“Maybe instead of chasing after happiness, what we should be doing is embracing joy and finding ways to put ourselves in the path of it more often. Deep within us, we all have this impulse to seek out joy in our surroundings. And we have it for a reason. Joy isn’t some superfluous extra. It’s directly connected to our fundamental instinct for survival. On the most basic level, the drive toward joy is the drive toward life.” (Ingrid Fetell Lee)

Psalm 16:1–11

Preserve me, O God, for in you I take refuge. I say to the LORD, “You are my Lord; I have no good apart from you.” As for the saints in the land, they are the excellent ones, in whom is all my delight. The sorrows of those who run after another god shall multiply; their drink offerings of blood I will not pour out or take their names on my lips. The LORD is my chosen portion and my cup; you hold my lot. The lines have fallen for me in pleasant places; indeed, I have a beautiful inheritance. I bless the LORD who gives me counsel; in the night also my heart instructs me. I have set the LORD always before me; because he is at my right hand, I shall not be shaken. Therefore my heart is glad, and my whole being rejoices; my flesh also dwells secure. For you will not abandon my soul to Sheol, or let your holy one see corruption. You make known to me the path of life; in your presence there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore.

1. Joy is only in God

Psalm 16:1

Preserve me, O God, for in you I take refuge.

Psalm 16:2

I say to the LORD, “You are my Lord; I have no good apart from you.”

Psalm 16:4

The sorrows of those who run after another god shall multiply; their drink offerings of blood I will not pour out or take their names on my lips.

2. Joy is truly in God

Psalm 16:3

As for the saints in the land, they are the excellent ones, in whom is all my delight.

Proverbs 13:20

Whoever walks with the wise becomes wise, but the companion of fools will suffer harm.

Psalm 16:5-6

The LORD is my chosen portion and my cup; you hold my lot. The lines have fallen for me in pleasant places; indeed, I have a beautiful inheritance.

Psalm 16:6

The lines have fallen for me in pleasant places; indeed, I have a beautiful inheritance.

Psalm 16:7-8

I bless the LORD who gives me counsel; in the night also my heart instructs me. I have set the LORD always before me; because he is at my right hand, I shall not be shaken.

Psalm 119:24

Your testimonies are my delight; they are my counselors.

3. Joy is securely in God

Psalm 16:8

I have set the LORD always before me; because he is at my right hand, I shall not be shaken.

Psalm 16:9

Therefore my heart is glad, and my whole being rejoices; my flesh also dwells secure.

Psalm 16:10

For you will not abandon my soul to Sheol, or let your holy one see corruption.

Acts 2:29-32

“Brothers, I may say to you with confidence about the patriarch David that he both died and was buried, and his tomb is with us to this day. Being therefore a prophet, and knowing that God had sworn with an oath to him that he would set one of his descendants on his throne, he foresaw and spoke about the resurrection of the Christ, that he was not abandoned to Hades, nor did his flesh see corruption. This Jesus God raised up, and of that we all are witnesses.”

Psalm 16:11

You make known to me the path of life; in your presence there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore.

For this week’s application guide click this URL: https://storage2.snappages.site/QG8D8X/assets/files/Sermon-Application-Guide_Psalm-16_June-9-65.docx

Resources Cited

Books/Blogs

Gospel Treason: Betraying the Gospel with Hidden Idols by Brad Bigney. P&R Publishing. Kindle Edition.

Jesus Came to Bring Joy by Daniel Denk. https://www.thebanner.org/features/2023/04/jesus-came-to-bring-joy

Where Joy Hides and Where to Find It by Ingrid Fetell Lee. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A_u2WFTfbcg

Commentaries
Cornerstone Biblical Commentary, Vol 7: The Book of Psalms, The Book of Proverbs by Mark D. Futato, and George M. Schwab. Carol Stream, IL: Tyndale House Publishers, 2009.

Psalms: A Mentor Commentary by Allan Harman. Vol. 1–2. Mentor Commentaries. Ross-shire, Great Britain: Mentor, 2011.

Sermons

Prayer for Security by Tim Keller. A sermon on Psalm 16. https://gospelinlife.com/sermons/?ep_filter_book-of-the-bible=psalm-16

The Path to Full and Lasting Pleasure by John Piper. A sermon on Psalm 16. https://www.desiringgod.org/messages/the-path-to-full-and-lasting-pleasure#full-audio