Security in God
Psalm 27:1-3
November 11, 2001
Morning Service
Veteran’s from the Bible
The Bible is filled with many wonderful stories of ordinary people who made an extraordinary difference in the nation of Israel. There are people from all walks of life. There were shepherds, fishermen, carpenters, farmers and the list goes on and on. There were also soldiers or veterans in the history of Israel. There was Joshua who led the people to victory during the conquest of Canaan. There was Samson who led the fight against the Philistines. There was Gideon who led Israle to the stunning defeat of the Midianites. However, the greatest warrior in the Bible would have to be King David because it was under his leadership that Israel conquered the majority of their enemies and even kept the Philistines in check. David was an example of courage and strength even in the most difficult situations. How did he do it? What was his secret? He relied on God to take care of him.
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 evil men advance against me to devour my flesh, when my enemies and my foes attack me, they will stumble and fall. 3 Though an army besiege me, my heart will not fear; though war break out against me, even then will I be confident.
A. Security in God’s salvation
1. God is our light and our salvation
You are my lamp, O LORD; the LORD turns my darkness into light. 2 Samuel 22:29
a.) God brings His light into our darkness
1.) God dispels the darkness of doubt
2.) God dispels the darkness of defeat
3.) God dispels the darkness of despair
4.) God dispels the darkness of death
b.) God brings salvation into our desperation
The LORD is my strength and my song; he has become my salvation. He is my God, and I will praise him, my father’s God, and I will exalt him. Exodus 15:2
1.) God saves us from the power of sin
2.) God saves us from the fear of death
3.) God saves us from a hopeless existence
2. God is our protection
a.) God is our true source of security
1.) There is nothing that touches your life that does not pass through the protection of God
2.) God does not give you more than you can handle. There is a condition to this promise: you have to rely on God for strength
b.) God is our stronghold
The LORD is a refuge for the oppressed, a stronghold in times of trouble. Psalms 9:9
1.) Literally, God is our place of complete refuge and He protects us
2.) The stronghold was a place of provision with vast supplies and protection with strong fortifications
3. There is no reason to fear
a.) God provides for us completely
1.) God knows what we need when we need it and He has the ability to supply everything that we need
2.) This simple fact gives us peace of mind as we go through life
b.) God does not want us to live in fear
1.) Do the thing you fear, and the death of fear is certain." Emerson
2.) The antidote for fear is faith. It is truly impossible to live in fear if you place your trust in God
3.) God gives us strength to face the things we fear and defeat them.
B. Security in God’s protection
1. God protects us from our enemies
a.) God is more powerful than our foes
1.) Most of us would say that we don’t have enemies like David was facing. I think that we need to look at this from a different angle.
2.) We are fighting…
Complacency
Discouragement
Weakness
Temptation
Fear
b.) Our worst enemy is not those who stand against the church. Our worst enemy is a lack of faith in God
2. God will help us overcome
I will not fear the tens of thousands drawn up against me on every side. Psalms 3:6
a.) With the power of God on our side there is no difficulty we cannot overcome, there is no problem we cannot solve and there is no conflict we cannot resolve. Why?
b.) There is no situation God cannot handle. There is no sinner God will not forgive. There is no struggle that God cannot win.
C. Security in Trusting God
1. God is worthy of our trust
a.) Marine Motto
The Marine Corps has an interesting motto, Semper Fidelis, it is Semper Fi for short. We have all seen it on shirts, bumper stickers and various other items but do you know what those two Latin words mean? Semper Fidelis literally means always faithful and it reveals the attitude behind code of conduct of the Marine Corps.
b.) God is always faithful to his people and worthy of our trust
Because of the LORD’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. I say to myself, "The LORD is my portion; therefore I will wait for him." Lamentations 3:22-24
2. Trusting in God gives us courage
a.) When we place our complete trust in God, He gives us a supernatural confidence to face life
b.) This confidence give us the courage and the strength to face down our trials and tribulations with assurance of God’s presence and assurance of victory
Conclusion
The Library of Congress has a wonderful display on Abraham Lincoln and a part of that display is a small box that contains the personal items that were in his pockets the day he was assassinated. There was a handkerchief, a pocketknife, a five-dollar bill in Confederate money and some old worn out newspaper clippings.
"The clippings, were concerned with the great deeds of Abraham Lincoln. And one of them actually reports a speech by John Bright which says that Abraham Lincoln is "one of the greatest men of all times." Abraham Lincoln carried this piece of reassurance and confidence with him wherever he went. David also voiced his confidence and it was not in himself but rather David placed his confidence in God.
Today, why not take some advice from this great veteran and place your trust, your confidence and your faith in God. In God there is great security.
