What does God have to say to us?

Well, good morning and welcome to our service here at Buclough Free Church.

It's great to have you with us, whether you're a regular part of the congregation

or whether you're tuning in for the first time.

Today we are looking together at Psalm 27, one of David's psalms,

which is an appropriate way to commence a new year,

to have a firm foundation, to have a single-minded vision,

and to be reminded of that relationship that we have with our God and with our Savior Jesus.

So as our call to worship, let me read a few verses from another psalm.

This is Psalm 43, and I'll read verses 3 to 5.

Send forth your light and your truth. Let them guide me.

Let them bring me to your holy mountain, to the place where you dwell.

Let us now worship God.

We're going to hear sung, and we can join our voices together in the hymn,

All Creatures of Our God and King.

All Creatures of Our God and King,

Lift up your voice and with us sing.

O praise Him, Alleluia.

Thou burning sun with golden beam,

Thou silver moon with softer gleam,

O praise Him, O praise Him, O praise Him,

Alleluia, Alleluia, Alleluia, Alleluia.

Praise, praise the Father, praise the Son,

Praise the Father, praise the Son,

Praise the Father, praise the Son,

Let all things there create to bless,

And worship Him in humbleness,

O praise Him, Alleluia,

Praise, praise the Father, praise the Son,

And praise the Son, and praise the Son,

And praise the Spirit, three in one.

O praise Him, O praise Him,

Alleluia, Alleluia, Alleluia, Alleluia.

All the Redeemed, washed by His blood,

Come and rejoice in His great love,

O praise Him, Alleluia,

Christ has defeated every sin,

Cast all your burdens now on Him

O praise Him, O praise Him

Alleluia, Alleluia, Alleluia

He shall return in power to reign

Heaven and earth will join to sing

O praise Him, Alleluia

Then who shall fall on bended knee

O creatures of our God and King

O praise Him, O praise Him

Alleluia, Alleluia, Alleluia

So as we've joined our voices in praise, let's now unite our hearts in prayer. Let us pray.

Heavenly Father, we thank you for your word. We thank you for your truth. We thank you for your gospel. And we thank you for your Son. So we give you thanks this morning for who you are. That you are the one who brings light. That you are the one who brings truth. And that you are the one who saves. And the one who sustains.

So it's our prayer today that we would magnify your name in our praise. That we would come to you with eager expectation in our prayer. And that we would listen to your word. Your word as it's read and proclaimed. And that we would receive and trust and go forth in the knowledge. That you are God. That you are good. And that Jesus is Savior. And that He is Lord.

We pray that you would give us ears to hear. That you would give us eyes to see. That you would give us hearts that are warmed and minds that are filled with the truth of God. Lord, we commit ourselves to you afresh at the commencement of this new year. We need your grace. We need your strength. We need your wisdom. We need your comfort. We need your courage.

You are the God who has created all things. You are the one who sustains all by the power of your word. And you and you alone are the one who redeems.

You are the one who restores what has been lost. You are the one who fixes what has been broken. And you are the one who brings hope and light out of despair and darkness.

So we come to you in that precious and that powerful name of Jesus. Asking that He would be our focus. That He would be our delight. That He would be the foundation of our lives. That He would be the foundation of our witness.

We pray that as a church we might know much encouragement in this year to come. We thank you for every evidence of your goodness that we experienced last year.

And we ask, Lord, that you would continue to work in our congregation, within our number, and that you would work within our families and among our circles of friends.

We pray, too, that this church would be a blessing to the south side of Edinburgh.

That we would be a point of light and a place of hope and a beacon where the gospel can be sounded forth and shined forth.

That others might see and come to know that Jesus is your Son.

That He is the Savior who has come to seek and to save that which is lost.

So, Lord, as we turn to your Word, open our hearts, open our minds, direct our steps, guide our lives,

and may we know that from beginning to end, and everything in between,

that all that we are and all that we have comes from your gracious and good hand.

And we offer you our praise, we come to you in prayer, and we come to you in the name of Jesus, our Lord and our Savior. Amen.

Our reading today is Psalm 27.

Psalm 27 of David.

The Lord is my light and my salvation.

Whom shall I fear?

The Lord is the stronghold of my life.

Of whom shall I be afraid?

When evil men advance against me to devour my flesh,

when my enemies and my foes attack me, they will stumble and fall.

Though an army besiege me, my heart will not fear.

Though war break out against me, even then will I be confident.

One thing I ask of the Lord, this is what I seek,

that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life,

to gaze upon the beauty of the Lord and to seek him in his temple.

For in the day of trouble, he will keep me safe in his dwelling.

