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Worthy to Be Praised · Stornoway Free Church of Scotland - Sermons

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  We can turn back to our reading in the book of Psalms, Psalm 18.
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  We're going to look at the beginning of this, Psalm 1-3.
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  Psalm 18, verse 1-3.
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  I love you, O Lord, my strength.
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  Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer,
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  my God, my rock, in whom I take refuge,
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  my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.
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  I call upon the Lord who is worthy to be praised,
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  and I am saved from my enemies.
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  As I said this morning, we were thinking about coming away from a communion weekend,
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  and this morning we were reflecting on that sense of the Lord being worthy of all our thanksgiving.
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  In 2 Corinthians 9, verse 15, it's thanks be to God for that indescribable gift.
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  There's just no way that we can almost think of a word to describe the gift that God has given us in the Lord Jesus Christ.
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  So he is worthy of all thanksgiving.
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  And this evening we're going to think about the Lord and how worthy he is to be praised.
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  And that's what we read there in verse 3.
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  I called upon the Lord who is worthy to be praised.
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  There's this sense of going on in worship of God.
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  And you note at the beginning of the psalm, if you have a Bible,
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  the ESV Bible in particular, it has a few words mentioning the context of the psalm before you come into verse 1.
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  So it says there to the choir master, it's a psalm of David, the servant of the Lord,
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  who addressed the words of the song to the Lord on the day when the Lord rescued him from the hand of all his enemies
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  and from the hand of Saul, he said, and then it goes into his song from verse 1,
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  I love you, O Lord, my strength.
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  So the context is there given to us of a day when David was delivered from all of his enemies.
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  And you can read about that in 2 Samuel 22, where you have this song mentioned as well.
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  And David has known victory over his enemies,
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  a victory that maybe at one stage seemed impossible for him,
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  as he saw his enemies all around him.
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  And yet God has given him this glorious victory as he was running from Saul,
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  as he was running from his enemies.
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  He was in constant danger of death.
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  But now he has been delivered from that.
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  And he has this praise being offered up to God.
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  And as we see there in verse 3, he is worthy to be praised,
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  the God who has given him this victory.
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  So this is David's song of victory.
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  But in many ways we could say it is our song of victory as well,
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  because God has given us this song for us to sing.
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  And we can sing these words ourselves,
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  and we can sing them maybe with the same meaning behind them as what David had.
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  When we know the Lord, when we love the Lord,
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  we recognize just how he is our strength,
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  how he is all of these things to us,
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  and how he has given us victory in this world as well.
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  Because when God saves us, he gives us victory over our enemies.
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  And we think of the greatest enemies that we have in this world as a people,
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  the enemy of sin, the enemy of death,
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  the enemy of a lost eternity.
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  We have all of these enemies.
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  And yet as we look to the Lord Jesus and the victory that he has won for us,
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  we realize what he has saved us from,
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  and that we are saved by his grace.
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  And so we, therefore, can sing this song ourselves with that sense of victory
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  and see that worthy to be praised is God.
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  Worthy to be praised is the Lord.
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  We read in the New Testament, 2 Timothy 3, verse 16,
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  that all Scripture is breathed out by God.
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  So God has given us his word through various writers,
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  as you see throughout the Bible.
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  And so here we have David writing this song.
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  As we read in Timothy, we're seeing that he is inspired,
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  he is moved by the Lord to write these words.
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  And you can almost think, well, is this not then God praising himself?
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  It's not this God giving words, boasting words to David to write about him.
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  But God is not that way.
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  God isn't like some leaders we might see in the world
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  who want all the praise for themselves.
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  So they write their own way of praising and their qualities
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  and all that they have done,
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  speaking about it all the time in that sense of,
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  look at me and what I have done.
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  God inspired David.
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  He was moved by the Spirit to write these words.
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  But David inspired his writing from his own experience.
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  He is writing these words, having known God with him.
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  God is the one who has brought him through and given him this victory.
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  And so now he can see God as his Savior.
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  And now he can express his thankfulness
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  that he has brought him through all of this.
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  And with thankfulness, he sees, as is often David's case,
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  he expresses it in song.
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  In song, David writes these words.
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  And so verse 1 to 3, as we look at this psalm this evening,
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  they show us David beginning his praise to God
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  by expressing his love of God and what God has done for him.
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  Then he proceeds to describe how much the Lord means to him
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  by using different expressions there,
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  especially in verse 2, of who God is for him.
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  And as someone wrote, you could say he sees this as the Lord,
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  the source of his strength, stability, safety, and salvation.
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  All of these things come across in the way that David describes the Lord in verse 2.
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  And then in verse 3, we see that God has proved himself reliable,
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  that he can be depended upon, and so he is worthy to be praised.
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  Worthy to be praised.
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  We have that same kind of song ourselves.
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  This evening we're going to sing this psalm at the end of our service.
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  Will we be singing these words with that sense of,
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  this is my song too, this is the same song as David had as my song,
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  that I can say, I love the Lord.
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  He is my strength.
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  He is my rock.
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  He is my deliverer.
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  He is my refuge, my shield.
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  All of these things.
