1. The blessings & benefits of fearing God and keeping His commandments
Psalm 37
The blessings & benefits of
fearing God and keeping
His commandments

2. Cut short vs. Desires fulfilled
Psalm 37:1Do not fret because of evildoers, nor be envious of the workers of iniquity. 2 For they shall soon be cut down like the grass, and wither as the green herb.
Brevity of life. Evil cut down & withers. Plans cut short.
3 Trust in the Lord, and do good; dwell in the land, and feed on His faithfulness. 4 Delight yourself also in the Lord, and He shall give you the desires of your heart. NKJV
Longevity in obedience. Dwell. Eat. Delight. Desires fulfilled.
Revelation 22:12-15, consider the End…and what it means.

3. Revelation 22:12 "And behold, I am coming quickly, and My reward is with Me, to give to every one according to his work. 13 I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End, the First and the Last." 14 Blessed are those who do His commandments, that they may have the right to the Tree of Life, and may enter through the gates into the City. 15 But outside are dogs and sorcerers and sexually immoral and murderers and idolaters, and whoever loves and practices a lie. NKJV

4. Commit to the Lord
Psalm 37:5 Commit your way to the Lord, trust also in Him, and He shall bring it to pass. 6 He shall bring forth your righteousness as the light, and your justice as the noonday.
No exception. No compromise. No paralyzing fear. I Peter 5:6-8, He cares.

5. 1 Peter 5:5 Likewise you younger people, submit yourselves to your elders. Yes, all of you be submissive to one another, and be clothed with humility, for "God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble." 6 Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time, 7 casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you. 8 Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. NKJV

6. Wait
7 Rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for Him; do not fret because of him who prospers in his way, because of the man who brings wicked schemes to pass. 8 Cease from anger, and forsake wrath; do not fret — it only causes harm. NKJV
Rest & wait. No fret. No anger. No wrath. DO NOT FRET.
Matthew 6:25-34, Jesus’ first recorded sermon spent a lot of time on this.

7. Matthew 6:25 "Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink; nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing? 26 Look at the birds of the air, for they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns; yet your Heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? 27 Which of you by worrying can add one cubit to his stature? 28 "So why do you worry about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin; 29 and yet I say to you that even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. 30 Now if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is, and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will He not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? 31 "Therefore do not worry, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?' 32 For after all these things the Gentiles seek. For your Heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. 33 But seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you. 34 Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble. NKJV

8. All or Nothing
Psalm 37:9 For evildoers shall be cut off; but those who wait on the Lord, they shall inherit the earth. 10 For yet a little while and the wicked shall be no more; indeed, you will look carefully for his place, but it shall be no more. 11 But the meek shall inherit the earth, and shall delight themselves in the abundance of peace. NKJV
Cut off -OR- inherit.
Be no more -OR- looking carefully.
Meek get an abundance of peace, Romans 8:37-39.

9. Romans 8:37 Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. 38 For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, 39 nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. NKJV

10. Targeting the Righteous
Psalm 37:12 The wicked plots against the just, and gnashes at him with his teeth. 13 The Lord laughs at him, for He sees that his day is coming. 14 The wicked have drawn the sword and have bent their bow, to cast down the poor and needy, to slay those who are of upright conduct. 15 Their sword shall enter their own heart, and their bows shall be broken. NKJV
Plotting & gnashing vs laughing with knowledge, Matt 11:28-30.
Waging war…against themselves.
The righteous are targets, but the destruction boomerangs back

11. Matthew 11:28 Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. 29 Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For My yoke is easy and My burden is light."
NKJV

12. Planning Ahead We must do what we can.
Psalm 37:16 A little that a righteous man has is better than the riches of many wicked. 17 For the arms of the wicked shall be broken, but the Lord upholds the righteous. NKJV
We must do what we can.
We are responsible for seeing evil and hiding ourselves.
We know that we may need food and money tomorrow, so we are expected to work today.
When we put God first, and do what we can, we will have all that we need, Philippians 4:6-7.

