My Light, My Salvation & My Stronghold

[0:00] Well if we could this evening with the Lord's help and the Lord's guidance.

[0:14] If we could turn back to that portion of scripture that we read. The book of Psalms and Psalm 27. Book of Psalms, Psalm 27.

[0:28] And if we just read again the first three verses. The Lord is my light and my salvation.

[0:40] Whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life. Of whom shall I be afraid? When evildoers assail me to eat up my flesh. My adversaries and foes.

[0:52] It is they who stumble and fall. Though an army encamp against me. My heart shall not fear. Though war arise against me. Yet I will be confident.

[1:04] When we consider the opening words of Psalm 27. We are confronted with beautiful words of confidence.

[1:17] I suppose in which we could say about them that we have. I have nothing to fear. I have nothing to be afraid of. I have nothing to be anxious about.

[1:27] Because the Lord is with me. And even though evildoers and adversaries and foes. As David says. They can come in all different forms against us.

[1:37] And when these things gather in my life. To attack me. They will stumble and fall. They will not overcome me. And even though an entire army.

[1:49] As he says. May encamp against me. Me personally. My heart shall not fear. Though war against me will rise. I will remain confident.

[2:02] I will remain confident. Now. That all sounds good. And it sounds like a great speech. That will rally us up. And get us fired up.

[2:13] To have a positive mindset. Towards the Lord. But I want to ask this evening. Is that reality? Is that your reality?

[2:25] Is that my reality? That when evildoers and adversaries and foes. Rise up against us. Am I still confident? Is my heart still fearless?

[2:37] With everything I'm confronted with in my life. Am I always confessing with David. The Lord is my light and my salvation. Whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life.

[2:50] Of whom shall I be afraid? And I suppose if we were to be honest with ourselves. We would probably say no. Because the reality is.

[3:01] We aren't always fearless. The reality is. We aren't always doubtless. The reality is. We aren't always confident. In the Lord. Because more often than not.

[3:12] When the evildoers. And the adversaries. And the foes. When they rise up against us. We feel weak. And we feel helpless. And we question sometimes.

[3:23] What the Lord is doing in our life. And we wonder why the Lord has put this thing there at all. And it causes our mind to be full of doubts and anxieties.

[3:33] Which press upon us. And weigh down upon us. And you know. I'm sure we've all heard the phrase. Or we've used it to describe ourselves. The phrase.

[3:45] Is I'm my own worst enemy. I'm my own worst enemy. And we often say it. When we realize that. What's hindering us. Or what's holding us back in life.

[3:57] Or what's causing us. To have all these doubts. And anxious thoughts. It's not from someone else. Or from something else. They all come from us. Instead of the evildoers.

[4:09] And the adversaries. And the foes. Which David speaks of. Instead of them rising up. From without. Out with. They're actually coming from. Within. The attack.

[4:21] Is from. Within. We are our own worst enemies. And it was John Calvin. Who made the interesting observation. About this. Psalm. In his commentary.

[4:32] He said. It is necessary. That the saints. Earnestly wrestle. With themselves. To repel. Or subdue. The doubts. Which the flesh.

[4:43] Flesh. Is so prone. To cherish. I'll read it again. It is necessary. That the saints. Earnestly wrestle. With themselves. To repel.

[4:54] Or subdue. The doubts. Which the flesh. Is so prone. To cherish. And what Calvin says. Is so true. Because I'm sure. That you're. Aware of it.

[5:05] By now. That for. The most part. The Christian life. Is a battle. Of the mind. It's a battle. Of the mind. Where.

[5:16] As Paul reminds us. In his letter. To the Ephesians. Near the end. At chapter 6. He says. We do not wrestle. Against flesh and blood. Our fight. Is not from without. Our fight.

[5:27] He says. Is from within. And it's a fight. Against principalities. And powers. And against the rulers. Of the darkness. Of this world. And the spiritual wickedness.

[5:37] In high places. And they're all the enemies. These are all the enemies. That are attacking. From within. Within our mind. And as you know.

[5:48] The greatest attack. From the devil. It's not from without. It's from within. The devil has never tried. To destroy the church. From without.

[6:00] He has always tried. And has tried many times. To destroy it from within. The reformation. The disruption. The 2000. Incident.

[6:12] He tears. Churches apart. From within. He doesn't tear. Congregations apart. By sending enemies. To attack. From the outside. But he always causes.

