Let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus. the founder and perfecter of our faith. There are times when we must shut out the noises we grow so accustomed to. Turn off the TV and put down your smartphone. You'll find that what remains is the still small voice of God.
To learn more, stay with us. From the Moody Church in Chicago, this is Running to Win with Dr. Erwin Lutzer, whose clear teaching helps us make it across the finish line. Pastor Lutzer, we're conditioned to expect constant sound of some kind when we're in church, whether from the worship band or someone talking to us. Yet you're coming today to tell us about the discipline of silence.
You know, Dave, I've met people, and perhaps you have as well, who cannot stand silence. They always need noise. They need to be listening to something or doing something. I think being silent oftentimes reveals Our consciences? We have to deal possibly with issues that we want to avoid.
And yet the Bible talks about silence and wait on the Lord. Very important. I think it's an important discipline. I'm holding in my hands a book entitled How to Begin the Christian Life written by Doctor Sweeting. and this is the second to last day We're making this book available for you.
Here's what you can do very quickly. You can go to rtwoffer.com or call us at 1-888-218. 9337. And of course, at the end of this message. I'll be giving you that contact info again.
We here at Running to Win are deeply committed to help you run successfully. To be able to give you resources that we think will be a blessing and instruction. As all of us need. As we run toward the finish line. But for now, let us listen from the pulpit of Moody Church.
Uh Silence. How can we have silence in a world that is addicted? to noise. We have to have some input into our lives. We can't be in a quiet room.
We have to turn on the TV, the radio, read a newspaper. But whatever you do, don't leave me just alone with my own thoughts.
Some people left alone with their own thoughts are very, very lonely. In fact, there are many people who can't be silent for a moment. They can't even be silent in church. They come. And they're not silent.
And they're thinking about other things and they can't focus on God because the centrifugal force of their lives lies in an entirely different direction. They have never been taught silence and focus. Back in the little country church that my parents took us to when we were just little children. Whenever my parents went into the church, they would bow and they would pray. They would just simply bow their heads and have a brief prayer.
This was their common practice. It's a wonderful practice that all of us should do. But I remember 20 or 30 people perhaps present in this small church, but my father had just bowed his head and had finished his prayer and lifted up his head. And there was a man behind him who kind of put his arm on his shoulder and said to him, Well, how many acres have you been able to combine this week? You see, even in the house of God, we've not learned focus, we've not learned silence.
You know, the monks left the world for the wilderness because they wanted to do two things. First, The monks were very interested in trying to find God within the depths of their souls.
Now, in this, they were both right and wrong. First of all, God, however, is not found in the depths of our souls by looking within and by contemplation. He is found by coming to Him through Jesus Christ, our Lord, and what Jesus did for us. But that said, Once they understood that, the idea of getting to know God and contemplating God was very biblical. And some of those monks, after they spent a lot of time in the monasteries, came out and had marvelous transforming ministries.
But there was a second reason that they went to the monastery, and that is that they wanted to prove. that God was sufficient for the human soul. And you and I need to prove that, though we'll never go into a monastery except for a visit. Because let me explain to you that All of life, as one writer says, we are, as it were, being evaluated on a scoreboard. Our wins and our losses are there for everyone to see, and the more public ministries or the more public people we are, the more those wins and losses become apparent to us.
And soon, our sense of self-worth is tied to our performance so tightly that we fear old age. Because once we are in that nursing home and we're of no value to anybody anymore, then we begin to think to ourselves: now what?
Now that the mask is over and the charade has been completed, who are we really in the depths of our souls?
So even though we can't follow the monks into the monasteries, We do have to learn their most important lessons. And that's the purpose. of this message. Why a message on silence?
Well, what is important is that you and I learn to live our lives from the center, so to speak. We have to live our lives from the inside out. We have to have those resources down deep within so that we can cope and we can even be at rest amid the turmoil, the tensions, and the pressures and the expectations of life where we are constantly being graded. And here's our problem. Our minds are like restless wanderers that go to and fro about the earth.
