The Defining Moment

Sermon Title: The Defining Moment

Psalm 3:3 ESV

3 But you, O Lord, are a shield about me, my glory, and the lifter of my head.

For the next few moments I want to speak under the subject entitled:

The Defining Moment

Prayer

Father, we need a word from the Lord. Just one word from the Lord, will move all doubts

And cause the sun to shine And give peace of mind Speak Lord.

And Father as you speak, open up our ears that we may hear your word,

Open up our eyes that we may see your word,

Open up our minds that we may understand your word,

And open up our hearts that we may receive your word.

It’s your time father, do as you please, in Jesus name, Amen.

Introduction

It was May 12, 1997. The Los Angeles Lakers were in Salt Lake City playing the Utah Jazz in Game 5 of the Western Conference semifinals.

And standing on that court was an 18-year-old rookie named Kobe Bryant. Now, this was not the Kobe we remember. This was not yet the Black Mamba, five-time NBA champion, Hall of Fame Kobe.

This was 18-year-old Kobe—fresh out of high school, in his first NBA season, playing in the biggest game of his young life. And the Lakers were fighting to keep their season alive.

Late in the fourth quarter, the score was tied, and the clock was running down. And somehow, in one of the biggest moments of the game, the ball ended up in the hands of the youngest player on the floor. Kobe Bryant.

He had a chance to win it, and Kobe rose up, released the shot... And guess what it didn't hit the rim. Airball.

The game went into overtime. Now you would think after missing a shot like that, an 18-year-old rookie would hesitate to take a shot like that again.  You would think that in overtime of this big-time game, he would find one of the veterans and say, Somebody else take it.

But Kobe kept shooting, and guess what, he missed it. Kobe shot four airballs in the closing minutes of the biggest game of his life up to this point. The Lakers lost, and their season was over.

And what was remarkable was that when the Lakers' plane landed back in Los Angeles, Kobe didn't go home feeling sorry for himself.

He went to a high school gym near his home, and he started shooting. He shot through the night and into the next day. Kobe had studied those misses, and he realized something.

The shots he took weren't going left, and they weren't going right. He found that they were straight, but they were just short. His legs weren't strong enough; his young body wasn't prepared for the grind of an entire NBA season.

So Kobe made it his mission to get stronger, raise his energy level, and work his body to the very last limit he could handle because his focus was now on: when the moment comes again,  I'll be ready?"

For Kobe, this was a defining moment in his life and basketball career. 

And church, I believe life gives all of us moments like that. Maybe not with a basketball in our hands. Maybe not with thousands of people watching.

But sooner or later, all of us will come face-to-face with a moment that exposes something in us. And the truth of the matter is that there are many of us in here today who are facing a defining moment. 

It maybe in our marraige,

Maybe in our bank accounts,

Maybe in a diagnosis,

Maybe in pivotal plans that have fallen a part,

Maybe in the loss of a loved one,

Maybe in the frustration of a job,

And in these moments when you discover that you are not as strong as you thought you were.

The question is not simply “Will defining moments come?"

The question is: “What will that moment produce in me?"

Because there are certain moments in life that can either break you… or become the very moments that reveal—and develop—how strong you can become.

Sometimes what feels like the worst moment of your life is the moment that shows you what God needs to develop in you for the next season of your life.

Defining moments are points at which a person's essential nature or character is revealed or identified. 

A defining moment exposes or reveals who we really are. A defining moment bypasses the outward presentation of you and reaches inwardly and pulls out the authentic you. 

Whatever is woven into you when that defining moment occurs will be the product released in response to the moment. 

You might not have noticed it, but defining moments are often, if not always, packaged within negative situations. Whenever you experience a defining moment, it’s usually by way of a bad situation. 

And the reason this might be is that the best of you can’t be developed without you seeing the worst of you. 

Am I talking to anybody in here?

Those habits that you changed in your life are probably attributed to the fact that when you looked at yourself and saw the bad in you, you made an executive decision that this has to change. 

