Praise God For His Justice

Praise God For His Justice

Psalms 73


What is justice?

Justice means rendering to every one that which is his due!

Justice means doing what the law demands!

Justice differs from equity in that equity is the impartial distribution of justice.

God says:

Psa 98:9 Before the LORD; for he cometh to judge the earth: with righteousness shall he judge the world, and the people with equity.

Our God is not a tyrant but neither is He a weakling, when He comes to judge this world His actions will be the exact right thing to do.

The justice of God is just as real and certain as His mercy and is as much a fact as our salvation is true!

Let's begin!

*****Psa 73:1 A Psalm of Asaph. Truly God is good to Israel, even to such as are of a clean heart.

Asaph was one of the leaders of the choir who was appointed by David and put in place by Solomon in the new Temple.

There are 12 Psalms attributed to Asaph.

Asaph was also a skilled musician and not many realize it but Asaph was also a "seer", a prophet called of God.

2Ch 29:30 Moreover Hezekiah the king and the princes commanded the Levites to sing praise unto the LORD with the words of David, and of "Asaph the seer". And they sang praises with gladness, and they bowed their heads and worshipped.

Asaph could see into the future and Asaph prophesied with his music.

What is the truth of God's prophets?

Each prophet was to proclaim the message given to him of God!

Each prophet spoke in God's name and by God's authority and thus their words must thus be true.

Asaph begins with "Truly God is good to Israel".

It can never be said that Jehovah God has not been and will always be good to His covenant people Israel!

Who are the true Israel?

Rom 9:6 Not as though the word of God hath taken none effect. For they are not all Israel, which are of Israel:
Rom 9:7 Neither, because they are the seed of Abraham, are they all children: but, In Isaac shall thy seed be called.
Rom 9:8 That is, They which are the children of the flesh, these are not the children of God: but the children of the promise are counted for the seed.

Here we see that of all the children of Abraham it is only Isaac, the only son by Sarah, that is the Father of Israel.

These are the children of the the promises of God!

The true Israel is not those that ceremonially clean but all those that have been cleaned in their inward parts.

We must know that we will never understand the things of God until we spend some time in His Word!

Asaph was led of God to sing the songs of prophesy but even Asaph had doubts sometimes just as we all do!

*****Psa 73:2 But as for me, my feet were almost gone; my steps had well nigh slipped.

No matter who we are, our faith will waver from time to time.

It will sometimes seem to be a great burden to walk in the ways of God.

We will sometimes stagger at the weight of being obedient to the Word of God.

The Lord is surely good and we know He is our example but there will be days when we cannot see how we will ever meet such a high standard as God has set before us.

What is the greatest cause of these things? Envy of the things we see in this world!

*****Psa 73:3 For I was envious at the foolish, when I saw the prosperity of the wicked.

Envy can described as being discontent. Asaph was discontent because he was focused on those he considered superior to him, the wicked rich and prosperous.

There is not one way that a lost soul is superior to a saved soul!

All those that reject the Word of God are fools!

When we become envious of fools we are even more foolish!

But sometimes when we see the prosperity of these wicked people it's hard not to be envious of them.

When we forget that we will inherit the vast riches of Heaven and become envious of the things in this world we just do not have our priorities in order.

When we become fixed on the present and forget the future of those that reject the Lord Jesus it will affect our faith and we will then become miserable Christians.

There is nothing in this world we should desire greater than our relationship with the Lord!

*****Psa 73:4 For there are no bands in their death: but their strength is firm.
Psa 73:5 They are not in trouble as other men; neither are they plagued like other men.

Death is a reality for every member of the human race but the Bible teaches us that the soul cannot die.

It is the Christian that should come to death with a peace that cannot be understood but that is not always the case.

But a quiet death also does not always mean a happy hereafter.

What Asaph saw was that most of the rich wicked people on this earth do not have a great concern for their death and the hereafter.

What Asaph saw was that those that were rich but wicked could afford the best doctors and the best medicine and in most cases could live a healthy life and by these same means they could slip into a painless death.

God says:

Pro 31:6 Give strong drink unto him that is ready to perish, and wine unto those that be of heavy hearts.
Pro 31:7 Let him drink, and forget his poverty, and remember his misery no more.
Pro 31:8 Open thy mouth for the dumb in the cause of all such as are appointed to destruction.

Many of the rich die as well as they live but they will still miss out on Heaven.

It is a fact that if you are a Christian you will face many tribulations before you can enter into the Kingdom of Heaven!

The truth is, let them have what they can get in this world for that's all they will ever have without Christ Jesus!

*****Psa 73:6 Therefore pride compasseth them about as a chain; violence covereth them as a garment.

Pride is unreasonable conceit!

Conceit is a high opinion of your own self above all others.

God says:

Pro 26:12 Seest thou a man wise in his own conceit? there is more hope of a fool than of him.

Pride is the sin of Satan and all those that think they are too good to yield to the Word of God!

Those that are so full of pride, wear their pride better than anything that money can buy.

In their boastful arrogance they wear the garments of evil and they are proud of it!

We have to be blind to see that our own nation is failing because those in control are so full of self pride that they think they know best what is good for everyone else.

Only the ones who know the Lord Jesus Christ on a personal level can know what is good for them, not any government!

Asaph saw these same things it was testing his faith.

*****Psa 73:7 Their eyes stand out with fatness: they have more than heart could wish.

Those that are rich are usually fat with the things that money can buy but their eyes are always searching for something they do not have.

But those same eyes convey an attitude of arrogance and fierceness for all those considered to be a lower class of people.

If they had all the world, they would still be searching for something else because their prideful lust cannot be satisfied.

They are evil continually!

*****Psa 73:8 They are corrupt, and speak wickedly concerning oppression: they speak loftily.

In the Bible times those that were buried were said not to be corrupt until the 4th day. Here we see that those that are rich and wicked are corrupt, their flesh is rotting away, before they die a physical death.

Oppression is the act of imposing unreasonable burdens on others, such as taxes, or services, and even cruelty.

They not only defend their ways, they insist on them, as the way things should be.

They speak as if they were sitting on the judges bench and they expect all the world to stand in awe of them!

I cannot help but think about what is going on in Washington, DC as I study these passages.

*****Psa 73:9 They set their mouth against the heavens, and their tongue walketh through the earth.

With such pride and arrogance they defy Jehovah God and relate Him as just another false religion that are the true troublemakers in this world.

They make themselves the gods of this world and speak down on the ordinary man!

They overcome every obstacle to find victims they can slander and abuse.

They believe that no one and no thing is out of their reach.

They believe they can say anything at anytime and their words will be as they come from God and should be accepted.

What did God ask Satan?

Job 1:7 And the LORD said unto Satan, Whence comest thou? Then Satan answered the LORD, and said, From going to and fro in the earth, and from walking up and down in it.

The wicked rich men of this world carry with them all the traits of Satan.

*****Psa 73:10 Therefore his people return hither: and waters of a full cup are wrung out to them.

Because of all these things God's people return to Him over and over again complaining that the wicked evil prosper while God's people suffer persecution and some of it is terrible.

They become full of doubt, and confused, thinking that God just does not care and they fall into the same snares of Satan over and over again.

David wrote in the 23 Psalm these words:

Psa 23:5 Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; "my cup runneth over".

Here in this verse we see that our cup that was running over with the joy of salvation has now now been wrung out and contain no joy at all.

Paul wrote to Timothy these words:

1Ti 6:10 For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, "they have erred from the faith", and pierced themselves through with many sorrows.

We see that when we earnestly desire the things of this world we will begin to doubt our faith.

Sorrow is uneasiness or the pain in our minds but this pain in our minds will penetrate deep into our being and interfere with our walk with God.

And how do the ungodly respond in our weakness?

*****Psa 73:11 And they say, How doth God know? and is there knowledge in the most High?
Psa 73:12 Behold, these are the ungodly, who prosper in the world; they increase in riches.
Psa 73:13 Verily I have cleansed my heart in vain, and washed my hands in innocency.

Those that reject the truth of God will say even if there is a God, He is not concerned with what is going on in this world.

They will flatter themselves thinking that what they are doing is not observed from Heaven.

They will say even if there be a God, He does not deal with us on a personal level.

They will just say how can God know all these things.

And all those that desire those same riches will get caught up in this foolishness.

This is one of the greatest stumbling blocks of true faith!

The ungodly seem to prosper while the godly suffer.

These who have no respect for other human beings and deserve to be chased out of this world become the owners of most of the world and no matter the laws, or who sits as ruler, they increase in riches.

It has amazed me in America that not only have the rich gotten richer and the poor gotten poorer but those that have always been in the middle are now come under full attack of the rich.

There is no transfer of wealth of the rich to the poor, there is only a transfer of wealth from the middle to the rich and all but them become poor.

We are so easily deceived by the work of Satan!

Poor Asaph questions the value of holiness and his own salvation just as many others have throughout all generations.

Asaph was a prophet of God yet he too fell into this same snare of the Devil.

Who are we to think we cannot fall into this same trap?

Asaph had kept his walk with the Lord as pure as he had his inner being but he was full of doubt at this time of the rewards of his salvation, saying how can these things be true?

*****Psa 73:14 For all the day long have I been plagued, and chastened every morning.

When we are struggling with our salvation, we will find that God may be working on us the most.

It will seem that the more effort we put into living a holy life, the more we are being tested in our faith.

What is the truth?

1Pe 1:7 That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ:
1Pe 1:8 Whom having not seen, ye love; in whom, though now ye see him not, yet believing, ye rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory:
1Pe 1:9 Receiving the end of your faith, even the salvation of your souls.

The trials of our faith are precious to the Lord.

We all know that a faith that cannot be tested cannot be trusted!

There is not a day that goes by that the Christian is not on God's training ground and we must accept that God knows what He is doing in our lives!

It is always best to accept what God is doing is best for us and keep our own personal thoughts between us and our God.

