Psalm 91, Part 1

Today on Fellowship in the Word pastor Bill Gebhardt challenges you to become a fully functioning follower of Jesus Christ water names, all of them have a different meaning here uses a few of me says he who dwells in the shelter of the most high LOL is most high means transcendent means surpassing all others. He says will be will abide in the shadow of the all mighty Elsa got Elsa guy means he is on and he can do everything that he says he can join up today on this additional Fellowship in the Word pastor Bill Gebhardt Fellowship in the Words the radio ministry of Fellowship Bible church located in Metairie, Louisiana Pastor Bill govern ours. Once again he shows us how God's word meets our work.

Everybody seems to be looking at tech for many many months up. We prayed that they would find a vaccine. Now they have an hour praying that we can get the vaccine here in America were expecting the government solve the pandemic problem and then restore the sagging economy and then deal with a whole plethora of social issues that we have also here in America.

Our people are filled with fear. So much so that I just read this this last week that Americans are drinking more than ever have and were taking more medication now than we ever have an even worse, a lot of Americans are trying to seek their solutions through social media and that's not work out very well. All the part that bothers me, unfortunately, is that Christians are not exempt from this. In fact were right in the middle of it all. The question I think that we have to answer at this spiritual crossroad for every one of us is this. Are you moving toward the Lord, are you moving away from the Lord A- that I know I never really thought about it in terms like that but I think when you look and talk to many Christians I think that their actions and their thoughts betray the fact of whether or not there involved in thinking this way.

Psalm 91 was written for us the benefit when were going through really difficult circumstances, and the Lord is trying to tell us something very, very important. So would you open your Bible is the Psalm 91 when you get there, you'll notice that there's no superscription on the Psalm so we know David didn't write it in Solomon dinner.

I didn't a soft and righted Corrigan right it were not sure who wrote it, but there is something in her other songs like that, but there's in Jewish tradition, Jewish tradition is that Moses wrote it and that would be interesting because Moses did right. Psalm 90 which is the first song by the way ever written is by far by centuries and centuries the older Psalm in the Psalter and what you see here is this is called a Psalm of trust and it's a song that is actually written for the very conditions we find ourselves in today. Its purpose is to displace our fear with our trust which will give us peace and so the writer tells us no matter what were going through. This is the time for us to trust typical of other Psalms. He starts out with this conclusion. He who dwells in the shelter of the most high will abide in the shadow of the Almighty. That's not unusual for song member. Psalm 23, a very famous song.

The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want. Then the rest of the Psalm describes that that's what this is and so what you have here is he says in verse two.

I will say to the Lord, my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust these two verses of the verses of confidence for us.

First, an invitation in verse 9191 one and then the confidence we should have.

We overlook these kind of things and they're just impregnated with meaning. Look at the names that are used here for God, I love you thought about that much in the Bible God's given a little bit over 100 names. That's a lot of names.

All of them having different meaning here uses a few of them and he says he would dwells in the shelter of the most high LOL Leon is most high. It means transcendent. It means surpassing all others.

He says will be will abide in the shadow of the all mighty Elsa guy Elsa guy means he is on MIP and it and he can do everything that he says he can do and he goes on and as he says it. He said I will say to the Lord, Yahweh.

I am who I am God's personal name. What he told Moses at the burning bush the covenant keeping God. I keep my covenants.

I am Yahweh. He said my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.

There is the normal word for God Elohim, but the difference of this one just saying Elohim is the word my is the first time he put a Pro nine the writer says that's my God, he's God, but he's my God is the creator God. But he's my God. So you see the fact he who dwells in the shelter of the most high will abide in the shadow of the Almighty.

Then you see after that. The response I will say to the Lord, my refuge and my fortress, my God, he says, whom I trust. There's a conditioning that we can't miss it. He who dwells in the shelter of the most if you want any of this to be part of your life.

The only way you can do is to dwell in the shelter of the most there's no other way. You're not going to do this because your child of God is not going to happen is only going to happen if you dwell in the shelter of the most it reminds me a lot about the New Testament in John 15.

Remember Jesus said I am the vine, are the branches.

He said if you abide in me and I knew you bear much fruit, but if you don't you can do nothing. The idea of abiding in the New Testament are dwelling here is this opposite position you have to put yourself in a notice he says you have to dwell in the shelter of the most high question is what you dwell, so I think right now be better for me to say I dwell in the shelter yet is probably true but you know what that means what you think about this last year what you think about. You see when you look up at 230 in the morning when you think about you think about the attributes of God the greatness of God. All the things a good summer to think about what you think about the circumstances around us. When is this going and when is when we get the economy going to recover what is everything to be right when I don't know what and you become frightened. That tells you not dwelling the that's for you. You have to dwell. He says in the shelter of the most high God tries emphasizes so much that he gives all kinds of poetic imagery here.

