Amen. All glory be to Christ. Indeed. Good morning, church. It's a joy to worship with you this morning. Joy to preach to you, even though it's because our usual pastor and preacher has a love of extreme sports. I'm thankful for that because I get to preach. I can only say that because I've prayed for him several times this week, so I've got a clear conscience about making jokes about it this morning. Let's turn with me to Psalm 37. I wanted to preach to you, to give to you some word of confidence, some word of encouragement, some word of wisdom as we enter the year 2024. We live in a great time of stress, great time of conflict, great time of division. We live in a day, in a time, in an age where there's a war of worship There's a war of worldviews clashing on various different levels, various different issues on a daily basis and in our everyday life we feel this, do we not? We're aware of this, do we not? By whatever's going on in government or politics or what is being showed on the TV, or what's being partaken in at sporting events, especially for Christians, our concern is ever increasing. 2024 is sure to be a year full of surprises, full of political strife, with it being an election year. The squeeze of inflation is felt firmer day after day, paycheck after paycheck. paycheck after paycheck. There are wars and more wars and rumors of wars. There's a very, there's just a air of deception and lack of trust in any institutions or media. No one, to make things worse, no one knows what to believe. This makes for a very complicated life at times. This leads to very complicated and uncertain, maybe even anxious emotions. I've heard from many grandparents, my parents, my in-laws, great concern for not my generation, but my children's generation. Great and dire concern for their grandchildren. Many, myself included, are easily anxious about the days that we are in, anxious about the uncertainties that this year undoubtedly holds for us. For some of us, it may lead you to dreams of becoming a prepper. You've got the dimensions of your underground bunker sketched out on your notepad. You've got an estimate of how much ammunition you would like to have stockpiled. You have freeze-dried Skittles in the closet ready to go for the zombie apocalypse. Others of us may want to ignore what is going on because you become hopeless that anything can actually be done about it. Or there are others of us with another temptation that we are on the internet 24 hours a day looking for and promoting possible solutions to the state of our world. I'm stressed out just after my introduction here. I got to get on to the meat of this thing. I wanted to give an encouraging word for 2024. And the Lord directed me to Psalm 37. Before beginning in Psalm 37, basically, I think we found ourself in a moment where we can say with the psalmist, how long should the wicked prosper, O Lord? How long, oh Lord, will you let this go? Lord, have you forgotten about your people? Have you forgotten about your righteousness? Have you forgotten about your law? Have you forgotten about your promises? But yet we find great confidence, great wisdom, great hope for 2024 in Psalm 37. Now, this is a long chapter. I'm not going to go through verse by verse, but verses 1 through 11, which we'll read now, are a good summary of the whole chapter. So we'll jump to different places in the psalm, but Psalm 37, verses 1 through 11, give us the foundation for the message here in this psalm. Read along with me. Do not fret because of evildoers, nor be envious of the workers of iniquity, for they shall soon be cut down like the grass and wither as the green herb. Trust in the Lord and do good. Dwell in the land and feed on His faithfulness. Delight yourself also in the Lord, and He shall give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the Lord. Trust also in Him, and He shall bring it to pass. He shall bring forth your righteousness as the light and your justice as the noonday. 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, cease from anger and forsake wrath. Do not fret, it only causes harm. For evildoers shall be cut off, but those who wait on the Lord, they shall inherit the earth. For yet a little while, and the wicked shall be no more. Indeed, you will look carefully for this place, but it shall be no more." But the meek shall inherit the earth and shall delight themselves in the abundance of peace." Well, I hope you already see what great truths are there for us to bolster our confidence, what wisdom is there for us to live in the year 2024. The first thing I want to draw from this psalm, the first point is, as God's people, we will not fret in 2024. As God's people, we will not fret in 2024. What is this word fret in our psalm? What does it actually mean? What is the definition of this word here? Well, this definition of the word fret here is to be or become hot, angry, to get excited, or it could be a word that's used for kindle, like you would kindle a fire. Well, from just reading the definition, you kind of get insight into what the Lord is calling us not to do here, to not to fret. It's this image of a small concern that begins to burn, that begins to get hotter, and then eventually