Living in Salvation

I. Make God your Refuge through the Storm

Terms for God - Rock, Fortress, Deliverer, Refuge, Shield, Horn of Salvation, Stronghold, Savior.

You don’t need a shelter if it’s not raining; you don’t need a shield if there are no arrow; no fortress if there is no invading army; no deliverer if you’re not in peril. Thus if you only trust God when things are going well and you understand exactly why he’s doing what he’s doing, you aren’t really making God your refuge.

Therefore trusting God means you know God is on your side and will bring you through this storm, somehow.

We get a glimpse into David’s mind. The man who carried himself with courage his entire life was not immune to fear. Facing death daily for over ten years was not somehow easier for him than it would be for you. It’s just he didn’t run from the stress. But he felt like he was drowning every single day; Every new day felt like he was trapped and was about to die. How does anyone face that kind of stress every day without collapsing? by making God his refuge - David didn’t know how it was going to turn out, but he was absolutely convinced God was on his side.

The feeling like you are drowning in problems - while not every moment is like that, our fallen world doesn’t skip you because of your age. I’ve felt that way as a teenager; I’ve felt that way as a young man; and as a middle age man I can testify that being middle-aged doesn’t exempt you from times that feel that way. I’ve talked to the elderly, and it appears they aren’t exempt either.

II. See God’s Invisible Care

The Description of God’s activity

Earth shook - God spewed fire

God Reached down out of the darkness

God thundered from heaven and exposed the foundations of the earth and the sea

God pulled me out of the waters/enemies who were too strong for me.

God’s activity here looks like it eclipses the spectacular show at Mount Sinai, however nothing like that happened in David’s life. The reason is that David’s is writing poetry. This is the way we should feel about God intervening on our behalf. God doesn’t just halfheartedly help you. If he acts, it’s because he really cares.

📷

One night I dreamed a dream. As I was walking along the beach with my Lord. Across the dark sky flashed scenes from my life. For each scene, I noticed two sets of footprints in the sand, One belonging to me and one to my Lord.

After the last scene of my life flashed before me, I looked back at the footprints in the sand. I noticed that at many times along the path of my life, especially at the very lowest and saddest times, there was only one set of footprints.

This really troubled me, so I asked the Lord about it. "Lord, you said once I decided to follow you, You'd walk with me all the way. But I noticed that during the saddest and most troublesome times of my life, there was only one set of footprints. I don't understand why, when I needed You the most, You would leave me."

He whispered, "My precious child, I love you and will never leave you Never, ever, during your trials and testings. When you saw only one set of footprints, It was then that I carried you."

III. Remember that God Rewards the Righteous

The many ways David described his righteousness (Chiasm)

“According to my righteousness”/Cleanness of Hands

Kept Ways of the Lord

Rules were before me/Statutes

Kept myself from Guilt

“According to my righteousness/Cleanness

God treats people according to their deeds (26-28)

David clearly believes in both God’s justice and God’s mercy.

Here, obviously, David is considering that God’s justice is responsible for upholding his cause and his life. We covered his life - that was obviously the case during his early years.

Paul, also, believes in God’s justice Romans 2:7-11

Romans 2:7–11 NKJV

eternal life to those who by patient continuance in doing good seek for glory, honor, and immortality; but to those who are self-seeking and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness—indignation and wrath, tribulation and anguish, on every soul of man who does evil, of the Jew first and also of the Greek; but glory, honor, and peace to everyone who works what is good, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. For there is no partiality with God.

However, David also believes strongly in God’s mercy to the repentant sinner (cf. v. 26) 2 Samuel 24:14; Ps 51:17.

2 Samuel 24:14 NKJV

And David said to Gad, “I am in great distress. Please let us fall into the hand of the Lord, for His mercies are great; but do not let me fall into the hand of man.”

Psalm 51:17 NKJV

The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit, A broken and a contrite heart— These, O God, You will not despise.

A legalist wouldn’t be able to bounce back from David awful sin the way he did - if your confidence in God being on your side is based on the fact that you’ve been a good person, what happens when you aren’t? Well, without mercy you just spiral into a black pit of despair. It isn’t possible psychologically to bear the weight of God’s wrath on your soul without an assurance of his mercy.

On the other hand, David isn’t going to help you much if you want to know how God’s mercy and God’s justice can possibly work together - if God gives to everyone what they deserve, then how can he be merciful and not give the sinner what we deserve? If God is merciful and pardons our iniquities, then how can he still be a just judge? You’re going to have to turn to the New Testament to understand how that works.

In Jesus Christ, God’s justice and mercy meet. He still punishes sin to it’s full measure, but the Son of God himself bears the penalty. He pardons the guilty, and remains perfectly righteous. Romans 3:21-26

Romans 3:21–26 NKJV

But now the righteousness of God apart from the law is revealed, being witnessed by the Law and the Prophets, even the righteousness of God, through faith in Jesus Christ, to all and on all who believe. For there is no difference; for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God set forth as a propitiation by His blood, through faith, to demonstrate His righteousness, because in His forbearance God had passed over the sins that were previously committed, to demonstrate at the present time His righteousness, that He might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.

IV. Recognize the Source of Your Accomplishment is God

Statement:

Verses that describe God’s refuge

He is a lamp (29)

His way is perfect/Word is true/Shield for those who take refuge (31,33)

No Salvation like God (32)

Verses that show that the deliverance wrought by us is actually God’s empowerment

He makes my feet secure (34)

He trains my hands/arms (35)

He gives the shield (36)

He makes a secure place for our footing (37)

He equips with Strength for battle (40)

Verses that show David’s victory

Pursued enemies and destroyed them (38-39)

Enemies fled with no deliverance (41-42)

David beat them into dust (43)

Here David mainly focuses on the feeling of being a capable warrior. He gives credit where it is due - He isn’t a great warrior because of himself alone, it is all because God has empowered him to fight.

There is no one who can deliver like God. Cry out to the idol of your own making and you will fail. Cry out to the Lord and he will hear you.

The result is victory.

V. Praise God for your Victory in Christ

Description of David’s rule over the nations (44-46). Connect with Psalm 2:7-9. Then to Revelation 2:26-27

Psalm 2:7–9 NKJV

“I will declare the decree: The Lord has said to Me, ‘You are My Son, Today I have begotten You. Ask of Me, and I will give You The nations for Your inheritance, And the ends of the earth for Your possession. You shall break them with a rod of iron; You shall dash them to pieces like a potter’s vessel.’ ”

Revelation 2:26–27 NKJV

And he who overcomes, and keeps My works until the end, to him I will give power over the nations— ‘He shall rule them with a rod of iron; They shall be dashed to pieces like the potter’s vessels’— as I also have received from My Father;

Summary verses emphasizing praise to God for his deliverance (47-51)