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And so this morning I'm going to preach my sermon on Psalm 52 that I didn't preach on Wednesday night. Psalm 52 reads in verse number one, Why boastest thou thyself in mischief? O mighty man, the goodness of God endureth continually. Now, I believe that when he says there, O mighty man, I think part of this is a little bit sarcastic, you know, when he's saying like, oh, you think you're so mighty, because obviously God is the one who has all the might and anybody who's ungodly or sinful or wicked is nothing before him and no one is mighty in his sight. And this immediately reminded me of another verse in Isaiah. You don't have to turn there, but in Isaiah 5 22 it says, Woe unto them that are mighty to drink wine, and men of strength to mingle strong drink. Now that's kind of a weird thing to say, they're mighty to drink wine, because it literally takes no strength or no might to drink wine. Anybody could, the weakest person ever can drink wine and alcohol and liquor, but don't the worldly people brag about the fact that they can really drink? I mean, they can really hold their liquor, right? And in general, the world has this phenomenon where people brag about their sinfulness, don't they? And they want to show how cool they are because they drink and they do drugs and party and whatever. And the Bible says there in Psalm 52 where you are, why boastest thou thyself in mischief? Why are you bragging about bad things that you've done? Why are you bragging about being evil? Why are you bragging about being wicked? Oh, you're so mighty because of all the mischief that you've done, right? Oh, you're so mighty because you can drink so much liquor or whatever. In the world, people brag about their sinfulness, but let me tell you something, there is no glory in sinfulness whatsoever. There's nothing cool about it. There's nothing fun about it. There's nothing to be excited about. It's a bunch of junk that the world has to offer, and we should not glory in that whatsoever. Now flip over to Romans chapter 16, and let me say this. There's another phenomenon amongst Christian kids that sometimes they feel like they have to prove just how worldly and how sinful they are just to show that they're not a goody two shoes or whatever. And let me tell you something, that's a bunch of garbage because of the fact that whether you're out there in the world or whether you're a church kid, there is no glory in sin and filth and wickedness and iniquity. It's all a bunch of junk. It's something that you should be ashamed of and never brag about and boast about and think is cool or fun. But let me tell you some Christian kids, they often have something to prove like, hey, we're, you know, we know what's going on out there in the world and we're worldly wise and we're not so straight laced or whatever because the world says it's cool not to be straight laced. Well, let me tell you something. Hey, I'm just going to be straight laced. I'm just going to be clean cut and I'm just going to abstain from all that junk. But look what the Bible says in Romans 16, 19, for your obedience has come abroad unto all men. I'm glad therefore on your behalf, but yet I would have you wise unto that which is good and simple concerning evil. So according to the Bible, if you don't know about all the junk that's going on in the world, hey, that's a good thing. So you young people, you don't need to prove to us how you know about all the sin that's out there and about all the wickedness that's out there. Because the less that you know about it, the more respect I'll have for you. The less you know about the junk out there. Hey, the better off you are. God said, hey, just be simple concerning things that are evil. You know, there are some evil things in this world that I would just as soon go to the grave without ever hearing about them that I ever even knowing that they exist and I could just live my life and just be happy and go to the grave without knowing about every sorted weird thing. But you know why a lot of people get into sin is because of the fact that they're curious about those things. And so that's why they look at pornography because they're curious about it. Or that's why they got to go watch a filthy movie because they're curious about it. You know, that's why they want to wander into this bar or that casino or whatever. You know, they're curious. Hey, curiosity killed the cat. Do not be curious about the wicked stuff that's out there in this world. And especially I want to emphasize this to the young people who are growing up in a Christian home where your parents have kept a lot of these things away from you and then you feel like you have to go seek it out. You know what? There's nothing there. There's nothing there that's worth looking at or worth indulging in. Let me tell you something. You're better off to be simple concerning you. You say, well, I want to be the simple one that the Bible talks about. Well, you know what? In certain areas, you do want to be that simple one. You know, we ought to be wise under that, which is good. We don't want to be an idiot, right? We want to be smart. We want to be wise, want to be intelligent. But when it comes to sinful things, evil things, the less you know as a young person growing up, hey, it's not going to hurt you to not know about every wicked thing that's out there in this world. Now go through it to Proverbs chapter 14. Proverbs chapter 14. Again, I want to say there's nothing cool about being sinful. There's nothing cool about wickedness, okay? The Bible talks about these mighty men to mingle strong drink as a joke. He's being sarcastic. When he talks about the ones boasting themselves in mischief, oh mighty man, hey, he's being sarcastic because it's a joke that anyone would boast in their, their wickedness. But people do it, don't they? They brag about the sin that they do. And listen to me. You know, sinful people, they might seem cool to you when they're teens or even when they're in their 20s, maybe even in their 30s. You know, I think about one of the most sinful people that I knew in my life