Untitled Sermon

SCRIPTURE INTRO

Good morning!

What a privilege it is to get one last opportunity to preach to you this morning before we make the trek up to the Pastors College in just 2 short weeks!

Go ahead and open up your Bibles to Psalm 34.

And as you’re turning there, I guess it was a couple of months ago, Billy had asked me if I would be willing to preach again before I moved to Louisville.

And not just once, but TWICE!

On Mother’s Day, which I did a few weeks ago.

And then again today, on Father’s Day.

Honestly, I freaked out a little on the inside, with all that we’re needing to juggle to get the house ready to be rented, and packed up to move our family across the country.

But I told him I thought that might be ok, as long as I could first check with Erin before giving him a final answer.

And that’s because I FULLY expected Erin to come to my rescue and tell me there was NO WAY I could possibly preach TWO MORE times before we moved.

But, when I mentioned it to her, she calmly said, “You should do it.”

Which was NOT what I was expecting her to say.

I am grateful for the faith of my wife.

The Lord has continued to increase her faith in my calling...

And she has been a BEAST (in the best way) at getting the house ready for our departure.

So, here we are.

Preaching one last time before going to learn how to preach!

And, let me just say, what a sweet privilege it has been to preach to you over these past three years.

Every time it has been an honor, opening up God’s word and savoring it together.

Thank you for allowing me that privilege again this morning.

Today we’ll be looking at Psalm 34.

As you’re turning there, a couple of quick notes about the Psalm.

It’s one of the more famous psalms written by King David.

You’ll likely recognize much of the imagery and many of the phrases, if not even entire verses.

It’s actually one of several acrostics found in the book of Psalms.

That means each verse begins with one of the letters of the Hebrew alphabet.

David wrote this Psalm that way to help make it easier for God’s people to commit it to memory.

We lose that effect in our English translations, but it’s still a beautifully written psalm.

READ PASSAGE

Let’s read it together.

Psalm 34

[1] I will bless the LORD at all times;

his praise shall continually be in my mouth.

[2] My soul makes its boast in the LORD;

let the humble hear and be glad.

[3] Oh, magnify the LORD with me,

and let us exalt his name together!

[4] I sought the LORD, and he answered me

and delivered me from all my fears.

[5] Those who look to him are radiant,

and their faces shall never be ashamed.

[6] This poor man cried, and the LORD heard him

and saved him out of all his troubles.

[7] The angel of the LORD encamps

around those who fear him, and delivers them.

[8] Oh, taste and see that the LORD is good!

Blessed is the man who takes refuge in him!

[9] Oh, fear the LORD, you his saints,

for those who fear him have no lack!

[10] The young lions suffer want and hunger;

but those who seek the LORD lack no good thing.

[11] Come, O children, listen to me;

I will teach you the fear of the LORD.

[12] What man is there who desires life

and loves many days, that he may see good?

[13] Keep your tongue from evil

and your lips from speaking deceit.

[14] Turn away from evil and do good;

seek peace and pursue it.

[15] The eyes of the LORD are toward the righteous

and his ears toward their cry.

[16] The face of the LORD is against those who do evil,

to cut off the memory of them from the earth.

[17] When the righteous cry for help, the LORD hears

and delivers them out of all their troubles.

[18] The LORD is near to the brokenhearted

and saves the crushed in spirit.

[19] Many are the afflictions of the righteous,

but the LORD delivers him out of them all.

[20] He keeps all his bones;

not one of them is broken.

[21] Affliction will slay the wicked,

and those who hate the righteous will be condemned.

[22] The LORD redeems the life of his servants;

none of those who take refuge in him will be condemned. (ESV)

Let’s pray.

PRAY

Oh Father, we come to you as needy people.

We come trusting in the finished work of your Son, Jesus.

We come, weary.

Would you provide us with your abundant rest?

We come, in weakness.

Would you empower us with your strength?

We come, wandering and fearful.

Would you fill us with your peace?

Help us now to hear Your word, to really hear it.

And as we hear it, give us faith to believe it, to really believe it.

Spirit of God, minister to us through the preaching of God’s Holy word, we pray.

Amen.

INTRO

Some of you may not know this about me, but I am deathly afraid of wasps.

Spiders are creepy.

Cockroaches are disgusting, especially the ones from New Orleans.

But Wasps.

Yellow Jackets.

Bees.

Anything that flies and can inject poison into your body from its butt.

Those things are pure evil.

I am genuinely terrified of them.

