And so this morning I'm going to preach my sermon on Psalm 52 that I didn't preach on
Wednesday night. Psalm 52 reads in verse number one,
Why boastest thou thyself in mischief? O mighty man, the goodness of God endureth continually.
Now, I believe that when he says there, O mighty man, I think part of this is a little
bit sarcastic, you know, when he's saying like, oh, you think you're so mighty, because obviously
God is the one who has all the might and anybody who's ungodly or sinful or wicked
is nothing before him and no one is mighty in his sight. And this immediately reminded me
of another verse in Isaiah. You don't have to turn there, but in Isaiah 5 22 it says,
Woe unto them that are mighty to drink wine, and men of strength to mingle strong drink.
Now that's kind of a weird thing to say, they're mighty to drink wine, because it literally takes
no strength or no might to drink wine. Anybody could, the weakest person ever can drink wine
and alcohol and liquor, but don't the worldly people brag about the fact that they can really
drink? I mean, they can really hold their liquor, right? And in general, the world has this
phenomenon where people brag about their sinfulness, don't they? And they want to show
how cool they are because they drink and they do drugs and party and whatever. And the Bible says
there in Psalm 52 where you are, why boastest thou thyself in mischief? Why are you bragging
about bad things that you've done? Why are you bragging about being evil? Why are you bragging
about being wicked? Oh, you're so mighty because of all the mischief that you've done, right?
Oh, you're so mighty because you can drink so much liquor or whatever. In the world,
people brag about their sinfulness, but let me tell you something, there is no
glory in sinfulness whatsoever. There's nothing cool about it. There's nothing fun about it.
There's nothing to be excited about. It's a bunch of junk that the world has to offer,
and we should not glory in that whatsoever. Now flip over to Romans chapter 16,
and let me say this. There's another phenomenon amongst Christian kids that sometimes they feel
like they have to prove just how worldly and how sinful they are just to show that they're
not a goody two shoes or whatever. And let me tell you something, that's a bunch of garbage
because of the fact that whether you're out there in the world or whether you're a church kid,
there is no glory in sin and filth and wickedness and iniquity. It's all a bunch of junk.
It's something that you should be ashamed of and never brag about and boast about and think is cool
or fun. But let me tell you some Christian kids, they often have something to prove like, hey,
we're, you know, we know what's going on out there in the world and we're worldly wise and
we're not so straight laced or whatever because the world says it's cool not to be straight
laced. Well, let me tell you something. Hey, I'm just going to be straight laced.
I'm just going to be clean cut and I'm just going to abstain from all that junk. But look what the
Bible says in Romans 16, 19, for your obedience has come abroad unto all men. I'm glad therefore
on your behalf, but yet I would have you wise unto that which is good and simple concerning
evil. So according to the Bible, if you don't know about all the junk that's going on in the world,
hey, that's a good thing. So you young people, you don't need to prove to us how you know about
all the sin that's out there and about all the wickedness that's out there. Because the less
that you know about it, the more respect I'll have for you. The less you know about the junk
out there. Hey, the better off you are. God said, hey, just be simple concerning things
that are evil. You know, there are some evil things in this world that I would just as soon
go to the grave without ever hearing about them that I ever even knowing that they exist and I
could just live my life and just be happy and go to the grave without knowing about every sorted
weird thing. But you know why a lot of people get into sin is because of the fact that they're
curious about those things. And so that's why they look at pornography because they're curious
about it. Or that's why they got to go watch a filthy movie because they're curious about it.
You know, that's why they want to wander into this bar or that casino or whatever. You know,
they're curious. Hey, curiosity killed the cat. Do not be curious about the wicked stuff that's
out there in this world. And especially I want to emphasize this to the young people who are growing
up in a Christian home where your parents have kept a lot of these things away from you and then
you feel like you have to go seek it out. You know what? There's nothing there. There's nothing
there that's worth looking at or worth indulging in. Let me tell you something. You're better off
to be simple concerning you. You say, well, I want to be the simple one that the Bible talks about.
Well, you know what? In certain areas, you do want to be that simple one. You know, we ought to be
wise under that, which is good. We don't want to be an idiot, right? We want to be smart. We want
to be wise, want to be intelligent. But when it comes to sinful things, evil things, the less you
know as a young person growing up, hey, it's not going to hurt you to not know about every wicked
thing that's out there in this world. Now go through it to Proverbs chapter 14. Proverbs chapter
14. Again, I want to say there's nothing cool about being sinful. There's nothing cool about
wickedness, okay? The Bible talks about these mighty men to mingle strong drink as a joke.
He's being sarcastic. When he talks about the ones boasting themselves in mischief, oh mighty man,
hey, he's being sarcastic because it's a joke that anyone would boast in their, their wickedness.
