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SCRIPTURE REFERENCES FOR THIS SERMON:
Psalm 27:1-32:11
27:1 By David.
The Lord is my light and my salvation.
I fear no one.
The Lord protects my life.
I am afraid of no one.
2 When evil men attack me
to devour my flesh,
when my adversaries and enemies attack me,
they stumble and fall.
3 Even when an army is deployed against me,
I do not fear.
Even when war is imminent,
I remain confident.
4 I have asked the Lord for one thing—
this is what I desire!
I want to live in the Lord’s house all the days of my life,
so I can gaze at the splendor of the Lord
and contemplate in his temple.
5 He will surely give me shelter in the day of danger;
he will hide me in his home.
He will place me on an inaccessible rocky summit.
6 Now I will triumph
over my enemies who surround me.
I will offer sacrifices in his dwelling place and shout for joy.
I will sing praises to the Lord.
7 Hear me, O Lord, when I cry out.
Have mercy on me and answer me.
8 My heart tells me to pray to you,
and I do pray to you, O Lord.
9 Do not reject me.
Do not push your servant away in anger.
You are my deliverer.
Do not forsake or abandon me,
O God who vindicates me.
10 Even if my father and mother abandoned me,
the Lord would take me in.
11 Teach me how you want me to live, Lord;
lead me along a level path because of those who wait to ambush me.
12 Do not turn me over to my enemies,
for false witnesses who want to destroy me testify against me.
13 Where would I be if I did not believe I would experience
the Lord’s favor in the land of the living?
14 Rely on the Lord!
Be strong and confident!
Rely on the Lord!
28:1 By David.
To you, O Lord, I cry out!
My Protector, do not ignore me.
If you do not respond to me,
I will join those who are descending into the grave.
2 Hear my plea for mercy when I cry out to you for help,
when I lift my hands toward your holy temple.
3 Do not drag me away with evil men,
with those who behave wickedly,
who talk so friendly to their neighbors,
while they plan to harm them.
4 Pay them back for their evil deeds.
Pay them back for what they do.
Punish them.
5 For they do not understand the Lord’s actions,
or the way he carries out justice.
The Lord will permanently demolish them.
6 The Lord deserves praise,
for he has heard my plea for mercy.
7 The Lord strengthens and protects me;
I trust in him with all my heart.
I am rescued and my heart is full of joy;
I will sing to him in gratitude.
8 The Lord strengthens his people;
he protects and delivers his chosen king.
9 Deliver your people.
Empower the nation that belongs to you.
Care for them like a shepherd and carry them in your arms at all times!
29:1 A psalm of David.
Acknowledge the Lord, you heavenly beings,
acknowledge the Lord’s majesty and power.
2 Acknowledge the majesty of the Lord’s reputation.
Worship the Lord in holy attire.
3 The Lord’s shout is heard over the water;
the majestic God thunders,
the Lord appears over the surging water.
4 The Lord’s shout is powerful;
the Lord’s shout is majestic.
5 The Lord’s shout breaks the cedars;
the Lord shatters the cedars of Lebanon.
6 He makes them skip like a calf,
Lebanon and Sirion like a young ox.
7 The Lord’s shout strikes with flaming fire.
8 The Lord’s shout shakes the wilderness;
the Lord shakes the wilderness of Kadesh.
9 The Lord’s shout bends the large trees
and strips the leaves from the forests.
Everyone in his temple says, “Majestic!”
10 The Lord sits enthroned over the engulfing waters;
the Lord sits enthroned as the eternal king.
11 The Lord gives his people strength;
the Lord grants his people security.
30:1 A psalm, a song used at the dedication of the temple; by David.
I will praise you, O Lord, for you lifted me up
and did not allow my enemies to gloat over me.
2 O Lord my God,
I cried out to you and you healed me.
3 O Lord, you pulled me up from Sheol;
you rescued me from among those descending into the grave.
4 Sing to the Lord, you faithful followers of his;
give thanks to his holy name.
5 For his anger lasts only a brief moment,
and his good favor restores one’s life.
One may experience sorrow during the night,
but joy arrives in the morning.
6 In my self-confidence I said,
“I will never be shaken.”
7 O Lord, in your good favor you made me secure.
Then you rejected me and I was terrified.