If I see a wasp, I’m outta there.

And I’m at the point in my life,

See, today’s Father’s Day.

We’re celebrating the gift that Dad’s are to us.

When you become a dad, certain categories of your life, you just stop caring what other people think about you.

I don’t really care if you think I should be more courageous when my radar detects the presence of a flying insect.

I’ve resolved within myself that I don’t ever want to get myself stung by one of those things every again.

And as far as it depends on me and my self-preservation, I won’t.

And, in case you’re wondering, no, this isn’t the ONLY category in which I’m like this.

I will never bungee jump.

I will never willingly jump out of an airplane.

And I will never, ever, play paintball.

Those things sound TERRIFYING, and there is really no amount of guilt or mockery that will persuade me against my will in these matters.

I’ll give you an example, in the wasp category.

And I am going to warn you about some of the details of this story.

They are extremely, uh, well, humiliating to me, that’s what they are.

I was doing some yard work in New Orleans several years ago and needed to go into my shed to get a tool.

When I opened the doors, like I had done hundreds of times before, to what I had always believed to be a wasp-free establishment, this hairy, red, demon-dart took a nose-dive right at me.

And I don’t know exactly how to describe to you what happened next.

If there was a way to simultaneously curl up into the fetal-position while sprinting as fast as I could, that’s kinda what I did.

And I bolted inside the house, slammed the door shut, and went straight for the can of Wasp Spray under the kitchen sink.

My wife, Erin, who was doing the dishes, I think just rolled her eyes at me.

But, as if in slow motion, I grabbed the can of wasp spray… like it was a flamethrower.

I walked back over to the door.

And then I just stood there, behind the safety of the window panes (of course).

I glared as fiercely as I could, for a good 3 minutes, as if my mere stare would be enough to put fear into the wasp’s tiny little heart.

Once I determined it was safe to exit, I opened the door, took a couple of steps toward the shed, saw the wasp again, and ran right back inside the house, screaming like an 8 year old school girl.

I was paralyzed with fear.

Like, y’all I’m not exaggerating.

These things make me actually incapable of rational thought.

As far as I was concerned that shed now belonged to that wasp.

I’m trying to figure out where I’m gonna store my tools from now on.

But then after several minutes of contemplating my next move, I was finally able to muster up enough courage… to beg my wife to come and help me kill the wasp.

Erin approached the shed door as I hid behind her, armed with the can of wasp spray.

She reached for the door, and as she grabbed the handle to swing it open, the wasp attacked. and I panicked.

I mean, I lost it.

I shut my eyes and started screaming.

And like a madman, I started spraying wasp spray everywhere.

Everywhere and on anything, including, unfortunately, all over my poor wife.

I know.

Paul encourages husbands to cleanse and sanctify their wives.

But I know that’s what he had in mind.

A REAL FEAR As ridiculous (and unflattering) as that story is, I’m sure if I called each of you up here and asked you to tell us something you were afraid of, you’d probably share something like wasps or spiders or ghosts, or falling, or drowning, or being asked to share something vulnerable in front of a large crowd.

But what if I pressed you and asked you to dig a little deeper, way down deep, to those things that REALLY make your soul tremble?

The things that taunt you when you go to sleep at night.

Things that perhaps no one else is even aware of, churning around in that mind and heart of yours.

What are you most afraid of?

Be honest with yourself?

What drives you to worry, or doubt, or anxiety, or despair?

It’s probably something more troubling than wasps.

Maybe it’s:

The Fear of failure or rejection or loneliness.

The Fear of the unknown future.

(new job, new marriage (ANGELO), new city, new friends)

The Fear of losing something or someone.

(death, moving, grandparents, parents, siblings, friends)

The Fear of being known

(of being really known, of being seen for who you actually are, a complete mess with a pretty facade).

The Fear of never being loved

(having to settle for a life of being alone)

The Fear of missing out on a better life than the one you’ve got now.

In a word, we’re afraid because we want to be secure.

That’s gotta be one of the things we most want in life?

To be safe.

Settled.

Satisfied.

Secure.

Cause when we don’t feel secure, that’s when we’re tempted to be afraid.

It’s why toddlers don’t like the dark.

And why parents don’t like their teens driving at night.

And why we get scared when we’re called into our boss’s office.

And why no one LOVES going to the doctor.

Insecurity breeds fear.

And instead of combating fear with the truth of God’s word, we too often allow our fears to have unrestricted access to our hearts and minds.

