WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:15.919 Psalm 27, Psalm 27, I'll read it out loud, all 14 verses. 00:00:24.300 --> 00:00:28.960 The Lord is my light and my salvation, whom shall I fear? 00:00:30.379 --> 00:00:35.200 The Lord is the stronghold of my life, of whom shall I be afraid? 00:00:36.520 --> 00:00:44.500 When evildoers assail me to eat up my flesh, my adversaries and foes, it is they who stumble and fall. 00:00:45.939 --> 00:00:49.460 Do an army encamp against me, my heart shall not fear. 00:00:50.200 --> 00:00:53.200 Do a war arise against me, yet I will be confident. 00:00:54.340 --> 00:00:58.679 One thing have I asked of the Lord, that will I seek after. 00:00:58.679 --> 00:01:07.939 That I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to gaze upon the beauty of the Lord and to inquire in His temple. 00:01:07.939 --> 00:01:13.480 For He will hide me in His shelter in the day of trouble. 00:01:13.819 --> 00:01:17.299 He will conceal me under the cover of His tent. 00:01:17.920 --> 00:01:20.359 He will lift me high upon a rock. 00:01:20.359 --> 00:01:25.920 And now my head shall be lifted up above my enemies all around me. 00:01:26.140 --> 00:01:30.299 And I will offer in His tent sacrifices with shouts of joy. 00:01:30.780 --> 00:01:33.359 I will sing and make a melody to the Lord. 00:01:34.159 --> 00:01:38.140 Hear, O Lord, when I cry aloud, be gracious to me and answer me. 00:01:38.780 --> 00:01:40.840 You have said, seek my face. 00:01:41.159 --> 00:01:44.719 My heart says to you, your face, Lord, do I seek. 00:01:44.719 --> 00:01:49.739 Hide not your face from me. 00:01:50.200 --> 00:01:51.939 Turn not your servant away in anger. 00:01:52.420 --> 00:01:55.980 O you who have been my help, cast me not off. 00:01:56.200 --> 00:01:58.459 Forsake me not, O God of my salvation. 00:01:59.400 --> 00:02:03.659 For my father and my mother have forsaken me, but the Lord will take me in. 00:02:04.840 --> 00:02:09.740 Teach me your way, O Lord, and lead me on a level path because of my enemies. 00:02:09.740 --> 00:02:16.280 Give me not up to the will of my adversaries, for false witnesses have risen against me. 00:02:16.640 --> 00:02:18.200 And they breathe out violence. 00:02:18.960 --> 00:02:23.879 I believe that I shall look upon the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living. 00:02:24.780 --> 00:02:25.740 Wait for the Lord. 00:02:26.140 --> 00:02:26.820 Be strong. 00:02:27.320 --> 00:02:29.100 And let your heart take courage. 00:02:29.760 --> 00:02:31.020 Wait for the Lord. 00:02:31.020 --> 00:02:50.660 I don't think any of us can relate to this personally, but there's probably few things in life that strike more fear into people's hearts than, you know, being in war and facing an enemy line, right? 00:02:50.659 --> 00:02:58.800 So it's, I think of a scene, I think it's the beginning of Return of the King in Lord of the Rings, right? 00:02:58.859 --> 00:03:05.599 There's the army of elves and men are in alliance and they're in Helps' Deep. 00:03:05.740 --> 00:03:08.280 They're lined up against the army of orcs, right? 00:03:08.859 --> 00:03:14.639 And the orcs are all being, you know, rowdy and trying to be intimidating, pounding their chests. 00:03:15.219 --> 00:03:18.560 And then there's this one old man, an archer, right? 00:03:18.560 --> 00:03:26.099 He's looking at the orcs and he's so scared, you know, he's shaking in his boots and his knees are knocking. 00:03:26.520 --> 00:03:30.659 And he's so scared, in fact, he can't even hold on to his bowstring. 