He will hide me in the shelter of his tabernacle and set me high upon a rock.

Then my head will be exalted above the enemies who surround me.

At his tabernacle will I sacrifice with shouts of joy.

I will sing and make music to the Lord.

Hear my voice when I call, O Lord.

Be merciful to me and answer me.

My heart says of you, seek his face.

Your face, Lord, I will seek.

Do not hide your face from me.

Do not turn your servant away in anger.

You have been my helper.

Do not reject me or forsake me, O God, my Savior.

Though my father and mother forsake me, the Lord will receive me.

Teach me your way, O Lord.

Lead me in a straight path because of my oppressors.

Do not turn me over to the desire of my foes for false witnesses.

Rise up against me, breathing out violence.

I am still confident of this.

I will see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living.

Wait for the Lord.

Be strong and take heart.

And wait for the Lord.

Amen.

So as we commence this new year, 2021,

there's no better way to start than to consider what God has to say to us.

Now as we turn to the Bible, of course, we have God telling us

all that we need to know about him,

all that we need to know about ourselves,

and all that we need to know about salvation.

But what we have, particularly in the book of Psalms,

is a way in which we can respond to God.

God gives us the language for prayer, for response,

for praise, for thanksgiving, for repentance.

So as we read the book of Psalms,

we can better understand or better realize

how we can respond to all that God is

and respond to all that God does.

And as we turn to Psalm 27,

we have David reflecting on his own experience

and giving us insight into the character of God,

the nature of God, the life of faith.

And I'd like just to notice a few things from Psalm 27,

I think, that can help us at the start of this new and hopefully better year.

First of all, David begins with a foundation.

There's a foundation to his life.

He is building his life on something other than himself.

And we all need a foundation.

If you remember the story of Jesus,

at the end of the Sermon on the Mount,

he tells a parable of two builders.

Both build a house,

but only one builds a house on rock.

The other builds a house on sand.

Now, the difference between the two

is that the one who builds his house on sand

simply hears the word of God,

but doesn't do what it says.

Whereas the one who has a foundation that's built on rock,

hears the words of Jesus,

and does what Jesus tells him to do.

So here David is saying that

the Lord is my light and my salvation.

Whom shall I fear?

The Lord is the stronghold of my life.

So he gives us this threefold foundation.

Light, salvation, and strongholder, or fortress.

Meaning that there is a security and a stability

that comes from outside of himself.

And first and foremost,

that's the message of the Bible.

That everything that we have

and everything that we need

comes not from within,

but from outside.

The gift of life is from God.

The way in which life is sustained

is from God.

Salvation is from God.

wisdom, guidance, direction,

perseverance, preservation.

All of these are things that we need,

but these are not things

that we ourselves can produce.

So David gives credit

where credit is due.

And he said,

the Lord is my light.

So David is not reflecting upon his battles

or upon his authority

or upon his prestige or power.

But his foundation is rooted

in the Lord in whom he trusts.

And notice here that David

is making a personal statement.

My light,

my salvation,

my life.

And he's rooting that personal statement

in the personal God.

The personal name of God,

the Lord,

or Jehovah,

or Yahweh,

is emphasized here

throughout the psalm.

Lord in capital letters

is the covenant name

or the personal name of God.

You see,

our God is not abstract.

He's personal.

Our God is not an idea

or a concept.

He's the one who makes

and sustains and redeems.

He's personal.

He acts in a personal way.

And he reveals himself

to us personally.

So David has a foundation

that is necessary

because he goes on to say,

that he has enemies and foes.

And they are so intent

on his destruction

that they would almost

eat him up alive.

It's as if he's surrounded

and maybe literally surrounded

by an army.

So in this setting,

David needs light.

Otherwise,

there's only darkness.

David needs salvation.

Otherwise,

there's only defeat.

And David needs a stronghold,

a place of security,

because there is no

secure place to be found.

And the Lord is

that light

that shines in darkness.

The Lord is that salvation

that gives us hope

in the midst of despair.

And the Lord is that strong place,

that fort or refuge

to which we can always go.

So David has a threefold foundation

that he tells us

and commends to us.

And I want to ask you

this morning,

what is the foundation

for your life?

What is the foundation

for all that you are

and all that you do?

Is your foundation

the same foundation,

the light,

the salvation,

the fortress

that is found in God

and in God alone,

the personal God

that you can describe

personally?

Because this light

is not just light,

it's my light.

It's David's light

and it's your light as well.

So we have a personal God

that we receive personally.

Then David goes on to say

that as one

who has a firm foundation

in the midst of trouble

and crisis,

he goes on to say

that he has a single desire.

