April 20, 2023 -- Psalm 17:6-8a -- The Psalm Series: Kept as the apple of His eye

People loved by the Father, in the Spirit's power: Sh'ma ~ hear and obey Jesus!

I call upon you, for you will answer me, O God;
    incline your ear to me; hear my words.
7 Wondrously show your steadfast love,
    O Savior of those who seek refuge
    from their adversaries at your right hand.
8 Keep me as the apple of your eye;
    hide me in the shadow of your wings,
Psalm 17:6-8a ESV

It is the intimacy of these words that stands out to me. The whole Psalm is called “A Prayer of David”. His sins are well-known to us. He slept with Bathsheba, the wife of one of his closest friends and a general in his army. Then he killed this man in order to cover up his sin. He didn’t discipline his sons when they sinned. This chaos and absentee fathering led to one of his sons rising up against him in a coup. Knowing this highlights that it is the LORD Who wondrously shows steadfast love. He is also the initiator of the covenant. He is always the One Who by His Spirit holds us in the place where His steadfast love meets our deepest and greatest brokenness.

God is the Savior of all those who seek refuge in Him. Their refuge-seeking is based on His prior saving work. It is grace which surrounded the believer. In the Old Testament it is the foreshadowing of the grace that is ours in Jesus Christ. In the New Testament we know God the Savior through Jesus Christ. All the Old Testament pointed to the Father's faithful salvation that would be poured out in Jesus through Whom we are adopted as sons and daughters.

What a beautiful expression it is, to be kept as the apple of God’s eye. Think of it. If anything comes near your eye you instinctively swat it away, you zealously guard it so nothing happens to it. God, Who is all-powerful, will guard you as surely as you guard and protect your eye from all harm. What a beautiful protection is figured in that final line of today's text: “Hide me in the shadow of Your wings”. Imagine a massive eagle, strong and powerful, guarding her nest, shielding her eaglets under her wings.

Such imagery invites prayer. Such imagery was given to King David as inspiration so that believers generations and centuries removed from him, would by the Spirit’s power contemplate Who God is and be drawn to Him in prayer. Our sins cannot stop us from coming to God. Think of it, as often as we confess them, He inclines His hear to hear and to heal. What a mighty God we serve!

Our  Father in heaven hallowed and forever blessed be Your Name. Thank You for the wondrous salvation You have poured out on us in Jesus Christ. Thank You, Spirit of the Living God that in You and by Your powerful presence in our lives we are guarded as the apple of our Father's eye beneath the sheltering of His protecting wings. Increase our imagination of this glorious God so that our hearts will flow with never-ending prayer, devoting ourselves to this Mighty Savior Who has so fiercely, protectively, drawn us to Himself. Amen.

https://youtu.be/W5EUvOnQr4Y “His Mercy Is More” Matt Papa

Copyright © 2023 Sh'ma Christian Ministries, All rights reserved.

April 19, 2023 -- Psalm 16:11 -- The Psalm Series: the pathway of life

People loved by the Father, in the Spirit's power: Sh'ma ~ hear and obey Jesus!

You make known to me the path of life;
    in your presence there is fullness of joy;
    at your right hand are pleasures forevermore.
Psalm 16:11 ESV

Funny isn’t it, how something so familiar can suddenly seem new. For quite some time I have been slightly misquoting this particular text. The first line I’d recite as “You have made know to me the path of life” as if it were past tense. The force of it is more accurately rendered “You continually declare to me the path of life”. It is an on-going declaration of His goodness in our lives.

The Word of God continually lays out for us the pathway of life.

The Spirit of God constantly teaches us the pathway of life.

The fellowship of friends who love Jesus is His gift given which helps us walking in the right way.

The joy of the Father’s goodness and steadfast love (see verse 1) are also a constant declaration to our minds and souls so that veering to the right or to the left is leaving the boundary lines He has set in place for our blessing (verse 6). .

Yesterday I was driving a friend’s car. It has all the latest gadgets. Suddenly, there was a sharp, repetitive, ping. It was distracting. Then I realized what it was. The car’s warning system was alerting me that the car was starting to drift out of its lane. What an annoying sound. What a great reminder to stay in one’s lane.

When you realize the lack of such things as joy, the pleasure of the Word, or the fellowship of Christian friends, it ought to be like a sharp pinging in life which reminds you to get back into your lane in joyful obedience to God as He declares to you the path of life.

Our Father in heaven hallowed be Your Name. Thank You that You are the LORD and You are my Lord. Thank You for Your Spirit, Your Word, the grace You give me in Jesus, for the blessed fellowship with other Christians, and so many other pleasures at Your right hand, which keep me in my lane as I journey through this life. Continually declare to me the path of life so that the anticipation of the glorious life yet to come will increase in me. How wonderful are Your promises. How exciting that one day the pleasures I already enjoy with You now will be perfected and inestimably more wonderful in the strength of Your Spirit and by Jesus’ grace fully applied which will afford to me the joy of being with You, living in wonder and offering awestruck worship before the fiery splendor of Your holiness. Amen.

https://youtu.be/fmaEBfHJnCg “The King in All His Beauty”

Copyright © 2023 Sh'ma Christian Ministries, All rights reserved.

April 17, 2023 -- Psalm 16:1-2 -- The Psalm Series: the LORD the Source of all Good

People loved by the Father, in the Spirit's power: Sh'ma ~hear and obey Jesus!

Preserve me, O God, for in you I take refuge.
2 I say to the LORD, “You are my Lord;
    I have no good apart from you.”
Psalm 16:1-2 ESV

The old atheist question “If there is a good man who does not know God, why would a loving God condemn him to hell?” is answered by these first verses of Psalm 16. There is no good apart from the Living God. The only good in our life is to acknowledge the LORD—He Who makes covenant with His people and at great cost keeps those covenant promises. But how would the non-believer know this?

The heavens declare God’s glory (Psalm 19:1) and their testimony is available to all.

The complexity of human design proves there is a maker (Psalm 139:14). Cell phone manufacturers boast of their latest models and all its features. We are often amazed at what computing power is in our hands. These companies crow over their designs. We know these machines are designed. There is no way they ‘happened by chance and time’. And if you'd be so naïve to think that, you'd see the maker's stamp on it to correct your foolish notion. Yet a single cell in our bodies is far more complex. What a work of beauty each one is. Our very DNA bears our Maker's mark. If a cell phone has a maker (manufacturer) how much more does life have a designer?! He is God--the source of all good.

It is increasingly difficult to watch any movie or film. The Name of God is a cure. Interestingly and painfully, when the same one who curses is in trouble, there is an appeal to God. It is obvious men suppress the truth of God’s existence (Romans 1:28). Why else would they curse Him or cry out to Him? No one curses the Easter Bunny or the Tooth Fairy when they are in crisis.

When the Rich Young Ruler came to Jesus asking how to be saved, he began by calling Jesus “Good Teacher”. Jesus replied “No one is good except God alone”. (Luke 18:19). Jesus is affirming God the Father is the source of good. In conjunction with this Jesus is challenging the RYR to see standing before him Jesus, truly God, truly the Source of Good for all who believe.

Still the mercy of God beyond all description is seen in this fact, as long as men, atheists and believers alike, draw breath, God is good. He sends His rain on the just and the unjust. He gives life. He gives breath in our lungs and skills and abilities. Truly His goodness is infinite. As long as a man lives and breaths, he has every opportunity to acknowledge “apart from God I have no good”.

