PAUL TRIPP

MINISTRIES, INC.

Beauty and Ugly October 6, 2013

Psalm 27:1-5

Well it has been great to be with you this weekend here on the sweetest place on earth.
That’s what they tell me.

Well, it was the kind of call no parent ever wants to get. I was six hours outside of
Philadelphia where I live, and I got the call early in the morning from my wife, Luella.
Luella is a very calm person; she's very seldom ruffled. She's like this (hmmmmm). I'm
a very passionate guy; I’m up and down all over the place.

But I could tell by her shaky voice that something very serious had happened. She told
me that our daughter had been in an accident, that I needed to get home as fast as I
could. Nicole had been walking down the street after work in Philadelphia. A drunk and
unlicensed driver lost control of her SUV, careened up on the sidewalk, and crushed
Nicole against the wall.

She had massive injuries; eleven breaks of her pelvis alone; significant internal bleeding.
The doctor said, “If it had happened in the suburbs, she wouldn't have made it to the
hospital.” It seemed like forever to get to that hospital, and I'll never, never, ever, ever
forget entering that room, seeing the shattered body of my daughter, sustained by
machines.

And the only thing I could think of doing was getting my body up on that bed next to her
and putting my cheek against her cheek; I didn't know whether she could hear me or not.
And I said to her, “Nicole, this is dad; you’re not alone. I'm with you and I'm not leaving
and God’s with you too.” A tear coursed down her cheek.

That began four years of travail. I didn’t go to my office for the first three months
because the center part of her skeleton was shattered, Nicole could not be in any
position without being in just horrible pain. We sat with our hand on her just to let her
know she was not alone. Five days in, they kept trying to up her medication to give her
some comfort, and they OD’d her, and they had to revive her.

I don’t know when I felt so utterly helpless. If I could choose, I would have that happen
to none of my children, but if I could've chosen one of my four children, it wouldn’t have
been Nicole; she seemed particularly vulnerable.
Now Luella tells me that I often stop the story here and leave crowds in utter trauma. So
I want to finish the story for you. By God's grace, Nicole is doing very well, but it's been
very hard.

Now, in those moments where suffering enters your door, where unexpected trouble
comes your way, where you turn a corner in life, and you face something you never
thought you would face, you are going to preach some kind of gospel to yourself.

I say this all the time, and every time I do, people laugh: “No one is more important in
your life than you are. No one is more influential in your life than you are because no
one talks to you more than you do.” (See, you laughed).

It is true; you are in a constant conversation with yourself, and the things that you say to
you and about God and about life are profoundly important. Most of us have learned not
to move our lips. And don't change places; they’ll put you away. But you’re in a
constant conversation with yourself. And the things that you say to you about yourself,
and about God, and about life are profoundly important because they’re formative, then,
of the way that you're going to respond.

I sat with Sally in counseling. She was very, very depressed. Her life had been hard.
But, when I heard Sally describe God, it was a God I didn't know. It was not the God
that’s described in the Bible. And when she talked to me about this God, I thought, if I
was in Sally's life, if I had felt the hardship that she had faced, and I thought this is who
God was, I'd be depressed too.

You see, Sally wasn't just suffering the experiences of life; she was actually suffering the
things she thought about the experience of life. Do you understand that? You can
trouble your own trouble.

Now, you can turn again to Psalm 27. Psalm 27 is a Psalm of trouble. I love the
Psalms. I think the Psalms are in the Bible to keep us honest; because in the Psalms,
you see the messiness of faith. You see the toil and struggle of holding on to God in the
midst of the dramatic brokenness of the world.

The Psalms are unsettling and honest and messy, and that's what’s beautiful about them
because Psalms present to you a realistic faith, a faith that is deeper than any of the
struggles you would ever face. That's what's hopeful about the Psalms. I want to read
for you just the first five verses again of Psalm 27:

The LORD is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The LORD is the
stronghold of my life; of whom shall I be afraid? When evildoers assail me to eat
up my flesh, my adversaries and foes, it is they who stumble and fall. Though an
army encamp against me, my heart shall not fear; though war arise against me,
yet I will be confident. One thing have I asked of the LORD, that I will seek after:
that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to gaze upon the
 beauty of the LORD and to inquire in his temple. For he will hide me in his
shelter in the day of trouble; he will conceal me under the cover of his tent; he
will lift me high on a rock.

