The heavens proclaim His righteousness. Jesus life and His death proclaim His righteousness but there’s a day coming when He will return AND ALL WILL SEE HIS GLORY. And God’s active presence necessitates an appropriate response. Below is an outline summary of the sermon for your further study and deeper reflection.

SERIES: SUMMER IN THE PSALMS
TEXT: Psalm 97
TITLE: When God Shows Up
PREACHER: Tim Lambros
BIG IDEA: God’s active presence necessitates an appropriate response!

POINTS:
I. The Glorious Presence of the Lord
II. The Ultimate Presence of the Lord
III. Our Response to the Presence of the Lord

SERMON EXCERPTS:
All quotes and text emphasis are taken directly from the pastor’s notes.

ILLUSTRATION: When the “blue coats” are coming

“God’s active presence necessitates an appropriate response.”

“God is a Sovereign being who manifests Himself in many ways in the past and when He shows up – there is an appropriate response needed.”

“The Psalm opens up with the reality of our God.  He reigns.  The Lord reigns!  To “REIGN” brings to mind a royal, kingly word and perspective. What’s the appropriate response? Therefore, let the earth rejoice.”

“What does it mean for the Lord to reign?  It means He’s sovereign over everything.  Everything?  Yes, every cell in your body and every molecule in the universe functions and operates and proceeds under the reign of the LORD.  All capitals, YWHE.”

“V. 1b literally means “let them rejoice the coastlands many” to the OT Jewish person singing this song there would be a limited view of the Mediterranean coastlands. V. 2-5  echoes God’s awesome appearance to Israel at Sinai.  God showed up in  a powerful way.  In a way Israel would never forget.  This is what we call a theophany.”

“A theophany is usually defined as a temporary, visible manifestation of God or a divine being.  Picture Moses at the burning bush, God showing up at the dedication of the temple in a way that none could even stand.
V. 2 clouds and thick darkness – these represent a prior manifestation of God’s presence to Israel after they were delivered from Egypt. 
V. 3 Fire goes before Him 
V. 4 Lightnings light up 
V. 5 The mountains melt like wax 
V. 1 the Lord reigns let the earth rejoice v. 5 the Lord of all the earth”

“Would you rather be humbled by the lack of knowledge on how a holy God reigns with earthly disaster or would you rather serve a God who doesn’t fully reign over all things? What would the world be like if He didn’t reign? Too many times we live our functional lives as if we don’t have a God who reigns over every action and reaction in the world and in our lives.”

“Every action God does is part of His master plan. God is not like Disneyland.  Let that sink in.  God’s purposes are not simply to create the earth, create man in His image and then send us out to enjoy it like we do when we go to Disneyland. No! God has revealed His redemptive plan and it is built around building a people for Himself.  His ways are not our ways but He’s not like Disneyland and hopes we come and enjoy it while He sits back and smiles.”

“How mankind responds to the truth about God creates deep divisions. That’s just the reality of humans when they encounter God or encounter truth about Him.”

“V. 6 & V. 9 are little bookends for this section. V. 6  The heavens proclaim His righteousness.  The created heavens scream that God is Creator.  Now jump down to V. 9. He is Lord over all!  He is exalted above all other gods.  God doesn’t mince words so let’s look a bit closer.  He is exalted FAR ABOVE all gods.”

ILLUSTRATION - A million people arose this morning in the Tucson area and most ignored that the heavens proclaim truths about God.  We see it and ignore His presence.  The LORD reigns. We see His obvious glory – in the sunset, in the formation of monsoons that come together in a matter of hours at times. 

“In God’s redemptive plan He didn’t leave it up to His people to figure it out.  Look closely again at v. 6.  ALL THE PEOPLES SEE HIS GLORY. v. 7 All worshipers of images are put to shame.  The challenge is we don’t just make worthless idols in our lives, we boast about them.  ALL WORSHIPERS. God created us to worship.  Why do you think we are in awe with a starry night while camping or impressed with an amazing dunk in basketball or a home run hit in baseball. God created us that way! In light of the LORD who reigns, who is most high over all the earth/exalted FAR above all gods, all the idols we could create – that LORD puts worshipers to shame.”

“Church, God knows mankind, He created us.  He builds His redemptive plan knowing we would give ourselves to man made idols and will be put to shame. God’s ultimate plan was to display His glory and ALL THE PEOPLES WOULD SEE HIS GLORY. God sent His Son so that there would be a day that all the peoples would see His glory AND ACKNOWLEDGE IT.  The Psalmist sings because Zion rejoices at what God has revealed of Himself to Israel.  But there would be more.  God would send His Son to proclaim His righteousness.”

“Jesus would take on flesh, He would live a perfect life.  He would be tempted in every way and never sin.  He would be rejected by His own people Israel and be rejected by the idol loving Gentiles.  They would put Him through a bloody death but God would raise Him up.  Then God would preserve this revelation of His Son SO ALL COULD SEE HIS GLORY.”

“But there is still even more.  The heavens proclaim His righteousness.  Jesus life and His death proclaim His righteousness but there’s a day coming when He will return AND ALL WILL SEE HIS GLORY.”

“…we still give ourselves to worthless idols.  Today it’s not idols we make with wooden things, it’s the idols of the heart we worship.  I doubt you have a wooden idol in our living room or back yard but you have idols you’re bowing down to in your heart. You bow down to that friend’s request because you idolize their acceptance of you.  You have an idol of your reputation, some financial status, your house is a museum instead of an outpost for the gospel because it’s an idol.  Teens you want something at school so bad this idol controls how you look, speak and act.  The list is endless.”

“Church, in our homes and in our community groups let’s be honest about those worthless idols we create in our heart.  Let’s grow in identifying these idols of the heart, confessing them to God and to our friends and put them to death.  Why? Cuz our God is highly exalted above all gods.  Jesus is highly exalted and more satisfying than any worthless idol we could create in our hearts and begin to bow down to.”

