A MANUAL FOR THE CHRISTIAN LIFE #6

HOW TO HAVE

A PEACEFUL HEART
DATE: 2/28/2010 pm READ TEXT: Psalm 4:1-8 INTRODUCTION: I want to preach to you about How you can have a Peaceful Heart when you go through the storms of life In v. 8 of our text David said - I will both lay me down in peace and sleep As we shall see, David was going through a storm, but in that storm he had a Peaceful Heart The word peace is the Hebrew word shalom Shalom was a common greeting and farewell among the Jewish people As a greeting it was a way of asking how one was doing Today we say - How you been? The Jew would say - Shalom An example is found in Genesis 29:6

How to have a Peaceful Heart Psalm 4:1-8

Jacob asked about Laban - Is he well?

The word well is shalom Jacob was asking - Is he at peace? Joseph said to his brethren when they were brought before him Peace be unto you in Genesis 42:23 In the Hebrew he greeted them - Shalom As a farewell, one was saying - Peace be unto you We would say - You take care When David spoke of laying down in peace he was obviously speaking of more than a greeting or a farewell He was speaking of the Condition of his Heart The International Standard Bible Encyclopedia defines the meaning of Peace as a condition of freedom from disturbance, whether outwardly, as of a nation from war or enemies, or inwardly, within the soul This is what David is talking about
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How to have a Peaceful Heart Psalm 4:1-8

An inward freedom from outward disturbance and distress How can we have the Peace like David experienced in his storms? Lets try to answer that question as we turn another page in the Instruction Manual for the Christian Life Lets look at Psalm 4 and learn How to have a Peaceful Heart ~~~OPENING PRAYER~~~ The situation that David was in I. WHAT WAS DAVID FACING? In v.1 David prays - Hear me when I call, O God of my righteousness: Thou hast enlarged me when I was in distress; have mercy upon me, and hear my prayer Look at the phrase when I was in distress David references a time of great duress in his life The word distress means pressed into a corner, in a tight place
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How to have a Peaceful Heart Psalm 4:1-8

We might say between a rock and a hard place That word is at other times translated affliction and trouble David is speaking of a time when he found himself hemmed in by Trouble and Affliction

The word is used a lot in relation to an enemy or adversary David is speaking of Distress that had been brought on by the Attitudes and Actions of others There were those that were giving David a hard time They pressed him into a corner or tight place The troubles in his life had been caused by others As we look closer at the Psalm we see these Actions and Attitudes explained First, notice: A. What Others Were Showing People always reveal their motives by their actions

How to have a Peaceful Heart Psalm 4:1-8

He says in v. 2 - O ye sons of men, how long will ye turn my glory into shame? How long will ye love vanity, and seek after leasing? Selah The word selah is like our musical rest, which is an interval of silence in a piece of music, marked by a sign indicating the length of the pause David is speaking to those who have caused distress in his life

He telling them to stop and think very carefully about what he has just said What is it that he is asking them to carefully think about? He speaks of three things they have done First - he says they had turned his glory into shame The phrase sons of men speak of Leadership, people of Rank The background to this Psalm is when these leaders had been seduced by Absalom and with Absalom had led the people astray They had caused the people to turn against David and make Absalom king
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How to have a Peaceful Heart Psalm 4:1-8

It was God who had appointed David as king But the people had been led astray and made Absalom king instead David knew that He had no glory of his own, but God had given him that glory He knew that God had made him king Yet the people had shown their rejection of both him and God by making Absalom king

Warren Wiersbe said - The people werent just deposing a king; they were fighting against the Lord who had placed David on the throne It was Gods Glory the people had turned into Shame Secondly - David speaks of how the people love vanity The word vanity speaks of that which was worthless or empty What these people wanted, loved, and were following was Empty and Worthless Thirdly - David speaks of how the people seek after leasing
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How to have a Peaceful Heart Psalm 4:1-8

The word leasing speaks of that which is deceitful or untrue The people were not only following vain things But also believing lies And as a result, were following something deceitful In short, David is talking about the distress that had been brought on because others had led many of the people astray And now Gods Divine Purpose and Will had been thwarted That is why he asked these leaders O ye sons of men, how long will ye turn my glory into shame? That is why he asked those who had been led astray How long will ye love vanity, and seek after leasing? Application: What David is speaking about I have seen time and time again throughout the years Most of the trouble in a Church follows the same pattern

