Jesus breathed his last, and then breathed again, that we (having new breath… who have new life)... that we would now and forevermore Praise Him! Below is an outline summary of the sermon for your further study and deeper reflection.

SERIES: Sermons in the Psalms
TEXT: Psalm 150
TITLE:   Praise the Lord
PREACHER: Tom Wilkins

POINTS:
1. Where (Vs 1)
2. Why (Vs 2)
3. How (Vs 3-5)
4. Who (Vs 6)

SERMON EXCERPTS:
All quotes are taken from the pastor’s notes.
”The combination of “in his sanctuary” and “in his mighty heavens” proclaims the great truth of the omnipresence of God. Here on earth (WHERE HE IS) and in the heavens (WHERE HE IS). The songwriter is preaching the implication of the Doctrine of God in that He is fully present everywhere at the same time! SO WORSHIP Him HERE and Praise Him THERE!”

“There is no place where we can go where it is not THE place to Praise Him, and there is never place where we are to fall silent and turn away and cease to Praise Him. Remember who the ULTIMATE SONG WRITER OF PSALM 150 is! God Himself is preaching the Doctrine of Himself. I am here and I am there! Praise Me!”

“Why are we to Praise Him? ANSWER - Praise Him for what His has done and for He is!” 

“The reason we Praise Him is for His previous mighty deeds, ongoing mighty deeds, and anticipating His future promised mighty deeds!”

“At each GREAT moment of salvation where God revealed His might and did mighty deeds, they stopped and worshipped - as if refusing to go on without giving Him glory! WHY would they STOP? Passing through the Red Sea - They stopped and worshipped! Time and time again they would stop and celebrate God’s faithfulness, His Salvation, His Provision.  Passing through the Jordan River - They stopped and built an altar of remembrance and worship Him! They STOPPED to glorify their Great God and who had saved them! And YET we have a greater reason to STOP AND WORSHIP! The Cross! …There is no greater place to stop and Praise Him than the Cross!”

“Jesus breathed his last, and then breathed again, that we (having new breath… who have new life)... that we would now and forevermore Praise Him!”

QUOTES:
John Pulsford, in "Quiet Hours." 1857 - “Each of the last five Psalms begins and ends with… "Praise the LORD." And each Psalm increases in praise, love, and joy, unto the last, which is praise celebrating its ecstasy. The… heir of God, becomes ‘eaten up’ with the love of God. He begins every sentence with ‘Praise the LORD,’ and his sentences are very short, for he is in haste to utter his next ‘Praise the LORD,’ and his next, and his next. He is as one out of breath with enthusiasm, or as one on tiptoe, in the act of rising from earth to heaven. It is as though the soul gave utterance to its whole life and feeling… in these words.”

C.S. Lewis - “It has all the cheerful spontaneity of a natural, even a physical, desire… They are glad and rejoice. Their fingers itch for the harp, for the lute and harp – wake up, lute and harp! –; let’s have song, bring the tambourine, … we’re going to sing merrily and make a cheerful noise. Noise, you may well say. Mere music is not enough… Let us have clashing cymbals, not only well tuned, but loud, and dances too.”

Boice - ““Let’s be done with worship that  is always weak and unexciting.”

Derek Kidner - “His glory fills the universe; his praise must do no less.”

APPLICATION:
Do you see it?  

Where will we Praise Him? - Jesus it the sanctuary and He rules the mighty heavens!
Why will we Praise Him? - Jesus is the ultimate reason
How will we Praise Him? - Jesus did not hold anything back when He gave himself up for us, so, with everything that have, let us Praise Him!
Who will Praise Him? - Jesus People! We belong to him now - Praise Him!

Don’t just go out determined to do this! Human determination will not be sufficient. BUT, we hope in the power of the Gospel and the power of the Holy Spirit, to do so, the Spirit reminds of what Jesus has done, reminding us the great things that He as done! There is no condemnation! - Ps 150 is not a rod of correction, but rather it the lifter of our heads.

Make no mistake, Psalm 138 is not empty adoration. Today is not a pep rally. Whatever David’s 10,000 Reasons were, Psalm 138 reveals three of them to us. Below is an outline summary of the sermon for your further study and deeper reflection.

SERIES: Sermons in the Psalms
TEXT: Psalm 138
TITLE:   10,000 Reasons
PREACHER: Derek Overstreet
BIG IDEA: Whatever reasons we think we have to not sing God’s praises, the reasons of Psalm 138 will fill our hearts with grateful praise.

POINTS:
1. Praise God for who He is
2. Praise God for what He has done
3. Praise God for what He will do

SERMON EXCERPTS:
All quotes are taken from the pastor’s notes.
”In Psalm 138, we encounter a man whose heart is filled with thankful praise to God. David worships God with his whole heart. His heart is not undivided before God. He is not preoccupied with his troubles or business affairs. He holds nothing back from God. His mind, affections, expressions, and entire being are wrapped up in praising God.”

“If you want to know what David was like, look no further than Psalm 138. I think David would have loved the song 10,000 Reasons. I think he would have belted it out as he wandered the palace. Not because he loved a catchy tune; because he had 10,000 Reasons to offer his whole heart in grateful praise to God. David had so many reasons to sing god’s praises with thankfulness. Make no mistake, Psalm 138 is not empty adoration. Today is not a pep rally. Whatever David’s 10,000 Reasons were, Psalm 138 reveals three of them to us.”

“David’s thanksgiving and praise are a response to two aspects of God’s character: His Loving Kindness and His Faithfulness.”

“God is a God of perfect, unfailing, unconditional love. When we say God is love, we aren’t just saying He is kind, merciful, and gracious; we are saying He is committed to loving His people infinitely and endlessly. God’s love for you never wavers. It never weakens. It never wavers because God Himself never changes.”

“In Christ, God has lavished his loving kindness on you. He has poured out His mercy and grace on you. He is committed to you because He loves you steadfastly and enduringly. As it says in Romans 8:39—Nothing, not your weak faith last week or your blatant sin this week, nothing can separate you from His love!”

“This is a stunning statement. God has such a high estimation of His Word; He regards it as He regards His name. God says I put my name, character, and glory on the line through my Word. If my Word proves to be false, I am false.”

“There is a tendency for us to diminish the value and authority of God’s Word. Whether it doesn’t dovetail with our feelings on a matter, it doesn’t speak to our circumstance as we hoped, or culture creep drowns it out, we can be guilty of depreciating God’s Word in our lives to our spiritual peril. …We don’t worship the Bible. We worship God. But the Bible is God’s self-revelation. He reveals to us what He is like. So we must regard the Scriptures, not higher than God does, but as high as He does.”

“I heard someone say that we need to listen to ourselves less and preach to ourselves more. I believe with all my heart that the fruit of dwelling on the character of God is a heart filled with thankful praise and worship that transcends any circumstance.  God is that wonderful. He is that glorious. He is that satisfying.”

“God hears your prayers. God gives his full, undivided attention when His people call on Him. He is never too busy for you. He is never uninterested in you. He is never running from you. God hears and answers the prayers of His people.”

“Remember this: Sometimes, the most significant answer to your prayers is not the disappearance of your trial but the spiritual strength to walk by faith with thanksgiving and praise to God in your situation.”

“Think back to all of God’s faithfulness to you in the past. Will He not continue? Of course, He will. He will because of Who He is. So you can be confident about your future. The future is the third reason David praises God with his whole being.”

“We all have 10,000 reasons and more for our hearts to be strengthened and filled with thankful praises to God today. We can never, and we will never, run out of reasons to worship God. And they all begin here: Jesus Christ, who he is, what he has done for you, and what he will do for you.”

ADDITIONAL SCRIPTURE:
Romans 8:39

QUOTES:
James Montgomery Boice - “It would be as if God is saying, “I value my integrity above everything else. Above everything else, I want to be believed”

John Newton - “When I see Thee as Thou art, I’ll praise Thee as I ought.”

APPLICATION:
So how do we respond? Whether it’s for the first time for salvation or for the thousandth time for sanctification, we come to Jesus with our whole hearts and humbly acknowledge that we are lowly and yet he regards us. 

Like David, we determine, despite our circumstances, not worried about what we look like, how we sound, or what anyone thinks, to sing our Savior’s praises. We have so many reasons to sing and He is worthy of them all!

Are you quiet inside? Have you learned to trust and hope in God from your most basic need to your greatest fear? Psalm 131 is a gift because I want that for my life, and I know you do. Below is an outline summary of the sermon for your further study and deeper reflection.

SERIES: Sermons in the Psalms
TEXT: Psalm 131
TITLE:   The Secret To Contentment
PREACHER: Derek Overstreet
BIG IDEA: The more we look away from ourselves to Jesus, the more content we will be.

POINTS:
1. Contentment’s Enemy
2. Contentment’s Evidence

SERMON EXCERPTS:
All quotes are taken from the pastor’s notes.
”Though Psalm 131 is only three verses long, we cannot underestimate the difficulty of its claim on us. Christian contentment is a hard lesson to learn. It’s not natural. It needs to be learned. God must work in us. There is a reason Jeremiah Burrough's great work on contentment is titled The Rare Jewel of Christian Contentment.”

“Regardless of your circumstance, the bigger God becomes, the smaller you become, and the greater your peace will be, come what may..”

“David is familiar with a proud, noisy heart. But notice verse 2—But I have calmed and quieted my soul. David knows a thing or two about pride. But by the time he writes this Psalm, he has learned to put contentment’s greatest enemy to death and find true contentment and peace in God.”

