A New Chapter

Praise God, this morning I want you to turn in your Bibles with me to Psalm 18. Psalm 18, and just for those online joining us, we've been snowed in this morning. I couldn't really get out of my gateway.

We decided for the sake of all those travelling and just to go online. Some of us were very brave, travelling, driving, all the rest. We congratulate you, but some of us just had to stay put where we were, but we just welcome you in the name of the Lord.

This first Sunday morning of 2025, I've been away for six weeks now, just back. This is my first time preaching in several weeks, and I've got a message here and a new, very short series, I believe. I've at least got this morning's message next Sunday morning, and I'm going to take you to the Word of God here.

Saints of God, we just thank God for his hand of grace upon us in these days, and we're thankful for the truth of God and the Word of God that just takes us through step by step. But my message here this morning, you know, I put a testimony, a review, an update out just there a week or two ago called A New Chapter, and I've called this sermon here this morning A New Chapter, reading from Psalm 18. I want to read most of this psalm through until verse 36.

It's a very important psalm, and it's what I've called an explosive psalm, and you'll understand when I give you the backdrop and the story behind it and the entire circumstance of how this psalm was birthed. And here this morning, I can barely touch on it. It is a psalm filled with explosive truths and testimonies, but I endeavoured to give you the heart of it and an understanding about it this morning.

So just as you're at home and wherever you're gathering in groups, I just ask that you follow with me in Psalm 18, reading from verse 1. And what I'm going to read is, if in your Bible it's given a title, I'm going to read that title. It's very important here this morning to this psalm. It says, To the chief musician, a psalm of David, the servant of the Lord, who speak unto the Lord the words of this psalm in the day that the Lord delivered him from the hand of all his enemies and from the hand of Saul.

And he said, so he's about to give the psalm here, and I want you to listen carefully and let's pray that the Holy Spirit of God even ministers to us as we read this. Verse 1. I will love thee, O Lord, my strength. The Lord is my rock, my fortress, my deliverer, my God, my strength, and whom I will trust, my buckler, and the horn of my salvation, and my high tower.

I will call upon the Lord, who is worthy to be praised. So shall I be saved from mine enemies. The sorrows of death compassed me, and the floods of ungodly men made me afraid.

The sorrows of hell compassed me about. The snares of death prevented me. In my distress I called upon the Lord and cried unto my God.

He heard my voice out of his temple, and my cry came before him, even unto his ears. Then the earth shook and trembled. The foundations also of the hills moved and were shaken, because he was wrath.

There went up a smoke out of his nostrils, and fire out of his mouth devoured. Coals were kindled by it. He bowed the heavens also and came down, and darkness was under his feet, and he rode upon a cherub and did fly.

Yea, he did fly upon the wings of the wind. He made darkness his secret place. His pavilion round about him were dark waters and thick clouds of the skies.

At the brightness that was before him his thick clouds passed, hailstones and coals of fire. The Lord also thundered in the heavens, and the highest gave his voice, hailstones and coals of fire. Yea, he sent out his arrows, and he scattered them, and he shot out lightnings and discomfited them.

Then the channels of waters were seen, and the foundations of the world were discovered at thy rebuke. O Lord, at the blast of the breath of thy nostrils, he sent from above. He took me.

He drew me out of many waters. He delivered me from my strong enemy and from them which hated me, for they were too strong for me. They prevented me in the day of my calamity, but the Lord was my stay.

He brought me forth also into a large place. He delivered me, because he delighted in me. The Lord rewarded me according to my righteousness.

According to the cleanness of my hands hath he recompensed me, for I have kept the ways of the Lord, and have not wickedly departed from my God. For all his judgments were before me, and I did not put away his statutes from me. I was also upright before him, and I kept myself from mine iniquity.

Therefore hath the Lord recompensed me according to my righteousness, according to the cleanness of my hands in his eyesight. With the merciful thou wilt shew thyself merciful. With an upright man thou wilt shew thyself upright.

With the pure thou wilt shew thyself pure. And with the fraud thou wilt shew thyself fraud. For thou wilt save the people, but thou wilt bring down high looks.

For thou wilt light my candle. The Lord my God will enlighten my darkness. For by thee I have run through a troupe, and by my God have I leaped over a wall.

As for God, his way is perfect. The way of the Lord is tried. He is a buckler to all those that trust in him.

For who is God save the Lord, or who is a rock save our God? It is God that girdeth me with strength, and maketh my way perfect. He maketh my feet like hind's feet, and setteth me upon my high places. He teaches my hands to war, so that a bow of steel is broken by mine arms.

Thou hast also given me the shield of thy salvation, and thy right hand hath holden me up, and thy gentleness hath made me great. Thou hast enlarged my steps under me, that my feet did not slip. I'm going to stop reading there just for a second.

There's more to read in this psalm, and you know every single verse in this psalm I could preach from this morning, and preach an entire sermon. It is filled with weighty truth, but I just want to give you the heart of this sermon. Will you pray with me here this morning as we come to the word of God.

Father we thank you for your word and your truth on this first day, this first Sunday of the new year. Father we worship you, we bless you, we praise you, and we exalt you. We raise up an Ebenezer here this morning.

You are our God, you're our rock, you're our strength, you're our stronghold, you're our deliverer, you're our savior, you're our king, you're our lord. You're the one that hears us when we cry unto you. You're a God that's very near unto us in the day and the hour of our affliction.

We thank you that you're not limited or restricted by our ability to see you, or to hear you, or to perceive you. You're a God that's present even in the midst of the darkness. You're a God that draws near us amidst confusion when there's enemies all around us on the left and the right, when we can't even see a way forward.