it gets out of control, or it's boiling over, like you would boil a pot of water on a stove, And it starts out not hot at all, but as the heat applies to it, over time it increases. And next thing you know, it's in a panic. It's in a boil. It's hot. So hot or becoming hot or a kindling to kindle, it would kindle strife or kindle the fire within you. So to become hot, to become angry, to get excited over this. But this isn't excitement like joy excitement, this is excitement like distress or anxiety or despair excitement. So what are we not to fret over? What is it the Lord says here that shouldn't get us in a tizzy, that shouldn't get us fretting over the, what should we not fret over? Well, the first thing we see is the evil, we should not fret over evildoers or workers of iniquity. In this psalm we see that also describes as those who prosper in his way, who bring wicked schemes to pass. Well, we should not fret over evil doers, even when it seems like they are prospering. Even when it seems like they can do whatever they want. Even when it seems like they can get away with anything. Even though it looks like they are succeeding, we should not fret over these evil doers. Now, a word of clarification. It does not say ignore them, it does not say act as if they do not exist, but you see the point here is that do not give yourself to anxiety over these evildoers who are seemingly to prosper in His way. More specifically, this psalm talks about evildoers are those who plot and scheme against the just. These evildoers are those who are against God, against righteousness, against judgment, against grace, against mercy, against the very character and nature of God as revealed both through scripture, preached in the church, and revealed in nature. These are people who are living and acting and planning and scheming against everything that God stands for and everything who God is. But the Lord tells us not to fret. Why? Why Lord? That certainly looks like something we should fret over. People who are against you, people who are against your people, people who are against your church, why should we not fret over those who are doing evil, those who are prospering in their evil, those who are succeeding in their evil, those who are planning and scheming against the just. Lord, doesn't that seem like those are the people who we actually should be fretting about, should be concerned about? Well, yes, if the next part wasn't true, If it wasn't true that they shall soon be cut down like the grass and wither as the green herb, of course we should fret. But the Lord is assuring us here. Do not lose your cool over what is happening in the world. Because guess what? Everything against me is going to wither away like cut grass. As easy it is for you to start your lawnmower, and get your Yeti cup and mow the grass in your lawn, that's how easy it is for the Lord to cut down His enemies. And the unjust, the evil doers, the planners, the conspirers against the Lord, they aren't just cut down by the Lord as easy as grass, but they also wither away like an herb. They wither as the green herb in winter. Look around in my yard, probably your yard. You take a drive through what is normally lush, green forest in Arkansas. It's mostly brown, dead trees. Well, they're not dead, but they look dead. That's the picture here, that though seemingly the evil that nothing can be done about or that it's just going to be here forever, no one can stop it, nothing can stop it, it's going to pervade, it's going to prevail, withers away like the green leaf in autumn and it's gone by the winter. that it has no staying power, the Lord assures us, but it withers away like a fall foliage. Though it may seem there is nothing that can thwart the wickedness in our time, this is not true. Rather, what is happening? The scripture gives us insight that the Lord is preserving the wicked for the day of judgment. 2 Peter 2 verse 9, beginning in verse 9, it says, Notice that, the angels of darkness are cast down, kept in chains, reserved for judgment. and did not spare the ancient world, but saved Noah, one of eight people, a preacher of righteousness, bringing the flood on the world of the ungodly, and turning the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah into ashes, condemned them to destruction, making them an example of those who afterward would live ungodly. and delivered righteous Lot, who was oppressed by the filthy conduct of the wicked. For that righteous man dwelling among them tormented his righteous soul from day to day by seeing and hearing their lawless deeds. Then the Lord knows how to deliver the godly out of temptations and to reserve the unjust under punishment for the day of judgment." Did you catch that? to deliver His people out of temptations and reserve the unjust under punishment for the day of judgment, and especially those who walk according to the flesh in the lust of uncleanness and despise authority. They are presumptuous, self-willed, they are not afraid to speak evil of dignitaries. Whereas angels, who are greater in power and might, do not bring a reviling accusation against them before the Lord. So we see here that although it may look like evil is having