1 00:00:00,200 --> 00:00:03,040 Good evening and welcome back to our second week of the Summer of 2 00:00:03,040 --> 00:00:04,920 Psalms. I'm Bruce McClain, if anybody 3 00:00:04,920 --> 00:00:07,320 doesn't know me. And one of the areas I'm 4 00:00:07,440 --> 00:00:11,560 responsible here is missions. So before we get into Psalms 27, 5 00:00:11,560 --> 00:00:15,080 if you want to turn there the next seven weeks, I want to take 6 00:00:15,080 --> 00:00:18,720 5 minutes to talk about the seven countries that Christ 7 00:00:18,720 --> 00:00:21,960 Community Church is currently doing some type of missions work 8 00:00:21,960 --> 00:00:23,600 in. So just a couple minutes. 9 00:00:23,600 --> 00:00:25,680 And the first one is, of course, Argentina. 10 00:00:26,440 --> 00:00:29,520 So if you don't have a prayer card of Pastor Eduardo and 11 00:00:29,520 --> 00:00:31,560 Gloria Bulladine, they are in the back. 12 00:00:31,560 --> 00:00:34,320 One of the three national pastors at Christ Community 13 00:00:34,320 --> 00:00:37,040 Church supports. We've been going to Argentina 14 00:00:37,040 --> 00:00:42,520 since 1997. I think we've gone 18 * / 200 15 00:00:42,520 --> 00:00:44,200 people have gone from Christ Community Church. 16 00:00:44,720 --> 00:00:48,440 And in just a little over two months, we have 20 more people 17 00:00:48,440 --> 00:00:53,400 going to Argentina. And that's so many that we're 18 00:00:53,400 --> 00:00:56,000 actually going to split the team when we get to Buenos Aires. 19 00:00:56,440 --> 00:01:00,800 And 12 people will work in Buenos Aires and eight people 20 00:01:01,040 --> 00:01:03,560 will go about 6 hour van ride to the north. 21 00:01:03,560 --> 00:01:06,040 So we're really going to have two campaigns going on 22 00:01:06,240 --> 00:01:10,120 simultaneously. Argentina is 90% Catholic. 23 00:01:10,120 --> 00:01:13,680 The Pope who just died was originally from Argentina. 24 00:01:14,120 --> 00:01:18,720 So we're going to go and work in Villa Maria in the north with a 25 00:01:18,720 --> 00:01:21,600 pastor that just planted a church about six months to a 26 00:01:21,600 --> 00:01:26,000 year ago and work with him and, and do door to door evangelism, 27 00:01:26,200 --> 00:01:29,080 whatever the church needs. And then the Buenos Aires will 28 00:01:29,080 --> 00:01:32,040 work with two or three churches strengthening them. 29 00:01:32,080 --> 00:01:35,080 So if you'll pray for us, it's just about two months away. 30 00:01:36,360 --> 00:01:39,760 There are about 10 people still raising funds and some of them 31 00:01:39,760 --> 00:01:42,440 have more than one member going. So that's a lot of money to go. 32 00:01:42,880 --> 00:01:44,840 And we want to buy tickets next week. 33 00:01:44,840 --> 00:01:47,760 But if you pray for Argentina and pray for Eduardo and Gloria 34 00:01:47,760 --> 00:01:50,640 Bulladine, our national pastor, if you have any questions about 35 00:01:50,640 --> 00:01:53,480 Argentina, and then we'll talk about the other countries next 36 00:01:53,480 --> 00:01:56,800 week. So a little bit of Bible trivia 37 00:01:56,800 --> 00:01:59,520 to start off tonight. I think everybody here knows 38 00:01:59,520 --> 00:02:01,720 that the Bible has 66 books, right? 39 00:02:02,760 --> 00:02:07,360 Everybody here knows that there are 1189 chapters in the Bible. 40 00:02:08,080 --> 00:02:13,800 So that's 39 books in the Old Testament with 929 chapters and 41 00:02:13,800 --> 00:02:18,160 27 books in the New Testament with 260 chapters. 42 00:02:18,640 --> 00:02:21,240 I won't go into the verses because different translations 43 00:02:21,240 --> 00:02:24,960 depend on the verses. But the shortest book in the Old 44 00:02:24,960 --> 00:02:29,040 Testament is Obadiah, which is 21 verses, and the shortest book 45 00:02:29,040 --> 00:02:32,320 in the New Testament is second John with 13 verses. 46 00:02:32,840 --> 00:02:37,160 So the question is tonight, what is the middle verse in the 47 00:02:37,160 --> 00:02:39,680 Bible? Because it has to do with our 48 00:02:39,680 --> 00:02:42,200 message tonight. Anybody know what the middle 49 00:02:42,200 --> 00:02:44,880 verse in the Bible is? There are different ways of 50 00:02:44,880 --> 00:02:50,560 looking at it, but Psalm 118 verse 8 is one way. 51 00:02:51,000 --> 00:02:55,200 Yeah, Psalm 118 is the middle chapter in the entire Bible. 52 00:02:55,880 --> 00:02:59,720 So Psalm 118 is preceded by Psalm 117, which is the shortest 53 00:02:59,720 --> 00:03:03,320 chapter in the Bible. And Psalm 118 is followed by 54 00:03:03,320 --> 00:03:06,080 Psalm 119, which is the longest chapter in the Bible. 55 00:03:06,960 --> 00:03:14,160 So Psalm 118 has 594 chapters before it and 594 chapters after 56 00:03:14,160 --> 00:03:15,440 it. So it's the middle chapter. 57 00:03:16,080 --> 00:03:22,720 So if you take 1188 Psalms 118 verse eight, that is one way of 58 00:03:22,720 --> 00:03:24,880 trying to determine the middle chapter in the Bible. 59 00:03:24,880 --> 00:03:28,840 And what is Psalm 118 eight say? I'm going to read from the new 60 00:03:28,840 --> 00:03:33,080 King James here. It says it is better to trust in 61 00:03:33,080 --> 00:03:36,640 the Lord than to put confidence in men. 62 00:03:37,040 --> 00:03:39,120 That kind of summarizes our Psalm tonight. 63 00:03:39,320 --> 00:03:42,960 It is better to trust in the Lord than to put confidence in 64 00:03:42,960 --> 00:03:46,520 men. David was experiencing a time of 65 00:03:46,520 --> 00:03:50,200 crisis, but his trust and confidence in the Lord was 66 00:03:50,200 --> 00:03:53,120 strong. So he would write this wonderful 67 00:03:53,120 --> 00:03:56,360 Psalm 27. It's one of the best known 68 00:03:56,360 --> 00:03:58,400 psalms. It's one of the most comforting, 69 00:03:58,400 --> 00:04:01,520 encouraging Psalms. Stacy reminded me that when we 70 00:04:01,520 --> 00:04:05,440 had Lucy's celebration service that it was one of Lucy's 71 00:04:05,440 --> 00:04:07,920 favorite verses and they put Psalm 27 on it. 72 00:04:07,920 --> 00:04:12,400 So I know a lot of you love this Psalm and it's taken me about 73 00:04:12,400 --> 00:04:17,200 five years to to get the courage up to preach on it, but it's I 74 00:04:17,200 --> 00:04:20,000 don't know what you're going through tonight, but this Psalm 75 00:04:20,000 --> 00:04:24,280 has helped encouraged and strengthen many Christians for 76 00:04:24,280 --> 00:04:27,640 thousands of years. So if you turn into Bible, I'm 77 00:04:27,640 --> 00:04:29,080 going to do something a little different tonight. 78 00:04:29,360 --> 00:04:32,440 Now I have a English standard version I study out of, but I'm 79 00:04:32,440 --> 00:04:35,160 going to read the Psalm out of the legacy standard Bible, which 80 00:04:35,160 --> 00:04:38,840 is, in case you don't know, the new translation from the Masters 81 00:04:38,840 --> 00:04:41,040 Seminary. Some of you have it and I think 82 00:04:41,040 --> 00:04:42,240 you'll see why I'm going to read it. 83 00:04:42,240 --> 00:04:47,160 But as we're reading it, why don't you notate how many times 84 00:04:47,160 --> 00:04:51,080 it says I, I, I in my translation 11 times. 85 00:04:51,560 --> 00:04:55,000 Why don't you notice how many times it says me, me, me 18 86 00:04:55,000 --> 00:04:57,200 times? And then you have the adjective 87 00:04:57,200 --> 00:05:02,600 my, my, my another 17 times. So it's that's a very, very 88 00:05:02,600 --> 00:05:05,280 personal song. And then the other thing to look 89 00:05:05,280 --> 00:05:08,880 for is the name of God. And I'm going to read it in the 90 00:05:08,880 --> 00:05:12,080 legacy standard Bible because they they have taken Jehovah 91 00:05:12,520 --> 00:05:17,120 capital Lord and translated with the Hebrew name for God, Yahweh. 92 00:05:17,560 --> 00:05:21,840 And I think it's listed 13 times in the 14 verses that we will 93 00:05:21,840 --> 00:05:26,920 read Psalms 27 of David. Yahweh is my light and my 94 00:05:26,920 --> 00:05:29,080 salvation. Whom shall I fear? 95 00:05:29,520 --> 00:05:31,920 Yahweh is the strong defense of my life. 96 00:05:32,200 --> 00:05:36,520 Whom shall I dread when evil doers came upon me to devour my 97 00:05:36,520 --> 00:05:40,600 flesh, my adversaries and my enemies, they stumbled and fell. 98 00:05:41,360 --> 00:05:45,880 Though a host in camp against me, my heart will not fear the 99 00:05:45,880 --> 00:05:49,120 war arise against me. In this I trust. 100 00:05:49,640 --> 00:05:53,720 One thing I have asked from Yahweh is that I shall seek that 101 00:05:53,720 --> 00:05:57,000 I may dwell in the House of Yahweh all the days of my life, 102 00:05:57,240 --> 00:06:01,240 to behold the beauty of Yahweh and to inquire in His temple. 103 00:06:01,720 --> 00:06:05,240 For in the day of calamity He will conceal me in His shelter. 104 00:06:05,720 --> 00:06:08,200 In the secret place of His tent He will hide me. 105 00:06:08,480 --> 00:06:12,160 He will lift me up on a rock, and now my head will be lifted 106 00:06:12,160 --> 00:06:16,000 up above my enemies around me, and I will offer in His tent 107 00:06:16,000 --> 00:06:18,200 sacrifices with loud shouts of joy. 108 00:06:18,760 --> 00:06:21,840 I will sing and I will sing praises to Yahweh. 109 00:06:22,480 --> 00:06:26,440 Hear, O Yahweh, when I call with my voice and be gracious to me 110 00:06:26,440 --> 00:06:31,680 and answer me on Your behalf. My heart says seek my face, Your 111 00:06:31,680 --> 00:06:35,720 face, oh Yahweh, I shall seek. Do not hide your face from me. 112 00:06:36,120 --> 00:06:38,000 Do not turn your slave away in anger. 113 00:06:38,240 --> 00:06:41,120 You have been my help. Do not abandon me and do not 114 00:06:41,120 --> 00:06:45,040 forsake me, Oh God of my salvation, for my father and my 115 00:06:45,040 --> 00:06:48,880 mother have forsaken me, but Yahweh will take me up. 116 00:06:49,360 --> 00:06:52,600 Instruct me in your way, oh Yahweh, and leave me in a level 117 00:06:52,600 --> 00:06:56,400 path because of my foes. Do not give me over to the 118 00:06:56,400 --> 00:06:59,600 desire of my adversaries, for false witnesses have risen up 119 00:06:59,600 --> 00:07:02,920 against me and such as breathe out violence. 