it is great to be with you again this morning. Let's go to the word of prayer
right quick. Lord in prayer right quick as we open up his word. Heavenly Father we
thank you for this time where we can reflect on a previous year. Father look
forward with hope and assurance to a new year. And Father we thank you for the
many blessings that you have poured out upon each and every one of us. And so
Father as we dive into your word. Father we had asked that you would open our
minds, open our hearts. Father that you would speak through me only the words
that you would have spoken today. That you would guard our hearts and guard our
hearing Lord. And that in everything that you would be lifted up and glorified.
In Jesus holy and precious name we pray. Amen. Well thank y'all for allowing me
to be here again. It is great to be among home folks. It's great to be back with
the home family again. And it is especially special because we're
starting off a new year today. And so I just want to show of hands how many of
you have used the word resolution and maybe you or your wife had said
something about a diet somewhere in there. Okay I you know heard I've heard
that you know Monday is coming. That's when we're gonna get back healthy. That's
when the diet's coming because we're you know worried a little bit about our
weight you know. As my granddaddy said some of us are a little healthier than
we used to be. And so we think about those things. We reflect in this time of
the year about last year and some of the things that's gone on. And and so with a
dawn of a new year comes we look towards self-improvement and and just the
different ways that maybe we can make ourselves better. And so it is with that
vein you know I was reading several articles as many of you know I've been a
youth pastor for this past 10 years now. And one of the things that is really
concerning to youth leaders and and adults secular and Christian these days
is the amount of anxiety that we see coming on in our students. Very high
levels of stress. Very high levels of worry. Anxiety seems to be at an all-time
high. And you know I was reading a New York Times article. Don't do that often
but this one kind of caught my eye. It was by TM Lermans called the anxious
Americans. And it says no in in our history we are the most worrisome
people that have ever been in America. One in five Americans now is diagnosed
with an anxiety disorder. They are worrying themselves sick. We spend just
over two billion dollars a year in America on anti anti anxiety medicine.
That's not on medical treatment. That's not on any of the physical things that go
along with that. That is simply on just the medication two billion dollars a
year. It affects close to 40 million Americans. Out of the 14 countries that
this lady quoted Americans were significantly higher clinically higher
in all levels of worry stress and anxiety. We showed significant levels
higher than even Nigeria Lebanon and the Ukraine which are all war-torn countries
that we would not want to live in. And so as we come in this new year we also
recognize that we have a lot of stress in our lives. We have a lot of worry in
our lives. There's a lot of anxiety. There are things that we worry about. We
worry about our health okay. That's why we're gonna get better in the morning
right. We're gonna eat healthier right. We worry about our finances. We worry
about our kids. We worry about our grandkids. If you're not that old yet we
wonder if we're gonna get married. If we need to be married. Who am I supposed to
marry. There are just a world of things. Am I in the right school. Am I in the
right profession. Is my job gonna hold out. Is my job gonna get better. Is my
job gonna get worse. Alright. All kind of things that we worry about and
stresses that we put on our lives. And so I want to talk about that today in
light of 2017 and hopefully start us off on the right foot. I'm gonna study God's
word together and just see what's going on. What the Bible can say to us
concerning worry, concerning anxiety, concerning how do we do 2017. What should
we look forward to. And so I'm gonna ask you if you will to take your Bibles and
we're gonna pick up with the Psalmist today. We're gonna you seen in your
bulletin. We're gonna be in Psalm 16. If you didn't bring a Bible with you
there is one in front of you and if you wanna if you know a little bit about the
Bible you know Psalm is right in the middle of the book. I think if I was
correct it's page 447 in the word in front of you. And so I want you to take
that out. Follow along with us this morning as we just dive in. It's gonna
be hopefully encouraging not gonna be anything that we don't know just from
reminders that will give us some hope and assurance as 2017 takes part. We
start out in verse one and this is gonna kind of be the springboard for
everything we talk about today versus one and two. David says preserve me oh
God for in you I take refuge. What I love about David is is that David was a
man's man. He was a warrior. He knew what it was to battle in life. David had not
had even though he was the Lord's anointed he has not had the easiest life
in the world. Alright you remember when he was anointed king. I'm just gonna give
you just a brief history of David right quick trying to get us up to speed. When
David was anointed king the Prophet went to see his father and he says hey one
of your sons is gonna be the next king. He said great it's got to be this one no
it's got to be this one it's got to be. He went through all of his sons you can
read this in Samuel and he finally said to David's father he said do you have
any more? And his father yeah there's the little one the young one he's out
watching the sheep it'll take a couple of days to get him but I can go get him
well go get him and bring him here. So David's whole family didn't really know
about him being king. Alright he was kind of the last thought of and all of
this. Alright you remember his battle with Goliath. He was actually ushered
