Seeing Jesus in the Psalms

  Psalm 85 MAIN POINT: Jesus has come as saviour and will return as saviour, and we are invited to listen to His words of peace and experience and expect His salvation. Sometimes it isn’t easy to get your bearings in the Bible. One reason is that the Bible speaks about time as things that have happened, are happening and will happen more fluidly than we might be used to. But since God is 100% sure what has happened, what will happen, and what is happening, He can reveal things with confidence. We on the other hand usually can only apply such confidence and interchangeability of time to the immediate or possibly the past. Another aspect of the Bible that you might find challenging in our individualistic society is the principle of representation. We do get this idea sometimes but we don’t always get it. We often think that all the uses of representation are suspect to a negative prejudice. What I mean is that an individual is painted with the same brush as the whole. All Americans ...

  Psalm 84 This Psalm brought so much joy to my heart this morning and resonated with the wonderful message we heard in our local gathering of God's family this Sunday. And before I break it all down, let me challenge you to go back and read the Psalm and consider that God lives in His people: the church is the dwelling place of our God. In fact I am so filled with a similar heart of thanksgiving today that I read here in Korah’s descendants’ Psalm that I want to start with my own praise session: MAIN POINT: Get close to God by getting close to where He is and where He works, and you will find immense joy. I love what I see God doing in my heart. I love what I see God doing in Lyssa’s heart; she is so wonderful to others and to me. Praise You, God for the work you are doing in and through her. I love my church and the messages I have heard over the past months there. I love the fellowship, the friendships, the loving caring attitudes, the worship and praise, the connect groups, the...

The earth is the Lord’s, and everything in it. The world and all its people belong to him. Psalm 24:1 NLT   Psalm 24 Main Point: You are invited to welcome the God King coming with transforming power. God the king owns everything and everyone. vv.1-2 On every level this is a bold and confrontational statement.  This reminds me of the parable Jesus told of the owner of the vineyard which represented the kingdom of God, recorded for us in Matthew 21:33-46 , Mark 12 . Psalm 24 is claiming the same “right of eminent domain”. Paul confirms this fact by establishing Our God the King’s further right of property when he reminds us we have been bought and our very bodies are not our own ( 1 Corinthians 6:19-20 ). And just like any conquered subject of any king, we must switch allegiance. Being a subject is not in question, but how you serve the King is where you exercise your freewill. Not everyone can approach God the king, only the holy. vv.3-4 But even though you are propert...