From His Heart

Speaker 1

When problems come your way, have you ever turned your head up to heaven and asked God, hey, what's the deal? Here's Pastor Jeff Shreve.

Speaker 2

See, in the Christian life, we can get very frustrated at what is going on around us. We can say, hey, God, you know, I am trying and trying and trying to live for you. I am trying to do what's right. I'm trying so hard to be a good husband, to be a good dad, to be a good mom, to be a good wife.

And I'm doing everything I'm supposed to be doing, and I get nothing. What's the deal, God? I don't understand this God. He can heal every scar with real truth, real love, real hope from his heart.

Speaker 1

Thank you for joining us today on From His Heart with Pastor Jeff Shreve, who's going to remind us today that serving and defending God can be, and often is, very difficult. But the Bible tells us God has a reason for it all. You see, even though we defend the faith, often we are mocked, belittled, and criticized.

Is the struggle we go through worth serving God? Well, Pastor Jeff Shreve has an encouraging lesson for you today called "What's the Deal, God?" where he'll explore the pitfalls that open up when we take our eyes off of Him and the overwhelming purpose and joy that we have when we live a life that serves the almighty, loving Creator God.

Today on From His Heart, we'll begin the second message of eight in the powerful and practical series "Roller Coaster: Facing the Ups and Downs of Life." Open your Bible now to Psalm 73, and let's hear some truthful answers to this question: What's the deal, God?

Speaker 2

I heard about a kindergarten teacher in the Northeast. It was in January, and it was wet and cold, and she had the students go out for recess. One of the students was trying so hard to get on his rain boots to go out for recess, and he was struggling. So she came to help him. She had to struggle and struggle and struggle to get his boots on. Finally, with much effort and pulling, she got his boots on. The little boy then said to her, "Teacher, they're on the wrong feet." She looked down, and sure enough, they were on the wrong feet.

So she struggled and struggled and struggled to get them off. Then she struggled and struggled and struggled to put them back on the right feet. Finally, she sighed in relief, saying, "Whew, I got that done." But then he said, "Teacher, these aren't my boots." Ugh. She was so exasperated. So she struggled and struggled and pulled and sweated and finally got them on, holding her temper. Then she asked, "Now, where are your mittens?" He replied, "I stuffed them in the toes of my boots."

You can imagine how frustrated she was. Now, all of us can identify with frustration when trying to do something and not seeing any success as a result of all our efforts and struggles. This is true in life in general, but it’s also true in the Christian life. In the Christian life, we can get very frustrated with what is going on around us. We might say, "Hey, God, I am trying and trying and trying to live for you. I am trying to do what's right. I'm trying so hard to be a good husband, a good dad, a good mom, a good wife. Yet all I see is difficulty in my marriage. I'm trying so hard at work, and all I see is that I'm getting further and further behind. God, I just don't understand what gives. What's the deal here, God?"

To make it even worse, my neighbor, who doesn't care about God at all, who doesn't go to church, who doesn't seek the Lord, seems to have everything come up roses. My neighbor doesn't pray, but he sure prospers. He doesn't worship, but he sure is wealthy. He doesn't obey God, but he sure is blessed by God. And here I am, doing everything I'm supposed to be doing, and I get nothing. What's the deal, God? Am I barking up the wrong tree? I don't understand this, God.

We're in a series on selected psalms called "Roller Coaster: Facing the Ups and Downs in Life." We're looking at the Psalms because they are so true to life. The Psalms pull back the veil. As the psalmist David and others, like Asaph, share how they feel about a situation, they let you know what's going on inside. It's raw, and it's filled with emotion. That's why I love the Psalms so much.

In this Psalm today, Psalm 73, Asaph, who was one of the musicians and singers in the Levitical line, was in David's kingdom and court, involved in worship and the choir. He got so frustrated that he was about to throw in the towel on his relationship with the Lord, about to give up on worship and just say, "You know what? It's not worth it." This is what he says in Psalm 73:11-14 in the Message version of the Bible: "What's going on here? Is God out to lunch? Nobody's tending the store. The wicked get by with everything; they have it made, piling up riches. I've been stupid to play by the rules. What has it gotten me? A long run of bad luck. That's what. A slap in the face every time I walk out the door."

That's how he felt, and that's how many of us feel too. But we don't really verbalize it because we think, "I'm not supposed to say that; that's the wrong answer." However, when you're honest before the Lord, you're able to tell Him anything. The Bible says, "Trust in Him at all times, O people; pour out your heart before Him. God is a refuge for us." God is a safe place, and you can share with Him how you feel, including your frustrations. That is what Asaph does, and he teaches us a lot about the question: Is serving the Lord really worth it?

