Welcome to Delight in Grace, the teaching ministry of Rich Powell, pastor of Grace Bible Church in Winston-Salem. CS Lewis said, See, goodness is a natural outflow of a life of faith in Christ. A life surrendered to Him will be a life that leaves footprints to help others move toward the Lord. We're continuing through Psalm 37 in this series titled, Living by Faith. And in today's message, Pastor Rich focuses on how goodness is branded into the life of God's people.
Let's listen in. Turning your copy of the scriptures to Psalm 37. The title of this series is, Living by Faith. And as we have been unpacking this whole chapter, we have discovered the portrait of faith that the Lord is painting for us. And what a life of faith, what living by faith looks like.
So many different shades and colors to it. Living by faith includes contentment. It includes faithfulness.
All these different shades and colors that the Lord brings. It includes living by faith as trust. Living by faith is quietness. Living by faith is meekness. Living by faith is satisfaction. Living by faith is generosity. And for our text today, our topic today, living by faith is goodness.
It is a life of goodness. Let's look at the text. Verse 23. The steps of a man are established by the Lord when he delights in his way. Though he fall, he shall not be cast headlong for the Lord upholds his hand.
I have been young and now I'm old. Yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken or his children begging for bread. He is ever lending generously and his children become a blessing. Turn away from evil and do good, so shall you dwell forever. For the Lord loves justice, he will not forsake his saints. They are preserved forever. But the children of the wicked shall be cut off.
The righteous shall inherit the land and dwell upon it forever. I grew up in Colombia, South America, and we went to boarding school in Venezuela. So I was away from home as much as a college student, but all the way, you know, in elementary school. And when we were there on break and it was too short to be able to go home because it took us two days to travel home.
We would spend some breaks there and we would pass our time playing Rook. It's a tremendous game. And and if you get if you get a hand, a good hand, there's there's a strong suit in one color. If you get a rainbow in your hand, it's not a good hand. In fact, you feel like you've been dealt a bad hand.
How have you in your life? Maybe you know somebody that feels like they've been dealt a bad hand in life. So a lot of people that talk like that. But what I was amazed to find out and people skilled people that I would put some of our dorm parents, one in particular that I remember.
Uncle Pete Stiffest, whatever hand he got, he would either lead with that hand or he would be a very strong support with that hand. Here's the truth that I want you to remember from today's message. Life isn't something that just happens to you.
Now, some of you tend to believe that and you play the part of a victim. Life is not something that just happens to you. The steps I take make it bad or good. You have steps to take. Life is not something that just happens to me.
The steps I take make it bad or good. So what I want to unpack from the text before us today is a life of goodness, a life of goodness. Where does that begin? Where do I start?
If I am going to live a life of goodness, not play the victim, but live a life of goodness. Where do I start? Here's where you start.
You ready for this? God is good. You have to start there. And that truth that God is good does not depend on the normalcy or the comfort of my circumstances. God is good.
Everything he does is good. So that being true, that God is good. Here's the question that you need to ask.
The question that I need to ask. If God is good, am I in step with God? Am I in step with God?
Because he is the definition of good. So therefore, everything that is good is according to his character and purpose. So am I in step with God?
You need to ask that question. Are my steps ordered by his self-disclosure? Are they in line with his character and purpose? Am I in step with God or am I stepping away from God? You might be stepping away from God, either drifting passively or you could be actively stepping away from God.
Either way, you're doing the same thing. And if you're stepping away from God, you are in the path of evil or what is bad, because evil is defined by separation from what is good. Because evil itself is not an entity.
It is the absence of good. So when it says the steps of a man are established by the Lord, it means that you are in step with God. You're not stepping away.
You're not drifting away from him or actively countering him. Because it says, and he delights in his way, when he delights in his way. Now there's been a centuries old debate as to who the subject of that statement is. He delights in his way. Who is the he?
Is it God delighting in the way of the righteous man or the righteous man delighting in the way of God? You know what my answer is? Yes.
