Topic: Sunday Sermon Series - Palms for the New Year
Title: Our Times are in God’s Hands! (Part 1)
Text: Psalm 31:14-15 - Begin message by reading Psalm 31:1-15
Intro: Since the beginning of the new year, we have been considering the topic of time. The bible has much to say about it. One of the most sobering is found in Ecclesiastes 3:
Ecclesiastes 3 (NIV)
1 There is a time for everything,
and a season for every activity under the heavens:
2 a time to be born and a time to die,
a time to plant and a time to uproot,
3 a time to kill and a time to heal,
a time to tear down and a time to build,
4 a time to weep and a time to laugh,
a time to mourn and a time to dance,
5 a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them,
a time to embrace and a time to refrain from embracing,
6 a time to search and a time to give up,
a time to keep and a time to throw away,
7 a time to tear and a time to mend,
a time to be silent and a time to speak,
8 a time to love and a time to hate,
a time for war and a time for peace. (siaesiates e
Did you notice that approximately 50% of the things mentioned we would consider to be negative? Mourning, weeping, dying, etc.?
Well the bible says much about the “times” that we are presently living in. They are identified as “the last days.” And what can we expect in the last days? Paul by the inspiration by the Holy Spirit said this about these days:
2 Timothy 3:1 But mark this: There will be terrible times in the last days. -NIV
The idea of terrible communicates the fact that these days will be…
Terrible -?a?ep?? (chalepoi)- Difficult, dangerous, and furious.
The definition for time, is not only:
Times - ?a???? (kairoi) - An occasion a fixed and definite period.
But it also…
Times - ?a???? (kairos) refers to a season or more specifically to a fixed and definite time possessing certain characteristics.
Times - ?a???? (kairoi) - The time when things are brought to crisis, the decisive epoch waited for!
What is the epoch waited for?
Ephesians 1:10 This plan, which God will complete when the time is right, is to bring all creation together, everything in heaven and on earth, with Christ as head.-GNT
Ephesians 1:10 He planned to bring all of history to its goal in Christ. Then Christ would be the head of everything in heaven and on earth. -GWT
Nicky Gumble writes something interesting about thist…
Nicky Gumble - In the West, many people assume history is aimless: ‘Full of sound and fury, signifying nothing’ (as Shakespeare put it in Macbeth). Many Eastern religions tend to regard history as either circular or illusory, while Marxists understand history in terms of class struggle.
Nicky Gumble - In contrast to all these views, the New Testament sees history as moving towards a climax. The ultimate struggle is between good and evil – ending with the triumph of good and God.
Nicky Gumble - The kingdom of God will not fail. God is working his purposes out in history. Jesus is the centerpiece. All lines in history converge on him. As someone has said: ‘The hinge of history is on the door of a Bethlehem stable.’
Nicky Gumble - History is ‘His story’. As you hear the news and read history books you get some of the details. As
you read the Bible you get the big picture.
Nicky Gumble - God is the Sovereign Lord of history. But we are not mere robots. You are not being moved around like a piece on a chessboard. Rather, you have a part to play. God involves you in his plans. God works out his purposes in co-operation with his people.
Well with this in mind I would like to bring to you a message that I’ve entitled from the 31st Psalm:
Our Times are In God’s Hand!
And with that being the reality of our lives and future, I agree with a statement written by Octavius Winslow regarding this:
Octavius Winslow – The declaration that “our times are in the Lord’s hands,” implies that the future of our history is impenetrably and mysteriously veiled from our sight,
We have definite and clear scriptural picture for how it will end, but the mystery lies in the present. What will be the road, and the way between now and the ultimate climatic end when God brings all things in subjection to His Son? What can we expect? Where do I fit in and what may await me?
Acts 1:6 So when the apostles were with Jesus, they kept asking him, “Lord, has the time come for you to free Israel and restore our kingdom -NLT
Acts 1:7 He replied, “The Father alone has the authority to set those dates and times, and they are not for you to know. -NLT
There is one thing that we can KNOW…and by know I mean it in the biblical sense of the word,,
Know - ????s?? – ginosko- perceive, become acquainted with, enter into the experience of.
We can experience a peace, and confidence that comes from knowing that our times and lives are in God’s Hand!
