From His Heart

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Are you living your best life now? If you're a Christian, the answer is no. Here's Pastor Jeff Shreve.

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This is not your best life. Now your best life is to come. What eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor has even entered into the heart of man, all that God has prepared for those who love him.

It is worth it to follow Jesus. And you mark this down. No one who stays faithful to the Lord will ever regret it. He who believes in him will never be disappointed.

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Many seek to grab all the gusto they can right now and live a great life. And they're perplexed when the wicked prosper while the righteous suffer. That can be a tough one to understand. Well, God wants to teach us some important lessons concerning that question today, and they're really lessons with a warning.

But it's also a very revealing question that actually uncovers some things about us that are important to know. This is from his heart with Pastor Jeff Shreve. Today, he shares three important lessons that God wants us to learn from when we begin to focus on the prosperity of ungodly people in a message entitled "Why Do the Wicked Prosper?" The lesson is from the nine-message series, "Life is Hard, But God is Good."

This extensive series is our special thank you for your support of any amount from His Heart. You can get it in multiple formats. Find out more when you go to fromhisheart.org. Now, though, open your Bible to Psalm chapter 73. Here again is Pastor Jeff to answer this question: Why do the wicked prosper?

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**Why do the wicked prosper? Three lessons of warning.**

**Lesson number one.** Beware of falling into the trap of comparison. The trap of comparison. Psalm 73 begins reading in verse 1: "Surely God is good to Israel, to those who are pure in heart." That's a good faith statement. God is good to Israel, to those who have a pure heart—not a sinless heart, because nobody has that, but a pure heart. That means you're dealing with sin and you're making sure your sins are forgiven and your heart is staying pure.

"Surely God is good to Israel, to those who are pure in heart. But as for me, my feet came close to stumbling; my steps had almost slipped, for I was envious of the arrogant as I saw the prosperity of the wicked." Asaph acknowledges that he knows God is good to Israel, to those who are pure in heart, but he is struggling because he sees how the wicked are so prosperous and seemingly favored. It doesn't make sense to him.

Asaph was doing fine in verse one, but he started having trouble in verse two. He tells you the reason why he's having trouble: he started to envy the wicked and the arrogant. Beware of falling into the trap of comparison. Comparison does one of two things, both of which are bad. It either makes you proud or it makes you envious. When you start comparing yourself with other people, the Bible says not to do that. When you compare with someone who is doing better than you are, it doesn't puff you up; it drags you down. That's what was happening to Asaph. He felt it wasn't right or fair, and he became envious and jealous of the arrogant as he saw how they were being blessed.

He saw the prosperity of the arrogant and became bitter, all because of comparison. When you compare, as Asaph did, it will embitter your heart and make you jealous. The bottom line with comparison is that it means you've taken your eyes off the Lord.

**Second lesson, a lesson of warning.** Beware of falling into the trap of fantasy. It's not just that I'm comparing my life to the godless, to the wicked, to those who don't follow the Lord, but now I start to fantasize about how wonderful their life is. Look again in verse three: "For I was envious of the arrogant as I saw the prosperity of the wicked." He saw the shalom, the prosperity of the wicked.

"For there are no pains in their death; their body is fat." That was a good thing back then. Now we might say, "Look at that fat rich guy." But their body is fat; they're not in trouble as other men, nor are they plagued like mankind. "Therefore pride is their necklace; the garment of violence covers them. Their eye bulges from fatness; they have so much. The imaginations of their heart run riot. They mock and wickedly speak of oppression; they speak from on high."

These are people who can call God out; they have no fear of God at all. They say, "How does God know? Is there knowledge with the Most High?" Behold, these are the wicked, always at ease; they have increased in wealth. Asaph looks and sees that they have everything while he seemingly has nothing. He is fantasizing about how wonderful their lives are.

Be careful when you start thinking like that, because you have to ask the question: Are the wicked really at peace? What does God say about that? He says twice in the book of Isaiah, Isaiah 48:22 and Isaiah 57:21, "There is no peace for the wicked," says the Lord. They might have money, wealth, and abundance, but I can promise you they don't have peace.