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  Can we sing that?
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  Are we worshiping the Lord as we should,
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  as he is worthy to be praised?
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  One person said this,
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  one of the great tragedies of the human spirit
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  is to become a prisoner of ingratitude.
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  For ingratitude shuts the human spirit up
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  and the world lightened only by the self,
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  which is no light at all.
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  A spirit of, a prisoner of ingratitude.
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  We're not thankful for what we have.
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  And so the opposite is true of that.
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  Gratitude then gives us light.
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  And not light of self,
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  but light as we see revealed by God through his word.
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  And so we want to be a people who worship God as we should,
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  that he is worthy to be praised in all things.
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  And how then can we worship God?
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  Well, that's what we see with David here.
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  We see him worshiping, first of all, in verse 1,
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  by delighting in God.
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  He is delighting in God.
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  He makes two declarations here in verse 1.
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  He starts by first declaring his love for the Lord.
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  I love you, O Lord.
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  And then the second declaration is that absolute dependence upon the Lord as my strength.
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  So from the outset of this psalm, he's indicating that as he lives his life here,
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  these two great themes are what the manner in which he is living his life.
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  They are constantly before him.
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  And he's telling us this, that he finds his great delight in God.
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  I love you, O Lord, my strength.
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  Isn't it an amazing thing to be able to say,
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  I love you, the Lord.
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  I love you, my Lord.
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  Psalm 116, which we sang together, has the expression of that in the psalm as well.
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  I love the Lord because my voice and prayers heeded here.
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  And you see it recurring again and again.
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  But what kind of love is it?
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  And are you able to say with David tonight,
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  I love you, O Lord.
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  Well, when you look at the kind of love it is,
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  it's a love that is full of worship towards God.
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  As we read in Matthew 28, in verse 9,
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  when Jesus, the resurrected Jesus, met his disciples,
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  what did they do with him?
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  It says in verse 9,
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  And behold, Jesus met them and said,
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  Greetings.
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  And they came up and took hold of his feet and worshipped him.
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  They came up and took hold of his feet and worshipped him.
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  There was this sense of just being in the presence of the risen Savior,
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  that they could do nothing else but worship him,
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  fall at his feet and worship him.
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  It's the same as you see with Mary Magdalene.
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  We read of it in Matthew.
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  It doesn't go into the same details as it does in the Gospel of John.
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  But when she encountered Jesus in the garden,
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  John 20, verse 17,
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  Jesus said to her, he called her by name,
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  Mary.
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  She didn't realize who it was that was in front of him at first.
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  She turned and said to him in Aramaic,
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  Rabboni, which means teacher.
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  And there was a sense of worship with her because Jesus goes on to say,
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  Do not cling to me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father.
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  So she has obviously taken hold of Jesus.
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  She is clinging on to him,
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  just like the disciples took hold of his feet and worshipped him.
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  There is that sense of when we love the Lord,
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  we are giving our worship to him by just coming before him,
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  clinging on to him,
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  depending on him.
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  We recognize that if we love him,
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  we only do so because he first loved us.
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  And when our eyes are open to see this,
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  what else can we do but just come
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  and throw ourselves at his feet
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  and just plead,
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  I love you,
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  O Lord.
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  Because there is nowhere else to go.
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  There is no one else who can give us
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  that relationship that satisfies,
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  that gives us hope,
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  that gives us an eternity
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  to look forward to.
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  When we consider all the things
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  that the Lord has done for us
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  and his love towards us,
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  our hearts should be filled
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  with that sense of worship.
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  Saying, I love you,
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  O Lord.
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  Do you,
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  this evening,
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  have that love for the Lord?
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  Where your worship is just one,
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  where you see,
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  you can do nothing
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  but throw yourself at his feet,
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  cling to him,
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  because there's nowhere else to go.
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  As the disciple of old said,
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  to whom else shall we go?
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  For you alone are the words
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  of eternal life.
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  There's nowhere else to go.
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  And the second declaration
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  seen there in verse one is,
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  I love you,
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  O Lord,
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  my strength.
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  My strength.
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  We're going on to see this
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  in a moment in verse two as well,
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  but nine times
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  in these first two verses,
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  David uses that personal word,
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  my.
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  My strength,
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  he says here in verse one.
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  My is often a word
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  that children learn
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  at a very young age
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  when they're able
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  to express themselves
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  by telling others
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  what belongs to them.
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  My toy,
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  my food,
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  my room,
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  my house.
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  They learn these words
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  so quickly.
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  My,
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  what belongs to me.
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  And this is almost like
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  just the childlike nature
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  that we have
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  where we're looking at
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  what we think belongs
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  to us.
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  But here David has
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  that childlike faith
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  when he's expressing it
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  in this way.
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  The Lord is my strength.
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  My strength.
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  He's delighting in God.
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  And we're going to just see
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  this in a moment
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  as we think of
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  depending on God
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  in verse two,
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  the way we see
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  him expressing it
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  using this word,
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  my.
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  But just as before
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  we go into verse two,
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  ask yourself this again.
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  Is God my strength?
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  Can I say,
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  can you say tonight
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  that he is my strength?
