A Song For Life
Psalms 27
February 17, 2019
So tonight we talk a little bit about life.
I know as a kid I always loved it when my parents would say,
“Well that’s just life.”
And we’ve heard them all.
• “Life isn’t fair”
• “Life is hard”
• “What can go wrong, will go wrong”
• “Eat right, exercise daily, die anyway”
• “Money talks, it says goodbye”
• “You have to be tough to get old”
• “No matter how bad things are, you can always make things worse”
The Bible even has one author in particular
Who made sure you picked up on just how hard life is.
Solomon said:
Ecclesiastes 1:14-15 “I have seen all the works which have been done under the sun, and behold, all is vanity and striving after wind. What is crooked cannot be straightened and what is lacking cannot be counted.”
Ecclesiastes 2:22-23 “For what does a man get in all his labor and in his striving with which he labors under the sun? Because all his days his task is painful and grievous; even at night his mind does not rest. This too is vanity.”
Ecclesiastes 4:1-3 “Then I looked again at all the acts of oppression which were being done under the sun. And behold I saw the tears of the oppressed and that they had no one to comfort them; and on the side of their oppressors was power, but they had no one to comfort them. So I congratulated the dead who are already dead more than the living who are still living. But better off than both of them is the one who has never existed, who has never seen the evil activity that is done under the sun.”
Ecclesiastes 5:13-17 “There is a grievous evil which I have seen under the sun: riches being hoarded by their owner to his hurt. When those riches were lost through a bad investment and he had fathered a son, then there was nothing to support him. As he had come naked from his mother’s womb, so will he return as he came. He will take nothing from the fruit of his labor that he can carry in his hand. This also is a grievous evil — exactly as a man is born, thus will he die. So what is the advantage to him who toils for the wind? Throughout his life he also eats in darkness with great vexation, sickness and anger.”
Ecclesiastes 8:14 “There is futility which is done on the earth, that is, there are righteous men to whom it happens according to the deeds of the wicked. On the other hand, there are evil men to whom it happens according to the deeds of the righteous. I say that this too is futility.”
Ecclesiastes 10:8-9 “He who digs a pit may fall into it, and a serpent may bite him who breaks through a wall. He who quarries stones may be hurt by them, and he who splits logs may be endangered by them.”
Ecclesiastes 11:8 “Indeed, if a man should live many years, let him rejoice in them all, and let him remember the days of darkness, for they will be many. Everything that is to come will be futility.”
Ecclesiastes 11:10 “So, remove grief and anger from your heart and put away pain from your body, because childhood and the prime of life are fleeting.”
Well, how’s that for a depressing way to start tonight?
LIFE IS HARD
• And that is to say nothing about the promise of persecution for a believer.
• Or the promise of suffering from God in order to sanctify us.
You get it.
Life is hard.
You struggle against it every single day.
The question is: HOW DO YOU FACE IT?
Well, that’s what this song is about.
It’s about facing the ever increasingly difficult journey of life.
And the song is good advice.
It’s all about who God is during life’s most difficult moments.
There are 4 stanzas tonight.
God is:
#1 MY CONFIDENCE IN ANXIETY
Psalms 27:1-3
When you read these first 3 verses from David you quickly pick up on David’s confident approach.
The emphasis in that first verse is on the words “The LORD is…”
It is similar to when we looked at the 23rd Psalm and saw
“The LORD is my shepherd”
The focus wasn’t so much on the fact that David had a shepherd,
But more so on the fact that the LORD was that shepherd.
That’s the same mentality here.
It’s not so much a focus on the fact that David has “light” and “salvation” and a “defense” as it is that THE LORD IS ALL THOSE THINGS FOR HIM.
“The LORD is my light and my salvation”
“The LORD is the defense of my life”
We’re talking about a person who is in good hands
If he can point to the LORD of heaven and earth as his personal deliverer.
David has the ultimate body guard here.
And so he rightly asks the questions,
“Whom shall I fear?” and “Whom shall I dread?”
I mean, good grief, if the LORD is the one who has your back and who stands as your defense, what enemy are you really afraid of?
And David follows this with a TESTIMONY OF PAST DELIVERANCES.
(2) “When evildoers came upon me to devour my flesh, My adversaries and my enemies, they stumbled and fell.”
• Maybe he refers to the lion and the bear that tried to steal his sheep
• Maybe he refers to the giant that tried to remove his head
• Maybe he refers to the King who tried to run him through with a spear
• Maybe he refers to the Philistines who tried to kill him in battle
Pick one and you find the same outcome every time.
The LORD delivered him.
