All Hail King Jesus

A Psalm of David.
1 The Lord says to my Lord:
“Sit at my right hand,
until I make your enemies your footstool.”

2 The Lord sends forth from Zion
your mighty scepter.
Rule in the midst of your enemies!
3 Your people will offer themselves freely
on the day of your power,
in holy garments;
from the womb of the morning,
the dew of your youth will be yours.
4 The Lord has sworn
and will not change his mind,
“You are a priest forever
after the order of Melchizedek.”

5 The Lord is at your right hand;
he will shatter kings on the day of his wrath.
6 He will execute judgment among the nations,
filling them with corpses;
he will shatter chiefs
over the wide earth.
7 He will drink from the brook by the way;
therefore he will lift up his head.

- Psalm 110

Psalm 110 is a Messianic Psalm.  In other words, the 7 verses point to Jesus as the fulfillment of the words.  Compare Psalm 110 to Matthew 22:44, Mark 12:36, Luke 20:42, Acts 2:34, and Hebrews 1:3.  There are more verses to describe how this Psalm fits into the rule of King Jesus.  Today, I want you to spend just a few moments in prayer and reverence to the majesty of Jesus. 
 
We worship the King of Kings and Lord of Lords.  This Psalm reminds me of the fact that we should consider it an honor to pray in the name of Jesus.  We should be honored and humbled that God would rescue us from the wages of our sins by the blood of King Jesus.  We should be full or praise and adoration that the King, the One that sits at the right hand of God the Father, rescued us.  He pursued us with a burning desire to bring His Father glory (John 17:1-4).  Today, spend time in thanksgiving over the gift of salvation that King Jesus gave you.
 
This Psalm paints the beautiful picture of Christ’s royalty.  You can compare this Psalm to Hebrews 5 and 7 to get a better glimpse of the high priest authority of Jesus.  He lives and reigns to intercede for you and me.  Today, spend some time in prayer, trusting that Jesus will bring your prayers to the presence of the Father.
 
In closing, read Psalm 110 again…and then read Hebrews 1.  Rejoice in the King that you worship.  I’m amazed by this king, for what other king would humble Himself, take up the cross that I should be carrying, and die the most embarrassing death for my guilty verdict?  The Righteous King is the One that declares me innocent to the Father.  This King, sits gloriously at the right hand of God. 
 
I close today by quoting one of my favorite hymns by Charles Wesley.  Please read the words and rejoice in what you have gained today; the joyful fellowship of the Lord. 
 
O for a thousand tongues to Sing
 
O, for a thousand tongues to sing
My great Redeemer’s praise
The glories of my God and King
The triumphs of His grace

My gracious Master and my God
Assist me to proclaim
To spread through all the earth abroad
The honors of Thy name

So come on and sing out
Let our anthem grow loud
There is one great love Jesus

Jesus, the name that charms our fears
That bids our sorrows cease
‘Tis music in the sinner’s ears
‘Tis life and health and peace

He breaks the power of cancelled sin
He sets the prisoners free
His blood can make the foulest clean
His blood availed for me

He speaks and listening to His voice
New life the dead receive
The mournful broken hearts rejoice
The humble poor believe

Glory to God and praise and love
Be ever, ever giv’n
By saints below and saints above
The church in earth and Heav’n

There are so few words
That never grow old
There are so few words
That never grow old
Jesus
 
-From one who is amazed by the One that sits at the right hand.

Ephesians 1:3-6

A WARNING BEFORE WE MOVE ON

We are about to dive head into to some of the most theologically packed chapters in the entire Bible. These are chapters filled with glorious truths that have been topics of debate for centuries throughout the history of the church. We are going to get a full dose of the doctrines of election, predestination, adoption, glorification, and the church. It is going to be a wonderful exploration together. But, before we do this, I was reminded about a warning that is vitally important to give as I listened to a sermon by Dr. Tony Merida, teaching pastor of Temple Baptist Church in Hattiesburg, MS. This warning screamed at me as I heard it proclaimed by Dr. Merida and I knew I needed to share it with you.  It comes from a study of the life span of the church at Ephesus. So, look with me at Acts 19 and Revelation 2. Let’s start with Acts 19:1-20,

“And it happened that while Apollos was at Corinth, Paul passed through the inland country and came to Ephesus. There he found some disciples. And he said to them, “Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?” And they said, “No, we have not even heard that there is a Holy Spirit.” And he said, “Into what then were you baptized?” They said, “Into John’s baptism.” And Paul said, “John baptized with the baptism of repentance, telling the people to believe in the one who was to come after him, that is, Jesus.” On hearing this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. And when Paul had laid his hands on them, the Holy Spirit came on them, and they began speaking in tongues and prophesying. There were about twelve men in all.8 And he entered the synagogue and for three months spoke boldly, reasoning and persuading them about the kingdom of God. But when some became stubborn and continued in unbelief, speaking evil of the Way before the congregation, he withdrew from them and took the disciples with him, reasoning daily in the hall of Tyrannus. This continued for two years, so that all the residents of Asia heard the word of the Lord, both Jews and Greeks. And God was doing extraordinary miracles by the hands of Paul, so that even handkerchiefs or aprons that had touched his skin were carried away to the sick, and their diseases left them and the evil spirits came out of them. Then some of the itinerant Jewish exorcists undertook to invoke the name of the Lord Jesus over those who had evil spirits, saying, “I adjure you by the Jesus whom Paul proclaims.” Seven sons of a Jewish high priest named Sceva were doing this. But the evil spirit answered them, “Jesus I know, and Paul I recognize, but who are you?” And the man in whom was the evil spirit leaped on them, mastered all of them and overpowered them, so that they fled out of that house naked and wounded. And this became known to all the residents of Ephesus, both Jews and Greeks. And fear fell upon them all, and the name of the Lord Jesus was extolled. Also many of those who were now believers came, confessing and divulging their practices. And a number of those who had practiced magic arts brought their books together and burned them in the sight of all. And they counted the value of them and found it came to fifty thousand pieces of silver. So the word of the Lord continued to increase and prevail mightily.” (Acts 19:1-20)

