[ANNOUNCER] The following
program is brought to you
by the friends and
partners of Time of Grace.
[MUSIC]
[PASTOR JON ENTER]
Hi, I'm Pastor Jon Enter;
a pastor down in West Palm
Beach, Florida, and I'm
here to guest host Time of
Grace Ministries with you
this week.
When I got assigned to
West Palm Beach, Florida,
I didn't know where that
was.
I figured it was on the
west coast of Florida.
Nope!
West Palm Beach is on the
west side of the rich
people in Palm Beach
County.
Palm Beach County where I
now live is known as the
county of the "haves and
have mores," and I don't
know have or have more
being a pastor, so it's
pretty easy to fall into
envy.
It's pretty easy to see
those incredible cars that
drive through the school
pickup line and see the
incredible clothes of
people that they're
wearing down there and
think, "Why can't I have
that?"
In Pastor Mark's message
this week, he's going to
share with you words of
encouragement on how your
value and your worth is
not found in your bank
account.
It's not found in the car
that you drive or where
your salary matches up
with others because
there's inequality there.
Your value, your worth, is
always and only in Jesus.
So enjoy today's message
and may it give you
encouragement in how God
values you.
[MUSIC]
Who is the
greatest musician of all
times - composer and
performer?
Well, we've probably got
200 different opinions.
I'll tell you the answer
whether you want it or
not.
It is Johann Sebastian
Bach and if you disagree
with me, step behind
church after the service
and we'll settle it out
behind here and I will
tune you up until you
agree with me [Audience:
Laughter].
There's not even a doubt.
A stupendous talent, other
worldly talent, incredible
genius; not only for
composition but for
mastery of many different
kinds of instruments and
was also a virtuoso
performer.
What a life!
Hardly ever made a dime -
in fact, the statue of him
outside of the final
position he held in
Leipzig shows him with his
pockets inside out because
he was broke all the time.
They paid him peanuts and
mostly did not appreciate
his work.
In fact, at the end of his
first major gig as the
chief organist in the
German city of Weimar, he
was actually thrown in
prison for a month because
the city council people
didn't like his attitude;
he wouldn't play the way
they wanted him to play.
And so to teach him a
lesson they threw him in
the can for a month.
Imagine that!
He was a court composer in
the German city of Kothen
at the local nobility, the
court of the nobility, in
Kothen.
And then the last quarter
century or so was the
Kapell meister, or the
chief musician, choral
conductor, composer, and
organist for the
St. Thomas church in
Leipzig.
That church is still
standing, by the way, and
you can go and visit it.
It is an incredible center
of the musical world.
What's funny is that he
had a very musical family;
a huge number of kids.
His first wife died and
left him children and then
he got married again and
she had a whole bunch
more.
And at least four of his
boys were musicians -
Wilhelm Friedemann, Carl
Philipp Emanuel, Johann
Christoph, Johann
Christian Bach - and
ironically, they became
more famous than he was,
which is crazy because
their talent was pretty
good but they were like
here and he was like way
above them.
And it was centuries
before his genius was
uncovered and today, his
music is performed all
over the world.
Every continent, every
country on earth, you will
hear his compositions in
concert, both for organ,
orchestra, and choral
music.
I want to tell you about a
musician in Bible times
who, in some ways,
arguably was the greatest
musician in the Bible,
along with King David.
In fact, he was handpicked
by David.
And this man, ironically,
also had four boys who
were musicians whom he
personally trained.
This musician is somebody
you probably have never
heard of and you and I
will never be able to
listen to his music the
way we can to Bach's,
which thanks to sheet
music and the ability to
do musical notation,
Bach's music can now be
played and recorded and
you can listen to it and
appreciate his genius for
yourself.
But the music of Asaph
cannot be grasped because
there were no recording
devices 1000 B.C.
and there was no form of
musical notation; there is
nothing but his legend.
And it may be that what
are called the Psalms of
Asaph in the book of
Psalms might actually
include some of the psalms
of his sons or descendants
who became even more
famous than he did.
In fact, the sons of Asaph
- he had four boys, just
like Bach.
