Psalms

The Hearts Cry 

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Psalm 27:4 
“One thing I have desired of the LORD, That will I seek: That I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, . . .”

Did you ever have that daydream, as a kid, where you found the magic lamp, and the genie promised to grant your wish, no matter how outlandish it may be? Imagine what it would be like if God appeared to you, declaring He would give you whatever you asked for. How would you respond? What would you ask from the King of Kings.

The Bible records the stories of a few men who actually had that experience. God asked them what they wanted, and granted their request. Solomon, the son of David, after receiving the kingdom from his Father, was overwhelmed by the task of ruling the nation. While seeking God for direction, he had a fascinating dream. In Solomon’s dream, the Lord appeared, explaining that he would be given anything he wanted. Solomon’s response was for a heart that would listen to God, and wisdom to rule the people. During the ministry of Jesus, he encountered two blind men outside the city of Jericho. Upon hearing that Jesus was passing by, they cried out for help. Jesus responded to their cry with a question, “What do you want Me to do for you?” Their response was foreseeable, “Lord, that our eyes may be opened.”

Here we find David giving his unsolicited response to the question. He declares that if he could have anything from the Lord, it would be to dwell in the presence of the Lord all the days of His life. More than riches, wisdom, health, power, or prestige, the heart of David cried out simply for more of the Lord. David was not alone in this cry, Paul declared; “. . . that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death, . . .” (Philippians 3:10). Like David, Paul’s heart cried out to know Jesus better. It could be argued, the greatest hero of the Old Testament was David; and of the New Testament, Paul.

David was known as a man after God’s heart, who led the nation to the pinnacle of godliness, prosperity and success. Paul, after a remarkable conversion experience, became the greatest evangelist, and pioneer of the Gospel the church had ever seen. He was responsible for writing at least thirteen New Testament books, and carried the Gospel across the Roman Empire. I think a case could be made that the reason for their success, above their contemporaries, had to do with the desire of their hearts. They longed, not for riches or reward, but for more of Christ. What is your heart’s cry? No matter what it might be, there is nothing greater than to cry for more of Jesus.

Psalms 27:8 “When You said, ‘Seek My face’ My heart said to You, ‘Your face, Lord, I will seek.’”

Pastor Jim

 

Follow Your Heart

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Psalms 25:4-5
“Show me Your ways, O Lord; Teach me Your paths. Lead me in Your truth and teach me, For You are the God of my salvation; On You I wait all the day.”

As I child, I remember watching a movie where a group of people were trying to escape a town. Whatever direction they took, or road they chose, they always arrived at the same destination. They continued trying until they found the one way out. According to Jesus, life is like that. He stated that life really only consists of two roads. One is wide and crowded, but leads away from God. The other is narrow and difficult, and sadly, often ignored, but results in eternal life (Matthew 7:13-14).

David knew a lot about walking on the right road, but he also knew what it was to wander down the wrong path in life. After fleeing from Saul, living in the wilderness, sleeping in caves, surrounded by criminals and constantly fearing for his life, David grew tired. In the midst of his trials, and the difficulty they created, He began to doubt the promises of God.

“And David said in his heart, ‘Now I shall perish someday by the hand of Saul. There is nothing better for me than that I should speedily escape to the land of the Philistines; and Saul will despair of me, to seek me anymore in any part of Israel. So I shall escape out of his hand.’ Then David arose and went over with the six hundred men who were with him to Achish the son of Maoch, king of Gath.” 1 Samuel 27:1-2

David had the promises of God telling him he would survive the threats of Saul and become king. He also had the difficulties of life casting a shadow of doubt on the promises. This led him to listen to and follow his heart; and his heart led him out of the will of God. After failing so greatly, it is easy to understand why the cry of his heart was, “Show me Your ways, O Lord; teach me Your paths and lead me in Your truth” (Psalm 25:4).

