Saved?

Intro: On Thursday of this week, NBC news reported that "Cheers erupted from more than 1,000 volunteers and officials after they pulled a survivor from the rubble of a textile factory more than two days after it was obliterated by Mexico's earthquake. “

But then they said, “There was little time to celebrate, however. for shortly after the person [was] pulled from the mangled concrete in Mexico City's Colonia Obrera neighborhood Thursday evening, the workers resumed their search.

Hundreds of people have been killed by Tuesday's magnitude 7.1 quake.

With the rescue of each survivor, there is rejoicing by all the searchers and the family of those rescued. Everyone can related to what it's like to be rescued or saved from certain death. But not everyone understands what it means to be saved by Jesus spiritually. And not everyone understands that God also saves us in other ways, such as from enemies, difficult situations, and the wrath of God.

In , King David rejoices over how God saves us from our troubles, our fears, and God's wrath.

Let's read our text in .

This Psalm was written by David in response to God saving him from the hand of Achish, king of the Philistines. In his effort to escape from king Saul who was now hunting him down, David tried to hide in the city of Gath, which was one of the five principle cities of the Philistines. In fact, it was the home town of Goliath, who he killed in his first encounter with the Philistines. By this time in David’s life, he had already led the armies of Saul into battle against the Philistines. In fact, he was credited with killing thousands Philistines.

One has to wonder what David was thinking by trying to hide among the Philistines. Of course, king Saul could not look for him among the Philistines.

We don’t know who, but someone recognized David, so he was arrested and brought to king Achish. When he appeared before king Achish, David immediately pretended to be crazy. states, “[he} made marks on the doors of the gate and let his spittle run down his beard” ().

It sounds like he started scratching and maybe even biting the gates like a animal. As a result of this, king Achish had them toss the mad man out of the city.

Regardless of whether he was believed to crazy or not, he was the arch enemy of the Philistines. Why didn’t the king have David executed? David could only think of one thing, the intervention of God. Consequently, David writes a song praising God for saving him. The first ten verses of is a song.

Let’s look at the first three verses of our text, for there we see the praise of God, the kind of praise that God deserves from all of us.

I. The Praise of God

We know why David wrote this chapter, for it tells us. He wrote it in response to God’s deliverance. Unlike nine of the ten lepers who never came back to give thanks to Jesus for healing them, David is thankful for God’s saving hand.

But the when, we are not sure about. Could David have written this after Saul was dead and he was crowned king? Could it have come about from David’s private time with God.

I’ve been there, and I’m sure many of you have too. You’re praying to God, giving thanks for this or that and then suddenly out of nowhere, the Holy Spirit reminds you of a past situation that was painful, and frightening, but then God showed up. He came to your rescue. He delivered you from your fears. He took care of your problem. He did what only God could do. You may not have heard a voice from heaven, but you could see God’s hand prints all over it, so this bubble of praise comes rushing forth from the depths of your soul like it does here in David’s heart.

1 I will bless the LORD at all times; his praise shall continually be in my mouth. 2 My soul makes its boast in the LORD; let the humble hear and be glad. 3 Oh, magnify the LORD with me, and let us exalt his name together!

his praise shall continually be in my mouth.

2 My soul makes its boast in the LORD;

let the humble hear and be glad.

3 Oh, magnify the LORD with me,

and let us exalt his name together!

David is not satisfied with a little praise on Sunday morning, or in the temple during worship service. He will bless the LORD at all times; His praise shall continually be in his mouth. And he wants others to join in, for he says in verse 3, “Oh, magnify the LORD with me, and let us exalt his name together! “

Lets do exactly that. There is a song in our hymnal titled, I Will Praise Him! It’s on page 57, but all I want you to do is quote the chorus when we get to it, and it will be on the screen.

It goes like this, “When I saw the cleansing fountain, open wide for all my sin, I obeyed the Spirit’s calling When He said, “Wilt thou be clean”

I obeyed the Spirit’s calling When He said, “Wilt thou be clean”

Chorus: I will praise Him! I will praise Him! Praise the Lamb for sinners slain;

Give Him glory, all ye people, For His blood can wash away each stain.

Verse Two: Tho the way seems straight and narrow, All I claimed was swept away; My ambitions, plans and wishes At my feet in disarray.

Chorus: I will praise Him! I will praise Him! Praise the Lamb for sinners slain;

Give Him glory, all ye people, For His blood can wash away each stain.

