"In His Presence"
Overview
In His Presence: The Joy Yet to Come
Psalm 16:11 anchors a simple but profound promise: "You show me the path of life; in your presence there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore." David's song begins with a cry for protection Psalm 16:1 and then turns immediately to praise. That movement is a model for our own prayer life—exalting God for who He is before bringing our petitions, so that every request rises in light of His sovereignty and goodness. From this praise flows David's bold confidence: "my heart is glad and my soul rejoices; my body also rests secure" Psalm 16:9. Death is not the final word.
That confidence is grounded prophetically in the resurrection of Christ. David himself died and "experienced corruption," but as Paul preaches in Acts 13:35-37, the "Holy One" who would not see decay is Jesus. Because the Father raised Him from the tomb, the sacrifice for sin has been accepted, and the path of life is opened for all who trust in Him. Every promise of God finds its guarantee in Christ—including the promise of eternity in the Father's presence.
Scripture fills out that promise with breathtaking color. God Himself will wipe away every tear, and death, mourning, and pain will be no more Revelation 21:4. Jesus has gone to prepare a place so that we will be with Him John 14:3. We will stand among believers from every tribe and language Revelation 5:9, our bodies transformed to be like His glorious body Philippians 3:21, seeing Him face to face rather than in a mirror dimly 1 Corinthians 13:12. And no one can take that joy away John 16:22.
A pastoral caution follows: do not expect fullness of joy on this side of heaven. We feel the weight of our sin, the sin of others, and the brokenness of the world. Real joys come by grace now, but the fullness is reserved for the presence of God. Our citizenship is in heaven Philippians 3:20—we are visitors here, awaiting our Savior. Advent captures this posture perfectly: a season of hope, peace, joy, and love, lived in expectation. So as you walk through days of waiting, hold to the promise sealed by Christ's empty tomb. Baptized child of God, the best is yet to come.
Transcript
Would you open your Bibles, please, with me to Psalm 16 for our study today? 1s
Psalm 16 and we're going to focus in on one particular verse, that is verse 11. 8s
But we're going to explore all of this great, great Psalm. 16s
Psalm 16 for our study today. 20s
May 22, 1969, Apollo 10. 24s
It was about ready to do something historic. 31s
It was about ready to orbit the moon. 35s
This was all in preparation, a preparation for landing of astronauts on the moon. 40s
This was an important step. 49s
It was an important step to achieve so that then the subsequent trip, where they would land the astronauts on the moon, could be successful. 52s
On the day that this historic event was going to occur, the crew received a wake-up call. 64s
It was a musical call. 71s
And the music that they heard was the best is yet to come. 75s
The best is yet to come. 84s
That song, or those words, come from many ellipse over the years. 91s
Sometimes it's used as a word of optimism, a word of encouragement. 97s
Sometimes it's a rallying cry. 102s
Other times it's just a statement of fact as one looks at the facts and can say, 106s
the best is yet to come. 113s
Sometimes it's a combination of all of those things. 114s
The best is yet to come. 120s
I share that with you because as we come to the conclusion of this series of joy, 127s
I want to focus on the joy to come. 136s
We have studied the joy of revelation, the joy of having holy scripture in our hands, 144s
and hearing God's very voice as we read these words. 150s
We have studied the joy of God, what brings him joy. 154s
We've studied the joy in us. 158s
And today, as we conclude the series, the joy to come, 161s
or another way to put it, the best is yet to come. 170s
We study today in this 16th song. 181s
It is a song that God inspired David to write. 186s
Look with me, please, at verse 1 of Psalm 16. 191s
Protect me, oh God, for in you I take refuge. 196s
It's interesting, right after this cry for protection in verse 1, 204s
you have this extended section, verses 2 through 8, 208s
that really exalts God. 213s
It is this praise of God. 216s
That is such a beautiful reminder to us in our own prayer lives, 220s
that as we pray to the Lord, how important it is to begin with praise, 223s
because when we come to petitions, after we have exalted the Lord, 231s
that is just a reminder to us of His greatness, of sovereignty, of His power. 236s
And so here, David, very early on in this song, he is exalted the Lord, 243s
he is praising the Lord, and it's a powerful reminder to Him. 248s
For example, verse 2, 254s