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  In other words,
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  how are we living our lives?
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  How are we going forward
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  in this life?
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  Are we living it
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  depending on him
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  as he is my strength
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  because I love him?
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  Or does he mean nothing?
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  That we just go forward
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  in our own strength?
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  So the first aspect
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  of this worship
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  that we see with David
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  is delighting in God.
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  And we as a people
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  are to be those
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  who delight in God ourselves.
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  Then we come into verse two
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  and we see this dependence
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  on God.
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  Just read through this verse.
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  The Lord is my rock
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  and my fortress
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  and my deliverer,
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  my God,
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  my rock
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  in whom I take refuge,
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  my shield
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  and the horn of my salvation,
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  my stronghold.
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  My, my, my.
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  He's repeating it constantly
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  and using different words
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  to describe this relationship
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  that he has with God
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  and this dependence on God.
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  And when you pray with God,
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  what kind of language
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  do you use?
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  Do you use these kinds of words
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  as you come to him?
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  This is a song,
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  it's a psalm,
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  but it can also be a prayer.
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  Very often you can say that
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  about the psalms,
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  you can use them as a prayer.
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  And it's a good thing for us
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  to use God's word
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  as we come to prayer,
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  to read God's word
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  before we pray
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  and even to pray God's word
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  as we do pray with God.
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  And so is this the kind of language
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  that you use
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  as you come to God in prayer?
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  Do you say,
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  I love you, O Lord,
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  my strength,
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  my rock,
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  my fortress,
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  my deliverer,
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  my God,
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  my refuge,
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  my shield,
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  my horn,
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  my stronghold.
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  Do you use all of that language
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  with God?
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  Because it's a great way
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  to come to him
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  because it reminds us
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  of just how dependent
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  we are on him.
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  And just to go through
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  some of these words
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  in verse 2
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  and just think,
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  well,
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  how can they apply to us
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  and our dependence on him?
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  He uses the word,
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  my rock,
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  twice.
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  The Lord is my rock.
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  He uses it in the third line
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  there as well,
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  my God,
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  my rock in whom I take refuge.
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  And the word rock there
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  just has behind it
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  a security.
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  It's to do with
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  an immovable rock,
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  something that is solid,
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  something that is secure
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  so that when everything else
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  in the world
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  is being thrown around,
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  tossed around,
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  when everything is in chaos,
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  God remains the same
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  and that he is stable.
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  He is the place of security.
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  So David here
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  is reminding himself
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  and reminding us
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  that when it appears
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  that the world
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  is spinning out of control,
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  that as a believer
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  we can stand above it all
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  and stand on the Lord,
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  that he is my rock.
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  It reminds us of
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  another couple of psalms,
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  Psalm 40,
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  that we sing so often
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  when we set our feet
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  upon a rock,
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  when we have that security
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  as we come to trust
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  in the Lord Jesus,
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  that he is the rock
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  of our salvation.
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  We have it in Psalm 46
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  as well,
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  when God is a refuge
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  and a strength.
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  Verse 5 says,
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  God is in the midst of us.
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  She shall not be moved.
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  God will help her
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  when morning dawns.
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  You have that security
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  when the Lord
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  is my rock.
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  Someone put it like this,
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  when we stand on him,
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  we see our trials
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  through his eyes.
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  And even though
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  the difficulties of life
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  might break our hearts,
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  they still cause our hearts
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  to bow in worship.
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  So that no matter
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  what we are going through,
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  David here is writing
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  in a time of victory,
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  but as we know so well,
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  David had times
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  of despair as well,
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  but yet he was able
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  to still say,
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  the Lord is my rock.
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  That is the hope
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  that we can have ourselves.
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  That as we love the Lord
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  and see that he is my strength,
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  he is my rock,
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  the one who is immovable.
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  Then he goes on
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  to speak about God
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  as his deliverer
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  and his shield.
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  God is my fortress
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  and my deliverer
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  and then later on
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  he says my shield.
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  And so deliverer
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  and shield
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  we could almost take together
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  and again see
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  how they apply to us.
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  When trouble comes
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  into our lives,
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  when David has experienced
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  this trouble,
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  the Lord has been
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  a shield to him
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  and he has been
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  a deliverer to him.
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  And so David
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  is able to see
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  in the sense of deliverer,
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  he is able to see
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  what he has been
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  brought through.
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  He saw his enemies
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  fall around him.
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  He saw a victory won.
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  He was able to see
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  the evidence of this.
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  God is my deliverer.
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  But God as my shield
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  reminds us too
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  that there are things
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  that we do not see
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  that the Lord
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  keeps from us.
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  That as he is
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  our shield,
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  he protects us
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  even at times
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  when we are unaware
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  of it.
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  I'm sure we are not
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  always aware
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  of the way
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  God has been with us
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  day by day
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  in our lives.
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  Maybe eternity
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  will reveal it for us,
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  what he has kept us from.
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  But you know,
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  you could think
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  of just situations
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  where
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  but for the grace
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  of God
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  something different
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  might have happened.
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  That God has been
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  a shield to us,
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  protecting us
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  in a circumstance,
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  taking us through things
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  even as we didn't
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  see them.