Acts 19 shows is the power of God that is revealed during the beginnings of the spread of the Gospel in the area of Ephesus. Paul spent around 3 years ministering in this city and we are shown a brief glimpse of the effect that the Gospel had on the spiritual climate of this city.  We can see that Paul continued to preach the Gospel for 2 years, in spite of opposition, so that eventually “all the residents of Asia hear the word of the Lord, both Jesus and Greeks” (Acts 19:8-10). We also see that God was working in miraculous ways through Paul (Acts 19:11-12). Then in verse 13 we shift and see the evidence of false teachers from the beginning in Ephesus.  The teachers were trying to cast out an evil spirit in a man by using the same declaration that Paul used but were not truly saved and therefore did not have the power of Christ in them.  The evil spirit “mastered all of them” and sent them away “naked and wounded” and the word spread to all the residents of Ephesus (Acts 19:16-17). Then we see the passion of this church leap out from the pages.  Focus with me on verse 18-20, “many of those who were now believers came, confessing and divulging their practices. And a number of those who had practiced magic arts brought their books together and burned them in the sight of all. And they counted the value of them and found it came to fifty thousand pieces of silver. So the word of the Lord continued to increase and prevail mightily.” What we are shown here is the love this church had for Jesus Christ.  Notice that they came together and burned their books of magic arts in front of everyone.  Luke makes sure we realize the significance of this by including the value of the books.  Think about it, it would have been easy to just sell the books, earn the money, and put it to good use in the church but that is not what we see take place.  We see them burn the books, losing a total value of fifty thousand pieces of silver. This is because of the value they found in Jesus Christ.  Their love for Christ was so strong that they didn’t care how much money they lost.  They wanted to show everyone the truth by destroying the lies.  What a powerful testimony of love.  Now, look with me at Revelation 2:1-7,

“To the angel of the church in Ephesus write: ‘The words of him who holds the seven stars in his right hand, who walks among the seven golden lampstands.’ ‘I know your works, your toil and your patient endurance, and how you cannot bear with those who are evil, but have tested those who call themselves apostles and are not, and found them to be false.  I know you are enduring patiently and bearing up for my name’s sake, and you have not grown weary.  But I have this against you, that you have abandoned the love you had at first.  Remember therefore from where you have fallen; repent, and do the works you did at first. If not, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place, unless you repent.  Yet this you have: you hate the works of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate.  He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To the one who conquers I will grant to eat of the tree of life, which is in the paradise of God.’” (Rev. 2:1-7)

This is about 40 years removed from the account we just read in Acts 19 and what we read is Jesus giving a warning to the church in Ephesus, calling them to repent. First, we see Jesus commend them for their stance against false teaching.  He is says, after the call to repent, “I know your works, your toil and your patient endurance, and how you cannot bear with those who are evil, but have tested those who call themselves apostles and are not, and found them to be false. I know you are enduring patiently and bearing up for my name’s sake, and you have not grown weary” (Rev. 2:2-3). This church had taken a strong stance against false teachers and was commending by Christ for it. If you remember last week, we saw that this was the very thing Timothy was charged to do at Ephesus.  But what Jesus calls them to repent from is their abandonment of the love they had at first (Rev. 2:4). I believe this love was the love we were shown in Acts 19, a love for Jesus Christ that was astounding as I read it. Christ calls them to remember where they had fallen from, repent and do the works they did at first (Rev. 2:5). This hit me right between the eyes and pushed me to give this warning to you as we begin. 

DO NOT LET THE STUDY OF DOCTRINE TURN INTO A LOVE FOR DOCTRINE but LET IT FILL YOUR HEART WITH A LOVE FOR CHRIST!

So, as we dive into these next three chapters, heed this warning, and fight against the temptation to love doctrine and knowledge over the person of Jesus Christ.

Ephesians 1:3-6

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. In love he predestined us for adoption as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will, to the praise of his glorious grace, with which he has blessed us in the Beloved.

Tonight we have the difficult task of looking at the doctrines of election (choosing), predestination, and adoption. But before we dive into these doctrines let’s look at what Paul shows us in these verses that will guide us correctly through them.

First, we see that Paul’s purpose in writing these truth’s is DRAW US TO WORSHIP! (3a)

We see this in a few different ways throughout verses 3-14. 

THE FIRST IS THE WAY HE BEGINS – “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ” (v. 3a). Everything that Paul is about to expound up in verse 3-14 is one big explosion of worship.  Verse 3-14 is actually on long sentence in the Greek text totaling 202 words.  And it is all worship! Dr. Sam Storms comments on this in a lecture he gave at Wheaton College, he says, “Ideas and principles and exclamations of praise come tumbling out of Paul’s mouth.” Paul is about to set his pen to write the profound mysteries of our adoption into the family of God and what it pours out as is praise. This, therefore, is the only appropriate response when we view these mysteries. 

