Brothers, this afternoon, with the help of God, we are going to accompany one of the saints, perhaps not well known in the Bible, through a very spiritually difficult test, in which, in his own words, he says that his feet almost slipped and his steps almost slipped. Yo me refiero a la experiencia del salmista Asaf, del cual había leído el hermano Victor esta misma tarde. Ahora, Asaf era uno de los sacerdotes de la tribu de Levi, quien trajo el arca del pacto para Jerusalén en los tiempos de David. El rey David lo asignó a él como uno de los directores del alabanza en el reino de Israel. Se sabe que aún mantenía ese mismo puesto cuarenta años después, when he appears again in the dedication of the temple. Now, during this period of time, he wrote about 12 psalms. Brother Victor had read Psalm 73. It is quite obvious from the evidence in the scriptures that Asaph was a very devout man, consecrated to the ways of God. Entonces, es muy interesante y significativo que uno de los primeros salmos que aparecen de la Biblia, de Asa, demuestra una batalla muy profunda en su alma por causa de su propio pecado. Aquí tenemos a un hombre, a un sacerdote de Dios cuya función era motivar y mover al pueblo de Israel y alabar y adorar a Dios, atravesando por una batalla interna tan profunda. because he made the mistake of temporarily removing his sight from heaven and placing it here on earth. I hope that this afternoon, when we see the battle of Asaf, we are reanimated in our faith when we see that we are not alone in this type of battle. Battles that usually reveal our own weaknesses. So that we may be strengthened, finding the same weapon that Asaf found to fight this very difficult temptation. Let's go, brothers, then to Psalm 73. And to bring it to mind again, we are going to read it again, very quickly, but to bring it to mind again. Psalm 73, Psalm of Asaf. Ciertamente es bueno Dios para con Israel, para con los limpios de corazón. En cuanto a mí, casi se deslizaron mis pies, por poco resbalaron mis pasos, porque tuve envidia de los arrogantes, viendo la prosperidad de los impíos. Porque no tienen congojas por su muerte, pues su vigor está entero. No pasan trabajos como los otros mortales, ni son azotados como los demás hombres. Por tanto, la soberbia los corona, se cubren de vestido de violencia. Los ojos se le saltan de gordura, logran con creces los antojos del corazón, se mofan y hablan con maldad de hacer violencia, hablan con altanería, ponen su boca contra el cielo y su lengua pasea la tierra. That is why God will return to his people here, and abundant waters will be extracted for them. And they say, that is what they say, How does God know? And is there knowledge in the Most High, that here these impious, without being troubled by the world, have attained riches? Truly in hand I have cleaned my heart, and washed my hands in innocence. For I have been whipped all day, and punished all mornings. If I said, I will speak like them, I would deceive the generation of your children. When I thought to know this, it was hard work for me, until entering the sanctuary of God, I understood the end of them. Certainly you have put them in slides, in confines you will make them fall, as they have been suddenly confined. They perished, they were consumed with terrors, as a dream of the one who awakens. So, Lord, when you wake up, you will despise his appearance. My soul was filled with bitterness, and in my heart I felt stabs. I was so clumsy that I did not understand. He was like a beast before you. With all, I was always with you. You took my right hand, you guided me according to your advice, and then you will receive me in glory. Who do I have in heaven but you? y fuera de ti nada deseo en la tierra. Mi carne y mi corazón desfallecen, mas la roca de mi corazón y mi porción es Dios para siempre. Porque he aquí los que se alejan de ti, perecerán, tú destruirás a todo aquel que de ti se aparta. Pero en cuanto a mí, el acercarme a Dios es el bien. He puesto en Jehová el Señor mi esperanza para contar todas tus obras. Brothers, to be able to see this proof of Asaf, we are going to observe two very important things. First, we are going to see the problem which Asaf faces in this psalm. And then we are going to see the solution to this problem of Asaf. First, let's see the serious problem of Asaf. Well, in this psalm we see that Asaf faces three... We are going to talk about three serious problems here in this psalm. The first problem that Asaf faces is the harsh reality that the impious prosper. Asaf, in his frustration, dedicates verses 4 to 12 to give a long list of how the impious prosper. In these verses, Asaph looks around him and unloads his frustration, listing many examples of how the enemies of God live her well. And not only do they live her well, but they live her very, very