STANDING TALL:
ARE THEY ATTACKING AGAIN?
Psalm 27:1-14
S: Courage
Th: Standing Tall
Pr: WHEN TRAGEDY STRIKES, WE CAN TRUST GOD.
?: How? How do we do that?
KW: Applications
TS: We will find in our study of Psalm 27 five applications that will instruct us on how to trust God when tragedy strikes.
The _____ application is…
I. PROFESSION (1-3)
II. PRESENCE (4-5)
III. PRAISE (6)
IV. PRAYER (7-12)
V. PATIENCE (13-14)
Version: ESV
RMBC 02 Nov 03 AM
INTRODUCTION:
ILL Notebook: Fear (Pillsbury Dough Boy strikes again)
A woman in Arkansas was sitting in her car in a parking lot when she heard a loud bang and then felt a sharp pain in the back of her head. She was holding her hands behind her head when someone walked by and asked, “Are you okay?” The woman answered, “I’ve been in shot in the head and I’m holding my brains in.”
Well, it wasn’t her brains. It was dough. A Pillsbury biscuit canister had exploded in the back seat, apparently from the heat, making a loud explosion and shooting the dough into the back of the woman’s head.
Well…
1. Have you ever had a good reason to be afraid?
As we can see, some fears are irrational.
Other fears, though are very rational.
For instance, listen to this quote…
ILL Notebook: Fear (bin Laden quote)
We – with God’s help – call on every Muslim who believes in God and wishes to be rewarded to comply with God’s order to kill Americans and plunder their money wherever and whenever they find it.
Do you know who said that?
If you said Osama bin Laden, you would be correct.
It was one of many declarations of war he has made.
This particular quote happened on 23 Feb 1998.
Well…
2. Times have changed, haven’t they?
Our country has not been the same since 9/11.
You know, as a kid, I never imagined a commercial jet would become a missile.
I never imagined letters with anthrax.
I never imagined bio-chemical warfare, but now all our kids live in a world where these things have happened.
On 9/11, we were targeted, we were hit and we were hurt deeply.
And now a void is left.
Spouses became widows and widowers.
Parents have outlived their children.
Good friends became grieving friends.
It was a nightmare.
TRANSITION:
It must break God’s heart that those created in His image, and have so much in common with the divine, have messed it up so much.
We have so much potential for good, but instead we have caused and created so much pain, evil and death.
And as a result…
1. Our world is not at peace.
All over the world there is war.
And we continue to be in the center of it.
Our nation continues to be anxious as the conflict in Iraq persists.
But we are not the only place and we are not the only ones where this is happening.
Conflict continues in places like Nigeria, Sudan, Somalia, Indonesia, Afghanistan, Israel, India and Pakistan.
And countries that have no conflict worry about “sleeper cells” that are ready to strike.
Countries like Japan, Singapore, Germany and a host of others are on the watch for the next attack.
We are vulnerable.
We must recognize this.
The Office of Homeland Security does its best, but there are too many targets to guard.
There are too many creative ideas in the mind of evil genius.
And, unfortunately, there are too many reasons to hate what this country stands for.
There is reason to be afraid.
It seems only a matter of time until the next attack comes.
I don’t mean to be the bearer of bad news, but I don’t think the world is getting better, and generally speaking, I am an optimist.
Nevertheless, as a believer, the last thing life is is hopeless.
You see…
2. WHEN TRAGEDY STRIKES, WE CAN TRUST GOD.
As believers in the Lord Jesus, we are not to cower with fear.
We are called for something more.
We have been commissioned to make a difference in the lives of people.
And perhaps our greatest opportunities come when the tragedy comes.
This is why we are considering Psalm 27 today.
For…
3. We will find in our study of Psalm 27 five applications that will instruct us on how to trust God when tragedy strikes.
OUR STUDY:
I. The first application is PROFESSION (1-3).
(1) The LORD is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The LORD is the stronghold of my life; of whom shall I be afraid? (2) When evildoers assail me to eat up my flesh, my adversaries and foes, it is they who stumble and fall. (3) Though an army encamp against me, my heart shall not fear; though war arise against me, yet I will be confident.
