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PSALM 71

Faithfulness: Ours and Gods

1.

OPENING

Not only does youth come with idealism, passion, and naivety, but it also often comes with a feeling of
invincibleness.
As you age, you start to feel less invincible. Spiritually, you see people washing up all around you. Many
of them are more spiritual, more knowledgeable, more passionate than you are, yet they drop like flies all
around you. They damage themselves, those close to them, those watching from a distance, and the
cause and reputation of Christ in general.
The differences between them and you are slight. You fear and tremble. There, but for the grace of
God, go I.
Oh Lord! Keep us faithful to you!
Give me a definition of faithfulness. Websters 1828
1. Fidelity; loyalty; firm adherence to allegiance and duty; as the faithfulness of a subject.
2. Truth; veracity; as the faithfulness of God.
3. Strict adherence to injunctions, and to the duties of a station; as the faithfulness of servants or ministers.
4. Strict performance of promises, vows or covenants; constancy in affection; as the faithfulness of a husband or wife.

What is the expiration date on faithfulness? When the charge is completed, the vows are fulfilled, or the
duty released.
I met a man the other day whose wife divorced him after 26 years of marriage. Was she faithful to her
marriage vows? 26 years is a long time. But 26 years of faithfulness were made null and void in a single
moment. Faithfulness to God, like marriage, is a long term commitment. Its not an obligation that can be
met with a single burst of intensity, but with steady, plodding, daily adjustment of our heart, soul, mind,
strength; adjustment of our thoughts, words, and deeds; adjustment of our beliefs, our values, and daily
activities. Thats hard! In fact, its humanly impossible. But with God all things are possible.
This is where the Psalmist was in Psalm 71. No longer a young man, no longer with any confidence in
himself, full of fear of what could happen easily to him, he cries out, In You, YHWH, I have taken refuge!
Let me never be ashamed!

2.

OUTLINE

Pray. Read Psalm 71.


When we learn about the heroes of the faith, in bible times or the church age, the tendency is to admire
the people who did big things for God. Often times these peoples experience is so far from our own it
can be pretty hard to relate to them. Many times these people had failures later in life. My favorite
heroes of the faith are the ordinary men, who trusted the Lord early, and then walked in faithfulness for
the remainder of their lives. Thats why we named our sons after Robert Chapman, Enoch, and Daniel.
Thats why we chose this psalm that is a prayer for faithfulness.
We dont know author or circumstances of this Psalm. Its someone who has lived a while, though its not
necessarily the case that they are old. He expects to be old!
Outline: Inspired by George Zemeks ROAD M APS FOR THE PSALMS
1. Presents Prayer for Rescue (1-13)
a. Since I have been dependent, please deliver me! (1-4)
b. Since I have been faithful, please dont forget me! (5-9)
c. Since my enemies are vicious, please vindicate me! (10-13)
2. Promises Praise for Restoration (14-24)
a. The Psalmists praises and Gods historic faithfulness (14-19)
b. Gods anticipated faithfulness and the Psalmists praises (20-24)

Work in Progress: 9/26/2014


Nathaniel P. Scott

PSALM 71

Faithfulness: Ours and Gods

3.

INTRODUCTION EXPOSITION

V1: Let me never be ashamed! What are some spiritual dangers you have seen bring shame to yourself
or others? (Spiritual pride, spiritual depression, falling into immorality, legalism, worldliness, selfsufficiency, isolationism, doubt/unbelief, fear of man, reactionism, bitterness)
Do you see these as dangers to yourself? Its funny to talk about the differences between our nave
expectations and reality, but the real purpose of those handouts we gave is not so much to see if you
were silly 10 years ago, but to see if you have let life and the world damage your commitment to
godliness! If youve let the worries and cares of the world and the desire for things choke out your fruit,
and turn you away from faithfully following the Jesus! If you have left your first love? Have you?!
What should you do to protect yourself from these dangers?
V1: Take refuge in the Lord! Spurgeon says Not only on God must we rest, as a man stands on a rock,
but in Him we must trust, as a man hides in a cave.
How do you take refuge in the Lord? The way this Psalm does! Four things:
1) Remind God (and yourself) that the only thing between you and destruction is HIM. Not your own
strength of character, wisdom or righteousness, but Gods!
2) Praise Him for His past protection. The only thing that has EVER been between you and
destruction is HIM.
3) Promise praise for His continued protection.
4) Entreat continued protection.

4.

GROUP STUDY (5-6 PEOPLE/GROUP)

This isnt a difficult passage. It doesnt have a lot of theological words or advanced concepts. So Im not
going to do a verse-by-verse exposition. The psalmist isnt trying to make a reasoned, logical argument,
so I dont need to break it down. Hes pouring out his heart! When you do that, you repeat yourself and
you run your concepts together. I find it helpful to sort out some of his statements into categories and
think about them that way. Then when we read the psalm we have the big picture and we can appreciate
each little heart-felt moment.