One of the most common causes of failure in the life of the child of God, is following our hearts. After all, Jeremiah taught us the heart is deceptive above all things (Jeremiah 17:9). We must not let out hearts guide us. Instead, we must let the Word of God act as a lamp guiding the way of life and living. Instead of following what our heart says, let’s determine to become familiar with what God says, and live in line with His Promises. His ways are not our ways because they are so much better.

Pastor Jim

 

Good Shepherd 

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Psalm 23:1 
“The Lord is my Shepherd . . .”

In this Psalm, David uses the illustration of a shepherd to speak of God’s care for those who belong to Him. This Psalm speaks of the benefits true to all who are in a covenant relationship with God. He speaks of God’s provision, comfort, protection and care. Jesus used the same illustration in John 10 when He said, 

“But you do not believe, because you are not of My sheep, as I said to you. My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me. And I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; neither shall anyone snatch them out of My hand.” John 10:26-28

While the poetry of this Psalm is beautiful and comforting, it is important that we realize the promises are for those who have received Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior. If you want to experience God in the way that David describes Him, it begins with surrendering your life to Christ and following Him. Once that has happened, all these great and precious promises belong to you. As long as you live like a sheep outside the fold of God, you miss out on the loving care of the Good Shepherd; life’s difficulties must be faced with your own strength and resources. However, the moment you surrender to Him, He becomes your Shepherd, and you begin to lie down in green pastures, walk by still waters, benefit from His rod and staff, and experience goodness and mercy following after you.

With all that is promised to the one who follows Christ, it is so foolish to refuse Him. What are you holding back from God that is better than all He wants to do for you? Will you make Him your Shepherd today?

Pastor Jim

 

Forsaken

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Psalm 22:1
“My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?
Why are You so far from helping Me,
And from the words of My groaning?”

Although David wrote this Psalm as an expression of the experiences he was facing, it has a much bigger application than he ever could have conceived. It was on the cross that Jesus uttered the opening words to this great Psalm.
“And at the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, ‘Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani?’ which is translated, ‘My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?’” Mark 15:34

In order to speak from the cross, Jesus would have to endure unimaginable pain. He would have to straighten Himself up by pressing against the nail driven through His feet, and breathe in deeply to force any words out. When His silence was broken by these words, His followers would have been immediately drawn to the words of Psalm 22. After watching the crucifixion, there could be no other conclusion; David was speaking prophetically of Christ.

This Psalm, written almost one thousand years before Christ, gives a vivid picture of the events of that dark Friday. David speaks in advance of the ridicule that Jesus would endure. We know that the religious leaders, the crowd, the soldiers and even the thieves all mocked Jesus; calling for Him to prove that He was God and break free from the cross. David also describes the way Christ died with amazing detail. He speaks of His tongue clinging to His mouth in thirst, His hands and feet being pierced, His bones being unbroken, yet out of joint, and his heart melting like water within Him. This Psalm gives undeniable proof of the inspiration of the Word of God, and of the claims of Christ.

That being true, the cry of Christ from the cross does more than draw our attention to the prophetic words of David. It also reveals something of the suffering Jesus endured on the cross. While on the cross, Jesus was giving His life as a substitute for ours. He was bearing the penalty of our sin, so we would not have to. Paul put it like this;

“For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.” 2 Corinthians 5:21

The penalty for sin is separation from God. While on the cross, bearing our sin, Jesus experienced sin’s penalty. His cry was not mere poetry, but the expression of what He must endure to save us. Our experiences allow us to understand the weight of sin to a small degree. We have all felt the heavy burden of committing sin, and knowing what it has done to our relationship with God, and with others. We can never imagine the weight of all the sin of humanity. Every vile thought, word, and action ever committed by every man,woman, and child who ever lived, bore down upon our Savior as He hung upon the cross, paying for our sin. And we read that the Father forsook His Son.

