SERMON SEEDS I6 FOR 4/25/05
Posted by: jpeters <jpeters@...>
SERMON SEEDS FOR APRIL 25, 2005
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PSALM 29
REMINDERS
#1 DIGGING DEEPER IN THE PSALMS
Mothers Day, Fathers Day, and Memorial Day all serve as reminders of special people, both living and dead. Our Christian holidays of Christmas and Easter also serve as reminders of the special birth, death and resurrection of our Lord Jesus.
We need reminders, and tonight, I bring your attention to Psalm 29, which serves us a reminder of certain truths that we should never forget. We should never forget:
THE PRAISE OF THE LORD
THE POWER OF THE LORD
THE PROMISES OF THE LORD
NOTE: Im beginning a series Im calling Digging Deeper in the Psalms. My goal is to show you some of the Psalms which you might not have noticed or have forgotten. In this series we wont be handling the real familiar Psalms like Psalms 1, 19, 23, 100, 121, 150, or other old standards. Instead I want to introduce you to ones we might consider to be a little more obscure, even though they dont deserve to be.
Psalm 29 is special among the Psalms because it praises God for a Thunder Storm. The storm to David was an expression of Gods voice and power. In 11 verses the title the Lord appears 18 times, seven of those times it is in the phrase, the voice of the Lord.
Our first reminder is:
THE PRAISE OF THE LORD Vss. 1-2
It is important to note here that those being directly called on to praise God are heavenly beings, angels, if you will.
The word mighty refers to mighty ones, and literally means sons of God. Often the term sons of God refers to the angels.
David is calling on the angels to praise God. But they already do! Why would David call on them to do what is already being done? James Montgomery Boice answered that question: It is because he feels that his praise and the praise of other mere human beings in not adequate. David is overwhelmed with the majesty of God revealed in the storm that he has witnessed is now going to describe. He feels that he needs help to praise God properly. To praise God adequately the entire created order must join in, and even then sufficient praise would be lacking. James Montgomery Boice, Psalms Volume 1, (Grand Rapids Michigan, Baker Books, 1994
The word give in these verses means to ascribe. The angels were to give credit to the Lord for His glory and for His strength. They were also to give the Lord the glory due His name.
The angels do give the Lord the glory due His name. Isaiah 6:1-4
Of course, if angels are to praise the Lord, we are reminded that you and I should be doing the same thing.
Angels are far superior to us and they worship the Lord.
If we do what it says, it verse 2, give unto the Lord the glory due unto His name, we will never be silent.
How much glory is due His name? Theres no limit on what is due to Him.
Psalm 29:2 - Give unto the Lord the glory due unto his name; worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness.
The angels before the throne of God are totally set apart from sin to serve God. They are able to worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness.
To be holy is to be totally set apart from sin unto God.
That is more difficult for us. However, with Gods help we can do it.
Thats why a regular part of our prayers should be, thy kingdom come, thy will be done.
The word worship means to bow down. Although we may not always bow literally before God, we can bow figuratively by being totally submissive to Him.
The one who is totally submissive to God is the one who will be able to worship in holiness.
The First Reminder: THE PRAISE OF THE LORD
The Second Reminder:
THE POWER OF THE LORD Vss. 3-10
There are two places that the Lords Power is seen:
1. The Thunderstorm Vss. 3-9
2. The Throne Vs. 10
There are few things more powerful and glorious than a full-blown thunderstorm. This one that David probably viewed was a real dilly.
Vs. 3 - According to David, it was the voice of the Lord, and he was probably including the lightening right in with the thunder.
The storm started over the waters, or the Mediterranean Sea.
Vss. 4-5 The storm comes inland and moves up into the mountains of Lebanon. I can imagine the lightning striking some of the trees and them coming down.
Vs. 6-7 Imagine the mountains shaking and the lightning
flashing!
Vs. 8 The storm moves on into the wilderness around Kadesh, a town 75 miles north of Damascus and then was gone.
Vs. 9 The deer gave birth prematurely because of the storm.
Leaves are stripped from the trees
The Voice of the Lord would be the thunder. God is expressing Himself. He is saying, I am here and I am powerful.
The all powerful God reminds us of His presence in the thunderstorm. We realize that when He speaks, things happen!
But we can also be thankful that our all powerful God is so powerful, that He doesnt roar at us. He speaks with a still, small voice. Elijah learned that lesson. 1 Kings 19:11-12
Another thing we can be thankful for is that the same power that causes majestic thunderstorms and that raised Jesus from the dead is present in our lives to help us. Ephesians 1:18-21
When we face trials, His power is present.
When we face tragedy, His power is present.
When we need strength to face problems, do what is right, or witness, His power is present.
