Book of Psalms

Praise God for Meeting with Us

/ Bobby Mayfield / Leave a comment

Praise God for His Communion with Us

Book of Psalms Chapter 84

We should ask ourselves, are we longing to go to the House of the Lord, or do we see it as a burden?

This Psalm begins with added words that say, “My soul longs for the courts of the Lord”.

Psa 122:1 A Song of degrees of David. I was glad when they said unto me, Let us go into the house of the LORD.

We may not know who wrote this Psalm, but we can be sure that it was the Holy Ghost that led that person!

We should all strongly desire to be in the house of God at the appointed times.

1Ti 3:15 But if I tarry long, that thou mayest know how thou oughtest to behave thyself in the house of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth.

How terrible it will be for those who use the House of God to promote their lies and falsehood!

We know that there is a great falling away of the Gospel in America and much of this can be blamed on the false messages coming from the pulpits.

We all need to find a place of worship where the truth of God is preached.

We go to the House of God to hear what God has to say and not what someone who is a child of the devil has to say.

Assembling in the House of God is a commandment of God!

Heb 10:19 Having therefore, brethren, boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus,
Heb 10:20 By a new and living way, which he hath consecrated for us, through the veil, that is to say, his flesh;
Heb 10:21 And having an high priest over the house of God;
Heb 10:22 Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, and our bodies washed with pure water.
Heb 10:23 Let us hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering; (for he is faithful that promised;)
Heb 10:24 And let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works:
Heb 10:25 Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching.

If we love the Lord, we will go to see Him and hear what He has to say regularly.

There are so many other places in this world where people would love to go to the House of God but cannot because of the politics in their country.

Our souls are craving to be with the Lord Jesus and Prayer and Worship are what we have until He comes to take us home.

Because we are filled with God’s Holy Spirit, we will always have the desire to go home to Heaven!

*Psa 84:1 To the chief Musician upon Gittith, A Psalm for the sons of Korah. How amiable are thy tabernacles, O LORD of hosts!

Here again, we see the instructions to the Head Musician to accompany this Psalm with a Harp. There was probably more than one of them.

Who was Korah? Korah was the son of Izbar the brother of Amram. Amram was the father of Moses.

It was this Korah who rebelled against the leadership of Moses.

Two hundred and fifty princes who were men of renown joined with Korah and God sent down fire from Heaven and destroyed them.

Two more, Dathan and Abiram came out and stood in rebellion at the door of their tents and God opened the earth and dropped them straight into Hell with their wives, their children, and all their possessions.

These sons of Korah mentioned here became the leaders of the music provided at the worship service.

The sons of Korah never rebelled again and remained close to the Lord and were the choir at every worship service.

The word “amiable” is a term of affection used in romantic poetry.

Whoever this Psalmist was, guided by the Holy Spirit, loved to worship the Lord in any place where people gathered to do so.

Psa 27:4 One thing have I desired of the LORD, that will I seek after; that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the LORD, and to enquire in his temple.

This psalmist just loved to be in the presence of God, and we should all be able to say this!

*Psa 84:2 My soul longeth, yea, even fainteth for the courts of the LORD: my heart and my flesh crieth out for the living God.

It is not a beautiful building. It is not the beauty of the sanctuary or the color of the carpet that we are to acknowledge when we come to the house of the Lord.

If we are not seeking the Living God, we are coming to the House of God for the wrong reason!

This Psalmist ached to be at the House of God.

The place we go should be a place where people go to experience God’s glorious presence, seeking a movement of God.

Soul, heart, and flesh mean every part of our being should want to get closer to God.

Most of this world refuses to accept that there are three parts in our nature.

The soul.
The heart.
The flesh.

This psalmist knew the truth!

It is a privilege to be able to go to the House of God!

Many places do not allow a place to worship Jehovah God, the Lord Jesus Christ.

In every House of God, there must be an altar where we can offer up our prayers and give ourselves to the Lord.

*Psa 84:3 Yea, the sparrow hath found an house, and the swallow a nest for herself, where she may lay her young, even thine altars, O LORD of hosts, my King, and my God.

This psalmist says that every animal in God’s creation seeks a place to build a home because it is in their nature.

It is no different for humanity!

We desire a place we can call home, and it is the House of God where we can learn about our true home and be with others, who are seeking the same thing.

He says even the birds loved to build their nests close to the house of God.

In the Tabernacle and the Temple, there were three altars.

1) There was the altar of the burnt offerings in the outer courtyard, where sacrifices were offered.
2)There was the altar of incense in the inner courtyard which is a picture of offering our prayers.
Note how the smoke of the incense altar rose toward Heaven.
3) Then there was the “Mercy Seat”, the Ark of the Covenant.
This is the altar upon which the blood of the atoning sacrifice was sprinkled, where God’s presence was centered.

Sparrows and swallows were abundant in ancient Israel, and they were considered a worthless nuisance, but not to this Psalmist because they were a creation of God.

If they found a place to lay their eggs at God’s house, then maybe they represent any stranger who might be trying to get into the House of God.

We are all strangers in this foreign land, “the world” but we can find refuge in the House of God.

When I first stepped into this Church, I knew I had found what I was missing in my life, praise the Lord it felt like home.

We should all love to be in the presence of God!

The Jews could not go into the Holy of Holies, but the Lord Jesus Christ removed the obstacles that keep us from going right into the Throne Room of God.

Today God’s presence is within us, but we are still to gather with all those who love the Lord as we do, we also need to set aside some time daily to be with the Lord.

If we truly love the Lord, we will want to be close to Him and we do this through worship and prayer.

Heb 6:19 Which hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and stedfast, and which entereth into that within the veil;
Heb 6:20 Whither the forerunner is for us entered, even Jesus, made an high priest for ever after the order of Melchisedec.

We can get many blessings by being in the house of the Lord.

*Psa 84:4 Blessed are they that dwell in thy house: they will be still praising thee. Selah.
Psa 84:5 Blessed is the man whose strength is in thee; in whose heart are the ways of them.

For those descendants of Korah, they would spend their lives taking care of the House of God, and they loved it.

What a job!

It is a blessing to go to the House of God!

It is a blessing to be in the presence of God!

We are made whole when the Holy Ghost comes to live within us!

This is also when we can feel the joy of the Lord!

This is when we can continuously give God the praise He deserves!

We can never give the Lord too much praise because we know greater rewards still lie in our future.

We find that our strength surely comes from the Lord God of all creation.

With Jesus in our hearts, we are just as determined to get to our home in Heaven as those Jews who were determined to be in the presence of God as they traveled to Jerusalem to worship a Living Savior.

We will one day certainly be in the actual presence of God, but the closest we can come to this today is to worship in the House of God.

For those who do not like to worship in the House of God, they will certainly not like Heaven!

Many Jews traveled many miles to worship at the Temple of God and today, Christians struggle to get out of bed on Sunday and get in their car and drive to the House of God.

I admit I have laid out also, but I missed a blessing on those occasions when I said to myself, I just do not feel well enough to go today.

I do not think I ever came into this church feeling bad that I did not leave feeling better!

This has not happened very often.

We must not ever lose our longing to worship!

*Psa 84:6 Who passing through the valley of Baca make it a well; the rain also filleth the pools.

The valley of Baca would be the “Valley of Weeping” and maybe like the “Valley of Death” and not a real place.

These are places of grief that we feel in our hearts for some reason.

I think we all have visited both these places on many occasions.

It is the rain of “God’s Grace” that can get us through these times of grief.

If our heart is filled with the Lord, then the blessings of the Lord can come from even these places and can cause an increase in righteousness and even true holiness.

This Baca represents the troubles and trials of this life, the painful experiences we all suffer.

Being in God’s presence we will forget these trials and look forward to blessings, even the “Showers of Blessings”.

Ezk_34:26 And I will make them and the places round about my hill a blessing; and I will cause the shower to come down in his season; there shall be showers of blessing.

The Holy Spirit is teaching us that we can make pools of refreshment out of life’s deserts if we gather in the House of God where we can find the presence of God!

What happens to us when we are obedient to God?

*Psa 84:7 They go from strength to strength, every one of them in Zion appeareth before God.

Our relationship with God gets stronger and stronger.

This is added to the blessing we can get on our journey to Heaven’s gates.

The journey of the Jews to worship in the Temple is a picture of our journey in life.

We will face many obstacles, but there is no reason we cannot enjoy the trip.

Heb 11:13 These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off, and were persuaded of them, and embraced them, and “confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth”.

We do not have to fear death as it is like pouring grease on a walkway, we just slide on into Heaven a little bit quicker.

We should remember if we die in our service to the Lord, then this was His plan to bring us home.

This is when we will spend eternity with the Lord.

Heb 11:14 For they that say such things declare plainly that they seek a country.
Heb 11:15 And truly, if they had been mindful of that country from whence they came out, they might have had opportunity to have returned.
Heb 11:16 But now they desire a better country, that is, an heavenly: wherefore God is not ashamed to be called their God: for he hath prepared for them a city.

There are certainly many dangers as we travel home, both trials and temptations yet, we are blessed on our journey because the Lord is traveling with us, all the way.

Php 4:13 I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.

We will get stronger as we travel as we grow in the “grace” of the Lord.

2Pe 3:18 But grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and for ever. Amen.

Our hope is in the Lord so our hope will sustain us at every step of the way!

*Psa 84:8 O LORD God of hosts, hear my prayer: give ear, O God of Jacob. Selah.

There is nothing wrong in asking God to hear our prayers.

If we are one of His children in good favor with the Holy Spirit who abides within us, God will certainly hear our prayers and if He hears our prayers He will answer our prayers.

We must live our lives in such a way that the Lord will always hear our prayers.

That way is to live according to the Word of God!

Who are we speaking of? We are speaking of The Lord God Jehovah, Yahweh, the God of all of Heaven’s angelic forces.

Here again, we see that the angels have a Commander, and this Commander knows every move His angels make, and they will not go against Him at any time without His knowledge and He will stop them before they do anything against His Sovereignty.

God has never lost control of His created beings.

The angels have only one time to make a mistake against the Lord, but we as His created humans know that He is the God of the second chance.

God has pledged His “Mercy” and His “Grace” to all those who call upon Him!

God is our shield, and we can hide ourselves in Him.

*Psa 84:9 Behold, O God our shield, and look upon the face of thine anointed.

To assemble in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ is a blessed thing to do!

This is what the Church of the Living God must do!

He is still the God of Hosts because He is still the God that fights our battles for us!

God’s anointed is not David, God’s anointed is the Son of God, the Lord Jesus Christ.

At his best David was a “type of Christ”!

God the Father proclaims this of His Son.

God the Holy Spirit makes sure it is written for all the world to see.

God the Son is the fulfillment of the written Word of God!

Heb 1:1 God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets,
Heb 1:2 Hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds;
Heb 1:3 Who being the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high;

Mat_3:17 And lo a voice from heaven, saying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.

Mat_17:5 While he yet spake, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them: and behold a voice out of the cloud, which said, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased; hear ye him.

Mrk_1:11 And there came a voice from heaven, saying, Thou art my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.

Luk_3:22 And the Holy Ghost descended in a bodily shape like a dove upon him, and a voice came from heaven, which said, Thou art my beloved Son; in thee I am well pleased.

The Lord Jesus Christ is Israel’s protector just as He is for the Church!

The Lord Jesus Christ is the Messiah who came from the line of King David.

Remember the Lord Jesus Christ was one hundred percent God and He was one hundred percent man while He was upon this earth.

Do not be fooled by this.

If the Lord Jesus came down in all His glory all humans would have died.

It was the glory of God that was laid aside so He could come with His message of salvation.

2Sa 7:12 And when thy days be fulfilled, and thou shalt sleep with thy fathers, I will set up thy seed after thee, which shall proceed out of thy bowels, and I will establish his kingdom.
2Sa 7:13 He shall build an house for my name, and I will stablish the throne of his kingdom for ever.
2Sa 7:14 I will be his father, and he shall be my son. If he commit iniquity, I will chasten him with the rod of men, and with the stripes of the children of men:
2Sa 7:15 But my mercy shall not depart away from him, as I took it from Saul, whom I put away before thee.
2Sa 7:16 And thine house and thy kingdom shall be established for ever before thee: thy throne shall be established for ever.

It is the Messiah who is our guide, our shield, and our protector as we go through this thing called life!

It is the Messiah who will gather us up and take us home to our place in Heaven.

*Psa 84:10 For a day in thy courts is better than a thousand. I had rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God, than to dwell in the tents of wickedness.
Psa 84:12 O LORD of hosts, blessed is the man that trusteth in thee.

It was the Lord Jesus Christ who opened my mind to the truth of the Gospel!

Psa 40:6 Sacrifice and offering thou didst not desire; mine ears hast thou opened: burnt offering and sin offering hast thou not required.

There are so many blessings that come from a saving relationship with the Lord Jesus that we cannot even know them all.

A personal relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ brings complete satisfaction.

I will be like this Psalmist and say that one day in the courts of the Lord Jesus is far better than a thousand of the best days life has to offer.

When we get to Heaven, we will begin a never-ending day!

The worst job in Heaven, if there is such a thing, is also far better than to dwell in the home of the richest man upon this earth.

We just cannot compare apples to mansions!

We cannot compare a meal on earth to a meal at the Lord’s Table!

There is total satisfaction in the Lord!

1Co_10:21 Ye cannot drink the cup of the Lord, and the cup of devils: ye cannot be partakers of the Lord’s table, and of the table of devils.

Whatever task I have in Heaven I will be satisfied with it!

*Psa 84:11 For the LORD God is a sun and shield: the LORD will give grace and glory: no good thing will he withhold from them that walk uprightly.

It is only our Lord Jesus Christ who could make such a promise as this!

It will be a pleasure to serve in God’s presence!

The Lord Jesus Christ is my sun while I complete my days on this earth!

Jhn_8:12 Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.

Why is the Light of Jesus Christ needed?

Act_26:18 To open their eyes, and to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan unto God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins, and inheritance among them which are sanctified by faith that is in me.

The Lord Jesus Christ is the light of my life!

Isa 60:19 The sun shall be no more thy light by day; neither for brightness shall the moon give light unto thee: but the LORD shall be unto thee an everlasting light, and thy God thy glory.
Isa 60:20 Thy sun shall no more go down; neither shall thy moon withdraw itself: for the LORD shall be thine everlasting light, and the days of thy mourning shall be ended.

The Lord Jesus Christ is also my “shield”.

Psa 3:3 But thou, O LORD, art a shield for me; my glory, and the lifter up of mine head.
Psa 3:4 I cried unto the LORD with my voice, and he heard me out of his holy hill. Selah.

The pure fact is that the Lord will never leave us unprotected or uncomforted!

We should just read about how blessed we are.

We should know how blessed we are to have the Lord Jesus Christ as our Savior!

We freely get all these things if, we have faith in the One True God!

Rom 5:1 Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ:
Rom 5:2 By whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God.

There should not be a day go by where we have not prayed for God’s help through that day.

The world is simply this wicked!

Why would we not accept these blessings when there is nothing in this world to compare them to?

The one thing we must remember is that there is no work that we have to do to receive these blessings of God.

The Lord Jesus Christ has completed all the work for our salvation and all we need to do is believe that these things are true and accept His gift.

It must be complete faith.

God is all good, there is no good without the Lord!

There is no good that He will not show us in due time.

After meeting Jesus, we must walk in truth and holiness and these things are not that hard!

Amen

Praise God for His Deliverance

/ Bobby Mayfield / Leave a comment

Praise God for His Deliverance
 
Book of Psalms 81
 
 
It is believed by many that this Psalm was chosen and sung at the dedication of the second Temple.
 
It is also believed by many that the word “Gittith” means a Harp that King David brought from the city of Gath.
 
It is also believed by many that this Psalm was the same one used at great Hebrew festivals, especially during the Passover.
 
Most people believe this Psalm was sung at the Feast of the Tabernacles also called the Feast of Booths.
 
We must not forget the true meaning of the Passover where our Savior was sacrificed but the Feast of Booths is a celebration of our deliverance.

We must never forget we are a delivered people!
 
It was love that has rescued us from our sins!
 
We should understand that the main reason the Passover was observed every year was so that the next generation would know the truth about this festival.
 
This is the same reason for all the festivals.
 
Exo 12:26  And it shall come to pass, when your children shall say unto you, What mean ye by this service? 
Exo 12:27  That ye shall say, It is the sacrifice of the LORD’S passover, who passed over the houses of the children of Israel in Egypt, when he smote the Egyptians, and delivered our houses. And the people bowed the head and worshipped. 
 
We know that the Lord Jesus is our Passover and the true reason we celebrate Easter.
 
This Psalm would remind the Hebrews of the goodness of God in the past and this same God would always be the same because He never changes.
 
The Atheists would never agree, but by nature, man is a worshiper.
 
Mankind will render homage to something or someone!
 
Atheists worship lies and they make up almost all of them.
 
God is a person and not some abstract of the mind or some mental concept such as evolution!
 
God is a person, a Divine person, related to us. God is our strength!
 
God is greatly to be feared!
 
Psa_89:7  God is greatly to be feared in the assembly of the saints, and to be had in reverence of all them that are about him.
 
Holy Holy Holy is our God!
 
Sing with a joyful sound to the Lord.
 
Psa 81:1  To the chief Musician upon Gittith, A Psalm of Asaph. Sing aloud unto God our strength: make a joyful noise unto the God of Jacob.
 
God has ordained congregational worship!
 
Heb 10:23  Let us hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering; (for he is faithful that promised;) 
Heb 10:24  And let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works: 
Heb 10:25  Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching. 
 
Sometimes worship is to be solemn such as the Lord’s Supper, but on this day the worship was to be loud and joyful.
 
We serve a great big God and we are to make a joyful noise to Him. To shout joyfully!
 
Yes, He is the God of Jacob.
 
Jacob was the fulfillment of the prophecy.
 
His conception is stated to have been supernatural.
 
Gen 25:21  And Isaac intreated the LORD for his wife, because she was barren: and the LORD was intreated of him, and Rebekah his wife conceived. 
Gen 25:22  And the children struggled together within her; and she said, If it be so, why am I thus? And she went to enquire of the LORD. 
Gen 25:23  And the LORD said unto her, Two nations are in thy womb, and two manner of people shall be separated from thy bowels; and the one people shall be stronger than the other people; and the elder shall serve the younger. 
 
Jacob’s mother Rebekah felt that she had to deceive her husband Isaac to make sure this prophecy was fulfilled.
 
Jacob’s name means the supplanter.
 
The name Jacob recalls the weakness of God’s people to trust God to deliver them from the bondage of Egypt.
 
Through the power of God, they were delivered.
 
It is the same for every child of God who has been delivered from the bondage of sin.
 
We must never forget the God who has done this miracle for us to have everlasting life and not everlasting death.
 
God can fulfill His prophecies without our help, but Rebekah was right, her son Esau was not the person needed to lead any new nation.
 
Psa 81:2  Take a psalm, and bring hither the timbrel, the pleasant harp with the psaltery. 
Psa 81:3  Blow up the trumpet in the new moon, in the time appointed, on our solemn feast day. 
Psa 81:4  For this was a statute for Israel, and a law of the God of Jacob. 
 
The Festivals of Israel were marked upon a calendar and they were to be kept because they all pointed to the Messiah though Israel did not figure this out and those that did kept silent.
 
This call to a joyous celebration was addressed to the whole congregation!
 
To the Levites as the appointed leaders of the music.
To the Priests whose duty it was to blow the trumpets.
To the congregation who were to worship the Lord with joy and happiness for what God had already done for them.
 