All this was done, Christ was forsaken, so that we would never be forsaken. Because of His substitutionary death, the writer of Hebrews was able to declare,

“For He Himself has said, ‘I will never leave you nor forsake you.’” Hebrews 13:5

What love…

Pastor Jim

Questions for Psalm 22

This is what is referred to as a Messianic Psalm. It has a meaning in the life of the psalmist but also points prophetically to Christ.

  1. Verse 1 is spoken by Jesus from the cross. What is significant about Jesus speaking of being forsaken?
  2. What do you learn about the value of trusting the Lord from verses 4-5?
  3. How were verses 6-8 fulfilled in the crucifixion?
  4. How were verse 14-18 fulfilled in the crucifixion?
  5. How does the cross make verses 27-31 possible?

 

 

Greater Is He

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Psalms 21:11

“For they intended evil against You;

They devised a plot which they are not able to perform.”


The thing that makes following Christ so difficult is the enemies we face. The primary enemy of the Christian is the devil and his minions. Scripture describes the devil as a schemer who seeks to derail us from following and serving Christ. He will use the weakness of our humanity as a tool to get us to stumble into sin. When at times, it may seem as though the temptations and the obstacles  are too great to overcome, we can be greatly encouraged by this promise. 


Psalms 21:11

“For they intended evil against You;

They devised a plot which they are not able to perform.”


Satan sought to destroy Israel the moment they stepped out of Egypt, yet God intervened and their enemies were drown in the sea. Later, the same demonic plan was orchestrated by Haman,  whose wicked scheme was stopped by the actions of Esther and Mordechai. 


It brings great comfort to realize that “greater is He who is you than he that is in the world” (1John 4:4).


Pastor Jim 

  

Treasure 

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Psalm 19:10 
“More to be desired are they than gold, Yea, than much fine gold; Sweeter also than honey and the honeycomb.”

We have all had the silly daydream of winning the lottery, finding a stash of money in a secret compartment in the attic, inheriting millions from an unknown uncle,  or inventing the next great product everyone wants to own. Why? I think the answer is simply that we would all love to have an unlimited supply of cash; not for it’s intrinsic value, but because of what we can obtain with it, and for the security that it brings. Imagine never having to worry about the bills again.

Here the Psalmist declares there is something he desires, perhaps even daydreams about, more than riches. His desire was for the Word of God. Using such sweet poetry, he declares that God’s Words are of more value to him than gold, and sweeter to his ears than honey is to his lips. Why? Why did the Psalmist put such a high price tag upon his Bible? I think the answer is found when we consider what we gain from the Words of God.

David is delighting in the purchasing power of the Words of God. Each and every one of the precious promises found in the pages of your Bible has power to transform your life, and your living. He declares four things about God’s Word that makes it more precious than any treasure on earth. First, it is able to convert the soul. No amount of money can prepare a man for eternity, but one truth from the Word of God can convict a person of their sin, and lead to the cross; where they can be forgiven and redeemed. Second, the Word will make wise the simple. We are daily faced with difficult decisions, but the Bible is filled with daily direction. Third, it rejoices the heart. In the times of deep despair, when the sorrows of death encompass us, a single verse has the power to bring joy to the heart, setting us free from despair. And finally, it enlightens the eyes. There are so many roads in life, so many dangerous pitfalls to avoid. We can sometimes be overwhelmed with the decisions we are forced to make. Yet, the Word of God promises to illuminate our paths. Later in the Psalms, we will read that His Word is like a lamp for our feet and a light for our path (Psalm 119:105). No need to wander aimlessly through the darkness of life, when the Bible turns the lights on.

Instead of daydreaming about a bigger house, a newer car, a grand vacation, or pot of gold, let’s meditate upon the great and precious promises of God.

Pastor Jim

 

Full Grown 

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Psalms 17:15 
“As for me, I will see Your face in righteousness; I shall be satisfied when I awake in Your likeness.”

