if you haven't been hearing the sermons in a recent series at my church. it's called psalms- the anatomy of the soulso as to prevent too much of the above-mentioned missing out, i'm going to relay some of the points that struck me & are still sitting with me. hope you're encouraged & maybe drawn to read some of the below passages.
from psalm 1- the most dominant voice of instruction is God's. this makes a man "blessed" (translate: happy)!
psalm 2- when people conspire/rebel against God ("murmur" against Him), He is not unnerved. knowing their end & being their judge, He "holds the nations in derision" (vs. 4). but, blessed are all who take refuge in Him- refuge from His own wrath. through Jesus, the Father saves us from Himself. the problem of evil is me; i need to be saved. the barrel of the gun turns from Hitler & is pointed at me. we're saved from fearing man & from being timid by a proper fear of God. we find refuge in the Son who took the Father's anger at our sin on Himself; we have solace because Jesus didn't. the gospel is terrifying and it overjoys us at the same time.
psalm 89- the psalmist's hope is stirred by the fulness of God's promises. he refuses to let disappointment result in a downplaying of desire. he wants to endure with longing & stirs up his yearnings by recounting God's ridiculous promises. we need to stand on His promise that He's broken the power of sin & pray boldly in light of that.
psalm 16- the irony of pursuing joy apart from Him- when we pursue fulfilment with no-holes-barred, with the only stipulation being do whatever you can/have to do in order to find pleasure, the sad irony is that we will in fact be lacking in joy. for the Christian, joy is the norm; it's commanded & expected for those coming into contact with a great God. but our culture is famous for pursuing contentment via no prohibitions, minimal self-denial, resulting in depression rather than happiness. true joy stems from an ultimate commitment- saying yes to Him in everything & resolutely no to anything not of Him. it's not mere doctrinal assent but denying competing interests. vs. 1-2: only He can preserve our lives, & He alone is the source of goodness. vs. 4: we're often hedging our bets (seeking Yahweh plus...), but this only makes us more frustrated & "increases sorrow." we make these choices thinking we'll feel more secure. instead, we can feed our faith with thoughts of one day being seated at His right hand & by communing with Him in the meantime (vs. 11).
next post- a rundown of the messages on 42-43, 51, 66, & 67.
thank you, Father, for the skillful, clear, vibrant teaching of your word. how we need it!
from psalm 1- the most dominant voice of instruction is God's. this makes a man "blessed" (translate: happy)!
psalm 2- when people conspire/rebel against God ("murmur" against Him), He is not unnerved. knowing their end & being their judge, He "holds the nations in derision" (vs. 4). but, blessed are all who take refuge in Him- refuge from His own wrath. through Jesus, the Father saves us from Himself. the problem of evil is me; i need to be saved. the barrel of the gun turns from Hitler & is pointed at me. we're saved from fearing man & from being timid by a proper fear of God. we find refuge in the Son who took the Father's anger at our sin on Himself; we have solace because Jesus didn't. the gospel is terrifying and it overjoys us at the same time.
psalm 89- the psalmist's hope is stirred by the fulness of God's promises. he refuses to let disappointment result in a downplaying of desire. he wants to endure with longing & stirs up his yearnings by recounting God's ridiculous promises. we need to stand on His promise that He's broken the power of sin & pray boldly in light of that.
psalm 16- the irony of pursuing joy apart from Him- when we pursue fulfilment with no-holes-barred, with the only stipulation being do whatever you can/have to do in order to find pleasure, the sad irony is that we will in fact be lacking in joy. for the Christian, joy is the norm; it's commanded & expected for those coming into contact with a great God. but our culture is famous for pursuing contentment via no prohibitions, minimal self-denial, resulting in depression rather than happiness. true joy stems from an ultimate commitment- saying yes to Him in everything & resolutely no to anything not of Him. it's not mere doctrinal assent but denying competing interests. vs. 1-2: only He can preserve our lives, & He alone is the source of goodness. vs. 4: we're often hedging our bets (seeking Yahweh plus...), but this only makes us more frustrated & "increases sorrow." we make these choices thinking we'll feel more secure. instead, we can feed our faith with thoughts of one day being seated at His right hand & by communing with Him in the meantime (vs. 11).
next post- a rundown of the messages on 42-43, 51, 66, & 67.
thank you, Father, for the skillful, clear, vibrant teaching of your word. how we need it!
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