Today, we get a glimpse into David’s response to a ‘wilderness moment’. Today, we get to look into God’s Word and see what it looks like to be a worshiper in the midst of fiery trials. Below is an outline summary of the sermon for your further study and deeper reflection.

SERIES: Summer in the Psalms, Vol. 3
TEXT: Psalm 63
TITLE: True Worship
PREACHER: Tim Lambros
BIG IDEA: True Worship comes FROM God, is nurtured BY God, and results in glory TO God.

POINTS:
I. True Worship is Rooted in Relationship with God
II. True Worship will be Tested
III. The Certainty for True Worshipers

SERMON EXCERPTS:
All quotes and text emphasis are taken directly from the pastor’s notes.

ILLUSTRATION: Horatio Spafford responding with hope and worship in the face of severe trial

“How do believers respond like this in the most difficult times in their lives?  Today, we get a glimpse into David’s response to a ‘wilderness moment’.  Today, we get to look into God’s Word and see what it looks like to be a worshiper in the midst of fiery trials.”

“David’s life isn’t hopeless and actually reveals and displays the heart of a true worshiper.”

“God is David’s personal God – a relationship built upon the covenant-keeping nature of God.  Too many believers today have this overly existentialist sense of their relationship with God. By stating YOU ARE MY GOD, there’s clearly a sense of a personal relationship, but the use of the term “my God” for an OT believer would bring God’s covenant-keeping nature to mind.”

“O God, you are my God.  One constant theme all through the OT from Abraham all the way to David is “I will be your God and you will be my people.” That’s part of David’s relationship with God. While in a desert wilderness, experiencing all sorts of fleeting emotions, David stands on the bedrock understanding that he is in a covenant relationship with YHWH.”

“So David SEEKS God.  He THIRSTS for his God.  Speaking of his heart he says MY FLESH FAINTS FOR YOU AS IN A DRY AND WEARY LAND WHERE THERE IS NO WATER.  Thirst, dry and weary land, no water.  The picture is easy to understand, but God is painting this picture so we can place ourselves in this scene. God always holds up an example of a person’s actions in Scripture not to say to us “be like him” but to show us how their actions are ultimately fulfilled in Christ. Remember our encouragement when we began the Psalms series – don’t be satisfied with David’s example.”

“David is a type, an OT picture of Christ.  Jesus came into the wilderness of His created world, put on flesh and lived under the limitations of His creation.  To an all-powerful, holy and transcendent being that would be a desert compared to the glories of Heaven.  He also literally spent 40 days in a wilderness before being tempted by Satan himself. He was sinless and the perfect fulfilment of what we are reading about today.”

“David would have no idea that there would be a future day when the phrase ‘Oh God, you are my God” would be the person of Jesus Christ and He would experience and endure the most intense wilderness experience to fulfill God’s covenant-keeping promise to all who would be saved.”

“As we look closer, ask yourself how you have passed recent tests God has brought you through? V. 1 towers over all this Psalm, but now we go back to the context for this Psalm.  David is being tested.  How will he respond?  How do you respond when God tests you?”

“David loved being in the presence of the Lord.  Like every Jew, the people of God built their life around God’s promise to be with them.  The sanctuary.  The temple. That was the place of God’s presence.”

“In the past tense, David recalls the times he could be in the presence of the Lord.  He wasn’t thirsty or dry; he could behold God’s glory, and his soul was satisfied. Now David has no access to the tabernacle, the only place on the face of the earth he could behold his God.”

“When an Israelite spoke about beholding God in the sanctuary we must remember that the tabernacle was where they met with God. God’s presence was in one place.  OT worshipers had a life that revolved daily around the tabernacle because God’s presence was in a location, not in their hearts.”

“Now David is being tested.  He’s thirsty; he is in the wilderness.  David’s life has been shattered; he’s lost everything, and his own son is looking to kill him.  Of all situations, most of us would understand if a person in this dire situation wanted to “vent” a little bit.  But David was a man with a heart after God.  Why doesn’t he complain?  How does he keep this perspective in what was probably the most difficult test in his life?”

ILLUSTRATION: Monday morning grumpiness David vs. Tim

“Pay attention to the smaller tests God brings your way.  They will reveal what’s in your heart.”

“What does it mean that he says experiencing the steadfast love of God is better than life? What he means is that his relationship with God is better than all the good things in this life.  Yes, even family, kingship or status in life, riches and comforts, etc. Experiencing the steadfast love of his God is better than life. The reverse of this true also – there is no comfort, no created object, no fame, NOTHING that is more valuable to me NOT EVEN MY LIFE now that I’ve experienced God, my God! So what comes out of his lips – PRAISE TO HIS GOD.  Not in the sanctuary, not in the presence of the Lord but in the wilderness, when he’s thirsty. Does this describe your relationship to God?” 

“It’s good for God to test what’s in the worshipers heart!  It’s good when you are facing wilderness experiences and you respond like David. But because we are NT believers, we can repent and turn to Jesus in those moments we fail. Those times we DON’T respond like we see David responding.”

“Blessing you, God, lifting up my hands AS LONG AS I LIVE regardless of my circumstances. V. 2 was past tense of a time David enjoyed and thrived in the presence of the Lord but V. 4 becomes a future expectation. He’s not NAMING IT AND CLAIMING IT, he’s simply looking forward, trusting God for a time when he can raise his voice and his hands in the sanctuary. In the presence of the Lord as he knew it.”

“Notice a slight shift in V. 4-5 “So” speaks to David’s response to his circumstances. Initially David delights in the covenant nature of his God – his relationship to YHWH. As a result of that, he moves from thirst to being satisfied.  V. 3 his lips will praise Him, then he lifts his hands in praise, and in V. 4 he is satisfied with the richness of his covenant relationship with God.”

“There are many reasons why God saves us and keeps us on earth.  One of them is definitely to refine our faith and rid us of worldly desires and false saviors that capture our heart.”

“David transitions from the clinging/upholding place of relationship with God to the certainty of how things will turn out.  Those enemies of David, the enemies of God’s people, His Church, will go down to the depths of the earth. The OT sheol. David might be picturing Korah’s rebellion (Numbers 16:31-34).”

“David wouldn’t have known that the future King of kings would be a sinless Savior who would go down to the depths to pay for the sins of those who would be redeemed.  Those enemies of God who refuse God’s offer of perfect reconciliation on behalf of the work of Jesus will finally and eternally be condemned to the depths of hell.”

QUOTES:
Horatio Spafford - “When peace like a river, attendeth my way,
When sorrows like sea billows roll—
Whatever my lot, thou hast taught me to know
It is well, it is well with my soul.”

C.S. Lewis - “These poets knew far less reason than we for loving God. They did not know that He offered them eternal joy’ still less that He would die to win it for them.  … They long to live all their days in the temple so that they may constantly see “the fair beauty of the Lord (Psalm 27:1) … lacking that encounter with Him, their souls are parched like a waterless countryside.”

APPLICATION:
Examine your relationship to Jesus. 2 Cor 13:5 What kind of relationship do you have with our Savior?  Is it based upon Him giving you good stuff?  A hassle-free life?

Take a walk this week. Take a walk when you’re unhurried and don’t take your phone so you’re undistracted – ponder David in the wilderness. Ponder what David knew of God, like last week, I’m sure David saw God through the covenant-keeping keeping marvelous works God did for Israel and David as an individual. 

While pondering David’s confidence in God, think about David as an imperfect “type” of Savior. Meditate on Jesus as the perfect fulfillment of a worshiper.

Evaluate how much you value gathering with the Church?

Is there a thirst in you to gather and worship with your Church?  When you’re away for a few Sundays, do you hunger and thirst to experience God’s presence with the gathered Church?  

Illustration – Growing up Catholic.  Adult friends with Catholics.  Behaviorally doing their religion, checking the box of religious activities BUT ABSOLUTLEY DEAD ON THE INSIDE. Is that you?  If so, guess what will happen when God tests the longings of your heart? Self-pity, false humility, boasting of all the things you’ve done for God.

ADDITIONAL SCRIPTURE:
Genesis 17:7
Deuteronomy 8:1–3
James 1:2–4
Hebrews 12

SONGS FROM THIS SUNDAY:
How Great (Psalm 145)
Come Behold The Wondrous Mystery
The Wonderful Cross
It Was Finished Upon That Cross
It Is Well With My Soul

NEXT WEEK’S PASSAGE:
Guest Pastor - Jeff Schlieder

THE BOOK OF THE QUARTER:

Owen on the Christian Life: Living for the Glory of God in Christ

By Barrett, Matthew, Haykin, Michael A. G.

Buy on Amazon

Because of the marvelous things that He has done and will do, the Lord is worthy of the loudest symphony of joyous noise and song. Below is an outline summary of the sermon for your further study and deeper reflection.

SERIES: Summer in the Psalms, Vol. 3
TEXT: Psalm 98
TITLE: A Joyful Noise For Our King
PREACHER: Tom Wilkins
BIG IDEA: The heart that sees the marvelous things that God has done breaks forth into a joyful noise.

POINTS:
I. The marvelous things He has done!
II. The joyous song we now sing!

SERMON EXCERPTS:
All quotes and text emphasis are taken directly from the pastor’s notes.

ILLUSTRATION: Secretariat - “Who here is a fan of horse racing? I’m not, but when I watched the film of Secretariat’s win at Kentucky, I suddenly realized that I was standing in my living in front of my TV and yelling WOW WOW -  I got up off the couch and STOOD, held captive by the images and the sound of the announcer voice growing more and more excited - EXHILATERED, I kept yelling WOW WOW… Honey! You’ve got to see this! What got me out of my chair? I don’t even remember drawing the breaths to yell and exclaim. I just did! I wasn’t even there! But suddenly, just beholding this recording and hearing of something that had happened over 50 years ago, I was captivated. I began to herald and marvel at this amazing horse and the race that this was!”

“The grand truth claim of Psalm 98 is ‘the LORD has done marvelous things!’ The grand call to action of Psalm 98 is ‘a joyful song is to be sung!’”

“At the beginning of this Summer’s Series in the Psalms, we learned that the Psalms reveal Jesus to us! Psalm 98 speaks of God’s Messiah… the coming King of Kings… who ‘.. will judge the world with righteousness and the people with equity.’”

“Psalm 98 is prophetic. And it reveals things that happened when the Savior came, His first coming, and what will happen when He returns.”

“Opening, in Vs 1, with the imperative “Oh sing to the LORD a new song.” we see that there is a reason that we are called to sing this new song. The LORD ‘has done as marvelous things!’… marvelous things that would only happen when Jesus Christ, the Son of God, the Promised One of Israel, would come. The marvelous things of Vs 1-3 foretell the FIRST coming of Jesus into the world! Jesus HAS come and He has done these marvelous things through His life, death, resurrection, and glorification. One marvelous thing after another has been enumerated in verses 1-3 and all of them have been accomplished by our Lord and King Jesus! This Psalm intends to make known these marvelous things.”