*****Psa 73:15 If I say, I will speak thus; behold, I should offend against the generation of thy children.
Psa 73:16 When I thought to know this, it was too painful for me;

It is not always wise to speak one's thoughts to other believers.

Jas 3:14 But if ye have bitter envying and strife in your hearts, glory not, and lie not against the truth.
Jas 3:15 This wisdom descendeth not from above, but is earthly, sensual, devilish.
Jas 3:16 For where envying and strife is, there is confusion and every evil work.

We must always look at the consequences of our speech to others especially to those of the Church!

1Co 8:12 But when ye sin so against the brethren, and wound their weak conscience, ye sin against Christ.

Asaph decided to bridle his tongue and this is the same thing we should all do.

The thoughts of causing harm to our family of God should over come any desire to say anything that could cause problems with our Church family.

We really have only one answer to all life's problems, we must take them to the Lord!

*****Psa 73:17 Until I went into the sanctuary of God; then understood I their end.

The solution to these problems and all others that can interfere with our relationship with the Lord can only be found in the presence of God!

God is righteous but also merciful!

God is holy but also forgiving!

We must change our point of view, away from the things of this world, to the things of the glory world!

The solution to these things is not in our present world.

Our solution comes by the resurrection of Jesus Christ and the New World to come!

Hell awaits the ungodly, while Heaven awaits all those that God has redeemed through the blood of His Son!

When we understand the end of all the ungodly and wicked people on this earth, we will not desire the things they have on this earth that will only lead to their own destruction!

It is at the house of God where we can hear the preaching of the truth.

It is at the house of God where we can join others in the study of God's Word.

It is at the house of God where we can fellowship with others who are going through or have already gone through the things that seem to cause us the most problems.

It is at the house of God where we can learn the joy of the Lord.

The end for the saints of God is peace, rest, and salvation.

The end of the wicked is ruin, destruction, and death!

What did Jesus say to the rich man?

Luk 12:20 But God said unto him, Thou fool, this night thy soul shall be required of thee: then whose shall those things be, which thou hast provided?
Luk 12:21 So is he that layeth up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God.

When we open our eyes to the truth of God we will see the future of all those that reject the Lord Jesus Christ and we will not want any part of the things that they think they possess!

The Bible says "to be not envious of evil men nor desire to be with them".

The feet of the evil are on slippery ground.

*****Psa 73:18 Surely thou didst set them in slippery places: thou castedst them down into destruction.

What did Asaph realize?

It is God who sits on the throne. Those that are rich, prosperous and powerful did not get that way by accident. God had made these arrangements.

These things from God were not intended to bless these wicked people.

God pointed out that no man can stand on his own without God and the higher they are the more dangerous the places of riches and honor.

It can be treacherous feeling standing on slippery ground.

It is God that set them up and it is God that will bring them down unless they find the will of God for their lives just like all others.

Many of them end in temporary destruction on this earth and everlasting destruction from where there is no escape.

*****Psa 73:19 How are they brought into desolation, as in a moment! they are utterly consumed with terrors.
Psa 73:20 As a dream when one awaketh; so, O Lord, when thou awakest, thou shalt despise their image.

Many rich and powerful people fall suddenly!

The destruction of Pharaoh came suddenly in the midst of the Red Sea.

The destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah came suddenly.

The destruction Korah came suddenly as the earth opened up and engulfed them.

And that destruction was not only came suddenly but that destruction was full of terror.

Pharaoh felt the terror of drowning.

The people of Sodom and Gomorrah were fleeing from the heat of the flame.

The family of Korah felt the terror of falling into the bottomless pit.

All those that forget they owe their existence to the Living God will see all their possessions taken away from them or just given to someone else.

Their life will seem as dream turned into a nightmare.

When the Lord returns to judge this world, it will not be a pleasant day for those that have rejected His Word.

It is in the wisdom of the Lord that lies true riches.

Rom 11:33 O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! how unsearchable are his judgments, and his ways past finding out!

*****Psa 73:22 So foolish was I, and ignorant: I was as a beast before thee.
Psa 73:23 Nevertheless I am continually with thee: thou hast holden me by my right hand.

When we finally awaken to the truth of God it is like a light bulb goes off in our brains and we will realize how foolish we really are.

Not just foolish but truly stupid to envy those that are on such a path of destruction.

Knowing what God says will change the way we think.

Remember to repent is not just saying I'm sorry.

Repenting is not just changing our direction from the ways of the world to the ways of God.

Repenting is also a complete change in the way we think of sin!

Animals do not have the ability to see the errors of their way and change but God's people are not and never have been any part of the animal world!

Animals cannot ask for forgiveness.

Envy is a terrible sin that must be confessed before the Lord and yes, we will be forgiven!

Our sin nature places us just barely above the animal world but our faith places us in close proximity to the Lord.

It is the Lord that holds our hand even when we are on the slippery slopes of this world.

Asaph had come close to falling into this snare of the Devil but it was the Word of God and the sanctuary of God that had awakened him to the truth.

*****Psa 73:24 Thou shalt guide me with thy counsel, and afterward receive me to glory.

We must be done with choosing our own way.

We do not possess the knowledge to pick our own path in this sinful world.

We must ask to be led by the Lord and we must then follow obediently.

When we pray that sinners prayer we are asking to Lord to take control of our lives.

The Lord will then awaken us to His Word which will show us the correct path to follow.

It is our willingness to obey the Word of God and listen to The Holy Spirit that will guide us through sanctification in our walk with the Lord and the end result is "glorification".

1Pe 1:4 To an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for you,
1Pe 1:5 Who are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.

*****Psa 73:25 Whom have I in heaven but thee? and there is none upon earth that I desire beside thee.

When we are able to turn away from the glitter of this world and turn toward God we can focus on true riches that are everlasting.

In Heaven we have God the Father, who will keep all His covenants.

In Heaven we have God the Son, our Mediator, our Savior, and our Redeemer and our Intercessor.

In Heaven we have God the Holy Spirit who is our Comforter who has sealed us until we get to Heaven.

There is nothing on this earth that can compare to the things in Heaven.

Isa 64:4 For since the beginning of the world men have not heard, nor perceived by the ear, neither hath the eye seen, O God, beside thee, what he hath prepared for him that waiteth for him.

*****Psa 73:26 My flesh and my heart faileth: but God is the strength of my heart, and my portion for ever.

This world we live in will cause our heart to fail.

This world we live in will cause our flesh to fail.

But when the Lord is our strength we simply cannot fail because the Lord will not allow it!

We need to place all our desires at the feet of the Lord, there is nothing more desirable than to know the Lord.

Friendship with the world will breed envy but the Holy Spirit is more jealous of us than this world we live in and He will not be overcome.

Our God will live forever and He wants us to be with Him forever!

*****Psa 73:27 For, lo, they that are far from thee shall perish: thou hast destroyed all them that go a whoring from thee.
Psa 73:28 But it is good for me to draw near to God: I have put my trust in the Lord GOD, that I may declare all thy works.

God expects a close and personal relationship with Him, so we must be near to God to live. Sin creates distance between us and the Lord.

Our God is a jealous God that requires us to serve Him and Him only!

God sees deep into the heart and will destroy pretenders of the faith along with all unbelievers!

What did Asaph finally realize?

He realized that if he had never doubted the Lord to begin with, he would not be suffering all these things!

The closer we cling to Jesus, the safer we will be in this world we live.

What is the realization of providence of the Lord?

That nothing happens on this earth that our Father in Heaven does not have ultimate control over.

Nothing on this Earth is subject to fate!

God did not create our world and then just go somewhere to leave it operating on it's own!

God is not His own creation!

God is not in a battle between good and evil!

God has no limits and there is nothing that happens on this earth that God has no control over.

Col 1:16 For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him:
Col 1:17 And he is before all things, and by him all things consist.

One of the greatest verses in the Bible says this:

Rom 8:28 And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.

We must accept that God knows what He is doing and our job is to trust Him and tell others how wonderful He truly is!

Questions?

Let's Pray!

Proclaim The Lord

Proclaim The Lord

Psalm 71


Proclaim means to announce, or to publish and we should be continuously proclaiming the Lord.

We cannot proclaim the Lord until we have placed our salvation into His hands.

We cannot proclaim the Lord until we know Him on a close and personal level.

We have been working on ways to improve our walk with the Lord and it is our walk with the Lord that other people first see, so to proclaim the Lord begins when others can notice the change in our lives after salvation.

Let's Begin:

*****Psa 71:1  In thee, O LORD, do I put my trust: let me never be put to confusion.

The first thing we notice about this psalm is that the writer is anonymous, still most believe it was David that wrote this psalm.

This psalm has no title. In other words once we know the Lord Jesus Christ as our Savior, any of us should be able to write this psalm.

We cannot be saved unless we have this confidence in the Lord. We cannot live a joyful life unless we put our trust in the Lord!

Everyday we live is another day we must trust the Lord to meet our needs and guard against any trust in our own selves to provide those needs.

We will certainly trust the Lord when we are on the mountain but we must also trust the Lord when we are in our deepest valleys.

God requires a close intimate relationship and the closer that relationship is, the more we will trust Him!

Confusion about our relationship with the Lord will only bring shame. So as long as we live in this world we must never feel ashamed to be a Christian.

A good way to begin every prayer is to proclaim to the Lord just how much we trust Him!

*****Psa 71:2  Deliver me in thy righteousness, and cause me to escape: incline thine ear unto me, and save me.

It is only after we have placed our trust in the Lord that we can be delivered from a life of sin!

Where should we get our faith?

Heb 11:1  Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.

The "substance" of our "faith" is the promises that God makes in His Written Word.

And without this "faith" we cannot please God.

Heb 11:6  But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.

Jehovah God is a righteous God and it is a righteous thing for God to keep His promises.

But we must be just as righteous in our own "faith" in God to keep those promises!

When we ask for the right things to fulfill God's purpose in our lives and we ask in the right "faith" then these things cannot be turned down!

We must have confidence in this fact!

We must have confidence in this promise!