But people do it, don't they? They brag about the sin that they do. And listen to me. You know,
sinful people, they might seem cool to you when they're teens or even when they're in their 20s,
maybe even in their 30s. You know, I think about one of the most sinful people that I knew in my
life when I was a young person. I had a relative in my extended family and boy, he was Mr. Cool.
He was very wicked. Turned out to be a reprobate and everybody else. But man, was this guy cool as
a teenager? Man, was he cool in his 20s? Man, he even seemed pretty cool in his 30s, but now he's
just a disgusting freak that no one wants to be around. No one. No one in his family, no one in
his life wants to be around him. No one wants anything to do with him. He's just gross and
disgusting and a loser. Folks, that's the end of that path. There's the pleasures of sin for a
season and maybe sinful people might seem cool to you if you don't have discernment. They might
seem cool as a teenager. They might seem cool in their 20s. Hey, they might even seem cool into
their 30s, but let me tell you something. By the time they get in their 40s, they start just looking
like a loser to everyone and everyone's just looking at them like, dude, what have you done
with your life? What are you doing? Where are you going in life? Folks, the end of that way is death.
Look at Proverbs 14 12. There's a way which seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof
are the ways of death. Verse 13, even in laughter the heart is sorrowful. People seem like they're
having fun, they're having a good time, it's an illusion often. Even in laughter the heart is
sorrowful and the end of that mirth is heaviness. So even if they are having a good time now,
what's going to be in the end thereof? Heaviness, sadness, death, depression. Verse 14,
the backslider in heart shall be filled with his own ways and a good man shall be satisfied from
himself. The simple believeth every word, but the prudent man looketh well to his going.
A wise man fearth and departeth from evil, but the fool rageth and is confident. Now let me tell
you something, obviously there is a time when we should be bold and confident. We should be bold
and confident to do what's right and we should fear the Lord, okay? And we should not fear what
man can do unto us or fear the devil or those things, but when he says here a wise man fearth,
you know what that's saying is that a wise man actually fears God and too fears the consequences
of his actions. So he fears and departs from evil. He's like whoa I'm afraid to do that
wicked thing. I'm afraid to say that wicked thing. I'm afraid to go to that wicked place.
I'm afraid to do that. Hey you're wise, but then the sinful punk says I'm not afraid of anything.
Oh he's so cool. He's so manly because you're not afraid of the consequences of sin. Well you know
what? Be very afraid. Be very afraid. And so this raging confidence, here's what I think confident
means in this context. You know when you get the context of what he means by him raging and being
confident, I think that's pride. To think to yourself, oh man I, you know, I can handle this.
I'm so cool. I'm invincible. No you can't. Turn to Psalm 37 if you would. It's like hey look at me,
you know, I'm so mighty to drink wine. I'm so mighty to do mischief. And you know what? You're
just raging and confident instead of fearing and departing from evil. Hey we're supposed to serve
the Lord with fear and trembling. Every single day we should fear and tremble before the Lord.
So you know if you have a confidence that just says hey I'm just going to go out and do whatever
and say whatever. Hey you know what? That's a wrong confidence and you are going to get put
in your place. Now look what the Bible says. God will take you down a notch. Let me tell you something.
If you're prideful, God will take you down a notch. The Bible says whosoever exalteth himself
shall be abased. And he that humbleth himself shall be exalted. James 4 10. Humble yourselves in
the sight of the Lord and he shall lift you up. 1 Peter 5 5. Likewise ye younger, submit yourselves
unto the elder. Yea all of you be subject one to another and be clothed with humility.
For God resisted the proud and giveth grace to the humble. Humble yourselves therefore into the
mighty hand of God that he may exalt you in due time. If you are prideful, God can take you down
a notch. He can bring you down. Psalm 37 verse 35. The Bible says in verse 35, I've seen the wicked
in great power and spreading himself like a green bay tree. Yet he passed away and lo he was not.
Yea I sought for him but he could not be found. Mark the perfect man and behold the upright for
the end of that man is peace but the transgressors shall be destroyed together and the end of the
wicked shall be cut off. Look at the future friend. Go if you would to Psalm 52 where we
started. Psalm 52, the sermon is about Psalm 52. The title of the sermon is Boasting in Mischief.
Boasting in Mischief and I'm going to go through the whole chapter of Psalm 52 like a Wednesday
night style sermon. Psalm 52, it said in verse number 1,
it said, Why boastest thou thyself in mischief, O mighty man? The goodness of God endureth
continually, thy tongue diviseth mischiefs like a sharp razor working deceitfully. Thou lovest
evil more than good and lying rather than to speak righteousness. Selah, thou lovest all devouring
words, O thou deceitful tongue. So it said in verse 2, the tongue deviseth mischiefs and then in
verse 4 it says, thou lovest all devouring words. Now if you would go to Proverbs chapter number 12.