“The First Thing: The Marvelous Triumph of His Cross
(Vs 1) ‘His right hand and his holy arm have worked salvation for him.’ The words “right hand and his holy arm” speak of God’s triumphant victory that would be accomplished at the Cross that His beloved Son would bear. Speaking in past tense (“he has done”), prophesying of marvelous things that would happen. The LORD takes us to Jesus’ cross where we behold with Him now His triumphant victory in defeating His enemies and redeeming sinners - purchasing them out of bondage to their sin, setting them free and making them His own. These marvelous things that have been done are described as HIS salvation. ‘...have worked salvation for him.’ The salvation that He has worked has been first and foremost FOR HIM!” Romans 11:36 says, ‘For from him and through him and to him are all things.’”

“ ON THE CROSS - Jesus “by his own unweaponed hand” triumphed over these who held weapons in their hands stretching his hand and holy arm out  - blow after blow - as they nailed Him to His Cross… by his own nail driven hands… He triumphantly “worked salvation for Him”  He alone accomplished our salvation by his own right hand, his most holy arm, receiving all the glory alone. These marvelous things were done by Him as He worked His salvation! What a marvelous thing He has done!”

“The Second Thing: The Marvelous Display of His Cross
Please read with me Vs 2. This is a marvelous display of God’s grace! His salvation was ‘made known.’ He ‘revealed’ his salvation… in plain ‘sight’ for all to see. If he had not made it known so plainly by the power of the Holy Spirit, we would have missed it! The marvelous things that Christ has done have been revealed! HE makes it known. WE could not have found. At the Cross, what was once veiled in types and shadows in the OT is now on full display. From Abraham’s hopeful answer to his son, Isaac, (Genesis 22:8) ‘God will provide for himself the lamb for a burnt offering, my son.’ To John the Baptist’s proclamation in John 1:29: ‘Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!’ The message of the Cross is now ‘in the sight of the nations’ for all. The Scriptures make it clear for all.”

“The Third Thing: The Marvelous Atoning Blood of His Cross
Please read with me Vs 2b. A little bit of study will reveal that God’s Righteousness is synonymous with justification. But let’s look at one place for some help on this: Romans 3:24-25. Sinners stand guilty and justly under the wrath of God. BUT He has done an almost indescribable, wonder-filled, and marvelous thing in revealing his righteousness. The good news is ‘he has revealed his righteousness in the sight of the nations.’ He is our justification. God the Son, Christ Jesus, has put himself ‘forward as a propitiation by blood,’ ‘to show God’s righteousness!’ Jesus, by the Marvelous Atoning Blood of His Cross has done the unimaginable! He in full display, offers Himself (being “put forward” by the Father) as the sacrificial Lamb of God, and sheds his blood on the Cross.”

“The Fourth Thing: The Marvelous Promise-Fulfilled in His Cross
…to the “ends of the earth”: VS. 3. The language of Vs. 3 makes it clear that the covenant promise to God’s people will stand. Though they would forget him, he would not forget His covenant (steadfast) love and faithfulness. The joyous truth of 3b is that the Cross would fulfill his promise that salvation would be for all people … to ‘all the ends of the earth’. The message of the Cross knows no bounds. There is nowhere on earth that the Marvelous good news would not reach and bring salvation!”

“BY GRACE we draw near to the Cross and SING A NEW SONG”

“After seeing the marvelous things of Verses 1-3, as we surveyed the wondrous Cross of Jesus, we have reason after reason after reason to SING and SING like we never have before… truly singing a JOYOUS NEW SONG. …and Psalm 98 ups the volume now in Vs 4-9 as they describe what can be none other than divine accompaniment to our new song! Beginning with another imperative in Vs 4 -  “Make a Joyful noise” - An Orchestra now gathers, joining the song that we sing! The volume begins to rise as ‘instruments’ in Vs 4 - 8 join the Choir of the Saved!” 

“ALL EYES… FIXED ON THE KING. ALL JOY… FOUND IN THE KING. ALL PRAISE AND MUSIC CONDUCTED FOR THE KING. Everything in all of creation proclaiming loudly in a symphony of joyous noise (not one instrument left out, not one voice - no matter how strained - harmonized in a particular direction - not just singing to whoever might hear, not singing to whoever might care, not singing in a random blast of noise to cosmos but a SONG ARRANGED by the Spirit of God and SUNG to and for HIM!”

“See how marvelous it is that Jesus, our Savior, has come! Look for the marvelous return of Jesus, our Judge, falling on his mercy and grace. Marveling that His justice has been satisfied by the Cross of Jesus. (Vs 9) ‘He will judge the world with righteousness, and the people with equity.’ Revealed at the culmination of all things, we behold the justifying work of the Cross for all who will believe on Jesus Christ for His salvation.”

“The loudest thing that Psalm 98 says is this: Because of the marvelous things that He has done and will do, the Lord is worthy of the loudest symphony of joyous noise and song. His praises sung by all of creation - the loudest voices being of those that He has saved!”

QUOTES:
Charles Spurgeon - “Idols have fallen, superstitions have withered, systems of error have fled, and empires of cruelty have perished… not by the aid of others—but by his own unweaponed hand his marvelous conquests have been achieved. Sin, death, and Hell fell beneath his solitary prowess, and the idols and the errors of mankind have been overthrown and smitten by his hand alone.”

Song Lyrics from “When I Survey the Wondrous Cross”:
”When I survey the wondrous Cross
On which the Prince of Glory died
My richest gain, I count but loss
And pour contempt on all my pride

See from His head, His hands, His feet
Sorrow and love flow mingled down
Did ever such love and sorrow meet?
Or thorns compose, so rich a crown

Oh the wonderful Cross, oh the wonderful Cross
Bids me come and die and find that I may truly live
Oh the wonderful Cross, oh the wonderful Cross
All who gather here by grace, draw near and bless Your name”

APPLICATION:
The sense of awe and wonder should fill our minds when we behold the majesty of God in the marvelous things that He has done…SO SEE AND WORSHIP.

ADDITIONAL SCRIPTURE:
Isaiah 11:4
Hebrews 1:8-9
Revelation 19:11
Colossians 2:15

SONGS FROM THIS SUNDAY:
Rejoice
The Lord Almighty Reigns (Psalm 93)
I Have A Shelter
All Things
Sing

NEXT WEEK’S PASSAGE:
Psalm 63

THE BOOK OF THE QUARTER:

Owen on the Christian Life: Living for the Glory of God in Christ

By Barrett, Matthew, Haykin, Michael A. G.

Buy on Amazon

This Psalm is for you; it is meant to prepare you for the inevitable moment in a fallen world of hopelessness and despair. Below is an outline summary of the sermon for your further study and deeper reflection.

SERIES: Summer in the Psalms, Vol. 3
TEXT: Psalm 3
TITLE: Our Great Deliverer
PREACHER: Brett Overstreet
BIG IDEA: Because Christ has delivered us from our greatest enemy, we can trust him in whatever we face today.

POINTS:
I. David’s Hopeless Situation
II. David’s Godward Gaze
III. David’s Great Deliverer

SERMON EXCERPTS:
All quotes and text emphasis are taken directly from the pastor’s notes.

ILLUSTRATION: Soldiers stranded at Dunkirk and feeling hopeless

“We had nothing to do with the events at Dunkirk, but that is a moment we can relate to, isn’t it? Have you ever found yourself in a moment of hopelessness and asked, what do I do now? Where do I turn? I have. This is an important question and moment in the life believer. What do you do, where do you turn when your life starts to fall apart, and you find yourself hopeless? What do you do when the fear, doubt, anxiety, and despair begin to creep in and overwhelm you?”

“Perhaps you are here this morning, and you are wondering that very thing. You came feeling hopeless. You barely made it to church today, and your mind isn’t even here; it's fixed on whatever is going on out there. Psalm 3 is for you. Or perhaps you’re here this morning and everything is great. Maybe not perfect, but life is good. This Psalm is for you; it is meant to prepare you for the inevitable moment in a fallen world of hopelessness and despair.”

“This morning, we are going to see in Psalm 3 that David was faced with this very same question: Where do you turn when you feel hopeless? Psalm 3 is a prayer of David that teaches us, equips us, and prepares us for that moment when we are tempted to fear and anxiety instead of trusting God. And as we go to God’s word together, we will see this incredible promise: The hopeless find deliverance in God alone.”

“[Verses 1 and 2] paint a brutal picture of David’s current situation. It is a picture of hopelessness and despair, much like the beaches of Dunkirk. This is obvious when we read the text, but I want to take a few moments to help us understand the context so we can feel the full effect. Psalm 3 is one of the few Psalms where we know the exact details of the situation that prompted the Psalmist, inspired by the Holy Spirit, to pen these words. You’ll notice at the top of the chapter, ‘A Psalm of David when he fled from Absalom his son.’ This account is recorded for us in 2 Samuel 15 – 16. Don’t turn there, but I encourage you to go read these chapters in full sometime this week to get a greater understanding of the context. But it’s important for our text today that we take a moment and understand what’s happening in 2 Samuel.”

“If you aren’t familiar with the events, here is the condensed version: David has been ruling over God’s people as their king for years. He is God’s anointed and is busy being king. Unbeknownst to him, there is a conspiracy against him that was started by a man named Absalom. Absalom, of course, was David’s son. And Absalom wants to be king. And so, he creates this pretty impressive plan to overthrow his own father. He plays the long game and over the course of many years, begins to plant seeds of rebellion. We read in 2 Samuel 15:6 that over time, Absalom began to steal the heart of the people. His plan is to win over the people, kill David, and take over the kingdom. In fact, in verse 12, we see he is having a lot of success. We read that his conspiracy continues to grow stronger and stronger as more and more people join in on Absalom’s plot. The plan reads like this: Steal my dad’s people. Kill my dad. Take my dad’s throne. This is what’s brewing for David in 2 Samuel 15.”

“The mighty king David is cast into exile, forced to flee Jerusalem. David’s life starts to fall apart. After David and his few remaining allies flee, these words are recorded for us in verse 30.”

“This is the picture of a man who is broken. A man who has lost hope as his life crumbles around him. Whose head is hung low as the pressure and danger mount up against him. And while we don’t know the exact moments that David wrote Psalm 3, perhaps it was during this time, when he finally had a chance to catch his breath, that he pens these words.”

“Things are bad for David, and there are a few things I want us to notice in these verses. Notice that he uses the word ‘many’ three times in these 2 verses. We should pay attention to repetition when we see it in our Bibles - this tells us just how bad the situation is. David’s enemies are many – there are many that rise up against him. When we think of that word ‘many’ we think ‘great in number’. And that’s true, that’s how he uses it here 2 out of the 3 times. But in the original language, the first use of ‘many’ is actually slightly different and communicates not just that there are numerous foes, but that they are increasing. In other words, his bad situation just keeps getting worse. Have you ever heard someone say ‘When it rains, it pours?’ That’s our way of saying things just keep going from bad to worse. That’s what’s happening to David.”

