Psalm 16 (7/10/16 PM)
? What have you inherited from someone? Is it meaningful to you, and why?
Tonight I want us to consider Psalm 16. It’s a Psalm that talks about an inheritance and a portion and boundary lines, but it really has SO much more for us to consider.
The Psalm starts out with a title - A miktam of David. And if you know what a miktam is, you are smarter than other bible scholars! No one really knows for sure. It might be a musical title, it might mean a psalm worth inscribing on a pillar; it might mean a “golden” psalm - one worth memorizing and remembering. We’re not sure. But let’s pray that God would speak to us through this Psalm.
Prayer - read psalm
The first thing we see in this psalm is a cry for God to keep us safe. There doesn’t seem to be any pressing or immediate danger mentioned in this psalm - so it probably isn’t mentioned from the aspect of “delivering us” from trouble; but rather the ongoing safety that God provides. Let’s remember that far too often we take for granted that God is watching over us. When something bad happens to us, then we cry out to God. But every day we should cry out thanking God for His faithful, continual watching over us.
This psalm is really a testimony of faith. David says, “in you I take refuge.” In all the problems he faced, David was able to find strength in the Lord. How did he do that? He started out from his youth doing that. When he watched the flock, and a lion or bear came, he cried out to God and God delivered him. Older years, running from God, his friend Jonathan came and helped him to find strength in God. It was a pattern of David’s life.
Throughout the scripture we see this idea that God is a rock, a refuge, a shield, a stronghold, an ever-present help, he is our song, the one in whom we delight. In the midst of threat and fear, David found security in his relationship with his God. He had “intimacy” with God. As a result of that, David was free to seek to be all that God had for him to be.
I want to look at this Psalm thinking about using our gifts in the body. Now, I’ll admit that I don’t think that David was thinking of “spiritual gifts” as he wrote this Psalm, but rather about the general concept of faithfully, joyfully serving the Lord. But I think we can take the truth here and apply it to our relationships within the body. So what do we learn?
*Ministry focuses on what God can do, not on what we can do - We see David declaring in verse 2 - “You are my Lord; apart from you I have no good thing.” This was not just David’s humility, but his understanding of his total reliance upon God. This very God whom he had declared to be his rock and fortress.
We talked in SS this morning about John 15 - the vine and the branches - apart from God we can do nothing. Here again is this same idea. God is the source of all our focus on ministry. It doesn’t matter what we might attempt to do, if God is not in it, we will surely fail.
David saw God take him from a humble shepherd boy, the youngest in his family, and give the kingdom of Israel over to him. And it was not because of anything David did, but because his heart was right before God. David knew that just as God brought the kingdom, He also could take it away. That’s what he did with Saul.
As we think about using the gifts God has given to us, let’s not let it build pride in our hearts at what WE can do, but let’s remember that GOD is the one who receives the glory, for He is the one doing the work.
*The focus of ministry is building up the body, not building up ourselves. In verse 3, we see David delighting in the saints in the land. What is a “saint”? It’s not some pious person who reads the Bible by candlelight through the wee hours of the night. Rather a saint is a Christian, a believer in Christ - 1 Corinthians 1:2 tells us - “Unto the church of God which is at Corinth, to them that are sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints, with all that in every place call upon the name of Jesus Christ our Lord, both theirs and ours.”
David’s delight is in the people of God. When David’s son Solomon became king, God came to him and said, Solomon, ask me for anything you want. And in 2 Chronicles 1:10 we see his reply - Give me wisdom and knowledge, that I may lead this people.
Far too often our lives are focused on ourselves. And that is pride, it is selfishness, it is sin. The early church had a communal approach to ministry. If anyone had a need, the body met that need. If anyone had a want--tough. If anyone would not work, he wouldn’t eat. But when true need existed, the body worked together.
Let’s remember that the purpose of using our gifts is not just to serve - it’s not just to focus on ourselves - it’s for the good of the whole body. And as a body, when we seek to minister to one another’s needs, it will bless the whole body. We will see others strengthened, which in turn will encourage the whole body, which will build our unity, which will strengthen the witness and testimony we hold.
*Holiness is essential for effective ministry - Look in verse 4 - The sorrows of those will increase who run after other gods. I will not pour out their libations of blood or take up their names on my lips. David lived in a society totally permeated by idol worshipers. While the Jews faithfully worshiped YHWH under David’s leadership, following David they were led into worshiping the gods of the nations around them. Remember that is why God punished them and allowed the nation to fall. But David was a man after God’s own heart. He was committed to only worshiping God. But remember that even David fell, not to idolatry, but to adultery.