Mat 21:21  Jesus answered and said unto them, Verily I say unto you, "If ye have faith, and doubt not", ye shall not only do this which is done to the fig tree, but also if ye shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; "it shall be done".

It is this faith that brings with it eternal salvation but it is that same faith that will also save us from many of the turmoils of this life!

*****Psa 71:3  Be thou "my" strong habitation, whereunto I may continually resort: thou hast given commandment to save me; for thou art my rock and my fortress.

We have a Savior who is so faithful to us that He will allow us to live in His house and their is no place safer to abode!

1Jn 4:15  Whosoever shall confess that Jesus is the Son of God, God dwelleth in him, and he in God.
1Jn 4:16  And we have known and believed the love that God hath to us. God is love; "and he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God, and God in him".

God is our strong house!

We will live in God's House forever!

God has given His commandment to save us!

Psa 91:11  For he shall give his angels charge over thee, to keep thee in all thy ways.

Again that word "my" is used because it is a personal thing with God to take great care of those He loves!

*****Psa 71:4  Deliver me, O my God, out of the hand of the wicked, out of the hand of the unrighteous and cruel man.
Psa 71:5  For thou art my hope, O Lord GOD: thou art my trust from my youth.

To know the Lord Jesus as our Savior, places us on the winning side!

In King Solomon's words of wisdom, he stated that "all things come alike to all people".

In other words the same troubles come to all people.

The same temptations come to all people.

Those that are wicked may win a few battles against us but in the end it is God's people who have a deliverer and His name is Christ Jesus.

Every time a soul is saved, a victory has been taken away from the Devil!

The writer of the Psalm may be unknown but we can see that he has trusted in the Lord from his youth to his old age.

He still faced the same problems that all of us face today!

There is still only one answer to life's problems and that is to call on the Lord for deliverance from life's problems.

We all still need God's protection and we should all still desire more opportunities to serve Him.

It is a fact that the safest place for the Christian to be, "is serving in the army of God" and on the front lines!

*****Psa 71:6  By thee have I been holden up from the womb: thou art he that took me out of my mother's bowels: my praise shall be continually of thee.

We will never understand the power of God until we get to Heaven but there should be no doubt in our minds that we are preserved by that power.

The very moment we are born into this world, God is keeping up with us, no matter who we are.

Psa 139:16  Thine eyes did see my substance, yet being unperfect; and in thy book all my members were written, which in continuance were fashioned, when as yet there was none of them.

Just as the architect draws up plans before construction can ever begin our Creator has made such plans for each one of us.

It is when we reject God's plan for us that real turmoil in our life begins!

We must believe in the providence of God!

Act 17:28  For in him we live, and move, and have our being; as certain also of your own poets have said, For we are also his offspring.

*****Psa 71:7  I am as a wonder unto many; but thou art my strong refuge.

The world looks upon the Christian as something that is strange because the world cannot understand the cause of Christ.

The world simply cannot understand how the Christian can separate himself or herself from the things of this world and therefore the world becomes our enemy.

1Pe 4:4  Wherein they think it strange that ye run not with them to the same excess of riot, speaking evil of you:

As Christians, we know our strength to overcome the things of this world comes from God!

We are safe because the Lord is our refuge!

We are strong because of our "Faith"!

*****Psa 71:8  Let my mouth be filled with thy praise and with thy honour all the day.

As Christians we need to do far less complaining and much more praising!

God feeds us with His mercy, we should praise Him for His "Grace"!

*****Psa 71:9  Cast me not off in the time of old age; forsake me not when my strength faileth.

I know as I get older I do not sin doing the things that I used to do but the fact remains that I still sin.

I wonder sometimes if God should not just cast me away and find some one else to take my place.

This writer felt the same way.

When we get old and feeble we sometimes feel that there is just not much we can do in the service of God but that is far from the truth.

When we cannot do the many things because we lack in strength, we have more time to pray!

Prayer is still the greatest weapon in our arsenal!

We are never to old to serve in the Lord's Army and the Lord will never forsake us!

Heb 13:5  Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.

It is alright to be content in doing the things that we still have strength to do until God calls us home.

God still smiles on us in our old age!

Our enemies will just have to get in line with all the others that hate us and that do not understand what it is to not fear death and the things of this world.

*****Psa 71:10  For mine enemies speak against me; and they that lay wait for my soul take counsel together,
Psa 71:11  Saying, God hath forsaken him: persecute and take him; for there is none to deliver him.

As Christians we may have spent our whole saved life telling others about the salvation that brings eternal life but as we come near our own end of days we can still feel that our world is closing in on us.

This is just Satan taunting us to see if he can cause doubt in ourselves and doubt in our Savior.

It is true our enemy will do everything he can to take our joy away from us but we must just cling to Jesus.

There is no worse feeling than that feeling that we are on our own without anyone who really cares for us but this is simply not the truth.

We serve a God who cares!

1Pe 5:6  Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time:
1Pe 5:7  Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.

Our anxiety will disappear if we can just stay focused on our real home!

If we die a physical death before the return of the Lord we must realize that many have gone on before us with these same thoughts.

Heb 11:13  These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off, and were persuaded of them, and embraced them, and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth.

But the true key to our end-time joy is the fact that there is One who is waiting on us with open arms.

2Co 5:8  We are confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord.

*****Psa 71:12  O God, be not far from me: O my God, make haste for my help.
Psa 71:13  Let them be confounded and consumed that are adversaries to my soul; let them be covered with reproach and dishonour that seek my hurt.

It can be said that God is everywhere at all times but because of our sin God will turn away His face from us and He will sometimes seem as a great distance from us.

Just as soon as we repent of our sin God will walk with us hand in hand through our troubles.'

God is never very far from His children.

When the world sees us recovered from our sorrows they are perplexed and Satan is again put to shame.

Satan hates God's children and all the wicked men on this earth belong to Satan. Nothing will satisfy these men but the complete downfall of the Christian!

Every time God picks one of His children back up and sets them on the clear path of sanctification, the adversaries of God are filled with amazement.

Regardless what the Atheist say, even the world of false religion still look upon them as the fools that they are, even every false religion has a god of some type.

They all serve an unknown god but we know Jehovah, the true God!

Isa 41:12  Thou shalt seek them, and shalt not find them, even them that contended with thee: they that war against thee shall be as nothing, and as a thing of nought.
Isa 41:13  For I the LORD thy God will hold thy right hand, saying unto thee, Fear not; I will help thee.

*****Psa 71:14  But I will hope continually, and will yet praise thee more and more.
Psa 71:15  My mouth shall shew forth thy righteousness and thy salvation all the day; for I know not the numbers thereof.

Persecution of God's people has been around since the beginning with the death of Abel by his brother Cain, and will be till the end.

For a short period of time, Christianity was accepted as just another religion in the time of the Apostle Paul's first trial but before Paul died by being beheaded, Rome and most of the world, had banned Christianity.

Persecution has always been used as means to silence the Church but the Church has always grown during persecution.

What did Jesus say was the cause of persecution?

Joh 15:22  "If I had not come and spoken unto them, they had not had sin": but now they have no cloke for their sin.

People just do not want to hear that they live a life of sin but this is what the "Gospel of Jesus Christ" teaches!

It is the Christian who has received the truth and relishes in that truth!

Mat 5:10  Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness' sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Mat 5:11  Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake.
Mat 5:12  Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you.

When we cannot rejoice in what we have on this earth we can rejoice in what we will have in Heaven!

Our hope is in the Lord, we cannot allow persecution to interfere with the job that God has given us to do!

We must still praise the Lord more and more!

We are to continue to bear witness of the Lord Jesus Christ in our lives!

Our greatest weapon besides our sincere and persistent prayer life is the way we conduct ourselves before our enemies!

People will not listen to what we say unless we living the life of Christ Jesus!

Now is the time to proclaim Jesus, for none of us know how many days we have left to do what God has commanded us to do!

The Devil will rage against us until the day we die but the Devil is on the loosing side!

We are on the winning side!

*****Psa 71:16  I will go in the strength of the Lord GOD: I will make mention of thy righteousness, even of thine only.

We cannot do the work of God in our own strength!

But we are the legs, the arms, and the mouth of the "Gospel"!

There must be a complete union between us and the Lord!

Once we invite the Lord into our lives we can never be severed from Him in our salvation but we must walk in His ways to be fruitful.

Joh 15:4  Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me.
Joh 15:5  I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.

We must abide in the Lord's righteousness in order to bring forth His righteousness to all people!

2Co 13:8  For we can do nothing against the truth, but for the truth.

Our own righteousness is not fit to be mentioned!

Isa 64:6  But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags; and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away.

Our own righteousness will lead to death, it is the righteousness of the Lord that will lead to eternal and everlasting life.

*****Psa 71:17  O God, thou hast taught me from my youth: and hitherto have I declared thy wondrous works.
Psa 71:18  Now also when I am old and grayheaded, O God, forsake me not; until I have shewed thy strength unto this generation, and thy power to every one that is to come.

The Bible says to train up a child in the way he should go.

The writer of this Psalm had been properly trained in the things of God from his youth. Many of us including myself began our younger days in church but many also did not.

It is important to get our children in church as soon as we can.

There are no children that are too young to be taught about the Lord Jesus Christ!

I know I went my own way for 40 years but when I returned to the Lord, I still remembered many of those old gospel songs. I still remembered the important things of the gospel. I still remembered the Lord Jesus Christ.

And I am ashamed that I wasted all those years not serving my Savior!

Now, when I am old and grayheaded I also pray that I can still be used of God!

I threw away many opportunities to teach my own children about Jesus but I thank the Lord Jesus for this time He has given to me to show His strength to those of this generation we live in now.

I am still not the witness I need to be but I am far better than I was.

God is still teaching me as an old man!

There is no God like my God!

*****Psa 71:19  Thy righteousness also, O God, is very high, who hast done great things: O God, who is like unto thee!

God is alone, who can resemble Him?

