Serial: In Awe of God

Psalms three

Please note: The Scripture passage will exist read earlier the sermon.

"A Psalm of David, when he fled from Absalom his son.

1 O Lord, how many are my foes! Many are ascent against me; 2 many are saying of my soul, "In that location is no salvation for him in God." Selah 3 Merely y'all, O Lord, are a shield about me, my glory, and the lifter of my caput. 4 I cried aloud to the Lord, and he answered me from his holy loma. Selah 5 I lay down and slept; I woke again, for the Lord sustained me. 6 I will non be afraid of many thousands of people who have set themselves against me all around. vii Arise, O Lord! Save me, O my God! For you strike all my enemies on the cheek; you break the teeth of the wicked. viii Salvation belongs to the Lord; your blessing exist on your people! Selah" (Psalm iii:one-viii)

Series Introduction

Recollect with me about everyday life for a moment. Yous are moving at a brisk pace as you exit your automobile, broken-hearted because you fright you lot are late. You accept an early morning time meeting with your teenager'southward teacher earlier you caput off to work. Ladies, yous have a cup of coffee in your left hand, purse over your shoulder, and white pants on, fresh from the dry cleaners. In a moment y'all discover the lid is not secure to your coffee. The coffee spills all over your beautiful white pants. The next instant there's a pain from the heat of the coffee and you look downwardly to discover there's no way the coffee stain tin can be camouflaged. What if this were you? What would your thoughts about God be equally you stand in the parking lot embarrassed and frustrated? Which of these might be your response in that situation?

– "God, are you punishing me for something?"

– "I gauge You lot didn't desire me to go to that meeting."

– "It was cool how Y'all had this happen before I was within the school."

-"Why didn't you protect me?"

Ofttimes our responses to life's circumstances reveal how we think most God, whether it's falling down stairs, getting a promotion, or discovering that your child has a learning inability.

How You lot View God Matters How do y'all view Him? The truth is: how yous view God matters… how you view God really matters. J.I. Packer in his archetype book entitled Knowing God writes: "Disregard the study of God, and y'all sentence yourself to stumble and corrigendum through life blindfolded, as it were, with no sense of management and no understanding of what surrounds you. This way y'all tin waste material your life and lose your soul."

Let's talk about God's graphic symbol for a moment. We need to tread advisedly here. God cannot exist fully known. To think we can perfectly draw God is drawing yous a map of Milky Mode Milky way … to scale. To think nosotros can perfectly describe God is more of reach than to tell you what a woman is thinking -. The Bible describes God as: "… who dwells in unapproachable light, whom no one has ever seen or can meet." (1 Timothy vi:16b) Augustine expresses the truth all-time similar this: just the infinite God tin fully encompass the infinite. The deviation between God'due south being and ours is more than than the deviation between the dominicus and a candle. It's more than the departure betwixt the body of water and a raindrop. And more than the difference betwixt the universe and the room nosotros are sitting in. God is qualitatively unlike than yous or I. Every aspect of God is infinite for God is without limits in every attribute. While God cannot exist fully known, we can exist confident that we do know Him.

Yet, nosotros trust Scripture here because inside the pages of Scripture, God has chosen to reveal Himself. The Bible is God pulling back the curtain then nosotros can ameliorate see Him and know Him and ultimately trust Him. This is the value of our Bible! (hold Bible up) The Bible is God pulling dorsum the drape and so we can improve see Him and know Him and ultimately trust Him. Aye, while God cannot be fully known, we can be confident that nosotros practice know Him.

Call back with me about organizing our thoughts on God. There is no style we tin say everything the Bible teaches us about God's rich grapheme at once. Typically, God's attributes or His grapheme has been idea of as belonging to 2 categories. The most common way believers accept washed this is where we differentiate the characteristics God shares with us humans and those which cannot exist shared with u.s.. These are called communicable attributes. In that location'south the attributes God shares with usa to some degree. These are the traits nosotros can share with God. We volition never be equal to God in His wisdom, honey, and holiness, but God shares these characteristics with His children. But in that location's also the attributes God is unable to share with the states. These are called impossible attributes. These are the qualities that brand God different.

Some examples of these are God'due south self-existent, immutable, and His infinity. When I say God is self-immutable, I am proverb God is similar granite and He never changes. And when I say God is infinite, I am saying thinking of the God of Heaven is beyond the capabilities of your finite mind.