[6:23] Chaos from the inside. I mean. If you just consider. Judas Iscariot. He wasn't from without. He was from within. And that's how.

[6:34] Our greatest enemy works. He works. From within. Within our mind. But John Calvin says. And he was always of the opinion. That. It's what goes into your mind.

[6:45] That makes you a strong Christian. It's what goes into your mind. That makes you. A strong Christian. And he points out. That the only way. To wrestle with ourselves. To wrestle.

[6:55] And defend against the enemies. Of from within. Is to consider the character. Of the Lord. To wrestle against. The mind. The attacks upon the mind.

[7:07] Is to consider. The character of the Lord. Because. When we look. Outside of ourselves. And consider. Who the Lord is. It's then that we can be filled.

[7:19] With confidence. And assurance. Like David was. And I want us to see. In this psalm. That. What David gives to us. Is actually. A battle strategy.

[7:30] Because he tells us. That the only way. To deal with our enemies. From within. The only way. To deal with. The attacks. From the devil. Upon our mind. Is to focus our mind.

[7:42] Upon who the Lord is. And what the Lord is like. And David says. That when we focus our mind. Upon the Lord. And confess. That the Lord is my light.

[7:54] And the Lord is my salvation. And the Lord is my stronghold. It's then that we will have confidence. Against the enemies. Not confidence in self.

[8:05] But confidence. In the Lord. And it was also Calvin. I loved what he said. In this commentary. He said. These three titles. These three titles.

[8:15] My light. My salvation. My stronghold. They are like a threefold. Shield. Against our enemies. And I'd like us to see.

[8:26] That this threefold shield. It is explained to us more fully. Throughout the rest of Psalm 27. It's explained more fully.

[8:37] And we'll. As we go through it. You'll understand what I mean. So. So let's just look at these titles. The Lord is my light. The Lord is my salvation. And the Lord is my stronghold. So first of all.

[8:48] The Lord is my light. And we'll look at it from. Verses four to six. The Lord is my light. One thing I've asked of the Lord. That will I seek after.

[8:59] 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. For he will hide me in his shelter. In the day of trouble.

[9:10] He will conceal me under the cover of his tent. He will lift me high upon a rock. And now my head shall be lifted up. Above my enemies. All around me. And I will offer in his tent.

[9:21] Sacrifices. With shouts of joy. I will sing. And make melody. To the Lord. So when David opens this beautiful psalm. He does so with that.

[9:33] Threefold proclamation. He lifts his shield. The Lord is my light. The Lord is my salvation. And the Lord is my stronghold. But what we ought to see. Is that this proclamation.

[9:44] About who the Lord is. And what the Lord is like. It is a personal proclamation. Just like it was. That's when we were considering. Psalm 23 last week.

[9:55] So you know David opened Psalm 23. With the personal proclamation. The Lord is my shepherd. And here in Psalm 27. David does the same.

[10:07] The Lord is my light. The Lord is my salvation. The Lord is my stronghold. It's a personal proclamation. And it's a proclamation. That highlights David's relationship with the Lord.

[10:21] His personal relationship with the Lord. But this opening personal proclamation. The first one. The Lord is my light. I believe it's explained to us in more detail.

[10:34] In these verses. In verses 4 to 6. Because what we read here. Is that. As a Christian. David may have been enduring a battle in his mind.

[10:46] But his heart was still fixed upon the Lord. What was going on in his mind. Was not what was going on in his heart. David says that. There is one desire in his heart.

[10:59] And that was the desire to be close to the Lord. And to gaze upon his beauty. And we'll come to understand what David means about that. In a moment. But. I want to point out to you.

[11:12] That. Is it not so true that. What may be going on in your head. Is not what is going on in your heart. Because. In your mind.

[11:24] You may be. Attacked from every side. Where the devil is getting in. And he's disrupt. Disrupting your peace. And he's attacking your mind. And tempting you away.

[11:34] From the Lord. But. In your heart. You still have that one desire. To gaze upon the beauty of the Lord. In your mind. The devil is attacking you from within.

[11:45] Causing you to worry. Whether it's worry about yourself. Or. Your own salvation. The devil tells you that. Well you're not good enough to be a Christian.

[11:56] Or you're. Too sinful to be a follower of Jesus. Or that Jesus. Well he doesn't love you as much as he used to. Because. You're so much more sinful than you used to. Be ever.