well. He observes how the impious prosper in terms of their goods. Verse 7 says, The eyes are overflowing with fat. They achieve with growth the desires of the heart. Meaning that everything they desire with their eyes, they obtain it. And not only do they obtain it, but they obtain it abundantly, because they are filled with fat. Let's look at verse 12. It says, Here these impious, without being troubled by the world, have attained riches. So we see, without any problem and easily, they acquire a lot of riches, without eagerness and without pain. They manage to have the possessions that they desire to have in their hearts. And as nothing is enough for them, they continue to acquire more and more and more without being completely satisfied. Let us also see here Asaph, we observe that the impious prosper, sorry, Asaph observes that the impious prosper in the fact that they do not suffer. He looks at the fact that they do not suffer, in verse 5. He says in verse 5, they do not go to work like the other mortals, nor are they as hard as the other men. In contrast to the other men, says Asaf, they have to suffer a lot and go through a lot of work to be able to meet their basic needs, but the impious obtain their abundance without having to go through so much work or so much suffering. He says in verse 5, they are not as hard as the other men. Los impíos no sólo no son azotados físicamente, sino que tampoco no son azotados con los problemas emocionales y espirituales de los hombres que buscan hacer el bien. Asaf no sólo está frustrado de que los impíos no sufren en sus vidas, sino que tampoco no sufren en su muerte. El verso 4. Verso 4 dice, ¿Por qué no tienen congojas por su muerte? Dice que los impíos no llegan al hecho de su muerte llenos de dolor y sufrimiento, sino que evitan las congojas, o los dolores fuertes, y llegan a la muerte en paz, riéndose quizás de la vida, sin preocuparse de nada. Entonces, no solo se frustra Azab de la abundancia de los impíos, de la falta de sufrimiento de ellos, pero también él se frustra de que los impíos prosperan, en que se burlan de Dios abiertamente, y nada les pasa. Se burlan de Dios. And nothing happens to them. Verse 9 says, Put your mouth against the sky. Verse 11 says, How does God know? And is there knowledge in the Most High? We see here that they speak evils against God. The biblical commentator Matthew Henry says about this verse of the attitude of the impious against God says, The impious cannot reach heaven with their hands to attempt against the throne of God. Rather, they show their bad will in the only way they can, which is by putting their mouth against heaven. So the impious use their mouths to speak badly against God. And the impious also say that there are no consequences. It is not their evil, because they say, as it is written in verse 11, How does God know? And is there knowledge in the Most High? We know, brothers, that in our own culture of Oa, there are many men who have fun making fun of God. There is, for example, the very famous, very popular atheist comedian, who is called George Carlin. who has dedicated a large portion of his comedy shows to make fun of God and make fun of Christians. One of the barbarities that he said was that he decided to worship the sun instead of worshiping God, because at least he can see the sun. Now, brothers, that being one of the less offensive barbarities, in comparison to the others that are much more vulgar and things that are not worth repeating. And this man, George Carlin, like many others like him, has filled the seats of many comedy shows to mock God together. Now let's look at the second problem that Asaf observed here. The second problem is Not only the prosperity of the impious in the aspects that we have seen, but also, he observed something that hurt him a lot, which was the suffering of the saints. The suffering of the saints. Now, it is very obvious then that in the previous section, Asaph was very disgusted because the impious prosper. And as he says at the end of verse 5, he was even more frustrated because the impious are not whipped like the other men. And he himself explains to us who those other men are, who truly do suffer. He reveals it in verse 14. Verse 14 says, Well, I have been whipped all day and punished every morning. Putting himself, then, as a representative of the other saints, he is frustrated because the saints do suffer in contrast to the impious. Asaph was very distressed by a reality that he did not like at all, the fact that the saints of God suffer so much in this life. Now, brothers, let us consider this reality. Asaph is right in his observation. The saint does suffer a lot in this life. The Christian does not have it easy in this life at all. Brothers, the Lord has left us many examples through the scriptures of men and women of God