1 00:00:00,000 –> 00:00:03,260 Now, please open your Bibles at Psalm 73 2 00:00:03,260 –> 00:00:06,380 and verses 21 through 23 3 00:00:06,380 –> 00:00:08,680 that we’re looking at together this morning. 4 00:00:09,980 –> 00:00:13,560 This is the third in a series of five messages 5 00:00:13,560 –> 00:00:16,680 on the Psalm in which a godly man 6 00:00:16,680 –> 00:00:19,000 tells us about how God brought him 7 00:00:19,000 –> 00:00:21,660 through a great crisis in his life. 8 00:00:22,700 –> 00:00:24,040 And I want us to remember this, 9 00:00:24,040 –> 00:00:28,959 especially this morning, that Asaph was a godly man. 10 00:00:29,059 –> 00:00:31,139 He was a spiritual leader. 11 00:00:31,139 –> 00:00:33,880 He ministered before the ark of the Lord. 12 00:00:33,880 –> 00:00:36,439 He was the kind of man to whom every one 13 00:00:36,439 –> 00:00:37,720 of us here would have looked up 14 00:00:37,720 –> 00:00:40,759 with great honor and respect. 15 00:00:40,759 –> 00:00:45,759 Asaph, remember, didn’t just read the scriptures 16 00:00:45,779 –> 00:00:48,919 in the mercy of God and by the inspiration of the Spirit. 17 00:00:48,919 –> 00:00:52,160 He was allowed to write part of the scriptures 18 00:00:52,160 –> 00:00:55,759 under the direct inspiration of the Holy Spirit of God. 19 00:00:55,759 –> 00:00:58,360 I cannot imagine a more intimate experience 20 00:00:58,360 –> 00:01:01,000 of the Spirit than that, can you? 21 00:01:01,000 –> 00:01:04,180 To be directly inspired to write a part 22 00:01:04,180 –> 00:01:05,500 of the Bible itself. 23 00:01:05,500 –> 00:01:07,699 That’s the man we’re talking about. 24 00:01:07,699 –> 00:01:09,519 I want us to keep that in mind 25 00:01:09,519 –> 00:01:11,160 as we come to these verses today. 26 00:01:11,160 –> 00:01:14,080 This was a man who walked with God. 27 00:01:15,639 –> 00:01:17,500 But in this sum, Asaph tells us 28 00:01:17,500 –> 00:01:19,279 that there was a time in his life 29 00:01:19,279 –> 00:01:21,339 when he almost lost it. 30 00:01:21,339 –> 00:01:22,900 That’s verse two. 31 00:01:22,900 –> 00:01:26,900 My feet had almost slipped, he says. 32 00:01:27,000 –> 00:01:29,199 I looked as we saw a couple of weeks ago 33 00:01:29,199 –> 00:01:31,019 I looked at what was happening in the world. 34 00:01:31,019 –> 00:01:32,680 I looked at what was happening in my life. 35 00:01:32,680 –> 00:01:34,419 I could make no sense of these things. 36 00:01:34,419 –> 00:01:36,220 I could no longer see any point 37 00:01:36,220 –> 00:01:38,320 in pursuing a godly life. 38 00:01:38,320 –> 00:01:40,639 I almost gave up, he says. 39 00:01:42,739 –> 00:01:44,239 Now to tell you over these weeks, 40 00:01:44,239 –> 00:01:46,599 I’ve just been struck again and again 41 00:01:46,599 –> 00:01:49,120 by the relevance of this psalm. 42 00:01:50,300 –> 00:01:52,279 All of us go through times like this. 43 00:01:52,279 –> 00:01:55,400 It doesn’t matter how long you have been a Christian. 44 00:01:55,500 –> 00:01:56,800 It doesn’t matter how mature 45 00:01:56,800 –> 00:01:58,620 you are as a Christian believer. 46 00:01:58,620 –> 00:02:00,940 Circumstances will come in your life 47 00:02:00,940 –> 00:02:03,360 and they will take you by surprise. 48 00:02:03,360 –> 00:02:06,620 Suddenly you’ll find yourself where Asaph was 49 00:02:06,620 –> 00:02:09,179 and you’re struggling with thoughts in your own mind 50 00:02:09,179 –> 00:02:11,419 that you never imagined would ever be there. 51 00:02:13,100 –> 00:02:16,100 Some of us here will have been plunged 52 00:02:16,100 –> 00:02:20,520 into an Asaph experience even since this series began, 53 00:02:21,440 –> 00:02:25,240 and some of us will find ourselves in an Asaph experience 54 00:02:25,240 –> 00:02:29,100 that begins before this series ends. 55 00:02:32,179 –> 00:02:37,179 The good news is that God knows how to bring you 56 00:02:37,479 –> 00:02:40,639 through an Asaph experience, isn’t that good news? 57 00:02:42,539 –> 00:02:45,100 This is why we have Psalm 73. 58 00:02:45,100 –> 00:02:47,619 Asaph tells us how God brought him through the crisis 59 00:02:47,619 –> 00:02:50,259 by taking him through, remember, 60 00:02:50,259 –> 00:02:52,839 a five-point turn. 61 00:02:53,839 –> 00:02:57,139 The first thing Asaph discovered was that he needed to stop 62 00:02:57,139 –> 00:02:59,339 and we saw this from verse 15. 63 00:02:59,339 –> 00:03:01,440 If I’d gone, he’s saying in verse 15, 64 00:03:01,440 –> 00:03:02,660 where my thoughts were going, 65 00:03:02,660 –> 00:03:05,460 where my inclinations were leading me at that time, 66 00:03:05,460 –> 00:03:07,240 I would’ve led everybody down. 67 00:03:07,240 –> 00:03:10,100 I would’ve betrayed your children, he says to God. 68 00:03:10,100 –> 00:03:11,940 He had to make a decision to stop. 69 00:03:11,940 –> 00:03:15,380 I will no longer go down the track of these thoughts. 70 00:03:15,380 –> 00:03:16,899 He will no longer follow 71 00:03:16,899 –> 00:03:19,460 where his discouraged mind is going. 72 00:03:19,520 –> 00:03:21,460 And we saw that the first step 73 00:03:21,460 –> 00:03:23,300 to climbing out of a black hole, 74 00:03:23,300 –> 00:03:25,460 the first step to turning your life around 75 00:03:25,460 –> 00:03:28,419 is not getting an answer to all your questions, 76 00:03:28,419 –> 00:03:30,039 but it is making a decision. 77 00:03:31,240 –> 00:03:35,979 Stop, and then the second thing we saw last week 78 00:03:35,979 –> 00:03:40,259 that Asaph had to do was to think, verse 17. 79 00:03:40,259 –> 00:03:42,899 Asaph said I went into the sanctuary 80 00:03:42,899 –> 00:03:43,860 and what did he find there? 81 00:03:43,860 –> 00:03:46,600 The ark of God that spoke of God’s truth. 82 00:03:46,600 –> 00:03:48,300 He remembered God’s truth. 83 00:03:48,360 –> 00:03:50,160 He met with God’s people, 84 00:03:50,160 –> 00:03:52,179 he considered the ultimate outcome 85 00:03:52,179 –> 00:03:54,279 of the lives of the wicked and the righteous, 86 00:03:54,279 –> 00:03:55,919 and he says that turned me around. 87 00:03:55,919 –> 00:03:58,580 That gave me a whole new perspective. 