Nepaug Bible Church - http://www.nepaugchurch.org - Pastor's Sermon Notes - http://www.nepaugchurch.org/Sermons/zz20121125.htm

SPECIAL INTERLUDE
Guarding The Heart Through Scripture: Five Gems From Psalm 119
Part V: Section Qoph - Guarding The Heart From Overwhelming Anxiety
(Psalm 119:145-152)
    Introduction: (To show the need . . . )

    Many people today face a rising tide of anxiety:

    (1) Gregg Zoroya's November 19, 2012 USA TODAY story, "Army, Navy suicides this year at record high," p. 2A reported: "With six weeks left in the year, the Army and Navy are already reporting record numbers of suicides . . ."

    However, Army vice chief of staff General Lloyd Austin said, "This is not just a military issue,'" for, as Zoroya added, "at least a third of soldiers who killed themselves this year never went to war, and some leaders draw a correlation with societal stress . . ." (Ibid.)

    (2) There certainly is stress in society, a fact we can illustrate in observing how the Affordable Care Act keeps stressing the nation:

    (a) The paper's lead editorial, "For ObamaCare resistors, time to get with the program" (Ibid., p. 8A) reported though "the Affordable Care Act has survived everything its opponents threw at it . . . 15 governors have refused to set up state exchanges, and at least 13 more are still deciding." The editor in support of ObamaCare pontificated, "The war is over, so find ways to make [the] law work."

    (b) However, Governor of Texas, Rick Perry, in the "Opposing View" op-ed, "Another federal power grab," countered that though the states could set up exchanges, they had to pay for it. (Ibid.) Then, "(t)he fine print specified . . . the exchanges would have to follow all rules and guidelines" of "the federal government . . . The kicker: Many of these rules and regulations are unknown . . . (T)his is par for the course as we continue down the road to fiscal disaster . . ."

    (3) In our own Church, after last Sunday's worship service, three members told me of their ongoing concern over the elections, what it means economically and relative to family and religious issues.

    (4) Besides this concern, we have received prayer requests in our recent morning worship services on local matters reflected in the nation's concerns. Housing, jobs, health care, fallout from hurricane Sandy -- we have seen each of these topics in our prayer requests.

    (5) Just as I was typing up this last point, I received a call from a member who called in his third Prayer Chain request of the week about some life-threatening issue involving a boy of someone he knew!

    Thus, if Proverbs 4:23 NIV directs, "Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life," we ask, "How do I guard my heart from overwhelming anxiety?!"

    Need: "How can I guard my heart from overwhelming anxiety?!"