PAUL CONCLUDES EACH STANZA WITH A COMMON REFRAIN – We also see this purpose at we get to verse 6 and read that all our election, predestination and adoptions happens “to the praise of His glorious grace.” He will use a similar version of this refrain 2 more times in verse 12 and verse 14, “to the praise of His glory.” God brought about all these things in salvation for the ultimate praise of His glory and grace.  His grace is mentioned often throughout this letter and is one of the main focus’ in this first sentence.  And here we read that it is to be praised!

Paul longs for everything in this letter to cause the readers to feel the effect of God’s lavished grace and thus become extravagant in their worship.  This is something that frequently happens with Paul, as he expounds on the grace and mercy of God in salvation he is left with nothing to do but praise God from whom all blessings flow. I believe in Romans 11:33-36, Paul gets to a point where he can’t contain it any longer and just explodes in praise.  He had just spent 11 chapters (mind you those where not placed there by Paul), over half of the letter, expounding once again on the mysteries of the Gospel and then we have a brief moment of praise that jumps out of the page before he transitions to the practical application of the Gospel in our lives.  Listen to these words by Paul,

“Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments and how inscrutable his ways! ‘For who has known the mind of the Lord, or who has been his counselor?’ ’Or who has given a gift to him that he might be repaid?’ For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be glory forever. Amen.” (Romans 11:33-36)

First and foremost, our study of doctrine should lead us to worship. When we set our eyes on the author of our salvation the response should always be just like Paul’s, exuberant praise! 

Next, we are shown the RICHES OF OUR SALVATION (3b)

Paul writes, “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessings in the heavenly places” (Eph. 1:3). What a glorious truth! Don’t just skim over this to get to the rest of the sentence.  Let this settle in! Soak in what it means to be blessed “in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places.” Everything we are going to study in the next few chapters is going to explain this glorious statement, but for now let’s stop and just think about the weight of it. 

WE HAVE BEEN BLESSED BY GOD, IN CHRIST, WITH EVERY SPIRITUAL BLESSING IN THE HEAVENLY PLACES! HALLELUJAH WHAT A GREAT GOD!

Salvation is rich! There are so many things that have taken place on our behalf and we are about to open the word to meditate on all of them. All of the truths that Paul writes next are the blessings he is dwelling on as he pens verse 3. They are all meant to cause us to worship God for His magnificent grace.  They are written to show us the riches of our salvation. This is one long sentence spewing out of Paul’s mind onto the parchment for us to see the overflow of his heart.  For the next 11 verses we are going to be opening up our salvation and taking a close look at the riches of all that has taken place.  Tonight, we will start by tackling the next 3 verses and try to unpack everything that is there. 

Paul begins with the WORK OF GOD IN SALVATION (4-6)

In the 32 words of verse 4-5 Paul writes about the work of God in our salvation and then concludes with verse 6 by calling us again to praise because of His glorious grace. It is a note of interest that in these two verses, we find Paul mention what has become 3 different important doctrines of salvation in the Christian faith. So let’s take our time as we look at these closely. 

First is THE DOCTRINE OF ELECTION (4a)

Paul writes, “even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him” (v. 4). Every believer, every saint, all who are faithful in Christ, have been chosen by God the Father! There is no way to get around these words presented in scripture.  If the English translation wasn’t clear enough take a look at the Greek. The Greek literally means to “pick or choose some from many for one’s self.” And the little Greek clause “hemas,” the plural for “I,” tells us who has been the chosen. God has done the choosing and the ones that are chosen are “us,” the saints who faithful in Christ (1b). Let that sink in for a moment. Election is not just a concept dreamed up by John Calvin, it is truth based on the scriptures which tell us that those whom God has chosen are the elect (see also Romans 9:11 and 1 Peter 1:10). And Paul doesn’t leave us wondering about the details of this choosing. He goes on to explain to us when, how, and why this has happened.  Dwell on these truths with me:

1.       WHEN: Our election took place “before the foundation of the world” (4). Before the world was founded, before anything was ever laid, before the beginning of the beginning, we were chosen. This goes beyond even saying before we were born and goes all the way back before the beginning of all of creation. It tells us that before Genesis 1:1, God chose us (see also 2 Thessalonians 2:13 and 2 Timothy 1:9-10). Sam Storms says,

“This is to emphasize that the divine decision concerning human destiny is wholly unaffected by human deeds…Election is not something that awaits some event in human history, either the cross-work of Jesus or the faith of man. It antedates all human history. God’s choice is not dependent on human merit or temporal circumstances. God sovereignly elects us unto eternal life before we exist and without our consent. That isn’t to say that our voluntary consent isn’t important. We must still believe in Jesus, but our belief is itself the historical and experiential fruit or effect of God’s pre-temporal elective decree.”

John Piper also writes,

 “It is an unspeakably precious grace that God has chosen for himself before the foundation of the world: a people to be saved from their sins and who will glorify and enjoy him forever. This choosing was absolutely unconditional.” (Future Grace, John Piper, p. 232)   

But we also see Paul affirm that salvation is only through Jesus Christ. This shows us the “how” to our election.

