In this sermon, David Capoccia examines a psalm all about joy in the one true and covenant-keeping God, Yahweh. From Psalm 16, David Capoccia explains five reasons believers should have joy in Yahweh—who is the Lord Jesus Christ—amid troubles.
1. Yahweh is our exclusive refuge
2. Yahweh is our communal delight
3. Yahweh is our joyful inheritance
4. Yahweh is our steadfast guide
5. Yahweh is our future hope
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well it’s a joy to actually be back with you to bring the word to you again i thought i was only preaching in july but pastor bobby asked me to preach for a few more sundays here in august so i’ll be preaching the first three sundays in august today’s message is going to be a follow-up i think an appropriate follow-up to last week’s message where we’re talking about despair hopelessness depression from first kings 19.
i now want to talk about the subject of joy so that’s what we’re going to be looking at today but please pray with me before we turn to the text our heavenly father we thank you so much for your word and that you are the god of joy and you are rather we enter into your joy because of jesus christ lord i pray as we look at this wonderful passage of scripture today that we would remember and behold and experience again the joy of the lord in an abundant way help me to be able to explain this word work in the hearts of your people to encourage them to convict them to transform them because that’s what you that’s what you do by your spirit through your word jesus name amen we’re going to be in the book of psalms today but before we go there i’d actually like to draw your attention to the book of job in the beginning of the book of job do you remember that satan issues a certain challenge to god over a righteous man named job this challenge is recorded in job 1 verses 9 to 11. i’ll read it to you job 1 9-11 does job fear god for nothing have you not made a hedge about him and his house and all that he has on every side you have blessed the work of his hands and his possession have his possessions have increased in the land but put forth your hand now and touch all that he has he will surely curse you to your face satan extended this challenge to involve job’s person also in chapter 2 chapter 2 verses 4 and 5 satan says to god skin for skin yes all that a man has he will give for his life however put forth your hand now and touch his bone in his flesh he will curse you to your face what was satan asserting to god essentially this god you hold up this righteous man job as an example of faith but the only reason he really follows after you is because you give him all the earthly treasures that he wants you give him health give him wealth you give him protection if you take these things away job won’t want you anymore he’ll curse you to your face face it god you’re just the cosmic genie to job if you don’t keep granting him his wishes he’ll abandon you it’s a pretty brazen assertion from the devil is it not but if you read on in the book of job you find the results of god doing exactly as satan suggests god through satan takes away all the earthly blessings that job has but the result was not as satan predicted instead of turning away from god abandoning god cursing god what does job do he blesses god he worships god and continues to seek his hope in god oh to be sure the job experienced incredible sorrow great pain and suffering he struggled to make sense with what god was doing in his life and yet job nevertheless testified listen to what he says in job 13 15 though he slayed me i will hope in him see job was giving a testimony that totally contradicted satan’s assertion god is not merely valuable for the earthly treasures he gives his people actually god is most valuable simply for himself god is valuable in himself if you lose all the treasures of this world if god turns your life upside down all your relationships are sundered nobody wants to be your friend or help anymore if you still have god you have everything everything that really matters this is one of the great truths of the scriptures god is our joy there are i’ll say it this way all of us all of us in the world are looking for joy everybody wants a joy that lasts a joy that cannot be broken by circumstances but the people of the world they just continue to look for that joy in a broken and uncertain world which is impossible to find true joy is only found in the unchanging god whose kingdom is not yet of this world let me ask you this morning where is your ultimate source of joy are you like the world seeking for joy and circumstances or do you have a steadfast joy that stays with you no matter the circumstances have you discovered the bottomless fountain of joy that is the lord himself for his people now for those of us in christ i know it can be so easily to forget the joy that we have in god and to start looking for it in our circumstances and in the things of the world so i think it’ll be helpful for us to be instructed by a particular prayer song that we have in the scriptures a song that will reorient our hearts and strengthen our faith that’s what i want to do with you this morning so please take your bibles now and go to psalm 16. psalm 16.
