GOD IS ON YOUR SIDE
Pastor Jahmel K. Robinson
Scripture: Psalm 27:1–6
CENTRAL MESSAGE
GOD IS ON YOUR SIDE.
Dark seasons will come.
People may get on your nerves.
Circumstances may become difficult.
You may feel surrounded.
You may become tired.
You may even feel like giving up.
But darkness does not mean God has left you.
David declares:
“The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear?”
The situation may be dark.
But God is still light.
The enemy may be present.
But God is still your salvation.
You may feel weak.
But God is still the strength of your life.
When God is on your side:
You can keep shining in dark places.
You can have confidence in His protection.
You can depend on His strength.
You can seek His presence.
You can keep shining because you are connected to a different Source.
GOD IS ON YOUR SIDE.
KEY SCRIPTURE
Psalm 27:1
“The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The Lord is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?”
STUDY NOTE
Notice David's language.
He says:
MY light.
MY salvation.
The strength of MY life.
David's confidence is personal.
He does not only know what God has been to somebody else.
He knows who God has been to him.
That is why dark seasons require more than borrowed faith.
At some point, you have to know God for yourself.
KEEP SHINING IN DARK PLACES
Pastor Robinson opens with the story of a woman who came to her pastor ready to quit.
Her job was frustrating her.
Her coworkers were frustrating her.
Her boss was getting on her nerves.
Things were difficult at home.
Her husband was getting on her nerves.
Her children were getting on her nerves.
She was tired.
She was ready to give up.
Then the pastor asked:
“WHERE DO YOU KEEP YOUR LIGHTS?”
At first, she did not understand the question.
Finally she answered:
“In dark places.”
And there was her answer.
Lights are needed in dark places.
DON’T LET THE DARKNESS PUT OUT YOUR LIGHT
Sometimes we think:
“If this place is dark, I need to stop shining.”
But the darkness is exactly where light becomes visible.
Pastor Robinson says:
“WHEN GOD IS ON OUR SIDE, WE CAN SHINE IN DARK PLACES.”
Your environment does not have to control your light.
People talking about you do not have to control your light.
People not liking you do not have to control your light.
Frustration does not have to control your light.
Opposition does not have to control your light.
The instruction is simple:
Keep shining.
They get on your nerves?
Keep shining.
They talk about you?
Keep shining.
They don't like you?
Keep shining.
It gets dark?
Keep shining.
You feel like giving up?
Keep shining.
You want to throw in the towel?
KEEP SHINING.
DON’T LET ANYBODY DIM YOUR LIGHT
Pastor Robinson warns:
Don't let anybody dim your light.
Don't let anybody darken your light.
Don't let anybody cast shade over your light.
Other people should not have enough control over you to change who God has called you to be.
If somebody else's behavior can completely change your character, you have given them too much power.
STUDY TRUTH
I cannot control everybody around me, but I can decide whether I will continue to represent Christ.
DAVID WAS IN A DARK PLACE TOO
Psalm 27 was not written from a place where everything was easy.
David was in danger.
David had enemies.
He was on the run from Saul.
Saul wanted David dead.
Yet David also had:
Purpose.
Promise.
God had already determined that David would become king.
David's circumstances looked dangerous.
But what God had spoken over his life had not changed.
KEY TRUTH
Dark circumstances do not cancel God's purpose.
PURPOSE DOES NOT MEAN YOU WILL NEVER HAVE PROBLEMS
David had purpose over his life.
And still had enemies.
David had promise over his life.
And still had opposition.
David had been chosen.
And still experienced dark seasons.
Do not assume that because you are facing difficulty, you must be outside God's will.
Sometimes you can have:
Purpose and pressure.
Promise and problems.
Calling and conflict.
The existence of opposition does not automatically mean the absence of God.
DEVELOP A PERSONAL CONNECTION WITH GOD
Pastor Robinson emphasizes:
“YOU HAVE TO DEVELOP YOUR OWN PERSONAL CONNECTION WITH GOD.”
Grandma may have had faith.
Granddaddy may have had faith.
Mama may have had faith.
Your friends may have faith.
But there are seasons when you need your own relationship with God.
Somebody else's testimony can encourage you.
But somebody else's relationship cannot replace yours.
There will be moments when you need to know for yourself:
The Lord is MY light.
The Lord is MY salvation.
The Lord is the strength of MY life.
YOU FIND OUT WHO GOD IS WHEN LIFE GETS LOW
Sometimes rock-bottom seasons teach us something about God.
Pastor Robinson says there were times when he found out who God really was at the lowest places.
You discover:
God is a healer.
God is a sustainer.
God is a strong tower.
God is the lifter of your head.
God is your safe place.
God is your provider.