“We’re meant to see how hopeless this situation is for David. But notice how cutting their words are… It’s not just that they say he is hopeless - they tell David that God has forsaken him. Things are so bad that even God can’t deliver him.”

“Church, what a hopeless place to be. To be so overcome and overwhelmed by our circumstances that we would believe the lie that God cannot deliver us. That we doubt His care and concern for us. This is what the enemy wants us to believe in these moments. So, let me ask you: Where are you tempted to believe that God has forsaken you and cannot deliver you?”

“Are you burdened with this bitter affliction this morning? Have you lost hope in God? We don’t like to admit it, but we can get to this place where we feel so overwhelmed by our circumstances that we find ourselves in a place of hopelessness. We see David in a place of hopelessness in our text this morning. Maybe that’s you today, but Church, the hopeless find deliverance in God alone. As we’re about to see, this was true for David, and it is true for us - let’s look and see what happens next.”

“Notice the first word in verse 2,‘but’. This is the hinge in our text. That critical moment on which everything to follow depends. This is where David now turns in the midst of his hopeless situation. For us, there is always a hinge. In these moments, we will turn somewhere, always. The question is, where do we turn? And I know you can see this in the text, but it’s important to take note of where David doesn’t turn in this critical moment.”

“Notice first what he doesn’t do? He doesn’t fixate on his circumstance. He acknowledges it, he addresses it, he recognizes the seriousness of the situation and brings it before the Lord – this is what we should do in these moments - but he doesn’t stay there. He turns his gaze somewhere else. Not to worldly counselors, not to an escape from his problems [this takes many forms for us: drugs, alcohol, sex – even subtle things like social media and entertainment can be an escape for us] - David turns toward the Lord. He takes his eyes off his circumstance and fixes them on God.”

“This moment was critical for David. And church, in our moments of hopelessness and despair, where we turn is critical for us as well. See our thoughts and our gaze don’t drift Godward. David understood this. You and I won’t get there by accident. No, we drift away from the Lord toward things that cannot bring true, lasting hope.”

“So, how are we to turn to the Lord? Let’s learn from David’s example: He turns to the Lord by calling to mind specific truths about who God is and believes these things to be true. Walk with me again through verse 3 and pay close attention to where David fixes his thoughts.”

“’You are a shield about me.’ This specific word gives the image of a buckler, which was a small round shield. We all know what a shield represents: protection and defense. David is preaching to himself in this moment, reminding his soul that the Lord is his protector and defender. But notice, he says, ‘you are a shield about me’. Those words, ‘about me’, take this imagery of a small shield and blow it up. The idea here is that God encompasses David in a full circle of safety. Christopher Ash says it this way, “the shield shuts David into a place of safety.” Isn’t that where you want to be…shut into a place of safety? This is what God does for his people.”

“Do you feel weak and defenseless this morning? Are you overwhelmed as you face the arrows of suffering, persecution, pain, condemnation? Oh, Church, how we must call this truth to mind: There is a shield about you - God is our great protector and defender!”

“‘You are my glory.’ What does this mean? Well, think about what just happened to David. He was driven from his own kingdom, by his own people. Any honor and glory and dignity that he had in this world has been stripped away – like that. To David, that doesn’t matter. Though the world may despise him and hate him, the Lord is his glory. The Lord is sufficient for him.”

“Are you the butt of the joke at work because of your biblical convictions? Has your reputation taken a hit because you spoke up about what you believe to be right? Are you mocked at school because you won’t participate in certain things? Are you despised by your friends and family because your life is submitted to Christ? We must call this truth to mind: God is my glory. He is sufficient for me!”

“’You are the lifter of my head.’ This should cause us to think back to 2 Samuel 15:30 when David is deep in sorrow, weeping, head covered, and hung low. What does he say? The Lord is the lifter of my head. What does this mean? The Lord is the one who brings joy and hope, true joy and true hope in the midst of sorrow.”

ILLUSTRATION: Father gently lifting his sorrowful child’s head

“What has you deep in sorrow, with your head hung low like David? Where are you tempted to fear and anxiety today? How do you get up out of bed when you feel nothing but depressing thoughts? Oh, it’s in these moments that we must remember: The Lord lifts our head in the midst of our deepest sorrows, so that we might see Him and see His love and faithfulness and receive His comfort. I know it feels impossible to believe sometimes, but God can bring you joy and comfort even in the midst of your deepest sorrow.”

“Oh, let us learn from David’s example. In this moment, David is fixing His eyes on God, and as he does, he beholds this hope-giving trio of divine mercies – Church, these mercies are there for us in our moments of hopelessness and despair. We must turn our gaze Godward to see our defense, our glory, and our joy. And lest David, or anyone else here be tempted to disbelief, look what he says in verse 4 [READ]. This is David reminding himself of that immense blessing that belongs to God’s people. God hears our prayers. Isn’t that hopeful for us? But do you believe it? God hears you when you cry out to him. But notice David is speaking in the past tense here. He believes these things to be true for his current situation because God has answered Him before.”

“Maybe you are here and believe that God is these things, but He’s not these things for you, at least not in your current circumstance? David would remind us to practice that wonderful art - remembrance - and think back to God’s faithfulness toward you in the past. Do this! Do this when you are struggling to believe that God is Who He claims to be – think back and remember the times that the Lord has answered you from His holy hill.”

“Theologian AW Tozer wrote in His Book, the Knowledge of the Holy that “What comes into our minds when we think about God is the most important thing about us”. This is true in every area of life, but it is especially true when we face moments of fear and hopelessness. These are the hinge moments in our Christian walk. What we believe about God in the midst of our suffering, trials, persecution, temptation and condemnation is the critical hinge moment for us as believers. If we believe the lie about God – that he cannot deliver us – what can come of that but fear, anxiety, self-sufficiency, all of which lead us deeper and deeper into a place of hopelessness. But, if in those hinge moments we see God and His true character, and we believe His promises, that brings great glory to His name and bears great fruit in our lives.”

“Don’t misunderstand this morning. Psalm 3 doesn’t offer some ‘Christian life hack.’ The power is not in our turning. It’s not in our ability to do something… the power is the One that we are turning to! All we bring to the table is our fear and doubt and hopelessness… and God brings His overwhelming mercy and grace in our time of need (Hebrews 4:16). Listen, if we miss this, if we leave here thinking that the power is in our turning, then we will trust in ourselves and not in God. And that’s not what the Lord intends for us.”

“I think a rational person could read this and ask, how is this possible? How does this man, with all of his problems and all of the things weighing on him, how does he get any sleep at night? How is he not overwhelmed with fear and anxiety? If you noticed, nothing has changed from verse 1-2 to verse 6. David reiterates how bad his situation is in verse 6. His ability to sleep at night and not give in to sinful fear and anxiety is not the result of his situation getting better. It’s not because he got some good news, and things are looking up.”

“Here is the hinge: It’s because the Lord has sustained Him… The Lord has shut David in a place of safety, and when he believes that – even though nothing has changed in his situation - it brings real trust in the Lord, that yes, can even cure those sleepless nights and yes, can even overcome great fear and anxiety.”

“Oh, Church, turn your thoughts on God. Apply this in that very moment - when you are lying in your bed, you cannot sleep, and you are tempted to fear and anxiety. Fix your eyes on God just like David, and as you do, with the help of the Spirit, you will see God in His true, great stature and trust in Him. This is offered to us in our moments of hopelessness. Set your gaze on God.” 

“And now we get to verse 7, and here we see that so great is his hope and trust in the Lord that David bursts out in this confident cry for God to deliver him.”

“David’s words here aren’t an SOS signal. This isn’t him throwing out a request to see if God will answer him. No, this is David confident in the promises and power of God. God is brought to the forefront of David’s mind, and he comes to the only logical conclusion: God alone can deliver me! God alone is my hope!”

“This is David responding to the accusations in verse 2, that God has forsaken him and will not deliver him. He is calling on God to do what he knows only God can do. You claim God can’t deliver me? You don’t know my God. He is my shield. He is my glory. He is the lifter of my head. And you know what? He will rise up and deliver me!”

“When David turns his gaze toward God in the midst of a completely hopeless situation, he is so convinced of God’s power and promises that he utters this colossal theological statement. He doesn’t say that God can simply provide a means of salvation, or that he is a means of salvation: He says that salvation belongs to God. In other words, it’s not up to David’s enemies. It’s not even up to David. Salvation belongs to the Lord. He owns it. He dictates it. He decides who will stand and who will fall. In other words, God is the great deliverer.”

“…notice the call for deliverance in verse 7 again. David cries out “Arise, O LORD! Save me, O my God!” He is not calling out to some distant power to come and save him – he is calling out to YAHWEH, his covenantal God. David takes hope not in the changing of his circumstance, but in the God, His God, who simply has to rise and His enemies will fall. Church, we do not cry out to some distant power, uninterested and indifferent to our suffering…. We cry out to our heavenly Father, Who hears our cries with a providential ear.”

“Do you see the grace that comes when the godly man or the godly woman takes their eyes off of their hopeless situation and fixes them on their all-sufficient God? It changes everything.”

ILLUSTRATION: An evil dragon whose fangs and claws have been removed, jaw broken

“See the imagery in our text of the wild beast being dismantled by God, no longer able to devour us, foreshadows something - the Gospel. Our most hopeless situation is not what you are walking through right now. Our greatest enemy is sin. Romans 6:23 says the wages of sin is death. Our most hopeless situation is that we are sinners before a Holy God – running a hell bound race and deserving of God’s wrath toward sin. We are in need of the ultimate deliverance.”

“Church, here’s the good news. On the cross, Christ defeated that enemy, didn’t he? Through His death and resurrection, Christ broke the power of sin and conquered death. Listen, the greatest dragon that we will ever face has already been defeated. The outcome has been decided by God… He has answered from His Holy hill and it is final! He has delivered us from sin and death. Yes, we live in a fallen world, broken and affected by sin. We live each day with our own indwelling sin. But we live with this great hope – sin and death cannot devour us. Christ has broken its jaw and shattered its teeth, and it has no power over you. Christ has done this for you and for me. Christ is our great deliverer.”

“The enemy will seek to accuse you and convince you that this is not true. He will tempt you to doubt and condemnation, but in the end it is a futile endeavor because God has already decided the matter - and what has He said? Romans 8:1, There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. John 8:36, If the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed. John 10:28, No one will snatch them out of my hand. Romans 8:39, Nothing can separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

“Because Christ has delivered us from our greatest enemy, we can trust him in whatever we face today.”

QUOTES:
Charles Spurgeon - “It is the most bitter of all afflictions to be led to fear that there is no help for us in God.”

Charles Spurgeon - “What a divine trio of mercies is contained in this verse! Defense for the defenseless, glory for the despised, and joy for the comfortless.”

