On the Winning Side
Key Passage: Psalm 58
Date: June 7, 2024
Turn your Bible to Psalm chapter number 58. Psalm chapter number 58. I had heard this psalm, and it is just so perfect for what is going on today and this time. And I thought, Lord, would You want me to share this? It was an encouragement to me.
I heard someone else talk about it, and I asked the Lord about it. About that time, I got an email on my phone from someone who seemed totally discouraged by what is going on. And I felt like the Lord said, “There’s your confirmation.” And so thus we’re having an “I’m on the Winning Side” service tonight. And I want you to just ask God to encourage you tonight.
To do that, I got a text this morning from Brother Marlin pretty early. It was John 14, and Jesus, of course, speaking: “I go to prepare a place for you,” and so on. I texted back, I said, “Man, I’m so blessed. I got a beautiful place down here, and I got a beautiful place in waiting.” And there’s just (CAPITAL LETTERS) BLESSED. We’re blessed people. And I had the privilege of spending lunch with Brother Glenn today.
Brother Glenn just seemed like—right now, and it spoke to me as a good testimony to me. It just seemed like he’s a little bit… Boy, you don’t know what all you have. We don’t appreciate things like we ought to. We don’t have them. And boy, we’re blessed people. I mean, we just got blessings all over the place. I was working on finances a little bit today, church finances. Got deacons meeting tomorrow and budget and all that. Praise the Lord, God’s blessed our church finances during this time.
And we’ve got so many blessings all over the place. Thank God I’m on the winning side. And we’ll do what they want to, but praise the Lord, I’ve read the last chapter of the book, and I’m on the winning side. We just want to revel in that a little bit tonight. Does your good sometimes just say, “Thank God I’m on the winning side”? And we’re going to do a little bit of that tonight. I appreciate your help and these amends tonight.
And Brother Chip might even say “sick 'em” back there. I don’t know. We’ll see. But Psalm 58, we’re going to read the last verse. We’re going to start with the last verse. We’re going to pray, and then we’ll just go verse by verse through this chapter. Here’s really what we’re going to do tonight: We’ll start at the end, all right? We’ll start verse number 11. Would you please stand as we read God’s word together? Psalm 58 and verse number 11.
Of God’s word. If you’re there tonight, would you say amen? By the way, this is a great crowd for Wednesday night. Boy, that’s just blessing people coming back in. Praise the Lord. Brother Patterson put on our sign out front, “Welcome home church family.” Praise the Lord, glad to see everybody coming in here. Verse number 11, Psalm 58: “So that a man shall say, Verily, there is a reward for the righteous. Verily, he is a God that judgeth in the earth.” Verily, that “verily” is kind of like truly. I’m telling you the truth right here, kind of what it means. Would you just pray for the Lord to encourage your heart tonight through His word? Would you do so as I pray the same?
Lord, this Psalm was a blessing to me when I heard a man describe it. And, Lord, I pray You to use it tonight to be a blessing to our people here in the house, and, Lord, those watching online. Lord, would You remind us of some things? Lord, would You use those things to refresh us? Lord, I pray to give our people strength to continue to stand and shine brightly for You. We are blessed. Thank You, Lord. You’re so good to us. There are so many things. Lord, I’m just blessed beyond measure. I don’t deserve it all. Thank You for them. Father, please, would You meet with us tonight? And Father, well, thank You for what You do. We’re asking for all these things in Jesus’ name, so we’re asking in faith. Amen. Thank you so much. You may be standing.
You may be seated. Thank you for standing. Thank you, Ms. Cindy. You’re listening. Amen. I promise, I haven’t drunk anything—okay, a little water or whatnot, but that’s it. But I want you to go up to verse number one, Psalm 58. Let’s just start in verse number one. Before we read verse number one, I want you to realize this is kind of like a…
Cynical question in verse number one. It’s important for you to know what’s going on. You’ll understand by verse number two. He knows. He knows this is not true. It’s a cynical question. So let’s start in verse number one, Psalm 58: “Do ye indeed speak righteousness, O congregation? Do ye judge uprightly, O sons of men?” It’s a cynical—it’s almost like a mocking question. Verse number two, you’ll understand. He says, “Yea, in heart ye work wickedness; ye weigh the violence of your hands in the earth.” You see, verse number two makes it clear that verse number one is just a cynical question. Now, verse number two, he says, in your heart…
In your heart, you work wickedness. Now, you might be saying other things, but in your heart, you’re working wickedness. See? Then he says this: He says, you weigh the violence of your hands in the earth.