Your defining moments are developed through the tension of your bad situation.

Here in the 3rd division of Psalm, we bump into a defining moment. King David is the focal point here, and he has found himself in a situation that could result in his death. 

David was the king of Israel and he was a man who loved God, but David had also made some devastating mistakes.

The backdrop of Psalm 3, is found in 2 Samuel chapters 13-18. And I invite you to read those chapters when you get home. For just in case you are not aware of the background to thos psalm, let me help you out.

David had several children by different wives, one of his sons was named Amnon and another son was named Absalom. And Absalom had a beautiful sister named Tamar.

Now that family relationship is important because what happens to Tamar becomes the spark that eventually sets David's entire kingdom on fire.

See, 2nd Samuel 13 tells us that Amnon became obsessed with Tamar who was his half-sister. And Amnon wanted her so badly that he became physically distressed over it.

So a plan was schemed. One of his friends helped him develop a plan to get Tamar alone. See, Amnon pretended to be sick and asked for Tamar to be sent to take care of him. And when she did he took advantage of her.

And the Bible says that after this took place he hated her. Now when Absalom discovered what Amnon had done to his sister, he was furious. And David heard about it too and the Bible says David was very angry.

But the story does not tell us that David disciplined Amnon. So, as a result of David not doing anything, Absalom took matters into his own hands.

Two years later, Absalom arranged a celebration for the shearing of his sheep and he invited all of the king's sons to come. And when Amnon had been drinking and was relaxed at this celebration, Absalom had his servants kill Amnon.

And this created strife between Absalom and David. And after some time of separation between each other Absalom decided that his father David needed to be replaced and he would be the replacement by force.

And the bible said that Absalom was a very impressive man. 2nd Samuel says that throughout Israel there was no one praised as much for his appearance as Absalom. And he used this to his advantage.

Absalom ended up stealing the hearts of the people of Israel, turn against his father David… and David has to eventually go on the run from his son because of the allegiance the people had with his son over him.

Essentially war has broken out between David and his son Absalom, and here in Psalm 3 is where we find David writing this jounal entry while hiding from his son.

This is a defining moment for David and he says,

Psalm 3:1–3 ESV

1 O Lord, how many are my foes! Many are rising against me; 2 many are saying of my soul, “There is no salvation for him in God.” Selah 3 But you, O Lord, are a shield about me, my glory, and the lifter of my head.

While David is dealing with life or death he reveals who we ought to turn to.

And the reality is that you and I are going through some things right now, and we are trying to do everything we can not to fall a part, and I believe here in our text today that we are able to learn how to use our defining moments to allow God to equip us to grow stronger.

Subject

So the question must be asked today; how do we experience a growth spurt in our defining moments when life seems to be crumbling all around us? 

I have two lesson I believe we can take from our text today and I’ll be out your way…

The first lesson is that we can experience a growth spurt in our defining moments when life seems to be crumbling all around us by:

Complements

Point One: Trusting in Our provision

David is being sought after by his own blood. His son is trying to kill him and take his throne from him. And David, under all of this pressure, tells the Lord that in the midst of all that is crumbling around him, he recognizes that his protection is in the Lord. 

David understands that just because his situation seems to be dragging him through the dirt, the Lord hasn’t lost any power.

See, David knows that in the midst of all he is going through, the one he serves isn’t caught off guard. 

See, understand what David is declaring here. David says You are a shield for me. David declares that with all that going on in my life, with almost everything crumbling around me, with my own son trying to kill me, the one thing I’m sure of is that my God is my protection. 

Understand David is not talking in this context as pertaining to this particular situation. David is not saying that in this situation God is my shield. David says that the Lord has been my shield, is my shield, and will continue to be my shield. 

Let me pause right there... 

See, one of the major issues we have in our spiritual defining moments is the fact that we call on God based on a situation rather than a relationship.

