From Fear to Faith

Psalm 27 (ESV) Of David. 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 evildoers assail me to eat up my flesh, my adversaries and foes, it is they who stumble and fall. 3 Though an army encamp against me, my heart shall not fear; though war arise against me, yet I will be confident. 4 One thing have I asked of the Lord, that will I seek after: that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to gaze upon the beauty of the Lord and to inquire in his temple. 5 For he will hide me in his shelter in the day of trouble; he will conceal me under the cover of his tent; he will lift me high upon a rock. 6 And now my head shall be lifted up above my enemies all around me, and I will offer in his tent sacrifices with shouts of joy; I will sing and make melody to the Lord. 7 Hear, O Lord, when I cry aloud; be gracious to me and answer me! 8 You have said, “Seek my face.” My heart says to you, “Your face, Lord, do I seek.” 9 Hide not your face from me. Turn not your servant away in anger, O you who have been my help. Cast me not off; forsake me not, O God of my salvation! 10 For my father and my mother have forsaken me, but the Lord will take me in. 11 Teach me your way, O Lord, and lead me on a level path because of my enemies. 12 Give me not up to the will of my adversaries; for false witnesses have risen against me, and they breathe out violence. 13 I believe that I shall look upon the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living! 14 Wait for the Lord; be strong, and let your heart take courage; wait for the Lord!

Introduction

What’s your big fear?

What are you worried about that is trailing you from last week or looming over you this week? what is the nagging fear that pops up from time to time

I’ve identified several fears expressed in this passage:

Fear of present circumstances

Fear of physical danger

Fear of the battle

Fear of a day of trouble

Fear of enemies

Fear of being alone

Fear of being misunderstood

to this list you might add:

fear of failure

Fear of world events

Fear of losing a loved one

Fear of an illness

I’ve been facing some of these fears myself this past week, and I’m expecting some this week

I wrote the points of the message in second person but I may switch to the first person plural to remind myself I’m included in what God has for us today, sound good?

*How do you respond when confronted with something fearful?

Flight?

Reaction is to run away - avoid

Fight?

ILLUST - the trick or treater who punched the scarecrow.

You feel you have to control it so you work has hard as you can to fix it.

Freeze?

You don’t know what to do , so you do nothing.

What if God, through David, gave you another option: FAITH?

Statement of Faith Over Fear (1-3)

Cry for Help Because of Fear (7)

Call to Faith Over Fear (11-14)

Statement of a reality, Cry for help, and a Call to faith over fear.

Psalm 27:7 (ESV) 7 Hear, O Lord, when I cry aloud; be gracious to me and answer me!

I think this helps us be honest - I didn’t say it should be faith replacing fear.

Be Worshipful Psalm 27

According to the title of this psalm as recorded in the Septuagint, David wrote it “before he was anointed.” This means it was probably written when he was exiled from home and being hunted by King Saul and his men.

We will hear David’s statement for WHY we should have faith over fear.

Then David will show us the HOW to place faith over fear

I find it is unhelpful to only show the WHY

Of course we should place faith over feat, but how?

ILLUST - well meaning pastor counseling me and my fears - “just stop doing it.”

Faith overcomes fear as you remind yourself of all God is. (v. 1)

Psalm 27:1–2 (ESV) 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?

A. The Lord is my light and salvation

B. Whom shall I fear?

A. The Lord is the stronghold of my life

B. Of whom shall I be afraid?

If A. is true, then B. is rhetorical -Nothing and No one!

Light and salvation

To see and to save

Light to see the danger

Salvation to save from danger

First time God is called Light in Scripture.

How does light dispel fear? We fear uncertainty.

ILLUST - walking to the outhouse at night - much scarier than in the day.

We have good reason to believe David is writing this while on the run from Saul. He is outside the city where both animals and enemies want to attack him.

“Stronghold”

God is my place of safety

A fortress for my feelings, emotions, thoughts.

(I would naturally have worded it “who God is” but based on what David says here I chose “all God is.”

In addition, God is also called:

Rock (18, 62)

Fortress (18, 91, 144)

Shepherd (23, 80)

Refuge (46, 91)

Deliverer (18, 40)

King (47, 95)

Shield (3, 28)

Creator (104, 19)

Judge (7, 96)

Hiding Place (32)

Redeemer (19, 130)

Helper (54, 121)

Father (103)

And this is just the Psalms!

If these are true, then what do you have to fear? (go through and apply - if God is . . . then . . . )

Romans 8:31 ESV

31 What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?

Paul is specifically speaking about the security of our salvation, and in doing so he quells the greatest fear.