[12:07] When you were first converted. And there are all these things that he attacks the mind with. Maybe it's your health. And. He convinces you that. This pain here.

[12:18] And this pain there. It's going to kill you. You're going to die. No one will miss you. And everyone will be better off without you. And you know. The devil can attack us. From within.

[12:28] And fill our minds with fears and anxieties. That's why Paul. When he was talking about. The full armour of God. He said. Put on the helmet. Of salvation.

[12:40] Put on the helmet. Protect your mind. Because. When the devil attacks us. In our mind. He can make us. Worry about what others will think of us.

[12:52] Worry about what. They will say about us. Worry about. Rejection. He'll make us worry about. Misunderstanding. Or being. Ridiculed. And. It can go. Into our mind.

[13:03] We can be attacked in our mind. And all this can go on in our mind. Without anybody else. Being aware of it. To the point that. We can become a prisoner.

[13:15] In our own mind. With all that's going on. And not say anything. And all these attacks. From within. They can cast a dark shadow over us. Over the mind.

[13:28] I don't know about you. But. I often have the devil. Telling me. Smash your car on the barbersome. Kill yourself. That's the best thing to do.

[13:41] And. It's not a suicidal thought. Don't get me wrong. But that's the darkness. Which the devil. Can attack us with. And it's frightening. He's a fierce enemy.

[13:52] And he attacks from within. He attacks the mind. But what David shows us. Is that. He can't attack. The heart. The devil may attack the mind.

[14:05] And cause chaos. With the darkness of anxiety. He can't attack the mind. But what David reminds us. Is that the personal proclamation. In the heart. Of the Christian.

[14:16] Is the Lord is my light. The Lord is my light. And David's proclamation. Is true of every child of God.

[14:27] Because when we know the Lord. Personally. We not only acknowledge him. To be the God. Who spoke light into darkness. At the creation. But we also acknowledge him.

[14:39] To be the God. Who spoke. The light into the darkness. Of our hearts. And said. Let there be light. And. I love what Paul says.

[14:51] In 2nd Corinthians 4. He's talking about. The ministry. And the importance of the ministry. But he goes on to say that. The God of this world. He blinded our mind.

[15:04] Blinded our mind. To hinder. The light of the gospel. But says Paul. It was God. The God. Who commanded light. To shine out of darkness.

[15:14] At creation. He has shone. Into our hearts. To give the light. Of the knowledge. Of the glory of God. In the face. Of Jesus Christ. And you know what.

[15:27] I find so beautiful. And. Beautiful. Is the only word. I can use. To describe it. What I find so beautiful. Is that what David. Was longing to see. In Psalm 27.

[15:39] We know the well known. The way the Psalter. Puts it. That I. The beauty of the Lord. Behold me. And admire. And that. I in his holy place. May reverently.

[15:49] Enquire. The beauty. The beauty. The beauty. The beauty. Which David. David longed. To see. Was the same beauty. That the apostle Paul. Saw. On the road to. The road to Damascus.

[16:02] And it was the same beauty. Which Moses saw. In the tabernacle. Because the phrase. The beauty of the Lord. It's a lovely phrase. That phrase.

[16:13] It refers to the glorious light. Which God dwells in. It was. What many people call. The Shekinah glory. The glory which. Filled the tabernacle.

[16:25] Behind the veil. And it. It shone brightly. A light that no one. Could behold. With the naked eye. And it displayed. The beauty of the Lord.

[16:37] And Paul. Says that he encountered. That beautiful. Light. When the Lord. Met him on the road. To Damascus. Remember how Paul. Was. Going. He was on his way.

[16:48] To kill Christians. On his way. To destroy. The Christian church. But the Lord. Stopped him. The Lord. Stopped him. In his tracks. And what's amazing.

[16:58] Is that. On that particular. Occasion. The light. Of God's glory. Blinded. Paul. Physically. And yet. At the same time.

[17:10] It caused him. To see spiritually. Wonderful thought. But as I mentioned. This glorious light. Was the same light. Which. Moses saw. In the tabernacle.

[17:23] It's. Amazing. How it all fits together. Because. Do you remember. In the book of Exodus. When the children of Israel. They had disobeyed the Lord. And they had created. A golden calf.

[17:33] To worship. And. They had built. This golden calf. Whilst Moses. Was on the top. Of Mount Sinai. Receiving the Ten Commandments. And when Moses. Came down the mount.

