Hope In The Battle Series

SUMMER IN THE PSALMS

WEEK 2 - HOPE IN THE BATTLE

Pastor Timothy Porter

Text: Psalms 27:1-6

INTRODUCTION:

So they tell you choose your battles. Let your kids play the music too loud every once in awhile. Choose your battles.

Don't get tripped up over little things. Choose your battles.

?The question I wanna ask today, and I guess you could use it as a title for the message is it's wise to choose your battles when you can. But what do you do when your battle chooses you?

What do you do when something shows up on your door step and it's not from Amazon and you didn't order it?

What do you do when the devil drops something off for you to deal with that you did not directly cause, choose, or definitely anticipate?

?As I read the words of this psalm, I see the imagery of battle being portrayed in these verses. Words like “enemies” and “foes” in verse 2; “host” in verse 3; “war” in verse 3; and “enemies” in verse 6 all speak of warfare. Phrase like “though an host encamp against me”, verse 3; and “though war should rise against me”, verse 3 speak of a battle being waged against David. It appears that he is in a difficult situation. Yet, it is also very clear from reading these verses that even in the midst of the battles he is fighting, David still has "HOPE IN THE BATTLE"

HOW DO WE KEEP HOPE IN THE BATTLE?

1.) OUR POISE IN JESUS DISPENSES HOPE

Poise = Confidence

David starts this Psalm with a declration of his faith in the Lord

How do I know this ? Look at the word "MY" - David has a pesonal relationship with the Lord.

?A personal relationship is the foundation of Hope.

This is why David has such grate Poise

Look at what he says about their relationship. He says the Lord is my:

a.] Light - Jesus delivers people from darkness

b.] Salvation - Jesus delivers people from damnation

c.] Strength - Jesus delivers people from defeat

When we have grate poise in who Jesus is - we will have poise in what He does

We like David should declare that our present hope in the Lord rests upon that which the Lord has done for us in the past. God did not fail David nor has He failed you, and He will not fail us today.

That same poise is ours today! The God we serve is unchangeable,

Mal. 3:6

He is the same God with the same power that He has always been. He has never, and He will never change. Because He has been faithful in the past, we can count on His being faithful now.

? Think of all the things He has done

the victories He has won

the enemies He has vanquished

the mountains He has moved

Think on these things and remember that the God who performed countless wonders in the past is still that same God today!

That should give you hope!

2.) Our Pledge to the Lord Dispences Hope

(v. 4)

We got the world, the flesh, and the devil. That's from 1 John.

That's your enemy. The world, the flesh, and the devil. That's the values that oppose your purpose the world.

The flesh, that's the patterns that oppose your purpose

the devil. That is the principality that opposes your purpose.

You could fight one, but how do you fight the devil when your fighting your own flesh? How do you fight the world when actually there's a part of you that wants to do it like the world?

You can fight one, but you can't fight 'em all, they're bigger than you.

How do I raise kids in a culture where the information of the history of the universe is in their pocket?

How do I have a sex talk with kids when they don't have to go to a gas station to see pornography, they can do it right beside their Bible app?

The nature of the battle determines the nature of the strategy.

?When you don't understand the nature of the battle, you will not understand the nuance of the strategy.

So you will fight the battle, not understanding the dynamics of the battle, and you will lose the battle because you will wrestle on the wrong level.

Can I preach a little bit today?

This is for the people that you are facing something that snuck up on you. and it's bigger than you. You are like I don't know which one to fight next.

?Notice David never focuses on his enemies ! The focus is not on the enemy! It's on the deliverier!

This is the stragety to keep hope in the battle = living faithful to the Lord provides a measure of hope that cannot otherwise exist.