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Sunday Morning Worship Service.
Join us for worship and the sermon. Please read the Psalm in preparation. Pastor Paris Perry 3 Month Reading Plan - Psalm 103
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"Loud let our hearts ring out the honors of our conquering Savior ... The rule of Christ is the joy of nature'.'
Praise to the King. All creation is called to praise Jesus, the reigning king (vv. 6, 9). As his people, we can use all means, such as instruments, to praise him with exuberance. Reference to the harp (v. 5) suggests that we may elegantly express adoration to God. However, Spurgeon was wary of the use of musical instruments to adulate God. They can become a substitute for a proper heart attitude and the focus of worship, rather than God himself. "There is no fear of our being too hearty in magnifying the God of our salvation, only we must take care that the song comes from the heart, otherwise the music is nothing but a noise in his ears, whether it is caused by human throats, or organ pipes, or far-resounding trumpets:' With the universal acknowledgment of Jesus' reign, his entire creation praises him (vv. 7-9). Used by Permission “The Psalms of every day living”- David McKinley 3 Month Reading Plan - Psalms 101-102 Psalm 97:1-2 "The LORD reigns, let the earth be glad; let the distant shores rejoice.
Clouds and thick darkness surround him; righteousness and justice are the foundation of his throne" As you read through this psalm remember that it was written before Jesus came, back when there was a thick veil between the presence of God and his people. When it talks about clouds and thick darkness surrounding him it is because his glory and presence is too much for people to stand in front of. So just as the thunderclouds can veil the sun, so God's glory and righteousness must be veiled from humans. It is a good reminder as well that although we have the privilege of having God's presence with us through the holy spirit, that God's righteousness and power is still too vast and incredible for us to comprehend. Verse 7 is the centre verse of this psalm, and it is where the focus moves from God's power to our response. The psalm goes on to describe the difference between those who worship idols being put to shame, and the joy of those who put their trust in God. I find this shift beautiful, between describing God as this awesome and powerful God, to our response being filled with gladness and joy. I feel like a more appropriate response to the first 6 verses would be to come before him with fear, a trembling awe of the one who created and rules the world. But instead this chapter suggests a different response. We get to come before him with the joy that He fills us with. When we choose to serve him with gladness and live faithful lives then we can be covered with light and filled with joy in the presence of the powerful God we love and serve. I know for myself my constant prayer is that God would be merciful to me and my family and help us live faithful lives serving Him. That the light and joy would be evident in us as we love him, surrender ourselves to him, and rejoice in Him regardless of what our circumstances may be. Psalm 97:11-12 “Light is shed upon the righteous and joy on the upright in heart. Rejoice in the Lord, you who are righteous, and praise his holy name.” Raelene 3 Month Reading Plan - Psalms 98-100 Psalm 95 is a psalm of worship that teaches us the basics of worship.
How we worship – sing for joy (v1), shout aloud (v1), come before Him (v2), extol (praise enthusiastically) Him with music and song (v2), bow down, kneel (v6) Who we worship – the Lord (v1,6), the Rock of our salvation (v1), the Great God (v3), the great King above all gods (v3), our Maker (v6), our God (v7) Why we worship – he holds and sustains the depths and mountains of the earth (v4), he made the sea and the dry land (v5), he made us (v6), he looks after, sustains us (v7) It closes with an expectation of hearing his voice while we worship (v7) as well as a warning to not harden our hearts when He gives direction (v8), incurring God’s wrath and losing his guidance (v10), spiritual insight (v10) and the peace of being in His presence (v10). When I worship God with an understanding mind (reading His word and listening to biblical preaching regularly), a responsive heart (a humble, repentant and teachable spirit) and an obedient will (determination to follow God’s teaching) I can expect Him to speak to me; giving me guidance, spiritual understanding and sustaining peace in a very personal way. Praise God! James 3 Month Reading Plan - Psalms 95-97 This is the only psalm in the Psalter in which God is addressed as “God of Vengeance” or “God Who Avenges.” Vengeance, divine vengeance speaks of judgement, the final reckoning for millennia of sins and transgressions. When judgement falls, God's glory is fully displayed; He shines forth. Incidentally, every time we pray, “Jesus, come quickly,” we are praying for our God Who Avenges to bring down His final judgement.
