 Amen. All right, well we're there in Psalm chapter number 49. First this evening, I just want to look at the first few verses. We're going to be studying mainly just Psalm 49 this evening. There's a very specific theme of Psalm 49 that is talking about a very specific subject that we're going to look at. But before we dive into it and before we look into the subject, I just want to kind of look at the first few verses because verses 1 through 4 and Psalm 49 essentially set the tone for the rest of the chapter. They kind of hear the authors is kind of just setting the stage for what he's going to be talking about. He's just kind of giving a little bit of an introduction into what he's going to be talking about. And so we'll start reading in verse 1. Psalm 49 says this, hear this all ye people. There's a few things I want to point out before we jump into this. And the first thing is that what we're going to be talking about is the way that the author is talking. We know that it's an extremely important subject. Notice how he says, hear this all ye people. Give ear all ye inhabitants of the world, both low and high, rich and poor together. If you have a message that you want every single person from every walk of life to listen to, it's a pretty important message. And here he spends two verses saying I want everyone to hear this. I wish everyone, I wish every inhabitant of the world of earth could hear this, low, high, rich, poor together. I don't care who you are. I want everyone to hear this. The second thing we see is that it's going to, we're going to learn some wisdom from this. We're going to learn something. We're going to gain some understanding from this. Verse 3 it says, my mouth shall speak of wisdom. And the meditation of my heart shall be of understanding. I will incline my near to a parable. I will open my dark sing upon a harp. So we see it's a very important message. We see we're going to learn some wisdom from this message. And third, we see that it's going to be on a very somber topic. It's not going to be essentially a very happy thing we're learning about. It's going to be a more somber, mellow thing topic we're learning about. He says, I'll open my dark sing upon the harp. The title of sermon this evening is all for nothing. And the subject of Psalm 49 that we're going to be learning about is this. We're going to be learning about the unsaved. We're going to be learning about unbelievers, those who do not know the Lord, those who do not have eternal life. That's what this Psalm is about. And what we're going to do this evening is we're going to look at what distinguishes us from unbelievers and how we can apply those things to our lives. So go ahead and stay in Psalm 49. We're going to be going to different places, but we're going to be going through the entire Psalm. So make sure you stay, keep a ribbon or bookmark in Psalm 49. And let's look at verse 5. Let's just continue this Psalm. The first thing I want to point out about the unsaved that we can learn from this Psalm is this. We see the hopelessness of the unsaved. Psalm 49, let's keep reading in verse 5. The author says, Wherefore should I fear in the days of evil when the iniquity of my heels shall compass me about? They that trust in their wealth and boast themselves themselves and the multitude of their riches, notice how he describes them. He says none of them, these people he's talking about, none of them can by any means redeem his brother nor give to God a ransom for him. Why? For the redemption of their soul. So notice we're talking about the soul here. We're talking about giving a ransom to God. You say, What's he talking about? For the redemption of their soul is precious in his ceaseth forever. Here's what he's talking about verse 9. That he should still live forever and not see corruption. So we are talking about people here and it's talking about these people that it says when these people die it says no one can give these people a ransom to God for them. No one can, you say why is that? Well because the redemption of their soul ceaseth forever. You see a person's chance to get saved is in this life. Once someone dies they can no longer be saved. So there is a point everyone on earth right now unless they have already been rejected by God has a chance to have their soul redeemed by the blood of Christ. But there is a time where the redemption of their soul will cease forever. That chance to redeem their soul, that chance to be saved will end forever. That he should not live forever and that they should not see corruption. And it's saying once this happens no one can, once someone has died without Christ once someone has died with an eternal life you can't redeem their soul. You can't give to God an amount of money or anything to redeem their soul once they've already died. Turn to Philippians 1. And this is important to understand is that a lot of false teaching out there revolves around the fact of tampering with the Bible's teaching of what happens after someone dies. And so there is really two aspects of this. We are talking about the hopelessness of the unsaved. We are just going to look at where someone goes when they are unsaved and how long they will be there. Because the Bible very clearly teaches that there are only two places someone goes when they die either heaven or hell. And a lot of false religions like some Orthodox churches in other parts of the world and the Catholic church don't believe this. They believe in types of, they may call it by different names but they call it purgatory. Even some Baptists believe variations of this. Where they believe there's Abraham's bosom. Where they believe there's some side portion of hell where someone can go. There's only two places according to the Bible. While you're turning