Giving God Glory - Singing From the Cave

KEY TEXTS:

REFLECTION: 1 Peter 5:6-11

1 Peter 5:6–11 ESV

6 Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you, 7 casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you. 8 Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. 9 Resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same kinds of suffering are being experienced by your brotherhood throughout the world. 10 And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you. 11 To him be the dominion forever and ever. Amen.

MEMORY VERSE: Matthew 6:16-18

Matthew 6:16–18 ESV

16 “And when you fast, do not look gloomy like the hypocrites, for they disfigure their faces that their fasting may be seen by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. 17 But when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face, 18 that your fasting may not be seen by others but by your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.

BENEDICTION: 1 Corinthians 15:58

1 Corinthians 15:58 ESV

58 Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain.

INTRODUCTION:

As you think over your days…lets just look at this month.

I’d like to ask you this question: Ask yourself, where is it the easiest for me to worship the LORD?

Where do I sense that I have “GLORIFIED GOD” the most?

What does that even mean? To glorify God?

John Piper writes,

Man was created from the beginning in God’s image that he might image forth God’s glory.

He was to multiply and fill the earth so that the knowledge of the glory of God would cover the sea.

And ever since the fall of man into sin, people have refused to align themselves with this divine goal. But all God’s acts have been aimed at seeing it through.

It’s NOT just Old Testament Israel that was called to live lives that pointed to God…that command includes us, too! The New Testament captures it well:

1 Corinthians 10:31 ESV

31 So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.

Matthew 5:16 ESV

16 In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.

Living our lives, giving our hearts, using our voices IN LINE WITH HOW GOD FORMED US…this is how humanity glorifies this GOOD, HOLY, SOVEREIGN, AND PERFECT GOD!

So where do you do that best?

Where are you at a place where you begin to FADE and GOD begins to shine?!

TRANSITION:

If you and I struggle to be ALL IN in a setting like this...

…if we struggle to pray where we have a family joined together by the precious blood of Christ.

…if we struggle to sing in a place like this, when other voices will diminish our notes…and together we’re all making a joyful noise

IN in a setting like this...

…if we struggle to lean into God’s Word when it is a centerpiece of our time together that points us to Christ, Himself...

…if in THIS setting, we find it easy to focus more on OUR wants and desires, than God’s goodness…then we might struggle in the real world…to glorify God

“Glorifying” means feeling, thinking, and acting in ways that make much of God, that reflect HIS greatness and leave us satisfied with HIS perfections!

He alone is the the ultimate, absolute, all-pervasive reason for being everything we are, and doing everything we do.

“The reason you should glorify God in everything is that God glorifies God in everything.” -Piper

If we allow God to work in us, to have complete control over our lives - or at least to move in that direction…to lean AWAY FROM OUR OWN SINFUL SELFISH DESIRES AND HUNGER AND THIRST FOR RIGHTEOUSNESS - If we will recognize this is God’s path for our lives…then OUR WHOLE PERSPECTIVE CHANGES.

We will view trouble and trial and tribulation differently.

We will view victory and plenty and peaceful seasons differently.

We can sing along with Paul...

Philippians 4:11–13 (ESV)

11 ...I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content. 12 I know how to be brought low, and I know how to abound. In any and every circumstance, I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need. 13 I can do all things through him who strengthens me.

We can do ALL THINGS - because ALL THINGS are for His Glory!

We come to our text this morning and find David, not in a sweet spot; not in the palace, not in the tabernacle or tent of meeting, not in the temple…NO; he is in a cave - surrounded by enemies AGAIN!

AND YET - in the midst of that CAVE, he can sing a song of GLORY and PRAISE to God!

The LORD had him record this particular song as a beautiful (and honest) path to GIVING GOD GLORY!

THE LORD’S FIRST DIRECTION TO US THROUGH THIS DAY IN DAVID’S LIFE IS SIMPLE...

Take Refuge (1-2)

Psalm 57:1-2

Look at the text with me...

Psalm 57:1–2 ESV

1 Be merciful to me, O God, be merciful to me, for in you my soul takes refuge; in the shadow of your wings I will take refuge, till the storms of destruction pass by. 2 I cry out to God Most High, to God who fulfills his purpose for me.

In just a few words, David gets right to it!

He admits his NEED: I’m in trouble…I need help.

He runs to the LORD: You are my REFUGE (protection / the place/one I flee TO!)

He knows there is a real threat!: “Storms of destruction”

He might have sung:

In the dark of the midnight

have I oft hid my face

While the storms howled above me

and there’s no hiding place

Midst the crash of the thunder

Precious Lord, hear my cry

Keep me safe, till the storm passes by.

Till the storm passes over, till the thunder sounds no more

Till the clouds roll forever from the sky

Hold me fast, let me stand in the hollow of thy hand

Keep me safe, till the storm passes by!

DAVID’S SITUATION:

After David was delivered from Gath, he fled for protection to the cave of Adullam (1 Sam. 22:1ff).