Although this is a very honest Psalm of trouble, you will notice that this Psalm doesn't
begin with trouble. It actually begins with theology. And right away, you begin to
understand that peace in life, specifically peace in times of trouble, is not found in being
surrounded by people who like you; not found in being able to understand all of life,
because there will always be mysteries to life; not found in the ease of circumstances.
Peace is actually found in sound Biblical theology.

There are three things that are significant and important that are said about God in the
beginning of the Psalm. Here it is. “God, the Lord, is light.” What does light stand for
in Scripture? It stands for what is pure, and what is true, and what is right, and what is
just. In a world that seems so impure, in a world where so much wrong happens, in a
world where it often seems like there is no justice, there is One who is true; there is One
who is right; there is One who is just who rules over it all.

Nicole not only had her life forever altered by the sinful choice of a drunk woman, but
the Philadelphia Police Department plead the case down from drunk driving to reckless
driving to get it through the court, and she got no justice whatsoever. It's important to
know as you face the injustices of life that there is justice in our world, and it's a Person
and His name is the Lord Almighty.

“The Lord is Salvation.” What, in its grandest, biggest terms, does salvation mean?
Salvation, in its broadest terms, means ‘deliverance from evil.’ It doesn't matter what it
looks like today; it doesn't matter that somehow it seems like the bad guys are winning,
like evil is around us at every turn, like temptation is everywhere we look.

The Bible declares to us that evil will not win; God will win. There will be a day when all
of us will be invited to the one funeral that we want to go to. It'll be the funeral of sin
and death, because sin and death will die.

‘The Lord is stronghold.’ That means, in life as alone as I feel, as alienated as I may
feel, as weak and vulnerable as I may feel, there is a place to run; there is a place to
hide; a stronghold is that kind of fortified building that provides protection.

“The Lord is light”; “the Lord is salvation”; “the Lord is stronghold”.

Now, I’m going to say something to you right now that’s going to surprise you. I've just
given you bad theology. It’s bad theology because I've left out a very important word in
the passage that absolutely alters your theology. David does not say, “The Lord is light.”
He does not say, “The Lord is salvation.” He does not say, “The Lord is stronghold.”
He says, “The Lord is ‘my’ light. The Lord is ‘my’ salvation. The Lord is ‘my’
stronghold.” Enough of abstract, informational, separated, academic theology!

The theology of Scripture is meant to be deeply personal; because what the theology of
Scripture teaches, and this is what David is writing about, is - by glorious, mysterious,
awesome grace, my little life has been connected to this One who is light; it’s been
connected to this One who is salvation; it’s been connected to this One who is
stronghold. He is these things, by grace, for me. Praise God!

He’s ‘my’ light; He’s ‘my’ salvation; He’s ‘my’ stronghold. I could've never earned this. I
could have never achieved this. I could have never deserved this. I didn’t have sense
enough to know that I needed this, but grace exploded into my life as in David’s. You
see, theology should not rest as just religious information; hear what I’m about to say:
theology is meant to redefine your identity. Theology is meant not just to tell you who
God is, but to tell you who you are as His children.

Theology must not rest with information. The goal of theology is heart and life
transformation!” I wake up in the morning; I don't know what that day is going to face; I
didn't know I was going to get that call, but I had better wake up and say, “The Lord is
‘my’ light; He’s ‘my’ salvation; He’s ‘my’ stronghold. He is, by intentional, sovereign
grace, these things for me.” Wow! (now that is just the introduction)

Now notice what happens in verses 2 and 3:

When evildoers assail me to eat up my flesh, my adversaries and foes, it is they

who stumble and fall. Though an army encamp against me, my heart shall not
fear; though war arise against me, yet I will be confident.

