Psalm 27 this evening. And the
title of the message is taken from verse 1. We could just stop
right here with verse 1. The Lord is. The Lord is. He always has been. The Lord
is. The Lord is good. The Lord is
holy. The Lord is love. The Lord is my light. My salvation. My salvation. Down in verse 9 he's called the
God of my salvation. The Lord is my light. The Lord
is my salvation. And we can say the Lord Jesus
Christ is the Lord of salvation. We know that salvation is of
the Lord. Now that being so, whom shall
I fear? What shall I fear? The Lord is
my light, my salvation. The Lord is my strength. He's
my life. What shall I fear and whom shall
I be afraid? The Lord is. The Lord is the
everlasting God in whom we trust. The Lord is my light. That'll
be our title. This psalm, like many others,
express the joy, hope, and confidence believers all experience and
rejoice in the Lord Jesus Christ while even yet in this flesh. in this sinful body, in this
weak, frail tabernacle, we still, in our heart, in our spirit,
we still rejoice in the Lord, don't we? We rejoice in the Lord
always, and again I say, rejoice. Remember Psalm, or rather Philippians
chapter 3. While it is true we experience
sorrow, heartache, disappointments, and sorrows in this life, And
we all do. Yet we have much to rejoice in,
because we rejoice in the Lord Jesus Christ. Have no confidence
in the flesh, but we rejoice in Him. Our Lord told His disciples
all about the sorrow that believers will experience. Remember from
John 16, our Lord said, These things have I spoken unto you,
that in Me you might have peace. He's made peace for us with His
own blood. I heard a man on TV today say
that people need to make peace with God. Can't be done. The Lord Jesus Christ made peace
for us. Would you mock Him? Mock His
atonement? He reconciled us. We can't reconcile
ourselves. In the world, He said, in me
you might have peace. In the world you shall have.
You shall have tribulation. Ah, but be of good cheer. Rejoice
in the Lord. Be of good cheer. I have overcome.
I've overcome. We're more than conquerors through
him that loved us and gave himself for us." Now, these are truly
the inspired words given of God to David, who certainly knew
a whole lot about sorrow in the flesh, didn't he? His own son
betrayed him. His own father-in-law tried to
kill him. He knew a lot about sorrow, but
he also knew a lot about rejoicing in the Lord. Also, we can read
this psalm and read it as the cry of the Lord Jesus Christ
while in his humanity. A real man tempted and tested
in all points like as we are, yet without sin. He had so many
enemies that came against him, false witnesses that were risen
up against him, that accused him of all manner of evil. He was tempted and tested in
all points like as we are, yet without sin. He's called the
man of sorrows and acquainted with grief. He knows every heartache
and pain that we bear. He experienced all those things. He knows our frame. He knows
that we are but, you remember Psalm 103? Dust. Dust. Dust. But we also know the Lord
Jesus Christ had much joy. You remember Hebrews 12? It says, For the joy that was
set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set
down on the right hand of the throne of God. He had sorrow,
a man of sorrow, acquainted with grief, and yet he had great joy
and rejoicing in the Lord his God. But this evening I want
to take this psalm, not as a psalm of David, not as a psalm specifically
referring to the Lord Jesus Christ, but I want us this evening to
take this psalm and make it our own. Make it our own psalm, our
own cry of our own heart. As it says there, the Lord is
my light. As he says over in Psalm 23,
remember, the Lord is my shepherd. The Lord is my shepherd. Now,
he's not the shepherd to all men everywhere, nor is he the
light of salvation to all men everywhere. But every believer
can say, the Lord is my shepherd, and the Lord is my salvation,
and the Lord is my light and life. Now, in verses 1, 2, and
3, we see the believer's sure confidence in the Lord. The Lord is my revelation. He's the light of revelation. He not only gives light that
we might see Him, who is altogether lovely, But He is that light. He's the one who commands the
light to shine in our hearts, that we might see the beauty
and glory of Christ. He not only gives us light, He
is that light. He said, I am the light of the
world. Salvation finds us where? In the dark. Salvation finds
us in ignorance, dullness, deadness. Salvation finds us in the dark,
but thank God it doesn't leave us there, does it? He translates
us out of the kingdom of darkness into the kingdom of God's dear
Son that we should show forth the praises of Him who called
us out of darkness into His marvelous light. So the Lord is my light
and then the Lord is my salvation. That's the same thing as saying
salvation is of the Lord. Who needs salvation? Sinners. Sinners need salvation. Can't
you say in your heart, the Lord is my salvation? He's not part
of it, He's all of it. Christ is all and in all. He's
all my salvation. Down in verse 9, the last part
of verse 9, He says, O God of my salvation. Remember we read
Sunday in 1 Timothy 1, He's called God our Savior. God our Savior. In Timothy and Titus, He's called,
the Apostle Paul refers to Him as God our Savior. The Lord is my salvation. He
not only gives us that salvation by the free and sovereign grace
of God, He Himself is that salvation. He is the Savior. No other name
under heaven given among men whereby we must be saved. When
is a man ready to die? You remember Simeon in the temple?
