one left who desires the things of God. And I just have to say that, really, as we read this opening verse here, there's really some comfort in this. I mean, it's often the case that you and I look around the world and we feel as though wickedness has completely overtaken.
Everything seems to be going wrong, gone the way of evil. And I say that we can find comfort in this because we can look at this verse and we can realize that we are not alone. You know, we know that we're not alone in this world as we look at this, but this verse reminds us that we're not alone in the way that we feel, not only with the people around us, but with the people throughout history. We're not the only ones who've surveyed a fallen and broken world and had these thoughts. That there's no one left who wishes to do good. But our first thought should continually go not to the second part of this verse, but to the first part of the verse. Save, O Lord. Yahweh, come. Rescue us. For the children of man are not faithful to You. They have abandoned Your law. And we need You, God, because the faithful have vanished from among the children of man. As this psalm starts out, this gives us the proper perspective. It gives us a simple prayer to pray when we see this stuff in the world that causes us to feel this way. Save, O Lord. Three words, but it's a powerful prayer. It reminds us of who God is. And like other psalms, David kind of gives us the answer to the problem he's going to show us in the psalm with the first words. He knows that it needs to be God who can save. But he doesn't leave us there. It moves through. Our first point here that I said we were going to be looking at is the rarity of righteousness. And in the next few verses, the psalmist spells out why he is coming to God with this short prayer, asking God to save. And so he says, Everyone utters lies to his neighbors with flattering lips and a double heart they speak. And so as we slide down into this verse here, we see that David sees the evil and the fact that the wicked have gone in the fact that they are not speaking the truth. The focus here is on words. And once again, I think we can relate to this. It says that they lie to their neighbor. It says they have flattering lips and that their speech shows they have a lot of power. They have what David refers to as a double heart. And we understand what that means. They're trying to get their way. They speak kindly, but their real feelings are the opposite. We understand this. We get this. And it's something that we see in our world. And I've mentioned this previously already this summer that it's interesting to imagine what this looked like in David's life. I mean, how many people did David really have contact with in his life? And yet he's saying, everybody's lying. How much contact did David have with the greater world around him? It's not like David is scrolling through Twitter on his phone and he's saying, save, O Lord, for the righteous are gone. He couldn't see what we see in the world. But still he cries out, save, O Lord. I mean, people like you and I, we can see folks lying to their neighbors and speaking with flattering lips and with a double heart pretty much everywhere we would possibly look. Okay, so if I were to stop right now, and I don't want you to do this, if I were to stop right now and say, pull out your mobile device and the first person who can find me an example of this on their phone wins a prize. Anybody want to argue with me that we'd have a winner in less than 30 minutes? 30 seconds? Anyone dispute that? Maybe somebody could get it in 15 if you're really techie, right? You get my point. Lies, evil, it's pervasive. But regardless of how much we see it regarding volume of lies and flattering lips, this is the reality of a fallen world. This is what happens. We are all surrounded by lies. Whether if it's in our time, or in David's time. And it's essential that we take a second and think about the significance of this.
Speech in Scripture is important. One of the first things we see God do is what? He speaks. He creates by the power of His Word. And a significant theme throughout all of Scripture and through the Old Testament is that Yahweh is the God who speaks, but all the idols are deaf and mute, right? Speech is important. Think about the Ten Commandments. Not only does God speak those commands to Moses to give to His people, but the third commandment, you should not take the Lord's name in vain, is about speech. And the ninth commandment, you should not bear false witness, it's about speech. Speaking. Speaking. What we do with our, with our tongues is profoundly important. It's a significant thing for Christians. And remember what Jesus had to say in Matthew 12, verse 34. Out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaks. What we say matters. Not just because we don't want to say words that are untrue, but because it reflects something deeper within us. That's the idea that we have. It shows us the deeper condition of our hearts. So ultimately, David isn't concerned only with the words that come out of somebody's mouth and then echo around the walls. David is concerned about the evil that these lies exposes among the people. So what comes from the mouths of fallen, sinful creatures shows us beyond a shadow of a doubt, our first point, the rarity of righteousness. Like I said, you and I can pull up examples instantly. And we all know at the same time that we have participated in this as well. We have told lies to our neighbor. We have spoken with a double heart. And so as we move on to our second point, this truth should cause us to pause, should cause us to evaluate our lives and what we speak. This God, who speaks to His people, speaks truth. Do we speak truth? And the reason I say it's important is because we're moving on to our second point, which reminds us that God is not blind to the lies that are on our lips and the lips of those around us. And so we see again this week a call for God to judge the wickedness in the world as we look at verses 3 through 5. After crying out to God, asking Him to save, and then identifying the problem, this prayer of David here switches to specifically crying out for justice, that it might be done. And as we read it, we see some language that causes us to pause a little bit here because it's kind of brutal to imagine.