into the king's court to play the lyre which is kind of like a harp
instrument a string instrument but then we see as he defeats Goliath as his
popularity raises we see that Saul goes crazy denies God turns his wrath and his
anger towards David and we see David flee for the next number of years living
in the wilderness. At one point he was so hungry he had to break in the church
and steal the bread off the show table the bread that was designated for the
priest. At one point we see David have to go back to Goliath's hometown and he
acted crazy. Alright it said that he walked around drooling and speaking to
himself so the Philistines the Israelites didn't want him so he figured hey
that's my next option so I'll go to the Philistines and I like like a crazy
person maybe they won't won't kill me and we see God work through his life and
all this and so when we think of David a lot of times we think of the king but I
want you to understand that David understood what it was to be in fear
for his life. He knew what it was to worry and when we come to this psalm that
is his first petition to God is God preserve me God I'm in danger God life's
not going the way that I thought it was gonna go God I'm worried I don't know
if I'm gonna make it through this God help me out in this time and when David
comes to that point it's almost as if he gets in the presence of God and he says
but wait a minute I'm talking to God I'm talking to the Holy Father I'm talking
to the one who is in all through all and overall and that changes his whole
entire prayer I want to look down in a in verse 2 if you will with me right
quick and and he says I say to the Lord you are my Lord and I have no good
apart from you basically when he looks when we look at verse 2 he gives us two
names for God one there is God Almighty the first name of Lord Yahweh the second
one is Jehovah and so we get the sense that David understands that God is not
only all-powerful all-knowing overall but he is also the God who saves and
David recognizes that God preserves him in every way he says I don't have any
good apart from you God you know what God no matter what is going on outside of
me no matter what my situation is no matter what my circumstances are you
are still God and you still have me in the palm of your hand you're my Lord and
you're my Savior what a comfort that ought to be for us on the New Year's Day
that we have a God who is not only God Lord but he's also Savior and that
springboards in what David's gonna talk about when he gets to that point when he
says you know what things are crazy in my life right now I don't know if I'm
gonna make it through but God I'm gonna rest and trust in you then we see him
start to reflect on the things that God has done in his life and so David says
basically this God has proven himself trustworthy in everything because of the
provisions that he has gotten in his life and so I want to look at just some
of these provisions right now look at how that applies to us today in our lives
I'm just gonna go down through these verses verse by verse and we'll just
pull out and see what God has for us in there but in verse 3 and 4 David says
this as for the saints in the land they are excellent ones or holy ones or
blessed ones in whom is all my delight the sorrows of those who run
after other gods shall multiply their drink offerings of blood I will not
pour out or take their names on my lips when David looks at God's provisions
the first thing he says is he says you know what when I think about God when
I think about his provisions apart from his salvation apart from him being on
my side apart from him being Lord of my life I think about the people that he
has intersected in my life I think about those dear saints of God and that's what
I appreciate about all the songs this morning have reminded us of God's
blessings and I especially appreciate mr. Billy because when I look at this body
of believers I had the privilege of being born at east side and coming up
here and I remember when this church was first built I don't remember where we
hear the first service we weren't here the first service we made it to the
second service I remember waiting in through the mud I remember having to
put plywood down to get into building because we hadn't it rained too much we
couldn't pay the parking lot people lost shoes always great to be a member of
that time you know you're a little boy you know you really wanted to get in the
mud mama beat you tail if you did it was great you know we just had the one
wing right here it was awesome to see how God worked through the faith of a
handful of believers and and and I think about those saints who have gone
before us and if you look around this congregation if you've been a part of
this congregation for a while you remember some of those names and the
legacy that they that they left and and I could start naming names and I would I
would miss a whole lot more so I'm not gonna do that but I want you to think
about just for a moment jot down in your bulletin in your notes who are some
of those people that God intersected in your life that were faithful to preach
truth to you to speak truth in your life remember those Sunday school teachers
remember those old pastors who have gone before us remember those saints of God
that God has intersected in our lives and that holds true for today we have
saints in our lives or should have saints in their lives that speak truth
David said said this about them he said he said they are the excellent ones and
they are the ones in whom I delight and so how do we apply that what does that
look like in our in our day and time ladies and gentlemen if God is who he
says he is and if he is your Lord and Savior then for us as believers we ought
to be joined to the saints of God we should be in a Bible believing church a
Bible teaching church a church that will build us up that will come alongside us
that will help us as we walk out our Christian faith in our day-to-day life
and so let me encourage you if you have not joined the church this is a great
