This Psalm is for you; it is meant to prepare you for the inevitable moment in a fallen world of hopelessness and despair. Below is an outline summary of the sermon for your further study and deeper reflection.
SERIES: Summer in the Psalms, Vol. 3
TEXT: Psalm 3
TITLE: Our Great Deliverer
PREACHER: Brett Overstreet
BIG IDEA: Because Christ has delivered us from our greatest enemy, we can trust him in whatever we face today.
POINTS:
I. David’s Hopeless Situation
II. David’s Godward Gaze
III. David’s Great Deliverer
SERMON EXCERPTS:
All quotes and text emphasis are taken directly from the pastor’s notes.
ILLUSTRATION: Soldiers stranded at Dunkirk and feeling hopeless
“We had nothing to do with the events at Dunkirk, but that is a moment we can relate to, isn’t it? Have you ever found yourself in a moment of hopelessness and asked, what do I do now? Where do I turn? I have. This is an important question and moment in the life believer. What do you do, where do you turn when your life starts to fall apart, and you find yourself hopeless? What do you do when the fear, doubt, anxiety, and despair begin to creep in and overwhelm you?”
“Perhaps you are here this morning, and you are wondering that very thing. You came feeling hopeless. You barely made it to church today, and your mind isn’t even here; it's fixed on whatever is going on out there. Psalm 3 is for you. Or perhaps you’re here this morning and everything is great. Maybe not perfect, but life is good. This Psalm is for you; it is meant to prepare you for the inevitable moment in a fallen world of hopelessness and despair.”
“This morning, we are going to see in Psalm 3 that David was faced with this very same question: Where do you turn when you feel hopeless? Psalm 3 is a prayer of David that teaches us, equips us, and prepares us for that moment when we are tempted to fear and anxiety instead of trusting God. And as we go to God’s word together, we will see this incredible promise: The hopeless find deliverance in God alone.”
“[Verses 1 and 2] paint a brutal picture of David’s current situation. It is a picture of hopelessness and despair, much like the beaches of Dunkirk. This is obvious when we read the text, but I want to take a few moments to help us understand the context so we can feel the full effect. Psalm 3 is one of the few Psalms where we know the exact details of the situation that prompted the Psalmist, inspired by the Holy Spirit, to pen these words. You’ll notice at the top of the chapter, ‘A Psalm of David when he fled from Absalom his son.’ This account is recorded for us in 2 Samuel 15 – 16. Don’t turn there, but I encourage you to go read these chapters in full sometime this week to get a greater understanding of the context. But it’s important for our text today that we take a moment and understand what’s happening in 2 Samuel.”
“If you aren’t familiar with the events, here is the condensed version: David has been ruling over God’s people as their king for years. He is God’s anointed and is busy being king. Unbeknownst to him, there is a conspiracy against him that was started by a man named Absalom. Absalom, of course, was David’s son. And Absalom wants to be king. And so, he creates this pretty impressive plan to overthrow his own father. He plays the long game and over the course of many years, begins to plant seeds of rebellion. We read in 2 Samuel 15:6 that over time, Absalom began to steal the heart of the people. His plan is to win over the people, kill David, and take over the kingdom. In fact, in verse 12, we see he is having a lot of success. We read that his conspiracy continues to grow stronger and stronger as more and more people join in on Absalom’s plot. The plan reads like this: Steal my dad’s people. Kill my dad. Take my dad’s throne. This is what’s brewing for David in 2 Samuel 15.”
“The mighty king David is cast into exile, forced to flee Jerusalem. David’s life starts to fall apart. After David and his few remaining allies flee, these words are recorded for us in verse 30.”
“This is the picture of a man who is broken. A man who has lost hope as his life crumbles around him. Whose head is hung low as the pressure and danger mount up against him. And while we don’t know the exact moments that David wrote Psalm 3, perhaps it was during this time, when he finally had a chance to catch his breath, that he pens these words.”