The second question is: Are they really satisfied? Asaph thinks these people are just living it up and everything is wonderful, and they're so satisfied with life. But you're not going to find satisfaction in this world. You're not going to find peace in this world. It's just not going to be there. So, beware of falling into the trap of fantasy.

**Thirdly, beware of falling into the trap of a skewed perspective, a skewed horizontal perspective.** Look again in verse 12: "Behold, these are the wicked, and always at ease. They have increased in wealth." Asaph says, "Surely in vain I have kept my heart pure." All this time, Lord, I'm fighting sin in my life. What's it for? It's for nothing. "In vain I have kept my heart pure and washed my hands in innocence. For I have been stricken all day long and chastened every morning."

He feels like all they have is blessings while he gets the short end of the stick. "I've been stricken all day long and chastened every morning. Thank you, sir, may I have another?" It was really bugging him until verse 17: "I came into the sanctuary of God." He realized he had been looking horizontally, comparing and fantasizing about how wonderful their lives are. But then he began looking vertically.

"I came into the sanctuary of God, and everything changed." Now, if you've been tracking with me, you know I haven't really answered the question: Why do the wicked prosper? I've said to beware of the comparison trap and the fantasy trap. But okay, leaving that all aside, why does God do what He does? Why does He seemingly prosper the wicked?

Let me answer that directly. The wicked prosper because God loves sinners. For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son. Jesus said in Luke 6:35, "But love your enemies and do good, and lend expecting nothing in return, and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High." Watch it: "For He Himself is kind to ungrateful and evil men."

Romans 2:5 says that the kindness of God leads men to repentance. So why does God prosper the wicked? Because God loves them. God loves sinners.

**Reason number two:** Why does God prosper the wicked? The wicked prosper because God is patient with them. God is patient. In 2 Peter 3, it says that in the last days, mockers will come with their mocking, following after their own lust and saying, "Where is the promise of His coming? Forever since the fathers fell asleep, all continues as it was from the beginning of creation."

You guys have been talking about the second coming of Jesus. Well, where is it? It's been 2,000 years. Jesus is not coming again. Where is the promise of His coming? It says, "With the Lord, one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day." He doesn't mark time like you and I mark time.

"The Lord is not slow about His promise, as some men count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing for any to perish, but for all to come to repentance." God is so patient with sinners. Why hasn't Jesus come back yet? Because maybe even today there's going to be somebody who trusts Christ as Savior and Lord—somebody online who will say, "I'm going to give my heart to Jesus today," and God is patient towards you.

**Reason number three:** The wicked prosper because the world is their realm. It's their domain. They are of the world. 1 John 5 says, "The whole world lies in the power of the evil one." It's like cradling a baby, and the devil cradles the whole world in his hands, in his arms, in his power. This is the devil's world. He's the prince of the power of the air. One day, the devil's Christ, the Antichrist, is going to rule this world until the Lord takes him out.

So this world system is against believers and for unbelievers. Jesus said in John 15, "If you were of the world, the world would love its own, but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you." Remember the word that I said to you: "A slave is not greater than his master."

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He.

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If they persecuted me, they will also persecute you. And if they kept my word, they will keep yours also. Jesus, God in the flesh, comes to the world. He was in the world, and the world was made through him. And the world did not know him. He came to his own, and those who are his own did not receive him. The culmination of not receiving Jesus is at the trial of Jesus. Pilate says, "Who do you want me to release for you, Barabbas or Jesus?" And they said, "Not this man, but Barabbas. Release Barabbas." Then Pilate asks, "What shall I do? What then shall I do with Jesus, who is called the Christ?" And they said, "Let him be crucified." He said, "Shall I crucify your king?" And they replied, "We have no king but Caesar." They rejected him. Love in the flesh, God in the flesh. They rejected him. They nailed him to a tree. He couldn't do anything unless he allowed that to happen.

