Pastor Mark Stafford
Perfection in Faithfulness | Psalm 36
We live in a culture of half-truths and broken promises. Do you remember the story about George Washington and the cherry tree? At the time of George Washington’s death, a book came out with this story:
“When Washington was six years old he received a hatchet as a gift and damaged his father’s cherry tree. When his father discovered what he had done, he became angry and confronted him. Young George bravely said, “I cannot tell a lie…I did cut it with my hatchet.” Washington’s father embraced him and rejoiced that his son’s honesty was worth more than a thousand trees.”
Those were the days… people where honest back then… right? The irony in this story is that it’s not at all true. It is a myth, made up by an early biographer named Mason Locke Weems in order to sell more books. In another stroke of irony, Weems was also an itinerate minister.
Our world has always been vulnerable to the half-truths and broken promises of unfaithful men.
- In the business arena: The era when “a man’s word was his bond” seems to be fading away rapidly. Increased profit margins too often trump reliable service, honest reporting and accurate invoices.
- On the home front: Marital infidelity continues to abound. People these days seem to change out their spouses as often as they trade in a used car. Life-long promises are broken with little regard to the welfare of the other people involved.
- In the pulpit: Too many preachers are bending and compromising the preaching of solid doctrine in order to boost attendance, increase giving, or sell books. They quickly toss aside a sacred calling to uphold the truth of the gospel for the allure of larger crowds, nicer buildings and bigger paychecks.
Faithfulness is rare these days. In fact, it’s always been rare.
The Epidemic of Unfaithfulness in our World
The epidemic of unfaithfulness is nothing new. In our text today, David talks about this same kind of unfaithfulness happening a thousand years before the coming of Jesus. David offers these descriptions of unfaithfulness as it was playing out in his culture so many years ago. As we read these verses, they will sound terribly modern:
#1 The Unfaithful Ignore God – Psalm 36:1
Verse 1
Transgression speaks to the wicked deep in his heart; there is no fear of God before his eyes.
People act differently when they know someone’s watching. This fact is never more apparent than when the police install traffic cameras in a neighborhood. Drivers who otherwise ignore the speed limit suddenly care a great deal about how fast they are going.
As believers, we are increasingly aware that Someone far more observant than a traffic camera has His eyes on us. A person who studies and believes the Bible is aware of God’s omnipresence. They know that their actions and attitudes are “before his eyes.” God knows us perfectly and a disciple strives to please our ever-present (and ever watching) God. They make every effort to keep God’s laws because they dread the idea of breaking one of them in His presence!
A person’s actions – especially when no one besides God is looking – can tell us a lot about what is happening in their heart. The person who guiltlessly ignores God’s presence is saying with their lives that they don’t care much about God’s laws.
In doing so, they display little evidence of a relationship with God. They don’t care what is done “before his eyes.” Unholy actions are clear evidence of a heart that is ungodly. Ungodly people often try to compensate for their actions by trying to make themselves look good according to their own set of non-biblical standards. Look at verse 2
#2 The Unfaithful Live by Their own Rules – Psalm 36:2
Verse 2
For he flatters himself in his own eyes that his iniquity cannot be found out and hated.
Unfaithful men love to offer excuses for their actions.
- If you ask an unfaithful man about his shady business dealing, he may respond by explaining that his immoral practices are OK because he’s giving more money to charity than anybody else he knows.
- If you ask an unfaithful husband about his affair, he may be quick to tell you how his behavior is saint-like and the issue is really all his wife’s fault. It’s her fault that he had an affair. He is a perfect husband.
- If you ask an unfaithful pastor about his greed and poor theology, he may try to explain how the end justifies the means. He’s may justify outright heresy and false teaching because he feels that is what it takes to get people into church.
Spurgeon said that the Hebrew phrase translated as “he flatters himself in his own eyes” could also be translated like this: “He smooths his own way to Hell.”
#3 The Unfaithful Embody Trouble and Deceit- Psalm 36:3, Matthew 12:34, Luke 6:45
Verse 3
The words of his mouth are trouble and deceit; he has ceased to act wisely and do good.
If stirring up trouble doesn’t accomplish their purposes then deceit finishes the job. The two often hunt together and spring forth from the pits of an unfaithful man’s mouth to reveal the total depravity of this man’s heart.
Men who fear God know that their words are important. They know the truth behind the verse that says, “out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks.”[2] They strive to move from one strong position in the Lord to the next position of strength.
But the unfaithful are content with, and even proud of, their deceit. They see it as clever and cunning. They are infatuated with it and even lay awake at night thinking about how they might execute their next scheme.
#4 The Unfaithful Plot Evil – Psalm 36:4
Verse 4
He plots trouble while on his bed; he sets himself in a way that is not good; he does not reject evil.