His Word is just as authoritative when He is speaking in our lives as when He is speaking in a thunderstorm.
Vs. 9 - And notice that in Gods temple, God is praised for His glory.
· I think of the temple in Heaven where God would be praised for the majesty of the thunderstorm.
· I think of the physical temple or tabernacle on earth where God would have been praised for majesty of a thunderstorm.
· And I think of the temple that is our bodies, where God should be praised for the majesty of the thunderstorm and every other way God shows His power.
2. The Throne Vs. 10
It is likely that David is referring to the world-wide flood.
God was in control of that.
It is a reminder of His kingship.
When I think of His kingship I also think of His sovereignty.
It is God who is in control of everything.
It behooves us to respond properly to His reign. Psalm 97:1, Psalm 99:1
Because the Lord reigns, we can say with David in Psalm 31:15, My times are in thy hand: deliver me from the hand of mine enemies, and from them that persecute me.
The First Reminder: THE PRAISE OF THE LORD Vss. 1-2
The Second Reminder: THE POWER OF THE LORD Vss. 3-10
The Third Reminder:
THE PROMISES OF THE LORD Vs. 11
1. THE LORD PROMISES US STRENGTH
All through Scripture the Lord promises us strength. Deuteronomy 33:25, Psalm 118:14, Isaiah 41:10,
Acts 18:9-10, 2 Corinthians 12:9, Philippians 4:13
1. THE LORD PROMISES US STRENGTH
2. THE LORD PROMISES US PEACE
Psalm 29:11 - The Lord will give strength unto his people; the Lord will bless his people with peace.
God does not intend us to be in turmoil, but in peace. Isaiah 26:3-4, Luke 10:38-42, John 14:27
THE PRAISE OF THE LORD
THE POWER OF THE LORD in the storm and on the throne
THE PROMISES OF THE LORD strength and peace
This is a Great expansion on previously shared outline.
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Proverbs 7
STAY PURE!
THE DELIGHT OF AN OBEDIENT SON Vss. 1-4
THE DESCRIPTION OF A SEDUCTIVE WOMAN Vss. 5-2o
THE DOOM OF A SEDUCED MAN Vss. 21-27
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Mark 10:46-52
STUBBORN FAITH
BE HEARD Vss. 46-47
BE HARD (DETERMINED) Vs. 48
BE HOPEFUL Vss. 49-51
BE HELPED Vs. 52
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Acts 5:1-11
GOD'S CORRECTING HAND
Introduction - Hebrews 12:5-11, God disciplines his children.
MAN DECEIVES OTHERS (Even Christians can deceive!), Vss. 1,2,7,8
THE SPIRIT DISCERNS SIN Vss. 3,4,9
GOD DEMONSTRATES HIS DISPLEASURE Vss. 5,6,10,11
Sermon Seeds A33
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2 Corinthians 6:14-7:1
SPECIAL LIVING
POINTED COMMAND
6:14a - Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers:
PIERCING QUESTIONS
6:14b-16a - Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness? [15] And what concord hath Christ with Belial? or what part hath he that believeth with an infidel? [16] And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols?
PRECIOUS PROMISES
Vss. 16b-18 - for ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. [17] Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you, [18] And will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty.
PERSONAL RESPONSE
2 Corinthians 7:1 - Having therefore these promises, dearly beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God.
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Philippians 4:8
YOU ARE WHAT YOU THINK
The Bible clearly tells us that we are what we think! Eventually our words and our behavior will reflect what we are thinking on the inside.
Proverbs 23:7 - "For as he thinketh in his heart, so [is] he:..."
Matthew 15:18-19 - But those things which proceed out of the mouth come forth from the heart; and they defile the man. For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies:
Luke 6:45 A good man out of the good treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is good; and an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is evil: for of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaketh.
If we are going to think the way God wants us to think, and as a result act the way God wants to act, we are going to have to learn how to think properly, because "You are what you think."
Changing your thinking begins with salvation. If you have truly recognized yourself to be a sinner, and have truly turned to Jesus Christ, as the One who died for you, and have trusted Him for forgiveness of sin and eternal life, there will be a change in your life! 2 Corinthians 5:7
As a result of the new life in Christ, we are told to make some changes. One change is who our boss will be in life. Another change is how we think through life's situations. Romans 12:1-2
If our mind is renewed, it means that our thinking will be different than the way it was before we knew Christ as Savior. It means that we must learn how to think differently. This all brings us to our text, Philippians 4:8:
Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things [are] honest, whatsoever things [are] just, whatsoever things [are] pure, whatsoever things [are] lovely, whatsoever things [are] of good report; if [there be] any virtue, and if [there be] any praise, think on these things.
