Sermon Cloud

Intro:  Trying times tend to squeeze God out of the picture.  Good news: it’s Christmas!

Big Idea: Messiah watches over all who take refuge in Him.

I. Taking refuge in Jesus is to seek all good in Him (v. 1-4).

-         David’s request is based on His relationship with God: “in You I take refuge.”

-         He explores what it means to “take refuge” in God (Ps. 2).  Ill. Connecting dots

-         Why?  He is struggling, losing sight of reality, & preaching the gospel to himself.

-         “You are my Lord”: submitting to Jesus as Adonai/Master- trust.  Who calls the shots?

-         “Apart from you”: seeing all good as coming from Him (James 1)- gratitude.

-         He is the Creator, Sustainer & Provider of all we enjoy.  Ill. Beauty, love, joy, wealth

-         “Your glorious ones”: delighting in God’s people- love. 1^st => 2^nd commandment!

-         “I will not…”: forsaking the sorrows of idolatry.  Restlessness sign of idolatry.

-         Misery will follow worshipping the wrong things.  Ill. Son’s sin, family’s suffering.

¹⁶ Don’t be deceived, my dear brothers.  ¹⁷ Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.  James 1 (NIV)

“Without God’s love to satisfy us, we try to fill the hole in our lives with happy vacations, new lovers, work, and children.  But with each one we come away empty.”  Paul Miller

Transition:  Taking refuge in Jesus is more than walking the aisle- it’s the orientation of life.

II. Messiah watches over our earthly circumstances (v. 5-8).  He’s preaching the benefits.

-         His request was for God to “exercise great care over” him.  Ill. Watching the kids

-         God is his treasure (portion & cup) (KJV, NLT).  Messiah gives Himself to us.

-         God keeps his assigned possessions secure- firmly in His grasp.  Dynamic not static!

-         He is content with God’s provision, trusting God’s wisdom & goodness (Mt. 8:20).

-         The richest nation ever is consumed by greed & covetousness (1 Tim. 6:6ff).  Repent!

-         God gives counsel, direction, and purpose to His life.

-         At night his instructed heart corrects him for his disobedience.  Ill. Parenting

-         Our night thoughts/dreams reveal how much we need Messiah to watch over us.

-         God stands by him and reminds him of His protection in a shaky world.

-         Jesus lived a life like ours- in an uncertain world.  He understands & sympathizes (Heb).

²⁰ Jesus replied, “Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head.” Matthew 8 (NIV)

⁶ But godliness with contentment is great gain.  ⁷ For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it.  ⁸ But if we have food and clothing, we will be content with that.  ⁹ People who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge men into ruin and destruction.  ¹⁰ For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs. 1 Timothy 6 (NIV)

Transition:  Earthly circumstances are not irrelevant to Him, but He watches them for our good.

III. Messiah rose again to gain our eternal pleasures (v. 9-11).

-         Joy fills David’s heart when he recalls God’s careful watch over him.

-         His body will dwell securely, despite many deadly dangers.  Why?

-         God does not abandon His children to the grave.  We will be resurrected.  Why?

-         His Holy One did not see decay- the resurrection of Jesus (Acts 2:27 & 13:35-7).

-         Jesus rose again, in our behalf, to grant all who take refuge in Him eternal life (Heb 2).

-         We will be raised from the dead just as surely as He has been raised from the dead.

-         Jesus is the path of life for His people, the only road back to the Father (John 14:6).

-         The Incarnate Jesus, the Promise-fulfilled, holds out promises of eternal joy.  Ill. Sanct.

-         Preaching the gospel to ourselves is rejecting lesser pleasures for Christ.  Ill. Luther

¹⁴ Since the children have flesh and blood, he too shared in their humanity so that by his death he might destroy him who holds the power of death—that is, the devil—  ¹⁵ and free those who all their lives were held in slavery by their fear of death.  Hebrews 2 (NIV)

⁶ Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.  John 14 (NIV)

Conclusion:  The uncertainties of life tempt us to fear and unbelief.  Like the Psalmist we need to grab ourselves by the shirt and preach the gospel to ourselves- remind ourselves of all God has done for us in Jesus, and all He promises to do.  Advent is a time to put God back in the picture, remembering that Jesus has come in the flesh, died in our place and rose again for us.  We also remember that He will come again to fulfill all outstanding promises.  He is an anchor for our souls in troubling times.