to Philippians 1, I'll read to you this. And also when someone dies they go there immediately. There's no holding place. There's no waiting room where God is deciding what to do with you once you've died. You go one of two places and whichever place you go to you go there instantly after you die. Hebrews 9.27, while you're turning to Philippians 1 says this. As it is appointed unto men once to die but after this the judgment. As humans, as people, God has said it to where we die one time physically and after that the judgment. Where we will see if we either are either saved or not. We see this again so we're going to compare and contrast this. Right now in Philippians 1 we're going to look at the example of the death of someone who is saved. Someone who knows Christ. Philippians 1.21 says this. And also by the way the Jehovah's Witnesses don't understand this. The Jehovah's Witnesses think that only certain people are going to heaven. Most Jehovah's Witnesses will tell you that they're not even going to heaven. They'll tell you they believe that they will be resurrected in the millennial reign with Christ but they do not believe that the majority of them go to heaven when they die. Verse 22, but if I live in the flesh this is the fruit of my labor yet what I shall choose I want not. So what Paul is doing here is he is comparing and contrasting death versus life. Keep in mind we're talking about Paul who's saved. So he's comparing death versus life. In verse 23 look what he says about his physical death. He says for I am in a straight, the twix 2. Having a desire to depart. Talking about this earth. Having a desire to depart and to be with Christ which is far better. So here we see that departing this life. He's talking about his death here is equal to being with Christ. If you are saved the moment you die you will be with Christ. There's no temporary spot. There's no purgatory where it's not decided yet whether you will go to heaven or hell. If you are saved you either saved or not. If you are saved you go to heaven right away. And also turn to John 5 all throughout the Bible we see this where we see two places. There is two resurrections because in the Bible the word resurrection in modern English has been kind of changed to mean specifically being brought back to life. But in the Bible the word resurrection means to be raised up to rise again. The root of the word resurrection in the English language means to rise. The Latin root of the word. While you're turning to John 5 I'll read to you Daniel 12 too where we see an example of this. Where the Bible says in many of them that sleep and they dusted the earth shall awake some to everlasting life and some to shame in everlasting contempt. There's two options there. It's a binary. It's one or the other. There's no third or fourth or fifth option. You're there in John 5 this is what Jesus says. He says this. Marvel not at this. For the hour is coming in the which all that are in the graves. Everyone that has ever died all that are in the graves shall hear his voice and shall come forth. They that have done good unto the resurrection of life. They that have done evil unto the resurrection of damnation. Again it's one of two places. There's two options. Turn to Revelation 20. Turn to Revelation 20. So if you die you either wake up immediately. Luke 16 is another example where the Bible talks about how the rich man and Lazarus died. It says the rich man died and in hell he lift up his eyes. No matter whether you are saved or not after you take your last breath on earth you will wake up immediately. Neither heaven or hell. But how long are you there for? Because some religions like the Jehovah's Witnesses believe in what's called annihilationism. Annihilationism is the teaching that okay there is a hell and it is literal but once someone goes there they're not there forever. They essentially you burn up or you're there for a temporary amount of time. It's not eternal suffering. It's not really everlasting. Whereas the Jehovah's Witnesses like to do they just say everything they don't like is figurative. Jehovah's Witnesses believe this. Haven't they? Adventists believe this. And even a lot of Protestants and Anglicans also believe this. You're there in Revelation chapter 20. And the Jehovah's Witnesses too they're some of the reason that Jehovah's Witnesses are some of the most frustrating people to talk to is because they'll look at books like Revelation and they'll just say it's figurative. Which we don't get to do. We don't get to read the Bible and take what we want and what we don't want and just throw it away because we don't like it and say it's figurative. I had one Jehovah's Witness tell me one time. I was showing her a verse I think on the 144,000. And she said well the book Revelation is figurative. If you've talked to any Jehovah's Witnesses you've heard the same thing. And I said well how do you know it's figurative? And she said well Revelation calls Jesus a lamb. Is Jesus a literal lamb? And I said no. That verse it's an analogy. It's figurative. She said so the whole book is figurative. Which makes no sense because John also calls Jesus the Lamb of God. So by that definition the Gospels are all figurative as well. And Jesus probably never even existed. But the Bible is literal unless it says otherwise. Revelation 20, look at verse 10. It's talking about hellier. It says, And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone where the beast and the false prophet are and shall be tormented day and night forever and ever. So really two times in the same verse. Because it mentions that the devil this is after the millennial reign is going to be thrown into the lake of fire where the beast and false prophet are and the beast and the false prophet were actually