God is eternal, God cannot be limited or bound, God is unchangeable, God is incomprehensible, God is pure, in fact the truth is that my God cannot be expressed in words!

There are not enough words in our vocabulary, nor are our minds capable of knowing the entirety of God's greatness!

Isa 55:9  For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.

*****Psa 71:20  Thou, which hast shewed me great and sore troubles, shalt quicken me again, and shalt bring me up again from the depths of the earth.
Psa 71:21  Thou shalt increase my greatness, and comfort me on every side.

A life lived for the Lord will not ever end!

The testimony of our service for the Lord will continue, even after our death!

We have an ongoing life with the Lord far beyond this life and far beyond the grave with a future resurrection in a glorified body.

And if we allow the Lord full control of our lives until we reach that point of going home, our greatness shall continue to increase.

It would be a sad day to stand before the Lord with empty hands!

But it will be a great day to feel the eternal comfort of the Lord!

*****Psa 71:22  I will also praise thee with the psaltery, even thy truth, O my God: unto thee will I sing with the harp, O thou Holy One of Israel.

Love so amazing as that of the Lord deserves our greatest praise.

In fact our praise is meaningless to the Lord, if our praise does not come from a rejoicing heart.

Not only are we to praise the Lord with our lips but we are to praise Him with every fiber of our body and every instrument we can use.

Who is this Holy One of Israel? He is our Creator!

Isa 17:7  At that day shall a man look to his Maker, and his eyes shall have respect to the Holy One of Israel.

And our Creator is also our Redeemer!

*****Psa 71:23  My lips shall greatly rejoice when I sing unto thee; and my soul, which thou hast redeemed.

To be redeemed is to be a special possession that belongs to God!

Tit 2:14  Who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works.
Tit 2:15  These things speak, and exhort, and rebuke with all authority. Let no man despise thee.

That word "peculiar" means a special possession and a private property.

The Church is the private property of the Lord!

A private property is that thing set aside for the sole use of the owner and out of reach of the government.

It is the job of the Church to declare who we belong too and this will also show in our good works.

1Pe 2:15  For so is the will of God, that with well doing ye may put to silence the ignorance of foolish men:
1Pe 2:16  As free, and not using your liberty for a cloke of maliciousness, but as the servants of God.

Those good works will also include our praise!

*****Psa 71:24  My tongue also shall talk of thy righteousness all the day long: for they are confounded, for they are brought unto shame, that seek my hurt.

Those who proclaim the Lord Jesus are at peace with God!

Those who proclaim the Lord Jesus live in hope of the resurrection.

Those who proclaim the Lord Jesus will be filled with praise for Him.

Those who proclaim the Lord Jesus have a message for this dying world!

Act 2:21  And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved.

That message is trust in the Lord Jesus Christ and be saved!

Questions?

Let's Pray!

Repenting

Repent Before The Lord

Psalms 51


There can be no doubt the purpose of this Psalm.

To the chief Musician, A Psalm of David, when Nathan the prophet came unto him, after he had gone in to Bathsheba.

This Psalm is about King David begging for mercy because of his sin with Bathsheba.

What was David's sin? He despised the commandment of the Lord.

2Sa 12:9  "Wherefore hast thou despised the commandment of the LORD, to do evil in his sight"? thou hast killed Uriah the Hittite with the sword, and hast taken his wife to be thy wife, and hast slain him with the sword of the children of Ammon.

God said "there is a way that seems right to man, but the end there of are the ways of death".

What is personal accountability?

We simply do not want to own our own sin.

We will try our best to make excuses for our sin.

We will try our best to blame our sin on some other thing or on some other person.

But sin is a choice!

Rom 1:21  Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; "but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened".

The Bible relates sin in at least three different ways.

1) Sin means missing the mark.

Our standard is our sinless Lord Jesus Christ. God expects us to come as close as we can to this standard. When we sin we miss the mark but we are not alone.

Jesus Christ is the glory of our Father in Heaven but God says this about all humans.

Rom 3:23  For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;

2) Sin is described as a transgression.

Transgression is human rebelliousness. We know what God's commandments require of us, yet we choose to disobey.

1Jn 3:4  Whosoever committeth sin transgresseth also the law: for sin is the transgression of the law.

3) Sin is described as iniquity.

Iniquity points out disobedience but iniquity also points out the guilt that comes from that iniquity.

Psa 31:10  For my life is spent with grief, and my years with sighing: my strength faileth because of mine iniquity, and my bones are consumed.

And what are the consequences of sin?

Rom 6:23  For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Let's begin:

*****Psa 51:1  Have mercy upon me, O God, according to thy lovingkindness: according unto the multitude of thy tender mercies blot out my transgressions.

We know from this story of David that for over a year David had carried this sin in secret. It had eating away at him to the point of causing him physical and emotional problems.

When Nathan, the prophet of God confronted David with his sin, David quickly realized there are no secrets that can be kept from God and it was by God's "Grace" that He had sent Nathan to confront David.

God was allowing David space to repent but he had not repented!

David quickly understood his failure and immediately appealed to the mercy of God.

David ask for mercy before he mentioned his sin.

It is important for us to tell God what sin we have committed, God expects us to realize what He considers sin but like David we may first want to ask for mercy.

God already knows about our sin but God wants us to be sure that we know His Word and what His Word teaches us about sin.

The sight of mercy is good to see after a strained relationship with the Lord!

The "pardon" of our sin is a pure act of mercy on the part of Our Lord!

We must remember what to be pardoned means. To pardon means to reverse a sentence of guilty.

To be pardoned is like that sin never even happened!

Thank goodness we have a God that is merciful!

Mic 7:18  Who is a God like unto thee, that pardoneth iniquity, and passeth by the transgression of the remnant of his heritage? he retaineth not his anger for ever, because he delighteth in mercy.

We are the foolish ones when we do not use the opportunity to repent to get back in God's favor!

Isa 55:7  Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him return unto the LORD, and he will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon.

It is embarrassing to fall into the traps of Satan but it is refreshing to be restored to our Father!

That embarrassment ends when we realize that that sin has been blotted out of God record book!

Act 3:19  Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord;
Act 3:20  And he shall send Jesus Christ, which before was preached unto you:

*****Psa 51:2  Wash me throughly from mine iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin.
Psa 51:3  For I acknowledge my transgressions: and my sin is ever before me.

We must remember it is not enough to just blot out our sin, our soul is housed in defiled flesh and that flesh contains the sin nature of Adam.

We need a good cleansing!

That washing must be thorough.

That washing must be repeated over and over again until we get home to the Lord's house.

Chastisement must be looked upon as God removing our defective parts!

We need at least a daily washing to stay as clean as we possibly can be until the Lord comes to take us home.

***Sin is like pollution that has polluted our entire nature.

We own our sin!

Sin is that debt that we owe ourselves!

No one else owns our sin and no one else can pay our sin debt!

Sin is a deviation from the straight path of God!

Jas 4:16  But now ye rejoice in your boastings: all such rejoicing is evil.
Jas 4:17  Therefore to him that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is sin.

How are we washed clean of our sin?

Tit 3:5  Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost;
Tit 3:6  Which he shed on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Saviour;

***Sin is lawlessness and it becomes rebellion and leads to a bad attitude before a Holy God!

We must acknowledge our transgressions.

Remember transgressions mean we know what the Word of God says but we refuse to obey it.

And to sin means we have come short of the standard set by the Lord Jesus Christ.

Joh 15:22  If I had not come and spoken unto them, they had not had sin: but now they have no cloke for their sin.

When David sinned, he sinned against Uriah, he sinned against Bathsheba, he sinned against his wife and he sinned against his entire family but most important he sinned against the Lord and we must acknowledge all these things to Him.

*****Psa 51:4  Against thee, thee only, have I sinned, and done this evil in thy sight: that thou mightest be justified when thou speakest, and be clear when thou judgest.

When we realize how our sin has affected the life of others we will have that increased feeling that we have sinned against God.

When we cause injury to those around us it is because we have gone against the Word of God!

***To sin is a choice we make and in doing so we have placed our own selves higher than anyone in this world and before our Savior from the glory world.

I find it truly embarrassing to face my Father in Heaven knowing I have done wrong and knowing He has witnessed me doing that wrong thing!

We must realize we have no excuse and no means of argument against the truth of God.

We must also realize that God has every right to chastise us when we have gone against His Word.

Our God is a righteous God and He gets no pleasure out of seeing our sin and He also gets no pleasure in His chastisement but that chastisement must come because of God's righteousness.

BUT, God takes great pleasure in forgiving sin because He is faithful to the work of His Son on Calvary's cross!

*****Psa 51:5  Behold, I was shapen in iniquity; and in sin did my mother conceive me.

There is no sin in the act of conception when it is carried out in the bond of marriage.

We are not sinners because we sin, "we sin because have a sin nature"!

This is the sin nature passed down from Adam.

Adam yielded to the assaults of temptation and all mankind since that time have to face the temptations of this world and we all fail.

This is not an excuse to sin, it is a reality of who we are!

We cannot be saved until we know are sinners in need of our Savior.

We cannot be forgiven until we realize the sinful things we do and ask for forgiveness and that forgiveness is promised.

1Jn 1:8  If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.
1Jn 1:9  If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
1Jn 1:10  If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.

The reality of these things is we must desire the truth!

God's Word Is True!

*****Psa 51:6  Behold, thou desirest truth in the inward parts: and in the hidden part thou shalt make me to know wisdom.

To behold is to give this matter of sin great consideration!

God not only requires us to be obedient to His Word but God also requires us to know the truth of how far we come up short of His ideals.

We must not ever forget our example in this life is Jesus Christ who was sinless!

What are God's demands for us? God demands sanctification!

Sanctification is the process of being made holy. It is only the work of Jesus Christ on that cross that makes it possible for us to move from being in sin to being holy in the eyes of God!

God says:

Lev 20:7  Sanctify yourselves therefore, and be ye holy: for I am the LORD your God.
Lev 20:8  And ye shall keep my statutes, and do them: I am the LORD which sanctify you.