88 00:03:59,800 –> 00:04:04,800 Now the title of today’s message as you see is Confess. 89 00:04:04,820 –> 00:04:08,199 Confess means admitting to God 90 00:04:08,199 –> 00:04:11,339 the things that are wrong in your life 91 00:04:12,399 –> 00:04:14,440 and very simply today we’re going to find out 92 00:04:14,440 –> 00:04:18,760 how to do that and why it is so important. 93 00:04:21,079 –> 00:04:25,420 Now as soon as Asaph gets his thinking straight, 94 00:04:25,420 –> 00:04:27,299 it’s very significant in this Psalm 95 00:04:27,299 –> 00:04:30,579 that then he begins to pray. 96 00:04:30,579 –> 00:04:32,339 That’s his testimony. 97 00:04:32,339 –> 00:04:34,980 He’s telling us very simply that prayer 98 00:04:34,980 –> 00:04:38,239 flows out where truth flows in. 99 00:04:39,260 –> 00:04:43,540 In fact, one way to measure your grasp of truth 100 00:04:43,540 –> 00:04:45,119 and we hear the truth every Sunday, 101 00:04:45,119 –> 00:04:48,420 we read the truth every time we open the Bible, 102 00:04:48,420 –> 00:04:51,160 but one way to measure your grasp of truth 103 00:04:51,160 –> 00:04:54,000 is to take an honest look at your prayer life 104 00:04:54,000 –> 00:04:55,700 because where truth is flowing in 105 00:04:55,700 –> 00:04:57,420 prayer will flow out. 106 00:04:59,459 –> 00:05:01,579 I spent two days this week in Minneapolis 107 00:05:01,579 –> 00:05:03,579 with about 400 other pastors 108 00:05:03,579 –> 00:05:05,299 from our denomination talking about 109 00:05:05,299 –> 00:05:07,480 the importance of our statement of faith. 110 00:05:07,480 –> 00:05:09,660 It’s a very important thing. 111 00:05:09,660 –> 00:05:11,179 If you’re a member of this church, 112 00:05:11,660 –> 00:05:12,820 a pastor will have signed off 113 00:05:12,820 –> 00:05:14,799 on the church statement of faith. 114 00:05:16,679 –> 00:05:18,880 But you can affirm a creed that God 115 00:05:18,880 –> 00:05:21,679 is able to do all things but actually 116 00:05:21,679 –> 00:05:23,600 have very little confidence that 117 00:05:23,600 –> 00:05:24,399 he’s really able to help you in what 118 00:05:24,399 –> 00:05:26,000 you’re facing now. 119 00:05:27,200 –> 00:05:29,119 You can sign off on a statement of faith 120 00:05:29,119 –> 00:05:31,459 that says that you believe we are all sinners 121 00:05:31,459 –> 00:05:33,320 but have very little awareness 122 00:05:33,320 –> 00:05:36,420 of sin actually in your own life right now. 123 00:05:37,760 –> 00:05:39,239 And that’s where Asaph was. 124 00:05:40,140 –> 00:05:42,700 But God met him in the sanctuary 125 00:05:42,700 –> 00:05:46,760 and the evidence of it was the prayer 126 00:05:46,760 –> 00:05:50,339 that flowed out from him afterwards. 127 00:05:51,640 –> 00:05:53,480 Now as we come to these verses today, 128 00:05:53,480 –> 00:05:56,880 this is the toughest part of the whole Psalm. 129 00:05:56,880 –> 00:05:59,239 You need to brace yourself of this. 130 00:05:59,239 –> 00:06:01,959 This is brutally honest. 131 00:06:03,320 –> 00:06:04,700 But here’s the good news. 132 00:06:05,679 –> 00:06:08,359 The kind of honesty that we find here 133 00:06:08,399 –> 00:06:11,260 is the honesty that leads to a changed life. 134 00:06:12,839 –> 00:06:16,040 When my heart was grieved, verse 21, 135 00:06:16,040 –> 00:06:18,519 and my spirit was embittered, 136 00:06:18,519 –> 00:06:20,959 I was senseless 137 00:06:20,959 –> 00:06:23,119 and ignorant. 138 00:06:23,119 –> 00:06:25,700 I was a brute beast before you. 139 00:06:26,959 –> 00:06:28,040 Now we’ll come to the detail 140 00:06:28,040 –> 00:06:29,920 of what Asaph says here in a moment 141 00:06:29,920 –> 00:06:31,760 but let’s start with the big picture. 142 00:06:32,760 –> 00:06:36,160 This is a confession of sin, 143 00:06:37,160 –> 00:06:38,959 a confession of sin, remember, 144 00:06:38,959 –> 00:06:42,880 from one of the most godly men who has ever lived 145 00:06:42,880 –> 00:06:44,399 and that teaches the first thing 146 00:06:44,399 –> 00:06:45,600 that we’ve got to grasp today 147 00:06:45,600 –> 00:06:49,820 which is that confession is a normal part 148 00:06:49,820 –> 00:06:52,799 of a healthy Christian life. 149 00:06:52,799 –> 00:06:57,459 Confession is a normal part of a healthy Christian life. 150 00:06:57,459 –> 00:07:00,200 Now remember the Apostle John says in the New Testament, 151 00:07:00,200 –> 00:07:03,880 if we confess our sins, 152 00:07:03,880 –> 00:07:05,519 God is faithful and just 153 00:07:05,579 –> 00:07:07,119 and will forgive us our sins 154 00:07:07,119 –> 00:07:09,600 and cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 155 00:07:09,600 –> 00:07:12,160 And John wrote these words to who? 156 00:07:12,160 –> 00:07:15,459 To Christians, to the children of God 157 00:07:15,459 –> 00:07:17,519 and then he added to Christians, 158 00:07:17,519 –> 00:07:19,880 if we say we have no sin, 159 00:07:19,880 –> 00:07:22,980 we are deceiving ourselves. 160 00:07:23,899 –> 00:07:25,799 In other words, if you cannot see 161 00:07:25,799 –> 00:07:27,119 anything in your life right now 162 00:07:27,119 –> 00:07:30,399 that you could appropriately confess as sin to God, 163 00:07:30,399 –> 00:07:33,160 you are simply not seeing clearly. 164 00:07:33,239 –> 00:07:34,160 You’re blind. 165 00:07:35,200 –> 00:07:37,000 You are not in touch with reality, 166 00:07:37,000 –> 00:07:38,440 you got the blinkers on. 167 00:07:40,040 –> 00:07:41,720 If we’re walking around thinking 168 00:07:41,720 –> 00:07:43,760 that there is no sin within us, 169 00:07:45,380 –> 00:07:48,019 we are deceiving ourselves. 170 00:07:49,279 –> 00:07:51,519 So, confessing our sins as not some kind 171 00:07:51,519 –> 00:07:53,920 of aberration of the Christian life, 172 00:07:53,920 –> 00:07:57,480 not something abnormal, not some sign of dysfunction. 173 00:07:57,480 –> 00:08:00,640 It is a normal part of a healthy Christian life. 174 00:08:01,420 –> 00:08:05,600 Now, how this confession is to be done 175 00:08:05,600 –> 00:08:08,359 of course, has been a matter of great debate 176 00:08:08,359 –> 00:08:10,700 throughout history. 