David says to the Lord, I love you, O Lord, my strength. (v.1) This is one of the most incredibly powerful statements in the Bible which we all miss because we are English speakers. Do you know what it is like to be stuck in a situation that is not good for you, but you are too afraid are just unable to do anything about it? He meditates on the truth of who God is. David is here pleading promises that God has already made to him. David now needs to remind himself who it is thats on his side. And then in verses 6 and 7, after a resolution brought about by God after Gods own deliverance, David gives praise, free praise to God, unconstrained praise to God. He talks about being pounded by waves which threatened to destroy him. This served to cause David to love the Lord even more as he understood, from his own personal experience, that God was his strength. Charismatic. I will give thanks to Your name, O Lord, for it is good. In other words, David is saying, Im going to give free will sacrifices to You, O God. You remember some sacrifices were offered up in the Old Testament on the occasion of a person making a vow? Let me lean on you with all my heart instead of relying on my own imperfect understanding. He wrote the majority of the Psalms of the Bible including Psalm 18 which we will be digging into over the next month. The LORD answered me: Write down this vision; clearly inscribe it on tablets so one may easily read it. He was so afraid that he began to act insane so that the king of Gath would not turn on him and kill him. I will hold you up with my victorious right hand. It's not easy staying positive when we run into daily trials and tribulations. Philippians 4:13 - I can do all things through him who strengthens me. The good news on today is that scripture declares that nothing that happens to us nor anything that comes against us shall separate us from God's love for us. Bible Talks and Sermons from Kenmore Presbyterian Church in Brisbane, Australia. Glory to the newborn king; But if we are biblical and we believe in Gods sovereignty and mans responsibility, we will remember that though God appoints His purposes in His decree, He chooses to work out that decree in accordance with means. In addition to that, the places where he escaped to were not always safe either. No attempt has been made, however, to alter the basic extemporaneous delivery style, or to produce a grammatically accurate, publication-ready manuscript conforming to an established style template. Our text this morning shows us how. And that's beside the specific topic of friendship cited earlier. For if you hold on, your change will come. 2. Now, before we turn to Psalm 54 and read it and hear it proclaimed, lets look to God in prayer and ask for Gods Spirit to illumine our hearts as we hear His word. J. Ligon Duncan January 30, 2004. He impressed these words on my heart, When its time to go, Ill let you know.. God help me. David knew he could not defeat an army of that size, especially since he knew those men since he had fought with them and had even been their commander. Galatians 2:16, Denomination: Remembering God's love in the midst of deep trials. There are sometimes when we do not know how to pray, but we always know how to pray when God has made us a promise. I manifested Thy name to the men whom Thou gavest Me out of the world. And then look forward to verse 11, And I am no more in the world; and yet they themselves are in the world, and I come to Thee. (Psa. 4:4. Josh Squires serves as pastor of counseling and congregational care at First Presbyterian Church in Columbia, South Carolina. And so what you think of Gods sovereignty and mans responsibility will manifest itself in the way that you pray. "Rather, cling tightly to the Lord your God as you have done until now.". As the singer moves into the verses, we learn about the struggle. Well, you see it right there in verse 1, Save me, O GodVindicate me by what? You may know that the Lord loves you, but do you know that he likes you also? Without the leading, help and encouragement from the Holy Spirit no one can overcome their hidden faults. Perhaps you have heard the song, Lord Help Me To Hold Out. It is a call for perseverance in the midst of the storms of life. If youll do that, tree by tree, soon enough youll find yourself at the top of the mountain., For those in the midst of terrible suffering, looking for hope can be like looking at the top of the mountain, staring at it from the bottom. Brian Bill Allow me to give a short exhortation of this verse that will give us encouragement and upliftment that we need. "John, what exactly is the problem and please calm down? Apostolic. Assembly Of God. . It is about the Lords help and three kinds of living in Christ. The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer, my God, my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold. (v.2). the end of a thing than the beginning thereof: and the patient in spirit is better than the proud in spirit" (Eccl. Psalms 118:7 - The LORD taketh my part with them that help me: therefore shall I see my desire upon them that hate me. David didnt cry out to just any God. Even in light of these dire circumstances, David is pleading for Gods help in accordance with the promise of God. It doesnt ask for the removal of storms, but it only asks that God would help the singer to hold on until my change comes. MY DELIVERY WAS FASTER THAN YOURS." Secondly, it teaches us that we are to preach the person of God to ourselves in prayer. Amen. David, Im going to protect you from your enemies. But here in a tight spot, David is lifting up a prayer back to God that God will do what God has already said that He would do in His word. I want to hold Save me, O God, by Your name, vindicate me by Your power. Sanctify in Your truth. This enemy is too strong for you. This Psalm is also about David being betrayed, but it has a bitter poignancy; because whereas in Psalm 52 he was betrayed by an Edomite, in Psalm 54 he has been betrayed by his own tribe. Keep this word of God in your hearts:If you shall ask anything in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ that shall he do.If you believe you shall receive.Knock and the door shall be open unto you. Fear and its companion, Anxiety, can be debilitating. ", Fear Not The story of David is one of the most legendary of all time. The woman could not have kept on her plea if she had not fully believed that the Lord both could and would help her. His aid, his helper, his ally came and when he came he rolled up Napoleons forces. Do you know the feeling of being afraid for your life? On one occasion David escaped from Saul and went to the country of the Philistines to a city called Gath. I loved Tim Dilena's recent sermon on this topic. 