when I was a young person. I had a relative in my extended family and boy, he was Mr. Cool. He was very wicked. Turned out to be a reprobate and everybody else. But man, was this guy cool as a teenager? Man, was he cool in his 20s? Man, he even seemed pretty cool in his 30s, but now he's just a disgusting freak that no one wants to be around. No one. No one in his family, no one in his life wants to be around him. No one wants anything to do with him. He's just gross and disgusting and a loser. Folks, that's the end of that path. There's the pleasures of sin for a season and maybe sinful people might seem cool to you if you don't have discernment. They might seem cool as a teenager. They might seem cool in their 20s. Hey, they might even seem cool into their 30s, but let me tell you something. By the time they get in their 40s, they start just looking like a loser to everyone and everyone's just looking at them like, dude, what have you done with your life? What are you doing? Where are you going in life? Folks, the end of that way is death. Look at Proverbs 14 12. There's a way which seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death. Verse 13, even in laughter the heart is sorrowful. People seem like they're having fun, they're having a good time, it's an illusion often. Even in laughter the heart is sorrowful and the end of that mirth is heaviness. So even if they are having a good time now, what's going to be in the end thereof? Heaviness, sadness, death, depression. Verse 14, the backslider in heart shall be filled with his own ways and a good man shall be satisfied from himself. The simple believeth every word, but the prudent man looketh well to his going. A wise man fearth and departeth from evil, but the fool rageth and is confident. Now let me tell you something, obviously there is a time when we should be bold and confident. We should be bold and confident to do what's right and we should fear the Lord, okay? And we should not fear what man can do unto us or fear the devil or those things, but when he says here a wise man fearth, you know what that's saying is that a wise man actually fears God and too fears the consequences of his actions. So he fears and departs from evil. He's like whoa I'm afraid to do that wicked thing. I'm afraid to say that wicked thing. I'm afraid to go to that wicked place. I'm afraid to do that. Hey you're wise, but then the sinful punk says I'm not afraid of anything. Oh he's so cool. He's so manly because you're not afraid of the consequences of sin. Well you know what? Be very afraid. Be very afraid. And so this raging confidence, here's what I think confident means in this context. You know when you get the context of what he means by him raging and being confident, I think that's pride. To think to yourself, oh man I, you know, I can handle this. I'm so cool. I'm invincible. No you can't. Turn to Psalm 37 if you would. It's like hey look at me, you know, I'm so mighty to drink wine. I'm so mighty to do mischief. And you know what? You're just raging and confident instead of fearing and departing from evil. Hey we're supposed to serve the Lord with fear and trembling. Every single day we should fear and tremble before the Lord. So you know if you have a confidence that just says hey I'm just going to go out and do whatever and say whatever. Hey you know what? That's a wrong confidence and you are going to get put in your place. Now look what the Bible says. God will take you down a notch. Let me tell you something. If you're prideful, God will take you down a notch. The Bible says whosoever exalteth himself shall be abased. And he that humbleth himself shall be exalted. James 4 10. Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord and he shall lift you up. 1 Peter 5 5. Likewise ye younger, submit yourselves unto the elder. Yea all of you be subject one to another and be clothed with humility. For God resisted the proud and giveth grace to the humble. Humble yourselves therefore into the mighty hand of God that he may exalt you in due time. If you are prideful, God can take you down a notch. He can bring you down. Psalm 37 verse 35. The Bible says in verse 35, I've seen the wicked in great power and spreading himself like a green bay tree. Yet he passed away and lo he was not. Yea I sought for him but he could not be found. Mark the perfect man and behold the upright for the end of that man is peace but the transgressors shall be destroyed together and the end of the wicked shall be cut off. Look at the future friend. Go if you would to Psalm 52 where we started. Psalm 52, the sermon is about Psalm 52. The title of the sermon is Boasting in Mischief. Boasting in Mischief and I'm going to go through the whole chapter of Psalm 52 like a Wednesday night style sermon. Psalm 52, it said in verse number 1, it said, Why boastest thou thyself in mischief, O mighty man? The goodness of God endureth continually, thy tongue diviseth mischiefs like a sharp razor working deceitfully. Thou lovest evil more than good and lying rather than to speak righteousness. Selah, thou lovest all devouring words, O thou deceitful tongue. So it said in verse 2, the tongue deviseth mischiefs and then in verse 4 it says, thou lovest all devouring words. Now if you would go to Proverbs chapter number 12. Proverbs chapter number 12. I want to emphasize the devouring words. You know the Bible says if you bite and devour one another, take heed that you be not consumed one of another. Look at Proverbs chapter 12 verse 18. Proverbs 12 18, There is that speaketh like the piercings of a sword, but the tongue of the wise is health. Do you see that? There is that speaketh like the piercings of a sword, but the tongue of the wise is health. Now your mind might kind of jump to the word of God being like the sword of this, you know, the sword of the spirit and God's word is sharper than any two-edged sword, but this is actually the exact opposite of that. This is a bad example. So yes, God's word is like a sword, but God's word is a sword that's being used a positive way. And think about it, just any weapon could be used for good or for evil. I mean a