177 00:08:10,700 –> 00:08:13,839 Many of us were brought up in a tradition 178 00:08:13,839 –> 00:08:18,480 where you were taught to confess your sins to a priest, 179 00:08:19,320 –> 00:08:21,959 and there may be some value in that, 180 00:08:21,959 –> 00:08:23,640 but there is no place in the Bible 181 00:08:23,640 –> 00:08:28,040 where God says that you must confess your sins to a priest. 182 00:08:28,839 –> 00:08:32,679 In the 16th century, there was a great movement 183 00:08:32,679 –> 00:08:34,880 to get behind some of the traditions 184 00:08:34,880 –> 00:08:36,460 that have piled up in the church 185 00:08:36,460 –> 00:08:39,400 over the centuries on top of the Bible 186 00:08:39,400 –> 00:08:42,200 and to discover what the Bible actually said 187 00:08:42,200 –> 00:08:44,440 about the key points of our faith. 188 00:08:45,419 –> 00:08:47,840 The reformers who led this movement 189 00:08:47,840 –> 00:08:52,239 saw that we need to confess our sins to God. 190 00:08:52,239 –> 00:08:55,179 They discovered the great truth in the Bible 191 00:08:55,219 –> 00:08:59,859 that in God’s eyes, all believers are priests 192 00:08:59,859 –> 00:09:04,000 and that Jesus himself is our great High Priest. 193 00:09:05,419 –> 00:09:07,940 One of these leaders, a man called John Calvin, 194 00:09:07,940 –> 00:09:10,500 who was a wise pastor said 195 00:09:10,500 –> 00:09:14,520 that we are to confess our sins to God, 196 00:09:14,520 –> 00:09:19,520 but that confessing a particular sin to another person 197 00:09:20,039 –> 00:09:22,159 could be helpful, 198 00:09:22,260 –> 00:09:25,140 especially if having confessed our sins to God, 199 00:09:25,140 –> 00:09:27,140 we are still struggling to find peace 200 00:09:27,140 –> 00:09:29,400 in our hearts about it. 201 00:09:29,400 –> 00:09:32,760 In that situation he said, you can go to a pastor 202 00:09:32,760 –> 00:09:35,799 you can tell him or you can go to another mature Christian 203 00:09:35,799 –> 00:09:38,039 and tell them you should seek some help 204 00:09:38,039 –> 00:09:40,440 if having prayed, you have not yet found peace. 205 00:09:40,440 –> 00:09:41,640 Don’t just leave it there, 206 00:09:41,640 –> 00:09:43,400 go and get some help until you do. 207 00:09:43,400 –> 00:09:47,099 This is the priesthood of all believers. 208 00:09:47,099 –> 00:09:49,760 You can go and get the help of any priest, 209 00:09:49,760 –> 00:09:54,119 including the one sitting next to you right now, okay? 210 00:09:55,679 –> 00:09:58,119 And by the way, if someone does come to you 211 00:09:58,119 –> 00:10:01,960 and share some burden that’s upon their conscience, 212 00:10:01,960 –> 00:10:03,940 here’s your responsibility. 213 00:10:06,299 –> 00:10:07,400 Your job, 214 00:10:08,520 –> 00:10:11,280 if a person tells you about a sin in their life, 215 00:10:11,280 –> 00:10:15,359 a struggle in their life is to help that person 216 00:10:15,359 –> 00:10:18,280 grasp the promises of the Gospel 217 00:10:18,280 –> 00:10:20,380 in relation to that particular matter. 218 00:10:21,479 –> 00:10:23,359 Whatever else that person may have done 219 00:10:23,359 –> 00:10:25,799 or not have done actually is none of your business. 220 00:10:25,799 –> 00:10:29,320 Your job is to help them come before God 221 00:10:29,320 –> 00:10:33,159 and believe the Gospel in relation to the particular matter 222 00:10:33,159 –> 00:10:34,760 that they have shared with you. 223 00:10:35,679 –> 00:10:37,960 Now, there’s great wisdom here, 224 00:10:37,960 –> 00:10:40,559 the ways in which we can help and encourage one another. 225 00:10:40,559 –> 00:10:44,359 James says, confess your sins to each other 226 00:10:44,359 –> 00:10:47,000 so that you may be healed. 227 00:10:48,559 –> 00:10:49,799 So here’s what we’re saying, 228 00:10:49,799 –> 00:10:54,140 that the Bible tells us we are to confess our sins to God, 229 00:10:54,140 –> 00:10:56,440 but if you find in a particular situation 230 00:10:56,440 –> 00:10:58,580 that you are still struggling to find peace, 231 00:10:58,580 –> 00:11:00,640 you are at liberty, not obligation, 232 00:11:00,640 –> 00:11:02,940 but liberty to share that with a pastor 233 00:11:02,940 –> 00:11:04,919 or a Christian brother or a sister 234 00:11:04,919 –> 00:11:08,460 so that he or she may help you apply 235 00:11:08,460 –> 00:11:11,419 the promise of the Gospel to that particular matter 236 00:11:11,419 –> 00:11:13,419 so that you may find peace. 237 00:11:13,419 –> 00:11:16,940 No believer should be struggling at length 238 00:11:16,940 –> 00:11:19,280 with unresolved issues of guilt. 239 00:11:19,280 –> 00:11:21,140 They are to be brought to Christ. 240 00:11:21,140 –> 00:11:22,820 If you’ve not yet found peace, 241 00:11:22,820 –> 00:11:25,539 get the help of a brother and sister alongside you 242 00:11:25,539 –> 00:11:28,280 to pray it through until you do find peace 243 00:11:28,280 –> 00:11:30,080 because God wants you to confess 244 00:11:30,080 –> 00:11:32,960 so that you may know that you are forgiven 245 00:11:32,960 –> 00:11:36,739 and live in the liberty and the joy of it. 246 00:11:38,960 –> 00:11:42,400 Now I have to tell you that the confession of sin 247 00:11:43,320 –> 00:11:47,940 today hardly seems to appear 248 00:11:47,940 –> 00:11:50,419 on the radar for many Christians. 249 00:11:51,760 –> 00:11:55,020 And it is astonishing when you look at history 250 00:11:55,020 –> 00:11:56,580 that throughout the history of the church, 251 00:11:56,580 –> 00:11:58,479 you know Catholics have confessed their sins 252 00:11:58,479 –> 00:12:00,619 to the priest, Protestants have confessed 253 00:12:00,619 –> 00:12:04,179 their sinfulness in public and deprive it to God, 254 00:12:05,900 –> 00:12:08,599 but honestly it seems that in many spheres 255 00:12:08,599 –> 00:12:12,080 confessing our sins is just disappearing 256 00:12:12,140 –> 00:12:13,840 from worship altogether. 257 00:12:15,200 –> 00:12:17,599 We celebrate God. 258 00:12:18,479 –> 00:12:21,359 We celebrate ourselves. 259 00:12:22,619 –> 00:12:24,359 We do not confess. 