The Shadow of Adversity

Facing Fear • Sermon • Submitted 3 months ago • Presented 3 months ago

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Lead Pastor Wes Terry preaches a sermon entitled “One Fear to Rule Them All” out of Psalm 27. This sermon is part of the series "Facing Fear in the Face of God” and was preached on February 23rd 2025.

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INTROUCTION

Today we’re bringing our spiritual growth campaign to a close with a sermon on Psalm 27.

In this series we’ve examined the various fears that people face and examined them in light of certain key truths about the nature of God.

We’ve seen that in the shadow of

darkness the LORD is my light. (Psalm 56)

discontentment the LORD is my delight. (Psalm 37)

indecision the LORD is my guide. (Psalm 25)

danger the LORD is my protector. (Psalm 91)

disaster the LORD is my fortress. (Psalm 46)

vulnerability the LORD is my counselor. (Psalm 139)

weakness the LORD Is my strength. (Psalm 23)

Today we’re going to cap off the series with a final fear that trumps them all.

Except this fear isn’t something that causes anxiety or mental health problems.

This fear is actually an antidote to any other fear we may face.

You might think of this fear as a cure to the debilitating fears that often rule our life.

This fear - the Bible says - is the beginning of all wisdom. It’s the wellspring of knowledge.

This fear is the fear of God.

The Fear of God puts fear in it’s place.

PRAISE THE LORD:

This dynamic is described by David in Psalm 27.

Not only does he demonstrate what it means to “fear the LORD.” He also illustrates how to unleash that dynamic into your heart.

Let’s pick it up in verse 1.

Psalm 27:1 CSB

1 The Lord is my light and my salvation— whom should I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life— whom should I dread?

We discovered in this series that there’s a direct connection between our fears and our limits.

When we have a limited ability to see what’s in front of us - we become afraid.

When we have a limited ability to stop what’s threatening us - we become afraid.

You might be able to boil down the vast majority of fears into those two buckets. For each fear, the LORD offers a solution.

He is our light and our salvation.

In a room full of darkness you can’t see anything that’s in front of you. It’s one of the reasons we have a basic fear of the dark. We can’t see.

But when the light turns on that problem goes away. God is light and there is no darkness that can extinguish his light.

God’s light isn’t something we can produce in ourselves.

Even in the physical sense light has to come from an outside source.

An electrically connected light bulb.

A battery powered flashlight.

A match or burning candle.

A campfire with logs of wood.

Each of these light sources must come from outside of us. We cannot address it in our own strength or abilities. We must look to someone or something else.

But candles burn out and the electricity can get turned off. The light of the LORD can never be extinguished. The darkness cannot overcome it.

For fears we cannot see, the LORD is our light.

For fears we cannot stop, the LORD is our salvation.

Some translations use the word deliverance. It addresses the second most common root of fear.

When we cannot save ourselves, the LORD is mighty to save us.

The LORD delivers us out of the hands of the enemy.

Sometimes he makes our enemies stumble and fall.

Sometimes he hides us in his mighty fortress.

That’s why David says the LORD is “the stronghold of my life.”

The word conveys the idea of a fortified shelter you could hole up in and resist an enemy force. Think reinforced walls, bulletproof glass, titanium steel walls.

David envisions the LORD as that shield of protection around his life.

Who Shall I Fear?

It’s no surprise then that David raises the rhetorical question. He actually raises it twice.

“Whom should I fear? The LORD is the strong hold of my life - whom should I dread?”

Two different words. Same basic idea. The second is more of an ongoing fear and trembling.

This isn’t a baseless question for David. In this very Psalm he identifies some very legitimate fears.

Psalm 27:2–3 CSB

2 When evildoers came against me to devour my flesh, my foes and my enemies stumbled and fell. 3 Though an army deploys against me, my heart will not be afraid; though a war breaks out against me, I will still be confident.

Evildoers wanted to devour his flesh (27:2)

An opposing force had set up a seige outside his gates. (27:3)

A war was raging that had no signs of stopping. (27:3b)

Additional threats are listed in verse 10 and 12.

Psalm 27:12 CSB

12 Do not give me over to the will of my foes, for false witnesses rise up against me, breathing violence.

Psalm 27:10 CSB

10 Even if my father and mother abandon me, the Lord cares for me.

His enemies had deployed slanderous lies to destroy his reputation. (27:12)

Even his own father and mother had left him out in the cold. (27:10)

Modern Day Fears

Those descriptions are pretty bad on their face but they might not seem as relevant to you.