the title of my message today is yahweh the center of joy yahweh the center of joy if you’re not familiar with the book of psalms these are a holy spirit inspired collection of prayer songs and prayer poems that were used in israel they were written both to be instructive and as worship you would actually sing these very songs and pray these very songs and this book is unique in its character whereas other books are divided by chapter and you need to pay attention to which chapter came before and what chapter came after words to appreciate the full context here the book is not organized by chapter but by individual song each psalm is it’s is a self-contained work largely self-contained in meaning so we’re not looking at the 16th chapter of the psalms but rather the 16th psalm and we’re going to look at the entire psalm today verses 1 to 11 psalm 16.
i’ll read it now it says a victim of david preserve me o god for i take refuge in you i said to the lord that is yahweh you are my lord i have no good besides you as for the saints who are in the earth they are the majestic ones in whom is all my delight the sorrows of those who have bartered for another god will be multiplied i shall not pour out their drink offerings of blood nor will i take their names upon my lips yahweh is the portion of my inheritance and my cup you support my lot the lines have fallen to me in pleasant places indeed my heritage is beautiful to me i will bless yahweh who has counseled me indeed my mind instructs me in the night i have set yahweh continually before me because he is at my right hand i will not be shaken therefore my heart is glad and my glory rejoices my flesh also will dwell securely for you will not abandon my soul to shield nor will you allow your holy one to undergo decay you will make known to me the path of life in your presence is fullness of joy in your right hand there are pleasures forever this is a great psalm notice right away the title information given for this song if you are using the king james version you won’t even see this because it’s not included but the the title what you see at the at the top of this psalm it actually is where the psalm begins it’s part of the original biblical text verse 1 in hebrew does not begin with preserve me o god but rather a mictum of david and this little title description is quite significant because not only do we learn that this psalm is written by david who’s david sweet saul must of israel that shepherd who became a king and was given a special covenant from god he was a true lover of god full of zeal for the lord faith in the lord we learned that this is a psalm from david but also it is a victim of david what’s the mictum you ask well nictim appears to be a technical musical term which we don’t really know what it means today hebrews understood it we don’t really know it could mean something like inscription or silent poignantly though miktum is a term that is only used for six psalms in the bible there’s this psalm psalm 16 and then psalms 56 to 60.
we don’t have time to look at those titles or those texts right now but if you do you’ll notice there’s a certain pattern if you look at the title information for psalms 56 to 60 you see that david is in danger he’s running for his life and when you look at the information given in those psalms it’s all crisis situations so even though we don’t know exactly what mikta means it seems to be associated with danger and difficulty a time of crisis now when we look at psalm 16 it says it’s a migtem but we just read through it we don’t see any elaboration on the particular dangers that david faced nevertheless the mixum title suggests that this is a psalm written in the context of difficulty in the context of danger which is even more significant because the psalm has such a joyful tone he almost wouldn’t even anticipate that david would be facing danger because he seems so glad i think that’s telling us something the fundamental framework for this psalm is about joy in the midst of danger or joy in the midst of trouble and difficulty and isn’t that what we all want the lord’s sweet psalmist is going to show us that today david presents the one true god yahweh as the center of joy for believers at all times and more specifically in this psalm david gives five reasons why believers can have joy in god amid trouble five reasons for believers to rejoice in yahweh amid difficulty i’ll give them to you just an outline form number one yahweh is our exclusive refuge number two yahweh is our communal delight number three yahweh is our joyful inheritance number four yahweh is our steadfast guide number five yahweh is our future hope now these reasons are profound these are not necessarily exhaustive we could add other things from other scriptures to these but these are the ones that david wants us to pay attention to in this psalm and let’s take a closer look at each one of these reasons the first reason to rejoice in yahweh amid difficulty appears in verses 1 to 2. that reason is number 1 yahweh is our exclusive refuge verse 1 preserve me o god for i take refuge in you i said to yahweh you are my lord i have no good besides you notice in verse 1 here that david makes requests it’s actually the only request in the entire psalm he says preserve me o god watch over me keep me guard me there are dangers and difficulties all around me god i don’t even know when the next one is going to invade my life i need you to protect me i need you to preserve me and