James Montgomery Boice - “When a believer gazes too long at his enemies, the force arrayed against him seems to grow in size until it appears to be overwhelming. But when he turns his thoughts to God, God is seen in his true, great stature, and the enemies shrink to manageable proportions.”

 James Montgomery Boice - “Salvation is of the Lord. But if that is true – if God has saved you in this great matter of salvation-why should you tremble before the lesser, physical dangers of this life, however imposing and frightful they may seem? You should triumph by faith in God, as David did.”

ADDITIONAL SCRIPTURE:
2 Samuel 15-16
2 Samuel 15:13
Psalm 71:11
Psalm 18:30
Psalm 62:7a

SONGS FROM THIS SUNDAY:
How Vast The Love
Jesus Strong And Kind
We Hunger And Thirst
The Saving One
My Soul Will Wait (Psalm 62)

NEXT WEEK’S PASSAGE:
Psalm 98

THE BOOK OF THE QUARTER:

Owen on the Christian Life: Living for the Glory of God in Christ

By Barrett, Matthew, Haykin, Michael A. G.

Buy on Amazon

This Psalm can be like meeting a well-known celebrity and not knowing it. This Psalm offers much more than what initially meets the eye. Below is an outline summary of the sermon for your further study and deeper reflection.

SERIES: Summer in the Psalms, Vol. 3
TEXT: Psalm 45
TITLE: A Pleasant Theme
PREACHER: Tim Lambros
BIG IDEA: Seeing the love of our bridegroom moves us to fresh affections for our  Savior.

POINTS:
I. The Groom is King and Messiah
II. The Glorious Princess is the Bride and Church

SERMON EXCERPTS:
All quotes and text emphasis are taken directly from the pastor’s notes.

ILLUSTRATION: Queen Elizabeth not being recognized by tourists

“The subscript says this is a love song. The context is a royal wedding with all the normal and expected emotions and pomp we would experience at a King’s wedding. This is a  unique Psalm. There is no other Psalm like this one.”

“This Psalm is located at the beginning of Book 2 of the Psalms, follows some dark Psalms, and acts as a wedding celebration and a hint of future dynasty and victorious reign.”

“Structurally, the Psalmist speaks in first person in V. 1 and then at the end in V. 16-17, acting as bookends. Verses 2-9 address the groom, and V. 10-15 address the bride.”

“The Psalmist wrote this for the King. Whether it is sung by a choir or the entire  congregation, it’s clear that it is addressed to the King. NOTICE V. 1. Scholars can’t be sure which king the Psalmist might be addressing. What’s clear is that he would be in the Davidic lineage.”

“ NOTICE the author says his heart overflows with a pleasing theme. Overflow is like the author is stirred up or moved. A pleasing theme is literally “a good word.” The author is  stirred and moved and has this sense that he’s got a good word.” 

“The Psalmist is indeed writing about a pleasing theme. In fact, we’ll see he’s writing about the theme of themes. So his heart appropriately overflows.”

“A king, and especially the royal wedding in this Psalm, can be difficult for many of us to imagine. Apart from God’s active, illuminating work of the Holy Spirit, the natural mind has difficulty imagining the king, the primary object of this poetic love song.” 

“FIRST, we don’t live under a monarchy, have no day-to-day context for or about a king in our lives or American culture. So it’s difficult to imagine a royal wedding unless you are engaged with the gossip columns surrounding the British Monarchy.  SECOND, the king in this wedding would be part of the Davidic line of kings. There’s a certain weight and future promise attached. God had promised that the Savior would come from David’s line. Scholars aren’t sure if this wedding was Solomon’s or some other king, but all agree this love song, this poem concerning a royal wedding, would be for a king in David’s lineage. THIRD, it gets even more difficult because we will see clear evidence in the NT that this royal wedding involves not just a king in the family tree of David, but it points ultimately to King Jesus. The bridegroom in this wedding will emerge as King and  Messiah.” 

“So, let’s allow God’s Word, through this poetic song, ILLUMINE our minds and hearts – helping us to SEE & KNOW - knowing we have the Holy Spirit helping us.” 

“Verses 2-9 focus on the king. The Psalmist writes about his physical looks and his speech. He is handsome and skilled in using his words. Then in v. 3-4 he describes his military victories.”

“THE OLD TESTAMENT IS THE NEW TESTAMENT CONCEALED. THE NEW  TESTAMENT IS THE OLD TESTAMENT REVEALED.”

“If V. 1 was a hint that maybe the author’s ‘pleasing theme’ has more to do with the future King of Kings, then notice V. 6. He doesn’t address him as King like in V. 1. He now calls Him God! To call an earthly king God would be blasphemous yet that’s what the Psalmist does.”

“So we have this paradox – The king is addressed as God, but God is his God. It’s clearly stated in God’s Word. But the best confirmation and clarity come from the NT. Hebrews 1:8- 9 shows us the Psalmist is speaking of another King.”

“The author of Hebrews is making the argument that Jesus is greater than any of the angels, and in that argument, he quotes Psalm 45:6-7 explicitly revealing that the text we’re looking at today refers to Jesus!” 

“Handsome – Our eternal bridegroom didn’t come to be admired for His physical attributes – His beauty goes far beyond being handsome. The king of kings/Messiah – our eternal bridegroom is the essence of righteousness. He hates evil, and God sent Him to come and die for our rebellion and evil against him.  He is victorious in battle – Jesus came from the glories of heaven to win the battle that you and I could not. NOTICE v. 6 – Your throne is FOREVER. God has made Him an eternal king.”

“If this royal wedding were to have been Solomon’s wedding, he could be regarded as one of the wisest kings known to man. But no one addressed him as God. No one addressed him as God, who had God as his God. This is a Psalm bursting the banks with OT language. The only fulfillment could be the future King of Kings, Jesus.”

“The romance, ceremony, a handsome king, a military conqueror, thrones, fragrant robes all in the context of a royal wedding – take on much more meaning when we see from holy Scripture it’s about our Savior Jesus Christ. Yet there’s another piece to this royal wedding scene. You don’t have a wedding without a bride.” 

“Verse 10 now addresses the bride. First, a three-part exhortation. The bride is called to hear, consider, and to incline her ear. The exhortation calls her to forget her former people and her father’s household. Positively, she is to bow or submit to her bridegroom who is also her king.”

“Remember, Jewish weddings involved a procession from one house to another. Notice in v. 13 she is glorious in her beauty, adorned with robes like we heard earlier about the King. In her multi colored robes, she is led to the king. This hints at the original wedding of God bringing Eve to Adam. There is joy and gladness as she is led in this procession to meet  her bridegroom and enter the palace of the king.” 

“Since we know the king here is fulfilled in Christ, this amazing picture emerges of Christ and His love for His bride the Church. If the OT is the NT concealed and the NT is the  OT revealed, then what Paul wrote in Ephesians 5 is another lens to understand some of the imagery we see in Psalm 45.”

“The bride gives up all allegiance to her prior people, father, and household, and fully gives herself – she bows to her new king. You and I, as Christians, are called to repent of our prior love for anything in this world and devote ourselves to Christ the King.  

As the bride “leaves” her prior “chamber,” so we leave our prior place and are led to our  King. There is joy and gladness not because an earthly king chose his bride but because the King of the universe left His place, His royal, perfect place of intimate fellowship with the Godhead, and came and died so create a way for His bride, the Church, to be led  into relationship with Him!”

QUOTES:
ESV Study Bible - “You Are a King of Beauty, Majesty, and Justice. These words speak to the king, praising him for his appearance and gracious speech, military power, and commitment to promoting justice for his subjects. These words focus the attention of a young king on the ideals he should hold for his reign and character. These are what lead to God’s  blessing for his people’s king, and to the king’s own respected position in the world.”

Derek Kidner - “This paradox is consistent with the incarnation but mystifying in any other context. It is an example of Old Testament language bursting its banks, to demand a more-than-human fulfilment.”

Christopher Ash - “Rather than try to twist the verse to make it plausible for an address to a historical Old  Testament King, it is better to see this as another indication that these Spirit-inspired words look beyond Old Testament history to the coming of the Messiah.”

ADDITIONAL SCRIPTURE:
Hebrews 1:8–9
2 Corinthians 11:2

APPLICATION:
Identity 
We are the bride of Christ. Let the affections we see in the bride/groom freshly stir up in each of us the glory of our new identity. This can be a powerful weapon in your sanctification – the expulsive power of a new  affection 

Ambassador  
For evangelism, knowing the love King Jesus has for His bride is a ‘theme’ or ‘matter’ of glad tidings all should hear – we are the aroma of Christ in this world. We bring an aroma as we live, speak, and do our deeds in a lost and dying world. 

SONGS FROM THIS SUNDAY:
Be Thou My Vision
Our Song From Age To Age
The Steadfast Love of Christ
Turn Your Eyes
How Great (Psalm 145)

NEXT WEEK’S PASSAGE:
GUEST PASTOR: KYLE HOULTON

THE BOOK OF THE QUARTER:

The Enemy Within: Straight Talk about the Power and Defeat of Sin

By Lundgaard, Kris A.

Buy on Amazon

What comfort and hope do I have, do we have, in the middle of the night (i.e. the repeated sufferings of this life)? We believe that one of the kindest things that your pastors can do for you is prepare you for the suffering that marks this life. It is for this purpose that we consider Psalm 16 today. Below is an outline summary of the sermon for your further study and deeper reflection.

SERIES: Summer in the Psalms, Vol. 3
TEXT: Psalm 16
TITLE: An Unshakable Calm in Jesus
PREACHER: Tom Wilkins
BIG IDEA: God’s preservation of our life produces a beautiful contentment and an unshakable calm of our soul.

POINTS:
I. A Content Life (In Christ - Vs. 2-6)
II. A Calm Life (In Christ - Vs. 7-11)

SERMON EXCERPTS:
All quotes and text emphasis are taken directly from the pastor’s notes.

“Until we step onto the golden shores of heaven, we will face trial after trial after trial. Ps 16, written by David, speaks into “the night” of life… into the trial that is this life, BUT it does not simply say “Hang on! Heaven is coming!” WHICH IS RADICALLY TRUE. Ps 16 speaks of a real and lasting and PRESENT hope and anchor for the soul.”

“Ps 16 begins with a cry for PRESENT help (that He would “preserve” us right now) and it grants us PRESENT help right now.”

“Are you happy today and rocked tomorrow? All seems well. The sea of your life is placid… and then… wave after wave. Don’t we long for calm? Don’t we long for rest? Isn’t this possibly our daily pursuit? And just when we think we have reached a ‘good’ stretch in life… things fall apart.”

“Yet today we find that God’s preservation of our life leads to an unshakable calm of our soul. There is a profound effect on our soul when our soul remembers and believes and grabs hold of the truth that God saves and guards the believer… preserving them forever… and the effect of that truth produces an unshakable calm in this life.”

