Good morning. I'm thankful for
the opportunity to be here with you all this morning. I ask you
to open your Bibles to Psalm 27. Psalm 27. If you'll see, it says a psalm
of David. This is a psalm of David. And
in the time in which David wrote this psalm, it's not clearly
identified, but there are a few things that are evident in this
passage that were going on in David's life when he wrote it. You know, David suffered many
of the calamities. All of God's people suffer from
some time or another. Verse 2 and 3, we see that he
was troubled by the enemy. We read in Scripture, we're troubled
on every side. But you know, despite that, we're
troubled, but we're not as those who don't have any hope. Not
God's people. Verse 4, he'd been shut out of
the house of the Lord. He said, one thing have I desired,
that will I seek after. Don't know the circumstances
surrounding that, but there's been times we've been shut out
of the house of the Lord, unable to attend the service for whatever
matter that might be. He'd been separated, verse 10,
from his father and mother. If you look at verse 10, and
then verse 12, He'd been the subject of slander. 1 Peter 3.16 says, whereas they
speak evil of you as evildoers, they may be ashamed that falsely
accuse you of your good conversation in Christ. But despite all this, all this
trouble, all this difficulty, all these times of hardship,
there's hope. for God's people in the Lord. Hope in the Lord Jesus Christ. And I believe this is one of
the most encouraging scriptures in God's Word. I find myself
reading it often. My desire is just to kind of
go through it verse by verse here this morning. Verse 1, it
says, The Lord is my light and my salvation. Whom shall I fear? The Lord is the strength of my
life. Of whom shall I be afraid? My friends, He not only gives
light and gives salvation, He is light. He is salvation. Turn to John. Chapter 1. John chapter 1. Look beginning with verse 1 of
John chapter 1. Here we read, In the beginning
was the Word, and the Word was with God and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning
with God. All things were made by Him.
And without Him was not anything made that was made. In Him was
life. And the life was the light of
men. See what David says, He is. He
is my light. He is my salvation. Turn to 2 Samuel, back in the
Old Testament, 2 Samuel chapter 23. While you're turning there, I'll
say this too. He says He is. He is. Almighty God is. He is. And He is my salvation. I don't believe there was any
doubt in David's mind who his light was, who his salvation
was. He is my light. He is my salvation. 2 Samuel 23 5, Although my house
be not so with God, yet he hath made with me an everlasting covenant,
ordered in all things, and sure. For this is all my salvation
and all my desire, although he make it not to grow. God hath
made with me an everlasting covenant, an eternal covenant, an eternal
covenant of grace made with the Lord Jesus Christ from the beginning. Christ was declared to be our
surety, our savior, our sanctifier, our mediator, all things, all
things given into His hand. And all that the Father chose,
and all that the Son redeems, and the Spirit of God calls will
come to Him. Ordered. These things are ordered
in all things. And sure, they're certain. The
mercy and grace of God is not left to chance. That's what men
in this world say. Everything from the creation
of it. Think about that, what's said.
A couple of atoms bumped into each other and all of a sudden
the world was created. God declared it into existence. Almighty God
created the heavens and the earth. Almighty God orders and directs
all things. They're decreed, they are determined,
and they are purposed by Him. Aren't we thankful this isn't
in our hands? I don't know about you all, but
think about how many things, I can tell you, I goof up things
every day, all day long. I don't want this left in my
hands. No, I want to rest in the fact that they're in His
hands, that they're in the hands of my Heavenly Father. The fulfillment
of His covenant, and establishing a perfect righteousness and an
effectual atonement was given to the Lord Jesus Christ and
He accomplished it. That's what He said on the cross.
It is finished. And David said, this is all my
salvation. What's he saying? What's he saying
here? God's love for me. God's love for this sinner is
in the Lord Jesus Christ. God's choice of me is in the
Lord Jesus Christ. His righteousness, it's fulfilled
in the Lord Jesus Christ. He is my salvation. Not my feelings, not my works,
Not my righteousness, I don't have any. But by His free and
sovereign grace, He is my salvation. Now back to our text here, Psalm
27. That being said, He's my light,
He's my salvation, whom shall I fear? Man? Am I to fear man? No. Listen,
not if my trust is in Almighty God. Am I to fear darkness, death,
hell? He's conquered death and hell.
O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory?
The sting of death is sin. The strength of sin is the law.