Proverbs chapter number 12. I want to emphasize the devouring words. You know the Bible says if
you bite and devour one another, take heed that you be not consumed one of another. Look at
Proverbs chapter 12 verse 18. Proverbs 12 18, There is that speaketh like the piercings of a sword,
but the tongue of the wise is health. Do you see that? There is that speaketh like the piercings
of a sword, but the tongue of the wise is health. Now your mind might kind of jump to the word of God
being like the sword of this, you know, the sword of the spirit and God's word is sharper than any
two-edged sword, but this is actually the exact opposite of that. This is a bad example. So yes,
God's word is like a sword, but God's word is a sword that's being used a positive way.
And think about it, just any weapon could be used for good or for evil. I mean a gun could be used
to defend yourself, defend others, protect people, or a gun could be used to just commit an atrocity.
And so therefore, you know, it's not the weapon that's good or bad, it's who's wielding it and why
and how. So here's the thing with the sword, you know, God's word is like a sword so we could do
battle spiritually and we could fight against the principalities and powers and and spiritual
wickedness in in high places. But here this is talking about a person whose speech is like the
piercings of a sword because they are harmful to their neighbor is what this is saying.
And because and the proof is that what's the opposite of it? But isn't but giving us the
opposite? He didn't say and or therefore he said but. So on one hand there is that speak of like
the piercings of a sword but on the other hand the tongue of the wise is health. So you've got
a right speech and a wrong speech in this verse. And let me tell you something, what do we see in
Psalm 52? Devouring words. I'm talking about people who say hurtful things to other people,
hurting other people with your words, doing damage with your words. He's saying there is that speak
it like the piercings of a sword but the tongue of the wise is health. Verse 19, the lip of truth
shall be established forever but a lying tongue is but for a moment. Deceit is in the heart of
them that imagine evil but to the counselors of peace is joy. There shall no evil happen to the
just but the wicked shall be filled with mischief. Lying lips are abomination to the Lord and they
that deal truly are his delight. A prudent man concealeth knowledge but the heart of fools
proclaimeth foolishness. Let me explain to you verse 23. What does this mean? This is a profound
verse. A prudent man concealeth knowledge but the heart of fools proclaimeth foolishness. Do not miss
this verse. This is a great verse okay. Here's what this means. Wise people, smart people who
know a lot of great things, they tend to say too little. They tend to not say enough but isn't it
funny how idiots just can't stop running their mouths. Do you see what the and it's ironic
because you'd think that the person who knew more would have more to say but in fact the idiot is
the one who has more to say. You know a prudent man concealeth knowledge. You know this reminds
me of for example the the scientist Isaac Newton. You know one of the most famous scientists
in the history of mankind and Isaac Newton you know he discovered calculus. He discovered all
these laws about mechanics regarding physics and stuff. I mean he just discovered a lot of things
in a lot of different disciplines of math and science. Anybody who studied math and science
you just keep hearing about Isaac Newton. Isaac Newton. Isaac Newton. All day okay but you know what's
interesting is that most of his most profound findings and his greatest discoveries were
published by other people. I mean people are coming over to his house and hearing about this stuff
and they're like you got to publish this stuff. You got to put this stuff out there and he's like
trying to kind of hoard the information for himself. He wasn't really that nice of a guy and
he was kind of trying to keep a lot of it to himself and didn't even necessarily want to share
it all and other people are coming out with it and stuff like that. You know what but isn't it funny
how just complete morons just they just all they want to do is just proclaim foolishness and just
blah blah blah a bunch of garbage and just talk trash and nonsense and foolery. Look the bible
says a prudent man concealed knowledge. You know counsel or wisdom in a man it's like a well of
deep water. It's like you have to draw it out of him. You know sometimes you go to a wise person
and ask them about stuff and you almost have to kind of you know ask them a few times to get them
to give their opinion on something. But then some people are just willing to just give their
opinion about everything even things that have nothing to do with them that they know nothing
about. Isn't that ironic because you'd think the people with the most knowledge man they're just
going to be communicating non-stop. But it turns out that actually smart people are saying less
than they know and foolish people are saying a lot more than they know and they're just just
blowing off their mouths about everything. I just wanted to park it on that verse because
such a great verse. Verse 24, the hand of the diligent shall bear rule but the slothful shall
be under tribute. Heaviness in the heart of man maketh it stoop but a good word maketh it glad.