[17:45] He saw the disobedience. Of the children of Israel. And he. He broke. The two tablets. Of stone. Upon which. The Ten Commandments. Were written. And it was after that occasion. Where Moses.

[17:55] Was completely. Devastated. And he was. Flattened. By. The actions. Of the children of Israel. The devil had got in. The devil had spoiled everything. But you remember.

[18:06] When Moses. Prayed to the Lord. He said. Lord. Show me your glory. Show me your glory. And the Lord. Revealed. His glory. To Moses.

[18:17] He revealed. His glory. So much. That. When Moses. Came down. The mountain. The second time. Having received. Another copy. Of the Ten Commandments. The face of Moses.

[18:29] Was shining. The face of Moses. Was shining. It was. Reflecting. The light. Of God's glory. And it was so bright.

[18:40] That Moses. Had to. To veil. His face. Because it was too bright. For the children of Israel. To look upon. Upon his face. And what's amazing.

[18:50] Is that. That's what Paul. Was referring to. In second Corinthians four. It's amazing. How the Bible. Just fits together. This wonderful. Theme of light. Because Paul.

[19:00] Had experienced. The light. Of God's glory. On the road. To Damascus. Moses. Had experienced. The light. Of God's glory. In the tabernacle. And then Paul. Pulls it all together.

[19:11] And he said. That our gospel. Is no longer. To be veiled. Like it was. Over the face. Of Moses. But he says. The God. Who commanded light. To shine. Out of darkness. Has shone.

[19:21] Into our hearts. To give the light. Of the knowledge. Of the glory. Of God. In the face. Of Jesus Christ. And my friend. That's the beauty. Of the Lord.

[19:32] It's in the face. Of Jesus Christ. That's what gave. Moses encouragement. That's what. Gave David encouragement. That's what gave. Paul. Encouragement. That even though.

[19:43] The God of this world. The devil. Even though. He was trying. To blind. Our minds. He said. We have the light. Of the knowledge. Of the glory. Of God. Shining.

[19:54] In our. Heart. And this light. It's the beauty. Of the Lord. The beauty. Of the Lord. And when we know.

[20:05] The beauty. Of the Lord. When we know. That that beauty. Is in our heart. We have the assurance. That David did. When he said. In verse five. He will hide me.

[20:16] In his shelter. In the day of trouble. He will conceal me. Under the cover. Of his tent. He will lift me. High. Upon a rock. And our response.

[20:27] To his beauty. Is to do. As David responded. In verse six. And now my head. Shall be lifted up. Above my enemies. All round me. And I will offer.

[20:38] In his tent. Sacrifices. With shouts. Of joy. I will sing. And make melody. To the Lord. The response. Is praise. When we make.

[20:50] The personal proclamation. That the Lord. Is my light. His glorious light. Is shining. In my heart. Our response. Is one of praise.

[21:02] Praise. And so the first. Personal proclamation. Which is part of this. Threefold shield. The threefold shield. Against the attacks.

[21:13] Of our mind. Is the Lord. Is my light. But secondly. The Lord. Is my salvation. The Lord. Is my salvation. If you look at.

[21:24] Verse seven. David says. Hear oh Lord. When I cry aloud. Be gracious to me. And answer me. You have said. Seek my face. My heart. Says to you.

[21:35] Your face. Lord. Do I seek. Hide not your face. From me. Turn not your servant. Away in anger. For you. Who have been my help. Cast me not off. Forsake me not.

[21:46] O God. Of my salvation. For my father. And my mother. Have forsaken me. But the Lord. Will take me in. And so as David. Moves on. From reflecting upon.

[21:58] The Lord. As his light. He cannot help. But remember. That the Lord. Is also his. Salvation. And in this section. It seems that.

[22:09] David is. Now thinking. Back to the time. When he cried. To the Lord. For mercy. It's the occasion. In his life. When David came.

[22:19] To a knowledge. Of his sin. And a knowledge. Of his saviour. And he cries. For mercy. He pleaded. That the Lord. Would hear. His prayer.

[22:30] For mercy. David was pleading. For salvation. Salvation. And the word. Salvation. We use it. All the time. But the word. Means. Rescue.

[22:41] It originates. From the experience. Of the children of Israel. Coming out of Egypt. Being rescued. Out of Egypt. Because in Egypt. The children of Israel. They were in bondage.