thrown into the lake of fire before the thousand year reign. And so here we are a thousand years later and they're still there. It doesn't look like they burned up. And not only that, not only are they there after a thousand years in hell but the Bible says they will be tormented even from this point on day and night forever and ever. Flip over to Revelation 14. Revelation 14. This is why Jehovah's Witnesses are just so frustrating to talk to also because they'll look at parts like this. And even if, because I've even had, they're not even consistent. I've had some say, well just certain parts are not literal or certain parts are figurative. Which then if you, then it'll just point to specific verses and say well that's just a really deep study and you have to study about that. When it comes to salvation these things are simple in the Bible. These things are complicated. We're not going to understand everything in the Bible but when it comes to salvation and heaven and hell these things are plain. These things are simple. In Revelation 14, this is talking about people specifically who go to hell because they took the mark of the beast. It says in verse 10, the same, talking about these people that have taken the mark of the beast. The same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God. Which is poured out without mixture into the cup of his indignation. And he shall be tormented with fire in brimstone in the presence of the holy angels and in the presence of the lamb. And the smoke of their torment descends up forever and ever. So look if you have a, you know, for the people that believe that you just burn up or you're there for a temporary amount of time. If you go and you go camping and you have a campfire and you take a amount of wood or whatever you are burning. And you take a few logs and you put them on the fire and you burn them. There will be smoke coming off that fire. But when you go there in the morning there's not going to be any more smoke coming off that fire. Because what you put in that fire is gone. It's burnt up. Here it says that when people go to hell the smoke of their torment, the smoke of the literal people in hell burning will never stop rising up. That's because they're not, they're not, they didn't burn off, they're still there. And they have no rest, day, no or night. Who worship the beast in this image and who receive the mark of his name. Turn to Isaiah 66. And you say okay I get it but why is this important? It's actually extremely important because what people are doing when false religions tell people, when they tamper with the specific meaning of hell, when they tamper with that, what they're doing is they're removing people's fear of hell. One of the greatest things that can be used to motivate someone to get saved is as the Bible says, some saving by fear pulling them out of the fire. This is why it's so important to, this is why we go to, we show people their sinner and then right away we show people the punishment that they're going to receive for those sins if they're not forgiven. Because the greatest motivator that someone can have is showing them the need for them to be saved. If you show, if you tell someone hell's not that bad or it's not literal or it's not real fire even if you go their worst case scenario it's not that bad, it's not going to last forever. You're taking the greatest motivator that they have to seek Christ and to want to hear the gospel and to want to get saved and you're taking that away from them. I can guarantee you that if we went out soul-winning and we didn't bring up hell, no one would want to get saved because what's the point? This is why someone who doesn't believe they deserve hell is never going to believe the gospel because if you don't deserve hell for your sin, if you don't deserve eternal torment, why would you get saved? What are you being saved from? Why did Christ even die for you if you don't deserve punishment for those sins? Turned out you're there in Isaiah 66. Isaiah 66 is a great example of this because here at the end of the chapters, the very end of the book of Isaiah, God's talking about the new heaven and the new earth. So again, we see a comparing and contrasting of the believers in heaven and those that are in hell. There's no third party here. People in Abraham's bosom are people in purgatory. Isaiah 66, the Bible says this, For as the new heavens and the new earth which I will make shall remain before me, sayeth the Lord, so shall your seed in your name remain. Again, we're talking about people who are in heaven and these people in heaven are there forever. Because just like everlasting life means life that lasts forever, so everlasting shame and contempt means shame and contempt that lasts forever. Verse 23, And it shall come to pass from one new moon to another, and from one Sabbath to another shall all flesh come to worship before me, sayeth the Lord. So it's talking, what we're going to see in the very last verse of the book of Isaiah, is God's going to mention a very specific thing that people in heaven will do. A very specific thing. And it mentions, by the way, it mentions that this will be done from one new moon to another, from one Sabbath to another, not just speaking to the fact that people will be in heaven forever, but also that this thing that they're able to do, they'll be able to do from one day to another for all eternity. Verse 24, it's a very, very somber ending to the book of Isaiah. It says, And they, the believers, this is you and me, and they shall go forth and look upon the carcasses of the men that have transgressed against me. They say, well, maybe they died a long time ago. Maybe they burnt up a long time ago. Look at the rest of the verses. For their worm shall not die, neither shall