We let them control us and tempt us to imagine all sorts of possible and impossible (and often really terrible) scenarios.

And before we even realize it, we’re scrambling through life like a madman, searching for something, ANYTHING that offers refuge and peace.

I think this battle with fear and the desire to feel secure is why David wrote Psalm 34.

David was no stranger to TERRIFYING circumstances.

The Sunday school portrait paints him to be this uber-courageous warrior, wrestling hungry lions and conquering cocky giants.

Nothing like that main character in my wasp story.

Don’t get me wrong.

David WAS a mighty warrior.

But he also knew what it meant to be afraid.

He knew what it was like to have family communication issues.

To be separated from loved ones.

He knew what it was like to have an overbearing and temperamental boss.

He knew what it was like to be forgotten, and overlooked.

To be mocked and ridiculed and wrongly accused.

He knew what it was like to have his mind run wild with fears of the future.

He knew what it was like for people to hate him.

He knew betrayal, corruption, and deception.

David knew what it meant to be afraid.

But, as Psalm 34 will show us this morning, David eventually learned that…

MAIN POINT: The one who fears the Lord will always be secure.

Now at first glance, the opening verses of Psalm 34 sound like a typical Sunday morning worship service.

We even used these verses for our Call to Worship this morning!

[1] I will bless the LORD at all times;

his praise shall continually be in my mouth.

[2] My soul makes its boast in the LORD;

let the humble hear and be glad.

[3] Oh, magnify the LORD with me,

and let us exalt his name together!

Think uptempo praise song.

Loud singing.

Hands clapping.

Feet stomping.

People smiling.

Nothing but joy filling the room.

No anxious thoughts.

No pain.

No sadness.

No fears.

Just me and you and Jesus…

& Mr. Terry St. John

& Anthony Miller

& Marques Jones

The praises of God filling the mouths of His people as we magnify and exalt His name together!

But it might surprise you to find out that the context for this Psalm was a much different occasion.

Look right above verse 1 at the subtitle for this Psalm.

Often, these subtitles say things like,

“Of David.”

Or “to the choirmaster.”

Or “A maskil.”

Sometimes they are so obvious or so obscure that we kinda ignore them and move on.

But in our case this morning, we get a full sentence.

And it’s an extremely important sentence.

It actually gives us the context for the writing of the Psalm.

Look at what it tells us.

Of David, when he changed his behavior before Abimelech, so that he drove him out, and he went away.

That is referring to a passage recorded in the OT, in 1 Samuel chapter 21.

Let’s go ahead and turn there for a few moments.

(QUICKLY!)

At the end of chapter 20, David has his famous last moments with his best friend Jonathan.

Jonathan informs David that his father, King Saul, plans to kill him and encourages David to flee the city.

Jonathan and David embrace, and part ways.

And then we pick up in verse 1 of chapter 21.

1 Samuel 21:1

[1] Then David came to Nob, to Ahimelech the priest. And Ahimelech came to meet David, trembling, and said to him, “Why are you alone, and no one with you?” (ESV)

David doesn’t have any food or any weapons, and many of his allies are loyal to Saul.

So David decides to head to Nob, a city near Jerusalem where he knows a priest named Ahimelech.

This isn’t “Abimelech”, from the subtitle for Ps 34 – it’s confusing, but I’ll explain in a moment.

David intentionally seeks out Ahimelech the priest, so there is apparently some favorable history between them, even though we’re told Ahimelech trembles at the sight of David.

He’s apparently alarmed at the sight of David traveling without the normal royal entourage.

So Ahimelech asks him, “What are you doing here?”

But David decides to not tell Ahimelech the truth.

1 Samuel 21:2

[2] And David said to Ahimelech the priest, “The king has charged me with a matter and said to me, ‘Let no one know anything of the matter about which I send you, and with which I have charged you.’ I have made an appointment with the young men for such and such a place. (ESV)

Why does David lie to Ahimelech?

David needs food and weapons for his journey.

But he doesn’t want to implicate a priest in the aiding of a fugitive running from the King.

So, instead of being truthful and trusting God to provide for his needs, David, in his desperation, fabricates a story to try to protect Ahimelech from knowingly conspiring against the King.

We find out later that this will eventually cost Ahimelech his life.

Along with the other 84 priests of the temple of Nob.

And it’s something David later deeply regrets.

But at this moment, all David can think about is his belly.

1 Samuel 21:3–6

[3] Now then, what do you have on hand? Give me five loaves of bread, or whatever is here.”

