1. Is it really worth it? Psalm 73 Bethesda Felixstowe Horham
Bradfield and Rougham
Whitton

2. About 30 years ago a group of young people went from this church to North Wales for a holiday. I was among them! What do I remember? I remember it was very wet! It rained nearly the whole week we were away. I also remember the hotel. One girl plugged in her hairdryer and fused the whole place! And I remember this – mount Snowdon.

3. Not for us the mountain railway.

4. We walked. We set out in sunshine and headed up the path. All was well
We walked! We set out in sunshine and headed up the path. All was well. We made good progress. The summit was in sight.

5. In sight, that was until the cloud came down
In sight, that was until the cloud came down. Suddenly the paths were not obvious. The summit could not be seen. The signposts were hidden. We lost our way.

6. We ended up on scree. Sliding, slipping
We ended up on scree. Sliding, slipping. Wanting to go up; able only to slide down. In danger. Scary.

7. Is it really worth it?
I have found myself spiritually in that dangerous place. Wanting to believe but struggling to believe. Particularly when I compare my struggles with the seemingly trouble-free life of those who would never call themselves Christians. I find myself in thrall to them. I know I believe in Gd. I know I want to follow him. Nonetheless I find myself asking this question: Is it really worth it?
And you’ve been there. Or, unless there’s something very different about you’re experience, you will be there at some point. In danger of giving up your faith because the demands of faith are onerous and those without faith seem to have a better time of it.
How reassuring then to find that the Bible includes at least one person who was in exactly the same place. We’re going to look at him and his experience in the hope we can draw encouragement from his experience.

8. “Surely God is good to Israel, to those who are pure in heart.”
v 1
That experience is recorded in Psalm 73. If you want to turn to it it’s about in the middle of the Bible. But don’t worry, the important bits will be up on the screen.
The Psalms are songs and poems. Most of them were sung. This Psalm, we are told, is a Psalm of Asaph. But since Asaph was the musical director, all that probably tells us is that Asaph wrote the music to which this song was sung. We’re in the dark about who wrote the lyrics.
One thing we do know is that he was a God-follower. He starts by affirming his faith: “Surely God is good to Israel, to those who are pure in heart”.
And it’s just as well he does or we might doubt it. Because his recent experience has been rather different.

9. “As for me my feet had almost slipped; I had nearly lost my foothold.”
v 2
When we lost the path on Snowdon and ended up on the scree we were in real danger. The same is true for our man here. Spiritually he is in danger of losing his footing. Spiritually he is in danger of losing his faith. “As for me my feet had almost slipped; I had nearly lost my foothold.”
Does that shock you? I love the honesty of this man. I am a man of faith. I am a God-follower. But I can as close as I could to losing my faith. I was at the point where I was at best clinging on to belief only by his fingertips. I’ve been there. Yo’ve been there. You may be there now. You’re likely to be there at some point.
And what has caused our man to come so close to abandoning faith?

10. “For I envied the arrogant when I saw the prosperity of the wicked.”
He tells us in v3. “For I envied the arrogant when I saw the prosperity of the wicked”. Another translation says “I envied the fool”. Who is the fool? Another psalm tell us that a fool is a person “who has said in heart there is no God”.
So the picture is this. A believer in God, who has experienced the goodness of God, sees the prosperity and ease of someone who is not a believer, and is perplexed. That understates it. He is perplexed to the point where he asks “Is it really worth it?”

11. Is it really worth it?
He is a God-follower. And yet he envies those with no faith. Why? Because their life is prosperous and trouble-free. And he tries to be good, to live a good life, and only seem to suffer as a result.
He looks at these things. He ponders them. They grip him. And he is in danger of becoming spiritual casualty as a result, as observing and pondering turns to envy.
So the question is this: Is it worth being a Christian, when it’s those who deny or defy God whose life is straightforward and content?
How helpful then that this Psalm is here to show this man’s experience. To tell it how it was. How he, a God-follower came to envy someone with no faith. How that envy almost led to him becoming a spiritual fatality. And how he recovered his faith.

12. Is it really worth it? The Problem (1-14) The Answer (15-20)
As we look at the Psalm our poet describes the problem and the answer he found.

13. Is it really worth it? The Problem (1-14) The Answer (15-20)
The Sequel (21-28)
Perhaps another time we’ll look at the sequel, in verses 21-28

14. Is it really worth it? The Problem (1-14) Firstly then, the problem.
The problem is as we have described. A God-following man who know the goodness of God is close to becoming a spiritual casualty, even fatality, because he envies those with no faith.
What is it he observes which vexes him so much?