“David continues in verse 1—my eyes are not raised too high. You could translate this —My eyes are not haughty. Haughty eyes reveal proud and noisy hearts. Haughty eyes are an expression of self-righteousness.”

“Haughty eyes are not happy for others; they are envious of others. Haughty eyes don’t look to serve others; they expect to be served by others. Haughty eyes don’t recognize God’s grace in others; they are sinfully critical of others. Haughty eyes are not patient and gracious with others; they are quick to anger and harsh with others. Haughty eyes make for a noisy heart. Constant competing, controlling, comparing, keeping up the image and covering up the faults. It all saps your joy and suffocates your contentment in Christ.”

“There was so much David did not understand. There was so much he wanted to understand. Read the Psalms. But David learned and determined to control his occupation with understanding all that God was doing in his life and the timing in which He was doing it. He chose to (verse 2) calm and quiet his soul before the Lord instead of arrogantly trying to figure God out.”

“Like a child weaned from his mother, being content with who we are in Christ and what God’s will is for us because we know the God who did not spare His only Son for our salvation also promises to give us all things we need. There may be much we desire to be, have, and know, but we are content knowing God is in us, with us, and for us.” 

“In verse 3, David stops talking to God and talks to us. He gives us the secret to contentment—Hope in the Lord. Turn away from the horizontal comparing and striving; turn away from the thousand mysteries of your life to what you know to be true about God's good and everlasting love for you and Hope in the Lord.”

“It’s paradoxical: Because of Jesus, you can resolve to be calm and quiet. At the same time, he is your calm and quiet. It’s not in self-sufficiency that you will find contentment; it’s in Christ’s sufficiency. He is the living Word that reveals God’s steadfast love to you and forever redeems you to Himself. He is utterly worthy and trustworthy of all your hope.”

ADDITIONAL SCRIPTURE:
Psalm 130

QUOTES:
James Montgomery Boice - “Psalm 131 is one of the easiest of all psalms to read, but its lesson is one of the hardest to learn.”

Sinclair Ferguson - “Contentment is the fruit of a mindset that understands its limitations. David did not allow himself to be preoccupied with what God was not pleased to give to him. Neither did he allow his mind to become fixated on things God had not been pleased to explain to him. Such preoccupations suffocate contentment. If I insist on knowing exactly what God is doing and what He plans to do with my future, if I demand to understand His ways with me in the past, I can never be content until I am equal with God….Christian contentment, therefore, is the direct fruit of having no higher ambition than to belong to the Lord and to be totally at His disposal in the place He appoints, at the time He chooses, with the provision He is pleased to make.”

Anslem - “I do not seek to understand that I may believe, but I believe, that I may understand.”

APPLICATION:
Where is your hope today? 

David is very general; no particulars—Hope in the Lord. This is where I believe it is no accident that Psalm 131 is linked to Psalm 130.

Hope in the One whose word is unfailing. Hope in the One whose love for you is steadfast. Hope in the One who erases your sin and declares you righteous, giving you eternal pardon in heaven. God is not frantic, anxious, or out of control. He has an unthwartable plan for every second of your life. 

1. Identify where pride exists in your life and repent
   God is merciful—Run to Him!

2. Let what you believe shape your understanding, not the other way around
   God’s plan for your life is unthwartable, His love toward you is unfailing, and His power at work in you is unmatchable, whatever your circumstances.

3. Pursue Jesus passionately
   You cannot produce contentment in the Lord; you pursue it. We pursue a calm and quiet soul by pursuing the one who not only gives us hope but is our hope—Jesus Christ.

It’s easy to forget who we are in Christ, why we exist, what we are called to, how we are able to live for Jesus, and where this is all going. We need to be coached up in Christ. We must be encouraged, challenged, and spurred on in our faith and walk with God. Psalm 100 does that by coaching us up. Below is an outline summary of the sermon for your further study and deeper reflection.

SERIES: Sermons in the Psalms
TEXT: Psalm 100
TITLE:   A Fountain of Unstoppable Praise
PREACHER: Derek Overstreet
BIG IDEA: When God's unfailing love rules our hearts, unstoppable praises will pour from our lives.

POINTS:
1. God Created Us
2. God Redeemed Us
3. God Keeps Us

SERMON EXCERPTS:
All quotes are taken from the pastor’s notes.
”Our lives are living fountains of something. What? The more we know God. The more we pursue Christ. The more we rely on the Spirit. Our lives will be a fountain of unstoppable praises, not to us but to the glory of God.”

“In just five short verses, we find seven clear imperatives. These are not suggestions. They are not optional. They are not negotiable. They are not debatable. They are commands. From singing and serving to gathering and giving to thinking and thanking, God says—Do these things. At the same time, these seven imperatives do not stand alone. They are attitudes of the heart—outward expressions of an inward heart disposition toward God.”

“We don’t just make a noise; we Make a JOYFUL noise. The Hebrew word there means glad shout as a king’s subjects would do as he entered their presence. We don’t merely serve with our gifts; we Serve the Lord with GLADNESS. We don’t merely gather together on Sundays; we Enter His gates with THANKSGIVING. Actions and Attitudes.”

“It reminds us that faith takes root in our hearts but enters through the mind. Our thanksgiving, serving, singing, and gathering are intelligent. Our faith is not blind. It’s not subjective. We live how we live before God because we know and continually know something objectively true—Our God, the God of the gospel, He is God!”

“It is impossible to truly know ourselves apart from knowing God as Creator and ourselves as His creatures. The denial of this reality creates tremendous deception and chaos.”

“…when, Christian or not, we lose sight of the Creator/creature relationship; we become gods in our own eyes, which has enormous implications for how we live. We have ourselves to thank. We serve ourselves. We are accountable to no one. Glory belongs to us. What do we need with God?“

“Now He is not only your Creator; He is your Abba Father. You are His adopted sons and daughters. In His wisdom, this is the imagery God chose to describe His relationship with you—what a gift! …You don’t just know God intellectually; you know God intimately.” 

“We praise and thank God with our lives because of what He has done—He has made us, and he has saved us. But there is one more reason—God is faithful to keep us.”

“God is always in control of your life. The righteousness and blood of Jesus is always sufficient for your salvation. The Spirit that lives in you can always do more than you can ask or imagine. And this will never change because God never changes, and He has promised to keep you until the end. In Christ, God will never leave you nor forsake you. He will always be good to you. He will always love you! He will always keep you—all the way to heaven!”

ADDITIONAL SCRIPTURE:
Romans 12:1
Psalm 23
Hebrews 4:14-16

QUOTES:
James Montgomery Boice - “It is only when we know God as our Creator that we know ourselves as His creatures and find ourselves appropriately thankful to Him.”

John Stott - “What can our worship be but joyful? Away with funeral faces and doleful dirges! Joy, gladness, and singing are to be the accompaniment of worship.”

James Montgomery Boice - “If there is no other reason why we must be thankful to God, it is because He has both made us and redeemed us. No one should be more thankful to God than the sheep who are cared for by the Good Shepherd.”

APPLICATION:
Are you waiting for God to do something to be thankful to Him? Are you waiting to be convinced that our gathering should be a noisy celebration from the heart? Are you waiting for a particular blessing to unleash your unrestrained praises to God? The wait is over. God created you, and He redeemed you—Let the praises begin!

The Lord is good; his steadfast love endures forever. When that reality rules our hearts, unstoppable praise will pour from our lives.

If we’re honest, you and I wrestle with the dilemma of Psalm 73 more often than we might want to confess. If we really examine our hearts as we listen in to Asaph’s account, whether it’s just a tiny momentary spark or a raging forest fire in our hearts, we all can relate to what happened to Asaph. Below is an outline summary of the sermon for your further study and deeper reflection.

SERIES: Sermons in the Psalms
TEXT: Psalm 73
TITLE:   Envy, Honesty, and Refuge
PREACHER: Tim Lambros
BIG IDEA: God alone empowers honest confession and provides a soul-satisfying refuge.

SERMON EXCERPTS:
All quotes are taken from the pastor’s notes.
”Asaph gives us a Psalm every believer can and will experience and relate to!”

“Psalmist begins with a truth about God – He’s good to His people. He mentions the heart 6 times in this Psalm and we will see how important it will be for us to guard our hearts. As one author succinctly wrote “The state of the heart determines whether a man lives in the truth, in which God’s goodness is experienced or” … What we see next is the “or” for every believer.”

“Key phrase…but as for me. Joshua’s famous line “as for me and my house …” Like a bookend Asaph will repeat this phrase at the end of the Psalm – he will be in a very different frame of mind as God empowers him at the heart level to move FROM one place TO another.”

“Asaph is not the only one in Scripture to be bothered by the apparent prosperity of the wicked compared to the challenges of the godly. David in Psalm 37 answers this question with encouragement to wait. Like the grass, the wicked will fade and like green plants, they will soon die. Job similarly inquired and regretted it. He got no answer from God and got schooled in the reality that mere man cannot even answer even one of God’s manifold ways much less God’s ways with the righteous and the wicked. After three chapters of God’s relentless question of Job, he says in Job 42:3 '“Surely I spoke of things I did not understand…” More than just nodding our heads that Scripture deals with a tough question, today we will experience a refreshingly honest Psalmist that in the words of one author “might just provide the most perceptive treatment of this theme in all of literature.”

