Who’s for real? How can you tell the real thing from the counterfeit?
Can you always recognize what you see and hear as real? Are there those who falsely claim to see and hear?
You sing Psalm 135 for a glimpse behind the scene.
“Hallelujah! Praise the LORD’s name!
Praise Him, servants of the LORD,
You that in the LORD’s house, serve Him,
In God‘s courtyard standing guard.” ~ Psalm 135:1-2
Singing Psalm 135 to recognize who’s for real historically
The scene is set.
Who set it?
God.
How was the scene set?
He spoke it into existence.
Could anyone else have set it?
No.
Do others try to take credit for setting up the reality of things seen?
Yes.
What is this called?
Real appearances. False realities.
Isaiah was undone being a man of unclean lips in the midst of a people of unclean lips, the reality of which becomes very clear when you see yourself next to the King, the Lord of hosts.
And I heard the voice of the Lord saying, “Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?” Then I said, “Here I am! Send me.” And he said, “Go, and say to this people:
“‘Keep on hearing, but do not understand;
keep on seeing, but do not perceive.’
Make the heart of this people dull,
and their ears heavy,
and blind their eyes;
lest they see with their eyes,
and hear with their ears,
and understand with their hearts,
and turn and be healed.” ~ Isaiah 6:8-10
May those who now oppose him, those who manufacture appearances that seem real on the surface but that are false realities with false hopes of finding happiness, soon turn to fear him, trust him, and live for him who defines reality.
“Heathen idols, gold, and silver,
Work of human artistry;
Having mouths, they speak of nothing;
Having eyes, they do not see;
Having ears, they never listen;
In their mouth, no breath has been.
Those who make them will be like them—
Everyone who trusts in them.” ~ Psalm 135:15–18
Those who give the appearance of knowing what is real but don't acknowledge God as creator and originator are arrogant, blind, boastful, impotent, liars, thieves, idols, false gods, imposters, and more.
“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you clean the outside of the cup and the plate, but inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence. You blind Pharisee! First clean the inside of the cup and the plate, that the outside also may be clean.
“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs, which outwardly appear beautiful, but within are full of dead people’s bones and all uncleanness. So you also outwardly appear righteous to others, but within you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness.” ~ Matthew 23:25-28
Real appearances. False realities.
Singing Psalm 135 to recognize who’s for real presently
“For I know how great the LORD is;
Our Lord is above all gods.
Yes, the LORD does what He pleases
In the skies, earth, seas, and floods.” ~ Psalm 135:5-6
How many beings can do all that they please and have it be good?
One.
Who is that one?
The only one who created all things out of nothing. The only one who set the scene that we see without the distortions. The only one who spoke all things into existence. And all of it real, good, and very good. Praise be to that one, Lord Jesus Christ, who embodies every good thing: every bit of power, peace, wisdom, gracefulness, mercy, compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, patience, love, joy, faithfulness, undying commitment, self-control, grace, and truth.
“He it is who lifts the vapors
From the ends of earth and sea,
Who with lightning brings the rain down,
From His store the wind sets free.” ~ Psalm 135:7
If he sets the wind free at just the right time, will he not do the same for you who fear him and trust him with your life? He controls the vapors, the lightning, the rain, the wind, kings, whether they live or die, and kingdoms, whether they thrive or fall. When you fall upon hard providences, do you first turn to therapy or do you have friends at church, pastors, or family mentors that will point you to Jesus who is wisdom for real and who suffers everything you suffer with you? You might ask, "Does he care that I suffer?" The answer to this question settles it. Which is refined in the fire, gold or scrap metal? You will forget your suffering for the joy of his presence with you in the furnace as your faith emerges from it more precious than gold.
If you are in therapy or have been, there comes a time when those sessions will end. But Jesus promises to be with you always and to freely help you through every moment of your life that is precious to him. You don’t need to subscribe to the never-ending therapy culture. One major difference is that Jesus will tell you the truth and walk you through how to lose your life in order to save it as opposed to counsel that directs you to put yourself first always, no matter what. One is for real, the other is a lie. Can you discern which is which?
“Praise the LORD! How good the LORD is!
Sing His name— how sweet its tone!” ~ Psalm 135:3
Singing Psalm 135 you take to heart the distinctions he makes between those who fear him and those who oppose him.
“He killed all of Egypt’s firstborn;
Egypt, He sent signs to you,
Signs to Pharaoh and his servants.
