Let All Who Have Breathe Praise the Lord

Let Heaven and Earth Praise the Lord

 Book of Psalms Psalm 148

 The phrase "praise ye the Lord" has been used twenty-five times and only in the Old Testament.

 The phrase "praise Him" has been used twenty-two times and only in the Old Testament.

 The phrase "praise the Lord" is used thirty-two times in the Old Testament except for one verse written by the Apostle Paul which says.

 Rom_15:11  And again, Praise the Lord, all ye Gentiles; and laud him, all ye people.

 When we try to grasp the Greatness and the Glory of the Lord Jesus Christ, we find that it overwhelms us so much that, we wonder why He would even have thoughts of us.

 Many people believe that He could have just set all His creations in order and then gone off to do godly things or created other people on another planet.

 We know that He did not create any other people, and Adam and Eve did not look like they came from apes, nor did any of their descendants.

 Evolution played no part in creating plants, animals, or people.

 What puzzles evolutionists so much is that Adam possessed far more intelligence than the people of today.

 We are getting dumber as a whole, not smarter, as time passes by.

In fact, most all our Colleges and Universities teach philosophy and not things that America needs to compete in this world.

 This Psalm is known as the joy-song of creation.

 This Psalm calls on all the things in the Heavens and Earth to praise our Lord Jesus our God.

 Everyone from the lowest to the highest, no matter where they are located, is called on to Praise the Lord.

 This is the God who made us and there are no other Gods! We are called upon to adore our Creator.

 Scientist have spent their lives studying God's creatures and many of those creations are so complicated in their structure, that they cannot figure them out this was God's plan to show these doubters that there had to be a Maker, a Creator.

 It is wicked men who have caused so many of God's creatures to no longer be with us.

 Most of the time, it is the goal to be rich that is destroying our planet, and all our government can do drive our nation into obscurity because it is afraid to go after the real polluters.

 I do not believe this will change under our new President!

 Fifty-seven companies cause eighty percent of pollution, and no one is speaking of changing their ways because of money.

 That last twenty percent (us) no matter how hard we try can change the pollution of this world.

 Those who make so much money off of pollution and those who accept bribes to be quiet about what they do are not going to change.

We just need to praise the Lord!

 What is praise? The word praise comes from the Latin word "pretium" which is "price" or "value".

 True praise consists in a sincere acknowledgment of real conviction of worth.

 How can we not praise Him?

 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. 

 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.

 We need to be honest in our praise of the Lord, He knows when we are not sincere.

 These things are another battle for Him, and we are just to praise His Holy Name!

 The Lord Jesus Christ will come to this world just in time to save it!

 It is not because He cannot make all things new because He will, He will save this world because there are still people upon this world that can be saved.

 We should know that as long as people are alive if they pray that sinner's prayer in truth, they will be saved.

 *****Psa 148:1  Praise ye the LORD. Praise ye the LORD from the heavens: praise him in the heights. 

 You can bet the cherubim and the seraphim; the angels all praise the Lord constantly.

 We are certainly fools if we do not praise our Maker!

 When we grasp the greatness, and the glory of the Lord, how can we not praise our Creator?

 It can be said that we are created to praise the Lord!

 There is no excuse for us to not adore our Savior!

 All our praise must be directed at Jehovah, the "I AM" of the Old Testament, who in the flesh is the Lord Jesus Christ of the New Testament.

 God said: "I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob? God is not the God of the dead, but of the living"

 All of Heaven does certainly praise the Lord.

 *****Psa 148:2  Praise ye him, all his angels: praise ye him, all his hosts.

 Not one of the Lord's Creatures in Heaven is exempted from praising their Creator and their God.

 Not even Gabriel nor Michael is exempt from praising the Lord of Host.

 The angelic army will praise their Commander, who is the Lord of all the hosts of Heaven.

 Let us just get real, every part of everything that was created by the Lord will praise Him!

 *****Psa 148:3  Praise ye him, sun and moon: praise him, all ye stars of light.

Psa 148:4  Praise him, ye heavens of heavens, and ye waters that be above the heavens. 

 The Heaven of heavens is the home of the Lord.

 The lower heaven is the place where the birds fly and where the clouds that hold the waters bring rain.

 The middle heaven is the space where all the stars and all the planets are located.

 There are only three heavens and if we look at the vast expanse of the second heaven we can just wonder how vast is the Heaven of heavens.

 One thing is certain this Heaven of heavens cannot be reached by spacecraft!

 It can only be reached by loving the Lord Jesus our Creator and believing in the work He has done for our salvation.

 On the day of the Rapture, all those lifeless bodies in their graves will go to Heaven faster than any spacecraft.

 All the places of God's creation are commanded to praise the Lord.

 Psa_33:9  For he spake, and it was done; he commanded, and it stood fast.

 Most people have forgotten that all the Lord has to do is speak things into existence.

 The world had better realize that all the Lord has to do is speak and this world can be destroyed.

 Rev_1:16  And he had in his right hand seven stars: and out of his mouth went a sharp twoedged sword: and his countenance was as the sun shineth in his strength.

Rev_19:15  And out of his mouth goeth a sharp sword, that with it he should smite the nations: and he shall rule them with a rod of iron: and he treadeth the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God.

Rev_19:21  And the remnant were slain with the sword of him that sat upon the horse, which sword proceeded out of his mouth: and all the fowls were filled with their flesh.

 All these scriptures tell us of the power of God that He only has to speak things into existence, and he can also speak things into destruction.

 Psa 33:6  By the word of the LORD were the heavens made; and all the host of them by the breath of his mouth. 

Psa 33:7  He gathereth the waters of the sea together as an heap: he layeth up the depth in storehouses. 

Psa 33:8  Let all the earth fear the LORD: let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of him. 

Psa 33:9  For he spake, and it was done; he commanded, and it stood fast. 

Psa 33:10  The LORD bringeth the counsel of the heathen to nought: he maketh the devices of the people of none effect. 

Psa 33:11  The counsel of the LORD standeth for ever, the thoughts of his heart to all generations. 

 How could we ever believe that we can step into Heaven and not praise the Savior who freed us from the chains of sin?

 I have news for you, we are saved to praise and worship our Maker among our other duties.

 *****Psa 148:5  Let them praise the name of the LORD: for he commanded, and they were created. 

Psa 148:6  He hath also stablished them for ever and ever: he hath made a decree which shall not pass. 

 It is our creation that gives us a reason to praise our Creator.

 For those who say it is then better to not be created, I can tell you that Heaven will be far greater than any place you have ever seen and you should want to go there for its beauty and where you can find the life that the Lord wanted us to have from the beginning.

 What does God actually say:

 Pro 8:32  Now therefore hearken unto me, O ye children: for blessed are they that keep my ways. 

Pro 8:33  Hear instruction, and be wise, and refuse it not. 

Pro 8:34  Blessed is the man that heareth me, watching daily at my gates, waiting at the posts of my doors. 

Pro 8:35  For whoso findeth me findeth life, and shall obtain favour of the LORD. 

Pro 8:36  But he that sinneth against me wrongeth his own soul: all they that hate me love death. 

 The Lord is serious about all those who want to be with Him.

 *****Psa 148:7  Praise the LORD from the earth, ye dragons, and all deeps: 

 When we see this verse we need to accept as it is written.

 Gen 1:21  And God created great whales, and every living creature that moveth, which the waters brought forth abundantly, after their kind, and every winged fowl after his kind: and God saw that it was good. 

 Psa 104:26  There go the ships: there is that leviathan, whom thou hast made to play therein.

 All of the earth must praise the Lord.

All that is in the Seas must praise the Lord.

 Psa 74:13  Thou didst divide the sea by thy strength: thou brakest the heads of the dragons in the waters. 

Psa 74:14  Thou brakest the heads of leviathan in pieces, and gavest him to be meat to the people inhabiting the wilderness.

 We know that there are places in the Oceans where there are depths that are deeper than the highest mountains that can be seen, these are those places that are called the "deeps".

 The deep is the deepest part of the Seas and these are the places where the largest animals in the Seas play out of sight most of the time from the people.

 Some people are privileged to see them come to the surface on occasion.

 Most people write them off as non-existent.

 Psa 104:4  Who maketh his angels spirits; his ministers a flaming fire: 

Psa 104:5  Who laid the foundations of the earth, that it should not be removed for ever. 

Psa 104:6  Thou coveredst it with the deep as with a garment: the waters stood above the mountains.

 Psa 33:6  By the word of the LORD were the heavens made; and all the host of them by the breath of his mouth. 

Psa 33:7  He gathereth the waters of the sea together as an heap: he layeth up the depth in storehouses.

 No one has been to the deepest seas so only God knows what lives in those places.

