SERMON TITLE: Psalm 27
TEXT: Psalm 27:1-14
SPEAKER: Jon McKanna
DATE: 2/22-23/2020
Good evening everyone, if you are a guest with us or maybe joining us from our Bowling Green Campus, my name is Jon and I’m the Campus Pastor and Worship Leader at our North Main Campus, it’s great to be with you tonight. I’m excited and of course a bit nervous as this is my first time teaching here at Gateway. But I’m also very thankful. It is great to be sharing from God’s Word with each of you tonight.
Good morning everyone my name is Jon and I’m the Campus Pastor and Worship Leader at our North Main Campus, it’s great to be with you this morning. I want to make sure I also welcome our Bowling Green Campus, those who may be joining us online, and of course my favorite people at Gateway Church, the North Main Campus. I’m excited and of course a bit nervous as this is my first weekend teaching here at Gateway. And it is great to be sharing from God’s Word with each of you today.
Next weekend we will be jumping back into our series, Finding Jesus. This time around we will be studying in the Minor Prophets. So make sure you are back with us for one of our six services between the three campuses.
Last week Pastor Robert was in Psalm 26 and spoke to us about being vindicated by God. This weekend we are going to be taking a look at Psalm 27, so go ahead and turn there in your bibles. While you are doing that, I can give you the little information we have about Psalm 27. It is written by David. That’s about all we know. Unfortunately as we read through the details of his current circumstances and troubles, it is descriptive of different seasons in David’s life. More than once he had enemies seeking to ruin him, even to kill him. So we really don’t know when David wrote this. But we do know the circumstances are not good. In fact they are quite alarming as his life could be in danger. So let’s jump into our text, Psalm 27.
1 The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life; of whom shall I be afraid? 2 When evildoers assail me to eat up my flesh, my adversaries and foes, it is they who stumble and fall. 3 Though an army encamp against me, my heart shall not fear; though war arise against me, yet I will be confident. 4 One thing have I asked of the Lord, that will I seek after: that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to gaze upon the beauty of the Lord and to inquire in his temple. 5 For he will hide me in his shelter in the day of trouble; he will conceal me under the cover of his tent; he will lift me high upon a rock. 6 And now my head shall be lifted up above my enemies all around me, and I will offer in his tent sacrifices with shouts of joy; I will sing and make melody to the Lord. 7 Hear, O Lord, when I cry aloud; be gracious to me and answer me! 8 You have said, "Seek my face." My heart says to you, "Your face, Lord, do I seek." 9 Hide not your face from me. Turn not your servant away in anger, O you who have been my help. Cast me not off; forsake me not, O God of my salvation! 10 For my father and my mother have forsaken me, but the Lord will take me in. 11 Teach me your way, O Lord, and lead me on a level path because of my enemies. 12 Give me not up to the will of my adversaries; for false witnesses have risen against me, and they breathe out violence.13 I believe that I shall look upon the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living! 14 Wait for the Lord; be strong, and let your heart take courage; wait for the Lord! (Psalm 27:1-14, ESV)
I’ve been preparing to teach this weekend and studying through this passage for a while now. If I had any free time at home or at work, I would read through it again in a different translation or even in a different place. Right away there were a couple of things that stood out to me. The first thing is David’s use of personal adjectives and pronouns. In these 14 verses, David uses the words me, my, and I a total of 47 times. It’s obvious to me that what David is sharing with us is very personal. It’s very real to him. He is allowing us to see into his life and into his relationship with God.