Yet the way of the Lord is clear and you shine forth in righteousness and truth. Lord God we ask of you, raise up a testimony in each one of our lives, that you are a deliverer, that your very character is that of delivering the saints of God when they cry unto you. You cannot lie, there's no darkness of turning within you, there's no shadow within your dealings with us, nor God you're a God who has spoken and you cannot lie, your word is immutable, unchangeable, and my God you're a faithful covenant keeping God.

And Father I do pray that we as we raise up an Ebenezer as a church, as individuals, as I do that as a preacher, Lord God let praise and honour and glory ascend to you this morning. We worship you, we desire you, we're hungry for you, we thirst after you, and Father we pray that your word would be sent forth into the highways and the byways, even online O God, Father that you'd send it by the power of your Holy Spirit, that you'd seek out those that need the word of God, that are desperate for the word of God. Father send it as a thus saith the Lord to some hungry heart, some needy person, in Jesus mighty name anoint your word O God.

Father I pray O God, open unto us a new chapter of testimony and of experience in you, in Jesus mighty name, Amen. Praise God. I'm going to bring you to the word of God here this morning and my message for this first day of the year is a new chapter.

Do you know on Wednesday night we raised up many testimonies in this church, both online and here in Limerick, just testifying of what the Lord had done in the year past. We had a watch night service, seeing the new year in, seeing the old year 24 out, seeing 25 come in, and we raised up an Ebenezer, a testimony to the Lord. Now we know that God doesn't tell us to keep the new year in our time scale, but if you study the Bible and the word of God, God marks time.

Days are important. Dates are important. Events in people's life are important.

It's important to remember what God has done. It's important to raise up memorials. It's important to give testimonies.

The entire Bible speaks about this. In the Old Testament we read about that great prophet Samuel, that he raised up a stone of testimony unto God. It was a day and hour when God had delivered his people from the hands of the Philistines.

So Samuel set up a stone and he named that stone, he called it Ebenezer. And the word Ebenezer means hitherto has the Lord helped us. So we see throughout the Bible that God's people always raise up testimonies on certain days when God does a great work, or at a certain period when you've got to the end of a period where God has worked in your life and he's come through and done something special.

It is right for the saints of God and the church of God and for preachers of God to raise up a testimony. And so this sermon this morning, it is my testimony. I am actually giving a testimony, but I'm doing more than that.

I'm preaching the word of God. I'm just using this sermon as a means for me to raise up a testimony here this morning. This sermon called A New Chapter is my Ebenezer to the goodness of God, that the Lord has helped me, that the Lord has worked on my behalf, that the Lord has worked on behalf of Limerick City Church and this church, that the Lord has moved in our lives in a very good and a gracious way.

Since I called this A New Chapter, and I'm especially going to preach from one verse this morning, verse 19, if you read it here, it says in verse 19, he brought me forth also into a large place. He delivered me because he delighted in me. The reason I've called this A New Chapter this morning is because in verse 19, when David rightness, Sam says, he, the Lord brought me forth into a large place.

I believe this large place was a new chapter in David's life. You see, I believe my life, as I look back over 52 years, I believe my life can be so clearly laid out in different chapters. There are clear chapters of my life where there are several seasons of time where it's not just the same story, not just the same things happening, not just the same trials.

There are distinct changes in my life where different things are learned, different things are revealed, different testimonies are raised up. And if I was to recount my entire life, you'd see there are distinct separate chapters. And I actually believe that I've reached a brand new chapter in my life.

And like David of old, he said, here was a day, here was a point, here was something that happened. And he was able to say at that point that God had brought him forth into a large place. There was a new large place that God had brought him into.

He wasn't there yesterday. He wasn't there the day before. He had not been there for some years, but suddenly on this day, God had brought him into what he calls a large place.

And how God done that was by delivering him the term, a large place. And it's used here in verse 19, where David said he was brought into a large place. We read about what exactly that large place is in verse 1. In fact, in the title of Psalm 18, if you read the title of it, and David explains when he wrote this Psalm and why he wrote this Psalm.

And this is what he says, that he wrote this Psalm on a particular day when God had delivered him from the hand of all of his enemies and Saul. So what was this large place? This large place was actually a place when God had delivered David from all of his enemies, not just Saul, not just a few, but here was an extraordinary hour and time where David was brought into a brand new place. And I call this a new chapter, a new beginning, a writing of a whole new phase of life.

You see, what is a large place? David wasn't in a different place, but it was the circumstances. It was an enlarged place. He said he was brought into a large place.

That means a very enlarged place. It means a very spacious place. It means that he is suddenly given room.

It doesn't mean that he went to a different country necessarily. It doesn't mean that he wasn't anymore in his same country or in the same city or in the same family or the same palace. But what it meant, his circumstances so changed in an extraordinary way that suddenly he could begin to breathe.

Suddenly he was given space where he didn't have it before. You see, previous to this, he had obstacles all around him. This large place, this new place, this new chapter actually is marked by the removing of all obstacles from where he was.

It's not being moved from a particular place, but it's the obstacles being moved. It is the enemies being moved. It is the opposition being moved.

It is you standing in the same place that you have for a long time. But is God working and taking that place where you've always been and suddenly enlarging it to give you place, to give you freedom, to give you plenteous room, to give you comfort from your sorrows and to remove all those things that once restrained you. You see, saints, I believe there's hours and times when God writes a new chapter in your life.

He begins a new chapter. Now, when I look at my own life, some chapters have lasted for many years and those individual chapters have been marked by great hindrance, great trials, great enemies like Saul. I mean numerous enemies, not one enemy.

I mean being pressed in on every side that you almost get used to being so confined. You learn to function and to walk with God in a very, very tight space. Let me just mention some of the things in my own life.

