The Lord is My Light

And of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Amen. Single-mindedness today is not always admired.

But in Psalm 27, we see a mountain peak of single-minded trust and faith.

One statement after another tumble out. One thing have I desired that I will seek after.

To live in the house of the Lord all the days of my life. To behold the beauty of the Lord. This is a supreme expression of a heart's desire.

A consuming passion to be in the presence of the Lord God himself. It was thought that this prayer was written at a time of crisis.

Because the psalmist, who was probably David, was faced with the wicked. With enemies. With foes. And fears of a hostile army.

And war itself was imminent. And there were false witnesses. And those who breathe out violence. It was believed that this psalm was written at a very difficult time.

A difficult time for David. As he was, when he was king of Israel. David's son, Absalom, wanted power.

He devised a scheme. By which he would make himself look good at the expense of his father. And his method was to suggest that David wasn't a good leader.

That David didn't really care for his people. And that if it were possible for Absalom himself to be a judge in the land. Everyone would get justice.

So on the outside. It seemed that Absalom really cared for the people. But inwardly. He was manipulating the situation to his own advantage.

By questioning the leadership of David. He stole the hearts of the people. By going to extremes to help them.

When the motive was really to build up a following for himself. After months of this subterfuge.

Absalom mounted his challenge against David. And David had to flee for his life. Perhaps this morning.

There may be some of you here. Who can identify with David. Maybe you have loved ones.

Who have rejected you. Perhaps you have poured into them. Poured out so much of your love. And have sacrificed so much for them.

But as David had done. His care and his love. Were rejected. And the pain.

Of that rejection. Hurts. It hurts terribly. And that's how David must have felt.

As he fled from his son. But David doesn't dwell in self-pity. He brings it to God.

He brings it to God. No matter how deep the wounds. That our loved ones have inflicted upon us. If we dwell upon it.

And refuse to hand it over to God. It will destroy us. And today. Maybe the turning point.

For some of us. The turning point. When we focus upon. We stop focusing upon the hurts. Our hurts and rejection.

And we bring it to God. We bring it to him. To work out in his own way. And in his own time. Jesus said to all of us.

Come unto me. All who labor. And are heavy laden. And I will give you rest. But if we don't come to him.

If we don't give him our burdens. There will be no rest. Only continuing turmoil and pain.

But David's single mindedness. Keeps him strong. Strong in his suffering.

Strong in his battles. He was confident. And the relationship with God. In his confidence.

Was an antidote to his fear. And as we look at this psalm. We too can become infected.

We too can catch. David's power. Over his circumstances. And the passion. Of David's heart.

David has an intensely. Personal faith. And we see it in his use. Of those pronouns. My light. My salvation.

And we read in Psalm 23. The Lord is my shepherd. The Lord in David's. Is David's light. In his presence.

The darkness of his enemies. And the darkness of his fears. Disperse. And however. God is not just.

David's light. He is his salvation. And the word here. Includes ideas. Of deliverance. And rescue.

And is the same word. From which the name Jesus comes. The thought. Of the Lord. As his savior. Leads David.

To ask. The rhetorical question. Whom. Whom. Whom. Shall I fear. Since the Lord. Will rescue him. Rescue him.

From his foes. There is no reason. To be afraid. And next. David confesses. The Lord.

Is the stronghold. Of my faith. And in some versions. We read. The Lord. Is the strength. Of my life. The Lord.

Protects him. His confession. Is followed. Again. By a rhetorical question. Of whom. Shall I be afraid. Faith.

Or fear. Faith. Or fear. Fear. These are our. Options too. Either we know.

The living God. As our light. As our savior. As our salvation. As our strength. Either we know that.

Or we move. Towards our final hour. In this world. In fear. And trepidation. The atheist.

Philosopher. Bertrand Russell. Put it this way. The older I get. The more nervous. I become. But in contrast.

Two weeks. Before his death. Pope John. The 23rd. Said. My bags. Are packed. And I'm ready. To go. And now.

