Undivided To Fear Thy Name (Psalm 86:1-11) Sermon at FFMC 16/1/22
1Incline your ear, O Lord, and answer me,
for I am poor and needy.
2 Preserve my life, for I am godly;
save your servant, who trusts in you—you are my God.
3 Be gracious to me, O Lord,
for to you do I cry all the day.
4 Gladden the soul of your servant,
for to you, O Lord, do I lift up my soul.
5 For you, O Lord, are good and forgiving,
abounding in steadfast love to all who call upon you.
6 Give ear, O Lord, to my prayer;
listen to my plea for grace.
7 In the day of my trouble I call upon you,
for you answer me.
8There is none like you among the gods, O
Lord,
nor are there any works like yours.
9All the nations you have made shall come
and worship before you, O Lord,
and shall glorify your name.
10 For you are great and do wondrous
things;
you alone are God.
11 Teach me your way, O Lord,
that I may walk in your truth;
unite my heart to fear your name.
12 I give thanks to you, O Lord my
God, with my whole heart,
and I will glorify your name forever.
(Ps 86:1-12)
Introduction
Consider David’s situation.
He prays in a situation where he is in danger (v.2). He cries to God “all the day” (v.3) because he is in desperate need. Depression threatens - his soul needs to be gladdened (v.4). He discerns and is aware of his own sin - he recalls that God was good and forgiving (v.5). He needs grace (v.6). He calls his time “the day of my trouble” (v.7). We have all been there.
Our tendency is to feel that closeness to God is impractical in times of trial and difficulty. We are caught in the needs of the moment. We are distracted by our very real and very big problems. We want to do something in our struggle.
In the midst of terrible danger, from a broken heart and in knowledge of his own sinfulness, David cries out here not just for deliverance, not just for relief, but for God.
God takes central place in David’s heart.
This prayer offers a glimpse into David’s inner life. This is the reason why God loved him so and called him a man after His own heart.
1. He prays for God’s action on his behalf
- Incline ear - hear me (v.1)
- Preserve life - save me (v.2)
- Be gracious - even though I don’t deserve it (v.3)
- Gladden my soul - restore my joy (v.4)
- Hear my prayer, listen to my plea for grace - repeating his request (v.6)
2. He calls to mind all God is. Don’t miss this!
- God’s uniqueness in character and power (v.8)
- God’s worth (v.9)
- God’s greatness (v.10)
A. The meaning of a united heart
What does it mean to need a united heart? The same Hebrew word is used elsewhere in the Bible to indicate an association, to be identified with a group of people - to be joined together with.
- – Let my soul come not into their council; O my glory, be not joined to their company (Gen 49.6)
- – You will not be joined with them in burial (Isa 14:20)
Yet another layer of meaning of ‘unite my heart’ is also “Join my heart with Yours”. We cannot set our hearts on the wrong thing or person. We say, “Let my heart settle on You. Let it rest in You. My Lord Jesus, let it be that You have no rivals, no competitors in my life. At this time of trouble, and always, be everything to me. I want to love You, obey You, serve You, honour You, worship You with single-mindedness.”
B. The purpose of a united heart
If I asked what 4-letter word should characterize our relationship to God, perhaps many of us might have thought of the word “LOVE”. But the phrase “love God” or “love the Lord” occurs in the Bible 16 times, but the phrase “fear God” or “fear the Lord” occurs 54 times. David says the purpose of a united heart is to FEAR God. Fearing God means having such a reverence for Him that it has a great impact on the way we live our lives. The fear of God is honouring Him, obeying Him, dreading the thought of sinning against Him. submitting to His discipline, and worshipping Him in awe.
Children may love their fathers, but they are also to honour and to submit to them. God’s holiness and greatness is far more than that of any earthly parent. We are not just to ‘respect’ God. We are to be in awe before Him. Our knees should be weak before Him. So we are to live our lives in fear of Him. It must be something life-transforming, not just a theoretical concept. Nowadays we do not hear that someone is a ‘God-fearing’ man or woman, but it is a great compliment to be spoken of in this way.
But some of you might remember 1 John 4:18 “There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear.” This verse continues, “For fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not been perfected in love.” We who have been saved need no longer fear punishment. There is no condemnation for us (Ro 8:1). The Bible therefore teaches that there are two kinds of fear: a fear of God that is wrong for us to have, and a fear of God that is right for us to have. There is a fear of God that His enemies have, and a different fear that can only come through the work of the Spirit in His children. Ex: 20:20 Moses said to the people, “Do not fear, for God has come to test you, that the fear of him may be before you, that you may not sin.”
So, while the great commandment is to “love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might.” (Dt 6:5) the core commandment to ‘fear’ cannot be ignored. Indeed, fear and love of the Lord cannot be separated. The cross of Christ is a reminder of both the greatness of our sin (fear) and the greatness of His mercy (love)
- “And now, Israel, what does the Lord your God require of you, but to fear the Lord your God, to walk in all his ways, to love him, to serve the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul, (Dt 10:17)
- But the steadfast love of the Lord is from everlasting to everlasting on those who fear him, and his righteousness to children's children, (Ps 103:17)
The right fear of the Lord is a good thing, never a bad thing. One of the great things about our salvation is that if we are truly saved we will not lose the fear of the Lord. Jer 32:39-40 says, I will give them one heart and one way, that they may fear me forever, for their own good and the good of their children after them. 40I will make with them an everlasting covenant, that I will not turn away from doing good to them. And I will put the fear of me in their hearts, that they may not turn from me. 41I will rejoice in doing them good, and I will plant them in this land in faithfulness, with all my heart and all my soul.