  1. Psalm 119 is written in an alphabetical arrangement of sections where each section is marked by the first word of each of its lines starting with a specific Hebrew letter, and the focus in the ENTIRE psalm is on the PRACTICAL VALUE of GOD'S WORD.
  2. The Psalm 119:145-152 letter "Qoph" section describes the use of Scripture to guard the heart from overwhelming anxiety:
    1. Psalm 119:145-148 tells of escalating levels of anxiety faced by the Psalmist, but how he meant to address them by applying Scripture:
      1. In an initial state of anxiety, the Psalmist calls (qara', Kittel, Bib. Heb., p. 1085; B. D. B., A Heb.-Eng. Lex. of the O. T. , p. 894-896) unto God with all of his heart, asking Him to answer him, adding that he will observe (nasar, Ibid., p. 665-666) God's Scripture statutes (hoq , Ibid., Kittel; Ibid., B. D. B., p. 349), Psalm 119:145.
      2. Then, in greater anxiety, the Psalmist calls again (qara' again, cf. Psalm 119:145) for God to rescue (yasha' , Ibid., p. 446-447; Hiphil = causative) him, adding that he will obey His solemn charges in Scripture (edut, Ibid., p. 730), Psalm 119:146.
      3. In still greater anxiety, the Psalmist approaches God in the night "prior to" (qadam, Ibid., p. 869-870) the morning twilight (neshep , Ibid., p. 676) to "cry out for help" (shawa', Ibid., p. 1002; Piel = intensive), though he still waited, hoped for (yahal, Ibid., p. 403-404; Piel = intensive) Scripture's fulfillment, Psalm 119:147.
      4. In a state of greatest anxiety, the Psalmist claims his eyes come "prior to" [anticipate] (qadam again, cf. Psa. 119:147) the [night] watches (ashmurah, Ibid., p. 1038), that is, he experiences a total lack of sleep, but he will meditate on (siha, Ibid., p. 967) God's utterance (imrah, Ibid., Kittel; Ibid., B. D. B., p. 57), Ps. 119:148.
    2. Psalm 119:146 states the Psalmist's petition that God apply His "loyal love" (hesed, Ibid., Kittel; The. Wrdbk. of the O. T., v. I, p. 698-700), His grace, to "revive" (hayah, Ibid., B. D. B., p. 310-311; Piel = intensive) him from the drain of his anxiety in keeping with Scripture verdicts (mishphat , Ibid., Kittel; Ibid., B. D. B., p. 1048-1049).
    3. The cause of his anxiety is revealed in Psalm 119:150a: pursuing foes (radap, Ibid., Kittel; Ibid., B. D. B., p. 922-923) with evil devices, plans (zimah , Ibid., p. 273) had come near (qareb, Ibid., Kittel; Ibid., B. D. B., p. 897-898; verb form) the Psalmist [to do him great harm].
    4. However, the contrast in how the Psalmist's threatening foes related to God and Scripture versus how the Psalmist related to them offered him great encouragement and hope in this crisis, Psa. 119:150b-152:
      1. An extensive play on words exists in the Hebrew text involving the words radap, "pursuers" and rahaq, "far from" (Ibid., p. 934-935), and involving the verb qareb, "come near" and its related adjective, qarob, "near," in Psalm 119:150-151.
      2. To explain, the Psalmist held that though pursuing foes (radap) had come near (qareb, the verb; cf. 119:150a) him, they were "far from" (rahaq) God and Scripture (v. 150b), and God ("You" in Psalm 119:151, emph. pron.) would counter their effort in Himself being "near" (qarob , the adj.; Ibid., p. 898) the Psalmist to aid him!
      3. This belief was based on the Psalmist's confidence that God's commands (miswah, Ibid., Kittel; Ibid., B. D. B., p. 846) were true (emet , Ibid., p. 54), assuring that God would help, Psa. 119:151.
      4. The Psalmist in Psalm 119:152 explained why he was so confident that God would fulfill His Scripture promises in his current crisis:
        1. Over a long time period in his past ("of old, aforetime," qedem, Ibid., p. 869) in seeing God faithfully fulfill His solemn charges (edut , cf. Psa. 119:146), the Psalmist " knew [by experience]" (yada', Ibid., Kittel; Ibid., B. D. B., p. 393-395) that God had "established" (ya sad, Ibid., p. 413-414) His charges to stand "forever" (olam, Ibid., Kittel; Ibid., B. D. B., p. 761-763).
        2. Thus, though he currently experienced great anxiety from dreaded foes who had approached him to do him harm, recalling God's faithful past deliverances in fulfillment of His Word that thus meant they stood forever encouraged him that God was now both near to encourage and to help him in his current crisis!
Application: May we (1) trust in Christ for salvation from sin and receive God's "parenting" Holy Spirit, John 3:16; 14:16-18. (2) If facing overwhelming anxiety, may we (1) recall God's past record of fulfilling Scripture (2) to help (3) and to be near us to encourage us, and (4) pray for God's help in line with Scripture, (5) appealing to His grace for (6) deliverance and renewal of the inner man.

Conclusion: (To illustrate the message . . . )

 To illustrate this sermon, we recall that many in Christian circles continue to feel anxious over the results of the recent election!

Such anxiety actually arises from errant theology that has been widely pressed upon Christians in the form of "dominion theology" or "reconstructionism." All Catholics and some Protestants have been led to believe this view, the idea the Church will save the culture through evangelism and political and economic efforts. Indeed, I got a letter last week from a nationally known evangelical leader asking pastors like myself to join him to "restore a nation" in reflection of this view!

This belief rises from amillenialism and postmillenialism, views that assert Christ's Kingdom is the era on earth between His first advent and His Second Coming, or at least the last 1,000 years of it, when the Church allegedly ushers in a golden era on earth climaxed by Christ's return. This view arose after Augustine, Bishop of Hippo, interpreted Bible prophecy nonliterally! (John F. Walvoord, The Blessed Hope and The Tribulation , 1976, p. 12-14) As a result, amillenialism and/or postmillenialism now impact Roman Catholic and Reformed parts in Protestantism, today yielding "dominion theology" or "reconstructionism" in many circles, a belief that disillusions many in the wake of the results of the national elections!

The SOLUTION is found by heeding what we have LONG BEFORE learned to do at Nepaug Church -- to interpret Bible prophecy JUST AS LITERALLY as ANY OTHER part of the Bible, literally like Jesus did in Mark 12:18-27 (See our lessons there)! When that occurs, the Bible teaches the world will turn APOSTATE , NOT GODLY! (2 Thessalonians 2:3; 2 Timothy 3:13)

Bible prophecy taken LITERALLY also teaches the pretribulational, premillenial theological view that we have LONG held at Nepaug Bible Church, the view that the Church will be rescued OUT OF the world by Christ before the Great Tribulation begins, followed by His Second Coming after that era to set up His Kingdom on earth. (Ibid., p. 130-133) Our focus, then, is to disciple others for that coming Kingdom, NOT to try to create a golden era on earth!

Scripture interpreted in a CONSISTENTLY LITERAL way clarifies the truth and calms our anxiety in a godless age when things are going apostate. May we rely on God and His Word as read CONSISTENTLY LITERALLY for victory over anxiety today!