It’s amazing now that they’re saying all these sayings, but their heart—they’re working wickedness in their heart. I mean, be careful of what people say; find out what’s going on in their heart or what they’re doing with their hands. You’re saying all this, but your heart’s working wickedness, and your hands are weighing the violence.
It reminds me, as the Bible says, “As the days of Noah, so shall the days of the coming of the Son of Man be.” Now, you know how the Bible describes the days of Noah in Genesis chapter 6? Let me read—if you’re just too close—verse number 11 of Genesis 6. It says, “The earth was filled with violence.” Verse number 13 of Genesis 6: “The earth is filled with violence.” Man, it just seems like violence is becoming the norm in America.
It’s a sad thing to see the violence all around. And it’s sad to see that. Now, he said, look, verse number one, he asks this question. Now, let’s go back and get verse number one. You understand really what’s going on: the heart and the work of wickedness, what their hands are doing—violence. Now let’s go back and look at the cynical question, verse number one there: “Do ye indeed speak righteousness?”
And they can say, “Well, we’re working righteousness on Facebook or Instagram or wherever it may be,” but friend, their hands and their heart tell otherwise. You understand? That’s what he’s talking about. Now, then he goes on. He says, “Do ye judge uprightly?”
Friend, talking about that, I don’t know all the details. I don’t know if we ever know all the details, but I’m not for the violence that seems to happen, whatnot, in Minnesota with the police. I’m not for that at all, but I’m also not for the violence. And isn’t it amazing? So you’re against violence, so you go out and commit more violence? That makes a whole lot of sense. But they can say, “We’re judging uprightly,” when the truth is their hearts work wickedness, and their hands are weighing the violence. Now, they’ll talk a good show. And, oh, look at the heart, look at the hands. Then he says—then he says in the bottom of verse 4, “O sons of men.” In other words, not God’s sons. In other words, if you will, the world—that’s what the world is going to do. And don’t get too shook up about it. That’s the world. And these are the things the world is going to do. And by the way, yes, the present thing we’re facing now, and maybe starting to get past it a little bit, but not just that. Don’t just put this in your mind just to this, but across the board, that’s just the way it’s going. See? But let’s keep going. Let’s just see how God plays this saying out in this chapter here. Jump down to verse number three. Verse number three.
He says, “The wicked are estranged from the womb; they go astray as soon as they be born, speaking lies.” Now, here’s the interesting thing about that: all of us are born in iniquity. All of us are. That sweet and innocent baby—they’re not so sweet and innocent. I mean, after a while, Mom and Dad, you’ll figure that out. You understand what I’m talking about. 3 a.m., you’ll figure it out pretty quick a lot of times, you know. That pitching that fits real cute at two, but if you don’t take care of it, it ain’t so cute at twenty. You understand what I’m saying?
Now here’s the thing. So all of us are there, but a mom and dad puts a stop to that, amen. A good mom and dad does. A good mom and dad says, “We’ve got a lot of chiseling to do to get to the diamond inside there,” you know. Mom and dad, and if that child, that little one, that person, makes a decision, if they’ll let life rub off a whole lot of the rough edges—not only that, but if they’ll let Jesus Christ into the heart, if they get saved, He’ll change that heart. But the wicked and estranged, they go astray from them. They never change. They just keep going that way from the time they’re born. They just had it that way. And our dad doesn’t stop it. They don’t let the world stop it. They don’t let Jesus come into the heart and change your heart. There’s a difference there. They just keep going that way.
Notice what he says here: “They go astray as soon as they be born speaking lies.” And here’s the thing that we’ll just emphasize: I’m not talking about one individual here. That would not be right of me; it would be borderline to get bitterness. I’m just talking about the wicked of the world. I don’t have a face on there. Don’t put someone’s name on it. Don’t do that, all right? Now, I’m joking a little bit, but I’m serious, though. I don’t want to get bitter against one person. But it’s all right to say, “God bless the righteous and defeat the wicked.” That’s all right. But here’s the thing: He said, look, they’re speaking lies. But you can’t trust someone that speaks lies. You just don’t want to hear them talk because you know if they’re talking, you just can’t trust it. And that’s what these folks are: wicked, man. You just—after a while, you’re like, “Man, I don’t want to hear anymore,” because you just can’t believe anything they say. That’s what he’s saying. You just can’t put any weight on it. You can’t trust it. See?