 Psa 33:13  The LORD looketh from heaven; he beholdeth all the sons of men. 

Psa 33:14  From the place of his habitation he looketh upon all the inhabitants of the earth.

 Some things have been proved by mankind:

 Pro 8:28  When he established the clouds above: when he strengthened the fountains of the deep:

 These are the same waters that burst forth in the days of the flood.

 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. 

 These waters returned to their place at the command of God.

 Gen 8:3  And the waters returned from off the earth continually: and after the end of the hundred and fifty days the waters were abated. 

 We know that the waters of the deep can be both constructive and also destructive.

 These waters can also be a blessing.

 Deu 8:7  For the LORD thy God bringeth thee into a good land, a land of brooks of water, of fountains and depths that spring out of valleys and hills; 

 It is only the Lord God, the Living God that can control these waters of the great deep.

 Psa 95:2  Let us come before his presence with thanksgiving, and make a joyful noise unto him with psalms. 

Psa 95:3  For the LORD is a great God, and a great King above all gods. 

Psa 95:4  In his hand are the deep places of the earth: the strength of the hills is his also. 

Psa 95:5  The sea is his, and he made it: and his hands formed the dry land. 

 We are in the season of Thanksgiving now and we can see why we need to praise the Lord while offering Thanksgiving to Him.

 *****Psa 148:8  Fire, and hail; snow, and vapour; stormy wind fulfilling his word: 

Psa 148:9  Mountains, and all hills; fruitful trees, and all cedars: 

Psa 148:10  Beasts, and all cattle; creeping things, and flying fowl: 

Psa 148:11  Kings of the earth, and all people; princes, and all judges of the earth: 

Psa 148:12  Both young men, and maidens; old men, and children: 

Psa 148:13  Let them praise the name of the LORD: for his name alone is excellent; his glory is above the earth and heaven. 

 We humans are the most stubborn creations that God has made!

 All the other of God's creations will gladly praise Him.

 They understand that He is the God of all creation.

 In verse eight we see the Psalmist calls upon all of the natural elements of weather to praise the Lord.

 All these elements can merge together at the command of the Lord.

 There are "laws of nature" but they too are the creations of the Living God.

 They will certainly do His bidding if He so chooses!

 After the weather, the elements, all the elements of the earth will offer praise to the Lord.

 Then all land animals, all the birds, and the insect world will offer praise to the Lord.

 Then the most stubborn of all of them!

 The various rulers of this world, all the people, the princes, those considered to be next in line to rule, and all the judges.

 Then the young generation and the old generation are left behind, all these are called to praise the Lord.

 Why should humans offer praise to the Lord?

 1) The Lord Jesus Christ is the only true and Living God!

His glory is above all of His creation!

His name is above and greater than all universes and greater than the earth and the heavens.

 Notice that all the universes and there are many, and many more unseen, but they have less value than the Earth and the people of Earth.

 2) There is no one more powerful than our Lord!

 Psa 148:14  He also exalteth the horn of his people, the praise of all his saints; even of the children of Israel, a people near unto him. Praise ye the LORD. 

 In the New Testament, the Horn represents strength.

 Luk 1:68  Blessed be the Lord God of Israel; for he hath visited and redeemed his people, 

Luk 1:69  And hath raised up an horn of salvation for us in the house of his servant David; 

 That exalted horn is the Lord Jesus Christ.

 He is the praise of all His saints. These are not those saints chosen by the Catholic Church; these are all those who have accepted the truth of the Lord Jesus Christ.

 These also include the children of Israel who in the last days will join the Church.

 In other words, everything that God has created is to offer up praise to the Lord!

 Those who have received the salvation gift of the Lord should be praising the Lord the loudest and the longest.

 Just so we know, God's most powerful creatures the Angels, long to understand salvation through the Lord Jesus Christ.

 1Pe 1:12  Unto whom it was revealed, that not unto themselves, but unto us they did minister the things, which are now reported unto you by them that have preached the gospel unto you with the Holy Ghost sent down from heaven; which things the angels desire to look into. 

 Only the saints of God can praise Him for His redeeming love, a love so great that He sacrificed His Son for us.

 Rom 5:8  But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. 

 Praise ye the Lord

 Amen

There is Hope in the True God, the Lord Jesus Christ

 Hope for the Persecuted Soul

 Book of Psalms Psalm 143

 The phrase it "came to pass" is used 457 times in the Bible which teaches us these things that we are so afraid of may come, but they will not stay, they come, and they will pass on out of our lives.

 Most of us can say that every obstacle we have faced in our lives has come to pass on out of our lives.

Some of them may leave scars, but they cannot keep us out of Heaven!

 We must completely understand that the faithfulness of God makes it impossible for God to go against the covenant He has made with us.

 God has revealed Himself as the God of mercy and forgiveness, and He can never go against these things.

 So, we can boldly plead for mercy and if we are living a righteous life, then that mercy will come.

 What is the truth?

 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 prayers of every saint today are just as important to God as those prayers David prayed in his day.

 *****Psa 143:1  A Psalm of David. Hear my prayer, O LORD, give ear to my supplications: in thy faithfulness answer me, and in thy righteousness. 

Psa 143:2  And enter not into judgment with thy servant: for in thy sight shall no man living be justified. 

 We see David in another crisis because his life was filled with danger.

 We cannot link this Psalm to any one particular thing that happened in David's life.

 David knew at this point in his life, that if he did not get God's help he might die, or some terrible thing might happen to him.

 I believe every one of us have had this same feeling.

 1) David appealed to God to hear his prayer.

2) David appealed to the faithfulness of God.

3) David appealed to the righteousness of God.

 David knew he needed a quick answer from God.

 It seems that we need to know more about the characteristics of God, and we must never ask God to go against His own characteristics.

 We cannot know these things unless we study the Bible!

 We should shape our prayers according to God's characteristics, as did David.

 We must never ask God to be unfaithful to His Word!

 We can plead to God for His help and sometimes we need to pray and fast, to show God that we are serious.

 When we are in a real crisis God already knows this.

 Prayer is not merely a self-improvement exercise that is good for us, whether God hears our prayers or not.

 Prayer is a real plea made to a real God!

 God is always faithful to do just as He has written down in His recorded Word.

 Our faith in Him, is the key to every answer we get from Him.

 We must remember that if we ask for forgiveness of our sins, then there is no record of our sins in Heaven.

 Psa 103:12  As far as the east is from the west, so far hath he removed our transgressions from us.

 1Jn 1:7  But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin. 

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. 

 We will pay for our sins, but God has already forgiven us of our sin, and He will not remember them.

 These are the only things God forgets.

 God does this because He chooses to do so because our sins are under the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ

 God's memory is perfect, but He just chooses to forget our sins!

 Because God has chosen to forget our sins we have missed out on the judgment for our sin.

 Gal 2:16  Knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law, but by the faith of Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Jesus Christ, that we might be justified by the faith of Christ, and not by the works of the law: for by the works of the law shall no flesh be justified. 

 David was in the same shape as we are, but sometimes we have a lack of faith, and we will think that God still has something that He will punish us for.

 Faith is still the key to a perfect relationship with our Heavenly Father and His Son because they are both the same!

 *****Psa 143:3  For the enemy hath persecuted my soul; he hath smitten my life down to the ground; he hath made me to dwell in darkness, as those that have been long dead. 

Psa 143:4  Therefore is my spirit overwhelmed within me; my heart within me is desolate. 

 We must understand that our enemy is vicious!

 Our enemy wants the worst possible evil to happen to us!

 Our enemy wants us to die in some evil situation that will make us an embarrassment to God!

 David felt like he was just thrown out onto the street to be trampled alive.

 We must understand that our adversaries, who are led by Satan, want us dead and useless in the work the Lord has given us to do.

 Satan will do everything he possibly can to cause us to lose our testimony!

 Satan would kill us in a split second if the Lord allowed him to have access to us.

 We may feal like Satan is about to take over our lives, but our faith in the Lord Jesus Christ will always save us, as long as it is true faith.

 We know from the Book of Job that Satan needs God's permission to attack us and if we think we are in the class of Job, then we are not, but God loves as much as He loved Job.

 Certainly, we will face persecution, and certainly, we will call upon the Lord for help, but most of the problems we will face in our lifetime are of our own making and we may need the Lord's to help us in those situations also.

 We must understand that our enemy is powerful, and we cannot face him alone, we need the Lord to fight all our battles, and He will, if we remain faithful.

 If the Lord permits us to dwell in the darkness of the dead, then He will surely bring us into His Light and cause us to dwell with those who are enjoying eternal life in Heaven.

 We should understand that we are already in that realm of eternal life now as we exist here on earth.