260 00:12:25,880 –> 00:12:30,859 And if we do not confess, we will not change. 261 00:12:31,359 –> 00:12:34,400 And that is not New Testament Christianity. 262 00:12:34,400 –> 00:12:36,080 The whole point of the gospel 263 00:12:36,080 –> 00:12:38,719 is that it changes a person. 264 00:12:38,719 –> 00:12:41,440 It never leaves you as you were. 265 00:12:42,979 –> 00:12:45,440 And the apostle Paul says to Christians 266 00:12:45,440 –> 00:12:48,500 in 2 Corinthians 13 verse five, 267 00:12:48,500 –> 00:12:51,580 examine yourselves, examine yourselves, 268 00:12:51,580 –> 00:12:55,960 test yourselves, he says to believers. 269 00:12:55,960 –> 00:12:57,419 I think it was Socrates, wasn’t it, 270 00:12:57,419 –> 00:13:01,880 who said the unexamined life is not worth living. 271 00:13:01,880 –> 00:13:02,719 He was right. 272 00:13:04,159 –> 00:13:06,039 Now you see, this is what Asaph does 273 00:13:06,039 –> 00:13:07,960 in these verses before us today 274 00:13:07,960 –> 00:13:09,880 and it’s a wonderful example. 275 00:13:09,880 –> 00:13:13,299 When his mind was straightened out by the truth, 276 00:13:13,299 –> 00:13:14,640 what does he do next? 277 00:13:14,640 –> 00:13:18,000 He’s able to see what’s been going on inside his soul 278 00:13:18,000 –> 00:13:19,919 and that leads him to confession. 279 00:13:19,919 –> 00:13:22,679 You see, before God turned on the light in his head, 280 00:13:22,679 –> 00:13:23,960 he was in the darkness. 281 00:13:23,960 –> 00:13:25,419 He didn’t even know the muck 282 00:13:25,419 –> 00:13:27,000 that was going on in his own soul. 283 00:13:27,000 –> 00:13:31,419 He couldn’t see it clearly but when the light goes on, 284 00:13:31,419 –> 00:13:35,039 now he is in a position to confess 285 00:13:35,039 –> 00:13:37,580 because he can see clearly. 286 00:13:37,659 –> 00:13:40,500 So, confession obviously then is not a sign 287 00:13:40,500 –> 00:13:42,479 of some dysfunction in the Christian life. 288 00:13:42,479 –> 00:13:46,739 It is a normal part of a healthy Christian life. 289 00:13:46,739 –> 00:13:49,500 It is the evidence that you can see 290 00:13:51,500 –> 00:13:52,580 and if you’re not confessing, 291 00:13:52,580 –> 00:13:54,380 it probably means you’re very blind. 292 00:13:56,400 –> 00:13:57,859 Now, here’s the second thing. 293 00:13:59,179 –> 00:14:03,760 Confession exposes what’s hidden in your heart. 294 00:14:03,760 –> 00:14:05,559 First thing was confession is a normal part 295 00:14:05,559 –> 00:14:06,919 of a healthy Christian life. 296 00:14:07,419 –> 00:14:11,039 Second, confession exposes what’s hidden in your heart 297 00:14:11,039 –> 00:14:12,960 and here we look a little more detail 298 00:14:12,960 –> 00:14:16,059 at what Asaph actually says in his confession. 299 00:14:17,200 –> 00:14:21,599 Verse 21, when my heart was grieved. 300 00:14:23,099 –> 00:14:25,179 Now, these verses then open up 301 00:14:25,179 –> 00:14:27,619 what was happening in Asaph’s heart. 302 00:14:27,619 –> 00:14:30,479 Remember, the heart of a godly man. 303 00:14:30,479 –> 00:14:32,280 What had been happening in that heart 304 00:14:32,280 –> 00:14:34,700 before he came into the sanctuary 305 00:14:34,700 –> 00:14:36,719 and God turned on the light in his mind? 306 00:14:37,859 –> 00:14:42,239 These things had been hidden even from Asaph himself. 307 00:14:42,239 –> 00:14:45,380 He didn’t understand, godly man though he was, 308 00:14:45,380 –> 00:14:47,020 what was going on inside his own soul, 309 00:14:47,020 –> 00:14:49,520 he was not self-aware. 310 00:14:49,520 –> 00:14:51,640 But when he came into the presence of God, 311 00:14:51,640 –> 00:14:53,739 God turned on the light and he saw things 312 00:14:53,739 –> 00:14:56,500 in himself that he had not seen before 313 00:14:56,500 –> 00:14:59,320 and that was why he was able to make this confession. 314 00:15:01,320 –> 00:15:02,940 Now, the confession he makes 315 00:15:02,940 –> 00:15:05,859 is searching and profoundly helpful. 316 00:15:13,559 –> 00:15:16,280 Now when your heart is grieved, 317 00:15:17,260 –> 00:15:19,940 there are some sins 318 00:15:19,940 –> 00:15:22,739 to which you will be especially prone 319 00:15:24,020 –> 00:15:25,700 and you need to be aware of what they are. 320 00:15:25,700 –> 00:15:27,640 We’re going to find them and see them clearly 321 00:15:27,640 –> 00:15:29,400 in these very verses. 322 00:15:30,380 –> 00:15:33,479 When things don’t go your way, 323 00:15:34,359 –> 00:15:38,859 the sins of Asaph will be crouching at your door. 324 00:15:39,960 –> 00:15:43,280 Now notice the three sins, therefore, that Asaph confesses 325 00:15:43,280 –> 00:15:46,440 so that you can be on your guard against them, 326 00:15:46,440 –> 00:15:49,520 especially at times when your heart is grieved 327 00:15:49,520 –> 00:15:54,520 because they’re going to be near to us at these times. 328 00:15:54,520 –> 00:15:55,359 Number one. 329 00:15:56,599 –> 00:15:59,719 My spirit was bitter. 330 00:15:59,719 –> 00:16:01,119 That’s his first confession. 331 00:16:02,359 –> 00:16:07,359 My heart was grieved, and my spirit embittered. 332 00:16:09,080 –> 00:16:11,179 Now it may be that my heart was grieved 333 00:16:11,179 –> 00:16:13,520 and my spirit was embittered are actually two ways 334 00:16:13,520 –> 00:16:14,880 of saying the same thing, 335 00:16:14,880 –> 00:16:17,679 that is often the pattern in Hebrew poetry. 336 00:16:18,919 –> 00:16:21,719 But we all know that you can have a grieved heart 337 00:16:21,719 –> 00:16:23,760 without a bitter spirit. 338 00:16:24,820 –> 00:16:26,820 So I’m suggesting that the first sin 339 00:16:26,820 –> 00:16:31,099 that Aesop confesses here is a bitter spirit. 340 00:16:32,059 –> 00:16:36,260 Lord, I see now what’s been happening, 341 00:16:36,260 –> 00:16:39,219 I became bitter. 342 00:16:40,820 –> 00:16:43,859 There were things in my life that made no sense to me, 343 00:16:44,859 –> 00:16:49,039 and what happened was I was soured towards You 344 00:16:49,039 –> 00:16:50,760 and soured towards other people. 