Every fall, I go to the woods of Hopkins County, Kentucky, to spend time with friends and enjoy time in the woods. When I lived there, I helped my friend Jim move an old cabin onto the property he owned and get it set up in a permanent spot. One of the things that we did was to establish a firm foundation for the cabin. We put some huge rocks under the footer of the cabin to support the cabin evenly and firmly. Here’s why: we wanted to be able to rest easily in the cabin. We didn’t want to worry about the possibility of the cabin coming crashing down in the middle of the night. We wanted to be at rest.
David says in verses 1 and 2 of Psalm 62, “I am at rest in God alone; my salvation comes from him. He alone is my rock and my salvation, my stronghold; I will never be shaken.”
We need the rest that comes in God. Today’s sermon is entitled “At Rest in God Alone.”
Before we go into this passage any further, let’s go to the Lord in prayer.
(prayer)
Ok, let’s look at the entire passage together, then we’ll dive into it:
1 I am at rest in God alone;
my salvation comes from him.
2 He alone is my rock and my salvation,
my stronghold; I will never be shaken.
3 How long will you threaten a man?
Will all of you attack
as if he were a leaning wall
or a tottering fence?
4 They only plan to bring him down
from his high position.
They take pleasure in lying;
they bless with their mouths,
but they curse inwardly.
Selah
5 Rest in God alone, my soul,
for my hope comes from him.
6 He alone is my rock and my salvation,
my stronghold; I will not be shaken.
7 My salvation and glory depend on God, my strong rock.
My refuge is in God.
8 Trust in him at all times, you people;
pour out your hearts before him.
God is our refuge.
Selah
9 Common people are only a vapor;
important people, an illusion.
Together on a scale,
they weigh less than a vapor.
10 Place no trust in oppression
or false hope in robbery.
If wealth increases,
don’t set your heart on it.
11 God has spoken once;
I have heard this twice:
strength belongs to God,
12 and faithful love belongs to you, Lord.
For you repay each according to his works.
So, we need to find our rest in the Lord.
Life is throwing so much at us; many of us have restless minds, restless hearts, restless bodies, and restless souls.
St. Augustine of Hippo said in his famous work, The Confessions, “ . . . our hearts are restless till they find their rest in Thee.”
Brothers and sisters, we must find our rest in God.
So, let us now discover from Psalm 62 three ways that we find rest in God.
First, . . .
I. Be at rest in the salvation of God.
Aren’t you so glad that God offers salvation?
Without God, we are absolutely lost in our sin. Without God, we are dead, we are blind, we have hard hearts, we are God’s enemies, we are under the power of evil and darkness, we are in desperate need.
However, in God, there is salvation!
Listen to the words of David in this psalm:
Verse 1: “I am at rest in God alone;
my salvation comes from him.”
Verse 2: “He alone is my rock and my salvation . . .”
Verse 6: “He alone is my rock and my salvation . . .”
Verse 7: “My salvation and glory depend on God. . . .”
Listen, church, God is our only hope for being saved from all the evil and craziness of this world, and God is our only hope for being saved from all the evil and craziness of ourselves.
He is our salvation. So, you can be a rest in God.
When you don’t know how you can go on in this life, be at rest in the salvation of God.
When you have confusion and chaos in your family, be at rest in the salvation of God.
When you are struggling with anxiety or depression, be at rest in the salvation of God.
When you are dealing with anger or bitterness, be at rest in the salvation of God.
When you are paralyzed with guilt over past sin or present sin, seek repentance and be at rest in the salvation of God.
We all need rest, and that rest is found in the salvation of God.
Second, we learn that we can . . .
II. Be at rest in the steadiness of God.
God is a firm foundation. He is a rock. He is steady.
David says in verse 2, “I will never be shaken.”
He says in verse 6, “He alone is my rock and my salvation, my stronghold; I will not be shaken.”
In verse 7, he calls God “my strong rock.”
Aren’t you glad that God is steady? There’s not a lot of steadiness in this world.
We have war, then we have peace.
Our culture has one view of marriage and the family, then our culture has another view of marriage and the family.
The economy is up, then the economy is down.