Our Father in heaven honoured and praised may Your Name be throughout all eternity. LORD, You are my Lord; I have no good apart from You! You make known to me the path of life; in Your presence is fullness of joy; at Your right hand are eternal pleasures forevermore. Amen.
(Based on Psalm 16:1,11) 

https://youtu.be/pCsC0CUH34I
When Morning Gilds the Sky

Copyright © 2023 Sh'ma Christian Ministries, All rights reserved.

April 16, 2023 -- Psalm 15 -- The Psalm Series: Worship at great cost

People loved by the Father, in the Spirit's power: Sh'ma ~ hear and obey Jesus!

A Psalm of David.

15 O LORD, who shall sojourn in your tent?
    Who shall dwell on your holy hill?

2 He who walks blamelessly and does what is right
    and speaks truth in his heart;
3 who does not slander with his tongue
    and does no evil to his neighbor,
    nor takes up a reproach against his friend;
4 in whose eyes a vile person is despised,
    but who honors those who fear the Lord;
who swears to his own hurt and does not change;
5 who does not put out his money at interest
    and does not take a bribe against the innocent.
He who does these things shall never be moved.

Psalm 15 ESV

It is Sunday. Those who are inclined to go to join with God’s people are getting prepared. There will be thoughts on what to eat before going and gathering with other Christians. There will be questions on what to wear. Perhaps some will wonder if there is enough time to go and get back before the family supper, or the game, or other events deemed important.

I wonder how many people are asking the most important question. The same question as did David—the writer of this Psalm? How many people are asking themselves if their walk is blameless? How many are asking: “have I done evil to my neighbour or expressed strong disapproval of my friend so that the relationship is fractured? How many are asking "who can sojourn" who can stay for a time with the LORD of Glory?

In Matthew 5 Jesus taught “if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there before the altar and go. First be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift” (Matthew 5:23-24ESV). It is a great privilege to worship the Father and one must worship Him in the fear of the LORD after having examined his own heart.

David is a man whose sins are well-documented in the Bible. What is also well-documented are his confessions. He confessed his sins. When he did not, his hard heart was humbled by his prophet, Nathan, whom the LORD had sent to confront him. The sacrifices David offered on the altar, sin offerings, all pointing to Jesus Christ. In Christ our sins are forgiven. In Christ we have the open path to being reconciled to God and then being reconciled to one another. This is not cheap grace. Jesus Christ lived a perfect life. No sin was found in Him. He became for us the Lamb of God Who takes away the sin of the world. Our sins were put on Him and His blamelessness was credited to us.

Before you go into the house of God, what do you need to make right with God? With your brother, your wife, your neighbour, or your friend?

Our Father in heaven hallowed be Your Name. Thank You for the work of Jesus in Whom we are reconciled to You by His death and through Whom we are presented to You as holy and blameless, above reproach1. Spirit of the Living God let Your Word penetrate deep into our heart, conscience and mind so that we will confess whatever hinders our walk with the Father thereby denying the Devil a foothold, and keeping the unity of peace among the family of God. Forgive us for our thoughtless worship and our worshipless thoughts. Renew a right spirit in us so that we will be the holy and blameless people You call us to be through the sacrifice of Jesus and this in the power of the Spirit. Amen.

1 from Colossians 1:22

https://youtu.be/UaSn2f2ejPM Henry Purcell “Remember Not, Lord, our Offences”

Copyright © 2023 Sh'ma Christian Ministries, All rights reserved.

April 14, 2023 -- Psalm 14:1-2 -- The Psalm Series: The knowability of the LORD

People loved by the Father, in the Spirit's power: Sh'ma ~ hear and obey Jesus!

To the choirmaster. Of David.

1The fool says in his heart, “There is no God.”
    They are corrupt, they do abominable deeds;
    there is none who does good.

2 The LORD looks down from heaven on the children of man,
    to see if there are any who understand,
    who seek after God.

Psalm 14:1-2 ESV

There is a very familiar atheist verbal sleight of hand which purports to give the reason people cannot know God. The atheist says imagine there is an elephant standing still and four blind men are there and one touches the trunk and another the tusk and so on. Each one based on the little bit it perceives does not interpret the whole to be an elephant because they only poorly sense a part of it. Here is the problem with that analogy.

First, it assumes the one telling the story knows it is an elephant. So the one telling this has a position of knowing more than the listener could.

Second it does not allow for the four men to communicate with one another and learn there is, in fact, an elephant standing right there.

Finally, the elephant cannot speak. In sharp contrast God does speak. He says, “I am God!”

Look at this Psalm. The LORD is inviting men and women to seek after Him. His creation declares His goodness. His Word is given so that blind men can hear and know Him. He has opened heaven and given His Son Jesus Christ, Who is the clearest communication of the Father’s love and “is the radiance of the glory of God” (Hebrews 1:3).

The atheist is willfully foolish; willfully denying the evidence of God’s nearness and denying the evidence of the creation, the Word and Jesus. Having determined there is no God, the atheist acts like a fool and his deed are wicked. The greatest wickedness is to live as if the God you know exists does not exist. No wonder there is great judgment that will fall on the man or woman who foolishly refuses to see Him and worship Him.

Our Father in heaven let Your Name be greatly revered in all the earth. You have declared Your splendor in the vast beauty of creation. By Your Spirit You spoke to prophets so that Your revelation has been made known. Mighty God of Glory, You have most clearly spoken through Jesus Christ, the heir of all things and the radiance of the Father's glory. Spirit of God, work mightily in us and through all of us who believe so that the Name of Jesus will be made known to all our circle of family and friends and ultimately to every part of the world. Increase our zeal to seek after You and know You so that we can worship You, triune God, in spirit and in truth. This we ask in Jesus' Name. Amen.

https://youtu.be/5XYeDpNndR0
"The Lord Almighty Reigns" Getty Music

Copyright © 2023 Sh'ma Christian Ministries, All rights reserved.

April 12, 2023 -- Psalm 13 -- The Psalm Series: the cycle of lament that leads to God's peace

People loved by the Father, in the Spirit's power: Sh'ma ~ hear and obey Jesus!

To the choirmaster. A Psalm of David.

 How long, O LORD? Will you forget me forever?
    How long will you hide your face from me?
2 How long must I take counsel in my soul
    and have sorrow in my heart all the day?
How long shall my enemy be exalted over me?

3 Consider and answer me, O LORD my God;
    light up my eyes, lest I sleep the sleep of death,
4 lest my enemy say, “I have prevailed over him,”
    lest my foes rejoice because I am shaken.

5 But I have trusted in your steadfast love;
    my heart shall rejoice in your salvation.
6 I will sing to the LORD,
    because he has dealt bountifully with me.

Psalm 13 ESV

Dear family in Jesus Christ, doesn’t it sometimes seem that sin and sorrow and the flood of wickedness hit you wave upon wave and there is no relief? How does one move from giving voice to appropriate lamentation—that is sorrow that fills the heart and mind— and then find one's way back to a sense of equilibrium? This Psalm shows us the cycle of lament.