What is really amazing is
that Asaph's four boys
were the lead musicians at
what may have been the
most amazing and
outstanding musical
performance ever given on
the face of the earth and
it was the occasion of the
dedication of the temple,
Solomon's temple, in
Jerusalem, and Asaph's
boys were the lead
musicians on that day;
although, there was a
gigantic array of singers
and other instrumental
musicians that day.
And it may be that three
of the psalms at least -
which look like they come
from a later period than
David and Asaph's time -
must have been done by his
boys or their descendants,
who sort of formed a club
or a guild, as also
happened with descendants
from another branch who
are called the Sons of
Korah.
So of the other half of
the psalms that David did
not write, the two biggest
groups - a dozen in each -
were done by the
descendants of Korah,
which was a musical school
or like a guild, and the
other is Asaph and his
descendants, the sons of
Asaph.
And our word of God that
I'd like to dig into with
you today is the first in
the series of Psalms of
Asaph, Psalm 73.
If you take your Bible or
smart phone or tablet,
whatever you have handy,
to get into the word
today, I'd like to invite
you to have a look at
Psalm 73 with me.
Asaph's psalms are found
in two spots - this is
numbers two through 12;
Psalm 73 through 83 - and
then there's an outlier.
For some reason, one of
them appeared earlier as
Psalm 50 and you've heard
of Psalm 50.
It has that incredible and
powerful and memorable
passage: "Call on me in
the day of trouble.
I will deliver you and you
will honor me."
Christians, for many
centuries, have hung onto
that passage for a sense
of hope and encouragement
and comfort.
That is Asaph talking and
in that one also is, God
says, "I don't need your
money.
The reason that I want
your offerings is to show
that you love me and
realize cause and effect
of where your stuff came
from."
He said, "The cattle on a
thousand hills are mine.
If I were hungry, I
wouldn't tell you."
So those stirring lines
come from Asaph's first
psalm, Psalm 50, but Psalm
73 kicks off his final set
of 11 and it's a
remarkable psalm.
I want to just taste a few
of the beginning verses.
We're going to fly through
the middle and then I'm
going to settle in on the
ending, which I think is
an incredible grand finale
for our encouragement.
Psalm 73 begins: "Surely
God is good to Israel,"
celebrating the fact that
God doesn't just watch the
believers.
He's engaged in our lives.
We forget that over and
over and need to start our
worship life all the time
with God is good.
He's engaged in my life.
He's doing stuff.
He's not just watching me.
He's blessing me every
day.
And everything good in
your life has a little
string on it that goes
straight up to heaven,
sent from God.
"But as for me," he says,
verse two - and this may
sound, this may hit a
little close to home - "As
for me, my feet had almost
slipped; I almost lost my
foothold."
I nearly lost my faith.
Why?
And in an age,
unfortunately, we're in a
political season right
now; actually, it's our
curse to always live in a
political season.
When are politics and the
woofing and barking not
going on?
It's like constant, isn't
it?
When does it stop?
Today, we are all getting
massaged to be unhappy and
to get all exercised over
income - what's the word
that goes with it?
Income - am I the only one
who has to listen to this?
Income inequality.
In other words, hate and
resent the people who you
can see up higher on the
ladder.
You got it.
I deserve it.
I want it.
Give it up.
And that's sort of how it
looks.
And to seethe and resent
at how you've been
cheated; that somehow
everybody should get free
money.
Isn't that insane?
"I envied the arrogant
when I saw the prosperity
of the wicked."
I want what they want.
And his heart envied.
He outs himself; Asaph
outs himself as having
problems with a contented
life.
That should be me!
What I wouldn't do if I
had their money.
And he seethed at it.
What really frosted him is
that they were cheating to
get it.
And he said, "I could do
that, too.
I could chisel my
customers, too.
Look at what they're
doing!
They're getting away with
it and they're laughing
all the way to the bank."
That really frosted them
and instead of saying,
"You poor suckers, you are
in trouble with God and
he's coming for you.
You just wait."
Instead he said, "I could
live like that, too," and
began to fantasize living
that gig.
You know, it's not so hard
to get money off of other
people.
You just lie to your
customers, right?