6 Willingly I will sacrifice to Thee; I will give thanks to Thy name, O Lord, for it is good. The Lord is your shield against the work of the enemy when it hits close to home. When says that God is his rock, he is referring to a rocky cliff which is so high up that an enemy is unable to get to him. His words found in Psalm 18 show us how he responded to it and came through to the other side. You remember when Napoleons armies were pounding all day long at Waterloo against Wellington and his 70,000 multinational troops that had been gathered at the spur of the moment to fight against Wellington? Yet, he sent himself to take care of your sin problem because he takes joy in you and wants you for himself for all eternity. Too many people are frustrated, discouraged and disillusioned when they do not get their prayers answered. When David fled from Saul, he stopped at a village called Nob, the city of priests, to ask for help from a priest named Ahimelech. And shes had a long attachment with this congregation. 2. He didnt cry out to the universe. I think that most of us dont expect to have enemies, especially like David had. David goes on to say that the Lord is his fortress. Do you remember what He prays in the high priestly prayer? During those times, we wait patiently on . Keep your servant also from willful sins; may they not rule over me." Sermon by 1. On the morning of the infamous march, a drill instructor spoke to the soldiers. The greatest harm that the evil one can do against us is to keep us from knowing the truth about the Lord and his great love for us and his plan for our life and eternity. When Saul heard that Ahimelech had helped David, he had him killed along with 84 other priests. Hebrews 12:1, 2 Corinthians 12:9. The prospect of death. read more, Scripture: Endurance assumes difficulty. By the way, isnt that another picture in the Old Testament of the sovereignty of God? This enemy is too strong for you. I am freely, unconstrainedly going to worship You from a heart of gratitude that glories in giving praise to the God who has delivered.. 1. December 10-11, 2016 3 For strangers have risen against me and violent men have sought my life; they have not set God before them. Im not sure about you, but I We are continuing through the Second Book of the Psalms now on Wednesday evenings. God comes as the helper of His people. One does not have to endure that which is not bitter. He restores my soul. These simple sermon outlines are suitable for 10 or 15 minute Wednesday night devotionals or to use as sermon ideas. Satan would have you believe that God is inept or incapable that your suffering somehow falls outside of his providential care. Once you begin to call on the Lord for help, you will start to know in your own personal experience the same thing that David knew to be true and wrote down for us in the psalm. Sermon by Rick Crandall Learn how your comment data is processed. Instead, it is the condition of our heart. I want to praise You anyway because of who You are and because of what Youve done. David pleads Gods promises; he preaches the person of God to himself; and he praises God gladly for who He is and what He does. Secondly, he continues to reflect on the character of God in verse 4, The Lord is the sustainer of my life. Now this is a glorious phrase. Knowing Satans game plan to rob us of the heavenly fruit of our horrible suffering, though, helps us to persevere in the most difficult times into a hope that is eternal and cannot be put to shame. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing." Too many people forget the mighty works that God has done in the past for us. This is how were to respond in all the difficult circumstances of life. Help Lord, I'm Tired. He didnt just have to cry out to the Lord for help against Saul one time. Hes been anointed by God as king, but he is determined not to snatch that kingship away from Saul. If you are in the waiting period between your cry for help to the Lord and the Lords response, let me encourage you that the Lord knows where you live. For the next 4 weeks we are looking at scriptures which tell us not to fear. Third, Satan wants us to lose sight of our sovereign Savior. The Lord Jesus said, "I am the vine; you are the branches. Satan loves to use our suffering in this way. Youre the aid of Your people. He was constantly on the run, much of the time in fear for his life. Secondly, in verses 4 and 5 we see Davids meditation on the person and deeds of God. God allows this to happen to us, and others, to encourage faith, which allows for our spiritual growth. Of this we may be assured, when man cries, out of the depths, his cry, "Lord, help me," God will answer, out of his heavens, "I will help thee." The associations of the ancient goel, or family . Revelation 3:11 second coming reward patience. An enemy is someone who wants harm to come to you either by their own action or by someone elses. All of these are lies. This view is difficult to square with our Saviors own passionate, sweat-soaked, sleepless plea on the eve of his crucifixion, If it is possible, let this cup pass from me (Matthew 26:39). I was very confused and could not settle on anything. Jesus at this point shows up in the middle of the storm walking on the sea- Peter realising it was master 1. John 15:1-27. First of all, this Psalm teaches us that we are to plead Gods promises in whatever circumstances. Would you stand for Gods blessing? There are promises of God that assures us that there is nothing to fear, nothing to worry. I am now realizing