Jesus is Our Satisfaction | Psalm 16

All right. Well, good morning, friends! I want to just start. Fair warning, if you don't like to fly, I need you to ignore the next two minutes. If you don't like to fly, this story is not going to help you. Several years ago… I'm sure aviation has improved its safety protocol. We can avoid all of these stories now. Several years ago, I was flying home with my immediate family. I was younger.

It was a blue, clear sky. I mean, if a pilot is looking outside or you're a passenger and you're thinking, "Hey, is there a good day to fly?" that day was the most beautiful day to fly. There was not a cloud in the sky. We're flying. Things are occurring in the cabin like they always occur. The flight attendants are passing out drinks and trays of food.

People are talking, listening to music, and watching movies. All of a sudden, the plane drops, just drops. I've learned it's called clear air turbulence. Not like a little bit of bumpy. No, no, no. I'm not talking about that. I'm talking the plane drops from the sky. Enough to where the drinks go everywhere, the trays of food go everywhere, and people scream. I literally saw the cart rise.

The guy in the back who the flight attendant had said, "Sir, would you please sit down and put on your seatbelt? Sir, would you please sit down and put on your seatbelt?" That guy quite literally hit his head on the top of the plane, came down, and broke his foot. I mean, the plane dropped from the sky. Now the only funny thing that I laugh at about this with my family to this day is I was sitting beside my brother.

Because the guy broke his foot, the flight attendant comes on once we stabilize a little bit and says, "We need a physician. We need a physician." My brother heard, "We assume the position. Assume the position." So he thought the position was this, and I'm like, "Ah!" So I told you if you don't like to fly, this is not a great story.

I just thought, "Maybe there's never been a time in my life that I've been that afraid." I mean, when the plane drops from out of the sky, that's terrifying. Yet here's the reality for many of us. It may not be a literal plane, but figuratively, if you will, it feels like we're in a freefall. It may be related to financial stress. It may be because of relational challenges and difficulties or problems at work.

You may be feeling hurt or lonely or scared or something in between where life hurts. Where do you turn when it feels like everything underneath you, any sense of stability, is gone? Where do you go? What do you trust in? What do you turn to? As we mentioned, we're continuing our series called Playlist, and we're looking at the book of Psalms.

Psalms are simply the songs of the day. Right? Songs are powerful. You can listen to songs, and they take you back. There are some songs I listen to and I'm right back in junior high. Right? Or the high school dance floor. You remember the girl. You remember the guy. You remember the game. You remember the experience. They take us back in the past.

Psalms, or songs, instruct us. We learn from what we listen to, good and bad. They inspire us. There is something about when you listen to an anthem, to a hymn, to the truth of God put to music. It inspires us. It reminds us of what's true. It instructs our hearts. Therefore, we're looking at the book of Psalms. Every psalm is written against a historical context.

Psalms is found right in the middle of your Bible. There are 17 Historical books, 5 Poetical books, then 17 Prophetical books. That's how your Old Testament is put together. It's not all chronological. It's arranged by type or genre. So you have 17 Historical books and then 5 Poetical books, and 17 Prophetical. Those Poetical and Prophetical books fit within that timeline told in that history.

So when you're reading a psalm, most of them are written against the backdrop of the time told within the book of 2 Samuel. Well, who is 2 Samuel all about? David. David is the one who penned most of the psalms. He is the one who wrote Psalm 16, which is the psalm we're going to look at today. It's written in the context of when David was on the run from his enemies.

He is looking to the Lord for help. He is on the run. This isn't written against the backdrop of tranquility and a nice lakeside view and a chance to look at a sunset. No, his life is in danger. The plane is falling from the sky, and we're going to see how he responds. If I could put the lesson of Psalm 16 into one sentence, it would be this.

All that we long for, both now and for eternity, finds it ultimate fulfillment in the Lord. All that we long for, everything good: life, joy, pleasure, hope…everything you long for, everything that your heart desires, all that is good…finds its ultimate fulfillment in the Lord Jesus Christ. We're going to see, based on this psalm, that the Lord is the one who is our refuge. He is the one who is our satisfaction. He is our Counselor and he is our hope. Let me say that again. The Lord is our refuge. The Lord is our satisfaction, our Counselor, and he is the one who is our hope. Let's look at verses 1 through 4.

