Don't Wait
Notes
Transcript
Preliminary:
Preliminary:
I Invite your attention to Psalm 21 this morning
This has been called by some as “Davids Triumphant Song” and in reality is a follow up to Psalm 20 which I encourage you to read this week.
Some say this is a Messianic Psalm meaning that it is referring to Jesus and perhaps one could apply it that way - but for reasons number one being the word “king” is not capitalized nor did Jesus have an earthly “long life”
I see this Psalm as referring to David he is writing about his own experiences.
Psalm 21 - Before I read I want to ask a question - How does someone know for sure they are going to win at something? Is it possible to know?
Some would say in competitive sports its the one with the best strategy and ability to implement that strategy on the field
But even then there is the possibilities of unknown or unplanned contingencies happening that could throw the whole strategy up - so can you know for sure you are going to win the game?
This is true for battles and wars as well.
Really the only way to know for sure - beyond a shadow of a doubt you were going to win a game, or battle, or whatever your attempting is to know the future. To be able to see past today and the next few moments.
There have been scandals in the past where teams have stolen each other’s play books. But those are just strategies - you are only trying to level the playing field or give yourself an advantage - it doesn’t assure victory.
Countries spend millions if not billions on espionage attempting to utilize information and secrets to gain the upper hand - but even that doesn’t assure the country of victory.
Lets read on and find out how we can know whether or not we have victory and what to do with that information.
Read: Psalm 21
Read: Psalm 21
To the chief Musician, A Psalm of David. 1 The king shall joy in thy strength, O Lord; And in thy salvation how greatly shall he rejoice! 2 Thou hast given him his heart’s desire, And hast not withholden the request of his lips. Selah. 3 For thou preventest him with the blessings of goodness: Thou settest a crown of pure gold on his head. 4 He asked life of thee, and thou gavest it him, Even length of days for ever and ever. 5 His glory is great in thy salvation: Honour and majesty hast thou laid upon him. 6 For thou hast made him most blessed for ever: Thou hast made him exceeding glad with thy countenance. 7 For the king trusteth in the Lord, And through the mercy of the most High he shall not be moved. 8 Thine hand shall find out all thine enemies: Thy right hand shall find out those that hate thee. 9 Thou shalt make them as a fiery oven in the time of thine anger: The Lord shall swallow them up in his wrath, and the fire shall devour them. 10 Their fruit shalt thou destroy from the earth, And their seed from among the children of men. 11 For they intended evil against thee: They imagined a mischievous device, which they are not able to perform. 12 Therefore shalt thou make them turn their back, When thou shalt make ready thine arrows upon thy strings against the face of them. 13 Be thou exalted, Lord, in thine own strength: So will we sing and praise thy power.
I want to draw your attention back to Psalm 21:11
11 For they intended evil against thee: They imagined a mischievous device, which they are not able to perform.
I want you to notice something very powerful here. I think the key to unlocking this passage is found in Psalm 21:2
2 Thou hast given him his heart’s desire, And hast not withholden the request of his lips. Selah.
David is lifting praise and thanks to the Lord for previous answered prayer. In fact many scholars say that Psalm 21 is a continuation of Psalm 20. Psalm 20 being the prayers 21 being the praise.
Either way David talks about the “desires of his heart that has been given” and wants to stop and think or dwell on those thoughts for a while.
He’s been given prosperity, success, a crown of gold (Psalm 21:3)
He’s been given long life (Psalm 21:4)
He’s been honored recieved splendor and was a majestic king (Psalm 21:5)
He knew what it was to have joy in the Lord’s presence (Psalm 21:6)
But yet King David didn’t know what it was for every enemy to be captured and destroyed. (Psalm 21:7-10)
But this doesn’t stop David from praising God - what follows is our text look at it again -
11 For they intended evil against thee: They imagined a mischievous device, which they are not able to perform.
An interesting thing happens here David begins in past tense terms -
They - whoever they are - INTENDED evil - whatever they did has already occured
They imagined a mischievous device - a subversive plot, a wicked scheme, a devious trap
But then David switches tenses - THEY ARE NOT ABLE TO PERFORM!!!
This indicates to me two things
They tried and failed but were going to try again
David had a confidence in God that God was going to bring the victory.