“Verse 1 ‘Preserve me, O God, for in you I take refuge.’ In the opening words in Verse 1, David calls out, ‘Preserve me, O God’, and the sense is that we sing-pray that God would guard and save our very lives. There is no specific or imminent threat mentioned because the Psalm is a cry for God to preserve us throughout our whole life! All the days of my life, O God, guard my life!”

“Following Verse 1, we have in Verse 2, ‘I say to the LORD, “You are my Lord; I have no good apart from you.”’ David declares that the LORD is our Lord, and he acknowledges that anything truly good in this life is found only in and with Him, and nothing truly good is found anywhere else. That which is truly good is found only in one place: in God!”

“Now… we begin to see godly contentment take shape in our text. Verse 2 shapes biblical contentment.”

“First, contentment confesses that God is the Lord of our life! Second, contentment, biblically speaking, acknowledges that good is only found in God, and that is enough for me.”

“Contentment excludes our thinking that we have any goodness to bring and to add to God’s. Godly contentment is a deep satisfaction in all that is found in God alone and nothing else and nowhere else. Our greatest satisfaction in this life is in the Lord, and there is no lasting satisfaction apart from Him!”

“Our confession becomes: In you, Lord, is found only good. There is no evil in you, God, but only that which is righteousness and goodness. ‘Preserve my life, O God.’ ‘Guard my life, God. Guard my life in Your goodness.’”

“David now describes a people, God’s people, calling them saints. Here we have a description of God’s people in whom the king delights because they are God’s saints. And his delight in them is compared to those of Vs 4…”

“The saints… he delights in. These idolaters… (Vs 4b) He has no delight in but only disdain of their idolatry and silent rejection. They have turned “apart” (Vs 2b) from God and have run after another god in an attempt to find good, and pleasure, and joy, and satisfaction.”

“The altogether discontent people of Vs 4 do not find the good life they crave, but only that which multiplies and compounds sorrow! Their running from God to other gods leads them into a perpetual state of UNREST. Their discontent gifts them sleepless nights of the soul. Nothing satisfies them. No one satisfies them.”

“The craving of the human heart is to live the good life. Yet our sin and this world redefine what a good life is. Day after day, we wake up hoping it’s going to be a good day.
A good life is _______________?
…prosperity
… conflict-free free fruitful relationships
…health
…sexual fulfillment
…a full stomach”

“Psalm 16 teaches us an uncomfortable truth: If we look to anyone else but God and go anywhere else but God, “running after/acquiring other gods,” in the end, we do not get what we were looking for. Our searching, grasping, on-to-the-next-new-thing, ends only in our sorrow ‘multiplying.’”

“A lack of contentment in God is not simply going about our day, not thinking about him, but our discontent has lead us to turn to another god - an impatient, insatiable desire that is looking for the next high, for the next sense of feeling good/ok/angst-free… going everywhere… anywhere… to anyone… but God.”

“Discontentment is not satisfied by adding this fix to that fix. Discontentment itself multiplies, and discontentment with God, leads to trouble and sorrow that only MULTIPLY.”

“BUT THERE IS GOOD NEWS! Recalling Vs. 2, “LORD, you are my Lord. I have no good apart from you.” We now come to the part of the Psalm that shapes a beautiful satisfaction of the soul. Let these words sink into your soul.”

“Here, in the words of Verses 5-6, is a PLACE. That place is the LORD himself in the words of the “promised land” Using these words: my chosen portion, my cup, my lot, my lines. The marking of the place where God is AND where he isn’t. A place that God has drawn the borders… therein is my pleasant places. Therein is my beautiful inheritance. Therein is our beautiful satisfaction. (Outside of the place, there is only mounting unhappiness and unresolved grief.)”

“[The contented person] has found satisfaction. He has found rest in his soul. A contentment with God, and a satisfaction in God, that leads to rest… a rest for the soul. Godly contentment leads to a godly calm in our lives, no matter what may happen.”

“The contentment of the soul is anchored in a deep trust in God, and taking us somewhere… into a deep calm of the soul.”

“And this remains true in the night - there will be sorrow, but not only sorrow. The reassuring counsel that God gives “in the night” brings a calm rest to the soul. The reassuring instruction “in the night” of our hearts that are informed by the promises of God brings a calming security to our soul.  Vs 9: My heart can be glad, my whole being can rejoice, my flesh also can live SECURE.”

“Yet, how is Vs 10 possible? Read with me Acts 2:22-32.”

“Now we find that Psalm 16 is Messianic - It has been leading us to see the Promised One of Israel - Jesus Christ!”

“Hear our Lord’s voice as He speaks the words of vs 5-6. Our Savior was given a ‘chosen portion and… cup’. In the Garden, Jesus falls to the ground… The lines of His lot were drawn (had “fallen”) for Him and His lot included a cup that was almost too much to bear - the Cross!”

“The cross of Christ and His resurrection, as revealed in Verse 10, lead to dwelling with glad hearts and living in a confident calm as described in Verse 9. Even our flesh will dwell securely knowing that death will not leave us in the pit to rot forever but will, in the twinkling of an eye, come alive forevermore!”

“Even in death - THE true nightmare in the night… my soul can be reassured!  1 Thes 4 - in death - HOPE because of vs 10 - the hope of the resurrection grants and leads us into a calm reassurance in Christ!”

“An Unshakable Calm is possible RIGHT NOW in the midst of sorrow and grief. It will see us through the night and into gladness and rejoicing. Understanding the wrath of God is satisfied at the Cross of Jesus leads to this unshakable calm of our soul.”

“Jesus will not be abandoned to hell. Jesus will not see the corruption. In Jesus, we will not be abandoned to hell! In Jesus, we will not see the corruption!”

QUOTES:
Jerry Bridges - “The contented person experiences the sufficiency of God’s provision for his needs and the sufficiency of God’s grace for his circumstances. He believes God will indeed meet all his material needs and that He will work in all his circumstances for his good. …The godly person has found what the greedy or envious or discontented person always searches for but never finds. He has found satisfaction and rest in his soul.”

Thomas Brooks, The Transcendent Excellency of a Believer’s Portion above All Earthly Portions - “A Christian knows that death shall be the funeral of all his sins, his sorrows, his afflictions, his temptations, his vexations, his oppressions, his persecutions. He knows that death shall be the resurrection of all his hopes, his joys, his delights, his comforts, his contentments.”

ADDITIONAL SCRIPTURE:
Acts 13:32-39

APPLICATION:
Set the Lord always before you. DON'T GO ANYWHERE ELSE. Go to Him. Don't go to another God. All that awaits there is sorrow multiplied!

GO to the Cross of Jesus and see him there! Don't go anywhere else
- When all seems ok… set Him before you
- In the night, when all hell seems to be breaking loose… Don’t go anywhere else. Set the LORD before you!

SONGS FROM THIS SUNDAY:
Christ Our Hope In Life And Death
Glorious
Hallelujah What A Savior
O My Soul Arise

NEXT WEEK’S PASSAGE:
Psalm 45

THE BOOK OF THE QUARTER:

The Enemy Within: Straight Talk about the Power and Defeat of Sin

By Lundgaard, Kris A.

Buy on Amazon

Righteousness and Peace come together in Jesus our King and Priest! Below is an outline summary of the sermon for your further study and deeper reflection.

SERIES: Summer in the Psalms, Vol. 3
TEXT: Psalm 110
TITLE: Jesus, Our King and Priest Forever
PREACHER: Tom Wilkins
BIG IDEA: Jesus has become our King and Priest, so we freely give ourselves to Him and His kingdom.

POINTS:
I. Jesus, Our King (Vs. 1-3)
II. Jesus, Our Priest (Vs. 4-7)

SERMON EXCERPTS:
All quotes and text emphasis are taken directly from the pastor’s notes.

“As a people, we have a problem with kings.”

ILLUSTRATION: Google search of AI “No Kings Day”

“It sounds like we don’t like kings. But 1 Samuel 8 tells a very different story… we crave kings… we love kings… we love kings that give us what we want. The people demanded “Give us a king to judge us.” and God told Samuel to give them what they want. They ‘have rejected me from being king over them.’”

“We have a problem with kings. But in Psalm 110 we have been given a King… the very King that we desperately need!”

“Psalm 110 has the following Structure: Biblically, an oracle is a divine message from God Himself that is spoken/written by a man (in this case, King David) to the hearers/readers (that would be us)
Vs 1 - A Divine Declaration - followed by
Vs 2-3 The Explanation
Vs 4 - A Divine Declaration -  followed by
Vs 5-7 The Explanation”

“Verse one says several things: 1. ‘The LORD speaks to my Lord:’ (Capital letters and then lower case letters)”

“David hears what no man ever deserved to hear. Yet YHWH permits it. He permits a mortal ear to hear, and a human pen to record what should have been a ‘secret conversation’.”

“And we know that this clearly is Jesus as we look into what is next: 2. ‘Sit at my right hand until I make your enemies your footstool’.”

“First, the phrase ‘sit at my right hand’ is seen elsewhere in Scripture, like Ps 45, 1 Kings 2, Matt. 25, and combined with ‘footstool,’ we discover that this is enthroning in honor and majesty and in victorious triumph as seen in Joshua 10:24-25 - where the commanders of the army would place their feet on the necks of defeated kings. Vs. 2 adds further emphasis to this Kings rule as ‘The LORD sends forth from Zion [His] mighty scepter.’”

“The word ‘until’ in this second part of verse 1 makes it clear that this King’s rule over his enemies has begun, but will, one by one, put His enemies underfoot - on their neck - in a final glorious and righteous act of judgement - His victories will be completed! Vs. 2 will describe His rule as ‘in the midst of your enemies!’ It is ongoing with end-times certainty of victory over every single last enemy of God and His saints. He is the King at war now, anticipating the day that enemies are finally his ‘footstool’.”

“None other than Jesus Himself alludes to and directly quotes Psalm 110:1, asserting He is the one whom David spoke of. Jesus’ words are recorded in the 3 synoptic gospels. [below]”

“If Jesus said that what David wrote was in reference to himself, Jesus’ testimony would be sufficient! …and, yet, adding to the sufficient self-witness of Christ, the witness of Scripture goes on in Acts 2:29-36 (Peter says that this is Jesus).”

“After a little of study who David is calling his “Lord” in Ps 110:1, it becomes abundantly clear that “my Lord” is the Messiah. David’s Lord is Jesus Christ, the Son of God!”

“Psalm 110 makes much of Jesus. Psalm 110 is lifted up higher and higher by Scripture itself. And this Psalm preaches Jesus… Jesus who is the Lord… the King who sits in power over all!”

“Verses 2 and 3 provide further explanation of this King's rule. We find in verse 3 that God’s people FREELY offer themselves up for their King in these battles that are being waged. In “holy garments,” they are dressed in honor of their King.”