The righteous is more excellent than his neighbor but the way of the wicked seduceth them. Folks do
not be seduced by wickedness. Do not get sucked in and do not get into these devouring words and
saying mean things and hurtful things. You know frankly I'm disgusted by people saying mean
things to other people and I'm not talking about you know rebuking sin. I'm not talking about
rebuking wickedness and obviously there are people out there that are reprobates that can just get
AIDS and die for all I care. I'm not talking about a tiny percentage of people that are horrible
reprobates. I'm not talking about getting up and speaking the truth in love and preaching hard
against sin and so forth. I'm talking about just hurtful words that people say to one another makes
me sick. Criticizing women because of their appearance. It's disgusting. You know I remember
when I was in school all the trash talk you've all been there elementary school junior high high
school just everybody's just you're ugly you're weak you're loose you know what that's garbage
it isn't right it's sinful and you know what it's not love either if you love yeah the abundance of
the heart the mouth speaketh and you know what if you love people then you wouldn't talk down to
people because they're a different race or because they're a woman or because they're short or tall
or ugly or fat or skinny or whatever you know what why don't you just keep your mouth shut all those
hurtful things and not say hurtful things to other people you know and you need to have some empathy
and stop and think is that what I want people to say about me is that what I want and you know what
I thank God I thank God that when I was in elementary school I grew up super short I was
the shortest kid in the class and I hated it at the time but you know what I'm glad now
because at least it kept me humble and you know what I'm glad that when I was a teenager my face
was covered in acne because you know what I hated it at the time but you know what at least it kept
me from being because I guarantee if I would have just grown up looking perfect and having everything
going for me and getting good grades and doing sports and everything I probably would have grown
up be the worst person ever because you know what God has to keep us humble sometimes and
then we can put ourselves in other people's place hey if we didn't like being called short or we
didn't like people talking about all the acne on our face then you know what then we're not going
to talk about the fact that other people have other issues okay and you know what if you're
a kid or a teenager it seems like this is just automatic that you do this and you know what it
needs to stop and and if your kids do this discipline them you know and we need to teach
our kids not to talk bad about other people even their friends and all the trash talk it's it's
it's it's ridiculous and you know what I it makes me sick because I'm not a racist and I don't I'm
not misogynistic you know and and so that kind of crap has no place in Christian discourse okay
we need to love people and not say hurtful things and you say oh I'm just kidding but here's the
thing though it's not funny okay you know it's one thing to joke around and have fun with your
friends and stuff but you know what when you're ragging on some teenage girl's appearance guess
what she doesn't think it's funny even if she's laughing period okay it's garbage do not use
devouring words let your tongue be health and let it not be like the piercings of a sword where you
just sit there and just tear people apart and again I'm not talking about horrible reprobates
or something out there hey horrible reprobates out in the world nothing that you say about them is
going to offend me okay I'm talking about you know God's people or I'm talking about just Joe
unsaved there's nothing we don't need to rag on people for their there's another what if I told
you there are other ways to have fun than at other people's expense and you know what it is a bunch of
insecure young people who feel like they have to tear someone else down to lift themselves up
it's wicked it's prideful it's arrogant when you feel like you have to tear other people down to
make you feel better about yourself it's wrong flip over to James chapter 3 if you would James
chapter 3 because he said in Psalm 52 we're talking about Psalm 52 the title of the sermon
is boasting and mischief he talked about oh yeah you're so mighty boasting in your mischief your
tongue devises mischiefs he said you love devouring words deceitful tongue
he said that the tongue is like a sharp razor isn't that similar to the tongue that was like
a piercings of a sword like a sharp razor cutting and not in a good way look at James chapter 3
verse 5 even so the tongue is a little member and boasts great things behold how great a matter a
little fire kindleth and the tongue is a fire a world of iniquity so is the tongue among our
members that it defileth the whole body and seteth on fire the course of nature and it is set on
fire of hell let me ask you a question is he talking to saved people or unsaved people
because James is the book that just says over and over again my brethren my brethren my brethren
my brethren he said the tongue is this way among our members he's including himself
because he is speaking to other believers about the danger of letting their tongue get out of
control am i right i mean isn't that the context of this passage he talks about and he even says
in verse two for in many things we offend all and and what that means that's a little tough
grammatically what he's saying there though is that in many things all of us offend no one
goes through life without saying the wrong thing you know you might go through life without ever
murdering anyone you know i hope you'll go through life never being drunk or you know but no one goes
through life without saying the wrong thing and the bible says here in many things we offend all
if any man offend not in word the same as a perfect man and able also to bridle the whole
body this is clearly in context talking to Christians telling them to control their mouth
my brethren and so forth he says that the tongue is a fire a world of iniquity verse number
seven for every kind of beast and of birds and of serpents and of things in the sea
is tamed and hath been tamed of mankind but the tongue can no man tame it is an unruly evil