120 00:07:03,440 --> 00:07:06,640 I would have despised unless I had believed that I would see 121 00:07:06,640 --> 00:07:09,240 the goodness of Yahweh in the land of the living. 122 00:07:09,680 --> 00:07:13,560 Hope in Yahweh, Be strong and let your heart take courage. 123 00:07:13,800 --> 00:07:19,760 Hope in Yahweh. Let's pray Father, I don't know 124 00:07:19,760 --> 00:07:22,160 what the people of Christ Community Church, the people 125 00:07:22,160 --> 00:07:25,760 have come out tonight are undergoing, but I pray tonight 126 00:07:25,760 --> 00:07:29,960 that you would erase our fears, our anxieties, our worries, our 127 00:07:29,960 --> 00:07:32,320 doubts, our uncertainties, our troubles. 128 00:07:32,840 --> 00:07:36,440 Psalms 27 is the prescription that you've given us and we need 129 00:07:36,440 --> 00:07:38,880 to follow it and obey it. So may we leave here tonight 130 00:07:38,880 --> 00:07:43,000 encouraged strengthen not showing any fear and walking in 131 00:07:43,000 --> 00:07:48,200 the Lord in Jesus name, Amen. There is a superscription in 132 00:07:48,200 --> 00:07:50,520 your Bible and it probably says of David. 133 00:07:51,240 --> 00:07:55,320 But if you get the the the Septuagint Bible Greek 134 00:07:55,320 --> 00:08:00,040 translation which was written 200 years before Christ was 135 00:08:00,040 --> 00:08:06,000 born, the Septuagint has extra words that say of David before 136 00:08:06,000 --> 00:08:09,640 he was anointed. So if that's true, remember the 137 00:08:09,720 --> 00:08:13,200 the the superscriptions are not inspired words of God, but they 138 00:08:13,200 --> 00:08:15,080 do teach us a lot about the Psalms. 139 00:08:15,520 --> 00:08:18,680 So if that's true, that means this Psalm was probably written 140 00:08:19,000 --> 00:08:23,120 when David was expelled from his home and haunted by Saul. 141 00:08:23,480 --> 00:08:26,960 We don't know exactly the crisis that David has in his Psalms, 142 00:08:27,320 --> 00:08:30,960 but it was probably written when Saul was pursuing him, perhaps 143 00:08:30,960 --> 00:08:34,240 as long as those 13 years. The type of Psalm. 144 00:08:34,240 --> 00:08:37,120 Tonight we listen. We had a lament Psalm last week. 145 00:08:37,120 --> 00:08:40,200 Psalm by Tonight's Psalm is called the Song of Trust, and 146 00:08:40,200 --> 00:08:42,640 that's why I've entitled it My Song of Trust. 147 00:08:43,039 --> 00:08:45,400 There are ten such as psalms like these. 148 00:08:45,400 --> 00:08:47,600 And then if you want to know these psalms because they may 149 00:08:47,600 --> 00:08:53,520 encourage you, Psalms 11, Psalm 16, Psalms 23, You all know that 150 00:08:53,520 --> 00:08:56,120 one. Psalms 27, of course, tonight, 151 00:08:56,160 --> 00:09:02,120 Psalm 62, Psalm 63, Psalm 91, which we call the Dial 911, 152 00:09:02,120 --> 00:09:07,560 Psalm, Psalm 121, Psalm 125, and Psalm 131. 153 00:09:07,560 --> 00:09:11,600 So there's at least ten of these Songs of Trust Psalms. 154 00:09:12,240 --> 00:09:15,080 I don't usually quote my father, but as some, most of you know, 155 00:09:15,080 --> 00:09:18,560 my father kept journals on many of the Psalms, not all of them, 156 00:09:18,560 --> 00:09:21,160 but about 50 of them. And I like what he said about 157 00:09:21,160 --> 00:09:24,280 Psalm 27 in his journal. And I have those journals and 158 00:09:24,280 --> 00:09:28,680 one of my tribe's possessions and he said about this, our 159 00:09:28,680 --> 00:09:32,000 psalmist is David. His life was one of trusting the 160 00:09:32,000 --> 00:09:34,640 Lord. As we look at the experience of 161 00:09:34,640 --> 00:09:37,760 David in this Psalm, we can learn how to face certain 162 00:09:37,760 --> 00:09:41,640 situations in life. He had been tried and tested by 163 00:09:41,640 --> 00:09:45,680 some experience in life. As the Psalm closes, David has 164 00:09:45,680 --> 00:09:49,320 confidence and rest. One of the most paralyzing 165 00:09:49,320 --> 00:09:54,160 problems of life is fear. We fear in so many ways. 166 00:09:54,480 --> 00:09:59,320 Fear of the unknown, fear of an accident, fear of sickness, fear 167 00:09:59,320 --> 00:10:04,160 of cancer, fear of death, fear of people, fear of losing our 168 00:10:04,160 --> 00:10:09,160 jobs, fear of the enemy attacks, fear of being misunderstood or 169 00:10:09,160 --> 00:10:11,880 rejected or criticized or mistreated. 170 00:10:12,440 --> 00:10:15,920 And many times these things happen and our fears are 171 00:10:15,920 --> 00:10:18,520 realized. Sometimes it is worse than we 172 00:10:18,520 --> 00:10:21,200 anticipated. Sometimes we can come to 173 00:10:21,200 --> 00:10:24,640 completely paralyzed with feelings of fear. 174 00:10:25,080 --> 00:10:28,640 And as fear gets a firm grip on us, we become its victim. 175 00:10:29,080 --> 00:10:33,080 So Psalms 27 is going to be the Psalm that will help us overcome 176 00:10:33,080 --> 00:10:36,200 that. Last week I said Psalms 5 was 177 00:10:36,200 --> 00:10:38,840 very difficult to outline the way the paragraphs went. 178 00:10:39,200 --> 00:10:41,520 One minute was prayer, one minute David's talking about his 179 00:10:41,520 --> 00:10:43,560 enemies. But tonight it's very easy. 180 00:10:43,560 --> 00:10:46,200 And if you have the outline, when you leave tonight, I hope 181 00:10:46,200 --> 00:10:48,720 you'll attach 4 words to Psalm 27. 182 00:10:49,040 --> 00:10:54,320 Confidence, communion, pry, and comfort, which is your outline, 183 00:10:54,320 --> 00:10:57,280 your 4 main points. So let's look at main point #1 184 00:10:57,440 --> 00:11:00,560 confidence in God. And there are three sub points 185 00:11:00,560 --> 00:11:02,240 there that you have in your outline. 186 00:11:02,560 --> 00:11:07,240 And first one is deliver. God will deliver my life is what 187 00:11:07,240 --> 00:11:08,640 David's going to say in verse one. 188 00:11:09,960 --> 00:11:14,720 Here we have a powerful and jubilant stands of praise of 189 00:11:14,720 --> 00:11:17,360 confidence in the Lord. Even though David was 190 00:11:17,360 --> 00:11:22,760 experiencing conflict, some type of crisis, he pens 3 pillars of 191 00:11:22,760 --> 00:11:26,440 truth in this first verse. God is light. 192 00:11:27,000 --> 00:11:31,280 God is my salvation and God is my strength or God is my 193 00:11:31,280 --> 00:11:34,000 stronghold, as maybe some of your translations have. 194 00:11:34,440 --> 00:11:37,920 So as we look at this point deliver, let's look at God is 195 00:11:37,920 --> 00:11:40,920 light. It says the Lord is my light. 196 00:11:41,680 --> 00:11:45,480 You know, when we think of God or we try to visualize him, the 197 00:11:45,480 --> 00:11:48,080 best we can do is to think of God as light. 198 00:11:48,880 --> 00:11:54,800 Here in Psalm 27 verse one is the only direct reference in 199 00:11:54,800 --> 00:11:58,600 which God is directly called light in the Old Testament. 200 00:11:59,160 --> 00:12:02,920 And it's the first time in the Bible that light is used as a 201 00:12:02,920 --> 00:12:07,560 metaphor for light. Job 3819 says heaven is the 202 00:12:07,560 --> 00:12:11,280 abode of light. Psalms 104 two says God wraps 203 00:12:11,280 --> 00:12:16,200 himself in light as a garment. But Psalms 27 one is the first 204 00:12:16,240 --> 00:12:19,840 and only Old Testament verse that God is directly called 205 00:12:19,840 --> 00:12:21,960 light. Now we have a New Testament that 206 00:12:21,960 --> 00:12:26,840 David doesn't have, didn't have, and first Timothy 616 says 207 00:12:27,640 --> 00:12:31,440 talking about God, who alone has immortality and dwells in 208 00:12:31,480 --> 00:12:35,800 unapproachable light, whom no one has ever seen or can see. 209 00:12:36,440 --> 00:12:39,920 God is often associated with light in the Bible, the meaning 210 00:12:39,920 --> 00:12:42,520 of light. Light gives life. 211 00:12:43,040 --> 00:12:46,440 Light means purity. Light means sinlessness. 212 00:12:46,760 --> 00:12:51,520 Light provides knowledge and understanding and dispels fear. 213 00:12:51,840 --> 00:12:56,160 John 19 says the true light which gives light to everyone 214 00:12:56,360 --> 00:12:59,400 was coming in the world. Jesus Christ is light first. 215 00:12:59,400 --> 00:13:03,840 John 15 says this is the message that we have heard from him and 216 00:13:03,840 --> 00:13:07,640 proclaim to you that God is light and in him there is no 217 00:13:07,640 --> 00:13:10,440 darkness. One verse that if you have Jesus 218 00:13:10,440 --> 00:13:12,680 Christ in your heart tonight that you can treasure is 219 00:13:12,680 --> 00:13:18,440 Colossians 113 to 14, which says he that's God or Jesus has 220 00:13:18,440 --> 00:13:22,880 delivered us from the dominion of darkness and transferred us 221 00:13:22,880 --> 00:13:26,680 into the Kingdom of his beloved in whom we have redemption, the 222 00:13:26,680 --> 00:13:29,600 forgiveness of sins. So if you have the forgiveness 223 00:13:29,600 --> 00:13:32,720 of sins, Jesus Christ in your heart, you're in the light and 224 00:13:32,720 --> 00:13:35,560 you know God is the light. If you're a child of God, 225 00:13:35,560 --> 00:13:39,680 redeemed by the blood of Jesus, healed of your sins, restored to 226 00:13:39,680 --> 00:13:42,720 a right relationship with God and all your sins have been 227 00:13:42,720 --> 00:13:45,720 forgiven. The problem is most of our world 228 00:13:45,720 --> 00:13:48,800 has forgetting, forgotten about God or blocks them out. 229 00:13:49,440 --> 00:13:52,400 What we need to do is what David did immediately right here in 230 00:13:52,400 --> 00:13:55,400 verse 1. He says the Lord is my life. 231 00:13:56,200 --> 00:14:00,760 David uses the name Yahweh and we read it 13 times in the 14 232 00:14:00,760 --> 00:14:03,040 verses. There's only two other Psalms 233 00:14:03,040 --> 00:14:07,000 where it's mentioned more. Psalms 29 it's mentioned 18 234 00:14:07,000 --> 00:14:10,640 times. In Psalms 118 it's mentioned 22 235 00:14:10,640 --> 00:14:14,840 times. Yahweh or Jehovah was David's 236 00:14:14,840 --> 00:14:18,120 source of light. Light guides, light leads. 