David’s enemies “stumbled and fell”.
And based upon that reality David has a STATEMENT OF CONFIDENCE.
(3) “Though a host encamp against me, My heart will not fear; though a war arise against me, In spite of this I shall be confident.”
And so now you understand these first 3 verses.
• David is currently in a time of ease.
• At this very moment things are going pretty smoothly.
And yet David knows how life works.
• It may be good today and the bottom may fall out tomorrow.
• We know the nature of tragedy in life.
We call it the “What if’s”
Has Satan ever played that game with you?
It’s called “worry”
It’s called “anxiety”
It’s allowing the fear of what might happen
Or what could happen grip you as though it will happen.
You are aware the Bible has something to say about anxiety.
Philippians 4:6-7 “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”
Jesus spoke of it as well, especially in regard to money.
Matthew 6:31-34 “Do not worry then, saying, ‘What will we eat?’ or ‘What will we drink?’ or ‘What will we wear for clothing?’ “For the Gentiles eagerly seek all these things; for your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. “But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. “So do not worry about tomorrow; for tomorrow will care for itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.”
And we could talk quite a bit tonight if we were so inclined about the sin of worry.
Jesus says that worrying is a lack of faith.
And so you understand why the Bible says
Not to worry or to be anxious for nothing.
AND HERE YOU SEE HOW DAVID FIGHTS IT.
He knows at any moment the bottom could drop out.
• That’s just the nature of life.
• At any moment the phone could ring and your life could be different forever.
We live here every day.
You wake up every morning with the potential for tragedy.
SO HOW DO YOU HANDLE THE ANXIETY OF THAT?
Well I can show you how David did.
HE FOCUSED ON WHO GOD IS.
“light” that is “life”.
• God is the One who gives life.
• God is the one who gives abundant life.
• God is the one who gives hope and peace and joy in life.
And it’s the understanding that regardless of what you may face,
God can still give life in the midst of it.
(Joy and peace and hope and satisfaction)
“salvation”
• This of course reminds us that no matter what we may face, God has the power to deliver us out of it.
• He can heal, He can deliver, I’ve even heard of Him raising the dead if He so chooses.
“the defense of my life”
• Which reminds us that He also has the capability to keep the tragedy from ever occurring at all.
David knew this about God.
He is more than able to handle my hardships.
DAVID ALSO FOCUSED ON ALL THAT GOD HAD DONE.
Namely those VICTORIES against the “evildoers” and “adversaries”
And “enemies” that he mentioned in verse 2.
He knows that God is able to deliver
Because He’s done it so many times before.
And based upon those two realities, David says, “I shall be confident”
That’s the opposite of worry.
That’s the opposite of anxiety.
It doesn’t matter what I face, I will face it with confidence in God.
And this is how you face the anxiety of life.
Philippians 1:18-20 “What then? Only that in every way, whether in pretense or in truth, Christ is proclaimed; and in this I rejoice. Yes, and I will rejoice, for I know that this will turn out for my deliverance through your prayers and the provision of the Spirit of Jesus Christ, according to my earnest expectation and hope, that I will not be put to shame in anything, but that with all boldness, Christ will even now, as always, be exalted in my body, whether by life or by death.”
Do you hear the confidence there?
• I’m not gonna be “put to shame”
• “this will turn out for my deliverance”
• Paul knows who his God is.
2 Corinthians 1:8-11 “For we do not want you to be unaware, brethren, of our affliction which came to us in Asia, that we were burdened excessively, beyond our strength, so that we despaired even of life; indeed, we had the sentence of death within ourselves so that we would not trust in ourselves, but in God who raises the dead; who delivered us from so great a peril of death, and will deliver us, He on whom we have set our hope. And He will yet deliver us, you also joining in helping us through your prayers, so that thanks may be given by many persons on our behalf for the favor bestowed on us through the prayers of many.”
There you have it again.
• “And He will yet deliver us”
• Paul isn’t worried about defeat, so why live in anxiety?
Romans 8:31 “What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who is against us?”
Paul may have even been thinking about this Psalm when he wrote that.
Or even when Paul knew HE WAS FACING DEATH:
2 Timothy 4:6-8 “For I am already being poured out as a drink offering, and the time of my departure has come. I have fought the good fight, I have finished the course, I have kept the faith; in the future there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day; and not only to me, but also to all who have loved His appearing.”
That sounds like a man filled with worry right there doesn’t it?
And all you are seeing is people who knew who God was
And knew what God had done.
And they walked in faith that He was still God.
They may sound overly simple, but it’s the reality.
