Pastor Paddick Van Zyl
07-08-2022
Psalm 91
Sermon
Scripture Reference:
Psalm 91
Key verse :
1 He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High
Shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.
2 I will say of the Lord, “He is my refuge and my fortress;
My God, in Him I will trust.”
Theme:
Abiding under the shadow of God
Introduction:
When someone mentions Psalm 91, more often than not we immediately think: ‘The Protection Psalm’ (verses 10-12). And that is not incorrect, however there is so much more to Psalm 91 that just protection. Let’s look at it closer...
Sermon message:
This Psalm opens with the words: “He who dwells in the secret place…” This is a key phrase. What does it mean to dwell? To abide?
It means to set up house, to move in, to stay permanently… DWELLS is Strong’s #3427. It is a primitive root and it looks like this: dwell It is defined as, to sit down, to remain, to settle, to marry, make to keep [house], and to return.
“He who Dwells is one who’s made the choice to live permanently in God’s house – trusting in God and honouring His Word. (Heb Bet) There he will experience the activation of God’s right hand of power covering him. (Heb Yod) And God in His fiery zeal will consume all that tries to keep or draw him away from Dwelling. (Heb Shin)”*
When a stranger enters your kitchen and help themselves to food in the fridge, what do you do? Shock, horror how dare they?
But when our children or our spouse help themselves to anything in the fridge, there is no problem…because they stay in the same house as we do…
All the promises of this psalm hinge on this first phrase. DWELLING is not an option. Dwelling is a must if we want to experience the benefits listed in Psalm 91
God has a secret place for His own (Psalm 27:5, 31:20), and it is a place to live in. Those who dwell there abide under the shadow of the Almighty, knowing His protection, comfort, and care. That’s where He meets us, gives us guidance, & shows us His will. We are His dwelling place and He is ours. When we choose to trust and obey Him, we live secure in His Presence. (1 Cor 3:16-17 & Col 2:9-10)
“Every child of God looks towards the inner sanctuary and the mercy-seat, yet all do not dwell in the most holy place; they run to it at times, and enjoy occasional approaches, but they do not habitually reside in the mysterious presence.” (Spurgeon) **
God preserves those who abide in Him & love Him. Not those who visit the holy place once a year as the high priest did in the Old Testament tabernacle. Father wants all of us - not just a part of us that we are willing to surrender to Him.
Paul wrote:
2 Corinthians 12:9 AMP
9 “But He said to me, My grace (My favour and loving-kindness and mercy) is enough for you [sufficient against any danger and enables you to bear the trouble manfully]; for My strength and power are made perfect (fulfilled and completed) and show themselves most effective in [your] weakness. Therefore, I will all the more gladly glory in my weaknesses and infirmities, that the strength and power of Christ (the Messiah) may rest (yes, may pitch a tent over and dwell) upon me!”
Before we get to verses 10 to 12 (protection) we have to first dwell and abide (verse 1). Not the other way around!
Look again at The Lord’s Prayer: Matthew 6:9-15
9 “In this manner, therefore, pray:
Our Father in heaven,
Hallowed be Your name.
10 Your kingdom come.
Your will be done
On earth as it is in heaven.
11 Give us this day our daily bread.
12 And forgive us our debts,
As we forgive our debtors.
13 And do not lead us into temptation,
But deliver us from the evil one…”
After you are done centring your heart and mind on the Fatherhood of God and His heavenly power, and then submitting completely to His royal Lordship, by saying “Your wll be done” then can you start asking for your daily bread , for protection and for provision. We have to abide in Father, His will.
How serious is God about us abiding in Him and His Word in us?
Jesus in the gospel of John chapter 15 verse 4 says: “Remain (abide) in Me, and I [will remain] in you. Just as no branch can bear fruit by itself without remaining in the vine, neither can you [bear fruit, producing evidence of your faith] unless you remain in Me.”
John 6:56 : “He who eats My flesh and drinks My blood abides in Me, and I in him.”
John 8:31 : “Then Jesus said to those Jews who believed Him, “If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed.”
John 15:5-10 : 5“I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing. 6 If anyone does not abide in Me, he is cast out as a branch and is withered; and they gather them and throw them into the fire, and they are burned. 7 If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you[b] will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you. 8 By this My Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit; so you will be My disciples. 9 “As the Father loved Me, I also have loved you; abide in My love. 10 If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love, just as I have kept My Father’s commandments and abide in His love.
To abide then, is to permanently stay under God’s instruction and Authority, moving forward as He directs. When we do, God connects us with heaven, and manifests His life in us and through us on earth. To abide is covenantal language. The promise of the Abrahamic covenant, which finds its fullest expression in the new covenant is that “I will be a God to you and you will be My people.”
From these scriptures, and throughout the Word of God, we can see that relationship is very important to God. Think of this: in heaven no one will have an island of their own with a sign saying ‘Do not disturb’! Heaven is made for fellowship and relationship with Father, Son and Holy Spirit and one another.
Looking back at the Exodus, of the Israelites, we find that God regulated their ‘desert’ with the Cloud by day and the pillar of fire by night. The Israelites abided in God and He regulated their environment so to speak. How many times has God not regulated our circumstances and our ‘desert’ and protected us from harmful things that we don’t even know about?
