Rev. Steven
S. Billings
New Year's
Eve
Sermon
12-31-2010
Psalm 27
1 The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The Lord is the
stronghold of my life; of whom shall I be afraid? 2 When evildoers assail me
to eat up my flesh, my adversaries and foes, it is they who stumble and
fall. 3 Though an army encamp against me, my heart shall not fear; though
war arise against me, yet I will be confident. 4 One thing have I asked of
the Lord, that will I seek after: that I may dwell in the house of the Lord
all the days of my life, to gaze upon the beauty of the Lord and to inquire
in his temple. 5 For he will hide me in his shelter in the day of trouble;
he will conceal me under the cover of his tent; he will lift me high upon a
rock. 6 And now my head shall be lifted up above my enemies all around me,
and I will offer in his tent sacrifices with shouts of joy; I will sing and
make melody to the Lord. 7 Hear, O Lord, when I cry aloud; be gracious to me
and answer me! 8 You have said, "Seek my face." My heart says to you, "Your
face, Lord, do I seek." 9 Hide not your face from me. Turn not your servant
away in anger, O you who have been my help. Cast me not off; forsake me not,
O God of my salvation! 10 For my father and my mother have forsaken me, but
the Lord will take me in. 11 Teach me your way, O Lord, and lead me on a
level path because of my enemies. 12 Give me not up to the will of my
adversaries; for false witnesses have risen against me, and they breathe out
violence. 13 I believe that I shall look upon the goodness of the Lord in
the land of the living! 14 Wait for the Lord; be strong, and let your heart
take courage; wait for the Lord!
In the beginning God said: "Let there be light." And it was so. It
was later that He made the sun, moon and stars. So what was the Source of
the light?
In the Exodus the Children of Israel were led by a Pillar of Cloud
by day and a Pillar of Fire by night. The purpose of the Fire, according to
Exodus 13(:21) was "to give them light." What was the Source of the cloud
and the light?
In Luke 2 Simeon says that the Baby in his arms is "a light for
revelation to the Gentiles" and for glory to God's people (v. 32).
Revelation 22 says that in heaven "night will be no more. They will need no
light of lamp or sun, for the Lord God will be their light" (v. 5).
So here we see the answer to our question. God Himself was the
light in Genesis 1. God was the Pillar of Fire in Exodus 13. And God, as
the Infant Jesus in Simeon's arms, was and is the Light of the World for
time and eternity.
Isaiah wrote of the coming Messiah: "The people who walked in
darkness have seen a great light; those who dwelt in a land of deep
darkness, on them a light has shined" (9:2). And John says of Jesus: "In
him was life, and that life was the light of men. The light shines in the
darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it" (John 1:4-5). Jesus said of
Himself: "I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in
darkness, but will have the light of life" (John 8:12). Peter, James and
John saw a glimmer of this light when, on the Mount of Transfiguration,
Jesus revealed to them a small measure of His glory (Matthew 17:2).
It's not my intention to turn tonight's message into a Bible study,
but merely to provide a little background to - if you'll pardon the pun -
shed a little light on your understanding of Psalm 27.
"The Lord is my light and my salvation." "The Lord is my light and
my salvation." Jesus doesn't just give light; He doesn't simply make our
world brighter. He is the light. "The true light, which enlightens
everyone, was coming into the world" (John 1:9). Without Him we are in
darkness - spiritual darkness that spills over into the physical world.
Why is it that most crimes happen at night? Physical darkness is a
fit setting for deeds of darkness. It's out of the darkness of men's souls
that dark deeds are committed. People living in the light of faith do not
walk in darkness. We sometimes stumble into the shadows, but we don't live
there. We're not impervious to temptation and sin, but it's not the
defining character of our lives. Children of the Light repent of their sins
and strive, under the direction of the Spirit of God living in them, to walk
the brightly lit path of God's will. If the Lord is truly your Light, I
encourage you: Live in the light.
"The Lord is my light and my salvation." For those times when you
stumble and darkness crosses your path, when you step willingly into the
twilight and engage in things unbecoming of your spiritual heritage, then,
more than ever, it is of utmost importance that the Lord is your light and
your salvation.
