The Path to God’s Joyful Presence
Ps 16:1-11
I.THIS MONTH WE ARE GIVING SPECIAL EMPHASIS TO SEEKING GODS PRESENCE
A. Our verse of the month comes from Ps 16. and deals with the joy of His presence (Read)
B. Joy is to be a consistent mark of the believer!
1. It is a delight in life that runs deeper than pain or pleasure.
2. It is much deeper than happiness which is dependent on outward circumstances.
3. It is a quality of life not simply a fleeting emotion.
4. Joy is that elation of countenance that comes from the possession or expectation of spiritual good.
II. THERE ARE SEVERAL CRUCIAL TRUTHS ABOUT THE BELIEVER’S JOY THAT WE MUST CONTINUALLY KEEP BEFORE US .
1. Joy is a gift of God, and like all of his other inner gifts it can be experienced even in the midst of extremely difficult circumstances.
2. Joy is grounded in God Himself and flows from Him. Rom 15:13
3. Joy is not an isolated or occasional consequence of faith but rather an integral part of one’s whole relation to God.
4. The fullness of joy comes when there is a deep sense of the presence of God in one’s life. Ps 16:11
5. We cannot experience joy while being preoccupied with our own security, pleasure, or self-interest.
III. THE PATH TO GOD’S JOYFUL PRESENCE
Verse 11 is the summary of Ps 16
1. David says God will make known to him the path of life that leads to His presence where there is fullness of joy!
2. I believe that path leading to God’s joyful presence is given in the preceding verses.
B. We saw the first step on the path to God’s joyful presence last week in verse 1.
1. Complete trust in God’s care and protection (1)
Preserve me, O God, for I take refuge in You.
2. Today we will see some of the other steps ….
B. Complete surrender to God as Lord (2)
1. David dedicates himself to God as his Lord.
(Master) (Ruler) (Boss) Heb.= Adonia
2. Notice this is heart work
a. Our entire being must be involved in this surrender
b. It is not enough to surrender to God as Lord in our mind only, it must involve our total being!
c. He must be Lord of all or He is not Lord at all!
3. He says this to God. (verbalizes it) a. Have you verbalized this to God?
4. Every aspect of our lives must be brought under His Lordship.
a. finances, work
b. relationships, activities
c. habits, attitudes
d. thoughts, dreams
e. plans, hopes
5.The path to God’s joyful presence involves total surrender of everything you are and everything you have to Jesus as your Lord.
6. With total surrender to Jesus as Lord comes joy and peace indescribable.
a. All our cares becomes His cares
b. All our needs becomes His responsibility
c. All of our hopes and plans no longer matter, only His plans matter to us.
¨Ex.Hudson Taylor understood this truth and as a result had joy and peace in some very adverse circumstances. He said “I have no will but God’s will and God will accomplish His will”
7.Jesus walked this path ; He was totally surrender to the will of the Father Luke 22:42
saying, "Father, if You are willing, remove this cup from Me; yet not My will, but Yours be done."
*Have you completely surrendered to Jesus as Lord?
C. A true conviction that God is our chief good. (2)
1. David knew his love relationship with God was the absolute best thing in his life!
2. In fact compared to his relationship with God he had no other good in his life.
*Did this mean David did not consider his wives and children to be good?
*No, he is speaking in comparative terms
*Like when Jesus said Luke 14:26
" If anyone comes to Me, and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, and even his own life, he cannot be My disciple.”
3. David is saying that God is the ultimate good in his life and all other good things he has flow from God.
4. The third step on the path …. Is to have the conviction that God is the ultimate good in your life.
5. In Him alone will you find your greatest fulfillment, satisfaction, happiness, and joy in life.
*We do not experience true joy because we are looking for it in the wrong places!
*We look for it in the things of this world.
*We think that our chief good is in this world
ie. Money, position, prestige, sports, power, houses, cars, etc.
*This is all an illusion-these things cannot provide lasting fulfillment, satisfaction, happiness, or joy.