gun could be used to defend yourself, defend others, protect people, or a gun could be used to just commit an atrocity. And so therefore, you know, it's not the weapon that's good or bad, it's who's wielding it and why and how. So here's the thing with the sword, you know, God's word is like a sword so we could do battle spiritually and we could fight against the principalities and powers and and spiritual wickedness in in high places. But here this is talking about a person whose speech is like the piercings of a sword because they are harmful to their neighbor is what this is saying. And because and the proof is that what's the opposite of it? But isn't but giving us the opposite? He didn't say and or therefore he said but. So on one hand there is that speak of like the piercings of a sword but on the other hand the tongue of the wise is health. So you've got a right speech and a wrong speech in this verse. And let me tell you something, what do we see in Psalm 52? Devouring words. I'm talking about people who say hurtful things to other people, hurting other people with your words, doing damage with your words. He's saying there is that speak it like the piercings of a sword but the tongue of the wise is health. Verse 19, the lip of truth shall be established forever but a lying tongue is but for a moment. Deceit is in the heart of them that imagine evil but to the counselors of peace is joy. There shall no evil happen to the just but the wicked shall be filled with mischief. Lying lips are abomination to the Lord and they that deal truly are his delight. A prudent man concealeth knowledge but the heart of fools proclaimeth foolishness. Let me explain to you verse 23. What does this mean? This is a profound verse. A prudent man concealeth knowledge but the heart of fools proclaimeth foolishness. Do not miss this verse. This is a great verse okay. Here's what this means. Wise people, smart people who know a lot of great things, they tend to say too little. They tend to not say enough but isn't it funny how idiots just can't stop running their mouths. Do you see what the and it's ironic because you'd think that the person who knew more would have more to say but in fact the idiot is the one who has more to say. You know a prudent man concealeth knowledge. You know this reminds me of for example the the scientist Isaac Newton. You know one of the most famous scientists in the history of mankind and Isaac Newton you know he discovered calculus. He discovered all these laws about mechanics regarding physics and stuff. I mean he just discovered a lot of things in a lot of different disciplines of math and science. Anybody who studied math and science you just keep hearing about Isaac Newton. Isaac Newton. Isaac Newton. All day okay but you know what's interesting is that most of his most profound findings and his greatest discoveries were published by other people. I mean people are coming over to his house and hearing about this stuff and they're like you got to publish this stuff. You got to put this stuff out there and he's like trying to kind of hoard the information for himself. He wasn't really that nice of a guy and he was kind of trying to keep a lot of it to himself and didn't even necessarily want to share it all and other people are coming out with it and stuff like that. You know what but isn't it funny how just complete morons just they just all they want to do is just proclaim foolishness and just blah blah blah a bunch of garbage and just talk trash and nonsense and foolery. Look the bible says a prudent man concealed knowledge. You know counsel or wisdom in a man it's like a well of deep water. It's like you have to draw it out of him. You know sometimes you go to a wise person and ask them about stuff and you almost have to kind of you know ask them a few times to get them to give their opinion on something. But then some people are just willing to just give their opinion about everything even things that have nothing to do with them that they know nothing about. Isn't that ironic because you'd think the people with the most knowledge man they're just going to be communicating non-stop. But it turns out that actually smart people are saying less than they know and foolish people are saying a lot more than they know and they're just just blowing off their mouths about everything. I just wanted to park it on that verse because such a great verse. Verse 24, the hand of the diligent shall bear rule but the slothful shall be under tribute. Heaviness in the heart of man maketh it stoop but a good word maketh it glad. The righteous is more excellent than his neighbor but the way of the wicked seduceth them. Folks do not be seduced by wickedness. Do not get sucked in and do not get into these devouring words and saying mean things and hurtful things. You know frankly I'm disgusted by people saying mean things to other people and I'm not talking about you know rebuking sin. I'm not talking about rebuking wickedness and obviously there are people out there that are reprobates that can just get AIDS and die for all I care. I'm not talking about a tiny percentage of people that are horrible reprobates. I'm not talking about getting up and speaking the truth in love and preaching hard against sin and so forth. I'm talking about just hurtful words that people say to one another makes me sick. Criticizing women because of their appearance. It's disgusting. You know I remember when I was in school all the trash talk you've all been there elementary school junior high high school just everybody's just you're ugly you're weak you're loose you know what that's garbage it isn't right it's sinful and you know what it's not love either if you love yeah the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh and you know what if you love people then you wouldn't talk down to people because they're a different race or because they're a woman or because they're short or tall or ugly or fat or skinny or whatever you know what why don't you just keep your mouth shut all those hurtful things and not say hurtful things to other people you know and you need to have some empathy and