church Pastor John is going to preach the word of God there are believers here
who will come around you there are areas of service in this church all right if
you don't believe it ask Pastor John he will put you to work somewhere okay we
have everything from birth to 99 or 105 depending on who lives longest okay that
that is available here in this church join in a small group join in a Sunday
school class get with believers who can come around you speak truth in your
life and encourage you on life's way that's what David said and when I look
at God's provisions the first thing he said was you know what God put believers
in my life there are believers who spoke truth to me there are believers who
helped guide me there are believers who built me up when times were tough and we
all need that we all need that buddy in life when we're having a Monday like we
will in the morning okay my wife's gonna put me on the back I don't know why
okay but when I'm eating that egg white and and no bread and no sugar you know
I'm gonna have a Monday morning all right it's gonna be bad there'll be
weeping and gnashing of teeth right y'all understand that the crispy cream
donuts are no more for a while right and so we need someone that can come
around us and say hey brother I know you're having a Monday but you probably
deserve it let's go get a cup of coffee all right let me help you out let me
build you up and so number number one when we think of God's provisions do
you have believers in your life are you attached to a Bible believing Bible God
serving God fearing church body who can speak truth into your life the second
thing that David looks at we'll look down in when he we're talking about God's
provisions is down in verses five and six see if I can get my electronic Bible
scroll over dad says what are you gonna do when the batteries go dead I said
well I'm gonna wing it he said why don't you use a print Bible I said well
daddy sometimes the pullpips are shorter and I can change the font on this so
literally it's a practicality thing with me because I've had to really you know
my curiosity has not trumped my vanity yet and so I'm not wearing my reading
glasses this morning verses five and six David says this the Lord is my chosen
portion and my cup you hold my light he's basically praying to the Lord and
saying this God you are my portion you are my cup when you talk about the cup
in the Old Testament whenever you see one talk someone talking about my cup my
cup runneth over this is my cup always when you see that in the Old Testament
it is talking about your destiny what is it that God has for you to do your life
your lot in life and so when David looks at this he says God basically I am
where I am solely and completely because of you you are the one who holds me in
the palm of your hand and then down in verse six he says the lines have fallen
for me in pleasant places indeed and I have a beautiful inheritance
brother sisters when we think about what's going on in 2007 2016 we look back
on the previous year when we think back through the years when we take times to
reflect basically David is using a a surveying term he says when I try to
measure out my blessings when I try to pull a tape measure on all that God has
done in my life I'm overwhelmed and I see that God has been with me every step
of the way and that his blessings are more than I can measure his blessings
are more than I can fathom and it leaves me with unspeakable joy what a
statement from a guy who is basically started off his prayer with God I think
I'm fixing to die if you don't help me God life is falling in on me but when he
actually turns his focus and his love and his heart towards his God and Savior
he realizes Lord my the blessings that I have seen in my life man I can't even
measure I can't put a tape measure on the things that I've seen you do in my
life and so I understand your your sovereignty your guidance and so I
want to think about that for just a minute what are some of the things that
have happened in your life that you say you know what it wouldn't have happened
if God hadn't been a part of it would not have happened had God not been there
God have seen me through all kind of situations I am where I am I have what I
have the blessings that I have the family that I have the place that I live
in the food that I eat the everyday stuff of life I have because God provides
for us ladies gentlemen that's why we tithe okay it's not because the church
needs your money it is not because God needs your money all right the Bible
says that my God owns a cattle in a thousand hills we can't out give God but
the reason that we tithe the reason that we give our money is because we
recognize that out without God's help we wouldn't have anything and we wouldn't
be anywhere and it is with that thought when we approach 2017 that we say thank
you Lord for everything that you've done for me in the past and I know you're
gonna remain faithful in the future and it is with that thought that David says
you know what I can't even measure God what you've done for me he also thinks
God in verse 7 for his clear guidance God proves of trustworthy because of his
provisions because the fellow believers we have in our lives because of the
abundant blessings that God gives us but then also for the clear guidance he
said I bless the Lord who gives me counsel in the night also my heart
instructs me what is David talking about here basically he recognizes that in
his life that God is active God is not something that's out there but God is a
real individual who is involved in a real way in his life and God is not
ambiguous in what he expects from us as his children he gives us his holy word
he gives us his instructions through his word we understand his character we
understand his holiness we understand his grace and his mercy that he laughs
is out upon us he gives us steps to follow principles to live by and I know
this that when we live by God's counsel when we do it God's way life is