“In v. 17 there is a definitive transition in Asaph’s testimony. We encounter probably the most important word in this testimony from Asaph. Not only is it a crucial turning point for Asaph, but it’s also vital for every believer to grasp what God is revealing here. Asaph said he was weary UNTIL. Until something changed. UNTIL there was some movement in his heart. What was the turning point in his heart? He says – UNTIL I went into the sanctuary of God.”

“There’s nothing magical about walking into the place we worship on Sundays. But what makes the sanctuary for Asaph and the sanctuary for you and me special is the promised presence of God’s active presence. It moves God’s people from one place to the next. Asaph’s heart is moving from weary to a different place. CJ Mahaney says it even more succinctly, ‘The transforming effect of a divine  perspective.’”

“Asaph confesses his sin with vivid truth and refreshing honesty. He’s embarrassed as he looks back and observes how quickly his heart went to places that could have led him to disastrous actions. Asaph’s conclusion? Listen to how God-centered his confession turns. Marvel at the movement of his heart FROM where he was TO his proclamation TO preaching truth to himself.”

QUOTES:
James Montgomery Boice - “The wicked seem to do well in this world, much better than the godly and this is not what we would expect in a moral universe directed by a Sovereign God. If God is in control of things, the plans of the wicked should flounder. They should even be publicly punished. The godly alone should prosper.”

APPLICATION:

PSALM 73 WARNS:
It warns believers to live aware we can slip. Living in this fallen world and especially in times of suffering can tempt all of us to LOOK/SEE others and begin to doubt  God’s goodness towards us. Envy creeps in. We all have different things we SEE – we’re created to be interpreters – and quickly we are venting or accusing God or making angry charges vs. God. Our complaining is never morally neutral.  

Part of being warned is increasing our understanding that we need one another. - we can help one another run to God’s goodness instead of doubting it exists. We can help one another guard our thoughts so we don’t slip into the abyss of self-pity.

PSALM 73 COMMISSIONS: 

It commissions us to tell unbelievers of their end. (v. 18-20 & 28b.) Unbeliever – The Bible says you’re living in a dream. You’ll wake up one day and all will evaporate. You will be destroyed in a moment. Jesus died so that He might tabernacle  with you.

PSALM 73 ENCOURAGES: 

It encourages us to intentional sanctuary thinking. The transforming effect of a divine perspective – that’s what happened to Asaph. In Christ, we have the power to see things through a divine perspective. But it starts with asking the question – WHAT CURRENTLY INFLUENCES ME MOST?
How is your local Church influencing you? Pastors that God has put in your life to shepherd your soul, members that you know and they know you!  

To grow in sanctuary thinking let’s maximize all God is doing in your Church as the primary influence to your sanctuary thinking. Think PRIMARY not EXCLUSIVE  when you choose what things to listen to and influence you.

PSALM 73 PROCLAIMS: 

What does Psalm 73 proclaim? THE SUFFICIENCY OF GOD FOR BELIEVERS – The all-sufficiency of knowing God. NOTHING in heaven or earth will satisfy. Only the good of knowing we can be near God, our refuge, our place of deep satisfaction in this world while we await being in His physical presence.

Psalms are a treasure for the Christian. All of them, including imprecatory Psalm 58, are the holy words of Scripture inspired by the Holy Spirit. Like the rest of Scripture, Psalm 58 is authoritative over and profitable for our lives. We can’t cancel them. So what do we do with them? Below is an outline summary of the sermon for your further study and deeper reflection.

SERIES: Sermons in the Psalms
TEXT: Psalm 58
TITLE:   The Gospel and Imprecatory Psalms
PREACHER: Derek Overstreet
BIG IDEA: The gospel turns our imprecatory prayers into impassioned pleas for God’s saving mercy as we trust Him to do what is just in His eyes.

POINTS:
1. A Portrait of the Wicked
2. A Prayer Against the Wicked

SERMON EXCERPTS:
All quotes are taken from the pastor’s notes.
”We will walk through the passage to understand it in the original context, then look at a few ways the gospel shapes how Psalm 58 can function in our lives.”

“Who are the wicked? At the end of 1, the word gods is translated from a Hebrew word that can mean mighty one or ruler. In the immediate context, the inscriptions of the surrounding psalms lend to this; they are Saul and the officials who support his mission to murder David. In general, they are the ungodly rulers in Israel and, beyond that, leaders opposed to God and His people.”

“Notice how David goes from heart to hand. In their hearts, they devise wicked plans. Their evil actions are thought out. In other words, their wicked governance is who they are. And with their hands, they deal out—dispense, mete out—their evil hearts on others. David paints a picture of calculated evil executed with business-like ruthlessness and efficiency.”

“By the time we get to verse 6, David is outraged at the wickedness and evil he sees. He does not opt for a passive shrugging of shoulders or civil diplomacy. He reigns down curses from above using rich imagery.”

“So how should we think about David’s prayer? Carefully, humbly, and like every other part of Scripture and life, through the lens of the gospel.”

“There is great continuity between the Old and New Testaments. There is also appropriate discontinuity and for one overarching reason: The Gospel. The life, death, and resurrection of Jesus changed everything.”

“As Christians, we don’t pray for the damnation of sinners; we pray for their salvation. We pray for the demise of their evil work, which, by the way, the gospel is the ultimate answer, but we don’t pray for their personal damnation. We pray God protects us from suffering at their hands, but we don’t pray He strikes them dead instantly. As far as we are concerned, no one is out of the reach of God’s saving grace. He alone knows and determines who he saves.”

“This is worth remembering. Hating sin is an act of righteousness. But do we hate our sin as much as we hate other's sin? We should have burned. We lived opposed to God in every way. Remembering the depths of our depravity produces a humility that produces gratitude for grace and compassion for the lost—yes, even the wicked who rule over and oppose our Lord and Savior with their position and power.”

“The gospel comes with a promise—eternal justice. Those in Christ will live forever with him in heaven as their reward. All who reject Jesus will pay the price of their sins forever in hell. We must keep our eyes on heaven. A day is coming, if not in our lives, when Christ returns, when the Lord will have His vengeance on the wicked.”

ADDITIONAL SCRIPTURE:
Matthew 5:43-44
Luke 6:28
Galatians 6:9

The extraordinary nature of David’s repentance matched the extraordinary nature of his sin, and he understood that he desperately needed the extraordinary work of transformation that only God had the power to perform! Below is an outline summary of the sermon for your further study and deeper reflection.

SERIES: Sermons in the Psalms
TEXT: Psalm 51
TITLE:  Repentance and Renewal
PREACHER: Tom Wilkins

POINTS:
1. A radical repentance
2. A radical renewal

SERMON EXCERPTS:
All quotes are taken from the pastor’s notes.
”[In verse 1,] David cries out for God’s pardon in repentance. But we quickly realize that this repentance is not simple. It is not short. David, at length, and in-depth seeks God’s forgiveness, God’s release, God’s pardon… because his sin was extraordinarily grievous!”

“You’ve heard it - sin is sin. (almost a ‘get-over-it’ attitude). But one sin is not simply the same as another. They vary in gravity and quantity, in both light and grievous consequences. The resulting damage is little in some cases and almost irreparable in others!”

“Second Samuel 11 and 12 is a must-read to begin understanding the horror of David’s sin and the beauty and power of God’s grace and mercy.”

“His sins were many. His sins were grievous. He was trying to hide them. OUR sins were many. OUR sins are grievous. WE are trying to hide them.”

“David’s repentance reveals that his sins are ever before him AND the following consequences taught him that he had sinned ultimately against God alone (2 Sam. 12) “you have utterly scorned the Lord”), that his sins were a great evil in God’s sight, and that God was completely justified in His words and judgment!”

“In David’s radical repentance, he calls out for these things that only God can provide and finally would provide through His Son, Jesus.”

“God's very Son will become David’s substitute and bear David’s sin, ALL OF THEM, on his own body on the Cross! Jesus will be broken for him. Jesus will shed his own blood for David’s guilt… for OUR guilt. Everything that David needs in his repentance will flow from the Cross of Christ. Every blow of the hammer to remove the engraved list of his and our sins was replaced with every blow of the hammer that drove the nails into our Savior’s hands and feet!”

“Sinners forgiven by Him and sinners given new life from Him become sons and daughters who bring Him much delight. He delights in what he has done first (the gracious forgiveness and the giving of new hearts) before anything that we can offer. We live again!!! We’ve been forgiven and born again! BROKEN and Contrite Men and Women sing aloud and God is truly worshipped and praised!”

ADDITIONAL SCRIPTURE:
Hebrews 11:13

QUOTES:
Charles Spurgeon - “My revolts, my excesses, are all recorded against me; but, Lord, erase the lines. Draw thy pen through the register. Obliterate the record, though now it seems engraved in the rock forever: many strokes of thy mercy may be needed, to cut out the deep inscription, but then thou has a multitude of mercies, and therefore, I beseech thee, erase my sins.”

Charles Spurgeon - “A great sinner pardoned makes a great singer!”

APPLICATION:
The longer your wait to repent, the longer the list of transgressions grows - don’t wait any longer!

Has sin so gripped you that your original love for God has now turned to question Him, doubting him? Cry out to God for the miracle of the restoration of your spirit that can again marvel at your salvation - the return of JOY after Pardon and Purity!

Though written 3000 years ago, Psalm 47, the exclamation point to Psalm 46, could not be more relevant for us today. Below is an outline summary of the sermon for your further study and deeper reflection.