00:03:30.800 --> 00:03:37.000 So he accidentally lets go of one arrow and then it goes into, it kills one of the orcs. 00:03:37.960 --> 00:03:41.840 And inadvertently starts the war before his commander's call. 00:03:42.800 --> 00:03:46.939 And so, like, I mean, I could kind of try to picture myself in that man's shoes, right? 00:03:46.939 --> 00:03:49.560 It's the kind of facing enemy lines, encamped. 00:03:49.800 --> 00:03:51.919 Your enemy encamped against you. 00:03:52.359 --> 00:03:53.479 You're hopelessly outnumbered. 00:03:53.539 --> 00:03:56.280 Most likely when you start to march, you're marching into your death. 00:03:56.960 --> 00:03:58.199 And so that's a fearful prospect. 00:03:58.199 --> 00:04:03.360 And David is very familiar with that because he was a man of war, right? 00:04:03.500 --> 00:04:12.780 And so even with that kind of context in mind, he writes that he can have courage because of his trust in the Lord. 00:04:12.780 --> 00:04:20.620 And so the main point of this psalm he's teaching us is that those who seek the face of the Lord will be fearless in the face of life's troubles. 00:04:21.360 --> 00:04:25.180 Those who seek the face of the Lord will be fearless in the face of life's troubles. 00:04:25.740 --> 00:04:29.699 And so in verses 1 to 6, he tells us about how faith expels fear. 00:04:30.319 --> 00:04:34.220 And then in verses 7 to 14, he tells about how faith impels prayer. 00:04:34.720 --> 00:04:37.040 So he expels fear and impels prayer. 00:04:37.040 --> 00:04:41.460 So if you read verse 1 with me first, how faith expels fear. 00:04:41.939 --> 00:04:44.140 The Lord is my light and my salvation. 00:04:44.360 --> 00:04:45.379 Whom shall I fear? 00:04:45.840 --> 00:04:48.100 The Lord is the stronghold of my life. 00:04:48.140 --> 00:04:49.680 Of whom shall I be afraid? 00:04:50.240 --> 00:04:53.300 So there's three ways in which God's described in this verse. 00:04:53.620 --> 00:04:55.240 So three nouns. 00:04:55.660 --> 00:04:57.200 He says, first, the Lord is light. 00:04:57.680 --> 00:04:58.879 And then secondly, he's salvation. 00:04:59.240 --> 00:05:00.939 And then thirdly, he's a stronghold, right? 00:05:01.400 --> 00:05:03.660 And they both convey a powerful truth. 00:05:03.660 --> 00:05:09.320 So first, if you think about God as light, I mean, if you think about light and how it interacts with darkness, right? 00:05:09.320 --> 00:05:19.300 When you turn on the light switch in a dark room or you shine a flashlight into a dark corner of the room, you don't see light struggling with darkness, right? 00:05:19.560 --> 00:05:23.120 Just there's light and then all the poof, the darkness is gone, right? 00:05:23.200 --> 00:05:26.260 It's just the light overpowers the darkness. 00:05:26.520 --> 00:05:30.720 The light, you know, just overcomes the darkness. 00:05:30.860 --> 00:05:32.240 It's immediate and automatic, right? 00:05:32.240 --> 00:05:33.780 That's not something that you even think about. 00:05:34.540 --> 00:05:37.400 In a similar way, the Lord is light. 00:05:37.579 --> 00:05:38.819 He drives out the darkness. 00:05:39.740 --> 00:05:41.319 And then secondly, he says he's salvation. 00:05:41.900 --> 00:05:47.639 This also means, in this context especially, he probably refers to military victory. 00:05:47.900 --> 00:05:49.360 Victory, salvation, similar word. 00:05:49.360 --> 00:06:02.900 And so, you know, when the Lord is your salvation, the Lord is our victory, there's no, you know, there's no odds of winning or odds of the chance of victory because the victory is assured, right? 00:06:02.960 --> 00:06:08.319 The Lord, if the Lord is our salvation, then victory is guaranteed for whoever is fighting. 