The Path to a Truly Happy New Year!

[0:00] Please take your Bibles and go to Psalm 16. If you're visiting with us, that black Bible in the chair in front of you, kind of go to the middle.

[0:16] The middle of that Bible, page 397, you'll find Psalm 16. Psalm 16. It's one of my favorite Psalms.

[0:30] Psalm 16. I'm indebted to John Piper for helping me as I did my study this week. He helped me not just in terms of my study, but for me personally.

[0:44] This was good for me. Thank you, John Piper. Psalm 16. Let's read it and we'll do our study.

[0:55] Psalm 16. A victim of David. Preserve me, O God, for I take refuge in you. I said to Yahweh, you are my Lord.

[1:08] I have no good besides you. As for the saints who are in the earth, they are the majestic ones in whom is all my delight. The sorrows of those who have bartered for another will be multiplied.

[1:19] I shall not pour out their libations of blood, nor shall I take their names upon my lips. Yahweh is the portion of my inheritance and my cup.

[1:33] You support my lot. The lions have fallen to me with pleasure. Indeed, my heritage is beautiful to me.

[1:44] Verse 7. I will bless Yahweh who has counseled me. Indeed, my mind instructs me in the night. I have set Yahweh continually before me. Because He's at my right hand, I will not be shaken.

[1:59] Therefore, my heart is glad and my glory rejoices. My flesh also will dwell securely. For He will not abandon my soul to shield. Neither will you allow your Holy One to undergo decay.

[2:13] You'll make known to me the path of life. In your presence is full joy. In your right hand there are pleasures forever. There's so many funny stories about New Year's, New Year's Eve.

[2:33] And even horror stories about New Year's Eve. I found this website. It says, article, 17 New Year's horror stories that will make you want to stay home forever. I thought that was interesting.

[2:46] Here's one of them. Quote, I was 13 and I was sitting between my two dogs. My dogs have been fighting since Christmas because they both wanted the other's doggy bone.

[3:00] The second I decided to sit up, one dog made a move to steal a bone and I ended up getting bit in the face. I sat in the back seat of my dad's car with a towel to stop the bleeding while we drove around trying to find a clinic that was open.

[3:16] I celebrated the New Year in the ER getting stitches. Happy New Year, right? That's horrible. Oh yeah.

[3:28] New Year's Eve. People getting drunk and getting high because that's fun to do? Okay. People being with friends, family, doing fun things, doing horrible things, doing sinful things, doing crazy things, doing enjoyable things.

[3:46] All with the mindset that they want this year, this year that we have has come to an end, right? And this coming year to be awesome, to be happy, enjoyable, pleasurable, right?

[4:01] Do you want a full, lasting, pleasurable New Year? If you ask anybody that on the street, they're going to say, well yeah. Do you want this next year to be a truly happy New Year?

[4:18] And every year after that. Here is the path to a truly happy New Year. Psalm 16.

[4:28] Psalm 16 I give to you by way of a title. The path to a truly happy New Year.

[4:43] So here's the path. This is what the psalmist says. Again, thank you John Piper. If Jesus Christ is our safest shelter, our sovereign master, our supreme treasure, and our solid counselor, then he will be our full, everlasting pleasure through this coming year in whatever we will face.

[5:11] Amen. We don't know what this coming year holds. But this, that holds true.

[5:24] Our safest shelter, sovereign master, supreme treasure, solid counselor.

[5:35] If Christ is that, then you will have a joyful, happy New Year. And whatever happens this New Year, whatever the circumstances, good or bad.

[5:48] So let's unpack this. First, Christ is our safest shelter. Look at verse 1. Preserve me, O God, for I take refuge in you.

[6:02] Save me. Help me. Because you alone are my refuge. You're my refuge. You're my refuge. You're my rock.

[6:13] You're my rock. You're my fortress. You're my deliverer. That's how he's expressing this. I have, Christ is our safest shelter.

[6:26] I have no other refuge but Yahweh God. There is none like you, O God. I won't turn to others for safety. No. You are my safe place.

[6:42] Christ as our safest shelter. Christ as our sovereign master. Verse 2. I said to Yahweh, you are my Lord.

[6:56] You are my sovereign, my master. He exalts in his truth. You are my Adonai. In Hebrew. He had an unreserved and joyous feeling of absolute dependence upon Yahweh.

[7:14] Not just as like a slave. But even deeper than that. Like a child. As dependence upon their parents. A young child. Like a newborn baby.