Now we all have

many different interests.

We have many different identities.

David was a king.

He was also a general.

He was a husband.

He was a father.

So he has different identities

and different roles,

different responsibilities.

Yet he's able to have

a singularity of focus.

One thing.

I ask of the Lord,

this is what I seek.

So in verse 4,

how would you finish

that sentence?

What is the one thing

you're asking?

What is the one thing

that you're seeking?

Because David has no hesitation.

David says,

the thing that I want,

the thing that I need,

that which I desire

above all else,

is the presence of God,

is the comfort of God,

is the safety of God,

is the security of God.

He wants to be near God

because he knows

that that is the only place

of security.

That is the only place

of safety.

Anywhere else is danger.

Anywhere else,

he'll be surrounded by evil.

He'll be surrounded by danger.

But he wants to be near God

and he wants to see

the beauty of God,

that he can gaze upon

the beauty of God

and to seek him

in his temple.

For in the day of trouble,

he will keep me safe.

Again,

the Psalms giving us

these great statements

of faith and commitment.

He will keep me safe.

He will keep you safe.

He will keep us safe.

Our faith is rooted

in the one

who brings safety

and security,

who brings peace,

and who brings comfort.

The one that we can go to

for rescue,

to hide ourselves

in him.

And the one that one day

will place us high.

He will exalt us.

Not because of who we are,

but he will exalt us

to show others

the God in whom we trust,

the faith that we profess.

You see,

Jesus makes it quite clear

that his people

are to be a humble people,

and that those

who humble themselves

he will exalt.

The opposite,

of course,

is also true.

Jesus makes it clear

that those who exalt themselves

will be humbled.

So here you have David,

the king general,

the commander-in-chief

of the army,

and he is saying

that he needs help.

He's saying

that he needs a refuge.

He's saying

that he needs comfort.

So he's not resting

upon his victories.

He's not resting

upon his prestige,

but he's relying solely

and singularly

on the power

and the promise

of his God

and of his Savior.

So with a foundation

and a focus,

David then moves on

to prayer.

And sometimes,

if we're honest,

we don't know

what to pray.

We don't know

how to pray.

Jesus taught his disciples,

when you pray,

our Father,

who art in heaven,

hallowed be thy name.

So he gives the Lord's prayer

in the Sermon on the Mount.

And the Psalms give us

these great examples

or models

that we can use

for ourselves.

So yes,

this is David's testimony,

but it's a testimony

that's shared

by all of God's people

in all places

and at all times.

Because notice here

that there's a personal response.

God's a personal God.

And we respond personally.

Hear my voice

when I call,

O Lord,

be merciful to me

and answer me,

my heart.

So you see,

there's something

about the human heart.

I think it was Augustine

who said,

you know,

our hearts are restless

until they find rest in you.

There's something missing

in the human heart

that only God can provide.

There's something lacking

that only he can fill.

So David's heart

encourages him

to seek God's face,

to hear and to respond.

So this life of faith

is very much a dialogue.

We hear

and we respond.

We read

and we reply.

My heart says

if you seek his face,

your face,

Lord,

I will seek.

Do not hide

your face from me.

Do not turn

your servant away

in anger.

So you see,

the worst thing possible

are not the enemies,

not the foreign armies,

not the foes

that want to destroy him

or even to eat him alive.

But David's greatest fear

is that God

would turn away,

that God

would be absent.

You see,

that goes back

to his singular focus,

that he wants

to dwell

with God.

He wants to

gaze on God.

Now,

he can't be

with God

or dwell

on the beauty

of God

if God

isn't with him,

if God

isn't for him,

if God

is turning

away from him.

So his prayer

is for God.

Now,

when we pray,

there are many things

that we naturally

pray for,

and that's right.

But first and foremost,

we need God.

We need God

in our lives.

We need God

in our families.

We need God

in our church.

We need God

in Edinburgh.

We need God

in Scotland.

We need him.

We don't just

need to know

about him.

We don't just

need information.

But we need him.

We need his presence.

We need his blessing.

We need his salvation.

We need him

to do his work

in us.

And only when

he does his work

in us

can then he begin

to do his work

through us.

So David

has this language

of prayer.

And he says,

even if

those closest to me

would forsake me,

he's confident

in God's faithfulness.

Remember the personal name,

the Lord?

It takes us back

to his covenant,

to his commitment,

that our God

cannot lie.

He always tells the truth.

You know,

that's why Jesus,

when Jesus says,

I am the way,

the truth,

and the life,

not only does Jesus

speak the truth,

he often says,

verily, verily,

I say unto you,

or amen,

amen,

I say to you.

