IS GOD SUFFICIENT FOR YOU? – Psalm 34.

IS GOD SUFFICIENT FOR YOU? – Psalm 34.
        Pastor Wilson – 12-31-’06.
        
        Today is the first Sunday after Christmas and the last Sunday of the year 2006. As we have reached the last Sunday of the year it is appropriate that we look back and see how the past year has been to each one of us. I tried to look back and see how I was able to keep on going with my life and I was thinking about many of you and see how you are able to keep on going in your life? When we look back I do not know how many of us can say that I had a fantastic year no trouble at all and it was all-beautiful. How many of you can say that? Can I see your hands? We all have gone through some trying times in our lives during the past year. But we all are here at the end of a year and at the start of another year. What kind of a message can I bring to you? As I prayed about it I thought I would like to talk about Psalm 34. Psalm 34 is a Psalm of David. The study Bible says that David wrote this Psalm after he escaped from a Philistine king named Achish of Gath by acting as a mentally ill or mad person. David is teaching us through this Psalm that ‘God pays attention to those who call on him. Whether God offers escape from trouble or help in times of need, we can be certain that he always hears and acts on behalf of those who love him.
        You have heard the Psalm read to us. Let me read the passage which is relevant to this psalm, which is found in 1 Samuel 21: 10-15 “That day David ……… this man come in to my house?” David is running for his life from Saul. As he was running, he ran in to Gath, which is the territory of the Philistines. He thought he will be safe, but the Philistines were able to identify him as the man who killed their leader Goliath. By the grace of God, David acted as a mad man and the king asked the people to take him away from him. As David escaped from this dangerous situation, he knelt before the Lord and wrote this Psalm. With this picture as the backdrop, if we look at the Psalm it will make a better sense. David portrays a sufficiency in the in the midst of dangers because of his dependency upon the Lord. The keynote of this Psalm is his confidence born out of God’s sufficiency.
         I would like to lift the lessons of this Psalm under three points.
        1. The situations that we need to deal with in life,
        2. The way in which we deal with the situations and
        3. The outcome of our actions.
        #1. The situations: What was the situation in which the psalmist proved God’s sufficiency? David addresses two situations.
        A. Fear: - V 4. He says ‘I sought the Lord ………. All my fears.” The word fear refers to dread or terror. During the time when David was writing this Psalm Saul was after him to kill him. David ran into the country of the Philistines and was captured by them and they recognized him as the person who killed their hero Goliath. He was dragged to the king and was facing death there. He was terrified and afraid for his life. There he pretended to be a mad man and he escaped death. B. Troubles: - V. 6, 17 & 19 he writes “The poor man …….. troubles. & v.17 say ‘The righteous cry out ……… troubles’ & in v. 19 he writes ‘A righteous man …... them all.’ The troubles indicate those circumstances, which restrict a person, which limit him, painful, and which tie him up in knots. Most of the time it is not the circumstances that will hurt us, but our reaction to it may. A woman who had surgery twenty times and still there was no cure. The doctor told her that the disease was not killing her but her reaction to it was. In the most restricting circumstances we can still be free. John Bunyan wrote the “Pilgrim’s progress” while he was in prison and John Milton wrote his great epics ‘Paradise Lost and Paradise Regained’ while he was in prison. Apostle Paul wrote some of his letters while he was in prison. We, as Christians are not exempt from these circumstances. We cannot avoid them either. But if we are the children of God and we choose to walk in His ways God expects us to prove His sufficiency in our fearful and trouble circumstances. The Bible teaches that our attitude is the one that counts the most. If our attitude towards our circumstances is that of resentment and bitterness, then we will be in bondage. A Christian friend met a lady who was going through a series of disheartening events. When he asked her how is she handling the adversities, she answered “Quite well, under the circumstances.” He replied kindly and firmly “Sister, you’ll never make it that way. Get above the circumstances – that’s where Jesus is waiting to help and strengthen you.” I do not know what kind of circumstances you are going through in your life now. Some of you are going through some very difficult times. But, tonight I want to assure you the same assurance that David is talking about in this Psalm to you.
         Lesson #2. The way in which we deal with things: - David is talking about three WAYS to deal with things in this Psalm for our sufficiency in our circumstances. In V. 10 he says ‘The young lion ……… lack not good things.’ The young lions are the lions in their prime, the strongest of all animals. They represent those who rely on their own strength and brute force. There are people who rely on their own strength. The secret for our sufficiency is the Lord as it is mentioned in this Psalm again and again. God is our sufficiency in any of our circumstances. There are three ways we can make God’s sufficiency our experience.