A. The Dangers, Obstacles, and Fears the Psalmist Faces


B. The Psalmists View of Spiritual Success
C. The Requests the Psalmist Makes
D. The Psalmists View of God
E. The Ways the Psalmist Brings God Glory
F. The Uses and Implications of the Words Righteousness
Faithfulness
G. The Psalmists Credentials of Faithfulness

5.

and

CONCLUSION

So are we stretching to include use this psalm in a weekend where we are looking at faithfulness? Heres
the deal. Weve passed out this prehandout and asked you to evaluate your own faithfulness. Were
going to talk more tonight about what faithfully serving the Lord in your current walk of life looks like. If
youre like me, this is a very convicting subject. For some of you, it may be convicting to the point of
despair.
And so once again, we need the gospel. Whether we are young or old, whether we have served God
little, or much, we need the gospel. Like the psalmist, our only credential is a life of utter dependence on
God! Weve always only needed God! When I say, utter dependence I dont mean, Look at me! Im so
dependent on God! I mean, Dont look at me! Im hopeless without Him!
Isnt that the gospel? 1 Peter 3:18 For Christ also died for sins once for all, the just for the unjust, so that
He might bring us to God We are helplessly lost, helplessly faithless. We need His grace to rescue us
from our sins and help us walk in faithfulness.

Work in Progress: 9/26/2014


Nathaniel P. Scott

PSALM 71

Faithfulness: Ours and Gods

Faithfulness in following God is important. We need to evaluate ourselves regularly to see if we are
walking in faithfulness to Him. But faithfulness cannot be conjured up by human wisdom or willpower, it is
a fruit of the Spirit. God in His faithfulness sanctifies us in our faithfulness.
As I look around this room, I see people who love the Lord, and have been committed to Him from an
early age. A lot of us spent several very formative years together and watched the Lord really grow each
one of us. A number of us have had to face some cold, hard realities since then. They have degraded
our idealism, cooled our passion, and rebuked our naivety. Were not done with those experiences. So will
they result in increasing our wisdom, or will they compromise our godliness?
Jesus asked, When the Son of Man returns will He find faith on the earth? 10 years from now, 20 years,
even 50 years from now, I want us to be able to get back together again for another retreat and share
heartfelt praises to God our Refuge, who has faithfully protected us, for His glory!
Remember these four ways this psalm shows us how to take refuge in the Lord. Make this your basis for
faithfulness:
1) Remind God (and yourself) that the only thing between you and destruction is HIM. Not your own
strength of character, wisdom or righteousness, but Gods!
2) Praise Him for His past protection. The only thing that has EVER been between you and
destruction is HIM.
3) Promise praise for His continued protection.
4) Entreat continued protection.
"Abiding in Jesus can only be by faith. There are earnest Christian who do not understand this; or, if they admit it in theory, they fail
to realize its application in practice. They are very zealous for a free gospel, with our first acceptance of Christ, and justification by
faith alone. But after this they think everything depends on our diligence and faithfulness. While they firmly grasp the truth, 'The
sinner shall be justified by faith,' they have hardly found a place in their scheme for the larger truth, 'The just shall live by faith.' They
have never understood what a perfect Savior Jesus is, and how He will each day do for the sinner just as much as He did the first
day when he came to Him. They know not that the life of grace is always and only a life of faith, and that in the relationship to Jesus
the one daily and unceasing duty of the disciple is to believe, because believing is the one channel through which divine grace and
strength flow out into the heart of man. The old nature of the believer remains evil and sinful to the last; it is only as he daily comes,
all empty and helpless, to his Savior to receive of His life and strength, that he can bring forth the fruits of righteousness to the glory
of God. There it is: 'Therefore, as you received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in him, rooted and built up in him and established in
the faith, just as you were taught, abounding in thanksgiving' (Col. 2:6-7). As you came to Jesus, so abide in Him, by faith."

Andrew Murray, Abide in Christ, page 26


Sing Great is Thy Faithfulness. The Solid Rock.

Work in Progress: 9/26/2014


Nathaniel P. Scott

PSALM 71

Faithfulness: Ours and Gods

6.