The writer pours out his complaint (verses 1 & 2). These are general enough so that the congregation gathered who are learning this and singing it can fill in their own details. A cancer diagnosis? A huge financial loss? A friend’s death, untimely? In-fighting within the church? A friend’s stubborn refusal of the Gospel? The Devil’s old tricks tripping you up again? Pour this out in prayer.

Notice the change, this is petition (verses 3 & 4). The Psalm writer is asking for God’s help: answer me. Consider me. Look at my sorrows. The complaint moves to petition which is asking for God’s intervention.

The 5th verse is a vow of trust. In the past God the Faithful Father has always acted in love and in accordance with His goodness and based on this the people once again decide to place their trust in Him, knowing He will do so again. So the Psalmist makes a vow to consider all HIs previous acts of  salvation and let this be what his brain thinks about, rather than constantly rehearsing all the troubles he is facing. This is what breaks the pattern of complaint. It is focusing on God’s steadfast love. Consider the salvation of the LORD as shown in Jesus Christ and how He keeps in your heart by the power of the Spirit.

The final verse is the return to peace in the presence of the LORD, that is equilibrium. It is peace that passes understanding. Though the enemy rages, or death is near, or troubles arise, the LORD our God is our hope and song. No one can take this from us. When the next wave of hardship splashes up against the believer’s life, like a mighty flood, then the cycle begins again: complaint, petition, the vow of trust and return to equilibrium, peace which is anchored in God’s goodness.

Our Father in heaven hallowed be Your Name. Great are You and glorious in power. We choose to sing to You today. As You have acted in faithfulness and love so Your people are confident that the grace of Jesus Christ will flow in like a tide and wash away these light and momentary troubles we are experiencing. In view of eternity and the sanctifying work which Your Spirit is effecting in us, all the troubles of this life are small in comparison to the fact that You are the Warrior-God Who guards HIs people, now and for eternity. How worthy You are and greatly to be praised. Let our minds constantly review all Your mighty acts of salvation to the praise and glory of the Father and the building up of the mighty congregation of people who belong to Jesus. Amen.

https://youtu.be/TLPUYk1W1AE Getty Music "The Lord God Almighty Reigns"

Copyright © 2023 Sh'ma Christian Ministries, All rights reserved.

April 11, 2023 -- Psalm 12 -- The Psalm Series: A chorus calling for God's help

People loved by the Father, in the Spirit's power: Sh'ma ~ hear and obey Jesus!

To the choirmaster: according to The Sheminith. A Psalm of David.

Save, O LORD, for the godly one is gone;
    for the faithful have vanished from among the children of man.
2 Everyone utters lies to his neighbor;
    with flattering lips and a double heart they speak.

3 May the LORD cut off all flattering lips,
    the tongue that makes great boasts,
4 those who say, “With our tongue we will prevail,
    our lips are with us; who is master over us?”

5 “Because the poor are plundered, because the needy groan,
    I will now arise,” says the LORD;
    “I will place him in the safety for which he longs.”
6 The words of the LORD are pure words,
    like silver refined in a furnace on the ground,
    purified seven times.

7 You, O LORD, will keep them;
    you will guard us from this generation forever.
8 On every side the wicked prowl,
    as vileness is exalted among the children of man.

Psalm 12 ESV

Here we are again! Another Psalm which laments the pervasiveness of the wicked. The godless are so many it seems to the Psalm-writer as if “the faithfulness have vanished from among the children of man” (verse 1). Look at the notation above the beginning of the Psalm. There is an instruction for the choirmaster. That means this is a psalm that is meant to be sung by the people who have gathered for worship. It is something the people must learn and sing repeatedly. Why?

The recognition of the flood of wickedness will result in the people of God crying out the LORD. When people gather for worship they are prepared for the day of trouble when godlessness and temptations rise up and engulf them.

The judgment of God against the wicked will be measured out in full (verse 3). Either here on earth, or when Jesus Christ returns.

Those who are in poverty, helpless before those who are abusive in their power, will receive special attention from the LORD (verse 5).

The word of the LORD is completely trustworthy (verse 6). This emphasis is needed because the gap in time between the utterance of this prayer and the coming of the LORD’s justice can make it seem like the LORD is either not answering or listening.

This psalm keeps the believer from thinking characters in the Bible times had it easy. They' didn’t. One must always rely on the power of the Spirit to reveal the beauty of the Word of God—the written word and the Living Word, Jesus.

The response of Christians while facing great hardship is a testimony to the world that greater is He Who is in us than he who is in the world (I John 4:4).

Our Father in heaven blessed be Your Name. You are terrible in splendor. The godly receive Your protection while the godless will experience Your just and swift retribution. Savior of Your people arise and give the protection You have promised. LORD, Whose every word is trustworthy, send Your Spirit so that believers will once again be reminded of the words of Jesus and the greatness of the protection which is found in Him. Teach us as believers the appropriate fear of the LORD which keeps us from all wrong pathways. LORD of lords and King of kings, teach Your people faithfulness in gathering for worship, as well as the hope and blessedness to be found in ascribing to You the praise and honour due Your Name. Amen.

https://youtu.be/qF6aBDS3drA

He Lives! SE Samonte

 

Copyright © 2023 Sh'ma Christian Ministries, All rights reserved.

April 10, 2023 -- Psalm 11 -- The Psalm Series: the LORD's power in bewildering times

People loved by the Father, in the Spirit's power: Sh'ma ~ hear and obey Jesus!

To the choirmaster. Of David.

11 In the LORD I take refuge;
how can you say to my soul,
    “Flee like a bird to your mountain,
2 for behold, the wicked bend the bow;
    they have fitted their arrow to the string
    to shoot in the dark at the upright in heart;
3 if the foundations are destroyed,
    what can the righteous do?”

4 The LORD is in his holy temple;
    the LORD's throne is in heaven;
    his eyes see, his eyelids test the children of man.
5 The LORD tests the righteous,
    but his soul hates the wicked and the one who loves violence.
6 Let him rain coals on the wicked;
    fire and sulfur and a scorching wind shall be the portion of their cup.
7 For the LORD is righteous;
he loves righteous deeds;
    the upright shall behold his face.

Psalm 11 ESV

There is an expression that is commonly used which goes something like this: the LORD hates the sin but loves the sinner. According to Psalm 11 that expression is wrong. Look at verse 5. The LORD’s very soul, the core of Who He Is, hates the wicked and hates the one who loves violence. There is no wiggle room there.

Yesterday I was speaking with a dear young Christian who recently had been tested. He testified he had stepped out of the sheltering of the LORD by his own willfulness and when he realized the depths of his error he said he knew the appropriate fear of the LORD. If he, at that point, continued in his sin or committed worse sins, he’d know an even greater measure of the LORD’s just anger. How sobering that is. The LORD is awesome and terrible. In a very real sense believers are to be "scared straight" so that we do not toy with evil.

This Psalm was written a few thousand years ago, but it captures for us the bewilderment of our times. Back then, as today, what is right is mocked as wrong and all that is wrong and evil is celebrated as right. The foundations are being destroyed. Dear Christian, do not lose hope! Consider the power of God through-out all ages. His eyes see. Nothing escapes His notice. His eyelids test the children of men. So great is the power of His gaze that the merest blink of His eyes will bring to ruin and defeat the strongest of His (and our) enemies.