See, we limit God to a situation rather than trusting God to take care of everything. 

Can I break it down?

Illustration - (AT&T Phone contract)

See, too many of us are asking God if He can handle this particular situation instead of knowing that God already has every situation under control! See, God is not a situational God; He is a relational God.

We gotta stop limiting God to the situation and start testifying of Him based on our relationship!

See within a relationship with God there are some benefits within the contract. 

See in the contract it says, I will never leave you nor forsake you,

In the contract it says, If I am for you then who can be against you,

In the contract it says, I will supply all your needs according to His riches in glory,

In the contract it says, trust in the Lord with all thine heart and lean not into thy own understanding, in all thy way acknowledge Him and He will direct your path!

See God knows what He is doing in your life, you have to just trust in the contract!! 

Pause…

See, God doesn't determine His love based on a situation; you have to realize that you have a lifetime guarantee policy!! 

But that's not all...

Within this context, David is also implying another aspect. See, David zooms in on the fact that God is his shield on every side of him.

Oh, yall missed that…

The Hebrew context of David’s statement says that God is my shield from every angle. 

In other words, no matter where I am, I’m covered.

See, David is well aware of how terrible his situation is, but his confidence is not in himself; it’s not in the throne he just lost, and it’s not even in his world-class army. 

David puts his confidence in the fact that he and God have a contract or relationship. And catch this: based on that relationship, David declares God cannot fail him.

Don’t miss this church family,

David is a military man, and when he speaks about a shield, he knows what he is talking about. So he writes to God about how confident he is in Him, that God is a shield that covers him no matter what or where the enemy may attack. 

And that’s a word for somebody under the sound of my voice today, because you perhaps are currently in situations where you feel everything around you is crumbling before your very eyes, and it seems like the devil has you on the edge of the cliff waiting for you to give up, but I want to remind you where your confidence should be. 

See, you must declare that I have a God who is my protection in all directions.

You can attack my home and he’ll cover me there,

you can attack my job and he’ll cover me there,

you can attack my family, and he'll cover me there,

you can attack my funds, and he'll cover me there,

you can attack my grades and he'll cover me there,

you can attack my body and my God will cover me there!

And I just want to know: is there anybody who can attest to the fact that God is a shield around us every day and on every side! The enemy has no chance against my protection plan!

That’s why job could say, “Though He slay me yet will I trust Him.”

That's why the Hebrew boys said, He's able to deliver us,

That's why Jeremiah said, I gotta tell somebody because it's like fire shut up in my bones!

Do I have a witness in this place?

When everything is falling apart in your life, don’t let it shake your confidence in God. Because God has you cover in every direction!

So how do I experience a growth spurt in my defining moments? By number 1, Trusting in our provision. 

But then secondly, we can experience a growth spurt in our defining moments when life seems to be crumbling all around us by:

Point Two: Acknowledging Our Position 

David continues his letter or journal entry to God by explaining to Him that God is His glory and the lifter up of his head. 

Now initially I had the idea that David’s phrase to God as “my glory” was intended to give God praise for who He is. And I’ll be honest Cap City, I was ready to tell you all that in the mist of your situations where things seem to be crumbling around you, you ought to be praising God anyway just because He is God. 

I thought David was taking some time out of His busy, threatening schedule just to tell God that He deserves His praises because He is God. 

But the more I studied and allowed God to speak to me, the more I realized that even though this thought wasn’t necessarily untrue, it was not exactly the focal point of David either. 

See David actually telling God something that we need to keep in the forefront of our minds in all aspects of our life. 

See, when David says You are my glory, He is telling God that all the things he has in his possession are only because of God. 

The only reason he is King, the only reason he has money, the only reason he has a family, the only reason he has the top army, the only reason he has all that he needs on earth is because of God. 

So David tells God, You are my glory, in other words, you are my reasoning to all that I have. 

Can I say it with the lyrics we would sing in church?

