Approaching the New Years Battle with Confidence

Order of Service

• Call to Worship — Psalm 107:1-3, 43
• Hymn — All Praise to God Who Reigns Above
• Prayer of Invocation
• Apostles' Creed
• Scripture Reading — Luke 2:39-52
• Hymn — In Christ Alone
• Pastoral Prayer
• Offering
• Prayer of Dedication
• Hymn — For All the Saints
• Sermon
• Hymn — All Hail the Power of Jesus' Name
• Benediction — Numbers 6:24-26
• Gloria Patri

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Sermon Title: Approaching the New Year's Battle with Confidence

Scripture: Psalm 20

I. The Prayers of the People Before Battle

A. Psalm 20 marks the first shift in the Psalter from individual to corporate voice — the people of Israel praying for their king as he goes out to battle

1. Psalms 3–18 are largely first-person singular (David personally recognizing himself as the anointed king)
2. In Psalm 20, "we" language in verses 1–5 and 7–9 reflects Israel corporately recognizing David as their true king

B. The people's salvation is bound up in the success of their king

1. Verse 5: "May we shout for joy over your salvation and in the name of our God set up our banners"
2. The banner imagery recalls Numbers 2 (the twelve tribes in orderly array) and Song of Solomon 6:4, 10 (the bride as an awesome army with banners)
3. The people pray for a majestic, God-glorifying victory through the anointed king

C. Application: Pray earnestly for governing authorities

1. 1 Timothy 2:1-2 — Paul uses unusually emphatic language urging prayer for kings and those in high positions, so that the church may live peaceful and quiet lives
2. William Tyndale, dying at the stake, prayed: "Lord, open the eyes of the king of England" — a prayer for the welfare of the church after him; God answered through Henry VIII bringing the Reformation to England
3. As we enter a new year of battle, prayer is the greatest weapon in the Christian's arsenal — wicked authorities cannot take away our access to the throne of grace through Christ

II. The Prayer of the King Before Battle

A. It was customary in Israel for the king to come to the temple or tabernacle to offer sacrifices and seek God's favor before battle

1. 1 Samuel 14 — Saul offered an unlawful sacrifice and the kingdom was stripped from him
2. Numbers 14 — Israel tried to fight without the Lord's presence and was destroyed
3. Judges 16:20 — Samson "did not know that the Lord had left him" — one of the most haunting passages in Scripture

B. We are to pray not only for our leaders but that our leaders would be praying leaders

1. John Winthrop, first governor of Massachusetts Bay Colony, dedicated himself wholly to the service of God
2. Samuel Adams, upon the declaration of independence, declared sole allegiance to the sovereign who reigns in heaven
3. 1 Timothy 2:4 — God desires all people, including those in high positions, to be saved and come to the knowledge of the truth
4. Governing authorities are often accomplished, confident, and driven — and therefore susceptible to prideful ambition; they need the church's prayers to be humbled before the true Sovereign

C. Christ as the greater King who goes into battle with the Father's favor

1. Jesus begins his public ministry with a battle — 40 days of temptation in the wilderness
2. Before that battle, Christ is baptized by John the Baptist (a Levite of priestly succession) and anointed by the Spirit; the Father declares: "This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased"
3. John 16:32 — "I am not alone, for the Father is with me"
4. John Knox: "A man with God is always in the majority"
5. Our salvation depends entirely on the Lord's favor resting upon our King — and it does

III. The Prayer of the Priest Before Battle

A. In verse 6 there is a shift from "we" to "I" — most likely the high priest pronouncing blessing on the king

1. Numbers 6:24-26 — the Aaronic benediction: the Lord's name placed upon the people
2. The theme of the Lord's name runs throughout Psalm 20 (verses 1, 5, 7)
3. The high priest likely emerges from the temple precincts to declare to the gathered people that God's favor rests upon the king (verse 6)
4. The people respond in verses 7–8: "Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the Lord our God"

B. The blessing flows from the king's righteousness as he offers sacrifice

1. Psalm 18:20 — David praises God for dealing with him according to his righteousness
2. Psalm 19 — David praises God's law and asks to be conformed to it
3. This leads to the priestly declaration in Psalm 20:6 — "Now I know that the Lord saves his anointed"
4. The word "anointed" in Hebrew is Messiah — the crescendo points beyond David

C. David's offering leaves us wanting more — pointing to Christ

1. The burnt offering in verse 3 was a sacrifice pleading for forgiveness — David was simultaneously the anointed king and a sinner needing a substitute
2. John the Baptist declares "Behold the Lamb of God" before anointing Jesus — in Christ we have both the Lion of Judah and the unblemished priestly sacrifice
3. Christ is burnt by the holy wrath of a just God as the once-for-all offering; in his resurrection and ascension he sits at the right hand of the Father, interceding
4. We now say with the high priest of old: "Now I know that the Lord saves his anointed" — Messiah sits, rules, reigns, and intercedes at God's right hand
5. Reading Psalm 20 through the lens of Christ, we are guaranteed victory in whatever the new year brings — we are more than conquerors through Jesus Christ, the priest-king after the order of Melchizedek (Hebrews 7)