You just overpromise and
under deliver.
You short them.
They use to say be careful
of a butcher that's got
his thumb on the scale.
You know what I mean?
You know what that means
to have your thumb on the
scale?
That means they're not
giving you your full two
pounds of meat because
they've got their thumb on
the scale and they're only
giving you 1.75 pounds.
There's a thousand - ten
thousand!
- ways for wherever you
are in business to cheat
the people who are coming
to you that you are
pretending to serve and to
enrich yourself at other's
expense.
That has been going on
since the children of Adam
and Eve, it's going on
then, it's going on today,
it will be going on in the
lives of your
grandchildren until Jesus
returns.
People are going to hustle
other people and they're
going to think they're
getting away with it.
But Asaph said, "I almost
lost my faith over this
because instead of being
disgusted at what I saw, I
was consumed with envy."
And he knew he needed to
make a change.
He didn't like how he was
thinking and feeling and
believing.
It looks to me like, "They
seemed to have no
struggles; their bodies
are healthy and strong."
Look at their suntans
because they're always
vacationing in winter on
the French Riviera and on
the beaches of the
Caribbean.
"They're free from burdens
common to man."
How I wish I had their
money.
"They aren't plagued by
human ills," and goes on
and on and on.
Verse 13 says: "Surely in
vain have I kept my heart
pure."
What is it getting me to
be honest in my business
dealings?
All it means is I'm -
they're leaving me in
their exhaust.
One of the ironies of
American history that when
the city of Savanah was
founded, there were four
things that Savanah did
not want in its founding
way back in the early
1700s and numbers three
and four of the four
things they didn't want
was we don't want any
lawyers - ha ha, couldn't
resist, sorry for all of
you attorneys out there,
my personal apologies.
Don't shoot the messenger;
I'm just saying.
They said, "We want no
lawyers."
Well, you can guess how
long that lasted.
And "we do not want
slavery.
We're going to be
different from Charleston.
We do not want slavery.
There will be no slavery
in Savanah and in the
colony of Georgia."
Well, guess how long that
lasted?
They saw all the money
flowing into Charleston
and the land owners said,
"Well, nice thought, but
we've changed our minds.
I think we're ready for
slavery."
So they got tired of doing
the right thing and
decided to go for the
money.
Well, guess who's working
in those hearts?
"Surely in vain I've kept
my heart pure."
I've been plagued, I've
been punished.
But verse 21 was his a-ha
moment.
"When my heart was grieved
and my spirit embittered,"
I came to realize "I was
senseless and ignorant.
I was a brute beast before
you."
Lord, what was I thinking?
I was like an animal!
I was being driven by my
appetites.
Where was my faith?
Where was my integrity?
Where was my relationship
with you?
I started loving
everything but you and I
realized and came to my
senses and repented.
I was turning into a
beast, an animal, because
I was loving money and
power more than loving
you.
I was ready to sell my
soul.
He said, "As for me, my
foot had almost slipped.
I nearly lost my foothold.
I almost lost my faith.
I almost threw away my
relationship in your
family just as Esau had
sold his birthright for a
bowl of stew."
And lest we - you know,
I'm hoping you're not
thinking I'm overdoing my
pointing finger because as
often as I do this, I'm
doing this, too, because I
know what that's like.
I feel that pull, too.
I have cravings for money
and power, too, that I
have to keep in check and
pay attention to my God
and you struggle with
that, too.
How often haven't you
cursed your life and
looked at people who seem
to have it all?
How often haven't you
cursed your life and said,
"I'm getting screwed?
What happened when the
treats were being divvied
up?
Why - was I in the wrong
line?
Why is this?
Why is my life so hard and
hers - she's magic, she's
golden - everything she
touches comes her way.
I hate her.
I hate how easy and
beautiful her life is
while mine is such a
struggle.
How come he's been
employed his whole life
and I've been fired three
times and have stretches
of unemployment and have
to go begging for
unemployment payments?
Why can that guy horse
around and go to cocktail
parties and go home and
sleep it off and the next
day is bright and early
and when I drink like him,
I realize I've become an
alcoholic?
I want to party with my
friends but I can't
because my body will not
tolerate alcohol.