David essentially says, you are the source of my strength and the strength of my life. In other words, You God, are the reason I am who I am.

See, David realizes that God isn’t just His shield, but God is the very one who controls a person's position. Now I’m not talking about a position as in title; I’m talking about position as in location. 

Can I make it plain?

David teaches us that we ought to have confidence in God while everything is crumbling around us because He is the one who allowed the situation to occur. He is the one who is in complete control! 

See, instead of feeling bad for yourself, instead of complaining and fussing about where you are, you ought to have confidence that God has allowed you to be in this position, and God will take care of you in this reality.

See, when you got the promotion, God allowed it to happen, and when you got fired, He allowed that too,

When the car was on F with only $5 in the tank, He allowed it to happen, and when the tank was on E and your bank statement said 0.00, He allowed that to happen too,

See, at the end of the day, God is in control when we’re up and when we’re down. 

See, that’s why David said, you’re my glory because when you set me up as King, you were in control, and when you sent me down to hide in the cave, you are still in control!

When I’m up, He’s in control; when I’m down, He’s in control because no matter what position I find myself in, I know that God is still in control!!!

The Bible says,

Psalm 34:1 ESV

1 I will bless the Lord at all times; his praise shall continually be in my mouth.

Pause

And many of us in here right now need to realize that for some reason God has allowed us to be where we are. 

David shows us his confidence in God in this defining moment because God is a shield, but also God is the one who orchestrates my life. 

If He sees fit for me to be in a down season, I have confidence that He’ll take care of me there. If He sees fit for me to be in an elevated season, I also have confidence that He’ll take care of me there. 

But that’s not all… It get’s deeper…

Explain that “My Glory” essentially means David’s confidence and worth is in the relationship He has with God, not what he has or doesn’t have

Talk about our worth in this country today and why our relationship with God matters the most.

But then David adds one last name to attribute to God.

And church family, don’t miss this…

He says, you’re not only my shield, not only my glory, but you are the lifter up of my head. 

Now catch this: David, up to this point, has testified on behalf of God based on truth and reality. See, it’s true that God is a shield; it’s true that God is my glory, but now David transitions into a deeper component of his testimony because now he points directly to his actual experience with God. 

He says, the truth is, the Lord, you are a shield; you are my Glory, but ultimately I can testify that you have lifted my head. 

See, David doesn’t want us to be left with just the truth of who God is, but David wants you to also know I’ve tried Him before! I’ve tested Him before; I know Him for myself!

I feel like preaching…

Closing

See, it’s nice and all to hear from the church members that God is my refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble, 

It’s nice and all to hear, he who began a good work in you will finish it,

It’s nice and all to hear, nothing can separate me from the love of God, 

It’s nice and all to hear that, weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning,

BUT IT’S A whole OTHER THING when you can say I tried HIM and I know He can do it!

It’s another thing when you’ve experienced Him,

When you can say, I was down and out and felt like throwing in the towel, but God came to my rescue and worked it all out,

I’m talking about when you can say, I was down to my last dime and was about to get kicked out of my home, but I checked the mailbox, and somehow a stack of money was sitting right there, and it was nobody but Jesus!

When you can say for yourself, I had cancer in my body, and the doctors gave up on me, so I went to the great physician named Dr. Jesus, and somehow He prescribed me peace that surpasses all understanding, regardless of my situation,

That’s why David could say, taste for yourself and see that the Lord is good!

Then David took it a step further and said, I was young, but now I’m old, and I’ve never seen the righteous forsaken or His children begging for bread!

And I just want to know is there anybody in here who can testify that I’ve tried Him!!!

Somebody ought to give God some praise in this place!!!

Expound if you need to…

Walk off the stage***

Appeal Song

Appeal

Baptism

Join the Church

Rededication Prayer

Homework

Reflect on past situations you have been going through in your life and write them down. 

After your reflection write to the following question: How has God lifted up your head? (How has God helped you in your situations?)