their fire be quenched, and they shall be in abhorring unto all flesh. So when we're in heaven and we have everlasting life, we will be able to go and look at the people who have transgressed against God, who have rejected salvation, who have not had their sins forgiven. And it says that their worm, I don't know what this means. I don't know if this means that people in hell are being eaten by worms for all eternity, and on top of that, it says that the fire shall never be quenched. Go soul-wining. Go soul-wining. It's easy to forget this. Because look, we're saved. We don't have to worry about this. We're saved. So we don't have to worry. We don't have to dread about something like this happen to us. We can put it out of our mind. We can read these verses and say, I'm glad that's not me and praise God for that, but you get to realize that's most of the world. That's most of the world. That's all the people that you don't know. That's your family. That's your friends. They could die at any moment, and the moment that they die, they will wake up, and this will never end for them. So go back to Psalm 49. We see why it starts out saying it's a dark saying. It's a somber topic. So the unsaved first thing we see is the hopelessness of the unsaved. Once someone who has not saved dies, no one can give to God a ransom for them. You can't do good works. Ormans believe in baptism for the dead. They believe that... I was reading their statement of faith or whatever you want to call it on the website this week, and they believe that, of course, you have to be baptized to be saved is what they believe. So they think that if someone has died unbaptized, you can be baptized for them. Someone on earth here can be baptized in their place, and then them, while they're up in whatever eternity they believe in, they can choose whether to accept that baptism at that point. There's no chance after death. Someone's chance to get saved is in this life on this earth. Baptism doesn't save you in this life or the next. Either way. But there is no second chance once someone dies. They're in Psalm 49. Let's keep reading in verse 10. Verse 10. For he seeeth that wise men die. Likewise the fool and the brutish person perish. So here as we go on, now it's going to kind of change tones a little bit, and now we're going to be talking about just the unsaved and how it's essentially an all for nothing life. And there's two parts of this we see here. We see the pursuit of temporary gain. Just look, if you're not saved, that means you don't have anything greater to live for. If you are unsaved, that means anything you do in this life lasts for this life. And so here it's talking about something that many people who are not saved pursue after and spend their life pursuing after because they have nothing else as wealth, as money. We see the pursuit of temporary gain and leave their wealth to others. It's sad. It's pitiful that if someone dies without Christ, all they had in this life, many times all that is left over is their stuff. It's their money, many times which isn't even worth anything. That's what people rely on. Verse 11. They're inward thought is. This is what they're thinking. That their houses shall continue forever. Look, isn't this true? Many times, especially people weren't saved, they were remembered. That's some desperation for people not to forget them. Look what they do in responses. Their inward thought is that their houses shall continue forever. In their dwelling places to all generations, they cull their lands after their own names. This reminds me of how, and I don't know if Absalom was saved or not, but it mentions how it's interesting how the Bible mentions that went out with Absalom. Here Absalom kind of led this. He turned against David. He was killed in trying to do what he did. At the very end, there's this one little verse that mentions that all Absalom had on this life, that all that was left, that was named after him, that all that was left, that was a memory of him, was a pillar somewhere that they called Absalom's place. That's almost whether or not Absalom is saved or not. That reminds me of the unsaved. Unfortunately, when someone does not have anything greater to live for, all that they have to stay in their place many times is just their stuff. That's what they're relying on, is some property or some house that they can name after them, or some name on a statue. But verse 12, nevertheless, man being an honor abideth not, he's like the beast that perish. Verse 13, this their way, saying them doing this their folly, yet their posterity proved their saying, Sila. Like sheep there laid in the grave, again, we're talking about the unsaved, death shall feed on them, and the upright shall have dominion over them in the morning, and their beauty shall consume in the grave from their dwelling. You say, why is this? It's because another characteristic of an unbeliever is the vanity of the unsaved. Turnititis 3. And to illustrate this difference, we can look at how this is not the case with us. This is not something that is everyone will look at that at the end of the sermon, but in general, this is not the case with us. This is something that is uniquely different about us as believers. Turnititis 3. They're in Titus 3. Here Paul is talking to Titus, who's a young preacher, he says in verse 8, this is a faithful saying, and these things I will, I affirm constantly. So here's a clue that we're going to read something else that's very important. He tells him, hey, this is a faithful saying. This is important. I wish, I will. I want you to affirm this constantly. I want you to always remind people of this Titus that they which have believed in God, so we're talking about believers here, might be careful to maintain good works. Why? These