full of deadly poison folks james is using some very strong language here telling you look you
can do a lot of damage with your tongue you can do a lot of damage with your words it's poisonous
it's on fire it's like a razor get it under control i mean i don't see how he could have
been any more vehement here when he says look your tongue is set on fire of hell
it's a world of iniquity i mean he's saying it's poison get it under control because it has the
potential to do so much damage it has a potential blowing off your mouth saying wicked things saying
horrible things you know what it has the potential it's a it's just like throwing a match into a dry
forest and you could create you could literally create a forest fire that could literally burn
down just thousands of acres even millions of acres and not only that you know 19 firefighters
dead or whatever didn't we have a major fire like that a few years ago and even just last week there
was a major fire burning throughout our state and and it was burning all along the bush highway and
so forth and you could see the sky being filled with the smoke from it even near the phoenix area
and entire uh roads and cities were closed down folks and and you know what it was all started
from one spark whether man-made or whether divine whether it was lightning or a campfire or a stove
or whatever folks i'm telling you the tongue is like that where it could create a big forest fire
and do a whole bunch of damage and that's why james is warning us and telling us control
your mouth now go back if you went to psalm 52 psalm 52
the tongue can tell can no man tame it's an unruly evil full of deadly poison he's saying
it's the hardest thing to control about your whole body he's saying look if you can control your
tongue you can control your whole body because it is literally the hardest thing to control
and by the way there's i got a whole sermon on this tonight tonight's term is called loudmouth
women whole sermon just on that aspect and let me tell you something the tongue is an unruly evil
it's full of deadly poison use it to build up other people not to do harm not to do ill
not to show how cool you are because you're worldly there's nothing cool about being worldly
you know what's cool being godly that's what i think is cool and by the way you're like you
want to be a rebel hey here's how you be a rebel be the most straight-laced clean-cut person you
can be in 2020 and you're the biggest rebel in the world i'm not kidding i mean this church is
filled with rebels because we're rebelling against the devil we're rebelling against the world hey
if you go out and be a rebel and you go out and you get drunk and you get tattoos and you take
drugs and you sleep around you're not a rebel you're basically just the devil has a hook in
your nose and he's pulling you around and you're saying yes sir yes thank you sir yes sir yes devil
sir that's what i see when i see you doing that that's what i see i see a slave you're the
conformist it's a fact psalm 52 it says in verse number four let me find my place here thou lovest
all devouring words o thou deceitful tongue god shall likewise destroy thee forever he shall take
thee away and pluck thee out of thy dwelling place and root thee out of the land of the living sea
law here's a good verse on that you don't have to turn there proverbs 29 1 he that being often
reproved hardened at his neck shall suddenly be destroyed and that without remedy you know when
you hear these rebukes telling you to get your mouth in order you hear these rebukes telling you
to get the sin out and you just harden your neck you're stubborn you won't accept correction when
correction comes it says you know what if you're often reproved and you keep hardening your neck
suddenly you're just going to be destroyed and then you're going to be like okay give me another
chance and it's gonna be without remedy isn't that what it says folks you can destroy your life to
where it can't be fixed anymore yeah you can just ask people who got in a drunk driving accident and
killed other people or killed themselves it's like oh how do i fix this go out and sleep around get
hiv how do i fix it right i mean look you can ruin your life permanently yeah you can and you
know what if you've gone out and done wicked things and you didn't ruin your life permanently
and you're living a good life right now boy thank god for that praise god thank god for his mercy
thank god for his grace because you know what you could go off that cliff at some point where god's
just like that's it look how many people in the bible remember when eli's sons went off the cliff
yeah and and and god said i want to destroy them you know i don't want them to get right anymore
because i'm done hey you push god too far and you might literally drive off a cliff i mean god can
put an end to you the bible says our breath is in god's hand god can end us and so when you're
often reproved and you harden your neck you will suddenly be destroyed that you know what that
means there's no warning isn't that what suddenly means you can suddenly be destroyed meaning that
you're just going along getting away with it getting away with it going along going along
oh i want another chance nope sorry party's over see the sudden destruction combined with the no
remedy is a chilling thought when you put those two things together because here's what that means
the sudden destruction means there's no warning no warning just suddenly just you already had
all the warnings when you were often reproved those were your warnings the often reproof was
your warning the sudden destruction means you don't see it coming there's no warning and then
the without remedy means there's no way to go back and fix it so there's no so if we looked at it from
both sides right here's the event here's the sudden destruction everybody got this here's
the sudden destruction okay approaching it from the past no warning afterward no way to go back
and fix it this moment right here is just final there's no you don't see it coming you can't go
back and fix it it's just too late this ought to scare you okay this ought to be scary to you to
think about that's what god's saying and you say well no warning that doesn't suffer no because
here's reproof reproof reproof reproof mom and dad tell you no mom and dad tell you no mom and dad
tell you no the pastor preaches it pastor preaches it pastor preaches it friends warn you friends