[4] And the priest answered David, “I have no common bread on hand, but there is holy bread—if the young men have kept themselves from women.”

[5] And David answered the priest, “Truly women have been kept from us as always when I go on an expedition. The vessels of the young men are holy even when it is an ordinary journey. How much more today will their vessels be holy?”

[6] So the priest gave him the holy bread, for there was no bread there but the bread of the Presence, which is removed from before the LORD, to be replaced by hot bread on the day it is taken away. (ESV)

David asks to be given some bread for their journey.

But Ahimelech tells him that there is no bread left for the commoners.

All that remains is the holy bread, reserved for the priests.

But Ahimelech reluctantly gives it to David anyway.

Which, just stop and think about that…

This is not right.

David shouldn’t be allowed to eat the bread.

He shouldn’t be deceiving a priest.

Dale Ralph Davis says,

“Some scrupulous reader may object and complain that David in all his finagling and deception does not deserve this provision. So what else is new? Who would have daily bread if it rested on our [efforts]. We’d all be skeletons! … I receive my daily bread not because I am godly, but because Yahweh is gracious!”

And David graciously receives his daily bread direct from Yahweh’s hand.

The bible calls it, literally, “the bread of the presence”.

[WORD???]

Now, the plot thickens.

1 Samuel 21:7

[7] Now a certain man of the servants of Saul was there that day, detained before the LORD. His name was Doeg the Edomite, the chief of Saul’s herdsmen. (ESV)

Duhn, Duhn, Duhnnnnn.

I LOVE THE BIBLE.

Remember, Saul is after David.

When he finds him, he’s gonna kill him.

And here, sitting in the corner of the room with a sly grin and burly beard is one of Saul henchmen, Doeg.

Doeg will later be the one commanded by Saul to execute the 85 priests of Nob.

But for now, the author just wants to create tension in the story by letting us know he’s there, watching from the shadows.

1 Samuel 21:8

[8] Then David said to Ahimelech, “Then have you not here a spear or a sword at hand? For I have brought neither my sword nor my weapons with me, because the king’s business required haste.” (ESV)

The two things David needs most in this moment to keep himself alive is food and weapons.

So naturally he asks if the priests have any lying around.

1 Samuel 21:9

[9] And the priest said, “The sword of Goliath the Philistine, whom you struck down in the Valley of Elah, behold, it is here wrapped in a cloth behind the ephod. If you will take that, take it, for there is none but that here.” And David said, “There is none like that; give it to me.” (ESV)

Ironically (but certainly not coincidentally), the only weapon on hand happens to be the giant’s sword!

The Bible is such a cool story!

1 Samuel 21:10

[10] And David rose and fled that day from Saul and went to Achish the king of Gath.

Alright, David is on the run again.

And Saul is in hot pursuit.

Surely David has a decent plan for a hideaway.

He sets his sights on a territory ruled by a King named Achish.

Now King Achish is actually the same King referred to in Psalm 34 as Abimelech.

It was probably the official or dynastic name for the King.

And where exactly is King Achish’s hometown?

Gath.

Now wait, that’s a familiar name.

Turn back a couple pages to 1 Samuel 17.

This is the scene where the Israelites and the Philistines have drawn their battle lines at the Valley of Elah.

Verse 4 says,

1 Samuel 17:4

[4] And there came out from the camp of the Philistines a champion named Goliath of Gath, whose height was six cubits and a span. (ESV)

You’ve got to be kidding me!

David must be out of his mind.

Goliath was from Gath??

Why in the world would David intentionally choose to go there?

I mean, surely there had to have been some other, more rational alternative to this death wish.

Everyone knew David the shepherd boy turned warrior had killed the Champion from Gath!

Now he thinks he’s going to go waltzing around in their city, and into the presence of their King, carrying their slain giant’s own sword and not be murdered on the spot??

Why would he even fathom this plan??

Well, it’s his last shot.

Like Thor trying to reignite that dead star in Infinity War.

It’s probably going to kill him, but it’s the only chance he has.

If David can convince King Achish he’s no longer Saul’s ally, maybe the King will grant David a place to lay low for a while.

It’s an extremely risky move.

It’s utter desperation, fueled by fear.

But it doesn’t work.

The fear that Saul might catch and murder him is suddenly eclipsed by an even greater fear.

David doesn’t fool anyone.

They know exactly who he is!

1 Samuel 21:11-12

[11] And the servants of Achish said to him, “Is not this David the king of the land? Did they not sing to one another of him in dances, ‘Saul has struck down his thousands, and David his ten thousands’?”