stop and think is that what I want people to say about me is that what I want and you know what I thank God I thank God that when I was in elementary school I grew up super short I was the shortest kid in the class and I hated it at the time but you know what I'm glad now because at least it kept me humble and you know what I'm glad that when I was a teenager my face was covered in acne because you know what I hated it at the time but you know what at least it kept me from being because I guarantee if I would have just grown up looking perfect and having everything going for me and getting good grades and doing sports and everything I probably would have grown up be the worst person ever because you know what God has to keep us humble sometimes and then we can put ourselves in other people's place hey if we didn't like being called short or we didn't like people talking about all the acne on our face then you know what then we're not going to talk about the fact that other people have other issues okay and you know what if you're a kid or a teenager it seems like this is just automatic that you do this and you know what it needs to stop and and if your kids do this discipline them you know and we need to teach our kids not to talk bad about other people even their friends and all the trash talk it's it's it's it's ridiculous and you know what I it makes me sick because I'm not a racist and I don't I'm not misogynistic you know and and so that kind of crap has no place in Christian discourse okay we need to love people and not say hurtful things and you say oh I'm just kidding but here's the thing though it's not funny okay you know it's one thing to joke around and have fun with your friends and stuff but you know what when you're ragging on some teenage girl's appearance guess what she doesn't think it's funny even if she's laughing period okay it's garbage do not use devouring words let your tongue be health and let it not be like the piercings of a sword where you just sit there and just tear people apart and again I'm not talking about horrible reprobates or something out there hey horrible reprobates out in the world nothing that you say about them is going to offend me okay I'm talking about you know God's people or I'm talking about just Joe unsaved there's nothing we don't need to rag on people for their there's another what if I told you there are other ways to have fun than at other people's expense and you know what it is a bunch of insecure young people who feel like they have to tear someone else down to lift themselves up it's wicked it's prideful it's arrogant when you feel like you have to tear other people down to make you feel better about yourself it's wrong flip over to James chapter 3 if you would James chapter 3 because he said in Psalm 52 we're talking about Psalm 52 the title of the sermon is boasting and mischief he talked about oh yeah you're so mighty boasting in your mischief your tongue devises mischiefs he said you love devouring words deceitful tongue he said that the tongue is like a sharp razor isn't that similar to the tongue that was like a piercings of a sword like a sharp razor cutting and not in a good way look at James chapter 3 verse 5 even so the tongue is a little member and boasts great things behold how great a matter a little fire kindleth and the tongue is a fire a world of iniquity so is the tongue among our members that it defileth the whole body and seteth on fire the course of nature and it is set on fire of hell let me ask you a question is he talking to saved people or unsaved people because James is the book that just says over and over again my brethren my brethren my brethren my brethren he said the tongue is this way among our members he's including himself because he is speaking to other believers about the danger of letting their tongue get out of control am i right i mean isn't that the context of this passage he talks about and he even says in verse two for in many things we offend all and and what that means that's a little tough grammatically what he's saying there though is that in many things all of us offend no one goes through life without saying the wrong thing you know you might go through life without ever murdering anyone you know i hope you'll go through life never being drunk or you know but no one goes through life without saying the wrong thing and the bible says here in many things we offend all if any man offend not in word the same as a perfect man and able also to bridle the whole body this is clearly in context talking to Christians telling them to control their mouth my brethren and so forth he says that the tongue is a fire a world of iniquity verse number seven for every kind of beast and of birds and of serpents and of things in the sea is tamed and hath been tamed of mankind but the tongue can no man tame it is an unruly evil full of deadly poison folks james is using some very strong language here telling you look you can do a lot of damage with your tongue you can do a lot of damage with your words it's poisonous it's on fire it's like a razor get it under control i mean i don't see how he could have been any more vehement here when he says look your tongue is set on fire of hell it's a world of iniquity i mean he's saying it's poison get it under control because it has the potential to do so much damage it has a potential blowing off your mouth saying wicked things saying horrible things you know what it has the potential it's a it's just like throwing a match into a dry forest and you could create you could literally create a forest fire that could literally burn down just thousands of acres even millions of acres and not only that you know 19 firefighters dead or whatever didn't we have a major fire like that a few years ago and even just last week there was a major fire burning throughout our state and and it was burning all along the bush highway and so forth and you could see the sky being filled with the smoke from it even near the phoenix area and entire uh roads and cities were closed down folks and and you know what it was all started from one spark whether man-made or whether