(Remember, this is the statement of faith over fear, not the feeling of faith over fear)

Faith overcomes fear as you pursue being in God’s presence. (v.4-5, 8-9)

repeating words “seek”

Psalm 27:4–5 (ESV) 4 One thing have I asked of the Lord, that will I seek after: that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to gaze upon the beauty of the Lord and to inquire in his temple.

David had a singular purpose in coming to God. He only asked for one thing!

If the context to this Psalm is correct, David is far from dwelling in God’s house

Why is David so preoccupied with being in church all the time?

The reality is during the OT, being in God’s house was synonymous with being with God.

The temple was not the grand temple of Solomon yet that is where David wanted to be.

Psalms 1–72: An Introduction and Commentary Sanctuary (27:4–6)

As in the well-known 23:6,

This is why we say worship RETUNES our heart

ILLUST - resonance

Sympathetic resonance occurs when a vibrating object (like a string on one piano) causes another object (like a string on a second piano tuned to the same pitch) to vibrate, even though the second object hasn’t been directly touched. The sound waves from the first vibrating string match the natural frequency of the second string, setting it into motion.

This effect is common in many acoustic instruments and is part of what gives them their rich, resonant sound.

This is why we sometimes need to say it or sing it before we feel it

God’s presence means protection.

Be Worshipful Fear of Circumstances (vv. 1–6)

The imagery in verses 4–6 is the Old Testament equivalent of “abiding in Christ” (

5 For he will hide me in his shelter in the day of trouble; he will conceal me under the cover of his tent; he will lift me high upon a rock.

God’s presence means relationship.

When you are afraid, wouldn’t you rather have someone with you?

Psalm 27:8–9 (ESV) 8 You have said, “Seek my face.” My heart says to you, “Your face, Lord, do I seek.” 9 Hide not your face from me. Turn not your servant away in anger, O you who have been my help. Cast me not off; forsake me not, O God of my salvation!

first, “seek” at the beginning of verse eight is plural: “You have said, y’all

You may be far from the place of God (away from home, away from church, away from good or godly situation) but you are never far from the presence of God

Rarely will the presence of God push into your life. More often you need to pursue God.

Faith overcomes fear as you wait with hope in God. (v. 14)

Psalm 27:14 (ESV) 14 Wait for the Lord; be strong, and let your heart take courage; wait for the Lord!

Wait can also be translated as HOPE

Waiting is hard. It seems like it should be passive , but waiting is very active. Weirdly is actively not being active.

waiting is active as well as passive, energetic as well as patient, and to wait upon the Lord necessitates as much holy courage as warring and fighting with his enemies

Spurgeon, C. H. 1877. “Brave Waiting.” In The Metropolitan Tabernacle Pulpit Sermons, 23:482. London: Passmore & Alabaster.

14 times in Psalms the psalmist waits on God

Psalm 25:5 ESV

5 Lead me in your truth and teach me, for you are the God of my salvation; for you I wait all the day long.

Psalm 25:21 ESV

21 May integrity and uprightness preserve me, for I wait for you.

Psalm 40:1 ESV

1 I waited patiently for the Lord; he inclined to me and heard my cry.

Psalm 130:5 ESV

5 I wait for the Lord, my soul waits, and in his word I hope;

Augustine - paraphrased- do not think the waiting is denial.

Galatians 6:9 ESV

And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up.

Charles Spurgeon, in a sermon based on verse 14 titled “Brave Waiting” said the following:

Wait, but knock as you wait, with fervent pleading and strong confidence, for the Lord himself waiteth to be gracious to you. Agonize in desire, and let not the knocker of heaven’s gate ever rest: make the door of mercy to resound again and again with your resolute blows upon it. The Lord is good to them that wait for him; he will in due time answer you: it shall never be said that any were sent away empty from his gate. He has not spoken in secret in a dark place of the earth, nor said unto the seed of Jacob, “Seek ye my face in vain.” Pray on, believe on, and as surely as God’s promise is true he will in due time grant you conscious salvation, your head shall be lifted high above your enemies round about you, and you shall rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory. The devil bids you cease from prayer; he tells you that the little faith you have will never save you. Do not believe him, stand fast, pray on, believe on, expect on; . . . To cling to the cross, to rest at the altar of our Lord’s atonement is the safest course. Believingly to wait upon the Lord, pleading the all-prevailing name of Jesus, is the suppliant’s best posture.

Spurgeon, C. H. 1877. “Brave Waiting.” In The Metropolitan Tabernacle Pulpit Sermons, 23:482. London: Passmore & Alabaster.

(If you are having a hard time waiting, repeat)

Remind yourself of all God is.

2. Pursue God’s presence.

3. Wait with hope in Him.

(repeat)

What are your fears today?

Describe how God can overcome that fear based on who he is.

Come, and seek his presence.