We return to Psalm 56 this evening, and we will be focusing on verse 13 for the sermon. I'd like to go ahead and read the whole psalm again together, and then we'll look at verse 13, mindful of what we learned this morning in its context. I won't go into it as much as I did this morning, but please remember the context with the title, and a bit of a crescendo in this last verse, a motivation for us. Hear the word of the Lord, Psalm 56. To the chief musician, upon Janathalem Rechochim, Mictam of David, when the Philistines took him in gath. Be merciful unto me, O God, for man would swallow me up, he fighting daily oppresseth me. Mine enemies would daily swallow me up, for they be many that fight against me, O thou most high. In God, I will praise his word. Excuse me, what time I am afraid I will trust in thee. In God, I will praise his word. In God, I have put my trust. I will not fear what flesh can do unto me. Every day they rest my words. All their thoughts are against me for evil. They gather themselves together. They hide themselves. They mark my steps when they wait for my soul. Shall they escape by iniquity, in thine anger cast down the people, O God? Thou tellest my wanderings, put down my tears into thy bottle. Are they not in thy book? When I cry unto thee, then shall mine enemies turn back. This I know, for God is for me. In God will I praise his word. In the Lord will I praise his word. In God have I put my trust. I will not be afraid what man can do unto me. Thy vows are upon me, O God. I will render praise unto thee. For thou hast delivered my soul from death. Will not thou deliver my feet from falling, that I may walk before God in the light of the living? In that last verse, let me read once more as that'll be our focus this evening. For thou hast delivered my soul from death. Will not thou deliver my feet from falling? That I may walk before God in the light of the living. This morning with verse 11, we saw the antidote for fear, faith. That is, fearing God, not fearing man. But how? I mean, it's one thing to say, don't fear man, trust in God. How do we do that? Well, there's some description give of what it should look like. Fearing God and not fearing man is going to where God is especially manifest. Where is that? Well, we see what he says he's trusting in, and we see what he's doing because of it. He's trusting in God's word. and he's praising God. That's another significant repetition in the psalm. I'm going to trust in God's word. I'm going to praise God. I'm going to praise his word. Well, what motivates us to do that? That's kind of the way that we fear God and not fear man. We focus our thoughts with his word and with praise. But what motivates us to do that? Well, here it is in verse 13, remembering that God has saved you time and again. It is so easy for you and me to forget how many times he has already delivered us, how many times we've cried, screamed out to God, feared over so many things. And we can think back now and we hardly remember because it's over. He has delivered us time and again. So beloved, you can be sure that he will save you another time. He will save you again. The word for in verse 13 is referencing what came before, namely verses 10 through 12. In God will I praise his word. In the Lord will I praise his word. In God have I put my trust. I will not be afraid what man can do unto me. Thy vows are upon me, O God. I will render praises unto thee. For, verse 13, thou hast delivered my soul from death. Will not thou deliver my feet from falling that I may walk before God in the light of the living. Remembering God has delivered is how we can keep praising him. keep turning to his word, which also inform and remind us that he has delivered us and will keep delivering us. But remembering that he's already delivered us is cause for us to praise him, cause for us to keep coming back to his word, that is, cause for us to keep trusting him and stop fearing man, whatever situation we find ourselves in. Remember, David, as he's run from Saul trying to kill him, now he's living in the land of his enemies, the Philistines, always afraid of what might happen to him there. But we can trust in him, not fearing our situation, not fearing men, by turning to his word and praising him. Why? Because he's going to deliver us again. If we know God's going to deliver us again, that affects everything. That helps us not be afraid, right? It's a big difference if you know the end of the story, right? Some of us like to turn to the end of books and know the conclusion and decide whether we're gonna read the book. Well, we kind of act that way in our lives. Well, I wanna know how this is gonna end before I decide whether I'm gonna show up for the fight. If I know I'm not gonna win, well, I'm not gonna even show up, right? We know we win. We know that God will deliver us again. So we keep showing up for the fight of faith. We keep showing up, not fearing and instead trusting in the Lord. We keep choosing to come back to his word and come back to praise him, which strengthens, invigorates us and helps us remember because we remember. He's done it before, he will do it again. How can you read God's word and praise him? Because you know that God will never leave you. God will never forsake you because as you look back on your own life, let alone the church, he never has left you. He never has forsaken you. Because the good shepherd always guides, because the good shepherd always provides, the good shepherd always protects, the good shepherd always satisfies his sheep. He delivers to deliver. He doesn't deliver you out of something only to let you die. He delivers you to deliver you from Egypt unto Canaan, out of slavery into salvation. He finishes the job. He wants you to remember, I didn't save you to abandon