But thanks be unto God which giveth us victory through our
Lord Jesus Christ. Whom shall I fear? The Lord is
the strength of my life. Psalm 27, look at verse 2. When
the wicked, even mine enemies and my foes, came upon me to
eat up my flesh, they stumbled and they fell. You know there
in the garden, remember when Judas betrayed our Lord? And
that band of men, Now think about that. They're coming after one
fellow. They're coming after the Lord
Jesus Christ and they came with the lanterns and torches and
pitchforks and everything else to come after our Lord. Remember
that in John 18? And our Lord said this, Whom
seek ye? Who are you looking for? And
they answered, Jesus of Nazareth. And the Lord responded, I am
He. And what happened? What happened
when he did that? They went backward and they fell
to the ground. They stumbled and they fell. The enemy fell and what happened
to his people? They go free. Whom seek ye? no weapon formed against thee
shall prosper. Verse three, though an host should
encamp against me, my heart shall not fear, though war should rise
against me, in this, in this will I be confident. I'm sure
interested in what this is. This one thing I can be confident
in. Read on in verse four. One thing. He says, One thing have I desired,
and that will I seek after, that I may dwell in the house of the
Lord all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the Lord,
and to inquire in His temple. One thing. Just one thing. I was thinking about this this
morning. They're in the garden. Remember when God gave Adam the
garden to dress and keep it? He just asked him to do one thing.
One command. Don't eat of the tree of the
knowledge of good and evil. Just one thing. There was a rich
young ruler that came to the Lord and he asked this. He said,
what good thing? What good thing shall I do that
I may inherit eternal life? And our Lord said this to him.
One thing. There's one thing you lack. Go
and sell all that you have. Come and follow me. What happened? He went away sorrowful because
he had great possessions. One thing can be pretty important,
can it? He told Belshazzar there in the Old Testament, you've
been weighed in the balance and found one and you're missing
something. Well, what is this one thing? Turn to Luke chapter 10. Luke chapter 10, verse 38. It came to pass, as they went,
that he entered into a certain village and a certain woman named
Martha received him into her house. And she had a sister called
Mary, which also sat at Jesus' feet and heard His Word. But Martha was cumbered about,
much serving, and came to him and said, Lord, dost thou not
care that my sister hath left me to serve alone? Bid her, bid
her that she help me. And Jesus answered and said unto
her, Martha, Martha, thou art careful and troubled about many
things, but one thing, one thing is needful. And Mary hath chosen that good
part which shall not be taken away from her." I've got meals to cook, I've
got tables to set, I've got guests to wait on, I've got all these
things to do. Our Lord said, Martha, you're
careful and troubled about many things. That's us, isn't it? We're careful and troubled about
many, many things. But, but one thing, one thing
is needful. One thing. Who is that? It's
the Lord Jesus Christ. Mary, that's where she was found.
Sitting at the feet of the Lord Jesus Christ and listening. Listening to His Word. In John
chapter 9, our Lord healed a blind man. And the Pharisees, they
started questioning him about it. Questioning this blind man
and asking him if the Lord was a sinner. And that man who was
once blind, he said this, he said, whether he be a sinner
or not, I don't know. But there's one thing. There's
one thing I do know. Whereas I was blind, now I see. Just one thing, one thing. I
was blind. You know he could do nothing
about his condition. This man could do nothing about
his condition. Isn't that true of us? There's a time we thought we
could do something about it and then the Lord revealed to us
We can't do anything about our condition. Only he can. His parents, they couldn't do
anything for him. I'm sure they desired that their
son would be able to see. There was nothing they could
do. They loved him, but they could not help him. He was blind. He was in total darkness. Those religious leaders, I'd
question whether or not they wanted to do anything for him.
But even if they did, they couldn't. He's blind. He's blind. It was
beyond their help, beyond their control, beyond their help. His
friends, I suspect he had some friends, they couldn't do anything
for him. He's blind. But the Lord Jesus
Christ, He can. And he did. He came to him where
he was and he healed him. And from that day on, he could
see. He came to him and touched his
eyes and now he sees. That's what he said. I know this.