And remember, it's very important understand it's a Psalm which means his poetry its Hebrew poetry. The other thing it's an wisdom literature, which means it tells you principles, not necessarily, but sometimes promises when you read Hebrew wisdom literature utilizes the principle Christians made a mistake for a long time of reading everything in Proverbs and Psalms as a promise from God and giving example in Proverbs train up a child in the way that he should go and when he is old he will depart from.

That's a principal. Are there any kids and never been raised in the way they should go and they departed. Yes yes because God doesn't have grandchildren, you don't get someone to follow the Lord because you raise them right Dave you should raise them right by principal, but it's their decision before God within to follow the Lord are not. So we have to see it as wisdom literature and Hebrew poetry.

But notice the words that he uses here. The first one is. He says shelter. God says I'll be your shelter. When I was a kid growing up there was a lot of talk about building a bomb shelter, and there was a big nuclear threat and had to build a bomb shelter, and so do we take the money do we try to make to build ourselves a bomb shelter that would work. I'm glad we didn't because when I was in Texas I was talking to a man who knew all about nuclear bombs and stop and and dad he said was how far do you live from Pittsburgh and isolate 25 mile window. He said that every everybody within 30 miles of the center of the bomb would be vaporized so there really would be much sense in building yourself a nice little shelter to hide it, but we do that all the time to go to the Midwest you go up to northern Texas and Oklahoma and Kansas people build storm shelters why when a tornado comes when going to shelter God's is under shelter when something like a nuclear bomb or tornado happens in your life. I'm right here on the shelter.

Then he goes on and says shadow. He said you need to abide in the shadow of the Almighty #'s water. If you find yourself in a desert besides water what would you like to find shade shade. We talked about Jonah week or two ago and Jonah member he got them.

God built the board had the board grossly gullible shade and Joan was so delighted that he had it. He said W shade give you comfort when it's too hot, but he doesn't even stop there. He says, and I will say to the Lord, my refuge dictionary version refuge, a place that provides protection from danger, he said, in my fortress. We all know what a fortress is my God, in whom I trust.

It's an interesting set of images that he gives us here.

He says anniversary for it is he who delivers you from the snare of the trapper, and from the deadly pestilence. What you mean by that is poetry.

Of course, but what you mean from that. I think what he means there and it's pretty clear is simply this, the unseen enemy. The first one is the snare of the trapper is the whole point of trapping. If you trapper beaver house is life going right up until he gets in the trap pretty good. Then all of a sudden there's a snap and the next thing you know, Scott is again he said I protected from that. What about pestilence, giving Moses knows anything about pestilence anything about plagues is he knows all about that, 19 unseen, and yet is fearful when you have no idea. You don't know if you're going to catch it then. Then you don't know what you're going to get you going to get no symptoms.

Some symptoms a lot of symptoms only going to be in the hospital or find yourself on a ventilator and is the unknown. The major freight see that's pestilence. God says I got that covered. He said he will cover you with his opinions and under his wings you may seek refuge that were opinions as a bear and Hebrew, and it it actually means literally to hold you tight now that's interesting.

He says he will cover you with his opinions and under his wings you may find the remember it's poetry.

I can't tell you how many times in all the years I've been in ministry people said to me, doesn't the psalmist teacher God has wings God could have wings if he wanted wings. Okay, but he doesn't need wings when you're on the present. You really don't need wings to know from that point of view it's poetry but it's gives you a beautiful image some time ago Velma and I were driving down West Esplanade aneurysm mother, Doc, and she had maybe six or eight small ones and something happened. They were up in the grass and she was overhearing a rollover here. They just took off all of them ran as fast as they could. She stood up. They all clean up against her and she said that an egg every one of them was protected from a ring wings got so that's what I'll do for you just come here hold you tight, he said that's that's what I be able to do for you is not even done. He goes on, and he says after that his faithfulness is a shield we know what is shield those stops the enemy's arrows from the outside and aboard, which is outside the fortress, usually some kind of ramping or something to protect. In other words, what is God saying I got you every waves imaginable. I am your shelter, your shadow, your refuge and fortress in the opinions under the wings.

I am your shield, I am the bulwark of the rampart, I'm here for you I cover every present danger. Every invisible danger I cover them all. Now if you really 12 in the shadow of the Almighty.

This is what's gonna happen to you first. Five. You will not be afraid. You will not be afraid while have you been afraid.

See if you been afraid in the last year.

I can tell you from this song. You haven't dwelled in the shadow of the Almighty.

You may believe in the Almighty. She may be a child of God, but you don't dwell on the Almighty. You see Annette in a sense makes you for fear he said you will not be afraid of the terror by night or the arrow that flies by day, you won't be afraid night and day.