you. I didn't make you my children to abort you. I've adopted you, you're mine, I will keep you. There's a refrain in the Old Testament, and again, we thought of it this morning, related to this chapter, this psalm. The preface, verse 2 of Exodus 20, I am the Lord thy God, which have brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage. He's reminding them at the beginning of the Ten Commandments, here's a reason to listen to me, to obey me, to trust me. I've already delivered you. Yes, we're facing the desert together. Yes, we're going to face enemies and war together, but I've already delivered you from Pharaoh. Hello from Pharaoh, which is why when they finally enter the promised land, a lot of people are afraid of their coming because they've heard what God did in Egypt for them. He wants them to remember what he did for them in Egypt. And this is a refrain all through the Old Testament. I am the Lord thy God, which have brought thee out of Egypt, out of the house of bondage. It is a reason for obedience, but there's another reason God gives us that refrain. Confidence. Confidence. When our faith wanes, when we begin to be afraid and we disobey, it's because we begin to lack confidence and trust in God. David closes this psalm with confidence, with certain conviction. He's brought himself around to say, I'm not gonna be afraid anymore. Let me say it again, I'm not gonna be afraid anymore. Let me say it one more time, I'm not gonna be afraid anymore. I'm gonna trust in God instead and I'm gonna praise him and I'm gonna take myself back to his word, why? for he has already delivered my soul from death. Surely he's not gonna let my feet fall. Surely he's gonna have me walk in the light of the living. He has already anointed me to be the next king. He's not gonna let me die in gath. He's not gonna let Saul kill me. I'm being stupid. God didn't anoint me not to follow through on that. God didn't anoint you, he didn't save you not to follow through on that. He delivered you to deliver you. He wants you to have the same conviction. David closes this psalm with this crescendo, certain conviction that God will get him out of this mess, a mess that he brought himself into out of fear, because God always has gotten him out of his messes. And God always will. God always can. God always wants to, therefore God always does. David can know that the God of Israel, who already gave him victory over the Philistines' Goliath, will surely give him deliverance from the Philistines' gaffe. All he has to do is think back about that. He remembers how God has redeemed him before. to reassure himself that God will rescue him now, let alone in the future. That is how he turns from fear to faith. He remembers, this isn't the first time I've been in such a situation, it probably won't be the last time, but every time God shows up, every time God delivers, this is who he is, this is what he does for his church. Christians can have confidence in God to deliver them because he has already done so. That's the idea of this verse in its context. Christians can have confidence in God to deliver them because he's already done so. In this Psalm, David laments the dangers that he's facing with his enemies. He's confessing his fears. He's turning to God in faith. by the actions of Bible study, prayer, and praise. And we need to recognize this is the how again. This is the how we turn from fear to faith. The word, prayer, praise. Look at verse four, the first part. In God, I will praise his word. In God have I put my trust. I will praise his word. verses 9 and 10. When I cry unto thee, then shall mine enemies turn back. This I know, for God is for me. He remembers God is for him. And God have I put my trust. I will not be afraid what man can do unto me. Thy vows are upon me, O God. I will render praises unto thee. I will give you praises. So he's talking about praising God. He's talking about reading God's word. all because he remembers that God has already delivered him in the past. The how of turning from fear to faith is turning to the word, turning to God in praise, turning to God in prayer. The why or the how, how can we really do that is because God's already delivered us. So we're not foolish to turn to him again. We remember, therefore we can know he'll do it again. Let's get on with it. Let's get on with it. Verse 13 is again the crescendo. If you have delivered me from death, my feet will be walking. You can think of the other scriptures in the Psalms and Habakkuk that says, you know, he sets my feet on high places. He's not going to let my foot stumble. He's never let me stumble. He always picks me up. He always moves me forward. He will do so again. Beloved, the way to replace your fear with faith is to fill your head with the word. The way to replace your fear with faith is to fill your mouth with praise of God's redemptive acts. I mean, as we go through the Psalms, what is so significant? Some of them are very long about it. They're just going through all the ways that God has saved his church. I mean, they want to remind us in the Psalms that God wrote for us to sing how he has delivered and saved us in all these historical redemptive ways in great detail that we tend to forget and not go back to. Change your thinking by the scriptures. Change your speech by the spirit. Choose to remember reality. You see, the devil, in giving you fear, wants you to forget the past, forget God's redemptive acts already done before you. He wants you to feel as if you've been abandoned and forsaken. He wants you to forget all the ways God has already shown his power to save, all the ways he's already saved you. If he's already saved your soul from death, what do you think he's gonna do with you on the way to the promised land? You think he's not gonna be there? He's