Just in case you might think that only the OT talks about the fear of God. It was said of the early church in Ac 9:31 that “walking in the fear of the Lord and in the comfort of the Holy Spirit, it multiplied.” Christian slaves were asked “to obey in everything those who are your earthly masters, not by way of eye-service, as people-pleasers, but with sincerity of heart, fearing the Lord (Col 3:22).”
Fear and love are both necessary postures to take before God. We love Him because He is near to us and identifies with us. We fear Him because He is at the same time far above all we can think or imagine and unlike us.
The blessings of fearing the LORD
1. Understanding of spiritual truth.
₋ “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge; Fools despise wisdom and instruction” (Prv 1:7, 2:5)
2. Wisdom to navigate life
₋ “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom; A good understanding have all those who do His commandments; (Ps 111:10, Prv 9:10)
₋ Who is the man who fears the Lord? Him will he instruct in the way that he should choose. (Ps 25:12)
₋ “He will be the sure foundation for your times, a rich store of salvation and wisdom and knowledge; the fear of the LORD is the key to this treasure.” (Isa. 33:6)
3. Protection from sinning
₋ “Do not fear, for God has come to test you, that the fear of him may be before you, that you may not sin.” (Ex 20:20)
₋ The fear of the Lord is a fountain of life, that one may turn away from the snares of death. (Pr 14:27)
4. Intimacy with God
₋ For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his steadfast love toward those who fear him;(Ps 103:11)
₋ But the steadfast love of the Lord is from everlasting to everlasting on those who fear him (Ps 103:17)
₋ The friendship of the Lord is for those who fear him, and he makes known to them his covenant. (Ps 25:14)
₋ but the Lord takes pleasure in those who fear him (Ps 147:11)
5. Receiving God’s mercy
₋ And his mercy is for those who fear him from generation to generation. (Lk 1:50)
₋ As a father shows compassion to his children, so the Lord shows compassion to those who fear him.(Ps 103:13)
6. Blessing for one’s family
₋ In the fear of the Lord one has strong confidence, and his children will have a refuge (Pr 14:26)
7. Protection from harm
₋ The fear of the Lord leads to life, and whoever has it rests satisfied; he will not be visited by harm. (Pr 19:23)
₋
Oh, how abundant is your goodness, which
you have stored up for those who fear you and worked for those who take refuge
in you,
in the sight of the children of mankind!
In the cover of your presence you hide them from the plots of men;
you store them in your shelter from the strife of tongues. (Ps 31:19-20)
₋ The reward for humility and fear of the Lord is riches and honor and life. (Pr 22:4)
8. Prosperity
₋ The reward for humility and fear of the Lord is riches and honor and life. (Pr 22:4)
₋ He fulfills the desire of those who fear him; he also hears their cry and saves them (Ps 145:19)
“How blessed is the man who fears the LORD” (Ps 112:1)!
When David prays to be able to put God first in his time of trouble, it is because he knows will get everything he needs in God.He knows, and he wants us to know, that the fear of the Lord is central to the Christian life. If we have it, we have all that we need. Life blessings flow from the spiritual source of fearing God.
There are many fears we have: fear of rejection, fear of appearing inferior in the eyes of others, fear of loss of convenience or pleasure and fear of physical pain. The early 20th century Scottish teacher Oswald Chambers, author of My Utmost for His Highest says: “The remarkable thing about God is that when you fear God, you fear nothing else, whereas if you do not fear God, you fear everything else.”
Before motivation for blessings, the undivided heart starts with trust that God is great enough and good enough to handle our lives. Like David, we must see God’s uniqueness in character and power, His worth and His greatness. He deserves fear. He deserves all ourhonour, obedience, submission and worship. He is worthy of all our faith - our trust.
What does it mean in practice to show the fear the Lord?
I will just confine the answers to what David says in this psalm:
11 Teach me your way, O Lord,
that I may walk in your truth;
unite my heart to fear your name.
12 I give thanks to you, O Lord my
God, with my whole heart,
and I will glorify your name forever.
- Learn God’s ways (v.11a). Read the Bible. Read good books. Listen to good sermons. Attend FTP. Walking in the truth starts with knowing the truth.
- Walk in His truth (v.11b) Obey God’s commands. Obedience in the Christian life is not often emphasized. We talk a lot about ‘grace’, and often that is just an excuse to slack off and do less than our best. Are you struggling with a difficult ethical situation where obedience to God might mean loss in the eyes of the world? This message is for you. Don’t fear man. Do what’s right in God’s sight. Fear Him. Are you struggling with a persistent sinful activity? This message is for you. Take strength from the fear of the Lord. Are you and distracted, busy with life? Pray this prayer of David.
- Thank and worship Him (v.12). Consciously look to God, thank Him for small and big things in the day. Let your heart be grateful. Be ready to speak well of Him to others and to attribute blessing to Him. Open your mouth to speak of His good character. We naturally praise what we are impressed by and love. Let our hearts be filled with a realization of how impressive God is.
Video: https://1drv.ms/v/s!Avz_WAuy5EM4j_1SxYQQ73tXHrBUsw?e=EVCAUf
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