“Remember when we introduced the Psalms and gave reasons to continually come back to the Psalms?  One of those reasons was that the Psalms teach us godly living.  V. 10-12 is Psalm 97’s application and a call to godly living in light of God’s glorious presence.  The creation and the revelation of God in Christ necessitate a response. v. 10 hate evil. V. 12 rejoice and give thanks - If you love the Lord, hate evil!  Trust that God will preserve you in your struggle to put to death idols.”

“Who is this application directed towards?  Believers. The Church.  The Psalmist says it a few different ways.  

• Those WHO LOVE THE LORD – 

• OF HIS SAINTS – 

• light for the RIGHTEOUS – 

• joy for the UPRIGHT IN HEART – 

• rejoice O YOU RIGHTEOUS.  

This is a call to a godly response to Israel and a call to godly living in believers.  Because of Christ we don’t encounter the God who reigns like Israel did.  We encounter Jesus who calls us to come to Him, the One who lived a perfect life, hating evil.  He’s the One who preserves you and delivers you from the hand of the wicked.  He’s the One that causes you to be upright in heart.”

“We hate evil while we simultaneously rejoice in the Lord and give thanks to His holy name! How do we do this?  You know it as sanctification.  Use Thomas Chalmers famous sermon title from 250 years ago as your reminder.  The expulsive power of a new affection.”

“It’s never about simply using your own power to hate evil.  We need a power outside of ourselves – the Promised Holy Spirit – to create new affections deep in our heart.”

ADDITIONAL SCRIPTURE:
Proverbs 16:33
Deuteronomy 4:11–12
Romans 1:18-23

QUOTES:
John Calvin, on the theophany - “a representation of the formidable majesty attaching to God, that he may dash and humble vain confidence and carnal pride.”

Paul Tripp - “Acknowledging God as Creator means acknowledging that he owns you and has a purpose for you and everything in your life. Believing him as Sovereign means resting in his active control of every detail of your life. Trusting him as Savior means repenting of your sin and trusting in his resurrection grace.”

SCRIPTURE MEMORIZATION:
Romans 8 (entire chapter)

SONGS FROM THIS SUNDAY:
How Great (Psalm 145)
Behold Our God
We Are Yours Forever
Tis' So Sweet To Trust In Jesus
The Lord Almighty Reigns (Psalm 93)

NEXT WEEK’S PASSAGE:
Psalm 122

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 In God’s kindness, He gives us Psalm 103. Psalm 103 is for His people who forget. Below is an outline summary of the sermon for your further study and deeper reflection.

SERIES: SUMMER IN THE PSALMS
TEXT: Psalm 103
TITLE: Never Forget
PREACHER: Tom Wilkins
BIG IDEA: When we remember the gospel, all that is within us rejoices!

POINTS:
I. Never forget God is gracious (1-5)
II. Never forget God is merciful (6-11)
III. Never forget God is loving (12-19)
Application - Bless the LORD (1)

SERMON EXCERPTS:
All quotes and text emphasis are taken directly from the pastor’s notes.

ILLUSTRATION: “the man who woke up” every few minutes, Clive Wearing

“Memory loss is scary. The mental and emotional anguish is severe!

The resulting amnesia can be devastating to the one afflicted and to the friends and loved ones who know them. But there is something even more devastating than amnesia. When our soul experiences spiritual amnesia. We forget. We forget the milk. We forget to get gas in the car. We forget about appointments. We forget names. We forget these things. Most concerning, most alarming, most serious, is that our soul forgets. In particular, we forget God. We forget who He is. We forget what He has done.”

“Yet, God knows this about us. In His kindness, He gives us Psalm 103. Psalm 103 is for His people who forget. Look with me at Vs 5-8. These verses are key to this Psalm. Speaking to the original hearers of this Psalm, God reminds them of the salvation history in these 3 verses. And vs 8 is almost word-for-word how the LORD describes Himself to Moses in Exodus 34:6.”

“This Psalm was for His people then, and it is for us now! It is for those who have forgotten their yesterday! It is for those who are prone to spiritual amnesia! Psalm 103 is for your soul. Psalm 103 speaks to your soul. It says, ‘Soul, remember the LORD and bless the LORD’ Psalm 103 helps us “hold onto our yesterday” and so much more!”

“When we truly hear and believe what is contained in the gospel, we will not be able to stay quiet about it. The gospel, from the mouth of God, when rightly heard with the ears of our soul, calls forth everything within us to praise God! Joy is created! But we have a problem. We forget. We forget the gospel. And Psalm 103 comes along and says REMEMBER! Remember the good news! AND…When we remember the gospel, all that is within us rejoices!”

“This Psalm of praise begins and ends with the exhortation: ‘Bless the Lord!’ Repeated essentially 3 times in the first two verses. Bless the LORD, bless his holy name, Bless the LORD! And in the final 3 verses in 20-22 it is repeated 4 times! I think it’s clear. The point of this Psalm? BLESS THE LORD.”

“H.B. Charles calls this Psalm a masterclass in gospel “Self Speak!” It is clear that this Psalm is a perfect example of preaching the gospel to yourself.”

“The opening 5 verses are very personal. It is a call to you to do something. In effect, you are addressing your own soul. “Soul, bless the Lord.” We are calling our soul to action. Bless the Lord. I often hear people answering the question, How’s it going? Blessed. I’ve seen various forms of “Bless” on license plates, coffee mugs, t-shirts. How true it is! This Psalm’s exhortation to Bless the Lord is very different from God’s blessing of us. When He blesses us, He helps and strengthens us. It brings benefit to us. It increases our faith. It grants us hope. BUT to bless the LORD, is to worship Him. When we bless Him, we speak well of Him. We honor Him. We praise Him for who He is and for what He has done. ‘Lord, you have done great things! You are greatly to be praised!’”

