Dr. Rick Griffith The Book of Psalms 46

### Sermon Assignment

I preached the following sermon on Psalm 64 at a church one month prior to becoming pastor of the same church. This message is provided as a sample sermon manuscript for this course’s sermon assignment, although here it is single-spaced to save copying costs (please follow the normal Campbell double-spaced format for the assignment). Please follow the guidelines on the two page expository preaching tips (class notes, 19-20). For this assignment you may select any psalm except those covered in detail thus far in class (i.e., any psalm except Psalms 3, 16, 22, 23, 51, 137).

##### Psalm 64 Sermon Manuscript

####### Title: “When the Finger’s Pointing at You…”

During my third year at Dallas Seminary my wife Susan laid hold of a tremendous, new job. She worked as the administrative assistant to the vice-president of a real estate development corporation in Dallas which built apartment complexes. The company paid her extremely well and on top of a super paycheck she received a $6000 bonus after working only three months!

Not only was her work a super job, but to top it off her boss was a Christian, active in another Bible church in the city. This man had a tremendous ministry to refugees in the area and I thoroughly enjoyed talking to him every time there was a company party. He was warm and friendly and I especially enjoyed speaking with him about spiritual things since there was an affinity with him that I did not have with any of the non-Christians in the company.

He was a delight, his wife was super, the job paid well, and the hours were just right. To paraphrase what David once said, "The lines had fallen for us in pleasant places!"

Ten months later Susan and her employer sat next to one another before a judge who would render a verdict on the lawsuit brought against Susan by her employer…

It was a pathetic scene: the employer had fired Susan only a few weeks earlier, a total shock in itself. Due to our checking account balance which had dwindled down to $6.12 she applied for unemployment insurance. She was pregnant and unemployed, and therefore had the unenviable task of looking for a decent job to last only seven months. Many tears were shed during those three weeks of searching before she found a job, but the ultimate blow came when we received notice for a court of hearing initiated by her former employer.

So we found ourselves facing the judge, witnessing unbelievable accusations from her former employer. He had convictions that no one should ever apply for unemployment "since so many starving people exist in the world." Our ears could hardly believe themselves as we heard slanderous remarks proceed from the mouth of her formerly fair and reasonable boss. "She's incompetent…" "She can't add up numbers…" "She shouldn't be allowed unemployment but should have to pay the $400 unemployment money back…"

What would you do in such a situation? One believer suggested that we report the boss to the Better Business Bureau. When another Christian from church heard of our plight he called to offer these consoling words,"Hey, I know of a good Christian lawyer who will help you take him to court and 'sue the pants off him.'" We agonized over that situation! It's never a picnic to be publicly slandered by another…

I wish this account of slander was an isolated situation, but this is an issue we all have to address. In fact, maybe you, too, are the victim of a verbal barrage aimed at you by someone else. As long as we live on earth we will have people speaking evil of us, but how should we respond when it happens?