The Lord said to him, you're not going to die until you've
seen the Lord's Savior, the Lord's salvation. And he picked up that
infant babe, the God-man mediator, and said, Lord, let me die in
peace. Mine eyes have seen thy salvation. So we can say salvation is in
a person. It's not in a persuasion, a profession,
a pool. Salvation is in a person. The
glory of God shines in the face of Jesus Christ, His person.
So the Lord is my light. The Lord is my salvation. The
Lord is my strength. My strength. Down to verse 14. Look at verse 14. Wait on the
Lord. Be of good courage. Be of good
courage. Be of good cheer. He shall strengthen
thy heart. Wait, I say, on the Lord. The Lord is my strength. And
then he says there, the Lord is my strength, the strength
of my life, whom shall I fear? Whom shall I fear? Whom shall
I be afraid of? Whom shall I fear? I cannot fear
darkness, He's my light. I cannot fear condemnation, for
He is my justification. No condemnation to those who
are in Christ Jesus. I cannot fear weakness, because
He's my strength. When I'm weak, that's when I'm
strong. I cannot fear death. Why? He's my life. He said, I
am the resurrection and the life. I don't fear death. Christ is
my life. He said, because I live, you
shall live also. Though I can't fear weakness,
He's my strength. I cannot fear death. He's my
life, my resurrection. I cannot fear darkness. He's
my light. Of whom shall I be afraid? Now
look at verse 2 and 3. When the wicked, even mine enemies
and my foes, when they came upon me to eat up my flesh, Oh, they
were going to cannibalize me, eat up my flesh. Isn't that what
they did when they stoned Stephen? They gnashed on him with their
teeth like a wild pack of wolves. They ate up my flesh. They stumbled
and they fell. The Lord and hosts should encamp
against me, a whole army. My heart shall not fear. The
war should rise against me. I'll be confident in this, the
Lord is my light and the Lord is my salvation. If God be for
us, who shall be against us? The believer is not without his
enemies. Our Lord said, if they hated me, they will hate you. And Satan, the chief accuser
of the brethren. But he's under the dominion and
the conquering power of the Lord. But our confidence is not in
the flesh. But in the Lord Jesus Christ,
who is all, our salvation. Our confidence is in Him. Remember
that verse over in Revelation 6 verse 2, where it says, He
went forth conquering and to conquer. Though on host and in
camp against me, my heart shall not fear. Though war should rise
against me, in this I'll be confident. Confident of what? Christ has
won the victory for us. We have the victory over all
our enemies, certain and sure in His hands. Sin, He put it
away. Satan, He's defeated him. Death,
our Lord never lives. He said, I'm either living or
dead. Behold, I'm alive forevermore. I'm alive forevermore. Look at
verse 4 now. This is a blessing. One thing
have I desired of the Lord. That one thing. I desire the Lord." What is that
one thing we desire of Him? Him. We desire Him. We desire Him, and that will
I seek after. I will seek after that. Look down at verse 8. I'll never
forget the first time I really saw this verse 8. When the Lord
said, My heart said unto thee, thy
face, Lord, I will seek. One thing have I desired of the
Lord, and that will I seek after." Now that desire is not there
by nature. drink iniquity like the water.