Another thing that is very evident in reading through this chapter, whether you read through it one time or fifteen times, is the topic of fear. It’s a topic that isn’t reserved just for this chapter though. In fact, the word fear or word group most commonly associated with fear is found 581 times in the Bible. But while it may be familiar to us or even to David, what is it really? - What is fear? - One definition for fear is “Natural emotional response to a perceived threat to one’s security or general welfare. It ranges in degree of intensity from a sense of anxiety or worry to one of utter terror.” ( Clendenen, E. R. (2003). Fear. In C. Brand, C. Draper, A. England, S. Bond, & T. C. Butler (Eds.), Holman Illustrated Bible Dictionary (p. 562). Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers.) Another definition found in Alex Niles’ article, “What is Fear?” posted by Psychology Today, “...fear is an emotional response induced by a perceived threat that causes a change in brain and organ function, as well as in behavior.” Fear is something that can be very powerful even to the point of changing our behavior and the function of our organs.
Those are just the things that stuck out to me as I prepared. I could see the personal nature of what David is sharing with us and the topic of fear. But I wanted another viewpoint on the chapter. So one night it was just my son Cooper and I at home together and I sat down at the table to read. I asked him to come to the table and read too so I could have some peace and quiet, which is not something typical of our home! On any given night, there are 3-6 kids in the house, one basketball game being played and color commentated at the same time (just inside the front door) by one or two boys, the girls are talking about horses and making grand plans to one day run their own ranches and then chances are really good that a certain blonde headed Borsay child has found her way over to our house and she is asking me the many deep philosophical questions she has about life. Let me be clear, Kasey and I wouldn’t have it any other way.
But this night, for whatever the reason, it was just Cooper and I, peace and quiet was something that could be achieved. He came to the table. When he was done reading his own devotional, I asked him if he could read through Psalm 27 for me. His immediate response was, “THE WHOLE CHAPTER?” His level of emotion came down a few notches once he realized it was only 14 verses long. After reading through it I asked him what he thought about it, what stuck out to him. He said that it was “a lot of questions and a lot of imperatives.” A lot of imperatives! Did I mention that he’s 10 and in the 5th grade? It’s ok, I am fully aware that he gets his brains from his mom!
Cooper and I read through the first three verses again. I was able to explain that David isn’t asking these questions in hopes of getting some response. He’s actually using rhetorical questions to get his point across. Also we noticed that while there was definitely a mention of fear and there were circumstances that could very easily cause fear, David was not consumed by fear. Let’s read through the first three verses again.
1 The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life; of whom shall I be afraid? 2 When evildoers assail me to eat up my flesh, my adversaries and foes, it is they who stumble and fall. 3 Though an army encamp against me, my heart shall not fear; though war arise against me, yet I will be confident. (Psalm 27:1-3, ESV)
Notice how the enemy, the threat, or the trouble David is facing seems to grow in verse two and three. It quickly goes from a small group of people, to a much larger army, and eventually to an all out war against David. It starts with an enemy that he has the potential to fight off on his own. But then it turns into something that he can’t face alone. In fact it is something that he alone cannot overcome or even survive.
As we walk through life, things like this can happen so quickly. It all starts when something goes wrong at home as we’re trying to get everyone ready and out the door on time for school and work. You eventually get there and then that one conversation happens or you get that email that just adds to the frustration and the fear of what is next. This is followed by a call from the school because one of your kids have forgotten their science project that is due today and they need you to bring it to school before 5th period. Or maybe you’re the college student that was up all night finishing an assignment and barely make it to class on time after sleeping through your alarm - only to find that you left your assignment back at the house (which of course will account for 25% of your grade this semester) and you can’t simply call mom and dad to bring it to class for you...you get the picture right - many of you have been in similar situations this past week. Things just seem to snowball and the circumstances we are facing in life seem to overwhelm us so quickly. Whether real or perceived, we feel that everyone and everything is standing against us and fear can easily creep in. There are days we feel like life is an all out war that we’re simply trying to survive.
Back to our text. While those are the current circumstances, David ends these three verses with the statement, “yet I will be confident.” Even when he is surrounded by darkness, by people that in verse 2 he is comparing to savage beasts, wanting to literally tear him from limb to limb. Even though in verse 3 his enemy is very powerful and great in number. Still David has this great confidence. Why? He actually starts the passage with the answer. David has this confidence because of Who God is and all that He has done for him. David has a history with God. He reveals to us how personal this relationship between him and God, his Heavenly Father, is. They’ve been through a lot together. They have spent a lot of time together. That’s why David is so confident.