I can speak of one particular chapter that lasted from 2005 through until 2019. It was a period of 14 years, 14 long years, when I was surrounded by Judas's, by enemies, by constant monthly opposition. It didn't matter whether I went to Germany or to America or to England, Northern Ireland or Southern Ireland.

I had an unbelievable period of time. You see, David's talking about when you're brought into this large place, this new large place, it's a place of freedom from the enemies. In that previous chapter, there was no freedom.

I want to tell you, I've gone through periods of time from 2005 to 2019, where there was such a chapter of overwhelming enemies. Yet in December 2019, it was like something snapped. All of a sudden, all of that dissipated and come to an end.

As you all know, a new trial started shortly after that, lasting two to four years. At the beginning of March, thereabouts, 2020. For the next four years, I found myself in one of the hardest chapters of my life, one of the hardest trials, pressed on every side, mentally, emotionally, spiritually, physically, all in around me.

Again, another trial. When I look back through my entire life, I watch some of these trials and times of opposition. Some have only lasted a day.

Some have lasted three days. Some have lasted six months. Again, some have lasted 14 years.

I've seen in my life, I have many chapters. In many of these chapters, they were marked by hard places, by tight places, by a long period of time that left me very narrow, hindered in doing the will of God, hindered in my mind or my emotions. They were volatile times, dangerous times, times of walking through valleys or wandering through a desert.

And so, Saints of God, I want to preach to you on David's new chapter. But also in doing that, I want to raise up an Ebenezer myself, that God has initiated a new chapter in my life and Anna's life and I believe LCC's life. But I pray that each one of you, as you walk with God, will experience new chapters.

Maybe here this morning, as I preach and speak and as I share these thoughts with you, maybe you feel confined. Maybe you feel it will never change. Maybe the devil's telling you you'll never rise up out of this trial emotionally, spiritually, physically, mentally, that it cannot change, that it'll be no different than it is.

I want to tell you that's not true, because as I look back through life, I went through many dark nights. I thought, Lord, will I be able to stand? Will I come through? Will I prevail against my enemies or will they prevail against me? And so let me just give you six or seven clear points from this chapter. The first thing I want you to notice from Psalm 18, and this is my first point, the previous chapter.

Here in this psalm, you have a new chapter, an entire psalm breaks forth, explosive, pregnant with spiritual life and newness. But let me note, this psalm denotes that there was a previous chapter in David's life. It was not always a large place.

David is testifying, the Lord has brought me into a large place. But the previous chapter was not a large place. It was a very, very confined place in David's life.

Do you remember that the Bible says that David was a man after God's own heart? This King of Israel became the standard of every single king that followed after him. Every king would be measured according to David, the man of God. Yes, in later years, he failed God.

He was but a man. But there was a certain heart and life within David that God marked out, that he embodied what it is to have a heart after God. Now, what was this previous chapter that David was in? Because when you're brought into a large place, you've been brought out of somewhere, you've been brought out of something.

Well, the beginning of this psalm, David's explanation of the psalm tells you what the previous chapter was. He writes just before verse one, and saying what this song is, it was a deliverance from all his enemies and from the hand of Saul. Now, that's a remarkable chapter.

The previous chapter to being brought into a large chapter was the place of many enemies. And notice this, just one of those enemies was King Saul, the anointed of God, the king of God's people, the chosen of God, a man mighty in battle, a man who had authority in the kingdom of God and amongst the people of God. This great man of a great stature, with a great history and a great reputation and great influence amongst the people of God.

This actual man become David's enemy for many years. Now, when you study the life of David, we read that Saul persecuted David, pursued after him, trying to kill him for a period of 13 years. Now, that's a long chapter to have to go through.

Here's David in this psalm saying, the Lord has delivered me and brought me into a large place. But you need to understand, before you have a testimony, before you have a new chapter, before you raise up an Ebenezer, before you get to write a psalm like this, you may be stuck in a very long, very dark trial, a troublesome hour, where it's not a large place, it's a very narrow place. Now, during these 13 years, when Saul chased after David, trying to kill him, here is an anointed man of God, a preacher, a man that's had the spirit of God on him in the house of God.

What an enemy to have. You know, if it was a Philistine or a Goliath, that's one thing. But when it's someone in the house of God, a preacher, a leader, a Christian, a mature believer, and they set themselves as an enemy against you, things can get very, very confusing.

I want to tell you, when you study the life of David, there's about eight clear attempts on David's life directly by King Saul. When you study his life, there's about 14 places that David fled to. You see, David was in a very narrow place for about 13 years.

It was a tight place. It was a confined place. It was a restricted place.

It was a hindered place. It was a place of being hated by those inside the house of God. It was a place of being oppressed by his enemies, mocked by his enemies, anger being aimed against him, pursued all over the place.

And you know what? When you begin to trace David's life, you see that he ran many times to caves. A cave in the wilderness was the only place he could find to hide. At another time, he had to flee the land of Israel.

He had to go to the land of the Philistines and take refuge against his sworn enemies. Do you remember the time when they began to become suspicious of him and he fell on his face and he began to froth at the mouth and pretend he was a madman? Now that was wisdom in operation to save his life from his enemies. Can you imagine being in such a narrow, tight place that you have to flee God's land, you flee God's people and you have to take refuge in the midst of God's enemies? That is a very narrow place, a very dark place that David found himself in.

There was another hour during that period where when they were away raiding, that the enemies came, stole the wives, took all their goods and fled with them. And when David and his mighty men returned to camp, they were so angry and grieved that they took up stones and were going to stone David. And what the Bible says that David encouraged himself in the Lord.

