SERMON OUTLINE:
• (1). We Prepare to Meet the Lord (vs 1-3).
• (2). We Seek to Please the Lord (vs 4-6).
• (3). We Submit to the Lord (vs 7-12).
SERMON BODY:
Ill:
• In the Far East, there is a tree called the Chinese bamboo tree.
• This remarkable tree is different from most trees,
• Because it doesn’t grow in the usual fashion.
• Once planted, one must water, feed and nurture the seed every day.
• It must be placed in an area of sunlight to receive nutrients from the sun.
• And as you do that you wait, and you wait, and you wait!
• For four years there is no evidence of growth.
• For four years there is no evidence of life.
• For four years it seems like one is totally wasting their efforts.
• For four years the Chinese bamboo tree doesn’t break through the ground,
• But then in the fifth year an amazing thing happens;
• The tree begins to grow at an astonishing rate.
• In fact, in a period of just five weeks,
• A Chinese bamboo tree can grow to a height of 90 feet.
• One farmer said:
• “It’s almost as if you can actually see the tree growing before your very eyes.”
• TRANSITION: The older I get;
• The more I am convinced that life often works in a similar way.
• You can work for weeks, months and even years on your dream;
• With no visible signs of progress and then, all of the sudden, things take off.
• Note: The growers of the Chinese bamboo tree have one key element;
• They need ‘faith’
• Faith to believe that if they keep watering and fertilizing the ground,
• Then one day a tree will break through.
• Now their faith is not blind, it is based on previous experience;
• There faith is sourced, rooted in knowledge.
• What has happened in previous years can and will happen again!
Likewise, our faith as followers of Jesus:
• Is not blind or uninformed but rather it is sourced.
• Sourced in the Word of God that reveals to us the God of the Word!
• Past experience and the testimony of others may help and encourage us;
• But ultimately our faith rests;
• In the Word of God that reveals to us the God of the Word!
• Psalm 5 brings to our attention the experience of king David.
• It shows to us how a righteous person prays to God,
• This is a song, ‘A Song for Times of Crises’
• In times of crisis we all pray, Christian and unbeliever,
• The difference is we know who we are praying to and why!
(1). We Prepare to Meet the Lord (vs 1-3)
“Listen to my words, LORD,
consider my lament.
2 Hear my cry for help,
my King and my God,
for to you I pray.
3 In the morning, LORD, you hear my voice;
in the morning I lay my requests before you
and wait expectantly.”
Notice:
• Twice in verse 3 the Psalmist says; “in the morning”
• I like the fact it does not say, ‘Early in the morning’
• Because some people like my wife are morning people.
• And some like me are not!
• Quote: I like what Earl Wilson said:
• “There ought to be a better way of starting the day than having to get up.”
• I’m not a morning person. I’m a tried-and-true night owl.
• In fact, when I was younger, I didn’t realize the sun came up before 9 a.m.!
• I always thought it got up when I did.
Now whether you are a morning person or not – listen to what the psalmist says:
• There is an important biblical theme here when it comes to mornings,
• And not so much in rising early (you can labour that point if you want to),
• But the main point here for me is its symbolism.
• The symbolism.is pictured in the sense of renewal,
• The idea being that every morning brings with it a new day.
Ill:
• I am taking a service in Hawthorne Court Care Home in September,
• A special service that they have never done before,
• A service they are calling, ‘A Celebration of Life’
• A service where the staff and family members can spend a short time,
• Reflecting and giving thanks to God for the lives of their loved ones.
• The manager of the care home has sent me an order of service,
• And the first hymn they want to sing is; “Morning Has Broken”
• If you read the words to that hymn, it ends by saying,
• “Praise with elation, praise every morning, God’s re-creation of the new day.”
• In other words, each day is a re-creation of the new day,
• The first day when God created this world.
Quote:
• Hymn: ‘Great is thy faithfulness’ by Thomas Chisholm
• “Morning by morning new mercies I see;”
• And if we carry that metaphor forward,
• Then not only is the day re-created, but so are we.
• Quote: The apostle Paul who writes these words
• (2 Corinthians chapter 4 verses 16):
“Therefore, we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day.”
• Maybe like me there are a lot of mornings when you wake up with aches and pains;
• A daily reminder that outwardly we are wasting away,
• But although I moan and groan;
• How, many mornings do I remember Paul’s words about this daily renewal?
