Study the Bible

with Pastor Gregory

Would you like to ask Pastor Gregory a question?

1. The Counsel Acquired in His Presence – v. 7
   
   
1. Death is a foe for whom no human being is a proper match – whenever we ponder the prospects of coming face to face with it, we encounter uncertainty and anxiety
2. As mortals all, we are prone to devise strategies for facing death that will relieve our anxieties and provide us some sense of confidence.
3. However, because we are unable to test our designs prior to our need to use them, we are left with a prevailing fear and uncertainty
4. However, those who fear the Living and True God of Heaven are able to encounter in Him insights to death that will cause confidence and strength in the hour of need.
5. In light of the availability of God’s wisdom concerning death, the Psalmist declares that He is worthy of praise – "I will bless the Lord who has counseled me"
6. That is, the God who has conquered death has provided me with the insights of victory over death that dispels my uncertainties and gives me hope.
7. In the darkest hours of my angst, God provides me with the comfort that I need to face the issue of death with confidence – "Indeed, my mind [which has received the counsel from the Lord through His Word] instructs me in the night."
8. Thus, spending time with the Lord enables us to gain insights concerning death – insights that cannot be gained independently of Him (no one lives to tell us about death – Hebrews 9:27).
   
   
2. The Confidence Afforded from His Presence – vv. 8-9
   
   
1. Clinging to Him and His Word provides us the confidence therefore that is needed to face the issue of death squarely – "I have set the Lord continually before me;
2. The Psalmist here is declaring that He will always place the Lord in front of Him as He approaches the issue of death – knowing that he could hide behind His power
3. "… because He is at my right hand, I will not be shaken" – this addresses the fact that since God is honored in David’s life, he will not possess a sense of fear – but confidence.
4. He then continues and states that He need not fret or worry about death – that he enjoys security: "Therefore my heart is glad and my glory rejoices; My flesh also will dwell securely."
   
   

1. The Promise of His Constant Presence
   
   
1. David now transitions into addressing the direct cause for His confidence – that God’s presence will not diminish at all as He "walks through the valley of the shadow of death."
2. He states: "For You will not abandon my soul to Sheol." – a reference to the grave.
3. As we die, we are not alone – the Lord attends every moment of our existence – from birth through death – cp. Psalm 23:4
4. ILLLUS. "You are not going to leave him up here alone …?".
   
   
2. The Proof of His Completed Protection
   
   
1. The ultimate proof of the protection and continued presence of the Lord is the deliverance of the body from the grave – restored and glorious – to receive an eternal inheritance.
2. Here we are told that "… neither will You allow Your Hold One to undergo decay."
3. This is immediately a reference to the Messiah as we see clearly in Acts 13:32-37; Acts 2:24-32
4. Jesus is the example of our own hope – that He was delivered from the grave and glorified assures us that we too will know the victory over the grave and will live eternally – cp. 1 Corinthians 15:20; John 14:19.
5. This is the direct promise of deliverance – 1 Corinthians 6:14.
   
   

1. The Celebration of the Gospel
   
   
1. How is this made possible? – through nothing but the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
2. This is what is meant when David declares: "You will make known to me the path of life." – a reference to the ability that we have to follow Christ Jesus through death and resurrection into eternal life.
3. This is the hope of glory that is found in the Gospel of Jesus Christ – whereby a sinner bound for the damnation of sin is delivered through the grace of God and given the gift of eternal life.
4. This gift is offered through the Lord Jesus Christ and His accomplishment on the cross where He died for our sin and provides us with redemption through His blood – even the forgiveness of sin – cp. Colossians 1:13-14.
   
   
2. The Consummation of Our Hope
   
   
1. He clarifies that there are two primary benefits of the hope of glory – and the way of life.
2. First is that "in Your presence is fullness of joy." –
3. Second is that "in Your right hand there are pleasures forever."
   
   

BCBC Home Page