They flit. I hope there's a word like that. I think there is. They flit around. And so, if we follow our souls, our minds from one anxiety to another, from one insecurity to another, from one jealous thought to another, from one idea to another, and if we just simply follow our minds wherever they lead us, they will not be centered on God.
We must be composed. And what we'll discover is resources within to cope. With the world without, living life from the center. There's a second reason. The Bible, by the way, does say, in quietness and confidence will be your strength.
But there's a second reason that I speak about this, and that is that It's been my discovery, and I'm sure it's been yours too, that it is in those quiet moments that perhaps we do our best to worship. of God. Oh, you say, I thought that we worship God best when we come to church. Yes, most assuredly. We've had marvelous music here today that has lifted our souls to God.
But it's been my experience that we should be silent before we sing and we should pause. before we pray. I'm talking about An idea, a biblical idea, Silence. That is capable of transforming us into a different people. I know that.
I sometimes may be given to exaggeration when I speak about God's power and His grace, but I really do think that that is true. I believe that there are some of you suffering from addictions and hang-ups. and problems and anger and bitterness and a whole bit. and that it is possible for your life to be permanently changed through the precious gift. of silence.
in the presence of God.
So, with that introduction, I want you to take your Bibles and turn to Psalm 62. Psalm sixty-two. Most scholars believe that this psalm was written when David was fleeing from Absalom. And they believe that because of its similarity to another psalm where David was fleeing from Absalom. If that is true, and we have reason to believe that it is, imagine the conditions under which Psalm 62 were written.
David, you remember the great king of Israel? He has this son by the name of Absalom who begins to steal the hearts of the people by criticism, subtle criticism of his own father.
Now, David has committed adultery, and it's well known, it's known throughout Israel, it's also known throughout the whole country, and so his moral authority has been severely compromised. And then Absalom begins to get some of the leadership of David around him, saying, You know, my father's old. And I'm next in line for the kingdom. And I prefer the kingdom now rather than later. And so Absalom foments a rebellion, which turns out to be a civil war.
Now it is enough, I think all of us would agree. For David to have to put up with fear because he's being stalked, I mean, he is running from cave to cave as Absalom's men are trying to find him. But add to that something else that takes place. And that is that it's his own son.
So it's a double-edged sword, is it not? The sword of fear and shame and humiliation, and the sword. of betrayal.
Some of you parents who are listening, you can identify with that, can't you? Because maybe you've had a son or a daughter who has risen up against you, who has attacked you. and the hurt runs deep.
So David writes Psalm 62. I want you to notice today that I am reading from the New American Standard Translation. And I do that because some of the translations translate verse 1 of Psalm 62. They say, May my soul rest in the Lord.
Well, I want you to know. that the Hebrew word really is be silent. And that's the way in which it's translated here in the NASB.
So I'm reading from my translation, yours might be different. My soul waits in silence for God only from Him. is my salvation. This psalm is sometimes referred to as the only psalm because the word only occurs five or six times. In fact, we could say that it has three paragraphs.
Of four verses each, each paragraph has within it in the opening line the word only. For example, you'll notice as we now go to verse 5, my soul waits in silence for God only. Verse 9, Men of low degree are only vanity, and men of rank are a lie.
So the word only occurs there as well, as you begin the last stanza of the Psalm. But my first question today is: why do we wait in silence before the Lord anyway? What difference does it make?
Well, first of all, because of who God is. You'll notice we read it, he says verse 2, He only is my rock and my salvation, my stronghold. What do you think of that word stronghold? Those of you who have been to Israel and you've gone to Masada, now that's what we're speaking of when we speak of a stronghold. A huge mountain, and on the top of that mountain there was a fortress.
Huge slopes. Only one small trail leads to the top of the mountain. And it is there that the Jews were able to hide out, and the Romans couldn't get them for three years, even though they tried to starve them out. That's a stronghold. A stronghold is, first of all, a place of refuge.