Today, we are going to see how the characteristics where God is not like us makes Him extremely valuable. Plough your attending to Psalm 3 read a few moments ago. The headlights of your attending need to focus here for it is God'southward character that comforts King David when enemies surround him. The third Psalm is a unique Psalm in the fact that it is the showtime fourth dimension the discussion "Psalm" occurs. Our word Psalm comes from a Hebrew word pregnant a poem that is to exist sung to musical accompaniment.

While well-nigh Scripture speaks to us; think, the Psalms speak for us.

Hither'south some groundwork to today'southward passage. Take note of the title of Psalm 3: "A Psalm of David, when he fled from Absalom his son." Virtually i,000 years earlier Jesus, Absalom was King David'southward third son. Ammon was David'southward get-go son and raped his half-sister, Tamar in an elaborate ruse (ii Samuel thirteen:1-22). Two years later on, Absalom got revenge by murdering Ammon (two Samuel 13:23-30). Fearing punishment from his father, he hid for three years. Yet, even when Absalom came back to Jerusalem in close proximity to his father, the 2 did not speak for another 2 years (ii Samuel 14:24). Absalom plots to have over his father'south throne past currying favor with the citizens of State of israel (2 Samuel 15:i-half-dozen). He portrayed himself as someone who cared more than about the people'southward complaints than his father. "And so Absalom stole the hearts of the men of State of israel" (two Samuel fifteen:6b). One time Absalom had the will of the people behind him, he set his plans in motility. With an ground forces behind him, he marched against his male parent and forced him to flee Jerusalem. "Just David went up the ascent of the Mount of Olives, weeping every bit he went, barefoot and with his head covered. And all the people who were with him covered their heads, and they went upwards, weeping every bit they went" (2 Samuel 15:30). Absalom had made himself male monarch over Israel. In time, David somewhen retakes the throne and confronting his limited wishes, Absalom is killed. Information technology was presently later on this painful time that David pens the poem of Psalm 3.

This is a 911 psalm for when emergencies rise, you phone call out to God and say, "Arise, O Lord! Save me, O my God" (Psalm three:7a)! Again, how y'all view God matters.

Sermon Preview

1. God Is Our (My) Shield

ii. God Is Our (My) Celebrity

three. God Lifts Our Caput

1. God Is Our Shield

"But you, O Lord, are a shield about me, my glory, and the lifter of my head." (Psalm 3:3)

1.ane Many Are My Troubles

Annotation how this chapter begins with the repetition of the discussion "many": O Lord, how many are my foes! Many are ascension confronting me; two many are maxim of my soul, "At that place is no salvation for him in God." (Psalm 3:1-two). 3 times in two verses we are told many are my foes, many people are rising upwardly against me, and many are proverb all is lost. Look to your neighbor and say, "Oh, I hadn't seen that before." Trouble seems to run in a pack, wouldn't you agree? While I know a lot of you lot have troubles, you probably don't have an army after y'all. David did have an army afterward him and the longer Absalom talked, the more David'southward enemies increased. Things have grown from bad to worse for David. What once was a covert rebellion is at present an open munity. And while I seriously doubt an army is formed against you, people were wagging their tongues, "God has bandage David off" – "many are saying of my soul, 'There is no salvation for him in God"' (Psalm 3:two). David had gone from being a rex on a throne to a criminal on the run.

1.2 The Size of the Shield

There'southward a little shield you can put on your arm, and you're in paw-to-hand combat. What you're doing with that little shield is moving it all around. If you see somebody coming at you, you utilize it to ward off the blow of your opponent. In that location'due south another kind of shield though that's the size of a door that wraps around you. Maybe you've probably seen pictures of it in movies.

How practise we know the size of the shield David is talking nearly? Underline the words "about me" in verse three for this is a shield that totally encloses someone. The words "virtually me" are the same words that speak of Task: "Have y'all not put a hedge effectually him and his house and all that he has, on every side? You lot have blessed the piece of work of his hands, and his possessions have increased in the land" (Job 1:x). Y'all can see the size of the shield as it goes effectually David.

Repeat this with after me, "God is big shield!" He protects you in the middle of your battles. He can even protect while your sleep: "I lay down and slept; I woke over again, for the Lord sustained me. half dozen I will non exist afraid of many thousands of people who have fix themselves against me all effectually" (Psalm 3:5-6).

I dearest how every syllable of verse iii is dripping with confidence in God: "Just you, O Lord, are a shield virtually me, my celebrity, and the lifter of my head" (Psalm three:3). Now, just considering God is your shield, doesn't mean the enemy will quit shooting their arrows.