Can you imagine going through trial after trial after trial, month after month after month? One year turns into two years, turns into five years, turns into seven years. There's some of you, your hearts are fainting because you go, will the trials ever come to an end? I want to tell you some of God's greatest saints, like Moses found himself in the wilderness 40 years, or like Joseph forgotten in a prison house, lied about by an immoral woman, left there to rot in a prison, sold by his jealous brothers. Do you see how God works in the hearts of saints? You may only have short trials, but maybe someday you'll walk into a 10 year trial or a seven year trial, but you know what? You can have victory in the midst of it.

Being in a narrow place, a dark place, a hard place, a persecuted place does not mean that you perpetually do not have joy or peace or righteousness, far from it. During this trial, we even read about David having to send his parents to Moab. Remember that's where Ruth come from.

It was a pagan land. It says in 1 Samuel chapter 22 in verse 3, and David went since to Mishpah of Moab, and he said unto the king of Moab, let my father and my mother, I pray thee come forth and be with you till I know what God will do for me. Can you imagine going to a pagan king and asking him, can my mother and father come forth out of God's land to be with you for a time? And you're testifying to that king, just keep my parents until I know what God will do for me.

These are very strange things, saints. And some of you can get confused and go, where is God? I can't see him and hear him and perceive him. And days turn into years.

You know what? Put your trust in the Lord Jesus Christ. Remember, I'm only talking about one enemy, Saul. David, and this is my point, had been in a previous chapter.

Some of you are in a previous chapter, but I want to tell you there is a new chapter ahead. There's an entire new chapter to be written. A testimony like Psalm 18, a testimony of praise, a testimony of what is happening, a testimony of the character of God.

Look what happened in the midst of this. Look at verse two, what it says here in the Psalm. The Lord is my rock.

Look what he testifies about the Lord. This is what he learned in the midst of this previous chapter, not on the new chapter. He didn't come into great freedom and then realise the Lord was his rock and his fortress and his deliverer and his strength and his high tower.

Oh no, he found this in the previous chapter before he comes into the large place, before the Lord delivers him. Some of you are waiting to praise God in deliverance. You say you can't praise God because he hasn't delivered you.

I want to tell you God wants to teach you in your previous chapter, in your hard chapter, in the chapter of persecution, when your enemies are around you. That's when you're going to learn the character of God. You don't learn the character of God when he delivers you.

You learn the character of God and the nature of God in that old chapter. Look what it says in verse two. The Lord is my rock.

Do you know where he learned that? When he had a run for his life in a wilderness and hide in a rock. That's when he found the Lord is his rock. See the Lord used hard circumstances, trials, problems to reveal that God is a rock and my fortress, that's a place you hide in, that you need defence against the enemy and my deliverer, my God, my strength in whom I will trust, my buckler and the horn of my salvation and my high tower.

Look at the revelation of God pouring forth. Where did God, where did David learn that God was his strength, that God was his high tower, that God was the horn of his salvation? It was in that previous chapter. Saints of God, you could be barren in your soul in your time of trial or else you're going to begin to blossom.

You're going to grow to know God amidst the darkness, the trials, while you're being persecuted and chased. David was under such opposition that at one point he bemoaned that he would even live and he says, what's the point of me even living? There's only one breath between me and death. I'm being hunted like a fly.

There's no point to be alive. But you see, God used all those despairing times, those discouraged times, those times of feeling like you're going to think those were being used to create something within David. So that's my first point, that this Psalm and this verse 18 reveals, I'm sorry, verse 19, it reveals there was a previous chapter.

There was a previous story of being very narrow. Point two, God's divine deliverance. Here in Psalm 18, this word delivered is used time and time again.

It's used seven times. It's used in verse 1, it's used in verse 17, in verse 19, then it's used in verse 48 twice. And then last of all, it's used in verse 50.

God is revealed as a deliverer there is an experience of deliverance. Look what it says in verse 17. He, the Lord delivered me from my strong enemy and from them which hated me, for they were too strong for me.

They prevented me in the day of my calamity, but the Lord was my stay. This new chapter, this song, these words were inspired on the very day that God delivered David from all of his enemies. Some of you don't think it's possible to have an experience, a chapter, to be brought into a large place, to get relief for your soul.

Some of you have forgotten what it is to be brought into a place of great victory. Some of you, it's been so long from you tasted victory. You almost wonder, can you ever experience it again? But I want to tell you, deliverance is a very real thing.

The Lord's will for your life is deliverance from the enemy. The enemy is allowed to attack for long periods of time. The enemy is allowed to come against you and do many things.

The Lord allows the devil to do certain things, to attack in certain ways, to accomplish certain things, to hinder you, to obstruct you, to limit you, to make you run for your life. The Lord literally allows that, but saints never forget the same God who allows the enemy. He actually is a God who delivers.

That isn't just something he does. He is a deliverer. He doesn't just deliver you.

He is a deliverer. It's his character. It is his nature.

It is who he is. Our God is a deliverer. And so David writes here, he delivered me from my strong enemy, enemies that hated me, that were too strong for me.

Are you now facing enemies? And I'm not just talking about people. I'm talking about things maybe in your life, things going on in your heart. Maybe there's an enemy in your own heart.

Maybe it's your own flesh. I want to tell you, the Lord brings deliverance. The word deliverance is used all through the psalm.

It means to snatch away. It means to rescue. It means to pluck you up.

And so David began to testify. He'd been at the bay of his enemies running for years. Can you imagine? This is the great David, anointed of God, a heart for God, writing all of these psalms, and yet he spent years running from the enemy.

Maybe you think I don't have much of a testimony. I seem to just be running from the enemy, hiding from the enemy, fighting the enemy, just trying to survive from the attacks of the enemy. Those are very dark chapters when you find yourself in such a place, and you'll go, what sort of testimony is this? Don't lose heart, saints, because the Lord's a deliverer.