“Soul, Bless the LORD! Vs 2 - But, before your soul can do this, you must REMEMBER. Speaking well of God requires that you remember who He is. ‘Bless the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits!’ Never forget ‘all his benefits’ The following verses 3-5 will now list for us the string of his benefits. Spurgeon describes God’s benefits listed here as the Psalmist selecting ‘...a few of the choicest pearls’ and threading ‘them on the string of memory, and hangs them about…’ your neck.”

“God forgives you. God heals you. God redeems you. God crowns you. God satisfies you.”

“Never forget these “choicest pearls” of grace!

Each of these pearls is strung and hung on our necks as a means of memory. This morning we paused our time of singing to REMEMBER the gospel of Jesus and His cross. Remembering that Jesus’ body was broken for us and that His blood was shed for us! David’s Psalm reminds us to remember the Gospel of God’s grace!”

“God’s grace is the undeserved favor of God! God freely gives blessing and favor to you. And you did not/cannot earn it.”

“God’s mercy is our not getting what we do deserve. He withholds His deserved wrath and punishment.”

“God forgives you - God graciously releases us from the penalty of sin - wrath. On the cross, Jesus receives the wrath we deserve, and we receive the forgiveness that we do not deserve! Never forget that you are forgiven by God! God is gracious!”

“God heals you - All our sins are forgiven, but some of them will result in painful consequences. ALL of the lingering consequences of our sin will finally be healed by God! God will graciously heal the effects of our sin!

"My sin, not in part but the whole, is nailed to the cross, and I bear it no more!" and this is the unearned grace of God.”

“God redeems you - (v 4) Christ graciously pays the price on the cross for purchase back from the bondage of our sin. Enslaved to sin, we were lying in the pit of death and destruction. We were powerless and pennyless. 
‘The greatest of all transactions
The costliest purchase price
Father, Your Son's atoning death
Was given in payment for mine’  -  Poor Soul, Rejoice and Bless the LORD for His gracious payment that set you free!”

“God crowns you. His crowning of us is God graciously bestowing honor on us! We do not deserve this crown. Illustration: I have a childhood memory. It is the drawing of a skinny boy sitting on a massive throne 4 X his size. A large crown barely hanging his tiny head. The crown could fall off any second. The honor with which he has been greater than his stature! The crown of honor in verse 4 far exceeds our stature. We are completely unworthy of this crown. Yet, the King of Heaven and Earth crowns US! He honors us with His steadfast love! He honors us with His mercy!”

“God satisfies you - (vs 5) God graciously pours out His goodness to you - all that we have just seen and so much more. This undeserved satisfying good stirs up our soul. It is so satisfying; it lifts the aged up to youthfulness.”

“God will not always chide - God mercifully decides not to bring a prosecution against us in His righteous court! God will not keep His anger - God mercifully will not hold on to His just anger! God will not deal with us according to our sins - God mercifully chooses to not treat us as our sins deserve! God will not repay us according to our sins - God mercifully will not repay us with His holy wrath.”

“What would happen? What should happen, if it were not for God’s mercy? It’s terrifying! There is no place that we could hide from the wrath of God. God has every HOLY right to not only prosecute us but also judge us and execute us on the spot! We should not even get a trial! God’s anger should burn hot against us in His all-consuming fire! (Vs 10) God knows every single one of our sins. We deserve to receive the full payment for each one. God has every right to remember every one of our sins.ALL OF THIS WOULD BE DESERVED.”

“Without God’s mercy, your eternal suffering is simply indescribable. Join the thief next to Christ. Acknowledge that you will get what you deserve. BUT Christ is merciful. Cry out to Jesus, and He will remember you! You will have eternal life! What we deserved, Jesus received in our place! What began in the garden was completed in His cross.”

“Jesus bears our sins, and He gets the justice that we deserved. Jesus bears our sins, and He gets the unmitigated wrath that we deserved. Jesus bears our sins, and He receives the holy treatment that we deserved. Jesus bears our sins and pays the price for every single one of them! Jesus got what we deserved. Jesus satisfies the wrath of God. Worship Jesus, O my soul! Never forget that He is merciful!When we remember the gospel of God’s mercy, all that is within us rejoices!”

“Never forget God’s love. We are reminded that God is loving in 11-19 in that. God’s love for us has no bounds. God’s love for us is compassionate. God’s love for us is endless. In vs 11-12, God’s love for us has no bounds. We cannot measure the height of God’s love for us. From our position, we are blown away by the vastness of His love.”

“David peels back the curtain of the universe. He sets to measure the distance from the earth to the end of the cosmos! THAT is the measure of God’s steadfast love! God’s steadfast love is limitless and He proved His love by sending His Beloved Son into this sinful world.”

“At times we have theoretical belief in the love of God. We hear about it. It sounds wonderful! But, DO YOU TRULY KNOW IT? Building your faith in Him. DO YOU FEEL HIS LOVE? Leading to your passion for Him. God’s love for you is illustrated as a father’s profound affection. He will not shrink back from you. He will not sulk over your failure. He understands that until he calls us home, we struggle and strive. At the deepest level, he knows you. He knows you inside-out. He knows your frame. He REMEMBERS that we are dust. It’s a lie to believe that no one knows you nor understands you. HE DOES. Never forget that HE REMEMBERS you! He knows you through and through. AND THIS is part of what makes His love immeasurably steadfast! He knows that we here today and gone tomorrow. Never forget God’s love! It is boundless. It is compassionate. God’s love for you is forever!”

ADDITIONAL SCRIPTURE:
Isaiah 53:5
Isaiah 43:4
Luke 23:39–43
Jeremiah 31
Hebrews 8
Romans 8:39

QUOTES:
C.H. Spurgeon - “Our sin deprived us of all our honors; [punishment without a trial] was issued against us as traitors; but he who removed the sentence of death by redeeming us from destruction restores to us more than all our former honors by crowning us anew. Shall God crown us and shall not we crown him? Up, my soul, and cast your crown at his feet, and in lowliest reverence worship him, who has so greatly exalted you, as to lift you from the dunghill and set you among princes.”