13. Philippians 4:6 Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; 7 and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. NKJV

14. If the Lord is for us…
Psalm 37:18 The Lord knows the days of the upright, and their inheritance shall be forever. 19 They shall not be ashamed in the evil time, and in the days of famine they shall be satisfied. 20 But the wicked shall perish; and the enemies of the Lord, like the splendor of the meadows, shall vanish. Into smoke they shall vanish away. NKJV
Evil time, famine…things that strike terror in the hearts of men are not a terror to those that are upright before the Lord.
The splendor of the meadows disappears at least annually. See it! Luke 12:22-34

15. Luke 12:22 Then He said to His disciples, "Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat; nor about the body, what you will put on. 23 Life is more than food, and the body is more than clothing. 24 Consider the ravens, for they neither sow nor reap, which have neither storehouse nor barn; and God feeds them. Of how much more value are you than the birds? 25 And which of you by worrying can add one cubit to his stature? 26 If you then are not able to do the least, why are you anxious for the rest? 27 Consider the lilies, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin; and yet I say to you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. 28 If then God so clothes the grass, which today is in the field and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, how much more will He clothe you, O you of little faith?
29 "And do not seek what you should eat or what you should drink, nor have an anxious mind. 30 For all these things the nations of the world seek after, and your Father knows that you need these things. 31 But seek the Kingdom of God, and all these things shall be added to you.
32 "Do not fear, little flock, for it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the Kingdom. 33 Sell what you have and give alms; provide yourselves money bags which do not grow old, a treasure in the heavens that does not fail, where no thief approaches nor moth destroys. 34 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. NKJV

16. “God Bless America”
Psalm 37:21 The wicked borrows and does not repay, but the righteous shows mercy and gives. 22 For those blessed by Him shall inherit the earth, but those cursed by Him shall be cut off.
More blessed to give than to receive, Acts 20:34-35.
Do unto others (God) as you’d have done unto you.

17. Acts 20:34 Yes, you yourselves know that these hands have provided for my necessities, and for those who were with me. 35 I have shown you in every way, by laboring like this, that you must support the weak. And remember the words of the Lord Jesus, that He said, 'It is more blessed to give than to receive.'" NKJV

18. “God Bless America”
Psalm 37:23 The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord, and He delights in his way. 24 Though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down; for the Lord upholds him with His hand. NKJV
Hold to His hand!
God delights in our way when we delight in His, John 14:27.

19. John 14:27 Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid. NKJV

20. God’s Track Record
Psalm 37:25 I have been young, and now am old; yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken, nor his descendants begging bread. 26 He is ever merciful, and lends; and his descendants are blessed. NKJV
David’s life as a sample of God’s faithfulness.
Consider all that David endured and he still says this emphatically.
Lending – NOTHING is ours. We must give account for it ALL.
Blessings and mercy – God WANTS to give them to us. Hebrews 13:5-6

21. Hebrews 13:5 Let your conduct be without covetousness; be content with such things as you have. For He Himself has said, "I will never leave you nor forsake you." 6 So we may boldly say: "The Lord is my helper; I will not fear. What can man do to me?" NKJV

22. Choose!
Psalm 37:27 Depart from evil, and do good; and dwell forevermore. 28 For the Lord loves justice, and does not forsake His saints; they are preserved forever, but the descendants of the wicked shall be cut off. 29 The righteous shall inherit the land, and dwell in it forever. NKJV
No fence straddling allowed. Commitment one way or the other, Proverb 3:5.
From the perspective of the Old Law this is written, repeatedly speaking of the land and the earth. This was their promise. Ours is Heaven.