[7:26] You're my sovereign. You're my master. Christ our safest shelter. Christ our sovereign master. I have set you above everything and everyone else without exception.

[7:40] The third. Christ as our supreme treasure. This is verse 3 through 6. Actually I should say verse 2.

[7:55] I don't know why I have 3 there. Should be 2 through 6. I have no good beside you. So you're my highest treasure. Nothing means more to me than you.

[8:10] Whatever makes me truly happy is not above you. It's not in addition to you. It's not beside you. But it's you, Christ. It's you, Lord Jesus.

[8:21] It's you. It's you. It's you. Not in the things of this world. I have no good unless you're in it. You're my good.

[8:34] I know no fountain of true, satisfying happiness but in Yahweh. And look at how he feels about other people who enjoy Yahweh.

[8:51] Verse 3. As for the saints who are in the earth. They are the majestic ones in whom is all my delight. What is it about people that made David glad?

[9:02] About God's people? Because they're the godly ones. They're the ones who treasure God. He had a high regard for those people. So it's not like just God and I hate everybody else.

[9:17] It's I seek after you, God, and then I love people who are also seeking. I love them too. I love them too. Because there's one mind with God's people.

[9:30] They have communion because we delight in God together. And interesting. And interesting. Here's David. All the powerful people.

[9:43] All the influential people. Those who can or would do things for Him. Or do things for you. Only one kind made Him glad.

[9:56] Those who treasured God. Those who make God their highest, supreme joy and delight. Which is interesting.

[10:08] I just said a few moments ago. People say, I love God but I hate the church. I don't like the Christians. You don't like the Christians you know.

[10:21] There's a couple questions. Very inquisitive questions. John Piper brings up. I thought, that's really, that's true. Those are good questions. Question number one. Do you know any real Christians? Maybe the Christians you know aren't real Christians.

[10:36] You ever thought about that? Second question. Even deeper. Why would you find more joy in people? Who find no joy in what should be your primary joy?

[10:50] Why would you find joy in people who find no joy in Jesus Christ? Who should be your primary joy?

[11:02] Why would you find more joy in those people? That's ridiculous. That makes no sense. If Jesus Christ is our primary, highest, supreme treasure and joy, then we want other people who have that same focus and desire.

[11:25] We want to enjoy them, right? Oh, I understand. All our weaknesses and all our sinful tendencies, they're there. But guess what? They're there in you too. They're in all of us.

[11:39] Remember 2 Corinthians? We're all weak. We're all in this together. Look at how much farther he goes with this in verse 4.

[11:50] The sorrows of those who barred it for another, another God, will be multiplied. So abhorrent to him that he would not offer sacrifices for any of the wicked gods, any other God, any other religious system, no.

[12:08] So vile are they. He wouldn't even mention their names. Next part of verse 4. I shall not pour out their libations of blood, nor shall I take their names upon my lips. He's saying, I'm so committed to God that if another God comes around, I would not have named the name of that silly thing.

[12:28] He's talking about everything that stands against God. things which man makes an idol out of beside and in opposition to God, the one true God, the God of Israel.

[12:45] And those who do this were abhorrent to him. See, in contrast, people that are part of God's people, God's church, and all their weaknesses and their feebleness and their sinfulness, I understand that.

[12:57] But the fact that they're seeking after God, they're seeking after Christ, they're seeking after the Lord Jesus, and yet he's like, for these other people, they don't want to seek that. Oh, that's abhorrent to me. I don't want anything to do with them.

[13:08] That's David's thinking. And notice he says, the Bible for another, their sorrows will just be multiplied.

[13:19] There's no satisfaction with these gods. You will not find satisfaction in any other religious belief system, but in Christianity, in the biblical truth of who Jesus Christ is.

[13:34] I want you, Yahweh. And I want those who want you. Look at, again, the treasure that he is to David.

[13:48] In verse 5, Yahweh is the portion of my inheritance and my cup. The portion of my inheritance. Portions were divvied out, like a good portion. And then a cup, like a fine wine.

[14:01] That's the idea. That's the thought process. So, you know, you have a steak, and then you have a nice, the nice, juicy, tender portion of the steak. It just makes your mouth water, and you cut it, and you put it in your mouth, and it just melts in your mouth.

[14:15] You ever had that happen? Well, that's a wonderful feeling. That happens with chocolate, too, doesn't it, Susanna? That's right. Can I hear an amen there? Amen, sister? That's right. Mm, mm, mm, mm.