notice the reason david gives for making this request also in the first line of verse 1 he says for i take refuge in you i don’t know if that strikes you as odd as a reason god give me refuge because i seek refuge in you may seem strange but david is actually appealing he’s simply appealing to god’s own character and god’s own promises as you see throughout the scriptures even in the old testament even in the law of moses god proclaims himself to be the strength the protection the deliverer of his people israel god thus calls upon his people to honor him by whenever they face trouble seeking refuge in him so david like a poor kingdom subject who’s living in the land and there’s some marauding armies coming he runs to his lord’s castle knocks on the gate and says my lord please open you proclaim that i should run to you when danger comes so here i am please now preserve me keep me safe vindicate your word to me that’s all david’s doing and we can see why david would be so confident in seeking the lord as his refuge because of the names that he uses for god here notice we have three different names david first refers to god as god which is the hebrew term el this is a name that carries with it the idea of power god you are my powerful one you are l and he also next refers to god as the lord in all capital letters in our bibles this is the traditional way that english bibles indicate the covenant name of god yahweh you notice usually when i read the bible i just replaced it with the term yahweh because that’s what it originally was in hebrew but this is the special name of god yahweh yahweh is a name that literally means something like he is and it is a reference to what god announced to moses back at the revelation of the burning bush at mount sinai remember in exodus chapter 3 verses 13 to 16 moses says whom am i to say is sending me to the people of israel to deliver them and god says tell them i am who i am tell them i am the god of their fathers has sent you to them declaration of i am who i am it is it is a word that emphasizes god’s eternality his self-sufficiency his independence his unchanging nature but then something else probably the most significant aspect of the name yahweh is that it was only explained to the people of israel this is something god reminds moses of in exodus chapter six he says i used or he doesn’t say this but it’s clear as we go in the scriptures i’ve used this name yahweh with other people but i never explained it to anybody but you to you moses and to the people of israel thus the name yahweh was a name that connoted israel’s special relationship with god that he is their covenant god he is the one who has contracted due to just his own faithful nature to love and be faithful to israel yahweh is a special name that represents the intimacy of god with his chosen ones and david refers to god as yahweh that’s the second name and then there’s a third name he says you are my lord lord is the third title not the same as yahweh my lord is actually the term adonai which maybe some of you have heard before it means my lord my master it emphasizes god’s sovereignty and his right over what is his now do you see how these would all play into david’s appeal to god for preservation are l you are the powerful god who can protect me you are yahweh the covenant god who is faithful loving will keep his oath to protect and you are adonai my sovereign god who rightfully should protect what is his own and now notice the last phrase david uses in verse he says i have no good besides you pretty extravagant statement david is saying god i know that there is nowhere else really that i can go except you in this danger in this trouble there’s nowhere else to go i’m not going to find any true good outside of you because you are the source of all good you are good all good is in you can you see where the joy comes from and all this when we see trouble david directs us to rejoice in the god who himself is our sure refuge the only refuge really being a christian will not exempt you from trouble in fact your troubles may increase because you follow the lord but we can rejoice that we have a place of safety in any trouble and that place is our god our lord our god yahweh himself god will not only bring us through the trials in his perfect way and in his perfect timing but he will also give peace to our hearts through the trial as we remember his power his faithful love and his sovereignty if we look for refuge in another source what will we find disappointment ultimately and the disapproval of god because he said no you’re to come to me i’m the only savior in refuge if we seek our ultimate refuge in god we will find secure joy is that what you do what is your source of comfort and safety and trouble can you this morning testify with david that you rejoice in god as your only refuge there’s a second reason we can rejoice in god amid difficulty that appears in verses three to four take a look at those our second reason is god is our communal delight verse 3 as for the saints who are in the earth they are the majestic ones in whom is all my delight the sorrows of those who have bartered for another god will be multiplied i shall not pour out their drink offerings of blood nor will i take their names upon my lips these two verses david describes how god’s people themselves become a way to rejoice in god notice the lofty titles david uses for god’s people in verse three he calls them saints literally holy ones and also majestic