A Relationship with God
A Relationship with God
A message for Oasis of Grace Assembly of God
Feb 19 2006
Psalm 27 (NKJV)
PSALM 27
1 The Lord is my light and my salvation;
Whom shall I fear?
The Lord is the strength of my life;
Of whom shall I be afraid?
2 When the wicked came against me
To eat up my flesh,
My enemies and foes,
They stumbled and fell.
3 Though an army may encamp against me,
My heart shall not fear;
Though war may rise against me,
In this I will be confident.
4 One thing I have desired of the Lord,
That will I seek:
That I may dwell in the house of the Lord
All the days of my life,
To behold the beauty of the Lord,
And to inquire in His temple.
5 For in the time of trouble
He shall hide me in His pavilion;
In the secret place of His tabernacle
He shall hide me;
He shall set me high upon a rock.
6 And now my head shall be lifted up above my enemies all around me;
Therefore I will offer sacrifices of joy in His tabernacle;
I will sing, yes, I will sing praises to the Lord.
7 Hear, O Lord, when I cry with my voice!
Have mercy also upon me, and answer me.
8 When You said, “Seek My face,”
My heart said to You, “Your face, Lord, I will seek.”
9 Do not hide Your face from me;
Do not turn Your servant away in anger;
You have been my help;
Do not leave me nor forsake me,
O God of my salvation.
10 When my father and my mother forsake me,
Then the Lord will take care of me.
11 Teach me Your way, O Lord,
And lead me in a smooth path, because of my enemies.
12 Do not deliver me to the will of my adversaries;
For false witnesses have risen against me,
And such as breathe out violence.
13 I would have lost heart, unless I had believed
That I would see the goodness of the Lord
In the land of the living.
14 Wait on the Lord;
Be of good courage,
And He shall strengthen your heart;
Wait, I say, on the Lord!
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A genuine relationship with God is characterized by certain elements in the life of the believer.
1. Confidence in God: Verse 1-3 David declares why He is so confident in His relationship.
A.) The Lord is my light: One does not walk in confidence in the dark!
· His Word is Light: Psalm 119:105 “Thy Word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path.”
· Jesus is our Light : John 8:12 “ I Am the light of the world, if you follow me you won’t be stumbling around in the darkness because you have the light that leads to life!”
· We have the Holy Spirit as our Light: John 16:13-15. He will reveal (put light on) the truth!
Because the Lord is my Light I can walk confident that He will lead me through the difficult places life may present to me and keep me from stumbling!
B.) He is my salvation: Unlike other religious doctrines of works my salvation is not based on what I do but on what Christ did!
· I have no fear of rejection because of what God did for me.
· I am confident that God is able to keep that which have committed unto Him against that day!
· God who is all powerful, all knowing and everywhere present is with me from the time I accept Christ until the day He presents me spotless before the Father.
With this confidence of salvation I am free to worship and praise and witness about God’s grace free from any condemnation Romans 8:1.
C.) He is my Stronghold! A place of strength and safety from the enemy! O to be hid in Christ and in God in times of trouble is a safe place where the enemy cannot reach me!
· A Mighty Fortress is my God! A bulwark never failing!
· The wars may still be going on around me but they shall not affect me!
No wonder David could face Goliath! With a few stones from the river and not be afraid! No wonder the Goliath’s spear could not find its target! David was hid in God! But the stones found their mark!
2.) We have Communion with God! We are people of His presence! God is with us!
· David’s desire to dwell! He longed for the privilege of dwelling in the house of God. We have the habitation of God’s Spirit within us!
· His desire to sing and rejoice. Just to be in God’s house! How much more should we rejoice when God dwells within?
· He has said “lo I am with you!”
· And I will never leave nor forsake!
As people of the presence we have the unending resources of Joy Peace and strength in every situation! No wonder David said I will sing praises to the Lord!
3.) We have Communication with God:
· David Cries out Hear me O Lord! We need to call on the name of the Lord. Jesus said ask and it shall be given!
· James tells us we have not because we ask not.
· We need to communicate with God, not just individually but corporately!
o Friends just as the individual needs to be in communication with God so to must the Church as a whole.
· In war constant communication is necessary on the battlefield in order for the soldier to engage with confidence. We are in a war and our communication must be constant if we are to have victory over the enemy.
So then this morning we can know how our relationship with God is just by measuring ourselves in these characteristics:
How is your confidence in god this morning? Do you believe that al things are possible with God?
· Do you believe that for your personal situation?
· Do you believe that for your family?
· Do you believe that for your Church?
Is He your light?
Is He your Salvation?
Is He your Strength?
How is your communion with the Lord today?
Does He go with you everywhere you go?
Does He watch the same TV programs you watch?
The same movies? Read the same books?
How is your communication with Him this morning?
Is there constant communication?
Is He reduced to the 911 emergency number when all else fails?
If God is for you who can stand against you?
The Lord is my light and my salvation who shall I fear?
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[1]The New King James Version. 1996, c1982. Thomas Nelson: Nashville