[14:26] But then, so, my portion and my cup. So, he's saying, God is my chosen portion. God's my greatest taste. I don't want anything that's earthly or material, but Yahweh and Him alone.

[14:42] He's my perfect contentment. I have no treasure that I value more highly than you, O Lord. You are my satisfaction that refreshes and invigorates my soul.

[14:56] And notice he says, the next part of verse 5, you support my lot, or literally holds my lot. Lots. You would cast lots, right, to find out what's gonna be the outcome of the situation.

[15:09] You would cast lots to see what's gonna take place. So, when he says, you hold my lot, he's saying this, whatever happens to me is what God decided to happen to me.

[15:23] Whatever happens to us this coming year. What will happen? I don't know. I can't predict that. But he's saying, you hold my lot.

[15:39] You're sovereign over this. Which comes to verse 6, the lines have fallen to me. Lines were tracks that are marked off by a surveyor of some kind.

[15:53] In other words, boundary lines. The boundary lines have fallen to me. And he says, in pleasant places. Interesting, that's the same word that's used in verse 11, with pleasures.

[16:05] That's why I said, with pleasure. So, he's basically saying, since God decides what happens to him, God has hedged him, David, into himself, into God.

[16:19] And since God is his portion, the lines measured out are the Lord himself, and there's pleasurable fellowship with God. That's why he says, indeed, my inheritance is beautiful to me.

[16:30] He finds inward pleasure and satisfaction in God himself, because God marked out his life, and he understands that, and he trusts that, because God does things to drive us to him.

[16:50] We looked at that in 2 Corinthians. God brings things into our lives. He puts us in tough situations, on purpose, so that we will see that we can't do anything without him, and we have to depend upon him, in every, in any instance.

[17:11] God marks off our lives to make sure that he continues to be our treasure. That's what he's gonna do. What's gonna happen this year, specifically, I don't know.

[17:25] But I do know this. God will mark out your life, Christian, to make sure that he continues to be your treasure. And that you, and that I, that we would stop looking to the things of this world to satisfy us.

[17:44] Even chocolate, Susanna. Even chocolate. But food, pleasure, anything that this world has to offer. Health, God strips that away.

[18:00] Because he wants you, he wants us to make him first and foremost. Shelter, master, treasure.

[18:13] Christ is our solid counselor. Verse seven and eight, I will bless Yahweh who's counseled me.

[18:25] Indeed, my mind instructs me in the night. He will give heartfelt thanks and praise because he's taken his position with the Lord of which he will not disavow, he cannot disavow.

[18:35] In this way, God is a treasure in the way that he counsels us, teaches us, directs us. Foolishness comes, being human, being fallen human, and yet God tells us how to find refuge in his counsel.

[18:55] And his counsel comes from his word. God's word is his counsel to us because in his word are words of life. So he's saying this, that we treasure God not just because of his character, but also because of his teachings.

[19:18] Not just of who he is, but what he says. God will direct us in spite of us. And he also uses the means of his word to direct us too.

[19:34] See, there's a positive element in this and the fact that circumstances are going to come and you can't do anything about it. God's going to direct it, but God can also direct from his word and his counsel.

[19:49] Let him be your counselor. Let God's word be your counselor. Which reminds me of something. This is for free. On Ligonier, on their website, which I think I put it on our Facebook page, there are different plan readings to read through the Bible throughout the year.

[20:09] I mean, there's like seven of them. It was really cool. Go to Ligonier.com. Is it .com, I think? Or is it .org? .com or .org? Is it .org?

[20:21] So go to Ligonier.org and you'll see like different plans to read through the Bible in a year. And there's actually even longer, like in two years they have a plan to do that. So there's different things.

[20:32] Just to encourage this is the practical outworking of how God can direct you from his word. Read through the Bible in a year. Make that as a goal. Where am I at?

[20:44] Oh, here I am. Verse 8. I've set Yahweh continually before me because he's at my right hand I will not be shaken. I'm always keeping him before my mind's eye in which I constantly direct my gaze because of who he is and what he says.

[21:02] I'll set him always before me because he's close. Because he's close I will not be dislodged. I will not be overthrown.

[21:14] He will not and cannot totter or be overthrown. He will not let me be lost. He will keep me. He will hold me fast. He will hold me fast for my Savior loves me so.

[21:27] He will hold me fast. We're going to sing that in a few moments. To remind you of that. God will hold you this year. You will not be shaken.

[21:41] When he is your shelter when he is your master when he is your treasure when he is your counselor you know he's holding you.

