Hey guys,
This is Mike here. And yeah, you’re probably asking, “who in the world is Mike?” Well, I’m one of the guys in that band (Tenth Avenue North) that came to play for you a couple of weeks ago. In any case, I just wanted to tell you how much we enjoyed playing for and talking to some of you. We wish we could have stayed longer and so, here I am, kind of. Marc said I could write a little something to you guys to sort of follow up what I was saying, so here you go. I hope you can get something beautiful out of this:
UNTIL I WENT INTO THE SANCTUARY OF GOD
“...my steps had nearly slipped, for I was envious of the arrogant when I saw the prosperity of the wicked...until I went into the sanctuary of God... Psalm 73:2,3,17
And then just a few verses later you find the Psalmist going completely ‘over the top’ saying things like, “Whom have I in heaven but you?” and “...earth has nothing I desire besides you.” Don’t get me wrong now, these are some of the most precious, God-exalting words in all the Bible, but bear with me for just a moment when I say,
“What?”
I’m sorry, did I really hear you right, Asaph?
“nothing I desire besides you?”
Nothing I desire except you?
Hmmm.
Kind of questionable coming from a guy who just got done railing and interrogating God a few verses earlier. Don’t you think?
Kind of.
I don’t know about you, but this transition is overwhelming...perplexing, to say the very least. Read Psalm 73 sometime if you want to see what I mean, but basically you got Asaph, the Psalmist, the poet, the singer/songwriter if you will, getting fired up and complaining about all the ease and luxury that the wicked live in. He’s going off about their health, their wealth, and even their prosperity for at least a good, oh, I don’t know, 10, 12 verses, maybe? And that’s just the beginning. It gets worse. You might ask, “How Mike, how could it possibly get worse?” Well, let me tell you. I think the apex of tragedy here in this text is when we see Asaph call into question his very own purity. Verse 13 is pretty straight-forward, “surely in vain have I kept my heart clean and washed my hands in innocence.” Come on now, this is a provocative statement people! Think about this, he’s questioning his own purity. His purity! It doesn’t get much worse than this.
Now let me put it into ‘Ameri-Christianese’* for you. What he’s basically saying is, “Dang, a little bit of immorality could do me good, huh? I mean, hey, everybody else is doing it, and they’re fine! In fact, they’re more than fine! They’re better off than I am! Fat, sleek, proud. You know, maybe I’ve been a little too narrow-minded with this whole obedience thing, right? Maybe I’ve been a little...prudish? Hey, couldn’t I be a man of God and still et a little ‘sweetness’ on the side?” Yeah, I think it goes without saying, he’s treading on some pretty dangerous ground.
And then.
Mystery of mysteries, miracle of miracles, this same guy, this doubting Thomas erupts in symphonic joy. Just some 12 verses later.
What.
In.
The.
World.
Well, I think it’s just that. A whole other world comes crashing in. It has to. What other explanation is there? This is the paradigm and the shift all at once. God to man, heaven to earth, light into blackness. Verse 17 is the key, a hinge that we must inspect if we’re ever going to see our life come swinging round from disgruntled distrust to unabashed applause. “...until I went into the sanctuary of God.” Friends, this is of utmost importance. “...until I went into the sanctuary of God.”
Until Asaph went into God’s sanctuary, he was bitter, bent, and a little more than disillusioned. He was in need of some serious intervention. But afterwards, he was...well, he was different. He had been humbled, changed, he had been in awe. Like I said, miraculous. Simply miraculous!
It’s in the sanctuary that we see the veil removed.
It’s in the sanctuary that we see the questions fall.
It’s in the sanctuary that we see the heart given flesh.
And I think the question begs to be asked,
“when was the lsat time I was in the sanctuary like that?”
“Whom have I in heaven but you and earth has nothing I desire besides you.”
*Ameri-Christianese=pertaining to and in regards to the ideology of the American Christian sub-culture.
from Pastor Marc...
It was one of those nights...
you just wanted to chill and watch TV or play your video games. You might even want to spend time loading your iPod with your favorite tunes. Whatever the case, you didn’t get your homework done and time is running out before the next semester’s grades find their way to your parents. You get to school a little earlier the next day and someone lets you copy their homework. Man, you are relieved. When you hand your work in, your teacher says, “This is great, did you do this by yourself?” What do you do now? How do you answer that question and still be pleasing to God?
1. Have you ever been in a situation similar to the one above?
2. What did you do?
3. What should you have done?
4. What was the final outcome between you and God?
Proverbs 12:22 says, “The Lord hates those who tell lies but is pleased with those who keep their promises.”
Read:
Ephesians 4:25, John 8:44, Proverbs 19:9, Psalms 34:11-14