SERIES: Sermons in the Psalms
TEXT: Psalm 47
TITLE:  He Is Worthy
PREACHER: Derek Overstreet
BIG IDEA: There is only one true God and He is no ordinary king.

SERMON EXCERPTS:
All quotes are taken from the pastor’s notes.
”The psalmist is giving a poetic beatdown to the nations’ gods. Yahweh is not one god of many. He is the Most High, the Great King over all the earth. As such, He is to be feared, that is acknowledged, served, and praised by all people everywhere.”

“[God] may be patient, but He will not stomach any rivals. Any person who refuses to turn to him in repentance and faith will be judged eternally. But He is not a tyrant. He is merciful. And His people know this personally.”

“Not once. Not twice. Not three times. Not four times. FIVE times the psalmist summons people everywhere to praise God. We are meant to feel the weight of the repetition. We need to feel the weight of the repetition. We can never praise God sufficient of His glory and majesty as the great king over all the earth.”

“The psalmist is saying, there is a day coming when God’s love and mercy and grace will not be for Israel only, but the Gentiles as well—all the peoples of the earth. Those who were once strangers and aliens to the covenant people of God will be brought near and made part. This week read Ephesians 2 and see how verse 9 fleshes out.”

“Jesus fulfilled Psalm 47 by becoming our great king of all the earth. His coronation was on a cross where justice and mercy met to make all people everywhere, regardless of their nation, tribe, and tongue the people of God. so that all men everywhere, Jew or Gentile, could belong to God by faith.” 

“People everywhere are searching for meaning and purpose. They can’t find it so they rage inside. Their rage is so strong it bubbles out of them in things like sexual perversion, addiction, violence, and power trips. And in its own way, Psalm 47 says—Be still and know that I am King. Rest your weary hearts in me, the great king over all the earth.”

“Psalm 47 unequivocally and unapologetically teaches us that our King is so great the praises that begin in the heart cannot be contained by the heart—they are expressive.”

“Let SGC be known for a joyful and noisy celebration on Sundays. Let it be orderly, but may it not be muted and lifeless. May it declare the glory of our King Jesus. Is He worthy of our loud praises—He is!”

ADDITIONAL SCRIPTURE:
2 Samuel 6:15
Galatians 3:7-9
Galatians 3:13-14

QUOTES:
Charles Spurgeon - “What jubilation is here, when five times over the whole earth is called upon to sing to God. Never let the music pause. He never ceases to be good, let us never cease to be grateful. Strange that we should need so much urging to attend to so heavenly an exercise.”

Derek Kidner - “From the first word to the last, this communicates the excitement and jubilation of the enthronement, and the king is God himself. And more than poetry; this is prophecy, whose climax is exceptionally far-reaching.”

James Montgomery Boice - “Let’s be done with worship that is always weak and unexciting. If you cannot sing loudly and make loud music to praise the God who has redeemed you in Jesus Christ and is preparing you for heaven, perhaps it is because you do not really know God or the gospel at all.”

APPLICATION:
Did you need urging this morning to sing praises to God? That’s a spiritual red flag you should pay attention to. Ask yourself these questions:

Is Christ your king today? Is Christ a King worth your kingly praises?

Sometimes the application is so clear in the text, you can’t ignore it. Here’s what is clear in Psalm 47: Christian worship, by that I mean what we do for 25 minutes every Sunday, is meant to be a noisy celebration. 

When we gather, we sing. Our singing is joyful obedience. Our singing matters to what is happening outside of Sunday mornings because what we do in here shapes and informs what we do out there.

That moment of rushing through the elements to your car or a building, slamming the door behind you, and though the storm is still raging outside, suddenly you have a sense of relief, calm, and safety that makes the storm fade away even as it rages on outside. That’s the picture of Psalm 46. Below is an outline summary of the sermon for your further study and deeper reflection.

SERIES: Sermons in the Psalms
TEXT: Psalm 46
TITLE:  Our Mighty Fortress
PREACHER: Derek Overstreet

POINTS:
1. God’s Protection in Times of Trouble
2. God’s Presence in Times of Trouble
3. God’s Pronouncement for Times of Trouble

SERMON EXCERPTS:
All quotes are taken from the pastor’s notes.
”Everyone runs for safety in a storm. The question is, when the storms of life rage around you, where do you run? Where you run makes all the difference. Where you run reveals where your heart and hope is.”

“Whether to comfort you in a current storm or prepare you for the coming storm, Psalm 46 comes to us as a strong friend, encouraging and compelling us to seek refuge in God.”

“God is our refuge - A refuge is a place of safety. It’s where you go to be protected and free from danger. God is likened to a fortress we can run to in the storms of life—He is our safety.”

“God is our strength - In God, we have not only a place of safety; we find the strength to face our circumstances and sufferings. The power to persevere and deal with the storms of life is not a natural strength—it's supernatural.”

“God is our very present help in trouble - The word present could also mean well-proven. The point is God is a faithful and sufficient help in our time of need. He is always with you, not merely to assist you, but He is your safety and strength, sufficient for any troubles you experience.”

“Trials and troubles expose our weaknesses. Often times we allow them to isolate us—No one understands or cares—so we clam up and don’t show up at church or CG. Fear has a way of setting in. And when fear sets in, we become irrational. Objective truth, the very thing we need most in the moment, is usurped by subjective and often self-centered feelings and emotions. This is Satan’s work of deception; fear proves we have believed his lies.”

“The river signifies God’s provision for and presence with David. Just as David could walk through the valley of the shadow of death without fear in Psalm 23, he could face the trembling mountains and roaring seas of life without fear. It’s like being in the eye of a tornado—peacefulness as the storm roars all around you.“

“Nowhere did God speak louder than at the cross. In Jesus' death and resurrection, the power and penalty of sin were melted away for all who put their faith in Jesus. Do you feel weak and scared? Do you feel strong and secure? Either way, you can do nothing to melt away the power of sin and death. It is the one battle that matters and the one battle you cannot win. But Jesus did.”

“To be still and know that God is God is to mortify your anxiety; cease in your self-sufficiency; stop trying to carry your burdens alone; stop interpreting your life apart from God. Let God be God. Recognize Me for who I am.”

“…the claim of Psalm 46 on our lives goes beyond the storms of life—it also speaks to our tendencies toward joy-robbing condemnation. Condemnation is a form of pride that says—I just need to do better. When we sin, godly conviction turns our eyes upward to our Savior. Condemnation turns our eyes inward to our efforts. That’s pride. Here's the thing: Romans 8:1 says, “There is no condemnation for those in Christ Jesus.” Why? Because the very sin that condemns us has been dealt with at the cross.”

ADDITIONAL SCRIPTURE:
Psalm 130:5
Hebrews 10:24-25
2 Corinthians 10:5

QUOTES:
Charles Spurgeon - “God is our all in all. All other refuges are refuges of lies and all other strength is weakness….Our only impregnable, accessible, delightful place of retreat is our God.”

APPLICATION:
Where do you need to Be still and know that God is God?

Our struggles, suffering, and fears need something bigger and better that puts them in their place. The problem is we turn to so many other things to ease our worries and pains. In doing so, we are like the raging nations and tottering kingdoms. But in Christ, we have another way to deal with life in a fallen world. We have a Mighty Fortress, an unfailing bulwark of protection and provision. But how do we get there:

• Wait on the Lord through prayer and the Word

• Prioritize Sundays even when you don’t feel like it

• Preach truth to yourself more and listen to yourself less

In just six verses, 118 words, David’s song puts us on the right path by proclaiming God’s intimate knowledge of and unfailing love for us. Below is an outline summary of the sermon for your further study and deeper reflection.

SERIES: Sermons in the Psalms
TEXT: Psalm 23
TITLE: The LORD is MY Shepherd
PREACHER: Derek Overstreet

SERMON EXCERPTS:
All quotes are taken from the pastor’s notes.
”Scripture is filled with pictures that help us understand God and apply what we know about Him to ordinary life. We call them metaphors. They are a gift from God. One of the Bible's most common and powerful metaphors is the imagery of God as a shepherd.”

“David’s shepherd is no ordinary shepherd—The LORD—all caps is the personal and holy name of God revealed to Moses in Exodus 3—Yahweh, the great I AM.“

“David’s shepherd is the one who has always existed, who brought all things into existence and keeps all things existing. 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 everything. The one Job 38 describes commanding the elements of weather and creating the boundaries of the sea. The one Psalm 8 declares has set the stars into place—all 200 billion trillion. The one Proverbs 16:33 says controls even the cast of the lot (flip of a quarter). This is no ordinary shepherd.”

“David does not say ‘the’ shepherd. He doesn’t even say ‘our’ or ‘Israel’s’ shepherd. David says—The LORD is MY shepherd.”

“No one should be more grateful than a Christian. We should have a monopoly on gratitude.”

“Notice how David changes from ‘He’ and ‘his’ (5 times in verses 2-3) to ‘you’ and ‘you're’ in verse 4. Instead of talking about God, David speaks directly to God. The valley of death brings us into an intimacy with God that the green pastures of 2 do not.”

“The dark valleys elicit fear in us. It’s not the darkness that is so scary; it’s being in the darkness alone. David does not fear the dark valleys of life because he knows his shepherd is with him. His rod and staff comfort him.” 

“Psalm 23 makes it clear—no sheep that belongs to this shepherd is ever alone or will ever be lost. And if you have put your faith in Jesus, the Great Shepherd, you are never alone, you are always being cared for, and you will never be lost.”

