As you're turning to Psalm 16, let me read the superscription.
We're told this is a miktum of David.
Sometimes we get these old Hebrew words like miktum,
and the scholars don't know what they mean.
It could be a type of instrument or a melody.
That term, miktum, is only used five times in all of the Psalter, 150 psalms.
The fact that they're so ancient and the meaning is unknown,
it actually adds to the reliability, the credibility of,
this is the inspired word of God to ancient prophets long ago like David,
preserved by the Holy Spirit through all of the centuries for you today, his people.
And so as I read this, I read it believing and hoping you'll receive it
as God's inspired, inerrant, infallible, clear, and sufficient word.
It's God's very own word for you, his people.
So at the end, I'll say this is the word of the Lord,
and you can say thanks be to God.
Psalm 16, a miktum of David.
Preserve me, O God, for in you I put my trust.
O my soul, you have said to the Lord,
you are my God.
My goodness is nothing apart from you.
As for the saints who are on the earth,
they are the excellent ones in whom is all my delight.
Verse 4,
Their sorrows shall be multiplied who hasten after another God.
Their drink offerings of blood I will not offer,
nor take up their names on my lips.
O Lord, you are the portion of my inheritance and my cup.
You maintain my lot.
The lines have fallen to me in pleasant places.
Yes, I have a good inheritance.
I will bless the Lord who has given me counsel.
My heart also instructs me in the night seasons.
I have set the Lord always before me because he is at my right hand.
I shall not be moved.
Therefore, my heart is glad and my glory rejoices.
My flesh also will rest in hope,
for you will not leave my soul in Sheol,
nor will you allow your Holy One to see corruption.
You will show me the path of life.
In your presence is fullness of joy.
At your right hand are pleasures forevermore.
The Word of the Lord.
Thanks be to God.
You may be seated.
Let's pray and ask the Lord to illuminate the ministry of His Word.
Lord, we feel it.
We feel the shadows deepen.
We feel the darkness all around.
We feel these seasons of night.
But you, Jesus Christ,
you are the light of God
who has shone into the darkness
and the darkness has not overcome your light.
We thank you that you have shown the gospel
to our minds and our hearts.
We thank you, Lord, that you equip your people.
Your troops are willing on the day of war.
We thank you that our King Jesus is alive.
We thank you that you've put in the hands of your people
the sword of the Spirit,
the Word of God.
We ask that by the power of your Spirit alone
you will wield the sword,
prune your branches,
cut us to the heart, Lord,
like only you can do.
We ask this for Christ's sake.
Amen.
What's worth fighting for?
What is it that's worth fighting for?
During World War I,
there was an English parliamentarian
who I'm a big fan of,
and his name was G.K. Chesterton.
He had the fun glasses,
a very heavyset man.
And listen to what he said.
The true soldier fights
not because he hates what is in front of him,
but because he loves what is behind him.
You cannot love a thing
without wanting to fight for it.
What's worth fighting for?
I think Psalm 16
is a psalm about a battle
against temptation.
In verse 1, he uses language of taking refuge.
If you're in a battle,
you need to find a place
you can run to and hide.
The language of the cup in verse 5,
you can picture like a cafeteria scene
at the end of the war.
All the loot of the war is piled up,
and every soldier gets in line with their cup,
and their portion is given to them.
In verse 8, he says,
because the Lord is at my right hand,
I shall not be moved.
Some of you played
on the defensive line in football.
If the Lord is at your right hand,
you shall not be moved.
David knows what it is to go attack
and to have a strong right arm
that won't get flanked.
It's battle language.
So, beloved congregation
of our Lord Jesus Christ,
the message for you today
and for me is
how to battle temptation.
How to battle temptation.
Do you need help with this?
I know I do.
Number one,
we see that the temptation
to idolatry is strong.
Verse 1, he says,
preserve me.
Watch over me, O God.
The temptation to idolatry is strong.
So what is he asking God
to preserve him from?
Preserve me.
Watch over me, God.
We have to drop down to verse 4
to see what that is.
He says,
there are many within Israel
who are hastening
after another God.
Verse 4,
they drink
these offerings of blood.
These are people
within the nation
who have given up hope,
who have turned
and are running now
after these idols
of the pagans.
