19 March, 2017 Life without Jesus - doesnt pay Psalm 73

Introduction
Friends, have you ever seen any of the Batman films? In the newest Batman movies, Batman
is a dark & mysterious character & really he seems to be a very dangerous person. In fact, he
is so dark & so mysterious that youre not sure if hes a good guy or a bad guy. And I found
watching the newer Batman movies very confusing. I mean, is this man really the famous
caped crusader who will stop crime - or is he just another criminal dressed in black? Well
friends, in the original Batman television show, which was made in the 1960s, there was
absolutely no confusion. The original Batman was good, completely good. Robin was his
young helper & together these two men protected the people of Gotham city against crime
& evil. And at the end of each show after they had put the bad guys in jail, Batman would
often look at Robin & say these famous words: Robin, remembercrime doesnt pay! And
friends, back then it was true- crime didnt pay, because justice was always done & in the
end the bad guy always went to jail. Good always won & evil always lost. And thats what made this
show a great show to watch when I was growing up.

But friends, as you look around our world today, it seems that the opposite is true, isnt it? because
today, very often, too often, it is the proud, the rich, the powerful & the corrupt, who seem to win in life.
You know, theres the rich businessman who drives a fancy sports car because he can afford to pay the
best accountants in the land to make sure he pays no tax. Or theres the corrupt politician who
accepts money on the side, or theres the criminal who sells drugs to make himself rich but he destroys
peoples lives. Friends, in our world, too often, evil wins & good loses. Now, back in the 1980s there was
a very popular movie called Wall Street. And in this movie a businessman who is very corrupt speaks to
a large crowd of business leaders & he says these words to them: Greed is good - greed works. And
guess what? the crowd of business people listened to him & they nodded their heads & they agreed
with him. And friends they are still listening & agreeing today. You see, this is the world that we live in
today, a world where greed & corruption seems to win, a world where the proud & the wicked prosper,
& where the poor & the weak get squashed under their feet. And really, this was also the world that
Asaph lived in too when he wrote Psalm 73 all those years ago. You see, the man who wrote this song
to God, (called Asaph) lived about 3000 years ago, & believe it or not, what he saw back then, is really
what we see all around us today. Look at what he says about the proud & corrupt in his time:

4 They seem to live such easy & painless lives, 5 their bodies are strong & they dont seem to have problems

like everyone else. 6 Therefore they wear pride like a necklace & they clothe themselves with cruelty. 7 Their
hearts pour out evil & their minds are busy with evil plans. 8 They laugh at other people & bully them with
words. 9 They speak as if they own the whole world & everything in it.

Friends, 3000 years ago, it seemed the rich & the powerful won & the poor lost. And when we look
around today, the same things are happening, arent they? I mean, the rich & powerful really do seem
to have very few problems in their lives. For example, the famous celebrities that fill our TV screens &
magazines all drive nice cars, they all live in big houses, all the young ones have great bodies, & the
older oneswell, they just have a lot of plastic surgery! And life looks so good for them, it looks so easy
for them. And really, if you had to choose one word to describe the rich, the famous & the powerful
today, I think it would have to be the word proud, wouldnt it? I mean, the rich & beautiful & powerful
really do think they are in control of life, they think they have all the answers, they are convinced they
know how to live life better than you & me, & they are convinced that they know better than God. You
see, their money & power has blinded them to God & has made them proud. But the sad truth is, that
these people have made a terrible mistake. You see, these people have made a choice that will ruin
their lives & that will destroy their future. Because these rich & arrogant people have decided to live
their lives - without God in their lives. And instead, they have decided to live for themselves & to satisfy
their own desires. And that is why Asaph describes them as wicked people. You see, Asaph knows what
happens when rich & powerful people do not follow God he knows they will always use their money &
power to push other people around, to make other people do what they want them to do. Asaph
knows they will deny people justice, they will become cruel & selfish, & they will laugh at the poor &
bully them with their words. Friends, Asaph knows that is what the rich become when they do not have
God in their lives. But what is really sad here in Psalm 73, is that 3000 years ago, even the people of God
began to listen to the rich & arrogant. look at v10.
 Therefore people listen to them & eagerly drink up their words.11 The people say: What does God know?
10

Does he even know whats happening?12 Look at the wicked people, enjoying an easy life while their
wealth grows.