There is much in the twenty-three verses of this psalm. Verse 3 reminds us of the Great Tribulation saints of Revelation 6:10 crying out, “How much longer, Sovereign Lord, until you take vengeance of our blood from those dwelling on the earth? We are reminded that the Lord will not abandon His people (v 14), that judgement will be righteous (v 15) and that God is a rock of refuge (v 22). The final verse, where the word “destroy” appears twice, hearkens back to the first verse where “vengeance” twice appears. While all of these concepts and declarations deserve their own consideration, I shall restrict myself to the central issues of vengeance and deliverance. Godly vengeance is righteous and in keeping the nature and will of God. In contrast, human revenge is neither righteous nor in accord with the will of God. Vengeance is not our job; God in His own time will right all wrongs. In verse 12 we are reminded of the first line in the Psalter, the blessed man who is disciplined by the Lord. This man is being sanctified in the Spirit and will be removed from the earth before judgement falls. In light of this, how then are we to live? For much of my life, I lived by such mottoes as “don’t get mad, get even” and “revenge is a dish best eaten cold.” This, sadly, is the way of the world. The forty-fifth President of the U. S. often bragged of his life-long policy of hitting back “people that screw you” ten times as hard or fifty times as hard. God gave us laws restricting us to “an eye for an eye and tooth for a tooth” to prevent such bloody-mindedness. Vengeance is God’s job. So, what is mine? I need to daily rely on Him to direct my steps as He would have me be a point of light, a source of help, to all who live with me in this dark and broken world. We spend years getting messed up; it can also require years for the Holy Spirit to clean up the mess. Brian 3 Month Reading Plan - Psalms 93-94 For they are transplanted to the Lord’s own house. They flourish in the courts of our Lord. Psalm 92:13
As an avid gardener I often transplant some of my plants in the Fall – sometimes they haven’t done well in my chosen spot due to wrong light, soil, drainage, or water. When I transplant these plants, I try to be very careful not to disturb the root hairs and fibres, even so, sometimes the plants look a little droopy and sad in their new home. But I also know with careful care they will soon be happy, healthy and productive in their new home. God, in his infinite wisdom notices that we are not always “planted” in our ideal spot and cannot live up to our potential. He gets out his shovel and transplants us, and yes, sometimes it is very uncomfortable being cut off from what is familiar. We don’t always realize that God is transplanting and relocating us to a spot where we can sink in deeper roots and develop a deeper faith. Change is hard, we may sulk and kick our feet, but we have God’s promise that we can daily draw our strength and sustenance from Him. God loves us and knows exactly what we need to develop a deeper more vibrant faith that will help build His kingdom while using our talents and personality in the unique ways that we are gifted. I pray that we can let go of our expectations and desire to be where God wants us to be. I pray that we will live in daily fellowship with God in order that we may flourish, find deeper faith roots and grow better quality fruit. Susan 3 Month Reading Plan - Psalms 91-92 14 Those who love me, I will deliver;
I will protect those who know my name. 15 When they call to me, I will answer them; I will be with them in trouble, I will rescue them and honor them. When I was a kid, my dad took our family off on a back road trip in the family van to enjoy a day in the wilderness. We traveled on some very sketchy roads, out into the middle of nowhere. It was an amazing adventure. On the way back from our trip our van got stuck as my dad crossed a creek that had been running across this old dirt road and had washed much of it away. I remember my dad out in the creek, up to his knees in water, pushing and pushing while my mom tried to run the engine to get us out. It was not to be and I remember the spike of fear and anxiety I had when I was told we were spending the night in the van, in a creek, in the middle of the wilderness. There five of us kids all under the age of 9 stuck in that van. It was not a pleasant situation. I’d like to say we pulled it together and handled it well, we did not. But, my mom and dad were amazing! They each took a few kids and settled