Fight for it! (Psalm 118.1-17)
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O give thanks to the Lord, for he is good;
his steadfast love endures forever!
Let Israel say,
“His steadfast love endures forever.”
Let the house of Aaron say,
“His steadfast love endures forever.”
Let those who fear the Lord say,
“His steadfast love endures forever.”
Out of my distress I called on the Lord;
the Lord answered me and set me in a broad place.
With the Lord on my side I do not fear.
What can mortals do to me?
The Lord is on my side to help me;
I shall look in triumph on those who hate me.
It is better to take refuge in the Lord
than to put confidence in mortals.
It is better to take refuge in the Lord
than to put confidence in princes.
All nations surrounded me;
in the name of the Lord I cut them off!
They surrounded me, surrounded me on every side;
in the name of the Lord I cut them off!
They surrounded me like bees;
they blazed like a fire of thorns;
in the name of the Lord I cut them off!
I was pushed hard, so that I was falling,
but the Lord helped me.
The Lord is my strength and my might;
he has become my salvation.
There are glad songs of victory in the tents of the righteous:
“The right hand of the Lord does valiantly;
the right hand of the Lord is exalted;
the right hand of the Lord does valiantly.”
I shall not die, but I shall live,
and recount the deeds of the Lord.
Intro:
We have all heard the phrase.....
“I’m a lover and not a fighter”
(slight pause)
But I am granting permission for us to restate this phrase based on our relationship with the greatest lover......
.....and greatest fighter of all time
.....in our redeemer Jesus Christ!
(pause)
And you may be asking yourself........
Pastor how is Jesus Christ the greatest lover of all time......?
Well.....
No one has greater love than this, to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.
(pause and expound)
But then there may be somebody who is saying to yourself......
Pastor how is Jesus Christ the greatest figher of all time......?
Well....
As it is written,
“For your sake we are being killed all day long;
we are accounted as sheep to be slaughtered.”
No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.
(pause and expound)
And I could go on and on.......
.....because scriptures continue to teach us of the love and power of God through Christ Jesus.
(pause)
And as we explore the next chapter of Tony Evan’s book Uturns.....
.....this morning I want to look at “Reversing the consequences of Addictions”
(slight pause)
In the opening words of the chapter.
Dr. Evans says,
“Many of God’s children are spiritual POW’s. They exist as prisoners of war, trapped in a sin cycle that they have been unable to break.”
(pause)
And.....
.......these sin cycles of addiction have wrecked havoc on individuals and families.
........and unfortunately there are many families that don’t know how to escape this cycle.
(pause)
But I believe that the Psalmist David shows us here in the text in how he deals with his enemy........
.........exactly how we should deal with our enemies...
(pause)
Look at the text.....
O give thanks to the Lord, for he is good;
his steadfast love endures forever!
Let Israel say,
“His steadfast love endures forever.”
Let the house of Aaron say,
“His steadfast love endures forever.”
Let those who fear the Lord say,
“His steadfast love endures forever.”
According to the text......
......the people of Israel who are assembled in the temple for worship are called on to thank Yawheh for His goodness and steadfast love....
(slight pause)
the Hb meaning for steadfast love here in the text = Mercy.
(slight pause)
And the bible says.....
His steadfast love or mercy...........endures forever.
meaning........
God loves eternally.
And I believe……
It’s Gods love for us that starts the fight!
……….freedom you haven’t seen a good fight until you have witnessed someone who is fighting from a place of love!
(pause and expound)
Look at it......
Out of my distress I called on the Lord;
the Lord answered me and set me in a broad place.
David says....
I called for God when I was experiencing a hardship....
........when I was suffering severely I called for God
....and he says,
God responded to what I was speaking to him when I was suffering severely!
(pause and share what this conversation sounds like)
The text says......
“and SET me in a broad place”
meaning......
Elohim delivered David from the narrow place of distress where he was suffering severely.
(slight pause)
......that place that was closing in on him.
David says,
God repositioned him and gave him a sense of Freedom by moving him to a LARGE or BROAD place.
.....it almost sounds like David is saying,
- God relieved him of his feelings of anxiety!
(pause and expound on how God frees us mentally)
Look at it now.....
With the Lord on my side I do not fear.
What can mortals do to me?
According to the text.....
The Psalmist is confident that God is with him.....
....and so he/she does not need to fear anything or anyone.
His reason is....
The Lord is on my side.
and....
His conclusion is......
What can man do to me.
In other words.....
We cannot be harmed.
........and even if there were an anwser to this rhetorical question it would not be sufficient to warrant fear or worry.
.....because the Lord is on my side!
(pause)
Watch the text....
The Lord is on my side to help me;
I shall look in triumph on those who hate me.
The Psalmist says.....
Just in case I needed to, allow me to repeat myself with one additional pronouncement.
I already said...
The Lord is on my side........
But let me emphasize that......
the reason the Lord is next to me....
......is to help me!
(pause)
And not only that but.......
I’m going to be able to SEE my victory over my enemies......
(pause)
Freedom......
One of the benefits of having the Lord on your side as you overcome your the sin in your life.........
......is that we get to watch Jesus bring us out of it!
(pause)
That’s why the testimony is so strong.........
.......because we are EYE-WITNESSES of our own deliverance!
........I dare somebody to stare at the sins that keep trying to entangle you in addictions and declare.....
“I can’t wait to see Jesus Christ WHIP you down to size!”
(pause)
Look at it....
It is better to take refuge in the Lord
than to put confidence in mortals.
It is better to take refuge in the Lord
than to put confidence in princes.
These verses.........
.....both speak the same truth!
“It is better to take refuge in the Lord”
meaning.......
....It is more efficient and desirable to seek protection or safety in God.
Instead of.......