23. Proverb 3:5 Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own under-standing; 6 In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths. NKJV

25. “Come in, Overwatch”
Psalm 37:30 The mouth of the righteous speaks wisdom, and his tongue talks of justice. 31 The law of his God is in his heart; none of his steps shall slide.
What proceeds forth is from the heart. Commitment shows.
32 The wicked watches the righteous, and seeks to slay him. 33 The Lord will not leave him in his hand, nor condemn him when he is judged. NKJV
We are watched, but there is the true Overwatch.
We may suffer and be in the hand of the wicked, but we are protected from above. Psalm 56:3

26. Psalm 56:3 Whenever I am afraid, I will trust in You. NKJV

27. Wait and See
Psalm 37:34 Wait on the Lord, and keep His way, and He shall exalt you to inherit the land; when the wicked are cut off, you shall see it. 35 I have seen the wicked in great power, and spreading himself like a native green tree. 36 Yet he passed away, and behold, he was no more; indeed I sought him, but he could not be found. NKJV
Wickedness can prosper, but God is in control.
Wickedness suffers utter destruction by God.
In His time, wait and see! - Psalm 23:4

28. Wait and See
Psalm 37:34 Wait on the Lord, and keep His way, and He shall exalt you to inherit the land; when the wicked are cut off, you shall see it. 35 I have seen the wicked in great power, and spreading himself like a native green tree. 36 Yet he passed away, and behold, he was no more; indeed I sought him, but he could not be found. NKJV
Wickedness can prosper, but God is in control.
Wickedness suffers utter destruction by God.
In His time, wait and see! - Psalm 23:4

29. Psalm 23:4 Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; for You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me. NKJV

30. Mark & Observe
Psalm 37:37 Mark the blameless man, and observe the upright; for the future of that man is peace. 38 But the transgressors shall be destroyed together; the future of the wicked shall be cut off. NKJV
Mark and observe – scope them out! Philippians 3:17
Destroyed altogether – utter destruction. What do they really get out of all of this life?
No future – they planned, stored up and made things ready, but do not get to see it through. Such tragic loss!

31. NT: skopeo (skop-eh'-o); from NT:4649; to take aim at (spy), i.e. (figuratively) regard:- consider, take heed, look at (on), mark. Compare NT:3700.
NT: skopos (skop-os') ("scope"); from skeptomai (to peer about ["skeptic"]; perhaps akin to NT:4626 through the idea of concealment; compare NT:4629); a watch (sentry or scout), i.e. (by implication) a goal:- mark.
Phil 3:17 Brethren, join in following my example, and note those who so walk, as you have us for a pattern. NKJV

32. Salvation is… Salvation is not in ourselves.
Psalm 37:39 But the salvation of the righteous is from the Lord; He is their strength in the time of trouble. 40 And the Lord shall help them and deliver them; He shall deliver them from the wicked, and save them, because they trust in Him. NKJV
Salvation is not in ourselves.
Our strength is not in our planning, provisions, or efforts.
Help & deliverance. What comforting words in adversity.
Salvation…because of HIM, Psalm 55:22.

33. Psalm 55:22 Cast your burden on the Lord, and He shall sustain you; He shall never permit the righteous to be moved. NKJV

34. Conclusions:
We must do what we can to take care of situations as they arise.
We must foresee evil and hide ourselves.
When we see that a need may arise, we should do what we can to provide for that need.
All of this must be done as putting God first and foremost – above all things in our life without exception, without compromise, and without the paralyzing fear that Satan would use against us.
As needs arise that we could not foresee, that we could not adequately prepare for, or that we are otherwise unprepared to deal with, know that God provides.

35. Conclusions: Who gave you the opportunities?
Who provided you the abilities?
Who provided you with your home, your furnishings, and safety?
Who provides a mate?
Who provides children?
Who provides the time, the seasons, and the beauty all around us?
Who made your body able to repair itself?
Who provides the food you ate today, the clothes you’re wearing, and the vehicle you plan to take home?

36. 2 Thessalonians 3:16 Now may the Lord of peace Himself give you peace always in every way. The Lord be with you all. NKJV

37. “What Must I Do To Be Saved?”
Hear The Gospel (John 5:24; Romans 10:17)
Believe it (John 3:16-18; John 8:24)
Repent Of Your Sins (Luke 13:1-5; Acts 2:38)
Confess Jesus as Christ (Matthew 10:32; Romans 10:10)
Be Baptized (Acts 22:16; Galatians 3:27)
Remain Faithful for Life (John 8:31; Rev. 2:10)
For The Erring Child of God:
Repent (Acts 8:22), Confess (I John 1:9), Pray (Acts 8:22)