who suffered, especially when trying to do good. And to throw more firewood, the scriptures show us that the suffering of the saints is not only the exception, but rather the norm, the norm in the battle, de la fe. Si miramos por ejemplo desde el comienzo de la historia del hombre, el primer hombre que fue convertido a través del testimonio de su padre Adán y su madre Eva, quien fue Abel, dice el escritor de Hebreos acerca de Abel, que por la fe Abel ofreció a Dios más excelente sacrificio que Caín, por lo cual alcanzó testimonio de que era justo, dando Dios testimonio de sus ofrendas. So it was this same Abel who suffered the contempt of his own brother Cain, so much so that he ended up being murdered by his own brother. Brothers, who does not know of the suffering of Job too? A man of God so excellent that God Himself from heaven spoke about Job. Do you remember what He said about Job? He said, My servant Job, that there is no other like him on earth. perfect and upright man, fearful of God and far from evil. We know, brothers, how Job lost all his possessions, all his children, and if that were not enough, he also lost his own health, so much so that he almost reached the point of death. And how many more examples are there in the Scriptures? Rather, brothers, if we look at the famous list of the great heroes of the faith, let's go to that list in Hebrews chapter 11. That list of the heroes of the faith in Hebrews chapter 11. After giving us a list of the great heroes of the faith, almost at the end, in verse 36. Hebrews chapter 11, verse 36. Otros experimentaron bituperios y azotes, y a más de eso prisiones y cárceles. Fueron apedreados, aserrados, puestos a prueba, muertos a filo de espada, anduvieron de acá por allá cubiertos de pieles de ovejas y de cabras, pobres, angustiados, maltratados, etc., etc. And also, surrounded by these harsh realities that the impious prosper and that the saints do suffer, the experience of Asaf leads us to the third and more serious problem that Asaf faced. The third problem that was even more serious was Asaf's sinful attitude when facing these harsh realities. Asaf's sinful attitude when facing these realities. Now, this problem of Asaf's sinful attitude was the serious problem of this psalm. It was much more serious than the reality that the impious prosper and that the saints suffer, because those things do not change. They will not change in this life, but they are evident throughout the entire biblical history and the history of redemption. And Asaph cannot change it. But in terms of his attitude, Asaph can change it. Let's look at Asaph's attitude then. En primer lugar, vemos la envidia en el corazón de Asaf, el verso tres. En el verso tres, Asaf confiesa, Tuve envidia de los arrogantes, viendo la prosperidad de los impíos. Asaf veía la prosperidad de los impíos como vivían cómodamente en la abundancia, y como resultado, sus ojos se llenaron de envidia. He desired what they had. Just as Eve in the Garden of Eden saw that the forbidden fruit was pleasing to the eyes and covetous, he himself coveted the possessions of the ungodly. Being in that emotional frustration, he forgot what had been taught to him since he was a child, that commandment number ten, you will not covet anything that belongs to your neighbor. And not only did he cherish the possessions of the impious, but also their comforts in terms of the lack of suffering that they had. He saw his own life, and as he said there in verse 14, verse 14 that says, I have been whipped all day. Then he desired the supposed calm that the impious had. He wanted to be more comfortable. without the continuous pain that he had. Now, another aspect of Asaf's sinful attitude that we observe here in this psalm, which is related to envy, is the fact that Asaf complained a lot. Asaf complained a lot. It is evident that he complained a lot because he dedicated almost half a portion of the entire psalm to complain about the things that irritated him. He dedicates verses 4 to 16 to complain about the impious and complain about his own situation. For him, this was not a small complaint. We also observe here another fault. which is well related to the previous ones that we have spoken about, but which perhaps is the sum of the other faults, which is the lack of contentment of Asaf. The lack of contentment of Asaf. He was not content with what he had. If he were content and grateful with the possessions that God had given him, he would not be desiring the possessions of others, or the possessions of others. If he were content with his relationship with God, he would not be wishing for the supposed tranquility that the impious enjoyed. So, brothers, let me also, this afternoon, observe another last fault, a little more subtle, that Asaf demonstrates here in his attitude in Psalm 73. An