Now, verse number four starts taking an interesting twist. It begins to use animals to describe some things. You ever just feel like the world we’re living in is turning into a little bit of an animal show? Somebody say amen right there. A little bit of a circus with a bunch of animals running around. And that’s the way the Bible describes it here. Look in verse number four: “Their poison is like the poison of a serpent.” So it starts using a snake. Friend, I don’t know about you, but I don’t like snakes. You said, “That’s not a poisonous snake.” It doesn’t matter to me, friend. The only good snake is a dead snake. I’ll tell you what, I want to say amen right there. Come on now.
I had some trees fall a couple months ago on our property, and I was cutting them up. They were rotten on the inside. I had a big old little hole in the middle of it, and I’d cut those logs, and I was picking logs up to put them in the back of my truck, and I picked one of those big logs up, and I looked down inside—boy, there was a big old snake in there. You never saw a guy throw a log down and run like a girl so fast all your life. I didn’t tell you, I was out of there, amen. Praise the Lord, that chainsaw ought to take care of that snake a little bit. I just didn’t know it, amen. I just—I don’t like them. But he begins to use this thing about a snake. Not what a snake’s known for. How do they hurt you? They bite you. Yeah, he says these people, the wicked of the world, they’re going to be biting every chance they get. Don’t get too shook up when they come out and say this or that. That’s just part of it. They’re going to be biting. Somebody said, “Man, I’m getting all shook up about what’s going to go on with the next election, all the cheating, all the rest of that stuff.” Friend, they’re just going to be biting. Just get used to it.
Yeah, that’s the way the Bible describes it: snakes. Snakes bite. I mean, it’s just always going to be biting someone. That’s just part of it. Then he says this: “Their poison is like the poison of a serpent.” They’re biting, and they’re trying to get their poison into your bloodstream, just get you where you get weak and weary, delirious. I mean, it can kill you if you let it. And they’re going to be trying to bite, and they’re going to try to put their poison into you and make you sick. And that’s going to happen. Don’t get bent out of shape when it happens. It’s just going to happen.
Look at how God—not how the preachers describe, but how God describes it. Look at the rest of this verse here. “They are like the deaf adder that stoppeth her ear.” Now he goes on in verse number five: “…which will not hearken to those who charm, charming never so wisely.” They’re trying to charm. But here’s the thing: this snake here, they’re just not going to listen. They’re not. They have deaf ears. And don’t get mad if you just have this argument; they’re just not going to listen. And friend, don’t lose sleep over it. We’ll get to the second here, but we’re on the winning side. God’s got it all under control. But when they don’t listen, no matter if somebody just says this, it’s not going to be any magical thing anybody said. They close their ears. That’s what the Bible said. It doesn’t matter how you charm them; they’re not going to listen. That’s what it’s saying here.
Let’s get verse number five. We’ve already read it one time. We’ll read it again. Verse number five: “…which will not hearken to the voice of charmers, charming never so wisely.” You ever seen a fellow? A lot of times they’ll use flutes or whatever it may be, recorders, I don’t know, whatever. And they’ll have that snake, you know. I mean, just charming. That’s it. Here they’re doing it with their voice. I wouldn’t do it with a recorder or flute; I’d do it with my voice—I’d make it with a shotgun, amen! You know? I mean, I’d be charming them with that: Boom! That would charm them real good. But the people will do that stuff. How many have you seen them do that on a movie or some kind of video or something? That’s just amazing. Wow, you know. And he said, look, man, that can be the best charmers charming so wisely, and they’re not going to hearken. They’re not going to change. Okay? They’re just not. And you’re not going to be able to charm. Can I say that? It’s interesting how the Bible uses the word “charm.” You’re not going to be able to charm the wicked. And sometimes you just got to say, they’re not going to change, but I’m going to stand right where I’m at and praise the Lord. Someone above knows what’s going on, and in the end, I’m on the winning side because they’re not going to be charmed. And it doesn’t matter how wisely, they’re not going to be charmed.
