If you're human, you've thought about how life would be if you were not a Christian. What if there were no "rules"? What if you could do whatever you wanted to do? Admit it-you've let your mind wander before and ended up envying people who live life in such a carefree way. This morning we'll take a look at what one of my favorite psalms. I appreciate the reminder that the author, a man named Asaph, gives us because sometimes we need to refocus when feel this way.

Let's explore Asaph's message as he tells us in Psalm 73:

First of all, I hope and pray that we all realize how serious a subject this is. Asaph knew it. He said, "But as for me, my feet had almost slipped; I had nearly lost my foothold" (v.2). Asaph admitted that the way he was viewing things nearly cost him his faith in God and ultimately his salvation! There is no more serious subject than the possibility of losing our faith in our Savior. What did Asaph see? It sure seemed to him that the lives of the wicked were easier than the life of a believer.

This is what he thought: They have no struggles; their bodies are healthy and strong. They are free from the burdens common to man; they are not plagued by human ills (v.4-5). Haven't you ever thought that way?

The wicked have no "rules". Their Sunday mornings are free. They feel no obligation to give 10 % of their income or anything at all to God. That money is free to be spent on vacations, more luxurious cars or padding an IRA. Their time is all theirs-no need to help on a workday at church or serve on a committee or council. They have bought into this post-modem thought that truth is relative; in other words, each individual believes and does what he wants and others are free to do the same.

They are not worried about offending "God" because they feel that there is no God or that if there is, he is an understanding God of love who places no expectations on people. Or they think that because they are a decent person, they will go to heaven. The wicked live a life of freedom. They are totally free to do as they please-how wonderful and liberating that must be!

But allow me to let you in on a little secret-it's not true. None of it! Think about it-do you really believe, like Asaph did for a moment, that the wicked have no struggles, that they are free from the burdens common to man? Do you really think that this description of the wicked in verse 12 is accurate? This is what the wicked are like-always carefree, they increase in wealth.

But isn't it true that there are "rules" whether a person looks, listens or cares? God's will doesn't go away just because a person doesn't choose to look at it. God's will stands and he demands perfection from each individual. Whether a person wants to admit it or not, God tells us all what he expects. Looking the other way doesn't make God go away.

And we should care about offending God. Deep down each person worries about that. We're fooling others and ourselves if we pretend that we don't think about it. It is a natural part of a human being to know that a God exists and that we owe him something. That all changes for a Christian, but the unforgiven sinner ought to be very afraid of God, and in the dark hours of the night or when they are all alone, they think about it. Don't believe that they don't.

And what appears to be carefree is not freedom at all. In fact, it is slavery. This slavery leads to trouble of many kinds. They way of the wicked is slavery to sin and pleasure. It is self-worship and gratification. And while on one level they choose to wallow in that kind of life, it is also true that they are trapped in that lifestyle. It's tough to keep it up. The wicked are always pursuing more money, more popularity, more things, more experiences, more time. There is never enough - it is a constant, all consuming pursuit. It is not easier to chase those things down. THE WAY OF THE WICKED IS NOT EASIER!

And the way of the wicked is NOT BETTER either. 0h, it may seem like it. Asaph thought so too. Who among us would not love to have more money, or a nicer or bigger home or a more secure retirement? It's rough on a Christian to want some of those things and to see that the wicked have them. I want to be able to do whatever I want, whenever I want. I would rather have that than all the responsibilities that I have, and having to hold my tongue and having to put other people before myself. How much better would the quality of life be if I got to do what I wanted to do and not what some God and a Bible say I should do. My life is not perfect, even though I have trusted in the Lord. Is it worth it, when I see that not only do the wicked prosper, sometimes it seems like their lives are better because they are wicked!

Allow me to let you in on little secret #2-the life of the wicked is not better! Money, homes, and adventures don't make your life "better." Oh, we may enjoy those things and even Christians do, but those things can be lost and destroyed. Even if we have them for a long time, the enjoyment of them is never the same as the first day we have them.

No matter how we might feel sometimes, it is not better to worship yourself-and that's what this is really about. People who live without God, the wicked, have become their own gods. People who live only for themselves are idolaters and that leads to hell-and that is NOT better than heaven!

Verses 6-8 tell us what fills these people - pride, violence, callous hearts, evil thoughts, arrogance, bullying. Are these better than the virtues that God talks about for the Christian - gentleness, respect, love, self-control, peace, joy... How foolish to think so! THE WAYS OF THE WICKED ARE NOT BETTER!