*****Psa 51:7  Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean: wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.

Hyssop was a small shrub that was used to sprinkle blood and water over the cleansed leper, symbolizing his purification and cleansing.

It was also the hyssop that was used to in the sprinkling of blood on the door post of the Israelites on that first Passover.

Lev 14:6  As for the living bird, he shall take it, and the cedar wood, and the scarlet, and the hyssop, and shall dip them and the living bird in the blood of the bird that was killed over the running water:
Lev 14:7  And he shall sprinkle upon him that is to be cleansed from the leprosy seven times, and shall pronounce him clean, and shall let the living bird loose into the open field.

We must realize it is only by the blood of Jesus that the stain of sin can be removed!

Who are the ones who will make it to God's Heavenly Home?

Wash me Lord, make me clean!

Eph 5:26  That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word,
Eph 5:27  That he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish.

*****Psa 51:8  Make me to hear joy and gladness; that the bones which thou hast broken may rejoice.

When we are in distress because of our sin, the only thing that will bring joy is forgiveness!

The salvation by the Lord Jesus is a certain and permanent thing but when we carry sin in our heart we will lose the joy of our salvation until we repent and return to the Lord.

God's voice of peace is the sweetest music we can hear!

When we carry the weight of sin, it will become a burden that we cannot over come.

The Lord Jesus Christ has already carried that burden of sin to the cross, we are foolish to try to carry any burden of sin during our life time.

It took the death of Jesus to pay our sin debt. Sin will break your bones as it breaks your life!

Psa 55:22  Cast thy burden upon the LORD, and he shall sustain thee: he shall never suffer the righteous to be moved.

We need to cast that burden upon the Lord.

*****Psa 51:9  Hide thy face from my sins, and blot out all mine iniquities.

***What is the one main thing that comes between us and God in our relationship? It is sin!

Here David is saying "Lord do not look upon my sin". "Do not allow my foolishness to come between us".

Nothing but a complete pardon will ever satisfy this request!

And how loving is our God?

Mic 7:18  Who is a God like unto thee, that pardoneth iniquity, and passeth by the transgression of the remnant of his heritage? he retaineth not his anger for ever, because he delighteth in mercy.
Mic 7:19  He will turn again, he will have compassion upon us; he will subdue our iniquities; and thou wilt cast all their sins into the depths of the sea.

We should all pray, please God don't just blot out my transgression of today but blot out all my iniquities, the sin I know I have done all my life.

And how loving is our God?

Col 2:14  Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to his cross;

For only then can we be "Born Again"!

*****Psa 51:10  Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me.

Jesus had these words for Nicodemus:

Joh 3:3  Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.

Only God can create in the sense of making something out of nothing. This is exactly what happened when God created our world!

Heb 11:3  Through faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that things which are seen were not made of things which do appear.

When we pray the sinners prayer we are asking the Lord to create something new that is not within us.

When we come into this earth we do not have a clean heart.

When we come into this world we do not have the right spirit.

We must be "Born Again" and our spirit must be renewed!

Eph 4:22  That ye put off concerning the former conversation the old man, which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts;
Eph 4:23  And be renewed in the spirit of your mind;
Eph 4:24  And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness.

*****Psa 51:11  Cast me not away from thy presence; and take not thy holy spirit from me.
Psa 51:12  Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation; and uphold me with thy free spirit.

In the time of Adam, his son Cain was banished from the presence of his family.

Being "Born Again" by the blood of Jesus, we will never be banished, we will always have access to our new family and to all our own family that have gone on before us, when we all gather together in Heaven.

This is a great privilege that God has allowed us.

1Co 13:12  For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known.

Besides the supreme privilege of seeing the Lord Jesus Christ, there is great joy in salvation knowing that we will once again see our loved ones who have gone on before us!

Our salvation is eternal! If God has the power and ability to save us, then He certainly has the power and the ability to hold onto us!

Rom 8:30  Moreover whom he did predestinate, them he also called: and whom he called, them he also justified: and whom he justified, them he also glorified.

Once "Born Again", having been justified, we begin that time of sanctification and when the Lord calls us up to meet Him in the clouds we will all be glorified!

No one will be left behind, except those that belong to Belial!

1Jn 3:2  Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is.

What are we to be doing today?

*****Psa 51:13  Then will I teach transgressors thy ways; and sinners shall be converted unto thee.

David knew that even though he was King of Israel, he had another more important job to do also.

David was also a prophet of God.

Act 2:29  Men and brethren, let me freely speak unto you of the patriarch David, that he is both dead and buried, and his sepulchre is with us unto this day.
Act 2:30  Therefore "being a prophet", and knowing that God had sworn with an oath to him, that of the fruit of his loins, according to the flesh, he would raise up Christ to sit on his throne;
Act 2:31  He seeing this before spake of the resurrection of Christ, that his soul was not left in hell, neither his flesh did see corruption.

We sometimes forget that we are also sinners, saved by the "Grace" of God.

1Co 6:9  Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind,
1Co 6:10  Nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God.
1Co 6:11  And such were some of you: but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God.

It is our own salvation experience that can be used as an example and a testimony to others who are still doing what we have been saved from doing.

And God says:

Jas 5:19  Brethren, if any of you do err from the truth, and one convert him;
Jas 5:20  Let him know, that he which converteth the sinner from the error of his way shall save a soul from death, and shall hide a multitude of sins.

Pro 11:30  The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life; and he that winneth souls is wise.

This is the same job we all have after we are saved!

*****Psa 51:14  Deliver me from bloodguiltiness, O God, thou God of my salvation: and my tongue shall sing aloud of thy righteousness.

As we know from our other studies, David was guilty of the death of Uriah, a true national hero of the Jews.

David is confessing that fact.

David also knew that committing the sin of adultery was a capitol offense under Jewish law.

David knew he deserved death!

David knew that God hates these actions from any man! David had also written Psalms 6.

Psa 5:6  Thou shalt destroy them that speak leasing: the LORD will abhor the bloody and deceitful man.

To be hated of God is an awful thing and no human being can escape the law of God!

But Nathan had also given David a warning.

2Sa 12:10  Now therefore the sword shall never depart from thine house; because thou hast despised me, and hast taken the wife of Uriah the Hittite to be thy wife.

Our sin will almost always affect our families!

David was seeking to be free from the guilt and the condemnation of this sin.

***We must realize just how terrible sin is and how it can affect our lives just to realize just how wretched we are!

The Apostle Paul also realized these same things:

Rom 7:24  O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death?
Rom 7:25  I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord. So then with the mind I myself serve the law of God; but with the flesh the law of sin.

SO, What does true confession bring about?

Rom 8:1  There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.
Rom 8:2  For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death.

This is our greatest reason to praise the Lord!

*****Psa 51:15  O Lord, open thou my lips; and my mouth shall shew forth thy praise.

When we face the Lord with our sin, there can be no excuses. To sin is a choice that we make. We must confess our sin before the Lord and then we must remain quiet until we hear the judgment of the Lord.

***Our God is faithful to be obedient to His own Word!

1Jn 1:9  If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

If God opens our mouths by removing our sense of guilt then He expects something in return!

How can we not praise Him!

*****Psa 51:16  For thou desirest not sacrifice; else would I give it: thou delightest not in burnt offering.
Psa 51:17  The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit: a broken and a contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise.

The praise from our mouths is far better than any sacrifice we could offer.

To praise the Lord shows our faith that we have been forgiven.

To praise the Lord shows our love for Him and glorifies Him.

If God required anything else, we would be foolish to not get it for Him for such a forgiveness.

This would then be a works doctrine and God is not about works, God is all about "Faith"!

To offer up a burnt offering, meant that some animal was taken to a priest and that priest would offer up the animal in your name.

That animal already belonged to God!

It is foolish to believe that we could offer any other sacrifice "than ourselves" that would be pleasing to the Lord!

The sacrifice that God requires are a "broken spirit" because of our sin!

Psa 34:18  The LORD is nigh unto them that are of a broken heart; and saveth such as be of a contrite spirit.

The broken and the contrite heart because of sin are not despised by the Lord!

They are accepted as a suitable sacrifices through the Lord Jesus Christ and will bring an everlasting salvation!

The Word of God delivered by the Holy Spirit will break the heart of a sinner and only then will God save them!

Once we have repented and are back in favor with God we can then be a blessing to others.

*****Psa 51:18  Do good in thy good pleasure unto Zion: build thou the walls of Jerusalem.

It was on the hill called Zion where David had determined to build the Temple that Solomon did build after the death of his father, King David.

David requested that God not allow his personal sin to interfere with the construction of the Temple.

As Christians we should pray that God not allow our sin to hinder the Church in any way.

When we fall into the snares of the devil, our own actions can become a stumbling block to those around us, especially to our own families.

Salvation is our wall between us and this evil world we live in.

And we must offer up ourselves as spiritual sacrifices!

1Pe 2:4  To whom coming, as unto a living stone, disallowed indeed of men, but chosen of God, and precious,
1Pe 2:5  Ye also, as lively stones, are built up a spiritual house, an holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God by Jesus Christ.

These are the sacrifices that please God!

*****Psa 51:19  Then shalt thou be pleased with the sacrifices of righteousness, with burnt offering and whole burnt offering: then shall they offer bullocks upon thine altar.

As the saved children of God we expect for our prayers to be answered but God is only pleased with us when we bring our best.

The Lord Jesus Christ paid our sin debt. There are no more sacrifices that can be offered for our sin!

Eph 5:1  Be ye therefore followers of God, as dear children;
Eph 5:2  And walk in love, as Christ also hath loved us, and hath given himself for us an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweetsmelling savour.

Just like David we must follow the proper way of confession of our sins and we must then repent.

Sometimes it is the preaching of God's Word that will wake us up to confession of our sin.

Sometimes it is God's Heavenly Hickory that will wake us up to confession of our sin.

Sometimes it is Holy Ghost conviction that will wake us up to confess our sin.

