David begins this psalm with the cry of a righteous man in the midst of an unrighteous world. Everywhere he looked, he saw fewer and fewer people who were devoted to God. There were people who ceased to be godly, and people that stopped walking in faith. People who claimed to know and follow God had double hearts.
Today we see this running rampantly as well. People who claim to be believers are walking in the ways of the world. "Godliness is for legalists," they silently say, as they use their freedom in Christ as a license to sin.
This should come as no surprise to us, for the Bible clearly says that this will happen last days. The church is going to experience a great falling away, the "apostacia":
2Ths. 2:3 Let no one in any way deceive you, for {it will not come} unless the apostasy comes first, and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the son of destruction,
1Tim. 4:1 But the Spirit explicitly says that in later times some will fall away from the faith, paying attention to deceitful spirits and doctrines of demons
Matt. 24:11-13 "And many false prophets will arise, and will mislead many. And because lawlessness is increased, most people's love will grow cold. But the one who endures to the end, he shall be saved. "
Luke 18:8 "...When the Son of Man comes, will He find faith on the earth?"
The gate is narrower than ever before, and we must be diligent to be among those that enter it.
Our number one enemy? Having what David calls in verse 3 a double heart. A double heart displays itself by a double tongue (1Tim 3:8). Someone who speaks blessings to your face, but cursings to your back. Someone who says "hallelujah" at church, but cusses like a sailor at home or work. Someone who says "yes" to get the sale, but says "no" when they have your money.
Another evidence of a double heart is in doublemindedness. James tells us that...
James 1:8 ...a double-minded man (is) unstable in all his ways.
He is thrown from one extreme to the other. Sunday, he's praising God, Monday, he's in defeat. Tuesday, he's secure in his job, Wednesday, he quits to pursue fish farming. Thursday, he recommits his life to the Lord, Friday, he leaves his wife. A man like this has a double heart.
The cure for this person is repentance. James instructed,
James 4:8-10 ...Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded. Be miserable and mourn and weep; let your laughter be turned into mourning, and your joy to gloom. Humble yourselves in the presence of the Lord, and He will exalt you.
The answer is in turning from sin and turning to God.
When people turn from faithfulness and godliness, their sins become evident by what they say and how they say it.
And unfortunately, sins of the mouth are very predominant among all of us. Lies, flattering words, prideful speech, great promises, gossiping, backbiting, etc. Sins of the mouth are the area of our greatest guilt, but the area where we repent the least.
James 1:26 If anyone thinks himself to be religious, and yet does not bridle his tongue but deceives his {own} heart, this man's religion is worthless.
Isaiah saw the Lord sitting on His throne, and his immediate reaction was,
Isa. 6:5-7 Then I said, Woe is me, for I am ruined! Because I am a man of unclean lips, And I live among a people of unclean lips; For my eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts." Then one of the seraphim flew to me, with a burning coal in his hand which he had taken from the altar with tongs. And he touched my mouth {with it} and said, "Behold, this has touched your lips; and your iniquity is taken away, and your sin is forgiven."
When in the presence of the Lord, our gossip is obvious, our lies are laid bare. May we be cleansed from this sin, and commit as David did,
Ps. 39:1 ..."I will guard my ways, that I may not sin with my tongue; I will guard my mouth as with a muzzle..."
Then we will be able to say as Job did,
Job 31:30 "No, I have not allowed my mouth to sin...
I'd like to live so righteously that I could look back and say this. Especially since the Lord holds us accountable for what we say. Jesus said,
Matt. 12:36-37 "And I say to you, that every careless word that men shall speak, they shall render account for it in the day of judgment. For by your words you shall be justified, and by your words you shall be condemned."
If we need to repent of the sins of our mouths, tonight would be a good time to do that.
Maybe you've been the victim of someone's sinful speech. You've been devastated and afflicted by their words. The Lord wants to set you in the safety you're longing for.
Impure as our words are, the Word of God is pure. It is perfect, like silver that has been refined to purity. While science books are revised and rewritten, the Bible stays perfectly accurate. While the book of Mormon undergoes its periodic revisions, the Bible stays the same. While the Catholic church hears that God has changed His mind yet again to please the people, the Bible remains the unchangeable Word of God. Jesus said,
Matt. 24:35 "Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words shall not pass away.
The words in the Bible in your hands is more eternal that anything on this earth. And the purity of God's Word is contagious. It will make us pure as we take it in.
Ps. 119:9 How can a young man keep his way pure? By keeping {it} according to Thy word.
The purity of the Word of God makes us pure.
But while we seek purity from the Word of God, we know that the wicked will be all around us, exalting vileness. Vileness is that which is disgusting or depraved. And again, we have the promise that in these last days, as the faithful and godly disappear, vileness will be exalted.
Come quickly, Lord Jesus!