Our Forgiving God

Praise God For His Forgiveness

Psalm 103

What is forgiveness? Forgiveness means that though I am guilty, I will be treated as not being guilty.

By what means have we been forgiven? We have been forgiven by the work of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Eph 4:32 And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you.

If it boiled down to cost, It cost God the death of His Son, as a man, to forgive us but it cost us nothing to forgive each other.

The Lord Jesus Christ paid that cost also!

We must praise the Lord for His forgiveness.

Our praise of God for His forgiveness must be personal!

Let's begin:

*****Psa 103:1 A Psalm of David. Bless the LORD, O my soul: and all that is within me, bless his holy name.

Again we have another Psalm of David.

God blessed us when He provided the means for our salvation but sometimes we get so caught up in the things of this world, we forget all the other things that God does for us every day.

We bless God when we thank Him for all He has done!

Everyone always asks, "what is the will of God for my life". The will of God begins with our giving thanks to God for what He has already done and thanking God ahead for the things that He is going to do.

1Th 5:18 In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.

It is the will of God that we find joy in prayer through Jesus Christ in every condition of our life.

There is nothing that we have now that has not been given to us by the Lord except evil.

God does not give us any evil thing!

We must realize that the soul is our living being, our essence of true life.

We have a material body and we have a spiritual body.

1Co 15:44 It is sown a natural body; it is raised a spiritual body. There is a natural body, and there is a spiritual body.

We can bless the Lord in our physical bodies and be rewarded for doing so, but if we do not also bless the Lord with our spiritual bodies then we are not truly blessing the Lord.

Remember when we are created in the image of God, it has nothing to do with our physical bodies, so it is our spiritual body that is made in the image of God!

We must bless the Lord with all our being that He has given to us or we cannot be a blessing to the Lord!

Mar 12:30 And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment.

Our relationship with the Lord begins when we bring all we are to Him.

There are great benefits when we give our entire being to the Lord for His use.

*****Psa 103:2 Bless the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits:

We bless the Lord when we can stop complaining to God long enough to realize all the good things that God has done for us and praise Him for these things.

Most Christians do not have a problem praying to God before a meal but not many will thank God after eating that meal for what He has done.

Deu 8:10 When thou hast eaten and art full, then thou shalt bless the LORD thy God for the good land which he hath given thee.

We have already learned that we need to include a request for mercy in our prayers but we also need to thank God for what He has already done, along with thanking God God for what He is about to do in each and every prayer.

God told Moses to teach the Jews that after they had eaten and were full, it was time to bless God for the good things that He had had given to them.

David is reminding us all of this fact in this Psalm.

What is a benefit?

It can be said that a benefit is an act of kindness. Something that is given for personal happiness. It can be considered a reward in this life for being obedient to the Lord.

So what were some of the things that David wrote were great benefits to him.

Each one of us will have to look at our own selves even though many of our benefits will be the same as those of David.

*****Psa 103:3 Who forgiveth all thine iniquities; who healeth all thy diseases;

1) What is the very first benefit of knowing the Lord our God on a personal level? He will forgive our iniquities.

An iniquity is more an attitude than an action. Iniquity means we are striving to be crooked rather than to be straight.

Righteousness is doing things the right way. Sin is just the opposite or doing things the wrong way.

Iniquity is a condition of the heart or our inner motives.

Thank God, He will forgive us of our iniquities but we must still realize our sin and ask for forgiveness.

Isa 43:25 I, even I, am he that blotteth out thy transgressions for mine own sake, and will not remember thy sins.

Isa 43:26 Put me in remembrance: let us plead together: declare thou, that thou mayest be justified.

The greatest benefit we all have is that we can be forgiven of all our sin!

2) Next David wrote God had benefited many by healing diseases.

Because of our age, we in this "forever young class", have been healed of many sicknesses or we would not be here today. I myself have been healed of cancer.

It seems that many leave our class and go straight on to the glory world where they are totally healed of all diseases.

They have not only been healed of the known diseases of this world but they have also been healed of the disease of aging, they will age no more and the disease of dying, because they can never die again.

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

This a great benefit that we sometimes seem to forget.

But are more benefits that these two.

*****Psa 103:4 Who redeemeth thy life from destruction; who crowneth thee with lovingkindness and tender mercies;

3) We have just read where the wages of sin is death, but we have been redeemed if we accept the Lord Jesus Christ as our Savior.

The word "destruction" in this verse means "the pit".

Psa 30:3 O LORD, thou hast brought up my soul from the grave: thou hast kept me alive, that I should not go down to "the pit".

We have been redeemed!

We have been ransomed by the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ.

1Ti 2:3 For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Saviour;

1Ti 2:4 Who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth.
1Ti 2:5 For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus;
1Ti 2:6 Who gave himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time.

How can we ignore such a great benefit as this?

4) We have just spent some time looking at the mercy of God.

God will not only reward us with crowns at the Bema Seat, which we will give back to Him.

But to crown also means "to encircle us" in His mercy in this life we live now, God will surround us with His lovingkindness and His mercy.

Psa 5:11 But let all those that put their trust in thee rejoice: let them ever shout for joy, because thou defendest them: let them also that love thy name be joyful in thee.

Psa 5:12 For thou, LORD, wilt bless the righteous; with favour wilt thou compass him as with a shield.

How can we complain about the things that happen to us in this world and forget such great benefits that God has already given to us and continues to give us everyday?

But that is not all.

*****Psa 103:5 Who satisfieth thy mouth with good things; so that thy youth is renewed like the eagle's.

5) When I was lost and out in this world, I could not be filled to where I was satisfied but my God can satisfy me.

God not only provides the food that I eat to satisfy my physical body but He has also satisfied my soul.

Psa 107:9 For he satisfieth the longing soul, and filleth the hungry soul with goodness.

When our mouths are filled with the good things that come from God, how can we complain if we are having that one bad day.

As an eagle grows old grows old and begins to loose it's feathers it's upper bill will grow longer than it's lower bill and the bird will lose the ability to feed itself and will soon die but many of them have found that if they can grind that upper bill down on a "rock" they can again eat and their strength will be renewed.

Psa 92:14 They shall still bring forth fruit in old age; they shall be fat and flourishing;

Psa 92:15 To shew that the LORD is upright: he is my rock, and there is no unrighteousness in him.

Our "Rock" is the Lord Jesus Christ.

1Co 10:4 And did all drink the same spiritual drink: for they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them: and that Rock was Christ.

This is a great benefit for serving the Lord Our God!