divine whether it was lightning or a campfire or a stove or whatever folks i'm telling you the tongue is like that where it could create a big forest fire and do a whole bunch of damage and that's why james is warning us and telling us control your mouth now go back if you went to psalm 52 psalm 52 the tongue can tell can no man tame it's an unruly evil full of deadly poison he's saying it's the hardest thing to control about your whole body he's saying look if you can control your tongue you can control your whole body because it is literally the hardest thing to control and by the way there's i got a whole sermon on this tonight tonight's term is called loudmouth women whole sermon just on that aspect and let me tell you something the tongue is an unruly evil it's full of deadly poison use it to build up other people not to do harm not to do ill not to show how cool you are because you're worldly there's nothing cool about being worldly you know what's cool being godly that's what i think is cool and by the way you're like you want to be a rebel hey here's how you be a rebel be the most straight-laced clean-cut person you can be in 2020 and you're the biggest rebel in the world i'm not kidding i mean this church is filled with rebels because we're rebelling against the devil we're rebelling against the world hey if you go out and be a rebel and you go out and you get drunk and you get tattoos and you take drugs and you sleep around you're not a rebel you're basically just the devil has a hook in your nose and he's pulling you around and you're saying yes sir yes thank you sir yes sir yes devil sir that's what i see when i see you doing that that's what i see i see a slave you're the conformist it's a fact psalm 52 it says in verse number four let me find my place here thou lovest all devouring words o thou deceitful tongue god shall likewise destroy thee forever he shall take thee away and pluck thee out of thy dwelling place and root thee out of the land of the living sea law here's a good verse on that you don't have to turn there proverbs 29 1 he that being often reproved hardened at his neck shall suddenly be destroyed and that without remedy you know when you hear these rebukes telling you to get your mouth in order you hear these rebukes telling you to get the sin out and you just harden your neck you're stubborn you won't accept correction when correction comes it says you know what if you're often reproved and you keep hardening your neck suddenly you're just going to be destroyed and then you're going to be like okay give me another chance and it's gonna be without remedy isn't that what it says folks you can destroy your life to where it can't be fixed anymore yeah you can just ask people who got in a drunk driving accident and killed other people or killed themselves it's like oh how do i fix this go out and sleep around get hiv how do i fix it right i mean look you can ruin your life permanently yeah you can and you know what if you've gone out and done wicked things and you didn't ruin your life permanently and you're living a good life right now boy thank god for that praise god thank god for his mercy thank god for his grace because you know what you could go off that cliff at some point where god's just like that's it look how many people in the bible remember when eli's sons went off the cliff yeah and and and god said i want to destroy them you know i don't want them to get right anymore because i'm done hey you push god too far and you might literally drive off a cliff i mean god can put an end to you the bible says our breath is in god's hand god can end us and so when you're often reproved and you harden your neck you will suddenly be destroyed that you know what that means there's no warning isn't that what suddenly means you can suddenly be destroyed meaning that you're just going along getting away with it getting away with it going along going along oh i want another chance nope sorry party's over see the sudden destruction combined with the no remedy is a chilling thought when you put those two things together because here's what that means the sudden destruction means there's no warning no warning just suddenly just you already had all the warnings when you were often reproved those were your warnings the often reproof was your warning the sudden destruction means you don't see it coming there's no warning and then the without remedy means there's no way to go back and fix it so there's no so if we looked at it from both sides right here's the event here's the sudden destruction everybody got this here's the sudden destruction okay approaching it from the past no warning afterward no way to go back and fix it this moment right here is just final there's no you don't see it coming you can't go back and fix it it's just too late this ought to scare you okay this ought to be scary to you to think about that's what god's saying and you say well no warning that doesn't suffer no because here's reproof reproof reproof reproof mom and dad tell you no mom and dad tell you no mom and dad tell you no the pastor preaches it pastor preaches it pastor preaches it friends warn you friends warn you friends what you read it in the bible you read it in the bible you read in the bible your conscience your conscience and conscience well nothing bad is happening though wham well what do i do now too late folks when you find listen to me when you find yourself getting corrected about the same thing multiple times you better you better get your crap together when somebody warned you know somebody rebukes you about something and then you're getting rebuked about that same thing the next day and then a week later you're getting rebuked about that same thing a month later you're getting rebuked about that same thing you know what when when people keep correcting you and i don't care if it's your parents your your your husband your pastor your boss at work whoever it is when you just keep getting reproved about the same folks get a clue amen get a clue get a clue and say wait a minute something needs to change here and that's what the bible is saying because