[21:58] Confidence comes. What a picture of how we should pray. We normally don't start out praying with confidence. We normally start out praying help God I need you.

[22:14] Preserve me. I need your help. And then we declare who God is to us and what he is for us and then our confidence will rise.

[22:27] And once it rises then we can have joy. Thus full joy. Look at verse 9. Therefore my heart is glad and my glory rejoices.

[22:39] There's the therefore. Based upon all these things it's the shelter, my master, my treasure, my counselor. I will not be shaken. I'm so happy in God.

[22:54] I need your help. You're my God. I'm confident. Therefore my heart is glad. The center of his thinking and then my glory or my soul rejoices.

[23:06] Look at how he's so well satisfied with God. And then he says the next part of verse 9. My flesh also will dwell securely.

[23:17] He had great confidence for the total security of his whole being. Why? Well first he will not be shaken because he's at his right hand.

[23:29] Remember we saw that in verse 8. But look at verse 10. For you will not allow excuse me you will not abandon my soul to Sheol neither will you allow your Holy One to undergo decay.

[23:44] Joy is based on the confidence of not just being shaken of not being shaken but because God would not let him die. In other words he's saying why?

[23:56] I can do this I want to live forever you're my greatest treasure and joy I want it to be like that forever. So David looked death in the face with great confidence and calmness.

[24:15] And this is interesting because he's saying he's saying it's impossible for one who has such intimacy with God to be swallowed up by the horrors of death. Death will come maybe death will come to some of us this coming year.

[24:31] But because of who God is that's why he will not be shaken. Who God is death could not break it. God would be that for David forever and will be that for those who love him.

[24:43] But yet this is odd because David was going to die. David knew he was going to die. Nathan prophesied when you die right?

[24:56] All of us die. Nathan prophesied to him he would die and yet he was also told a promise. Remember 2 Samuel chapter 7?

[25:07] A son of yours would come who would not undergo decay and who would not die. So what does he mean?

[25:22] Well he's he's saying I'll live forever God will be my pleasure forever and yet I'm going to die I'm going to rot. How is this going to happen? But yet I'm not going to undergo decay but one's going to come after me he's going to be my successor he's going to live forever but how is this going to happen?

[25:39] David didn't understand how this came together. We do because now as we look back on this side of the cross Peter tells us right?

[25:52] Peter tells us this in Acts chapter 2 David prophesied a Messiah to come because all this is found in Jesus this is how this all comes together because Jesus by his death and resurrection made all of this possible for us because we're united to the eternal son so though we face death it will not strip away the joy that we have in God it will actually enhance it because then we'll be in his very presence which is that's where verse 11 comes in we'll get there in just a moment but this is why I mentioned the gospel earlier if you're here and you're not a follower of Jesus you need to trust Christ you need to follow Jesus you need to come to a place where you trust in Jesus by his death and resurrection you'll make all this possible which leads to the last full joy is in God verse 11 you make known to me the path of life life which comes from God life that comes with God life in God who is the living God so what's the path of life what's the path for a satisfying life a happy life a happy new year in your presence literally means

[27:18] God's face in your face is full joy in your right hand there are pleasures forever there is full joy there is full joy without end in the very presence of God which is found in the face of Christ remember 2 Corinthians chapter 4 verse 4 the glory of God is found in the face of Jesus Christ it's in Jesus in the parallel statement in your right hand there are pleasures forever life is not empty being in God's mighty right hand he fulfills it for you because he's the one who's fulfilling to you because he's at my right hand because he's there that's why we can have joy in God that's why if Christ is our safest shelter our sovereign master our greatest treasure our solid counselor if he's that then anything that you will go through this coming year anything that we will go through this coming year we will still have full everlasting joy because it's only found in Christ does that make sense there you go if Christ is our safest shelter our sovereign master our supreme treasure our solid counselor then he will be our full everlasting pleasure through this coming year and whatever we will face will we find our joy in Christ this year will this be our pursuit this year will this be our focus for the new year

[28:57] I leave that with you as we end this year and begin a new year Lord Jesus we pray in the circumstances that we will face you will direct us by your sovereign plan but you also direct us from your word help us to find such satisfaction in you which comes from your word and we find such delights when others find such delight in you let us find delight in your church amongst your people let the passage from Psalm 16 may it sink in deep let your mind dwell on these things after a few moments we'll sing three songs we'll do our worship and giving and we'll worship and three songs at the end closing prayer let this be just a time for you to stop think and ponder don't let anything else distract you let God's word just sink deep into your soul let's ride 코로 đó