I remember years ago listening to Pastor Chuck Smith teaching from John 15 on the Vine and the branches. To illustrate our need to bear fruit, he asked, “What does a full grown tree look like?” Immediately, my mind was filled with visions of the massive Redwoods of Northern California. I remember, as a child, driving our car through a tunnel cut out of a tree in Humboldt County. After pausing to let the question sink in, he responded, “A full grown tree looks like firewood.” You see, a tree grows as long as it is alive. The moment it stops growing, is the moment it has died.

We are like that. Once we begin a relationship with God, a process known as “Sanctification” begins. Sanctification is the work that God does in our lives to make us more like Jesus. The process starts with God removing the things from our lives that are harmful to us. Drugs, alcohol, pornography, unhealthy relationships, and the like, are all laid down at the cross, when we first receive Christ. But that does not complete our growth. Christianity is not just about what we don’t do. It is much more about who we become. As daily, we invest in the Word of God, prayer, fellowship and service, we find that the characteristics of Christ are being birthed in us. Paul called those attributes the fruit of the Spirit. The more we grow in Christ, the more we become like Him, until one day, we like David, will see His face in righteousness and be satisfied.

Until that day, lets determine to grow in Christ, by abiding in Him daily.

Pastor Jim

 

Life Is Good

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Psalm 16:5-6
“O Lord, You are the portion of my inheritance and my cup;
You maintain my lot.
The lines have fallen to me in pleasant places;
Yes, I have a good inheritance.”

The Psalmist is describing his life. The lines he refers to, speak of his experiences in life. They might include his family life, his marriage, his ministry experiences, and even his recreational pursuits. He is saying, life is good. To use the words of Jesus, he is experiencing life in abundance. I think every one of us would like to be able to sing these words. The question is, how did he get there.?

Early on in Israel’s history, God divided the nation into sections, and each tribe was given a portion or a lot to occupy. These lots were determined by two things. First, where they lived was determined by the Lord. It was the sovereign will of God that Asher received a coastal plot and Naphtali was in the North.  The second determining factor, was the size of each tribe. The larger tribes were given larger lots, the smaller tribes, smaller ones. After failing to enter the Promised Land, the children of Israel spent thirty-eight years in the wilderness. During those years, some of the tribes increased in size, while others decreased, or remained essentially the same. When they finally entered the land, and were given their inheritance, the tribes that had grown received a bigger lot.

The same is true of us. Some of the things we face in life are controlled by the sovereign will of God, others by our growing in the Lord. The more we grow in Christ, the more we will find, “our lines have been drawn in pleasant places.” Instead of complaining about the things in life which are outside of our control, we should be focussing our energies upon growing in Christ. We do that by abiding in Jesus. The more we spend time getting to know His Word and applying His Word in our daily living, the more we will grow in Christ.

Let’s decide this morning that we will set our hearts on seeking the Lord, and let Him draw our lines for us.

Pastor Jim

Psalm 16

  1. How does David feel about other believers?
  2. “The lot” refers to the life that David had been allocated from the Lord. His life and calling was uniquely his, what do you think he means by his lines “falling in pleasant places”?
  3. Not all the places David found himself were pleasant. What truths does this psalm reveal about how it is possible to find joy in our difficult times?
  4. What application can you draw from your own life from the fact that at His hand are pleasures forevermore?

 

 

Action

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Psalms 15:2

“He who walks uprightly,

And works righteousness,

And speaks the truth in his hear; . . . “

We have all heard the phrase, “Actions speak louder than words.” The sentiment behind that is simple; our behaviors speak more to our belief system, than our words ever could. Psalm 15 addresses the subject of true righteousness, and in a poetic fashion addresses our walk, works, and words. All three of these speak volumes regarding what we truly believe. Like balancing a check book to determine where all the money has gone, we can examine where we go, what we do, and what we say to determine the real driving forces in our lives. 


If we love God with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength, our feet should be taking us daily to the Word of God, and at least weekly to the congregation, where we meet with the people of God. Infrequent or inconsistent time with the Lord, is an indication that we are neglecting to abide in Christ. 