*****Psa 103:6 The LORD executeth righteousness and judgment for all that are oppressed.

6) These things represent the providence of God. Many times God's providence is labeled as God's government at this time in all our lives.

Government is direction and regulation.

Today in God's government, He is preparing this world and everyone in it for His future use, and He has been doing this since before the time of Adam!

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.

The Lord will execute righteousness according to His Written Word.

The Lord will judge according to His Own Character.

The Lord will judge His entire creation according to the work of His Son Jesus.

Act 17:31 Because he hath appointed a day, in the which he will judge the world in righteousness by that man whom he hath ordained; whereof he hath given assurance unto all men, in that he hath raised him from the dead.

Appointed means that day is already written in on God's calender.

There are no actions on this Earth that will determine when the exact "Day of Judgment" will take place only God knows.

*****Psa 103:7 He made known his ways unto Moses, his acts unto the children of Israel.

Moses wrote the first 5 books of the Bible because God had preserved His Word through the nation of Israel.

The Word of God gives us all a clear picture of God's character and God's will for all human beings.

The Word of God is not only God's instruction manual for this life but the Bible is also God's Love Letter to each one of us!

If we believe these words, that were inspired by the Holy Spirit but written down for us at the hand of Moses then we should also believe in the Words of our Savior.

Joh 5:46 For had ye believed Moses, ye would have believed me: for he wrote of me.

Joh 5:47 But if ye believe not his writings, how shall ye believe my words?

Remember Moses wrote down for us the acts of Creation. It seems that the Doctrine of Creation as written in the Word of God, comes under attack by this lost world more than most other doctrines of the Bible.

Creation by the design of God and accepting the Lord Jesus Christ as the only means of salvation are rejected by most of this world but they are both God Truth!

The truth is still the truth even when the world insists on a lie!

Thank God for His patience.

*****Psa 103:8 The LORD is merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and plenteous in mercy.

Psa 103:9 He will not always chide: neither will he keep his anger for ever.

God deals with sinners by showing His mercy and His grace.

Mercy pardons sin and Grace bestows favour upon all those that mercy pardons.

God is slow to anger because He will always give space for repentance. This is the called the 'longsuffering" of God.

These things only happen because God is plenteous in mercy, which means God has an abundance of mercy and willing to show that mercy to all His created beings.

To "Chide" means to rebuke, or punish or in some cases dispute.

If we feel as though every time we make a mistake that God is sitting in Heaven with a big stick to knock us down then we may not repent as quickly as we should.

BUT, God does not bear a grudge!

God wants us to confess and repent immediately of any sin because of His compassion for us.

God would truly rather bless us than chastise us!

Only those that reject the Lord Jesus Christ and the Word of God will see God's anger throughout eternity!

*****Psa 103:10 He hath not dealt with us after our sins; nor rewarded us according to our iniquities.

When we get to praising the Lord, we certainly need to praise Him for what He has not done, along with the things He has already done for us!

Remember, the wages of sin are death.

Like David, we deserve to be in the lowest, the most miserable place, in Hell but God has provided us an opportunity to miss out on Hell completely.

Rom 5:20 Moreover the law entered, that the offence might abound. But where sin abounded, grace did much more abound:

Rom 5:21 That as sin hath reigned unto death, even so might grace reign through righteousness unto eternal life by Jesus Christ our Lord.

God does not deal with us according to our sin.

God does not reward us according to our iniquities.

Why?

Joh 1:29 The next day John seeth Jesus coming unto him, and saith, Behold the Lamb of God, "which taketh away the sin of the world".

God deals with us as His children but only because of the work of the Lord Jesus Christ on Mount Calvary's Cross.

*****Psa 103:11 For as the heaven is high above the earth, so great is his mercy toward them that fear him.

The science of astronomy was limited but did exist in the Bible times. Now, there are modern telescopes and some of those are in located above our own atmosphere, but even today no one can give us an accurate measurement of the distance between Heaven and Earth so it is still an infinite measurement.

The Lord says His mercy is even much more infinite that the distance between Heaven and Earth but only toward them that fear Him.

For those that reject the Word of God there will be justice without any mercy at all.

SO, how far does God separate us from our sin?

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

If God had said from North to the South, we all know there is a North and a South Pole so we could be fooled into thinking that was at some point an acceptable distance but God said from the East to the West.

East and West can never meet. Once our sin has been forgiven God separates us from that sin and does not ever remember it again.

When we have been "Born Again" into the family of God we should never wallow in our forgiven past.

God has wiped our record clean!

The one thing that interferes with this process is when we refuse to forgive those that sin against us.

This is the direct command of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Mat 6:14 For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you:

Mat 6:15 But if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.

The Lord expects us to grow more and more like Him every day!

*****Psa 103:13 Like as a father pitieth his children, so the LORD pitieth them that fear him.

Psa 103:14 For he knoweth our frame; he remembereth that we are dust.

We must know in our hearts that it was our God who created our entire world, the heavens and earth and everything in between.

But we must also know that our God is like a father to his children.

Today Satan has taken direct aim at the family and there not as many families and certainly not as many fathers who take care of their children, but we have a Father in Heaven who will always be our example of how to be a Father!

God is a tender and compassionate Father.

God offers Himself freely to be the Father of all His creation because He is!

Scientist are fast finding out that our world is more fragile than it seems and could not be billions or even millions of years old but our world could not have survived that long. It is only as old as the Bible says it is!

Though God will never allow it, Mankind does have the ability to destroy itself!

We are also very fragile and can only do so much to live healthy lives.

But, our Father in Heaven is "eternal" and "all powerful".

The world rejects our "Powerful, Creator" God who has such laws to restrict them and who also promises a "Judgment" is coming and in doing so, most of our world never gets to meet our "Compassionate Savior"!

When God directs our lives, He always remembers that we are only human and a part of His own creation.

It is only because of God's "Mercy", God's "Compassion" and God's "Promises" that we can exist!

Our weakness and our foolishness still cannot be used as an excuse to sin.

God has given us all the ability to make choices but making the right choices is impossible to do without the knowledge of God!

The one thing we have very little control of and in most cases no control over is our death!

We are made of the dust of this earth and when we die we will return to the dust from which we were made!

Gen 2:7 And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul.

Ecc 12:7 Then shall the dust return to the earth as it was: and the spirit shall return unto God who gave it.

It is that "Living Soul" that returns to the God who gave it, which is the only reason God gave us the freedom to choose the path of our eternal life.

*****Psa 103:15 As for man, his days are as grass: as a flower of the field, so he flourisheth.

Psa 103:16 For the wind passeth over it, and it is gone; and the place thereof shall know it no more.