00:06:09.100 --> 00:06:09.520 There we have. 00:06:09.720 --> 00:06:10.800 Nothing is left to chance. 00:06:10.800 --> 00:06:16.100 And then thirdly, the Lord is the stronghold, which refers to a military fortress. 00:06:16.740 --> 00:06:19.879 So he provides safety and refuge from the enemy's attacks. 00:06:19.879 --> 00:06:28.360 And if this is the case, the Lord is a light, the salvation, and the stronghold of our life, then he asks, of whom shall I be afraid? 00:06:28.360 --> 00:06:33.699 And so that's why faith that David has in God expels his fear. 00:06:33.819 --> 00:06:35.480 So he writes about that in verses 2 to 3. 00:06:37.120 --> 00:06:42.960 When evildoers assail me to eat up my flesh, my adversaries and foes, it is they who stumble and fall. 00:06:43.720 --> 00:06:46.920 Do an army encamp against me, my heart shall not fear. 00:06:47.360 --> 00:06:50.620 Do war arise against me, yet I will be confident. 00:06:50.620 --> 00:06:51.060 Right? 00:06:51.800 --> 00:06:58.920 So he's likening his enemies, his adversaries, to wild beasts who are seeking to devour his flesh, to eat up his flesh. 00:06:59.620 --> 00:07:03.379 Yet, even when they do that, it's they who stumble and fall apart. 00:07:03.500 --> 00:07:05.879 And so he says he will be confident and you will not have fear. 00:07:07.060 --> 00:07:11.759 And I want you guys to think about this in a concrete sense just because, like, think about the things that you're afraid of. 00:07:11.939 --> 00:07:14.160 I mean, think about the things that you fear in your daily life. 00:07:14.500 --> 00:07:16.759 I mean, for David, this was a very concrete thing. 00:07:16.759 --> 00:07:24.599 You know, in the face of an army that's trying to kill him, in the face of enemies that's trying to devour him, he could have, he could be fearless. 00:07:25.060 --> 00:07:27.339 So that's something that can serve us and help us as well. 00:07:27.639 --> 00:07:32.579 And the reason why David is able to maintain that confidence and faith is because his face is set on the Lord. 00:07:33.539 --> 00:07:38.579 And his face is not set on the magnitude of his enemies, but on the magnitude of his God. 00:07:39.099 --> 00:07:40.180 So it says in verse 4, 00:07:40.180 --> 00:07:55.920 He says he asks for one thing. 00:07:56.579 --> 00:07:58.980 He doesn't ask for a few things or many things. 00:07:58.980 --> 00:08:03.379 And this is because, as Deuteronomy 6, verse 4 says, 00:08:03.500 --> 00:08:03.780 It says, 00:08:03.879 --> 00:08:06.860 Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one. 00:08:07.600 --> 00:08:07.780 Right? 00:08:07.879 --> 00:08:11.900 And because there's only one God who commands our allegiance, 00:08:12.580 --> 00:08:15.600 there's really only one thing that we ought to seek after. 00:08:15.720 --> 00:08:20.280 So David's saying that because of that, he seeks after one thing. 00:08:20.960 --> 00:08:24.520 And he acknowledged that there is nothing better than dwelling in the house of the Lord. 00:08:24.519 --> 00:08:28.959 And this prayer doesn't mean that he wanted to be like a temple servant, 00:08:29.060 --> 00:08:31.379 just being in the physical temple all the time. 00:08:31.699 --> 00:08:36.559 But he's saying that in all his life, he wanted to live, you know, in God's presence. 00:08:36.980 --> 00:08:38.860 So it's his longing to be with him. 00:08:39.139 --> 00:08:41.779 And the description is so beautiful, right? 00:08:41.799 --> 00:08:43.379 It's just very personal and intimate. 00:08:43.639 --> 00:08:44.939 If you look at it, the verse 4, 00:08:45.460 --> 00:08:51.039 To gaze upon the beauty of the Lord and to inquire in his temple. 