THE FOUR ACTS OF SAVING FAITH

PSALMS 4:4

A. "STAND IN AWE, AND SIN NOT: COMMUNE WITH YOUR OWN HEART UPON YOUR BED, AND BE STILL. OFFER THE SACRIFICE OF RIGHTEOUSNESS, AND PUT YOUR TRUST IN THE LORD."
  1. This Psalm is an evening prayer:
    1. It reveals David's wonderful understanding of true faith in God.
    2. It is amazing to note the keen understanding the servant of the Lord had of true worship.
  2. I like to think of four acts of saving faith, revealed in the text:
B. THE FOUR ACTS OF SAVING FAITH
  1. Self-awakening: "Stand in awe and sin not"
    1. This admonition by David that he had a vision of the holiness of the Lord; and exceeding sinfulness of sin.
    2. Isaiah, too, had a similar vision, and cries out, "Woe is me, for I am undone; because I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips: for mine eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts" - Isa. 6:5
    3. Job has a vision of the holiness of God and he saw his own sinfulness, "I have heard of thee by the hearing of the ear: but now mine eye seeth thee. Wherefore I abhor myself, and repent in dust and ashes." Job. 42:5, 6
    4. When we meditate upon the holiness of God and the equity of His law, we will have less inclination to sin - Gen. 39:7-12
    5. A realization of the eternal consequences of sin is still another deterrent to sin - Gal. 6:7-8; Rom. 6:23
  2. Self-communion: "commune with thine own heart" - Ps. 77:6
    1. Take time of contemplation and reflection.
    2. Such communion will lead to relaxation and correction.
    3. Life is full of problems, some self-made and others are the result of life itself.
    4. A safe course to follow when we commune with our own heart -
      1. Our communion should be marked by uncompromising fidelity, absolute honesty, and sound principles.
      2. The Word of God is the chart for such self- examination - Ps. 119:9; John 5:39
C. TWO SAVING EFFECTS OF SELF-EXAMINATION
  1. "Offer the sacrifice of righteousness":
    1. That means more than mere lip service! Isa. 29:13
    2. It is seasoned with sanctified actions - Ps. 50:1- 12
    3. Great decisions are often followed by sacrifice -
      1. The covenant between Jacob and Laban - Gen. 31:44-55
      2. The contest between Elijah and the priests of Baal ended in victory by Elijah at a sacrifice - 1 Ki. 18:21-39
  2. "Put your trust in the Lord" -- that means complete self-abandonment!
    1. How graciously the passage closes!
    2. The awe and the trembling converge in fruitful trust in the Lord - Ps. 23:1-6
    3. If self-examination will lead us to trust in the Lord, we will have made great gains in our Christian experience; we will be on our way to the kingdom of God.
    4. This trust in the Lord should have two marks -
      1. We should trust in the Lord as we would a loving and compassionate Father - Ps. 103:13
      2. It should create confidence in us that He is able to do for us above all that we ask of Him - Eph. 3:20
  3. Thus we see the four acts of saving faith: (1) Self-awakening
  4. Self-communion
  5. Self-confession
  6. Self-abandonment


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