its way, the Lord is preserving the unrighteous, the accusers, the oppressors of everything, the workers of iniquity, the oppressors who oppress with wickedness and plot against justice and righteousness. The Lord is not letting them have their way. He is preserving them for the right time of judgment. What is another reason we should not fret or become hot, become angry, become uncontrolled on these matters? This Psalm here tells us to cease from anger and to forsake wrath. Do not fret. Do not fret. Here's why. Because it only causes harm. Basically, the Lord's telling us there's no profit in that. We can fret day after day, night after night over what is going on in the world, but it does no good. It actually doesn't do anything. It doesn't bring one ounce of increase or benefit or correction to what is going on in our day and age. J.C. Ryle helps us in this way. He says, this is actually a convicting word when I read it, let us ever rest our souls on the thought that times are in God's hand. He knows the best season for sending help to his church and new light to the world. Let us beware of giving way to over-anxiety about the course of events around us, as if we knew better than the king of kings what time relief should come. Cease, Philip, of trying to govern the world was a frequent saying of Luther to an anxious friend. It was a saying full of wisdom. And I believe J.C. Ryle saying what we found here in Psalm 34, or Psalm 37, what the Lord gives us here in Psalm 37. Do not fret, it's of no good. It only causes harm. Being hot, kindling anger toward, just being a constant kindling of anger toward the evil in this world. is destructive to yourself, and it doesn't do any good. Be careful, brothers and sisters, as J.C. Ryle helps us to apply this. Let us beware, be careful of giving way to over-anxiety about the course of events around us. Do not fret. We will not fret as God's people in 2024. Next application, next nugget of wisdom, next piece of wisdom from Psalm 37 is this. As God's people, we will trust the Lord in 2024. As God's people, we will trust the Lord in 2024. What does it look like to trust the Lord? What are we being called to? Okay, I want to trust the Lord. How do we do that? The psalmist gives us a great answer in verse 3. Do good. Do good. It says trust the Lord. Do good. In verses 27 and 28, it adds this. Depart from evil. and do good, and dwell forevermore. 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. So put off evil, forsake evil, run from evil, but do good in your own life. Do good in your own family. Do good in your own vocation. Do good in the church. Do good in your community. Do good in your state. Do good in your nation. This is what the Lord is calling us to do. Do not fret, but do good. Philippians chapter 2 verses 14 through 16 says, Do all things without complaining and disputing, that you may become blameless and harmless, children of God without fault in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world, holding fast to the word of life, so that I may rejoice in the day of Christ, that I have not run in vain or labored in vain. And Paul in the book of Philippians there is commanding them. He's writing motivation to them there, writing commands there. so that they might live in a way that is blameless and harmless. How do they do that? Without complaining, without disputing in their own life, without complaining or grumbling amongst one another in the church. This is an application of what we're called to do here in the psalm of, do not fret because of evildoers, but trust in the Lord and do good. So we're to do things without complaining and disputing. That's departing from evil. And by doing things without complaining and disputing, this is holding fast to the Word of Life. And this is shining as lights to the world. James chapter 2 helps us apply this as well in verses 14 through 17. It says, What does it profit, my brethren, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can faith save him? If a brother or sister is naked and destitute of daily food, and one of you says to them, Depart in peace, be warned and filled, but you do not give them the things which are needed for the body, What does it profit? Thus also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead. So James is telling us, do good. Lastly, in Micah 6, verse 8, it says, He has shown you, O man, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you but to do justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God? The next way this psalm tells us to trust in God is in verse 3. It says us to dwell in the land feeding on His faithfulness. We're commanded here, encouraged here, instructed here to feed on the Lord, to feed on the Lord's faithfulness. Not the news, not entertainment, not in the pleasures or delights of this world. I'm not saying those should be absolutely avoided, but it's a difference on what is nourishing you, what is feeding you. Are you feeding on the angst and concern of this world, or are you feeding on the Lord's faithfulness? The scripture here, the Psalm here paints a beautiful word picture, almost like Psalm 23, where it's talking about the good shepherd leading his sheep into green pastures. It's