otherwise sudden destruction will come and there will be no remedy the bible says in verse 6 the righteous also shall see and fear and shall laugh at him lo this is the man that made not god his strength but trusted in the abundance of his riches and watch this last phrase strengthened himself in his wickedness exactly like what we started with the mighty to do mischief mighty to drink wine strengthened in his wickedness right that's what he thinks makes him a great person is that his wickedness and and his money and his riches right he's got the money he's got the wild sinful life and you know what he looks cool as a young person folks if we look today at young people who have a lot of money and live a sinful life i guarantee you that there are young people looking at them and thinking that they're cool i mean think about it i mean we think about these rap artists i mean think about the rap artists don't they just boast in their mischief what are they rapping about what are they what do rap artists rap about today i mean what is it that they rap about you know i went to school i got straight a's you know i i went to work pulled a double shift now i got the money to give my hoopty a lift you know you think that there is that what you think they're rapping about like actually like making money at their job because they worked hard and make it you know doing well at school obey my parents every single day is that what you think they're laughing about or rapping about huh because i know my dad when he gets that bell he don't play so i pay my parents every day you think that that's what they're rapping about huh go to church to praise the lord that's that is that what they rap about besides kanye west you know he raps about that and and he's a blasphemous idiot but anyway it's another sermon it's already been preached the point is the point is these rap artists what are they rapping about they're rapping about the fact that they fornicated like that's a good thing they rap about look i've heard enough rap music i've never been a rap fan but you know what i've heard rap music because you're around it in this world i've heard on the job sites i've heard it in the work truck i've heard it at jobs and with people and whatever and look hey they rap about committing adultery they glorify committing adultery i've heard that song they rap about fornication they rap about drunkenness they rap about violence killing people hurting people so isn't that boast boasting and mischief not what they're doing okay and then you know they they all have a criminal record that they brag about like if they haven't been arrested are they even really a rap artist you know what i mean so they have to like go get arrested for something stupid you know they have to go get in a fight at some club somewhere or do some drive by or something just to just to you know have some street cred you know what we need to worry about is some skin some spiritual cred but they it's not it's more like street crud is what it is but they basically you know they brag about their crimes they brag about their sinfulness they brag about ungodliness they boast in mischief okay do they have a lot of money do rap artists have a lot of money check that box right so are they boasting in mischief check strengthening themselves in iniquity check do they strengthen themselves in their riches check they brag about having money okay now let me ask this are they idolized by young people do young people think that they're cool and idolize them absolutely so let me tell you something what i'm preaching this morning is real okay you know yeah if you go out and live a sinful life make a bunch of money brag about how wicked you are there will be a certain group of people that are going to lift you up and think that that's cool but you know what it's not cool at all and you know what start looking up the lives of these rap artists and you know you're going to find a lot of them dying very young because the wicked are not going to live out half their days that's what the bible says i mean look how many rap artists have died in their 20s 30s 40s all day long i read about a famous rap artist who literally chopped off his own anatomy and jumped out the window it's so cool so awesome it's wonderful isn't it but you know what that's a true story and you know what we could talk about all the other rap artists who have gotten diseases they get shot they get stds they got aids and all this stuff uh when i was a kid it was sleazy e who got aids and died remember that because he is a whoremonger and he's probably a sodomite too and he ended up getting aids and dying super young and you know what we could go down the list i don't know as much about like all the different people but you know what i've seen a few of the stories i can go on wikipedia too and just look up all i have to do is just go on wikipedia and just start typing in the names of these now you say well not the ones that are out right now yeah but let's see where they're at five years from now right you say oh you're bringing up all these rap artists from your day hey what the ones today we'll hear about them five years from now we'll hear about them 15 years from now about how they're so demon possessed that they're chopping off their own body part and jumping out a window okay and and and and and and then they said oh it was drugs oh all i did was just smoke pot well you know what let me tell you something sin always takes you further than you want to go it keeps you longer than you wanted to say and it cost you more than you're willing to pay and these rap artists are a role model to people because of the phenomenon that we're reading about in psalm 52 today and we as christians need to renew our minds renew our minds and not have this worldly mentality that says what that says that it's cool to be sinful because guess what it's not and no one will think you're cool when you hit your 40s and you've been living that wicked sinful life they're just going to look at you as being a loser you know a lot of these just derelicts that you see out there you know i remember went to new orleans