“David’s life was filled with dark valleys. At times those valleys left him feeling like God had abandoned him. But David knows the truth: those dark valleys brought him closer to his shepherd. So it is with us. Bad things happen in our lives. But, in the words of Romans 8—God works all things for the good of those who love him…If God is for us, who can be against us…nothing can separate us from the love of Christ.” 

“Whatever is happening in your life today is because God is pursuing you with His goodness and mercy through them. He is bringing you into closer intimacy, a greater likeness, a deeper trust, and a more abiding joy in Him through your dark valleys. What can be better than that?!”

“Through the hardships of your life, your shepherd is pursuing and preparing you to—end of verse 6—dwell with him forever. No more sin. No more suffering. No more sorrow. No more distractions. No more dark valleys. Only the greenest of green pastures, the stillest of still waters, and the most exquisite feast—all in his glorious presence! That’s only possible because God’s goodness and mercy have pursued you in His Son, Jesus.”

ADDITIONAL SCRIPTURE:
John 10

QUOTES:
Timothy Laniak - “To truly understand God, the metaphorical phrase, God is my shepherd, is necessary, not just nice.”

Dale Ralph Davis - “It is precisely in the commonplace and familiar scenes of life where we see our Savior’s constant provision. We love him because he does not just meet us in the critical times but in the common times. We know he will be at work for us on Tuesday and the day after that, though there may be nothing dramatic about them.”

John Calvin - “Faith does not promise us length of days, riches, and honors; but is contented with the assurance, that however poor we may be in regard to present comforts, God will never fail us.”

APPLICATION:
Do you know the shepherd of Psalm 23, or are you just familiar with him? Perhaps you know him, but you have become familiar with him. Today is the day to be restored to your shepherd.

Look at the heading with me—A Maskil of David. A Maskil probably refers to a song. Psalm 23 is meant to be sung. We are going to end by singing to our shepherd. But don’t just sing—praise him. Repent before him. Thank him. He is the good shepherd whose goodness and mercy shall pursue you all the way to the eternal house of the Lord.  

The legacy of David is no matter how hard life was, he always looked up, remembering, resting, and rejoicing in the goodness of God. Below is an outline summary of the sermon for your further study and deeper reflection.

SERIES: Sermons in the Psalms
TEXT: Psalm 22
TITLE: A Hard Life Is No Match For A Good God
PREACHER: Derek Overstreet
BIG IDEA: Life is hard, but God is good. And Jesus is the proof!

POINTS:
1. Life is Hard
2. God is Good

SERMON EXCERPTS:
All quotes are taken from the pastor’s notes.
”Unlike Psalm 8, where David was at the height of his relationship with God, Psalm 22 finds David at the opposite end of the spectrum. David is in deep despair. In his mind, his situation has become bigger than life itself, and God is nowhere to be found. To be sure, David has not lapsed in his faith, as we will see in a moment, but his heart HURTS so much that he feels God has abandoned him.”

“I think verse 6 sums it up for David—I am a worm, not a man. In Scripture, a worm is a metaphor for judgment and destruction. So deep is his anguish David doesn’t even feel human. Life is Hard; just ask David.”

“In 2 Samuel 12, David’s adultery cost him the life of his son. In 2 Samuel 13, David’s daughter Tamar was raped by her brother, Amnon. When Tamar’s other brother Absalom found out, he killed his brother Amnon. In 2 Samuel 14-18, David’s son Absalom attempted a coup against him, only to be killed in battle against him. In 1 Samuel 18-30, David, promised to be King, was forced to live in a cave instead of a castle because the man he looked up to and respected, Saul, was hell-bent on killing him.”

“We love to identify with David in his lament, and we should. But too often, we justify our struggles with God and try to whitewash our sinful attitudes toward God by saying—Look at David in the Psalms! But wearing his feelings on his sleeve before God is not the legacy of David. The legacy of David is no matter how hard life was, he always looked up, remembering, resting, and rejoicing in the goodness of God.” 

“The word ‘Yet’ in verse 3 represents an interruption in David’s focus. He has shifted from the grief of his situation to the God of his salvation. I have this situation going on in my life, Yet, God is holy, and notice the second half of verse 3—He is enthroned on the praises of Israel. Translation: God is worthy to be praised in good times and bad times.”

“In his grief, David stops himself—he takes his thoughts captive—to remember his God (My God 3x in verses 1-2) is FAITHFUL.”

“Problems over—No. Enemies gone—No. Suffering ceased—No. Eyes fixed on the Lord—Yes! David doesn’t ignore his feelings. They are real. But, he does not allow his emotions to rule him. David knows where the battle begins, in the mind, and he takes his thoughts captive. Using the language from Psalm 8, he becomes more mindful of God—His faithfulness and sovereignty—than his circumstance. And that leads him to worship, even in woe.”

“Psalm 22 teaches us that Life is Hard, but God is Good. And the highest expression of God’s goodness is Jesus. The One who took care of your greatest need at Calvary by offering himself for your forgiveness, righteousness, and salvation.”

“This is why we can say, in even the hardest trial—I am doing better than I deserve. I deserve God’s wrath—Yet—I have full pardon in Christ. Christ was forsaken so you could be accepted. This spiritual reality gives perspective on our hardships.”

ADDITIONAL SCRIPTURE:
Matthew 27
2 Corinthians 4:16
2 Corinthians 1:9

QUOTES:
John Calvin - “David gathers together the examples of all past ages, in order thereby to encourage, strengthen, and effectually persuade himself, that as God had never cast off any of his chosen people, he would be one of the number of those for whom deliverance is securely laid up for him in the hand of God.”

John Bloom - “At the crux of history, there was a moment when God was God-forsaken. And he was forsaken for you and me….God became the object of God’s wrath to eternally remove our curse, that we might become the objects of God’s eternal mercy.”

APPLICATION:
- Where do you need a “Yet” inserted into your life? Where do you need an interruption in your focus?

Psalm 22 is for all of us. But I believe there are some here God is particularly concerned with. Your eyes are on you, your problems, and your solutions. The Lord’s word to you today is—Look up and find your hope in life and death in Jesus. Whatever you think you need most—you need Jesus more!

Three weapons for the fight:

• Prioritize the Psalms (begin this week with Psalm 23)

• Prioritize gathering with your gospel-preaching church

• Prioritize Christ-centered counsel with your pastor

God’s transcendent yet intimate presence will be fully realized when His Son Jesus returns. However strong or weak your faith is today, Psalm 8 sings this perspective-altering and life-transforming truth to your heart. Below is an outline summary of the sermon for your further study and deeper reflection.

SERIES: Sermons in the Psalms
TEXT: Psalm 8
TITLE:   The Stars, Babies, Jesus, and Me
PREACHER: Derek Overstreet
BIG IDEA: The God who stands high above it all lives right here in your heart!

POINTS:
1. The Majesty of the Lord
2. The Meaningfulness of Man

SERMON EXCERPTS:
”I have no idea where David was when these thoughts entered his head, but as he surveys creation, gazing up at the star-filled sky, he has a moment where he recognizes that God stands above it all. As majestic and glorious as creation is, all of it reflects His far greater majesty and glory. Its very existence is a praise of His glory.”

“David takes us from the grandeur of the universe to the smallest and most vulnerable expressions of humanity.”

“Q) What do stars and babies have in common? A) God’s majesty and glory. The heavens proclaim God’s glory, and so does the baby’s first weak and helpless cry.”

“David now does something unexpected. He shifts from the Majesty of the Lord to the Meaningfulness of Man.”

“Nothing in all of God’s creation reflects God’s majesty as you do.”

“The world needs to hear this. The lost you are reaching out to need to know this—human beings matter to God. He created us to take pleasure in Him, and He takes pleasure in us. But Rom 1 says we choose our glory.”

“David says the work of setting all those stars in place and sustaining them in place is, look at it in 3—the work of your fingers. Translation—Effortless. Oh Lord, Our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth!”

“The transcendent God who creates and sets and sustains the universe is with you. David’s language is intentional and weighty: The idea of being mindful of man is to be constantly aware of him. The Hebrew word translated care means visit (KJV) or come near. The language is unmistakably intimate. The God who stands above the heavens makes His presence with you. He has you on His mind. He is constantly and continually aware of you and everything happening in your life. While He sustains 200 sextillion stars, He is, at the same time, personally and powerfully working all things for your good.”

“God’s care is never in the abstract. It is never at arm’s length. God comes into your reality. He comes into your existence with unfailing love, divine power, and eternal purpose. You exist for something infinitely far greater than all this. God has prepared an eternal dwelling place for you. Jesus will return, and you will live with him in perfect glory forever.”

ADDITIONAL SCRIPTURE:
Psalm 19:1
Hebrews 2:6-9

QUOTES:
Dr. Geoffrey Simmons - “How can you hear a baby’s first cry and not believe in the miracle God has produced? At nine months after conception, the baby's brain sends a hormone through the placenta into the mother's pituitary gland. Although it’s a complicated chemical, its message is simple: I’m ready; It’s time. All the baby’s complex systems—lungs, heart, gastrointestinal, nerves, brain—are ready to make it on their own, but the baby’s skull is not yet fused, so it can be pliable enough to fit through the birth canal. As the process starts, the baby’s adrenal glands add a shot of stress hormones to the baby so it can bear the stress of the delivery. The child will not breathe until it's cleared the birth canal. If it breathed too soon, it would suffocate; if it waited too long, it would suffer brain damage. And just before the mother and child separate, the newborn gets a last-minute blood transfusion through the placenta and the umbilical cord that the placenta has stored till this very moment that has just exactly the right chemicals and nutrients for the baby to survive the first moments.”