He struck nations, kings He slew;
Mighty Sihon, Og of Bashan—
All of Canaan’s kingdoms fell!” ~ Psalm 135:8-11
Like metaphysical abductions that captivate you to pursue what looks inviting and what seems real, after all the food, drink, and travel, you are left with a sinking feeling and your mind reeling as you wonder where you are. “Is that all there is? There must be more. Let me book another vacation to try another place, another rich meal, another drink.” A better job, another degree might do the trick. Perhaps you’ve had a nagging feeling for years that something is not right. You think a different gender, a potent drug, or a new spouse might be the answer. Yet no matter how much you fill yourself or try to change yourself or your situation, you come up empty.
To affirm someone who is thinking these things appears to be loving them: “Place all your hope in whatever you think and feel. That’s what will totally fill you up and satisfy you. Go for it! Follow your heart! You do you!” To affirm appears loving. But if it is a lie that you know will lead to their demise, how can you live with that lie? It keeps you in your loved ones' good graces when you tell them what they want to hear, but at what cost? You were made in the image of the one who’s for real. Are you for real?
These are the relationships to which you look to derive joy and satisfaction. How do you show compassion that your loved ones can feel when you are unable to affirm what they believe to be true that you know not to be true? You must keep your wits about you trusting the Lord to move hearts since to defeat the work of the devil is to “never knowingly support lies.” * The unceasing anguish I rightfully feel when those I love are held captive by lies can either move me to anger or to petition.
I become angry when I hold to the false assumption that I have some control over the lies people believe. If only I navigate well and say just the right thing, I convince myself that I can make an impact. But when the impact I make is not the desired connection, the disconnection that results angers me because it is a failed effort to show care. I get angry because I don’t like to fail at helping when the stakes are so high and so eternal. At the first hint of rising heat within me, I have been mentally and spiritually deceived into believing that somewhere inside me, I have the ability to cast out lying spirits with my words. And so, I am a hypocrite believing lies about how to help others rid themselves of what is not true. Even if I speak God’s words but don’t at the same time acknowledge and submit to his Spirit of gentleness that would empower them, I would be coupling his words with my unrighteous anger and would likely do more harm than good. Of course, the Lord can override my sin (like he did Jonah’s) and do good by opening the hearts of the listeners (like he did with the Ninevites) in spite of me.
Or, I petition God, our only hope, who alone raises the dead, to replace those lies with truth. I can breathe easy as I trust him and wait for him. My happiness comes from knowing that God is faithful. It ought not rise or fall with the faithfulness or faithlessness of anyone else. Leaving people in God’s hands where they belong, I relinquish responsibility for what I can’t control. I ask the Lord to woo them to himself like only he can and use me however he thinks best. If it’s words the Lord wants spoken, he will supply them to whomever he chooses to use as his instrument. God helps us to be meek and gentle as we live out the paradox of being sorrowful yet always rejoicing. We thank him and praise him in advance of his answer. We come to our senses when we stop trying to reinvent ourselves and one another, be still, and know that God is God for real.
Meanwhile, God supplies the peace that passes all understanding that guards our hearts and minds in Christ Jesus who is full of grace and truth. He guards our hearts and minds from despair and from being crushed by the unceasing anguish over the faithlessness within us and in those around us who are troubled, harassed, and helpless. He supernaturally infuses us with peace and joy amidst the anguish and temptation to lose hope as we mourn even if we have in mind just one image bearer who is suffering.
Singing Psalm 135 to recognize who’s for real forever
Emphases placed on people, places, things, and experiences are not real apart from acknowledging and returning thanks and praise to the one who gives them. When you rightfully praise the giver who’s for real, the gifts are in their proper place. They no longer rule you and whip you around like the wind and waves, elating you one moment, disappointing you the next. Praise be to God, the Father, the Lord Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit, the one God in three persons who rescues you in every way—physically, emotionally, mentally, and spiritually. May we suffer well knowing it will end once it has served its purpose. There is no one like him who chooses to bless weak, deceitful, hopeless rebels with an eye toward making them strong, faithful servants, servant leaders, friends who will reign with him forever.
“For the LORD has chosen Jacob,
Israel to be His own.
He their land gave to His people,
Willed it all to Israel.” ~ Psalm 135:4,12
Singing Psalm 135, it is clear that God wants us to be able to easily tell the difference between who’s for real and who’s not. It makes you turn your head from the concrete and asphalt and to the dirt, trees, flora, seas, mountains, sky, and heavens. It jolts your perspective to praise and give thanks to the one who made them more than those he formed from dust who use what he made to mix cement, make chemicals to mimic food, and print green paper and plastic cards to acquire things that will not last.