But that one desire we have to seek the Lord is only given by
His grace unto us. He causes us to seek the Lord
because the Lord is seeking us out. One thing, have a desire
to the Lord, and that will I seek after. And then he mentions these
blessings, that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the
days of my life. to behold the beauty, the glory,
the splendidness of the Lord, and to inquire, to inquire of
the Lord. The believer's one desire, this
one desire is given in three parts. Our one desire causes
us to earnestly seek the Lord, and to set our affection on things
above, not on things of this earth, that I may dwell in the
house of the Lord, or dwell in His presence, in His presence. Look over across the page, Psalm
26 verse 8, I have loved the habitation of thy house, and
the place where your honor dwells, where your glory dwells, where
the gospel dwells, to be a part of his household, to be loved
as sons of God. He said where two or three are
together, two or three are gathered together in my name, that's where
I'm at. David said, do you remember this?
I was glad when they said unto me, let us go to the house of
the Lord. And then he said in another psalm, Psalm 84 verse
10, I'd rather be a doorkeeper in the house of the Lord than
to dwell in the tents of the wicked. The house of the Lord
is the place of His glory, where His honor dwells, where His gospel
is preached. And then he says there, to behold
the beauty of the Lord. Now by nature, there's no beauty
in him that we should see him. Remember Psalm 53, or rather
Isaiah 53. But oh, the strong desire that
grace bring upon us to the believer, the Lord Jesus Christ, he's altogether
lovely. To you who believe, he is what?
Precious, we see the beauty of His person that's revealed in
the Lord. Unto us, a child is born, a son
is given. His name shall be called Wonderful,
Counselor, the Mighty God, the Everlasting Father. He's the
Prince of Peace, the Prince of Peace. We see in the Lord Jesus
Christ the honor and glory and beauty of His salvation. Over in Psalm 21, let me read
this to you, don't turn. His glory is great in thy salvation,
honor and majesty hast thou laid upon Him. He gives all the glory
for saving sinners, does He not? And then thirdly, He mentions
there to inquire, to inquire in His temple. That is to seek
His will, to seek His way, to inquire about Him, and then to
sit at His feet and learn of Him. Our Lord said, take my yoke
upon you and learn of Me. You know the best way to have
all your questions answered is to sit and listen to the preaching
of the Word and the teaching of the Word. If you sit and listen,
all your questions in due time will be answered. will be answered
from the Word of the Lord. Believers desire the sincere
milk of the Word that we might grow thereby. Now look down at
verse 5. In a time of trouble, in a time
of trouble, He'll hide me. He'll hide me. Our life is hid
with Christ in God. He shall hide me in His pavilion.
In the secret of His tabernacle shall He hide me. He shall set
me upon a rock." And we know that rock is Christ. The believer's
one desire leads us to one blessed shelter of refuge. The best shelter
in the worst of times is Christ Himself. Remember that city of
refuge where the man-flayer would run and stay in that city and
the man-flayer couldn't touch him. He was safe. in that refuge,
and we know the refuge that God has provided for us is Christ
himself. That city of refuge is a picture
of Christ. In him we have a hiding place. In him we have a refuge. In him
we have a shelter. You remember Psalm 62? Let me
read it to you. In God is my salvation and my
glory, the rock of my strength, and my refuge is in God. Trust in Him at all times, you
people. Pour out your heart before Him.