Look at the last verse. The LORD is righteous. His Son Jesus Christ is the Righteous One Who came and took the hot, fiery coals of God’s wrath on sin and the scorching wind of His fury so that all who look to Jesus will be saved. All who trust in Jesus are the upright ones. Their very nature has changed because of Jesus Christ. Hallelujah! What a Savior.

Our Father in heaven hallowed be Your Name! Thank You for the greatness of the salvation You have given in Jesus Christ. Thank You for Jesus’ grace that covers every area our existence and for the Holy Spirit Who applies the work of Jesus to our lives so that in Him we are a new creation. Holy God, preserve Your people. Purify us from all unrighteousness. O LORD, seated in power in the heavens, break the power of sin and wickedness that has a choke-hold on so many of our friends and family members. Give to them the freedom that is found in Jesus Christ alone. Resurrected Jesus, let Your the fame of Your glory cover this earth as the waters cover the sea. Amen.

https://youtu.be/oN77HjfAc8k
"Up from the Grave He Arose" Islington Baptist Church

Copyright © 2023 Sh'ma Christian Ministries, All rights reserved.

April 9, 2023 -- Mark 16:1-8 -- Jesus Christ is risen! He is risen indeed!

People loved by the Father, in the Spirit's power: Sh'ma ~ hear and obey Jesus!

 When the Sabbath was past, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome bought spices, so that they might go and anoint him. 2 And very early on the first day of the week, when the sun had risen, they went to the tomb. 3 And they were saying to one another, “Who will roll away the stone for us from the entrance of the tomb?” 4 And looking up, they saw that the stone had been rolled back—it was very large. 5 And entering the tomb, they saw a young man sitting on the right side, dressed in a white robe, and they were alarmed. 6 And he said to them, “Do not be alarmed. You seek Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified. He has risen; he is not here. See the place where they laid him. 7 But go, tell his disciples and Peter that he is going before you to Galilee. There you will see him, just as he told you.” 8 And they went out and fled from the tomb, for trembling and astonishment had seized them, and they said nothing to anyone, for they were afraid.
Mark 16:1-8 ESV

He is risen! He is risen indeed! This phrase usually spoken by the minister is then picked up by the gathered congregation. All our Christian faith hangs on this truth, Jesus Christ is risen.

• Because Jesus is risen the Father’s promises are shown and proven to be yes and Amen.

• Because Jesus is risen believers have new life.

• Because Jesus is risen we are assured the Father knew the worst of our condition, sent His Son, the Lamb of God Who takes away the sin of the world and by His Spirit we are constantly assured nothing will ever separate us from the Father.

• Because Jesus is risen believers have a message to tell the whole world.

The women went away from the tomb afraid. No wonder. They’d seen an angel who stands in the presence of God. They’d expected Jesus to be dead, but He learned that He is alive. Whenever the power of God breaks into the story of our lives there is fear, because everything is new. Nothing will ever be the same again. It takes time for the terror of fear to become the appropriate fear of God and wonder-filled reverence walking in His way.

Our Father in heaven hallowed and blessed be Your Name. Your Son is risen through Your glory and believers have life forevermore. Glory and wisdom, power and strength, honour and blessing belong to You, Triune God, now and forever more! Let the wondrous news of Jesus’ resurrection be boldly proclaimed in pulpits across our land so that battered souls, fast-bound by the chains of sin, may find the freedom which can only be found in You, God. Amen.

https://youtu.be/WSs4_vc0pq0 “Christ the Lord Is Risen Today” Martijn de Groot

Copyright © 2023 Sh'ma Christian Ministries, All rights reserved.

April 8, 2023 -- Psalm 10:10-18 -- The Psalm Series: Waiting

People loved by the Father, in the Spirit's power: Sh'ma ~ hear and obey Jesus!

The helpless are crushed, sink down,
    and fall by his might.
11 He says in his heart, “God has forgotten,
    he has hidden his face, he will never see it.”
12 Arise, O LORD; O God, lift up your hand;
    forget not the afflicted.
13 Why does the wicked renounce God
    and say in his heart, “You will not call to account”?
14 But you do see, for you note mischief and vexation,
    that you may take it into your hands;
to you the helpless commits himself;
    you have been the helper of the fatherless.
15 Break the arm of the wicked and evildoer;
    call his wickedness to account till you find none.
16 The LORD is king forever and ever;
    the nations perish from his land.
17 O LORD, you hear the desire of the afflicted;
    you will strengthen their heart; you will incline your ear
18 to do justice to the fatherless and the oppressed,
    so that man who is of the earth may strike terror no more.
Psalm 10:10-18 ESV

Waiting. That is Holy Saturday—the day between Good Friday and the celebration of Jesus’ resurrection from the dead. It is a day of waiting. Doesn’t it seem God’s people are always waiting? It is hard to wait when so much is going on. Today it is as it was for the people in Psalm 10; the people are facing hardship and cry out and wonder: “has God forgotten us?”

Think of the Exodus. When the people cried out, the assurance was given: God heard (chapter 2). They were as good as delivered. Pharoah was defeated. However, their deliverance from Egypt didn’t happen until ten chapters later, at 12:33 and following. It is already and not yet. The promises of God are already given, and are solid and reliable. However, the people have yet to experience it. They still lived through tremendous hardships until they saw the day of their exodus.

Holy Saturday exemplifies this as well. Jesus’ death has atoned for our sins. The Devil is disarmed, but the final victory of His resurrection is a day away. Symbolically we live in the already and not yet. Jesus came. Jesus suffered. Jesus died. He is risen. But mockers mock on. The helpless are crushed by evil doers. The Day of Judgment is at hand. All who are awaiting the full manifestation of Jesus’ majesty and glory know the day is near. It is like Holy Saturday. The day of waiting. But God’s deliverance and salvation is sure. It is near. Jesus will be revealed to all. Strengthen your heart, incline your ear, Jesus Christ is coming soon.

Our Father in heaven hallowed, blessed and honoured be Your Name now and forevermore. Thank You for the glorious salvation already given in Jesus Christ. As we await His coming on the clouds of glory, by Your Spirit make the word living in us and profoundly reassuring as we live through these of anticipation. Strengthen Your people facing persecution. Encourage the hearts of those who are discouraged. Revive Your people who are already called Your beloved sons and daughters and but are yet waiting for the fullest expression of that magnificent truth. Amen.

https://youtu.be/4s0Zb189Sco Chris Tomlin “Even So Come”

Copyright © 2023 Sh'ma Christian Ministries, All rights reserved.

April 7, 2023 -- Psalm 9:16 -- The Psalm Series: Just judgment on Good Friday

People loved by the Father, in the Spirit's power: Sh'ma ~ hear and obey Jesus!

The LORD has made himself known; he has executed judgment;
    the wicked are snared in the work of their own hands.
Psalm 9:16 ESV

It seems today has the oddest name of any day on the Christian calendar. It is “Good Friday”. How can it be good that Jesus died? How can it be good that the Israelites mocked Him, soldiers gambled for His clothes and the Savior of the world died?

First, as the text notes, the Father, the LORD, Who keeps His promises forever, shows there is judgment for the wicked.

Second this judgment was poured on Jesus Christ. So that all who believe in Him are forgiven and reconciled to the Father by the power of the Holy Spirit.

Third the wicked who refuse Him, who ignore Him, who trust in the lies of the atheists and mockers around them they will be snared by the work of their own hands and will face an eternity of punishment.