God is your deliverer.
There are things you can know about God because you read them.
Then there are things you know because:
YOU NEEDED HIM TO BE THAT FOR YOU.
SOMETIMES AFFLICTION TEACHES YOU
Pastor Robinson references the truth:
“It was good for me that I was afflicted.”
Not because pain itself is good.
But because there are things we sometimes learn in affliction that we ignored in comfort.
When you had no money:
You learned He could make a way.
When provision was low:
You learned He was a provider.
When your body became sick:
You learned to call on Him as healer and deliverer.
When you were cornered:
You discovered that God could bring you out.
STUDY TRUTH
Some of my deepest lessons about God were learned in my lowest places.
REMEMBER WHAT GOD ALREADY DID
When life becomes dark, Pastor Robinson says sometimes you have to:
LOOK BACK.
Remember your history with God.
Remember what He already brought you through.
Remember where He healed you.
Remember how He provided.
Remember what He delivered you from.
Remember the last time you thought you would not make it.
The testimony becomes:
If God did it before, He can do it again.
FAITH REMEMBERS
If He delivered me then...
He is still able.
If He healed me then...
He is still able.
If He made a way then...
He is still able.
Your past testimony can strengthen your present faith.
GOD IS A SAVING LIGHT
Pastor Robinson explains David's words:
“The Lord is my light and my salvation.”
God is not simply light.
He is:
A SAVING LIGHT.
What does light do?
Light exposes what darkness tries to hide.
And sometimes God's light starts revealing things around you.
GOD’S LIGHT EXPOSES EXTERNAL ENEMIES
YOU DON’T HAVE TO FIGHT EVERYBODY
You do not have to:
Cuss everybody out.
Get on social media.
Clap back.
Try to get revenge.
Fight every battle yourself.
Let God reveal what needs to be revealed.
Let God's light uncover what darkness tried to hide.
STUDY TRUTH
Exposure does not always require my intervention.
Some things God can reveal without my retaliation.
BUT BEFORE YOU GET TOO EXCITED...
It is easy to shout when we hear:
“God will expose your enemies.”
But Pastor Robinson turns the message.
Before you get too excited about God exposing everybody around you:
GOD’S LIGHT WILL ALSO EXPOSE THE ENEMY WITHIN YOU.
Sometimes the problem is not only around us.
Sometimes the problem is in us.
SOMETIMES WE ARE OUR OWN BIGGEST ENEMY
Pastor Robinson says:
Sometimes we defeat ourselves.
God has purpose for us.
God has plans for us.
But sometimes we stand in our own way.
We sabotage opportunities.
We allow attitudes to interfere.
We allow fear to stop us.
We allow brokenness to control us.
We allow unhealthy patterns to keep repeating.
Sometimes God has to expose something in us before He can take us where He wants us to go.
GOD MAY HAVE TO EXPOSE YOUR ATTITUDE
God's light may reveal:
Your attitude.
A mean spirit.
Unhealed brokenness.
Bitterness.
Pride.
Fear.
Jealousy.
Insecurity.
Wrong motives.
It is easier to pray:
“God, expose them.”
But spiritual maturity also prays:
“GOD, EXPOSE ME.”
“GIVE ME A CLEAN HEART”
The prayer changes.
Instead of only asking God to remove people, begin asking God to remove what is wrong within you.
God, if there's anything in me that's not like You, take it out.
If something in me is keeping me from purpose, remove it.
If something in me is standing in the way, deal with it.
“SEARCH ME, O LORD.”
This requires humility.
Because sometimes God answers our prayers for growth by showing us something we need to change.
PERSONAL HEART CHECK
What am I asking God to expose in other people?
What might God be trying to expose in me?
Is there an attitude I need to surrender?
Is unresolved hurt affecting my behavior?
What needs to change before I can move forward?
THE LORD IS THE STRENGTH OF MY LIFE
David does not only say God is his light.
He says:
“THE LORD IS THE STRENGTH OF MY LIFE.”
Pastor Robinson explains this using the image of a fortress.
God is our source of strength.
We hope in God.
We expect God to deal with things we do not have enough strength to deal with ourselves.
YOU DON’T HAVE TO HAVE ENOUGH STRENGTH FOR EVERYTHING
Some things are too heavy for you by yourself.
Some people are too difficult to deal with in your own strength.
Some battles require more than what you have.
Some seasons drain you.
Some circumstances make you admit:
“GOD, I CAN’T DO THIS BY MYSELF.”
And that admission is not weakness.
It is dependence.
STOP FIGHTING IN YOUR OWN STRENGTH
Pastor Robinson says some of us keep trying to fight battles ourselves.
We keep using our strength.
Our energy.
Our wisdom.
Our emotions.