• This is another day where God is at work in me!
Ill:
• At the time of Jesus there was a rabbinic tradition,
• A devout Jew after waking up would start his day by saying:
“Blessed art Thou, O Sovereign of the Universe, that you have delivered me from darkness and opened my eyes.”
• TRANSITION: I know that can just become vain repetition;
• And I am not asking you to copy that tradition;
• But it is a reminder of the importance of starting the day with God!
Quote:
“The day that starts with prayer, usually ends in praise,
the day starts without prayer, often ends in confession”.
• Now that may or may not be true;
• But I think it is insightful!
Question What do we learn from the prayer?
Answer:
FIRST: Urgency.
• This prayer begins with three imperatives (important and urgent things):
• Verse 1a: “Listen to my words, Lord,”
• Verse 1b: “Consider my lament.” (i.e. a passionate expression of grief or sorrow.)
• Verse 2: “Hear my cry for help,”
• David is not just going through his daily routine, just doing his daily devotions,
• He is intensely serious.
• Desperate circumstances require desperate prayer.
• Hardship works wonders for our prayer life.
• Both the quantity and the quality of our prayers improve exponentially,
• When we are facing difficult circumstances.
• When the foundations of our life are shaken,
• We realise that the only stable thing that we have to cling to is God.
Quote: The American evangelist, pastor, educator, and writer. R. A. Torrey said,
"Every great crisis in life . . . should be met this way. There is nothing pleasing to God in our giving up . . . things which are pleasant, but there is power in . . . earnestness and determination to obtain in prayer the things we need, that leads us to put away everything . . . that we may set our faces to find God."
SECOND: Persistence.
• Twice in verse 3 the Psalmist says; “in the morning”
• It carries the idea of, “As soon as it is morning” and “every morning”
Ill:
• George Müller (1805–1898),
• Is widely considered one the greatest man of prayer and faith.
• He lived nearly the entire nineteenth century, two-thirds of it in Bristol, England.
• He led four far-reaching, influential ministries,
• But we know him best today for his orphanages
• In his journals,
• George Müller had over fifty thousand specific recorded answers to prayers,
• Thirty thousand of which he said were answered the same day,
• Or the same hour that he prayed them.
• The book, ‘Answers to Prayer’ by George Müller,
• Is available as a free eBook: https://manybooks.net/titles/mullerg2589125891-8.html
• Now don’t be too intimidated by the great man,
• He was in many ways a ‘one-off’
• As a young man George Müller started to pray for two of his friends,
• He prayed for them every day for more than sixty years.
• One of them was converted just before George Müller died,
• And the other was converted during the twelve-months after his death.
• TRANSITION: Some prayers are instant in their answers and some need persistence.
• And if you do get discouraged,
• Remember, ‘by persistence the snail reached the ark!’
THIRD: Expectant.
• Verse 3b:
• “In the morning I lay my requests before you and wait expectantly.”
Quote: David Pawson:
“There is a kind of false piety that says we shouldn’t look for answers to prayer, we should just pray and leave it to God. That’s not bible prayer. Bible prayer says go and look! If we’re praying for rain then look for rain. We’re told to ‘watch and pray’. That watching implies that your looking for something to happen.”
Ill:
• Dr. Helen Roseveare, missionary to Zaire, told the following story.
• "A mother at our mission station died after giving birth to a premature baby.
• We tried to improvise an incubator to keep the infant alive,
• But the only hot water bottle we had was beyond repair.
• So, we asked the children to pray for the baby and for her sister.
• One of the girls responded.
• 'Dear God, please send a hot water bottle today.
• Tomorrow will be too late because by then the baby will be dead.
• And dear Lord, send a doll for the sister so she won't feel so lonely.'
• That afternoon a large package arrived from England.
• The children watched eagerly as we opened it.
• Much to their surprise, under some clothing was a hot water bottle!
• Immediately the girl who had prayed so earnestly started to dig deeper, exclaiming,
• 'If God sent that, I'm sure He also sent a doll!'
• And she was right!
• The heavenly Father knew in advance of that child's sincere requests,
• And 5 months earlier,
• He had led a ladies' group to include both of those specific articles."
