Category Pslam Devotional

Psalm:23 Devotional

Michael Leave a comment

04/17/24 Psalm 23

                                                Psalm 23 Devotional Main Points

Within the Psalm

  1. The writer of Psalm 23 is ________
  2. Psalm:23 pictures the Lord as our ________ and us as his _________
  3. David was also a _________ and has knowledge of what that’s like.
  4. We have everything in Christ; we have salvation and can be eternally thankful. We shall not _______. We are eternally blessed.
  5. Like sheep, we have a complete _________ for our Shepherd.
  6. Green Pastures and still waters convey the idea of ________  and __________.
  7. Yahweh leads us on paths of righteousness; on the ______ path for the sake of His _____
  8. The valley of the shadow of death is actually a road from Jericho to ____________

It is described as a __________ place

  • In Verse 23:5 there is a shift of Yahweh being portrayed as a Shepherd to Him being portrayed as a _________. The Psalmist knows that he will be __________ as the guest of Yahweh at His table.
  • Historically, guests were usually __________ with oil as they enter to eat.
  • Because Yahweh is our _________ and _________, we can be confident that we will be protected by Yahweh’s covenantal love. Chesed. Our trust is based on his covenantal love. We can never be snatched from His hand. He is sovereign and His purposes will come to pass. God takes pleasure in those who trust in His Chesed (Psalm 147:11) This is his Loyal Love, steadfast love, mercy, goodness and kindness. It’s an attribute of God (Exodus 34:6-7) We see his lovingkindness and walk in His truth (Psalm 26:3). There is a connection between trusting him and being obedient (Psalm 37:3)
  • Chesed is God’s _____________ Love. His love perseveres and never fails.

Application questions

1)Are you truly satisfied in Christ? Is there anything that is on par with God or above God that you want that might be an idol in your life?

2) How does our trust in the Lord affect our attitude and actions in light of the good and bad times in our life?

3) How can we trust in Yahweh for protection when we know that many believers have been martyred, lost jobs, lost marriages, etc? What does it mean that Yawheh is protecting us?

                          Our Great Shepherd is Jesus Hebrews 13:20; Genesis 48:15 (Jacob’s Shepherd)

         Now may the God of peace who brough again from the dead our Lord Jesus, the great shepherd of the sheep, by the blood of the eternal covenant, equip you with everything good that you may do his will, working in us that which is pleasing in his sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen.

  1. Various answers will reveal our heart attitude – I’m truly satisfied in the Lord no matter what is provided. We are eternally blessed and have much to be thankful for. To be part of His kingdom and serving him is the most joyful thing we can experience in this life. The world looks for other things to ultimately satisfy them- Marriage, money, friends, job, fame, sex, entertainment, leisure, comfortability, etc. When we live out our identity in Christ, we are most satisfied in Him. Some of these things should be pursued and are good things. Marriage is the grace of life. We need money to live. But if we are looking toward these things to ultimately fulfill our life motivations and purpose, something is terribly wrong. We live for the Kingdom in light of eternity. Our perspective should be to love and serve others no matter what the Lord provides. Our love for each other and our constant service bears witness to the Gospel affecting our lives.
  • We know that the Lord is in control of everything and His purposes will come to pass. Everything He decides is good (Romans 8:28-29). We may not understand what the Lord is doing. Our reaction to not getting what we think we deserve will reveal a lot about our heart. We don’t deserve anything but Hell. We live in a country with minimal persecution and have salvation. And that’s all we need. We keep loving and serving others until we are resurrected in our new body designed for either eternal damnation or eternal glory. Compared to eternity, our life on this earth will fade very quickly. Living for anything else besides the triune God is insane. The world and its desires are fading very, very quickly. Live for what’s eternally valuable- The Kingdom of God.
  • I think of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. They refused to bow down to other Gods and were confident that Yahweh would protect them. But even if He doesn’t, they still wouldn’t bow down. God protects us in the sense that our souls are forever secure. There is no condemnation for those that are in Christ (Romans 8:1). God’s purposes will come to pass and there is nothing to be afraid of. Whatever happens is in His control. At the same time, there is wisdom in making smart decisions. We aren’t guaranteed physical protection in this life. In fact, we are guaranteed persecution as a believer. But we have an eternal hope for glorification. Our soul is protected if we are a believer and nothing else should matter. This is our hope and thankfulness. If this is what we are truly living for, our lives will show it.

David, Shepherd/Sheep, Shepherd, Want, Dependence, nourishment/abundance, correct/namesake, Jerusalem/dangerous, Shepherd/Host/anointed/Shepherd/host/Steadfast.

End of Devotioonal

Teaching Outline

A Psalm of David

Probably most famous Psalm

Often read at funeral. But really this Psalm is about living and not dying. We will see that in a bit.