237 00:14:18,320 --> 00:14:21,560 Light is a symbol for God. Jesus came into the world and 238 00:14:21,560 --> 00:14:24,880 John 812 he said I am the light of the world. 239 00:14:25,240 --> 00:14:27,640 And 1st John 15 says God is light. 240 00:14:28,280 --> 00:14:31,280 The opposite of light is darkness, and darkness is a 241 00:14:31,280 --> 00:14:36,120 symbol of fear, distress, trouble, perplexity. 242 00:14:36,640 --> 00:14:38,760 Light is the complete opposite of those. 243 00:14:38,920 --> 00:14:42,760 God was David's light. God provided the light and the 244 00:14:42,760 --> 00:14:46,360 darkness disappeared when commentators said the psalmist 245 00:14:46,360 --> 00:14:50,760 is affirming that even in the darkest this of the terrible 246 00:14:50,760 --> 00:14:55,560 threat of war, David has No Fear for God is the light that can 247 00:14:55,560 --> 00:15:01,000 dispel such fearful darkness. And then God is my salvation. 248 00:15:01,120 --> 00:15:05,160 The second part in first one, the word for salvation here in 249 00:15:05,160 --> 00:15:07,080 the Old Testament means deliverance. 250 00:15:07,360 --> 00:15:10,560 OK, deliverance from some type of trouble. 251 00:15:10,680 --> 00:15:16,240 In Psalm 27 it's used twice, once here, once in verse 9 and 252 00:15:16,240 --> 00:15:19,280 once in verse one. Verse 9 says oh God, am I 253 00:15:19,280 --> 00:15:23,440 salvation. Psalm 60 verse 11 says, oh, give 254 00:15:23,440 --> 00:15:27,080 us help against the adversary, for salvation by man is 255 00:15:27,080 --> 00:15:29,840 worthless. So it's always used in a time of 256 00:15:29,840 --> 00:15:34,080 trouble for the God delivering. David was confident of God's 257 00:15:34,080 --> 00:15:37,600 salvation from from God, not from man. 258 00:15:37,800 --> 00:15:41,240 Now in the New Testament we use salvation, which means delivery 259 00:15:41,240 --> 00:15:44,960 from the penalty, the power, and the punishment and presence of 260 00:15:44,960 --> 00:15:48,280 sin. Romans 116 says I'm not ashamed 261 00:15:48,280 --> 00:15:50,960 of the gospel, for it's the power of God. 262 00:15:51,160 --> 00:15:55,080 Salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew 1st and to 263 00:15:55,080 --> 00:15:57,520 the Greek. So God was David's light. 264 00:15:58,040 --> 00:16:01,960 God was David's salvation. And #3 the last part of verse 265 00:16:01,960 --> 00:16:04,800 one. The Lord is the stronghold of my 266 00:16:04,800 --> 00:16:07,600 life. The legacy stranded Bible says 267 00:16:07,600 --> 00:16:10,720 strong defense. This is a theme that runs all 268 00:16:10,720 --> 00:16:13,320 through the Bible referring to the power of God. 269 00:16:13,760 --> 00:16:16,880 God is omnipotent. Life can have its troubles and 270 00:16:16,880 --> 00:16:21,200 sorrows, but as long as God is our source of strength, there is 271 00:16:21,200 --> 00:16:24,480 nothing to fear. Proverbs 1810 says the name of 272 00:16:24,480 --> 00:16:28,440 the Lord is a strong tower. The righteous man runs into it 273 00:16:28,720 --> 00:16:32,720 and is safe because God is light, because God is my 274 00:16:32,720 --> 00:16:35,480 salvation, because God is my stronghold. 275 00:16:35,880 --> 00:16:38,880 I do not need to be afraid of anything, including Satan 276 00:16:38,880 --> 00:16:41,720 himself. You know it says there whom 277 00:16:41,720 --> 00:16:46,320 shall I fear in verse one and of whom shall I be afraid or dread 278 00:16:46,320 --> 00:16:49,440 in verse 1? You know David didn't fear 279 00:16:49,440 --> 00:16:56,160 Goliath while Saul and the Israeli army were there for 42 280 00:16:56,160 --> 00:16:59,080 days. It says Goliath would March out. 281 00:16:59,080 --> 00:17:00,800 You know the story. Lance has preached on it 282 00:17:00,800 --> 00:17:05,359 extensively, but I wanted you to turn to First Samuel 17 and 283 00:17:05,359 --> 00:17:08,240 we'll look at verse 44. You all know what David did, 284 00:17:08,240 --> 00:17:09,480 right? He killed Goliath. 285 00:17:09,680 --> 00:17:11,560 But do you remember what David said? 286 00:17:12,200 --> 00:17:14,880 And when I read it, it's so amazing because this is just a 287 00:17:14,880 --> 00:17:18,480 teenage boy. This is a teenage boy who grew 288 00:17:18,480 --> 00:17:21,400 courage when he fought a lion, when he fought a bear, when he 289 00:17:21,400 --> 00:17:24,839 protected his sheep. But we all know what David did 290 00:17:24,839 --> 00:17:27,960 to Goliath. But in verse 44 of First Samuel 291 00:17:27,960 --> 00:17:32,800 17, the Philistine said to David, Come to me, and I will 292 00:17:32,800 --> 00:17:36,720 give your flesh to the birds of the air and to the beasts of the 293 00:17:36,720 --> 00:17:39,080 field. Then David said to the 294 00:17:39,080 --> 00:17:43,600 Philistine, You come to me with a sword and a spear and with a 295 00:17:43,600 --> 00:17:46,320 javelin. But I come to you in the name of 296 00:17:46,320 --> 00:17:50,760 the Lord of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you 297 00:17:50,760 --> 00:17:54,440 have defied this day. The Lord will deliver you into 298 00:17:54,440 --> 00:17:59,360 my hand, and I will strike you down and cut off your head, and 299 00:17:59,360 --> 00:18:02,880 I will give the dead bodies of the host of the Philistines this 300 00:18:02,880 --> 00:18:06,040 day to the birds of the air and to the wild beasts of the earth, 301 00:18:06,440 --> 00:18:10,400 that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel. 302 00:18:10,640 --> 00:18:14,760 And I just love verse 47 and that all this assembly, that 303 00:18:14,760 --> 00:18:17,360 would be the Philistines and that would be the unbelieving 304 00:18:17,360 --> 00:18:20,640 Israeli army, including Saul, that all this assembly may know 305 00:18:20,640 --> 00:18:25,000 that the Lord saves not with the sword and the spear for the 306 00:18:25,000 --> 00:18:29,280 battle is the Lord and he will give you into our hand. 307 00:18:29,760 --> 00:18:33,840 That's a teenager saying that. So you can see why I'm assuming 308 00:18:33,840 --> 00:18:37,360 much later in life, David would have written Psalm 27 where he 309 00:18:37,360 --> 00:18:40,320 gets his confidence, where he gets his courage, where he can 310 00:18:40,320 --> 00:18:44,520 say God is my light, God is my salvation, God is my strength. 311 00:18:45,040 --> 00:18:48,240 You've heard the same from Oswald Chambers many times from 312 00:18:48,240 --> 00:18:51,040 this pulpit. The remarkable thing about 313 00:18:51,040 --> 00:18:56,320 fearing God is that when you fear God, you fear nothing else, 314 00:18:57,040 --> 00:19:02,200 whereas if you do not fear God, you fear everything else. 315 00:19:02,880 --> 00:19:07,120 Let's look at some point B defeat some point B and A .1 316 00:19:07,120 --> 00:19:10,200 defeat. God will defeat my enemies is 317 00:19:10,200 --> 00:19:13,000 what David says. He says when the evil doers 318 00:19:13,000 --> 00:19:16,280 assail me, they want to eat up my flesh, my adverts and my 319 00:19:16,280 --> 00:19:18,720 foes, they will stumble and fall. 320 00:19:18,960 --> 00:19:23,360 That phrase eat up my flesh. It's, it's a metaphor for some 321 00:19:23,360 --> 00:19:27,240 dangerous, ferocious animal that would try to eat you or kill 322 00:19:27,240 --> 00:19:30,120 you. But David's confidence is in God 323 00:19:30,520 --> 00:19:32,760 because David spoke often with the Lord. 324 00:19:33,360 --> 00:19:37,280 And I want to read another text about David, and that's in First 325 00:19:37,280 --> 00:19:39,480 Samuel 30. If you turn with me, the First 326 00:19:39,480 --> 00:19:45,000 Samuel 30, this is this is after first Samuel 17. 327 00:19:45,880 --> 00:19:51,560 And David is not quite king yet. He's king over Hebron, but Saul 328 00:19:51,560 --> 00:19:54,920 is still around. But in First Samuel 30, I'll 329 00:19:54,920 --> 00:19:58,680 just read verses 1 to 8. First it says Now when David and 330 00:19:58,680 --> 00:20:02,840 his men came to Ziglag on the third day, the Amalekites had 331 00:20:02,840 --> 00:20:06,080 made a raid against Nigreb and against Ziglag. 332 00:20:06,480 --> 00:20:09,920 They had overcome Ziglag and burned it with fire and taken 333 00:20:09,920 --> 00:20:13,200 captive the women and all who were in it, both small and 334 00:20:13,200 --> 00:20:16,120 great. They killed no one, but carried 335 00:20:16,120 --> 00:20:19,520 them off and went on their way. And when David and his men came 336 00:20:19,520 --> 00:20:21,920 to the city? Remember, if you go to the 337 00:20:21,920 --> 00:20:26,240 preceding chapters, David wanted to go fight Israel and the and 338 00:20:26,240 --> 00:20:28,480 the Philistine said, no, he's not going with us. 339 00:20:28,720 --> 00:20:32,040 So David and his men went back. And when he get back there, the 340 00:20:32,080 --> 00:20:36,480 Malachites have taken in zig lag but and when David and his men 341 00:20:36,480 --> 00:20:40,360 came to the city, they found it burned with fire, their wives, 342 00:20:40,360 --> 00:20:42,280 sons and daughters taken captive. 343 00:20:42,880 --> 00:20:45,000 And David and the people who were with him raised their 344 00:20:45,000 --> 00:20:48,680 voices and wept until they had no more strength to weep. 345 00:20:49,240 --> 00:20:53,800 David's two wives also have been taken captive, Hinanom, and of 346 00:20:53,800 --> 00:20:56,680 Jezreel and Abigail, the widow of naval of Carmel. 347 00:20:57,200 --> 00:21:00,800 And David was greatly distressed for the people. 348 00:21:00,880 --> 00:21:06,000 This is David's own men spoke of stoning him, because all the 349 00:21:06,000 --> 00:21:09,760 people were bitter in soul, each for his sons and daughters. 