I haven’t spoken with anybody getting pursued by cannibals lately. Same with siege style warfare.

But if you think about these fears for just a minute then they begin to resonate a pretty personal level.

Besides, the bit about enemies devouring his flesh might’ve been metaphorical in the first place. He is an artist after all!

Let me try and rename these fears in categories that better resonate with us today.

PERSONAL VIOLATION: Physically, mentally or emotionally afflicted.

This would include things like physical, mental or sexual abuse.

Relationships that damage and drain until we’re culled out and worthless.

OVERWHELMING CIRCUMSTANCES: trapped and cut-off from resources that could help.

This could include financial pressures that keep you trapped in a state of poverty. Unexpected bills, unpayable debts or an incurable disease.

UNRELENTING CONFLICT: exhausted and skeptical of a lasting resolution.

This could be things like a prolonged family dispute, legal battle or persistent workplace hostility. Chronic anxiety and depression also fit this description.

REPUTATIONAL DAMAGE: accused and attacked for things you did do.

This could include gossip or bullying from friends or foe. This can happen at school, at church or on any kind of social media.

RELATIONAL ISOLATION: forsaken and rejected by those who should’ve cared.

This could come from friends you thought would call, a pastor you thought would visit, a network you thought was committed or a job for which you were overlooked. It’s a terrible feeling of abandonment.

All of us have experienced one or more of these things in our past. They are terrible and debilitating!

And yet, David lists them all together and somehow says - “I don’t have to be afraid.”

Notice how he describes the Lord’s mercy in each situation.

When personally violated, my enemies stumbled and fell. (27:2b)

In overwhelming circumstances, my heart was not afraid. (27:3)

For unrelenting conflict, somehow I have great confidence! (27:3b)

The LORD protects me from the attacks of my enemies. (27:12)

The LORD cares for me when nobody else is there. (27:10)

There is no adversity from which the LORD cannot deliver. Regardless of the suffering, God is our salvation.

SEEK THE LORD:

Knowing that God is mighty to save, David’s prayer is somewhat surprising.

He acknowledges God is his light and his salvation. He taunts his enemies because God is the stronghold of his life.

If you believed those things about God and you were facing those kinds of dangers - what would you pray?

If I had an enemy who wanted to consume my flesh - I’d pray, “God break his leg, shut his mouth, and change his appetite forever.” I can’t live unless I know I’m safe!

I had an overwhelming circumstance and had no recourse for outside assistance - I’d pray - “God give me what I need to relieve this terrible burden!” I can’t feel safe with all this pressure!

I’d pray for an immediate solution to an unrelenting conflict. I can’t be happy if this isn’t right.

I’d pray for a public vindication for a character assassination. I can’t be happy if people don’t accept me.

David does not do any of those things. He prays for ONE thing and ONE THING only.

Psalm 27:4 CSB

4 I have asked one thing from the Lord; it is what I desire: to dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, gazing on the beauty of the Lord and seeking him in his temple.

He says something similar later in the Psalm.

Psalm 27:7–8 CSB

7 Lord, hear my voice when I call; be gracious to me and answer me. 8 My heart says this about you: “Seek his face.” Lord, I will seek your face.

The One Thing

What makes this so surprising is that David subordinates his urgent need with that which is most important.

The language of “one thing” reminds me of the story of Mary and Martha.

Jesus had come over to their house along with his many disciples. Culturally, that visit would’ve required a demonstration of hospitality by Mary and Martha to their guests.

Martha was worried and distracted about the “many things” that needed to be done. Important things! Urgent things! They had a house full of company. The floors needed to be swept, the food needed to be prepped and the table needed to be set.

Mary - Martha’s sister - should’ve been right by her side performing those basic duties to demonstrate hospitality to the most important guest of their lives! Instead, she was sitting at the feet of Jesus (with the male disciples!) and listening to his Word.

Martha, distracted by her tasks, comes into the room and essentially rebukes the Lord. “Lord, don’t you care that my sister has left me to do all the work by myself?” (Luke 10:40)

And his response is so surprising. “Martha, Martha - you are worried and upset about ‘many things’ but only ‘one thing’ is necessary. Mary has made the right choice and it won’t be taken from her.” (Luke 10:41-42)

David is essentially making the same statement in Psalm 27.

Anxiety and Our Idols

Saint Augustine said of fear and anxiety that they can teach us something important about our hearts.

When our anxieties start to speak it’s important that we listen.