So this day is Good Friday because Christ fulfilled the Father’s promise to rescue a people for Himself. This is Good Friday because those who believe in Him tremble at their sins which brought the Lord of Glory to the cruel cross. It is Good Friday because believers see in the sacrifice the heinousness of their sins and the need for the Spirit’s work to bring new life to them. Finally, it is Good because wickedness and sin will be punished. So much injustice is happening in the world around us. There will come a day when the Savior will right all wrongs. Pause and think about that. All wrongs that weren’t answered at the cross will be brought to right at the Judgment Seat when Jesus separates His followers out from His haters and detractors. It is Good Friday today, believers be renewed in your holy zeal to be vulnerable to the Spirit's work in bringing your new life in Christ to be more and more evident to others around you and let your words and your deeds bring honour and praise to the Father Who has made Himself known.

Our Father in heaven, hallowed be Your Name. Let the victory You planned for this Good Friday make its way past my mental defenses and knock down the walls which surround my hardened heart. Spirit of God let the victory of Jesus, disarming the accusations of the Devil at the cross, so strengthen my confident trust in Jesus that I will, wholeheartedly, now and forever, serve Him to the honour and praise of the Father. Amen.

https://youtu.be/7T8qwVjfvms

Johnny Cash “Were You There”

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April 6, 2023 -- Psalm 9:7-10 -- The Psalm Series: the problem of our lack of righteousness and the Father's extravagant gift

People loved by the Father, in the Spirit's power: Sh'ma ~ hear and obey Jesus!

But the Lord sits enthroned forever;
    he has established his throne for justice,
8 and he judges the world with righteousness;
    he judges the peoples with uprightness.

9 The Lord is a stronghold for the oppressed,
    a stronghold in times of trouble.
10 And those who know your name put their trust in you,
    for you, O Lord, have not forsaken those who seek you.

Psalm 9:7-10 ESV

The opening line of the reading today is definitive, from eternity to eternity the LORD sits enthroned forever. Nothing can shake His power. Nothing can challenge His dominion. By way of contrast, the people are judged. The people are found to fall short of the justice and righteousness His kingdom demands.

     There are two reasons why man cannot work out for himself a
     righteousness by perfectly obeying the law. He has already sinned
     and the wages of sin is death (Romans 3:23; 6:23). And even if
     all former debts should be blotted out, yet man is still unable to fulfil
     the law. ‘By works of the law, no flesh shall be justified.’ Man’s flesh,
     weakened by sin, cannot walk in perfect obedience to the law.

     So convinced of his utter inability to make himself righteous by the
     law, man turns to some other way by which he can please God.
     Papists turn to buying works of supererogation and indulgences, to
     penances and to purgatory. This Paul calls a seeking for righteous-
     ness ‘as it were by the works of the law’ (Romans 9:32). They did
     not try and obey the law itself, ‘but as it were’ by the works of the
     law, substituting one thing for another. ‘By doing this,’ says Paul,
     they proved themselves enemies to God’s righteousness
     (Romans 10:3). They were enemies to God’s righteousness
     because they tried to establish their own righteousness. And they
     tried to establish their own self-righteousness because they were
     ignorant of God’s righteousness.
     John Owen (abridged, made easier to read by J. K. Law)

Simply put, God’s righteous is too lofty, too unattainable for people. Aware of this all kinds of other means of putting ourselves forward as righteous are being used. Supererogation in Roman Catholic theology is the heretical belief that some people’s righteousness exceeds God’s lawful demands, and a pope can collect the extra and dole it out as he deems appropriate. It is on a grand scale, what many of us try in our own hearts. We negotiate with God. If I do this or that, then God will be satisfied with me. We ignore all our sinful condition. We ignore the fact that our starting place is as those who are guilty before God, without any righteousness or justice, or plea.

This is why Good Friday and Easter are such a delight to the people of God. On Good Friday the Father put on Jesus the sinfulness and sinful deeds of fallen man, and Jesus was punished in our place. On Easter Sunday Jesus rose through the glory of the Father so that we may walk in newness of life (Romans 6:4)., that is, in the righteousness the Father has given us through the sacrifice of Jesus. The Spirit of God applies this to the hearts of those who are oppressed and troubled by their godless and unrighteous standing before God.

Those who know they have no righteousness and no possibility of being righteous before the Father run to Him. The Spirit uses the Word to awaken in us the awareness of our sin-oppressed and troubled state and shows us the extended hand of the Father’s mercy and love. Running to the Father we find in Him a welcome that clothes us in Christ’s righteousness and a confidence that the roaring of that old defeated lion the Devil (I Peter 5:8) cannot shake. In Jesus Christ we have a righteousness that matches all the Father’s requirements. By the Spirit’s work this garment of praise, this robe of splendour and great beauty, is wrapped around us until death is defeated and we see God, the Light of Life.

Our Father in heaven, hallowed be Your Name, O King in beauty and exalted in majesty. Who is a God like You?! Pardoning iniquity and passing over transgressions and delighting to show Your steadfast love to all Your people. This through the inexpressibly rich gift of Jesus Christ and His blood. You have shown Your faithfulness to Israel and then to all the nations and showered out Your steadfast love on all the sons of Abraham and those adopted into his family by the grace of Jesus Christ. 

https://youtu.be/TFPyyNNcYP0 “All Creatures of Our God and King” Shane and Shane

Copyright © 2023 Sh'ma Christian Ministries, All rights reserved.

April 4, 2023 -- Psalm 8 -- The Psalm Series: Jesus as the Crown of creation and our restoration in Him

People loved by the Father, in the Spirit's power: Sh'ma ~ hear and obey Jesus!

To the choirmaster: according to The Gittith. A Psalm of David.

8 O LORD, our Lord,
    how majestic is your name in all the earth!
You have set your glory above the heavens.
2     Out of the mouth of babies and infants,
you have established strength because of your foes,
    to still the enemy and the avenger.

3 When I look at your heavens, the work of your fingers,
    the moon and the stars, which you have set in place,
4 what is man that you are mindful of him,
    and the son of man that you care for him?

5 Yet you have made him a little lower than the heavenly beings
    and crowned him with glory and honor.
6 You have given him dominion over the works of your hands;
    you have put all things under his feet,
7 all sheep and oxen,
    and also the beasts of the field,
8 the birds of the heavens, and the fish of the sea,
    whatever passes along the paths of the seas.

9 O LORD, our Lord,
    how majestic is your name in all the earth!

Psalm 8 ESV

Creation is so heart-thrillingly beautiful. Each morning I love to watch the sun begin to rise. The first herald of its approach is the lessening of the darkness and a hint of colour at the distant edges of the sky. Then there are pinks and oranges that accompany the dawn. So beautiful. Sometimes the moon is just heading off the stage of the sky as the sun begins to make its appearance. The LORD of Splendor and Glory has created this.

As you follow the lines of this Psalm something else finds its way into your imagination. Though you might peer into the heavens on a dark night and see stars and galaxies and planets and feel yourself puny in comparison, of no significance whatsoever, under the inspiration of the Spirit David reminds the people of God we have been crowned with glory and honour. Mankind is the pinnacle of creation, given dominion at the command of God, as stewards of creation. Though all the heavens declare His glory, yet it is His people who bring Him praise that outshines the complexities of the universe and the plumage of peacocks.