and it seemed like everybody that was walking down the street in new orleans pretty much looked like keith richards looks now that's pretty much what people if you've ever seen him before that's what they looked like walking down the street in new orleans just all these just burned out super wicked life people and they just look horrific and i and i'm just thinking to myself no young person would look at this and think that these people are cool but i guarantee you in their 20s they were the life of the party i guarantee you in their teens they were the coolest kid in the class i guarantee you that maybe even around 30 they were still partying and having fun and everybody thought they were cool like i said about my relative that's probably the most wicked person i've ever known personally you know we considered him a really cool dude back in the 80s he was cool all right he had the he had the converse that went higher up than any conference i've ever seen i don't even know where he bought those things i mean he didn't have the high tops he had the ones that went way up the ones that were pink on the inside and black on the outside and then he had them like folded down who knows what i'm talking about and you know what he had the he had the the toyota van he had surfboards on top mr cool right and just just just party man and just cool california knows how to surf or whatever i mean look but that guy today is the most disgusting loser that no one wants anything to do with nobody he's just like he's just this disease-filled maggot literal just sodomite freak nobody wants to be around that guy nobody thinks i guarantee even people in his life that are as messed up as he is even if people even if someone even if there's somebody in this world who likes this guy or cares about this guy i guarantee you they don't think he's cool though he ain't cool is it cool to go out and live a wicked simple life get a bunch of disease in your body that's not cool is it cool to destroy every relationship in your life because of your sinfulness and stupidity and you've just destroyed all your family relationships you've blasphemed the lord you've been turned over to a reprobate mind folks the end of that way is death so do not be deceived by the the outward coolness of sin it is not cool get a renewed mind and get a new definition of cool if that's what you think cool means it's a stupid definition of coolness trusted in the abundance of his riches and strengthened himself in his wickedness trusting in riches pride strengthening yourself in wickedness pride look at verse 8 but i am like a green olive tree in the house of god i trust in the mercy of god forever and ever i don't trust in my wickedness and i don't trust in my money i trust in the mercy of god forever and ever and you know i like the fact that he says i'm like a green olive tree now think about that adjective green that would sometimes be used to describe someone who's inexperienced have you ever heard it used that way where you talk about someone being green and it means like they don't have experience they're a noob and this is because greenness pictures like youth or freshness because if you think about when a plant first grows up it's green when it's young and tender and fresh it's green and then as it grows up and gets older kind of hardens and turns brown as it gets older right you think think about like a tree or something you know it grows up this little green sapling but what color is the trunk of the tree in the end it ends up being brown you know you think about a pineapple you know it starts out kind of green or yellow and then when it ripens it turns brown right so the green is typically the unripe or the young the tender whatever he says i am like a green olive tree in the house of god i trust in the mercy of god forever and ever and and again i just want to bring this back to the point about the fact that god wants us to be wise unto that which is good and simple concerning that which is evil be green when it comes to all the wicked sinful things out there right i'd rather be a green olive tree in the house of god than to be somebody who's really been around the block and really knows what's out there let me tell you i'd rather be the green olive tree in the house of god he said in verse nine i will praise thee forever because thou has done it and i will wait on my name for it is good before thy saints i'm gonna praise you so so isn't it interesting the chapter started out with boasting in your mischief and the chat the chapter ends with praising god not praising yourself praising god people praising themselves because they think they're so cool and then there's people who are praising god because he's so cool okay and then there are the people who are trusting in their wickedness trusting in their riches and then there are people who are trusting in the mercy of god because it's of the lord's mercies that that were not consumed and we and then there's the one who rages in this confident just yeah i'm not worried about the consequences i'm gonna go out and do whatever and then there's the one who with fear and trembling is serving god and you know what it's folks the one who serves god isn't a weakling you know you know it's a weakling that follows the way of this world because folks it takes zero strength to lift that mug of beer to your mouth you know i mean i don't know how much that thing weighs but that's you might as well be lifting a pink dumbbell you know if you think that that that's not heavy yeah look how strong i am i can lift this cup to my mouth folks you know what it takes strength is to say no to turn down look i can't even count how many times i've been offered alcohol in my life i can't i'm gonna count how many times i've been on the job site and you know you do somebody a favor you do a little extra work that wasn't in your in your job description you know everybody's arguing about hey is this the door guy is this the electrician who you know who's that's not us you know and you just step in and take say hey i'll take it's gonna take a half hour let me just take care of that case of beer is