[0:00] And of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
[0:30] Amen. Single-mindedness today is not always admired.
[0:43] But in Psalm 27, we see a mountain peak of single-minded trust and faith.
[0:54] One statement after another tumble out. One thing have I desired that I will seek after.
[1:05] To live in the house of the Lord all the days of my life. To behold the beauty of the Lord. This is a supreme expression of a heart's desire.
[1:23] A consuming passion to be in the presence of the Lord God himself. It was thought that this prayer was written at a time of crisis.
[1:38] Because the psalmist, who was probably David, was faced with the wicked. With enemies. With foes. And fears of a hostile army.
[1:52] And war itself was imminent. And there were false witnesses. And those who breathe out violence. It was believed that this psalm was written at a very difficult time.
[2:08] A difficult time for David. As he was, when he was king of Israel. David's son, Absalom, wanted power.
[2:20] He devised a scheme. By which he would make himself look good at the expense of his father. And his method was to suggest that David wasn't a good leader.
[2:33] That David didn't really care for his people. And that if it were possible for Absalom himself to be a judge in the land. Everyone would get justice.
[2:47] So on the outside. It seemed that Absalom really cared for the people. But inwardly. He was manipulating the situation to his own advantage.
[2:59] By questioning the leadership of David. He stole the hearts of the people. By going to extremes to help them.
[3:11] When the motive was really to build up a following for himself. After months of this subterfuge.
[3:22] Absalom mounted his challenge against David. And David had to flee for his life. Perhaps this morning.
[3:35] There may be some of you here. Who can identify with David. Maybe you have loved ones.
[3:46] Who have rejected you. Perhaps you have poured into them. Poured out so much of your love. And have sacrificed so much for them.
[4:00] But as David had done. His care and his love. Were rejected. And the pain.
[4:12] Of that rejection. Hurts. It hurts terribly. And that's how David must have felt.
[4:23] As he fled from his son. But David doesn't dwell in self-pity. He brings it to God.
[4:35] He brings it to God. No matter how deep the wounds. That our loved ones have inflicted upon us. If we dwell upon it.
[4:46] And refuse to hand it over to God. It will destroy us. And today. Maybe the turning point.
[4:59] For some of us. The turning point. When we focus upon. We stop focusing upon the hurts. Our hurts and rejection.
[5:11] And we bring it to God. We bring it to him. To work out in his own way. And in his own time. Jesus said to all of us.
[5:27] Come unto me. All who labor. And are heavy laden. And I will give you rest. But if we don't come to him.
[5:42] If we don't give him our burdens. There will be no rest. Only continuing turmoil and pain.
[5:53] But David's single mindedness. Keeps him strong. Strong in his suffering.
[6:03] Strong in his battles. He was confident. And the relationship with God. In his confidence.
[6:14] Was an antidote to his fear. And as we look at this psalm. We too can become infected.
[6:26] We too can catch. David's power. Over his circumstances. And the passion. Of David's heart.
[6:40] David has an intensely. Personal faith. And we see it in his use. Of those pronouns. My light. My salvation.
[6:51] And we read in Psalm 23. The Lord is my shepherd. The Lord in David's. Is David's light. In his presence.
[7:04] The darkness of his enemies. And the darkness of his fears. Disperse. And however. God is not just.
[7:15] David's light. He is his salvation. And the word here. Includes ideas. Of deliverance. And rescue.
[7:27] And is the same word. From which the name Jesus comes. The thought. Of the Lord. As his savior. Leads David.
[7:40] To ask. The rhetorical question. Whom. Whom. Whom. Shall I fear. Since the Lord. Will rescue him. Rescue him.
[7:51] From his foes. There is no reason. To be afraid. And next. David confesses. The Lord.
[8:02] Is the stronghold. Of my faith. And in some versions. We read. The Lord. Is the strength. Of my life. The Lord.
[8:14] Protects him. His confession. Is followed. Again. By a rhetorical question. Of whom. Shall I be afraid. Faith.
[8:27] Or fear. Faith. Or fear. Fear. These are our. Options too. Either we know.
[8:39] The living God. As our light. As our savior. As our salvation. As our strength. Either we know that.
[8:52] Or we move. Towards our final hour. In this world. In fear. And trepidation. The atheist.
[9:04] Philosopher. Bertrand Russell. Put it this way. The older I get. The more nervous. I become. But in contrast.
[9:16] Two weeks. Before his death. Pope John. The 23rd. Said. My bags. Are packed. And I'm ready. To go. And now.
