Seeking to See the God of My Salvation; Psalm 27

Psalm 27

Seeking to See the God of My Salvation

Plummer Bible Church, 10/13/2019

Remsen Bible Fellowship, 10/20/2019

Introduction:

What does it mean to see God? As we have studied the gospel according to John, one of the important themes has been that those who have seen Jesus have seen the Father.
This seeing, though, was a spiritual perception, not merely taking something in via the eyes. Many who saw Jesus in his days on earth saw but did not see. How can we who do not see him physically hope, then, to see him?
Seeing God isn’t simply a theme in the Gospel of John, it is one of the great hopes of the Bible as a whole. As sinners, we have been cut off from seeing God, such that God tells Moses in Exodus 33:20, you cannot see my face, for man shall not see me and live. But the chief joy of the New Heavens and the New Earth in Revelation is Revelation 21:3, Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God.
Seeing God is what sin cuts us off from, and seeing God is what is restored for all the saved in glory.
As we consider what it means to see God, I would like to direct your attention this morning to Psalm 27 (read the whole Psalm).

Note the parallel structure within v1; he’s saying the same thing twice
How is God light? 1 John 1:5
How is God being light related to his being my Salvation, my stronghold?
What is the logical conclusion to God being your Savior, your Light, your Salvation?
Is David’s hope in circumstances or in a Savior?
Is David writing this as someone with a real grasp on hardship?
What are you counting on in your life? Do you just need something to change, or are you counting on God?
In whom do you hope? Self, spouse, fantasy? Psalm 121:1-2

What is the one thing David desires? Cf, Psalm 84:1-2, 10
For what reason does David seek the Lord? V5
Where do you turn for your safety, your shelter, your security?
Where should we turn for security? Psalm 46:1, 6-7
If we are trusting in God to be our hiding place, what is the result? V6
David doesn’t simply say he’ll be protected from the enemy, he will offer in the enemies tent sacrifices with shouts of joy.
God not only makes himself a shelter to those who fear him, he turns enemy ground into a place of worship.
Is your heart filled with happiness toward God for his provision? If not, is it because he has failed you, or because you have been looking to other saviors, or as the prophets Hosea or Ezekiel might say, other lovers?

One thing was obviously an order of magnitude, of priority, because here comes another list.
In verses 7-12, we seem to have two categories of request: David wants to be embraced by God (7-10), and led by God (11-12).

A: Embraced by God

7, hear me
8-9a, recognize me
9, receive me
10, [in the form of a statement, note his confidence in God shining forth like a ray in the night] take me in when no one else will

B: Led by God

What are you asking for? Do you long to be received, heard, and led by God?
Physical and temporal requests are good (James 5:14-16), but what are your fundamental needs?

What is the difference between this confidence and what we see in v1-3?
Is there a significant difference between knowing the correct facts (as in 1-3) and believing the truth?
We need gut-level dependence upon the God of our Salvation.
What does David believe he will see?
When/where does David believe he will see the goodness of the Lord? Christianity is not simply a “tough it out until you die” faith. There are hope, joy, and happiness to be had in God in this life.
So what is the response of believing confidence? Waiting upon the Lord.
Waiting in v14 is an action taken in confident response to the goodness of God already poured out in our lives. It is an attitude toward the present and the future in response to his faithfulness in the past.

Conclusion:

David begins with the facts of God’s goodness, the facts of who he is (light, salvation), and concludes with taking courage because this same God who has been his help will continue to be.
This view of God drives him to seek God. Can God be found? How do you pursue God? Jeremiah 29:13
We have to begin with the facts God presents about himself: Jesus. John 1, Hebrews 1
We come to know Jesus through the word of God which reveals him to us. But the way we experience knowing and being knit to God is through the local church. David wants to be in the temple of the Lord (v4), cf 1 Peter 2:4-5, 1 Corinthians 3:16-17
We seek God by first coming to him in prayer, recognizing the love and faithfulness he has already revealed to us in Christ. We then continue to pursue our joy in him by glad obedience to his will, walking and dwelling with his people, a people who will help us trust him for the future: even when all seems dim and dark.

Remsen Bible Fellowship