additional danger to which we try to put subtly in our lives as Christians. What aggravated Saf more about his suffering was what he said in verse 13. Let's see verse 13. Truly in vain I have cleaned my heart and washed my hands in innocence. So here, Asaph says that he has done good, that he has cleansed his heart, that his hands were clean. It hurt Asaph a lot that despite all his efforts to live a holy life, a pious life, he suffered a lot. Let's look at verse 13 and 14 again. Verse 13 and 14 says, Truly in vain I have cleansed my heart, y lavado mis manos en inocencia, pues he sido azotado todo el día, y castigado todas las mañanas." Mano, nos está dando a entender a Saf, en su frustración y su afán, él sentía, nos está dando a entender que él, de alguna manera, merecía algo mejor. As if he were saying that as he had cleaned his heart and had washed his hands in innocence, then he deserved something more favorable in this life. It is possible that Azab had deviated in his bitterness to the point of revealing that in his heart was present self-sufficiency. Self-sufficiency with a sense of self-justice. Es increíble como Dios usó esta prueba para demostrarle a Saab lo que había en lo profundo de su corazón. Hermanos, con razón el Rey David le pide a Dios al final del Salmo 139, que dice, examiname, oh Dios, y conoce mi corazón. Pruebame y conoce mis pensamientos. Y ve si hay en mi camino de perversidad, y guíame en el camino eterno. So brothers, we have seen the serious problem in which Asaf was in this psalm. We have seen the fact that the impious prosper, the fact that the saints suffer, But more seriously, we have seen that Asaf had a sinful attitude when facing these realities. Brothers, thank God that this matter did not stay there. Here we are not dealing with Greek mythology or Roman mythology. If it were so, this would end in a tragedy with Asaf's life. Perhaps his life would be taken away. Rather, here we are observing the battle of a true believer. a chosen one of God. And our God has revealed to us through the Scriptures that He does take care of His own, no matter how unfaithful and impotent they may be. Can we say amen to that, brothers? If we deviate to wrong paths, be assured, brothers, that God will not allow us to stay there, because He has promised that the work that He has begun in us He will complete to the end. And it was the same with Asaf in this psalm. God showed him the solution to the problem he was facing. Let's see then, brothers, the solution. The solution that God showed him. So Asaf in his narrative, in this overwhelming experience, explains to us in the first place How did he come to receive the answer? Or how did he come to receive the solution? Let's look at verse 17. Verse 17, Asaph explains, Until I entered the sanctuary of God, I understood the end of them. It was not until he came to congregate with the saints in the sanctuary of God that he was able to find the solution. It is possible, it is not known, but perhaps in his frustration and his desire to be distressed by the things of this life, Asaph perhaps stopped congregating for some time. Perhaps. But the desire and the greed perhaps kept him very distracted. That until that moment he could not see the blessing and the great importance of the sanctuary of God. It certainly could have been that his mind was so full of these problems and so tired. The mind was very busy and could not see these blessings. In the previous verse, Asaph confesses something very interesting. Speaking of the problems of the prosperity of the impious and the sufferings of the saints, Asaf tells us in verse 16, When I thought to know this, it was hard work for me. He says, when I thought to know this, before reaching that realization, it was hard work for me. Here Asaf tells us that before entering the sanctuary of God, he was trying to find out everything by himself. But he concludes that for him it was very hard work. He could not do it. It was impossible. He could not find meaning to these problems that he was facing. But it was in the congregation of the saints, in the sanctuary of God, that he could truly see and find the answer, the solution to this problem. Brothers, here the Lord, through the experience of Asaph, is trying to remind us again how important the sanctuary of God is, how important it is for us to congregate and not stop congregating. And if this experience of Asaph is not clear enough to convince us, Do you remember what the Hebrew writer, inspired by the Holy Spirit, said in chapter 10, 24-25? He says, And let us consider one another to encourage love and good works, not ceasing to congregate, as some have the custom. Brothers, in not congregating we are doing harm to our own souls. We are going to look for the answer to our problems in the wrong places, and like Asaf, we are going to