Verse Three: Blessed be the name of Jesus! I’m so glad He took me in; He’s forgiven my transgressions, He has cleansed my heart from sin.”

Chorus: I will praise Him! I will praise Him! Praise the Lamb for sinners slain;

Give Him glory, all ye people, For His blood can wash away each stain.

Every morning the most amazing thing happens that everyone’s life depends on, the sun comes up. Without it we are doomed. Without it all life is gone. But do we praise God for it, most do not. Let us praise Him in the morning. Let us praise Him in the noonday. Let us praise Him in the evening. Let us live with an awareness of His presence and praise in our heart.

In David’s case, his praise for God is due to God’s saving hand.

II. The Salvation of God

God saved David from the wrath of the king of the Philistines. This is not about spiritual salvation. It’s about physical salvation. It’s about earthly salvation.

Jesus is not just in the business of saving our souls. He seeks to save us from our fears, our sins, our enemies, and of course, the wrath of God.

R. C. Sproul, a former pastor, seminary professor, and author, in his book, Saved from What? tells about an incident that occurred when He was returning to his seminary class after lunch many years ago. He writes, After depositing my lunch tray in the bin I begin my trek across the plaza to my classroom. I walking briskly to avoid being late. i was alone, minding my own business. Suddenly, apparently out of nowhere, a gentleman appeared in front of me, blocking my forward progress. He looked me in the eye and asked directly, "Are you saved."

The first words that popped out of his mouth was, "Saved from what?" the man asking the question was then caught off guard for he first stumbled around, and then said, "Well, you know what I mean. You know, do you know Jesus?"

The word “saved” can mean many different things. In fact, the Bible uses it to mean much more than being spiritually saved. But even when we talk about being spiritually saved, studies have shown that Christians have a lot of different ideas about what being saved means.

First, of all, we need to know that not only does God save us spiritually, he also saves us from our fears, our enemies, our physical harm, and anything else that we need, provided it's in His will.

Our text speaks of both physical and spiritual salvation that comes from the Lord.

In verses 4-6 we read, ”I sought the LORD, and he answered me and delivered me from all my fears. 5 Those who look to him are radiant, and their faces shall never be ashamed. 6 This poor man cried, and the LORD heard him and saved him out of all his troubles.”

4 I sought the LORD, and he answered me

and delivered me from all my fears.

5 Those who look to him are radiant,

and their faces shall never be ashamed.

6 This poor man cried, and the LORD heard him

and saved him out of all his troubles.

I found this to be ever so true. God is not only interested in our eternal souls, but also our earthly lives. I know about fears. I have claustrophobia. I know about going to God in prayer when my fear shows up. I know about the power of God to deliver us from our fears. I know about the power of God to deliver us from our troubles.

I also know about the spiritual salvation that David speaks about in verses 19-22. For there he writes, “19 Many are the afflictions of the righteous, but the LORD delivers him out of them all. 20 He keeps all his bones; not one of them is broken. 21 Affliction will slay the wicked, and those who hate the righteous will be condemned. 22 The LORD redeems the life of his servants; none of those who take refuge in him will be condemned.

19 Many are the afflictions of the righteous,

but the LORD delivers him out of them all.

20 He keeps all his bones;

not one of them is broken.

21 Affliction will slay the wicked,

and those who hate the righteous will be condemned.

22 The LORD redeems the life of his servants;

none of those who take refuge in him will be condemned.

He redeems us. He buys us back from Satan with His precious blood. He forgives us. He transforms us. He cleanses us. He provides a refuge for us and that refuge is in Christ Jesus.

Spiritual salvation is to be saved from sin’s judgment, sin’s power, selfishness, and the wrath of God. God hates sin, any sin. And those who embrace sin will feel the wrath of God, but they do not have to, for God has made a way of escape for us. In Christ Jesus we are saved, safe, and secure.

So I ask you, have you cried out to God for a need, a problem, or because a fear that’s consuming you? Have you cried out for salvation, the forgiveness of your sins? If not, why not this morning. If not, do so this minute. Start crying out to God and in no time you will have plenty of reasons to praise God continually.

But notice, the blessing of getting your prayers answered is dependent on us fearing God.