[22:53] They were slaves. Under. The rule. Of the tyrant. Pharaoh. And they were made. To serve. Pharaoh. And live according. To his rules. And follow his commands.

[23:05] And the imagery. Of the children of Israel. In Egypt. That's the image. Of our sinful nature. Because by nature. We are in bondage. To sin. We're under the rule.

[23:16] Of darkness. We're under the power. Of Satan. We're slaves to sin. We need to be rescued. And that's also the image. Which the apostle Paul. Uses. In Ephesians 2.

[23:28] Where he says that. Our sinful nature. It has left us dead. In trespasses and sins. Walking according. To the course. Of this world. According. To the prince.

[23:39] Of the power of the air. That is. The devil. Where he has blinded our minds. He has brought us. Into bondage. So that we are. Fulfilling the desires. Of our flesh. And of our mind.

[23:51] But the wonder of it all. Is that God provided salvation. And just like he did. With the children of Israel. Who were rescued. Out of Egypt. And delivered.

[24:02] From the hand. Of their enemy. The Lord rescued us. From the bondage of sin. And death. He delivered us. From the power of darkness. And the grip of the devil.

[24:13] He set us free. And he set us free. Through the death. Of Jesus Christ. And that's what Paul went on. To say in Ephesians 2. He said.

[24:24] But God. Who is rich in mercy. For his great love. Wherewith he loved us. Even when we were dead. In bondage. In trespasses and sins.

[24:36] Even when we were under the grip. Of the devil. He made us alive. Together with Christ. He delivered us. He rescued us. He freed us. And Paul says.

[24:47] He did it all. By his grace. Paul says. That it is by grace. That we have been. Rescued. We've been saved. It's the Lord's doing.

[24:57] It's the Lord's work. It's the Lord's salvation. It's not our doing. It's the gift of God. It's not of works. Lest any one of us would boast. Because our boast.

[25:08] Is not in self. But in Christ Jesus the Lord. The Lord. Who is my salvation. He is my deliverer. He is my rescuer.

[25:18] He has delivered me. From the pit of hell itself. But in these words. David is not only. Describing his salvation.

[25:31] He's also describing his experience of salvation. At the time when he was seeking the Lord. Because he says. In verse 7. Hear O Lord when I cry aloud.

[25:43] Be gracious to me. And answer me. David was pleading that the Lord would answer his cries. And the word hear. It's an important word. In the Old Testament.

[25:55] It means to listen. And respond. And that's what the Israelites were always told. They were always told. Hear O Israel. Hear O Israel.

[26:05] But in this instant. David is pleading. Hear O Lord. Hear O Lord. Because when he was seeking the Lord. David wanted the Lord. To hear him.

[26:16] And respond to all his cries. According to his grace and mercy. David. Literally what David is saying. That he was pleading. That the Lord would hear.

[26:27] And respond to his voice. According to his covenant love. Because that's how the Lord. Acts towards sinners.

[26:37] He acts in love. And David knew that the Lord. Would listen to him. Not because he deserved it. Or that he had any righteousness. Of his own. To plead before the Lord.

[26:48] Or that he was in any position. To be heard by the Lord. David knew that the Lord. Would listen to his cries. Only because of the Lord's covenant love.

[26:59] Towards him. And you know. I love what David says next. About the Lord. In verse 8. He said. You said.

[27:11] Seek my face. That's what the Lord told him to do. To seek him. You said. Seek my face. And you know.

[27:22] I was thinking. How often were we told to do that. But we didn't do it. How many years were we promised. That when we seek the Lord.

[27:33] We will find him. How many times were we told. By our parents. And our Sunday school teachers. And different ministers. And Christian friends. How many times were we told.

[27:44] Seek the Lord. While he may be found. Call upon him. While he is near. But you know. It didn't matter. How many times. We were told by others. To seek the face of the Lord.

[27:55] It didn't matter. How many times. The devil got into our mind. And said. This isn't for you. Not just now. Put it off to later. Didn't matter. How many times. We. We questioned.

[28:06] Or. Put off the possibility. Of becoming a Christian. Or we thought it. Impossible. That our sins. Could actually be. Forgiven. But it was only when.

[28:17] When we came. To the personal realisation. That we needed the Lord. To be our salvation. It was only when we were brought. To that point in our lives. Where we saw our need.

[28:29] That we needed the Lord. To rescue us. When that light. Shone into our heart. It's then that we saw. We were in bondage. And in sin. And we needed to be rescued.