ILL Personal
A couple of years ago, I was on a walk at Camp Hickory Hill. It was about 10 PM, and I was on a mission to find Joel. I had learned that he was at a campsite beyond the pond. So I headed down the path, but the path took me through a huge thicket of trees. I was walking along at a pretty good pace, but then all of sudden it was pitch black. I looked forward and I couldn’t see, then I looked backward and I couldn’t see. And having no flashlight, let me be honest, I got scared. In that very moment, I desperately wanted light.
Throughout Scripture, light is positive.
It represents truth, goodness, joy, and vitality.
We need light.
And what David teaches us here is that when we are fearful, we need to do the following…
We need to reaffirm the truth about God.
God is so great.
He is our light.
So, even if our very life is threatened, that’s okay.
Why?
He is our salvation.
He is our secure place.
We do not need to fear.
No matter how bad it seems, God is greater.
This leads us to…
II. The second application is PRESENCE (4-5).
(4) One thing have I asked of the LORD, that will I seek after: that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to gaze upon the beauty of the LORD and to inquire in his temple. (5) For he will hide me in his shelter in the day of trouble; he will conceal me under the cover of his tent; he will lift me high upon a rock.
We need to be focused on God.
David encourages us to love God.
We are to have a preoccupation with God’s person and God’s will.
For this is the very essence of worship.
And when we truly have His Presence, fear is banished.
So as we focus on God, our mission comes into focus.
We will desire to make more disciples.
No matter how bad it seems, we will want to share about Him more and more.
Now we come to…
III. The third application is PRAISE (6).
(6) And now my head shall be lifted up above my enemies all around me, and I will offer in his tent sacrifices with shouts of joy; I will sing and make melody to the LORD.
We need to celebrate the King of kings and the Lord of lords.
When we actively give praise to God, this rejoicing casts out fear.
When our perspective is right about God, we anticipate victory.
Now, we don’t praise to get what we want from God.
No, it doesn’t work that way.
But when we praise God, we gain confidence in who He is.
We gain confidence in what He has done.
We gain confidence in what He has already done in our lives.
Praise is powerful.
It helps us keep our perspective.
It helps us to keep our focus on how great God is.
ILL Notebook: Prayer (better sermons)
The pastor’s 5 year-old daughter noticed that her father always paused and bowed his head for a moment before starting his sermon. One day she asked him why.
“Well, Honey,” he began, proud that his daughter was so observant of his messages, "I’m asking the Lord to help me preach a good sermon."
"How come He doesn’t do it?” she asked.
Well…
IV. The fourth application is PRAYER (7-12).
(7) Hear, O LORD, when I cry aloud; be gracious to me and answer me! (8) You have said, "Seek my face." My heart says to you," Your face, LORD, do I seek." (9) Hide not your face from me. Turn not your servant away in anger, O you who have been my help. Cast me not off; forsake me not, O God of my salvation! (10) For my father and my mother have forsaken me, but the LORD will take me in. (11) Teach me your way, O LORD, and lead me on a level path because of my enemies. (12) Give me not up to the will of my adversaries; for false witnesses have risen against me, and they breathe out violence.
Earlier, we heard the story of King Jehoshaphat.
They were surrounded.
The question came to the king, “What do we do?”
They were about to be attacked by overwhelming numbers.
So what does Jehoshaphat do?
Does he check his arsenals?
Does he take a census of the troops?
Does he ask the generals to devise a plan?
No, none of these things.
What he does do is pray.
He seeks the Lord.
Jehoshaphat knew that as a nation they needed God’s favor.
They needed God’s guidance and God’s wisdom.
His prayer was, “We don’t know what to do, but our eyes are on you.”
You see…
We need to recognize that we are not self-sufficient.
David teaches us the very same lesson.
He knew that we cannot handle life by ourselves.
We need the intervention of God.
So when he prays, he finds courage.
This now brings us to…
V. The fifth application is PATIENCE (13-14).
(13) I believe that I shall look upon the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living! (14) Wait for the LORD; be strong, and let your heart take courage; wait for the LORD!
We need to understand that God works according to His own timing.
Simply, God is worth waiting for.
He doesn’t always work in the way we want Him to, but it doesn’t mean He is not working.