things, what things? A believer's good works are good and profitable unto men. This is similar to when people say, oh, faith without works is dead. What that chapter is actually talking about is how your good works can't save you. They have nothing to do with your salvation or getting you to heaven, but your good works as a believer can profit other people. Your good works can have in effect on people not just other than you. But what about the unsaved? Is this also true about the unsaved? You don't have to turn there. Matthew 16, 26, this is something Jesus said. He said, for what is a man profited? So he's going to give us a rhetorical question here. He's saying, what is a man profited? What good does it do someone? What is a man profited if he shall, so it's a hypothetical, if he shall gain the whole world and lose his own soul? Or what shall a man give an exchange for his soul? Again, just seeing the concept that you can't exchange anything for your soul or someone else's once you've died. You are not saved. You can't. It doesn't matter if you have the world. It doesn't matter if you had everything you ever wanted. There's nothing in this life that can be accumulated that can be exchanged for your soul. But he says, if he shall gain the whole world. Look, just imagine this for a second. Imagine if you ruled the world or you had anything you could ever wanted. You gained the whole world. You are number one. There was no one that was beneath you. There was no one that was above you. There was no one in charge of you. You had anything you could ever want. If you were in that position, you could do a lot of good for a lot of people. Could you not? If you had that much, that many resources, you could help so many people. But yet, at the same time, he says, but if this person loses their own soul, there was no profit there. You say, but what about all the good you could do? What about all the poor people you could help? What about all the good you could do with that? Here's the difference. A major difference between a believer and an unbeliever. Another one, because of course one is obviously Heaven versus Hell, but another unique characteristic is both unsaved, the unsaved and the saved can choose to do right. Both can do good. Both can put their effort in for a good cause. But the difference with you is that it has eternal profit. In these verses, what we're talking about is the scope of eternity. If paired to someone who's not saved, see, and it's sad, this breaks my heart, but there's so many people out there, especially in the past, you read about who are great people, great men and women of character and integrity who did a lot of great things, some who did good and who did change that caused good for their children, children, children, children, children for hundreds of years. Think about the founding fathers. I think many of them are saved, but I believe most of them were probably not. I don't think there was ever a time in history where most people were saved. Even Jesus said that straight into the gate and there was the way. But I think of people who did good that caused people like that who created a country that would provide religious freedom for the gospel to spread for hundreds of years until an immoral society destroyed it. But it doesn't matter how much good you caused. It doesn't matter if you caused good that lasts for hundreds of years on this earth compared to a good that a profit that lasts for an eternity it's worthless. It's nothing. I want you to wrap your head around this. I want you to think about this. Think about someone who just lived a life of courage and valor and did an infinite amount of great things for other people on this earth who just lived a totally selfless life and who changed countless lives for hundreds and hundreds of years. Just think about someone who did that for a profit that would be. When you go soul winning as a believer and when you get a single person saved you are able to accomplish something that no moral good unsafe person was ever able to accomplish in this life. And what that thing is is that when you get someone saved what you can do that none of them have ever and will ever be able to do is when you put profit into someone in that way when you lead someone to having eternal life you take that profit and send it shattering through the barriers of this mortal temporary life and into eternity. When someone believes on Christ that eternity millions and millions and millions and millions and billions of years will go by and the good that that unsafe person caused on earth will be long forgotten but that person you got saved will still be right there with you. Just that one person. Think about if you leave a little life where you get more people saved than that. What if you live a life where you get hundreds of people saved or maybe thousands of people saved? It's nothing compared to the profit. So now you see why hear Jesus saying you know what if someone gains the whole world and they lose their own soul, blanket statement there's no profit there. It's a sad reality but it's true. So look use that utilize that. That's a pretty amazing ability. Every good that was ever caused turned to John 6. John 6. Every good that was ever caused can be caused but anyone else who's not saved is nothing compared to the good that you can cause other people as a same believer through your good works. You know there in John chapter 6 knows what the Bible says here. It is the spirit, verse 63. John 6, 63. It is the spirit that quickeneth meaning to make a life. It is the spirit. It's the Holy Spirit that makes a life. That brings life but the flesh here's the opposite end of that but the flesh profiteth nothing. The words that I speak into you they are spirit and they are life. Look