I have to quit.
I need to give it up.
I need to never touch it
again.
But I'm cheated now
because everybody else is
at a party and I'm on the
outside looking in.
Look in your heart for the
resentments that you know
are there but then dump
them out at the foot of
the cross of Christ as
Asaph did.
"When my heart was grieved
and my spirit embittered,"
I was an idiot.
"I was senseless.
I was ignorant."
I was becoming an animal.
But the Lord let him have
that self-awareness so
that he could repent of it
and he could go back and
ask for the Lord's
forgiveness for a new
spirit and a clean heart
and a new way of framing
of his world.
And he said, "Lord, I came
to realize," and here's -
here's where I really want
your attention now so if
anybody sitting anywhere
near you is dozing or
checking emails or
something, poke them now
because here's - this is
the important stuff.
"Yet, I was forgetting my
relationship with you
which is my greatest
treasure.
I'm always with you and
you are always with me.
Lord, what was I thinking?
I have you."
"You hold me by my right
hand."
I not only have a
relationship, I have your
protection.
I don't mind being your
child.
You know, every child
who's really small - you
know, when you're small,
you live in a land of
giants and when you're
only this tall, it is a
sweet thing to feel the
hand of your momma or your
papa next to you and then
everything's going to be
okay.
The world is crazy and
violent and large but I'm
okay.
And for you and me to put
our hand in the hand of
our creator, the mighty
Lord of the universe calls
you - he's your daddy -
and calls you his kid and
accepts on himself the
same obligations for care
and blessing and guidance
and instruction and
protection that any good
dad on earth does for his
kids, his sons and his
daughters.
You've got me by the hand.
My life's not spinning out
of control.
You had me all along.
"You guide me with your
counsel."
You're like reprogramming
my dopey brain, getting
those viruses out of the
software in my head.
You are guiding me to live
a life of integrity whose
value is based on
something greater than how
much money can I
accumulate by gouging,
stealing, and taking from
other people.
There are better ways to
live.
"Afterward, you will take
me into glory."
As if all that weren't
enough, you have promised
me immortality.
I am going to heaven when
I die.
The grave cannot hold me.
You're taking me into
glory.
"Whom have I in heaven but
you?"
You are my greatest
investment.
My personal balance sheet?
That will come and go;
somebody else will fight
over it when I'm dead.
I have you in heaven.
"Whom have I in heaven but
you?"
And being with you "I
desire nothing on earth."
Why should I envy anybody
else when I have you?
My health may be
struggling, my steps may
be a little more halting
and hesitant, and I look
at people with great
health and I start to envy
them and I'm going to say,
"No, no.
You don't want their load
of troubles, too.
You've got enough."
Just count your blessings
of what you do have.
This is so important
because it helps you
reframe your life from
envy and bitterness into
joy.
And it helps you look at
all the things you do have
instead of obsessing over
what you don't have.
It helps you look at other
people with charity and
kindness rather than
envying and wishing you
had their stuff, their
health, their spouse,
their kids, their home,
their car, or whatever
else makes people envious
and bitter.
And you and I can just
dump that all out.
It's like opening up a
little spigot, a little
spout at the bottom, or
like unscrewing your big
toe and letting the
bitterness just flow
right; just let it out.
Just dump it there at the
foot of the cross of
Christ.
Claim his forgiveness.
Screw your toe back on and
say, "Today, fill me up,
Lord, with your joy."
And as you ponder who
you're connected to, what
your mission on this earth
is and where you're going,
it's all good.
"My flesh and my heart may
fail, but God is the
strength of my heart and
my portion forever."
A small person like me
connected to a big Savior
makes me a big man.
A big sinner like me
connected to a big Savior
like Christ makes me as
clean and pure as him.
Even a little guy with -
just an ordinary working
schmo like me - connected
to Christ makes me a
billionaire in heaven.
And even though my heart
and my flesh may start to
fail, when I am connected
to God, I'm everlasting.
I'm bulletproof.
I will never die.
The passing of my earthly
body is nothing but the
exchange of an old, rusty,
beat up old taxi for a
cool new limousine for you
and I are immortal in
Christ.