Num 10:8  And the sons of Aaron, the priests, shall blow with the trumpets; and they shall be to you for an ordinance for ever throughout your generations.
 
2Ch 5:11  And it came to pass, when the priests were come out of the holy place: (for all the priests that were present were sanctified, and did not then wait by course: 
2Ch 5:12  Also the Levites which were the singers, all of them of Asaph, of Heman, of Jeduthun, with their sons and their brethren, being arrayed in white linen, having cymbals and psalteries and harps, stood at the east end of the altar, and with them an hundred and twenty priests sounding with trumpets:) 
 
It was at the Tabernacle and later the Temple where God would meet with the children of Jacob.
 
It is the trumpet, the shofar, a ram’s horn, that calls for the singing of praise to begin, and it also calls for the humbling of God’s people.

We can be bold in going to God but we need to be humble when we get there.
 
It is the God of Jacob who is the Deliverer of Israel!
 
Psa 20:1 The LORD hear thee in the day of trouble; the name of the God of Jacob defend thee; 
Psa 20:2  Send thee help from the sanctuary, and strengthen thee out of Zion; 
 
God has commanded the Church to assemble to worship Him just as He commanded the people of Israel.
 
The deliverance of Israel from Egypt is a clear picture of our salvation, our deliverance from the bondage of Satan.
 
The new moon represents the beginning of Israel’s restoration.
 
God reminds Israel that when He had redeemed them, they still rebelled afterward.
 
This is our warning not to fall into the same trap, but today we know this holds true for many of the places of worship who are rebelling against the truth of God.
 
it would not hurt for us to look back at the early Church which made many mistakes but were corrected by the Apostles.
 
We should also understand that those who do not attend Church regularly are living in disobedience to the command of God.
 
Heb 10:25  Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching. 
 
Psa 81:5  This he ordained in Joseph for a testimony, when he went out through the land of Egypt: where I heard a language that I understood not.
 
The children of Israel became slaves in the land of Egypt.
 
It is hard enough being a slave, but the children of Israel did not understand the language of Egypt and the taskmaster used the whip to speak a language that they would understand.
 
The writer of this Psalm, probably Asaph, was reminding all of Israel of their deliverance out of Egypt.
 
Those, that were alive that day were many generations from those who were delivered and they needed to be reminded of how great our God is.
 
They needed to be reminded of the power of God to divide the waters of the Red Sea.
 
They needed to be reminded of the manna that kept them alive for forty years.
 
They needed to be reminded of the water that flowed out the Rock.
 
They needed to be reminded of the rebellion of some of the people and the judgment of God.
 
We sometimes forget the many things that God has already done for us!
 
God removed Israel from that great burden!
 
Psa 81:6  “I” removed his shoulder from the burden: his hands were delivered from the pots.
 
In this verse we see the Lord speaking.
 
The children of Israel were the lowest form of life to that Pharaoh of Egypt, but God gave them liberty and deliverance.
 
It was by God alone that the nation of Israel escaped from Egypt.
 
Things may have been done differently in the many other nations, but Israel received this great gift by the hands of God!
 
They no longer had to make bricks to build the great monuments of Egypt.
 
We must understand that it is through faith in the Word of God, that the burden of sin that we were under, slid into the grave of our Savior, where He took that sin to Hell where it belongs!
 
We can call upon God at any time of the day and He is ready to listen to us.
 
*Psa 81:7  Thou calledst in trouble, and I delivered thee; I answered thee in the secret place of thunder: I proved thee at the waters of Meribah. Selah. 
 
God heard the children of Israel as they cried out in sorrow from Egypt which is known to them as the Iron Furnace.
 
Jer_11:4  Which I commanded your fathers in the day that I brought them forth out of the land of Egypt, from the “iron furnace”, saying, Obey my voice, and do them, according to all which I command you: so shall ye be my people, and I will be your God:

Those who say that the children of Israel were no slaves in Egypt are calling God a liar.

They were not known as the children of Israel while they were there but only by the name Hebrew or a name assigned to them by Egypt.
 
The children of Israel needed to be reminded of this many times.
 
Though our sins are forgiven, as the children of God, we need to look back sometimes to see what God has saved us from.
 
God had led them with a pillar of cloud during the day and a pillar of fire at night, to keep them from going astray.

Once we start down that road of deliverance we need to stay on it!
 
It was these same things that brought fear to the Egyptians!
 
These things remind us of the Holy Spirit who has the same power of God and will lead us all the days of our life and be with us even in Heaven.
 
God has done so many things for us and for them, then why will we not worship Him?
 
*Psa 81:8  Hear, O my people, and I will testify unto thee: O Israel, if thou wilt hearken unto me; 
Psa 81:9  There shall no strange god be in thee; neither shalt thou worship any strange god. 
 
God is still speaking here in these verses.
 
It breaks God’s heart when we do not listen to what He has to say.

All He asks is for us to listen and then, we can compare it to what the world says and we will see that our God speaks the truth and the world speaks in lies.
 
Mat 23:37  O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thou that killest the prophets, and stonest them which are sent unto thee, how often would I have gathered thy children together, even as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, and ye would not! 
Mat 23:38  Behold, your house is left unto you desolate. 
Mat 23:39  For I say unto you, Ye shall not see me henceforth, till ye shall say, Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord. 
 
Israel’s duty of allegiance was to God alone. This was the main principle of the covenant God made with them.
 
It is the same for the Church. We owe nothing to this world.

We are not even citizens of this world once we conceded our ownership to the Lord Jesus Christ
 
Our allegiance is to our Savior!
 
What more can we ask of God? He sent His Son to pay our sin debt we could have never paid.

This is the meaning of the word propitiation!

He claims us as His children and promises to care for us throughout eternity.
 
There is not another God like Jehovah though there are many false gods in this world.
 
Our own nation believes there may even be a god somewhere in outer space other than Heaven.
 
God brought Israel through all the trials they faced in the wilderness.
 
I spent my forty years in the wilderness and I can assure you I never want to go back to it.
 
All Israel had to do was to listen to what God had to say and God expected a measure of devotion from them.
 
Deu 5:6  I am the LORD thy God, which brought thee out of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage. 
Deu 5:7  Thou shalt have none other gods before me. 
 
Anything we put before God becomes the god in our lives.
 
God alone can save us from our sins!
 
Our God Jehovah is the One who wants a personal relationship with Him!
 
It is this same God who has blessed us so many times and we deserved none of those blessings.
 
*Psa 81:10  I am the LORD thy God, which brought thee out of the land of Egypt: open thy mouth wide, and I will fill it. 
 
“God simply says open up your mouth and I will fill it” which means:

Jas_4:2  Ye lust, and have not: ye kill, and desire to have, and cannot obtain: ye fight and war, yet ye have not, because ye ask not.
 
Php 4:19  But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus. 
 
God is always ready to supply all our needs.
 
Mat 7:7  Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you: 
Mat 7:8  For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened.
 
God said to either pray for mercies or just accept the mercies He will give us!
 
God should not have to remind us of all these things continuously as He does.
 
How many more miracles would the world have seen in the days that the Lord Jesus was upon this earth, but He could not because of a lack of faith?
 
How many blessings have we missed out on because of a lack of faith?
 
We could say we live the life we live today according to the amount of faith we show to the Lord.
 
We should really think about that one!
 
A wise man said: God cannot give lavishly unless we desire largely.
 
Everything we have from God depends upon our faith!
 
The greatest gift the Lord can give us is the Holy Spirit, and we need a refilling every day.
 
The only thing God desires from us is our faith!
 
Heb 11:6  But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.
 
Israel just refused to listen to what the Prophets of God had to say.
 
*Psa 81:11  But my people would not hearken to my voice; and Israel would none of me. 
Psa 81:12  So I gave them up unto their own hearts’ lust: and they walked in their own counsels. 
 
Our own self-will can cause us to be disobedient to the truth.
 
Why does God give us commandments instead of suggestions?
 
Because we are a stubborn and rebellious people just like Israel.
 
God gave us the example of one group of people to show us how we are all like them.
 
No nation has seen the power of God as have the Israelites.
 
Because every nation and every country is made up of people, God now deals with us as individuals.
 
The same characteristics of rebellious people exist today so the same commandments apply.
 
This world will never reach a point where the Ten Commandments are not needed as a reminder of what righteousness looks like.
 
God will not force His will upon any person, He just gives us the truth.
 
We live in a world where the “THEORY” of evolution dominates the minds of almost all scientists and the nations listen more to scientists who teach a false science with useless theories than the truth of God.
 
God will judge us according to His Word, and according to our disobedience to it.
 
It is the word “judge” that people do not like. No one wants somebody else telling them what to do!
 
This begins with childhood and never leaves us.
 
This why it is so important to raise our children, teaching them that none can live according to our own will.
 
Pro_22:6  Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it.
 
This is the most important thing we can do as parents.
 
Pro_20:11  Even a child is known by his doings, whether his work be pure, and whether it be right.
 
You see, we become “judges” of our own children so we can get them in the right direction in life.
 
You can bet that those who want to influence our children to a certain doctrine clearly understand this and we have allowed it to happen far too long.
 
I say all this because we are God’s children so, why would we think He should be different?
 
There is a right way and a wrong way to raise children and God’s way is the right way.
 
Job 8:4  If thy children have sinned against him, and he have cast them away for their transgression; 
Job 8:5  If thou wouldest seek unto God betimes, and make thy supplication to the Almighty; 
Job 8:6  If thou wert pure and upright; surely now he would awake for thee, and make the habitation of thy righteousness prosperous. 
Job 8:7  Though thy beginning was small, yet thy latter end should greatly increase. 
 
We all want our children to grow up and do better than we did and Jehovah God is no different and this is another reason God sent His only Son to this world as an example of and a teacher of righteousness.
 
We can only push God so far and He will allow us to go the way of the world if we insist on doing it, but we must understand that our ending will not be pleasant which is putting it very lightly.
 
Most people reject the idea that we have a soul that cannot die because it was made by God Himself and they only concern themselves with their body that will only live to be seventy or weighty years old for most of them.
 
It is the soul that gives “life” to the body!
 
Gen 2:7  And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul. 
 
We are only a lifeless bundle of dirt without our soul!

We all know what happens when we are put in a grave, we change back to the dirt we are made of.
 
We need to listen to what God has to say!
 
Most people are beginning to see that this world has a doctrine that is only good for the elite and bad for everyone else, and this is what the Bible teaches us, if “IF”, we have the right Bible and not a world-altered Bible.

This world and our own nation may take away our freedoms but God will never take away our freedom to choose.

He just only wants us to know there are consequences to every choice we make.
 
God pleads with us to not listen to the world.
 
*Psa 81:13  Oh that my people had hearkened unto me, and Israel had walked in my ways! 
Psa 81:14  I should soon have subdued their enemies, and turned my hand against their adversaries. 

God may give us up to our own decisions, but for most of us, until the day we die, we can still turn to God and repent.

Sadly there are some who find it is too late to do so.

We here nations talk about some imaginary red line, but God has a real red line that must not ever be crossed.

Gen_6:3  And the LORD said, “My spirit shall not always strive with man”, for that he also is flesh: yet his days shall be an hundred and twenty years.

God gave the world that existed in the time of Noah one hundred and twenty years to change and only Noah repented to righteousness, and the Lord allowed Noah’s family to go with him.

The entire world of humanity and all land based animals died in a world-wide flood that could have been avoided and it was not because some angels came down to be with the women on this earth.

Those who believe in such a thing make my God to be powerless against His angels and He is not.

He tossed Satan out of Heaven so hard that he appeared as lightning.

God uses Satan for His purpose, but God does not tolerate the foolishness of other angels and they cannot impregnate a female from this world. They are not made as we are!

God does not reject His people forever.

We know this because we read from the history of Israel and this lesson is for all believers.

If God was through with Israel, there would be no New Testament which means a New Covenant.

You see God does not ever give up on His children, but He will surrender them into the hands of their enemies where they want to be, as He did Israel many times.

Today, we see this thing in reverse for a short time where “those who hate the Lord” will pretend obedience to God as if God does not know this.

Mat_13:25  But while men slept, his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat, and went his way.
Mat_13:26  But when the blade was sprung up, and brought forth fruit, then appeared the tares also.
Mat_13:27  So the servants of the householder came and said unto him, Sir, didst not thou sow good seed in thy field? from whence then hath it tares?
Mat_13:29  But he said, Nay; lest while ye gather up the tares, ye root up also the wheat with them.
Mat_13:30  Let both grow together until the harvest: and in the time of harvest I will say to the reapers, Gather ye together first the tares, and bind them in bundles to burn them: but gather the wheat into my barn.

*Psa 81:15  The haters of the LORD should have submitted themselves unto him: but their time should have endured for ever.
Psa 81:16  He should have fed them also with the finest of the wheat: and with honey out of the rock should I have satisfied thee.

The enemies of God are the enemies of God’s people.

If Israel had submitted themselves to the Lord their happy time would have lasted forever.

Israel would have had the finest things in this world.

Famine would have been an unknown word in Israel.

These things are also happening in America today.

America was far more prosperous than it is today because the elite has decided to kick God out of every portion of our lives and we now see America on a slide to Hell that may be irreversable.

They will find out that their riches do not buy them everything they seek and those actors who get paid to be something they are not, need to be what they are. Just people with a good job.

We do not need to hear about their politics. I respect their ability for free speech so, they need to respect mine!

There is no doubt in my mind that to be a Democrat you have to be a demoncrat or you cannot be accepted in that party.

God provides the necessities of life to every Christian!

A satisfied life usually has no complaints!

God offers abundant life but few there be that realize it!

Deu 5:29  O that there were such an heart in them, that they would fear me, and keep all my commandments always, that it might be well with them, and with their children for ever!

As Christians, we are to gather in the name of the Lord!

We are to exalt the Lord in worship and prayer.
We are to hear what the Lord has to say from His Word.
We are to respond positively to what God has to say to us.

We are to act like we are God’s children and not the children of the world!

God always thrives to provide the best for us.

When we do these things we will be spared the consequences of our sin.

1Jn 5:3  For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments: and his commandments are not grievous. 
1Jn 5:4  For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith. 
1Jn 5:5  Who is he that overcometh the world, but he that believeth that Jesus is the Son of God? 

This is the only answer this world will ever get!

It is really very simple!

Amen

Praise God for His Greatness

/ Bobby Mayfield / Leave a comment

Book of Psalms Chapter 76
 
Praise God for His Greatness
 
This Psalm was written by Asaph who was the head musician of the choir established by King David.
 
We know that God has a unique relationship with Israel.
 
God also has a unique relationship with the Church but not with any other nation than Israel.
 
No other nation has a relationship as Israel does with God.
 
This is important to know if we want to study the Bible properly.
 
God’s name is great in Israel because He has proved Himself to be great, the Great One.

So, it is important to know just how powerful is our God.

There is no limit to God’s power!

We can accept the Word of God as the truth when it describes the power of God, but we must know God is far more powerful than these pages show.

The only thing that limits the power of God is His love for humanity, but God also cannot be unrighteous

It is because of His righteousness that He must destroy sin.

Psa 76:1 To the chief Musician on Neginoth, A Psalm or Song of Asaph. In Judah is God known: his name is great in Israel.
 
We may not know what historical event this Psalm refers to, but it will apply to any nation or group that tries to eliminate God’s people.
 
God is great in Israel and showed Himself great by breaking the power of Assyria and many other nations.
 
Isa 37:36 Then the angel of the LORD went forth, and smote in the camp of the Assyrians a hundred and fourscore and five thousand: and when they arose early in the morning, behold, they were all dead corpses.
 
You see God had made a promise to Israel.
 
2Ki 19:32 Therefore thus saith the LORD concerning the king of Assyria, He shall not come into this city, nor shoot an arrow there, nor come before it with shield, nor cast a bank against it.
2Ki 19:33 By the way that he came, by the same shall he return, and shall not come into this city, saith the LORD.
2Ki 19:34 For I will defend this city, to save it, for mine own sake, and for my servant David’s sake.
2Ki 19:35 And it came to pass that night, that the angel of the LORD went out, and smote in the camp of the Assyrians an hundred fourscore and five thousand: and when they arose early in the morning, behold, they were all dead corpses.
 
God had made a promise to Israel and God does not break His promises.
 
God made a promise to the Church, the Body of Christ and He will honor that promise as well.
 
It is just after this that Israel gave God a new name:
 
That name is Yahweh Shammah which means “The Lord is There”.
 
God did this to show us all that God will rescue His people in the future from hostile nations who circle Israel which may be happening today.
 
Israel has to defend itself from terrorists daily.
 
I can just imagine what America would do if a bordering nation began to take daily potshots into our country.
 
God will break the power of any nation whose intent is to destroy Israel because “Shammah” is still with Israel.
 
God is known in Judah!
 
Psa 76:2 In Salem also is his tabernacle, and his dwelling place in Zion.
 
The word “Salem” means “unharmed” or “at peace” and we are to pray for the peace of Jerusalem because Salem is another name for Jerusalem, the City of Peace.
 
It should also remind us of our Savior who is the King of Peace and we know He will one day soon sit as King of Israel and in fact King of this entire world.
 
God had told Moses to build a Tabernacle and God made Himself known when the Tabernacle was first completed.
 
There was no Tabernacle in Jerusalem until King David had retrieved the Ark of the Covenant.
 
2Sa_6:17 And they brought in the ark of the LORD, and set it in his place, in the midst of the tabernacle that David had pitched for it: and David offered burnt offerings and peace offerings before the LORD.
 
The true meaning of the word tabernacle is “a house or a dwelling place”.
 
Job 5:24 And thou shalt know that thy tabernacle shall be in peace; and thou shalt visit thy habitation, and shalt not sin.
 
We just assume that when we see the word tabernacle it is talking about the Tabernacle of the Congregation, but it can mean other things sometimes.
 
The word tabernacle can also mean our human body.
 
2Co 5:1 For we know that if our earthly house of this tabernacle were dissolved, we have a building of God, an house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens.
 
2Co 5:4 For we that are in this tabernacle do groan, being burdened: not for that we would be unclothed, but clothed upon, that mortality might be swallowed up of life.
 
And God gave us His Holy Spirit as a guarantee of His truth.
 
2Co 5:5 Now he that hath wrought us for the selfsame thing is God, who also hath given unto us the earnest of the Spirit.
 
The word Zion can mean some other things but in truth it means the city of Jerusalem.
 
It can also mean the City of David.
 
Psa 87:5 And of Zion it shall be said, This and that man was born in her: and the highest himself shall establish her.
 
The truth of Jerusalem still lies in the future when the Lord Jesus Christ will sit as King in Jerusalem.
 
The Church is looking forward to the Heavenly Jerusalem!
 
Heb_12:22 But ye are come unto mount Sion, and unto the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to an innumerable company of angels,
 
The war called Armageddon will be settled in Jerusalem.
 
Psa 76:3 There brake he the arrows of the bow, the shield, and the sword, and the battle. Selah.
 
The Lord Jesus will put an end to war when He sits on the throne of David.
 
The war of Armageddon will not be won due to skillful militaries it will be won due to the actions of God.
 
God will deprive the enemies of Israel of the effectiveness of all their mighty weapons.
 
The Lord will render those weapons useless against God’s people!
 
As an example, the great Assyrian army lay in siege of Jerusalem and God sent one angel to end that siege.
 
With one pass over those one hundred and eighty-five thousand soldiers, they never woke from their sleep and not one arrow was fired into Jerusalem.
 
Nothing that army had that day could defend them from that one angel.
 
It will be the same in the War called Armageddon.
 