[28:40] And it was. It was. When the Lord brought us. To that point. We were saying with David. You said. Seek my face.

[28:51] My heart says to you. Your face Lord. Do I seek. Hide not your face from me. Turn not your servant away in anger. O you who have been my help.

[29:04] Cast me not off. Forsake me not. O God of my salvation. And you know my friend. When you think back. To your own experience. Of seeking the Lord.

[29:16] Which I know for some of you. Was a long time ago. Which is amazing. But it's. When you think back. To those moments. Of when you were seeking.

[29:27] The face of the Lord. Are you not reminded. Of how faithful. The Lord has been. How faithful. He has been. And how he has.

[29:38] Continued to be. The rock. Of your salvation. Time. And time. And time again. From that. First moment. And from that first moment.

[29:49] Where you made. The personal proclamation. The Lord is my salvation. He is my salvation. From that moment. He has been faithful. To his promise. I will never.

[30:00] Ever leave you. And I will never. Ever forsake you. And maybe you can understand. What David means. In verse 10. When he says.

[30:11] For my father and my mother. Have forsaken me. But the Lord will take me in. Because with these words. David draws our attention. To. The changeable nature.

[30:23] Of our lives. And our lives are always changing. And going through change. To the point that. Those figures in our lives. Which played such a crucial.

[30:35] Role in our upbringing. And our development. In our young years. And they were there for us. On so many occasions. In our lives. And yet. Our parents are.

[30:46] Removed from us. They're taken away. And in that sense. They forsake us. Not by choice. But by death. But you know.

[30:56] What David came to discover. And that's what he's saying here. And what every child of God. Comes to discover. Is that their relationship. To their parents. The natural relationship.

[31:08] To their parents. May be severed. But the relationship. Which they have with the Lord. Will never be severed. They'll never be separated. From the Lord.

[31:18] And that's what. Paul again. Speaks about in Romans 8. Although that beautiful question. He considered all the things.

[31:30] That could easily separate us. From the Lord. And he asks. Who shall separate us. From the love of Christ. Shall tribulation. Distress. Persecution.

[31:41] Famine. Nakedness. Peril. Sword. No he says. In all these things. We are. More than conquerors. We are able to defeat.

[31:51] The enemy. Through him. Who loved us. And he says. I am persuaded. That not even death. Death will happen to us. We are.

[32:02] Without doubt. About that. But death. Will not separate us. That's the beauty of it. And what Paul is saying. Is that. Because the Lord. Is my salvation.

[32:13] And because the Christian. Can say. The Lord. Is my salvation. I am persuaded. That neither death. Nor life. Nor angels. Nor principalities. Nor powers. Nor things present.

[32:24] Nor things to come. Neither height. Nor depth. Nor any other creature. Is able to separate us. From the love of God. Which is in Christ Jesus. Our Lord.

[32:35] It's a beautiful thought. My father and my mother. Have forsaken me. But the Lord. Will take me in. The Lord. Will take me in. And my friend.

[32:46] When we can say that. When we can make that. Personal. Proclamation. That the Lord. Is my salvation. We know that the Lord. Has taken us in.

[32:58] He. We are part of his family. And we are. Going to. Belong in his house. And so the first. Personal proclamation. Which is.

[33:09] Part of this. Threefold shield. Against the attack. Of our mind. Is the Lord. Is my light. The second. Is the Lord. Is my salvation. And the third. Is the Lord.

[33:20] Is my stronghold. The Lord. Is my. Stronghold. Look at verse 11. David says. Teach me your way. O Lord.

[33:30] And lead me on a level path. Because of my enemies. Give me not up. To the will. Of my adversaries. For false witnesses. Have risen. Against me. And they breathe out.

[33:44] Violence. I believe. That I shall look upon. The goodness of the Lord. In the land. Of the living. So each section. We've looked at. Each section.

[33:54] That we've looked at. It has. Corresponded with this. Threefold shield. Of the titles. Relating. To the Lord. But what we ought to notice. About the beginning. Of each section.

[34:05] Is that they're all. Focused upon the Lord. In verse 4. David said. One thing I've asked. Of the Lord. That will I seek after. Then in verse 7. David prayed.

[34:16] Hear. O Lord. When I cry aloud. Be gracious to me. And answer. Answer me. And now at the beginning. Of this section. David humbly submits.