Now, let's unpack that for a moment. Three points that I want you to consider to delight in his way. Again, three questions. I want you to be aware of these and I want you to get into the habit of practicing these questions. Question number one. Do I have a good reference for the path that I take?
Do I have a good reference? Jesus said, my sheep hear my voice and I know them and what? They follow me. They follow me. My path in life is following Jesus Christ.
They follow me. I'm not following myself, my inner desires or imaginations. I am following Christ. It is an objective truth and reality that exists outside of me that I am following. Because I am not sufficient enough to be my own reference.
You had nothing to do with your existence. How can you be your own reference? So do I have a good reference? My sheep hear my voice and I know them and they follow me.
Second question. Do I have good desires? Do I have a good reference?
Do I have good desires? Jesus said in John 14, 13, whatever you ask in my name, I will do it. Now, it's so important that we understand that in its context. But it's also very important that we understand it for what it's actually saying.
Because how many people will take a verse like this and say, hey, you know, this is what I really want. This is my agenda for life. I'm going to ask for it in Jesus name and God's going to be obligated to give it to me.
Folks, listen to me. Do you know what that is? That is syncretistic paganism is what that is. Are you praying like that?
You need to stop. Because that's not biblical Christianity. That is not what Jesus is talking about. And the key phrases there is when you ask in my name. The point is this.
Sorry. Do you desire the things God desires? When you say to the Lord, when you ask for the things that he wants, and it is ostensibly in his name, what you are saying is, Lord, I want what you want. Your priorities are what I am asking for. So as we pray for the suffering, are we praying simply that God will bring them back to a normal life? We need to stop that.
Rich, what? We shouldn't pray for the suffering? Yes, we should. But what are you praying for? God just healed them and bring them back to a normal life. What if that's not what God wants? What if God wants to accomplish something in them and through them in this suffering?
Yes, we don't enjoy watching people suffer. But God's purpose is what's going on here. And so we need to be praying God's priorities. And in your life, in the things that you are praying for, when you pray in Jesus' name, what you're saying is, I desire what you desire.
I want what you want. That is what good desires means. Your desires are in line with God's character and purpose.
Do I have a good reference? Do I have good desires? And thirdly, am I taking good steps? Intentionally, am I actually taking the steps?
Yes, I have the reference and I have good desires. But it's one thing to have those things. It is entirely something different to actually take the step, to walk in His steps. It is so important that you do that, to walk in His steps, intentionally walk in His steps.
You have to take the steps. Are my steps thoughtful? Are they wise? Are they God-ward?
Are they God-directed? Are they actually the steps that He has left for me? Am I actually following Jesus? Do I actually desire the things that He desires? And am I, listen, am I willing to take the step even if it means doing something hard?
And that's where we tend to back off, isn't it? Sometimes the steps that the Lord takes, I mean, that's what Peter tells us, isn't it? In this you have been called because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example so that you might follow in His steps. The context of following in His steps is what?
Suffering. Are you willing to take a difficult step following Jesus and are you willing to take that step intentionally? Following in His steps.
A question you need to ask yourself. And it says here, the steps of men are established by the Lord when He delights in His way. So what does it mean when the steps are established? That word established is very important. It's important for us to know what that means. It means this is a definition from a Bible dictionary, to authenticate as valid and having authority with a focus on the durability and lastingness. The Lord establishes that step. So when I take that step, the Lord establishes that. And you know what? When you step off of here and you step over here, you're leaving a footprint and the Lord establishes that.
Now that's significant, isn't it? Nathan Carmichael was just telling me earlier that he grew up in upstate New York and they would have a lot of winter. He'd go hunting up there and sometimes he would take some friends with him to go hunting and oftentimes they'd be right on the edge of a precipice there. And he would tell the guys, listen, step where I step. You've been listening to Rich Powell, the lead pastor at Grace Bible Church in Winston-Salem. The Delight in Grace mission is to help you know that God designed you to realize your highest good and your deepest satisfaction in Him. The one who is infinitely good. We hope you'll join us again on weekdays at 10 a.m.