I was blind. That's one thing I know. I was
blind, but now I see. Scripture says at that time,
Ye, speaking to us, were without Christ, aliens from the commonwealth
of Israel, strangers from the covenant of promise, having no
hope, and without God in this world. But now, but now, in Christ
Jesus, ye who were sometimes far off are made nigh, made near
unto the blood of Christ. One thing I know, I was blind,
but now I see." Don't you know there were folks
that had seen this fellow grow up and they wanted him to be
able to see? They wanted this blind man to
recover from his condition. Neighbors, family, friends, but
nobody ever could or would Help him. Because they couldn't. They
couldn't. But Christ came. And because
the Lord Jesus Christ purposed to do so, He healed him. He gave him his sight. One thing. One thing I know. Christ made me whole. You know, David, Don't you know
David had everything? I mean, he had seen. I'm just convinced he had seen
everything. He started out as that little
shepherd boy out there on the hill, taking care of those sheep. And now he's a king. Don't you
know he'd seen everything? He was a war hero. He slew Goliath. He had wealth. I believe that. I believe he had wealth, he had
fame, he had position inside, he had all those things that
man seeks after. Yet he says this, one thing,
one thing have I desired. And what was it? To dwell in
the house of the Lord. To behold the beauty of the Lord.
To inquire in his temple. this one thing, to know Christ,
to worship Him. I must have Christ. I must have
this one thing, to behold and worship Him. And not just now,
not just this morning, not just on Sunday or Wednesday, that
I may behold Him all the days of my life. And listen to what
David says here in Scripture. One thing have I desired, that
will I seek after, the Lord Jesus Christ. Let's read on here, verse
5. For in a time of trouble, we know a time of trouble, don't
we? In a time of trouble, He shall hide me in His pavilion. In the secret of His tabernacle
shall He hide me, and He shall set me upon a rock. Secret place. Psalm 91 says,
He that dwelleth in the secret place of the Most High shall
abide under the shadow of the Almighty. Oh, is there any better
place to rest? Any better, more place of safety?
In His pavilion. That word means tabernacle. in his tabernacle. These things
all point to the Lord Jesus Christ. He said, He shall set me up upon
a rock. Who is that rock? It's none other
than the Lord Jesus Christ. Verse 6, And now shall mine head
be lifted up above mine enemies round about me. Therefore will
I offer in his tabernacle sacrifices of joy. I'll sing, yea, I will
sing praises unto the Lord. Hear, O Lord, when I cry with
my voice. Have mercy also upon me and answer
me." What a privilege God's people
have of going to Him in prayer. And that He would hear our prayers. Hear, O Lord, when I cry. that he would hear the prayers
of his people. But only in Christ, only in the
Lord Jesus Christ. Verse 8, When thou saidest, Seek
ye my face, my heart said unto thee, Thy face, Lord, will I
seek. In Isaiah 55 verse 6 it says,
Seek ye the Lord while he may be found. Call upon him while
he is near. Seek Him. Seek Him. Just like blind Bartimaeus did.
Remember that when he sat there by the roadside begging? Seek
Him. Seek the Lord. Seek Him like
Zacchaeus did. Zacchaeus sought to see Jesus,
who He was. Climbed up in that tree to see
Him. I must see Him. Like that woman, that woman with
the issue of blood. She said, If I could just touch
the hem of His garment, I'll be made whole. What is it? What is it to seek the Lord? What is it to seek Him? Brother
Henry, I read this in one of his commentaries, just like everything
else, I thought it was really good. He said this, it's to discover
that by nature that I do not have Him. and that I must have
Him. I need His grace. It's to desire
His mercy and fellowship with Him more than anything. More than anything in this, it's
that one thing. He's that one thing that's needful. It's to be made willing to be
saved on His terms. Not mine. Not mine. What a foolish cry for mercy
to say, I'll do this, or if you'll do it this way, I'll come to
you. No, it's to be made willing to be saved on His terms. That He might be just and justifier. It's to be willing to part with
everything that is opposed to the Lord Jesus Christ. And it's
to seek Him. Not His, but Him. To seek Him. If we have Him,
we have everything. Seek Him in His Word. Seek Him
among God's people. Seek Him continually. Oh, would
you seek Him? Would you seek the Lord? Listen
to the words of our Lord in Luke chapter 8. Let me just read it
to you. He said, I say unto you, ask, and it shall be given you. Seek. Seek. What's going to happen? Seek
and ye shall find. Knock and the door shall be opened. For everyone that asketh receiveth
and he that seeketh. What happens? He findeth. He findeth. To him that knocketh
it shall be opened. Seek the Lord. Seek the Lord
while he may be found. Call upon him. while He's near. Deuteronomy 4.29 says this, If
thou shalt seek the Lord thy God, thou shalt find Him. If you seek Him with all your
heart and with all your soul. Seek the Lord. Well, verse 9,
again, back in our text. Psalm 27, Hide not thy face far
from me, Put not thy servant away in anger. Thou hast been
my help. Leave me not, neither forsake me, O God of my salvation. When my father and my mother
forsake me, then the Lord will take me up. When this flesh fails,
and we know that it will, when this heart fails, And we know
ultimately that it will. I ask you, what's left? What
is left? One thing. The Lord Jesus Christ. David says, He is the strength
of my life. Scripture says this, that He
will never leave nor forsake us. Not His people. Not His people. Hebrews 13, 5, I'll never leave
Thee nor forsake Thee. Verse 11, teach me Thy way, O
Lord. Teach me Thy way and lead me
in a plain path because of mine enemies. There's a way. There's a way
that seems right to man. And the end thereof are the ways
of death. A way that seems right. I was thinking about this, we
were driving down yesterday and we got, there was a wreck out
on Nicholasville Road and they had it completely blocked off.