when you go soul winning if you have someone who is unsaved but they gave to charity and they helped people and they changed lives on this earth they did legitimately good and moral and at the end of the day if it's just the flesh we're talking about if it's just this life we're talking about it profits nothing compared to the spirit that you carry with you when you go soul winning that makes a life. Because look it's exponential. Okay yeah you can go soul winning you can lead one person to Christ but now what if you can get some of those people to lead others to Christ what if you can disciple other people and take other people that you got saved soul winning and teach them to grow spiritually. Now that profit that is already eternal the way it is is just exponentially increasing. Look that's unique that's something you have that most people on this earth don't use that. Use that. When you think of the efforts and look many believers through our history have been martyred for the cause of Christ but look one thing I can say but right now in 2023 in April of 2023 is you don't have to go die in some terrible way or you don't have to go in this country right now yet you don't have to go suffer immensely to profit other people all you have to do is walk down the street and go soul winning. Use that because look you will always have that ability I don't care what the situation is you will always have the ability to preach the gospel but it's not always going to come this easy it's easy pickings right now use that while we have it it's a great advantage so when it comes to eternity only eternal profit matters so we're learning about the unsaved the first thing we see from Psalm 49 is the hopelessness of the unsaved but the second thing we see is the vanity of the unsaved not just are they if someone in there obviously the majority of people who have not been rejected by God who do not hate God can be saved they can become saved but in their unsaved state they have no hope and in their unsaved state they also they are unable to have true profit in their lives that's why this really this is you should have compassion on people like that it's sad especially when you read about people who went to great lengths to affect other people went to great lengths to sacrifice themselves for other people and save themselves that's sad that should motivate you to go out and get some of those people saved so the third thing we see this evening we see the hopelessness of the unsaved the vanity of the unsaved the third thing we see this evening is the encouragement about the unsaved just look on the flip side of this sometimes they can get discouraging right because as a believer the bible says whom the lord loveth he chased them if you're a believer and you go you will never lose your salvation but if you go turn from God and you know what you're supposed to do as a believer but you don't God's going to correct you for that God's going to chase you for that and sometimes you can almost get discouraging because you look at other people who are unsaved maybe people you work with or in the world and it seems like they can get away with anything because God's not chasing them you see when they die they will pay for their sins in hell but in this life just looking at that it can get confusing they're in Psalm 49 let's look at verse 15 here we kind of switch out of this somber tone into a more encouraging tone here the bible says this but God so we're talking about the unsaved and all the terrible things about the unsaved but verse 15 but God will redeem my soul from the power of the grave for he shall receive me verse 16 here's some encouragement be not thou afraid when one is made rich when the glory of his house is increased for when he die he shall carry nothing away his glory shall not here we go descend after him he's saying you know what don't worry about people who prosper who do wicked things and get away with it because they're not saved like you they don't have a true life like you when they die nothing they have is can take with them when they descend down to hell they can't take any of that with them verse 18 for though while he lived he blessed his soul and men will praise thee when they'll do as well to thyself that's true verse 19 he shall go to the generation of his fathers they shall never see light we will be living in heaven in the light of Christ the bible says there'll be no sun there because the light of Christ will lighten it these people will never see light they'll never know what that's like so this should switch some misunderstanding or some frustration into compassion for these people we don't save our people we should be having compassion on instead of envying or being discouraged by verse 20 man that is an honor and understandeth not is like the beast that perish turn to psalm 73 psalm 73 so here's the point of this kind of this encouragement here that this ends with saying you know the unsaved are hopeless they have no purpose they're living a life that is all for nothing but that's not you that's not you if they're in psalm 73 it really shows the one reason I think perhaps the strongest reason that we know the bible is not written by man is how well the bible captures human nature because if the bible is written by man and it was just some guy that decided to write it like the book of mormon or like the Quran if the bible was just written by man it wouldn't focus so much on the sin of man it wouldn't focus so much on our sinful nature it wouldn't focus so much on our mistakes but yet that's what the bible does and here in psalm 73 psalm 73 was written by asaf so asaf lived during the reign of david and his job was he was a Levite and he was one of the singers in the house of god there were certain people who