What else is there, if you're not afraid and later in the day when would you be afraid never. You will be afraid. He said if you believe if you dwell in the shadow of the Almighty said that's what will happen with you. He said of the pestilence that stalks in the darkness or the destruction that lays West wasted noon. He said that there's going to be no fear for you if you apply your faith.

Now the next verse is a little bit. Trouble listening to a lot of us. He said a thousand may fall at your side and 10,000 at your right hand, but it shall not approach you and sounds like, wait, I think he's guaranteeing something if you and I are believers in Jesus Christ you never have a problem in your life. Never you'll never have a problem he'll always take care that makes a little suspicious because you're alive and you've lived your life so you know what life is like, but I would you think about this for little bit different perspective and come up in the next verse, but that If Moses wrote this and is a good chance he did look back to Psalm 90 for just a moment.

Look at verse six.

Moses is writing and he said in the morning at flourishes and sprouts anew toward evening fades and withers away what you talking about you, you and me as our life you get up in the morning to start worth your born. Everything's going great Moses all say they're all things being equal to get 70 years. Your average if you get 80 are blessed and then you're gone. That's life. Your born you live you die. Now when you're 12 years old, 15 years old 21 years old is a gift of any mahogany apply because men life is a long. I mean, it's so long but how about anybody in here over 60 or 7080 not as long as you thought.

Is it is just not that long. It happens quickly, but notice what else Moses says it in verse nine he said for all our days have declined in your fury. We have finished our lives like a sigh. Moses that's kind of the way ago I is pretty much it seemed. He's not talking about that he's talking about something else. Notice he says then he said, you will only look on with your eyes. In verse eight, and see the recompense of the wicked 20 mean by that is looking in from the eternal perspective, not temporal eternal you see how it all turns out anything about it this way. If this was a promise for every circumstance of your life and be great for you. Is there anyone in the Old Testament that you would know in the New Testament we know Jesus did this. We suspect Paul and Peter and the apostles that it but anyone in the Old Testament you know abides in the shadow of the Almighty anybody yet joke. How do I know what God say Job is the most righteous man on earth he's number one is not you, not 11th, 27th, he's one so to be one you have to be abiding right so let me ask you high Job's life go you see the God protect him from everything it could happen no effect. That's the whole story of the book. It just goes through one unbelievable thing after the other. You see, that's not what he's talking about this God ultimately protect Job yes just like he does us. Hold your place and go with me to Romans chapter 8 in the New Testament Romans chapter 8.

This is Paul's take on this. Paul says this and we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God and to those who are called according to his purpose. That's us so how many things in your life and mine will work for good according to that verse.

All is not anything that's exempt that's called redemption in the Bible God can take everything that happens the URI and turn them all. Ultimately, for good.

That's for us as believers if you don't one believe in God and your God, reject or then it's going to get much much worse for you and that's a dilemma we face. If you remember Psalm 73 is the Psalm of Esau in a soft conclusion in the Psalm is a lot like you and I talk basically a soft says you want life's not fair it's not what is it he said when I saw the prosperity of the wicked. He said, why is it the people that hate God and are wicked are prospering and I'm not. You see, why is that the case one of the God haters seem to get more out of life and we get. That's a legitimate question. But he said in Psalm 73 until I went into the temple of the Lord and I saw the outcome of it all and once I saw their destiny to change my mind with that's kind of what Paul was saying we know that God causes all things to work together for the good of those who love God, to those who are called according to his purpose for us as believers, God will take covert in our lives, in turn, that's what he said is one of the all things that he presented verse 31 to reassure himself. What then shall we say to these things, God is first who could be against Pastor Bill Gebhardt on the radio ministry of fellowship Lord, if you ever miss one of our broadcast or maybe you dislike of the sum of the method one more time.

Remember, you can Google a great website called one place.com that's one place.com and you can listen to Fellowship in the Word online that website you will find on with today's broadcast but also many of our previous audio program at Fellowship in the Word. We are thankful for those who financially support our ministry and make this broadcast possible with all of our listeners to prayerfully consider how you might help with radio ministry continuous broadcast on this radio station by supporting us monthly with just a one-time gift support for ministry can be sent to Fellowship in the Word.

4600 Clearview Pkwy., Metairie, LA 7006 if you would be interested in hearing today's message in its original format that is is a sermon, the pastor Bill delivered during a Sunday morning service of fellowship monitored visit our website FVC Nola.org that FVC and oh LA.O RG at our website you will find hundreds pastor Bill sermon you can browse through our sermon archives defined sermon series are looking for.

You can search by title. Once you find the method you're looking for. You can listen online work you prefer, you can download the sermon and listen at your own. And remember, you can do all this absolutely free of charge. Once again our website is FVC Nola.org forecaster Bill Gebhardt and Jason Denhardt anything you for listening to fellowship in order