• Video version of Helen telling the story is on sermon spice:
• https://www.sermonspice.com/product/22493/amazing-answer-to-prayer
• TRANSITION: We all know those words of Jesus: “ask, seek and knock”,
• (Luke chapter 11 verses 5-13).
• Because when we do so;
“Ask, and IT WILL be given to you; seek, and you WILL find; knock,
and IT WILL be opened to you.”
Note: to whom the psalmist is praying:
• Twice (vs 1&3) he calls him ‘LORD’ (‘Yahweh’ or ‘Jehovah’).
• In the Old Testament, Yahweh is the personal name of God.
• And is built on the word for “I am.” (The eternal, self-sufficient God)
• He also calls him (vs 2) “my king and God”.
• The psalmist is praying to someone with the power to change his situation.
• He prayed to the one true God and king!
Quote: reminds me of John Newton’s great hymn (‘Come, my soul, thy suit prepare’):
“Thou art coming to a King, large petitions with thee bring, for His grace and power are such none can ever ask too much.”
• Just to sum up verses 1-3:
• The Psalmist prayed with urgency, persistency and he prayed expectantly!
(2). We Seek to Please the Lord (vs 4-6).
“For you are not a God who is pleased with wickedness;
with you, evil people are not welcome.
5 The arrogant cannot stand
in your presence.
You hate all who do wrong;
6 you destroy those who tell lies.
The bloodthirsty and deceitful
you, LORD, detest.”
Ill:
• The 18th-century English evangelist George Whitefield (1714-1770);
• (who was one of the founders of Methodism and the evangelical movement.)
• Was often slandered and falsely accused by his enemies.
• Once Whitefield received a vicious letter accusing him of wrongdoing.
• His reply was brief and courteous:
“I thank you heartily for your letter. As for what you and my other enemies are saying against me, I know worse things about myself than you will ever say about me. With love in Christ, George Whitefield.”
• He didn’t try to defend himself.
• He was much more concerned about pleasing the Lord.
• TRANSITION: Like George Whitefield, David the psalmist had enemies,
• There were many who opposed him.
• David tried to live a life that pleased God,
• But his enemies were enemies not just of David, but also of God!
Notice the different words (13 of them) the psalmist uses to describe his enemies:
• Verse 4: ‘Wicked’.
• Verse 4: ‘Evil’
• Verse 5: ‘Arrogant’
• Verse 5: ‘Wrongdoers’
• Verse 6: ‘Liars’
• Verse 6: ‘Bloodthirsty’
• Verse 6: ‘Men of deceit’
• Verse 8: ‘Enemies’
• Verse 9: ‘Nothing reliable’
• Verse 9: ‘Attitude of destruction’
• Verse 9: ‘Untrustworthy’
• Verse 9: ‘Hearts filled with Malice’
• Verse 10: ‘Liars’
• None of these things please the Lord,
• Rather they sadden him, they anger him, and they separate people from him!
David the psalmist knows he is not perfect:
• He has many weaknesses and flaws,
• But the desire of his heart is to please God.
• He does not want to walk with the wicked or behave like them,
• He wants to please God!
Quote: The great Baptist preacher C. H. Spurgeon who said it correctly:
• “My hope is not because I am not a sinner,
• but because I am a sinner for whom Christ died.
• My trust is not that I am holy, but that, being unholy,
• Christ died for me.
• My rest is, here, not in what I am, or shall be, or feel, or know,
• But in what Christ is and must be, -in what Christ did,
• And is still doing as He stands before yonder throne of glory.”
(3). We Submit to the Lord (vs 7-12).
“But I, by your great love,
can come into your house;
in reverence I bow down
towards your holy temple.
8 Lead me, Lord, in your righteousness
because of my enemies –
make your way straight before me.
9 Not a word from their mouth can be trusted;
their heart is filled with malice.
Their throat is an open grave;
with their tongues they tell lies.
10 Declare them guilty, O God!
Let their intrigues be their downfall.
Banish them for their many sins,
for they have rebelled against you.
11 But let all who take refuge in you be glad;
let them ever sing for joy.
Spread your protection over them,
that those who love your name may rejoice in you.
12 Surely, Lord, you bless the righteous;
you surround them with your favour as with a shield.”
Ill:
• Hot & cold.
• Wise & foolish.
• Young & old.