warn you friends what you read it in the bible you read it in the bible you read in the bible
your conscience your conscience and conscience well nothing bad is happening though wham well
what do i do now too late
folks when you find listen to me when you find yourself getting corrected about the same thing
multiple times you better you better get your crap together when somebody warned you know somebody
rebukes you about something and then you're getting rebuked about that same thing the next day
and then a week later you're getting rebuked about that same thing a month later you're getting
rebuked about that same thing you know what when when people keep correcting you and i don't care
if it's your parents your your your husband your pastor your boss at work whoever it is
when you just keep getting reproved about the same folks get a clue amen get a clue get a clue and
say wait a minute something needs to change here and that's what the bible is saying because
otherwise sudden destruction will come and there will be no remedy the bible says in verse 6 the
righteous also shall see and fear and shall laugh at him lo this is the man that made not god his
strength but trusted in the abundance of his riches and watch this last phrase strengthened
himself in his wickedness exactly like what we started with the mighty to do mischief mighty to
drink wine strengthened in his wickedness right that's what he thinks makes him a great person
is that his wickedness and and his money and his riches right he's got the money he's got the wild
sinful life and you know what he looks cool as a young person folks if we look today at young
people who have a lot of money and live a sinful life i guarantee you that there are young people
looking at them and thinking that they're cool i mean think about it i mean we think about these
rap artists i mean think about the rap artists don't they just boast in their mischief what are
they rapping about what are they what do rap artists rap about today i mean what is it that
they rap about you know i went to school i got straight a's you know i i went to work pulled a
double shift now i got the money to give my hoopty a lift you know you think that there is that what
you think they're rapping about like actually like making money at their job because they worked
hard and make it you know doing well at school obey my parents every single day is that what
you think they're laughing about or rapping about huh because i know my dad when he gets that bell
he don't play so i pay my parents every day you think that that's what they're rapping about
huh go to church to praise the lord that's that is that what they rap about besides kanye west
you know he raps about that and and he's a blasphemous idiot but anyway it's another sermon
it's already been preached the point is the point is these rap artists what are they rapping about
they're rapping about the fact that they fornicated like that's a good thing
they rap about look i've heard enough rap music i've never been a rap fan but you know what i've
heard rap music because you're around it in this world i've heard on the job sites i've heard it
in the work truck i've heard it at jobs and with people and whatever and look hey they rap about
committing adultery they glorify committing adultery i've heard that song they rap about
fornication they rap about drunkenness they rap about violence killing people hurting people so
isn't that boast boasting and mischief not what they're doing okay and then you know they they
all have a criminal record that they brag about like if they haven't been arrested are they even
really a rap artist you know what i mean so they have to like go get arrested for something stupid
you know they have to go get in a fight at some club somewhere or do some drive by or something
just to just to you know have some street cred you know what we need to worry about is some skin
some spiritual cred but they it's not it's more like street crud is what it is but they basically
you know they brag about their crimes they brag about their sinfulness they brag about
ungodliness they boast in mischief okay do they have a lot of money do rap artists have a lot of
money check that box right so are they boasting in mischief check strengthening themselves in
iniquity check do they strengthen themselves in their riches check they brag about having
money okay now let me ask this are they idolized by young people do young people think that they're
cool and idolize them absolutely so let me tell you something what i'm preaching this morning is
real okay you know yeah if you go out and live a sinful life make a bunch of money brag about how
wicked you are there will be a certain group of people that are going to lift you up and think
that that's cool but you know what it's not cool at all and you know what start looking up the
lives of these rap artists and you know you're going to find a lot of them dying very young
because the wicked are not going to live out half their days that's what the bible says
i mean look how many rap artists have died in their 20s 30s 40s all day long
i read about a famous rap artist who literally chopped off his own anatomy and jumped out the
window it's so cool so awesome it's wonderful isn't it but you know what that's a true story
and you know what we could talk about all the other rap artists who have gotten diseases they
get shot they get stds they got aids and all this stuff uh when i was a kid it was sleazy e
who got aids and died remember that because he is a whoremonger and he's probably a sodomite too
and he ended up getting aids and dying super young and you know what we could go down the
list i don't know as much about like all the different people but you know what i've seen
a few of the stories i can go on wikipedia too and just look up all i have to do is just go on
wikipedia and just start typing in the names of these now you say well not the ones that are out
right now yeah but let's see where they're at five years from now right you say oh you're
bringing up all these rap artists from your day hey what the ones today we'll hear about them
five years from now we'll hear about them 15 years from now about how they're so demon possessed that
they're chopping off their own body part and jumping out a window okay and and and and and
and then they said oh it was drugs oh all i did was just smoke pot well you know what let me tell
you something sin always takes you further than you want to go it keeps you longer than you wanted
