Sermon Tone Analysis

The first great event in the life of our Savior was his incarnation when the Holy Spirit overshadowed a young Jewish peasant girl from Nazareth and she supernaturally conceived a child.

This event is hinted at in the 40th Psalm when King David writes: /“ ... Behold, I have come; in the scroll of the book it is written of me.”/

The incarnation represents our belief that Jesus, who is the second person of the trinity, took on a human body and human nature and became both man and God.

In the Bible its clearest teaching is in John 1:14: /"And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us."/

From Genesis through Malachi, the Old Testament foretells that Christ would come into the world.

This is why Jesus tells the Jewish leaders: /“You diligently study the Scriptures because you think that by them you possess eternal life.

These are the Scriptures that testify about me,”/ (John 5:39, NIV84).

After Christ’s ascension, this is exactly what the Apostle did–they studied the Scriptures because they testified about the life and ministry of Jesus.

One of their primary sources for information about the life of The Anointed One was the Psalms.

This morning I want us to look at a second Psalm that describes the second great event in the life of our Savior–His temptation in the Wilderness of Judah.

As most of you know, immediately following his baptism by John the Baptist, Jesus spent 40 days and nights in the wilderness under the Holy Spirit’s leadership.

During that time, he devoted himself to prayer and fasting.

It was time spent in close fellowship with his heavenly father.

It was also during this time that, I believe, Jesus received his marching orders from God as to the shape and scope of his earthly ministry.

I think Jesus had to decide on the answers to some important questions:

* What message would he present to the people, and how would he present it?

* What would be the focus of his ministry?

* How would he measure success?

The questions you and I face are similar to the ones faced by Jesus.

Each of us knows that, like our Lord Jesus, we have options in this life.

How do we choose correctly?

I would submit to you this morning that our Lord’s method needs to be our method.

Fasting, prayer, and an unwavering commitment to God’s Word, are the key ingredients to finding God’s will for our lives, and defeating the world, the flesh, and the devil.

In the midst of seeking God’s will, our enemy the devil, will attempt to throw a wrench into the gearbox of our lives.

Satan will always attempt to turn times of decision to his advantage.

He tried to divert Jesus’ ministry down an unsatisfactory route.

The devil came to a tired, hungry Jesus and attempted to persuade him that meeting his own needs must be a priority.

These temptations remain appealing.

The 91st Psalm is another Psalm where we see Jesus.

It is frequently referred to as the Psalm of the Temptation since verses 11 and 12 are quoted in the New Testament during our Lord’s temptation in the wilderness.

And irony of ironies, it is the devil who quotes these very verses to Jesus!

Though only two verses of the Psalm are quoted, I believe the entire Psalm is a messianic Psalm.

In it we find that some significant clues as to how we may defeat the temptations that come our way.

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I. THE FOUNDATION OF OUR LORD'S FAITH (91:1–2)

#.

The Foundation of Our Lord’s Faith, Is the Foundation of Our Faith

#. verses one and two reveal that the foundation of our Lord’s faith rested in

#. the Person of God

#. the Promises of God

!! A. BELIEVING IN THE PERSON OF GOD (91:1–2)

#.

God the Spirit, speaking through the psalmist, employs four names for God:

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Elyon (91:1): /"The Most High"/

#. this name reveals God’s supremacy as sovereign Lord above all authority and dominion and every name that is named

#.

high as may be our difficulties, He is higher

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our enemies may be lofty, but He is above them

#.

what can be too hard or too high for the Most High?

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Shaddai (91:1): /"The Almighty"/

#. this is the name he first revealed to Abraham

#. it tells of the God of infinite power and resources for which nothing is too hard for Him

#. it is He who formed of the world out of nothing

#. it is He who holds the sun and stars in their places, and keeps the planets in their orbits

#. it is He who has shown his mighty power in the miracles of the Bible

#. it is He who is our protector and God

#.

Yahweh or Jehovah (91:2): /"The Lord"/

#. this is the personal name of God revealed to Moses at the burning bush

#. this is the name of the Covenant God—the God who makes promises to His people and always lives up to His end of the promise

#. this God revealed Himself to us through God the Son whose name is Jesus

#.

He is Abba Father

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Elohim (91:2): /"My God"/

#. this is the absolute, all inclusive name for the God of Scriptures

#. it refers to His eternal Deity and infinite perfection

#. it also refers to his intimacy and nearness

#. he is not an abstract God, He is my God, who gives Himself to me, and permits me to call Him my very own

#. the foundation of our Lord’s faith was in the Lord God Almighty, who is the Most High

#. the tests that he would endure in the wilderness would require faith and trust in nothing less

#. the foundation of our Lord’s faith would also rest in ...

!! B. BELIEVING IN THE PROMISES OF GOD (91:2)

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Jesus speaks through the voice of the psalmist, and proclaims His trust in God as His refuge and place of safety

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God the Son is going to put his absolute trust in God the Father

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He can trust the father because ...

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God is his shelter—this refers to a secret hiding place and is so translated in some Bibles

* ILLUS.

Have you ever had your own little secret place; a place where you could go to get away from it all; a place where you could be alone with your thoughts?

Little children often find such a place where they can feel secure.

#. the bible tells us that we all need that /“secret place”/

* /"But when you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret.

And your Father who sees in secret will reward you."/

(Matthew 6:6, ESV)

#.

God is the shadow he abides in—this is a reference to the protective presence that one finds in the strength of another

* ILLUS.

In the Book of Isaiah, God condemns Israel for seeking protection from their enemies—not from Him—but from Egypt! "Ah, stubborn children,” declares the Lord, “who carry out a plan, but not mine, and who make an alliance, but not of my Spirit, that they may add sin to sin; who set out to go down to Egypt, without asking for my direction, to take refuge in the protection of Pharaoh and to seek shelter in the shadow of Egypt!" (Isaiah 30:1-2, ESV)

#. we error greatly when we put our ultimate trust for deliverance or protection in the powers of earthly authorities

#.

God is his refuge—a safe retreat to go to when the enemy is after you

* ILLUS.

David knew what it was like to be hunted in an attempt to be snared by his enemies.

When David was on the run from King Saul, he found a lush oasis in the desert that is called Ein Gedi.

It was not only a refreshing refuge, but a strong fortress that was easily defended.

#.

God is his fortress—a strong and impregnable redoubt

#. as Jesus entered the wilderness, He knew that what he was going to face, and that the Father would be ever-present

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II.

THE FOES OF OUR LORD'S FAITH (91:3-13)

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The Foes of Our Lord’s Faith Are the Foes of Our Faith

#. in this part of the Psalm, God the Spirit speaks words of confidence to God the Son

#. verse 3 begins: /“For he will deliver you ... ”/

#. in these verses, we witness the providential care of God

#. as Jesus is led by the Holy Spirit into the wilderness to experience 40 days of testing, this Psalm must have been of great comfort to Him

#. our Lord’s testing place was the Judean wilderness

#. it must have been an extraordinary experience for Jesus that pushed him to his physical, mental, and emotional limits

#. even today, it is a barren, inhospitable, and dangerous place to be by yourself

#. in this barren wilderness the son of God would battle the son of perdition

#. it was a clear routing of the devil by our Savior