345 00:16:51,900 –> 00:16:54,419 I saw how You were blessing others more than me 346 00:16:54,419 –> 00:16:58,479 and it turned away at me, self-pity came in. 347 00:16:58,479 –> 00:17:00,599 I began to feel sorry for myself. 348 00:17:00,599 –> 00:17:03,299 My spirit was embittered. 349 00:17:06,160 –> 00:17:07,859 I didn’t see it before Lord, 350 00:17:09,300 –> 00:17:10,920 but now I’ve come into the sanctuary 351 00:17:10,920 –> 00:17:12,880 and You’ve turned on the light in your presence, 352 00:17:12,880 –> 00:17:14,280 I sure see it now. 353 00:17:15,760 –> 00:17:17,119 This is my confession. 354 00:17:18,579 –> 00:17:19,699 My spirit was bitter. 355 00:17:22,560 –> 00:17:26,579 Second, my heart ruled my head. 356 00:17:27,680 –> 00:17:30,599 Look at this, when my heart was grieved, 357 00:17:31,760 –> 00:17:35,459 I was senseless and ignorant. 358 00:17:36,619 –> 00:17:40,040 Now, these two words senseless and ignorant 359 00:17:40,040 –> 00:17:42,719 are words about the mind. 360 00:17:42,719 –> 00:17:44,319 So you see what he’s saying, 361 00:17:44,319 –> 00:17:46,000 when my heart was grieved, 362 00:17:46,000 –> 00:17:48,880 when my emotions were stirred up, 363 00:17:48,880 –> 00:17:51,660 everything I knew and believed about You, o Lord, 364 00:17:52,040 –> 00:17:53,079 seemed to just fly out the window. 365 00:17:53,079 –> 00:17:54,599 Now you know how this happens. 366 00:17:55,579 –> 00:17:59,420 You got your faith, and then you hit some crisis, 367 00:17:59,420 –> 00:18:00,859 and when the emotions get going, 368 00:18:00,859 –> 00:18:03,540 and somehow your heart rules your head, 369 00:18:03,540 –> 00:18:05,819 and everything you ever said you believed about God 370 00:18:05,819 –> 00:18:07,560 suddenly seems to fly out the window. 371 00:18:07,560 –> 00:18:10,300 I started thinking like an unbeliever thinks. 372 00:18:10,300 –> 00:18:13,260 I started to talk to my friends in gloomy terms, 373 00:18:13,260 –> 00:18:16,819 as if there was God, no hope, no future, 374 00:18:16,819 –> 00:18:18,979 what was I thinking about? 375 00:18:18,979 –> 00:18:21,459 I was senseless, I was ignorant, 376 00:18:21,500 –> 00:18:26,300 I let my heart rule my head when my heart was grieved. 377 00:18:29,540 –> 00:18:33,739 I’ve enjoyed watching the film Home Alone 378 00:18:33,739 –> 00:18:35,819 you seen that one, Home Alone, 379 00:18:35,819 –> 00:18:37,099 I don’t know we must’ve watched it 380 00:18:37,099 –> 00:18:38,619 a dozen times at Christmas. 381 00:18:39,459 –> 00:18:43,060 And you know the story of the small boy 382 00:18:43,060 –> 00:18:45,339 who is accidentally left at home 383 00:18:45,339 –> 00:18:47,859 when his family takes a trip at Christmas, 384 00:18:47,859 –> 00:18:50,479 and then the whole house is turned 385 00:18:50,479 –> 00:18:54,020 into chaos as he defends the home 386 00:18:54,020 –> 00:18:57,180 from burglars magnificently, 387 00:18:57,180 –> 00:19:00,939 by pouring tar out on the basement, 388 00:19:00,939 –> 00:19:03,939 swinging pots of paint from the staircase, 389 00:19:03,939 –> 00:19:06,099 pulling shelves on the wall, 390 00:19:06,099 –> 00:19:08,739 smashing glass Christmas tree decorations 391 00:19:08,739 –> 00:19:09,939 on the carpet, 392 00:19:09,939 –> 00:19:12,859 and the amazing thing is, 393 00:19:12,859 –> 00:19:15,060 it amazes me every time I see this film, 394 00:19:16,020 –> 00:19:18,560 that when the parents come back, 395 00:19:18,560 –> 00:19:20,219 that isn’t the slightest sign 396 00:19:20,219 –> 00:19:21,300 that anything has happened. 397 00:19:21,300 –> 00:19:23,780 The whole home is restored to perfect order. 398 00:19:23,780 –> 00:19:27,040 How in all the world did that happen? 399 00:19:28,699 –> 00:19:29,540 Now listen. 400 00:19:30,540 –> 00:19:33,959 Letting your heart rule your head 401 00:19:33,959 –> 00:19:37,040 is like letting the kids run the home. 402 00:19:37,859 –> 00:19:38,699 Think about it. 403 00:19:39,719 –> 00:19:43,780 Your kids bring life and joy to the home, 404 00:19:43,780 –> 00:19:45,979 and a few problems as well. 405 00:19:45,979 –> 00:19:49,619 But home wouldn’t be the wonderful place that it is 406 00:19:49,619 –> 00:19:52,680 with all the joy if they weren’t there. 407 00:19:54,180 –> 00:19:56,979 But if you let the kids take over running the home, 408 00:19:56,979 –> 00:19:59,660 it will not be long until there is chaos. 409 00:19:59,660 –> 00:20:01,500 Now think of it like this. 410 00:20:01,500 –> 00:20:04,640 Your heart is like a child. 411 00:20:05,780 –> 00:20:08,680 Your head is like a parent. 412 00:20:10,099 –> 00:20:12,400 The heart, like the child, brings you great joy 413 00:20:12,400 –> 00:20:13,780 and a few problems as well. 414 00:20:14,979 –> 00:20:19,719 But it is the head that is to bring order to your life. 415 00:20:21,099 –> 00:20:22,060 Now here’s what happens. 416 00:20:22,060 –> 00:20:25,119 When the heart is grieved, the heart gets liked worked up. 417 00:20:25,119 –> 00:20:27,479 And the heart comes to the head and says to the head, 418 00:20:27,479 –> 00:20:30,680 head, I, the heart, would like to take over 419 00:20:30,680 –> 00:20:34,680 running this house of your life for a while. 420 00:20:34,680 –> 00:20:36,739 And if the head says to the heart, 421 00:20:36,739 –> 00:20:39,680 well no, that will be just fine. 422 00:20:39,680 –> 00:20:41,719 And hands over control of the house, 423 00:20:41,760 –> 00:20:45,160 it will not be long before chaos reigns. 424 00:20:46,579 –> 00:20:49,060 And that is precisely what happened to Asaph. 425 00:20:50,119 –> 00:20:52,000 His heart was grieved. 426 00:20:53,119 –> 00:20:55,739 And he allowed his heart to rule his head. 427 00:20:56,660 –> 00:20:58,839 His emotions got all stirred up, 428 00:20:58,839 –> 00:21:00,439 He allowed them to take over. 429 00:21:00,439 –> 00:21:03,839 No wonder chaos reigned in his life. 430 00:21:03,839 –> 00:21:05,680 And he confesses this to God. 431 00:21:05,680 –> 00:21:07,880 Here’s what I see now in the light of your truth 432 00:21:07,880 –> 00:21:09,819 has been happening to me. 433 00:21:09,819 –> 00:21:13,660 When my heart was grieved, the head checked out. 434 00:21:13,660 –> 00:21:15,699 I became senseless, I became ignorant, 435 00:21:15,699 –> 00:21:17,180 everything I ever believed about you 436 00:21:17,180 –> 00:21:19,119 went flying out the window. 