Clean Transcript

Are You A Despicable Person?

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• And verse 13, that's where we're going to start. Proverbs 13 and verse 13. The title of the message, you need to listen very carefully, and that is this: Are you a despicable person? Are you a despicable person? So in Proverbs chapter 13 and verse 13, the word of God says, "Whoso despiseth the word shall be destroyed, but he that feareth the commandment shall be rewarded." So let me begin by asking some questions. Number one, are you despicable? Number two, will you become despicable? Number three, is it possible for a Christian to be despicable? And the truth of the matter is, I believe that many people are despicable and never even realize it. The truth is we love and we hate, we dislike and we detest, we loathe and despise, and fallen man has been doing that ever since the fall.

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• And of course, that was evident when Cain murdered Abel, his brother. Now the word despise actually means to regard with contempt, distaste, disgust, disdain, to scorn, and to loathe. The word despicable simply means that someone deserves to be despised or deserves to be regarded with distaste, disgust, disdain, and contempt. So is it possible that some people really deserve to be despised? And here's another question. Is it possible that some people will be despised eternally? Wow. I find it interesting that it's not only individuals, but that despise and are despised, but also races and nations as well.

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• When you think of Africa, you need to consider all of the tribal warfares and all of the invasions and all of the captures, and it's always tribe against tribe because they're different. And there are different tribes, and so consequently there are constant wars and invasions. And while I'm on it, may I point out the fact that the slaves that came from Africa, it was Africans selling Africans into slavery. Those slave traders, the white men, never ventured into the heart of Africa.

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• They would have been killed. And so what they did, they just anchored off the coast and all of the African chiefs who had captured all of their tribal neighbors in warfare, then sold them as slaves for rum and trinkets and whatever they wanted. So obviously, yeah, there can be tribes and nations and ethnicities and everyone that hates and despises. Likewise, it's also true with the Orientals. I found this out a long time ago because I was in the university with a Japanese student whose name was Jung Ho Lee. But you never, ever want to call a Japanese a Chinese. Nor do you want to call a Chinese a Japanese, because they just dislike each other and disdain each other an awful lot.

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• And so all down through history, it's been different cultures and different peoples that always hate and despise. And certainly that is the way it is even today. But let me point something out, something you may not have considered. The same thing is true actually between the righteous and the wicked. So, if you would hold Proverbs 13, we're coming back there, but look in your Bibles to Psalm 139, and let's begin reading there with verse 20, Psalm 139 and verse 20.

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• And I want you to note, if you would, what David says. In this passage, of course, David is speaking against those who rise up against God. And he says in verse 20 of Psalm 139, "For they," that is the wicked, "they speak against thee wickedly, and thine enemies take thy name in vain." Now look what David said, remember he was a man after God's own heart. He said, "Do not I hate them, O Lord, that hate thee? And am not I grieved with those that rise up against thee? I hate them with perfect hatred. I count them mine enemies." And then he says this, "Search me, O God, and know my heart. Try me and know my thoughts, and see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting." So David in this passage is certainly praying against those who rise up against God. The word hate here is a very strong word. It actually means to hate. But it means also to count as an enemy. That's why he said, "I hate them and I count them as my enemy."

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• But here's another interesting word. And that is, he said, "I hate them" in verse 22 "with perfect hatred." Now, the interesting thing is the Hebrew word refers to that which is perfection, that which is completeness, that which is a consummation. In other words, when he says "I hate them with perfect hatred," what David is saying is I hate them 100%. There's no percentage of me that does not hate them. In other words, my hatred is perfect. There is no neutrality. There is no compromise.

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• Now, one may wonder, is such an attitude biblical? Obviously it is because David was a man after God's own heart, but some would actually question and say, well, is such an attitude applicable for us today? And certainly the Bible answers that as well. So if you look in your Bibles to the book of Psalms 15, in this psalm David is describing the righteous man. He is telling us who exactly is going to abide in God's tabernacle and who is going to abide in God's holy hill.

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• Now I want you to watch this. Look in verse one, Psalm 15. He asked this question, "Lord, who shall abide in thy tabernacle? Who shall dwell in thy holy hill?" Now here's the answer. "He that walketh uprightly and worketh righteousness and speaketh the truth in his heart. He that backbiteth not with his tongue, nor doeth evil to his neighbor, nor taketh up a reproach against his neighbor, in whose eyes a vile person is contemned, but he honoreth them that fear the Lord, he that sweareth to his own hurt, and changeth not." Now, notice if you would, in verse 4, he said, "in whose eyes a vile person is contemned." I want you to remember this.