Proposition: A study of the concept that “Your Times are In His Hands,” that is set forth in Psalm 31:15, can provide you with a comfort, and a confidence that will help you to face
As we walk through the 31st Psalm, let us begin by looking at first of all…
I. The Catalyst for this concept set forth in Psalm 31:15?
What brings us to an awareness of it, and what forces King David to acknowledge it?
Psalm 31:1 In thee, O Lord, do I put my trust; let me never be ashamed: deliver me in thy righteousness. 2 Bow down thine ear to me; deliver me speedily: be thou my strong rock, for an house of defence to save me. 3 For thou art my rock and my fortress; therefore for thy name's sake lead me, and guide me. 4 Pull me out of the net that they have laid privily for me: for thou art my strength.
In short?
A) Problems!
B) Pitfalls – dangerous traps!!
C) Prayer of King David?
1. Deliver me!
2. Save me!
3. Lead me!
4. Guide me!
5. Pick me up, pull me out of harm’s way!
D) Point?
1. What is he essentially saying?
a) I need help - My problems are larger than I!
b) I can’t fix them!
c) I need intervention in them!
E) Possibility?
1. Absalom, his own son, was trying to kill him!
F) Perspective on life, from David’s life:
1. Problems seemed to characterize his life – they were his life’s story!
G) Proof?
1. Read the Psalms!
Psalm 6:4 Turn, LORD, and deliver me; save me because of your unfailing love.
Psalm 7:1 A shiggaion of David, which he sang to the LORD concerning Cush, a Benjamite. LORD my God, I take refuge in you; save and deliver me from all who pursue me,
Psalm 59:2 Deliver me from evildoers and save me from those who are after my blood.
Psalm 71:2 In your righteousness, rescue me and deliver me; turn your ear to me and save me.
2. Applicable to us all?
Psalm 34:19 Many are the afflictions of the righteous, But the LORD delivers him out of them all.
H) Purpose?
1. Afflictions?
James 1:2 Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds 3 because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance.
James 1:3 For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow. -NLT
Albert Barnes –Religion does not exempt them from suffering, but it sustains them in it; it does not deliver them from all trials in this life, but it supports them in their trials, which it teaches them to consider as a preparation for the life to come.
Joseph Excell-The righteous suffer afflictions because they are so imperfectly righteous. They need purging, purifying, chastening, to rid them of the dross and defilement of sin which still clings to them, and from which they are never wholly freed while they continue in the flesh. We must, like the Captain of our salvation, be "made perfect through suffering" (Hebrews 2:10).
I) Principle we can draw form this point?
1. Problems not only purify us, and are meant to produce endurance in us, but they also serve as a reminder to us that we ultimately are not in control!
Matthew 6:27 Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life?
Matthew 5:36 And do not swear by your head, for you cannot make even one hair white or black.
I read a somewhat humorous in article in the USA Today that emphasized this point:
5 ways you can feel more in control of your life during the COVID-19 pandemic-USA TODAY
1. The first step is accepting we're not in control!!
"Accept that we have no control, or very limited control," says Janine Urbaniak Reid, author of "The Opposite of Certainty: Fear, Faith and Life in Between." "It takes usually a lot of resistance, but a lot of my suffering comes from trying to control what's not mine to control – my resistance to what is."
So having said that – lets consider point two:
II. The Concern of this concept set forth in Psalm 31:15?
A) Problems? – no!
1. They are simply there to point us to….
B) A PERSON!
Psalm 31:1a In thee, O Lord, do I put my trust; let me never be ashamed: deliver me in thy righteousness.
1. The Lord!
C) Point?
1. They are there to point us to the reality that our lives are firmly in the Hands of Omnipotence, and Omniscience!
Job 12:10 In his hand is the life of every creature and the breath of all mankind.
1 Chronicles 29:12 Both riches and honor come from You, and You rule over all, and in Your hand is power and might; and it lies in Your hand to make great and to strengthen everyone.
D) Perspective?
1. Christian?
John 10: 28 [Jesus] I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one will snatch them out of my hand. 29 My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all; no one can snatch them out of my Father’s hand. 30 I and the Father are one.” -NIV
E) Painful?