15. Is it really worth it? The Problem (1-14) Carefree
He sees firstly that these godless people live carefree lives.

16. They have no struggles; their bodies are healthy and strong.
They are free from the burdens common to man;
they are not plagued by human ills.
“Look!”, he says, “the struggles of life seem to pass them by! Never a days’ illness. No financial worries. Plenty of food in the cupboard.” 4They have no struggles; their bodies are healthy and strong. 5They are free from the burdens common to man; they are not plagued by human ills.
Indeed I understand that if you break down the Hebrew words a little differently, verse 4 refers not just to the fact that life is easy, but that the process of dying is easy too. No long drawn out illness and pain leading to a lingering death. Rather an untroubled life and a peaceful death.
“They are free”, he says, “from the burdens common to man.”

17. Is it really worth it? The Problem (1-14) Carefree Amoral
Not only a carefree life…they enjoy an amoral lifestyle
If this easy life and quiet death were earned by high ethical standards it would be easier to take. But these easy livers demonstrate a lifestyle lacking in moral standards.

18. 5Therefore pride is their necklace;
they clothe themselves with violence
Today people flaunt their status in the cars they drive, the houses they live in or the clothes they wear. In our man’s day, your necklace said it all. The necklace was the most ostentatious piece of jewellery.

19. So “Medallion man” had his beginnings in the Bible – how about that!
The necklace was what you noticed when you met someone. And when you met these people what struck you first was their pride.

20. 8They scoff, and speak with malice;
in their arrogance they threaten oppression.
9Their mouths lay claim to heaven,
and their tongues take possession of the earth.
Verses 8 & 9. These people are full of what “I have done” and what “I will do”. Nothing seems capable of stopping them. There are no limits to their scheming.
They threaten oppression (v8). In those days a poor man might have just enough land to grow food and provide for his family. Then these mean would move in. By night they would shift the landmarks. Justice is denied. The poor man can no longer feed his family and must sell himself to the oppressor. Let me be clear that is evil. Let’s not be scared to say it. It is wickedness. It is evil. And we see the same today. Gang masters treating their workers as slaves. Pimps treating their teenage victims as commodities. Dictators proudly masterminding the suffering and death of of their citizens - Robert Mugabe, Kim Jong Un.
Evil it is, but does the evil man suffer? Not at all. It’s the poor man, trying to make an honest living, who suffers.
And that’s not fair!

21. Is it really worth it? The Problem (1-14) Carefree Amoral
So our man looks, and wonders, and tries to make sense of it all.
What he sees he know is real; there’s no escaping it.
And God? Where is God in all of this?

22. 11They say, "How can God know? Does the Most High have knowledge?"
If God exists, and if God sees, surely he’d do something. Even the wicked acknowledge that, but God does nothing. And so they are encouraged to continue in their wickedness.

23. 10Therefore their people turn to them
and drink up waters in abundance.
And the more evil they become, the more people, either willingly or out of necessity, find themselves in thrall to them. Look at the crowds in Pyong Yang proclaiming the praises of Kim Yong Un.

24. 12This is what the wicked are like--
always carefree, they increase in wealth.
12This is what the wicked are like--
always carefree, they increase in wealth.
Our man looks. And he looks and he looks. It’s not right. It’s not fair! It’s not rational. And yet it is true. He sees their carefree and amoral, easy life. And he contrasts it with his own experience.

25. 14All day long I have been plagued;
I have been punished every morning.
He doesn’t tell us what his trials are, but he tell us they are continuous. In return for fearing God, all he gets is trouble.
And I don’t know what your trial is this morning. It may be blowing a gale with you right now. At our church we have people facing divorce, facing rebellious teenagers, facing illness. I doubt it’s different here.
And you look out and you see arrogant godless people whose life is easy and you wonder is it worth it? Is it worth it?

26. 13Surely in vain have I kept my heart pure;
in vain have I washed my hands in innocence.
And our man asks that question too.
13Surely in vain have I kept my heart pure;
in vain have I washed my hands in innocence.
This god-fearing man, faced by his own trials, and faced by the prosperity of the wicked, is about to abandon his faith.///

27. Is it really worth it? The Problem (1-14) The Answer Carefree Amoral
But he doesn’t. So let’s look secondly at the answer he finds to this thorny problem.

28. Is it really worth it? The Problem (1-14) The Answer Carefree Amoral
A real solution for real problem
And let’s note firstly that there is no quick fix here. There are three clear stages to his recovery, and each of those takes time.

29. We like instant solutions.
Instant cash
Instant coffee
Just click to buy

30. Is it really worth it? The Problem (1-14) The Answer Carefree Amoral
A real solution for real problem
And sometime God intervenes miraculously and instantly to deliver us from difficulty.
But more often – and I think we see this in the Bible and know it from personal experience – God takes time to deal with deep rooted problems.
Elsewhere in the Bible we read about Elijah – a man who is exhausted and suicidal. So God told him to sleep. And when he‘s slept he takes a meal. And then he sleeps some more. Only when he is physically recovered does God start to address his spiritual problem.
And God here addresses our man’s deep problem with a deep solution. A solution which fixes the disease, not just the symptoms.
There are three stages.