We sometimes use the seasons to teach us about the resurrection of life when we see the new Spring come every year.

BUT, we should also see the lessons of Autumn and the lessons of each passing year as we see our own lives as the grass or as a flower of the field.

Most of us celebrate a birthday every year as we get older, until we realize we really do not want to get older.

The prophet Isaiah explains it this way:

Isa 40:6 The voice said, Cry. And he said, What shall I cry? All flesh is grass, and all the goodliness thereof is as the flower of the field:

Isa 40:7 The grass withereth, the flower fadeth: because the spirit of the LORD bloweth upon it: surely the people is grass.

When we allow the things that we can see, take precedent over the things we cannot see then our own choices are limited to those things!

Everything in this world has it's limits and will one day fade away!

The Holy Spirit is only available to us in this life and if we accept Him, by the Lord Jesus Christ, He will remain with us throughout eternity but if not, without Him we will simply blow away until the "Judgment Day".

Heb 9:27 And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment:

Heb 9:28 So Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many; and unto them that look for him shall he appear the second time without sin unto salvation.

This is what "Mercy" is all about, but there are still some things that we must also do.

*****Psa 103:17 But the mercy of the LORD is from everlasting to everlasting upon them that fear him, and his righteousness unto children's children;

Psa 103:18 To such as keep his covenant, and to those that remember his commandments to do them.

We are foolish to think our strength and our glory is in this life.

1Pe 1:24 For all flesh is as grass, and all the glory of man as the flower of grass. The grass withereth, and the flower thereof falleth away:

Most everyone one of us are somewhat disappointed in the life we have lived because we can look back at the mistakes we have made.

The only glory we can have is in our good health, our abilities, and our wisdom and all these things are by the hand of God.

God's mercy is everlasting because God's Word is everlasting!

1Pe 1:25 But the word of the Lord endureth for ever. And this is the word which by the gospel is preached unto you.

The Beauty of the Lord is in His "Mercy"!

We began this lesson by mentioning the benefits of knowing the Lord Jesus as Our Savior.

1) These benefits can only come when we keep His covenants.

In order to get the attention of our Father in Heaven we must be baptized in Jesus Christ.

Gal 3:26 For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus.

Gal 3:27 For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ.

This not water baptism, this is baptism by the Holy Spirit!

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;

2) These benefits can only come when we remember the commandments of the Lord and Then Do Them!

The promise of God's "Mercy" is only to those that can do these two things.

Our Father will be obedient to His covenants but we as children must be obedient too!

Jesus said:

Luk 6:46 And why call ye me, Lord, Lord, and do not the things which I say?

Christianity is not in opinion!

Christianity comes by action and those actions must be in accordance with the ways of Jesus Christ!

Christianity is not in a feeling, Christianity is in conforming to the image of God and He has shown us that image by His Son Jesus.

Christianity is not being legal, Christianity is being holy.

1Pe 1:15 But as he which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation;

1Pe 1:16 Because it is written, Be ye holy; for I am holy.

*****Psa 103:19 The LORD hath prepared his throne in the heavens; and his kingdom ruleth over all.

Not only is our Lord holy but He is absolute Monarch over His entire creation!

Isa 46:9 Remember the former things of old: for I am God, and there is none else; I am God, and there is none like me,

Isa 46:10 Declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times the things that are not yet done, saying, My counsel shall stand, and I will do all my pleasure:

As God is Lord, He has prepared a plan.

As God is Almighty, He has the power to see that His plan is fulfilled.

As God is merciful, He has limited Himself to only do good.

As God is perfect, He will make perfect all those that love Him!

Pro 16:4 The LORD hath made all things for himself: yea, even the wicked for the day of evil.

There is only one way to approach our Mighty 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.

*****Psa 103:20 Bless the LORD, ye his angels, that excel in strength, that do his commandments, hearkening unto the voice of his word.

Psa 103:21 Bless ye the LORD, all ye his hosts; ye ministers of his, that do his pleasure.

We can think of Adam who lived more that 800 years and Methuselah who is the oldest man to have ever lived but the angels in Heaven have lived with the Lord and witnessed His magnificence since the first day of creation.

We believe that one third of the angels followed Lucifer but the angels are innumerable so there are still an innumerable number of angels that do the absolute bidding of the Lord.

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",

Those that are still in Heaven obey the Lord and they accomplish every commandment of His Words.

The angels are the Lord's ministers, which means they are the Lord's servants.

The angels are the Lord's messengers, which is what the title angel really means.

It is the job of the angels to make the Lord happy by being obedient to His every Word.

It is also the job of all of God's creation to make the Lord happy by being obedient, which includes all humans.

We bless the Lord when we are obedient to His Word!

And in what ever way we serve the Lord, we will to bless Him with our service.

*****Psa 103:22 Bless the LORD, all his works in all places of his dominion: bless the LORD, O my soul.

Everything everywhere are to bless the Lord of all.

What is the whole duty of all mankind?

Ecc 12:13 Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man.

At the end of everyday before we pray we need to ask ourselves, "Has our life been a blessing to the Lord".

Then we need to ask for God's mercy so we can try a little harder if the Lord sees fit for us to awaken to a new day!

God makes this command very simple:

Psa 150:6 Let every thing that hath breath praise the LORD. Praise ye the LORD.

As long as we are breathing God's air we need to be a blessing to the Lord!

Questions?

Let's Pray!

 

Praise Our Glorious God

Praise God For His Glory

Psalm 96

Here again we have another Psalm without a title but by comparing this Psalm to the Psalms of David it is probable that he wrote this Psalm also.

The pure fact is, that once we know the Lord Jesus Christ as our Savior and have been "Born Again", any of us should be able to write this Psalm.

A study of 1 Chronicles chapter 16 will teach us that this Psalm was written at the return of the Ark to the Tabernacle by King David but we should also be able to see the prophesy that is contained in these scriptures.

This Psalm was delivered to Asaph and we know that Asaph was the singing prophet of God!

When we have found the True and Living God we will all sing praises to Him!

Let's Begin:

*****Psa 96:1  O sing unto the LORD a new song: sing unto the LORD, all the earth.

In the Tabernacle and in the Temple the music was assigned to the Levites and it was only the Levite men who made up the choruses of singers.

It was not that the women could not sing because there are many instances in the Bible where we see the women singing but all these instances are outside the Temple and the Tabernacle.

It may surprise you but in almost every bird species only the male usually sings.

Again it is not because the female bird cannot sing, it is because the female is in search of a mate and their own singing could cause confusion.

God is not the author of confusion even in the animal world!