They have these
worship services
with real blood.
blood.
Not wine
or the fruit of the vine,
but actual blood.
Some scholars
say these pagan nations
would drink
actual human blood
as part of their ritual.
And David's asking God
to preserve him
from that,
from that temptation.
He says,
I will not take up
their names on my lips.
I can't do that.
I can't be
associated with that.
So David is asking God
to preserve him
from doing
what it feels like
everyone else is doing,
chasing after the idols
of the world.
Preserve me, God.
Watch over me
so I don't do that.
The temptation
to idolatry
is strong.
So an idol,
it could be crafted
out of wood,
silver,
gold,
and then you would
worship this little statue
that you made
of a creature.
Something else
that God made
under the sun
and now you're
worshiping it
as if it were
the creator.
But idolatry
is broader than that
in the Bible.
Idolatry means
that you are giving
any creature
that which
only God
deserves.
The temptation
to idolatry
is strong.
Matthew Henry
pointed out,
you and I,
we have fallen
into idolatry
every time we have
placed our greatest
happiness
in a creature.
if we have sought
the comfort
or satisfaction
that that good
that can only
be enjoyed in God
might come to me
from an idol.
Instead,
we've fallen
into idolatry.
Idolatry can be
summarized
as John did
in 1 John 2.6.
It could be anything
that is tempting me
through the lust
of the flesh,
the body,
the lust of the eyes,
and the pride
of life.
In other words,
it's anything
that's of this world,
anything for the
material world,
for the senses,
the pride of this world.
The reason the battle
against temptation
is so strong
is because it doesn't
just come at us
from the world,
it comes from inside
of us as well.
That's the source
of pride
is my own heart.
My own body
craves the comforts
or satisfactions
of things of this world.
We need to pay attention
because if Calvin
was right,
it affects all of us.
He said,
every one of us
is,
even from his mother's womb,
a master craftsman
of idols.
We're warned
in 1 Timothy 6.9,
you too can fall
into temptation,
into a snare,
into many foolish
and harmful lusts
which will drown you,
destroy you,
and will lead you
to perdition.
And that's what
David sees happening.
People from his own country,
the kingdom
that God has claimed,
they're following
after these idols
and it leads to perdition.
Perdition is the utter
loss of your soul.
Your final happiness
in a future state
is utterly lost.
You will instead face
misery
and eternal death
if you chase after
these idols.
but the temptation
is strong.
So number two,
how do we pray?
How do we pray
in a battle
with temptation?
If temptation
were only coming at us
from the world,
we don't battle it,
we simply flee,
you know,
flee temptation.
But because it comes
from inside of us,
we have to battle this.
And what weapons
does God give us
to battle the temptations
that creep up
through our own hearts?
Well, I believe
in verses 1, 2, and 3,
he shows us how to pray
under the inspiration
of the Holy Spirit.
Pray this way
in your battle
with temptation.
Number one,
confess your dependence
on God.
Look at verse 1.
Preserve me,
watch over me, God,
because only God
can preserve you.
Because He watches
over you.
He is the one
who has to hold you fast.
It has to be His power
to strengthen you,
to preserve you.
Yes, you persevere
in the Christian faith,
but only because God
is preserving you.
So confess your dependence
on God.
Number two,
how do we pray?
You assess,
realistically assess,
who or what
is worthy of your trust.
Assess who is trustworthy.
He says in verse 1,
in you,
I put my trust.
You can try putting
your trust in anything else,
and you will be disappointed.
Only God
is worthy
of your full trust.
Proverbs 3,
5 reminds us,
trust in the Lord
with all your heart,
and lean not
on your own understanding.
2 Peter 2,
9,
the Lord knows
how to deliver
the godly
out of temptations.
He knows how.
You and I
don't know how.
Don't trust your own heart.
Trust in the Lord.
He is worthy
of your trust.
Number three,
remember God's
goodness
to you.
Don't we so quickly forget
how good
God is.
How good God
has been to me.
In verse 2,
he says,
O my God,
O my soul,
you have said
to the Lord,
you have said
to Yahweh,
you are my Lord,
my captain,
my master.
My goodness
is nothing
apart from you.
Do you see
in verse 2,
there's two words
for Lord.