We see him refer to God as, “my light” , “my salvation” and the stronghold of “my life”. These are attributes of God that were very real and present for David. This is who God was to him. And while we can read about David’s life: God’s call on him, His protection over him, His guidance, His correction, His grace...David was the one living it. He knows each and every detail to the countless situations where God was at work in and through his life. And that brings so much more power and so much more meaning to these words.
You see, when David says that God is his light, it’s because he knows that God has shown him a path through the darkness, revealed truth to him, which allows him to see clearly. When David says that God is his salvation, it’s because God has been life saving / life giving in his days as a shepherd, as a warrior, as a king. He is confident that God can and will do those things again. When David says that God is his stronghold, he is showing us that God has been and will continue to be a place of refuge, safety, and protection...in the text, the word stronghold has the idea of a fortified city which is surrounded, protected, and safe from the enemy. Again we can see that there is great meaning in David’s words. We can see how David is able to remain confident.
Let’s read on in verses 4-6:
4 One thing have I asked of the Lord, that will I seek after: that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to gaze upon the beauty of the Lord and to inquire in his temple. 5 For he will hide me in his shelter in the day of trouble; he will conceal me under the cover of his tent; he will lift me high upon a rock. 6 And now my head shall be lifted up above my enemies all around me, and I will offer in his tent sacrifices with shouts of joy; I will sing and make melody to the Lord. (Psalm 27:4-6, ESV)
In these verses, David shows us how to respond to the threat. It all starts with having a strong desire or longing to be with God. It is the ONE THING that he is asking of God and the one thing he is seeking. David longs to be in God’s presence, seeing him clearly and getting to know him more. You see David knew that if he was seeking shelter in God each day, if he was spending each day in his presence, then he would already be with God in those moments of trouble. When the enemy shows up or when troubles come David wouldn’t have to go running to God...he is already with him. While it isn’t going to keep him from the day of trouble, David knows that he will be safe.
Notice what David’s role is, what he had to do. First, he basically stays hidden and trusts God to take care of things. God hides, conceals, and lifts David up. God protects him and takes care of the enemy. This is what we see in verses 5-6. In the midst of the battle David is able to sit back and watch. He really isn’t doing anything. But then just like all the players for the Kansas City Chiefs, who didn’t get in for a single play in the SuperBowl - but get the confetti, the concert seats and backstage passes for Post Malone, the trip to Disney, the championship ring, - David gets to take part in the victory celebration.
As I was reading about God’s role in these verses I couldn’t help but think of my kids, more so when they were younger. I mean how many times would trouble have been prevented if I’d been right there by the side of my kids when “it” happened. I really don’t know what “it” is that happened, but it wasn’t their fault at all and the details are pretty foggy (at least they are at first). However because “it” happened, they needed to come running through the yard, in the back door (leaving the door hanging open of course), and then yell with every ounce of strength they have “DAD!” This is always followed by all of those foggy details about the trouble that has found them being spewed out so fast I have to stop them and the story has to be repeated. Fear has set in! Last but not least they move to the not so foggy detail of how they need dad to take care of “it”. So I tell them to stay inside and I go out to fix whatever has been broken and do whatever else needs done.
We can all laugh at this because it’s real. It’s something many of us have experienced. But it’s also something that should cause us to examine our lives to see how we respond in times of trouble. Are we already with God or do we have to run to Him? Or maybe the trouble started when we started walking away from Him? Do we let Him handle things and then join in the victory celebration or do we run to God after we’ve handled things our way, seeking His blessing on what we’ve done? So many things happen each and every day. Some of them because of decisions we make and others that are completely out of our control. But we find ourselves facing trouble. And if we were just more like David, making God’s presence the one thing we can’t live without and having this desire / longing to be with Him...to know more about Him...to hide in Him knowing that He will win the battle...then the troubles we face would be kept in perspective. We would have the confidence that David has knowing whose presence we are in. We would allow God to guide us through the difficult circumstances we face, no matter how big or how small. And it would be done with a little more ease.