2 Timothy 1:12 “For this reason I also suffer these things, but I am not ashamed; for I know whom I have believed and I am convinced that He is able to guard what I have entrusted to Him until that day.”
• So don’t worry about what tomorrow might hold
• Don’t be anxious about anything
• Just know who your God is and what He does and be confident in Him.
God is My Confidence in Anxiety
#2 MY CONCERN IN ADVERSITY
Psalms 27:4-6
Well now the situation has progressed.
• The first 3 verses just spoke of what could be if the situation arose.
• Now David speaks of “adverse conditions”
David can see the storm clouds on the horizon.
The conditions are right for things to go wrong.
And honestly, in America, we are here too.
I’m not a big politics guy as you well know.
I don’t follow closely the daily grind of political maneuvering and media propaganda.
BUT I WILL SAY THIS:
• America flaunts sexual immorality
• America fights for homosexual acceptance
• America aborts 3,000 babies per day
• America lives in defiance of authority in every level of authority (family,
government, workplace, church, etc.)
You just don’t live as a nation in such blatant defiance of God
Without judgment.
If you can’t see the storm coming your head is in the sand.
According to Romans 1, we’re already under judgment.
Well David wasn’t likely talking about the judgment of God here,
As much as he was referring to the uprising of enemies,
But the timing is the same.
David isn’t in trouble yet, but he can see it coming.
The question is: WHAT DO YOU DO WHEN YOU SEE THE STORM APPROACHING?
You’ll love David’s answer:
(4-5) “One thing I have asked from the LORD, that I shall seek: That I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, To behold the beauty of the LORD And to meditate in His temple. For in the day of trouble He will conceal me in His tabernacle; In the secret place of His tent He will hide me; He will lift me up on a rock.”
In view of the coming storm, David says, “I do one thing”
• I seek the LORD.
• I dwell in His house
• So I can gaze on His beauty
• And I can meditate on who He is
Really David?
• Don’t you think you should be rationing the perishable goods?
• Don’t you think you should be organizing the army?
• Don’t you think you should be finishing up the bomb shelter?
No, I just draw near to God.
GOD IS MY MAIN CONCERN, NOT THE STORM.
WHY?
“For in the day of trouble He will conceal me in His tabernacle; In the secret place of His tent He will hide me; He will lift me up on a rock.”
And so, even though David can see the enemy army approaching,
He’s not panicking, he’s drawing near to God.
(6) “And now my head will be lifted up above my enemies around me, And I will offer in His tent sacrifices with shouts of joy; I will sing, yes, I will sing praises to the LORD.”
• David continues to praise God.
• David continues to seek God.
• David continues to meditate on the goodness of God.
What a way to handle the coming storm!
But we see them today.
I think they call them “Doomsday Preppers”
• The people with secret bomb shelters
• And stockpiled food reserves.
But David finds it much more beneficial
To be in fellowship with the One
Who feeds the birds and clothes the fields.
Jesus gave an analogy that fits here.
Matthew 7:24-27 “Therefore everyone who hears these words of Mine and acts on them, may be compared to a wise man who built his house on the rock. “And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and slammed against that house; and yet it did not fall, for it had been founded on the rock. “Everyone who hears these words of Mine and does not act on them, will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand. “The rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and slammed against that house; and it fell — and great was its fall.”
Now that’s how your supposed to prep for doomsday.
You tie your house to the only thing that will withstand the storm.
YOU CLING TO CHRIST!!
• David says the same thing.
• I’m going to seek God.
• I’m going to “behold the beauty of the LORD”
• I’m going to “meditate in His temple”
And I’m going to let God handle the coming storm
And hide me as it passes by.
WHAT A GREAT WAY TO DO LIFE.
SO…
• When there is no trouble on the horizon, but only the potential of trouble, just place your confidence in God and don’t give in to anxiety.
• And on the day when the trouble emerges and it looks as though it could get bad, don’t lose your head, just draw near to God and let Him carry you through the trial.
He is My Confidence in Anxiety
He is My Concern in Adversity
#3 MY COMPANION IN ABANDONMENT
Psalms 27:7-10
Well the situation has escalated even more.
Now the trouble has hit and it is apparently so bad that
Everyone has deserted David.
He says in verse 10 “For my father and my mother have forsaken me.”
IT HAPPENS DOESN’T IT?