        1. Look to Him: - V. 4 & 5 says “Sought the Lord …… never covered with shame.” Here David is saying that I took my fears and exposed them to God, and He shed His light on them and they all vanished away and now I will never again be ashamed of my fear. He calls himself a poor man. We must look to Him with an attitude of humbleness, openness and honesty. There is an attitude of brokenness mentioned in V. 18. The Lord ……… in spirit.” Our helplessness and brokenness enable us to come close to God and to lay hold of God’s sufficiency. So let us look to our Lord in confidence and dependence and openness tonight that He will become sufficient in our difficulties and problems.
        2. Fear Him: - V. 7 says “The angel of the …….delivers them.” & v. 9 says “Fear the Lord ……… lack nothing.” One of the most important secrets of life is that the fear of God will liberate us from all other fears. This is not a fear that some one is holding a gun to your head and you are scared of your life or some thing like that. It is simply accepting God as our creator and we are dependent on Him for our life. This is a fear expresses itself in a desire to please Him and
        3.Obey His commands. V. 11 to 14 say, “Come, my children ……… and pursue it.” The fear of the Lord is keeping your tongue from evil, lips from lies, turn from evil and do good. It simply means that God wants us to honor Him through our words and our deeds. This is the result of fearing God. People who do not have the fear of God speak evil, plot evil things and do evil things.
        Lesson # 3. The outcome or the consequences of our action: - In V. 15 to 18 David talks about how God will deal with these two distinctly different groups of people. “The eyes of the Lord ………….. crushed in spirit.”
         I am sure all of you who watched the news last week noticed that news media spent a lot of times on the coverage of the death of two powerful leaders who were ruling their countries. One was President Gerald Ford and the other was President Sadam Husain. Here there is one man who have brought healing to a nation that was going through a very difficult time of war, scandal and many other problems. And we see another man who ruled the country for more than thirty years with power and terror and tyranny. One died at the age of 93 and his life is celebrated with so much of respect, honor and dignity for what he did and how he lived. And the other man was judged and killed by hanging on the gallows by his own countrymen whose families have gone through the torture and killing by this man. There was a different type of celebration for this man all over his country and by his countrymen who are in this country.
        When you look at the verses from 15 – 18 we see a God who is just and righteous and kind to his people. It says “The eyes of the Lord.. crushed in spirit.” This is the true nature of the true God. When people start to talk about killing others in the name of God. You wonder what kind of god are they talking about. If people say that by killing others through suicide bombs you will go to heaven, you wonder what kind of god are they talking about. This does not seem to be talking about the same god is it? If these are two different gods. Where would you want to be? I want to be on the side of the God who is just, kind and righteous. Our God is a God of compassion and grace and he never changes.
        He says in V.8b. “Blessed is the man who takes refuge in him.” God promises great blessings to his people, but many of these blessings require our active participation. According to Psalm 34 He will deliver us from fear V.4. v. 6 says that he will save us out of our troubles, v7 says that he will guard and deliver us, v 8 says that he will show us goodness, v.9 says that he will supply our needs, v. 15 says that he will listen to us when we talk to him, v. 22 says that he will redeem us. This Psalm also tells us that we can appropriate his blessings. V. 4& 10 says when we seek him, v.6 & 17 says when we cry out to him, v. 8 says when we trust him, v. 7 & 9 says when we fear him, v. 13 says when we refrain from evil, do good and seek peace, v. 18 says that we must be humble, and v. 22 says that we must serve him.
        As we enter the new-year may I share with you what David is teaching us how we should live our lives through this Psalm!!! I want to read v. 1-3 “I will extol ,,,,,,,, his name together.” The expression ‘I will extol the Lord’ or I will bless the Lord means, I will bend my knee to the Lord. So, David is saying that he will actually bend his knees to God in all his circumstances. He will acknowledge Him as Lord and yield to His authority in all situations. In v. 15 we see that God sees every thing. He is in control regardless what happens to us. When we live our lives with dependence on God’s sufficiency we bring glory and honor to him and magnify his name. When others see that our life can be explained only in terms of God and thereby God is exalted. This is how we can worship and influence others to glorify Him. May our gracious Lord give us the strength and courage to lead our lives to bring glory and honor to him in the New-Year 2007. God Bless you all. Amen.