MESSAGE TEXT
Psalm 112:1-10
*
INTRODUCTION
Series Theme: The New You.
- A New View of Love.
- A New View of Beauty.
- A New View of Strength.
*
Sermon Theme: Being a strong man is not how you look or a set of behaviors. You might be jacked. You might spend three hours a day in the gym. You might be handsome. You might have all the coolest stuff. Big biceps and big tires. Big bank accounts and big bucks. But if you make people feel insecure because you are there, that is not true strength. If you’re disengaged or you intimidate people all the time and bite with sarcasm and poutiness and put people down – that’s pseudo-strength; that’s insecurity trying to beat its chest.
*
PROPOSITION
Psalm 112 is about a man who shows up and offers his strength in such a way that everyone feels secure with him around. We are at our best when we make people around us feel secure – especially the vulnerable. That is true strength. It’s creating an environment where people can thrive. People should be safer, because we’re there.
*
CONTEXTUALIZATION
Psalm 112 is a loose counterpart to Proverbs 31. Proverbs 31 praises the tier 2 woman; this psalm praises the level 1 fear of God man. Level 1 – is fear of the Lord. Level 2 – is fear of everything else. Typically we toggle between the two. If you fear God rightly, you don’t have to fear everything else. Without a higher reference point, everything becomes threatening, because nothing feels solid enough to trust. This fear fractures you.
*
Fear always looks for something to sit on the throne. If God is not feared, everything else becomes ultimate. That’s why Jesus could say: “Do not fear those who kill the body… rather fear Him who has authority beyond it” (Matthew 10:28) Jesus is not promoting terror—He’s reordering fear. Level 1 (Fear of the Lord): One great fear that frees you. Level 2 (Fear of everything else): Many small fears that enslave you. If you fear God, you can face the world. If you don’t fear God, the world becomes terrifying.
*
Israelite men in 1000 BC faced many forces that threatened their existence. Famine could hit without warning. War was a near-constant threat. Disease could ravage a village. Corrupt and unchecked government officials could destroy life. This Psalm even assumes that life will bring our guy some bad news (v.7). But, he’s not afraid. This was a song he sung in the arena of life.
*
Blessed are those who fear the Lord… This doesn’t mean being scared of God. Not terror or panic. Not walking on eggshells. Not thinking God is waiting to punish you. It means taking God seriously, respecting Him, and wanting to live His way. The fear of the Lord is a saturated God consciousness that recognizes and delights in God's supreme worth, God’s love, God's beauty, God's wisdom and his power. And all of this impacts how you live before Him. Essentially, it’s giving weight in your life to who God is and what He says and how He asks us to live. We care what God thinks.
*
MESSAGE POINTS
Psalm 112 is about a man who shows up and offers his strength in such a way that everyone feels secure with him around. A “Man in the Arena” is a:
1.Yahweh-Worshipper (v.1)
2.Home-Builder (v.2-3).
3.Grace-Bestower (v.4).
4.Generous-Giver (v.5-6).
5.Load-Lifter (v.7-8).
6.Seed-Sower (v.9).
7.Truth-Speaker (v.10).
*
CONCLUSION
This Psalm points to Jesus – the ultimate “man in the arena.” Jesus is the ultimate blessed man. His righteousness endures forever. It is partially fulfilled in the godly man or woman, and perfectly fulfilled in the man Jesus Christ. The P112 man pursues Jesus. Jesus is His model. Jesus is a God-fearing man (who fears the LORD). He is a lover of God’s word (delights greatly in His commandments). He is a prosperous man (wealth and riches). He is a man who makes a home for his family (his descendants…his house). He is a loving and kind man (gracious, and full of compassion). He is a helping man (deals graciously and lends). He is a wise man (will guide his affairs with discretion). He is a strong man (not afraid of evil tidings). He is a generous man (he has dispersed abroad). He is a man who does not abuse power (his horn will be exalted with honor). He is a hated man (the wicked will see it and be grieved). His face is marred with sweat and dust and blood… His worthy cause was saving the world.
*
Talk about a man in the arena! How many of us would let some Roman soldier strap us to a post and then scourge us until we became unrecognizable—having lost most of the skin and flesh from our neck, back, and sides—and then force-march us out of town and nail us naked to a tree on a public road, where we would eventually suffocate because we couldn’t push up with our legs anymore? Christ did not fail but was victorious over the grave. All that “bad news” mentioned in Psalm 112 was swallowed up in the good news of the gospel! Kneel before the King, and lay down your life for those He’s given you to love and serve.