So we just turned right and started going a little way and then figured
we'll turn left. And in time, I started seeing
some familiar, some familiar territory. We went through a
lot of curves and narrow roads and just kind of a, I'd consider
kind of treacherous. And I was thinking, a few years
back, They were having a little, there was a little gathering
going on out at Rex and Debbie's and we were invited on Saturday
night and we were gonna go and I remember Lindsey calling and
he said, do you know how to get there? And I said, Lindsey, I'll
just plug it into the GPS. I said, I'll get there, it won't
be no problem. He said, you don't want to go that way. I said,
Lindsey, I'll be fine. And he didn't even justify that
with another word. He said, me and Diane will be
at the hotel and you'll follow us. Okay. Sometimes we got to be reminded
of that, don't we? Huh? We want to seek our way. We want to go our way. We think
we've got it figured out. Rarely that's the case. We've
got to be told. And not only do we have to be
told, what's he say here? Teach me
and lead me. Teach me and lead me. Show me
your way. Not my way. That's where we get
in trouble, isn't it? Not my way, but thy way. Christ is the way. John 14, 6,
Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life,
and no man cometh unto the Father but by me. Teach me and lead me. Show me thy way. Point me to
the Lord Jesus Christ. Incline my heart and give me
to love and to delight in him. You know when Philip, y'all remember
that account of Philip and the Ethiopian eunuch? Eunuch was sitting there in his
chair reading and Philip come up to him and he said, do you
understand what you're reading? He said, how can I? How can I
except some man should guide me, teach me? Teach me and lead me in the way
everlasting. Let's read on verse 12. Deliver
me not over unto the will of mine enemies, for false witnesses
are risen up against me, and such as breathe out cruelty. And David says, I'd fainted.
I'd fainted unless I'd believed to see the goodness of the Lord
in the land of the living. There's some that would faint
at the sight of a gnat. That's not who's talking here.
David. Think about who's talking here.
David says this. David who slew Goliath. He said, I would have fainted. Turn there. Turn to 1 Samuel.
1 Samuel chapter 17. 1 Samuel 17,
beginning with verse 38. 1 Samuel 17 verse 38, Saul armed
David with his armor and he put a helmet of brass on his head
and he armed him with a coat of mail. David girded his sword
upon his armor and he said to go, for he had not proved it. And David said unto Saul, I cannot
go with these. I've not proved them, and David
put them off of him. You know, if David would have
defeated Goliath in Saul's armor, that would have been the talk,
wouldn't it? That's the only reason he would have defeated
him. Of course he did. He was wearing Saul's armor. What else would happen? That's
not the case though, is it? That's not who's going to deliver
them. Look at verse 40. He took his staff in his hand,
and he chose him five smooth stones out of the brook, and
he put them in a shepherd's bag, which he had, even in a script,
and his sling was in his hand, and he drew near to the Philistine.
The Philistine came on and drew near unto David, and the man
that bared the shield went before him. And when the Philistine
looked about and saw David, he disdained him, for he was but
a youth and ruddy, and of fair countenance. And the Philistine
said unto David, Am I a dog that thou comest to me with staves?