He loves at certain times. After you've been tested and proved, after this has done its full work, he delivers you. There are real experiences, which I've called a new chapter, being delivered brought into a large place.

It's breathing space, space to room, space where you're utterly unhindered, where there is not one single enemy. The deck has been cleared of every single enemy. All the trials get swallowed up in an hour.

Some of yous don't even think you can have an experience. But I want to tell you, don't go to extremes. Some people are at an extreme where they believe it's all mountaintop, no valleys.

Others think it's all valleys and no mountaintops. I want to tell you, you need both. I don't only believe that it's God's will we suffer in this life, and that God allows suffering, and he allows for our trials.

I want to tell you, I believe in real deliverance. I believe in experiences where God snatches us right out of the harm's way. He's a mighty God.

It says in verse 16, he sent from above. He took me. He drew me out of many waters.

Do you see, this is God's work. He did it. He draws us out.

It's not us fighting out of it. This is a supernatural, immediate work of God, where God takes a hold of us. He snatches us.

He draws us out of many waters. You couldn't save yourself. It is a genuine, real work of God.

Do you remember as a young boy, David, when he was about 17 years old, and he was called into the tent of Saul, and Saul had heard about him, and Goliath was out on the battlefield, challenging the people of God, and none of the armies of Israel would go and fight him. Neither would Saul. Listen to what he said to Saul.

This young shepherd boy, this is what he said in 1 Samuel 17, 37. He said, David said, moreover, the Lord that delivered me out of the paw of the lamb. Do you see that David, as a young boy, had had lesser experiences of being delivered.

Momentary trials by a lion, a lion coming to seek for a little lamb, and it says the Lord delivered me out of the paw of the lamb. See, David had an experience in small trials, in short trials, in daily trials. David could say, I was delivered out of the paw of the lamb, and out of the paw of the bear, and he will deliver me out of the hand of this Philistine.

And Saul said unto David, go and the Lord be with you. So the paw of the lamb, the paw of the bear, and the hand of the Philistine. That hand of the Philistine was just like the paw of the bear, and the paw of the lion.

At the beginning of this psalm, we're told that David was delivered out of the hand of Saul. The word hand there can also be used for paw. Paw and hand are the same words that are used here.

So to be delivered out of the hand of the Saul is also to be delivered out of the hand, or sorry, out of the paw of Saul. Do you see the testimony David had in his life? When he was 17 years old, he could stand and testify boldly, the Lord delivered me from the paw of the lamb and the paw of the bear. He believed in deliverance.

God's will is to deliver from enemies. It's not God's will that you're defeated by the enemy. That is not God's will.

It is not God's plan. God wants to deliver your soul. Yes, he'll allow you to go through long trials, but look at this.

This was a greater trial with Saul, but God also delivered young David from the hand and the paw of Saul. It says in verse 27 in this psalm, for thou will save the afflicted people, but will bring down high licks for thou will light my candle and the Lord God will enlighten my darkness. See David in this era of deliverance, a great light had shone upon him.

There's strange things that talks about this trial. It talks about this deliverance in verse seven being like an earthquake. When God delivered him, it wasn't just some small inward deliverance.

God literally shook the earth to deliver David as servant. See the greater the trial, the greater the deliverance. The longer the trial, when you walk with God, the greater the deliverance.

You may say my deliverance has been delayed. There's no answer. My trial is very great.

It is very oppressive. Then your deliverance will just be as great. It will be as magnified as is your trial and your trouble.

Since I believe this with all my heart, I'm looking for greater days than ever before. My trials have been great. My troubles have been great.

My burdens have been great, but I look for a greater joy. I look for a greater deliverance. I look for an earthquake deliverance.

From verse seven to verse 15, we begin to read of how God delivers David. He speaks about the earth shaking, lightning, thunder. He talks about a deliverance going from heaven.

It talks about the wrath of God against the enemies of David, the anger of God being stirred. Don't you realize that when God delivers just one of his saints, his heart is moved, his anger is stirred. You may think God is silent.

God doesn't see. God doesn't care. God hasn't moved against your enemies.

King Saul pursues after you. King Saul has peace. King Saul is in the palace.

King Saul has freedom. King Saul has his army. You may say that all is well with the enemies of God, but here you are discouraged, downcast, sitting in darkness.

But I want to tell you that God has a plan to deliver you. Do you see that his previous chapter had been in darkness, but God brought a great light to shine upon him? But look at these strange works of God in our deliverance. It says in verse 19 that darkness was under God's feet.

Or look at verse 11. It says, He, that is God, made darkness his secret place. His pavilion round about him were dark waters and thick clouds of skies.

Do you see that when God begins to work mightily, it is very hard for people to see what he is doing. God actually hides himself in darkness. Under his feet is darkness.

God clothes himself in darkness. There's many scriptures that talk about this and I don't have time to go into this fully. But I want to tell you, in an hour when God begins to move, some people don't even recognize the hand of God.

Do you remember when he came to deliver his disciples, when they're in the boat, in the storm, and the storm was going to wreck the boat, and they feared for their lives. Here came Jesus walking on the water, walking on the storm. And it says they looked out and they thought they saw a ghost.

They couldn't even recognize him. The dealings of God, the works of God are very, very strange saints of God. Some people think they understand God with their natural mind.

But when you're caught up in a real walk with God, there are strange, imperceivable things that you can't even imagine. God comes clothed in darkness, clothed in thunders and lightnings. His work of deliverance is very strange.

Third of all in this, Sam, I want you to see in verse 19. He brought me forth also into a large place. He delivered me because he delighted in me.

This is the third thing. God's delight in David. He actually gives the reason that he delivered him here.

