Stand Strong

As you study Psalm 11 the psalmist gives us two options. We saw the first one yesterday…we can run. But today, let’s consider the second option which is to stand strong. Notice how David opens the Psalm, “In the LORD I take refuge.” He is indignant toward those who would suggest he flee…he has taken refuge in God.

“If the foundations are destroyed what can the righteous do?” They can keep on being righteous, they can keep on taking refuge in God and he tells us how to do that in verses 4-7. David looks around the enemy and he looks up to God. “The LORD is in His holy temple.”

Now David is writing this so the temple here is the Throne of God in Heaven. When the foundations crumble, know this—there is still a God in Heaven and He is still in control. Do you remember Psalm 2? The nations rage, the peoples plot, the kings set themselves against God, and David said, “He who sits in the heavens laughs.”

I’ve been privileged to go and teach Chinese students studying to be pastors several times. The man who leads that seminary took time on each of our visits to give us a long history of the persecution of the believers in China. Even now they are being persecuted. The government is placing people at the doors of the churches to make sure no one under 18 goes in and systematically trying to destroy the work. We should not be surprised when it happens—Jesus promised it. Look to God—He is on His Throne.

The Psalmist lets God be the Judge. Look at the second half of verse 4 and verse 5, it is God who examines;

“His eyes see, His eyelids test the children of man. The LORD tests the righteous, but His soul hates the wicked and the one who loves violence.”

God tests the righteous. He tests us to see if we are who we claim to be. This is often through trials and hardships, but it culminates in purity and the removal of dross. The testing of the righteous leads to sanctification.

God tests the ungodly, but this fire is not a purifying fire, it is a fire of brimstone and eternal punishment. We have a hard time with the words, “His soul hates the wicked and the one who loves violence” don’t we? Isn’t God a God of love? Doesn’t the Bible say God loves the world? Yes, but understand this…David is speaking from the perspective of God’s holiness—He is holy, holy, holy and He hates wickedness. The greatest display of God’s holiness and God’s judgment is the cross of Jesus.

Make no mistake the doctrine of the love of God never allows us to think that our Holy God will wink at sin. He will judge all sinners and we will either be judged in Christ or in the flesh.

If verse 5 is hard, how about verse 6? It seems as if David is calling down judgment on his enemies and he is. “Let him rain coals on the wicked, fire and sulfur and a scorching wind shall be the portion of their cup.” I think David is reminding himself of why he can stand strong—the enemies have bent the bow and they are ready to go to bloody measures, but he is in the hands of God and God has a way of taking care of the righteous and judging the wicked. We won’t always see it, but we can rest assured that it will happen—either here on earth or at the judgment.

I think there is a sense of Sodom and Gomorrah here—God judged wickedness and David knows He will do it again. Look to God and let Him be the Judge but know that while He will judge all of them—He will also judge us. He tests the wicked and He tests the righteous…no one is hidden from His view.

Finally, David is able to stand strong because he looks to the future,

“For the LORD is righteous; He loves righteous deeds; the upright shall behold His face.”

Stand strong because this is not the end. Stand strong because you will one day see His face. Revelation 22:4 records those wonderful words, “They shall see His face!”

Stand strong—what’s the worst thing the world can do to you? They can take your stuff, but if you are in Jesus, you’ve already given it all up to Him so if they come to take your stuff—they’ll have to take that up with Him.

They can kill you—but if you are in Jesus you know His words—if you believe in me you live even though you die. We, of all people, should be the least afraid to die…we have Heaven on the other side. So if they kill us they are really rewarding us.

They can make you suffer. That is true, but Jesus said we are blessed when we are persecuted for righteousness sake so if they make us suffer, we are blessed and in that we can rejoice.

What can the world do to a person who owns nothing, is not afraid to die, and rejoices when they suffer? Church, the foundations around us are crumbling, but we are not on the world’s foundation we are on the Rock and that will never crumble! Stand for God while everyone else kneels to the enemy, kneel before God while everyone else ignores Him, and go with this promise, “The upright shall behold His face.” We are not of those who shrink back and are destroyed, but we are of those who have faith and preserve our soulsbecause God is our refuge! Stand strong Church in the midst of trouble…stand strong because the world is watching and while some will take up hammers to crucify us—others will embrace the cross with us and we, like Jesus, may take some to eternity even in our death. Stand strong because the world is watching and while some will take up stones to kill us—there may just be a Saul holding their coats and our witness as we die may just lead him to become a Paul. Stand strong and trust in God to be your refuge!