Our sinfulness erases our sense of our place in God’s order of things. Yet the Majestic One of heaven has sent His Son to still the enemy and the avenger. The accusations of the Devil are without a basis because Jesus Christ took on flesh, though sinless, He was punished in our place. His death put our sins and the punished we deserved for them was left in the grave, never to rise again. Jesus’ resurrection through the Father’s glory means all who believe in Jesus rise to newness of life, leaving all those sins and the punishment for them behind, and are restored as the crown of creation with Christ as the King, Captain of our Salvation.

Our Father in heaven hallowed be Your Name! O LORD, our Lord, with the psalmist and believers throughout the generations we declare the majesty of Your Name! Thank You for the indescribably magnificent work of Jesus Christ by Whose sacrifice many sons and daughters have been adopted into Your great family. Spirit of the Living God move our stubborn hearts from self-focus and self-indulgence to the place where Christ fills our thoughts and desires so that in His established strength we rise up to serve Him with our hands and voices and hearts and this to the glory and praise of the Father, the Majestic One.

https://youtu.be/If-svStcvS8 “Crown Him with Many Crowns”

Copyright © 2023 Sh'ma Christian Ministries, All rights reserved.

April 3, 2023 -- Psalm 7 -- The Psalm Series: Fighting off enemies and the temptation to bitterness

People loved by the Father, in the Spirit's power: Sh'ma ~ hear and obey Jesus!

Behold, the wicked man conceives evil
    and is pregnant with mischief
    and gives birth to lies.
15 He makes a pit, digging it out,
    and falls into the hole that he has made.
16 His mischief returns upon his own head,
    and on his own skull his violence descends.
17 I will give to the LORD the thanks due to his righteousness,
    and I will sing praise to the name of the LORD, the Most High.
Psalm 7:14-17 ESV

At the start of the Psalm David proclaimed he would take refuge in the LORD. He was pursued by enemies, and his own son rose up in rebellion against him. He wrestled in his heart for purity toward God. It is easy to get bitter. It is easy to curse your enemy and then begin to plot evil against those who have offended you. That is not the way of God. David examined his heart first, then he called on the judgment of God against those who were sinning against him. These last verses need careful attention.

In verse 8 David declared “The LORD judges the peoples”. In David’s day there were offerings for guilt. As New Testament Christians we know Jesus is the Lamb of God Who takes away our sin. A man who confesses his wrong knows the judgment of God has fallen on Christ and the believer is judged righteous by the same sacrifice of Jesus. A man who is been embattled by people rising up against him, must be careful to call out for God’s help and salvation, while not sinning by forming hatred against those who are opposing him. To foment hate in your heart another human is to ignore the precious blood of Jesus which flowed for you. Don’t do it. That is why David concluded this Psalm by declaring his praise to God and thanking Him for the righteousness he has received. Without such righteousness the heart would shrivel up and begin to commit the same wrongs which non-believers commit and thereby to give room to the devil in your heart.

Blessed and honoured be Your Name, O Father of Heavenly Lights. Thank You for the rich salvation You have lavished on us in Jesus Christ. Thank You, King of kings and Lord of lords for the freedom You have given us from all the wiles, cords and traps of the Devil. Spirit of the Living God, bring us to the rescue of God our LORD and guard our minds from plotting evil and our hearts from violence. You, Triune God, are the shield of all who believe; You save the upright in heart. Thank You for the multi-faceted salvation which brings the Light of Jesus Christ into every area of life formerly governed by darkness. With believers through-out the centuries we declare to You: “I will give to the LORD the thanks due to His righteousness, and I will sing praise to the Name of the LORD, Most High”.

https://youtu.be/XNo3ctmdn3c "Praise the Savior Now and Ever" Green Carpet Players

Copyright © 2023 Sh'ma Christian Ministries, All rights reserved.

April 1, 2023 -- Psalm 7:1-5 -- The Psalm Series: can you truly say your hands are clean, innocent?

People loved by the Father, in the Spirit's power: Sh'ma ~ hear and obey Jesus!

A Shiggaion of David, which he sang to the Lord concerning the words of Cush, a Benjaminite.

O LORD my God, in you do I take refuge;
    save me from all my pursuers and deliver me,
2 lest like a lion they tear my soul apart,
    rending it in pieces, with none to deliver.

3 O LORD my God, if I have done this,
    if there is wrong in my hands,
4 if I have repaid my friend with evil
    or plundered my enemy without cause,
5 let the enemy pursue my soul and overtake it,
    and let him trample my life to the ground
    and lay my glory in the dust. Selah
Psalm 7:1-5 ESV

Here’s the kicker in these opening verses of Psalm 7, David has done wrong. He slept with the wife of one of his closest friends, his mighty general Uriah. He committed this wickedness while Uriah was off fighting one of David’s wars. Yes, he had done wrong. But Psalm 51, and the passages of II Samuel 11 through 12:25 show the sin, the exposing of the sin by the prophet’s words, and importantly show David's confession and humbling. The LORD had taken away David’s sin. However, the LORD did tell David there would be lasting consequences to his sinful act. David brought great trouble on his own household. Those troubles meant he’d always be compelled to turn to the LORD in humility and fear and expectation that the LORD would help.

As one who learned the power of forgiveness, David learned to keep short accounts with the LORD His God. When he sinned, he confessed. God knew He had chosen him not because he was perfect, or exceptional in any way but this one: David was a man after God’s own heart. When David’s sin was revealed, he confessed it. He owned his wrongs and asked God for help and healing. And David’s sins were many. And God’s mercy is more. Always more.

When David’s son Absalom rose up in rebellion against David and tried to take his throne, David fled from Jerusalem. A Benjaminite, Shimei, cursed David resoundingly. The former king, Saul, was from the tribe of Benjamin. David prevented his soldiers from taking revenge on Shimei musing out loud that his own son was trying to kill him, why should not this man curse him, if this is what God has appointed him to do so?

So this Psalm exposes David’s profession of innocence. David knew all his wrong-doing. In this instance he knew his hands were clean and if it were not so, Absalom would gain the victory and David’s life would be thrown down. David’s righteousness and cleanness of hand and heart came from his devotion to the LORD. There is no other refuge. There is no other soul-cleansing, spirit-reviving healing than the forgiveness of the Father given through the sacrifice of Jesus! No wonder it is in the LORD, and Jesus His Son, in Whom our souls take refuge. Blessed be the LORD our God, now and forevermore.

Our Father in heaven hallowed and blessed be Your Name--now and forevermore. Oh LORD my God, if there is wrong in my hands, if there is sin in my heart, lodged there unconfessed, I confess it now. Thank You for the true freedom given in Christ alone. Lead me in the way everlasting. Through the power of Your Spirit I'm thanking You, God, You make all things right. I'm singing Your fame, the glory and blessedness of the Heaven-High God, Who is always praise-worthy. Amen.

https://youtu.be/W5EUvOnQr4Y

His Mercy Is More — Matt Papa

Copyright © 2023 Sh'ma Christian Ministries, All rights reserved.

March 31, 2023 -- Psalm 6 -- The Psalm Series: Cries and Tears and Victory

People loved by the Father, in the Spirit's power: Sh'ma ~ hear and obey Jesus!

To the choirmaster: with stringed instruments; according to The Sheminith. 

