Psalms

Delight in God's Word

Psalm 119:89-96

True Thanksgiving

The Thanksgiving holiday is coming up soon in the US; but as Christians, thanksgiving should be something that characterizes our lives every day. What the Lord has done in this world should cause us to break out into singing. Great, glorious, amazing, wonderful, marvelous, exquisite, and more are all adjectives that describe the works of God. God's Providence is in control. He provides and cares for us, even in this bent and broken world. The Gospel is a comfort to us because it shows us the faithfulness of God's character: He sent His Son to be our Redeemer, just as He promised He would. There's enough in this Psalm for an eternity of thanksgiving! The Lord's covenant love will never let us go. How often do you thank Him for His works?

What is Man?

There is a majestic God, and we are not Him. We are created in His image, but we have now fallen from our original estate. But He did make us to be the highest point of His Creation -- made in His image to have a relational capacity. We are special, and we are to have dominion over the earth God made. Even the "lowest" human beings have value because the Lord says so. Although unbelievers do not want to believe this, they know in their heart that it is true. Their cultural attempts to defy God's order are rebellion against Him. If the Christian view of dominion is absent, then there will be all manner of confusion and perversion. The world is bent and broken, but Jesus has been crowned with glory and honor, and He conquered death and paid for our sins that messed up this world.

There is Forgiveness with You

Psalm Sermons

God's Word - Our Joy

God desires to give us good gifts and blessings. How do we obtain these blessings? Through a relationship with Him. If we seek true happiness in anything outside of Him, we will be sadly disappointed. That's why we should go to God's Word and soak in the life-giving water for our souls so that we will grow in our relationship with Him and bring forth good fruit. Let's start this New Year by watering ourselves with the Word of God!

Move Toward Christ

Christ, our Good Shepherd, understands and knows our sorrows and afflictions by His own experience. Psalm 28 shows us that He is our Rock that does not wither or fade, and we are reminded that He went down to the pit so that we would never have to. When He speaks, we may rest assured that He has spoken the truth. He surrendered Himself and died as our sacrifice, washing and cleansing us; and now He announces a blessing on us as we take up our cross and follow Him. Let's take a step closer and come nearer to our Good Shepherd today!

Be Still and Know God

Blessed is the Man

If we want to experience true blessedness in life, we need to be "people of the Book!" In Psalm 1, we are shown that God actually wants to bless us – not with a health and wealth kind of blessing, but with a deep spiritual blessing. He has given us His precious Word to be our standard of truth and morality, so that we do not need to rely for counsel on scoffers and situational ethics. It is useful for combatting Satan, just as Jesus did; and it is profitable for our souls to meditate on it morning and evening. On every page of Scripture, we meet with Jesus; He calls us to be faithful, and He is the One Who brings forth fruit in our lives. What are some practical helps for reading the Bible? Pick a reading plan that will help you work through the Bible, but avoid legalism. Be honest about the time commitment that you will be able to make, or you will set yourself up for failure. Read the Bible together as a family, as well as personally! And it's okay to use technological helps to assist you, too. No matter what, though, choose a plan, a time, and a place – and stick to it until it's a habit. If you find that you struggle with consistency, read the Bible together with someone to help keep you accountable. And even if you failed last year, don't worry about it! The Lord wipes away our failures and invites us to seek His blessing anew this year. Open the Word and find Jesus there, and He will bring fruit to your life!

God's Word

Is God's Word a delight to you? Do we just "hear" the words of God's Word, or do we actually listen and pay attention? There are two parts in this Psalm. The first speaks of general revelation that we see in nature – as in the starry universe, the treasures of the snow, or the beauty of sunrises and sunsets. Indeed, everything in life is meant to cultivate a spirit of thankfulness. But ultimately, the Creation ought to point us to our Creator. The second part of this Psalm speaks of special revelation – that is, God's Word. We are given several attributes of the Scriptures, such as its purity and its truthfulness; but we are also told some of the positive effects that God's Word has on our lives. The Word of God is to be desired more than honey and valued more than gold. Believers in foreign lands treasure the Scriptures and inscribe them on their hearts; but sadly, our Bibles too often sit on a shelf and collect dust. We need to understand that God's Word actually pays dividends in our lives, instead of regarding it as we would a handful of spare change. When we read and study God's Word, it is like putting cash in a wallet for us to withdraw when we need it. How did you come to know the Savior? If God had not inspired His prophets to write His Words, we would not have a Bible that proclaims the good news of the Gospel of Jesus! A Challenge to Fathers: Teach the Scriptures to your children! A Challenge for Everyone: If you don't like the way the culture is headed, and you want to see reformation, bring the truth of God's Word to the culture. A Challenge to Children: You may hear the Bible at home, but take some time to get to know the Scriptures on your own!