437 00:21:20,140 –> 00:21:23,459 I allowed my grief to rule my life, 438 00:21:23,459 –> 00:21:26,239 Lord have mercy upon me. 439 00:21:28,140 –> 00:21:29,660 My spirit was bitter. 440 00:21:31,180 –> 00:21:34,920 My heart ruled my head and chaos was the result. 441 00:21:36,619 –> 00:21:37,859 And then look at the third thing, 442 00:21:37,859 –> 00:21:39,160 remember the sins to which 443 00:21:39,199 –> 00:21:43,079 we’re especially prone at times when we’re grieved. 444 00:21:44,160 –> 00:21:46,599 I was acting on impulse. 445 00:21:48,260 –> 00:21:50,119 When my heart was grieved, 446 00:21:51,079 –> 00:21:55,560 I was like a brute beast before you. 447 00:21:55,560 –> 00:21:56,660 Now, what does that mean? 448 00:21:56,660 –> 00:21:58,400 Well, the point about brute beast 449 00:21:58,400 –> 00:22:03,300 is that, of course, the animals act on impulse. 450 00:22:03,300 –> 00:22:05,520 One of the great gifts that God has given 451 00:22:05,560 –> 00:22:08,599 to men and to women is the gift of reason, 452 00:22:08,599 –> 00:22:11,920 logic, reflection, analysis. 453 00:22:11,920 –> 00:22:15,060 These gifts are not given to the animals. 454 00:22:15,060 –> 00:22:18,140 The animals act on impulse. 455 00:22:19,380 –> 00:22:22,300 And Esau says, this is what I was doing, 456 00:22:22,300 –> 00:22:25,880 I was not acting on reason, I was acting on impulse. 457 00:22:25,880 –> 00:22:27,359 When my heart was grieved, 458 00:22:27,359 –> 00:22:29,819 I was just being pushed around by the impulses 459 00:22:29,819 –> 00:22:33,479 of bitterness, and of unbelief, and of despair. 460 00:22:33,500 –> 00:22:36,099 No wonder my feet had almost slipped. 461 00:22:40,239 –> 00:22:44,119 Now, this is important for us, especially 462 00:22:44,119 –> 00:22:46,780 because we live in a culture where people 463 00:22:46,780 –> 00:22:49,819 just love the idea 464 00:22:49,819 –> 00:22:51,859 of acting on impulse. 465 00:22:53,739 –> 00:22:56,459 One of the greatest slogans of our time, 466 00:22:56,459 –> 00:22:59,020 and I’m gonna give you the first half, 467 00:22:59,020 –> 00:23:02,239 and you’re gonna complete it for me, is this. 468 00:23:03,219 –> 00:23:05,920 If it feels good, 469 00:23:05,920 –> 00:23:06,739 do it! 470 00:23:07,859 –> 00:23:09,780 That’s the slogan of our time, isn’t it? 471 00:23:09,780 –> 00:23:10,619 What is that? 472 00:23:10,619 –> 00:23:13,699 That is acting on impulse. 473 00:23:13,699 –> 00:23:16,939 If you have absolutely nothing else 474 00:23:16,939 –> 00:23:18,619 that you can think of to do, 475 00:23:19,459 –> 00:23:21,900 spend some time watching a radio 476 00:23:21,900 –> 00:23:23,459 or television show where people 477 00:23:23,459 –> 00:23:25,020 call in with their problems, 478 00:23:26,219 –> 00:23:27,739 and you will hear the same thing 479 00:23:27,739 –> 00:23:30,979 over and over and over and over again, 480 00:23:31,660 –> 00:23:33,939 listen to your heart, 481 00:23:35,160 –> 00:23:36,619 follow your heart. 482 00:23:38,119 –> 00:23:39,640 Now it sounds wonderful, doesn’t it? 483 00:23:39,640 –> 00:23:41,479 Some of us are drinking it in. 484 00:23:43,520 –> 00:23:45,719 The assumption behind this advice, 485 00:23:45,719 –> 00:23:48,040 of course, is that your heart 486 00:23:48,040 –> 00:23:51,380 is a reliable indicator of what is right. 487 00:23:52,239 –> 00:23:53,780 And the problem with that 488 00:23:53,780 –> 00:23:56,099 is that it completely ignores 489 00:23:56,099 –> 00:23:58,780 the Christian doctrine of sin. 490 00:23:59,699 –> 00:24:02,560 The person who passes out the advice 491 00:24:02,560 –> 00:24:04,760 to everyone, follow your heart, follow your heart, 492 00:24:04,760 –> 00:24:07,619 simply doesn’t believe the Christian doctrine of sin. 493 00:24:09,280 –> 00:24:13,719 The problem with me following my heart 494 00:24:14,839 –> 00:24:18,680 is that there are way too many impulses in my heart 495 00:24:18,680 –> 00:24:21,599 that would lead me into sin if I followed them. 496 00:24:22,599 –> 00:24:24,800 There are impulses in here to pride, 497 00:24:24,800 –> 00:24:28,180 impulses to greed, impulses to self-justification 498 00:24:28,180 –> 00:24:30,099 and a whole lot else beside. 499 00:24:31,979 –> 00:24:35,180 Following your heart is a dangerous business. 500 00:24:37,199 –> 00:24:38,579 Now let’s not swing the other way. 501 00:24:38,579 –> 00:24:40,099 I’m not suggesting for a moment 502 00:24:40,099 –> 00:24:41,900 that your heart is always wrong. 503 00:24:41,900 –> 00:24:43,979 I mean, the Holy Spirit lives within your heart, 504 00:24:43,979 –> 00:24:45,660 but plainly from the Scripture, 505 00:24:45,660 –> 00:24:47,939 a Christian who understands his or herself 506 00:24:47,939 –> 00:24:50,520 will know and believe that the impulses of your heart 507 00:24:50,520 –> 00:24:53,040 and the impulses of mine are mixed. 508 00:24:54,540 –> 00:24:57,819 Sometimes your instincts will be enlightened 509 00:24:57,819 –> 00:24:59,219 by the Holy Spirit. 510 00:25:00,180 –> 00:25:03,359 Sometimes your instincts will be guided by the flesh. 511 00:25:04,260 –> 00:25:06,839 That is why you and I have to submit 512 00:25:06,839 –> 00:25:08,739 all our instincts to what? 513 00:25:08,739 –> 00:25:10,000 The word of God. 514 00:25:11,199 –> 00:25:15,439 So that we can discern and discover 515 00:25:15,439 –> 00:25:18,819 what impulses I need to fight against 516 00:25:18,819 –> 00:25:21,420 and what impulses I need to follow. 517 00:25:25,119 –> 00:25:27,099 Now ASAP says I’ve given up on that altogether. 518 00:25:27,099 –> 00:25:27,939 I just lost it. 519 00:25:29,800 –> 00:25:31,099 Here’s what was happening 520 00:25:31,099 –> 00:25:32,560 and Lord, since you’ve touched me 521 00:25:32,560 –> 00:25:35,380 to open up my mind to the truth and the sanctuary, 522 00:25:35,380 –> 00:25:36,880 I see it so clearly. 523 00:25:36,880 –> 00:25:38,420 My spirit was bitter. 