“Putting confidence or placing our hope and dependence on humanity”
Verse 9 does add emphasis by saying,
“Princes instead of mortals”
......and what that means is that regardless of how great or influential a person might be,
......it’s still BETTER to trust God!
(pause)
NOW.......
.......that’s the TRUTH!
And if anybody knows this........
........David knows this!
(slight pause)
And I don’t believe David is the only one that feels like this.....
I believe that some of us in here today feel the exact same way.
Because.........
......people always act like they got power until its time for you to DEPEND on them to get you out of a CYCLE that’s above their PAYGRADE!
(pause)
Have you ever taken somebody a REAL PROBLEM........?
Freedom.....
.......there are some things that human knowledge and intellect aint prepared for.
.......and that’s when we need GODLY WISDOM!!!
GOD........
......how do I come out of this??
(pause and emphasize)
Look at this.....
All nations surrounded me;
in the name of the Lord I cut them off!
They surrounded me, surrounded me on every side;
in the name of the Lord I cut them off!
David says......
I’m completely surrounded by this enemy!
......but what I love about David is that in spite of being completely surrounded
......David says,
…I’m still going to cut this enemy down!
(pause)
And then in verse 12 David gives a visual of what this looks like....
They surrounded me like bees;
they blazed like a fire of thorns;
in the name of the Lord I cut them off!
David says.......
“Like Swarming Bees”
......when something swarms it means
......it moves in
…or forms a large group
........and sometimes it feels like our sins are coming in on us all at once
.......SWARMING
.........and as Paul says,
Those things that I should do.......... I don’t do
and...
Those things that I should not do.......those things I do
And......
.........the cycle continues over and over again
(pause)
David says,
I know what it feels like to be SURROUNDED by the enemy that’s swarming and closing in on you.....
(slight pause)
But David says,
When you find yourself in this situation.........
You don’t say I’m defeated...........because that aint our truth.
David says.....
When this happens,
“I will DESTROY them in the name of the LORD!”
(pause)
And in my spiritual imagination I hear David saying,
“I’m a lover and a FIGHTER!”
See Freedom.....
David understands that
......his faith in God suggests that even when the enemy has him SURROUNDED
......he can trust God the same way he did when he was a boy fighting against a LION,
......and fighting against a BEAR.
And I hear David saying.....
Why STOP fighting now........
If........I’m facing an enemy that has the UNMITIGATED GALL to SURROUND me......
do your really thing...
..........I’m supposed to just take DEFEAT
.........I’m supposed to just succomb to BROKENNESS
Not TODAY..........
I hear David saying,
“FIGHT for it!”
And I showed up here today to tell somebody......
You don’t have to just lay down
........just because you feel SURROUNDED!
(pause and expound)
Watch what David teaaches us....
David says in verse 12.....
“They Surrounded me like bees”
He identifies the enemy he is struggling with and what it feels like.
And what he is really saying is,
I understand the danger that I was in.....
(pause)
But then David says something that we cannot miss!
“They blazed like a fire of thorns, because in the name of the Lord”
- In the Middle East they have these dry combustible thorn bushes that IGNITE real quick........and burn out even quicker..........like DRY Grass or straw.
(pause)
David said........
The FURIOUS atttack of the enemy was stopped or extinguished quickly!
And the reason......
.....is because i cut them off with the TRUTH!
(pause and expound)
David said in verse 13 and 14.......
“I was pushed hard by the enemy, so much that I was falling”
He says.....
“You were pressing me and causing me to fall”
(pause)
But......
......because I’m a FIGHTER!
.....I looked for Jesus Christ who is my HELPER!
(pause)
The Psalmist said,
“The Lord is my strength!”
my power
my defence
my refuge
And I need to tell somebody today.......
.......that there is no weakness at this point of the fight that can overcome this level of strengthening!
I don’t know if you’ve ever been in a LONG FIGHT......
(slight pause)
But every now and then you get to a MOMENT where you’re SWINGING and you aint even getting TIRED!
(pause)
And the reason is because........
His strength is made perfect in Our weakness!
(pause)
.......Push me if you want to!!!
......Don’t make me start swinging!!
(pause)
Freedom........
David said......
Not only is the Lord my strength........
....but he is also my song!
In other words.....
There is a melody in the Psalmists mnind and heart that creates a “Fight Song” or a “War Cry”
(pause)
And I wonder what it would sound like......
.......if some folk who were dealing with sinful addictions
.....could now come to the realization that,
Not only.......
.......Am I a FIGHTER
........but i also got a.....
.......FIGHT SONG and a WAR CRY!
(pause)
And the words to my song say,
God has BROUGHT us VICTORY!
(pause)
Freedom the last thing I want to show you....
..... is in verse 17.......
I shall not die, but I shall live,
and recount the deeds of the Lord.
And in my spiritual imagination I hear David saying.......
“I went to BATTLE......
.....and I came OUT of it VICTORIOUS!”
And I’m preaching to somebody that thought
.......the BATTLE of addictions was going to end in death
(pause)
But that aint the way this story ends......
......when you’re a FIGHTER!!
(pause)
David says,
I wasn’t FIGHTING by myself!
And I want to let somebody know......
You’re NOT FIGHTING by yourself!!
(pause)
But David says......
Because of the LORDS HELP!
I am ABLE NOW........
and that means,
I WILL be ABLE LATER........
(pause)
I’m a FIGHTER..........
.......that Jesus keeps HELPING to WIN!
And the enemy thought you was going to lose........
......and if the truth be told there was a point when you thought you was going to lose.....
(pause)
But the TRUTH says........
I’m FIGHTING for it!
......and JESUS CHRIST is helping me WIN!
And if Jesus Christ is helping me FIGHT......
A thousand may fall at your side,
ten thousand at your right hand,
but it will not come near you.
FIGHT..........FOR.............IT!!!