In verse. Three. When David. Is faced. By an army. And war. Is rising. Against him. His heart. Will not. Be gripped. With fear.

Enemy. Troops. May march. But if. Such a threat. Could come. As it often. Did. In David's life. He. Will. Be confident. He.

Will. Be confident. And that word. Confident. Here. Means. To feel. Secure. To be. Unconcerned. To feel.

Secure. And unconcerned. And this. Security. Comes. From the Lord. But more than the deliverance.

Of the Lord. Is the Lord. Himself. David. Now. Turns. In verse 4. To his.

Single minded. Longing. Of his heart. And he. Describes. The passion. Of his heart. In three ways. He.

Wants. To live. In the Lord's house. He. Wants. To behold. The Lord's. Beauty. And he. Wants. To inquire. Of the Lord.

He. Wants. To live. Where God lives. To spend his life. In his presence. Which will allow him. To be constant. In worship.

And for us. This desire. Is fulfilled. In Jesus Christ. He. Has called us.

To abide in him. And promises. To abide. In us. In us. We read that in. John 15. Verse 4. The Greek word.

Or the Greek verb. For abide. Means to dwell. It means to remain. So when we come to Jesus.

And receive his spirit. We live before him. We dwell in him. And his presence. And his presence. Remains with us. For eternity.

This is the abandoned life. That Jesus gives to us. We read in John. Chapter 10. Verse 10.

To dwell in the house of the Lord. Then for us. Is not to live in the temple. In Jerusalem. It is to open. Our hearts door. Open it to Christ.

And allow his spirit. To fill us. Unceasingly. And Jesus promises us.

The comforter. And the Holy Spirit. To be with you forever. For he dwells with you. And will be in you. As we read in John 14.

16 and 17. Secondly. David seeks. To behold. The beauty. Of the Lord.

And we too. Can see. This beauty. But we see it. In the face. Of Jesus. And when we see. His beauty.

We see. The beauty. Of the father. And it is. The beauty. Of his. Gracious love. To us. And thirdly.

David seeks. To inquire. In his temple. This means. Waiting. Waiting. Waiting. For God's word. And we too.

Need to wait. To wait. After we pray. Wait for God. To speak to us. If I just. Chatter to him.

And then I walk away. How can I say. That God. Never seems. To speak to me. Because in reality. I am never listening.

When I take the time. To open my heart. And open my mind. To God. Often. Something. Will come into my mind.

It may be a word. It may be a verse. From scripture. It may be an impression. Or it may be a picture. But God speaks.

When we inquire. Of him. In verse five. David sees the consequences. Of his being before the Lord.

For he will hide me. In his shelter. In the day of trouble. He will conceal me. Under the cover. Of his tent. Tent means.

God's dwelling place. Not only. Is this a place. To see the beauty. Of the Lord. It's also. A place. Of security. As David adds.

He will set me. High. On a rock. Worship. Worship though. Is no escape. From battle.

But it does. Equip us. For battle. For we seek the Lord's. When we seek the Lord's face. We are hidden. In him. We are hidden.

In him. And our enemies. Cannot reach us. For the results. Of the presence of God.

And the protection of God. In verse 6. Are first. That David. Will triumph. Over his enemies. And this is the meaning.

Of his head. Being lifted up. David. Will offer. Sacrifices. With shouts of joy. Before the Lord. A shout of triumph.

A victory cry. The lifting up. Of our head. Expresses victory. And time and time again.

During these Olympic games. We've seen. How the defeated. Contestants. And teams. Lower their heads. While the victorious.

Rejoice. With their health. Head held high. But God. Can take.

Those who are rejected. God can take. Those who are dejected. And he. Will help them. To lift up their heads.

By giving them. The victory. Over their enemies. And it's wonderful. To see at times. How whole. Bodily.

Attitudes. Of people. Can change. As God. Works. In them. As God. Gives them.

The victory. People. With negative. Self images. Have shoulders. Hunched. And heads.