A righteous man may lay on his bed and pray and think about the things of God and how they might serve Him better. Not the unfaithful man…
- This man has Satan as a bed companion.
- His place of rest is a place for plotting evil.
- His bed is a greenhouse for the weeds of sin as he turns his thoughts towards an action plan for trouble and deceit.
He does not despise this evil. Instead, he loves it. The verse says, “he does not reject evil.” It energizes him because he has taught his heart to love sin and he takes great pleasure in imagining the pleasures of sin.
God is far from the unfaithful man. In these four verses we have a portrait of a godless and unfaithful man. Now from the lowest description of unfaithfulness, the psalmist turns in the opposite direction. From the utter pits of depravity he now begins to contemplate the unfathomable heights God’s faithfulness.
In a world filled with so many unfaithful people it is refreshing to take our eyes off the scene of ruin we function within in order to behold the One who is faithful in all things and faithful at all times.
The Perfection of the Faithfulness of God – Psalm 36:5-9, Deut. 7:9, 2 Timothy 2:13, Psalms 89:9
Look at verse 5.
“Your steadfast love, O Lord, extends to the heavens, your faithfulness to the clouds.”
Deut 7:9 says, “Know therefore that the Lord your God is God, the faithful God who keeps covenant and steadfast love with those who love him and keep his commandments, to a thousand generations…” Faithfulness is an essential quality to God’s being. Without being perfectly faithful, God would not be God.
Just like water isn’t water unless it is made up of hydrogen and oxygen, God isn’t God without being perfectly faithful. God cannot be unfaithful to who He is. God is always faithful in demonstrating every one of his perfections. 2 Timothy 2:13 says, “if we are faithless, he remains faithful.”
The Bible says that faithfulness is so pervasive in God’s character that it is as if He is clothed with faithfulness. Psalm 89:9 says,
“O Lord God of hosts, who is mighty as you are, O Lord, with your faithfulness all around you?”
Our text in Psalm 36:5 states that God’s “steadfast love… extends to the heavens,” and His “faithfulness to the clouds.” God’s faithfulness is so far reaching that it is impossible for us to fully grasp its extent. Just like God is infinite, His faithfulness is infinite as well.
Consider this fact: He has kept every promise. He continually keeps every promise He’s ever made. He always acts consistently with His character.
- He never forgets.
- He never fails.
- He never falters.
- He never goes back on His word.
He always acts in perfect righteousness. Verse 6a says, “Your righteousness is like the mountains of God”
#1 God is Faithful to Keep Every Promise – Psalms 36:6a, Number 23:19, Lam. 3:22-23
Numbers 23:19 says,
“God is not man, that he should lie, or a son of man, that he should change his mind. Has he said, and will he not do it? Or has he spoken, and will he not fulfill it?”
Since God never fails, He never lies, and He never breaks a promise, the believer can exclaim with Jeremiah,
“22 The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; 23 they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.”[3]
Our text this morning illustrates Jeremiah’s words and points out some additional areas where God is abundantly faithful to His people.
#2 God is Faithful to Save His People – Psalms 36:6, 1 Corinthians 1:9, Romans 8:1-3. 15, 29-30
Verse 6 says,
“Your righteousness is like the mountains of God; your judgments are like the great deep; man and beast you save, O Lord.”
Paul writes in 1 Corinthains 1:9, “God is faithful, by whom you were called into the fellowship of his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.” We can have total confidence that God will preserve us. He saves His people!!! Salvation belongs to our God and He will fulfill His promises to His people. God’s people can be completely confident that God will deliver us into glory.
Our assurance of salvation doesn’t depend on our work. That’s a good thing because we often stumble, fail, falter, and fall. Our final deliverance completely depends on God’s sustaining power and on the finished work of Jesus on the cross. We can do nothing to preserve ourselves. However, we can depend on the promises of the God who cannot lie and who is always faithful.
Not only did God make promises to us, but He also made promises to His Son. God the Father promised Jesus that He would be the “firstborn among many brothers.”[4] He promised Jesus that His work on the cross would deliver His people from the bondage of sin and bring them out from under the condemnation of the law and deliver them to a future glory.[5] These glorified people will not be passive occupants of heaven, but will adopted as sons (and as the brethren of Christ). They will be able to call God “Abba Father.”[6]
If God promises a people for Jesus to inherit and if He promises that Jesus will be the “firstborn among many brothers,” then God will certainly fulfill His promises to His own Son. He won’t let His Son down!!! He will preserve us as His children through the many trials we may face so that we might be the fulfillment of God’s promises to Jesus and be glorified with Him. We can stake our eternity on God’s faithfulness!
The next verse says that while God’s people are still in this fallen world, God will be a refuge for them.
#3 God is Faithful to Protect and Guide His Children Through Trouble– Psalms 36:7, Romans 8:28-29a, Proverbs 3:13
Verse 7 in our text says,
“How precious is your steadfast love, O God! The children of mankind take refuge in the shadow of your wings.”