 We are already on our journey to Heaven because we can never die even though we will shed this useless flesh that we live in today.

 Lam 3:24  The LORD is my portion, saith my soul; therefore will I hope in him.

 We know that King Saul had banished David from Judah, and it was felt by David, and when he thought about these things it broke the heart of David.

 We are wrong to sit and mull over our circumstances, when the Lord has shed His light on our future!

 We have a marvelous future ahead of us and nothing in this world can change that fact.

 God cares too much for us to allow those things that are pressing heavily on us to remain on us.

 God does not want us to suffer stress in these crises that come into our lives.

 We must remember God has a job for us to do and He wants us to be busy doing this job.

 When our burdens are too heavy for us to bear God knows, and He will take those burdens away from us if we ask Him in faith.

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

 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. 

 God is our Father, and we are his sons and daughters, He will not allow His children to suffer very long.

 Heb 4:16  Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.

 God has enough "grace" to see us through every obstacle in our path!

 2Co 12:9  And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. 

 We sometimes wait until we are deep in trouble before we call upon the Lord, but we should call upon the Lord when we first see trouble coming our way!

 In fact, we need to be in constant communication with the Lord God!

 God has a plan that cannot be altered and if we have a part in that plan, and we do, then we cannot fail and the trouble we are in will cease to exist.

 *****Psa 143:5  I remember the days of old; I meditate on all thy works; I muse on the work of thy hands. 

Psa 143:6  I stretch forth my hands unto thee: my soul thirsteth after thee, as a thirsty land. Selah.

 I love those worship services when it seems like I can just reach us and touch God.

 So, sometimes we just need to think back on what God has already done and know that He is still All Powerful.

 God will do whatever it takes to fulfill the glorious plan He has for us!

 God had anointed David to be the King of Israel and David would soon be the next King of Israel.

 1Sa 16:11  And Samuel said unto Jesse, Are here all thy children? And he said, There remaineth yet the youngest, and, behold, he keepeth the sheep. And Samuel said unto Jesse, Send and fetch him: for we will not sit down till he come hither. 

1Sa 16:12  And he sent, and brought him in. Now he was ruddy, and withal of a beautiful countenance, and goodly to look to. And the LORD said, Arise, anoint him: for this is he. 

1Sa 16:13  Then Samuel took the horn of oil, and anointed him in the midst of his brethren: and the Spirit of the LORD came upon David from that day forward. So Samuel rose up, and went to Ramah. 

 This is God's plan not David's plan and God's plans never fail!

 David had a burning desire to know that God would answer his prayer.

 Nothing would satisfy David, but the presence of the Lord!

 We must keep in mind that there is nothing too hard for God.

 Jer 32:27  Behold, I am the LORD, the God of all flesh: is there any thing too hard for me? 

 There is nothing that God cannot do but go against His character.

 God rescued Israel once long ago and God's plan for Israel is not yet complete.

 God had called Abraham and made a covenant with Him.

God had placed Joseph into Egypt so Israel could be fed during a drought.

God had raised up Moses to deliver Israel from Egypt.

God had caused a great miracle at the Red Sea.

God had brought Israel through the wilderness.

God had led Israel into the Promised Land.

 For David, God had already given Him victory over Goliath.

God had anointed David to be the next King of Israel.

 We can see that God's plans simply do not fail!

 We can be sure that God will rescue Israel again so, His plan can be completed as He has it written down.

 David had said that His soul was thirsting after God as a thirsty land.

 David's distressing situation had drained every last drop of life out of Him.

 His soul was parched and cracked like dry earth that was in a drought.

 We simply need to get our mind off of our own circumstances and remember God's power and God's faithfulness to obey His promises.

 What God has already done for us is nothing compared to what God is going to do for us!

 When we dwell upon things that seem to be impossible, we must know that the word "impossible" is not a word that God uses because nothing is impossible for God!

 Isa 40:25  To whom then will ye liken me, or shall I be equal? saith the Holy One. 

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. 

Isa 40:27  Why sayest thou, O Jacob, and speakest, O Israel, My way is hid from the LORD, and my judgment is passed over from my God? 

Isa 40:28  Hast thou not known? hast thou not heard, that the everlasting God, the LORD, the Creator of the ends of the earth, fainteth not, neither is weary? there is no searching of his understanding. 

 There is nothing that God cannot do, if He so chooses.

 God did not give us the Bible to show His failures because there are no failures of God in it!

 David kept praying:

 *****Psa 143:7  Hear me speedily, O LORD: my spirit faileth: hide not thy face from me, lest I be like unto them that go down into the pit. 

Psa 143:8  Cause me to hear thy lovingkindness in the morning; for in thee do I trust: cause me to know the way wherein I should walk; for I lift up my soul unto thee. 

 After expressing his thirst for God David resumed praying about his crisis.

 David had pressed the Lord to answer quickly, and David was becoming more desperate because David was afraid God would be too late answering his prayer.

 God will not fail when our spirits fail!

 God does not know how to fail; failure is not part of God's agenda!

 The truth is, if we have God's countenance we live, but if God turns His back on us, we will die!

 When the Lord looks with favor upon our efforts we prosper, but if God refuses to look upon them, we labor in vain.

 God will not look upon sin!

 We cannot cause God to rush because God always knows what is going on in our lives and the Holy Spirit has already told Him, He just knows.

 Psa 139:4  For there is not a word in my tongue, but, lo, O LORD, thou knowest it altogether. 

Psa 139:5  Thou hast beset me behind and before, and laid thine hand upon me. 

Psa 139:6  Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; it is high, I cannot attain unto it. 

Psa 139:7  Whither shall I go from thy spirit? or whither shall I flee from thy presence? 

 We should understand that Divine loving kindness is the root of which all other blessings come.

 We could say that God's love is the fountain from which all blessings flow!

We all desire to walk in the way that the Lord has chosen for us.

 Psa 5:8  Lead me, O LORD, in thy righteousness because of mine enemies; make thy way straight before my face. 

 David would worship Jehovah daily but in the morning hours and many times God spoke with David in that time and here David desires that the Lord would speak to him as He did in those morning worship services.

 David was desperate to hear from God, but we cannot make demands of God.

 Why was David so desperate? Look again at verse three.

 "For the enemy hath persecuted my soul; he hath smitten my life down to the ground; he hath made me to dwell in darkness, as those that have been long dead"

 David felt like he could lose his life at any time!

 We know that it is God that knows when our life will end, no one else.

What was the best thing David could do?

*****Psa 143:9  Deliver me, O LORD, from mine enemies: I flee unto thee to hide me. 

Psa 143:10  Teach me to do thy will; for thou art my God: thy spirit is good; lead me into the land of uprightness. 

Psa 143:11  Quicken me, O LORD, for thy name's sake: for thy righteousness' sake bring my soul out of trouble. 

Psa 143:12  And of thy mercy cut off mine enemies, and destroy all them that afflict my soul: for I am thy servant. 

At the first sign of trouble, we need to flee unto God to hide us from our enemy.

**Psa_17:8  Keep me as the apple of the eye, hide me under the shadow of thy wings,

Psa_27:5  For in the time of trouble he shall hide me in his pavilion: in the secret of his tabernacle shall he hide me; he shall set me up upon a rock.

Psa_64:2  Hide me from the secret counsel of the wicked; from the insurrection of the workers of iniquity:

All these Psalms were attributed to David, so we see David had prayed for Jehovah's help many times.

What does God teach us? God teaches us that sometimes we need to sort of pester Him to get an answer from Him.

God wants to know how sincere we are.

Luk 11:5  And he said unto them, Which of you shall have a friend, and shall go unto him at midnight, and say unto him, Friend, lend me three loaves; 

Luk 11:6  For a friend of mine in his journey is come to me, and I have nothing to set before him? 

Luk 11:7  And he from within shall answer and say, Trouble me not: the door is now shut, and my children are with me in bed; I cannot rise and give thee. 

Luk 11:8  I say unto you, Though he will not rise and give him, because he is his friend, yet because of his importunity he will rise and give him as many as he needeth.

Importunity means persistence, especially to the point of annoyance.

David prayed that God would keep him out of the hands of his enemies.

What prayers will God surely answer?

God will teach us His will for us!

God will also deliver us for His namesake!

The Lord is glorified when it is proved that He is true to His Holy Name!

One of the reasons people are powerless in prayer is because they do not pray specifically.

When we pray in general terms and not specific terms, we are thoughtless and effortless.

God already knows why we are praying we need to be specific.

God already knows our needs we need to be specific, describing them to God.

God knows how desperate we are to evade our enemies, and He will answer in time, but He knows exactly what the right time is!

We know that in David's early life King Saul was trying his best to kill David or have him killed and we know David needed the Lord to rescue him and He did.