end up being frustrated more and more. And likewise, Asaf wants us to learn that it is in the congregation of the saints, in the sanctuary of God, that we are going to receive the necessary tools to be able to face the problems that strike us. Well, what did Asaf learn in the sanctuary of God? As far as the problem of the prosperity of the impious, this is what Asaf learned. As they say in their own words in verse 17, verse 17 says, I understood the end of them. Verses 18 to 20, You have certainly put them in slides, in asylums you will make them fall. How have they been asylumed suddenly? They perished and were consumed by terror, like the sleep of the one who awakens. Yes, Lord, when you awaken, you will despise their appearance." Now, as a son of God, Asaph was very frustrated because the fact that the impious prospered seemed like a very big anomaly to him. Brothers, let us consider the fact that God created the heavens and the earth. He created all the elements that exist in the universe. The air that we breathe, God created it. God is the owner of gold and silver. But Asaph saw that the air that God gave to the impious, they used it to live sinful lives. With the same tongue that God had given them, they used it to curse God. The gold and silver that God had given them, they used it for evil things. Well, Asaph's eyes then opened and he could understand that the prosperity of the impious is temporary. And not only temporary, but it will happen to them very suddenly, quickly. In comparison to eternity, their time of prosperity here on this earth will be nothing. Asaph remembered that It was remembered that one cannot play with God. Just as the impious, making fun of themselves, asked in verse 11, How does God know? And is there knowledge in the Most High? Well, the answer is a resonating YES from God. He knows all things. He looks at the wickedness of the impious and listens to their curses. As for the mockery of the impious, Psalm 2, verse 4 says, God, the fear in the heavens, will laugh. The Lord will mock them. Then he will speak to them in his fury, and will trouble them with his wrath. That was Psalm 2, chapter 2, verse 4. God will pour out his wrath upon all who reject him. Nuestro Dios, hermanos, es un fuego consumidor. Dice Hebreos 10, 31. Horrenda cosa es caer en manos del Dios vivo. Hermanos, esta tarde, si se recuerdan, yo mencioné el comediante ateo, George Carlin, que le encantaba hablar barbaridades y barbaridades de Dios, usando su mente creativa y chistosa para burlarse de Dios y de los cristianos de todas las maneras posibles. Bueno, hace bien poco este hombre acababa de presentar un show de comedia en Las Vegas, y se estaba preparando para una serie de shows que le faltaba, que iba a ser una gira grande por todo el país. Él, repentinamente, empezó a sentir dolores en su pecho y fue llevado al hospital, donde poco después, por complicaciones que él tuvo en el corazón, murió. No one who was with this man in his last moments gave testimony that he repented. And if that is the case, that he did not repent, have it by the way, my dear brothers, that this man is no longer laughing. Nor will he ever be able to laugh. A horrendous thing is to fall into the hands of the living God. As a result of being able to see that God is a great God, Almighty, who is going to punish the sin of From the impious to his due time, whose wrath will be so terrible and horrendous, and that he will end up with all evil, the psalmist Saf then repents. Verse 22. He confesses, I was so clumsy that I did not understand. I was like a beast before you. The beasts cannot think rationally. They cannot reason things. Asaf confesses that he was like a beast because it is totally irrational for the Christian to be envious of the ungodly. It is totally irrational to desire the temporary things that they have in the light of eternity. And more than anything, it is totally irrational to desire to be equal to the impious. In verse 15, we are in Psalm 73, verse 15, Asab says that he, in his clumsiness, almost, almost wanted to speak like them. He says, If I said, I will speak like them, I would deceive the generation of your children. Brothers, in a series about hell that Pastor Ted Donnelly preached, a tremendous pastor, he preached a series of sermons about hell, very, very terrible, very ugly, because he declared the reality of hell. They told me that at the end of that series, No one, no one got up and said anything for 15, 20, I don't know if it was 20, 25 minutes. No one got up from their seats. Because he preached about the horror, the great horror of hell and the wrath of God. Well, in that same study that he had, he said, he explained, we should not get tired of our own condition, when we are going through difficult trials, when we come to the realization that unfortunately there