God will always provide a means of and a method of confession and that will lead us to repentance because this is the only reason God came to this earth to begin with!

Mat 9:12  But when Jesus heard that, he said unto them, They that be whole need not a physician, but they that are sick.
Mat 9:13  But go ye and learn what that meaneth, I will have mercy, and not sacrifice: for I am not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.

Jesus did not die just so He could heal the sick.

Jesus died on that cross to save all of us that know we are sinners in need of a Savior!

Questions?

Let's Pray!

Praising The Lord

Praise The Lord

Psalms 47


Our English word "praise" comes from the Latin word "pretium". Pretium means "price" or "value".

Praise may be bestowed upon unworthy objects or for the wrong reasons but true praise consists of a sincere acknowledgment of a real conviction of worth.

In other words the object of our praise should be of great value spiritually!

Praise is inspired by a sense of worthiness!

There can only be "One" who can be the "object" of our praise!

Rev 4:11  Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created.

There can only be "One" who can be the "reason" for our praise!

Rev 5:12  Saying with a loud voice, Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power, and riches, and wisdom, and strength, and honour, and glory, and blessing.

And there are certain ways that we must offer up praise to our Lord.

Let's begin:

*****Psa 47:1  To the chief Musician, A Psalm for the sons of Korah. O clap your hands, all ye people; shout unto God with the voice of triumph.

Today, hand clapping has come to mean simply applause for a performance.

Those that enjoyed the performance clapped while those that did not remained silent.

Applause is expressed with the hands as acclamation is expressed with our voices.

In Bible times when people gathered for their kings or rulers acclamation was performed by a chorus of music, especially instructed for that purpose.

In other words professionals were hired for the chorus.

But many are not aware that there were professionals hired also for applause.

Persons were also appointed for the purpose of applauding or clapping and even special teachers were employed to teach the art of clapping.

The applause was even divided into choruses and placed opposite to each other just like the choristers in some cathedrals are today.

How many of you have ever witnessed our own president when he comes to certain events, he can hardly speak without certain ones breaking out in applause or standing ovations.

We can be sure at least some of these are professionals!

In the Bible the clapping of hands was to be about praise not so much enjoyment. Worship is not about our own enjoyment!

In the Bible the clapping of hands was to be about triumph not about our own entertainment!

What is worship?

What is the truth of the Bible?

Only God is to be worshiped!

What did Jesus say to Satan?

Mat 4:9  And saith unto him, All these things will I give thee, if thou wilt fall down and worship me.
Mat 4:10  Then saith Jesus unto him, Get thee hence, Satan: for it is written, "Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve".

This has not changed but it seems today that many places built for the worship of God are more about entertainment for those that come.

The Lord Jesus Christ can receive worship only because He is equal with God just as is the Holy Spirit.

2Co 13:14  The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Ghost, be with you all. Amen.

Our worship must be in accordance with the truth that God has revealed to us or it is not acceptable in the eyes of God!

Joh 4:24  God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.

Our worship must involve presenting our entire being to God!

Rom 12:1  I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.
Rom 12:2  And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.

Our worship must involve making a joyful noise unto Our Lord!

Psa 98:4  Make a joyful noise unto the LORD, all the earth: make a loud noise, and rejoice, and sing praise.

Our worship must include shouting the victory!

1Co 15:57  But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.

Who are the ones directed to worship?

"All ye people".

These are the ones who gather to worship the One True Living God!

These are the same ones who are to also carry this message of worship to all the people of this earth!

What is this message?

The prophecy of our soon coming King!

*****Psa 47:2  For the LORD most high is terrible; he is a great King over all the earth.
Psa 47:3  He shall subdue the people under us, and the nations under our feet.

To the Jews, the Lord most high was called "El Elyon", God Most High, this emphasizes the supreme God!

It is the Most High God who is the true possessor of Heaven and Earth!

Jesus said:

Luk 10:21  In that hour Jesus rejoiced in spirit, and said, I thank thee, O Father, "Lord of heaven and earth", that thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent, and hast revealed them unto babes: even so, Father; for so it seemed good in thy sight.

That word terrible means the Lord is to be feared and revered and worshiped and at times He can be frightful.

When will He be King?

***Jesus will first return in the clouds to fulfill the hope of the Church:

1Co 15:51  Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed,
1Co 15:52  In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.

1Th 4:16  For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first:
1Th 4:17  Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.

Tit 2:13  Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ;
Tit 2:14  Who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works.

***Jesus will then return to judge the unbelievers left from the Church Age and rescue His people Israel:

Rev 19:11  And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse; and he that sat upon him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he doth judge and make war.

Zec 14:3  Then shall the LORD go forth, and fight against those nations, as when he fought in the day of battle.
Zec 14:4  And his feet shall stand in that day upon the mount of Olives, which is before Jerusalem on the east, and the mount of Olives shall cleave in the midst thereof toward the east and toward the west, and there shall be a very great valley; and half of the mountain shall remove toward the north, and half of it toward the south.

***This will be the time of the inauguration of the millennial reign of King Jesus:

Mic 5:4  And he shall stand and feed in the strength of the LORD, in the majesty of the name of the LORD his God; and they shall abide: for now shall he be great unto the ends of the earth.

Zec 9:10  And I will cut off the chariot from Ephraim, and the horse from Jerusalem, and the battle bow shall be cut off: and he shall speak peace unto the heathen: and his dominion shall be from sea even to sea, and from the river even to the ends of the earth.

You see the battle for eternal life has never been ours, it has always been the Lord's!

This is why all God's people can clap their hands. God's victory is our victory!

The Church has been persecuted since it's beginning but on this day the Lord will place all those that persecuted His Church under our feet!

It is only after the 1000 year millennial reign of King Jesus that the end of this earth will come:

1Co 15:24  Then cometh the end, when he shall have delivered up the kingdom to God, even the Father; when he shall have put down all rule and all authority and power.
1Co 15:25  For he must reign, till he hath put all enemies under his feet.
1Co 15:26  The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death.

Clap your hands Church because the Lord has chosen our inheritance for us.

*****Psa 47:4  He shall choose our inheritance for us, the excellency of Jacob whom he loved. Selah.

God knows what is best for His people in this life and in that eternal life to come, but we must also remember God will not subdue our enemies under us unless we have allowed Him to choose our life-plan in this life.

We must submit our will, our choices, and our desires to the will of our Father, who will return as King.

We should remember what Jesus said:

Joh 14:2  In my Father's house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you.
Joh 14:3  And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also.

It would be a foolishness for all those who would not let the Lord choose our inheritance for us!

When the Lord returns, He will come to fight for His people Israel and Jerusalem will finally be at peace.

Zec 14:9  And the LORD shall be king over all the earth: in that day shall there be one LORD, and his name one.

There will only be one King over this entire earth, and the Lord will rule as King from Jerusalem.

Zec 14:11  And men shall dwell in it, and there shall be no more utter destruction; but Jerusalem shall be safely inhabited.

There will be no rockets fired from Gaza or Lebanon in that day. There will be no need for bomb shelters in Israel.

All the gates of Israel will be open and all the world will come to worship the King of Kings.

Zec 14:16  And it shall come to pass, that every one that is left of all the nations which came against Jerusalem shall even go up from year to year to worship the King, the LORD of hosts, and to keep the feast of tabernacles.

And Selah! We need to pause and reflect on all these things and realize we have many reasons to be praising our God!

Clap your hands all ye people!

*****Psa 47:5  God is gone up with a shout, the LORD with the sound of a trumpet.
Psa 47:6  Sing praises to God, sing praises: sing praises unto our King, sing praises.

When all these things have been completed and the Lord is at home with all His saints there will be a great celebration in Heaven.

The angels celebrate when every sinner is saved, we can be sure they will all celebrate when the Lord Jesus returns to rule this earth!

Jesus said:

Rev 21:5  And he that sat upon the throne said, Behold, I make all things new. And he said unto me, Write: for these words are true and faithful.
Rev 21:6  And he said unto me, "It is done". I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give unto him that is athirst of the fountain of the water of life freely.
Rev 21:7  He that overcometh shall inherit all things; and I will be his God, and he shall be my son.

God never ceases to be good so we should never cease to sing praises to our King.

*****Psa 47:7  For God is the King of all the earth: sing ye praises with understanding.
Psa 47:8  God reigneth over the heathen: God sitteth upon the throne of his holiness.

The most important thing we see here is that God is the King of all the earth and all the earth is singing praises. This will happen somewhere in our future.

We have been learning about the Maschil Psalms. Those are the songs that just by singing we can have a better understanding of the Word of God.

Well God said, when we see all these things come together we will sing songs of understanding.

We can sing songs of understanding today because upon the gift of salvation we are filled and sealed with the Holy Spirit and He is our understanding until our Lord returns.

The Jews in the time of Jesus resented this truth and if they could have had their own way they would have kept God to themselves and some still try to do this today.

The Apostle Paul had to preach a sermon on this to the Jews in Rome, because no matter who we are, we can only be justified by faith.

Rom 3:28  Therefore we conclude that a man is justified by faith without the deeds of the law.
Rom 3:29  Is he the God of the Jews only? is he not also of the Gentiles? Yes, of the Gentiles also:
Rom 3:30  "Seeing it is one God", which shall justify the circumcision by faith, and uncircumcision through faith.

The promise God the Father made to God the Son will be fulfilled!

Psa 2:7  I will declare the decree: the LORD hath said unto me, Thou art my Son; this day have I begotten thee.
Psa 2:8  Ask of me, and I shall give thee the heathen for thine inheritance, and the uttermost parts of the earth for thy possession.
Psa 2:9  Thou shalt break them with a rod of iron; thou shalt dash them in pieces like a potter's vessel.

And it can be fulfilled only after the Church has been removed from this earth!

