Soon and Never Psalm 41:5
Grace, mercy and peace to you, from God, our Father, and our Lord, Jesus Christ, whose name… will never perish.
God Be Gracious to Me is the title of our Lenten series, based on Psalm 41.
Soon and Never is the title of tonightGod’s message, based on verse 5: 5 My enemies say of me in malice, “When will he die, and his name perish?”
This verse is a prophecy about how Jesus’ enemies would mistreat Him.
But this verse also pertains to us, how the enemies of God treat, not God with contempt, but His people, too.
This verse is also about the one who wrote it, King David, and how his enemies despised and mistreated him.
They were waiting for him to die, so they could claim the nation as their own, for their own benefit, to enrich themselves, and gain power.
David, as a godly king, wouldn’t allow that to happen, because the Old Testament nation of Israel, didn’t belong to any earthly kings or rulers, but to God, just as the Church today belongs to God.
Last week we said that David lost his way for a while, as He sinned against Bathsheba, and against her husband, Uriah, and against himself, and most of all, against God.
But he admitted his error, repented of his sin, and God forgave and restored him.
David learned from his grave mistake, and he recommitted his life to being a godly king again, and never again using His power and position for selfish gain.
Throughout his reign, David had to contend with those who opposed his rule. But David was God’s anointed, chosen by God to lead and rule His chosen people, and so opposing David was opposing God.
In the same way, opposing God’s people, the Church, and opposing the ministry of the Church, and opposing the Word that leads and guides the Church, is opposing God, the Lord and King of the Church.
Those who opposed Jesus during His ministry, also opposed God, since He is the Son of God, although some of His enemies didn’t see it that way.
Some of them may have been unwitting pawns of the devil, doing his work for him in opposing Jesus, not realizing it was really the devil they were serving… and his evil, malicious will they were keeping.
Some, however, knew full well that Jesus was the Messiah, and opposed Him anyway, because they thought He threatened their way of life and their livelihood.
But would they have only believed, Jesus would given them a much better life, more godly life… and a lasting life.
How tragic that they would be the enemies prophesied in the psalm: 5 My enemies say of me in malice, “When will he die, and his name perish?”
As Jesus’ enemies wanted Him to die, David’s enemies wanted David to die, and die soon, and not only that, they wanted his name to die.
There was a movie that was popular some years ago entitled, “Gladiator”.
It was about a Roman general who opposed the new and corrupt Caesar, and so the general’s family was killed, and he was sold into slavery.
He was forced to become a gladiator, and ended up becoming famous and loved by the people… and he wanted to use that to avenge his family.
When the Caesar found out the gladiator was his former general, he was afraid, and conspired to have him killed.
The gladiator’s friend shared some words of wisdom with him, to warn him.
He told him that the Caesar would not just try to have him killed, but would try to kill his name, try to discredit him in the eyes of the people who admired him, otherwise the people would resent the Caesar, and the gladiator’s name would become legendary.
So the Caesar had him seriously wounded, and then personally fought him in arena. But even badly wounded, the gladiator defeated the emperor.
In the same way, David’s enemies wanted, not just him to perish, but also his name to perish. 5 My enemies say of me in malice, “When will he die, and his name perish?”
They wanted to dethrone David and destroy his dynasty, but they failed.
The name of David lives on, even all these centuries and millennia later.
He’s known as the great king of Israel, but even more, as forefather of the Messiah… and that, above all, is how David’s name lives on, while his soul lives on in Heaven.
Through the Messiah, David’s name has lived on, and is remembered in the Bible, and in the Church today.
Believing in Jesus the Messiah, your name lives on, forever, written in the Lamb’s book of life, Revelation 21:27 says.
David’s enemies on earth wanted to destroy his political lineage, but his enemies in Hell, the devil and his evil cohorts, were more ambitious than that…
… they wanted to destroy David’s spiritual lineage, stop the line of the
Messiah. But they couldn’t.
Since the devil couldn’t destroy the Messianic line, and keep Jesus from being born, he tried to keep Jesus from saving the world by leading Him into sin and temptation.
But Jesus didn’t take the bait… He remained holy, that He might please His Father, and redeem us.
The devil and his allies on earth, the religious and political leaders who opposed Jesus, tried to discredit Him, and ruin His name and reputation.
They went so far as to spread rumors that Jesus was demon-possessed, and was doing miracles by the power of the devil, which the devil clearly knew he wasn’t.
And then Jesus’ enemies went even farther… they tried to destroy Him and His good name, by having Him crucified, which was the ultimate way to shame and discredit someone in that time and place.
They hoped that in having Jesus’ crucified, it would kill Him and His name, and destroy His ministry, and scatter His followers.
The devil hoped that, in His suffering and agony, Jesus would somehow dishonor His Father and renounce His mission to save the world, and use His power to come down from the cross…
… but Jesus remained holy and faithful even unto death for us.
And in the irony of ironies, Jesus’ crucifixion didn’t ruin or sully His name, but established and exalted it… as He rose from the grave, with our sins forgiven, and our salvation won.
Ever since, His followers have seen the cross of Christ, not as something to be ashamed of, but to glory in, to praise Him for, as we sing, “In Cross of Christ I Glory”.
There Jesus showed the greatest love ever shown, to His credit, and to His Father’s glory, and to our salvation.
In dying and rising, Jesus triumphed over His enemies, sin, death, the devil, the fallen world, and all that opposes Him and His people.
As our Old Testament lesson says, He made their name to perish from under Heaven.
But the name of Jesus lives on, in Heaven and on earth.
Philippians 2 says, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11 and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
Soon and Never.
The devil wanted to destroy and ruin Jesus as soon as possible, before His ministry even started, even having King Herod try to kill Jesus as a young child, but the devil couldn’t do it, because Jesus is greater and mightier.
Jesus was too determined to save us, to loving and to powerful, for the devil, or any other evil power, in Hell or on earth, to stop Him.
Soon and Never.
Soon our lives will be with Jesus in paradise; let us never
forsake Him on Earth.
Even when the devil, and the fallen world, and the godless culture,
all try to destroy His name, try to undermine His Gospel and discredit His
Word, and try to ruin the reputation of His Church…
… let us, with the help of His Spirit, hold fast to Him and His Word, and abide
secure and faithful in His Church.
Let us glorify His good name, and with joy, proclaim it to all on earth, for His
saving name will never perish, and He, and His glory, and His love, will live
on forever.
As will His peace, which passes our understanding, and guards our
hearts and minds, in Christ Jesus, whose great name we praise, today and
always. Amen.