infinitely better now notice don't hear what I didn't say I didn't say life was
easier I said life was better because God gives us counsel he gives us guidance
he gives us instruction he doesn't leave it up for grabs that is the one thing
that intrigues me about in Christianity over all the other world major
religions and all of the other religions you're hoping that you get to God
you're trying to work your way up to God you're trying to see if I can climb
this mountain to a holy point what maybe if in Islam maybe if I'm just good
enough if the scales balance out 51% good maybe Allah will take me but in
Christianity God says you're not good enough you can't make it on your own
no works are gonna provide any point there's no way you can reconcile so I
tell you what I'm gonna do I'm gonna step out of glory I'm gonna come in the
form of a baby child I'm gonna live blameless among you I'm gonna show you
the way I'm gonna pay the penalty that you could not pay and I'm gonna provide
a way for you to be reconciled and so it's not about what you do it's about
who you are in relationship with and so I'm gonna give you counsel I'm gonna
show you how to do that I'm gonna provide a way for you to be reconciled to a
holy God and so let me ask you a question this morning in 2016 in 2017
how are you a Bible study what point are you breaking down God's word are you
having a quiet time every day do you have a set aside time where you get
alone with God's word just simply to let God speak to you through his word and
then are you applying that in your day-to-day life you know David says
here he says the Lord gives me counsel in the night also my heart instructs me
basically I want you to think about it this way when David finally got some
alone time it was at night when he had had a really busy day everything had
that he had to do as a king as a warrior as a poet as a husband as a father all
of the things that life threw at him he found that at night was a time when he
could finally just take a breather now for some of us it works better in the
daytime in the morning first thing in the morning we get up we have a quiet
time and David probably had that going on in his life too but he said at night
at night is that time when I get to sit down I get to take a breath I get to
reflect and God speaks to my heart through that time in the night my heart
speaks to me and that is when God brings back remembrances of his word that's
when God reminds me of his counsel that's when God instructs me further
that's when I get to reassess okay God where did I mess up today God where
where did I go right today what what do I do different tomorrow in light of the
truth that is in my heart and so let me encourage you you know we've talked
about fellowshiping with other believers we've talked about you know our
gifts to God let me also encourage you in 2017 find a time when you can get along
with just you and God find a time when you can dive in his word when you can
listen to his counsel find a time when God can speak to your heart when he can
remind you of everything that's going on in your life you know we kind of switch
gears at this point and David looks at God's trustworthiness in a little bit of
different way in verses 8 through 11 and so I'm just gonna read those fully and
then we're just we'll come back and and go through each one of those but in
verse 8 he says this I have set the Lord always before me because he is at my
right hand I shall not be shaken therefore my heart is glad my whole being
rejoices my flesh also dwells secure for you will not abandon my soul to she old
or let your holy ones see corruption you make known to me the path of life your
presence there is fullness of joy and at your hand are pleasures forevermore
basically David said that God proves his trustworthiness also to us not only
through his provisions in life but mainly through his his presence with us
sometimes in Hebrew and in the Bible what happens this one this verse is a
little bit different the language is a little bit different so I have to rely
on on other scholars but a lot of times when you come to the Bible the most
important stuff is first and then as it gets less important it goes on down the
list and so whenever you really read a list of names the firstborn son is
usually first and it's in birth order and so that happens a lot in Scripture
but in this particular Psalms David has flipped the script and he's put the very
best last and it is for emphasis and it's to to drive our attention to what's
most important in our lives and he says God proves himself trustworthy most
definitely because of his presence in our life and he says I want you to
understand this that one of the ways that we see his presence is that constant
fellowship that he has with us look down at verse eight he says I have set the
Lord always before me because he is my right hand I shall not be shaken this
is a wonderful word picture but you have to remember that David was first and
foremost a warrior okay chosen implement a war during that time was a sword
David was very proficient with the sword we see list of his mighty men that he
trained in battle the things that he did and so according to the traditions of
that time the sword was always carried in the right hand you always had a shield
in the left hand and so when you engage the enemy your natural bend was to lead
with the left okay because that's where your protection was well that kind of
left your right exposed a little bit all right if you if you think about it in
and maybe football terms that was kind of your blind side was your right side
because you were engaging over the shield to thrust to parry to to take on
the enemy all right and so when David talks about God being at his right side
when you think about that in a war analogy at a battle analogy your right
side is where you want your strongest buddy right you know several of you if
you if you had to go into a fight right now there is a face that comes to mind