Isa_54:17 No weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper; and every tongue that shall rise against thee in judgment thou shalt condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the LORD, and their righteousness is of me, saith the LORD.
 
The Lord is perfect in His Holiness.
 
The Lord is also perfect in His power!
 
Psa 76:4 Thou art more glorious and excellent than the mountains of prey.
 
The powerful armies of Assyria had burned and pillaged many nations until they felt that no nation could stand against them. They had gotten rich off of the things they had plundered from other nations but at Jerusalem, God said no more.
 
The glory of the Lord is brighter than our sun!
 
2Pe 1:19 We have also a more sure word of prophecy; whereunto ye do well that ye take heed, as unto a light that shineth in a dark place, until the day dawn, and the day star arise in your hearts:
 
Joh 8:12 Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.
 
No matter how powerful the militaries of this world get, they are no match for the glory of God!
 
The mountains of Jerusalem are where God’s presence dwells among His people Israel.
 
Those who dare to invade His territory in hopes of preying on God’s people will quickly become God’s prey and He will destroy them.
 
The Lord despises such nations that brag of their power such as North Korea, Iran, and some others, who have such little power that the Lord can just display His glory, and they will not exist.
 
In the Lord excellence and power become perfection.
 
*Psa 76:5 The stouthearted are spoiled, they have slept their sleep: and none of the men of might have found their hands.
Psa 76:6  At thy rebuke, O God of Jacob, both the chariot and horse are cast into a dead sleep. 
 
This verse describes what happened to the Assyrian army that had sieged Jerusalem.
 
2Ki 19:35 And it came to pass that night, that the angel of the LORD went out, and smote in the camp of the Assyrians an hundred fourscore and five thousand: and when they arose early in the morning, behold, they were all dead corpses.
 
One hundred eighty-five thousand soldiers went to sleep that terrible night and one hundred and eighty five thousand soldiers woke up in Hell, a place they did not believe in.
 
Even Sennacherib the commander of this army died at the hands of his own two sons.
 
This happened on the day after Isaiah told King Hezekiah that Israel would be delivered from this mighty army.
 
My Father when He is angry does not fool around.
 
This was the power of one angel. God has an innumerable number of angels but even they cannot match the power God has Himself.
 
Psa_147:15 He sendeth forth his commandment upon earth: his word runneth very swiftly.
 
God’s rebuke can destroy any political power.
God’s rebuke can destroy any military power.
God’s rebuke can destroy any power that goes against God’s people, and He has already said that day was coming.
 
Chariots and horses are examples of the vehicles used by powerful militaries.
 
Any time we win a victory over an enemy, we need to recognize God as the source of that victory and offer Him praise!
 
Who are our enemies? The world, our flesh, and the devil are all our known enemies, and we can include all the things associated with those things.
 
Satan and his forces are far more powerful than we are, but they are no match for God!
 
What do we need? The Whole Armor of God
 
Eph 6:10 Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might.
Eph 6:11 Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.
Eph 6:12 For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.
Eph 6:13 Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.
Eph 6:14 Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness;
Eph 6:15 And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace.
Eph 6:16 Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked.
Eph 6:17 And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God:
Eph 6:18 Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints.
 
We cannot even overcome our flesh without the help of God!
 
Our sinful nature will overwhelm us without the Holy Spirit abiding within us!
 
Gal 5:16 This I say then, walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh.
Gal 5:17 For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other: so that ye cannot do the things that ye would.
 
If we walk in the Spirit, we can be conquerors.
 
Rom 8:37 Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us.
Rom 8:38 For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come,
Rom 8:39 Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
 
We have no reason to be afraid of what this world can do to us.

Psa 76:7 Thou, even thou, art to be feared: and who may stand in thy sight when once thou art angry?
 
The Israelites witnessed the greatness of God more than any other people. Those alive would have a fear of God, but the next generation would move away from the truth of God.
 
God alone should indeed be feared!
 
God is the only one who can settle wars with His tongue.
 
God just speaks and things take place as He speaks.
 
God stands ready to destroy all who dare to revolt against Him!
God stands ready to destroy all those who revolt against His purpose!
God stands ready to destroy all who revolt against His people.
 
No one can overcome the power of God!
 
God is to be feared but God is also to be loved!
 
The truth: Only perfect love can cast away fear!
 
If you genuinely love the Lord God, then you need have a reverent fear of God, but you need only to know the power of God for He will never use that power to destroy you or against you.
 
It is those who hate God who God will destroy!
 
God’s “judgment” is absolute!
 
Psa 76:8 Thou didst cause judgment to be heard from heaven; the earth feared, and was still,
Psa 76:9 When God arose to judgment, to save all the meek of the earth. Selah.
 
The great Prophet Isaiah had told King Hezekiah that God would show His power:
 
2Ki 19:32 Therefore thus saith the LORD concerning the king of Assyria, He shall not come into this city, nor shoot an arrow there, nor come before it with shield, nor cast a bank against it.
2Ki 19:33 By the way that he came, by the same shall he return, and shall not come into this city, saith the LORD.
2Ki 19:34 For I will defend this city, to save it, for mine own sake, and for my servant David’s sake.
 
God was not about to allow the enemies of Israel to destroy them because God had already promised the Messiah to come by way of David’s royal descendants.
 
God still speaks through His prophets, or today we would say His preachers.
 
In the coming “judgment” upon this world God will speak with His voice.
 
That voice is called the sword of His mouth.
 
Rev 19:15 And out of his mouth goeth a sharp sword, that with it he should smite the nations: and he shall rule them with a rod of iron: and he treadeth the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God.
 
We had better know that from His throne in Heaven God governs this universe.
 
One day soon every mouth of all those who remain after the Rapture of the Church will be closed.
 
Rom 3:19 Now we know that what things soever the law saith, it saith to them who are under the law: “that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may become guilty before God”.
 
There are those today who say that a true God would not kill people or allow them to be killed.
 
God says: (my words) “all you need do is to repent and acknowledge the truth of God”, so they that perish have the opportunity to live forever”, but they had defied God and the penalty for defying God, is death.
 
God will arise in “judgment” to save the meek and the oppressed on this earth. Those would be all those who claim the Lord is their Savior and the world oppresses them.
 
God will arise in “judgement” to stir those people up to praise Him.
 
Psa 76:10 Surely the wrath of man shall praise thee: the remainder of wrath shalt thou restrain.
 
We should understand that “all” actions and feelings of humanity are under God’s control.
 
It is soon coming a day that even those who hate God will praise Him!
 
God will make sure that all those who oppose Him know exactly what is going to happen to them, if they continue down that road of sin that they travel on.
 
Mat_7:14 Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.
 
Mat 22:14 For many are called, but few are chosen.
 
All those who seek a new path to Heaven need to realize there is no new path to Heaven.
 
Jer 6:16 Thus saith the LORD, Stand ye in the ways, and see, and ask for the old paths, where is the good way, and walk therein, and ye shall find rest for your souls. But they said, We will not walk therein.
 
God has shown Himself to be the Victor over wickedness and evilness!
 
God does not do evil, but God will utilize those who do, to further His plans for this world.
 
Some proof to this can be seen with a certain Pharaoh:
 
Exo 9:15 For now I will stretch out my hand, that I may smite thee and thy people with pestilence; and thou shalt be cut off from the earth.
Exo 9:16 And in very deed for this cause have I raised thee up, for to shew in thee my power; and that my name may be declared throughout all the earth.
 
What does God say to all those who oppose Him?
 
Isa 33:11 Ye shall conceive chaff, ye shall bring forth stubble: your breath, as fire, shall devour you.
 
In the end, Israel has been delivered from all those who have threatened them over and over again, yet the world continues to hate Israel and continue to assist the terrorists that are no more than thieves and robbers.
 
We may live in a world where there is no fear of God, but it does not mean that the Word of God is not true, and it does not mean that Jehovah God has gotten old and weak.
 
Mat 10:26 Fear them not therefore: for there is nothing covered, that shall not be revealed; and hid, that shall not be known.
Mat 10:27 What I tell you in darkness, that speak ye in light: and what ye hear in the ear, that preach ye upon the housetops.
Mat 10:28 And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.
 
We need to vow our allegiance to the Lord!
 
Psa 76:11 Vow and pay unto the LORD your God: let all that be round about him bring presents unto him that ought to be feared.
Psa 76:12 He shall cut off the spirit of princes: he is terrible to the kings of the earth.
 
There will be some alive after God’s “judgment” during the Tribulation period and before the Lord Jesus restores this earth for one thousand years and what did they see?
 
Zep 3:6 I have cut off the nations: their towers are desolate; I made their streets waste, that none passeth by: their cities are destroyed, so that there is no man, that there is none inhabitant.
 
Until Satan is locked up in Hell for good, he will have allies in this world.
 
As Christians, we will have to contend against this world and the Devil, but we are never alone and we will come out as victors.
 
We have seen enough answers to prayers to know some of the power of God and we know He is far more powerful than Satan that nasty serpent.
 
Every victory we have after our salvation came by the Lord.
 
At times, some of us need to rededicate ourselves to the Lord.
 
We must not only praise the Lord with our lips we must also praise Him with our service to Him.
 
We are not to neglect to always do good out of grateful hearts.
 
We must be grateful for God saving our souls from a Devil’s Hell, and we can best show that gratefulness buys keeping any vows we have made and praising His Holy Name.
 
The greatest victory we can celebrate is the Lord Jesus’s victory on that terrible cross because this is our victory also.
 
As Jesus sacrifice of “mercy” deserves the greatest sacrifice we can offer, which is the sacrifice of our own lives to Him!
 
Rom 12:1 I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.
Rom 12:2 And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.
 
It is only then that God will reveal His complete message to us.
 
The sweetest words God ever said was “I forgive”! He did not have to!
 
There is no greater gift we can give to the Lord, but ourselves!
 
God will be terrible to the kings and princes of this earth, and they know it is coming, and they have only one chance to avoid it, but they reject it believing that Satan is their savior.
 
Such foolish men and women!
 
Amen

When The Lord Jesus is King

/ Bobby Mayfield / Leave a comment

The Reign of the Messiah

Book of Psalms Chapter 72

No doubt that Psalm 72 was written about Solomon the son of David but in reality, the Holy Spirit caused it to be written of Israel’s last and greatest King, which is the Messiah, the Lord Jesus Christ.

David becomes a prophet in this Psalm.

What do we know about the reign of the Messiah? It has not happened yet.

During the early centuries of the Church there were many groups that denied the humanity of Jesus Christ.

Today, it is in the reverse, the man Jesus is recognized, but there is a denial of His deity.

People believe that Christ was either a liar, or a lunatic, or He is LORD like He says He is.

Jesus Christ is God and not simply God-Like!

Jesus Christ is absolutely equal with God the Father in His person and in His work.

The Lord Jesus Christ is all that God is, to possess the whole fullness of the attributes which make God, God!

Any attack on the deity of Jesus Christ is an attack on the bedrock of Christianity.

I am tired of seeing my Savior mocked in this world.

Heb 1:8  But unto the Son he saith, Thy throne, O God, is for ever and ever: a sceptre of righteousness is the sceptre of thy kingdom. 

It is a fundamental truth of Scripture that only God is to be worshiped.

Even Satan knows this is the truth!

Mat 4:10  Then saith Jesus unto him, Get thee hence, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve. 

It is the Trinity of God that is the Lord Jesus Christ:

2Co 13:14  The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Ghost, be with you all. Amen.

Prophecy says that the Messiah would be King.

Gen 49:10  The sceptre shall not depart from Judah, nor a lawgiver from between his feet, until Shiloh come; and unto him shall the gathering of the people be. 

There will be a people ready to be ruled by the Messiah.

2Sa 7:16  And thine house and thy kingdom shall be established for ever before thee: thy throne shall be established for ever. 

God the Father announced the making of His Son to be King.

Psa 2:6  Yet have I set my king upon my holy hill of Zion.

The Lord Jesus Christ will be the government of this world!

Isa 9:6  For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace. 

Isa 9:7  Of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom, to order it, and to establish it with judgment and with justice from henceforth even for ever. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will perform this. 

The three offices of the Messiah which are, Prophet, Priest, and King will be fulfilled in the Lord Jesus Christ!

As a Prophet, the Lord Jesus was involved with revealing the salvation message of God.

As a Priest, His work was as an Intercessor, and His saving work.

As King, He fulfill the promises to Israel and He will rule the entire earth.

*****Psa 72:1 Give the king thy judgments, O God, and thy righteousness unto the king’s son. 

As King David lay on his death bed, he had this prayer for his son by asking God to make him a righteous ruler.

One of the king’s most important duties was to judge disputes and then administer justice.

If Solomon would govern according to the Word of God, the Lord would bless him and his nation’s people.

This same prayer holds true to every ruler, every king, and every president of every nation even today!

God is the source of all “judgment”!

It should be noted that Solomon prayed this same prayer for himself.

1Ki 3:9  Give therefore thy servant an understanding heart to judge thy people, that I may discern between good and bad: for who is able to judge this thy so great a people? 

We know that a society cannot exist without laws and these laws are to be expressed and enforced and whoever does this is the ruler but this is just a part of what is needed to govern any people.

*****Psa 72:2  He shall judge thy people with righteousness, and thy poor with judgment. 

Psa 72:3  The mountains shall bring peace to the people, and the little hills, by righteousness. 

Psa 72:4  He shall judge the poor of the people, he shall save the children of the needy, and shall break in pieces the oppressor.

It is obvious that the courts and prosecutors of today are not interested with righteousness!

It is obvious today that our courts are not fair and impartial but yield to the politics of today!

We should also understand that the children of Israel belong to God just as the Church belongs to God.

The Church is bought and paid for with the Blood of Jesus Christ.

We should also understand that peace will never come to this world because leaders seek their own fortunes rather than seeking the good will of those they were elected to serve.

In old times most of the poor were not that way because of laziness or would not work.

We know this has changed today.

There are still some who are poor for many reasons but there are also many who refuse to work and would rather live off the taxpayer.

In the day of the Kings the poor were powerless to defend themselves and were taken advantage of by greedy and wicked people.

These same greedy and wicked people are going after the middle class today and the middle class is becoming powerless to defend themselves.

It is easy to see that it is the rich who are the cause of the oppression of the poor and they want to keep it that way.

It is a fact that in the day the Jesus Christ rules this earth from Jerusalem the oppression of the poor will end.

It is uncalled for today, but the greedy rich just cannot get enough riches to satisfy them!

Peace can be said to be the absence of fear of the threat of harm along with a sense of security.

We do not have this in America today and it is because of greedy politicians, who always seem to have a better way, but it never turns out that way!

When King Jesus sits upon the throne of David there will be great changes.

*****Psa 72:5  They shall fear thee as long as the sun and moon endure, throughout all generations.

It is this passage where we begin to see that this Psalm was not just about King Solomon because his life would be similar to the life expectancy we have today.

It is King Jesus in whom we should have a godly fear of throughout time as it we see it today.

The sun and the moon will endure until God brings them to an end and it is only God who can live through all the generations of mankind and forever.

Only God can do these things. It was Solomon’s job to make sure all the people of his kingdom understood this, just as it is the job of every national leader to do today.

We see where this world is failing!

You see, for as long as the course of nature last, we are to fear the Lord.

God promised eternal dominion to the house of David.

Since the Lord Jesus as a man was a descendant of the House of David, and because He is God then these things apply to the Messiah.

Since we are in the family of the Messiah then these things apply to the Body of Christ.

King Solomon was to provide security for God’s people.

King Jesus will also provide security in His Kingdom. He will rule with a rod of iron.

He would rescue the needy.

He would rescue the poor and those who are afflicted, and their children.

These are the ones that the world takes advantage of.

These are the same ones that this government we have now, have taken advantage of.

They have tried to keep the poor, poor so that they will always need the government to help them.

This is why the gates of America have been thrown open for the world to enter so even more people will become dependent upon the government to support them.

This is the way a certain party is trying to stay in power.

The Messiah came to this earth to put a stop to these things.

The Messiah came to rescue the needy and the poor, all those who are Spiritually poor.

David prayed that his son would crush all those who are so cruel in this world.

*****Psa 72:6  He shall come down like rain upon the mown grass: as showers that water the earth. 

We already know there is a great famine for the Word of God today.

2Ti_4:3  For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears;

2Ti_4:4  And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables.

Eze 34:23  And I will set up one shepherd over them, and he shall feed them, even my servant David; he shall feed them, and he shall be their shepherd. 

Eze 34:24  And I the LORD will be their God, and my servant David a prince among them; I the LORD have spoken it. 

Eze 34:25  And I will make with them a covenant of peace, and will cause the evil beasts to cease out of the land: and they shall dwell safely in the wilderness, and sleep in the woods. 

Eze 34:26  And I will make them and the places round about my hill a blessing; and I will cause the shower to come down in his season; there shall be showers of blessing.

Deu 32:2  My doctrine shall drop as the rain, my speech shall distil as the dew, as the small rain upon the tender herb, and as the showers upon the grass: 

Deu 32:3  Because I will publish the name of the LORD: ascribe ye greatness unto our God.

David called on his son to be true to Jesus Christ.

The Lord Jesus will enforce righteousness upon this earth when He sits as King of the World!

*****Psa 72:7  In his days shall the righteous flourish; and abundance of peace so long as the moon endureth. 

Does anyone here know how long the moon that we see nightly is going to flourish? I do not either because only God knows.

Isa 11:4  But with righteousness shall he judge the poor, and reprove with equity for the meek of the earth: and he shall smite the earth with the rod of his mouth, and with the breath of his lips shall he slay the wicked. 

Isa 11:5  And righteousness shall be the girdle of his loins, and faithfulness the girdle of his reins.

All those who are with Christ during His Millennial Reign upon this earth will enjoy lives that are full, and free of fear and oppression.

If the Lord Jesus Christ is going to save us from all these things, then these are the things that are going to get worse especially during the time of the Antichrist.

Keep in mind this is after the Rapture of the Church and the Church will come down again to this earth during the time Christ sits as King of this world and remain the God of all creation.

*****Psa 72:8  He shall have dominion also from sea to sea, and from the river unto the ends of the earth. 

Psa 72:9  They that dwell in the wilderness shall bow before him; and his enemies shall lick the dust. 

What was the Kingdom of Solomon?

1Ki 4:21  And Solomon reigned over all kingdoms from the river unto the land of the Philistines, and unto the border of Egypt: they brought presents, and served Solomon all the days of his life. 

Notice Solomon ruled over the land of the Philistines also at this time.

As we apply this to King Jesus:

Isa 60:4  Lift up thine eyes round about, and see: all they gather themselves together, they come to thee: thy sons shall come from far, and thy daughters shall be nursed at thy side. 

Isa 60:5  Then thou shalt see, and flow together, and thine heart shall fear, and be enlarged; because the abundance of the sea shall be converted unto thee, the forces of the Gentiles shall come unto thee. 

Isa 60:6  The multitude of camels shall cover thee, the dromedaries of Midian and Ephah; all they from Sheba shall come: they shall bring gold and incense; and they shall shew forth the praises of the LORD. 

Isa 60:7  All the flocks of Kedar shall be gathered together unto thee, the rams of Nebaioth shall minister unto thee: they shall come up with acceptance on mine altar, and I will glorify the house of my glory. 

Isa 60:8  Who are these that fly as a cloud, and as the doves to their windows? 

Isa 60:9  Surely the isles shall wait for me, and the ships of Tarshish first, to bring thy sons from far, their silver and their gold with them, unto the name of the LORD thy God, and to the Holy One of Israel, because he hath glorified thee. 