A Psalm of David.

O LORD, rebuke me not in your anger,
    nor discipline me in your wrath.
2 Be gracious to me, O LORD, for I am languishing;
    heal me, O LORD, for my bones are troubled.
3 My soul also is greatly troubled.
    But you, O LORD—how long?

4 Turn, O LORD, deliver my life;
    save me for the sake of your steadfast love.
5 For in death there is no remembrance of you;
    in Sheol who will give you praise?

6 I am weary with my moaning;
    every night I flood my bed with tears;
    I drench my couch with my weeping.
7 My eye wastes away because of grief;
    it grows weak because of all my foes.

8 Depart from me, all you workers of evil,
    for the Lord has heard the sound of my weeping.
9 The LORD has heard my plea;
    the LORD accepts my prayer.
10 All my enemies shall be ashamed and greatly troubled;
    they shall turn back and be put to shame in a moment.
Psalm 6 ESV

Why did King David, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, write this Psalm? If you are following along in this Psalm series you’ll likely have noticed how many laments, or psalms of tears and crying out to God, are already among these introductory psalms. Is it sickness that makes him cry out? Some commentators on the psalms believe it is and look at the verses 2 and 6. Maybe it is his enemies, as in verse 8.

The LORD our God, in His providential mercy, has provided words for people whose hearts are overwhelmed. It might be the discipline of the LORD, appropriately poured out because of the sins of the one praying or singing this Psalm (see verse 1). It might be weariness for the onslaught of enemies (physical people who taunt, or demonic attacks, or the torment of familiar temptations). Know this, beloved people of the Father, when one belongs to God the Triune, the new nature that takes hold of you will fight against the old nature with its pattern of sins and formerly habitual temptations. Christ has come to bring life and bring such life to the full (John 10:10). The Spirit of God is given to live within the believer, so that the LORD hears and accepts our pleas and prayers (verse 9).

Dear fellow believers, do not give up. No matter the troubles and trials you face today, know that Christians and fellow believers have battled the same through-out the generations. In Jesus Christ there is victory. Cry out to Jesus, at His throne of grace (Hebrews 4:16). Know that your battle for purity and holiness honours God the Father, is fought in the strength of the Spirit and Christ, the Captain of Salvation will lead you into victory. Keep up the good fight of faith.

Our Father in heaven hallowed be Your Name. You are worthy of praise and adoration as the Father of steadfast love Who hears the prayers and pleas of His people. Thank You for the Spirit Who has been given as the guarantee of Your salvific work in the life of believers. Thank You Jesus for the freedom believers have to approach the throne of grace and pour out our sorrows and griefs in the full assurance that Yours is the throne of Victory for all who believe. Oh, Precious Savior, let the words of this Psalm today dig deep into our hearts so that we will believe Your Spirit inspired King David to write them, the people through-out the ages to sing them, with the full assurance You hear, You help and You heal so that the people loved by the Father will experience Your glorious deliverance now and fully through-out the wondrous bliss of eternity. Amen.

https://youtu.be/D3xlq2L0hcs
Guy Penrod "Victory in Jesus"

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March 29, 2023 -- Psalm 5:1-6 -- The Psalm Series: Morning Praise

People loved by the Father, in the Spirit's power: Sh'ma ~ hear and obey Jesus!

Give ear to my words, O LORD;
    consider my groaning.
2 Give attention to the sound of my cry,
    my King and my God,
    for to you do I pray.
3 O LORD, in the morning you hear my voice;
    in the morning I prepare a sacrifice for you and watch.

4 For you are not a God who delights in wickedness;
    evil may not dwell with you.
5 The boastful shall not stand before your eyes;
    you hate all evildoers.
6 You destroy those who speak lies;
    the LORD abhors the bloodthirsty and deceitful man.
Psalm 5:1-6 ESV

In ancient times, the priests offered a morning sacrifice and an evening sacrifice—the blood of a lamb at each time of sacrifice and 2 liters of fine flour. Now that the blood of Jesus Christ has been offered, no other blood is necessary. Hebrews teaches Christians now bring the sacrifice of praise (Hebrews 13:15-16). It is so fitting to the reading.

It is tempting to start the day grumpily. It is tempting to see what is wrong and going against you and then  react with frustration or anger, rather than yielding your whole life to Him Who is the shield of His people (verse 12). The man who is blessed of God begins his day, and ends it, looking to the LORD His God. He expresses his faith. He sings his hope. He studies the word of God knowing that the LORD God is his strength and song.

The fear of the LORD is rooted in the fact that God will destroy the liar and the blood-thirsty. It is a holy warning that the believer preaches to his own heart. It is vital that Christians banish all wickedness from their lives for one must never on the one hand bless God and on the other act deceitfully. In the morning, offer up to the LORD, the sacrifice of praise by that action you are committing the day and every circumstance in it unto the glory of the LORD in the confidence of His goodness.

Our Father in heaven hallowed and honoured be Your Name, now and forevermore. With the saints of ages past and the great company of believers today, I lift up my voice this morning and praise You. You are the God of our salvation. You are the shield and very great reward of Your people—this is so extravagantly and perfectly displayed in Jesus Christ. Thank You for the Spirit Whom You have placed in Your people so that we are led in righteousness. Let the words of our mouths and the actions of our hands be pleasing in Your sight, O LORD, our God. Amen.
https://youtu.be/TFPyyNNcYP0
Shane and Shane "All Creatures of our God and King"

Copyright © 2023 Sh'ma Christian Ministries, All rights reserved.

March 27, 2023 -- Psalm 4:1-5 -- The Psalm Series: a Biblical answer to revenge

People loved by the Father, in the Spirit's power: Sh'ma ~ hear and obey Jesus!

Answer me when I call, O God of my righteousness!
    You have given me relief when I was in distress.
    Be gracious to me and hear my prayer!

2 O men, how long shall my honor be turned into shame?
    How long will you love vain words and seek after lies? Selah
3 But know that the LORD has set apart the godly for himself;
    the LORD hears when I call to him.

4 Be angry, and do not sin;
    ponder in your own hearts on your beds, and be silent. Selah
5 Offer right sacrifices,
    and put your trust in the LORD.

Psalm 4:1-5 ESV

Psalm 1 has that calming assurance “the LORD knows the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked will perish” (Psalm 1:6 ESV). For the rest of the Book of Psalms, there will be many stanzas of lament, men crying out to the Living God struggling against circumstances which seem to negate this promise. Interestingly, it is the hard circumstances of our lives, the pains and frustrations that drive us to prayer and show to us the depths of the Father’s knowledge of our ways and His attentiveness to our needs. It is proven to us once again “Every good and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change” (James 1:17 ESV). Thus, even our heaviest burdens are designed to bring to us the righteousness of Christ whereby the goodness of our Father will be most exquisitely known. The Spirit of God will keep you at the spout where the grace of God pours out and the Kingdom of God is brought to fruition there.

Fight the temptation to ponder or speak to your heart possibilities of revenge. Our wounds and pains may lead us to stoke an anger that gets hotter all the time. It is fueled by thoughts of how to pay back sevenfold the harms done. The Psalmist reminds himself, and all who recite this, to fight that temptation and instead offer right gifts:

• looking to the God of our righteousness (not calling to the basest desires of flesh) verse 1a.