He delivered me because there's a reason. Saints of God, don't let go of God. There's a reason why God delivered David in such a mighty way.

In one single day, he was delivered from Saul and from all of his enemies. There was a day when the entire field was cleared, when he gained absolute liberty, absolute victory, absolute freedom, absolute propelling above all that you can imagine. From verse 20 to 26, he begins to list some of the reasons why God has delivered him.

It says first in verse 19, because he delighted in me. The word delight means he inclined or he bent down or he looked down and he had pleasure in me. You see, you might have been walking through a long trial, but a day of God's delight comes.

See his delight. He bends down towards you. He draws near you.

He takes note of you. He moves with anger against your enemies. You know what? He's used Saul in your life.

He used the Philistines in your life. He used the Ammonites in your life. He used the Moabites in your life.

He used the Edomites in your life. All of these enemies in Iran, he's used them in your life. You may say, why is there no deliverance? But you know what? There's a day of God's delight where he comes to deliver you.

He comes to bend himself down towards you. He rejoices in you. He enjoys you.

See how you walk through this trial with Saul or with some other enemy. He comes and although he seems to have hidden himself in darkness, all of a sudden he smiles on you. His light breaks in upon you.

His full liberty comes to your soul, your mind, your emotions. Saints of God, there's days of deliverance, of experiencing God, when God comes down on your soul. I have had these experiences.

There was once God came down so mightily upon me in an arid trial that it was such a reviving. I was walking across the floor, halfway across the floor. God broke in upon me.

I was so shocked, so confused that I tried to rationalize and work out, what is this? Why did it happen? What's just happened to me? And it was so supernatural, so heavenly, so complete that I actually worked out that God was going to take me home that day and he'd revived me to take me home. While I'm still here, he didn't take me home. But it was so phenomenal, the blessing of God, suddenly, unexpectedly, that I thought he must be taking me to heaven, taking me home, and that it was my last day on earth.

It was so wonderful. Joy filled my soul. The revelation of God shone upon my mind and heart.

It was extraordinary. God delighted in me. It is a wonderful thing.

It is a mighty thing. It is a powerful thing. You know, as we go through all of these scriptures, there's another Psalm, Psalm 31 verse 8, and it says that God has not shut me up into the hand of the enemy.

Thou has set my feet in a large room. God hasn't given you over to the enemy. Don't believe the lies.

God hasn't just shut you up and left you to your enemies. No, sir. God has come to delight himself in you and shine upon you.

But look at it. There are reasons why God does it. Verse 20, the Lord rewarded me according to my righteousness.

So this time of deliverance, God is rewarding you. It goes on to say, and he recompensed me or returned on to me. So we see that this time of deliverance being brought into a great open space, it was a time of blessing, a time of reward, a time of recompense.

You can't just walk anyway and yet God rewards you. Now listen to me. If God was to reward us just purely because of our righteousness, if he was to count sin, who could stand before him? God sees sin where we don't see sin.

At times we think we're humble and he could find pride within us. So none is righteous of them own selves before God. But listen to me, there has to be a right life.

Even in the dark times, the hard times, the persecuted times, the times when you think you're deserted, that is a time to walk with God. If you walk with God in your trials, I promise you God will reward you. And so it says, the Lord rewarded me according to my righteousness.

David did not cast aside righteousness and yet God expect God to deliver him. He said God recompensed him. In verse 21 he said, I have kept the way of the Lord.

It was in his previous chapter, the hard chapter, the narrow chapter, when he kept the way of the Lord. He kept it. He watched over the way of the Lord.

It says, and have not done wickedly by departing from my God. Some people in their hour of trial, they depart from God. They don't keep the way of God.

They don't keep the judgments of God. They cast away his word. They cast away, they put away the commands of God, the teaching of God.

And yet they say, why hasn't God delivered me? If you forsake the way of God, God forsakes you. In verse 23, David testifies, I was also upright before him and I kept myself from mine iniquity. We know David wasn't sinlessly perfect, but he was a man keeping himself from his iniquity.

He hated iniquity. He hated his own sins. Verse 24, therefore has the Lord recompensed me according to my righteousness, according to the cleanness of my hands and his eyesight.

There's a lot of godly commentators who believe this is just a prophesy, prophecy for Jesus, the Messiah, because they believe no man could stand before God and talk about our righteousness. But I don't believe that even David could speak about his own righteousness and God blessing him for his righteousness or acting right or doing right. There is a righteousness of the saints that gets rewarded, that is blessed of God.

You may be in a long trial. You may be persecuted by enemies, enemies of the mind, the emotions in your circumstance. You may feel like you're deserted of the deliverance of God.

I want to tell you, keep walking with God in the darkness of night. One other thing before we move to the next point. One other thing that David mentions here is his attitude towards other people.

Look at verse 25, with the merciful thou will show thyself merciful, with an upright man thou will show thyself upright, with the pure thou will show thyself pure, and with the forward thou will show thyself forward. You know what David was saying here? God in this time of deliverance was being merciful to David. God was being upright to David.

God was being pure towards David. Why was God being merciful at this time to David? Because during this previous chapter in David's life, all through it, David at every opportunity was merciful to other men. He was upright with men.

He was pure with men. And God looked at his heart and said, how you've acted to other people around you, I am now going to act to you. Saints, I would encourage you, be merciful to other Christians around you.

Be pure to other people around you, to wife, to husband, to friends, to your brothers and sisters in Christ, to other Christians you encounter, to sinners that you meet in the workplace. Be merciful unto them. And in the day of your trouble, God will deliver you and show you mercy.

Fourth of all, I want to show you one of the reasons why God delivered David. It was because of David's prayer. Look at verse three.

