E-Pistle for January 27, 2012
Posted by: info <info@...>
E-pistle
FreeWay Foundation January 27, 2012
Contrasting the true god with idols
(Psalm 115:1-18)
Dr. Curt Scarborough
I. Concentration: on giving God glory
1. "Glory means honor, praise, adoration, exaltation, and radiance, v. 1.
2. Man is not to receive such glory on earth, v. 1; Isaiah 42:8; 48:11.
3. God is to be glorified because of His mercy (grace), v. 1.
4. God is to be glorified because of His truth (revelation of Himself), v. 1.
II. Meditation: on the contrast between the true God and false gods (idols), vv. 2-8
1. Idols have no power; God "does whatever He pleases," v. 3.
2. Idols are built by men's hands; God created man's hands, v. 4.
3. Idols do not speak; God does, v. 5.
4. Idols do not see; God does, v. 5.
5. Idols do not hear; God does, v. 6.
6. Idols do not smell; God does, v. 6.
7. Idols have hands, but do not handle; God does, v. 7.
8. Idols have feet, but do not walk; God does, v. 7.
9. Idols make no sounds and show no signs of life; God does, v. 7.
10. Persons who make idols (and who trust in idols) become like the false gods
they worship . . . powerless and spiritually dead, v. 8.
III. Revelation: on believers who trust in the living God
1. They receive God as their help and shield, vv. 9-11.
2. They are known and remembered by God . . . "The Lord has been mindful of us," v. 12.
3. They are reverent before God and receive His blessings . . . whatever their status,
small or great, vv. 12-13.
4. They and their families grow and prosper spiritually ("increase more and more"),
vv. 14-15; they bless the Lord continually ("from this time forth and forevermore"), vv. 16-18.
IV. Applications: as a Christian, I need to . . .
1. Give glory to God for His mercy (salvation) and truth (Word).
2. With thanksgiving, receive the Lord as my helper and shield.
3. Worship the Lord with awe, fear, and reverence.
4. Bless the name of the Lord continually as He is made the center and focus of my family's life.
Precious in the sight of the lord
(Psalm 116:1-19)
Dr. Curt Scarborough
I. Concentration: on the reasons to love the Lord
1. Because He has heard my voice and my supplications, and has inclined His ear to me, vv. 1-2.
2. Because He is gracious, righteous, and merciful, v. 5.
3. Because He preserves the simple (child-like; open-hearted), and deals bountifully with them, vv. 6-7.
4. Because He delivered my soul from death, my eyes from tears, and my feet from falling, v. 8.
II. Meditation: on how God see His people
1. God sees His people as troubled and sorrowful human beings, in need of divine comfort, vv. 3, 6.
2. God sees His people as tired and weary persons, needing rest, v. 7.
3. God sees His people as afflicted and in immediate need of deliverance from death, v. 8.
4. "Precious (highly esteemed; of great value) in the sight of the Lord is the death of His saints," v. 15.
III. Revelation: on our proper responses to God's blessings (v. 12)
1. I will call upon Him as long as I live, vv. 2-4.
2. I will walk before the Lord with integrity, v. 9.
3. I will receive His "cup of salvation," v. 13.
4. I will pay my vows to God, and offer to Him my sacrifice of thanksgiving, vv. 14, 17-19.
IV. Applications: as a Christian, I need to . . .
1. Love the Lord with all my heart, soul, mind, and strength, Matthew 22:37.
2. Continually pray for Him to supply my needs, while offering up praise and thanksgiving to His name.
3. Receive His salvation, and all the accompanying blessings from His hand.
4. Trust in His mercy and grace during all the days of my life, and have faith in Him through "the valley
of the shadow of death," Psalm 23:4.
"What lies behind us and what lies before us are tiny matters
compared to what lies within us,"
--Oliver Wendell Holmes
--
To unsubscribe, send ANY message to: epistle2equip-unsubscribe@welovegod.org