Psalm 73 begins with, "Surely God is good to Israel, to those who are pure in heart. But as for me, my feet came close to stumbling; my steps had almost slipped, for I was envious of the arrogant as I saw the prosperity of the wicked." I want you to notice three insights from this psalm that help us understand and answer the question: Is serving the Lord really worth it?

**Insight number one:** We begin to question, doubt, and wonder if serving the Lord is really worth it when we start to compare. Look at it again in verse three: "For I was envious of the arrogant as I saw the prosperity of the wicked." He began to look at what other people had. He compared his lot in life with the arrogant, the wicked, those who didn't know God, and those who didn't follow or worship God. He started to compare the two and thought, "This just stinks."

When I was in high school, I played basketball, and I still remember a cheer that our cheerleaders had. It was really a jeer, a taunt to the other team, and we only did it when we were ahead. The cheer went, "Watermelon, watermelon, watermelon rind. Look at the scoreboard and see who's behind." Anyone remember that cheer? It's a good cheer if you're ahead, but you can't really do it if you're getting beat by 20 points. But that's what Asaph is doing; he's running that cheer through his head. He's looking at the scoreboard and saying, "Hey, I'm way behind here. The wicked have everything, and I have nothing. What's the deal?"

Comparison produces one of two things, both of which are bad: pride or envy. When you start comparing yourself with other people, one of two things happens. You compare yourself to person X and find you're doing a little better than they are. You have a better house, better cars, a better job, or a prettier wife. You think, "I'm doing better than you are." This can inflate your ego. But then you compare yourself to someone else and think, "Man, he's got a bigger house than I do. He's got a better car than I do. His wife is a lot better looking than mine." You start to feel envious.

God hates pride, which is very clear in Scripture. Proverbs 6 states, "There are six things which the Lord hates; yes, seven which are an abomination to Him. Number one on the list: a proud look, haughty eyes." God hates pride because it represents independence from Him. It says, "I don't need you, God; I've got it all handled on my own." God also hates envy, which is when you look at what others have and think, "I'm getting the short end of the stick."

Pride says, "I don't need you, God," while envy says, "You're not fair, God; you're holding out on me." Comparison is a bad thing. It either inflates you with pride or deflates you, turning your heart sour and bitter. The bottom line with comparison is that it means you've taken your eyes off the Lord.

The Scripture says in Proverbs 23:17, "Do not let your heart envy sinners, but live in the fear of the Lord always." Don't look at the sinners or the wicked. Don't envy their lifestyle. Instead, live in the fear of the Lord. Hebrews 12 reminds us, "Since we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us lay aside every encumbrance and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith."

When it says "fixing our eyes on Jesus," it means you look to Him and nothing else. Don't take your eyes off Him. Run with endurance the race that is set before you.

Now think about that little phrase in Hebrews, "the race that is set before us." Did you know that the race set before you and the race set before me are not the same? You have a race, and I have a race. We're not competing against one another. I'm not trying to beat you across the finish line. I'm competing in a race, and you know who's running in that race? Me. God's goal for me is not to be the best; it's to do my best. You can't control whether you're the best, but you can control whether you do your best.

When we take our eyes off the Lord, we start looking at everyone else's race and what they have. The old hymn says, "Count your blessings, name them one by one." But we often compare our blessings. You get together with a bunch of preachers at a conference, and they're constantly comparing: "How big's your church? How many people do you have? What's your budget? How many baptisms did you have?" It's like a ranking system.

Guys do that all the time, and girls do it too. Ladies, have you ever noticed how it's a common thing to size up another woman and compare? "Well, look at her. What size is she? I bet she's a six; I'm an eight, and that's just not fair."

The point is to fix your eyes on Jesus. Don't look at anyone else; run with endurance the race that is set before you.

Peter was met by the Lord when He rose from the dead. He had an important conversation with Peter, who had denied the Lord three times. The Lord had a one-on-one with Peter to reinstate him. Remember, He asked him three times, "Peter, do you love me?" Peter was grieved when the Lord asked him the third time, saying, "Lord, you know all things; you know that I super like you a lot."

The Lord then told Peter that there would come a time when someone would take him by the hand and lead him to a place where he didn't want to go. The Scripture indicates that this was signifying the kind of death Peter would die to glorify God. We know from church history that Peter was crucified under Nero's persecution in the 60s A.D. He felt unworthy to be crucified in the same manner as his Lord, so he was crucified upside down.

When the Lord told Peter this, Peter looked back at John, who was following them at a distance, and asked, "Lord, what about this man? What kind of plan do you have for him?" Jesus responded, "If I want him to remain until I return, what is that to you? You follow me."

Hey, Peter, it doesn't matter what my plan is for John. You just follow me. Fix your eyes on me. Run with endurance the race that is set before you.

In Acts 12, the first apostle killed for his faith was James, John's brother. In that same passage, James was beheaded by Herod, while the Lord sent an angel to release Peter from prison. You might wonder, "What's the deal, Lord? How come you didn't deliver James but you delivered Peter?" That's God's business. You run with endurance the race that is set before you, and you fix your eyes on Jesus.