ones those of great excellence and glory you may say oh wait i should also add and then david finishes it by saying in them and these people is all my delight really these imperfect people around me they are worthy of such descriptions actually you see the same sentiment expressed in the new testament this idea of finding joy in god’s people look at the letters of the apostles to individual churches and to individual people what do you find all the time they’re giving thanks to god for those people they talk about how they’re encouraged by those people how they even rejoice over them it’s the same thing for david here and really it should be the same thing for us you may say but but how how am i to find joy in god over my brethren at least two main ways first by remembering who they really are before god they are the fellowship of the beloved of god for david and israel he saw his brethren brethren a people graciously chosen by god as god’s special possession a kingdom of priests and a holy nation as the torah says we experience similar realities in our christian fellowship actually that same description is used of believers the king of priests and a holy nation but even greater is our fellowship than was david’s with his people because we because we know the lord jesus christ have become spiritually attached to him and have become members in the same spiritual body we are one in christ god has gathered a people from every tribe tongue nation and station to be his beloved bride we are that together and we ought to delight in those that have been made god’s people in this way think about what they really are before god with you but then there’s another way this delight in the people of god is magnified as we see our brethren actually living as the people of god manifesting transformed lives david says he rejoices in the saints and that’s not just because they have that position before god god has designated them as set apart but because they actually lived that way they are characteristically a holy people david loves to see to behold the true remnant of yahweh following after god loving his law worshiping yahweh in the tabernacle he wants to be a part of that people but he has no joy in false brethren and we see this in verse four don’t we these are people who claim to be israelites but they barter for or run after the hebrew verb there could be translated either way run after another god maybe in replacement of yahweh or in addition to yahweh because these are both problems in israel you had apostasy people who turned away from god and syncretism people who tried to serve god alongside something else and you could appreciate that this would seem the logical thing to do when you’re in danger oh yeah i’ll pray to yahweh but just in case he doesn’t come through i’ll pray to baal as well i’ll do what he wants david knew that this was something that he would see even among the people of israel but he doesn’t want to be part of that group david points out actually in verse 4 that these persons who are looking for multiplied joy or multiplied strength by turning to other gods what do they actually find multiply pain multiplied sorrow david wants no part of their sinful and hypocritical worship i won’t pour out their drink offerings of blood that could be a reference to barbaric and evil worship practices perhaps even child sacrifice or it may just be that hypocritical worship that they would even offer to yahweh while their hands were essentially bloodied by sin he says i don’t want to participate with them i don’t even want to mention the names of these turncoats in an honorable way nor do i want to mention the names of their gods but for those who walk in truth before yahweh david loves to remember them to fellowship with them serve with them worship with them there should be a similar joy in us when we consider how god is with and transforming our brethren i mean you’ve experienced this haven’t you seeing others in this church believers in your life that you know walking with god wanting to make his name great telling others in the world about him you see that and you say wow praise god that’s encouraging to me now it’s true your brethren are also imperfect and it’s true that there are even false brethren those who claim the name of christ but don’t actually walk after the lord and yeah we can’t take joy in those things even paul reminds us in first corinthians 5 for not even to associate with someone who calls himself a brother and yet walks in unrepentant sin but as to the imperfections of our brothers and sisters we can’t focus on that we should instead be focusing on how god does enable these people still to walk generally in holiness yes they have imperfections so do you yes they’re struggling with different sins so are you and yet god is at work he’s transforming them just as he’s transforming you focus more fundamentally on your camaraderie in the lord that genuine worship and love of god that you share if you do that you’ll find joy in your brethren so brethren do you rejoice over your family in the church and perfect as they are nevertheless designated holy ones even majestic ones by god and being transformed into that do you rejoice also in your brothers and sisters across the country and around the world who have been called into the bride of christ as you have that we face many troubles in this life we can rejoice in the holy brotherhood the family of our fellow servants and fellow soldiers in the lord so