Again, we need to make specific requests in our prayers!

Most of the time in our prayers we just need God to show us His love!

We cannot be fervent in our prayer life if our requests are general and not our specific needs.

If we put ourselves in David's shoes, we would have panicked far more than David did.

When we desire God's help, we need to cry out passionately to Him.

We must clearly understand that God wants to answer our prayers!

We would like to think that God would only answer those prayer that are good for us but I believe He will allow us to get some things that are bad for us so we can learn some valuable lesson.

His will for us is for us to do His will for us and most all of it is written down and all we have to do is study the Bible to know His will.

In the end God wants us to be obedient to His Word, live godly lives, and spread the Gospel and enjoy the life He has given us.

Amen

Going to the House of God

 Coming to the House of the Lord

 Book of Psalms 122 Verses 1-9

 Up until October 7, 2023, when Israel's war began, millions of people traveled to Israel, most of them were Christians.

 Some few go now but not many.

 Most Christians are headed to Jerusalem because everyone knows Jerusalem is special.

 Some people say "It just feels like home" even though they had never been there before.

 We know that our Messiah walked all over Israel, but He was crucified at Jerusalem.

 As Christians, we know that our spiritual roots extend to Jerusalem!

 We will spend a thousand years in Jerusalem serving the Lord, but we will spend eternity in New Jerusalem.

 The redeemed of all the ages who will walk through those pearly gates of New Jerusalem to bask in the glorious presence of the Lord Jesus Christ.

 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.

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.

Rev 21:3 And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God.

 One day that trumpet will sound, and we will hear and heed the call to worship in God's true House.

 Let us listen to these clear instructions to all believers.

 *****Psa 122:1 A Song of degrees of David. I was glad when they said unto me, Let us go into the house of the LORD.

 We know that David rejoiced to go to the house of the Lord!

 There was no Temple yet in Jerusalem, but David had built a Tabernacle in which the Ark of the Covenant was placed.

 2Sa_6:17 And they brought in the ark of the LORD, and set it in his place, in the midst of the tabernacle that David had pitched for it: and David offered burnt offerings and peace offerings before the LORD.

 David was a man after God's own heart.

 David loved to be in the presence of God.

 We know the Lord had chosen to put His name in Jerusalem many years before this.

 Deu 12:11 Then there shall be a place which the LORD your God shall choose to cause his name to dwell there; thither shall ye bring all that I command you; your burnt offerings, and your sacrifices, your tithes, and the heave offering of your hand, and all your choice vows which ye vow unto the LORD:

 Every Christian should have a great desire to go to the House of God and even go more often because of the things we see today going on in Israel.

 Israel is God's timepiece!

 So, let us see if this phrase could have another meaning.

 It could be describing to us the restoration of Israel when the Lord returns to restore this Earth as it was in the day of Adam.

 Amo 9:11 In that day will I raise up the tabernacle of David that is fallen, and close up the breaches thereof; and I will raise up his ruins, and I will build it as in the days of old:

Amo 9:12 That they may possess the remnant of Edom, and of all the heathen, which are called by my name, saith the LORD that doeth this.

 The phrase “that day” points toward the future.

 In fact, it is probably referring to the time when the Lord Jesus will restore Israel as it was in the days of King David.

 This means all the land God gave to Abraham.

 So let us see which way the Scriptures go.

 The Israelite men had to go to the Temple three times a year according to the Law of Moses.

 For believers today, we should be in God's House every time the doors are open to Praise our Savior!

 We should know how to act in God's House!

 1Ti 3:15 But if I tarry long, that thou mayest know how thou oughtest to behave thyself in the house of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth.

1Ti 3:16 And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifest in the flesh, justified in the Spirit, seen of angels, preached unto the Gentiles, believed on in the world, received up into glory.

 We should go to God's House often and know that it is a command of God.

 Heb 10:25 Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching.

 Those who do not go to God's House often are sinning against the Word of God!

 We ought to rejoice when the appointed time comes to go to God's House.

 The Jewish feasts were special times, the highlights of the year and they celebrated the opportunity to go to God's House.

 I live in the Bible Belt and when I meet people on the street and ask them about Church most of them will claim to be saved, but they do not attend church regularly.

 Many others go to church, but it seems to be a dreadful duty to them. They just as well stay home!

 It should be a joyous occasion every time we go and hear what God has to say!

 We must make being at church to be joyful, but it cannot be that way unless we love the Lord.

 He is always at church to worship with us and even the Holy Spirit is always there because He lives within 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.

 God has a purpose for everything He does.

 What was God's purpose for the founding of Jerusalem?

 *****Psa 122:2 Our feet shall stand within thy gates, O Jerusalem.

Psa 122:3 Jerusalem is builded as a city that is compact together:

Psa 122:4 Whither the tribes go up, the tribes of the LORD, unto the testimony of Israel, to give thanks unto the name of the LORD.

Psa 122:5 For there are set thrones of judgment, the thrones of the house of David.

 ***The most important reason for going to Jerusalem was the fact that God had chosen Jerusalem as the place where He would establish His name!

 Deu 12:5 But unto the place which the LORD your God shall choose out of all your tribes to put his name there, even unto his habitation shall ye seek, and thither thou shalt come:

Deu 12:6 And thither ye shall bring your burnt offerings, and your sacrifices, and your tithes, and heave offerings of your hand, and your vows, and your freewill offerings, and the firstlings of your herds and of your flocks:

Deu 12:7 And there ye shall eat before the LORD your God, and ye shall rejoice in all that ye put your hand unto, ye and your households, wherein the LORD thy God hath blessed thee.

 Psa 87:2 The LORD loveth the gates of Zion more than all the dwellings of Jacob.

Psa 87:3 Glorious things are spoken of thee, O city of God. Selah.

 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,

Heb 12:24 And to Jesus the mediator of the new covenant, and to the blood of sprinkling, that speaketh better things than that of Abel.

 There should be no doubt that God loves Jerusalem!

 We can also understand that Jerusalem is a picture of the New Jerusalem, but we will not know the full picture of this until the Lord Jesus sits on the throne of David in Jerusalem.

 We could also say until the Lord Jesus sits upon the throne of David to rule this world.

 God will dwell among His people in the New Jerusalem!

 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.

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.

Rev 21:3 And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God.

 ***There is a second reason:

 Jerusalem had strong, closely guarded walls.

 Jerusalem was a secure city.

 2Sa 5:9 So David dwelt in the fort, and called it the city of David. And David built round about from Millo and inward.

 Most people felt safe when they were inside the walls of Jerusalem.

 ***There is yet a third reason.

 The walls of Jerusalem were solid walls.

 Jerusalem was without a doubt the City of God!

 Psa 48:8 As we have heard, so have we seen in the city of the LORD of hosts, in the city of our God: God will establish it for ever. Selah.

 This same God Jehovah is the same God today, still full of power and majesty.

 Psa 48:14 For this God is our God for ever and ever: he will be our guide even unto death.

 When the gates of the city came into view of God's children, they knew they were almost home!

 Israel was a nation of tribes, and they were all essentially one family. Their leaders were each the sons of Jacob who became Israel. They may have forgotten that for a while, but they are bound to remember when it becomes time to choose the world or time to choose God's family.

 ***There is a fourth reason.

 As a nation of tribes who had a common ancestor, then they needed a place to gather in the name of God.

 Each tribe may operate independently but they could come together in unity because they all had the same God!

When they gathered together for the feast to give thanks to the Lord they obeyed the testimony of Israel, the laws that God had given to them.

 Exo 23:14 Three times thou shalt keep a feast unto me in the year.

Exo 23:15 Thou shalt keep the feast of unleavened bread: (thou shalt eat unleavened bread seven days, as I commanded thee, in the time appointed of the month Abib; for in it thou camest out from Egypt: and none shall appear before me empty:)

Exo 23:16 And the feast of harvest, the firstfruits of thy labours, which thou hast sown in the field: and the feast of ingathering, which is in the end of the year, when thou hast gathered in thy labours out of the field.

Exo 23:17 Three times in the year all thy males shall appear before the Lord GOD. 

 There is a great feeling of relief that comes from knowing that you have been obedient to the Almighty Living God.

 Jerusalem was the appointed worship center where they came in unity.

 God ordained this physical location on our planet for Israel to gather to worship Him.

 The world may refuse to acknowledge this, but it does not make it any less true.

 Anyone, anyone who tries to alter this ordination of God deserves the punishment that God will place on them!

 ***A fifth reason also comes to us.

 Jerusalem was also Israel's political center, much like Washington DC is the political center of the United States of America.

 We could say the United Tribes of Israel, and this is who they are when they are obedient to God!