"Preserve me, O God, for in you I take refuge. I say to the LORD, 'You are my Lord; I have no good apart from you.' As for the saints in the land, they are the excellent ones, in whom is all my delight. The sorrows of those who run after another god shall multiply; their drink offerings of blood I will not pour out or take their names on my lips."

The Lord is our refuge. The Lord is David's refuge. That's what this psalm proclaims right from the very beginning. Maybe in your translation it says, "Keep me safe, O God." That's how other translations read, as opposed to preserve me. "Keep me safe. I'm in a time of anxiety. I'm worried. Keep me safe. You're my refuge. You're my place of safety. You're my defender. You're the one who can protect me."

Refuge is a word that David likes to use a lot throughout the psalms in referring to God. In Psalm 18, verse 2, "The LORD is my rock, my fortress, and my deliverer. My God is my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold." I mean, look at those words! We can spend all day just on every one of those words.

In Psalm 46:1, "God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble." The Lord is our refuge. The Lord is our refuge. He is our place of safety, protection, and strength. David puts all of his chips in trusting in the Lord. You can't get this in your English translation. If you have a study note, that might show it.

Actually in some of your translations, you might see the word Lord capitalized, L-O-R-D, all the letters of the word capitalized. There's a reason for that, but he uses three names for God just in these short few verses. "Preserve me, O God, for in You I take refuge. I said to the LORD, 'You are my Lord; apart from You I have no good thing.'"

Specifically, when he says, "Preserve me, O God…" he is using the word for God, just 'ēl, which speaks of God's transcendence. It's the most common name used for God. It speaks of his majesty and his transcendence. Then when you see the capital letters LORD, it refers to Yᵊhōvâ (or Yahweh), the covenant-keeping name of God.

That God is not only transcendent, but he is immanent. He is personal. He is relational. He knows us. He is not just afar and aloof and callous to our needs. He is intimately acquainted with our ways. He is Yahweh. Because of that, he is 'ădōnāy. That's the third word. He is master. "Preserve me, God, the transcendent one, for in you I take refuge. I say to Yahweh, you are my master. I have no good apart from you." Because he knows that God is the source of all that is good.

When David thinks about who God is, he can't help but reflect on how far away, how wicked his own heart is, how far away he is from God. God is transcendent and holy and pure and righteous. So you see him in another psalm, Psalm 51:2, just simply saying, "Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin!"

He doesn't trust in himself; he trusts in the Lord. The Lord is the one who is his refuge. He delights… Notice this. I want us to think about this. This was probably, surprisingly to me, where I spent most of my time this week just reflecting on. Notice what he says in verse 3. "As for the saints in the land, they are the excellent ones, in whom is all my delight."

The people of God are his delight. He delights in the people of God. Because God is his refuge, and because the people of God are his delight, you see this recommitment to following God's will. "The sorrows of those who run after another god shall multiply…" There's a warning there. If God is not your refuge and you look to another god, your sorrows are going to multiply. It's not going to go well for you.

He says, "…their drink offerings of blood I will not pour out…" Contextually during that time in the pagan religions in the Canaanites in that day they would make sacrifices and spill and pour out blood to appease the god of the moon and stars and the trees of nature. He says, "I will make no sacrifice to those gods. I won't even mention them. They'll be so far from my lips because God is my refuge, and in his people I delight."

I want to go back to those words, "and in his people I delight." That's where my delight is. Kind of an aside for a moment. I was just kind of thinking, journaling, and reflecting on that whole idea that "God's people are my delight." I thought to myself, "You know, today, within the church it's almost become sport to speak ill of the church."

When I say church, I'm not talking about the building; I'm talking about God's people. It's kind of commonplace. It's sport to talk about God's people, to label them, criticize them, or write them off. I just thought, "Wow, what a contrast between what David is sharing here is that 'Hey, the people of God are my delight. I don't write them off. I don't cross them out. They're my delight. It doesn't mean they're perfect.'"