Asaph almost slipped and lost his faith because his sinful heart envied the way of the wicked. He felt that life was unfair to him. Even worse, God was being unfair to him. He knew what the wicked were thinking and he began to buy into it-verse 11: They say, "How can God know? Does the Most High have knowledge?" Did God know or even care? Listen to him crying and whining about how unfair it has been: "Surely in vain have I kept my heart pure; in vain have I washed my hands in innocence. All day long I have been plagued; I have been punished every morning. If I had said, "I will speak thus," I would have betrayed your children. When I tried to understand all this it was oppressive to me..."(v. 12-16) What was the use?! It bothered him so bad that he couldn't talk about it and it consumed his thoughts. He couldn't make heads or tails of what he was seeing around him and what he thought to be true about God and his faith. Can you relate to Asaph? I sure can-that's why I love this psalm!

But did you see what brought the picture into focus for him? He admits, "It was oppressive to me till I entered the sanctuary of God; then I understood their final destiny." (v.l6b-l 7) When Asaph remembered what God said, when he re-entered the presence of the Lord, it was like plugging cable into your TV and seeing a crystal clear picture. All of the sudden you go from fuzz to the full color picture. All of the sudden it made sense to Asaph and I pray that it makes sense to you too.

He had missed the fact that it's not all about this life, but it is very much about eternity. The eternal destination of the wicked is hell-separation from God. Asaph said, "Surely you place them on slippery ground; you cast them down to ruin. How suddenly they are destroyed, completely swept away by terrors!" (v.18-19) How true it is that the wicked find themselves on a slippery slope during this life. What appears to be an uphill ride for them is a downhill slide into hell. Think of the morally corrupt rappers and musicians, the white-collar criminals, and the famous that fall from their lofty places. How quickly they can come to ruin in this life and how far from God they will be in eternity.

Is this what we envy? Repent of your sins people! That's what Asaph did: When my heart was grieved and my spirit embittered, I was senseless and ignorant; I was a brute beast before you. (v.21-22) The sinfulness of our thoughts makes no sense! Why envy the wicked, when we know in our hearts that IT IS FAR BETTER TO BE NEAR GOD?!

When you start to wonder if it's all worth it, shake yourself, wake up! Consider the blessings of God! What a wonderful picture in verse 23: Yet I am always with you; you hold me by my right hand. As God's children, we are always with him. He's by our side, holding our hand. As people who know Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior, we walk hand-in-hand with God! Our sins used to separate us from God, but because Jesus lived a sinless life for us and offered it up as a payment for our sin, we are one with God! He loves us in Christ and he walks along with us, holding our hand.

Asaph is now on a spiritual roll-he keeps going: You guide me with your counsel, and afterward you will take me into glory. Whom have I in heaven but you? And earth has nothing I desire besides you. My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever. (v.24-26)

God counsels his people through life so that he can bring them, as faith-filled believers into eternal life. Don't you agree with Asaph that there is no one who compares with our loving Savior? Don't you agree that there is nothing in all the earth that can replace the love of God and the forgiveness we have in Christ and the personal escort into heaven we get from God when we leave this earth? Don't you agree with Asaph when now full of faith he says - But as for me, it is good to be near God (vs. 28a)? "Good" to be near God - what an understatement! Envy the wicked? I don't think so-not when God reveals to me that his Son Jesus has saved me from those sinful thoughts along with my sinful words and actions as well. Not when he promises to be near me through this life and bring me into heaven!

You kids probably all know about "time outs". When we're naughty, mom or dad might do that so that we think about what we've done wrong, say we're sorry, and say that we won't do it again. Sometimes we need to take a little "time out" like Asaph did. He took the time to think about his sinful thoughts, repent of them and see the glory of God. And he is a changed man - look at the last verse of the psalm: I have made the sovereign Lord my refuge; I will tell of all your deeds. (v. 28b) Asaph doesn't want to envy the wicked anymore. In fact, he wants to tell everyone what an awesome, protective, loving, guiding Savior he has.

DON"T ENVY THE WICKED! It's sinful and it doesn't make sense. Would we really want to risk losing our soul and our salvation for some good times or some nice stuff? It's ridiculous and we know it-but sometimes, like Asaph, we need to step back and be reminded of the goodness of our Savior. How good it is to be near God! Amen.