But here's the point: if that is our master, our leader, our Lord and Savior, and that's what they did to him, what do you think they're going to do to you if you follow him? Do you think they're going to receive you? Do you think they're going to love you? I'm talking about the world—the world system, that system that is cradled in the arms of the devil. The world is going to hate you and hate me, but for an unbeliever, for the wicked, for the godless, that's their system. So why do they prosper? Because they're in the system that is for them and against you and me. That's the way this works. Now, we don't really like that, but that's the way it is.

I sent out an email this week to the church, and there was a sermon clip in that attachment. It was from John MacArthur. He preached just a couple of weeks ago, and he made this statement: "Church, do you not understand that in this world we lose? We lose as Christians. We lose in this life. We win in the life to come. And we're not living for this world; we live for the world to come." But hey, you stand up for Jesus in a culture that is against him, and it's going to come after you. We are twice-born men and women living in a world of once-born men and women. We follow the drumbeat of a different drummer, the Lord Jesus Christ. The whole world lies in the power of the evil one. They're following his drumbeat. He's the prince of the power of the air.

So there is a collision. And how are we going to fare in the collision? We are going to get run over in the collision. That's just what happens in the scripture. It's going to be that we're playing on the home field advantage of the world. It's going to be rigged for the world and against the Christian. That's just the way it is. But see, the wicked prosper until they face God. Until they face God.

He said, "It was troublesome in my sight," verse 16, "until I came into the sanctuary of God. Then I perceived their end. Surely you set them in slippery places; you cast them down to destruction. How they are destroyed in a moment; they are utterly swept away by sudden terrors, like a dream when one awakes. O Lord, when aroused, you will despise their form." Life is not just here. See, when God made you and fashioned you, he fashioned you to live forever. And you are going to live forever. You're going to either live forever in heaven with him or in hell without him, but you're going to live forever.

So when we talk about the wicked prospering, do they really prosper? If you live life, if you live to be a hundred, that would be a long life. And if you live on the top of the heap for all those hundred years, man, that's a long life. You really prospered. But if you don't know Christ, you're going to live the rest of eternity separated from him in a terrible, horrible place called hell. And 500 million years from now, you'll still be in hell. Did you prosper? No, you didn't prosper at all. See, the wicked have to face God one day.

When I see the things going on in our world and I see the decisions that this new administration is making, which are so far against God, it just breaks my heart and makes me fearful for those people because God is holy, holy, holy. God is a righteous judge. It is a terrifying thing to fall into the hands of the living God. Those people are going to have to face God one day. I don't want them to face God in judgment. I want them to give their hearts to Christ and face him as redeemer, not as judge. No one wants to face God as judge.

So do the wicked really prosper? If you prosper for a hundred years and spend the next billions of years, infinity years, in hell, you didn't prosper at all. You didn't prosper at all. See, the devil gives the best up front, and then it's kind of like free drugs. "Hey, I'll give you all this, and then I hook you, and then your life is destroyed." What does God do? God saves the best for last.

So what do we have right now? Has he said it's going to be great? Is this going to be your best life now? This is not your best life now. Your best life is to come. "What eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor has even entered into the heart of man, all that God has prepared for those who love him." It is worth it to follow Jesus, and you mark this down: no one who stays faithful to the Lord will ever regret it. He who believes in him will never be disappointed. Never be disappointed.

Asaph closes out his psalm. He gets himself right. He understands when he goes into the sanctuary of God, then he understands, "Well, this is the full picture. I wasn't seeing the full picture." He said, "When my heart was embittered and I was pierced within, then I was senseless and ignorant; I was like a beast before you. Nevertheless, I am continually with you. You have taken hold of my right hand, and with your counsel you will guide me, and afterward receive me to glory."

He then closes out with these words in the easy-to-read version: "In heaven, God, I have only you. And if I am with you, what on earth could I want? Maybe my mind and body will become weak. But God is my source of strength. He is mine forever. God, people who leave you will be lost. You will destroy all who are not faithful to you. As for me, all I need is to be close to God. I have made the Lord God my place of safety. And God, I will tell about all that you have done." That's how he ends the psalm.