00:08:51.039 --> 00:08:54.139 So he wishes to see God and talk to him, right? 00:08:54.139 --> 00:08:55.919 So to inquire of him and talk to him. 00:08:56.439 --> 00:08:58.919 And he wants to see him, to gaze upon his beauty. 00:08:59.319 --> 00:09:02.980 And if David, who doesn't even have the fullness of the Spirit, 00:09:03.399 --> 00:09:07.419 and who doesn't even know of Jesus becoming incarnate, 00:09:07.779 --> 00:09:10.139 can relate to God in this intimate and personal way, 00:09:10.199 --> 00:09:13.399 then how much more can we, as people who have the Spirit of God, 00:09:13.460 --> 00:09:15.799 and who have seen, who have witnesses of Jesus, 00:09:15.899 --> 00:09:19.740 the fact that God came in flesh to dwell in our midst, 00:09:19.740 --> 00:09:25.779 then how much more can we relate to God in intimacy and personal relationship? 00:09:27.039 --> 00:09:33.860 And because of this setting his face on God that David does, 00:09:34.080 --> 00:09:37.639 we see in verses 4 to 5 his confidence. 00:09:38.419 --> 00:09:40.000 Oh, verses 5 to 6, rather. 00:09:40.000 --> 00:09:43.899 For he will hide me in his shelter in the day of trouble. 00:09:43.980 --> 00:09:46.120 He will conceal me under the cover of his tent. 00:09:46.299 --> 00:09:48.179 He will lift me high upon a rock. 00:09:48.519 --> 00:09:51.559 And my head shall be lifted up above my enemies all around me. 00:09:51.559 --> 00:09:54.200 And I will offer in his tent sacrifices with shouts of joy. 00:09:54.559 --> 00:09:56.700 I will sing and make melody to the Lord. 00:09:58.039 --> 00:10:00.340 I mean, the words are all very similar, right? 00:10:00.480 --> 00:10:05.460 It's hide, shelter, conceal, cover. 00:10:05.460 --> 00:10:07.860 It's all tent. 00:10:08.000 --> 00:10:09.340 They all convey a similar idea. 00:10:09.879 --> 00:10:12.200 So the Lord is like a refuge that we seek. 00:10:12.320 --> 00:10:17.360 So, I mean, when you're caught unexpectedly in a torrent of rain, right? 00:10:17.460 --> 00:10:19.519 And so you run for cover somewhere. 00:10:19.620 --> 00:10:21.620 You finally find cover somewhere. 00:10:21.820 --> 00:10:23.220 And then there's silence. 00:10:23.900 --> 00:10:25.680 And you find relief. 00:10:26.519 --> 00:10:28.220 And then that's the kind of sense. 00:10:28.600 --> 00:10:30.360 He hides us. 00:10:30.420 --> 00:10:31.400 He covers us. 00:10:32.600 --> 00:10:34.340 He is our refuge. 00:10:34.340 --> 00:10:35.280 He is our shelter. 00:10:36.259 --> 00:10:41.400 And the idea of him lifting us high upon a rock also communicates the idea of an impregnable fortress. 00:10:41.540 --> 00:10:42.580 Something that's unassailable. 00:10:42.900 --> 00:10:45.500 We're saved from the enemy's attacks. 00:10:47.180 --> 00:10:51.200 And because of this, because the Lord is this shelter for us, 00:10:51.300 --> 00:10:55.080 then the faith that we have in him expels any fear. 00:10:55.320 --> 00:10:58.060 So we can be fearless when we face our circumstances. 00:10:58.059 --> 00:11:03.039 And if faith in God enables him to be fearless, 00:11:03.039 --> 00:11:07.279 then it's his faith also that impels him to prayer. 00:11:08.639 --> 00:11:11.379 He encourages us to continue to seek God's face in prayer. 00:11:11.379 --> 00:11:12.960 So we see that in verses 7 to 9. 00:11:12.960 --> 00:11:15.879 Hear, O Lord, when I cry aloud. 00:11:16.000 --> 00:11:17.700 Be gracious to me and answer me. 00:11:18.120 --> 00:11:19.679 You have said, seek my face. 00:11:19.820 --> 00:11:22.399 My heart says to you, your face, Lord, do I seek. 00:11:23.399 --> 00:11:24.980 Hide not your face from me. 00:11:25.399 --> 00:11:27.039 Turn not your servant away in anger. 