III. The Fear of God

In verse 7 and 9 David says, “The angel of the LORD encamps around those who fear him, and delivers them.... 9 Oh, fear the LORD, you his saints, for those who fear him have no lack! “

Many of the promises of God are to the saints of God, and saints are those who know God and fear Him. The fear of the Lord is important. This fear is about reverence and respect. If we don’t show the reverence and respect that He deserves, it’s likely because we don’t truly know God? Because to know Him is to be in awe of Him. To be in awe of God is to be respectful of God.

for those who fear him have no lack!

The fear of the Lord is important. This fear is about reverence and respect.f we don’t show the reverence and respect that He deserves, it’s likely because we don’t truly know God? Because to know Him is to be in awe of Him. To be in awe of God is to be respectful of God.

If we don’t show the reverence and respect that He deserves, it’s likely because we don’t truly know God? Because to know Him is to be in awe of Him. To be in awe of God is to be respectful of God.

Many today, even those who claim to be Christians, even those sitting in churches regularly every Sunday morning, show no fear, no reverence, no respect to God. This should not be so.

What about it? Are you respectful of God? Do you show reverence when His word is read, when prayers are prayed, when worship service is being conducted?

, state, “For if we go on sinning deliberately after receiving the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, 27 but a fearful expectation of judgment, and a fury of fire that will consume the adversaries..... 30 For we know him who said, “Vengeance is mine; I will repay.” And again, “The Lord will judge his people.” 31 It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.

If we want the blessings of God, if we want our prayers to be answered by God, we must show reverence to God and seek His face.

IV. The Blessings of God

At the end of his terrible ordeal, David experienced the blessing of God. God delivered him from the king of the Philistines.

The blessings of God often come after a long journey through our own spiritual wilderness. For David, I’m sure he felt like God had forsaken him. Although he had been anointed to be king of Israel, he was running for his life. His friends had forsaken him, his king had condemned him, and his bucket of options had run out. And his decision to hide among the Philistines had resulted in his arrest and his soon to be execution.

So we see that David sought the Lord in verse 4. If he sought the Lord, the Lord apparently didn’t seem near to David. No doubt, God seemed far away from David, so he sought him.

I’ve been there. We’ve all been there. There are some times when life stinks. Everything is going wrong and God seems to have forgotten us, or abandoned us. In times like these we need to seek God, not by sight, but by faith.

The Metropolitan Tabernacle Pulpit Sermons, Vol. XXXVII A Poor Man’s Cry, and What Came of It (No. 2,193)

The blessings of God often come in our darkest hour, but they only come as a result of our cries to God. Some prayers are just that, a cry to God.

In reference to David’s cry to God and others throughout the Bible, the late nineteenth century preacher Charles Spurgeon, writes,

The Metropolitan Tabernacle Pulpit Sermons, Vol. XXXVII A Poor Man’s Cry, and What Came of It (No. 2,193)

A cry is short, but it is not sweet. It is intense, and painful, and it cannot be silenced. We cry because we must cry. This poor man cried, “God be merciful to me a sinner.” That is not a long collect, but it collects a great deal of meaning into a few words. That was a short cry, “Lord, save, or I perish”; and that other, “Lord, help me.” “Save, Lord,” is a notable cry, and so is “Lord, remember me.” Many prevailing prayers are like cries because they are brief, sharp, and uncontrollable. A cry is not only brief, but bitter. A cry is a sorrowful thing; it is the language of pain. It would be hard for me to stand here and imitate a cry. No; a cry is not artificial, but a natural production: it is not from the lips, but from the soul, that a man cries. A cry, attended with a flood of tears, a bitter wail, a deep-fetched sigh—these are prayers that enter into the ears of the Most High.

This kind of prayer from David was an urgent cry like those coming from the children who were trapped under the school that collapsed in Mexico during the earthquake.

I can see David now, having been captured by the Philistine guards and being dragged before the king Achish. His words may have not been verbal, but they were loud. “Oh, God help me. Oh, God, save me.”

And He did. Nothing else can explain why king Achish didn’t kill David, who was responsible for killing thousands of Philistines, including Goliath.

There is no situation too dark or too difficult for God. He is able to deliver us. He is able to save us. He is able to redeem us.

Conclusion: Do you need to seek the Lord today? Do you need to cry out to God for deliverance from sin, fear, jealousy, anger, bitterness, or greediness? Do you need to cry out to God for salvation.

Then do it. All you need to do is cry out, for Jesus has already done the work. He has provided the forgiveness. He has provided the salvation. And He says come, “Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest” (Matt. 11:28).

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