I will call upon the Lord who is worthy to be praised. So shall I be saved from mine enemies. This new chapter, this large place that David was brought into was deliverance from his enemies.

And saints, that deliverance came in answer to prayer. God does nothing but in answer to prayer. Don't believe the lie of the devil that God doesn't answer prayer.

God always answers prayer. God is faithful to hear you. David said, I will call upon the Lord who is worthy to be praised.

He never lost the joy of prayer, even in his long trial. It was this prayer against his enemy. Lord, deliver me, save me from mine enemies.

David didn't avenge his own self. David didn't work his own deliverance. David didn't kill Saul.

David could have killed Saul, but he didn't do it. He didn't take vengeance into his own hands. His prayer was on to the Lord to be delivered.

In verse six, it says in my distress. Notice when he prayed in my distress, I called upon the Lord. Some people don't call when they're in distress, but I want to encourage you today.

Are you distressed? Are you in agony? Are you being attacked by the enemy? Then call upon the Lord. And he said, I cried unto my God, and he heard my voice out of his temple, and my cry came before him, even into his ears. Or listen to this in Sam chapter four, verse one.

Hear me when I call, O God of my righteousness. Thou hast enlarged me when I was in distress. Have mercy upon me, and hear my prayer.

God answers prayer. This entire Psalm, this complete deliverance was an answer to prayer. God answers such prayers.

Deliver me from mine enemies. You may think God would never answer such a prayer. Actually, God does answer such prayers.

God answers mighty prayers. He wants to deliver you from your enemies. God has power to do that and the desire to do that.

How did he answer? By sending an earthquake, by shaking the heavens, by thundering from heaven itself. Point five. David, the servant of the Lord.

Again, look at the beginning of this Psalm, the title that David gives to the Psalm. A Psalm of David, the servant of the Lord. And this is my point five.

David, the servant of the Lord. Do you see how this entire Psalm, and I've hardly touched on this Psalm, this Psalm is filled with dynamic things. If you're to see a new chapter, if you're to see the end of the previous chapter, you must be a servant of the Lord.

You must not only be merciful like David was merciful. You must not only pray like David prayed, but you need to be a servant of the Lord. It said David, the servant of the Lord.

Who wrote this Psalm? David, the servant of the Lord. Do you know great men know that they are servants. The word servant is a bond slave, someone held in captivity.

In those days, a servant was a slave. It was someone who wasn't paid for their work. They simply were there.

They were of little worth. Their entire occupation was to wait upon someone, serve someone, obey someone, listen to someone, watch someone. And so David says, all I am is a servant of the Lord.

But the greatest of men have always been servants of the Lord. Listen in the New Testament, Romans chapter 1 verse 1. Paul, a servant of Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle, separated onto the gospel of God. See, some people in the church of today, they think the greatest thing is to be an apostle.

All they think about is ministries or giftings or anointings. But you know what Paul thought about? The greatest thing you can be is a servant of Jesus Christ. A slave of Jesus Christ.

That's greater than any ministry. Or listen to what he says in Philippians chapter 1 and 1. Paul and Timotheus, the servants of Jesus Christ. So Paul was raising up young preachers and he made them very aware.

All we are are servants. We're slaves. It's not great preachers.

It's not great apostles. It's not great anointing. We're just servants.

We're just slaves. That's all we are. You're not delivered because you're some great apostle or some great king.

Or listen to 2 Peter chapter 1 verse 1. Simon Peter, a servant and an apostle of Jesus Christ. James chapter 1 verse 1. James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ. Do you know who James was who wrote the book of James? He's a half brother of Jesus Christ.

He's one of the sons of Mary and Joseph. And yet he calls himself James, a servant of God. Then there's Jude chapter 1 verse 1. Jude, the servant of Jesus Christ.

Who was he? He was another half brother of Jesus Christ. Do you see the great apostles? Those who were even close kin to Jesus. All we are are servants.

Do you know why I believe many don't get delivered? Because they've got too much pride, too high a view of themselves. Some of us need to experience the humility of God. And I'll tell you what's more, when God delivers you, you better not grow proud of it.

And so in the day of David's deliverance, he didn't become proud. He was delivered from all of his enemies. He's delivered from King Saul.

He has given a great victory. He has a great testimony. But do you know what he starts writing a song with? David, the servant of the Lord.

He was in a low place, a humble place, a broken place. He starts with Psalm by saying he's a servant of the Lord. But look at the very last verse, verse 50.

Great deliverance giveth he to his king. He doesn't even mention he's a king until the very last verse. And he showeth mercy to his anointed, to David and his seed forevermore.

He doesn't mention his kingship, his position, his authority. He doesn't mention his great anointing, his unique power from the Holy Spirit. He doesn't mention any of that until the very last verse of the entire Psalm.

But he begins it by saying, David, the servant of God. Let me finish here. I've got so much more to say, but I'm going to close.

And this is my sixth and final point, a sweet testimony. At the beginning of this Psalm, he says, a Psalm of David, who spoke unto the Lord the words of this song in the day that the Lord delivered him. It happened in one day, saints.

Your greatest victory, an impossible victory, an earth-shaking victory, a heaven-rending victory could come in one day, one single split day. Your entire trial can change in one day. The battle against you can turn in one day.

You can gain freedom in one day. And immediately a song can be birthed out of your heart. Notice it wasn't for men.

It wasn't for Israel. It wasn't given to the church. Do you know who this song was for? It wasn't to be put on display so people could admire David and tell him what beautiful Psalms that he writes.

Oh no, these words were spoken unto the Lord. As we close this, when God brings you into a great victory, your number one thing should be to raise up an Ebenezer. I don't care what men think.

I don't care about boosting in my victory. You know what I want to do? I want to sing a song of praise unto the Lord. My heart doesn't burst with pride or arrogance.

