Sermon Tone Analysis

Introduction

Last week we talked about “In God We Trust”.

What it looks like to actually trust in God as we face our battles.

As we turn to Psalm 21 this evening we come to the sister Psalm of Psalm 20.

Psalm 20 was praying to God for the battle - yet to be fought and Psalm 21 is written after, the King’s Victory.

This Psalm is a psalm of David and it is also for the Choir Director - which relishes in the victory of the King while properly acknowledging God for it.

In order to maintain consistency for our trust in God for the battle that was yet to be fought - we must also acknowledge God for the victory now experienced.

As David trusted in God and acknowledging God for the victory won David was able to also anticipate and trust for future victory by the power and strength of God - and we can also but first we must Praise God for the King’s Victory.

This can be seen in three ways:

Historically — as it played out in David’s life.

Prophetically - as it speaks of one Greater than David - the Son of David — Jesus Christ.

Practically and Personally — as it relates to you and I for we are a royal priesthood.

So lets learn to Praise God for the King’s Victory and deliverance.

Joy In God’s Strength

We find four elements introduced in this call to praise.

Rejoicing

The first element is the concept of REJOICING.

David states that “the king finds joy” and “greatly rejoices”.

Using two different yet synonymous words in Hebrew and have a straightforward meaning here of joy, rejoice, gladness.

When this is present in the call to praise you can anticipate a joyful Psalm that will lift your hearts and bring forth much rejoicing and praising.

Strong Victory

Here this element reveals the reason for rejoicing, which is God’s STRONG VICTORY.

David declares that he (the king) finds joy “in Your strength” and greatly he rejoices “in Your victory”.

These two words and concepts Strength and Victory are parallel in this verse.

Which means that the strength in which David finds joy is the same thing as the victory in which David greatly rejoices.

Bringing them together we see that what David is talking about is a STRONG VICTORY or a POWERFUL VICTORY that God provided which in turn causes David to to rejoice.

The King

The one doing the rejoicing must be noted and that person is the king.

King David, God’s chosen and anointed king to rule the nation of Israel.

David knew of God’s strong victory as we know from the historical records we have of this king from the books of Samuel, Kings, and Chronicles.

The nature of the victory which David experienced comes in two forms.

David experienced PHYSICAL victory and knew what it was to have physical deliverance from the LORD

David also experienced a victory that was not physical but was supernatural and spiritual.

This victory was not over enemies of the body but enemies of the soul and spirit of man.

David knew what it was to have his sins forgiven, covered and not imputed to him.

The joy found in such a victory was known to David.

A victory over sin and for us to come and see this Psalm in this light is very much indeed proper, but we must also come and acknowledge that much of what David is praising God for is the first kind of victory.

As Christians today we must recognize that we have enemies - both physical and spiritual.

The worst are not flesh and blood either they are invisible and they are spiritual.

We can rejoice as David in God’s powerful, strong victory that we have today.

The Lord

We would be remiss to neglect recognizing in this Psalm the One who is strong and the One who gives the victory over Davids and our enemies.

It is not horses or chariots, or human rulers who prvoice the victory for which we and David should be rejoicing and praising over — ITS THE LORD - the God of Israel.

The God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.

He ALONE is the one the only ONE who provides the complete and total victory for His people.

So to Him alone go our praise and our rejoicing.

Rejoicing in the way the Lord has revealed His strength and given us the victory.

What passion we see displayed here in victory; why is it that we find it so easy to cheer and celebrate insignificant victories (scores, games, goals, achievements) than we do for the victories and the VICTORY of our Great God and King?

With these four elements in mind we come to see the joy is in the Lord’s strength - David did not glory in his own strength.

We may notice that here and throughout the psalm that David refers to himself in the third person.

Now while this might seem peculiar I believe that David’s intent was to have the people sing this song not to praise David’s victories but instead they would praise the one from whom the king (David) received the victory.

You have given him his heart’s desire - David is acknowledging that David desired the victory in his heart and from his heart he prayed and through that prayer God answered and gave the victory and the desire of his very heart.

You have not denied the request of his lips — God has given the victory and responded to his prayer.

Notice that David’s strong victory came not only from the desire of his heart but also his spoken request in prayer before the Lord.

There is a special place that answered prayer has in our lives as believers.

Every one of us in Christ should know and experience the thrill of frequent and wonderful answers to our prayers.

You say you dont And haven't experienced that?

Perhaps a few things to consider and evaluate.

You are prayerless

You pray amiss

Your prayers are currently hindered

Prayers are hindered in the following ways

Not abiding - John 15:7

Unbelief Matthew 17:20-21

Not fasting Matthew 17:21

Marriage Issues 1 Peter 3:7

Not Asking James 4:2

Asking amiss James 4:3

Disobedience 1 John 3:22

Not praying God’s will 1 John 5:14-15

Unconfessed sin James 5:16

Lack of Bible reading and Bible Teaching Proverbs 28:9

Misplaced faith Matthew 6:7

While we cannot earn or merit God’s response for our prayers but we most definitely must see that we can hinder answered prayer.

SELAH

Pause and use this opportunity to thank God for the strength of victory He has shown in our own individual lives and for the glorious ways in which He has answered our prayers.

God is a great and loving God and their is much joy and rejoicing to be had in Him and His strong victory!

Praising Past Victories

The Lord Met With Rich Blessing

David then praises the Lord for meeting him with rich blessings.

The goodness of God has come to meet him.

David is describing that is is more that God met then David sought or chased.

God brought the blessing to him as opposed to David seeking it.

Perhaps not as quite understood in the years between the anointing as king and the crowning as king.

Yet David was crowned with the crown of the nation of Israel and the crown of victory.

God’s goodness and grace meets us in life all the time.

It is found in the principle truth that He loved us before we ever loved Him.

God provides the way of salvation (crowning us with the crown of eternal life, and the crown of righteousness), making a way when there was no way and making the way accessible for all.

God also prepares the way and the ground upon which we will work before we ever get there.

Giving Eternal Life

David in Psalm 20 had asked for the Lord to give him more days and not let that be the day of his defeat and the end of his life.

The Lord clearly has given David the victory and in a sense lengthened his days as king.

God is recognized as having given it to him.

In relation to David this is a long life - physically as king.

At the same time a sense of hyperbole for David himself and more in relation to his dynasty as a promise to establish his throne forever.

Literally this is true in the case of the ultimate king - the Messiah.

Messiah’s Kingdom is David’s dynasty in that the Messiah is of the lineage of David.

The throne is eternal in that once the Messiah assumes the throne and His kingdom it will be forever and ever.

Also eternal life in that Messiah is resurrected -n the first fruits of the resurrection to show that we in Him will be raised from death to life eternal and that all who are in him have eternal life.

Through Faithful Love