2.       HOW: Our election took place “in Christ” (4). Election does not in any way shape or form take away from salvation being through faith in Jesus Christ.  It does help us understand what it means for our salvation to be through grace alone, but Paul makes sure that his readers understand what he said in verse 1 by using the same phrase as he says that we are chosen “in him” (“in Christ”). All of salvation was designed before the foundation of the world to flow through Jesus Christ. The death of Christ and the resurrection of Christ were predetermined to take place and the choosing of the elect takes place “in Christ” (see also Acts 2:23-24). Charles Hodge explains this in his commentary on Ephesians. He writes,

“It was in Christ as their head and representative [that] they were chosen to holiness and eternal life, and therefore in virtue of what he was to do in their behalf. There is a federal union with Christ which is antecedent to all actual union, and is the source of it. God gave a people to his Son in the covenant of redemption. Those included in that covenant, and because they are included in it in other words, because they are in Christ as their head and representative receive in time the gift of the Holy Spirit and all other benefits of redemption. . . . It is, therefore, in Christ, i.e., as united to him in the covenant of redemption, that the people of God are elected to eternal life and to all the blessings therewith connected” (Charles Hodge, Commentary on Ephesians, 31)

You cannot remove the fact that all of salvation flows through Christ as you embrace the act of God the Father choosing those that would receive salvation. And finally, Paul answers “why” we have been chosen.  

3.       WHY: Our election to place so “that we should be holy and blameless before him” (4). We have been chosen so that we should be holy and blameless before Him.  God’s choosing of us for salvation is for the purpose of us being presented to Him as holy.  If you look back through the Old Testament you see time and time again that man will never be holy and blameless before God. From the fall of man our sin has kept us from the presence of God.  David tells us that only those with clean hands and a pure heart may ascend the hill of the Lord (Psalm 23). He also says that he was “brought forth in iniquity” (Psalm 51:5).  Paul tells us in Romans 3 that “all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Rom. 3:23) and that “None is righteous, no, not one; no one understands; no one seeks for God. All have turned aside; together they have become worthless; no one does good, not even one” (Rom. 3:11-12). Paul, will also tells us in this letter that, without God intervening we would be spiritually “dead” (Eph. 2:1) and by nature “children of wrath” (Eph. 2:3), “following the prince of the power of the air” (Eph. 2:2). There is no way for us to be holy and blameless before God without Him doing something. But “He chose us” to be “holy and blameless.” Our election took place so that we would be able to come into His presence and experience life.  Peter tells us this in 1 Peter 3:18,  “For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive in the spirit.”

REJOICE IN WHAT THE LORD HAS DONE!

From election, Paul moves to THE DOCTRINES OF PREDESTINATION and ADOPTION

Paul writes, “In love he predestined us for adoption as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will, to the praise of his glorious grace, with which he blessed us in the Beloved” (5-6).  I am going to put these two doctrines together because one is aimed towards the other.  The aim of predestination is adoption.  Predestination is referring here to the determined place for those whom God has chosen to end.  And that is adoption through Jesus Christ! Our adoption is a glorious truth to meditate on.  Adoption brings with it so many marvelous blessings.  Adoption gives us a new name.  Adoption provides us with an inheritance. Adoption takes us from the devastated state that we were in, being hostile towards God, and makes us sons and daughters of God. We will dive into these things as we continue on in this letter so for now we will leave that on the table to chew on for a while. 

WE HAVE BEEN PREDESTINED FOR ADOPTION AS SONS AND DAUGHTERS OF GOD!

And once again Paul doesn’t just drop this in our laps without telling us the motivation for our adoption and our response to it.  He lets us see that the motivation is two-fold. 

1.       It is “In love” (5a). Our adoption comes to us from the love that God lavishes upon us. You cannot escape the fact that “love” is involved in our salvation.  Some might like to remove love completely and focus on the second part of the motivation, being God’s will, but it is impossible to deny that God loves us.  John 3:16, the most quoted verse of all time, says, “For God so loved the world.” John writes later in 1 John 3:1, “See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God.” And Paul will write, just 20 verses later, “But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ” (Eph. 2:4).  God’s love for us was clearly a factor in our election, predestination, and adoption. 

2.       It is also “according to the good pleasure of his will” (5b). However, our election, predestination, and adoption are not some crazy way of God being handcuffed by His love for us.  They all are according to His will.  Not only according to His will, but the good pleasure of His will.  The double phrase tells us a lot here.  I am not fond of the way the English Standard Version and New American Standard Bible translates the word for “purpose,” and would actually agree with the King James Version which translates it as, “good pleasure.” This tells us that God is pleased to bring us into salvation.  It delights Him! It is not just His will that we are chosen to be predestined for adoption through Jesus Christ, but it is also good and pleasing to Him. We are shown that His love for us did not force Him to bring us into salvation but that He was pleased to do so.  No one puts the implications of this better than Sam Storms who comments,

“Note also that election pleases God. He likes it. God didn’t predestine us unwillingly, grudgingly, or reluctantly. He wanted to do it. He delighted to do it. God has an emotional life. There is immense and unfathomable complexity in His feelings: He delights in some things, and despises others. He loves and hates. He rejoices and judges. Choosing hell-deserving sinners to spend an eternity with Him as his beloved children is uniquely joyful and pleasing and delightful and exciting and satisfying to the heart of God! Should it not also then be a joyful and pleasing and delightful and exciting and satisfying truth to our hearts? Should we not, then, talk of it often, sing of it often, and often tell of it to others? God’s pleasures must become our pleasures. We must learn to rejoice in that which rejoices Him” (a lecture given at Wheaton College).

These are both marvelous truths! “In love” and as a part of the “good pleasure” of God’s will, we were predestined for adoption through Jesus Christ.

3.       Finally, it is “to the praise of His glorious grace, with which he has blessed us in the Beloved” (6). All of this is designed to bring extravagant praise to God. Paul ends the first “stanza” (so to speak) the same way he began in verse 3, God has blessed us and we should praise Him. Everything in our salvation has taken place so that we will understand the grace that has been lavished on us (Eph. 1:8) and praise Him for His glorious grace.