If I could, just for a few minutes for those who call Watermark home, I want to talk to you. If this is not your home and you just got here or you've been here for just a few weeks, I'd ask you to be patient with me because you're going to go, "Man, let's talk about something else. I want to talk about Psalm 16, but I just…" I am talking about Psalm 16.

For those of you who call Watermark home, what I shared last week, I just want to reiterate to you. We're at a time of transition. Transitions are unsettling, and I get that. We're at a time of leadership transition. In this transition I know it can be unsettling, but I want to say again and again and again in every living room I'm in and every Community Group I speak to and every person over coffee and now on Sunday I want to say to you and I want to tell you again: Our vision, our mission, and our values remain the same.

They have not changed. They will not change. We will judge our success by our ability to be and make disciples. I recognize, and I want you to know, if this transition has been hard for you, and I know it has for some, I see you and I understand. Some of us? We have been hurt by the past. We're confused right now, and we're uncertain about what's ahead. What I would tell you is we can't change the past. We can't control the future. All you and I can do is be faithful in the present.

That's my job. Watermark has been my home. I've been on staff here for 19 years. I love the Watermark family. I delight in walking with you. I count it a privilege to be here. I would just encourage you during these days to really stop and think about, "What does it look like to delight with God's people regardless of the circumstance?" If that helps you… I hope it does. I'm just hopeful for the future. I'm grateful for God's goodness.

All right. Back to the text. I recognize just this week the people I've spoken to just… Many of us are in need of refuge, are we not? It could be things related to our church. I've spoken to folks this week who are battling anxiety. They're fearful for their kid's future. They're in conflict with their spouse. They're facing an unfavorable prognosis. They're grieving the loss of a loved one. They're burdened financially.

That's just this week. I just thought, "Oh man, Psalm 16. God is our refuge." I think what verses 1 through 4 are telling us… Write this down. Write this down. Where you turn in your time of need reveals where your trust ultimately lies. Where you turn in your time of need reveals where your trust ultimately lies.

I had the opportunity to take my daughter to New York City a long time ago when she was just a little girl. I thought, "Okay, if you're going to experience New York City, you have to go to Times Square, and not in the middle of the day. You have to go to Times Square in the dead of night. So here we go, baby." So I take my little girl. We walk down in Times Square.

If you've been there in the middle of the night, you know what it's like. It's crowded. It smells. There are a lot of lights, a lot of distractions, and a lot of strange things you might see at night. As we're walking through the crowds of people, just taking it all in, the sounds, the sights, the smells, I can literally feel her just get closer and closer to me, right?

Then to top it all off, when Mickey Mouse took his head off, I think I had the death grip of that little girl in my hand. I just thought to myself that, "Where we turn in our time of need reveals where our trust ultimately lies." As she began to feel more and more overwhelmed, it was clear that she trusted me. Hey, this is a place that's crazy, and she held to me.

So we have to simply ask ourselves, "Where do we turn for refuge?" Do we trust in ourselves? Do we double down on our discipline, our strengths, our education, and working harder? I get it. I'm a driven, type A person. I did. I'll just fix it. Work harder. Get up earlier. Stay up later. Do we trust in others, turn to family and friends, technology, material wealth, whatever it might be?

Do we just simply cope by running to other gods, idols? Do we turn to idols of alcohol, pornography, or technology just to cope with the pain and the stress and anxiety in our life? Where do you turn? Nahum 1:7 says, "The LORD is good, a stronghold in the day of trouble; he knows those who take refuge in him." If God is your refuge, understand that he knows you.

The Lord is our refuge, and he is our satisfaction. Verses 5 and 6: "The LORD is my chosen portion and my cup; you hold my lot. The lines have fallen for me in pleasant places; indeed, I have a beautiful inheritance." I don't know how you read this or what you might think of this or if this passage makes senses to you in verses 5 and 6, but it's a poetical way, a beautiful way, a descriptive way to speak to the Lord's provision.

The Lord is David's satisfaction. David finds satisfaction in the Lord. The Lord is his portion. He looks at a feast, a table, a banqueting feast, and he goes, "Hey, the Lord is my satisfaction." When he speaks of the Lord as his cup, it's a term to refer to the blessings of life. We're familiar with Psalm 23, verse 5, "…my cup overflows." The blessings in life come from God's hand.