350 00:21:10,040 --> 00:21:12,400 But notice the next few words. I have these underlined in my 351 00:21:12,400 --> 00:21:16,400 Bible. But David strengthened himself 352 00:21:16,400 --> 00:21:20,840 in the Lord his God. So we have this crisis here. 353 00:21:21,000 --> 00:21:23,800 How does David handle it? His men want to kill him. 354 00:21:24,520 --> 00:21:27,480 So when it says David strengthen himself in the Lord, what does 355 00:21:27,480 --> 00:21:29,880 that mean? Well, what, what do we do today? 356 00:21:30,600 --> 00:21:33,240 Today we call our friends and we tell them our troubles, right? 357 00:21:33,760 --> 00:21:36,640 We posted on social media and say, hey, I'm having a bad day, 358 00:21:36,920 --> 00:21:40,120 pray for me. Or we take a vacation day or 359 00:21:40,120 --> 00:21:41,800 something like that. But what does David do? 360 00:21:42,160 --> 00:21:45,720 Well, we can read into it that David remembers the Lord says he 361 00:21:45,720 --> 00:21:47,200 strengthened themselves in the Lord. 362 00:21:47,880 --> 00:21:51,400 David knows that God has helped him in the past and he's going 363 00:21:51,400 --> 00:21:53,480 to trust him in the present and in the future. 364 00:21:54,040 --> 00:21:57,280 I believe David remembers scripture and maybe one of those 365 00:21:57,280 --> 00:22:00,000 scriptures he remembered that he wrote as a young shepherd boy 366 00:22:00,320 --> 00:22:04,120 with Psalms 23 for that says, even though I walk through the 367 00:22:04,120 --> 00:22:08,360 valley of shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for thou art 368 00:22:08,360 --> 00:22:10,600 with me. Your rod and staff comfort me. 369 00:22:10,800 --> 00:22:13,480 David is in the valley of the shadow of death here because his 370 00:22:13,480 --> 00:22:17,760 own men want to stone him. And I'll believe that David 371 00:22:17,760 --> 00:22:20,720 remembers I got to obey God. So he remembers the Lord. 372 00:22:20,840 --> 00:22:23,400 He remembers Scripture and remembers to obey. 373 00:22:23,920 --> 00:22:29,000 In Acts 13, the apostle Paul is preaching in Antioch, and he 374 00:22:29,000 --> 00:22:31,840 talks about David. And what Paul says about David, 375 00:22:32,040 --> 00:22:36,560 he says God says, I have found David the son of Jesse, a man 376 00:22:36,560 --> 00:22:41,440 after my heart who will do all my will. 377 00:22:41,880 --> 00:22:45,800 So no matter how bad the crisis was, David is going to remember 378 00:22:45,800 --> 00:22:49,680 to obey. And lastly David remembers to 379 00:22:49,680 --> 00:22:53,040 pray. So in verse 7 David said to 380 00:22:53,040 --> 00:22:56,600 Abathar the priest, the son of Amyloc, bring me the epod. 381 00:22:57,000 --> 00:22:59,200 So Abathar brought the epod to David. 382 00:22:59,600 --> 00:23:04,120 And verse 8 says, and David inquired of the Lord, shall I 383 00:23:04,120 --> 00:23:06,720 pursue after this band? Shall I overtake them? 384 00:23:07,080 --> 00:23:11,640 God answered him, pursue, for you shall surely overtake and 385 00:23:11,640 --> 00:23:15,800 shall surely rescue. So we just read one of the nine 386 00:23:15,800 --> 00:23:20,640 times in first and Second Samuel where it says David inquired of 387 00:23:20,640 --> 00:23:22,840 the Lord. So I believe when David 388 00:23:22,840 --> 00:23:25,800 strengthened himself, it teaches us that we got to remember the 389 00:23:25,800 --> 00:23:28,880 Lord's promises. We got to remember Scripture. 390 00:23:29,160 --> 00:23:31,760 And that's why I'm going to tell everybody here tonight, you need 391 00:23:31,760 --> 00:23:35,720 to have Psalms 27, at least verses 1 to 6 memorized. 392 00:23:36,600 --> 00:23:39,040 And you got to remember to obey what the Scripture says. 393 00:23:39,040 --> 00:23:41,040 And then you've got to remember to pray. 394 00:23:41,600 --> 00:23:44,880 David had confidence in God to strengthen himself in God. 395 00:23:45,160 --> 00:23:48,560 And then he inquires in God. David could say in another 396 00:23:48,560 --> 00:23:52,440 Psalm, Psalm 20, which David wrote verse 7, some trust in 397 00:23:52,440 --> 00:23:57,080 Chariots and some trust in horses, but we trust in the name 398 00:23:57,240 --> 00:24:01,320 of the Lord our God. Psalm 3317 we don't know who 399 00:24:01,320 --> 00:24:05,440 wrote that but it says the War Horse is a false hope for 400 00:24:05,440 --> 00:24:09,640 salvation but by its great might it cannot rescue. 401 00:24:10,480 --> 00:24:14,480 So we looked at sub .1 God will deliver me sub point to God will 402 00:24:14,480 --> 00:24:18,800 defeat my enemies. Let's look at sub Point C defend 403 00:24:19,240 --> 00:24:23,720 God will defend my safety. Though it says an army in camp 404 00:24:23,720 --> 00:24:26,960 against me. My heart shall not fear the war 405 00:24:26,960 --> 00:24:29,480 arise against me. I will be confident. 406 00:24:29,920 --> 00:24:33,160 That's why I the point number one is confidence in God. 407 00:24:33,720 --> 00:24:37,800 Verse 2 says there are evil doers and adversaries and foes 408 00:24:37,800 --> 00:24:41,280 that are out for David. Verse 3 says there's an army and 409 00:24:41,280 --> 00:24:44,800 war out to get David. Verse 5 says it's a day of 410 00:24:44,800 --> 00:24:47,480 trouble. Verse 6 mentions enemies. 411 00:24:47,880 --> 00:24:51,240 It's obvious to say that David is in a crisis here and he's 412 00:24:51,240 --> 00:24:54,480 under attack. If the Septuagint version of the 413 00:24:54,480 --> 00:24:58,480 Bible and that superscription where it says of David before he 414 00:24:58,480 --> 00:25:01,640 was anointed is true, then we know that this Psalm was 415 00:25:01,640 --> 00:25:05,360 probably written while Saul was fleeting, while Saul was trying 416 00:25:05,360 --> 00:25:07,800 to chase David for those in 13 years. 417 00:25:08,200 --> 00:25:11,720 But it's absolutely incredible testimony of David's confidence 418 00:25:11,720 --> 00:25:14,280 in the Lord. Though an army is going to camp 419 00:25:14,280 --> 00:25:17,960 against me. Saul and one point had 3000 like 420 00:25:18,120 --> 00:25:22,800 a delta force chasing David. Other time he had 1020 thousand 421 00:25:22,800 --> 00:25:26,440 people out looking for David. But as David said in first 422 00:25:26,440 --> 00:25:30,080 Samuel 1747, the battle is the Lord. 423 00:25:30,400 --> 00:25:33,040 David would write in another Psalm, Psalm 25. 424 00:25:33,960 --> 00:25:42,080 Oh my God, in you I trust. If God is for us, he is able to 425 00:25:42,080 --> 00:25:44,960 protect us, and we have reason to trust in him. 426 00:25:45,520 --> 00:25:49,440 There's no better security against fear than the assurance 427 00:25:49,440 --> 00:25:51,760 that God is your friend. Now, many of you might be 428 00:25:51,760 --> 00:25:55,680 thinking David was a man of war. You know he won every battle he 429 00:25:55,680 --> 00:25:58,960 ever fought. David shed much bloodshed, and 430 00:25:58,960 --> 00:26:00,600 it's hard to relate to him at times. 431 00:26:01,200 --> 00:26:03,960 But I don't know what your problem is, but maybe you have 432 00:26:03,960 --> 00:26:08,560 an army, an army of cancer cells that has attacked your body, and 433 00:26:08,560 --> 00:26:12,240 then maybe chemo and radiation are attacking your body. 434 00:26:12,880 --> 00:26:17,040 Maybe you have a rebellion in your family, a wayward teenager 435 00:26:17,400 --> 00:26:19,480 or a loved one. That's what gone astray. 436 00:26:20,000 --> 00:26:22,320 Or maybe you have a war going on in the workplace. 437 00:26:22,320 --> 00:26:25,360 Being a Christian today in the workplace cannot be easy. 438 00:26:26,000 --> 00:26:29,400 Or maybe you're troubled by the conflict with our government 439 00:26:29,400 --> 00:26:33,240 passing laws against God's laws. I don't know what you're 440 00:26:33,240 --> 00:26:36,520 experiencing in your life, but Psalms 27 should be helpful for 441 00:26:36,520 --> 00:26:39,200 you. It's been described as my song 442 00:26:39,200 --> 00:26:41,160 of trust. That's why I gave it that title. 443 00:26:41,680 --> 00:26:46,120 And it's designed to take away pain, dread, and give you a new 444 00:26:46,120 --> 00:26:48,160 song to sing, the song of Deliverance. 445 00:26:48,680 --> 00:26:51,040 So maybe you're having some discouragement tonight. 446 00:26:51,480 --> 00:26:55,520 Depression, anxiety, worry, doubt and fear. 447 00:26:55,960 --> 00:26:59,160 And like a Doctor Who gives a prescription, one of the names 448 00:26:59,160 --> 00:27:03,520 of Jehovah is Jehovah Rapha, the God who heals God gives us a 449 00:27:03,520 --> 00:27:07,200 prescription in 20 Psalm 27. You have the prescription in 450 00:27:07,200 --> 00:27:10,600 your hand in your Bible, but you need to take that prescription 451 00:27:10,760 --> 00:27:13,000 and obey. It doesn't do any good if you 452 00:27:13,000 --> 00:27:15,280 get the subscription from the doctor and you don't take the 453 00:27:15,280 --> 00:27:17,400 medicine. But this Psalm gives us 454 00:27:17,400 --> 00:27:21,840 confidence that no matter what's going on in our life, that God, 455 00:27:22,480 --> 00:27:26,400 that God is our confidence. And as I said before, you need 456 00:27:26,400 --> 00:27:29,200 to have at least the 1st 6 verses memorized. 457 00:27:29,680 --> 00:27:33,120 If David can trust the Lord and not fear when an enemy army is 458 00:27:33,120 --> 00:27:35,600 surrounding him, cannot we say the same? 459 00:27:35,880 --> 00:27:38,960 If God is for us who can be against us? 460 00:27:39,320 --> 00:27:42,560 We can have confidence in our great God and Savior. 461 00:27:43,200 --> 00:27:47,880 In the New Testament, Second Timothy 17 says For God gave us 462 00:27:47,880 --> 00:27:53,920 a spirit not of fear, but of power and love and self-control. 