31. Is it really worth it? The Problem (1-14) The Answer Carefree Amoral
A real solution for real problem
He acknowledges the testimony of other people
The first part of God’s solution is the testimony of other believers, other God-followers.

32. 15If I had said, "I will speak thus,"
I would have betrayed your children.
In verse 15 he says ‘If I had said, "I will speak thus,"
I would have betrayed your children.’
As he begins to abandon his faith, our man sees that to do so has implications for other God-followers. If I say there’s nothing in it for me, then I’m also saying there’s nothing in it for them. And in all honesty I know I can’t say that.
If you would call yourself a Christ-follower this morning, like me, I’m sure you can name Christians who have influenced you, nurtured you, led you to faith, inspired you to further service. If I say my faith is worth nothing, I’m implying that their faith is also worth nothing. And I can’t say that.
Throughout history there have been men and women of God. Noah, Enoch, Moses, Joshua, David, the prophets, the apostles, the martyrs, the Reformers. If my faith is invalid so is theirs. And that can’t be.
Today our contemporaries are suffering physically for their faith – in Myanmar, in Pakistan, in Iran, in Sudan. . If my faith is invalid so is theirs. And that can’t be.
He could deny his own faith, but to do so would be to deny the faith of others, and he knows he can’t do that.

33. 16When I tried to understand all this, it was oppressive to me
Actually all that does is give him a headache! I’m about to abandon my faith. But I can’t do that because if I say my faith is of no value I can’t square that with the faith of others. So what do I do? How can I square the circle. My head is spinning.
He’s so reassuringly human isn’t he?
But the matter remains unresolved.
So secondly…

34. Is it really worth it? The Problem (1-14) The Answer Carefree Amoral
A real solution for real problem
He acknowledges the testimony of other believers
He meets with God’s people
…he meets with God’s people.

35. 17till I entered the sanctuary of God;
17till I entered the sanctuary of God - He goes to church!
And on one level this is quite obviously a good thing to do. And yet when we are spiritually at our lowest, it can be the hardest thing to do, to come to a service like this. But our man finds it helpful in recovering his faith. And when we are low, we need too make ourselves meet with God’s people and do the things that God’s people do when they meet together: singing songs, praying and listening to preaching. Through any and all of that God restores our souls.

36. Is it really worth it? The Problem (1-14) The Answer Carefree Amoral
A real solution for real problem
He acknowledges the testimony of other believers
He meets with God’s people
He sees things from God’s perspective
And having considered the faith of others, and having met with God’s people, he then starts to see things from God’s perspective.

37. then I understood their final destiny.
The second half of verse 17: “then I understood their final destiny.”
Then I understood, Lord God, that it’s your perspective that matters. Viewed only from a material perspective, to live well and to die peacefully is all-important. And from that perspective faith is futile and morals are unnecessary. “Eat drink and be merry for tomorrow we die” But view it from the standpoint of eternity, and it starts to look so very different. Suddenly what matters most is not what happens here and now but what happens afterwards in eternity. And from this viewpoint, he sees that the destiny of the wicked is both certain and unpleasant:

38. then I understood their final destiny.
18Surely you place them on slippery ground;
you cast them down to ruin.
19How suddenly are they destroyed,
completely swept away by terrors!
20As a dream when one awakes,
so when you arise, O Lord,
you will despise them as fantasies.
18Surely you place them on slippery ground;
you cast them down to ruin.
19How suddenly are they destroyed,
completely swept away by terrors!
20As a dream when one awakes,
so when you arise, O Lord,
you will despise them as fantasies.
God doesn’t sleep, but he does allow evil men to do evil things. But he will not do so for ever. And when he arises he is so much more than the sum of all the evil men on the earth and they are simply swept away. Brushed aside as fantasies. And what good will their wealth and easy lifestyle and prosperity do them then? I’ll say again: what matters most is not what happens here and now but what happens afterwards in eternity. And these men’s eternal destiny has been settled and it’s not pretty.

39. Is it really worth it? The Problem (1-14) The Answer Carefree Amoral
A real solution for real problem
He acknowledges the testimony of other believers
He meets with God’s people
He sees things from God’s perspective
And so our man’s recovery is complete. As Jesus Christ himself says:

40. What good will it be for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul? Or what can anyone give in exchange for their soul?
Jesus Christ
“What good will it be for a man if he gains the whole world, yet forfeits his soul? Or what can a man give in exchange for his soul?”