So Jesus speaks

the truth,

but Jesus is

the truth.

God is a truth-telling

God,

but God is truth itself.

And as such,

he cannot lie,

he cannot compromise

his fidelity,

he cannot undermine

in any way

the commitments

that he makes.

So David is able

to say,

in the worst possible

scenario,

if I have no one

but God,

I'm okay.

But in the best possible

other scenario,

where everyone is for him,

everyone is with him,

and God is absent,

that's the worst possible

scenario for David.

So is God today

with you?

Is he for you?

The Bible tells us

that if God is for us,

who can be against us?

And how do we know

if God is for us?

Well, he sent his son

on a mission

to seek and to save.

That mission was

a costly mission for him,

but the cost that he bore

is a benefit

that we receive.

So if God is for us,

then Jesus

is our Savior.

He's the one who died,

more than that,

who was raised to life.

He's seated at God's right hand.

So if we have

this knowledge

of God's faithfulness,

his fidelity,

and his commitment,

that can only be rooted

in the person

and the work of his son.

David, in so many different ways,

in the Psalms,

points forward

to the one

who is the greater king,

the one who is to come.

We read of him

in Psalm 22

of the crucifixion.

We read of him

in Psalm 23,

the Good Shepherd.

John chapter 10,

John 10 · chapter mention

I am the Good Shepherd,

says Jesus.

We read of him

as a conquering king

who returns to reign

in Psalm 24.

And here we are reminded

that our God

is a God who saves.

He not only saves

his people

from their enemies

and their foes,

he saves us from sin,

he saves us from death,

he saves us from punishment,

and David is saying

that in response,

he not only asks

for God's help,

but he asks

for God's direction.

You see,

David is a prayer,

he's one who prays,

but David is also

a pilgrim.

And each of us

are the same.

If we are believers

in the Lord Jesus Christ,

we are to be prayers

and we are to be pilgrims.

Prayers are those

who speak to God

and listen,

pilgrims are those

who are on a journey.

And if you're on a journey,

you need a road map.

You need direction.

And David says,

I need direction.

Teach me your way,

O Lord.

Lead me in a straight path.

David realizes

that the path

that God leads

is the only path

of safety.

Veering off to the right

or to the left

is danger.

Why?

Because enemies

are constantly there.

prayer.

So,

as we come to God

in prayer,

we speak to him.

We pour out our heart

to him.

We come to him

for help,

for grace,

for forgiveness,

for mercy.

And we come to him

for direction.

So, you see,

there's always

this two-way dialogue.

God speaks

and we listen.

We speak

and God responds.

And we follow

the response

that we get.

God leads.

God teaches.

We learn.

We follow.

David, again,

in verse 12,

is very much aware

of the foes.

He's aware

of the false witnesses.

He's aware

of those

who are breathing

out violence

as if he can feel

their breath

on his neck.

They're that close.

That's why he wants

to be so close

to God.

Because the enemies

are all around.

The dangers.

the world,

the flesh,

the devil.

We don't need

to search far

to see

those who would

do us harm.

Those who would

do us in.

But notice,

as we come to the end,

we begin with that

confident

and that firm

foundation.

We then have

this message

of hope

for the future.

Now,

nobody can tell

the future.

We have hopes

that 2021

will be better

than 2020.

We hope

and we pray.

the doctors

are telling us,

the experts

are saying,

we look forward

to new vaccines,

but not one of us

can tell the future.

But notice

what David

is saying here

in verses 13

and 14.

And when we look

at the Psalms,

always pay

careful attention

to the beginning

and the end.

Because often

that is where

the emphasis is.

The emphasis

in the beginning.

My light,

my salvation,

the stronghold

of my life.

And then at the end,

I am still confident

of this.

I will see

the goodness

of the Lord

in the land

of the living.

So not only

does David

have a past

experience of God,

not only does he

have a present

relationship

with God,

but he has

a confident

hope

for the future

with God.

That the God

he's trusted,

that the God

who's answered,

that the God

who's helped,

will continue

to do so.

Will continue

to be present.

Will continue

to guide,

direct,

guard,

protect,

and preserve.

I am confident

of this.

Now, verse 13,

it's a difficult one.

The translators,

ancient translators

and modern translators,

realize that,

I guess,

in poetry,

we often leave

words out

or we contract words.

poets,

so poets

will use words

like or,

O-E-R,

and er,

E-R-E.

They're easier

to rhyme.

And in Hebrew

poetry,

sometimes words

are left off.

And this opening

phrase in verse 13

is, again,

it's hard to translate,

but it could

almost mean,

you know,

unless I believed

or unless I trusted.