The smoke of anxiety can lead us to the source of a fire in our hearts.

Tim Keller put it this way, “Anxiety stems from the collapse or implosion of an idol in your heart.”

We don’t often think of anxiety like this because we don’t see ourselves as worshipping idols. But we do. All the time. The human heart is an idol making factory. (John Calvin)

That’s why the language of “one thing” is so helpful.

Augustine said anxiety happens when good things in life become the “one thing” we seek.

David’s example in verse 10 is actually the perfect illustration.

Psalm 27:10 CSB

10 Even if my father and mother abandon me, the Lord cares for me.

Being loved and cared for by our mother and father is one of the most basic and intrinsic needs we all share.

Those who don’t have a good (or any) relationship with their parents can develop anxiety and coping mechanisms that undermine their ability to flourish long-term.

What they were denied by their parents they can spend their whole lives chasing, placing impossible burdens on themselves or the ones that they love. There are countless example.

Good Thing VS One Thing

What’s happened? A “good thing” (parental love) became the “one thing” they desire above all else.

Anxiety exposes when a good thing in life becomes the “one thing” we seek.

We could substitute anything for parental love and the logic still work.

a good reputation,

a great marriage,

a certain lifestyle,

relational dynamic,

situational outcome,

Literally anything can become an idol in your heart.

You’ll be totally unaware of that idol until it starts to get attacked or destroyed.

When that happens, you’ll experience fear, anxiety, anger, resentment - all the things we feel when we’re trying to protect or defend what matters most in our life.

Sometimes you’ll even find yourself praying,

“God fix this problem so I can have my one thing back… “

“God punish my enemies because they’re stealing my one thing…”

“God if you don’t come through and deliver on my one thing - I don’t know that still trust that you’re good.”

If you’re getting uncomfortable then you’re starting to understand. We all have a tendency to allow good things to become the one thing and that’s why we get anxious, angry and afraid.

Above All Else?

What’s the solution? The solution is to pray what David prayed. The solution is to change our “one thing” back to what matters most.

“To dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, gazing on the beauty of the LORD and seeking him in his temple.” (Psalm 27:4b)

“Lord, I will seek your face.” (Psalm 27:8b)

The “house of the LORD” doesn’t mean David seeks to find shelter in the four walls of the temple. It can’t mean that. The temple hasn’t even been built yet (and the tabernacle wasn’t going to protect him)

“Dwelling in God’s house” is a metaphor for “abiding in God’s manifest presence.” It’s a symbol for communion and intimacy with God.

That’s why he modifies it with phrases like “gazing upon God’s beauty,” “seeking him in his temple” and “seeking God’s face.”

God’s presence is the one thing worth seeking above all else.

Manifest Presence

You might object to this idea because theologically you believe God is “omnipresent.” And that’s true.

In Psalm 139 David actually confesses there’s nowhere he can go that God is not also there.

No mountain high, no valley low, no river wide enough to hide from God’s presence.

So if David acknowledges the omnipresence of God then what does he mean by wanting to “dwell in God’s presence?”

The answer to this question lays behind one of our five core values at Broadview Baptist Church.

We want to “foster tangible encounters with the living God.”

I know God is always present everywhere. He’s in this room every single Sunday (and throughout the week).

But there’s a difference between God’s omnipresence and God’s manifest presence.

It’s the difference between being “watching from afar” in a stadium while an athlete performs his work and being in the locker room talking face to face.

I think that’s why the Psalms talk about seeking the “FACE” of God. When you see God’s face there’s a closeness and intimacy and relational communion that watching from afar can’t give.

That’s what we want every person to experience every single Sunday if not every day of their lives. We want to foster TANGIBLE ENCOUNTERS with the living God.

God is not an abstract idea he’s a living being. He’s not a topic to be studied he’s a person to be loved.

Safe and Secure

When the manifest presence of God is the ONE THING you seek, literally nothing else in this world can make you afraid.

Notice the way David describes it in verses 5-6.

Psalm 27:5–6 CSB

5 For he will conceal me in his shelter in the day of adversity; he will hide me under the cover of his tent; he will set me high on a rock. 6 Then my head will be high above my enemies around me;

David likens God’s presence to being in a “shelter and a tent.” Both play off the idea of God’s “house” but expand it in some ways.

The word translated “shelter” seems to suggest a primary or permanent residence.

The world translated “tent” suggests something more temporary and transient.

I think David uses each of them to convey the idea that God’s manifest presence can be experienced in any and every circumstance.

