Guest Speaker: Ryland Whitehorn

A special lesson was presented today, in combination with other Sunday School classes, on personal evangelism, promoting the Three Circles Life Conversation Guide.

“I Shall Yet Praise Him!” Psalm 42:1-11 Bible Study 08/20/17

Our psalm this morning is the first psalm of the second “book” of psalms (42-72). These psalms point forward to the fulfillment of all things in Christ and relate concretely to the experiences of God’s people in every generation. Psalm 42 is addressed to the choirmaster and is a musical selection from the temple musicians, the sons of Korah.

I. Introduction

-“God in the Psalms is the all-satisfying object.” (C.S. Lewis)
-the salvaged sons of Korah

II. An Appetite to Observe (1-5)

-longing for God because of absence from corporate worship
-corporate expression and encounter
-homesickness for the house of God

III. An Example to Follow (6-11)

-suffering that exposes secondary satisfaction
-learning to talk to yourself: “pierce” the mind
-looking away to the Lord of life
-the Great Worshiper: our Helper

IV. So What?

-Because the Lord alone satisfies, crave and praise Him in every circumstance and event.
-Recognize the “resolution” in Psalm 43.
-Preach the gospel to yourself regularly!

“Prayer as Worship” Psalm 141:1-10 Bible Study 08/13/17

While this psalm of David is not connected explicitly to a specific occurrence/event in his life, it does present the picture of a harassed soul who is being tempted to “slacken his hold on God.” For this reason, Psalm 141 offers powerful insights for believers today in the midst of their earthly pilgrimages. There are perils, both internal and external, which can hinder our progress on the path marked out for us by the Lord. Therefore, our lives should be marked by a desperate dependence which articulates itself in worshipful prayer.

I. A Desperate Sense of Need (1-2)

-urgent cry
-act of worship: “incense” and “sacrifice”
-Rev. 5:8

II. A Distinct Sense of Stewardship (3-7)

-speech, heart, action (Jer. 17:9, Luke 6:45)
-preference for the rebuke of the righteous over the flattery of the wicked
-assured sense of justice

III. A Declaration of Dependence (8-10)

-orientation
-protection
-NT connection: Heb. 2:6-9, 12:2

IV. So What?

-When your eyes are set toward God, you can navigate the dangers of this life with confidence.
-Ponder the fact that you are “in peril” every day.
-“You have never spoken a word that belongs to you, because words belong to the Lord.” (Tripp)
-“The reason for the fixed look of faith lies in the divine names.” (Maclaren)
-“Our prayer and God’s mercy are like two buckets in a well; while one ascends, the other descends.” (E. Hopkins)

“When ‘The Man’ Is You” Psalm 51:1-17 Bible Study 08/06/17

This morning we will focus on the best known of the seven “penitential” psalms (6, 32, 38, 51, 102, 130, 143). Psalm 51 includes a full confession of sin that is without parallel in any other psalm.

I. Background/Setting

-note the superscription
-confrontation by Nathan in 2 Samuel 12:1-15…
-following David’s sin with Bathsheba in 2 Samuel 11:1-5…
-and the murder of her husband, Uriah the Hittite (2 Samuel 11:14-15, 1 Chron. 11:41, 2 Samuel 11:27).

II. Return for Pardon (1-9)

-appropriation of the promise of forgiveness
-appeal to the merciful character of God
-sin: transgression, iniquity, sin
-forgiveness: blot, wash, cleanse
-acknowledgment of ultimate offense
-awareness of infection and urgent petition

III. Restoration of Purity (10-12)

-create and renew
-cast and take not
-restoration of joy and corresponding willingness

IV. Renewal of Purpose (13-17)

-instructional “evangelism”
-the tongue’s testimony of righteousness
-broken-hearted joy: the “eloquence” of brokenness

V. So What?

-When ‘the man’ is you, cling to the character of God as your sole cause for hope.
-Make the connection to Christ: Romans 3:21-26
-“Every sin is cosmic treason, an overthrowing of the One to whom you owe everything.” (T. Keller)
-“He goes safely who goes humbly.” (MacLaren)
-“The number of the psalmist’s sins drives him to contemplate the greater number of God’s mercies.” (MacLaren).