As we continue on in this study, I encourage you to worship the Lord for the great things He has done.  My heart’s desire is that our response to these glorious truths would be the same as William Cowper after he studied the grace of God in Romans 3:25,

“Immediately I received the strength to believe it, and the full beams of the Sun of Righteousness shone upon me. I saw the sufficiency of the atonement He had made, my pardon sealed in His blood, and all the fullness and completeness of His justification. In a moment I believed, and received the gospel . . . Unless the Almighty arm had been under me, I think I should have died with gratitude and joy. My eyes filled with tears, and my voice choked with transport; I could only look up to heaven in silent fear, overwhelmed with love and wonder.” (Gilbert Thomas, William Cowper and the Eighteenth Century, p. 132)

pitiful Sinner

For the director of music. Of David. A psalm.

1O God, whom I praise,
do not remain silent,
2for wicked and deceitful men
have opened their mouths against me;
they have spoken against me with lying tongues.
3With words of hatred they surround me;
they attack me without cause.
4In return for my friendship they accuse me,
but I am a man of prayer.
5They repay me evil for good,
and hatred for my friendship.
6Appoint an evil man to oppose him;
let an accuser stand at his right hand.
7When he is tried, let him be found guilty,
and may his prayers condemn him.
8May his days be few;
may another take his place of leadership.
9May his children be fatherless
and his wife a widow.
10May his children be wandering beggars;
may they be driven from their ruined homes.
11May a creditor seize all he has;
may strangers plunder the fruits of his labor.
12May no one extend kindness to him
or take pity on his fatherless children.
13May his descendants be cut off,
their names blotted out from the next generation.
14May the iniquity of his fathers be remembered before the Lord;
may the sin of his mother never be blotted out.
15May their sins always remain before the Lord,
that he may cut off the memory of them from the earth.
16For he never thought of doing a kindness,
but hounded to death the poor
and the needy and the brokenhearted.
17He loved to pronounce a curse—
may it come on him;
he found no pleasure in blessing—
may it be far from him.
18He wore cursing as his garment;
it entered into his body like water,
into his bones like oil.
19May it be like a cloak wrapped about him,
like a belt tied forever around him.
20May this be the Lord’s payment to my accusers,
to those who speak evil of me.

21But you, O Sovereign Lord,
deal well with me for your name’s sake;
out of the goodness of your love, deliver me.
22For I am poor and needy,
and my heart is wounded within me.
23I fade away like an evening shadow;
I am shaken off like a locust.
24My knees give way from fasting;
my body is thin and gaunt.
25I am an object of scorn to my accusers;
when they see me, they shake their heads.
26Help me, O Lord my God;
save me in accordance with your love.
27Let them know that it is your hand,
that you, O Lord, have done it.
28They may curse, but you will bless;
when they attack they will be put to shame,
but your servant will rejoice.
29My accusers will be clothed with disgrace
and wrapped in shame as in a cloak.
30With my mouth I will greatly extol the Lord;
in the great throng I will praise him.
31For he stands at the right hand of the needy one,
to save his life from those who condemn him.

- Psalm 109

David spends a lot of time in this Psalm discussing the nature, character and general lousy disposition of his enemies. It seems that everything they do, everything they say, even every beat of their heart is to accuse, curse, and do evil against him. However, while David likely has the justification (especially if one argues wrongly that David is under OT law not grace), that he needs to turn on his enemies and to seek vengeance. Instead, David lays the situation at the foot of the throne of God. Why?
First, David has a proper understanding of who God is. In the very first verse, he gives praise to God. In verse 21 he recognizes God’s sovereignty. In verse 26, he demonstrates that he understands God is the source of help and sustenance. David sees God for who he is…God, sovereign, almighty, omnipotent, omniscient, and Holy.
Second, David realizes that he is NOT God. In fact, David understands that he is (at best) poor, needy, weak, thin and gaunt. In other words, David knows that he is incapable of dealing with those who persecute him. He (and we) would deal with them in an evil manner, rather than with justice. He/we would deal with them for our glory, not God’s.
Finally, David seeks for God to be glorified in the resolution. He understands that God will repay, for us out of His love for us, but more importantly for His name’s sake. As a result, in the end, David will extol the Lord, just as he did in the beginning; proclaiming the truth of the righteous one, the defender of the needy, and savior of the condemned.
God is God and we are not. Yet God chooses to protect and provide for those He loves through Jesus Christ. Do you understand that God loves and wants to have a relationship with you? The result of this relationship may, like David’s life, not result in immediate freedom from difficulties, but it will eventually deliver an eternal life of peace and protection. Have you realized that you are a sinner? That you need a savior? Are you willing to confess and praise His name?

To do Valiantly

With God We Shall Do Valiantly
A Song. A Psalm of David.
1 My heart is steadfast, O God!
I will sing and make melody with all my being!
2 Awake, O harp and lyre!
I will awake the dawn!
3 I will give thanks to you, O Lord, among the peoples;
I will sing praises to you among the nations.
4 For your steadfast love is great above the heavens;
your faithfulness reaches to the clouds.

5 Be exalted, O God, above the heavens!
Let your glory be over all the earth!
6 That your beloved ones may be delivered,
give salvation by your right hand and answer me!

7 God has promised in his holiness:
“With exultation I will divide up Shechem
and portion out the Valley of Succoth.
8 Gilead is mine; Manasseh is mine;
Ephraim is my helmet,
Judah my scepter.
9 Moab is my washbasin;
upon Edom I cast my shoe;
over Philistia I shout in triumph.”