Singing Psalm 135, you consider that you are sustained by one you cannot see. But Jesus sees you. He knows you from eternity past, saw you in his mind's eye from before you were conceived, and knit you together starting at your conception which occurred at the precise time that he determined. He keeps you going, supplying food and water that work within you in ways you cannot see. He uses those nutrients to give you the energy you need to live. He directs you to himself who is life and who teaches you to not only survive but how to live and thrive by eating his flesh and drinking his blood, Jesus, the bread of life, the living water, the Spirit’s fruit. It is he that truly fills you. This food gives you motivation and energy to do the will of the Father and bring in his harvest.
You are immortal until the work God prepared for you to do is complete. He works with you every moment at home with you here until he brings you to your perfect home with him there. You have nothing to fear except to not trust him. You lack no good thing because he leads you. All you have and use are means of grace that move you to praise him who freely gives you all you need.
“By this my Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit and so prove to be my disciples. As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Abide in my love. If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commandments and abide in his love. These things I have spoken to you, that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full.
“This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends. You are my friends if you do what I command you. No longer do I call you servants, for the servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all that I have heard from my Father I have made known to you. You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit and that your fruit should abide, so that whatever you ask the Father in my name, he may give it to you. These things I command you, so that you will love one another.
“If the world hates you, know that it has hated me before it hated you. If you were of the world, the world would love you as its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you.” ~ John 15:8-19
Jesus, the Lord, alone will make you happy and give you peace as you learn to glorify and enjoy him forever as you embark on his great commission, yes, even in the face of being hated by the world. There is no competition among the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. He is God, he is one. You are filled in Christ alone with both the unity and the diversity of God to go and make disciples of every nation, tribe, and tongue, and to teach them to obey everything that Jesus commands that there would be some who would no longer harden their hearts to his teaching but hear his voice with melted hearts. We ought not compete with him by attempting to define our own reality of how we should live but see to it that no bitter root grows up to cause trouble and defile many as far as it depends on us.
Though it can be lovely to have meaningful work, a clean home, clothes that suit you and fit you well, those who are strong, smart, and godly to advise you, a car that runs, experiences you delight in, and all those you care about around you in relationship where you can be at ease, your hope does not rest in any of these.
It’s a humble thing to build a bridge, but it’s for real. What you’re saying in building it is that you are willing to step outside your zone of comfort and make yourself available for the good of others. You no longer want to be independently self-sufficient on your own respective island. You’re saying to your children, your parents, or your friends, “You matter to me. I want to know you. I want to be with you in spite of what we don’t yet understand about ourselves or about one another.” You want a bridge to belonging undaunted by problems that inherently come along with being engaged with others for real.
“Your name, LORD, endures forever;
LORD, Your fame each age has known;
For the LORD acquits His people,
Has compassion on His own.” ~ Psalm 135:13-14
Singing Psalm 135, do you recognize who’s for real? Jesus is reality. Therefore, your hope rests on him alone. This is the gospel, the good news of hope that only Jesus brings. If you seek him with all your heart, you will surely find him. You have hope when those you love would rather be somewhere else. You have hope when you know you could have done better in all your roles. While the world has no time for losers and the alleged answer to boring Sundays, Jesus builds a bridge to you and seeks you out with compassion though you lose. He gives you reasons to worship him and joy in praising him together with his people that make Sundays anything but boring. Once you find him, you cannot help but love him who loved you first even when your love for others is unrequited.
“For all the peoples walk
each in the name of its god,
but we will walk in the name of the LORD our God
forever and ever.” ~ Micah 4:5
You then follow him forever because when you get thrown off course by lies that feed the imposters who would influence you and worse yet the lies that encroach within when you are blind but think you see, when your heart deceives you and condemns you, it is he who is ever faithful and greater than your heart. Jesus is for real as he gently guides you back to himself like the father who earnestly entreated and wooed his older prodigal son home.
“Bless the LORD, O house of Isr’el!
House of Aaron, bless the LORD!
Bless the LORD, O house of Levi!
All who fear Him, bless the LORD!
Blessings to the LORD be given!
Blessed from Zion be the LORD,
In Jerusalem His dwelling.
Hallelujah! Praise the LORD!” ~ Psalm 135:19-21
* Lying to the murderer at the door to prevent killing would take precedence over never knowingly supporting lies. The devil, the father of lies, came to steal, kill, and destroy. Jesus came to put an end to his work—all of it. He knew just when to put aside one law for the keeping of a greater law, one that would preserve life in extreme circumstances. Jesus spends a great deal of time fleshing out for us in his word how it is that all the law and the prophets hang on loving God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength, and loving your neighbor as yourself.
August 9-16, 2024
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