Isa 60:10  And the sons of strangers shall build up thy walls, and their kings shall minister unto thee: for in my wrath I smote thee, but in my favour have I had mercy on thee. 

*****Psa 72:10  The kings of Tarshish and of the isles shall bring presents: the kings of Sheba and Seba shall offer gifts. 

Psa 72:11  Yea, all kings shall fall down before him: all nations shall serve him. 

David prayed that Solomon would be recognized as the world’s leader the sovereign ruler over all the earth.

He asked that God would cause all rulers to pay tribute to Solomon.

As David prayed for his son, he also prophesied of the Messiah.

Solomon did establish an extensive kingdom but he did not rule to the ends of the earth.

Solomon was not King of all kings.

Only the Lord Jesus Christ will fully answer this prayer of David!

Only the Lord Jesus Christ will reign forever over all the earth!

Zec 9:9  Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion; shout, O daughter of Jerusalem: behold, thy King cometh unto thee: he is just, and having salvation; lowly, and riding upon an ass, and upon a colt the foal of an ass. 

Zec 9:10  And I will cut off the chariot from Ephraim, and the horse from Jerusalem, and the battle bow shall be cut off: and he shall speak peace unto the heathen: and his dominion shall be from sea even to sea, and from the river even to the ends of the earth. 

Psa 2:7  I will declare the decree: the LORD hath said unto me, Thou art my Son; this day have I begotten thee. 

Psa 2:8  Ask of me, and I shall give thee the heathen for thine inheritance, and the uttermost parts of the earth for thy possession. 

Luk 1:33  And he shall reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and of his kingdom there shall be no end. 

Rev 11:15  And the seventh angel sounded; and there were great voices in heaven, saying, The kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord, and of his Christ; and he shall reign for ever and ever.

King Jesus will rule this world just as He rules everything that we see and know about. He will rule all His creation.

Joh 1:1  In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 

Joh 1:2  The same was in the beginning with God. 

Joh 1:3  All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made. 

Joh 1:4  In him was life; and the life was the light of men. 

Joh 1:5  And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not.

David then prays that Solomon will be compassionate toward the people.

*****Psa 72:12  For he shall deliver the needy when he crieth; the poor also, and him that hath no helper. 

Psa 72:13  He shall spare the poor and needy, and shall save the souls of the needy. 

Psa 72:14  He shall redeem their soul from deceit and violence: and precious shall their blood be in his sight. 

When is the last time we have seen our leaders be compassionate to all the people?

This is when we know we have a true leader.

Did you know being compassionate to the people is not one of the things that our President is to do.

An American President is to keep our nation safe and make sure the Constitution is being implemented and is the guide to our laws.

If our leaders would show compassion to all the people of our great nation instead of picking out certain groups to show compassion, if you can call it that, to certain groups and cause division in all the rest, our nation would be a better place.

A true leader will deliver all who cry to him who are in need.

These would be those who are poor, oppressed, and helpless beyond their fault.

He is to deliver those who suffer due to circumstances beyond their control.

Most of the problems where people suffer today is because our leaders have made laws that cause friction in the people.

A good leader would deliver those who are oppressed who are law abiding people.

A good leaders would not take away our freedoms that are guaranteed by the Constitution and the Bill of Rights.

A good leader would save the people from oppression and stop their adversaries who only deceive and defraud the people.

An unrighteous leader would view the needy with contempt, seeing them as a burden to society and worthless.

Why is our nation faltering? It is because no one wants a righteous leader!

Even Solomon was not a righteous leader many of his days because he taxed the people so he could live an extravagant life.

God told Israel these things about a king:

Deu 17:15  Thou shalt in any wise set him king over thee, whom the LORD thy God shall choose: one from among thy brethren shalt thou set king over thee: thou mayest not set a stranger over thee, which is not thy brother. 

Deu 17:16  But he shall not multiply horses to himself, nor cause the people to return to Egypt, to the end that he should multiply horses: forasmuch as the LORD hath said unto you, Ye shall henceforth return no more that way. 

Deu 17:17  Neither shall he multiply wives to himself, that his heart turn not away: neither shall he greatly multiply to himself silver and gold. 

Deu 17:18  And it shall be, when he sitteth upon the throne of his kingdom, that he shall write him a copy of this law in a book out of that which is before the priests the Levites: 

Deu 17:19  And it shall be with him, and he shall read therein all the days of his life: that he may learn to fear the LORD his God, to keep all the words of this law and these statutes, to do them: 

Deu 17:20  That his heart be not lifted up above his brethren, and that he turn not aside from the commandment, to the right hand, or to the left: to the end that he may prolong his days in his kingdom, he, and his children, in the midst of Israel. 

Solomon ignored all these laws of God just as most all kings have done even presidents.

But the Lord Jesus Christ was innocent of any wrong doing!

Israel became a rich nation but it was just like today.

The rich got richer and the poor renamed poor and the middle class paid most of the taxes.

David prophesied of King Jesus as no one else could meet the qualifications that God had set in His Laws.

The Jews had six hundred and thirteen laws besides these things that God added to kings.

The Lord Jesus Christ perfectly portrayed the compassionate, sacrificial heart of our Savior because He cannot be different from what He is!

He is still this same Savior today with these same characteristics!

Because of Jesus our souls can be saved from a Spiritual death which means an eternal separation from God in Hell.

The Lord Jesus is soon returning to claim our bodies as well!

Solomon did become the richest man in the world, but a lot of it was wasted when He could have done more for Israel such as tax relief.

*****Psa 72:15  And he shall live, and to him shall be given of the gold of Sheba: prayer also shall be made for him continually; and daily shall he be praised. 

Psa 72:16  There shall be an handful of corn in the earth upon the top of the mountains; the fruit thereof shall shake like Lebanon: and they of the city shall flourish like grass of the earth. 

Psa 72:17  His name shall endure for ever: his name shall be continued as long as the sun: and men shall be blessed in him: all nations shall call him blessed. 

Verse 15 is hard to understand but it could mean “God save the King”.

People could not only greet him in the customary way, but bring gifts to him and they would pray for him.

Besides the gifts, we still do this for our own leaders.

The gift we can give is to be obedient to the laws of the land that do not go against the Word of God.

A good king would be the source of happiness and prosperity and there will never be but one good king and that is King Jesus.

Another prayer would be for the fertility of the land.

“May there be an abundance of corn in the land upon the top of the mountains?”

“May the fruit rustle like Lebanon”.

“May men flourish out of the city like the grass of the earth.”

This would be praying for the prosperity for the people of the kingdom.

These would be the things that the Lord Jesus will do after He has destroyed the earth. He will make all things new and the earth will again be like it was in the Garden of Eden.

Hos 14:5  I will be as the dew unto Israel: he shall grow as the lily, and cast forth his roots as Lebanon. 

Hos 14:6  His branches shall spread, and his beauty shall be as the olive tree, and his smell as Lebanon. 

Hos 14:7  They that dwell under his shadow shall return; they shall revive as the corn, and grow as the vine: the scent thereof shall be as the wine of Lebanon.

Isa 27:6  He shall cause them that come of Jacob to take root: Israel shall blossom and bud, and fill the face of the world with fruit. 

There will also be a conversion of the Jews.

Psa 92:12  The righteous shall flourish like the palm tree: he shall grow like a cedar in Lebanon. 

Psa 92:13  Those that be planted in the house of the LORD shall flourish in the courts of our God. 

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

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

Only the Lord Jesus fits the picture painted by verse seventeen:

Psa 45:17  I will make thy name to be remembered in all generations: therefore shall the people praise thee for ever and ever. 

Eph 3:13  Wherefore I desire that ye faint not at my tribulations for you, which is your glory. 

Eph 3:14  For this cause I bow my knees unto the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, 

Eph 3:15  Of whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named, 

Eph 3:16  That he would grant you, according to the riches of his glory, to be strengthened with might by his Spirit in the inner man; 

Eph 3:17  That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that ye, being rooted and grounded in love, 

Eph 3:18  May be able to comprehend with all saints what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height; 

Eph 3:19  And to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fulness of God. 

And blessed be the Lord God:

*****Psa 72:18  Blessed be the LORD God, the God of Israel, who only doeth wondrous things. 

Psa 72:19  And blessed be his glorious name for ever: and let the whole earth be filled with his glory; Amen, and Amen. 

Psa 72:20  The prayers of David the son of Jesse are ended. 

When the Messiah sits on the throne of David during the Millennial Kingdom the whole earth will be filled with God’s glory.

Isa 11:9  They shall not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain: for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the LORD, as the waters cover the sea. 

Isa 11:10  And in that day there shall be a root of Jesse, which shall stand for an ensign of the people; to it shall the Gentiles seek: and his rest shall be glorious. 

Hab 2:14  For the earth shall be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the LORD, as the waters cover the sea.

The Lord did wondrous things as the God of Israel by delivering them from bondage.

The Lord did wondrous things for the Church as he delivered us all from the bondage of Satan.

He did these things because His mercy endures forever!

It is our duty to praise God for what He has done for us and Israel will soon find this same thing out.

It is our honor to praise God.

It is our honor to meet each week in the House of our God to offer to Him our praise.

We will do this in Heaven, we just as well get in the practice here on earth!

It is our duty and our pleasure to honor our God, the Lord Jesus Christ!

It is only the lord who can do these wondrous things and does them because He loves us!

Me and my brother Mike used to talk about being saved and we would refer to this passage in the Book of James.

Jas 5:19  Brethren, if any of you do err from the truth, and one convert him; 

Jas 5:20  Let him know, that he which converteth the sinner from the error of his way shall save a soul from death, and shall hide a multitude of sins. 

Our sins, as terrible as they were now are all blotted out in God’s records in Heaven!

Mike is in Heaven now and I owe it to the Lord to spend the rest of my days serving Him!

This was David’s dying prayer for his son Solomon, but the Holy Spirit used this same prayer to prophecy of the Messiah, King Jesus.

Amen

Does This World Overwhelm You

/ Bobby Mayfield / Leave a comment

A Prayer When Overwhelmed

Book of Psalms Chapter 61

That word overwhelmed means we have been crushed by something violent and weighty, that covers or encompasses us.
To be submerged, to be engulfed, to be defeated, to be overthrown, to be overpowered.

We cannot escape the demands of everyday life!

At every stage of our time upon this earth pressures exist that cause us problems.

We still live in a cursed world.

Satan spends every moment of time he has left to trip up Christians and cause us to fail in serving the Lord.

It seems that the more we claim the Lord Jesus Christ the worst our problems are, and this is true because the world hates Christians because the world hates the Lord Jesus Christ.

Joh_7:7  The world cannot hate you; but me it hateth, because I testify of it, that the works thereof are evil.

Joh_15:18  If the world hate you, ye know that it hated me before it hated you.

Life’s burdens can be tough to carry everyday if we try to do it alone!

Many times life’s burdens are just too tough for us to carry and we will feel “overwhelmed” by them.

As Christians God has given us every tool to use to never be “overwhelmed” in this world.

That first tool is prayer!

David wrote this Psalm while he was in a period of extreme stress.

David’s son Absalom was trying to kill him and replace him as King of Israel.

David knew he could not endure in his own strength and he cried out to God.

What are the steps we must take for relief?

1) We must cry out to God and beg Him to hear our prayer.
2) We must tell God and show God, that we want to live with Him forever.
3) We must approach God boldly in prayer being humble when we get there. We must never be afraid to go to God for help!
4) We must make a renewed commitment to praise God and we must fulfill our promises to Him each and every day.

It seems that David could no longer withstand the pressures of life, and there are many who have felt this way during their lifetime.

This world of today is taking its toil on people even today in our own nation.

The suicide rate in the United States has risen to its highest point in more than 80 years.

Here is something to think about, the suicide rate has increase every year that President Biden has been in office!

When David felt this kind of pressure he cried out to the Lord and begged Him to hear him.

David knew he could not endure the pressures on his life in his own strength!

Neither can we!

*Psa 61:1  To the chief Musician upon Neginah, A Psalm of David. Hear my cry, O God; attend unto my prayer.

That word Neginah means this Psalm was to be accompanied by stringed instruments.

Probably soft music in the background so the music did not interfere with the words of this Psalm.

Listen to David in this Psalm and we can see his urgency.

I will be quiet honest with you. I do not know how people deal with their stress without the Lord Jesus Christ.

Where can we go in times of trouble, but to the Lord.

Today we see that many cannot deal with the stresses of this world and they choose suicide rather than asking for God’s help.

The only help for the weary soul is a personal relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ.

The Hebrew word used for this word “cry” is “rinnah” and this word expresses a shrill, a piercing cry for help, a desperate cry for help.

This world has no answers to this sort of stress!

David begs God and uses the Hebrew word Elohim, the Supreme God, the Triune God, the God of All Power.

Obviously, this is a song of exile, David is far from the city he loves, Jerusalem.

David left Jerusalem to keep from warring with his son Absalom.

According to the Word of God, Jerusalem is to be a city of peace and God tells us to pray for the peace of Jerusalem.

In the time of David, he considered the sanctuary of God to be in Jerusalem and it was.

It was the place of the “Mercy Seat” where a soul could approach God.

For David the center of the universe is being in Jerusalem!

The world will find this out when the Lord Jesus Christ rules this earth from Jerusalem for a Millenium.

Jerusalem will be the center of this universe we live in until it is replaced with the New Jerusalem which will then be the center of all God’s creation.

Today, if you are a child of God, the sanctuary of God is within us.

We are the Temple of God where He dwells!

Wherever God reveals Himself, He can still reach us with the riches of His “grace”!

David shows the world that no matter where we are located, even at the end of the earth, we can still cry out to God and He will hear us!

*Psa 61:2  From the end of the earth will I cry unto thee, when my heart is overwhelmed: lead me to the rock that is higher than I. 

When we feel lost and far away from God, we need to call on His name and He will hear us.

There is no saddening time greater than a feeling of loneliness!

It is not God’s hearing us that is so important, it is how we are living our lives.

If we are not living according to the Word of God, then God might not answer our prayer.

Psa 66:18  If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear me: 
Psa 66:19  But verily God hath heard me; he hath attended to the voice of my prayer. 
Psa 66:20  Blessed be God, which hath not turned away my prayer, nor his mercy from me.

Much of the time we must first ask for forgiveness of some sin we are trying to hold on to, before the Lord will accept our prayer and give His answer.

When we ask to be led to the “Rock that is higher than I”, it means lead me to a place I cannot reach without God’s help.

That “Rock” is God Himself.

Psa 62:2  He only is my rock and my salvation; he is my defence; I shall not be greatly moved.

Psa 62:6  He only is my rock and my salvation: he is my defence; I shall not be moved.
Psa 62:7  In God is my salvation and my glory: the rock of my strength, and my refuge, is in God. 
Psa 62:8  Trust in him at all times; ye people, pour out your heart before him: God is a refuge for us. Selah.

That Rock is the place strength, the place of faithfulness, and the unchangeableness of Jehovah.

The more we say this and it comes from our heart, the more confidence we will have in our God, and it does not matter what our enemies attempt to do, they will fail.

God is our refuge that we can trust because God is our salvation!

We can trust the Lord at all times, God is always faithful to those who love Him!

We can never be very far from God even when we feel like we are!

The Holy Spirit lives within every child of God.

He can become silent when we have quenched the Spirit and a prayer of forgiveness will solve this issue.

When we are spiritually far away from God we will not feel His presence.

It is at these times that we will feel overwhelmed by this world!

Through the power of God we can handle every pressure and every circumstance in this life!

*Psa 61:3  For thou hast been a shelter for me, and a strong tower from the enemy. 

Through the power of God we can certainly handle every circumstance of this life because we do not have to handle it because God will handle it for us.

God will fight all our battles if we live for Him!

We must look beyond ourselves and our own pitiful strength to the strength of the Almighty God which is endless.

We must look to the “Rock” that is higher than we are!

It is a fact that God will be our refuge when the weight of this wicked world tries to rob us of our peace!

The strength to endure trials and temptations and the wickedness of this evil world comes from being in God’s presence!

We are in God’s presence everytime we bend our knees and pray, and spend some time with God, through the Lord Jesus Christ.

If we are unable to bend our knees then we can pray standing up but we must be humble before the Lord.

When we are going through intense pressure we sometimes neglect the House of God and we dont pray as much as we should and both of these things are wrong. Both of these things will quench the Holy Spirit.

These are the times we need God the most.

Being in God’s presence must be the most important priority of our lives!

Php 4:13  I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me. 

We can find that shelter we need when we gather together with others in God’s House.

*Psa 61:4  I will abide in thy tabernacle for ever: I will trust in the covert of thy wings. Selah. 

The Tabernacle was not in Jerusalem at this time so David was not speaking of the Tabernacle of Moses.

2Ch_1:3  So Solomon, and all the congregation with him, went to the high place that was at Gibeon; for there was the tabernacle of the congregation of God, which Moses the servant of the LORD had made in the wilderness.

David was speaking of a “spiritual abiding” in the presence of the Lord all his days he had left, and after his death to pass on into God’s Heavenly Home.

This is what we all crave. To be with God in His House when He calls us home!

The Lord Jesus teaches us of this fact.

Joh 14:1  Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me. 
Joh 14:2  In my Father’s house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. 

Psa 23:6  Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the LORD for ever.

Hiding under God’s Wings is a sure place of safety!

Now we do not know if God has wings or not, but the “Mercy Seat” of God had the wings of the two Heavenly Angels, the Cherubim which was the seat of God upon this earth.

It is at the “Mercy Seat” where we will find the protection of the Almighty Living God.

We find shelter from the dangers and the pressures of this life when we abide in the presence of the LORD.

When we abide in the presence of the LORD we can be sure that He hears our prayers!

*Psa 61:5  For thou, O God, hast heard my vows: thou hast given me the heritage of those that fear thy name.

As David poured out His heart to God, he felt the assurance that he was in the presence of God.

Php 4:6  Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. 
Php 4:7  And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. 

There was no doubt in David’s mind that God had heard his prayer and had accepted David’s vows.

At this time David had perfect peace in his soul.

David was assured that he would return to Jerusalem and sit on the throne as King of Israel.

Israel is still the heritage of the Lord.

Rom 9:4  Who are Israelites; to whom pertaineth the adoption, and the glory, and the covenants, and the giving of the law, and the service of God, and the promises; 
Rom 9:5  Whose are the fathers, and of whom as concerning the flesh Christ came, who is over all, God blessed for ever. Amen. 

We know the importance of King David sitting on the throne of Israel because we know that the Lord Jesus Christ is that actual true heritage and he came from the family of David.

Jesus also explained this to the woman from Samaria.

Joh 4:21  Jesus saith unto her, Woman, believe me, the hour cometh, when ye shall neither in this mountain, nor yet at Jerusalem, worship the Father. 
Joh 4:22  Ye worship ye know not what: we know what we worship: for salvation is of the Jews. 
Joh 4:23  But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him. 
Joh 4:24  God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.

God promised to give this heritage to all those who trusted in His name.

1Pe 1:3  Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, 
1Pe 1:4  To an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for you, 

This is the promise God made to David.

The land of Canaan is the inheritance of the Jewish people, but this land is also a picture of the New Heaven.

It is the New Heaven that will be the permanent home of all those who believe the truth of God!

This is the inheritance that is eternal!

1) We see that when we stay close to the Lord we will be safe in the shelter of God’s wings and He will answer our prayers.

2) We see that God has offered a glorious inheritance and the brightest future imaginable. We are going to live in the New Jerusalem with Him.

2Co 5:1  For we know that if our earthly house of this tabernacle were dissolved, we have a building of God, an house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. 

David knew he would live a full life.