He holds my lot. He sovereignly directed David's life. "The lines have fallen for me in pleasant places; indeed, I have a beautiful inheritance." What he is acknowledging is God's sovereignty. In every decision, in every step along the way, God is sovereignly and providentially at work writing his story.

He recognizes this and he says, "In God I find satisfaction because I know that God is sovereign." For many of us, every day is a quest to find lasting satisfaction. It just is. When we go to the cup of God… It says, "…my cup overflows." We go with an empty cup to many people, places, and things going, "Fill my cup." It just leaves us feeling unsatisfied.

It's the next accomplishment, the next material possession, the next raise, the next bonus, the next recognition, the next pound that comes off the scale, the next dress, the next experience, or the next like. "Make me feel good about myself. Something is wrong. I feel dissatisfied." All those things, friends, will leave you feeling dissatisfied.

I came across a quote from David Letterman. Some of you don't know who David Letterman is. It's shocking to me, but that's okay. He was once the king of late night TV. We didn't have Internet and all those things, so you turned on TV and you watched either David Letterman or Jay Leno. He was on TV every night. He was in the prime of his life. I want you to hear what he says.

"Every night you're trying to prove your self-worth. It's like meeting your girlfriend's family for the first time. You want to be the absolute best, wittiest, smartest, most charming, best-smelling version of yourself. If I can make people enjoy the experience and have a higher regard for me when I'm finished, it makes me feel like an entire person. If I've come short of that, I'm not happy. How things go for me every night is how I feel about myself for the next 24 hours."

How miserable. Could you imagine? What he is saying is, "Hey, however the show went for that 24 hours, that's where I found my satisfaction. That's where life was found." We're not much different whenever we seek satisfaction apart from the Lord. Because until you recognize the Lord is your satisfaction, you will remain dissatisfied and empty. Until you recognize the Lord as your satisfaction, you will remain dissatisfied and empty.

So many of us are like David right now, right? That's why, candidly, I think social media can be such a problem for so many people. We're just looking for somebody to like us, to follow us, to like us, to retweet us. We're addicted to it. "Somebody accept me. Somebody approve of what I'm doing. Somebody affirm what I'm saying. Somebody follow me."

That's why you see people do more and more outlandish things: to be known more. Then we rate ourselves on our status or our followers. That is a dangerous place to be. It's really dangerous. Verses 7 and 8: "I bless the LORD who gives me counsel; in the night also my heart instructs me. I have set the LORD always before me; because he is at my right hand, I shall not be shaken."

Notice what he is saying. The Lord is his counselor. The Lord is his counselor. I love this. He counsels him. He instructs him in the night. That phrase in the night stuck with me this week as I've gone to bed with responsibilities, challenges, and thoughts in my mind. Your mind races. I've gone back to that psalm, and I thought, "Hey, it's the Lord." He instructs me even in the night. Or if it's not quite literally the night, but just a time of darkness, he is the one who is my light.

"I have set the LORD always before me…" Because of this, notice what he says. He lives securely. "…he is at my right hand…" That literally means the Lord is his defender. You see this throughout the psalms. Psalm 109:31: "For he stands at the right hand of the needy one, to save him from those who condemn his soul to death."

God stands at the right hand of the needy one. Those who are needy, God is your defender. He is your counselor. He is your guide. We make hundreds of decisions every day, do we not? Many of us are looking all over for good counsel. "Hey, what am I supposed to do? Where am I supposed to live? How should I invest? Who should I follow? Where should I work? Where should I go to school?"

So we go to multiple sources. "Help me make this decision." We Google it. We turn to friends, family, or social media. We rely upon our own experiences, our feelings. I get it. None of those things are bad things in and of themselves; they're just not the ultimate thing. God can use all of those things, but I'm not trusting in all of those. I am seeking God's will. How about you?

I want to ask you some questions. I just want you to think about this. Consider the degree to which you look to the Lord for counsel, because those who trust in the Lord's counsel are the ones who live securely. Those who trust in the Lord's counsel? They're the ones who live securely. That's what David is saying. Trust God. He is your counselor. Look to him, and he has given us a way to do that.