I say to the Lord, you are my Lord, I have no good, apart from you. 257s
That's a praise statement, isn't it? 264s
Or, jumping down into the second part of verse 5, 266s
you hold my lot. 271s
For the last part of verse 6, I have a goodly heritage. 275s
Verse 7, 280s
I bless the Lord who gives me counsel in the night also my heart instructs me into verse 8. 282s
He is at my right hand, I shall not be moved. 293s
So the cry for protection, and then this extended section, 300s
verses 2 through 8, is extended section in which he is exalted the Lord 305s
and praising Him, and that births the statement of confidence. 310s
Verse 9, 317s
Therefore, my heart is glad and my soul rejoices, 318s
my body also rests secure. 326s
He then says in verse 10, 333s
for you do not give me up to shield, or as appropriately, 336s
also translated in the NIV version to the grave. 344s
David understands that death is not the final word for Him. 351s
In fact, he knows of his glorious future. 360s
Look at verse 11, please. 364s
You show me the path of life in your presence. 367s
There is fullness of joy. 374s
In your right hand, our pleasures, forevermore. 381s
Eternity in the presence of God, 388s
and David inspired by the Holy Spirit says in your presence, 392s
there is fullness of joy, fullness of joy. 398s
The best is yet to come. 408s
Scripture paints this incredibly beautiful portrait of heaven. 416s
Just a few verses in our lesson for today from Revelation. 423s
He will wipe every tear from their eyes. 430s
Death will be no more morning and crying, 433s
and pain will be no more. 436s
For the first things have passed away, 437s
there will be no more of sins consequences. 441s
Scripture tells us that we will be with the Lord. 445s
Jesus says in John 14, 450s
and if I go and prepare a place for you, 454s
I will come again and will take you to myself 456s
so that where I am, there you may be also. 461s
Not only the promise of a place that God has prepared, 466s
but also the very fact that we will be with him, 472s
with him, for all of eternity. 477s
This portrait continues to be added to. 482s
We are told that we will be with fellow believers, 485s
Revelation 5, Saints from every tribe and language and people and nation. 489s
Our bodies will be glorified. 497s
There will be, they will be perfect, like the perfect, 499s
resurrected body of our Lord. 503s
Philippians 3 chapter, Paul writes this, 507s
He will transform the body of our humiliation 510s
that it may be conformed to the body of his glory. 515s
By hotels of seven heaven, 523s
we will have full knowledge. 525s
Now we know about God because of the Scriptures, 527s
because the Scriptures tell us who he is and what he has done. 532s
The day will come when we will know him fully in his very presence. 536s
First Corinthians 13th chapter. 542s
For now we see in a mirror dimly, 546s
but then we will see face to face. 549s
The Bible tells us that no one can take away the joy of heaven. 554s
Jesus said in John 16. 561s
So you have pain now, 564s
but I will see you again, 566s
and your hearts will rejoice, 568s
and no one will take your joy from you. 572s
This incredible portrait that scripts your paints 580s
of the beauty of heaven itself, 585s
in our response, 591s
the best is yet to come. 596s
You see, here's the thing. 603s
We are tempted to have faulty thinking about this, 610s
faulty thinking. 615s
Because we can be tempted to think 618s
that we can have fullness of joy, 621s
this side of heaven. 627s
We can be tempted to think that fullness of joy 630s
that only comes in the reality of paradise, 633s
heaven itself. 638s
We can think that we can have that now. 641s
But Paul reminds us in Philippians the third chapter. 645s
He says, 648s
our citizenship is in heaven, 649s
or you can translate that homeland. 651s
Our homeland is in heaven, 654s
and it is from there that we are expecting a Savior, 656s
the Lord Jesus Christ. 660s
See, we're just visitors here. 663s
We're just passing through for however many days 664s
the Lord blesses us with. 668s
This is not home. 670s
We are away from home. 671s
Our home, our citizenship, 674s
is in heaven itself. 676s
And yet we can look at life, 678s
this side of heaven, 681s
and think that we can have the fullness of joy now 682s
that is only reserved for heaven. 689s
As we walk here, 696s
we feel the effects of sin, 699s
the sin of others, 702s
the sin rampant in the world, 706s
the effects of our own sin, 709s
and the pain that we bring upon ourselves and others. 712s
We can be tempted to think 720s
that the fullness of joy 722s
is that which can be immediate for us. 726s
And we can be constantly disappointed. 732s
When we're not experiencing the fullness of joy, 736s
know the fullness of joy is that which awaits us. 740s