Charles Spurgeon spoke of this longing to know God early on in his ministry in his sermon “The Immutability of God”. He said this, “The proper study of a Christian is the Godhead. The highest science, the loftiest speculation, the mightiest philosophy, which can ever engage the attention of a child of God, is the name, the nature, the person, the work, the doings, and the existence of the great God whom he calls his Father.” This is the most important thing for those who follow Christ. It’s what David is speaking of when he longs to “gaze upon” and “inquire” of God. It’s something that we not only need to long for but it’s something that we have to put effort into. It’s something that will take time.
My kids are great at inquiring. It seems they always have questions. Questions about what I did, what things were like, who did I spend my time with...when I was there age. A lot of times I enjoy going down memory lane and answering those questions, not always. I have even driven them to see the houses where I grew up or where I spent my time as a kid. We’ve been to my old schools, one of which has been torn down, and to the ball diamonds where I spent many many hours growing up. We all love going out to the family farm and kids always have questions about what I did there years ago. Why? Because they want to know more about their dad. They want to know how and why I am who I am today.
We need to have that same longing and desire of God. We need to make it a priority in our day to be with Him, to inquire of Him, to study and know who He is, all that He has done, and what He wants to do in and through us. That way when trouble comes at school, at work, in that relationship, or from that visit to the doctor, we don’t have to go running to God. We won’t have to be completely shaken or paralyzed by fear. Because not only are we with God already, but we know who God is and that He is so much greater than anything that we are facing. We know that He is faithful and He is going to see us through.
Let’s go back to our text, starting in verse 7 and reading through verse 12. 7 Hear, O Lord, when I cry aloud; be gracious to me and answer me! 8 You have said, "Seek my face." My heart says to you, "Your face, Lord, do I seek." 9 Hide not your face from me. Turn not your servant away in anger, O you who have been my help. Cast me not off; forsake me not, O God of my salvation! 10 For my father and my mother have forsaken me, but the Lord will take me in. 11 Teach me your way, O Lord, and lead me on a level path because of my enemies. 12 Give me not up to the will of my adversaries; for false witnesses have risen against me, and they breathe out violence. (Psalm 27:7-12, ESV)
As we read through this section, it appears that David might be experiencing some doubt, even letting fear creep in. He might be going down that slippery slope of “what if’s” as he is assessing his situation. What if God is angry with me? What if God turns his back on me? What if God is just refusing to help me? Maybe things aren’t going the way David is envisioning and so that’s just how he views God’s response. That is so easy to do, isn't it? We get in our minds how and when situations should be taken care of. And then when it doesn’t go according to our plans we can quickly start to question, to fear, and even doubt God.
But David shows boldness and even desperation as he pleads with God. This is where my son was able to see all of the imperatives, right here in these 6 verses. David tells God to hear him, be gracious, answer, hide not, turn not, cast me not off, forsake me not, teach me, lead me, give me not up… As you hear those words you might be asking, How can he do this? Who does he think he is? But what David is doing here is being honest and transparent with God, showing us what his relationship with God is like. In the midst of all his demands he says, “You have said,”...”you who have been my help”...”God of my salvation”. David is reminding himself and even reminding God - not that God has forgotten - but he is reminding God of who He is. He’s saying, “I know who You are. I know what You’ve done.”
As he pleads with God to teach him his ways and to level his path in verse 11, David is showing he knows that God is his light. He’s also showing us a posture of being humble and teachable. He isn’t coming to God with answers, but seeking them. David pleads with God to “cast me not off...forsake me not”, showing he knows that God is life saving / life giving...there is no doubt that God is David’s salvation. So while he may be making what seems to be demands of his heavenly Father, he is actually proclaiming his dependence on Him. David is confessing his need for God. He is once again getting to a place of great confidence in God.
