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The Psalms
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Study Introduction
Approaching a new year, Pastor Tom looks back at our journey through the Psalms and pulls out five key elements from the Psalms for help us find true happiness.
Most of the time we think of Christmas as a time of joy. But to those who experienced the first Christmas, fear was the prevailing emotion, at least at first. How do we see this and how can it help us when we fear?
In the final four psalms we see God?s majesty, power, and mercy. We also see the power of praise to rebuild ourselves and fight against the enemy.
When we come into relationship with God through Jesus we are conscripted into an army and there is a powerful foe that considers us enemy combatants. God enters us into boot camp to provide training to withstand whatever this enemy throws our way.
A now famous saying in our culture is ?Git ?r done!? It suggests getting the job done whatever the cost. But God is much more interested in how we think, speak, and act, than in what we accomplish.
Life can be very dangerous - there are political dangers, dangers in creation, in our bodies, and even our minds conspire against us. Learn how God works to restore His purposes in a dangerous world.
Sometimes we feel like we cannot even lift our heads to a holy God. But these psalms show us how much God loves us despite our mistakes and failures and invites us into a deep relationship with Yahweh.
When you are at the bottom it seems like there is no way up or out. But in the final five songs of ascent, we see that the way is the way of Yahweh.
How do we have a fruitful life - one filled with joy amidst the pressures of this age? These five psalms of assent give us clues as to how God blesses in the midst of pressure.
Living a life dedicated to God can be a dangerous undertaking. There are physical, emotional and even spiritual battles that threaten to take us away from trusting God and being used by Him. These psalms offer hope in that journey.
How often do we go through difficult times, plead to God, but get no answer or things happen we don\'t understand? This portion of Psalm 199 helps us see what God is up to.
Each decision we make in life is not a discrete unit. It is connected in a long chain of decisions that leads in a trajectory either towards the character of the Lord or away from it. This part of Psalm 119 helps us set the right course in life.
The temptations and accusations of the world are like a man-eating plant that wraps its legs around our character and seeks to drag us down. God\'s Word is like the searchlight from a Coast Guard helicopter, coming to rescue us in times of trouble.
As we live in this age we are bombarded by choices. Which value system should we emulate - the world\'s or God\'s? How do we even know what God\'s value system is? This portion of Psalm 119 helps us as we face those choices in life: expedience or trust.
Psalm 119 is all about God\'s Word, but is the Word an instruction manual with every detail of life enumerated for us, or is it more a character sketch of the most beautiful and wonderful being ever?
To the Jews, Hosanna meant \"Help - Save us!\" But it morphed in its meaning in a way that gives us all hope. This psalm is jammed full of Messianic references and hope for the future king of the world: Jesus.
As humans, our default position is to be self-centered. And unless we are aware of it and address it, we will always act in our own best self-interest. But as the Psalms show us, we are not the center of the universe - God is. And that\'s a very good thing.
God is good and powerful that, even though we fought Him tooth and nail, He still saved us, cleansed us and now transforms us into His character. That wonderful work is something to behold, and the riches we receive are incredible.
We all have a big decision to make - whether to trust in Yahweh through His Son Jesus or not. The decision is important - vitally important. So what are the consequences? And what about true evil and those who are innocent victims. What happens to them?
We know that \"God is Love.\" But there is another very important characteristic of God that sometimes gets overlooked. God is also good. And not just good sometimes, but always to everyone - even if it doesn\'t seem like it.