Women in the Bible times lived in a patriarchal society. The role of the woman was restricted to the home and family.

Women were subjected to the rule of their male counterpart but they were also adored for their beauty and their purity and in many cases in the Bible they actually held leadership roles in government.

But in religious life, women were always subordinate to men.

It was not until the time of Lord Jesus Christ that that barrier for was lifted for the women by Christianity.

We should not forget men and women have always been on equal standing in the eyes of God from their day of creation.

We are all created in the image of God!

Knowing these things we still have our separate roles.

Just as that male bird will sing out to find a suitable partner, only the male who recognizes that the woman, is in all ways his equal, will ever be able to find a suitable partner.

In Christianity we are all made one in the Lord Jesus Christ.

Gal 3:26  For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus.
Gal 3:27  For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ.
Gal 3:28  There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus.

And we can all now sing a "New Song"!

In the time of David, that new song was about the coming of the Messiah and the practicing Jew is still singing that same song.

But these songs of prophecy go far beyond the coming of the Messiah and point to His return the second time to judge this Earth and sit as King of Kings and Lord of Lords.

This will be the time when all false religions will learn to worship and praise the Lord Jesus Christ.

That word "sing" is the command for all of us, male and female, to "praise" the Lord!

Jesus Christ is the "manifested Glory" of God!

Isa 42:5  Thus saith God the LORD, he that created the heavens, and stretched them out; he that spread forth the earth, and that which cometh out of it; he that giveth breath unto the people upon it, and spirit to them that walk therein:
Isa 42:6  I the LORD have called thee in righteousness, and will hold thine hand, and will keep thee, and give thee for a covenant of the people, for a light of the Gentiles;
Isa 42:7  To open the blind eyes, to bring out the prisoners from the prison, and them that sit in darkness out of the prison house.
Isa 42:8  I am the LORD: that is my name: and my glory will I not give to another, neither my praise to graven images.

At the same time that our Father in Heaven declares He will not give His glory to another, He commands us to give praise and glory to His Son who created all the things we can see and all the things we cannot see.

Col 1:15  Who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature:
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.

There should be no doubt in our minds who we should praise.

There is no doubt who we should "Glorify"!

There is no doubt why we should be singing a "new song"!

It is the Lord who is our Savior!

*****Psa 96:2  Sing unto the LORD, bless his name; shew forth his salvation from day to day.

Three times in these first 2 verses we have seen the command to "sing".

The number three is a divine number.

Three times in these first two verses we have also seen the title "LORD".

The thing we know for sure is that the Lord Jesus is:

1) The Way.
2) The Truth.
3) The Life.

Joh 14:6  Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.

The Trinity of God is a fundamental to the Christian doctrine!

The Father, The Son, and The Holy Ghost are "the three" who are the completely united persons who form our God.

This must be the truth of Christianity but this truth is rejected by all false religion.

It is only when you know the true God of the Bible that you can sing a "new song".

God not only reveals His name to us in the Bible but He reveals His true character.

Holy, Holy, Holy is the Lord our God and we must sing, sing, sing, to praise His Holy Name!

And His name will be blessed forever!

Rev 5:13  And every creature which is in heaven, and on the earth, and under the earth, and such as are in the sea, and all that are in them, heard I saying, Blessing, and honour, and glory, and power, be unto him that sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb for ever and ever.

We have no excuses for not showing forth His gift of salvation from day to day.

Even when we are having our worst day, if you know the Lord Jesus, you are still saved!

The greatest thing we can have in this world is the knowledge that we are saved!

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.

All those that say they do not know for sure, need to get back on their knees until they know for sure the salvation of the Lord!

When we know these things we also know that we are to walk in the ways of the Lord and be a witness to His truth of salvation.

We are commanded to sing a "new song" and we are commanded to tell the entire world why we can have that "new song"!

*****Psa 96:3  Declare his glory among the heathen, his wonders among all people.

What then is the subject matter of this new song?

It is the glory of our Lord Jesus.

We need to declare, His name, His praise, His wonders of redemption and His promises.

And who are we to declare these things to? The entire world we live.

Mat 28:19  Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost:
Mat 28:20  Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen.

And what is that message of our new song? It is the "good news" the "Gospel" of the Lord Jesus Christ.

1Co 15:3  For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, "how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures";

We must not think of the wonders of the Lord as just being His miracles.

The wonders of the Lord are shown more in His mercy and in His grace.

The wonders of the Lord are shown in His Love, His wisdom, and in His power.

There is no one on this earth that deserves to be left behind in the hands of Satan when the Lord has provided such an escape to all who will believe.

Joh 3:16  For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
Joh 3:17  For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.

There is nothing more important than this message of God!

Why?

*****Psa 96:4  For the LORD is great, and greatly to be praised: he is to be feared above all gods.

Our God is great!

God is an invisible, personal, and living spirit.
God is self-existent, eternal and unchanging.
God is omniscient, faithful and wise beyond all knowledge.
God is just, merciful, and loving.
God hates evil and God is omnipotent and cannot fail against evil.
God created humans for one purpose.

Rev 22:14  Blessed are they that do his commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the city.
Rev 22:17  And the Spirit and the bride say, Come. And let him that heareth say, Come. And let him that is athirst come. And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely.

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

1Jn 3:3  And every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as he is pure.

Those that want to spend eternity with our Great God will praise Him according to His greatness!

The difference between the true God and all the false gods of this world is this.

In every false religion it is the responsibility of the believer to make appeasement to their so called god. In other words it rest on that person to provide works that are good enough or a sacrifice that is approved to satisfy the requirements of their false god.

But our Great God, Jehovah, has taken it upon Himself to provide a means of salvation through His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ.

Our only works is to have "Faith"!

Rom 5:1  Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ:

All gods of false religion are man-made either by hand or in their minds!

*****Psa 96:5  For all the gods of the nations are idols: but the LORD made the heavens.

An idol is an image or anything else used as an object of worship in place of the true God, Jehovah, the God of the Bible!

Idolatry is every thing which men set up in their hearts to regard, which lessens their reverence of the Lord.

Revered means actual fear mingled with respect and affection!

It is the Lord who is also our Creator!

We did not exist until the Lord spoke us into existence!

Gen 1:1  In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.

Our God is the author of physical life and also the author of eternal life!

*****Psa 96:6  Honour and majesty are before him: strength and beauty are in his sanctuary.

We have no idea of the splendour of Heaven but God has revealed at least two things here that we know are of Heaven.

Neither strength nor beauty are uncommon but to find this combination in "one" is rare.
In our world, beauty is very seldom strong and those with strength very seldom have much beauty.