1. What if the circumstances are painful?
Isaiah 64: 8 Yet you, Lord, are our Father. We are the clay, you are the potter; we are all the work of your hand.-NIV
Isaiah 45:9 “What sorrow awaits those who argue with their Creator. Does a clay pot argue with its maker? Does the clay dispute with the one who shapes it, saying, ‘Stop, you’re doing it wrong!’ Does the pot exclaim, ‘How clumsy can you be?’-NLT
F) Purpose?
1, They have a purpose!
a) Christlike conformity!
Romans 8:28 We are assured and know that… all things work together and are [fitting into a plan] for good to and for those who love God and are called according to [His] design and purpose. –AMPC
G) Plan?
Romans 8:29 For those whom He foreknew [of whom He was aware and loved beforehand], He also destined from the beginning [foreordaining them] to be molded into the image of His Son [and share inwardly His likeness], that He might become the firstborn among many brethren. –AMPC
Hebrews 5:8 Although He was a Son, He learned [active, special] obedience through what He suffered 9 And, [His completed experience] making Him perfectly [equipped], He became the Author and Source of eternal salvation to all those who give heed and obey Him, –AMPC
III. The Conflicting concept to the one set forth in Psalm 31:15?
A) Philosophies:
1. Paul in Athens:
Acts 17: 16 While Paul was waiting for them in Athens, he was greatly distressed to see that the city was full of idols. 17 So he reasoned in the synagogue with both Jews and God-fearing Greeks, as well as in the marketplace day by day with those who happened to be there. 18a A group of Epicurean and Stoic philosophers began to debate with him
2. Epicurus ( ?p???????, romanized: Epíkouros; 341–270 BC) was an ancient Greek philosopher and sage who founded Epicureanism, a highly influential school of philosophy.
a) This philosophy was a system of atheism, and taught men to seek as their highest aim a pleasant and smooth life.
3. Stoics
a) The founder of the Stoics was Zeno, who flourished about B.C. 300. He taught his disciples that a man's happiness consisted in bringing himself into harmony with the course of the universe, to live in harmony with nature
Alistarr Begg- Zeno, taught that the events of the world are determined by a merciless, cold, and impersonal fate. And so he taught his followers, instead of trying to struggle with this, instead of trying to change your circumstances, if you’re going to be truly stoic in your response, then what you need to do is simply cast yourself on this merciless Mover, and learn to say,
Que será, será,
Whatever will be, will be.
The future’s not [mine] to see
Que será, será.
Alistarr Begg- No matter what comes—the good, the bad, or the ugly—you just grip your steering wheel a little tighter, and you say, “Hey, that’s just the way it is.” Life is held in the grip of a cold, merciless, faceless power called fate.
IV. The Cry that arises out of the concept set forth in Psalm 31:15?
Psalm 31:1a In thee, O Lord, do I put my trust;
Psalm 31:2 Bow down thine ear to me; deliver me speedily: be thou my strong rock, for an house of defence to save me.
This is a:
A) PRAYER?
1. But also a:
B) PROCLAMATION!
1. MY LIFE IS IN YOUR HANDS!!
a) This psalm of David begins in a similar way to many of his other psalms – with a declaration of trust in God in a time of trouble!
Charles Spurgeon - Nowhere else do I fly for shelter….the Psalmist has one refuge, and that the best one!
C) Petition?
Psalm 31:2a Bow down thine ear to me
1. Hear me!
Acts 17: 16 While Paul was waiting for them in Athens, he was greatly distressed to see that the city was full of idols.
a) What does the bible say about idols?
Psalm 135:15 The idols of the nations are silver and gold, made by human hands. 16 They have mouths, but cannot speak, eyes, but cannot see. 17 They have ears, but cannot hear,
nor is there breath in their mouths.
Psalm 115:3 Our God is in heaven; he does whatever pleases him. 4 But their idols are silver and gold, made by human hands. 5 They have mouths, but cannot speak, eyes, but cannot see. 6 They have ears, but cannot hear, noses, but cannot smell. 7 They have hands, but cannot feel, feet, but cannot walk, nor can they utter a sound with their throats.
8 Those who make them will be like them, and so will all who trust in them.
2. What does the bible say about our God?
a) Our God hears!!