[34:27] To the will of the Lord. And he says. Teach me your way. O Lord. And lead me. On a level path. Everything in David's life.

[34:37] As a believer. Is directed towards. The Lord. He sees that everything he is. He is now. Everything he has now. It's all.

[34:49] The doing of the Lord. And wonderful in his eyes. Which is why he has this. Personal. Confession. The Lord is my light. The Lord is my salvation.

[35:01] The Lord is my stronghold. But what David says here. It shows his humility. Before the Lord. Because it's only if we are.

[35:14] Humble. That we will ever ask the Lord. To teach us. And if you read through the Psalms. That's one theme. That will keep recurring.

[35:24] Again and again. David's desire. To be taught. By the Lord. And that should be our desire too. We should have a teachable spirit. Regardless of.

[35:36] How many years we've been walking with the Lord. We should have. The humble heart. Which asks the Lord. Teach me. Your way. Teach me. Your way.

[35:47] And sometimes it may be hard. To say that. In certain circumstances. But that should be our prayer. Teach me. Your way. Teach me. Through this experience.

[35:59] Through what I'm going through just now. Teach me your way. As I know what David was saying. When we were singing in Psalm 86. Teach me thy way. And in thy truth.

[36:10] O Lord. Then walk will I. Unite my heart. That I thy name may fear continually. Psalm 25. Show me thy ways. O Lord. Thy paths.

[36:21] O teach thou me. And do thou lead me. In thy truth. Therein my teacher be. But the reality is. If we are not teachable.

[36:33] We're not humble. Before the Lord. If we can't be taught. From scripture. Or guided by. The words of another Christian. And the reason why.

[36:44] Is not our knowledge. Or our intellect. The reason. We cannot be taught. Is our pride. We are too proud. To be taught. And if we think.

[36:54] We know better. Or we can't be taught. Or guided. Or spoken to. Without taking offense. Then we're sure. To fall into error. And that's what David.

[37:05] Is praying against. He's praying. That he will not. Fall into error. He's praying. That he will not. Move away. From the teaching. Of the Lord. He's praying. That he will not. Stop praying.

[37:16] Teach me your way. O Lord. Because as soon as he does. He knows. That his enemies. Are waiting for him. He knows. That the will. Of his adversaries. Whether from without.

[37:27] Or from within. Their will. Is to destroy him. And speak against him. And to contradict. His profession. My friend.

[37:37] When we don't. Have a humble. And teachable spirit. Error arises. And the enemy comes in. The enemy comes in. And when error arises. Either in our mind.

[37:48] Or our actions. The devil uses it. He'll use anything. That will bring the name of Jesus down. And cause us to stumble.

[37:58] But it was Peter. Peter. The one who fell. The one who fell. The one who stumbled. The one who allowed.

[38:09] The devil to sift him. As wheat. He urged the churches. In every century. Beware. Lest you also. Are led away.

[38:20] With the terror of the wicked. From your own steadfastness. And Peter's solution. To the problem. Of the devil coming in. He said. Grow in grace.

[38:32] Grow in grace. And in the knowledge. Of our Lord and Saviour. Jesus Christ. In other words. We have to have a teachable spirit.

[38:43] And ask the Lord. To protect us. From error. Because our mind is so weak. Our mind is so fragile. It's so prone. To error. And distraction.

[38:53] It's constantly. Bombarded with. Attacks from without. By the world. All the things we see. Watch and hear. And we're attacked. From within. By the devil. And so teaching.

[39:06] Is important. Learning. Is important. Reading. Is important. Growing. Is important. Fellowship. Is important. Because when we fill our mind.

[39:17] With good things. With holy things. With godly things. With beautiful things. It's then that we will see the Lord. As the stronghold of our life.

[39:30] It's then that we are. We are. Protected. In that place of refuge. By the Lord. It's then that we'll consider. The Lord. As this mighty fortress. Around us. Protecting.

[39:41] Not only our mind. But also our heart. As Calvin said. It's what goes into your mind. That makes you a strong Christian. And so the only way.

[39:52] To wrestle with ourselves. And all that's going on. In our mind. And defend against the enemies. From within. The only way. Is to consider. The character of the Lord.

[40:04] Look to Jesus. Jesus. That's what the Hebrews. Were reminded. They were wanting to give up. On their faith. And the writer to the Hebrews. Said. Look to Jesus.