The Temple of Solomon was a man-made sanctuary that defined strength and beauty.

1) Strength:

In reality, it is better for all buildings to be strong rather than a thing of beauty.

The same thing is true of our own character.

Atheist are absorbed in their own character and have no beauty.

All false religions rely on man-made character and try their best to beautify it but it is still a false beauty.

It is only the strong earnest character we obtain from a walk with the Lord Jesus Christ that can be called beautiful.

Mat 5:16  Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.

Character is the thing that marks a real human being!

2) Beauty:

Most Christians are content with their strength and care very little for the beauty of the Christian life.

We have a tendency to tell the sinner he is bound for Hell and not provide them with the only means of escape.

This is strength that lacks beauty.

If we observe God's creation we can see that God created beautiful things.

The bluest skies, the beautiful grasslands and flowery meadows, the wonderful oceans and seas, the majestic night time skies and so much more.

It is man-made things that tarnish God's creation.

The beauty of the Christian is his faith!

The Temple of Solomon may have defined beauty and strength of the man-made but only a God can make a temple that can truly possess these qualities!

1Co 3:16  Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you?
1Co 3:17  If any man defile the temple of God, him shall God destroy; for the temple of God is holy, which temple ye are.

It is only the holy temple of God that can have strength first and then beauty!

*****Psa 96:7  Give unto the LORD, O ye kindreds of the people, give unto the LORD glory and strength.
Psa 96:8  Give unto the LORD the glory due unto his name: bring an offering, and come into his courts.

When we began we saw that word "sing" mentioned three times.

We also saw the title LORD mention three times and related this to the Holy Trinity, our Triune God.

We now see the word "give" written down for us three times.

Giving is best described as sharing what you have with others.

We might ask, what do I have to "give" unto the Lord?

The Bible is specific:

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.

Many may say "well God saved my soul but I continue to struggle with a body that is not worthy".

Again the Bible is specific:

1Th 5:23  And the very God of peace "sanctify you wholly"; and I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.
1Th 5:24  Faithful is he that calleth you, who also will do it.

God is in the process of sanctifying our whole body, our whole spirit and our whole soul, surely we can give all our selves to the Lord.

God sacrificed His only Son Jesus in a bloody sacrifice so that we could bring to Him an unbloodied sacrifice!

We are to bring to God a "living sacrifice" which is ourselves and we are to bring with it our thanksgivings.

There are no sacrifices other than these if we include our with these our tithe!

We must give ourselves.
We must give our thanksgivings.
We must give our tithe.
And we must give all these things for the glory of the Lord!

If the Lord is faithful to fulfill His promises and He is, we must be just as faithful to Him!

God says that none should appear before Him with empty hands!

*****Psa 96:9  O worship the LORD in the beauty of holiness: fear before him, all the earth.

We cannot say we are going to worship if we come to God empty handed!

Holiness means we are consecrated to the service of God.

Consecrated means we have separated ourselves from the world and are prepared to follow the will of God.

Following the will of God is first being obedient to God's written Word and only after that, will God point out any special request He has for us!

Rom 6:19  I speak after the manner of men because of the infirmity of your flesh: for as ye have yielded your members servants to uncleanness and to iniquity unto iniquity; even so now yield your members servants to righteousness unto holiness.

Personal holiness can also be called sanctification!

2Co 7:1  Having therefore these promises, dearly beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God.

Sanctification can only come by the work of the Holy Spirit and it is a beautiful thing in the eyes of God.

Col 3:10  And have put on the new man, which is renewed in knowledge after the image of him that created him:

This is our greatest goal in our worship to give ourselves totally to God!

*****Psa 96:10  Say among the heathen that the LORD reigneth: the world also shall be established that it shall not be moved: he shall judge the people righteously.

Though much of this world could care less what will happen tomorrow because they just live for today, those that remain live in fear of our world being destroyed by our own actions or the actions of some evil people.

There are truly evil men in this world who would destroy it in a false hope of an even a more false religion.

The pure facts are, that the world we live in shall be shaken to the point of destruction:

Isa 24:19  The earth is utterly broken down, the earth is clean dissolved, the earth is moved exceedingly.
Isa 24:20  The earth shall reel to and fro like a drunkard, and shall be removed like a cottage; and the transgression thereof shall be heavy upon it; and it shall fall, and not rise again.

This an absolute fact and all the prophesies of the Bible will be fulfilled, which include the fact that this verse states that a new world will be established that cannot be moved.

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.

The heathen are the lost of this world and this is the message that we are to bring to them, beginning with the "good news", the "Gospel" of the Lord Jesus Christ.

God will judge all people righteously before these other things can take place!

It these things that can lead to joy in this life!

*****Psa 96:11  Let the heavens rejoice, and let the earth be glad; let the sea roar, and the fulness thereof.
Psa 96:12  Let the field be joyful, and all that is therein: then shall all the trees of the wood rejoice

The angels in Heaven who have been involved in spiritual warfare from the time of Lucifer's fall and the fall of mankind, will finally rejoice to see the end of this wickedness.

All God's creation will rejoice:

Rom 8:22  For we know that the whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now.

And all those that know the Lord Jesus as their Savior will rejoice:

Rom 8:23  And not only they, but ourselves also, which have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body.

If we remember, our world has been under a curse since the time of Adam's fall:

Gen 3:17  And unto Adam he said, Because thou hast hearkened unto the voice of thy wife, and hast eaten of the tree, of which I commanded thee, saying, Thou shalt not eat of it: cursed is the ground for thy sake; in sorrow shalt thou eat of it all the days of thy life;
Gen 3:18  Thorns also and thistles shall it bring forth to thee; and thou shalt eat the herb of the field;
Gen 3:19  In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground; for out of it wast thou taken: for dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return.

In the time of the tribulation that curse will devour this world we live in:

Isa 24:6  Therefore hath the curse devoured the earth, and they that dwell therein are desolate: therefore the inhabitants of the earth are burned, and few men left.

But at the end of that 7 year period when the Lord comes to judge this earth that curse will be lifted:

Rev 22:3  And there shall be no more curse: but the throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in it; and his servants shall serve him:
Rev 22:4  And they shall see his face; and his name shall be in their foreheads.
It will be time to rejoice throughout all of God's creation!

The King is coming!

*****Psa 96:13  Before the LORD: for he cometh, for he cometh to judge the earth: he shall judge the world with righteousness, and the people with his truth.

There is only one other prophecy that has to be fulfilled before this day takes place and that is the "Rapture" of the Church.