 In Jerusalem was the location of the Throne of Judgment.

 One of the King's most important duties was to render judgment and execute justice.

 The thrones of the house of David would extend until it will be the Lord Jesus Christ, King Jesus, who will sit upon that throne in Jerusalem.

 2Sa 7:13 He shall build an house for my name, and I will stablish the throne of his kingdom for ever.

 2Sa 7:16 And thine house and thy kingdom shall be established for ever before thee: thy throne shall be established for ever.

2Sa 7:17 According to all these words, and according to all this vision, so did Nathan speak unto David.

 The Jerusalem of old is a picture of New Jerusalem to come in many ways.

 When the Apostle John was on the Isle of Patmos, the Lord Jesus showed him the New Jerusalem.

 John reported what he saw.

 Rev 21:3 And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God.

 God's people will rejoice in New Jerusalem, and all the painful things of this life will have passed away.

 Rev 21:4 And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away.

 This new city will be full of God's Glory.

 Rev 21:10 And he carried me away in the spirit to a great and high mountain, and shewed me that great city, the holy Jerusalem, descending out of heaven from God,

Rev 21:11 Having the glory of God: and her light was like unto a stone most precious, even like a jasper stone, clear as crystal;

 We will all be secure within the walls of New Jerusalem.

 Rev 21:12 And had a wall great and high, and had twelve gates, and at the gates twelve angels, and names written thereon, which are the names of the twelve tribes of the children of Israel:

Rev 21:13 On the east three gates; on the north three gates; on the south three gates; and on the west three gates.

Rev 21:14 And the wall of the city had twelve foundations, and in them the names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb.

 All God's people from every nation and every tribe will come together in New Jerusalem.

 Rev 21:23 And the city had no need of the sun, neither of the moon, to shine in it: for the glory of God did lighten it, and the Lamb is the light thereof.

Rev 21:24 And the nations of them which are saved shall walk in the light of it: and the kings of the earth do bring their glory and honour into it.

 We see that God has a plan and those who are against Him cannot stop it!

 The greatest privilege after salvation is the privilege to stand in God's House in New Jerusalem!

 There will be a gathering of family members who have gone on before us and those who will come after us.

The Word of God will be exalted because we will understand the things that God has done.

We will praise God like never before because we will truly have the mind of Christ.

We will understand that we are safe and secure throughout all eternity.

 Today, especially because of what we see and what we know, we need to pray earnestly for the peace of Jerusalem.

 *****Psa 122:6 Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: they shall prosper that love thee.

Psa 122:7 Peace be within thy walls, and prosperity within thy palaces.

Psa 122:8 For my brethren and companions' sakes, I will now say, Peace be within thee.

Psa 122:9 Because of the house of the LORD our God I will seek thy good.

 If you are a Christian, you will love Jerusalem.

If you are a Christian, you will be on the side of Israel.

If you are a Christian, you will pray for the peace of Jerusalem and all of Israel.

 To the Eastern part of the world, Jerusalem is called the Holy City and it is.

 The Apostle Matthew used this phrase in Scripture and so did the Apostle John.

 Mat_4:5 Then the devil taketh him up into the holy city, and setteth him on a pinnacle of the temple,

 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.

 Nehemiah, Isaiah, and Daniel used this phrase in the Old Testament all speaking of the same Jerusalem.

 Shalom is living happy, untroubled, with a sense of fulfillment.

 Shalom and its related words are among the most important theological words in the Old Testament.

 Jerusalem has not seen peace throughout the Bible.

 The closest this city of God came to peace was in the time of King David, but Jerusalem will finally see peace in the time of King Jesus.

 David prayed for peace in Jerusalem asking for peace inside the walls of his city.

 David was praying that God would bless the leaders of Israel and would protect them from the wickedness of this world.

 How many of us pray such prayers?

 David prayed for the peace of Jerusalem for the sake of his family friends and those of all of Israel.

 We should remember that King David was responsible for the peace of Jerusalem in his day.

 It is one thing to look out for your own self and that of your family, but it takes a lot more to look out for each individual in an entire city.

 David next prayed for peace in God's House.

 If we consider all denominations to be the Church today, we can certainly see that there is no peace in God's House.

 We may brag about the church that we attend, but the truth is many denominations are throwing the Bible away and listening to what the world has to say rather than what God has to say.

 The Pope the leader of the Catholic Church is one way today and another way tomorrow.

 The Wesleyans have thrown out the truth of the Gospel.

 The Methodists have forgotten the methods of truth.

 The Protestant church has forgotten about those who protested for the truth.

 The Southern Baptists have left the truth for lies.

 We could go on and on, but the truth is God's House is not at peace and the church is no longer holding back the evilness and the wickedness in this world.

 We know that Israel is at war, so we surely know we need to pray for the peace of Jerusalem and all of Israel as the world turns its back on reality.

 The fact remains there will be no peace in Jerusalem until the return of Christ!

There will be no peace in the Church until the Lord Jesus returns to separate the wheat from the tares!

There will be no peace in this world until King Jesus speaks with that sword in His mouth and brings an end to the time of Satan!

 Today the Temple of Jerusalem lies in ruins part of it under the Muslim Dome of the Rock.

 The Jews have to pray at what is called the Wailing Wall most of them have never been able to even go upon the Temple Mount.

 Even so-called Christian sects in Jerusalem haggle over shrines and the Arabs and Jews are at each other's throats.

 The world refuses to recognize that land belongs to the Jews because God gave it to them and God is going to give it back to them.

 Those nations that surround God's people trying to rid this world of them will find that the shoe is on the other foot at the appearance of King Jesus.

 The fact is that the Arab nations will almost destroy this world just to annihilate all the Jews, but King Jesus will settle this issue forever before this happens.

 We can be with Him, or we can burn in Hell with all other unbelievers.

 I choose the Lord!

 Amen

The Lord Jesus never Has to Change Anything He Has Already Said

 Praise and Trust from the Past for Today

 Book of Psalms 108

 When we study the Book of Psalms, we will see that Psalm 108 combines Psalm 57 and Psalm 60 and David is credited for all three of them, even though he was not alive when Psalm 108 was composed.

 David composed Psalm 57 while hiding in a cave from King Saul.

David composed Psalm 60 about his battle with the Edomites.

 We may not know the purpose of this Psalmist in doing this, but we all know that we may remember and sing a song that brought us comfort in our past during our own stress.

 The one thing we can understand is the fact that the Holy Spirit decided that this new psalm should be included in the Book we call the Bible.

 1)We must completely understand that the Word of God is relevant in any age!

 2)The lessons from the Bible are applicable in every situation we may come to in every generation.

 3)The Word of God gives of the wisdom of God so we can make the right decisions.

 4) The Word of God is always fresh and always gives us encouragement to move forward in life.

 Even today the Psalms of David, in fact all the Psalms, bring us to the reality of this wicked and evil world we live in, and the knowledge that we need the Lord Jesus Christ to be in charge of our lives, every day!

 We must ask for God's help in every situation we face if we expect to have triumph in our Christian life!

 Every question we have of God should begin with praise.

 *****Psa 108:1  A Song or Psalm of David. O God, my heart is fixed; I will sing and give praise, even with my glory. 

 Notice that this praise comes from a confident heart.

 God will not take the time to answer any of our requests if we do not have enough faith that He can.

 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. 

 Our hearts must be fixed upon the reality of the existence of our Savior!

 Our soul, the one that God has given to us, that is now saved by His power, is the most glorious thing that we have in our relationship with God.

 We must make our flesh understand that it also belongs to God.

 2Co_4:11  For we which live are alway delivered unto death for Jesus' sake, that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our mortal flesh.

 We should also understand that the Psalms were intended for the worship service and our praise of the Lord Jesus is designed to be in a public manner.

 Rom_10:11  For the scripture saith, Whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed.

 We should understand that before we offer up our praise, we should have already offered up our prayers.

 When our hearts are affixed to praise the Lord, they will exalt Him to the highest degree.

 *****Psa 108:2  Awake, psaltery and harp: I myself will awake early.

 It is usually the dawn that awakens us, but this psalmist says he will awaken all the instruments that had been silent, and he will awaken the dawn by his praises before daybreak.

 The Lord never sleeps.

 Even when the Lord Jesus was taken off that cross and laid in a borrowed tomb, He was very busy.

 What did Paul say by the Holy Spirit?

 Eph 4:8  Wherefore he saith, When he ascended up on high, he led captivity captive, and gave gifts unto men. 

Eph 4:9  (Now that he ascended, what is it but that he also descended first into the lower parts of the earth? 

Eph 4:10  He that descended is the same also that ascended up far above all heavens, that he might fill all things.)

 The Lord Jesus descended into Hell to get the keys that the devil once had.