let’s do that instead of just focusing on our differences our different opinions our failures and then just complaining about each other that’s not what david does and he’s showing us the way we see a third reason for us to rejoice in god amid difficulty and that’s in verses five to six our third reason is yahweh is our joyful inheritance look at verse 5. david continues yahweh is the portion of my inheritance and my cup you support my lot the lines have fallen to me in pleasant places indeed my heritage is beautiful to me notice the language of these two verses is all about inheritance that is land inheritance now land and land inheritance is not as important to us today in our society we we don’t rely on land as much as individuals but for the hebrews land and land inheritance was a really big deal first of all land represented your livelihood you literally sustained yourself and your family through your land by raising the crops on it or by raising the animals on it land was very important but also land represented the grace and favor of god what was the great uh promise that god gave to israel through moses when they were coming out of egypt i’m taking you to a land i’m giving you a land and i’m giving a land for each one of you individual families each one of you will have a divinely determined plot from me as a mark of my grace to you to have no land inheritance or to lose the inheritance that god gave you oh it’s often seen as a mark of god’s curse no land but look at what david says here about his inheritance he says yahweh not a particular plot of ground is his inheritance his good inheritance yahweh david says also is my cup meaning he is the source of my life he is the source of abundance not my land now david as an israelite and as a future king it’s unclear whether he wrote this before he was king or afterwards i probably would suggest it was before but as an israelite as a future king david did have an actual land inheritance but david also lived a life on the run he was running from saul who was trying to kill him unjustly he had other enemies that he had to deal with which meant that david often couldn’t access his land he couldn’t use his land it was lost to david but was david depressed about this no why because he saw yahweh as his true inheritance no land no problem got yahweh i don’t need land to sustain me when i have god himself holding up my lot in fact david says the lines that is the the measuring ropes that would determine the property boundaries of individual families he says these lines have fallen in pleasant places i’ve lucked out in my inheritance my heritage in yahweh is more lovely and more security giving than the greatest and most productive landscape how can david say these things well it’s a little bit of what we’ve already seen because david sees how good god is just in himself and his character and his nature everything god does for david in his life even through david’s troubles david sees as just right for david david testifies essentially god himself and whatever god has determined to give me is perfect it is a joyful inheritance to me now friends do you realize that the essence of life does not consist in just experiencing the good of this world experiencing good circumstances what is the essence of life where is true life to be found it is found in knowing god which is what david david experienced david knew and the rest of the scriptures say the same thing did they not let me quote a few verses to you jeremiah 9 23 jeremiah 9 23 thus says yahweh let not a wise man boast of his wisdom let not the mighty man boast of his might let not a rich man boast of his riches but let him who boasts boasts of this that he understands and knows me that i am yahweh who exercises loving kindness justice and righteousness on earth for i delight in these things declares yahweh lord jesus words himself in john 17 3 john 17 3. i like to quote this verse a lot it’s like my favorite verse this is eternal life that they may know you the only true god and jesus christ whom you have sent one more philippians philippians 3 8 paul says more than that i count all things to be lost in view of the surpassing value of knowing christ jesus my lord for whom i have suffered the loss of all things and count them but rubbish so that i may gain christ so brethren do not despair when life goes south for you because you have a perfect inheritance that can never be threatened the lord himself you have an inheritance that is more perfect more enjoyable more secure than any earthly one you who are nobody let’s face it that’s who we all are we’re worse than nobodies we’re rebels against god we’ve experienced the mercy of god to be made to know the greatest and most lovable and most glorious being in the universe and he not only do we know him but he has covenanted with us to be our faithful and loving god i will be your god you will be my people that’s what he said to each one of us and is that not a cause for great joy amid trouble so we rejoice in yahweh as our exclusive refuge we rejoice in yahweh is our communal delight we rejoice in yahweh as our joyful inheritance now number four another reason we rejoice in yahweh amid troubles is verses seven to eight yahweh is our steadfast guide verse 7 i will bless yahweh who has counseled me indeed my mind instructs me in the night i set yahweh continually before me because he is at my right hand i will not be shaken interesting david says in verse 7 that he will bless