just how important it is for me to re-anchor myself in Him His word, His presence and His people. We started last autumn working through the Second Book of the Psalms at Psalm 42, and we made our way . David in this section turns to the character of God, and he begins to remind himself of who God is. If not, then perhaps today is the day when that all changes for you. Listen on Spotify. How about making an important phone call, and all you get is a machine. Whats in your heart makes a big difference as to where you go when you are in trouble. Its a prayer for two things: David wants rescue and David wants vindication. Yes, he knows your sin and the hard places of your heart. OPENING: - The other day while driving down the road I passed a billboard that said, Help is here then another said, For lifes unexpected moments Help is here! It doesn't ask for the removal of storms, but it only asks that God would help the singer to hold on until "my change" comes. Saul was a jealous man who was more concerned about what the people thought than what God thought. 95 likes, 1 comments - Leading The Way (@ltworg) on Instagram: "Is fear standing in your way of accomplishing great things for God? These fears can become so out of control that our lives can, without even realizing it, become run by fear instead of by the Lord and his will for us. If we believe that we are responsible and that prayer is an instrument of Gods purposes but we dont adequately believe in Gods sovereignty, well begin to think that our prayers changed the mind of God in the course of history apart from Gods will. Surrounded by all his foes, hes saying, God, Youre my helper. The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. Heb 10:20 by a new and living way opened for us through the curtain, that is, his body, The enemy of our souls wants to bring us down into the pit with him, but the Lord wants to lift us up far from the reach of our enemy. Even in light of these dire circumstances, David is pleading for Gods help in accordance with the promise of God. But youll find in the Old Testament when those sorts of phrases are usedHear my prayer, O God, Give ear to the words of my mouththey are designed to indicate the urgency of the need. read more, Scripture: keep them within your heart. Ahimelech gave him some food and also the sword of Goliath which was being kept there. In the beginning of the Psalm David appeals to God to hear him because of Gods name, His character, His reputation; now he praises God because of His name, His reputation, and character, and he says, Your name, O God, is good. And in verse 7 he gives thanks to God because God has delivered him from trouble and enemies. read more, Scripture: If Satan can keep our self-talk from becoming God-talk, then he can continue to wreak havoc in our lives. No one asks the radiant, newly engaged couple how they are enduring their betrothal. He was in danger continually for years. Its not the Syrians. May He add His blessing to it. Saul was so jealous of David that he actively sought to end his life. Evangelical/Non-Denominational. Psalm 52 was a Psalm about David being betrayed, in that case by an Edomite, by a descendent of Esau, by one who was of the nation of Edom. Its just sometimes we wake up and realize it, and unfortunately some of the few times that we wake up and realize it is when we are in those sharp circumstances. But test them all; hold on to what is good, reject every kind of evil. Lets start off with the first one. 1. That would be an unrealistic view for we all know about the pains of life. So when someone stands up and says, Friends, Romans, countrymen, lend me your ears, that may sound a little stilted and idiomatic but its designed to say, Hey, Im getting ready to say something very important. Give ear unto my prayer, and hear my cry, O God, is a phrase which is designed to indicate the urgency of what David is asking, and it shows David in the posture of a dependent supplicant. This song doesnt sugar coat reality like we sometimes do. You will never be in the same kind of situation that David was in where an army is pursuing you and trying to kill you. Now is that a contradiction? Sermons Topics Themes Library . O Lord, my God, help me to trust you with my decisions and my future. God bottles every tear that his people have shed (see Ps. Psalm 27:10, NLT Even if my father and mother abandon me, the LORD will hold me close. He then shows us just how strong he is on our behalf and how much he loves us. Oh yeah, Ill tell you somethin Copyright 2003-2023 | Outreach, Inc., All rights reserved. And in verse 6 David tells us that he is going to give thanks to God because of His name. I was standing in the back of the bus going to our next concert. It is one of the best expressions of faith. He not only loves you unconditionally. Yet, through this bumpy road a few things have become very clear for me. You mean that that cancer diagnosis that I just got is good for me? I am one of the preachers in my local parish. I can do anything. Acts 27:18-44 She lives in another state now but she asks a very good question. OBJECTIVES: Each hearer should be able to quote the Scripture Ref: and state why his Past, Present and Future give him reason to rejoice! Now let me pull back again and say, David is here pleading promises that God has already made to him. We will have struggles in this life. It is a call for perseverance in the midst of the storms of life. and just hold on to the promises of God. In this life we encounter troubles of many kinds. And yet, there is the promise. People are not your enemy. One day in 1944, during WWII, a woman was in her kitchen doing her normal tours. All through the real heartache of suffering. And the messengers came and showed it to the men of Jabesh . He will rescue you, whether by one way or another, whether by medications and counseling and support teams or by prayer and supernatural touch or a combination of all those things. And our lives today are filled with a combination of hope And when we turn to Psalm 54 we see a direct connection, not with Psalm 53 but with Psalm 52.
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