 Rev_1:18  I am he that liveth, and was dead; and, behold, I am alive for evermore, Amen; and have the keys of hell and of death.

 Our Lord is always busy, so we are foolish to limit the Lord to our hours and days.

 We must praise Him with all that we have, any time of the day or night.

 We can always at any time turn to the Lord for help and most of the time He is as near as opening up our Bibles to see what He has already said because He never changes.

 This is exactly what this psalmist did. He took part of two psalms of David, and he made a new psalm by listening to the Holy Spirit who wrote all the Books of the Bible.

 The same God that led David to victory will lead us to victory!

 *****Psa 108:3  I will praise thee, O LORD, among the people: and I will sing praises unto thee among the nations.

 If we study the Bible, we will realize that there is a new day coming if we trust the Lord and the words, He has given us.

 We must praise the Lord when we are alone.

We must praise the Lord in our congregations.

We must praise the Lord in our cities.

We must praise the lord in our nations.

 Mal 1:11  For from the rising of the sun even unto the going down of the same my name shall be great among the Gentiles; and in every place incense shall be offered unto my name, and a pure offering: for my name shall be great among the heathen, saith the LORD of hosts. 

 Instead of a great falling away, we need a regathering of the children of God!

 It is not time to flee from the truth, but to gather together because we have the truth and are not ashamed to say so!

 *****Psa 108:4  For thy mercy is great above the heavens: and thy truth reacheth unto the clouds. 

 You can take the word "mercy" away and substitute "Jesus" to have a better understanding of what mercy truly means.

 Why did the Lord first come to this place called Earth?

 Luk 1:72  To perform the mercy promised to our fathers, and to remember his holy covenant; 

Luk 1:73  The oath which he sware to our father Abraham, 

 Psa 98:3  He hath remembered his mercy and his truth toward the house of Israel: all the ends of the earth have seen the salvation of our God. 

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

 Mercy is compassion for the miserable!

 The object of this world and now the government of our nation, is for us all to live in misery.

I am not going to live in misery!

 The atoning sacrifice of the Lord Jesus Christ is the way to open up the exercise of "mercy" to all mankind.

 It is wicked governments who are trying to stop what they cannot stop.

 They only win when we forsake the Lord!

 Psa 86:14  O God, the proud are risen against me, and the assemblies of violent men have sought after my soul; and have not set thee before them. 

Psa 86:15  But thou, O Lord, art a God full of compassion, and gracious, longsuffering, and plenteous in mercy and truth.

 As Christians we can depend upon the "mercy" of God to bring us to victory.

 *****Psa 108:5  Be thou exalted, O God, above the heavens: and thy glory above all the earth; 

Psa 108:6  That thy beloved may be delivered: save with thy right hand, and answer me. 

 Psa 21:13  Be thou exalted, LORD, in thine own strength: so will we sing and praise thy power. 

 The Christian life is a warfare!

 We have to battle our flesh and our own evil tendencies daily.

We have to battle corrupt opinions of us and our practices in society, which is hard to say society today because societies have forsaken all godly principles to live by immorality and corruption and they seem to be proud of it.

We also have to deal with the temptations of the Devil.

 We must be aware that every renewed child of God is assured of ultimate victory in all these conflicts.

 The truth is, we have already won we just do not realize it, which shows a lack of faith on our part.

 The strength of God cannot be overcome, and His plan continues to move according to the things He has directed.

 Once we get to Heaven we may look back and see that all these things had taken place just as God has said they would.

 The Word of God is the truth in this wicked world, and we can lean on this truth while we are praising the One God who has the complete truth.

 We are a delivered people; we just have not arrived at our destination yet.

 If we increase our faith, then there is no reason we cannot enjoy the trip instead of moping around like a bunch of losers.

 My God is powerful, you should check to see if your god is as powerful as mine!

 *****Psa 108:7  God hath spoken in his holiness; I will rejoice, I will divide Shechem, and mete out the valley of Succoth. 

 It may be that right now God is dividing Shechem.

 It is at Shechem where Jesus Christ had a conversation with a Samaritan woman who was saved and is now in Heaven, her past forgotten.

 God always speaks in His holiness.

 God is holy, entirely set apart from sin and sinners. This is the reason God's Spirit is the Holy Spirit and the third person of the Holy Trinity.

 This also means that the Lord Jesus Christ is Holy because as the Son of God He is part of the Holy Trinity, and we are to defend His holiness.

 We can only become holy when we are set apart from sin and sinners!

 Succoth is the name of the first encampment in the Exodus of God's people from Egypt.

 Succoth is also the place where the brass foundries were located in the building of the first Temple in Jerusalem.

 In fact, every time Succoth is mentioned in the Bible, it is a place where God's people come to victory.

 Jacob had a victory there.

Gideon had a victory there.

 Succoth represents the anticipation of victory, but Succoth also reminds us of worldly success when we might look down upon our enemies as the world does and this goes against the teachings of God.

 Haughtiness is pride mingled with contempt or we could say arrogance.

 We must be aware that we have victory when it comes by the Lord.

 We do not necessarily have the same victory when it comes by our own hands.

 Pro 16:17  The highway of the upright is to depart from evil: he that keepeth his way preserveth his soul. 

Pro 16:18  Pride goeth before destruction, and an haughty spirit before a fall. 

Pro 16:19  Better it is to be of an humble spirit with the lowly, than to divide the spoil with the proud. 

Pro 16:20  He that handleth a matter wisely shall find good: and whoso trusteth in the LORD, happy is he. 

 What is happening in America today?

 A certain group looks down upon Christians and our cling to freedoms, with heartless contempt and we had better realize it.

 Our vote in this next election is more important than it has ever been, but only if we vote for Christian principles!

 *****Psa 108:8  Gilead is mine; Manasseh is mine; Ephraim also is the strength of mine head; Judah is my lawgiver; 

Psa 108:9  Moab is my washpot; over Edom will I cast out my shoe; over Philistia will I triumph. 

 Gilead is best known as the Hill of Testimony or the Mount of Testimony.

 In reality, this verse and much of this psalm is a song in anticipation of victory.

 Verse 7 says that "God has spoken", in fact, it said "God had spoken in His holiness".

 It can also be read "God has spoken in His sanctuary".

 What God says, is at the same time, what God does!

 We should understand that our Lord had promised all this land to Abraham.

 If the Lord does not fulfill His promise, His name will be profaned.

 God would be a liar, and this is impossible.

 Now we may never understand everything that God says, but we can certainly understand His promises.

 Now to get this clear understanding of God's view of each situation, we must go to where God dwells and He dwells in the sanctuary of the true Church.

 God is nowhere near a place where false teaching occurs, and we need to know this truth.

 It is best to leave any place where the truth of the Gospel, the Good News of the Lord Jesus Christ, is not preached.

 There is victory in Jesus, but there is no victory in any false god.

 When we know how God feels about a matter we can know real joy, because God does as He feels.

 The Bible says that Ephraim is the "helmet" or better said "protection".

 Ephraim was sitting on the largest part of the land that was given to Abraham, the Northern part.

 Judah is the "scepter" and the "lawgiver".

 It is from Judah that the law will be taught and enforced during the Millennial reign of Jesus Christ and all this land promised to Abraham will be fulfilled.

 God then proclaims that He has ownership of all the territories outside of Israel.

 Moab the washpot. A washpot is a place that serves to clean feet.

 The place of Moses' death, Mount Nebo, at the top of Pisgah, is in the land of Moab.

 Deu 34:5  So Moses the servant of the LORD died there in the land of Moab, according to the word of the LORD. 

Deu 34:6  And he buried him in a valley in the land of Moab, over against Bethpeor: but no man knoweth of his sepulchre unto this day. 

Deu 34:7  And Moses was an hundred and twenty years old when he died: his eye was not dim, nor his natural force abated. 

 We can even see where Moses was a type of Christ Jesus.

 The Holy Spirit also names Philistia by name.

 Philistia was the land of the Philistines.

 This was a very small country from 25 to 30 miles in length with an average width of of about 15 miles.

 Just as Gaza is today there were more people than the land could bear that lived there.

 Today we hear a lot about Palestine, but in truth this was the land of the Philistines.

 There is no such people as Palestinians and never have been such a people!

 These were nations that were hostile to Israel and the people in those locations are still the enemies of Israel.

 At the victory over these enemies, the soldiers of God would take off their shoes, wash their feet in a washbowl, and then throw their shoes at the defeated enemies and proclaim this victory with great rejoicing.

 When the Messiah reigns He will have victory over all God's enemies!

 Isa 11:14  But they shall fly upon the shoulders of the Philistines toward the west; they shall spoil them of the east together: they shall lay their hand upon Edom and Moab; and the children of Ammon shall obey them. 