It’s interesting. Verse number six, he starts praying. Now, it’s not your typical Sunday morning ushers down front prayer. It’s not that, all right? It’s not first and second grade Sunday school prayers going on right here. It’s a little different, but it’s prayer nonetheless. You’ll look at it. You’ll see it. And look at this prayer here, starting in verse number six. He begins to pray. Boy, that’s a good thing to do. Begin to pray. Somebody say amen there. That’s the right thing to do.
Now look at this in verse number six. It’s very interesting what he says. He says, “Break their teeth, O God, in their mouth.” Now, it’s not just wanting violence, if you will. Here’s the thing: they can’t bite anymore, you see. He’s just talking about that snake that wants to put its poison in you. They’ve got to have those fangs to do that, break the skin. And he’s saying, “Hey, break their teeth in their mouth.” Hey, they can’t bite anymore then, friend. The poison doesn’t get into your blood anymore after that. That’s what he’s saying. “Break their teeth, O God, in their mouth. Break out the great teeth of the young lions, O Lord.”
That’s interesting. Let me just back up and say a word here, just so nobody misunderstands me. I am not saying I’m for injustice or violence. And not just to the situation, but it just dawned on me: I don’t want to appear as if I’m for injustice if police are doing injustice; I’m not for that either. And I’m not saying that, but I’m not for violence across the board. And I don’t want to be clear on that. I’m not trying to incite that. It’s not right. I don’t know all the details. You don’t either. We might not ever know all the deeds, but I’m not for either one. But we’re just talking about the wicked here. And then again, I’m not for the looting and the breaking down and all the rest of what’s going on in America and destroying property and destroying people. Not for any of that. God’s not either. And it’s foolishness.
But let’s just keep going here. What all he says in verse number six: “Break their teeth, O God, in their mouth. Break out the great teeth of the young lions, O Lord.” He’s changing from a snake to a lion, the fierce lion. And boy, have you ever been in a zoo and you hear the lion’s roar? Man, you can hear them across the zoo. You’re like, “Whoa, man. Somebody made that kitty cat mad over there.” You know? Something is going on over there. And he’s talking about even the young—why does he talk about young lions? It’s those that just seem like they have never-ending energy, and they’re agile, and they’re ferocious, and they’re just powerful. There’s no way to stop them, as is the case here, the young lions. But God can break the teeth of the young lions. They are no match for God. Not all, but much of the media is very wicked. You say, “What can we do about that?” They are no match for God. There’s just a little ant compared to God, like a flea on an elephant, if you will, compared to God. Don’t get shook up about that. And he said, “Hey, the great teeth of the young lions.” See?
He begins to change gears a little bit. Truth begins to come out a little bit more. Look in verse number seven here. Verse number seven: “Let them melt away as waters which run continually.” It’s talking about—you ever have a tank that’s supposed to hold water, but it’s got a leak and it’s continuously leaking? Man, especially if you have to carry a bucket of water to it like they had to do back in the day. They didn’t have water hoses in Bible times, you know. They didn’t have faucets and all that, you know. So imagine how the water would just melt away. Imagine putting water in it—where would it go? And it just melts away. Some say it may have a little bit to do with ice or snow. I’m not sure. But he’s been speaking here of just the shortness of life of the wicked. The Bible says they shall soon be cut down like the grass (Psalm 103 says). You say, “Man, they’re so powerful.” Friend, just hang on a minute or two. They’ll melt away. Don’t get worked up. Don’t say, “What are we going to do? God is still wrong. We’re all right.” They’ll melt away. It’s like water that’s trickling around; it’s just gone. That’s what we’re talking about.
Notice what he says here in the bottom of verse number seven: “When he bendeth his bow to shoot his arrows, let them be as cut in pieces.” Now, here’s the thing with this: He’s not just saying, “Stop that arrow” or “Make it go the wrong direction” or “Put that arrow down.” He’s saying, “Cut that thing in pieces so they can’t shoot that arrow anymore.” It’s over. It’s done. Hey, arrows cut up—you’re not going to be able to shoot it forward. It’s just finished. And the wicked, after a while—almost you start having pity on them because their prime, their spotlight, is just boom, it’s there, and it’s gone. And when destruction comes to them, it’s final. And it’s not like the arrow’s put down; it’s cut in pieces. They’re not going to be able to shoot again. It’s all over for them. That’s what he’s talking about. That’s what he’s praying about here.