You know,

it's almost as if

David is saying,

you know,

unless I trusted

in God,

I would be

completely lost.

You know,

he wants us to,

he's considering

what it would be like

if he didn't have

trust,

if he didn't have

faith,

and he's positing

this possibility

to show us

the security

that we really

do have

in God.

I am still confident

I will see

the goodness

of the Lord

in the land

of the living.

Wait for the Lord,

be strong,

and take heart,

and wait

for the Lord.

So God has been

with us in the past,

and we thank him

for it.

God is an ever-present

help in time of trouble,

Psalm 46.

That's why we speak

to him,

that's why we listen

to him.

But David wants us

to know that

our hope is not

just for now.

Our hope is not

just for yesterday,

but we have a hope

for tomorrow,

that we have

a confident hope

that unless

it was God,

unless God

was with us,

we would be lost.

Unless God

was for us,

we would be done for.

Unless God

was there,

we would have

no hope

indeed.

But we are

in the meantime

to be strong,

to be courageous,

to take heart,

and to wait.

Whenever there's

a repetition,

there's always

a repetition

for a reason.

So in verse 14,

which begins,

wait for the Lord

and ends,

wait for the Lord,

the repetition

is to underline

that faith

is a present

and a future

reality.

We trust in God

for what he has done.

We trust God today

for who he is

and what he promises.

But we have faith

for tomorrow,

that we can be

confident that the

God who has saved us,

who has rescued us,

who has set us free,

that he will one day

bring us to be with him

forever and ever.

As we come

to this new year,

I pray that we

would respond to God

in the language

that David gives,

with the confidence

that David has,

with that singularity

of focus

that David demonstrates,

because our God

is faithful,

our God

is powerful,

our God

is present,

our God

can save

and sustain.

And no matter

what this year

holds,

we know

who holds

this year.

At the very beginning

of the Gospel of John,

John uses

very similar language

to David.

He talks about,

through him

all things

were made,

without him

nothing was made

that has been made.

In him

was life,

and that life

was the light

of men.

The Lord

is my light

and my saving health.

The light

shines in the darkness,

but the darkness

has not understood it.

As he continues

in his prologue,

John says this,

The Word

became flesh

and made his dwelling

among us.

We have seen

his glory,

the glory

of the one

and only

who came from

the Father,

full of grace

and truth.

David wanted

to gaze on

the beauty

of the Lord,

and the Apostle John

is saying,

we've seen

the beauty

of the Lord

in Jesus Christ.

And then,

verse 15,

John testifies

concerning him.

He cries out,

saying,

This was he

of whom I said,

He who comes

after me

has surpassed me

because he was

before me.

From the fullness

of his grace

we have all received

one blessing

after another.

For the law

was given

through Moses,

grace and truth

came through

Jesus Christ.

All that David

says has been

fulfilled now

in the person,

in the work

of Jesus Christ.

The light,

the salvation,

the stronghold,

the security,

the confidence,

the comfort,

and the hope

that we can

rest assured

that Jesus

has set us free,

he has saved us,

and he and he alone

will sustain us

until the very end.

Our desire

is to be with him,

to be near him,

to hear him,

to respond to him,

to be guided by him,

and to follow

his direction.

So may God

bless you richly

at this commencement

of a new year.

We are now going

to sing

those words

that we have just

considered.

We're going to sing

a portion of this

wonderful psalm,

Psalm 27.

The Lord's my Savior

and my light,

who will make me dismayed?

The Lord's the stronghold

of my life,

why should I be afraid?

When evildoers threaten me

to take my life away,

my adversaries

and my foes

will stumble

in that day.

Although an army

hems me in,

my heart will feel

no dread.

Though war against me

should arise,

I will lift up my head.

One thing I plead

before the Lord,

and there shall see go

in the Lord's name.

I will lift up my eyes,

that I may come

within God's house

and dwell there all my days,

that on the beauty

of the Lord

I constantly may gaze,

and in his house

may seek to know

direction in his ways.

For in his dwelling

he will keep me safe

in troubled days.

within his tent

he'll shelter me

and on a rock

me raise.

So as we close

our time together,

for our benediction,

let me read the final verses

of Romans chapter 16,

Romans 16:25–27

verses 25 to 27.

Now to him

who is able to establish you

by my gospel

and the proclamation

of Jesus Christ,

according to the revelation

of the mystery hidden

for long ages past,

but now revealed

and made known

through the prophetic writings

by the command

of the eternal God,

so that all nations

might believe

and obey him,

to the only wise God

be glory forever

through Jesus Christ.

Amen.

So may God bless you

and may he make you

a blessing.