I think most English
Bibles are going
to use all caps
when it's Yahweh.
So,
Lord in all caps
would be Yahweh.
And if it's
lower caps,
it would be
like a boss
or a general,
a commander.
So,
O my soul,
you have said
to Yahweh,
you are
my master.
My goodness
is nothing
apart from you.
Remember
God's goodness
to you.
this word
goodness,
this is an adjective
means pleasant,
agreeable,
or good.
It's the same
word that God
used in Genesis 2
speaking of his
creation.
He saw all that
he had made
and it was good.
He made it.
In fact,
it was very good.
The psalmist
is declaring
that back to God.
My goodness
is nothing
apart from you.
In the original,
the wording
is like this,
my good
is nothing
beyond you.
In other words,
when I am
in you,
it is all good.
The moment
a part of me
reaches beyond you
or outside of you,
there's nothing
good there.
Remind yourself
of this truth.
There is no good
apart from God.
Look what happens
to those who chase
after idols
in verse 4.
The sorrows
of those who
worship idols
shall be
multiplied.
They turned
this one thing
into an idol.
Gave themselves
to it.
Well,
here comes
another idol
now.
The need
to cover it up
and another
to deal
with that guilt
and it just
multiplies
the sorrow
of worshiping
anything less
than God.
There is no good
outside of God.
I think it was
the Belgic
Confession
said,
God is the
overflowing
fountain
of all good.
There is no good
outside of God.
Remember
God's goodness
to you.
And number
four,
how do you pray
in temptation?
You pray
with your Bible
open.
Prayer
is talking
to God
and listening
to God.
Look at verse
three.
As you pray,
read these words
for yourself.
how God
sees you.
How good
he is to you.
In verse
three,
as for the
saints
who are
on the
earth,
they are
the excellent
ones
in whom
is my
delight,
says the
Lord.
That's how
God sees
you.
Read it
for yourself.
Psalm 16
3,
read it
over and
over.
This is
how God
sees you
in his
son.
God
sees you
as a
saint.
He sees
you in
Christ
as excellent.
He sees
you in
Christ
as his
delight.
That's
how God
sees you.
Don't let
Satan
accuse God
to you
otherwise.
There was
a Christian
in the
1200s
named
Bonaventure
and he
wrote
like a
journal
of this
experience.
Satan
was accusing
him of
previous
sins
and Satan
was telling
him,
Bonaventure,
you're not
going to
heaven.
Remember
your sins?
Remember
all that
you've
done?
You
lived a
sinful
life.
You
lived for
worldly
pleasure.
How
could
God
let
someone
like
you
be
with
him
forever?
And
by the
power of
the
Holy
Spirit
encouraging
him and
assuring
him of
salvation,
Bonaventure
replied to
Satan,
if I
may not
enjoy
God in
the next
life,
then let
me enjoy
him in
this
life.
You
battle
Satan.
Don't
let him
tempt you
or accuse
you.
You
don't
want to
live in
sin because
the goodness
is in
God.
That's the
only source.
He is the
fount of
all good.
That's how
we pray
from Psalm
16,
1-3
in temptation.
Well,
with the
inspiration of
the Holy
Spirit,
what we
get in
verses
5-9,
in my
understanding,
is a
testimony of
victory over
temptation.
Here's how
you pray in
the battle,
and here's a
testimony of
someone on
the far
side who
had victory
over a
temptation.
Hear their
testimony and
be encouraged.
Picture
yourself,
if you're a
soldier and
you're being
enlisted,
you're going
to be sent
off to
war,
wouldn't
it be
helpful to
talk to
a veteran?
Here's
someone who's
been there
and who
came back
and is
alive,
and he
can give
you this
testimony of
victory.
You're going
to be okay,
son.
What do we
see in
5-9?
The
testimony is
contentment
first.
He's
content,
he's full,
he's blessed
because he
has God.
Verse 5,
O Lord,
you are
the portion
of my
inheritance
and my
cup.
I went
to battle
in your
army.
I did
not come
back
disappointed.
In fact,
what I
got is so
much better
than any
idol I
could have
chased.
What I
got was
you.
You are
my portion.
What goes
inside my
little soldier's
cup is
God himself.
I get
the Holy
Spirit.
I get to
belong to
him.