EX. Ps 73 The writer came to realize this truth
1. (1) He knew it in his mind but not in his heart
*It’s one thing to say God is our chief good but its another thing to really believe it!
2.He became envious of the wicked as he saw their prosperity. (3-12)
*Why would he be envious of their wealth if he really believed God was his chief good?
*In his heart of hearts he believes wealth, position, power are his chief good.
3. He had obeyed God because he thought God would then give him wealth and an easy life. (13-14)
*He thought these were his chief good *When God did not be became bitter
4.He was confused and embittered until he came into the presence of God. (16-17)
*He realized their end was destruction!
*Nothing in this life compares to heaven
*He realizes he will always be with God and that is much better than what the world can offer
5. He then comes to the conviction that indeed God is his chief good. (25-28)
25 Whom have I in heaven but You?
And besides You, I desire nothing on earth.
26 My flesh and my heart may fail,
But God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.
27 For, behold, those who are far from You will perish;
You have destroyed all those who are unfaithful to You.
28 But as for me, the nearness of God is my good;
I have made the Lord GOD my refuge,
That I may tell of all Your works.
EX. Jesus John 4:31-34
31 Meanwhile the disciples were urging Him, saying, " Rabbi, eat." 32 But He said to them, "I have food to eat that you do not know about." 33 So the disciples were saying to one another, "No one brought Him anything to eat, did he?" 34 Jesus said to them, "My food is to do the will of Him who sent Me and to accomplish His work.
¨Matt 4:4
But He answered and said, "It is written, ’MAN SHALL NOT LIVE ON BREAD ALONE, BUT ON EVERY WORD THAT PROCEEDS OUT OF THE MOUTH OF GOD
6. Do You have the conviction that God is indeed your chief good?
*Everything in this world tells you otherwise
*Commercials, world system
7. It’s not what we say but how we live!
8. What is your life revealing?
9. Where are you seeking happiness and true joy and fulfillment?
*Can you truthfully say with the Psalmist, But as for me, the nearness of God is my good?
*Are you looking for your true fulfillment, true joy, and true satisfaction in life in your personal closeness to Jesus?
10. This is the third step, realizing God is your chief good.
D. A SINCERE DELIGHT IN GOD’S PEOPLE (3)
1. David said in Ps 119:63
I am a companion of all those who fear You,
And of those who keep Your precepts.
2. He delights in God’s people because they bear His image and God loves them.
3. He loves what God loves and delights in what God delights in and God loves and delights in His children!
4. When God has His right place, man gets his right place also.
5. He is valued not for his wealth, but his worth; not for his circumstances, but for his character; not for his high standing among men, but for his near relation in love and holiness to God.
6. The 4th step to path of God’s joyful presence is to delight in fellow Christians.
*to enjoy being with those who are living obedient and holy lives.
*to respect those who reflect the life of Christ not those who have the world’s respect
7. This means we highly value Christian relationships.
Paul wrote: Gal 6:10
10 So then, while we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, and especially to those who are of the household of the faith.
8. We place a premium on Christian fellowship.
*The greatest times of worship I have experienced in my 48 years as a Christian have been when I was alone with God.
*The greatest times of joy and rejoicing I have experienced have been with other Christians!
*There is a dynamic when Christians get together than magnifies the joy and rejoicing in the Lord.
EX. Jesus 12 Disciples
Do you delight in God’s people?
Do you prefer the company of Christians over non-Christians?
CONCULSION
A. We have seen the first 4 steps on the path to God’s joyful presence.
1. Complete trust in God’s care and protection (1)
Preserve me, O God, for I take refuge in You.
2 Complete surrender to God as Lord (2)
I said to the LORD, "You are my Lord;
3. A true conviction that God is our chief good. (2)
I have no good besides You."
4. A SINCERE DELIGHT IN GOD’S PEOPLE (3) As for the saints who are in the earth,
They are the majestic ones in whom is all my delight.
Will you take these steps today?