that you want at your right hand side okay there are other faces that if they
flash up before your mind you said there is no way I'm taking that guy in the
battle anywhere he would stick me with his sword right okay we all have
friends like that but when David when we talks about the right side that is
where he is the most vulnerable that is where he needs the most protection that
is where he needs someone to surround him to make sure that he's okay when
he's battling the enemy and he says you know what when I look back over the
years when I think of all the things I've gone through God you have been that
person that being at my right hand side you have protected my blind side you
have surrounded me with your grace with your power and your might and I haven't
had to worry about things in life because you and your presence have always
been there and so think about that through 2016 when has God been with you
when is his presence been there he says because of that reason because God you've
been in my life because you've been that very real presence in verse nine he
says my heart is glad and my whole being can rejoice because my flesh dwells
secure when David finally got to the point where he focused on God and not a
situation he went from worry and anxiety troublesome God I'm gonna lose my life
to he finally gets to this point over here where he says you know what God
you're present in my life what do I need to fear God I'm secure because you're
here at my right side God I'm here because your protection is always around
me and then we see his faith even jump to another notch down at 10 and 11 he
says this you will not abandon me to she older to the pit or let your holy one
see corruption you make known to me the path of life and in your presence there
is fullness of joy in your right hand there are pleasures evermore David says
I realize father that if you are with me through every aspect of my life that
you're not gonna abandon me you're not gonna forsake me you're not gonna leave
me you're even going to see me all the way through to death you know the
Apostle Peter quotes this verse in his Pentecostal message his message at
Pentecost when so many were being saved because David understood that that God
could be with him through death Peter understood that God was with Christ
through his resurrection and it is through that resurrection that we
ourselves as Christians and as believers are promised eternal life God has
made provision not only for us in our everyday life but he's made provision for
us for eternity and he promises that he will never leave us and that he will
never forsake us Paul puts it this way in Romans chapter 8 38 and 39 he says I
am sure that neither death nor life nor angels nor rulers nor things presence
nor things to come nor powers nor height nor death nor anything else and all of
creation will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our
Lord and so the question remains this morning do you have that kind of
fellowship with Christ Jesus do you understand that he is both Lord and
Savior he lived a sinless life here on this earth he died a death that he did
not deserve so that you and I could be reconciled to a holy God have you made
him Lord and Savior of your life in doing that even David who had a heart
after God a man who was after God's on heart even David will tell you hey life's
not going to be easy as a believer there's going to be temptations there
are going to be trials there are going to be things that come up but I promise
you that the joys and the blessings are infinitely more and that we don't have to
worry because God's assurance and hope is there in our life y'all stand to your
feet and let's pray
Heavenly Father we thank you in every way as we look forward to a new year we
thank you for the blessings of the past year Father we thank you for the
provisions that you give us in our life and Father may we never take those for
granted but even more so Father as believers we thank you for your presence
in our life that you never forsake us and you never leave us you know right
where we are Father the Bible even tells us that you know us so well that you
can number the hairs on our head and so Father as we embark on a new year as we
look towards the future may we look forward to a future with hope with
assurance Father may we trust in you may we lean on you may we Father let you
speak truth into our lives may you guide us and direct us in everything that we
say and do Father maybe one here who's never surrendered to you Father maybe
one here who's never had that time in their life and they said you know what
I don't think I know this Jesus this Christ Jesus the one who came to this
earth who lived a sinless life Father to save me to reconcile me to a holy God
Father if that's the case I would ask that your spirit would just woo them to
call them this morning that they would come down this aisle place their hand
in Pastor John's hand that Father that this today would be the day of
salvation today would be the day when they understood what it means to be a
follower of Christ to have Christ as both Lord and Savior of their life Father
there's some in this fellowship that that need to join they need to be
connected with a local body of believers endeavoring to to live out their
faith with a group of fellow believers Father if that is the case I would ask
that you allow them to come forward place their hand in Pastor John's hand
and say Pastor John I need to serve I need to be a member of this church I
need to go forward with Northridge Father and I need God's guidance and
and in provision and all of this but Father that in everything we do this
year that we would endeavor to live more and more like you that Father it would
not be a resolution that's easily broken in February but Father it would be a
commitment that would continue throughout the year and so Father we're
gonna look to you for our guidance we're gonna look to you for our hope our
assurance and in everything may you be lifted up and glorified in Jesus name we
pray amen