Later he moved to a cave in Engedi (1 Sam. 24; see Ps. 142).

David was on the run because He knew it was Better to be in the will of God IN A CAVE than out of His will in a king’s palace.

This psalm covers one day in David’s life as a fugitive.

WHAT SONG WOULD COVER A DAY IN YOUR LIFE THIS MORNING?

I can’t get NO satisfaction

I did it MY Way

(there’s not much on the Billboard Top 100 Chart that I can safely quote in church today…you probably shouldn’t have any association with most of it either)

David knows HE IS IN TROUBLE. David knows THE ONLY ONE HE CAN RUN TO!

God - Elohim

God, Most High - El-yon

He cries out to the one who knows EXACTLY WHAT IS GOING ON…AND WHO HAS A PURPOSE FOR HIM.

The God of this Bible is not some out-of-touch cosmic bellhop. He is THE LORD who REIGNS!…and He is working all things for His glory and your good (if you are IN CHRIST this morning)…God will fulfill His purpose for you, too!

LEAN IN TO HIM.

DON’T RESIST HIM.

WORSHIP HIM LIKE HE’S WORTHY!

LOVE HIM LIKE YOU NEED HIM!

RUN TO HIM LIKE HE’S THE ONLY ONE THAT CAN DO ANYTHING FOR YOU!

Take REFUGE IN HIM / Not pop culture.

Take REFUGE IN HIM / Not your friends.

Take REFUGE IN HIM / Not your finances.

Take REFUGE IN HIM / Not your family.

Take REFUGE IN HIM / Not YOURSELF!

It’s one thing to run to the LORD.

It’s another thing to stay there and trust Him!

Trust the Savior (3-7)

Psalm 37:3-7

He alone is the Savior!

David isn’t pretending that his life is free from trouble…he isn’t DENYING REALITY; but HE ALSO ISN’T NURSING DESPAIR (as one writer puts it).

God is the Victor - I will trust Him!

See verse 3

“HE WILL COME!”

“HE WILL SAVE!”

“HE WILL PUT THE ENEMY TO SHAME!”

“HE WILL LOVE!”

“HE WILL BE FAITHFUL”

(v4)

“I AM…surrounded by people acting like animals!”

“I AM…being wounded by words of those nearby!”

(v5)

“YOU ARE EXALTED!”

“YOU ARE HIGH AND HOLY”

“LET YOUR GLORY BE EVERYWHERE!”

(v6)

“THEY’VE SET A TRAP…BUT I WAS HUMBLY SERVING YOU!”

“THEY DUG A PIT BUT FELL INTO IT THEMSELVES”

Romans 3:4 (ESV)

4 Let God be true though every one were a liar...”

(v7) out loud together

MY HEART IS STEADFAST, O GOD!

MY HEART IS STEADFAST!

I WILL SING AND MAKE MELODY!

Where are we leaning, today? Where are you lingering? In your DESPAIR…or WITH YOUR DELIVERER!

Is our confidence in ourselves? Do we think more highly of ourselves than we should?

OR are we BOASTING IN HIM?

2 Corinthians 10:17 ESV

17 “Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord.”

Galatians 6:14 ESV

14 But far be it from me to boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world.

I boast not of works nor tell of good deeds For naught have I done to merit His grace All glory and praise shall rest upon Him So willing to die in my place My trophies and crowns, my robe stained with sin Was all that I had to lay at His feet Unworthy to eat at the table of life Till love made provision for me

Chorus: So I will glory in the cross, in the cross Lest His suffering all be in vain And I will weep no more for the cross that He bore I will glory in the cross

Philippians 1:6 ESV

6 And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.

(Prayerfully)

God, help me cling to Christ today, for life, for righteousness, for joy, for purpose. In other words, help me trust your Word implicitly. Help me be able to say, “My heart is confident, God, my heart is confident.”

Lord we want to trust you in such a way that we feel, think, speak, and act in ways that MAKE MUCH OF YOU! Lord, we want to trust you today in a way that REFLECTS THAT WE ARE COMPLETELY SATISFIED WITH YOU - YOU ARE PERFECT…YOU ARE GREAT AND GREATLY TO BE PRAISED!

WE WANT TO GLORIFY YOU AS OUR REFUGE AND OUR ROCK IN A WEARY LAND.

According to the Bible, these things are the essence of what it means to live all of life for the glory of God: “The righteous will live by faith” (Rom 1:17).

This passage has one push for us to give God glory:

WE ARE CALLED TO TAKE REFUGE IN HIM!

WE ARE CALLED TO TRUST HIM AS SAVIOR!

We are also called to wake up and make him known.

3. Tell Everyone (8-11)

Psalm 57:8-11

I wonder this morning if you might join me in reading these last few verses aloud!

Psalm 57:8–11 ESV

8 Awake, my glory! Awake, O harp and lyre! I will awake the dawn! 9 I will give thanks to you, O Lord, among the peoples; I will sing praises to you among the nations. 10 For your steadfast love is great to the heavens, your faithfulness to the clouds. 11 Be exalted, O God, above the heavens! Let your glory be over all the earth!