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  And David is aware
• 20:32
  of that,
• 20:33
  that God has been
• 20:34
  his shield
• 20:35
  and also
• 20:36
  his deliverer.
• 20:38
  So there is
• 20:38
  a dependence
• 20:39
  on God.
• 20:45
  He is the one
• 20:46
  who rescues.
• 20:48
  He is the one
• 20:48
  who delivers
• 20:49
  from danger.
• 20:50
  And isn't that
• 20:52
  a great assurance
• 20:53
  to us?
• 20:54
  That as we put
• 20:55
  our trust in him
• 20:56
  he gives us
• 20:58
  that promise
• 20:58
  as well.
• 21:01
  Through faith
• 21:02
  he delivers us
• 21:03
  from the consequences
• 21:05
  of sin.
• 21:07
  We don't realize
• 21:08
  just now
• 21:08
  just what he is
• 21:09
  shielding us from.
• 21:11
  But we put our
• 21:12
  trust in him
• 21:13
  to protect us
• 21:14
  as our redeemer
• 21:15
  and our deliverer.
• 21:19
  And then he goes
• 21:19
  on to say
• 21:20
  my strength
• 21:21
  and the horn
• 21:22
  of my salvation.
• 21:26
  The horn
• 21:27
  of my salvation.
• 21:30
  The horn
• 21:31
  as it mentioned
• 21:32
  here was something
• 21:33
  in David's day
• 21:34
  that was a particular
• 21:35
  symbol of
• 21:36
  strength
• 21:38
  and conquest.
• 21:41
  The horn
• 21:42
  could be used
• 21:43
  to make a noise,
• 21:44
  a cry,
• 21:45
  a shout
• 21:45
  of victory.
• 21:47
  But it was also
• 21:48
  used in a way
• 21:49
  where the horn
• 21:50
  was a reminder
• 21:51
  of the abundance
• 21:52
  of God's goodness.
• 21:54
  Because at harvest time
• 21:55
  especially
• 21:56
  the horn
• 21:57
  would be filled
• 21:58
  to overflowing
• 21:59
  with the produce
• 22:00
  of the harvest.
• 22:02
  And it would be
• 22:03
  a symbol
• 22:04
  of an overflowing
• 22:05
  abundance
• 22:06
  of God's goodness.
• 22:08
  And so it has
• 22:08
  these two sides
• 22:10
  to it
• 22:10
  and he is
• 22:11
  the horn
• 22:12
  of my salvation.
• 22:14
  In other words
• 22:16
  we have this sense
• 22:17
  of rejoicing
• 22:19
  in God.
• 22:21
  That God
• 22:22
  gives us
• 22:22
  an abundance
• 22:23
  as we were
• 22:24
  thinking about
• 22:24
  this morning.
• 22:25
  Abounding
• 22:26
  in grace
• 22:27
  for example.
• 22:29
  That God
• 22:30
  gives us
• 22:30
  that
• 22:31
  in a way
• 22:31
  that we are
• 22:32
  able to rejoice
• 22:33
  in him.
• 22:35
  He is my strength.
• 22:36
  He is
• 22:36
  the horn
• 22:38
  of my salvation.
• 22:40
  He gives us
• 22:41
  all of these
• 22:42
  things.
• 22:45
  And so we too
• 22:46
  can see
• 22:46
  that the Lord
• 22:47
  blesses us
• 22:48
  with an abundance
• 22:49
  of good things.
• 22:53
  Then he goes on
• 22:53
  to say
• 22:54
  God is
• 22:54
  my fortress
• 22:55
  and my
• 22:57
  stronghold.
• 22:59
  A high tower
• 23:00
  is what this
• 23:01
  refers to.
• 23:02
  It's a place
• 23:03
  of security
• 23:04
  a place
• 23:04
  of safety
• 23:05
  for God's
• 23:06
  people.
• 23:08
  The stronghold
• 23:09
  the high tower
• 23:11
  was a place
• 23:11
  where a city
• 23:12
  would be
• 23:13
  defended from
• 23:14
  so that those
• 23:15
  in the stronghold
• 23:15
  would be looking
• 23:16
  out over the
• 23:17
  enemies and
• 23:18
  able to defend
• 23:18
  the city
• 23:19
  from there.
• 23:21
  It's a reminder
• 23:21
  to us that
• 23:22
  God sees
• 23:24
  all things.
• 23:24
  That he is
• 23:25
  over us
• 23:26
  in all things.
• 23:27
  That there's
• 23:27
  nothing out
• 23:28
  of his view,
• 23:29
  out of his
• 23:30
  vision.
• 23:31
  That God
• 23:31
  sees every
• 23:32
  situation
• 23:33
  that we are
• 23:34
  going through
• 23:35
  and that he
• 23:35
  is able
• 23:36
  to protect
• 23:37
  us from
• 23:38
  his stronghold.
• 23:39
  When the
• 23:40
  battle rages
• 23:41
  we can go
• 23:42
  to him.