God want us to Tabernacle with Him, and in this [fellowship] character formation and development takes place in our lives.
Psalm 139 (NKJV)
2 “Search me, O God, and know my heart;
Try me, and know my anxieties;
24 And see if there is any wicked way in me,
And lead me in the way everlasting.”
Where is the safest place in this world? It is not Fort Knox but rather a place of committed trust in God. The safest place in the world is in fellowship with God. Protection is found when the believer trusts in God who keeps His people in His unbreakable care who protects them from harm who surrounds them with His promises and who ensure that they are fully and completely secure. God protects those who abide.
*When the enemy attacks us, we are to hide under Gods wing. God is our refuge, our fortress, our strong place
Verse 2 of Psalm 91: My God, in Him I will trust: This close relationship with God and all the benefits that come from it are for those who know Yahweh as God, and who truly trust in Him. As a believer receives His protection, comfort, and care, he trusts God all the more, and increasingly knows Him as Father.
Verse 7 of Psalm 91: A thousand may fall at your side, And ten thousand at your right hand; But it shall not come near you. We may have to go through the valley, go through the battle, or go through difficulty. But it will not bring evil to us.
Verse 11-12 of Psalm 91 : For He shall give His angels charge over you, To keep you in all your ways. 12 In their hands they shall bear you up, Lest you [d]dash your foot against a stone. God doesn’t promise to remove the stones from the path, but He does promise to make them stepping-stones and not stumbling blocks. He promises to help us climb higher because of the difficulties of life
*Worship is an incredible powerful weapon. As we worship our Father in the secret place, dwelling in His presence, we will experience His peace and rest and guidance.
Verse 15 of Psalm 91 : He shall call upon Me, and I will answer him: God promises to answer the prayer of the one who loves Him, and the one who genuinely knows Him.
I will be with him: In the last lines of the psalm, God spoke personal and wonderful blessings over the one who loves and knows Him:
· The blessing of His presence: I will be with him in trouble.
· The blessing of His protection: I will deliver him.
· The blessing of His promotion: I will…honor him.
· The blessing of His prosperity: With long life I will satisfy him.
· The blessing of His preservation: And show him My salvation.
The Abiding Life, produces the Assuring Life, which leads to the Abundant Life!
“If we aren’t eating daily from God’s word and receiving His truth as our identity and lifestyle, we’ve stepped out of the secret place and opened the door for the enemy’s visit. He doesn’t even have to knock. The door is standing wide open and he can come and go as he wills. He cannot come into the secret place because darkness cannot abide in the light.”***
Closing:
The thing we most often need in times of trial is to know He is with us, and to know His perspective on our situation. Rather than asking, “Why is this happening to me?” the better question is, “From Your vantage point Lord, what is going on here and how can I cooperate with You to bring about Your will?”
He wants to share truth with us. It may come in a quick fix, but it will more likely come as a process that will unfold step by step as we continue asking, willingly listening, and applying His counsel.
With the above in mind, I would like to read the entire Psalm 91: (Some verses have a parallel version added)
Psalm 91 (NKJV)
He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High You who sit down in the High God’s presence, (MSG)
Shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. spend the night in Shaddai’s shadow,
2 I will say of the Lord, “He is my refuge and my fortress;
My God, in Him I will trust.” My God, in whom I trust [with great confidence, and
on whom I rely]! (AMP)
3 Surely He shall deliver you from the snare of the fowler
And from the perilous pestilence.
4 He shall cover you with His feathers,
And under His wings you shall take refuge;
His truth shall be your shield and [b]buckler.
5 You shall not be afraid of the terror by night,
Nor of the arrow that flies by day,
6 Nor of the pestilence that walks in darkness,
Nor of the destruction that lays waste at noonday.
7 A thousand may fall at your side,
And ten thousand at your right hand;
But it shall not come near you.
8 Only with your eyes shall you look,
And see the reward of the wicked
9 Because you have made the Lord, who is my refuge,
Even the Most High, your dwelling place,
10 No evil shall befall you,
Nor shall any plague come near your dwelling;
11 For He shall give His angels charge over you,
To keep you in all your ways.
12 In their hands they shall [c]bear you up,
Lest you [d]dash your foot against a stone.
13 You shall tread upon the lion and the cobra,
The young lion and the serpent you shall trample underfoot.
14 “Because he has set his love upon Me, therefore I will deliver him; I will set him [securely] on high, because
I will [e]set him on high, because he has known My name. he knows My name [he confidently trusts
15 He shall call upon Me, and I will answer him; and relies on Me, knowing I will never
I will be with him in trouble; abandon him, no, never]. (AMP)
I will deliver him and honor him.
16 With [f]long life I will satisfy him,
And show him My salvation.”
Amen.
End Notes:
*Mary Ellen Wright, Hear God’s Heart : www.maryellenwrites.com
**Charles Spurgeon Quotes Ps 91 David Guzik Enduring Word
***Mary Ellen Wright, Hear God’s Heart : www.maryellenwrites.com