All of a sudden, this Psalm gets very dark and very real. And here's what you
immediately begin to learn: that Biblical faith, with all of its grandeur and glory and
hope, hear what I’m about to say, never requires that you deny reality. Biblical faith,
with all of its stunning glory, never ever asks you to play monkey games with the trouble
in your life. If you are working hard to deny reality, you may experience momentary
peace, but you are not exercising Biblical faith.

I love what it says about Abraham in Romans 4, that he and Sarah were waiting, decade
after decade, after decade, for Isaac to be born because a promise had been made. The
whole covenant promise is rested on this boy being born. It says he considered that he
was an old man. It gets even more specific; he considered the deadness of Sarah's
womb, that’s pretty specific. But he grew strong in faith.

You see, you must never deny reality; you must not come here on Sunday morning with a
saccharine, religious smile and say platitudinous things when you've wept your way
through the week. That's not Biblical faith. You don't protect God's reputation by faking
it. We should be able to be the most honest community on earth because we understand
the grandeur of God's glory is greater than any trouble we’ll ever face. Stop denying your
trouble. Stop giving non-answers. Stop saying things like, “The problems are many, but
the Lord is faithful,” when you’ve doubted His goodness all week - that's not Biblical
faith.

Now the real radical point of this passage is the juxtaposition, the contrast between
verses 2 and 3 and 4, let me read for you:

When evildoers assail me to eat up my flesh, my adversaries and foes, it is they

who stumble and fall. Though an army encamp against me, my heart shall not
fear; though war arise against me, yet I will be confident. One thing I have asked
of the LORD, that will I seek after: that I may dwell in the House the LORD all
the days of my life, to gaze upon the beauty of the LORD and to inquire in his
temple.

Now, can we talk? I don’t know why I’m asking permission; I'm about to. If you were in
this situation where, literally, a ravenous, murderous army was encamped against you -
their goal was to eat up your flesh - what would be the one thing that you would want?
How about weapons? That would work. How about just, “Kill them God; you’re God; you
can do it.” When you are in moments of trouble, be honest right here, right now, what's
the one thing you desire?

David says, “When my life is at stake, when everything is against me, when death is
near, I know what I want to do, I want to go to church!” Now either he's ridiculously
super spiritual, and none of us can relate to him, or, David is on to something. Why, in
moments of trouble, is this the only thing he wants to do? “I want to run to your temple.
I want to gaze upon your beauty.” Why? Because, David is on to something, and it’s
really found in that phrase: “To gaze upon the beauty of the Lord.”

Here's what David knows: that there exists, in the universe, a grand and glorious beauty,
way more beautiful than any ugly thing you'll ever face in your life. There exists, in the
universe, something that’s grand and glorious and beautiful, way more beautiful than any
ugly thing you will face in your life. He understands that because God exists, there's
beauty in the universe. God is beautiful in His sovereignty; He’s beautiful is His wisdom;
He’s beautiful in His grace; He’s beautiful in His love; He’s gorgeous in His mercy; He’s
beautiful in His tenderness. It’s that grand and glorious beauty that I need to see in
moments of trouble.

You know why? Because, although you must not deny the troubling realities of your life -
the Bible never asks you to do that - hear what I’m about to say: you must not make
those troubles your meditation. And that's what's tempting to do.

You toss your troubles around as you’re doing menial tasks around the house; you toss
your troubles around as you're going to bed at night; they wake you up in the middle the
night; they’re a knot in the pit of your stomach. In the morning, all of a sudden, your
meditation is on your troubles; all of a sudden, your troubles loom larger; your inability
and weakness gets greater. And all of a sudden, your troubles are beginning to define
you; your troubles are beginning to identify you. Listen, your trouble may be a difficult
experience; it is not your identity!