1Th 4:14  For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him.
1Th 4:15  For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep.
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.
1Th 4:18  Wherefore comfort one another with these words.

There is absolutely no reason, that we that know the Lord Jesus Christ as our Savior, are not rejoicing now knowing all these things.

We have the glory of the Lord within us!

Questions?

Let's Pray!

Praise God For His Mercy

Praise God For His Mercy

Psalm 86

The mercy of God can be described as the love and the goodness of God shown to all those who are
in misery or distress, irregardless of what they deserve.

Mercy can also be described as loving kindness.

Psalm 86 is listed as a prayer of David.

There are 3 Psalms that are specifically listed as the prayers of David. Psalms 17, and Psalm 142 are
the other two.

Almost everyone of the Psalms of David included prayers but in this Psalm, David listed 14 specific prayer requests.

We can see that David was urgent for help but he could hope in his prayer because he had personally witnessed the mercy of God in many answered prayers already.

The most important thing to remember in our prayer life is "Who" we are praying to!

Let's Begin:

*****Psa 86:1  A Prayer of David. Bow down thine ear, O LORD, hear me: for I am poor and needy.

There is only "One" who can answer any prayer and His name is Jehovah,  the "I Am" of the Bible!

Knowing "Who" to pray too is the beginning of the answer to our prayers.

When we pray we already know what to expect because we know something about our God from knowing and studying His Word.

We live in a world of man-made religion where prayers are offered up that cannot be answered but by Satan.

What did Elijah say to all those of false religion?

1Ki 18:27  And it came to pass at noon, that Elijah mocked them, and said, Cry aloud: for he is a god; "either he is talking, or he is pursuing, or he is in a journey, or peradventure he sleepeth, and must be awaked".

And what answer did these of false religion receive?

1Ki 18:29  And it came to pass, when midday was past, and they prophesied until the time of the offering of the evening sacrifice, "that there was neither voice, nor any to answer, nor any that regarded".

A false god has no power to answer prayer because a false god has no power to hear a prayer.

There is only one true God and his name is Jehovah!

The next most important thing we must realize is "who we are"!

When we can come to Jehovah lowly, because we have been humbled, or feeble, because of our sickness, or desperate, because we have lost all hope, our Lord will bow down His ear to hear our request.

We can go boldly to the throne room of God but if we go in with demands His ears will not be open to our prayer!

When we make ourselves to be something in the eyes of a Holy God, we already have His answer, for we are nothing but the poor and needy and wretched sinners.

Compared to Jehovah we certainly live in poverty and we certainly lack the skills and the power to provide for all our needs, especially our salvation!

What is the downfall of this world we live in?

Rev 3:17  Because thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing; and knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked:

This verse best describes the world we live in today but also the modern day Church!

Without Jehovah we are wretched, we will live miserable lives, and will remain poor, blind to the
Word of God and spiritually naked to the truth!

Our only help lies in Jehovah, the Living God!

*****Psa 86:2  Preserve my soul; for I am holy: O thou my God, save thy servant that trusteth in thee.

It is only Jehovah who can keep us safe from our enemies.

It is only Jehovah who offers divine protection to all those that have placed their faith in Him.

AND, we are only safe because we know the One True God!

AND, we can only be holy because we belong to Him!

We must be set apart for the Lord's use before He will shelter us from our enemies!

God will not always take our troubles away but He will certainly walk with us through them all and
He will not allow us to suffer unjustly for very long.

To "preserve" is to save us from injury and destruction and to defend us from evil.

Salvation is a promise of God!

BUT, Salvation can only begin with our trust in Jehovah!

Jehovah is the God of revelation and the God of redemption and this name also includes the Lord Jesus Christ.

We must make Jesus Christ Our Lord!

Jesus Christ is Jehovah's ultimate revelation of Himself to mankind and the only One through whom God redeems mankind to Himself!

Jesus Christ is the bridge to salvation!

But this comes only if we place our trust in Him!

Eph 1:12  That we should be to the praise of his glory, who first trusted in Christ.
Eph 1:13  In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise,
Eph 1:14  Which is the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, unto the praise of his glory.

When we know these all things we can become familiar with the mercy of God.

*****Psa 86:3  Be merciful unto me, O Lord: for I cry unto thee daily.

The next most important thing to remember in our prayers is to just allow God to decide how to answer our prayer.

Specific request are rarely given because God knows what is best for each of us.

This is something that we cannot know!

The pure fact of His mercy is our greatest asset.

Anything that God gives is undeserving, and should be considered a real need!

What is the truth of Jehovah God?

Exo 34:6  And the LORD passed by before him, and proclaimed, The LORD, The LORD God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abundant in goodness and truth,
Exo 34:7  Keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, and that will by no means clear the guilty; visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children, and upon the children's children, unto the third and to the fourth generation.

If we do not know these things, we certainly cannot appeal to the God of mercy!

And God does not say to repeat the same prayer daily as those of false religion do, but there are certain things that should be in our prayer daily, one being, we need to pray for the "mercy" of God.

It is a biblical fact that we should be in a state of prayer all day long and every day that we exist.

1Th 5:17  Pray without ceasing.

Prayer is a spiritual attitude that we must have!

Prayer shows our trust in God for all things relevant to this life!

Prayer shows our confidence in the Lord!

Prayer is staying in touch with Home at all times!

In order to rejoice evermore we should be in a constant state of prayer!

*****Psa 86:4  Rejoice the soul of thy servant: for unto thee, O Lord, do I lift up my soul.

We must have a great desire to stay in touch with our Father in Heaven.

We must know our place, we are the servant!

We, who were once the slaves of Satan now belong to the Lord.

We have been bought and paid for, we are now the slaves of the Lord Jesus Christ!

We must have a great desire for spiritual blessings rather than the things in this world that only bring sorrow.

We must realize that the nearer we are to our Father in Heaven the better off we are!

We absolutely cannot walk the Christian walk, without lifting up our soul to the Lord!

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.

Why should we do these things? Because our God is full of mercy.

*****Psa 86:5  For thou, Lord, art good, and ready to forgive; and plenteous in mercy unto all them that call upon thee.

What is the Lord our God the very best at? Our God is the very best at being good!

Our God is good at giving, He gave us His Son Jesus to save our souls.

Our God is good at forgiving. He will pardon our sin because of His Son Jesus.

Our God is good at removing our evil. He has washed us in the blood of His Son Jesus.

Our God is good at supplying us with His own good! He has given us His Word of truth.

Our God is good because of His mercy and the Lord Jesus Christ is the full manifested Mercy of God!