463 00:27:54,240 --> 00:27:59,040 Hebrews 13-6, which is actually a quote from Psalms 118 six, 464 00:27:59,320 --> 00:28:02,880 says the Lord is my helper, I will not fear. 465 00:28:03,080 --> 00:28:06,560 What can man do to me? What was the source of David's 466 00:28:06,560 --> 00:28:10,120 great confidence? God was his light, God was his 467 00:28:10,120 --> 00:28:14,560 salvation, God was his strength. And God will deliver me, God 468 00:28:14,560 --> 00:28:17,200 will defeat my enemies, and God will defend me. 469 00:28:17,640 --> 00:28:21,160 Let's move on to point #2 communion with God, verses four 470 00:28:21,160 --> 00:28:23,520 to six. I'm not talking about Holy 471 00:28:23,520 --> 00:28:26,000 Communion when you partake of the bread and the cup. 472 00:28:26,320 --> 00:28:30,040 I'm talking about when you commune with God, when you have 473 00:28:30,040 --> 00:28:33,360 intimacy with God, when you spend time with the Lord. 474 00:28:34,080 --> 00:28:38,200 See, if you don't have confidence in the Lord, it's 475 00:28:38,200 --> 00:28:42,080 probably because .2 you're not communing with God. 476 00:28:42,680 --> 00:28:45,320 Last week's message was all about prayer and communing with 477 00:28:45,320 --> 00:28:47,760 God. David was always confident 478 00:28:48,080 --> 00:28:51,720 because he commune with God. I mentioned 9 times he inquired 479 00:28:51,720 --> 00:28:53,680 of God in First and Second Samuel. 480 00:28:54,160 --> 00:28:58,600 David learned to meditate upon God as a shepherd boy and that 481 00:28:58,600 --> 00:29:01,960 would give him strength and confidence to lead the nation of 482 00:29:01,960 --> 00:29:04,360 Israel. David here is living in the 483 00:29:04,360 --> 00:29:07,760 wilderness of Judea. He's away from the sanctuary, 484 00:29:08,240 --> 00:29:12,440 but he longed for two things. And here you probably have one 485 00:29:12,440 --> 00:29:16,240 of the most beautiful poetic verses in all of Psalms. 486 00:29:16,600 --> 00:29:20,080 He says two things, dwell and delight. 487 00:29:20,560 --> 00:29:23,800 I'm going to dwell in God's house and I'm going to delight 488 00:29:23,840 --> 00:29:26,640 in God's house. So First off, I'm going to dwell 489 00:29:26,640 --> 00:29:29,480 in God's house. One thing I have asked of the 490 00:29:29,480 --> 00:29:33,240 Lord, this is what I see, that I may dwell in the House of the 491 00:29:33,240 --> 00:29:38,400 Lord all the days of my life. Verse 4, You've heard from this 492 00:29:38,400 --> 00:29:42,360 pulpit many, many times as Lance has preached the last 30 years, 493 00:29:42,800 --> 00:29:48,480 and it was back in December 28th, 2003 when I got the 494 00:29:48,480 --> 00:29:51,400 cassette or the CDI, can't remember when I was in India, 495 00:29:51,920 --> 00:29:54,280 that Lance preached a message called One Thing. 496 00:29:54,280 --> 00:29:57,880 I brought this up before and you can get the tape, but Lance 497 00:29:57,960 --> 00:30:01,240 preached that message and of all the sermons I've heard over the 498 00:30:01,240 --> 00:30:04,640 past 30 years, this is probably the one sermon called One Thing 499 00:30:04,840 --> 00:30:07,880 that I never forgot. One of my favorite sermons, but 500 00:30:07,880 --> 00:30:11,520 the Bible says one thing five times and you can get that 501 00:30:11,520 --> 00:30:15,320 message if you want from December 28, 2003 called one 502 00:30:15,320 --> 00:30:20,520 thing from our tape library. But in Mark 10/21 Jesus looked 503 00:30:20,520 --> 00:30:24,960 at this would be the rich young ruler and he said you lack one 504 00:30:25,000 --> 00:30:28,680 thing, Go sell all that you have and give to the poor and you'll 505 00:30:28,680 --> 00:30:30,320 have treasure in heaven and come follow me. 506 00:30:31,080 --> 00:30:39,240 Then in Luke 1042, Jesus said to Martha, But one thing is 507 00:30:39,240 --> 00:30:43,160 necessary, Mary has chosen the good portion which shall not be 508 00:30:43,160 --> 00:30:48,960 taken away from her. And in John 925, the blind man 509 00:30:48,960 --> 00:30:52,800 who had been healed, he answered the Pharisees, saying, whether 510 00:30:52,800 --> 00:30:54,880 he is a Sinner or not, I do not know. 511 00:30:55,360 --> 00:31:00,640 One thing I know that I was blind, but now I see. 512 00:31:01,080 --> 00:31:04,680 And the apostle Paul would say in Philippians 413, Brothers, I 513 00:31:04,680 --> 00:31:06,880 do not consider that I have made it on my own. 514 00:31:07,280 --> 00:31:12,280 But one thing I do, forgetting what lies behind me and 515 00:31:12,280 --> 00:31:14,160 straining forward to what lies ahead. 516 00:31:14,760 --> 00:31:17,720 And #5 of course, is our Psalm 27. 517 00:31:17,720 --> 00:31:22,680 For one thing that I have asked of the Lord that I will seek 518 00:31:22,680 --> 00:31:25,920 after, that I may dwell in the House of the Lord all the days 519 00:31:25,920 --> 00:31:28,960 of my life, to gaze upon the beauty of the Lord and to 520 00:31:28,960 --> 00:31:31,680 inquire in His temple. That is just absolutely one of 521 00:31:31,680 --> 00:31:33,080 the most beautiful verses in the Bible. 522 00:31:33,360 --> 00:31:36,680 But what is the one thing? It's a preoccupation with God, 523 00:31:37,000 --> 00:31:40,800 with God's person, God's will. David is saying I have 524 00:31:40,800 --> 00:31:43,880 confidence in God because I commune with God. 525 00:31:44,120 --> 00:31:49,320 It's like Moses in Exodus 33 when he shouted out, please show 526 00:31:49,320 --> 00:31:52,840 me your glory, God. It's David in those days, one 527 00:31:52,840 --> 00:31:55,200 commentator said. David in those days was truly a 528 00:31:55,200 --> 00:31:59,400 man after God's own heart. But David wanted the impossible. 529 00:32:00,240 --> 00:32:01,920 He was a guy. He was God's man. 530 00:32:02,160 --> 00:32:05,280 He was a great leader of men. He was a warrior. 531 00:32:05,400 --> 00:32:08,080 He was courageous. He was a compassionate man. 532 00:32:08,360 --> 00:32:10,280 He was a Prince. He was a poet. 533 00:32:10,640 --> 00:32:13,600 He was a prophet. But what he was not was a 534 00:32:13,600 --> 00:32:17,040 priest. It was a tribe of Levi that had 535 00:32:17,040 --> 00:32:18,960 the privilege of serving in a Tabernacle. 536 00:32:19,320 --> 00:32:23,280 David long for a life like that of the Levites who spent their 537 00:32:23,280 --> 00:32:26,720 whole lives in constant service for God. 538 00:32:27,240 --> 00:32:29,600 David wanted to live for the glory of God. 539 00:32:30,040 --> 00:32:33,080 He desperately wanted to build God a temple later on in life, 540 00:32:33,360 --> 00:32:35,480 but God said, no, your son Solomon would. 541 00:32:36,120 --> 00:32:41,480 So he, he wanted you. And let's move on to #2 delight. 542 00:32:42,240 --> 00:32:45,240 I will delight in God's house. That's the last part of verse 543 00:32:45,240 --> 00:32:50,520 4B, To gaze upon the beauty of the Lord and to inquire his 544 00:32:50,520 --> 00:32:52,880 temple. Did you come excited tonight, 545 00:32:52,880 --> 00:32:54,920 the church to gaze upon the beauty of the Lord? 546 00:32:55,600 --> 00:32:57,680 David did. David couldn't wait to go to the 547 00:32:57,680 --> 00:33:00,120 temple. Now there's a little controversy 548 00:33:00,120 --> 00:33:03,240 here between liberal scholars because they say, well, there's 549 00:33:03,240 --> 00:33:05,360 no temple here. This is Psalms 27. 550 00:33:05,360 --> 00:33:07,440 There's no temple. It's a Tabernacle. 551 00:33:07,680 --> 00:33:11,720 So I'll just try to quickly tell you that in Psalms 26, verse 8, 552 00:33:12,320 --> 00:33:15,280 it says, oh Lord, I love the habitation of your house. 553 00:33:15,920 --> 00:33:18,320 In Psalms 27 here it says temple. 554 00:33:19,000 --> 00:33:23,560 If you go to Psalms 28 verse 2, it calls it the most holy 555 00:33:23,560 --> 00:33:25,800 sanctuary. So we have the word house, 556 00:33:25,800 --> 00:33:28,280 temple sanctuary. And these words are 557 00:33:28,280 --> 00:33:31,040 interchangeable. So just because the the temple 558 00:33:31,040 --> 00:33:36,080 has not been built, if you go to First Samuel 19, it calls the 559 00:33:36,080 --> 00:33:39,200 Tabernacle the temple. So I'm not going to get into 560 00:33:39,200 --> 00:33:41,840 that controversy. The words are interchangeable. 561 00:33:42,120 --> 00:33:45,600 So it's it's a Tabernacle, but you can call it a House of the 562 00:33:45,600 --> 00:33:50,320 Lord or the temple of the Lord. He says to gaze upon the beauty 563 00:33:50,320 --> 00:33:52,400 of the Lord. Doctor Martin Lloyd Jones says 564 00:33:52,520 --> 00:33:56,520 what he really means by this is that I belong to the household 565 00:33:56,520 --> 00:34:01,120 of God, that I'm ever in communion with God, in 566 00:34:01,120 --> 00:34:03,760 fellowship with God, in touch with God. 567 00:34:04,200 --> 00:34:07,760 In effect, what the psalmist is saying, what I want above 568 00:34:07,800 --> 00:34:11,960 everything else in the world is always to be in that close 569 00:34:11,960 --> 00:34:16,960 relationship with God so that whatever happens I am with him 570 00:34:17,440 --> 00:34:21,239 and he is with me. This is the one thing I want. 571 00:34:21,719 --> 00:34:25,400 The noun for beauty means the lightness, pleasantness. 572 00:34:25,840 --> 00:34:29,280 Tragically today there are many who come to church and they 573 00:34:29,280 --> 00:34:34,080 dwell in the House of Lord, but they fail to behold its beauty. 574 00:34:34,920 --> 00:34:37,960 The thoughts of having a close relationship with God continue. 575 00:34:38,199 --> 00:34:43,480 Sub point CI will deepen in the House of God, verses 5 and 6. 576 00:34:43,760 --> 00:34:46,840 So in verse 5, it's what will God do? 577 00:34:47,639 --> 00:34:50,040 And then verse 6 is what will David do? 578 00:34:50,239 --> 00:34:52,159 So First off, verse 5, what will God do? 579 00:34:52,400 --> 00:34:56,040 He's going to do three things. He says he will. 580 00:34:56,080 --> 00:35:00,840 He will, He will three times. In verse 5, he will hide me. 581 00:35:01,760 --> 00:35:04,920 Well, we know at least two times David hid in The Cave, right? 