LET ME NOT BE ASHAMED
Psalm 31 :1-24 (NKJV)
The Lord a Fortress in Adversity
To the Chief Musician. A Psalm of David.
31 In You, O Lord, I put my trust;
Let me never be ashamed;
Deliver me in Your righteousness.
2 Bow down Your ear to me, Deliver me speedily;
Be my rock of refuge, A fortress of defense to save me.
3 For You are my rock and my fortress;
Therefore, for Your name’s sake, Lead me and guide me.
4 Pull me out of the net which they have secretly laid for me,
For You are my strength.
5 Into Your hand I commit my spirit;
You have redeemed me, O Lord God of truth.
6 I have hated those who regard useless idols;
But I trust in the Lord.
7 I will be glad and rejoice in Your mercy,
For You have considered my trouble;
You have known my soul in adversities,
8 And have not shut me up into the hand of the enemy;
You have set my feet in a wide place.
9 Have mercy on me, O Lord, for I am in trouble;
My eye wastes away with grief,
Yes, my soul and my body!
10 For my life is spent with grief,
And my years with sighing;
My strength fails because of my iniquity,
And my bones waste away.
11 I am a reproach among all my enemies,
But especially among my neighbors,
And am repulsive to my acquaintances;
Those who see me outside flee from me.
12 I am forgotten like a dead man, out of mind;
I am like a broken vessel.
13 For I hear the slander of many; Fear is on every side;
While they take counsel together against me,
They scheme to take away my life.
14 But as for me, I trust in You, O Lord;
I say, “You are my God.”
15 My times are in Your hand;
Deliver me from the hand of my enemies,
And from those who persecute me.
16 Make Your face shine upon Your servant;
Save me for Your mercies’ sake.
17 Do not let me be ashamed, O Lord, for I have called upon You;
Let the wicked be ashamed; Let them be silent in the grave.
18 Let the lying lips be put to silence, Which speak insolent things proudly and contemptuously against the righteous.
19 Oh, how great is Your goodness,
Which You have laid up for those who fear You,
Which You have prepared for those who trust in You
In the presence of the sons of men!
20 You shall hide them in the secret place of Your presence
From the plots of man;
You shall keep them secretly in a pavilion
From the strife of tongues.
21 Blessed be the Lord,
For He has shown me His marvelous kindness in a strong city!
22 For I said in my haste,
“I am cut off from before Your eyes”;
Nevertheless You heard the voice of my supplications
When I cried out to You.
23 Oh, love the Lord, all you His saints!
For the Lord preserves the faithful,
And fully repays the proud person.
24 Be of good courage,
And He shall strengthen your heart,
All you who hope in the Lord.
Intro:
The Psalmist is engaging in prayer before the Lord. As he pours out his heart, it becomes clear that he is going through a difficult time spiritually. His prayer is for the Lord not to fail him, v. 1,17. The Psalmist’s desire is to be vindicated in the presence of his enemies.
As I read these words, I see in them more than a plea for help. I also see a statement of faith. This man speaks of several areas of his spiritual life that you and I need to consider this evening.
His desire is for help from God, my desire is to show you the areas of life mentioned in which we should never be ashamed. Let’s notice these truths as we think on the thought, “Let me not be ashamed!”
We all know what it is to be ashamed. Webster defines the word as, ” feeling shame, guilt, or disgrace; feeling inferior or unworthy” We all know what being ashamed means, not from a textbook definition, but because we have all experienced times in life when we have been ashamed. And, certainly, there are things about us of which everyone ought to be ashamed. By the same token, there are some things related to our relationship with God of which we should never be ashamed! That is what I want to share with you tonight. So, let’s look at the thought, “Let me never be ashamed!”
I. V. 3a, 5, 14b, 16 TO POSSESS HIM
A. He is “MY” God! (Ill. John 1:12)
B. It is not a sign of weakness to express a need for God! (Ill. John 15:5)
C. He is our source of Strength, Phil. 4:13; Comfort, 1 Pet. 5:7; Matt. 11:28; Security, Heb. 13:5; Refuge, Rom. 5:9.
II. V. 1, 14 TO PROFESS HIM
A. If you possess Him, you need to profess Him!
B. Not ashamed of people knowing that I am a Christian! (Il. Rom. 9:33; Luke 9:26)
C. Hold you head high and proudly tell the world that Jesus is yours – Luke 12:8.
III. V. 2, 17, 22 TO PRAY TO HIM
A. Not a sign of weakness, but a demonstration of power!
B. The real weakling is that person who thinks he can handle it himself, 1 Pet. 5:7.
C. Prayer is the Christian’s greatest resource! It opens the bank of Heaven and unlocks the power of God in our lives! Use it liberally! There are 2 areas of life where we need to be avowed liberals. One is in the area of giving and the other in the area of prayer!
D. Jesus promised to:
1. Hear us – Jer. 33:3; 1 John 5:15
2. Help us – John 16:23-24; Psa. 37:4; James 4:2; Luke 11:9
IV. 4, 7, 21 TO PRAISE HIM
(Ill. 64 Psalms discuss praise!)
A. We have much to praise Him for! (Ill. Salvation, no hell, Heaven, needs, Holy Spirit, Word of God, Etc)
B. We are commanded to praise God, 1 Thes. 5:18; Heb. 13:15; Psa. 9:1-2; Rev. 19:5; Luke 19:37-40.; Psa. 34:1; Psalms 146-150; Psa. 113:1; Psa. 107:22; Psa. 135:1; Psa. 47:1 ,etc!
C. It is your duty – Do not be ashamed!
V. V. 4, 5, 7b, 9, 20 TO PRESENT MYSELF TO HIM
A. Not worthy to enter His presence as I am, but through the blood of Jesus I am declared worthy! (Ill. 1 John 1:7)
B. Present myself Now – Rom, 12:1 – In service to the King.
C. Present myself in Heaven – Unashamed, because of what the Lord Jesus did for me – Col. 1:22
D. Ill. We aren’t much this evening, but through the blood of Jesus we will be able to present ourselves before him in Heaven. We will have every right to be there!
VI. 23, 24 TO PRESCRIBE HIM
A. He is the cure for the disease of sin! (Ill. The Gospel is healing medicine for every sick soul!)
B. We must tell others about Him – Mark 16:15; Acts 1:8
C. Never be ashamed to witness. Be proud of who you are, whose you are, and tell others how they can become that also!
D. Tell the lost! Witness with courage (Ill. We are “Watchmen” – Ezekiel. 3:17-18)
Conc:
Never be ashamed of anything to do with the Lord! I’ll guarantee you that He is never ashamed of you, Heb. 11:16.
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Flaming the Revival Fire In Christ 