A place that you can run to, and you know that your enemy can't get to you unless he gets to the stronghold first. He has to be able to get up the slopes. He has to be able to tear down the doors because you are hidden. You are kept. You are protected.
And David says, that's what God is when my son rebels against me and when his armies are trying to find me. It's a place of refuge. It's also a place of stability because the stronghold was there before you showed up and it'll be there long after you are gone. And does not God unite the generations because of His stability? And because of his connectedness, It's also a place of rest.
God is our refuge and our strength, and it is in God that we rest because you can have all of these things taking place outside of you and around you. but you can be at peace.
Now, of course, we're not thinking of a stronghold literally as a mountain, of course. We are speaking of a stronghold, namely God. And in God, we find the resources that we need to cope. And that's why David says, My soul waits only. Before God in silence.
First of all, because of who God is. There's a second reason that we wait in silence before the Lord, and that is because of our need. Because of our need. David was very vulnerable. You'll notice it says in verse 3: How long will you assail a man that you may murder him, all of you?
Like a leaning wall, like a tottering fence. They have counseled only to thrust him down from his high position. They delight in falsehood. They bless with their mouth, but inwardly they curse. David is talking about the armies that are trying to get him, and he's likening himself, if I interpret this correctly, as the tottering wall.
as a fence that is about to collapse. And so, what you have is these armies are coming against David, and David knows how vulnerable he is. Without God, he's not going to be able to make it. Without God, he's not going to be able to return back to Jerusalem because it is true that Absalom's armies are stronger at this point than David's armies. And so, what David is saying is, I need God like I have never needed him before.
My soul waits in silence. before God. Also, during this period of time, I think David was tempted. And I think we have a hint in the Psalm how he was tempted. First of all, he was tempted to depend upon people.
His own armies. And while they were able to give him some comfort, ultimately, human beings disappoint us. He says in verse 9, Men of low degree are only vanity, and men of rank are a lie. In the balances they go up, they are together lighter than breath. There are some situations in life where we can't even depend upon people.
And we've all had the experience of being so disappointed in what people have done and people that we have depended upon, and we haven't understood that it is God once again cutting out from under us those props that we might wait in silence before Him. alone.
So David was tempted to look at other people. He was also maybe tempted to think, you know, if I had lots of money, I could run and I could do something. Because you'll notice what he says in verse 10, Do not trust in oppression, and do not vainly hope in robbery. If riches increase, do not set your heart on them. They won't help you either.
I'm always reminded of a couple that in the lottery won 20 million dollars. dollars. Imagine winning 20 million dollars in a lottery. And yet, the woman died of cancer six months later. When wealth increases, don't set your heart on it.
You'd better flee to God. Because all of these things are temporary.
So David says that within this context now, I'm going to wait on God. And I'm going to do it. in silence. Why? Because he has to renew his inner life with God.
Remember that what a man is in the presence of God is all that he is. And nothing more. Who we are is who we are before God.
So David says, I'm shutting out the world as I'm in this cave, as perhaps this is where the psalm was written. I'm shutting out dependence upon people, upon even my wealth. My soul waits silently before God alone.
Well, you say, well, how is this done? We'll get to that in a moment, but before that, what are we waiting for when we wait in silence before God? First of all, we are waiting to listen to God's voice. We're waiting for God's voice. The Bible says in Isaiah chapter 28, verse 23, give ear.
and hear my voice. Listen to hear my words. And at this point we all become very, very nervous. Because there are some people who are listening who are going to say, Are you telling me that if we're really silent before God, He's going to give us a new revelation? He's going to come and speak to us?
Well, as you know, I'm opposed to those folks who think that revelation continues. Who thinks that we can have a word from the Lord and we can say, Oh, guess what the Lord just told me? You know what He said to me? And then people roll off, things like that. And that is distressing.