“‘From the womb of the morning, the dew of your youth will be yours.’ The last part of Vs 3 is a bit more difficult to interpret, but likely means those who honor and give themselves to the King are doing so with a daily renewed energy for the fight and honor.”

“Something amazing is now spoken to Jesus our King. God speaks again to His Son. He declares an irrevocable oath to His Messiah King - ‘You are a priest forever after the order of Melchizedek.’ Jesus, Our King is also Our Priest to God - and He will represent us to God. He intercedes for us. HE is our King who is being represented to us. HE is our Priest who represents us to God.”

“Genesis 14 and Hebrews 7 make it clear that this priest, Melchizedek, was before the law. He was not making intercession to God under the law… He was a type and foreshadowing of Jesus, the greater King and Priest of Psalm 110 that would usher in a better and eternal covenant.”

“According to Hebrews 7:2, his name means king of righteousness and being from a town called Peace, he was the king of peace. - Melchizedek was the king of righteousness and peace!”

“Righteousness and Peace come together in Jesus our King and Priest! In Psalm 110:4, God is declaring that a GREATER priest than that of Levitical priesthood… completely outside and greater! - Jesus, my Son, who is on My Throne forever is Our GREAT HIGH PRIEST forever!”

“Sinners cannot approach a Holy God without a mediator, without an intercessor, without a priest that brings a bloody sacrifice as offering to God as a sign of atonement for their sin. The whole priesthood, tied to the law that proved our guilt, was put into place to teach us, to reveal God’s Holiness and our sinfulness. There is no other way for sinners to come near a Holy God.”

“So, the priest represented us to God through the daily sacrifice. OVER AND OVER AND OVER Hebrews 10 describes this daily sacrifice as a shadow (a sign) of what was to come. In fact, the act of these priests could never remove our sin.”

“Our original hope was tied to the Law of the Levitical Priesthood, yet in the end, sinners like us were hopeless without forgiveness! BUT, now eternal hope is being prophesied in Psalm 110 and FULFILLED in the coming of our GREAT HIGH PRIEST - JESUS! And He, under His new and better covenant, brings us in His righteousness before God! Our KING and PRIEST became Our Lamb that shed His blood for our forgiveness and eternal peace!”

“We desperately need Jesus Our King-Priest, because of the wrath of God.”

“In our fallen condition, we seek to be our own mediator, but we need someone who will bring us before God in righteousness. We believe that we don’t need a King-Priest. This will lead to our destruction. We both willfully will not see and blindly cannot see apart from the power of the Gospel to open our eyes to our King and Priest, Jesus. YET, our application is first found in Vs 3 [Read Vs 3 with me]. Willing and Freely (there is a Gladness in our response to King Jesus)”

QUOTES:
C.H. Spurgeon - “Jehovah said unto my Adonai: David in spirit heard the solemn voice of Jehovah speaking to the Messiah from of old. What wonderful intercourse there has been between the Father and the Son! From this secret and intimate communion spring the covenant of grace and all its marvellous arrangements. All the great acts of grace are brought into actual being by the word of God;... How condescending on Jehovah’s part to permit a mortal ear to hear, and a human pen to record his secret converse with his co-equal Son! How greatly should we prize the revelation of his private and solemn discourse with the Son, herein made public for the refreshing of his people I Lord!”

John Calvin - “Having the testimony of Christ that this psalm was penned in reference to himself, we need not apply to any other quarter for the corroboration of this statement…”

Martin Luther - Psalm 110 “is the very core and quintessence of the whole Scripture. No other psalm prophesies as abundantly and completely about Christ.”

Dane Ortland - “Christ is your king, representing God to you, but he is also your priest representing you to God.”

ADDITIONAL SCRIPTURE:
Matthew 22:41-46
Mark 12:35-37,
Luke 20:41-44
Who is Melchizedek?: Genesis 14, Hebrews 7

APPLICATION:
1. We need Jesus, Our King, because we were made for Him.
2. We need Jesus, Our Priest, because He is holy!
The height of our pride leads to believe that we don’t even need a king. (“we are a government of the people”… or better yet a government of me). What in the world is a monarchy anyway? Who needs that? In our fallen condition, we cannot see that we are in the battle for our lives, our eternal lives. We were made for THE King. Yet, in our sin (1 Samuel 8:7), we reject God as our king and we demand a temporary earthly king who will get us what we want. Worse, we live as if we are the king over our own lives, and everyone around us is our subjects.

Q. We see Christ as King, but what is the importance of having Him as our priest? Why do we even need a priest? Why do we need this HIGH KING and PRIEST? Answer: Because of Verses 1 and 5-7! The King reigns and is coming in just, righteous, fury, and wrath upon all His enemies (sinners). Without this Priest-King (of righteousness and peace), we are justly “shattered” and crushed. We need a righteous Priest to bring us before the righteous King!! Death is demanded. Blood is called for and requires a priest… a mediator… an intercessor between us and God.

Knowing that we belong to the King of Heaven (turning away from our self-ruling and away from the kingdom of darkness) Vs. 3 - We freely offer ourselves as willing sacrifices for our King and Priest Jesus out of worship of Him for He sacrificed Himself for us.

SONGS FROM THIS SUNDAY:
Behold Our God
Your Great Name We Praise
My Soul Will Wait (Psalm 62)
From Everlasting (Psalm 90)
Before The Throne Of God Above

NEXT WEEK’S PASSAGE:
Psalm 16

THE BOOK OF THE QUARTER:

The Enemy Within: Straight Talk about the Power and Defeat of Sin

By Lundgaard, Kris A.

Buy on Amazon

The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want. It is a stunningly bold statement that we are all too familiar with. As we close the books on 24 and start again in 25, I can't think of a better truth to root us in individually and collectively as a church. Below is an outline summary of the sermon for your further study and deeper reflection.

SERIES: The Christmas Story
TEXT: Psalm 23:1
TITLE:  An Audacious New Year’s Reality
PREACHER: Derek Overstreet

POINTS:
1. The Majesty of My Shepherd
2. The Intimacy of My Shepherd
3. The Sufficiency of My Shepherd

SERMON EXCERPTS:
All quotes are taken from the pastor’s notes.
”Someone said about Psalm 23:1—Our familiarity with these words may rob us of their audacity. It is one thing to speak of God as Rock, King, Creator, Holy One, and Shelter, but Shepherd!? No image is so touching as the image of shepherd. As shepherd, the Lord must identify with His flock; as shepherd, the Lord must always be near His flock; as shepherd, the Lord must fight for His flock; as shepherd, the Lord must be willing to die for his flock. This image David uses of God is among the loveliest in the Bible to describe the tender and compassionate care that God gives to His people.”

“The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want. It is a stunningly bold statement that we are all too familiar with. As we close the books on 24 and start again in 25, I can't think of a better truth to root us in individually and collectively as a church. My prayer on this last Sunday of the year is simple:  We will leave here looking back on 24, freshly aware and grateful for all the goodness of our Shepherd, and look forward to 25 with a fullness of hope, knowing our Shepherd will be with us every step of the way.”

“From the outset, David distinguishes his shepherd as no ordinary shepherd—The LORD is my shepherd. Notice the word LORD in all caps. David is using the covenant name of God—Yahweh. It's the name God revealed to Moses in Exodus 3 at the burning bush. It was a fire in the bush that did not consume the bush, showing that the fire needed no source. The bush was a vivid illustration of God's being. He is profoundly mysterious. He needs nothing. He is independent of everything. He is self-existent. He is the great I AM. All of that is captured and communicated in the all-caps LORD. This is David's shepherd, and this is your shepherd.”

“Your shepherd is the one Isaiah 40 describes as measuring the waters that cover the Earth in the hollow of His hands and the one who consults no one because He knows all things.”

“Your shepherd is the one Job 38 describes as commanding the elements of weather and creating the boundaries of the sea.”

“Your shepherd is the one Psalm 8 declares has set the stars into place. PERSPECTIVE: [There is a] report that says there are 1,000 stars for every grain of sand on the Earth. Every one of them, the LORD, sets and holds into place effortlessly.”

“Here's the point: Your shepherd is no ordinary shepherd! He is the LORD who shepherds you from the fullness of His infinite and undiminishing wisdom, love, and power.”

“Allow this to stop you in your tracks because it should. The opening words of Psalm 23 should arrest our attention immediately. But too often, it doesn't. We rush by WHO our shepherd is to get to WHAT he does for us.”

“Don't allow your view of LORD to be, in the words of Phillip Keller—too small, too cramped, too provincial, too human. As the sun sets on one year and dawns on another, take heart—The LORD has been your shepherd, and He will continue to be your shepherd!”

“In light of WHO the Psalm 23 shepherd is, what David says next is quite remarkable: he says—The LORD is my shepherd. David does not say the LORD is A shepherd, or Israel's shepherd, or even Our shepherd. He says The Lord is MY shepherd. The Infinite LORD is an Intimate Shepherd!”

“I read a great book, While Shepherds Watch Their Flock, by Timothy Laniak, a missionary turned seminary professor who took a year-long sabbatical to the Middle East to study real shepherds. His book chronicles and makes biblical connections with the things he learned about the sheep, the shepherds, and the culture to the shepherd imagery in the Bible, particularly Psalm 23. Here are a few things he observed that have not changed much over time:
- A good shepherd takes great pride in ensuring the sheep are well-fed, protected, and flourishing under His care.
- A good shepherd is up early, carefully inspecting his sheep, looking for any injuries, illness, or parasites. Anything that needs special attention before the day starts.
- A good shepherd is strategic and goes to great lengths to ensure there are always green, rich pastures. He makes sure there is plenty of clean water, and he plans for enough feed to get them through winter.
- A good shepherd sleeps with one eye open, constantly alert for danger from predators. His eyes continually move over the flock so he knows when a sheep wanders off or gets too close to a cliff.”

“In other words, a shepherd knows his sheep intimately. The LORD, who is transcendent above His creation in every way, the one who holds the universe in his hands, relates to YOU as a shepherd relates to his sheep.”

“These five simple words—The LORD is my shepherd—represent a glorious condescension. As you turn the corner to 2025, the Lord wants to remind you of your profound relationship with Him. We have been reminded this Christmas that our Infinite Shepherd condescended to us by sending his son Jesus, the one John 10 calls the Good Shepherd to us for one reason—to lay down his life for the sheep so God could lovingly and eternally accept us.”

“That's what the gospel is about—The Lord, the Great Shepherd, doing all the work needed through Jesus, the good shepherd, to make you His beloved sheep.”

“Yet, as David considers his life, he concludes he is not lacking or deficient, whether temporal or spiritual; he believes he has all he needs. Why? Because he has all he wants? NO. Because the LORD is his shepherd, and the LORD is enough. David is a man marked by a profound contentment rooted in knowing who controls his physical and spiritual well-being—an infinitely good Shepherd who has an undying love for Him.”

“Contentment is elusive. One of the most true-to-life book titles ever is The Rare Jewel of Christian Contentment (Jeremiah Burrows). The words I shall not want challenge us because we are prone to wander and be dazzled by other things.”