Eph 2:4  But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us,
Eph 2:5  Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;)

And what must we do, we must call upon Him in faith!

*****Psa 86:6  Give ear, O LORD, unto my prayer; and attend to the voice of my supplications.

Besides our obedience, our prayers are the greatest form of worship that we possess!

Supplications are our humble and earnest prayers in the worship of our Father in Heaven.

There is no doubt that many of our prayers are done in silence or mentally but the truth is we must also pray with our voices.

In that time of trouble we need to cry out to the Lord.

The Lord Jesus is also our example in learning about this prayer.

Heb 5:7  Who in the days of his flesh, when he had offered up prayers and supplications with strong crying and tears unto him that was able to save him from death, and was heard in that he feared;
Heb 5:8  Though he were a Son

God will answer these prayers!

*****Psa 86:7  In the day of my trouble I will call upon thee: for thou wilt answer me.

It is useless to call out to someone who cannot hear and who does not have the ability to help us!

We are also wasting our breathe, "if we believe that our prayers have no effect on God"!

God would not insist on our prayers if He were never going to listen and answer them!

Our merciful God will come to the aid of those that love Him and call on Him.

No matter how undeserving we are, if we trust in the promises of God through the Lord Jesus Christ, God will answer our prayers!

God is not only willing to listen to us not only in our times of trouble, but He is willing to listen to us at all times we pray.

God wants to know all the good things and all the bad things that bother us!

Once we have witnessed the merciful hand of God, how can we not take all our troubles to Him as quickly as possible!

We live in a troubling world and God knows these things.

The Lord Jesus faced every temptation known to man and He lived in this same troubled world, He knows what we are going through!

We should go ahead and thank the Lord for what He is going to do, because we know what He has already done!

There is no One like our God!

*****Psa 86:8  Among the gods there is none like unto thee, O Lord; neither are there any works like unto thy works.

Every false religion that exist on this earth including the atheist worship some god!

The atheist worship the god of themselves!

We know that all false gods are really a form of Satan!

There are also kings, rulers, and presidents who think they have the power of God.

There are gods by superstition that are truly vain.

There are idols and statues that are claimed to be gods.

BUT, there is only One True and Living God!

Isa 45:21  Tell ye, and bring them near; yea, let them take counsel together: who hath declared this from ancient time? who hath told it from that time? have not I the LORD? and there is no God else beside me; a just God and a Saviour; there is none beside me.
Isa 45:22  Look unto me, and be ye saved, all the ends of the earth: for I am God, and there is none else.

There is only One God and there is only One Creator and they are One and the same!

*****Psa 86:9  All nations whom thou hast made shall come and worship before thee, O Lord; and shall glorify thy name.

"All nations" mean "all mankind".

Since there is only One true God, He promises a day when the entire world will see this fact.

In every religion the people of that religion are searching for the path that will appease their god.

In Christianity, the Bible teaches us that this is an impossible quest!

Jehovah God knew had to send His only Son to do that work and only He could pay the price to appease Him.

This is the "good news" of the Bible and the "Gospel" of the Lord Jesus Christ.

1Co 15:3  For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, "how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures";

All those that have been deceived by Satan, will one day discover the greatness of Jehovah God and will worship before Him.

This can only happen after the Church has been removed, and after the 7 year tribulation period, and during the Millennial reign of Jesus Christ.

Rev 15:4  Who shall not fear thee, O Lord, and glorify thy name? for thou only art holy: for all nations shall come and worship before thee; for thy judgments are made manifest.

The worldwide worship of the Lord will only happen after the judgment of God.

*****Psa 86:10  For thou art great, and doest wondrous things: thou art God alone.

In verse 5 David wrote that the Lord was good because of His goodness.

"Goodness" is the sum of all the qualities which make Our Lord Jesus Christ perfect!

Now David writes the Lord is great because of His greatness.

"Greatness" is the bulk of that perfection of the Lord Jesus into the all powerful Triune God.

When "greatness and goodness" are united into One Divine Being, then we have the true God that stands alone!

To be great and not be good could lead to cruelty and oppression as we have seen from the so called rulers of this earth.

To be good and not be great could mean that our Lord does not have the power to fulfill His promises.

Being good means God is always ready to forgive!

Being great means the Lord is our Creator who works wondrous things for the entire world to see!

Our world is filled with the wonders of God and most people are to blind to see these things!

Our God did not stop when He had created our world, our God continues to do wondrous things every day!

It is a foolish world that thinks our world exist by accident!

It is a foolish world that thinks they can alter the wonders of God!

God gives us a picture of the resurrection of life every spring.

God gives us a picture of the fruit of that resurrection every fall with the harvest.

God paints a picture of His handiwork in every night time sky.

God shows a picture of the glory of His Son in our own sun that rises every day without end.

It is Jehovah God that sits on the circle of our earth in total control according to His own plan for each of us!

God was God before any part of His creation existed!

And true Christianity will accept no compromise to any of these things of Jehovah God!

Isa 44:6  Thus saith the LORD the King of Israel, and his redeemer the LORD of hosts; I am the first, and I am the last; and beside me there is no God.
Isa 44:7  And who, as I, shall call, and shall declare it, and set it in order for me, since I appointed the ancient people? and the things that are coming, and shall come, let them shew unto them.
Isa 44:8  Fear ye not, neither be afraid: have not I told thee from that time, and have declared it? ye are even my witnesses. Is there a God beside me? yea, there is no God; I know not any.

Our life can only begin when we walk in the truth of God!

This is why we need His instructions.

*****Psa 86:11  Teach me thy way, O LORD; I will walk in thy truth: unite my heart to fear thy name.

There is not a day that goes by that we should be trying to learn something new about our Lord.

We should pray for His instructions at all times.

We need to pray for Him to show us His plan for our lives.

God has a specific purpose for each of us but we must first be obedient to His written Word.

Christianity can happen only by the instruction of God!

Our instructor can only be our Lord!

Psa 25:14  The secret of the LORD is with them that fear him; and he will shew them his covenant.

We have been given our Instructors manual!

The Bible will reveal to us God's plan of salvation!

The Bible will then show us the path to righteousness!

We must desire God's instructions.

AND, when we are taught we need to walk in His instructions.

The truth of God must be a matter of our daily life!

Until we go home to be with the Lord, our greatest struggle in this life is not with any enemy.

Our greatest struggle is that battle within ourselves, God's Word against our own sin nature!

When our heart is divided because of our own desires, we become weak Christians and are not fit for God's perfect plan.

Pro 14:27  The fear of the LORD is a fountain of life, to depart from the snares of death.