feeding on the faithfulness of the Lord. It's like a sheep would graze in a green pasture. Matthew chapter 5 verse 6 in the Beatitudes, which leans and gleans off of Psalm 37 at various points, says this, Matthew 5 verse 6, it says, Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be filled. In 2024, as God's people, we will trust in the Lord, and we will feed on His faithfulness, and we will hunger for His righteousness, and we will be blessed by God, our Heavenly Father. The next way we trust the Lord is by delighting in the Lord. In verse 4, it says, Delight in the Lord, and He shall give you the desires of your heart. Now, oftentimes when I'm teaching on verses like this or relative to this, this isn't, hey, this isn't the prosperity gospel, name it and claim it, like giving the desires of your heart. It doesn't say that you can delight in the Lord and He will give you a Lamborghini. It doesn't say delight in the Lord and He'll give you your Amazon wish list, okay? That's not what the desires of your heart means in this context. It's not wants of passions. It's not lust of materialism or not lust of entertainments or pleasures. But look in context here that it's talking about It's talking about God's people. It's talking about those who trust in the Lord. It's talking about those who are faithful. It's talking about those who are just. It's talking about those who are righteous in the context of this psalm. And so the desires of the heart of these people, the people that this psalm is talking about, of what you and I should be, the desires of their heart is those very things. The very justice, the very righteousness, the very faithfulness of God. Those are the desires of a Christian's heart. Our greatest desires. More than a Lamborghini. I don't even want a Lamborghini. I don't even know why I keep using that as an example. I wouldn't even want one. More than a Lamborghini. More than all wealth. More than all power. That these are the things that the Christian's heart longs for at the end of the day. It's what it wants most, as Jonathan Edwards would put it. That this is what we're talking about in this context. We're talking about the Lord Himself. We're talking about everything he is, that that is the desires of the heart of the righteous. And the Lord will delight in the Lord and he shall give you the desires of the heart. These are the very desires for righteousness. And verses 30 and 31 help color this idea. The mouth of the righteous speaks wisdom, and his tongue talks of justice. The law of his God is in his heart. None of his steps shall slide." This is what it's talking about in verse 4. This adds color to it, adds texture to it, adds an expanse upon verse 4. I hope you can see that connection. The mouth of the righteous speaks wisdom and his tongue talks of justice. The law of his God is in his heart. None of his steps shall slide. So that's what in verses 30 and 31, that's what this person of righteousness is after. This is what the mouth wants to speak of righteous and wisdom. And the law is in this person's heart and the Lord will give him those things. That is the way, that is the path that this righteous person is on. And the Lord in verse 31 says, none of his steps shall slide. He will stay on this path of righteousness. Though he may fall, he will not slide off. Though his tongue may fail, it will talk justice. It will speak of wisdom. Next way we will trust the Lord is to commit our way to the Lord, and He shall bring it to pass. Similar to the idea in verse 4, as we see explained with more texture and color in verses 30 and 31. In verse 6, he says, he shall bring forth your righteousness as the light and your justice as the noonday. Verse 34 says, 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. And then Matthew chapter 5 verse 16 relates to this as well. Let your life so shine before men that they may see your good works and glorify your Father who is in heaven. This is another area where Christ leans on Psalm 37 in his Sermon on the Mount. You see the light shining before men. You see the righteousness shining before men. That this is what it is to trust the Lord. Commit your way to the Lord. Commit your life to the Lord. Commit your conversation to the Lord. Commit your steps to the Lord. And He shall bring it to pass. What will He bring to pass? Those things that are of the Lord. This doing good, this loving mercy, this loving righteousness, all these things that the psalmist has been commending so far. The next way we will trust the Lord in 2024 is that we will rest in the Lord and wait patiently for Him. This is in verse 7. We will rest in the Lord and wait patiently for Him. The word for wait here is an expect for waiting. It's waiting with an anticipation. It's waiting, knowing that something is about to happen. So it's not waiting with a sense of hedging your bets, waiting, wishing something is about to happen, but you're waiting, anticipating and knowing that something is about to take place. That's the description of the word wait here. It's an expectful, a watchful, and it's a patience. It's a faithful patience and waiting. You're not anxious that deliverance has not come. You're not anxious that