But also in those times when you're treading the path of light with
your head held high, feeling good in your walk, reveling in the light - even
then it's vital for you that the Lord is your light and your salvation. For
when we find ourselves in the shadows it's easy to remember that we need a
Savior. But when, in the flawed perception of our own estimation, we're
taking the higher ground and doing well according to the will of God, it's
easier than ever to focus on our own works and forget that we are by nature
sinful and unclean, and pride stealthily overtakes us and bitterness and
shame are sure to follow. How true it is that "Pride goes before
destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall" (Proverbs 16:18). No one
knew better than Solomon that "When pride comes, then comes disgrace, but
with the humble is wisdom" (Proverbs 11:2). There is no one in greater
darkness than he who thinks he's in the light.
Let me counsel you with the words of Paul: "By the grace given to me
I say to everyone among you not to think of himself more highly than he
ought to think, but to think with sober judgment, each according to the
measure of faith that God has assigned" (Romans 12:3). "I therefore, urge
you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called,
with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in
love" (Ephesians 4:1-2).
"The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The Lord
is the stronghold of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?" If the Lord is
your light and your salvation nothing else matters. Evildoers may attack
you, but they will be the ones who stumble and fall. A veritable army of
opponents may set themselves against you, but you need not fear. Even in
times of war you can be confident, for the Lord is your light and your
salvation.
Once, when Jesus was invited to the home of His dear friends Lazarus
and his sisters Mary and Martha, Martha complained that she was doing all
the work of preparing the meal, while Mary just sat at Jesus' feet listening
to Him. What was Jesus' response to her complaint? "Martha, Martha, you
are anxious and troubled about many things, but one thing is necessary.
Mary has chosen the good portion, which will not be taken away from her"
(Luke 10:41-42).
One thing is necessary. "One thing have I asked of the Lord, that
will I seek after: that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of
my life." The most important thing in life - the only important thing, as
far as Scripture is concerned - is to have the Lord as your light and your
salvation. To sit at Jesus' feet, so to speak, to listen to His Words, to
soak up His teaching, to be filled with His life and light - there's nothing
more important in the world. Everything else is marzipan and ribbons.
Without Christ, it doesn't matter what else you have; ultimately you'll have
nothing. "For what does it profit a man to gain the whole world and lose
his soul?" (Mark 8:36) But with Christ you have everything - everything you
could possibly need and more! "So don't be anxious, saying, 'What shall we
eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?' For the Gentiles
seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need
them. But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these
things will be added to you" (Matthew 6:31-33).
In the coming year you will be tempted and you will fall. You will
sometimes walk in darkness. You will want things you should not want and do
things you should not do. Beloved, let the Lord be your light and your
salvation. Draw near to the one thing needful: to dwell in the house of the
Lord all the days of your life, to gaze upon the beauty of the Lord and to
inquire in His temple.
And as you make your new year's resolutions, do yourself the
greatest favor of your life: commit to being in God's house more faithfully,
to receiving His Holy Supper more frequently, to being in His Word more
regularly. For in these Means of Grace He will shelter you in the day of
trouble; He will conceal you under the cover of His tent; He will lift you
high upon a rock, so that you will offer in His tent sacrifices with shouts
of joy; you will sing and make melody to the Lord. Seek His face; He will
not hide it from you. Meet Him where He has promised to be found. Let us
pray:
Teach us your way, O Lord, and lead us in the new year on a level
path. Let us not be dismayed because of our adversaries; for false
witnesses may rise against us. But we believe that we shall look upon Your
goodness in the land of the living, while we yet wait for Your final coming
to take us home. Make us strong and give us courage, for You are our Light
and our Salvation, O Father + Son and Holy Spirit. Amen
---
Rev. Steven S. Billings
Oshkosh, Wisconsin
mailto:[email protected]
Facebook: http://tinyurl.com/StevenSBillings
MySpace: http://www.myspace.com/Crownbearer
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