524 00:25:39,640 –> 00:25:41,479 My heart ruled my head. 525 00:25:42,579 –> 00:25:44,880 I was acting on impulse. 526 00:25:47,819 –> 00:25:51,260 Now this is a serious confession of sin. 527 00:25:51,260 –> 00:25:53,819 It’s going way beyond a list of things 528 00:25:53,819 –> 00:25:56,239 that ASAP had said or had done. 529 00:25:57,459 –> 00:26:01,420 What he’s doing is in the search light of God’s truth, 530 00:26:01,420 –> 00:26:04,880 the hidden movements of this man’s heart is uncovered 531 00:26:06,219 –> 00:26:08,479 and he’s brought to a position where he finds liberty 532 00:26:08,479 –> 00:26:12,579 as he confesses it before God. 533 00:26:12,579 –> 00:26:13,880 When my heart was grieved 534 00:26:15,479 –> 00:26:18,800 and my spirit embittered, I was senseless and ignorant. 535 00:26:19,939 –> 00:26:21,380 I was a brute beast. 536 00:26:23,260 –> 00:26:25,260 But you know, the deepest part of this confession 537 00:26:25,260 –> 00:26:27,020 is in the last two words. 538 00:26:27,900 –> 00:26:29,420 You notice them there? 539 00:26:29,420 –> 00:26:32,420 I was like a brute beast before you. 540 00:26:33,400 –> 00:26:35,180 Before you, oh God. 541 00:26:36,079 –> 00:26:40,060 Now there really is an appropriate sense of shame here. 542 00:26:41,640 –> 00:26:44,540 See earlier, I think we engaged with Asaph 543 00:26:44,540 –> 00:26:47,560 when he made the point if I follow the thoughts of mind 544 00:26:47,560 –> 00:26:49,219 I would have let everybody down. 545 00:26:49,219 –> 00:26:52,359 Here, he’s now saying, oh, Lord, I see now 546 00:26:52,359 –> 00:26:55,619 that all this junk that was going on inside of me, 547 00:26:55,640 –> 00:26:58,660 it was all before you. 548 00:27:02,199 –> 00:27:03,739 What a fool I’ve been. 549 00:27:07,599 –> 00:27:12,599 My spirit was bitter and that was before you. 550 00:27:14,619 –> 00:27:16,640 I let my heart rule my head 551 00:27:16,640 –> 00:27:20,119 and you watched all the chaos that followed. 552 00:27:20,640 –> 00:27:25,640 I was acting on impulse and you saw what I did. 553 00:27:30,680 –> 00:27:33,319 You saw me act on impulse on that website. 554 00:27:33,319 –> 00:27:35,979 You heard me speak on impulse at that breakfast. 555 00:27:35,979 -> 00:27:37,459 It was all before you. 556 00:27:41,219 –> 00:27:44,880 This is the confession of a godly man. 557 00:27:47,459 –> 00:27:49,119 And you know, Asaph’s not a man 558 00:27:49,219 –> 00:27:51,979 who needs counseling, he’s a man who needs cleansing. 559 00:27:55,640 –> 00:28:00,199 He needs to bring out the junk of his inner life 560 00:28:01,180 –> 00:28:02,439 in the presence of God. 561 00:28:02,439 –> 00:28:04,819 He needs to confess. 562 00:28:08,599 –> 00:28:12,079 And I expect that all of us, I hope that all of us 563 00:28:13,719 –> 00:28:17,199 feel that we need to enter into this third dimension 564 00:28:17,199 –> 00:28:19,239 of Asaph’s five point turn today. 565 00:28:19,239 –> 00:28:22,160 Stop, think, confess. 566 00:28:24,880 –> 00:28:26,239 Now here’s some good news. 567 00:28:27,280 –> 00:28:28,939 You are never closer to Christ 568 00:28:28,939 –> 00:28:31,199 than when you are most aware of your own sin. 569 00:28:33,619 –> 00:28:35,160 Luke tells us about what happened 570 00:28:35,160 –> 00:28:38,079 when Jesus called the first disciples to follow him. 571 00:28:38,079 –> 00:28:38,959 Do you remember the story? 572 00:28:38,959 –> 00:28:42,599 Peter had been out fishing all night, didn’t catch a thing, 573 00:28:42,599 –> 00:28:46,280 and Jesus tells him to throw out the net one more time 574 00:28:46,280 –> 00:28:48,599 and suddenly there are more fish in the net 575 00:28:48,599 –> 00:28:50,939 than Peter can pull in, 576 00:28:50,939 –> 00:28:52,920 and Peter immediately realizes 577 00:28:52,920 –> 00:28:56,800 that he is in the presence of the Lord. 578 00:28:56,800 –> 00:28:59,020 What’s the first thing he says? 579 00:28:59,020 –> 00:29:01,420 Depart from me, I am a sinful man. 580 00:29:01,420 –> 00:29:02,880 That’s what he says to Jesus. 581 00:29:04,760 –> 00:29:06,660 You feel that instinctively. 582 00:29:09,920 –> 00:29:12,520 Of course, Jesus didn’t go what Jesus said. 583 00:29:12,520 –> 00:29:14,780 No, no, you follow me, you follow me. 584 00:29:17,140 –> 00:29:19,640 Actually, it was the nearness of Christ 585 00:29:19,640 –> 00:29:22,119 that made him see his sinfulness as never before. 586 00:29:22,119 –> 00:29:24,839 You are never closer to Christ 587 00:29:24,839 –> 00:29:28,099 than when you are most aware of your own sin. 588 00:29:28,099 –> 00:29:31,479 And so if that awareness is strong for you right now, 589 00:29:31,479 –> 00:29:33,160 thank God for it. 590 00:29:34,479 –> 00:29:36,920 It’s the one who shines the light who’s drawing near, 591 00:29:36,920 –> 00:29:38,319 and he’s drawing near, 592 00:29:38,319 –> 00:29:40,000 not because he wants to leave you, 593 00:29:40,000 –> 00:29:42,599 but because he wants you to follow him. 594 00:29:46,520 –> 00:29:48,060 That’s what happened to Asaph. 595 00:29:50,079 –> 00:29:51,920 It was the turning point of his life. 596 00:29:54,660 –> 00:29:57,199 Confession is a normal part of a healthy Christian life. 597 00:29:57,199 –> 00:30:00,000 Confession exposes what’s hidden in your heart, 598 00:30:00,000 –> 00:30:01,359 and lastly and very briefly, 599 00:30:01,359 –> 00:30:05,040 confession opens the door to hope. 600 00:30:05,040 –> 00:30:06,420 See, what would you think 601 00:30:06,420 –> 00:30:10,020 that the outcome of this confession would be? 602 00:30:12,180 –> 00:30:14,439 Listen to it just one more time. 603 00:30:14,520 –> 00:30:17,640 When my heart was grieved and my spirit was embittered, 604 00:30:17,640 –> 00:30:20,599 I was senseless and ignorant, 605 00:30:20,599 –> 00:30:24,280 I was a brute beast before you. 606 00:30:24,280 –> 00:30:25,920 What would the outcome of that be? 607 00:30:25,920 –> 00:30:30,119 Therefore I am a total failure. 