whatever you're waiting for hasn't come into the room yet. But it's a calm, it's a patient, it's a confident, it's an expectful waiting on the Lord. In 1 Thessalonians, the church there was struggling with the second coming. They know, they've heard that Christ is going to return. They're not sure how to live in light of Christ returning. Some of them have just quit their jobs. They think He's about to come tomorrow or next week. So they're just sitting around, doing nothing, waiting on Christ to return. So Paul writes to them. saying, hey, that's not a good plan. You might want to do something. You might want to go see if you can get your job back because you may need that. But he writes to them saying, okay, but how should we live with this waiting that this psalm is talking about, with this expectation, this confidence that Christ is going to return. Well, one of the ways and one of the things that jump off the page for me in 1 Thessalonians is found in chapter 4, verses 9 through 12. And one of the things that Paul encourages the Thessalonians in is this, he says, but concerning brotherly love, You have no need that I should write to you, for you yourselves are taught by God to love one another. And indeed you do so toward all the brethren who are in all of Macedonia. Now this is the part that we want to apply here. But we urge you, brethren, that you increase more and more. Talking about increasing more and more in brotherly love. that you also aspire to lead a quiet life, to mind your own business, and to work with your own hands as we commanded you, that you may walk properly toward those who are outside, and that you may lack nothing. That's a picture there of patiently waiting, day after day, putting your hand to the plow and the responsibilities that the Lord has given you in your own life, with your vocation, with your family, with service to the church, with loving your brothers and sisters in Christ, with a hopeful expectation, a patient longing, that sort of waiting on the Lord. Now, all these things, all these promises that we read of in Psalm 37, that the righteous will be delivered, that the righteous will, his feet will not fail him, he will not slip, that the righteous will inherit the land. How do we know this to be true? How can we have trust in the Lord in 2024 with confidence? Well, the psalmist here in verses 25 and 26 help us in that. He says, I have been young and now I am old, yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken, nor his descendants begging bread. He is ever merciful and lends, and his descendants are blessed. Remember this is written by David. Psalm 37 is a psalm of David. David in his older life has seen some things. He's been without a home. He's been outcast from his own people. He's been on the run for his own life. He has won many battles. He has lost many battles. He has been a man after God's own heart, and yet he has sinned in some of the most grievous and grave ways. And this man of God says in Psalm 37, I have lived a long life, but I have not seen God fail. And this is the testament of so many of you here. Some of you here are older, wiser saints. Your life is a testament to this. You walk into this building week in, week out, testifying to the fact that the Lord has not failed, that the Lord is faithful to his promises. We see in scripture, we see in the life of Christians we know, we see throughout church history, testimony after testimony of martyrs and the persecuted church, Giving us confidence, encouraging us in the confidence that what the Lord says is true. That the wicked do not prevail and that the Lord promises to be faithful and He is faithful to them even unto death. This is how we have confidence that we can have trust. in God because God has proven himself trustworthy and faithful without a doubt. That bolsters our trust as God's people in 2024. Lastly, as God's people, we will have a future hope in 2024. As God's people, we will have a future hope in 2024. In verse 9, we see, for evildoers shall be cut off, but those who wait on the Lord, they shall inherit the earth. Some of your translations might say, but those who hope in the Lord, they shall inherit the earth. It's because the word wait in verse 9 is different than the word wait in verse 7, and it communicates something differently. Hope is actually a better word in verse 9. It more accurately depicts or translates what the Hebrew word is there. Those who hope in the Lord will inherit the earth. Inheritance of the earth is a type of God's covenant kingdom. Matthew chapter 5 verse 5, Christ in the Beatitudes in his Sermon on the Mount says, Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth. This is gleaning from, he's using Psalm 37 here. Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth. This is what's given here in Psalm 37, is encouragement of something that will ultimately be fulfilled in Jesus Christ at His second coming. that on the last day, the evil will be cut away. It will be cast away. And the earth, which seems to be dominated, which seems to be given over to evil and destruction and unrighteousness, we get a word here that says, hope in the Lord, because they will not win. Victory is not given to them. Victory is promised and secured and accomplished by Jesus Christ for His covenant people. We see that we will have a future hope in 2024 because the wicked will be no more. Verses 12 and 15 provide an extra layer, some more color to this. The wicked plots against the just. I love these verses. The wicked plots against the just and gnashes at him with his teeth. The Lord laughs at him. The Lord laughs at him, for he sees that his day is coming. 