This verse gives us a pattern for our thinking.
We'll talk about how to implement that pattern at the end of the message. But first, let's look at the types of things about which we should be thinking. We can break down the types of things to think about into three categories.
PROFOUND THOUGHTS
I call these thoughts profound because they are certainly of the highest and deepest quality. They include the things that are true, honest, and just.
· THE TRUE
The things which we think about should be true.
They should be valid thoughts.
They should be responsible thoughts.
They should be honest thoughts.
Have you ever stopped to realize how much we think about is just not true?
We worry about what this one is thinking.
We worry that this has happened or that has happened.
We worry about what will happen.
We assume people are saying and doing things that they are not saying and doing.
Why is this? Ever since the Garden of Eden, Satan has been getting man to believe lies which he tells. If he gets you to believe what isn't true, he can paralyze your testimony for the Lord Jesus Christ. John 8:44
Thinking about lies will upset you, make you worry, make you angry, make you ineffective for the Lord Jesus Christ.
PROFOUND THOUGHTS
WHAT WE THINK ABOUT IS TO BE TRUE
· WHAT WE THINK ABOUT IS TO BE HONORABLE.
That's what the word "honest" means here.
What we think about is not to be simplistic.
What we think about is not be trash.
What we think about is not to be sheer imagination.
So much of what we think about is useless!
Thinking on the honorable takes us to a higher plane.
What we think about as Christians is to be better than what our unsaved friends are thinking about.
Our thinking is to be honorable, or reputable, or noble.
PROFOUND THOUGHTS
· WHAT WE THINK ABOUT IS TO BE RIGHT
The word just would mean right.
Back in the Old Testament days of the Judges it is said that every man did that which was right in his own eyes. It's not hard for me to view my own thoughts as right according to my standards. I can easily justify the way I think.
But to have my thoughts conformable to God's standards is something else.
Micah 6:8 - He hath shewed thee, O man, what [is] good; and what doth the LORD require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God?
To do justly, I must think justly.
To love mercy, I must think mercifully.
To walk humbly with my God I must think about Him enough to meditate in His Word and talk to Him.
PRECIOUS THOUGHTS
We get the mistaken idea that when we think the way God wants us to think, that things will be dull.
I think quite the opposite is true.
The next two types of thoughts are precious to God and precious to others, because of the way we will treat them when our thoughts are precious.
And these thoughts will be precious to ourselves, because we will be so much happier when we think this way.
PRECIOUS THOUGHTS - There are two types here.
· WHAT I THINK ABOUT IS TO BE PURE.
First and foremost my thoughts must be morally pure before God.
I am not to be dwelling on that which displeases God!
I am not to be dwelling on the filth of this world.
I am not to be dwelling on that which would make me blush if others knew what I was thinking.
Psalm 101:3
PRECIOUS THOUGHTS
· WHATSOEVER THINGS ARE LOVELY
When we think about lovely things they are pleasing.
When we think about lovely things they are agreeable.
When we think about lovely things they are amiable.
Lovely thoughts are beneficial towards God.
Lovely thoughts are beneficial towards others.
Lovely thoughts are those which would put God and others first.
Lovely thoughts are probably the thoughts that motivate us towards service for God and kind deeds towards man.
When you've done something nice, it is because it began with a lovely thought.
POSITIVE THOUGHTS
Do you know why we are often critical?
Do you know why we are often unkind?
Do you know why we are often guilty of slander, and a judgmental attitude?
It is because we do not think positive thoughts.
· WHATSOEVER THINGS ARE OF GOOD REPORT
Instead of dwelling on bad news dwell on good news.
Instead of trying to make yourself look good, try to make God and others look good.
This occurs when we think about the good we find in others instead of the bad we find in others.
There are some verses that Paul shared with the Philippians that should be our attitude towards other believers. Philippians 1:3-6
The words "good report" mean worth talking about.
If it's worth talking about something, it's worth thinking about.
If it's not worth talking about, then it's not worth thinking about either.
POSITIVE THOUGHTS:
· IF THERE BE ANY VIRTUE
The word virtue means "excellence".
We are to be so choosy about what we think that thinking just good thoughts isnt enough. We must strive to think excellent thoughts.
We want to think about that which is excellent in God's eyes.
When we praise we should think on the excellent.
When we pray we should think about the excellent.
When we consider God's will, we should think about doing what is excellent.
Part of Paul's prayer for the Philippians in chapter 1 of that book is that they would "approve things that are excellent".
May we strive to do the same.
POSITIVE THOUGHTS:
· IF THERE BE ANY PRAISE
We should think on things worthy of our praise.
We should think on things worthy of God's praise.
We are to think thoughts worth sharing to others, that they would think them too.