A Psalm of David

David was a Shepherd of Sheep. Now what do we know about sheep?

We were once like sheep! 1 Peter 2:25- We were once like sheep going astray but now we have returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls. Before Christ, we didn’t have a Shepherd. We were living in Sin under the power of Satan. But now we have Christ and can be grateful.

  1. The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want

This is possessive and Personalized. David Says my Shepherd. He is totally satisfied in Christ. He shall not want. Can we truly  say that as long as I have Christ, I have everything? God is the supplier of everything. We are truly blessed.

  • He makes me lie down in green pastures

He leads me beside still waters.

Sheep don’t drink from running water; they are scared of it. This shows Yahweh’s provision and nourishment. We have a complete need and dependence on our Shepherd. God doesn’t ignore our needs. He is good not because of us but because of His character and His reputation.

This is a picture of contentment.

  • He restores my soul

He leads me in paths of righteousness

      For his name’s sake

Restore the soul- To revive or quicken it. Conveys the idea of spiritual renewal and refreshment.

  • Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil,

For you are with me;

Your rod and your staff, they comfort me.

2 Parts

Fear- Walking through the valley of death. Historically, that’s the road from Jericho to Jerusalem. Robbers and thieves were very common.

Comfort- We have a great God that will provide for us. David says, “I will fear no evil” By implication, because of our Great God.


God is with us in the Green Pastures and in the Valley of Death.  No matter where we are, God is with us controlling every step of the way.

A lot of times, our relationship becomes closer to God as we go through the Valley of death.

How is a rod and staff comforting?

The rod defends the predators and the staff brought the sheep back into the fold. Maybe they got stuck on some sort of waterway. Our Shepherd is our defender.

  • You prepare a table before me

In the presence of my enemies;

You anoint my head with oil;

My cup overflows.

Table- This is where sheep graze. A grassy plateau on the hillside.

Enemies of the sheep- Wolves, Lions, Cayotes. Who is our great predator? Satan. He seeks to destroy us.

We know that our strongest enemy is no match for our Great God. He will be cast into the Lake of Fire in the end.

You anoint my head with oil- This was usually done to kings. In this context, it would be common for hosts to anoint guest’s with oil before eating.

It is the Lord who fills our cup; not any idol, not anything else. He is ultimately satisfying. God supplies our every need.

If you make $35,000 or more, you are in thetop 99% income level in the world. We are truly blessed.

  • Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life,

And I shall dwell in the house of the Lord forever.

God is good and merciful (Chesed) God’s Loyal, unfailing Love.

Follow me in the Hebrew- Military Term/Chase or pursue

Literally, goodness and mercy shall chase us down.

David speaks confidently here. I shall dwell in the house of the Lord forever.

Conclusion

We see the confidence of David in the Lord.

He trusts in the Lord through the green pastures, through the valley of the shadow of death as Shepherd and host. He knows who His God is. This is expressed in his attitude and action- I shall fear no evil. He has satisfaction- My cup overflows, I shall not want. He expresses His Ultimate Satisfaction in the present life and is confident of where he is going.

Psalm:1 Devotional

Michael Leave a comment

                                                        Pslam 1

                                  The Blessed man is the Humble man

                             The Righteous path is the path of Humility

Purpose: To encourage and edify each other in the Word, promote fellowship, practice teaching. All men are called to ministry at some level. We are called to teach, edify, and  encourage one another. To help each other conform more to Christ as we see the day drawing near and live in light of eternity. 

Psalm:1 is a ________________________   Psalm

The blessed  man does not

___________ in the counsel of the wicked

 ___________ in the way of sinners

Nor ________ in the seat of scoffers

Friendship, community, fellowship is essential for growth. 

1 Corinthians 15:33- Bad company corrupts good morals

Proverbs 18:24- A man of many friends comes to _______. 

Why is this so?_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

The righteous man _________   in the law of the _______  day and night

Do you have the humility to see you are sinner? Your need for the Word? For Christ? For Godly Community? 

The Blessed Man is the Humble man who follows the humble path of Christ as His example demonstrated in Philippians 2:6. 

Rooted in Christ. 

The blessed man is 

planted and produces ________________

This is in contrast to the wicked who are thrown out like ________________.

Questions to think through

1)What does Biblical Wisdom mean (Choknah) 

2) Who is the blessed man? What does he do and not do? 

3) Where does true satisfaction come from?

4) Is there anything in your life that is on par with God or above God that is becoming an Idol indicating that you may not be satisfied with God and His Word?
5) Why is it important to be in the Word? To be the man or women that delights in the law of the Lord?

6) How do you separate yourself from the world while being present in the world to be a Godly witness?

7) How do you apply not letting your life come to ruin as proverbs says by making many, many friends? 