00:11:27.039 --> 00:11:29.439 O you who have been my help. 00:11:29.839 --> 00:11:31.199 Cast me not off. 00:11:31.579 --> 00:11:32.439 Forsake me not. 00:11:33.099 --> 00:11:34.539 O God of salvation. 00:11:34.539 --> 00:11:38.860 So sometimes I think for modern day, you know, believers, 00:11:39.159 --> 00:11:43.019 like often the, we can be tempted to doubt 00:11:43.019 --> 00:11:46.419 whether or not God can help us, right, in our situations. 00:11:46.419 --> 00:11:49.159 Like when we face difficulties, suffering, 00:11:49.299 --> 00:11:50.899 or things that instill fear in our hearts, 00:11:51.439 --> 00:11:54.860 we doubt whether God can help us, right? 00:11:55.039 --> 00:11:58.759 But for David, it's not a question of whether or not God can do it. 00:11:59.120 --> 00:12:02.199 For him, it's entirely a question of whether he will, right? 00:12:02.200 --> 00:12:06.660 So he asks, Lord, your face, don't turn your face from me. 00:12:06.960 --> 00:12:10.340 Because if I know that you are capable and you can deliver me, 00:12:10.620 --> 00:12:12.080 just don't turn your face from me. 00:12:12.160 --> 00:12:15.000 And he recognizes that God, you know, showing him, 00:12:15.100 --> 00:12:17.440 helping him is a function of his grace, 00:12:17.820 --> 00:12:19.640 not something that he can feel entitled to. 00:12:20.360 --> 00:12:24.320 That's why he says, be gracious to me and answer me, right? 00:12:25.379 --> 00:12:27.980 And there's an emphasis here on seeking him, right? 00:12:28.020 --> 00:12:29.920 The word seek, which we saw in verse 4, 00:12:29.920 --> 00:12:32.140 occurs two more times here in verse 8. 00:12:32.700 --> 00:12:35.420 So we are not to be passive recipients of God's help, 00:12:35.460 --> 00:12:37.340 but we're supposed to be active seekers of God. 00:12:37.820 --> 00:12:41.200 He doesn't want us to be resigned to a mediocre life 00:12:41.200 --> 00:12:44.120 characterized by occasional glimpses and experiences of God. 00:12:44.320 --> 00:12:47.379 But he wants us to seek his face like David, 00:12:47.440 --> 00:12:50.520 to gaze upon his beauty, to inquire of him. 00:12:51.820 --> 00:12:56.520 And David cannot resign himself to the possibility of God's absence. 00:12:56.600 --> 00:12:57.680 So he says in verse 10, 00:12:57.679 --> 00:13:08.219 I mean, this may mean that he was literally forsaken by his parents, 00:13:08.399 --> 00:13:11.079 perhaps during the time when he was fleeing from Saul. 00:13:11.080 --> 00:13:15.440 But it might also just mean that as a king, 00:13:15.580 --> 00:13:17.759 as king of, you know, Israel, 00:13:18.420 --> 00:13:23.520 you know, he has, he really no longer has parents 00:13:23.520 --> 00:13:27.780 because Israel's kings were considered to have God as their father. 00:13:28.020 --> 00:13:29.900 They were supposed to be a son of God, right? 00:13:30.300 --> 00:13:30.720 In a way. 00:13:30.820 --> 00:13:32.080 And so in that sense, 00:13:32.180 --> 00:13:34.660 he can't rely on his earthly parents for his help. 00:13:34.860 --> 00:13:36.879 So in that sense, he's been forsaken by them. 00:13:36.879 --> 00:13:38.460 And God is his only help. 00:13:38.539 --> 00:13:39.799 He's the only one he can turn to. 00:13:40.860 --> 00:13:43.840 And that's why he cries out to me, 00:13:43.860 --> 00:13:45.600 for my father and my mother have forsaken me, 00:13:45.639 --> 00:13:48.460 but the Lord will take me in. 00:13:48.840 --> 00:13:51.240 And I think it's helpful for us to ask, 00:13:51.360 --> 00:13:54.179 you know, when we're facing crises in our lives, 00:13:54.460 --> 00:13:56.059 you know, when we're facing problems, 00:13:56.740 --> 00:13:58.259 you know, what's our first impulse? 