We have quite a list here:
PROFOUND THOUGHTS THAT ARE TRUE, HONORABLE AND RIGHT
PRECIOUS THOUGHTS WHICH ARE PURE AND LOVELY
POSITIVE THOUGHTS WHICH ARE OF GOOD REPORT, EXCELLENT, AND WORTHY OF PRAISE.
The question now is, how do we go about thinking such thoughts?
Let me give you three suggestions, remembering that you can't think thoughts pleasing to God, until you are a child of God.
1. Ask Christ to control your thought life, using Romans 6:13 as a model.
Neither yield ye your members [as] instruments of unrighteousness unto sin: but yield yourselves unto God, as those that are alive from the dead, and your members [as] instruments of righteousness unto God.
Yield yourself to God as one who is alive from the dead in Christ.
Yield your thoughts to God as instruments of righteousness unto God.
2. Think of the ways the Lord Jesus fulfills all of these qualities found in Philippians 4:8. (Review)
For instance, think of all the ways Jesus Christ is true, honorable, etc.
3. Memorize and Meditate on the Scriptures.
Joshua 1:8 - This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success.
3X5 cards
repetition
reflection
God's word is true, honest, just, pure, lovely, good report, virtue, worthy of praise, thinking on it and the Lord Jesus are the best ways to revolutionize your thought life.
These are expanded notes from a previously shared outline.
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BUT GOD!
Selected Scriptures
GOD, MY PROTECTOR
Genesis 20:3 - But God came to Abimelech in a dream by night, and said to him, Behold, thou [art but] a dead man, for the woman which thou hast taken; for she [is] a man's wife.
Genesis 31:7 - And your father hath deceived me, and changed my wages ten times; but God suffered him not to hurt me.
Isaiah 23:14 - And David abode in the wilderness in strong holds, and remained in a mountain in the wilderness of Ziph. And Saul sought him every day, but God delivered him not into his hand.
GOD, MY GUIDE
Genesis 48:21 - And Israel said unto Joseph, Behold, I die: but God shall be with you, and bring you again unto the land of your fathers.
Genesis 45:8 - So now [it was] not you [that] sent me hither, but God: and he hath made me a father to Pharaoh, and lord of all his house, and a ruler throughout all the land of Egypt.
Genesis 50:20 - But as for you, ye thought evil against me; [but] God meant it unto good, to bring to pass, as [it is] this day, to save much people alive.
Acts 7:9 - And the patriarchs, moved with envy, sold Joseph into Egypt: but God was with him,
1Chronicles 28:3 - But God said unto me, Thou shalt not build an house for my name, because thou [hast been] a man of war, and hast shed blood.
Exodus 13:18 - But God led the people about, [through] the way of the wilderness of the Red sea: and the children of Israel went up harnessed out of the land of Egypt.
Act 10:28 - And he said unto them, Ye know how that it is an unlawful thing for a man that is a Jew to keep company, or come unto one of another nation; but God hath shewed me that I should not call any man common or unclean.
GOD, MY FUTURE
Psalms 49:15 - But God will redeem my soul from the power of the grave: for he shall receive me. Selah.
Act 13:30 - But God raised him from the dead:
GOD, MY STRENGTH AND PORTION
Psalms 73:26 - My flesh and my heart faileth: [but] God [is] the strength of my heart, and my portion for ever.
GOD, MY JUDGE
Psalms 75:7 - But God [is] the judge: he putteth down one, and setteth up another.
John 4:7 - But God prepared a worm when the morning rose the next day, and it smote the gourd that it withered.
Luke 12:20 - But God said unto him, [Thou] fool, this night thy soul shall be required of thee: then whose shall those things be, which thou hast provided?
Luke 16:15 - And he said unto them, Ye are they which justify yourselves before men; but God knoweth your hearts: for that which is highly esteemed among men is abomination in the sight of God.
GOD, MY FORGIVER
Mark 2:7 - Why doth this [man] thus speak blasphemies? who can forgive sins but God only?
Luke 5:21 - And the scribes and the Pharisees began to reason, saying, Who is this which speaketh blasphemies? Who can forgive sins, but God alone?
Romans 5:8 - But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.
Ephesians 2:4 - But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us,
GOD, MY ENABLER
1Corinthians 1:27 - But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty;
1Corinthians 3:6 - I have planted, Apollos watered; but God gave the increase.
1Corinthians 3:7 - So then neither is he that planteth any thing, neither he that watereth; but God that giveth the increase.
GOD, MY DELIVERER
1Corinthians 10:13 - There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God [is] faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear [it].
GOD, MY GLORY
Galatians 6:14 - But God forbid that I should glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world is crucified unto me, and I unto the world.
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