“Living for God’s Glory” – Psalm 30:1-12
There are two prevailing theories behind the background of Psalm 30. One is that it is a song when David dedicated his palace. The other is that this was written when David purchased the threshing floor of Auruna for the site for the temple. This is based on the Hebrew word for house also being the word for temple. Either way, the content should be read as David’s reflection on how God has brought him through turmoil to a place…
“Why the God of the Bible?” – Isaiah 41:21-42:4
Service for 11/15/22AM
“Worthless Christianity” – Luke 14:34-35
Jesus has just finished telling the crowds of the cost of discipleship: you must love Him above everything or you cannot be His disciple. This is costly, but we must be willing to pay the price and follow Him to the end. If we only follow Him halfway, we will be mocked by men. Jesus closes His teachings by talking about salt. Salt described Salt has two uses: enhancing flavor and preserving food. Salt makes food taste better and helps…
“Singing in the Dark” – Psalm 28:1-9
We do not know anything about the background to Psalm 28, and there are no clues given within the text. It would appear that it is a song written during a trial in David’s life, most likely a trial brought about by evil men. As always, David writes a song during this dark time of his life. A cry for deliverance (v. 1-2) David begins this song with a cry for God to hear his prayer and deliver him. There…
“Faith Means Waiting” – Psalm 27:7-14
Main thoughts: David has expressed his unwavering faith in the Lord. He now prays for God to come through for him in his trials. He demonstrates with each petition what true faith looks like. Acceptance by Grace David comes before the Lord on one basis, God’s merciful and gracious character. True faith acknowledges that “No one comes to the Father but by Me.” Our only standing before God is Jesus Christ by God’s grace. True faith acknowledges this. Seeking the…
“Direction from God” – Psalm 25:4-5
As we saw last week David is in trouble. He feels as if God has abandoned him. He is out of options. Many times we find ourselves in these situations. What are we supposed to do? Where is God going? This psalm shows us the inner thoughts of a man after God’s own heart. Here it is seen so clearly. David is not asking what God would have him do. Instead, David is asking where God is going. David wants…
“How to Handle Slander” – Psalm 26:1-12
We do not know for certain the background of Psalm 26, but most scholars believe it was written in response to the assassination of Ishbosheth. David wanted to distance himself from this and was concerned that people would think that this was his doing. This is a wonderful psalm that teaches us how to handle it when rumors and slander begin to be directed towards us. Let God defend you When rumors begin to swirl around us, we can many…
“The Christian’s Despair” – Psalm 25:1-3
We do not know fully the context of Psalm 25. We only know that it was written by David later in life. It is possible that it was written during his conflict with Absalom. This Psalm gives us a beautiful picture into the man after God’s own heart. It shows his inner thoughts, conflicts, prayers, and desires. The psalm is arranged into twenty-two verses, each beginning with a letter of the Hebrew alphabet in order. Coming to God broken David…
“How to Suffer Well” – Psalm 25:16-22
We now come to the conclusion of David’s prayer. All alone David continues to show us what it looks like to be a man after God’s own heart. He has fixed his eyes on the Lord as his only hope, yet he feels like God is ignoring him. He pleads for God to turn and take notice of all that is going on in his life. David tells the Lord that he is desolate or alone. This is a common…
“Thoughts on the Past” – Psalm 25:6-7
As David goes through this difficult time, he continues to give us a transparent view of his thoughts and emotions. God’s past compassion David thinks back to how God has walked with him through so many trials. He could feel and see God’s compassion. God carried him, loved him, comforted him, provided for him, and delivered him. However, David does not feel or see any of this compassion, pity, or mercy in his current situation. He wants God to remember…
“The Ascension of Christ” – Psalm 24:7-10
In the first half of Psalm 24 we saw how David was probably taking the Ark of the Covenant up the temple mount and spoke on who could dwell with God forever. In the second half the ark is being placed within the Tabernacle. The imagery is the door of the Tabernacle opening to receive the Ark, God’s physical presence on earth. Like many passages in the Old Testament, this is merely a shadow or type of the true reality…