2Sa 7:12  And when thy days be fulfilled, and thou shalt sleep with thy fathers, I will set up thy seed after thee, which shall proceed out of thy bowels, and I will establish his kingdom. David called on the Lord to keep His promises.

*Psa 61:6  Thou wilt prolong the king’s life: and his years as many generations. 
Psa 61:7  He shall abide before God for ever: O prepare mercy and truth, which may preserve him. 

It takes a true committment to the truth of God to please Him.

David began to remember the promises God had made to him while he was still on this earth.

David called upon God to keep the promises that He had made.

God could not establish the Kingdom of David, if He allowed David to die at the hands of Absalom.

At least not in a way where we could understand it.

God promised David an everlasting dynasty.

2Sa 7:16  And thine house and thy kingdom shall be established for ever before thee: thy throne shall be established for ever.

We should give some thought to this. If God has called us to a certain thing and we answer that call, then God is not likely to to take our life before we can accomplish what God has called us to do.

God wants us to live long happy lives!

Pro 3:1  My son, forget not my law; but let thine heart keep my commandments: 
Pro 3:2  For length of days, and long life, and peace, shall they add to thee. 

God has the power to deliver us from all the hazards of this world if He so chooses.

Any lack of faith is the same as calling God a liar!

David’s life would extend far beyond his days upon this earth through his royal line.

David’s ultimate descendant would be the Messiah who will sit upon David’s throne throughout eternity.

Luk 1:32  He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest: and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David: 
Luk 1:33  And he shall reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and of his kingdom there shall be no end. 

This throne is a picture of the sovereign power and the divine dignity as the Supreme Ruler of all God’s creation.

This takes place when the Lord Jesus comes down to live amongst His people.

We should understand that this Psalm is not a prayer.

This Psalm is an appeal to God’s promise and God’s purpose.

It would be hard to hope for the future if we have not lived long enough to know the true meaning of our future.

No one can live forever upon this earth except as living on through his descendants.

But we can live eternally in Heaven because we will live a life through the eternity of our Savior. We will be like Him!

The Lord Jesus cannot ever die because He is God!

Joh_11:25  Jesus said unto her, I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live:

If Absalom had replaced David as king of Israel then the promise made to David would be broken.

David’s Throne had already been promised to another, Solomon.

Keep in mind that David had another son by Bathsheba whose name was Nathan. Mary the mother of Jesus came through the line of David through Nathan his son.

God had already decided that the Messiah would come by one of the sons of Bathsheba.

Everything is OK until we get to King Josiah and this is where the confusion starts.

King Jesus will be in the line of King David.

*Psa 61:8  So will I sing praise unto thy name for ever, that I may daily perform my vows. 

It takes a true committment to the truth of God to please Him.

It takes a true committment to praise God and we must keep the vows we have made to Him.

We sometimes say things in our prayers that we do not know how to keep.

King David is in Heaven today giving God the praise that He deserves!

Before David went to Heaven, he looked forward to going back home and completeing the vows that he had made.

Prayers that are made in confidence will surely be answered.

In order for us to live long lives we need to praise the Lord and trust every word He has given to us.

The longer we live, the longer we have to offer up praise to the Lord.

God has promised us great things concerning the Millennial Kingdom and our life in the New Jerusalem.

Jesus Christ will live forever and we can live with Him if we make a true committment to Him.

We must realize that God is worthy of our worship and praising God must be a central part of our worship.

When we take time to read this wonderful Book of Psalms we will see that they exalt the name of the Lord.

An important part of being a Christian is praising our Savior and to attend and to participate in church worship.

Eph 3:21  Unto him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world without end. Amen. 

If we are not honoring the Lord we are not fulfilling our purpose.

These things are important in our relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ!

It is the Lord Jesus Christ who is the Rock that is higher than we are.

Amen

Trials and Tribulations

/ Bobby Mayfield / Leave a comment

Fear in the Midst of Trials

Book of Psalms 56

We must remember we live in a cursed world because of sin.

We must remember sin is everything that goes against the Word of God.

The greatest sin of all is to not believe in the work that the Lord Jesus Christ has completed for our salvation.

When do we have the most fear? When we are in the midst of our daily trials.

Things that devastate us can come to us at any moment.

The death of a loved one.

A terrible sickness, such as cancer or a heart attack.

Today it seems like half the world is trying scam us out of the things we have no one really cares as they say they do.

A car wreck can set us backwards financially and I could go on because there are so many problems that come upon us, just unexpectedly.

In the Book of Job we see these words: Job 14:1 Man that is born of a woman is of few days, and full of trouble.

This still describes our world today. This still describes humanity today but even worse.

Most of our hardships are the result of trouble finding us.

Many of our hardships are of our own making.

We know the Job was the most upright man on earth in his day and all his children died in one day because of a tornado like wind.

Robbers came and stole many of his animals.

Lightning killed the rest of his animals.

Job got up one morning as usual and was a rich man, at the end of that day Job was heartbroken and a poor man and he had done nothing to cause all these things to happen.

But it is still a fact that many of our problems come from our own actions.

We are still our own worst enemy.

David did this very thing.

When David was on the run from King Saul, who was trying to kill him.

David was innocent of any wrongdoing toward Saul but this did not stop Saul from trying to kill him.

David had gone to the Philistine city of Gath to seek refuge from Saul.

David thought that Saul would never look for him there.
The Philistines were Israel’s sworn enemy.
Saul had declared David to be his enemy.
David hoped that the King of Gath would help him because they were both the enemies of King Saul.

Keep in mind that David had been the one to kill Goliath and Goliath had family members who still lived in Gath.

Goliath had four brothers and many family members there.

David was even carrying the sword of Goliath.

We can only imagine his thought process at this time.

The truth is that David’s logic was flawed. He went to the world when he should have gone to Jehovah.

After all he was a man after God’s own heart.

It is certain that we all make mistakes that can cause us harm!

The advisors of King Achish were convinced that David was still a threat to the Philistines so suddenly David was in grave danger.

We know from previous lessons that David put on a show of being crazy and it saved his life.

1Sa 21:10 And David arose, and fled that day for fear of Saul, and went to Achish the king of Gath.
1Sa 21:11 And the servants of Achish said unto him, Is not this David the king of the land? did they not sing one to another of him in dances, saying, Saul hath slain his thousands, and David his ten thousands?
1Sa 21:12 And David laid up these words in his heart, and was sore afraid of Achish the king of Gath.
1Sa 21:13 And he changed his behaviour before them, and feigned himself mad in their hands, and scrabbled on the doors of the gate, and let his spittle fall down upon his beard.

Unwise decisions will most always get us into trouble!

If we are close to God, then we will find it easier to go to Him when trouble comes to us!

*Psa 56:1 To the chief Musician upon Jonathelemrechokim, Michtam of David, when the Philistines took him in Gath. Be merciful unto me, O God: for man would swallow me up; he fighting daily oppresseth me.
Psa 56:2 Mine enemies would daily swallow me up: for they be many that fight against me, O thou most High.

We know that trouble is usually accompanied by more trouble and we know we need help, but we forget that we are a child of God and we think the world can solve our problems, when the world is the cause of most of our problems.

This world is a wicked and evil place, and has no intention of solving anybody’s problems, but the rich who simply want more riches.

We should be crying out to the Lord and we should be crying out for His mercy even if we have to beg God for mercy, because we know God is merciful or we would not know anything about Him.

That phrase “would swallow me up” simply means that this world will walk all over us, trample on us, or crush us and we all know this is true because we live it every day and we see it getting worse, especially for the child of God, but we have a merciful God who will remove some of these things or He will go through them with us.

How did God describe Himself to Moses?

Exo_34:6 And the LORD passed by before him, and proclaimed, The LORD, The LORD God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abundant in goodness and truth,

Deu_4:31 (For the LORD thy God is a merciful God;) he will not forsake thee, neither destroy thee, nor forget the covenant of thy fathers which he sware unto them.

God does not change, so He is the same God to all those who love Him today.

God will not allow our enemies to swallow us up or walk all over us, if we go to Him in prayer trusting in Him.

David was under daily attacks so much so, that he could not find rest.

David explained these things to the Most High God, Jehovah, and he realized he needed God more than ever and just as we all do.

*Psa 56:3 What time I am afraid, I will trust in thee.
Psa 56:4 In God I will praise his word, in God I have put my trust; I will not fear what flesh can do unto me.

This is the only place in the Bible where we read that David might be afraid of any man.

The way this verse reads is “When the day comes that I feel fear stealing over me, by an act of will, I will put my trust in thee”.

We must be more like David and never be afraid of what man can do to us!

We already know that if we die today, we will wake up in Heaven and will be far better off.

In all danger, in all trouble, whatever happens, whatever we think is going to happen, we can always trust the Lord for the right outcome.

We cannot say we are Christians and then, not trust that God will always do the right thing for us.

This is the only way we will ever overcome our fears.

If we stay close enough to the Lord in our lifestyle and prayers, we will seldom fall into the traps of this world.

David was going to be the next King of Israel and he needed to learn on God’s training ground.

God’s training ground can be tough most of the time.

God will fulfill every promise He makes to us.

We can be secure in God’s plans for our life! There are no human beings who can overrule God’s purpose for our life!

*Psa 56:5 Every day they wrest my words: all their thoughts are against me for evil.
Psa 56:6 They gather themselves together, they hide themselves, they mark my steps, when they wait for my soul.

To me this sounds just like our own government today.

In verse five we see one of the things that happens so much today.

Evil people take our Constitution and twist the words that we have had for many years into another meaning that was never intended by its writers.

In fact, people are listening just to see if we say something that can be twisted into some other meaning, things we never intended to say.

They will use these twisted meanings to plot against us.

This happened to David.
This happens to good politicians today.
These things happen to us.

If you are a Christian, people will try to twist your words to have an evil meaning because this is what they do to the Word of God every day.

These are what can be called a verbal ambush.

Our news sources do this all day long so that we cannot get the real truth but only someone’s twisted version of their political views.

It should be alright to have a different point of view from someone else without it causing a war between them.

No matter our circumstances, we can trust the Lord to help us if we love Him and trust Him.

When we cry out to the Lord, He will hear us!

We must understand that no one makes us sin! No one can be the cause of our sin but us!

We have a sin nature that cannot be overcome without the help of the Lord Jesus Christ.

God went to great lengths in order to rescue us from our sin nature!

Rom 8:31 What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us?
Rom 8:32 He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things?
Rom 8:33 Who shall lay any thing to the charge of God’s elect? It is God that justifieth.

It is true that fear is one of the most powerful emotions we face today, but it should not be that way.

What are we afraid of?

Fear can cause us to act differently than we normally act.

Many just run off and hide when they should just go to the Lord.

God is certainly greater than any force upon this earth.

The way to defeat fear is by faith in the promises of the Word of God!

Heb 13:6 So that we may boldly say, The Lord is my helper, and I will not fear what man shall do unto me.

No one can escape the “judgment” of God especially those who try to use sin to defeat Him.

*Psa 56:7 Shall they escape by iniquity? in thine anger cast down the people, O God.

The problem with most sinners is that they think they can escape the wrath of God.

They do not believe in Hell and they do not think the Bible is a Divine book.

Isa 28:14 Wherefore hear the word of the LORD, ye scornful men, that rule this people which is in Jerusalem.
Isa 28:15 Because ye have said, We have made a covenant with death, and with hell are we at agreement; when the overflowing scourge shall pass through, it shall not come unto us: for we have made lies our refuge, and under falsehood have we hid ourselves:

Again I can only think of the America of today when I read those words “for we have made lies our refuge and under falsehood have we hid ourselves”.

We have the lies of our own government.
We have the lies of Meta and Google and other tech suppliers.
We have the lies of our financial services.
We have the lies of our News Sources.

Isa 28:18 And your covenant with death shall be disannulled, and your agreement with hell shall not stand; when the overflowing scourge shall pass through, then ye shall be trodden down by it.

David was bold enough to ask God to deal with His enemies.

We can be sure that all the enemies of God will see His wrath at a time of His choosing, but sometimes we need God to do something sooner and He promises us His help on a daily basis, after all we have Heavens Angels with us at all times.

Psa 55:23 But thou, O God, shalt bring them down into the pit of destruction: bloody and deceitful men shall not live out half their days; but I will trust in thee.

Another thing David did was to ask God to keep a record of all these things.

We should know that God keeps a record of all our doings!

Psa 139:2 Thou knowest my downsitting and mine uprising, thou understandest my thought afar off.

David certainly did not realize that so many things of his life would be placed in the Bible for us all to read.

I am sure there are many things that he would rather not be made so public.

*Psa 56:8 Thou tellest my wanderings: put thou my tears into thy bottle: are they not in thy book?
Psa 56:9 When I cry unto thee, then shall mine enemies turn back: this I know; for God is for me.

We can be sure that the Lord will not allow His enemies to get by with their evil deeds. His enemies are also our enemies!

There is no one upon the face of this earth that can escape the “judgment” of God!

We can be sure that the Lord is angry at those who cause harm to God’s people, but it is a righteous anger.

God does see our pain!

We might ask ourselves, why would God display the life of David before us?

We are not very old before we learn that bad things happen to good people and good things happen to bad people.

Mat_5:45 That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust.

Human life is described as a form of wandering and tears.

Life is represented is a scene of unending struggle.

Life can be more than just wandering and tears!

We know that that are some pleasures in this life, such as a good marriage, children, grandchildren, and great grandchildren.

The knowledge of God and our Savior makes this life a whole lot better and there are no words to describe our future life for eternity.

The same Bible that tells us of the sorrows of this life also tell us of the wonderful things that are going to happen after this life is over.

The Bible does speak of these problems David had in his life, but the Bible also keeps a very accurate record of all those things and I believe that it is true that God puts our tears in a bottle.

These things are told to us to show that our God is a caring God. He cares about us and what we are going through.

God may have placed the life of David in the Bible for us to see, but God keeps complete records of each and every one of us with Him at all times.

God knows what we are going through!

We may not understand why bad things happen to us, but the Lord promises to open our eyes to the truth once we get to Heaven and we will understand the reasons why.

Some of these things are a test of our faith and our patience.

Those who reject the Lord but have their own gods believe that we are supposed to suffer.

We must realize that evwen today, none of us have suffered as our Savior did to provide our means for salvation.

Almost the entire life of the Lord Jesus was filled with sorrow.

The Lord Jesus also shed tears, but He did not shed tears at His crucifixion!

He shed tears for us!

The Lord Jesus Christ also sheds tears for those who do not believe Him!

As Christians, we must realize that we have enemies in this world and even enemies that we do not know about.

Our own government has placed us on the terrorist lists.

The white Christian has become the enemy because those true to the Lord will fight against abortion, will fight against the LBGTQ movement, and will fight against immorality of all kind.

The Lord is on our side.
The Lord sees our pain.
The key to success is faith in the truth of God!

The truth is when we suffer the Lord suffers with us.

God will never forget the suffering of His people!

Our tears surely are God’s treasures.

Psa 126:5 They that sow in tears shall reap in joy.
Psa 126:6 He that goeth forth and weepeth, bearing precious seed, shall doubtless come again with rejoicing, bringing his sheaves with him.

We have so many things that we need to give God the praise for!

*Psa 56:10 In God will I praise his word: in the LORD will I praise his word.

Some say, “just what is so important about the Bible”?

Let us first put it bluntly.

Pro 13:13 Whoso despiseth the word shall be destroyed: but he that feareth the commandment shall be rewarded.

Those that reject any part of the “Word of God” bring destruction upon themselves!

The unbeliever cannot escape his future tragedy unless they accept the Word of God as the truth of life!

The unbeliever cannot escape the truth of God by ignoring the Word of God or by despising the Word of God.

They will suffer throughout eternity for neglecting the Messiah who came to this earth to save them!

Pro 14:9 Fools make a mock at sin: but among the righteous there is favour.

Those who choose to go their own way will end up in destruction!

Pro 14:12 There is a way which seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death.

What we see in this Psalm is that David’s faith had conquered any fear that he had.

God gave us His Words so that we could know right from wrong!

As loving and merciful as God is, He will not tolerate disobedience!

The Word of God allows us to see the true meaning of righteousness and points to the fact that God will always be faithful to His Word!

When we give praise to the Word of God we are giving praise to Elohim the triune God.

When we give praise to the LORD we are praising “YAHWEH” (Jehovah) the great “I AM” of the Bible.

We know of many false gods and not a single one of them show the mercy and love that Jehovah shows to those who believe Him.

In this passage we see the government of Jehovah combined with the Elohim of our creation!

Only Elohim does whatever He wants to, anytime He wants to, and in any way that He wants to do it.

But it is only His mercy that brings His “grace” to those that believe Him!

We should be more like David here when he says in the attribute of the “Justice of God”, I will praise His Word and in the attribute of the “Mercies of God” will I praise His Word.

It does not matter if we are suffering adversity or living in prosperity, whether we receive evil of good things at the hand of the Lord, we should praise Him because He is the Almighty Living God.

It is the Word of God that denotes the “Grace” and the “Goodness” of the covenant that God makes with us because of Jesus Christ!

*Psa 56:11 In God have I put my trust: I will not be afraid what man can do unto me.

David knows his deliverance is forthcoming so he praises God in advance for this deliverance.

Since we know the promises of God, we should all do this!

Sometimes we forget to offer thanksgiving to our God. We take Him for granted.

It is our duty to offer thanksgiving to the Lord!

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

It is our duty to pray with thanksgiving!

Php 4:6 Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.
Php 4:7 And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.

It is our duty to offer thanksgiving to God for our victory in Jesus.

2Co 2:14 Now thanks be unto God, which always causeth us to triumph in Christ, and maketh manifest the savour of his knowledge by us in every place.

It is our duty to thank God for His Word!

1Th 2:13 For this cause also thank we God without ceasing, because, when ye received the word of God which ye heard of us, ye received it not as the word of men, but as it is in truth, the word of God, which effectually worketh also in you that believe.

As David was suffering in his misery and pleading with God for help, he was also praising God for the vows God has made to each believer.

The Lord has made certain promises to us about the things that cause us trouble.

Psa 50:14 Offer unto God thanksgiving; and pay thy vows unto the most High:
Psa 50:15 And call upon me in the day of trouble: I will deliver thee, and thou shalt glorify me.

*Psa 56:12 Thy vows are upon me, O God: I will render praises unto thee.

When the Lord gives us victory then how can we not praise Him?

We must understand that because God is in control the things that happen to us then whatever comes to us must be included in the plan of God for us, and it will be good for us in the end.

This being true and it is, then we have no cause to fear the problems that come before us.

We must rest upon the promises of God and we must trust in God’s timing.

We must offer sacrifices of praise to God consistently!

When we make vows to the Lord, we are creating debts that must be paid.

Many times when a serious problem comes before us, we will go to the Lord and make great promises to the Lord, if He will solve that issue before us, but when He has done what we ask Him to do, we forget to keep our promises which is the same as a vow.

David promised God that he would never forget.

David promised to be a vessel of praise especially in the worship services.

Since this thing happened to David while he was young, we can also see in the Book of Psalms and God used David to write so many of them.

We must never forget to give God the glory and the praise for the things we know He has done for us especially since God has delivered our soul from death.

*Psa 56:13 For thou hast delivered my soul from death: wilt not thou deliver my feet from falling, that I may walk before God in the light of the living?

When we have genuine faith, we can certainly thank God even before He acts.

We can consider something done although it has not been done yet.

Heb 11:1 Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.

For instance we know we are saved and the Lord has already built us a home in glory but He has not placed us in it yet.

We know the rapture is a true event, but it just has not taken place yet.