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• The Hebrew word is the word basal. It literally means to despise, to hold in contempt, and to be despicable. So he says in verse 4, the righteous man is a man in whose eyes a vile person is despised. He's one that is held in absolute contempt. Now I want you to look in your Bible, if you would, to Proverbs chapter 29. Proverbs 29 and look, if you would please, at verse 27. Proverbs 29 verse 27. Look at it. Proverbs 29 verse 27. Here the Word of God makes this statement, "An unjust man is an abomination to the just. And he that is upright in the way is an abomination to the wicked." Now remember, if you would, the word abomination means a stench in one's nostrils. In other words, it's someone who is so disgusting, someone who is so dislikable, someone you just do not even want to be around. So he says the unjust man is an abomination to the just, but on the other hand he that is upright in the way is an abomination to the wicked. So this actually works both ways. It's what it amounts to. You have to also understand that our Lord taught this same thing when he said

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• in Luke chapter 10 and verse 16, he told his disciples, "He that heareth you heareth me, he that despiseth you despises me. He that despises me despises the Father who has sent me." So very clearly then there is a despising that is being taught in the Word of God. Now listen, if you would, as I give you three verses to quote. The first one is Psalm 34 and verse 21, listen carefully, "Evil shall slay the wicked, and they that hate the righteous shall be desolate." Evil shall slay the wicked, and they that hate the righteous shall be desolate. In Proverbs 29 and verse 10, "The bloodthirsty hate the upright, but the just seek his soul." And then, of course, you know the passage in John 15 and verse 18, where our Lord said, "If the world hate you, you know that it hated me before it hated you."

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• So the truth of the matter is when we talk about despisement, we are despised and we despise regardless of who you are, where you are, or what you are. Individuals, groups, tribes, ethnicities, cliques, yes, and even nations despise and are despised.

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• Now, it is also possible for people to despise themselves. The truth of the matter is I've talked with and I've counseled many people in 58 years of preaching, and I have had people actually say, "I despise my life. I despise myself." And then they would also add, "But I'm helpless to change." And in one sense of the truth, in one sense of the word, that is absolute truth. Because our Lord spoke against what you and I would call self-reformation or self-transformation.

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• In other words, you cannot transform yourself from an evil person to a godly person. You cannot reform yourself by, well, I'll quit smoking. I'll quit drinking. I'll quit cussing. I'll quit running around. You can't quit your way into righteousness. So our Lord said it like this in Matthew chapter 12, verses 43 through 45. He said, "When the unclean spirit goeth out of a man, he walketh through dry places, seeking rest and findeth none."

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• Then he said, "I will return to my house from whence I came out. And when he is come, he findeth it empty, swept and garnished." Are you listening? "He goeth in and taketh with him seven more spirits more wicked than himself. So the last end of that man," our Lord said, "is worse than the beginning." So what our Lord is saying is self-reformation does not work.

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• That is why in the book of John chapter 8 in verse 36, the Bible said, "If the Son therefore shall set you free, you shall be free indeed." So the only way people can be freed from sin and from the bondage of sin and from despisement of themselves is through the grace and mercy and blood of the Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Now the book of Proverbs, very obviously, is not only a book of instruction, but it's also a book of wisdom, and in this book God tells us exactly how we should live and how His word should affect our lives in every area and in every sphere. This book also tells us why we are despicable, the source of being despicable, and how we become despicable. So with that in mind, I want you to look again at Proverbs chapter 13 and verse 13. Look at what he said.

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• "Whoso despiseth the word shall be destroyed, but he that feareth the commandment shall be rewarded." Now, when the Bible says in verse 13, "whosoever despiseth the word," the word, of course, refers to the word of God. It also refers to what you and I would call His revealed word, the Bible. The Bible is the inspired, inerrant, infallible, and indestructible word of God. So men that refuse to read, men that refuse to study, men that refuse to obey the word of God are despising the word of God. That's what he said. "Whoso despiseth the word shall be destroyed."

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• So think about this question. Do you read the word of God? Do you study the word of God? Do you esteem the word of God very highly? Do you obey the word of God? If the answer to those questions is a resounding no, then the truth of the matter is you despise the word of God. You actually despise the Word of God. Now, I want you to consider with me what he says in verse 13, "whoso despiseth the word shall be destroyed." The word for destroyed there can also be translated, not just destroyed, but it indicates destruction, ruin, enslavement, and it means also to be broken and also to be spoiled.

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• So let me lay this before you. There are principles and there are precepts in the word of God that God has given us to direct our lives and to order our steps and to preserve us and keep us from destruction, disaster.