“We all have some Miss Gadabout [the fence-crawling sheep] in us, don't we? Our hearts want for something more than what God has for us. We think the fields are greener on the other side of the metaphorical fence. Sometimes, it's the sin of greed that drives us. Other times it's the idol of personal dreams. At times, the weariness of suffering fuels discontentment with our shepherd.”

“Church, a new year lies ahead. It will hold personal triumph and tragedy. It will bring health and sickness. There will be excitement and disappointment. As a church, we will launch an exciting Church Plant Exploratory CG on the east side, experience evangelism growing pains, and keep gathering on Sundays and in CG right here in the NW. There will be green pastures and lean pastures. But our Good Shepherd will be with us every step of the way. Jesus is with us. And as our Shepherd, he is working on your behalf, working all things for his glory and your good, keeping you in his graces and providing rest, peace, and joy as your shelter in the storm and comforter of your soul so that we can say with David—read verse 6.”

APPLICATION:
- Here's one way to begin the new year: read Enjoying God by R.C. Sproul

- As you look back on 2024, ask yourself: What areas of fence crawling do I need to give to the Lord in 2025? Identify and repent of those areas with the assurance that your Great Shepherd won't put you down. Like the Father of the Prodigal Son, God never casts His sheep away. He shepherds us. He lovingly corrects us. He gently restores us. He faithfully tends to us by showing us how good and trustworthy He is and how lovely and satisfying His ways are if we would have the eyes to see.

SONGS FROM THIS SUNDAY:
This Is Amazing Grace
We Have Been Healed
Grace and Peace
Jesus Thank You
King Of Love
O Lord My Rock And My Redeemer

NEXT WEEK’S PASSAGE:
Colossians 2:8-15

THE BOOK OF THE QUARTER:

Everyday Gospel: A Daily Devotional Connecting Scripture to All of Life

By Tripp, Paul David

Buy on Amazon

Beginning in July, week after week, we have beheld and savored the Glory of God. These messages have been leading us to this glorious place: PRAISE THE LORD. Below is an outline summary of the sermon for your further study and deeper reflection.

SERIES:  Sermons in the Psalms, Vol 2
TEXT: Psalm 113
TITLE: Who Is Like Our God?
PREACHER: Tom Wilkins
BIG IDEA: Our incomparable LORD is worthy of our endless and highest praise!

POINTS:
1. The Never-ending Praise of His Name (Vs. 1-3)
2. The Grandeur of His Glory (Vs. 4-5)
3. The Marvel of His Mercy (Vs. 6-9)

SERMON EXCERPTS:
All quotes are taken from the pastor’s notes.
”This Psalm opens with the imperative - Praise the Lord. The opening first three verses make it clear! The last words of this Psalm make it clear! Praise the LORD! From beginning to end, it is clear… Praise the LORD!”

“Recalling that this Ps was likely the first song sung at Passover, we must put ourselves in the Jewish homes worldwide at that time as they sang and prepared for the Passover. The public temple service was a responsive service in which the Levite priests would declare each part of the verse, and the people would respond.”

“This song does not first build the case that grips our hearts, leading us to praise. Rather, this song bursts forth in Praise of our God first! “Praise, O servants of the LORD!” - the prescription!”

“Now Vs. 2 provides the description - the praise of the Lord now begins to take ‘SHAPE’ and instruction.”

“How long am I to praise the LORD? We worship our God right now… FORTH with a trajectory of forevermore. We begin now and refuse to cease… if more can be, we magnify Him!”

“There is a sense in this verse in which the meaning points to the faithfulness of the rising and setting of the sun… the faithfulness of the rotation of the earth… so shall the faithfulness of our worship be.Yet it also describes our praise being lifted up every day! The effect of the verse is: The inclination and disposition of the heart is one of joy, thanksgiving, need, longing, trusting, and returning to the praise of His glorious name! ‘Praise Him every waking moment and do not stop praising the LORD!’”

“Q. Who is like the LORD our God? This question and its answer provide the framework of this Psalm. This question… really… is God’s question to us about himself, provided not simply as a test but aims us toward the praise and blessing of His name. The grandeur of God’s glory begins to be described for us by revealing the vast, immeasurable difference, distinctiveness, distance, ‘otherness’ in holiness describes the LORD in the words, “The LORD is high above all nations, and his glory above the heavens!”

“God is high above everything that we see, experience, or conceive in our minds and imagination. God is high above all of the people of the earth and the observable universe! God is (vs. 5) seated on high He is present, ruling over all of creation - He is seated on high as its Sovereign, Providential KING in majesty! As high and ‘other’ is He, He rules it all from His Holy throne!”

“The god of SELF attempts to pull God off of His seat - dethroning Him and we attempt to take His seat! The greatest enemy of God and His glory is not first out there somewhere declaring their rule and reign. Application for us: in our sin, we want to sit on high!So texts like these are pure gold. When my view and thoughts of God have been diminished and I am failing to behold the Grandeur of His Glory… caught in anger, complaining that things are not going MY way…A difficult situation comes to my mind, and forgetting all that is good and true about my God, I turn on him in accusation. The gods of this world obscure our view of the Glory of God.”

“Who is like our God in His humiliation/condescension? From on high, He looks down! O, how far the LORD has come and stooped down to look on us! AND this is nothing but the magnificence of His MERCY.”

“We marvel at His mercy as He stoops and looks on the heavens and the earth who raged against Him. (vs 6). We marvel at His mercy as He comes to the dust and goes into the burning trash heap (dunghill). (vs 7) Has He not come so far?! There is no sinner, so filthy and so far, that God cannot show mercy - THIS IS WHAT MERCY IS! - the undeserved saving of God. His nail-scared hand has reached into this dark place and has pulled you out! We marvel at His mercy as He raises us up when we should have be been left where we were, but HE seats his saints on high (vs 8). We marvel at His mercy in the compassion of the miracle pictured in the imagery of a barren woman.

ADDITIONAL SCRIPTURE:
Isaiah 40:15
Isaiah 44:6-8
Matthew 1:21
Matthew 1:23
Philippians 2:6-11

QUOTES:
Charles Spurgeon- “While praising him aloud, the people were also to bless him in the silence of their hearts, wishing glory to his name, success to his cause, and triumph to his truth.”

Charles Spurgeon- “For ever, and more than ‘for ever,’ if more can be, let him be magnified.”

John Calvin - “… at such a distance from us…”  “he magnifies his mercy towards us”

Charles Spurgeon - “It is a marvel of mercy that the sun should rise on the rebellious sons of men…”

APPLICATION:
Who is like the LORD our God? NO ONE! Let this humble you and draw you to behold the Grandeur of His Glory. Psalm 113 gets around in front of us exhorting self-worshippers like me and you by exulting God lifting our eyes ‘UP’ to the one and only incomparable God.
- Behold the Grandeur of His Glory!!!
- Behold the Marvelous Mercy of Jesus as he came down and gave His life in our place on the cross!

The Gospel result is we have been lifted from dust and the burning trash and a cursed life and made princes in God’s kingdom! Seated with Christ Jesus to the confession and praise of His Glorious name!
Q. How high has your pride sought to take God’s seat? There is mercy for you!
Q. How far have you been buried in the filth and burning trash of your sin? There is mercy for you!

SONGS FROM THIS SUNDAY:
This Is Our God
Our Song From Age To Age
Jesus I My Cross Have Taken
There is One Gospel
Jesus, There's No One Like You

NEXT WEEK’S PASSAGE:
Romans 12:1

What do you want more than anything else? Psalm 84 takes us into the thoughts of a man who wants God more than anything else. Below is an outline summary of the sermon for your further study and deeper reflection.

SERIES:  Sermons in the Psalms, Vol 2
TEXT: Psalm 84
TITLE: A Bellhop’s Psalm
PREACHER: Derek Overstreet

POINTS:
1. He Longs to Worship God with God’s People
2. He is Dependent On and Delights In God’s Grace
3. He is Satisfied In God’s Salvation

SERMON EXCERPTS:
All quotes are taken from the pastor’s notes.
”Here’s a challenging thought (Ligonier Website): Where and who do you want to be? Is it more important to you to be in this world with a high position and much acclaim, or would you prefer to be a mere servant in the household of God? The world and its allurements may be enticing, but all of it will pass away. Only the household of God will remain, and only what we do for Christ will have eternal value. We can distill that thought into one penetrating question—What do you want more than anything else? Psalm 84 takes us into the thoughts of a man who wants God more than anything else.”

“Psalm 84 was written by one of the sons of Korah. You can read about them in 1 Chronicles 23-26. As a division of the Levites, the Korahites served in the temple. There were numerous temple tasks: priests, musicians, treasurers, and others. The Korahites had the lowest duty in the temple—doorkeeper. …The Sons of Korah were ancient bellhops.”

“Psalm 84 is their perspective of the privilege of being at the temple with God’s people in God’s presence. Their job was menial. Their ministry was not exalted. But that didn’t matter because they loved being in the house of the Lord. Psalm 84 is their chance to tell the world about it. And today they get to tell us about it. As they do, a portrait appears of the person who wants God and desires to be in God’s presence with God’s people more than anything else.”

“In this portrait, we find three characteristics or, as the psalmist presents them, marks of blessedness, of the one who wants God more than anything else.”

“Jewish people believed in an omnipresent God. They believed Yahweh was always with them. But they also knew God’s presence and glory was uniquely manifested and experienced in the temple. The sacrifices, the Law, God’s covenant people gathered, all of it made the temple a place where God’s people could encounter and engage with God in a way like no other.”

“The verbs longs and faints express a desire and yearning for God so strong that it exhausts his whole being. The psalmists says—My heart (spiritual) and flesh (physical) sing for joy to the living God. This wasn’t about mental assent; it was about being consumed with God. He treasures God. He longs for his glory. He finds his greatest joy in His presence. He sings for joy in God and considers himself blessed for being part of it all!”

“How important is this today? Fewer and fewer Christians are interested in gathering with God’s people to worship God in the presence of His glory. I’m too tired. I’m too busy. I’m too hurt. I’m good I read my Bible. I think the psalmist would say—What’s up with not going to church!”

“Listen, we don't need a temple to go to today. We have seen, we know, and we experience the glory of God in Jesus Christ. The gospel transforms everything. Personal peace with God. Personal union in Christ. The Spirit lives in the heart of every believer. But there’s so much more to the Christian life than me and Jesus.”

“There is nothing magical about this building. But when we gather to worship God together, in a unique and powerful way we are the dwelling place of God and we experience His presence and glory that cannot be experienced in any other way. I submit to you, if any part of this life is like heaven, it is what we are doing right now.”

“When you walk through those doors at 10 am is there a sense of awe and wonder, joy and privilege? If you think about what we are doing, there should be.”