1 Peter 3:12a For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous, and his ears are open to their prayer. -ESV
John 9:31 We know that God does not listen to sinners, but if anyone is a worshiper of God and does his will, God listens to him. -ESV
Psalm 31:2b deliver me speedily:
i. Hurry and save me!
a. Perhaps he prayed this way because of the greatness and urgency of the danger he was in?
D) Portraits of God:
1. The Psalms perhaps like no other book of the bible paints amazing word pictures of our God!
Psalm 31:2a be thou my strong rock, for an house of defence to save me.
a) Strong rock - a rock-castle, i.e., a castle upon a rock.
Psalm 71:3 Be my rock of refuge, to which I can always go; give the command to save me,
i. A fortress-house, one that is impenetrable and immovable!
E) Picture of?
1. JESUS!
Psalm 118: 22 The stone the builders rejected has become the cornerstone; 23 the Lord has done this, and it is marvelous in our eyes.
1 Peter 2:7b Jesus Christ. 6 For in Scripture it says:
“See, I lay a stone in Zion,
a chosen and precious cornerstone,
and the one who trusts in him
will never be put to shame.”
7 Now to you who believe, this stone is precious. But to those who do not believe,
“The stone the builders rejected
has become the cornerstone,”
8 and, “A stone that causes people to stumble
and a rock that makes them fall.”
They stumble because they disobey the message—which is also what they were destined for. -NIV
Psalm 31:4a- Pull me out of the net that they have laid privily for me:
Psalm 40:2 He brought me up also out of an horrible pit, out of the miry clay, and set my feet upon a rock, and established my goings
a) Pit of hell!
b) Miry clay of this world destined for destruction!
Psalm 31:4b for thou art my strength.
i. You are the author, giver, and sustainer, of both physical and spiritual strength!
Acts 17: 25 And he is not served by human hands, as if he needed anything. Rather, he himself gives everyone life and breath and everything else.
Isaiah 40:29 He gives strength to the weary, And to him who lacks might He increases power.
Psalm 29:11The Lord will give strength to His people; The Lord will bless His people with peace.
V. The Christology within the concept set forth in Psalm 31:15?
And this is where the concept really broadens and gains great depth…
A) Consider the fifth verse:
1. Sound familiar?
Psalm 31:5a Into thine hand I commit my spirit:
B) Cry from the cross!
Luke 23:46 And when Jesus had cried out with a loud voice, He said, “Father, ‘into Your hands I commit My spirit.’ ” Having said this, He breathed His last.-NKJV
C) Concept?
Psalm 31:5a Into your hand I commit my spirit:
Is one of…
D) COMMITTAL!
1. His entire life was one of commitment from the cradle to the cross!
2. Again just read the Messianic Psalms to see the portrait:
a) His Manifestation into Mankind
Psalm 22:9 Yet you are he who took me from the womb; you made me trust you at my mother’s breasts. 10 On you was I cast from my birth, and from my mother’s womb you have been my God.- ESV
Psalm 89:26 He shall cry to me, ‘You are my Father, my God, and the Rock of my salvation.’ .- ESV
b). His Mission
Psalm 40:6 In sacrifice and offering you have not delighted, but you have given me an open ear. Burnt offering and sin offering you have not required. 7 Then I said, “Behold, I have come; in the scroll of the book it is written of me 8 I delight to do your will, O my God;
your law is within my heart.”- ESV
c) His Message
Psalm 40:9 I have told the glad news of deliverance in the great congregation; behold, I have not restrained my lips, as you know, O Lord. 10 I have not hidden your deliverance within my heart; I have spoken of your faithfulness and your salvation; I have not concealed your steadfast love and your faithfulness from the great congregation.
Psalm 78:2 I will open my mouth in a parable; I will utter dark sayings from of old,
d) His Manner
Psalm 69:9 For zeal for your house has consumed me, and the reproaches of those who reproach you have fallen on me
e) His Murder!
Psalm 22:14 I am poured out like water, and all my bones are out of joint; my heart is like wax; it is melted within my breast; 15 my strength is dried up like a potsherd, and my tongue sticks to my jaws; you lay me in the dust of death.