Rev 20:2  And he laid hold on the dragon, that old serpent, which is the Devil, and Satan, and bound him a thousand years,
Rev 20:3  And cast him into the bottomless pit, and shut him up, and set a seal upon him, that he should deceive the nations no more, till the thousand years should be fulfilled: and after that he must be loosed a little season.
Rev 20:4  And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them: and I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God, and which had not worshipped the beast, neither his image, neither had received his mark upon their foreheads, or in their hands; and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years.

This is the time when King Jesus will sit on His throne, the throne of David!

Isa 9:7  Of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom, to order it, and to establish it with judgment and with justice from henceforth even for ever. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will perform this.

And this is that same Jesus that was born to the virgin Mary.

Luk 1:31  And, behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name JESUS.
Luk 1:32  He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest: and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David:
Luk 1:33  And he shall reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and of his kingdom there shall be no end.

*****Psa 47:9  The princes of the people are gathered together, even the people of the God of Abraham: for the shields of the earth belong unto God: he is greatly exalted.

Notice that all people will be represented. The rich and the poor. The rulers and the ordinary people.

The same God in which Abraham had faith in is also the only God of faith for this entire world!

What did Jacob prophesy of his son Judah?

Gen 49:10  The sceptre shall not depart from Judah, nor a lawgiver from between his feet, until Shiloh come; and unto him shall the gathering of the people be.

Who is this Shiloh?

Shiloh is the One sent from God the Father.

Joh 17:3  And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent.

Shiloh is that rod of the stem of Jesse.

Isa 11:1  And there shall come forth a rod out of the stem of Jesse, and a Branch shall grow out of his roots:

Shiloh is then the Messiah!

Rom 15:12  And again, Esaias saith, There shall be a root of Jesse, and he that shall rise to reign over the Gentiles; in him shall the Gentiles trust.

And there is none else that can compare to Him!

What should we all be doing until Christ returns?

1Co 15:58  Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord.

If you have that close and personal relationship with the Lord then you have no reason not to praise Him!

If we come to the house of God seeking a blessing for ourselves we may be disappointed!

If we come to the house of God seeking some knowledge or information that we do not already have we may not find it!

If we come seeking to be refreshed then that refreshment may not last very long!

But if we just realize the "Grace" and the "goodness" of God we will come to praise Him and Him only!

We do not have any reason not to praise the God of our salvation!

Questions?

Let's Pray!

We Can Rely On The Lord

Rely On The Lord

Psalms 46


To rely on means we have taken all the facts into consideration. We have studied the ability of a certain person along with his integrity and after considering all the evidence we have confidence that we can trust and depend on that person.

This describes the truth of our relationship with the Lord!

Eph 1:17  That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give unto you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him:
Eph 1:18  The eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that ye may know what is the hope of his calling, and what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints,
Eph 1:19  And what is the exceeding greatness of his power to us-ward who believe, according to the working of his mighty power,

We can know, what hope, what riches, and what the overwhelming greatness of the Lord's power is but only when we rely on Him for all things, especially our salvation!

Let's begin:

*****Psa 46:1  To the chief Musician for the sons of Korah, A Song upon Alamoth. God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.

Hear again we have another song put to music by the sons of Korah. We see one other thing in this Psalm.

That word "Alamoth". The word Alamoth means that when this Psalm was sung it was to be the tenor voices that were to take the lead or be emphasized.

In Psalm 6 we can see the word "Sheminith" and this word would indicate just the opposite or the bass voices to take the lead.

SO, why can we rely on the True and Living God? He is our refuge and our strength!

Until the Lord Jesus Christ is our foundation of life we have nothing else to rely on or to trust in as we travel through this thing we call physical life.

Life means we have movement. We are living, breathing, creatures. This physical, bodily existence is subject to suffering, sickness, weakness, temptations and sin!

But life as described in the Bible has greater meaning than than just physical, bodily existence.

In reality only God has life in the absolute sense of life's true meaning!

We know our Father in Heaven is the fountain of life and the light of life.

Psa 36:9  For with thee is the fountain of life: in thy light shall we see light.

So we know that the Son, the Lord Jesus Christ has life in Himself.

Joh 1:4  In him was life; and the life was the light of men.

This is our only means of real life!

It is our Savior who is also the source of all life!

The Bible does not teach that life exists of it's own. Life is not spoken of as made!

The Bible only says that our life exist only in Our Creator and our Savior!

We can rely on this life because of the work of Our Lord Jesus Christ!

Joh 20:31  But these are written, that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing ye might have life through his name.

**He gives abundant life.

Joh 10:10  The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.

**He gives resurrected life.

Joh 11:25  Jesus said unto her, I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live:

And this life which is given to us as a gift from God we can have in this present life!

1Jn 5:11  And this is the record, that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son.
1Jn 5:12  He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life.
1Jn 5:13  These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God.

This is the proof that we can rely on the Lord!

Our God is our "sure" shelter and our "pure" strength and is "ever present" in our lives today!

God will never withdraw Himself from us!

*****Psa 46:2  Therefore will not we fear, though the earth be removed, and though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea;

Therefore still means "for this reason". It is because my God is my refuge and my strength that I will not fear and it can be the same for each one that will trust Him!

With God on our side it is irrational to have fear of what man can do!

Even when the worst of the worst presents itself to the child of God, if we have placed our trust in the Living God we should have no fear!

Those that reject that the Earth will change during the tribulation period have rejected the Word of God!

Isa 40:4  Every valley shall be exalted, and every mountain and hill shall be made low: and the crooked shall be made straight, and the rough places plain:
Isa 40:5  And the glory of the LORD shall be revealed, and "all flesh shall see it together": for the mouth of the LORD hath spoken it.

Those that reject the fact that this Earth will one day be destroyed and replaced have rejected the Word of God!

Rev 21:1  And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: "for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away"; and there was no more sea.

Those that reject the world wide flood in the days of Noah also reject the Word of God.

Gen 7:10  And it came to pass after seven days, that the waters of the flood were upon the earth.
Gen 7:11  In the six hundredth year of Noah's life, in the second month, the seventeenth day of the month, the same day were all the fountains of the great deep broken up, and the windows of heaven were opened.

Those that reject the coming destruction also reject the Word of God.

Rev 6:14  And the heaven departed as a scroll when it is rolled together; and every mountain and island were moved out of their places.

Rev 16:20  And every island fled away, and the mountains were not found.

Peter described these things like this:

2Pe 3:10  But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up.

Destruction of all life that breathes came by a flood in the time of Noah.

Destruction of all life will come by fire at the return of Jesus Christ.

If you have never been in a war zone then you have missed an opportunity to see that some men just simply have no fear of death.

As Christians we need to be like these men and have nothing to fear from this world we live in. We are just passing through!

Heb 11:13  These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off, and were persuaded of them, and embraced them, and confessed that "they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth".

*****Psa 46:3  Though the waters thereof roar and be troubled, though the mountains shake with the swelling thereof. Selah.

We know that in the time of Noah, no one had ever seen a storm because no one had ever seen rain, so when those waters were raging even Noah was troubled by this sight as God judged this Earth.

2Pe 3:5  For this they willingly are ignorant of, that by the word of God the heavens were of old, and the earth standing out of the water and in the water:
2Pe 3:6  Whereby the world that then was, being overflowed with water, perished:

But those same waters that troubled that world to destruction also saved eight people when those flooding waters raised up the Ark of Noah into safety.

1Pe 3:20  Which sometime were disobedient, when once the longsuffering of God waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was a preparing, "wherein few, that is, eight souls were saved by water".

God will remove His people from this earth before this coming storm rages!

The same God that carried Noah and his family to safety can still carry all of His children to safety in any storm that happens in this life!

All those that trust in the Lord have no reason to fear!

And Selah, let's stop and take a moment to think about and meditate on what God has already done and then relate those things to what God says He will do in the future.

Let's stop and enjoy the music of the songs of salvation!

We can rest in the middle of every storm in this life, if we are sure of our future eternal and everlasting life!

Why?

*****Psa 46:4  There is a river, the streams whereof shall make glad the city of God, the holy place of the tabernacles of the most High.

There was a great river that flowed out of the Garden of Eden and divided into 4 streams.

Gen 2:10  And a river went out of Eden to water the garden; and from thence it was parted, and became into four heads.

There will be a great river that will flow from the rebuilt Temple of the Millennial Kingdom.

Eze 47:1  Afterward he brought me again unto the door of the house; and, behold, waters issued out from under the threshold of the house eastward: for the forefront of the house stood toward the east, and the waters came down from under from the right side of the house, at the south side of the altar.

But these cannot compare to the river of life that will flow out of the throne of God.

Rev 22:1  And he shewed me a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding out of the throne of God and of the Lamb.
Rev 22:2  In the midst of the street of it, and on either side of the river, was there the tree of life, which bare twelve manner of fruits, and yielded her fruit every month: and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations.

In the Church Age we can still see the river of Grace that is smoothly flowing from the hand of God to every believer.

It is "Grace" that flows through the Lord Jesus Christ that is our water of life and the river of God's pleasures!

What are the two greatest evils of mankind?

Jer 2:13  For my people have committed two evils; "they have forsaken me the fountain of living waters", and "hewed them out cisterns, broken cisterns, that can hold no water".

When we forsake the Lord Jesus Christ we have forsaken the fountain of living waters.

When we reject the Word of God and go our own way we are as pots that can hold no water.

God the Father is the source of living waters!

God the Son, the Lord Jesus Christ is the water that flows from that source!

Joh 7:38  He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water.

God the Holy Ghost is the power behind that source of living waters!

Joh 6:63  It is the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life.

Because God is in the midst of the city of God and all life flows from Him!

*****Psa 46:5  God is in the midst of her; she shall not be moved: God shall help her, and that right early.

God stands in the middle of His river of "Grace".

What does God promise to all those that believe?

Jesus Christ said, "I am with you always".

God is never separated from any part of His creation.

And God is always present in His relationship with those that believe on Him.

And without a doubt, God took a moment out of eternity and appeared to this world in the human flesh of His Son Jesus.

God is not some impersonal force in this world. God is alive! God is working in this world and God is relating to all those that call on His name!