He asks that the Lord would cut off all flattering lips and tongues that make great bones. Not something you really like to picture, right? And really, David isn't hoping for and asking that they would literally have their tongues and their lips cut off. That anybody who lies, they have them chopped off and there'd be a bloody mess everywhere. That isn't what David is asking for here. We get what he's doing. This is poetic language here that he wants God to stop their lies. Now, don't get me wrong. David wants the image that we have when we think of what that would be to get our attention. But really, he is saying that he wants their speech to be stopped. The idea here is that God would intervene and stop these lies. That these lies would be removed from the people. And the request of the psalmist reveals to us the hearts and minds of those that he has prayed to. He is praying that God will judge. What we see here is that they believe their lying lips and tongues will prevail. Basically, they believe that there will be no one to judge them. They can keep up what they've done and what they're saying and nothing will be done about it. And notice that they also see that their lies are like a weapon. Verse 4, With our tongue we will prevail. So this is more than just someone who can't tell the truth like a compulsive liar. This is their plan. They are scheming. This is their weapon. This is how they conquer. This is how they take advantage of the weak. It's their weapon. And so no wonder David is upset. Not only are they violating the law of God, they are advancing themselves on the weak and they are oppressing those that they can with this lie. This false speech. So as this psalm shows us, it is the voices of the world. They believe that God is like the God of the pagans. That he's deaf. That he's mute. But David does not believe such things. In fact, he prophetically proclaims the word of Yahweh in judgment against these liars. Against all those who oppress with the words of their mouth. Notice, notice what we have here. Because the poor are plundered, because the needy grow, I will now arise. They think God is silent, but he's speaking. He is going to arise. He is going to protect the oppressed. And here we have a reminder that God hears the lies. But he promises to not only hear, he promises to do something about it. And as I've mentioned in the previous psalms, this is an example of a lie. This is an important theme throughout the whole Psalter. These are not just prayers of complaint. These are prayers of expectation. These are prayers of hope. The evil we see in the world does not win. God judges the wicked. And this is not something for us to pridefully celebrate. It is meant to give us hope. It is meant to give us peace. As we observe the wickedness and the terrible things that we do, that we see in a fallen world. We are not to pray that our will would be done and our problems would be solved by the judgment of God. But instead we pray that he would do his good and perfect will. And we pray these prayers from the Psalms knowing that God is in control despite the perception that we might have as the world is falling apart around us. God is in control. We pray these prayers. Because we trust that God is going to do what is good, what is right, and what is holy. And the promise is not simply that God will judge. It is that he will place the poor and the needy in safety. The Lord will arise and he will do this for his people. He is protecting them. He is doing justice for them. It is a promise. And what I want us to feel here as we transition to our last prayer, our last point, is the contrast that we have in this passage. The evil David observes is lying lips and deceitful tongues. But the Lord speaks and it's truth. And so our third and final point today is that this Psalm points us to the enduring and perfect Word of God. And we will draw out that contrast between the enduring Word of God and the lying lips of the people as we look at verses, six through eight. So like I mentioned, there's this contrast here. The wicked use vile words to deceive and they are toxic. That those who utter these lies might prosper. But look at what it says about the words of Yahweh here. His words are pure words. And again, I want to draw you back to the importance of the truth that the God of the Bible is a God who speaks and that the idols, of those in rebellion against Him, are silent. God speaks and it's truth and it is pure and it is enduring words. And unlike the polluting words of the wicked, we read that they are refined. They are purified. The psalmist says that they are purified like silver, refined or purified seven times. The number seven is the number of perfection in Scripture. And so the idea here, is that the word of God is pure. It's perfect. It's the opposite of what the wicked spew from their mouths. So with this language here of purity, I want us to go back to the idea I opened with, with water. And I want us, instead of thinking of purified silver, which we don't really understand, right? I want us to go back to that image I had of water.