How to have a Peaceful Heart Psalm 4:1-8

I have seen someone get upset about some matter and they began working on other people to think like them in order to side with them For some strange reason the lies are easier to accept The result is people believe what they are told They then began to follow the lies they have been told Not realizing that they are actually being led astray II Samuel 15 tells us whats going on It started with Absalom who was on a campaign to be king

He would catch people who were on the way to see the king He would tell them that if he were king he would make sure things were done right I can hear him saying - If I were king, we would do things differently. We would do them like they ought to be done It funny how everybody knows your jobs better then you do
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How to have a Peaceful Heart Psalm 4:1-8

II Samuel 15:5 says And it was so, that when any man came nigh to him to do him obeisance, he put forth his hand, and took him, and kissed him. In short, he buddied up to the people and laid it on thick The Bible speaks of Absalom as a handsome man whose charms were hard to resist Slowly and gradually he built him a following that led to the disposal of Gods anointed king You know how it works They start calling you and acting like youre their best friend When in reality, they rarely ever called you before But now they have an agenda and youre a part of that agenda They subtly began to tell you their story Working to get you to agree with them And eventually to side with them And become a part of their plan
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How to have a Peaceful Heart Psalm 4:1-8

It happens all the time in Churches What most people fail to realize And David understood is that Their behavior showed their rejection of not just David But God as well! Thats why David added the selah at the end of his words Hes saying - You need to stop and think about what they are doing and what they are causing you to do To follow the disobedient is to become disobedient And there are consequences for both For some reason the lie is easier to believe than the truth And unfortunately, good people are pulled in by those with a selfish sinful- motive What these people were Showing had caused great distress in Davids life He also describes:
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How to have a Peaceful Heart Psalm 4:1-8

B. What Others Were Saying In v.6a he explains what the people were saying: There be many that say, Who will shew us any good? David was well aware of the Grumbling and Complaining of the people He knew what they were thinking and what they were saying among themselves The phrase - Who will shew us any good? means O that we might see some good In other words We would like to see things different We would like to see things done differently They were saying

We want it to be like it used to be and do it like it used to be done II Corinthians 10:12 For we dare not make ourselves of the number, or compare ourselves with some that commend themselves: but they measuring themselves by
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How to have a Peaceful Heart Psalm 4:1-8

themselves, and comparing themselves among themselves, are not wise I have heard people talk about the good old days, how it used to be You know what they say about the good old days The good old days are a combination of a bad memory and a good imagination In their thinking, if it was different, it would be good Philippians 3:13 Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before However, the question should be asked, how would it be good? Would what they wanted and called good, glorify God? Would it really be to their benefit or would it merely let them have their own way? What some call good is really not whats best David expressed the good he wanted v.6b He wanted the Glory of Gods smile upon them
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How to have a Peaceful Heart Psalm 4:1-8

Thats what he meant when he said LORD, lift Thou up the light of Thy countenance upon us That was not what they people were thinking about when they said Who will shew us any good? This good was having it their way Rather than God having His way The tense of the verb indicates that this statement was repeated again and again by those who were complaining The more they complained, the more others took up with them What started with a few - soon became many (v. 6) Like a growing cancer, the Discontent and Complaining of the people spread until there was widespread infection This story can be told over and over again It is how most problems get started in a Church

There is usually a few that are Disgruntled and Unhappy

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How to have a Peaceful Heart Psalm 4:1-8

And they go around saying - Who will shew us any good? The more they do; others began to join in with them Things havent changed since Davids time David confesses that the Actions and Attitudes of the people had at one point caused him much distress This is WHAT DAVID WAS FACING But notice also: II. WHAT DAVID WAS FEELING You will notice in v.1 that he testifies: Thou hast enlarged me when I was in distress His distress had been like being in a tight place But God had brought him into an enlarged place The word enlarged means wide, open Distress is like a narrow pit But we do not have to stay there
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How to have a Peaceful Heart Psalm 4:1-8