Look in verse number eight. Verse number eight: “As a snail which melteth, so let them pass away every one of them.” You ever seen snails? Sometimes you’ll find those snails in the morning. Any of you pick them up? Any of you taste them? I don’t either. Just wanted to get your goat a little bit there, you know. Look, those snails, you’ll see them in the morning, and yet if they’re left out or they’re just out by noontime, by two or three o’clock, they’re shriveled up. If they don’t get some protection, they’re gone. They’re just soon melted away.
The wicked—it reminds me of a preacher I talked to a while back, met him the first time at a preachers’ meeting several months back. He was telling me about before he was saved and his wife. He had brought a bunch of buddies in; they were hunting at ungodly hours of the morning, like 3 a.m. You know, that’s just sinful, you know. But they had come in, and he had asked her, “Would you fix breakfast?” And she did. She was saved sometime and went to the Lord. And one of the men said, “How can you do that?” And he wasn’t mean. He said, “I did it to my wife.” He said, “I wasn’t mean. I woke up there and asked her, ‘Would you?’ And she said, ‘Yeah, give me a few minutes and I’ll do it.’” And one of the other guys told his wife, “How could you do that?” And he wasn’t planning on it, but this reminds me what she said. She said, “Well, you know, if my husband doesn’t get saved, he’ll never have fun. He’ll never laugh again. I might as well try to give him a little fun, a little laughter now, because if he doesn’t get saved, he’s going to die and go to hell.” And it says, as a lost man, I heard my wife say that. That’s part of me getting saved. And these wicked friends, don’t get too shook up about them. Their highlight is today, and tomorrow is going to melt away. They don’t let Jesus change them, friend. They don’t have much to look forward to. It’s all over for them.
Look at verse number eight: “…like the untimely birth of a woman, that they may not see the sun.” It’s talking about a child that dies at birth, a miscarriage of sorts. Here’s the thing: it’s like they never lived. They never even saw the sun come up. And they might be having a little flicker right now and look like, “My goodness,” but in the whole scheme of things, it’s going to be like they never even were there. That’s what it’s like for the wicked. They never even got to see the light of the sun. I mean, they just never got to live in the light. It’s a sad thing. All they experience is death for all eternity. What a sad thing.
Let’s keep going with this. Verse number nine. You all still with me tonight? Look at verse number nine. “Before your pots can feel the heat, he shall take them away as with a whirlwind.” Now, what he’s saying is before the pots can feel the thorns—well, they didn’t have microwaves, praise the Lord for microwaves, by the way. Pizza is awfully good when you put it in the microwave for about a minute, amen. Come on now, you know that’s a good thing right there, for sure. Or put Krispy Kreme donuts in there. It could be a day old, but put it in the microwave for seven seconds. Somebody say amen. Come on now. I’m going to preach it tonight, I’ll tell you for sure.
Now, you know, they didn’t have all those things and the ovens and all that. And so they would have their pot they’re cooking with, and they would put some wood underneath or some thorns. And they like that fire. And those of you that camped or tried to cook like that or try to boil some water like that, it takes a while for that heat to get into the water, warming up. And he’s saying this about the wicked: He’s saying before the thorns start burning to where it gets into the pot, before that ever happens—by the way, they say that typically the thorns there and the pot is kind of like they’re scheming, they’re plotting, they’re dreaming up something—and before their wicked plots are ever felt, this is what happens: “He shall take them away as with a whirlwind.” He shall take them away with a tornado, if you will.
How many have you seen what rode through Nashville? That was pretty bad. How many have seen over in Cookeville that tornadoes came through, and you’ve seen that? A couple of you. Brother Richard was there and found some bodies unfortunately afterward in the rescue. We got to drive over to Cookeville, and we parked, and then we walked a little bit where they wouldn’t let you drive through, and wow. I’m talking everything right in the path of the city—everything in that path was just gone, leveled. It wasn’t there anymore. You mean there was a house there before? Yeah. It ain’t there anymore. And he’s saying the wicked plots and schemes, before the heat of it is even felt, God just takes them away. It’s just like they were never there—just boom. Tornadoes are amazing how quickly it’s just there, it’s gone, and whatever was there is gone, too. That’s what he’s saying. Friend, don’t get too shook up about the wicked. He’s saying just like a whirlwind—boom, they’re gone. And you’re like, “Wow, I didn’t even know they were ever there.” It’s gone. That’s what he’s saying. And their evil plots, before they ever felt it, they’re gone.