I'm content.
I'm full.
Number
two,
I'm grateful.
God proved
himself trustworthy
again.
In verse 5,
he says,
you maintain,
you uphold
my lot.
The land
you gave
me,
Lord,
on the
other side
of the
battle,
it's not
going to
be taken
away.
No one
can threaten
it.
You uphold
this lot,
what you've
given me.
In verse 6,
we see
satisfaction.
He's satisfied
with all that
God has
provided.
God is
generous.
God is
bountiful.
Just as
God provided
for the
nation
through
Joshua
as they
came into
the promised
land,
he uses
the same
language in
verse 6.
So listen
for these
words,
lines that
have fallen,
places,
and inheritance.
Throughout the
book of
Joshua,
that's how
the people
of Israel
are given
a place to
live in
the land
God promised.
In verse 6,
he says,
the lines have
fallen to me
in pleasant
places.
Yes,
I have a
good
inheritance.
David,
now the
king,
he looks
and he
says,
I can
praise God
just like
the nation
of Israel
under Joshua
as they
entered the
land.
I can
praise him
using that
same
language.
God has
given me
a dwelling
place.
He's provided
all that I
need.
And it's
pleasant.
It's
good.
The fourth
testimony is
that God
strengthens you.
First,
he strengthens
your mind.
In verse 7,
he says,
I will
bless the
Lord who
has given
me
counsel.
The Lord
has strengthened
my mind.
I can see
more clearly.
He is the
path in front
of me,
opening it
up.
I was
dark,
but now
it's light.
He's
counseled.
He's given
strength to
my mind
so I can
march
following
him.
He also
strengthens
the heart.
He says,
my heart
also instructs
me in the
night seasons.
It's not
just
intellectual.
I feel
it.
The Hebrew
is the
kidneys.
In verse 7,
my kidneys
also instruct
me in the
night seasons.
We would
say my
gut.
My gut
tells me
this is the
way to walk
with God.
I know
what it is.
His spirit
inside me
shows me.
And we are
strengthened for
battle.
Verse 8,
I have set
the Lord
always before
me because
he is at
my right
hand.
I shall
not be
moved.
He has
already said,
I have no
goodness apart
from you.
My only
reason I
can trust
that I
have any
hope in
the battle
is because
it's God
himself as
my strength,
my right
hand.
Not only
is he
strengthened,
the testimony
is one of
happiness.
In verse 9,
therefore my
heart is
glad and
my glory
rejoices.
His heart
and his
glory,
his inner
man is
happy in
the Lord.
The idol
promises a
quick happiness,
something worldly
that's going to
make you feel
something or
feel happy.
You think in
the moment,
that's the
temptation.
And the
testimony is
when the
Lord is at
your right
hand,
that's true
happiness.
That's when
your inner
being will
rejoice.
Not only
is he
happy,
he's also
hopeful.
Verse 9,
my flesh
will also
dwell
securely
in hope.
The
Lord at
my right
hand is
my happiness
on the
inside,
my hope,
even for
my own
flesh,
my own
body as
I walk
this world.
That's the
testimony of
one who has
reached the
far side of
temptation,
one who has
been victorious.
James 1.12
echoes this,
blessed is the
man who
endures
temptation,
for when he
has been
approved,
he will
receive the
crown of
life,
which the
Lord has
promised to
those who
love him.
But now we
need to ask
the question,
who is the
one that
reaches the
far side of
temptation
victorious?
To whom
does God
promise the
spoils of
victory?
To whom
does God
promise all
of these
blessings on
the other
side of the
battle?
if you've
been following
along with
our series
in the
Psalms,
we saw
in Psalm
14,
leading up
to this
one,
how all
have
turned
aside.
None
who do
good,
no,
not one.
So who
can receive
all the
blessings
of the
battle?
In Psalm
15,
right before
this,
it's who
may dwell
with God?
We sang
the last
two weeks,
Psalm 24,
who may
ascend the
holy hill.
And before
we answer
that question
directly,
look at
verse 11
of our
sermon text,
Psalm 16,
11.
The person
in the
temptation
gives a
testimony
of fullness
of joy
and pleasures
forevermore.
So while
you're in the
battle,
fighting temptation
in this world,
there's also
a foretaste
of something
much more
glorious.
