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Sermon #5234

The Lord is My Light

A Sermon on "The Lord is My Light" from Psalm 27:1-14

Originally preached Sept. 24, 1967

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Scripture

Psalms 27:1-14 ESV KJV
Of David. 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? When evildoers assail me to eat up my flesh, my adversaries and foes, it is they who stumble and fall. Though an …

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Sermon Description

Where does one begin when they consider their problems? In this sermon, “The Lord is my Light” from Psalm 27:1–14, Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones tells that most often people begin with their problems and then move toward the Lord. However, Christians ought to follow the psalmist’s example and begin with God and heaven, then move to their problems in light of those things. When they pray, they ought not begin with petitions, but begin with praise and adoration of the Lord, gazing on His beauty and excellence. Why? Dr. Lloyd-Jones unfolds through this psalm that God’s unchanging character, His goodness, and excellence changes the perspective. Nothing is so big and so awful when it is looked at in regard to who the Lord is. Then the Christian must make their requests known to the Lord, having full confidence that He is greater than any problem and fully capable of ruling over them.

Sermon Breakdown

  1. The psalmist is giving his experience to praise God and help others.
  2. The psalm teaches us how to face life's problems and battles.
  3. The psalm can be divided into 3 sections: verses 1-6 (the psalmist's confidence), verses 7-12 (the psalmist's petition), verses 13-14 (the psalmist's conclusion).
  4. We must have a strategy to face life, starting with God. Never start with problems or people.
  5. Section 1 (verses 1-6): The psalmist expresses overwhelming confidence and assurance in God. He is not afraid.
  6. The source of the psalmist's confidence is not himself but the Lord. The Lord is his light, salvation, and strength.
  7. The Lord gives light in darkness, solutions to problems, and shows the way out. The world is in darkness without God.
  8. The Lord is concerned for us and invites us to come to Him. He says "seek my face."
  9. The Lord is unchanging while human help fails. He will "take us up" when we fall.
  10. We must ask if we have this confidence in God and face life like the psalmist.
  11. To have this confidence, we must believe in the Lord, make Him the supreme thing, dwell in His presence, gaze upon His glory, and praise Him.
  12. The psalmist's supreme desire is to worship and adore God. He wants to gaze upon God's being and dealings.
  13. We must spend time gazing upon God's glory, attributes, and works. This is the secret to being more than conquerors.
  14. The psalmist starts with worship and praise, then brings his petitions to God. We must pray with adoration, praise, thanksgiving, and requests.
  15. After praying, we must wait for God's answer. He will answer in His own way. We must wait on the Lord.

Sermon Q&A

Sermon Q&A

Key questions from Dr. Martyn-Lloyd Jones' sermon on "The Lord is My Light" from Psalm 27:1-14

What is the main message of Psalm 27 according to Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones?

According to Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones, the main message of Psalm 27 is a strategy for living and facing life's battles. He explains that the psalm teaches us to:

  1. Always start with God and heaven, not with our problems or earthly concerns
  2. Only then, in light of who God is, come down to face our earthly problems
  3. Maintain confidence in God as our light, salvation, and strength
  4. Wait on the Lord with patience and courage

As Lloyd-Jones states: "This is the whole strategy. Always start in heaven and with God. Always. Then having done that, come down to earth and face the problems of life and of earth and of living as you find them in the light of what you've already seen in heaven, with God."

How does Lloyd-Jones divide Psalm 27 in his sermon?

Dr. Lloyd-Jones divides Psalm 27 into three distinct sections:

  1. First section (verses 1-6): The psalmist expresses his confidence and assurance in God. Lloyd-Jones describes this as the psalmist being "in heaven."

  2. Second section (verses 7-12): The psalmist moves to petition and prayer in the midst of struggle and conflict. Lloyd-Jones describes this as the psalmist being "very much down to earth."

  3. Final section (verses 13-14): The psalmist arrives at his conclusion regarding how to face life in the future.

This structure demonstrates the proper strategy for living - start with confidence in God, then bring your petitions to Him, and conclude with waiting on Him.

Why does Lloyd-Jones say that starting with our problems is wrong?

Lloyd-Jones explains that starting with our problems rather than with God is wrong because:

  1. It leads to inevitable failure - "The whole trouble in the world this morning is due to the fact that that's forgotten. They're all starting with men. They're starting with the world, with life, the problems. This is true of all who are not Christian, and that's why they never succeed."

  2. It reflects a misunderstanding of our own weakness - we fail to recognize that "we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities and against powers."

  3. It demonstrates self-confidence rather than God-confidence - "If you feel that you are competent to stand up unto life and that you can deal with all these things that are setting against you. You're the merest, Tyra. You're an ignoramus."

  4. It ignores God's desire to be our first resort, not our last - "God comes to us even when we are overwhelmed by the troubles...Suddenly something says within us. Why not turn to God? It's God himself who's doing it."

What does Lloyd-Jones mean when he says "The Lord is my light"?

According to Lloyd-Jones, when the psalmist says "The Lord is my light," he means:

  1. God provides understanding when we are in darkness and confusion - "What happens to us all as the result of these trials and troubles and tribulations in life is that we are in darkness. We don't understand."

  2. God illuminates the reality of our situation - "A man who believes this revelation given by the Lord is a man who's not surprised that the world is as it is."

  3. God shows us the way out of our problems - "The Lord is my light and therefore my salvation. It doesn't matter what problem confronts the Christian. He's always got light on it in this book. It never fails."

  4. God brings hope in contrast to the darkness of despair - "Light is the opposite to darkness. It's the opposite to despair. You remember how the gospel, in a sense, is introduced to us? The people that sat in darkness have seen a great light."

Lloyd-Jones explains that God's light is the only true illumination in a world characterized by cynicism and hopelessness.

What is the proper order of prayer according to this sermon?

Dr. Lloyd-Jones outlines a clear strategy for prayer based on the psalmist's example:

  1. Start with adoration and worship - "To behold the beauty of the Lord" or to "gaze upon" God's glory and attributes. "You don't start with yourself and your petitions. You start with God."

  2. Move to praise and thanksgiving - "I will sing. Yea, I will sing praises unto the Lord." This includes tracing God's providence and grace, counting blessings, and allowing your heart to "well up within you and outpour itself in praise and in thanksgiving."

  3. Only then bring your petitions - "Hear, O Lord, when I cry unto thee, have mercy also upon me, and answer me."

  4. Wait for the answer - "Wait on the Lord. He's heard you. He's going to do it. He'll do it in his own way."

Lloyd-Jones quotes Philippians 4:7-8 to support this approach: "In nothing be anxious, but in all things, in all circumstances, with prayer and supplication and thanksgiving, let your request be made known unto God."

Old Testament

Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones

Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones (1899-1981) was a Welsh evangelical minister who preached and taught in the Reformed tradition. His principal ministry was at Westminster Chapel, in central London, from 1939-1968, where he delivered multi-year expositions on books of the bible such as Romans, Ephesians and the Gospel of John. In addition to the MLJ Trust’s collection of 1,600 of these sermons in audio format, most of these great sermon series are available in book form (including a 14 volume collection of the Romans sermons), as are other series such as "Spiritual Depression", "Studies in the Sermon on the Mount" and "Great Biblical Doctrines". He is considered by many evangelical leaders today to be an authority on biblical truth and the sufficiency of Scripture.