Seeing Jesus in the Psalms

Psalm 87 Citizenship is sometimes a confusing part of our identity. I have many foreign-born friends and acquaintances. And interestingly, some of my friends of foreign identity were born in Belgium but adamantly identify as Italian. Lyssa and I are Belgian. Don’t you believe me? My identity card says I am. But my passports from England and America both say I am a citizen of those countries respectively.  “When the LORD registers the nations, he will say, ‘ They have all become citizens of Jerusalem. ’” Interlude Psalms 87:6 It looks like I will (or already) have at least one more citizenship. Another close friend, when asked her country of origin, prefers to reply, “I am a European.”  Paul says that you can even be broader and more inclusive if you have faith in Christ. “In the new life there is no difference between Greeks and Jews, those who are circumcised and those who are not circumcised, or people who are foreigners, or Scythians. There is no difference between slaves...

  Psalm 82 “God presides over heaven’s court; he pronounces judgment on the heavenly beings:” Psalm 82:1 MAIN POINT: Jesus sits above everyone and He determines the priorities of the universe. And His priorities are the care of the poor, the widow, the foreigner, the orphan and the oppressed. We know this is Jesus in Psalm 82 sitting in judgement over all things because Jesus has position but He also has the priorities of God’s heavenly court. How do I know I have the heart of God? How do I know if I am singing off the same song sheet as Jesus? Imagine for a moment I have been called into the office to have a conversation with Jesus. There we are saying hi, getting comfortable and Jesus asks if I want a coffee and I say, yes please. And then after a little bit of small talk. Jesus askes, well how do you like your position in my kingdom? And I say, “Oh Jesus it’s great, thanks, I love it.” And then He says, then I am just wondering, William, do you know what my kingdom priorities ...

  Psalm 80 MAIN POINT: Jesus is the Shepherd who can hear our cry and rescue our hearts so that we turn to God and are saved. Aspah has been on a roll and he uses imagery that Jesus also uses many times to refer to Himself. As this Psalm talks about a grapevine and then links it to the chosen son, we see where Jesus got His references to describe Himself in John 15 . And so it is the desire to be restored and to be attached to the person, power and plan of God that brings Asaph to cry out: 3“Turn us again to yourself, O God. Make your face shine down upon us. Only then will we be saved. “ 7“Turn us again to yourself, O God of Heaven's Armies.  Make your face shine down upon us. Only then will we be saved. “ 19“Turn us again to yourself, O LORD God of Heaven's Armies.  Make your face shine down upon us. Only then will we be saved.” Psalm 80:3, 7, 19 NLT Three times Asaph asks God to change the focus of the people. But how? Psalm 80 is the 4th Shepherd Psalm in a row from A...