582 00:35:05,680 --> 00:35:10,000 He says he will conceal me. We know twice David avoided the 583 00:35:10,000 --> 00:35:11,720 spear. That's all through Adam. 584 00:35:12,360 --> 00:35:15,200 And thirdly, he says he will lift me up. 585 00:35:15,840 --> 00:35:18,640 Lift me up means victory. It means to raise you up 586 00:35:18,640 --> 00:35:21,760 spiritually, physically or emotionally from a difficult 587 00:35:21,760 --> 00:35:26,400 situation or state of despair. David's saying I have confidence 588 00:35:26,400 --> 00:35:29,720 in God. I communion with God and I trust 589 00:35:29,720 --> 00:35:32,640 him to do these three things. David believes in God. 590 00:35:33,160 --> 00:35:38,720 So in verse 6, what will I do? So David says two things I will 591 00:35:38,720 --> 00:35:40,760 do here. After the three things that he 592 00:35:40,760 --> 00:35:44,840 says God will do, He says, I will offer sacrifice with shouts 593 00:35:44,840 --> 00:35:49,440 of joy, and I will sing and make melody in my heart. 594 00:35:49,960 --> 00:35:53,200 Last week when we looked at Psalm 5, we saw at the end of 595 00:35:53,200 --> 00:35:56,920 Psalm 5 that when we finish praying, we should be filled 596 00:35:56,920 --> 00:36:00,560 with joy because we've given God our, our troubles, our sorrows, 597 00:36:00,560 --> 00:36:04,800 our petitions. Here in Psalms 27, David says 598 00:36:04,800 --> 00:36:08,840 that when God gives him the victories, he sings with joy. 599 00:36:09,560 --> 00:36:13,040 We saw the confidence of David and God in the first point, and 600 00:36:13,040 --> 00:36:15,680 that's because David had a special communion with God. 601 00:36:16,640 --> 00:36:20,440 And even if they're enemies all around him, David's confidence 602 00:36:20,440 --> 00:36:24,200 and communion with God are so special that despite having 603 00:36:24,200 --> 00:36:28,640 enemies wanting to attack him, it makes him sing for joy again. 604 00:36:28,640 --> 00:36:30,880 I don't know what troubles you're in today, what crisis 605 00:36:30,880 --> 00:36:33,680 you're going through, what's suffering you're experiencing, 606 00:36:33,960 --> 00:36:38,840 but Psalms 127 six may be the strongest, most powerful 607 00:36:38,840 --> 00:36:43,400 statement of trusted confidence in the Lord in the entire Bible. 608 00:36:43,880 --> 00:36:46,840 But you have to have confidence in God and you must be in 609 00:36:46,840 --> 00:36:53,280 communion with God. Psalms 27 verses 4 to 6 is the 610 00:36:53,280 --> 00:36:56,680 Old Testament equivalent of where it says in the New 611 00:36:56,680 --> 00:37:02,280 Testament abiding in Christ. You find that in John 15 in John 612 00:37:02,280 --> 00:37:07,480 15-1 to 1711 times it says abiding in Christ. 613 00:37:07,840 --> 00:37:12,280 So Psalms 27 is the Old Testament equivalent of abiding 614 00:37:12,280 --> 00:37:14,280 New Testament equivalent of abiding in Christ. 615 00:37:14,920 --> 00:37:17,680 Let's move on to point #3 cry to God. 616 00:37:18,360 --> 00:37:21,960 David here is going to cry out for five things and I'll go 617 00:37:21,960 --> 00:37:26,120 through them really quickly that only a loving, kind and 618 00:37:26,120 --> 00:37:29,040 compassionate God can give number one. 619 00:37:29,040 --> 00:37:31,360 And verse 7 he says, hear me, O Lord. 620 00:37:31,880 --> 00:37:36,720 Notice in this section what David is seeking from God is 621 00:37:36,720 --> 00:37:39,720 exactly what a child will seek from his parents. 622 00:37:39,960 --> 00:37:43,160 All five of these things a child seeks from his parent. 623 00:37:43,520 --> 00:37:46,520 And the first thing that a child seeks from his parents is to be 624 00:37:46,520 --> 00:37:50,160 heard. Our children can talk a lot and 625 00:37:50,160 --> 00:37:52,560 you know, sometimes as parents we get tired of listening 626 00:37:52,640 --> 00:37:56,560 because they can talk non-stop. But God is never tired of 627 00:37:56,560 --> 00:37:59,440 hearing. There's no crisis mode. 628 00:37:59,760 --> 00:38:04,400 There's no 911 for God. He's always there to hear us and 629 00:38:04,400 --> 00:38:07,520 we have confidence that God is never too busy to hear us. 630 00:38:07,760 --> 00:38:11,960 Matthew 77 says ask and it will be given to you. 631 00:38:12,520 --> 00:38:16,360 Seek and you will find knock. It will be open to you. 632 00:38:17,040 --> 00:38:21,280 Then we move on to help me in verses 8 to 10 and you notice 633 00:38:21,560 --> 00:38:24,440 he's going to say it depends on your translation. 634 00:38:24,600 --> 00:38:28,200 He's going to say 4. Do not, do not hide your face 635 00:38:28,200 --> 00:38:31,080 from me, do not turn your slave away. 636 00:38:31,400 --> 00:38:34,400 Do not abandon me and do not forsake me. 637 00:38:34,640 --> 00:38:37,120 David's crying out for help, saying you helped me in the 638 00:38:37,120 --> 00:38:40,680 past, help me now. So the second thing that a child 639 00:38:40,680 --> 00:38:44,920 seeks from his parents is help. David is in a crisis, seeking 640 00:38:44,920 --> 00:38:49,000 God's help. Now verse 10, we don't know what 641 00:38:49,000 --> 00:38:53,080 prompted David to say verse 10 for my father and my mother have 642 00:38:53,080 --> 00:38:55,960 forsaken me, but the Lord will take me in. 643 00:38:56,440 --> 00:39:00,960 If you go to first Samuel 22, verse 3 to 4, David takes his 644 00:39:00,960 --> 00:39:04,880 parents to Moab, to the king of Moab and says I'm going to leave 645 00:39:04,880 --> 00:39:07,760 my parents with you. And we don't hear anything more 646 00:39:07,760 --> 00:39:10,360 about his parents. So the Bible is silent about it. 647 00:39:10,800 --> 00:39:14,280 So maybe they died, you know, maybe they did forsake him. 648 00:39:14,280 --> 00:39:17,640 We don't know. But the point here is that when 649 00:39:17,720 --> 00:39:22,680 all earthly pillars, all earthly supports everything you trusted 650 00:39:22,960 --> 00:39:27,800 in in the earth gives way, the Lord can still be depended upon. 651 00:39:28,520 --> 00:39:33,960 God cannot abandoned us like earthly sinful parents can or 652 00:39:34,080 --> 00:39:38,040 like your friends can. The Third Point here is teach me 653 00:39:38,040 --> 00:39:40,960 in verses 11/8 he says teach me your way. 654 00:39:41,520 --> 00:39:44,440 The third thing a child seeks from his parents is to be taught 655 00:39:44,760 --> 00:39:48,360 maybe something as simple as tying your shoes or we've been 656 00:39:48,360 --> 00:39:50,920 trying to teach my daughter how to hold a spoon for many years, 657 00:39:51,160 --> 00:39:53,760 things like that. I don't think David wrote Psalm 658 00:39:53,760 --> 00:39:56,560 119. Some people do think saved David 659 00:39:56,560 --> 00:39:59,520 wrote Psalm 119. Other people think Daniel did or 660 00:39:59,520 --> 00:40:03,320 Ezra did. But Psalm 119, it depends on 661 00:40:03,320 --> 00:40:08,280 your translations, but in the ESV that it in in all of Psalms 662 00:40:08,280 --> 00:40:13,840 in 150 Psalms 27 times it says teach me your statues, teach me 663 00:40:13,960 --> 00:40:16,880 your law. But in Psalms 119, the greatest 664 00:40:16,880 --> 00:40:25,040 Psalm with 176 verses, 11 times in 176 verses, it says in Psalms 665 00:40:25,040 --> 00:40:28,240 119 verse 12. Blessed are you, O Lord, teach 666 00:40:28,240 --> 00:40:32,320 me your statutes. In Psalms 1/19/26 when I was 667 00:40:32,320 --> 00:40:34,080 told of my ways, you answered me. 668 00:40:34,440 --> 00:40:39,040 Teach me your statutes. Psalms 1/19/29 Put false ways 669 00:40:39,040 --> 00:40:43,280 far from me and graciously teach me your law. 670 00:40:43,720 --> 00:40:49,320 Psalms 11933 Teach me, O Lord, the way of Your statutes, and I 671 00:40:49,320 --> 00:40:53,920 will keep them to the end. Psalms 11964 The earth, O Lord, 672 00:40:53,920 --> 00:40:57,680 is full of your steadfast love. Teach me your statutes. 673 00:40:58,000 --> 00:41:03,080 Psalms 11966 Teach me good judgment and knowledge, for I 674 00:41:03,080 --> 00:41:07,720 believe in your commandments. Psalms 1/19/68 You are good and 675 00:41:07,720 --> 00:41:11,000 do good. Teach me your statutes. 676 00:41:11,160 --> 00:41:14,440 Psalms 119 One O 8. Accept my free will offerings of 677 00:41:14,440 --> 00:41:17,600 praise, O Lord, and teach me your rules. 678 00:41:18,120 --> 00:41:21,760 Psalms 1/19/24 Deal with your servant according to your 679 00:41:21,760 --> 00:41:24,840 steadfast love, and teach me your statutes. 680 00:41:25,240 --> 00:41:30,000 Psalms One 19135 Make your face shine upon your servant and 681 00:41:30,000 --> 00:41:33,640 teach me your statutes. And lastly, Psalms 119, verse 682 00:41:33,640 --> 00:41:38,120 171, My lips will pour forth praise for you. 683 00:41:38,320 --> 00:41:41,760 Teach me your statutes. You know, if you truly love the 684 00:41:41,760 --> 00:41:45,000 Lord, there's going to be a constant desire to learn from 685 00:41:45,000 --> 00:41:47,280 the Lord. You never stop growing in the 686 00:41:47,280 --> 00:41:50,680 Lord. AW Tozer said that Satan's 687 00:41:50,680 --> 00:41:55,400 greatest weapon is man's ignorance of God's word. 688 00:41:55,760 --> 00:41:58,720 If you want to have confidence in God, you got to commune with 689 00:41:58,720 --> 00:42:01,160 God, and that means spending time in His Word. 690 00:42:01,520 --> 00:42:04,640 And I think most of you know Second Timothy 2:15 that says do 691 00:42:04,640 --> 00:42:07,840 your best, not your average, not your worst. 