Our words.
But God says:
You are not strong enough to handle everything on your own.
There are battles that require:
HIS STRENGTH.
“IT’S ONLY BECAUSE OF HIS STRENGTH”
People may wonder:
How are you still making it?
The answer:
HIS STRENGTH.
How are you still going to work?
His strength.
How are you still moving forward?
His strength.
How are you still coming to church?
His strength.
How have you not lost your mind?
His strength.
How have you not given up?
His strength.
How are you making it from day to day?
“IT’S ONLY BECAUSE OF HIS STRENGTH.”
YOU COULD HAVE GIVEN UP
You know what you have been through.
You know how heavy it became.
You know how tired you got.
You know how many times you thought:
“I can't keep doing this.”
Yet somehow you are still here.
That is not always because you were strong.
Sometimes the testimony is:
“THE LORD GAVE ME STRENGTH.”
CONFIDENCE IN THE LORD’S PROTECTION
David says:
“Though a host should encamp against me, my heart shall not fear.”
David acknowledges the opposition.
But he refuses to let opposition control his confidence.
Faith does not pretend enemies do not exist.
Faith says:
My enemies exist, but God is greater.
The battle may exist.
But God remains my fortress.
CONFIDENCE IN THE LORD’S PRESENCE
Pastor Robinson then moves to another important truth:
SEEK HIS PRESENCE.
David says:
“One thing have I desired of the Lord...that I may dwell in the house of the Lord.”
When dark seasons come, you need God's presence.
When problems arise, seek His presence.
When circumstances become difficult, seek His presence.
When you do not know what to do:
SEEK HIS PRESENCE.
WHO DO YOU CALL FIRST?
Pastor Robinson points out something many of us do.
The moment trouble comes:
We grab the phone.
We call somebody.
We tell somebody what happened.
We call somebody else.
We explain everything.
There is nothing wrong with having people who support you.
But do not let calling everybody else replace calling on God.
PERSONAL QUESTION
When trouble comes, who do I seek first?
DON’T WAIT UNTIL YOU GET YOUR LIFE TOGETHER
Pastor Robinson challenges the statement:
“I'll come back to church when I get my life right.”
His response is essentially:
COME TO GOD BECAUSE YOU NEED HELP GETTING YOUR LIFE RIGHT.
Do not wait until the darkness disappears to seek the light.
Do not wait until the problem is solved to seek God's presence.
Do not let the thing you are going through disconnect you from the very place where you receive strength.
DARK TIMES ARE NOT THE TIME TO DISCONNECT
Sometimes trouble makes us withdraw.
We stop praying.
We stop worshiping.
We stop gathering.
We isolate.
We tell ourselves:
“I just don't feel like it.”
But dark seasons are when you need connection even more.
Pastor Robinson emphasizes that in the Lord's presence there is what you need to continue.
THERE IS SOMETHING YOU NEED IN HIS PRESENCE
You may need:
Joy.
Peace.
Salvation.
Deliverance.
Strength.
Encouragement.
Sometimes you enter worship carrying something heavy.
But you leave with enough strength to make it:
Through today.
Through the week.
Through the month.
Through the year.
STUDY TRUTH
Don't allow what you're going through to keep you away from the presence you need to get through it.
THE BLACKOUT
Pastor Robinson closes with the story of the major Northeast blackout.
Lights went out across the region.
Communities were dark.
Power had failed.
But there was something unusual.
The light at the Statue of Liberty was still shining.
In the middle of widespread darkness:
LADY LIBERTY STILL HAD LIGHT.
People wanted to know why.
CONNECTED TO A DIFFERENT SOURCE
The answer was simple.
The Statue of Liberty was not receiving its power from the same source as the places that had gone dark.
Pastor Robinson uses that picture to teach:
YOU CAN SHINE IN A DARK PLACE BECAUSE YOU ARE CONNECTED TO A DIFFERENT SOURCE.
The environment may lose power.
You don't have to.
People around you may lose hope.
You don't have to.
Circumstances may become dark.
You can still shine.
Why?
Because your power does not come only from what is around you.
WHO IS THE SOURCE?
Pastor Robinson answers:
JESUS.
Jesus is the Source.
Jesus is the lifter of your head.
Jesus is the way maker.
Jesus is the One who gives strength.
Jesus is the One who allows you to shine when everything around you becomes dark.
This is why connection matters.
If your light depends entirely on your circumstances, when your circumstances go dark, you will go dark too.
But when your power comes from Jesus:
YOU ARE CONNECTED TO A DIFFERENT SOURCE.
STAY CONNECTED
The issue is not whether darkness will ever come.
Darkness will come.
The issue is:
WHAT ARE YOU CONNECTED TO WHEN IT DOES?