us down. They told us how they had it all under control and that we could go to sleep, that they would stay up and watch out for us. I loved the feeling of giving over my fear and worry to my mom and dad. I drifted off to sleep with very little care. This psalm reminds me of that event and the very feelings I experienced in that moment. The peace I found in being able to let go and trust my mom and dad. I heard a quote recently that said something to the effect that, “we want to know what is going to happen so that we don’t have to trust God.” There is a reason that God says we should have the faith of a child. Children trust, despite the evidence that seems to be mounting not to. God calls us to trust. He has us “under his wing”. When we find ourselves in overwhelming situations, when God directs our path through turbulent times, unlike those that do not know God, we do not need to “fear the terror of the night, or the arrow that flies by day, or the pestilence that stalks in darkness, or the destruction that wastes at noonday.” God is our shield. He is our refuge. He will keep us safe, He will “command his angels concerning [us] to guard [us] in all your ways.” Let go, like a child, and trust your Heavenly Father to take you through your “night in the wilderness”. Burt Bergmann 3 Month Reading Plan - Psalm 90 Sunday Morning Worship Service.
Join us for worship and the sermon. Please read the Psalm in preparation. Pastor Josh Dekker 3 Month Reading Plan - Psalm 89 God's eternal faithfulness. In the midst of a national disaster, the psalmist is pleading for God's deliverance based on his faithfulness to his people. The Lord's commitment to be faithful was established in the covenant made between himself and David (2 Sam 7:12-16). The writer will expand on the covenant later (vv. 19-37), but in this section he wants to dwell on God's faithfulness. He is faithful because of his nature. "It is Jehovah who deigns to deal out to us our daily benefits, and he is the all-sufficient and immutable God" whose faithful love we experience. In light of his faithfulness, we respond in praise to God (v. 1). "Whatever we may observe abroad or experience in our own persons, we ought still to praise God for his mercies, since they most certainly remain the same, whether we can perceive them or not:' This is particularly true in hard times. "In times of trouble it is the divine faithfulness which the soul hangs upon" for God's people are prone to forget or doubt his faithfulness. For this reason, it is important to remember that God's faithfulness is forever (vv. 1, 2, 4). With this truth it is very appropriate to pause (selah) and reflect.
Prayer. Lord, I know I have not always been faithful to you. This causes me to marvel at your faithfulness to me, especially in very difficult times when it is tempting to doubt you. Thank you for your faithful love. Amen. Used by Permission “The Psalms of every day living”- David McKinley 3 Month Reading Plan - Psalms 87-88 A Psalm of Praise
We once again read a Psalm from the famous group of people that comprise the Sons of Korah. This group of people, in the history of God’s chosen, come from a place of regret. They witnessed in the past the destruction of unfaithfulness of their lineage. This was done in the sight of the whole nation, and they are the last surviving people from that family of Korah. This Psalm is a celebration poem in nature possibly from the realization that God in their lives has given them something to praise. They begin by praising the Holy dwelling place of God. It is good to note that in the Old Testament, God’s dwelling place was in a location. God’s dwelling places are mentioned in several texts and the people of God often would look to or worship those places. As believers now in the risen savior, we have that dwelling place of God moved from a place to our lives. The Poem finished off by comparing God’s strength is like that of a flowing spring. They are asking for God’s Spirit to flow near them. Ephesians 2:22 states, “In him you also are being built together into a dwelling place for God by the Spirit.” We come to a point of celebration for God is not only a living God but an indwelling God. We can echo the words of the Psalmist when they end with “All my Springs are in you.” It’s no wonder why this Psalm begins with the caption, “Glorious things of you.” God’s Spirit flows within us so that we too can celebrate His goodness. Pastor Paris 3 Month Reading Plan - Psalm 86 |
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