Dane Ortland - “Let this psalm wash over you. Growth in the Christian life is the process of bringing your sense of self, your swirling internal world of fretful panic arising out of gospel deficit, into alignment with the more fundamental truth that ‘The Lord is merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love.’ In Christ, God proved it.”

SCRIPTURE MEMORIZATION:
Romans 8 (entire chapter)

SONGS FROM THIS SUNDAY:
Bless The Lord O My Soul (Psalm 103)
Jesus Your Mercy
We Receive
His Mercy Is More
Thy Mercy

NEXT WEEK’S PASSAGE:
Psalm 97

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Today, in Psalm 147, we discover that there is something about God that draws our affections. What God does and Who God is draws our affection. Below is an outline summary of the sermon for your further study and deeper reflection.

SERIES: SUMMER IN THE PSALMS
TEXT: Psalm 147
TITLE: Worthy of Our Praise and Confidence
PREACHER: Tom Wilkins
BIG IDEA: Because of what God is doing and who He is, He is worthy of our praise and our confidence!

POINTS:
I. God is Building His Church
II. God is Able

SERMON EXCERPTS:
All quotes and text emphasis are taken directly from the pastor’s notes.

ILLUSTRATION: Being afraid at bedtime, “There was something about my Dad; when I was afraid, being near him somehow calmed my fears. I knew that I was safe.”

“Today, in Psalm 147, we discover that there is something about God that draws our affections. What God does and Who God is draws our affection.”

“‘Praise the LORD!’ - This imperative are the first words of the Psalm. They are repeated again in 12. And these are the last words of this Psalm. Psalm 147 is clear. We are called to praise the LORD.”

“Vs 1 describes God as altogether beautiful and that ignites our joy and delight in Him! The original hearers of this Psalm would have heard it and rejoiced! In verse 1 - ‘We, the redeemed, see our Redeemer as altogether beautiful. This ignites our joy. Our delight in our Savior is altogether enjoyable!’”

“Praising the LORD is altogether enjoyably right. There is something about Him! There is something beautiful about Him! WE HAVE GOOD REASON TO PRAISE HIM! HE IS WORTHY TO BE PRAISED! THIS is what I hope will help us see in God’s word this morning: Because of what God is doing and who He is, He is worthy of our praise and our confidence!”

“What God is doing is altogether reason enough to praise Him! Who God is is altogether reason enough to put our confidence in Him!”

“Understanding the context of PS 147 will serve us. God had called his people to Himself. He had placed them in the land he had promised. They sinned against him again and again. So, he disciplined them. He drove them out of their promised land. The Israelites had been exiled for their sin. But God… is merciful. What has He done? He forgave them and redeemed them from exile! He gathered the outcasts of Israel back. He would be their God and they would be his people.”

“What was true for the Israelites held a greater hope and promise for the Church. The Promised One, Jesus Christ, has come and has called His church back in. He continues calling His church together! The very definition of CHURCH is the ‘ones called out and gathered together.’ God is building up His church. But how is he building up His church?”

“God is building His Church by gathering us (v2). Echoing the words in Psalm 107:3 (in our Call to Worship), God gathers his people “from the east and the west, from the north and the south.” SING, Jerusalem! Your God is building you up! PRAISE THE LORD CHURCH, because ‘The LORD is gathering you!’”

“He has gone to the ends of the earth and gathered you back to himself! God is gathering you in from all of the desolate places you find yourself in! Our sin has broken this world. Our sin has us scattered into all of this brokenness. God could have, in His righteousness, left us there! But He didn’t! He is gracious sends His beloved Son into this world. (Luke 19:10)”

“God is building His Church by healing us (v3) ‘He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds.’ He heals the brokenhearted is not the last 10 minutes of your favorite Hallmark show. The couple finds each other… again, but under the town square Christmas lights, they slowdance, and their broken hearts are healed. This is NOT what verse 3 is talking about. This matter here is eternally more serious and infinitely more hopeful. It describes us as broken and bowed down under the weight of our sin and the sins in the world. Our souls are wrenched as they become aware of the righteous judgment of God. (Ex. Jeremiah knows that God’s judgment is about to exile Israel. He declares in Jeremiah 23:9, ‘My heart is broken within me!’ ) In the broken-heartedness of our sin, we suffer deep pain - an anguish and pain of the soul. This severe painful sorrow and suffering lie like an open wound that will not heal. But PS 147:3 preaches JOY of JOYs to the brokenhearted! God heals you!”

“He is building His Church by lifting you up (v 6) 

V 6, bookending V 3, The LORD is building you up by lifting you out of humiliation, out of affliction that was the result of your sin against Him. We should have been cast to the ground and left with the wicked. But God graciously lifts them out of their affliction.”

“God walks the hospitals of our lives looking for the mourners, the sick, and the dying! This is what He does! He, who is high and lifted up, comes down to the wretched and wounded, and lifts them up. All of what we are hearing in Psalm 147 is FULLY revealed in the Gospel of our Savior. Jesus came to us in our affliction and lifted us out! He humbled himself to save the humble. He willingly humbled himself, being afflicted, in order build up his people!”

“How God is building up His people? He is gathering us, healing us, and lifting us up.”

“He is building His church by strengthening us. The Lord is building His church by ‘strengthening the bars of your gates.’ (V 13) This original language clarifies its meaning. This means the Lord is securing His Church through His promise and blessing. His promises are sure. His blessings are sure. What He said He would do, He is doing it! He said He will build His church, and He is doing it! He said that He will heal the brokenhearted, and He is doing it! He said that He will lift up the humble, and He is doing it!”