Charles Spurgeon - “In the sky, the massive orbs, rolling in their stupendous grandeur, are witnesses of his power in great things, while here below, the lisping utterances of babes are the manifestations of his strength in little ones. How often will children tell us of a God whom we have forgotten.”

John Calvin - “David expressly celebrates the special favour which God manifests towards mankind; for this, of all the subjects which come under our contemplation, is the brightest mirror in which we can behold his glory.”

APPLICATION:
Are you wondering if God cares? Are you wondering if you have any worth in such a big world? Are you wondering where you fit into it all? Good news—Psalm 8 solves the puzzle for you. Hebrews 2 says Psalm 8 sings the song of the gospel to your heart. The One who set all the stars in place came near to you in Jesus.

The first cry of baby Jesus in a dark and dank manger thundered into a fallen world that the same transcendent God who made it all is not only mindful of you but has come to care for and make you right with Himself. The final words Jesus uttered as he hung suspended between heaven and earth, bearing your sin and paying the price of your measureless debt—It is finished—are yours by faith and set you free in Christ.

If there were three words that captured the essence of this Psalm and the essence of God’s plan it would be Pursue and Proclaim. Below is an outline summary of the sermon for your further study and deeper reflection.

SERIES: Sermons in the Psalms
TEXT: Psalm 67
TITLE:  Blessed to be A Blessing
PREACHER: Tim Lambros
BIG IDEA: God pursued you so you could proclaim Him

POINTS:
1. GOD’S BLESSINGS TO US
2. GOD’S BLESSINGS THROUGH US

SERMON EXCERPTS:
”As you read your Bible, you begin to see over and over that this has been God’s plan from the beginning. As Abe Lincoln said he found something in the Psalms for every day of the year – today we are going to find the essence of God’s purposes RIGHT HERE IN the Psalms!”

“If you’re not a believer in Jesus, your starting point is to ask God for grace.  The Psalmist’s prayer is asking for God’s continuous grace, His sustaining grace.  The best saints and the worst sinners unite in their need for grace.  Grace is God’s riches at Christ’s expense. Grace is unmerited favor. Properly understanding Grace is the death to any approach or legal case one desires to make before a Holy God.”

“God forgives, then He gives.  That’s how God works. He reconciles us to Himself. He cannot give blessings to you until the grace of God has arrested you.”

“Now notice the object of the Psalmist prayer for grace. May God be gracious TO US.  This is how we know the Psalmist is talking about the people of God.  This is why when we read our Bible’s we need to be careful to not overpersonalize the Scriptures. God blesses and is gracious to each one of us personally but makes us a part of the people of God.  Every believer personally experiences God’s WORK OF GRACE but most of Scripture addresses us as a group – the Psalmist to the people of Israel and now the Psalmist to you and I as the Church.“

“God’s purpose in creating the world, creating you and I, has always been to make Himself known.”

“God pursues us so we can proclaim His name!  How do we know this is for us?  How do we know God’s plan hasn’t changed? The OT is the NT concealed – the NT is the OT revealed. We know this applies to us because the NT reveals God’s plan to pursue a people for Himself that will proclaim God’s ways to others.”

“If there were three words that captured the essence of this Psalm and the essence of God’s plan it would be Pursue and Proclaim.”

ADDITIONAL SCRIPTURE:
Luke 2:14
Numbers 6:24-25
Genesis 12:1-3
Galatians 3:7–8
Galatians 3:16

QUOTES:
Abe Lincoln - “[The Psalms] are the best. I find something in them for every day of the year.”

Martin Luther - “[The Book of Psalms], it’s the Bible in miniature.” 

Derek Overstreet - “God’s shining face represents His presence to bless and prosper.  Like the sun shining down on the harvest causing things to grow and be healthy and bear much fruit, so God shines His face upon His children, pouring out His grace and blessing.”

Dane Ortland - “In Jesus and His work on our behalf, we see the length to which God would go to draw men and women everywhere into the blessing of enjoying the radiant face of God shining down on them.”

C. H. Spurgeon - “Ignorance of God is the greatest enemy of mankind, and the testimonies of the saints, experimental and grateful, overcome this deadly foe. God has a set way and method of dealing out mercy to men, and it is the duty and privilege of a revived church to make that way to be everywhere known.”

APPLICATION:
What are you known for?  What do people know about you? 

How can you be more strategic and intentional in your evangelism? 

1. As a Church, we are going to begin sharing our “who told you” testimonies?  Begin to think about and write out your story.  Who did God bless so they could bless you – make God’s ways known to you?

2. Begin thinking in terms of “Pursue and Proclaim” God’s purpose in the world is to pursue a people for Himself that make Him known to the nations.  That happens as you consider who God may have you pursue to position yourself for proclamation.  

The kingdoms of this world will not be able to rage on and on no matter how desperate things may be! Their wickedness has its end! Below is an outline summary of the sermon for your further study and deeper reflection.

SERIES: Sermons in the Psalms
TEXT: Psalm 2
TITLE:  Two Kinds of Kingdoms
PREACHER: Tom Wilkins
BIG IDEA: Happy is the man that takes refuge in no other king but King Jesus!

POINTS:
1.   The kingdoms of this world rage
2.  The Sovereign King responds

SERMON EXCERPTS:
”Found in this Royal-Psalm is the prophetic proclamation of a coming King that will rule God’s people on the throne of David - the PROMISED Messiah-King…this King is THE heavenly King.”

“Verses 1-3 describe the people and in particular the ‘kings’ of this world and the nature of their opposition to the Sovereign LORD. They are not passive in their disregard of God and His King. They are on the move against Him. They seek to advance against Him.”

“‘Let us burst their bonds apart and cast away their cords from us.’ THIS underlies all of their motives, intentions, and scheming. This is the age-old problem seated in the Garden of Eden when Adam and Eve took counsel together and set themselves against their Creator King – desiring to be Gods themselves - they become the first king and queen of the kingdoms of this world. The raging began there. The kings of this world desire to be set free from God’s rule, rebelling against any submission to His Sovereign kingdom!”

“The kings of this world rage! BUT, we may have forgotten what Verse 1 said: They rage, they plot BUT they do so ‘in vain!’ No matter how powerful they are humanly speaking… ALL of THEIR EFFORTS ARE IN VAIN!”

“How can it be that this is in vain? It seems like the people and nations can do whatever they want. The nations are raging and plotting against God constantly. The people are shaking off any kind of self-control and again only doing what seems right in their eyes. Wickedness and depravity all too often SEEM to be the rule and SEEM to go unanswered. This all looks like it’s winning the day.”

“Our sin dilemma:
- He defines our sexuality   - We want something different
- He defines our relationships - We say no and go after what we want
- He says love  -  We hate
- He commands purity and holiness  -  We run as fast as we can into depravity
- He rules us in grace - We become tyrants”

“The Sovereign King of Heaven SITS on this throne and no earthly king, and no worldly kingdom has the power to even concern Him enough to get him to stand!”

“This King Jesus has come first save the very ones who rage against Him. This King has shed His royal blood on a cursed man’s cross. God’s King, His only begotten Son, has given His body to be broken for this world.”

“Instead of God standing in fury and defending His beloved Son, His Holy and perfectly righteous Son bears the sins of sinners and receives upon Himself the full force of God’s wrath and fury. Jesus gets the full derision of God – the contemptuous scorn of His Father. Jesus, God’s King is God’s Son, but before He will rule as God’s righteous King, King Jesus becomes the Lamb of God who “will take away the sins of this world”... the sins of the people who once raged and plotted against Him!”

ADDITIONAL SCRIPTURE:
Philippians 2:8-9

QUOTES:
C. H. Spurgeon - “They [Psalm 1 and 2] are, in fact, the preface to the whole Book of Psalms.”

 C.H. Spurgeon - “He has already done that which the enemy seeks to prevent. While they are proposing, he has disposed the matter. Jehovah's will is done, and man's will frets and raves in vain. God's Anointed is appointed, and shall not be disappointed.”

APPLICATION:
Be warned
Be wise
Serve the LORD with fear
Rejoice with trembling

Judgment and Wrath are coming! BUT NOW is the time of repentance to turn to the Lord, oh kingdoms of this world, turn and “Kiss the Son” – bow and pay homage to the King of kings and Lord of lords, King Jesus… the Lamb of God! NOW is the time of Salvation.

Today we begin a summer-long sermon series in the literary sanctuary of the Psalms. Our prayer is simple: Together, we learn to think and feel about life in a godless world with our wonderful God. Below is an outline summary of the sermon for your further study and deeper reflection.

SERIES: Sermons in the Psalms
TEXT: Psalm 1
TITLE:  Two Ways to Live
PREACHER: Derek Overstreet

POINTS:
1. The Way of the World
2. The Way of the Word

SERMON EXCERPTS:
”When the cloud of despair hangs over us, we go to the Psalms to plead with honest questions, and God gives us honest answers. When doubts quench our hope, we go to the Psalms to meet the God of all unending hope. When loneliness presses in, we go to the Psalms to learn how much God truly loves us. We go to the Psalms because the primary psalmist, David, struggled just like us.”

“The longest book in the Bible begins by presenting Two Ways To Live. Two very different ways.”