We know we are saved; we do not have to ask to be saved again.

We know we have been delivered; we do not have to ask God to be delivered again.

We know we are a child of God and we know that God puts His children first, we do not have to ask for the favors of the redeemed, they are already ours.

We are in the family of God.

As far as those vows are concerned, we should never make a promise that we cannot keep or we do not intend to keep.

Ecc 5:4 When thou vowest a vow unto God, defer not to pay it; for he hath no pleasure in fools: pay that which thou hast vowed.
Ecc 5:5 Better is it that thou shouldest not vow, than that thou shouldest vow and not pay.
Ecc 5:6 Suffer not thy mouth to cause thy flesh to sin; neither say thou before the angel, that it was an error: wherefore should God be angry at thy voice, and destroy the work of thine hands?

God is faithful to us, even when we act foolishly or make unwise decisions.

When we walk in the wisdom of the Word of God which was given to us by God the Holy Spirit, we can avoid these mistakes that our flesh makes.

Even when we fail to follow the Lord, He is still faithful to us and He still keeps His promises to help us.

1Co 10:13 There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.

When that path to escape comes, we need to take it simply because God provided it!

2Ti 2:13 If we believe not, yet he abideth faithful: he cannot deny himself.

God can only be God, He cannot be something He is not like we humans do.

It is simply not in His character and the more we learn about Him from the Book we call the Bible, which is actually the Revelation of the Lord Jesus Christ, the better we will know Him.

Joh_14:6 Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.

Amen

It is Jehovah Who Chose Zion

/ Bobby Mayfield / Leave a comment

The Praise of Mount Zion

Book of Psalms Chapter 48

As we watch what is going on in Israel today, we might ask ourselves how many times have efforts been made to destroy Israel and annihilate the Jewish people but they have failed every time.

We know that Hitler had six million Jews slaughtered.

God has made certain promises to Israel and God has never broken a promise He has made to anyone!

One man wrote, that the story of Mount Zion in the Bible is both miraculous and awe-inspiring.

The events that took place on and around this mountain shaped the course of history and the development of Christianity.

In the Bible, this mountain is mentioned numerous times, and the importance of Zion should not be underestimated.

That word Zion is used one hundred and fifty-three times in the Old Testament.

Many times it is called the city of the Lord in both the New and the Old Testaments

In most countries one city will stand out as the grandest and the most important.

When we mention Zion, we can be talking about the city of Jerusalem, or we can be talking about Mount Zion which is a hill just outside the gates of the Old City of Jerusalem.

Jerusalem is the city in Israel where people would travel to to worship God.

In fact, Jerusalem was called the city of God.

Psa_46:4 There is a river, the streams whereof shall make glad the city of God, the holy place of the tabernacles of the most High.

Psa_87:3 Glorious things are spoken of thee, O city of God. Selah.

Since God does not change then Jerusalem is still the city of God because God chose Jerusalem.

Isa_60:14 The sons also of them that afflicted thee shall come bending unto thee; and all they that despised thee shall bow themselves down at the soles of thy feet; and they shall call thee, The city of the LORD, The Zion of the Holy One of Israel.

In this Psalm we will see the greatness of Jehovah and the glory of His city Zion

*Psa 48:1 A Song and Psalm for the sons of Korah. Great is the LORD, and greatly to be praised in the city of our God, in the mountain of his holiness.
Psa 48:2 Beautiful for situation, the joy of the whole earth, is mount Zion, on the sides of the north, the city of the great King.

The most common use for the word Zion was to refer to the city of God in what some call the New Age.

The Book of Isaiah says: Isa 1:27 Zion shall be redeemed with judgment, and her converts with righteousness.
Isa 1:28 And the destruction of the transgressors and of the sinners shall be together, and they that forsake the LORD shall be consumed.

This verse in the Book of Isaiah is referring to the return of the Lord.

Isaiah also writes of the birth of Christianity: Isa 28:16 Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD, Behold, I lay in Zion for a foundation a stone, a tried stone, a precious corner stone, a sure foundation: he that believeth shall not make haste.

Psalms two says: Psa 2:6 Yet have I set my king upon my holy hill of Zion.
Psa 2:7 I will declare the decree: the LORD hath said unto me, Thou art my Son; this day have I begotten thee.

Psalms 132:13 says For the LORD hath chosen Zion; he hath desired it for his habitation.
Psa 132:14 This is my rest for ever: here will I dwell; for I have desired it.

We can see that some of these verses refer to New Jerusalem and some the Old Jerusalem, but they both say Zion.

The proof is seen in the Book of Hebrews: Heb 12:22 But ye are come unto mount Sion, and unto the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to an innumerable company of angels,
Heb 12:23 To the general assembly and church of the firstborn, which are written in heaven, and to God the Judge of all, and to the spirits of just men made perfect,
Heb 12:24 And to Jesus the mediator of the new covenant, and to the blood of sprinkling, that speaketh better things than that of Abel.

We see the Church is not a building, but is the general assembly of those who are Born Again.

Rev 14:1 And I looked, and, lo, a Lamb stood on the mount Sion, and with him an hundred forty and four thousand, having his Father’s name written in their foreheads.

In Isa 33:5 it says: The LORD is exalted; for he dwelleth on high: he hath filled Zion with judgment and righteousness.

This will take place at the return of the Lord.

Zion stood for the capital of Judah: Amo 6:1 Woe to them that are at ease in Zion, and trust in the mountain of Samaria, which are named chief of the nations, to whom the house of Israel came!

We should clearly understand that Jerusalem will be the capital of this world just as it is the capital of Israel.

Psa 87:1 A Psalm or Song for the sons of Korah. His foundation is in the holy mountains.
Psa 87:2 The LORD loveth the gates of Zion more than all the dwellings of Jacob.
Psa 87:3 Glorious things are spoken of thee, O city of God. Selah.

Psa 87:5 And of Zion it shall be said, This and that man was born in her: and the highest himself shall establish her.

We can see that God has some major plans for Jerusalem or Zion.

God’s presence on this mountain made it a special place in the time of Jesus and when Jesus returns, He will first put His feet down on the Mount of Olives and then He will establish Jerusalem as His capital city as He will rule the world from Jerusalem for one thousand years.

King Jesus will be praised in the city of our God!

Jerusalem will be remade into a beautiful city.

*Psa 48:2 Beautiful for situation, the joy of the whole earth, is mount Zion, on the sides of the north, the city of the great King.

I have never been to Israel so I have never seen the city of Jerusalem except in pictures, but I will see it one day because I am listed as a resident of the New Jerusalem where my home is located.

Jerusalem is a lovely sight to behold.

It is the fact that God spent some time in Jerusalem that makes it a special place, and the fact that when the Living God returns, He will set His throne in Jerusalem for one thousand years.

It is this same fact that makes Jerusalem to be a holy city.

Lam 2:15 All that pass by clap their hands at thee; they hiss and wag their head at the daughter of Jerusalem, saying, Is this the city that men call The perfection of beauty, The joy of the whole earth?

Jerusalem will one day soon become the city of peace and a most beautiful place when the Lord Jesus Christ returns.

Jerusalem will then become the joy of the whole earth.

Few today believe these things but this does not make it any less true. I know I believe.

Zec 14:9 And the LORD shall be king over all the earth: in that day shall there be one LORD, and his name one.
Zec 14:10 All the land shall be turned as a plain from Geba to Rimmon south of Jerusalem: and it shall be lifted up, and inhabited in her place, from Benjamin’s gate unto the place of the first gate, unto the corner gate, and from the tower of Hananeel unto the king’s winepresses.

Isa 2:1 The word that Isaiah the son of Amoz saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem.
Isa 2:2 And it shall come to pass in the last days, that the mountain of the LORD’S house shall be established in the top of the mountains, and shall be exalted above the hills; and all nations shall flow unto it.
Isa 2:3 And many people shall go and say, Come ye, and let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, to the house of the God of Jacob; and he will teach us of his ways, and we will walk in his paths: for out of Zion shall go forth the law, and the word of the LORD from Jerusalem.
Isa 2:4 And he shall judge among the nations, and shall rebuke many people: and they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruninghooks: nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more.

There is only one Great King and that is King Jesus.

Just to the north of the city will be the citadel of King Jesus.

*Psa 48:3 God is known in her palaces for a refuge.

When Israel was on the side of Jehovah, He defended Jerusalem.

When Israel was going the ways of the world, then Jehovah allowed the destruction of Jerusalem.

We know that Jerusalem was destroyed two times.

First by Nebuchadnezzar and once by Rome.

The Gentiles have ruled Jerusalem far too long and King Jesus will soon sit on His throne and there will be no more destruction of Jerusalem.

Jerusalem’s palaces will be defended by God Himself.

On May 14, 1948, God proved to the world that he was not done with Israel.

The enemies of Israel were taken aback by this happening and they immediately tried to drive Israel into the Mediterranean Sea.

They have failed every time they have tried because God is known in her palaces.

Jehovah is Zion’s Protector and the world is finding this out, just as the enemies of Israel found this out many times.

Here in America today, our government has forgotten that it is not the nation that makes the people but the people who make the nation.

When God is honored in the palace, He will be worshipped in the home.

When the Atheist make the laws there will be masses who rise up against those laws as we see in America today.

That big push to get America into socialism is a push for the downfall of America.

America stands as the last wall to conquer so the world will have a one world government.

Less than fifty percent of those who say they are Christians believe in our Divine Creator and these are the same ones who regularly attend Church services.

These are the ones in the family of God and will be welcomed into Heaven.

All the rest believe in some form of evolution and these are those who rarely attend Church.

These are the goats who will be separated from the sheep and will hear the words of Jesus when He says. “I never knew you.”

*Psa 48:4 For, lo, the kings were assembled, they passed by together.
Psa 48:5 They saw it, and so they marvelled; they were troubled, and hasted away.
Psa 48:6 Fear took hold upon them there, and pain, as of a woman in travail.

The nations of this world will come against the Church and this is in its beginning.

The nations of this world will come against Israel and we see this at its beginning.

God will protect His children from this wicked world.

It will be similar to the time of Sennacherib when one hundred and eighty-five thousand men of the Assyrian Army went to sleep and never woke up again upon this earth but woke up in Hell.

2Ki 19:35 And it came to pass that night, that the angel of the LORD went out, and smote in the camp of the Assyrians an hundred fourscore and five thousand: and when they arose early in the morning, behold, they were all dead corpses.

Sennacherib’s problem was that he was so full of pride he thought he could defeat God.

This is the same problem that Satan has; he is so full of pride that he will challenge God.

In the days of Armageddon these things will be similar but it will be on a much larger scale!

The protective hand of God will remain on Jerusalem and the things that are allowed to happen to Jerusalem will be just as the Bible describes.

In this instance described in Verse five, they will look upon the defenses of Israel and decide to leave without firing a shot, out of fear.

Isa 33:3 At the noise of the tumult the people fled; at the lifting up of thyself the nations were scattered.

Most all of us know that when that mother begins delivering her child, she can do nothing else but endure the pain.

*Psa 48:7 Thou breakest the ships of Tarshish with an east wind.

Tarshish was seaport on the coast of Spain about twenty-five hundred miles west from Israel.

There were mighty merchant vessels located here than could sail in almost any storm but the winds from the East coming across the Mediterranean would wreak havoc on these ships.

Just as the largest, and strongest ships were no match for those storms from the east, the most powerful militaries of this world are no match to the power of God.

Job 27:21 The east wind carrieth him away, and he departeth: and as a storm hurleth him out of his place.

Isa 27:8 In measure, when it shooteth forth, thou wilt debate with it: he stayeth his rough wind in the day of the east wind.

I believe the United States Navy got a taste of the East wind when they tried to set up a temporary dock to unload those ships trying to bring aide to Gaza. They were no match for those same east winds.

A news source wrote:[O]n May 25, heavy sea states caused four US Army vessels operating in support of that pier operations to become beached. Two vessels were beached in Gaza near the base of the pier and two were beached near Ashkelon in Israel,” Singh said in a statement on Wednesday. “US personnel on those vessels were evacuated.

That pier cost 320 million tax payer dollars, but it could not hold up to those east winds on the Mediterranean Sea.

I believe that God had something to do with it!

Jer 18:17 I will scatter them as with an east wind before the enemy; I will shew them the back, and not the face, in the day of their calamity.

The most powerful navy in this world had only one answer for this wind and it was to retreat.

*Psa 48:8 As we have heard, so have we seen in the city of the LORD of hosts, in the city of our God: God will establish it for ever. Selah.

The world has seen God’s defense of Jerusalem many times and the truth of God’s Word teaches us God’s relationship with this Holy City of Jerusalem.

We know that God never changes and He gives us His warnings in the Books of the Prophets and the Book of Revelation.

1) The city of the Lord, “Elohim” speaks of God’s unlimited power and when Jehovah is used, God is teaching us of His protection of Jerusalem because of His covenant with Israel.

Those covenants will be fulfilled!

2) The city of the Lord of Hosts teaches us that our God is the Commander of a mighty army of angels that no man can overcome.

l2Ki 6:16 And he answered, Fear not: for they that be with us are more than they that be with them.
2Ki 6:17 And Elisha prayed, and said, LORD, I pray thee, open his eyes, that he may see. And the LORD opened the eyes of the young man; and he saw: and, behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire round about Elisha.

This is when the enemy of Israel came to stop Elisha as Elisha represented the Church.

3) The city of God teaches us that Jerusalem is the city where God had His Temple, the place where He met with the people of Israel.

We know that in the Middle East, the city of Jerusalem was a great prize and many nations have tried to take it away from Israel just as they are doing today.

The fact remains that spiritually speaking, Jerusalem is a picture of the true Jerusalem in Heaven and we will see this great city one day soon.

And Israel will be saved.

Heb 8:8 For finding fault with them, he saith, Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah:
Heb 8:9 Not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day when I took them by the hand to lead them out of the land of Egypt; because they continued not in my covenant, and I regarded them not, saith the Lord.

This scripture is in the process of beginning today.

*Psa 48:9 We have thought of thy lovingkindness, O God, in the midst of thy temple.

If you know the Lord in your heart then you have felt His Love.

I would not be here today if God had not thought of me.

I know that God loves me because He created me and He is still working on me.

We know these words were sung by the sons of Korah.

They could not sing about the love of God unless they had felt the love of God.

God’s “grace” comes to us because of His loving kindness.

God’s “mercy” comes to us because of His loving kindness.

I can praise and glorify God because He has shown me His loving kindness.

God Himself says all those who do not believe that He exists are fools and worthless.

Psa 14:1 To the chief Musician, A Psalm of David. The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God. They are corrupt, they have done abominable works, there is none that doeth good.

If you know the loving kindness of God then you will praise Him.

*Psa 48:10 According to thy name, O God, so is thy praise unto the ends of the earth: thy right hand is full of righteousness.
Psa 48:11 Let mount Zion rejoice, let the daughters of Judah be glad, because of thy judgments.

God’s name is Elohim.

Elohim is in the plural form because God is a Trinity which is better said Triunity.

God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit show the divine nature of God.

It is because of God’s name that we can praise Him.

When we understand that God is One in essence we can praise Him unto the ends of the earth.

Jas 2:19 Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well: the devils also believe, and tremble.

There are still some in the Church that do not accept the Triunity of God.

These three persons are equal in authority, but God the Father is recognized as supreme yet each person stand equal in every respect.

1Co 8:6 But to us there is but one God, the Father, of whom are all things, and we in him; and one Lord Jesus Christ, by whom are all things, and we by him.
1Co 8:7 Howbeit there is not in every man that knowledge: for some with conscience of the idol unto this hour eat it as a thing offered unto an idol; and their conscience being weak is defiled.

While Sennacherib could not over power and take Jerusalem, he had already taken over many of the unwalled cities.

If he defeated Jerusalem, he would have defeated all the nation of Israel.

These would be the daughters of Judah. These daughters of Judah could certainly rejoice because God had executed His “judgment” on the Assyrians.

They could now walk around without worrying about being captured by the enemy.

*Psa 48:12 Walk about Zion, and go round about her: tell the towers thereof.
Psa 48:13 Mark ye well her bulwarks, consider her palaces; that ye may tell it to the generation following.

Now we get to a theme of our lesson which is deliverance.

Jerusalem had been delivered from her enemy without firing a shot.

A person could not walk around Jerusalem without noticing that Jerusalem was a well-fortified city.

1) Towers were the tallest structures in the city and were placed in prime locations so the watchmen could see for miles and the warriors were protected against the enemy.

2) Bulwarks were steep embankments outside the walls of Jerusalem. The enemies had to first get by them before they could attack the city.
There would be some of the military located there.

3) Palaces: For the devout Jews there was one thing only that made Zion glorious and it was that Jehovah dwelt there.
One of those palaces would be the Temple in that day and Zion’s hill was the mountain of God’s holiness.

When the Jews were faithful to Jehovah no enemy could overcome them and Jehovah would keep His covenant with them.

*Psa 48:14 For this God is our God for ever and ever: he will be our guide even unto death.

Because God is our God forever, He will guide us through this life until our death.

Of all the people upon this earth God is the God of the Jew and the God of the Church.

We should understand the Lord’s unfailing love God has for His people; it is never ending!

Rom 8:35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? Rom 8:36 As it is written, For thy sake we are killed all the day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter.
Rom 8:37 Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us.
Rom 8:38 For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come,
Rom 8:39 Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Amen

The Bridegroom and the Bride

/ Bobby Mayfield / Leave a comment

The Psalm of the Great King

Book of Psalms Chapter 45

Psalm forty-five invites us into the lavish royal wedding where the King and His bride symbolize the deep, committed relationship between God and His people.

Psalms forty-five paints a picture of divine love, encouraging us to incorporate the same principles of truth, humility, and justice that this King exemplifies.

Not everyone agrees but the truth of Psalms 45 is the truth of King Jesus and the Church, the Bride of Christ.

That word “Maschil” would mean that this Psalm is a song of instruction requiring the sons of Korah to choose the most qualified singers.

That word “Shoshannim” would describe the saints of God, the Bride of Christ, the beautiful virgins, lilies.

We know the Holy Spirit is the author of all the Word of God and He says this is a “Song of loves”.

This Psalm describes the love the Lord Jesus Christ, the true Messiah has for the Church, the Bride of Christ.

Remember the words of the Lord Jesus Christ: Luk_24:44 And he said unto them, These are the words which I spake unto you, while I was yet with you, that “all things” must be fulfilled, which were written in the law of Moses, and in the prophets, and in the psalms, concerning me.

The Church will be with our Lord Jesus at the marriage supper of the Lamb.

Rev_19:9 And he saith unto me, Write, Blessed are they which are called unto the marriage supper of the Lamb. And he saith unto me, “These are the true sayings of God”.

This verse supports the fact that the Holy Spirit and God the Father are the same person.

Psalm 45 invites us to the royal wedding where our King and His bride symbolize the deep, committed relationship between God and His people.

This Psalm paints for us a picture of divine love, reminding us to embody the same principles of truth, humility, and justice that the King Jesus has shown to us.

Chapter 45 and verse 1

*Psa 45:1 To the chief Musician upon Shoshannim, for the sons of Korah, Maschil, A Song of loves. My heart is inditing a good matter: I speak of the things which I have made touching the king: my tongue is the pen of a ready writer.

That word “Mashil” means that this is a Psalm of instruction of a serious matter.

That word “Shoshannim” describes the Bride of Christ as lilies. but we know that King Jesus is the lily of the valley.

The Lily of the Valley represents purity and innocence, the true life of Jesus Christ.

He represents the virtue and beauty found in salvation.