We saw it with Christ:
Mark 14:43-52 “Immediately while He was still speaking, Judas, one of the twelve, came up accompanied by a crowd with swords and clubs, who were from the chief priests and the scribes and the elders. Now he who was betraying Him had given them a signal, saying, “Whomever I kiss, He is the one; seize Him and lead Him away under guard.” After coming, Judas immediately went to Him, saying, “Rabbi!” and kissed Him. They laid hands on Him and seized Him. But one of those who stood by drew his sword, and struck the slave of the high priest and cut off his ear. And Jesus said to them, “Have you come out with swords and clubs to arrest Me, as you would against a robber? “Every day I was with you in the temple teaching, and you did not seize Me; but this has taken place to fulfill the Scriptures.” And they all left Him and fled. A young man was following Him, wearing nothing but a linen sheet over his naked body; and they seized him. But he pulled free of the linen sheet and escaped naked.”
Paul spoke of it:
2 Timothy 4:16 “At my first defense no one supported me, but all deserted me; may it not be counted against them.”
In fact Jesus even promised it would happen.
Matthew 10:21-22 “Brother will betray brother to death, and a father his child; and children will rise up against parents and cause them to be put to death. “You will be hated by all because of My name, but it is the one who has endured to the end who will be saved.”
And I feel certain that you have felt at least a taste of this sting as you have followed Christ.
• We’ve all lost friends…
• We’ve all lost allies…
• Some have even lost family members to this.
David is here feeling the sting of abandonment.
And so it only stands to reason that he runs to the LORD.
(7-9) “Hear, O LORD, when I cry with my voice, And be gracious to me and answer me. When You said, “Seek My face,” my heart said to You, “Your face, O LORD, I shall seek.” Do not hide Your face from me, Do not turn Your servant away in anger; You have been my help; Do not abandon me nor forsake me, O God of my salvation!”
You can hear David’s desperation.
God, everyone has left me, even my parents, don’t You leave me too!
But I also want you to see David’s commitment.
(8) “When You said, “Seek My face” my heart said to You, “Your face, O LORD, I shall seek.”
The implication here is that it WASN’T A NATURAL RESPONSE.
David is calling back upon a previous commitment that he made to God.
God had called David to seek His face,
And David had committed to do that.
And now that is hard!
It would be much easier to seek after those people who had deserted him
And try to rally the troops again.
But here David is expressing that he will honor his commitment
To continue to seek God’s face.
So here I am God – I’m seeking You – Don’t abandon me!
Now the beauty of it is that DAVID KNOWS HE WON’T.
(10) “For my father and my mother have forsaken me, But the LORD will take me up.”
Everyone may have left, but God won’t!
Isn’t that what Jesus promised?
Matthew 28:20 “teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”
The writer of Hebrews reminded those persecuted believers of the fact;
Hebrews 13:5b-6 “…for He Himself has said, “I WILL NEVER DESERT YOU, NOR WILL I EVER FORSAKE YOU,” so that we confidently say, “THE LORD IS MY HELPER, I WILL NOT BE AFRAID. WHAT WILL MAN DO TO ME?”
Jeremiah experienced it:
Jeremiah 20:10-11 “For I have heard the whispering of many, “Terror on every side! Denounce him; yes, let us denounce him!” All my trusted friends, Watching for my fall, say: “Perhaps he will be deceived, so that we may prevail against him And take our revenge on him.” But the LORD is with me like a dread champion; Therefore my persecutors will stumble and not prevail. They will be utterly ashamed, because they have failed, With an everlasting disgrace that will not be forgotten.”
And incidentally, let me read a little more of that passage where Paul spoke of everyone deserting him.
2 Timothy 4:16-18 “At my first defense no one supported me, but all deserted me; may it not be counted against them. But the Lord stood with me and strengthened me, so that through me the proclamation might be fully accomplished, and that all the Gentiles might hear; and I was rescued out of the lion’s mouth. The Lord will rescue me from every evil deed, and will bring me safely to His heavenly kingdom; to Him be the glory forever and ever. Amen.”
God never forsakes His own.
• It didn’t matter if He had to close the mouths of the lions for Daniel.
• It didn’t matter if He had to jump in the furnace with Daniel’s friends.
• It didn’t matter if He passed through the wilderness with the Israelites.
GOD NEVER LEAVES.
EVEN IN ISRAEL’S DARKEST HOURS.
• Think about the exile.
• We read in Ezekiel about how the glory of the LORD departed from the temple.
God’s presence left that temple, but it never left His people.
How do I know?
• Because I can read the book of Daniel.
• I can read the book of Esther.
• I can see how God never failed them.
And so even in life when it gets so hard that everyone leaves you,
You get to rest in the fact that
You have one companion who never will.