[9:30] In verse. Three. When David. Is faced. By an army. And war. Is rising. Against him. His heart. Will not. Be gripped. With fear.
[9:42] Enemy. Troops. May march. But if. Such a threat. Could come. As it often. Did. In David's life. He. Will. Be confident. He.
[9:52] Will. Be confident. And that word. Confident. Here. Means. To feel. Secure. To be. Unconcerned. To feel.
[10:02] Secure. And unconcerned. And this. Security. Comes. From the Lord. But more than the deliverance.
[10:14] Of the Lord. Is the Lord. Himself. David. Now. Turns. In verse 4. To his.
[10:25] Single minded. Longing. Of his heart. And he. Describes. The passion. Of his heart. In three ways. He.
[10:36] Wants. To live. In the Lord's house. He. Wants. To behold. The Lord's. Beauty. And he. Wants. To inquire. Of the Lord.
[10:47] He. Wants. To live. Where God lives. To spend his life. In his presence. Which will allow him. To be constant. In worship.
[11:01] And for us. This desire. Is fulfilled. In Jesus Christ. He. Has called us.
[11:12] To abide in him. And promises. To abide. In us. In us. We read that in. John 15. Verse 4. The Greek word.
[11:25] Or the Greek verb. For abide. Means to dwell. It means to remain. So when we come to Jesus.
[11:36] And receive his spirit. We live before him. We dwell in him. And his presence. And his presence. Remains with us. For eternity.
[11:49] This is the abandoned life. That Jesus gives to us. We read in John. Chapter 10. Verse 10.
[12:00] To dwell in the house of the Lord. Then for us. Is not to live in the temple. In Jerusalem. It is to open. Our hearts door. Open it to Christ.
[12:12] And allow his spirit. To fill us. Unceasingly. And Jesus promises us.
[12:23] The comforter. And the Holy Spirit. To be with you forever. For he dwells with you. And will be in you. As we read in John 14.
[12:35] 16 and 17. Secondly. David seeks. To behold. The beauty. Of the Lord.
[12:47] And we too. Can see. This beauty. But we see it. In the face. Of Jesus. And when we see. His beauty.
[12:58] We see. The beauty. Of the father. And it is. The beauty. Of his. Gracious love. To us. And thirdly.
[13:11] David seeks. To inquire. In his temple. This means. Waiting. Waiting. Waiting. For God's word. And we too.
[13:22] Need to wait. To wait. After we pray. Wait for God. To speak to us. If I just. Chatter to him.
[13:33] And then I walk away. How can I say. That God. Never seems. To speak to me. Because in reality. I am never listening.
[13:47] When I take the time. To open my heart. And open my mind. To God. Often. Something. Will come into my mind.
[13:57] It may be a word. It may be a verse. From scripture. It may be an impression. Or it may be a picture. But God speaks.
[14:10] When we inquire. Of him. In verse five. David sees the consequences. Of his being before the Lord.
[14:22] For he will hide me. In his shelter. In the day of trouble. He will conceal me. Under the cover. Of his tent. Tent means.
[14:35] God's dwelling place. Not only. Is this a place. To see the beauty. Of the Lord. It's also. A place. Of security. As David adds.
[14:48] He will set me. High. On a rock. Worship. Worship though. Is no escape. From battle.
[15:00] But it does. Equip us. For battle. For we seek the Lord's. When we seek the Lord's face. We are hidden. In him. We are hidden.
[15:12] In him. And our enemies. Cannot reach us. For the results. Of the presence of God.
[15:22] And the protection of God. In verse 6. Are first. That David. Will triumph. Over his enemies. And this is the meaning.
[15:33] Of his head. Being lifted up. David. Will offer. Sacrifices. With shouts of joy. Before the Lord. A shout of triumph.
[15:45] A victory cry. The lifting up. Of our head. Expresses victory. And time and time again.
[15:57] During these Olympic games. We've seen. How the defeated. Contestants. And teams. Lower their heads. While the victorious.
[16:08] Rejoice. With their health. Head held high. But God. Can take.
[16:20] Those who are rejected. God can take. Those who are dejected. And he. Will help them. To lift up their heads.
[16:32] By giving them. The victory. Over their enemies. And it's wonderful. To see at times. How whole. Bodily.
[16:43] Attitudes. Of people. Can change. As God. Works. In them. As God. Gives them.
[16:53] The victory. People. With negative. Self images. Have shoulders. Hunched. And heads.