608 00:30:30,119 –> 00:30:34,619 Therefore my life is messed up and is a loss. 609 00:30:34,619 –> 00:30:37,660 Therefore there is no future usefulness for me 610 00:30:37,660 –> 00:30:39,599 in your kingdom or in your purpose. 611 00:30:39,599 –> 00:30:40,719 No, that’s not the outcome. 612 00:30:40,719 –> 00:30:42,280 What is the outcome? 613 00:30:42,280 –> 00:30:43,699 Verse 23. 614 00:30:43,699 –> 00:30:48,040 Yet I am always with you. 615 00:30:49,140 –> 00:30:51,839 Would you have expected that to be the next statement? 616 00:30:53,599 –> 00:30:56,219 See true confession never leads to despair. 617 00:30:56,219 –> 00:30:57,979 It always opens the door of hope. 618 00:30:57,979 –> 00:30:59,479 I love this word yet. 619 00:31:01,260 –> 00:31:02,180 My spirit was bitter, 620 00:31:02,180 –> 00:31:03,459 my heart ruled my head. 621 00:31:03,459 –> 00:31:07,219 I was acting on impulse yet I am always with you. 622 00:31:07,219 –> 00:31:09,119 Only a believer can pray like this. 623 00:31:10,119 –> 00:31:12,959 We often think about the Lord walking with us 624 00:31:12,959 –> 00:31:14,760 through life on our path. 625 00:31:15,880 –> 00:31:18,079 But a better way to think about the Christian life 626 00:31:18,079 –> 00:31:21,380 is that you are walking with Christ on his path. 627 00:31:21,380 –> 00:31:23,000 And that’s what Esau gets here. 628 00:31:23,000 –> 00:31:26,739 He says, yet I’m always with you. 629 00:31:26,739 –> 00:31:28,199 Yet Lord, here’s the miracle, 630 00:31:28,199 –> 00:31:29,719 despite everything that has happened 631 00:31:29,719 –> 00:31:31,859 and all the junk that’s in my life, 632 00:31:31,859 –> 00:31:34,920 I’m still here in your presence today, Lord. 633 00:31:34,920 –> 00:31:35,920 Thank you for that. 634 00:31:35,920 –> 00:31:38,920 And why is it that I’m here in your presence today? 635 00:31:39,839 –> 00:31:44,819 It is because you have held me by my right hand. 636 00:31:48,800 –> 00:31:53,819 My feet had almost slipped, why didn’t they slip? 637 00:31:55,280 –> 00:31:57,599 Oh, says Asaph, God, you held me up. 638 00:31:57,599 –> 00:32:00,060 You held me by my right hand, verse 23. 639 00:32:01,920 –> 00:32:03,560 I came into the sanctuary. 640 00:32:03,560 –> 00:32:05,680 Why did I come into the sanctuary? 641 00:32:05,680 –> 00:32:08,660 God prompted him to come into his presence. 642 00:32:09,839 –> 00:32:11,420 I’m a Christian. 643 00:32:13,300 –> 00:32:16,739 If sustaining the Christian life depended on me, 644 00:32:18,199 –> 00:32:22,760 I would have given up long ago, wouldn’t you? 645 00:32:26,300 –> 00:32:29,760 Thank God with Asaph you can say as a Christian 646 00:32:29,760 –> 00:32:34,479 and I can say as a Christian you hold me by my right hand, 647 00:32:34,479 –> 00:32:39,479 and Lord that’s why I’m here in your presence today. 648 00:32:40,599 –> 00:32:42,119 If you hadn’t held me by my right hand 649 00:32:42,119 –> 00:32:44,819 I have no idea where I’d be today or what I’d be doing, 650 00:32:47,040 –> 00:32:52,020 but I’m here and it’s all because of your grace 651 00:32:53,339 –> 00:32:55,160 and it’s all because of your mercy 652 00:32:56,579 –> 00:33:00,660 that even now is reaching me in the depth of my own need. 653 00:33:01,660 –> 00:33:06,660 Through many dangers, toils and snares I have already come. 654 00:33:09,239 –> 00:33:13,180 It’s grace that brought me safe this far 655 00:33:14,520 –> 00:33:17,500 and grace will lead me home. 656 00:33:19,199 –> 00:33:21,739 Let’s bow before God in prayer together. 657 00:33:21,739 –> 00:33:26,739 We’re going to take just a couple of moments 658 00:33:28,199 –> 00:33:31,359 to enter into confession. 659 00:33:31,359 –> 00:33:36,359 Search me, O God, and know my heart. 660 00:33:39,560 –> 00:33:43,239 Test me and know my anxious thoughts. 661 00:33:44,959 –> 00:33:48,920 See if there is any offensive way in me 662 00:33:49,819 –> 00:33:52,339 and lead me in the way everlasting. 663 00:33:55,680 –> 00:33:57,680 The presence of God is the one place 664 00:33:57,680 –> 00:34:00,699 where you have no need to fear being exposed. 665 00:34:03,219 –> 00:34:05,859 This God knows the worst about you already. 666 00:34:05,859 –> 00:34:09,780 Nothing you can tell him now will take him by surprise. 667 00:34:16,679 –> 00:34:18,699 Some of us want to say to the Lord 668 00:34:18,699 –> 00:34:22,399 with Asaph today, my spirit has been bitter. 669 00:34:28,939 –> 00:34:30,800 Some of us need to say to the Lord today, 670 00:34:30,800 –> 00:34:32,360 my heart has ruled my head. 671 00:34:33,280 –> 00:34:36,459 I’ve not been acting on faith or thinking like a believer. 672 00:34:40,040 –> 00:34:41,840 There’s chaos in my inner life. 673 00:34:44,100 –> 00:34:45,320 I’m not living by faith. 674 00:34:49,600 –> 00:34:51,540 Some of us need to confess, 675 00:34:52,600 –> 00:34:54,060 and perhaps in a particular way 676 00:34:54,060 –> 00:34:56,320 that we’ve been acting on impulse. 677 00:34:58,879 –> 00:35:01,520 We just followed our heart wherever it was inclined. 678 00:35:03,179 –> 00:35:04,540 It’s taken us into sin. 679 00:35:09,219 –> 00:35:12,520 Sins of thought, word, and deed. 680 00:35:12,520 –> 00:35:15,219 Lord, I confess. 681 00:35:15,520 –> 00:35:18,179 Lord, I confess. 682 00:35:25,340 –> 00:35:27,060 Thank you that in this confession 683 00:35:27,060 –> 00:35:30,219 your grace and mercy does not cast me adrift, 684 00:35:34,979 –> 00:35:36,800 that your right hand is holding me, 685 00:35:36,800 –> 00:35:41,800 even now, that you’ve brought me to this point. 686 00:35:42,399 –> 00:35:44,060 Not because you want to part from me, 687 00:35:44,100 –> 00:35:46,000 but because you want me to follow you. 688 00:35:49,919 –> 00:35:51,919 So thank you, dear Lord, that I can say yet 689 00:35:51,919 –> 00:35:53,340 I am still with you, 690 00:35:56,280 –> 00:35:59,860 and your right hand holds me. 691 00:36:05,360 –> 00:36:08,179 Hear our confession, hear our prayer, 692 00:36:09,639 –> 00:36:12,439 receive our thanksgiving for the grace and mercy 693 00:36:12,439 –> 00:36:16,679 that surrounds us in Jesus Christ our Savior and Lord. 694 00:36:18,699 –> 00:36:23,540 For these things we ask in His name, amen.