Despite your immediate surroundings there is a sense in which God can envelop and surround you with his manifest presence.

Notice also the language of “conceal” and “hide.” These are also interesting Hebrew words.

The word translated “conceal” conveys the idea of “storing a secret treasure.” The idea is protecting something of infinite and personal value.

The word translated “hide” can convey the idea of guarding someone by keeping them out of sight.

In both cases the Lord’s deliverance isn’t by taking us out of the difficult situations but by holding us close, preserving our life and keeping us hidden from those who seek our harm.

The final metaphor is being lifted up high on a rock. Notice the contrast in scenery.

David goes from a ground of uncertainty and vulnerability to one of safety and absolute confidence.

He can see everything he needs to see and he can experience perfect peace and security.

Not because God delivered him from danger but because God’s presence extinguished his fears.

LESSONS IN DWELLING

So how do we experience the manifest presence of God on a daily basis so that we can say, like David, “whom shall I fear?”

What must we do to have our “one thing” from the LORD which is to dwell in his house, gaze upon his beauty and seek him in his temple?

The answer to that question is hinted at in the second half of verse 6.

Psalm 27:6 CSB

6 I will offer sacrifices in his tent with shouts of joy. I will sing and make music to the Lord.

Both of these verbs convey the idea of ongoing action whether in the past, present or future.

The verb translated offer is the verb form of the word translated “sacrifices.”

You could literally translate it, “I will be sacrificing the sacrifice in God’s tabernacle with shouts of joy.”

The phrase, “sing and make music” could be translated “sing together with instruments.” (sorry church of Christ brethren!)

Worship in the Old Testament centered around the sacrificial system and the tabernacle.

The sacrificing of animal was done in order to make atonement for the sins of the people. (this practice began in the first passover of the Exodus)

The tabernacle was designed by God to remind his people of the Eden they lost and God’s promise to one day see that Eden restored.

East of Eden, the presence of God was localized to particular places, events or situations.

When God did manifest his presence, the response was one of worship. The same is true today.

God’s presence is made manifest through a life of worship. This is what it looks like to walk in the fear of the LORD.

But worship today doesn’t require the sacrificing of an animal. The reason is because Jesus inaugurated a new covenant and made atonement for our sin through his death on the cross.

The manifest presence of God is still obtained through a life of worship but our worship today is centered in Jesus Christ.

As we say in our new members class, “We worship God the Father, through God the Son in the power of God the Spirit.

Jesus Fulfills Psalm 27

Jesus fulfills to an even greater degree everything David describes in Psalm 27. Jesus is the true and greater David.

Jesus - even more than David - faced the most intense of challenging circumstances.

He was physically, mentally and emotionally afflicted.

He was surrounded by enemies who meant to end his life.

He was accused and attacked for things he didn’t do. (He stood in our place!)

He was forsaken and rejected by God on our behalf.

Even so - Jesus loved the Father more than any other person who ever lived. He was sinless in that he never let the good things in life outweigh the one thing that matter most.

He loved the LORD with all his heart, all his soul, all his mind and all his strength.

Because Psalm 27 foreshadows and explains the work of Jesus. Psalm 27 now also applies to us in Christ by faith.

We can now dwell in the manifest presence of God. We can be hidden, concealed and set upon the rock.

The reason isn’t because we’re sinless and perfect worshippers like Jesus of Lord.

The reason is because Jesus - though uniquely deserving salvation - allowed himself to be cut off and destroyed.

He paid the atoning sacrifice for sin so that God’s justice could be satisfied and yet still justify those who have faith in Jesus.

True Worship is centered on Jesus Christ.

True Worship

Jesus said to the Samaritan woman - “True worship isn’t about this mountain or that mountain. It’s about spirit and truth.”

Paul says of Christian worship, “Let it be first and foremost be in view of God’s mercy in Jesus!”

Then, I urge you to present your own bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God. This is true worship. (Romans 12:1)

When you make your ONE THING the manifest presence of God through the exaltation of Christ through the enabling power of the Holy Spirit there is literally nothing in this world that can cause you to fear.

Because when you are enveloped by the manifest presence of God - not because of what you have done but because of what Christ has done for you - you will be overwhelmed and consumed by such great love it will drive out any fears that linger.

God did not give us a spirit of fear but of power and love and self-control. Whoever fears has not be perfected in love. Perfect love drives out fear.

Distinguishing Marks

How do we unleash that kind of fearlessness? At the very minimum - we should go to church!