WAKE UP!

WAKE UP, MY HEART AND WHOLE BEING!

I WILL WAKE UP THE DAWN WITH A SONG!

I WILL SING!

Encyclopedia of 7700 Illustrations 3785 Two Singing Religions

Judaism and Christianity are singing religions. Atheism is songless. It has nothing to sing about. The funeral notices of Robert Ingersoll, the noted agnostic, stated, “There will be no singing.”

The psalm-singing of Christian martyrs going to their deaths in the arena alerted the Roman Empire to the fact that a new and revolutionary force was coming into being. When the pleasure-bent populace saw the Christians singing as they fearlessly entered the amphitheater where hungry lions awaited them, they were filled with awe.

Heaven is vibrant with song: “And they sing the song of Moses … and the song of the Lamb” (Rev. 15:3).

I WILL THANK YOU, PUBLICLY!

among all the people...

Isolation / Private worship is NOT recommended here. Worship/Pray/Sing in your prayer closet…then bust out of there and go PUBLIC!

among the nations...

not just for the gathered assembly...

here is the charge for us all to MAKE JESUS FAMOUS among the nations near and far

It’s why 5 of your GCC Family members are headed to Brazil in early October…to SING GOD’S PRAISES AMONG THE NATIONS!

You can touch the nations in so many ways…:

engaging those around you who have moved here from abroad!

helping fund international missions - especially those reaching unreached people groups

praying for missionaries and your church family when we’re abroad TOGETHER!

There are many ways to impact others…but you have a charge to MAKE MUCH OF THE LORD AMONG THE NATIONS!

We will tell EVERYONE, EVERYWHERE...

That God’s unfailing LOVE is as high as the highest heavens.

That God’s faithfulness reaches to the clouds!

There is no one like our God!

David RUNS TO THE LORD…because HE KNOWS HE IS IN TROUBLE AND GOD IS HIS ONLY REFUGE!

David STAYS IN HIS PRESENCE…because HE KNOWS GOD IS A TRUSTWORTHY SAVIOR!

DAVID TELLS EVERYONE EVERYWHERE ABOUT THIS GOOD, HOLY, SOVEREIGN, AND PERFECT GOD WHO:

SAVES TO THE UTTERMOST,

LOVES WITH ALL HIS RESOURCES,

PUTS THE ENEMY OF OUR SOUL TO SHAME WITH THE POWER OF HIS MIGHT,

WHO IS WORTHY!

INVITATION / CALL FOR MUSICIANS

Psalm 57:11 ESV

11 Be exalted, O God, above the heavens! Let your glory be over all the earth!

…AND START WITH US!

Friend:

If you’re here this morning and have never really seen your need for a Savior…but you do today. Not just because you’re having a bad week…but you recognize your own sinful, selfish desires are the ENEMIES OF YOUR SOUL. RUN TO JESUS THIS MORNING - He will be your refuge!

He came, just as the volume of the Old Testament Scriptures foretold that he would.

Nobody was born like this: He was born of a virgin.

Nobody ever lived like this: He lived a sinless life, perfectly walking in obedience to His Father.

Nobody ever existed like this: Truly God and Truly Man.

Nobody ever died like this: HE was innocent of any real crime - He was guilty of LOVE in the first degree. He hung, bled, and died on a criminals cross.

God saw fit to lay the sins of the world on Jesus that day - he became the sacrificial lamb, bearing the sin and shame of all who would trust Him and believe.

Nobody ever resurrected like this: After 3 days, God said it was enough. UP from the grave He arose…the victor of the death. Seen by more than 500 people alive. Then ascended to Heaven. Now seated on the throne…interceding/praying for His children now.

HE ALONE IS QUALIFIED TO BE YOUR REFUGE.

YOU HAVE A PROBLEM - A SIN PROBLEM. RUN TO JESUS. TRUST HIS AS SAVIOR…THEN LET’S TELL EVERYBODY ABOUT IT.

---

Brother/Sister:

Where are you running when life is crazy? If it is NOT to God in His Word and through Prayer…then I’ve come to warmly tell you this morning, STOP IT!

STOP running to friends, first! Run to Jesus!

STOP running to family, first! Run to Jesus!

STOP running to social media (EVER)! Run to JESUS!

He is our REFUGE!

He is our SAVIOR!

He is worthy of our SONG TO THE NATIONS!

----PRAYER!

Lord, help us to feel, to think, to act, and to speak in ways that MAKE MUCH OF YOU!

Remold our minds from within so that we can reflect YOUR greatness naturally.

Keep us in your Word and on our knees until we get up satisfied with YOUR perfections…and need nothing from this world!

You alone are the the ultimate, the absolute, the all-pervasive reason for being…you are our everything according to your Word…HELP US TO LIVE LIKE IT!

We are desperate to give glory to YOU alone!