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• Now that means that this word is applicable to every area of life, every sphere of life. So, let me give you an illustration since we're in Proverbs. If you look in your Bibles, in the book of Proverbs chapter 22 and verse 7, Proverbs 22 and verse 7, here the Word of God makes a very clear and concise statement. Look at it. Proverbs 22 and verse 7, "The rich ruleth over the poor and the borrower is servant to the lender." The borrower is servant to the lender. Now the word servant is a very interesting word. It is the word from which we get the word slave. Actually, he's saying the borrower is a slave to the lender. So if I borrowed $20,000 from Steve, that means basically I am his servant, I am his slave until I work it out and pay it back, because I'm no longer really working for myself, I'm working for Steve and to pay back that which I owe. So the borrower becomes servant then or slave to the lender. Now, listen carefully.

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• If we are imprudent, if we refuse to be frugal, if we refuse to plan and save and prepare, then we're headed for destruction. If you look in your Bibles there to Proverbs chapter 22 and verse three, he says this, "A prudent man foresees the evil and hideth himself, but the simple pass on and are punished." Wow. So here's prudence. And even in regards to what you and I would call our financial situation, and if we refuse and despise the word of God when it comes to finances, then we're going to be destroyed financially. So this destruction can be very broad.

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• It applies in many areas and to many things as well. Now, I want you to go back, if you would, to Proverbs 13 and verse 13. Before I go any further, I want to emphasize another truth that should be very clear. In Proverbs 13 and verse 13, he says, "Whoso despiseth the word shall be destroyed, but he that feareth the commandment shall be rewarded." So let me just say, as destruction takes upon itself various forms, so rewards can take upon itself various forms as well. But when the Bible also speaks here in verse 13, "whoso despiseth the word of God shall be destroyed." Here's a truth that I've emphasized for many years. You cannot separate God from His word. So that means this. If you are despising the word of God, and I'm going to show you how that is done, then that also means that you are despising God Himself. You cannot despise the word without despising Him who gave the word. The Bible says in Psalm 119 verse 89, "Forever, O Lord, is thy word settled in the heavens."

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• But even more than that, Psalm 138 in verse 2, the Bible teaches us that God has magnified His word above His name. David said in that verse, "I will worship toward thy holy temple and praise thy name for thy lovingkindness and thy truth, for thou hast magnified thy word above thy name." So if the word of God ever fails, it means then that God is not God. So the point I'm trying to make right now, I want you to see, is you cannot despise the word of God without despising God.

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• So if you will turn back in your Bibles to 2 Samuel chapter 12, 2 Samuel chapter 12. In this passage, you are familiar with the background. David has committed adultery with Bathsheba. He has murdered her husband Uriah with the sword of the children of Ammon. He has been confronted by Nathan the prophet and God is now dealing with David. And look what God says to David in verse 9. God asked him, "Wherefore hast thou despised the commandment of the Lord, to do evil in his sight? Thou hast killed Uriah the Hittite with a sword, and hast taken his wife to be thy wife, and hast slain him with the sword of the children of Ammon." Now look at what he said in verse 9. "Wherefore hast thou despised the commandment of the Lord?" What commandment? Well, thou shalt not commit adultery, thou shalt not covet, thou shalt have no other gods before me, honor thy father and thy mother. In other words, David actually broke all of them. But notice he said, "Wherefore hast thou despised the commandment of the Lord?"

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• Now, skip down to verse 10. He says, "Now therefore the sword shall never depart from thine house, because thou hast despised me, and hast taken the wife of Uriah the Hittite to be thy wife." And the Lord God said, "You didn't just despise my word. You didn't just despise my commandment. You despised me." So whenever we despise the word of God, we are actually despising God Himself. How do we despise the Word of God? Well, let me show you. Look in your Bibles, if you would, to the book of Leviticus chapter 26. Leviticus 26 and I want us to begin reading there with verse 15. Leviticus 26 verse 15. Look at what God says. Leviticus 26 verse 15, "And if ye shall despise my statutes, or if your

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• soul abhor my judgments," and the word abhor is a very strong word for hate. So he said, "if ye shall despise my statutes, or if your soul abhor my judgments, so that ye will not do all my commandments, but ye shall break my covenant, I will also do this unto you." So how do we despise God's statutes? How do we abhor His judgments? And the answer is by refusing to obey Him. God says in verse 16 if we despise His word, we're despising Him and therefore God says in verse 16, "I will even appoint over you terror, consumption, the burning ague that shall consume the eyes and cause sorrow of heart, and ye shall sow your seed in vain, for your enemy shall eat it." You can read the rest of it of what God is going to do because they've despised God's Word and consequently despised God. Now if you would turn right over to the book of Jeremiah chapter 23. Jeremiah 23, look if you would please at verse 17. Jeremiah 23 verse 17. Jeremiah 23 verse 17. God is rebuking these people and he says, "They say still unto them that despise me," here are

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• his own people who despise him. Here the false prophets are saying, "The Lord has said, ye shall have peace." And they say unto everyone that walketh after the imagination of his own heart, "No evil shall come upon you." God says when you are talking contrary to my word and you're giving counsel contrary to my word, you are despising me. Wow. "They say unto them that despise me." So we can despise God by refusing to obey His Word.