“Things are bad for David, and there are a few things I want us to notice in these verses. Notice that he uses the word ‘many’ three times in these 2 verses. We should pay attention to repetition when we see it in our Bibles - this tells us just how bad the situation is. David’s enemies are many – there are many that rise up against him. When we think of that word ‘many’ we think ‘great in number’. And that’s true, that’s how he uses it here 2 out of the 3 times. But in the original language, the first use of ‘many’ is actually slightly different and communicates not just that there are numerous foes, but that they are increasing. In other words, his bad situation just keeps getting worse. Have you ever heard someone say ‘When it rains, it pours?’ That’s our way of saying things just keep going from bad to worse. That’s what’s happening to David.”
“We’re meant to see how hopeless this situation is for David. But notice how cutting their words are… It’s not just that they say he is hopeless - they tell David that God has forsaken him. Things are so bad that even God can’t deliver him.”
“Church, what a hopeless place to be. To be so overcome and overwhelmed by our circumstances that we would believe the lie that God cannot deliver us. That we doubt His care and concern for us. This is what the enemy wants us to believe in these moments. So, let me ask you: Where are you tempted to believe that God has forsaken you and cannot deliver you?”
“Are you burdened with this bitter affliction this morning? Have you lost hope in God? We don’t like to admit it, but we can get to this place where we feel so overwhelmed by our circumstances that we find ourselves in a place of hopelessness. We see David in a place of hopelessness in our text this morning. Maybe that’s you today, but Church, the hopeless find deliverance in God alone. As we’re about to see, this was true for David, and it is true for us - let’s look and see what happens next.”
“Notice the first word in verse 2,‘but’. This is the hinge in our text. That critical moment on which everything to follow depends. This is where David now turns in the midst of his hopeless situation. For us, there is always a hinge. In these moments, we will turn somewhere, always. The question is, where do we turn? And I know you can see this in the text, but it’s important to take note of where David doesn’t turn in this critical moment.”
“Notice first what he doesn’t do? He doesn’t fixate on his circumstance. He acknowledges it, he addresses it, he recognizes the seriousness of the situation and brings it before the Lord – this is what we should do in these moments - but he doesn’t stay there. He turns his gaze somewhere else. Not to worldly counselors, not to an escape from his problems [this takes many forms for us: drugs, alcohol, sex – even subtle things like social media and entertainment can be an escape for us] - David turns toward the Lord. He takes his eyes off his circumstance and fixes them on God.”
“This moment was critical for David. And church, in our moments of hopelessness and despair, where we turn is critical for us as well. See our thoughts and our gaze don’t drift Godward. David understood this. You and I won’t get there by accident. No, we drift away from the Lord toward things that cannot bring true, lasting hope.”
“So, how are we to turn to the Lord? Let’s learn from David’s example: He turns to the Lord by calling to mind specific truths about who God is and believes these things to be true. Walk with me again through verse 3 and pay close attention to where David fixes his thoughts.”
“’You are a shield about me.’ This specific word gives the image of a buckler, which was a small round shield. We all know what a shield represents: protection and defense. David is preaching to himself in this moment, reminding his soul that the Lord is his protector and defender. But notice, he says, ‘you are a shield about me’. Those words, ‘about me’, take this imagery of a small shield and blow it up. The idea here is that God encompasses David in a full circle of safety. Christopher Ash says it this way, “the shield shuts David into a place of safety.” Isn’t that where you want to be…shut into a place of safety? This is what God does for his people.”
“Do you feel weak and defenseless this morning? Are you overwhelmed as you face the arrows of suffering, persecution, pain, condemnation? Oh, Church, how we must call this truth to mind: There is a shield about you - God is our great protector and defender!”
“‘You are my glory.’ What does this mean? Well, think about what just happened to David. He was driven from his own kingdom, by his own people. Any honor and glory and dignity that he had in this world has been stripped away – like that. To David, that doesn’t matter. Though the world may despise him and hate him, the Lord is his glory. The Lord is sufficient for him.”
“Are you the butt of the joke at work because of your biblical convictions? Has your reputation taken a hit because you spoke up about what you believe to be right? Are you mocked at school because you won’t participate in certain things? Are you despised by your friends and family because your life is submitted to Christ? We must call this truth to mind: God is my glory. He is sufficient for me!”