Friends, 3000 years ago, the poor saw the rich & powerful living easy, comfortable lives - full of money &
comfort & they wanted to be just like them. And this man Asaph says it was like the people were
drinking up the words of the rich. You know, the people eagerly listened to the corrupt. And you can
almost see the people, following all the celebrity gossip & reading all the latest fashion & lifestyle
magazines, & dreaming if only I could be like that. Friends, Asaph says the people of God were turning
their hearts away from God & from living in Gods kingdom & they were setting their hearts on following
the rich, the powerful & the proud. And really friends, I think this is great danger for all of Gods people
everywhere - in every age, because whenever the proud & corrupt look they are winning - it looks to us
like God isnt doing anything about it. And so even Gods people start to think, well, maybe theyre
rightmaybe their way is the best way, after all. And friends, that is exactly what was slowly
happening to this man of God, called Asaph. look at what he says in v13

13Have I wasted my time keeping my heart pure? Have I kept myself innocent for nothing?14 I get nothing
but trouble each day, every morning brings me trouble.15 LORD, if I told your people how I felt, I would
have betrayed & confused them.

Friends, even this man of God is struggling here. Yes, Asaph is a follower of God. Yes, he is a man who is
committed to the Lord God. But his feet are starting to slip. He is beginning to doubt the goodness of
God; he has become jealous of the proud, he is bitter in his own heart, & he is resentful of his own life.
And so his thoughts are slowly turning away from God - as he sees the proud live such easy lives, while
his own life is full of pain, each morning. Friends, this man of God is in deep, deep trouble.
BUT then God, in his great kindness, opens the eyes of his servant Asaph & God shows him the truth.
God shows him what is really happening in this world & God shows him what will happen to the proud.

16 It was hard for me to understand why the wicked prosper until I entered your sanctuary, O God. 17 Then I
finally understood the destiny of the wicked..

Friends, what do you do when you see the wicked & corrupt prosper all around you, when their lives
seem so easy & when your life is so hard? Well, psalm 73 teaches us that we are to draw near to the
living God. God teaches us here, that we are to go where only Gods people can go; we are to go into
that beautiful place where the arrogant & the proud & the wicked cannot go & where they would
never choose to go. God says the solution is to go back to God. And friends, there - only there, will we
begin to see things as they really are. And there, by Gods side, we will clearly see the sad destiny of the
wicked & there we will see the glorious future of Gods people. So now that Asaph has gone back to
God, what does he now see when he looks at the same rich, proud people whose lives still look so
easy?

18 Surely you put them on a slippery path, & you send them sliding off into destruction. 19 How suddenly

they will be destroyed, completely swept away by terrors. 20 When you arise, O LORD, you will laugh at their
silly ideas, as a person laughs at their own dreams when they wake up in the morning. 27 Those who are
far from you are falling apart, you will destroy all those who do not trust in you.

Friends, God has shown his servant Asaph, that the wealth & security of the rich & proud is very
unstable. It just wont last. You see, a life lived without God just doesnt pay even if you are very rich &
very beautiful & very successful- it just doesn't pay. And it doesnt pay, because living your life without
God is like walking on a very slippery path, downhill, in the pouring rain. You see, the truth is that one
day, suddenly, without warning the proud & arrogant will fall & they will lose everything. Now, they
may not lose everything in this life, but they will certainly lose everything when they die - when God will
finally give them what they wanted all along a life without him, for eternity. Friends, that is the sad
destiny of the wicked & proud who do not want God in their lives. That is what Asaph learnt.

Conclusion
Friends, Jesus taught his disciples that in this world, things are not always what they seem. I mean, just
like back in Asaphs day, the lives of many people today who openly reject God, or ignore Jesus, or
simply live for themselves - their lives look so good & easy. And following Jesus can seem so hard, cant
it? I mean, there are so many difficult choices to make, so many sacrifices that must be taken, & there is
suffering that must be endured. But Jesus carefully & patiently taught his followers the truth - that God is
always at work in this world through his son, Jesus. And so as we follow Jesus in our daily lives, whatever
sacrifices we must make, or whatever injustices we will have to face Jesus will continue to guide us
with his words & his presence. And Jesus will lead us all the way to our glorious destiny with him. Look at
what Jesus says in Matthew 19. Jesus said:

29And everyone who has left houses, or brothers or sisters, or father or mother, or wife or children, or fields
for my sake will receive a hundred times as much & will inherit eternal life. 30 But many who are first will be
last, & many who are last will be first.

Friends, what are we to do when the wicked prosper all around us, when justice is not done, & when
corrupt people have such easy lives & seem to be winning? Well, I think, Jesus says, Dont panic! stay
calm, & trust me. Jesus says dont panic because you belong to me & I am holding you in my right
hand. Stay calm because I am with you & I am guiding you with my words, & trust me because I am
leading you, each day, all the way to a glorious destiny with me. Friends, Asaph learnt that it is good to
be near God, it is good to make the LORD our home & He will make things right - at just the right time.
Lets pray.