00:13:58.439 --> 00:13:59.259 What do we turn to? 00:13:59.259 --> 00:14:02.740 We all probably have either something 00:14:02.740 --> 00:14:05.120 or someone that we turn to. 00:14:05.960 --> 00:14:07.279 And is that someone, 00:14:07.439 --> 00:14:09.399 someone other than God himself, right? 00:14:09.759 --> 00:14:11.460 And because he's saying that the relationship 00:14:11.460 --> 00:14:12.600 that David has with him 00:14:12.600 --> 00:14:15.059 is more intimate than even that paternal relationship. 00:14:15.980 --> 00:14:18.240 Are we, do we turn first to our parents? 00:14:18.379 --> 00:14:19.960 Do we turn first to our spouses? 00:14:20.100 --> 00:14:21.399 Do we turn first to our siblings? 00:14:21.939 --> 00:14:24.220 Or do we turn first to the Lord for help 00:14:24.220 --> 00:14:26.100 when we face crises? 00:14:26.980 --> 00:14:28.139 And David does that. 00:14:28.139 --> 00:14:29.840 And that's where he finds his confidence. 00:14:31.340 --> 00:14:34.019 And when he expresses faith in the Lord this way 00:14:34.019 --> 00:14:35.419 and prays to him, 00:14:35.720 --> 00:14:36.939 that's when he's assured again 00:14:36.939 --> 00:14:38.779 in verses 11 to 12 of deliverance. 00:14:39.220 --> 00:14:40.460 Teach me your way, O Lord, 00:14:40.500 --> 00:14:42.899 and lead me on a level path because of my enemies. 00:14:43.340 --> 00:14:45.539 Give me not up to the will of my adversaries, 00:14:45.620 --> 00:14:47.759 for false witnesses have risen against me 00:14:47.759 --> 00:14:49.519 and they breathe out violence. 00:14:50.600 --> 00:14:52.779 And then he finishes, 00:14:53.019 --> 00:14:55.279 he concludes the psalm by affirming his confidence 00:14:55.279 --> 00:14:56.860 and then again, verses 13 to 40, 00:14:56.899 --> 00:14:57.620 his faith in him. 00:14:58.139 --> 00:15:00.279 I believe that I shall look upon 00:15:00.279 --> 00:15:01.360 the goodness of the Lord 00:15:01.360 --> 00:15:02.299 in the land of the living. 00:15:02.960 --> 00:15:03.819 Wait for the Lord. 00:15:03.939 --> 00:15:06.059 Be strong and let your heart take courage. 00:15:06.559 --> 00:15:07.419 Wait for the Lord. 00:15:07.799 --> 00:15:09.319 So the language in this verse 00:15:09.319 --> 00:15:13.080 is heavily indebted to Deuteronomy 31, 7 to 8. 00:15:13.179 --> 00:15:16.100 That's where Moses appoints Joshua 00:15:16.100 --> 00:15:17.220 to take over for him 00:15:17.220 --> 00:15:19.860 in finishing the conquest of the promised land. 00:15:20.399 --> 00:15:22.819 And then he encourages Joshua with these words, 00:15:22.939 --> 00:15:24.879 be strong and courageous. 00:15:24.879 --> 00:15:27.120 Both of those words are found here in this verse. 00:15:27.519 --> 00:15:29.519 For you shall go with this people into the land 00:15:29.519 --> 00:15:31.820 that the Lord has sworn to their fathers to give them 00:15:31.820 --> 00:15:33.960 and you shall put them in possession of it. 00:15:34.259 --> 00:15:36.039 It is the Lord who goes before you. 00:15:36.259 --> 00:15:37.419 He will be with you. 00:15:37.700 --> 00:15:40.279 He will not leave you or forsake you. 00:15:40.340 --> 00:15:41.820 Again, that word is found here. 00:15:42.220 --> 00:15:45.000 Do not fear or be dismayed. 00:15:45.059 --> 00:15:45.200 Right? 00:15:45.200 --> 00:15:48.480 So the reason why Moses can exhort Joshua 00:15:48.480 --> 00:15:49.680 to be strong and courageous, 00:15:49.820 --> 00:15:50.680 to not fear, 00:15:51.040 --> 00:15:54.360 is because the Lord will not forsake him or leave him. 00:15:55.100 --> 00:15:56.540 And so it's in the same way 00:15:56.540 --> 00:15:58.540 that those who seek the face of the Lord, 00:15:58.640 --> 00:16:00.620 who have faith in his presence, his help, 00:16:01.080 --> 00:16:02.440 they are the ones who are fearless 00:16:02.440 --> 00:16:04.160 in the face of life's troubles. 