So here are three diagnostic questions: How are you doing in looking to the Lord as your counselor? First…Are you consistently reading God's Word and do you have a plan to know it better? I'm not talking about just a casual glance every once in a while, reading a devotional written by a godly man or woman out there. I'm talking about your time with the Lord to read his Word. Be honest. Are you consistently reading God's Word? Trusting that in it is the Lord's counsel.

Secondly…What was the last decision you made based on the counsel of God's Word and can you point to a specific verse? In light of this verse… This verse informed my decision to do [whatever it was]. When was the last time you did that? Thirdly…When people come to you for counsel, how likely are you to base your answer on Scripture or simply stop and pray for them?

So often when people come to me I want to sound smart and wise and with it. I want to impress, I want to help. But the best thing I can do? Pray, open up God's Word, and remind my friends of what is true. What about you? Candidly, I don't like reading instructions. I'm the guy who gets the big box.

There's a big pamphlet of instructions and icons and diagrams or whatever it is explaining all the parts and the pieces. I throw all that stuff away because somehow I think I can just build it. That's exactly what happened a while ago when I was trying to build a bunk bed for my kids. I know generally what a bunk bed is supposed to look like. I know what a screw is, bolts, right?

I start to build this bunk bed, and as I get pretty far into the process, we have a problem. Because it's not straight, it's not secure, and I recognize I'm going to have to take this whole thing apart because I don't know where I went wrong. Now my wife, on the other hand, actually grabs the instructions, and reads them first. There's wisdom in that.

Just by her picking up the instructions, I feel a little judged, but it's kind of like, "Hey, hint, if you would read the instructions, maybe we wouldn't have a bunk bed that looks like a slide." Sometimes that's where I feel like we go with God's Word. We start on our own, trusting in ourselves. We start building, and guess what? We have a slide. Finally, the Lord is our hope. In verses 9 through 11:

"Therefore my heart is glad, and my whole being rejoices; my flesh also dwells secure. For you will not abandon my soul to Sheol, or let your holy one see corruption. You make known to me the path of life; in your presence there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore."

Man! Did you catch that? The Lord is our hope. I wish I could just unpack these… In fact, I thought about it. I thought, "You know what? I'm just going to teach verses 9 through 11. I'll tell everybody, 'The whole psalm is wonderful, but 9 through 11…'" I mean, this is the thing you can't miss. You have to see that David is a type of Christ. He is just a shadow of the ultimate reality of Jesus.

We can't miss what the Divine Author is trying to show us. What David knew just in part, what he knew in part, what was just a shadow, we see in full in clear light. Just before you think this is some pastor's trick or whatever, I want you to see what Peter and Paul do in the book of Acts with Psalm 16.

I want you to see that there's a context in which David wrote when his enemies are pursuing him and he wants to escape death, but then there's something bigger. There's a divine story that God is telling. There's a central truth. Through God's Spirit in the context of the book of Acts both Peter and Paul pick up in Psalm 16 to teach us something about Jesus.

They say, "You see what was true in David's life? It's fulfilled in Jesus' life." What David understood in part, we see now clearly. I mean, look at this. I don't want to read it in full. Look at Acts 2, verses 22 through 28. Speaking of the resurrection of Jesus Christ. See if it sounds familiar. Peter says this.

"Men of Israel, hear these words: Jesus of Nazareth, a man attested to you by God with mighty works and wonders and signs that God did through him in your midst, as you yourselves know—this Jesus, delivered up according to the definite plan and foreknowledge of God…" It didn't happen by happenstance. It wasn't a mistake.

"…you crucified and killed by the hands of lawless men. God raised him up, loosing the pangs of death, because it was not possible for him to be held by it. For David says concerning him…" Note that. Verse 25: "For David says concerning him, 'I saw the Lord always before me, for he is at my right hand that I may not be shaken; therefore my heart was glad, and my tongue rejoiced; my flesh also will dwell in hope.

