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.  

There are many facets to our life as a church! Our hope is that these posts will enable you to plan, pray, and ultimately rejoice in what the Lord is doing at Sovereign Grace Church. Here are a few updates for you to do just that! 

GRACEkids: elementary class summer break

It's that time of year again when the GRACEkids Elementary class takes a break for the summer. The Sunday School classes for this grade group (1st - 5th) will take a break during the months of July and August and will start back up on the first Sunday in September. 

For more information on the summer break, contact Chris Johnson.

New Members Sunday

On Sunday, July 23rd, during the Sunday morning service, we will have the joy of welcoming the newest members of Sovereign Grace Church! If you’d like more information on membership, contact Tom Wilkins.

Child Dedication

We will be having another child dedication for those who were unable to participate in last month’s child dedication! It will be held on Sunday, July 30th, during the Sunday morning service. Contact Tom Wilkins if you’d like to partake in this sweet tradition.

5th Sunday Stretch Worship & Prayer night

WORSHIP & PRAYER night will be held at the church on July 30th (the fifth Sunday) at 7PM. This event is a time for us to come together as a church community to praise and worship God and pray together about specific topics. For more details about this event, please reach out to Tom Wilkins.

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

I will extol you my God and King and bless your name forever and ever. 
Every day I will bless you and praise your name forever and ever.
Great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised, and His greatness is unsearchable.
(Psalm 145:1-3)

God’s word is full of God’s people lifting their voices to praise His name and declare His greatness. We get to do this every Sunday, TOGETHER! Join us this Sunday as we sing a new song from Sovereign Grace Music that declares His greatness. 

Church, may we never grow tired of singing of the glory and greatness of our God and Redeemer!

Title: How Great (Psalm 145)
Album: Unchanging God - Songs from the Book of Psalms
Link to listen: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SNSoydKOXQo

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.

Recently, my wife and I had the opportunity to go on a six-day motorcycle that took us over 700 miles winding across Arizona roads and through some of the most beautiful places that we had ever been… simply beautiful. However, in contrast by far, Sunday morning gatherings at Sovereign Grace Church are dear to its pastors! There is no other place we would rather be on Sunday morning than gathered at “the dearest place on earth.” 

Because the Church is dear to Jesus and therefore dear to its pastors, we pay close attention to every element of our liturgy (the order, priority, and content for observance). Each element of our liturgy seeks to accomplish quite simply two things: one, to exalt Jesus, and the other to build up His Church, the saints. At Sovereign Grace Church, our liturgy includes the Call to Worship, Worship/Singing, Pastoral Prayer, Brief Announcements (yes… our announcements also should serve to build the Church), the Word of God Preached, Worship in Response, and the Benediction at the end. 

Ah, the Benediction! We love it. We are not canceling it! We are simply changing it. Church history will bear out that it has taken on various forms over the centuries, yet, holding on to a common goal. In his book, Benedictions, Robert Vasholz, writes, “Benedictions are pronounced by ministers at the close of worship services as an expression of hope and encouragement to God’s people to face whatever their future might hold. They are a reminder of a good and great God, Who is rich in mercy, Who is not only for them but with them in whatever trials may befall their course in life.” May our last words grant us this kind of hope and encouragement!

Your pastors gathered for several days of prayer and planning on a retreat recently. It was there that we believe that the Lord was leading us to make a change to the end of our Sunday services. While still holding onto the traditional goal of the Benediction, the change in our Benediction is this: we are now calling it our Prayer of Response. Responding to the preached word, and desiring to be led by the active presence of the Holy Spirit, one of the pastors will lead this ending time of Prayer of Response. This moment could include what God would lay upon the pastor's heart regarding the application of the preached word, a gospel call to unbelievers, a benediction text, or ministry to a specific group of saints, all for the purpose of further strengthening and commissioning the Church. 

Church, you are dear to your pastors, and we are praying for you and for our Sunday gatherings. May Jesus be exalted and may you be strengthened.

The Lord bless you and keep you
The Lord make his face to shine upon you and be gracious unto you
The Lord lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace

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?