"As for me, the nearness of God is my good." That's what I need. I need God. I don't need any of that stuff, any of the world's stuff. I need God. I need to drink God. And listen, if you have the Lord living in your heart, you have everything. Everything.

Adrian Rogers used this illustration years ago. I've never forgotten it. He said, "Suppose somebody offered you a deal. This is just supposition because this could never happen. But they said, 'Listen, if you will lay down your salvation, give up your salvation, you give up your relationship with Jesus for 24 hours. In return, you would get a large sum of money, let's say a billion dollars. Can you imagine a billion dollars? All you have to do is lay aside your salvation for 24 hours. You can pick it up again after 24 hours. Would you take that deal?'"

He said three reasons why you wouldn't want to take that deal. Number one, you could die in those 24 hours, and you would be lost forever. Number two, Jesus could come back in those 24 hours, and you would miss the glories of the rapture and the marriage supper of the Lamb. And number three, and I love this, 24 hours with Jesus is worth more than a billion dollars any day of the week. It's not about money; it's about Him. He is the pearl of great price.

What makes heaven heaven? It's not the streets of gold. It's not the gates of pearl. It is Jesus. His servants will see his face, and that's what makes heaven heaven. It's the Lord himself. It's not what he can do for us; it's not the periphery of it; it's Him. And we get to be with him forever and ever and ever. No one who stays faithful to him will ever regret it.

You might be here, and you might be saying, "Hey, I'm about ready to throw in the towel, Jeff. I'm just really struggling, and my friends are pressuring me to drink and party and have sex before I'm married and all that." All they're doing that, and they seem to be doing fine, and they don't have any guilt, and everything seems to be going well for them. Here I am, trying to keep my heart pure, trying to keep myself pure. I'm not doing that kind of stuff, but I just feel like I'm missing out. Maybe I need to do it. Maybe in vain, I've kept my heart pure.

Just remember this: we don't live for this life. We live for the life to come. The best is yet to come for a child of God who stays faithful to the King.

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You've been listening to From His Heart with Pastor Jeff Shreve today and the lesson on why do the wicked prosper? These have been helpful insights for us, and we trust that they've been a blessing to you. As we've learned yesterday and today, it seems like every Christian has wondered about this question: God, why do you let the wicked prosper while the righteous suffer? I mean, if you love us, why do you let us suffer and others flourish?

Well, this question is answered along with eight more important ones in Pastor Jeff's nine-message series, Life is Hard But God is Good. Other messages include From Problems to Praise, What Song Are You Singing When Trouble Comes Calling?, The Lord's Benefits Package, Consider Yourself Warned, and more. We want to send you this extensive series and the booklet Strong Faith for Tough Times for your fiscal year-end gift today.

It's particularly important this month because it's our fiscal year-end, and it's where we determine how we're going to invest in the next year ahead. Depending on the resources that God provides this month, we would appreciate your generosity. We'll send you the series Life is Hard But God is Good and the booklet Strong Faith for Tough Times. Request yours when you give today to help us meet our pivotal financial year-end need. Thank you so very much.

Call 866-40-BIBLE (866-40-BIBLE) or go online to fromhisheart.org. You can get the series in the format of your choice. Pastor Jeff is a volunteer for this ministry and receives no income from it. Thank you for joining with us to share real truth in love to a lost and hurting world.

Well, thank you for being here today. I'm Larry Nobles, and be sure to join us tomorrow for the next lesson in this powerful series, What to Do When Trouble Comes Calling. That's on Thursday when we'll open up God's Word and share real truth, real love, and real hope from His heart.

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There is truth, There is hope that you always dream love. He can heal every scars of love.

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From his heart is the listener supported Broadcast Ministry of Dr. Jeff Shreve speaking the truth in love to a lost and a hurting world.

Remember that no matter what, God loves you and has a wonderful plan for your life.

Find out more about that when you go to fromisheart.org.