1.3 God is My Shield

(Perhaps enquire those who see themselves in genuine need of God'due south shield to stand or open their arms to receive these side by side words)

"For the Lord God is a sun and shield; the Lord bestows favor and honor. No practiced thing does he withhold from those who walk uprightly" (Psalm 84:11). "He volition cover you with his pinions, and under his wings you volition find refuge; his faithfulness is a shield and buckler" (Psalm 91:4).

"O State of israel, trust in the Lord! He is their help and their shield.

10 O house of Aaron, trust in the Lord! He is their help and their shield.

11 You who fright the Lord, trust in the Lord! He is their help and their shield" (Psalm 115:ix-11).

To every genuine child of God's grace, God says over y'all, "I am your shield."

2. God Is Our Glory

I want you to relocate your celebrity this morning. "Merely y'all, O Lord, are a shield nigh me, my glory, and the lifter of my caput" (Psalm 3:3). Your glory is another way of saying your security or your worth. Permit me put you on the spot with a question, "Tin can yous be happy without God?" There are a lot of people in this world, who if they read in the headlines today that God was dead, they would get home and sleep like a babe, only if they got a phone phone call that they lost their task, they would lose their mind.

It is possible to be a Christian and all the same worship idols. How do I know if I take an idol, a counterfeit god, in my life? When annihilation other than God is essential for your happiness, you essentially accept an idol. Believers make our glory out of "apocryphal gods." So many of us, our glory is our family. Our glory is our youth and health. Our celebrity is our spouse. Our glory is our children's academic or athletic accomplishments. These are "apocryphal gods."

2.1 David's Children

Once more, David's third son Absalom was trying to kill him. All the same, David sowed the seeds of his own possible destruction and his family dysfunction. David's was David'due south worst enemy: "Thus says the Lord, 'Behold, I will raise up evil against you out of your ain house. And I will take your wives before your optics and give them to your neighbor, and he shall prevarication with your wives in the sight of this sun" (2 Samuel 12:eleven). Absalom had wanted David'south love and attending so much because David never corrected the swain, even when Absalom murdered one of his brothers. Was David afraid of alienating his son? In result, David made an idol of his children and suffered the consequences.

Yous must relocate your glory. Why? Because putting the weight all of your happiness and dreams on your spouse is the quickest way to crush him/her. If we look to some created thing to give yous meaning, hope, and happiness that but God himself can requite, it will eventually neglect to deliver and break your heart. Every "child-gods" will plummet under the weight of your expectations. There is just one God who can deliver and withstand the pressure of your hopes and dreams. And so many of you are disappointed in life considering your glory is in "child-gods." That's why you must relocate your celebrity. Yous may non realize Jesus is all you need until Jesus is all you have.

2.two. David'south Troops

Fleeing the capital letter, no doubt David noticed the few number of troops traveling with him. No doubt, he estimated their number and was surprised at how many had defected to his son's side. Remember, he's the one who wrote the notable words of "Some trust in chariots and some in horses, only we trust in the name of the Lord our God" (Psalm 20:7). David had relocated his glory. His glory was not his position equally king. His celebrity was his success equally military general.

3. God Lifts Our Caput

David was a low equally y'all could get when he left the capital in the hands. Call back the description: "But David went up the ascent of the Mount of Olives, weeping equally he went, barefoot and with his head covered. And all the people who were with him covered their heads, and they went up, weeping as they went" (2 Samuel 15:30).

"Simply you, O Lord, are a shield about me, my glory, and the lifter of my head" (Psalm iii:3).

Whenever we are discouraged or defeated or depressed, what do nosotros tend to practice? We hang our heads and troubles counterbalance u.s. down. When our shoulders are drooping, our spirits are sagging, and his caput hangs limp, God is close at paw.

Family trouble is like no other trouble. We rarely look upwards when its family shame. Still, fifty-fifty with the shame of your family'south skeletons, God will elevator your caput. Mothers, break to know that God is One who lifts your head.

Despite David's faith, Absalom died rebellious and estranged from his father. Sometimes our circumstances don't turn out for the amend. But no matter what transpires, of this you may exist sure: God is a shield nigh yous. He is your celebrity. He is the I who will lift your caput!

Conclusion

And when God lifts your head, who can come against you? Can yous say with David that God is "my God!" (Psalm 3:7a)

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