“He is building His church by making peace in her borders! (no more war in her). He is building His church by filling you, Church, with the finest! Meaning, YOUR DEEPEST SATISFACTION. The people of Israel had turned to other gods for their satisfaction. Church, we turn to the world and other gods for our satisfaction. BUT, PRAISE THE LORD. He gathered us back in! And our affections and longings are being changed from the inside out. THE LORD is now at “filling you”... with Himself! HE IS THE ANSWER AND THE SATISFACTION of our deepest desires. He is making His Church the safest place, filled with the deepest satisfaction!”

“Can God truly do all that the Psalmist says that He is doing? Vs 5 declares that God is all-powerful and all-knowing. We are not all-powerful. We quickly find ourselves powerless. We are not all-knowing. We quickly find that we are shockingly limited in knowledge. This is one of the major reasons that AI sounds attractive. It is so promising. It promises to answer all of our questions and solve all of our problems. - IT NEVER WILL! AI can help me with a printer problem. AI cannot lift up my grieving heart. Only God can lift up the afflicted. On matters of the heart and soul, you struggle deeply. You cannot fix this, but Great is our LORD! God understands the heart. He understands everything, “beyond measure.” In matters of salvation, we have no power. But God’s power to save is abundant. The stars are nothing for him (Vs 4). But he knows them ALL! He names them.”

“O, how we need to be reminded that HE IS ABLE! That this would result in us turning to God and praising Him!”

“Q. Is God able? Psalm 147 says, “He is!”

Q. Can God truly heal the brokenhearted? Vs 5 tells us He can!

God is able!

Q. Can God gather all of His children? Vs 4 tells us He can!

Q. Can God provide for you? Vs 8 and 9 tell us God is able!

Q. Is God able to provide for even the lowest? Vs 9 tells us He is!

Q. Where is your confidence? You believe in God, yet you lack confidence in God. Vs 10 clues us in on where we often put our confidence - the ability of man (legs) and his resources (his horse). The mightiest of men in battle and the mightiest of his weapons - where is your trust? In what or in whom are you confident to save you?

Q. [The situation seems impossible.] Can God do anything? Vs 15-18 say that God needs to simply say the word. He is able!”

“There is a cadence of God’s works and ability in this Psalm.

Praise the LORD

God builds His church!

God gathers the outcasts!

God heals the brokenhearted!

God lifts up the humble!

God strengthens His church!

God blesses His church!

God makes peace in His church!

God is able in His greatness!

God is able in His power!

God is able in His understanding!

God is able in His provision!

God is able in His word!

Praise the LORD. Over and over we are told in the Psalm what God is doing and who God is. THEN SINGS MY SOUL, HOW GREAT THOU ART!”

ADDITIONAL SCRIPTURE:
Isaiah 53:5

QUOTES:
C.H. Spurgeon - “Behold, the Most High has to do with the sick and the sorry, with the wretched and the wounded! He walks the hospitals as the good Physician! His deep sympathy with mourners is a special mark of his goodness. Few will associate with the despondent, but Jehovah chooses their company, and abides with them till he has healed them by his comforts. He deigns [stoops below himself] to handle and heal broken hearts: he himself lays on the ointment of grace, and the soft bandages of love, and thus binds up the bleeding wounds of those convinced of sin. … The Lord is always healing and binding… Come, broken hearts, come to the Physician who never fails to heal: uncover your wounds to him who so tenderly binds them up!”

APPLICATION:
Q. Has the Church become unsatisfying to you? Are you beginning to be bored with the church? The Lord builds her up and delights in her, filling her with deep satisfaction - meeting all of her righteous longings. Where are you going to find the safest place? Where are you going to find your deepest satisfaction? It’s in the church! (Vs 14) God is building His church! How can you delight in her again? Discover again who God is and what he is doing?

Q. Are you brokenhearted and afflicted? How far have you fallen into the depths of your sin? He lifts up the humble! Has sin in this world led to deep pain and grief? How far have you sunk into the depths of sorrow? Psalm 139:9–10 (ESV) If I take the wings of the morning and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea, even there your hand shall lead me, and your right hand shall hold me. Behold the power of your God to hold you and lift you up.

Q. Is there anything that seems impossible for you right now? What area do you need to know that God is at work and that He is able?

SCRIPTURE MEMORIZATION:
Romans 8 (entire chapter)

SONGS FROM THIS SUNDAY:
We Give Thanks (Psalm 107)
The Greatest Of All
Jesus Paid It All
Praise His Name (Psalm 148)
We Are Thankful

NEXT WEEK’S PASSAGE:
Psalm 103

THE BOOK OF THE QUARTER:

CLICK BELOW TO PURCHASE ONE OF OUR BOOKS OF THE QUARTER:

The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want. It is a stunningly bold statement that we are all too familiar with. As we close the books on 24 and start again in 25, I can't think of a better truth to root us in individually and collectively as a church. Below is an outline summary of the sermon for your further study and deeper reflection.

SERIES: The Christmas Story
TEXT: Psalm 23:1
TITLE:  An Audacious New Year’s Reality
PREACHER: Derek Overstreet

POINTS:
1. The Majesty of My Shepherd
2. The Intimacy of My Shepherd
3. The Sufficiency of My Shepherd

SERMON EXCERPTS:
All quotes are taken from the pastor’s notes.
”Someone said about Psalm 23:1—Our familiarity with these words may rob us of their audacity. It is one thing to speak of God as Rock, King, Creator, Holy One, and Shelter, but Shepherd!? No image is so touching as the image of shepherd. As shepherd, the Lord must identify with His flock; as shepherd, the Lord must always be near His flock; as shepherd, the Lord must fight for His flock; as shepherd, the Lord must be willing to die for his flock. This image David uses of God is among the loveliest in the Bible to describe the tender and compassionate care that God gives to His people.”

“The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want. It is a stunningly bold statement that we are all too familiar with. As we close the books on 24 and start again in 25, I can't think of a better truth to root us in individually and collectively as a church. My prayer on this last Sunday of the year is simple:  We will leave here looking back on 24, freshly aware and grateful for all the goodness of our Shepherd, and look forward to 25 with a fullness of hope, knowing our Shepherd will be with us every step of the way.”