their job was to sing praises to god to essentially acquire for the tabernacle for the temple and that's what his job was he wrote a lot of psalms to the inspiration of the holy ghost but here we're going to see in psalm 73 he kind of learns a lesson here we're kind of walking through his mind and through his thought process as he learns it opens up with a misunderstanding he had and then we see when he understood where he was wrong and he explains that so verse 3 here's his misunderstanding of asaf for i was envious at the foolish when i saw the prosperity of the wicked because look this isn't just on a small scale but this can be also on a large scale with people who wicked people who are who are ruling this world and who are destroying our world and destroying our nation from the top level here he says i was envious at the foolish why? because he solved prosperity of the wicked verse 4 for there are no bans in their death but their strength is firm they are not in trouble as other men neither are they plagued like other men because look you know people who are unsaved especially wicked people, evil people they may suffer just the default consequences of sin in this life but god is not particularly punishing them in this life he's not chasing them he does that with us because we're saved but he does not do that on the same scale with people who are not saved they're not in trouble as other men they're not plagued like other men verse 6 therefore he's saying because of this because they just kind of get away with everything he says therefore pride compass them about as with the chain violence cover them as a garment he's saying you know what they're just getting away with everything verse 12 behold these are the ungodly who prosper in the world there's a look the people in this world who prosper the most who have the most money who are in the highest positions of power they're typically not saved believers they're typically bad people or wicked people are at the best these are the ungodly who prosper in the world they increase in riches verse 13 and here's where it just captures human nature so well verse 13 here A$AP kind of throws his hands up and he says verily I have cleansed my heart in vain and washed my hands and in its innocencey for all the day long I have been plagued and chastened every morning he's saying you know what I get punished for my sin I try to turn from god even in the smallest way and god smacks me down he says was it all just in vain was it all just for nothing verse 15 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 here he's just kind of lamenting and saying you know what's even the point I get chased and I get corrected because I follow the lord but what about these people they just get away with everything then in verse 17 we see a realization that hits him we see something that dawns upon him verse 17 he says until this is how I thought this is how I was thinking until I went into the sanctuary of god then understood I their end verse 18 surely thou did set them set them in slippery places thou castest them into destruction how were they brought into desolation as in a moment they are consumed with tears someone who's unsaved dies some wicked reprobate dies it doesn't matter how well they prospered in this life as in a moment they are brought into desolation into destruction they are consumed with tears verse 20 he's a dream when one awakeneth so oh lord when thou awakeest thou shall despise their image thus my heart was grieved and I was pricked in my reigns verse 22 so foolish was I and ignorant I was as a beast before you know so now you realize he's like you know what stupid thing to think that was a foolish way to think that was an ignorant way to think verse 23 nevertheless I am continually with the talking to god here that was holding me by the right hand so he's saying you know what I have god that they don't I'm not going to be destroyed I'm not going to be brought into destruction in the life to come he says god I have you continually with me verse 24 thou shall guide me with thy council and even better not just in this life as god with us as a believer but even after this life and afterward receive me to glory we'll be in heaven with christ verse 25 whom have I in heaven but thee and there is none upon earth that is I desire beside thee my flesh and my heart faileth but god is the strength of my heart in my portion forever but flesh and heart will fail in this life and for 99% of people it will and if you are saved god is the strength of your heart most people don't have that don't forget that don't let that slip your mind verse 27 for low they that are far from thee shall perish perish here I believe this is talking about the same exact meaning that perish means in John 3 16 in John 10 28 where it's talking about people going to hell for the low they that are far from thee those who do not know christ shall perish why for thou hast destroyed thy gold whoring from thee but it is good for me to draw near to god I have put my trust in the lord god that I may declare all thy works so look don't be discouraged you have hope and you have purpose most people never will unfortunately so turn to 1st Samuel 12 you can lose your place in Psalm 49 this is the last place we'll look at this evening we'll be done 1st Samuel chapter 12 so we learned some things about the unsaid we learned about the hopelessness of the unsaved we learned about the vanity of the unsaved and we got some encouragement about the unsaved and like I said the title of the sermon is all for nothing because when we're talking about the life of the unsaved how we can conclude the matter is if someone lives without thinking about how Jesus said about Judas how it said it were better for that man that he were never born