Where else can you gaze upon the beauty of the Lord and seek him in his temple?

But it’s so much deeper than that. The rest of the Psalm is actually pretty helpful for identifying distinguishing marks for a genuine life of worship.

I’m going to put them under three umbrellas. We could do an entire sermon on each mark. I want to include them today to help make application of this main truth.

As we look at these three marks I want you to think of them in terms of our corporate worship on Sunday morning. But they also apply to your personal worship of God throughout the week.

They apply to three different levels of the human heart: what we think, what we feel and what we do. Each are mentioned in this Psalm.

Urgent Desire

The first mark of genuine worship is “urgent desire” for the Lord.

We’re already seen this at certain places in our Psalm.

The one thing I seek. (27:4)

Lord hear my voice when I call; be gracious and answer me. (27:7)

But it’s also illustrated in the verses that follow. Psalm 27:9

Psalm 27:9 CSB

9 Do not hide your face from me; do not turn your servant away in anger. You have been my helper; do not leave me or abandon me, God of my salvation.

Notice the urgency implied in David’s request. He presents this request as a “do or die” kind of request.

The longer you walk with Jesus the easier it is to become apathetic towards a life or urgency in worship.

The secret to living a joyful Christian life is learning to live from a constant place of need.

You should be able to say with all sincerity - Jesus if you don’t show up then I won’t be okay. Jesus I need you more than my very next breath.

I think the Lord honors that kind of eagerness and hunger for his presence. He cannot fill a vessel that’s already full of self or worldly distractions.

Joy Surrender

The second mark of genuine worship is joyful surrender to the Lord

Notice what David says after his expression of urgent desire.

Psalm 27:11–12 CSB

11 Because of my adversaries, show me your way, Lord, and lead me on a level path. 12 Do not give me over to the will of my foes, for false witnesses rise up against me, breathing violence.

I love the juxtaposition of the phrase, “give me over to the will of my foes” with David’s mindset of “giving himself over to the will of God.”

To say with sincerity “show me YOUR way Lord… lead me on a level path” is to surrender to God such that detours or personal privilege are out of the question.

David’s circumstances naturally put him in a position of desperation and total dependence.

While this spirit is easier to have when circumstances are dire - it’s a requirement for true worship no matter what.

When Paul says we are to offer our bodies as a living sacrifice to the Lord he means we should daily put yes on the altar for whatever God desires.

Patient Confidence

The last marker of genuine worship is confident hope in the Lord.

David has demonstrated confidence in the LORD throughout this Psalm.

We see confidence in his rhetorical questions. (27:1)

We see confidence in the face of opposition. (27:3)

We see it in his prophetic vision of the future. (27:5-6)

But the conclusion of the Psalm is David’s final salvo of confident hope in the Lord.

Psalm 27:13–14 CSB

13 I am certain that I will see the Lord’s goodness in the land of the living. 14 Wait for the Lord; be strong, and let your heart be courageous. Wait for the Lord.

There are many things in this world you cannot be certain of. The goodness of God is not one of them.

The Lord’s goodness will never change because God is good and God never changes. God is faithful to keep his promises. It’s not a matter of if. It’s always a matter of when.

Genuine worship relates to God in light of that truth. There’s a confident expression of hope in the LORD even as we wait on his salvation.

Be strong. Be courageous. Put your hope in God alone!

Take courage in his power to save!

Completely and forever won, Christ emerging from the grave.

Conclusion

One of my favorite songs in all the world is “I will wait for you” by Shane and Shane.

The song was actually inspired by Psalm 130 but I think it perfectly applies to this Psalm as well.

Out of the depths I cry to you.

In darkest places I will call.

Incline your ear to me anew.

And hear my cry for mercy Lord.

I will wait for you, I will wait for you.

On your word I will rely.

I will wait for you, surely wait for You.

Til my soul is satisfied.

One moment in the manifest presence of God can change your life forever. It’s what we were made for. It’s what we’ve been chasing since the Garden of Eden.

And though it’s the thing we want most people are separated from God because of the sin in their life.

So the thing we need most is the thing most of us avoid. That’s why the Father sent Jesus the Son to pay the penalty for our sin so we could be reconciled to the Father.

It’s a fearful thing to stand in the presence of a Holy God. But instead of being consumed we can be healed. Why? Because the Gospel invites us to be clothed in the perfect righteousness of Jesus Christ.

Have you received him? Is God calling you today?

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