8) Why are Godly Friends and community in the church essential for growth and sanctification? 

9)Am I pursuing the righteous path of Humility like Christ in Philippians 2:6? 

10)How do we live out our identity in Christ more fully? 

11) What Godly Patterns are you setting for yourself to be on the righteous path? 

12) What helps us be on the righteous path? 

13) Is there anything I can work on in the attached table below?

                     Answers to questions

1)          Biblical Wisdom is skilled living; knowing and applying what we know in our daily lives through the power of the Holy Spirit.

2)         The blessed man is the humble man who’s heart has been transformed. He follows the example of Christ and emulate His humility. In the text, he is the one who doesn’t follow the counsel of the Wicked but delights in the Word and follows the Word. 

3) True satisfaction comes through Christ Alone. 

4) Answers will differ for every person.

5)The mark of a true believer is someone who loves the Word (John 8:31). We are transformed by the renewing of our minds (Romans 12:2) The Word is transformative and helps us conform to Christ.

6) We think through if we are pulling someone more toward Christ or if the unbeliever is pulling us more toward the world. We are here to be a witness for Christ, the kingdom, and His Gospel. But at the same time, we need to be wise with who we get close to. 

7) Same answer as above. We need to think through who we want to spend time with. We can’t even spend time with every believer. Ideally, we should try to spend our time with mature believers and disciple more immature believers. We know we are His disciples if we Love the brethren. 

8) This is God’s design. Fellowship is more friendship. It is a means of grace. Our hearts and faith can be prone to harden. (Hebrews:3), (Hebrews 10:25)

9) Various answers

10) If we are rooted in Christ, we need to pursue Godly living- To be on the righteous path and emulate Christ’s humility and encourage others in their Christian identity. This includes being in the Word, Fellowship, prayer, obedience, and God’s providence (Romans 8:29). We are saved unto good works (Ephesians 2:10) Sound doctrine has implications on Godly Living. Titus 2 – self-controlled, a model of good works, dignified……..

1 Corinthians 10:31- So whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God. 

Part of giving glory to God is right thinking or giving glory to God as he deserves.

(orthodoxy)

Psalm 3

Michael Leave a comment

psalm3_3b

Where do we turn in times of distress? The first of David’s Psalms and the first Lament Psalm is right here is Psalm 3:3. Lament Psalms express deep sorrow and ask for God’s blessing or Intervention. In Psalm 3, David is experiencing trials. A whole nation is turning against him. How does David respond in this trying Psalm

With Confidence

In Psalm 3:5, David lays down and sleeps. His confidence in God is validated by him sleeping in the midst of this dangerous situation.

Doxological petition

David turns to God with a petition and a praise. He pleas for God to save him but also praises Him in Psalm 3:8. Salvation belongs to the Lord. Deliverance belongs to the Lord whether it be from temporal enemies or the Spiritual Salvation of the soul that only the Lord can bring.

Where do you turn in times of distress? Can we have the confidence of David through our trials to turn to God and have confidence in our prayers from an all powerful God? Salvation Belongs to the lord

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Psalm 2

Michael Leave a comment

kisstheson

         Credit: Coye Still Southern Seminary; Logos Bible Software

Psalm 2 introduces the Book of Psalms along with Psalm 1. While Psalm 1 is more focused on the individual, Psalm 2 addresses the nations. The scope has broadened. It starts with the rage of the nations and ends with the kingship of Christ. There are 2 options, 2 paths for the nations to take. They can either give allegiance and “Kiss the Son” or perish. The choice is theirs.

God has a plan. And it’s not always your plan. Even now, I’m guilty of trying to plan the course of my life, where I will go, and what I want to do. Planning is good. It demonstrates discipline, goals, and determination. The tenacity to succeed. However, the fruition of those plans is ultimately determined by a providential, sovereign God. What does this have to do with Psalm 2? At the beginning of the Psalm, the Nations start out rebelling; plotting in vain.

Do the nations really rebel? Coye still said that history is a story of humanity warring against God. Humanity wars against God. Humanity killed Christ. But it was necessary for the atonement. Necessary for justification of the elect. Without it, there is no Sacrifice for sins. If Jesus wasn’t God, Christianity itself would cease to exist. A sacrifice was necessary; the one and only sacrifice that didn’t need to be repeated. No more sacrificing animals over and over again in the OT. This sacrifice was special; good enough for all of humanity if they believe in Christ, repent, turn to him and have faith.

When the nations plot in Psalm 2:1, the result is laughter. Psalm 2:4-“He who sits in the heavens shall laugh.” Rebellion is a reality but also vanity. We can plot all we want but ultimately, God is in control. He is sovereign. When we can trust in the promises of God, we are relaxed and have peace because there is a plan. We are submitting to a father, even though our desires may be contrary to his will. And in all of this we can have joy through various trials as it says in James. Trials produce Character and conform us to Christ.

