Write down
3 things that are good about your life. For me, one of the things that really
blessed me specifically today is Music. It reminds me of Dec 2013 when we were
called to my Home church because the worship leader Caroline Johnson was
retiring. Before I knew my theology, I was singing it. When the time came to
articulate it, I had all the words because Caroline already did it for me.
Today we
are going to spend time in the Book of Psalms. We will answer 3 questions:
1.
What are the Psalms?
The psalms
are a song book for God’s people to carry the word of God. King David wrote a
lot of these songs, to teach us to express ourselves to God. It teaches us how to rejoice, how to
grieve, express thanksgiving, etc. Just like my son watched and learnt how
to do a somersault, the Psalms show us how to express ourselves to God in a
Biblical way. It is a blessing to have that kind of
2.
What is wisdom literature?
Just like
the Torah is 5 books, the wisdom literature is also 5 books- Job, Psalms, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, Song
of Songs. The Biblical idea of wisdom is to align ourselves with God’s
thinking. That’s why Proverbs says that the
beginning of wisdom is the fear of the Lord.
Romans 12:1-2 “Therefore,
I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies
as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper
worship. 2 Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by
the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s
will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.”
3.
How do they help us?
Wisdom
Literature helps us in fighting sin. In the Garden of Eden, Adam and Eve fell
into sin. They trusted in the word of the serpent rather than the Lord.
Proverbs 3:5 “Trust in the Lord with all
your heart and lean not on your own understanding”. If Adam and eve
understood this, they would have fought that sin. It
transforms us to the image of God by listening to this literature.
Psalm 16
1 Keep me safe, my God, for in you I take
refuge. I say to the Lord, “You are my Lord; apart from you I have no good
thing.”
If you take
out your list of 3 good things and see how these things are from God. If you can’t trace this good back to God,
then you need to ask yourself, is this thing really good?
3- 6 “I say of the holy people who are in the
land, “They are the noble ones in whom is all my delight.” Those who run after
other gods will suffer more and more. I will not pour out libations of blood to
such gods or take up their names on my lips. Lord, you alone are my portion and
my cup; you make my lot secure. The boundary lines have fallen for me in
pleasant places; surely I have a delightful inheritance.”
It points
us back to Joshua, where when God’s people entered into the Promise Land, God
says this- your boundary lines have fallen in pleasant places. One of the blessings of being a part of
God’s people is contentment. He is our portion and that is enough for us.
The world doesn’t have contentment.
7-8 “I will praise the Lord, who counsels me; even
at night my heart instructs me. I keep my eyes always on the Lord. With him at
my right hand, I will not be shaken.”
In 1970 the
NASA sent out three rockets. The Apollo 13 had a malfunction and they had to
get home safely. At one point, they didn’t have enough power to get them home.
That led to having to burn the rocket to propel themselves forward in space.
They had to look at the earth in the window and fire the rockets to propel
themselves forward. So they had to keep
the earth in front of them at all times and they made it home safely. The
same idea is in this word. The psalmist
is saying I put the Lord in front of me, because he propels me forward.
9 - 11“Therefore my heart is glad and my tongue
rejoices; my body also will rest secure, because you will not abandon me to the
realm of the dead, nor will you let your faithful one see decay. You make known
to me the path of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence, with
eternal pleasures at your right hand”
The lie of sin is that it will make me happy.
But the truth is that in His presence there is fullness of joy. When we fill our mind with truth,
the appeal of sin is lost. The word of the Lord is sufficient in to keep us in
our path.
Word of Grace is an Evangelical (Born Again), Spirit filled (Charismatic), Reformed, English speaking church in Pune that upholds the Bible as God's inspired Word for life. We are a church community that have people from every part of India and parts of the world. We are here to put the Great Command and the Great Commission into practice by equipping and releasing every member into works of service. To know more about us please log onto www.wordofgracechurch.org.
No comments:
Post a Comment