God is a jealous God, taking Himself seriously and God is to be taken seriously by those He has created!

Whether we get God's help in certain things or not God is still present and available to help if He so chooses to do so!

If we do not believe this we cannot get a single prayer answered.

God is forever by our sides!

And the certain promise of God is that He will always be there for us at the right time!

God is never late because He is always on time!

The Church is not the city of God, because the city of God is the New Jerusalem.

It is the New Jerusalem that will be the eternal dwelling place of God in the midst of His people.

This city is not in Heaven because it is coming down from Heaven.

Rev 21:2  And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, "coming down from God out of heaven", prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.

This is the eternal city that will last forever.

Isa 66:22  For as the new heavens and the new earth, which I will make, shall remain before me, saith the LORD, so shall your seed and your name remain.

Those that will live in this city is the Church of the first born and the Lord stands in the midst of His Church and the Church cannot be moved!

Heb 12:22  But ye are come unto mount Sion, and unto the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to an innumerable company of angels,
Heb 12:23  To the general assembly and church of the firstborn, which are written in heaven, and to God the Judge of all, and to the spirits of just men made perfect,

Though this earth may be moved, God's Church cannot be moved but by Him!

*****Psa 46:6  The heathen raged, the kingdoms were moved: he uttered his voice, the earth melted.

There are only two things in our world today that can cause such a furious uproar.

1) The city of Jerusalem in the hands of the Jewish people.

2) The Church established in the name of Jesus Christ.

God allows the heathen to rage at this time but one day soon this will all end and their voices will be silenced!

God will not always allow the heathen to turn this world against His people!

When God utters His voice these things will cease and so will those that are heathen.

2Pe 3:10  But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up.

The Hebrew word for "melt" means to be dissolved or to disappear!

Who are the heathen? All those that do not worship the One True Living God!

1Jn 5:10  He that believeth on the Son of God hath the witness in himself: he that believeth not God hath made him a liar; because he believeth not the record that God gave of his Son.
1Jn 5:11  And this is the record, that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son.

1Jn 2:22  Who is a liar but he that denieth that Jesus is the Christ? He is antichrist, that denieth the Father and the Son.

What kingdoms will be moved? Those that are influenced by Satan.

Isa 14:12  How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! how art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations!
Isa 14:13  For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north:
Isa 14:14  I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High.
Isa 14:15  Yet thou shalt be brought down to hell, to the sides of the pit.
Isa 14:16  They that see thee shall narrowly look upon thee, and consider thee, saying, "Is this the man that made the earth to tremble, that did shake kingdoms";
Isa 14:17  That made the world as a wilderness, and destroyed the cities thereof; that opened not the house of his prisoners?

Who can do all these things?

*****Psa 46:7  The LORD of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our refuge. Selah.

Why is the Church so secure? The Lord of hosts is with us.

Why is Heaven so secure? The Lord of hosts abides there.

Isa 40:22  It is he that sitteth upon the circle of the earth, and the inhabitants thereof are as grasshoppers; that stretcheth out the heavens as a curtain, and spreadeth them out as a tent to dwell in:
Isa 40:23  That bringeth the princes to nothing; he maketh the judges of the earth as vanity.

Isa 40:26  Lift up your eyes on high, and behold who hath created these things, that bringeth out their host by number: he calleth them all by names by the greatness of his might, for that he is strong in power; not one faileth.

It is our Lord who rules all the angels, all the stars, all the elements, and all the hosts of Heaven and it is this same Lord who stands in the midst of His Church!

It is the same God of Jacob that fulfilled the prophecies of the Bible to stand in the midst of His Church!

Isa 7:14  Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.

It is our God that gave Himself for the Church and it is this same love and dedication we are to give to our own families!

Eph 5:25  Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it;
Eph 5:26  That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word,
Eph 5:27  That he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish.

And Selah.

Let's take a moment and meditate on all these things as we behold the works of our Lord!

*****Psa 46:8  Come, behold the works of the LORD, what desolations he hath made in the earth.

All we need do is observe all the things that are going on in this world we live in.

God has made sure that technology has progressed to a point that if we want to, we can see what is going on throughout the entire world without leaving our homes.

There has been no other time in history when these things that take place can be observed as they  are taking place due to television, computers, and cell phones.

To believe in the providence of God is to be sure to know that God's will and God's plan are moving forward at His own pace and by His own wisdom!

Pro 14:12  There is a way which seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death.

Man's evilness is leading our world down a path of destruction but these things are not within man's control!

Psa 135:6  Whatsoever the LORD pleased, that did he in heaven, and in earth, in the seas, and all deep places.

This world we live in is under the direct control of our Almighty God!

Dan 2:20  Daniel answered and said, Blessed be the name of God for ever and ever: for wisdom and might are his:
Dan 2:21  And he changeth the times and the seasons: he removeth kings, and setteth up kings: he giveth wisdom unto the wise, and knowledge to them that know understanding:
Dan 2:22  He revealeth the deep and secret things: he knoweth what is in the darkness, and the light dwelleth with him.

And God has already told us of a future coming destruction.

Rev 21:1  And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea.

You know, God cast all our sin into the deepest part of the sea but there will be no sea in the New Heaven nor the New Earth.

What happened during the time of Noah?

Isa 24:1  Behold, the LORD maketh the earth empty, and maketh it waste, and turneth it upside down, and scattereth abroad the inhabitants thereof.

What will happen someday in the future?

Isa 24:3  The land shall be utterly emptied, and utterly spoiled: for the LORD hath spoken this word.
Isa 24:4  The earth mourneth and fadeth away, the world languisheth and fadeth away, the haughty people of the earth do languish.
Isa 24:5  The earth also is defiled under the inhabitants thereof; because they have transgressed the laws, changed the ordinance, broken the everlasting covenant

Even war and peace are under God's control!

*****Psa 46:9  He maketh wars to cease unto the end of the earth; he breaketh the bow, and cutteth the spear in sunder; he burneth the chariot in the fire.

The world tries to end wars by the use of politics.

Politics is supposedly the science of government. The world uses of laws, regulations and so called ethics to preserve the safety of innocent people, at least this what they say.

**Politics have been used to bring to the end many wars.

But today politics is more about making concessions to those that seek to do evil at the expense of those that seek to do good!

Most people think that peace can come only by a One World Government with one set of laws for all people.

But these results would be a peace that cannot be sustained because those that seek to do evil are never satisfied!

**There are those that seek to bring peace by education.

If we study the history of our world we can see where and why wars have begun, many by trivial matters, and not repeat these same mistakes.

The pure fact is the leaders of our world never learn from the mistakes made by those of the past and history continues to repeat itself over and over again.

A wise man once wrote:

Ecc 1:9  The thing that hath been, it is that which shall be; and that which is done is that which shall be done: and there is no new thing under the sun.

If we could learn from our mistakes, we could make something new and lasting but we just keep remembering "the good old days" which is not the wise thing to do.

Ecc 7:10  Say not thou, What is the cause that the former days were better than these? for thou dost not enquire wisely concerning this.

**There is only one method to bring world peace and it is God's way. It is the Christian way!

Evil must be conquered and removed or reconciled to God.

Rom 8:6  For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace.

The Church must be ambassadors for peace and not ambassadors of war!

2Co 5:20  Now then we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us: we pray you in Christ's stead, be ye reconciled to God.

In the end, God will bring peace!

Isa 2:4  And he shall judge among the nations, and shall rebuke many people: and they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruninghooks: nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more.

There will only be peace when the Prince of Peace rules on this earth and government will rest on His shoulders!

Isa 9:6  For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.

What did God tell Moses? God said you go tell Pharaoh that "I Am" sent you.

*****Psa 46:10  Be still, and know that I am God: I will be exalted among the heathen, I will be exalted in the earth.

If we truly rely on the Lord, sometimes we must simply "be still".

To be still is to keep silent, or to be quiet!

We must quit warring with ourself long enough to hear "that still small voice" of the Lord!

1Ki 19:12  And after the earthquake a fire; but the LORD was not in the fire: and after the fire "a still small voice".

When we become so occupied with our own selves and our own miseries, we sometimes cannot hear what God is trying to teach us!

The "Gospel of Jesus Christ" is a gentle voice of "Mercy and Grace".

The "Gospel of Jesus Christ" is a gentle voice of Love!

It is "that still small voice" of God that brings with it peace, and pardon, and righteousness, and best of all salvation by Christ Jesus!

Psa 89:15  Blessed is the people that know the joyful sound: they shall walk, O LORD, in the light of thy countenance.
Psa 89:16  In thy name shall they rejoice all the day: and in thy righteousness shall they be exalted.

Most of the time, "and God knows", when we are relying on the Lord, we just need to stop what we are doing and wait patiently on the Lord!

After all He is God!

If we believe in what we say we believe in, then all we need do is read what God has done in the past and we can see what God will do in the future!

God is no respecter of persons!

Act 10:34  Then Peter opened his mouth, and said, Of a truth I perceive that God is no respecter of persons:

God will not do for one, what He will not do for another!

We simply cannot put anything else before our God!

Anything we put before God is an idol. We all have our idols from time to time and they will certainly interfere with our relationship with the Lord!

There is coming a day when our God will be exalted in all this earth!

Rom 14:11  For it is written, As I live, saith the Lord, every knee shall bow to me, and every tongue shall confess to God.
Rom 14:12  So then every one of us shall give account of himself to God.

SO, Why can we rely on the Lord?

*****Psa 46:11  The LORD of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our refuge. Selah.

God is never separated from any part of His creation!

God is present throughout all His creation! We call that the omnipresence of God.

But even more important than that, God is always present in His relationship with those who love Him!

God has appeared to us all "Person to person" in the flesh of Jesus Christ, His Son!

Php 2:5  Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus:
Php 2:6  Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God:
Php 2:7  But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men:
Php 2:8  And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.

It is the Lord of all creation who is our Father!

It is the that same God of Jacob who is our refuge!

Questions?

Let's Pray!