[12] And David took these words to heart and was much afraid of Achish the king of Gath.

They ask it as a question, but they are sure it’s him.

They even quote the lyrics to David’s famous song.

And just so we don’t miss it, the Bible comes right out and says it.

David is much afraid.

Even though he was a man after God’s own heart, he had allowed his fears to get the best of him.

He had let fear dictate his life choices.

He had let it influence his desires and convictions.

He allowed it to deceive him into looking for freedom and pleasure and security in things other than God.

And look where it’s gotten him.

So what does he do?

1 Samuel 21:13-15

[13] So he changed his behavior before them and pretended to be insane in their hands and made marks on the doors of the gate and let his spittle run down his beard.

[14] Then Achish said to his servants, “Behold, you see the man is mad. Why then have you brought him to me?

[15] Do I lack madmen, that you have brought this fellow to behave as a madman in my presence? Shall this fellow come into my house?” (ESV)

What a crazy (pardon the pun) thing to do!

David doesn’t cry out to the Lord.

He doesn’t try to reason with the King.

He doesn’t even put up a fight.

He puts on a crazy man act, scribbling on the doors and drooling all over himself.

And instead of locking him up in prison, the King kicks him out!

Then scripture tells us he doesn’t waste any time hanging around.

1 Samuel 22:1–2

[1] David departed from there and escaped to the cave of Adullam. And when his brothers and all his father’s house heard it, they went down there to him. [2] And everyone who was in distress, and everyone who was in debt, and everyone who was bitter in soul, gathered to him. And he became commander over them. And there were with him about four hundred men. (ESV)

That’s the story behind Psalm 34.

That’s the canvas on which David paints these familiar verses.

The truths we find in this Psalm emerged from a season where David experienced intense affliction, danger, and need.

He faced fears at almost every turn.

But, God used the events in that season to teach David about an even greater fear: the fear of the Lord.

What does it mean for one to fear the Lord?

I think this Psalm tells us that the one fears the Lord does at least four things.

Worships the Lord.

Seeks the Lord.

Obeys the Lord.

Rests in the Lord.

Let’s look at each one of those…

MAINS

Point 1: The one who fears the Lord … Seeks the Lord.

[4] I sought the LORD, and he answered me

and delivered me from all my fears.

[5] Those who look to him are radiant,

and their faces shall never be ashamed.

[6] This poor man cried, and the LORD heard him

and saved him out of all his troubles.

[7] The angel of the LORD encamps

around those who fear him, and delivers them.

It’s a very different sounding David here in Psalm 34 from the deceptive David we saw in 1 Samuel 21.

We’re not told when or how David learned to fear the Lord.

But this psalm is proof that he did, because he testifies about it with his own lips.

David has learned to seek the Lord, to look to Him, to cry out to him when he is in need.

This kind of posture, David says, guarantees deliverance for the one who fears the Lord.

But deliverance from what exactly?

His fears. v4

All the things that made him ashamed. v5

Everything that caused his heart to be troubled. v6

In this earthly life, God doesn’t promise to remove sin, or suffering, or sorrow.

He doesn’t promise we’ll be free from miscarriages, or marriage problems, or money issues.

What he DOES promise for those who seek Him, or the one who fears the Lord, is deliverance

FROM FEAR.

Fear of the temporary replaced with a greater fear of the eternal.

David says that when we seek the Lord, he hears, he answers, he brightens our faces, and he protects us.

[7] “The angel of the Lord encamps around those who fear him.”

What did the angel of the Lord always say when he appeared to someone?

Fear not!

The fear of the Lord doesn’t remove danger, but it does deliver us from fear of it!

I Have A Shelter

“I Have a Shelter in the storm, when constant winds would break me, when fears surround me like a flood, your grace will not forsake me.”

David wants everyone in on this!

[8] Oh, taste and see that the LORD is good!

Blessed is the man who takes refuge in him!

[9] Oh, fear the LORD, you his saints,

for those who fear him have no lack!

[10] The young lions suffer want and hunger;

but those who seek the LORD lack no good thing.

Taste.

See.

Be blessed.

Receive.

These are experience words.

Like Joshua taught the men yesterday, God is a good and generous God!

Not only does fearing the Lord give you freedom from your fears.

He actually satisfies your cravings with His goodness.

He doesn’t just want you to know He is good.

To be able to define His goodness academically.

He wants us to experience His goodness, as intimately and fully as though we’re tasting it.

