Psalm 16:1-11 Easter Conference Opening Message

My Heart Is Glad
Psalm 16:1-11 Opening message Andrew Norte
Key Verse :9,10 Easter Conference 2010


“Therefore my heart is glad and my tongue rejoices; my body also will rest secure, 10 because you will not abandon me to the grave, nor will you let your Holy One see decay.”

Part I: Welcome!!

Hello and welcome to the 2010 COD-Triton-NIU Easter Conference! I’d like to thank you for coming to attend our conference, to hear and experience the living Word of God as we discover what is means to be Made Alive in Christ. May this Easter prove to be a truly life giving and life changing event!

A little about myself: My name is Andrew Norte and I am a Sophomore Music Education major at Northern Illinois University. I was raised in a Christian environment ever since the age of 2. My grandparents and parents faithfully studied the Bible and served and blessed me constantly (I was the firstborn grandchild, hence THE most spoiled kid in the family). Despite the endless love that was showered on me by my family, Christian friends, and peers, I did indeed go through a period of “death” in my life. I was scared, worried, and slightly depressed because for a time, I had no college major, and this was big for me because I felt directionless. I was simply drifting through life, taking some classes and working. But when I decided to trust in God fully; trust in His love for me and Sovereignty, he opened the door for me study at NIU. God has blessed me greatly and I’ve been progressing through my program quite successfully. I thank God for His continuous blessings; that I now have clear life direction; that I have a spiritual support group at NIU in the Jesmers, and for a loving family in my parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, siblings, cousins, etc. May I use the talents and opportunities God has given me to be a blessing to others and I pray that through this message I can be a servant to you as well. Please look at verses 1 through 8.

Part II: “…In You I Take Refuge.” (1-8)

Many of us go through certain hardships or problems in life. David had a problem that was relentless; one that would not go away, and it was life-threatening. Saul was constantly on the hunt for David, looking to kill him. We worry about many things: Will this bill get paid? Will I pass that one class that I need to graduate? Will I get a job with my major? Will I ever be able to pay off my student loans? Will I ever be set free from my fears and anxieties? Sometimes things like these can keep us awake at night and we worry about them. David was being harassed by a man who wanted to kill him. He had every right to become a basket case, but David did not. He stated, “Keep me safe, O God for in you I take refuge.” He prayed to God and entrusted his life to God, who alone could save him. He said in verse 2, “Apart from you I have no good thing.” David meditated on the grace of God. Though he had no place to lay his head he confessed that God has made his lot and his inheritance secure. (5-6) He was blessed because of God. God gave him inner peace and calm. Bad things seemed to have been happening in David’s life, but it was ok because David rested in God’s grace and sovereignty.

So many are going through things in life that make my struggles seem miniscule. My heart and my prayers go out to them. To me, school itself can seems like a hardship. It’s stressful and sometimes the work is never ending. I especially have a lot of pressure due these last few weeks of school, but I’m thankful that God helped me to take refuge in him. He helped me to spend time in the word of God, writing this message. He has given a certain peace and a calm and a deep sense of grace. How could he experience this? David said in verse 8, “I have set the Lord always before me.” Ah..this is the key. We can experience the same peace and calm as David, when we take refuge in God and set the Lord always before us. Through this conference know that the Lord Jesus is always before you leading you to himself through very message and every Bible study every prayer. When you do, you will be able to declare about God, “You are my Lord: apart from you I have no good thing.” and, “Because you are at my right hand, I will not be shaken.”

Part III: The Path of Life

Another source of David’s peace and security is that he had Gospel faith. Let us read verses 9-10. “Therefore my heart is glad and my tongue rejoices; my body also will rest secure, 10 because you will not abandon me to the grave, [nor will you let your Holy One [see decay.” People suffer a lot knowing that no matter what they do death seems to be the end of everything. They loose the joy and meaning of life. They don’t know why they have struggle so much in this world. Their hearts become filled with sorrow and despair. David had very right to give into these feelings. But he did not. David knew that Death was not the end. He trusted that God would not abandon him to the grave, but would resurrect him to eternal life. He had a living hope in the kingdom of God.
In my classes, we talk about things like career development and upward mobility. We never talk about being raised from the grave to eternal life. To me, it seems like ambition drives people to work their fingers to the bone just to achieve some “upward mobility” and advance in their careers. I’m all for excelling, but all of these things seem meaningless to me if at the end of it all I will be abandoned to the grace. I thank God we have more to look forward to than possibly having a really nice cushy job and an excellent retirement plan. God will not abandon us to the grave! We have eternal life in him. This gives us great joy, just like it did for David. This living hope elevates us from the predicaments of our earthly lives. As a music education major, I struggle with the predicament of not having a job when I graduate. Thousands of teachers are getting laid off. All my peers are worried and are contemplating switching to something else, but I remain because I know that no matter how hard it gets, death is not the end. God will not abandon me to the grave. I have been given the final victory. For those who have set the Lord, always before them…they will get their sure reward in Heaven! Thank God that death is not the end!

David had faith in Jesus. He said in verse 10, “because you will not abandon me to the grave, [c] nor will you let your Holy One [d] see decay. “ Who is the Holy One? Jesus Christ, the Messiah is the Holy One! Jesus suffered and died on the cross. His holy and pure blood is all sufficient to bring us the forgiveness of our sins, when we repent and put our faith in him. After his crucifixion Jesus was buried in a tomb and there he lay. If Jesus was just and ordinary man, just a religious leader or wise man, he surely would have just laid there and decayed becoming a pile of dust and bones. But the truth is, Jesus was not left in the tomb. His Father above, raised his Holy, One, his One and Only Son, from the grave. Jesus did not see decay. He was resurrected from the dead! He became the glorious and majestic King of Kings and Lord of Lords. His resurrection is God’s seal of approval that Jesus is indeed he messiah, the Christ of God. Therefore Jesus is the one we must listen to. He is the one we must follow and place all of our hope and trust in. I pray that through this conference you will see, with the eyes of your heart, the Holy One of God, the glorious Risen Jesus!

What happens when the eyes of our heart is open to see the Holy One of God with resurrection faith? Two things. First, our hearts will be made glad and our tongues will rejoice. This is a good thing! Enough said about that! Second, Let us read verse 11: “You have made [e] known to me the path of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand.” Because of his faith, David knew the path of life. He knew that he came from God, and that he was going back to God. It’s great to say and believe that “I have direction in my life…I know where I came from and I know where I am going.” May this blessing be yours through this conference.

During this conference we will hear several different messages. We will listen to testimonies, sing songs of praise, engage in beautiful Bible Studies, watch monodramas, and experience fellowship. I want to invite you to have resurrection faith and discover the pathway of life that David knew. Let us spend this weekend coming to Jesus our Christ and Savior personally, and be resurrected from any deadness of heart! May you hearts be glad, may your tongues rejoice, may you be filled with joy in the presence of the Risen Lord, and may you find great spiritual pleasure as you take eternal refuge in Jesus!

A-men…..Let’s read our key verses together, verses 9-10, “9 Therefore my heart is glad and my tongue rejoices; my body also will rest secure, 10 because you will not abandon me to the grave, nor will you let your Holy One see decay.”