• 23:43
  He is the
• 23:43
  one who is
• 23:44
  able to
• 23:44
  keep us,
• 23:45
  to protect
• 23:46
  us,
• 23:47
  to help
• 23:47
  us.
• 23:49
  And so as
• 23:49
  David says
• 23:50
  all of these
• 23:51
  things here
• 23:52
  in verse 2,
• 23:53
  when he's
• 23:53
  using that
• 23:54
  word my,
• 23:55
  he is reminding
• 23:56
  us just of
• 23:56
  the greatness
• 23:57
  of God.
• 23:59
  Who he is
• 24:00
  in all of
• 24:01
  these ways.
• 24:02
  My rock,
• 24:03
  my fortress,
• 24:03
  my deliverer,
• 24:04
  my God,
• 24:05
  my rock,
• 24:06
  my shield,
• 24:07
  my horn,
• 24:08
  my stronghold.
• 24:10
  They are
• 24:10
  all ways
• 24:11
  of expressing
• 24:11
  that dependence
• 24:13
  on God.
• 24:14
  But they are
• 24:15
  all ways
• 24:15
  that we
• 24:16
  can express
• 24:17
  our dependence
• 24:17
  on God
• 24:18
  as well.
• 24:19
  Because when
• 24:20
  we know God
• 24:21
  and we come
• 24:21
  to trust
• 24:22
  in the Lord
• 24:22
  Jesus,
• 24:23
  he is all
• 24:24
  of these
• 24:24
  things to
• 24:25
  us.
• 24:26
  A deliverer,
• 24:28
  a rock,
• 24:29
  a shield,
• 24:30
  salvation,
• 24:31
  a stronghold.
• 24:32
  Every aspect
• 24:33
  of this
• 24:34
  can be our
• 24:34
  song
• 24:35
  through faith
• 24:36
  in the Lord
• 24:37
  Jesus Christ
• 24:38
  as well.
• 24:39
  So then
• 24:41
  the final
• 24:42
  thing we
• 24:42
  see here
• 24:43
  is as we
• 24:43
  go into
• 24:43
  verse 3,
• 24:45
  worship
• 24:45
  leads us
• 24:46
  to a
• 24:46
  devotion
• 24:47
  to God.
• 24:49
  I call
• 24:49
  upon the
• 24:50
  Lord
• 24:50
  who is
• 24:51
  worthy
• 24:52
  to be
• 24:52
  praised
• 24:53
  and I
• 24:54
  am saved
• 24:55
  from my
• 24:56
  enemies.
• 24:58
  So David
• 24:59
  here is
• 24:59
  making
• 25:00
  a pledge.
• 25:02
  He is
• 25:03
  devoting
• 25:03
  himself
• 25:04
  to God.
• 25:05
  I call
• 25:06
  upon the
• 25:06
  Lord
• 25:06
  who is
• 25:07
  worthy
• 25:08
  to be
• 25:09
  praised.
• 25:13
  God
• 25:13
  is a
• 25:14
  God
• 25:14
  to
• 25:16
  worship.
• 25:18
  And when
• 25:18
  you think
• 25:18
  of David
• 25:19
  and all
• 25:20
  the situations
• 25:21
  that he
• 25:21
  has been
• 25:22
  through
• 25:22
  here,
• 25:24
  you would
• 25:24
  say that
• 25:25
  David would
• 25:26
  surely be
• 25:26
  able to
• 25:26
  say that
• 25:27
  there was
• 25:27
  a time
• 25:28
  when he
• 25:29
  thought the
• 25:29
  outcome
• 25:30
  would be
• 25:30
  different,
• 25:31
  when he
• 25:33
  thought the
• 25:33
  enemies would
• 25:34
  capture him,
• 25:35
  when he
• 25:36
  would be
• 25:36
  killed,
• 25:37
  when Saul
• 25:37
  would have
• 25:38
  him killed.
• 25:39
  But God
• 25:40
  has taken
• 25:41
  him through
• 25:41
  and God
• 25:43
  has proved
• 25:44
  to him
• 25:45
  that he
• 25:45
  can be
• 25:45
  dependent
• 25:46
  on.
• 25:48
  So David
• 25:49
  knew that
• 25:49
  if God
• 25:49
  could help
• 25:50
  him in
• 25:51
  these past
• 25:52
  days,
• 25:53
  he could
• 25:54
  help him
• 25:55
  in his
• 25:55
  future days
• 25:56
  as well.
• 25:58
  So that's
• 25:59
  what he is
• 25:59
  making clear
• 26:00
  here in
• 26:00
  verse 3,
• 26:01
  I call
• 26:02
  upon the
• 26:02
  Lord who
• 26:03
  is worthy
• 26:03
  to be
• 26:04
  praised and
• 26:05
  I am
• 26:05
  saved from
• 26:06
  my enemies.
• 26:06
  This is an
• 26:07
  ongoing
• 26:07
  salvation,
• 26:08
  that he
• 26:09
  has this
• 26:09
  trust in
• 26:11
  God.
• 26:12
  He is
• 26:13
  worshipping
• 26:14
  God.
• 26:15
  And the
• 26:15
  word
• 26:15
  worship
• 26:16
  itself,
• 26:17
  what's
• 26:18
  behind
• 26:18
  that?