But what if we’re having trouble tasting?

How do we experience GOd when he feels far away from us?

[17] When the righteous cry for help, the LORD hears

and delivers them out of all their troubles.

When we seek the Lord, we can be sure that He hears & delivers.

His word tells us He does.

But there unfortunately aren’t any timeframes specified in this passage.

We don’t usually know how long it will take for the promised deliverance to come from the Lord.

But it WILL come, dear brother or sister.

You can be sure of that.

When you seek the Lord, when you cry to him, he hears, and he will always deliver.

Fear the Lord.

And seek Him.

Point 2: The one who fears the Lord … Obeys the Lord.

[11] Come, O children, listen to me;

I will teach you the fear of the LORD.

[12] What man is there who desires life

and loves many days, that he may see good?

[13] Keep your tongue from evil

and your lips from speaking deceit.

[14] Turn away from evil and do good;

seek peace and pursue it.

David is saying that the fear of the Lord is not just a state of mind, it’s an action.

It’s an all of life posture of obedience to all that God commands.

Both saying yes to righteousness and no to evil.

It takes diligence, effort, intentionality.

David says it’s some we need to be taught.

We need to continually be learning how to do it, better and better.

That’s what growing in the fear of the Lord is.

Gaining wisdom, discretion, discipline.

Watch your mouth.

Tell the Truth.

Love your neighbors.

It’s both individual and relational.

Pursue this, David says.

Fear the Lord.

And obey Him.

Point 3: The one who fears the Lord … Rests in the Lord.

[18] The LORD is near to the brokenhearted

and saves the crushed in spirit.

[19] Many are the afflictions of the righteous,

but the LORD delivers him out of them all.

[20] He keeps all his bones;

not one of them is broken.

Many of us in this room are brokenhearted.

Crushed in our spirits.

Afflicted.

Cancer, miscarriages, friends moving, coworker issues, deaths,

Hear the promise of the Lord this morning!

The Lord is near.

In Christ Alone

“When fears are stilled, when strivings cease,

My Comforter, my all in all, here in the love of Christ I stand.”

Fearing the Lord means actively trusting in the Lord, more than you trust in the circumstances you can see around you.

I’m holding on to this promise as we move away for PC this year, and rent out our house, and have greater expenses, and have to learn Greek.

I know your elders are holding on to this promise as this year unfolds with the adjustments of us going to PC and Pastor Allen being inactive and caring for a growing church.

We must fear the Lord!

And Rest in Him.

Point 4: The one who fears the Lord … Magnifies the Lord.

[1] I will bless the LORD at all times;

his praise shall continually be in my mouth.

[2] My soul makes its boast in the LORD;

let the humble hear and be glad.

[3] Oh, magnify the LORD with me,

and let us exalt his name together!

David begins the Psalm with praise, but worship is the overflow of learning all these other lessons.

Only when we Seek, Obey, and Trust, do we then

Worship.

All Times.

Continually.

Boasts / Magnifies.

Corporate.

REJOICE:

Come and stand before your Maker

Full of wonder, full of fear

Come behold His power and glory

Yet with confidence draw near

For the one who holds the heavens

And commands the stars above

Is the God who bends to bless us

With an unrelenting love

Rejoice, come and lift your hands and

Raise your voice, He is worthy of our praise

Rejoice, sing of mercies of your King

And with trembling, rejoice

Fear the Lord.

And Magnify Him.

CONCLUSION

5.The one who fears the Lord…will always be secure.

[15] The eyes of the LORD are toward the righteous

and his ears toward their cry.

[16] The face of the LORD is against those who do evil,

to cut off the memory of them from the earth.

[21] Affliction will slay the wicked,

and those who hate the righteous will be condemned.

[22] The LORD redeems the life of his servants;

none of those who take refuge in him will be condemned.

David ends the Psalm contrasting two groups of people:

The righteous.

And the wicked.

The servants of the Lord.

And those who do evil.

And, as is always clear in scripture, you’re either in one group or the other.

There’s no middle ground.

We’ve studied this dichotomy in 1 Corinthians, and in 1 John, and in the Gospel of John, and even way back in Revelation.

That’s because it’s all throughout scripture.

If you oppose the Lord, if you have no fear of Him, you will be condemned.

Either you learn to fear him now, or you will be made to fear him later.

Let’s pray.

PRAY

Text

CLOSING REMARKS

Call Prayer Team Forward

Closing Song

BENEDICTION

Scripture