We have styles that come and go. The mullet haircut was popular, then it was laughable, then it’s popular again (by the way, it never really looked good).
Church, there is a lot of shiftiness out there, but God is rock-steady!
Pay attention to verses 3 and 4.
David is speaking about those who are trying to take advantage of those who are in unsteady circumstances and those who are doing well.
David says, “How long will you threaten a man? Will all of you attack as if he were a leaning wall or a tottering fence? They only plan to bring him down from his high position. They take pleasure in lying; they bless with their mouths, but they curse inwardly.”
When someone is leaning or tottering, they may be attacked by evildoers. When someone is in a high position, they may have evildoers plotting to bring them down.
These evildoers take pleasure in sinning against those who are vulnerable.
Without God we are unsteady, we are vulnerable, we are shaky. Without God, we have no reason to be at rest.
However, with God, we can rest in His steadiness.
Finally, we can . . .
III. Be at rest in the sovereignty of God.
When we speak of the sovereignty of God, we mean that God has authority and power over everything.
Listen, Church: The fact that God has authority over everything and power over everything should comfort us. We should be at rest in the sovereignty of God.
David says in verse 1, “I am at rest in God alone . . .”
David says in verse 5, “Rest in God alone, my soul, for my hope comes from him.”
David says in verse 7, “My salvation and glory depend on God.”
David says in verse 8, “Trust in him at all times, you people . . .”
He is the one in whom we should rest! He is the one who comforts us! He is the one with power and authority! He is the one who is sovereign!
Listen to these final few verses, which, by the way, sound very similar to something out of the Book of Ecclesiastes. Look at verses 9-12:
9 Common people are only a vapor;
important people, an illusion.
Together on a scale,
they weigh less than a vapor.
10 Place no trust in oppression
or false hope in robbery.
If wealth increases,
don’t set your heart on it.
11 God has spoken once;
I have heard this twice:
strength belongs to God,
12 and faithful love belongs to you, Lord.
For you repay each according to his works.
In verse 9, David points out that both common people and important people will disappear. They are a vapor or an illusion.
In verse 10, David points out that wealth and dishonest gain are not worth trusting in. They will not bring you rest.
In verse 11, David reminds us that true strength belongs to God. He alone is sovereign.
In verse 12, David speaks to God. He says that faithful love belongs to the Lord. Then, he affirms that God is truly the one who repays each according to their works.
This is not to say that our salvation is earned by our works. No, the Bible settles that elsewhere.
Rather, this is to say that God sees all, God will settle all, God will properly judge all, and God is sovereign over all.
In the end, it doesn’t matter if we are rich or poor, where we are from, how successful we are, which political party we belong to, what ethnicity we are, or anything like that. All that will matter is if we have rested in the sovereignty of God. Have we trusted Him and rested in Him?
At the end of the day, brothers and sisters, if we are God’s children, it should bring us comfort and peace to know that God is sovereign over all.
We can be at rest in the sovereignty of God.
Let this bottom line summarize all that we are learning from this psalm.
Bottom Line: Trust in God at all times.
David says in verse 8, “Trust in him at all times, you people; pour out your hearts before him. God is our refuge.”
Indeed, God is our refuge. He is our rest. We can rest in His salvation, His steadiness, and His sovereignty.
Friends, you can trust in God at all times. No matter your circumstances. No matter your past. No matter your present. No matter your future. No matter how long you’ve been coming to church. No matter how much of the Bible you have memorized. No matter any of that . . . if you are God’s child, you can trust Him at all times.
Challenge yourself this week in the following ways:
Weekly Challenge #1 – Pour out your heart before God.
Did you notice that’s the second part of verse 8?
David said, “ . . . pour out your hearts before him. God is our refuge.”
Go to God for your rest. Let Him hear about your heartaches. Let Him hear about your hurts. Let Him hear about your craziness. Let Him hear about your anxiety. Let Him hear about your fears.
We receive this encouragement not only from the words of David in Psalm 62. Listen to what our Lord Jesus said in Matthew 11:28? “Come to me, all of you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.”
(Gospel presentation)
(closing prayer)
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