Psalm 22:16 For dogs encompass me; a company of evildoers encircles me; they have pierced my hands and feet—18 they divide my garments among them, and for my clothing they cast lots.
Psalm 109:8b In return for my love they accuse me, but I give myself to prayer.
Luke 23:34 And Jesus said, “Father, rforgive them, sfor they know not what they do.” And they cast lots tto divide his garments.
Psalm 69:21a They gave me poison for food, and for my thirst they gave me sour wine to drink
Matthew 27:34 they offered him wine to drink, mixed with gall, but when he tasted it, he would not drink it.
f) A Model for us to follow?
1. Yes! Let me make it in and through the next point:
VI. The Christian within the concept set forth in Psalm 31:15?
A) Christian?
Psalm 31:5b you have redeemed me, O LORD God of truth.
1 Peter 1: 18 For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to you from your ancestors, 19 but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect..-NIV
B) Concept?
1. Redeemed - ??t??? - lü-tro'-o?
a) Pay ransom for a slave, or captive.
b) To ransom a life
c) To liberate many from misery and the penalty of their sins.
C) Conclusion of all that?
1. We are not our own!
Isaiah 62:12a They will be called the Holy People, the Redeemed of the LORD
2. We are part of a greater scheme and plan!
Ephesians 1: 3 Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ. 4 For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love 5 he predestined us for adoption to sonship through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will— 6 to the praise of his glorious grace, which he has freely given us in the One he loves. 7 In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace 8 that he lavished on us. With all wisdom and understanding, 9 he made known to us the mystery of his will according to his good pleasure, which he purposed in Christ, 10 to be put into effect when the times reach their fulfillment—to bring unity to all things in heaven and on earth under Christ. 11 In him we were also chosen, having been predestined according to the plan of him who works out everything in conformity with the purpose of his will, 12 in order that we, who were the first to put our hope in Christ, might be for the praise of his glory. -NIV
3. We are not victims of fate, but rather ultimate victors in the plan of a Heavenly Father!
D) Confidence?
1. The person who can say:
Psalm 31:5a Into your hand I commit my spirit;
2. Can say it on the basis of the confidence that:
Psalm 31:5b you have redeemed me, O LORD God of truth.
a) They know their redeemed:
i. But also on the basis of :
E) Committal or Commitment!
1. They lived their life as though they were redeemed!
2. A life committed to Jesus Christ!
F) Confession?
1. LORD - I’VE LIVED A LIFE COMMITTED TO YOU:
John 17:4 I have brought you glory on earth by finishing the work you gave me to do.
2. AND NOW – IN DEATH – I CONFIDENTALY AM NOW READY TO COMMIT MY SPIRIT (MY ETERNAL DESTINY) TO YOU!
3. FOR MY TIMES, DAY’S, MY PURPOSE, MY MISSION, MY DESTINY, MY REASON FOR BEING HAS ALWAYS BEEN AND WILL FOREVER BE– IN YOUR HANDS!!
Psalm 31:5b thou hast redeemed me,
a) That makes me yours!
Psalm 31:5b O Lord God of truth.
b) Jesus you are the way, truth, and life (John 14:6) therefore:
Psalm 31:6 I hate those who cling to worthless idols; as for me, I trust in the Lord.
Romans 10:11 As the Scriptures tell us, “Anyone who trusts in him will never be disgraced.”-NLT
Psalm 31:7 I will be glad and rejoice in your love, for you saw my affliction and knew the anguish of my soul. 8 You have not given me into the hands of the enemy but have set my feet in a spacious place.
VII. The Certainties outlined within Psalm 31:15?
A) Certainties? (That I will experience in “time”?)
Psalm 31:9a Be merciful to me, Lord, for I am in distress;
1. Distresses
Psalm 31:9b my eyes grow weak with sorrow,
2. Sorrows
Psalm 31:9c my soul and body with grief.
3. Physical and emotional grief
Psalm 31:10a My life is consumed by anguish
4. Anguish
Psalm 31:10b and my years by groaning;
5. Groaning
Psalm 31:10c my strength fails because of my affliction,
6. Affliction
Psalm 31:10d and my bones grow weak.