It doesn’t mean that He doesn’t care.
David stiffens his resolve.
He believes.
He waits.
He lets his heart take courage.
APPLICATION:
So what do we do in the face of evil?
What do we do in the realization that our lives may be touched again with tragedy?
First, we…
1. Confront the unknown with confidence in the known.
You see…
Whether you are God’s child in Baghdad, Jerusalem, Moscow, Tokyo, Dakar, Islamabad, Singapore, New York, Buffalo or Williamsville, you can learn to confront what you don’t know with what you do know.
And here is what we know.
We know that God’s Word is good.
We know that His promise is true.
And even in the darkest hours, He is with us.
He is the With-Us God.
Therefore, if God is with us, it means…
2. God hears.
ILL Bush on fire truck
In Bob Woodward’s account of the Bush administration after 9/11, called Bush at War, we find this account of the President’s first visit to NYC after the attacks:
At 4:40 PM, someone placed a white bullhorn in the president’s hands and helped him up on the wreckage [a fire truck that had destroyed by the building coming down]. Beckwith [a retired firefighter] wanted to step down but Bush asked that he stay by his side. Another round of chants began: “U-S-A, U-S-A.”
“Thank you all,” Bush began. “I want you all to know…” and a gigantic canyon of rubble and humanity seemed to swallow up the words from his tinny bullhorn.
“Can’t hear you,” a rescue worker shouted.
“I can’t get any louder,” Bush said with a laugh. “America is on bended knee in prayer for the people whose lives were lost here…” Another voice erupted from the crowd: “I can’t hear you.” Bush paused for an instant, then with his arm around Beckwith’s shoulder, shouted back: “I can hear you. The rest of the world hears you. And the people who knocked these buildings down will hear all of us soon.”
The theology may not be perfect here, but this thought struck me as I read that passage last week…
Just as people were having a hard time hearing what the president was saying, it did not mean that the president did not hear them or respond to them.
I think the same is often true of us.
For whatever reason, we may not be hearing God, or at best, it may seem faint.
Nevertheless, it does not mean that God is not hearing us.
God hears.
And God cares.
And God will move.
Take heart.
For…
3. There is no evil, threat or act that God cannot handle.
Let us understand our own frailty, for we cannot stand tall on our own.
There is no sure-fire formula for success.
You see, success is not a human endeavor.
It is a divine gift.
You see, it goes like this…
“If God is for us who can be against us?”
Enough said…
Communion:
One generation said…
Remember Bunker Hill!
Remember the Alamo!
Remember Pearl Harbor!
Remember 9/11!
This is our battle cry, Remember Jesus Christ.
We are united together because of the work of Jesus.
Those of us that know Jesus are invited to share in the elements of the table.
If you do not know Jesus, that is, you have not received Him as your Savior and Lord, you do not trust Him with your life, that is, you have not been changed by the message, just let the elements pass by.
Please wait until the time comes when you do have that personal relationship with the Lord Jesus.
We practice “communion” because we are to remember the death of the Lord Jesus.
We take the bread to remind us that it was by the body of our Savior that our salvation came.
He died in our place.
He became our substitute.
We take the cup to remind us that it was by the blood of our Savior that our salvation came.
He died for our sins.
He became our sacrifice.
Being led in prayer by , let us take a moment and thank Him for favoring us with his mercy, love and kindness.
(Prayer)
The apostle Paul writes, "The Lord Jesus, on the night he was betrayed, took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and said, This is my body, which is for you; do this in remembrance of me."
Let’s partake together.
... will now come and lead us in prayer.
Again, the apostle Paul writes, "In the same way, after supper he took the cup saying, This cup is the new covenant in my blood; do this, whenever you drink it, in remembrance of me."
Let’s partake together.
BENEDICTION: [Counselors are ]
Trust God…because He is worth trusting; He is true to His promises.
Trust God…because He hears us; even when we don’t think He is.
Trust God…because if God is for us, who can be against us?
Now may the God of peace, who through the blood of the eternal covenant brought back from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great Shepherd of the sheep, equip you with everything good for doing his will, and may he work in us what is pleasing to him, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen.