are millions and millions of souls that are in an infinitely worse situation than ours, because they are going to suffer the wrath of God for all eternity. So, when considering the horrible destruction of the impious, He learned to have contentment. And he had to learn this in a very hard way. It was like... Do you remember what the Apostle Paul said in Philippians 4, verse 11? He also said, I have learned to be content with whatever my situation is. Contentment does not come overnight. These men of God have had to learn it. y lo tuvieron que aprender muy duramente, así como a Saf. Y por último, hermanos, más que todo, lo que pudo ayudar a Saf encontrar la solución es la solución misma, la solución suprema que es Dios. Dios es la solución a todo nuestro afán. He is the one who can truly satisfy us completely and eternally. This psalm, which demonstrates one of the most emotional battles within the soul of a faithful servant of God, ends with one of the most powerful and beautiful expressions of praise to God. Let's see verse 25. Who do I have in heaven but you? y fuera de ti nada deseo en la tierra. Mi carne y mi corazón desfallecen, mas la roca de mi corazón en un porción es Dios para siempre. Pastor John Piper says, The supreme value, glory, and admiration for Christ is clearly demonstrated when Christians treasure Christ more than when they treasure what they are losing, their health, wealth, family, or life. Now brothers, after all this, Asaph learned to treasure God more than anything. He was envious of those who had things here on earth. But he, victoriously, by the grace of God, exclaims in verse 25, And out of you I desire nothing on earth. Brothers, to find our eternal delight, we should not be looking, as the Bible says, for broken cisterns, but we should look for the one who is the eternal source of all pleasure. Fuente eterna de todo deleite y todo placer. Y no es temporario, hermanos, es eterno. Así, hermanos, terminamos y vemos estas tres breves aplicaciones acerca de lo que hemos aprendido esta tarde. First, let us value the importance of not ceasing to congregate. Whatever our desire, let us put it to the test. There we will find the tools, we will find the presence of God in a very powerful and very encouraging way in the congregation of the saints. Second, let us learn to be content with whatever our situation, because everything that happens on this earth and all our possessions are temporary. But what awaits us in heaven, all is eternal. And not speaking of the possessions that we are going to have there, but Christ, our greatest possession. And finally, brothers, let us delight only in God, that only He can satisfy us, not only in this life, brothers, but for all eternity. Brothers, and to finish, let us read this Psalm of David, Psalm 37. Psalm 37. David, who also went through so many trials and so many afflictions. Psalm 37, verses 1 to 4. Do not be impatient because of the evildoers, nor be envious of those who do iniquity. For as the grass will be cut down soon, and as the green grass will dry up, trust in Jehovah, and do good, and you will dwell in the earth, and you will be content with the truth. Delight yourself in Jehovah, and he will grant you the requests of your heart. Verse 35 I saw the impious man extremely exalted, and that he stretched out like the green laurel. But he passed away, and he was no longer here. I searched for him, and he was not found. Consider the righteous and look at the righteous, because there is a happy ending for the man of peace. But the transgressors will all be destroyed one by one. The posterity of the impious will be extinguished. But the salvation of the righteous is from Jehovah. And He is their strength in times of anguish. Jehovah will help them, and will deliver them. He will deliver them from the impious, and will save them for how long they have waited in Him. Let us pray, brothers. Father, this afternoon, in coming before Your Presence, in considering the proof of Asaph, O God, Confessamos de que nosotros también somos culpables, oh Dios, de estas faltas. Confesamos, oh Dios, de que muchas veces hemos quitado la mirada del cielo de nuestro precioso amado Jesucristo y la hemos puesto en las cosas temporarias de esta vida. Padre, te pedimos que nos perdones. Y Padre, gracias que nosotros vemos aquí también tu fidelidad. As in the life of Asaph, O God, that you always find a way to bring us back to you. Thank you, Father, for this experience of Asaph. Father, we ask you, O God, Christos a mucho más glorioso más hermoso más de ley to so que busquemos más de él padre ayúdanos a poner la mirada en Jesucristo Pedimos padre que nos ayuda esa hora sea cualquiera nuestra dificultad Nuestra prueba o dios ayuda nos o dios a ver todo esto a la luz de la eternidad de lo pedimos padre en el nombre de jesús amén