SUMMER IN THE PSALMS
WEEK 2 - HOPE IN THE BATTLE
Pastor Timothy Porter
Text: Psalms 27:1-6
INTRODUCTION:
So they tell you choose your battles. Let your kids play the music too loud every once in awhile. Choose your battles.
Don't get tripped up over little things. Choose your battles.
?The question I wanna ask today, and I guess you could use it as a title for the message is it's wise to choose your battles when you can. But what do you do when your battle chooses you?
What do you do when something shows up on your door step and it's not from Amazon and you didn't order it?
What do you do when the devil drops something off for you to deal with that you did not directly cause, choose, or definitely anticipate?
?As I read the words of this psalm, I see the imagery of battle being portrayed in these verses. Words like “enemies” and “foes” in verse 2; “host” in verse 3; “war” in verse 3; and “enemies” in verse 6 all speak of warfare. Phrase like “though an host encamp against me”, verse 3; and “though war should rise against me”, verse 3 speak of a battle being waged against David. It appears that he is in a difficult situation. Yet, it is also very clear from reading these verses that even in the midst of the battles he is fighting, David still has "HOPE IN THE BATTLE"
HOW DO WE KEEP HOPE IN THE BATTLE?
1.) OUR POISE IN JESUS DISPENSES HOPE
Poise = Confidence
David starts this Psalm with a declration of his faith in the Lord
How do I know this ? Look at the word "MY" - David has a pesonal relationship with the Lord.
?A personal relationship is the foundation of Hope.
This is why David has such grate Poise
Look at what he says about their relationship. He says the Lord is my:
a.] Light - Jesus delivers people from darkness
b.] Salvation - Jesus delivers people from damnation
c.] Strength - Jesus delivers people from defeat
When we have grate poise in who Jesus is - we will have poise in what He does
We like David should declare that our present hope in the Lord rests upon that which the Lord has done for us in the past. God did not fail David nor has He failed you, and He will not fail us today.
That same poise is ours today! The God we serve is unchangeable,
Mal. 3:6
He is the same God with the same power that He has always been. He has never, and He will never change. Because He has been faithful in the past, we can count on His being faithful now.
? Think of all the things He has done
the victories He has won
the enemies He has vanquished
the mountains He has moved
Think on these things and remember that the God who performed countless wonders in the past is still that same God today!
That should give you hope!
2.) Our Pledge to the Lord Dispences Hope
(v. 4)
We got the world, the flesh, and the devil. That's from 1 John.
That's your enemy. The world, the flesh, and the devil. That's the values that oppose your purpose the world.
The flesh, that's the patterns that oppose your purpose
the devil. That is the principality that opposes your purpose.
You could fight one, but how do you fight the devil when your fighting your own flesh? How do you fight the world when actually there's a part of you that wants to do it like the world?
You can fight one, but you can't fight 'em all, they're bigger than you.
How do I raise kids in a culture where the information of the history of the universe is in their pocket?
How do I have a sex talk with kids when they don't have to go to a gas station to see pornography, they can do it right beside their Bible app?
The nature of the battle determines the nature of the strategy.
?When you don't understand the nature of the battle, you will not understand the nuance of the strategy.
So you will fight the battle, not understanding the dynamics of the battle, and you will lose the battle because you will wrestle on the wrong level.
Can I preach a little bit today?
This is for the people that you are facing something that snuck up on you. and it's bigger than you. You are like I don't know which one to fight next.
?Notice David never focuses on his enemies ! The focus is not on the enemy! It's on the deliverier!
This is the stragety to keep hope in the battle = living faithful to the Lord provides a measure of hope that cannot otherwise exist.
Formula =
a.] Lingering Near the Lord
David wants to spend his entire life in the house of the Lord. He wants to be in that place where the Lord dwells and where the Lord's presence is real. This is a theme David repeated in Psalm 84:1-4. There, David envies the little birds that make their nests around the tabernacle.
b.] Loving the Lord
David wants to “behold the beauty of the Lord.” That is, he wants to “seek His face.” You see, not only is David committed to being where the Lord is; but he is also committed to worshiping the Lord. That is a worthy goal for life!
This should be the goal of every believer as well. If we are going to worship the Lord, we are going to have to do it His way.
c.] Leaning On the Lord
David also expresses his desire to call upon the Lord; to commune with God; and to make requests of God. This is another image of worship. David here declares his utter dependence upon the Lord for the necessities of life. David looks beyond his own abilities and sees the limitless provisions of the Lord. Therefore, he wants nothing more than to be able to call upon the Lord
My, what a limitless resource we have been given in prayer! We are invited to pray Matthew 11:28
?When you understand the nature of the battle, you can understand the nature of the strategy.
That's why your pledge to Him is so important it provides hope in the day of our battles.