It doesn't burst with relief, but it bursts with thanksgiving unto the Lord. David here raises up a sweet psalm unto the Lord. In verse 49 he says, Therefore will I give thanks unto thee, O Lord, among the heathen, and I will sing praises unto thy name.

We know at the very beginning we said that he began to sing praise unto the Lord. He said, The Lord is my rock, my fortress, my deliverer, my God, my strength. In whom will I trust? My buckler and the horn of my salvation and my high tower.

Do you see that everything is the Lord? Everything is the Lord. It's a sweet testimony to the Lord. Lord, you are my rock.

You are my deliverer. You have done this thing. You have answered my prayer.

I'm only a servant. You are showing me mercy. Your hand has done this.

And sings of God, a sweet testimony is birthed out of this psalm to God's glory, to his honour and to his praise. But not only a song, a lifestyle, a remarkable testimony is raised up in this life. What did David do from this point? Look at these few verses for a moment.

These are filled. I could begin to preach an entire series on these verses, because there's remarkable things here. Verse 29, For by thee I have run through a troop.

Listen to the testimony David begins to bring forth. See, he was running from the enemy, wasn't he? Isn't that the previous testimony? The enemy was after him. Saul was after him.

He fled into caves. He fled to high hills. He took refuge in fortresses.

He had a hide in wildernesses. But he's not running anymore. See, God has brought him into a large place.

And that large place isn't to rest on your laurels. It isn't just to lounge around the place or take a rest from the battle. Oh, no.

Now David pursues after the enemy. Now he's saying, for I have run through a troop by the Lord. Do you know what? He has gained strength not to stop fighting, not just to run from the enemy, but now he's pursuing after the enemy.

Something you use when you get delivered. Don't get caught up in rejoicing and go, oh, praise the Lord. My battle is over.

No more trials, no more trouble. I'm safe from the hand of my enemies. You need to engage yourself in the will of God and the plan of God and the service of God.

Listen to these following words. By my God, I have leaped over a wall. As for God, his way is perfect.

The word of God is tried. He is a buckler to all those that trust in him. Verse 32, it is God that girdeth me with strength and maketh my way perfect.

What's he doing? He's girding, he's putting a battle plate on you. Verse 33, he maketh my feet like hinds feet and setteth me upon high places. 34, he teaches my hands to war so that a bow of steel is broken in mine arms.

Thou hast given me the shield of thy salvation, and thy right hand hath holden me up. Thy gentleness hath made it me great. Thou hast enlarged my steps under me, that my feet did not slip.

Saints of God, I close here, but I give unto you a new chapter. Next Sunday morning, I'm going to preach on a new anointing because I believe in this new year, we need to trust God again for a new deliverance, a new touch of his hand. And so I leave with you, this is David's new chapter.

He'd been in a chapter. He may well be in other chapters, but here he is brought into a large place, a new chapter. And you know what? He writes a testimony.

He writes a glorious story. He speaks out and even tells the nations of what the Lord has done for him. As I close, I testify.

My soul has been cast down. I've walked through many trials. I'm sure I'll be in other trials in the future, but Saints of God, the Lord comes.

I don't understand everything. I don't like everything that's happened in my life, but I want to tell you, I know God is a deliverer. I have walked through long decades of trials.

My heart has fainted many times. At times I wondered, even though I knew the character of God and the word of God, sometimes you think, will I make it? Will I stand? Will I come through? Will things ever be different? But I want to tell you, the Lord is very merciful. He is very gracious, very kind, very considerate.

And I pray here this morning that the Lord will bless you. Will you pray with me? I want to pray so specifically for you individually, for Limerick City Church, that God would grant onto us a new chapter. Not to be passive, not to sit on our laurels, but that we're going to rise up and pursue the enemy.

We have had our backs against the walls. Our hearts have desponded and we've fainted at times. But Lord, just one more time, deliver us.

Grant us a large place. Anoint us afresh, that we might pursue after our enemies and trample the adversary under our feet. Father, I pray right now for each of my friends online, Lord God, those many friends in different nations, different cities scattered across this world, who stand with us, who have prayed with us, who have prayed and stood and wept with us as I have wept my tears, as I've even sat at this desk and prepared sermon after sermon amidst tears and a broken heart.

Lord God, you've raised up many friends across this world, many thousands over these few years who have stood with us, that have wept with us, that have been one with us. And Father, we pray that in your body, in your church in these days, that you'd grant onto your church a new chapter. We are praying for a great day of deliverance.

We know that our trials and our deliverances, these are things only for this lifetime. They're temporal. There's ebbs and flows.

Sometimes we're in troubles and then we come into great times of testimony and then plunge back into the fire again. Father, we realize how fickle we are, how prone our emotions and our thoughts and our feelings to ebb and flow. Sometimes we blow hot, sometimes we blow cold.

Lord God, be gracious onto us, be very merciful. But Lord God, we ask this for your glory, for your testimony. I pray for new chapters to be written in the lives in this church.

Lord God, those that join us online, will you bring deliverance from the hand of the enemy? Will you smite the enemy under feet? And Father, I pray, answer prayers. Make your saints even in dark times and confused times, to lay a hold of the word of God, to not compromise. And God, that you'd be very merciful unto them and pure to them in the day of their deliverance.

Father, I pray for LCC, that you'd bring us into a new chapter, that you'd give us a new time, a new time of refreshing and anointing. And even for next Sunday, I pray for fresh anointing to come on individuals in this church. We can't be satisfied with the old anointings or with past chapters.

Father, take us forward, write a new story, a new song, a new testimony through which your name will be glorified and honoured in Jesus' mighty name. God bless you here this morning, in Jesus' name.