He is our Confidence in Anxiety
He is our Concern in Adversity
He is our Companion in Abandonment
#4 MY COURAGE IN AFFLICTION
Psalms 27:11-14
We spoke earlier about adversity.
What’s the difference between adversity and affliction?
ADVERSITY speaks of adverse conditions. A situation right for hardship.
AFFLICTION speaks the hardship being upon you.
Notice David here.
• He is already facing “the desire of my adversaries” (12)
• “False witnesses HAVE RISEN against me.”
• They “breathe out violence”
The storm is here.
The affliction is real.
It began in the first verses as a possibility.
It became a likely reality
And NOW IT IS HERE.
What do you do?
Here’s what David did.
(11) “Teach me Your way, O LORD, And lead me in a level path Because of my foes.”
David submitted to the LORD and simply asked for God to guide his steps.
• It is the opposite of arrogance.
• It is the opposite of pride.
God, I’m following You, guide me.
(12) “Do not deliver me over to the desire of my adversaries, For false witnesses have risen against me, And such as breathe out violence.”
As David follows, He also prays that God will deliver
As He has done so many times in the past.
But what is even more impressive is that
Even while David prays
You don’t get some sense of despair of panic.
In fact, David says he had the exact opposite of despair.
(13) “I would have despaired unless I had believed that I would see the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living.”
Isn’t that a great statement!
• I’m well aware of why non-believers despair.
• I’m well aware of why they are given over to anxiety and panic and gloom.
But believers need not dwell here!
• We have a God who delivers
• We have a God who never forsakes.
• We have a God who has promised to save.
And even “in the land of the living”
Meaning David isn’t just talking about eternity here.
He is counting on God’s earthly deliverance.
2 Corinthians 4:8 “we are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not despairing;”
And according to David
The reason we don’t despair is because we believe.
FAITH KEEPS US FROM DESPAIRING
“I would have despaired unless I had believed”
And so, the advice is clear and concise.
(14) “Wait for the LORD; Be strong and let your heart take courage; Yes, wait for the LORD.”
And what a great way to walk through affliction!
Consider the apostle Paul:
Acts 16:22-25 “The crowd rose up together against them, and the chief magistrates tore their robes off them and proceeded to order them to be beaten with rods. When they had struck them with many blows, they threw them into prison, commanding the jailer to guard them securely; and he, having received such a command, threw them into the inner prison and fastened their feet in the stocks. But about midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns of praise to God, and the prisoners were listening to them;”
• That’s just waiting on the LORD.
• That’s just trusting Him and praising Him and letting Him do what He does.
• There’s no despair
• There’s no anxiety
• Just faith
Isaiah 40:27-31 “Why do you say, O Jacob, and assert, O Israel, “My way is hidden from the LORD, And the justice due me escapes the notice of my God”? Do you not know? Have you not heard? The Everlasting God, the LORD, the Creator of the ends of the earth Does not become weary or tired. His understanding is inscrutable. He gives strength to the weary, And to him who lacks might He increases power. Though youths grow weary and tired, And vigorous young men stumble badly, Yet those who wait for the LORD Will gain new strength; They will mount up with wings like eagles, They will run and not get tired, They will walk and not become weary.”
• Just trust God.
• Wait on Him.
We don’t walk alone and we don’t walk without help.
2 Timothy 3:10-11 “Now you followed my teaching, conduct, purpose, faith, patience, love, perseverance, persecutions, and sufferings, such as happened to me at Antioch, at Iconium and at Lystra; what persecutions I endured, and out of them all the Lord rescued me!”
There it is again.
“and out of them all the Lord rescued me!”
And if you’ll stop and take inventory you’ll see that
HE HAS DONE THE SAME FOR YOU.
That doesn’t mean He hasn’t allowed affliction.
Sometimes He even brings it.
But He never allows the affliction to have you.
HE DELIVERS, TRUST HIM.
WELL, THIS IS DAVID’S LIFE SONG
When you face life:
DON’T GIVE IN TO ANXIETY
• Focus on who God is and what He has done and don’t worry about tomorrow and the potentials that it could hold.
DON’T FOCUS ON ADVERSITY
• Focus on God and praising Him. He is the One who hides you in the midst of the storm. Don’t look at the giant, look at God.
DON’T FRET ABANDONMENT
• Though everyone should leave and forsake you, God never will. He promised.
DON’T FAINT IN AFFLICTION
• Wait on the LORD and be courageous. He never fails and He never abandons His own.
He is our CONFIDENCE
He is our CONCERN
He is our COMPANION
He is our COURAGE
He is the way we go through life.