the standard right i mean that's the star oh i owe you a six-pack i owe you a case of beer here's a 24 pack that's just the standard it's like um excuse me you know can i get ice cream no it's like you know and and here's the thing i can't even count how many times i've done something on a job and been oh i'm gonna get you a case of beer and you know what it makes you feel a little uncomfortable to have say i don't drink it's like oh you don't drink you know it's like no i don't drink and i don't i've never been a holier than thou about it i didn't say like you keep getting whoa damn they give it this neighbor drink kind of nakedness are you trying you know i'm just like hey i just i just said no man it's i i i you know i always said hey man i really appreciate it thank you so much i don't drink i can't accept it but i really appreciate it man you know it's my pleasure thank you thank you for giving me this beer but i'm not going to drink it though you know because i don't want to be a holier than thou but at the same time you know what i'm not just going to sit there and say hey let's just crack one open right now so i can be accepted right so i can be one of the guys so i can be considered cool right now no that's wrong folks you have to you know i'm not saying to be a holier than thou but i'm saying that you know what when people tell you a dirty joke you shut them up is what you do look i remember being on a job site and having a guy come and pull me aside on the job site and say hey come here i need to show you something i think it's work related you know he brings me over he says look out that window look down there and it was some woman that was inappropriately dressed she was in a compromising position or whatever and you know i just turned immediately that guy and said look i said don't show me stuff like that because i'm married and i'm not interested in looking at that you know now here's the thing it would have been a lot easier just to go yeah cool man but you know what we have to take a stand for these things and you know when somebody was telling a dirty joke you get out you know sometimes you just have to if it's people that aren't under your control you know sometimes they're your supervisor you could be in a situation where they're your boss i mean you can't be just going in and rebuking your boss or something you know what sometimes you just have to walk away or just say hey you know please don't tell those kind of jokes around me that kind of humor is lost on me i'm a christian you know and you don't have to be holier than thou about it but you know what if you just sit and listen to the dirty jokes and you just sit and just drink the beer and just go along to get along you know what that isn't right either because you need to stand up for what's right and you know what the bible already said christians aren't going to be accepted of this world so why don't you just quit trying to be accepted of the world and you know what if other christians won't accept you unless you get worldly then you know what find friends that will accept you find christ christian friends that want to serve god okay because you can't use that as an excuse well you know it wasn't my fault because that guy he just showed it to me or whatever yeah but you know what it would be my fault if i just continued to look wouldn't it and it's gonna be my fault if i sit and listen to the dirty jokes and laugh at them or black or blasphemous jokes same thing and by the way i'm i'm more offended by blasphemous jokes too you know i look out of all of the filthy things that come out of people's mouth nothing offends me more than when they're taking god's name in vain or when they say something blasphemous about jesus christ that's the number one most offensive thing to me you know and i look obviously there are a lot of other offensive things that people say but man when that comes out to me that's the worst it's horrific to hear the name of jesus christ who we love dearly dragged in the mud but that is you know we must not participate in that okay and and you say well you know i want to fit in i want to be cool you know what either then you know what you have to be totally worldly or just give up because if you live a christian life you're never going to be mr cool i am not i don't walk down the streets of tempe and i'm just mr cool everybody loves me it just isn't it just isn't true and you know what no godly person in this church is going to be considered the coolest dude amongst a bunch of worldly sinful people you know and look i do think you should have a good report of them i do think you should have a good reputation on your job for being a good worker and being a good guy to be around and a helpful person but you know what not necessarily the guy that we're going to invite over on friday night so because we know that he's not going to be a party animal and so we need to not fall into the devil's trap and get into this boasting and mischief hey there's no glory and i'm just going to leave you with two verses verse number one but he that glorieth let him glory in the lord verse number two my boast my soul shall make her boast in the lord the humble shall hear thereof and be glad i'm not going to boast in mischief i'm going to boast in the lord and humble people are going to hear it and they're going to like it they're going to be glad and that's the people that i want to be around so don't boast in mischief boast in the lord the humble shall hear thereof and be glad let's bow our heads in the word of prayer father we thank you so much lord for this great psalm psalm uh 52 lord and i just pray that you would just let it sink down into our ears and lord i just pray that you would just allow every single young person that's here lord especially uh to take this to heart and not get sucked into this trying to be cool and trying to fit in and and just going along with all this junk just because that's the way of the world lord help us to be a peculiar people help us to stand up against these things lord and help us to realize that it it is not cool to be sinful and in jesus name we pray amen