“Happiness is at the top of everyone’s list. Everyone wants a life of blessing. Why? God hardwired us for it. He made us to be blessed and experience true happiness in Him. But in the Garden, humanity carved out its own way. A way without God. A way Psalm 1 calls wicked.”

“There is a powerful warning about influence here. Listening to the counsel of the wicked leads to thinking like the wicked, and before you know it, you are living like the wicked.”

“Of course, we understand delight. Delight is a heart response of joy, happiness, and excitement for something or someone that we see as beautiful and valuable.”

“The blessed man delights in divine wisdom. And that delight leads him to spend time with God’s Word. It says in 2, he meditates on it day and night. He reads it. He thinks about it. He treasures it. Like air to the lungs, God’s Word is life to his soul, so he keeps returning to it.”

“The tree represents the effect of allowing your life to be oriented around and rooted in the living waters of God’s Word. That effect is strength in the Lord, even though you feel physically weak. The effect is a walk with God that bears much fruit even when your business is fruitless. The effect is spiritual prosperity as you serve others, even though your bank account is on life support. The Word is active, alive, profitable and sufficient…”

“For the Christian, you don’t always feel like a tree planted by streams of water. Your delight in God’s Word is drifting. You want to be the tree, but you feel like the chaff. So I am going to give you the best counsel I can to prepare you for our series in the psalms: Never approach the Psalms alone. Always find Jesus in the psalm and don’t leave his side.”

“Here's an important question: How often do you evaluate your relationship with the world?  My point is not to disengage the world. Instead, as we engage the world, our lives should clearly reflect a conviction that the world’s godless wisdom, values, and approach to life are futile.”

“There is only one man who stands righteous in God’s judgment. One man who can stand over and against the godly. One man who is prosperous in all he does. One man who perfectly delights in God’s Word—the Living Word, Jesus Christ.”

“Amazing! Jesus died in our place on a tree, so we could say No to the ways of the world (die to sin) and Yes to God’s Word (live to righteousness), bringing eternal blessing to us and unmatchable glory to Christ. Amazing grace how can it be!.”

ADDITIONAL SCRIPTURE:
For further study: Psalm 73
1 Peter 2:24

QUOTES:
Athanasius - “With this book, it is as if it is our own words that we read; anyone who hears them is pierced to the heart, as though these words voiced for him his deepest thoughts.”

John Piper - “Nobody walks in the way of the wicked out of duty. Nobody stands in the way of sinners out of duty. Nobody sits in the seat of scoffers out of duty. We walk and stand and sit there because we want to. And we want to because we have been watching them so intently that what they do is now attractive. We have meditated on them (without calling it that). And we now delight in them. That is how worldliness happens.”

APPLICATION:
Make the Psalms your constant companion -

The Psalms can and should be part of the constant practice of the presence of God. Regularly read from beginning to end, they lead us again and again to consider aspects of life and of God’s will that we might not otherwise choose to remember or confront—let alone to embody in our living. Memorized in chunks the Psalms can provide ready response to the pressing realities of our days. When I have wakened in a panic in the darkness of the early morning hours—submerged in fear, self-pity, or self-doubt—the Psalms have often provided the assurance that my anxieties are known by God, who enlightens my dark places. So, I encourage you to make the Psalms your constant companion. 

Make the Psalms your constant companion. Visit the literary sanctuary often. Keep its words on your mind, in your heart, and on your lips, believing that with Jesus, every letter of the psalmist is for your life, that you may be blessed and happy in Jesus, in this life and the life to come. 

Our desire today is that we would appropriately understand sin, and in doing so, that our love for Jesus would explode with deeper affections. Below is an outline summary of the sermon for your further study and deeper reflection.

TEXT: Luke 7:36-50
TITLE:  Forgiven Much
PREACHER: Tom Wilkins
BIG IDEA: The deeper we understand what the Word says about our sins, the greater the depth of our love for Jesus.

POINTS:
1. Our sins are many
2. Jesus forgives them all
3. We love Jesus much

SERMON EXCERPTS:
”Most Scholars – without much argument – agree that this woman was very likely a prostitute. Consider the awkwardness of this scene. A woman, a sinner, standing behind the reclining Jesus. Uncontrollable weeping and wetting his feet with her tears - like rainfall. Wiping his feet with her hair. She kissed his feet - the tense of this Greek verb would be that she ‘kissed and kissed and kissed and kissed...’ his feet.”

“The greatness of Jesus' forgiveness meets every last one of her sins! Not a single sin - and the list is long and known only by God - escaped His forgiveness!”

“Verses 47 and 48 use the verb “forgiven” (perfect tense) meaning a forgiving that began in the past, it continues in the present, and points to an eternal forgiving.”

“This is why she loves Jesus much - she sees that her sins are many and that He has forgiven every single one of them. She cannot contain herself!”

“The amazing thing about the grace of God is that it calls us out by His great love, forgives and saves us for THIS purpose: So that we love Him, exalt Him, honor Him!”

“Luther calls her tears ‘heart tears!’ She cannot contain that which floods her heart for Jesus. It does not matter who will see - no fear of man will stop her. Maybe even surprising to herself her forgiven soul propels her toward Jesus.”

“Our affections have been everywhere else, loving this and that, and in the end, really loving ourselves. THE worship center of this world and of our flesh is the need to love yourself. Sin has us convinced that this is the end-all of our existence.”

“What of the Pharisee? Simon has no awareness of the depth and magnitude of his sin - and he adds to those the unforgivable sin of rejecting Christ - vs 30 - rejecting the very purpose of God. He is likely even left out of the parable, not being counted as either of the two debtors who love even to some degree of response. Chapter 8, verse 10 Jesus reveals that the parables themselves expose and create the Pharisees’ spiritual blindness and deafness - what an indictment on their rejection of the Messiah! One commentator wrote, and I agree… ‘Simon seemingly would rather have had Jesus kick her to the side and demand that she leave!’”

ADDITIONAL SCRIPTURE:
Romans 1:28-32
1 John 4:19
2 Timothy 1:1, 2

APPLICATION QUESTIONS:
The gospel reaches out and saves this woman, and the result is a transformed life!

Q. Has your life been transformed by the forgiveness of Jesus?

Q. To what degree are you moved by the forgiveness of Jesus?

Q. Have we forgotten that our sins are many and yet that Christ can forgive and forgive them all!

Q. Why do I NOT FEEL this deeply?

In its simplest form, godliness is flying by God’s instruments (The Word, the Gospel, The Spirit) whether the skies are clear, you are facing the headwinds of our culture, or you are in the storm of circumstance. Below is an outline summary of the sermon for your further study and deeper reflection.

SERIES: Our 7 Shaping Virtues
TEXT: Romans 12:1-2
TITLE:  Godliness
PREACHER: Derek Overstreet
BIG IDEA: Godliness is an active life of faith built on the commands, promises, and wisdom of God’s Word, rooted in our identity in Christ, and confident in the power of the Holy Spirit.

POINTS:
1. The Reason for Our Godliness
2. The Reality of Our Godliness
3. The Path to Our Godliness

SERMON EXCERPTS:
”The glorious gospel moves from [Paul’s] head to his heart, and he explodes in worship. We can all just go home now, right? Wrong. Paul is not done. He spends the following four chapters showing us what the first eleven chapters mean for our lives.”

“Paul is saying, based on what God has done for you in Christ Jesus, NOW, live a certain way, as the rest of Romans exhorts—pursue godliness.”

“I do not pursue godliness to gain God’s favor. I do not pursue godliness because it’s morally appealing. I do not pursue godliness because it is religiously productive. I do what I do because Jesus did what he did!”

“This is true biblical godliness. Because of God’s mercy toward us in Christ, every day, we present ourselves to God as a living sacrifice. Not in a temple or church building, but with our, Paul’s word in verse 1—bodies. The term body refers to the whole person—body and soul. The outer man and the inner man. Our thoughts, our affections, our actions.”

“Godliness is not dropping money in the offering box or good attendance at CG. True godliness goes beyond the external—it is total transformation. That’s what the gospel does—It makes us new creations to give God what He is worthy of—Full Submission.”

“That doesn’t mean we are withdrawn from the world. It means we are different from the world; that difference is the Holy Spirit empowering us for godliness. Paul is saying don’t be a spiritual chameleon!”

ADDITIONAL SCRIPTURE:
Personal Bible Study: Ephesians 4:17-5:21 and Colossians 3:1-17
2 Timothy 3:16-17
Colossians 1:9-14
Hebrews 10:24-25

QUOTES:
John Stott - “We human beings seem to be imitative by nature. We need a model to copy, and ultimately there are only two. There is this world, which is passing away, and there is God’s will, which is good, pleasing, and perfect.”

APPLICATION QUESTIONS:
How do we know if we are growing in godliness?
1. Do my thoughts about life begin with God’s thoughts about life? What does God’s Word say about this? Not what do my feelings, or the culture, or my politics, or past experiences, or conventional wisdom say about this matter, what does the Bible say?

2. Is the gospel increasingly my hope in life? Godliness is ultimately the work of the gospel in our lives; indeed, Christ is our godliness. So the more central Jesus is in our lives, the greater godliness we will experience. 

3. Am I growing in contentment? The world has many distractions, but true godliness is expressed in an uncommon contentment in the Lord, no matter your circumstance.

The gospel saves us into a life of service, first to God and then, as an expression of that service, to others. Below is an outline summary of the sermon for your further study and deeper reflection.