Then he says this interesting statement there in the bottom of verse number nine: “…both in life and in His wrath.” I don’t know—this is my, this is Pastor Paul’s theology, all right. This is what I think it has to do with. You can discuss it later on if you think otherwise. If I’m not there, just go ahead and start without me, amen. But “both in life”—I think he has to do with maybe living full of life, youth, young—both alive. The wicked that are just young, man, they’ve got so much; they’re just full of life and they’re living. And then the wrath—wrath has to do with that inner smoldering, even the older, bitter ones. They’re just full of bitterness and wrath, and they’re just mad—older people, wrathful older people—is all of them. There are schemes and all the rest of that. Before the effect of it is even felt, the whirlwind is going to come and, boom, take them away.
Now, look at verse number 10. Would you do this? Would you read for me the first four words real loud, if you would, verse number 10? Here we go: “The righteous shall rejoice.” Would you do this? Would you say it again with me? And let’s emphasize “shall” right there. All right. Here we go: “The righteous shall rejoice.” Would you emphasize “rejoice” with me? Here we go: “The righteous shall rejoice.” Would you emphasize “righteous” with me? Here we go: “The righteous shall rejoice.”
Hey, friend, can I just stop and say something here? It always has and it always will pay to do right. Hey, friend, those that have spent their lives living for the Lord Jesus Christ, listen, a thousand years from today, they’ll be glad they lived for the Lord Jesus Christ. Hey, friend, those that have been in church and reading their Bible, trying to win the lost to the Lord Jesus Christ—hey, 10,000 years from now, they’ll be thrilled they lived for the Lord Jesus Christ. Friend, “the righteous shall rejoice.” Don’t you listen to the devil when he says it doesn’t pay to live for the Lord Jesus Christ? It always has and it always will pay to live for the Lord. “The righteous shall rejoice.” Friend, don’t you believe the wicked. Don’t get caught up in it. Don’t let the devil fool you. Bless God! Hey, for all eternity, we’re going to be singing in heaven and shouting and glad we spent our lives living for the Lord. “The righteous shall rejoice.” Oh, it pays to live for the Lord. You say, “Man, with all this going on around us,” friend, don’t you let that shake you up for a tiny millisecond, friend. It always has, always will pay to live for the Lord, to pay, to live for the Lord Jesus Christ.
My dad, who spent his life—the vast majority of his life running souls—is in heaven, and he’s thrilled he spent his life running souls to the Lord Jesus Christ. All the saints of the Old Testament that spent their lives, even those who are martyred, they are thrilled that they spent their lives living for the Lord Jesus Christ. Friend, “the righteous shall rejoice.” Always have, always will. Don’t let the devil and that old roaring lion fool you for a split second in your mind or in your heart. It pays to live for Jesus. Always has, always will. You’ll be thrilled on your deathbed that you lived for Jesus, and you’ll be thrilled for all eternity you lived for Jesus. I don’t say there’s gloating or gleeing, but I’ve been with some people that didn’t live for the Lord Jesus Christ as they’re nearing the end, and I’ve seen them many a time say, “I wish I would have spent more time living for the Lord.” But I never have heard a righteous man say, “I regret living for it”—never have heard that. “The righteous shall rejoice.” God’s promise. Shall rejoice. Would you just—would you just one more time for me? Read it, would you please? Let’s just read one more time. Here we go, those first four words: “The righteous shall rejoice.” Oh, yeah.
Can I say this? Don’t get bitter at an individual, but it does say the rest of that verse: “The righteous shall rejoice when he seeth the vengeance.” Nothing wrong with a righteous person when he sees justice served. Don’t get mad at an individual. Don’t get bitter at an individual. But it’s all right when you say, “You know, I’m glad justice is served.” It’s all right. Not that you hate anybody or you’re bitter toward one person, but it’s all right. You say, “Man, it’s just good to see some justice served.” That’s all right. “The righteous shall rejoice” when they see the vengeance.
Now here’s the interesting thing. Look at the last part of that verse: “He shall wash his feet in the blood of the wicked.” What does that mean? This is what I think he’s saying: In the end, when you see the end of the wicked… Maybe sometimes—and you’ve probably heard illustrations like this—sometimes the guy that’s out selling drugs, the drug dealers, he’s got a nice car and fetching all that, you think, “Man, he’s got all that.” Old friend, just hang on just a little bit. He’s going to melt away like a snail. And before his schemes of all he wants to do really gets felt and heats up the water, boom, there’s going to be a tornado come through and wipe that guy out.