“’You are the lifter of my head.’ This should cause us to think back to 2 Samuel 15:30 when David is deep in sorrow, weeping, head covered, and hung low. What does he say? The Lord is the lifter of my head. What does this mean? The Lord is the one who brings joy and hope, true joy and true hope in the midst of sorrow.”
ILLUSTRATION: Father gently lifting his sorrowful child’s head
“What has you deep in sorrow, with your head hung low like David? Where are you tempted to fear and anxiety today? How do you get up out of bed when you feel nothing but depressing thoughts? Oh, it’s in these moments that we must remember: The Lord lifts our head in the midst of our deepest sorrows, so that we might see Him and see His love and faithfulness and receive His comfort. I know it feels impossible to believe sometimes, but God can bring you joy and comfort even in the midst of your deepest sorrow.”
“Oh, let us learn from David’s example. In this moment, David is fixing His eyes on God, and as he does, he beholds this hope-giving trio of divine mercies – Church, these mercies are there for us in our moments of hopelessness and despair. We must turn our gaze Godward to see our defense, our glory, and our joy. And lest David, or anyone else here be tempted to disbelief, look what he says in verse 4 [READ]. This is David reminding himself of that immense blessing that belongs to God’s people. God hears our prayers. Isn’t that hopeful for us? But do you believe it? God hears you when you cry out to him. But notice David is speaking in the past tense here. He believes these things to be true for his current situation because God has answered Him before.”
“Maybe you are here and believe that God is these things, but He’s not these things for you, at least not in your current circumstance? David would remind us to practice that wonderful art - remembrance - and think back to God’s faithfulness toward you in the past. Do this! Do this when you are struggling to believe that God is Who He claims to be – think back and remember the times that the Lord has answered you from His holy hill.”
“Theologian AW Tozer wrote in His Book, the Knowledge of the Holy that “What comes into our minds when we think about God is the most important thing about us”. This is true in every area of life, but it is especially true when we face moments of fear and hopelessness. These are the hinge moments in our Christian walk. What we believe about God in the midst of our suffering, trials, persecution, temptation and condemnation is the critical hinge moment for us as believers. If we believe the lie about God – that he cannot deliver us – what can come of that but fear, anxiety, self-sufficiency, all of which lead us deeper and deeper into a place of hopelessness. But, if in those hinge moments we see God and His true character, and we believe His promises, that brings great glory to His name and bears great fruit in our lives.”
“Don’t misunderstand this morning. Psalm 3 doesn’t offer some ‘Christian life hack.’ The power is not in our turning. It’s not in our ability to do something… the power is the One that we are turning to! All we bring to the table is our fear and doubt and hopelessness… and God brings His overwhelming mercy and grace in our time of need (Hebrews 4:16). Listen, if we miss this, if we leave here thinking that the power is in our turning, then we will trust in ourselves and not in God. And that’s not what the Lord intends for us.”
“I think a rational person could read this and ask, how is this possible? How does this man, with all of his problems and all of the things weighing on him, how does he get any sleep at night? How is he not overwhelmed with fear and anxiety? If you noticed, nothing has changed from verse 1-2 to verse 6. David reiterates how bad his situation is in verse 6. His ability to sleep at night and not give in to sinful fear and anxiety is not the result of his situation getting better. It’s not because he got some good news, and things are looking up.”
“Here is the hinge: It’s because the Lord has sustained Him… The Lord has shut David in a place of safety, and when he believes that – even though nothing has changed in his situation - it brings real trust in the Lord, that yes, can even cure those sleepless nights and yes, can even overcome great fear and anxiety.”
“Oh, Church, turn your thoughts on God. Apply this in that very moment - when you are lying in your bed, you cannot sleep, and you are tempted to fear and anxiety. Fix your eyes on God just like David, and as you do, with the help of the Spirit, you will see God in His true, great stature and trust in Him. This is offered to us in our moments of hopelessness. Set your gaze on God.”
“And now we get to verse 7, and here we see that so great is his hope and trust in the Lord that David bursts out in this confident cry for God to deliver him.”
“David’s words here aren’t an SOS signal. This isn’t him throwing out a request to see if God will answer him. No, this is David confident in the promises and power of God. God is brought to the forefront of David’s mind, and he comes to the only logical conclusion: God alone can deliver me! God alone is my hope!”
