Unshakeable

Acts 16:16–30 NIV

Once when we were going to the place of prayer, we were met by a female slave who had a spirit by which she predicted the future. She earned a great deal of money for her owners by fortune-telling. She followed Paul and the rest of us, shouting, “These men are servants of the Most High God, who are telling you the way to be saved.” She kept this up for many days. Finally Paul became so annoyed that he turned around and said to the spirit, “In the name of Jesus Christ I command you to come out of her!” At that moment the spirit left her. When her owners realized that their hope of making money was gone, they seized Paul and Silas and dragged them into the marketplace to face the authorities. They brought them before the magistrates and said, “These men are Jews, and are throwing our city into an uproar by advocating customs unlawful for us Romans to accept or practice.” The crowd joined in the attack against Paul and Silas, and the magistrates ordered them to be stripped and beaten with rods. After they had been severely flogged, they were thrown into prison, and the jailer was commanded to guard them carefully. When he received these orders, he put them in the inner cell and fastened their feet in the stocks. About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the other prisoners were listening to them. Suddenly there was such a violent earthquake that the foundations of the prison were shaken. At once all the prison doors flew open, and everyone’s chains came loose. The jailer woke up, and when he saw the prison doors open, he drew his sword and was about to kill himself because he thought the prisoners had escaped. But Paul shouted, “Don’t harm yourself! We are all here!” The jailer called for lights, rushed in and fell trembling before Paul and Silas. He then brought them out and asked, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?”

Sisters, tell me how could Paul & Silas have such an unshakable faith during such a volatile situation?

David in Psalm 16 gives us some practical tips of how to develop unshakable faith.

Pray

Psalm 16 CSB

A Miktam of David. 1 Protect me, God, for I take refuge in you. 2 I said to the Lord, “You are my Lord; I have nothing good besides you.” 3 As for the holy people who are in the land, they are the noble ones. All my delight is in them. 4 The sorrows of those who take another god for themselves will multiply; I will not pour out their drink offerings of blood, and I will not speak their names with my lips. 5 Lord, you are my portion and my cup of blessing; you hold my future. 6 The boundary lines have fallen for me in pleasant places; indeed, I have a beautiful inheritance. 7 I will bless the Lord who counsels me— even at night when my thoughts trouble me. 8 I always let the Lord guide me. Because he is at my right hand, I will not be shaken. 9 Therefore my heart is glad and my whole being rejoices; my body also rests securely. 10 For you will not abandon me to Sheol; you will not allow your faithful one to see decay. 11 You reveal the path of life to me; in your presence is abundant joy; at your right hand are eternal pleasures.

Intro:

Define Miktam: a writing a poem or a song

I. He’s all we have

Psalm 16:1–2(CSB)

1 Protect me, God, for I take refuge in you.

2 I said to the Lord, “You are my Lord;

I have nothing good besides you.”

(EXP)(1-2) Protect: it means to guard or to keep watch over, and refuge means shelter or saftey

Tell me what it means to find refuge in God?

A city has walls, and walls are meant to protect it, to keep enemies out and to keep the people safe. To take refuge in God is to stay inside the city boundaries, where you are safe.

in the OT. The law of Moses at mount sinai (the ten commandments- we know there are 613 but the 10 are the foundational moral laws) God gave was the boundary.

In the NT. it is the law of Christ

What is the law of Christ?

Matthew 22:37–39 CSB

37 He said to him, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. 38 This is the greatest and most important command. 39 The second is like it: Love your neighbor as yourself.

These commandments for us are where we find our refuge. These are the boundaries we live by.

(2) David swears his allegiance to God, letting the Lord know that he is in a covenant relationship with Him and that He is all he has.

application

Getting saved is not just getting a savior; it is getting the Lord. More than a rescue attempt, this is a covenant relationship. As you take refuge in Him, He has promised that He will never leave you or forsake you.

II. He’s all we will worship

Psalm 16:3–4 (CSB)

3 As for the holy people who are in the land,

they are the noble ones.

All my delight is in them.

4 The sorrows of those who take another god

for themselves will multiply;

I will not pour out their drink offerings of blood,

and I will not speak their names with my lips.

(EXP)(3-4) This is called a double reference prophecy. Because David is speaking about something natural and supernatural simultaneously, we believe that David is talking about himself and the Messiah, and we know this based on what the New Testament writers say about this Psalm. Let’s take a look at one usage in Acts 2:23-29

Acts 2:23–29 CSB

23 Though he was delivered up according to God’s determined plan and foreknowledge, you used lawless people to nail him to a cross and kill him. 24 God raised him up, ending the pains of death, because it was not possible for him to be held by death. 25 For David says of him: I saw the Lord ever before me; because he is at my right hand, I will not be shaken. 26 Therefore my heart is glad and my tongue rejoices. Moreover, my flesh will rest in hope, 27 because you will not abandon me in Hades or allow your holy one to see decay. 28 You have revealed the paths of life to me; you will fill me with gladness in your presence. 29 “Brothers and sisters, I can confidently speak to you about the patriarch David: He is both dead and buried, and his tomb is with us to this day.

Who is Luke talking about in vs. 23?