• remembering His past mercies and help verse 1b

• praying to God, where such communion with Him reminds us flesh and blood are not the enemy, but the Devil and his demonic hordes are stirring warfare among those who are stamped with the image of God verse 1c.

Dear Christian family, the example of Jesus Christ is one that must transform our ways of living. Even as He was crucified He did not curse those who nailed Him to the cross, or who’d called for His death. He called to His Father in heaven, “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do” (Luke 23:34 ESV). As long as a man or woman draws breath there is the possibility he will repent and find forgiveness full and free in the powerful Name of Jesus.

Selah. Think about that. Ponder it in your heart. Ask the Spirit of God to help you live as a new creation in Jesus Christ.

Our Father in heaven, God of our righteousness, You are the One Who brings relief to His people. We confess how often we have considered ways to hurt or undermine the very people who have made our life hard or miserable rather than calling out to You as the One Who brings relief. Forgive our stubbornness. Thank You for the repetitiveness of the Psalms, and the Scriptures, which highlight our sins and thereby put into glorious contrast the excellencies of Your ways. Teach us again to look to You for our righteousness and healing. When the struggle is particularly long bring to mind all Your past loving-kindnesses, help and avenues of rescue, so that the spiritual fruit of patience has a chance to mature within us. Teach us the discipline of unceasing prayer so that those who seem to be our enemies now may be won to Jesus Christ and by the dynamic presence of Your Spirit join us as soldiers for the cross of Jesus Christ. Amen.

https://youtu.be/j-k32dEKrsk Nathan Pacheco “Come, Thou Fount of Every Blessing”

Copyright © 2023 Sh'ma Christian Ministries, All rights reserved.

March 25, 2023 -- Psalm 3:7-8 -- The Psalm Series: Salvation belongs to the LORD

People loved by the Father, in the Spirit's power: Sh'ma ~ hear and obey Jesus!

Arise, O LORD!
   Save me, O my God!
For you strike all my enemies on the cheek;
   You break the teeth of the wicked.
Salvation belongs to the LORD;
   Your blessing be on your people! Selah
Psalm 3:7-8 ESV

When an enemy hurts you or a friend betrays, isn’t it tempting to want revenge? It is easy to start thinking about all the ways in which you can throw that person down and humiliate him. You might find yourself nursing cruel thoughts of their downfall and laughing at any trouble that hits them. Look closely at the text today. David is calling on God to exact judgment. David is asking his God to rescue him and to measure out the exact and appropriate amount of justice against his enemies.

This is a common theme in the Bible. The LORD declares over His covenant people:

“Vengeance is Mine, and recompense,
   for the time when their foot shall slip;
for the day of their calamity is at hand,
   and their doom comes swiftly.
Deuteronomy 32:35 ESV

and this passage:

Rejoice with Him, O heavens;
   bow down to Him, all gods,
for He avenges the blood of His children
   and takes vengeance on His adversaries.
He repays those who hate Him
   and cleanses His people’s land.
Deuteronomy 32:43 ESV

So what is a proper response to the betrayal by friends and the wounds of enemies? Pray for those who persecute you (Mathew 5:44). Hell is a terror The culture all around us has numbed us to the reality of the horrors of eternal punishment. A former enemy who becomes a brother in Christ by your urgent prayers is won for the glory of God. His salvation will have many people singing for joy! Furthermore, your Father in heaven sustained your life, kept you from death, and led you to Himself while you hated Him. How much more ought you, in view of His mercy, to extend His never-ending kindness to all those around you. His perfect love drives out fear (I John 4:18).

Suffering for the sake of righteousness is what believers are called to endure. Believers are not greater than Jesus. If Jesus, your Master suffered, then as His followers you must expect to suffer (John 15:20). Yet such suffering purifies the follower of Jesus. Such suffering confirms you belong to Him. Such suffering can convince the wicked of the salvation that belongs to God and to Him alone.

Our Father in heaven, salvation belongs to You! You are forever honoured and hallowed, blessed and beautiful. Thank You for the rich grace You have given in Jesus Christ, through Whom Your anger has turned away and by Whom You continue to call lost and wandering sheep to Yourself. Spirit of God, cause Your people to live up to the new life that is given in Jesus Christ, so that in humility Your people will turn the other cheek when the enemy strikes, Your people kneel in prayer, and seek the salvation of every enemy. This is beyond unaided human capacity. Spirit of the Living God, fill Your people will the new life is that promised in Jesus Christ, cause the fruit of this new life to be abundant and evident, this as the ever-growing reward of Christ's work and to the everlasting glory of the Father. Amen.

https://youtu.be/8l8_rmvo6kg "I know that my redeemer lives" Getty and ft Laura Story

Copyright © 2023 Sh'ma Christian Ministries, All rights reserved.

March 24, 2023 -- Psalm 3:1-6 -- The Psalm Series: The LORD a Shield around us

People loved by the Father, in the Spirit's power: Sh'ma ~ hear and obey Jesus!

O Lord, how many are my foes!
    Many are rising against me;
2 many are saying of my soul,
    “There is no salvation for him in God.” Selah

3 But you, O Lord, are a shield about me,
    my glory, and the lifter of my head.
4 I cried aloud to the Lord,
    and he answered me from his holy hill. Selah

5 I lay down and slept;
    I woke again, for the Lord sustained me.
6 I will not be afraid of many thousands of people
    who have set themselves against me all around.

Psalm 3:1-6 ESV

Think about it. How many things mess with your sleep?! Worry can make you toss and turn and wake constantly. When you know you have people who are out to get you it can make your stomach sour and your head ache driving sleep from you. Look at what David is experiencing. The taunts of people who masqueraded as friends which proved to be so cruel. That threatens to shatter his sleep. It is all the more personal a betrayal and insult as well, since it is Absalom, his own son, who rose up against David and sent him packing from Jerusalem.

Look at the confidence King David had, even while on the run. The LORD is his shield. Think of Ephesians 6 where the shield of faith can extinguish all the fiery darts and arrows of the enemy. God Himself is the glory, that is, the victory for David. No matter what happened to him, throne restored or not, David knew his present and future were secure in the LORD.

The word “Selah” means repeat. Pause. Reflect. Let the words you have read soak in and know the LORD and His goodness as it is recalled by one who experienced it.

The LORD of heaven and earth gave to David the sweet refreshment of sleep. It was the sign of His blessing on David, even if his circumstances had not changed at all, the LORD is in control. The LORD’s purposes would be accomplished. What are you going through right now? What trials and problems? Perhaps, like David, the messes you’re waist-deep in right now are mostly of your own making. Or maybe not. Perhaps you have acted in innocence and enemies rose up anyways, opposing you because they hate Jesus. Know this: God has not abandoned you. In the storm and in all suffering, He is here.

O LORD, You are a shield all around me!
You are my glory, my victory, my hope and song!
You are the lifter of my head, so that I am not bent over in discouragement, but can see You and know You are near.
As you have answered in the past, O LORD, answer now, for the sake of Jesus, Your anointed One, our Champion. By Your Spirit, lead us in the way we should go, until Your mercy, and grace, and peace lead us into victory over all the circumstances of our lives and You, O God Most Beautiful, fill all our vision. Amen.

https://youtu.be/ohLfJDKSv0U
Casting Crowns—Praise You in this Storm (Acoustic Version)

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