to say and it cost you more than you're willing to pay and these rap artists are a role model
to people because of the phenomenon that we're reading about in psalm 52 today and we as
christians need to renew our minds renew our minds and not have this worldly mentality that
says what that says that it's cool to be sinful because guess what it's not and no one will think
you're cool when you hit your 40s and you've been living that wicked sinful life they're just going
to look at you as being a loser you know a lot of these just derelicts that you see out there
you know i remember went to new orleans and it seemed like everybody that was walking down the
street in new orleans pretty much looked like keith richards looks now that's pretty much what
people if you've ever seen him before that's what they looked like walking down the street in new
orleans just all these just burned out super wicked life people and they just look horrific
and i and i'm just thinking to myself no young person would look at this and think that these
people are cool but i guarantee you in their 20s they were the life of the party i guarantee you
in their teens they were the coolest kid in the class i guarantee you that maybe even around 30
they were still partying and having fun and everybody thought they were cool like i said
about my relative that's probably the most wicked person i've ever known personally you know we
considered him a really cool dude back in the 80s he was cool all right he had the he had the
converse that went higher up than any conference i've ever seen i don't even know where he bought
those things i mean he didn't have the high tops he had the ones that went way up the ones that
were pink on the inside and black on the outside and then he had them like folded down who knows
what i'm talking about and you know what he had the he had the the toyota van he had surfboards
on top mr cool right and just just just party man and just cool california knows how to surf
or whatever i mean look but that guy today is the most disgusting loser that no one wants anything
to do with nobody he's just like he's just this disease-filled maggot literal just sodomite freak
nobody wants to be around that guy nobody thinks i guarantee even people in his life that are as
messed up as he is even if people even if someone even if there's somebody in this world who likes
this guy or cares about this guy i guarantee you they don't think he's cool though he ain't cool
is it cool to go out and live a wicked simple life get a bunch of disease in your body
that's not cool is it cool to destroy every relationship in your life because of your
sinfulness and stupidity and you've just destroyed all your family relationships
you've blasphemed the lord you've been turned over to a reprobate mind folks the end of that
way is death so do not be deceived by the the outward coolness of sin it is not cool get a
renewed mind and get a new definition of cool if that's what you think cool means
it's a stupid definition of coolness trusted in the abundance of his riches and strengthened
himself in his wickedness trusting in riches pride strengthening yourself in wickedness pride
look at verse 8 but i am like a green olive tree in the house of god i trust in the mercy of god
forever and ever i don't trust in my wickedness and i don't trust in my money i trust in the mercy
of god forever and ever and you know i like the fact that he says i'm like a green olive tree
now think about that adjective green that would sometimes be used to describe someone who's
inexperienced have you ever heard it used that way where you talk about someone being green
and it means like they don't have experience they're a noob and this is because greenness
pictures like youth or freshness because if you think about when a plant first grows up it's green
when it's young and tender and fresh it's green and then as it grows up and gets older kind of
hardens and turns brown as it gets older right you think think about like a tree or something
you know it grows up this little green sapling but what color is the trunk of the tree in the end
it ends up being brown you know you think about a pineapple you know it starts out kind of green
or yellow and then when it ripens it turns brown right so the green is typically the unripe or the
young the tender whatever he says i am like a green olive tree in the house of god i trust in
the mercy of god forever and ever and and again i just want to bring this back to the point about
the fact that god wants us to be wise unto that which is good and simple concerning that which is
evil be green when it comes to all the wicked sinful things out there right i'd rather be a
green olive tree in the house of god than to be somebody who's really been around the block and
really knows what's out there let me tell you i'd rather be the green olive tree in the house of god
he said in verse nine i will praise thee forever because thou has done it and i will wait on my
name for it is good before thy saints i'm gonna praise you so so isn't it interesting the chapter
started out with boasting in your mischief and the chat the chapter ends with praising god not
praising yourself praising god people praising themselves because they think they're so cool
and then there's people who are praising god because he's so cool okay and then there are
the people who are trusting in their wickedness trusting in their riches and then there are people
who are trusting in the mercy of god because it's of the lord's mercies that that were not consumed
and we and then there's the one who rages in this confident just yeah i'm not worried about the
consequences i'm gonna go out and do whatever and then there's the one who with fear and trembling
is serving god and you know what it's folks the one who serves god isn't a weakling you know
you know it's a weakling that follows the way of this world because folks it takes zero strength
to lift that mug of beer to your mouth you know i mean i don't know how much that thing weighs
but that's you might as well be lifting a pink dumbbell you know if you think that that that's
not heavy yeah look how strong i am i can lift this cup to my mouth
folks you know what it takes strength is to say no to turn down look i can't even count how many
times i've been offered alcohol in my life i can't i'm gonna count how many times i've been
on the job site and you know you do somebody a favor you do a little extra work that wasn't in