“This is David responding to the accusations in verse 2, that God has forsaken him and will not deliver him. He is calling on God to do what he knows only God can do. You claim God can’t deliver me? You don’t know my God. He is my shield. He is my glory. He is the lifter of my head. And you know what? He will rise up and deliver me!”
“When David turns his gaze toward God in the midst of a completely hopeless situation, he is so convinced of God’s power and promises that he utters this colossal theological statement. He doesn’t say that God can simply provide a means of salvation, or that he is a means of salvation: He says that salvation belongs to God. In other words, it’s not up to David’s enemies. It’s not even up to David. Salvation belongs to the Lord. He owns it. He dictates it. He decides who will stand and who will fall. In other words, God is the great deliverer.”
“…notice the call for deliverance in verse 7 again. David cries out “Arise, O LORD! Save me, O my God!” He is not calling out to some distant power to come and save him – he is calling out to YAHWEH, his covenantal God. David takes hope not in the changing of his circumstance, but in the God, His God, who simply has to rise and His enemies will fall. Church, we do not cry out to some distant power, uninterested and indifferent to our suffering…. We cry out to our heavenly Father, Who hears our cries with a providential ear.”
“Do you see the grace that comes when the godly man or the godly woman takes their eyes off of their hopeless situation and fixes them on their all-sufficient God? It changes everything.”
ILLUSTRATION: An evil dragon whose fangs and claws have been removed, jaw broken
“See the imagery in our text of the wild beast being dismantled by God, no longer able to devour us, foreshadows something - the Gospel. Our most hopeless situation is not what you are walking through right now. Our greatest enemy is sin. Romans 6:23 says the wages of sin is death. Our most hopeless situation is that we are sinners before a Holy God – running a hell bound race and deserving of God’s wrath toward sin. We are in need of the ultimate deliverance.”
“Church, here’s the good news. On the cross, Christ defeated that enemy, didn’t he? Through His death and resurrection, Christ broke the power of sin and conquered death. Listen, the greatest dragon that we will ever face has already been defeated. The outcome has been decided by God… He has answered from His Holy hill and it is final! He has delivered us from sin and death. Yes, we live in a fallen world, broken and affected by sin. We live each day with our own indwelling sin. But we live with this great hope – sin and death cannot devour us. Christ has broken its jaw and shattered its teeth, and it has no power over you. Christ has done this for you and for me. Christ is our great deliverer.”
“The enemy will seek to accuse you and convince you that this is not true. He will tempt you to doubt and condemnation, but in the end it is a futile endeavor because God has already decided the matter - and what has He said? Romans 8:1, There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. John 8:36, If the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed. John 10:28, No one will snatch them out of my hand. Romans 8:39, Nothing can separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
“Because Christ has delivered us from our greatest enemy, we can trust him in whatever we face today.”
QUOTES:
Charles Spurgeon - “It is the most bitter of all afflictions to be led to fear that there is no help for us in God.”
Charles Spurgeon - “What a divine trio of mercies is contained in this verse! Defense for the defenseless, glory for the despised, and joy for the comfortless.”
James Montgomery Boice - “When a believer gazes too long at his enemies, the force arrayed against him seems to grow in size until it appears to be overwhelming. But when he turns his thoughts to God, God is seen in his true, great stature, and the enemies shrink to manageable proportions.”
James Montgomery Boice - “Salvation is of the Lord. But if that is true – if God has saved you in this great matter of salvation-why should you tremble before the lesser, physical dangers of this life, however imposing and frightful they may seem? You should triumph by faith in God, as David did.”
ADDITIONAL SCRIPTURE:
2 Samuel 15-16
2 Samuel 15:13
Psalm 71:11
Psalm 18:30
Psalm 62:7a
SONGS FROM THIS SUNDAY:
How Vast The Love
Jesus Strong And Kind
We Hunger And Thirst
The Saving One
My Soul Will Wait (Psalm 62)
NEXT WEEK’S PASSAGE:
Psalm 98
THE BOOK OF THE QUARTER: