Psalm 11

Order of Service

• Scripture Reading — Psalm 11
• Sermon
• Corporate Prayer

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Sermon Title: Responding Faithfully When the Foundations Crumble

Scripture: Psalm 11

I. How Not to Respond — Psalm 11:1-2

A. Do not flee from a society whose moral foundations have crumbled

1. The psalmist rebukes the instinct to "flee like a bird to your mountain"
2. Running is a natural but worldly response to cultural degradation

B. History warns against this response

1. Turn-of-the-20th-century evangelicalism retreated from liberalism and paganism
2. The church cloistered itself and waited, while society deteriorated further
3. Salt separated from a rotting culture makes things worse, not better — Matthew 5:13

C. Running is a symptom of worldliness disguised as godliness

1. It reflects seeing God through the lens of culture rather than seeing culture through the lens of God
2. When the culture upholds biblical principles, God seems good; when it crumbles, we lose sight of God
3. Tying God to politics and policy leads to despair when those fail

II. How to Respond — Psalm 11:4-7

A. Remember who it is that society ultimately answers to — Psalm 11:4

1. God is omnipresent and searches the heart of every person
2. Every person will give account to the Lord of heaven and earth
3. Our hope and focus must rest in God, not in politics or policy

B. See yourself always in the school of sanctification — Psalm 11:5

1. The Lord tests the righteous; the current cultural crisis is a test for the remnant
2. To fail the test is to run and separate from culture as it deteriorates
3. Stand firm, remember whom you serve, and be ready to give a defense for the hope within you

C. Pray for righteousness to reign in full — Psalm 11:6

1. The psalmist expresses righteous indignation and cries out for God to judge the wicked
2. Cultural degradation should drive the church to cry Maranatha — come quickly, Lord Jesus
3. A fallen cultural landscape is an incentive to long more deeply for Christ's return, not to retreat into comfort

D. Remember your goal in life is to behold God — Psalm 11:7

1. The upright shall behold his face — this is the beatific vision, the aim of the Christian life
2. Engaging culture is right and necessary, but the chief end is not the transformation or Christianization of culture
3. The chief aim is to behold the face of God; cultural engagement flows from faithfulness to him, not from making culture the ultimate goal