Islington Baptist Church December 3, 2000
Psalm 16 Scriptures: Acts 2, Psalm 73
READ PSALM 16
I. THERE IS ONE TO WHOM WE CAN CALL FOR HELP v.1
It is with great joy that I say to you that there is one to whom we can go to for help, strength, comfort, courage, wisdom, and guidance.
No matter the trial, test, or circumstance, there is one to whom we can go and call upon—and to Him we must go.
There is one who longs for us to come to Him as a child goes to his father or mother.
Are you in trouble?
Are you discouraged?
Are you afflicted?
Are you persecuted?
Do you find yourself in despair
Draw near to God. Call upon Him for help. Take refuge in Him.
“Cast all your cares upon Him, for He cares for you” I Peter 5:7
The one who we can call upon is God. Here the term for God is “El” which is a term that identifies God to us in his role of protector, creator, and strong one.
II. THOSE WHO RECEIVE GOD’S HELP ARE THE ONES WHO TAKE REFUGE IN HIM. THIS IS THE GROUND/BASIS OF BEING HELPED BY GOD.
In our NKJV Bible’s we read the word “trust” in v.1. A better word is “refuge”.
The Hebrew word used here literally means “to take shelter”.
When a storm appears on the horizon, what is it that we will do if we are smart? We will take to some sort of shelter. We will find for ourselves a place of refuge.
In the scriptures God is a shelter for His followers. He is a refuge. He is a shield of defense. Figuratively speaking His wings of protection are over his chosen ones. He is a rock. He is a fortress. He is a stronghold.
In Psalm 18:1-3 it says “I will love you, O LORD, my strength. The LORD is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer; My God, my strength, in whom I take refuge; My shield and the horn of salvation, my stronghold. I will call upon the LORD, who is worthy to be praised; So shall I be saved from my enemies.”
The wondrous news of our text is this: Help is available to those who take refuge in God. To Him we must go.
Here’s the call of our text: Take refuge in God, turn to Him, rely upon Him, seek his face, trust in Him
III. NOT EVERYONE TURNS TO GOD FOR HELP OR TO EVEN TO HIM IN THE WAYS HE PRESCRIBES.
This is sad because apart from God we have no good thing v.2
In James 1:17 it says “Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows”
All the good things we have, we have because of God. And yet : Not everyone turns to God in faith and commitment and trust.
In v.4 of our text David speaks of how there are some who hasten after other gods. There are those who invoke and serve and worship other gods.
There service of these gods and their pursuit after them is in vain. And as our text says “their sorrows shall be multiplied”
These words are words of judgment: for those who reject God, whom the scripture speaks of as “the God of all comfort” there shall be the multiplication of sorrows—in this life and in the life to come.
Of these people and their ways David declares that he will have nothing to do. He is firmly committed to God.
IV. One of the things that you can see our text doing is this: it is emphasizing David’s commitment to God. Psalm 16 is full of commitment language to God and trust too.
Over and over again in our text David models to us one who is allegiant to God. Over and over again he pledges his allegiance (not to any flag or worldly cause) but to God.
God, his person, and ways are everything to David.
In God, David was finding perfect contentment and peace. In God, David was finding riches and blessing untold.
For me, v.5-6 stand out in terms of exemplifying the depth of David’s commitment and trust in God. “You, O LORD, are the portion of my inheritance…..”
When David wrote this he was a fugitive, with no home, with the moss for a mattress and the caves and forests for shelter.
Indeed, David did have faith in regards to his future—to him the kingdom of Israel had been promised, to him lands in Bethlehem belonged. Yet at this point these things were not yet his.
To David, God was everything. In having God he had a hold on the promises of God to Him. In having God he had everything he needed.
In Psalm 73: 25-28 David says “Whom have in heaven but you? And earth has nothing I desire besides you. My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever. Those who are far from you will perish; you destroy all who are unfaithful to you. But as for me, it is good to be near God. I have made the LORD my refuge; I will tell of all your deeds.”
I trust this is the confession of your heart “In God I have everything I’ll ever need or want”
Listen to this true story.
“Before becoming king, George VI, who was a committed follower of Christ, attended a Brethren assembly in London, enjoying weekly the fellowship of the saints there. After he became king he had to discontinue this practice but he remained a devout believer in the Lord Jesus. In the course of his duties George VI came to Canada and his official visit to him to British Columbia. It was thought by the Canadian officials that King George might like to meet a native born Indian chief. The one chosen for the honor was a well known and influential Indian known as Chief Whitefeather. Chief Whitefeather was told to sing something for the kind and , needless to say, the officials supposed he would sing a native war song. But the Chief was a Christian who had something else in mind. One can picture the surprise of the officials when Chief Whitefeather began to sing:
‘I’d rather have Jesus than silver or gold, I’d rather be His than have riches untold, I’d rather be led by His nail pierced hand- than to be the king of a vast domain Or be held in sin’s dread sway; I’d rather have Jesus than anything this world affords today.”