8 To you, O Lord, I cried out;
I begged the Lord for mercy:
9 “What profit is there in taking my life,
in my descending into the Pit?
Can the dust of the grave praise you?
Can it declare your loyalty?
10 Hear, O Lord, and have mercy on me.
O Lord, deliver me.”
11 Then you turned my lament into dancing;
you removed my sackcloth and covered me with joy.
12 So now my heart will sing to you and not be silent;
O Lord my God, I will always give thanks to you.
31:1 For the music director, a psalm of David.
In you, O Lord, I have taken shelter.
Never let me be humiliated.
Vindicate me by rescuing me.
2 Listen to me.
Quickly deliver me.
Be my protector and refuge,
a stronghold where I can be safe.
3 For you are my high ridge and my stronghold;
for the sake of your own reputation you lead me and guide me.
4 You will free me from the net they hid for me,
for you are my place of refuge.
5 Into your hand I entrust my life;
you will rescue me, O Lord, the faithful God.
6 I hate those who serve worthless idols,
but I trust in the Lord.
7 I will be happy and rejoice in your faithfulness,
because you notice my pain
and you are aware of how distressed I am.
8 You do not deliver me over to the power of the enemy;
you enable me to stand in a wide open place.
9 Have mercy on me, Lord, for I am in distress!
My eyes grow dim from suffering.
I have lost my strength.
10 For my life nears its end in pain;
my years draw to a close as I groan.
My strength fails me because of my sin,
and my bones become brittle.
11 Because of all my enemies, people disdain me;
my neighbors are appalled by my suffering—
those who know me are horrified by my condition;
those who see me in the street run away from me.
12 I am forgotten, like a dead man no one thinks about;
I am regarded as worthless, like a broken jar.
13 For I hear what so many are saying,
the terrifying news that comes from every direction.
When they plot together against me,
they figure out how they can take my life.
14 But I trust in you, O Lord!
I declare, “You are my God!”
15 You determine my destiny.
Rescue me from the power of my enemies and those who chase me.
16 Smile on your servant.
Deliver me because of your faithfulness.
17 O Lord, do not let me be humiliated,
for I call out to you.
May evil men be humiliated.
May they go wailing to the grave.
18 May lying lips be silenced—
lips that speak defiantly against the innocent
with arrogance and contempt.
19 How great is your favor,
which you store up for your loyal followers.
In plain sight of everyone you bestow it on those who take shelter in you.
20 You hide them with you, where they are safe from the attacks of men;
you conceal them in a shelter, where they are safe from slanderous attacks.
21 The Lord deserves praise
for he demonstrated his amazing faithfulness to me when I was besieged by enemies.
22 I jumped to conclusions and said,
“I am cut off from your presence!”
But you heard my plea for mercy when I cried out to you for help.
23 Love the Lord, all you faithful followers of his!
The Lord protects those who have integrity,
but he pays back in full the one who acts arrogantly.
24 Be strong and confident,
all you who wait on the Lord.
32:1 By David; a well-written song.
How blessed is the one whose rebellious acts are forgiven,
whose sin is pardoned.
2 How blessed is the one whose wrongdoing the Lord does not punish,
in whose spirit there is no deceit.
3 When I refused to confess my sin,
my whole body wasted away,
while I groaned in pain all day long.
4 For day and night you tormented me;
you tried to destroy me in the intense heat of summer. (Selah)
5 Then I confessed my sin;
I no longer covered up my wrongdoing.
I said, “I will confess my rebellious acts to the Lord.”
And then you forgave my sins. (Selah)
6 For this reason every one of your faithful followers should pray to you
while there is a window of opportunity.
Certainly when the surging water rises,
it will not reach them.
7 You are my hiding place;
you protect me from distress.
You surround me with shouts of joy from those celebrating deliverance. (Selah)
8 I will instruct and teach you about how you should live.
I will advise you as I look you in the eye.
9 Do not be like an unintelligent horse or mule,
which will not obey you
unless they are controlled by a bridle and bit.
10 An evil person suffers much pain,
but the Lord’s faithfulness overwhelms the one who trusts in him.
11 Rejoice in the Lord and be happy, you who are godly!
Shout for joy, all you who are morally upright!