As we Linger near Him; Love on Him and Lean on Him, we can have the absolute confidence that He will see to our needs and to the things that would cause us to worry
3.) Our Pleasure In The Lord Dispences Hope (v. 5-6)
David tells us that the Lord will hide him in His pavilion. A king's pavilion was a tent that erected in the middle of the army's encampment. The tent was then surrounded by an army of brave soldiers. With all the host of the army camped about, the king's pavilion was the safest place on the battlefield. Those who were fortunate enough to be allowed to enter the king's pavilion were protected by the soldiers and entertained by the king during the battle!
The word “hide” means “to treasure away.”
As the battles of life rage about us, we are safely tucked away in our King's pavilion.
The Bible tells us that “your life is hid with Christ in God”, Col. 3:3!
Could there be in a safer place in all the universe? Of course not!
Those who have entered His pavilion are protected by Him and, even while the battles rage around them, they are entertained with the peace and joy of the King Himself.
This is a promise to those who will abide in that close place!
?No enemy can penetrate the defenses and enter this private place. It is protected from the enemy!
The “secret” refers to the “holy of holies”. That place which was off limits to all but the High Priest, and he could only enter there one day per year, and the only with the blood of an innocent sacrifice. It was a place that other men entered under the penalty of death.
Yet, it is that secret place, to which God takes His precious friends. The Holy of Holies was a place where the very presence of God dwelt and the glory of God could be seen. It was there that God took David during the battles of his life. It was there David found himself shut up with God and shut off from the world around him.
In a king's home, this place referred to the private apartment of the king. It was a place no one could enter unless they did so at his bidding. To do otherwise invited instant death. (Note: The word “hide” means “to conceal”.)
I remember this kid we used to pick on in elementary school named Michael. but then Michael made friends with Raymond. Michael couldn't fight, but Raymond could.
Raymond was like 16 with chest hair and a full beard in the fourth grade.
Raymond had a prison record in the fourth grade.
Raymond said, "You pick on him, you pick on me".
Now look at somebody confident and say, "You fight me, you gotta fight my friend". His Name is Jesus and I take great pleasure in Him! He's got my back!!
This is a bold message. This is to know it might be bigger than me, but it's not bigger than God.
What do you have to do when you fight a battle that's not your fight? Sometimes you fight against things that are in your genetics, but you still got to figure out what to do about that battle. And when it's that deep, it's that strong.
Sometimes you fight against things that other people did and if you go into shame, and you're like, well, "I take responsibility for my part", that's good but it's tricky. Because before long, shame will drive you out of the presence of God, which is what you need when you're in a situation,even if you created it. So it's tricky, because you can find yourself in a battle and you can say, "Well, I can't expect God's help in this situation, because it was created by my hand".
It is amazing that there is a place of solitude in a world filled with people. There is a place that you and I can flee to during the crushing battles that rage about us. A place that affords us quiet, peace and the profound presence of God.
Those who have learned to abide in Him have been to that place and know the glory of it. It is a place where the enemy dares not follow. It is a place reserved for those who love the Lord their God.
Have you ever been to that place?
That place where God meets with you and you alone. That place where all else falls away and you are left with Him and Him alone?
That is the place He invites those who abide to enter!
So, what do you do when the wicked comes aginst you to eat up your flesh?
When you don't understand the nature of the battle that you're in, you use the wrong strategy. And some of us are losing, because we are fighting on the wrong level.
To unpack it, I could use Ephesians 6:12, "We wrestle not against flesh and blood". But that's what we fight against, flesh and blood. We fight every battle physically, we fight people. We even fight people that are trying to help us, because we're insecure.
We fight the battle to protect our ego and to protect our pride and then we lose the battle in our spirit because we were more concerned about protecting our pride than we were about receiving God's power and His help and His provision in our lives.
I watched a movie about Jackie Robinson, "42", and there was a scene in the movie where the owner was telling him, "We're going to put you in the system and hopefully get you to Brooklyn to play professional baseball. But there's one problem.
What are you going to do when they're screaming racist threats in your face? What are you going to do when they attack you at every stop? What are you going to do when they push you to the breaking point"? And he jumped up in the depiction in the movie, I don't know if this happened in real life, but I like to think it did. And he said, "What do you want? A player who doesn't have the guts to fight"? And he looked back at him and said, "No, I wanna player who has the guts not to fight back".
Here's the message. Sometimes it takes more faith not to fight back. Sometimes it takes more faith to just let God be God and be great in your situation. Because if you manipulate it, you're gonna mess it up. If you start plucking tares, you're gonna pull up wheat. Sometimes it takes more faith to let God sort it out.
Exodus 14:14
There is hope in the battle! be confident in the Lord, be committed, and take pleasue in Him
he will protect secure and hide you but you have to let Him fight !
Conclusion
Are you fighting some battles today? Of course you are! But, in the midst of your battles, do you have hope? Do you have the deep settled confidence that everything is going to be alright? If you do praise the Lord, for He has already brought to that special place of blessing from which you can offer praise to His name.