Hope in Your God!

We live in a fallen world, and even Christians are not exempt from trials. But are we surprised and caught off-guard by the depth of the sorrow and despair to which we may sometimes fall? As believers, we may still sink to the point of feeling forsaken by our God, as David did. But in the midst of our desparation, there is still hope! David felt himself to be in a situation where he was spiritually exhausted, like a deer that is being hunted and is in desparate need of water. Theologically speaking, we know that nothing can separate us from the love of the Lord Jesus. But experiences in our lives often weigh us down and make us feel as if God is not close to us anymore. How do we keep from spiraling downward all the way to the black hole of despair? We need a re-orientation to hope in the Lord! Our only remedy is hope – specifically, hope in God! We need to admit our broken condition and our need for God's grace, and we need to remember that the waterfalls of affliction that we are going through belong to the Lord and He is in control. We must also remind ourselves of God's Covenant love and promises that He has made to us and will never break. Our emotions are instable and are not accurate gauges for truth, so we do well to combat them by filling our minds with those precious promises. Moreover, we need to recognize that the Lord is the God of our life, and that we are His beloved gem and treasure. And lastly, although it may be difficult, we must praise Him still – for He is still worthy! We will not be easily cast down or kept down if our hearts are fixed on Jesus – Who, on the cross, really was forsaken by and separated from the Father so that we may have hope!

From Generation to Generation

Psalm 78 takes the form of a long history lesson with one inescapable truth: the grace of God continues to sine upon a people whose only claim to fame is their suicidal success in breaking His Covenant. This history lesson was given so that God's people might trust in Him, rely on Him, and hope in Him. He Who has helped us in days past will also help us in years to come. God works from generation to generation, for centuries. His work extends over a long period of time; it's like a movie, not a photo snapshot. He is writing a cinematic history of the Church. His work is a multigenerational effort, and it's a beautiful thing to see. Every generation of believers in the Church, but especially the young, need to have the good news of the Gospel pounded into our heads! Deuteronomy 6 ordained that parents were to immerse their families' daily life with the Word of God. The Word alone will not save a person; but when it is lit on fire in a person's heart by the work of the Holy Spirit, it burns brightly and becomes essential. The people of Israel were a faithless and stubborn generation. Their hearts were not steadfast and faithful to God's Covenant. Yet we are told that the Lord was faithful to provide the solution for their rebellious and stony hearts – and ours, too! The Gospel of Jesus is the only solution for all our sin and and rebellion and faithlessness. He changes us and makes us faithful Israelites. We need our sin and guilt put away, and He has not left us without hope; for He has shown us the way of salvation, by faith alone, in Christ alone!

Do You Love God's Word?

How do you feel about God's Word? Can you echo what the Psalmist said about it – "O how I love Your law!" Loving God and loving His Word go hand in hand. The Bible is God's communication with us. Is it sweet to you? Do you cultivate a taste for it? How do you use God's Word? You must actually pick it up and read it, and discipline yourself to read and understand – even if that means giving up time from some other pastime that you enjoy. This does not come naturally for anyone! But as you cultivate a taste for God's Word, it will become sweet to you. What benefit does God's Word have for me? We have spiritual enemies that are always on the lookout to throw us down, and the Scriptures have the wisdom we need in order to combat them. Not only that, the Bible also outlines all the boundaries we need so that we can avoid falling into the pits of tempation. What will you do with this information? Will you keep a hardened heart, or will you devote yourself to loving God's Word – starting right now?