Isa 11:15  And the LORD shall utterly destroy the tongue of the Egyptian sea; and with his mighty wind shall he shake his hand over the river, and shall smite it in the seven streams, and make men go over dryshod. 

Isa 11:16  And there shall be an highway for the remnant of his people, which shall be left, from Assyria; like as it was to Israel in the day that he came up out of the land of Egypt.

 Then God asks.

 *****Psa 108:10  Who will bring me into the strong city? who will lead me into Edom? 

Psa 108:11  Wilt not thou, O God, who hast cast us off? and wilt not thou, O God, go forth with our hosts? 

 When David first wrote this Psalm, he asked who would bring him to this strong city of Edom.

 Petra was truly a fortress.

 Because of its natural location, it was humanly impossible to conquer that city in those days of David.

 David asked; is there anyone who could lead his army to Edom?

 Then David answers his own question.

 It can be none other than God Himself.

 We must understand that God will reject Israel "prophetically" for the short time they under the rule of the Antichrist that is, until the Antichrist decides to sit on the throne of David then all Hell will break loose.

 David could write this passage because of his faith in God.

 It should be clear to all that to overcome the Antichrist, then God would have to stand with Israel once again, and He will!

 All those in distress because of the Antichrist during those seven years of tribulation with the last three and a half years being the Great Tribulation when things will be terrible, there will be a remnant who will call out to God and acknowledge their sins of the past and they will be forgiven.

 Isa 2:22  Cease ye from man, whose breath is in his nostrils: for wherein is he to be accounted of? 

 The Antichrist is but a mere man, "the man of sin" and he is no problem for the the Lord God our Creator.

 Even in a time of peril for Israel, faith is still the key to their success.

 In the Hebrew letter to the Jews, God makes this very clear, but there must be a show of faith!

 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. 

Heb 13:6  So that we may boldly say, The Lord is my helper, and I will not fear what man shall do unto me.

 Those who fear God can appeal to no one else in their distress but to God alone.

 You see, if God brings you to it, then God will lead you through it!

 God has led Israel to the distress that they face today, and God will lead them through their distress to the truth!

 When we are in distress about our sin and where we will spend eternity, then there is only one place for us to go and it is to our Holy God and Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ!

 Only God knows which way to go!

 God has given His Word and God will never break His Word!

 *****Psa 108:12  Give us help from trouble: for vain is the help of man. 

Psa 108:13  Through God we shall do valiantly: for he it is that shall tread down our enemies. 

God gave us the gift of His Son the Lord Jesus Christ as His promise of salvation!

Only with Him will God's people do valiantly!

It is only Jesus the Messiah who can give us the strength and the courage to fight our daily battles.

Some things we should have learned from this passage, this Psalm are:

1) The Bible is still effective in this world today though it was written ages ago.

2) This passage teaches us that we can always turn to Scripture for help.

3) We can see that God is unchanging, He is always the same.

4) That we can pray and use words that we have used before.

5) We can see that we need to be continuous in our Bible study going over the same passage over and over again to gain understanding.

6) We can look to the past for hope for today!

There is never a time that the Bible will not be relevant to this world!

Amen

There Is Only One True God

 The Power and Wisdom of God

 Book of Psalms Chapter 97

 Today, even in the Bible Belt, you can hardly meet someone on the streets who knows about the Lord Jesus Christ.

 People do not know who God is!

 They think He is just another god along with many other gods. They are so wrong!

 There is not one person except maybe infants and young children who God has not revealed Himself.

Before a person dies, God will have revealed Himself to them so that no one at the White Throne of judgment can use that as an excuse

 We know that God even speaks to babies while they are in the womb.

 Jer 1:4  Then the word of the LORD came unto me, saying, 

Jer 1:5  Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee; and before thou camest forth out of the womb I sanctified thee, and I ordained thee a prophet unto the nations. 

Jer 1:6  Then said I, Ah, Lord GOD! behold, I cannot speak: for I am a child. 

Jer 1:7  But the LORD said unto me, Say not, I am a child: for thou shalt go to all that I shall send thee, and whatsoever I command thee thou shalt speak. 

 Even John the Baptist knew the Lord Jesus Christ while He was in the womb of his mother.

 Luk 1:41  And it came to pass, that, when Elisabeth heard the salutation of Mary, the babe leaped in her womb; and Elisabeth was filled with the Holy Ghost: 

Luk 1:42  And she spake out with a loud voice, and said, Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb. 

Luk 1:43  And whence is this to me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? 

Luk 1:44  For, lo, as soon as the voice of thy salutation sounded in mine ears, the babe leaped in my womb for joy.

 This proves that some babies have more wisdom than fully grown men and women, even while they are still in the womb of their mother.

This is why I will never accept that there is a right to abortion.

 The One major truth in our world is, that there is a God and He is our Creator and our Heavenly Father!

 There are not many gods there is only One True God!

 Those who reject God also reject the Word of God.

 The Word of God is just that, the Holy Ghost-inspired Word of God!

 Most people make up their minds about what a God should be like.

 They choose to believe some secular theory or something fabricated in their mind as to the origin of our universe and the origin of life.

 Rom 1:19  Because that which may be known of God is manifest in them; for God hath shewed it unto them. 

Rom 1:20  For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse: 

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. 

Rom 1:22  Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools, 

Rom 1:23  And changed the glory of the uncorruptible God into an image made like to corruptible man, and to birds, and fourfooted beasts, and creeping things. 

Rom 1:24  Wherefore God also gave them up to uncleanness through the lusts of their own hearts, to dishonour their own bodies between themselves: 

Rom 1:25  Who changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator, who is blessed for ever. Amen.

 As you can see God knew all these things would happen.

 Many people deny the Holiness of God while declaring good to be evil and evil to be good.

 God knew these people before they were born just, as He does everyone else.

 Some people believe in God but deny the "judgment" of God.

 Our world is so confused today that some men think God made a mistake and they were supposed to be women, and some women think they were supposed to be men, but they reject that God simply does not make mistakes.

 Across the globe, countless people are trapped in false religions and those who would change are filled with so much fear they live their lives as best they can all their days afraid to speak up.

 This Psalm is an encouragement to all who would truly follow God.

 I send a message today that no matter where you are, if you claim the Lord Jesus Christ as your Savior and even in secret, pray that sinner’s prayer, He will hear you and He will save you.

 He knows what conditions you are under, and He will not hold that against you.

 My God can save anybody anywhere at any time!

 This Psalm is a big help to you.

 *****Psa 97:1  The LORD reigneth; let the earth rejoice; let the multitude of isles be glad thereof. 

 If we take a logical view of our world, we will see the evidence of our earth and all we can see with our eyes or that new telescope that circles.

 We see that these things exist.

 Because something cannot come from nothing, there must be an original cause that is the reason for the world's existence.

 Because it is evident that these things exist then, there had to be a Creator of these things.

 If you have ever witnessed an accident, you will see that accidents are a cause of destruction and not creation.

 Every effect must have a cause!

 What is the truth? The Lord reigns over all His creations! Jehovah is King, He is the Almighty Ruler of His threefold kingdom.

 Psa 96:11  Let the heavens rejoice, and let the earth be glad; let the sea roar, and the fulness thereof. 

 The earth is in perfect balance. It has just the right amount of water and the right amount of dirt.

 In fact, we can say that the entire universe is in perfect harmony so there must be a Creator.

 God's harmony is observed throughout this universe!

 The sun is ninety-three million miles from Earth which is exactly where it needs to be for our comfort.

 The temperatures vary from location to location so everyone can find a place where they are comfortable.

 The moon is two hundred and forty thousand miles from Earth to provide tides at the proper level.

 The more we change the moon the more our sea levels will change!

 The earth's tilt provides our four seasons.

 None of these things could have happened by accident!

 Yes, our Lord reigns as King of this earth!

 Psa 8:3  When I consider thy heavens, the work of thy fingers, the moon and the stars, which thou hast ordained; 

Psa 8:4  What is man, that thou art mindful of him? and the son of man, that thou visitest him? 

 The naysayers would have you believe that we live in a universe in chaos, but this is not true.

 Psa 19:1 The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament sheweth his handywork. 

Psa 19:2  Day unto day uttereth speech, and night unto night sheweth knowledge. 

Psa 19:3  There is no speech nor language, where their voice is not heard. 

Psa 19:4  Their line is gone out through all the earth, and their words to the end of the world. In them hath he set a tabernacle for the sun, 

 The alternative is that all these things, plus all the other things we can see are no more possible than a monkey being able to create a work of Shakespeare on a typewriter by haphazard play on the keys.

 Yes, the Lord reigns upon this Earth!