So confident that he begins a praise song
13 Be thou exalted, Lord, in thine own strength: So will we sing and praise thy power.
So Pastor what are you getting at? I want to drive home one point this morning with the Lord’s help
DON’T WAIT
As humanity we are prone to only use our frame and references to interpret life and outcomes
But as Christians we have a different frame and a different reference with which to interpret life and outcomes.
We don’t have a play book
we have the answer key
We don’t have the highlights
We have the last chapter
We don’t have to wait until the battle is over - we can shout now
We can praise him before the battle even begins - because we know our captain
Brother Lester Sharples used to tell us - “We have a captain who has never lost a battle and never known defeat”
He doesn’t know what defeat is - he doesn’t know what a setback is - he doesn’t know what it is to worry and fret that the conflict might not turn out right.
Now I know we are in trying times - uncertain times - times that bring us to our knees
But don’t let that stop your praise - you don’t have to wait till the victory is won - it’s as good as done we can go ahead and praise Him.
Let me give you some reasons we can shout or celebrate now
Because God is faithful look at this -
are you afraid of being overcome by temptation - you can shout and exalt the Lord in victory - He left us a promise 1 Cor. 10:13
13 There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.
You can shout now - this doesn't mean you won’t face strong temptation - but it does mean you can be assured of victory over it.
Because God has Said Hebrews 13:5
Hebrews 13:5 (KJV 1900)
5 Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.
I have used their story so many times and I think we have all heard it over and over so much the miraculous and supernatural has wore off - but I love the story of the three Hebrew Boys in the Fiery Furnace
You know the story - the big idol - the command to bow and worship the false god - Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego saying No we won’t bow
But even more they were so confident in God who has already promised us victory that they declared “We are so sure of victory that we aren’t even careful to answer you king”
God will either deliver us from the furnace
Or take us to heaven where there is real victory
They heated the furnace seven times hotter and threw them in tied up and bound
The remarkable thing was
God did not keep them from the furnace - see that’s Western Prosperity Gospel we think God loves us so much hes going to keep us from suffering or bad things happening to us - I hat to dissapoint you but the Bible does not ever teach that-
God could have given a little puff of wind and blew that seven time hotter furnace out but he didn’t
But I tell you what he did do - He just climbed down in there with them
Oh I don’t know what all kinds of hot fiery furnaces you are going through this morning But I have a promise from God who says I will never leave thee nor forsake thee -
You can get up and shout on that one - you can stand on it - you don’t have to wait till the ropes burn off and they bring you out and everyone is sniffing you saying you don’t even smell like smoke - because that might not happen to you
But I do know one thing - He is Faithful who has said whatever happens He’s going to be there with you - He will make you victorious. HALLELUJAH
In Joshua 6:1-5 when where the Children of Israel who were going up against Jericho supposed o shout? No not when the walls fell down - not when that last warrior of Jericho has found his demise at the edge of a Jewish sword - NO
As they marched on the last day on the seventh time around before a brick had ever moved - they hadn’t even wiggled yet
The guards will still on top of the walls watching them with bewildered but watchful eyes - they were at the ready at every gate every entrance was covered
But that didn’t stop Joshua and the children of ISrael they let out a shout of praise to God like they never had before - why Because they had a confidence in God and victory was theirs
20 So the people shouted when the priests blew with the trumpets: and it came to pass, when the people heard the sound of the trumpet, and the people shouted with a great shout, that the wall fell down flat, so that the people went up into the city, every man straight before him, and they took the city.
There were no doubt struggles and skirmishes that day, some of those Israelite warriors came home with wounds and bruises, and got banged up a little bit - but they came home conquerors - victorious and then really celebrated
“Victory Ahead” we sang Wednesday night and I feel it - I believe it - God has something for us and we don’t have to wait until its over to praise Hiim to exalt him do it now.
Would you praise Him now - in time of uncertainty, times of confusion, skirmish battle tensions when everything is going backward
I don’t mean you will get what you want - but you will get victory
37 Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us.
17 No weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper; And every tongue that shall rise against thee in judgment thou shalt condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord, And their righteousness is of me, saith the Lord.
11 For they intended evil against thee: They imagined a mischievous device, which they are not able to perform.
‘