2Co_11:3 But I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtilty, so your minds should be corrupted from “the simplicity that is in Christ”.

The Lily of the valley symbolizes the renewal of life and the rebirth of the child of God.

The Lily of the valley represents the arrival of a fresh start and a new beginning.

The Lily of the valley symbolizes happiness, good fortune, and joy in the Lord Jesus.

The Lily of the valley is associated with the love and romance of the Messiah and His Church, the delicate nature of true love.

All these things come to us by the Lord Jesus Christ!

That word “inditing” means that the Holy Spirit has committed all these words in writing, dictating what shall be written with special instructions.

2Ti_3:16 All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:

The salvation offered by the Lord Jesus Christ is the greatest of all gifts that are given to undeserving humans.

*Psa 45:2 Thou art fairer than the children of men: grace is poured into thy lips: therefore God hath blessed thee for ever.

Matthew Henry writes that the Lord Jesus is the great favorite of Heaven.

Jesus is fairer than all the children of mankind.

God has done more for Jesus than He has for all mankind and because of this, He will show kindness to mankind for Christ’s name’s sake.
,
Pro 22:11 He that loveth pureness of heart, for the grace of his lips the king shall be his friend.

The Lord Jesus is full of “grace” and this “grace” is for the Church.

Joh 1:16 And of his fulness have all we received, and grace for grace.
Joh 1:17 For the law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ.
Joh 1:18 No man hath seen God at any time; the only begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the Father, he hath declared him.

God the Father has blessed God the Son with an everlasting Kingdom.

So let us read what God the Holy Spirit has given to us.

*Psa 45:3 Gird thy sword upon thy thigh, O most mighty, with thy glory and thy majesty.

There is no one mightier than the Lord Jesus Christ!

All the tools of our great King are to be used for truth and righteousness.

Even God’s “judgment” is done in righteousness.

Honor and majesty are the Divine attributes of God’s representative and “He will pass these things down to His children”.

He will have a never-ending fellowship with all His loyal subjects!

We know that truth and righteousness have practically disappeared in America today and from all the other nations of this world and it is this reason that God will make all things new. A new Heaven and a new Earth.

Our King will return to earth this time as a man of war and He will not be excused from this field of battle by the law which says:

Deu 24:5 When a man hath taken a new wife, he shall not go out to war, neither shall he be charged with any business: but he shall be free at home one year, and shall cheer up his wife which he hath taken.

This Bridegroom, King Jesus, will not abide by this Scripture because He will immediately go to war and He will take His bride with Him.

Salvation is not about the law; salvation comes only by the “Grace of God”!

*Psa 45:4 And in thy majesty ride prosperously because of truth and meekness and righteousness; and thy right hand shall teach thee terrible things.

When the Lord returns to claim His bride, we will see our victorious warrior face to face and He will be clothed in majesty.

The Lord Jesus will defend truth and righteousness to a world that has none.

We see these things disappearing from our societies today.

No ruler can conquer a nation to win their souls. Jesus will war for truth, meekness, and righteousness.

The Lord Jesus does not war out of arrogance and greed or a thirst for power, as we see today.

Satan has a campaign against the truth of God that is going full force and it is just a matter of days that the Antichrist will step out unto the world scene to take charge of this campaign against the truth of God.

We must not forget that we are already in the army of God and we are to resist Satan, the Devil, and his forces and the greatest battle with Satan will be the Lord’s.

This is why we are to wear the armor of God daily even in our homes where Satan is trying to destroy our families.

This is why we carry the Sword of the Spirit in us at all times. In our heart and in our minds.

Eph_6:17 And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God:

The Lord Jesus Christ will crush His enemies with His mighty double-edged sword!

Rev 19:15 And out of his mouth goeth a sharp sword, that with it he should smite the nations: and he shall rule them with a rod of iron: and he treadeth the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God.

Every nation will bow before our Lord and Savior, the Holy King from Heaven.

*Psa 45:6 Thy throne, O God, is for ever and ever: the sceptre of thy kingdom is a right sceptre.

Immediately we see that this King, this Messiah, this Bridegroom, is none other than God Himself and this will never change!

This throne is the throne of God and not the throne of David or any other king.

No one can sit upon the throne of God, but God Himself.

How do we know that this King is God?

Heb 1:8 But unto the Son he saith, Thy throne, O God, is for ever and ever: a sceptre of righteousness is the sceptre of thy kingdom.
Heb 1:9 Thou hast loved righteousness, and hated iniquity; therefore God, even thy God, hath anointed thee with the oil of gladness above thy fellows.

The Bible will never contradict itself!

So we see that God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit are all involved in this passage of Scripture.

One God in three persons!

*Psa 45:7 Thou lovest righteousness, and hatest wickedness: therefore God, thy God, hath anointed thee with the oil of gladness above thy fellows.
Psa 45:8 All thy garments smell of myrrh, and aloes, and cassia, out of the ivory palaces, whereby they have made thee glad.

This royal Bridegroom, His personal beauty, the justice of His government, the success of His arms, the magnificence of His court, is the One of whom Divine Blessing will be on forever and ever.

The Lord Jesus Christ loved righteousness and this is the way He lived and the way we are to live.

The Lord Jesus Christ hates wickedness and will have no part in it and it should be the same for every child of God.

2Pe 3:17 Ye therefore, beloved, seeing ye know these things before, beware lest ye also, being led away with the error of the wicked, fall from your own stedfastness.
2Pe 3:18 But grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and for ever. Amen.

The Lord Jesus Christ conformed to the will that God the Father had for Him, except for one instance when He took upon Himself all of our sin from Adam’s sin unto the last Christian to be saved, when He took upon Himself all the sin of the world and took that sin down to Hell where it belongs, and God has forgiven all the sin of this world and we can see just how sinful this world has become.

This one act caused the death of our Savior, but He did not stay dead!

It is this resurrected Savior who is the Bridegroom!

Salvation is also being in the will of God.

1Ti_2:4 Who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth.

Because our Lord Jesus Christ was perfect in His character in every way, because of His holiness, God has anointed His Messiah with the “oil of gladness” above all things that He has created.

The fragrance and the splendor of Emmanuel showing His perfection, renown heroism, splendor of royalty, Divine majesty, this is the Savior who reached way down to pull me out of the cesspool of sin, just before I went under.

Our Lord Jesus Christ at one time gave up all these things to save a sinner like me and many more did come to know the truth of the Triune God.

All the spices identify this Bridegroom in His office as our High Priest.

The fragrance of the myrrh points to our Savior as the Bridegroom to the Church, the Bride of Christ.

The myrrh and aloes point to the death of our Savior.

The home of our Savior is the most elegant of all places and is called Heaven.

Yes, Heaven is a real place!

So let us look at this Bride.

*Psa 45:9 Kings’ daughters were among thy honourable women: upon thy right hand did stand the queen in gold of Ophir.

Do we really know just how blessed we really are?

Do we realize that the Bride of Christ will sit at the right hand of the Bridegroom as He sits as the sovereign King of all this Universe.

It is this Mighty King who laid down His life just we could live with Him throughout eternity.

Life in this present world is far to discouraging, plagued by trials, by difficulties, and struggles that never seem to end but this marriage to the Lamb of God will allow us to have a little bit of joy now, because we know we will live with Him forever.

When we realize just how short our lives are and how long eternity is, it will seem like we are almost there.

Even one thousand years when this Bridegroom will sit as King of this world does not seem to be a long time.

Jer 23:5 Behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that I will raise unto David a righteous Branch, and a King shall reign and prosper, and shall execute judgment and justice in the earth.
Jer 23:6 In his days Judah shall be saved, and Israel shall dwell safely: and this is his name whereby he shall be called, THE LORD OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS.

We sit here today knowing that day Jeremiah speaks of could begin at any moment.

Until this time comes, we are to be busy with the work that the Lord has given to us all.

*Psa 45:10 Hearken, O daughter, and consider, and incline thine ear; forget also thine own people, and thy father’s house;
Psa 45:11 So shall the king greatly desire thy beauty: for he is thy Lord; and worship thou him.

We should understand that every privilege we have because of our Savior has their own responsibilities.

These responsibilities are spelled out for us in the Book of Romans.

Rom 12:1 I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.
Rom 12:2 And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.

We must leave everything behind and choose our Bridegroom.

We may have to give up all our old friends.
We may have to give up our father’s family and our mother’s family or all our family.

The Bridegroom will not accept us unless we put Him first in our lives!

We must be completely devoted to the Bridegroom.

Gen 2:24 Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh.

The Bridegroom must be first in our lives.

The Church is beautiful only because our sins have been forgiven and we are new persons in Christ Jesus.

Our sins are behind us and the Bridegroom has given us a fresh start to a new life.

Our reason for living is now to honor and glorify our Lord and Savior.

1) We should be able to see that the Bridegroom desires us to be with Him. He is not willing to share us with anything else!
2) We must be totally devoted to Jesus Christ because he is the Lord of our lives. We should live for Him because He died for us.

Eph 5:22 Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as unto the Lord.
Eph 5:23 For the husband is the head of the wife, even as Christ is the head of the church: and he is the saviour of the body.
Eph 5:24 Therefore as the church is subject unto Christ, so let the wives be to their own husbands in every thing.
Eph 5:25 Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it;

In return for our devotion to the Bridegroom there will be great gifts given to the Bride.

*Psa 45:12 And the daughter of Tyre shall be there with a gift; even the rich among the people shall intreat thy favour.
Psa 45:13 The king’s daughter is all glorious within: her clothing is of wrought gold.
Psa 45:14 She shall be brought unto the king in raiment of needlework: the virgins her companions that follow her shall be brought unto thee.
Psa 45:15 With gladness and rejoicing shall they be brought: they shall enter into the king’s palace.

1) The Bride of Christ will be exalted before all nations.
2) The Bride of Christ will be dressed in the most perfect and glorious clothing. She will be transformed into the image of Christ. Eph 4:24
3) The Bride of Christ will be presented to the Bridegroom and be wed while wearing fine garments. Rev 19:7-8
4) Pure, holy companions will accompany the Bride of Christ. (Old Testament believers)
5) The Bride of Christ will know the greatest gladness and joy possible living in the presence of King Jesus. Rev 22:3

What will be the King’s reward?

*Psa 45:16 Instead of thy fathers shall be thy children, whom thou mayest make princes in all the earth.
Psa 45:17 I will make thy name to be remembered in all generations: therefore shall the people praise thee for ever and ever.

Because of His submission to his Father’s will, our Bridegroom will be exalted throughout eternity.

Php 2:5 Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus:
Php 2:6 Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God:
Php 2:7 But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men:
Php 2:8 And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.
Php 2:9 Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name:
Php 2:10 That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth;
Php 2:11 And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

1) The King will father many royal sons and daughters who will be princes and princesses.

This generation of royal descendants will reign with Christ on this present earth in the one thousand years He will reign on this earth but also throughout eternity on the New Earth.

2) The King will be honored and praised forever and ever. His name will be above every name.

Every knee will one day soon bow to Jesus Christ and every tongue will confess Him as Lord.

If we live faithfully for Jesus, He will richly reward us.

There is no better day than today to give your heart to the Lord Jesus Christ!

Amen

Rest in Jesus

/ Bobby Mayfield / Leave a comment

Rest in the Lord

Book of Psalms Chapter 37

Last week we studied a Psalm of David he wrote while in his twenties.

This week we study a Psalm of David written while he was in his sixties approaching the end of his life.

He had been through many wars.
He had experienced the results of his sin with Bathsheba who was now his wife and the mother of Solomon.

At this time David was doing a lot of meditating on rest much like all of us that have reached these same years in our own lifetime.

That word “rest” has more than one meaning.

Most people look at “rest” as to stop doing any work at all. Our bodies are at rest when they cease to move.

What did the Lord Jesus say about rest?

Mat 11:28 Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.
Mat 11:29 Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls.
Mat 11:30 For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.

Our Lord Jesus says, “if we will submit to His teaching, we will find true rest”.

It takes far less labor to work in the toils of righteousness than it takes to live a sinful unrighteous life.

We could say our nation is at rest because we are not at war with any other nation but I do not feel at rest because of all the things happening in our world.

I think our leaders could do more to protect us from the turmoil that is certainly coming to our nation because of the lack of true leadership in the government that is now in place.

Jehovah told Israel that they could find rest when they reached the promised land.

Deu 12:9 For ye are not as yet come to the rest and to the inheritance, which the LORD your God giveth you.
Deu 12:10 But when ye go over Jordan, and dwell in the land which the LORD your God giveth you to inherit, and when he giveth you rest from all your enemies round about, so that ye dwell in safety;

We know that this rest did not come until the time of King Solomon the son of David and it did not last long and Israel is not at rest even today.

There is another place where it says that Israel had rest for eighty years but even this is not a long time.

It is nothing like the rest that is promised to the Body of Christ when we reach Heaven, the true Promised Land.

This is the place where we can find rest for our souls.

Heb_4:9 There remaineth therefore a rest to the people of God.

Rev 7:14 And I said unto him, Sir, thou knowest. And he said to me, These are they which came out of great tribulation, and have washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.
Rev 7:15 Therefore are they before the throne of God, and serve him day and night in his temple: and he that sitteth on the throne shall dwell among them.
Rev 7:16 They shall hunger no more, neither thirst any more; neither shall the sun light on them, nor any heat.
Rev 7:17 For the Lamb which is in the midst of the throne shall feed them, and shall lead them unto living fountains of waters: and God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes.

These things sound like rest to me.

Even though the burdens of righteousness are not as heavy as the burdens of being in sin, there is true rest coming to us when we get to Heaven.

Let us begin our lesson today:

*Psa 37:1 A Psalm of David. Fret not thyself because of evildoers, neither be thou envious against the workers of iniquity.
Psa 37:2 For they shall soon be cut down like the grass, and wither as the green herb.

Many a Christian today suffers while the wicked seem to prosper as they live in sin.

Our lesson today has some answers to this question of; “why do bad things happen to good people while the bad people seem to prosper”.

David wrote this Psalm when he was living in his later years after seeing many things throughout his life.

Last week’s lesson David was a young man probably in his twenties.

Today David was in his late sixties when he wrote this Psalm.

David had been King of Israel for more than thirty years and had witnessed many things in his lifetime.

Most of us, who have called upon the name of Christ, realize that our lives were in turmoil until we placed our trust in our Savior.

One of the things we have realized is that we cannot overlook the presence of evildoers in our world.

They are bent upon our destruction.

Even in the United States that we love, Christians are now considered to be as bad as terrorists.

We will have to deal with the personal wrongs committed against us by ungodly people!

The Holy Spirit says, “fret not thyself because of evil doers”.

We must not wear ourselves out because of these things. Their day of grief is certainly coming.

To fret also means, besides stop worrying, we should not be murmuring or complaining to God or to each other about these things.

To fret is an inward ailment that affects our bodies and our souls.

The Lord tells us to not get upset because of these wicked people.

We must not let our emotions get the best of us.

We will become angry at the injustice of their successes.

The Holy Spirit reminds us that they will not endure and Judgment Day was coming to them.

As far as King David, he had realized that all his old enemies were now gone or dead and it was he who was prosperous as King of Israel they who suffered.

Mighty things happen in our lives when we trust in the Lord.

*Psa 37:3 Trust in the LORD, and do good; so shalt thou dwell in the land, and verily thou shalt be fed.

The most crucial decision we can make in our lifetime is to trust in the Lord and do good.

Our faith in the Lord can cure any ailment!

Our faith in the Lord has placed us on the winning side.

When we yield to fear we cannot do good, and when we put our effort into doing good, we will not yield to fear.

Working for God will keep our minds occupied.

The Holy Spirit teaches us:

Php_4:8 Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.

Again for the Jews they could dwell in the land God had promised to them.

For the Body of Christ it is Heaven that has been promised to us.

We are only strangers and pilgrims on the land called earth.

Everything we invest our time and our money in will fade away but the blessings we receive from the Lord are everlasting.

As we grow in our faith, we will find that there is immense pleasure in serving our Lord and Savior.

*Psa 37:4 Delight thyself also in the LORD; and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart.

We just cannot allow this world we live in to rob us of the joys of serving the Lord Jesus Christ.

It is a fact that the more faith we have in the Lord the more blessings we can earn here upon this earth but even more of the treasures of Heaven.

Joy is mentioned as part of the fruit of the Holy Spirit.

Gal_5:22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith,
Gal 5:23 Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.

Eph_5:9 (For the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness and righteousness and truth;)

For the Body of Christ it is simple. If we have the Holy Spirit living within us then we are to follow in His ways and not our own ways.

We can see how those that are determined to go their own ways are destroying our nation today.

Gal 5:25 If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.

If we delight ourselves in the Lord, He promises to answer our prayers.

For those who cannot ever seem to get a prayer answered, this is a very important part of this lesson today.

It takes a full commitment to the Lord to get our prayers answered.

*Psa 37:5 Commit thy way unto the LORD; trust also in him; and he shall bring it to pass.
Psa 37:6 And he shall bring forth thy righteousness as the light, and thy judgment as the noonday.

To commit to the Lord is to place our lives in His hands and get busy serving Him.

This means all our cares, all our necessities, all our business, and all our wants, are we to give to the Lord so He can manage our lives according to the Word of God.

When we are facing severe trials, many of us falsely conclude that God is judging us just as we read in the Book of Job but this is not true.

A child of God has already been judged and determined to be a child of God.

If we commit ourselves to the Lord, He will answer our prayers and when the world attacks us, He will vindicate us.

As things get worse for the Christian, the best thing we can do is to remain close to God and continue to serve Him.

The fight with wickedness belongs to the Lord.

We are to be obedient Christians and stand our ground upon the truth of the Word of God

Our time upon this earth is growing short.

What did the Holy Spirit tell Timothy?

2Ti 3:12 Yea, and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution.
2Ti_3:13 But evil men and seducers shall wax worse and worse, deceiving, and being deceived.

Then Paul told Timothy to just continue serving the Lord.

We must simply understand that everything happening in our world is going on according to the plan of God but we should remember that God is not the cause of these evil things but He does allow these things happen according to His plan.

No one can stop God’s plan and no one can change God’s plan!

These things of God will become as visible to mankind as the light of the sun at noonday.

Righteousness will win in the end!

The truth of God will become so clearly seen it will make the Atheists cry, but they still will not come to the Lord, but will hate Him even more.

For God will send to them a loss of memory and they will rebel against each other.

It will be the same for all false religions.

Rom 1:18 For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in unrighteousness;
Rom 1:19 Because that which may be known of God is manifest in them; for God hath shewed it unto them.
Rom 1:20 For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse:
Rom 1:21 Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened.

Nothing changes for the Christian as we are to patiently wait upon the Lord and rest in the truth of the Word of God.

*Psa 37:7 Rest in the LORD, and wait patiently for him: fret not thyself because of him who prospereth in his way, because of the man who bringeth wicked devices to pass.

We are never to complain about the way the Lord deals with this ungodly world, even though some of our family members are in that group.

We can teach them the plan of salvation, but they have to make their own minds up about salvation.

The Body of Christ is to quietly submit to the entire will of God and patiently wait upon His help.

To rest in the Lord is to place ourselves into the hands of God and be useful.

Remember that there is no one who can remove us from the hand of God and God will never cast us away.

Isa 30:15 For thus saith the Lord GOD, the Holy One of Israel; In returning and rest shall ye be saved; in quietness and in confidence shall be your strength: and ye would not.

Israel would not do this and it cost them dearly, but the Body of Christ must not be like Israel.

Our strength comes by being obedient to this passage as our time grows short.

It does not matter as we see the rich get richer.

