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Am I God’s People?
Text: Psalm 15
Who is allowed into your house?
- If a stranger comes to your door and wants to come inside your house you say no. Why do you say no? Because you don’t know the person you’re letting in. Jesus says to people wanting into his household, Go away, I never knew you.
- If you want to give someone access to what is valuable to you, give them proximity to your treasures, or put power in their hands, at the very least you want to know who they are. It’s why background checks exist. It’s why job interviews happen. As you know from the scriptures, it’s the immoral things that invite corruption danger, and death. It’s the raw emotion that invites the devil.
- Now this reality is an extension of a truth that comes from the LORD. People who are granted access to the valuable things of God and invited to enter the household of God must be known by God.
- The Son of God obviously has access to the house and to the treasures. This psalm describes the work of Christ, but that is a given.
Access is morally based
- Now, once again, David is trying to instruct the nation of Israel that God is no respecter of persons, not Jews, not anyone. God responds to faithfulness from anyone who will trust Him. God’s family are those who hear and do the words of God. David highlights moral behavior in the lives of God’s people which is certainly not unique in either testament. It has forever been some indication of a people who are God’s people.
- There are also some people who believe they have access but do not – Jesus says, Depart from me. I never knew you. And in some cases there are people granted access who were unaware of it – when did I feed you? And the King answers When you did it to my prophets, my brothers, the least of these you did it to me. So enter in.
- After asking the question “who” is invited into God’s house, the answer comes in three moral categories. What comes out of God’s people’s mouths, who do God’s people support, and how do God’s people live? Words, work, and walk.
God’s people speak the truth
- I love the speaking “truth in his heart” (vs 2)
- This is accepting the honest reflection of what you are.
- You’re reflected in the eyes of other people and this is why correction can be good. It helps you see who you are as opposed to who you think you are. But then you have to accept that.
- Now, people don’t always provide a truthful reflection of who you are, but the scriptures do. And when you find out who you are, God’s people accept the assessment, whatever that is. They don’t excuse themselves. They don’t justify themselves. They justify God and make the corrections. God help us.
- God’s people don’t gossip (vs 3)
- That’s what backbiting is; devouring someone behind their back. Do you know why God’s people don’t gossip? There are two reasons.
- Problems are made worse by gossip.
- And nobody destroys the lives of people they’re trying to love. You can’t care about someone you’re trying to hurt. Proverbs says a lying tongue hates those who are afflicted by it.
- God’s people don’t do evil against people, they overcome evil.
- That’s Proverbs, Romans, and Peter.
- In this case, spoken evil like railing against someone.
- Peter would say, Not rendering evil for evil, or railing for railing: but a blessing; knowing that you’re called to inherit a blessing.
- God’s people don’t use slander against people (vs 3)
- People use slander to control and get their way. It’s selfish.
- When you start lying about someone’s character, you’ve lost the conversation.
- You see so much of it in religion where wickedness is imputed to people for reasons like they don’t believe the Bible as I do therefore, EVIL!
- Now, do you know why a person who does these things wouldn’t be allowed in God’s house? Because these are people who love death. A backbiter is a destroyer. An evildoer is a destroyer. A person who entertains slander and promotes it is a destroyer. These are no friends of life.
- It’s the same reason you wouldn’t want people around your treasures because people like this can’t be trusted. They can’t be trusted because they love destroying people. Probably so they can feel better about themselves, but they are children of the devil.
God’s people work righteousness
- God-fearing people honor God-fearing people with access because they can be trusted.
- Jesus says in Matthew 25, you took care of me when you took care of my disciples, come on in. You’re trustworthy and you’re one of us. You’re my family.
- But, if these characteristics are absent, it’s an indication that God does not know these people and they do not know the LORD.
- Paul warned every church he wrote to avoid certain people.
- Romans 16:17 divisive doctrine
- 1 Corinthians 5:9-13, 1 Corinthians 10
- Galatians told to avoid people who teach a gospel for one group and then another gospel for Jews.
- Thessalonians were told to mark them and avoid them, but also admonish those who won’t follow the apostles’ doctrine (2 Thessalonians 4:13-15)
- Depart from me you workers of iniquity as opposed to workers of righteousness.
- God’s people examine themselves without excusing themselves (vs 4). One of the quickest ways to build trust is not to give advice but to ask for it.
God’s people walk right
- God’s people do not defraud people.
- He does not pervert judgment against innocent people
Verse 5: Spurgeon said, ‘Tis not said he that professes this or that, or he that believes thus and thus, or he that is of such or such an opinion or way of worship, or he that …pretends the Spirit for his immediate guide; ’tis not he that hears much or talks much of religion; no, nor he that preaches and prays much, nor he that thinks much of these things, and means well; but ’tis he that “doeth these things”—that is actually employed about them—that is the religious and truly godly man.
You don’t trust people who talk about being honest, you trust people who are honest. Well, the LORD does too. So let’s not deceive ourselves, let’s be motivated to be God’s people. Not hearers, but doers. Speak right, work what’s right, and walk right.