Verse 11,
in your
presence is
fullness
of joy.
There's no
room for
any sadness.
There's no
room for
distraction.
Don't we
long for
that?
But the
longing of
the heart
is the
eternity
that only
God can
give.
And it
grows.
He says,
at your
right hand
are pleasures
forevermore
uninterrupted,
unbroken.
As we're
working with
some of
our folks
that are
regular
attenders
toward
baptism,
this is an
important
question.
I'm saved.
I'm a
disciple of
Christ.
Will I
still sin?
If I get
baptized now,
what happens
if I sin
after I get
baptized?
And we
wrestle with
this.
As we've
talked with
the men
on Wednesday
mornings,
we know
it's only
the power
of God
to sanctify
a Christian.
And it's
the power
of God
working in
us,
but yet
in this
world,
it's a
battle.
It's a
battle.
Why does
God leave
us to
battle so
hard in
this world?
And I
love how
our
confession of
faith,
the second
London,
chapter 5,
paragraph 5,
explains the
full counsel of
biblical truth.
The most
wise,
righteous,
and gracious
God does
oftentimes leave
for a season
His own
children to
manifold temptations
and the
corruptions of
their own
hearts.
Why?
To chastise
them for
their former
sins,
to discover
unto them
the hidden
strength of
corruption and
deceitfulness of
their hearts,
that they may
be humbled,
and to raise
them to a
more close
and constant
dependence for
their support
upon Himself,
and to make
them more
watchful against
all future
occasions of
sin, and for
other just and
holy ends, so
that whatsoever
befalls any of
God's elect is
by His
appointment for
His glory and
for their
good.
Amen?
Well, let's
answer the
question now,
to whom does
God promise the
spoils of
victory?
look at
verse 10,
Psalm 16,
10.
You will
not leave
my soul
in Sheol.
Sheol is
the abode
or the
dwelling place
of the
dead.
It's where
the dead
bodies go
and stay.
Nor will
you allow
your Holy
One to
see corruption.
You will
not let
your Holy
One undergo
decay.
We need
to let the
Scriptures
interpret the
Scriptures.
As the
Puritan said,
only diamond
can cut
diamond.
So who is
Psalm 16
ultimately
pointing to?
Well, Peter
stood up in
Acts 2,
verse 25,
and he
preached,
quoting David,
who had said
about the
Lord Jesus
Christ,
I saw the
Lord always
before me
because He
is at my
right hand.
I will
not be
shaken.
So the
Bible
interprets
Psalm 16
as pointing
to Jesus
Christ.
The only
one to
whom God
can truly
promise the
spoils of
the victory
justly is
the Holy
One.
It's the
one whose
body will
not see
corruption
and decay.
And the
good news
for us
is that
because Christ
fulfilled
Psalm 16,
He is the
only source
of power
for us
now in
this battle
that we
walk on
earth.
Our
righteousness,
our
sanctification
is nothing
apart from
Christ.
Amen?
Let me
walk through
ten ways
our Lord
Jesus Christ
became your
goodness and
mine, your
righteousness,
your source
of power and
victory.
Number one,
Jesus Christ
became your
righteousness when
He was tempted
as we read
in Luke 4.
Why was
Jesus tempted?
He lacked
nothing.
He's God.
It's because
we often
don't put our
trust in God
to preserve
us.
That's why
Jesus had to
took on
flesh and
He had to
pray what
we could
never pray
perfectly.
Preserve me,
O God,
for in You
I put my
trust.
Number two,
because we
need His
righteousness,
since we
often forget
that our
goodness is
nothing apart
from Him,
Jesus Christ
was born of
the Virgin
Mary,
not inheriting
any sin
from man.
And Jesus
Christ became
the good
new creation.
In Christ,
you are saints
on this earth,
you are excellent
ones,
and you are
God's delight.
Number three,
because our
idolatry
multiplies our
sorrows,
you picture a
pile of
damp filth
with cockroaches
all around it.
being multiplied,
growing,
becoming a
heap,
that's what
it is to
worship an
idol.
And because
that's the
state that
we're in,
we're buried
under that
sorrow of
sin,
Jesus Christ
became the
man of
sorrows.