Doesn't that - that's an
exhale moment.
Just like, let's all just
exhale right now.
Ready?
Ready to let all your
bitterness and frustration
go?
On the count of three
we're going to let it go.
Ready?
One, two, three - just ah.
Just there.
It's good.
Now how can I live
joyfully?
"Those who are far from
you will perish; you'll
destroy all who are
unfaithful to you."
I don't have to wish harm
on anybody else.
You're going to take care
of your enemies, Lord.
I don't have to worry
about that.
"As for me, it's good to
be near God."
Do you believe that?
It's good to be near God.
"I've made the Sovereign
Lord my refuge and I will
tell of all your deeds."
Nobody's message is more
powerful than the message
of someone who has
struggled and suffered but
says, "I - my greatest joy
is to be near God and my
destiny is to be with God
forever."
How are we doing?
Are you feeling some joy
come back in your life?
That sets you free from
chasing stuff.
It sets you free from
envying other people and
grieving over the
inequalities of life.
It sets you free to take
inventory of what you've
got and celebrate who you
are, how God has blessed
you right now as you are
and to give him your
praise and your confidence
that your relationship is
forever.
This is good news for
God's people.
Let everybody say "Amen."
[Audience: Amen]
[MUSIC]
[PASTOR JON ENTER] When I
was a young boy growing up
in the early '80s, there
was a banking crisis that
just crippled our nation.
I was too young to
understand what was going
on.
My parents lived in a
small community in
Minnesota; we grew up on a
small farm and they were
feeling the crunch, the
pressure, of what was
going on and we were going
to lose the farm.
I didn't know it, I didn't
understand that, but I
could sense inside the
house all the stress, the
pressure, that my parents
were on.
So I remember one time at
dinner, I asked my dad if
I could be excused and I
went downstairs into the
basement and I grabbed my
Tonka truck - oh, my
favorite Tonka truck that
I played with so much -
and I said my goodbye, I
hugged it, and I carried
it up to my dad and I
said, "Daddy?
If this will help, you can
sell it and try and save
the farm."
There's only two times in
my life that I remember
seeing my father cry.
One was watching Field of
Dreams, actually, because
my grandpa died when my
dad was quite young and
that movie brought back a
lot of emotions and this
was the second time.
That my father, that tried
to be strong and try to
get through life on his
own, now sees his little
boy reaching out, trying
to help.
What's your Tonka truck?
What's the thing in your
life that God has used to
try and break you down and
make you realize that your
value and your worth is
not tied up in stuff and
it's not these things.
It's only in Jesus; it's
only what Christ has done
for you.
The amazing gift that
Jesus has presented to you
in his forgiveness and in
his love.
Whatever's hurting you
right now, whatever's
crushing you in your
heart, give it over to
Jesus and see his love and
feel his love.
I'll be back to pray with
you soon.
I sincerely want to thank you
for all of your love and all
your support that you show to us
here at Time of Grace
Ministries. It means the world
to us and you are making an
impact in the lives of so many
people around this world.
Let us pray. Christ Jesus, We
come to you today; we bow our
heads before you and open
up our hearts to your
mercy and to your love.
Lord, in our lives, there
is so much stress, there's
so much anxiety; there's
inequality that is out
there.
We are so quick to look to
those to our left or to
our right, to look to our
neighbors, to look on
Facebook and see how that
person has that great
vacation or that great new
boat or new car and I
don't have that, God.
God, why aren't you giving
me that blessing?
Lord, help us to realize
the true and the greatest
blessing we have doesn't
come in the things of this
world because those things
don't last; they won't be
maintained.
They will be lost.
But our true value, Lord
Jesus, our true value
comes in you, through you,
for all that you are.
Thank you for that mercy.
Thank you for your
forgiveness.
Forgive us, Jesus, please
for our envy that we slip
into and help us to see
our value; always and only
in you.
Give us peace and give us
blessings.
Thank you, Jesus.
In your name we pray,
Amen.
For Time of Grace
Ministries, I'm Pastor Jon
Enter.
Have a great week!
[MUSIC]
The preceding
program was brought to you
by the friends and
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