The best is yet to come. 748s
But here's the gracious thing. 761s
Even though we don't deserve the best 766s
that's yet to come. 770s
Even though we don't deserve the fullness of joy 773s
that belongs to those who trust in the Lord Jesus Christ 777s
as Savior and Lord. 781s
Even though we don't deserve that 784s
baptize child of God, 787s
God gives it to us. 791s
Look when they please at verse 10, 800s
once again of Psalm 16. 804s
for you do not give me up to sheel, 811s
or you do not give me up to the grave. 814s
In other words, 816s
death is not the last word. 817s
Then look at the very next part 822s
of verse 10. 824s
Or let your faithful one see the pit, 827s
or you can translate that as they do 834s
and the NIV version see decay. 837s
Catch that again. 840s
Or let your faithful one see the pit 842s
or see decay. 847s
Well, who is the faithful one here? 849s
The faithful one is the Lord Jesus. 854s
We see this application so clearly 860s
in Acts 13 chapter. 862s
We see that what we have here 865s
in that reference to the faithful one, 868s
not seeing decay. 872s
That is a word of prophecy. 873s
Paul in the 13 chapter. 876s
Therefore he has also said in another Psalm, 879s
you will not let your holy one experience corruption. 884s
He goes on to say, 889s
recorded in that 13th chapter, 890s
for David after he had served the purpose of God 893s
in his own generation died, 896s
was laid beside his ancestors, 900s
and experienced corruption. 903s
But he whom God raised up experienced no corruption. 908s
Well, who is the one that was raised up 917s
but the Lord Jesus Christ? 919s
God in his grace sending his son, 924s
the Lord Jesus bearing our sin 928s
on the cross, paying our sin that being raised out 930s
of the tomb, the validation that the sacrifice for sin 936s
had been accepted. 940s
The guarantee then of what lies ahead 944s
for you baptized child is because of the cross 948s
and the resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ. 953s
That's the guarantee. 959s
Scripture says, 962s
all of God's promises have their guarantee 963s
in the Lord Jesus Christ. 965s
And the guarantee of eternity 969s
in the presence of God for you baptized child 973s
is rooted in the resurrection of the Lord Jesus. 979s
The prophetic word shared in Psalm 16 985s
and that prophetic word lived out in the faithful one, 990s
the Lord Jesus who's raised out of the tomb. 997s
The guarantee that the best is yet to come. 1004s
Today is the first Sunday in Advent. 1017s
It's very, very rich preparatory time 1022s
this season preparing for Christmas. 1025s
And the church adorns for self in blue. 1030s
Blue is the color of hope, 1034s
which is the color of anticipation. 1038s
The Reath is hung in the candles of flame. 1041s
Perhaps you have an advent Reath with candles 1048s
in your home and you light those candles 1050s
as we move through this time of advent. 1053s
Those advent candles have rich meaning. 1059s
The first candle is the candle of hope. 1063s
Remember hope in the Scripture is confidence. 1068s
We have hope because of the sure promises of God. 1070s
We have hope. 1075s
We have confidence because God is faithful to His promises. 1076s
The second candle is the candle of peace. 1084s
Scripture tells us that we have peace with God 1090s
because of what the Prince of peace. 1093s
The Lord Jesus Christ has done dying and rising 1096s
to redeem us, to buy us back, to reconcile us unto God. 1100s
The fourth candle, and I'll skip one, 1108s
the fourth candle is the candle of love. 1111s
That incredible love that God has for the world. 1117s
John 3, 16, for God so loved the world, 1122s
that He gave His only son, that all who believe in Him 1126s
shall not perish, but shall have eternal life. 1129s
And then that third candle to loop back, 1135s
that third candle. 1140s
That is the candle of joy. 1143s
The joy that we have in Christ. 1150s
The season of Advent has a way of putting things into perspective for us. 1161s
The season of Advent is that waiting season. 1169s
As we anticipate the joy of Christmas to come, 1174s
it's that time of waiting, 1180s
waiting in anticipation for the joy. 1183s
We live lives that are really Advent. 1191s
We live lives of waiting. 1196s
We experience by God's grace, 1200s
wonderful joy this side of heaven, 1203s
wonderful blessings. 1206s
But we don't experience the fullness of joy. 1210s
Know that is reserved for heaven itself. 1215s
And so the season of Advent reminds us 1223s
that our days this side of heaven, 1227s
as we ponder about fullness of joy, 1233s
they are days of anticipation, 1236s
days of expectation. 1240s
Verse 11, 1247s
You show me the path of life in your presence. 1249s
There is fullness of joy. 1257s
Fulness of joy. 1264s
Beptise child. 1270s
The best is yet to come. 1275s