7. Aging
Psalm 31:11a Because of all my enemies, I am the utter contempt of my neighbors and an object of dread to my closest friends—
8. Enemies
9. Contempt
Psalm 31:11b those who see me on the street flee from me. 12a I am forgotten as though I were dead;
10. Forsakenness
Psalm 31:12b I have become like broken pottery.
Psalm 31:12c For I hear many whispering, “Terror on every side!” They conspire against me
and plot to take my life.
11 Conspiracies!
VIII. The Creed within the concept that is set forth in Psalm 31:15?
A) Creed?
1. Doctrine, belief, code of belief, conviction?
a) No matter what disappointing, devastating, things may happen:
Psalm 31:14 But I trust in you, Lord;
B) Confession?
1. In the middle of it all?.
Psalm 31:14b I say, “You are my God.”
C) Confidence?
Psalm 31: 15 My times are in your hands;
1. The is the confession and the confidence of the godly!
a) David:
Psalm 139: 14 I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made;
your works are wonderful, I know that full well. 15 My frame was not hidden from you
when I was made in the secret place, hen I was woven together in the depths of the earth.
16 Your eyes saw my unformed body; all the days ordained for me were written in your book
before one of them came to be.
i. NO MATTER HOW MANY ENEMIES PURSUE ME, OR WHAT COMES AGAINST ME, I WILL LIVE OUT EACH AND EVERY DAY ORDAINED FOR ME BECAUSE – MY LIFE AND TIMES ARE IN YOUR HANDS!
Psalm 31:14b I say, “You are my God.” 15 My times are in your hands;
1. Not my hands
2. Nor in my adversaries hand
3. BUT IN YOUR HANDS LORD!
IX. CRUCIAL CLOSING thoughts regarding this concept set forth in Psalm 31:15?
It has to do with..
A) Consecration-
1. Consecration, an act by which a person or a thing is separated from secular or profane use and dedicated permanently to the sacred.
2. Our lives belong to the Lord!
B) COMPLETELY!
1 Corinthians 6:19 Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; 20 you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your bodies.
1. If we try to hold back or hold out there can be severe:
C) Consequences!
1. Which are stated by Christ Himself:
Luke 9: 23 Then He said to them all, “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me. 24 For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will save it.
D) Concept?
William MacDonald – Our natural tendency is to save our lives by selfish, complacent, routine, petty existences. We may indulge our pleasures and appetites by basking in comfort, luxury, and ease, by living for the present, by trading our finest talents to the world in exchange for a few years of mock security. But in the very act, we lose our lives, that is, we miss the true purpose of life and the profound spiritual pleasure that should go with it!
William MacDonald – On the other hand, we may lose our lives for the Savior's sake. Men think us mad if we fling our own selfish ambitions to the wind, if we seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, if we yield ourselves unreservedly to Him. But this life of abandonment is genuine living. It has a joy, a holy carefreeness, and a deep inward satisfaction that defies description.
Bruce Hurst – Self-sacrifice is the only way to self-discovery. Dying is the doorway to living. Giving is the key to receiving.
John Piper - The path of God and exalting joy will cost you your life. Jesus said, "Whoever loses his life for my sake and the gospel's will save it." In other words, it is better to lose your life than to waste it. If you live gladly to make others glad in God, your life will be hard, your risks will be high, and your joy will be full. This is not ... about how to avoid a wounded life, but how to avoid a wasted life. Some of you will die in the service of Christ. That will not be a tragedy. Treasuring life above Christ is a tragedy.
Daniel Akin - If you save or treasure your life above all else, you will lose it. The one who plays it safe and considers his existence more important than Jesus will lose both Jesus and eternal life. In contrast, the one who gives his life for Jesus and the gospel will actually save it! Following Jesus involves risking it all—safety, security, satisfaction in this world. But He promises us that it leads to a reward this world can never, ever offer. There is a life worth giving for the glory of God and the gospel! It is a dying to self that others might live! It is not safe! But it is the normal Christian life!
X. The Consequence of ignoring the concept set forth in Psalm 31:15?
A) Example of Jonah:
Jonah 1: 1 Now the word of the Lord came to Jonah the son of Amittai, saying, 2 “Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and call out against it, for their evil has come up before me.”