For you will not abandon my soul to Hades, or let your Holy One see corruption. You have made known to me the paths of life; you will make me full of gladness with your presence.'" Psalm 16. Later on in Acts, chapter 13, Paul does the same thing. Verse 34: "And as for the fact that he raised him from the dead, no more to return to corruption, he has spoken in this way, 'I will give you the holy and sure blessings of David.'

Therefore he says also in another psalm, 'You will not let your Holy One see corruption.' For David, after he had served the purpose of God in his own generation, fell asleep and was laid with his fathers and saw corruption…" He died. His physical body died. "…but he whom God raised up did not see corruption. Let it be known to you therefore, brothers, that through this man forgiveness of sins is proclaimed to you, and by him everyone who believes is freed from everything from which you could not be freed by the law of Moses."

Do you see what's happening? What Peter and Paul are saying? Looking at Psalm 16, they are proclaiming that the Lord is our hope. That despite even death itself…despite death itself…we have eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Paul goes so far as to say that we "…do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day. For this light momentary affliction…" Mark those words. "…is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, as we look not to the things that are seen…" Not our present circumstances, not what weighs us down, not what causes anxiety. "…but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient…" They're fleeting. "…but the things that are unseen are eternal."

Do you hear that? That regardless of whatever circumstance you're going through today, right now in God's goodness, in his kindness, if you have trusted in Jesus Christ as your one and only Savior, you have hope. The challenges of our day… As crazy as this sounds… This is not to minimize our challenges. It's just written from a divine perspective. It's what God tells us. As hard as it is today, it is light and momentary compared to the eternal weight of glory that awaits us.

That's amazing. Because of the resurrection of Jesus Christ, not even death itself can keep you from the love of God. We have eternal life. Romans 8: "If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit who dwells in you."

If you are a believer in Jesus Christ, when you pass away, you immediately enter into the presence of God. One day, God will raise your physical body and give you a resurrected body. Turn off all the TV and noise and cultural Christian stuff that's out there. You do not become an angel. Right? You go immediately into the presence of God to await the resurrection. You have an eternal inheritance that can never be taken away.

Just look at these words. Look at their descriptions. "Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a…" What? "…a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance that is…" Mark this. "…imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you…"

What David was sharing is just a shadow of the ultimate truth of the hope that we have as believers. We don't trust in ourselves, our goodness, our resume, how many times we go to church, what we did, what we don't do. We, like David, recognize we have no good apart from God. We need a refuge. We need God's counsel. He is where we find satisfaction and rest.

He is where we find hope, where we take all of our sins at the cross. We lay it there, we trust in Christ, and we recognize that when we do that we find grace, God's unmerited favor. Jesus didn't just die on the cross; he rose again. Because he lives, we have life. We have freedom. We have hope. Amen? Hope.

As I said, all that we long for both now and for eternity finds its fulfillment in the Lord. Look at these words: life, joy, and pleasure. That's what we're all looking for. That's all what we want. Jesus is our hope, friends. When I say hope, I'm not talking about wishful thinking. I'm not talking about sentimental optimism. I love how Eugene Peterson defines it. He says hope is a confident, alert expectation that God will do what he said. Man. Listen to this quote in full, and then we will close.

"Hoping does not mean doing nothing. It is not fatalistic resignation. It means going about our assigned tasks, confident that God will provide the meaning and the conclusions. It is not compelled to work away at keeping up appearances with a bogus spirituality. It is the opposite of desperate and panicky manipulations, of scurrying and worrying. And hoping is not dreaming. It is not spinning an illusion or fantasy to protect us from our boredom or our pain. It means a confident, alert expectation that God will do what he said he will do. It is imagination put in the harness of faith."

That is so good. "It is a willingness to let God do it his way and in his time. It is the opposite of making plans that we demand that God put into effect, telling him both how and when to do it. That is not hoping in God but bullying God." Where's your hope? Where's your hope? When it feels like life is freefalling, where do you turn? I hope you see that the Lord is where you find refuge, satisfaction, counsel, and hope. Let's pray.

Father in heaven, I thank you for your kindness. I thank you for your grace. I thank you for your love. Father, would you forgive us for when we run after false gods? We know that only sorrows add up when we do that, as David said. Help us to turn and rest in you. We love you and thank you. In Christ's name, amen.