yahweh meaning he will praise yahweh and ask for blessing to come down upon yahweh and upon yahweh’s name and why well here it’s because yahweh has counseled david he has advised david he has shown david the way to go how did god do this for david how was he giving david counsel if you read the scriptures it’s true david did receive some unique counsel unique guidance he had certain prophets who ministered to him on behalf of god other supernatural things happened with god and david and those are elements of revelation that are no longer in operation today but mainly david received his counsel and guidance from what source god’s word god’s word and isn’t this what david and the other psalmist are rejoicing about throughout the psalms psalm 119 105 god’s word is a lamp to my feet and a light my path go to psalm 19 also talks about how wonderful the word is even superior to general revelation of creation and can’t your heart testify the same isn’t it so good that when we face this difficult life this confusing life this mysterious life that god has given us the light from the counsel of his word to show us the way to walk and god’s truth becomes a source of continual meditation for david notice he says in the second part of verse 7 night by night david is going over god’s truth in his mind it’s interesting the uh the word for instructs here my mind instructs it actually carries the idea of discipline even chastisement so as david thinks on god’s truth he not only meditates on the goodness of it but he reproves himself for the times that he has not believed it and not followed after it body and soul get in line this is the way of god david wants to make sure his way is the lord’s way and why is that because david knows that god’s way is so good that it will lead him on the level path through troubles yes but it will nevertheless be a stable way because notice what david says in verse 8 it says i have set yahweh before me continually now what does he mean by that it doesn’t mean he’s literally set yahweh before him like yahweh were some idol that he could just place before him in his hand or set a statue up and just keep watching walking towards that that’s not the idea rather the idea is that david has set yahweh in the center of his mind in a way before his eyes i want to be continually seeking the lord and what pleases him david in a sense has got his mind’s eye on the prize i’m going to continue walking after yahweh i’m setting him before me and david knows that when yahweh is before his eyes yahweh is also at his right hand that’s what he says because he is at my right hand the second part of verse 8.
remember in the hebrew mind to the right hand is the symbol of strength and support most people are right-handed back then even as today and so it’s the symbol of strength so david sees god like a knowledgeable and strong guy who not only shows him the way forward but also walks beside him at his right hand to support him and to strengthen him with yahweh before me and beside me david says i know that i will not be shaken that is i will not be so destabilized by the circumstances of life that i stagger and fall irrevocably life still will have its difficulties i will be pushed i will be pulled by various trials and temptations but with god guiding me by his good word and with his strong hand upholding me i won’t lose balance he will keep my way secure that’s david’s testimony now isn’t this another great reason for us to rejoice in god amid difficulty because we have the same god and the same guide everyone in this world is looking for guidance wisdom the right way to walk but nobody can agree philosophers say one thing scientists say another thing celebrities say a third thing and in recent memory has any time been more chaotic or uncertain than now we’ve got riots over racism we’ve got covert recommendations and guidelines and opinions we’ve got constant shenanigans going on in relation to the upcoming election let alone our own personal problems how am i supposed to handle this particular person who’s causing me trouble how am i supposed to face this particular trial how do i know what to do about this issue but we’ve got a guide we’ve got somebody to show us the way not just a probably good way but an absolutely sure way a way that is tested and given by the lord himself god’s word is the counsel that is sufficient for all of life and godliness isn’t that what the other scriptures say go to second peter chapter 1 it says the same thing whatever we face in life god has given us the counsel to face it and then he upholds us with his right hand that’s a cause for joy and the will doesn’t have that you have that if you’re in christ the path may still be hard but we have our covenant god to be our steadfast guide the whole way there’s a fifth and final reason for us to rejoice in god amid trouble and that’s in our last set of verses verses 9 to 11. number five yahweh is our future hope look at verse 9. therefore my heart is glad and my glory rejoices my flesh also will dwell securely for you will not abandon my soul to shield nor will you allow your holy one to undergo decay you will make known to me the path of life and your presence is fullness of joy in your right hand there are pleasures forever notice the word therefore in verse 9 david is going to explain a beautiful consequence of having yahweh be your steadfast guide in verse 9 we see multiple terms referring to david’s whole being rejoicing in god my heart and my inner