• 26:19
  Well,
• 26:20
  the word
• 26:20
  worship
• 26:20
  is with
• 26:22
  this word
• 26:23
  worthy,
• 26:25
  worthship,
• 26:25
  the one
• 26:26
  who is
• 26:26
  worthy
• 26:26
  to be
• 26:27
  praised.
• 26:29
  And so
• 26:30
  he is
• 26:30
  showing
• 26:30
  himself to
• 26:31
  be on
• 26:31
  God's
• 26:32
  side,
• 26:33
  that he
• 26:33
  will
• 26:33
  trust in
• 26:34
  the Lord
• 26:35
  in all
• 26:36
  his days.
• 26:38
  So David
• 26:39
  knew the
• 26:40
  Lord was
• 26:40
  worthy to
• 26:41
  be praised
• 26:42
  because of
• 26:42
  the way
• 26:43
  he had
• 26:44
  brought him
• 26:44
  through.
• 26:46
  And in
• 26:46
  your life
• 26:47
  and my
• 26:47
  life,
• 26:47
  I'm sure
• 26:48
  there's
• 26:48
  been times
• 26:49
  as we
• 26:50
  looked ahead,
• 26:51
  as we
• 26:51
  looked forward
• 26:52
  in our
• 26:52
  lives,
• 26:52
  where all
• 26:53
  we could
• 26:53
  see was
• 26:54
  defeat.
• 26:55
  all we
• 26:56
  could see
• 26:57
  was there
• 26:57
  wasn't a
• 26:58
  way ahead
• 26:59
  for us.
• 27:01
  Everything
• 27:01
  seemed to
• 27:02
  weigh heavy
• 27:02
  upon us.
• 27:04
  All we
• 27:04
  could see
• 27:04
  was our
• 27:05
  unworthiness,
• 27:07
  our sin,
• 27:09
  and no way
• 27:10
  forward for
• 27:11
  ourselves.
• 27:12
  That is what
• 27:13
  David was
• 27:14
  seeing here
• 27:15
  at times in
• 27:17
  his own
• 27:17
  life.
• 27:18
  But yet he
• 27:18
  was brought
• 27:19
  through and
• 27:19
  so can we.
• 27:20
  that as
• 27:21
  we trust
• 27:22
  in the
• 27:23
  Lord,
• 27:23
  as we
• 27:23
  look to
• 27:24
  him,
• 27:25
  that there
• 27:25
  is that
• 27:25
  assurance
• 27:26
  that he
• 27:26
  is able
• 27:27
  to bring
• 27:28
  us through.
• 27:30
  And what
• 27:30
  a lesson
• 27:30
  there is
• 27:31
  in that
• 27:31
  for us.
• 27:33
  That as
• 27:33
  David learned
• 27:34
  to trust
• 27:35
  in God,
• 27:36
  so can
• 27:36
  we.
• 27:38
  That as
• 27:38
  David was
• 27:39
  protected,
• 27:40
  so will
• 27:41
  he protect
• 27:41
  us.
• 27:42
  As David
• 27:43
  was provided
• 27:44
  for,
• 27:44
  so he
• 27:45
  will provide
• 27:46
  for us.
• 27:48
  As he
• 27:48
  helped
• 27:49
  David,
• 27:49
  so he
• 27:50
  will help
• 27:50
  us.
• 27:51
  As he
• 27:51
  refreshed
• 27:52
  David,
• 27:52
  so he
• 27:53
  will
• 27:53
  refresh
• 27:53
  us.
• 27:55
  He can
• 27:55
  do all
• 27:56
  of these
• 27:56
  things
• 27:57
  because he
• 27:57
  is God
• 27:58
  who is
• 27:59
  able.
• 28:00
  And he
• 28:00
  is the
• 28:00
  one who
• 28:01
  is worthy
• 28:01
  to be
• 28:02
  praised.
• 28:05
  Jim
• 28:05
  Parker,
• 28:07
  in one
• 28:07
  of his
• 28:08
  books,
• 28:08
  he said
• 28:08
  this about
• 28:09
  worship.
• 28:10
  This then
• 28:11
  is worship
• 28:12
  in its
• 28:12
  largest sense.
• 28:13
  And he
• 28:14
  goes on to
• 28:14
  describe it
• 28:15
  in this
• 28:15
  way.
• 28:16
  Petition
• 28:16
  as well
• 28:17
  as praise.
• 28:18
  Preaching
• 28:19
  as well
• 28:19
  as prayer.
• 28:20
  Hearing
• 28:21
  as well
• 28:22
  as speaking.
• 28:23
  Actions
• 28:24
  as well
• 28:24
  as words.
• 28:25
  Obeying
• 28:26
  as well
• 28:26
  as offering.
• 28:28
  Loving
• 28:28
  people
• 28:29
  as well
• 28:29
  as loving
• 28:30
  God.
• 28:31
  So he
• 28:31
  has all
• 28:32
  these
• 28:32
  aspects
• 28:33
  of worship
• 28:34
  that we
• 28:34
  are to
• 28:34
  have
• 28:35
  ourselves.
