Sermon Tone Analysis

!! *Philadelphia Baptist Church*

!!! 5~/16~/2007 Wednesday

*Trust God for an Outcome* \\ Psalm 32:8-10

*Psalms 32:8-10* I will instruct thee and teach thee in the way which thou shalt go: I will *guide* thee with mine eye.

9 Be ye not as the horse,/ or/ as the mule,/ which/ have no understanding: whose mouth must be held in with bit and bridle, lest they come near unto thee.

10 Many sorrows/ shall be/ to the wicked: but he that trusteth in the LORD, mercy shall compass him about.

/a guide...: Heb.

counsel thee, mine eye shall be upon thee/

 

This psalm [32] of David is linked to Psalm 51 where David reveals his penitent heart over his sin with Bathsheba and the death [murder] of her husband [Uriah the Hittite].

There David speaks …

*Psalm 51:12-13* Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation; and uphold me/ with thy/ free spirit.

13 /Then/ will I teach transgressors thy ways; and sinners shall be converted unto thee.

Psalm 32 is one of instruction as David is teaching the transgressors.

We all know that we all are sinful, disobedient, and self destructive when left to ourselves.

In all of our lives, every road we take, every move we make there is the instruction and counsel of the Lord at hand to help direct us.

How well have we learned this lesson?

Are we “stubborn” in our thinking to think we do not need direction?

If we fail to take God’s directive and apply it our lives will be like the horse and mule who are led away in the “bit” of bondage.

David instructs … [*1*] ungodly have waves of woes [troubles, sorrows] with no direction from the Lord, but *[2]* the godly, those who trust in God for direction though they may face troubled times; they are surrounded by God’s unfailing love.

Trusts … a confidence; to take cover [refuge]; a sure hope

David having walked the sorrowful path warns and instructs us, to /trust God for an outcome./

We are all walking various paths in this life some more dangerous and difficult than others and there comes a point we each have to make the decision who are we going to trust in … and if it is God that we put our trust in, then let it be *bold* confidence to stay within the covering of God as our only hope in this matter.

Two examples of trusting God for an outcome: \\ \\ *1.

Trust God for an Outcome by Listening*

The days of “judges” were oppressive days.

The people of God were not listening and thus not walking with God.

But God is faithful, and when they would cry out in the midst of their mournful sorrows, He would raise up a deliverer [a judge].

Gideon was one God used to break the bondage of the Midianites.

The Lord told Gideon to tear down the altar to Baal and then build a proper altar to the Lord *[6:25-26] *

       To trust God for an outcome requires we get rid of the “false” things that are an affront to God.

*1 John 2:15* Love not the world, neither the things/ that are/ in the world.

If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him.

“How we live is a testimony about what we believe about God.” – Henry Blackaby

God had told Gideon He was going to set free His people from the oppression of the day.

God was telling Gideon how He was going to do that … */use him./*

Gideon didn’t lack “information”.

[neither do we]

       Gideon lacked “confidence” to act on the information he had.

Gideon puts a “fleece” out before the Lord [Judges 6:36-40]

This is not the best way to discover God’s will for your life.

The more you know the providential will of God and obey the moral will of God the better you will discover God’s personal will for your life.

*Matthew 12:39 *But he answered and said unto them, An evil and adulterous generation seeketh after a sign; and there shall no sign be given to it, but the sign of the prophet Jonas:

*2 Corinthians 5:7* For we walk by faith, not by sight.

Read God’s Word

       Believe God’s Word

       Act on God’s Word

       Midianites numbers were enormous … overwhelming

*Judges 7:12* And the Midianites and the Amalekites and all the children of the east lay along in the valley like grasshoppers for multitude; and their camels/ were/ without number, as the sand by the sea side for multitude.

Because of the vast numbers of the opposition, God decides to decrease the numbers to go up against them.

What?

Why?

*Judges 7:2* And the LORD said unto Gideon, The people that/ are/ with thee/ are/ too many for me to give the Midianites into their hands, lest Israel vaunt themselves against me, saying, Mine own hand hath saved me.

God reduction: 32,000 to 10,000 to 300

       God removes and reduces our strength in order for us to trust Him, not ourself.

*2 Corinthians 12:10* Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ’s sake: for when I am weak, then am I strong.

When we are feeling weak and overwhelmed in the circumstances of our lives, what we need to do is start listening to God for the outcome.

Listen to God and /trust Him for an outcome./

*2.

Trust God for an Outcome by Obeying*

Joshua by-line was “trust and obey.”

He like Gideon and all the rest of us had to come to this through the “thrill of victory” and the “agony of defeat.”

But from such developing days trust would be established in God for an outcome.

Moses (revered in the eyes of the people) was Joshua’s predecessor.

Joshua was the “under-study” … a bit unsure, scared, and maybe a bit discouraged [not as good a leader as Moses, or so he thought]

*Joshua 1:5-7 *There shall not any man be able to stand before thee all the days of thy life: as I was with Moses,/ so/ I will be with thee: I will not fail thee, nor forsake thee.

6 Be strong and of a good courage: for unto this people shalt thou divide for an inheritance the land, which I sware unto their fathers to give them.

7 Only be thou strong and very courageous, that thou mayest observe to do according to all the law, which Moses my servant commanded thee: turn not from it/ to/ the right hand or/ to/ the left, that thou mayest prosper whithersoever thou goest.

God sized tasks calls for trusting God is with you.

God prepares and instructs His own … obey Me … no right or left turns [this is pivotal in trusting and obeying God]

Trusting God for an outcome allows us the believer to “prepare to possess” what God is giving us.

[1:11]

*Ephesians 1:3* Blessed/ be/ the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly/ places/ in Christ:

We as believers lack nothing to possess what God has called us and given us through Christ Jesus.

From the crossing over and occupying to possess the land God was bringing about an outcome.

Jericho was the first victory

       Instructions given … 6 days of walking around the city and on the 7th day blow the trumpets and shout and watch the walls falls down.

*Joshua 6:10* And Joshua had commanded the people, saying, Ye shall not shout, nor make any noise with your voice, neither shall/ any/ word proceed out of your mouth, until the day I bid you shout; then shall ye shout.

We need to quit talking about the outcome we want and start living in the outcome God has given to us to possess by faith.

Phillip Keller [author] says of outcome of Jericho … "a straightforward story of simply setting down one foot after another in quiet compliance with the commands of God.”

*1 John 5:4* For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the world,/ even/ our faith.

Listen to and obey God as we… /trust God for an outcome./

*Conclusion:*

The lessons are vivid and rich to remind us that the outcome we seek is in the Lord and not ourselves.

*Trust in the Lord.*

David gives a lasting word of instruction to help us …

*Psalms 32:7* Thou/ art/ my hiding place; thou shalt preserve me from trouble; thou shalt compass me about with songs of deliverance.

Selah.

Amen!

 

 

!!! * *