David said in v.7 Thou hast put gladness in my heart David was in a Distressful Situation But yet - his heart was filled with Gladness Why was it that David was feeling this way? First, notice: A. The Experience of His Gladness What David was going through was enough to depress anyone But instead, David was filled with Gladness How could David feel the way he was feeling when he was going through what he was going through? See, Davids happiness was not based on what was happening to him Instead it was based on his relationship with God!! The joy and happiness he was experiencing was a joy and happiness that God had given In v.1 we see that David had turned to the Lord in his Distressful time
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How to have a Peaceful Heart Psalm 4:1-8

He prays

Hear me when I call, O God of my righteousness have mercy upon me, and hear my prayer David is very much aware that He doesnt deserve anything from God That is why he asks for Gods mercy I love the way He addresses the Lord He addresses his prayer to the God of my righteousness He knew that he had no righteousness of his own That his righteousness was of God Because of his relationship to God He knew that God cared for him And therefore He cried out to God for help God lifted him from the narrow place of Sadness to a large place of Gladness

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How to have a Peaceful Heart Psalm 4:1-8

Outwardly, everything was Bleak, but inwardly David Experienced joy Furthermore, notice:

B. The Extent of His Gladness Notice v.7 again: Thou hast put gladness in my heart, more than in the time that their corn and their wine increased He makes mention of the harvest which was always a celebrated time in Israel It was always a time of great demonstrations of joy by the Jewish people However, the gladness he felt in his heart exceeded that joyful occasions The word gladness is often translated rejoice or rejoicing Instead of being Discouraged, he was Rejoicing From an earthly perspective, he had nothing to be glad about Yet, David had something the world didnt have
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How to have a Peaceful Heart Psalm 4:1-8

He had a joy that only comes from the Lord You may ask, is it really possible to have such a joy in the distressing times of life? I say, Yes

You can have a heart filled with gladness even in the distressful times of life WHAT DAVID WAS FACING WHAT DAVID WAS FEELING Lastly, notice with me: III. WHAT DAVID WAS FINDING David had more than Gladness in his heart He says in v.8 I will both lay me down in peace, and sleep: for thou, LORD, only makest me dwell in safety He had found a peace that enabled him to be free from everything and anything that normally would disturb a person The Apostle Paul described it this way:
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How to have a Peaceful Heart Psalm 4:1-8

And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ It is a peace that transcends all understanding One can be sailing troubled waters, yet be calm One can be going through a dark time, yet not be filled with fear or worry

That was what David was experiencing in his dark hour He could lie down at night and sleep like a baby because of the peace he had found The question is, how can we have such a peace? In CLOSING let me point out three things that David tells us to do First, he tells us: A. Dont Let Your Situations Distract You He says in v.4 - Stand in awe The word awe literally means to tremble It speaks of having a fear and reverence for God
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How to have a Peaceful Heart Psalm 4:1-8

When one fears God, they have no reason to fear anyone or anything else David is telling us to keep our eyes on the Lord Dont let what others are doing consume your thoughts Let your faith be in God Keep your eyes on Him! If you dwell on your situation it will fill your heart with fear But if you keep your eyes on the Lord, fear Him, stand in awe of Him, there will be nothing or no one to fear Secondly, David tells us: B. Dont Let Your Situations Defile You It is easy to let what others do cause you to react in a negative way Instead, David tells us to make sure we keep our heart clean He says in v.4 to sin not Dont let your heart become filled with anger, bitterness, and revenge
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How to have a Peaceful Heart Psalm 4:1-8

A heart that is filled with anger will not be filled with peace He also says in v.4 - commune with your own heart upon your bed, and be still He is telling us to Search and Examine our hearts Make sure there is nothing there that would keep us from having a peaceful heart Thirdly, he tells us: C. Dont Let Your Situations Defeat You

He says in v.5 - Offer the sacrifices of righteousness, and put your trust in the LORD David tells us that no matter what others are doing or what others are saying You keep on serving God and trusting Him Dont let your situation cause you to quit serving God Dont let it defeat you You honor God no matter what is happening in your life Trust God that He will take care of you
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How to have a Peaceful Heart Psalm 4:1-8

If you will not let your situation Distract, Defile, and Defeat you, God will give you a peaceful heart You can be like David When life has fallen to pieces, you can know a peace that passes all understanding I would remind you, you cannot have the peace of God until you know the God of peace Do you know Him? We can have a Peaceful Heart even when we go through the storms of life

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