And watch what happens as you meditate on your troubles; they grow larger and larger
and larger, and the presence of God gets smaller and smaller and more distant. No
wonder you panic; no wonder you fear. David says, “I can't let my mind do that. I can't
go there. I’m going to run into God's temple; I’m going to gaze upon the beauty of the
Lord.”

Now hear what I’m about to say: it's only when you see the trouble of life through the
lens of the beauty of the Lord that you see life with accuracy. It's only when you see life
through the lens of the stunning beauty of the Lord that you actually see life and see
yourself with clarity and with accuracy. David's on to something.

You see, peace in times of trouble begins with good theology - hear where I'm going to go
next - but it's rooted in the worship of God. The remedy for fear, the remedy for
discouragement, the remedy for panic, the remedy for feeling alone, is the worship of
God. Because the more I let my heart go to consider who He is, the more I celebrate His
glory and His beauty, the more I contemplate on the fact that I've been connected to this
beauty by grace, the less I feel alone in my trouble, the more hope I have, the more
courage I have, nothing has changed but this one thing: I'm now seeing life with
accuracy.

What do you do in your times of trouble? Where do you run? Where do you hide? What
do you say to you when suffering has entered your door, when trouble has come your way,
when you are in those moments where you feel so weak and helpless?

Oh, I went through nights and days where I wanted to do something for Nicole; there's
nothing I could do. Luella and I would come at the end of an exhausting day with her in
the hospital, and we’d sit at the edge of the bed, and we’d try to talk about the day, and
we would just sit there and weep.

You see, you won't be silent with yourself in that moment. You'll talk to yourself, and
you really only have two possibilities: You will gaze on your troubles; and you’ll feel
weak, and alone, and unable. Your troubles will loom so large; you’ll begin to wonder
why a God of love would send trouble your way. You’ll begin to doubt His goodness.

Or, you will worship Him. You’ll gaze upon His beauty. You’ll remember that He is
awesome and beautiful in love, and wisdom, and power, and grace. And, you’ll
remember that you’ve been connected to Him by grace, and you will have hope, and you
will have courage, and you’ll have a reason to get up in the morning even though you
don't know what's going to happen next.
Hear this: hope and courage will not be found in your understanding your life because
you have moments you don't understand. It won't be found in trying to figure out God's
secret will. God’s secret will is called ‘His secret will’ because it’s secret. It's found in
remembering how God has described Himself and His beauty and letting that beauty
define life and define who you are.

I want to give you four things to do, and then we’ll be done. If you’re taking notes, take
these down; these are suitable for your refrigerator or for your morning mirror.

Here's the first one: gaze. Every day, take a moment to gaze upon the beauty of the
Lord; it will change you. First thing in the morning, before your mind runs to trouble,
gaze on the beauty of the Lord.

Second thing: remember. As you’re gazing, remember - it's not just that God is these
things; God is these things for you. Remember your identity as His child. Remember
everything that He declares Himself to be, He declares Himself to be for you.

Gaze. Remember. Third thing: rest. Rest in the reality of the glory, the beauty that has
invaded your life by grace. Oh, it may not look beautiful horizontally, but beauty has
invaded your life by grace.

And fourth thing: now act. Respond, now act, respond based on gazing and
remembering and resting. Don't make decisions out of fear; don't make decisions out of
worry; don’t make decisions out of weakness; don’t make decisions out of inability -
you'll learn to regret those decisions.

Gaze. Remember. Rest. Now act - and you watch what God will do.

Let’s Pray: Thank you, Lord, for the honest and hopeful words of this passage. We do
often end up meditating in our troubles. We do let them define us; and as we let them
define us, we forget who You are and who we are as Your children, and we panic and lose
hope. May we, every day--gaze, and remember, and rest, and act. Thank you that, in our
trouble, You say You never turn a deaf ear to the cries of Your children. You're not only
awesome in beauty; You are awesome in beauty for us; we are so deeply grateful. We
pray these things in the sweet and beautiful name of our Savior, Jesus. Amen.

© 2013 Paul Tripp Ministries

www.paultripp.com