10 Who will bring me to the fortified city?
Who will lead me to Edom?
11 Have you not rejected us, O God?
You do not go out, O God, with our armies.
12 Oh grant us help against the foe,
for vain is the salvation of man!
13 With God we shall do valiantly;
it is he who will tread down our foes.

- Psalm 108

Psalm 108 features a reprise of two previous Davidic Psalms. Verse 1-5 were first seen in Psalm 57:7-11. Verses 6-13 are from Psalm 60:5-12.

Matthew Henry suggests the repetition is a model for us that “we may in prayer use the same words that we have formerly used, provided it be with new affections.” With little historical context it is difficult to determine what David’s “new affections” might be, but, compared to the source Psalms, there is a noteworthy lack of lament in Psalm 108. Psalm 57 featured David lying down amid fiery beasts! Here, David wakes the dawn with jubilant music of praise.

What follows is smack talk of the highest order. Did you catch the part about mopping the floor with Moab?! For a people maligned by so many enemies who were so close, these verses about trust in God must have been a comfort like no other.

At verse 10 the declaration of trust in God becomes an appeal to God and a reminder that we must never get ahead of the God who is infinitely trustworthy. When we do, He might not go out with our armies. For us, the battle might not be literal, but the admonition is no less relevant. Especially in times when we have no reason to lament, we must never get ahead of God, or we might find ourselves feeling strangely alone. When we remain in lockstep with our Savior, we can proclaim the great battle cry of verse 13: “With God we shall do valiantly.”

an exhortation to praise

1 Oh give thanks to the Lord, for he is good,
for his steadfast love endures forever!
2 Let the redeemed of the Lord say so,
whom he has redeemed from trouble
3 and gathered in from the lands,
from the east and from the west,
from the north and from the south.

4 Some wandered in desert wastes,
finding no way to a city to dwell in;
5 hungry and thirsty,
their soul fainted within them.
6 Then they cried to the Lord in their trouble,
and he delivered them from their distress.
7 He led them by a straight way
till they reached a city to dwell in.
8 Let them thank the Lord for his steadfast love,
for his wondrous works to the children of man!
9 For he satisfies the longing soul,
and the hungry soul he fills with good things.

10 Some sat in darkness and in the shadow of death,
prisoners in affliction and in irons,
11 for they had rebelled against the words of God,
and spurned the counsel of the Most High.
12 So he bowed their hearts down with hard labor;
they fell down, with none to help.
13 Then they cried to the Lord in their trouble,
and he delivered them from their distress.
14 He brought them out of darkness and the shadow of death,
and burst their bonds apart.
15 Let them thank the Lord for his steadfast love,
for his wondrous works to the children of man!
16 For he shatters the doors of bronze
and cuts in two the bars of iron.

17 Some were fools through their sinful ways,
and because of their iniquities suffered affliction;
18 they loathed any kind of food,
and they drew near to the gates of death.
19 Then they cried to the Lord in their trouble,
and he delivered them from their distress.
20 He sent out his word and healed them,
and delivered them from their destruction.
21 Let them thank the Lord for his steadfast love,
for his wondrous works to the children of man!
22 And let them offer sacrifices of thanksgiving,
and tell of his deeds in songs of joy!

23 Some went down to the sea in ships,
doing business on the great waters;
24 they saw the deeds of the Lord,
his wondrous works in the deep.
25 For he commanded and raised the stormy wind,
which lifted up the waves of the sea.
26 They mounted up to heaven; they went down to the depths;
their courage melted away in their evil plight;
27 they reeled and staggered like drunken men
and were at their wits’ end.
28 Then they cried to the Lord in their trouble,
and he delivered them from their distress.
29 He made the storm be still,
and the waves of the sea were hushed.
30 Then they were glad that the waters were quiet,
and he brought them to their desired haven.
31 Let them thank the Lord for his steadfast love,
for his wondrous works to the children of man!
32 Let them extol him in the congregation of the people,
and praise him in the assembly of the elders.

33 He turns rivers into a desert,
springs of water into thirsty ground,
34 a fruitful land into a salty waste,
because of the evil of its inhabitants.
35 He turns a desert into pools of water,
a parched land into springs of water.
36 And there he lets the hungry dwell,
and they establish a city to live in;
37 they sow fields and plant vineyards
and get a fruitful yield.
38 By his blessing they multiply greatly,
and he does not let their livestock diminish.

39 When they are diminished and brought low
through oppression, evil, and sorrow,
40 he pours contempt on princes
and makes them wander in trackless wastes;
41 but he raises up the needy out of affliction
and makes their families like flocks.
42 The upright see it and are glad,
and all wickedness shuts its mouth.

43 Whoever is wise, let him attend to these things;
let them consider the steadfast love of the Lord.

- Psalm 107

Upon first reading of this psalm, I could not help but think of all the troubles that the Israelites experienced during the times of the Old Testament. As the psalmist recounts time after time of disobedience followed by punishment followed by repentance and restoration, he continues to give praises to God. Note the recurring line “Let them thank the LORD for His steadfast love, for His wondrous works to the children of man!”