SERIES: Our 7 Shaping Virtues
TEXT: John 13:1-15
TITLE:  Servanthood
PREACHER: Tom Wilkins
BIG IDEA: Understanding that the Lord Jesus is a servant, captures our hearts and makes us joyful servants.

POINTS:
1. Jesus is our Lord who served
2. We are Jesus’ servants who joyfully serve

SERMON EXCERPTS:
”Jesus, our faithful Master, defines service as true greatness… He ultimately demonstrated this greatness for us in laying down his life for us.”

“Jesus is the Eternal WORD - the divine LOGOS. He is the very Son of God, the Son of Man, the KING of kings, and the LORD of lords! Jesus is the LORD. And Jesus our Lord serves us!”

“…we cannot miss the cosmic profundity of verses 4-5. Just a couple of days before the Cross on which Jesus will hang willingly, suffering, and shedding His divine precious blood as the very Lamb of God who has come to take away the sins of the world, He, OUR LORD takes the form of a slave and washes his doubting, of-weak-faith, confused, proud, and fearful disciples!”

“Jesus the kneeling-servant will become the suffering-servant of Isaiah 53 and serve to His death… for us.”

“Jesus’ question: “Do you understand what I have done for you?”

“In faith and by the power of the Holy Spirit, we now are beginning to understand, and this captures our hearts…so what does this lead and call us to do - The TEXT gives us the application!”

“His command is grounded in what He has already done! (The indicative always before the imperative!) This calling is more than simply following Jesus’ example. Moralism = Trying to serve like Jesus did on our own - if that was even possible. BUT, Joyful servanthood results from understanding who Jesus is (LORD) and what He has done for us (The Cross). Our motivation is one of obedience, but this call and action are fueled and motivated by The Gospel - by what He has done for us and what He has done for fellow believers.”

“Holding on to our Lord and Savior (who is THE Perfect Servant who has His grip on us!) with one hand, we serve others with the other hand, all the while handing them off to the Lord and their Savior.”

ADDITIONAL SCRIPTURE:
2 Corinthians 4:5
Mark 10:43-44
Mark 10:45
1 John 3:18
1 Peter 4:10
1 Corinthians 9:19
John 13:34-35

QUOTES:
Murray J. Harris- “Christian conversion may be described as an exchange of yokes. Slavery to sin, to evil powers, to evil desires, is replaced by slavery to Christ. Since life cannot be ‘yokeless’, conversion must involve an alteration of sovereignty, an exchange of masters, the assumption of a new yoke - that of service to Christ. Whereas the previous yoke was oppressive and chafing, the new yoke is pleasant and emancipating.”

APPLICATION QUESTIONS:
Q. Why am I not serving?
Q. Is my lack of serving evidence of deep selfishness… self-focused Narcissism
Q. Who and where could I serve?

By the power of God toward us, we must strive to be generous in every way, knowing the Lord will enrich us in every way for it. Indeed, he already has! Below is an outline summary of the sermon for your further study and deeper reflection.

SERIES: Our 7 Shaping Virtues
TEXT: 2 Corinthians 9:10-15
TITLE:  Generosity
PREACHER: Derek Overstreet
BIG IDEA: Mission generosity marks us because divine generosity has made us.

POINTS:
1. God Gives Generously To Us So We Can Be Generous Givers
2. Our Generosity To Others Magnifies Our Generous God

SERMON EXCERPTS:
”The gospel of Jesus Christ is an act of cosmic generosity. The cross is the pulpit of God’s love and the overflow of his grace and mercy to undeserving sinners. “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16). The demonstration of divine generosity continues because, “He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things?” (Romans 8:32)  As beneficiaries of such generosity, we now have every motivation and grace to be generous likewise with our time, money and talents on behalf of God’s people and for God’s mission.”

“Biblical generosity is not about the right season or the right reason. Generosity is always about the life-giving generosity of God in Jesus Christ. God is the ultimate generous giver! We can never lose sight of this…”

“It doesn’t matter how smart you are. It doesn’t matter how talented you are. It doesn’t matter how disciplined you are. It doesn’t matter how great your sacrifice is. It doesn’t matter what kind of advantages you had or didn’t have growing up. No matter how little or much you have—you have it because God supplies it.”

“…the point of verse 10 is that God gives us what we have so we can sow it back into His kingdom, where He uses it for His redemptive purposes.”

“Paul is not saying—God will bless you for all your generosity. You could translate 11a—You will be enriched in every way to be generous in every way. God generously provides for you so you can generously pour into his kingdom.”

“Be it your time, talents, or money, don’t you dare underestimate grace-motivated generosity, especially toward your church. Resist rebuking someone for being “too generous” toward their church. Think twice, three times, no four times, about complaining when your pastors want to talk about being generous in every way. Why? Because Paul says, God’s glory is at stake! God uses your generosity to produce praises to the glory of his grace in Christ Jesus.” 

ADDITIONAL SCRIPTURE:
James 1:17
1 Corinthians 4:7

QUOTES:
C.S. Lewis - “We are half-hearted creatures, fooling about with drink and sex and ambition when infinite joy is offered us, like an ignorant child who wants to go on making mud pies in a slum because he cannot imagine what is meant by the offer of a holiday at the sea. We are far too easily pleased.”
Paul Barnett - “When we opt out of giving, we deny ourselves the honor of promoting God’s glory.”

APPLICATION:
I’m so grateful this is true of our church in many ways. But from the most generous to the least, we all have room to grow. So allow me to help you direct your growth in generosity:

• Is there a ministry in the church that needs your talents? 

• Is there a brother or sister in your CG that needs your time?

• Is there an unsaved neighbor or co-worker that needs your time?

• Is there a giving opportunity that could use your money? Oh yeah, the April offering is next week!

We know about the birth of Jesus at Christmas. We know about his crucifixion on Good Friday. We know about Christ’s resurrection on Easter. But how much thought do we give to Christ’s ascension? It’s a worthwhile question because Jesus’ ministry didn’t stop at the resurrection. Below is an outline summary of the sermon for your further study and deeper reflection.

EASTER SERIES 2023
TEXT: Acts 1:9-11
TITLE: The Ascention
PREACHER: Derek Overstreet
BIG IDEA: Where Jesus is now matters to where you are today.

POINTS:
1. Jesus Ascended Into Heaven
2. Jesus Ascended To God’s Right Hand
3. Jesus’ Ascension Matters Right Now

SERMON EXCERPTS:
”Jesus may no longer be with us in person, but he continues to work through his church, by His Spirit, for his Father’s glory. As a result, Christ’s ascension, which marks the end of his earthly ministry and the beginning of his heavenly ministry, has significant doctrinal importance for our faith and lives.”

“There’s much we don’t know about heaven. One thing Scripture does teach us is that heaven is an actual place. It is beyond our scope today, but I encourage you to read chapter 57 in Wayne Grudem’s Systematic Theology for a good study of heaven (and Randy Alcorn).”

“As it relates to the ascension, we can be sure of this—Jesus is in heaven. It’s important to remember that Jesus physically rose from the dead. He spent his final 40 days on earth, not as a spirit, but as a man. He ascended into heaven, not as a spirit, but as a man. He will return, not as a spirit, but as a man. That means he is a man right now in a physical place, and that place is heaven.”

“Like his miraculous birth, atoning death, and victorious resurrection, His ascension was according to the Scriptures.”

“The exaltation of Jesus is the result of and reward for his work of salvation. Jesus now sits at the right hand of God in full glory and honor, all authority and power in a way he did not before his life, death, resurrection, and ascension. The angels now praise Jesus in the heavens as the infinitely worthy Lamb that was slain. He is the King of Glory! The Author and Perfecter of our faith! Our Propitiation! The Head over all things! The Chief Cornerstone! The Bridegroom!  The Victorious One!”

“…from the right hand of God, your ascended Savior is busy praying for you!” 

“Jesus knows the mind of God perfectly. He knows what you need perfectly. More than mere supplication, Christ’s prayers are a divine intervention.”

ADDITIONAL SCRIPTURE:
John 14:2-3
Acts 7:55-56
Revelation 4:1
Psalm 110:1
Ephesians 1:19-23
Philippians 2:9-10
Revelation 5:11-12
Hebrews 1:3
Hebrews 7:25
Romans 8:34

QUOTES:
R.C Sproul- “We know that when Jesus died on the cross, at the end of that experience, He cried out, “It is finished.” But that work on the cross did not end Christ’s redemptive work. He had other work to perform after the cross. He was raised for our justification. And when we talk about the work of Christ, we talk not only about His death, but we also talk about His resurrection. And when we speak of the work of Christ, it doesn’t end with the resurrection. We talk about His ascension into heaven where He is seated at the right hand of God, and there He works as the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords”

R.C. Sproul - “One of the chief accents of the New Testament in terms of His present work for His people is His work of intercession. Every day in the presence of the Father, Christ intercedes for His people.”

APPLICATION:
Jesus’ ascension matters because it Gives Us a Glimpse Of Our Future  - Over and over in Scripture, Jesus promises we will return for us, and we will live in his presence eternally—it’s called heaven.

Jesus’ ascension matters because it Gives Us Confidence For The Present - On Easter, the question was—What will you do with the empty tomb? Today, the question is—Where is your confidence in life? 

• When you don’t know how to pray—Where’s your confidence?

• When you don’t understand what’s happening—Where’s your confidence? 

• When your faith is weak, and doubt is strong—Where’s your confidence?

• When sin is crouching at your door—Where’s your confidence?

• When Satan is tempting you to despair—Where’s your confidence?