And in the end, when you see justice served… Your feet—your feet typically have to do with, even if you’re saved, we walk in a sinful world, and you get the dirt of the world on your feet and on your life. And when you see the end of that life, when you see a young person that doesn’t live for the Lord and they just sell out for popularity, they sell out for the wrong relationship for all that, and you see the end of that, a messed-up life, you say, “I want to just wash all that off. I don’t want to go that way.” If you will, your feet are washed in their blood. You see what a shameful end of their life, the bloodshed in their life, if you will. You say, “That’s going to help me say, I’m not going that direction. I’m going to let it clean my feet up.” I’d rather die like that fellow who’s been living for the Lord all his life. I don’t want to die like that man or that lady that has so many regrets and pains and hurts and sorrows, and people don’t even want to come to her funeral or his funeral because how they hurt so many people. And you see that, you say, “I don’t want to go there.” I’ll just stay away from that. And your feet get cleaned up in it, if you will.
Now we’re back to verse number 11. This is what we started out with. Verse number 11 here. We already read it one time. At the end of this saying: “So that a man shall say, Verily, there is a reward for the righteous.” Oh, you’re going to be so glad you lived for the Lord. I mean, you spent your life truly, sincerely, not for faith and fortune, not for people looking at you, but you’re living for the Lord. You’re going to be so glad. In the end, they’re going to say, “Man, there is a reward for the righteous.” Hey, we sing about it tonight, that mansion, amen. Well, that last verse of “Victory in Jesus,” I like that about it. And I always think about it. Praise the Lord, up in heaven, those mansions—there are no mortgage payments on them. Somebody say amen right there. Yeah. “Just one glimpse of His dear face, all sorrow will erase.” There will be a reward for the righteous. That old man just spending his life, and that lady just spending their life trying to serve God, raise their kids for the Lord, pay their bills and be honest, be a good testament—oh, there’s a reward for the righteous. That man or that lady who taught a Sunday school and went soul-winning around a bus route. Hey, listen, sometimes this old world makes you feel like you’re spinning your wheels. But, friend, there is a reward for the righteous. In the end, you’ll say, “Well, there should have—verily there is a reward for the righteous.” That’s what he’s saying.
Look at the end of this saying here. It’s what you say: “So that a man shall say, Verily, there is a reward for the righteous. Verily, he is a God that judges in the earth.” Oh, hey, this is what it is saying: In the end, God’s still on the throne. In the end, heaven is His throne, earth is His footstool. In the end, you’ll say, “Hey, my goodness, He can measure the heavens with the span.” In the end, you say He can put all the water—what is it, 71, 72% of the earth’s surface cover—He can put the water of the world in the hollow of His hand. Hey, He’s sitting on the throne. He knows what’s going on. He knows every little detail. He knows the things that happened in the dark when nobody else was watching. He knows the person that twisted it all and lied about it. He knows all the schemes. He knows the instigators. He knows the one that took it farther than they should. He knows all the injustice of every person in the world. And He is a righteous, holy, just God. He’s still on the throne.
Look, if you will, over in Ecclesiastes chapter number five. We’re almost done. Ecclesiastes chapter number five. This verse has been such a blessing to me: Ecclesiastes 5, Ecclesiastes 5, if you would. Ecclesiastes 5, verse number eight: “If thou seest the oppression of the poor, and the violent perverting of judgment and justice in a province…” Three things he says: “Marvel not at the matter. For he that is higher than the highest regardeth.” He sees it all. And I like this last part: “…and there be a higher.” Oh, hey, they’re not the final judge. I thank God for good judges in our country. Whether it’s a good judge or a bad judge, you say, “Well, look, appeal it to a higher judge.” Well, you can appeal it to a higher judge? Oh, we’re at the Supreme Court, but can I say this? The Supreme Court doesn’t have a final say. There is a higher than they, and He is regarding the whole matter. So don’t marvel at it. And then you’ll say, “Man, there is a reward for the righteous.” God’s still on His throne.
Original File: On the Winning Side - Pastor Paul Chisgar 6320