Sermon Tone Analysis
Overall tone of the sermon
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Fear
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Conscientiousness
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Intro
What are you afraid of?
What scares you?
Some scholars think that this psalm was written when David was fleeing from Saul, who was out to kill David because David had been anointed to take his place.
There is plenty to be afraid of in that situation.
Bringing it closer in to home though, what sort of things cause us to stumble and fall.
What trips us up in our walks with the Lord.
What things or situations seem like they are eating away at us?
What is it that we are afraid of, especially in connection with trusting Jesus?
Are we afraid of losing status?
Losing friends?
Have you thought about it?
In this psalm, David teaches us that when we know the Lord and trust Him, He helps us overcome the fears that can paralyze our lives.
David was confident in his relationship with The Lord.
He was confident in his salvation.
Confident that the Lord would provide for him exactly what he needed.
Are we?
Assurance in times of trouble.
v. 1-3
Psalm 27 opens with a statement of confident assurance.
The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear?
Light is a natural figure for almost everything that is positive, from truth and goodness to joy and vitality (e.g., respectively, Ps. 43:3; Isa.
5:20; Ps. 97:11; 36:9), to name but a few.
Light is a common theme in the psalms and all of scripture really.
Looking back to Genesis,
Light was the beginning of life as we know it.
Light leads, it guides, it directs.
Light shines into the darkness to bring truth.
Light cannot be easily hidden.
In the gospel of John, John uses the contrast of light vs. darkness frequently to speak of God and his work in salvation.
Light is a representation of life and vitality.
Here specifically in Psalm 27, light is the answer to fear and the forces of evil.
Holding the two lines in parallel,
The Lord is my light and my salvation
The Lord is the stronghold of my life
The forces of evil, which David is about to speak of are such that they threaten his very life.
But the Lord is light, salvation, and protection.
The questions that are asked after each of those lines are rhetorical.
They are asked without the expectation of an answer because the answer is already known.
Whom shall I fear?
Of whom shall I be afraid?
David does not need to fear because of his confidence in the Lord’s power to protect him.
David is not afraid of anyone.
Not because of his own strength or power, but because of his faith and trust in The Lord.
He is so sure of his salvation that he states that
The protective presence of The Lord encourages David to stand confidently firm in the face of enemy attack.
His enemies are described as ravenous beasts, seeking to devour flesh, as an enemy military encampment, an enemy that has declared all out war.
Picture a city under seige, enemies coming against the gate and the walls trying to destroy it.
This image of a ravenous animal is used in the New Testament to describe Satan.
What about us?
What is our response to trials and difficulties in life?
David is making these statements at the front end of this Psalm.
He is making a great statement of confidence in God, in order to repel or subdue doubts which may have been creeping in.
We need this at times as well.
Have you ever had doubts creep in?
Especially in difficult situations?
Those little lies whispered in your ears, does God really love you?
If God loves you, why is he withholding this from you?
Did God really say do not eat of the tree of good an evil?
It hasn’t changed, from creation.
Satan seeks to cast doubt upon God.
David shouts triumphantly over the troubles with which he is harassed.
We to need to front load our lives, even going so far as making it a point to remember every day.
With each and every situation we must remember
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.
The stronghold was the final greatest area of defense.
The most difficult for the enemy to capture or destroy.
How do we find a rock solid place of confidence when all else is swirling about us?
It is this ability to stand confidently that sets the faithful apart and gives testimony to the presence of God in our lives.
Where or to whom do you go when life seems too much to handle?
The world most often tells us to drown our troubles, our sorrows, our difficulties in unhealthy ways.
Alcohol is a big one, that is why it is so often frowned upon and often leads to addiction.
Worldly pleasures are a strong pull when the stresses of life become great.
Perhaps you turn to your spouse, a close friend, your parents, a trusted minister.
These are not bad options, especially if they are good Godly people.
But David reminds us to turn to God.
The Lord is the stronghold of our life.
The secure place when all else fails.
David’s confidence in The Lord leads into a desire to dwell with God.
Desire to dwell with God.
David’s ambition is to enjoy the constant presence of God.
This is not ambition of David’s part to be a priest, but to enjoy a constant presence of the Lord in his life.
One of the first things we notice in these verses is the words used to describe where God is.
That I may dwell in the house of the Lord.
Inquire in his temple.
He will hide me in his shelter.
He will conceal me under the cover of his tent.
David begins by stating, One thing I have asked the Lord, that I will seek after.
One thing - David has a focused desire.
His sole purpose in seeking the Lord is to be with Him.
Not to get something from Him, but to spend time with Him.
The first word is used, that I may dwell in the house - should bring up ideas or feelings of intimacy.
We don’t often just let strangers into our homes do we?
If we do, we are with them, or have the word of another in regards to their quality.
This is what happens in our relationship with Jesus.
Our being washed clean of sin, Jesus says to his father, I have this one covered.
I know all about him/her and I paid for their sin so they can dwell in the house.
It is our role to ask, to seek after, that we may dwell in the house of the Lord.
David’s desire though is not to enter the house and leave though, but to dwell all the days of his life.
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