Let’s read on in verses 13-14. 13 I believe that I shall look upon the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living! 14 Wait for the Lord; be strong, and let your heart take courage; wait for the Lord! (Psalm 27:13-14, ESV)
In verse 13 David starts to conclude the psalm by proclaiming that he is going to make it through this. That’s what he means by “in the land of the living”. David shows us that he is once again confident because it’s not something that he simply hopes for or thinks will happen but it’s something that he believes. David is confident that God is going to lead him, save him, and protect him through the circumstances that he finds himself facing. God is going to win the battle he is in.
Then he gives us this instruction, this command. He tells us twice in the final verse to “Wait for the Lord.” Though David didn’t know it, the Lord he was waiting on we know as the Lord Jesus Christ. Jesus is the light he is speaking of in verse one and we see this in John 1 as John the Baptist refers to Jesus as the “true light”. In John 8 verse 12 Jesus said, 12 I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” (John 8:12b, ESV) We also know that salvation, as mentioned by David in verse one, is found only in Jesus. In Acts 4:12 Peter says,
12 And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved. (Acts 4:12, ESV) And just as David acknowledges the Lord as the stronghold of his life - that place of refuge - the place where he can sit back and rest while he watches God win the battle - I can’t help but think of Matthew 11:28-30. That is where Jesus said, “28 Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.” (Matthew 11:28-30, ESV) JESUS is who David is waiting for.
And note that he is speaking of this waiting as something that is imperative. We must wait for Jesus. And in that waiting we need to bestrong and take courage. The words take courage come with the idea of letting our strength grow in the waiting. How do we do this? I think it goes back to David’s desire and that one thing that he was seeking after earlier in the chapter. We need to have a longing to know Jesus more and to spend time with Him. We do that by studying His Word and spending time in prayer every single day. Also by connecting with other believers that Jesus has placed in our lives. It means we need to be in church every week hearing the teaching of Scripture. That’s how we need to be waiting. Is that descriptive of how you wait?
Now I know that some of you are in the middle of circumstances that feel overwhelming, maybe you’ve even lost what felt like a battle. You have survived that battle, but not without scars and it makes this confidence in God something very difficult to hold on to. Or maybe you’ve been waiting for weeks, months, even years for God to win the battle that you’re in and things are not going the way you had planned out in your mind. If you identify with any of those scenarios, I want to offer you some encouragement today.
Not only do we have stories from Scripture, like this one, where we can see Who God is and all that He has done, but we have our own stories. If we take the time to look back through our lives, we can see how God has done the same thing for us. We know each and every detail of all that we’ve been through and whether we’ve realized it or not, it was Jesus that got us through. When we’re connecting with other people on their own faith journey, we can hear their stories. We can see all of the times when Jesus has been that light, that life, and the refuge that they have needed. Most importantly, we can study the Scriptures and be reminded that the ultimate battle, the eternal battle has already been won by Christ on the Cross.
But I know that many times it’s just hard to see that. I know that our eyes can easily get focused on the circumstances surrounding us and our minds can get consumed by fear. We allow ourselves to go down the slippery slope of “what ifs” instead of making Jesus our one desire and being confident in Him. But we need to remember who Jesus is and all that He has done for us and for those around us. We need to remember that Jesus is the light, the salvation, and the stronghold of our lives.
Maybe you’re here today and you’ve recently made it through a battle. While it wasn’t fun and it wasn’t easy, you’ve seen and experienced God’s faithfulness through it all. If that’s you, I would encourage you to be willing to share your story with those He has placed around you, who are facing or will one day face similar trouble. I pray that each and every one of us starts or continues seeking Jesus and spending time in his presence. I pray that we make Jesus our priority, our one desire, so that we are with Him when trouble comes and we’re ready for the battle. So that we can stand confident in Him.
Pray for those:
Pray that we all make Jesus that one thing we can’t live without, placing our confidence in Him.
You can find the notes for this sermon here.
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