[17:04] Bowed. God. But when they. Experience. The love. Of God. For them. And they. Begin. To realize. That God. Sees them. As being.
[17:15] Significant. And that they. Can hold. Their heads. Up high. And that they. Have been. Forgiven. By God. And that they. Are loved. By God. They.
[17:27] Hold. Their heads. Up high. I've. Even. Heard. Of people. Being. Healed. Of pain. As they. Posture. Improves. When they.
[17:38] Become. Christians. And they. Held. And hold. Their heads. Up high. But David.
[17:49] Like you. And I. Is a human. Being. And he. Follows. The same. Mountaintop. And deep. Valley. Experiences. That we are all.
[17:59] Too familiar. With. David. David. David. David. Faith. Grows. Timid. And fearful. And doubts. Attack him. Will God.
[18:11] Hear him. So he. Pleads. That God. May not. Turn his. Face. Away. Nor his. Servant. Away. In anger. But his.
[18:22] Past. Experience. Of God. Brings him. Back. Quickly. Onto. A sure footing. You. Have. Been. My. Help. He. Says. And then.
[18:33] Follows. A moving. Plea. By him. Do not. Cast. Me. Off. Do not. Forsake. Me. O God. Of. My. Salvation. David.
[18:45] Experiences. The. Uncertainties. Which. All. Of. Us. Feel. In. Times. Of. Trouble. David.
[18:57] Is. Confidence. In. God. Comes. To. The. Fore. Again. And. In. Verse. Thirteen. He. Reveals.
[19:07] The. Strength. Of. His. Faith. David. Will. See. The. Goodness. Of. The. Lord. In. The. Land. Of. The. Living. He.
[19:17] Will. See. The. Goodness. Of. The. Lord. In. The. Land. Of. The. Living. The. Land. Of. The. Living. Is. Israel. Right. Then. Not. Some. Future. Life. Throughout.
[19:28] The. Attack. Of. His. Enemies. David. Lives. In. Hope. Hope. Of. God. Intervention. On. His. Behalf. Leslie.
[19:42] Newbegin. Was. A. Missionary. Statesman. Spent. Many. Years. In. India. But. He. Suggests. That. The. Terminal.
[19:53] Illness. In. The. West. Today. Is. It. Loss. Of. Hope. It. Loss. Of. Hope. He. Finds.
[20:03] This. Clearly. In. Europe. Among. The. Masses. Who. Have. Given. Up. On. The. Future. And. Are. Living. Meaningless. Lives. On. The. Edge.
[20:13] Of. Despair. I. Think. We. In. Australia. See. The. Same. Thing. He. Says. With. The. Exception. Of. Pockets. Of. Christians.
[20:24] He. Senses. An. Atmosphere. Of. Doom. In. The. Air. And. The. Shocking. Thing. About. This. Is. That. Only. A.
[20:35] Generation. Ago. The. West. Palsated. With. The. Hope. That. Reason. That. Technology. Would. Solve.
[20:45] All. Our. Problems. Today. Though. This. Hope. Is. Gone. And.
[20:57] We. Like. David. Need. A. Renewal. Of. Faith. So. That. We. May. Again. See. God's. Goodness. See. God's.
[21:07] Kingdom. In. Our. Day. In. The. Land. Of. The. Living. And. We. Pray. Each. Day. Your. Kingdom. Come.
[21:18] Your. Will. Be. Done. On. Earth. So. We. See. David. Has.
[21:29] The. Single. Minded. Desire. To. Behold. The. Beauty. Of. The. Lord. And. In. The. Minst. Of. His. Trials. He. Turns. To. God. Who. He. Is. Called.
[21:39] To. Seek. His. Faith. David. Instead. Of. Collapsing. In. Self. Pity. Brought. His.
[21:50] Pain. Brought. His. Trials. To. God. And. That's. The. Only. Thing. We. Can. Do. Sometimes. And. It. Is. The. Best. Thing. That. We.
[22:00] Can. Do. David. Believes. That. The. Lord. Will. Help. Him. And. So. He. Affirmed. His. Trust. In. God's.
[22:10] Protection. For. Him. David. Is. Confident. That. God. Will. Act. On. His. Behalf. He. Expected. That. God. Will. Bring. Him. Deliverance.
[22:21] And. So. He. Affirmed. That. In. Prayer. He. Believed. That. God. Would. Vindicate. Him. And. Restore. God.
[22:32] God. God's. God.