692 00:42:08,200 --> 00:42:11,560 Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved. 693 00:42:11,960 --> 00:42:15,880 A worker who has no need to be shamed, who correctly or rightly 694 00:42:15,880 --> 00:42:20,880 handles the word of truth #4 he says, lead me in the in the last 695 00:42:20,880 --> 00:42:24,640 part of verse 11, lead me on a level path because of my 696 00:42:24,640 --> 00:42:26,960 enemies. OK, He doesn't want to go to the 697 00:42:26,960 --> 00:42:28,520 right. You don't go to the left because 698 00:42:28,520 --> 00:42:31,560 he might run into his enemies. The fourth thing a child seeks 699 00:42:31,560 --> 00:42:34,560 from his parents is to be led on a smooth or straight path. 700 00:42:35,240 --> 00:42:38,960 David danger is lurking in every corner and we need to be LED. 701 00:42:39,480 --> 00:42:41,960 How are we to be LED? Well, David asked God to lead 702 00:42:41,960 --> 00:42:44,080 him. God's word guides us to keep us 703 00:42:44,080 --> 00:42:47,560 on a straight path. Psalms 119 one O 5 says God's 704 00:42:47,560 --> 00:42:52,640 word is a lamp into my feet and a light into my path and #5 or E 705 00:42:52,640 --> 00:42:56,360 protect me in verse 12. The fifth thing that a child 706 00:42:56,360 --> 00:42:58,040 seeks from his parents is protection. 707 00:42:58,320 --> 00:43:00,560 David says in verse 12 and here's the petition of the 708 00:43:00,560 --> 00:43:02,960 Psalm. Give me not up to the will of my 709 00:43:02,960 --> 00:43:06,240 adversaries for there's false witnesses have risen up against 710 00:43:06,240 --> 00:43:08,560 me and they breathe out violence. 711 00:43:08,560 --> 00:43:11,720 These are violent men. You know, Adobe Edomite 712 00:43:11,880 --> 00:43:15,600 slaughtered all the priests of of David. 713 00:43:15,600 --> 00:43:17,960 So these are some wicked men that are chasing David. 714 00:43:18,520 --> 00:43:22,360 David, as we mentioned earlier, he knows he's in danger and his 715 00:43:22,360 --> 00:43:25,000 children, children need their parents protection. 716 00:43:25,280 --> 00:43:29,600 David needed God's protection. Wicked men wanted to kill him as 717 00:43:29,600 --> 00:43:31,520 described by liars and violent men. 718 00:43:32,200 --> 00:43:35,240 So far we have seen that David had confidence in God. 719 00:43:35,800 --> 00:43:37,720 He had a special communion with God. 720 00:43:38,280 --> 00:43:41,760 He could cry out to God. And lastly, he would receive 721 00:43:41,760 --> 00:43:45,280 comfort from God. Point #4 and there's two points 722 00:43:45,280 --> 00:43:53,080 here, support and strength. Now this verse in verse 13 is a 723 00:43:53,400 --> 00:43:55,960 verse that has been translated in different ways. 724 00:43:56,440 --> 00:43:59,640 And so in my Bible, it's hard to understand. 725 00:43:59,640 --> 00:44:04,840 In my in the ESV, it says, I believe that I shall look upon 726 00:44:04,840 --> 00:44:07,560 the goodness of the Lord. It's hard to understand that. 727 00:44:07,880 --> 00:44:12,000 So the new King James and the legacy standard Bible, if you 728 00:44:12,000 --> 00:44:14,000 have that Bible out here tonight, you notice there's some 729 00:44:14,000 --> 00:44:16,200 words in italics. Anybody see that? 730 00:44:16,880 --> 00:44:19,840 So the translators have tried to make this first for us to 731 00:44:19,840 --> 00:44:22,600 understand. So those words are not in the 732 00:44:22,600 --> 00:44:25,000 original Greek. But the new King James says I 733 00:44:25,000 --> 00:44:30,160 would have lost heart unless I had believed that I would see 734 00:44:30,160 --> 00:44:31,680 the goodness of the Lord of the land of living. 735 00:44:32,000 --> 00:44:35,960 The legacy standard Bible says I would have despaired unless 736 00:44:36,360 --> 00:44:39,600 italics that I believe that I would see the goodness of Yahweh 737 00:44:39,600 --> 00:44:42,080 in the land of the living. So you can see that it's an 738 00:44:42,080 --> 00:44:45,200 easier translation. We see the confidence of God 739 00:44:45,200 --> 00:44:48,480 that David has in God time and time again. 740 00:44:48,720 --> 00:44:51,040 God rescued him from Saul's plots to kill him. 741 00:44:51,680 --> 00:44:54,720 And even though I may undergo some trial, we all know that 742 00:44:54,720 --> 00:44:59,240 God, we will see God someday. There's a verse that we turn to 743 00:44:59,240 --> 00:45:00,880 quite often. You don't have to turn there, 744 00:45:00,880 --> 00:45:03,000 but you probably turn to it many times. 745 00:45:03,240 --> 00:45:08,000 And it's Isaiah 43 verse 2. And you remember that it says 746 00:45:08,000 --> 00:45:12,760 when you pass through the waters, it does not say if you 747 00:45:12,760 --> 00:45:15,920 pass through the waters. It says, when you pass through 748 00:45:15,920 --> 00:45:21,120 the waters, I will be with you and through the rivers they 749 00:45:21,120 --> 00:45:24,000 shall not overwhelm you. And when you walk through the 750 00:45:24,000 --> 00:45:28,240 fire, you shall not be burned and the flames shall not consume 751 00:45:28,240 --> 00:45:31,160 you. For I am the Lord your God, the 752 00:45:31,160 --> 00:45:35,600 Holy One of Israel, your Savior. You know, we live in a very safe 753 00:45:35,600 --> 00:45:37,040 country to be a Christian, don't we? 754 00:45:38,080 --> 00:45:41,720 And there's a, there's a quote by someone that says God doesn't 755 00:45:41,720 --> 00:45:46,120 ask many of us to die for him, but he asks all of us to live 756 00:45:46,120 --> 00:45:49,400 for him. And you know, this week I read 757 00:45:50,160 --> 00:45:52,840 from the voice of the martyrs, sent me an e-mail and I lived in 758 00:45:52,840 --> 00:45:55,760 India for about 8 years. There's a state called Maya 759 00:45:55,760 --> 00:45:58,600 Pradesh. And this week or last week in 760 00:45:58,600 --> 00:46:01,560 Maya Pradesh in the Senate. Now understand in India, the 761 00:46:01,560 --> 00:46:04,120 states have more power than the federal government. 762 00:46:04,240 --> 00:46:07,080 The village leaders probably have more power than the, the 763 00:46:07,080 --> 00:46:09,560 president. But in this state, Maya Pradesh, 764 00:46:09,840 --> 00:46:13,640 they introduced a bill that if you convert from Hinduism to 765 00:46:13,640 --> 00:46:15,920 Christianity, you get the death penalty. 766 00:46:16,520 --> 00:46:18,840 OK, now I don't know if the law is going to pass, but that just 767 00:46:18,840 --> 00:46:22,480 shows you what's out there. You'd be a Christian in India, 768 00:46:22,800 --> 00:46:26,160 in Iran, maybe in China. You could die for the Lord. 769 00:46:26,480 --> 00:46:29,640 God doesn't ask me any of us to be a martyr for Him, but He does 770 00:46:29,640 --> 00:46:34,560 ask all of us to live for Him. So the second point is strength, 771 00:46:34,560 --> 00:46:36,520 and that's the last verse, verse 14. 772 00:46:36,520 --> 00:46:38,120 And this is a very familiar verse. 773 00:46:38,840 --> 00:46:42,400 Wait for the Lord, be strong, let your heart take courage and 774 00:46:42,400 --> 00:46:46,360 wait for the Lord. So God gives us strength is a 775 00:46:46,360 --> 00:46:50,080 very favorite combination of the Old Testament and we have looked 776 00:46:50,080 --> 00:46:52,400 at it before at Christ Community Church. 777 00:46:52,920 --> 00:46:56,880 It says in Deuteronomy 31, six be strong and courageous. 778 00:46:58,320 --> 00:47:02,920 Deuteronomy 2323 says in the Lord commissioned Joshua's son 779 00:47:02,920 --> 00:47:05,520 and nun and said be strong and courageous. 780 00:47:05,920 --> 00:47:10,320 In Joshua 1/6 and verse 7 it says be strong and courageous 781 00:47:10,640 --> 00:47:12,880 only be strong and very courageous. 782 00:47:13,840 --> 00:47:18,080 Joshua 118 says only be strong and courageous 3 times in 783 00:47:18,160 --> 00:47:22,000 chapter 1 of Joshua. Then in First Chronicles 2213 784 00:47:22,360 --> 00:47:26,200 the then it says then you will prosper if you're careful to 785 00:47:26,200 --> 00:47:29,680 obey the statutes and rules that the Lord commanded Moses for 786 00:47:29,680 --> 00:47:32,120 Israel. Be strong and courageous. 787 00:47:32,440 --> 00:47:37,720 First Chronicles 2820 David said to his son Solomon be strong and 788 00:47:37,720 --> 00:47:42,440 courageous and do it. And Psalms 31 verse 24 says be 789 00:47:42,440 --> 00:47:47,640 strong and let your heart take courage, all of you who wait for 790 00:47:47,640 --> 00:47:50,320 the Lord. So at least seven times there it 791 00:47:50,320 --> 00:47:55,120 says be strong and courageous in addition to to Psalms 27, verse 792 00:47:55,120 --> 00:47:57,400 14. And one of the most difficult 793 00:47:57,400 --> 00:48:00,560 aspects of being a a Christian life is waiting for the Lord, 794 00:48:00,560 --> 00:48:02,920 isn't it? It's especially difficult when 795 00:48:02,920 --> 00:48:06,600 you're in the middle of a trial. We're suffering, but understand 796 00:48:06,600 --> 00:48:10,480 that's when God strengthens you. That's when God builds upon your 797 00:48:10,480 --> 00:48:12,760 faith. When you wait upon the Lord, 798 00:48:12,920 --> 00:48:16,560 when you read your Bible, when you pray, when you meditate upon 799 00:48:16,560 --> 00:48:18,040 him. You don't stand one for in 800 00:48:18,040 --> 00:48:21,280 church you don't put the Bible away You you dig into it. 801 00:48:21,720 --> 00:48:24,200 David says we must be strong and courageous. 802 00:48:25,600 --> 00:48:29,320 There's a verse in Job 2310. If you were with us last year 803 00:48:29,440 --> 00:48:32,240 when Lance taught us, he said there were three great 804 00:48:32,760 --> 00:48:36,240 confession statements by Job in the book of Job 3. 805 00:48:36,240 --> 00:48:39,960 Great. And Job 2310 is the third of 806 00:48:39,960 --> 00:48:42,240 those great confessions. And I love this verse. 807 00:48:42,640 --> 00:48:48,600 Job 2310 says, But he knows the way that I take, and when he has 808 00:48:48,600 --> 00:48:52,080 tried me, I shall come out as gold. 809 00:48:52,520 --> 00:48:55,720 That's the goal of us today, that no matter what the trial 810 00:48:55,720 --> 00:49:00,000 is, no matter what's going on, we will pass that test and we 811 00:49:00,000 --> 00:49:03,240 will come out as gold. The thing David is praying for 812 00:49:03,840 --> 00:49:07,360 and for which we pray does not, does not always come to us at 813 00:49:07,360 --> 00:49:10,360 once. God has his timings, which are 814 00:49:10,360 --> 00:49:15,240 not ours, and therefore what we pray for and need some time is 815 00:49:15,240 --> 00:49:17,160 delayed. What then? 816 00:49:17,160 --> 00:49:20,040 Are we to despair of having answers, to lose confidence? 