Romans 8:28-29

“And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose. For Whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son.”

Everything works together and He has a purpose. And we are being conformed to the image of His Son.

Psalm 2 is also about the global kingship of Christ. Quoted 3 times in the NT (Act and twice in Hebrews), Psalm 2:7 says ” ‘I will declare the decree: The Lord has said to Me, You are My Son, Today I have begotten You.” Psalm 2:7 is a reference to the Father/Son relationship of the trinity. The messiah will be established as king despite the Gentile Nation’s resistance. The message is clear. Kiss the Son or perish.

As we we go about life, we may not understand God’s purpose. It can be confusing. It may be not what we want. But we can trust the Lord and believe in the promises of our Sovereign God. Psalm 2:12- “Blessed are those who put their trust in Him.”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Psalm 1

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Psalm 1.png

How  can we be happy? Isn’t this the pervading question of the culture. Everyone tries to pursue happiness. I can remember my first Christmas. The beaming sun was just coming up over the horizon. The radiating beams of light penetrated the thick, glassy windows. Ho! ho! ho! He’s here! I jumped out of my bed and ran down stairs; I suspected there was a treasure or something down there. Something good. I remember asking for pokemon cards. To my surprise, there were tons of presents! Rushing in anticipation, I opened every single one of them. Paper scattered everywhere in a hurry. The unveiling of what I had received was finally here. It was……..Monopoly. I had never played monopoly and was frankly pretty bummed out. I mean isn’t monopoly for the older kids? My point is that our happiness can come and fade. Sometimes it’s based on what we receive. Sometimes it’s based on our circumstances. But true happiness is found in the Lord and the word of God.

Psalm 1 is the first book of Psalms; Pslams is divided into 5 “books” although the book of Psalms is considered one book of the Bible. Psalm 1 is important. Chronologically speaking, Psalm 1 was not the first Psalm written; it was intentionally placed there. So we what can we learn about Psalm 1 and the truths presented? It is important! We can learn about happiness, our way of life, and the outcome of our way of life.

True Happiness

Psalm 1 starts with the word blessed. The Hebrew is Ashre meaning joy, contentment, happiness. I believe reading somewhere that the term is doubled. The Psalm starts out Ashre, Ashre. Doubly blessed. So how can we be happy in this life? The Psalm goes on to list three negatives and one verb of commission.

The three negatives

The three negatives outline what the Blessed man should not do. He should not

  1. Walk in the counsel of the Wicked
  2. Stand in the way of Sinners
  3. Sit in the seat of Scoffer

There is a progression of evil here; gradations of evil. Walking is not as bad as standing.  Standing is not as bad as sitting with scoffers.

You are a relationship manager

What are the implications from this passage? I believe our closest friends should be those that can help us conform to Christ’s image in deed and thought. People that spur us on to holiness which is essentially pursuing the Person of Christ. Christ in us. We are all busy. I’m not saying that we should avoid the world. We are called to engage the world with the Gospel. And show love to them. But our fellowship with others that are pursuing Christ is our choice. We can only be super close with a limited number of people. And we have to make decisions on who we want to spend a lot of our time with. As steer our ship in the waves of life, we need to make informed decisions on who our friends are. Our relationships are part of communing with Christ along with the Word and prayer. Pursuing the right friends is a blessing and you will be thankful

What does the Blessed man do?

The blessed man delights in the Law of the Lord. And this makes sense. God has a plan for us. He has a plan for you. He has a plan for me. As we read the Word of God, we are expressing our union with Christ by communing with Christ. Fellowshipping  with him. Getting direction for his heart, his purposes, and how we should live.

How is the Blessed person described?

The blessed man is described like a tree yielding fruit. They are stable, nourished, prosperous, fruitful. They are productive, spiritually maturing and conforming to Christ. He has Union with Christ. He is communing with Christ. And the fruits of the Spirit are evidently displayed in his life by producing the fruit of the Spirit.

2 paths

The wicked are described as the opposite of the blessed man. “The wicked are not so.” They are chaff. We can either follow the way of the wicked or the way of the righteous. Follow Christ or not follow Christ.

2 outcomes

The Lord knows the way of the righteous. He has saved them. They are going to Heaven. The Lord also knows the way of the wicked. They will perish.

Implication

We really can be happy by delighting in the Law of the Lord. The Gospel is the power of salvation to whoever believes accompanied by faith and repentance. It is the happy man that love the Word of God. In fact, it is the mark of a true believer. As we Abide in Christ and follow His Word, we can be happy. Following the way of life God has planned for us, following his purposes for His Glory.