man is glad my glory which is a little bit uncertain what he means by that maybe refers to david’s self as created in the image of god my glory rejoices and even my flesh that is my body rests securely all of me is so happy and secure in god why all this confidence david verses 10 to 11 explain because god will provide for me both everlasting life and everlasting joy david says to god you will not leave my soul in shield which is just the old testament term for the grave the realm of the dead and it’s not specific about heaven hell or anything like that just means the place where the state of being dead you will not leave me in the grave nor will you allow me your holy one or we could translate your faithful one to undergo decay literally see the pit see the source of corruption the place of decomposition instead what will you do god you will make known to me the path of life the path of life is actually a term that appears in proverbs it’s not only the way to life but it is also life in itself david essentially says god you will show me the path of life and cause me to walk in it all the way into your presence for you are the source of life and all life is in you and what will it mean to be in yahweh’s presence to dwell where the lord’s face is david says fullness of joy literally satiation of joys it’s actually plural overabundance of joy joys to the max because god’s right hand there it is again in your right hand he says in the last line of verse 11 god’s right hand which is the symbol of strength and support it will hold and it will supply pleasures and happinesses for god’s people in an everlasting way joys that will endure forever now that is a confident hope did you hear what david just said talk about the joy amid trouble david clearly articulates his confidence that god will not only preserve his life on earth until david’s time is complete but that god will also one day bring david soul and body into everlasting life and this everlasting life will not merely consist of a ongoing existence but a life of joyful fellowship with god and the enjoyment of all the delights that god has laid up for his people that is amazing now brethren david’s hope should be your same hope if you know the lord jesus christ your body and your soul can rejoice because god also will lead you on the path of life that culminates in ultimate life with him he will not leave you in the grave but he will send his angels to take your soul to him when you die until that day when he raises your body and causes you to live in a new glorified body in the kingdom of god and the new heavens and the new earth in the presence of god forever that is yours if you know christ such a promise then why should we be be so caught up and destabilized by the problems of life we have this to look forward to we are the people of god who are going to be with god no matter how hard life gets no matter how much we suffer for christ and the gospel there is abundant life waiting for us in the end an abundant life which we also taste right now to be a christian is to be the most joyful kind of person on the earth or at least it ought to be make no mistake god is no cosmic killjoy he’s not the hall monitor who’s just there to verify you’re not having any fun or any joy in your life it’s not true god is the author of joy and of pleasure and of happiness he is those things in himself so of course he will delight to give those things to his people forever our future hope in god should cause us to have great joy amid troubles but perhaps you notice something a little odd about verse 10 especially in light of our scripture reading didn’t david’s body in fact go into the grave and both see and know the pit’s corruption i mean yeah i get david’s articulating his hope of the resurrection here but he said he wouldn’t see corruption and he did what gives ah the answer is what peter said from our scripture reading in acts chapter 2 something very unique about david as a speaker of god see david was a prophet and he not only spoke of himself but he also spoke of his descendant to come and david could do this because david as god’s chosen king he received a special covenant from god in second samuel chapter 7.
in that covenant god said i will not withdraw my lovingkindness from you or your seed forever in fact i will cause you and your seed that is the line of descent to reign over israel in an everlasting way in fact your rain the rain of your seed will extend the entire earth this was the davidic covenant something very special to david this means that when david wrote particular psalms about himself as the anointed one he didn’t just write about himself but he wrote about his seed he speaks not only about himself as god’s anointed but the greater anointed one whom we call the messiah that’s what anointed one means it means messiah or even christ this coming seed would be what david was in a magnified way and also this coming seed would fulfill certain things that david spoke about but that david couldn’t fulfill himself and who is this greater davidic seed the greater david as he some kind sometimes called this is the lord jesus christ just as peter said in acts 2 on pentecost jesus is the lion of the tribe of judah the descendant of david the descendant of jesse the promised messiah of israel peter points out in acts 2 that there’s something about this psalm that shows it’s not ultimately about david it’s about jesus because only jesus fulfills what david says in verse 10.