Is serving the Lord really worth it?

Speaker 1

Hey.

Speaker 2

We begin to question when we start to compare. Oh, God is good to Israel. But man, I was envious of the arrogant as I saw the prosperity of the wicked.

Second insight. Not only do we begin to question when we begin to compare, but we begin to question when we begin to assume. We begin to assume. Assume what? Assume that those who are doing better than we are outwardly have it all together. Look what he says in verse four and following. He says, the wicked, they do not suffer pain. They are strong and healthy. They do not suffer as other people do. They do not have the troubles that others have. And so they wear pride like a necklace and violence like a robe. Their hearts pour out evil and their minds are busy with wicked schemes. They laugh at other people and speak of evil things. They are proud and make plans to oppress others. They speak evil of God in heaven and give arrogant orders to everyone on earth so that even God's people turn to them and eagerly believe whatever they say. They say God will not know. The Most High will not find out.

And then verse 12 in the New American Standard, Behold, these are the wicked and always at ease. They have increased, increased in wealth. Asaph gets his eyes on the wicked, on those that don't trust God, those that don't serve God, those who don't obey God. And he says, they have so much more than I have. What's the deal? God? And not only do they have more than I have, God, they are so much happier than I am. God, he begins to assume things about them. They are always at ease. When it says they're always at ease, that word ease means to be tranquil, to be secure, to be careless, to be trouble-free.

I want you to think about that for a moment because we do the same thing that Asaph does. We look at people who have a lot. Maybe they live in a big house or they have a big job or they're some kind of celebrity. And we say, oh, the lifestyles of the rich and famous. Oh, if only I could be one of those lucky, fortunate people who live like that, who have all those things, then I would be so deliriously happy.

I want us to think about two questions. Question number one. Are the wicked really enjoying peace and tranquility? I mean, is that true? Are they always at ease? They have increased in wealth. Do they live a trouble-free life? Are they just so giddy and carefree and just have such security inside? Are they experiencing the Hebrew word shalom, peace and well-being and everything's great? No, they're not experiencing that. You just don't know. You can't tell from the outside. You can't just drive down some fancy street and just say, well gosh, just behind that door, you know, it's just gotta be so wonderful because that person has so much money.

You can't tell based on where someone lives and the things that someone has. You know what you can know for certain? For certain, for certain, for certain. Isaiah 57 verse 21: There is no peace, says my God, for the wicked. I don't care what someone has if that person doesn't know the Lord, doesn't know Jesus as Savior and Lord. In today's world, you can know for certain that person doesn't have peace because there is no peace unless you have a relationship with the Prince of Peace. So I don't care what they have, they don't have peace.

We know and we've seen in our world today people who have so much and they commit suicide. And why are they committing suicide? Because you mark it down, they don't have peace.

Speaker 1

Pastor Jeff Shreve is so right. Stay with us. He'll return on From His Heart in just a moment to continue the message.

What's the deal God? It's no secret that we live in a world overflowing with lies, half-truths, and confusing narratives. The truth of it is only God's Word can cut through the fog, providing insight and clarity, direction and real life, giving hope to all who seek it.

This month, our special gift of thanks to you for your support is Pastor Jeff's three-lesson series, Nothing but the Truth, and his booklet, Sticks and Stones: What to Do When the Going Gets Tough. These are our gifts to you for your support this month of any amount. We pray it will embolden you to stand on God's truth in all aspects of your life.

To make that gift of any amount and get the series and the booklet, call 866-40-BIBLE (866-40-BIBLE) or go online to fromhisheart.org. God bless you for what you can do to help us continue this timely and critical work of sharing nothing but the truth to a hurting world.

Hey, if you are really going through some incredible struggles right now in your life, we hope you'll visit our prayer page online where you can leave an anonymous prayer request and also receive anonymous email alerts anytime someone has joined you in that prayer. People from all over the world go online there to answer prayer requests and to leave them. You'll be inspired by how many are with you at the foot of the cross in prayer. Just go to fromhisheart.org and click the prayer link.

Thank you for joining us today on From His Heart. I'm Larry Nobles, and we pray that the program has been a blessing to you from the series Roller: Facing the Ups and Downs of Life. We pray that you'll also be with us tomorrow for part two of the lesson, What's the Deal God? That's on Friday when Pastor Jeff Shreve will again open up God's Word and share real truth, real love, and real hope. From His Heart.

Speaker 2

He can heal every scar. Song.

Speaker 1

From His Heart is the listener-supported broadcast ministry of Dr. Jeff Shreve, speaking the truth in love to a lost and a hurting world.

Remember, no matter what, God loves you and He has a wonderful plan for your life.

Find out more at fromhisheart.org.