Satan would love to tear this church apart by whatever means he can do it. He wants you to be critical of one another. He wants you to go out to lunch with someone and criticize the pastor and elders. He wants you to pay no attention to the message and just be content coming out only on Sunday mornings. Satan doesn’t want you serving or even discovering what your gifts are. He wants you weak, ineffective, and powerless. Anything Satan can do to wipe out Christians, he will do.
In war, often a strategy used is not to kill the enemy, but to mortally wound them, so it takes two others to pull them away from the battle lines. Satan is going to try to attack us any way he can, and he’ll try to get others sidetracked in the process. That’s why we need to be so very carefully to prioritize holiness in our lives.
There is NOTHING in our lives more important than holiness! Nothing! But when I say that, most of us would agree, but we don’t know what it looks like. So, what is holiness, and how do we get it? Holiness is the idea that our life is “set apart” - the root of the word holy -- to following God. What God tells us, we will do. What God tells us not to do, we will not consider. Sin is not an option! We saw that today in John 14 also - If you love me, keep my commands.
David has committed that he will not let himself do anything that would hinder his worship of God.
He won’t even call on the name of pagan idols from his lips. May we also so the same passion for holiness.
To quickly recap - We focus on God working through us, building the body, by our holy lives. Next,
*Our gift mixes are chosen by God - By gift mix, I mean that each of us is given a mix of gifts - normally more than one, maybe two or three gifts that are especially strong in us - but the gifts we get is not our choice. That was the problem at Corinth - everyone wanted the “sensational” gifts. But they were not content with the gifts that their heavenly father gave them. David writes here is verse 5 - LORD, you have assigned me my portion and my cup; you have made my lot secure. David knew his position - a man anointed king, but yet a man waiting to receive that kingdom - that is exactly where God had placed him. When he had the chance to kill Saul, he refused to put his hand against the anointed of God. He was content to be in the place of God’s choosing. In thinking about how we serve, God chooses the gifts we get.
*It is a joy to serve as the person we were created to be - Verse 6 - The boundary lines have fallen for me in pleasant places; surely I have a delightful inheritance. Whenever we live according to the way God created us, we can be truly joyful. Whenever we struggle to fill a “hole” in a program, we end up ineffective, burned out, and resenting the fact that we “have” to be involved. But when we serve in the area of our gifting, doing that which God has equipped us to do, we find great joy.
It would be ideal for everyone in the church to have just one or two key ministries where you serve, and to devote yourself to serving well in those areas.
*God develops our gifts through use and experience. When we use our gifts, we will grow in the level of skill and mastery of our gifts. David writes in verse 7 - I will praise the LORD, who counsels me; even at night my heart instructs me. God gave David wisdom and direction in leading. He grew as a leader by leading. Romans 12 instructs us, In Christ we who are many form one body, and each member belongs to all the others. We have different gifts, according to the grace given us. If a man’s gift is prophesying, let him use it in proportion to his faith. If it is serving, let him serve; if it is teaching, let him teach; if it is encouraging, let him encourage; if it is contributing to the needs of others, let him give generously; if it is leadership, let him govern diligently; if it is showing mercy, let him do it cheerfully. The important thing is not what your gift is, but whether you are using your gift. To use it in the strength God provides. 1 Peter 4 reminds us, Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others, faithfully administering God’s grace in its various forms. If anyone speaks, he should do it as one speaking the very words of God. If anyone serves, he should do it with the strength God provides, so that in all things God may be praised through Jesus Christ. The more we use our gifts, the more skill we will develop and the easier it will be to use those gifts. When we are active in serving through using our gifts, God expands and blesses those gifts. And then,
*Fruit comes from daily living out who God has created us to be. In the closing verses, David affirms that when we follow the Lord and live according to the person he has created us to be, we will be glad and rejoice. Few things are more frustrating than trying to be somebody you are not. Few things are as fulfilling to be able to live and serve in the area of your giftedness. We build upon our strengths. There are many things that we cannot do at Bethel, because we do not have the individuals with those gifts present. But we build on our strengths. When we all get “plugged in” in serving in the area of our giftedness, we will see a great increase in effectiveness, a great joy to the whole body, and great glory coming to God.
In closing, let me ask just a few questions:
*Do you want to be used by God?
*Are you focused on meeting the needs of others, or do you focus only on yourself?
*How is God leading you to be involved in serving?
- When we serve God is His strength, we find joy, and the whole body of Christ is blessed.
Let’s pray that God will guide us and expand our gifts.
Let’s Pray.