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• Now, turn back, if you would, to Psalm 107. Psalm 107. And I want you to look, if you would please, at verse 11. Psalm 107 and verse 11. Here it is. Look what God says.

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• Now, we're talking about supposedly His people here. He said, "Because they rebelled against the words of God and contemned the counsel of the Most High." Now, the word contemned means to despise, to scorn, to abhor. Now, look at it. "Because they rebelled against the words of God and contemned the counsel of the Most High." Why did they rebel? Because they despised the Word of God. The very act of rebelling demonstrates the fact that they despised God. For had they not despised Him, had they not despised His words, they would have obeyed. But they disobeyed.

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• Now, let me ask you a question. How do you know whether or not you despise God or not? How do you know whether or not you despise His word? Someone says, "Well, I read my Bible as much as I can. I mean, I study every now and then. And I try to do what's right or what I think best." Really? Your best may be despising God. How do you know? How can you tell whether or not you are really, truly despising the Word of God or despising God?

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• And the answer is given to us in Scripture. I want you to look in your Bibles to Proverbs chapter 14, Proverbs chapter 14, and look, if you would, at verse 2. Proverbs 14 and verse 2. Here it is. "He that walketh in his uprightness feareth the Lord, but he that is perverse in his ways despiseth him." Wow. "He that walketh in his uprightness feareth the Lord." In other words, the man who fears the Lord God is the man who does not just simply talk the talk, but he also walks the walk. That's why he said "he that walketh in his uprightness," he that obeys, he that is righteous in obedience, that man fears the Lord. But here's the opposite: "but he that is perverse in his ways despiseth him." So the evidence then that one fears the Lord is the fact that he obeys. The evidence that one does not fear the Lord is that he's perverse in all of his ways. Now look, if you would, please, again, he said in verse two of Proverbs 14, "He that walketh in his uprightness feareth the Lord, but he that is perverse in his ways despiseth him."

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• The word perverse is the Hebrew word loose. And it means to depart, to turn aside, to go crooked, to be devious, to be perverse. So the man then that is perverse is the man that deviates from the Word of God. He turns aside from the Word of God, and therefore he follows his own inclinations, the desires of the flesh, of the mind, the pride of life, whatever. In other words, it is a presumptuous sin because he is deliberately and willingly turning aside. So, he says, clearly, "he that walketh in his uprightness feareth the Lord, but he that is perverse in his ways despiseth him." Our Lord himself said, "by their fruits you shall know them."

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• Now, I want you to look at this. Turn in your Bibles to the book of Numbers chapter 15. Numbers chapter 15, and look at verses 30 and 31. I just mentioned presumptuous sins. A presumptuous sin is something that you do willingly, deliberately, premeditatedly. So let me put it to you like this. Let's suppose that Gary had a wonderful hunting rifle that I really liked and that I really wanted. So I offered to buy it and Gary says, "No, I don't think I want to sell it." But I said, "But now, Gary, you don't understand. I really want that rifle. If you don't want to sell it, I will accept it as a gift." And Gary says, "No, I'm not going to give it to you. I'm not going to sell it. It's my rifle. I'm going to keep it." Well, that's fine.

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• But then I get to thinking, you know, he can't stay awake 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and neither can he stay home 24 hours a day, seven days a week. So I watch and wait till he leaves. And I break into his house and I steal that rifle. That is a presumptuous sin. That is a perverse act. I have deviated from the word of God, which says, "Thou shalt not covet, thou shalt not steal, thou shalt not have any other gods before me." So this is exactly what God is saying. Now watch, if you would, Numbers chapter 15, look at verse 30, "But the soul that doeth aught presumptuously, whether he be born in the land or a stranger, the same reproacheth the Lord," that is, despises the Lord, "and that soul shall be cut off from among his people. Because he hath despised the word of the Lord and hath broken his commandment, that soul shall utterly be cut off.

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• His iniquity shall be upon him." So the perverse man is the man that disobeys. The perverse man is the man that lives according to his own rules and not according to the law of God.