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. Their sword shall enter their own heart, and their bows shall be broken. The Lord will utterly take away any power of evil against His Son, against His church. This is a great picture here. We see in the kids class this morning, they covered part of the book of Esther. And we see in Haman as he plans to persecute the Jewish people, as he plans to persecute Mordecai. He builds gallows for Mordecai and it seems that it's a worst case scenario for Mordecai and the people of Israel. You've got someone who hates the Jews and he's in the second place of a position of power in Israel. He's got all power except for the king, and he's created gallows for Mordecai himself, and then the very next day he's hung on those gallows. As soon as things look out of control, as soon as things look like they will not go for the way of the righteous, the Lord is in control. Satan, in Revelation chapter 20 verses 7 through 10, gathers his armies. When it comes to the last day, there will be a last rebellion of Satan. Eschatological views aside, we still have to grapple with this. And whatever you think, you're going to agree with me. Now when the thousand years have expired, Satan will be released from his prison and will go out to deceive the nations which are in the four corners of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them together to battle, whose number is as the sand of the sea. They went up on the breadth of the earth and surrounded the camp of the saints and the beloved city. So at this point, Satan's at a final rebellion. It looks like all is lost right here at the very end. Satan's finally actually going to win. He's actually going to prevail. He's got an army who numbers the sands of the sea. It's all lost. And the fire came down from God out of heaven and devoured them. The devil who deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are, and they will be tormented day and night forever and ever. Just when it looks like evil has the upper hand, God flips the script. God brings, God turns Mordecai's gallows into Haman's gallows. He turns Satan's army of victory. He just says, hey, you got them all together for me. Here's the fire. This is what the Lord does on behalf of his people. In verse 36 we see, yet, back to Psalm 37, in verse 36 we said, yet he passed away, Yes, in verse 37, I have seen the wicked in great power, starting in verse 35, and spreading himself like a native green tree. Yet he passed away, and behold, he was no more. Indeed, I sought him, but he could not be found. The picture there is of a great tree. Think about how magnolia trees grow here. They grow to be great and you can't miss them. They take up your whole front yard if you have one planted. They even obstruct the view of your house. And that's what the depiction is here, that the man of wickedness grew like a native tree, flourished. And yet when I went to look for him, I couldn't even find a leaf. The Lord made him no more. So in, as God's people, we will have a future hope in 2024. We will, as God's people, we will not fret. And as God's people, we will trust in the Lord. I'll conclude with reading the end of the Psalm, verses 39 through 40. And as psalms usually do, it encapsulates the psalm well, it wraps everything up so well, I can't improve upon it. Verse 38, but the transgressors shall be destroyed together. The future of the wicked shall be cut off. But the salvation of the righteous is from the Lord. He is their strength in the time of trouble, and the Lord shall help them and deliver them. He shall deliver them from the wicked and save them because they trust in him. The Lord is our salvation. The Lord is our strength. Let's have our trust in Him in 2024. Pray with me. Our Father in heaven, we come to you, O Lord. And preaching this is the easy part. Hearing this, Lord, is the easy part. Lord, while I hope that you have been worshiped through the sermon, and as I've preached it, and as your church has received it, as your church has heard it, Lord, help us not to receive it just with our ears. Help us not to just receive it in our hearts that we're motivated about these things. Lord, but would you also help us to receive it with our minds and with our hands, Lord, that we would actually base our life, live our life on these things. Would you help us to not have anxiety in 2024, to burn up with worry or burn up with concern? Lord, would you give us a great trust and confidence in you in this new year. And Lord, would you give us a great hope in Christ, knowing that future victory, future glory, and our assurance, and our assurance of these things is found in him and accomplished through him, oh Lord. Father, it's in his great and glorious name we pray, amen.