A Strong Foundation:
Even though moral and ethical foundations may be eroding,
we should ask God to help us stay true to biblical values.
Here's Gene:
There's no question, is there? That the values in our own culture are eroding.
All we have to do is open our eyes
and look around us. They're not only
eroding, their crumbling. And I would go even a step further--at least within certain
segments of society--
the values are totally
disappearing. The foundations
are disappearing. Now, this is a concern
on the part of people that David
is writing about in the midst of his own difficult situation.
And this is what we read in verse 3.
Here is the question.
Here's the concern. And we can all identify with this:
"When the foundations are destroyed,
what can the righteous do?" Now we're not sure of the events here.
But we certainly, from the psalm,
can conclude that it was a time of uncertainty.
Uncertainty for David. Uncertainty for
the people. Obviously there were attacks by the enemies.
This was happening. And so the people
were really giving advice to David and here's what they said:
Escape. Escape.
Flee, in other words. "Escape to the mountain like a bird!
For look, the wicked string the bow;
they put the arrow on the bowstring to shoot from the shadows at the upright
in heart." In other words, "Let's get out of here.
Run. Hide."
Now, that isn't necessarily wrong
because there are times when we flee.
And even in our own culture, our own situation, our own world condition,
I can refer to countries where people are fleeing across the border because if
they don't,
they're going to be killed. There are Christians
in certain segments of the world that are crossing borders to get out because
the churches are being burned. People are being slaughtered.
And no one in this room, and I certainly wouldn't,
condemn them. But for David, that was not his moment.
For David it would be wrong
to flee. And so he responds to that
in Psalm 11, in the very first verse.
He said right from the beginning, "I have taken refuge
in the LORD. ... The LORD
is in His holy temple;"... "I cannot flee from this situation."
In essence, he's saying, "I'm the king and I'm the leader and I can't flee."
... "the LORD's throne is in heaven.
His eyes watch; He examines everyone."
In other words, "I've got to look to Him at this moment
in my life." And so,
in essence, we have this principle:
Even though moral and ethical foundations may be
eroding, we should ask God to help us [to] stay true to biblical values.
In this case, David was saying, "Even if I have to stay
right here and stand up for those values.
I don't know what may happen in my life, but I know
that God is in heaven and He sees everything
that's going on." Now, when you go to the New Testament,
Paul may have been thinking about this very psalm
when he penned these words to Timothy
in chapter 3. Last letter he ever wrote. Here's his prophecy:
"But know this: difficult times will come in the last days."
By the way, if the "last days" were two thousand years ago, what about today?
And notice he says: "For people will be lovers of self,
lovers of money, boastful, proud, blasphemers,
disobedient to parents, ungrateful, unholy, unloving,
irreconcilable, slanderers,
without self-control, brutal, without love for what
is good, traitors, reckless, conceited, lovers of
pleasure rather than lovers of God,
holding the form of godliness but denying its power." ...
And that includes religious people.
And of course here he says, "Avoid these people!"
In other words, "Don't be a part of that."
And so Paul is addressing the issue in the first century which is certainly applicable to
our century. To the time in which we live.
That we need to be aware this and, certainly,
not allow ourselves to become a part of it.
And it's interesting that David, at the end of this psalm in verse 7,
towards the end, he says: "For the LORD is righteous;
He loves righteous deeds. [And] the upright will see His face."
In other words, in essence, prophetically, he's saying:
"No matter what happens, we will see His face."
And I'm inclined to conclude, though it's speculative,
that as Paul penned the final words
to Timothy, he may have been thinking of that phrase
from this psalm when he wrote this: Timothy,
"I am already being poured out as a drink offering," ...
I know it's going to happen.
I know I'm going to die this time.
First time, God had mercy. Got me out of prison even though
I said, "For me to live is Christ, to die is gain."
But this time it's coming.
And he says, "the time for my departure
is close."
And here are the words I wish all of could say
at the end of our lives: "I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith."
In other words, "I'm ready."
And he goes on to say, "There is reserved for me
in the future the crown righteousness,
which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give me on that day," ...
What day? The day when I will see His face.
The very words from this psalm.
... "and not only to me, but to all those who have loved His appearing."
Powerful, powerful witness on the part
of the apostle Paul. Now here's a question to think about. It says,
In a world where spiritual and moral foundations are being destroyed,
how did Jesus address this issue?
I love the metaphors that he used when he said this:
"Therefore," ... Matthew chapter 7. This is
from the Sermon on the Mount:
"Therefore, everyone who hears these words of Mine
and acts on them will be like a sensible man
who built his house on the rock."
I love that picture: that rock. And that a metaphor.
And of course, we know who the rock is.
"Upon this rock, I will build this church." And the rock
that he was referring to was not Peter. It was basically
the confession of Peter--relative--that He was the Christ.
Jesus was the Christ. I've stood there, by the way,
on the rocks in that evil section
near Caesarea, Philippi,
where Jesus made that statement. And that whole area
is solid rock.
And Jesus made that statement to Peter and the other
apostles. But by contrast,
"Everyone who hears these words of Mine
and doesn't act on them will be like a foolish man
who built his house on the sand."
We all know what is going to happen.
But basically, the conclusion is that no matter what happens
to our values. No matter what happens to the foundations
as far as the world is concerned. Even though they destroy the foundations that
have made the nation great. There's a foundation that cannot be destroyed.
And that's the foundation of Jesus Christ.
So let's remember this principle to live by:
Even though the moral and ethical foundations may be eroding,
we should ask God to help us stay true to biblical values.
And one of those biblical values
is Jesus Christ, who is not only
the cornerstone, but He's the whole foundation.
And that foundation can never be destroyed.