Bowed. God. But when they. Experience. The love. Of God. For them. And they. Begin. To realize. That God. Sees them. As being.

Significant. And that they. Can hold. Their heads. Up high. And that they. Have been. Forgiven. By God. And that they. Are loved. By God. They.

Hold. Their heads. Up high. I've. Even. Heard. Of people. Being. Healed. Of pain. As they. Posture. Improves. When they.

Become. Christians. And they. Held. And hold. Their heads. Up high. But David.

Like you. And I. Is a human. Being. And he. Follows. The same. Mountaintop. And deep. Valley. Experiences. That we are all.

Too familiar. With. David. David. David. David. Faith. Grows. Timid. And fearful. And doubts. Attack him. Will God.

Hear him. So he. Pleads. That God. May not. Turn his. Face. Away. Nor his. Servant. Away. In anger. But his.

Past. Experience. Of God. Brings him. Back. Quickly. Onto. A sure footing. You. Have. Been. My. Help. He. Says. And then.

Follows. A moving. Plea. By him. Do not. Cast. Me. Off. Do not. Forsake. Me. O God. Of. My. Salvation. David.

Experiences. The. Uncertainties. Which. All. Of. Us. Feel. In. Times. Of. Trouble. David.

Is. Confidence. In. God. Comes. To. The. Fore. Again. And. In. Verse. Thirteen. He. Reveals.

The. Strength. Of. His. Faith. David. Will. See. The. Goodness. Of. The. Lord. In. The. Land. Of. The. Living. He.

Will. See. The. Goodness. Of. The. Lord. In. The. Land. Of. The. Living. The. Land. Of. The. Living. Is. Israel. Right. Then. Not. Some. Future. Life. Throughout.

The. Attack. Of. His. Enemies. David. Lives. In. Hope. Hope. Of. God. Intervention. On. His. Behalf. Leslie.

Newbegin. Was. A. Missionary. Statesman. Spent. Many. Years. In. India. But. He. Suggests. That. The. Terminal.

Illness. In. The. West. Today. Is. It. Loss. Of. Hope. It. Loss. Of. Hope. He. Finds.

This. Clearly. In. Europe. Among. The. Masses. Who. Have. Given. Up. On. The. Future. And. Are. Living. Meaningless. Lives. On. The. Edge.

Of. Despair. I. Think. We. In. Australia. See. The. Same. Thing. He. Says. With. The. Exception. Of. Pockets. Of. Christians.

He. Senses. An. Atmosphere. Of. Doom. In. The. Air. And. The. Shocking. Thing. About. This. Is. That. Only. A.

Generation. Ago. The. West. Palsated. With. The. Hope. That. Reason. That. Technology. Would. Solve.

All. Our. Problems. Today. Though. This. Hope. Is. Gone. And.

We. Like. David. Need. A. Renewal. Of. Faith. So. That. We. May. Again. See. God's. Goodness. See. God's.

Kingdom. In. Our. Day. In. The. Land. Of. The. Living. And. We. Pray. Each. Day. Your. Kingdom. Come.

Your. Will. Be. Done. On. Earth. So. We. See. David. Has.

The. Single. Minded. Desire. To. Behold. The. Beauty. Of. The. Lord. And. In. The. Minst. Of. His. Trials. He. Turns. To. God. Who. He. Is. Called.

To. Seek. His. Faith. David. Instead. Of. Collapsing. In. Self. Pity. Brought. His.

Pain. Brought. His. Trials. To. God. And. That's. The. Only. Thing. We. Can. Do. Sometimes. And. It. Is. The. Best. Thing. That. We.

Can. Do. David. Believes. That. The. Lord. Will. Help. Him. And. So. He. Affirmed. His. Trust. In. God's.

Protection. For. Him. David. Is. Confident. That. God. Will. Act. On. His. Behalf. He. Expected. That. God. Will. Bring. Him. Deliverance.

And. So. He. Affirmed. That. In. Prayer. He. Believed. That. God. Would. Vindicate. Him. And. Restore. God.

God. God's. God.