Apart From The Lord

Dakota Community Church

October 13, 2013

Apart From the Lord

Psalm 16

Preserve me, O God, for in you I take refuge.

2 I say to the Lord, “You are my Lord; I have no good apart from you.”

3 As for the saints in the land, they are the excellent ones, in whom is all my delight.

4 The sorrows of those who run after another god shall multiply; their drink offerings of blood I will not pour out or take their names on my lips.

5 The Lord is my chosen portion and my cup; you hold my lot.

6 The lines have fallen for me in pleasant places; indeed, I have a beautiful inheritance.

7 I bless the Lord who gives me counsel; in the night also my heart instructs me.

8 I have set the Lord always before me; because he is at my right hand, I shall not be shaken.

9 Therefore my heart is glad, and my whole being rejoices; my flesh also dwells secure.

10 For you will not abandon my soul to Sheol, or let your holy one see corruption.

11 You make known to me the path of life; in your presence there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore.

Let me begin by wishing everyone a Happy Canadian Thanksgiving.

This Psalm contains a clear passage about Jesus and it is also filled with Thanksgiving worthy thoughts for those who are in Christ to reflect on on this special day.

Verse one: God is our refuge.

Verse five: The Lord is our portion and cup and security.

Verse six: The boundary lines have fallen for us in pleasant places, we have a delightful inheritance! (Can I get an amen eh?)

Verse seven: The Lord counsels us.

Verses eight - eleven {Messianic prophesy} Peter quotes this passage in the first gospel sermon.

Acts 2:22-32

“Men of Israel, hear these words: Jesus of Nazareth, a man attested to you by God with mighty works and wonders and signs that God did through him in your midst, as you yourselves know— 23 this Jesus,[d] delivered up according to the definite plan and foreknowledge of God, you crucified and killed by the hands of lawless men. 24 God raised him up, loosing the pangs of death, because it was not possible for him to be held by it. 25 For David says concerning him, “‘I saw the Lord always before me, for he is at my right hand that I may not be shaken; 26 therefore my heart was glad, and my tongue rejoiced; my flesh also will dwell in hope. 27 For you will not abandon my soul to Hades, or let your Holy One see corruption. 28 You have made known to me the paths of life; you will make me full of gladness with your presence.’

29 “Brothers, I may say to you with confidence about the patriarch David that he both died and was buried, and his tomb is with us to this day. 30 Being therefore a prophet, and knowing that God had sworn with an oath to him that he would set one of his descendants on his throne, 31 he foresaw and spoke about the resurrection of the Christ, that he was not abandoned to Hades, nor did his flesh see corruption. 32 This Jesus God raised up, and of that we all are witnesses.

This morning I want us to focus our attention on verse two.

Today is Thanksgiving and in light of that I want to look at four ways that this statement is true.

1. Nothing is ultimately good if it is abstracted from God.

Psalm 16:2

“You are my Lord; apart from you I have no good thing.”

Things are good in a relative sense of course.

God made the world and declared it good - and it is!

How great is this planet as a habitation for man? How much pleasure can be taken from just the changing seasons? Springs new life, the long, warm, days of summer, the crunching of the fall leaves underfoot, and that first white snowfall of winter - good, so good; and yet when God is removed from these good things... not good!

Romans 1:22-25

Claiming to be wise, they became fools, 23 and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images resembling mortal man and birds and animals and creeping things.

24 Therefore God gave them up in the lusts of their hearts to impurity, to the dishonoring of their bodies among themselves, 25 because they exchanged the truth about God for a lie and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever! Amen.

The sun provides all the energy that sustains life on this planet.

God made it and He called it good - and it is!