First United Methodist Church | Bakersfield
Sermon Notes and other info for July 23, 2017
Psalms 73:1-28 NIV
Even long-time believers go through times of ___________. Who is Asaph? See 1 Chronicles 15:19; 16:5, 7.
I. Doubt Raises a Question (vv. 1-14)
“Surely God is good to Israel, to those who are pure in heart. But as for me, my feet had almost slipped; I had nearly lost my foothold. For I envied the arrogant when I saw the prosperity of the wicked,” Psalm 73:1-3.
If even unconsciously, most humans _________________.
The wicked ___________ while the righteous do not.
II. Three Mistakes
“Did I keep my heart pure for nothing? Did I keep myself innocent for no reason? I get nothing but trouble all day long; every morning brings me pain,” Psalm 73:13-14.
1. ____________ only by what he sees.
2. ____________ out of the equation.“Pleasures of sin for a season,” Hebrews 11:25.
3. ____________ about the life to come."It is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment,” Hebrews 9:27.
III. Faith Finds an Answer (vv. 15-28)
First,"If I had said, ‘I will speak thus,’ I would have betrayed Your children" (v. 15). Not ________________ needs to be shared with everyone.
Second, “Then I went into Your sanctuary, O God, and I finally understood the destiny of the wicked" (vs.17). In God’s presence we __________ differently.
Third, Asaph saw _____________ of the wicked and it was not a pretty sight. “Surely you place them on slippery ground; you cast them down to ruin. How suddenly are they destroyed, completely swept away by terrors!” Psalm 73:18-20.
Fourth, “When my heart was grieved and my spirit embittered, I was senseless and ignorant; I was a brute beast before You” (vv. 21-22). How quickly __________________ corrupt the heart!
IV. God is Our Portion Forever
“Yet I am always with You; You hold me by my right hand. You guide me with Your counsel, and afterward You will take me into glory … My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever” (vv. 23-26).
For the wicked this earth is ______________________ they will ever know.
Asaph’s first sentence, “Surely God is good to Israel” (v. 1).
Jonathan Edwards: “The godly have a ____________________ even though all they have is God.”
“My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever” Psalm 73:26.