Paul spoke of spending himself for the kingdom of God. When his head hit the pillow, he was exhausted from having spent his days in the service of the Lord. When is the last time your muscles hurt from extending energy for the kingdom? 


According to Jesus, words are indicators of the heart. If I am constantly complaining, criticizing, or backbiting, this indicates that something is wrong with my relationship with God. Two hints become necessary: first, I must ask God to change my heart, and second, I must change my actions. The best way to deal with a critical or complaining mouth is to close it. Every time you are tempted to say something negative about another person, try thinking something good about them, and share that instead. 


Pastor Jim

  



True Fools

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Psalm 14:1 
“The fool has said in his heart, ‘There is no God.’”

A modern dictionary defines a fool as, “someone who lacks judgment,” or “a deranged person lacking in common powers of understanding.” As a form of illustration, this sentence was used: “You would be a fool to believe what he tells you.” Often, the Christian is portrayed as a fool, and sometimes, belief in God is treated as folly. More commonly, believing God is looked at as foolishness.

When the Christian is facing a trial and chooses to cling to the unshakeable promises of God, instead of the shifting sand of modern science, he is treated like a fool. Or, when determining how to handle a relationship, the child of God clings to the teaching of Scripture, rather than the immorality of the day, he finds that he is looked at as a simpleton or a prude. It has become common place for the one who trusts in the living God to be thought of as the fool.

The Psalmist is giving us a totally different look at folly. He declares it is not the one who believes in, or follows after God, who is the fool, but the one who doesn’t. Essentially, the Psalmist is declaring it is folly not to believe in God. Why is a person being foolish not to believe God? It is foolish not to believe God because He has clearly revealed Himself to man.

Paul wrote, “Because what may be known of God is manifest in them, for God has shown it to them” (Romans 1:19). In other words, our own conscience speaks to us of God. We know within ourselves, there is more to life than what we see. The scientific mind can find abundant empirical data to support Paul’s claims. All over the world, and throughout time, man has been driven to look up, realizing there is something bigger than himself; he raises his hands in worship. Not all of this worship is appropriate, or even directed at the true God, but it is evidence of man’s need for worship, because he has been created to cry out to God. Not only has God revealed Himself in man, He has also revealed Himself to man.

The Psalmist sang out; “The heavens declare the glory of God; And the firmament shows His handiwork.” Psalm 19:1

All around us, we see nature speaks to us of God. While science can explain many things about creation, it goes against the basic framework of science to think of design without a designer, or creation without a creator. When looking at the majesty of the sunset, or the miracle of child-birth, the heart of man calls out to worship. Because of what he sees around him, he knows that there must be a God. I heard a man recently declare, “I don’t know if I believe in God, but on that day when I saw the beauty of the ocean waves, I knew there must be something.” God has not left us to guess at who He is and what He is like. While creation calls our hearts to worship, the Word of God tells us who and how. To remove all confusion, God has given His eternal Word. If you are having trouble believing God, don’t be the fool who ignores God, be the one who looks into the pages of God’s Word, to find out what God is really like.

Allow me to share one final thought. It is also foolish not to believe God because of the benefits of believing. The Bible declares that eternal life is given to the one who believes that God sent His Son to redeem man. That, and that alone, is the way to prepare for death. The Bible also declares, the one who believes in the Son of God will see his life transformed as he follows God. Again, empirical data supports these claims. History is filled with people who have put their faith in Christ and found Him to be true to His promises. We don’t have to go far to find these examples; we all know people whose lives were transformed once they began to follow Christ. Instead of taking someone else’s word for it, why not look up, call out to God, then look into the pages of His Word and let Him prove Himself to you.

Pastor Jim

Psalm 14

  1. There are a lot of places we can go to find definitions. This verse contains God’s definition of a fool. How is the fool defined?
  2. Why is it folly to not believe in God?
  3. Why is it folly to say “there is no God”?
  4. Verses 2-3 are heaven’s estimation of humanity. After reading those verses explain why all people need a savior.