 The Earth refers to the continents, all the large land masses. In contrast, with the multitude of isles are the small islands that dot the seas.

 *****Psa 97:2  Clouds and darkness are round about him: righteousness and judgment are the habitation of his throne. 

Psa 97:3  A fire goeth before him, and burneth up his enemies round about. 

Psa 97:4  His lightnings enlightened the world: the earth saw, and trembled. 

Psa 97:5  The hills melted like wax at the presence of the LORD, at the presence of the Lord of the whole earth. 

Psa 97:6  The heavens declare his righteousness, and all the people see his glory.

 Heaven, where God's throne is located,  veiled in clouds and darkness says to us that God reigns above human sight and understanding.

 God must remain in these clouds of darkness because there is a need for God to conceal His radiant glory of His holiness that would destroy us instantly.

 God is the "Judge" of this Earth and He always, ALWAYS does what is right!

 Fire is a symbol of God's judgment!

 It is a fire that will consume all the enemies of God!

 Psa 21:8  Thine hand shall find out all thine enemies: thy right hand shall find out those that hate thee. 

Psa 21:9  Thou shalt make them as a fiery oven in the time of thine anger: the LORD shall swallow them up in his wrath, and the fire shall devour them. 

 God bears witness to His holiness and justice through the forces of nature!

 Lightning, strong storms, hurricanes, earthquakes, and volcanic eruptions with the earth melting like wax, all remind us of God's tremendous power. 

Nature is also a creation of God.

 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. 

2Pe 3:11  Seeing then that all these things shall be dissolved, what manner of persons ought ye to be in all holy conversation and godliness, 

2Pe 3:12  Looking for and hasting unto the coming of the day of God, wherein the heavens being on fire shall be dissolved, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat? 

2Pe 3:13  Nevertheless we, according to his promise, look for new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness. 

 Everything in God's creation will bear witness to His holiness.

 We are to bear the truth that God reigns over all His creations, regardless of what the world says. 

The world is full of lies and liars.

 The Lord reigns over all the things that are going on around us.

 The Lord reigns over all the unbelief and lawlessness which is in our societies.

 The Lord reigns over all things that we are forced to endure.

 The Lord reigns and there is nothing this world can do about it, except to turn to Him in repentance!

 2Th 1:6  Seeing it is a righteous thing with God to recompense tribulation to them that trouble you; 

2Th 1:7  And to you who are troubled rest with us, when the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with his mighty angels, 

2Th 1:8  In flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ: 

2Th 1:9  Who shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord, and from the glory of his power; 

2Th 1:10  When he shall come to be glorified in his saints, and to be admired in all them that believe (because our testimony among you was believed) in that day. 

 All those who worship false gods will become perplexed because they have been told a lie!

 The Heavens truly do declare the righteousness of our Lord and Savior, Jesus the Messiah!

 *****Psa 97:7  Confounded be all they that serve graven images, that boast themselves of idols: worship him, all ye gods. 

 When we mock and reject the Words of the One True God Jehovah then, we think we have become gods ourselves!

 We are not so dumb to not know that there are certain people who worship the idol of printed money and the idol of gold who are actually pulling the strings in America and most other countries in this world.

 They know which way to go to get more money printed which makes them richer and which way to go to get gold more valuable to make them richer and this little game they play is done over and over again.

 There is no regard for the people who work who actually pay the taxes.

 This little game will break out into war when those who are not so rich but are considered to be rich have to keep paying more and more of the taxes and they will rebel.

 It is the same for climate change. There are fifty-seven companies in this world that cause eighty percent of the pollution in this world and no one will talk to them about pollution and the carbon monoxide that is emitted by their companies.

 It is not even mentioned, or it would make them mad and governments just keep allowing it to take place.

 To these companies, money and gold are their gods!

 They may boast about their riches, but one day soon they will see their gods destroyed and they will be confounded.

 They are not the gods they think of themselves, but are only sinners in need of a Savior yet, they will never call on Him.

 They are like that Egyptian Pharaoh who thought he could defeat God but only perished in the Red Sea.

 Their idols are worthless!

 Isa 42:17  They shall be turned back, they shall be greatly ashamed, that trust in graven images, that say to the molten images, Ye are our gods.

 The Lord always knows what is going on!

 Isa 52:5  Now therefore, what have I here, saith the LORD, that my people is taken away for nought? they that rule over them make them to howl, saith the LORD; and my name continually every day is blasphemed. 

Isa 52:6  Therefore my people shall know my name: therefore they shall know in that day that I am he that doth speak: behold, it is I. 

Isa 52:7  How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him that bringeth good tidings, that publisheth peace; that bringeth good tidings of good, that publisheth salvation; that saith unto Zion, Thy God reigneth!

 It is not long before these who have made themselves gods will meet the only true God.

 Isa 52:10  The LORD hath made bare his holy arm in the eyes of all the nations; and all the ends of the earth shall see the salvation of our God. 

 God will judge this world, and this judgment is not that far off!

 *****Psa 97:8  Zion heard, and was glad; and the daughters of Judah rejoiced because of thy judgments, O LORD. 

Psa 97:9  For thou, LORD, art high above all the earth: thou art exalted far above all gods. 

 When the Lord returns to this earth the Rapture of the Church will have already taken place and the Church will return with the Lord in glorified bodies following the King of Zion, the Lord Jesus Christ.

 It is at this time that the daughters of Judah will rejoice because the Antichrist will have been defeated and Israel will have turned to the Lord in shame because it has taken them so long to do so.

 There is so much difference between the Divine Power of God and the supposed power of the rich who have followed the Antichrist, that even they will fall in shame recognizing the power of Jehovah the triune God.

 All evildoers will be judged this day, but this is not the White Throne judgment, for the Lord Jesus will rule this earth from Zion for one thousand years.

 Php 2:9  Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name: 

Php 2:10  That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; 

Php 2:11  And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

 Because the Lord humbled Himself in humiliation and obedience to Jehovah, He has been exalted by His Father and given a name which is above every name and made Him King of kings and Lord of lords, superior majesty above every creature.

 This wicked world or what is left of it, will bow at the feet of Jesus!

 Then the Lord will remake this earth.

 The Lord Jesus will continue keeping all His promises to those who love Him.

 These will be those who have survived the seven years of the Tribulation years, the last three and one-half years known as the Great Tribulation.

 The Church will be with Him, but the Church was not the object of God's wrath but already glorified!

 *****Psa 97:10  Ye that love the LORD, hate evil: he preserveth the souls of his saints; he delivereth them out of the hand of the wicked. 

 How do we know real love?

 If I love Jesus Christ, I will love all His people!

If I love Jesus Christ, I will love everything that He loves!

If I love Jesus Christ, I will hate what He hates which is sin!

 There is no small sin or large sin, there is only sin!

 If we love the Lord, we will hate evil!

 Psa 45:7  Thou lovest righteousness, and hatest wickedness: therefore God, thy God, hath anointed thee with the oil of gladness above thy fellows.

 It is evil that separates us from our Loving God.

 It is because of evil that the wicked will be destroyed.

 It is because we do not love the Lord Jesus Christ that we are subject to the assaults of Satan!

 God watches tenderly over the souls of His saints at all times and preserves us by keeping us from destruction.

 The Lord Jesus Christ will certainly deliver us out of the hands of the wicked!

 The Lord Jesus Christ is that Light that outshines the darkness of this wicked world we live in.

 *****Psa 97:11  Light is sown for the righteous, and gladness for the upright in heart. 

 Light is sown for the righteous!

 Psa 112:4  Unto the upright there ariseth light in the darkness: he is gracious, and full of compassion, and righteous. 

 That Light is the Lord Jesus Christ!

 Jhn_8:12  Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.

 Jhn_9:5  As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world.

 People just love darkness far too much!

 Joh 3:19  And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil.

 Because the Lord loves us, He will deliver us from evil!

Because the Lord loves us, He will preserve our souls on this earth till He finally takes us home where we are preserved forever and ever.

Because the Lord loves us, He will deliver us out of the hands of the wicked!

*****Psa 97:11 Light is sown for the righteous, and gladness for the upright in heart. 

Psa 97:12  Rejoice in the LORD, ye righteous; and give thanks at the remembrance of his holiness. 

We know that the Light of Jesus is the Word of God!

Joh 1:1  In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 

Joh 1:2  The same was in the beginning with God. 

It is the Word of God that lights our path to righteousness!

Psa 119:105 Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path. 

The Lord Jesus is that true Light who leads us to that path of salvation.

Mat 7:12  Therefore all things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them: for this is the law and the prophets. 

Mat 7:13  Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat: 

Mat 7:14  Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it. 

There is no other pathway to Heaven!

Amen