And the Philistine cursed David by his gods. And the Philistine
said to David, Come to me, and I'll give thy flesh to the fowls
of the air and the beasts of the field. I believe if there
was a time when David was going to faint, That would have been
it, wouldn't it? To stand before such a mighty
enemy. And here he stands with a sling
and a few stones, five stones. Look at verse 45. Then said David
to the Philistine, Thou comest to me with a sword, and with
a spear, and with a shield, but I come to thee with one thing. I come to thee in the name of
the Lord of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom thou
hast defiled. And this day, there wasn't a
question in his mind, was there? This day the Lord will deliver
thee into my hand. I'll smite thee and take thy
head from thee and I'll give thee the carcass of the host
of the Philistines this day and to the fowls there and to the
wild beasts of the earth. that all the earth may know one
thing, that there is a God in Israel. And all this assembly
shall know that the Lord saveth not with sword and spear, for
the battle is the Lord's, and He will give you into our hands.
And it came to pass when the Philistine arose, and came and
drew nigh to meet David, that David hasted, he ran. I just can't picture that in
my mind. I tried to. Here's this mighty enemy. Not
an ounce of fear. David hasted and he ran toward
the army to meet the Philistine. Not just the Philistine, but
the entire army. And David put his hand in his
bag and took thence a stone and slang it and smote the Philistine
in the forehead that the stone sunk in his forehead and he fell
upon his face to the earth. So David prevailed over the Philistine
with a sling and with a stone and smote the Philistine and
slew him. And he did it without a sword
in his hand. No sword in the hand of David. He says, David says, I'd fainted
unless I had believed to see. He believed to see. That's not
what we say, is it? We say things like this. We say,
I'd have to see it to believe it. David said, I'd fainted unless
I believed I was going to see it. That's faith, isn't it? Job said this, I know that my
Redeemer liveth and that He shall stand at the latter day upon
this earth and though after my skin worms destroy this body,
yet in my flesh I'm going to see God. I don't believe there
was an ounce of doubt in what he was saying there. I believe
I'm going to see God. Whom I shall see for myself,
mine eyes shall behold Him. and not another, though my reins
be consumed within me." Job believed God, didn't he?
Turn to Acts 27. Acts chapter 27. Look at verse 20 of Acts 27. Now Paul's on this perilous voyage
to Rome. And he says here, he said, when
neither sun nor stars in many days appeared. Nothing but darkness
here. No stars, no sun. And he said,
no small tempest lay on us. There was a great storm upon
him. Listen to what he says. All hope, every ounce of hope
we had, all hope that we should be saved was taken away. David said, I'd have fainted.
I would have fainted. Look at verse 22. He said, now
I exhort you, be of good cheer. For there shall be no loss of
any man's life among you but of the ship. How can you speak
with such confidence, Paul? For there stood by me this night
the angel of God, whose I am and whom I serve, saying, Fear
not. Fear not. Don't be afraid. Thou
must be brought before Caesar. And, lo, God hath given thee
all them that sail with thee. Wherefore, sirs, be of good cheer." Paul, you just said all hope
was taken away. Be of good cheer. Why? Is it the ship? Is it the captain? Are we all going to get out to
oars and row this thing to shore? No, what did he say here? I believe
God that it shall be even as it was told me. I'd fainted. I'd have just completely
given up unless I had believed to see. In Mark chapter 9, there was
a man who brought his son to the disciples for healing. And they couldn't. They could
not heal him. And he brought him to the Lord
and he said this, he said, if you can do anything, Lord, if
you can do anything, have compassion on us and help us. The Lord asked him this question.
Maybe you remember this. He said, if thou canst believe, if thou canst believe, all things are possible to him
that believeth. And the father of that child
cried out, He said with tears in his eyes, no doubt they were
just streaming down his face. And he said this, I believe. I believe. Not like I want to. Not like
I should. Not like I someday will. I believe
help thou mine unbelief. I'd fainted. I'd fainted unless
I had believed to see. David, do you understand all
these things? I doubt it. Not what he asked, was it? Huh? It's not what he asked that man
about his son, did he? Do you realize how I'm going
to do this? Can you explain how I'm going to heal your son? No, he just said, do you believe?
Do you believe? Remember what that Philippian
jailer, what'd they tell him? Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ
and thou shalt be saved. Philip preached to that eunuch
and they went on their way. And they came to some water.
Remember that eunuch said, here's water. What doth hinder me from
being baptized. If thou, what? Believest. If thou believest with all thine
heart, thou mayest believe. Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ. Well, verse 14 of our text. Wait on the Lord. That's a good way to wrap this
up in, wait on the Lord. Be of good courage. And He, He shall strengthen thine
heart. And since we typically don't
hear things the first time, He says it again, doesn't He? Wait
on the Lord. Alright. Pray God bless His Word.