“In the Bible, the sparrow is symbolic for something that is worthless and the swallow for something that is restless. Are you feeling worthless? Is your soul restless? This is where you belong.”  

“…the traveler had a deep desire to be at the temple and an abiding confidence in the grace of God to strengthen them for the difficult and trying journey. So they made the journey with joy AND resolve.”

“According to 6, the psalmist dug wells in the desert and trusted God for rain. His pilgrimage to Jerusalem represents ours in this world. We do our part in the Valley of Baca by making it a place of springs. We dig pools, i.e., thankfulness, studying His Word, serving and blessing others. We do that anticipating God will do His part—supplying the autumn rains, i.e., bringing joy, peace, and provision.”

“This is how we go from strength to strength as it says in 7. Seeing and experiencing, knowing and growing in Christ more and more on the road to Zion, this is how God grows our faith in and love for Him.”

“What is your Valley of Baca today? What does it look like for you to dig blessings out of hardships? Follow the highway to Zion that the Lord has put in your heart. Allow His grace to supersede any trial. Trust He will send rain in due time as he brings you closer and closer to heaven. He will do it. He is for you!”

“Here’s what makes this celebration of God’s salvation so amazing.  Numbers 16 recounts how God judged Korah and his family for their rebellious temple service by causing the earth to swallow them up. Now centuries later, one of the Sons of Korah is writing this psalm that praises that same God for His grace and favor in salvation. Whether or not 11 is a result of thinking back on Numbers 16 we don’t know. But the family who knew severe judgment from God now marvels in His salvation.”

“He’s close enough to catch glimpses of the wonder and glory of it all. And a glimpse is enough. One day of glimpses is better than a thousand in the tents of the wicked! Why? Because the doorkeeper belongs to God.”

“We’re all just bellhops right now. But the gospel has set our hearts on the highway to Zion. Heaven is our home. Like the worshiper in Psalm 84, we are on a pilgrimage. And one day in heaven our glimpses of glory will be turned to unveiled and eternal gazing.”

ADDITIONAL SCRIPTURE:
Ephesians 2:22
1 Peter 2:5
2 Corinthians 3:18

QUOTES:
Derek Kindner - “They make it a place of springs is a classic statement of the faith which dares to dig blessings out of hardships. But God may choose to send rain, which comes through nobodies enterprise and can bring a whole area to life, for he has more than one way of dealing with our dryness.”

Charles Spurgeon - “To bear burdens and open doors for the Lord’s house is better than the highest position among the godless…God’s doorstep is a happier rest than downy couches within the pavilions of royal sinners, though we might lie there for a lifetime of luxury.”

APPLICATION:
What about you and I? Where and who do we want to be?  

• Where are the highways of my heart leading me? 

• What are you exhausting your heart and flesh for?

• What is so valuable to me that it keeps me from communion with believers, serving in the strength of the Spirit, and worshipping my Savior on Sundays?

Bottom line: Have you grown familiar with Jesus? We grow familiar. Have you grown familiar with Jesus? Have you lost your wonder and awe toward him? To trust in the Lord is to give Him glory. To give Him glory is to long for and be satisfied in His Son Jesus. To be satisfied in Jesus is to be blessed. On this side of the cross, the blazing center of God’s presence and glory is Jesus.

SONGS FROM THIS SUNDAY:
God Is For Us
How Rich A Treasure We Possess
Only Jesus
The Father's Love
Christ Our Glory

NEXT WEEK’S PASSAGE:
Psalm 113

It’s easy to make Psalm 56 about the struggle to have faith in fearful times. Yes, it can be a struggle. Yes, there is a degree of lament in David’s words. But Psalm 56 is not about struggle; it’s about VICTORY, victory that comes through faith in the character and promises of God that belong to us in Christ. Below is an outline summary of the sermon for your further study and deeper reflection.

SERIES:  Sermons in the Psalms, Vol 2
TEXT: Psalm 56
TITLE: God Is For Me!
PREACHER: Derek Overstreet
BIG IDEA: Our fear gives way to faith when we focus on the faithfulness of God.

POINTS:
1. The Heart of Fear
2. The Heart of Faith
3. The Heart of God

SERMON EXCERPTS:
All quotes are taken from the pastor’s notes.
”The backdrop of Psalm 56 is 1 Samuel 21-22. I encourage you to read it this week. In a nutshell, David, who was running for his life from King Saul, ran right into the hands of another deadly enemy—the Philistines. When David wrote Psalm 56, he was alone, desperate, and afraid.”

“The occasion for David’s fear is clear in the text. the first two verses, David uses words like trample, oppresses, and attack to describe what was happening to him. In 5-6, he says his enemies injure his cause and stir up strife as they position themselves to kill David. In their quest to kill David, his enemies were unrelenting. Three times, 1, 2, and 5, David says that his enemies have pursued him all day long. David lived every moment of every day, wondering if it was his last. The brave boy who slayed Goliath when everyone else was afraid. David was no stranger to fear.”

“What about you? Are you feeling alone, desperate, or afraid today? What keeps you up at night? What fears tend to grip your heart?”

“David began 3 afraid. By the end of 4, he is not afraid. What happened between When I am afraid and I shall not be afraid? Faith happened. David could face his terrifying trials because he knew where to run when he felt fear beginning to grip him. He put his faith in God.”

“Typically, our response to fear is anxiety, panic, or distress. When we are afraid, it’s easy to turn to self-sufficiency and self-preservation. Those are vain and powerless responses to fear. More than that, they are sin we must confess to, repent of, and embrace full forgiveness in Christ for. Only then will our fears drive us to Jesus instead of away from Jesus. When David was afraid, he turned to the Lord.”

“His example is so instructive for us when we are afraid and fighting for faith. I want you to notice two things about David’s faith: David’s faith is deliberate and David’s faith is theologically informed.”

“David’s faith was an intentional act of the will. In the moment of fear, David makes a decision that that defies the reality of his situation and the power of his emotions. He trusts God. David He didn’t wait for God to give him faith. Is his faith in God a gift? Is it the work of the Spirit in him? Absolutely. But that does not excuse David from exercising his faith in God.”

“In the same way, we are called to put our faith in God. The Bible never says Jesus has faith for us. Trusting God is what God calls us to do. When we do, we realize it is only by grace, so we cannot boast except in Christ.”

“Three times, David says—I trust in God, whose word I praise. The word praise means exclaim. David exclaims, declaring to himself (preaching to himself) what God is like and what He has promised according to God’s Word. His faith is not blind. He is not throwing vague prayers at the wall. His trust in God is informed by the character and promises of God as revealed to him in God’s Word that drown out the voice of fear.”

“Church, how encouraging and compelling David’s example is for us. When David spoke of God’s Word, he had the Pentateuch (Gen-Deut) and maybe Joshua and Judges, but it was enough to know God’s character and promises. We have the entire Bible. God doesn’t speak to us audibly, but He does speak to us clearly, by His Spirit through His Word.”

“God’s Word is God speaking. He is telling us what He is like. He is telling us how He feels about His people. God is telling us how He acts and what He promises to His children. He reveals what we can be sure of regarding our relationship with Him. And what He says to us in the Bible is the foundation of our faith in times of fear.”

“God knows your tossings. He personally keeps record, not of your sin, but of every tear that falls from your eyes. Verse 8 is a memorable and penetrating way of describing God’s tender care for David and us. God hears your cries. God knows your fears. Sees what keeps you tossing at night. He knows, and He is keeping track of your heart, and He will never fail to care, and He will never be indifferent to your trials and struggles.”

“You can take God at His word. God cannot lie (Heb 6:18). God is faithful (1 Cor 1:9). He is trustworthy. And it is through His Word that He faithfully cares for you. So, the degree to which you have confidence in the Word of God is the degree to which you will have confidence in God.”

“This is David’s grand conclusion— What can man do to me? This I know, my God is for me. The danger David was in did not disappear. But his fears did, and for one reason—What David knew (mental ascent) and what he believed (faith) about God. And it all culminated in this—My God is for me.”

“Man can oppress you, hate you, hurt you, slander you, and yes, even kill you. But in the deepest and most ultimate sense, they can do NOTHING to you because NOTHING can separate you from the eternal love and favor of the One whom your life and fellowship are bound up with in Christ—the God of the universe.”

“When your back is against the wall, i.e., you are being trampled on and attacked, you know that the transcendent, all-powerful, all-wise, all-loving, and sovereign Lord of the universe is counting your tossing and keeping track of every tear you cry. The knowledge and conviction of the promise of intimate, tender, and adequate divine care is the basis for silencing the voice of fear when it roars.”

“No one here knows God well enough. That is the Christian’s eternal duty and delight that will never end. But the more you know, the more you grow and the greater joy you will experience. As the final words of the text say—That I may walk before God in the light of life. Translation—JOY IN CHRIST!”

“Whatever gets in the way of giving yourself to this application, tear it up and throw it away because what you need is to KNOW that god is for you today, tomorrow, and forever!”

ADDITIONAL SCRIPTURE:
1 Samuel 21-22
Hebrews 13:5
Romans 8:28
Philippians 4:19
2 Corinthians 12:9
Romans 8:31-32

QUOTES:
James Montgomery Boice - “We have the Bible. It contains all we need to know about spiritual things. Equally important, we have the Holy Spirit to give us understanding of what has been written as well as the ability to apply it to specific areas of our lives.”

J.I. Packer - “God is for me is in truth one of the richest and weightiest utterances that the Bible contains….The knowledge that God is on his side brings a note of triumph into David’s prayer.”

Sinclair Ferguson - “How do you know God is really for you? Where should you look for the proof that God is for you? Does it lie in the fact that your Christian life has been unbroken happiness? Does it lie in the fact that your Christian life has been one of ecstatic joy? There is only one irrefutable answer to these questions. It cannot be found in our circumstances. It lies only in the provision that God has made for us in Jesus Christ.”

APPLICATION:
- Do you doubt God cares for you? God notices, catches, and records every tear you shed. He cares because He loves you with an undying love. Do you believe that?

It’s not simply God’s got this. It’s God is FOR you. God is at work for my good. God will see His work to the end. God is intimately and tenderly involved in my life in every way as my Heavenly Father—God is FOR me!

Do you believe God is FOR you? I’m not asking if you agree with me but if you believe. If you don’t or you have even a smidge of doubt, look past your circumstances and see His only Son hanging on a cross, being crushed by His heavenly Father—FOR YOU!

Do you believe the greatest expression that God is FOR you is in the gospel?
1. Preach to yourself more and listen to yourself less
2. Get to know your Lord and Savior

• Scriptures read earlier

• Knowing God (J.I. Packer)

• Knowing Christ (Mark Jones)

3. Major on the spiritual, minor on the practical

SONGS FROM THIS SUNDAY:
Christ Our Hope In Life And Death
Come Behold The Wondrous Mystery
The Power Of The Cross
Jesus Paid It All
All Things

NEXT WEEK’S PASSAGE:
Psalm 84