“From the outset, David distinguishes his shepherd as no ordinary shepherd—The LORD is my shepherd. Notice the word LORD in all caps. David is using the covenant name of God—Yahweh. It's the name God revealed to Moses in Exodus 3 at the burning bush. It was a fire in the bush that did not consume the bush, showing that the fire needed no source. The bush was a vivid illustration of God's being. He is profoundly mysterious. He needs nothing. He is independent of everything. He is self-existent. He is the great I AM. All of that is captured and communicated in the all-caps LORD. This is David's shepherd, and this is your shepherd.”

“Your shepherd is the one Isaiah 40 describes as measuring the waters that cover the Earth in the hollow of His hands and the one who consults no one because He knows all things.”

“Your shepherd is the one Job 38 describes as commanding the elements of weather and creating the boundaries of the sea.”

“Your shepherd is the one Psalm 8 declares has set the stars into place. PERSPECTIVE: [There is a] report that says there are 1,000 stars for every grain of sand on the Earth. Every one of them, the LORD, sets and holds into place effortlessly.”

“Here's the point: Your shepherd is no ordinary shepherd! He is the LORD who shepherds you from the fullness of His infinite and undiminishing wisdom, love, and power.”

“Allow this to stop you in your tracks because it should. The opening words of Psalm 23 should arrest our attention immediately. But too often, it doesn't. We rush by WHO our shepherd is to get to WHAT he does for us.”

“Don't allow your view of LORD to be, in the words of Phillip Keller—too small, too cramped, too provincial, too human. As the sun sets on one year and dawns on another, take heart—The LORD has been your shepherd, and He will continue to be your shepherd!”

“In light of WHO the Psalm 23 shepherd is, what David says next is quite remarkable: he says—The LORD is my shepherd. David does not say the LORD is A shepherd, or Israel's shepherd, or even Our shepherd. He says The Lord is MY shepherd. The Infinite LORD is an Intimate Shepherd!”

“I read a great book, While Shepherds Watch Their Flock, by Timothy Laniak, a missionary turned seminary professor who took a year-long sabbatical to the Middle East to study real shepherds. His book chronicles and makes biblical connections with the things he learned about the sheep, the shepherds, and the culture to the shepherd imagery in the Bible, particularly Psalm 23. Here are a few things he observed that have not changed much over time:
- A good shepherd takes great pride in ensuring the sheep are well-fed, protected, and flourishing under His care.
- A good shepherd is up early, carefully inspecting his sheep, looking for any injuries, illness, or parasites. Anything that needs special attention before the day starts.
- A good shepherd is strategic and goes to great lengths to ensure there are always green, rich pastures. He makes sure there is plenty of clean water, and he plans for enough feed to get them through winter.
- A good shepherd sleeps with one eye open, constantly alert for danger from predators. His eyes continually move over the flock so he knows when a sheep wanders off or gets too close to a cliff.”

“In other words, a shepherd knows his sheep intimately. The LORD, who is transcendent above His creation in every way, the one who holds the universe in his hands, relates to YOU as a shepherd relates to his sheep.”

“These five simple words—The LORD is my shepherd—represent a glorious condescension. As you turn the corner to 2025, the Lord wants to remind you of your profound relationship with Him. We have been reminded this Christmas that our Infinite Shepherd condescended to us by sending his son Jesus, the one John 10 calls the Good Shepherd to us for one reason—to lay down his life for the sheep so God could lovingly and eternally accept us.”

“That's what the gospel is about—The Lord, the Great Shepherd, doing all the work needed through Jesus, the good shepherd, to make you His beloved sheep.”

“Yet, as David considers his life, he concludes he is not lacking or deficient, whether temporal or spiritual; he believes he has all he needs. Why? Because he has all he wants? NO. Because the LORD is his shepherd, and the LORD is enough. David is a man marked by a profound contentment rooted in knowing who controls his physical and spiritual well-being—an infinitely good Shepherd who has an undying love for Him.”

“Contentment is elusive. One of the most true-to-life book titles ever is The Rare Jewel of Christian Contentment (Jeremiah Burrows). The words I shall not want challenge us because we are prone to wander and be dazzled by other things.”

“We all have some Miss Gadabout [the fence-crawling sheep] in us, don't we? Our hearts want for something more than what God has for us. We think the fields are greener on the other side of the metaphorical fence. Sometimes, it's the sin of greed that drives us. Other times it's the idol of personal dreams. At times, the weariness of suffering fuels discontentment with our shepherd.”

“Church, a new year lies ahead. It will hold personal triumph and tragedy. It will bring health and sickness. There will be excitement and disappointment. As a church, we will launch an exciting Church Plant Exploratory CG on the east side, experience evangelism growing pains, and keep gathering on Sundays and in CG right here in the NW. There will be green pastures and lean pastures. But our Good Shepherd will be with us every step of the way. Jesus is with us. And as our Shepherd, he is working on your behalf, working all things for his glory and your good, keeping you in his graces and providing rest, peace, and joy as your shelter in the storm and comforter of your soul so that we can say with David—read verse 6.”

APPLICATION:
- Here's one way to begin the new year: read Enjoying God by R.C. Sproul

- As you look back on 2024, ask yourself: What areas of fence crawling do I need to give to the Lord in 2025? Identify and repent of those areas with the assurance that your Great Shepherd won't put you down. Like the Father of the Prodigal Son, God never casts His sheep away. He shepherds us. He lovingly corrects us. He gently restores us. He faithfully tends to us by showing us how good and trustworthy He is and how lovely and satisfying His ways are if we would have the eyes to see.