God is a refuge for us. He's a refuge. He's a shelter
in a time of storm, in a time of trouble. Well, He might hide
me. He could hide me. He would. He
shall hide me. He shall hide me in His pavilion,
in the secret of His tabernacle. The Lord Jesus Christ is called,
and one of His names is secret. And His tabernacle, in that tabernacle
in the Holy of Holies was that mercy seat. That's where we hide,
under the blood of the mercy seat. And then He shall set me
up upon that rock, that foundation. We know that rock and that foundation
is none other than Christ Himself. He said, I lay in Zion for a
foundation of stone, a tried stone, a precious, precious cornerstone. Can't you see how safe we are
in Him? In the time of trouble, He shall
take up for me, He shall hide me in His pavilion, in His dwelling
place. In the secret of His tabernacle
shall He hide me, hidden in Christ. Oh, how safe we are. Look at
verse 6 now. Now shall my head be lifted up
above my enemies, hiding with Christ, being one in Him, our
refuge, our strength, our foundation, our rock. Now shall my head be
lifted up, lifted up in Christ, not lifted up with pride, not
lifted up with arrogance or self-righteousness. Now shall my head be lifted up
above my enemies round about me. Christ is our head, we're
lifted up in Him. Therefore, will I offer in His
tabernacle sacrifices of joy. We don't bring a blood sacrifice,
we bring the sacrifices of praising and worshiping the Lord. He said,
I will sing, I will sing praises unto the Lord. For all He has
done for us, all He has given unto us, we sing unto Him. You remember this psalm over
here? You can turn if you want to.
Psalm 98, verse 1, talking about singing unto the Lord. What is
our song? Psalm 98, verse 1, sing unto
the Lord a new song. For He hath done marvelous things,
His right hand and His holy arm hath gotten Him the victory.
The Lord hath made known His salvation, His righteousness
He hath openly shown in the sight of the heathen." We sing of what
the Lord has done for us. how He has saved us by His grace. I will sing. It's a new song
of redemption. I will sing praises to the Lord. Rejoicing in the Lord. Bless
the Lord, O my soul, with all that is within me. Bless His
holy name. Look at verse 7. He goes from
praising the Lord to praying unto the Lord. Verse 7. Hear,
O Lord, when I cry with my voice What's our cry? It's a cry of
mercy, is it not? God, be merciful to me, thee,
sinner. As David said in Psalm 51, have
mercy upon me, O God, according to thy lovingkindness, according
to the multitude of thy tender mercies, Lord, blot out my sin. Our cry is a simple one, Lord,
have mercy. May we never graduate above being
a mercy beggar. Someone said, mercy is the hope
of sinners and the refuge of saints. It is of the Lord's mercy
that we are not consumed. Have mercy also upon me and answer
me. I had a man ask me one time how
to pray. And he said, I don't know how
to pray. I don't know what to pray. And
I said, make this your prayer. Lord, have mercy upon me, the
sinner. That's my constant plea. Have
mercy upon me, a sinner. And the Lord has never turned
a deaf ear to a mercy beggar. The Lord has never, when blind
Bartimaeus cried out for mercy, the Lord stood still and showed
mercy to him. That ought to encourage us to
cry out for mercy. Have mercy upon me, Lord, and
answer me. Look at verse 8. When thou said,
Seek my face. The glory of God shines in the
face of Christ. When thou said, seek my face,
my heart said unto thee, Lord, thy face I will seek. When God commands us to repent,
we do repent. When God commands us to believe,
As many as were ordained to eternal life, they believe the gospel.
When God commands us to repent, we do. When God commands us to
believe, we do. When God commands us to seek
His face, my heart says, Thy face, Lord, will I seek. Do you
remember that Psalm 110 verse 3? Thy people shall be willing
in the day of God's power. Thy face, Lord, I will seek thy
face. I will seek mercy where mercy
is found. Mercy is found in Christ. Mercy
is found upon the mercy-seekers. In that tabernacle, that's where
God met with men and men met with God upon that mercy seat
in that representative high priest. And we know all that is a picture
of the gospel. Look at verse 9. Hide not thy
face far from me, put not thy servant away in anger. The Lord
doesn't deal with us in anger. He deals in wrath. He deals with
us in mercy and pity. Thou has been my help. Leave
me not. Sometimes we think the Lord has
forsaken us, but he said, I'll never leave thee, I'll never
forsake thee. Sometimes we say, well, Lord, I don't feel your
presence. He didn't ask us to feel his presence. He said, believe
my word. I'll never leave thee. I'll never
forsake thee. Leave me not, neither forsake
me. Oh, God of my salvation. I love that statement, don't
you? Oh, God of my salvation. There's a reference here, one
page over, Psalm 24, verse 5. He shall receive the blessings
from the Lord and the righteousness from the God of His salvation. He's the God of our salvation.
