Sermon Tone Analysis

Introduction

video?

Now or later?

Good Morning, how are we doing this morning?

Tension

In our Gospel Project Series this is our last week looking into the character of David, the Shepherd boy who slayed the giant and became King.

For many weeks we held him up as an example of what loyalty and honor looks like.

Making connections between this much beloved and respected King of Isreal and the Messiah who would be called “The Son of David”.

Then last week we saw this rising star fall.

David, the “larger than life” king fell in larger than life sinning.

You and I today, and to a much greater degree the children of Israel, could easily lift David up as this perfect picture of humanity, but that is not who He was.

We saw how even David has the same need to be rescued from the effects of his sin as we do.

He was just as broken as we are, and after last weeks spiraling story of his laziness lust, adultery, betrayal, and murder we might even say he is even more broken, but when confronted with his grievous sin, his heart was bent in repentance not hardened in pride.

Did you know that half of the content from the Biblical books of 1st and 2nd Chronicles are repeats of things found in the books of 1 and 2 Samuel and Kings, and yet in this historical record that “chronicles” the exploits of Israel's greatest rules there is no mention of David’s atrocities toward Uriah and his wife.

It was just not something that people wanted to remember, look at or think about.

They wanted a picture of the great King that was not tainted with the evil things that he did - but David did not shy away from being honest about his shortcomings - even his epic ones.

In fact, he wrote many songs about them.

David did not shy away from being honest about his brokenness.

In fact, he wrote many songs about it.

We talked briefly about the one that corresponded to our text last week, , and I hope you took some time to read through that Psalm of David either on your own or in your Bible Study group.

In the narrative account that we read in 2 Samuel we hear David saying “I have sinned against the LORD” but he was able to convey something so much fuller than this in the Psalm.

simple statement to Nathan, “I have sinned against the Lord”.

We talked about one last week, , hope you took some time to read through that Psalm of David either on your own or in your Bible Study group, as you can find in that Psalm that David was able to convey something there that was so much fuller than his simple statement to Nathan, “I have sinned against the Lord”.

He wrote songs about them.

I

This is at the core of what a Psalm is.

It is the language of artist, poets and songwriters who dive deeper than the surface, factual information into the turbulent waters of the passion and feelings that swell around the information.

A great example would be the artistic nature of the video that Susan showed us on Operation Christmas Child.

She could have just stood up here and said “These boxes go out to children all over the world” and that is true, but we got such a fuller picture when we saw those trucks trecking over rugged terrain or the boat being polled across a quiet river of the young man carrying a tattered box on their shoulder that looks like it had just traveled all over the world.

And then the smiles, can you get over the joy that is seen in those smiles.

It’s electrifying!

This is the gift that creative artists give us in pictures, songs, poems and creations of all kinds.

They inspire us with more than just information, they give us this fuller picture of the reality that we could make a difference like this in the lives of these kids.

And I hope that this fuller understanding has touched your heart in such a way that you want to get involved in one of the ways that she mentioned.

And David was an artist like this.

Even though we know David to be a warrior King, we should never forget that the first thing that brought him into the throne room was not his sword, but his harp.

David was a skilled musician.

The strength of his worship-filled music would keep the evil spirit from tormenting King Saul.

And even though we know David to be a warrior King, lets not forget that the first thing that brought him into the throne room was not his sword, but his harp.

David was a skilled musician.

The strength of his worship-filled music would keep the evil spirit from tormenting the King Saul.

And David didn’t stop writing music, as we talked about last week he was often honest and raw in many of his Psalms.

In fact of the 70 some Psalms that David wrote, more than half of them were laments, or Psalms crying out to God over hurt, pain and frustration.

Many of those, like , were about specific incidences in David’s life.

And David didn’t stop writing music even after he became King.

As we talked about last week he was often honest and raw in many of his Psalms.

In fact, of the 70 some Psalms that we have of Davids, more than half of them were laments, or Psalms crying out to God over hurt, pain and frustration.

Many of those, like , were about specific incidences in David’s life, even continued consequences for the sins he committed, but God is always recognized and praised even in pain.

Tension

But this morning we are going to look at the Psalm of David that is probably the most well know Psalm in the entire Bible.