The stunned officials waited to see what King George VI would do. The king went over, took Chief Whitefeather by the hand and said: “I’d rather have Jesus, too”.
David said “You, O LORD, are the portion of my inheritance”—to David, God was everything; everything he ever wanted, everything he ever needed. This ought to be the confession of our hearts.
I would also remind you of Philippians 3:7-9 where it says “But whatever was to my profit I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. What is more, I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ and found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ”
V. THERE ARE MANY BENEFITS TO US WHEN WE MAKE GOD OUR REFUGE AND DRAW NEAR TO HIM.
THERE ARE BENEFITS IN THIS LIFE AND THERE ARE BENEFITS FOR THE NEXT
a. His care and provision
b. His protection
c. His comfort
d. Guidance/ counsel/ wisdom. v.7
Sometimes this counsel of God comes to us in the watches of night. As some of yesteryear have said “At times the pillow is the best counselor”. David often meditated upon God in the night.
e. Victory over sin v.8 “I shall not be moved”
When God is everything to us and we have set Him in His rightful place in our lives then we find ourselves protected and better equipped when it comes to sin and temptation
Note from our passage in v.8 that for us to stand firm we must intentionally set God and his ways before ourselves.
On the flip side, when God, his will and ways are not set deliberately before us, we tend to end up in all sorts of sin. In Psalm 73:2-3 David says “But as for me, my feet had almost slipped (opposite of not being moved); I had nearly lost my foothold. For I envied the arrogant when I saw the prosperity of the wicked.”
f. JOY v.9
God is the real joy giver. When we are right with Him, He gladdens our hearts.
In Psalms 5:11 David prayed “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.”
There is much to be joyful about when it comes to our being in God and right with Him. There is joy that God gives us in this life and there is also joys that will be ours in the next.
VI. WHEN GOD IS OUR REFUGE THEN NOT ONLY IS THEIR BENEFITS TO US IN THIS LIFE, BUT THERE ARE BENEFITS TO US FOR THE NEXT. v.10-11
1. For those who are in Christ, when they die, there is the assurance that our souls will not go to a place of judgment but into the very presence of God.
The grave shall not be the victor.
Because of his relationship with God, David had the sweet assurance that upon death that he would be ushered into the courts and presence of God. In Psalm 23: 6 he says “And I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever”
David understood that physical death was not the end. He had a great sense of assurance that to God he would go.
Do you have this assurance?
If you died today, do you know where your soul will go?
Will you go Hell or Heaven?
In v.11 David says “you will show me the path of life” In the NIV I like the reading better for it says “You have made known to me the path of life”
The way to Heaven, the way to being right and a peace with God is this: Jesus Christ. Jesus said “I am the way and the truth and the life, no one comes to the Father but by me”
There is no other way. There is no other mediator. There is no other way to be saved and forgiven of your sins. By faith in Jesus alone.
2. For those who are right with God and who have taken refuge in Him, there is the promise of the fullness of joy in God’s presence and pleasures forevermore at his right hand.
A question that is often asked is this “What will Heaven be like?”
Our text here tells us 1. In Heaven our joy will be full, because we will be in God’s presence 2. In Heaven there will be pleasures forevermore at his right hand.
To some these answers are too short. We want to know more. We are want to speculate and debate.
All I know is that David rejoiced in this truth: For those who are right with God: the best is yet to come.
When it comes to Heaven and what it will be like I also know this: Jesus is front and center ( Jesus being there is what makes Heaven, Heaven) and we will be able to see and talk with Him. Sin will be no. When we all get there we will get new bodies. Life in Heaven will be different than it is here i.e no more marriage. We will be perfect. No more tears. No more sadness. No more temptation. It will be a place of rest. It will be a place where we all get alone perfectly. It will be beautiful beyond our imaginations. God himself will Heaven’s source of light. There will be a great and beautiful city. There will be a new Heaven and a new earth.
I also know that Heaven is my true home, that my citizenship is there because I am in Christ, that I am to be looking forward to my going there, and that being there is far better than being here
In addition to this there is not much more I can tell you about what Heaven is like.
CONCLUSION
In a moment we are going to celebrate communion together. There are a few more comments that I will make from this text during that time (particularly in regards to the Messianic elements of this text).
There is one to whom we can call upon for help
Help comes to those who take refuge in God
David models to us one fully committed to God. God was everything to Him.
All of the benefits of this text are tied into a person’s being committed to God. (through faith in Jesus Christ)
This past week I have taken much comfort from this Psalm. It is sweet news to know that there is one to whom I can go with my troubles. Experience has also taught me afresh that trials have an intended goal: drawing us near to God. ---near by our prayers, near by our seeking his wisdom, near by repentance, near by our seeking of his strength, near by our seeking of his righteousness, near in complete dependence upon Him