Salvation is all of the Lord. It's His doing. His doing. Look at verse 10. When my father,
talking about earthly parents, When my father and my mother,
when they forsake me, then the Lord will take me up. Notice
the marginal reference on take me up. The Lord will gather me. The Lord will gather me. How
many times in the word of God do we read the Lord will never,
no never leave us nor forsake us. Thou art my help. Thou wert my help. Thou hast
been my help. Turn over here to Psalm. Psalm
121. Remember this Psalm? Psalm 121. Every time when I go out in the
mountains, the Rocky Mountains out in Wyoming or Idaho, and
I see those majestic mountains, they just strike such an awe.
And when I look at the mountains, they're so majestic. And I will
often think of this verse. I will lift up mine eyes into
the hills. Psalm 121. From whence cometh my help? My
help cometh from the Lord, which made heaven and the earth. He will not suffer thy foot to
be moved. He that keepeth thee will not
slumber. Behold, he that keepeth Israel shall neither slumber
nor sleep. The Lord is thy keeper. The Lord is his shade upon thy
right hand. So we look unto the Lord. He's
a God who created those majestic mountains to remind us of the
majesty of His glorious person. And that's what I think of when
I see the Teton Mountains or the Sawtooth Mountains in Idaho
or the Teton Mountains in Wyoming or those majestic Mountain peaks
in Colorado. I think of the majesty of our
God. Hide not thy face far from me. Put not thy servant away in thine
anger. Thou hast been my help, leave
me not, O God of my salvation. When my father and my mother
forsake me, then the Lord will take me up. Now verse 11, teach
me, O to be taught of God. Teach me thy way. Christ is that
way. He is both lesson and teacher.
He's a teacher who teaches that He is the way. He said, I'm the
way, I'm the truth, I'm the life. No man comes as a father but
by me. Teach me thy way, O Lord, and lead me in the way of plainness. Salvation is a plain way when
He reveals it unto us. Salvation is of the Lord and
salvation is in Him. Deliver me not to the will of
mine enemies. False witnesses are risen up
against me. They breathe out cruelty against
me. I had fainted, verse 13. I had fainted unless I had believed
to see the Lord is good, the goodness of the Lord. The Lord
is good. the Lord is good. In the natural
realm, we see, and then we believe. But in the spiritual realm, we
believe, and then we see, and then we understand. Through faith,
we understand. Through faith, we see. Through
faith, we receive the Lord Jesus Christ. Look at verse 14. Now wait. Wait on the Lord. Well, I tell you, sometimes we
get in a way where we think we're going to make it happen. I brought
myself in so much trouble trying to get it done. I'm going to
make it happen, rather than just waiting on the Lord. Waiting
on the Lord. And when you wait on the Lord,
things just seem to work out so precisely. Wait on the Lord, and while you're
waiting, be of good courage. Be of good courage. He'll strengthen
your heart in due time. And then again, he repeats it.
Wait, I say. Wait, I say. on the Lord. The believer's position, waiting
upon the Lord. His blessings are worth waiting
for. The believer's condition, be of good courage, be of good
cheer. Our Lord said to that paralyzed
man, be of good cheer, thy sins be forgiven. And then the believer's
support, he shall strengthen thy heart. He told us to come
boldly to the throne of grace that we may obtain mercy and
find grace to help in time of need. He shall strengthen thy
heart. Wait, I say, on the Lord.