[40:15] The author. And the finisher. Of your faith. We have to look outside. Of ourselves. And consider. Who the Lord is. And it's only when we do that.

[40:26] That's when we're filled. With confidence. And filled with the assurance. That the Lord is with us. And so. What we ought to put. Into our mind. Is this.

[40:38] Threefold shield. Put that. Into our mind. Something that can never. Be taken from us. The Lord is my light.

[40:50] The Lord is my salvation. And the Lord is my stronghold. And this is why. David concludes. By saying about himself. The ESV.

[41:00] Translates it all wrong. But. In the Hebrew. It reads. I would have lost heart. This is what he says. About his experience. I would have lost heart. Unless I had believed.

[41:12] Unless I had believed. That I would see the goodness. Of the Lord. In the land. Of the living. And so my friend. Our personal proclamation. Is to be.

[41:23] As what David said. The Lord is my light. And my salvation. Whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold. Of my life. Of whom. Shall I be afraid?

[41:35] But if that is not. Your reality. Tonight. And it might not be. If we are being. Bombarded. By the world. The flesh.

[41:46] And the devil. Attacked. From every side. Then David leaves us. With a word of encouragement. Wait. For the Lord.

[41:56] Be strong. Let your heart. Take courage. Wait. For the Lord. And to wait. To wait upon the Lord. To meditate upon.

[42:07] Who the Lord is. And to trust. That he knows. What he's doing. He knows. What he's doing. And was it not. Isaiah.

[42:17] Who wrote. Those beautiful words. They that wait. They that wait upon the Lord. Shall renew their strength. They shall mount up. With wings as eagles. They shall run.

[42:28] And not be weary. They shall walk. And not faint. So my friend. Pick up your threefold shield. And confess.

[42:41] The Lord is my light. The Lord is my salvation. And the Lord. Is my stronghold. May the Lord bless these thoughts to us.

[42:51] Let us pray. O Lord. O gracious God. We are unworthy of the least of thy mercies. But we thank thee. That in Jesus Christ. We have exceedingly abundantly above all.

[43:05] More than we could ask. Or even think. Help us. We pray thee. To acknowledge thee. For all thy gifts to us. Help us Lord. To be thankful. Help us to see.

[43:16] That thou art the God. Who. Is working in us. Both to will and to do. Of thine own good pleasure. Keep us. We pray thee Lord. When we are weak. For we know. That even in our weakness.

[43:27] That thou art the one. Who will make us strong. Bind us together. We ask. Help us to keep going on the way. That. We would be saying. Like the psalmist. That against me though.

[43:38] And host in camp. My heart. Yet fearless is. All that we would be fearless. Knowing that greater is he. Who is in us. Than he who is in the world. Go before us.

[43:49] We ask thee. Bless us in our being together. And bless us in our parting. Remember our homes. And our families. And our loved ones Lord. That they too. Would know. Of this great salvation.

[44:01] Found. In and through. Thy son Jesus. Cleanse us. We ask. For Jesus sake. Amen. We shall conclude.

[44:12] By singing. In that psalm. In psalm 27. Psalm 27. Singing from the beginning. Down to the end. Of the double verse. Marked four. Psalm 27.

[44:33] That's in the Scottish Psalter. Page 236. The Lord's my light. And saving health. Who shall make me dismayed. My life strength. Is the Lord of whom. Then shall I be afraid.

[44:44] When as mine enemies and foes. Most wicked persons all. To eat my flesh. Against me rose. They stumbled. And did fall. Down to the end. Of the verse marked four. To God's praise.

[44:59] The Lord's my light. And saving health. Who shall make me dismayed.

[45:11] My life strength. Is the Lord of whom. Then shall I be afraid.

[45:23] Then shall I be afraid. When as mine enemies unfolds. Most wicked persons all.

[45:37] To eat my flesh. To eat my flesh. Against me rose. They stumbled. And did fall.

[45:50] Against me. Though I boast. And come. My heart. My heart. My heart.

[46:01] Yet fear. Yet fear. Fearless. Is. Though war. Against me. Rise. I will be confident.

[46:14] In this. In this. What day. What day. Night. Of the Lord. Desire.

[46:25] And will seek. To all. Take. Take. Take. That all days. Of my life.

[46:37] I may. Within. God's house. Remain. That I. The beauty.

[46:49] of the Lord behold me and admire and that I in his holy place may reverently inquire the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ the love of God the Father and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all now and forevermore Amen