son of god son of man jesus lived a perfect life a perfectly righteous life and obedience to god’s law but jesus was taken by sinful men and was nailed to a cross for crimes he never committed they intended to kill jesus but this was part of the perfect plan this was fulfilling the perfect plan of god to provide a substitute a saving substitute for his people would bear the weight of their sin bear the wrath do their sin on himself and pay it all off this is what jesus did by shedding his blood at calvary and by suffering the entire wrath of god for his people jesus was then placed in a tomb placed in the grave but in three days when jesus body should have begun to decay what happened it did not it was raised he rose from the dead god’s holy one did not see corruption at all just as david prophesied he would not instead what did jesus body and soul see resurrection life and exaltation jesus arose again from the grave he appeared to his disciples and taught them for 40 days and then he ascended back into heaven until his time of return just as the gospels testify thus psalm 16 is not just a testimony of david and his joy in the lord and his future hope it is actually also a prophecy of the greater david’s life ministry and even his testimony the words articulated in this psalm they were david’s and yet they were christ in a greater way do you see that everything this psalm talks about jesus fulfilled in a greater fashion than david did i mean we just go through the points again jesus rejoiced in god as his exclusive refuge don’t we see that throughout his ministry he faces all these threats and he says my father will take care of me i don’t have to be worried jesus rejoicing god and his as his communal delight think about the way jesus spoke about his brethren i’m not ashamed to be called their brother i love them unto the end number three jesus rejoiced in god as his joyful inheritance it was for the joy set before him the scriptures say that he endured the cross and despised the shame he found joy in simply fulfilling whatever the father had for him whether it’s fulfilling scripture whether it’s praying in communion to god or whether it’s doing the father’s will he was the itinerant preacher he testified himself i have no place to lay my head permanently except on my father’s breast number four jesus rejoiced in god as a steadfast guide actually i already began to talk about this he continually sought the lord in prayer he knew the scriptures sought to fulfill the scriptures and number five jesus rejoiced in god as his future hope which was plainly vindicated in his resurrection and exaltation so what does this all mean for us it not only means that jesus is the greater example of psalm 16 than david was but also jesus is the means that all of these things come true for us we only have refuge community inheritance guidance hope because of christ through christ you don’t have any of the things of this psalm if you don’t have christ he’s the way they come to you because they first were true of him he is the ultimate reason that we can rejoice in god he in fact is the god in whom we rejoice he is yahweh god if you have jesus brothers and sisters and everything we’ve talked about today is yours it is your joy amid trouble but if you don’t have jesus none of it’s yours so the great question the great issue is do you have jesus do you know jesus do you have yahweh as the center of your joy jesus says you only come to know him by repentance and faith repent means that you turn away from your sinful way that way that’s even described in this psalm as the way that only brings multiplied sorrow don’t look for another god another refuge outside of god don’t try to work your way into heaven or think that some ritual is going to bring you there you got to turn from all that and you instead are to believe to have faith in the lord faith in yahweh he is the only master he has the sovereignty over your life you need to give it over to him he is the only refuge he is the only savior it is only jesus perfect life death and resurrection that is going to bring you to god there’s no way you can add to it there’s no way you can replace it you are to repent and believe and what is the result it’s what this psalm says it’s everlasting life it’s everlasting joy and it is god himself who is these things to us if you will repent and believe you get god and that’s the greatest thing brethren our world is looking for joy in all the wrong places but god has shown us where true joy is it is only found in yahweh the lord jesus christ because we know that let us live that way let us be a people of joy amid troubles for them we will stand out as witnesses to our world and we can show them the hope that they too can have if they will just turn to the lord he can be their joy we want to be that kind of witness let’s pray lord god we thank you for this word of joy you are the god of joy not because you make everything easy or you give us exactly all that we wish for but because god you are our inheritance you are the center of our joy but i pray that that be true for everybody who’s listening today no matter what they’re going through i pray that they would see all the ways that they can rejoice in you even amid their troubles and god for those who don’t know you i pray that they’d see that there is no way to joy there is no way to life outside of you but i pray that they would repent and believe today and know you as the great treasure in jesus name amen