If your joy comes only from people:
What happens when people disappoint you?
If your peace comes only from circumstances:
What happens when circumstances change?
If your confidence comes only from success:
What happens when you fail?
If your strength comes only from yourself:
What happens when you become tired?
Stay connected to Jesus.
FOLLOW THE SERMON
WHEN YOU FIND YOURSELF IN A DARK PLACE
Keep shining.
↓
WHEN YOUR FAITH FEELS WEAK
Develop a personal connection with God.
↓
WHEN YOU FORGET WHO GOD IS
Remember what He has already done.
↓
WHEN SOMETHING AROUND YOU NEEDS TO BE REVEALED
Let God's light expose it.
↓
WHEN GOD STARTS REVEALING SOMETHING IN YOU
Ask Him for a clean heart.
↓
WHEN YOU DON’T HAVE ENOUGH STRENGTH
Depend on His strength.
↓
WHEN LIFE BECOMES DARK
Seek His presence.
↓
WHEN EVERYTHING AROUND YOU SEEMS TO LOSE POWER
Stay connected to a different Source.
↓
GOD IS ON YOUR SIDE.
WHAT DARK PLACE AM I IN?
Where does life feel dark right now?
Have I allowed that darkness to affect how I treat people?
What would “keep shining” look like in this situation?
MAKE IT PERSONAL
Complete these statements:
The Lord has been my light when:
The Lord has been my salvation when:
The Lord has been my strength when:
I personally know God as:
REMEMBER YOUR HISTORY WITH GOD
A time God made a way:
A time God provided:
A time God healed or sustained me:
A time God brought me through:
MY REMINDER
If God was faithful then, I can trust Him now.
LET THE LIGHT EXPOSE IT
What am I asking God to reveal around me?
What might He be revealing within me?
What attitude needs to change?
What hurt needs healing?
What do I need God to remove from my heart?
I NEED YOUR STRENGTH
What am I trying to handle in my own strength?
Where am I exhausted?
What battle do I need to turn over to God?
Complete this prayer:
Lord, I cannot ______________________________ in my own strength. I need Your strength to ____________________________________.
SEEK HIS PRESENCE
Who or what do I usually reach for first when trouble comes?
Have difficult circumstances pulled me away from God?
How can I intentionally seek God's presence?
CHECK YOUR CONNECTION
What has been draining me?
What have I been depending on for peace?
What have I been depending on for strength?
What helps me stay connected to Jesus?
KEY SERMON TRUTHS
God is on your side.
You can shine in dark places.
Keep shining.
Don't let anybody dim your light.
Dark circumstances do not cancel God's purpose.
You need a personal connection with God.
The Lord is MY light, MY salvation, and the strength of MY life.
Sometimes you find out who God is at rock bottom.
Remember what God has already done.
God is a saving light.
Light exposes what darkness tries to hide.
Let God's light expose your external enemies.
Let God's light expose the internal enemy too.
Sometimes we are our own biggest enemy.
Ask God for a clean heart.
You don't have to fight every battle in your own strength.
It's only because of His strength.
Seek God's presence in dark times.
Don't let trouble disconnect you from the presence you need.
You can keep shining because you are connected to a different Source.
Jesus is the Source.
GOD IS ON YOUR SIDE.
KEY SERMON LANGUAGE
“God is on your side.”
“You can shine in dark places.”
“Keep shining.”
“Don't let nobody dim your light.”
“You have to develop your own personal connection with God.”
“The Lord is my light and my salvation.”
“The Lord is the strength of my life.”
“Let God's light expose them.”
“God's light will also expose the enemy within.”
“Give me a clean heart.”
“Search me, O Lord.”
“It's only because of His strength.”
“Seek His presence.”
“You can shine because you're connected to a different Source.”
“That Source is Jesus.”
SERMON STUDY TAKEAWAY
Darkness will come.
But I do not have to become dark because of what is happening around me.
I WILL KEEP SHINING.
I will develop my own personal connection with God.
I will remember who God has been to me.
I will remember what He has already brought me through.
I will allow His light to reveal what needs to be exposed around me.
But I will also allow His light to expose what needs to change within me.
I will stop trying to fight every battle in my own strength.
My testimony will be:
“IT’S ONLY BECAUSE OF HIS STRENGTH.”
When life becomes dark, I will not disconnect from God.
I will seek His presence.
I will stay close to the One who gives me what I need.
And when everything around me seems dark, I will remember:
My power does not come from the darkness around me.
My power comes from:
A DIFFERENT SOURCE.
That Source is Jesus.
So I will keep shining.
I will keep trusting.
I will keep seeking.
I will stay connected.
Because:
GOD IS ON MY SIDE.