Sermon Notes
Have you ever felt this way: I want to trust God, but I just don’t know what He is up to?
Have you ever had a moment when what you believed about God was being challenged by what you saw in life? Or have you ever had a crisis of faith? Tell what that was like. Name some feelings you experience during that time. What if it were true that the Bible actually anticipates this situation and addresses it with a genuine concern? Would that be helpful to your faith? It’s true. The Bible helps us through these moments of crisis by sharing the very crisis with us.
How do we get back to God when we have a faith crisis? We need not just an honest moment but rather multiple layers of honesty all the way down into the cracks of our soul.
Asaph pursued multiple levels of honesty – Psalm 73:1-3
- An accepted theological statement – Psalm 73:1
- A realization that my faith is struggling – Psalm 73:2
- A revealing of the true crisis – Psalm 73:3 (the most critical step, compare 4-14)
Key Point #1 – If you carry around false expectations from God, then you will continually have serious frustrations with God.
What are some false expectations that you have about God?
After serious deep reflection, Asaph made a significant turning point. He immersed himself into godly experiences (Psalm 73:17-20)—a turning point.
Key Point #2 – Honest reflection can bring you to a significant turning point.
In the end, Asaph discovered some fundamental truths about God — Psalm 73:23-24
- God is with you
- God will guide you
- God will take you to glory
What is God up to? He is bringing me through a crisis in order to reveal what is really going on in me and reveal what I can really trust in Him.
Application: Get alone and get honest. All the way down.
Discussion Questions
MAIN TEXT
Psalm 73
TALK IT OUT
- Read Psalm 73:1-14. What frustrations is Asaph struggling with in this passage? Give an example of a time when you have experienced similar feelings.
- Like Asaph, it is easy for us to assume that if God were running the world properly (in our opinion), bad things would only happen to “bad” people. Read Romans 8:19-22. According to these verses, what important factor do we need to take into consideration in order to accurately understand the existence of suffering in our world?
- Read Psalm 73:2-3,16-17, Isaiah 26:3, 1 Corinthians 2:11-14, 1 Corinthians 3:18-20 and Hebrews 12:1-3. What are some of the reasons Asaph had a difficult time making sense of what he was experiencing? What lessons can we learn from these passages to help us when we face similar situations today?
- Read Psalm 73:21-26. After a bit of honest soul-searching, Asaph realized that focusing too much attention on his circumstances had caused him to lose sight of some basic truths about his relationship with God. What conclusions did he come to during this time of reflection?
- Read Romans 8:18 and 1 Thessalonians 4:16-18. These passages pick up on some of the same themes we see recorded by Asaph in Psalm 73:21-26. In what ways do these words encourage you as you deal with the challenges you are facing today?
LIVE IT OUT
- What expectations do you have of God? Be honest. Say them out loud. Ask Him to point out any false expectations you are holding onto that may be undermining your faith.
- Take a few moments to list some of the benefits and blessings that are yours as a result of your relationship with God. Put this list in a place where you will frequently see it and use it as a way to encourage yourself when you become distracted by your circumstances.