You know, one day a man wrote a letter to me and said, I can't believe that you believe thus and so, and he quoted me. And he said that he heard it in a message over the radio. I knew I had not said that because it was something with which I disagreed. And so I even listened to the message just to make sure, and I discovered that he took something about what I said and connected it with another idea and came up with a quote. with which I did not agree.
But here's my point, folks. If I, as a fallible human being, do not like it. when people put words in my mouth, Think of how serious it must be to put words into the mouth of Almighty God. Be careful. We're not listening for some new revelation, but let me tell you what we are listening for.
We're listening for God to reveal in the stillness our sins and our anxieties that are sometimes even hidden from us. Yeah. Yes, and by the way, I still remember it. That man misquoted me. And the point that I was making in the message is simply this, let's not misquote God.
Well, this is the second to last day that we are making a very special resource available for you. It's a book written by Dr. Sweeting entitled How to Begin the Christian Life. We believe that it's going to be a blessing to you. It deals with issues.
Regarding prayer, Daily Bible study how to be sure of your salvation, your relationship to the world, the church, money, and so forth. For a gift of any amount we're making it available for you. and I hope that you have time to get a pen or pencil because here's the contact info. you can go to rtwoffer.com. That's rtwoffer.com.
or you can pick up the phone and call us at 1-888-8. 218 9337.
Now because this is so critical, And this is the second to last day. Right now go to rtwoffer.com. or call us at 1-888-218-9337. It's time again for you to ask Pastor Lutzer a question about the Bible or the Christian life. Today's question comes from a man deeply concerned about his brother's moral sin.
Larry writes I have an older brother who is having another affair. He has confided in me about his romantic relationships.
Now he's involved with a woman at work. He claims to love his wife and children, and does not want to leave them. Of course, they don't know what my brother is doing. If they did, they'd be devastated. He has a wonderful wife and children.
What do I do? I can't live with myself knowing this and not doing anything about it.
Well, Larry, my heart goes out to you, and you're in a very, very critical situation. But I do need to tell you, first of all, you need to confront your brother. You know, the fact that he has confided in you, was he expecting to receive some encouragement from you? I don't think so. You need to go to your brother and you need to help him see the seriousness of what he is doing.
You need to encourage him to come clean. and to speak to some pastor or some counselor, and then you tell him that if he won't, you will. Don't go to his wife, but go to a pastor, go to a counselor, someone whom you can trust, who is going to help in the midst of this difficult situation. The point is that your brother is going to be exposed at some point anyway. Nobody endlessly gets by with these kinds of sexual relationships.
And so If he won't cooperate in the process, you do whatever is necessary to bring some restoration to this and, as I say, with the help of a counselor or pastor. You need to understand, Larry, that people who commit adultery like this, who say that they still love their wife, They are living in a dream world. It's almost as if they are in a trance. They kid themselves into believing that I can still be a good husband, I can still be a good father to my children, even though I'm cheating on the side. The answer, of course, is you can't.
It's a lie.
Now, Larry, The responsibility rests with you. It's a heavy responsibility. But God has put you in the position where you must do something. Go to your brother. Go to a pastor.
and put this nonsense to an end. Your brother might hate you for it, but that's all right. uh in the end, if he is rational, He'll give you thanks. Thank you, Dr. Lutzer, for handling a very tough situation.
If you'd like to hear your question answered, go to our website at rtwoffer.com and click on Ask Pastor Lutzer, or call us at one eight eight eight two one eight ninety three thirty seven. That's 1-888-218-9337. You can write to us at Running2Win 1635 North LaSalle Boulevard, Chicago, Illinois, 60614. For many of us, silence is uncomfortable. We want sensory input to fill every waking hour.
We need our TVs, smartphones and radios. But the Bible tells us to sometimes set it all aside, to live life from the center, from within. hearing in silence the voice of God.
Next time on Running to Win, our series wraps up with more on why silence is the best way to hear God's voice. Thanks for listening. For Pastor Erwin Lutzer, this is Dave McAllister. Running to Win is sponsored by the Moody Church.