SONGS FROM THIS SUNDAY:
This Is Amazing Grace
We Have Been Healed
Grace and Peace
Jesus Thank You
King Of Love
O Lord My Rock And My Redeemer

NEXT WEEK’S PASSAGE:
Colossians 2:8-15

THE BOOK OF THE QUARTER:

Everyday Gospel: A Daily Devotional Connecting Scripture to All of Life

By Tripp, Paul David

Buy on Amazon

Verse 3 from "God Is Faithful (Psalm 114)"

We have known Your mercy and Your love as in the past
If days be few or many You will guide us to the last
You have said it, we believe it, every promise holding fast
For we know that You are good

Truths like these remind us of the faithfulness of God toward His people. From Old Testament saints to the New Testament church, including us today: GOD IS FAITHFUL TO HIS PROMISES!

Join us in a noisy celebration this Sunday as we sing together of the faithfulness of God!

Title: God Is Faithful (Psalm 114)
Album: Unchanging God - Songs from the Book of Psalms, Vol. 2
Link to listen HERE.

Today you may lack joy. You may not feel very joyful. We all find ourselves there at times. Psalm 16 is your psalm because it gives us a pathway to true and lasting joy. Below is an outline summary of the sermon for your further study and deeper reflection.

SERIES: Our 7 Shaping Virtues
TEXT: Psalm 16
TITLE: Joy
PREACHER: Derek Overstreet
BIG IDEA: Pursuing the God of all joy produces a joyful Church in all circumstances

POINTS:
1. Know Your Lord
2. Delight In Your Church
3. Guard Your Heart
4. Focus On Jesus

SERMON EXCERPTS:
”Do you believe it’s possible? And I’m not referring to heaven, I mean today. Do you believe its possible to possess joy that transcends even our most difficult circumstances? Psalm 16 compels us to answer with a resounding YES!”

“The truth is, Christians are joy seekers. Joy is a constant theme in the Bible.”
”God wants His church to be characterized by joy. Like a father or mother wants their child to be happy, God desires you to experience joy to the fullest.”

“By joy, we’re not talking about a strong personality trait or a superficial contingent happiness—’I’ll be happy if _______.’ Joy is an abiding and deep delight in God for the sheer beauty of who He is and the infinite worth of what he has done in Christ.”

“When troubles arise, our mind tends to immediately find human solutions. That always leads to anxiety and discouragement. But David fills his mind with the knowledge of his God. This is the beginning of true joy.”

“God is good! In feast or famine. In wealth or poverty. In peace or conflict. In health or sickness, in life or death. God holds my lot. He is in control. He is good. He is my portion, my cup, my inheritance. So whatever he providentially allows into my life, life is good because God is good.”

“Listen, this doesn’t mean we call what is bad, good. Bad is still bad. Cancer is bad. A miscarriage is bad. Losing a loved one is bad. Suffering is suffering, pain is pain, tears are tears. But, in the words of James 1:2, and this is one of the greatest fights in the Christian life—I can count it all as joy because I know who my God is!”

“You want more joy in your life, get to know your God better.”

“David turns his attention to God’s goodness expressed in His people. God, your people love you so I love them. Your people delight in you so I delight in them. This is not idolatry. The church can be an idol. Joy can be an idol, if it’s an end. We take joy in God’s people because God’s presence is with His people. So we love to be in the presence of your people because we long to be in presence of the Lord, where there is joy forevermore.”

“As often as we gather, gathering with your church should be an occasion of great delight and joy. Not because we’re so great but because our God is so great, and when we gather as a church, our great God is uniquely present and glorified. Is it a joy for you to gather with your church? If not, it’s a sign your heart has drifted. Go to God now!”

“The world can throw its best at you, it cannot touch the joy you have in Jesus.” 

“…we must, in the words of verse 8—set him before us. This is the ultimate key to our joy. We don’t set Jesus to the right, the left, or behind us. We set him before us. Right in front of us.”

ADDITIONAL SCRIPTURE:
Psalm 30:5
Galatians 5:22
James 1:2
Philippians 4:4
1 Thessalonians 3:9
Jeremiah 2:12-13
1 Chronicles 17:11

QUOTES:
John MacArthur - “The more you know Him, the better you know Him, the more confident you become, the more secure your joy is… Joy is related to your knowledge of God: little knowledge, little joy; much knowledge, much joy. The more you know of God’s glorious truth, of God’s great covenants and promises, of God’s plans, of God’s faithfulness, of God’s power, the more joy you experience in life… Our joy is connected to the goodness of the Lord. And the more you understand His grace and mercy and goodness, the more stable your joy becomes, no matter what circumstances may come.”

Bob Kauflin - “God is particularly interested in our joy. He tells us, “Be glad in the Lord, and rejoice, O righteous, and shout for joy, all you upright in heart!” (Psalm 32:11). When the church gathers, the sense of confident joy in God should be pronounced. When we fail to demonstrate delight and satisfaction in God, we’re not only dishonoring God, we’re disobeying Him. More than anyone else on earth, Christians have a reason to celebrate.”

Sam Storms - “Your choice isn’t whether to passionately seek pleasure. Trust me, you do. Your only option is where you’ll look or whom you’ll love or whose offer of pleasure you’ll accept.”

John Piper - “Is there anything fuller than full? No. Is anything longer than forever? No. This is no rocket science. This is just glory! Nobody anywhere in the world can offer you anything better than Psalm 16:11.  Because nothing is even conceivably better than verse 11. Nothing is fuller than full or longer than forever. “Fullness” means completely satisfying. And “forevermore” means those pleasures never stop.”

Sam Storms - “God created us so that the joy He has in Himself might be ours. God doesn’t simply think about Himself or talk to Himself. He enjoys Himself! He celebrates with infinite and eternal intensity the beauty of who He is as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. And we’ve been created to join the party!”

APPLICATION:
By grace through faith in Christ, you have joined the greatest party ever thrown. You belong to the God in whose presence is fullness of joy and pleasures forevermore. Shouldn’t that make us the happiest people on the planet? It should. And we pray it will more and more. 

As we set Jesus before us every day, may the God of all joy pour out His joy on us as a church, for our good, for our testimony, and for God’s glory today, tomorrow, and forevermore!