Imagine in your mind two glasses of water.
One glass of water, you don't know where it's at. You don't know where it's been. And it's worse than that. It's worse than bad. That water is funky. Okay? It's brown. And you're not so sure why it's brown if you get my meaning. Okay? You can smell a familiar stagnant water smell. The glass of water is murky. It's contaminated. You don't even want to touch it. Much less drink from it. But in contrast, the second glass of water, I want you to have in your mind, is a pure glass of water. You saw the bottle be opened. You know it was taken out of a nice, cold, perfect temperature fridge. And it was poured in and you could see it sparkle. It is crystal clear. And on top of it all, you saw the seal broken on that water. And so you know and you understand that it is perfectly pure and safe for you to drink. That's the context. That's the contrast between the pure word of God and the lies of the world I want us to think about here. The word of the Lord is that pure glass of water. The word of the Lord endures. It stands. It's true. The God who speaks is not one who lies. And he has spoken a word for his people and to his people. And we are blessed to not only have this word, but to have the Holy Spirit at work in us to understand and to use that pure and enduring word in our lives. It nourishes us. It protects us.
That's the idea that we have here. And David makes this clear as he says, you, O Lord, will keep them. You will guard us from this generation forever.
This is what God does for his people. And this is a great truth. But the psalmist also gives a great warning for us at the end of this psalm. The Lord saves. The Lord guards his people. But that does not change the fact that those who speak lies are around us on every side. We see that the wicked prowl. Again, we have an idea here of plotting and planning. The lies of the world aren't just out there without purpose. The lies of the world are a plot to prey upon the children of God. And this psalm ends with a statement that grabs our attention, right? The wicked prowl as vileness is exalted among the children of man. The lies of the world, the polluted, stagnant water that we see in the world in the evil lies, it's not just accepted or put up with. It's exalted. And I know that you feel that. Because I feel that. In our time, and in David's time, and in all of history, in between the time of us and the time of David, the world has swallowed the vile lies of the world. And they've not only choked it down, that disgusting glass of lies, they've not only choked it down, but they've convinced themselves and others that it's life-giving, that it's good. But the lies of the world, do not and cannot deliver on the promises that are made. With these voices of lies prowling on every side, the call then on you and I, as believers in the Lord Jesus Christ, is to reject the lies and find our hope in the pure and refined and enduring Word of God. The temptation for us to swallow what the world offers is going to be great. But we must continually turn to the Word of God, the words of life, the pure Word of God, and be filled with those words. God has saved us by His grace. We have been saved from sin, death, and hell by the work of Jesus for us. In response, we are called to live a life of gratitude for the salvation that we've received. We are called to be set apart, to be holy in a world that seeks after the exact opposite. And so the application for us today is clear. Seek the pure and enduring Word of God. And we are so blessed to have this Word of the God who speaks, the God who has revealed Himself to be the one who has saved us from death. And we turned His Word to know how we are to live. This Psalm starts out with that cry, Save, O Lord, for the godly one is gone. And we can relate. But because of the work of God, through the Holy Spirit, we know that the call to us is that we would be the godly one. That in a world that it seems as though the godly one is gone, we would desire to stand firm, that we would be the godly ones who remain. And we know that if we are to do that, we need to cling to the pure and enduring Word of God. We need to drink deeply of that water of life that He provides for us. We need to reject the lies coming from every side and daily turn to the enduring Word that we might be fed, that we might be nourished, so that we can remain faithful, that we can be the godly one when all others have gone. In a world where righteousness is a rarity, His Word can cause us to remain. Faithful. Faithful to the One who has rescued us. So as we depart from here today, may the Word that we have heard, this pure and enduring Word of God, remain in our minds and in our hearts, that we might cling to it and we might live in confidence knowing that He guards His people forever. May we cling to His Word knowing that He clings to us. Amen. Let us pray. Almighty and everlasting God, we are a people who are blessed because we know of Your pure and perfect Word in a world filled with lies. We pray that You would help us to seek that Word. That we would desire to fill ourselves with the Word of life, that water of life that You give. Help us to reject the lies that we see in the world and help us to remain strong as the godly ones. It is in the name of Jesus that we pray. Amen.
