Prosperity in this world (wealth, health, family) is a gift from God. Prosperity is also a test. It's a test of the heart meant to prove and renew our trust in and love for God. Below is an outline summary of the sermon for your further study and deeper reflection.

SERIES:  Sermons in the Psalms, Vol 2
TEXT: Psalm 30
TITLE: Our Prosperity and God’s Praise
PREACHER: Derek Overstreet

SERMON EXCERPTS:
All quotes are taken from the pastor’s notes.
”King David knew the gift of prosperity, but he failed the test of prosperity. Psalm 30 was sung at the dedication of the Temple. David never saw that day, but his experience was the background. In the same way Moses exhorted the Israelites in Deuteronomy 6—When you live prosperously in the Promise Land, don’t forget it came from the hand of God—in the same way, Psalm 30 would remind God’s people that the Temple in all its wonder and glory, comes from the hands of God.”

“David’s experience is our instruction. Living in America, we all know prosperity. The question isn’t—Am I prosperous? The question is—How do I know if I’m failing the test of prosperity?  For this task, Psalm 30 is a gift to us. Today we will unpack David’s situation, then use his situation to draw three applications for our own praise of God in prosperity.”

“Like a bucket draws water up out of a well—imagery of verb drawn in 1—God drew David up out of the pit of death. And now David praises God from a heart overflowing with gratitude. He doesn’t forget what God did for him. He can’t forget. He won’t forget. So, he praises God.”

“David was a man who had received God’s favor in abundance. The LORD was good to David. The LORD prospered David. He provided richly for David—his kingdom, military might, and personal life. David knew God’s favor as few knew it—(7) By your favor, O LORD, you made my mountain (metaphor for his kingdom and personal life) stand strong.”

“David knew God’s favor. But he forgot God’s favor—(6) As for me in my prosperity, I shall never be moved. This is David’s humble confession that he became proud in his prosperity. He allowed God’s favor to close his eyes to God. He grew numb to the reality that all he had was from God, and his pride swelled as he began to believe his own headlines. David began to think—I got this! I’ve done this!”

“David forgot that his prosperity was a gift from God, and in his forgetfulness, he failed the test of prosperity. And so, God disciplined him. God disciplines the ones He loves (Heb 12). God disciplined for his pride. At the end of 7, God hid His face from David, and David was dismayed. He felt it, and he knew it. David forgot God.”

“Let us beware, indeed. In the words of one Scottish preacher—We are never in greater danger than in the sunshine of prosperity.”

“I can find at least three ways David responds to God in Psalm 30  that three thousand years later compel us to sing God’s praises in our prosperity rather than swell our pride. [See below.]”

“Being merciful and gracious is not merely what God does; it’s who He is. It’s His nature. It’s according to his character or, as 4 says—His holy name. David is not simply observing life here in 4-5. You win some, you lose some. You have to take the bad with the good. Cheer up; things will get better. No, Anger for a moment, favor for a lifetime, weeping in the night, and joy in the morning are spiritual contrasts that communicate what God is like and how He loves to treat His people.”

“Be warned today—God will discipline you for your sin. Be sober-minded about your self-sufficiency, self-reliance, and self-exaltation. Repent. Humble yourself before the Lord in prayer. Run to Jesus and receive forgiveness, knowing the disposition of God’s heart toward you is divine favor, and that outweighs His divine anger.”

“Know that whether it is God’s discipline or suffering in a fallen world, you will have times of weeping in your life, but God’s favor and the joy His favor brings are the final words in your life.”

“Whether it is education, career, health, wealth, or cherished relationships, our prosperity comes from God, and it is for His glory, not ours. Your prosperity is meant to serve God’s eternal designs of glorifying Himself in all things. It’s the reason we exist. Through our salvation in Christ, our lives would not be silent; instead, we would worship and testify to the glory of God.”

“The discipline of the Lord has humbled David. Now he sees he should have thanked God for what he had instead of allowing what he had to swell his pride. And gratitude is the key. It’s hard for pride to grow in a heart filled with gratitude.”

“Truth is, our gratefulness should exceed David’s because Jesus did the unthinkable—he gave up his life so we could be spared from the pit of eternal death. This is truth for all of us, but my heart today is that in particular, those of you who If don’t feel prosperous. God hid his face from His only Son on the cross so He could shine His face down upon you. Jesus died on the cross. For three days, he was dead. But on the third day, God drew him up, not merely from death but over death itself.”

“Are you looking for reasons to sing this morning? Do you need to be compelled to sing? Don’t look to your prosperity; look to what God is like. His anger is but for a moment, but his favor is for a lifetime. Weeping may tarry through the night, but joy comes in the morning.”

ADDITIONAL SCRIPTURE:
Matthew 6:33
John 3:30

QUOTES:
Oswald Sanders - “Not every man can carry a full cup. Sudden elevation frequently leads to pride and a fall. The most exacting test of all is to survive prosperity.”

Charles Spurgeon - “Prosperity had evidently turned the psalmist’s head, or he would not have been so self-confident. He stood by grace, and yet forgot himself, and so met with a fall. Reader, is there not much of the same proud stuff in all our hearts? Let us beware lest the fortunes of intoxicating success get into our brains and make fools of us also.”

James Montgomery Boice - “The point is this: God is indeed displeased with sin and can never be indifferent to it. He judges sin with a holy anger, even in Christians. But for His people God’s judgments and anger are short-lived. They pass quickly. What remains is His favor, which lasts for our lifetime and indeed forever.”

Eric Lane - “God’s anger is like an overnight visitor but His favor is like a permanent resident.”

APPLICATION:
So How do we know if we are failing the test of prosperity? 

• Is your daily communion (Prayer/Word) with Jesus diminishing?

• Is your first impulse I got this or I did this?

• Do forsake the things you know God has called you to (church, Christian fellowship, giving) to pursue the things the world holds out to you (leisure, work, lifestyle, family)?

• Have the unsaved become invisible because all that matters is what you have going on?

• Do you give less to your church's mission because you need more to sustain your lifestyle?

• Do you forget to give God glory in success?

• Are people more aware of your encouragement of them or your stories about you? 

• Are you amazed by God’s grace and power less and less because you are amazed at your abilities and accomplishments more and more?

In his prosperity, David forgot God. Have you forgotten God in your prosperity? Or maybe you haven’t forgotten God but have repositioned him in your life.

1. Remember God’s Heart

2. Embrace Your Purpose

3. Excel in Gratitude

SONGS FROM THIS SUNDAY:
Sing
Jesus Your Mercy
The Lord Almighty Reigns (Psalm 93)
O Lord My Rock And My Redeemer
10,000 Reasons (Bless The Lord)

NEXT WEEK’S PASSAGE:
Psalm 32