Fools Made to Seek God

Berean Baptist on August 8, 2016

Psalm 53

Recently I had a conversation with someone who related his former belief about God by saying something to this effect: “I believed if there was a God He created us and put us in His test tube as an experiment to see what we would do.” This view of God obviously makes Him very detached and impersonal without a real plan of interaction or care for His creatures.

Psalm 53 very clearly shows that false ideas about God are the norm for people rather than the exception. All aberrant views of God may not be the same, but all of them are products of the fallen human nature. This psalm begins with one of these fallacious viewpoints which is the idea there is no God at all. This idea is beyond foolish for even a fool knows he can look at creation and see it couldn’t have just happened—with no rhyme or reason it just happened, and everything appeared from nothing. That something appeared from nothing is mind boggling to say the least, but it is all we are left with if there is no self-existent all powerful something. This is what God is—He is that all powerful something. The word used in Psalm 53 for God is the Hebrew Elohim which refers to the sovereign God who is the maker and sustainer of the universe. He is capable of making something out of nothing.

The existence of the sovereign God is evident lest we be total fools, and so we must move from the foolishness of the atheist to determine the personality of God. Are we His creatures the subject of an experiment? Is He impersonal? This notion is forcefully disputed by the psalmist as he states in verse 2 that God looked down from heaven to see if there were any that did seek Him. Why would this be important to an impersonal God? If there is no relationship to be had, what difference does seeking Him make?

The interaction of God with man in these verses is actually negative. The relationship that could be had is stymied by man’s sinfulness. This is not the condition of one or a few or even the majority. It is the condition of all as God sees all of us as filthy and not one of us is capable of good. This moral corruption causes all false views of God and keeps man from seeking God in the right way.

What is the solution to the problem? Only one—salvation—salvation from the depravity of the mind that keeps us away from God. How will this salvation come when the corruption of man keeps him from seeking it? It must come out of Zion (v. 6). Do you understand what this means? It means it must come from God. Only God can fix the problem and it is the sovereign God who by an act of His gracious omnipotent will that it is accomplished. The psalmist pleads for the salvation of God to come out of Zion!

A psalm such as this puts the free will of man in salvation forever at rest. There is nothing in us that wills us to God. The psalmist debunked this myth by saying there is none that does good, no, not one. Willing ourselves to God is good, isn’t it? And yet, according to this psalm, it can never happen. We cannot will ourselves to God but He can will Himself to us. When salvation comes out of Zion, it is God dealing with the depravity of man to change him to one who will seek Him. And this is how salvation happens, friends. We love Him because He first loved us.

When you seek God, never boast, “I am on my way to find God.” Always remember He changed you so that you would seek Him. This is how the dilemma of Psalm 53 is solved. The very personal God gets very personal with you. You are not a test tube baby but one personally born of the Spirit of God.

Pastor V. Mark Smith

God’s Presence and Heaven’s Pleasures

Berean Baptist on April 15, 2015

Thou wilt shew me the path of life: in thy presence is fulness of joy; at thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore. (Psalms 16:11)

Psalm 16 is another of the remarkable Old Testament passages that speak of the great Messiah who was to come. There are many Old Testament prophecies that speak of the coming of Christ in ways that could not have been completely understood by the prophets. This Psalm was written one thousand years before Christ came, yet it speaks of the resurrection which is the triumphal event of Christ’s life and the hope of every Christian.

Verse 10 says, “For thou wilt not leave my soul in hell; neither wilt thou suffer thine Holy One to see corruption.” Though David wrote this, it is impossible for him to speak concerning himself. David’s body is still in a grave in Jerusalem and has seen the decay of the flesh. When Peter preached on Pentecost, he revealed the meaning of this Old Testament text which no one could have known unless the Holy Spirit unlocked it and showed it referred to Jesus whom the Jews had just crucified. Jesus was buried but the grave could not contain Him. As David prophesied, Christ arose from the dead and now sits on the throne in heaven. Peter said of David, “He seeing this before spake of the resurrection of Christ, that his soul was not left in hell, neither his flesh did see corruption” (Acts 2:31).

We should note the use of the word hell in both Psalm 16:10 and Acts 2:31. This word translates the Hebrew sheol and the Greek hades. In these two scriptures, neither of these mean hell in the sense of the place of eternal torment. Neither David nor Christ were ever in the place of torment. Rather, sheol and hades in both instances refer to the grave. Christ was not left in the grave to suffer the corruption of His flesh, but rather was raised and His body was glorified. No Christian goes to a place of suffering or purging such as is taught by the Roman Catholic doctrine of purgatory. The soul of the Christian goes immediately into heaven to await the resurrection of the body. Every Christian may joyfully quote Psalm 16:9: “Therefore my heart is glad, and my glory rejoiceth: my flesh also shall rest in hope.” These sentiments of Christ expressed His immediate hope of the resurrection, while we await ours according to the sure promise of God.

The last verse of the Psalm is also sweet to the Christian. We must remember that when we came to Christ in faith we were placed “in Christ.” Everything that happens to Him happens to us. Christ was raised to return to heaven to the blessed fellowship of the Father: “In thy presence is fulness of joy; at thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore.” I am sure as David penned these words he knew they would somehow apply to him. At the moment of his death, his eyes opened to the glories of heaven and the presence of God the Father. His words that were somewhat mysterious as he wrote them became crystal clear as he received a mind that was perfectly in tune with Christ.

This is the same hope for you and me. We preach the glories of heaven and the fellowship of the Father without knowledge of the fullness of them. However, after this brief sojourn of life is over, we too shall see the full revelation of what we have so longed hoped for. Whenever you are discouraged, turn to this Psalm and think of the presence of God and the pleasures of heaven. Troubles melt away in the blessed promises of scripture.

Pastor V. Mark Smith