• Light & darkness
• Tall & short.
• Rich & poor.
• Dead & alive.
• TRANSITION: Are of course all forms of contrast;
• In this section David contrasts himself with his enemies,
• The wicked crowd we mentioned earlier.
FIRST: He prayed for guidance (vs 7-8).
“But I, by your great love (or mercy),
can come into your house;
in reverence I bow down
towards your holy temple.
Lead me, Lord, in your righteousness
because of my enemies –
make your way straight before me.”
In contrast to the wicked who:
• Tell lies, their words cannot be trusted,
• They are deceitful and walk down crooked paths,
• There words are destructive and those who follow them perish.
• David the psalmists reminds us that God is holy, pure, truthful and righteous,
• He leads us in the straight and right paths.
Ill:
• An article in the Salvation Army newspaper, ‘The War Cry’:
• Uses the illustration of a father and a small child, and it says:
“He does not even watch the way.
His father's hand, he knows
Will guide his tiny feet along
The pathway as he goes.
A childlike faith! A perfect trust!
God grant to us today,
A faith that grasps Thy Father Hand
And trusts Thee all the way.”
• TRANSITION:
• David the psalmists reminds us that God is holy, pure, truthful and righteous,
• He leads us in the straight and right paths – keep trusting!
SECOND: He prayed for Justice (vs 9-10).
“Not a word from their mouth can be trusted;
their heart is filled with malice.
Their throat is an open grave;
with their tongues they tell lies.
Declare them guilty, O God!
Let their intrigues be their downfall.
Banish them for their many sins,
for they have rebelled against you.”
• This I the second petition (appeal/request) in this Psalm;
• The first is found in verse 8.
• And here the psalmist is asking for justice,
• He wants God to punish the wicked.
• The theological term for this is type of prayer is an ‘Imprecatory Psalm’,
• Where the writer invokes judgment, calamity, or curses,
• Upon one's enemies or those perceived as the enemies of God.
Notice: David the psalmists request is not personal but general:
• No individual(s) is named,
• He is asking God to deal with the ‘sins’ that plague his society and people.
• He wants the wicked to fail, let them reap what they have sown
• And, while they stay rebellious, let them be banished from God’s presence.
Ill:
• Horace Gray served on the on the United States Supreme Court,
• He once had a man stand before him who had escaped conviction on a technicality,
• Judge Horace Gray said these words to him:
"I know that you are guilty and you know it, and I wish you to remember that one day you will stand before a better and wiser Judge, and that there you will be dealt with according to justice and not according to law."
• TRANSITION: The psalmist is asking for justice,
• He wants God to punish the wicked.
THIRD: He prayed for Blessing (vs 11-12).
“But let all who take refuge in you be glad;
let them ever sing for joy.
Spread your protection over them,
that those who love your name may rejoice in you.
Surely, Lord, you bless the righteous;
you surround them with your favour as with a shield.”
Ill:
• Things did not look good for the reformer Martin Luther,
• When he was summoned to Augsburg in late October 1518.
• He was being charged with heresy!
• Up to this point Fredrick the Wise, elector of Saxony,
• Had protected Luther from the Church authorities,
• But now the prince was under pressure to withdraw his protection.
• It seemed only a mater of time before he would.
• In Augsburg, Luther was asked,
• “If the elector of Saxony abandons you, where will you find shelter?”
• The reformer responded;
• “Under the shelter of heaven.”
• TRANSITION: In this final part of the Psalm;
• We see David like Luther, trusting in the Lord to rescue him from his enemies.
Question: Did the psalmist escape from his enemy’s trap?
Answer: We are not told!
• The Psalm does conclude with rejoicing and songs of joy.
• And I like the descriptive picture he leaves us with,
• The very last word found in verse 12: ‘Shield’
Ill:
• Five different Hebrew words are used in the Old Testament for shield.
• Ranging from a small shield on the arm,
• To a large body shield.
• Verse 12: refers to the biggest shield available.
• One that protects the whole person.
• TRANSITION: In this final part of the Psalm;
• David was trusting in the Lord to rescue him from his enemies.
• This was the psalmist’s shelter; may it be ours also.
SERMON AUDIO:
https://surf.pxwave.com/wl/?id=n80IgLTWlbthmOgL6OhA8q5goutH4eIx