• 28:37
  But he
• 28:38
  goes on
• 28:38
  to say
• 28:38
  this,
• 28:38
  however,
• 28:40
  the primary
• 28:40
  acts of
• 28:41
  worship
• 28:41
  are those
• 28:42
  which focus
• 28:43
  on God
• 28:44
  directly.
• 28:44
  and we
• 28:46
  must not
• 28:46
  imagine
• 28:47
  that work
• 28:48
  for God
• 28:48
  in the
• 28:49
  world
• 28:49
  is a
• 28:50
  substitute
• 28:51
  for direct
• 28:51
  fellowship
• 28:52
  with him
• 28:53
  in praise
• 28:54
  and prayer
• 28:55
  and devotion.
• 28:58
  So there
• 28:59
  are important
• 29:00
  things for us
• 29:01
  to be doing
• 29:02
  in this
• 29:03
  world.
• 29:04
  But there
• 29:05
  is nothing
• 29:05
  more important,
• 29:07
  there is no
• 29:08
  substitute,
• 29:09
  as Jim
• 29:09
  Packer
• 29:09
  says here,
• 29:10
  than direct
• 29:11
  fellowship
• 29:12
  with him
• 29:12
  in praise
• 29:13
  and prayer
• 29:14
  and devotion.
• 29:17
  And that
• 29:17
  is what
• 29:18
  David
• 29:18
  is showing
• 29:19
  here.
• 29:20
  In everything
• 29:21
  that he
• 29:21
  did for
• 29:22
  the Lord,
• 29:24
  he sees
• 29:24
  it is all
• 29:25
  about worship.
• 29:26
  There is no
• 29:27
  substitute,
• 29:28
  as David
• 29:28
  is saying
• 29:29
  here,
• 29:29
  for this
• 29:30
  fellowship,
• 29:31
  this praise,
• 29:32
  prayer,
• 29:33
  and devotion
• 29:34
  that this
• 29:35
  psalm
• 29:35
  shows to
• 29:36
  us.
• 29:38
  Is that
• 29:38
  our worship
• 29:40
  today?
• 29:41
  Is that
• 29:42
  the way
• 29:42
  we are
• 29:43
  living
• 29:44
  our lives
• 29:44
  today?
• 29:45
  With that
• 29:46
  praise,
• 29:47
  prayer,
• 29:48
  and devotion
• 29:49
  to God,
• 29:50
  the one
• 29:51
  who is
• 29:51
  worthy
• 29:52
  to be
• 29:53
  praised.
• 29:55
  A little
• 29:55
  boy had
• 29:56
  been to
• 29:56
  church,
• 29:57
  and at
• 29:58
  the end
• 29:58
  of the
• 29:58
  day,
• 29:59
  at night,
• 30:00
  as he
• 30:00
  knelt
• 30:00
  beside his
• 30:01
  bedside,
• 30:02
  to pray
• 30:02
  to God.
• 30:04
  This
• 30:04
  was his
• 30:05
  prayer.
• 30:06
  Dear
• 30:06
  God,
• 30:08
  we had
• 30:08
  a good
• 30:09
  time in
• 30:10
  church
• 30:10
  today.
• 30:11
  But I
• 30:12
  wish you
• 30:13
  had been
• 30:13
  there.
• 30:15
  Coming
• 30:15
  to church
• 30:16
  is not
• 30:18
  about having
• 30:18
  a good
• 30:19
  time with
• 30:20
  each other.
• 30:21
  It's not
• 30:22
  about coming
• 30:22
  to see
• 30:23
  the person
• 30:24
  sitting beside
• 30:25
  you or to
• 30:25
  catch up
• 30:26
  with others
• 30:26
  around you.
• 30:28
  It's about
• 30:29
  recognizing
• 30:30
  that God
• 30:31
  is here
• 30:32
  and that
• 30:34
  we meet
• 30:34
  with him,
• 30:36
  the one
• 30:36
  who is
• 30:37
  worthy
• 30:37
  of all
• 30:38
  our
• 30:39
  praise.
• 30:41
  We are
• 30:42
  so thankful
• 30:43
  to God
• 30:44
  for all
• 30:45
  that he
• 30:45
  does for
• 30:46
  us.
• 30:46
  He is
• 30:46
  worthy
• 30:46
  of our
• 30:48
  thanksgiving.
• 30:49
  And this
• 30:50
  evening we
• 30:50
  think of
• 30:51
  the fact
• 30:52
  that he
• 30:52
  is worthy
• 30:52
  of worship,
• 30:54
  worthy
• 30:55
  to be
• 30:56
  praised.
• 30:57
  So may
• 30:58
  our hearts
• 30:58
  praise him
• 30:59
  tonight.
• 31:00
  Praise him
• 31:01
  with that
• 31:01
  sense of
• 31:02
  thanksgiving,
• 31:03
  praise him
• 31:05
  and recognizing
• 31:06
  our delight
• 31:07
  in him,
• 31:08
  our dependence
• 31:09
  on him
• 31:11
  and our
• 31:12
  ongoing
• 31:12
  devotion
• 31:13
  to him.
