Faith Christian Temple Church

TEXT: Psalm 27:1-14

TOPIC: Of Whom Shall We be Afraid?

INTRODUCTION: In the past three weeks we have discussed the Word of God from Psalm 27:1. How does Psalm 27:1 in summation or summary apply to our lives as Christians? Let us examine verse one this morning again to answer that question. How does Psalm 27:1 apply to our lives more specifically as believers, as followers, as disciples of Christ Jesus. Verse one says, 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? Our focus today will be on the latter part of that verse, Of Whom shall I (or we) be afraid, if the Lord indeed is our Light, Salvation and Strength, which indeed he absolutely is.

The Lord is Our Light.

We live in a dark world spiritually because of sin. We all have sinned and come short of the glory of God. The world is a dark and deceitful place without the presence of God.

Our natural world is full of crime, violence, betrayal, idol worship, seduction, abuse, lasciviousness, oppression, depression, ignorance, rebellion, wars, earthquakes, famines, and pandemics.

How do we navigate through the this valley of the shadow of death? Psalm 18:28: “For it is you (Lord) who light my lamp; the Lord my God lightens my darkness.” The Lord is Our Light.

The Lord is Our Salvation.

The initial stage of the process of salvation from anything looks pretty messy. For example: drowning, a blazing fire, tornado, a flood, a violent crime, a home invasion, a bad marriage, a loss of employment, bankruptcy or a pandemic.

The final stage of the process of salvation from destruction and death is glorious victory. Once your feet are planted on solid ground; once you begin and continue to sow seeds of good works in faith, you will reap your harvest. You will be crown with God’s approval. Those who endure until the end shall be saved. The Lord is Our Salvation.

The Lord is Our Strength.

In life we find that we may be beset by weakness or in need of strength in various situations or circumstances. We may be challenged from time to time with physical weakness or economic weakness.

We may be faced sometimes with social issues that seem to be insurmountable or mental issues that seem irresolvable. Sometimes we may be plagued by spiritual issues that appear in certain seasons of our human development to maturity. The Lord is Our Strength.

This morning let us consider what the effect of Psalm 27:1 is in its entirety concerning the Lord’s light, salvation, and strength, that is, “Of Whom Shall I (or we) Be Afraid?” The result of having the Lord as our, light, salvation and strength is we have no fear of any man, any place, anything, or any other being or any force Of whom shall we be afraid or fear?

KEY SCRIPTURES/COMMENTARY

I. If the Lord is Our Light, Of Whom Shall We be Afraid?

John 1:1-14:

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through him, and without him was not anything made that was made. In him was life, and the life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.

The world we live is a dark place. It is full of lies and deception. What sounds like the truth many times is nothing but a lie. We consume from books what we think is wisdom only to find out that what we have learned is only made up stuff that doesn’t work in the real world around us.

We listen to news media reports to only find out later that the reports are false or made up for the sake of increased gullible audience ratings for monetary gain. Only God can give us real truth; only God can give us real knowledge; only God can give us real wisdom through His son Jesus Christ. He is the light of this dark, sinful, wicked world.

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.

**********If the Lord is Our Light, Of Whom Shall We be Afraid?

John 8:12:

Again Jesus spoke to them, saying, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.

Are youfollowing Jesus Christ; are you walking in the light of the Word of God? Can you see where you are going in this old dark world? Are you lost and can’t find your way? Are you walking in the valley of the shadow of death? Jesus is the light of this world. Why not follow him while you can?

Again Jesus spoke to them, saying, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.

**********If the Lord is Our Light, Of Whom Shall We be Afraid?

II. If the Lord is Our Salvation, Of Whom Shall We be Afraid?

Acts 4:12

And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.

The Lord is My Salvation. No other person, government, ideology, education or philosophy can save my soul from the judgment of God. The judgment of God can be both rewarding and punishing.

And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.”

*********If the Lord is Our Salvation, Of Whom Shall We be Afraid?

Ephesians 2:8

For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God…

We cannot earn the favor, the goodness, the pleasure, the approval of God. We cannot barter, bargain, make a deal, and buy our way into God’s salvation. He loves us. He freely gives to us salvation through the sacrifice made by His son Jesus Christ on the cross at Calvary.

For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God…

*********If the Lord is Our Salvation, Of Whom Shall We be Afraid?

III. If the Lord is Our Strength, Of Whom Shall We be Afraid?

Isaiah 41:10: Says, Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, and I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.

When you think you have been knocked down and you are not able to get up and go on, that’s when God comes in shows His strength and power. His glory is shown in your circumstances when you are at your weakest point. When you feel like throwing up hands and calling it quits, that’s when God says wait. I’m coming to your rescue. Just know who I am.

Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.

********If the Lord is Our Strength, Of Whom Shall We be Afraid?

Joshua 1:9: Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.

Some of us may be facing a marital crisis, a divorce or a separation, or a legal crisis; your child may be facing jail or prison time. God is able to take you through every ordeal you may be facing this morning. Perhaps, you may be facing a financial crisis, where you are not sure whether you are going to have a job tomorrow. Maybe you or a family member or friend is afflicted with a medical crisis.

Remember, God encourages us just as he did Joshua. Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.

********If the Lord is Our Strength, Of Whom Shall We be Afraid?

CONCLUSION: In closing, have faith in Christ. The LORD is our light and our salvation; whom shall we fear? The LORD is the strength of our life; of whom shall we be afraid?

Remember, John 3:16says, “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.”John 14:6: “Jesus answered, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”

Now, “Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man.

For God shall bring every work into judgment, with every secret thing, whether it be good, or whether it be evil.” (Ecclesiastes 12:13-14)

Be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. Have faith in Christ Jesus.