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• Now, I want you to turn in your Bibles to the book of Isaiah and look, if you would please, at chapter 33. Isaiah 33. Follow with me now. Isaiah 33. And look, if you would please, beginning there with verse 15. So I'm trying to show you, once again, what it means to be despicable and how we despise God many times and His Word. He says in Isaiah 33, beginning there with verse 15, "He that walketh righteously and speaketh uprightly, he that despiseth the gain of oppression." Now I want you to watch. "He that walketh righteously and speaketh uprightly."

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• That is, that's the man that obeys. And as he obeys God, there's some things he does not do. So what is it he does not do? Well, he despises the gain of oppression. That is, he doesn't oppress. He shaketh his hands from holding of bribes. He will not take a bribe. He stoppeth his ears from hearing of blood, in other words, he's not going to be involved in murder or anything about it. And shutteth his eyes from seeing evil. He's not going to join evil. What is going to happen to the man like this that walketh righteously, that speaketh uprightly, that obeys? He says in verse 16, "He shall dwell on high. His place of defense shall be the munitions of rocks. Bread shall be given him. His water shall be sure." Then he says this, "Thine eye shall see the king in his beauty.

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• They shall behold the land that is very far off." Wow. So he's talking about the man that walketh righteously, that speaketh uprightly. And notice if you would, the righteous man despises. He despises any and everything that is contrary to God and his law. He holds such to be despicable. He treats it with scorn and contempt. So if you'll look back in your Bibles to the book of Proverbs chapter 19, you're going to see again a verse that will sum up everything that I've just said. In Proverbs chapter 19, look if you would please at verse 16. Proverbs 19 verse 16.

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• "He that keepeth the commandment keepeth his own soul. But he that despiseth his ways," that is God's ways, "shall die." So if you keep the commandment, you're loving God's way. If you fail to obey, you're despising God's ways.

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• Now, the truth of what I'm talking about is seen in every area and in every sphere of our lives. It is seen in relationship with our neighbors. It is also seen in relationship with our families. It is seen in relationship with education. It is seen in relationship with our spouses. So keep in mind that he that despiseth the word of God shall be destroyed. And as I've already told you, that destruction can take many different forms. But he that keepeth the commandment shall be rewarded, and that reward can take many different forms as well. So I want to take you very quickly through the book of Proverbs and just show you what the Word of God is talking about when we're talking about despising. So go back in your Bibles, if you would, to Proverbs chapter 1. And every one of these passages except one is going to be in the book of Proverbs. But notice if you would Proverbs chapter 1 and verse 7. It is astounding to me how many times the word despise or despiseth is used in the Bible. So in Proverbs 1 in verse 7, the Bible says, "The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and instruction." So a fool's not gonna listen. A fool's not going to hear.

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• A fool's not going to heed. He's not going to be taught. Look, if you would, please, at verse 30 in Proverbs 1. He says, "They would have none of my counsel. They despised all of my reproof." Wow. You know, it's interesting. He says, "fools despise wisdom and instruction." You know, if you're working around a huge piece of machinery, and it's your first time there, and you do not know how to run that machine, and you refuse to be instructed and or read the instructions, inevitably, you're going to end up getting hurt or destroying the machine. It's just that simple, but fools refuse instruction. Look if you would in Proverbs 5 and verse 12, watch this carefully. Proverbs 5 in verse 12, "And say, How have I hated instruction, and my heart despised reproof?" It doesn't matter if we're talking about neighbors or families or education or what. Look if you would in chapter 11 and verse 12. Proverbs 11 and verse 12.

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• "He that is void of wisdom despiseth his neighbor, but a man of understanding holdeth his peace." A man void of wisdom, he just despises to be despising. That's not all. Look, if you would, in chapter 14 and verse 21, because again, he still talks about the neighbor. Proverbs 14 verse 21. "He that despiseth his neighbor sinneth, but he that hath mercy on the poor, happy is he."

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• I tell you what, it's astounding to me what goes on in a lot of these cities between neighbors. I just read some time ago where one neighbor shot and killed his neighbor because his neighbor did not keep his dog from pooping on the other man's lawn, and so he goes over and shoots him and kills him. You know, I'm just simply saying, look in Proverbs 15 in verse 5. "A fool despiseth his father's instruction, but he that regardeth reproof is prudent." A fool despises his father's instruction. Look in verse 20, same chapter. "A wise son maketh a glad father, but a foolish man despiseth his mother." In other words, he's not going to listen. Look in Proverbs 15 and verse 32. "He that refuseth instruction despiseth his own soul, but he that heareth reproof getteth understanding." Now if you would turn right over to Proverbs chapter 30, and I'm not giving you every verse, just a number of them. But you remember

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• the Bible says, "He that despiseth the word shall be destroyed." What's this? Proverbs chapter 30, look if you would please at verse 17. "The eye that mocketh at his father and despiseth to obey his mother, the ravens of the valley shall pick it out and the young eagle shall eat it." What's that mean? The young man's dead. The young man's dead. He that despises the word of God shall be destroyed.

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• Now, I want you to turn over in your Bibles, if you would, to 1 Thessalonians chapter 4. Because we're using the Bible to give us a great understanding on being despicable. So notice if you would, 1 Thessalonians chapter 4. This passage is a wonderful passage. It is a passage that is against fornication.

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• Now fornication, porneia, is a very broad word. It would include adultery, it would include incest, it would include bestiality, it would include any and everything that is immoral, wicked, and wrong. And so in this passage the Apostle Paul is telling us we are to avoid fornication. Now watch, if you would, let's begin reading verse 2. He says, "For ye know what commandments we gave you by the Lord Jesus Christ." Well, you know what commandments. Now look at verse 3, "For this is the will of God, even your sanctification, that ye should abstain from fornication. That every one of you should know how to possess his vessel in sanctification and honor." His vessel is your body. Okay.

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• So let me put it like this. So here you have in verses three and four, the principle laid out that we are to avoid and abstain from fornication, that our bodies are to be held in sanctification and honor.

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• Now he's going to give us a negative. He says, verse four, "that every one of you should know how to possess his vessel in sanctification and honor." Here's the negative in verse five, "not in the lust of concupiscence, even as the Gentiles which know not God." It's still the negative, "that no man go beyond and defraud his brother in any matter," or the matter, the matter of fornication, "because the Lord is the avenger of all such, as we've also forewarned you and testified." Now, when you get to verse seven, it is a repeat of the principle in verses three and four. For there, he says, "For God has not called us unto uncleanness, but unto holiness." Now look in verse eight.

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• "He therefore that despiseth," that is, he will not obey this, "he therefore that despiseth, despiseth not man, but God, who has also given us his Holy Spirit." So all of the uncleanness, all of the immorality is indeed despising God. So we have to ask ourselves again, are we despicable? Are we becoming despicable? How do we walk? How do we live? What is the expression of our lives?

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• Now, let me tell you something. One of the problems that we face today is the fact that oftentimes there are exceedingly wicked and vile people who prosper and nothing ever happens to them seemingly. You and I can sit right here and name a dozen people right off that are so wicked, so vile, that are multi-billionaires that it seems like they'll never face any justice for their crimes. Let me show you.

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• I want you to turn in your Bibles to Psalm 73. In this psalm, Psalm 73, is a psalm of Asaph. Asaph had a certain problem. His problem was he was suffering, he was doing without, and he got to looking at all of the wicked at their prosperity and nothing ever happened to them. So look at it in verse one, he begins and he says, "Truly God is good to Israel, even to such as are of a clean heart."

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• Now here's where it gets dicey, but it's for me. "My feet were almost gone. My steps had well nigh slipped." He said, "I almost lost it." Why? "For I was envious at the foolish when I saw the prosperity of the wicked." Now look at their prosperity. "For there are no bands in their death, but their strength is firm. They're not in trouble as other men, neither are they plagued like other men."

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• I don't have our problems. "Therefore pride compasseth them about as a chain, violence covereth them as a garment. Their eyes stand out with fatness, they have more than heart could wish." Here they are, they are corrupt and speak wickedly concerning oppression, they speak loftily. They set their mouth against the heavens and their tongue walketh through the earth. They have cursed God and man, it doesn't matter to them. Verse 10, "Therefore his people return hither, and waters of a full cup are wrung out to them. And they say," this is the wicked, they say, "How doth God know?

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• And is there knowledge with the Most High?" Then he says this, "Behold, these are the ungodly who prosper in the world, they increase in riches."

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• Now look at it, here it is. He says, "Verily I have cleansed my heart in vain, and washed my hands in innocency. For all the day long I have been plagued and chastened every morning. If I say I will speak thus, behold I should offend against the generation of my children. When I thought to know this, it was too painful for me." So Asaph is saying here's my problem.

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• I'm wanting to do right. I want to live holy. I want to be godly, and here I am suffering and doing without, and look at these wicked. They're prospering. Nothing ever happens to them. Now I'm gonna stop right there, we're coming back. So I want you to hold on Psalm 73, but I want you to turn in your Bibles, if you would, to 1 Samuel chapter 2 and verse 30. 1 Samuel chapter 2 in verse 30, because here is a principle. I want you to watch this. 1 Samuel chapter 2 and verse 30. In this passage God is actually speaking to Eli where he is judging Eli and his house. And so in 1 Samuel chapter 2 and verse 30, God says this to Eli, watch this. 1 Samuel chapter 2, it is I believe, and verse 30. There you go. "Wherefore the Lord God of Israel said, I said indeed that thy house and the house of thy father should walk before me forever.

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• But now the Lord said, be it far from me," in other words, you've sinned against me, your sons have sinned against me. "Be it far from thee, for them that honor me will I honor, and they that despise me shall be lightly esteemed." Now, wait a minute. Look at that again. He said, "For they that honor me I will honor, and they that despise me shall be lightly esteemed." The Hebrew for the word lightly esteemed literally means to be made despicable. Those that despise God shall be despised by God. Now, I want you to go back to Psalm 73. And here's the principle: those that honor me I'll honor, said the Lord, those that despise me they shall be lightly esteemed or they shall be despised. So look back if you would now at Psalm 73 and verse 16. He said, "When I thought to know this, it was too painful for me.

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• I just couldn't put two and two together until I went into the sanctuary of God. Then understood I their end. Now watch. "Surely thou didst set them in slippery places." They got one foot on a banana peel, another foot on a piece of ice. "Surely thou didst set them in slippery places. Thou castest them down into destruction. How they are brought into desolation as in a moment. They're utterly consumed with terrors." Are you listening? Are you looking? Are you listening? "As a dream, when one awakeneth, O Lord, when thou awakenest, thou shalt despise their image."

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• Spurgeon made a comment on this passage. Here's what he said, "They," talking about these rich wicked, "they owe their existence and prosperity to the forbearance of God, which the psalmist compares to a sleep. But as a dream vanishes as soon as a man awakes, so the instant the Lord begins to exercise his justice and call men before him, the pomp and prosperity of the proud transgressors shall melt away. When God awakes to judgment, they who despise him shall be despised. They are already such stuff as dreams are made of.

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• But then the baseless fabric shall not leave a wreck behind. Let them flaunt the little hour. Poor unsubstantial sons of dreams, they will soon be gone. When the day breaketh and the Lord awakes as a mighty man out of his sleep, they will vanish away. Who cares for the wealth of dreamland? Who indeed but fools. Lord, leave us not to the madness which covets unsubstantial wealth, but ever teach us thine own true wisdom."

  #60 | 49:53 to 50:26 | cleaned

• Now, let me make a statement. I just read to you in Psalm 73 that when God awakes, God will despise their image. It's not just that God will despise their image. God will eternally despise their image. So, I want you to look in your Bibles to Daniel chapter 12. Daniel chapter 12. And look if you would please at verse 2. Daniel 12 and verse 2. Daniel 12 verse 2. Daniel speaks of the resurrection and he says this.

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• "Many of them that sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life and some to shame and everlasting contempt." The word contempt means to be abhorred, to be treated contemptibly, and to be an abhorrence. It's another word for despisement. Now watch it. "And many of them that sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life and some to shame and everlasting despisement." Wow. I want you to think with me just for a moment. I want you to consider this and even think about it this afternoon.

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• We may despise certain people, but our despisement is always temporary, nor is it perfect. Let's suppose for one instant that there is no hell. Just suppose there is no lake of fire and brimstone. Just suppose there's no eternal torture. But just think. Just think. Here you have a sovereign, omnipotent, omniscient, omnipresent, eternal, almighty God. If all He did was to despise you eternally, with His personal, perfect, and perpetual despisement, and for every moment of every second throughout eternity, you receive a fresh baptism of a holy God's righteous scorn, contempt, and despisement. I think that would be sufficient to be hell in itself. Wow. When God despises, there are no blessings. There are no mercies. There is no rest. There is no release. There is no return, because it is an eternal despisement. And as Asaph said in Psalm 73 and verse 20, "As a dream when one awakeneth, so, O Lord, when thou awakenest, thou shalt despise their image."

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• Let me try to make some applications. The first one is this. Despicableness is revealed in many ways. Our Lord Himself made it even clear that we are either going to love Him or despise Him. He said in Matthew 6 in verse 24, "No man can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will hold to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon." Mammon oftentimes refers to money, because it could also refer to the world system which produces that money. It could also refer to the lusts that want and desire that money. It could also refer, I guess, to the lusts of the flesh and the pride of life because those are part of the world system as well.

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• But I hope you've seen from Scripture that when we disobey Him, we're not only despising His Word, we are despising Him. So this should answer the question, is it possible for a Christian to be despicable? And the answer is yes. The answer is yes. So once again, if I wanted that rifle that Gary had, and I plan on stealing it because he will not sell it and he will not give it to me, I'm despising the word of God and I'm despising God himself who gave that word. Wow.

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• The second one is this. Our continuous despisement of the word of God always leads to destruction. And not just to a temporary interference or a light judgment, but an utterly complete judgment. For instance, if you look back in your Bibles very quickly to 2 Chronicles, 2 Chronicles chapter 36. And look, if you would please, at verse 16, 2 Chronicles 36 and verse 16, look at this. 2 Chronicles chapter 36 and verse 16. The Bible says this, but they were talking about His people. We're talking about Israel. In fact, we're talking about Judah, all of it, because verse 14 talks about the chief priests and all of this. But look in verse 16, "But they," that is the people, "mocked the messengers of God," and messengers is plural. "But they mocked the messengers of the prophets of God and despised his words," that is singular, God's words, because they are preaching God's words. "But they mocked the messengers of God and despised his words and misused his prophets until the wrath of the Lord arose against his people till there was no remedy. Therefore he brought upon them the king of the Chaldees, who slew the young men with their sword in the house of their sanctuary, had

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• no compassion upon young men or maiden or old man or him that stooped for age. He gave them all into his hand." Wow. Until there was no remedy. Hmm. You remember that passage in Malachi chapter 1 in verse 6 where God said, "A son honoreth his father and a servant his master. If I am a father, where is my honor? If I am a master, where is my fear? saith the Lord unto you, O priest, which despise my name." How did God's priest despise his name? Well, they despised his word, his worship, and his service. And they refused to put a difference between the clean and the unclean, the profane and the holy.

  #67 | 57:50 to 58:37 | cleaned

• So let me tell you, this is where we are today. I want to try to emphasize upon you the reality of our sins and disobedience. So there's one more passage I want you to turn to. I want you to turn to Isaiah 53. I could quote this. I'm sure that many of you could quote this passage, but you must see this. I want you to look at Isaiah 53 and notice if you would please verse 3. Everyone knows that Isaiah 53 is a passage concerning the Messiah, the Lord Jesus Christ. So just to save time, look at verse 3. The Lord Jesus Christ, "He is despised and rejected of men, a man of sorrows and acquainted

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• with grief. And we hid as it were our faces from him. He was despised and we esteemed him not." Now, wait a minute. Look at that verse again. "He is despised and rejected of men. He's a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief. And we hid as it were our faces from him. He was despised," look at it, "and we esteemed him not." Esteemed him not. The word esteemed is the Hebrew word chashab, which literally means to esteem, to value, to count, to think, and to reckon. So let me put it to you like this. As this passage deals with our Lord's suffering and everything that he went through, when we sin against our Lord, are you listening? When we sin against our Lord, and we do that which is contrary to His word, contrary to His law, what we're saying is this, "I don't give a flip about Jesus Christ. I don't care what He suffered. I don't care what He went through.

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• I want what I want. I'll do what I will, and I'll do it right now." We don't even think that he's worth thinking about. We don't even think that his sufferings are worth counting or reckoning with. We esteemed him not. He's not worth a moment of my mind. Wow.

  #70 | 1:00:42 to 1:00:59 | cleaned

• Next time we're tempted to sin, we need to stop and think about the fact that our sins were imputed to the Lord Jesus Christ. He suffered in our stead, in our place. I believe his sufferings are worth thinking about. Is it possible for a Christian to be despicable? Yeah. All we have to do is disobey. Because we're despising God's Word, and we're despising God. You have to remember this one truth. You cannot separate God from His Word. That's why in John 12 and verse 48, our Lord said, "Whosoever rejecteth me, and receiveth not my word, hath one that judgeth him the last day, even the word which I have spoken." If we despise His Word, we despise the Lord Jesus Christ. If we despise the Lord Jesus Christ, we despise the Father who sent the Lord Jesus Christ. So we cannot and must not be despicable in our lives. It's one thing to despise the enemies of God. It's quite another thing to despise God and His Word. Father, in the name of Jesus Christ, we bow to thee.

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• We thank you, Lord, for the truth of your word. And, Lord, we have to admit, acknowledge that oftentimes, Lord, we've despised thee because we've despised thy word. We've done what we wanted to do and not what you commanded. We've grieved thee. We've broken thy heart. We've hurt thee. And Lord, we sinned against thee. We need our hearts turned, our minds enlightened, our wills freed, that we might obey thee and bring our lives in conformity to your word. Give us grace, Lord, that we may serve thee in truth and in righteousness and walk pleasing in thy sight.

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• In the name of Jesus Christ, we pray. Amen.

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• so

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deepseek | deepseek-v4-pro | clean_readable_transcript | 2026-06-05T20:50:08Z