(EXP) (23-26) Luke is helping us to see that ultimately Psalm 16 . Is about Jesus. It is a messianic Psalm. Referring to the coming Messiah.

Psalm 16:3–4 CSB

3 As for the holy people who are in the land, they are the noble ones. All my delight is in them. 4 The sorrows of those who take another god for themselves will multiply; I will not pour out their drink offerings of blood, and I will not speak their names with my lips.

(EXP) (3-4) This verse refers to Jesus being among the angels and finding the worship he will receive. But it also refers to David's joy from worshiping with the saints. David loves to worship. And we see this in Psalm 122:1

Psalm 122:1 CSB

1 I rejoiced with those who said to me, “Let’s go to the house of the Lord.”

Psalm 16:4 CSB

The sorrows of those who take another god for themselves will multiply; I will not pour out their drink offerings of blood, and I will not speak their names with my lips.

(vs. 4) He will not participate in or do anything that will disparage or defame the name of God

application

We should find joy in individual worship and worshipping with the saints.

Doing church in the community is a part of God’s way of strengthening our faith.

How does God build us in the body?

We get guidance

accountability

support

new relationships-likeminded rest

encouragement

In the body, God develops the fruits of the spirit in us by giving us tough people to love

Learn

III. He’s my portion

Psalm 16:5–6 CSB

5 Lord, you are my portion and my cup of blessing; you hold my future. 6 The boundary lines have fallen for me in pleasant places; indeed, I have a beautiful inheritance.

What does it mean to make the Lord your portion?

David is speaking metaphorically about a beautiful, satisfying meal. Sisters, we eat for many different reasons. Sometimes, we need a quick bite because we are starving, sometimes we need fuel after a workout, or sometimes we are feasting with family and friends. But on special days like birthdays, anniversaries, and holidays, we are looking for something more.

What are you looking for on those days?

We are looking for food to bring us joy and satisfaction.

Application

David reminds us that he is wholly satisfied when he partakes in communion with Jesus.

Tell me some foods you don’t like but know are good for you?

Brussel sprouts

asparagus

cauliflower

When David says that he finds his portion in God, he understands that he will need to eat and consume things, trials, and experiences and suffering that he doesn't like and that don't always feel good but that are good for him because they help him draw closer to Christ.

IV. He’s chartered my course

Psalm 16:7–9 CSB

7 I will bless the Lord who counsels me— even at night when my thoughts trouble me. 8 I always let the Lord guide me. Because he is at my right hand, I will not be shaken. 9 Therefore my heart is glad and my whole being rejoices; my body also rests securely.

(EXP)(7-9) As I worry and fret about my future, which keeps me up at night and I’m toiling in my sleep, I will remember that my future is secure; I will not be shaken

What does Shaken mean?

Define: Shaken: to sway, stagger or totter

the first time riding a bike, swimming, flying

What did you feel?

Psalm 16:8 CSB

8 I always let the Lord guide me. Because he is at my right hand, I will not be shaken.

“because He is at my right hand.”

What does David mean when he says that?

He references the throne room where the king sits to the son's right. If David is the son, his father is the king, so he will lead, guide, and protect, and like any good father, he will never leave.

David says in this text that the only way to be steady is to let the Lord guide us.

Sisters, we have the ultimate compass with God. Not only does He see everything, but He controls everything. This truth should cause us to be unshakeable.

The God who chooses people is strong enough to accomplish all his purposes in them; the people chosen by God ought to respond not only with grateful obedience, but with unshakable trust.

D. A. Carson

Application

I’ll always bless the Lord because I can trust Him with my future.

Our faith can’t be shaken because he is our refuge. He is our wall.

V. He’s my resurrection

Psalm 16:10–11 CSB

10 For you will not abandon me to Sheol; you will not allow your faithful one to see decay. 11 You reveal the path of life to me; in your presence is abundant joy; at your right hand are eternal pleasures.

(EXP)(10) He will not abandon me to a dark, dusty, silent place of no return.

Hope of a resurrection- this is a glimpse of that hope (referring to himself). David communicates his understanding of a future Messiah who would rise from the grave, giving us eternal hope that the grave will not be our final resting place.

(11) In this verse, David confidently proclaims that he knows one day he will be in the presence of the Messiah, that all of his life challenges, trials, and obstacles will be over, and that there will be eternal joy and pleasures.

Eternal separation from God is the scariest most unredeemable reality for mankind to face. David has assured us in this verse that a believer will never face that reality. In other words, the only thing that can be taken from us is our physical body in death, but never our final reality in the presence of God.

How should that truth inform our walk with Christ?

if God has eliminated the the ability to die apart from Him we have the freedom to live boldly and not in fear

there is no reality that could ultimately shake us

so sisters let’s get practical- there are things that will try to shake us that we will have to face, and satan will use these thing to turn us away from our hope in Christ. - earthquakes, tornados

Tell me some of those things

losing a job

infertility

singleness

lonilness

divorce

death

wayward children

broken relationships

financial hardship

Conclusion:

I want to tell you about a time when i was in a scary situation:

Raising a daughter in the same city of the abusive Parent, and having to trust God to protect both me and my daughter.

I was a new believer

god gave me strength

in those moments, i know it was the Lord

I was truly alone, but i transitioned from being very afraid to being able to face him without fear

Pray