look for someone who dies and goes to hell you could say that it was better that they were never born and when you look at it the reason it's callable for nothing is because when you sum up the life of someone who's unsaved the tragic truth is that that life was all for nothing when you compare this temporary life even yours is a believer you know you will spend eternity somewhere guaranteed for billions and billions and trillions of years it will never end and the only time you have to decide where you'll spend that eternity is in this tiny blip of a life span in that life span if that life span, if all that life span results in is the decision to reject Christ and to go to hell to pay for your own sins that life was all for nothing but here's the final thought I want to conclude with this evening is if you're saved you have, you don't have to be you're not hopeless and you don't have to live a life of vanity but if you're not careful you can definitely choose to live an all for nothing life first Samuel chapter 12 let's look at verse 17 here this is when the Israelites they committed the sin of wanting a king they chose they wanted a king and God said fine give them a king and here God is giving them their king and God is showing them here Samuel is speaking God is speaking through Samuel the prophet and Samuel is making it clear to them that God is not happy with them verse 17 is it not wheat harvest today so this is Samuel speaking to the people I will call upon the Lord and he shall send thunder and rain the ye may perceive that your wickedness is great which ye have done in the sight of the Lord and asking you a king so Samuel called on the Lord and the Lord sent thunder and rain that day and all the people greatly feared the Lord and Samuel and all the people said unto Samuel pray for thy servants and to the Lord thy God that we die not for we have added so they see their fault here it's too late but they see their fault for we have added unto all of our sins this evil to ask us a king verse 20 and Samuel said unto the people fear not ye have done all this wickedness yet turn not aside from following the Lord but serve the Lord with all your hearts I want you to follow what he's saying to them here he's saying you're right he's speaking to all the people of Israel it's thundering, it's raining they're probably not inside and he's speaking to them he's saying you know what you're right you have sin this thunder and rain this storm that we're literally in right now that's what this is for he said however let me just leave you with this he says you have done this wickedness that is true however don't turn aside from following the Lord and you say why not why would he tell them this why not turn aside from the Lord here's why and turning not aside verse 21 here's why for then if you turn aside for then not profit nor deliver for they are vain verse 22 for the Lord will not forsake his people for his great namesake because it has pleased the Lord to make his people look we can apply this to us if you are saved it is please God to make you his people if you are a child of God it's pleased God to make you his child it is pleased God to save you God wanted you to be saved and you have been saved you are God's people however just like with Israelites just because you are at this time they were God's people just because you have that status does not mean that you cannot choose to go after the same vain things that the unbelievers do which cannot profit or deliver them it's similar to how when God when in the book of judges when they would go after the gods of the false they go after the false gods of the nations that they were supposed to destroy God would say to them why would you go after these gods these gods weren't able to deliver them these false gods weren't able to save the people that you destroyed so why would you go after them and sometimes I think that's probably how God looks at us when we go after sin or if we go after things God saying you know the things you are pursuing they weren't able to deliver the world from those things why would you pursue them the world didn't get anywhere from drinking alcohol the world didn't get anywhere from filling your mind with media and the filth and in TV or whatever it is the world didn't get anywhere from doing this sin the world didn't get anywhere from doing drugs the world didn't get anywhere from doing whatever it is why would you do it they didn't profit them at all their vain so why would you and here's what I want to end with this evening look someone who's unsaved in their unsaved state assuming they do not get saved assuming they do not believe in Christ they are unable to have hope they are unable to have a profitable life someone who's unsaved even just the good guy you meet out so many you know the guy who just seems like just a real nice person but I just don't have time now that person doesn't matter how hard he tries to do good doesn't matter how nice of a life he lives at the end of the day his life will be all for nothing and he can't change that if he stays unsaved but although the unsaved person cannot enjoy the benefits of a say believer it's not it doesn't go both ways because if you're saved you can still choose to go after the vanity that the unsaved person is going after so this evening is a final reminder look the vain things of this world the sin and the the filth and the the Bible says all that is in the world is against God those things aren't profiting the world so say believers let's take advantage of the advantages that we have to live a profitable life to live a life that pleases God and affects eternity for other people and let's not go after the same all for nothing life that the world is pursuing let's borrow our heads and have a word