A second reading and I can not help but notice that the psalm is meant to encourage the people and is not simply a psalm of praise for the psalmist. Note how each exhortation is directed outward. There is a recurrence time and again of the pronouns they and them. I wonder how good a job we do of exhorting others to praise? As the author of Hebrews writes:

But exhort one another every day, as long as it is called “today,” that none of you may be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin. (Heb 3:13)

When I read this psalm a third time with the context of the New Testament, I can not help but think of my own times of rebellion and disobedience. How my own desires had bound me captive to sin and made me a prisoner of the flesh. And yet, in spite of this the Lord reached down and restored me by His grace. Did you notice verse 19 and 20? Read it again with me:

Then they cried to the LORD in their trouble, and he delivered them from their distress. He sent out his word and healed them, and delivered them from their destruction. (Psalm 107:19-20)

He sent His Word and healed them. Wow, what a savior. Let us continually thank the Lord for His steadfast love.

And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth. (John 1:14)

let’s just read

1 Praise the Lord!
Oh give thanks to the Lord, for he is good,
for his steadfast love endures forever!
2 Who can utter the mighty deeds of the Lord,
or declare all his praise?
3 Blessed are they who observe justice,
who do righteousness at all times!

4 Remember me, O Lord, when you show favor to your people;
help me when you save them,
5 that I may look upon the prosperity of your chosen ones,
that I may rejoice in the gladness of your nation,
that I may glory with your inheritance.

6 Both we and our fathers have sinned;
we have committed iniquity; we have done wickedness.
7 Our fathers, when they were in Egypt,
did not consider your wondrous works;
they did not remember the abundance of your steadfast love,
but rebelled by the sea, at the Red Sea.
8 Yet he saved them for his name’s sake,
that he might make known his mighty power.
9 He rebuked the Red Sea, and it became dry,
and he led them through the deep as through a desert.
10 So he saved them from the hand of the foe
and redeemed them from the power of the enemy.
11 And the waters covered their adversaries;
not one of them was left.
12 Then they believed his words;
they sang his praise.

13 But they soon forgot his works;
they did not wait for his counsel.
14 But they had a wanton craving in the wilderness,
and put God to the test in the desert;
15 he gave them what they asked,
but sent a wasting disease among them.

16 When men in the camp were jealous of Moses
and Aaron, the holy one of the Lord,
17 the earth opened and swallowed up Dathan,
and covered the company of Abiram.
18 Fire also broke out in their company;
the flame burned up the wicked.

19 They made a calf in Horeb
and worshiped a metal image.
20 They exchanged the glory of God
for the image of an ox that eats grass.
21 They forgot God, their Savior,
who had done great things in Egypt,
22 wondrous works in the land of Ham,
and awesome deeds by the Red Sea.
23 Therefore he said he would destroy them—
had not Moses, his chosen one,
stood in the breach before him,
to turn away his wrath from destroying them.

24 Then they despised the pleasant land,
having no faith in his promise.
25 They murmured in their tents,
and did not obey the voice of the Lord.
26 Therefore he raised his hand and swore to them
that he would make them fall in the wilderness,
27 and would make their offspring fall among the nations,
scattering them among the lands.

28 Then they yoked themselves to the Baal of Peor,
and ate sacrifices offered to the dead;
29 they provoked the Lord to anger with their deeds,
and a plague broke out among them.
30 Then Phinehas stood up and intervened,
and the plague was stayed.
31 And that was counted to him as righteousness
from generation to generation forever.

32 They angered him at the waters of Meribah,
and it went ill with Moses on their account,
33 for they made his spirit bitter,
and he spoke rashly with his lips.

34 They did not destroy the peoples,
as the Lord commanded them,
35 but they mixed with the nations
and learned to do as they did.
36 They served their idols,
which became a snare to them.
37 They sacrificed their sons
and their daughters to the demons;
38 they poured out innocent blood,
the blood of their sons and daughters,
whom they sacrificed to the idols of Canaan,
and the land was polluted with blood.
39 Thus they became unclean by their acts,
and played the whore in their deeds.

40 Then the anger of the Lord was kindled against his people,
and he abhorred his heritage;
41 he gave them into the hand of the nations,
so that those who hated them ruled over them.
42 Their enemies oppressed them,
and they were brought into subjection under their power.
43 Many times he delivered them,
but they were rebellious in their purposes
and were brought low through their iniquity.

44 Nevertheless, he looked upon their distress,
when he heard their cry.
45 For their sake he remembered his covenant,
and relented according to the abundance of his steadfast love.
46 He caused them to be pitied
by all those who held them captive.

47 Save us, O Lord our God,
and gather us from among the nations,
that we may give thanks to your holy name
and glory in your praise.

48 Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel,
from everlasting to everlasting!
And let all the people say, “Amen!”
Praise the Lord!

- Psalm 106

living Psalm 105

1 Oh give thanks to the Lord; call upon his name;
make known his deeds among the peoples!
2 Sing to him, sing praises to him;
tell of all his wondrous works!
3 Glory in his holy name;
let the hearts of those who seek the Lord rejoice!
4 Seek the Lord and his strength;
seek his presence continually!
5 Remember the wondrous works that he has done,
his miracles, and the judgments he uttered,
6 O offspring of Abraham, his servant,
children of Jacob, his chosen ones!

7 He is the Lord our God;
his judgments are in all the earth.
8 He remembers his covenant forever,
the word that he commanded, for a thousand generations,
9 the covenant that he made with Abraham,
his sworn promise to Isaac,
10 which he confirmed to Jacob as a statute,
to Israel as an everlasting covenant,
11 saying, “To you I will give the land of Canaan
as your portion for an inheritance.”

12 When they were few in number,
of little account, and sojourners in it,
13 wandering from nation to nation,
from one kingdom to another people,
14 he allowed no one to oppress them;
he rebuked kings on their account,
15 saying, “Touch not my anointed ones,
do my prophets no harm!”