There will be many difficulties in this world because it is filled with unfaithful people who are actively stirring up trouble and trying to deceive. We have the confidence that our God is a source of security and refuge when we face these troubles.
- God often allows trouble in our lives to help conform us to the image of Jesus. You could call these “trials of perfection.” God often uses trials to help us grow deep in our faith. Romans 8:28-29a says, “28 And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose. 29 For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son…” God knows when to shield us from trouble, but He also knows when a difficult situation will drive us to be even more conformed to the perfection of Christ’s image.
- God sometime brings discipline into our lives to help us correct a sin pattern. You could call these “trials of correction.” God is faithful in correcting us when we try to stray off course. Part of His faithfulness is correcting His children. Proverbs 3:13 says, “for the Lord reproves him whom he loves, as a father the son in whom he” Sin is deadly, both physically and spiritually. God in His lovingkindness will go to great lengths to drive sin out of our lives and to help us develop a new taste for righteousness.
Trouble, affliction, and trials are all tools God uses in our lives to help us hate sin and to draw us to love Jesus. In this way, trouble and affliction are necessary for our spiritual growth and God is a faithful refuge in every storm we face.
#4 God is Faithful in Bringing His People to Glory – Psalms 36:8-9, 1 Thess. 5:23-24, 2 Cor. 5:21, 1 Cor. 1:30-31
God promises His people the incredible delight of eternity in heaven and pleasure forevermore at His right hand.[7] Look at verses 8-9
8 They [God’s people] feast on the abundance of your house, and you give them drink from the river of your delights. 9 For with you is the fountain of life; in your light do we see light.
Every person who is called by God and responds in faith is given the irrevocable promises of eternal pleasure. Paul says in 1 Thessalonians 5:23, “Now may the God of peace himself sanctify you completely, and may your whole spirit and soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.” God does not deal with us on the grounds of our own merits but according to the merits of His Son.
There is a legal metaphor that the Bible often uses in speaking of salvation and our future glorification. In His life, Jesus perfectly obeyed the law of God. On the cross, He bore the complete wrath of God that was intended to be the punishment for our sins.
When we embrace Christ by faith, we are united to Him as our Mediator. His life and death are attributed to us. Our sins are attributed to Him. When God looks at our lives, he doesn’t see our sin anymore, but He only sees Christ’ righteousness. It is a legal transaction called “imputation.”
On the cross, Jesus was treated like a law-breaker so that the believer can be treated like a law-keeper. The “imputed righteousness of Christ” is the means by which we, as sinful people, can be reconciled to a holy God. We don’t stand approved by God because of our own righteousness, but we are approved by God because we are covered or clothed with Christ’s righteousness.
- 2 Corinthians 5:21 says that God made Jesus “to be sinwho knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.”
- 1 Corinthians 1:30-31 says, “you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, righteousness and sanctification and redemption, 31 so that, as it is written, ‘Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord.’”
God does not deal with us according to our own merits, but on the basis of Christ’s merits. We have nothing to boast about! Our salvation was totally paid for by Jesus! God will be faithful to honor Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross so that every person who is “in Christ” will ultimately be delivered to glory. 1 Thessalonians 5:24 says, “ He who calls you is faithful; he will surely do it.”
When we understand God’s faithfulness, we have some truly incredible assurances.
Application
#1 Understanding God’s Faithfulness Helps to Deliver us From Worry and Depression
When we understand that God is intentional about every trial, those difficulties come into a new perspective.
- Instead of blaming God for our trials, we begin to seek God in the midst of our trials.
- Instead of complaining about issues in our lives, we begin thanking God for the opportunity to grow… knowing that every trial is designed by God to drive us away from sin and closer to Jesus
#2 Understanding God’s Faithfulness Helps to Develop Our Confidence in God God – 1 Peter 4:19
1 Peter 4:19 says, “…let those who suffer according to God’s will entrust their souls to a faithful Creator while doing good.” When we are fully persuaded of God’s total and utter love and faithfulness for His people, we can resign ourselves to the reliable fact that God is using every trouble we face for our good and His glory!
Let’s finish this morning by reading the rest of Psalm 36:
“10 Oh, continue your steadfast love to those who know you, and your righteousness to the upright of heart! 11 Let not the foot of arrogance come upon me, nor the hand of the wicked drive me away. 12 There the evildoers lie fallen; they are thrust down, unable to rise.”
[1] Spurgeon, Charles “Treasury of David vol. 1” page 157
[2] Matthew 12:34, Luke 6:45
[3] Lamentations 3:22-23
[4] Romans 8:29
[5] Romans 8:1-3, 30
[6] Romans 8:15
[7] Psalms 16:11
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