• 31:15
  May we
• 31:15
  be a
• 31:16
  people
• 31:16
  who have
• 31:18
  that praise
• 31:19
  and prayer
• 31:20
  and devotion
• 31:21
  with him
• 31:23
  in that
• 31:24
  relationship
• 31:24
  where we
• 31:26
  can come
• 31:26
  and say
• 31:26
  I love
• 31:27
  you my
• 31:28
  Lord,
• 31:29
  my strength.
• 31:31
  Let us
• 31:32
  pray.
• 31:33
  Lord,
• 31:37
  our
• 31:37
  gracious
• 31:37
  God,
• 31:38
  we do
• 31:38
  thank you
• 31:39
  for your
• 31:40
  word again
• 31:40
  that reminds
• 31:42
  us of our
• 31:42
  ongoing
• 31:43
  dependence
• 31:43
  of you.
• 31:45
  And we
• 31:45
  thank you
• 31:46
  that you
• 31:46
  are worthy
• 31:46
  to be
• 31:47
  praised.
• 31:48
  And help
• 31:49
  us,
• 31:49
  Lord,
• 31:49
  to come
• 31:50
  and acknowledge
• 31:51
  you in that
• 31:52
  way,
• 31:52
  that you
• 31:53
  are one
• 31:53
  we are
• 31:53
  to worship
• 31:54
  and you
• 31:55
  alone,
• 31:56
  so that
• 31:57
  from the
• 31:58
  outset of
• 31:58
  our time
• 31:59
  and as we
• 31:59
  go from
• 32:00
  here this
• 32:01
  evening
• 32:01
  into all
• 32:02
  the week
• 32:02
  ahead,
• 32:03
  that whatever
• 32:04
  we do
• 32:04
  for you,
• 32:05
  that we
• 32:06
  recognize
• 32:06
  that there
• 32:07
  is no
• 32:07
  substitute
• 32:08
  for that
• 32:08
  fellowship
• 32:09
  with you
• 32:10
  in praise
• 32:11
  and prayer
• 32:12
  and devotion.
• 32:13
  Teach us
• 32:14
  to pray,
• 32:14
  teach us
• 32:15
  to walk
• 32:15
  with you,
• 32:16
  teach us
• 32:16
  to love
• 32:17
  you and
• 32:17
  to love
• 32:17
  one another,
• 32:19
  even as
• 32:19
  your word
• 32:19
  commands.
• 32:21
  We ask it
• 32:21
  all with the
• 32:22
  forgiveness
• 32:22
  of our
• 32:23
  sins.
• 32:23
  In Jesus'
• 32:24
  name.
• 32:24
  Amen.
• 32:25
  Amen.
• 32:25
  Amen.
• 32:25
  Amen.
• 32:27
  Amen.
• 32:29
  We'll
• 32:33
  conclude
• 32:33
  then by
• 32:34
  singing
• 32:34
  in this
• 32:35
  psalm,
• 32:36
  Psalm 18,
• 32:37
  these three
• 32:38
  verses we've
• 32:39
  been looking
• 32:39
  for,
• 32:40
  page 218
• 32:41
  of the
• 32:41
  psalm book,
• 32:42
  the
• 32:42
  Scottish
• 32:43
  Psalter
• 32:43
  version.
• 32:48
  Psalm 18,
• 32:50
  verse 1
• 32:51
  to verse 3,
• 32:52
  The will I
• 32:53
  love,
• 32:53
  O Lord,
• 32:53
  my strength,
• 32:55
  my fortress
• 32:55
  is the
• 32:56
  Lord,
• 32:56
  my rock,
• 32:57
  and he
• 32:57
  that doth
• 32:57
  to me
• 32:58
  deliverance
• 32:59
  afford.
• 33:00
  Verse 1
• 33:01
  to 3,
• 33:01
  the tune
• 33:01
  is spot,
• 33:02
  we stand
• 33:03
  to sing
• 33:04
  to God's
• 33:04
  praise.
• 33:05
  Amen.
• 33:09
  The will
• 33:11
  I love,
• 33:14
  O Lord,
• 33:16
  my strength,
• 33:18
  my fortress
• 33:21
  is the
• 33:24
  Lord,
• 33:26
  my rock,
• 33:29
  and he
• 33:31
  acteth
• 33:33
  to me
• 33:35
  deliverance
• 33:39
  afford.
• 33:44
  My God,
• 33:46
  my strength,
• 33:48
  through my
• 33:51
  will trust.
• 33:53
  Abaklar
• 33:56
  unto thee
• 34:00
  heart
• 34:03
  of thy
• 34:05
  salvation
• 34:09
  and my
• 34:12
  night
• 34:13
  of
• 34:14
  redeemed.
• 34:17
  Upon the Lord who worthy is, all praises will I cry.
• 34:35
  And then shall I preserve thee, save from my enemy.
• 34:54
  After the benediction, I'll go to the door to my right. We'll close with the benediction.
• 34:58
  Now may grace, mercy and peace from God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit rest upon and abide with you all now and forevermore. Amen.
• 35:28
  Amen.