And we certainly need to pray for His instructions when we are in trouble!

When we understand all these things we can then properly praise the Lord.

*****Psa 86:12  I will praise thee, O Lord my God, with all my heart: and I will glorify thy name for evermore.

We can only offer up true praise to the Lord when our own heart is united to His truth!

God will not accept our heart in pieces!

God will not accept our praise with less than all our heart!

And none of things can take place until we know the Lord is our God.

The object of our beliefs must be in One person and that One person is Jesus Christ!

Act 8:37  And Philip said, If thou believest with all thine heart, thou mayest. And he answered and said, I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God.

When we belong to the Lord wholeheartedly, He will never stop blessing us.

We should never stop praising Him in this life and we will certainly praise Him in our new life!

We must remember what "Grace" truly means!

Grace is the unmerited favor of God!

We could not have "Grace" without God's "Mercy"!

*****Psa 86:13  For great is thy mercy toward me: and thou hast delivered my soul from the lowest hell.

Personal experience is the greatest of teachers!

The "Mercy" of God comes because of God's faithfulness to His Son Jesus!

God's "Mercy" comes to us free of obligation.

God's "Mercy" comes because He chooses to give it!

Rom 9:15  For he saith to Moses, I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion.
Rom 9:16  So then it is not of him that willeth, nor of him that runneth, but of God that sheweth mercy.

Our God is indeed rich in "Mercy"!

The Bible does not say that there different levels in Hell.

It is possible that there are different compartments in Hell, one of those being where the fallen angels are located.

2Pe 2:4  For if God spared not the angels that sinned, but cast them down to hell, and delivered them into chains of darkness, to be reserved unto judgment;

The Bible does refer to different degrees of torture.

Mat 11:22  But I say unto you, It shall be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon at the day of judgment, than for you.

BUT, David is not making a reference to any of these things.

David is just saying, we must realize that we are so wretched as sinners that we should realize that we deserve to be in the lowest most miserable portion of Hell, but the Lord has seen fit to deliver us from any portion of Hell, if we call upon His name!

The "Mercy" of God brings with it God's "Grace" and the gift of God's "Grace" is eternal salvation!
SO, where to we begin?

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.

*****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.

The Hebrew word used for "proud" in this verse means the "arrogant".

The "arrogant" are all those that make themselves more important than those around them.

In America today, Christianity is listed by the Office of Homeland Security as a terrorists organization.

Our own government says that true Christians are to be monitored as terrorist.

We can see that these proud and arrogant non-believers are rising up against the believer!

Those violent men include those men who sit in power, acting like tyrants rather than servants, and they, assembling together, with all those that think the same way they do and they are seeking to destroy or severely limit the Christian and the God of the Bible.

These things not only happened in the time of David but have never ceased and are increasing in our day.

2Ti 3:13  But evil men and seducers shall wax worse and worse, deceiving, and being deceived.

SO, what are the Christians to continue to do?

2Ti 3:14  But continue thou in the things which thou hast learned and hast been assured of, knowing of whom thou hast learned them;

We can be assured that if our national leaders feared God they would not allow these things to happen!

The proof is in their actions!

They will continue to allow violent and cruel acts toward the Christian.

These Atheist hate all mankind but them selves!

AND, to hate Christianity is to hate humanity!

These things are not of God!

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

We can see the great contrast when we compare the foolishness of the proud and arrogant but puny men, to the glory of the Lord.

God is full of compassion on whosoever will trust in Him.

God is full of "Grace" to all those that trust His Son.

God is full of "Mercy" to all those that come to know Him on a personal level.

Because our God is full of truth!

Rom 3:3  For what if some did not believe? shall their unbelief make the faith of God without effect?
Rom 3:4  God forbid: yea, let God be true, but every man a liar; as it is written, That thou mightest be justified in thy sayings, and mightest overcome when thou art judged.

God will never forsake those that believe His truth.

*****Psa 86:16  O turn unto me, and have mercy upon me; give thy strength unto thy servant, and save the son of thine handmaid.

Sometimes it seems that the Lord has turned away from us but that is simply not true.

The Lord will never turn away from His children!

If anyone moves away it is always us!

Again we see that in many cases we need to ask for "Mercy" before we make our request known.

God may remove His favor but He will never remove His face to those that love Him!

The greatest gift besides eternal salvation is that God gives to us is His strength to face the things of this world!

We cannot serve the Lord without His strength so He is always willing to share His strength with us.

This begins once we are saved by the filling and sealing of the Holy Spirit.

Eph 1:12  That we should be to the praise of his glory, who first trusted in Christ.
Eph 1:13  In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation:
in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise,
Eph 1:14  Which is the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, unto the praise of his glory.

When the Lord gives us His own strength, we are prepared for all emergencies but only if we rely on His strength!

To be the "son of thy handmaid" is to say you are a home-born servant of God!

Just as slaves who are born of parents of slavery within the home of their master then become the masters property, we are home-born slaves when we are "Born Again" to the Lord!

Once we are saved we have a new owner!

1Co 7:22  For he that is called in the Lord, being a servant, is the Lord's freeman: likewise also he that is called, being free, is Christ's servant.
1Co 7:23  Ye are bought with a price; be not ye the servants of men.
1Co 7:24  Brethren, let every man, wherein he is called, therein abide with God.

We belong to God!

1Co 6:20  For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God's.

Just as Mary was given the child Jesus, by the Holy Spirit, the Born Again child of God has been given to the Lord Jesus by the same Holy Spirit!

To be a servant to our New Master is the grandest job on this earth!

*****Psa 86:17  Shew me a token for good; that they which hate me may see it, and be ashamed: because thou, LORD, hast holpen me, and comforted me.

Every time we are delivered from our troubles by the Lord it confounds our enemies.

1Co 1:26  For ye see your calling, brethren, how that not many wise men after the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called:
1Co 1:27  But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty;
1Co 1:28  And base things of the world, and things which are despised, hath God chosen, yea, and things which are not, to bring to nought things that are:
1Co 1:29  That no flesh should glory in his presence.

What is the truth of the Gospel?

The hand of our God is upon all them for good that seek Him; but His power and His wrath is against all them that forsake Him!

There is no greater comfort than knowing that your life is in the hand of the Lord.

Joh 10:27  My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me:
Joh 10:28  And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand.
Joh 10:29  My Father, which gave them me, is greater than all; and no man is able to pluck them out of my Father's hand.
Joh 10:30  I and my Father are one.

And there is no one or no thing that can take us out of the hand of the Lord, not even ourselves!

Questions?

Let's Pray!

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!