your in your job description you know everybody's arguing about hey is this the door guy is this the
electrician who you know who's that's not us you know and you just step in and take say hey
i'll take it's gonna take a half hour let me just take care of that case of beer is the standard
right i mean that's the star oh i owe you a six-pack i owe you a case of beer here's a 24
pack that's just the standard it's like um excuse me you know can i get ice cream no it's like you
know and and here's the thing i can't even count how many times i've done something on a job and
been oh i'm gonna get you a case of beer and you know what it makes you feel a little uncomfortable
to have say i don't drink it's like oh you don't drink you know it's like no i don't drink and i
don't i've never been a holier than thou about it i didn't say like you keep getting whoa damn they
give it this neighbor drink kind of nakedness are you trying you know i'm just like hey i just i
just said no man it's i i i you know i always said hey man i really appreciate it thank you so much
i don't drink i can't accept it but i really appreciate it man you know it's my pleasure
thank you thank you for giving me this beer but i'm not going to drink it though you know because
i don't want to be a holier than thou but at the same time you know what i'm not just going to sit
there and say hey let's just crack one open right now so i can be accepted right so i can be one of
the guys so i can be considered cool right now no that's wrong folks you have to you know i'm not
saying to be a holier than thou but i'm saying that you know what when people tell you a dirty
joke you shut them up is what you do look i remember being on a job site and having a guy
come and pull me aside on the job site and say hey come here i need to show you something i think
it's work related you know he brings me over he says look out that window look down there and it
was some woman that was inappropriately dressed she was in a compromising position or whatever
and you know i just turned immediately that guy and said look i said don't show
me stuff like that because i'm married and i'm not interested in looking at that
you know now here's the thing it would have been a lot easier just to go
yeah cool man but you know what we have to take a stand for these things and you know when somebody
was telling a dirty joke you get out you know sometimes you just have to if it's people that
aren't under your control you know sometimes they're your supervisor you could be in a
situation where they're your boss i mean you can't be just going in and rebuking your boss
or something you know what sometimes you just have to walk away or just say hey you know please don't
tell those kind of jokes around me that kind of humor is lost on me i'm a christian you know and
you don't have to be holier than thou about it but you know what if you just sit and listen to the
dirty jokes and you just sit and just drink the beer and just go along to get along you know what
that isn't right either because you need to stand up for what's right and you know what the bible
already said christians aren't going to be accepted of this world so why don't you just
quit trying to be accepted of the world and you know what if other christians won't accept you
unless you get worldly then you know what find friends that will accept you find christ christian
friends that want to serve god okay because you can't use that as an excuse well you know
it wasn't my fault because that guy he just showed it to me or whatever yeah but you know what it
would be my fault if i just continued to look wouldn't it and it's gonna be my fault if i sit
and listen to the dirty jokes and laugh at them or black or blasphemous jokes same thing and by
the way i'm i'm more offended by blasphemous jokes too you know i look out of all of the filthy
things that come out of people's mouth nothing offends me more than when they're taking god's
name in vain or when they say something blasphemous about jesus christ that's the number one most
offensive thing to me you know and i look obviously there are a lot of other offensive
things that people say but man when that comes out to me that's the worst it's horrific to hear
the name of jesus christ who we love dearly dragged in the mud but that is you know we
must not participate in that okay and and you say well you know i want to fit in i want to be cool
you know what either then you know what you have to be totally worldly or just give up because if
you live a christian life you're never going to be mr cool i am not i don't walk down the streets
of tempe and i'm just mr cool everybody loves me it just isn't it just isn't true and you know what
no godly person in this church is going to be considered the coolest dude amongst a bunch of
worldly sinful people you know and look i do think you should have a good report of them i do think
you should have a good reputation on your job for being a good worker and being a good guy to be
around and a helpful person but you know what not necessarily the guy that we're going to invite
over on friday night so because we know that he's not going to be a party animal
and so we need to not fall into the devil's trap and get into this boasting and mischief hey
there's no glory and i'm just going to leave you with two verses verse number one but he that
glorieth let him glory in the lord verse number two my boast my soul shall make her boast in the
lord the humble shall hear thereof and be glad i'm not going to boast in mischief i'm going to
boast in the lord and humble people are going to hear it and they're going to like it they're
going to be glad and that's the people that i want to be around so don't boast in mischief boast in
the lord the humble shall hear thereof and be glad let's bow our heads in the word of prayer
father we thank you so much lord for this great psalm psalm uh 52 lord and i just pray that you
would just let it sink down into our ears and lord i just pray that you would just allow every
single young person that's here lord especially uh to take this to heart and not get sucked into this
trying to be cool and trying to fit in and and just going along with all this junk just because
that's the way of the world lord help us to be a peculiar people help us to stand up against
these things lord and help us to realize that it it is not cool to be sinful and in jesus name we
pray amen