He made
your ugly
sin and
mine his
own,
so that he
could turn
around and
share the
blessings,
the spoils
of war,
the portion
and the cup
that he
merited on
our behalf,
freely,
by grace,
to you who
receive it.
Number four,
because we
were prodigals,
we spat
at our
father's
kindness,
our Lord
Jesus Christ
became the
true and
greater Joshua,
Yeshua.
He gave us a
perfect inheritance.
What we
inherit in
Christ is
marked out by
generous lines
over pleasant
places.
and even
under the
son,
we enjoy
his
providence.
We take
delight in
all that
he's given
us to
be able to
enjoy and
remembering that
there's no
good apart
from him.
Number five,
because we
often lean on
our own
understanding,
our Lord
Jesus Christ
walked in
perfect step
with the
Holy Spirit.
Verse seven,
the Spirit
counseled him
in the flesh
so that the
Holy Spirit
can now
dwell in
our hearts
and instruct
us in
those night
seasons as
well.
We can
receive the
Holy Spirit
because God
counts us
holy in
Christ.
Because we
are often
moved by
the idols
of our
own heart,
our Lord
Jesus became
our righteousness.
In the
words of
verse eight,
he set
God always
before his
sight and
with the
Holy Spirit
at his
right hand,
our Lord
Jesus Christ
was never
moved,
not even
in the
final breaths
on the
cross.
He would
not
disobey.
He would
fulfill all
righteousness
for us.
Number seven,
while we were
hopeless,
shameful,
and sad,
our Lord
Jesus Christ
endured
the cross
for the joy
set before
him,
despising
its shame
so that
he can now
sing over
you and
me.
Be
glad of
heart
with me.
Rejoice
in my
glory.
I died
and I
rose
hoping for
you.
Number eight,
because the
grave and
death are
the wages
that our
sins deserve,
the last
enemy to
be destroyed
is death.
Our Lord
Jesus Christ
died and
was buried
trusting,
verse 10,
that God
will not
leave his
soul in
the realm
of the
dead.
Our Lord
Jesus Christ
became God's
holy one.
He was
buried,
trusting that
God would
not let
his body
see decay
or corruption.
Number nine,
because we
were blind
sheep without
a shepherd,
our Lord
Jesus Christ
sent his
Holy Spirit
to show us
in verse 11
the path
of life
and how
only in
Christ's
presence is
fullness of
joy.
Because Christ
is seated
at the
right hand
of God,
we are
with him
in the
presence of
God where
there are
pleasures
forevermore.
Number
ten,
Jesus
battled to
be our
vine,
truly God,
truly man,
the only
mediator,
so that we
could abide
in him and
have communion
with God.
And as we
abide in
Christ,
we experience
the truth of
second Peter
that his
divine power
in fact
gives us
all that we
need for
life and
godliness
through the
knowledge of
him,
Jesus Christ
who called
us.
Our only
source of
power to
have victory
over temptation
is union
to Christ.
So beloved
congregation
of our
Lord Jesus,
God proved
by the
life,
death,
and
resurrection
of his
son,
that you
are worth
fighting for.
Jesus Christ
is the true
soldier.
It's true
that you
cannot love
a thing
without wanting
to fight
for it.
And our
Lord Jesus
Christ,
he fought
for you
and for
me because
he loves
you.
He took
on flesh
and battled
every temptation
that we
will face
and he
was victorious.
He leaves
his Holy
Spirit in
you.
He is at
your right
hand.
He is your
strength.
And he
reminds you
that in
his presence
are pleasures
forevermore.
So here's
the secret
to sanctification.
Every time
you believe
him and
trust him,
the battle
is won.
Let's pray.
Amen.
Lord, we
praise you
for your
righteousness.
We thank
you, Lord,
that you
battled to
save a
people for
yourself.
Lord, we
pray that you
will preserve
us when
Satan wants
to accuse
you to us
that we'll
remember how
good you
are and
how there
is no
pleasure
that earth
can offer
that could
even come
close to
the glory
of being
in your
presence
forevermore.
We trust
you, Lord,
that your
spirit will
preserve us
and remind
us that
you are
good.
And in
Christ, we
will desire
more and
more to
walk by
your power
in us.
For your
glory we
pray.
Amen.