Trusting in the Lord

INTRODUCTION: This psalm points to the final deliverance of Israel in the time of the future kingdom age. However, much help is given to the believers of any age. We do not need to fret. The wicked will be destroyed. The righteous will be delivered. And, in this life, God will look to those who look to Him.

1. THE DISCOVERY OF THE LORD (Psalm 37:1-8)
1. In Times of Discouragement (Psalm 37:1-2)
1. Fret not because of evil doers (Psalm 37:1).
1. The word fret is found only 7 times (12 times in all forms) in the Bible. Three of those references are in this psalm (Psalm 37:1, 7, 8).
2. To fret means to eat away at something; to wear away by gnawing; to irritate, vex, or worry. The law speaks of a fretting leprosy in a garment (Leviticus 13:51-52) or in a house (Leviticus 14:44). This was a leprosy that would eat away at the garment or house.
3. By application, to fret is to worry over something in a way that eats away at a person inwardly.
2. Envy not the workers of iniquity (Psalm 37:1; Psalm 73:3-5).
3. Understand the end of the wicked (Psalm 37:2; 1 Peter 1:24).
1. They shall soon be cut down like the grass.
2. They shall wither as the green herb.
2. By Trusting in the Lord (Psalm 37:3)
1. The actions of the righteous
1. Trust in the Lord (Proverbs 3:5-6; Isaiah 26:3-4).
2. Do good (Psalm 37:27; Matthew 5:44; Galatians 6:10).
2. The blessings of the Lord
1. To dwell in the land (Deuteronomy 30:20)
2. To be fed
3. By Delighting in the Lord (Psalm 37:4)
1. Delight
1. Thyself must be a source of personal joy
2. Also in addition to trust
3. In the Lord not in circumstances or earthly things
2. Desires
1. The desires of your heart
2. Given to you by the Lord; meaning that God will give us the right desires (Philippians 2:13)
4. By Committing Our Way (Psalm 37:5-6)
1. Commit thy way unto the Lord (Psalm 37:5).
2. Trust also in Him (Psalm 37:5).
3. He will bring His will to pass (Psalm 37:5; 1 Thessalonians 5:24).
4. The Lord will pour His blessings on us (Psalm 37:6).
1. He will bring forth thy righteousness as the light.
2. He will bring forth thy judgment as the noonday.
5. By Resting in the Lord (Psalm 37:7)
1. Rest in the Lord (Matthew 11:28-30).
2. Wait patiently for the Lord (Psalm 27:13-14; Isaiah 40:31).
3. Fret not for the wicked who prosper.
4. Fret not for the man who bringeth wicked devices to pass.
6. By Forsaking Wrath (Psalm 37:8; James 1:19-20)
1. Cease from anger.
2. Forsake wrath.
3. Fret not thyself in any wise to do evil.
2. THE DESTRUCTION OF THE WICKED (Psalm 37:9-22)
1. To Be Cut Off (Psalm 37:9-11)
1. Recognize the coming judgment of the wicked (Psalm 37:9-10).
1. Evildoers shall be cut off (Psalm 37:9).
2. The wicked shall not be (Psalm 37:10).
2. Consider the inheritance of the righteous (Psalm 37:9, 11; 1 Peter 1:3-5).
1. They that wait upon the Lord shall inherit the earth (Psalm 37:9).
2. The meek shall (Psalm 37:11)
1. Inherit the earth
2. Delight themselves in the abundance of peace
2. To Be Defeated (Psalm 37:12-17)
1. The boldness of the wicked (Psalm 37:12)
1. The wicked plotteth against the just.
2. He gnasheth upon him with his teeth.
2. The laughter of the Lord (Psalm 37:13)
1. The Lord shall laugh at the wicked.
2. For He seeth that his day is coming.
3. The defeat of the wicked (Psalm 37:14-15)
1. The wicked plot their attack (Psalm 37:14).
2. Their wickedness shall backfire (Psalm 37:15).
4. The blessing of the righteousness (Psalm 37:16; Proverbs 15:16-17; Ecclesiastes 4:6)
5. The working of the Lord (Psalm 37:17)
1. Against the wicked their arms shall be broken.
2. On behalf of the righteous He shall uphold them.
3. To Be Destroyed (Psalm 37:18-22)
1. The preservation of the righteous (Psalm 37:18-19)
1. Their eternal inheritance (Psalm 37:18)
2. Their deliverance from evil (Psalm 37:19)
1. They shall not be ashamed in the evil time.
2. They shall not be ashamed in the evil time.
2. The perishing of the wicked (Psalm 37:20)
1. The wicked shall perish.
2. The enemies of the Lord shall be burnt up as the fat of lambs.
3. The practice of men (Psalm 37:21)
1. The wicked borrow, and pay not again.
2. The righteous give (Proverbs 11:24-26).
4. The provision of the Lord (Psalm 37:22)
1. The blessed shall inherit the earth.
2. The cursed shall be cut off.
3. THE DELIVERANCE OF THE RIGHTEOUS (Psalm 37:23-40)
1. To Be Picked Up (Psalm 37:23-24)
1. The steps of a good man (Psalm 37:23)
1. Ordered by the Lord (Psalm 119:133; Jeremiah 10:23)
2. Delighted in by God (Proverbs 11:20)
2. The stumblings of a good man (Psalm 37:24)
1. Not utterly cast down (Proverbs 24:16)
2. Upheld by the hand of the Lord
2. To Be Given Provision (Psalm 37:25-26)
1. The testimony of David (Psalm 37:25)
1. Through his long life
1. I have been young.
2. And now am old
2. He has not seen the righteous forsaken (Psalm 94:14).
3. He has not seen Gods seed begging bread.
2. The goodness of the Lord  (Psalm 37:26)
1. He is merciful and lendeth.
2. His seed is blessed.
3. To Be Preserved (Psalm 37:27-29)
1. Instructions to the righteous (Psalm 37:27)
1. Depart from evil.
2. Do good.
3. Dwell for evermore.
2. Actions of the Lord (Psalm 37:28)
1. To preserve the righteous
2. To cut off the wicked
3. Inheritance of the saints (Psalm 37:29)
1. The righteous shall inherit the land.
2. They shall dwell therein for ever.
4. To Be Protected (Psalm 37:30-33)
1. The mouth of the righteous (Psalm 37:30)
1. His mouth speaketh wisdom.
2. His tongue talketh of judgment.
2. The walk of the righteous (Psalm 37:31)
1. The law of God is in his heart (Psalm 1:2; Psalm 119:11).
2. None of his steps shall slide (Psalm 17:5).
3. The protection of the Lord (Psalm 37:32-33)
1. The desire of the wicked (Psalm 37:32)
1. He watcheth the righteous.
2. He seeketh to slay him.
2. The intervention of the Lord (Psalm 37:33)
1. He will not leave the righteous in the hand of the wicked.
2. He will not condemn the righteous when he is judged.
5. To Be Given Peace (Psalm 37:34-40)
1. Wait on the Lord (Psalm 37:34-36).
1. Instructions for passing the time (Psalm 37:34)
2. The temporary power of the wicked (Psalm 37:35)
3. The passing of the wicked (Psalm 37:36)
2. Peace as the end of the righteous (Psalm 37:37-38)
3. Strength in the time of trouble (Psalm 37:39-40)

CONCLUSION: The Bible is full of instruction on how the righteous should live while in the midst of a wicked people in a wicked age. Why? Because this is the lot of any believer on this side of eternity.