I feel pretty confident in saying this this not only because many of you have it memorized in part or the whole, or because it is a staple at many funerals, but because we even find it showing up in all kinds of secular references.

I was reading an article from the “Society of Biblical Literature” this week were they mention many secular movies and songs where the Psalm is used in some form - often in ways that completely alters the original meaning.

Apparently this Psalm is very popular in heavy metal and ganster rap music... where it is not uncommon to see Parental Advisory labels attached to the albums.

So there is something in this Psalm that seems to connect with a broad spectrum of people for a broad spectrum of reasons.

But for one group of people, it contains such a beautiful message of hope and encouragement.

You might have already figured out which am talking about, so let me encourage you to turn in your Bibles to , it is page 458 in the Bibles in the chairs so if you didn’t bring a Bible this morning would you please pull out one of those and turn to page 458 because I would like to do something a little different this morning.

Because the Psalm is so familiar and it is only 6 short verses I would like us stand together and read the Psalm out loud together.

I know this is not the most comfortable thing for some of us, but my hope is that this new experience will give you a new perspective on the words that are so familiar to us.

This is the goal of a lot of art, to grow in our understanding of something by looking at it or experiencing it from a new perspective.

I would like to do something a little different this morning, because the Psalm is only 6 short verses I would like us to read the Psalm out loud together.

There is just something powerful in engaging with God’s Word in different ways so I would like to challenge us to that end this morning.

After we read this passage together, feel free to sit back down and then there will be a short video with a different version of the Psalm playing on the screen, let me invite you to sit back during that time and contemplate the depth of the meaning of what you read and are seeing on the screen and then I will move us into a time of prayer right after that.

Let’s read out loud together, ”

Wonderful!

You all did a great job, let’s pray together.

While there were several Psalm writers, David was wrote more than anyone else and the prominent genre of his Psalms was lament.

Just as many artist, poets and songwriters David was not afraid of being honest in his music and the consequences of his sinful decisions gave him much to lament over.

You probably know by now that I am a picture

After we read this passage together, feel free to sit back down and then there will be a short video with a different version of the Psalm playing on the screen, let me invite you to sit back during that time and contemplate the depth of the meaning of what you read and are seeing on the screen and then I will move us into a time of prayer right after that.

There were many authors of the 150 Psalms we find in the book of Psalms with several different genres.

The most prominent genre of Psalm is the Lament, entries in the book of Psalms, but David wrote more than anyone else.

We know him to be a skilled musician as that is how he first met his predecessor King Saul.

So David was always a skilled poet and songwriter, but not all of this songs would be called “encouraging”. .

In fact, more than any other genre, David wrote

[ video]

Let’s pray together.

Truth

As one of my favorite theologians, Uncle Ben once told his nephew Peter: “With great power comes great responsibility”.

God gave King David a level of power unmatched in the world and last week we read about the horrible ways in which he used it, and the penalties that he

Read the text together??

This is a familiar Psalm

Many musical groups have used parts of this psalm in their music: Pink Floyd, Grateful Dead, Tupac, Coolio,

Go ahead and have a seat again an we will take a look at the powerful imagery in this Psalm and how it might speak to us this morning.

In the first two verses we read about how...

Truth

Let’s take a look at these verses a couple at a time, and as we do I would like to encourage you to consider these things personally.

Owning them for yourself…if in fact they do apply to you.

In the first two verses we read about how

The Good Shepherd Provides ()

The Good Shepherd Provides for his sheep()

One of the smallest words in that verse is probably the most powerful.

It is the word “my”.

The LORD is “my” shepherd.

This is a very personal statement.

David is not declaring that the LORD is simply operating as “a” shepherd, or that he is a shepherd to some other group of people.

These may also be true, but the weight of this statement falls on the possessiveness of the word “my”.

The point of view is from one person, specifically the great King David, as he declares the LORD to be his shepherd.

And of course we know that David would know something about being a Shepherd wouldn’t he.

That is where he was found when Samuel was looking for him, to anoint him as King.

That is where he was found again when his father was looking for him, to send him to check on his brothers and he ended up defeating Goliath.