the good shepherd. He's gonna guide you all the way. He's gonna meet your needs all the way. Your deliverer will always deliver you because he always does. Philippians 1 verse 6. He which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Christ Jesus. That's an important verse. We often point to he who began a good work in you. God has begun the work in you. But the important thing to recognize also in the verses, he will finish the job. He doesn't leave stuff undone. He doesn't not complete what he has started. He's begun a good work in you, he will complete it in you. Hebrews 12, verses one to two. Let us run with patience the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus, the author not just the author, and finisher of our faith. He's gonna finish the job, and that means everything along the way. Romans 8 verse 32, he that spared not his own son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things? If you save my soul from death, surely you will keep my feet from falling, and you'll cause me to continue to walk with my good shepherd on the way, the straight and narrow way that leadeth unto life, and you will bring me into the promised land. You delivered me from this world, you're going to deliver me into heaven, which means you're gonna surely deliver me all along the way. David writes this psalm to help him remember not to be afraid. And he bases that on reason, on redemptive history. He calls to memory that God has been doing this the whole time for his church. And God's already been doing it for him. Matthew Henry writes this in his introduction to this psalm. It seems by this and many other psalms that even in times of the greatest trouble and distress, David never hung his harp upon the willow trees. never unstrung it or laid it by, but that when his dangers and fears were greatest, he was still in tune for singing God's praises. He was in imminent peril when he penned this psalm, at least when he meditated it. Yet even then, his meditation of God was sweet. How pleasantly may a good Christian in singing this psalm rejoice in God and praise him for what he will do, as well as for what he has done. Or to turn it around, because of what he has done, how much we can praise him for what he will do. Beloved, never hang up your harp. to the Psalms to remember all his redemptive works in the life of the church. And look at your life to remember all the times God has delivered you from the devil, from the world, and from yourself. And never doubt God to rescue you. Never doubt God to redeem you. Never doubt God to revive you once more. Don't doubt the Lord. Trust God to deliver you again. What are you facing as you face the new year? What are you afraid of as you face the new year? You know, when I asked this question this morning, same response in your faces is happening tonight. Some of you are looking away because you're not ready yet to deal with it. It's time to deal with it now. What are you afraid of facing this new year? Do you really think God won't deliver you? Trust God to deliver you again. For thou hast delivered my soul from death, wilt not thou deliver my feet from falling, that I may walk before God in the light of the living. Indeed, beloved, trust God to deliver you again. Let us pray. O Lord God, we confess our sins before you of unbelief and fear. We confess we struggle to hear that you will deliver us again. Let us look back and see how many times you already have. And let us recognize how you promise you always will. Let us not act as if you have abandoned us. Let us not act as if you are a liar when you say I'll never leave you nor forsake you. Let's not act as if we are alone on our own island and as if we are drifting out to sea. You are with us. You will never forsake us. You will never leave us. Lord, help us to believe. Help us indeed to say tonight, I will not be afraid. I will trust God. Whatever happens, I will praise you, I will praise you, I will praise your word, I will trust in what you say in your word, I will pray to you because you've already delivered me and therefore you will deliver me again. You've already delivered us and so you will deliver us again. Oh Lord God, empower us with this truth. Encourage us with this truth. Protect us against the sins of not believing you and not trusting you. Protect us from the danger of where that leads, running away from you into the enemy's camp and living in fear and dread and doing foolish things. O Lord Jesus, Great Shepherd of the sheep, Bishop of our souls, for having delivered our souls already, we praise you and we trust that you will keep our feet from falling. Lead us now to walk after you in the way that leadeth unto life. Lead us to walk in the light of the living. Deliver us out of the darkness. Let us walk in Christ and in his newness of life and in the power of the resurrection. Indeed, there is real danger, but fear is a choice. Let us choose instead Christ. Let us choose his promises. Let us choose to praise and trust your word. Let us choose to remember reality that we have been redeemed and our Redeemer liveth, and we will see you in the latter days, and you will deliver us through each day along the way. Thank you, Lord God. Thank you for such a great salvation. Help us never to hang up our harps. Help us to never give up praises in our lips to you for our own songs of despair and distrust. Lord, let us praise you. Let all the people praise you. You are a refuge for us. Let us trust in you. Selah. Come, Lord Jesus, come quickly. And all your people said, Amen. Receive now the blessing of God, who will preserve you until the end. Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think. according to the power that worketh in us. Unto him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world without end. Amen.