It does matter that our confidence remains in the truth of the Word of God!

Ecc 5:8 If thou seest the oppression of the poor, and violent perverting of judgment and justice in a province, marvel not at the matter: for he that is higher than the highest regardeth; and there be higher than they.

It is hard to see the corruption going on in our own nation and the only tools we have are our prayers and our vote.

Obeying the Word of God must still be our goal remembering that our prayers are the greatest tool we have.

Come voting time we are to vote according to the truth of the Word of God, but it is God who will put our next president in place for His own reasons and our job remains for us to be obedient to all the Word of God.

1) We must trust in the Lord.
2) We must delight in the Lord.
3) We must commit ourselves to the Lord.
4)We must focus on the Lord and His faithfulness rather than upon the ways of this wicked world.

God has already judged them and they will find out that Hell is a real place.

We may get disheartened in what we see of the wicked side of our world while many of us struggle every day, but this is not the attitude God wants from His people and we must be obedient to the Lord.

*Psa 37:8 Cease from anger, and forsake wrath: fret not thyself in any wise to do evil.
Psa 37:9 For evildoers shall be cut off: but those that wait upon the LORD, they shall inherit the earth.

Discontent is not only foolish but it can be dangerous because it could lead us to deny God’s providence.

We see many so-called Christians today who have joined the evildoers because they are not content with the Word of God and the actions of God.

If we dwell upon the prosperity of evildoers, we are apt to envy them and envy leads to strife, division, and hatred.

Jas 3:16 For where envying and strife is, there is confusion and every evil work.

It is foolish to rage against the ungodly whom we see prosper, since they will certainly be cut off eventually.

I can tell you that it makes me mad every time I see where a super-rich person gives billions to charity, when that charity supports wickedness, when if it were given to a wise church and maybe souls could be saved.

They would be better off if they gave that money to pay down our national debt rather than just throw it away to support apostasy.

We can see that we are taught to live in inner peace even though we see all this wickedness in our nation and in this world.

The truth is that God will deal with the wicked and God will take care of His children.

Mat 6:33 But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.
Mat 6:34 Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof.

Jesus says we have more important things to concentrate on than the wickedness of this world.

*Psa 37:10 For yet a little while, and the wicked shall not be: yea, thou shalt diligently consider his place, and it shall not be.

We should ask ourselves why in the world would we be envious of wicked and evil people.

We must never allow the prosperity of the wicked prevent us from living a higher standard established by Jesus Christ Himself.

What is the truth of each Christian?

*Psa 37:23 The steps of a good man are ordered by the LORD: and he delighteth in his way.
Psa 37:24 Though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down: for the LORD upholdeth him with his hand.

God blesses the righteous, He does not bless the wicked!

God has put every good person in a particular course of life and we must travel that course with the wisdom from Heaven.

If we remember those first baby steps when our children began to walk, we should understand the walk of a baby Christian.

One step in the wrong direction can cause them to fall.

It is the same for the baby Christian.

It is not long before a small child can walk with confidence.

That babe in Christ can soon walk in confidence when they walk in the wisdom from Heaven.

God orders and establishes the details of everyone of His children.

Pro 16:9 A man’s heart deviseth his way: but the LORD directeth his steps.

We live in a world that is getting more dangerous every day.

We must be aware of these things but we are not to be too concerned about these things.

As Christians we may not always have what we want but we find out that we have enough when we trust in the Lord.

*Psa 37:25 I have been young, and now am old; yet have I not seen the righteous forsaken, nor his seed begging bread.

Most all of us can relate to this verse because we have seen many things as we have aged.

It is true that we have never seen the righteous deserted by God.

God will never forsake His children!

I see a lot of people standing on the side of the road begging but in many case today this is a business operated to make money and it has caused harm to some that were really in need.

I not seen where any of these were Christians because a true Church will help the needy in that Church.

Because God is merciful then we are to be merciful if we want to be like Him.

*Psa 37:26 He is ever merciful, and lendeth; and his seed is blessed.

As Christians we are not to hoard anything that the Lord has loaned to us.

Everything we have was given to us by the Lord and we are to share some of these things with others if there is a need.

By helping others we bring God’s blessings not only upon ourselves but also our children who follow in our footsteps.

The truth is it is better to be righteous than to have any of the world’s possessions.

*Psa 37:27 Depart from evil, and do good; and dwell for evermore.
Psa 37:28 For the LORD loveth judgment, and forsaketh not his saints; they are preserved for ever: but the seed of the wicked shall be cut off.

The greatest blessing we can get after our salvation is that we will live forever in a place so wonderful that we do not have the words to describe it.

This is the promise we receive from the almighty living God.

The Lord loves justice and He will see that those who abuse His children will be punished.

In fact this verse says that the children of the wicked will be cut off.

It is far better to be walking with Jesus Christ than to be walking in step with the world.

God will never abandon those who walk with His Son!

Nothing in this world can over power the Almighty God!

All those who reject the Lord Jesus Christ have no protection and will certainly perish in God’s judgment.

The children of God will be enjoying the inheritance that God has prepared for them.

*Psa 37:29 The righteous shall inherit the land, and dwell therein for ever.

We can rest assured in the truth of the Word of God.

When we love the Word of God and hide it in our hearts, we will find the strength to resist the strong pull of our flesh to turn to worldly things.

In fact we will find out that our own flesh is the greatest enemy we have to face throughout our lifetime.

We cannot be perfect as long as we are in this body of flesh but we can live a life of righteousness if we depend upon the Lord to walk with us all our days.

Amen

Seeking the Lord

/ Bobby Mayfield / Leave a comment

Seek the Lord

Book of Psalms Chapter 34

In Psalms 34 we have another psalm of David. We know that David wrote more of the Psalms than any other writer, keeping in mind that all Scripture is given to us by the Holy Spirit.

This psalm is another psalm that David wrote while he was fleeing from King Saul who was trying to kill David because Jehovah had selected David to be the next King of Israel.

We should understand that when the word “bless” is spoken in reference to the Lord’s blessing to His people, it means the bestowing His loving kindness, His grace, His favor, and His mercy.

When the word “bless” is spoken in respect to our blessing the Lord, then it is much different.

We should ask ourselves how we can bless the God of all creation.

We must understand that all blessings are in the Lord Jesus Christ!

When Jesus Christ is not in your heart you cannot be a true blessing to anyone!

Jesus Christ is our blessedness!

We have nothing worthwhile to offer anyone if we cannot offer them an opportunity to meet Jesus Christ!

It is not enough to see the hand of Jesus Christ as He touches our lives with His mercy and His “grace”, but Jesus Christ must be seen as that blessing sent from God!

Psa 31:7 I will be glad and rejoice in thy mercy: for thou hast considered my trouble; thou hast known my soul in adversities;
Psa 31:8 And hast not shut me up into the hand of the enemy: thou hast set my feet in a large room.

David was a man of war all his days even though his heart belonged to Jehovah.

With his reputation it was hard for David to be a witness for the truth about Jehovah.

This is one of the reasons David was not allowed to build the first Temple and his son Solomon had to build it.

The one thing David had that most of us do not have was a talent to sing and make and play instruments of music and write songs.

The Lord Jesus Christ is certainly worthy of our praise just as Jehovah was in the time of David.

I believe David understood these things which is why he could write so many of the Psalms.

Let us begin:

Psa 34:1 A Psalm of David, when he changed his behaviour before Abimelech; who drove him away, and he departed. I will bless the LORD at all times: his praise shall continually be in my mouth.

If you know the story of David then you have read of the day, he had foolishly showed himself mad in consequence of what he had heard the servants of Abimelech say.

We will notice that Achish and Abimelech are one and the same king of the Philistines.

We should also note that this place called Gath was the home of Goliath and the family of Goliath and David was foolish to ask for help in this place.

When David realized this, he began to act like he had gone mad and Achish sent him away unharmed rather than kill him.

1Sa 21:13 And he changed his behaviour before them, and feigned himself mad in their hands, and scrabbled on the doors of the gate, and let his spittle fall down upon his beard.
1Sa 21:14 Then said Achish unto his servants, Lo, ye see the man is mad: wherefore then have ye brought him to me?
1Sa 21:15 Have I need of mad men, that ye have brought this fellow to play the mad man in my presence? shall this fellow come into my house?

It was not this king of the Philistines that David needed it was Jehovah God whom David needed.

God had already done many important things for David therefore David declared that he would bless the name of the Lord all his days.

We are a blessing to the Lord when we worship Him with all our heart.

We cannot leave the Lord out of our lives and expect to have joy in this corrupt world.

I can tell you from the experience of missing the worship services I have missed these past few weeks, that there is only misery out in this world and joy comes only by the Lord Jesus Christ.

*Psa 34:2 My soul shall make her boast in the LORD: the humble shall hear thereof, and be glad.

To be honest, how many of us understood about our soul until we met Jesus?

David began to realize that is praise and worship of the Lord would be noticed by those around him.

When David pick up his harp and began to praise and worship Jehovah there were many ears that heard his singing.

Just as we can find comfort in these same Psalms today, those that traveled with David could find comfort in his singing.

Remember those who were with David were those who were the outcasts of society.

Jer 9:24 But let him that glorieth glory in this, that he understandeth and knoweth me, that I am the LORD which exercise lovingkindness, judgment, and righteousness, in the earth: for in these things I delight, saith the LORD.

There is nothing in this world that we owe our allegiance to other than our Savior!

Psa 5:11 But let all those that put their trust in thee rejoice: let them ever shout for joy, because thou defendest them: let them also that love thy name be joyful in thee.
Psa 5:12 For thou, LORD, wilt bless the righteous; with favour wilt thou compass him as with a shield.

It is far easier to lead someone to the Lord if you are joyful in your salvation.

It is easy to bless the Lord when everything is going our way.

We can also be a blessing to the Lord when we explain to Him all our troubles and have faith that He will solve those issues for us.

Faith is the key to our relationship with our Heavenly Father!

David was on the run from a government who was trying to kill him, but he knew that he must be a blessing to the Lord during those times also.

No matter what we are going through, it is not time to quit on God!

We do this if we have moved away from the Lord because we will have quenched the Holy Spirit who lives within us.

1Th 5:15 See that none render evil for evil unto any man; but ever follow that which is good, both among yourselves, and to all men.
1Th 5:16 Rejoice evermore.
1Th 5:17 Pray without ceasing.
1Th 5:18 In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.
1Th 5:19 Quench not the Spirit.

Even on a difficult day we are never alone if we are a “Born Again” child of God!

Eph 5:20 Giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ;

We are never to feel hopeless because we are never hopeless if we belong to Jesus Christ!

We are to be an encouragement to those around us at all times because we all need encouragement from time to time.

A joyful believer is a powerful tool in the hands of God!

A believer who is going through terrible things is also a powerful tool if they still show faith in the Living God.

*Psa 34:3 O magnify the LORD with me, and let us exalt his name together.

We may not be able to lead everyone we meet to the Lord so that they can be saved, but we can surely invite them to our place of worship so they will see others who worship the Lord and are a blessing to Him.

When we “magnify” the Lord we proclaim His greatness.

There are times we are to be alone when we bless the Lord and there is nothing wrong with this.

The Lord tells us to get in our closet so we can meet face to face with Him.

The truth is that God’s praises just sound best when those praises are in concert with others!

We should understand that David was no longer welcome to worship in the Tabernacle.

If David wanted to worship in concert with others, then he would have to be the example in the Cave at Adullam with many who did not know the Lord but there were probably some that did.

When David picked up his harp and bellowed out these Psalms that we have today, there were many others in that cave with him who could relate to his sorrows and learn the truth of Jehovah.

Most of these men were outlaws for one reason or another.

We must understand that the Lord wants us to gather in His name and worship Him in a congregation.

Heb_10:25 Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching.

Those who do not see the “Day of the Lord” approaching are not concerned with our world today but those who do know that now is not the time to give up on the Lord should gather more often and not less often.

David was burdened down with all his fears because he had not given those fears to the Lord, but when he did, David found his Deliverer.

The same Deliverer we have today.

*Psa 34:4 I sought the LORD, and he heard me, and delivered me from all my fears.

Just what is fear?

The Bible says that there is only one creature that was made that had no fear.

Job 41:33 Upon earth there is not his like, who is made without fear.

This verse is speaking of the Leviathan.

All others are afraid of something in this world from time to time.

David admits to his fears.

Our fears come from a conscious sense that we are sinners.

We should understand that David had already faced a lion and defeated it.
David had already faced a bear and defeated it.
David had already faced Goliath and defeated him.
David had done these things before the age of twenty.
At this time David was fleeing for life from an unstable king and a government trying to destroy him because it did not want David to be king.

This sounds familiar to what we are seeing today in our own nation and our own government.

We would not think of David as a man full of fears, yet he professed he had more than one fear to the Lord.

If we belong to the Lord there is nothing in this world that we should fear!

Rom 8:15 For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father.

If we have these fears then we certainly need to talk to the Lord.

*Psa 34:5 They looked unto him, and were lightened: and their faces were not ashamed.
Psa 34:6 This poor man cried, and the LORD heard him, and saved him out of all his troubles.

The very first thing we must do, is to take our eyes off the fears of this world and look to Jesus.

The Lord Jesus said: Joh_8:12 Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.

David began to realize that he was not in a hopeless situation when he put his faith in Jehovah.

Eyes that were darkened with doom did suddenly sparkle with new courage, hope, and joy.

It is called seeing the Light of Jesus.

Those in that cave with David could also see these things in David.

Our life and our actions are our greatest witness to the life of a Christian.

David had never known the shame of defeat and he would not feel that shame as long as he depended upon God.

Today, when we depend upon the Lord Jesus Christ to lead us, He will always lead us to victory.

The Lord Jesus will never lead us to a defeated life.

1Co_15:57 But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.

There are only two things that can happen when we call upon the Lord in our fears.

1) He will just remove that obstacle in our path.
2) He will go with us every step of the way. We never have to face our fears alone!

David wanted those with him to know that there was no mistake to who deserved the credit for our victories.

We do not have it in us to be victorious over the things of this world!

Victory can only come if we cry out to the Lord and place our faith in Him!

It is only by the faithfulness and the power of the Almighty God that we can have victory and live in victory throughout eternity.

We are all poor unless we know the riches of a relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ.

All those in that cave with David could relate to the things David was singing about.

What is the truth?

*Psa 34:7 The angel of the LORD encampeth round about them that fear him, and delivereth them.

All throughout the Old Testament we read about the “Angel of the Lord”. In fact, fifty-six times we can see this exact phrase.

This angel of the Lord is that being who appears as Jehovah’s representative in His dealing with mankind until the time of Jesus Christ.

What was the job of this angel? He protects all those who have a reverent fear of Jehovah God.

He is like an army encamping around each believer.

He was in fact the Captain of the angelic host.

Jos 5:13 And it came to pass, when Joshua was by Jericho, that he lifted up his eyes and looked, and, behold, there stood a man over against him with his sword drawn in his hand: and Joshua went unto him, and said unto him, Art thou for us, or for our adversaries?
Jos 5:14 And he said, Nay; but as captain of the host of the LORD am I now come. And Joshua fell on his face to the earth, and did worship, and said unto him, What saith my lord unto his servant?
Jos 5:15 And the captain of the LORD’S host said unto Joshua, Loose thy shoe from off thy foot; for the place whereon thou standest is holy. And Joshua did so.

This Captain of the LORD’s host can be no other than the Lord Jesus Christ because no angel will allow us to worship them but Lucifer and this is not Lucifer. There is not one thing holy about Lucifer!

We know that the omnipotent Son of God can immediately and single-handedly overcome all our enemies.

The truth is that our Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ does supernaturally protect all those who have that reverent fear of Him.

There is an angel near us at all times!

The Lord is always willing and able to help us!

Psa 9:10 And they that know thy name will put their trust in thee: for thou, LORD, hast not forsaken them that seek thee.

*Psa 34:8 O taste and see that the LORD is good: blessed is the man that trusteth in him.

What is the first step to a blessing from God? Simply trust in Him.

There is no other way of really knowing how good, Good is!

It is like the Word of God. We are not to sample part of the Word of God and just keep the part we like.

We cannot just sample God’s goodness!

In reality we are to take every action necessary to receive all that God promises to all those who trust Him.

To trust the Lord is to accept all of Him.

To reject any part of the Lord is to accept none of Him.

When we study the Word of God, we will see that God is truly good!

To trust is to run to the Lord for the protection that can come from nowhere else.

What is the next step to a blessing from God?

*Psa 34:9 O fear the LORD, ye his saints: for there is no want to them that fear him.

We must have a reverent fear of God but we must also have a godly fear.

After all He is all powerful and it is only, He who can supply our wants.

We must have a sense of gratitude for what the Lord has already done for us.

When we accept the salvation gift from the Lord, we must know that we are just getting started in a life that is close to God.

The Apostle Paul wrote:

Php_3:13 Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before,

There is nothing in our past life that is worth clinging too.

We have seen in this lesson that these words of David, applied to David and all of Israel, but they also apply to every Christian today.

Salvation and life eternal are the greatest gifts that the Lord can offer to us, but these thing are just the beginning of the blessings that the Lord promises to all those who trust Him.

Faith is still the key to our life long relationship with our Heavenly Father through the Lord Jesus Christ!

*Psa 34:10 The young lions do lack, and suffer hunger: but they that seek the LORD shall not want any good thing.

The mother and father of that cub did provide all things necessary for the early life of that lion cub.

Those cubs will reach a point when those parents will quit providing for that cub and they will have to provide for themselves and many days they will go hungry until they become proficient to provide for themselves.

Even the strongest lion will suffer and want for a time and maybe many times.

This is true for all the animal world, but this is not true for all of us who seek to get closer to the Lord.

This is a powerful statement. “they that seek the Lord shall not want for any good thing.”

1) God does not provide bad things. Those come from Satan.

2) Those that seek the Lord shall not want for any good thing. Those good things that the Lord has approved as good for us.

When we see the word Lord in all capital letters we know this is YAHWEH, Jehovah the absolute God of all creation.

Exo 3:13 And Moses said unto God, Behold, when I come unto the children of Israel, and shall say unto them, The God of your fathers hath sent me unto you; and they shall say to me, What is his name? what shall I say unto them?
Exo 3:14 And God said unto Moses, I AM THAT I AM: and he said, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, I AM hath sent me unto you.
Exo 3:15 And God said moreover unto Moses, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, The LORD God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, hath sent me unto you: this is my name for ever, and this is my memorial unto all generations.

As David found the right place in the cave of Adullam, he would sing these Psalms with all his heart and all those near to him would listen for they were as near death as was David.

Just as they found the words of these Psalms to be comforting, so can we here today.

If we truly wish to taste the goodness of the Lord ourselves then we must trust Him including all the words He has given to us.

It is the atoning blood of Jesus Christ that will keep us from seeing the wrath of this powerful, Almighty God.

It is this same Lord who will carry us through the storms of this life we live today.

We must also understand that we have greater needs than food, shelter, and clothing.

Only the Lord knows our needs and our deepest needs are spiritual.

When we have the gift of salvation provided for us by the Lord Jesus Christ, we also have a relationship with God the Father and when we have God, we have all we need.

2Co_3:5 Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think any thing as of ourselves; but our sufficiency is of God;

David became the most beloved King of Israel and David’s rag tag bunch of outlaws became a mighty army because of the sweet Psalmist of Israel.

2Sa_23:1 Now these be the last words of David. David the son of Jesse said, and the man who was raised up on high, the anointed of the God of Jacob, and the sweet psalmist of Israel, said,

It will remain the same for the Church today if we continue to seek the Lord Jesus Christ!

Amen