How are you currently magnifying God with your life? How many of us would say—I live life with a thankful heart. Below is an outline summary of the sermon for your further study and deeper reflection.

TEXT: Psalm 69:30-32
TITLE: Magnifying God With Gratitude
PREACHER: Derek Overstreet

POINTS:
I. A Call to Magnify God
II. A Heart That Magnifies God

SERMON EXCERPTS:
”My hope for today is that the Spirit would speak to us and work in us in such a way that we could all say, and others would say about us—My life increasingly magnifies my Savior because my life is increasingly characterized by thankfulness to God in everything for everything.”

“David wants to be a telescope that brings God right into the midst of his affliction and pain. David does not magnify his affliction. He does not magnify his pain…that would be to magnify himself. His heart is to magnify His Redeemer.”

“If you have been saved by grace; if you are in union with Jesus by faith; if the Spirit of God lives in you; if by divine mercy you belong to the eternal family of God, then your heart should say with David and Paul—Magnify the Lord oh, my soul!”

“Of course, we are forgetful. We forget WHY we exist, and more importantly, we forget WHO God is. Our feelings, experiences, ambitions, sinful cravings, and deceptions of our own hearts move us to magnify self. We can marvel in the goodness and sufficiency of God one day and be oblivious to it the very next.”

“Paul prays they would have the eyes of their hearts enlightened. These are believers who have already had the eyes of their hearts enlightened. But Paul doesn’t want them to forget. He wants them to be more and more anchored in the hope they have in Christ, the riches of his inheritance, and the immeasurable power of the Spirit at work in them.”

“The desire to magnify self is at the heart of an ungrateful heart. In our pursuit of greatness, we make God small. When we apply this to a God who is infinitely great, we see our utter foolishness and sinfulness.”

“Put on a heart of thankfulness by looking upward as David did in verse 29—to the God of your salvation. This is where true thankfulness begins.”

ADDITIONAL SCRIPTURE:
Philippians 1:20
Corinthians 10:31
Ephesians 1:15-20

QUOTES:
John Calvin - “There cannot be a more powerful incitement to thanksgiving than the certain conviction that this religious service is highly pleasing to God.”

APPLICATION:
If you want to grow in gratitude or help someone who lacks gratitude, don’t begin with nice platitudes or common courtesies—begin with a BIG God who redeems and rejoices in His people!

What areas of your life do you wish God would hit the fast-forward button? In what areas do you feel stuck? On Sunday we learned that when it comes to revival God can do in a moment what we could never do in a lifetime! Below is an outline summary of the sermon for your further study and deeper reflection.

TEXT: Psalm 85
PREACHER: Guest Pastor, Dustin Smetona
BIG IDEA: Pray and prepare for revival!

POINTS: 
1.  Revival is our family history. (vs. 1-3)   
2. Revival is our present need. (vs. 4-7)
3. Revival is our future state. (vs. 8-13)

OPENING ILLUSTRATION & QUESTIONS:
”As I was talking to [my six-year-old son] about his anger I told him, ‘Buddy, you’ve got to remember to talk back to your anger and say no to it.’ Without missing a beat he responded, ‘Dad I’m trying! But my anger just won’t listen to me and it’s so loud that I can’t talk over it.’

My son felt stuck.
What are those areas for you?

• Does anger have a grip on you?

• Are you spiritually dry or joyless? Depressed?

• Do you lack direction and vision for what God wants you to do?

• Are you stuck in a pattern of sin and feel like you can’t get out?

Wouldn’t you be so relieved if God hit the fast-forward button on that?”

ADDITIONAL SCRIPTURE:
Romans 8 - For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us. 19 For the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the sons of God. 20 For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of him who subjected it, in hope 21 that the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to corruption and obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God. 22 For we know that the whole creation has been groaning together in the pains of childbirth until now. 23 And not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies. 24 For in this hope we were saved. Now hope that is seen is not hope. For who hopes for what he sees? 25 But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience.

QUOTES:
Ray Ortlund - “Revival is a season in the life of the church when God causes the normal ministry of the gospel to surge forward with extraordinary spiritual power. Revival is seasonal, not perennial. God causes it; we do not. It is the normal ministry of the gospel, not something eccentric or even different from what the church is always charged to do. What sets revival apart is simply that our usual efforts greatly accelerate in their spiritual effects. God hits the fast-forward button.”

Martyn Lloyd-Jones - “The history of the church is a history of revivals.”

Jonathan Edwards - “This work of God, as it was carried on, and the number of true saints multiplied, soon made a glorious alteration in the town: so that in the spring and summer following, the town seemed to be full of the presence of God: it never was so full of love, nor of joy, and yet so full of distress, as it was then. There were remarkable tokens of God’s presence in almost every house. It was a time of joy in families on account of salvation being brought to them; parents rejoicing over their children as newborn, and husbands over their wives, and wives over their husbands. Our public assemblies were then beautiful: the congregation was alive in God’s service, every one earnestly intent on the public worship, every hearer eager to drink in the words of the minister as they came from his mouth; the assembly in general were, from time to time, in tears while the word was preached; some weeping with sorrow and distress, others with joy and love, others with pity and concern for the souls of their neighbors.”

Richard Lovelace - “[Revival] is an outpouring of the Holy Spirit which restores the people of God to normal spiritual life after a period of corporate decline. Periods of spiritual decline occur in history because the gravity of indwelling sin keeps pulling believers first into formal religion and then into open apostasy. Periods of awakening alternate with these as God graciously breathes new life into his people.”

John Piper - “The only life I have left to live is future life. The past is not in my hands to offer or alter. It is gone. Not even God will change the past. All the expectations of God are future expectations. All the possibilities of faith and love are future possibilities. And all the power that touches me with help to live in love is future power. As precious as the bygone blessings of God may be, if He leaves me only with the memory of those, and not with the promise of more, I will be undone. My hope for future goodness and future glory is future grace.”