Sermon outline 11.23.2025
Until I Went Into the Sanctuary—Psalm 73
Introduction
I. The Crisis of Envy (vv. 1–14)—Resentment
A. The Tension Between Verse 1 and Verse 2
v.1 establishes theology v2 reveals experience
B. The Sight That Corrupted His Heart (vv. 3–12)
Verse 3 names the issue: “I was envious.” Envy rises in two directions.
Envy leans toward what others have.
Envy leans against who others are.
v4: They look strong. v5: Life seems easy. v6: Pride is their clothing. v7: Their imaginations overflow. vv8–9: They mock heaven. v12: They increase in riches.
C. The Conclusion Comparison Leads To (v. 13)
In verse 13, Asaph forms a dangerous conclusion: “All in vain I have kept my heart clean.”
Asaph’s words prove comparison is not surface-level. It is theological. It suggests God mishandled someone else’s blessings.
D. The Weariness of Comparison (v. 14)
Verse 14 completes the crisis: “All day long I have been stricken.” Asaph is exhausted.
Comparison drains strength & steals joy. It turns worship into resentment and obedience into drudgery.
E. Transition Textual Cue (v. 15)
In verse 15, he pauses. He realizes that voicing this unbelief could damage the faith of God’s people. This reflection pressure pushes him toward the sanctuary.
II. The Turning Point of Worship (vv. 15–20)—Revelation
“Until I went into the sanctuary of God.”
Verse 17 is the hinge of the psalm. Everything before it spirals downward. Everything after it rises toward clarity. Asaph enters the sanctuary, and his vision changes.
A. What the Sanctuary Was for Asaph (v. 17)
The phrase means “the sanctuaries of God,” the holy places of the Temple. Asaph was a Levite, so the sanctuary meant three things at once.
First, it was the place of God’s presence.
Second, it was the place where Scripture was read and explained.
Third, it was the place of worship and prayer.
The sanctuary did not give Asaph a new feeling. It gave him revelation.
B. Why the Sanctuary Changes Everything
The sanctuary reinterprets what the eyes misinterpret. That is why verse 17 turns the entire psalm.
C. Today we enter the sanctuary through Christ, through the Spirit at work in our hearts, through the Scriptures opened before us, and through the gathered worship of the church. These are the places where God restores vision.
D. What Asaph Saw in the Sanctuary (vv. 17–20)
Verse 17. He discerns the end of the wicked. Verse 18. They stand on slippery ground. Verse 19. Their downfall is sudden. Verse 20. Their prosperity is a vanishing dream.
III. The Confession of Faith (vv. 21–28)—Response
A. Honest Repentance (vv. 21–22)
Asaph looks back and says: “When my soul was embittered... I was like a beast.”
Two Hebrew ideas are significant:
“Embittered” speaks of internal fermentation, souring.
“Beast” implies instinct-driven foolishness.
B. God’s Covenant Grip (v. 23)
“Nevertheless, I am continually with You.” “You hold my right hand.”
God upheld him even while he slipped. God’s covenant grip held him fast. Even as Asaph envied, God held him.
C. God’s Guidance Now And Glory Later (v. 24)
“You guide me with Your counsel.” “Afterward You will receive me to glory.”
The sanctuary message: God shapes us now. God keeps us later.
D. The Confession That Reshapes Desire (vv. 25–26)
vv25-26 form the climax: “Whom have I in heaven except You.” “There is nothing on earth I desire besides You.” “My flesh and my heart may fail. God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.”
Asaph was a Levite. Levites received no land. God was their portion.
E. The Final Contrast (vv. 27–28)
Verse 27: Those far from God will perish. Verse 28: “For me, it is good to be near God.”
The entire psalm resolves into that contrast: Far from God means destruction. Near to God means delight.
Conclusion: Stay Near God—Rest
Introduction
I. The Crisis of Envy (vv. 1–14)—Resentment
A. The Tension Between Verse 1 and Verse 2
v.1 establishes theology v2 reveals experience
B. The Sight That Corrupted His Heart (vv. 3–12)
Verse 3 names the issue: “I was envious.” Envy rises in two directions.
Envy leans toward what others have.
Envy leans against who others are.
v4: They look strong. v5: Life seems easy. v6: Pride is their clothing. v7: Their imaginations overflow. vv8–9: They mock heaven. v12: They increase in riches.
C. The Conclusion Comparison Leads To (v. 13)
In verse 13, Asaph forms a dangerous conclusion: “All in vain I have kept my heart clean.”
Asaph’s words prove comparison is not surface-level. It is theological. It suggests God mishandled someone else’s blessings.
D. The Weariness of Comparison (v. 14)
Verse 14 completes the crisis: “All day long I have been stricken.” Asaph is exhausted.
Comparison drains strength & steals joy. It turns worship into resentment and obedience into drudgery.
E. Transition Textual Cue (v. 15)
In verse 15, he pauses. He realizes that voicing this unbelief could damage the faith of God’s people. This reflection pressure pushes him toward the sanctuary.
II. The Turning Point of Worship (vv. 15–20)—Revelation
“Until I went into the sanctuary of God.”
Verse 17 is the hinge of the psalm. Everything before it spirals downward. Everything after it rises toward clarity. Asaph enters the sanctuary, and his vision changes.
A. What the Sanctuary Was for Asaph (v. 17)
The phrase means “the sanctuaries of God,” the holy places of the Temple. Asaph was a Levite, so the sanctuary meant three things at once.
First, it was the place of God’s presence.
Second, it was the place where Scripture was read and explained.
Third, it was the place of worship and prayer.
The sanctuary did not give Asaph a new feeling. It gave him revelation.
B. Why the Sanctuary Changes Everything
The sanctuary reinterprets what the eyes misinterpret. That is why verse 17 turns the entire psalm.
C. Today we enter the sanctuary through Christ, through the Spirit at work in our hearts, through the Scriptures opened before us, and through the gathered worship of the church. These are the places where God restores vision.
D. What Asaph Saw in the Sanctuary (vv. 17–20)
Verse 17. He discerns the end of the wicked. Verse 18. They stand on slippery ground. Verse 19. Their downfall is sudden. Verse 20. Their prosperity is a vanishing dream.
III. The Confession of Faith (vv. 21–28)—Response
A. Honest Repentance (vv. 21–22)
Asaph looks back and says: “When my soul was embittered... I was like a beast.”
Two Hebrew ideas are significant:
“Embittered” speaks of internal fermentation, souring.
“Beast” implies instinct-driven foolishness.
B. God’s Covenant Grip (v. 23)
“Nevertheless, I am continually with You.” “You hold my right hand.”
God upheld him even while he slipped. God’s covenant grip held him fast. Even as Asaph envied, God held him.
C. God’s Guidance Now And Glory Later (v. 24)
“You guide me with Your counsel.” “Afterward You will receive me to glory.”
The sanctuary message: God shapes us now. God keeps us later.
D. The Confession That Reshapes Desire (vv. 25–26)
vv25-26 form the climax: “Whom have I in heaven except You.” “There is nothing on earth I desire besides You.” “My flesh and my heart may fail. God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.”
Asaph was a Levite. Levites received no land. God was their portion.
E. The Final Contrast (vv. 27–28)
Verse 27: Those far from God will perish. Verse 28: “For me, it is good to be near God.”
The entire psalm resolves into that contrast: Far from God means destruction. Near to God means delight.
Conclusion: Stay Near God—Rest
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