16 When he summoned a famine on the land
and broke all supply [1] of bread,
17 he had sent a man ahead of them,
Joseph, who was sold as a slave.
18 His feet were hurt with fetters;
his neck was put in a collar of iron;
19 until what he had said came to pass,
the word of the Lord tested him.
20 The king sent and released him;
the ruler of the peoples set him free;
21 he made him lord of his house
and ruler of all his possessions,
22 to bind [2] his princes at his pleasure
and to teach his elders wisdom.

23 Then Israel came to Egypt;
Jacob sojourned in the land of Ham.
24 And the Lord made his people very fruitful
and made them stronger than their foes.
25 He turned their hearts to hate his people,
to deal craftily with his servants.

26 He sent Moses, his servant,
and Aaron, whom he had chosen.
27 They performed his signs among them
and miracles in the land of Ham.
28 He sent darkness, and made the land dark;
they did not rebel [3] against his words.
29 He turned their waters into blood
and caused their fish to die.
30 Their land swarmed with frogs,
even in the chambers of their kings.
31 He spoke, and there came swarms of flies,
and gnats throughout their country.
32 He gave them hail for rain,
and fiery lightning bolts through their land.
33 He struck down their vines and fig trees,
and shattered the trees of their country.
34 He spoke, and the locusts came,
young locusts without number,
35 which devoured all the vegetation in their land
and ate up the fruit of their ground.
36 He struck down all the firstborn in their land,
the firstfruits of all their strength.

37 Then he brought out Israel with silver and gold,
and there was none among his tribes who stumbled.
38 Egypt was glad when they departed,
for dread of them had fallen upon it.

39 He spread a cloud for a covering,
and fire to give light by night.
40 They asked, and he brought quail,
and gave them bread from heaven in abundance.
41 He opened the rock, and water gushed out;
it flowed through the desert like a river.
42 For he remembered his holy promise,
and Abraham, his servant.

43 So he brought his people out with joy,
his chosen ones with singing.
44 And he gave them the lands of the nations,
and they took possession of the fruit of the peoples’ toil,
45 that they might keep his statutes
and observe his laws.
Praise the Lord!

- Psalm 105

Genuine worship and adoration toward God comes from the awareness of His historical faithfulness.  One doesn’t need to sit around and think of reasons to worship God if the Scriptures are studied.  Sometimes we experience seasons of our lives that produce difficult obstacles that prevent our adoration of God.  Friend, if that season consumes you today, open up to Psalm 105 and allow the words to refresh you to the perfect providence of our Maker.  In this rich Psalm, the writer gives us a shout of praise toward the God that led the Israelites in their history.  Trust me; their history was far from perfect.  Difficult seasons consumed them as they do us.  However, in moments like Psalm 105, we see a beautiful choir of remembrance assembled for the Holy God.  They praise Him for His deliverance from captivity and for His daily provision. 
 
Sin blinds adoration.  We could easily be consumed with sin to the point that His rich history doesn’t capture our attention anymore.  This tendency leads many church goers to live as lukewarm followers.  Jesus warned us about this complacency.  It doesn’t matter what season you are in, fall on your knees today, read Psalm 105 and remember that the days are His.  He was faithful in the past…and He will be faithful in the future.  One day, as Revelation 7:17 teaches us, every tear will be wiped away.  One day, we will get to immerse ourselves in an eternal bond of joy such as the Psalm 105 folks had.  Why not trust that He will remove the obstacles of our praise today so we can enjoy Psalm 105?  Why not remember His faithfulness in the past.  He gave you life today.  Start there.  He was faithful to give you the ability to read the words I’m typing.  Start there.  Praise Him for His faithfulness.  Follow Him in faithfulness.  Treasure His Son.  Enjoy His Spirit. 
 
-living Psalm 105 today.

Halloweenie Roast (Nov. 1st)

 On November 1st, Focus will be holding it’s newly established annual “Halloweenie Roast.” This years costume theme is “Inanimate Objects.” Come join us on Sunday November 1st at 6:30pm

go get a hair cut

On Tuesday, October 20th, we had our our first outreach to Cobb Beauty College in Kennesaw.  We provided pizza (courtesy of Big Pie in the Sky) and drinks to over 30 students enlisted at the school.  It was a great outreach as we were able to talk to a the students about the gospel and invite them to Focus. 

To follow up, I would like to challenge those of you that can to go and get your hair cut at the Cobb Beauty College.  The cost is only $5 and the students are open to conversations about God.  It would be great for them to see us frequently throughout the next two weeks to continue to hear about Focus and our glorious Savior.  I got my hair cut while I was there and they did a great job. Their address is:

3096 Cherokee Street
Kennesaw, GA 30144

In addition to this we also want to give Big Pie in the Sky a big thank you from Focus for providing the pizza’s for free.  On Sunday October 25th, Holly, Cecilia and I would like to invite you to join us at Big Pie for lunch at 12:35pm. More information is on our upcoming events page. 

Ben

Thank you to Big Pie

This Sunday October 25th, Holly, Cecilia and I would like to invite you to join us at Big Pie in the Sky for lunch.  This is to thank them for donating pizza’s for us to give to the students at Cobb Beauty College.  Come hungry because the slices are huge. 

The best part is they have a daily special where you get a slice with 2 toppings and a drink for only $5.  Their address is:

2090 Baker Rd
Kennesaw, GA 30144-4600

We hope you will join us for some good food and great fellowship.

Ben

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