817 00:49:20,360 --> 00:49:23,320 Not at all. We simply need to wait. 818 00:49:23,800 --> 00:49:28,280 God wants us to be with him and we will someday be with Him, but 819 00:49:28,280 --> 00:49:31,680 sometimes we have to wait. So I don't know the situations 820 00:49:31,680 --> 00:49:35,000 you're in today, but we can have, we can have confidence in 821 00:49:35,000 --> 00:49:39,360 God in difficult times because we commune with God and because 822 00:49:39,360 --> 00:49:42,800 we can cry out to God, we will receive comfort from God. 823 00:49:43,160 --> 00:49:45,400 We live in an evil world. You all know the verse. 824 00:49:45,400 --> 00:49:49,320 First John 519 says we know that we are from God. 825 00:49:49,320 --> 00:49:53,560 That's us believers, and the whole world relies in the power 826 00:49:53,560 --> 00:49:55,440 of the evil 1. You all know that verse, right? 827 00:49:55,640 --> 00:49:58,640 The whole world lies in the power of evil one Satan. 828 00:49:58,960 --> 00:50:02,720 Do you know what the verse preceding that says before that 829 00:50:02,720 --> 00:50:07,680 in verse 18, it says that we know that everyone who is born 830 00:50:07,680 --> 00:50:12,280 of God does not keep on sinning, but He was born of God, protects 831 00:50:12,280 --> 00:50:15,600 him, and the evil 1 does not touch him. 832 00:50:16,640 --> 00:50:21,120 James 47 says submit yourselves therefore to God, resist the 833 00:50:21,120 --> 00:50:26,520 devil and he will flee from you. And Romans 831 says if God is 834 00:50:26,520 --> 00:50:33,400 for us, who can be against us? In closing, Dwight L Moody's 835 00:50:33,400 --> 00:50:36,120 favorite verse, you know what his favorite verse was from the 836 00:50:36,280 --> 00:50:38,360 Dwight L Moody who founded Moody Bible Institute. 837 00:50:38,680 --> 00:50:42,680 His favorite verse was Isaiah chapter 12 verse 2. 838 00:50:43,120 --> 00:50:46,200 Might want to just jot that down sometime because it kind of 839 00:50:46,520 --> 00:50:50,560 summarizes Psalms 27. But Dwight L Moody's favorite 840 00:50:50,560 --> 00:50:57,120 verse was Isaiah 12/2 which says behold, God is my salvation, I 841 00:50:57,120 --> 00:51:01,680 will trust and I will not be afraid for the Lord. 842 00:51:01,680 --> 00:51:08,280 God is my strength and my song and he has become my salvation. 843 00:51:08,760 --> 00:51:10,440 That's Dwight L Moody's favorite verse. 844 00:51:10,440 --> 00:51:13,640 What a beautiful verse. And Dwight L Moody used to say 845 00:51:14,440 --> 00:51:18,640 you can travel first class or you can travel second class to 846 00:51:18,640 --> 00:51:20,520 heaven. When I first read that, I said, 847 00:51:20,520 --> 00:51:22,320 wait a minute, there's only one way to heaven. 848 00:51:22,800 --> 00:51:25,200 Salvation is found in no one else. 849 00:51:25,360 --> 00:51:27,560 And Jesus is I am the way. There's only one way to heaven. 850 00:51:27,800 --> 00:51:30,880 But he's talking about the time that we're waiting to go to 851 00:51:30,880 --> 00:51:33,360 heaven. Now I don't know about you, but 852 00:51:33,360 --> 00:51:36,520 I have flown probably 2-3 hundred flights being a 853 00:51:36,520 --> 00:51:40,720 missionary for 18 years and done like 30 short term trips to one 854 00:51:40,720 --> 00:51:44,040 time Tom Mason took us you gone and we had six flights to get 855 00:51:44,040 --> 00:51:47,040 you gone and six flights back. So I've flown hundreds of 856 00:51:47,040 --> 00:51:51,400 flights, but only one time did I ever get bumped the first class. 857 00:51:52,000 --> 00:51:55,000 And it wasn't a long flight. It was from Bangkok to Calcutta 858 00:51:55,200 --> 00:51:58,500 and me and my wife and I was in it was in short pants and AT 859 00:51:58,500 --> 00:52:01,560 shirt didn't didn't deserve it. But they bumped us and it was 860 00:52:01,560 --> 00:52:05,240 really sweet, really sweet. You know, we had all the orange 861 00:52:05,240 --> 00:52:07,000 juice we could drink while everybody else is drinking the 862 00:52:07,000 --> 00:52:10,120 alcohol. We had steak for dinner and when 863 00:52:10,120 --> 00:52:12,760 they brought the desserts, it wasn't one dessert, it was 3 864 00:52:12,760 --> 00:52:15,200 desserts. And they gave you all these 865 00:52:15,200 --> 00:52:18,360 headphones and slippers and amenities, all these things. 866 00:52:18,520 --> 00:52:20,800 So I wish I could fly first class all the time. 867 00:52:21,160 --> 00:52:25,040 Fortunately in two months we'll be in cattle class when we go to 868 00:52:25,040 --> 00:52:28,480 Argentina. Call it cattle class, but but So 869 00:52:28,480 --> 00:52:30,640 there is only one way to go to heaven. 870 00:52:30,640 --> 00:52:34,440 But while we wait, there's a first class waiting and there's 871 00:52:34,440 --> 00:52:39,960 a second class waiting. And he says second class is what 872 00:52:39,960 --> 00:52:43,840 time I am afraid I will trust. It's a little confusing. 873 00:52:44,120 --> 00:52:48,160 What he's saying is that when I'm afraid I'm going to trust, 874 00:52:48,160 --> 00:52:53,840 that's second class. 1st class is I will trust and not be 875 00:52:53,840 --> 00:52:57,120 afraid. Second class is for Christians. 876 00:52:57,680 --> 00:52:59,080 They have their ticket to heaven. 877 00:52:59,720 --> 00:53:02,480 They have Jesus Christ in their heart, but they worry, they 878 00:53:02,480 --> 00:53:04,440 doubt, they're anxious, they're full of fear. 879 00:53:05,080 --> 00:53:08,360 And the Bible says in Matthew 625, don't be anxious. 880 00:53:08,800 --> 00:53:11,520 The Bible says in Luke 1229, don't worry. 881 00:53:12,000 --> 00:53:15,800 The Bible says in James 1/5 to six that we are not to doubt if 882 00:53:15,800 --> 00:53:19,680 we have faith. And the Bible says in Romans 883 00:53:19,680 --> 00:53:24,120 8:15 that we have not received a spirit of slavery to fall back 884 00:53:24,120 --> 00:53:28,000 into fear, but you have received a spirit as adoption of sons who 885 00:53:28,000 --> 00:53:33,400 by we cry, have a father. So that's second class, but 886 00:53:33,400 --> 00:53:36,680 first class is for Christians who will trust, who say I'm not 887 00:53:36,680 --> 00:53:40,040 going to fear, I will trust and not be afraid. 888 00:53:40,520 --> 00:53:43,600 So my prayer for you tonight as you leave here tonight is that 889 00:53:43,600 --> 00:53:47,440 Psalms 27 is a prescription from Jehovah Rafi that you will 890 00:53:47,440 --> 00:53:48,840 memorize it, that you will quote it. 891 00:53:48,840 --> 00:53:51,360 And I know many of you know it. Many of you know it, and it's 892 00:53:51,360 --> 00:53:54,280 one of your favorites. I know that's first class. 893 00:53:54,600 --> 00:53:56,960 You're going to experience some trials, some suffering, some 894 00:53:56,960 --> 00:54:02,680 tribulations, but No Fear. Psalms 27 is that and I'll close 895 00:54:02,680 --> 00:54:05,560 with a a man called Stuart Hamblin. 896 00:54:05,600 --> 00:54:09,320 I didn't know this man, but he wrote a hymns kind of a country 897 00:54:09,320 --> 00:54:13,720 Christian guy singer. But he wrote a hymn called known 898 00:54:13,720 --> 00:54:16,920 only to him. Now Google it and you can listen 899 00:54:16,920 --> 00:54:20,880 to it. Stuart HA MB Lin and the hymn is 900 00:54:20,880 --> 00:54:24,800 called known only to him now Elvis Presley saying it. 901 00:54:24,800 --> 00:54:28,360 So don't look at his one, but look for Stuart Hamlin's but the 902 00:54:28,360 --> 00:54:33,360 last verse says known only to him are the great hidden 903 00:54:33,360 --> 00:54:37,080 secrets. I fear not the darkness when my 904 00:54:37,080 --> 00:54:41,280 flames shall dim. I know not what the future 905 00:54:41,280 --> 00:54:44,880 holds, but I know who holds the future. 906 00:54:45,320 --> 00:54:48,320 It's a secret known only to him. And the words that I want to 907 00:54:48,320 --> 00:54:53,080 emphasize are those I know not what the future holds, but I 908 00:54:53,080 --> 00:54:57,440 know who holds the future. Our lives are in God's hands. 909 00:54:58,080 --> 00:55:00,800 May Psalm 27 be your song of trust. 910 00:55:00,800 --> 00:55:02,800 That it is my song of trust for all of us. 911 00:55:02,960 --> 00:55:05,960 Let's pray. Dear only Father, I don't know 912 00:55:06,240 --> 00:55:09,720 what is going on in the lives of our people tonight, but we know 913 00:55:09,720 --> 00:55:12,360 there are people here who are going to undergo operations. 914 00:55:12,720 --> 00:55:15,640 There are people here who are recovering from cancer and then 915 00:55:15,640 --> 00:55:18,200 they have to deal with the chemo and the side effects and all 916 00:55:18,200 --> 00:55:20,400 that. Father, I know there are people 917 00:55:20,400 --> 00:55:23,040 are struggling with family, people struggling with work, 918 00:55:23,400 --> 00:55:27,040 people struggling with our government, but Father, may we 919 00:55:27,040 --> 00:55:29,960 not fear. You are our source of salvation. 920 00:55:30,120 --> 00:55:32,760 You are our light. You are defense and we will 921 00:55:32,760 --> 00:55:36,680 trust you and not fear. Help us to to memorize this 922 00:55:36,680 --> 00:55:38,120 Psalm. Help us to read it. 923 00:55:38,280 --> 00:55:42,840 Help us Father to obey it so when those trials come, we will 924 00:55:42,840 --> 00:55:45,240 not fear. And Lord Jesus, we pray for your 925 00:55:45,240 --> 00:55:49,320 return that any day, anytime, today, tonight, we'll hear the 926 00:55:49,320 --> 00:55:51,480 loud command wheel, the voice of the Archangel. 927 00:55:51,760 --> 00:55:54,000 We're heal the trumpet call and you will take us home. 928 00:55:54,440 --> 00:55:57,960 But till that great day, till that time, help us to tarry with 929 00:55:57,960 --> 00:56:00,880 No Fear. Thank you for Psalm 27 in Jesus 930 00:56:00,880 --> 00:56:02,120 name, Amen.