GROUP ANSWERS

A. The Dangers, Obstacles, and Fears the Psalmist Faces

I. Dangers
Being ashamed (V1)
The hand of the wicked (V4)
The grasp of the wrongdoer and ruthless man (V4)
My enemies speak against me, and watch for my life (V10)
My enemies try to pursue and seize me (V11)
My enemies seek to injure me (V13)
II.
Fears
Being cast off by God in time of old age (V9, V18)
Being forsaken by God when my strength fails (V9)
Being forsaken by God and not delivered from enemies (V11)
God being far from me (V12)

B. The Psalmists View of Spiritual Success


Spiritual Success
Protection
Reputation
Pour forth constant praise

V6: I have been sustained from birth


V7: I have become a marvel to many
V8: My mouth is filled withYour glory all day long
V15: My mouth shall tell of your righteousness and
of Your salvation all day long
Testimony
V18: I declare Your strength to this generation
V18: I declare Yourpower to all who are to come
Repeated revival
V19: Youwill revive me again
V21: Youturn to comfort me
Impact
V21: You increase my greatness
Notice the dangers are all about us. The successes are all about Him! The goal is not merely to
avoid the pitfalls, but to be consumed with Him!

C. The Requests the Psalmist Makes

Let me never be ashamed (V1)


In Your righteousness deliver me and rescue me (V2)
Incline Your ear to me and save me (V2)
Be to me a rock of habitation (V3)
Rescue me out of the hand of the wicked (V4)
Do not cast me off in the time of old age (V9)
Do not forsake me when my strength fails (V9)
Do not be far from me (V12)
Hasten to my help (V12)
Let those who are adversaries of my soul be ashamed and consumed (V13)
Let them be covered with reproach and dishonor who seek to injure me (V13)
Even when I am old and gray do not forsake me (V18)
May you increase my greatness (V21)
(May you) turn to comfort me (V21)

D. The Psalmists View of God

I. You are (My only safe place, and always have been)
My rock (V3)
My fortress (V3)
My hope (V5)
My confidence (V5)
He who took me from my mothers womb (V6)
My strong refuge (V7)

Work in Progress: 9/26/2014


Nathaniel P. Scott

PSALM 71

Faithfulness: Ours and Gods

II.
You have (Saved me in the past)
Given commandment to save me (V3)
Taught me from my youth (V17)
Done great things (V19)
Shown me many troubles and distresses (V20)
Redeemed my soul (V23)
III.
You will (Save me again)
Revive me again (V20)
Bring me up from the depths of the earth (V20)

E. The Ways the Psalmist Brings God Glory

I. In a psalm motivated by desire for faithfulness, the psalmist is too fearful to mention his own
performance. All he can claim to do for God is praise Him.
My praise is continually of You (V6)
My mouth is filled with Your praise and with Your glory all day long (V8)
I will hope continually (V14)
I will praise You yet more and more (V14)
My mouth shall tell of Your righteousness and of Your salvation all day long (V15)
I will come with the mighty deeds of the Lord YHWH (V16)
I will make mention of Your righteousness, Yours alone (V16)
I still declare Your wondrous deeds (V17)
I declare Your strength to this generation, Your power to all who are to come (V18)
I will praise you with a harp, even Your truth (V22)
I will sing praises with the lyre (V22)
My lips (and my soul) will shout for joy when I sing praises to You (V23)
My tongue will utter your righteousness all day long (V24)

F. The Uses
Faithfulness

and

Implications

of

the

Words

Righteousness

and

I. Righteousness
Gods is the basis for my deliverance and rescue (V2)
Gods is what I tell of all day long (V15 and V24)
Gods is what I make mention of, not mine (V16)
Gods reaches to the heavens (V19)
II.
Faithfulness
Not mentioned, yet we chose this psalm for a study on faithfulness, and George Zemek lists it
twice in the outline!
Its an unmistakable theme, but you get it from reading between the lines:
o The psalmists concerns about personal faithfulness are the inspiration/motivation for the
psalm, but personal faithfulness is NOT the solution.
o Gods faithfulness is the result or outworking of the more foundational characteristic of
His righteousness. Or in other words, this psalm describes Gods faithfulness on the
basis of his righteousness.

G. The Psalmists Credentials of Faithfulness

I. Borrowing from Zemeks outline:


You are my hope (V5)
You are my confidence (V5)
You have sustained me from my birth (V6)
You are my praise (V6)
I have become a marvel to many because you are my strong refuge (V7)
My mouth is filled with Your praise and glory (V8)
II.
Conclusion: the psalmist is too aware of his lack of faithfulness to dare mention any
deeds. His only credential is a life of utter dependence.

Work in Progress: 9/26/2014


Nathaniel P. Scott

PSALM 71

Faithfulness: Ours and Gods

Word
My, me, I
You, Your, Yours
Righteousness
Praise, praises
Ashamed
Deliver, rescue, save, help, salvation, redeemed
Rock, strength, refuge, fortress
Sustained, revive

Work in Progress: 9/26/2014


Nathaniel P. Scott

Count
25 + 21 + 14 = 60
19 + 13 + 1 = 32
5
4+2=6
3
2+2+2+1+1+1=9
2+2+2+1=7
1+1=2

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