1. Your life, times, purpose, and mission are in My Hands!
2. But Jonah thought differently!
Jonah 1: 3 But Jonah rose to flee to Tarshish from the presence of the Lord. He went down to Joppa and found a ship going to Tarshish. So he paid the fare and went down into it, to go with them to Tarshish, away from the presence of the Lord.
3. But God showed him the reality!
Jonah 1: 4 But the Lord hurled a great wind upon the sea, and there was a mighty tempest on the sea, so that the ship threatened to break up. 5a Then the mariners were afraid, and each cried out to his god.
a) To no avail!
Jonah 1:5b And they hurled the cargo that was in the ship into the sea to lighten it for them. But Jonah had gone down into the inner part of the ship and had lain down and was fast asleep. 6 So the captain came and said to him, “What do you mean, you sleeper? Arise, call out to your god! Perhaps the god will give a thought to us, that we may not perish.”
Jonah 1:7 And they said to one another, “Come, let us cast lots, that we may know on whose account this evil has come upon us.” So they cast lots, and the lot fell on Jonah.
4. Reason? The reality that our lives are in God’s hands!!
Proverbs 16:33 We may throw the dice, but the LORD determines how they fall.-NLT
Jonah 1:12 He said to them, “Pick me up and hurl me into the sea; then the sea will quiet down for you, for I know it is because of me that this great tempest has come upon you.”
5. They did but he didn’t die!
Q: Why?
1. BECAUSE JONAH’S LIFE WAS IN GOD’S HANDS!
Jonah 1:17 And the Lord appointed a great fish to swallow up Jonah. And Jonah was in the belly of the fish three days and three nights.
Jonah 2:1 Then Jonah prayed to the Lord his God from the belly of the fish, 2 saying…,
Jonah 2:8 Those who pay regard to vain idols
forsake their hope of steadfast love.
9 But I with the voice of thanksgiving
will sacrifice to you;
what I have vowed I will pay.
Salvation belongs to the Lord!”
10 And the Lord spoke to the fish, and it vomited Jonah out upon the dry land.
REMEMBER - History is HIS-STORY!
Isaiah 40: 9 Remember the former things, those of long ago;
I am God, and there is no other;
I am God, and there is none like me.
10 I make known the end from the beginning,
from ancient times, what is still to come.
I say, ‘My purpose will stand,
and I will do all that I please.’
11 From the east I summon a bird of prey;
from a far-off land, a man to fulfill my purpose.
What I have said, that I will bring about;
what I have planned, that I will do.
12 Listen to me, you stubborn-hearted,
IF HISTORY IS HIS-STORY – Then Your - Story is HIS-STORY!
Acts 17: 26 From one man he made all the nations, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and he marked out their appointed times in history and the boundaries of their lands. 27 God did this so that they would seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from any one of us. 28 ‘For in him we live and move and have our being.’
How would your story read?
As a person who committed all to God realizing that their life was in God’s hand?
Or as someone who played it safe, did their own thing and in the process, lost their lives?
Beloved I implore you to surrender it all to Him, because at the “end of the day” you’ll discover and have to deal with the fact that your life, has always been in His Hands!
Octavius Winslow - DON'T BE ANXIOUS ABOUT ANYTHING. Let this precious truth, "My times are in your hand," divest your mind of all needless, anxious care for the present or the future. Exercising simple faith in God, "don't be anxious about anything." "Be content with such things as you have, for he has said, I will never leave you nor forsake you." Learn to be content with your present lot, with God's dealings with, and his disposal of you. You are just where his providence has, in its inscrutable but all-wise and righteous decision, placed you. It may be a position, painful, irksome, trying, but it is right. Oh! yes, it is right! Only aim to glorify him in it. Wherever you are placed, God has a work for you to do, a purpose, through you to be accomplished, in which he blends your happiness with his glory. And when you have learned the lessons of his love, he will transfer you to another and a wider sphere, for whose nobler duties and higher responsibilities the present is, perhaps, but disciplining and preparing you.
Octavius Winslow COVET, THEN, TO LIVE A LIFE OF DAILY DEPENDENCE UPON GOD. Oh, it is a sweet and holy life! It saves from many a desponding feeling, from many a corroding care, from many an anxious thought, from many a sleepless night, from many a tearful eye, and from many an imprudent and sinful scheme.