00:16:04.159 --> 00:16:08.019 And so, and because, 00:16:09.100 --> 00:16:11.899 and for David, I mean, this is not an assured thing. 00:16:12.139 --> 00:16:12.279 Right? 00:16:12.299 --> 00:16:13.559 Because he knows that he's sinful. 00:16:14.779 --> 00:16:16.379 And that's why he says in verse 7, 00:16:16.480 --> 00:16:17.779 Hear, O Lord, when I cry aloud, 00:16:17.860 --> 00:16:19.419 be gracious to me and answer me. 00:16:19.500 --> 00:16:21.240 God, he cries out for God's grace 00:16:21.240 --> 00:16:24.100 because he knows that his faith can waver 00:16:24.100 --> 00:16:26.879 and he, you know, he's not sinless 00:16:26.879 --> 00:16:28.439 and does not deserve God's help 00:16:28.439 --> 00:16:31.019 and constant presence, abiding presence. 00:16:31.019 --> 00:16:34.840 But for us, for people whom, 00:16:35.120 --> 00:16:38.079 for whom Jesus paid the penalty of sin, 00:16:38.439 --> 00:16:40.480 people who have been adopted into his family 00:16:40.480 --> 00:16:42.960 and who have the spirit of God, 00:16:43.100 --> 00:16:46.039 we can say, as it says in Ephesians 1, 13 to 14, 00:16:46.500 --> 00:16:48.620 In him you also, when you heard the word of truth, 00:16:48.679 --> 00:16:50.120 the gospel of your salvation, 00:16:50.659 --> 00:16:51.699 and believed in him, 00:16:51.799 --> 00:16:53.519 were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit 00:16:53.519 --> 00:16:55.360 who is the guarantee of our inheritance 00:16:55.360 --> 00:16:58.159 until we acquire possession of it. 00:16:58.559 --> 00:16:58.639 Right? 00:16:58.639 --> 00:17:01.899 The word salvation occurred here in verse 9 00:17:01.899 --> 00:17:03.460 and it occurred in verse 1. 00:17:04.119 --> 00:17:06.299 And even though it refers in this context 00:17:06.299 --> 00:17:07.220 to military victory, 00:17:07.420 --> 00:17:09.599 it points to, it foreshadows 00:17:09.599 --> 00:17:11.519 our ultimate salvation through Jesus. 00:17:12.599 --> 00:17:14.000 And in that regard, 00:17:14.279 --> 00:17:15.740 the promise that God has, 00:17:15.819 --> 00:17:16.980 the promise that God makes to us 00:17:16.980 --> 00:17:18.900 is unconditional and categorical. 00:17:19.480 --> 00:17:19.579 Right? 00:17:19.639 --> 00:17:21.900 The Lord is my light and my salvation. 00:17:22.420 --> 00:17:23.099 Whom shall I fear? 00:17:23.160 --> 00:17:25.119 The Lord is the stronghold of my life. 00:17:25.319 --> 00:17:27.579 Of whom shall I be afraid? 00:17:27.579 --> 00:17:29.740 When it comes to our salvation, 00:17:29.859 --> 00:17:31.939 our ultimate fate in God, 00:17:32.519 --> 00:17:35.919 we can have complete confidence 00:17:35.919 --> 00:17:37.579 because he does promise 00:17:37.579 --> 00:17:38.480 to work out all things 00:17:38.480 --> 00:17:40.079 for the good of those who love him. 00:17:40.460 --> 00:17:41.659 And that good, that purpose, 00:17:41.759 --> 00:17:42.980 is ultimately our salvation. 00:17:43.980 --> 00:17:45.379 So then we can turn to God 00:17:45.379 --> 00:17:46.240 and seek his face 00:17:46.240 --> 00:17:48.319 knowing that we will not be disappointed, 00:17:48.960 --> 00:17:50.399 knowing that we have nothing to fear 00:17:50.399 --> 00:17:52.419 as we face life's troubles. 00:17:52.420 --> 00:17:54.420 So... 00:17:54.420 --> 00:17:54.779 So... 00:17:54.779 --> 00:17:55.580 So... 00:17:55.580 --> 00:17:56.100 So...